Where’s the Outrage?

From Glenn Greenwald:

Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets. Last night, members of the St. Paul police department and the Ramsey County sheriff’s department handcuffed, photographed and detained dozens of people meeting at a public venue to plan a demonstration, charging them with no crime other than “fire code violations,” and early this morning, the Sheriff’s department sent teams of officers into at least four Minneapolis area homes where suspected protesters were staying.

Jane Hamsher and I were at two of those homes this morning — one which had just been raided and one which was in the process of being raided. Each of the raided houses is known by neighbors as a “hippie house,” where 5-10 college-aged individuals live in a communal setting, and everyone we spoke with said that there had never been any problems of any kind in those houses, that they were filled with “peaceful kids” who are politically active but entirely unthreatening and friendly. Posted below is the video of the scene, including various interviews, which convey a very clear sense of what is actually going on here. (more… )

Firedoglake has more - here and here.

Tags: Civil Liberty, Civil Rights by ecthompson
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You see. George W. Bush isn’t all bad just mostly. President Bush has nominated Lt. General Ann Dunwoody to become this nation’s first 4 star general. She will need to be confirmed by Congress but congratulations to her and all American women as glass ceilings continue to break in this country.

Tags: Civil Rights, Military by ecthompson
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Okay, how about this. You come to work every day, you work hard every day, but your sales just aren’t the same as everyone else’s. Maybe you have a terrible client list. It may be what you do on the job. It may be that you’re selling a terrible product. But the fact is, your sales continue to lag behind the others. My question is — would it be okay to waterboard in order to motivate yourself? Seriously.

Waterboarding as a motivational tool… Who knew? A company of Provo, Utah actually tried this on an employee. Surprisingly, the employee volunteered. As you can no doubt figure, this clearly ended up in court.

Tags: Civil Rights, Domestic Issues, Torture by ecthompson
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It is kind of amazing. 40 years ago. I was 7 years old. I was old enough to understand the feeling that hung over my house that day. The feeling that something terrible had happened.

There have been a lot of comparisons of Barack Obama and Martin Luther King. Although they were both Black men with extreme intelligence, they were both products of their environment. King grew out of the church. Obama has grown out of America’s educational system. They aren’t the same man. They are both leaders.

I’m looking forward to the special on the History Channel.

Tags: Civil Rights, Race by ecthompson
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Michael Savage wants all Muslims to be deported. For more information, click here.

 

 No Michael Savage [1:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Religion, Talkin' out Loud by ecthompson
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I don’t know if Mitt Romney truly believes what he says or not. After several of the comments that I got on this story, I thought that I would post the video and ask those Romney supporters to defend this.

Tim Russert asks Mitt Romney about race and his faith. Romney supports his faith. This is good. Governor Romney could have stopped there but he didn’t. He added that his father marched with Martin Luther King. His father walked out the Republican convention in part because Goldwater was not embracing civil rights. He continued that his mother was also a champion of civil rights.

Let’s look at each of these points individually. First there is a claim that George Romney marched with Martin Luther King. A story in the on-line journal Politico states that several witnesses saw Martin Luther King walk hand-in-hand with then Governor George Romney. One witness, Ashby Richardson, states, “The press is being disingenuous in terms of reporting what actually happened. I remember it vividly. I was only 15 or 20 feet from where both of them were.” Then there is the account by David Broder of the Washington Post and Stephen Hess in the 1967 book, The Republican Establishment: The Present and Future of the G.O.P. On the other side of the coin where are the civil rights leaders. Where is Jesse Jackson and Andrew Young? They were there, weren’t they? They would know. There should also be some pictures. [Read more →]

 

 MTP - So was Romney truthful? [1:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Election 2008 by ecthompson
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Of all Martin Luther King’s sermons, the one I’ve found the most instructive is “Unfulfilled Dreams.” It offers solid perspective on the disappointments we all face in life.

Unfulfilled Dreams is the title given to the sermon in the excellent audio collection of King’s speeches called “A Knock At Midnight.” I’d suggest purchase of this collection to anybody. Play these sermons in your car as you commute and go about your affairs, and they might change your life.

In a print collection of King’s sermons titled ” Strength To Love“, this sermon is called “Shattered Dreams.” While the text between the audio and print versions has some differences, the message is the same. ( Here is a link to the full “A Knock At Midnight” text of Unfulfilled Dreams.)

Strength To Love is the best book compilation of King’s sermons.

Here are excerpts and observations from Unfulfilled Dreams—

King begins by discussing how King David wanted to build a temple to honor God. He talks about how important it was for David to finish this temple and how David would not be successful in this undertaking.

[Read more →]

Tags: Books, Civil Rights, Religion by Texas Liberal
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When you look around the country there are several race based crimes that are really ugly.  The rally was to bring attention to the number of hate crimes in America.

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From CNN.com:

Thousands of demonstrators encircled Justice Department headquarters in the nation’s capital Friday to demand the government crack down harder on hate crimes.

“We have so many people, we surrounded the Justice Department and two blocks more,” the Rev. Al Sharpton told CNN as the orderly crowd marched around the building where newly sworn-in Attorney General Michael Mukasey was working.

“This is a real outcry, a real outrage from people around this country,” Sharpton said.  (more…)

 

 March against hate [2:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Race by ecthompson
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Bryant Purvis pleaded not guilty in Jena, Louisiana. His charge was second degree aggravated battery and conspiracy. I find it interesting that Purvis and his family have moved to Texas.

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From NYT:

The last of the so-called Jena Six to be arraigned in the beating of a white high school student pleaded not guilty Wednesday to reduced charges of battery and conspiracy.

The trial for Bryant Purvis, 18, was set for March. Purvis had initially been charged with attempted second-degree murder, but in a brief court hearing that charge was reduced to charges of second degree-aggravated battery and conspiracy.

If convicted, he could be imprisoned for up to 22 years. (more…)

 

 Last of Jena 6 pleads [1:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Race by ecthompson
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Senators Patrick Leahy and Arlen Spector join Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room.  Will they confirm the Bush Administration’s nominee for Attorney General?  What questions will they ask him?  This is a good conversation.  Remember that although Senator Spector talks a tough game he has bent over backwards for the president on a number of occasions.

 

 TSR - Leahy and Spector [6:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Bush Administration, Civil Liberty, Civil Rights, Torture by ecthompson
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There is that saying - open mouth, insert foot and chew vigorously. Now, meet Jena district attorney Reed Walters. Mr. Walters read a prepared text which included references to God. Now, I’m normally nauseated when most people reference God because it is almost always a way to deflect blame or to inject emotion and sympathy. Mr. Walters knows full well that many Americans believe that racism infects the DA’s office if not many of the citizens of Jena. So, with the spotlight of America shining upon him, he says, “I firmly believe and am confident of the fact that had it not been for the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ last Thursday, a disaster would have happened. You can quote me on that.”

So, Black people can not gather peacefully without God making them behave? Are you serious? What an insult. What a racist insult. Maybe he and Bill O’Reilly hang out in the same places. I’m just stunned because you know that he wrote that down. He probably read it over with his friends to make sure that he got everything just right then he nervously read it before the cameras.

This man who is suppose to apply the law fairly is clearly biased. He should be asked to resign immediately for his racist comments. He should disbarred for his actions in the Jena 6 case. He should face civil changes for violating the civil rights of not just the Jena 6 but of the people of color in Jena. He has made that city the face of racism in America today.

NPR had a very long segment on Jena last week. I thought it was informative especially when they interviewed a preacher, Reverend Eddie Thompson (no relation). The interviewer, Melissa Block and Rev. Thompson were very thoughtful. One portion of the interview was very insightful. It was a clue of what live is really like in Jena. Reverend Thompson said something like we can already see the healing. Minister, Black and White got together and prayed for our community, so I think there is hope. Now, this is close but not a direct quote. He thought that Black and White pastors getting together for prayer was a sign of healing. If that is a sign of healing there shows me everything that I need to know. That’s all they did was pray? Christian pastors got together to pray. This should go on every month!! The fact that it doesn’t is telling. In most cities in America today there is some sort of interfaith counsel. Jena doesn’t have one. This fosters the divide. If Christians and people of faith can’t come together in Jena without a crisis they are seriously in trouble.

BTW - you should read this blog post here. Very informative.

————

From AP:

A black teenager whose prosecution in the beating of a white classmate prompted a massive civil rights protest here walked out of a courthouse Thursday after a judge ordered him freed.

Mychal Bell’s release on $45,000 bail came hours after a prosecutor confirmed he will no longer seek an adult trial for the 17-year-old. Bell, one of the teenagers known as the “Jena 6,” still faces trial as a juvenile in the December beating in this small central Louisiana town.

“We still have mountains to climb, but at least this is closer to an even playing field,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who helped organize last week’s protest. (more…)

 

 Walters announces that God stopped violence [3:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Race, Religion by ecthompson
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It appears that Mychal Bell may be out of jail soon. The DA has decided not to appeal a judges decision that Mychal should have been tried as a juvenile.

Also, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco meet with Martin Luther King, III, Al Sharpton and others yesterday.

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From WaPo:

Gov. Kathleen Blanco, with Martin Luther King III and the Rev. Al Sharpton at her side, announced Wednesday that she had spoken with Walters and asked him to reconsider pushing to keep the case in the adult system. She said Walters told her he had decided not to appeal the ruling.

<snip>

Bell, who remains behind bars, was one of six black Jena High School teens arrested after a December attack on a white student, Justin Barker. Five of the six initially were charged with attempted second-degree murder, though charges against four of them, including Bell, were later reduced. One teen has yet to be arraigned, another was handled as a juvenile and records are sealed. (more…)

 

 Mychal Bell might be out of jail soon [0:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Race by ecthompson
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Al Sharpton has been with Congressional lawmakers. It is nice to see follow through. So often there is a big stink and then nothing gets done. Last Friday there was a closed door hearing in the Mychal Bell case. For reasons that were not released the judge decided not to let him out of jail.

John Conyers, House Judiciary Chairman, met with Sharpton and Mychal Bell’s parents. I’m ready to see some action. I’m ready to see Mychal Bell out of jail.

Note:  If you haven’t read anything on the Jena 6 and you have just seen network coverage, then you are behind and really don’t know the story.  Read my original post and watch the video.

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From WaPo:

A lawmaker said Tuesday he will press the government for the release of a black teenager held in the “Jena 6″ case that spurred one of the biggest civil-rights demonstrations in years. Other activists said they planned more protests if the teen is not immediately pardoned.

“Our first responsibility is to get young Mychal Bell out of prison,” said Rep. John Conyers, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who said he will pressure the Justice Department to take a hard look at “the miscarriages of justice that have occurred in Jena, Louisiana.”  (More…)

 

 Jena 6 case brought to Capital Hill [1:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Race by ecthompson
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It seems that the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. is often surrounded by trouble and controversy.

For years we’ve had to endure the King family seemingly caring more about copyright infringement than about making the do-nothing King Center in Atlanta a genuine agency of social change.

Now we have a fight over who should serve as the sculptor of the King statue planned for the under-construction King National Memorial in Washington.

The King Memorial will be located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial.

A Chinese sculptor, Lei Yixin, was picked by the memorial foundation instead of a black American sculptor. [Read more →]

Tags: Civil Rights, Domestic Issues, Other Political Thoughts, Race by Texas Liberal
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This is part of an occasional series I am running called “Central Questions.”

A question I recently heard asked was, “How can a majority reasonably claimed to be oppressed?”

The question had to do with complaints by some American Christians that they are allegedly being persecuted.

While I do not think that American Christians are abused, there are in fact many ways a majority can be oppressed.

Here are some—

1. A majority in can be oppressed if they live in a colony of another nation.

2. A large segment of a national majority group, such as Hindus designated as lower caste in India, may be oppressed by more privileged groups.

3. The majority of people who are not wealthy may be oppressed by the minority that is wealthy.

4. In cases where women comprise a majority of the population, they may not have the same rights as do men.

5. In Apartheid South Africa, the majority was clearly oppressed.

6. A certain ethnic, religious or racial group may comprise the majority of people in specific city, state, province or region but be oppressed by a national majority.

7. A group of people, such as Christians in China, may be part of the world’s largest religious grouping, even if Christians do not comprise a majority of all the world’s people, and be oppressed within the borders of a specific nation.

Tags: Civil Rights, Domestic Issues, Other Political Thoughts, Race, Religion by Texas Liberal
3 Comments »

Updated - see below

If you look at all of the subjects that I’ve commented on over the last two years, none of them have received the attention of the Jena 6 debacle in Louisiana. None of them have been more misconstrued. I’ve never had so many comments that were so way off base. I’ve commented on foreign and domestic policy. I’ve talked almost endlessly about ending the Iraq war. I’ve talked about most of the major presidential candidates — Republican and Democratic. Yet, it’s Jena 6 that has received the most attention. Don’t, for a minute, try to convince me that race isn’t still a touchy issue in this country.

For those who’ve looked at the TV and saw the demonstration yesterday and are confused about what happened in Jena, Louisiana — here’s the update. This is a long and complex case (watch this video). Events unfolded over a three to four month period of time in 2006. The events culminated in the arrest of six black teenagers for the beating of a white teenager.

So, to put Louisiana’s best foot forward a couple of teens in Alexandria, La (closest large town to Jena) tied nooses to the back of their truck. The teens have been arrested and charged with being too stupid to be in the general population (just joking).

Mychal Bell, the only one of the Jena 6 to be convicted in the beating incident, had a hearing today on his bail. Mychal has been in jail since December. Bail has been reportedly denied.

Update: From CNN - Also on Friday, the FBI said it was looking into an online posting by a neo-Nazi white supremacist group that published the home addresses of all six of the African-American teenagers, as well as the phone numbers of some. The group said on its Web site it is calling on followers to “let them know justice is coming.”

 

 Louisiana more nooses [3:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Race by ecthompson
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I was looking for this last night. I knew that the Jena, La. DA held a press conference. So, I went to the Alexandria newspaper and looking and searched. It is poorly organized like many Gannett papers.  I wasn’t able to find his press conference. Today, a link was posted on the NYT blog to the TownTalk paper.

I’m sorry I feel that the DA was tired of taking the heat for being a racist.  So, he is trying to spin his way out of trouble.

———————

Here is DA Reed Walter’s statement:

Good afternoon. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to begin by introducing Justin Barker. Justin is the young man who is the victim in this case. With all the focus on the defendants, many people seem to have forgotten that there was a victim. The injury that was done to him and the serious threat to his survival has become less than a footnote. But when you’re talking about justice and a criminal proceeding, you can not forget the victim, and I will not.

Next, I must tell you that in Louisiana criminal proceedings a criminal defendant is protected against a prosecutor’s saying things outside of court to prejudice the case. So, no matter how much I would like to say, and no matter what you ask me, there are likely to be certain areas that I simply can’t go into. These are rules that are properly established to preserve a defendant’s presumption of innocence, and I must live by them. Nevertheless, I do want to set the record straight on a few things that the news media seem not to understand and to answer your questions as best as I can.

This case has been portrayed by the news media as being about race. The fact that it takes place in a small southern town lends itself to that portrayal. But this case is not and has never been about race. It is about finding justice for an innocent victim and about holding people accountable for their actions. That’s what it is about.

Some specific aspects of the case seem not to be well understood. Let me begin with the incident involving the hanging of three nooses on the high school tree. This was an awful act. It was not a prank but a vicious and crude statement by some people I truly wish I could have prosecuted. I searched the Louisiana statutes for an offense that fit that act, but it is simply not there. [Read more →]

Tags: Civil Rights, Race by ecthompson
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Finally. Mychal Bell has been in jail since December. Finally we have a national audience to shine the light of justice into this dark corner of America called Jena, La. March is planned for tomorrow in Jena. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton will be there. Folks from Houston and Atlanta will be there. David Bowie has given $10,000 to the Jena defense fund. There is some real momentum building.

Jena is a town of 2900. So the town will be overwhelmed by the expected 40,000 people. The Jena DA has spoken out. He wonders why no one has talked about the victim. Look, if 6 guys jump some dude who is minding his own business then everyone talks about the victim. When, there has been a series of events in which Blacks have systemically have been given the shaft time after time then we are all less sympathetic to the victim.

Look, all that I want is fair and equal treatment. That’s it. The dude who pulled a shotgun on some of the black students needs to be charged. The White dudes that beat up a Black dude and this happened before the 6 Black dudes jumped on the White guy. The White dudes need to be charged with something. Oh, and didn’t the White guy, the victim taunt the Black students just before they kicked his butt? Here’s the whole story.

BTW, when you watch the video, please look for the woman who says that she is going to close her shop today.  Why?  “Because we (I) don’t know what’s going to happen.”  This is Jena in a nutshell.  This says it all.

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From WaPo:

Spurred by the Internet and a popular disc jockey’s nationwide urban radio program, tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on a sleepy rural Louisiana town to protest what they say are excessive criminal charges against six black teenagers involved in a schoolyard brawl.

About 500 tour buses bearing thousands of riders were scheduled to depart from cities across the United States in the wee hours today for Jena, La., about 230 miles northwest of New Orleans. They will join others who will travel by airplane, automobile caravans and motorcycle convoys in what organizers say is a protest reminiscent of the Freedom Rides of the 1960s.

The demonstration was originally set to coincide with the sentencing of one of the defendants. But even though a state appeals court dismissed his battery conviction last week, organizers decided to go ahead with the rally. In addition, they asked people across the country to dress in black today to show solidarity with the demonstrators. (more…)

 

 Jena 6 - March today [3:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Race by ecthompson
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The conviction of Mychal Bell has been thrown out of 3rd District Court of Appeals. The judge stated that some of the charges should been brought in juvenile court. The second degree battery charge has been let stand.

It appears that Jessie and Al were not asleep at the wheel. They have planned a March in Jena for September 20th.

Update: A little history for those who aren’t familiar with this story. more here and here.

And a day late to the party is the Mainstream Media. Mychal Bell has been in Jail since December. Democracy Now had an excellent story on this back in July. In August the WashingtonPost had a story on A03. The NY Times didn’t think the story was needed covering, I guess. The first reference that I could find was today.

Update II: Video Added.

 

 Sharpton on CNN talks about Jena 6 [2:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Race by ecthompson
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I thought about posting this story several days ago but I didn’t. This woman was asked by a Southwest Airlines host to cover herself because, I guess, she had too much showing. Now, remember that Southwest Airlines used to advertise the fact that their hostess wore hot pants (see above). They have no policy on customer clothing so how can a host tell her what she was wearing wasn’t appropriate? It would be different if the passenger didn’t just walk thru an airport. She didn’t get arrested for public indecency. So, why did Southwest make a big deal about her clothing?

More here.

Update:  Another woman has come forward claiming that Southwest had a problem with her outfit also.

 

 Woman's attire too hot for Southwest Airlines [6:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Civil Rights, Fun by ecthompson
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