National

‘Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!’ Activist Says Ferguson Struggle Far from Over

Published

11 years ago

February 24, 2015

Anthony Shahid, in black, marches with Michael Brown, Sr. in t-shirt and Akbar Muhammad to the left to Shadid’s right is activist Zaki Baruti in yellow shirt. Photo: D.L. Phillips

by Richard B. Muhammad
Special to the NNPA from The Final Call

(FinalCall.com) – Anthony Shahid has a 30-year history in the St. Louis-area and for the last six months the activist has been focused on the killing of Michael Brown, Jr., and demands for justice in a struggle that has had a global impact. The outspoken Muslim has become a friend and supporter of Michael Brown, Sr., and has stood with the mother, Lesley McSpadden, and the family since the first day the 18-year-old was killed and lay in the street in Ferguson, Mo.

Video capture from news broadcast the day Michael Brown, Jr. was killed. Anthony Shahid is in the background.

His face and garb may be familiar whether wearing chains or a KKK-style robe, carrying whips or holding stuffed dogs to dramatize deadly serious points and concerns—even if his name is unfamiliar. He also started the chant, “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!” that has captivated America and other countries and illustrates an unarmed Brown being shot to death by Officer Darren Wilson in the eyes of many.

The struggle and the fight isn’t over, said Mr. Shahid, 59, in a telephone interview, where he shared memories of the struggle from day one, talked about all those who were there from the beginning and his unshakable respect and regard for young people. He doesn’t take credit for everything, he isn’t a one-man show and he doesn’t seek praise. What he wants is justice for Black people, a cause that has fueled his life and made him unpopular with many of the powerful but loved by many of those who suffer.

Anthony Shahid leads protest in Clayton, Mo. demanding justice for Miichael Brown, Jr. Photo: DL Phillips

If the young people had not done what was done, if a convenience store had not been burned, if the young people had not faced off with the racist police, this would have been forgotten, he stressed. Young people have been there from the beginning, are tired of injustice and tired of being shot down like dogs, Mr. Shahid said. He relates fully to their anger and their outrage and wants to make sure they remain engaged and at the forefront of the struggle. He has directly confronted armed officers and led protests and marchers, facing riot gear and inhaling tear gas.

He plans to go to Selma the weekend of March 7 with young people as part of what he calls the “Selma to Ferguson struggle.” Fifty years ago Blacks had to fight for voting rights and today voting rights are under assault and 50 years ago the killing of Jimmy Lee Jackson ignited a movement and the killing of Mike Brown, Jr., ignited a movement, he said. There is also tension between older leaders today and young people who are demanding change now and Blacks have the potential to vote out Whites in power April 7 in Ferguson, Mo., Mr. Shahid added.

Then the weekend of March 20-21, there are plans for mass demonstrations in the St. Louis area, in Clayton, Mo., the seat of government and power on March 20 and in Ferguson, Mo., on March 21, he said. The movement isn’t over, none of our demands—which included the indictment of Off. Wilson, removal of county prosecutor Bob McCullough and ouster of Ferguson’s mayor and police chief, have happened, Mr. Shahid said.

He vividly remembers the day Ferguson resident David Royal called him about the shooting of young Brown. He had already heard about problems in the St. Louis suburb and was trying to set up a meeting about concerns over discrimination, 53 police officers and only three Blacks, and targeting of Blacks with traffic stops. He ended up on the scene watching a grieving mother, pained residents, angry youth, heavily armed officers and a phalanx of snarling police dogs. The fight was on from there and Anthony Shahid is not known for backing down from a fight, he is known for going straight at the opposition.

Looking into the faces of officers, some with hands on their guns, he told the crowd to put their hands in the air, just as Michael Brown did, and chanted, “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot! Don’t shoot us in the back!”

“Our people were crazy mad knowing we have been being killed for a century, this just didn’t start happening,” he said. “If those young people had not erupted like a volcano, nobody would have known about Ferguson because it would have been silenced by now.” He wants masses of young people to come back for the March protest to signal the fight isn’t over.

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Related Topics:Civil Rights Ferguson Ferguson protests Hands Up Don't Shoot Michael Brown police brutality

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Oakland Post: Week of May 6 – 12, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of may 6 – 12, 2026

Published

4 days ago

May 10, 2026

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.