My Reflections on: Black Accountability; The Primary Election; & Affirmative Action

                I read, with great interest, the editorial page of the Friday, May 15, 2014 edition of the Indianapolis Recorder. Here’s why. Shannon Williams wrote about Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers comments to Anderson Cooper that some successful Blacks do not help the less fortunate of our race. Shannon, as do I, agreed with Sterling. What Sterling was actually alluding to is that people who consider themselves Jews and successful do not have to be prompted to help other Jews because they understand they are accountable to their people as well as being their brother’s keeper. What Sterling didn’t say, nor did Shannon, is that in his statements that display his thoughts of white supremacy that he used the Los Angeles Chapter of America’s oldest civil rights organization to persuade people to accept his thoughts of Black inferiority as being acceptable and true. Shannon is using Sterling’s words to take us to task, and I believe rightfully so, but is also letting the NAACP off the hook. Now I know an article cannot cover all aspects of a story in one writing, and Shannon may have held the NAACP accountable elsewhere but I am just writing about this article which is the foundation of where I am going next. In fact, let me make one more statement about Shannon’s article before I go elsewhere. It is interesting that our sister cites a white man that calls himself a Jew, and later in the article cites conversation with a male friend who she respects and admires considerably and “considers to be a friend who happens to be white.” Historically people of African descent have shown a need for our positions to be stated by white folks before we considered the statement or position to be validated. I am not saying this is what Shannon has done, but it is just interesting that she references white men twice in order to make her point. Hopefully, as she made me reflect, this point will make her do the same. Now let me go elsewhere.

Amos wrote about this year’s primary election and started off with the 7^th Congressional District race. Because of the title “This year’s primary untold stories: ignored by Indy’s mainstream media” I deduct that Amos’ article is an attempt to hold mainstream media accountable and to the white folks Black people’s business. My next words are an attempt to hold Amos accountable about writing about my reasons for involvement in this race and he really does not know what he is talking about. It seems to me that if he was going to write about my reasoning for being a candidate that he would, as a good journalist, have called and asked why I ran in this race against Andre instead of assuming and assigning his thoughts to me that he created in his head or got from people who did talk to me and got the story all wrong. This is an attempt to help my brother improve his journalism and to set the record straight. The reason I ran against Andre was as a father who saw the need to hold an elected representative accountable. First of all, and widely known, my chances of beating the democratic machine that supports Andre was somewhere between slim and none. It can be done, and probably would have been done if all the people that say they were going to vote for me actually had. I still have people telling me as recently as on this day I am writing this article that they are going to vote for me and it’s several days after the election was held. The support is definitely out here it just to be organized. To organize and move the least of these is a greater task than firing up the well-oiled machine of the Democratic Party. My homeless workers stood endless hours holding signs. I’m sure you saw them. Along with other supporters, I gave a gallant try. However, with organization I could successfully try again, but winning an election was not the complete goal of my campaign. Some campaigns are successful although a candidate does not get as many votes as the opponent. Campaigns can win by being successful with raising the awareness of the populace which indeed will hold an incumbent like Andre accountable. And Andre must be held accountable. Here’s why.

My son has been in solitary confinement for double digit years for assaulting a guard. The Department of Corrections through their administrative discipline process found my son to be guilty of the assault. However, when the same assault was investigated by the Madison County Prosecutor he found no evidence of the such, and filed for the Court to throw the case out, yet the prison administration ignored the court’s decision and continued to hold my son for years in solitary for something that the Court found he didn’t do. Andre had publically committed to help with this situation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE6MNaGffp8 He didn’t and he hasn’t. The campaign was my attempt to create a platform to tell the citizens of Indianapolis and beyond the plight of my son and how Andre had not kept his word. In my dealings with his grandmother, our beloved Julia, I just can’t see her doing what Andre has done and continues to do.  And Amos let me help you be informed again, you really should have called me, I could have helped you be more accurate. Although a person is in solitary confinement they still have access periodically to make a phone call.  We used our knowledge of the prison operation to organize ourselves so when my son called I would be in the studio so he could make the promo. Where there is a will, there is a way. The promo was made in spite of the system’s cruel and unnecessary punishment. The United Nations found that anyone kept in solitary for over 14 days is being tortured and is a violation of international law http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44365#.UxZ1xT9dXL8 . My son has been in solitary for more than a decade. Your obvious support for Andre at all cost and misinformed writing actually makes you a supporter of torture in Indiana’s prisons.  I pray your public positions have not killed your God given tool that tells us all to do what’s right. It’s called a conscious. We would expect this type of behavior for Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, but not for you and Andre. Shannon is right. We need to hold each other accountable for benefitting from the pain of our brothers and sisters. Because of this type of behavior I make no apology for being Christian. God is still on the throne. There is still work to do. We are going to organize to get it done. YOU READY??

That being said let me make you aware of God still being in the blessing business!! Because of the campaign the American Civil Liberties Union has agreed to take up the case. Thank you Father. Upon the prison reading my son’s letters, informing him of this development, the very next day he was removed from solitary. What the devil means for evil God turns into good!! So my campaign was victorious!! Thank you Father. Amos, my brother, if you want the facts about what I am doing then you should ask. You know my number. Otherwise you make yourself look foolish and uninformed. The people deserve better from you and Andre. A simple inquiry by Andre years ago could quite possibly have prevented the cruel and unusual punishment to which my son was subjected. Obviously, there is still work to do. We must be held accountable. YOU READY??

Now let me go to Abdul and this will be very brief.

I agree with Abdul that using income and geography as criteria for affirmative action would get to the people that need the affirmative action. However, where I disagree is I would have these criteria in addition to race. Your point that people of African descent who have the financial wherewithal have been gaming the system is well taken. You admit to gaming it, as did Sterling used the NAACP, and Amos used is position to do the same. The games must stop. Stay tuned. After Naked Truth (ANT) is on the way.