'Resign' says West Memphis City Council to Police Chief for Killing 12-Year Old DeAunta Farrow

12/10/07 UPDATE: Mediaverse gives detailed run-down on the facts of the DeAunta Farrow killing ... along with raising some unanswered questions about the police actions after the young boy was shot.

12/8/07 UPDATE: West Memphis preachers claim cover-up. [video source]

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Officer Erik Sammis, who shot and killed 12-year-old DeAunta Farrow, and his partner, Jimmy Evans, returned back to work on the West Memphis police force. They were cleared by three separate agencies of any wrongdoing in the killing of the youngster. You'll recall that DeAunta was not doing anything wrong at the time ... just walking over to his cousin's house. Sammis shot him dead. Now Sammis is back at work. Ain't police justice grand?!

West Memphis City Council member Lorraine Robinson was not happy about the return of the officers. "I think it's a slap in the community's face, 'cause the whole nation is looking at West Memphis, Arkansas," she said. "These men have committed this act, and it has gotten to much notoriety, and these men can just go back."

The West Memphis City Council took an unusual step. They voted 6-4 to remove the two officer and Bob Paudert, the police chief. The Mayor has five days to make a decision, but he doesn't plan to announce anything until Monday. William Johnson is the mayor of West Memphis, "I support Bob Paudert totally 100 percent. I always have." He says, he can't think of any reason why he would not keep the Chief.

You must see the racially-charged remarks of the West Memphis police chief. It was these heated comments made to News Channel 3 that set-off the firestorm.

Click here to see the video of the Chief's remarks.

Council Member Robinson says, "It was very clear from the comments that he made that he is extremely biased and extremely racist. I have worked with him now going on nine years but the person I saw last night is someone that I don't even know."

Paudert responded after the vote to have him removed by saying, "You know what? I changed my view of her when she called me a 'whitey'. It's just gotten out of hand... She changed. I made one public remark after 5 months of intense scrutiny. I make one public remark and I'm criticized for it. They've been calling Erik Sammis a murderer for months, Lorrain Robinson. So, I don't care if she's upset or not."

The Mayor finally spoke out about the case, chosing not to make a rush decision while fully supporting his chief. Mayor William Johnson says, "Certainly Bob Paudert hasn't done anything to terminate his employment. He's been a great contributor to this city, we are safer than we've ever been, and personally I wouldn't even think about removing Bob Paudert."

Council member Marco McClendon said Sammis and Evans should resign for their own safety. "I think its for the peace of the city," McClendon said. "I'm looking at the safety of the officer himself, as well as the community." McClendon said he feared someone might be gunning for Sammis and Evans, and it could put the officers in a position where they might have to shoot.

Villagers, what do you think? Should these two cops resign for the good of the community? What do you think of the Police Chief's comments? or the City Council's vote?

Oprah and Barack Obama Streaming Live in the Electronic Village

My thanks to those that watched the live feed from South Carolina! Please let me know if there is a YouTube or other video of today's speech from Oprah & Obama. I'll place it in this post to replace the live feed box. OK?

• Final update [4548 viewers] - Barack ends by telling a story of his trip to Greenwood, SC and the 'Fired Up' chant of a local city council member. One voice can make a difference. He leads chant, Fired Up ... Ready to Go. The crowd eats it up. This appears to be a slam dunk for Barack Obama. I imagine that he will get a big bump in South Carolina and elsewhere.
  
  
• 3:30 pm update [4494 viewers] - Barack Obama calls on voters to be bold. He gives a story about home health care worker in Oakland. He shows his compassion for women and other common folks that need some help from government to knock down some of the barriers to the American Dream. Barack breaks it down about why he is running for President. He talks about his foreign policy vision. He talks about criminal justice system ('no more Jena 6'). Our moment is now ... the fierce urgency of now. He gives list of things that he doesn't want to see four years from now.



• 3:15 pm update [4523 viewers] - Barack Obama is on fire! He acknowledges his wife, Oprah and the largest crowd in the election cycle. Big applause from the crowd when he reminds them that George W. Bush will not be on the ballot next year. He challenges the audience to ask, 'What is next for America?'. He talks about how America has lost trust in government. He says that this is a chance to come together and work on big problems (healthcare, energy, poverty, children in prison instead of college) that have been on our agenda for decades.



• 3:00 pm update [4450 viewers] - Oprah is breaking it down. She is sharing why she is inspired by Obama. She isn't telling the audience to just trust me, rather she is breaking it down in terms of the reasons she believes we should vote for Obama --> statesmanship, strength, honor and compassion. She looks to see Obama inspire us to fix education problems ... fix health insurance ... Now is the time for Barack Obama. Oprah is sick of politics as usual. We need to tell the truth and be the truth. Oprah hits Hillary, "...the amount of time you spent in Washington DC doesn't matter if you haven't used good judgement while you are there." She challenges the experience argument. She wants us to see if there is wisdom in the candidate. She breaks down his resume and track record as community organizer, state legislator and US senator. Clarity and conviction and proceed with moral authority. Oprah sez, "it does matter what the rest of the world thinks about us." She reminds the audience that Jan 23rd is the time for South Carolina to seize the moment. Some say Barack Obama should wait his turn ... Oprah knocked down this argument by saying that we can't wait for the future ... the moment is NOW. She took the microphone and is walking around the stage now to tell her Jane Pittman story. Is he the one? she asks. It's Obama-time!



• 2:40 pm update [4273 viewers] - Michelle Obama did a wonderful job of introducing Oprah Winfrey. Is Michelle taller than Barack?



• 2:30 pm update [4133 viewers] - World record set for the Largest Phone Bank with 36,426 participants, beating previous record of 15,000.



• 2:15 pm update [4176 viewers] - Two members of the Obama campaign staff are on stage asking folks in the stadium to take out their cell phones and join the campaign text-messaging program. The two staffers are now using a gimmick to get the folks in the stadium to make phone calls to potential voters that are not in the stadium. They are trying to break a world record evidently. This is boring for those of us viewing on streaming TV. I'm ready for Oprah, Michell and Barack now!



• 2:00 pm update [3753 viewers] - The crowd appears to be building. Of course, the camera view doesn't give the full stadium, however, you can see the crowd grew considerably since the show first came on 90-minutes ago. Arrested Development first started 17 years ago. These two sisters that are dancing are probably in their 40s. I see one of them is sitting down now. I know that I would be sitting after the energy that they placed into the early part of their set. OK. I'm ready for Oprah, Michelle and Barack now!



• 1:45 pm update [3425 viewers] - The first hour was filled with performances by local groups, including some high school marching bands. The real show appears to be heating up now with the appearance of Arrested Development. They are setting stage with song called, I Believe in Miracles.

Sometimes I Wish I Was White

There are times when I get angry or frustrated about the racial injustices that exist in America. I have three beautiful nubian children and I want them to have unlimited access to opportunities as they grow up. As such, it worries me when I find brothers like Allen Watty who is so hopeless, desperate and filled with self-hate that he would write a song called, "Sometimes I Wish I Was White". No matter how angry or frustrated that I have become ... I never wished to be white. Have you?


[Listen to Song]
Watty sings, "Sometimes I feel, I wish I was white, so I could feel, just how it feels to be treated right. I'm not ashamed of me. Just one time, I want to see, how it feels to be treated equally." The disclaimer on his website says that he simply wants to stimulate conversation about the mistreatment of Black people.

My problem with the song is that it opines that the answer to our mistreatment is for us "to wish were white". First, much of the mistreatment that we experience comes from other Blackfolks in our own community. Even if there were no white people in America ... we would still have issues. The so-called 'Black-on-Black' crime issue that has been talked about incessantly in recent months isn't tied directly to white people.

Second, the mistreatment caused by white people in our country is at its roots caused by white supremecy thoughts and ideas that still permeate our country. I don't want my children or my community to "be white". I want them to be successful because of their character, their knowledge and what they bring to the table. Part of what they bring is a proud legacy that comes with being a person of African descent.

Hearing Allen Watty's song reminds me that we still have to battle on the frontlines for our dignity ... for our manhood ... for our respect as a people. There should never be a reason for any person of color to wish that they were without melanin.

Villagers, what say u?

Barack Obama Winning in South Carolina; Where Is Oprah Event Coverage This Weekend?

A new Insider Advantage poll of South Carolina (conducted Dec. 3-4 of 421 likely Dem voters) has Obama at 26%, Clinton at 24%, Edwards at 15%, and Biden at 10%.

C-Span TV will have live coverage of the Obama-Oprah event in Iowa today at 4:30 pm here is a preliminary indication the "Road To The White House" program on C-Span TV will have taped coverage of a portion of the Obama-Oprah event from South Carolina on Sunday December 9, 2007 at 6:30 pm and 9:30 pm ET.

Villagers can watch the South Carolina event with Senator Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and special guest Oprah Winfrey LIVE on the web at http://www.ustream.tv/ starting at 12:30pm ET on Sunday, December 9.

What do you think about Oprah's support of Barack Obama? Will it matter?

Wichita Police 'Regret' Using Taser on Innocent Deaf Man

Wichita Deputy Police Chief Robert Lee is getting negative feedback from the afrosphere and around the globe for the unwarranted use of a taser gun on Donnell Williams ... an innocent, unarmed, naked nubian inside his own home. Deputy Chief Lee wants to assure people they are looking into the incident. "We regret it. I know he does and our goal is to learn from it, to see if there's anything we need to do to make sure it doesn't happen again," says Lee.

The police plan to meet later this week with a group representing deaf and hearing impaired people. The department has also opened a full investigation into the officers' actions as a result of support provided to Donnell Williams by the Wichita NAACP. There will be a civil rights lawsuit filed with Justice Department in the next few days.

[video source]

How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

plezWorld shared a unique widget that measures how hooked you are to blogging. I took the test this morning. Methinks that I may need to slow my roll on this bloggin' stuff (smile)!


78%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?
The test is for people who own blogs or read blogs. What score did you get when you took the test?

Police Fire the Cop Who Tased Pregnant Valreca Redden

--==[Drumbeats from msladydeborah tipped us to this story]==--
Al Sharpton's NAN Ohio chapter reports that the Trotwood Police Department fired Officer Michael Wilmer, the police officer who used a stun gun on Valreca Redden, a pregnant nubian.

Hallelujah! It is about time that justice occurs in Taser Nation.

Villagers recall that I was surprised that Officer Michael Wilmer was still working. It appears that he won't be working much longer.

When you use a taser gun on a pregnant woman who comes to you for protection and help then you are in the wrong line of work. You need to have your toubob butt fired!

Check out the video for yourself. Does it look justified to you?

Valreca Redden still faces charges of obstruction of justice and resisting arrest. I imagine that those charges will be dropped soon. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reviewed the case. It is good to see the federal government enforcing the laws. If they had done so in Jena when those three nooses were hung on the white tree perhaps we could have avoided the damage done to seven young lives (Jena 6 and the boy that they beat up on the school yard).

Anyhow, I'm glad to see that the police are trying to clean up their act. Hopefully, something similar will happen to the taser-happy cops in Wichita.

What do you think? Was the firing of Office Michael Wilmer justified?

[SOURCE]

Demand is Overwhelming for Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey in South Carolina

Barack Obama invited Oprah Winfrey to join him at a campaign stop this coming weekend in Columbia, SC. The campaign had been scheduled to hold the rally at the Colonial Center in downtown Columbia, which seats 18,000 people, but Obama's campaign announced that "overwhelming excitement" had caused a run on free tickets.

The rally on Sunday is being moved to the 80,000 seat college football stadium at the University of South Carolina. There had been a waiting list for tickets, but the move to the football stadium will allow the campaign to accommodate every man or woman in South Carolina who wants to go.

Obama/Oprah may not fill the stadium up to capacity ... but, the mere fact that they are moving to sold-out the initial arena so quickly is a sign of the momentum that continues to build for Obama.

Billary must be sick in their stomach about this support booming in South Carolina!

Donnell Williams is Deaf Black Man Attacked by Taser-Happy Police in Wichita

Drumbeats from Over Analyze It told us that police responding to a false shooting call broke into a deaf man's apartment and shot him with a taser as the man was getting out of the bathtub. Donnell Williams was wearing only a towel when police entered the bathroom with guns drawn.

Williams kept pointing to his ear and yelling, "I am scared. I can’t hear, I can’t hear!" He is functionally deaf without his hearing aids. When he didn’t obey the unheard police commands he was shot with the taser.

Were the police so frightened of a naked Blackman coming out of his own bathroom, inside of his own house, that they felt a need to use 50,000 volts of pure electricity on him?

Can you imagine how Donnell Williams had to feel at that moment?

After police realized they were at a false call they apologized to Mr. Williams. The police are trying to trace the source of the call and stated only that it came from a cell phone. The case is being reviewed by the department. Anyone have the name of the cop that used the taser on this brother? It wasn't reported in the initial news reports.

Click here to see televised report on taser incident
The Wichita police are begging for forgiveness now (before the lawsuits come down). But, is there any defense for this type of shoddy police work? It ain't happening this way in the 90210 zip code ... only in OUR neighborhoods.

Villagers, how many brothers and sisters do we need to see victimized by the shoot-first, ask-questions-later mentality of these taser-happy cops before we recognize that there is a serious problem going on.

1. Pregnant woman
2. Innocent Blackman with his mother on Thanksgiving day

Now we see it happening to a deaf Blackman. Was he engaged in some illegal activity? Was he out after 3:00 am in the morning acting a fool? Nope, this brother was buck-naked coming out of his own bathtub in his own dayum house. What is wrong in our country?

Police Taser Blackman With His Mother in Austin

Drums continue to beat about these taser incidents. You know how it seems that everyone on the road owns your same make, model and color of car when you get a new car? Maybe it is that way with these taser incidents. Perhaps, we are simply noticing them more. One AfroSpear blogger created an entire blog dedicated to this issue.

It turns out that Black people have been getting tased without good reason for over a year. Did you see this incident down in Austin, TX?

Police officer Thomas O'Connor pulls over a Blackman, Eugene Snelling, and his mother on Thanksgiving Day for driving 5-MPH over the speed limit. He asks the brother for his driver's license and registration. Without giving the driver a chance to get it, Officer O'Connor opens the door; directs the driver at gunpoint to the back of the car ... AND USES HIS TASER!

You be the judge. Check out the dashboard police camera showing the use of police taser on innocent Blackman.



Officer O'Connor gave his side of the story during internal affairs investigation. He was suspended by the Austin Police Department for three days. I wonder if Bro. Snelling had to pay the speeding ticket?

Barack Obama is Winning in Iowa

The winds of change continue to blow in favor of Sen. Barack Obama. The Des Moines Register is a leading newspaper in Iowa, where the first votes of the US presidential race will be cast on January 3. This poll shows:

1. Barack Obama leading the race with support from 28 percent of likely voters (up from 22% in October).
2. Hillary Clinton was in 2nd place with likely Iowa voters at 25% (down from 29% last month).
3. John Edwards stayed steady at 23% of the vote.

Even more significant in some respects is the fact that Obama leads with support from 31 percent of women likely attend the caucuses, compared to 26 percent for Clinton. In October, Clinton was the preferred candidate of 34 percent of women caucusgoers, compared to 21 percent for Obama. In other words, there has been a switch of 18% among likely women voters in this state towards Obama.

Iowa City Democrat Katharyn Browne said she abandoned her support for Clinton in the past month and now supports Obama in light of the Iran issue. Clinton supported a measure that allowed President Bush to declare the Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization, a move Obama said was a step toward war. Clinton said the measure enhanced U.S. negotiating strength with Iran.

Browne said she feels Obama is a more inspirational candidate than Clinton, despite the intensifying crossfire between them. "I just think that Obama is more of a positive candidate overall," she said. "Aside from the Clinton-Obama interaction lately, it's nice to hear a candidate with a positive outlook. I think our country needs that right now."

Browne, who supported Clinton early partly out of gender loyalty, represents a shift among some women caucusgoers from Clinton to Obama.

Hopefully this is a trend that will impact on Black women around the country. I've noticed some caustic remarks by Black women bloggers and blog readers on Barack Obama. It appears that Iowa women (few of whom are Black) are realizing that Barack and Michelle Obama is better for their future than Billary.

On the Republican side I see that Gov. Mike Huckabee also overtook the frontrunner. Huckabee's rise is a direct result of his outstanding performance in recent televised debates. I think it is critical that Barack Obama wins a few of the upcoming televised debates this month. He has the character, positions and skills to be a remarkable POTUS.

He needs to apply the knock-out punch to Clinton in the next 30 days.

Villagers, the first votes will be cast one month from today. How are you leaning now? If you had a chance to vote today in the Democratic primary ... who would you cast your vote for?

Jena 6 Odd Couple: Mychal Bell and Reed Walters Agree to Plea Deal

12/4/07 UPDATE: AfroSpear Media Release on Jena Six Case

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Drumbeats from Howard Witt with some great news on the Jena Six case. It appears that the endgame is coming to Jena, LA. Mychal Bell, 17, agreed to a plea bargain with LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters that sharply reduced the charges against him. Walters was the foolish law enforcement official who made the original decision to charge the Jena 6 with attempted murder for beating a white youth.

Walters accepted guilty plea to a juvenile charge of second-degree battery, with a sentence of 18 months and credit for time he has served in jail over the last year.

District Judge J.P. Mauffray approved the plea agreement Monday afternoon, just three days before Bell's trial in juvenile court was to have begun. It appears that both the Jena legal system and the other Jena Six families are in plea negotiations that could bring a conclusion to a controversial case that drew more than 20,000 civil rights protesters to Jena in September and earned the town a portrayal in the national media as a racist backwater.

Villagers have been following this story well before the mainstream media learned about it. It was national pressure from groups like The AfroSpear and others last spring that caused Walters to back away from attempted murder charges. Walter was hard-headed when he tried Bell on those charges as an adult in June and won a conviction, but a state appeals court reversed the verdict in September, ruling that Bell should have been prosecuted as a juvenile.

Since then, Walters has come under growing political pressure to conclude the Jena 6 cases. Local leaders had been dreading a drawn-out series of criminal trials that would have kept Jena in the spotlight throughout 2008. And Louisiana's outgoing governor, Kathleen Blanco, directly pressed Walters in September not to pursue an appeal of the decision that struck down Bell's adult conviction.

Walters said in a statement Monday that he hopes to have the remaining Jena 6 cases resolved "early next year."

"A trial would be very bad for the town, very bad for Reed Walters, very bad for anybody in Jena associated with the process, and it could turn out very bad for the defendants as well," said Alan Bean, head of a small civil rights group called Friends of Justice who was the first activist to call attention to the Jena case. "It had the potential for being a perfect storm in which everybody lost."

Parents on both sides of the case agreed.

"If the district attorney makes an offer to us and my son doesn't have to do any jail time, that would be fine," said Tina Jones, who insists that her son, Jena 6 defendant Bryant Purvis, was not involved in the school attack. "I'm ready to get this all over with."

Plea bargains "would be the best solution, as long as they don't get away with no punishment at all," said David Barker, father of Justin Barker, the school beating victim. "This case has taken its toll on everybody. Justin has ulcers now. Letting it drag on for years would just be additional stress for him."

Bell's attorneys said they agreed to the plea bargain to spare the former high school football star the danger of being convicted of more serious charges and also to win early release from juvenile custody. Mychal Bell will get credit for the nine months he spent in jail while awaiting trial. His attorneys said he could be released by June.

When this is over I hope that the Jena Six young people take a lesson from the sad story of Rodney King.

Jennifer Love Hewitt and I Need HD Radio

I feel like a dinosaur when it comes to things like iTunes tagging and iPods and such. I have an unopend iPod Shuffle here on my desk. Perhaps, I need to open up the box and use the iPod Shuffle. At the same time, I think that Jennifer Love Hewitt (that is her in the black bikini) may need to get HD Radio into her exercise room.

What is HD Radio? HD Radio is free, and broadcasts on about 1,500 stations in the US, but offers higher quality audio than standard FM, in addition to features like track ID and extra "piggybacked" channels (called HD2). It seems to be simple to work the HD Radio system.

To get access to these new digital radio stations, a Villagers simply need to buy a radio with a built in HD Radio Tuner, such those found here. Many new cars include an HD Radio built in when you take the car out of the showroom. HD Radio receivers such as the Polk I-Sonic ES2 will also integrate new features, such as iTunes Tagging, which will allow a listener to "tag" a song on their HD radio and easily find it later for download via iTunes.

I understand that I still have my local radio, with local content, information, traffic and weather when I get this new radio technology. However, I'll get some cool extras like having the artist name and song title right on the radio screen. Best of all, there are NO monthly subscription fees ... subscription to this service is FREE!

Sponsored Post

More Gay Men Hop on the Senator Larry Craig Train

The rules truly are different for white men. Have sex with young interns ... in bathrooms ... with escorts ... and you can stay one of the most powerful men in the country. Did you see where four men have gone public about their homosexual relations with Sen. Larry Craig?

Some would say that Craig's power in the Senate is shrinking, however, he ain't resigning. He plans to stay until his term is over in January 2009. More to the point, there are only 100 senators in the country ... and this inherently dishonest guy is one of them.

What do they call the Senator at the bottom of the rankings of all Senators? They call him SENATOR and continue to hold the doors of power open for him.

I didn't know that Sen. Larry Craig was named as a sex partner in the 1982 scandal with congressional pages. I learned about it while listening to Sen. Craig respond to allegations, rumors, his future, the 1982 page scandal and more.

This is some truly raunchy stuff.

Buy Black for Christmas

Drumbeats from Buzzology Surveys about ways that you can Buy Black for Christmas.

What is the point of having so much Black spending power in this country if we are not going to use it to uplift and enhance the economy in our own community?

Have you considered making a conscious effort to spend your dollars with a Black-owned business over the next few weeks?

Manic Monday: Ship

Morgan chose SHIP as the Manic Monday theme this week. The ultimate ship that you could take on the high seas would be in a yacht. The ultimate yacht event in the world is the America's Cup.


On August 22, 1851, the U.S.-built schooner America beat a fleet of Britain's finest ships in a race around England's Isle of Wight. The ornate silver trophy won by the America was later donated to the New York Yacht Club on condition that it be forever placed in international competition.


Today, the "America's Cup" is the world's oldest continually contested sporting trophy and represents the pinnacle of international sailing yacht competition.

From 1870 until the late 20th century, New York Yacht Club-sponsored U.S. yachts successfully defended the America's Cup 24 times in races generally spaced a few years apart. Since the 1920s, the America's Cup race has been between one defending vessel and one challenging vessel, both of which are determined by separate elimination trials. In 1983, the United States lost the trophy for the first time in 132 years when Australia II defeated Liberty off Newport, Rhode Island.

I was surprised to learn that the first African participant in the America's Cup was a yacht from South Africa called Shosholoza, which is the Zulu word meaning "to move forward". You can learn much more from the official website of Team Shosholoza.

There are some remarkable crew members on Team Shosholoza including Marcello Burricks (South Africa), Solomon Dipeere (South Africa), Moctar Falls (Senegal), Joe Heywood (Zimbabwe), Golden Mgedeza (South Africa) and Ashton Sampson (South Africa).

Villagers, I must tell you a secret ... I've never been on a yacht before. Have you?

Taser Nation Watches Valreca Redden and Officer Michael Wilmer On Videotape

Michael Wilmer is the Trotwood police officer that decided it was appropriate to taser a 120-pound pregnant Black woman. Over Analyze It beat the drums about this story earlier this week.

You can click here to read or download the police report.

However, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is video recap with detailed explanation of what occurred on Nov 18th at the Trotwood Police Station when Officer Wilmer decided to use his taser gun on the back of the neck of Valreca Redden. You be the judge. Does this look like a righteous use of a taser gun?

I'm surprised to learn that Officer Wilmer is still working. No suspension. No administration duties assignments. He puts a pregnant woman down and it appears that his brothers in blue are surrounding him in love as if what he did is appropriate. Of course, it could be that police enjoy using that taser gun on people who pose no theat to them.

Villagers, what say u? Am I being too sensitive? Or does it seem like we are becoming a Taser Nation?

Stop AIDS Leadership Pledge

Villagers, do you remember where you were when Magic Johnson announced his retirement from the Lakers because he was found to have the HIV-virus? I was sitting in my office getting ready to pack up to go home. I recall how shocked I was by the news. Mostly by the fact that Magic Johnson didn't fit my stereotyped view of an AIDS victim. That was back in 1991.

Today ... in 2007 ... I still have a stereotyped view of AIDS victims. The new face of AIDS in America is a Black heterosexual woman. Sisters in our community are impacted by AIDS more than any other group. Even the AIDS Memorial Quilt doesn't reflect the growing number of deaths by Black women as a result of AIDS.

It is time that each of us take the Stop AIDS Leadership Pledge. I took the pledge this morning. The pledge asks people from all over the world to take the lead to stop AIDS. These pledges collected online, by mail and at events, will be used to create exhibitions, banners and other visibility actions during major events in 2008. With a goal of at least 100,000 signees, these pledges will serve as a persuasive tool for leveraging greater political leadership on universal access to AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support and act as a visual example for key national and international decision-makers to follow.

Take the lead Villagers. Pledge your leadership now to stop AIDS.

Click here to read more about the pledge, to download pledge forms, or get the Stop AIDS Leadership Pledge button for your website or blog.

Top Ten Black Blogs (Dec 2007)

The journey over the past four months in collecting information on the Top 10 Black Blogs has been wonderful. However, I am very open to ideas and suggestions from all Villagers on ways that this project can be more useful to you. What other features or information would you like to see in future iterations of this list?

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) is the driving force behind the Top 10 Black Bloggers list. We no longer have to complain when others put together a list of influential bloggers that doesn't contain anyone of African descent. Instead, we create our own dayum list. And our list is growing:

• Sept 2007 list ranked 75 Black blogs.
• Oct 2007 list ranked 300 Black blogs
• Nov 2007 list ranked 430 Black Blogs

Today we release the December 2007 list with 516 Black blogs in the mix. Share your village voice below if you want to know the ranking of your favorite Black blogs.

The only qualification is that the blogger needs to be of African descent. The blogger does not have to be a member of The AfroSpear or the Afrosphere Bloggers Association, although we invite all Black bloggers to join either (or both) of those organizations. We do think that these Top Ten Black Blogs are important spheres of influence. Reach out and let them know that you appreciate the work they have put in over the past few months and years to get on this list. Hopefully, they will share their village voice with us right here on the Electronic Village blog or over on the BDPA Foundation blog

Anyhow, with no further ado, here are the Top Ten Black Blogs for December 2007:

1. Pam Spaulding: Pam's House Blend (Authority: 1,130 / Rank: 2,177) - [Politics]The blog won the 2006 Web Log Award as the Best LGBT Blog. Pam has been the top Black blogger since we began these rankings. Our hope is that Pam will share some of her tips with us on ways that she grew her blog over the past few years. Pam, are you out there?


2. Angel Laws: Concrete Loop* (Authority: 1,090 / Rank: 2,329) - [Entertainment] This is a Black celebrity entertainment blog with gossip, music, celebrity interviews, pictures and such. This blog has been in the #2 slot since we began the rankings, however, this month Concrete Loops is as close to the top slot as ever!


3. Fresh Crunkjuice: Crunk & Disorderly* (Authority: 787 / Rank: 3,968) - [Entertainment] This blog was created in August 2004, however, it didn't get serious until May 2005. This is an active entertainment blog. The motto is simple and direct, "In Fresh We Trust". Yo' Fresh ... consider giving us some link-love as one of your Fresh Picks!


4. Natasha E: Young, Black & Fabulous* (Authority: 762 / Rank: 4,146) - [Entertainment] Natasha provides you with all the hot gossip in Black Hollywood. Her blog focuses on the fabulous side of Black pop culture, trends and music ... all from a young, Black, and fabulous perspective of course. As we noted last month, Natasha discontined her blogspot-based blog in favor of owning her own domain. Her newer blog has moved up to #26 on the Black Blog Rankings. As such, we may have our first blogger with multiple blogs in the Top 25 next month!


5. La Shawn Barber: La Shawn Barber's Corner (Authority: 750 / Rank: 4,247) - [Politics] Freelance writer La Shawn Barber offers political commentary from a Christian perspective. This blog is new to the Black Blog Rankings as I simply never knew about it until Sis. Barber and I were on an NPR panel discussion last month. She is an insightful sister with a powerful political blog.


6. Oliver Willis: Oliver Willis (Authority: 678 / Rank: 5,041) - [Politics] Oliver began this blog in April 2005. His tag linke says that he is kryptonite to stupid. The popularity of his blog is obvious as we enter into a presidential election cycle that is topsy-turvy on both the Democrat and Republican sides of the aisle. It is worth noting that the top six blogs on the Black Blog Rankings are equally divided between politics and entertainment.


7. Sokari Ekine: Black Looks (532/ 7,745) - [Social Sciences] This blog began in June 2004. It is primarily about issues that impact our brothers and sisters in Africa. Sokari is currently in London. Her posts cover a range of issues such as gender violence, racism, sexuality, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Sokari and her guest bloggers are all progressives, Africanists and activists with a strong belief in the power of the pen to bring about change. Sokari is the highest rank blogger from outside of the United States in the Black Blog Rankings


8. Steve Spaulding: How To Split An Atom (469 / 9,160) - [Technology] How To Split An Atom is a blog about using, abusing, and surviving in the Web X.0 landscape. It's Internet culture, split open. Steve provides a sprinkling of life hacks, meta filtering, personal projects and journalism all at a break neck pace. This blog rarely goes more than a few hours without a new post. Personally, I hope that Steve is a presenter next year for both Blogging While Brown and BDPA conferences.


9. Paula Mooney: Paula Mooney’s Tips (Authority: 449 / Rank: 9,704) - [SEO] Paula is a powerful source of ideas for any blogger looking to increase their visitor traffic. Currently, she is working through some issues with the Google ranking folks, however she maintains her enthusiasm about the power of blogging. Paula was one of the first Black bloggers that I discovered when I entered this world earlier this year. She was a featured speaker at BlogHer in Chicago, IL. I hope she will be a featured speaker at the Blogging While Brown conference.


10. Darla Mack: Darla Mack News & Reviews (440 / 9,985) - [Technology] Darla is a sister with a technology blog that has a unique niche of Nokia devices, S60, Nseries, Eseries and Symbian. She focuses on mobile technology and nokia phone reviews. It says something about our society to realize that one of the top blogs in the Black Black Rankings is devoted to mobile technology.

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HONORABLE MENTION (11-25): Sandra Rose, What About Our Daughters*, Keith Boynkin*, Afro Bella*Entre les Lignes de Jo Ann, Rod 2.0:Beta, Republic of T, The Field Negro*, A Hot Mess!, Truth & Opinion, Stereohyped*, The Angry Black Woman, BlackProf.com*, Jack and Jill Politics* and Angry Black Bitch.

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Those blogs with an asterisk after their name are winners in the 2007 Black Weblog Award contest held earlier this year. Black Blog Rankings lean heavily on the Technorati Authority and Rank score for each blog. The Technorati authority and rank numbers are shown in parenthesis. The authority figure includes a number of factors including the number of blogs that are linked to this blogger over the past six months. The rank number indicates how many blogs are between the person listed and the #1 ranked blog in the world.

We figure that if your content is strong enough for others to link to ... that is a strong indicator of your influence. I am very open to hearing from you on other factors that should be considered in future Black Blog Rankings. Post a comment below if you are a Black Blogger interested in learning what your ranking is this month!

I eagerly anticipate your comments on this list.

Valreca Redden is Another Pregnant Black Woman Abused by the Police

We heard the drumbeats from Yeah...I Said It blog. I think that Villagers will be outraged when they hear this story. Y'all remember we told you about a pregnant Black woman that was abused by police in Missouri?


It happened again. This time in Ohio.
Police officers used a taser with 50,000 volts of pure electricity on a pregnant 33-year old Black woman who voluntarily came to them for assistance. Keep in mind that this sister was not doing anything illegal. She feared for her safety, so Valreca Redden went to the Trotwood Police Station on Nov. 18 asking police to take custody of her 1-year-old son. When the police weren't helpful, she turned to leave. The police over-reacted ... I guess out of mortal fear of a 120-pound pregnant woman ... and used a taser on her neck.

I'll stop right here and let you see the interview with Sis. Redden now.

The FBI read the Valreca Redd Police Report and they are investigating the Trotwood Police Department.

I need to hear some village voices on this one. Villagers, what say u?

Blogging While Brown Conference Call For Papers

Planning is underway for Blogging While Brown: The First International Conference for Bloggers of Color, scheduled for July 25-27, 2008 at the Georgia World Conference Center and Hilton Downtown in Atlanta, GA.

The most important purpose of the conference is to share knowledge. The conference will promote intellectual, social, and cultural development of the blogging community by bringing bloggers of color together. Blogging While Brown is an opportunity to meet other bloggers and blog readers of color for the first time, discuss current issues of interest to bloggers of color, network with individuals and organizations interested in leveraging online activity with offline results, and learn about the latest technology that will assist bloggers with publishing their work and improving their readers experience by fully engaging in the newest media technology.

Blogging While Brown is currently accepting proposals for workshops that will appear at the conference. The three Conference Tracks are:

1. From the Screens to the Streets: News, Politics, and Social Justice - This track will feature sessions related to blogging about current events, activism, and bloggers who are leveraging their online resources to get offline results.


2. Blogging Building Blocks -This conference track will feature sessions related to the nuts and bolts of blogging such as technology, blogging widgets, the business of blogging, monetizing blogs, increasing blog traffic, legal issues, design, layout and improving the reader experience.


3. The Blogs of Our Lives -This conference track will feature sessions related to entertainment, gossip, lifestyle and social networking, how not to get sued, artist promotion, and the blogs that are our favorite guilty pleasures.

Who may submit workshop proposals? - Any and all individuals interested in bloggers of color and the issues or interest to them should submit proposals. Individuals from for- profit and not-for-profit entities may submit proposals for consideration provided the proposed workshop supports the theme, goals or workshop subject areas of the Conference.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FEBRUARY 5, 2008.
Villagers, don't wait until the last minute! Download the Workshop Proposal Form or review some of the other suggested topics on the Blogging While Brown blog.

I am hopeful that The AfroSpear will find a way to market our organization. Be as creative as you want to be. Work with other bloggers and blog readers. If you have any questions, email bloggingwhilebrown@gmail.com.

Blackface is Holiday Tradition in Amsterdam

Mark Twain is credited with saying, "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always twenty years behind the times." I live in Cincinnati ... and there are many times when I agree with Mark Twain's assessment. Today, I learn from an AfroSpear blog, Black Women In Europe, that Amsterdam may be even further behind the times.

Can you believe that they have an annual tradition of white folks wearing blackface in Amsterdam?

Wordless Wednesday: George Bush

Education & the Black Woman

Villagers, did you have a chance to watch the first part of the series, African American Women: Where They Stand on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams last night?

I have two daughters and two sisters. As such, it is encouraging to learn that almost two-thirds of Black college undergraduates are women. I thought that the example of the single mother who was a Stanford graduate being shown with her daughter who is currently attending Stanford was excellent.

I just wonder why NBC decided that they needed to denigrate Black men in order to make their point. It seemed like the story was a much about the struggles of Black men in the education system as much as the success of Black women. Perhaps I was too sensitive. What did you think about the news report on NBC re: Black women and education?

Michelle Obama Gives Excellent Reasons to Vote for Barack Obama

Michelle Obama gave a speech in South Carolina last week. I haven't seen the video of the speech, however, the content of her speech is powerful. Kudos to Black Women for Obama for sharing the full text of her speech. She gives good background information on her husband.

At one point, Sis. Obama lays out a powerful statement that hits home with me for a variety of reasons:

Ask yourselves: of all the candidates, who will fight to lift Black men up so we don’t have to keep locking them up; who will confront the racial profiling and Jena justice that continues to afflict this nation; the voter disenfranchisement that rears its ugly head every few years; and the redlining that persists in our communities, keeping prosperity out and hopelessness in. Who will use the bully pulpit of the presidency to call on Black men to accept their responsibility and raise their children; who will refuse to tolerate Corridors of Shame in this country – of all countries? The answer is clear – Barack Obama. Not because of the color of his skin. Not because of what he’s said. But because of what he has done. How he has lived his life. Fighting for justice for all Americans; from all walks of life.

I'm still amazed that Black women have any difficulty understanding the unique historical opportunity that exists. First, the perfect storm exists for the Democratic presidential candidate to sweep into office next November. Therefore, the big decision is who will win the Democratic primary ... Obama, Clinton or Edwards. This is the first time in the history of our country that an African American is a legitimate and QUALIFIED candidate for the presidency. Why are Black women hesitant to throw their full support behind this man and his family?
Villagers, why are Black women hesitant to support the Obamas?

I've never been much of an Oprah Winfrey fan before. However, I am hopeful that her four major campaign appearances on Dec 8-9 for Barack Obama in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina will provide women of all colors a reason to re-consider their support of Hillary Clinton. Women should't vote for the first woman president, they should vote for what they need. I think that America needs Obama. Villagers,What say u?

Good Day for Democrats

Today was an unusually active day for political wonks:

1. Trent Lott announced his decision to resign from US Senate. It is actually fun to watch republicans in congress scurrying about like roaches with the lights turned on 'em!


2. Dick Cheney goes to the hospital because of an irregular heartbeat and ends up having more surgery on his heart. For the sake of his family, I hope that the surgery is successful enough for him to live, however, it would be great if this guy has to resign. If not, it is a shame that he wasn't impeached earlier.


3. Al Gore visits the White House today. Ironic when you consider that George Bush and Al Gore battled it out for the presidency in 2000. You got to beleive that Al Gore will be smiling inside as he reflects on how poorly Bush as done as our president over the past 7 years.

What will happen next in the world of national politics?

Manic Monday: Rank

Villagers, the Manic Monday word this week is 'RANK'. I've shared information about African Americans in the military before. As such, many of you know that my cousin retired from the US Navy as a rear admiral. Of course, the highest-ranked Black military man that most of us know nowadays is retired General Colin Powell. If things had broken a little different for Colin Powell ... he might have become our President instead of George Bush (sigh).

Anyhow, I thought I would point Villagers to high ranking African American officers in the four branches of the military.

1. Air Force - Lt. General John Hopper was the highest-ranking African American in the US Air Force when he retired in 2005, after a distinguished 35-year military career. His last assignment was Vice Commander, Air Education and Training Command at Randolph AFB, Texas. The command recruits, trains and educates more than 370,000 men and women for the aerospace force and the nation.


2. Army - Colonel Charles Young was the highest ranking African American officer in the army when WW1 started. He was also the first African American to reach that rank in the army. Young thought that he would have a major leadership role in World War I as a result of his military experience and rank, but prejudice and injustice led to him being forced out of of the military on June 22, 1917 under protest.


3. Marines - Maj. General Cornell Wilson will be the highest-ranking African American on active duty in the Marine Corps when he receives his second star. He's now commander of the II Marine Expeditionary Force Augmentation Command Element at Camp Lejeune, NC. Wilson often reflects on the accomplishments of Black marines since the The Montford Point Marines were first established after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, which allowed African Americans to be recruited during World War II.


4. Navy - Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr., (1922-2004), was an African American Navy pioneer and a native of Richmond, VA. Gravely built a Navy career that lasted 38 years and included many distinguished accomplishments. He became the first African American to command a U.S. Navy warship (Theodore E. Chandler), the first African American to command an American warship under combat conditions (Taussig), the first African American to command a major naval warship (Jouett), the first African American admiral, the first African American to rise to the rank of Vice Admiral, and the first African American to command a U.S. Fleet (Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet). The USS Gravely (DDG-107) has been named in his honor. A street on the east side of Richmond, VA is also named in his honor.

Anyhow, these are the thoughts that ran through my mind as I pondered the word RANK. I hope you have enjoyed my Manic Monday effort this week.

Jakaris Taylor, Dunbar Village Rapist Gets 20-Year Sentence

Jakaris Taylor is a 16-year-old boy who's life will never be the same because of his decision to join a gang. Nine of his gang buddies joined him in rape, sodomy and cruelty imposted on a 35-year old single Black mother and her 12-year old son earlier this summer. Click here for our original post on the Dunbar Village gang rape. He could have faced life sentence for the indictment on each of the three charges of burglary with battery, and two counts of sexual battery with a gun while wearing a mask.

Instead, he flipped. He took a deal.

Jakaris agreed to testify against his co-defendants in exchange for a 20-year prison sentence. His plea deal gives him a 20-year sentence on each charge to be served simultaneously, with credit for 130 days served. He will also be branded a sexual predator, according to the agreement.

Taylor will now testify against his co-defendants, Avion Lawson, Nathan Walker and Tommy Poindexter.

I wonder if the police know who the other six rapists are from the original attack? Are the other six sexual predators still living untouched by the law in the Dunbar Village apartment complex where the rape took place?

In other words, Villagers, methinks that there will be more to this story over the coming weeks and months.

Killing of DeAunta Farrow

Villagers, I feel foolish for not knowing about DeAunta Farrow until this morning. DeAunta is a 12-year old Black boy that was shot and killed by a police officer in West Memphis, AR earlier this year. Young DeAunta was in his own neighborhood, his mother knew where he was and what he was doing, he was with one family member going to another family member's residence and was not engaged in any illegal activity. DeAunta was loved and cared for.

Now he is dead.

The powers-that-be in Arkansas have declared that the police officer was not wrong for killing this young boy. The police officer, Sgt. Erik Sammis, claims that he thought the youngster had a gun. A plastic toy gun was placed into evidence at the scene, however, the boy's family indicate that the toy gun was placed on the scene by someone friendly to the police department.

Our thanx to the Police Brutality Blog and Thaddeus Matthews Dot Com for beating the drums about this case.

One lesson that we can all take from this case is to remind our children not to walk the streets with play guns or any type of gun in their hands, waist, or on themselves at all. We know now that they take their lives and place it into the hands of a cop, and they could be killed.

In any case, Villagers, have you heard about this case? Am I wrong in wondering whether this young boy would still be alive if he didn't have as much melanin in his skin?

Can Mentoring Programs Really Grow Minority Businesses?

I have operated as a full-time entrepreneur since July 5, 2002. As a result, I stay attuned to information that impacts on Black business growth.

The Institute for Entrepreneurial Thinking is the leading authority on issues related to minority business development and supplier diversity. The Institute's mission is to help its clients improve the outcomes of their investments in these areas. Dr. Mel Gravely is a colleague here in Cincinnati. He owns The Institute and uses it to provide an objective, balanced and practical resource committed to providing leading edge insight about the evolving opportunities and challenges related to race and business.
I encourage all Villagers to check out the featured article in the November 2007 issue of The Entrepreneurial Thinker entitled, 'Can Mentoring Programs Really Grow Minority Businesses?'.

Are there any other entrepreneurs floating through our village?