Black Lives Matter leaders are using the COVID-19 outbreak as a chance to push criminal justice reforms and advance an anti-capitalist agenda that they say has already been partially implemented by public officials responding to the pandemic.
Dr. Melina Abdullah, a co-founder of BLM’s L.A. chapter, said it is time for “those who’ve been thinking about what the collapse of capitalism could do” to spring into action, “just as crises are used by oppressive regimes to usher in their visions.”
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Just as crises are used by oppressive regimes to usher in their visions, we can also think about what systemic collapses open up for us&#8230;how radical visions can be advanced during these moments. -Conversation HAPPENING NOW on 90.7FM <a href="https://twitter.com/KPFK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KPFK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a>
&mdash; Melina Abdullah (@DocMellyMel) <a href="https://twitter.com/DocMellyMel/status/1242643476065300480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
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During her weekly “Beautiful Struggle” radio show broadcast Tuesday night on KPFK FM, Abdullah encouraged BLM allies “to sharpen our organizing tools.” She was joined by Rosa Clemente, an early member of Black Lives Matter, who has been discussing coronavirus strategies with other black liberation activists throughout the nation. Clemente said the current public health emergency presents “a prime opportunity to not only reimagine what this world can look like but to make that vision a reality.”
“We are in the whirlwind of capitalism collapsing, particularly here in the United States,” Clemente, a former Green Party vice presidential candidate, told Abdullah. “Everything we’ve been saying this country could do, they’re actually doing it now. Now y’all like socialism, right? Because it’s definitely knocking at your door.”
Clemente specifically mentioned new housing policies from California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose administration is leasing hotels and motels to protect homeless people from contracting COVID-19. State officials are <a href="http://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/03/24/california-leasing-hotels-for-homeless-people-during-coronavirus-crisis-and-after-could-make-them-permanent-housing/">reportedly</a> considering purchasing the properties, along with apartment buildings, in an effort to stop the virus from spreading among vulnerable, unsheltered individuals.
“Now, you can find homes for people who are unhoused,” Clemente said. “We’ve been asking for that for three decades.”
The organizers also discussed how COVID-19 has changed policing and public safety, as some law enforcement agencies have ordered officers to cite and release people whenever possible, resulting in <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-18/lapd-arrests-crime-coronavirus-03182020">fewer arrests</a>. Meanwhile, criminal and civil trials have been <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-23/coronavirus-california-delays-trials-la-county-shuts-courts-to-public">discontinued</a> in California for at least two months to reduce the flow of people entering state courthouses.
Black Lives Matter recently released a <a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/coronavirus-full-statement/">list of demands</a> which include a request for government officials to “release all people in detention, prisons and jails who are elderly or infirm.”  Healthcare experts have <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/03/13/815002735/prisons-and-jails-worry-about-becoming-coronavirus-incubators">voiced concern</a> that correctional facilities could become “incubators” for the virus to spread because of the cramped conditions inside, making it difficult for inmates to maintain social distancing. Gov. Newsom <a href="https://www.kqed.org/news/11808622/gov-newsom-halts-prison-transfers-of-new-inmates-citing-coronavirus-threat">issued</a> an executive order on Tuesday that stopped the intake of new people into state and juvenile facilities in California due to COVID-19. In New York City, America’s epicenter for coronavirus, 75 inmates in the jail system had <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/releases-infections-fear-us-coronavirus-crisis-jails-prisons/story?id=69803066">tested positive</a> as of Wednesday, while 37 correctional staffers had also contracted the disease.
“COVID-19 is shining a light on all injustices in the world, including the caging of human beings,” Abdullah said.
Earlier this week, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he had <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/1700-jail-inmates-in-l-a-county-released-over-coronavirus-concerns-sheriff-says/">released</a> at least 1,700 nonviolent detainees over coronavirus fears. Abdullah has <a href="https://audioboom.com/posts/7539823-black-lives-matter-in-the-age-of-coronavirus-melina-abdullah">called on</a> politicians to pull back resources from law enforcement and redirect those funds to healthcare and alternatives to incarceration.
Several regions and states recently issued government-mandated orders for residents to stay home in an attempt to contain the disease, resulting in mass layoffs. A record 3.28 million unemployment claims were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/26/world/coronavirus-news.html">filed</a> in the United States last week, according to the Department of Labor. On Friday, the House of Representatives <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/27/politics/coronavirus-stimulus-house-vote/index.html">passed</a> a $2 trillion stimulus bill in response to the adverse effect coronavirus has had on the economy. The plan, previously approved by the Senate on Wednesday, includes <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/25/politics/senate-deal-stimulus-checks-coronavirus/index.html">direct payouts</a> to about 90% of Americans, an unprecedented boost of unemployment benefits, federal aid for independent contractors, protections against foreclosures and evictions, $500 billion in corporate loan funding, $117 billion for hospitals, $32 billion in grants to the airline industry, and the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/25/politics/stimulus-bill-student-loan-payments/index.html">suspension</a> of student loan payments.

Live Stream Of &#8220;My Peoples&#8221; Episode 3

Black Lives Matter Leaders See Organizing Opportunities During COVID-19 Pandemic

Black Lives Matter

Coronavirus

A well-known community activist has demanded the leader of Black Lives Matter’s Los Angeles chapter step down, claiming a recent demonstration by the group has put the county’s top law enforcement official in danger.
The call comes from Najee Ali, who has a long-running feud with Black Lives Matter over whose style of activism best represents the interests of L.A.&#8217;s black community.
At a press conference on Friday, Ali condemned BLM-LA co-founder Melina Abdullah, who organized a protest at the residence of L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey last Monday. Demonstrators gathered on Lacey’s front porch, banged on a drum, and rang her doorbell around 5:30 am. The disruption culminated with Lacey&#8217;s husband pointing a handgun out the couple’s front door, threatening to shoot the trespassers and ordering them to leave his property. <a href="https://twitter.com/Jasmyne/status/1234477040365031424">Partial video</a> of the encounter went viral.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a> This morning Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey’s husband pulled a gun out on Black Lives Matter activists who protested his wife in front of their house. <a href="https://twitter.com/BLMLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BLMLA</a> <a href="https://t.co/wnCFMMvaWV">pic.twitter.com/wnCFMMvaWV</a>
&mdash; Jasmyne Cannick (@Jasmyne) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jasmyne/status/1234477040365031424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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“They either need to disband altogether, or reorganize and place those in decision-making positions who actually know how to organize effective protest campaigns,” Ali told The Daily Wire.
Ali <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/black-lives-matter-jackie-lacey-protest/2324368/">described</a> the incident, which took place the day before the primary election, as a “cheap publicity stunt” that was “one of the dumbest protests in the history of Los Angeles activism.”
“Every murderer, rapist, and violent criminal Lacey has put in jail now has her home address thanks to Abdullah,” he said.
Lacey, a Democrat who has served as D.A. since 2012, needs more than 50% of the vote to avoid a November runoff. <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-08/district-attorney-jackie-lacey-reelection-husband-pointed-gun-at-protesters">According</a> to the L.A. Times, the results remain up in the air, with hundreds of thousands of ballots left to tally.
Both Ali and Abdullah oppose Lacey&#8217;s re-election for similar reasons. However, Ali said Abdullah&#8217;s tactics might have hurt efforts to elect a more progressive D.A., influencing public sentiment in Lacey’s favor.
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Beware of those who claim to speak for the Black community, but have no organizational membership, show up only for cameras, but not for the work, assault women, serve as police “consultants,” and echo arguments of White supremacists about Black folks needing to be civil.<a href="https://twitter.com/kcrw?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kcrw</a>
&mdash; #BlackLivesMatter-LA (@BLMLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLMLA/status/1235989584170778625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;As she runs for a third term in office, it becomes imperative that she is held accountable,&#8221; Abdullah <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-08/district-attorney-jackie-lacey-reelection-husband-pointed-gun-at-protesters">told</a> the L.A. Times. &#8220;Demonstrating at the homes of public officials is a tried and true strategy employed by groups ranging from labor unions to students.&#8221;
Ali is part of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Crisis Response Team, a group that responds to traumatic incidents at the request of police and firefighters, acting as liaisons between the victim and emergency personnel. In a recent column published by the Los Angeles Wave, Ali pointed out BLM-LA’s history of disconcerting approaches, which include storming a church during a town hall meeting that featured Mayor Garcetti. Afterward, the pastor <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-black-lives-matter-mayor-garcetti-20151023-story.html">said</a> BLM activists had “cussed” at him in the sanctuary and accused them of “disrespect” and “verbal violence.”
&#8220;Black Lives Matter wants to portray its members as peaceful,&#8221; Ali <a href="http://wavenewspapers.com/najees-notes-black-lives-matter-may-have-helped-not-hurt-lacey/?fbclid=IwAR0WRfzwU06S0c_LIdlFOtqVlbg3pPqcIq6phYadiPweagJnPSwmWkTd5ZY">wrote</a>, &#8220;but the facts are Abdullah and other Black Lives Matter members and supporters have engaged in several public acts of intimidation of city and religious leaders in recent years.&#8221;
He went on to reference another protest in 2015 when Abdullah’s group <a href="https://splinternews.com/black-lives-matter-activists-occupy-sidewalk-in-front-o-1793848301#!">gathered</a> at Garcetti’s private residence at 6 am on a Sunday, requesting a meeting. Protesters camped on the sidewalk for three days in an action dubbed #OccupyLAMayor.
BLM-LA has since organized other protests outside Garcetti’s home. While demonstrating against a police shooting in 2016, Abdullah appeared to taunt Garcetti from the scene. She posted a video to Instagram, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLDH6m9jCov/?utm_source=ig_embed">saying</a>, “You don’t get to kill our kids and think your kid gets to sleep in peace…we’re bringing the hood to you.” Garcetti’s daughter, Maya, was four years old at the time.
The following year, a court granted a restraining order against BLM-LA member Trevor Ferguson (also known as Trevor Gerard), who made uninvited visits to a police commissioner’s home and office. After hearing the testimony, a judge <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-police-commission-restraining-order-20170301-story.html">concluded</a> Ferguson intended to “incite fear.”
Abdullah once <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_rKkeKlb7Y&amp;feature=emb_title">told</a> another LAPD commissioner, “We know where your ass lives too, and we’ve got cars.”
L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/los-angeles-drops-all-criminal-charges-against-jeffrey-cawood">dropped</a> eight criminal counts against Abdullah last summer stemming from her conduct at police commission meetings. Charges included battery on a police officer, and Abdullah could have faced jail time if convicted. Prosecutors had agreed to dismiss the charges if Abdullah adhered to specific behavior guidelines for a six-month period. In February, after all counts had been officially dropped, Abdullah <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-11/black-lives-matter-leader-sues-city-ex-police-chief-beck">filed</a> a federal lawsuit accusing the police of wrongful arrest and city attorney’s office of malicious prosecution. She is represented pro bono by attorney Carl E. Douglas, who became nationally known decades ago as a member of O.J. Simpson’s “Dream Team” of defense attorneys.

Najee Ali holds a rally with eight people in Leimert Park to support Michael Jackson. There werefiv

South L.A. Activist Demands BLM Leader Step Down After ‘Cheap Publicity Stunt’ At D.A.’s Home

Los Angeles

A co-founder of Black Lives Matter got a big win on Tuesday when voters overwhelmingly approved an initiative to bring sweeping changes to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD).
Patrisse Cullors led the drive to get Measure R on the countywide ballot. The new policy grants an LASD civilian oversight commission independent authority to subpoena documents or witnesses pertinent to its investigations. Additionally, the referendum’s passage requires that body to draft a plan for reducing the county jail population with alternatives to incarceration. LASD provides policing services to 42 contract cities and operates the largest jail system in the world.
According to the most recent count, the proposal won with more than 71% support.
“Measure R is now law,” <a href="https://twitter.com/OsopePatrisse/status/1235187111080284160">tweeted</a> Cullors, who served as the ‘Yes on R’ campaign chair, also known as the Reform L.A. Jails initiative. “We will use it to hold the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department accountable, and we will use it to make sure L.A. County continues to move forward with a care-first/jail-never ethos.”
<a href="https://twitter.com/OsopePatrisse/status/1235187111080284160">https://twitter.com/OsopePatrisse/status/1235187111080284160</a>
Cullors, who has often been candid about her desire to “<a href="https://twitter.com/OsopePatrisse/status/793630373095682048">dismantle</a>”  law enforcement agencies and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-radical-professor-calls-abolition-police-jeffrey-cawood">abolish</a> prisons, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/yes-on-r-l-a-s-super-tuesday-shot-at-jail-reform-961200/">told</a> Rolling Stone that Measure R “was really 10 years in the making, 10 years of work from the grassroots level that had been challenging elected officials to invest into community-based services versus incarceration.”
She was instrumental in the establishment of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission in 2016. Cullors’ allies say she brought the idea to the table and organized local communities to demand it. She said Measure R was necessary to strengthen that panel by providing power to compel the testimony of officers and the capacity to administer oaths, resulting in more effective oversight of law enforcement.
Cullors launched a signature-gathering drive two years ago to qualify the citizens’ initiative for placement on Tuesday’s ballot. NBC 4 Los Angeles broke the story, initially labeling the proposal the “Black Lives Matter Ballot Measure.” However, the campaign never publicized the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/so-called-black-lives-matter-ballot-measure-would-jeffrey-cawood">exclusive report</a> or embraced that description, raising questions as to whether it wanted the initiative branded as a Black Lives Matter effort.
Vocal advocates at the time included members of the civilian oversight panel, including Priscilla Ocen, a law professor and current oversight commissioner who helped <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/so-called-black-lives-matter-ballot-measure-would-jeffrey-cawood">draft</a> the measure. She had accused LASD of delaying the release of information requested by the oversight board.
Ocen was <a href="http://dignityandpowernow.org/coalition/">nominated</a> to serve on the oversight commission by the Coalition to End Sheriff Violence, a jail reform group created by Cullors in 2011 – two years before she co-founded Black Lives Matter. The civilian panel is comprised of nine commissioners, with four of those members recommended by the community.
Cari Tuna, the wife of Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, pumped more than $1.5 million into a committee supporting Measure R. Patty Quillin, the spouse of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, spent at least $500,000 backing the initiative.
“It takes a lot of money to get something on the ballot,” Cullors <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/yes-on-r-l-a-s-super-tuesday-shot-at-jail-reform-961200/">told</a> Rolling Stone. “It makes sense why people who are wealthy are the ones who can change laws and are in control of laws.”
Cullors <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/yes-on-r-l-a-s-super-tuesday-shot-at-jail-reform-961200/">said</a> L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva was the main opponent of Measure R.

Patrisse Cullors Thesis Solo Show

LANDSLIDE: Black Lives Matter Leader’s Ballot Measure Wins Big In Los Angeles County

A <a href="http://archive.is/O3GJy">member</a> of Black Lives Matter who was a keynote speaker at last year’s DSA National Convention has been elected president of the largest teachers union in Los Angeles.
She’s <a href="http://laschoolreport.com/la-schools-protest-trump-in-districtwide-demonstrations/">rallied</a> against President Donald J. Trump. She’s <a href="https://twitter.com/wilpage4utlavp/status/1159610822529699840">pressured</a> politicians to stop building new jails. At a school board meeting in 2017, she <a href="http://laschoolreport.com/taking-a-knee-spreads-from-nfl-games-to-the-los-angeles-school-board-meeting/">took a knee</a> during the Pledge of Allegiance.
Cecily Myart-Cruz <a href="https://utlaelections.org/results/">captured</a> almost 69% of the vote last week when union members picked her to lead United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), which represents more than 30,000 educators, librarians, and counselors working in the nation’s second-largest public school system. The L.A. Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-29/first-woman-of-color-elected-to-lead-la-unified-teachers-union">reports</a> that Myart-Cruz is “the first woman of color” chosen for that position, adding, she “identifies as biracial, black and Latina” and “has long been part of the union’s activist wing.” She has 25 years of experience educating elementary and middle school kids.
“I see teaching as a revolutionary act, just the way I see organizing,” she has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwJ84Z_BLEw">said</a>.
<iframe title="Cecily Myart Cruz speaks at DSA Convention 2019" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XwJ84Z_BLEw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Myart-Cruz, 46, describes herself as an “organizer” and “activist.” She <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/los-angeles-teachers-strike-utla-organizing-solidarity/">helped form</a> a progressive caucus that gained control of UTLA in 2014, when she was elected as a vice president. The faction quickly changed the union from a service model to an organizing model, developing a plan that included children, parents, and local advocacy organizations.
UTLA <a href="https://www.blmla.org/who-we-are#ourteam">partnered</a> with Black Lives Matter and youth-led groups to push “racial justice” and education reforms within the L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD), which serves more than <a href="https://achieve.lausd.net/about">600,000</a> students. <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-lausd-teachers-strike-guide-20190113-story.html">According</a> to the L.A. Times, “the overwhelming majority” of schoolkids come from low-income families. In a deal with the district that ended a six-day UTLA strike last year, Myart-Cruz <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/lausd-students-not-suspects-searches-metal-detectors-vote-motion-stop/80001/">claimed</a> to have negotiated on student-activists’ behalf. Part of the agreement led to the end of a mandatory, random search policy, which had been in place since 1993. BLM members and students had joined UTLA on the picket lines.
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Yes!!!!! OUR Cecily Myart-Cruz, the force behind <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackLivesMatterAtSchool?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackLivesMatterAtSchool</a>, comrade in the fight to end random searches of our children in LAUSD, and courageous visionary, was elected as the first woman of color president of <a href="https://twitter.com/UTLAnow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UTLAnow</a>!<a href="https://t.co/0ln3TliQoW">https://t.co/0ln3TliQoW</a>
&mdash; #BlackLivesMatter-LA (@BLMLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLMLA/status/1233818281242312704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Dr. Melina Abdullah, who leads BLM’s L.A. chapter, has called Myart-Cruz a “sister” and “comrade.” Both Abdullah and Myart-Cruz are part of a <a href="https://medium.com/@realjusticepac/jackie-lacey-must-go-55070572434">coalition</a> of black women who have been advocates of replacing L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey with a more progressive prosecutor.
In 2016, UTLA and BLM <a href="https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2016/09/29/for-first-time-black-lives-matter-event-held-at-lausd-school/">co-sponsored</a> the first Black Lives Matter event held inside an L.A. public school. Myart-Cruz went on to help establish “Black Lives Matter In Schools” week, an annual observance that has since been <a href="https://ra.nea.org/business-item/2018-nbi-004/">adopted</a> by the National Education Association.
The union’s bond with BLM created a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-lives-matter-rally-causes-rift-between-jeffrey-cawood">conflict</a> with the school police department in 2018. UTLA had used its social media platforms to encourage “youth of color” to organize against “the over policing” of L.A. public schools.
“(Students) are not the future; they are the present,” Myart-Cruz <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwJ84Z_BLEw">told</a> her “sisters, brothers, and non-binary siblings” attending a national DSA gathering last August. “We need to wrap our arms around them because they are leading at this moment. And it is up to us to change where we are, to engage with them in a way that shakes the very foundation of our nation.”
“The time is now to lead, act boldly, and to be unapologetic in our quest for building power and complete liberation for our people.”
Outgoing UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl, who once <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-lives-matter-rally-causes-rift-between-jeffrey-cawood">called</a> The Daily Wire “a right-wing, Trump-supporting, anti-union rag,” is termed out of that position. However, he was elected to a vice president spot and will remain in an influential role. In effect, Caputo-Pearl and Myart-Cruz, who are allies, have swapped jobs. <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-29/first-woman-of-color-elected-to-lead-la-unified-teachers-union">According</a> to the L.A. Times, fewer than 5,300 UTLA members cast ballots out of approximately 31,000 eligible voters. Myart-Cruz takes over leadership duties in July.
Follow Jeffrey Cawood on Twitter @JeffreyCawood.

Los Angeles Teachers Go on Strike in Echo of National Fight

Black Lives Matter Member Elected To Lead Los Angeles’ Largest Teachers Union

The husband of Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey reportedly pointed a gun at Black Lives Matter protesters who knocked on the man’s front door during a protest outside of his home. 
Melina Abdullah, a professor of Pan-African studies at California State University, Los Angeles, told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/los-angeles-district-attorney-s-husband-allegedly-pulled-gun-black-n1146976">NBC News</a> she was attending a protest Monday morning outside of the man’s home, and rang the doorbell to invite the district attorney to talk to other BLM activists gathered outside. 
After Abdullah rang the doorbell, an elderly African American man opened the front door and pointed a gun at her chest and at the protest organizer, who was also on the porch, reports the news agency.  
In a partial video clip of the interaction posted to Twitter, Lacey&#8217;s husband tells the person on his porch to “get off of my porch” while pointing a gun at the woman. 
<blockquote>MAN: Right now, get off!
WOMAN: Good morning. 
MAN: Get off of my porch. 
WOMAN: Are you going to shoot me?
MAN: I will shoot you, get off of my porch. 
WOMAN: Can you tell Jackie Lacey that we’re here. 
MAN: I don’t care who you are, get off of my porch, right now.
WOMAN: [unintelligible]
MAN: We’re calling the police right now. 
WOMAN: Good. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I’m front of DA Jackie Lacey’s house for that community meeting she promised with the <a href="https://twitter.com/BLMLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BLMLA</a> crew. Rang her bell to invite her.
Her husband pulled a gun, cocked it, pointed it at my chest and said “I’ll shoot you. I don’t care who you are.” <a href="https://twitter.com/WP4BL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WP4BL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RealJusticePAC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealJusticePAC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/shaunking?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@shaunking</a> <a href="https://t.co/WtazUWSJIC">pic.twitter.com/WtazUWSJIC</a>
— Melina Abdullah (@DocMellyMel) <a href="https://twitter.com/DocMellyMel/status/1234477243260272641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
&#8220;We heard the gun cocking, and I thought I was being paranoid,&#8221; Abdullah told the news agency. &#8220;But then he opened the door, leading with the gun. He saw me and lowered it, pointing it at my chest.&#8221;
&#8220;We don&#8217;t know how crazy he is, we didn&#8217;t know if he&#8217;d actually shoot me so we did&#8221; back away, said Abdullah. &#8220;I’m a mother of three kids, and I really don’t want to get to shot.&#8221;
The incident occurred only a day before Lacey will face an election for a third-term as LA County district attorney. 
According to the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-02/police-called-to-jackie-laceys-home-in-response-to-protesters-outside">Los Angeles Times</a>, the protesters arrived early in the morning, before the sun had come up, and about thirty people had gathered in front of Lacey’s home at the time of the incident. 
The Times reports that Lacey has previously agreed to have a meeting with activists in response to a decision to not criminally charge Ed Buck, a man with a history of having other men overdose on drugs inside of his home. Lacey has maintained the DA’s office was unable to prosecute Buck because the evidence in the case was improperly acquired. 
As the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/los-angeles-d-a-walks-into-black-lives-matter-led-ambush-over-police-shootings-ed-buck-case">Daily Wire</a> previously reported, Lacey has been criticized by Abduhllah before, including at a meeting last November where the professor accused the district attorney of lying “in the faces of the families of those killed by police.”

Los Angeles DA Announces Wrongful Convictions Review Unit

‘Get Off Of My Porch!’: Los Angeles DA’s Husband Pulls Gun On BLM Protesters

California

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) was forced to cancel a rally in her home state on Sunday in response to a raucous Black Lives Matter protest, which lasted for over an hour and featured protesters taking over the stage after &#8220;a deal&#8221; between the protesters and the campaign fell apart. Video of the incident has circulated widely online.
The home state protest of Klobuchar was fueled by her past role as a prosecutor in the conviction of an African-American teenager, Myon Burrell, who, activists believe, may have been wrongly convicted. Amid growing attention on the case, protesters converged on Klobuchar&#8217;s rally in St. Louis Park, Minnesota on Sunday evening.
&#8220;Organizers gathered outside of St. Louis Park High School with signs and megaphones in support that Burrell was wrongfully convicted in 2002. Klobuchar was the Hennepin County attorney at the time,&#8221; <a href="https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/03/01/protesters-for-myon-burrell-delay-klobuchars-rally-in-minnesota/">CBS Minnesota</a> reported Sunday. &#8220;The protesters made their way into the rally and onto the stage, which delayed Klobuchar’s rally scheduled to start at 8 p.m. After about a 40-minute delay, the rally was confirmed to be canceled.&#8221;
As video posted by CBC News campaign reporter Nicole Sganga shows, the protesters completely took over the event.
&#8220;Protesters in Senator Klobuchar’s home state have stormed the stage at her campaign rally, with dozens chanting, &#8216;Free Myon!&#8217; and &#8216;Klobuchar has got to go!&#8221;&#8221; Sganga reported on social media along with footage of the event. &#8220;Protesters chanting &#8216;Black Lives Matter&#8217; and &#8216;Free Myon&#8217; have now occupied Senator Amy Klobuchar’s rally for well over an hour, taking over the stage and effectively shutting down the campaign event. The rally in Klobuchar’s home state was slated to begin ten minutes ago.&#8221;
Sganga also reported that Klobuchar&#8217;s campaign attempted to &#8220;arrange a deal with protesters&#8221; before choosing to cancel the event entirely, which the campaign confirmed in a statement.
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Protesters chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “Free Myon” have now occupied Senator Amy Klobuchar’s rally for well over an hour, taking over the stage and effectively shutting down the campaign event. 
The rally in Klobuchar’s home state was slated to begin ten minutes ago. <a href="https://t.co/B0iTyExXQ0">pic.twitter.com/B0iTyExXQ0</a>
&mdash; Nicole Sganga (@NicoleSganga) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleSganga/status/1234300379040493568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Attendees are leaving the Klobuchar rally as protests continue.
A Klobuchar campaign official says the campaign is actively attempting to arrange a deal with protesters at her rally in St. Louis Park, MN. <a href="https://t.co/06jXLj9eyo">pic.twitter.com/06jXLj9eyo</a>
&mdash; Nicole Sganga (@NicoleSganga) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoleSganga/status/1234303175617908737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Klobuchar&#8217;s campaign has since issued a statement to the press explaining why they decided to shut down the event. &#8220;The campaign offered a meeting with the Senator if they (protesters) would leave the stage after being on stage for more than an hour,&#8221; said the campaign. &#8220;After the group initially agreed, they backed out of the agreement and we are canceling the event.&#8221;
As reported by the <a href="https://apnews.com/115076e2bd194cfa7560cb4642ab8038">Associated Press</a> last month, the Burrell case has gained increased attention amid new evidence. After conducting a review of &#8220;thousand pages of police records, court transcripts and interrogation tapes,&#8221; and having &#8220;interviewed dozens of inmates, witnesses, family members, former gang leaders, lawyers and criminal justice experts,&#8221; AP suggests that Burrell, now 33, should not have been convicted for the death of an 11-year-old girl, Tyesha Edwards, in 2002.
&#8220;An Associated Press investigation into the 17-year-old case uncovered new evidence and myriad inconsistencies, raising questions about whether he was railroaded by police,&#8221; AP reports. Burrell, who is still behind bars, continues to maintain his innocence and has rejected all plea deals. Some of the problems with the case detailed in the report include:
<blockquote>The case relied heavily on a teen rival of Burrell’s who gave conflicting accounts when identifying the shooter, who was largely obscured behind a wall 120 feet away.
With no other eyewitnesses, police turned to multiple jailhouse snitches. Some have since recanted, saying they were coached or coerced. Others were given reduced time, raising questions about their credibility. And the lead homicide detective offered “major dollars” for names, even if it was hearsay.
There was no gun, fingerprints, or DNA. Alibis were never seriously pursued. Key evidence has gone missing or was never obtained, including a convenience store surveillance tape that Burrell and others say would have cleared him.</blockquote>
This article has been revised for clarity.

Amy Klobuchar

WATCH: Klobuchar Cancels Rally After Black Lives Matter Protesters Take Over Event

2020 Election

Race

On Monday, Pete Buttigieg, who has had a great deal of trouble galvanizing black voters to support him, ran into another roadblock as he joined striking workers protesting against McDonalds in Charleston, South Carolina for a $15 minimum wage. Buttigieg was accosted by roughly a dozen activists from Black Lives Matter chanting, “Pete can&#8217;t be our president, where was $15 in South Bend?”
Buttigieg had to shout through the chanting, according to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8039209/Buttigieg-gets-trolled-Black-Voters-Matter-activists-McDonalds-worker-strike.html">The Daily Mail</a>, calling, “You deserve a union and we stand with you. No matter who you support, I support you; we support you; we stand together and we will not rest until one job is enough in the United States of America.”
The Daily Mail added, “Brittany Smalls, the Pennsylvania coordinator for Black Voters Matter, said she didn&#8217;t believe Buttigieg truly supported a $15 an hour minimum wage because he didn&#8217;t enact one in South Bend.”
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The Fight for $15 rally is now being heckled with Buttigieg at front of it by Black Voters Matter protesters chanting “Where was $15 in South Bend. Pete can’t be our president.” The worker organizers are pissed. “This is a workers strike. How dare you,” one yelled that them. <a href="https://t.co/U8AYASqxht">pic.twitter.com/U8AYASqxht</a>
&mdash; Steve Contorno (@scontorno) <a href="https://twitter.com/scontorno/status/1232013823659433984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Buttigieg had to race into a car after the rally as he was chased down by Black Voters Matter protesters. He got into a black SUV without talking to the media and drove away.
&mdash; Steve Contorno (@scontorno) <a href="https://twitter.com/scontorno/status/1232017911281324034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/outright-lying-pete-buttigieg-grilled-for-false-statements-about-his-record-on-black-arrests/">The Daily Wire</a> reported earlier this month, “Buttigieg was grilled by ABC News during and after the network&#8217;s primary debate on Friday for appearing to lie about his record as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Specifically, Buttigieg was grilled for falsely claiming that the overall rate of black arrests and marijuana arrests were lower while he was mayor, when in fact, under his leadership, a black person was four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana than a white person. Buttigieg initially dodged the question and talked around it before ABC News pressed him hard on the issue:
ABC NEWS: Right, want to go back to the original question though. How do you explain the increase in black arrests in South Bend under your leadership for marijuana possession?
BUTTIGIEG: And again, the overall rate was lower&#8211;
ABC NEWS: No, there was an increase. The year before you were in office it was lower. Once you [came] in office in 2012, that number went up. In 2018, the last number year that we have a record for, that number was still up.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie blasted Buttigieg, saying:
<blockquote>I think the moment that could be a foreshadowing for the future is when Mayor Pete was up there outright lying about his record on African American arrests on marijuana, and Lindsay Davis of ABC challenged him more than any candidate on that stage challenged him tonight. And you saw the look on his face. He looked like a deer in the headlights, and let me tell you, he thinks Lindsay Davis is hard?
If he ever gets on the same stage with Donald Trump, it&#8217;s gonna be a whole different story, who will call him on those things. And I think these other candidates better get serious about calling Mayor Pete on the record in South Bend, and so I think it was a missed opportunity for the other candidates. Elizabeth Warren [gave] him a little bit of a shot on that, but not nearly enough time spent on it.</blockquote>
Last November, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harris-criticizes-buttigieg-for-comparing-black-struggles-to-the-lgbtq-community">criticized</a> Buttigieg for comparing the discrimination that he felt as a gay man to the historic civil rights abuses of black Americans, saying, &#8220;Those of us who&#8217;ve been involved in civil rights for a long time, we know that it is important that we not compare our struggles. It is not productive, it is not smart and strategically, [and] it works against what we need to do which is build coalition.&#8221;

Democratic Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg Campaigns Across South Carolina

Buttigieg Trolled By Black Lives Matter Activists: ‘Pete Can’t Be Our President’

Pete Buttigieg

At a sparsely attended event for South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg in his hometown of South Bend, an activist in a Black Lives Matter t-shirt seized the microphone from one of the speakers, yelling “Who chose these leaders as black leaders?” and leading attendees in chants of “This is a farce!”
Councilwoman Sharon McBride of the 3rd District was speaking when the man started to interrupt. She stated, “I can handle that. I can handle that,” then segued, “Some of the things that I’ve always, also in the 3rddistrict, is not gentrification, it’s revitalization that begun in the 3rddistrict. We have built and sold two homes with 466 workers. We have also built homes — &#8221; She turned to the protesters, saying, “I’ll address you guys in a few minutes if you give me my time and the respect I will do the same thing.”
The activist started shouting, “Where are the black leaders that don’t have three-piece suits, leather jackets, and nice jewelry. Where are these black leaders? Who chose these people as black leaders? These black leaders are here to talk about Pete Buttigieg while there is black – people are having a crisis because of police violence. Who chose these black leaders as black leaders?”
Seizing the microphone, the man yelled, “Who chose these people as black leaders? Who organized this? We have a police crisis in this town.” As people wrestled him to get the microphone, he cried, “Why are we talking about people – what kind of nonsense is this?  What kind of nonsense is this?” Bereft of the microphone but still held by various people, he yelled,    “This is a farce! This is a farce! This is a farce!” As he repeated the sentence he clapped his hands and others joined in.
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&quot;This is a farce!&quot; This video is wild. 
An activist in a &quot;Black Lives Matter&quot; shirt grabs the mic at a Pete Buttigieg event and gets chased out after shouting to the audience, nearly getting hit with a cane at one point! Was sent video. Will try to snag more details if I can. <a href="https://t.co/A2mUiqUlnP">pic.twitter.com/A2mUiqUlnP</a>
&mdash; (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1202377150852059136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The event was billed this way: “Today, on Wednesday evening, prominent African-American South Bend leaders and elected officials will hold a press conference at the Charles Martin Youth Center where they will make a special announcement regarding Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign.”
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Two black South Bend councilwomen—Buttigieg allies Karen White &amp; Sharon McBride—will join other black leaders from the city to make an announcement about the mayor’s presidential campaign at 5:30 p.m. <a href="https://t.co/Pk1DaHgpWw">pic.twitter.com/Pk1DaHgpWw</a>
&mdash; Adam Wren (@adamwren) <a href="https://twitter.com/adamwren/status/1202303391592042497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
A black council member from South Bend, Henry Davis Jr, sued the Buttigieg administration and city for not representing him after a libel suit was brought against him by four police officers. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/25/pete-buttigieg-south-bend-lawsuit-police-shooting">The Guardian</a> reported that after the two sides settled, “Davis charged that Buttigieg tried to sweep the case under the rug by including a gag order in that agreement.”
Davis said, “The same guy who’s on a national stage asking to have the Sandra Bland case reopened, calling out Trump for not being transparent and talking about police brutality is the same guy that is ordering his legal staff to kill the free speech of an African American elected official.”
Buttigieg has been trying desperately to gain a foothold in America’s black community since <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-scandal-involving-black-community-hits-buttigieg-campaign">reports surfaced</a> in mid-November that indicated Buttigieg falsely claimed to have endorsements for his plan to reach out to the black community, used a stock photo from Africa to depict African-Americans, and falsely claimed that the plan had support from hundreds of black voters who were actually white. Buttigieg&#8217;s campaign had started promoting a list of 400 black South Carolina voters that it claimed supported his plan, but it turned out that nearly half of the list was white.

Democratic Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg Campaigns Across Iowa

WATCH: Black Lives Matter Activist Disrupts Buttigieg Event, Thrown Out, Nearly Hit With Cane

Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro joined Black Lives Matter activists outside of LAPD headquarters on Tuesday to demand police accountability for the death of Grechario Mack, a 30-year-old black man who was fatally shot by two officers last year.
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This morning I’m at <a href="https://twitter.com/LAPDHQ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LAPDHQ</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/BLMLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BLMLA</a> to call for accountability for the killing of Grechario Mack.
The police commission ruled that officers violated department policy when they fatally shot Grechario, but no justice has been given to his family. That has to change. <a href="https://t.co/Gf8pq5EKKz">pic.twitter.com/Gf8pq5EKKz</a>
&mdash; Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1201916311070281728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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“He’s here because he believes in justice for black people,” <a href="https://twitter.com/SawyerHackett/status/1201919164098547713">said</a> Dr. Melina Abdullah, lead organizer of Black Lives Matter’s L.A. chapter, while introducing Castro at a joint press conference.
Castro, a former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama, <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1201916311070281728">tweeted</a>: “The police commission ruled that officers violated department policy when they fatally shot Grechario, but no justice has been given to his family. That has to change.”
“I’m gonna use my voice and platform to speak up and make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Castro <a href="https://twitter.com/natimontelongo/status/1201929948954447872">went on to tell</a> reporters.
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NOW: In front of the LAPD office, <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianCastro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JulianCastro</a> is meeting and holding a press conference with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackLivesMatter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackLivesMatter</a> activists demanding justice for the 2018 police shooting of Grechario Mack at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw mall. 
Castro is also joined by Mack’s mother and father. <a href="https://t.co/ivpmIIsJed">pic.twitter.com/ivpmIIsJed</a>
&mdash; Tim Perry (@tperry518) <a href="https://twitter.com/tperry518/status/1201913705128054784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.dailynews.com/2019/12/03/presidential-candidate-julian-castro-to-join-black-lives-matter-protest-outside-lapd-hq/">According</a> to City News Service, Mack was shot and killed by two LAPD officers on April 10, 2018, after he ran through a shopping center armed with a foot-long kitchen knife. Police <a href="http://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/news_view/63748">said</a> Mack was “aggressively” waving the blade before he moved “in the direction of mall patrons.” He “was very agitated, and it appeared that he was possibly under the influence or was going through a mental health crisis,” the department <a href="http://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/news_view/63748">added</a>.
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Breaking: Witness video of deadly officer shooting at Crenshaw Mall. Witnesses say man had a large knife and made threatening moves. <a href="https://t.co/loWqYYE9tg">pic.twitter.com/loWqYYE9tg</a>
&mdash; Jeff Nguyen (@jeffnguyen) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffnguyen/status/983909776852533249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.dailynews.com/2019/12/03/presidential-candidate-julian-castro-to-join-black-lives-matter-protest-outside-lapd-hq/">According</a> to news reports, Mack was already on the floor when the final shots were fired.
On Tuesday, Castro said the LAPD officers involved in the shooting death should be terminated, adding that law enforcement needs proper mental health training to deescalate such situations without resorting to violence. He vowed to push for a national use-of-force standard if elected, promoting his police reform strategy, which includes implementing a public database to track misconduct.
“We are appreciative that Secretary Castro is the only presidential candidate who reached out to Black Lives Matter, standing in strong solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and he’s been willing to really push for police accountability and investment in the resources that would actually make the community safer,” Dr. Abdullah said.
Castro, 45, began publicly collaborating with Black Lives Matter after Abdullah <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/founding-member-of-black-lives-matter-begs-julian-castro-to-stay-in-dem-presidential-race">implored</a> him to stay in the 2020 Democratic presidential race. He had threatened to suspend his campaign unless he could raise $800,000 by the end of October. After reaching that goal and extending his candidacy, Castro attended a private event in Los Angeles last month, where he <a href="https://twitter.com/NiggaTheory/status/1195841777229418496">spoke to</a> Black Lives Matter activists and their allies about police brutality and prison reform. Days later, Castro announced the formal <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1196459459465424896">endorsements</a> of Dr. Abdullah and her 16-year-old daughter, Thandiwe, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Youth Vanguard.
The Black Lives Matter network of activist groups <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/a-year-inside-the-black-lives-matter-movement-204982/">did not endorse</a> a presidential candidate in the 2016 race because leaders were unconfident that any of the contenders would prioritize black liberation if elected. However, Time Magazine <a href="https://time.com/5714603/julian-castro-progressive-campaign/">reports</a> that during this cycle, “Castro has made a place for himself by advocating for issues affecting minority groups and by consistently pushing his fellow candidates to take a stand.” Castro has <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1139342691765051392">claimed</a> America’s policing system is broken, <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1197360749003321344">called for</a> the legalization of marijuana, and <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1160259526031024128">devised a plan</a> to “combat the rise of white nationalism.”
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/founding-member-of-black-lives-matter-begs-julian-castro-to-stay-in-dem-presidential-race">Founding Member Of Black Lives Matter Begs JuliánCastro To Stay In Dem Presidential Race</a>
Follow Jeffrey Cawood on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/jeffreycawood">@JeffreyCawood</a>.

Democratic Presidential Candidates Attend &#8220;First In The West&#8221; Event In Las Vegas

Julián Castro And Black Lives Matter Protest Outside LAPD Headquarters

Julian Castro

Black Lives Matter launched its sixth annual ‘Black Xmas’ drive over the extended Thanksgiving weekend, encouraging allies and people of color to “divest from White capitalism” and “invest in Black community.”
Canvassers began targeting shoppers in the Los Angeles area on Black Friday, <a href="https://blackxmas.org/">calling for</a> “no spending with White companies” through New Year’s Day.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackXmas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackXmas</a> is 11/29/2019-1/1/2020 &#8211; Divest from White capitalism. Invest in Black community. Spend exclusively with Black-owned businesses. For more, go to <a href="https://t.co/X1x5fga81Q">https://t.co/X1x5fga81Q</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BuildBlack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BuildBlack</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BuyBlack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BuyBlack</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BankBlack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BankBlack</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackLivesMatter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackLivesMatter</a> <a href="https://t.co/yB7jiMsSn2">https://t.co/yB7jiMsSn2</a> <a href="https://t.co/88c7eiDDg2">pic.twitter.com/88c7eiDDg2</a>
&mdash; #BlackLivesMatter-LA (@BLMLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLMLA/status/1200426095255928832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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“Part of the Black Xmas campaign is to educate black folks about what we’re doing, about the importance of holding back our dollars during this holiday season,” said Jan Williams, an SEIU member who heads BLM’s Black Xmas shopper education outreach program.
Dr. Melina Abdullah, lead organizer of BLM’s L.A. chapter (BLM-LA), recently described Christmastime as a “frenzy of consumerism that’s rooted in white capitalism,” claiming America’s capitalist economic system was designed to oppress black people. BLM established Black Xmas in 2014 to promote more collectivist approaches to economic liberty for communities of color.
On her weekly <a href="https://twitter.com/DocMellyMel/status/1199529332646924289">radio show</a> heard on KPFK 90.7 FM, Abdullah explained that the yearly effort urges people to donate to black-led liberation organizations in the name of loved ones as holiday gifts; move their money from “white corporate” financial institutions to black-owned community banks; and patronize black-owned businesses “that represent our interests and collectively benefit us.”
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Kicking <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackXmas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackXmas</a> off by canvassing the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Mall. Shoutout to the Black owned businesses here. Stay tuned for more videos! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BuildBlack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BuildBlack</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BuyBlack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BuyBlack</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BankBlack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BankBlack</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/blacklivesmatter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#blacklivesmatter</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wxg3JSHlTy">https://t.co/Wxg3JSHlTy</a> <a href="https://t.co/3fF57StbZp">pic.twitter.com/3fF57StbZp</a>
&mdash; #BlackLivesMatter-LA (@BLMLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLMLA/status/1200546770184556544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blackxmas.org/about/">According</a> to BLM’s Black Xmas website, the seasonal exercise “is not a call to replace White capitalism with Black capitalism, but to engage in ‘cooperative economics’ (the Kwanzaa principle of Ujamaa).”
“It is meant to spark the development of a larger Black economic agenda,” the website continues, promoting concepts of “mutual aid organizations” and “Black cooperatives.”
Blackxmas.org goes on to state: “Donald Trump embodies White capitalism. If you are anti-Trump, you should hold back your resources from him and the like.”
In an op-ed published by the L.A. Sentinel, Dr. Abdullah blamed alleged police misconduct on capitalism, <a href="https://lasentinel.net/blacklivesmatters-blackxmas-is-not-just-about-buying-black-its-about-saving-black-lives.html">writing</a>:
<blockquote>In addition to investing in our own communities, #BlackXmas and the emerging economic empowerment work of Black Lives Matter is intended as a divestment from White corporations that contribute to the murder, death, abuse, and exploitation of Black people in real terms. We assert that White capitalism is killing our people in very real terms, most starkly through its utilization of a violent, racist, police force to protect its quest for profit. …
Black people, we must be radical in our approach, daring to get to the root of it all. White capitalism requires racist, violent policing to protect it. In order to eliminate police violence, and the killings of our people at their hands, we must also target the economic systems that built it and rely on it.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackLivesMatter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackLivesMatter</a> sings <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/policebrutality?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#policebrutality</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/justicecarols?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#justicecarols</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheGrove?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheGrove</a>. <a href="http://t.co/hiX68AcFIU">pic.twitter.com/hiX68AcFIU</a>
&mdash; Jasmyne Cannick (@Jasmyne) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jasmyne/status/546828044187336704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Previous Black Xmas publicity stunts include “<a href="https://twitter.com/Jasmyne/status/546828044187336704">justice caroling</a>” at an upscale L.A. shopping center, where BLM activists changed the lyrics of classic Christmas songs to reflect anti-capitalism and anti-police sentiments. In 2015, demonstrators <a href="https://www.scpr.org/news/2015/12/24/56480/9-charged-with-vandalism-conspiracy-over-405-freew/">blocked traffic </a><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-race-minnesota/black-lives-matter-holds-black-xmas-protests-in-minnesota-california-idUSKBN0U61QN20151224">near major airports</a> during peak times of the holiday rush, inconveniencing many travelers. About 65 BLM protestors <a href="http://laist.com/2016/12/24/trump_blm_rpv.php">disrupted</a> Christmas Eve brunch at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, the following year.
Follow Jeffrey Cawood on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/JeffreyCawood">@JeffreyCawood</a>.

Christmas decorations background, fireplace christmas decoration, home decoration for Christmas, fireplaceб mantel decoration, christmas lights, gift box, candles, furtree

Black Lives Matter Launches 6th Annual ‘Black Xmas’ Campaign To ‘Divest From White Capitalism’

Dr. Melina Abdullah, a professor at Cal State L.A., who is also a founding member of Black Lives Matter, recently implored Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro to stay in the race, citing his advocacy on behalf of marginalized groups.
On Wednesday, Abdullah <a href="https://twitter.com/DocMellyMel/status/1189636592681418752">tweeted</a>: “Don’t drop out @JulianCastro!!!” We need you in this race!!! I almost never donate to candidates, but sending in my $100 right now. We so appreciate the unapologetic, powerful way that you’ve been speaking up for Black people specifically and POC (people of color), poor &amp; oppressed folks overall.”
Castro, a former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama,  threatened to suspend his campaign unless he could raise $800,000 by Halloween. <a href="https://time.com/5714603/julian-castro-progressive-campaign/">According</a> to Time Magazine, the drive “had raised close to 90 percent of its fundraising goal” by the morning of October 31, adding, “although Castro’s long-term prospects as the top of the ticket remain dim.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Don’t drop out <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianCastro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JulianCastro</a>!!!! We need you in this race!!! I almost never donate to candidates, but sending in my $100 right now. We so appreciate the unapologetic, powerful way that you’ve been speaking up for Black people specifically and POC, poor &amp; oppressed folks overall. <a href="https://t.co/LF8K7RCjfn">https://t.co/LF8K7RCjfn</a>
&mdash; Melina Abdullah (@DocMellyMel) <a href="https://twitter.com/DocMellyMel/status/1189636592681418752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
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More from Time Magazine:
<blockquote>As the only Latino running for president in a period when the community has been the target of White House insults and an uptick in hate crimes, Castro has made a place for himself by advocating for issues affecting minority groups and by consistently pushing his fellow candidates to take a stand, even on tricky political topics… 
On the debate stage in June, Castro catapulted into headlines after speaking eloquently about the plight of migrant children and challenging his fellow candidates to decriminalize illegal immigration. And in October, he earned plaudits from progressives for linking gun violence and police brutality in communities of color…
Throughout his campaign, Castro has embraced his role as a voice for a minority community while running on a platform intended to appeal to a broader electorate. On the trail, he has traveled with mariachi bands, played Selena Quintanilla’s “Baila Esta Cumbia” as his go-to walkout song at events, and pointedly kept the accent over his first name on campaign signs. And when the mass shooter targeted Latinos at a Walmart in El Paso, Castro gave voice to fury. In an ad that played on Fox, he looked into the camera and addressed Trump directly, his voice calm but seething: “Innocent people were shot down because they look different from you. Because they look like me. They look like my family.”</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;We’re going to keep saying that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackLivesMatter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackLivesMatter</a> while working toward a justice system where it’s true.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Julian2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Julian2020</a>
&mdash; BoOOLián Castro 👻 (@JulianCastro) <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1084148291955232769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Castro, 45, has struggled to attract substantial donations since entering the race in January. His largest fundraising quarter was from July through September when the campaign generated $3.5 million. However, he ended September with less than $700,000 cash on hand, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/21/julian-castro-fundraising-2020-053246">according</a> to Politico.
Sawyer Hackett, Castro’s press secretary, <a href="https://twitter.com/SawyerHackett/status/1189705859909259276">said</a> the campaign organized a nationwide call-a-thon on Wednesday night. Supporters made more than 10,000 calls soliciting donations within two hours.
The campaign <a href="https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/politics/article/Juli-n-Castro-says-his-presidential-campaign-has-14568889.php">told</a> the San Antonio Express-News earlier this week that Castro needs more contributions to compete in early voting states such as Iowa, where a recent poll showed him at 0 percent among likely caucus-goers.
The Black Lives Matter network of activist groups <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/a-year-inside-the-black-lives-matter-movement-204982/">did not endorse</a> a presidential candidate in the 2016 election and probably won’t this cycle either. Leaders have traditionally depended on their own organizing efforts and institution-building strategies to force change rather than politicians.
“It would’ve looked very different under Hillary Clinton,” Dr. Abdullah <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/a-year-inside-the-black-lives-matter-movement-204982/">previously told</a> Rolling Stone, “but it wouldn’t have been any kind of ushering in of black liberation under her either. You can’t rely on those in elected office to move us toward where we need to be. We choose to exercise a muscle that says our power and our liberation relies on us.”

Key Speakers At The Presidential Justice Forum

Founding Member Of Black Lives Matter Begs Julián Castro To Stay In Dem Presidential Race

Top organizers from Black Lives Matter have launched a nationwide effort to boost voter turnout next year among eligible young adults from the post-millennial generation, some of whom will be casting a presidential ballot for the first time.
NNPA Newswire, which provides content to numerous black-owned community newspapers across the country, <a href="https://atlantadailyworld.com/2019/10/07/black-lives-matter-launches-nationwide-voter-registration-initiative-for-2020/">reports</a> that “BLM’s goal is to hit all major cities where Black folks live and engage Generation Z,” which is generally considered to be people born after 1996.
“Black voters have traditionally been the Democratic Party’s most loyal constituency and younger voters represent the future of the party,” said BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors in an exclusive interview with NNPA.
BLM’s “What Matters 2020” initiative was recently introduced by Cullors, BLM Managing Director Kailee Scales, and Melina Abdullah, a college professor who heads the organization’s Los Angeles chapter. Dr. Abdullah is currently on a <a href="https://twitter.com/docmellymel/status/1160930398659985409">semester-long sabbatical</a> from Cal State L.A., which is part of the nation’s largest four-year public university system.
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It&#39;s time to center what matters and fight for the change we need! Join the conversation&#8230; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhatMatters2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhatMatters2020</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlackLivesMatter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlackLivesMatter</a> <a href="https://t.co/cnN3bxxAKI">pic.twitter.com/cnN3bxxAKI</a>
&mdash; Black Lives Matter (@Blklivesmatter) <a href="https://twitter.com/Blklivesmatter/status/1172194015015514113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-matters-2020/">According</a> to BLM’s website, “Demographic shifts mean that in the 2020 election, non-whites will account for a third of voters and one in ten voters will be members of Generation Z.” It says the campaign will amplify “the intersection of art, technology, and politics” while “sparking pop-culture moments across the county” to build “collective power.” Organizers intend to focus on progressive causes such as “LGBTQIA+” rights, “black immigration,” and “commonsense gun laws.”
“We will know that we are successful when each candidate has an acceptable and tangible comprehensive plan that specifically addresses racial injustice, criminal justice reform, police brutality and reparations, among other issues that impact the black community,” Cullors <a href="https://atlantadailyworld.com/2019/10/07/black-lives-matter-launches-nationwide-voter-registration-initiative-for-2020/">said</a>.
The Pew Research Center, which describes itself as “a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public” about cultural and political shifts, released an <a href="https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/01/17/generation-z-looks-a-lot-like-millennials-on-key-social-and-political-issues/">extensive report</a> on Gen Z in January. It described the demographic cohort as the “most racially and ethnically diverse” of the five generations, finding that 48% are from communities of color. The firm’s analysis determined Gen Zers are “moving toward adulthood with a liberal set of attitudes and an openness to emerging social trends” and have much in common with Millennials:
<blockquote>On a range of issues, from Donald Trump’s presidency to the role of government to racial equality and climate change, the views of Gen Z &#8212; those ages 13 to 21 in 2018 &#8212; mirror those of Millennials. In each of these realms, the two younger generations hold views that differ significantly from those of their older counterparts. In most cases, members of the Silent Generation are at the opposite end, and Baby Boomers and Gen Xers fall in between.</blockquote>
Other findings from Pew’s study, titled “Generation Z Looks a Lot Like Millennials on Key Social and Political Issues”:
<ul>
<li>Only 30% of Gen Z approve of the way President Donald J. Trump is handling his job.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A 59% majority of Gen Zers say people should have other options than “man” and “woman” when asked about a person’s gender on forms.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Two-thirds of Gen Z believe black people are treated less fairly than whites in America.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>61% of Gen Zers approve of NFL players kneeling during the national anthem to protest racism.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>53% of post-millennials say too many people are easily offended by the language used by others.</li>
</ul>
The Black Lives Matter network of activist groups has official chapters in several major cities, including Chicago, Louisville, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and the District of Columbia. Over the summer, leaders from L.A. traveled to South Bend, Indiana, to help establish a sanctioned branch and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-lives-matter-leaders-travel-south-bend-jeffrey-cawood">organize residents against Mayor Pete Buttigieg</a>, a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Cullors, who currently serves as the BLM’s senior advisor and chief strategist, is also the California director of the Real Justice Political Action Committee. The PAC has <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xiG7eVCDwiPmQXR-gK95cIHwyRvFlYZJ/view">prioritized</a> replacing the Los Angeles County District Attorney, who is up for re-election next year, with a “reform-minded” prosecutor.
Follow Jeffrey Cawood on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/jeffreycawood">@JeffreyCawood</a>.

&#8220;Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am&#8221; Los Angeles Premiere

Black Lives Matter Launches National 2020 Voter Drive Targeting ‘Generation Z’

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg met privately with Black Lives Matter members over the summer after a fatal officer-involved shooting complicated his run for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a recent report.
The discussions began with a conference call in July, followed by a closed-door meeting last month inside the mayor&#8217;s office. CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/18/pete-buttigieg-met-with-black-lives-matter-after-eric-logan-shooting.html">reports</a> that Black Lives Matter activists claimed Buttigieg &#8220;brushed off their concerns about police violence in the city he has led since 2012.&#8221;
&#8220;He seemed to have already taken a side,&#8221; said Dr. Melina Abdullah, lead organizer with Black Lives Matter&#8217;s Los Angeles chapter, who participated in the phone conversation. &#8220;It did seem that he was prioritizing who he thought was important, and it didn&#8217;t seem to be black people.&#8221;
&#8220;I remember he felt very rushed, as if he wanted to check it off a box as something that he did,&#8221; Abdullah told CNBC.
According to the outlet, Buttigieg&#8217;s presidential campaign would not comment on the talks &#8220;and denied repeated requests to make the candidate available for an interview.&#8221;
As CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/18/pete-buttigieg-met-with-black-lives-matter-after-eric-logan-shooting.html">reported</a>:
During the call and subsequent meeting with Black Lives Matter, activists pushed Buttigieg to address the disparities they saw between the national figure they witnessed campaigning on a forceful pledge to go after systemic racism, and the local public official who, they felt, caved to bureaucratic obstacles and political opposition.
The conversations between Buttigieg and Black Lives Matter, which each lasted about half an hour, were intended to be private, and have not been previously reported. Members of Black Lives Matter agreed to discuss them after CNBC reviewed documentation of the meetings on the mayor&#8217;s calendars, which were obtained using public records laws.
Some of the individuals who discussed the meetings with CNBC agreed to do so only on the condition of anonymity because the talks were private.
Buttigieg&#8217;s relationships with both law enforcement and communities of color have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/49964/report-south-bend-cops-demoralized-mayor-petes-jeffrey-cawood">reportedly deteriorated</a> since the June death of Eric Logan, a 54-year-old black man who was shot and killed by Sgt. Ryan O&#8217;Neill, a white South Bend police officer. Authorities <a href="https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/south-bend-police-officer-involved-in-fatal-shooting-resigns-from/article_39284f52-adfb-54ec-b830-d08ea9cad076.html">said</a> Logan approached O&#8217;Neill while holding a knife and refused orders to drop it. O&#8217;Neill&#8217;s body camera had not been activated prior to the shooting death. Police reform activists claim the killing is linked to institutional racism. They demanded Buttigieg fire or demote South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski and terminate O&#8217;Neill, who went on to step down from the force. The controversy has followed Buttigieg on the campaign trail, bringing issues like police misconduct back to the national stage.
Abdullah, who is also a tenured professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State Los Angeles, was part of a Black Lives Matter contingent from L.A. that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/49812/black-lives-matter-leaders-travel-south-bend-jeffrey-cawood">traveled to South Bend</a> in July to organize residents and help establish a local chapter. The L.A.-based activists launched a similar campaign targeting L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and the LAPD three years ago. Abdullah was recently <a href="https://twitter.com/docmellymel/status/1160930398659985409">granted</a> a semester-long sabbatical.
&#8220;If you ask black South Bend what they think of Mayor Pete, I don&#8217;t think he has a very big fan base,&#8221; Dr. Abdullah recently told CNBC. &#8220;So if he hasn&#8217;t been able to win the support of black South Bend, I don&#8217;t think he should win the support of black America.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/20/pete-buttigieg-hires-black-engagement-director-1505938">According</a> to Politico, Buttigieg recently hired a black engagement director to help garner support from among people of color. A recent CNN/SSRS poll <a href="https://www.bet.com/news/national/2019/09/17/pete-buttigieg-interview.html">found</a> he is only polling at 2% with registered black voters.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/49812/black-lives-matter-leaders-travel-south-bend-jeffrey-cawood">RELATED: Black Lives Matter Leaders Travel To South Bend To Organize Residents Against Mayor Pete</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/49964/report-south-bend-cops-demoralized-mayor-petes-jeffrey-cawood">RELATED: South Bend Cops Demoralized By Mayor Pete&#8217;s Handling Of Deadly Police Shooting</a>
Follow Jeffrey Cawood on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffreycawood">@JeffreyCawood</a>.

pete_buttigieg

REPORT: Mayor Pete Met Privately With Black Lives Matter Activists Over The Summer

On Thursday, civil rights activist and Black Lives Matter supporter DeRay Mckesson accused Black Lives supporter Shaun King of a lack of integrity, saying that King is like &#8220;the power dynamic of the system&#8221; Mckesson opposes, which &#8220;willingly sacrifices the vulnerable to protect itself, and replaces truth with convenient lies.&#8221;
Writing in <a href="https://medium.com/@deray/on-shaun-king-351bd812318c">Medium</a>, Mckesson delineates how he feels King has not been completely honest. He begins by writing:
<blockquote>A movement is only as strong as its integrity. Part of our collective work is to protect this integrity, even when, or especially when, doing so is uncomfortable or hard. It is in this spirit that I write, to address a lapse in integrity within the activism community so glaring that to be silent is to be complicit.</blockquote>
Mckesson notes that King had deleted all of his tweets and told people that he would no longer be involved in organizing or fundraising, but that claim did not come true.
Mckesson writes sardonically, &#8220;It is important to note that Shaun&#8217;s journalism has done some good by bringing attention to stories that may have gone under-reported or overlooked. But the person who paints your house before he steals your car has still committed theft.&#8221;
Mckesson opines that King deflects from the issues raised against him, and &#8220;Often bullies and intimidates those who ask questions at all, turning his ire especially at Black women, attempting to scare inquirers into silence.&#8221;
Mckesson writes, &#8221; … the love for our people must be greater than the love of any one person. Shaun has continued to thrive because many people cannot believe that they have been duped, used, or taken advantage of … His choices are so sweeping and brazen in their manipulation that they compromise others, compromise the collective work, and compromise a shared sense of integrity.&#8221;
Mckesson delineates some of the issues he has with King, including fundraising, where he writes that King led Justice Together, of which McKesson was a board member. Mckesson recalls volunteers and members complained about &#8220;being silenced within the organization slack group(s) or removed wholesale when they disagreed or challenged him … .&#8221; Mckesson writes, &#8220;When people disagreed, they were removed from the group or it was stated that they were white supremacists or trolls.&#8221;
Mckesson notes that King claimed Justice Together raised a $10,000 donation from a board member and a $17,500 grant, but he later said he returned 100% of the donations raised, but the $10,000 donation and the $17,500 grant stopped appearing in records. Mckesson adds, &#8220;To date, it is not clear that Shaun filed the appropriate taxes for Justice Together, as there is no 990 form available for public review from the IRS website.&#8221;
Mckesson claims King &#8220;took credit for other people&#8217;s work.&#8221; He notes King saying he raised $34.5 million since 2014. Then McKesson adds, &#8220;He takes credit for 100% of all funds raised for any fundraiser whose link he has ever posted online, in an e-mail blast, or re-tweeted … He knew that this logic was misleading, at best.&#8221;
Mckesson delineates other actions by King that he feels demonstrate a lack of integrity, including matters involving the Real Justice PAC, The North Star, Flip The Senate, and Red Record, among others.

deray_shaun_king.jpg

Black Lives Matter Supporter Deray McKesson Blasts Shaun King

On the verge of a new season, the NFL is trying a new corporate self-defense crouch. Its goal is to counteract criticism from the left that the NFL is insensitive to the Black Lives Matter crowd that urged NFL stars to kneel in disrespect of the national anthem. Those protests, which dramatically drove down NFL ratings and game attendance, came to a stop only when President Donald Trump called out the millionaire ingrates.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell held a press event with gangsta rapper/mogul Jay-Z and announced Jay-Z&#8217;s company Roc Nation will take the lead in selecting the NFL&#8217;s live entertainment programming and advise on its &#8220;social justice&#8221; initiatives.
Jay-Z, also known by his birth name, Shawn Carter, once backed Colin Kaepernick&#8217;s crusade but now proclaims it&#8217;s yesterday&#8217;s news. &#8220;I think we&#8217;re past kneeling,&#8221; Jay-Z said.
It wasn&#8217;t hard to predict that the nation&#8217;s enlightened — or, to use that obnoxious word, &#8220;woke&#8221; — sports writers were going to erupt volcanically over this deal. Jemele Hill, the sidelined ESPN lecturer, summed it up for The Atlantic: &#8220;Jay-Z has given the NFL exactly what it wanted: guilt-free access to black audiences, culture, entertainers, and influencers.&#8221;
Guilt is crucial for racial ambulance chasers. The man whose net worth tops the $1 billion mark by virtue of bad-boy anthems like &#8220;Big Pimpin'&#8221; is now the NFL&#8217;s Uncle Tom, selling his soul at the company store, working for the Man. This is fun to watch.
Our favorite leftist tantrum came from Hemal Jhaveri of USA Today under the headline &#8220;Jay-Z&#8217;s partnership with the NFL is just another reminder that capitalism always wins.&#8221; Wait a minute &#8230; Jhaveri wrote this for USA Today, which is about as entrenched a capitalist company and media power as could be. Does that make her a [capitalist]?
Jhaveri didn&#8217;t protest that evil capitalists subverted social consciousness when Nike signed Kaepernick to a deal worth tens of millions of dollars to hush talk of its Asian labor practices. But this was unpardonable. &#8220;While Jay-Z&#8217;s intentions may be good, this is about acknowledging the limits of how much progressive movements can achieve when they align themselves with entrenched systems of power.&#8221;
Memo to Jhaveri: There&#8217;s a reason Woodstock 2 was canceled. The &#8217;60s are over.
The lecture continued: &#8220;Free market capitalism works in many ways to control political dissent, but one of its most insidious forms is by making protest, the kind that requires real, significant sacrifice, into something that is not only unnecessary but feels beside the point.&#8221;
Capitalism is &#8220;controlling&#8221; dissent in the NFL&#8217;s case by bending over backward to pander to the &#8220;social justice&#8221; crowd &#8230; off the field. Football fans hate having the game ruined with political sideshows. And ESPN discovered fans don&#8217;t want socialist sermonizing as a badgering interruption of their sports highlights.
But the left never wants to leave the game of football alone. Athletes lecturing in press conferences or on cable TV isn&#8217;t enough. They want to get in America&#8217;s face and spur outrage on Sunday afternoon. They want to divide — and conquer. But they didn&#8217;t. The Kaepernick side has been trounced, and they can&#8217;t (and won&#8217;t) acknowledge that the war is over, just like some leftists will never acknowledge that the fight over the Redskins&#8217; name is over.
This all makes sense. The left demands we have a never-ending &#8220;conversation&#8221; about how everything that&#8217;s ever caused America to succeed in the world is based on racist power structures. They can&#8217;t stand the idea of listening to a rebuttal from the other side.
L. Brent Bozell III is the president of the Media Research Center. Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org. To find out more about Brent Bozell III and Tim Graham, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Jay-Z

BOZELL & GRAHAM: Jay-Z Sells Out For The NFL?

Colin Kaepernick

A pair of seasoned, Los Angeles-based Black Lives Matter leaders recently traveled to Indiana to help local progressives organize residents against South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg as he contends for the Democratic presidential nomination.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/42812/black-lives-matter-leader-charged-battery-cop-jeffrey-cawood">Dr. Melina Abdullah</a>, who leads Black Lives Matter’s L.A. chapter (BLM-LA), headlined a community meeting last Wednesday attended by the family of Eric Logan, a 54-year-old black man who was shot and killed by a white South Bend police officer on June 16. She was accompanied by <a href="https://www.jasmyneacannick.com/black-lives-matter-activist-sues-after-arrest-during-l-a-police-commission/">Greg Akili</a>, a former union organizer who was <a href="https://lasentinel.net/power-concedes-nothing-without-disruption-a-response-to-the-los-angeles-police-commission-president.html">mentored</a> by Cesar Chavez in the early 1970s. They “were invited to South Bend to organize” in the wake of the officer-involved shooting death, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0FL1Tcg7ZT/">according</a> to BLM-LA.
“What we saw with the murder of Eric Logan at the hands of police really is an opportunity to revisit and re-engage around the questions of police violence in black communities,” Abdullah <a href="https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Black-Lives-Matter-Los-Angeles-co-founder-speaks-to-South-Bend-activists-512868161.html">told</a> a crowd of about 75 people gathered at a restaurant in downtown South Bend.
Attendees wanted to learn from Abdullah’s experiences, explore ways to collaborate with Black Lives Matter, and advance local organizing efforts targeting Buttigieg and the South Bend Police Department.
“This was about getting everybody in a room and empowering each other and moving forward,” <a href="https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/publicsafety/l-a-black-lives-matter-leader-tells-south-bend-audience/article_1f058c37-a0d8-5776-bf53-52b49fcb7aaf.html">said</a> Jorden Giger, founder of a newly-formed local activist group called BlackTavists, in an interview with the South Bend Tribune.
Giger organized the get-together following a Young Turks <a href="https://tyt.com/stories/4vZLCHuQrYE4uKagy0oyMA/aiSoItcpfC720NgAEZbRc">report</a> that said Sergeant Ryan O’Neill, the police officer who killed Logan, “had a history of allegations of racist language.”
O’Neill did not have his body camera turned on when he fired his handgun last month. Authorities <a href="https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/south-bend-police-officer-involved-in-fatal-shooting-resigns-from/article_39284f52-adfb-54ec-b830-d08ea9cad076.html">said</a> Logan approached O’Neill while holding a knife and refused orders to drop it. A special prosecutor is investigating the incident.
At a Black Lives Matter rally on July 13, BlackTavists issued a <a href="https://www.abc57.com/news/we-are-going-to-keep-fighting-another-list-of-demands-for-buttigieg-presented-at-black-lives-matter-rally">list of demands</a> for Buttigieg which included paying reparations to Logan’s family, fire or demote the police chief, and terminate Sgt. O’Neill, who went on to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-bend-police-officer-ryan-oneill-involved-in-fatal-shooting-of-eric-logan-has-resigned-from-police-force/">step down</a> from the police force last week.
“O’Neill resigned because of community pressure, so I think the community absolutely has to see that as one of their victories,” Abdullah, who is also a tenured professor at California State University, <a href="https://wsbt.com/news/local/black-lives-matter-activist-demands-justice-accountability-after-fatal-police-shooting">told</a> WSBT News. “It’s really important that South Bend folks remember that this is their moment.”
Dr. Abdullah launched a similar campaign against L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and the LAPD in 2016. Demonstrators allied with Black Lives Matter <a href="https://www.laweekly.com/the-faces-of-the-black-lives-matter-los-angeles-encampment-at-city-hall/">camped outside L.A. City Hall</a> for 54 days after police commissioners ruled that an officer-involved shooting had not violated LAPD’s deadly-force policy. Activists <a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/chapter/blm-los-angeles/">asked</a> Garcetti to fire the police chief and develop a reparations policy for the families of people killed by law enforcement, proposed reforms comparable to the recent demands made on Mayor Buttigieg. Abdullah and her allies <a href="https://twitter.com/DocMellyMel/status/956153973035053057">claimed victory</a> after LAPD Chief Charlie Beck announced his <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lapd-chief-beck-20180119-story.html">early retirement</a> last year.
Buttigieg temporarily <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/06/17/pete-buttigieg-pauses-campaign-after-south-bend-police-shooting/">suspended</a> his presidential campaign for several days following Logan’s death. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/06/21/pete-buttigieg-black-lives-matter-protesters-ebof-vpx.cnn">Video</a> of the mayor <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mayor-pete-buttigieg-protest-south-bend-black-lives-matter-confront-2020-democratic-hopeful/">addressing</a> a group of visibly angry black protestors back home went viral. The Indianapolis Star <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/07/18/takeaways-pete-buttigiegs-speech-indianapolis-young-democrats-of-american-convention-primary-2020/1684548001/">reports</a> that recent polling shows Buttigieg “at near zero percent with African American voters,” adding, he “kept hearing smatterings of ‘Black Lives Matter’” during an appearance at the Young Democrats of America Convention last Thursday night. While campaigning in Iowa over the weekend, Buttigieg <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/presidential-candidate-pete-buttigieg-white-supremacy-issue-ends/story?id=64465884&amp;cid=social_twitter_tw">told</a> ABC News that white supremacy “could be the lurking issue that ends this country.”
South Bend activists have organized a sit-in for August 3 to draw attention to the demands presented to Buttigieg. A flyer <a href="https://www.abc57.com/news/we-are-going-to-keep-fighting-another-list-of-demands-for-buttigieg-presented-at-black-lives-matter-rally">describes</a> the upcoming action as a “24-hour standoff” to take place at the County-City Building.
“We cannot lose this moment,” Abdullah <a href="https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Black-Lives-Matter-Los-Angeles-co-founder-speaks-to-South-Bend-activists-512868161.html">told</a> local organizers. “We have to save Eric Logan’s life, and the way in which his life was stolen can be used to preserve the lives of other people.”
A <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/06/26/south-bend-shooting-could-make-race-police-focal-point-campaign/?utm_term=.11d82e208dff">recent analysis</a> by Eugene Scott, who covers “identity politics” for the Washington Post, notes that the controversy in South Bend “has reintroduced to the national conversation the issues of police shootings and the relationship of law enforcement to black communities, in a way that has particular bearing on the 2020 Democratic field.”
BLM-LA <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0FL1Tcg7ZT/">posted</a> pictures of the South Bend excursion to Instagram, along with the caption: “As Mayor Pete Buttigieg runs for president, Black South Benders are demanding that he not forget about home.”
“The vision, power, and will of the Logan family and community were undeniable. Stay tuned! We’re definitely ‘going back to Indiana!’”
Follow Jeffrey Cawood on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffreycawood">@JeffreyCawood</a>.

Black Lives Matter Leaders Travel To South Bend To Organize Residents Against Mayor Pete

A group of Black Lives Matter activists who staged a mutiny to oust the leader of the Sacramento chapter have formed their own organization, claiming to be the city’s only “official” affiliate sanctioned by the greater Black Lives Matter governing body.
<a href="https://fox40.com/2019/07/15/sacramento-chapter-of-black-lives-matter-put-on-hiatus-amid-leadership-issues/">According</a> to FOX 40 News, national Black Lives Matter leaders recently ordered Tanya Faison to relinquish her leadership role with Black Lives Matter Sacramento after several current and former members <a href="https://sacblog.newsreview.com/2019/06/04/the-fight-for-black-lives-matter-sacramento/">alleged</a> “an addiction to the power she was given,” along with “patterns of abuse.” In May, the seditious faction had asked Faison to “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/47990/mutiny-black-lives-matter-members-demand-leader-jeffrey-cawood">publicly resign” and seek “intensive counseling</a>.”
Faison, who <a href="http://www.capradio.org/articles/2019/05/29/black-lives-matter-sacramento-members-move-to-oust-founder-claim-patterns-of-abuse/">founded</a> BLM Sacramento in 2015, has refused to step down. She is the only individual with access to the organization’s Facebook and Twitter accounts and continues to post from them, resulting in her detractors being forced to establish a separate activist group.
“Unfortunately, there’s one person who has control over Black Lives Matter Sacramento platforms, web pages, finances and things of that nature,” explained Sonia Lewis, an organizer with the newly formed Sacramento for Black Lives, which <a href="https://twitter.com/BlackSacramento">describes</a> itself as “Sacramento’s official Black Lives Matter chapter.”
FOX 40 obtained a letter that instructs Faison to “cease speaking on behalf of and/or representing Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc. and Black Lives Matter Network, Inc. through social media or any other means.” The directive came from the <a href="https://blacklivesmatter.com/about/">BLM Global Network</a>, a syndicate of activist groups operating under the BLM brand that serves as the parent organization to official chapters in several cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Toronto and the District of Columbia.
Last Friday, Faison and her allies used the Black Lives Matter Sacramento digital platforms to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatterSac/posts/2353906664886173?__xts__%5b0%5d=68.ARCa8fOo3-WKGjye0Bt04J4neg2_uU6LHSBZ-Lxi7nOiJP44OGHn1oKFMgJmS4327mkXN7pBo_PF20BKL_jeuRvsEI0wOT4G4PG1jEjYHPngX75wE85QmAMOdrVKO6U65_hOjmDQvCdqS6fzyD0r7ynPvIkgeKXhjhc9VW0LEvmcYpl-H3DT5XbmMQc7ofMmrBqp0fV3waELEcb2Zlk6XTtYvJfiU6hyGpondU5w1yHSlHfMBgdcFzfRcF4_gv-HinxsZqyMGcOps8M0i5-EEYXzISvFhTAjHJC_RrtjVVqgmr0gUSQrlSzwa_7Fs2tMqu3p0FyuZQJoJnl7KQ8-8cJvrEpU&amp;__tn__=-R">announce</a> the organization she heads was no longer aligned with the BLM Global Network.
“They’ve told us not to speak on behalf of the national organization, and so we’ve made it very well known that we’re not speaking on behalf of the national organization,” Faison told FOX 40 on Monday afternoon. Faison has tweeted some heated rhetoric about abolishing the police in Sacramento <a href="https://twitter.com/tanyafaison/status/1142322506335805445">here</a>.
It is unclear whether Faison’s group will eventually change its name or continue organizing as BLM Sacramento. Some activist groups that identify themselves as “Black Lives Matter” are <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/07/19/kansas-black-lives-matter-holds-picnic-police-instead-protest/87299934/">unaffiliated</a> with the BLM Global Network, frequently creating <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/28961/black-lives-matter-group-changes-name-claims-jeffrey-cawood">confusion</a> for those unfamiliar with the black power movement while <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/21404/black-lives-matter-dc-condemns-fake-blm-group-jeffrey-cawood">sparking condemnation</a> from members representing official, certified BLM chapters.
<a href="https://sacblog.newsreview.com/2019/06/04/the-fight-for-black-lives-matter-sacramento/">According</a> to Faison, the uprising against her began about two months ago, shortly after she started receiving compensation as BLM Sacramento’s only paid employee. The funding came from a private health foundation called the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/25325/health-foundation-helps-black-lives-matter-spread-jeffrey-cawood">California Endowment</a>, which bankrolls several progressive causes throughout the state. Money trickled down to Faison through a local nonprofit, where she held the title of black liberation director.
The Sacramento Bee <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article231329913.html">reports</a> that the rebellion resulted in Faison losing that financial backing:
The new group’s board voted to terminate Faison from her position as &#8220;black liberation director,’&#8221; and she received her last check from the California Endowment…said Ben Hudson Jr., executive director of the Sacramento-based Gender Health Center. The nonprofit is the organization’s fiscal sponsor, meaning the grant money flows through it until the organization achieves nonprofit status, Hudson has said.
The two-year grant for $100,000 from the California Endowment, which was awarded recently, will continue to flow to Sacramento for Black Lives, not Faison’s group, Hudson said.
For nearly four years, Faison has been the public face of Black Lives Matter in Sacramento. She organized numerous protests that generated <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sacramento-stephon-clark-protesters-sacramento-kings-lockout-delay/">national publicity</a> around officer-involved shootings, most notably the death of Stephon Clark. Faison led <a href="http://www.capradio.org/articles/2019/04/02/sacramento-black-lives-matter-leader-arrested-at-restaurant-while-demonstrating-during-speech-by-district-attorney/">demonstrations</a> against the district attorney, <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article166539657.html">feuded</a> with the county sheriff, and <a href="https://www.nba.com/kings/build-black-sacramento-kings">partnered</a> with the Sacramento Kings NBA basketball team “to fundamentally transform Black communities” in the region.
“#TanyaFaison has definitely contributed to the beautiful body of work that is #BLMSacramento,” Lewis <a href="https://twitter.com/SoniaSaidItTho/status/1137196752505716737">tweeted</a> last month after the formation of Sacramento for Black Lives. “This shift isn’t about silencing/erasing her.”
“As the majority group we would hope and wish her well in healing,” Lewis went on to <a href="https://www.abc10.com/article/news/black-lives-matter-sacramento-announces-change-in-leadership/103-3ffc6830-1d68-4a71-ab5d-9f05e557788c">tell</a> ABC 10. “Eventually the community will tire of two groups, and hopefully other folks will encourage that much-needed rest that we think that she needs.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/47990/mutiny-black-lives-matter-members-demand-leader-jeffrey-cawood">RELATED: MUTINY: Black Lives Matter Members Demand Leader ‘Publicly Resign’ And Seek ‘Intensive Counseling’</a>
Follow Jeffrey Cawood on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffreyCawood">@JeffreyCawood</a>.

REVOLT: Black Lives Matter Activists Shun Leader, Form New Chapter Claiming ‘Official’ Status

Sacramento

On Monday, Black Lives Matter leader Shaun King praised a self-identified far-left Antifa member who tried to attack an immigration detention center in Tacoma, Washington over the weekend. King lionized the armed attacker, whom The Daily Wire will not name, as “the first martyr attempting to liberate imprisoned refugees” in a series of tweets the activist has since quietly deleted.
“[Name] just became the first martyr attempting to liberate imprisoned refugees from a for-profit detention center in Tacoma, Washington,” posted King in his first now-<a href="https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/1150762544233140225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">deleted</a> tweet. “His hero was John Brown -the white abolitionist who led the raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. This is what our country has come to.”
Of the would-be terrorist’s “manifesto,” King praised it as “a beautiful, painful, devastating letter.”
“We are told that this is the final letter of [name] – who was shot and killed by law enforcement as he attempted an attack on a for-profit refugee detention center in Tacoma, Washington,” he wrote. “It’s a beautiful, painful, devastating letter.”
King also noted that the man “wasn’t crazy,” but “inaction is,” seemingly suggesting that others attack detention centers.
This tweet was <a href="https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/1150764744292388864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">deleted</a>, too.
In the activist’s final tweet which was also soon <a href="https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/1150769126777995266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">deleted</a>, King said, “This is where [name] was murdered this weekend. His actions will be called terrorism and people will call him crazy, but neither are true. His mind was very clear. He is now ‘arm in arm with John Brown.’ These camps must be shut down.”
According to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/13/us/tacoma-detention-center-shooting.html">report</a> from The New York Times, a statement from authorities said the attacker was armed with a rifle and was “throwing unspecified ‘incendiary devices’ at the Northwest Detention Center.”
“One car was fully engulfed in flames,” said the Tacoma Police Department’s Officer Loretta Cool.
The attacker “attempted and failed to ignite a commercial-sized propane tank attached to the center, said Shawn Fallah, the resident agent in charge of the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility,” the Times noted.
“This could have resulted in the mass murder of staff and detainees housed at the facility,” Fallah said. “These are the kinds of incidents that keep you up at night.”
King has a habit of firing-off unsavory or patently false tweets on his massive Twitter platform and then later deleting them. In April, the noted race hustler wrongly connected a white man to the tragic murder of seven-year-old Jazmine Barnes, who is black. King claimed racial malice, of course, and the family of the man King wrongly connected to the killing was immediately flooded with threats. The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/41978/family-man-shaun-king-wrongfully-connected-jazmine-emily-zanotti">reported</a> at the time:
<blockquote>“<a href="https://abc13.com/5032056/?sf205595169=1">In a now-deleted post</a>, King asked his followers, ‘What more can you tell me about Robert Cantrell?&#8230;We&#8217;ve had 20 people call or email us and tell us he is a racist, violent a**hole and always has been. Just tell me everything you know.’” </blockquote>
But the man arrested for killing the child is a 20-year-old black male, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/07/us/jazmine-barnes-shooting-differing-accounts/index.html">noted</a> by CNN.

BLM’s Shaun King Quietly Deletes Outrageous Tweets Praising Antifa Attacker

Antifa

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Shaun King

While Duke University’s student newspaper, <a href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/02/aipac-ilhan-omar-and-the-blockade-on-critiquing-israel">The Chronicle</a>, characterizes Israel as a “murderous” country with “genocidal policies” and defends Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) anti-Semitic tropes, the Ford Foundation makes the Tar Heel State the focus of intense “social-justice investing.”
Long a hotbed of anti-Israel activism, the left-wing, New York-based philanthropic institution is the fifth-largest in the United States as of 2017, reporting $13.7 billion in assets.
The foundation’s original benefactor, automaker Henry Ford, was a Nazi sympathizer admired enough by Adolph Hitler to be mentioned by name in “Mein Kampf.” Ford distributed anti-Jewish propaganda in the form of a book titled “The International Jew,” and promoted the fraudulent work of anti-Semitic hatred known as “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”
The Ford Foundation today carries on Henry Ford’s shameful legacy by funding anti-Israel activism.
In 2003, Ford’s grantmaking was too much even for far-left U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), now House Judiciary Committee chairman, who <a href="https://nadler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=390565">complained</a> when the Ford Foundation was caught funding “organizations that openly instigate anti-Semitism, call for the destruction of Israel, or engage in the promotion of violence.”
Ford gave the notorious New Israel Fund $42.3 million from 2000 – 2011, according to IRS filings. New Israel Fund, in turn, <a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2013/10/31/edwin-blacks-financing-the-flames-connects-new-israel-fund-to-historic-ford-foundation-anti-israel-activism/">donated</a> to hundreds of smaller nonprofits, many of which engaged in anti-Israel advocacy.
But nowadays, Ford advances its anti-Israel agenda more stealthily.
Ford <a href="http://www.fordfoundation.org/ideas/equals-change-blog/posts/why-black-lives-matter-to-philanthropy/">embraces</a> the controversial Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. In August 2016, BLM <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/black-lives-matter-offshoot-embraces-anti-semitism-engages-with-terrorists">singled out Israel for condemnation</a>, declaring it an “apartheid” state engaged in “genocide.” The decision to single out the only Jewish state is blatantly anti-Semitic.
In North Carolina, Ford has funded a number of groups that promote the Hamas-supported BDS movement, which aims to use boycotts, divestment and sanctions to cripple the State of Israel.
One of the key groups in Ford’s Black Lives Matter portfolio is Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), which unites leftist radicalism with a hatred of Israel. Ford gave the group $1.7 million in 2017 for “youth organizing.”
Ford also funded the North Carolina-based Southern Vision Alliance (DVA), whose staff overlaps with BYP100, giving the group $100,000 in 2017. SVA promotes BDS propaganda.
Ajamu Amiri Dillahunt of BYP100 <a href="http://blackyouthproject.com/continuing-the-tradition-of-black-youth-organizations-solidarity-with-palestine/">laid bare the radicalism</a> of his group in a 2018 op-ed. The Durham chapter was “a coalition partner with the Demilitarize! Durham2Palestine campaign connecting our struggle against police violence to the Palestinian struggle against the violence of the IDF,” he wrote.
In a <a href="https://youtu.be/ElYUODNsWb4">Real News video</a>, Dillahunt said: “The Israeli Defense Force [sic] brutalizes and terrorizes the people of Palestine and so does the Durham Police Department. Here they brutalize and terrorize black and brown communities. So the U.S. funds billions of dollars to the Israeli occupation.”
BYP100 teamed up with the anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine and others to pass the first municipal BDS policy in the U.S. in Durham, North Carolina.
In April 2018, Durham <a href="https://www.jns.org/durham-n-c-becomes-first-american-city-to-ban-police-training-with-israel/">became the first U.S. city</a> to prohibit its police from participating in “military-style training” with police abroad, a move interpreted by critics as part of an effort to isolate Israel and erode support for the Jewish state inside the U.S. The <a href="https://indyweek.com/news/archives/drawing-accusations-anti-semitism-durham-city-council-passes-statement-police-exchanges/">resolution</a>, approved 6-0 by the city council, states: “The council opposes international exchanges with any country in which Durham officers receive military-style training since such exchanges do not support the kind of policing we want here in the City of Durham.”
The coalition claimed in a petition that the IDF and Israeli police “have a long history of violence and harm against Palestinian people and Jews of Color … using tactics of extrajudicial killing, excessive force, racial profiling, and repression of social justice movements. … These tactics further militarize U.S. police forces that train in Israel, and this training helps the police terrorize Black and Brown communities here in the U.S.”
Ford funding has no doubt helped to advance the anti-Israel cause in North Carolina, spurring activism it has not underwritten.
The U.S. Department of Education (DoE) is <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/education-department-unc-duke-gaza-conference-anti-semitism-allegations">investigating</a> whether anti-Semitism played a part in a <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/46045/hammer-duke-and-unc-should-both-be-ashamed-their-josh-hammer">taxpayer-supported conference titled “Conflict over Gaza: People, Politics, and Possibilities,”</a> held March 22-24 at UNC-Chapel Hill. Rep. George Holding (R-NC) wrote Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in April, claiming the conference featured “severe anti-Israeli bias and explicit anti-Semitism.” Funds from a DoE grant were used to produce the conference.
Speakers and panelists “distorted facts and misrepresented the complex situation in Gaza,” and several speakers are involved in the BDS movement, Holding wrote.
The UNC Center for Middle East &amp; Islamic Studies <a href="https://mideast.unc.edu/conflict-over-gaza-conference-report/">acknowledged</a> hip-hop artist Tamer Nafar performed his song, “Mama, I Fell in Love with a Jew,” at the conference.
Calling it “my anti-Semitic song,” Nafar asked the audience to sing along, saying, “I need your help. I can’t be anti-Semitic alone, try it with me together.”
Taxpayers, alas, are funding hate at UNC.
Vadum is formerly Senior Vice President and Senior Fellow at Capital Research Center. He is a contributor to the news and public policy group <a href="https://salomoncenter.org">Haym Salomon Center</a> and an independent investigative reporter in Washington, D.C. Vadum is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Team-Jihad-Sharia-Supremacists-Collaborate-Civilization/dp/1545237654">&#8220;Team Jihad: How Sharia-Supremacists Collaborate with Leftists to Destroy the United States&#8221;</a> (Center for Security Policy Press, 2017).
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46045/hammer-duke-and-unc-should-both-be-ashamed-their-josh-hammer">&#8220;Duke And UNC Should Both Be Ashamed Of Their Co-Hosted Jew-Bashing Conference</a>.&#8221;

VADUM: The Radicalization Of Campus Anti-Semitism In North Carolina

Anti-Semitism

Education

Ford Motor Co.

Israel

North Carolina

Police

Students for Justice in Palestine

An activist coalition in Los Angeles recently <a href="https://www.aclusocal.org/en/press-releases/lausd-ends-random-searches-schools">claimed victory</a> after education officials voted to end mandatory, random student searches in the city’s public schools, a policy that has been in place for nearly 26 years.
United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), a union that represents more than 31,000 educators in the L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD), partnered with the ACLU, Black Lives Matter, and student-led organizations that claim the practice unfairly discriminates against black, brown, and Muslim children, creating an authoritarian environment that makes some schoolkids more likely to become incarcerated in the future.
“This is some of the most significant work of the Black Lives Matter movement…the disruption of the school-to-prison pipeline,” <a href="https://twitter.com/DocMellyMel/status/1141279113388404741">tweeted</a> Dr. Melina Abdullah, lead organizer of Black Lives Matter’s official L.A. chapter. “Our children’s bodies and spirits will no longer be violated by those who seek to criminalize them in schools.”
The resolution was approved by the school board last month with a 4-3 vote. <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-random-searches-lausd-20190618-story.html">According</a> to the Los Angeles Times, it “calls for the superintendent to end the searches by July 2020, and to come up with an alternative policy that would avoid an increased police presence at schools.”
The Times went on to report that “under the current policy, administrators search students.”
However, some activists who advocated for the change see it as part of a long-term plan to remove law enforcement officers from the district altogether. Dr. Abdullah, who is also a college professor, once referenced an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/26194/black-lives-matter-youth-vanguard-organizes-jeffrey-cawood">incremental strategy</a> to eradicate police from school grounds, which includes “taking an abolitionist approach, and beginning by ending random searches.”
The L.A. School Police Department is the <a href="https://achieve.lausd.net/Page/15609">14th largest force in California</a>, protecting <a href="https://achieve.lausd.net/about">more than 600,000 students</a> on more than 1,000 LAUSD campuses. The L.A. Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-lausd-teachers-strike-guide-20190113-story.html">reports</a> that “the overwhelming majority” of pupils enrolled in the district “come from low-income families.”
Student-led groups, like the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/26194/black-lives-matter-youth-vanguard-organizes-jeffrey-cawood">Black Lives Matter Youth Vanguard</a> and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/27046/black-lives-matter-rally-causes-rift-between-jeffrey-cawood">Schools L.A. Students Deserve</a>, have spent years <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/17157/la-public-school-teacher-whiteness-not-default-jeffrey-cawood">rallying</a> their classmates, teachers, and parents against the random search policy. Both organizations advocate for abolishing police in schools and include top organizers who have been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/26194/black-lives-matter-youth-vanguard-organizes-jeffrey-cawood">mentored</a> by Dr. Abdullah. The teachers union <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/43949/los-angeles-honors-black-lives-matter-youth-jeffrey-cawood">negotiated</a> on the student-activists’ behalf in a deal that ended a six-day strike in January.
As NBC4 Los Angeles <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/LAUSD-students-not-suspects-searches-metal-detectors-vote-motion-stop-511467412.html">recently reported</a>:
Vice President of United Teachers Los Angeles Cecily Myart-Cruz said the union convened with student groups earlier this year to discuss what they wanted in the bargaining package following the recent strikes. As part of the settlement with LAUSD, the union’s contract stipulated that the random searches formally come to an end, with an immediate stop to the policy in nearly 20 schools, she added.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BLMLA/status/1093166075355774976?s=20">According</a> to Black Lives Matter-L.A., at least two of its members are also high-ranking officials with the teachers union, including UTLA Vice President Cecily Myart-Cruz. She <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/LAUSD-students-not-suspects-searches-metal-detectors-vote-motion-stop-511467412.html">commended</a> the students “for standing up for their civil rights” and “for speaking truth to power on this issue.” While lobbying to end the searches, student-activists <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/student-organizers-protesting-random-weapons-searches">demonstrated outside of the homes</a> of the superintendent and school board president, along with organizing a sit-in at district headquarters during the work stoppage earlier this year.
“The sentiment is high to end this policy because we know it’s not random,” Myart-Cruz <a href="https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/LAUSD-students-not-suspects-searches-metal-detectors-vote-motion-stop-511467412.html">said</a>. “We don’t stand behind the students, and the students don’t stand behind us. We are standing shoulder to shoulder in this fight.”
The school board’s decision puts an end to search procedures that were first <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-random-searches-lausd-20190618-story.html">implemented</a> in 1993 after two high school students were shot to death on separate LAUSD campuses a month apart. In 2011, district officials required daily searches at secondary schools after another shooting left two students injured.
Moving forward, the coalition <a href="https://www.aclusocal.org/en/press-releases/lausd-ends-random-searches-schools">plans</a> to “advocate for the district to invest meaningfully in programs such as restorative justice, positive behavior interventions, and peer mediations.”
UTLA’s bond with Black Lives Matter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/27046/black-lives-matter-rally-causes-rift-between-jeffrey-cawood">created a conflict</a> with the school police department last year when the union used its social media platforms to encourage “youth of color” to organize against “the over-policing” of schools.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/27046/black-lives-matter-rally-causes-rift-between-jeffrey-cawood">RELATED: Black Lives Matter Rally Causes Rift Between Teachers Union and School Police. Cop Groups Investigate After Daily Wire Article</a>.
Follow Jeffrey Cawood on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffreyCawood">@JeffreyCawood</a>.

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