I was listed as the Executive Producer of the record from which the video above was made. I'm very proud to have played a small part in getting these ideas out in 1992. I would have wished the police would have learned something from the song and the ensuing controversy-- and, truth be told, many have. But not enough to stop the attitude that keeps the police murder of young black men at epidemic levels in America. I believe in peace and love and non-violence... and I understand why black men don't want to be victims and need to defend themselves from the real life (and death) manifestation of this attitude.In Baton Rouge, where police murder citizens with impunity (and, apparently, immunity), #BlackLivesMatter activist DeRay McKesson fell into their hands late Saturday night while protesting the unprovoked murder of Alton Sterling. Approximately 100 protesters were arrested. Unable to show up for his scheduled Face the Nation appearance yesterday, Deray tweeted: "The protestors weren't blocking traffic or doing anything else. The police simply wanted to show and use force."Demonstrations protesting the police murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, respectively in Baton Rouge and St. Paul, continued into Sunday all around the country, while the forces of racism, bigotry and Trumpism took to the mass media to stoke the hatred.
It’s all the fault of Black Lives Matter. This uncivil war that has broken out. This slaughtering of blacks and whites, cops and civilians, civilians and cops around the country.Instead of laying off their ugly rhetoric while too many families were trying to heal from last week’s horrific violence and death, has-been and should-be has-been right-wing politicians took to social media and TV to spew their hate and point their trigger fingers at those trying to heal the hate.Take Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. This heartless creep, in the aftermath of the horror that took the lives of five police officers, declared on Fox that the protesters who ran from the sniper fire were hypocrites “with big mouths” who are “creating situations like we saw last night.” Perhaps he would have preferred that they didn’t protect their children in the peaceful protest but pulled out guns and shot? “I do blame former Black Lives Matter protests,” he added.So much for the right to assembly and free speech.Then there was Corey Stewart, Donald Trump’s Virginia campaign chair.“Liberal politicians who label police as racists-- specifically Hillary Clinton and Virginia Lt. Governor Ralph Northam-- are to blame for essentially encouraging the murder of these police officers,” he said.Can you repeat that in the original German, Herr Stewart?Tea Party racist hate-baiting former Congressman Joe Walsh actually went one worse, calling for war against the President.“3 Dallas Cops killed, 7 wounded. This is now war,” he tweeted. “Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you.”And, before he had the facts, he declared the shooting was done by “2 uneducated black thugs.”In any other country, calling for an attack on the President would be an act of treason. Here, it’s a one-day twitter rant.Amping up the racism was Congressman Steve King, who tweeted, “The Dallas Police officer shooting has roots in first of anti-white/cop events illuminated by Obama…”But we New Yorkers bear a special shame today after the hatred spewed by our loathsome former mayor, Rudy Giuliani, who blamed black children. “Let’s teach everyone including the children of the black community that most of those police officers are the reason you’re alive,” he said on MSNBC. “Because the real danger to you is that black kid who is going to shoot you on the street.”Then, he shamelessly added, “My father taught me that, when a police officer tells you something, do what he says.”Dad must have learned this after he went to Sing Sing for armed robbery. (Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph W. Giuliani, by Wayne Barrett).Not one of these jerks brought up the fact that thanks to the NRA and the pols they buy, there are more guns than humans in this country and the gap is increasing daily. The right to bear arms has overtaken the right to free assembly in the USA of the NRA. We are becoming our own terrorists.
Gunfire hit the police headquarters in San Antonio. And Saturday night protests in St .Paul shut down the I-94 and resulted in police using tear gas against demonstrators and, eventually, in dozens of arrests. Stones were thrown at some of the policemen.At least the Black Caucus took time out of it's crusade for re-enabling Wall Street predators to demand that Congress over-ride Ryan and the NRA and take action on gun violence. Not reassuring enough for the government of the Bahamas, which issued a travel alert Friday for it's citizens thinking of going to the U.S.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration has taken a note of the recent tensions in some American cities over shootings of young black males by police officers.At the commencement of the Independence holiday weekend, many Bahamians will no doubt use the opportunity to travel, in particular to destinations in the United States.We wish to advise all Bahamians traveling to the US but especially to the affected cities to exercise appropriate caution generally. In particular young males are asked to exercise extreme caution in affected cities in their interactions with the police. Do not be confrontational and cooperate.If there is any issue please allow consular offices for The Bahamas to deal with the issues. Do not get involved in political or other demonstrations under any circumstances and avoid crowds.
