Opinion
Media Also Abused Black Youth
“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
C hristen M C C urDy
News Editor
P atriCia i rvin
Graphic Designer
a rashi y oung
D onovan M. s Mith
Reporters
M oniCa J. F oster
Seattle Office Coordinator
J ulie K eeFe
s usan F rieD
Photographers
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F
ox News blowhards will
never admit that in cov-
ering the racially-charged
swimming pool incident in McK-
inney, Texas, they blew it. But
that’s exactly what they did. And
rather than acknowledge that they
went overboard in defending the
misconduct of the police officer
involved – conduct that the chief
police later described as “out of
control” – some of the network’s
personalities are attacking those
who pointed out that they messed
up.
Fortunately, there was videotape
of the unfortunate June 5 inci-
dent at a swimming pool in Craig
Ranch, a predominantly white
subdivision in McKinney, Texas,
about 30 miles north of Dallas.
The video, which has received
more than 11 million views on
YouTube, shows a police offi-
cer identified as Cpl. Eric Case-
bolt attempting to throw Dajerria
Becton, a slim, 15-year-old, biki-
ni-clad African American, to the
sidewalk.
“He told me to walk away and
I did,” Becton told KDFW-TV.
“Next thing I know I’m on the
ground.”
The video, shot by a white teen-
ager, shows Casebolt throwing
Becton to the ground as she starts
to walk away, yelling to her, “On
your face.” He is seen grabbing
her by the hair and placing his
knee in her back while she was
pinned to the ground under the
weight of his body.
At one point, Casebolt drew
his revolver and pointed it at two
Black males until two of his fel-
low officers intervened and re-
strained him.
More than a half -dozen Fox
George E.
Curry
NNPA
Columnist
commentators defended Case-
bolt, despite the video. One
guest, Bo Dietl, was allowed to
speculate about what one of the
teens might have told the officer.
Fox Business host Lou Dobbs
asked, “What in the world” are po-
lice supposed to do when people
“refuse to obey” their orders?
Fox News Host Megyn Kelly
wrong in the eyes of all-too many
people on the right. Media Mat-
ters compiled a disheartening list
of Fox News personalities raising
baseless hypotheticals that could
(maybe) justify Casebolt’s rash
actions.”
Meanwhile, Casebolt’s behav-
ior was so abhorrent that he has
resigned and apologized for his
actions.
Police Chief Greg Conley said,
“Our policies, our training, our
practice doesn’t support his ac-
tions. He came into the call out
of control, and as the video shows
was out of control during the in-
cident.”
Fox News wasn’t the only of-
fender.
‘Some conservatives, unfortunately, are
falling over themselves to defend the
police’
said, “The girl was no saint either.
He had told her to leave, and she
continued to linger. And when
the cop tells you to leave, you get
out.” Kelly added, “I’m not de-
fending his actions, let me make
that clear.”
After mediamatters.org, the
watchdog group, reported her re-
marks, Kelly took to the air to
charge that “some of the left-wing
press continue to use this incident
to dishonestly push their own
agenda.” However, she neglected
to note that even some conserva-
tives had criticized her.
For example, Reason.com stat-
ed, “Some conservatives, unfortu-
nately, are falling over themselves
to defend the police – the one kind
of public employee who can do no
A Daily Kos headline summed
it up best: “Associated Press pub-
lishes hit job on Tamir Rice.”
It noted, “You are all familiar
with this story. A young boy is
playing in the park, a police car
pulls up and in less than two sec-
onds, 12-year old Tamir Rice is on
the ground, bleeding from what
would prove to be a fatal gunshot
wound. For more than six months
the investigation(s) into this vid-
eotaped killing has languished.
Now, coincidentally, two days af-
ter a judge found probable cause
that the police officer who shot
Rice should face murder charges,
and the Associated Press was pre-
sented with the opportunity to run
a hit job on … Tamir Rice. And,
boy, oh boy, did they run with it.”
Below are some excerpts from
the AP story, written by Mark Gil-
lispie, with Daily Kos commen-
tary in italics.
AP headline: “Boy with pellet
gun warned by friend before po-
lice shooting”
Comment: That’s right! Tamir
was warned! No word if Tamir
was warned that he would be shot
without warning for the crime of
being in a public park, because
the only quotes in this article come
from the prosecutor, an unnamed
FBI agent and the shooter’s law-
yer.
AP: Investigators were told that
Tamir used the airsoft gun, which
shoots non-lethal plastic projec-
tiles, to shoot at car tires that day.
Comment: Not only non-le-
thal, but non-able-to-shoot-out-
a-freaking-tire. Not to mention,
that’s not why the police confront-
ed Tamir.
AP: The video appears to show
Tamir reaching for the pellet gun,
which is tucked in his waistband,
after he was shot.
Comment: It does? The only
thing I see is Tamir reaching for
his his stomach when he’s shot.
The reason I became a journalist
was because I subscribe to a quote
that has been attributed, with some
variation, to both journalist Finley
Peter Dunne and social activist
“Mother” Mary Jones: “The job
of a newspaper is to comfort the
afflicted and afflict the comfort-
able.”
In this instance, Fox News and
the Associated Press got it back-
wards.
Hillary Evokes ‘Collective Anesthesia’
I
n March of 2007, I wrote a
column under the headline:
“Obama Drama.” It began,
“Will the euphoria sweeping
through our ranks over the possi-
bility of a Black President eventu-
ally dominate our collective psy-
che? Will it overwhelm us with
notions of ‘equality’ and ‘victory,’
and ostensibly cause us to subor-
dinate our primary interests and
abandon the pressing issues that
negatively impact Black life in
America?”
Just when I thought we had
learned our political lesson, along
comes another one.
Our collective anesthesia began
in the first week of June, when
Hillary Clinton made voter sup-
pression her major theme.
She went to Texas and called out
Rick Perry, Chris Christie, Scott
Walker, and Jeb Bush, all of whom
she said supported voter suppres-
sion laws in their respective states.
Not only did she go into that
lion’s den called the state of Tex-
as, she gave her speech at Texas
Southern University, a Black col-
lege. “So what, you say? Take
your anesthesia mask off for a mo-
ment and think about this. In 2007,
Black people started inhaling the
nitrous oxide and fell into what
has now become nearly a 7-year
state of political euphoria. Some
of us are still laughing from the
gas we inhaled.
Page 2 June 17, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner
James
Clingman
NNPA
Columnist
Now, with Hillary’s foray into
the sacred bastion of voting, say-
ing she will fight against voter
suppression, while surrounded by
smiling Black folks on a Black
college campus, the fix is in once
again.
We are being numbed out and
of Hillary, or any of the other pres-
idential candidates.
They will not make demands
around criminal justice; they will
not demand some form of repa-
ration for Black people; they will
not demand a student loan bailout;
and they will not demand a Mar-
shall Pan for America’s urban ar-
eas where Blacks reside.
Hillary is already playing the
voting card with Black folks be-
cause she knows that’s what wins
us over.
I am sure she will be in Selma
next year, lending her shoulder to
John Lewis as he weeps, saying,
“Don’t worry Black folks; I will
‘She’s for voting rights,’ many will say,
and that will simply be enough for them
dumbed down, and many of us
will traipse to the polls and vote
for Hillary in 2016 simply because
of this one issue. “She’s for voting
rights,” many will say, and that
will simply be enough for them.
Yes, voting is very important, but
that one issue must not be used
as the panacea for Black political
empowerment.
There will be no other issue on
the minds of many Black voters
since they will have been pro-
grammed while under anesthesia.
They will demand nothing more
protect your right to vote, for real
this time.”
She will attend the NAACP
national convention in a staunch
show of support for that organiza-
tion’s fight against voter suppres-
sion, even though the NAACP has
shown no penchant for outlawing
voter suppression in its own ranks.
That’s right; there are several open
cases of the NAACP allowing and
maybe even supporting voter sup-
pression in local branches across
the nation, led and promulgated by
Gill Ford.
Not to worry though. There is
a group of conscious (as opposed
to being politically anesthetized
and unconscious) Black people
who will not submit to the nitrous
oxide. It is called the One Mil-
lion Conscious Black Voters and
Contributors (OMCBV&C). We
will not be lulled to sleep nor put
to sleep by the political shenani-
gans of any candidate. We will not
be beholden to a particular party,
and we will cast our votes for the
candidate who publicly supports
our platform. Likewise, we will
withhold our votes and our dollars
from any candidate who does not.
Once and for all, Black people
must stop allowing ourselves to
be manipulated by politicians;
we must stop letting them off so
easily; and we must stop giving
them our so-called “precious”
votes with no reciprocity other
than a good feeling. This goes for
any candidate running in 2016.
Let them all know that we are not
little children who simply need a
warm hug or a pat on the head to
make it all better. That’s what we
got in 2008, and Hillary, sure to
be followed by others in the race,
is getting her simple obligation to
Black voters out of the way early.
Join the OMCBV&C, if you are
conscious, and let’s put an end to
this political nonsense. Go tow-
ww.iamoneofthemillion.com and
register.