Chicago doesn't deserve 2016 Olympics
Blatantly corrupt or simply stupid? City unworthy of 2016 Games
Comments
June 5, 2009
BY RICK TELANDER Sun-Times Columnist
There are times when you get sent to your room without dessert.
Without dinner, even.
Rick Telander, Sun-Times sports columnist (Chris Sweda/Sun-Times)
This is such a time.
The City of Chicago, led by Mayor Daley and a vast and tumorous army of aldermen and bagmen and yesmen and opportunists and spineless, parasitic political-machine halfwits of forms never seen outside the roiling cesspool of governmental slop-trough greed, has proven itself unworthy of something as potentially delicious and fulfilling as the 2016 Olympic Games.
There was an opportunity there.
But the pitiful stuff just keeps on comin', warnings be damned.
Best ever was the city parking meter deal that gave a private company the rights to all the quarters Chicago parkers can shove into sidewalk machines until 2084.
''Duh Mare,'' who could still be in office in 2016, and his boys pushed that one through so fast it boggles the mind.
Forget the fact the city took an estimated $974 million less than what the 75 years worth of revenue was worth. Or the fact any fool can jack up meter rates and provide meters that don't work.
The City Council rubber-stamped Daley's idea for gaining some upfront whip-out cash.
When the machines didn't work, Daley said ... Hey, lay off. Does your own computer work all duh time?
The politics of pay-for-play and skimming and old-fashioned, suspender-snapping, cigar-chomping, big-bellied ''Where's mine?'' clout is so vibrant and alive and grotesquely arrogant here in Chicago that it is very nearly a breathing, slime-dripping creature worthy of a Star Wars-style nuclear assault.
There there must be ramifications for being blatantly corrupt and/or stupid.
There must be.
Put on a sporting display for the world in 2016?
No.
Big shots blew it
Sorry, all you business and political big shots who are trying to ram this Olympics-are-good-for-you thing down the citizens' throats.
You blew it.
You didn't change your appetites, your sloth, your animal dumbness.
Why, just a month ago, Michael Scott, the president of the Chicago Public Schools board, sent an e-mail to all the city's school principals telling them to raise the Chicago 2016 Olympic flag and start promoting Mayor Daley's pet project.
Think that's unbiased?
Think there might not be, uh, ''problems'' for reluctant or skeptical principals?
This is the town where boating clubs have already been warned by the Chicago Yachting Association that there might be ''retribution'' for opposing the Olympic bid and the water and harbor difficulties the Games will create.
I myself will be expecting some kind of tax auditing or car-booting or camera-surveillance for my rebellious views, or, who knows -- leg-breakers? -- to help me ''understand'' the benefits of the Games to our town.
Mayor Daley's Chicago regime is a joke that plays like an old whoopee cushion.
We won't even bring up the fact former governor ''Hot Rod'' Blagojevich was once an instrumental part of Chicago's 2016 Games bid. If there was more clown greasepaint that his family could put on, it would need a face the size of a billboard to do it.
Former Illinois first lady Patti Blagojevich is on a reality TV show -- because her gerbil-cheeked, heavily-indicted husband was forbidden by the law to be on it -- eating bugs and being humiliated and semi-tortured for cash.
We're down to slapstick
Dear God, we don't ask for decency in Chicago or Illinois politics. We don't even ask for intelligence. But is it wrong to ask for something less than slapstick?
Yet things just get worse and worse with our political leaders.
What, 26 aldermen have been to prison in modern times?
Alderman Isaac Carothers, a longtime West Side Daley hack and political operations insider, is allegedly so corrupt that even wearing a wire for the feds (which he did) didn't prevent him from being indicted the other day for fraud and bribery.
Michael Jordan and even Barack Obama himself are going to speak out for the Chicago Olympic bid.
Who cares?
Do you know how much money Chicago stands to lose in this deal? Are you a wheeler-dealer? A connected guy? A Daley relative hooked up to pension-fund investments?
You'll pay, if you're not.
I guarantee you.
I promise you.
The Chicago bid folks have a massive public-relations war chest.
All we citizens have is common sense, and the knowledge of what goes on here.
In Louisiana, they have governmental corruption that is so over-the-top it's funny.
Ours is just dumb as snot.
Bad kids should be punished.
To bed. No food. The end.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Cynthia McKinney Announces Formation of DIGNITYSubmitted by The Editors on Wed, 06/03/2009 - 10:11
Cynthia McKinney
Democrats
Dignity
GreensPrinter-friendly versionSend to friendPDF version
by the editors
Which way forward for the Black Left? The path leads in the same direction it always has: agitation, organization, and confrontation with Power. Cynthia McKinney chose a Harlem church to announce formation of DIGNITY, to bring the Black body politic back from its current comatose state. "Dignity is attempting to show real change is possible" - if people fight for it. "We want to organize networks so that we can relay information quickly to a large number of people."
Cynthia McKinney Announces Formation of DIGNITY
the editors
Former congresswoman (D-GA) and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney addressed a packed house at St. Mary’s Church, in Harlem, on Sunday, May 31. Also sharing the podium were Glen Ford and Margaret Kimberley, of Black Agenda Report, Nellie Bailey, Harlem Tenants Council, Prof. Anthony Monteiro, of the African American Studies Department, Temple University, and writer/activist Mae Jackson. The event was titled, “Which Way Forward for the Black Left?”
”We agreed to found an action organization and to call it Dignity.”
Thank you all for being here.
On Thursday, General Taguba spoke to journalists and said that the photos currently being withheld by President Obama show rape. On Friday, he went even further and said that he saw video of U.S. soldiers raping and sodomizing detainees. From the first batch of photos that were released, we know that detainees were also murdered. In your name and mine.
But some of us here in the U.S. are not shocked or surprised that this kind of behavior could occur. For those of us who have our eyes open, the gritty streets of America are filled with the experience of unarmed black and brown men being beaten, raped, sodomized, and even murdered by terroristic agents of the state.
We remember the Black Panther Party, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Kwame Touré. We remember George Jackson, Soledad and Attica. We remember the American Indian Movement, the Puerto Rican Independistas, the Chicano Movement, and we remember the FBI. We know about Area A in Chicago and we’ve heard the San Francisco 8 recount for us their experiences of torture at the hands of law enforcement. We’ve heard them tell how 30 years later, the very same people who tortured them showed up on their doorsteps to re-arrest them for crimes they did not commit.
So when General Taguba verifies that torture, rape, and murder were used by U.S. service men and women, we cannot be surprised.
When we see Dick Cheney say that torture worked, we in this audience, are not surprised.
The gritty streets of America are filled with the experience of unarmed black and brown men being beaten, raped, sodomized, and even murdered by terroristic agents of the state.”
When we hear that Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown who allowed the San Francisco 8 prosecution to move forward is rumored to want to be the Governor of California, and expects our votes to win, we are not surprised.
Or that Gavin Newsome, current mayor of San Francisco who is abetting the ethnic cleansing of the last remaining black neighborhood in that city wants to be Governor and expects black, brown, and progressive white votes, we are not surprised.
So, when yet another young man is gunned down by the police, be it Oscar Grant in Oakland or Omar Edwards in New York City, and the policy doesn’t change to stop it. We shouldn’t be surprised.The authorities have proven that they will do everything and more if the people let them get away with it.
Our President has breathed new life into the Democratic Party. But the fact is, our precious breath, that gives that Party life, is killing us.
Glen Ford, Roy Singham, Dedon Kamathi of the All African People’s Revolutionary Party, and I all came together earlier this year, to not only lament the present, but to change the future. We decided that while our movement was nascent, coming out of my Power to the People campaign, that there was power in organization. That there was hope in mobilization. And that victory was possible in implementation. We agreed to found an action organization and to call it Dignity.
There will be some who will maintain that this country, founded as a settler state, never had any dignity since it rested on taking and not sharing land that belonged to someone else.
”We decided that while our movement was nascent, coming out of my Power to the People campaign.”
After deep engagement in slavery, the take-over of whole countries, denial of self-determination, and endless war and occupation, still others would say that our country has certainly lost whatever dignity it might have been able at one time to earn.
And after Abu Ghraib, dignity is no longer possible.
For about ten years, I went around the country proclaiming the black body politic to be at first moribund, then comatose. I now see the same fate awaiting the Progressive community even as we witness ongoing war, even ramping up the war machine during the greatest transfer of wealth out of black and brown communities by the wholesale theft of people’s homes.
Bait and switch schemes, whitewashing, and red herrings shouldn’t be left for the people alone to decipher as they are also trying to save themselves from drowning. Some of us know what’s going on and we’re organizing Dignity in order to inform and then stop it.
We are tired of watching politicians acknowledge our pain, win office, and then go about their business adding more to the existing pain.
We can change the policies only by changing the nature of the debate that leads up to the selection of our policymakers. That means that we must have a way to get our message out independent of CNN, FOX, the New York Times, Clear Channel, or Public Radio. People must know in advance what the issues are, what the possibilities of policy are, and be informed, correctly, not only in slick Madison Avenue style campaigns designed to mislead. We need media of our own.
”I went around the country proclaiming the black body politic to be at first moribund, then comatose.”
And finally, we need actions that serve as a wake-up call to all of our elected officials that for a critical number of us, and Glen just happens to believe that we have the right number of people supporting us in general now, business as usual is over.
We have brains, we have brawn, and we’ve got guts. But is that enough?
We’ve learned from our neighbors to our South, from Mexico, Cuba, and Haiti; Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Nicaragua that we don’t have to settle for less than what we need from politics.
And I’m tired of feeling trapped in the politics of self-abnegation. If people in other parts of the world can do it, then we must be able to do it, too. That remains to be seen, however.
So, Dignity is attempting to show that real change is possible.
Dignity will show that just voting for special interest politicians who reflect special interest political parties in new faces is not enough.
It is clear that some people are satisfied with that, but we demand more.
Honestly, I called Glen, ready to give up, saying that I’ve done what I could do. And Glen, then Dedon, then Roy, and so many others across our country said, no. People began contacting me personally, as if they could sense what I was feeling. They started adding comments on our youtube videos, and I know many people are talking among themselves, expressing disappointment in whispered tones with the direction so far of the Obama Administration.
”Dignity is attempting to show that real change is possible.”
I was saddened to read a message from Cindy Sheehan saying that she won’t run against Pelosi next election. That’s a big blow to us and I hope she will reconsider.
Who was it that said the race goes not to the swift but to he who can endure?
I’m willing to try one more thing, one more time. And Dignity is our effort to endure; to deliver a much-needed victory to the people. Before it’s too late.
Please support us with your money, your brain, and your time.
Please be sure to sign in. In the days ahead, we will contact you. You all have networks. We want to organize networks so that we can relay information quickly to a large number of people.
Because of your contributions today, Dignity soon will have an internet presence and a weekly television show. We intend to have a distribution mechanism so that our supporters can place our television show on cable access stations across the country; we want to be on the radio, and we also want to be in the faces of the people who got our votes or have authority over our tax dollars and who continue to disappoint us.We are not abused spouses turning the other cheek for another slap in the face. We are individuals who know that this country can be better because we still have faith in the good will and the values of the American people.
Help us organize Dignity, and with dignity, we will stand up for our rights!
For more information on DIGNITY, contact Ms. McKinney at hq2600@gmail.com
Cynthia McKinney
Democrats
Dignity
GreensPrinter-friendly versionSend to friendPDF version
by the editors
Which way forward for the Black Left? The path leads in the same direction it always has: agitation, organization, and confrontation with Power. Cynthia McKinney chose a Harlem church to announce formation of DIGNITY, to bring the Black body politic back from its current comatose state. "Dignity is attempting to show real change is possible" - if people fight for it. "We want to organize networks so that we can relay information quickly to a large number of people."
Cynthia McKinney Announces Formation of DIGNITY
the editors
Former congresswoman (D-GA) and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney addressed a packed house at St. Mary’s Church, in Harlem, on Sunday, May 31. Also sharing the podium were Glen Ford and Margaret Kimberley, of Black Agenda Report, Nellie Bailey, Harlem Tenants Council, Prof. Anthony Monteiro, of the African American Studies Department, Temple University, and writer/activist Mae Jackson. The event was titled, “Which Way Forward for the Black Left?”
”We agreed to found an action organization and to call it Dignity.”
Thank you all for being here.
On Thursday, General Taguba spoke to journalists and said that the photos currently being withheld by President Obama show rape. On Friday, he went even further and said that he saw video of U.S. soldiers raping and sodomizing detainees. From the first batch of photos that were released, we know that detainees were also murdered. In your name and mine.
But some of us here in the U.S. are not shocked or surprised that this kind of behavior could occur. For those of us who have our eyes open, the gritty streets of America are filled with the experience of unarmed black and brown men being beaten, raped, sodomized, and even murdered by terroristic agents of the state.
We remember the Black Panther Party, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Kwame Touré. We remember George Jackson, Soledad and Attica. We remember the American Indian Movement, the Puerto Rican Independistas, the Chicano Movement, and we remember the FBI. We know about Area A in Chicago and we’ve heard the San Francisco 8 recount for us their experiences of torture at the hands of law enforcement. We’ve heard them tell how 30 years later, the very same people who tortured them showed up on their doorsteps to re-arrest them for crimes they did not commit.
So when General Taguba verifies that torture, rape, and murder were used by U.S. service men and women, we cannot be surprised.
When we see Dick Cheney say that torture worked, we in this audience, are not surprised.
The gritty streets of America are filled with the experience of unarmed black and brown men being beaten, raped, sodomized, and even murdered by terroristic agents of the state.”
When we hear that Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown who allowed the San Francisco 8 prosecution to move forward is rumored to want to be the Governor of California, and expects our votes to win, we are not surprised.
Or that Gavin Newsome, current mayor of San Francisco who is abetting the ethnic cleansing of the last remaining black neighborhood in that city wants to be Governor and expects black, brown, and progressive white votes, we are not surprised.
So, when yet another young man is gunned down by the police, be it Oscar Grant in Oakland or Omar Edwards in New York City, and the policy doesn’t change to stop it. We shouldn’t be surprised.The authorities have proven that they will do everything and more if the people let them get away with it.
Our President has breathed new life into the Democratic Party. But the fact is, our precious breath, that gives that Party life, is killing us.
Glen Ford, Roy Singham, Dedon Kamathi of the All African People’s Revolutionary Party, and I all came together earlier this year, to not only lament the present, but to change the future. We decided that while our movement was nascent, coming out of my Power to the People campaign, that there was power in organization. That there was hope in mobilization. And that victory was possible in implementation. We agreed to found an action organization and to call it Dignity.
There will be some who will maintain that this country, founded as a settler state, never had any dignity since it rested on taking and not sharing land that belonged to someone else.
”We decided that while our movement was nascent, coming out of my Power to the People campaign.”
After deep engagement in slavery, the take-over of whole countries, denial of self-determination, and endless war and occupation, still others would say that our country has certainly lost whatever dignity it might have been able at one time to earn.
And after Abu Ghraib, dignity is no longer possible.
For about ten years, I went around the country proclaiming the black body politic to be at first moribund, then comatose. I now see the same fate awaiting the Progressive community even as we witness ongoing war, even ramping up the war machine during the greatest transfer of wealth out of black and brown communities by the wholesale theft of people’s homes.
Bait and switch schemes, whitewashing, and red herrings shouldn’t be left for the people alone to decipher as they are also trying to save themselves from drowning. Some of us know what’s going on and we’re organizing Dignity in order to inform and then stop it.
We are tired of watching politicians acknowledge our pain, win office, and then go about their business adding more to the existing pain.
We can change the policies only by changing the nature of the debate that leads up to the selection of our policymakers. That means that we must have a way to get our message out independent of CNN, FOX, the New York Times, Clear Channel, or Public Radio. People must know in advance what the issues are, what the possibilities of policy are, and be informed, correctly, not only in slick Madison Avenue style campaigns designed to mislead. We need media of our own.
”I went around the country proclaiming the black body politic to be at first moribund, then comatose.”
And finally, we need actions that serve as a wake-up call to all of our elected officials that for a critical number of us, and Glen just happens to believe that we have the right number of people supporting us in general now, business as usual is over.
We have brains, we have brawn, and we’ve got guts. But is that enough?
We’ve learned from our neighbors to our South, from Mexico, Cuba, and Haiti; Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Nicaragua that we don’t have to settle for less than what we need from politics.
And I’m tired of feeling trapped in the politics of self-abnegation. If people in other parts of the world can do it, then we must be able to do it, too. That remains to be seen, however.
So, Dignity is attempting to show that real change is possible.
Dignity will show that just voting for special interest politicians who reflect special interest political parties in new faces is not enough.
It is clear that some people are satisfied with that, but we demand more.
Honestly, I called Glen, ready to give up, saying that I’ve done what I could do. And Glen, then Dedon, then Roy, and so many others across our country said, no. People began contacting me personally, as if they could sense what I was feeling. They started adding comments on our youtube videos, and I know many people are talking among themselves, expressing disappointment in whispered tones with the direction so far of the Obama Administration.
”Dignity is attempting to show that real change is possible.”
I was saddened to read a message from Cindy Sheehan saying that she won’t run against Pelosi next election. That’s a big blow to us and I hope she will reconsider.
Who was it that said the race goes not to the swift but to he who can endure?
I’m willing to try one more thing, one more time. And Dignity is our effort to endure; to deliver a much-needed victory to the people. Before it’s too late.
Please support us with your money, your brain, and your time.
Please be sure to sign in. In the days ahead, we will contact you. You all have networks. We want to organize networks so that we can relay information quickly to a large number of people.
Because of your contributions today, Dignity soon will have an internet presence and a weekly television show. We intend to have a distribution mechanism so that our supporters can place our television show on cable access stations across the country; we want to be on the radio, and we also want to be in the faces of the people who got our votes or have authority over our tax dollars and who continue to disappoint us.We are not abused spouses turning the other cheek for another slap in the face. We are individuals who know that this country can be better because we still have faith in the good will and the values of the American people.
Help us organize Dignity, and with dignity, we will stand up for our rights!
For more information on DIGNITY, contact Ms. McKinney at hq2600@gmail.com
AS PRINTED IN THE CHICAGO BULLETIN-REPORT FROM DURBAN II CONFERENCE-GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, APRIL 20-APRIL 24, 2009
2 May 2009
DURBAN 2 REVIEW
REPORT FROM UNITED NATIONS WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM GENEVA, SWITZERLAND-APRIL 20-24, 2009
In September, 2001, the 3rd World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance was held in Durban, South Africa. At this conference, it was estimated that 18,000 people were in attendance, with 2,500 delegates from 170 countries including 16 heads of State, 58 foreign ministers and 44 other ministers, nearly 4,000 NGO’s (Non-government Organizations) and 1,300 members of the media.
From the conference in Durban, a document entitled “The Durban Declaration and Program of Action was formulated. There were 400 NGO delegates in attendance from the United States who were primarily of African descent. Their exclusive purpose was to have entered into the Durban Declaration language that specifically addressed the issue of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. They were successful in that it was stated; The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery were Crimes Against Humanity. Further, the “Durban 400” rationalized that as a result of what had been inflicted on those kidnapped Africans, “Reparations” are due.
The “Review Conference” in Geneva, Switzerland was held to reaffirm, acknowledge, take note of, express concern for, reiterate, emphasize, condemn, deplore, express appreciation for, stress, welcome, adopt, recall, renew, urge or encourage language that existed in the document being presented which were the Durban Declaration and Program of Action. This is a customary process which is usually convened several years after the original conference.
The official count for participants in the review conference has not been released. However, the U.S. delegation was substantially less than the 400 who participated at the conference in South Africa in 2001. The number of participants for the United States in Durban was unprecedented. The Geneva conference posed a serious struggle for the delegations representing African nations around the world (including Blacks from America) to maintain the adopted language regarding the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. We only had three days of the five to complete this task because the government bodies would leave on Wednesday.
Of the 185 plus member States attending the conference in Geneva, the United States of America was not one of them. Neither were Canada, Britain and several other Western countries. The United States has never participated in any World Conference against Racism including the first one which addressed the issue of apartheid in South Africa.
While the news was reporting the live statements by the President of Iran, denouncing the pro-Zionist governments of the world including the U.S. and the orchestrated walk-out of several Western nations, another significant occurrence was taking place among the NGO’s.
One of brother Malcolm X’s five daughters was participating in the Geneva conference. At some point while making remarks in a side session, abruptly, without warning, a group of pro-Zionist NGO delegates began shouting her down and completely disregarding the protocol of United Nations behavior. At the same time they began taking photos of her which is another UN violation. Several members from African delegations came to her defense by shielding her from the hostile pro-Zionists. Finally, the United Nations police arrived after being summoned quite earlier. Even then, initially, they attempted to remove Malcolm’s daughter and her rescuers instead of the villains who initiated the action. Although the instigators were escorted from the room, they were not barred from the conference nor were their cameras confiscated which is normal operating procedure at the United Nations. Several hours later, they returned. We knew then, what we could expect during the remaining days of the conference. Fortunately, nothing of this magnitude reoccurred.
During the remainder of the conference, many “side events” were conducted. These I found to be most relevant.
· “Transatlantic slave trade, challenges for the Durban review: Remembrance, legacies, apologies, remedies”
Organized by International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations, Afro-Swedish National Association, Centre for Housing Rights and Evictions, Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center and African Canadian Legal Clinic
· “The role of local Governments in fighting racism and racial discrimination: Experiences from the International Coalition of Cities against Racism Project”
Organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
· “Reparations for African people and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action”
Organized by International Association Against Torture and December Twelfth Movement International Secretariat
· “Combating racism through sport and youth empowerment”
Organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
· “Durban commitments and minorities: Policing in diverse societies”
Organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
On the last day, the “Adoption of the Final Documents and The Report of The Durban Review Conference was distributed. The exact language from the Durban Conference had been modified. It reads as-
#62 ….. Recalls that slavery and the slave trade, including the transatlantic slave trade, apartheid, colonialism and genocide must never be forgotten and in this regard welcomes actions undertaken to honour the memory of victims;
#63….Notes actions of those countries that have, in the context of these past tragedies, expressed remorse, offered apologies, initiated institutionalized mechanisms such as truth and reconciliation commissions and/or restituted cultural artifacts since the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and calls on those who have not yet contributed to restoring the dignity of the victims and find appropriate ways to do so;
#64….Urges all States to implement General Assembly resolutions 61/19, 62/122 and 63/5 on the transatlantic slave trade;
#65….Urges States to combat impunity for crimes of genocide in accordance with international law, in particular the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and in this context urges States t cooperate with international criminal tribunals as stipulated in paragraph 82 of the DDPA;
#71….Urges States to adopt a social and human rights perspective when tackling the violence experienced by indigenous youth and youth of African descent, particularly in the peri-urban areas of major cities, and to focus on strengthening social capital, granting assistance to, and building the capacity of indigenous youth and youth of African descent;
#72….Urges States to direct their special measures, including affirmative or positive measures, and strategies or actions, as well as new investments in health care, public health, education, employment, electricity, drinking water and environmental control, to communities of African descent and indigenous peoples.
What is truly important for all people of African descent to understand is that the past and destiny of peoples of African descent residing in the United States and the Diaspora is completely interwoven-linked to that of our brothers and sisters who continue to inhabit the continent of Africa. The world views us that way and we should view ourselves in that manner as well.
Submitted by,
Patricia L. Hill, Executive Director-African American Police League
2 May 2009
DURBAN 2 REVIEW
REPORT FROM UNITED NATIONS WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM GENEVA, SWITZERLAND-APRIL 20-24, 2009
In September, 2001, the 3rd World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance was held in Durban, South Africa. At this conference, it was estimated that 18,000 people were in attendance, with 2,500 delegates from 170 countries including 16 heads of State, 58 foreign ministers and 44 other ministers, nearly 4,000 NGO’s (Non-government Organizations) and 1,300 members of the media.
From the conference in Durban, a document entitled “The Durban Declaration and Program of Action was formulated. There were 400 NGO delegates in attendance from the United States who were primarily of African descent. Their exclusive purpose was to have entered into the Durban Declaration language that specifically addressed the issue of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. They were successful in that it was stated; The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery were Crimes Against Humanity. Further, the “Durban 400” rationalized that as a result of what had been inflicted on those kidnapped Africans, “Reparations” are due.
The “Review Conference” in Geneva, Switzerland was held to reaffirm, acknowledge, take note of, express concern for, reiterate, emphasize, condemn, deplore, express appreciation for, stress, welcome, adopt, recall, renew, urge or encourage language that existed in the document being presented which were the Durban Declaration and Program of Action. This is a customary process which is usually convened several years after the original conference.
The official count for participants in the review conference has not been released. However, the U.S. delegation was substantially less than the 400 who participated at the conference in South Africa in 2001. The number of participants for the United States in Durban was unprecedented. The Geneva conference posed a serious struggle for the delegations representing African nations around the world (including Blacks from America) to maintain the adopted language regarding the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. We only had three days of the five to complete this task because the government bodies would leave on Wednesday.
Of the 185 plus member States attending the conference in Geneva, the United States of America was not one of them. Neither were Canada, Britain and several other Western countries. The United States has never participated in any World Conference against Racism including the first one which addressed the issue of apartheid in South Africa.
While the news was reporting the live statements by the President of Iran, denouncing the pro-Zionist governments of the world including the U.S. and the orchestrated walk-out of several Western nations, another significant occurrence was taking place among the NGO’s.
One of brother Malcolm X’s five daughters was participating in the Geneva conference. At some point while making remarks in a side session, abruptly, without warning, a group of pro-Zionist NGO delegates began shouting her down and completely disregarding the protocol of United Nations behavior. At the same time they began taking photos of her which is another UN violation. Several members from African delegations came to her defense by shielding her from the hostile pro-Zionists. Finally, the United Nations police arrived after being summoned quite earlier. Even then, initially, they attempted to remove Malcolm’s daughter and her rescuers instead of the villains who initiated the action. Although the instigators were escorted from the room, they were not barred from the conference nor were their cameras confiscated which is normal operating procedure at the United Nations. Several hours later, they returned. We knew then, what we could expect during the remaining days of the conference. Fortunately, nothing of this magnitude reoccurred.
During the remainder of the conference, many “side events” were conducted. These I found to be most relevant.
· “Transatlantic slave trade, challenges for the Durban review: Remembrance, legacies, apologies, remedies”
Organized by International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations, Afro-Swedish National Association, Centre for Housing Rights and Evictions, Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center and African Canadian Legal Clinic
· “The role of local Governments in fighting racism and racial discrimination: Experiences from the International Coalition of Cities against Racism Project”
Organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
· “Reparations for African people and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action”
Organized by International Association Against Torture and December Twelfth Movement International Secretariat
· “Combating racism through sport and youth empowerment”
Organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
· “Durban commitments and minorities: Policing in diverse societies”
Organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
On the last day, the “Adoption of the Final Documents and The Report of The Durban Review Conference was distributed. The exact language from the Durban Conference had been modified. It reads as-
#62 ….. Recalls that slavery and the slave trade, including the transatlantic slave trade, apartheid, colonialism and genocide must never be forgotten and in this regard welcomes actions undertaken to honour the memory of victims;
#63….Notes actions of those countries that have, in the context of these past tragedies, expressed remorse, offered apologies, initiated institutionalized mechanisms such as truth and reconciliation commissions and/or restituted cultural artifacts since the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and calls on those who have not yet contributed to restoring the dignity of the victims and find appropriate ways to do so;
#64….Urges all States to implement General Assembly resolutions 61/19, 62/122 and 63/5 on the transatlantic slave trade;
#65….Urges States to combat impunity for crimes of genocide in accordance with international law, in particular the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, and in this context urges States t cooperate with international criminal tribunals as stipulated in paragraph 82 of the DDPA;
#71….Urges States to adopt a social and human rights perspective when tackling the violence experienced by indigenous youth and youth of African descent, particularly in the peri-urban areas of major cities, and to focus on strengthening social capital, granting assistance to, and building the capacity of indigenous youth and youth of African descent;
#72….Urges States to direct their special measures, including affirmative or positive measures, and strategies or actions, as well as new investments in health care, public health, education, employment, electricity, drinking water and environmental control, to communities of African descent and indigenous peoples.
What is truly important for all people of African descent to understand is that the past and destiny of peoples of African descent residing in the United States and the Diaspora is completely interwoven-linked to that of our brothers and sisters who continue to inhabit the continent of Africa. The world views us that way and we should view ourselves in that manner as well.
Submitted by,
Patricia L. Hill, Executive Director-African American Police League
SPEECH TO BE DELIVERED AT BLACK ON BLACK LOVE MEETING AT LIBERTY BAPTIST CHURCH-CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
All of us are here today because we believe in Black On Black Love. But what has really brought us here, to this point, is Black on Black Violence or what we perceive is Black on Black Violence.
Our brother, our shining prince, revolutionary Black Nationalist Freedom Fighter, El Hajj el Malik Shabazz, more widely known as Malcolm X, who, had he not been murdered in his prime, at the age of 39, would have made 84 years old on May 19th, told us and taught us many things in his short physical life on this earth. One of the things he told us was, that America has a problem. She has a very serious problem. And that problem is us. She doesn’t know what to do about us. In some circles this is called the “Negro Question”. In contemporary times, now, is referred to as “What to do with the Angry Black Man”.
As I look around this beautiful institution we are in, I’m looking at a lot of beautiful people of African descent whom I know don’t believe that America has a problem with us because they can’t understand why she would have a problem with us a people. After all, a great deal of what is great about America is because of us. How many of you have ever been to Washington DC? Do you know who designed it? How many of you have ever seen the White House, where a family of African descent now resides? Do you know who built it? Or the Capitol Building, where laws are made? Do you think our ancestors were compensated for all of the labor it took to build those institutions for the United States of America? And that’s a primary reason why we are America’s problem. We began demanding that what is owed to us be appropriately tendered to us. We began stating, NO More Free Labor.
Dr. King referenced that in his speech in Washington DC in 1963. The speech that has come to be known as the “I Have A Dream” speech. He told the world that a check had been presented by us to the American government for the blood, sweat and tears we’ve shed for centuries in this country. But do you know what happened when that check was presented, and is still being presented? It bounced then and it continues to bounce. It keeps coming back stamped Insufficient Funds!
When an entire country such as the United States of America, has benefitted for more than 500 years of work from hundreds of thousands of people for free, and that country has been going around telling the world how great it is, including how wealthy it is and those people begin demanding recognition for their work, that poses a serious problem for that country.
One of the greatest contributions we have made to this country has been the ability to maintain family in spite of all that has been heaped upon us. And in the process of maintaining our family, we have assisted them by developing and raising their children while at times ours have gone without. But that didn’t prevent us from loving, nurturing and rearing our own to the best of our abilities. The Black Church and the Black Family have been the staple and conscious of this country almost from the time we were forcefully brought to these shores. If it were not for the Black Church and the love for Black Family by Black people, we would have long succumbed to the attacks and all out assault on our very existence by those who oppress us, to this very day.
So, the first thing we must do, is that regardless of what negativity is said about Black people, Black children, Black women, Black men, Black neighborhoods and Black communities, don’t believe it, don’t repeat it and don’t act like it’s true.
In order for us to be strong enough to do that, we must know, without question that we are at war. When Dr. King came to the complete realization that America was symbolically a “burning house”, he stated that we would have to become firefighters. When we internalize that we are at war, we will become soldiers. The right kind of soldiers. But first, we must be clear on who the enemy is.
I told you what America’s problem is. Well, we have a problem as well. We have not consistently identified who the enemy is. Too often we have wittingly and unwittingly joined forces with our enemies. And as a result, we have participated in creating our own demise. I’ll use the words of late professor, Dr. Amos N. Wilson in explaining.
“As far as the White American community is concerned, the African American community and related groups function to support and service its dominance. The White community legislates, enforces, and reinforces the role-functions and behavioral boundaries of the African American community in accordance with its dominance and needs. By these means the place of the African American community, relative to the White American community is legitimatized."
"As long as African Americans perform according to the roles prescribed for them by the White American community ego complex, everything is fine according the White American community. However, when and if the African American community threatens to move or actually moves beyond its functional invisibility; when it attempts to escape its role definition, acts on its own volition and thereby escapes dominant group controls,when it challenges the legitimacy and relative autonomy of the White American community, that community responds repressively."(destroying public housing and public schools)
Take the instance of public housing in Chicago as an example. In no more than a couple of years, three generations of Black people were displaced from where they called home. No matter how fit or unfit. Their lives were completely and totally disrupted. Are there any people here who were a part of that experience? It is not different from what our brothers and sisters are experiencing and have experienced in countries in Africa such as Rawanda, Biafra and Sudan. Many families had to separate. Children were uprooted from their neighborhoods which included their schools. Then what happened? These groups of people, who represent a subculture, or tribe so to speak, had to traverse into unfamiliar and some cases unwelcomed communities or territories. Where the indigenous people of those areas engage in another subculture or tribe. And because of the fact that all of these groups represent a subculture, or sub-society, they have created their own sub economy. In this instance, the drug trade. The government knows this. Your legislators, Black and white, know this. But they sacrificed the people anyway. They knew when BD’s (Black Disciples) crossed over into GD (Gangster Disciples) territory, what was going to happen. They knew that when one tribe encroached upon another tribe’s neighborhood and began attending school in a warring tribes turf was going to happen. But it was forced upon the tribes to move anyway.
Now some of you will say, they shouldn’t belong to these groups, tribes, or gangs in the first place. The fact of the matter is, that is an ideal, I agree. But reality dictates that they do belong to these groups and sub-groups. And as a duty-holder, the government, in this case, the United States government / State of Illinois/City of Chicago had an obligation to recognize that and act appropriately. That means, having respect for the value of human life. But that is not what happened. On top of that, as if that wasn’t enough, they began to close schools and imposing a policy called “No Child Left Behind”. When in fact, it is designed to leave our children behind. A policy, that should be regarded as “ a legislative crime against humanity” because it denies our children the right to fully develop in order to become self-sufficient, civic minded productive citizens in this society. Instead, it forces them to remain in the sub-culture that we say they should not be a part of in the first place. And that war continues and they become, just like our young brothers and sisters in Africa, child soldiers. They are recruited, trained and rewarded by those who are real urban terrorists. But to many, they seem to be invisible and therefore our children bear the brunt of being labeled as the terrorists.
We have experienced examples of this behavior time and time again. So, what must we do? This is where things become difficult. This is where we have got to have faith. This is when we have to believe in things not yet seen. First we must unite around the belief of our greatness as a people and we must believe we are entitled to the best that life has to offer. Then we must do some practical things.
1. We must understand how self-alienation relates to Black on Black violence.
2. We must understand how “The Black on Black Criminal” relates to the concept of “conspicuous consumer".
3. Finally, if the African American community is not to be sacrificed to White American lust, vanity and greed-if it is not to self-annilhilate-it must make three compelling and imminent choices. We either must;
· Seize ownership and control of the means of production or influence them in ways such that it can satisfy the stimulated desires and needs of our people
· Radically modify the tastes, desires,values and needs of our people such that their vain pursuit of them will not underwrite our own oppression or self-destruction;
· Or radically transform the American production and value systems, social order, and replace them by a new, fairer (blacker), humane social and economic order. *Amos Wilson
In essence, as Brother Malcom stated, in his speech titled the “Battle or the Bullet”, we must gain control of the politics and the politicians in our communities. We must become politically mature so that we will stop being misled, led astray in supporting people who don’t have our best interest at heart.
We must control the economy in our community. That means we must control the jobs, housing, education and businesses in our community. As it currently stands, even when we choose to shop in our own community, we are supporting businesses owned by people who don’t look like us, who don’t live in our community.
In the words of Frederick Douglass; “Liberty and Slavery cannot dwell together forever in the same country. There is not one iota of affinity existing between them. They hate each other, with a state of irreconciliable hostility. You must decide whether you want to be free or be a slave".
The question is constantly asked, why do Black people always kill Black people. The answer is simple. They have not been trained to kill White people. I am not advocating killing anyone. What I am saying is we are still suffering under the yoke of oppression. Meaning, collectively we feel powerless. We must get some power. Some Black Power. However, “power concedes to nothing less than a demand, it never has and it never will”. Those who have it over us will never give it up without us making them do so. Thank you.
All of us are here today because we believe in Black On Black Love. But what has really brought us here, to this point, is Black on Black Violence or what we perceive is Black on Black Violence.
Our brother, our shining prince, revolutionary Black Nationalist Freedom Fighter, El Hajj el Malik Shabazz, more widely known as Malcolm X, who, had he not been murdered in his prime, at the age of 39, would have made 84 years old on May 19th, told us and taught us many things in his short physical life on this earth. One of the things he told us was, that America has a problem. She has a very serious problem. And that problem is us. She doesn’t know what to do about us. In some circles this is called the “Negro Question”. In contemporary times, now, is referred to as “What to do with the Angry Black Man”.
As I look around this beautiful institution we are in, I’m looking at a lot of beautiful people of African descent whom I know don’t believe that America has a problem with us because they can’t understand why she would have a problem with us a people. After all, a great deal of what is great about America is because of us. How many of you have ever been to Washington DC? Do you know who designed it? How many of you have ever seen the White House, where a family of African descent now resides? Do you know who built it? Or the Capitol Building, where laws are made? Do you think our ancestors were compensated for all of the labor it took to build those institutions for the United States of America? And that’s a primary reason why we are America’s problem. We began demanding that what is owed to us be appropriately tendered to us. We began stating, NO More Free Labor.
Dr. King referenced that in his speech in Washington DC in 1963. The speech that has come to be known as the “I Have A Dream” speech. He told the world that a check had been presented by us to the American government for the blood, sweat and tears we’ve shed for centuries in this country. But do you know what happened when that check was presented, and is still being presented? It bounced then and it continues to bounce. It keeps coming back stamped Insufficient Funds!
When an entire country such as the United States of America, has benefitted for more than 500 years of work from hundreds of thousands of people for free, and that country has been going around telling the world how great it is, including how wealthy it is and those people begin demanding recognition for their work, that poses a serious problem for that country.
One of the greatest contributions we have made to this country has been the ability to maintain family in spite of all that has been heaped upon us. And in the process of maintaining our family, we have assisted them by developing and raising their children while at times ours have gone without. But that didn’t prevent us from loving, nurturing and rearing our own to the best of our abilities. The Black Church and the Black Family have been the staple and conscious of this country almost from the time we were forcefully brought to these shores. If it were not for the Black Church and the love for Black Family by Black people, we would have long succumbed to the attacks and all out assault on our very existence by those who oppress us, to this very day.
So, the first thing we must do, is that regardless of what negativity is said about Black people, Black children, Black women, Black men, Black neighborhoods and Black communities, don’t believe it, don’t repeat it and don’t act like it’s true.
In order for us to be strong enough to do that, we must know, without question that we are at war. When Dr. King came to the complete realization that America was symbolically a “burning house”, he stated that we would have to become firefighters. When we internalize that we are at war, we will become soldiers. The right kind of soldiers. But first, we must be clear on who the enemy is.
I told you what America’s problem is. Well, we have a problem as well. We have not consistently identified who the enemy is. Too often we have wittingly and unwittingly joined forces with our enemies. And as a result, we have participated in creating our own demise. I’ll use the words of late professor, Dr. Amos N. Wilson in explaining.
“As far as the White American community is concerned, the African American community and related groups function to support and service its dominance. The White community legislates, enforces, and reinforces the role-functions and behavioral boundaries of the African American community in accordance with its dominance and needs. By these means the place of the African American community, relative to the White American community is legitimatized."
"As long as African Americans perform according to the roles prescribed for them by the White American community ego complex, everything is fine according the White American community. However, when and if the African American community threatens to move or actually moves beyond its functional invisibility; when it attempts to escape its role definition, acts on its own volition and thereby escapes dominant group controls,when it challenges the legitimacy and relative autonomy of the White American community, that community responds repressively."(destroying public housing and public schools)
Take the instance of public housing in Chicago as an example. In no more than a couple of years, three generations of Black people were displaced from where they called home. No matter how fit or unfit. Their lives were completely and totally disrupted. Are there any people here who were a part of that experience? It is not different from what our brothers and sisters are experiencing and have experienced in countries in Africa such as Rawanda, Biafra and Sudan. Many families had to separate. Children were uprooted from their neighborhoods which included their schools. Then what happened? These groups of people, who represent a subculture, or tribe so to speak, had to traverse into unfamiliar and some cases unwelcomed communities or territories. Where the indigenous people of those areas engage in another subculture or tribe. And because of the fact that all of these groups represent a subculture, or sub-society, they have created their own sub economy. In this instance, the drug trade. The government knows this. Your legislators, Black and white, know this. But they sacrificed the people anyway. They knew when BD’s (Black Disciples) crossed over into GD (Gangster Disciples) territory, what was going to happen. They knew that when one tribe encroached upon another tribe’s neighborhood and began attending school in a warring tribes turf was going to happen. But it was forced upon the tribes to move anyway.
Now some of you will say, they shouldn’t belong to these groups, tribes, or gangs in the first place. The fact of the matter is, that is an ideal, I agree. But reality dictates that they do belong to these groups and sub-groups. And as a duty-holder, the government, in this case, the United States government / State of Illinois/City of Chicago had an obligation to recognize that and act appropriately. That means, having respect for the value of human life. But that is not what happened. On top of that, as if that wasn’t enough, they began to close schools and imposing a policy called “No Child Left Behind”. When in fact, it is designed to leave our children behind. A policy, that should be regarded as “ a legislative crime against humanity” because it denies our children the right to fully develop in order to become self-sufficient, civic minded productive citizens in this society. Instead, it forces them to remain in the sub-culture that we say they should not be a part of in the first place. And that war continues and they become, just like our young brothers and sisters in Africa, child soldiers. They are recruited, trained and rewarded by those who are real urban terrorists. But to many, they seem to be invisible and therefore our children bear the brunt of being labeled as the terrorists.
We have experienced examples of this behavior time and time again. So, what must we do? This is where things become difficult. This is where we have got to have faith. This is when we have to believe in things not yet seen. First we must unite around the belief of our greatness as a people and we must believe we are entitled to the best that life has to offer. Then we must do some practical things.
1. We must understand how self-alienation relates to Black on Black violence.
2. We must understand how “The Black on Black Criminal” relates to the concept of “conspicuous consumer".
3. Finally, if the African American community is not to be sacrificed to White American lust, vanity and greed-if it is not to self-annilhilate-it must make three compelling and imminent choices. We either must;
· Seize ownership and control of the means of production or influence them in ways such that it can satisfy the stimulated desires and needs of our people
· Radically modify the tastes, desires,values and needs of our people such that their vain pursuit of them will not underwrite our own oppression or self-destruction;
· Or radically transform the American production and value systems, social order, and replace them by a new, fairer (blacker), humane social and economic order. *Amos Wilson
In essence, as Brother Malcom stated, in his speech titled the “Battle or the Bullet”, we must gain control of the politics and the politicians in our communities. We must become politically mature so that we will stop being misled, led astray in supporting people who don’t have our best interest at heart.
We must control the economy in our community. That means we must control the jobs, housing, education and businesses in our community. As it currently stands, even when we choose to shop in our own community, we are supporting businesses owned by people who don’t look like us, who don’t live in our community.
In the words of Frederick Douglass; “Liberty and Slavery cannot dwell together forever in the same country. There is not one iota of affinity existing between them. They hate each other, with a state of irreconciliable hostility. You must decide whether you want to be free or be a slave".
The question is constantly asked, why do Black people always kill Black people. The answer is simple. They have not been trained to kill White people. I am not advocating killing anyone. What I am saying is we are still suffering under the yoke of oppression. Meaning, collectively we feel powerless. We must get some power. Some Black Power. However, “power concedes to nothing less than a demand, it never has and it never will”. Those who have it over us will never give it up without us making them do so. Thank you.
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