Monthly Archives: February 2012

On Monday, Feb. 20, over a dozen rallies will be held throughout the U.S. for a “National Occupy Day in Support of Prisoners.” Join the Bay Area rally 12-3 p.m. at San Quentin by getting or giving a ride at 10 a.m. at Oscar Grant Plaza in Oakland or 1540 Market St. in SF. “The U.S. is the world’s leader of the incarceration industry – it’s time for the focused attention of the Occupy Movement,” notes Mumia Abu-Jamal. Big rallies on Feb. 20 will push California authorities to meet 12,000 California prisoners' five core demands and challenge the prison industrial complex everywhere.

ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said President Obama’s signing of the NDAA is “a blight on his legacy because he will forever be known as the president who signed indefinite detention without charge or trial into law.” Time will tell whether the NDAA will survive scrutiny by the courts and in the court of public opinion.

Rhyanne Green and the Grio owe Chaka Khan and their readers an apology for the intentionally misleading headline on their Feb. 14 article, entitled, “Chaka Khan’s favorite memory of Whitney Houston: ‘Getting high together’.” This is what we get from having “our own” spaces fronted by white mainstream media on the web.

We are the ones who refused to be captured in Afrika without a fight, who staged daring raids on enemy supply lines and brought our nationals back to freedom. We are the ones the enemy calls, “criminals,” “terrorists,” “gangs,” “militants,” “leftists,” “separatists,” “radicals,” “feminists,” “worst of the worst,” “America’s Most Wanted” and enemy combatants.

Does “We support our troops” mean you support the domination and murderous repression of people in Haiti, Iraq, Columbia, Guatemala etc. in order that U.S. corporations and financial firms – Wall Street thugs – can accumulate capital via controlling and exploiting the oil, gas, cobalt, tin, cotton, diamonds, coal, fruit et al of other people trapped in slums?

TODAY the SF Budget and Finance Committee considers vote on America’s Cup development, hearing at 1 p.m., America’s Cup discussion at about 2 p.m. Come to demand local hire and inclusion of disadvantaged contractors! At stake are 1,100 construction jobs and some $2 billion in contracts.

CDCR disclosed that as of Feb. 9, 30 men at Corcoran ASU were still striking. One of them writes: “On or about Feb 2nd or 3rd 2012 an inmate has passed away due to not eating ... Inmates are passing out and having other medical problems ... There will be more casualties if this isn’t addressed or brought to light.”

Many journalists have been convicted of the same speech crimes that presidential contender Victoire Ingabire is accused of: disagreeing with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his regime, also known as “divisionism,” and disagreeing with the constitutionally codified history of the Rwanda Genocide, known as “genocide ideology.”

“Slavery by Another Name” tells how even as chattel slavery came to an end in the South in 1865, thousands of African Americans were pulled back into forced labor with shocking force and brutality. An official selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, it premieres on PBS Monday, Feb. 13, at 10 p.m. PT on KQED Channel 9

The bill by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, to restore media access to prisoners, AB 1270, passed the California Assembly Jan. 26. The bill would remove restrictions on pre-arranged in-person interviews with specific prison inmates.

In honoring Ms. Houston, will we talk about it or remain addicted to painting rosy pictures and acting like we aren’t touched by the scourge of addictions that’s systemic in our society? If we wanna honor Whitney, , how about helping put an end to the demons that plagued her and so many others? How about us having a honest, impactful and earnest discussion about addictions and mental health so we can spare future generations this pain.

Critiques are important but we want everyone to understand the difficulty in undertaking such an initiative in the face of such forceful police response. The state fears that one successful building takeover will lead to another. It has nightmares of whole blocks of vacant buildings put to use as social centers and nodes of resistance, inspiring those in other cities to do the same.

“Red Tails,” the new George Lucas film depicting the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen, is to the history of Black fighter pilots during WWII what a sunset is to a day: It’s pretty to watch but no illumination is forthcoming. However, “Red Tails” is surely a must see.

On the United Nations' “World Day of Social Justice,” Monday, Feb. 20, we are calling a National Occupy Day in Support of Prisoners. In the Bay Area we will Occupy San Quentin 12-3 p.m. Kevin Cooper, an innocent man on Death Row, joins the call to Occupy San Quentin and demand an end to capital punishment.

"We’re having a big benefit concert for my son on Feb. 10 at 330 Ritch in San Francisco. And I'll just list a few of the artists who will be there: The Jacka, J-Diggs, Mac Mall, Turf Talk, Beeda Weeda, Cellski, Matt Blaque, Laroo, plus The Doe Gang, Undagod and Fly Benzo. It's hosted by Chuy Gomez, music by DJ JR, The Minister of Information," says Denika Chatman, mother of Kenneth Harding, murdered by SFPD. Come celebrate Kenny's life. For tickets and more information, go to http://justice4kennethhardingjr.eventbrite.com/.

"We need a knowledge of self in order to counter the negative imagery and influences ... People who know their history are in a better position to defend themselves and advance their own interests than people who do not," says historian Runoko Rashidi, who discusses the strong Black influence on Europe.

Two days after the lockdown at Hancock State Prison was lifted, my father was placed in lockdown for making and leading congregational salaat (prayer). He was then told that he would never walk the compound again and they would assault and tear gas the Muslims if they continued to make congregational prayers.

DeBray “Fly Benzo” Carpenter, Kilo G and Claude Carpenter – along with the rest of the Black Star Coalition and unemployed Bayview residents – marched to the job site, bringing the contractor’s work to a screeching halt by standing unmoved in front of the heavy construction equipment. “We don’t work, nobody works,” declared DeBray. Support this young leader, Fly Benzo, who is facing four years in prison for copwatching. He refuses to stop fighting for justice for Kenneth Harding, the 19-year-old murdered by SFPD last July. Pack the courtroom Tuesday, Feb. 7, 1:30 p.m., Dept. 27 at 850 Bryant, and for the days to follow.

The reduction of 35,000-40,000 prisoners equals a potential loss of $2 billion in the yearly CDCR budget and 7,000 CCPOA members. The “security threat group” (STG) scheme enables CDCR to segregate a lot more men. Segregation costs nearly double general population and requires more staff.

This is the month we wear our Blackness with pride – so walk on, walk on. I want to thank Rhodessa Jones, Shaka Jamal, Pat Jamison, Elaine Lee, Walter Turner, Vera Nobles and Elouise Burrell for your leads and references for South Africa.