Black Leaders Conspire
Black Leaders Conspire Against the Disenfranchised and Dispossessed
The headline in this week’s Amsterdam News reads: “10% Behind Bars.” The reference is to Black men. Racially, this percentage is not only conservative but it also fails to account for the escalating number of Black women behind bars in addition to juveniles and men over forty years of age. Nonetheless, the figure is still alarming.
Moreover, seven million persons, at a minimum, are in the criminal justice system. A decade ago, studies were made of individual states and the sundry conclusions were the same: the states’ criminal justice systems are racist. On the other hand, there was an emerging prison-industrial complex. This revelation, however, did not stop Black elected officials from voting for racially-discriminatory sentencing laws.
Throughout the country, Black politicians have been caught doing business with representatives of the prison-industrial complex. Assemblyman Roger Green is one example in New York. After his plea of guilty, his constituents concluded that he should be sent back to Albany. If he had fought white supremacy, the Black community would have voted him out of office.
Fulton County Sheriff Jackie Barrett wrongfully put seven millions dollars of county funds in the hands of representatives of the prison-industrial complex. This money could have been put to good use in the Black community. Instead, she chose to finance our oppression. This is not an example of post-traumatic stress syndrome. We are still in slavery.
Black elected officials are playing the role of plantation overseers. This is the only value that Blacks receive for going to the polls. In all other elections, the Black vote is diminished if not discarded. Electronic voting machines through HAVA have thoroughly devalued the Black vote. 2007 has already arrived and Blacks have been thoroughly disenfranchised except to vote for the maintenance of the plantation.
If the Black vote had not been devalued, Sen. John Kerry would be preparing to cut a jig at the inaugural ball in January. Of course, Kerry refused to challenge the bogus results in Ohio for the same reason that Al Gore refused to raise the race question in Florida in 2000. The Supreme Court announced in Bush v. Gore that only white people can elect the president.
The New York City Council is a prime example of the impotence of Black elected officials. It has never dawned on the Black masses that members of the City Council could impact on the high incarceration rate as well as police brutality through the budgeting process. Some of these Black officials march against police brutality.
The five district attorneys in New York City must appear before the City Council to secure operating funds. If Black elected officials were on the up and up, the funds to the district attorneys would be shut off until their offices were thoroughly audited as bastions of racism.
The fatal shootings and failed prosecutions of Amadou Diallo and Patrick Dorismond, among others, would have to be explained. Similarly, the railroading of the Central Park jogger defendants would have to be explained.
If funds were threatened to be cut off, I can assure you that these district attorneys would straighten up and fly right. Heretofore, this question has not been raised in the Black community. It simply shows the lack of political education available to Black voters.
The Legal Aid Society, which represents most of the indigent, criminal defendants in New York City, is also under-funded. The chief culprit is the New York City Council. This under-funding leads to ineffective assistance of counsel.
Defendants are being intimidated into accepting unjust plea bargains. Many of these defendants are innocent. Those who go to trial lack the resources to overwhelm the resources of the district attorney’s office. The New York City Council is aware of this disparity.
The lack of indigent services is a nationwide problem despite the constitutional mandate outlined in Gideon v. Wainwright which guarantees to a poor person the same good, effective and competent lawyer as would be available to a person of means.
As an oath-taker, a Black elected official is obligated to uphold the Constitution. Instead, Black elected officials are collaborating with prosecutors to ensure that innocent Blacks go to prison. Self-hatred and self-defeat are major problems and voting is a weapon to commit suicide.
While Black leaders are meeting in the nation’s capital attempting to shake down the Democratic Party to secure crumbs for their personal benefit, white Democrats by advocating reactionary programs and advancing a conservative agenda are establishing and activating think tanks, political advocacy groups, election groups and legislative advocacy groups to find ways of either ditching or minimizing the presence of Blacks in the Democratic Party.
The Democratic Leadership Council was formed after the 1984 presidential sweepstakes to put the Democratic Party on a path to punish Blacks. Bill Clinton is a prominent member of this group and, as president, he established a reactionary welfare reform program and a repressive program in criminal justice.
Its think tank is the Progressive Policy Institute and its political advocacy group is the New Democratic Network. Third Way is being established as a legislative advocacy group. No similar political structure exists in the Black community. This is why Blacks are engaged in plantation politics.
Unless Blacks independently establish watchdog groups coupled with legislative advocacy groups, political advocacy groups and think tanks, Blacks will continue to suffer a political deficit for lack of a political structure.
So far, Black voters have failed to send any reactionary incumbent home but, more importantly, we have failed to secure any political bacon. Black leaders have earned a big, fat zero and now they want to lead us through the 2005 mayoralty contest. If Blacks had sent Bush home, the political score would have been fifty. If we had secured political bacon, the score would have been one hundred.
As you know, I am not interested in currying favor with sell-out Black leaders but, my concern is about attempting to save the race. The culprits are right-wing reactionaries and Black leaders bent on selling out the race for a living large lifestyle and media gratification.
I will do all that I can to preserve the vision of our ancestors but an institutional approach is critical. We must fight fire with fire. A grassroots effort must be initiated to take action against sell-outs and provide political education to our people. Kwame Ture prescribed political education as fundamental to liberation.
Most Blacks in New York are terrified of not only white supremacists but also self-appointed Black leaders. When you genuinely pursue the vision of our ancestors, you will be ostracized by both Blacks and whites as a threat to white supremacy. Blacks prefer racial diplomats. Freedom, however, can never be secured without sacrifice.
I am thankful to Sis. Karen Mason for establishing this website thereby affording me an opportunity to express my views. Our revered ancestor, Kwame Ture, must be elated. He continuously stressed the need for political education.
11/12/04
The headline in this week’s Amsterdam News reads: “10% Behind Bars.” The reference is to Black men. Racially, this percentage is not only conservative but it also fails to account for the escalating number of Black women behind bars in addition to juveniles and men over forty years of age. Nonetheless, the figure is still alarming.
Moreover, seven million persons, at a minimum, are in the criminal justice system. A decade ago, studies were made of individual states and the sundry conclusions were the same: the states’ criminal justice systems are racist. On the other hand, there was an emerging prison-industrial complex. This revelation, however, did not stop Black elected officials from voting for racially-discriminatory sentencing laws.
Throughout the country, Black politicians have been caught doing business with representatives of the prison-industrial complex. Assemblyman Roger Green is one example in New York. After his plea of guilty, his constituents concluded that he should be sent back to Albany. If he had fought white supremacy, the Black community would have voted him out of office.
Fulton County Sheriff Jackie Barrett wrongfully put seven millions dollars of county funds in the hands of representatives of the prison-industrial complex. This money could have been put to good use in the Black community. Instead, she chose to finance our oppression. This is not an example of post-traumatic stress syndrome. We are still in slavery.
Black elected officials are playing the role of plantation overseers. This is the only value that Blacks receive for going to the polls. In all other elections, the Black vote is diminished if not discarded. Electronic voting machines through HAVA have thoroughly devalued the Black vote. 2007 has already arrived and Blacks have been thoroughly disenfranchised except to vote for the maintenance of the plantation.
If the Black vote had not been devalued, Sen. John Kerry would be preparing to cut a jig at the inaugural ball in January. Of course, Kerry refused to challenge the bogus results in Ohio for the same reason that Al Gore refused to raise the race question in Florida in 2000. The Supreme Court announced in Bush v. Gore that only white people can elect the president.
The New York City Council is a prime example of the impotence of Black elected officials. It has never dawned on the Black masses that members of the City Council could impact on the high incarceration rate as well as police brutality through the budgeting process. Some of these Black officials march against police brutality.
The five district attorneys in New York City must appear before the City Council to secure operating funds. If Black elected officials were on the up and up, the funds to the district attorneys would be shut off until their offices were thoroughly audited as bastions of racism.
The fatal shootings and failed prosecutions of Amadou Diallo and Patrick Dorismond, among others, would have to be explained. Similarly, the railroading of the Central Park jogger defendants would have to be explained.
If funds were threatened to be cut off, I can assure you that these district attorneys would straighten up and fly right. Heretofore, this question has not been raised in the Black community. It simply shows the lack of political education available to Black voters.
The Legal Aid Society, which represents most of the indigent, criminal defendants in New York City, is also under-funded. The chief culprit is the New York City Council. This under-funding leads to ineffective assistance of counsel.
Defendants are being intimidated into accepting unjust plea bargains. Many of these defendants are innocent. Those who go to trial lack the resources to overwhelm the resources of the district attorney’s office. The New York City Council is aware of this disparity.
The lack of indigent services is a nationwide problem despite the constitutional mandate outlined in Gideon v. Wainwright which guarantees to a poor person the same good, effective and competent lawyer as would be available to a person of means.
As an oath-taker, a Black elected official is obligated to uphold the Constitution. Instead, Black elected officials are collaborating with prosecutors to ensure that innocent Blacks go to prison. Self-hatred and self-defeat are major problems and voting is a weapon to commit suicide.
While Black leaders are meeting in the nation’s capital attempting to shake down the Democratic Party to secure crumbs for their personal benefit, white Democrats by advocating reactionary programs and advancing a conservative agenda are establishing and activating think tanks, political advocacy groups, election groups and legislative advocacy groups to find ways of either ditching or minimizing the presence of Blacks in the Democratic Party.
The Democratic Leadership Council was formed after the 1984 presidential sweepstakes to put the Democratic Party on a path to punish Blacks. Bill Clinton is a prominent member of this group and, as president, he established a reactionary welfare reform program and a repressive program in criminal justice.
Its think tank is the Progressive Policy Institute and its political advocacy group is the New Democratic Network. Third Way is being established as a legislative advocacy group. No similar political structure exists in the Black community. This is why Blacks are engaged in plantation politics.
Unless Blacks independently establish watchdog groups coupled with legislative advocacy groups, political advocacy groups and think tanks, Blacks will continue to suffer a political deficit for lack of a political structure.
So far, Black voters have failed to send any reactionary incumbent home but, more importantly, we have failed to secure any political bacon. Black leaders have earned a big, fat zero and now they want to lead us through the 2005 mayoralty contest. If Blacks had sent Bush home, the political score would have been fifty. If we had secured political bacon, the score would have been one hundred.
As you know, I am not interested in currying favor with sell-out Black leaders but, my concern is about attempting to save the race. The culprits are right-wing reactionaries and Black leaders bent on selling out the race for a living large lifestyle and media gratification.
I will do all that I can to preserve the vision of our ancestors but an institutional approach is critical. We must fight fire with fire. A grassroots effort must be initiated to take action against sell-outs and provide political education to our people. Kwame Ture prescribed political education as fundamental to liberation.
Most Blacks in New York are terrified of not only white supremacists but also self-appointed Black leaders. When you genuinely pursue the vision of our ancestors, you will be ostracized by both Blacks and whites as a threat to white supremacy. Blacks prefer racial diplomats. Freedom, however, can never be secured without sacrifice.
I am thankful to Sis. Karen Mason for establishing this website thereby affording me an opportunity to express my views. Our revered ancestor, Kwame Ture, must be elated. He continuously stressed the need for political education.
11/12/04
posted by Attorney Alton Maddox at 8:39 AM
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