Entries from September 2007 ↓

Dear Common Black Folk,

Debra Lee wants y’all off her front lawn. Apparently having all those Black church folks around is making her nervous and she’s enlisted the members of the Black Elite Establishment to remove the huddled masses parading in front of her lawn. It seems that while Ms Lee likes to pipe in violence, misogyny, and general foolishness into your homes every day, she’d prefer to keep her home free of any working class Black folks who are concerned about their children because the neighbors are beginning to to ask questions. It is hard keeping up appearances when 500 indignant Black folk are circling your compound as if it is Jericho. I mean the first week you could pass it off as a family reunion. Week two, you could tell the neighbors you were having a garage sale, but my week three, the neighborhood association is beginning to ask questions.

Her sole rebuttal to the protesters appears to be “Meet the Faith” and the Sunday line up. One small problem, BET already tried this strategy and folks are not falling for it again. Didn’t BET run Bobby Jones Gospel during the SIX YEARS they ran BET Uncut? The whole, we’ll run multimedia crack Monday through Saturday and then redeem ourselves on Sunday strategy just ain’t working this time.

Now Courtland Malloy, no less, stuck his head out from his ivory tower to call these African Americans exercising their First Amendment right to peaceably assemble and express themselves as the Taliban. and y’all accuse me of engaging in hyperbole.

Nice try, Reverend. But we call that kind of censorship “Taliban-ing.” And it doesn’t sit well with the spirit of the First Amendment, either.SOURCE

Apparently Mr. Malloy believes that the First Amendment only applies to him or Rappers calling us names and promoting violence, drugs and general foolishness . I mean aren’t people constantly whining about a lack of civic participation? His opposition to a peaceful demonstration, DOESN’T SIT WELL WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT EITHER!

Dr. Cornell West whispered his support to the protesters outside BET’s CBC reception where Viacom got to ply African American politicians with drank and vittles, but again, he is worried about all those common Black folk outside her house.

Radio host Michael Baisden said he would be there front and center this past Saturday and then he backed out…. AFTER Debra Lee agreed to do his show. What a man of his word. Principled to the bitter end ( NOT!) Well at least Enough is Enough got a valuable lesson in whose word not to trust.

Even the CEO of Viacom decided to weigh in saying that these working class Black folks were “harassing one of [his] executives at her home.”

The truth is that Courtland Malloy, Cornell West, Philipe Dauman and maybe even Michael Baisden are terrified that when these common Black folk get through circling Debbie Lee’s house, they are going to break camp and roll on over to someone else’s house.

Well everyday all over this country Black men, women, and children get harassed by Viacom’s programming. If they aren’t watching it, they have to deal with the foolishness created by those who do. The reason Debra Lee is frightened of all of these common Black folks outside her gated compound is because she is out of touch and thinks that working class Black folks are like the common criminals and thugs her network chooses to present to the world as representing Black America. Relax Debbie, these are church folk, not the violent sociopaths you like to feature on BET. They all prayed up before they get to your lawn. Maybe next week you ought to have drinks and refreshments waiting for them. Serve some hot cocoa when it starts to get cold. Hand out blankets. Maybe if you came out of your tower and talked to these people you would find that most Black people are hard working folks who love their families and want to do right.

Debra Lee is worried, but what she doesn’t seem to grasp is SO ARE WE! WE’RE WORRIED TOO! Folks are worried about THEIR CHILDREN TOO! I mean you would have to be motivated to show up for a month to march around some rich lady’s gated palace. They need to keep marching too because she still doesn’t get it as evidenced by her public statements.

That’s not to say I am not sympathetic to Debra Lee. It must suck to have your your neighbors’ Saturday mornings interrupted by the huddled masses therefore I have some alternative protest locations:

Phillipe Dauman’s country club ( Y’all know he belongs to one)
The Homes of each of the members of the Viacom Board of Directors.
The Homes of the CEO’s of BET’s Largest Advertisers ( Oh THAT Ought to be Awesome!)
BET’s Television Upfronts

If those are the alternatives, I think Debbie is more than happy to have her people over to the house.

“I think this is unfortunate. . . . I’m used to getting input from our audience but I’ve never seen anything like this. I’m disappointed that this is the tactic they’ve chosen. It sets a very bad precedent.” Debra Lee on the gathering of large numbers of Ze’ Common Black Folk Outside of her mansion

Yes, you get information, but what do you do with it? Debra Lee is right, what is happening right now is unprecedented. That is the point. Other tactics were ignored by BET for years, but these new ones at least have caught BET’s attention.

Here is a report from the most recent march yesterday from the Enough is Enough Campaign. I call SHADINESS on Michael Baisden. That was just foul and wish washy on his part:

Everything for our third rally went extremely well. Another 500 people were out with us. Many more neighbors in the neighborhood seemed to come out to find out what all the fuss was about. We gave them brochures to let them know why we were in their neighborhood. Rev. Coates was on the Michael Baisden Show twice this week (Monday and Friday) to talk about the campaign and our weekly rallies. On Tuesday, Baisden announced on air that he would be at yesterday’s rally. By Thursday, however, he had changed his mind. He shared with Rev. Coates on air that he made an agreement with Debra Lee that if she came on his show, he would not rally outside her house. She was on the show on Thursday.

We were also joined by a bus from New York City. On October 13, we will start Enough Is Enough rallies in New York City at a SURPRISE location to be announced. Everyone in the NYC area should stay tuned. We realize that we haven’t done a good job of getting video up of the last two rallies. We are going to work on this. Everyone in the DC area should come out and join us each Saturday at 1PM.

On Tuesday evening, we also had a great rally outside the BET reception for the Congressional Black Caucus at the OYA Restaurant & Lounge in DC. It was great!!! Many who attended expressed approval for the campaign (even if they won’t or can’t say so publicly). The artist Talib Kweli and Professor Cornel West came over to encourage the group to continue its efforts (although, Dr. West did express some concern about rallying outside Debra Lee’s residence). BET has been using the location of the rallies to distract people from the real issue. They continue to ignore and avoid the issue of the content of their programming. In her Thursday interview with Michael Baisden, Ms. Lee avoided Baisden’s challenge about the content on the network by commenting on the “new programming” they are unveiling on their Sunday schedule. In his Friday interview, Rev. Coates informed Baisden that no one has been complaining about BET’s Sunday line up, and that she completely ignored the issue of the content and messages of many of the videos and programs they air during the week.

Again, we’ll try to get more video up on the site of our weekly rallies. We do apologize. Spread The Word,

Enough Is Enough

Enough is Enough, shake the haters off and keep stepping. You at least have them talking about it.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4:00 P.M.CST, September 28, 2007

Family Statement of Nailah Franklin

Courtesy of BringNailahFranklinHome.com

Now THIS is the meeting I needed to attend, but I had to decline the Commissioner’s invitation to attend.

OKAY WHO IS GOING TO SPEAK UP? I KNOW SOME OF YOU LIVE IN SOUTH FLORIDA!!!!

There will be another meeting with between the West Palm Beach Housing Authority (WPBHA) and the city commissioners. This time the Commissioners will take public comment at the meeting.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007
3:00pm
City Commission Chambers at City Hall
200 2nd Street
West Palm Beach, FL

Just remember: It doesn’t take the majority to make a rebellion; it takes only a few determined leaders and a sound cause.
Don’t talk about the change, be the change. I want to see a room full of Black women and men in that chambers taking those ‘leaders’ to task.
You can’t demand people get on a plane to do what you aren’t willing to get in your car and do…just sayin’. But you know I’m right.
If you are interested in attending and would like to speak contact Symphony at symphonyep@gmail.com ; I will be happy to get you in contact with a few people down there including media.
And for all you South Florida residents there is a benefit concert on behalf of the Dunbar Village victim and her son. It takes place Saturday at The World Famous Restaurant in West Palm Beach. $10/person.

Submitted by Symphony at Essential Presence

We began the week cramped in the middle seat of a Frontier Airlines flight bound for DC trapped behind a woman with three kids all under the age of four years-old and a seat mate that was obsessed with picking his nose (It really happened), but it was all worth it to be in the room for the dog and pony show that were the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Sub Committee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection hearing called “From Imus to Industry.” I asked “who is looking out for Megan Williams in West Virginia?” I gave an update on the foolishness in Dunbar Village. We ended the week talking about Nailah Franklin. The AP reported that her body had been recovered. They apparently were premature ( DOLTS). BringNailahFranklinHome.com is asking folks to keep looking.

I live blogged the shenanigans from inauspicious beginning to bitter end. There were three panels, Panel One, Entertainment Executives. Panel Two, Levell Crump’s Pain, and Panel Three was the panel that they finally let the people affected get a word in edgewise. You can watch all of Panel Two (Master P, David Banner/Levell Crump, Prognostitute-in-Cheif- Michael Eric Dyson). You can listen to our commentary by going to the Black Women’s Roundtable.

The Black Women’s Roundtable is back every Thursday at 8PM CST. On our first show back from a two-month hiatus, we were graced with the presence of SheCodes, who rode the train down to meet me at the hearings. We dished all the behind the scenes foolishness that went on in the hearing room and out in the hall. You won’t see this kind of commentary on CSPAN and we have context the Associated Press was too lazy to bother with. You can listen to the archived show from Thursday by clicking on the player at the top of the page or going to the podcast homepage and clicking on the archives.

Speaking of the Black Women’s Roundtable, we’re looking for regular panelists for the show so if you have a Thursday available and want to weigh in on whatever we are talking about, jot over an email to whataboutourdaughters at gmail dot com. Place “PANELIST” as the first word in the subject line. I am looking for permanent panelists as well as folks to pop in on occasion.

We are opening up some new slots for guest contributors. My original guest contributors have been made moderators. They will still chime in, but they have their own blogs which keep them extremely busy and everyday i get more and more requests to cover new foolishness popping off in the Universe and there just isn’t enough moi to go around. I am looking for people to cover the following stories; Megan Williams and Crimes against Black women. You will need to be BRIEF (250 words or less). Which should not be a problem because one of the neat things about blogging is that you link to source material so you just need to give the readers an idea of what is going on and provide a link where they can find more information. Also, you can’t be boring. If people wanted dull, dry and unbiased, they wouldn’t come to this blog. We will accept cross posts.

We’re also accepting nominations for a weekly “WAOD Wagging Finger of Shame Award.” Send in your nomination via e-mail put ” NOMINATION” as the first word in your subject line. Nominations are due each week by Wednesday. Voting will take place on Thursday, and the winners will be announced on Fridays.

If you love reading blogs or if you are a person of color that blogs, come on down to Atlanta for a Blogoshpere Family Reunion for Black and Brown bloggers and their readers. Blogging While Brown, the first international conference for bloggers of color will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, July 25-27, 2008. Early registration is now open. Learn more at Blogging While Brown.

Despite earlier reports from mainstream media news organizations, the body found today HAS NOT been identified and MAY NOT be Nailah Franklin.

We’ll keep you posted. While the site was down earlier today, Bring Nialah Franklin Home is back up.

They are urging us to keep looking

Tonight on the WAOD podcast, we’ll be talking about Nailah Franklin, Dunbar Village, Megan Williams, and the Congressional hearings on Tuesday.

You can listen live via the internet by going to The Black Women’s Roundtable Page. You can participate by calling in to 646-478-4750.

Archives of the show will be available on I-tunes and the podcast homepage.

Or just click this button at show time:

In a sad turn in a case we posted about earlier this week, the body of Nailah Franklin was found in Chicago this morning.

BringNailahFranklinHome.com is gone or has been taken down.

Blog Coverage and Comments:
Crime Blog ( Updates)
Concrete Loop
Bossip
Chicagoist
Black and Missing
Missing Minorities

MSM Coverage:
Greta Van Susteren ( Read the Comments)
ABC News Story
AP Story
CNN Story

CALUMET CITY, Illinois (AP) — A drug sales representative who disappeared last week was found dead near a forest preserve, not far from where her car was abandoned, her uncle said Thursday.

Calumet City Police Chief Russell Larson confirmed only that an unidentified woman’s body had been found in the area Thursday morning.

But Nailah Franklin’s uncle Jon Merrill and family friend Andrew Holms said authorities had told the family the body is that of Merrill’s 28-year-old niece.

Franklin, a pharmaceutical sales representative for Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly, was reported missing September 19 after she missed a meeting at work. Her car was discovered in Hammond, Indiana, on Friday night near an abandoned building.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

I try to keep up with latest in the Dunbar Village gang rape and the aftermath in West Palm Beach, Florida and I continue to be AMAZED that the lunacy in Florida hasn’t made National news . West Palm Beach is a microcosm of what can happen when government fails to fulfill its fundamental responsibility to keep the peace and preserve public safety. Not tourism and conventions, not real estate development, not even parks and recreation. If you can’t engage in shared defense, then you don’t really need government. For all of you who keep asking “How could something like Dunbar Village Happen?,” my reply is because of idiocy like this:

On the local level, think of West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel. After the Dunbar Village rape, she bused neighborhood residents to a secure location so Post reporters and TV cameras wouldn’t see those Dunbar residents criticize her for ignoring them for so long. Source

She has said that she has had Dunbar Village on her “radar” since she was elected. Well if it was on her radar, then WHY did she let them live in total darkness at night because all the street lamps were shot out. Why are donated air conditioners sitting piled up because she hasn’t gotten around to having city workers install them or asking volunteers to assist in installation. WHY in the aftermath of this crime when she had a sliver of national and international media attention did she not use that opportunity to ask the public to assist in the apprehension of ten gang rapists running round her city? Why has she allowed her police chief, a Black woman, to say that $1,000 is the largest reward they should offer in a case that is a crime against humanity and a crime against nature? Why did the commissioners of West Palm Beach spend 164 MILLION dollars building a palatial office tower and recently authorized $40 Million for a tourist promenade, but won’t spend $1 for increased police patrols in a high-crime area where 90% of the households are headed by single Black mothers? Why has the League of the Immorally Indifferent been silent while the Mayor of West Palm Beach and the Governor of Florida have left these poor Black women to rot and die, fending for themselves and their children while being turned into prey by the neighborhood criminals?

Here are some more Dunbar Village Headlines:

One of the defendant’s request for a DNA expert was denied – As incompetent as the Chief of Police, Delsa Bush, appears to be, I am frightened to think about how they may have handled DNA evidence.

The Palm Beach Post asks “Is there a leader in the house?”, West Palm Beach officials say “Um NO!” Symphony, a WAOD contributor was there. Here is her take on it.

Violence in that part of Florida is still Out of control:

“Miss,” she said, clutching her books, “the violence in my neighborhood is really out of control. I hear gun shots all the time, and I know people in my neighborhood have died because of it.” Today, more than ever, young people in our communities face violence to a degree that was once unfathomable.SOURCE

UNFATHOMABLE! and the the politicians don’t care about fulfilling the most basic duty of government, shared defense ie PUBLIC SAFETY!

The Black Women’s Roundtable, the WAOD Podcast returns Thursday night at 8:00PM CST. We’ll be talking about all of the Congressional Hearing and the behind the scenes foolishness. You can call in to participate at (646) 478-4750.

Someone has gone and put almost all of Panel Two, which is the panel with Levell Crump aka David Banner, Percy Miller aka Master P, and Michael Eric Dyson aka Hip Hop’s Prognostitute-in Chief, on YouTube. You can follow along with my live blogging here.

Part 1 of 9 Part 2 of 9 Part 3 of 9Part 4 of 9Part 5 of 9 Part 7 of 98 of 99 of 9

Megan Williams’ statement is in the news. Is that her mother giving reporters the middle finger? I know there are folks with differing viewpoints on revealing the names and faces of victims of sexual assault, but something about how this woman is appearing in the media just doesn’t sit right with me. I have not nailed it down. I am not saying she does not need to speak out, that is her right, but either she is A) developmentally challenged or B)extremely unsophisticated. Under either scenario, she is in a position of being exploited and I don’t get a “we’re protecting her” vibe from anybody.

Now the New Black Panther Party is headed to town to “teach” the residents how to deal with racism.

Y’all know how I have that sixth sense…. I’m getting a train wrecky vibe that is about to pop off in West Virginia. My fellow Texans are very familiar with Quanell X? prepare for the third ring to be added to the circus. Fellow Texans, weigh in.

I don’t think they care about this WOMAN, I think once again, the Black woman is about to be made a pawn in the never ending battle between Black and White men.

Diary of an Anxious Black Woman also has some thoughts on this issue.
Any thoughts?