National

Activists Take To Streets As Baltimore Records 100th Homicide of Year

Published

9 years ago

May 26, 2015

Oakland Post

300 Men March Group and Others Speak & Step-Out Against Continuing Baltimore Violence

Young girl listens to speakers (Courtesy of the Afro-American Newspaper)

by Kamau High
Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper

One day after the 100th homicide in Baltimore was recorded, a group held a rally calling for people to get involved in stopping the violence wracking the city.

About 40 activists gathered on N. Pulaski St. and Edmondson Ave. in the Western District at 7 p.m. wearing black 300 Men Marchshirts.

“You cannot have growth or development with these levels of violence,” said Councilman William “Pete” Welch, whose District 9 includes the neighborhood. In an effort to address the rising violence Welch will soon be introducing legislation to the City Council that calls for conflict resolution training for students in grades K-12.

“We’ve been through this before and thought we had a handle on it,” added Welch. “The community needs to come back and take back their neighborhoods.”

Councilman Brandon M. Scott gives an interview during the rally (Courtesy of the Afro-American Newspaper)

On Wednesday night, the 100th victim of a homicide this year in Baltimore died. At the same time last year, 71 people had been killed.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, at a news conference on Thursday, said, “It’s extremely frustrating. It is disheartening, but I am still resolved to continue to reduce violent crime in our city.”

There has a been a spike in homicides since the death of Freddie Gray in police custody and the uprising and protest that followed in late April and early May. On Wednesday at a news conference, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said that when officers go to investigate crimes in the Western District they are often surrounded by people with cell phones and cameras.

“It makes it very difficult for us to follow up on violence that takes place there. If you have 50 or 60 people it makes it difficult to get eye witnesses, it makes it difficult to get information,” he said. As a result, police leadership with experience in the Western District will be shifted to the community. “We are going to re-engage the community and get on top of the issues that are there.”

Councilman Brandon Scott, District 2, was on hand during the rally. That’s because he is a co-founder, along with Munir Bahar, of 300 Men March. The group began in 2013 when a similar spate of violence was convulsing the city.

Munir Bahar, of 300 Men March, addresses the crowd. (Courtesy of the Afro-American Newspaper)

“It’s a perfect storm of bad stuff happening. You’ve got cops working for 20 hours at a time. You’ve got elements of the street feeling vindicated after Freddie Gray,” said Scott. “When it gets warm you see stuff pop up. Everyone can do something to improve the lives of young men. Anyone not working every day to help young people is not a man.”

Nasir Mcray’s Soul Source restaurant has been on the corner of N. Pulaski and Edmondson for 34 years. He has seen how the police deal with murders change over the years.

“At one time, if someone was killed here, there was a heavy police presence. Now they just scrape them up and leave. It’s because by the time they finish scraping one up they have to go get another,” he said adding, “Someone got killed right on this corner the other day. People just stood around taking pictures. They put those pictures up on Facebook with the guy’s head blown off. It’s like Mexico out here.”

During the rally Scott addressed what people could do about the escalating violence.

Rally takes place in the Western District. (Courtesy of the Afro-American Newspaper)

“A lot of us out here do a lot, but clearly that’s not enough,” he said. “We all have to ratchet it up as long as the stupidity in our community is ratcheted up. As long as the cowardice is ratcheted up in our community. As long as we have women being executed; shot in the head. As long as we have men being executed; shot in the head. Children being gunned down while people are silent. We have to start doing whatever we have to do to make this stuff stop. Because too many people are dying for us to be this quiet.”

Munir also addressed the crowd.

“We are operating in a state of emergency. That means that everything we are doing right now, everything, is to contribute to some effort and some solution to bring this violence down,” he said. “If we don’t fix this this summer, we have failed.”

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

4 days ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

6 days ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.

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Commentary

Commentary: Republican Votes Are Threatening American Democracy

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We needed to know the blunt truth. The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

Published

7 days ago

April 16, 2024

Oakland Post

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening. That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

By Emil Guillermo

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

We needed to know the blunt truth.

The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

And to save it will require all hands on deck.

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening.

That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

No man is above the law? To the majority of his supporters, it seems Trump is.

It’s an anti-democracy loyalty that has spread like a political virus.

No matter what he does, Trump’s their guy. Trump received 51% of caucus-goers votes to beat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who garnered 21.2%, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who got 19.1%.

The Asian flash in the pan Vivek Ramaswamy finished way behind and dropped out. Perhaps to get in the VP line. Don’t count on it.

According to CNN’s entrance polls, when caucus-goers were asked if they were a part of the “MAGA movement,” nearly half — 46% — said yes. More revealing: “Do you think Biden legitimately won in 2020?”

Only 29% said “yes.”

That means an overwhelming 66% said “no,” thus showing the deep roots in Iowa of the “Big Lie,” the belief in a falsehood that Trump was a victim of election theft.

Even more revealing and posing a direct threat to our democracy was the question of whether Trump was fit for the presidency, even if convicted of a crime.

Sixty-five percent said “yes.”

Who says that about anyone of color indicted on 91 criminal felony counts?

Would a BIPOC executive found liable for business fraud in civil court be given a pass?

How about a BIPOC person found liable for sexual assault?

Iowans have debased the phrase, “no man is above the law.” It’s a mindset that would vote in an American dictatorship.

Compare Iowa with voters in Asia last weekend. Taiwan rejected threats from authoritarian Beijing and elected pro-democracy Taiwanese vice president Lai Ching-te as its new president.

Meanwhile, in our country, which supposedly knows a thing or two about democracy, the Iowa caucuses show how Americans feel about authoritarianism.

Some Americans actually like it even more than the Constitution allows.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1.