Opinion
Being Treated as Less than Human
“Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now”
B ERNIE F OSTER
Founder/Publisher
B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER
Executive Editor
J ERRY F OSTER
Advertising Manager
L ISA L OVING
News Editor
H ELEN S ILVIS
Multimedia Editor
P ATRICIA I RVIN
D AVID K IDD
Graphic Designer
M ONICA J. F OSTER
Seattle Office Coordinator
J ULIE K EEFE
S USAN F RIED
Photographers
L
ike many, if not most of
you, I was assuming that
the Grand Jury would not
indict Officer Wilson. I was hop-
ing that they would at least find
something to charge him with, but
I did not really expect it to happen.
I figured that I would be ready for
the Grand Jury’s decision.
But I was not. I listened as the
explanations were offered and I
suddenly realized that tears were
slowly coming down the side of
my face.
I have not had faith in the US
judicial system during my adult
life, but I still found the decision
more than I was prepared to take.
In these cases of police lynch-
ing, as my wife noted this evening,
no one ever seems to explain how
it is that an individual who is
trained to deal with harrowing cir-
cumstances, finds it necessary to
fire their weapon twelve times
against an unarmed, alleged
assailant.
But there is something else that
probably needs to be openly dis-
cussed. I thought about this when
T RANS
A FRICA
Bill
Fletcher Jr.
I was in the occupied Palestinian
territories and witnessed the man-
ner in which the Palestinians are
treated like dogs by the Israeli
quently evolves into rage (some-
times open; other times less than
open). In those moments one can
find one’s self saying or doing
something unexpected because
one is simply tired–in a bone deep
way–of being treated as less than
human. In the short time that I
was in occupied Palestine I, per-
sonally, was filled with rage, a
rage so deep that there were times
that I wanted to challenge the
Israelis…scream at them for their
inhumanity…only to remember
the countless “Michael Browns”
in the USA who have lost their
I listened as the explanations were
offered and I suddenly realized that
tears were slowly coming down the
side of my face
occupiers. There is a deep anger
and resentment that emerges
among the oppressed that fre-
lives at the hands of the authori-
ties, almost always demonized and
caricaturized; almost always with
their death explained away as jus-
tifiable.
I don’t know what happened on
that summer day in Ferguson. I do
know that a young, unarmed black
man was robbed of his
future. Could he have been argu-
mentative? Quite possibly. Could
he have gotten into an altercation
with the officer? Certainly. But
are we supposed to believe that
even under those circumstances
that an unarmed, sane person
would decide to charge someone
with a fully loaded weapon? Over
an argument of some sort? And
we are supposed to believe that a
police officer has no training to
prepare for such a possibility and
can only respond with deadly
force?
I am sick to my stomach about
the decision and the numerous
similar such decisions in these
cases of extra-judicial killings of
youth of color. I am sick of the
terror that it inspires in communi-
ties of color across the USA.
The lynchings must stop!
Will Larger CBC Translate to More Clout?
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E
ven though the next Con-
gress, which starts on
January 6, will feature 48
African Americans, the largest
number in history, the question is:
Can they get anything done in a
Congress that’s been gridlocked
for four straight years?
But since most Black members
will serve as members of the
minority party in the House, most
of their power to control federal
policy and billions of dollars will
be decided by compromise as they
serve on major committees.
Though members of the Congres-
sional Black Caucus will not
control the policy agenda, they
will still play a key role in those
decisions.
For the first time in history,
seven members of the Congres-
sional Black Caucus will serve as
Ranking Members of major House
Committees for the upcoming
114th Congress. Why does this
matter? Because even a member in
the minority in the hyper-partisan
House, which has been controlled
by Republicans since 2010, is
going to have a seat at the table.
Much of what is done behind the
scene goes unreported by press
corps fixated on the political cat
fight of the moment. And in the
case of the CBC, the Black Press
is the only place where their work
is likely to be covered.
November 19, was one of the
biggest days for the Caucus since
four Black Committee Chairman
were christened in January 2009.
Seven Black members of the
House – Reps. John Conyers (D-
Mich.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.),
Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), Eddie
Bernice Johnson (D-Texas),
Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Bennie
Thompson (D-Miss.), and Elijah
Cummings (D-Md.) will have a
seat at the legislative table next
year as ranking committee mem-
bers.
Additionally, two of the
NNPA
C OLUMNIST
Lauren
Victoria
Burke
most powerful members of the
Black Caucus, Reps. Sanford
Bishop (D-Ga.) and Chaka Fattah
can control.
Even with the well-publicized
gridlock over the last four years,
Rep. Fattah was able to get the
Urban Jobs Act through the House
after a compromise was reached
with House Republicans. The
bill’s passage, which was a rare
example
of
bipartisanship,
received almost no press.
The gridlock strategy was
employed by House Republicans
in hopes of preventing President
Obama from getting anything
The last two years witnessed the least
productive U.S. House in history in
terms of bills passed, all under
Republican control
(D-Penn.), are ranking members
on subcommittees on the most
powerful committee in the House:
Appropriations. From those posi-
tions they will have a say in doling
out several hundred billion dollars
every fiscal year.
“Politics is about who gets what
when and how and being at the
table is essential to determining
that those resources get where
they need to be,” Rep. Bishop told
the The Root in an interview.
“It is my hope that we are able to
use the appropriations process and
the policy making process here in
Congress in a bipartisan way that
will benefit all the American peo-
ple,” Bishop said in the interview.
In an effort to show they can
actually govern, Republicans in
the 114th Congress are expected to
pass legislation rather than repeat
another four years of their core
strategy: Gridlock. The last two
years witnessed the least produc-
tive U.S. House in history in terms
of bills passed, all under Republi-
Page 2 The Portland and Seattle Skanner November 26, 2014
done. But going into the 2016
presidential campaign, Republi-
cans are expected to show they
can produce actual legislative
results in what would be a huge
strategic change.
for African Americans. Some are
succeeding, but the vast majority
of African Americans are not suc-
ceeding. It’s our job as legislators
to try and enact policies that will
enact policies that will move the
needle – whether it’s with a coali-
tion
of
Democrats
or
Republicans,” Butterfield told The
Root.
The new chairman will inherit
the largest Congressional Black
Caucus in history at a time when
presidential politics will play a big
role in the narrative. Whether he
and the Black Caucus can navigate
the games of gridlock will depend
on how afraid Republicans are of
being tagged as the “party of no”
as their presidential candidates
tour the country.
Chances are those politics will
be the real reason the GOP will
suddenly be interested in moving
legislation during President
Obama’s last two years in office.
Lauren Victoria Burke is free-
lance writer and creator of the
blog Crewof42.com, which covers
African American members of
Congress. She Burke appears reg-
Going into the 2016 presidential
campaign, Republicans are
expected to show they can produce
actual legislative results in what would
be a huge strategic change
As part of its normal process, the
Congressional Black Caucus
elected a new Chairman yesterday,
Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.).
Though he plans to outline a
detailed strategy for the Caucus in
January, he spoke in general terms
about the policy focus he’ll have
next Congress.
“The economy is not working
ularly on “NewsOneNow with
Roland Martin” and on WHUR
FM, 900 AM WURD. She worked
previously at USA Today and ABC
News. She can be reached through
her
website,
laurenvictoriaburke.com, or Twit-
ter @Crewof42 or by e-mail
at LBurke007@gmail.com.