Activists Anticipating Black Panthers’ 40th Anniversary Reunion, Confab Monday, Jul 31 2006

By Stacy A. Anderson, Special to BlackAmericaWeb.com

Friday, March 17, 2006

http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/bawnews/panthers317

For more than 40 years, civil rights activist, mentor and multi-media producer Ron Scott has been a steadfast voice for underprivileged youth in Detroit’s black community.

Scott’s efforts date back to the 1960s when, as a teenager, he co-founded the first Detroit chapter of the Black Panther Party.

“It was about self-defense in urban areas, since police had been harassing people for many years at that time,” Scott told BlackAmericaWeb.com this week.

Scott, a founding member of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, said the civil rights movement was not always about the violence the media often portrayed.

“It was about guns, but also about creating an intellectual environment, developing our intellect,” he said. “It’s also about how to study, read and understand tacitly and logically. Guns were a defense postured along with the law book.”

Scott said he enjoys giving back to the community through breakfast programs, health clinics and organized bus visits to prisons.

“It humbled me,” Scott said, “when we were able to provide people with their first pair of shoes and food.”

Scott and several other members of the Detroit chapter will continue to focus on social justice and community service during the Black Panther Party’s 40th Anniversary Reunion and Conference, scheduled in Oakland from October 13 – 15 of this year.
One of the main initiatives this year is to press Chicago officials to name a street after slain Chicago Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton, an effort that was been met with some resistance. Hampton is known for leading five different breakfast programs on the West side of Detroit and creating several health-related initiatives.

“We need to continue to enhance [our] understanding of the long-range struggle and capture the imagination of our youth,” Scott said.

He decried how some black young people know nothing about the party’s efforts or leaders of the past.

“It’s very important for the next generation to know that we captured the meaning of our people,” said Scott, “that we can change the struggle and create alternatives,.” he said.

October’s Black Panther Party conference — where many Panther loyalists will convene for discussion and fellowship — will hopefully show black youth that the party still has a presence, Scott told BlackAmericaWeb.com, and they can get involved.

“The conference will let people know we are not dead,” he said. “We are not destroyed.”

According to Scott, today’s young people still have myriad issues to rally behind, and more survival programs are still needed today than ever before. He said concepts and ideologies taught by the Black Panther Party in the past are still needed today.

“We didn’t just take an emotional response, we [realized] our situation, used theory and practice, and engaged them to read and study how their people are effected by various situations,” said Scott. “Intellect guided what we where doing, regardless of education level. Black berets and leather jackets were not what we were about. We were about transformation and consistency to benefit them, not suppress them.”

Scott became interested in the Black Panther Party after attending a few local meetings and reading several articles about the emerging party’s founder Bobby Seale and its minister of defense, Eldridge Cleaver.

“In 1968, we were similar to many other youths in the area,” he recalled. “We needed an alternative to the Southern movement, we were intrigued by Bobby Seale and what they had done for self-defense and patrolling the police. We felt part of the movement that had come north. We were looking for alternatives, as far as political formations, that would address urban youth.”

Scott later attended a meeting in Michigan featuring Cleaver’s wife, Kathleen, who spoke of the Black Panther Party’s efforts.

“We went to a meeting held in the center of Detroit,” Scott said. “As a result of her speaking to the crowd, we were really moved. It was fascinating and intriguing. We then, at least, had a feeling that we were a part of the same movement that was uplifting our people through serving the community.”

Scott served as the defense captain for the Detroit chapter from 1968 to 1969, and he and others in the Detroit community organized local tenants and operated a breakfast program, health clinics, and educational forums held every Sunday, which the party is best known for.

He continued his activism throughout the 1970s with involvement in the Africa Liberation Movement and Anti-Stress Campaign. In 1975, Scott became a prominent voice in the community when he started to host and produce “Detroit Black Journal,” a show that tackled black issues.

His efforts to protect the suppressed expanded when he became a victim of police brutality in 1993.

Scott, who has fought against law enforcement abuse since the 1970s, was stopped by police while walking in Detroit’s Greektown District and thrown on the ground. He said six police officers proceeded to jump on his back and taunt him, while partisans in the community urged the police to beat him. He sued, and the final judgment decided in his favor, proving the arrest and misdemeanor charge of loitering unlawful.

Scott is also remembered for mobilizing the Detroit community in 1992 after a white officer used a flashlight to kill Malice Brown, a black motorist who under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. After a racially intense trial, the officer was found guilty of second-degree murder.

The Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality was formed in 1996, and Scott quickly became their spokesman. Within the last 10 years, the coalition has worked on more than 500 cases.

Diane Reeder, a member of the coalition, credits the work Scott did with the Black Panther Party as a stepping stone to his accomplishments today in Detroit’s black community.

“It set the framework on how to approach and also how to deal with strategizing,” she told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “For example, one of their platforms was an anti-police brutality platform. His work with the coalition probably had its genesis with the work he did before. He works to affect structural change and the basis for how a society works.”

Scott, who spends countless hours mentoring youth in Michigan, maintains that the same issues that once stained the 1960s still oppress many of today’s youth, but key differences now are rooted in economic status and technological advances.

In his youthful years, Scott said, “we saw ourselves as transforming the world. We were the front line or vanguard of the revolution, involved in day-to-day activities. As Huey Newton said, we were ‘in motion,’ changing the way we were living and the relationships with the economic system. Young people today are challenged in finding comfort and a connection to people in the struggle.”

Still, however, he is optimistic about the state of black youth.

“I’m very proud of young people today,” Scott said, “despite all that is going against them.”

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Stacy A. Anderson is a student at Howard University.

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Cuffed Five-Year-Old, Foxx’s Success and Katrina Among ’05 Top Stories Monday, Jul 31 2006

 

By Stacy A. Anderson, Special to BlackAmericaWeb.com

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/bawnews/top2005stories1228

As 2005 draws to a close, BlackAmericaWeb.com News is among the countless news outlets reflecting on the stories that kept its respective audiences captivated over the year — stories that ranged from thrilling and groundbreaking to tragic and unexplainable.

Although a plethora of political and social issues (the CIA leak scandal, unemployment, growing dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq, education and healthcare disparities, etc.) impacted the nation as a whole, among the topics in the news that mattered most to blacks were the case of five-year old Ja-eisha Scott, who was subdued, handcuffed and placed in a police car by officers in Florida after destroying a bulletin board, jumping on office furniture and punching various faculty at Fairmont Park Elementary; Jamie Foxx’s big win at the 2005 Academy Awards for Best Actor, of course, Hurricane Katrina — the top story of 2005, which devastated and destroyed much of the Gulf Coast including Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
The following is a rundown of BlackAmericaWeb.com News’ top 15 stories of 2005:
1. According to the Associated Press, The images from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina made that storm and the others that hit the Gulf Coast the overwhelming choice of newspaper and broadcast news editors as the number-one story from 2005. The storm devastated and destroyed much of the Gulf Coast, including Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama when it hit in late August.

Death tolls reached well over 1,400, and more than half a million residents are still displaced and scattered across the country. The hurricane resulted in the largest displacement of black families since the Civil War.

Coverage of the recent hurricanes Katrina and Rita sparked the debate of how race and economic status is portrayed in the media. Blacks were often called looters and refugees, while whites were considered survivors looking for food.

About 600 children are still displaced while authorities are using sophisticated data base to reunite children with their families. Many displaced black families have until February 7 to vacate government-paid hotels and two weeks ago, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin recently made a personal appeal asking residents to return to New Orleans.
 
2. “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people” was the controversial statement rapper Kanye West declared on an NBC telethon in September that forced the nation to examine the governments response to hurricane relief efforts. Although many public figures have been shy to go on the record in agreement with the award-winning artist’s comment, several black leaders, including Rep. Maxine Waters and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan said the Federal Emergency Management Agency, didn’t respond quickly enough to victims of Katrina.

3. Many of the nation’s oil refineries are located in the Gulf Coast, yet the entire country was affected with skyrocketing gas prices after Hurricane Katrina. By the first week in September, gas prices had reached an all time high of $3.01 and even a dollar more in some southern states.

4. Former federal appeals court Judge John Roberts, 50, became chief justice in November after succeeding the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. Black leaders expressed concern about Roberts’ appointment, saying he had a track record for opposing the Roe v. Wade decision, supporting legislation that would limit federal courts from regulating buses to desegregate schools and assisting plans to cut funding for the Martin Luther King Center.

Samuel Alito faces confirmation hearings in January to potentially replace retiring Sandra Day O’Connor in January 2006. Alito, 55, is known for writing memos during the Reagan administration that opposed abortion rights and affirmative action. Alito is currently a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Congressional Black Caucus and several other black lawmakers have opposed the appointment of Alito, saying Alito’s judicial opinions are a threat to longstanding civil rights legislation.

Democrats said a preliminary look at Alito’s record reveals that he has sought to limit the rights of women and people with disabilities in discrimination cases, demonstrated an open hostility to women’s privacy rights, has a record of hostility toward immigrants and tried to immunize employers from employment discrimination cases. Democrats also say Roberts has a long history of opposing civil rights, and both judges, they say, will shift the court to a more conservative ideology for years to come and reverse landmark civil rights decisions.
 
5. Hundreds of people — including former gang members, rap stars and anti-death penalty activists — showed up to pay their final respects to former Crips gang leader Stanley “Tookie” Williams, who was executed on Dec. 13. Williams was convicted of murdering four people: store clerk Albert Lewis Owens, 26, during a convenience store robbery in Pico Rivera in 1979, then less than two weeks later, Tsai-Shai, 63, and her husband, Yen-I Yang, 76, and their daughter, Yee-Chen Lin, 43, while robbing their motel in South Los Angeles. A national movement of civil rights leaders and Hollywood stars, including the NAACP, Jamie Foxx and Rev. Jesse Jackson, opposed Williams’s execution and called on California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to stop the execution, but Schwarzenegger denied clemency to Williams. 

6. Speaking of Foxx, the comic/actor/recording artist won big in 2005, earning a best actor Golden Globe and Oscar for his depiction of legendary blind singer Ray Charles in “Ray.” Foxx was honored for his break-through year in 2004, starring in such blockbusters as “Ray,” “Collateral” with Tom Cruise, “Redemption: The Stan ‘Tookie’ Williams Story” and the romantic comedy “Breakin’ All the Rules” with Gabrielle Union. His second album, “Unpredictable,” was released on J Records last month.

7. March 7th marked the 40th anniversary of a monumental march in black history — more than 500 gathered in Selma, Alabama with an objective to peacefully march to Montgomery on that day in 1965. Marchers were soon attached with tear gas and clubs by law enforcement. At least 17 people were hospitalized on what was later known as Blood Sunday. Two weeks later, Martin Luther King Jr. initiated a second march under federal court protection. More than 3,000 supporters of civil voting rights contributed to the trek of over 50-miles.

This year, 10,000 people turned out for the 40th anniversary march in Selma, including Rev. Joseph Lowery, head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Rev. Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King, singer Harry Belafonte, and Lynda Johnson Robb, daughter of President Lyndon Johnson, who signed the Voting Rights Act months after the march in 1965.

8. At least a 100,000 people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for the Million More Movement in October, the 10-year commemmoration of 1995’s historic Million Man March. The march 10 years earlier focused on the responsibilities of men, but this year’s rally called all men, women and children accountable for the progression of each other.

Speakers such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Kweisi Mfume challenged the audience to reshape the status of blacks by working within their own community first. Speakers also addressed the racial tension, and displacement of blacks after Hurricane Katrina. Younger audiences where attracted by the likes of singer Erykah Badu, entrepreneur Russell Simmons and rappers Jadakiss, Styles P, Doug E. Fresh, Wyclef Jean and Jim Jones of the Diplomats.

9. National Basketball Association league Commissioner David Stern set a new dress code in October, banning all headphones, headgear, chains, pendants, medallions, shorts, sleeveless shirts, T-shirts, jerseys, sports apparel, sneakers, sandals, flip-flops, or work boots. Players are required to wear “business casual” attire, which consists of long or short-sleeved dress shirts or sweaters, dress slacks, khaki pants or dress jeans, dress shoes or boots and sport coats.

Athletes replied with mixed reviews, but the most defiant and unhappy about the change was basketball superstar Allen Iverson, who disagreed with the ban on his hip-hop gear. Denver Nuggets center Marcus Camby jokingly told reporters he couldn’t see players complying with the new rule unless they where given a clothing allowance. Some say the new dress code is an effort to make the NBA appear more professional since the Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons brawl last year.

10. A five-year old Ja-eisha Scott was subdued, handcuffed and placed in a police car by officers in Florida after destroying a bulletin board, jumping on office furniture and punching various faculty at Fairmont Park Elementary this past March. Chief Chuck Harmon of the St. Petersburg Police department said the officers practiced bad judgment, but did not violate any laws by handcuffing the kindergartner. Scott’s mother, Inga Akins, sought the assistance of Rev. Jesse Jackson to plead her case to the press and said her daughter has since been traumatized for life. Atkins and her daughter have since moved from Florida.

11. Three crosses were found burning within the same hour in Durham, N.C. on May 25. A seven-foot cross was found on South Roxboro Street, across the street from the United House of Prayer and outside St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, which is known for accepting the lesbian and gay community. Some black residents believe the cross burnings are a reaction in support of a proposed change in the rules to elect school board members. The proposal would allow all voters to vote for every school board seat, dwindling black representation. More than 600 rallied in protest of the cross burnings the following day, and a tree was planted where the cross burned near United House of Prayer.

12. Condeleezza Rice was confirmed Secretary of State in January after a final 85-13 vote from the full Senate. Rice is the first black woman and second woman to become Secretary of State. Rice was expected to succeed with the blessings of Collin Powell, as well as President George Bush. Democrats debated her nomination, while considering her contributions to the war in Iraq. Rice was a Soviet expert in the first Bush administration and guided Bush on international policy during the 2000 campaign. She later became his national security adviser.

Rice has become the most popular member of the Bush administration and a potential candidate to succeed her boss in the White House, even as Americans lose confidence in the president she serves and patience with the Iraq war she helped launch.

Entering her second year as the country’s senior diplomat and foreign policy spokeswoman, Rice has improbably shed much of her image as the hawkish “warrior princess” at President Bush’s side. The nickname was reportedly bestowed by her staff at the White House National Security Council, where Rice was an intimate member of Bush’s first-term war council.

13. JP Morgan Chase in January admitted to using about 13,0000 slaves as collateral before the Civil War. JP Morgan Chase officials discovered the slavery connection after the city of Chicago passed an ordinance in 2003 requiring companies that do business with the city to document their business history with slavery. Citizens Bank and Canal Bank are the two lenders identified by researchers as slave owners. They have since closed and were linked to Bank One, which JP Morgan Chase bought last year. The nation’s second largest back issued a public apology in a company letter and said they are creating Smart Start Louisiana, which would offer $5 million over five years for full tuition to Louisiana natives seeking to attend college in the state, where slavery took place.

14. Two police officers in were fired in December for their roles in a New Orleans French Quarter beating shortly after Hurricane Katrina that was photographed and videotaped by AP. A third officer was suspended. A union official vowed to fight the firings of officers Robert Evangelist and Lance Schilling in the alleged beating of Robert Davis, 64. Officer Stuart Smith was suspended for 120 days. The officers’ lawyer said the department rushed the firings. The confrontation renewed longstanding allegations of racism, brutality and corruption in the New Orleans Police Department. The three officers are white, and Davis is black. Davis said he does not believe race was an issue in the beating. All three officers had been suspended without pay since the incident. They have pleaded not guilty and face trial Jan. 11.

15. Mexican President Vicente Fox in May defended his commitment to minorities and human rights on radio program after his controversial comments that Mexicans take the U.S. jobs that “not even blacks want.” Civil rights activists Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton pressed the Mexican president for an apology for the remark that has strained already tense relations between blacks and Hispanics. “I very much regret the misinterpretation,” said Fox.

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Stacy A. Anderson is a student at Howard University. Associated Press contributed to this story.

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