ERASE RACISM BLOG CARNIVAL - October 2007

Thank you bloggers for your submissions and please accept my apologies for being one week late on this post! Life got in the way this past week, and I didn’t want to give anybody’s article token treatment. In all, 20 submissions were received and all 20 were posted as I am a strong believer in the marketplace of free ideas – even if I find an idea highly objectionable. Unfortunately my posting these days on Kill Bigotry has waned as I have spent more time addressing social justice and my love of sports through COSELLOUT – a socially-conscious sports media watch blog. The 20 posts have been divided into 4 categories: 1) Our Criminal (in)justice System; 2) Quotes that Made you Run to your Computer; 3) A Trip around the Color Wheel; and 4) A History of Violence. Finally, although tedious, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of being informed and enlightened by so many of you. -- MODI


I. Our CRIMINAL (IN)JUSTICE SYSTEM:

Genarlow Wilson has been finally freed! But before you start celebrating…

A. Beyond Genarlow: Present Progressive Mood tells us about a 13-year old boy shot by a Seattle police officer and discusses the psychological “place of fear” where institutional racism often has its roots. Citing other examples including Jena’s Mychal Bell, she wonders when will this all end? According to Daisy’s Dead Air, it doesn’t seem to be any time soon. News of protests on the death of Richard Javis Johnson, 25, who died at the jail when he was found hanged by his long sleeved T-shirt less than one hour after he was booked. Jail Death Protests at Fountain Inn is the first of two deadly reminders of institutional racism in our justice system that includes “The Murder of Martin Anderson” the 14 year old boy in juvenile boot-camp who was basically “run to death” by those thinking he was feigning sickness. The post came before the final “not guilty” verdict which the author addresses in the comments section: “The jury that returned this verdict was all-white. Perhaps if he had looked like their own son, they would have returned a different verdict. Or, perhaps if they had learned to mistrust/question authority, as American people of color have, again, a different verdict.” In Overreaction to the Irate and the Clumsy by abyss2hope lets us know that the negligent response that was part of the Martin Anderson death is no isolated incident. She cites three different cases where being irate or non-compliant are leading to over-reactive responses not in line with the so-called “offense”. Cited examples include getting your wrist broken death for dropping some birthday cake, being tasered for speaking too long on a microphone, or even… death after becoming irate on an airplane. These are some of the consequences when misbehavior is treated like CRIMINAL behavior.


B. The Jena 6: For cave dwellers, let’s start with the recap by Alex Landis’ clear and concise breakdown in The Jena 6: 10 Reasons Why the Fit Hit the Shan. In “Being Reasonable is a Strategic Mistake” abyss2hope responds to some of the predictable reactions that occur anytime institutional racism dare be diagnosed. In the article titled “The REAL Racists in the Jena 6: Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson”. She offers a 25 point response to the twisted logic as well as other mind-blowing thinking that has the white-supremacist community renaming the Jena 6 “the Jena Hoax”. In Race in Mississippi: Beyond the Jena 6 – by “Consequences of Republicanism”. We are told that many Mississippians – both black and white-- have a brilliant strategy (sarcasm is mine) of dealing with The Jena 6 and all other race-related discussions: IGNORE IT. We are also given a window into a common mindset amongst Mississippians as the author’s colleague relays the following nugget: "every Mississippian knows how we are perceived by the rest of America. Mississippians are so tired of having to talk about race and of being stereotyped as a racist backwater." I always found “the fatigue excuse” extremely problematic. I myself am personally fatigued from talking about racism, sexism, homophobia domestic violence, substance abuse, and a host of other matters. But since they continue to be major unsolved issues, many continue to fight through the fatigue. But if I had to talk to the colleague who made the quote, I would suggest that if Mississippians do not want to be painted with any broad brushes as “racist” or “backwater”, then they probably shouldn’t have supported Trent Lott for Senator last year with a whopping 70% of their vote! In any case, this was a very interesting post, and apologies in advance for any over-editorializing!


C. Putting the Puzzle Together: Finally, in “Prevention or Correction?” Changeseeker from “Why Am I Not Surprised?” responds to sportswriter Jason Whitlock’s column on the Jena Six. But more importantly, she connects all the dots from the previous mentioned series of individual acts of criminal (in)justice of black men in America into the larger institutional and systemic problem that it is. Changeseeker writes:

“Young black men are the fodder for the cash cow that the prison industrial has become in this country. The Federal Bureau of Prisons alone is now the biggest industry in the U.S. and with the workers making pennies (sometimes literally), a magical mystery tour of capitalistic endeavor it has become. With three-fourths of those now "doing time" incarcerated for non-violent crimes or no crimes at all (such as drinking on probation), those who pay attention know how many of those young men have prepared for their fate and then helped to fulfill it just as the Jena 6 have."

For our part COSELLOUT has also written a complementary Jena 6 responses called “Whitlock-Gone-Wild” and UNEQUAL JUSTICE: It’s Bigger than Jena! A peek around the blogosphere will show that Mr. Whitlock inspired many more reactions than these few.


II. Quotes that Made You Run to Your Computer!!!:


A. On Race and Adoption: “Black children need black families–right now, Islington is looking for single people, couples, and families to care for children through adoption.”

The Response: The quote was found in a UK advertisement produced Race and Recruiting adoptive Families in the US and the UK Rachel from Rachel’s Tavern. Rachel gives her short-take on cross-racial adoption, and the article sheds great light (and supported by statistics )that on how “Black children are languishing in foster care, and in the hierarchy of adoption, they are often the kids least likely to be adopted.” This sad statement is oh so true. A follow-up article is promised on the why it is important to recruit black adoptive parents. We are looking forward to it. On a personal note, I have worked around the foster care system in various capacities for years and the removing of children of color given the very same treatment is a serious problem. This phenomena and how it could be improved upon is well-documented in this link by Casey Family Programs (note: 30 page study can be accessed in upper right hand corner).


B. On Multiculturalism: “We White Christians need to stick together. Multiculturalism is destroying America.”

The Response: It is was this quote from a radio talk show host that inspired the post Multicultural America from “My Sky - Multiracial Family Life”. Rather than harping on the obvious about this quote, it is used to remind us all that multi-culturalism in America is nothing new: “The concept that there is a homogeneous “American Culture” is absurd. …Again: American culture is multicultural. Our multiculturalism may be the defining element of our culture.”


C. On Race & Russian Nationalism: "Looking at our teams, one cannot immediately understand whether those are ours, or a team from Africa."

The Response: This quote by none other than President Vladimir Putin inspired “Fear of a Black Russia” by “Moscow through Brown Eyes”. Putin’s sentiment, some interesting comments on hip-hop producer Timbaland, and news of an increase of racially motivated murders has the author wondering if Russia is experiencing an increase in bigotry.


D. On White Supremacist Pseudo-Science: Dr. Watson states that he is: “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours – whereas all the testing says not really”.

The Response: “Watson’s Lecture Cancelled” in the science-minded blog “Evolution- It’s Not Just a Theory Anymore” discusses James Watson being disinvited to speak at the London Science Museum on account of his most recently alleged racist remarks. The author explains that such remarks are nothing new and spends most of the article drawing parallels between his racist pseudo-science and that of J. Phillipe Rushton, The Bell Curve, and other “bogus” “studies” from highly conservative organizations with a history of supporting racist doctrine. He writes in embedded link: “I assert, here and now, that Dr. Watson’s remarks indicate that he is of substandard intelligence. I say this because he must know better … he is a scientist who has worked in ancillary areas, and there is simply no way that he is not familiar with the relevant scientific literature. Therefore, he must be stupid. At least, that is what the empirical evidence strongly suggests at this point.”


III. A Trip Around The Color Wheel

A. Seeing Red: In A Different Red-Baiting Hits the Shelves, “Moscow Through Brown Eyes” brings us a review of Scalped, a serialized graphic novel by writer Jason Aaron and artist R. M. Guera, which takes the offspring of 1960s—both biological and political—as its central theme. Check it out as the author attempts to decipher what is fact and what is fiction about life on the reservation. Since pop-culture and “rez life” is the subject, I thought that it might be a good time to slip in the Feelin’ Reserved video by Canada’s hip hop group War Party. In other Native American matters Kit Kat’s Critique “wants to push Congress, and push it hard, to enact a law that would overturn Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe” and then asks the question: “Who is with me?” Check out this post to learn more about this issue and what you can do.


B. Brown Paper Bag Test Evolved: Reality Check brings us “Race Matters” but could have just as easily titled it the more nuanced “skin shade matters”. Although the “brown paper bag test” is no longer in vogue as it once was, the post cites this recent short article at nytimes.com about “a recent study which showed that a primary factor in income for immigrants was the amount of melanin in one’s skin.” The study concludes that “one shade lighter in skin tone has about the same impact “as having an additional year of education.” Very interesting article.


C. White and Green: In The Color of Money: How White becomes Green in the Workplace, Blaxplanation, through both research and corroborating personal experiences, tackles racial and gender disparities in the workplace. The more nuanced, but still more impactful forms of discrimination are addressed. It is pointed out that employers (most often white) simply like to hire more people that they feel comfortable around. Another Conflict Theorist tells us that: “At any rate, I can't imagine how it must be for people who've worked hard their entire lives, crossed all the Ts and dotted all the Is and positioned themselves for a promotion only to be repeatedly denied simply because their supervisors are more comfortable with a Sharon than they are a Shaniqua.” The bottom line is 80% of all jobs do not come through a “meritocracy” but through “networking”. And a post like this really hits you in the head when you realize that former horse commissioner Mike Brown got the very top post at FEMA appointed by a president who rode his father’s name to power. Not everyone understand exactly how employment discrimination works, but all those who suffer at home because of our non-response to Katrina and suffer abroad because our ill-response to Iraq understand all too well.


D. Black and Angry: In Clarence Thomas: An Angry Black Man, author John Swift provides an analysis that truly tested the moral fiber of my commitment to free speech and denunciation of censorship. Amongst other things the author likes Clarence Thomas’s politics, but perceived Thomas as “An Angry Black Man” through his recent 60 Minutes interview and other media outlets. I also saw the same 60 minutes interview, but found myself disgusted for entirely different reasons. But the irony is that through Mr. Swift’s denunciation of Thomas, he became the first person in the universe who actually put me in a position to DEFEND Clarence Thomas – at least within the framework of his specific “angry black man” point. I should let it be known that I find few Americans more destructive to our country than Clarence Thomas. Beyond the “angry black man” point of departure, I found that the points of vehement disagreement with this article were far too numerous and go far too deep to mention. There simply couldn’t be that much of a wider chasm. On the positive side, it gave me a crystal-clear reminder of why I blog so much about matters dealing with race.


IV. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE:

Last 30 Years: Stephanie’s Journal provides us with a 4 part history of crimes against black women and how they were handled, or better put, ignored by the police and mainstream media. In depth analysis is provided of “The Boston Murders” of 1978-79, the Eleanor Bumpers case of 1984, and both “The Southside Murders” and the “Henry Louis Wallace Case” of the early 1990’s. The 4 accounts hammer home a very clear point: To the police, to our media, and to our society the value placed on the lives… and death’s of African-American women is simply not that high. So how much has changed since way back then? Well, if you haven’t heard any media attention about the gruesome Megan Williams case last month (note: Protest march scheduled for November 3rd), then not so much. Stephanie explains about the Southside Murders: “But there’s little argument that those 15 deaths would have been global news had the women been from Santa Monica or Silver Lake.” One could even argue that if 15 dogs were killed by a popular athlete, there would be more media attention and outrage.

Last 200 Years: Before closing we will go deep into history with this following biography of the infamous John Brown by Daisy’s Dead Air. We probably come full circle with our first batch of posts in that DDA reminds us that today’s justice system does not operate in a historical vacuum. I thought that John Brown’s last words before his execution which were printed in the article are worth another look:

“I have, may it please the Court, a few words to say. In the first place, I deny everything but what I have all along admitted: of a design on my part to free slaves . . . Had I interfered in the matter which I admit, and which I admit has been fairly proved . . . had I so interfered in behalf of the rich, the powerful, the intelligent, or the so-called great . . . and suffered and sacrificed, what I have in this interference, it would have been all right. Every man in this Court would have deemed it an act worthy of reward rather than punishment. I see a book kissed which I suppose to be the Bible, or at least the New Testament, which teaches me that all things whatsoever I would that men should do unto me, I should do even so to them. It teaches me further to remember them that are in bonds as bound with them. I endeavored to act up to that instruction. I say that I am yet too young to understand that God is any respecter of persons. I believe that to have interfered as I have done, as I have always freely admitted I have done in behalf of His despised poor, I did no wrong, but right. Now if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked,cruel and unjust enactments, I say, let it be done.”

As I was reading more of this informative piece, all I kept thinking was, how has there never been a motion picture on this man’s life!!! This was also my sentiment when I personally wrote “History’s Hit Job on Thomas Paine” (the only founding father to unequivocally denounce slavery without personal hypocrisy). What does it say that in 2007, we continue to glorify slaveholders of times past, but routinely ignore or bury the legacy of those whites who most fiercely resisted that “peculiar institution”. The post also provides additional links on John Brown, and those interested further may want to check out the book: John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights.


V. And We Close: I thought Government Secret’s “Promoting Anti-Racism” would be a good post to close with since that is the common bond that unites all anti-racist bloggers. The short post is reprinted in its entirety: “Don't be afraid to ask others outside you to help and don't avoid recruiting people whom you don't normally think of as antiracist types. You need to express your opinion in a public way, like buying antiracism items at One Race Human, and this will influence others in expressing like you. Take initiative at the individual level. Most of the time, someone just needs to step up to the plate and swing the bat to get things moving. Sometimes people just need to see someone else doing something to promote antiracism to realize how much pluralism needs to be addressed in a community.”


"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." -- Elie Wiesel

White Privilege: It's Not Steve Nash's Fault!

I was passing though an airport this week, and as chance would have it, Steve Nash’s blue eyes were staring directly at me. The magazine was “Men’s Journal” and the cover story title read: “STEVE NASH: The Superstar Who Made the NBA Fun Again” by Paul Solotaroff. My shoulders immediately slumped as I suspected to myself “here we go again”. Then I read on (Note: Subheadings not included by original author):

Nash’s Effect on NBA: “…he has revived the NBA, morphing it from a walk it up, half-court grind to a fast-break air show
with speed and meet me at the rim precision. Indeed, for all Nash has accomplished as a paradigm shifter, his reward was another round of questions.”

Nash as “the Everyman”: “At a press conference to announce his return to Phoenix … he wore a pair of golf-shoes, the only non-sneakers he owned” or “Sightings of Nash pushing the twins’ double stroller are as common as delays at the Holland Tunnel.”

Nash as Black-Athlete Antidote: “The NBA is known, fairly or not, for superstars who roll five deep; 20 something moguls in tint-glass Maybachs who travel with handlers and hangers-on. But when Nash shows up for a meal in Manhattan, he arrives on foot and on his own at a diner he selected. Clad in his permanent off-the-court ensemble – baggy gym shorts and a sleeveless tee – Nash is unadorned by tattoos or diamonds or even a watch.”

First things first: I am a HUGE Steve Nash fan. I absolutely love watching him run an offense, and certainly a fun one at that. I love that he: sees Amare and Marion on the cut EVERY time; cannot be double-teamed without a two point cost; makes Raja Bell a relevant offensive player; shoots over 50% but is a guard; and I just LOVE that he never gives up his dribble no matter how far he has gone under the basket. But what I truly admire most about Steve Nash is his social consciousness and his community service that is described later in this article. If I had to really nitpick for a flaw, it would be his gosh-gee-wiz-just-happy-to-be-here-Derek-Jeter-like false modesty that so many other fans seem to eat up. Make no mistake: Steve Nash is a cold-blooded basketball assassin who – like the mindset of any top 10 NBA player— believes that he is the very best player every single time he steps on that court. I love almost everything about Steve Nash… except those that write, cover, and report on him. So moving on…

Dear Mr. Men’s Journal Author, Where to start?... The game was already fun whether you and your magazine’s targeted readers were paying attention or not. And even if you weren’t a basketball “purist” fan of watching the fundamentally-sound Spurs or Pistons, Steve Nash is not the first guy to run with a basketball since the Showtime Lakers. The Sacramento Kings were doing it a few years ago, the Mavericks were also doing it AFTER Nash left, and Jason Kidd’s fast-break style led the Nets to two NBA finals appearances. The game was fun knowing Kobe Bryant could approach the sublime on any given night; it was fun watching that epic Mavericks-Spurs 7 Game series two years ago (best in history for my money)[1]; and it was fun with the league’s recent young double-first-name superstar infusion of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and Chris Paul. But the most fun that this fan has had in YEARS was watching last year’s first round series of those tattoo-having, diamond-wearing, 5-deep-rolling, tinted-glass Maybach-driving Golden State Warriors run the Mavericks up and down the court and out of the playoffs. And even if Stephen Jackson won’t land any magazine covers any time soon, those 3-point shots, those Baron Davis dunks, and those rocking Oakland fans with “We Believe” t-shirts all “made the NBA fun again”. Having stated that, Steve Nash might be particularly useful in reviving interest in some former fans that approach Sports Illustrated’s Jack McCallum with what he calls The Old White Guy Sermon. READ REST OF ARTICLE AT COSELLOUT

UNEQUAL JUSTICE: It's Bigger Than Jena!

Yes, it's bigger than Jena. And it is bigger than 14 year old Shaquanda Cotton receiving 7 years for pushing a hall monitor. And its also bigger than then-17 year old Genarlow Wilson receiving 10 years for consensual sex with a 15 year old. Waaaay bigger. Bigger than Jena Louisiana, bigger than Paris, Texas, and bigger than Georgia. Bigger than the south and bigger than the north. As is often the case throughout history, these individuals are symbols of a broken system of unequal justice.

But while our country's leadership has been looking the other way for the last 25 years, The Sentencing Project has been keeping score. On the very day that tens of thousands descended on Jena, TSP released a new report that examines the burden of the "war on drugs" on the criminal justice system and American communities. The report - A 25-YEAR QUAGMIRE: THE WAR ON DRUGS AND ITS IMPACT ON AMERICAN SOCIETY assesses how the drug war has produced a record expansion of prison and jail systems and highlights additional indicators of the war's impact on the criminal justice system and communities, including:


ARRESTS:

-- Drug arrests have more than TRIPLED in the last 25 years, totaling a record 1.8 million arrests in 2005;

-- 81.7% of drug arrests were for possession offenses, and 42.6% were for marijuana charges in 2005; marijuana possession arrests accounted for 79% of the growth in drug arrests in the 1990s;


INCARCERATION:

-- Drug offenders in prisons and jails have increased 11 TIMES OVER since 1980. Nearly a half-million persons are in state or federal prison or local jail for a drug offense, compared to an estimated 41,100 in 1980.

-- Nearly 6 in 10 persons in state prison for a drug offense have no history of violence or high-level drug selling activity;

-- More News on Incarceration


RACIAL DISPARITY:

-- African Americans comprise 14% of regular drug users, but are 37% of those arrested for drug offenses and 56% of persons in state prison for drug offenses;

-- African Americans serve almost as much time in federal prison for a drug offense (58.7 months) as whites do for a violent offense (62 months), largely due to racially disparate sentencing laws such as the 100-to-1 crack-powder cocaine disparity;

-- See other full report - Uneven Justice: State Rates of Incarceration by Race and Ethnicity


DECLINE IN TREATMENT:

-- Only 14% of persons in 2004 who report using drugs in the month before their arrest had participated in a treatment program, a decline of more than half from participation rates in 1991;


-- A shortage of treatment options in many low-income neighborhoods contributes to drug abuse being treated primarily as a criminal justice problem, rather than a social problem.



The report also provides policy recommendations that can help effectively reinvest government resources in community safety by encouraging comprehensive drug treatment and prevention strategies to address drug addiction. VIEW A 25-YEAR QUAGMIRE: THE WAR ON DRUGS AND ITS IMPACT ON AMERICAN SOCIETY

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." -- Elie Wiesel

Jena 6: Reed Walters' Sins of Omissions

Now that tens of thousands descended upon Jena last week to finally bring the story into mainstream consciousness, this week has been official Jena media spin job week. The most common sin of all in most of the coverage? The sin of omission, of course.


That brings us to today's New York Times OP-ED piece by Jena District Attorney Reed Walters who was provided some space to answer some much needed questions. Let's take a look. Walters writes:


"I do not question the sincerity or motivation of the 10,000 or more protesters who descended on Jena last week, after riding hundreds of miles on buses. But long before reaching our town of 3,000 people, they had decided that a miscarriage of justice was taking place here. Their anger at me was summed up by a woman who said, “If you can figure out how to make a schoolyard fight into an attempted murder charge, I’m sure you can figure out how to make stringing nooses into a hate crime.” That could be a compelling statement to someone trying to motivate listeners on a radio show, but as I am a lawyer obligated to enforce the laws of my state, it does not work for me."


To "sum up" the collective anger of tens of thousands by this one woman's statement is ridiculous. While his summary failed on all counts, it reaffirmed exactly why protesters were marching in Jena in the first place. The belittling "radio show" comment only exacerbated that point. Mr. Walters then spends the first half of the article explaining why he was legally unable to prosecute the hanging nooses as "hate crimes".


The "hate-crime" issue may actually serve as the least outrageous issue surrounding the hanging nooses. Yes, many of us were dismayed that it wasn't prosecuted as a hate crime, but this fact was trumped on the outrage meter that the youth were not even EXPELLED FROM SCHOOL! Not only that, we were outraged because there was a "white tree" in the first place. And while some reports suddenly dispute "the white tree" is suddenly being disputed in media, this spin does little to explain why did Kenneth Purvis had to ASK PERMISSION from school officials to sit under that tree. We were protesting an entire community's way of life that made hanging nooses, tree permisssion slips, and racially-biased school boards possible. And while Mr. Walters would certainly remark that these items are not under his personal job description, his lack of understanding of what fueled protesters is an indictment of his own racial ignorance. But if he was curious about why outrage was specifically directed at him personally, that can also be explained. In the second half of the article Walters begins:

"Last week, a reporter asked me whether, if I had it to do over, I would do anything differently. I didn’t think of it at the time, but the answer is yes. I would have done a better job of explaining that the offenses of Dec. 4, 2006, did not stem from a “schoolyard fight” as it has been commonly described in the news media and by critics."


That's it. Walter's failed to do enough EXPLAINING! THAT was his error: Just not enough elaboration, elucidation, and articulation. If he merely put it all in a crystal clear language that everyone could understand, the whole protest could have been called off! In other words, if a similar case comes down the pike we could expect similar behavior from Reed Walters. He then spent the second half or the article why the beating of Justin Barker was not just a "school yard fight".


And while there is some merit to some of the points that Walters’ makes, it is what he didn’t explain that was glaring. Walters' failed to articulate why he looked at the African-American students in the auditorium that day and issued the threat: “With a stroke of my pen, I can make your lives disappear”. Walter’s elaborated on Justin Barker’s getting ganged up on by “The Jena 6” but failed to even mention the attack that came on Robert Bailey (one of the Jena 6) just two days earlier by a group of whites where only one man received a charge of simple battery. Nor did he mention the shotgun that was pulled on Robert Bailey the very next day by another white man from the previous night. Nor that after Bailey wrestled the gun away he was eventually charged with theft of a firearm, second-degree robbery and disturbing the peace while the white student who pulled the weapon was not charged at all. Finally, other little tidbits of information missing was that the Jena 6 was originally charged with attempted murder (overturned), that their deadly weapons were “tennis shoes”, and that Mychal Bell’s original sentence carried a maximum of 22 years. Details, details. Perhaps the only thing more inexplicable than these various omissions, is how Reed Walters still remains employed.


Then Walters closes the article:


"I can understand the emotions generated by the juxtaposition of the noose incident with the attack on Mr. Barker and the outcomes for the perpetrators of each. In the final analysis, though, I am bound to enforce the laws of Louisiana as they exist today, not as they might in someone’s vision of a perfect world. That is what I have done. And that is what I must continue to do."


Walters reiterates the case as nothing more than the legal distinction in punishment of these two incidents, not an elaborate series of events that tell every black youth in Jena exactly what their place is relative to white students. Walters insults the intelligence of every protester and every outraged individual in America with his explanation and sins of omissions. The protest was not only about changing the future of six-boys, but about changing future of an entire community still stuck in a Jim Crow era. The protest was about equal justice: in Jena, in Louisiana, and in America. But in the end, Walters has no regrets and will continue “to do what he must do”. And protesters will now continue to do what we must do to secure our “vision of a perfect world”.


"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." -- Elie Wiesel

Thomas Arthur Will Die Tomorrow & Governor Bob Riley Will Sleep Tight Tonight

Yes, our justice system screws some poor white people too!

Thomas Arthur is scheduled to be executed tomorrow by the state of Alabama, one of only eight states in America that does not require post-conviction DNA testing. Is he really guilty or innocent? We will never get to find out because Alabama Governor Bob Riley doesn't want to hear it.

Two months ago Riley refused DNA testing for now-dead Darrell Grayson, but before he dies tomorrow Thomas Arthur has some questions to ask Riley and all Americans:

"How on earth can it be possible to reach a point where a Court of Law will refuse to hear, see, and evaluate even the slightest possibility that a person is actually innocent and has not had a fair trial? How can that happen?"

"My God in Heaven, how can this imbalance be possible under any set of circumstances, tell me how it can be possible?

"Why is a moratorium not put in place to simply stop all executions in America until the Justice Department can investigate cases like mine where I say I am totally innocent and can provide irrefutable evidence that's never been checked, witnesses that have never been talked to? Show physical evidence that's never been tested in a laboratory?

"The only three Alabama death row inmate's cases that were investigated and thoroughly examined were due to media attention. All three were found to be totally innocent: Johnny Harris, Bo Cockran and Walter McMillan. How many of those executed -- fried alive in Alabama's electric chair -- were possibly innocent?"

Before he dies tomorrow, the least that we can do is read his own very words in its full entirety.

And here is what family members of the VICTIM had to say:

"I would like to see this evidence subjected to DNA testing," Peggy Wicker Jones said in an Aug. 21 statement. "I would like to have as much information as possible about what happened on the day my brother Troy was murdered."

And here is what Peter Neufeld from the Innocence Project states:

“Nationwide, 15 people who served time on death row have been exonerated through DNA evidence. Sometimes within days of execution, DNA proved they were innocent. If any of those 15 people had been in Alabama, they would be dead today. This indifference to the power of DNA to determine the truth through hard science is unconscionable for a governor who holds the fate of so many in his hands."


The last time I checked "criminally negligent homicide" was a very serious felony. That stated, Governor Bob Riley belongs in prison, period.

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." -- Elie Wiesel

6 Reflections from Jena

Okay, now that I've got some much-needed sleep yesterday, here are some observations about Thursday's Jena Protest. I haven't seen too much media coverage over the last few days, but this is one man's up-close personal take:

1) The Bus: Flight? Carpool? Bus? The latter was chosen with the whole communal experience in mind. A 24 hour trip EACH WAY from DC to Jena and back would knock off all of Wednesday and all of Friday. While it was physically exhaustive, the decision was well worth it. I met many positive and committed people as we all had one thing in mind: justice and social change. While there was a wide range of professions that made up all the bus participants, in particular there was a large share of youth educators that included a high school principal, a couple of youth workers, a couple of teachers, and a couple of preachers. There was some healthy dialogue that started with all aspects of the Jena case and soon evolved into many areas such as similarities and differences in various religious backgrounds; bridging the gaps between adults and youth; better reaching our youth; good-book recommendations; and organizing for effective and lasting institutional change in our justice system that extends far beyond the specifics of the Jena case. I’m better off for the experience even if my still-stiff neck and still-cramped legs aren’t. A special thanks goes out to Raynell and Reshell who did an outstanding job in organizing the event and all the young people who attended as well.

2) The Arrival: We arrived on Thursday morning at hotel in Alexandria at 4:20 am. Reverend Jesse Jackson is an early riser and is exiting the hotel at the exact same time. Since we came off of the bus with a bunch of young people, the youth asked the Reverend for a group picture and Jesse kindly obliges. We only have enough time to take a shower at the hotel before leaving for the bus at 5:20 am… Cars and busses move towards Jena in full force causing traffic at 6 in the morning. Jena is straight country and the roads aren’t built for mass transit. The police certainly didn’t help the situation either as most vehicles are coming from only one lane while the second lane seems to be for more VIP folks tailed by security. It is about 9am by the time we arrive. There are so many people there that the busses are forced to neatly park one after another on the grass to the side of the road. There are more busses than I could count.

3) The Protest: We get out of the busses and none of us seem to care about the longer walk. The roads fill up with various chants demanding justice. The sheer quantity of demonstrators from all over the map from 7 to 70 was uplifting. Everyone was supportive, we marched in the heat without complaint, and displayed unity around a clear and common cause. Bail money was also able to be raised for Mychal Bell (bail has since been denied). First stop is the courthouse. Even though our bus was one of the first ones there, it is still hard to get a good view of the rally’s assortment of speakers. Next move, on to the school for more rallying. The march comes in about four waves. While I first arrived as part of "wave one", "wave two" was the largest as Reverend Jackson lead what seems like a never-ending group down the street. I never did actually hear the Reverend’s or most of the speeches. Part of this was due to many side rallies by individuals with bull-horns that promised better viewing opportunities and partly was because of the…

4) The Logistical Difficulties: While all of us were instructed to meet back at the bus by 11am to travel back to Alexandria for another rally, this plan was foiled with great help from the Jena police who ordered that every bus be moved from its original location to a new one. This seemed completely unnecessary and seemed like the Jena police really wanted to make matters difficult for everybody. What made the situation 100 times worse is that all cell phone use was shut down perhaps due to the area being flooded with too many people. However, for some reason T-Mobile phones still worked, but only if you called other T-mobile phones. The odds of both happening were too slim. For most people hours were spent in the afternoon just locating each other. Our particular bus could not be located although more than a couple of miles of town were searched. This overall dynamic could have been easily avoided with the least amount of flexibility from the local police. Finally, it was terribly annoying that there was absolutely no trash cans ANYWHERE. I have never seen this before, even in rural areas. No storefront had a trash can outside. No public trash cans either. You were forced to carry around plastic water bottles or place them down somewhere. It was obvious that Jena was not used to big crowds, nor would too willing to plan for them.

5) The Jena Residents: I was hoping to get my own personal feel by dialoging with locals in town. Unfortunately, JENA CLOSED DOWN. I mean, the entire town for blocks and blocks! Holiday Jena I guess. I thought that it would have been an unprecedented opportunity for local businesses to thrive, but perhaps not. It didn’t take long to figure out why. One sign in a window said "closed due to possible rioting". After speaking with a few locals after the rally, that reason was confirmed as the general rule. Apparently, the whole town got the very same memo about all of the very scary black folk! Oh well, I guess that explains the bank closing! Of course the protest was quite a peaceful one. While speaking with a few Alexandria locals afterwards, I did not get a sense that there was a strong Klan presence, despite universally agreed upon racial prejudice. Because it turned into a ghost town, I was unable to personally see any evidence that Jena residents wanted to progress from this. However, besides the town’s absence I did see some examples of resistance that included two pick-up trucks with confederate flags and a couple with "Justice for Justin’ signs. I learned of a couple of much uglier examples on Saturday that involved a pick-up truck with a noose hanging out of it…

6) What will the Protest Accomplish?: This was the question debated, discussed, and dissected by demonstrators everywhere. Of course, discussions transcended the specific case of Mychal Bell and the Jena Six. Some thought that Jena had potential to be the spark for a much needed social movement against unequal justice similar to how some of the landmark tragic events in the 60’s (Medgar Evers, "4 little girls", "Mississippi Burning", etc.) woke up many Americans on the Jim Crow South. As I discuss in "Jim Crow’s Children", the unequal injustice embedded in the current prison-industry are Jim Crow’s direct legacies. Many demonstrators expressed that Jena is only the beginning of a longer process on prison (and education) reform. However, here is why I am very skeptical about the Jena protest IN ITS ISOLATION: The diversity in racial make-up in Jena will not be confused with the 1963 March on Washington any time soon. I found it particularly and personally disheartening that only a few vanilla sprinkles existed in a black sea. I was naively expecting to see more people who looked like me. Amongst tens of thousands you would be hard-pressed to find more than 100 white faces (note: I did not get a great view of the afternoon waves of demonstrators while trying to find my bus!)

There are thousands of cases in life that can have two sides — even hot-button issues like abortion and the death-penalty. The Jena 6 is not one of them — certainly not when the entire series of events is considered. Understood correctly, it was a protest about an entire community’s way of life, not just a specific case. The collective unwillingness of whites to protest this event in numbers sends powerful messages that "white trees", hanging nooses, school board wrist slaps, DA threats, 22 year sentences, and de facto Jim Crow in 2007 are really nothing to get all that worked up about. But collective white absence is bigger than the fates of the six Jena boys. The real tragedy is that an opportunity for REAL community change in Jena, many other similar communities may have been lost — at least temporarily. Without visible and unequivocal condemnation from other whites, a far more powerful message to Jena residents and our nation would have been sent. However, I believe that Jena residents and many other communities will continue to see this simply as an "us vs. them" racial black-white issue instead of a moral right-wrong issue against an elaborate system unacceptable institutional racism. My worst fears seemed confirmed as television interviews of Jena residents unfathomably portrayed themselves as victims (Hat Tip to Racialicious) who kept denying their community’s racism instead of saying they wanted to confront it, grapple it, end it, and move forward with it. It was an eerie reminder of all those videos of 1960s residents about the "peaceful" Jim Crow communities that "outside agitators" just didn’t understand. But how can you cure a disease without admitting you are sick? And why would we expect the Jena community to even recognize their own sickness if so few people who look like them are willing to tell them directly?

Historically, social change has had two common ingredients 1) those movements were fiercely led by the minority group in question (whether it be slavery; woman’s suffrage; Civil Rights Movement, etc.); and 2) the fight garnered just enough outraged individuals and collaborative allies from the majority group to wield their power to effect that change. If history is any guide, until more white folks wake up, then not much will change: not Jena, not other towns all over America like Jena, not our profit-making prison system, and not our public educational system. The optimist or fool in me could only hope that the lack of diversity seen in the Jena protest will change as greater awareness is raised and greater (responsible) media attention it is given (unlike Tim Russert this morning who completely ignored the issue). I could only hope that more whites sign petitions on Jena, call their congressman about prison reform, or show up to a follow-up March on Washington that is tentatively planned for November. So, in summary, the protest was hesitantly hopeful; inspiring yet discouraging; but, most of all, understood as just one small part of a much longer process… see you at the Washington Mall in November…

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." -- Elie Wiesel

Jim Crow's Children: Jena 6, Shaquanda Cotton, & BLOG POWER!

COSELLOUT will take a break from sports media monitoring to address "Media Bias Beyond Sports". It’s the least we can do during "Jena 6 week". This story, this week, the protest this Thursday in Jena is a watershed moment of our times… and besides, sports ain’t everything. Did I just say that? (Related Story: "Whitlock-Gone-Wild" on Jena 6)

Did you hear the good news on “The Jena 6”? The adult conviction and potential 22 year sentence of Mychal Bell has been overturned. This comes less than one week before widespread protests scheduled for this Thursday in Jena, Louisiana. Since this case and the fate of the other five boys are a looooong way from being resolved mass protests will continue as planned. And while those new to the Jena Six story can chew on this video and check out these links, let’s come back to it in a minute. The development of Jena story is only part of a much larger “Cyber Rights Movement” that has been gaining greater ground in America in 2007. Let’s call it “BLOG POWER”!

It goes a little something like this: yet another African-American teenager falls victim to Jim Crow-like criminal injustice; the injustice is covered in some local newspaper; national mainstream media completely ignores story; story spreads like wildfire across hundreds of predominantly African-American blogs; national media still ignores it; bloggers still blog; national media keeps ignoring; bloggers keep blogging on irresponsible national media; one national mainstream outlet might pick up story; bloggers keep blogging; other embarrassed national outlets might pick up story; bloggers keep blogging; finally, previously voiceless activists start to receive national media attention; bloggers keep blogging; more well-known activists such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are part of planned widespread national march; bloggers keep blogging; just days prior to the scheduled protest the charges against the young teenager have been reduced or thrown out. While there exist many examples of BLOG POWER, perhaps the greatest two in 2007 involve “The Jena 6” and Shaquanda Cotton. But before we examine what they represent, some context might be necessary.

JIM CROW’S CHILDREN:

More than 40 years ago it took an unrelenting civil rights campaign and appalling television images of government abuse to wake up the wider and whiter nation from its slumber about the terrorism of the Jim Crow South. But something not-so-funny happened on the way to the freedom march. Jim Crow never really went away – like Madonna, he only reinvented himself. While Jim Crow has produced various offspring (see separate schools, health care, and employment access), Mr. Crow’s two most successful children are America’s criminal justice and juvenile justice systems. As the 1960s came to an end, a whole new set of laws were enacted in the 1970s and 1980s at a time when the term “gangsta rap” didn’t even exist as a political scapegoat. As politicians became savvier, and policies became slicker, the signs of Jim Crow became subtler. Gone were the likes of George Wallace who proudly and unapologetically defended “the good ole days”, and in came the likes of Trent Lott who only publicly reminisced about it at birthday parties. Political slogans such as “segregation forever” were buried forever as new mantras like “tough on crime” came into vogue. Brand new mandatory minimum sentencing laws for NON-VIOLENT drug offenders hand-cuffed judges and turned prisons from places that housed violent criminals into places that CREATED them. With the proliferation of private prisons in the 1970s, the term “non-violence” went from a protest strategy built on gaining rights, to a prison-building buzzword built on denying them. By the 1980s separate water fountains were officially replaced with drastic disparities in punishment between crack and cocaine. By the 1990’s mayors in every depressed rural area in America were begging for a new prison as their economic-development strategy. When the 21st century came around, a nation that was once outraged at images of young children being hosed by water and bitten by dogs became fully comfortable with the more tastefully oppressive-images of kids walking right out of performance-reducing schools and right into profit-producing prisons.

Click right here at COSELLOUT to read the rest of this article.

The Myths of 756: Barry Bonds Predictable Power Progression

August is Barry Bonds in Media Month



The battle for 756 may be two weeks past, but the defining of baseball history is just beginning and since truth in mainstream sports media coverage of Barry Bonds has become an endangered species... it is time to set "the record" straight. From the very outset, the best-selling book “The Game of Shadows” – heavily co-promoted by the previously Bonds-biased Sports Illustrated – was immediately anointed as the document of record in “the case against Barry Bonds” despite a reported less favorable response from the Pulitzer committee. In the court of sports journalistic opinion co-authors Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams essentially replaced drug testing and court-process as the new judge and jury. They would write what would soon become gospel:

“But after age 35 - after steroids - Bonds improved his game in most categories. From 1999 to 2004, he had far better power and drove in and scored more runs.
His batting average increased by an astonishing 38 points, and his on-base percentage soared… At what should have been the end of his baseball career, Bonds became a significantly better hitter than earlier in his career, as a composite of those years shows.”

Bonds late-career excellence is often known as “Prosecutorial Exhibit A” to both longtime Bonds-bashers and many sincerely well-meaning journalists. Last October, Sports Illustrated’s “panel of experts” selected an all-time all-star team but excluded Bonds because his statistics "are not to be believed”[1]. Respected baseball commentator and historian Bob Costas recently stated:

“there’s no way he could have been remotely near the greatest player of all time without performance-enhancing drugs. His lifetime batting average was .290
through 1998 and he hit one homer every 16 times at bat. …He then went into the stratosphere when he started juicing.”

The Myths of 755: Hank Aaron Bonds with Barry, demonstrated that it is possible to assess Hank’s historic stature without invoking Jesus. This follow-up effort shows that it is reasonable to explain Barry’s historic statistics without invoking “juicing”. This article is NOT about morality: whether it be Barry’s alleged use of performance enhancing drugs OR the mass presumption of guilt of one man that tests and courts won't validate. For at least one Barry Bonds discussion all ethical matters will be put on the shelf. This article is strictly about numbers: what they tell us, and what they don’t. It is strictly about our media: what they tell us, and what they won’t. Now let the homer-counting, number-crunching, and myth-busting begin!

To finish reading complete article click our Sports Media Monitor: COSELLOUT

Sports Illustrated's Curious COVERage of Barry Bonds

Published on www.counterpunch.org July 27, 2007

Part 1 of a 2 Part Series: Sports Illustrated’s COVERage of Barry Bonds - Before BALCO Raid


It was a vintage picture of Hammerin’ Hank Aaron. No, this wasn’t the aging 1970’s Atlanta version in that indefensible god-awful uniform. I’m talking about the lean-mean Milwaukee version in that authentic gray flannel which you wish today’s players still wore. The shot was simply classic. Hank was standing in the batter’s box with hands clutching the end of bat, his no ear-flap helmet was OVER the cap creating that cool “double-bill” look, and he exerted laser-like focus as he was undoubtedly ready to tear the ensuing pitch into the left-center outfield gap in the worst case scenario. So when I pulled that cover picture of Sports Illustrated (SI) out of my mailbox this past week, a big smile spread across this baseball history fan’s face. Barry Bonds ascent to 755 would be a reason to pay homage to a former great… just the way it oughtta be.

…And then I read the cover’s title (“The Heart of 755”) and became a bit suspicious. Then I read the author’s name below it (Tom Verducci [1]) and became downright skeptical. And then I immediately opened to the story to see the article’s title (“The People’s King”) and any remaining doubts were removed. Oh, here we go again. This was not going to be a well-deserved Aaron tribute based on the merits of his career; it was yet another Sports Illustrated anti-Bonds article. And this time SI used the great Aaron as the latest vehicle to bash big bad Barry. And SI, which on the surface was attempting to hail Hank, actually cheapened his legend in the process. As I read on, it became clear: Hank was merely reduced to a device… a tool… a prop… a ploy… Such disingenuous usage of Aaron’s legacy in mainstream media has already been pointed out by others including these two fine pieces by Slate and by The Starting Five. But what distinguishes Sports illustrated from other media sources is that this is part of a series of Bonds-biased coverage that goes back at least 15 years! That’s right. Before the allegations of “performance enhancing drugs”, before BALCO laboratory raids, and long before elaborate government sting operations targeting a man who makes his living hitting a ball of string with a piece of wood, Sports Illustrated most definitely had it in for Barry Bonds.


For full story click right here to go to our brand new sports media monitor COSELLOUT.

Why We Blog Against Bigotry

It might not make much sense to you, but there are few routines that I cherish more in life than waking up late on a Sunday morning, sprawling out on my couch, and leisurely digging into various sections of the delivered-to-my-door Washington Post as I sip on a cup of black tea with milk and three splendas. Let's just say that some days are better than others. Yesterday on the front page I found this article: "Muscling a Web Site Into a Social Movement Va. Blogger Taps Into Illegal-Immigration Ire". It starts off:

"Illegal immigrant ice cream vendors might be spreading leprosy in Manassas. Prince William County has been infiltrated by "unassimilated marxist radicals." Manassas Park police covered up the predations of five Hispanic men who gang-raped a woman in the street in June. These claims, among others, have been made in recent months by Greg Letiecq, whose popular blog, Black Velvet Bruce Li, offers "Blog-Fu for Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park politics" -- often making up in passion what it lacks in proof. But Letiecq... is not some mouse-pushing crackpot with a keyboard and an Internet connection. In the past 18 months, Letiecq has leveraged his blog to help elect allies, kill off opponents' campaigns and shape local public policy. Peers call his site the most influential local blog in Virginia." (Feel free to read the rest here)

It has only been a couple of months since I entered the blogoshere and, in many respects, it has been a wonderful experience. I mean sure, at least starting out, you are never quite sure if you are writing any given article for anyone but yourself, but you quickly move past that point and gain some readers, and even a couple of published articles with some commitment. But the good part is that you come into contact with so many other bloggers with the same mission as you which strengthens your resolve. And many of these people have full-time jobs just like me, but still manage to post at incredibly prolific rates that I still can't comprehend. Since May, I have been introduced to anti-bigotry blogs such as Why Am I Not Surprised?, Racialicious, Too Sense, Rachel's Tavern, The Free Slave, White Anti-Racist Parent, The HNIC Report, Ally Work, blackprof.com, and many others. My foray into sports stories helped me discover sites such as The Starting Five and Stop Mike Lupica that blend sports with social responsibility of media. (BTW, KB will be entering this blog arena very shortly.)

Unfortunately, I have also discovered "the other side". Don Imus, who served as an initial inspiration of sorts for this blog, has also served as an inspiration for many more sites dedicated to his "cause". I have also learned much more about "the hate movement" via the Internet. Aside from the dangerous immigration debate-to-hate transition covered in our recent post, the Internet may also be hate's best friend. The Internet offers a haven for organizing bigots because it often provides them with what they desire most: anonymity. Hate away with no strings or stigma attached! Comment sections are funny that way. Finally, as evidenced by the Washington Post article, there is also great concern that the blogging bigots are more efficient, effective, and organized than those fighting the good fight.

But make no mistake: these early observations, while certainly dismaying, are not defeating, it just serves as additional fuel for the fire. At first I wondered if it was worth it to give up so much precious free time to furiously type away, and then soon enough I realized what so many of my newfound blogosphere friends and colleagues had already come to know: that "the other side" might be working just a little bit harder. And that is why we protest against prejudice, that is why we rail against racism, and that is why we blog against bigotry.

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." -- Elie Wiesel