A Day of Blogging for Justice - Against Extra-Judicial Electrocution (Tasers)

We update villagers on the overactive use of tasers by the police regularly. I am grateful to see that the Afrosphere Action Coalition called for a formal Day of Blogging Justice on this topic. The police appear to be ignoring their own policy as laid out in the Use of Force Continuum. Police killed five people with tasers in January 2008 alone!

Powerful voices in the afrosphere are talking about this topic here, here, here, here and here. I urge you to join in the discussions as well.

Here are samples of stories that we reported to you in the past:

• 21-year old Black man tasered-to-death by Louisiana cop.


• 17-year old Black man tasered-to-death by North Carolina cop.


• Deaf Black man tasered-in-error by Kansas cop.


• Unarmed and naked 41-year old Black man tasered-to-death by Florida cop.


• 29-year old Black man tasered-to-death by Florida cop.


• 48-year old Black man tasered-while-shopping by Wisconsin cop.


• 33-year old pregnant Black woman tasered-while-seeking-help from Ohio cop.


• Black man tasered-while-driving-mother-to-Thanksgiving-Dinner by Texas cop.

Are we being too sensitive? Should we sweep our concerns under the carpet because the police are reasonable people doing a difficult job? Or should we continue to blog for justice whenever we see inappropriate use of tasers to executive our brothers and sisters before they get their day in court?

What say u?

End Police Pre-Trial, Extra Judicial Electrocutions and Executions

Villagers, we will join with the Afrosphere Action Coalition in a Day of Blogging for Justice focused on the extraordinary increases in taser deaths around the nation. The virtual headquarters for this online activism is a newly created blog called, "Electrocuted While Black".

We hope to raise awareness throughout the afrosphere about the inappropriate use of tasers by law enforcement officials.

The police tell us that electrocuting people in the Black community is necessary, normally harmless and in alignment with use of force policies. However, research reveals that game wardens treat 600 pound bears and half-ton mooses with greater care for their well-being than are members of the public when confronted by police officers with electrocution and execution devices in their hip pockets.

How often have you seen video of the police calling game wardens to humanely take care of lions, tigers and bears that wander into a neighborhood? Yet, the police don't have that same level of patience with Black men, blind men, women, pregnant women and children in our community.

'Shoot first, ask questions later' appears to be the operating mindset of police in North Carolina, Ohio, Louisiana, Texas, Wisconsin and elsewhere.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts on the 'pre-trial, extra-judicial electrocution and execution of Blacks'. Do you think that taser use by police is becoming the modern-day version of lynching?

Still No Respect from Dog the Bounty Hunter Sponsors

A&E Network is actually one of my favorite locations on television. There are a number of syndicated shows and original programming from that network that I enjoy watching. So, I am very disappointed at the decision of the network to bring back a self-proclaimed racist, Duane 'Dog' Chapman back on the air. Last month I joined many others in a Day of Blogging for Media Respect to protest this decision. A&E Network did not budge on their decision to bring back Chapman's show.

The next step is simple. Identify the A&E Network advertisers who support this show. We will alert the broader public about those Dog-sponsors. After all, sponsoring Duane Chapman's show is a sign that these companies have little or no respect for their African American customers. Duane Chapman should not be able to profit for his racially-motivated vitriol and hatred [see video].

You can read the press release from the Afrosphere Action Coalition here.

Return of Dog the Bounty Hunter is Unacceptable

The Electronic Village supports the call of the Afrosphere Action Coalition (AAC) for a 'Day of Blogging For Media Respect'.

A&E Network is the object of our collective ire as a result of their decision to bring Duane Chapman (aka 'Dog the Bounty Hunter') back on the air. Chapman had been taken off the air after his racist rantings became public knowledge.

The AAC wrote the network and its advertisers to express anger over this immoral decision to bring Chapman back on the public airwaves. We are taking a stand against Chapman's expressed racism. It is our view that Chapman has not adequately atoned for the racially derogatory intent of his words. Instead, he made claims about his motivation being benign and disparaged his son’s Black girlfriend, Monique Shinnery.

'They should pull the show completely and never air reruns or anything with Chapman ever again,' SiCap president Wayne Perry says in a press release. "A&E should wash their hands of this guy. Dog’s rant has personally disrupted my faith in people, and we will never associate any of our brands with any forum that supports racism in any way. This goes far beyond what Don Imus said on MSNBC, and they fired him immediately.”

We seek respect for people of African descent.

Daz Wilson, AAC co-coordinator, says, "The Black community won't tolerate the lack of consideration and respect we have seen from television networks, which have become increasingly insulting in their commentary; using stereotypical depictions, and allowing their spokespersons and actors to use racial slurs or refer to 'lynching' in a self-described joking manner. This unacceptable behavior seems to be shared by A&E Network, despite the fact that they and their advertisers benefit from diverse audiences and consumers."

I encourage all villagers to take a moment to call or write A&E Network and its sponsors to let them know you seek respect for people of African descent. Let them know you want A&E Network to remove Duane 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' Chapman from their airwaves.

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1. A&E Vice President of Programming - Nancy Dubuc and Rob Sharenow
2. Travelocity - Vollmer Public Relations, Amanda Borichevsky
3. Tylenol - Call (877) TYLENOL
4. AT&T
5. Red Bull Energy Drinks - Call (310) 393-4647
6. Yellowpages.com - Call (877) 647-6278
7. Allstate Insurance - Call (866) 908-2500
8. LG High Definition Televisions - Call (800) 243-0000
9. Dell - Call (800) 915-3355
10. Nintendo - Call (425) 882-2040
11. Subway

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Kudos to the Afrosphere Action Coalition coordinators -- Daz Wilson, Yobachi Boswell and Francis Holland -- for providing leadership on this Day of Blogging for Media Justice.

I'm interested in hearing your village voice on this Chapman/A&E Network situation and this effort at online activism. What say u?

Lack of Diversity in DemConvention State Blogger Corps Angers Afrosphere

UPDATE: Pam Spaulding the owner of Pam's House Blend (BBR #2) provides a comprehensive update on this issue based on her telecon with DNC operative Aaron Myers.

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The Democratic Party has a unique opportunity in November to reclaim the White House as well as working majorities in both the US Senate and House of Representatives in the 2008 election cycle. Every imaginable wind is blowing in their direction --> economy, Iraq war, unemployment rate, John Hagee, gas prices, food prices, George W. Bush and so on.

However, instead of rising proudly and confidently towards this new political nirvana ... we see the Democrats shoot themselves in the foot. Displaying a remarkable sense of insensitivity and arrogance, the Democratic Party recently announced state blog credentials to cover the national convention in Denver will be given to 55 white-only state blogs.

This newly-annointed group is known as the DemConvention State Blogger Corps. The sister running the Democratic National Convention Committee says, "...I'm excited about the roles these bloggers will have in engaging an even broader, more diverse base of people from around the country in conversations not only about the Convention, but about the future of our nation."

Barack Obama can't become the nominee quick enough for me. I'm confident that he wouldn't accept a process that results in 50-of-50 state bloggers being white-only and male-only.



Not a single blogger from the afrosphere made the cut. African American Political Pundit, Faye Anderson, Yobachi Boswell, Francis Holland, Pam Spaulding, Shawn Williams and others have been working behind the scenes with the Howard Dean's crew to make them aware of this major oversight and provide them with some options and opportunities to quickly fix the problem.



The issue is beginning to bubble up on the national radar with recent articles in the Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

If the Democratic Party can't fix this racial divide with bloggers ... what hope do we have to fix the racial divide being fanned by Hillary & Bill Clinton?

Villagers, are we making a mountain out of a molehill ... or do you agree that it is shocking in the 21st century that we still have evidence of Jim Crow justice in our national politics?

Day of Blogging For Voter Justice

A few days ago I shared information about the effort to unify the Democratic Party by requesting Hillary Clinton to concede the nomination. That movement continues to build momentum. The Afrosphere Action Coalition now seeks to enlist bloggers around the nation to participate in the Day of Blogging For Voter Justice that is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 25.

Please click here to sign up for the Day of Blogging for Voter Justice.

Asante sana to Francis Holland, Yobachi Boswell and PurpleZoe for their leadership on this blogging campaign.

If you are not a blogger ... you can still support this effort to unite the Democratic party in effort to take back the White House. Show your support by signing the online petition. What say u?