How Michael Got Gangsta With Sony Music Over Black Music & Racism

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How Michael Got Gangsta With Sony Music Over Black Music

Michael Jackson was not as timid as one might think when it came to doing battle with the industry. Not too many people wanna talk about his battle with Sony Music

This is what I liked about Michael Jackson. Call him weird, call him eccentric, but the man was no dummy and he would step if needed to.. I am including a story we ran the day after Michael Jackson was in Harlem where he called out Tommy Mottola and Sony Music. He said Mottola was a racist which was bold  given that at the time Motola was one of the industry’s most powerful executives in the industry..

This is the article that we  ran in June 2002 in my FNV Newsletter

-Davey D-

SHARPTON, COCHRAN & MJ GEAR UP TO BATTLE MUSIC BIZ!

The article below is reprinted with permission from  Ayana Soyini asoyini@khamouflage.com who documented this historic event which originally appeared on the website http://www.goldeneyesonline.com. The new website is Khamouflage Productions www.khamouflage.com

PLEASE FORWARD TO FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COLLEAGUES…
PASS THE WORD ALONG TO STAY INFORMED!

http://www.daveyd.com/fnvjuly112002.html

Greetings: On Tuesday July 9, 2002 I attended a music industry summit
in Harlem at the headquarters of the National Action Network.  The
Summit was called by Rev.  Dr.  Al Sharpton, Johnny Cochran, Michael
Jackson and many other prominent people in the entertainment, legal,
and political activist communities.  Contrary to what some of the
media has been reporting, the Summit was not solely for the airing of
grievances by Michael Jackson.  As you may or may not know, Michael
recently said some very candid, open and straightforward comments
about the historical racism and economic disparity that is prevalent
in the music industry.  This has been extremely detrimental,
specifically to the African-American community who has historically
been at the forefront of innovation in America.  One cannot talk about
the history of the United States without talking about the
contributions African-Americans have made.  Most notably, all
recognized popular American musical art forms have been created and
developed first from within the African-American community (i.e.
Blues, Jazz, Hip Hop, R&B, Soul etc…)

Our music was often called “race music” by white Americans to
highlight the fact that as a people, the African-American experience
is unique and our expressions culturally rich.  Let me emphasize once
again that the focus of this Summit was not on Michael Jackson.  No.
The focus of this Summit was on calling attention to the historically
corrupt, exploitative and one-sided business dealings perpetuated by
the music industry.  The focus was on what particular strategies can
be implemented to end the injustice.

Let me clear up some of the inaccurate reporting being done by the
larger media outlets.

THE LIES: Michael Jackson is disgruntled because his last musical
project “Invincible” only sold 2 million copies and he is desperately
trying to save his career.

THE TRUTH: Michael informed the audience that Invincible has actually
sold 10 MILLION copies worldwide to date and he is personally
satisfied with the numbers.

THE LIES: Michael has gone crazy and this is just another “bizarre
publicity stunt” to call attention to himself.

THE TRUTH: The larger media outlets have always been fond of attacking
him at random.  Michael was in Harlem just 7 weeks ago along side the
likes of former President Bill Clinton at a fundraiser for the
Democratic National Committee and the larger media outlets called him
an ICON then.  Why is he “Wacko Jacko” now for bringing up some very
real issues that directly impact peoples lives?

THE LIES: The idea that racism and economic disparity exists in the
music industry is farfetched considering the success of certain
individual artists and people like Will Smith, Mariah Carey, Sean “P
Diddy” Combs etc…

THE TRUTH: There are absolutely no Black owned public relations firms,
travel agencies, advertising agencies etc…  that have contracts with
any of the major corporate labels.  If $20 million dollars is being
spent on marketing and promotion of an African-American artist or
someone doing a recognized African-American art form, then why have
the talents of African-American business men and women been overlooked
and not deployed to help facilitate the process?  Are African-American
businesses unable to effectively market, promote and work in tandem
with any of the major labels?  With African-American consumers making
up a large percentage of the buying public through our extensive
spending power, how much of the monies generated from successful
commercial endeavors pushed by the music industry goes back into
African-American neighborhoods?  For every Will Smith who has
generated tons of income for his employers you have a multitude of
artists stuck in unfair contracts that find them in debt to their
label for expensive which they have no control or say of.

THE LIES: Many African-Americans in the music industry do not support
this cause.

THE TRUTH: This has been a long-standing concern in the
African-American community.  A broad based coalition has already been
mobilized.  Some of the supporters who were in attendance included:

Londel McMillan – the legal mastermind who helped Prince free himself
from a horrible contract with Warner Bros.  He also represents the
Artist Empowerment Coalition which includes members such as Stevie
Wonder & Chaka Khan.

Terrie Williams – founded the Terrie Williams Agency in 1988 and is
recognized as one of the top public relations and communications
firms.  She has written a number of best-selling books and has a
client roster which includes Fortune 500 companies.

Dave Mays – founder of The Source magazine.  One of the more popular
and influential publications geared towards Hip Hop music, culture and
politics.

James Mtume – Musician and Producer extraordinaire as well as a
longtime community activist and spokesperson.

Shakim Compere – Manager of Queen Latifah and Flavor Unit Enterprises.

David Patterson – New York State Senator.

Doug E.  Fresh – longtime Hip Hop entertainer and grassroots community
activist.

Also in attendance were reps from National Music Distribution, family
members of W.C.  Handy (credited with pioneering Blues music), the
daughter of Otis Blackwell (the man responsible for writing many of
the hit records for Elvis Presley) and many others just too numerous
to mention.  The room was packed and the media turnout was extensive.
There are many who support the issues being discussed and are
committed to lending support whether quietly behind the scenes or by
more visible and public actions.  Look for a possible Class Action
Lawsuit to be filed as well as an upcoming meeting being called with
the heads of the 5 major distributors and their respective label heads
(i.e..  Tommy Mottola, Clive Davis, Doug Morris etc…).

In closing, please don’t believe the false hype and negative media
propaganda tactics deployed by the larger communications outlets.
They are only presenting distorted facts in an effort to discredit
what is credible.  They are trying to put the emphasis on a few people
(i.e..  Michael Jackson…  who happens to be the best selling artist
of all time and has generated BILLIONS of dollars) to fool you into
believing that this issue is irrelevant and inconsequential to the
lives of the everyday person.  If you have any sort of conscious or
soul, please don’t make snap judgments as to the motives of this
movement and the people who are spearheading it.  It is really the tip
of the iceberg of a long overdue need to reform how big business
operates in the United States and globally.  It is also tied into the
growing Reparations Movement that has also attracted many heavy
hitters (i.e..  Russell Simmons).  It is time for this generation to
pick up the torch and continue to build on what our ancestors have
accomplished so far.  As Dr.  Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently
stated, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.  Thank
you for reading and Blessed Love!!

Ayana Soyini, CEO Goldeneyes Entertainment
http://www.goldeneyesonline.com http://www.ayanasoyini.com
PLEASE FORWARD TO FRIENDS, FAMILY AND COLLEAGUES…
PASS THE WORD ALONG TO STAY INFORMED!

Below is a video we attached where, Jackson speaks before a crowd in London and explains whats really cracking off. He starts speaking about 3 minutes into this 9 minute video..

Below is an article where long time activist Dick Gregory

Dick Gregory’s Comments On Michael Jackson
By Bakari Akil II

 

http://politicalpalace.yuku.com/forum/viewtopic/id/4626 

 

Dick Gregory spoke about sinister forces at work trying to undermine Michael once he took on these record labels

Dick Gregory, activist, health guru, ex-comedian as well as advisor to many influential people is a man who has been a mainstay in American culture for decades. As a friend to Michael Jackson for many years he offered insight to the current situation involving Mr. Jackson and provided a perspective that has not been evident in many media outlets.

On a radio show entitled Make it Plain, hosted by WOL’s Mark Thompson in Washington, D.C., Dick Gregory stated in response to the mad media frenzy and tilt toward guilt coverage, that those who believe in Michael Jackson’s guilt or innocence should first ask for truth to be exposed. Whether it is damaging for Michael Jackson or not, he insisted that truth is the most important aspect of this issue.

However, Mr. Gregory does not believe that Mr. Jackson is guilty of the
charges and raised many questions concerning the events leading up to the actions of law enforcement and consequent media coverage. He asked why was it necessary for 40 police officers and 20 FBI agents to raid Michael Jackson’s property. More specifically, why were FBI agents present, especially since the allegations against Mr.Jackson are not a federal offense?

He also questioned the legitimacy of the claim of law enforcement that they did not know of Mr. Jackson’s whereabouts and the timing of the raid.  According to Mr. Gregory, there is a monetary element to this entire situation. He states that Michael Jackson purchased the Beatles catalog for nearly $48 million and it is now worth $1.5 billion. He also owns the rights to the Elvis catalog and found out after his purchase of the Beatles collection that these rights also included ownership of Little Richard’s catalog of which, Michael Jackson promptly called Mr. Richard and returned it to him.

His suspicions arise from the fact that Michael Jackson has taken out loans and his lenders wanted collateral, which was none other than his Beatles catalog. Mr. Gregory stated that Michael Jackson did not mind offering that up as collateral because every time he would come out with a record he would make around $500 million from his efforts. For those who doubt those claims, he explained that there is a mischaracterization that occurs when
people think about what is success for Michael Jackson. Although he  different. He also admonished the audience not to forget that Michael Jackson embarrassed SONY and music mogul Tommy Mottola when he claimed that they were racist and that they took advantage of and mistreated Black artists.

Not holding anything back, Mr. Gregory stated that Rev. Al Sharpton, who came to the defense of Michael Jackson during this time was soon
overwhelmed by media coverage of a video tape which showed individuals attempting to frame him in a drug deal.
He went even further stating that this type of behavior could be traced to Bill Cosby and the suspicious murder of his son Ennis, who was gunned down while changing the tire of his Mercedes on a California highway. He claims that this happened after Mr. Cosby hinted that he wanted to purchase NBC when it was up for sale.

Dick Gregory also alleged that when they showed Michael Jackson in
handcuffs, it was symbolic and when they handcuffed him, they handcuffed us all (Black communities). He stated that they allowed Mr. Jackson to board his private plane in Las Vegas, fly back to California and then handcuffed him and immediately took them off when inside the police station. According to Mr. Gregory, law enforcement had not judged him an extreme flight risk if they let him fly in and obviously not a danger if they immediately uncuffed him once inside, so why the posturing?

Mr. Gregory further intensified his discourse by reiterating that the value of Michael Jackson’s catalog cannot be underestimated and asserted that Mr. Jackson could easily be killed, have it consequently ruled a suicide and thus his collection will be forfeited in lieu of his debt.

He further commented that people such as Liz Taylor, whom he knows Michael would rush to their aid in times of need, have not come to his defense or spoke out on his behalf. He also talked about how many people take “Michael” for a joke, yet he is very intelligent and that he knows what is going on.

Yet for all his concerns, Dick Gregory stated that Michael Jackson will
“come out clean” in this dilemma and he called for people to say a daily
prayer for the “truth to come out” about this situation concerning Mr.
Jackson at 12:00 P.M., no matter what the time zone. He believes,
ultimately, people will be shocked at what that truth is.

In the final analysis, many may balk at the comments and observations of Mr. Gregory, believing that governmental officials, media organizations and corporations in the music business may be beyond collusion or conspiracies (when two or more make a conscious effort to bring about a certain reality), which is fine. Yet, free and independent thought that Mr. Gregory exhibits is absolutely necessary, especially in an era where fact and fiction has taken an equal seat in mainstream media and thought.

 Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

 

Minnesota court rules Democrat Al Franken won Senate seat

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Minnesota court rules Democrat Al Franken won Senate seat

Al Franken

MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of a tight U.S. Senate race over Republican Norm Coleman, which should give Democrats the 60-seat majority they need to overcome procedural obstacles and push through their agenda.

Coleman has said in published reports he is unlikely to appeal the state court’s decision to the federal courts. Under state law, the court’s decision gives Franken the right to occupy the seat, which has been up for grabs since last November’s election.

Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty has said he will certify the election winner based on what the state court decides.

If the decision holds up, Democrats will control 60 of the 100 Senate seats — enough to overcome Republican procedural roadblocks in a clear boost to President Barack Obama‘s agenda.

Democrats hold a solid majority in the U.S. House.

However, Senate Democrats may not be able to count on Arlen Specter’s vote. Specter, a former Republican from Pennsylvania, switched parties in April but has said he will vote his own way and not necessarily along party lines.

The Minnesota contest has seen several switches. Coleman, seeking a second term, held a razor-thin lead after the November 4 election over Franken, a well known satirist and a former writer and actor for the popular Saturday Night Live television show.

But the close vote triggered an automatic recount of the 2.4 million ballots cast for the two men, and Franken edged to a 225-vote lead. That result was challenged by Coleman, and a judicial panel agreed to add only a few hundred previously rejected absentee ballots. That tally expanded Franken’s lead to 312 votes.

(Reporting by Todd Melby and Andrew Stern)

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

 

Cynthia Mckinney Kidnapped & Detained by Israeli Government-Free Cynthia McKinney

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Green Party: President Obama and the US State Dept. must demand release of Cynthia McKinney and 20 other human rights activists on Free Gaza relief boat seized by Israeli gunboats
• The Free Gaza’s ‘Spirit of Humanity’ was delivering medical and other supplies following Obama’s call for relief to wartorn Gaza; the boat was in international waters

 WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders are calling on the White House and US State Department to intervene and demand the immediate release of 21 human rights activists, including former US Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire, who were taken prisoner by the Israeli navy after gunboats surrounded and seized the Free Gaza Movement relief boat ‘Spirit of Humanity’ on Monday.
“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us.  Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip,” said Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party’s 2008 candidate for President of the United States.  “President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what we tried to do.  We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”
Read Cynthia McKinney’s latest statement here: http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/hope-fleet-news/970-call-off-your-attack-dogs-cynthia-mckinney
Ms. McKinney had earlier sent appeals to President Obama and the State Department for assurances of protection for the relief mission.  The Spirit of Humanity was sailing in international waters when it was seized.  Greens stressed that the relief boat represents no threat to Israel and must be allowed to continue its voyage to Gaza.
For more information and updates, see the Free Gaza Movement web site (http://www.freegaza.org), including the latest release on the seizure of the relief boat (http://www.freegaza.org/en/home/hope-fleet-news/976-israel-attacks-justice-boat-kidnaps-human-rights-workers-confiscates-medicine-toys-and-olive-trees).
For communications and updates from Cynthia McKinney, visit her Green Party page (http://www.gp.org/cynthia/index.php) and blog (http://dignity.ning.com).
The Spirit of Humanity was carrying medical supplies, cement, olive trees, and children’s toys to Gaza after the Israeli invasion in December and January damaged or destroyed 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties and 200 schools damaged or destroyed, 39 mosques, and two churches.  The supplies were confiscated by the Israeli navy.
The Green Party of the United States condemned the invasion and massacre of Palestinians and has endorsed the call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel until the Israeli government guarantees full human rights, including political rights and democracy, for all Palestinians and non-Jewish Israelis.

 

MORE INFORMATION
Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
• Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections
• International Committee of the Green Party: http://www.gp.org/committees/intl
Green Party releases:
• “Breaking news: Cynthia McKinney aboard detained Free Gaza Movement relief boat,” June 25, 2009 http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=228
• “Greens join Global Day of Action for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions on March 30 to end the Israeli occupation,” March 26, 2009 http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=192
• “Green Party: Israel-Palestine truce must include end of Israeli occupation and observance of international law or violence is likely to resume,” January 19, 2009 http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=169
2009 Annual National Meeting of the Green Party, Durham, NC, July 23-26 http://www.gp.org/2009-ANM
• North Carolina page http://ncgreenparty.org/2009-ANM.html
• Media credentialing page http://www.gp.org/forms/media
Green Pages, Vol. 13, No. 1
The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog

 

EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION
Against Israeli Piracy & Kidnapping
Free Cynthia McKinney and all kidnapped human rights workers!

WEDNESDAY 4-6 PM

at the

ISRAELI MISSION
800 Second Avenue
(Second Avenue @ 43rd St.)

Last night, Israeli Occupation Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, abducting 21 human rights workers from 11 countries, including Noble laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. The passengers and crew are being forcibly dragged toward Israel.

The seizure of humanitarian supplies and abduction of human rights workers is an act of piracy, a crime under international law.  When the boat was attacked, it was not in Israeli waters and was on a human rights mission to Gaza.  Israel’s deliberate and premeditated attack on an unarmed boat in international waters is a clear violation of international law.  Join us tomorrow from 4 to 6 pm at the Israeli Mission to demand an immediate and unconditional release of the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, all 21 human rights workers, and the humanitarian supplies.

According to an International Committee of the Red Cross report released yesterday, the Palestinians living in Gaza are “trapped in despair.” Thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed earlier during Israel’s December/January massacre are still without shelter despite pledges of almost $4.5 billion in aid, because Israel refuses to allow cement and other building material into the Gaza Strip. The report also notes that hospitals are struggling to meet the needs of their patients due to Israel’s disruption of medical supplies.
Let the Humanitarian Aid through!
Free Cynthia McKinney and all kidnapped human rights workers!
Stop the blockade of Gaza!

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

 

~ END ~

 

Vibe Magazine Shuts Down

 

By Houston Williams

VIBE magazine has shut down.

The magazine was launched in 1993 by music industry legend Quincy Jones and it served as as widely revered urban magazine.

Several sources verified the closing and a message on twitter also indicated the closure. The magazine said, “Thanks for everything.”

A statement is expected to be released by the end of the business on Tuesday.

In the 90′s, VIBE experienced meteoric success as a business and an outlet for urban journalism. It has ailed under the ownership of private equity firm Wicks Group of Companies, AOL reported.

The magazine had seen a dramatic reduction in ad pages and circulation. Earlier this year, employees were put on a four-day workweek and other cuts were made such as scaling back to 10 issues per year.

There is speculation that the magazine will transform into an online-only entity.

Calls for comment were not immediately returned.

source: http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2009/06/30/21724506.aspx

Return to Davey D”s Hip Hop Corner

 

White Cop Calls Oscar Grant a ‘Bitch Ass Nigger’ -Moments Before He was Shot

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(06-28) 17:20 PDT – Overlooked in the court hearing that ended in former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle being ordered tried for murder in the slaying of Oscar Grant was testimony about another officer’s explosive outburst just 30 seconds before Grant was shot.

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Matier & Ross

• BART ‘N-word’ bombshell waiting to go off 06.28.09

More Matier & Ross »

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One of the videos made by riders at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland early New Year’s Day caught Officer Tony Pirone standing over the prone Grant and yelling, “Bitch-ass n-.”

Pirone and his attorney say he was parroting an epithet that Grant first hurled at him – though Grant’s voice is not audible on the tape.

The sound-enhanced tape shows Pirone delivering a shoulder chop to Grant and bringing him to the ground. Pirone can be heard saying twice, “Bitch-ass n-, right?”

Prosecutors showed the tape in court on the last day of Mehserle’s preliminary hearing, but the headlines went to the judge’s decree hours later that there was enough evidence to send Mehserle to trial for murder.

Under questioning from Mehserle’s attorney Michael Rains, Pirone insisted it was Grant who had first “called me a bitch-ass n-.”

Asked if he had repeated the slur to Grant, Pirone testified: “I don’t remember, but it very well may have happened.”

“Is that something you would have initiated on your own, calling him names?” Rains asked.

“No, I don’t talk like that,” Pirone said.

Oakland attorney John Burris, who is representing Grant’s family in a lawsuit against BART, called Pirone’s words “shocking and disturbing.”

“Pirone was out of control,” Burris said, “assaulting Oscar Grant and taunting him with racial slurs, and none of the other officers seemed to put him in check.”

Pirone’s attorney, William Rapoport, dismissed Burris’ assertion – reiterating that Pirone, who is white, was simply reacting in surprise to being called the “N” word himself.

Mehserle, who is white, was not accused by prosecutors or Grant’s family of a racial motive in the shooting of Grant, a 22-year-old African American whom BART officers pulled off a train after receiving reports of an onboard fight.

A spokesman for the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training in Sacramento declined to weigh in on whether Pirone’s comments would be cause for discipline or even firing, citing an internal BART probe of the shooting.

Peter Keane, a Golden Gate University law professor and former San Francisco police commissioner, said that determining whether Pirone’s comments were grounds for discipline depends on whether he was intending to use a racial epithet or just echoing Grant in a “sense of incredulity.”

But without Grant’s voice on the tape, Keane said, “the burden of proof moves heavily to Pirone.”

The race is on: State Attorney General Jerry Brown bests San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom by 20 points in a new, two-way poll for next year’s Democratic gubernatorial contest.

The poll by JMM Research of 525 Democratic and decline-to-state voters is the first snapshot since Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced last week that he wasn’t running.

With Villaraigosa in the lineup, the numbers read:

– Brown, 33 percent.

– Newsom, 20 percent.

– Villaraigosa, 17 percent.

Take the L.A. mayor out, and it’s:

– Brown, 46 percent.

– Newsom, 26 percent.

Brown does best with the voters over 40, who tend to turn out in bigger numbers on election day. Newsom thrives with the younger crowd, which he hopes to turn out big time, a la Barack Obama.

 Geographically, Brown beats Newsom everywhere but the Bay Area.

Whichever candidate they support, the one thing Democrats overwhelmingly agree on is the sad state of the state, with 73 percent saying California is headed in the wrong direction.

Budget bingo: Publicly, San Francisco’s budget battle is being pitched as a fight with Mayor Gavin Newsom, cops and firefighters on one side, and the Board of Supervisors and advocates of social programs on the other.

But behind the scenes, the fight is also between two major labor groups: the Service Employees International Union, which represents most of the city’s health and social workers, and the police and fire unions.

Service worker unions have helped elect a number of the supervisors. The police and firefighter unions are big backers of the mayor, and opposed many of the supervisors.

The first round went to the service workers when the supervisors voted to cut $82.9 million from the police, fire and sheriff’s departments and use it for health and social services.

But now, it’s dawning on everyone that the city will probably need even more money to keep everyone happy, which means going to the ballot in November with some kind of tax hike. And any kind of tax hike is going to need police and firefighter support to pass.

Which may explain why the service and firefighters unions have been meeting on the QT in the hopes of working out a compromise.

And if they do – City Hall will follow.

Banmiller bows: After taking a good, hard look at the numbers, business newscaster Brian Banmiller has decided to stay out of the race to replace outgoing East Bay Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher.

 “They weren’t kidding around when they redistricted the 10th,” the Republican said of the district, which includes portions of Solano and Contra Costa counties. “They said they were going to make it safe for Democrats, and it is.”

EXTRA! Catch our blog at www.sfgate.com/matierandross.

Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Phil can be seen on the KPIX morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com.

source: http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/matierandross/

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

 

 

Beneath Low: BET, Lil Wayne Set the Stage for Child Pornography

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Beneath Low: BET, Lil Wayne Set the Stage for Child Pornography

By April R. Silver, June 29, 2009

www.aprilsilver.com 

Last night, live at the BET Awards in Los Angeles, a room full of head-bobbing, consenting adults bounced to Drake and Lil Wayne’s back-to-back performances of the hit songs “Best I Ever Had” and “Every Girl.” I watched, underwhelmed. I wanted more “Michael” in what was supposed to be this award-show-turned-Michael-Jackson-tribute. I watched, ever puzzled by the Lil Wayne phenomena that has captivated the music industry. I watched, wondering when the set was going to end. 

Then the little girls came onstage…literally the little girls. “Are those children?” I asked out loud, in disbelief. Then the camera panned the audience. Everyone was still head-bobbing as the little Black girls huddled around these superstars. 

“Are those little girls on stage…for this song?!?!” I, still in disbelief, lost breath and forced myself to exhale. “Why are these little girls featured on this performance? Is somebody going to stop this?” Again, the show was live, though for a nano-second, I was hoping that a hunched-over stage manager would bust through from back stage to scoop up the children, rescuing them from harm’s way…from being associated from this song. But instead, what those girls witnessed from the stage was hundreds and hundreds of adults (mostly Black people) staring back at them, co-signing the performance. These girls, who all appeared to be pre-teens, were having their 15 minutes of glam on one of the biggest nights in televised Black entertainment history, with two of pop culture’s biggest stars at the moment, with millions of people watching. They must have been bubbling with girlish excitement, shimmering like princesses all night. Pure irony: one of them wore a red ballerina tutu for the special occasion. And we applauded them. 

  

I’m told that one of the girls is Lil Wayne’s daughter. That doesn’t matter. In fact that makes it worse. Last night we were reminded that there are few safe spaces for our little girls to be children; that some of us are willing to trade their innocence for a good head nod. BET and Lil Wayne are beneath low because, in effect, they have given premium assurance to these and other little girls that their best value, their shining moment, their gifts to display to the world, all lie within a context that says they are fuckable. 

I’m also told by industry insiders that Lil Wayne was continuously sexually molested as a child, remains in a psychologically abusive relationship with the molester, and for that reason his understanding of what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate for children is terribly skewed. I don’t know if that is true. If it is, help is needed. If it is true, it might explain something regarding Lil Wayne’s compliance in this offense. But what about BET’s nickel in this dime? 

BET President and CEO Debra Lee has come underfire over the years yet many see the network as one hell bent on showing the worse pathologies of Black people

The programming at BET has been heavily criticized by artists, concerned citizens, college students, parent groups, social justice organizations, media reform activists, and many others for over a decade now. Their programming seems hell bent on broadcasting the worst pathologies in the Black community. Some have joined the anti-BET movement by simply tuning out. Others have been more pro-active. National letter-writing campaigns and other activities designed to shame and/or pressure the network into improving its programming have been in play for some time now. Boycotts have been called as well. Two years ago, for example, the network found itself in the line of fire as it planned to air the very controversial series “Hot Ghetto Mess.” Advertisers, such as State Farm Insurance and Home Depot, responded to pressure and requested that their ads be disassociated with the series (though, their ads could be placed in other programming slots). None of this has made a difference. In fact, it seems to have emboldened the network, for it is now expanding. In the fall, BET is due to launch another channel.

 

But millions of Black people are not offended by the network and welcome anything BET has to offer, no matter how much it continues to unravel the fabric of our community. Imagine, if you will, BET as a human being and the viewers as the community. You would have to imagine BET as a drug dealer, with his swag on…perhaps outside standing atop a truck, the community crowded beneath him. Imagine him throwing nicely wrapped gifts into the crowed, or giving away turkeys at Thanksgiving. Or maybe it’s Mother’s Day and he buys dinner and teddy bears to all the single moms and grandmothers around the way. Despite his best efforts and despite the approval of his fans, he is still a drug dealer, pimping death to the masses. 

Proverbs is full of sacred text that teaches us that there will always be fools amongst us. Some of them will be highly paid, protected, and given world-wide platforms to show off what they do best. And these fools (be they performers, corporate executives, or others), will have fans and loyal supporters, and a place to call home, like a BET. 

But as long as there will be fools amongst us, there will also be wise ones – a small group of people concerned about the long term health and well being of the community. This small group will often go unheard and they will be outmatched. They will struggle over which problem to address first: the child pornographer, the batterer, the pimp, the prostitute, the thief, the slumlord, or the system that enables it all. They will get tired and their defense will pale in comparison to the almost crushing offense. And they will be betrayed from within. Historically and universally, this is what happens in the struggle for what is right. But eventually, with continued pressure, something will shift. A radical new thinking will emerge, and the fools will lose their stronghold.  

The sure expectation of victory, however, can not be understated. It is a concrete ingredient in the struggle against the death that is being paraded in our community…as necessary as letter writing campaigns, economic boycotts, symbolic and actual protests, and other pressure-oriented activities. It is indeed possible to bring more life into our community.

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

As a social entrepreneur and activist, my entire life/work has been dedicated to standing up for what’s right, especially within the culture of hip hop. When identifying what cancerous elements exist within the Black community, many fellow activists agree with Chuck D (of Public Enemy), and even Aaron McGruder (of The Boondocks), when they targeted BET as one of those elements. That said, I didn’t think that we would ever have to take the network to task for what amounts to child pornography. 

Lil Wayne shocked many with his performance at the BET Awards when he allowed little girls to come on stage

But did no one care that Lil Wayne’s song Every Girl is about grown men and their sexual escapades with women? Did the meaning and intent of the song matter to anyone, this song whose hook and other lyrics required a re-write in order to get air play? “I wish I could love every girl in the world.” That’s the radio-friendly version of “I wish I could f–k every girl in the world.” But Lil Wayne’s BET performance was the clean edit of the song. Perhaps he (and the show producers) thought that there was nothing wrong in featuring the children in the clean version. Perhaps we were supposed to see the whole bit as cute and innocent. Absolutely not. There’s no other way to cut it: in presenting little girls in a performance of a song that is about sex, group sex, and more sex, BET and Lil Wayne set the stage for child pornography. It doesn’t matter what version of the song was played, much like a man who batters women is still an abusive man, even if uses flowery phrases while battering.In the song, Lil Wayne mentions superstar Miley Cyrus, but Cyrus gets a pass on this lyrical sex escapade because, as he acknowledges, she is a minor. Huh? Why, then, is he comfortable with featuring four minors, these four little Black girls, in the show? How deep exactly is this inability of some men to respect women, and how deep is Lil Wayne’s disregard for the safety of little girls? 

 

Ishmeal Reed: The Persecution of Michael Jackson

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The Mad Dog DA and the Mad Dog Media

The Persecution of Michael Jackson 

By ISHMAEL REED
http://www.counterpunch.com/ 

Ishmael Reed photo credit Mark Costani

Last Thursday, while working on some writing deadlines, I was switching channels on cable.  On CNN they were promoting  “Black In America,” an exercise meant to boost ratings by making whites feel good by making blacks look bad,  the marketing strategy of the mass media since the 1830s, according to a useful book entitled “The Showman and the Slave,” by Benjamin Reiss.  The early penny press sold a “whiteness” upgrade to newly arriving immigrants by depicting blacks in illicit situations. By doing so they were marketing an early version of a self esteem boosting product.  One of the initial sensational stories was about the autopsy of a black woman named Joice Heth,  who claimed to be George Washington’s nurse and over one hundred years old. It was the O. J.  story of the time.  Circus master, P. T. Barnum, charged admission to her autopsy, which attracted the perverted in droves.  

And so, if the people broadcasting cable news appear to be inmates of a carnival,  there is a connection since the early days of the mass media to that form of show business.  According to Reiss, early newspapers were not only influenced by P. T. Barnum,  but actually cooperated with him on some hoaxes and stunts.

I would classify CNN’s “Black in America” as a stunt.  In preparing for a sequel to the first “Black In America,” which boosted the networks ratings (the O. J. trial saved CNN!),  CNN rolled out the usual stereotypes about black Americans.  Unmarried black mothers were exhibited,  without mentioning that births to unmarried black women have plunged since 1976 more than that of any other ethnic group.  Then we got some footage that implied that blacks as a group were homophobes even though Charles Blow, a statistician for The New York Times, recently published a chart showing that gays have the least to fear from blacks. Recently,  the media perpetrated a hoax that blacks were responsible for the passage of Proposition 8,  the California proposition that banned gay marriage.  An academic study refuted this claim, but that didn’t deter The New York Times from hiring Benjamin Schwarz to explain black homophobia.  Schwarz is the writer who wrote in The Los Angeles Times that blacks who were victims of lynchings in the south were probably guilty.

In the last “Black in America,” Soledad O’Brien,  CNN’s designated tough love agent against the brothers and sisters,  scolded a black man for not attending his daughter’s birthday party.  The aim of this scene was meant to humiliate black men as neglectful fathers.  Ms. O’Brien won’t be permitted by her employees to mention that 75% of white children will live at one time or another in a single parent household and that the Gov. of South Carolina’s not showing up for Father’s Day isn’t just a lone aberration in “White America.”

How would CNN promote a “White in America?” The thousands of meth addicts who have abandoned their children? The California rural and suburban white women who do more dope than Latino and black youth? The suburban Dallas white teenagers who are overdosing on “cheese” heroin? Why not? Can’t get State Farm, Ford and MacDonald’s to sponsor such a program? All of these companies are sponsoring “Black in America,” the aim of which is to cast collective blame on blacks for the country’s social problems. For ratings.  

During CNN’s carnival act disguised as news, the scene of Zimbabwe’s Prime Minster being urinated upon by a monkey while sitting in his garden drew snickers in the newsroom.  This is what passes for coverage of the African continent by CNN.

When the bulletin that Michael Jackson had died flashed across the screen, I was prepared for TV at it’s worst and I wasn’t disappointed.  The man wasn’t cold before the familiar adjectives were rolled out.  “Weird, bizarre, eccentric,” the traditional language used to disparage artists by the bourgeoisie.  Dan Abrams,  who made his reputation by convicting O. J. Simpson before the opening arguments of his criminal trial,  made a snarky comment about Jackson’s weirdness.  Mr.  Abrams,  a higher up at MSNBC, employs a Hitler admirer named Pat Buchanan.  Given Abram’s background, why isn’t that considered weird?

Former Calfornia poet laureate Al Young called to inform me that CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin, another O. J. alumni,  and a man who said that blacks shouldn’t be “patted on the head” or “patronized” for believing in O. J. Simpson’s innocence,  had made some ugly comments about Jackson. (A star who has had at least a dozen facelifts called into the “Larry King Show” to comment about MJ’s altering his appearance).

Also weird was MSBC’s Savanah Guthries’ air-headed depiction of the trial. (For a list of Ms. Guthries’ false reportings see MediaMatters.com).  She said that the evidence against Jackson in the trial was  “devastating.” So devastating that some legal experts said that  Jackson should never have been brought to trial and that the aim of the trial was to seek a pound of flesh from Jackson for being uppity and for putting the name of Thomas W. Sneddon Jr., a vindictive District Attorney, into a song. In my opinion it was the prosecution of Jackson by this District Attorney,  who, among other things, violated Jackson’s fourth amendment rights, and made disparaging remarks about the star during a press conference,  and the side-show pro prosecution media coverage that killed Jackson.

In my lengthy examination of the trial printed in my book,  “Mixing It Up, Taking on The Media Bullies,” I concluded that though millions of Jackson’s fans celebrated his acquittal,  the District Attorney,  who was allowed to squander the California taxpayers’ money so that he might humiliate a rich  black man, whom he felt had sassed him, was the victor.  At the beginning of the trial, Jackson was dancing on top of a van.  During the trial he had to be hospitalized.  At the end, he was a frail emaciated wreck.

Because of the malicious prosecution of Jackson by Sneddon and Sneddon’s  claque in the media, Jackson will always be regarded as a pedophile. (When the trial opened,  a USA Today / CNN / Gallup Poll found that 72% of whites and 51% of Blacks believed that the charges against Jackson were “Definitely” or “Probably” true.) Wherever “Mad Dog” Sneddon, this hateful man might be in his retirement,  he can gloat over  the death of the man against whom he waged a vendetta with all of the power of the state at his disposal. Sneddon even tried to introduce photos of Jackson’s genitals during the 2005 trial, which proved too much even for the pro prosecution judge.

Of course,  none of Sneddon’s abuse or the abuse of Jackson by his accusers was mentioned by an old corporate media,  out of touch and on life supports. For infotainers like Katie Couric,  Jackson’s father Joe   was MJ’s  sole abuser. In the eyes of yesterday’s media, black fathers are the principal actors in domestic violence.

Guthrie also said that the prosecution “had conducted mini trials within the trial,” which brought up  “a whole history of prior bad acts of molestation.” She was referring to  1994 case in which Jackson was accused of pedophilia by a youngster who, according to writer Mary Fisher,  a serious journalist, was used by his father to wrest some cash from Jackson.  In”Mixing It Up,” I summarized Mary Fisher’s serious and thorough investigation that was originally published in GQ, October, 1994,  under the title “Was Michael Jackson Framed?” Jackson settled out of court because Johnnie Cochran didn’t want him to face one of those all white suburban juries that O. J. faced.  

Fisher wrote: “It’s a story of greed,  ambition,  misconceptions of part of police and prosecutors,  a lazy and sensation-seeking media and the use of a powerful,  hypnotic drug.  It may also be a story about how a case was simply invented.”

Fisher claimed that the first case arose from the ambitions of the thirteen-year-old accuser’s stepfather,  Evan Chandler,  who exploited Jackson’s friendship with his son.  At one point,  he asked Jackson to build him a house.   Fisher said that the child denied being abused by Jackson until he was administered the drug sodium amytal,  which is known to induce false memory.  Chandler refused to be interviewed for the article and refused to appear on the Today Show,  where Fisher repeated her charges before a nationwide audience.  She said that the whole scheme was concocted by the child’s stepfather to destroy the superstar.  

None of the media descriptions of  Jackson’s career,  including a superficial pop-driven survey of the star’s career by Anderson Cooper,  referred to the 2005 plaintiff’s lies and his mother’s shabby history of conning individuals and institutions including J. C. Penney’s, which she accused of sexual abuse. She claimed that she had been “fondled inappropriately” by store personnel. Documents also hinted that “…the mom rehearsed her children to corroborate her story.”

During the 2005 trial, Jackson’s Attorney,  Tom Mesereau Jr.  got the teenage boy to admit that he lied under oath during the J. C. Penny case. USA Today reported on March 1,  2005,  that the mother used the boy as a prop to get money from Mike Tyson,  Adam Sandler,  Jim Carrey,  Jay Leno and others,  “even though insurance was paying his bills.” Linda Deutsch, one of the last of hard-nosed shoe leather journalists, reporting for the Associated Press on March of 2005.  said that Mesereau got the 15 year old to admit that he’d told Jeffrey Alpert,  a school official that “nothing happened” between Jackson and him.

Connie Keenan,  editor of Mid Valley News,  wrote of a hoax that the boy’s mother perpetrated on that newspaper.  She made a pitch that her son needed medical care and that she had no financial means to provide it. During the first week of the newspaper’s appeal,  the mother received $965 in donations. It turned out that the boy was being treated at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles with no cost to the family. Connie Keenan concluded that “My gut level,  she’s a shark.  She was after money.  My readers were used.  My staff was used.  It’s sickening.”

While referring to Jackson as “bizarre” none of the cable reporting about Jackson’s death cited the bizarre courtroom testimony of the plaintiff’s mother,  Janet Arvizo.  At one point during her testimony, she said that feared her children would disappear from Neverland,  Jackson’s ranch,  in a hot air balloon.

 On Apr 18,  2005,  Agence France-Presse reported “The mother of Michael Jackson’s young molestation accuser claimed that she feared her children would be spirited away from the star’s Neverland Ranch in a hot air balloon.  In some of the most bizarre testimony of Jackson’s frequently surreal trial,  the woman revealed that she told police she feared her three kids would vanish from Neverland into California’s blue skies.

“Did you tell the sheriff that you thought your children might disappear in a hot air balloon from Neverland?” Jackson’s lead lawyer Thomas Mesereau asked the woman under cross-examination.

“I made them aware,” she said.

Finally,  in November of 2006, according to TMZ,  Janet Arvizo pled no contest to a welfare fraud charge in Los Angeles.  She was ordered to 150 hours of community service and to pay $8, 600 in restitution.  During Jackson’s trial,  Arvizo invoked the Fifth regarding welfare fraud.  Seems that she applied for welfare even though she’d received a $150, 000 settlement from J. C. Penny’s.  Even with the mother’s behavior and the boys lies,  Nancy Grace,  commenting on the death of Jackson,  said that she was surprised by the not guilty verdict in the Jackson trial. No wonder Ms. Grace has been called” a cheerleader for the  prosecution.”

Yet,  these journalists insist that their news product is superior
to that of bloggers.  (Journalistic bottom feeder, Diane Dimond,  a Sneddon fan and Jackson stalker was invited by MSNBC to weigh in during which she was allowed to engage in doofus speculation much of it ugly about Jackson’s life and death)

G. Q. s Mary  Fisher accused her colleagues of lazy journalism of the sort that defamed Jackson in life and in death. Maureen Orth from Vanity Fair didn’t read Mary Fisher’s findings.  She was on the Chris Matthews Show accusing Jackson of “serious felonies” involving pedophilia.  Another reporter who seemed to nullify the 2005 Jackson jurie’s decision was “Morning Joe’s” adjunct bimbo,  Courtney Hazlett.  She said that there would be no pilgrimage to Neverland and as there was to Graceland,  because “bad things happened at Never Land.” We are led to believe that Presley and his entourage spent their days at Graceland drinking milk and reading each other passages from the scriptures.

All of these opinions seem to indicate that Cable’s talking heads have taken it upon themselves to nullify the judgment of juries whenever they please. This all white electronic jury has placed itself above the law.

But at least Jackson didn’t suffer from the kind of hi tech lynching accorded the tragic Patsy Ramsey.  For years cable,  which now not only calls elections but acts as judge and jury,  accused her of murdering her child. Only after her death was it found that she was innocent.  

If the reporting on Jackson’s death by the media wasn’t salacious and ignorant enough, it didn’t get any better the next day,  June 26.

  

Santa Barbara District Attorney Don 'Mad Dog' Sneddon never let up in persecuting Michael Jackson-Many think the man had a personal vendetta

Ignoring Jackson’s philanthropic pursuits and contributions to forty charities,  on the “Today Show,“ it was all about what happened to all of the nigger’s money and whether he died from too many drugs and what’s to become of his children,  questions meant to attract the prurient.  Again, Diane Dimod was invited on to spread scurrilous unconfirmed rumors about the dead star. Some of the modern day carnival barkers like Chris Matthews expressed surprise that Jackson’s death resulted in such an outpouring of worldwide mourning.  This is what happens to people like Matthews who dwell in an insulated white supremacist bubble (that includes the Anglo wannabe and Churchill admiring Irish among them) which holds that a narrow cultural strip between New York and Washington represents the world.   

I would like to have seen more independent African-American journalists comment on the passing of Michael Jackson,  but,  according to Richard Prince,  who runs a media blog for the Maynard journalism Institute, hundreds have lost their jobs over the last two years,  including Pulitzer Prize winners like Les Payne.

With the absence of black and Latinos from journalism, the media have become a spare all white jury always ready to take down a black celebrity for the entertainment of the types who used to attend those acts created by P. T. Barnum.

Ishmael Reed is the publisher of Konch. His new book, “Mixing It Up, Taking On The Media Bullies” was published by De Capo.

 

Lyrics: by Michael Jackson

They wanna get my a**,  dead or alive.
You know he really tried to take me down by surprise.  
I bet he missioned with the CIA.
He don’t do half what he say.

Dom Sheldon is a cold man
Dom Sheldon is a cold man
Dom Sheldon is a cold man
Dom Sheldon is a cold man

He out shock in every single way.
He stop at nothing just to get his political say.
He think he hot cause he’s BSDA.

I bet he never had a social life anyway.
You think he bother with the KKK?
I bet his mother never taught him right anyway.
He want your vote just to remain TA.
He don’t do half what he say.

Dom Sheldon is a cold man
Dom Sheldon is a cold man
Dom Sheldon is a cold man
Dom Sheldon is a cold man

Dom S.  Sheldon is a cold man
Dom Sheldon is a cold man
Dom Sheldon is a cold man
Dom Sheldon is a cold man

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

 

Another Police Terrorism Incident-This Time in Baltimore-Transit Cop Rapes Girl

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MTA officer charged with raping girl, 15

By Justin Fenton and Michael Dresser Baltimore Sun reporter

A Maryland Transit Administration police officer has been charged with raping a 15-year-old Elkridge girl who asked him for help finding her way home on the light rail, according to charging documents.

Officer Donald Brown was taken into custody June 24 after Howard County police were contacted by a case worker for a local foster care organization. The girl told police that she thought she was being escorted to a police station to make arrangements to get home but was instead taken to Brown’s apartment in downtown Baltimore, where they had sex.

He then gave her $25 to get back home and told her to leave, according to police.

Brown was charged with first-degree rape, various sex offense charges, use of a handgun in a violent crime and kidnapping a child under age 16. He was initially ordered held without bond, though a District Court judge on Thursday set a bail at $500,000. He remained in custody as of Monday afternoon.

MTA spokeswoman Jawauna Greene confirmed that Brown is a member of the force and said he has been suspended without pay. She said the agency could not comment further.

“We do take these charges very seriously,” she said. “These charges are troubling, but we need to allow the judicial process to work its course.”

Greene said Brown had been an MTA officer for about two years. She said the MTA works closely with the Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County police departments, whose academies are used to train MTA officer recruits, screen applicants and conduct background checks.

The MTA police is a force of 165 sworn officers and about 90 civilian workers. The department is the primary law enforcement agency on the light rail and Metro subway systems and aboard city buses.

An attorney for Brown, Parkville attorney Perry London, did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday.

According to the girl’s statement to police, she got lost on June 20 and ended up on the light rail in Linthicum. She saw three uniformed police officers and asked if she could use a phone to call home.

One of the officers let her use his phone and asked her what she needed. She said she needed to get back to Elkridge, and the officer told her to come with him to a police station and that he would help her, according to charging documents.

The girl said they rode the light rail to the Lexington Market stop and walked to a parking garage, where they rode the elevator to the 17th floor. The officer then led her into an apartment and locked the door, she said.

“He then asked her what she would do to get home,” according to charging documents.

The girl said the officer began to touch her inappropriately and that she told him to stop, but he became mad. He was wearing his gun belt, which made her nervous, and she complied. During intercourse the girl said she noticed the officer’s name plate on his uniform read “Brown.”

Later, he gave her $25 with a piece of paper with the name “Donald” on it and told her to leave.

City police checked police agency personnel rosters and found a Donald Brown employed by the transit police, and a check with the agency revealed Brown may have been working the area on that date. Transit police ordered all video connected with light rail cars, the Linthicum stop, and the Lexington Market stop as well as a list of officers working on June 20.

The girl, meanwhile, picked Brown out of a photo array of six people, and took police to the Avalon Centerpoint apartment building where she said the rape occurred.

Court documents list Brown’s address in the 300 block of W. Fayette St., though property records show he owns a $470,000 home in Perry Hall.

According to electronic court records, Brown was issued a citation and charged with “hacking,” or operating an unlicensed taxicab, in late 2007. The charge was dropped a month later.

source:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-mta0629,0,14096.story

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Thoughts on the Jena 6 and the Recent Verdict

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Free the Jena 6-My Thoughts After the Verdict

by Jasiri X

Radio host Michael Baisden and Jasiri X

Now that the Jena 6 case has come to a close with the final 5 members pleading no contest to a misdemeanor (remember the original charge was attempted murder) and having to serve no jail time, I have a few thoughts on the whole experience. First of all I am thankful this situation has come to a close for all of the families involved. I was introduced to some of the parents of the Jena 6 at the CR-10 conference in Oakland CA last year by brother Jesse Muhammad, the writer from the Final Call Newspaper who introduced the injustices that were happening in Jena to the entire world, and I could see the extreme pressure that they were still under. I pray they can move on and live productive lives away from the angry racial rhetoric and media scrutiny.

I am very proud the song I wrote helped to shed light on a tremendous injustice and mobilized people to take action. I have absolutely no regrets. In fact I can’t think of a better use of my time and talents than helping my brothers who were victims of a wicked and racist system. I was never bothered by any of the actions of the Jena 6 that some people found inappropriate. These were young men that were caught up in a very terrible predicament. They never claimed to be the next new revolutionaries. They never claimed perfection either. I can only imagine how I would act as a 18 year old from a very small town in Louisiana that gets to attend the BET awards and interact with all the entertainers I idolize on TV. Some of yall “grown folks” would loose your mind. ‘But yeah Jasiri one of them was flashing money on his MySpace!’

 Have you seen what people put on MySpace? That was mild by comparison. Were they supposed to all of a sudden not be young teenagers? Did we think overnight they would turn into Malcolm X?

Nothing those young men did changed the fact that in Jena specifically and in America as a whole there are two different forms of justice for whites and non-whites. I wrote the song Free the Jena 6 to help expose these injustices. That why I stared the song of with:

Justice for Everybody Not African
Indians and Latin Kids
Lock em and pack em in
Crime pays so the DA will trap em in
It’s the new millennium slave trafficking

And I think this brings up a larger issue that many groups have begun to organize around which is the School to Prison Pipeline that has ensnared many of our children in this injustice system. It was the arrest of a 5 year old girl in Florida that prompted Harry Belafonte to start the Gathering for Justice an organization dedicated to ending child incarceration of which I’ve had blessing of being apart of.

The Jena 6 were able to avoid the long jail sentences that were meant for them when the LaSalle Parish District Attorney J. Reed Walters threatened to take away there lives with the stroke of a pen. This was do to all of those individuals and groups who brought this issue to the forefront. So thanks Brother Jesse and the Final Call Newspaper Brother Deric Muhammad of the Millions More Movement, Color of Change, and Reverend Al Sharpton. Thank you Michael Baisden for risking alienating your advertisers and audience by taking up this issue and for having the heart play my song (CNN chose not to use it for the Jena 6 special they did because it was to “controversial”).

 

Mychal Bell is finally putting his problems behind him and headed to college

Lastly I am very happy to see Mychal Bell is overcoming is difficulties and headed to college. I can’t image what it must have been like to walk in his shoes in prison and when he came out. I can’t image how it must have felt to become a symbol and be expected to be flawless when your as fallible as every other human being and then be almost forgotten. I pray that Almighty God bless the Jena 6 and their families. And I pray that we are able to see what we were able to accomplish with a unified effort.

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BET Missed the Mark Last Night w/ Their Michael Jackson Tribute

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Over the past week many of us have sat in seething anger as news show after news show and pundit after pundit have been granted large platforms and an abundance of air time to come and trash Michael Jackson. I’m not talking about raising a couple of controversial issues here and there, but some of the folks who have been dragged out the sewer with the express purpose of going all out not to just to smash on MJ, but to do so in such away that it would hurt us. It was like some diabolical mind sat in a room and said ‘Here’s how you can really totally demoralize Black folks-take their biggest icon and treat him like shit while the body is still warm’  Watching the coverage of Michael Jackson on many of these mainstream news outlets has me wondering if MJ did something personal to some of them. Simply put,  OJ Simpson got and gets better treatment.

Now if it was just a Michael thing most of us wouldn’t care. Most of us would keep it moving and call it a day,  but MJ’s music was the soundtrack for so many people around the world and for a variety of generations from the late 60s up to the 90s and beyond.  Jackson’s videos, music, concerts all had deep meaning-and because of that we hoped that the criticism would be toned down and the hatred would be put away for another day.

I’m old enough to remember when Beatles’s legend John Lennon was shot and I don’t recall such hatred and long winded conversations about his drug use or anything like that. Right wing nutcases who found him to be this anti-war subversive figure dialed down their rhetoric  and Lennon was allowed to be seen as this popular worldwide icon who impacted the lives of a generation of Baby Boomers.  People understood with the passing of Lennon was the passing of an important era for millions of people and so his memory was treated with respect and dignity.

When the King of Rock, Elvis Presely died the world was allowed to remember him as a handsome icon who touched lives all around the world, not as a overweight substance abuser who's life was filled with controversy

When Elvis Presley the King of Rock died, even though he was a drug abuser and about 300 pounds over weight at the time of his death, the tributes paid to him were stupendous. He was seen as royalty and people rightfully recognized that his persona and music meant a lot to a grieving nation. People dialed back the critiques. The Elvis who symbolized an era and exemplified several generations of music lovers was much bigger then the Elvis who one could trash all day and so space to properly grieve was created.

No such respect has been given to Michael Joseph Jackson. And too be honest in today’s climate of ‘gotcha’ media one shouldn’t be surprised. We shouldn’t be shocked but for many the hurt is there and damage done. Its hard to avoid. There are many commentators and pundits who I will never respect again because they went there and gave no room for a nation to grieve and reflect on the meaning of man who meant so much to so so many over the past 3 decades. As I said earlier, these folks seemed to be a part of a much larger game plan where psychological warfare is at play.

Enter BET-Black Entertainment Television.

Last night (Sunday June 28th) , all eyes turned to the Viacom owned music TV network as many of us perhaps naively hoped that those running the ship would use their platforms and immense reach to correct the wrongs we saw within the mainstream. After all, Michael Jackson helped put Viacom (MTV) on the map. I just knew CEO Sumner Redstone would see to it that one of his properties which has become the worldwide symbol for pop culture and music would ‘do this right’.  All of wondered what sort of surprise Viacom/ BET would put forth.

Leading up to last night’s event the rumors were circulating. We heard Chris Brown was going to do a tribute with Usher as part of his comeback. We heard Justin Timberlake was coming in to do a special routine.  We heard Beyonce had changed her routine around. We heard some of the Jacksons themselves were going to be there. (We later saw father Joe Jackson and sister Janet Jackson who left us in tears when she finally took the stage) The word was BET was gonna deliver and deliver big and deliver like only BET can.

It would've been nice to have seen an iconic figure like Motown Records founder Berry Gordy on hand at the BET Awards last night to share some thoughts about Michael Jackson. If not in person why not via satellite?

We already knew BET was scheduled to pay tribute to the O Jays and so one figured they were already in the zone.  Perhaps the O Jays themselves would set the tone having known MJ and coming from that important era in our history where music and social causes all merged together. Who better then the O Jays to say a few words and put a grieving nation at ease. We figured some icons from the Motown era would be on hand last night to say a few words-Diana Ross, Barry Gordy, Quincy Jones, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Harry Belafonte, Smokey Robinson etc would maybe come on board-not to perform, but to offer up their own insights and share in the tribute/ celebration for Michael Jackson. And if they couldn’t show up in person because everything was so sudden and so last minute then Viacom with its worldwide reach and set ups in every country on planet Earth could’ve sent a camera crew to Timbuktu if needed and get some insightful words from the aforementioned and beyond.

We thought every record industry executive from Clive Davis to Tommy Motolato the people who run the Grammies to Bono from U2 on down would’ve been on hand to say a few words and talk about how Michael Jackson saved their industry. We thought we would’ve heard more about the charities he so generously gave to over the years so folks would better understand that he was more than the white glove and moon walk.

We thought maybe BET would have a correspondent on hand in Gary, Indiana where MJ was from to give us a historical perspective of what that city meant, why they did a song called ‘Going Back to Indiana’, and how people are fairing there today. We thought maybe the Mayor of Gary,  Rudy Clay who is an outspoken gentleman who we had on our radio show during the primaries could speak to the issue. Or perhaps BET could’ve gotten former Mayor Richard  Hatcher to come out and stand alongside the current Mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi James Young who was honored last night and together they could’ve loaned some context to the Civil Rights struggle past and present and where Michael Jackson and his ability to transcend race sat within it.. Imagine if something like that  went down last night.

With the whole world watching the BET Awards to see how Black folks would cover the passing of 'one of our own', it would've been ideal to have heard a poem or words of wisdom from Maya Angelou

We figured our best and brightest commentators would be on hand. Tavis Smiley, Michael Eric Dyson, Bill Cosby, Tom Joyner, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, Julianne Malveux. We figured there would be some of our best would be on hand to stand tall and proud and let the entire world which was watching to see how we do. They could’ve set the record straight and established BET and Black America as the ‘go to place if you wanted to grieve, celebrate and talk in earnest about Michael Jackson.

We figured there’d be pictures, vintage footage  and a somber moment of silence for Michael Jackson. Did we have a moment of silence last night- I may have missed it? All I know is we wanted more for our ‘King’. This was our true king when it came to pop culture and music. As I mentioned so many of us were grieving, so many of us felt like we were being assaulted, so we really looked to  BET- Black Entertainment Television to rise to the occasion in ways we had never imagined.

Look, I been a part of big productions on numerous occasions and I know the hard work that goes into them.  Award shows are not put together overnight, the really good ones are being planned hours after the current one ends. Stephen Hill the man behind the scenes at BET was probably up to his ears putting together last night’s show as originally planned and believe me when you have a production like that you simply can’t change course midstream. It’s not easy. To the degree that he was able to carry that additional load as was acknowledged by BET President Debra Lee, he deserves his props.

With that being said we can’t forget that BET is part of Viacom..It’s the giant among giants. Debra Lee’s boss is Sumner Redstone and at their disposal they have more resources then most countries both 3rd World and Industrialized. Viacom has positioned itself to be the number one when it comes to Music Television-This is what they do. This is how they make their billions. So quite naturally we expected alot more.

Michael Jackson was not some beefing rapper from the streets who got shot over some petty nonsense. He wasn’t having a war of words with 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Suge Knight or some other artist. He wasn’t some Johnny come lately who had one or two hit songs and that’s it. He was Michael Jackson-worldwide icon and when he died in spite of controversary or what me and you may have thought about him, the music world needed to stop. All the stops needed to be pulled out.

When John Lennon died the world stopped. It came to a halt. I was in school and we suspended our lessons to talk about John Lennon.  When Elvis died the world stopped. All hands were on deck. People cancelled whatever they were doing and they flew to where ever they needed to go to to pay homage. When 2Pac and Notorious BIG died the music world stopped. We suspended our programming on the radio station for two days as family friends and whoever flew in to honor them.

 I recall a day after Biggie died our radio station owned by Evergreen/AM-FM and later Clear Channel did a a special simulcast with Emmisowned Hot 97 in New York City. We had on air personalities like Sway and the Breakfast Club and damn near our entire staff on one end and the Hot 97 crew on the other. Right there while we were on the air coast to coast grieving over Biggie, the folks from Hot 97 worked it out to do a nationwide program honoring Biggie and to bring attention to stoppingthe violence.  Everything was pushed full steam ahead. Two days later a nationwide co-ordinated broadcast took place.

I usually like Lil Wayne, but last night the profanity laced routine he and up and coming superstar Drake did was totally inappropriate for a show that said it was paying tribute to Michael Jackson. The pair needed to fall back on that one

My point in referencing that scenario is that with the death of Michael Jackson and all eyes on the BET Awards show owned by the biggest music network in the world and one of the biggest media companies in the world, this should’ve damn well expanded beyond BET. The call should’ve went out; ‘Stop what your doing-All hands on deck… the King of Pop died and proper tributes must be paid. If the show goes over an hour so be it.  If Lil Wayne and Drake can’t change up at the last minute and use their incredible talents to do something more fitting versuses the profanity laced bs routine they did last night about wanting to screw every girl in the world and have what appeared to be 12 year old girls on stage-then its time for them to fall the hell back. Save that nonsense for another date and time. Alicia Keyes kept mentioning the spirit in the room was enthralling and that everyone was feeling Michael’s presence. It was hard to tell on TV. We wanted more than a shout out to MJ after each song was sung. We wanted more, needed more, expected more from a network so powerful.

We understand people didn’t have time to prepare and hone things to perfection. We understand that that it was last minute, but the rule of thumb in show business has always been when in over your head keep it simple. Where was the film montage like they did for the O Jays?  To be honest that was all that was really needed.  Imagine if we were treated to a 15 minute film montage and then Janet came out to speak followed by Jamie Foxx andNeyo singing? That would’ve been butter- pure butter. Imagine if this was done with a nice set up away from the regularly scheduled routines which at times seemed mediocre and totally in approapraite if MJ was being honored?

If extra money was needed to get Stevie Wonder on via satellite from Milwaukee where him and John Legend where doing a concert last night then extra money needed to be spent. If Quincy Jones was in another part of the world then a camera crew needed to find him and put him on on so he could speak eloquently to the moment at hand. If the BET staff was overwhelmed as was mentioned numerous times throughout last nights broadcast then the rest of the Viacom team needed to be brought on to do the extra lifting. If they can spend time and money flying actor Sasha Cohen aka Bruno from a harness during an award show to land on Eminem to shove his balls into the rapper’s face and garner world wide attention they could’ve harnesses some meaningful tribute to uplift us. It was what the world that needed. We needed them to them to step up and be counted.

Tyrese teamed up w/ Johnny Gill & Trey Lorenze and killed it during their OJay Tribute, Tyrese lost me when he did this corny skit of from the movie Baby Boy which went on way too long and became a bit painful to watch.

In closing I will tip my hat to the tribute that Johnny Gill, Tyrese and Trey Songz did for the O Jays that was an example of us really shining. Those guys should form a group and maybe try to see about doing something similar for MJ  in the future. That’s was how a tribute should be done.  Neyowas on fire and I’m sure with more time can do MJ justice and Jamie Foxx although he was over the top with plugging his concert was good. I liked the opening act with New Edition and while I understand they didn’t have the singing down to perfection they got busy on the dance routine-I wanted to see them do more in that vein.

A Few things to Ponder….

 

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White House Is Rather Mute on Jackson’s Death

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White House Is Rather Mute on Jackson’s Death

By Jeff Zeleny

President Obama spoke with his top aides on Friday morning about the death of Michael Jackson, but the White House chose not to release a statement of condolences that it commonly does upon the deaths of many prominent Americans or global figures.

“I talked to him about it this morning,” said Robert Gibbs, the president’s press secretary, speaking to reporters at the daily press briefing. “Obviously, Michael Jackson was a spectacular performer and a music icon. I think everybody remembers hearing the songs, watching him moonwalk on television during Motown’s 25th anniversary.”

“The president also said he had aspects of his life that were sad and tragic,” Mr. Gibbs said, adding that he did not believe either Mr. Obama or Michelle Obama had ever met Mr. Jackson.

And that seems to be the first – and the last – word from the White House on Mr. Jackson’s death. 

source: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/white-house-is-rather-mute-on-jacksons-death/

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President Obama has been strangley silent in the aftermath of Michael Jackson's death. We wonder is it because he is assessing public opinion about whether or not he should say something favorable about the 'King of Pop'.

 

25 Joints to Get U Thru the Day-Michael Jackson-My Forever Came Today

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25 Joints-My Forever Came Today
by Davey D

In the aftermath of the death of the best entertainer the world has ever known, we decided to go digging deep into our archives and present you with some gems that will bring a tear to your eye and yearning in your heart. Too many people are stuck on Thriller and Off the Wall and while they are indeed dope albums, there was a reason why Michael Jackson was such an engaging force prior to those releases. There was a reason why the King of Pop was loved all over the world and why musicians were always in awe of him..Michael Jackson had soul-serious soul. I’m talking they type of soul that sent chills down your spine and moved you to tears. We found some of those gems for this week’s 25 Joints..Starting w/ the classic ‘My Forever Came Today’ to ‘Maria’ to ‘Reflections’ to ‘Hum and Dance’ and ‘I am Love’ just to name a few.

Click Link Below to Listen to 25 Joints on Breakdown FM

Breakdown FM-25 Joints-Michael Jackson-
My Forever Came Today

Enjoy and RIP Michael Jackson

Here’s the playlist

01-My Forever Came Today

02-Looking through the Windows

03-Life of the Party

04-It’s Great to Be Here

05-Maria

06-Mama’s Pearl

07-We’re Almost There

08-Melodie

09-You Can Cry or My Shoulder

10-The Wall

11-Mama I Got a Brand New Thing

12-I’m am Love

13-Man of War

14-Reach In

15-Refelctions

16-Never Can Say Goodbye

17-I’ll Bet You

18-Hum and Daqnce

19-Dancing Machine

20-Music’s Taking Over

21-Young Kids

22-Sing a Simple Song

23-Ain’t No Sunshine

24-Greatest Show on Earth

25-Maybe Tomorrow

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