This Week in Blackness * Season 2 Premiere

We are happy to bring our villagers the season premiere of 'This Week in Blackness' Host Elon James White chops it up about the latest in Blackness and keeps the awesome flowing.

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) May Go Civil War On America and Pull Texas Out of the Union

I must admit that I didn't pay much attention to the Tea Parties taking place around the country today. I figured it was primarily a bunch of noise from rich Republicans and the Fox Network. However, it seems that Texas governor Rick Perry was feeling very comfortable with the Texas Tea Party.

The folks at Texas Politics blog provided this audio-tape of Gov. Perry indicating that he wouldn't be against Texas pulling out of the Union. Listen to Gov. Perry for yourself:



Speaking with reporters after a tea party rally in Austin today, Gov. Rick Perry said Texas can leave the union if it wants to:

"Texas is a unique place. When we came into the union in 1845, one of the issues was that we would be able to leave if we decided to do that," Perry said. "My hope is that America and Washington in particular pays attention. We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, who knows what may come of that."

Perry also was asked whether the tea party anti-tax rallies are part of a growing national movement.

"I have never seen the power of the grassroots as antimated and as focused and as coordinated...It is a very powerful moment in American history.

"I would suggest that members of congress who are filing for election or re-election in eight months are listening."

"They're hearing everyday working folks saying, 'Listen, it's out of control. We're trying to live our lives and you're strangling us with your spending and your taxation."

Is the anger and frustration of the Republican Party so strong against the Obama administration that they are actually talking about pulling out some Confederate Civil War strategy in the 21st century?

Carl Walker-Hoover's Mom Speaks on Suicide and the School Yard Bully

The Advocate shared an exclusive interview with Sirdeaner Walker, the mother of Carl Walker-Hoover, the 11-year-old student who killed himself last week following relentless bullying at school:

On April 6, Sirdeaner Walker came home, walked up the stairs to the second floor of her home, and saw her son suspended from a support beam in the stairwell, swaying slightly in the air, an extension cord wrapped around his neck, according to police. He apologized in a suicide note, told his mother that he loved her, and left his video games to his brother.

Walker said her son had been the victim of bullying since the beginning of the school year, and that she had been calling the school since September, complaining that her son was mercilessly teased. He played football, baseball, and was a boy scout, but a group of classmates called him gay and teased him about the way he dressed. They ridiculed him for going to church with his mother and for volunteering locally.

"It's not just a gay issue," Walker said. "It’s bigger. He was 11 years old, and he wasn't aware of his sexuality. These homophobic people attach derogatory terms to a child who’s 11 years old, who goes to church, school, and the library, and he becomes confused. He thinks, Maybe I'm like this. Maybe I'm not. What do I do?"

Days prior to Carl Walker-Hoover's suicide, he confronted a female bully who verbally accosted him... serving as a catalyst to his suicide. The school’s response was to have the two students sit beside one another during lunch for the next week to encourage conversation.

Carl's mom is demanding action from the school. Perhaps it is time for each of us to look at our own situation to ensure that there aren't any young 'uns experiencing this inner turmoil in our own neighborhoods.

What say u?

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts Calls for Independent Investigation Into Robert Mitchell Taser-Killing by His Police Officers

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Warren mayor Jim Fouts questioned whether police should continue using Tasers in his city, following the death last week of 16-year-old Robert Mitchell. [SOURCE]

Fouts called for an independent investigation to determine whether Tasers are safe.

“You can’t overlook the tragic death of a human being,” Fouts said.

"I'm not a critic of the Taser nor am I a devotee," he said. "What I am interested in (are) the facts," Fouts said. "Anytime there is a tragic death you need to re-evaluate. We want to make sure we have a safe, crime-free city and balance that with no tragic, needless death."

I wish that Mayor Fouts went a step further and demanded the resignation of the two officers involved in Mitchell's death.





Mitchell, a sophomore at Kettering High School in Detroit who had a learning disability, was riding in a car driven by his cousin. The car was pulled over for an expired license plate. Mitchell was unarmed, 5'2" tall and weighed all of 110 pounds. There was simply no need for the Warren police offers to taser him to death.

"It was just senseless," said his grandmother Charlotte McGlory of St. Clair Shores. She described Mitchell as a quiet boy who stayed out of trouble. "That was a misuse of power," she said. "We want justice."

Can anyone provide an explanation for why this young teenager had to die?

Wordless Wednesday: A Man and His Dog

RIP: Carl Walker-Hoover (1997-2009)

Carl Walker-Hoover is the 11-year old child who committed suicide last week because he couldn't see a way out of his dispair. His funeral was held yesterday.

I encourage Villagers to read his obituary and sign the virtual guestbook.

Robert Mitchell's Mom Tries to Find Forgiveness for Taser-Killing Cops

The mother of the teenager who died last week after he was struck by a Taser said she is trying to find forgiveness in her heart for the Warren officers involved. [SOURCE]

Cora Mitchell said her 16-year-old son, Robert Mitchell, was a special education student who probably panicked when police pulled over a car driven by his friend Friday and he jumped out of the car and ran.

"These police officers have just flipped the tables on not only me and my family, but their wives and children as well," she said while standing on the porch of her home in northeast Detroit as a steady stream of friends and relatives stopped by.

"I am a Christian woman and in my heart I'm trying to find forgiveness for them because they're going to have to live with this for the rest of their lives — forever," she said.

Robert Mitchell was a front-seat passenger in a 1996 Dodge Stratus that was stopped by police for an expired license plate. When the driver pulled over, Mitchell bolted from the vehicle and ran across all four lanes of Eight Mile into Detroit. He was eventually confronted at a vacant house on Pelkey in Detroit where pursuing Warren officers fired a Taser at him once.

Mitchell fell to the ground and became unconscious. He was treated at the scene by emergency personnel and later died at Henry Ford Hospital, Warren Campus.

It's not known why Mitchell ran from the officers. He did not have a warrant out for his arrest and was not carrying any contraband.

"We spoke with the driver and he said Robert admitted he was going to exit and flee," said Detective Lt. Michael Torey of the Warren police. "The driver inquired why he was going to run and there was no response."

An autopsy conducted on Saturday was inconclusive but there were no signs of outer trauma to the body, officials said. Macomb County Medical Examiner Dr. Daniel Spitz said he is waiting for the results of toxicology tests before a cause of death is determined.

The two unnamed officers involved in the Taser incident had been placed on administrative leave over the weekend, but returned to duty as police administrators determined they used appropriate force because Mitchell physically confronted them after the chase.

Cora Mitchell said she believes officers may need more training with the weapon that may have killed her son.

"Gas by itself is not dangerous but when used improperly, gas could blow up the whole block," she said. "This was a kid who posed no danger to anyone. I was told at the hospital that he had his hands up to surrender when he was hit."

One of eight children, Robert Mitchell was a student at Kettering High School but had hoped to transfer to a school district in neighboring Warren. His mother said he loved bowling, and old school movies and video games.

"I have had car trouble and I'm going to school to become a medical assistant and he'd sometimes walk me to school," Cora Mitchell recalled. "He was a good boy who loved his church. We have a big family, so he was good with the other kids. We always had a team of boys ready to bowl or whatever."

Funeral arrangements for Robert Mitchell are being directed by Fisher Funeral Home in Redford. Donations to help the family pay for funeral services may be addressed to the Robert Mitchell Memorial Fund at any Fifth Third Bank branch.

Taser Killing Cops Back at Work

I see that the two Warren (MI) police officer who tasered 15-year old Robert Mitchell to death on Friday are back at work today. [SOURCE]

The two officers chased the teenager into an abandoned home ... and the boy came out dead. He was 110 pounds of scared teenager. No wants. No warrants. No prior history with law enforcement. He's dead ... and the two police officers had a quiet weekend at home.

Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said investigators determined the unnamed officers used appropriate force when one of them tasered the teenager to death.

"When you are confronted with a situation of resisting arrest, the officers are trained in using the Taser," Dwyer said. "The officers acted appropriately." Dwyer added: "It’s an unfortunate incident."

It’s still unclear why Mitchell fled police after they pulled over a car in which he was a passenger. He has no outstanding warrants, police said.

"There must have been a reason for him to run," Dwyer said.

Methinks that I know why the kid ran. He was afraid of being killed by the folks that are supposed to protect and serve him. What say u?

Will Brandon McClelland's Killers Go Free?

This blog named Paris, TX as the most racist city in America. Therefore, we can't feign surprise when Shannon Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley, the two white fellas that dragged Brandon McClelland to his death, appear to be on a glide path to freedom.

Ain't no easy time to be a Blackman in America...

16-Year Old Taser Victim Robert Mitchell Remembered in Detroit Vigil

Close to 40 people gathered last night for a candlelight vigil in memory of the teen who died after he was Tasered by Warren police Friday. [SOURCE]

The group, whose members brought pictures of 16-year-old Robert Mitchell for a makeshift shrine, prayed and heard speeches by Mitchell's mother and grandmother, said Ron Scott of the Coalition Against Police Brutality, which organized the vigil.

Family members say that Mitchell was a quiet kid with a learning disability who loved sports and stayed out of trouble. They say they don't understand why Warren officers felt the unarmed teen, who took medication for attention-deficit disorder, posed a threat after a foot chase that ended in an abandoned home in Detroit.

"I want some answers," said Mitchell's grandmother, Charlotte McGlory of St. Clair Shores. "This doesn't make sense. Is this how we deal with our youth? Is this the behavior of those sworn to protect them?"

According to police, the Detroit Kettering High School sophomore bailed out of the Dodge Stratus he was riding in during a traffic stop for an expired license plate on Eight Mile near Schoenherr. He discarded his jacket before leading officers on a half-block chase to a home on Pelkey.

Police said Mitchell complied at first, but when officers tried to pat him down, he resisted and was stunned one time with a Taser.

The autopsy report hasn't been released yet. It seems that the powers-that-be in Detroit are hoping to blame this youngster's death on his asthma. However, he didn't drop dead from having asthma. He dropped dead from being shot by a police officer with 50,000 volts of electricity from a taser gun. I'm still waiting for an explanation of why the police couldn't deal with this 110-pound teenager in some manner that did not require reaching for their holster to gun him down?

What say u?

Next Stop on Obama World Tour: 5th Summit of the Americas

President Obama continues to reach out to others as part of his effort to change the way that America is viewed around the world. He traveled to Turkey and various parts of England last week to meet with world leaders and talk to the people he visited about the vision for America that he seeks to achieve during his presidency.

This week Obama takes his message to Latin America as he visits Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago for the Fifth Summit of the Americas. I imagine that he will listen to our Latin American neighbors in Central and South America ... much as he did earlier this month at the G-20 Summit. Issues of immigration and our Cuba policy are sure to be front and center. I'll be curious to see how Obama and the Venezuelan dictator Chavez get along during the meetings.

Obama didn't speak of his upcoming meetings directly in this week's presidential message. However, he did talk about the importance of using this past weekend's holy days ... Easter and Passover ... to reflect on how the world could be if we can learn to get along with one another. Take a moment to listen to what he had to say:




What are your thoughts about Obama's recent foreign affairs effort? What would you like to see happen when he meets with Latin American leaders later this week?

Help Free Jamie and Gladys Scott

I invite all villagers to take a few seconds to sign this petition on behalf of these two innocent sisters, Gladys and Jamie Scott.

On December 24, 1993, Scott County Sheriff's Department arrested two sisters, Jamie and Gladys Scott for armed robbery. Jamie and Gladys Scott were each sentenced to double life terms in prison in October 1994.

• Neither sister had prior convictions
  
• Neither sister had prior arrests
  
• Neither sister had a criminal history
  
• Allegedly $11 was stolen
  
• No one was injured
  
• No one was murdered

Here is the kicker -- three young Black men confessed to the robbery. These three hoodlums linked Jamie and Gladys to the crime. These three miscreants received a light sentence of 10 months in exchange for their plea bargain.





I appreciate the time you will take to look into this. It doesn't matter whether you think that they are innocent or guilty ... the injustice is that the crime does not warrant the amount of prison time given to these two young Black women. At some point we MUST stand up for justice. This happens far too often and we have the POWER to do something about it.

Can the Afrosphere Survive the Age of Obama?

I have never attended the SXSW conference. However, I did follow the twitter traffic and some of the post-conference discussions from some prominent Black bloggers around the nation. I plan to attend next year.

One of the panel discussions this year had a provocative title: 'Can the Afrosphere Survive the Age of Obama?' Soulclap to Curious Tribe for pointing us to this video in which anel moderator Denise Jacobs shares insights about the panel. Check it out...





I do hope that BDPA technology conferences in the future will include workshops geared towards bloggers. I look for continued growth and maturity of the afrosphere over the coming weeks and months. Groups like the AfroSpear should be an active part of the process.

This Week in Blackness * Keeping It Real

I am glad to see that Elon James White is bringing back his This Week in Blackness video series. Take a moment to enjoy the brother's flow...





What topics would you like to see Elon satirize in the coming weeks?

Police Taser 15-Year Old Robert Mitchell to Death

Some of the shyt in the news is almost too outlandish to be true. Did you hear about the 15-year old youngster sitting in the passenger seat of a car with an expired license plate. The teen had no outstanding warrants or other issues with the police. The other two people in the car -- a 19-year-old female and a 37-year-old man -- cooperated with the police on this traffic ticket situation.

However, for some reason, the youngster ran away from the scene.

The police chased the teenager into an abandoned house. One of the police officers enters the vacant house ... pulls out his taser ... and shoots 50,000 volts of electricity into the young boy.

"He was Tasered once by one of our officers," Deputy Commissioner Gere Green said. "After that, he became unresponsive."

{No shyt Sherlock}.

The teenager died at the hospital a few hours ago.

"It just turned bad, fast," Green said. "It's a sad situation."

Villagers, can you please explain to me why the police still feel that this policy of extra-judicial execution is the right thing to do. Since when does running away from the police earn a death penalty for any teenager in America? This wasn't a gang-banger and the car wasn't engaged in drugs or other violent activity.

The police feel so much in love with their tasers that some of them take them home.

What is the point of having a 'use of force continuum' if the police are going straight to the taser for runaway teenagers? Can someone 'splain it to me?

Republican Wingnut Betty Brown Wants Asian Americans to Change Their Names

Admittedly, my antennae is attuned to issues that impact on people of African descent. However, you would need to be deaf, dumb and blind to miss the arrogance of State Rep. Betty Brown (R-TX). Rep. Brown caused a firestorm during House testimony on voter identification legislation when she said that Asian Americans should change their names because they’re too hard to pronounce:

"Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?" Brown said.

Brown later told Organization of Chinese Americans representative Ramey Ko: "Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?"

Yesterday, Brown continued to resist calls to apologize. Her spokesman said that Democrats "want this to just be about race."

Why Did 11-Year Old Carl Walker-Hoover Hang Himself by an Extension Cord?

There are some stories that turn my stomach. This is one of them.

An 11-year-old Massachusetts boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself earlier this week after enduring bullying at school, including daily taunts of being gay, despite his mother’s weekly pleas to the school to address the problem. She said she found her son, a sixth-grader at the school, hanging by an extension cord upstairs at their home.

This is at least the fourth suicide of a middle-school aged child linked to bullying this year. The other three known cases of suicide among middle-school students took place in Chatham, Evanston and Chicago, Ill., in the month of February.

Carl, a junior at New Leadership Charter School in Springfield who did not identify as gay, would have turned 12 on April 17, the same day hundreds of thousands of students will participate in the 13th annual National Day of Silence by taking some form of a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) bullying and harassment at school.

Vigil for Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover

Villagers, does this story bother you as much as me? According to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of suicide among 10-14 year olds has more than doubled in the past twenty years. "Although suicide among young children is a rare event, the dramatic increase in the rate among persons aged 10-14 years underscores the urgent need for intensifying efforts to prevent suicide among persons in this age group."

I encourage villagers to learn some tips for teens to prevent suicide. And we should keep the Walker-Hoover family in our prayers.

Old School Friday: 2 Live Crew

The theme for this week's Old School Friday meme is...If My Mama Only Knew. These are the songs that mama would not approve of, you know the ones you had to turn off when she walked into a room, or play really really low in the basement...

My first thought were a number of Prince songs ... but, you can't find them on the Internet. Then it dawned on me ... do y'all remember 2 Live Crew? I think that this would be the song that I couldn't play in my mama's house!

5th Annual NAACP Leadership 500 Summit

The 5th Annual NAACP Leadership 500 Summit will be held May 21-24, 2009 at The Phoenician Resort and Spa in Scottsdale Arizona is rapidly approaching. One of my AfroSpear colleagues, Kevin Myles, is an active proponent of this annual conference. Another colleage, African American Political Pundit, attended the conference last year.





The Summit, consisting of informative workshops, interactive panel discussions and general sessions focused on issues that are relevant to your personal and professional development. The NAACP anticipates an attendance of over 400 people, visit the Leadership 500 Summit website for more information and to register.

I'm glad to see the NAACP providing these types of forums. It is nice to see that the NAACP is relevant again!

'A Good Day to Be Black and Sexy' Directed by Dennis Dortch

I'm a big believer in the concept of Ujamaa. I think that Americans of African descent should support Black business whenever and whereever possible ... including at the movie theatres. We have few movies directed by African Americans available for our viewing pleasure in the first place. So, when one comes out we need to buy or rent it right away.

Drumbeats from the Invisible Woman...Black Cinema at Large pointed us to "A Good Day To Be Black and Sexy" directed by Dennis Dortch. In fact, IW provided us with an online interview with Bro. Dortch in which he candidly answers 7 questions about his movie and the Black cinema.

Here is the trailer for the movie...


A Good Day to be Black & Sexy (The Official Bootleg Trailer) from D. Dortch on Vimeo.

It turns out that you can watch the movie instantly if you are a Netflix customer. That is what I plan to do! What say u?