Category: Race/Ethnicity

OPINION: Derek Chauvin A Victim?

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OPINION: Derek Chauvin A Victim?

The Derek Chauvin trial is looking at policing in general

OPINION: Derek Chauvin A Victim?

D. S. Mitchell

Another OMG Moment

It is interesting how many ways the phrase OMG can be used, such as in total awesome disbelief seeing a father lift a car off his trapped son, or how about when there is a worm on your lettuce leaf, that’s a whole different kind of OMG. Then we have the OMG escape our lips when we watch the image of a Minneapolis cop slowly, seemingly arrogantly, extinguish the life of another human being on national television. Now, for any living breathing person with a heart who watched that video who wasn’t totally gut wrenchingly  appalled needs to seek immediate therapy.

An Unpopular View

I don’t want to piss everybody off, but as I have watched the prosecution case build on itself I have been disturbed by the brutality and the arrogance of the entire event. Derek Chauvin, according to media reports served for nineteen years on the Minneapolis Police Department and accumulated seventeen complaints of  misconduct complaints during that time. In what probably is a backlash response, I look at Mr. Chauvin and see what is bad about American policing. Not only did Mr. Chauvin fail his department and his community, but his department failed him. His is not an unusual case, other than he was memorialized for 9 minutes and 29 seconds by a teenage girl who filmed Chauvin’s left knee pinned to the neck of a black man while the victim pleaded for relief.  Derek Chauvin is now on trial for Mr. Floyd’s death.

Swift Action

In Minneapolis, after 19 years authorities finally took ‘quick’ action against Mr. Chauvin, and three other officers who were on the scene when Mr. Floyd died. This does not mean all of them are gone for good. Public employees can appeal their dismissals and in many cases, police officers win their cases and  municipalities put them back on the job every day. Despite community outrage nationwide over the deaths of black men at the hands of police it is notoriously difficult to hold police officers accountable in the United States. Some of the problem is because of the political power police unions wield, the hesitancy of investigators, and the reluctance of prosecutors and juries to second guess a police officer’s split second decision and the wide latitude the law gives the police to use force.

Interracial Challenge

The events have played out against, and in some ways have reinforced the racial divisions in America, as largely white police forces are accused of bias and brutality in black, Latino and other minority communities. The Floyd death came within weeks of killings of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. These deaths have unleashed a wave of protests unlike anything since the 1960’s.

From Within

Police Departments around the country are often the core of resistance against change.  Departments have consistently resisted civilian review or balked when it comes to overhauling officer disciplinary practices. Police chiefs in cities which have been the sites of high profile deaths of black men by white officers, have failed to punish or remove bad actors. Where civilian review boards are operating most are notoriously weak. Often they do nothing more than collect information, but have no power to make recommendations or enforce recommendations.

Patchwork Confusion

Several sources including Minneapolis Police Department Internal Affairs have released information on Dereck Chauvin conduct during his service.  We do know that Mr. Chauvin has been involved in at least three shootings in his career. In addition he left a trail of misconduct complaints and a reputation for aggression.  Chauvin’s combative reputation extended to his second job as a security person for a nightclub in the area.  It has been demonstrated that Mr. Chauvin has operated in disregard for the particular circumstances of a given situation in determining appropriate reasonable force and simply fully restrains suspects with no regard for their well being.

So Let’s Stop Here

I believe that Derek Chauvin is also a victim.  We hear TV commentators laud other cops who are testifying against him, like police chief  Medaria Arradondo for  “breaking the blue wall of silence.” As if  these ‘good cops’ are coming out to punish a ‘bad cop.’ Well, I think that is  a pile of horse puckie.  All these good cops had nineteen years to stop the bad activities of  Derek Chauvin and thousands more like him. He is now on trial because no one was interested in stopping him before his actions were so repulsive and appalling that millions hit the streets to demand better.  But, until then, shove it under the rug, ignore it, hide it.

Now What

So, here I am today, Sunday 4/18/2021 saying Derek Chauvin is now, just as he always was, just one of the guys. Derek Chauvin was allowed to manifest into a killer within the Minneapolis Police Department.  In a warm protective environment. I doubt Derek Chauvin would have ever killed anyone if he had not been wearing a badge. America’s policing is on trial. It is time that police departments sell off their tanks and invest in psychiatric interns, and marriage counselors to accomplish community ‘needs-based’ services.

911 Services 

Calling the cops is not the right answer for every stressful situation. But, the way our 911 system functions, cops are often the first dispatched personnel. Frequently such calls spiral out of control because the appropriately trained individuals have not been dispatched for the call. And often these mishandled calls end up in death. Personally I don’t think the needed changes  will happen from the inside.  I think we as a nation need to protect the Floyd George’s who are victims of police racism and brutality.

 

Motorhead “Ace Of Spades”

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Motorhead “Ace Of Spades”

Motorhead “Ace Of Spades”

Well, here’s another one of T.K.’s Jukebox Choice(s) of the Day. Motorhead with “Ace Of Spades” got three thumbs up here in the office.  You will find the lyrics below. Enjoy! DSM

Ace of Spades

Motorhead

If you like to gamble, I tell you I’m your man
You win some, lose some, all the same to me
The pleasure is to play, makes no difference what you say
I don’t share your greed, the only card I need is the Ace of Spades
The Ace of Spades
Playing for the high one, dancing with the devil
Going with the flow, it’s all a game to me
Seven or eleven, snake eyes watching you
Double up or quit, double stake or split, the Ace of Spades
The Ace of Spades
You know I’m born to lose, and gambling’s for fools
But that’s the way I like it baby
I don’t wanna live for ever
And don’t forget the joker!
Pushing up the ante, I know you gotta see me
Read ’em and weep, the dead man’s hand again
I see it in your eyes, take one look and die
The only thing you see, you know it’s gonna be the Ace of Spades
The Ace of Spades
Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Edward Alan Clarke / Ian Kilmister / Philip John Taylor
Ace of Spades lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, DistroKid

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Black and Blessed

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*Celebrating Black History Month

**At the close of Black History Month let’s take a look at ourselves and our country. DSM/Calamity**

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Black and Blessed

By Wes & Anna Hessel

 

A Black Mark Not On Our History

As Black History Month comes to a close, we must actively insure that the true history of Black Americans is told. All of it. The dark and the glorious. How this story ends will be a predictor of how our nation embraces our black brothers and moves forward.  We all recall as children eating peanut butter spread on crackers as we learned about George Washington Carver, but no other significant Black history was ever taught, at least any school I ever attended. African-American history remains mostly hidden and not taught in schools.

Inventors and Heroes

It is not a significant part of any school curriculums and it should be.  An accurate depiction of the history and culture of African-Americans must become part of American history classes.  Teaching a truthful history lends respect to those activities could over a generation change core attitudes. The history of blacks in America is our history, some dark and tragic, some brilliant and glorious. It is time we as a country accept that not all history worth being written down and taught was that of  white men.   The poem that became the lyrics of our National Anthem was written by an attorney who had little or no respect for Black people.   We now must educate about the atrocities of slavery and the important roles Blacks have played and continue to play in our history and our future.

Nothing New

Various peoples of Africa were brought to the “New World” as slaves, bought, sold, and treated like the property they were considered to be, not the persons of rich culture and tradition they had been.  The “first” African slaves brought to what is now the United States is typically thought to be a load of captives from what is now Angola, sold to Jamestown Governor George Yeardley and Abraham Piersey, the colony’s trade head, for food, near the end of August 1619.

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Zitkala-Sa: An American Indian Voice

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Zitkala-Sa: An American Indian Voice

The legacy of Zitkala-Sa lives on as one of the most influential Native American activists of the 20th century. She left an influential theory of Indian resistance and a crucial model for reform. It was the activism of Zitkala-Sa that made possible crucial changes to education, health care, and legal standing for Native American people and the preservation of Indian culture.

Life Story: Zitkala-Sa - Women & the American StoryZitkala-Sa’s Literary Work

“Much of Zitkala-Sa’s work is characterized by its transitional nature: tensions between tradition and assimilation, between literature and politics. These tensions are most notable in her autobiographical works. In her well-known “American Indian Stories”, for example, she both expresses a literary account of her life and delivers a political message. The narrative expresses her tension between wanting to follow the traditions of the Yankton Dakota while being excited about learning to read and write, and being tempted by assimilation. This tension has been described as generating much of the dynamism of her work.” Wikipedia

Zitkala-Sa: An American Indian Voice

By D. S. Mitchell

Who was Zitkala-Sa?

Zitkala-Sa was an American Indian woman who was an influential voice for indigenous people. Red Bird was a writer, editor, translator, composer, musician, educator, and political activist.  She struggled with her cultural identity and took that struggle to the written page. She also wrote books about traditional Native American myths and stories. Her writings were well-known  to a white English-speaking readership. She is considered among one of the most influential Native Americans of the twentieth century.

Red Bird

Zitkala-Sa was born February 22, 1876 on the Yankton Dakota Reservation in South Dakota. Zitkala-Sa means “Red Bird”.  She was later given the missionary name of Gertrude Simmons.  Ellen Simmons, a Yankton Dakota woman whose Dakota name was Thate Ivohiwin (Every Wind or Reaches for the Wind) was her mother. Her father was a German-American man who left the family when Zitkala-Sa was very young. Gertrude later married Raymond Bonnin and is often known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin.

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Malcolm X: Tides of Change

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Heroes Of The Civil Right Movement:

Malcolm X, Tides of Change

 

digitalprintclothing, Funny T Shirt, malcomxtshirt, Casual T-Shirt

MALCOLM X, TIDES OF CHANGE

By Trevor K. McNeil

A Complicated History

No one is perfect, including and especially those who claim to be. It is usually a mistake to meet one’s hero’s, particularly because it is difficult for anyone to live up to the hype. No where is this more true than with political leaders and martyrs. Many is the celebrated later found out to hold some less than savory ideas or to have done some strange things.

Revisionism Not Necessarily Bad

One of the few cases this has worked in reverse is the legacy of Lord Byron who, while largely thought of as a swaggering sex-mad dandy, was also a strong advocate for the labor movement and republican ideals, and was mostly against the church and war in general. A labor supporting, anti-monarchist, Republican pacifist not the safest thing to be in 19th century Britain. An American early civil rights leader that has had a morphing of his image recently is the famous and infamous 1950-1960’s civil rights activist Malcolm X.  In your case you are interested, Malcolm took the last name of “X” because he had no way to trace his African ancestral family name. That ancestral name has been lost to history because of the slave trade.

A Voice In The Wilderness

It is difficult to understate the influence Malcolm X had on the struggle for racial reckoning in the early 20th century. Still held up as an example along with other Civil Rights leaders such as  Martin Luther King, Jr. and the lesser known, but no less important, Medgar Evers. Malcolm is the most controversial. Preaching a ‘by any means necessary’ approach to race relations.  Such ‘means’  included violence against the police and the state, as well as anyone else who threatened black lives. X also propagated the idea of black separatism, and even black nationalism. Not in America mind you, despite being a believer in so-called ‘black supremacy’ at the time, he wasn’t arguing that black people should take over America, so much as form their own nation separate from it. He was often very critical of the mainstream Civil Rights movement, particularly due to its principle of non-violence and preference for racial integration, particularly in terms of schooling.

Rage of Youth

While generally associated with the 1960s many of the most controversial statements made by Malcolm X, were made in the early 1950’s.  The 1950’s was a time of  ardent racism in America, when the notorious Jim Crow laws were  at their full strength. For context, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus in 1955. Malcolm X first came to attention with his fiery rhetoric in 1952. While it in no way takes back or erases some of his more unsavory statements, it is important to keep in mind that he was 27 years old at the time. An adult to be sure but, as anyone who has made it to the saner side of 30 can attest, with age can come perspective.

Stepping Back

By the early 1960s, Malcolm X had distanced himself from the controversial and notoriously violent Nation of Islam. Instead he converted to Sunni Islam, generally considered the more moderate of the Islamic paths. It was a first step on a path to reform. The once violent firebrand embraced the explicitly non-violent mainstream Civil Rights movement, as put forward by King and Evers after completing the Hajj to Mecca.

Ghost From the Past

In February 1965 Malcolm X was gunned down in Harlem during a speaking engagement. It has been believed for decades that members of the Nation of Islam assassinated Malcolm X,  due to the severely strained relationship. Two Nation of Islam members were convicted in Malcolm X’s murder. On the other hand King and Evers were both killed by Klansmen. If anything, showing the backlash from angered white people was not the only threat the Civil Rights movement faced, and it is, therefore, even more impressive it managed to largely succeed.

New Evidence Emerging

Fifty-six years after his murder new evidence has come to light as I write this piece, indicating that the FBI and the NYPD were involved in the killing of Malcolm X.  A retired NYPD undercover officer admitted in a death bed confession that he had been responsible for making sure that Malcolm X’s security detail was arrested before the assassination. The confession further states this move would guarantee Malcolm X would have no door security at the Audubon Ballroom where he was killed. Malcolm’s family is asking the murder investigation be re-opened. In a separate case, last year the Manhattan DA began reviewing the convictions of those Nation of Islam members convicted of Malcolm’s murder as part of an Innocent Project request.

On Saturday the NYPD released the following statement:

“Several months ago, the Manhattan District Attorney initiated a review of the investigation and prosecution that resulted in two convictions for the murder of Malcom X. The NYPD has provided all available records relevant to that case to the District Attorney. The Department remains committed to assist with that review.” At this point the best I can say is, time will tell, as to who killed Malcolm X one of the heroic voices of the civil right movement.

https://www.calamitypolitics.com/2021/01/18/the-words-of-martin-luther-king-jr/

 

The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy Birthday MLK

The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.

By D. S. Mitchell

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.

The third Monday of each January we celebrate MLK Day. Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. A man who died too soon. Today is a great day to re-read some of his most well-known quotes. Be inspired.

MLK Quotes:

  1. “The time is always right to do what is right.”
  2. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
  3. “So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”
  4. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
  5. “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
  6. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
  7. “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”
  8. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
  9. “I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.”
  10. “A right delayed is a right denied.”
  11. “The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.”
  12. “Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.”
  13. “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.”
  14. “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
  15. “I want to be the white man’s brother, not his brother-in-law.”
  16. “There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”
  17. “If physical death is the price that I must pay to free my white brothers and sisters from a permanent death of the spirit, then nothing can be more redemptive.”
  18. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

David Shadrick “Stay Home”

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David Shadrick “Stay Home”

Stay Home

David Shadrick is back with his regular video cast, but today he has a few things to say to any folks who are planning to protest at state capitols around the country and otherwise stir up trouble. Stay the fuck home!  Dave says,   “It’s time for me to rant about the possible civil war brewing on the 20th of January, 2021.  This is my reminder to please stay home, put your gun in your gun cabinet and watch the action on TV.  No matter where you stand on the issues we don’t need shade thrown on our election process.  Stay Home!”

https://www.calamitypolitics.com/2020/06/17/world-on-fire/

David Shadrick “Protest Problem”

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David Shadrick “Protest Problem”

 

David Shadrick “Protest Problem”

Calamity News and Politics is happy to welcome Dave Shadrick back with some valuable information if you intend to join a protest demonstration. Stay tuned, stay informed.

 

“Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble”

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“Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble”
John Lewis was one of the giants of the Civil Rights movement

“Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble”

A Tribute To Civil Rights Warrior John Lewis

By Wes Hessel

Black And White

February 21st, 1940, John Robert Lewis was born near Troy, AL, the third oldest of his nine siblings.  His parents were sharecroppers, eking a living out of the land.  As was typical for African-Americans in the South at the time, segregation was just a part of life.  John was not really aware of the difference elsewhere for some years until he began traveling to visit relatives in the North.  This particularly became apparent when, at 11 years old, an uncle took him to Buffalo, NY, where he saw clearly the integration of Northern businesses and institutions, in stark contrast to the boldly drawn lines of Troy in black and white.

Faith In Action

From a young age, he was a man of faith who spoke out about it and from it.  At 5, Master Lewis was pronouncing lessons over his first flock, the family’s chickens.  Ten years later, Mr. Lewis gave his debut sermon in public.  That same year, John had heard Martin Luther King, Jr.  speak for the first time on a radio broadcast.  Mr. Lewis then watched closely the King-led boycott of the Montgomery city buses, sparked to flame by the resolve of Rosa Parks.  John first met MLK when he was 18.  In addition to Dr. King’s inspiration, Mr. Lewis later credited evangelist Billy Graham as a significant influence on his choice to enter Christian ministry.

“The Boy From Troy”

Having been denied admission by Troy University, Mr. Lewis wrote to MLK, and an invitation was extended for John to discuss it personally with Dr. King.  The civil rights leader and Mr. Lewis considered together the possibility of pursuing a discrimination suit against the school but MLK cautioned “the boy from Troy”, as Dr. King came to call John, that Mr. Lewis’ family could be put at risk.  After conferring with his parents, John opted instead to attend a historically black college in Nashville, American Baptist Theological Seminary.  Mr. Lewis was ordained in the Baptist church, and later continued his education, receiving a second Bachelor of Arts in religion and philosophy from Fisk University.

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Editorial: Surprisingly Unsurprised

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Editorial: Surprisingly Unsurprised

Editorial: Surprisingly Unsurprised

**The House of Representatives has drafted a Resolution of Impeachment against Donald Trump for “incitement of insurrection” following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. President Donald Trump spoke to his supporters at a rally on the National Mall prior to the mob breaching the Capitol. House Democrats are charging Trump with “willfully inciting violence against the government of the United States.”  “He also willfully made statements that encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol.”

By Trevor K. McNeil

Predictability

Humans like predictability, to know, within a reasonable margin what will happen next. If, for no other reason, so they can be prepared for it. We make up rules and reality for ourselves, and get very upset when these rules are violated. One of the mythical theories of the American context, is that of American exceptionalism. American exceptionalism is the idea that America is somehow superior to other nations or that it has a unique mission to transform the world.

How Dare They?

Using this theory as its banner and its hammer, America acts as though it can do whatever it wants in terms of foreign policy or damn near anything else. And boy do Americans get upset when there is any kind of push back. As in the case of the psychological meltdown after 9/11. The Bush administration and most American citizenry were unable to fathom that a small group of Saudi terrorists were able to pierce the bubble of American security.  A theme going all the way back to the civil war with Confederate surprise attacks. ‘How dare they?’ The populace would ask indignantly, ‘don’t they know who we are?’

Strike First, Then Lie

One of the most hilarious examples of this, is the one that has come up in the wake of the events at the Capitol in recent days. Everything is showing the siege was planned, but it was not well planned. The events quickly descended into a chaotic riotous seizure of the U.S. Capitol. The resulting mayhem familiar in the tradition of South America, such as when American troops helped to install Augusto Pinochet as the president of Chile. The shock of such events, despite the clumsy execution, having otherwise intelligent commentators, on CNN no less, referring to when “The British attacked us in 1812.”

We Started It

Two corrections are in order. First, while the war started in 1812, it did not end until 1814. Second, the United States absolutely started it by thinking they could annex Canada from Britain. A notion of which they were disabused when British troops, with the help of Native strategy, drove the invading, that is invading now, Americans back across the border.  The offended Brits burned down the White House and nearly every public building in Washington D. C. in retaliation for the farms the American troops routinely sacked and razed during the course of the war. Still making sure to spare civilian homes. Because the Brits didn’t gain ground in the war, which was never their intention, Americans now mistakenly think that they won the war. The end result being closer to a Vietnam-style stalemate. Neither nation really gained or lost anything but British-Canada maintained its sovereignty.

This Could Be Anywhere

The main cause of dismay in the aftermath of the Trump rioter’s insurrection is that they would dare to attack the Capitol. A sacred temple of holy democracy watched over by God himself. Never mind that there is meant to be a separation church and state. The only problem with this line of thinking is that it is entirely symbolic.

Just A Building

The Capitol is just a building with doors, and can be entered like any other building with doors. There is no force-field around it keeping evil-doers at bay. Nor was there around the capitol building in Serbia when Slobodan Milosevic was dragged out in 2000 by a mass of angry citizens. Capitols are just buildings and governments are made up of people. Right now investigations are underway. The power of social media deserves close examination. Details are emerging by the minute. We may even learn that there were Capitol Police involved in allowing insurrectionists into the Capitol. All we can do is try to learn and see where improvements need to be made.

https://www.calamitypolitics.com/2018/10/05/there-is-one-born-every-minute/