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New York City Police Infiltrate Sharpton’s Organization, Reporter Says

Feb. 19, 2012

New York City Police Infiltrate Sharpton’s Organization, Report Says

Revelations Stir Memories of FBI COINTELPRO Ops

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspapers

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The National Action Network (NAN) is considering legal action against the New York Police Department in response to allegations that the department spied on the civil rights group and its leader, Rev. Al Sharpton.

The NYPD allegedly planted a confidential informant in NAN’s Harlem headquarters to report on any large-scale protests planned in response to the acquittal of the officers who massacred Sean Bell, an unarmed Black man whom police riddled with bullets and killed right before his wedding in November 2006, veteran police reporter and author Len Levitt reported on HuffingtonPost.com Feb. 13.Citing secret police documents he said he obtained, Levitt also alleged that the NYPD tried to malign NAN leader, the Rev. Al Sharpton, by spreading rumors that he is a homosexual.

“The confidential informant infiltrated a NAN meeting on May 3, 2008, and reported back to the NYPD's Intelligence Division,” Levitt wrote. “…According to the police document, the informant, who was identified not by name but by a five-digit number given to him by the department, provided the NYPD with a detailed description of NAN's protest plans, including the names of prominent African-Americans set to participate, the locations where protesters would gather and the number of demonstrators who would offer themselves up for arrest.”

Since Levitt’s article was published, Black leaders have rallied behind Sharpton. Many said the situation bears shades of the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program, called COINTELPRO, that was initiated by then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. From 1956 through 1971, the agency spied on Black leaders and tried to undermine civil rights and Black activism.

“This challenges our most fundamental rights and ignites memories of the Gestapo tactics employed against Dr Martin Luther King Jr. by the police authorities during a sad moment in American history,” said the Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, chairman of the board, CNBC (Conference of National Black Churches) in a statement. “In too many instances the NYPD appears to be an obstruction to individual liberty and justice. They have crossed the line here and must be held accountable.”

In light of reports that the NYPD spied on members of the Muslim community and on Occupy Wall Street, this news further undermines the public’s trust in the police department, added entertainment mogul Russell Simmons. “It is troubling to think that those who are ordered to protect us are in fact working against us,” he said.

NAN and other Black leaders are demanding that N.Y. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly investigate the allegations and offer a public explanation.

“Given the serious nature of the allegations and the history out of which they arise, there is no acceptable response but for the city and the police department to show us all their cards. Our community must be certain that the people we count on to enforce the law are not breaking it,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous.

Added the Rev. Jesse Jackson: “…Police Commissioner Kelly, as he promised over a year ago, must issue a full fact-finding report on the matter, fully disclose the spying activities of the police department and make restitution to Rev. Sharpton and NAN for this invasion of privacy.”

Meanwhile, NAN is considering the best response, said attorney Michael Hardy, NAN’s general counsel and executive vice president. “We are weighing all legal options, including whether there was a violation of federal consent decrees.”

Gulf Reps Need Congress to Pass the RESTORE Act by Susan Buchanan

Gulf Reps Need Congress to Pass the RESTORE Act

By Susan Buchanan

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Louisiana Weekly

bp

Above is a picture of oiled mangroves, taken in Plaquemines Parish in January, 2012.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Congressional delegates from Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states hope the bipartisan RESTORE Act will be passed soon and before a possible BP settlement with the federal government so that BP fines go to coastal states and not Washington’s coffers.

The bill would dedicate at least 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties for the BP spill to Gulf states. Under the CWA, the oil company could be fined over $17 billion based on the number of barrels spilled from late April to mid-July 2010.

How and when federal penalties will be levied against BP is unclear. In one scenario, a settlement between BP and the U.S. Justice Dept. could be reached soon. But in another possibility, wrangling in a federal district court trial starting on Feb. 27 in New Orleans, with Judge Carl Barbier presiding, could drag out for a long time.

Last week, BP chief executive Bob Dudley said the company is preparing for its limitation and liability trial in New Orleans this month. When BP released its quarterly earnings on Feb. 7, he said “we are prepared to settle if we can do so on fair and reasonable terms.” But he added, “if this is not possible, we are preparing vigorously for trial.”

Last month, the London office of investment bank Morgan Stanley predicted BP would settle out of court with the feds before the New Orleans trial begins.

In a media conference call from Washington, DC last Wednesday, Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu said “local officials have been pounding the halls of Congress in recent days,” discussing the RESTORE Act. “It’s necessary for us to pass this bill because otherwise, under the Oil Pollution Act, the penalty money will go into a general fund.”

Landrieu said that “the bill is moving along pretty well,” given the pace of Washington politics, and could be attached to a transportation bill or a payroll tax cut extension bill that Congress is considering. But she emphasized that “now is the time” for Congress to pass the RESTORE Act.

In last week’s conference call, Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise, an original sponsor of the U.S. House version of the RESTORE bill, said time is of the essence, with the potential for a BP settlement on the horizon. “We want something done before a settlement is reached between BP and the federal government,” he said.

Escambia County, Fla., Commis­sioner Grover Robinson, another participant in the conference call, said that the RESTORE Act was stalled in a climate of “spirited spite in Washington,” and Congress must rise above its divisions. But he noted that in a bipartisan showing, 38 U.S. House sponsors and nine Senate sponsors support the act.

Scalise said the Congressional Budget Office’s scoring or assessment of the RESTORE Act and its costs have been one of several obstacles to passing the legislation. In an Oct. 19 cost estimate, the CBO said both the size of the CWA penalties to be levied against BP and when they might be collected are uncertain. “It is possible that any penalty payments related to the Deepwater Horizon incident will be received by the government only after a lengthy, legal process that could take several years to resolve,” the CBO said. “In that case, penalty collections could be delayed until after 2021.”

But the CBO also said that penalties could be collected relatively quickly if a settlement with BP is reached. The CBO estimates that implementing the RESTORE Act and directing the revenue from fines to the Gulf’s recovery would cost the federal government $1.2 billion between 2012 and 2021.

If BP does end up in federal district court this month, the trial could continue through the spring and summer. But litigation probably won’t be as prolonged as the ten years it took Exxon’s battle to reach the Supreme Court after the 1989 Valdez spill in Alaska.

Tulane environmental law professor Oliver Houck said “if the trial unfolds in full, I cannot imagine it taking less than months since there’s so much fact and expert testimony from all sides. On the other hand, I don’t see an issue here that would reach the Supreme Court because this is just admiralty and tort law writ large.” He doubts the wrangling would go any further than the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Houck’s bet would be on an early settlement between BP and the feds, either before or during the early stages of the New Orleans trial. But he added “these are some well-heeled and hard-nosed defendants, and a lot of prestige is on the line, so the obstacles to settlement are basically the allocation of responsibilities among them.”

If a settlement is reached soon, then what? Martin Davies, director of the Tulane Maritime Law Center, doesn’t see much point in passing the RESTORE Act if the federal government has settled with BP. “Passing the act in those circumstances would negate the effect of the settlement made by the executive branch—a tricky, little constitutional issue,” he said.

Houck said passing the RESTORE Act after a BP settlement “may depend on whether the act, and or the settlement, go beyond simply allocating the monies.”

As for the Gulf, serious problems remain nearly two years after the spill. Plaquemines Parish president Bill Nungesser, who was on the Washington conference call and pacing the halls of Congress last week, said “we still have oiled land, oil on the booms of our bayous, dead birds and dead turtles. If we have a hurricane, all this oil is going to wash up on the coast.” He brought recent photos of the spill’s impact on Plaquemines with him to Washington.

Nungesser said “we’ve seen shrimp with no eyes since the spill. We’ll see the eggs affected. Alaska’s Pacific herring population hasn’t recovered from the Exxon Valdez spill, and the BP spill was ten times bigger.” Shrimp reproduce and lay their eggs in the Gulf, and then move inshore to estuaries.

Meanwhile, London-based BP said last week it had a good 2011, and reported higher profits for the year’s final quarter versus a year earlier. The company’s full-year, underlying replacement-cost profit was $21.7 billion in 2011, against $20.5 billion in 2010. BP last week announced a 14 percent increase in its quarterly dividend to eight cents a share for fourth quarter 2011—the first hike since it resumed paying dividends a year ago.

In 2012, BP expects to operate with eight rigs in the Gulf of Mexico by year’s end, versus five in the Gulf now, and hopes to pay a remaining, almost $5 billion into the $20 billion Gulf of Mexico Trust Fund. By late last year, BP had paid over $7.8 billion to meet claims and government payments associated with the spill. Mean­while, the company has committed $1 billion for early restoration of natural resources in the Gulf since the spill, and in December the first projects in that process, including two in Louisiana, were an­nounced. Louisiana’s projects will create marsh in Barataria Bay and develop oyster beds in six areas.

Last month, Martijn Rats, head of European oil research at investment bank Morgan Stanley, predicted a 70 to 80 percent chance of a BP settlement soon, and estimated the company would pay between $20 billion and $25 billion against all federal claims, including possible criminal penalties.

U.S. Census: Blacks Flee Cities for Suburbs

 

Icensus-blacks

The  District of Columbia is just one of the cities where Blacks have departed for the suburbs, causing a dilution of their numbers in the nation's capital. COURTESY PHOTO

U.S. Census: Blacks Flee Cities for Suburbs
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Washington Informer
 
(TriceEdneyWire.com) -  Newly released census data shows that blacks moved away in large numbers from many of America's major cities to the suburbs, with the most significant shifts in population occurring in the South.

The motivation behind the move between 2000 and 2010 included the promise of well-paying jobs, better amenities and a desire on the part of parents to move to stronger schools and safer neighborhoods. Meanwhile, as blacks move away from urban centers, there has been a corresponding influx of whites which is changing the complexion of these cities.

"This could lead to the potential bifurcation of life in the city," said Julianne Malveaux, a noted economist and author. "There are also questions about political power and political sensitivity. Will someone in Ward 3 want to transfer goods, services and opportunities elsewhere (to less affluent wards)? Will they vote for schools in another ward?"

What Do These Shifts Portend?

Malveaux was among a panel of census officials, demographers and experts assembled by the National Urban League at Black Entertainment Television in Northeast to discuss the survey and findings on Thursday, Feb. 2. They spoke before an audience of about 50 people about the profound implications for blacks economically, politically, socially and educationally as a result of these population shifts.

The panel consisted of five participants and moderator Kristal Lauren High, founding editor-in-chief of Politics 365, a multimedia publication which focuses on politics and policy issues that have an impact on people of color.

In the District of Columbia, the departure of blacks to the suburbs has meant the dilution of their numbers in the nation's capital. Currently, blacks make up about 55 percent of the population, down from a high of about 75 percent in the 1990s, prompting a number of black residents to lament the loss of their beloved "Chocolate City." Speculation is also rife about how this translates politically.

Malveaux, president of Bennett College for Women, said she has already started to see the changing patterns, adding that the new racial character of cities is noticeable, including in Greensboro, N.C. where Bennett College is located. She said the drop in the black population will likely spark speculation about the concentration of black political power, the power of blacks' political voice and how well blacks will be able to leverage that to effect meaningful change.

"What type of conversations we have will be around what our country will look like. [Blacks'] political power is waning," she said. "I'm [also] interested in the gender balance and who's left."

Malveaux said she believes there will be a gender imbalance with more women left behind in cities, and that population will be "blacker, browner, older and younger."

Odis Johnson Jr., an assistant professor in African American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, agreed with Malveaux.

"When I first saw these figures, I realized that bifurcation is truly happening," he said of the deepening divisions. "Residential opportunity leads to educational attainment. People are being driven out of schools which is why they are leaving the cities. There is a 52 percent increase in poverty in the suburbs because of policies pushing blacks with lower incomes into suburban areas."

Johnson, a faculty associate at the Maryland Population Research Center, cited statistics which indicate that the number of blacks with bachelor's degrees rose 4 percent between 2000 and 2010, while the number of blacks earning advanced degrees in that same time period moved from 950,000 to 1.5 million.

Despite the changes in demography, Patricia A. Coulter, president of the Urban League of Philadelphia, said blacks still make up the largest ethnic group with 640,000 people which represents a 1 percent decline in the past 10 years.

"What we're seeing is sort of urban-rural," she said. "People are moving but still call for services. We're not so driven by a specific neighborhood. We're in the Center City but we can counsel or cater to people across the city."

Coulter said her agency is working closely with young people who have dropped out of school. They are encouraged to complete at least a high school education and are also trained for entry-level and other jobs. She said the Urban League is also working with small business owners and entrepreneurs as more blacks start their own businesses.

Hunting High and Low for a Decent Job

Margaret Simms, a fellow at the Urban Institute and a nationally recognized authority on the economic well-being of African Americans, cited a soon-to-be released study on the 100 best places to live based on residential segregation, neighborhood attitudes, and the quality of public schools, employment opportunities and home ownership. "Data suggests that the top 10 cities blacks are moving to are not promising in terms of the availability of jobs," she said.

"Job growth has decreased. We need to be concerned for the black community and the nation as a whole," said Simms. "If we cannot provide opportunities in these metro areas, the nation will not move forward at the speed it should."

She said there's a growing gap in the black population (between blacks and other races) since lower educational skills translate into fewer job opportunities.

"Moving to the suburbs doesn't necessarily mean people are moving to better jobs. They are moving to poorer communities," said Simms.

In the Washington metropolitan region, for example, Simms said, jobs are far from where people live. Currently, a high concentration of black residents exists in Wards 7 and 8 and Prince George's County, east of the District, but the "good jobs" are west of the city, she said.

Simms echoed sentiments expressed by panelist Roderick J. Harrison, Ph.D., that business and entrepreneurship alone in the black community will not close the wealth-income gap between blacks and whites.

Harrison, a researcher with Howard University and a senior fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Northwest, said there is one dominant myth that needs to be dispelled about the availability of jobs and related issues.

"It is a myth that jobs and opportunities are out there if only we got an education," he said. "Employers hire if there is a demand for products. They will hire if they need the labor to make a product to sell here or overseas."

Harrison said there is a "preference queue" which favors people other than blacks and Latinos. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of this queue is the fact that black and Hispanics are the last to be hired.

"The sectors of growth [in the economy] are not owned by blacks," he said. "Affirmative action and the allocation of fair shares – that's where we need to concentrate. Blacks have a history of [chronic] unemployment ... blacks and Hispanics will be the last to be hired. It is incredibly powerful how you can trace these patterns out."

"We are repeating a pattern that is not a legacy of discrimination or racism but it happens. I'd like to see us get past this cycle."

Harrison says alliances and partnership are one viable way blacks can consolidate their political and economic power.

"The direction has to be toward coalition, to link with people of similar political priorities, not voting blocs of one color but organized around the issues people have," he said. "Ninety percent of black and Hispanic agendas overlap. There is no reason why we should not form coalitions to address education, housing, health and employment issues blacks may have been fighting for for decades."

Hard Economic Realities Decimating the Black Community

All of the panelists acknowledged the severe pressures blacks and other Americans are dealing with because of the economic meltdown in 2008, the lingering recession and the dearth of jobs and other opportunities.

Malveaux said of the young women from the graduating class of 2011, one-third couldn't find the jobs they wanted so many of them applied to graduate school or took jobs outside of their fields.

"This particular generation is turned off with the process and need to identify the economic rewards," she said. "It's what have you done for me lately. Young people are dealing with economic survival, dealing with paying tuition and trying to find where the jobs are."

From a political standpoint, some panelists said, the fact that young people generally have less enthusiasm for President Obama and the political process than four years ago presents potential problems as the November elections draw near.

Add to that the concerted attempt by state legislatures to gerrymander as they redraw districts that will dilute 'black and brown power'; deep budget cuts at the state and local level; the sustained backlash against public employees by Republicans; high unemployment, race and gender inequities, racism and discrimination, and the situation looks bleak, some said.

Johnson's comment that black Americans need to consider different approaches through creative thinking and innovation prompted nods of agreement from fellow panelists and the audience.

But Coulter and National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial said now is not the time for people to shy away from the challenges that face black America.

"We need to gain more courage in attacking these issues," Coulter asserted. "We need to ... become more creative."

Whitney, We Will “Always Love You!” World Mourns Angelic Singer

Whitney, We Will “Always Love You!”
World Mourns Angelic Singer

whitney houston
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – It was the unthinkable. On the eve of the 54th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, a six-time Grammy Award winner and one of the most celebrated artists in music history is found dead.

Within hours, plans for an event that would mainly have celebrated Adele, the 23-year-old British singer who won all six categories for which she was nominated, were overshadowed by sad tributes to the majesticWhitney Houston, dead at the age of 48. The Los Angeles coroner had still not released the cause of her death this week.

Because of her addictions of the past, rumors of a possible drug overdose and even possible drowning abounded as she was found in a hotel bathtub filled with water, officials confirmed in televised interviews. Paramedics and her associates on the scene tried to revive her but to no avail.

Her life’s work overshadows speculation as her musical tributes fill the airwaves and will live on in the hearts of her fans around the world and those who knew her personally in diverse communities.

“Like the rest of the world I am terribly shocked and saddened by the passing of Ms. Whitney Houston. I watched her grow up singing in the church choir under the leadership of Rev. Thomas,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. in a statement. “Her mother is an outstanding singer, singing with the phenomenal group the Sweet Inspiration. Whitney was one of the outstanding voices of our time. There is a hole in the sky and void in the music world. I am praying for her family.”

Legendary music artists, including Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, and Chaka Khan, the Michael Jackson family and a relative Dionne Warwick all articulated the shock of a family of Black music artists.

The Jackson family, who experienced similar devastation at the death of Michael, issued a statement saying, “We honor and celebrate the life of one of the world’s most gifted vocalists and talented entertainers, Whitney Houston…Although we are all saddened by her sudden passing and will miss her, we respectfully ask everyone to please consider her family at this time of difficulty by granting them the patience and comfort they need to mourn their loss in peace.”

The official statement was tweeted Monday by Janet and Randy Jackson, according to eurweb.com.

Despite gossip, speculation and deep concern over Houston’s death, her musical gift, which included the singing of the National Anthem at Super Bowl XXV in 1991, is being celebrated from American to South Africa to Europe to Australia and around the world.

"May she rest in peace," said a statement from former South African President Nelson Mandela, extending his condolences to Houston's family and friends. His note was in remembrance of her having dedicated her performance of "Greatest Love of All" to him during a 1994 dinner at the White House, according to CNN.

Whitney Houston's appeal was multi-generational. Her music included power-packed love ballads, but also Gospel. “I’ll Always Love You” has become known as her signature song. But, the last song she sang publically was “Yes, Jesus Loves Me.”

"She gave voice to the inspiration of a generation," said National Urban League President/CEO Marc Morial. "She will be remembered among history's great talents who were taken far too young, in the pantheon with Billie Holiday, Judy Garland and Michael Jackson."

Morial said in a statement that at the height of her fame, “Houston represented a grace and glamour unique in the world of pop and R&B entertainment, and she showed courage and strength in her struggles in her personal life.

At deadline on Monday, reports said her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, wanted Houston’s body flown to New Jersey to be buried in the state of her birth. At that time, it had not been announced who would give the eulogy. She is also survived by her singer ex-husband Bobby Brown to whom she had a tumultuous marriage. They had one daughter, Bobbi Kristina, now 18.

Meanwhile, tributes continued to pour into the media. "The world is saddened by this great loss,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton. Sharpton said he would call for a national prayer for her family and the memory of Whitney Houston on Sunday, the morning before the Grammys. “The world should pause and pray for the memory of a gifted songbird."

Has the Black Leadership Abandoned Roland Martin?

Has the Black Leadership Abandoned Roland Martin?

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspapers

 roland_martin

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The furor over CNN contributor Roland Martin’s controversial Super Bowl tweets and his subsequent suspension by the network has, curiously, been devoid of comment by Black leadership.

“I am very embarrassed at the silence within the Black leadership community,” Raynard Jackson, a Washington, D.C.-based political strategist and commentator, told the AFRO.

In a related commentary sent to the AFRO, Jackson called out civil rights leaders and Black lawmakers including Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Ben Jealous Marc Morial and the Congressional Black Caucus.

“These are the same people who would call Roland Martin and ask to come on his TV show when they need to promote an issue or when they need him to do a column that would advance their cause,” Jackson said. “But, now that he is in trouble, not one voice is to be heard supporting him.”

Causing the uproar was Martin’s Super Bowl Twitter commentary, including opinions on an ad depicting soccer star David Beckham in underwear.

“If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad,” he wrote, “smack the ish out of him!”

He later wrote on Facebook, “Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass.”

Gay rights watchdog group GLAAD immediately decried the posts, urging CNN to fire the political analyst. And, despite Martin’s explanation that his comments were not meant to be homophobic, followed by an apology and, later, a promise to meet with GLAAD, CNN on Feb. 8 decided to suspend the commentator.

In cyberspace, both support for and criticism of Martin has been effusive.

Responding to Martin’s comments that he would meet with GLAAD, Frances Marie wrote on Martin’s Facebook page: “Make sure you bring them a copy of ALL of your ‘Roland Rules’ and highlight all of the whipdatass comments made about heterosexuals and ask them why they didn't have an issue with those.”

Juan Richardson also wrote: “In no way shape or fashion did his comment mention sexual orientation or violence against gays. It is commonplace for Black folk to use the phrase ‘smack the ish out of...’ and know perfectly well that no harm is intended. The problem is that GLAAD, while purporting itself as an organization that defends the rights of the LGBT community (as a whole) is headed by hypersensitive ‘non-Blacks’, who don't grasp Black lingo. This is a non-issue.”

Others denounced CNN’s treatment of Martin as unfair, given its failure to punish other contributors who have made similarly controversial comments. For example, Dana Loesch recently cheered members of the United States Marine Corps for urinating on the bodies of dead Afghans and suggested if she were there, she’d do the same. Loesch remains on the air and neither she nor CNN has apologized.

“The clear difference between the two cases? A sense that CNN’s audience was offended,” and GLAAD’s well-established system for influencing public opinion, Alyssa Rosenberg wrote in a Feb. 8 article on ThinkProgress.org.

She later added, “Loesch’s comments…offended human rights advocates and decent people everywhere. But that’s not the same as running afoul of an organization with a well-established plan to respond to these kinds of events and a well-worn path to media outlets who would cover and amplify their response.”

More recently, syndicated radio host Tom Joyner called on Martin to give an apology, regardless of the context in which he wrote his comments.

“Roland, we love you and need you full force to be able to do what you do—represent us and our views on CNN and other arenas,” Joyner wrote in an open letter to Martin posted on Joyner’s blog Feb. 10. “In order to continue your role on that show, on the speaking circuit, etc., it's time for you to make a sincere apology to GLAAD. When people are offended by something we say or do, it doesn’t matter what our intentions are. The job of the offender is simply to apologize and learn a lesson about what to say or do going forward.”

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