We will follow the Truth

For a long time, the American media and the Western propaganda organs in general have used not only stereotypes against black people, but have used outright racist designations against the black communities. Edward Bernays modernized media propaganda in the USA. Today, the mainstream media has readily promoted distortion, hyperbole, and exaggerations from the Iraq War to what is going on in Baltimore. FOX News is not the only culprit doing this. CNN has shown propaganda too. FOX News just makes no bones about their extreme agenda. It is a common tactic of white (and even some black) reactionaries to blame the victims of oppression collectively for the ills of America instead of understanding how structural racism and structural economic inequality has harmed the lives of many people. Some of them even want to deny racism as being a serious problem in America. Just because, black people are filled in the local city of Baltimore and we have a black man as President doesn’t mean that racism is gone. Reactionaries fail to see nuisance on issues, therefore some of them issue the most base, immature, and ignorant interpretations of what is going on in Baltimore. Police brutality is in epidemic levels as cops have killed over 300 people in 2015 alone. It is very important in our generation to advance critical thinking, so we all can understand that vilifying the youth suffering will not work. People need inspiration, investments, opportunities, and the end to the mass incarceration system (which doesn’t work to solve our problems). Tiffanie Drayton made an excellent article on this issue entitled, "On American media spreading racist propaganda." Yes, the local media will stir things up and negatively describe social protest movement. Some are right to mention that some in KSDK Channel 5 should feel shame for presenting such biased stories. It is oxymoronic for that local channel to criticize the Black Lives movement under the guise of honoring Dr. King when Dr. King advocated massive demonstrations, civil disobedience, and opposition to police brutality. Ironically, in 1968, the same reactionaries back then demonized Dr. King for his views on the Vietnam War, his economic plans, and on his Poor Peoples Campaign.




Many of the youth are establishing grassroots organizations in fighting for justice. Reactionary policies for decades have not worked to establish egalitarianism not tyranny. Neoliberalism has not worked. It is inspiring to witnessing the youth standing up for their human rights. The criminal injustice system and police brutality has harmed so many lives, so the youth including others are allowing their voices to be heard. Also, there must be mobilization and organization, so we can establish our freedom. Baltimore is an epicenter of a new phrase of the liberation struggle. Thousands and thousands of human beings in Baltimore have galvanized and that showing of love is a blessing. We have a long way to go, but it is better to fight for truth than to support the status quo. The oligarchy wants a monopoly of wealth (in the form of class privilege) and we want a radical redistribution of economic and political power. We want gentrification to end. We want mass incarceration to cease and jobs with a living wage to flourish. We will not be silent and we will resist oppression. We are in solidarity with the protesters. The same aggressive techniques used during the Vietnam War have been used during the war on terror. Torture is nothing new, but now the neo cons are trying to use certain rhetoric as a means for them to try to justify the evil act of torture. Also, the CIA historically have been integral not only torture policy, but in other forms of terrorism against human beings from Operation Phoenix to modern day atrocities.



I express condolences to the family of Natasha McKenna. For centuries, black women have been degraded, mistreated, and killed not only by crooked police officers but by others (of every color). Certainly, enough is enough. The mainstream media has minimized or even ignored the many deaths of black women by law enforcement. Natasha should been treated much better than this. She has been handcuffed and still she was tasered to death by officers. That was a horrible, unjustified act. This issue also deals with mental illness as tons of black people (who experience mental illness) have been stigmatized harshly & unfairly. Black people with mental illness need resources, compassion, and love not ridicule or murder. The police committed an injustice. Natasha McKenna deserved medical assistance not being shocked with thousands of volts of electricity into her body. There should be more marches, more awareness, etc. about black women being killed. Black women lives will always matter. Anna Kooiman is wrong on so many levels. The rebellion in Baltimore came about because of many reasons like police terrorism, economic deprivation, lax schools, poverty, etc. Many people became desperate for attention and they wanted their voices heard. Also, the police did riot during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The police did riot and fought innocent, unarmed people in Selma during 1965. The police rioted and fought workers who wanted labor rights during the 19th and 20th centuries. The looting was done by a select group of people not the majority of the black community. When cops kill a black person, that cop receives the benefit of the doubt and huge privilege. When a looter destroys property, that person will surely be punished if that person is caught without question. That person will have no privilege. There is massive outrage when cops are murdered, but when a black person is murdered by a cop, the members of police unions go in full force to defend that cop no matter what. I don’t condone looting innocent property, but human life has more value than property. There are double standards. One kid who broke a police car’s window is held on $500,000 bail. One cop, who was charged with the murder of Freddie Gray, got $350,000 bail. So, we should reject propaganda from racists and reactionaries.





The black Ethiopian Jewish people and the African immigrants in Israel want their human rights. They deserve human rights and justice without question. There are demonstrations in Tel Aviv and in other places of Israel by Ethiopian Jewish people against racism and police brutality. This came into a higher level after video footage shows police officers beating an Ethiopian-Israeli solider named Damas Pakedeh without provocation. The officers have been suspension on “suspicion” of using excessive force. Pakedeh was pushed, kneed, and punched. Even one officer threatens to draw his gun. In early May of 2015, thousands of Ethiopian Jewish people took part in the protest rally with many comparing Israeli police actions to police brutality in the United States. The rally began at the Azrieli Center at 3pm. Then, they marched to the Ayalon highway. They met a blockade that halted all traffic. Some demonstrators tried to storm the city’s municipal building. Police fired water cannons, tear gas, and stun grenades. They employed mounted police charges against protesters who threw bottles and bricks. Stun grenades are usually reserved for use against Palestinians. 43 people were arrested and report 56 police and at last 12 protesters were hurt. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (who hypocritically said that the Arabic people are coming to the polls which he apologized for) met with Pakedeh in trying to stop tensions. This was a display of damage control since people knew for decades that Israel has a problem with racism and economic inequality. Netanyahu praised Pakedeh for being “an excellent student,” for doing “volunteering on the weekend,” etc. He then met Ethiopian Israeli leaders, after which he declared, “We must stand together as one against the phenomenon of racism, to denounce it and eliminate it.” Police have threatened a clampdown on any future protests. There was a smaller demonstration in Jerusalem too. The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extended the remand of 15 of the protesters, three for 48 hours and 12 for 24 hours. Four demonstrators were released on probation provided that they stay out of Tel Aviv. Last Thursday, Ethiopian Jewish people were attacked by police using water cannons outside of Netanyahu’s residence with at least 13 people injured. Many Ethiopian people came into Israel during civil war and famine on 1984 and 1990. A rabbinical court said that they are direct descendants of the biblical Jewish Dan tribe. They are now 135,000 strong. After 2 generations, they still aren’t free. They still suffer racial discrimination and poverty.

Israel has the second highest rate of poverty in the developed world. Almost 25 percent of its 8 million citizens live below the poverty line. Jewish Israelis who came from the Middle East and North Africa—the Mizrahim—are hit particularly hard, earning 40 percent less than their European counterparts, doing less well in school, and less likely to go on to college or university. Ethiopian households earn 35 percent less than the national average, more than half live below the poverty line, and only half of young people receive high school diplomas, compared with 63 percent nationally. Many are employed on one-year contracts without social security, before being sacked and rehired. In 2012, a decision by 120 homeowners not to sell or rent their apartments to Israeli-Ethiopian families provoked widespread protests in the southern city of Kiryat Malakhi. White racists in Israel also protested African immigration into Israel too. Miri Regev of the Likud party said that African asylum seekers are “cancer in our body.” Miri certainly is wrong and despicable to make such a comment. White racist demonstrators attacked shops, properties, and care belong to the African migrants. They beat up African men and women too. People know about how Israeli hospitals secretly dumped blood donations from Ethiopian immigration (because they scapegoated black people for HIV infection). This caused massive outrage. In 2013, Israeli authorities admitted to having administered birth control injections to Ethiopian Jewish women either without their consent or knowledge or through active coercion. Israel is dominated politically and economically by a mostly white, wealthy Ashkenazi oligarchy. Palestinian citizens in Israel are also oppressed.  In January 2014, thousands of African asylum seekers marched to Rabin Square to protest measures restricting their freedom of movement, ability to work and long delays in processing refugee applications and demanding official refugee status. Ha’aretz noted certain important features of Sunday’s protest that point to the growing alienation of young Ethiopian Israelis. Many of the youth are more secular and are more progressive in their clothing. Many of the Ethiopian Israelis are wearing dreadlocks and some are being more independent in their thinking. The entire human race should be free and we are in solidarity with the black Ethiopian and all black African peoples of Israel.






By Timothy