RAINBOW PUSH COALITION HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE IN CHICAGO IN REFERENCE TO POLICE SHOOTING OF LAQUAN McDONALD

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

I just watched a live streamed press conference from Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Push Coalition, which took place yesterday in Chicago - 

I'm sharing the link with you here  please watch it  - it's very constructive and instructive - especially for those of us in other communities who are also battling the egregious abuse of power wielded at the hands of the local police departments, and in many cases co-signed by the local mayors and other minions who are suppose to represent the people, but put their own interests first.

http://livestream.com/PushTVLive/events/4554255/videos/106001690

Chicago mayor, Rahm Emanuel, while commended for having fired the superintendent of the police department, has also been called into question in reference to other vital video information that has yet to be revealed to the public.

There are also calls for federal investigation of the entire process on the part of Attorney General Loretta Lynch.  On Tuesday, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan requested that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate whether the Chicago Police Department's practices violate federal and constitutional law.  Madigan in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch asked that the investigation weigh, among other things, the department's use of deadly force and whether a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing exists.

Additionally, there are calls for Chicago's a.g., Anita Alvarez, to step done for complicity in the cover up and a long line of injustices vis a vis the Police and the Citizens of Chicago's Black community.  They have threatened to vote her out and are vowing to launch a voter registration campaign so comprehensive she'll have no chance of re-election.

I posted this link for those who have the temerity and the gall to question whether or not Rev. Jesse Jackson is on the case in reference to these atrocities.  The same criticism has been leveled at Rev. Al Sharpton.  It's apparent that those who have made such accusations are not aware that they each head coalitions - which they put together - of individuals, activists, expertise, and supporters - who bring their collective expertise and dedication together in the interest of justice and change.

There are protest demonstrations taking place in the streets of Chicago, while others are wasting their money on Christmas gifts that go to continue to underwrite some of the very people are the cause of the problems.  The ones who underwrite corrupt politicians and keep them in office as long as they turn a blind eye to brutality and bias.

And the coalition is comprehenve - they include experts on judicial and legislative issues; criminal justice, media, community activism, etc.  It's not a one size fits all organization.  While some are leading protest movements, others are in city hall dealing with the mayor, while others are in DC dealing with the Attorney General's office.  

Nor are they afraid to call a spade a spade.  This is not a week-end protest - they are in it for the long haul, as evidenced by the days of demonstrations which finally resulted in  Mayor Emanuel's firing of the city's police superintendent.

Even with the squad-car video showing a white Chicago police officer shooting a Laquan McDonald 16 times  on October 20, 2014, the foot dragging had continued, until the protesters showed they were not going to take it any more.


The video footage of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald's fatal shooting the night of Oct. 20, 2014, shows that the police lied about what happened.  A police spokesman, described McDonald lunging at officers before shooting began; while another police statement  after the shooting said McDonald had refused to drop a knife and "continued to approach the officers." Initial police information said McDonald was killed by a single shot to the chest.
But the video shows McDonald walking down the middle of a four-lane street. He then appears to veer away from police as Officer Jason Van Dyke, who is now charged with murder, opens fire. The video seems to show McDonald with something in his hand. Prosecutors say a 3-inch blade recovered from the scene had been folded into the handle. - Pan African Newswire
Activists contend city and police department officials dragged their feet on the investigation and video release and perhaps even sought to cover up what happened.
Interestingly, the dash cam's audio did not function on any of the police vehicles - really??!!!
These are modern cameras that are set up in Chicago police cars  so audio records along with video.  So how could it be that none of the dash-cams had audio?  Hmmm...

 Now that you know, what are you - especially you in Chicago - going to do about it? 

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria 














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Join COLOR OF CHANGE in demanding footage of Minneapolis police brutal shooting of Jamar Clark

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:


By now you are all well aware of the gangland style murder of Jamar Clark, a 24 year old African American man, at the hands of the Minneapolis police department, along with the routine slap on the wrist and paid vacation given the  perpetrators/officers.

Needless to say the phrase "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more!!!" is an understatement - The brutality of victims at the hands of feckless policemen, walking around with a license to kill.  Additionally they have blatently refused to hand over the tapes which prove the death if Jamar Clark was unwarranted.

I have already signed the petition and am forwarding Color of Change's solicitation to you so that you may do so as well.  I expect you to follow suit and then forward the petition to your friends, relatives, associates, neighbor, friends.

I think, however, this should go a step further and request investigation into these matters from Attorney General Lynch's office.  These and other brutalities that have been on the rise need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.  There is such a thing as abuse of power; and it appears that there are municipalities whose law enforcement arm believe they can continue with impunity.  

Additionally, it should be mandatory to turn over all cameras, equipment and recordings immediately to the federal government's judicial system, for immediate review BEFORE local law enforcement have an opportunity to doctor it up or erase it; and if there is any evidence of tampering of any kind, not only will the administrator and perpetrator lose their jobs, they will be incarcerated and fined for tampering with evidence in a suspected homocide.  

The penchant for shooting first and asking questions later; the blue wall of silence, and the profiling of Black men (and women) appears to be a reverse back to days of lawlessness, where the law was more dangerous and insidious than the criminals they purport to be apprehending.  

It's time this was stopped - immediately, if not sooner. Within the signature, let's add a message to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, put a stop to the violence that is being perpetrated against Black people.  Demand that Minneapolis police turn over the videos of the murder, and move forward in dealing with the perpetrators - the Minneapolis Police Department. 

STAY BLESSED &

ECLECTICALLY BLACK

GLORIA 

On Thu, Nov 19, 2015 at 7:35 PM, Scott Roberts, ColorOfChange.org <info@colorofchange.org> wrote:

Dear Gloria,
Yesterday, Minnesota officials released the names of the police who fatally shot Jamar Clark in the head: Officer Mark Ringgenberg and Officer Dustin Schwarze. Both officers have been sued in the past for violence, false arrests and threats.¹
Local officials are refusing to release various videos they have of the killing, choosing instead to ramp up militarized police violence against growing peaceful protests. Right now, activists are camped out at the 4th precinct facing pepper spray, arrest and rubber bullets, while Ringgenberg and Schwarze are on paid leave. ² We will need a groundswell of voices to get to the bottom of what happened to Jamar and secure the justice his family deserves.
Will you join more than 50,000 ColorOfChange members in demanding police release all videos relating to the police killing of Jamar Clark?
The reality is, Jamar’s killing hit a nerve for thousands of Black youth in Minneapolis, a city like so many others in America where systemic anti-Black police violence is rampant. Minneapolis police are nearly 6 times more likely to stop and arrest Black teens than white teens for low level issues, such as “curfew violations.”³ From 2006 to 2012, Minneapolis paid out $14 million for police misconduct, but leadership almost never disciplined officers. In 2014, there was an average of 1.2 complaints against each Minneapolis police officer.⁴ And now, law enforcement are denying the eye-witness testimony of dozens of children, teens and adults who witnessed the shooting and say police shot Jamar "execution style." In order to help this suffering community heal, local officials need to release these videos, expose the truth, and begin the hard work of moving forward.
Instead of arresting courageous youth organizers, Mayor Hodges and Chief Harteau should be doing everything in their power to end the culture of secrecy and impunity that drives anti-Black policing, starting with the release of these videos.
Thank you
Scott
References

1. "Protesters, police have tense night outside 4th Precinct HQ," Star Tribune 11-19-2015 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5534?t=4&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

2. See reference 1.

3. "Patterns of Racial Bias and Overcriminalization Show Urgent Need for Reform: Blacks and Native Americans Disproportionately Affected," ACLU 05-28-2015 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5535?t=6&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

4. "How Did Jamar Clark Die?" The Atlantic 11-18-2015 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5536?t=8&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

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Eye-witnesses say Minneapolis Police fatally shot 24-year-old Jamar Clark "execution style." Join local activists in demanding police release all video of the shooting: TAKE ACTION

Dear Gloria,
This weekend, Minneapolis Police fatally shot unarmed 24-year-old Jamar Clark.
In a scene all too similar to the police shooting of 18-year-old Mike Brown, dozens of people saw the shooting unfold. Eye-witnesses say Jamar was handcuffed with his hands behind his back when police shot him in the head "execution style." ²
The entire event was likely caught on video by a nearby camera, but local officials are refusing to release the footage. Last night, police unjustly arrested more than 51 Black Lives Matter activists for demanding release of the video and justice for Jamar.³ Now, it's time for us to help turn up the pressure to get Jamar's family the answers they deserve.
Click here to demand police release all video footage of the shooting. If enough of us speak out, it will shine a spotlight on local officials and increase the pressure for them to release whatever information they have.
All eye-witness accounts of what happened to Jamar point to murder. According to the latest news reports, police were called to the area for domestic assault. While it's unclear exactly what happened before the paramedics arrived, Jamar allegedly tried to speak to his girlfriend before she was put in an ambulance but police threw him to the ground and arrested him. Moments later, law enforcement shot him in the head. Tate Wilson, a local business owner who saw the shooting happen, said, "the young man was just laying there. He was not resisting arrest."⁴ According to the local NAACP, every eye-witness they've spoken to said Jamar "was handcuffed. Every witness account. [They say police] put a knee on him and shot in the head."⁵
We need the video footage of the shooting in order to hold law enforcement accountable for this brutal violence. Time and time again, we've seen what happens when local officials are able to keep this type of key information from family members and the public.⁶ The longer videos are kept secret the easier it is for police to doctor the footage or alter their stories to fit what's caught on camera instead of what actually happened.⁷ We need full transparency and public accountability or else we will never be able to end the racist culture of corruption and violence that leads to these tragedies. Local officials have asked the Department of Justice to investigate the case, but the investigation will likely take months to complete.⁸ We need answers now.
When NAACP activists Jason Sole heard about the tragic police shooting of Jamar he said, "Minneapolis is one bullet away from Ferguson...that bullet was fired last night."⁹ The reality is, police violence targeting Black people is rampant in cities across America. In fact, Jamar is at least the 251st Black person killed by police in 2015 alone.¹⁰ Due to discriminatory racial stereotypes, police are 21 times more likely to shoot Black teens than white teens.¹¹ And Minneapolis Black youth have had enough. As protesters put their lives on the line to stand with Jamar's family in demanding justice, we must raise our voices to hold local officials accountable.
Enough is enough. Tell Minneapolis law enforcement to release all key evidence pertaining to the police shooting of Jamar Clark.

Thank you,

— Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Lyla and the rest of the ColorOfChange team.

In addition to the foregoing message, ColorOfChange also provided the following links to articles dealing with police brutality:

November 17th, 2015

References:

1. "Black Lives Matter Protesting Police Shooting of a Reportedly Unarmed Man in Minneapolis," Gawker 11-15-2015 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5522?t=14&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

2. See reference 1.

3. "51 arrested in protests after black man shot by Minneapolis police," USA Today 11-17-2015 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5530?t=16&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

4. "Protesters demand video, police accountability in Minneapolis shooting," Reuters 11-16-2015 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5524?t=18&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

5. "Jamar Clark: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know," Heavy.com 11-15-2015 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5525?t=20&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

6. "Police Still Refuse to Release Evidence in Demouria Hogg Shooting Death OPD," Post News Group 07-17-2015 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5526?t=22&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

7. "CONFIRMED: Dashcam Video of Sandra Bland’s Violent Arrest was Indeed Edited," Mint Press News 07-17-2015 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5529?t=24&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

8. "Besty Hodges: Jamar Clark Shooting Should Be Investigated by Department of Justice," City Pages 11-16-2015 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5527?t=26&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

8. See reference 5.

9. "The Counted: People killed by police in the US," The Guardian http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5011?t=28&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

10. "Deadly Force, in Black and White," ProPublica 10-10-2014 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/5528?t=30&akid=5066.1818854.MShHcg

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ColorOfChange is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong.
If you're absolutely sure you don't want to hear from ColorOfChange again, click here to unsubscribe.

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

STAY BLESSED

GDW

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President Obama Takes on Criminal Justice at the NAACP 106th Annual Conventon In Philadelphia, PA - PART 1

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All!

Because this is such an epochmaking address, from the greatest President the US has ever had, I have decided, as much as possible, to include all of the Presidents comments, with some minor commentaries from my self.  Also, because of the historical nature of his moves, I am presenting this blog post in two parts - as you know, I am no fan of sound bytes - especially when it comes to issues that directly concern us as a people.  So this is the first part of a two-part post on President Barack Obama's address to the 106th NAACP National Convention:

Whenever President Barack Obama addresses the NAACP, it's pretty much like a mutual admiration society.  They love him and he loves them.  And Tuesday night, at the 106th National Convention in Philadelphia, PA was no different.   It was amazing to watch the nearly 5,000 seat capacity empty Hall A fill with admirers in less than 10 minutes.  The audience poured in like human liquid, flooding the seats, the floor until it was wall to wall people as far as the eye could see.  And even when it was evident that there were no more seats up front, nearly 100 people still crowded together in the aisles as though they thought a way would be made, or seats would miraculously appear.  Such is the love that we have for our president (yes, I said "we" - I am, after all, a member of the partisan press - and reserve the right to be counted as an ardent and loyal admirer of President Barack Obama).

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SPOKE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE AT THE 106TH NAACP NATIONAL CONVENTION

 The President's address, which was scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM, didn't kick off until approximately 4:15; but, no matter - it gave opportunities for those workshop leaders, whose time was pre-empted for this event, to give an overview of what the  workshop discussions would have entailed.  

The audience listened politely, patiently waiting for the man of the hour to materialize.  

Roslyn M. Brock's introduction of the President of the US:  "Over the past month we have watched the unerring decisiveness of the president of the United States; and we have shared his compassion as he delivered the eulogy of Beau Biden and the Rev. Clementa Pinckney.  Mr. President, the NAACP also believes in amazing grace. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 44th President of the United States of America...." the last few words were drowned out as this crowd of dignified, sophisticated, accomplished, professional, degreed and credentialed, mostly college educated Black men and women literally went wild in cheers and enthusiasm.  The most accomplished athlete, the most popular singing artist can only envy President Obama's reception, and the evident love that was poured out on him that evening. In the background you could hear the ceremonial "Hail to the Chief" being played as he approached the podium.

Congenial, smiling from ear to ear with that wonderful face-breaking smile of his, you could barely hear him above the cheers, "Hey!:  Hello NAACP!  It's good to be back!  How y'all doing to day?  Doing fine?  You look fine!   Alright everybody have a seat.  I've got some stuff to say.  I've got some stuff to say!"

The crowd, almost in one voice cried out, "We love you Mr. President."  To which he responded, "I love you back, you know that!"  And it was clear to all that this was home, family, friends - a love fest for the President.  

"So, you know, y'all make a great picture.  And I like that picture of me"  - referring to a portrait/caricature that had been drawn of him at the convention, where thousands of NAACP members had written their names and their greetings to him.  "Let's get something out of the way, up front, I am not singing today.   Although I will say, your board sang to me as I came in for the photograph.  ... Let me also say what everybody knows but doesn't want to say out loud - y'all would rather have Michelle here.  I understand.  I don't blame you!   But I will do my best to fill her shoes.  And she sends everybody her love - Sasha and Malia say hi as well."

President Obama then acknowledged Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfe, for whom he campaigned last year when Wolfe was running for governor to defeat incumbent Repuglycon Tom Corbett.  He thanked the "Mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter,  whose been a great friend of ours;" and  Governor Ryan  of Connecticut who was in the audience.  As he thanked the NAACP members who are doing work on a daily basis throughout the country, the crowd began to calm down and prepare to shift gears into a much more serious focus.  

"It's not always received with a lot of fanfare, sometimes it lonely work, sometimes it's hard work, sometimes it's frustrating work; but it's necessary work and built on a tradition of this organization that we shape the debate.  For 106 years, the NAACP has worked to close the gaps between the words of our founders  - that we all were created equal, endowed by our creators with certain unalienable rights.  Those words we try to match with the reality that we live each and every day. In your first century, this organization stood up against lynchings, jim crow, segregation; helped to shepherd the Civil Rights Act; The Voting Rights Act.  I would not be here and so many others would not without the NAACP.  In your second century you've worked together to give more of our children a shot at a college education; to help our families rise up out of poverty; to protect future generations from environmental damage; to create fair housing; to help more workers find the purpose of a good job. Together we've made real progress, including a "My Brother's Keeper" program to give more people a fair shot in life; including the passage of a law that made  health care  not a privilege for the few, but right for all Americans.  We've made progress, but our work is not done. "

He went on to detail some of the issues and concerns:  Blacks and Hispanics lag behind those of their white peers.  "Our kids, America's children, so often are isolated, without hope; less likely to graduate from high school; less likely to earn a college degree; less likely to be employed; less likely to have health insurance; less likely to own a home. Part of this is a legacy of hundreds of years of slavery, segregation, compounded over the generations.  It did not happen by accident - but by continuing, sometimes more subtle bigotry - whether it's who gets called back for a job interview, or who gets suspended from school; or what neighborhood you're able to rent an apartment in.  Which, by the way, is why I initiated legislation to strengthen the awareness and affectiveness of fair housing laws.  So we can't be satisfied - I'm not satisfied!  Not until the opportunity gap is closed for everybody in America."

"But today I want to focus on one aspect of American life, that remains particularly skewed by race, and by wealth.  A source of inequity that has ripple affects on families and our communities, and ultimately on our nation.  And that is our criminal justice system.  And this is not a new topic - I know sometimes folks discover these things like they just happened.  There's a long history of inequities in the criminal justice system in America."

The President recounted how, during his tenure as state senator in Illinois, they had passed legislation to have video taping of interrogations; set up racial profiling laws because of problems at traffic stops that many were experiencing at the time.   Since becoming the President, he has talked about how the criminal justice system has become a pipeline from underfunded schools to overcrowded jails.  Because of incidents that have occurred in recent months, "we can't close our eyes anymore."   

"And the good news  - and this is truly good news - is that good people of all political persuasions - have started to do something about this."  Statistically the US is home to 5% of the world's population, but 25% of the world's prisons. The US incarceration rate is 4 times higher than China's.  The US keeps more people behind bars than the top 35 European countries combined.  Incarceration rates have quadrupled since the 1980's, from 500,000 to 2.2 million - and has doubled in the last decade.

"We need to be honest - there are a lot of folks who belong in prison.  If we're going to deal with this problem and the inequities involved, we also have to speak honestly - there are some folks who need to be in jail!  They may have had terrible things happen to them in their lives.  We hold out the hope for redemption, but murderers, predators, rapists, gang leaders, drug dealers - we need some of those folks behind bars.  Our communities are safer because of brave police officers and hardworking prosecutors who put those violent criminals in jail." This has contributed to the reduction of violent crime over the last few decades.  But, as the President stated, there is a point of diminishing returns.  Violence in our communities is serious, with the African American communities being "under policed."  Per the President, "folks have been interested in containing the African American community so that they are segregated areas, but, within those areas there wasn't enough police presence." 

Over the past few decades more and more offenders "have been locked up for nonviolent crimes than every before, for longer than ever before,"  which is the reason that the prison population is off the charts.  As the President stated:  "IN FAR TOO MANY CASES, THE PUNISHMENT SIMPLY DOES NOT FIT THE CRIME!"  

A low level drug dealer should not be sentenced to 20 years for dealing small amounts of marijuana. The President attacked the disproportionate sentencing to the level and seriousness of the crime.  Not only are the tax payers picking up the tab for these egregiously long sentences, the private prison owners are getting rich off of this new form of slavery (I said that, not President Obama).  

"Every year we spend $80 billion dollars to keep folks incarcerated.  $80 Billion.  Let's put that in perspective.  For $80 Billion dollars, we could have universal pre-school for every 3 and 4 year old in America.  For $80 Billion dollars we could double the salary of every high school teacher in America. For $80 Billion dollars we could finance new roads, bridges, airports, job training programs.  I'm about to get into a big budget debate in Washington and what I could do with $80 Billion dollars.  It's a lot of money.  But what we spend to keep every one locked up for one year, we could eliminate tuition at every single one of our colleges and universities (the youth - and their parents - let out a roar of appreciation).  Roughly 1/3of the Justice Department's budget goes towards incarceration.  And there are outstanding folks in our Justice department, starting with our outstanding attorney general, Loretta Lynch.  Every dollar they have to spend keeping nonviolent, drug offenders in prison is a dollar they can't going after drug defense, or tracking down terrorists, or hiring more police and giving them resources that would allow them to do an affective job in community policing.  The statistics of who is incarcerated by  wide margin disproportionately impacts communities of color.  African Americans and Latinos make up 30% of our population, and make up 60% of our prisons.  1 in every 35 African American men; 1 in every 88 Latino men and 1 in 214 white men are serving prison time right now.  In too many places and too many instances Black boys and Black men, Latino Boys and and Latino men experience different treatments under the law."

"And I want to be clear: this is not just anecdote; this is not just barber shop talk. A large body of research shows that people of color are more likely to be stopped, frisked, questioned, charged, detained.  Africa; then Americans are more likely to be arrested; and more likely to be sentenced twice as long for the same crime.  Around one million fathers are behind bars.  Around 1 in 9 African American kids have a parent in prison.  What is that doing to our communities?  What's that doing to those children?  Our nation's being deprived of men and women who could be workers and tax payers!  Could be more actively involved in their children's lives.  Could be role models, could be community leaders.  But right now they're locked up in a non-violent offense.  So the criminal justice department isn't as smart as it should be.  It's not keeping us as safe as it should be.  It is not as fair as it should be!  As a nation we are worse off, and we should do something about it!!

Part Two will appear in tomorrow's blog.  In the interim, focus on what we could do in the Black community with $80 billion dollars.

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria

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