Open letter to Sharpton, Jackson, NAACP, Sen. Boxer, Sen. Feinstein, and the media

This letter is to those mentioned in my post What can you do to prevent another Grant, Bell, Diallo, or other police murder?

This letter will be sent to all those named in that post. If you know of other organizations that should receive this, let me know. If you wish to copy and modify this letter for your own use to these individuals, please do.

To whom it may concern,

I am Michael Vass, President of M V Consulting, Inc. and author of Black Entertainment USA. Recently I became aware of the death of Oscar Grant at a BART station in California. This death came at the hands of police - while he laid face down on the ground defenseless, possibly handcuffed, with an officer holding him in place as he was shot in the back - and was video taped and witnesses by a large group of individuals on New Year's Day of 2009.

This news story has been seemingly dismissed by the major news media. I was lucky to notice a 30 second news video by ABC News, that I have not seen since, on January 5th. The national news media has not covered this story beyond that to my knowledge.

The lack of coverage has angered me greatly. I wrote about this tragic event on my blog, and several others that I write for. And I am constantly being made aware that my blog posts of this news event is the first that many people are hearing of this event. Yet in watching the national news coverage I have seen no end to the coverage of the Caylee Anthony case for a almost a year now, discussion on the death of Heath Ledger for a year, and other stories of similar nature. In fact I believe it is easier to know the clothes that Beyonce wore yesterday, how Jennifer Aniston feels about Angelina Jolie, and the new address of Michael Jackson than details in this case.

This is an outrage. The news media has failed America, and the Black community. It is their responsibility to make all law enforcement responsible to the public and to make the public aware of such events. Their job is to represent us when it is not possible for us to be aware of facts across the nation and the world. Their job is to help shed light on events that violate our rights and prevent the abuse of the system. That is not happening.

It is a fact that some news media have made factual errors in their reporting of the case. One such instance is the fact that reports say that only 2 videos of the incident exist. I found in 15 seconds multiple videos of the event from several angles and of lengths from 1 minute to nearly 5 minutes. I have provided some of that additional video on my site. Another fact was the initial statement of the BART police stating that video from the station itself was unavailable, which turns out to be erroneous.

Already we can see that facts are being occluded. Add to this that the internal investigation by police has run into a roadblock. Officer Johannes Mehserle, who fatally shot Oscar Grant while he laid face down, possibly handcuffed, with at least one officer holding him down with a knee on his neck, in his back, resigned. As such I believe that the internal investigation cannot go forward as Mehserle is no longer a police officer. Thus the Oakland D.A. must be motivated to investigate and bring up charges for any justice to go forward.

At the same time Police Chief Gary Gee and others have begun to postulate excuses on how or why this event happened. The most popular excuse is that Johannes Mehserle meant to reach for his taser. A taser is not the same weight, shape, or trigger as a police issue 9mm gun. The time, as seen in several video angles of the event, he took to draw and fire reveal he had ample time to recognize and visually sight the gun in his hands. And beyond all that, there was no imminent life-threatening need to draw any weapon. And that is proven by the 5 or 6 other officers on the scene never drawing or motioning towards any of their weapons at any point in this event.

And I believe that this is a pattern that needs to end. We have seen that more often each year tragic events like this are happening across the nation. Black men killed in a hail of dozens of bullets, beaten by hordes of police officers, abused in police stations, and on and on. More often than not, virtually in each case, the officer responsible never served a day in jail, rarely was fined or disciplined in any manner.

I believe these are connected. If we say nothing, do nothing, then we say to all police officers across the nation that the - in my opinion - outright cold-blooded murder of African Americans is socially acceptable and will not be punished.

Thus I ask you to provide your political and media strength to this issue. The nation needs to be aware of what happened. This should never have happened. This should not go unpunished.

I look forward to your support and the media attention you can bring to this tragic event.

Sincerely,

Michael Vass
President - M V Consulting, Inc.
718-344-6921
info@vassconsult.com

Excerpt - Rev. Jesse Jackson vs. Senator Barack Obama - Old Black Power disses New

From my political blog VASS

Oh he’s gone and done it now. Rev. Jesse Jackson is scrambling to retract comments he made Sunday, his son is blasting him for those same comments and Senator Obama – campaign and all – are quiet.

What is the issue here? What was said?

Well it’s hard to be sure. What is known is that Rev. Jackson took offense at the speech made by Senator Obama. In a moment where his microphone was hot, and he believed it was off, Rev. Jackson let loose with comments Wolf Blitzer believes he cannot repeat on CNN air. According to Jim Tapper of ABC News the words were along the lines of

“…crude and disparaging remark along the lines of wanting to rip Obama's genitals off…”

Actually finding the remarks, via video or transcript, has proven to be difficult at this point. I have no doubt that they will surface at some point soon though. And I think that is the only reason that today, 3 days later, Rev. Jackson has made an apology.

This is not a sincere apology, it’s polispeak. He is protecting his political clout and image. Were he really sincere he would have apologized Sunday when...

To see the full post visit VASS

Excerpt of President Obama - a what if press release

Excerpt from VASS

**A fictional press release**

Major City in America – A date some time between 2009 - 2012 -- America still reeling 3 days after the shocking assassination of its leader.

On the 1st day after the assassination of President Barack Obama, by at least 3 men from a fringe radical group, America is still in turmoil. Across the nation riots continue to encompass most of the major cities. New York, Los Angeles, and D.C. are all in states of emergency as huge crowds of African Americans continue to express rage at the murder of the nations first Black President.

The riots started shortly after President Obama was shot while addressing the nation, offering an official apology from the United States Government to all the descendants of Africans enslaved in America from 1619 to 1865. The apology was a huge political hotbed of debate prior to the speech, with dozens of legislators and governors of both political parties publicly disagreeing with the President’s intent to issue the apology. Several hate groups had been actively suggesting that if the apology were made that it was the final straw and that action would need to be taken against President Obama.

While President Obama had encountered consistent death threats since his election win in 2008, and 2 prior attempts on his life, he had stated that he would go through with the speech. Even pressure from within his own political party was not enough to sway his determination.

“There has been too much time ...

Full post can be seen at here>

A conversation on the Jena 6 - 9.21.2007.2

Suddenly after months of bloggers speaking about the Jena 6, the major news media has finally woke up and realized there is an issue. It would be funny that they are treating this as a new thing, except there is no humor in this. Rev. Jesse Jackson is holding rallies and blaming Sen. Obama over this case, suddenly. Democratic Presidential candidates are all jumping forward to make a comment on how they feel about this injustice. And the President was asked to speak on the controversy. You would think this all just came up in the last day or 2, yet that is a false impression. At least it’s finally getting attention.

But what I want to share with you is a conversation I had yesterday with a colleague and friend. He is a White man about my age, owns businesses, and a good person. He also writes to a couple of blogs and was completely unaware of the Jena 6 case. After hearing all the news yesterday, he decided to write some thoughts on it, and then got in touch with me to discuss it.

His position was basically

In every racial injustice case, we tend to measure the punishment and forget that a crime was committed.

To a degree I agree with him. But there is a lot going on with this case that most are not getting. There is something not being conveyed. The main question is not as much that there should be no punishment, but that it should be equal. Attempted murder was hardly the correct charge, if charges must be made in this case. I say must as others White males were not given any charges for their fights. But if a crime is done, punishment is mandatory. But it shouldn’t be blind or biased.

Given that, the conversation evolved to discuss the real issue that Jena 6 represents and the major news media seems to never want to discuss. Race, segregation and anger. These are the roots of the Jena 6 case. And these are the things not being addressed. The charges and the imbalance of the legal system are only symptoms of this root.

The facts are that no one in this nation should be fearful of entering an establishment or standing in a space and being punished for it. In this case a tree was designated ‘Whites Only’, harkening back to the segregation of the 1950’s (for the younger readers, that’s really not as far in the past as you might think). A tree.

Continued in Part 2...

Can Rev. Jesse Jackson define "acting white" - 9.20.2007.1

In my post Rev. Jesse Jackson throws stones at Senator Barack Obama - 9.20.2007.1, I mentioned that Rev. Jesse Jackson is alleged to have said that Sen. Barack Obama acts “white”. This accusation was leveled in reference to the relatively little that Senator Obama has said about the Jena 6.

I’ve already discussed the equally little said by Rev. Jackson on the Jena 6 case, which has been widely covered and discussed by a multitude of Black bloggers for months. Don’t let the major news media fool you, this is not a new thing. And while Sen. Obama has said virtually nothing, neither has Rev. Sharpton, Jackson, or any of the Presidential candidates. They have all failed to even acknowledge the existence of the case until yesterday, and all their surprise and posturing is annoying.

[I admit that I have not covered the issue either, as I felt many other bloggers had covered every angle of this far better than myself for far longer. Check the archives of African American Opinion and you will see what I mean. In my opinion to cover what had already been said would have been pandering and I try to never do so.]

But the point of this is the “acting white” accusation. Among African Americans such an accusation is a vicious attack. It is a massive insult that does not have a match in other racial groups in America, to my knowledge. It’s a verbal low blow, and in this case totally unfair.

The implication that Rev. Jackson makes, and he is a supposed supporter of Sen. Obama, is that Senator Obama is a sell-out. The reason is that the Senator has not acted on a controversial case to the liking of Rev. Jackson. Point of fact is that Rev. Jackson hasn’t done anything either. As I mentioned before many Black bloggers have, but Black “leaders”, like Rev. Jackson and Al Sharpton have said nothing to my knowledge.

But why is Senator Obama “acting White”? Why does he constantly have to defend himself from claims on one hand that he is not Black enough, and that he is too Black on the other. That is he is Black and thus scary to some (who have very small minds in my opinion).

In the African American community though, some (with equally small minds) feel that Sen. Obama does not portray the race well. I’m reminded of a Mr. Chris Rock comedy routine. I’ll paraphrase

“They call Colin Powell articulate. They say he speaks well. What do they expect him to say ‘Yo yo, Imma bout ta drop sum bombs ova heya!’”

I’m so tired of the bar existing that says you are only African American if you act like X and dress in Y. What the Hell does that have to do with my heritage or the color of my skin? When I walk down the street I’ve never heard anyone wait to see my clothing tags or my resume before calling me N***** (and not in a manner that the hip-hop community thinks is positive).

Why do we need to continue to define what is Black by the material mannerisms one has? I’ve commented often that to be Black in America is becoming more of a commodity than a fact of birth. Let me correct that. To be what the media portrays, and music videos glorify, as their impression of Black is a commodity. The facts are quite different.

Let’s take a moment to remember the spectrum here.

Blacks have been in America since roughly the early 1600’s. Blacks built the infrastructure of America, and were the key part of the agricultural economy that allowed the nation to grow. White Americans have mixed with African slaves and African Americans of later centuries and decades constantly, partially accounting for the different shade we all come in. Add to that the mix of Native American Indians, Latinos, Hispanics, Asians and various Europeans and you get all the shades and backgrounds that make up many African American families today.

An example is that my family tree reaches into Italy, Ireland, Spain, Puerto Rico, Taino and Native American Indians as well as Africa. And that’s just the parts I can name off the top of my head.

Beyond the mix of ancestry, African Americans don’t all live in the ghetto or speak eubonics. While watching any major news media, especially if you see the news internationally, you may not realize it but not all African Americans are poor. [I realize that those who are Black reading this will say “I know that”, but I reach 62 nations on average every month and not everyone reading this is Black or American]

Many African Americans are quite educated. We are doctors, lawyers, businessmen and women, professors and a multitude of other professions. Few of these professionals, if any, speak like JJ from Good Times or Snoop Dogg. But the media would liken us all to a rapper far faster than Secretary of State Condellezza Rice. [I’m not saying that all rappers are uneducated, but I will say I’m only aware of 2 that actually graduated college since the inception of rap. There may be more but it’s not spoken about much and seen little in their public personas.]

So given all that, what is “acting white”? Is being successful now restricted to that one particular race? Speaking our collective native language well is a racial preference? Dressing in clothing that both compliments and stands out well in any social occasion is betrayal to a race?

Doesn’t that sound stupid? Perhaps if you look at it conversely.

If Reverend Jackson said that Senator Obama could act more Black by ‘speak with smaller syllable words, misuse the meanings of those words or just make them up, dress in baggy ill-fitting clothing that are more appropriate for an 18 year old in a dance club, lose several jobs by being late or not showing up, take drugs in public, and walk around eating fried chicken.’

Doesn’t sound white does it? Doesn’t sound Black either. It just sounds foolish. Acting like a grown man (or woman) should be enough. The color of the skin is just a birthright and that conveys no obligations to any corporate ideology, no matter how many music videos and commercials are made saying so.

This is what I think, what do you think?

Why hasn't Al Sharpton gone to West Virginia

Post written by guest blogger CMiller

I am going to have to say that it is a shame upon the Black community when the Reverend Al Sharpton and Reverend Jessie Jackson have not even shown up to champion the Black woman who was brutalized by 6 white people that consisted of 2 white females and 4 white males. My gosh even the Federal government has abandoned this poor woman by not calling this a hate crime. If it was not a crime that consisted of major amounts of hate then what would you call it. Why in the world would 2 women be involved in such a crime being committed against another woman? Could it be because she is a black woman? I believe the possibility is more than present in this case.

But again I must ask, where is the Black community’s voice on this matter. Its as if everyone thinks its ok for such a heinous crime to be committed against a Black woman and that the reaction should be next to invisible to the American public. Why in the world would the major news media not be interested in such a story. One would think that the way they latch on to bad news within the Black community that for once they could come to the aid of one of us.

It would seem that no one is interested in helping this poor woman not even spiritually it would seem, do to the lack of even the ambulance chasers being at her side.

I say this would be such a blight on the Black community if this one slips between the cracks. Are we not sick to death of what happens to Blacks, for the love of pete its 2007 and we are still being made victims by the major news media. I expected BET to have something to say about this but I was wrong. I hope for the sake of this woman that the Black bloggers out there in the world come together and help this woman so that she will not be forgotten. That for once justice will be done and served to the fullest extent of the law.

Should this woman be forgotten, everyone of us should stop and think how they would feel if that woman was their mother, sister, daughter, aunt or cousin. Would it be so easy to forget then or would a cry of outrage erupt from your soul for what horror she had to endure at the hands of 6 hateful white people.

Regardless of the color of this woman’s skin, no person should go through what she had to endure. All women are sisters and should stand together and support one of our own. I am saddened that in America people can turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the plight of one of its own.

Our community needs to pull together and support this poor woman in her time of need. Respect her privacy but don’t’ forget her. She after all is one of us.

State of the Black Union may be real black entertainment - 8.8.2007.1

Well here is something that sounds like television programming of worth. Viacom and all its properties should take note of what a program aimed at a target group can be like. Mr. Sumner Redstone, Mr. Philippe Dauman, and Mr. Reginald Hudlin should all be paying close attention.

In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, TV One will be presenting a 3 part symposium that deals with the state of African Americans then and now, what America would be like without us, and a recap with memorable moments (in time since the Jamestown landing I presume). The program is called State of the Black Union. That is an interesting subject. It delves into the past and the present day. It evaluates what is good and bad in this nation. It provides food for thought. That is what I consider Black entertainment.

This program, which will start on August 12th, and be repeated on the 15th, will involve Mr. Tavis Smiley as moderator of each segment. I notice that they are avoiding the comedic angle on social commentary another cable television network has taken. Perhaps because a serious subject is normally best handled by a serious credible host.

Beyond the participation of Mr. Smiley, speakers include:

“Rev. Al Sharpton, actor/producer Tim Reid, former ABC news correspondent and current NPR host Michel Martin, radio personality Tom Joyner, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Judge Glenda Hatchett, Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder, Radio One founder and chairperson Catherine Hughes, Chuck D of the rap group Public Enemy, astronaut Dr. Mae Jamison, Dr. Cornel West of Princeton University, along with former Ebony editor Lerone Bennett Jr., Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman, and Rep. Bobby Scott:”

Take a moment and review that list. It’s important. For all the images of poor Black people on the news every day, all the gangs, the rappers and music videos glorifying drugs, fatherless families, and degraded women, this list says something the media just does not.

The list includes entertainers that have lasted decades in an industry where most last a season. There are politicians of on the federal and state levels, national media makers and owners, religious leaders, a jurist, a teacher of the highest level of education in one of the most prestigious Universities, and an astronaut. And they even fit in a rapper, though unlike the current gansta sub-culture his entertainment was based in politics and self-improvement.

The list is diverse, covering so many careers and formats that are rarely acknowledged to have any African American influences. That alone should be a reason to check out the program. But to be honest I want to see it because of one reason.

Continued in Part 2...

Ramblings of Michael Vass - 8.7.2007.3

Some days it’s just hard to write to a blog. I know, many of the bloggers out there are reading that and laughing. Of course it’s hard. Reading news, figuring out what story or concept gets you most motivated and then creating a fluid and expressive statement that others might want to glance over. Once you do get consistent readers the pressure to be consistent, topical and timely grows exponentially.

I’m not complaining. I currently write to 8 blogs, with varying degrees of consistency. I cover a diverse range of topics, from NASCAR, to Presidential candidates, to my thoughts and Black issues among others.

But I am annoyed. There is so much that should be written, and I don’t have the ability to cover the scope of it. Anger versus Islam, racism, stereotyping, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Presidential election, global warming and more. There are just so many topics.

But I notice something. The issues that often catch my attention deal with the negatives that affect African Americans and Latino/Hispanic Americans. Generally it is because my anger is invoked, or because I think a lot is being obscured but overall it is just negative. I wonder where the good news is.

I see constantly news on OJ Simpson, or this rapper committing another crime. I read about how Blacks aren’t making it to higher education, that the Black middle class is disappearing, that the segregation among African Americans is worse than from other sources. I see videos that showcase booty-shakin and drugs, or viral videos that promote violence in schools. I observe how the Black community is a commodity for sale from generally non-black corporations. All of this and I get tired.

Why is it that BET can’t provide programming that other cable networks seem to have little difficulty creating? Why is it this nation can’t stop being angry about OJ getting an innocent verdict? Why must 90% of all references about violent or drug related crime, or welfare and social assistance must have African American faces on it? What drives the media to place events featuring African American entertainers and celebrities of a negative aspect on the front page, but charities and positive actions get about 30 seconds of coverage?

Some say it’s because the Black leadership has focused the news this way. That’s crap. There are no African American leaders. When was the vote? How did anyone get registered for it? Who counted? It never happened.

Rev. Al Shaprton, Minister Farakan, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and several other notables have been proclaimed leaders yet I know I have never been asked about it. They are just the guys that the media decided to follow and promote. That’s not leadership, it’s attention. The difference is vast.

Continued in Part 2...

You are a helluva B***h - 4.10.2007.1

So how many women feel complimented by that headline? How many people feel that this comment was humorous? This isn’t targeted to any one race. It could be your mother I’m speaking about. Or your daughter, sister or girlfriend. Or just you. Yes, how much joy do you have now that you know this was directed personally?

The fact is that it isn’t personal. I don’t intend to insult anyone. But what is the difference between my headline comment that can be insulting to any woman on the planet and the words of Mr. Don Imus and Mr. Bernard McGuirk? Obviously I’m not as famous, though the fact that this blog is read by people in over 50 countries in the world and coast to coast in the United States makes me more than unknown. Beyond that what is the difference?

I’ll tell you what I think it is. I run the risk, with that headline, of alienating readers forever. I could be losing my base for life and thus crushing my business to make a point. Mr. Imus though got a 2 week vacation. Yes, he was suspended. But he is keeping his job and not, as far as I’ve seen, losing any pay. That is a vacation in my opinion. Just enough time for the media to find a new subject to pump up. Probably the Anna Nicole Smith case, with who is the daddy. You know really substantial news that affects the lives of millions.

Think about that for a moment though. I am risking everything to make a point; Mr. Imus lost nothing (beyond temporary embarrassment that he has gone through before) for saying far worse comments. Does that make any sense?

I’m sure Mr. Imus, and Mr. McGuirk, understand that they are paid to be confrontational. I’m sure that the comments felt completely natural, and/or funny, when they were said. Obviously neither thought this would get as much attention as it has. But I think they, and NBC or General Electric, never were worried about how it may affect them and the current “punishment” reflects that they still don’t think this is an issue.

I know, some will say “But Rev Jesse Jackson held a protest,” or, “Rev Al Sharpton took him to task on the radio.” Well with all due respect that just makes it somewhat farcical. The inclusion of both these men in this matter just makes this less serious, not more. If President Bush made comment, or both Senators for New York, or any number of other legislators were critical of this punishment and the comments that would be serious. I say that because neither man is representative of Black culture or the majority of the Black community. Both do grab the headlines though.

I’ll detract a moment more. Mr. Malcolm X was a leader. Dr. Martin Luther King was a leader. Mr. Bill Cosby has assumed a position of influence. Senator Barak Obama, Representative Keith Ellison, Secretary of State Condolezza Rice and her predecessor Mr. Colin Powell are persons of influence and leadership. But there is no leader of the Black Community today. There is no one person that speaks for all African Americans. There is no one person or group that is recognized. Both the reverends are far from the levels the abovementioned are at. They just get a lot of media attention. So does Anna Nicole Smith, but that doesn’t mean it’s justified or worthwhile.

Continued in Part 2...