DC HANDGUN BAN TO BE DECIDED BY HIGH COURT

Happy soon to be Indigenous People's Massacre day AKA Thanksgiving. Well one of my greatest fears have been realized today (as I surmised it would happen) as the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments next year regarding DC's ban on handguns. I can only imagine what the ruling will be and which justice (if not more than one) will write the majority opinion for this case. My money will be on Scalia, Thomas, or Roberts although Kennedy may be the dark horse if the ban is overturned. Should the court uphold the ban then my money would be on Souter to write the majority opinion (he'll probably author the dissent as well).

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty is taking a huge gamble with this one and it will more than likely blow up in his face. Knowing this, I have to say, Mayor Fenty... you've got cajones; I just hope they are big enough to avoid a full castration by the highest court in the land. You had better hope that the justices realize that gun violence in the District has risen steadily since last year and that homicide levels have reached '06's annual total already.

The handgun ban has been widely criticized as ineffective because MD an VA still allow individuals the right to bear arms. Thus, this decision will have far reaching implications and effects on gun legislation all over the country.

Read the full story here.

From USAToday Editorial

Downward mobility trend threatens black middle class

In the upper echelons of society, these are halcyon days for African-American achievement. Never before have so many blacks reached the highest levels of government, business, media, entertainment and sports.

At the same time, however, the success of people such as Condoleezza Rice, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington and Tiger Woods has masked a troubling trend.

Reports last week from the Pew Research Center documented extensive downward mobility among the sons and daughters of the black middle class: 45% of black children from those families end up "near poor," Pew reported. The comparable number for white families is 16%.

It would be hard to overstate the significance for blacks or for society generally. It means that the expansion of the black middle class — the key to attaining racial equality since legal barriers were removed 40 years ago — is in jeopardy.

On a personal level, it gives blacks reason to doubt the assumption that America is a place where each generation will surpass the previous one.

African-Americans sense this slippage. Pew pollsters sampling black America found the greatest level of pessimism since 1983. Just one in five says things are better now than they were five years ago. Looking ahead, fewer than half say they think life for blacks will get better.

The causes are complex and interlinked, but several bear closer scrutiny:

* Family formation. The biggest driver of rising income and living standards of American families over the past several decades is the two-paycheck family. Too few African-Americans benefit from that trend: The percentage of married blacks in their 30s plunged from 68% in 1969 to 42% in 1998. (Whites have also experienced a decline in marriage rates across generations, but from considerably higher starting points.)

Moreover, nearly 70% of black babies are born out of wedlock, up from about 25% in the mid-1960s. Any discussion of the class divide that ignores family factors ignores a root cause.

* Gender. Discussing trends in black America also requires separating men and women. From 1974 to 2004, the median income fell 12% for black men while rising 75% for the women. One partial explanation is that twice as many black women as men graduate from college.

Those stark male-female income trends affect family formation: A high-earning woman has little incentive to marry a low-earning man. This suggests sharpening the focus on the plight of African-American boys, particularly those growing up without father figures or positive male role models.

* Education. Achieving middle class status is no guarantee that children will start achieving in school. Studies of well-integrated, middle-class school districts, such as Shaker Heights outside Cleveland, show that parents and teachers have lower expectations of minority students. When that happens, few black students end up being challenged in the advanced classes.

Turning this around is possible. In recent years several middle-class school districts have succeeded in pulling more black students into advanced classes. Overall, however, progress is too slow.

A second problem arises in low-income neighborhoods where teachers devote virtually all their attention to low-performing students, leaving brighter children — those most capable of high achievement later in life — unchallenged. Correcting that requires teacher training and adjustment of academic goals.

* Discrimination. Blacks and whites have sharply different perceptions about the persistence of racial discrimination in U.S. society, Pew found. About two-thirds of blacks say blacks often or almost always face discrimination when applying for a job, renting an apartment or buying a house. By contrast, large majorities of whites believe blacks rarely face bias in these situations. Majorities of both races, however, believe that blacks who don't get ahead have mainly themselves, not discrimination, to blame.

The common thread in determining upward mobility is what social researchers call "stickiness," the social glue that keeps families intact and financially prosperous. Important parts of the formula include health care, good neighborhoods, property ownership, marriage, strong school expectations, saving habits and inherited wealth.

Just as all Americans can take pride in the nation's racial progress and in the achievements of people like Oprah and Tiger, all Americans have a stake in reversing the alarming slide in the black middle class.

The link for this editorial is here.

SILENCE is NOT GOLDEN... Next Steps

(Photo courtesy of USA Today's H. Darr Bieser)

Well, here we are. In a week's time we managed to go from humble bloggers in a tightly-knit virtual community to becoming the authors of a "new roots" movement. We withstood some initial criticisms, had the authenticity of our "blackness" and our loyalty to Black Unity questioned. We also came together as five powerful individuals to be a voice for the marginalized and we were able to get our message out. We have created a sense of awareness about a particular situation, that without the blogosphere, would have gone completely unnoticed. I want to take this opportunity to thank Gina at What About Our Daughters? and Symphony at Essential Presence for being committed enough to keep Dunbar Village in the front of our minds. Had I not stumbled upon the Dunbar Village Story after surfing the web for another story, I'd have never known. I want to also thank Vicki, Robyn, Asantewaa, and Grace for enduring the brisk and windy morning to be out there with me. Finally, I'd like to thank everyone else for your kind words, phone calls and support. This was a phenomenal experience and I won't forget about it... ever.

People Still Don't Know

What I found quite disturbing was the fact that people still didn't know about Dunbar Village; after this weekend, I am not surprised. There were throngs of people shouting "No Justice, No Peace!", but after attempting to engage some people there about WHY they were marching I received several rambling responses with nothing significant enough to post here. At that point point I had to ask myself, Shane, why are you here? I had answers and I was glad that I did. I still believe that black "leaders" are a mess and that they should be challenged on their rhetoric and race-baiting. I also believe that many of the non-black social justice organizations are committed to causes that offer a direct benefit to marginalized white people as long as they aren't poor. The take home here is that if you are poor and black, you are not worthy enough to be supported by organizations that were founded to be a voice for you. If you are poor and white with may have some chance of getting your problems redressed and that may be intrinsically linked to the fact that you are white. However, if you are poor, black, and not of American nationality, you have a snowball's chance in hell of being helped. Sad, but true. Isn't democracy a wonderful thing?

Me, as the counter-revolutionary (according to an email I got and another post on a different blog I read) and my Jena 6 stand

Now, what the hell does this mean? I decided that speaking against the mind-numbing, ineffective, showbiz civil rights -dog-and-pony-show marches was important because the REAL work isn't being done. Truth be told, Mainstream media loves controversy because controversy makes for great stories and great stories sell papers and drive web traffic. I don't think that Ms. Bello or Mr. Page had those things in mind when they decided to interview me. I think they were attempting to provide an antithetical point of view, since apparently only they realize that black americans aren't a monolithic group of people. Is it possible for black people to publicly disagree with each other and the black race survive? WEB DuBois and Booker T, Martin (at first) and Malcolm, Shelby Steele and Julian Bond, all have had their share of disagreements and black people have still survived.

I read a comment about my counter demonstration being counter productive and that what I did was counter-revolutinary. So Al and Jesse are revolutionaries? How so when their collective silence is so easily bought and they both lack morals and personal integrity? Do you people who deem yourselves as Super-blacks have any idea WHY Jesse and All command the type of attention they do? Manistream media (read controlled by the white majority) loves these two incompetent Civil Rights Era rejects and YOU listen to them. So if you're so revolutionary and deep, why are you taking your cues from white people, if you believe that Jesse and Al are the defenders against racism?

I never slammed the Jena 6 protests, but I never supported them. I do question how ANYONE finds it rational to support 6 criminals in training (yep, I said it) for beating up a white kid 3 MONTHS AFTER the noose hangings. How does one find it okay to support a teenager with four juvenile convictions as a victim? Where were his parents and what were they doing while this child was out commiting crimes? So yeah, I have a problem when Al and Jesse, as well as other social justice "leaders" blur moral imperatives to support people who are clearly NOT circumspect enough to defend the theory that they've been discriminated against. How can we be so outraged at noose hangings or other forms of symbolic hatred, but we can be so cavalier about black people killing, raping, and robbing each other? I know that white-on white (WOW) violence exists and I know that racism exists, but racism and WOW didn't mug me, 2 black men and 4 black teenage girls did. Racism and WOW didn't commit the Dunbar Village Rape; 10 black teenagers did. I digress though... Moving ON!

For Dunbar and Others

I can keep asking questions but if black leaders still choose to ignore me or to never answer then I have to get over it and move on. The real work begins now and that is where my focus will be for the next few months. The response to Dunbar must come from the residents who live there. You must know that you have the right to hold your government agencies accountable for the series of security breaches and failures that have turned your community into a hell-hole.

You must SPEAK OUT. You must come to the table and if you can't find a seat to sit down, you must MAKE ONE. I can do what I can to assist, but this is not my movement. It's inherently yours because you have to live there and no matter what your particular situation is you have the right to a decent community. You have the right to unbiased and professional police protection. You have the right to a structurally sound, mold free, pest free, and secure living facility.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. They cannot retaliate against you for wanting them to do their jobs and if they tell you otherwise, send them my way. Again, this was an enlightening and life-changing experience for me and I am looking forward to the future. My hope is that this conversation continues and transforms into action plans that address the needs of all marginalized people without regard to their race, gender, nationality, class, or socio-economic status.


I struggle with you,
Shane

Update coming!

All,

I will make tomorrow my blogging update day. Between working two jobs and trying to rest I had to take today to recuperate from the past week.

Regards,

BLKSeaGoat

SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN

SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN

Date: Friday, November 16, 2007

Time: 11:15 am EST

Place: National Archives Building Sidewalk between

7^th and 9^th Streets, NW

700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Contact: Shane Johnson, 404.246.2677

Purpose: Counter-protest to Al Sharpton Rally

Housekeeping:

Please meet at the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Metro Station (Green Line) at 11:15am. I will be wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with INSPI(RED) written across the back. I will also have signs, placards, brochures and a megaphone. Contact me at sbjatlanta@yahoo.com if you get lost or need directions. I am encouraging people NOT to drive.

Staging Location:

We have a permit for the sidewalk in front of the National Archives Building with is across the street from the Justice Department. We will be as close to 9^th street and Penn Ave. NW as possible. We will assemble between 11:30am and 11:45 am. I would like for us to be in position no later than 11:55am. We will disperse by 2:30 pm.

Please dress in warm clothes and layer your outfits. I expect the weather to be cool. Please also bring an umbrella or rain slicker.

Talking points:

I am not a fan of telling people what to do, but this is about DUNBAR VILLAGE and Black leaders' silence about black on black crime, especially when the victims are black women. Please keep your statements to the media in context, let’s remember why we are doing this.

Behavior:

This a peaceable assembly. Please respect yourselves and respect others.

Finally, YOU make all of this happen. Thank you for all of your hard work and your commitment.

LET THE PANDERING AND COMPROMISING BEGIN!!!

It's official!! Reverend Al and some of the Civil Rights establishment have heard our cries! .............NOT! If anything, they are trying to avoid some shame and embarrassment for being called out on their indifference, ineptitude, silence, and apathy. Thanks to Gina at WAOD, people are starting to understand that this is a SERIOUS faux pas for our black "leaders". In an attempt to keep me and my supporters from unleashing a counter demonstration, I have been receiving emails reminding me that we must remain "united". I'll be posting the emails and my responses here, so I'll keep this message brief.

It's sad that we have to SHAME people into being accountable, but hey, if it works and the desired results are achieved, why knock it? One more thing, to my haters, I am in this for the long haul... get your daggers ready and keep them ready.

Greetings Shane,

First allow me apologize for offending you and/or your service to the community. Please know that was not my intent. Thank you on behalf of my children for your courageous efforts and diligence.

You are correct, I am not a mental health professional and I have not experienced the burden of psychotropic drugs. What happened in Dunbar was to say the least horrific and it is happening globally to women, children, and babies (18mths in the Congo). I am not convinced that these youth are sociopaths because there are youth nationally and globally who are committing the same acts of violence and in some cases worse. So do we label them, and drug them, and remove them from society? How do we prevent the violence, sustain peace, and provide the basic human needs in the community? Peacebuilding seeks to analyze and then address violence. If you would like to speak further, I would enjoy sharing some additional tools with you for your advocacy toolbox and learning more about your service. If not, I wish you peace and blessings on your journey for justice.

Jacqueline

On 11/14/07, SB Johnson <sbjatlanta@yahoo.com> wrote:

Jacqueline,

I'm not sure why I was copied on your email, but since I was included I'll take the liberty to respond. I read your email with great interest and I still for the life of me have no idea what it is that you are talking about. How does peacebuilding stop teenage sociopaths from victimizing yet another human being? I want you to actually READ about Dunbar Village. I want you to read the affidavits and the grand jury testimony. This woman was sodomized and tortured. How does transformative therapy work to rehabilitate a sociopath? Are you a patient of transformative therapy? Are you currently taking any type alternative mood regulators?

I'm sorry but your response, while very philosophical, is completely irrelevant to what happened at Dunbar VILLAGE. aGAIN read ABOUT THE CRIME.

Yours in the struggle,
Shane

P.S. I don't live in Dunbar, but I've been advocating on behalf of these people since July of 2007. What have you done?

----- Original Message ----
From: Jacqueline Roebuck Sakho < contactjrsakho@gmail.com>
To: Alfia Johnson <nomadicgriot@hotmail.com>
Cc: ru4justice@juno.com; sbjatlanta@yahoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 6:55:12 PM
Subject: Re: FW: Counter protest to Rev. Al Sharpton's rally on Fri. Nov. 16. :(

Greetings Alfia,

Thank you for this valuable information. I was not aware of this horrifically violent incident. We must be very careful and empathic with this issue. A violent harm has happened to the entire community. See as we discussed in Busboy, we the community of Africans that are the descendants of slaves are suffering from intergenerational trauma and systemic injustice and oppression. Our current organizations and leaders are not properly trained in strategic peacebuilding, the operative word here is "strategic". These are the skills that are going to be effective for the 21st century. Marching and protesting may get some attention if the mainstream media grants it worthy; however, the attention has the potential to cause more harm to that community. The Dunbar Village Community will be left alone without healing or support and the organizers and organizations will go home or back to their comfort zones. We must ask, what is the root? Let's organize some peacebuilding workshops. Let's get our mental health professionals trained in transformative trauma healing. Let's get our social scientist and theorist trained in conflict transformation. This is a plan for saving our daughters and sons. Remember...Ubuntu. If you haven't heard of this term, it's an African philosophy that originates from one of the Bantu dialects of Africa, and is pronounced
as uu-Boon-too.

Sister Roxy Allen writes this about Ubuntu:

It is a traditional African philosophy that offers us an understanding
of ourselves in relation with the world. According to Ubuntu, there
exists a common bond between us all and it is through this bond,
through our interaction with our fellow human beings, that we discover
our own human qualities. Or as the Zulus would say, "Umuntu Ngumuntu
Ngabantu", which means that a person is a person through other
persons. We affirm our humanity when we acknowledge that of others.

Feel free to pass this on to your communities and networks.

Peace and Blessings,

Jacqueline

Rose,

Thank you for your email, but I can't help but wonder WHY NOW wants to get involved at this point. Your organization is yet another example of how social justices organizations (whose premise is to be a voice for the marginalized) has failed to be a voice for Dunbar. I don't think that you've gotten the point about the counter protest so I'll make it plain for you. NOW should be a shamed of themselves for being particularly silent on this issue. I also would like to point out that it's very rare that NOW takes the lead on anything that DOESN'T adversely affect white women. This is the reason Alice Walker (whose quote you use in your signature) has never supported NOW and the idea of feminism because of the selective exclusion of the needs of black women and women of color.

Now, if you believe that NOW is firmly committed to organizing some action on behalf of the woman who was raped at Dunbar Village, as well as the women who continue to be victimized (and everyone else), then I would be willing to have a conference call with you this morning. As far as what I'd like to see happen at Dunbar and how NOW and others can be involved in that process, I think we can proceed in the following manner:

• Statements from the Presidents of ALL sponsoring social justice organizations acknowledging the Dunbar Village Tragedy and how they Failed to respond quickly, for immediate release
  
• Advertisement of the Victim's assistance fund on their respective websites (the victim and her son need monetary support for therapy and medical costs) for immediate release
  
• Follow-up and updates on the progress of the trials of the 4 defendants in custody to be published on their respective websites to be published by 12/28/2007
  
• An Open letter signed by each organization demanding the Resignation of the Mayor, Housing Authority Director, and Chief of Police of West Palm Peach, to be drafted, signed, and published by 11/30/2007
  
• Use of field organizers to assist Dunbar residents with filing HUD complaints
• Use of field organizers to lobby for the dissolution of the West Palm Beach Housing Authority and takeover by the Federal Government or State

I am not sure that another march will change anything for the victim and her son, but will probably be a meaningful and symbolic way to support the residents of Dunbar Village whom the mayor of West Palm Beach has forgotten. The deplorable conditions, escalating crime, lack of police presence and protection have all equally contributed to a cadre of catastrophic failures that resulted in a brutal gang rape and torture. Please contact me immediately if you wish to to have this meeting.

Regards,
Shane

----- Original Message ----
From: Rose Afriyie
To: sbjatlanta@yahoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 4:07:30 PM
Subject: Meeting with Al Sharpton

Hello Shane,

First, I want to commend you for taking exceptional leadership on this important issue. My name is Rose Afriyie and I am a field organizer for the National Organization for Women, headquartered in Washington , DC . I hope this communication finds you well. I was writing to you because I am interested in holding a meeting to see if a compromise can be made so that we can all march unified at noon this Friday. I wanted to see if you and your co-organizers were open to a closed dialogue on your needs and concerns in scheduling a march for the woman in Dunbar with the organizers of the march for justice. Please call or e-mail with your thoughts on what a meeting would look like and what could be addressed so that we can all proceed in unity to demand justice for both men and women of color.

Dr. Holness,

He's had several opportunities since it happened in June 2007. Perhaps his schedule was too full marching for juvenile delinquents, sex offenders, and over-indulged but incredibly stupid, super-rich athletes.

----- Original Message ----
From: "Holness, E. Gail Anderson"
To: SB Johnson
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 3:40:01 PM
Subject: RE: March on Washington

Shane,

Apparently, this issue is deeper with you and Rev. Sharpton than I surmised; perhaps he is the best person to defend himself on this issue.

Dr. E. Gail Anderson Holness

Special Assistant to the President

Office of the President

University of the District of Columbia

Building 38 Suite A-O3

4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20008

202 274-6098 office

202 409-0105 mobile

2022 274-6033 fax

EHolness@udc.edu

---

From: SB Johnson [mailto:sbjatlanta@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 3:36 PM
To: Holness, E. Gail Anderson
Subject: Re: March on Washington

Dr. Holness,

Thank you for your email. Why hasn't he published this statement on his website? Why (if in fact it actually happened) did it take so long? Why hasn't Dunbar received the same time and attention that the Jena 6 or Genarlow Wilson did? You can remain united with him as much as you want, but as I and others like me have discovered, Rev. Sharpton speaks only for certain people. Any instance of injustice regardless of who the victim and perpetrators are warrants public action, but the Dunbar Village incident received none. Your silence implies that you condone what happened. Your silence implies that black women don't matter, especially when their abusers and victimizers are black men. Al Sharpton is NOT above criticism and it's high time that these self-appointed and self-absorbed black leaders are called out on their apathy and immoral indifference. Publish the transcripts of the lecture and I will post them on my blog ONLY if Rev. Sharpton specifically mentioned the Dunbar tragedy. You can read more about Dunbar Village here.

Regards,
Shane

----- Original Message ----
From: "Holness, E. Gail Anderson"
To: sbjatlanta@yahoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 3:24:23 PM
Subject: March on Washington

Shane,

Greeting,

Rev. Sharpton has been speaking about this issue to clergy and others since being in Washington , DC over the past week. As a matter of fact Rev. Sharpton spoke about this very issue yesterday to our students at our Distinguished Lecture Series at the University of District of Columbia . We must remain united in our efforts to eradiate injustices in our society and the March on Washington is our vehicle.

Dr. E. Gail Anderson Holness

Special Assistant to the President

Office of the President

University of the District of Columbia

Building 38 Suite A-O3

4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20008

202 274-6098 office

202 409-0105 mobile

2022 274-6033 fax

EHolness@udc.edu

PERMIT FOR COUNTER PROTEST GRANTED - WILL YOU JOIN ME?

I will compose the Logistics and Instructional plans and try to have them published by this afternoon. The important news here is that the PERMIT WAS APPROVED!!!! Let's be ready to BE A VOICE for DUNBAR!!! AL SHARPTON'S SILENCE WILL NOT PROTECT HIM!!!

SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN - COUNTER PROTEST OF AL SHARPTON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COUNTER PROTESTERS TO GREET SHARPTON FRIDAY AT DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

WASHINGTON, D.C.-November 13, 2007- When Rev. Al Sharpton descends on the Department of Justice headquarters on Friday, November 16, 2007, he'll be greeted by counter protesters asking why he and other African American leaders have refused to publicly comment on a horrific crime against humanity committed against a Black woman and her child in a housing project called Dunbar Village located in West Palm Beach, FL.

The Dunbar Village tragedy is the horrific story of the brutal gang rape, sodomy, and torture of a 35 year old black Haitian immigrant and her 12 year old son. 10 black teens forced their way into the victim's home at a public housing complex in West Palm Beach, Florida. The mother was forced to perform fellatio on her own son at gunpoint. The teens then cut and stabbed the mother and her son, poured cleaning solvent on their skin and in their eyes, and would have set them both on fire, but as one teen suspect reported, no one in the gang had matches. Currently, only four suspects are in custody. During the 3 hour rape and torture, not a single neighbor called 911.

The counter protest is being organized by Shane Johnson after he read about the crime on the blog, What About Our Daughters? "How is it possible that practically every social justice organization from the ACLU to the NAACP to the SCLC knows something about Dunbar Village but refuses to speak out about it?", asks, Shane Johnson who is a blogger and the author of Black Sapience…My .02 (http://blacksapience.blogspot.com). Johnson adds, "This protest is not to request that Sharpton and his allies march in West Palm Beach, but simply an inquiry regarding Rev. Sharpton's peculiar silence on this issue."

For over three months, Gina McCauley, who created the blog, What About Our Daughters? (http://whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com) has been asking why prominent African Americans have failed to make any public comment about the Dunbar Village crime. She posted the names and contact information of prominent African Americans and organizations on her blog and despite numerous calls, emails and letters from readers, not a single person on the list has issued a public comment on the crime. She describes their refusal to publicly comment "Immoral Indifference." "It is the height of hypocrisy that Black leaders have remained silent for so long about the Dunbar Village Rape tragedy. Black leaders remain silent about victims of Black on Black crime." McCauley noted on her blog that several prominent African American issued statements on the humane treatment of animals during the controversy surrounding Michael Vick. "We can get a statement about dogs, but not about two human beings."

Tanisha Mathis, who operates the website Essential Presence (http://essentialpresence.blogspot.com) adds, "African Americans are falsely led to believe the mainstream is not sensitive to their issues but its proven repeatedly that it is, in fact, Black leaders and Black news entities that are the most silent in regards to crimes against Blacks like the Dunbar Village gang rape." McCauley and Mathis have both blogged tirelessly about the Dunbar village case and have produced online videos in an effort to increase awareness of the crime. To date, their videos have been viewed almost 100,000 times. Mathis' video was featured on the local news in West Palm Beach, and Mathis has toured Dunbar village at the behest of local leaders.

The counter protesters will meet Rev. Al Sharpton and his supporters in Washington, DC at the Justice Department on Friday, November 16, 2007. "This type of crime happened on our watch and our "leaders" are still silent. They are silent because they are indifferent. Their indifference is immoral." McCauley says.

“This protest is a call to arms for anyone who cares about black women. This was a crime against humanity and I am surprised at the level of apathy and lack of outrage from our self-appointed black leaders.” adds Johnson.

For more information, contact Shane Johnson at 404.246.2677 or sbjatlanta@yahoo.com

JOIN ME!!! LET'S BE THE VOICE FOR DUNBAR VILLAGE!!!

All,

I had an amazing experience last night on the Black Women's Roundtable podcast sponsored by Gina at What About Our Daughters - Defunding the War on Black Women and Attorneymom at Character Corner. We discussed many different subjects but perhaps the most important agenda item for me was to talk about counter demonstrating the Washington D.C. March on Hate Crimes. For many of you who still are unaware, a horrific gang rape and torture style attack were carried out on a Black mother and a pre-teen son by a group of 10 teenage boys, now known as the Dunbar Village Tragedy. Gina McCauley at WAOD and Symphony of Essential Presence have been covering this story rather tenaciously. Collectively, they have been asking for the past 4 months, "Why are Black "Leaders" SILENT about Dunbar Village"? Please read about this vile and disgusting attack, as well as all updates regarding Dunbar Village here.


In an effort to bring more light to this story and to confront black "leaders" about their peculiar silence regarding this case, particularly Al Sharpton, it became clear to me that we can organize a counter protest to the Hate Crimes March in DC on November 16, 2007 from 12 noon - 2:00pm at the Department of Justice. If Sharpton, King III, and to others can take to the streets to chide the Federal Government for inaction on investigating and actively prosecuting hate crimes, surely we can criticize the good Reverend and his colleagues, for the very same thing. As Gina would put it, "Let's call people out for the Immoral Indifference".


Let me be clear, this is NOT an attempt to get Mr. Sharpton (OR HIS ILK) to advocate for Dunbar Village and others; clearly we have taken on the onus of advocating for them. I merely want ACKNOWLEDGEMENT from Mr. Shaprton (whose presence alone commands national media attention... good or bad) that this kind of sadistic, calculated, weaponized, form of rape and torture will not be tolerated! To quote the esteemed writer/scholar/activist/feminist Audre Lorde, "[our] silence will not protect [us]." I am tired, angry, and ready to accept this moral call-to-arms, if you will, to place the same premium on black womanhood as society places on white womanhood. Will you join me and others as we organize ourselves to challenge the collective conscience of the black community and America as a whole? Put your outrage, disgust, and disappointment to action! If you can be there, JOIN ME!!!

LOGISITICS:

WHAT: SILENCE is NOT GOLDEN!!!

WHERE: United States Department of Justice
950 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW
WASHINGTON, D.C.

WHEN: Friday, November 16, 2007 from 12:00 noon - 2:00p.m

WHO: ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT BLACK WOMEN!

CONTACT: Shane (Sayeed aka BLKSeaGoat) at sbjatlanta@yahoo.com, 24 hrs/7 days a week.

As soon as I get the permit approval, I will email all interested persons with a meeting location, agenda, and staging time. I will hand deliver the National Park Service form on Tuesday, November13. In the event that I DON'T receive permit approval, I am COMMITTED to being there.

Yours in solidarity,

Sayeed aka BLKSeaGoat

How Wealthy Black Children Suffer From Identity POLITICS - Part 1

This past weekend I attended a restaurant opening with a girlfriend of mine who comes from "the Gold Coast" of Washington, DC. For those of you who are unaware of what I'm referring to, the Gold Coast represents neighborhoods that have become enclaves for the upper echelons of black families to insulate themselves from the rest of us. They are wealthy, powerful, and influential. The progeny of these families are divided into two schools: Old Money and New Money. Typically, the old money blacks are even more exclusive than the Gold Coast Families and in order to enter such circles of black elitism would take an act of God. Even then, unless you show up with Jesus to an induction ceremony, don't hold your breath for that invitation to Jack and Jill or the Links.

Now, I have always been fascinated with black american classicism because I came from a consistently middle class family. We are not poor, but we are also not rich. We are well educated, attended the best schools, and worked for practically everything we have. We were indoctrinated with a certain value system, identity, and moral fiber. Some of us have strayed away from some of the ways of our rearing, but the fundamental things remain the same. This seems to be a pretty common thread in Black Middle Class families. We also have a strong sense of pride in being black americans and we often honor and venerate our ancestors and other great blacks as well. All of my neighborhood and child hood friends are college educated and most have advanced or terminal degrees (this is an important part that will be more thoroughly discussed later).

From my observations of my friend and her Gold Coast friends (as well as other Gold Coasters in other parts of the country), I found them to be particularly entertaining. These were the creme de la creme of blackness (in their own minds) and they made sure I knew it. They spoke of ski trips to Vail, vacation homes in Jackson Hole, Obnoxious parties, and patent excess. I saw a young lady with a 62,000.00 Louis Vuitton "patch" bag (only a few dozen or so have been made), Men with 10,000.00 dollar custom suits, and several magnums of LR Cristal, Grand Cru Bollinger, and Veuve. It was absolutely amazing! Hell, I think I saw every major runway designer's collections at this party. We get to a part where my girlfriend formally introduces me to people and she tries to play up my "pedigree" to make sure that I was accepted by her group. As I started to shake hands and engage people in conversation, I made it clear that I was not like them. Nonetheless, they seemed cordial and we began to converse about many things but they steered the conversation topics.

When it became my turn to segue into something different I started talking about identity politics. I made a statement to the affect that many wealthy blacks have a tendency to validate themselves through their ability to imitate "white" folk... badly. In this particular case I