Next month the most important item on my agenda is Maafa Commemoration Month to reflect on the legacy of slavery and how everyone benefited from this human rights travesty except those who did the work. We began Aug. 30 with a successful Maafa 2009: Hurricane Katrina Fundraiser and Reportback, thanks to all the poets and the visual artists who donated art for the silent auction and of course to Tess and Yeme, the proprietors of Shashamane Bar and Grill.
Tags:
actor Danny Glover,
Aguas da Bahia,
Al Green,
Alanis Morissette,
Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet,
Alvon Johnson,
ancestor remembrance,
Anna’s Jazz Island,
Art Hazelwood,
ASA Academy,
Baba Ken and the West African Highlife Band,
Barbara Attie,
BART police oversight,
Beres Hammond,
Black August 2009,
Blind Boys of Alabama,
Bradley C. Walters,
Bro. Malique Amenhotep,
budget cuts,
Casper Banjo,
Chick Corea,
Chitresh Das Dance Company,
College of Alameda Small Ensemble,
Common Ground Health Clinic,
Cuban saxophonist Yosvany Terry,
Dawn Logsdon,
Dr. Al Green,
Dr. Ivan Van Sertima,
Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio,
East Oakland,
Eric Benet,
Erykah Badu,
Esperanza Spalding,
Evan Ziporyn,
Francisco Aguabella,
Friends of the Oakland Public Library,
Gary Graves,
George Clinton,
Hank Jones,
Hiroshima,
Hurricane Katrina,
Hurricane Katrina Memorials,
illiteracy rate,
India Irie,
Islamic jurisprudence,
James P. Anderson,
Jan Zvaifler,
Janet Goldwater,
Jason Moran,
Jay Electronica,
jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders,
John Legend,
Juan R. Fuentes,
Judy Juanita,
Julie Bridgham,
Kim Longinotto,
Leela James,
Lenny White,
Library Director Carmen Martinez,
LIFE of Mississippi,
Linda Tillery & the Cultural Heritage Choir,
Litquick,
Liz Wright,
Lolis Eric Elie,
Lucie Faulknor,
Luis Arias Vera,
Maafa Commemoration Month,
Machiavelli’s “The Prince”,
Mark Morris Dance Group,
MC Hammer,
Michael Eugene Sullivan,
Michael Franti and Spearhead,
Michael Jackson,
Michael Navarra,
Mike Clark’s Blueprints of Jazz,
MMDG Music Ensemble,
Monaco’s Ballet Russe,
Monterey Jazz Festival,
Mos Def,
Ná Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu,
Nahid Persson,
Nubian oud master Hamza El Din,
Oakland Public Library Bookmobile,
Oscar Grant strategy organizing,
Pete Seeger,
police chases in Black neighborhoods,
police killings,
Power to the Peaceful,
Professor Herbert Mims Jr.,
Raja Rahim,
Regina Carter,
Richard Frederick,
San Francisco Fringe Festival,
San Francisco Mime Troupe,
San Francisco Presidio,
San Francisco Reads,
Sari Soldiers,
Sausalito Art Festival,
Sellasie,
Shakespeare in the Park,
Shashamane Bar and Grill,
Sixth Annual Dance-a-thon,
Sly and Robbie,
social genocide,
Sonoma Wine Country Weekend,
Soulive with Fred Wesle,
Stanley Jordan,
tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain,
Tambores Julio Remelexo Drum and Dance Ensemble,
TaSin Yasmin Sabir,
Ted Pontiflet’s James Baldwin,
the BaAka Pygmies of the Central African Republic,
The Neville Brothers and Dr. John,
the Shaolin Monks of China,
Truth Universal,
UNESCO’s International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition,
Vieux Farka Touré,
Vijay Iyer Trio,
Wanda Sabir,
West Oakland,
Winton Marsalis,
Winton Marsalis' Lincoln Center Orchestra,
Ziba Mir-Hosseini,
Zulu Spear,
“Pray the Devil Back to Hell”,
“The Bottoms”
Let there be absolutely no misunderstanding about this plea I took. The SF8 case was complex, and not everyone in the case had the same legal issues. Because of this, I took a plea because I believed it was the right thing to do for me and the case itself. And this could well make my parole chances in New York even more difficult. Still, the plea was well worth taking because it led to Jalil Muntaqim’s plea, which resulted in charges being dismissed against Hank Jones, Ray Boudreaux, Harold Taylor and Richard Brown – but, unfortunately, not Francisco Torres. There is hope still that charges against Cisco will be dismissed, and if he should go to trial, we support him.
Tags:
Adam Raskin,
Che Hashim,
Chuck Bourdon,
Daro Inouye,
Dennis Cunningham,
Francisco Torres,
Hank Jones,
Harold Taylor,
Heather Hardwick,
Herman Bell,
Jenny Kang,
John Philipsborn,
Julie de Almeida,
Keith MacArthur,
Kelly Metters,
Lori Flowers and our investigators,
Mark Goldrosen,
Mark Rosenbush,
Mike Burt,
Nancy Pemberton,
New York,
Patricia de Larios,
Rai Sue Sussman,
Randy Montesano,
Ray Boudreaux,
Richard Brown,
Richard Mazer,
Soffiyah Elijah,
Stuart Hanlon,
the SF8 case
Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim are both well aware that there is no justice in the U.S. courts for us – there’s just us, as we used to say. Jalil did a great job of making sure all four co-defendants would have their charges dropped before making this decision that I know he did not want to make.
Tags:
Albert Woodfox of the Angola 3,
Diana Block,
Donna Willmott,
FBI,
Francisco (Cisco) Torres,
Hank Jones,
Harold Taylor,
Herman Bell,
Homeland Security,
Jalil A. Muntaqim,
Jalil Muntaqim,
Jalil’s attorney Daro G. Inouye,
Javad,
John Bowman,
Kiilu Nyasha,
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children,
Linda Evans,
Maisha Quint,
Nelson Mandela,
Pierre,
Pierre Labossiere,
Ray Boudreaux,
Richard Brown,
Richard O’Neal,
South Africa,
the SF 8,
Wanda Sabir
San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar announced June 8 to 300 people rallying at 850 Bryant that he would introduce a resolution to the Board of Supervisors calling on California Attorney General Jerry Brown to drop the charges against the San Francisco 8. “San Francisco does not tolerate torture,” he said, braving the wrath of the Police Officers Association, who evidently tolerate torture in defense of one of their own.
Tags:
"Drop the charges",
Betty Williams of the Community of Peace People,
California Attorney General Jerry Brown,
Chris Daly,
Cisco Torres,
Cynthia McKinney,
Danny Glover,
Darryl Jordan,
deputy director of the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School,
director of the American Friends Service Committee Third World Coalition,
Esq.,
Hank Jones,
Harold Taylor,
Herman Bell,
human rights,
Jalil Muntaqim,
Kamala Harris,
Mairead Corrigan Maguire,
Marjorie Cohn,
Nobel Peace Laureates Rev. Dr. Desmond Tutu,
Northern Ireland,
president of the National Lawyers Guild,
Ray Boudreaux,
resolution,
Richard Brown,
Ross Mirkarimi,
San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar,
San Francisco taxpayers,
SFPD officers,
Sgt. John Young,
Soffiyah Elijah,
Supervisors Sophie Maxwell,
the Black Panther Party,
the Board of Supervisors,
The Brass Liberation Orchestra,
the courthouse at 850 Bryant,
the FBI counter-intelligence program,
the Government Audit and Oversight Committee,
the Ingleside Station,
The San Francisco 8,
the San Francisco District Attorney,
the U.S. Constitution,
the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights,
torture,
William Wardlaw of the Executive Director's Leadership Council of Amnesty International
We want to call the names of those who made their transition in January and offer condolences to their loved ones who have yet to cross that bridge. I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that Ave Montague is gone.
Tags:
Adam David Miller,
Adolph Grimes III,
Afro-Cuban All Stars,
Al Young,
Alice C. Royal,
Allensworth,
Anatasia Dunham-Parker,
Anna Maria Flechero,
Anthony J. Smith and Eliza Shefler,
Antoine Hunter,
Athol Fugard,
Ave Montague,
Avoctja,
Avotcja,
Aya de Leon,
Black Alliance for Just Immigration,
Black History Month,
Black Power Movement,
Black Repertory Theatre,
Blackberri,
Block Report Radio,
Bobby Seale,
C Kelly Wright,
Carolyn Brandy,
Cassandra Henderson,
Chicago 8,
College of Alameda,
Dahrio Hutton,
Delina Brooks,
Destiny Arts,
Destiny Harpist from the Hood,
Dimensions Extensions Performance Ensemble,
Donald Lacy,
Dr. Amina Mama,
Earl "Chico" Freeman,
Elizabeth Alexander,
Eva Paterson,
former San Francisco Poet Laureate devorah major,
Frankie Manning,
Frederick Harris,
Gabriel Teodros,
Gerry Lim,
Guy Washington,
H.D. Moe,
Hank Jones,
Hansford Prince,
Henry Clement and the Gumbo Band & Posse,
Hilda Robinson,
Irma Thomas,
Isaura Olivera,
Jack and Adelle Foley,
Jaime Wright,
James Weldon Johnson,
Jeff Jones,
Jimmy Baldwin,
Jimmy Scott,
Juan de Marcos,
Judy Grane,
Julian Carroll,
Kamau Seitu,
Karla Brundage,
Katherine Hastings,
Kim Shuck,
L. Peter Callendar,
Lady Bianca,
Langston Hughes,
Ledisi,
Leslie Simon,
Linda Tillery,
Luis Napoles,
Malonga Casquelourd Theater,
Mamacoatl,
Martha Cinader and Tony Mims,
Mary Watkins,
Meklit Hadero,
Melanie De More,
Minister of Information JR,
Minnie Grimes,
Muhammad Ali,
Muziki Roberson,
Nandi SoJourn Asantewaa Crosby,
Ntozake Shange,
Oak SOTA,
On Demand,
Oni Faida Lampley,
Opal Palmer Adisa,
Oscar Grant III,
Paul Robeson,
Paula Parker,
Pearl Cleage,
Pete Escovedo,
Phavia Kujichagulia,
Prasant Radhakrishnan,
President Barack Obama,
Raissa Simpson,
Randy Weston,
Rashad Pridgen,
Reginald Lockett,
Rev. Joseph E. Lowery,
Rhonda Benin,
Richard Bona,
Robert O'Hara,
Rokia Traore,
San Francisco Black Film Festival,
Sean Vaughn Scott,
SF SOTA,
Stephanie Powell,
Susan Anderson,
Tania Santiago,
Tayo Taluko,
Tim Wise,
Todd Brown,
Tom Rigney and Flambeau,
Tureeda Mikell,
Val Serrant,
Wanda Sabir,
William C. Tweed,
Yehmanja Houff,
Zora Neale Hurston
English