..Black activists call 'state of emergency summit'
By Sharon Danann
Published Feb 13, 2008 9:48 PMA diverse array of organizations and individuals attended a conference at Cleveland State University Feb. 1 and 2 to discuss the urgent problems facing the Black community in Cleveland and other cities. The conference was called by the Cleveland Link of the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense and co-sponsored by Black Lawyers for Justice and Cleveland State University Black Studies Program.
From left, Abdul Qahhar,
Dr. Michael Williams,
Abdul Kareen Muhammad.From left, Abdul Qahhar,
Dr. Michael Williams,
Abdul Kareen Muhammad.
WW photo: Susan SchnurThe program opened with a stirring rendition of the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing†in four-part harmony. That was followed by youth performances from Marian Sterling Elementary School Drill Team and a pledge of allegiance to the red, black and green flag and drumming by the youth group, the Golden Ciphers.In welcoming the participants, Dr. Michael Williams of the Black Studies Program spoke of needing to pay attention to the Black community’s “daily war report,†which consists of such statistics as the people who go to prison, the lack of health care, the unemployment, the suicides, the depression and the alcoholism. He spoke of his struggles to gain understanding within CSU, and declared, “I am not a dark skinned white person.†Of the hundreds of CSU faculty members and administrators, only 32 faculty members are Black and only five administrators are Black. When he informed the audience that the budget for the Black Studies Program was a mere $26,000, there was an audible gasp. He called for community support for the program.The keynote speaker on Feb. 1 was Saadiqah Amatullah Hasan, whose husband, Siddique Abdullah Hasan, is one of the Lucasville 5, a political prisoner on Ohio’s death row who acted as a negotiator to bring the 1993 prison uprising in Lucasville, Ohio, to an end. The prosecution did not have real evidence against Hasan to support the capital charges. So, according to Ms. Hasan, “They used the only thing they had. They used lying jailhouse snitch testimony,†even though it conflicted with a forensic coroner. “It is about being a Muslim in a non-Muslim society,†she stated.Chairman of the Cleveland New Black Panther Party Abdul Qahhar spoke with passion about the days of torment and horrible indignity forced upon Megan Williams of West Virginia. “At least they killed Emmett Till,†he said. “She died over and over for days.†He described himself as a revolutionary pan-Africanist, because “I am for the liberation of our people wherever they are on the planet.†He stated that he has always been for a united front. “To be a revolutionary, you have to be a lover, a lover of the people.â€Regarding the call for the State of Emergency, he stated, “We are here to come up with solutions, here to build a community government, government that belongs to the people, a People’s Community Congress. Each ward will have a leader that will be accountable to the congress.†He invited all the organizations represented at the conference and more to participate in this congress.On Feb. 2, a panel of speakers addressed a variety of topics. Ori Muhammad of the Millions More Movement and Roland Muhammad of the Nation of Islam spoke to the issue of Economic Genocide in the Black Community.On the topic of political prisoners,Yahya Abdus Sabur reported from the Imam Jamil Al-Amim (the former H. Rap Brown) Defense Committee, and Sister Amirah of the New Black Panther Party reported on two political prisoners on Missouri’s death row. Sister Fajr of the Midwest Team of Political Awareness of the New Black Panther Party is reaching audiences through hip hop and poetry as they go from city to city keeping people informed about the political prisoners still behind bars.On the topic of the prison industrial complex, Ms. Hasan pointed out that prisons are a $35 billion, money-making business. As raw material for this business, she said, “Black men are being manufactured and processed.†She compared the prison system to the drug companies “which treat you without really curing you, otherwise they would go bankrupt.†So prison is not about rehabilitation. “The prison-industrial complex is not going to change if Obama is elected,†she stated.
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Music:
DEAD PREZ, IMMORAL,MOS DEF,QUEEN,THE ROOTS, ERICK B, AFRYAH-QUEENDOM,AFRICAN BAMBADA, BAHAMADIA, JILL SCOTT, FLOETRY, INDIA ARIE, MUSIQ, REVOLUTIONARY POETS LIKE: SUNNI PATTERSON, MALIKAH HAMEEN, AMIRI BARAKA, NIKKI GIOVANNI, 2PAC, OUTLAWZ, JUNE CANCUN,MS,L BOOGIE, AL GREEN, NAS, ARETHA FRANKLIN, PATTY LABELLE, MARVIN GAYE, CURTIS MAYFIELD, AND ALL OLDE' SCHOOL RAP, ALL R AND B MUSIC,BILLIE HOLIDAY!
Television:
FREE REGINALD CLEMONS, FREE ANTONIO RICHARDSON!!!
Will JUST US prevail for Bro. Reginald Clemons? We must open our hearts and support these issues that have been circling
around us since the being of time; since we were stolen from our true land and ancestors. Brotha Reginald has been on DEATHROW (IN THESE CONCENTRATION CAMPS) since he was 21 years old for a crime that he did not commit. He was never convicted of raping neither of the Kerry sisters, or robbing, or plotting either murder. Not only is there evidence that the rape never happened according to the coroner but there is newly discovered evidence of innocence for which Brotha Reginald Clemons is seeking legal counsel and to develop a documentary on the facts of this case. A documentary is necessary for this case, because the mass media has willingly or unknowingly lied to the public at large about the white females being raped and about the forensic evidence in the “Chain of Rocks Bridge Case.†Brotha Reginald Clemons stands to be executed for crimes he has never been convicted of. The other Brotha in this case, named Marlin Gray was murdered without a conviction. According to evidence at the trial Brotha Reginald was never under the bridge when the Kerry sisters fell. However, the majority of the evidence has been hidden by the Prosecutor. Most of America and around the globe has heard about “The Chain of Rocks Murders.†Like most cases involving black males, unfortunately has their taste anchored by white females. This brief summary is not to turn this case into a black and white issue. It is not about blaming “whiteyâ€. It is about the injustices involving us “Black FOLKS†as a people. It is about us taking a stand against a system that is not for us or intended for us. We have to get involved because this could be your blood brother, your father, your son, or your neighbor. My love goes out to The Thomas Family, please do not let them down we need your support and love. The first issue: Why actually is this brotha who has never had a criminal record on DEATHROW (IN THIS CONCENTRATION CAMP)? Better yet, not just this brotha but Antonio Richardson on life without the possibility for parole? Why were the white defendants released even after their cousin Thomas Cummins, who was involved in the case, admitted to accidentally pushing the Kerry’s sisters off the Chain of Rocks Bridge? Why does the evidence point more to the cousin Thomas Cummins then anyone else involved in the case? Why was Marlin Gray murdered by the State of Missouri without a fair trial? Brotha Reginald’s trial attorney lost his licenses to practice law due to Prosecutor Nels Moss fulfilled treats to end his trial attorney’s legal career; if Brotha Reginald’s trial attorney did not help prosecute him. THOMAS CUMMINS WAS BEATEN INTO A CONFESSION WHILE HIS FATHER WAS PRESENT DURING THE INTERROGATION. Thomas Cummins failed two polygraphs, had scratches on his face, ink pen marks on his forearm, a sore midsection, all supporting his confession that Julie Kerry accidently fell during the struggle. Neither Brotha Reginald Clemons nor his co-defendants had any defensive wounds indicating struggle with females. This is why anybody that study the facts of case wants answers to for injustice. HELP HIM BEFORE THEY MURDER HIM TOO!
Books:
ASSATA SHAKUR'S BOOK, REVOLUTIONARY SUICIDE,CHE'S BOOK, ALL AMOS WILSON'S BOOKS, A TASTE OF POWER, AFENI SHAKUR'S BOOK, METU NETER, ART OF SEDUCTION, 48 LAWS OF POWER, ALL BLACK PANTHER BOOKS, SEIZE THE TIME, SOLEDAD AND BLOOD IN MY EYES BY GEORGE JACKSON, BIO. OF MALCOLM X,SOUL OF ICE BY MIN. OF INFO. ELRIDGE CLEAVER, TREE OF LIFE, FIRST RASTA, MISEDUCATION OF NEGRO, THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR, NIGGAS TO GOD, COINTELPRO, A BOOK THAT YR CHURCH DOESN'T WANT U TO READ, KATHLEEN BOOKS, PANTHER SPEAKS, AND JUST SO MANY I COULD KEEP GOING ON,ON,ON, AND ON.
