 There is no substantial difference between the Democrat and Republican parties traditionally. Most Black politicians and community leaders have been comfortable with incremental progress. The presidency of Barack Obama is the very definition of incremental progress. While the election of Obama was a political earthquake, it’s result was overall a very positive time for Black people in general. The progress of racial justice made by Blacks was still incremental even with a Black President and Black Attorney General. Donald Trump will be the leader of the radical right after his term in office. Donald Trump has an army of white supremacists, white nationalists, and so called militias that he can call on as needed. When Black people attempt to exercise their 1st amendment rights to assembly and protests we will be faced with counter protests by armed groups on one side and law enforcement using new laws similar to that proposed by Governor DeSantis of Florida on the other side. This will likely define the next phase of public protest in the struggle for racial justice. There is currently no counter balance to non-violent protest. My premise or hypothesis is that the current tactic of local governments is
Without targeted offensive acts of civil disobedience in which people will be arrested and jailed the protests will be ineffective. My point here is that the carrot does not work if there is no stick. Non-violent protests regardless of the size is no longer an incentive for politicians and law makers to act. The only time there is attention to demands is when there is a disruption to business and normal operations of commerce or daily life. We need thousands of individuals to participate in targeted protest whose objective is to shut down the operations of corporations. Blocking the entrance of logistical centers, data centers, telemarketing sites, and corporate headquarters will bring attention to the demands of Black Americans. These individuals will be arrested. If the protests result in achieving direct payment reparations for every descendant of slaves (every person – felons, the incarcerated, and all others) in America, the benefits will far outweigh the costs. We need African Americans in the data science community to come together and develop the tools to facilitate this part of the movement. I am confident that methods of communicating with and directing protestors in the struggle can be developed and deployed by data scientist in a relatively short period of time. 
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 Alarm Bells
There is concern and uncertainty at the highest level of the federal government. The election results are one thing but what appears to be happening goes far beyond that. It appears that the Trump administration is in the process of staging a scorched earth process on their way out the door. I say this because not only has the president fired the Secretary of Defense, he has also replaced all the senior civilian leadership at the Pentagon and CIA. Consider the fact that Trump is simultaneously
As commander and chief of the US military apparatus, the president can have a devastating effect on our overall security for decades by taking nefarious actions over the next two months. No Checks and Balances The Republican leadership around the country is fearful of the president since he has the support of over 70 million voters. He is clearly the leader of an army of white supremacists, white nationalists, and militia groups across the country. Who will stand up to the president? Not Mitch McConnel, Lindsay Graham, William Barr or Mike Pompeo. They are all on board. Most of the those who oppose him have no power to stop him from ordering unpatriotic acts. Donald Trump is a dangerous man right now - he is cornered, he is humiliated by the election loss, and he is desperate to not loose the power of the presidency. His entire family has a lot at stake – financially. We know they have profited from his position as president and most of this has been facilitated and controlled by his sons and daughter. Russian Influence It has been obvious for some time that Vladimir Putin has something on Donald Trump. Putin has been able to control Trump. Under normal circumstances, no man is as impotent and neutered around another man like the President is around Putin without him being extremely fearful of that man. The Take Away We should all be watchful of what transpires over the next few weeks and be ready. It may very well come to national protests in the streets in opposition to actions taken in Washington DC. I am of the opinion that all the posturing surrounding his election accusations is just a head fake. He and his family is involved in something much more devious and ultimately profitable. There is a power move underway and its details are not apparent to the average person. I am certain there are those that see the scheme but are afraid to confront or reveal it. The American people need the patriots in the halls of the US government to step up and protect us all from this scourge.  Now that Joe Biden has been declared President-Elect, I am wondering what knowledge can be gained by looking at the demographics of the vote. In short, who voted for Trump and, regardless of the rhetoric, who supports the racial justice agenda of African-Americans. We sit in Zoom meetings, professional conferences, and the breakroom at work with people of all backgrounds and political positions. Until recently, there has been an art to projecting the politically correct persona depending on the group or individual you are talking with. The Trump presidency has stripped the cover off of some deeply held racial and social mobility beliefs that perpetuates systemic racism in corporate, educational, and governmental organizations across America. One of the most comprehensive election exit polls that I have found is conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool and reported by the New York Times. The preliminary results of interviews with over fifteen thousand voters after casting their ballots indicate some interesting insights.
The most significant insight is the fact that White women voted for Trump at the same rate as White men. Don’t be fooled by the rhetoric of suburban, college educated White women. They continue to vote to perpetuate the systemic power of White men and their White sons. Another significant but not surprising fact is that 54% of White people making “good money” over $100K prioritized the economy and their 401Ks over your civil rights as an American citizen. The fact that you are racially profiled and disproportionately killed by police is less important than their financial health.  All of you mid-career African-American men and women in corporate and educational organizations, please know that more than half of those helpful, nice and supportive White women don’t see a problem with police brutality and unequal justice that your family endures. At the very least, its not a national priority, the economy – money and the power it brings – is the most important priority for them. Black and Hispanic/Latino voters had to come out and vote in record numbers for Joe Biden to become President. Even with four years of Trump’s lying, corruption, and racist rhetoric more White men and women voted for him in 2020 that did in 2016. Think about that. It is White Americans that need to soul search and check their moral compass. It is this group of Americans above all else that need to have tough conversations among themselves. In my opinion, Black Americans must now devise a national strategy that negatively impacts the economic well-being of corporate and educational organizations. They cannot be allowed to operate business “as usual” without pressing law makers to directly address each aspect of the Contract With Black America and direct payment reparations.
What will be different on Wednesday, November 4th? We will still be in a raging pandemic with many states in an exponential upswing of new cases and deaths from the Coronavirus. We have no idea how many evictions and foreclosures are predicted in the coming months. Furthermore, there is no data on how many evictions there were in 2019 according to Slate.com (Sept 28, 2020). Word on the street is that most landlords are under pressure and moving forward with evictions despite the CDC order for a moratorium on evictions in the name of public health. Not counting all those who have stopped looking for a job, the Black unemployment rate is 12.1% compared to the overall rate of 7.9% (Federal Reserve Bank, St. Louis, MO). There were over 750,000 new unemployment claims last week compared to 187,000 claims during the same week in 2019 (US Dept of Labor). Food insecurity has practically doubled this year compared to last year. While there is no current data, we know that 19.1% of Black households were considered food insecure in 2019 according to the US Department of Agriculture. Unarmed Blacks are being killed at a rate of at least 2 per month nationwide. Black people are also 3 times more likely to be killed than whites. All this to say, "There’s not much that will change for Black America after the election". It may be a “feel good” moment if Joe Biden wins but it won’t last long. The suffering will continue. It won’t take long for anger to replace the good feelings when the community sees there is no economic relief forthcoming from the US Congress. I predict we will see riots and looting by Christmas regardless of who wins the election. Why? Because the facts on the ground do not change. Furthermore, there is no end in sight for the Covid deaths, unemployment, evictions, police killings and hunger in many Black communities nationwide. At some point the suffering will overwhelm the general good sense that people have demonstrated thus far. This holiday season will be one of the worse on record for most Black households. The disappointment will be demonstrated by violent outburst, riots and looting.  I believe all the chaos, suffering and vandalism coming could have been avoided if the US Congress would have acted prior to the election. Once again we have seen them not do the work of the American people, even at our darkest hour in the middle of a pandemic. Congress continues to pander and look out for the monied interest and not ordinary citizens. As always, Black families are at the end of the line when it comes to ending the economic suffering in this country.
Hey Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnel, you can’t say you didn’t know. All the warning signs have been flashing for months. You chose not to heed the warnings. Will your response to Black America be more violence? I don’t think you will be able to do anything but continue using the same tired law and order playbook and escalate the cycle of suffering and violence. |
The Angry ManWe all know an angry man. It seems he always speaks with passion even when the words appear Archives
November 2020
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