Farrakhan "We Built This Country Add It Up"

Minister Louis Farrakhan Breaks Down The Debt Black Americans Have Paid To America!!!

Black Friday Protests in SF

Black Friday Protests in SF from Tom Goulding on Vimeo.

An anti-Black Friday protest marched through San Francisco on Friday night, leading to a number of arrests and smashed store fronts throughout the Mission District.

The march combined protestors from a wide range of causes, such as anti-police brutality, Ferguson and Ayotzinapa, and begun at Embarcadero at around 5p.m..

The protestors walked peacefully down Market Street, and after police blocked their entrance to One Bush Plaza, there were some minor skirmishes and a few arrests. The march continued towards the Mission District, going peacefully for nearly an hour throughout the Mission.

The police then forcibly split the crowd into separate groups at around 9p.m., and started making a large number of arrests at Valencia and 23rd, the majority of which were of seemingly peaceful protestors. There was then several spates of vandalism of Mission store fronts, mainly of large corporations' windows and doors.

LIVE: Londoners rally outside US embassy for 'justice for Mike Brown'

Justice Scalia Explains What Was Wrong With The Ferguson Grand Jury

Justice Antonin Scalia, in the 1992 Supreme Court case of United States v. Williams, explained what the role of a grand jury has been for hundreds of years.

It is the grand jury’s function not ‘to enquire … upon what foundation [the charge may be] denied,’ or otherwise to try the suspect’s defenses, but only to examine ‘upon what foundation [the charge] is made’ by the prosecutor. Respublica v. Shaffer, 1 Dall. 236 (O. T. Phila. 1788); see also F. Wharton, Criminal Pleading and Practice § 360, pp. 248-249 (8th ed. 1880). As a consequence, neither in this country nor in England has the suspect under investigation by the grand jury ever been thought to have a right to testify or to have exculpatory evidence presented.

 This passage was first highlighted by attorney Ian Samuel, a former clerk to Justice Scalia.

In contrast, McCulloch allowed Wilson to testify for hours before the grand jury and presented them with every scrap of exculpatory evidence available. In his press conference, McCulloch said that the grand jury did not indict because eyewitness testimony that established Wilson was acting in self-defense was contradicted by other exculpatory evidence. What McCulloch didn’t say is that he was under no obligation to present such evidence to the grand jury. The only reason one would present such evidence is to reduce the chances that the grand jury would indict Darren Wilson.

Compare Justice Scalia’s description of the role of the grand jury to what the prosecutors told the Ferguson grand jury before they started their deliberations:

And you must find probable cause to believe that Darren Wilson did not act in lawful self-defense and you must find probable cause to believe that Darren Wilson did not use lawful force in making an arrest. If you find those things, which is kind of like finding a negative, you cannot return an indictment on anything or true bill unless you find both of those things. Because both are complete defenses to any offense and they both have been raised in his, in the evidence.

As Justice Scalia explained the evidence to support these “complete defenses,” including Wilson’s testimony, was only included by McCulloch by ignoring how grand juries historically work.

There were several eyewitness accounts that strongly suggested Wilson did not act in self-defense. McCulloch could have, and his critics say should have, presented that evidence to the grand jury and likely returned an indictment in days, not months. It’s a low bar, which is why virtually all grand juries return indictments.

But McCulloch chose a different path.

Link : http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/11/26/3597322/justice-scalia-explains-what-was-wrong-with-the-ferguson-grand-jury/

Forensic Pathologist Cyril Wecht SHUTS DOWN All Nonsense in Michael Brown Case.

This Is Why They Didn't Want To Go Anywhere Near A CourtRoom!!!!

#BlackFriday Is On The Way.......Leave Corporate America In The "Red" #ShutItDown

 

Officer Darren Wilson's story is unbelievable. Literally.

We've finally heard from Officer Darren Wilson.

Wilson had been publicly silent since the events of August 9, when he shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. And, even as the grand jury announced its decision not to indict him, he remained silent. He had his attorneys release a statement on his behalf.

But on Monday night, St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch released the evidence given to the grand jury, including the interview police did with Wilson in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. And so we got to read, for the first time, Wilson's full, immediate account of his altercation with Brown.

And it is unbelievable.

I mean that in the literal sense of the term: "difficult or impossible to believe." But I want to be clear here. I'm not saying Wilson is lying. I'm not saying his testimony is false. I am saying that the events, as he describes them, are simply bizarre. His story is difficult to believe.

The story Wilson tells goes like this:

At about noon on August 9th, Wilson hears on the radio that there's a theft in progress at the Ferguson Market. The suspect is a black male in a black shirt.

Moments later, Wilson sees two young black men walking down the yellow stripe in the center of the street. He pulls over. "Hey guys, why don't you walk on the sidewalk?" They refuse. "We're almost at our destination," one of them replies. Wilson tries again. "But what's wrong with the sidewalk?" he asks.

And then things get weird.

Brown's response to "what's wrong with the sidewalk?", as recorded by Wilson, is "fuck what you have to say." Remember, Wilson is a uniformed police officer, in a police car, and Brown is an 18-year-old kid who just committed a robbery. And when asked to use the sidewalk, Wilson says Brown replied, "Fuck what you have to say."

WILSON SAYS BROWN REPLIED, "FUCK WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY."

Wilson backs his car up and begins to open the door. "Hey, come here," he said to the kid who just cursed at him. He says Brown replied, "What the fuck you gonna do?" And then Brown, in Wilson's telling, slams the car door closed. Wilson tries to open the door again, tells Brown to get back, and then Brown leans into the vehicle and begins punching him.

Let's take a breath and recap. Wilson sees two young black men walking in the middle of the street. He pulls over and politely asks them to use the sidewalk. They refuse. He asks again, still polite. Brown tells Wilson — again, a uniformed police officer in a police car — "fuck what you have to say." Wilson stops his car, tries to get out, and Brown slams the car door on him and then begins punching him through the open window.

What happens next is the most unbelievable moment in the narrative. And so it's probably best that I just quote Wilson's account at length on it.

I was doing the, just scrambling, trying to get his arms out of my face and him from grabbing me and everything else. He turned to his...if he's at my vehicle, he turned to his left and handed the first subject. He said, "here, take these." He was holding a pack of — several packs of cigarillos which was just, what was stolen from the Market Store was several packs of cigarillos. He said, "here, hold these" and when he did that I grabbed his right arm trying just to control something at that point. Um, as I was holding it, and he came around, he came around with his arm extended, fist made, and went like that straight at my face with his...a full swing from his left hand.

So Brown is punching inside the car. Wilson is scrambling to deflect the blows, to protect his face, to regain control of the situation. And then Brown stops, turns to his left, says to his friend, "Here, hold these," and hands him the cigarillos stolen from Ferguson Market. Then he turns back to Wilson and, with his left hand now freed from holding the contraband goods, throws a haymaker at Wilson.

Every bullshit detector in me went off when I read that passage. Which doesn't mean that it didn't happen exactly the way Wilson describes. But it is, again, hard to imagine. Brown, an 18-year-old kid holding stolen goods, decides to attack a cop and, while attacking him, stops, hands his stolen goods to his friend, and then returns to the beatdown. It reads less like something a human would do and more like a moment meant to connect Brown to the robbery.

Wilson next recounts his thought process as he reached for a weapon. He considered using his mace, but at such close range, the mace might get in his eyes, too. He doesn't carry a taser with a fireable cartridge, but even if he did, "it probably wouldn't have hit [Brown] anywhere". Wilson couldn't reach his baton or his flashlight. So he went for his gun.

Brown sees him go for the gun. And he replies: "You're too much of a fucking pussy to shoot me."

"YOU'RE TOO MUCH OF A FUCKING PUSSY TO SHOOT ME."

Again, stop for a moment and think about that. Brown is punching Wilson, sees the terrified cop reaching for his gun, and says "You're too much of a fucking pussy to shoot me." He dares him to shoot.

A protestors holds up a sign saying "don't shoot". (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

And then Brown grabs Wilson's gun, twists it, and points it at Wilson's "pelvic area". Wilson regains control of the firearm and gets off a shot, shattering the glass. Brown backs up a half step and, realizing he's unharmed, dives back into the car to attack Wilson. Wilson fires again, and then Brown takes off running. (You can see the injuries Wilson sustained from the fight in these photographs.)

Wilson exits the car to give chase. He yells at Brown to get down on the ground. Here, I'm going to go back to Wilson's words:

When he stopped, he turned, looked at me, made like a grunting noise and had the most intense, aggressive face I've ever seen on a person. When he looked at me, he then did like the hop...you know, like people do to start running. And, he started running at me. During his first stride, he took his right hand put it under his shirt into his waistband. And I ordered him to stop and get on the ground again. He didn't. I fired multiple shots. After I fired the multiple shots, I paused a second, yelled at him to get on the ground again, he was still in the same state. Still charging, hand still in his waistband, hadn't slowed down.

The stuff about Brown putting his hand in his waistband is meant to suggest that Wilson had reason to believe Brown might pull a gun. But it's strange. We know Brown didn't have a gun. And that's an odd fact to obscure while charging a police officer.

Either way, at that point, Wilson shoots again, and kills Brown.

There are inconsistencies in Wilson's story. He estimates that Brown ran 20-30 feet away from the car and then charged another 10 feet back towards Wilson. But we know Brown died 150 feet away from the car.

There are also consistencies. St Louis prosecutor Robert McCulloch said that Brown's DNA was found inside Wilson's car, suggesting there was a physical altercation inside the vehicle. We know shots were fired from inside the car. We know Brown's bullet wounds show he was only hit from the front, never from the back.

But the larger question is, in a sense, simpler: Why?

Why did Michael Brown, an 18-year-old kid headed to college, refuse to move from the middle of the street to the sidewalk? Why would he curse out a police officer? Why would he attack a police officer? Why would he dare a police officer to shoot him? Why would he charge a police officer holding a gun? Why would he put his hand in his waistband while charging, even though he was unarmed?

NONE OF THIS FITS WITH WHAT WE KNOW OF MICHAEL BROWN

None of this fits with what we know of Michael Brown. Brown wasn't a hardened felon. He didn't have a death wish. And while he might have been stoned, this isn't how stoned people act. The toxicology report did not indicate he was on PCP or something that would've led to suicidal aggression.

Which doesn't mean Wilson is a liar. Unbelievable things happen every day. The fact that his story raises more questions than it answers doesn't mean it isn't true.

But the point of a trial would have been to try to answer these questions. We would have either found out if everything we thought we knew about Brown was wrong, or if Wilson's story was flawed in important ways. But now we're not going to get that chance. We're just left with Wilson's unbelievable story.

More: Michael Brown spent his last day with his friend Dorian Johnson. Johnson was also there when Officer Wilson stopped Brown.  Here's where Johnson's testimony corroborates, and diverges, from Wilson's account.

St. Louis County’s municipal court system is absolutely shocking. #Ferguson

How St. Louis County's Screwed-Up Court System Breeds Resentment

The shooting of black teenager Michael Brown, on august 9th, 2014 by Officer Darren Wilson set off large protests and an intense police response in Ferguson, MO. But the Ferguson demonstrations...

After Black Teen Was Found Hanging From Swing Set in NC, His Family and NAACP Ask Feds to Investigate

What happened to Lennon Lacy?

After the 17-year-old African-American student and football player was found hanging from a child’s swing set in August in the middle of a mostly white trailer park in North Carolina, Lacy’s family members don’t believe law enforcement’s contention that he killed himself.

The historical resonance of a Black boy found hanged has sent a cold chill through the small town of Bladenboro, particularly since Lacy was involved in a sexual relationship with a much older white woman.

The teen’s family has joined forces with a coalition of church leaders, lawyers and activists in North Carolina to ask federal authorities to aid in the investigation into the Lacy’s mysterious death. Officials from the North Carolina branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) spent almost two hours on Tuesday with US attorney Thomas Walker in his Raleigh office, according to a report in The Guardian, which said the NAACP handed the federal prosecutor a letter formally asking the FBI to join the investigation.

The NAACP also gave Walker a file containing more than 20 leads that seem to cast doubt on law enforcement’s contention that the 17-year-old killed himself with no involvement from anyone else.

“Given evidence uncovered by the (North Carolina) NAACP, there are several other possible explanations for his death besides a simple suicide,” the letter says, according to The Guardian.

“I just want to know what happened to my 17-year-old son; all I want is justice,” Lennon’s mother Claudia Lacy said at a news conference, as she added that the state bureau of investigators treated her like she was a suspect in the death. “I feel the SBI investigators interrogated me. They were not trying to find out the truth of what happened to my son, they were pushing towards a verdict of suicide.”

Walker’s office declined to comment on the invitation or whether it would be taken up, the Guardian said.

Lacy was found on August 29 hanging from a swing set that sat in the middle of a trailer park that was a short walk from his home. That evening Lacy was supposed to be playing in the season-opening football game, which his family members said he had been training for and anxiously awaiting for months. The starting linebacker with dreams of making it to the NFL had washed and packed his uniform and was excited about the big game.

“He was real excited… he was looking forward to doing good in the game,” teammate Anthony White said after his death.

But authorities latched onto the idea that he was despondent over the death of his uncle, to whom he was close and who had just been buried. Five days after his body was discovered, law enforcement authorities announced that there was no evidence of foul play, implying a probable suicide.

“He did have an interracial relationship and attended an interracial church and people in that community raised their dislike of that,” Reverend William Barber, president of the North Carolina branch, said at the news conference. “If the basic facts were reversed, and Lennon was white and found hanging in a predominantly black neighborhood, would there have been such a rush to quickly say this was a suicide?” 

The NAACP has hired a pathologist to study Lacy’s autopsy, particularly the scratches and contortions on his face that authorities contend were caused by ant bites or through the handling of the body after the postmortem had been concluded.

But the undertaker who handled his body, FW Newton Jr., had questions about the abrasions, telling reporters that the teen’s body “reminded him of corpses… where the deceased had been killed in a bar-room fight.”

In addition, the teen was found wearing shoes that were clearly not his—size 10.5 sneakers, nearly two sizes too small, and not his new Jordans

The civil rights group also hired attorney Heather Rattelade to look into the way the investigation was conducted.

Rattelade told the Guardian that at 3:08 pm on the day of Lacy’s death—possibly just nine hours after his body was discovered at the swing set—the medical examiner was informed by the lead investigator in the case that they believed they were dealing with a suicide.

She said they had failed to meet “even the minimum standards for crime scenes. I cannot tell you why minimum protocols were not followed, but that is a large part of the reason why we have been compelled to ask the department of justice and the FBI to carry out its own investigation into what happened to Lennon Lacy.”

Link : http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/11/20/black-teen-found-hanging-swing-set-nc-family-naacp-ask-feds-investigate/

TOTAL BLACKOUT FOR POLICE BRUTALITY REFORM

We cannot trust those in position of authority to deliver appropriate consequences to those officers who commit unlawful atrocities against innocent citizens. So to vindicate the latest victims of police brutality, and protect OURSELVES from future attacks---WE MUST TAKE ACTION. WE need to effect change. WE need to FORCE it. If we don't it may be one of our loved ones whose victimization by police spurs yet another protest, another moment of silence. We can do better than a moment of silence to prevent another tragedy--don't you think?? 

SO ON NOVEMBER 28TH--BLACK FRIDAY---DON'T SPEND ONE DIME, DON'T SWIPE YOUR CREDIT, DEBIT OR METRO CARD--DON'T USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. If you must go to work, try and use the gas that's already in your car, or start organizing a car pool with a co-worker today. If you can walk--walk. If you can ride a bike, do so. If you can plan to use a sick day, even better. Take a personal day, if you can. But if you absolutely cannot--please don't spend any money or credit.

On November 28TH, do not patronize any neighborhood/commercial businesses, or fast food restaurants (i.e. bodegas, supermarkets, Chinese restaurants, shopping malls, etc.) Pay your bills one day early, or one day late... DON'T ADD ONE DIME TO THE ECONOMY.

The government doesn't run this country--the wealthy do. As a whole, black people contribute TRILLIONS to the economy yearly. That's right--TRILLIONS. Communities of people outside of our own make their LIVING off of our support.

So what do you think will happen if we pull our dollar--even for 24 hours?!

A NATIONAL BLACKOUT, with an international ripple effect to boot.

Don't you think the authorities will listen to our demands for justice then? If you don't, think again. The threat of losing money bears more weight than any protest, petition, or moment of silence. So, UNTIL EVERY SINGLE OFFICER OF THE LAW IS REQUIRED TO WEAR BODY-WORN CAMERAS (BWCs), WE AS A COMMUNITY WILL PULL OUR DOLLAR ON DESIGNATED DATES, FOR INCREASING DURATIONS, AS LONG AS WE HAVE TO UNTIL THIS NECESSITY IS MET!

Those in positions of authority and power don't care about a noisy protest. They get to flex their muscles during a riot--they want it with us!!

WE CAN DO MORE THAN WE'VE BEEN DOING. THIS TIME, LET'S HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS--IN THEIR WALLETS!

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

Link : https://www.facebook.com/events/813621595338715/868851119815762/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity

Signs Of Change The Past Week Or So November 2014

PROOF D.WILSON WILL NOT BE CONVICTED!! EXCLUSIVE

STL COPS INFORMED GUN SHOPS & OWNERS D.WILSON WON'T BE CHARGED & TO REMOVE ALL GUNS & AMMUNITION FROM STORES!

Giuliani and Dyson Argue Over Violence in Black Communities

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Georgetown Professor Michael Eric Dyson got into a heated exchange over policing in black communities Sunday morning on Meet the Press.

After Giuliani expressed sympathy towards the grand jurors deciding whether or not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown, Dyson defend the outrage of the protesters. Dyson said Governor Nixon’s decision to preemptively enact a state of emergency sent the wrong signal, sparking a heated debate on race.

“Mayor Giuliani speaks about what's, you know, unconscionable and what should be indicted. What should be indicted is the criminal justice system that continues to impose undue burdens on African American, Latino, and other poor people,” Dyson explained.

Giuliani disagreed, saying people aren’t focused on the reason behind the heavy police presence seen in black communities. “We are talking about the significant exception, 93% of blacks are killed by other blacks,” Giuliani argued.

Dyson called that a false equivalency, saying police officers are agents of the state sworn to uphold the law. “Black people who kill black people go to jail. White people who are policemen who kill black people do not go to jail,” Dyson responded. “If a jury can indict a ham sandwich, why is it taking so long?”

Giuliani continued to argue that the problem is rooted in the black community. “What about the poor black child that is killed by another black child? Why aren't you protesting that,” Giuliani asked Dyson.

The tense exchange continued as Dyson argued that most criminals involved in black on black violence end up in jail. That’s when Giuliani interrupted to ask, “why don’t you cut it down so so many white police officers don’t have to be in black areas?”

“The white police officers wouldn’t be there if you weren’t killing each other 70-75% of the time,” Giuliani said a few seconds later.

“Look at this! This is the defensive mechanism of white supremacy in your mind sir!” Dyson concluded.

Giuliani also defended Missouri Governor Jay Nixon’s decision to preemptively enact a state of emergency, saying it’s hard to second guess a governor.

“I would have had a state of emergency, but I would have kept it quiet,” Giuliani said. “In other words I would have kept my police on alert, I’d have kept them in places you couldn’t see them, be ready in a moment’s notice to stop any violence,” he explained to NBC’s Chuck Todd.

Voice Crisis Actress Used for Ferguson and Flight MH-17 Hear this audio!!

Poetry : The Apology By KhaYah (Aisha Williams)

THE APOLOGY

They beat me and I called you to save me ... but you couldn't.. so I secretly resented you.
They took our babies and sold them, I begged you to save us.. but you couldn't .. so I secretly blamed you..
They raped me, and I cried out for you to protect me... but you couldn't.....So I stopped trusting you...
You were supposed to be my man.. my provider.. my protector but when I needed you.. you couldn't be there... so I hated you...
How could I let you tell me what to do.
When massa could protect me more than you..
How could I submit to you when you are forced to submit to massa?
So to protect myself I submitted to the one who could protect me and our children.
I stopped trusting you..
I stopped loving you..
I stopped honoring you..
I stopped valuing you and intern I became valueless to you.

I didn't see the frustration in your eyes when our children were sold..
I didn't hear your silent cries when I was beaten.
I didn't see your anger when I was being ravished..
I didn't understand that you held your emotions to be strong for me..
I thought you didn't care.. but you wanted to be there...you wanted to protect me.. you wanted to ....
but massa made it so you couldn't so I would trust him more than you.
I didn't see the hidden hands shaping our destiny..
all I saw was my pain.. and the feeling that you neglected me..

For all the times I blamed you, I'm sorry
For the resentment and distrust I've held against you for centuries.. I'm sorry
For the times I've let you down
For all the times I've broken your spirit with my words and my actions.
For the times I openly rejected you.. and tried to control you .. because I thought less of you.. I'm sorry..
Massa had a plan.. that he said would work for 400 years.. 400 years is over now.

My eyes are wide open... ..
I see the king in you...
Please forgive my wrongs and see your queen in me.

POETRY By KhaYah (Aisha Williams)

FBI Sends 100 Agents to Ferguson Ahead of Grand Jury Decision

 

The FBI has sent about 100 agents to the St. Louis area to help deal with any problems that could arise from the grand jury decision in the police shooting of Ferguson teenager Michael Brown.

In addition to the FBI, other federal agencies have also mobilized staffers to get to St. Louis today, sources told ABC News.

A decision by the grand jury is expected soon, but St. Louis authorities said today that the grand jury is still meeting. The panel will decide whether or not to indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson for shooting Brown, who was unarmed, on Aug. 9.

Authorities are braced for a recurrence of angry protests that turned violent at times during the summer.

Ferguson Hears Plea for Calm From Michael Brown's Dad

Who's Who in Ferguson Case

The FBI has ordered its Ferguson contingent to mobilize and arrive in the St. Louis area today. In addition to FBI personnel already in the St. Louis area, about 100 more are being dispatched, law enforcement sources said. Additional FBI personnel have been put on alert so that they could be called in as part of a second emergency wave if necessary, ABC News has learned.

The FBI is opening up its special St. Louis intelligence center today. This facility will be in constant contact with the Missouri and St. Louis County Emergency Operations Center.

The FBI declined to comment.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency earlier this week and activated the Missouri National Guard to help keep order if necessary.

Michael Brown Sr., the father of the slain teen, issued a videotaped appeal this week for protester to remain peaceful whatever the verdict.

Link : http://abcnews.go.com/US/fbi-sends-100-agents-ferguson-ahead-grand-jury/story?id=27084669#.VG-VN8iFOrs.twitter

AG Holder & Mike Brown Sr. releases videos on maintaining public safety ahead of #Ferguson decision

Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services are providing a new guide to law enforcement officers that compiles information, tools, and best practices to maintain public safety while safeguarding constitutional rights during First Amendment-protected events. Attorney General Holder reiterated that the Department of Justice encourages law enforcement officials, in every jurisdiction, to work with the communities they serve to minimize needless confrontation. And he reminded all individuals that—while demonstrations and protests have the potential to spark a positive national dialog and bring about critical reform—history has shown us that the most successful and enduring movements for change are those that adhere to non-aggression and nonviolence.

Link : http://www.justice.gov/opa/video/maintaining-public-safety-while-safeguarding-constitutional-rights

Michael Brown's Father To Protesters: 'Hurting Others Is Not The Answer'

Citigroup banker found dead with throat slit in swanky apartment

 
Police investigate the scene Tuesday where Shawn D. Miller (inset) was found dead in a bathtub with his throat slit.

A Citigroup banker was found dead with his throat slashed in the bathtub of his swanky downtown apartment, authorities said Wednesday.

Shawn D. Miller, Citigroup’s managing director of environmental and social risk management, was discovered around 3 p.m. Tuesday by a doorman in the Greenwich Street building, law enforcement sources said.

“We are deeply saddened by this news and our thoughts are with Shawn’s family at this time,” said a statement sent out by Citigroup.

There was no knife recovered at the scene, leading officials to suspect the death was not a suicide, and they were trying to determine who had access to his apartment.

One-bedroom apartments at the building are listed at more than $1 million.

An online profile under the man’s name calls him a “pioneer in sustainable finance” and a specialist in emerging markets at the International Finance Corp., part of the World Bank. Several former colleagues told The Post that Miller was well-liked.

It was unclear why the doorman checked his apartment.

Link : http://nypost.com/2014/11/19/man-found-dead-with-his-throat-slashed-in-apartment/

‘We ain’t taking no n*ggers here’: Kentucky fire chief refuses to help black family in traffic accident

Southeast Bullitt County Fire Chief Julius Hatfield speaks to WDRB (screen grab)

A Kentucky fire chief is being criticized for racist comments after he refused to help a family of stranded motorists because they were black, and then suggested that an Asian-American television reporter did not understand English.

In a Bullitt County Sheriff’s deputy’s body camera recording obtained by WDRB, Southeast Bullitt County Fire Chief Julius Hatfield can be heard discussing a car accident on I-65 in September.

Hatfield first goes out of his way to provide assistance to Loren Dicken, who is white.

“You got a jack, ain’t you?” Hatfield asks the driver. “If you show me where them things is at, I’ll get my guys to start changing the tire for you.”

At first, Dicken turns down the offer, but Hatfield insists, saying, “It will save you a bill.”

Firefighters working for Hatfield even picked Dicken up from the hospital and took him back to the firehouse, where his car was ready and waiting.

But Hatfield treats the family of four black motorists completely differently.

“Well, I’ve got a family of four from Cincinnati, I got to do something with,” the Bullitt County deputy tells Hatfield over the radio.

“We ain’t taking no n*ggers here,” Hatfield replies, laughing.

Instead of offering to help driver Chege Mwangi, the deputy recommends that he call the AAA motor club.

Mwangi told WDRB that he noticed that the firefighters had provided assistance to other motorists, but his family wasn’t injured so he didn’t think much of it. However, he said that the sheriff’s department was helpful.

And when WDRB’s Valerie Chinn attempted to ask Hatfield about the financial management of Southeast Bullitt Fire Department at a town meeting, he suggested that she didn’t understand English, and threatened to have her arrested.

“Do you understand English darling?” he says in video recorded at the public meeting by WDRB cameras. “Do you understand English?”

“Turn that camera off,” Hatfield barks. “I’ve asked you that in a nice way. Buddy, call the cops and get them here.”

“I asked you once tonight if you understand English,” the fire chief adds after Chinn presses the issue. “I’m speaking English.”

Hatfield later told Chinn over the phone that he did not recall the remarks he made while responding to the accident on I-65 in September, but he was sure that it was a slip of the tongue. Chinn said that he also apologized for the way that he treated her at the town meeting.

Watch the video below from WDRB, broadcast Nov. 19, 2014.

WDRB 41 Louisville News

Link : http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/11/we-aint-taking-no-nggers-here-kentucky-fire-chief-refuses-to-help-black-family-in-traffic-accident/

Wearing Blackface, Sullivan High School Seniors Play Powder-Puff Football Game

Seniors at Sullivan High donned blackface for the school's annual powder-puff game.

When a dozen teen girls in blackface ran onto the Sullivan High School football field November 5 for a powder-puff game, Jennifer Schmidt recalls her gut reaction as, "Oh my gosh."

"And then I thought, 'Oh, they don't mean anything by it. Just let it go. No one thinks anything of it.' I didn't think anyone did," says Schmidt, the principal of Sullivan High School. "Evidently, someone did."

Evidently indeed. Photos taken during the game show twelve members of the senior class wearing dour expressions beneath full-blown blackface, and someone at the game shared those photos on Facebook. The reactions to the photos have been rippling within the small town of Sullivan (60 miles southwest of St. Louis) ever since.

The girls, says Schmidt, have been "very embarrassed and shocked at some of the responses they've gotten, because I think some people had some stuff on Facebook and got the wrong intention."

The jersey-on-a-stick belongs to the defeated freshman team. Although, considering the freshman didn't wear blackface, perhaps they're the winners?

The powder-puff football tournament is a yearly tradition at the school, says Schmidt. Organized by the junior class, each grade fields a team, the football coaches stand in as referees, and members of the boys' varsity football team act as coaches. The entrance fees from the tournament benefit prom.

"It's just a fun kind of fundraiser," Schmidt says. "There were a few people in the crowd, not a lot. It was cold."

Photos of the game later appeared on the athletic department's Twitter feed. Schmidt tells Daily RFT that photos were intentionally taken at a distance, to the point where it's impossible to discern the painted faces.

Schmidt adds that it's been common practice for the senior girls' team to wear face paint during the powder-puff football tournament, essentially as a parody of the eye black football players normally wear to decrease glare from the sun and lights. The face paint also serves to "to intimidate the underclassmen."

According to Schmidt, in previous years the girls have wore combinations of the schools' colors -- black and gold. But when the senior girls arrived prior to the November 5 game, they discovered everyone had brought the same color face paint -- black.

"So that's what they wore," says Schmidt. "There was nothing racial about it. They didn't have any other intention other than to just try to intimidate the underclassmen."

Schmidt tells Daily RFT that the school hasn't taken any disciplinary action against the students in the photos.

"I can assure you they will not be wearing black face paint again," she says. "In fact, we're probably just going to end the face-paint thing, and nobody wears any at all."

Leigh Kolb, an English and journalism instructor at East Central College in the nearby town of Union, encountered the Sullivan High School photos the day after the powder-puff game, when one of her students showed her the images during a class discussion about the history of blackface.

"It was pretty clearly offensive to us," says Kolb, who also teaches courses on composition, media diversity and African American literature. "It's an example of...likely not egregious and malicious intent, but a lack of historical context."

This lack of knowledge, says Kolb, isn't just restricted to girls' powder-puff football games. During the same class, a student showed Kolb a Twitter photo from a Washington man who dressed as Darren Wilson for Halloween -- along with a friend who donned blackface for a Michael Brown costume.

                          

Kolb says these two examples of blackface -- from the same geographic area -- speaks to the widespread ignorance of black history within overwhelmingly white towns like Sullivan and Washington.

"People are so uncomfortable talking about race, and when you try to have a conversation about race in America, you see a wall go up in front of people's faces," she says. "Critical, sympathetic and analytic thought just goes out the window."

That's why Kolb thinks it's most helpful to introduce the topic of racism and blackface in broad terms -- that is, to address the history of systemic or cultural racism, as opposed to labeling a particular person as racist and working outward.

"Putting conversations about institutional racism in a historical context usually defuses what can be difficult conversations inside and outside of the classroom," she says. "Having conversations about individual racism without that context leads to a logical and emotional breakdown, typically."

The blackface Halloween costume provides Kolb a perfect example of that conversational breakdown. The photos, posted on November 1 by a Twitter user named Justin, elicited immediate criticism and accusations of racism. In response, Justin demonstrated what happens when, as Kolb predicted, your "critical, sympathetic and analytic thought flies out the window."

                                              

That's why Kolb thinks it's most helpful to introduce the topic of racism and blackface in broad terms -- that is, to address the history of systemic or cultural racism, as opposed to labeling a particular person as racist and working outward.

"Putting conversations about institutional racism in a historical context usually defuses what can be difficult conversations inside and outside of the classroom," she says. "Having conversations about individual racism without that context leads to a logical and emotional breakdown, typically."

The blackface Halloween costume provides Kolb a perfect example of that conversational breakdown. The photos, posted on November 1 by a Twitter user named Justin, elicited immediate criticism and accusations of racism. In response, Justin demonstrated what happens when, as Kolb predicted, your "critical, sympathetic and analytic thought flies out the window."

The way Kolb sees it, there's no way Justin would consider dressing up in blackface -- or equating his buddy's Michael Brown costume to a hypothetical black person dressing up as Klansman -- if he knew some basic history.

For instance, one fact Justin might want to know is that the Jim Crow era -- known for the racist segregation laws that ruled many U.S. cities and states until 1965 -- got its name from an early blackface "performer" named Jim Crow, who helped popularized minstrel acts in the 1830s and 1840s.

"Connecting the original Jim Crow performer's blackface to Jim Crow laws puts it all in context," she says. "It's not about the individuals, it's about a lack of sensitivity for both the historical context of blackface and the Michael Brown situation itself, which many of us see as indicative of much larger issues surrounding institutional racism."

If you're interested in learning more about the history of blackface, Kolb recommends this detailed FAQ on the subject from PBS, as well as a "A Brief History of Blackface," authored by a North Carolina State University associate professor Blair L. M. Kelley.

Link: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2014/11/high_school_seniors_play_full_game_of_powder_puff_football_in_blackface_--_by_accident.php