Congress to draft bill that penalizes pre-paid phone owners - STOP IT NOW!!

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

Here we go again as the white Congressional wing nuts veer more and more towards nazi-ism, yet another sinister way to impede freedom and equality in the US is being hatched - this time it's our cell phones.  

The COLOR OF CHANGE - and activist organization that has been in the forefront of trying to alert us to issues and threats to us as Black people, and work with us to take action BEFORE it happens, posted this information which is so off the chain, Hitler would most definitely have been proud of this collection of (s)elected miscreants who operate under guise of representing voters and constituents of our country.    

Please read the information I'm sharing with you below, share it, and then TAKE ACTION.  

STAY BLESSED

On Tue, May 17, 2016 at 1:28 PM, Brandi Collins, ColorOfChange.org <info@colorofchange.org> wrote:

Politicians are using stereotypes and myths to make it harder to buy a cell phone. Harsh voter ID requirements harm Black communities. Tell Representative Speier to retract her bill.

Dear Gloria, 

At a time when cell phones serve as a conduit to everything from work schedules to the latest news to family, it would be a dire mistake to constrain access to them in a way that specifically harms Black communities.  We’ve already seen time and time again how well-meaning policy causes unforeseen harm to Black folks. Now it’s about to happen again, as Congressional legislators are drafting a bill that would require retailers to request identification from anyone buying a prepaid cellphone or SIM card.

¹ Voter identification (ID) laws that disproportionately burdens and marginalizes Black communities create the framework for other discriminatory policies like this.

² And as it becomes more difficult for many Black communities to secure ID, this bill will further hinder the ability of many, especially the poor or elderly, to communicate and interact with society.

³ We can’t allow that to happen.

There's no proof that cell phones increase crime, so why are lawmakers preemptively punishing people? 

The bill, called Closing the Pre-Paid Mobile Device Security Gap Act of 2016, was proposed by House Representative Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) to help prevent acts of terror, drug trafficking, and modern-day slavery.  [NOTE TO FOLKS IN SAN MATEO AND SAN FRANCISCO - DO NOT RE-ELECT THIS ZEALOT; REPLACE HIM WITH A DEMOCRAT WITH A BRAIN AND COMMON SENSE - THANKS YOU - GDW]

 Yet there is no substantial or definitive evidence that links the use of pre-paid, or “burner”, cell phones to increases in crime.

⁴ On the contrary, research has shown that widespread cell phone use has contributed to an overall downward trend in crime nationally.

⁵ Popular television shows like Breaking Bad, The Wire, and Weeds have embedded the connection between criminality and pre-paid phones in the public consciousness.

⁶ But when politicians are unable to divorce fiction or racist stereotypes from reality, they create public policy that causes more harm than it prevents, especially for communities that are predominantly Black and poor.

⁷The harsher ID requirements are, the harder the lives of Black folks becomes. Enough is enough. 

Pre-paid cell phones are predominantly used by the elderly, the poor, or those with concerns about their personal privacy. This goes doubly for Black communities, where cell phones are lifeline to everything from jobs to news to education and housing.

⁸ Imposing a stringent requirement on identification to purchase pre-paid cell phones would further exacerbate the digital divide that marginalizes Black communities.

⁹ Black people are three times as likely to not hold a valid ID as whites.

¹⁰ And as racist voter ID laws spread around the nation, it becomes more and more difficult to obtain the sort of ID that this bill proposes.

¹¹ The more that Black people are disconnected from something as basic as access to communication and the internet, the more difficult it will be for us to protect our rights as citizens.

Will you stand with us to ensure that Black communities are not unjustly victimized? 

Until justice is real, 

--Brandi, Rashad, Arisha, Bernard, Evan, and the rest of the ColorOfChange team
References:

 Actually that should read:  STAND WITH US TO ENSURE THAT BLACK COMMUNITIES ARE NOT  VICTIMIZED!!!!!

1. "Text of the Closing the Pre-Paid Mobile Device Security Gap Act of 2016." GovTrack.Us, 03-23-2016. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/6210?t=7&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7
2. "Voter ID laws a burden on poor, black Americans, research shows." The Guardian, 07-12-2012. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6211?t=9&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7
3. "Study: Voter ID laws hit minorities." Politico, 10-09-2014. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6212?t=11&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7
4. "Can Disposable “Burner” Cellphones Protect You From Government Surveillance?" Slate, 06-07-2013. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6213?t=13&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7
5. "New scholarship by Prof. Jonathan Klick links cell phone use to a decline in crime." University of Pennsylvania Law School, 12-17-2012. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/6214?t=15&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7
6. "White People Commit the Most Heinous Crimes, So Why Is America Terrified of Black Men?" AlterNet, 05-13-2014. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6215?t=17&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7
7. "The Myth of Welfare and Drug Use." The Daily Beast, 08-30-2013. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6216?t=19&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7
8. "U.S. Smartphone Use in 2015." Pew Research Center, 04-01-2015. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6217?t=21&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7
9. "'Digital Divide': Pew Study Finds Black Adults Have Less Internet Access Than Whites." The International Business Times, 01-06-2014. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6218?t=23&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7
10. "Eric Holder says recent studies show 25 percent of African Americans, 8 percent of whites lack government-issued photo IDs." Politifact, 07-11-2012. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6219?t=25&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7
11. "This Is How Hard It Is To Get A Voter ID In Wisconsin." ThinkProgress, 04-02-2016. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/6220?t=27&akid=5798.1818854.4SwON7

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KUDOS TO COLOR OF CHANGE FOR BEING ON TOP OF THIS AND OTHER SINISTER EFFORTS TO VICTIMIZE BLACK PEOPLE.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK

Gloria 

SOS EMERGENCY: PUT ABC-TV ON NOTICE - PRESERVING THE LEGACY OF GIL NOBLE IS PRESERVING THE LEGACY OF BLACK PEOPLE

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

I just received an emergency email from Dr. James McIntosh of CEMOTAP, in reference to our dear brother, Gil Noble host of ABC-TV Like It Is, who recently suffered a massive stroke.

I think you all must be aware that for the past 40 years the show has struggled to maintain its integrity and remain on the air, due to the machinations of the racist TV management, which routinely tried to quell the show's effectiveness.

While we successfully prayed for the recovery of Gil from this stroke, and he's on the mend, the next task is to now save Like It IS!!! After years of moving it around from time slot to time slot, the show has been stabilized at the 12:00 slot on Sundays for at least two decades.

While we'll miss Gil, we now have to turn our attention to making sure that ABC-TV replaces him with IMHOTEP GARY BYRD as host, who is as good, if not better, than Gil, and who possesses the sensibilities, love, care, concern and professionalism to provide Black people with news, documentaries and information that is relevant to us only.

Notably, Like It Is is the only Black show on network television that focuses on Black issues in a comprehensive manner. Gil Noble has been a pillar in our community for nearly 50 years. And, contrary to common belief, his position and that program are not easily replaced, and the Black community will not turn a blind eye to ABC-TV's decisions. This is a warning to them to not underestimate the seriousness with which the Black community takes the future of this program and its relevance to us.

This is a call to mobilize all the forces - not just the Black community, but our official representatives - Rev. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, NAACP, Urban League, President Obama, to do the formal negotiations. But to also put ABC-TV on notice that they are not exempt from boycotts and sit-ins. That we will do what we need to do to make sure our legacy and the legacy of Gil Noble and LIKE IT IS, are preserved.

That said, the following is the press release from CEMOTAP. I expect each and every one of you who has one tenth of one per cent of melanin (Black blood) coursing through your veins, whether your home is the continent of Africa, USA or any of the Caribbean countries, to stand together shoulder to shoulder to make sure that LIKE IT IS enjoys another 40 years on ABC:

CEMOTAP PRESS RELEASE - CALLING ALL AFRICANS! GIL NOBLE’S LEGACY MUST BE PRESERVED
Contact James McIntosh 347 907-0629

A community delegation led by CEMOTAP Co-chairs Betty Dopson and Dr. James McIntosh, Dr. Len Jeffries and New York City Councilman Charles Barron met with WABC TV station manager Dave Davis on Monday morning. The group first protested the censoring of Councilman Barron’s remarks in support of political prisoners on the tribute to Gil Noble broadcast by WABC on March 16, 2011. The group also protested the seeming attempt to AMERICANIZE the show and exclude of any mention of Elombe Brath and the numerous African world leaders, including heads of state, that Elombe brought to the show over the years.

Lastly, the group discussed the future of Gil Noble’s “Like It Is.” The group first suggested the name of Imhotep Gary Byrd, which Davis rejected even though he admitted he had NEVER HEARD OF BYRD. Davis said he wants to use someone from the WABC newsroom and has thus far refused to even interview Byrd to find out what Byrd would bring to the show.

Davis seems braced for a war with the Black Community. He became offended when the group refused to accept his assertion that he was different from Tom Kane, the last WABC station manager with whom the community had to struggle.

Please call Davis and {DEMAND} tell him to reverse course. This announcement is attached to a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_L2YxuyVt8 that shows a prime representation of the newsroom from which Davis wants to hire. It speaks for itself.

CALL DAVIS at 212 456 7000. Tell him to stop stonewalling the {BLACK}community. Remember you are talking to a man who never even heard of Imhotep Gary Byrd. Also come hear CEMOTAP’s call to action and report to the community on Saturday October 22, 2011 at 2PM at CEMOTAP CENTER, 135-05 Rockaway Boulevard, South Ozone Park, Queens, NY 11420. Community Leaders and leaders of the delegation will be present." ###

Remember, no one will do for you what you will not do for yourself. You have to take a stand now, or they will be standing on your neck later.
Take care
Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson