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Police Slaying of Teenager Outrages French People of Color

Reminiscent of the Black Lives Matter protests over police killings of unarmed citizens in the U.S., France has been in the throes of national unrest in the wake of the police slaying of Nahel Merzouk in a Parisian suburb on June 27.

Published

2 years ago

July 10, 2023

Oakland Post

Nahel Merzouk. Wikimedia photo.

By Kitty Kelly-Epstein

The police killing of Nahel, a 17-year-old French citizen of Algerian and Moroccan descent who lived in Naterre, one of France’s mostly Black and Brown cities, has led to days of protest all over France. Merzouk was shot in the chest at point-blank range at a traffic stop.

Merzouk’s slaying became a rallying cry among minority youth in France in much the same way that George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, had in 2020.

“We don’t forget, we don’t forgive,” crowds in Naanterre chanted as they denounced Merzouk’s slaying.

French President Emanuel Macron said the shooting death was “inexcusable and unforgiveable,” a rare response from authorities.

Two policemen on motorcycles chased Merzouk last Tuesday when they saw him driving a yellow Mercedes through bus lanes and didn’t stop until traffic blocked his progress.

The policeman who shot Merzouk initially reported that he had feared for his and his partner’s life, presenting as if the driver was going to run them over.

But the story changed when video of the incident and witness statements fully contradicted the policeman’s assertions: Merzouk was shot at point-blank range at the driver’s side window and the video recorded a threat to shoot the victim.

“You are going to get a bullet in the head,” a voice is heard saying in the video, National Public Radio reported. And as the car moves forward, a single shot is heard.

On June 29, the officer was taken into custody where prosecutors have announced a preliminary charge of voluntary manslaughter. The officer has also apologized to the youth’s family.

Merzouk was an only child, studying to be an electrician, and in the words of his mother, “My best friend.”

After two days of unrest in the French cities of Amiens, Annecy, Bordeaux, Dijon, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Pau, Roubaix, Saint-Etienne, Toulouse, Tourcoing, Merzouk’s grandmother called for calm but the expression of outrage against police continued.

Some stores were looted, garbage cans and trucks and cars set on fire, with damages countrywide amounting to $1 billion.

More than 3,600 people have been detained in the country, most of them young Black and Brown youth like Nahel, whose funeral was July 1.

The response to the young people’s rebellion by agents of the French government has been the expression of more racism.

Two police unions issued a joint statement calling people in Black and Brown neighborhoods “vermin.” In one suburb, a Right-wing deputy has demanded to change the name of the “Angela Davis School,” because she supported the right of Muslim women to wear the hijab or veil.

A fundraising page for the officer showed that 85,000 people donated a total of $1.7 million, while 21,000 made $450,000 for Merzouk.

And French protesters are already being sentenced in an “expedited process.” One 58-year-old man was sentenced to a year in prison for picking up items off the pavement three hours after a store was looted. By comparison, during the same month a white man who sexually abused his granddaughters received a suspended sentence and no jail time.

Many in France’s Black and Brown communities are descendants of people from the French colonies who were encouraged to move to France to rebuild the country after World War II.

Like Black and Brown communities in the U.S. they are exploited for their labor and rejected when it comes to France’s famed “egalite” and “fraternite.”

France’s progressive parties support the issues of the protesters.

Danielle Obono is one representative of that coalition, NUPES. (https://www.facebook.com/DeputeeObono.) Another source of information are Dr. Crystal Fleming’s tweets in French and English on these topics https://twitter.com/alwaystheself.

When George Floyd was murdered by U.S. police thousands of French people also protested.

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IN MEMORIAM: Legendary Funk Pioneer Sly Stone Dies at 82

Sly Stone’s musical approach radically reshaped popular music. He transcended genre boundaries and empowered a new generation of artists. The band’s socially conscious message and infectious rhythms sparked a wave of influence, reaching artists as diverse as Miles Davis, George Clinton, Prince, Dr. Dre, and the Roots.

Published

22 hours ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Sly and the Family Stone play the Opera House in Bournemouth. Mojo review. Photo by Simon Fernandez.

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Newswire

Sylvester “Sly” Stewart—known to the world as Sly Stone, frontman of the groundbreaking band Sly and the Family Stone—has died at the age of 82.

His family confirmed that he passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home surrounded by loved ones, after battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health complications.

Born March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, Stone moved with his family to Vallejo, California, as a child. He began recording gospel music at age 8 with his siblings in a group called the Stewart Four. By his teenage years, he had mastered multiple instruments and was already pioneering racial integration in music—an ethos that would define his career.

In 1966, Sly and his brother Freddie merged their bands to form Sly and the Family Stone, complete with a revolutionary interracial, mixed-gender lineup.

The band quickly became a commercial and cultural force with hits such as “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—all penned by Stone himself.

Their album “Stand!” (1969) and live performances—most notably at Woodstock—cemented their reputation, blending soul, funk, rock, gospel, and psychedelia to reflect the optimism and turmoil of their era.

As the 1970s progressed, Stone confronted personal demons. His desire to use music as a response to war, racism, and societal change culminated in the intense album “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” (1971). But drug dependency began to undermine both his health and professional life, leading to erratic behavior and band decline through the early 1980s.

Withdrawn from the public eye for much of the 1990s and early 2000s, Stone staged occasional comebacks. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2017, and captured public attention following the 2023 release of his memoir “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—published under Questlove’s imprint. He also completed a biographical screenplay and was featured in Questlove’s documentary “Sly Lives!” earlier this year.

His influence endured across generations. Critics and historians repeatedly credit him with perfecting funk and creating a “progressive soul,” shaping a path for racial integration both onstage and in the broader culture.

“Rest in beats Sly Stone,” legendary Public Enemy frontman Chuck D posted on social media with an illustrative drawing of the artist. “We should thank Questlove of the Roots for keeping his fire blazing in this century.”

Emmy-winning entertainment publicist Danny Deraney also paid homage. “Rest easy Sly Stone,” Deraney posted. “You changed music (and me) forever. The time he won over Ed Sullivan’s audience in 1968. Simply magical. Freelance music publicist and Sirius XM host Eric Alper also offered a tribute.

“The funk pioneer who made the world dance, think, and get higher,” Alper wrote of Sly Stone. “His music changed everything—and it still does.”

Sly Stone is survived by three children.

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Congress Says Yes to Rep. Simon’s Disability Hiring and Small Biz Support Bill

“As the first congenitally blind person to serve in Congress, I am incredibly honored to lead and excited to celebrate the House passage of the ‘ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act,’” said Simon.

Published

23 hours ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The House of Representatives unanimously passed the “ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act” on June 3, marking a major win for U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) and co-sponsor Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) in their bipartisan effort to promote inclusive hiring and boost small business accessibility.

The legislation establishes a federal partnership between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Council on Disability to help small businesses across the U.S. hire more individuals with disabilities and provide resources for disabled entrepreneurs.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of cities, making them accessible for all will maximize local economic activity and broaden the job market to everyone who is seeking to contribute to their communities,” she continued. “Investments in business and talent in our communities shouldn’t be limited to just those who are not disabled. Full stop, period.”

Since taking office in January 2025, Simon has introduced six bills. The House has approved two of them: this measure and the “Assisting Small Businesses, Not Fraudsters Act.”

Simon, a lifelong disability rights advocate and former BART board member, has focused her career on improving access, from public transit to the job market.