Video of the Day: 'A Song for Trayvon' by Jasiri X

When will the Sanford Police Department arrest George Zimmerman? It's been over a month and still justice for Trayvon Martin is deferred.

Too Much Doubt for Us to Execute Troy Davis (VIDEO: Jasiri X)

Georgia's Board of Pardons & Paroles will hold a final clemency hearing tomorrow -- a final chance to prevent the execution of Troy Davis. The Board of Pardons claims that the execution would only take place if there is “no doubt” about the guilt of the man they are killing.


Our prayers are with both families who have been torn apart by this tragedy.  You see, we understand the grief and despair felt by Michael McPhail's mother.   Her son was the off-duty cop killed in August 1989.  McPhail's family is looking forward to the execution scheduled for September 21.   They feel it will be some form of 'justice' and 'closure'. 

However, this blog along with many other villagers think that there is 'too much doubt':

1. Of the nine original witnesses in the case, seven have either recanted or contradicted their original stories. One witness said in a CNN news interview "If I knew then, what I know now, Troy Davis would not be on death row."
2. Of the two witnesses who have not recanted, one of them (Sylvester Coles) was a suspect in the murder. A witness even claimed that Coles bragged at a party about having killed an off-duty police officer.
3. Nine individuals have signed affidavits indicting that the murder was committed by Sylvester Coles

Troy Davis survived three previous execution dates .... but, in order to do so again it will take action by all of us. Here are some ways that you can help.

1. Request clemency from the Board of Pardons
2. Sign Amnesty International petition to the Board of Pardons
3. Sign Your Black World petition to the Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and President Barack Obama
4. Send a message of support to Troy as he fights for justice on what may be the final days of his life: http://action.naacp.org/LettersOfSupport 
5. Sign the name wall, if you haven't already. And if you have, send it to your friends and family. Each name means a more united front for justice: http://action.naacp.org/Name-Wall
6. Tell everyone you know! Spread the word about this injustice on Twitter by using the hashtag #TooMuchDoubt. Be sure to tell your Facebook friends as well.
   

Please take action to help us save the life of Troy Davis.

American Workers vs. Multi-Billionaires (Jasiri X)

Jasiri X

Soulclap to Jill Tubman for pointing us to the latest Jasiri X video, "American Workers Vs Multi-Billionaires". The video was filmed on location in Madison, Wisconsin, where thousands of hard working Americans came together in unity to fight back against Governor Scott Walker. It is apparent to many of us that the Wisconsin governor is bought and paid for by billionaires like the Koch brothers. Walker and his GOP cronies seek to break up unions and deny workers collective bargaining and a living wage.

Rap music can be a positive force in the political discourse. I think that Jasiri X got it right with this video and this song. Please take a moment to check it out:





LYRICS
Scott Walker works for multi billionaires
John Boehner works for multi billionaires
while corporations get billions in welfare
and millions in this country been out of work for years

Sarah Palin works for multi billionaires
American workers vs multi billionaires
they wanna end social security and medicare
while millions in this country don't have a dime to spare

Can main street get a bailout
Tell the president our checks weren't mailed out
Tell the house of representatives and senate
And whatever business got the stimulus and spent it
Now they getting record profit that's tripling with no limits
But they cutting jobs and unemployment benefits have ended
How we gone live with no income coming in
And the little help we get is cut from the budget then
What's the role of government
Do workers stand a chance if multi billionaires are running it
Oh now you worried bout the deficit and cutting it
But when them banks needed billions you had enough for them.
Them car companies you had bucks for them
2 wars rebuilding 2 countries guess we stuck with them
the average citizen just ain't lucky then
cause we be getting pimped so I guess we getting fucked again

Rush Limbaugh works for multi billionaires
Bill O'Reilly works for multi billionaires
while corporations get billions in welfare
and millions in this country been out of work for years

Sean Hannity works for multi billionaires
Crazy Glenn Beck works for multi billionaires
they wanna end social security and medicare
while millions in this country don't have a dime to spare

When did the American worker become the enemy
Why is wanting a living wage such a penalty
What happened to justice and liberty
These billionaire haters wanna crush us literally
On the box is Murdoch and his foxes
And if you watch it you might as well be an ostrich
They terrorists cause they hold facts hostage
24 hours straight of we hate what Barack did
If you want to unionize your a communist
But if you buy a congressman they just call you a lobbyist
It's so obvious but here's where the problem is
they act like regular Americans but they sloppy rich
Why you think they wanna cut taxes
cause every single one of them in the higher brackets
This ain't white or black it's class warfare time for action
Just look at wide the gap is

American workers vs multi billionaires
The middle class vs multi billionaires
while corporations get billions in welfare
and millions in this country been out of work for years

Rupert Murdoch is multi billionaires
the Koch brothers are multi Billionaire
they wanna end social security and medicare
while millions in this country don't have a dime to spare

We All Shall Be Free! (Jasiri X)

LYRICS by Jasiri X

Revolution's not an act it's an actual fact
an idea that burns until it turns blacker than black
the truth bearer new era like the back of ya hat
the true terror who'll scare ya without packing a gat
through the barrier one carrier then it spreads like malaria
bury us with no fear of oppression every tear is a weapon
When God hears it a blessin

Every tyrant is destined to die that's connected to violent aggression
if arrested remain silent when questioned the wisest lesson
Freedom's the highest expression of life in the present
that's why worldwide the riots are spreading
A righteous message like God set the fires from heaven
Uprising we done crying the young riding
when people get the power dictators go run hiding
we just trying to live like human beings
when we protest in peace police shoot up the scene
look at your computer screen you can see it right through the stream
Let our forming be a warning to every brutal regime

It's a simple math equation it's scientific OK
you put the power in the hands of the people its liberation
and even if you take it away its multiplication
repression breeds resistance and this is our situation
I'm an expert on exploitation mater of ghetto misery
a miracle of modern enslavement given our history
the fire through the wire bullets bombs and the liars
the snitches he counterinsurgency mad vicious
they kill us the freedom fighters but can't kill the revolution
they put crack in our community laughing like it's amusing
but I don't see nothing funny the crackers that's on the money
they only wanna keep us mis-educated like Sonny

They see how we never give up and wonder just how we do it
f#ck a roach we're the scarabs the beetle up out the ruins
you can hear it in our music is resilience part of our experience
you can call it the freedom experiment
you hear it but do you feel it
either join with it or fear it
but I want it in my lifetime period.

Tune In Tuesday: Jasiri X Shares "Dr. King's Nightmare"

I suspect that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was giving the side-eye to his neice, Sarah 'Mama Grizzly' and Glenn 'Elmer Gantry' Beck this past weekend. Young rapper (Jasiri X) shared his vision of what Dr. King would say if he was still speaking to us: