Just another isolated event

Just days ago the Government decided that there was nothing more they could do to pursue justice in the Sean Bell shooting. After 4 years and 50 shots, nothing has been done besides "normal police actions".



Across the country, in an odd coincidence, a Black man was unarmed and shot in the back by police. No I'm not speaking about Robbie Tolan, or Adolph Grimes, or even Oscar Grant. I mean the shooting of Aaron Campbell in Portland.

I know, with all these cases being so similar it's hard to know which police shooting of unarmed Black men I could be talking about. Not that this is an epidemic or a pattern that someone should investigate or report.

Aaron Campbell was a man that had just lost his brother to heart disease. He was understandably upset. As was his family, because they knew he had a gun in his house. But the family made one mistake. They called the police.

Police arrived and text messaged Campbell if he was going to harm himself. He replied
that he had no intention of killing himself. Sgt. Liani Reyna, commander at the scene, believed the situation was over.

She is quoted as saying "I'm ready to walk away from this, we don't need to be here."

At that time Campbell came outside, unarmed, hands on his head. What do you think the police did next?

Obviously they felt that Campbell was still dangerous. Because he is a Black man and he must have the strength of Hercules, and the skin of Superman. The police near simultaneously told him to raise his hands over his head, shot him with non-lethal bean bags, and sicked a police dog on him.

Campbell ran, which is not entirely a strange thing to do as a dog attacks and the confusing reactions of police. As Campbell ran police claim he reached for his waistband. Here is the critical moment.

Just like Amidou Diallo (41 shots), like Sean Bell (50 shots), like Oscar Grant (1 shot while he laid face down on the ground), like Robbie Tolan (1 shot as he was on his knees), like numerous Black men across the nation, police were 100% sure that this meant Campbell had a gun. So they shot him in the back with a AR-15 (the civillian version of the military M-16 rifle) and killed him. They left his body on the ground while the police dog bit it, for half an hour, before they checked it (maybe they thought he was a vampire and would just get back up).

The police were loaded for bear, and bagged an unarmed Black man. What do you think happened to the officers involved in this? Nothing. Just a letter from the Multnomah County grand jury stating

"We feel that his death resulted from flawed police policies, incomplete or inappropriate training, incomplete communication and other issues with the police effort."

Have you heard that before? I have. Too many times. In cities across the nation (L.A., Philadelphia, New York, Oakland, Dallas, do I need to go on?), in "isolated" "justified" police shootings of Black men every year for decades now. But I bet that most people haven't heard a word about 1/5th of them.

But today the Dept. of Justice has decided to look into this case. Just because it's a "routine" thing to do.

I don't think there is anything routine about it. Aaron Campbell did not need to die. Nor did Oscar Grant (a case that won't go before a jury for another year oddly enough). Nor Sean Bell. Or a whole list of men (and Black women too) shot with enough bullets to kill the army of France [ok I'm exaggerating, France and Belgium combined].

At what point to people stop avoiding this "isolated" event that keeps repeating multiple times a year in every corner of the nation? At what point do people stop dreaming and proclaiming America is post-racial, and start noticing the very racial bias of police? Will it take a police officer shooting one of the Obama children 5 or 10 years from now to make someone in the major media notice there is a problem?

I'm not saying that every police shooting is unjustified or unreasonable. But I am saying that there are way to many examples of excessive force and deadly action, focused directly on African American men, without the hint of reason. And I am tired of it.



Stop the game!

The final Sean Bell act of injustice

I'm in NYC on business and I was checking the latest local news for what's going on in my old home. That's when I noticed this small item of news that hit at about 11pm. The resolution of the Sean Bell case.

A quick summary of the case. Sean Bell was having his bachelor party with 2 friends at a strip club. They had a minor argument with a man in the club and decide to leave. The man follows them and approaches their car. The men in the car attempt to leave. The man that followed was a cop. He and 4 other officers, in the strip club on a different matter, fire 50 shots into the car - killing Bell and wounding the 2 other men in the car. Bell and his friends were unarmed.

Those are facts. The debate is whether this was justified, excessive, or a crime. The coverage of the case was centralized in New York City, and was spotty from day one. The news media overlooked initial claims by officers that there was a 4th man in the car that escaped the barrage of bullets without injury with a gun in hand. An individual that was never seen by any witnesses nor verified in any manner.

So what has happened in this case that has floated slowly through the criminal justice system for 4 years? The criminal charges were dropped by judges. The Feds have decided that they won't pursue charges either.

Neither accident, mistake, fear, negligence, nor bad judgment is sufficient to establish a federal criminal civil rights violation. - Justice Department statement"

Is anyone surprised?

There seems to be 2 ways the criminal justice system reacts to African Americans (and often any person of color). IF they are a huge entertainer, like say Snoop Dogg or lil Wayne, they get mutiple chances to evade jail as they break the law over and over. Like the recent decision to allow lil Wayne to delay his jail sentence so he can get his personal dentist to take the diamond out of his mouth. Like you or I would be allowed to delay going to jail for dental surgery that any dentist can do, including those in a prison.

The other side of the coin is far less cavalier. This it the side most people of color get to see. That's where African Americans are seen a violent criminals that need to be stopped at all costs. Where people of color deserve to be shot, as often as possible, because they might rise up like the undead and raise hell with them.

It's that kind of justice that causes the kidnapping, sexual abuse, and rape of Megan Williams by 6 Whites (men and women of vartious ages) to go virtually unspoken by the media. It causes the muder of Oscar Grant at the start of a year to be discarded, even as riots unfold because of the murder - a murder of an unarmed man. It allows men like Bell, Diallo, and many others to be shot so many times as to be the human equivalent of cheese - each the murder of unarmed men.

In each case, and others like the assault by 15 officers in Philidelphia against 3 men, the person of color was assumed to be violent, deadly, and apparently impervious to bullets. In each case the trials take multiple years, plenty of time for witnesses and the media to forget what happened. In each case the reports of officers being absolved of their wrongs is announced in the dead of night, a weekend, over a holiday, or a combination of the previous.

Over the years I have recorded case after case of the warped justice system in America. I have seen police officers walk away from acts of depraved brutality, while I have seen people of color sledgehammered by the very same system for minor violations of law. I have seen the justice system bend over and kiss it's ass to make sure that whatever celebrity gets one more chance to cause a problem with drugs, violence, and/or guns.

The justice system isn't flawed. It's broken. The latest example of it with Sean Bell is just another reminder to police across the nation that as long as the person has a skin tone other than White, they can do damn near whatever they please.

For those that think President Obama ushered in an era of post-racial America, I submit this case. I submit his action to even acknowledge the Oscar Grant case that happened just before his inauguration. But for those that hold out and hope for change there is this

"Ms. Paultre Bell said she hoped to get the attention of the White House. “There is a history of black men being killed by police officers, and something needs to be done,” she said. “We’re hoping to eventually meet with President Obama, and that he’ll do something, because this is a national problem.”

I agree with Ms. Bell that this is a national problem. But I'm also sadly willing to take odds that President Obama neither responds to them, or any of the cases that I have mentioned or exist in this nation, nor will he publicly address the problem. Because America is anything but post-racial.

Will this ever change? Not until the day that news of these kinds of abuses of power and corruption of the justice system are as prominent in the news as the attention given to Paris Hilton and Stephanie Pratt wearing the same dress gets. The same attention that Burger King's business moves for the breakfast market gets. The same attention that Sarah Palin talking about Family Guy episodes gets. Are you understanding the disparity yet?

I feel bad for the Bell family, but more than that I feel afraid. Because it seems I have a bull's eye on my head, just like every other person of color in America. And that is a feeling you never get used to.

10 year movie review: Bamboozled

When I read about the fried chicken served at NBC I was immediately reminded of something. A movie that disturbed me. A movie that moved me. A movie that I think should be shown on broadcast television, uncut, every time the nation celebrates Black History Month.

Bamboozled.

I'm sure most of my readers have not seen this film by Spike Lee. It wasn't popular when it came out, and it still isn't. It may well never become so. Which is a testament to the images and meaning the film embodies.

This is a difficult film to watch. It strikes me with anger and shame in equal parts. It upsets me for what I see on the screen, and what those images mean in relation to the real world. It infuriates me with it's reflection of the real world and the societal norms in the nation.

The more I hear of acts like that in NBC, the more I find stories like that of Megan Williams, Oscar Grant, Mauricia Grant and so many more the closer I believe we get to Mantan and the new millienium minstrel show. The more I see Snoop Dogg and the horde of rappers that are excused and praised for their disrespect of women and themselves, the glorification of drugs and violence, the more I see Mantan. The more I hear talk of a post racial America, while States like North Carolina make decisions to edit American history (starting just AFTER the civil war and slavery) the more I see the potential to fall back to the norms of 1950 or 1920, or 1850.

But Bamboozled is not just a movie about African Americans, it's about America. It's not just painful to see what is possible, but what is happening. It's Chris Matthews proud President Obama can be "in a room full of White people" and still be "unaffected". It's the unreported 19% unemployment rate among African Americans. It's the accusations that to disagree with policy is to be a racist. It's the concept that an African American MUST love President Obama and cannot deviate from supporting him.

Bamboozled came out in 2000, and 10 years later it is even more accurate and troubling than when it was made. Yet it is a movie that is unspoken, unwatched and even less fully understood as a statement of right now.

Here are parts of the film, but it hardly is the complete context.







If you don't get Bamboozled, you don't know American history - current or past. If you aren't angry and uncomfortable watching this film, you can't see the world around you. But see this film you should, for many I would even say must.

Post-racial America? Are you sure about that

Do you remember that once President Obama was elected how every major news media source was proclaiming, or at least inferring, that America had become post-racial. That the election proved America had moved beyond race and was now the fruition of the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King.

For me such lunacy ended on January 1st of 2009 when 2 young Black men were murdered by police while unarmed without provocation, and another was severely wounded. But for much of the nation the media ads of "change" ruled the airwaves and internet. I recall fanciful commercials on BET portraying Dr. King looking up to President Obama and smiling amid a crowd of mixed Americans. Obviously Harry Reid was not in that crowd.

The AP has found, and Sen. Harry Reid has apologized for, comments made about then-candidate and Senator Obama. They seemed to be meant as a positive much in the way VP Biden (then a Senator as well) described President Obama as "clean". Sen. Reid said

"light skinned" and "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."

Wow.

It brings up a memory from roughly the same time of a joke that was made by Chris Rock. It was about former General Colin Powell, who at the time was considered a potential candidate, and went along the lines of



It would seem that Senate Majoity Leader Harry Reid did in fact expect then-Senator Obama to be something like the joke from Rock. Which makes me wonder who else in Nevada might share that thought. Who else in Congress shares those thoughts. Who eles in the Democrat Party and leadership shares those views.

I look at this from a systemic viewpoint because the 2010 census also reverberates that theme to an extent. Question 9 on the census, when asking for the racial background of the public includes the description "Black, African Am., or Negro".

Negro? A term only slightly less repugnant than the N-word. A term firmly isolated to the 1950's pre-Civil Rights Movement view of Blacks as seperate, inferior, second-class citizens. A term that only 50,000 people used in the 2000 census and will be considered for removal in the 2020 census.

When I look at the reality of the situation, things like the murder of Sean Bell, the murder of Oscar Grant, the kidnapping and torture of Megan Williams, the persecution of Mauricia Grant by NASCAR, and then add the census and Senator Harry Reid, I don't get post-racial. When I listen to President Carter and President Clinton (with his famous dream comments and denial to recognize then-Senator Obama), along with other prominent Democrats, flinging around the term racist on ANYONE that disagrees with them - I don't see post-racial.

If we are to be honest, America is no more in a post-racial phase of it's existence than it is in an economic boom. Some can see improvement on the horizon, but for far too many people that horizon is too far away to matter. It's a concept most of us want to believe, to live. But reality reminds us that right now it is still only a concept.

I have long disagreed with Democrats and Liberals on policy and economics. But I had hoped that at least on the concept of equality, respect, and recognition there was some degree of common ground. Sen. Harry Reid, among so many others, seems intent on dashing even that thought. Not that a slew of Republicans are much better.

So is America post-racial? Has President Obama ushered in a new era, filled with the fulfillment of Dr. King's dream? I didn't think so in 2007. I said it wasn't in Novemebr 2008. And it seems that I am being proven correct in 2010.

I really wished I was going to be proven wrong. I really did.

Why I am thankful in 2010

I am so thankful that so far 2010 has started off better than 2009. It's a sign that I can only hope continues throughout the year.

Now I don't mean that 2010 is better politically, economically, or in most any other measurement (see VASS for why). I do mean that the year is starting off better socially. At least as far as all reports have shown to date. Which is questionable at best.

In 2009 the year of "Change" started with the murder of 2 men, young African American fathers, and the critical shooting of another by police officers across the country. And when I say start I mean that literally. These men were shot within minutes of the ball dropping at Times Square.

Many still do not know the names of Oscar Grant, Robbie Tolan, or Adolph Grimes. Because the major media ignored these men and their stories of police abuse that I believe was motivated by their race. To this minute I doubt almost anyone other than my long-time readers are aware of what has happened (or more accurately not happened) to the police officers and the cases (click the link at the bottom of this post to learn more about these men). Which initself is another problem that 2009 shared with virtually every year since I was born.

But so far in 2010 I can see no report of such police brutality. I can see no hint of a murder born solely in racism and prejudice. In that at least the year has improved versus 2009.

Of course in 2009 it took days before any comment or hint of the year opening murders and assault caught any attention. In fact it took weeks of inaction and excuses leading to a riot before the major media even remotely noticed the most egregious murder of Oscar Grant. And even then, the major media address the riot and hinted at a cause of some sort.

Thus I am left with the same wish I had prior to the New Year's start, and the same as every year. That this might be a year without a racially motivated attack on African Americans (particularly young men) by police officers. I continue to hope that police won't "accidentally" shoot a Black man in the back while he lays on the ground in California. I hope that 15 officers will not pounce upon Black men like a gang of thugs in Philadelphia. That officers won't kill and wound Black men celebrating a bachelor party in a hail of bullets more akin to a gangster movie in New York City. That young Black men coming home from the store won't be shot in their driveways while their mother watches in Texas.

I can hope that none of these events will happen again in 2010 or ever. I can look forward and imagine an America where being Black (and young) does not place a crosshair on African Americans by trigger happy police officers across the nation. I might even take a moment to fantasize that equally violent and unnecessary acts will not happen to Latinos, Asians, and other people of color in this nation.

Perhaps if we all can imagine a year, just 1 year, without these kinds of events we will finally be 1 step closer to an America that is finally beyond racism, prejudice, and other acts of small petty minds.

I don't want to be proven wrong. I hope I won't be proven wrong. But I still won't go to Las Vegas and make a bet about it. Not yet, but I would like to.

Top quotes of 2009

The annual Yale Book of Quotations list has come out and it is a revealing look at America in 2009. The top 10 quotes of the year, as selected by Yale, cover health care, advertising, waterboarding, a heroic action, a blast of nonsense, and a shock to the nation among it's topics.

The top quote as selected by Yale associate librarian Fred Shapiro is not one I would have selected. It may be one of the least known quote among the list. But at Yale it tops the list because

"That struck me as embodying the friction and polarization on the role of government." - Fed Shapiro

The number 1 quote is:

"Keep your government hands off my Medicare." Speaker at health care reform town hall meeting in Simpsonville, S.C., commenting on the government-created Medicare program, quoted by The Washington Post on July 28

I can understand the thought behind the quote, and I agree with it. But it still does not ring number 1 to me.

I would likely select the nuber 4 choice as the top of the list:

"You lie!" Wilson's shouted retort to Obama's address before a joint session of Congress on Sept. 9

Not only because it is a first to my knowledge, and an affront to the Office of the Presidency, but because it turns out it was true. Still it was an act that should never have occured, the apology that followed seemed sincere enough.

Number 3 on the list is one that is so popular it reminds me of a catchphrase that defined the 80's (Where's the beef?):

"There's an app for that." Apple's advertising slogan for the iPhone

A quote from early on in the year was perhaps the bravest and most heroic of quote all year:

"We're going to be in the Hudson." Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, responding to air traffic controllers asking on which runway he preferred to land US Airways Flight 1549 on Jan. 15 before he landed in the Hudson River.

And of course no one can forget the gaffe of President Obama that revealed an insensitivity and distrust of authority that honestly seems to abide in all people of color in this nation - normally with reason:

"The Cambridge police acted stupidly." Obama, commenting on a white police officer's arrest of black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home in Cambridge, Mass., at a news conference July 22

The rest of the quotes really don't seem that big to me. They are either too obscure to have been widely known (Jesse Ventura's quote), or just so damn stupid it isn't worth repeating (Kanye West).

If I had to pick a couple more top quotes I might go with

"I believe Michael was murdered, I felt that from the start. Not just one person was involved, rather it was a conspiracy of people." - Latoya Jackson on the death of her brother Michael, Jul 13, 2009. She turned out to be at least partially right.

"The officer leaned (in), was straddling over him and pointed his gun directly into the backside and shot (Grant)." - Attorney John Burris describing the Jan 1, 2009 murder of Oscar Grant by then-BART officer Johannes Meserhle. The trial of the case has been delayed 1 year.

"What good is reading the bill if it’s a thousand pages and you don’t have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?" - House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.), July 27 2009. Perhaps the clearest explaination why Government and the economy is screwed up.

Those are some of my top quotes of 2009. What would you pick as the top quote to define the year?

BART police are at it again

When you consider the problems that BART officers are prone to create you have to wonder what they are being instructed to do. In yet another case of overreaction, a BART officer goes to the extreme.



Now while excessive force in any police department is something to take notice of, I want to point out the differences in this case compared to the murder of Oscar Grant on New Year's Day 2009.

In the Oscar Grant case there were multiple videos showing that Grant and the other men being questioned by police were not resisting. In this case there were 6 - 7 officers present. In this case Oscar Grant was unarmed, possible handcuffed behind his back, definitely laying on the ground with an officer on his back. Oscar Grant was shot in the back and killed, I believe on purpose.

This recent situation deals with a drunk White male (reportedly Michael Gibson, 37, of San Leandro). The White male is belligerent and seeking to endanger the people on the train. The officer acts quickly, and excessively, to place the suspect out of the reach of other passengers. Though slamming the drunk into a plate glass window with enough force to break the window is extreme, there was no need for deadly force. Additional officers were not brought to the scene.

In addition, notice that the officer was also cut by the breaking glass. Several people approach the officer, and in fact one seems to be helping to hold down the suspect. Which compares to BART officers earlier this year, who were aggressive to passengers that were only videotaping the altercation with Oscar Grant, and keeping a distance from officers.

Was the recent action of the BART officer extreme? Yes, though the intent seems to have been to remove any threat and potential escalation as quickly as possible. But there was a definite limit to what the officer was willing to do. Which is not the same thing that routinely happens when the suspect is Black, Hispanic, or any other person of color. It is a fact that police across the country have been repeatedly found to act more aggressively and violently with a person of color than any other person, even when not in a potentially violent situation.

I saw all this because it is likely that this recent BART case will likely provide the drunk with a get out of jail free card. Because the drunk will likely be paid a huge settlement. Because this case with the White drunk IS getting national attention. But at this time the Oscar Grant case has not resulted in these same things. In fact, it is highly likely that ex-officer Johannes Mehserle will be able to get away with what he did.

The Oscar Grant case has been delayed, the venue moved out of Oakland to a "neutral" place (think Rodney King), and the media has avoided the case in extreme. The city, as last I am aware, is unwilling to make any payment or accept any blame and wrong-doing.

I want justice, for ANYONE that is a victim of true police violence. Not the get rich quick schemes that some cases create. Not the sensationalized media-driven cases. Not the questionable cases of shootouts and violence initiated by a suspect. But covering for police is not the answer or justice.

Oscar Grant and his family have been victims of Johannes Mehserle, Oakland, BART, and the media. This is a reflection of a systemic flaw in our law enforcement system. And this flaw is now becoming an issue even White Americans are being affected by. But I don't want to wait until there is an epidemic - like how crack was ok until White Senators kids got addicted, then it was a problem - because it is too late by then.

Justice for Oscar Grant is justice for all of Oakland. It is an indication that across the country at least some attempt is being made to stem a virus that is growing, not by the year, but by the week. Anything less is just an excuse for the racial bias that is a reality in our law enforcement and legal system.

How far have we really come?

The year is 2009. Yet there are still people who act as if the year were 1959. For all the hype of a post-racial America, for all those that continue to deny that any racism exists, they need only look to Louisianna.

Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell of Tangipahoa Parish, recently refused to grant a marriage to a man and woman. His only reason - they are an interracial couple. And he admits doing this several times before.

Wow. It just hits me hard. A supposed member of the Court, sworn to uphold the laws of the State and the nation, blatantly and without remorse is breaking the law. Because he doesn't agree with a racial issue that has nothing to do with him and should not be an issue. And he has been a judge for 34 years.

In all that time this officer of the court has been violating the rights of couples by asking about their races, and refusing to marry those that don't conform to his standards. That's breaking a law that's older than I am, and has been in effect long before he became a justice of the peace. But Justice Bardwell does not consider himself a bigot or racist. Because he has "piles and piles of Black friends".

Stepping away from the thought that I have never refered to the number of friends, or even enemies, I have as piles (or what imagery that might imply). Judge Bardwell has the audacity to claim that he is fair and treats everyone equal. Imagine that.

How equal can any man or woman be to another if on the basis of the color of their skin, and that alone, Justice Bardwell treats them differently? How is that not biased? And one must ask how else this racial prejudice have come out in his legal actions?

I will give Justice Bardwell this, he is open about his prejudice. But as the saying goes

"If you can see one roach, there are a thousand others you cannot."

What really upsets me is that I just wrote about the prejudice of France and Australia. How I just reprimanded both countries for not being in the 21st Century. Because I had forgotten for a moment about the death threats that were given to the Black college football player who proposed to his White girlfriend on national television (they since got happily married). I forgot about the systemic bias in the police across the nation, as clearly defined by the murder of Oscar Grant and Adolph Grimes as well as the shooting of Robbie Tolan. And there are a host of other examples from this year alone, never mind going back several.

This is not a case of some made up racism, like the accusations that stood before Rush Limbaugh. This is not some kind of political accusation meant to deflect any criticism or question of policy, as is being used by Democrats. This is the real racism that runs through the nation, altering what we see on television and movies, reinforcing stereotypes, and affecting the lives of millions both subtly and occasionally obviously.

When we get to see moments of racial bias in the light of day as this has, it makes me ask yet again - How far have we really come?

Oscar Grant trial - now its about 'emotional' African Americans

It's just one of those days. The racial bias in the news just seems to be rolling of the presses. This time its in reference to a trial I have long been discussing. Johannes Mehserle.

Johannes Mehserle is the former officer that allegedly shot the unarmed and defenseless Oscar Grant in the back on January 1st of this year. It was the first murder of the year (I believe), and was the unofficial welcome to office for President Obama.

I have stated in no uncertain terms, that I believe Mehserle is guilty. The fact that at least 4 separate videos of the shooting exist that I have seen, in addition to preliminary testimony for police that is at best questionable, plus the actions to evade prosecution by Mehserle have all led to that belief. But according to the lawyer for Mehserle it is that combination of facts, which cause me to be upset, that guarantee no African American can be fair in the trial without even presenting a single piece of evidence for Johannes Mehserle.

In fact, the defense has gone so far as to ask for a change of venue to move the trial out of Almeda County. They have stated that polls (of unknown quality and suspect technique) done for the defense show that 80% of all African Americans in Almeda County believe Mehserle is guilty. The defense has inferred that African Americans are too emotional and devoid of logic to put aside their passions and evaluate facts.

Thus if the trial is not moved, an action and motivation that allowed the officers on trial for the Rodney King beating to evade justice, the defense - Michael Rains - has requested the following:

"Mehserle will be entitled to question every black juror, in private, in substantial depth, about prejudgment. The questioning will be intense, awkward, personal and uncomfortable."

So I take it that the defense plans to either move the trial because 87% of Almeda County (the non-Black resident percentage) just hangs on the every word and thought of the Black community there, or any African American called to jury duty and selected for this trial will be taken to the side and intimidated in a style reminiscent of Mississippi in 1960.

Now my job may be to comment on events in the nation and the world and in doing so express my opinions and feelings - but I have no illusion that everyone that reads what I write agrees with me. No matter the color of their skin, age, religious background or sex. Yet the defense in this case is trying to claim exactly that same kind of situation. Essentially they are insulting every person of color in the nation and reviving streotypes that just can't seem to be left for dead in the past.

45% of all people polled by the defense stated that they had no opinion, or favored, Mehserle. So far there is no legal evidence presented - since the trial has yet to start. But if the defense thinks that just poking at race will allow Mehserle to bypass the legal system I think Mehserle should plan for a long stay in a very small room.

It is one thing for evidence to prove that Mehserle is innocent. It is a far cry differnt for race baiting to allow him to avoid prosecution.

So I come to this conclusion, Mehserle knows that testimony from officers found to have changed their story multiple times is not enough. That video from multiple sources makes a very clear and strong case. That an unarmed man lying on the ground face down isn't a threat to anything but an ant. That all of this combined equates to life in jail, UNLESS enough prejudice can be stirred up beforehand to create a biased verdict in his favor.

That's not emotion, that's logic based on facts at hand. But if Rains wants emotion I will take a moment and provide him some - if his client gets convicted I would love to see him get the death penalty.

Johannes Mehserle may still face justice in Oscar Grant murder

Following up on the news of a story that the national news media has avoided like the plague since it happened, I will discuss the latest events in the Oscar Grant murder case.

As long-time readers are aware, I started covering this case back in January shortly after former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle shot and I believe purposefully killed Oscar Grant while he laid face down (and I believe handcuffed behind his back) on the ground with another police officer kneeling on his neck. It was an outrageous display of police overreaction, violence and abuse. And it was all caught on video by at least 4 sources I am aware of.

Many people still are completely unaware of the events that happened on January 1st at 2am. That’s because the national news media has never covered even 30 seconds of this news story. In fact the media made it obvious that they were willfully concealing this news story when national coverage of riots in Oakland, California – directly the result of the apparent attempted police cover-up of this murder – failed to mention this case or any of the people involved.

But I have followed the case. Including the sudden attempt by Mehserle to avoid investigation by resigning from the police, the extended timeframe required for the D.A. to press charges – after serious local pressure, the long-term denial by prosecutors and defense (and the news media) of multiple recordings of the entire murder, and the more recent changing excuses and blatant lies by police officers at the scene of the murder.

I am doing this because Justice needs to prevail. And I truly believe that if we do not continue to watch this case, and scream at the top of our lungs for justice, Johannes Mehserle will walk away from this without so much as a slap on the wrists.

Thus I reported that the preliminary trial in June of 2009 found that there was a wealth of evidence to go to trial. That trial date was November 2, 2009. But all has not been quiet in this case.

Johannes Mehserle, who is out of jail on bail – something you and I would likely not have the ability to do based on the nature of this crime and the video evidence – and his lawyers have tried to get the entire case thrown out of Court. Their argument is that Alameda County Superior Court Judge C. Don Clay unfairly allowed evidence into the hearing. They claim the ruling to go to trial is “arbitrary, capricious and patently absurd”.

The defense stated

“Rains said Mehserle shouldn't face murder charges because there's no evidence that he exhibited malice during the two and a half minutes he was on the station's platform before the shooting. He said that at the most, Mehserle should face a lesser charge such as manslaughter.

But at the end of the hearing, Clay said, "There is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Mehserle intended to shoot Oscar Grant with a gun, not a Taser" because Mehserle had both his hands on his gun when he fired that shot that killed Grant.

Rains said on Friday that Clay's remark was an error because the defense's Taser expert would have testified that Taser users are trained to use both hands on their stun guns while firing.”

Judge Thomas Reardon obviously did not agree. Something I am greatful for and was worried about. Because shooting an unarmed man in the back while they lay face down with an police officer on their back and not resisting tends to seem malicious to me. And the testemony of a Taser expert does not change that.

So the case will again start on November 2. Unless the Mehserle defense team can win on another motion they are presenting. Which is to move the trial out of Alameda County. Which harkens to the move of the Rodney King trial police retirement community of Simi Valley. And we know how that verdict came out. This will be decided on October 2, 2009.

Keep you fingers crossed and pray the Scales of Justice are not rigged in Johannes Mehserle’s favor by the legal system.

Bill o'Reilly discusses Black man shot 43 times by police

Tonight Bill O’Reilly will be discussing the shooting of a Black man by police. He was shot 43 times. It’s about time such cases get attention.

I decided to check out which case of shooting O’Reilly might be investigating. Considering the time and number of shots involved I know it was not the Oscar Grant case (which O’Reilly did not cover), Robbie Tolan, Adolph Grimes (the last 3 being all at the start of the year 2009), Sean Bell, or several other more recent actions. So I decided to google it.

Under the term police shooting black man 43 shots there are 221,000 responses. On the first page of Google the time frame covers 2009 – 2001. That’s a hell of a lot of time. But it denotes the number of cases that never get national attention.

I have long stated that there is a national epidemic on-going. That young Black males are the target of police abuse and overreaction. In fact studies have found that the darker the skin, the more likely police are of reacting with violence, where or not the individual is armed.

So which case might Bill O’Reilly be discussing?

As I said before, it’s not the 1 shot in the back of an unarmed Black male in Oakland. Its not the shot against the unarmed Black male in his driveway in Texas as his mother was assaulted by police. But there is no scarcity of incidents across the country where an African American male has been shot by police officers several dozen times.

In fact, when was the last time that an armed White male was shot by police more than 3 times? Seriously. I can name at least a half dozen times where an unarmed African American male was shot by police at least 12 times or more in the last year and a half. But I cannot recall a single instance where even an armed and dangerous White male was shot by police more than 3 times. Not in a decade. Maybe more. Anywhere in the country.

So what will Bill O’Reilly say tonight at 8pm? Do you think it will be a highlight of the national response of police forces towards people of color? Or will it justify a singular case of police action?

No matter which it is, the ultimate truth remains. Police are prone to overreaction towards people of color. They react as if young Black males are the most dangerous people in America (which is factually White males 18 – 30, proven in another post). And that same reaction is also the consistent call of White violent crime criminals trying to obfuscate their own actions (how many times have we heard a supposed White victim claim that some ambiguous Black male did it?). Hell, almost even in the most extreme cases White actively dangerous armed criminals are treated with more care and firing restrictions than people of color – armed or not.

What do I want to hear O’Reilly say? That there is a problem. That the justice system is skewed in the nation. That across the country there is a predisposition towards violence against people of color, and that this needs to be addressed.

Will I hear that? Not likely. Not from O’Reilly, NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, or any other major news organization.

And that is the key point that sticks out in my mind. What about you?

Michael Vass comments on President Obama "beerfest"

Video commentary of the meeting with police, Harvard professor, and President Obama. In particular is the emphasis on the failure to create a positive discussion on the issue of race relations and interactions between police across the nation and people of color.

The transcript of the video is below.

The t-shirt worn by Michael Vass, President of M V Consulting, Inc., can be found at the World of Vass online store. Additional clothing lines for men and women are also available at the online store.

(Sorry, the audio appears slightly muddled.)






You know, with all the attention that the arrest of Professor Gates has been given you would think that real issues between police and African Americans across the country would be addressed. Hell, police policies and actions with all people of color in this nation for that matter. But it’s a subject no one wants to go near.

President Obama could have really made a stance on the issues of race relations and police. He could have taken a position that would have created debate that advances all sides. He could have used examples that I have covered for years now, or who knows how many that the Government has data on.

But he did none of the above. He instead jumped into a situation, stomping all over local authorities, with misinformation and an agenda that honestly was more fixated on defending his friend than addressing race relations.

Think about it. If President Obama really wanted to do something about race relations there have been no lack of opportunities. He could have noted that on the first day of this year 3 Black men were all shot, without provocation or cause, by police. 2 were killed, one seriously injured. Their names are Oscar Grant, Adolph Grimes, and Robbie Tolan. He could have addressed how Oakland BART officers have lied in court in the face of video that proves guilt.

There is something to address how stupidly the police can act. There is a question that needs to be made a national discussion. The fact that African American men, especially those between 18 – 35, are targets of police profiling, brutality, and overreaction.

President Obama could have cited the way the media blew past the attack of 3 Black men by 15 police officers in Philadelphia, or the way the media ignored the cause of the riots in Oakland, or how they failed to even hint at the potential guilt of officers in the California, Texas, and Louisiana cases. Which says noting of the abuses that have occurred in New York, New Jersey, South Carolina, and a dozen other places just in the past couple of years. And the trail of abuse can be seen clearly going back as far as Rodney King. Not that it didn’t happen before then. It just wasn’t reported, and there was no Youtube to press the issue.

President Obama has taken a hit in his approval rating because of the Professor Gates arrest (roughly 2 – 7 points). He is being mocked by comedians about the beerfest that will replace an apology. He has angered police departments across the nation. And he is being called a racist.

All of which promotes nothing positive and benefits no one.

Seriously, a beer is supposed to wipe away racial profiling? A casual chat with the President will alter police departments across the country from a predisposition to react violently towards African Americans (including in one study the finding that police would more quickly and likely shoot an armed or unarmed African American than any other group)? Is this really the best President Obama can do on a subject that this nation needs to address desperately, even as it vehemently hides its head in the sand to avoid.

I realize that president Obama is on a crusade to socially re-engineer America. It’s apparent that he is using all his approval rating to ram big Government and politically extreme laws up America without so much as grease or a ‘may I’. But since he opened the door on the subject of race relations, and he is getting slammed for it, he might as well do something positive.

If President Obama does nothing, as it seems he will, he cannot come back to this. Any future action will carry the mark this has brought him. A mark he does deserve. But a burden that will prevent any substantive change, as it will be mired in the mud of this fiasco.

Think, the precedent being set is ‘Race in America? Have a kegger and don’t worry about it.’

Is this what all those people that were looking to Obama as the fulfillment of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream imagined? Is this what all the suffering during the Civil Rights Movement was meant to culminate into?

Honestly, I expected little better from President Obama. It’s one of the many reasons I did not vote for him. But the little I have expected from the President seems to have been far too much to expect. Which makes the future of race relations seem moribund since the way he is screwing up so many things, another chance may not come for decades, if ever again.

Will there ever be justice for Oscar Grant?

Oh my god. Could it actually be that Justice will be served in a case where a police officer shot, and killed, and unarmed young Black male?

The end of the preliminary trial for ex-BART officer Johannes Mehserle has ended in Oakland, still without the media coverage that such a case deserves to have. This is especially true given the fact that video evidence exists for this case from multiple sources. Add to that the blatant and extreme nature of a police cover-up. Then finally include an astounding revelation from one of the key officers involved with the murder of Oscar Grant

“I didn't see the hands, so I didn't see a threat," Pirone said. "It didn't pose a threat to me "... or any other officer.” - Officer Anthony Pirone, who was kneeling on the neck of Oscar Grant III as he was shot in the back and killed.

The facts of this case are so blatant that the Judge presiding over the prelim made the following statement after ruling to allow this case to go forward to trial

“There is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Mehserle intended to shoot Oscar Grant with a gun and not a Taser.” Alameda County Superior Court Judge C. Don Clay

Yes, it’s so obvious that a Judge was willing to say that publicly. Of course this will likely cause the trial to be moved. And I’m willing to bet that the new location for the trial will be the equivalent of Simi Valley. And we all know how impartial that kind of jury pool can be.

Since I first learned of this case in January 2009, days after the murder of Grant, I have seen no reason to doubt the guilt of Mehserle. I have followed this case while the major news media has actively ignored it at every turn. I have questioned what has been done to cover-up the situation, and speculate about the cause of news media disintrest.

So far we have learned that ex-officer Mehserle initially excused his murder of Grant with a claim of an unseen, non-existent gun. Later, after time with a new lawyer and the quick cover story speculated by the Oakland Police Chief, the story became the accidental use of deadly force.

We have learned that every officer involved has (in my opinion) perjured themselves with lies of chaos and impending doom. Accusations of angry mobs rushing forward, attacks against officers, and resisting arrest have all been soundly debunked by witnesses and multiple videos of the event.

How this case has not been subject to a quick plea bargain leads me to one thought. Mehserle believes he can get off scot free.

This is even more likely if the venue is moved. It is backed up by precedence of officers across the nation being absolved of the murders of, and/or violence against, unarmed, innocent, young Black males. It is supported by a news media that has tried to actively maintain doubt, in the most of the few times the case has ever been mentioned. It is reinforced with the persistence of criminals covering their crimes with accusation of imaginary Black assailants that are readily accepted as fact by the media and most of the nation (most recently by a Pennsylvanian woman who was in Disney at the time).

That is gut-wrenching sickening. That a defendant can be guilty as sin, with more than ample proof, and the odds of gaining justice or even a semblance of punishment are maybe 60 - 40 against is unacceptable in the least. And I still get people advocating the innocence of Mehserle. I still have people that wonder and debate why African Americans across the nation fear and shun police officers. I still hear people deny the imbalance of the legal system and misrepresentation of Justice in America.

In my opinion, Mehserle is guilty of murder. Yet I still cannot be assured that he will be convicted of this obvious and insanely vicious crime. Because in the end, it was just another young innocent defenseless Black male. And in America that is the same as a deadly weapon in the hands of Osama Bin Laden. Lady Justice is weeping.

Update from Michael Vass - President of M V Consulting, Inc.

Well the first half of the year has been quite a ride so far. With the economy in the faltering status that it is life has become a bit harder for us all - if not massively so. But I continue to strive forward.

So far the VASS political blog has been completely revamped. It has undergone a complete change, now using Wordpress a clean theme and a few add-ons like a rating system for each post (found at the bottom of each post).

While it is not completely finished, each and every post and comment is being hand transfered from the old site to this new one (both are active now). I expect to announce the re-launch shortly. And new posts are already being placed on the site now (the most recent is the latest on the hearing for trial of Johannes Mehserle - who killed Oscar Grant).

In addition to revamping my political blog, there has been the photo shoot at Guys and Dolls in Endicott NY. The shoot highlighted virtually every designer clothing line found at World of Vass. You can see the models and the various lines by clicking on the links at the top of the site, and clicking the images will take you to that clothing line for purchase.

We have also added a new line of designer clothing - Wanna Score. At this moment there is just the women's fashion line, with designs for Black, White, and Hispanic women. We will be adding a complete men's fashion line of this design within days (also for Black, Hispanic, and White men). I invite you to look it over, and buy a few too.

Of course I also direct you to our advertising. We are always looking for the best, most interesting, and highest quality advertisers for our blogs. In this market, its tough. But we have one of the best entertainment blogs in the world - focusing on people of color - not to mention the recognized political blog as well. Our ad rates are superior to many, but we always will be (limited in advertising space and) selective because you our readers are as well. So check out our advertisers from time to time, I believe in their products and services, so you can too.

Another change that will be taking effect shortly is an expansion to the writing staff here and at our other blogs. In the coming months we expect to add another 3 or so writers, covering a miriad of topics. I of course will continue to write, and at the same pace as always. But it's a big world, and there are far too many things we want to bring to you our readers.

For those interested in joining the new staff of writers for Black Entertainment USA or Vass the political blog, contact me at info@vassconsult.com - subject writing staff.

For those that are interested in becoming a model for upcoming calendar, t-shirt, and other photo shoots (with noted photographers like Michael Rolston and Todd Messinger) contact me at info@vassconsult.com - subject model photo shoot.

The economy is difficult, the clients of M V Consulting, Inc. are numerous as always, and I believe in expanding no matter the climate. We will not falter as long as you, our valued readers, continue to give us your time and attention.

Always let us know what you think of the changes and inspiration we have. Feel free to comment on the posts, we value the input. We are here to provide the best service we can. Your feedback and support will ensure we do just that.

Thank you, I look forward to your continued readership.

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

ex-officer Mehserle on trial for Oscar Grant murder - justice undone

And so it begins. Almost 6 months ago to the day, the year 2009 rang to life. At almost the same time Oscar Grant’s life came to a close with a sharp bang. That bang was a gunshot through his back and into his lung. Oscar Grant was lying on the ground, possibly handcuffed, with one police officer kneeling on his neck with another standing and having shot him.

This was the cause of riots in Oakland, California. This was the start of yet another cry for justice from the Black community across the nation (a cry the major news media ignored). And it was the target, along with another murder and shooting – all by police, of multiple posts and videos by me. And I’m not done yet.

On the 26th of May, the defense for former officer Mehserle has claimed that the officers at a BART station on January 1st feared for their lives and were receiving resistance from at least Oscar Grant among 4 men detained that night. One officer has stated that Grant was grabbing her arm shortly before being shot in the back. It was stated that Grant had to be forcibly made to sit down by officers, and that he was being restrained when he was shot in the back.

Oh, and the major point that everyone has waited for the defense to say: Ex-officer Mehserle thought he had his stun gun out when he shot Oscar Grant in the back while he lay on the ground, defenseless.

This is bullshit. Not unexpected but crap from start to end.

While I cannot comment on the actions of Grant or the other men that night from before video was available, I can comment on the video before and during the time he was shot. The video that the earliest news reports denied existed. Video that was available to the world, and I featured in my posts of the event.

Here are the facts as I saw on the video. Grant was not resisting officers. Grant was on the ground, restrained and under control of an officer who was on his neck. None of the other men being detained moved. There were some 5 or 6 officers on the scene. Not one officer made a move for their guns or stun guns. None were reaching for or had out their mace/pepper spray. While the situation was loud, not one officer was moved against with aggression from the crowd on the scene. Officers did try to confiscate videos being taken of the event.

Most important is officer Mehserle. After he stands, he is alone from all other groups and officers. He takes out his gun, which is not near his stun gun, just because of this supposed occurrence. He aims for about 2 or 3 seconds, then fires.

So the actual visual record, from at least 3 video recordings of this event, all show the same thing. The officers did not have to fear for their lives. They may have been uncomfortable, but they were in no apparent danger. They were outnumbered, but they also were in force and not mobbed by a crowd. None felt the situation to be so precarious as to arm themselves.

Mehserle is the only officer to become armed. He took his time, and acted with purpose. He was seemingly in full control and was unencumbered nor rushed. He is not a rookie, and was supposedly well trained.

Grant was lying on the ground. His hands are behind his back, likely restrained. Which means this was cold-blooded murder.

The news media will likely not cover this story, just as it did not cover the initial event. There will probably be no mention of this on the national cable networks. The few stations that do cover this trial will likely take the stance that the police offered immediately after the shooting. That it was a tragic accident. The actual videos of what happened will likely not be mentioned. And the likes of Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson will remain absolutely silent.

In fact, other than a quote from the family of Grant, the existence of a video was barely mentioned in the news report by the San Fransisco Chronicle

So the average American, who probably never heard of this murder, and don’t know that video evidence of the actual shooting exists, will think that an officer in fear of his life accidentally shot a kid that was resisting arrest. Which is a lie.

And I’ll even say more on that. It’s a lie because officer Mehserle would not have quit the police force rather than go thru an internal investigation of the shooting if it was an accident. Mehserle would not have left the state prior to charges being placed against him (well over a month after the fact). News organizations would not have omitted the existence of multiple videos of the event, nor would the police have denied all but one source of video (which conveniently had the worst view of the shooting). This is a set-up. It is the means by which a former cop is being protected from the truth of his actions.

Again I tell you that I have covered this story in detail. You can see all my posts at http://blogsearch.google.com/?bl_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blackentertainmentblog.com%2F&ui=blg&as_q=grant

True justice demands that Mehserle gets the death penalty. Justice would be his imprisonment for life, and the awarding of all his possessions and funds to the Grant family (in particular to Grant’s daughter that will never see him again). But this is America. Mehserle was a police officer who killed a young Black man. Odds are that Mehserle will walk away from this with barely community service.

And people wonder why African Americans are so angry at the police and the legal system. Just imagine the press coverage, and speed this would be happening at – not to mention the ultimate outcome – if this was a Black cop that killed a young White father while he was lying on the ground defenseless. If you can imagine that, you cannot compare it to this mockery. That’s why we are angry.

But I will continue to follow this, even as the major media avoids it like the televised plague.

Phil Specter is convicted and America yawns

Phil Specter was convicted of murder today. And basically no one cares.

Think about it, an entertainer from decades ago, with an odd lifestyle, brutally murdered his girlfriend, and was engaged in a long-running court battle with high paid lawyers pulling every trick they could manage. Does this sound familiar?

It should since these are the very things that were used to describe the OJ Simpson trial. A trial that kept the nation on its tiptoes. A trial that created the largest outburst of rage since Jack Johnson won the Heavyweight title.

But Phil Specter is guilty, and no one cares. In fact few television stations or cable networks covered the story on a regular basis. And everyone should ask why.

Why is it that the brutal murder of a woman should be so unimportant? Why is there such a difference in the coverage one celebrity trial received as opposed to another? Why is there no cries of national joy with this conviction?

Because Phil Specter is not Black. It’s just that obvious and blatant. And I am disgusted by it.

I’m not defending either crime, nor whomever did it. I’m just sickened by the reaction of the nation. Because a Black man accused of a crime must be guilty. And if he escapes justice, the nation must find a way to make him pay. For the rest of his life. I mean that has been the reaction at least among the majority of White America for over a decade with OJ.

And I can only come to this conclusion by the facts at hand. No 24/7 coverage of the Specter trial. No analysis on cable news networks of the judge, the lawyers, and every piece of evidence. No national outrage as the first trial ended in a mistrial. Yes, that’s right, there have been 2 trials for this same murder. How many knew that before reading this?

Americans should be disgusted with themselves right now. Our legal system, or more accurately our manipulation of the legal system via the media, is beyond fractured and racially biased. It’s so bad that there is no way to hide it. Instead the media just ignores it, and people assume that it must be right since that’s what TV says.

There isn’t one good reason that the Phil Specter case did not get 1/10 the coverage of the OJ Simpson case, beyond race. And it’s hardly the only one. The Robert Blake case has come and gone as well, without a whisper. As have other high profile cases.

The difference is abundantly clear when you think about it. Virtually every Black entertainer and celebrity that has had a problem with the law has been lambasted by the media, and those that are White have been forgiven.

Lindsey Lohan is apparently a drunk drug addict, but she needs help. Paris Hilton is a forgetful kid going thru a phase to figure out who she is. Britney Spears is under enormous pressure and needs our support. Blake wasn’t discussed.

Yet Lil Wayne needs to be locked up. TI is going to jail where he will pay for his crimes. And so on. It’s not about the crimes, but the legal system and the media – and the bias they have.

That’s what the legal system says every day. Ex-Officer Mehserle kills an unarmed, defenseless, co-operating Oscar Grant, and he is without charges for a month (even evading investigation when he resigned from the police). Were it not for the video tape and riots, and more than just a few bloggers spreading the story, Oakland authorities likely would never have pursued the case.

But the media bent backwards to highlight only some video that made the case questionable. In fact they tried to deny the existence of evidence of the cold-blooded murder, other extended raw video, even though it was simultaneously available on Youtube.

So is the legal system biased? Oh Yeah. And is the media a willful and decisive tool in ensuring that racial bias is embedded in potential juror’s minds long before any trial? Every day.

The examples are numerous. I could keep going and going. But just go back to where I started. Phil Specter. And try to recall any detail of the case covered over the past couple of years (yep it’s been going on that long) by the media. Then compare that to your memory of the OJ trial (actually any trial of OJ will do as they all got massive media coverage).

If you don’t see the bias, I have to believe you don’t want to. Perhaps that’s the only thing worse.

Death Penalty: Is it worth having?

**Since I am redesigning VASS due to technical difficulties, I have not been able to present recent thoughts that would appear on that blog. I hope you will bear with me as I present posts that belong on that blog on this one. This is a temporary situation.**

I received an interesting notice from the NAACP today in reference to Gov. Bill Richardson and New Mexico. I had not heard about this before, but it seems that tonight Gov. Richardson will either repeal or allow the death penalty for his State. The NAACP is against the death penalty.

This is an interesting question. Is the death penalty worth having?

Well the first question for me is one that the NAACP emphasizes in its hope to repeal the law. It is disproportionately used against African Americans and Hispanics across the nation. Some 43% of those sentenced to the death penalty are people of color. That is virtually double the percentage of people of color in America.

When you consider, as I discussed in the post and comments of The most Dangerous people in America, that the single largest group of violent criminals in America are White males 18 – 25 years of age, you would expect the death penalty percentages to be different. But the fact that, as I recall, a jury is some 6x more likely to convict a person of color in a death penalty case (and higher when the victim of the crime is White) shines through and explains it all.

Even if you chose to ignore that, there is no question that people of color – especially African Americans – are more likely to be tried and convicted of any crime and sentenced more harshly. The Department of Justice figured that out. Not that any African American didn’t know it already.

So I understand the NAACP’s position. Since the legal system is skewed against people of color, and we are more likely to be victims of incarceration and death – even if innocent – it should not be allowed. And I can’t argue that feeling. It’s perfectly reasonable logic.

But I still believe in the death penalty.

Given the fact that people of color are most likely to be given this punishment. Given that the legal system is broken. Given even the thought that some have moral or religious convictions that are antithetical to this action.

But here is my problem. I do not believe that men like Jeffrey Dahmer (given a life sentence – killed in prison), Timothy McVeigh (executed in 2001), Johannes Mehserle (finally awaiting trial) should live out their lives on my dime. This is also true of crack, heroin, and meth dealers, repeat child molesters, and/or gang bangers that kill innocents in the spreading of their warped views.

Were it up to me, they all would be stuck in rooms half their size when they weren’t busy breaking boulders into tiny pebbles. Were it up to me they would be lucky to hear a radio, never mind a television.

But I am a harsh individual when it comes to those that prey upon society. Many would find my forms of punishment far too brutal, perhaps even torturous. Thus my option is to have them killed. DNA and other absolute proof provided beforehand as a requirement, never on the sole evidence of an eyewitness. But then once there is no longer reasonable doubt, death.

Given the choice of spending $30,000 a year (more than the average American makes in a year) to imprison one of these men for life or killing them I choose the death penalty. If it takes 10 years for all doubt to be removed it cost $300,000 plus another $300 or so in electricity cost (less if you use a firing squad – which can be automated). If you take the average serial killer, a White male about 30 – 40 years old, a life sentence equates to some $900,000 before they die. Possibly more.

So the cost is cheaper to kill them.

Morally is a tougher thought. Though I find it reprehensible that a repeat child molester or a crack dealer, as examples, who can cause irreparable harm to (and possibly lead to the death of) tens if not hundreds of people should come to the end of their lives relatively peacefully in prison – while watching a rerun of Seinfeld. That’s atrocious to me.

So yes the problem is the manner in which the death penalty is applied, and moreso the need to fix the biased and unjust legal system. But those are problems separate of the people that mandated the existence of the death penalty in the first place.

I would not spare the life of a mass murderer because some are squeamish. I would not spare a crack dealer that actively poisoned hundreds just to get a ghettofabulous set of clothes because some are uncomfortable. Think of how uncomfortable the victims of these types of criminals must feel. Think of how squeamish the families felt at seeing loved ones dead body.

Is the death penalty a perfect punishment? No. But there is neither perfect justice nor legal system. Yet when applied properly it is an eye for an eye, and that is the basis of all laws and justice when you think about it.

The argument I think the NAACP and others against the death penalty should be making is one where the ultimate punishment is applied appropriately. Evenhanded in the manner and type of people that receive it. If there is to be a change in the death penalty in New Mexico, or anywhere in the U.S., that is the direction that energy and time should be dedicated to.

But that is my opinion. Let me know what you think. And if you wish, pass this on to Gov. Richardson. I would love to know his position to my thoughts.

An update from Michael Vass - President of M V Consulting, Inc.

Hello everyone.

I just wanted to take a moment to discuss what is currently going on with M V Consulting, Inc. these days. As many of my long-time readers are aware, we are constantly trying new ideas and working behind the HTML to provide the best expereince possible to our visitors. While the current economic crisis has made several things more difficult, we have not stopped in that movement forward.

In particular, some may have noticed that there have not been updates at the VASS political blog in a while. That is not because I have have stopped writting on the subject. In fact I have been discussing various aspects of the economy, stock market, Obama Administration, stimulus package and more.

There has been a technical difficulty on that blog, and as such we are in the process of moving it. The web address will remain http://www.mvass..com, but you will soon see that the platform is very different. We will be using the popular Wordpress platform, and with that change will come a new look for the site. I ask that you bear with us and check back for an update on the status of that redesign.

Those that have visited our online store will note that there have been several new clothing designs since the new year started. A couple of those clothing designs are to address the on-going trend (as I see it) of police murders and abuse of power. This may be most notable in the deaths of Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, Adoplh Grimes, and many others.



But in addition to those t-shirts, there are also several other designs from my latest graphic designer Heidi Baker. That includes the Wanna Ride (male and female versions), Respect My Mind, Fluffy and Loveable and other designs. And more designs are coming soon. Also, new versions of some of the older designs will be forth coming to include Asian consumers. As always, our goal is to be inclusive, not exclusive.

Another related item that is capturing a bit of my time is an upcoming photo shoot near the end of this month. We have several models in place to highlight multiple t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other designer goods found in our online store. We are planning to add several more calendars (male and female) and model foucused items in the near future as well.

Any models that are interested in the details can contact us at info@vassconsult.com to learn more.

Normally around this time of year I like to ask my visitors to help me contribute to a various charity. Given the nature of the economy I will not ask readers this year. Instead I will be making one or more donations, on or about my birthday, which I will post as usual.

You can also look forward to interviews with Dennis Dortch (director of A Good Day to Be Black and Sexy) and Tim Alexander (director of Diary of a Tired Black Man). Currently both interviews are being transcribed, and once done will be posted. But I recommend both movies, which are now out on DVD.

There is also a review of the book Picking Cotton, the real-life story of Ronald Cotton who was wrongly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit and Jennifer Thompson-Cannino who wrongly identified him for the crime. I will be posting my thoughts on the issue and the book shortly.

But obviously the economic environment has affected M V Consulting, like it has everyone else. So there has been a lot more work going on for our clients. This has reduced the time we have to write our posts. Thus we have slowed from 5 - 7 posts a day, to 2 - 5. We will always strive to provide our content on a regular basis, but far more important is that we will always only provide quality.

I would rather we say less, if it means more.

And of course we are continuing to seek out advertisers that wish to provide quality products to the tens of thousands of visitors in all the 125+ nations that visit our sites each month. Potential advertisers can see out rates, and/or contact us at info@vassconsult.com for more details. But never fear as we will limit the number of ads to prevent clutter as much as possible.

In all we are moving forward. The economic crisis is daunting, but we are secure and well positioned.

Lastly, I want to thank you for your time and continued support. Whether its a purchase from our online store, checking out one of our advertiser's sites, commenting on or just reading our posts, it is your involvement that has made this site so popular. That is why we at M V Consulting, Inc. are so dedicated to provide you the best experience we can.

Sincerely

Michael Vass
President - M V Consulting, Inc.
Info@vassconsult.com

A discussion of police, race, America, and what to do

This will be in 2 parts. I hope you read it all.

A friend of mine recently contacted me about news of Robbie Tolan. While listening to a NYC sports radio program he learned of the shooting that happened on January 1st of this year. He knew that this is an issue I am deeply concerned about and wanted to make sure I was aware of it.

I clarified that I was aware of the Robbie Tolan police shooting, as well as of Adolph Grimes and Oscar Grant's murder on the same day. My friend had not heard of the Grimes case, and was vaguely familiar with the Grant case. Which is sad since we are nearly 3 months after the facts, but the blame for that I place on the major news media.

Now my friend informed me about the radio broadcast. He told me how the radio DJ reamed a caller who blatantly took the side of the police in this matter, on the basis that the victims were Black. The caller felt that alone justified the use of deadly force - on an unarmed Black male in his driveway that was co-operating with police and I emphasize unarmed.

This made my friend ask the question; what can be done to prevent this from happening again?

My thought on this goes to what I believe is one of the biggest factors in this issue - communication. At this moment most of America is unaware of events of police brutality and overkill against Black males (not to mention Latino/Hispanics and other people of color). I have found that often many side with the police, without ever knowing any of the facts. And the news media is reluctant to display or report these actions - though they are expedient to portray African Americans as criminals at almost every turn.

Thus I feel America must talk about this. Talk about the fact that these "isolated" events are in fact tied together and a pattern. Talk about what is the cause of these issues, and why the news media prefers to mold stereotypes about people of color.

Now my friend does not agree with me on all points of this. He feels that the media is more or less fair. He pointed out the number of African Americans that can be found on any day in various media.

I countered with the fact that 95% of all television and/or films ignore the existence of people of color. And for a majority of the time that they are provided a chance to appear onscreen they are portrayed as violent and criminals. My friend thought this was inaccurate. When I provided the fact that this is based on NAACP studies (most recently as of this year) and my own experiments done and reported over the last 3 years I have been writing this blog, he questioned the veracity of the NAACP findings and assured me that today you could turn on the television and not see Blacks as criminals on any of the broadcast programs (or at least the majority of those shows).

He went on to state that African Americans are not all just portrayed as criminals anymore. He pointed to Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Samuel Jackson as examples. But I pointed out that while in the last decade they have improved their stature, virtually all major African American actors had to start their careers as criminals or antagonists before they could become anything else. Samuel Jackson came to be known for his portrayal as a crackhead, Lawrence Fishburn played thugs (a la King of New York) before moving on in his adult career, Wesley Snipes had to portray a drug kingpin, Chris Rock was a crackhead, and so on.

Now my friend countered that not all Black actors have had to have this kind of start. And that I was unfair because this was like saying that DeNiro and Pacino were negatives since they played gangsters to start their careers. Which is not the same as there were dozens of films at the same time, and multiple characters in the same films that were showing an opposite and positive image for Whites. The effect is not the same, the same impression is not being made. When you primarily are shown one facet of a people, if they are shown, then people tend to believe it is true over time.

But we felt that this was a digression from the main point. Which I felt was that to have things change we must delve into the fact that there is a problem. That police wantonly abuse their power without reason, and the media covers for them in these cases.

Continued in part 2...

Forbes recognizes the obvious about Will Smith and people of color

Oh how shocking. Will Smith is the most bankable entertainer in Hollywood. With the record for the most movies grossing over $100 million in a row, who could have guessed?

Honestly I am not amazed. But I really hope that the executives in Hollywood are paying attention to the numbers. Because it flies in the face of the notion that

“American audiences want to only watch people similar to themselves.”

That is the industry code words for the functional equivalent of “White only” - to me - which is present in the overwhelming number of television shows, movies, and even work behind the camera.

In fact, according to Forbes, the top of the Star Currency list includes Denzel Washington at number 8. On the Celebrity 100 list the start is with Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods. That list goes on to include Beyonce Knowles and Jay-z in the top 10.

Yet for all of that, and the many other people of color that made each of the lists, Hollywood avoids us. Which is odd for an industry that is best known for copying anything that is successful to death.

Just look at the 30 remakes that are going to hit screens or announced so far in 2009. Look at all the copycat stories that fill the television screens and theaters; they even copycat success from other countries (Life on Mars, Leverage, Bangkok Dangerous, ect.). And there is hardly any escape from some form of reality programming on every network including cable television. There are few original ideas in the industry, especially over the last decade or so. Except if it involves people of color. Then there are really none.

Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Samuel Jackson, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy are the key male African Americans that fill screens and bring in revenue. Halle Berry and Queen Latifah are the Black female counterparts. Several of them have been doing so for decades. Yet Hollywood ignores the majority of Black actors, preferring to fill the ranks of new actors with virtually only White faces. And it’s not because there is a lack of a potential pool of actors to select from.

Television shows like the Cosby Show, A Different World, My Wife and Kids, The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire dominated the small screen. And once they were off the air nothing even close replaced them. The various networks didn’t even try to copy the shows.

It’s not that I expect every show to have people of color in them. I don’t want to see a television schedule of crap that is made to have people of color fill the screens and then be rejected with a casual ‘well we tried.’ But to honestly expect that in the 21st century, as people are declaring the era of “post-racial America”, we see almost the same number of African Americans, Latino/Hispanics, Asians and so on in any medium you wish to chose as were around in the 70’s. It’s deplorable.

Perhaps I wouldn’t get as upset if other aspects of the media were better. But news media still loves to depict people of color as violent and guilty of any wrong-doing or lack of success whenever a video is needed. And it is conspicuously remiss in reporting any news event that identifies people of color as victims of crimes via police brutality or other circumstance.

Just look around for the coverage of Oscar Grant, Adolph Grimes, or Robbie Tolan. All you will see is continuing coverage of Casey Anthony and the Petersen case in Ohio. Or how about the last time you saw national attention of a Black child that was missing?

But at least Forbes is taking notice that America loves it’s celebrities and entertainers of color as much as anyone else. Hopefully one day Forbes might just get involved in entertainment and things will improve. Or the racially blind execs in Hollywood will be replaced by open minded people. If only.

Police, murder, African Americans. Never Again. Stop The Game

In 1946, in Georgia, a mob lynched 4 Black men. That event led to the desegregation of the military, and arguably set the stage for the Civil Rights Movement.

In 1981, in Alabama, Michael McDonald was randomly selected and lynched.

In 1998 James Byrd Jr. was dragged to death in Texas.

These were horrible acts of violence. Thankfully in each case some degree of justice was enacted. But these are not isolated events. And they are reinforced by actions of a group in America that should never be tolerated. Police officers.

There is a pattern in America that has been accepted and hidden by the news media for far too long. In each occurrence it is passed off as an individual act and unrelated. I disagree. I believe we need to bring these connected events to light.



In 1991 Rodney King was beaten by 4 officers with excessive force. This was one of the first times such an action by police was seen by the public, as the event had been videotaped by a bystander. Even with this evidence a jury essentially slapped the wrists of the officers involved. This lead to riots in 1992.

Since that time several other events have been video taped with the media less willing to give it public attention. One of the most recent was the execution-style murder of Oscar Grant, in Oakland California on New Years Day 2009.

The killing of Grant was witnessed by at least a dozen witnesses. Grant was unarmed, on the ground face down, with an officer on his back, and was not resisting arrest. He was shot 1 time in the back at point blank range, killing him. The entire incident, some 4 minutes long, was caught on multiple cameras. It took 14 days for the officer firing the shot to be charged with a crime. The incident reached the national media 2x (an ABC news 30 second video clip and the opening memo on the O’Reilly Factor), both focused on the riots that occurred a week after the event.

On that same day, Robbie Tolan was shot in his driveway, while on the ground, in Texas. Robbie Tolan has been a minor league baseball player, was unarmed, and coming home from getting fast food when he was confronted by police. He currently has a bullet lodged in his liver. The officer in question has not been charged to date, though an investigation appears to still be underway.

Again on that same day, in New Orleans, Adolph Grimes was shot at 48 times, and struck 14, by 9 police officers. 12 of the 14 shots struck Grimes in the back. There is no clear explanation of why Grimes was shot at, or how he was struck so many times in the back. At this time no charges are pending any officer involved, though an investigation is said to be underway.

In 2008, Philadelphia, 19 police officers surround and beat 3 men. The officers believed the men might have been suspects from a shooting earlier that night. The men, not resisting arrest and unarmed, are kicked and beaten while lying on the ground. The result of this unquestionable act of police brutality enacted on African Americans is 4 officers fired, 3 suspended, and 1 demotion. No charges were brought.

Sean Bell, and 2 other passengers in his car, were shot at 51 times in NYC in 2006 by 5 police officers. None of the men were armed. Sean Bell died, the other surviving men were critically wounded at the time. None of the police officers were found guilty of wrong-doing.

Also in 2006, in Atlanta, Kathryn Johnston (age 92) was shot by 3 officers and killed. The officers entered the home with a no-knock warrant – prying off burglar alarms and breaking down the door - Johnston fired a shotgun once in the ceiling. No officer was injured by Johnston. Police fired 39 shots and hit Johnston 6 times. A failed cover-up of the incident included false claims of Johnston being a drug dealer. It was later proven that the Atlanta police routinely lied to get warrants All 3 officers that shot Johnston have been found guilty.

In 2005, in New Orleans, Robert Davis was beaten by 4 officers (2 of which were in fact federal agents). This incident was videotaped by the Associated Press, during which one of the newsmen was physically assaulted for videotaping the event. The federal agents were never charged. 2 officers were fired and 1 received a 120 suspension. 1 officer was cleared of all charges by a judge.

In 2004, NYC, Timothy Stansbury Jr. opened a rooftop door and was shot and killed by a police officer. He was unarmed. The shooting violated police procedure. The officer was never charged.

In 2001, in Ohio, Timothy Thomas was shot and killed by a police officer. The initial statement by the officer was that his gun accidentally went off. He then later stated that Thomas, wanted on non-violent charges, had a gun. He later revised the statement that he believed Thomas was reaching for a gun. Thomas in fact was unarmed, and is believed to have been holding up his baggy pants. The officer was not charged.

In 1999, in NYC, Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times by 4 police officers outside of his home. He was unarmed. At least one of the shots to Diallo was fired through the bottom of his foot, meaning he was lying on the ground when the shot was fired. None of the police officers involved were found to have committed a crime.

1998, in New Jersey, State police officers fired 11 shots at Danny Reyes and 3 passengers in the van. 3 of the men in the van, including Reyes, were shot. Reyes was hit 4 times, and was unarmed, as were all the men in the vehicle. All the men were on the way to professional basketball tryouts in North Carolina. The State troopers were charged with attempted murder after having initial charges dropped by lower court. I am unaware of any trial date having been set or occurring to date.

In 1997, in New York City, 4 officers arrested Abner Louima on questionable charges at an incident not originally involving him. When Louima was brought to the police station the officers proceeded to beat Louima with fists, nightsticks, police radios, and then sodomized him with a plunger. The entire event was attempted to be covered up by multiple police officers in the police station. 2 officers received time in jail, 3 other officers had convictions overturned and never served time.



I mention all of these events for 1 reason. They are not separate. They are all related. This is a pattern that has been occurring since before the 20th century started. It happens across the nation. And it could happen to your brother, sister, mother, father, children or yourself.

Police officers are routinely given carte blanche to violently act against African Americans without cause. Even when that action results in death, or extreme unjustifiable violence and torture, police are routinely excused.

The media almost invariably ignores these events. Even when presented with evidence from independent sources. Right this second more people in America know of the Florida Caylee Anthony case than all of the above cases (with the exception of perhaps the Rodney King event). While the Anthony case is horrendous, it is an individual act – reported on for a year – whereas we have a pattern of systemic abuse of power allowed by the legal system that remains virtually unseen. And it is anyone’s guess how many other cases of a similar nature occur and are not reported on.

This is unacceptable. This is wrong. We cannot allow this to continue.





The news media must live to its obligation to report on patterns that violate the rights and lives of American citizens. The news media is not an entertainment program, nor does it have the right to ignore facts that affect a huge segment of the nation while trying to garner ad revenue.

The police are employed to protect the rights of all the people. While many do this every day successfully, there are more than enough officers that do not. For every case resulting in the unwarranted death of an unarmed African American how many more cases of lesser violence slip thru the cracks? For every case of violence that catches the local (almost never national) attention how many are unreported, or successfully covered up?

We may never know. Especially if this is allowed to be viewed as individual events that are unrelated. Especially if we cloud our eyes to the fact that officers in these events are routinely placed back on the street, and inevitably train future officers the tactics and mentality they employ.

We need to wake up America. We need to shed light on this subject. We need to make people aware of the danger that exists. Because if 1 Black man can be shot at 51 times without question or repercussion, any man woman or child in the nation could be next.

I present this clothing line, found at www.cafepress.com/nova68, with one thought in mind. Attention to the wrong that is happening right now, in this “post-racial” America. Police cannot murder innocents without concern if they know they will be punished for it. Police departments will not abide criminals wearing a badge if they know that they have the support of the public.

I cannot say that the Never Again, or Stop The Game, clothing lines will prevent another Abner Louima, Kathryn Johnston, or Oscar Grant – but if enough of us have this, wear this in public, open the debate and thus increase awareness it just might. If enough of us can wear this, and it starts people noticing the obvious connected pattern of abuse and death things can be changed. And that change could save the life of a child, a father, a family. This change could save you.

Isn’t that worth it?