Blog Poppin'

Farai Chideya of Pop & Politics has started her own blog. About time! Here's a tidbit from today:

PBS program Media Matters explores the political impact of blogging on its next show, airing at 10pm Thursday January 16. (Or other times, check local listings.) Among other things, it credits bloggers with keeping the pressure on Trent Lott to resign. Other topics include coverage of U.S. policy on Iraq and photos too controversial to run in the papers.

I'll have more to say about her new blog, Pop & Politics, and maybe Women & Minorities, the group blog/site soon.

Mainstream My Behind

Mainstream Ahead in Black Publishing

Patrik Henry Bass, Essence magazine's book editor, sees this predicament: "Looking among the catalogs, publishers are not giving the readers what they want, which are books that are empowering, reflective, educational. Books are supposed to supply information, not just escapism." He continued: "The books they are publishing wouldn't resonate over a long period."

Citing Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Ntozake Shange and others, all still in print, he said, "I don't see that level of quality, only quantity."

It's always been, and for the foreseeable future, will remain a question of dollars. The publishing industry still thinks Black readers are a fad. They are all waiting for the glorious day when "the Latina Terry McMillan" arrives — then they'll jettison Black imprints and backlists.

Still Obsessed

I haven't forgotten about the Central Park 5 case. Yes, the convictions have been overturned. But the NYPD is set to release their own report on the case. Anyone that believes it'll be a fair, impartial examination of the truth should see me about buying the largest bridge in my hometown.

One of the architects behind the frameup of the Central Park 5 is Linda Fairstein. I hope to question her about her involvement in that mess as well as her behind-the-scenes scheming to keep them in jail. She'll have a book signing and discussion at Barnes & Noble Tuesday, January 21st:

Upper West Side at 7:30pm
2289 Broadway at 82nd Street

If you have better things to do with your life, check out —

Walter Mosley reading, discussing & signing
Six Easy Pieces: Easy Rawlings Stories
Barnes & Noble, Union Square at 7:00pm
33 East 17th Street at Broadway

[Links to Amazon.com related pages here]

Get Out The Way

Breslin is dead on again:

Newsday.com: Powell: Act Or Resign

"Fame if you win it,
/"It comes and goes in a minute."

That was written by Jule Styne, who was right off the streets and bet the entire card every day they put one up.

And Colin Powell, whose family made the first move from the South Bronx to Queens when they hit the number, should know that Styne classic: "Make Someone Happy," by heart.

The person he should make happy is himself. For he is going to be a man with ruined insides if he lives in the illusion of importance while Bush and those around him scheme and slander and rip away the chance of blacks ever living like whites.

Only Colin Powell doesn't seem in a frenzy to storm into Iraq and bomb and kill and steal the oil wells. He also is the only one in the building who has heard a gun go off. But after this speech at the Republican convention, any illusion that he had put stripes of decency on so many arms dissolves with Bush attacking affirmative action to his face. After this, how can Bush care what Powell says about war in Iraq? Bush just acted like he was underage when he snarled, "I'm sick and tired" of Saddam.

Powell's record could show that he was present and helpless when affirmative action for blacks was brazenly attacked by the government. Which then went into a war he was against.

I don't have anything to add to Bush II's racist move. I'll just quote my recent computer student: "This is bullshit!"

[ via George's big ass update ]

Quote of the Night

ronn taylor, 'honorary white man'

As promised, I attended a book discussion and signing for former Manhattan ADA Linda Fairstein. I don't have much to say right now. I was very disappointed and intend to listen to as much of the City Council hearings on NYPD misconduct and abuse when they start next week (?).

Sadly, most of the African Americans in attendance at last night's appearance were kicked out. Because I wasn't, NY Amsterdam News reporter Yusef Salaam (no relation to the Central Park 5's Yusuf Salaam) referred to me as "the honorary white man" as he was being escorted from the premises by security and the police.

Sharonne Salaam demonstrated lots of restraint after the store manager defamed her and she was forced to leave the event. At no time did she interrupt, harass or confront Fairstein or her supporters. The manager claimed she had standing death threats against Fairstein and the discussion and signing would not continue with her in attendance.

More to come.

Shuckin' & Jivin' For the Right

Bob Johnson's New Millennium Minstrel Show

"What are my responsibilities to black people at large?" Johnson asked rhetorically in an interview with C-SPAN in 1992. "If I help my family get over and deal with the problems they might confront, then I have achieved that one goal that is my responsibility to society at large."

Linda Fairstein, Lying Coward

I'm just going to write out my experience and impressions from the other night's book discussion and signing by former Manhattan ADA Linda Fairstein. I briefly discussed it two posts ago. [Apologies in advance for the lack of links and the length. I am much too lazy to make it concise and shorter.]

I arrived at the 82nd Street Barnes & Noble about 45 minutes early. There were perhaps a half dozen polite protesters in front of the store. They were carrying signs denouncing Fairstein's handling of the Central Park 5 case and would occasionally utter charges about her performance in the case.

Since I had some time, I picked up a few books to peruse until the event began. Just before sitting down in the third row, I overheard a store employee (assistant manager?) telling another that she should rush to the front of the store should protesters interrupt the event.

An older African American male sat in the first row a few minutes before the event began. He had his coat draped on his seat since before I got there. I thought I recognized him and would later realize that he's Yusef Salaam, a reporter for the New York Amsterdam News. He constantly looked to the rear of the appearance area, possibly expecting a late-arriving friend.

Fairstein came out, was briefly introduced and talked about 12 minutes about her current book, the writing process and influences. She than asked for questions from the audience. The very first question came from a middle-aged white male. I was surprised by the question, but later came to believe it was a plant: "Fifteen years ago you were the prosecutor behind the convictions of five young men. Those convictions have been overturned. Do you have any comments about that?"

Given her response and the soft question, I wouldn't be surprised if that man was there solely to lob such a soft question. To paraphrase Fairstein: Just because the convictions were tossed doesn't make the Central Park 5 innocent. There is much more evidence to come, especially with the forthcoming NYPD report on the case and NY City Council hearings. There will be shock when new details and evidence is presented, "but I'm here to talk about my book" blah blah blah.

She tried to twist the facts of the case, as if everyone says/believes the Central Park 5 are innocent of all of the crimes they were once convicted of. It's really a moot point at there is no way that a new, impartial trial can be had. Really, given all of the evidence that's come out since Matias Reyes' confession, there is serious doubt any convictions would have been obtained in the original trials. The NYPD has a vested interest in making the convictions and the perceptions they spawned stick (more on that later) and the City Council hearings will focus on Police brutality and misconduct with an outlook to improve the NYPD in those and other areas. And I'd be shocked if anyone believes the rumors (alluded to by Fairstein, I believe) that Kharey Wise is a muslim leader that forced Reyes to falsely confess to raping Patricia Meili.

A couple more people asked questions and then Salaam asked her, "You mentioned Admiral Perry and how he shamelessly exhibited five Inoit people. Don't you feel you did the same thing with five innocent boys almost fifteen years ago?" (He also expressed doubt the NYPD report would shed light on the case and felt Fairstein should not have been included in Manhattan DA's Robert Morgenthau's report since she -- and the police -- has a conflict of interest and could conceivably face charges for her actions and inactions.)

Fairstein kept her cool, but you could tell that she was visibly upset with the question/statement and its implications. She reiterated her earlier statement about wanting to discuss her book and when Salaam failed to ask her directly about the book, she moved on to the next question.

Not too long afterwards, Sharonne Salaam — mother of the Central Park 5's Yusuf Salaam — entered the area and sat next to Yusef Salaam. Just before she did I thought Mr. Salaam was motioning for me to join him in the front row. I declined and was surprised that no one appeared to recognize Ms. Salaam. But that changed about ten minutes later when Fairstein interrupted her discussion and whispered something to the woman that apparently ran the event (she lead out and introduced Fairstein and took decisive positions later during the heated exchanges to come). A second store security guard and two undercover police officers soon moved to the front of the reading area and kept looking in the direction of Ms. Salaam.

Then all hell broke loose. Any question by an African American on the case was met with hostility by Fairstein, and increasingly, by white members of the audience. When a Black man spoke loudly about Fairstein framing the Central Park 5 the woman that appeared to run the event (Fairstein's Defender from this point) interrupted him and shouting began between the two opposing factions. Yusef Salaam got up and walked to the protester and screamed that he should be allowed to finish his statement/question with the store manager, Fairstein's defender and many of the white attendees yelling for him to be removed. He was, as well as most of the Black audience members, about half of whom began chanting "Fairstein's got blood on her hands" and other slogans as they exited the store.

Fairstein was visibly shaken and said she wasn't running out because of the protests, but would return shortly. A police office escorted her to a back room while the protestors were surrounded by police and security. After that group was led out, the store manager (CJ?) returned and told Mr. Salaam that he had interrupted the event that and the he was being asked to leave. He at first refused and then shouted that CJ "better not touch [me]!" and then preceded to grab his coat. Whether because I remained calm or did not leave on my own, Salaam pointed in my direction and said (again, paraphrasing) "Black people gotta leave, huh? Everybody but honorary white people like him! All niggers out of the store!"

I shrugged it off (at first) and things became calm again. There was polite whispering between attendees while we waited for Fairstein to return. Before she did, CJ walked from the back room where Fairstein was holed up and told Ms. Salaam, "Miss Salaam, you have standing death threats against Miss Fairstein so I have to ask you to leave."

Salaam was calm, but incredulous. She said CJ was slandering her and that if she was guilty of such, then she should be arrested. She simply left with most of the remaining Black attendees leaving with her. Counting myself, there were maybe four, five African Americans remaining seated, and one began videotaping Salaam's exit (he was taping earlier and directed to stop) and I got off a couple shots with my digital camera. By the point, I had already taken three shots, albeit that last one was with a flash. That caused Fairstein's defender to yell at me and the audience that Barnes and Noble doesn't allow cameras and taping at book signings. News to me. Not that I doubt the policy, but I've never seen it enforced at any B&N and in fact, have seen staff members taking photographs of fans with writers.

Fairstein returned and rambled "You have to understand that people like that, not all of them, but most of them, during the original trial, would call me a Jew bitch. So you understand why I had to leave." While I'll admit that several protestors during the originals trials did yell some mean, nasty, even racist stuff at the prosecutors, Miss Salaam was never a part of that. She has been vocal, even got kicked out of her son's trial, but never has she been racist or nasty. Even though she had every reason to be the latter.

When the discussion part of the event was ending, a Black woman was slated to ask the last question. The audience interrupted her and Fairstein's defender asked Fairstein to pick someone else to ask the last question. Of course she choose a white woman from a group that supports Fairstein. Instead of asking a question, she simply praised Fairstein for supporting her group and demanded that we all praise her for her work with women's groups.

The signing portion began and I walked around listening to conversations, asking questions and talking about the facts of the Central Park 5 case. A Mr. Gilchrist (can't remember his first name right now) of the Gilchrist Experience was in a somewhat heated discussion with a self-described Jew. I mention that last point because it lead to discussions of American civil rights vis-a-vis the relationship between Blacks and Jews, the history of racism here and abroad and even to whether or not Jesus was a rabbi.

Mr. Gilchrist invited me to a future live taping of his show on MNN (public access on Manhattan cable systems) to discuss the case since "[I] know so much about the case." I accepted his invitation and will let all know the details to come.

A reporter for the Village Voice asked me a few questions, so I'll post any article that results from that and a brief convo we had. Just hope that statement I made about Barnes & Noble, Hitler and Mein Kampf is excised should she quote me for the article.

Update:
THE WINSTON GILCHRIST EXPERIENCE airs live Tuesdays afternoons (4:30pm) on Channels 34/107. It is a "political, historical, economical discussion of current and past American world events."

Lies, Damn Lies & NYPD Lies

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - CENTRAL PARK JOGGER CASE PANEL REPORT

To determine whether police policy or procedures needed to be changed as a result of the Central Park jogger case, the Police Commissioner asked our panel to review the events of April 19, 1989, and thereafter, that resulted in the convictions of Kharey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam and Raymond Santana (the “defendants”), for assault, robbery and riot in the course of attacks on various individuals, and for the rape and sexual abuse of a female jogger. Defendants moved to vacate and dismiss all of their convictions on the basis of a claim by an imprisoned serial rapist/killer named Matias Reyes that he raped the jogger that night, and that he committed the crime alone. New York County District Attorney Robert Morgenthau consented to the defendants’ motions and, on December 19, 2002, the convictions were vacated and dismissed by Justice Charles Tejada.

Read the entire set of lies, implausible scenarios and outright distortions here (opens a PDF file).