Crooked cops killed innocent people for a long time. The family of Freddie Gray deserves that settlement and then some. I’m glad that the settlement happened, but this is not justice. Justice is when the cops who were involved in Freddie Gray’s death are tried, convicted, and placed into prison. Justice is when a law that bans unfair racial profiling is made into federal law. Justice is when the community has the total power to hire, fire, and make cops accountability for their actions. Justice is when a real transformation of society exists where police brutality is the thing of the past. This situation of a black man being mistreated and allowed to die in a van without immediate medical assistance shows the world how evil injustice is. Also, we should not only expose racism. We should also expose economic injustice. Many poor people suffer depression level unemployment in some Baltimore neighborhoods while privatization and huge investments are made in Downtown Baltimore. So, I congratulate the family of Freddie Gray who received the $6.4 million settlement. Also, I realize that the police institution has occupied our communities and promoted the ideal that a passive, bootlicking community is the way to go instead of a socially active, courageous, and energized community being the way to go. I have three words for the police. We know the words. The three words are: WAKE UP NOW. What other three words were you thinking? LOL. Anyway, cops aren’t gods and we have the right to stand up for humanity.
One gift of our people is that we’re honest. We tell it like it is. If there is an injustice, then we will speak on it in opposition to it. Individually, we have to have the Knowledge of Self to grow. That means that we must understand the beauty and the strength of our black heritage. Our black phenotypes are beautiful as Black is Beautiful. Also, collectively, we have to unite (internationally not just nationally) in forming solutions. Collective power is always important if we want real freedom and real liberation. The actions and the words from people like Janelle Monae and others show us that the black consciousness is strong. It was here during the past and it will be here during the future too. A revolutionary not only abhors evil, but a revolutionary loves goodness, justice, and liberty. The black people and the biracial people mentioned in this article show us that many young people know what time it is and are doing something about it. So, we have work to do. We know that the journey to the Promised Land won’t be easy, but we go on. We want social and economic justice. We not only want the middle class and the working class to be truly liberated. We want the poor to have economic justice as well. Not only should laws be changed, but communities have to be developed (via urban and rural reconstruction plans that benefit the masses of the people directly). We, as black people, are a strong people and we will win in the end. Various unfair, discriminatory policies involving hair has not ceased. Also, historically (then and now), our people have used hair not only as a way for us to express ourselves, but as a means for us to show the revolutionary aspect of our humanity. Many of the rules in many occupations are extremely strict in terms of hair policy. The women, who were fired because of certain hair policies, have become stronger in the process. We wish the best for all of the Sisters. Rhonda Lee was a story that I definitely knew too and her response to the situation was classy, inspirational, and courageous. Certainly, laws have to be changed, so black women can express their hair in a fashion that represents their personality and their humanity. We are motivated to be better, to defend honor, and to respect the common heritage that we share as one people.
The greatness of the Black Panthers was that that they not only talked about revolutionary concepts and liberation. They actually did something about things. They organized community based programs to help the children of the community, the elderly, the sick, and other human beings. Their 10 Point Program outlined many legitimate grievances that black people had (in opposition to racism, police terrorism, imperialist wars, economic exploitation and other forms of injustices going on). They acknowledged accurately that self-defense, and community development are ways for any oppressed people to enact. African Americans sincerely fighting for justice being slandered as a hate group is a common occurrence. Right wing extremists abhor any black person standing up against oligarchic oppression and racial injustice. FOX News never targets Neo-Nazis, the Klan, and other real hate group with the same fervor as they as do to sincere movements for social change like the Black Lives Matter movement (who want civil, human, economic, political, and democratic rights for all black people). There is a new documentary called “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the revolution” which talks about the history of the BPP. Stanley Nelson is the director of the documentary. It has been shown in many places the entire world including in America. The documentary talks about Eldridge Cleaver heavily without much mention of Huey P. Newton. He was in the party for a year and he left. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale invented the Party. The United States government not only orchestrated the murder of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark in 1969. They also had a role to play in the murder of LA Black Panthers back in the same year of 1969 too (and the 1969 LAPD raid via the newly form SWAT Team happened in the Party’s Los Angeles office as well). The Black Panther Party was one of the greatest expressions of resistance against an oppressive, capitalist system done by people of black African descent in human history. The Black Panther Party’s free Breakfast for Children program and the Free health Care clinic actions helped thousands of lives. The FBI slandered the Free Breakfast for Children program and the FBI considered the Black Panthers as the “greatest threat to the internal security of the United States.” As we know, the FBI committed as massive amount of terrorism against black people and other oppressed people in America. Also, the Department of Homeland Security today has done corruption and monitored unjustly activists from peace groups to the Black Lives Matter movement. The Black Panthers served the people in the action of establishing revolution. The Black Panther Party was targeted by the United States government, because they wanted independent community development and they opposed the imperialist policies of the West overseas. They wanted liberation without capitalism and without compromise. That is why they were targeted by the FBI, etc. Huey P. Newton was constantly harassed by the government and he died in 1989. The names of George Jackson, Bunchy Carter, John Huggins, and other Party members should never be forgotten.
I remember the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta like it was yesterday. It lasted from July 19 to August 4, 1996. I was 12 ½ years old during that time. I watched the games on NBC on TV too. The games was historic and it had many controversies. The Olympic Games was successful economically, but Atlanta Olympics displaced 30,000 residents and over 809 units of public housing were demolished. 9,000 homeless residents were arrested. Many people had to leave the city in the entirely. It is very unfortunate that the Atlanta political elites (who work under the white political establishment leaders promoting the system of racism/white supremacy) were involved with these evil actions. Neighborhoods were bulldozed and industries abandoned for the creation of more housing. Not many people know about this fact. Back in 1990, the International Olympic Committee selected Atlanta as the site of the Centennial Olympic Games. After the announcement, Atlanta took on sever major construction projects to improve the city’s parks, sports facilities, and transportation. There was the long contested Freedom Parkway completed. Former Mayor Bill Campbell allowed many “tent cities” to be established. This created a carnival atmosphere around the games. Atlanta is the third American city to host the Summer Olympics. St. Louis hosted it in 1904 and of course Los Angeles hosted it in 1932 and in 1984. Sporting events happened in the Olympics. Also, a terrorist Eric Robert Rudolph was involved in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. The attack killed two people (one from a heart attack). Many people were injured. Eric Robert Rudolph exploited religion and his views on abortion to harm and kill innocent human life. No matter what views we have on abortion, there is absolutely no excuse to kill innocent human beings point blank period. The cost of the games was about US $1.8 billion. There was an expansion of the airport.
The Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, the Morris Brown College Stadium, and others were used as places for the events in Atlanta and adjoining locations. Izzy was the Mascot. The 1996 Olympics were the first to have two separate opening ceremony events. Savannah, because of its geographical separation from Atlanta, had its own opening ceremonies on July 18, 1996. The event featured "Worldwide Connection," a song composed by Savannah native Jeffrey Reed and a concert by Trisha Yearwood, a Georgia native. The famous ceremony in Atlanta was famous for featuring Muhammad Ali when he lit the Olympic torch during the opening ceremonies of the game. He is a courageous Brother for standing up against the war in Vietnam and defending the rights of black people including all people. Muhammad received a replacement gold medal for his boxing victory in the 1960 Summer Olympics. America won their gold medal in Basketball. Sister Marie-Jose Perec won the gold in the 200 m and the 400m. Sister Gail Devers won the gold in the 100 m and the 4X100 m relay. Michael Johnson won gold in both the 200m and the 400m. He set world records during that time until they were broken by Usain Bolt. Donovan Bailey of Canada won the 100 m. Carol Lewis won his 4th long jump gold medal at the age of 35. In tennis, Andre Agassi won the gold medal, which would eventually make him the first man and second singles player overall (after his wife, Steffi Graf) to win the career Golden Slam, which consists of an Olympic gold medal and victories in the singles tournaments held at professional tennis' four major events (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open). Speaking of tennis Serena Williams should be mentioned as the best female tennis player of all time. Preparations for the Olympics lasted more than six years and had an economic impact of at least $5.14 billion. Over two million visitors came to Atlanta, and approximately 3.5 billion people around the world watched part of the games on television.
By Timothy
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