It is Dangerous to be Black in Racist America…

“If you are a normal white American, the truth is you don’t understand being black in America.” Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said. 

The hawkish Republican not known for his sensitivity on civil rights, said white Americans “instinctively underestimate the level of discrimination and the level of additional risk” facing black Americans today. “It is more dangerous to be black in America.”

 

 

The white racist general public in the United States of America links Micah Xavier Johnson, the 25 year old former US army officer who killed five police officers to the movement Black Lives Matter, according to media reports. But the former army corporal reportedly told officials during a stand-off he was a lone wolf in his resolve to shoot white police officers on anger and disapproval of  white police officers killing black people.

One of four suspects responsible for carrying out the deadly police ambush in Dallas Thursday night, 7th July, 2016 has been identified as 25-year-old Micah Johnson, multiple news sources confirm.  Micah Xavier Johnson was a corporal in the U.S. Army and served in Afghanistan, Heavy.com reported.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Johnson was killed by a detonated robot bomb following a seven-hour stand off with police. Authorities also engaged in a shootout with the suspect before he was killed.  Johnson has no criminal history nor any ties to extremist groups, the publication stated.

Upset over the recent deaths of two Black men at the hands of police, Johnson reportedly acted alone and stated he “wanted to kill white officers,” according toABC News. Dallas police said at least three other suspects are currently in custody.  In photos of Johnson currently circulating on social media, he appears to have been military trained. Heavy.com said Johnson was a corporal in the U.S. Army and had served in Afghanistan.

Yet, a petition calling for the U.S. Department of Defense to designate Black Lives Matter a terrorist organization had been signed by over 23,000 people by Friday evening, 8th June, 2016.

In another development, lawyers defending  Dylann Roof, the white 21 year old racist who killed nine black people attending a prayer meeting in a church in South Carolina in 2015 have called for waivers on charges against their client. This website is not aware of anybody linking the racist church shooter to the white supremacist organization, the Ku Klux Klan despite circumstantial evidence, or any petition signed asking the U.S. Department of Defense to declare the KKK a terrorist organization.

The attorneys for the accused church shooter are asking that all federal charges against their client be dropped, calling Roof’s murder case unconstitutional.

Read Also: Racism: the real enduring cancer in American society, and the older story: Florida police practice shooting black men

 

Media reports said the former US House of Representatives Speaker,  Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) had some surprising words on racism in America on  Friday, 8th July, 2016, after a tragic week that saw the murder of policemen in Dallas and police slayings of black men in Baton Rouge, La., and St. Paul, Minnesota.

“It took me a long time, and a number of people talking to me through the years to get a sense of this,” Gingrich, a top option for Donald Trump’s running mate, told CNN. “If you are a normal white American, the truth is you don’t understand being black in America.”

Gingrich, a hawkish Republican not known for his sensitivity on civil rights, said white Americans “instinctively underestimate the level of discrimination and the level of additional risk” facing black Americans today.

“It is more dangerous to be black in America,” he said. “It is more dangerous in that they are substantially more likely to end up in a situation where the police don’t respect you and you could easily get killed. And sometimes for whites it’s difficult to appreciate how real that is and how it’s an everyday danger.”

 

 

The website Atlanta BlackStar reports the petition calling the White House to recognize Black Lives Matter as a terrorist group was created on July 6, one day ahead of the sniper shootings that killed five officers and injured seven others in downtown Dallas. The number of signatures has grown exponentially in the hours since.

“Black Lives Matter has earned this title due to its actions in Ferguson, Baltimore, and even at a Bernie Sanders rally, as well as all over the United States and Canada,” the whitehouse.gov petition posted by an individual known simply as Y.S. reads. “It is time for the pentagon to be consistent in its actions – and just as they rightfully declared ISIS a terror group, they must declare Black Lives Matter a terror group – on the grounds of principle, integrity, morality, and safety.”

The FBI defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) referenced in the petition, has tortured, enslaved, beheaded, bombed countless innocents in the name of Sharia law, a strict Islamic code used by extremists to sanction mass killings and other acts of terror against non Muslims or non-compliant adherents of the faith.

The Black Lives Matter movement, co-founded by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi following George Zimmerman’s acquittal for the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, began as a hashtag to affirm the humanity of a group of Americans whose lives they saw as “systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.”

Citizens invoking the name of the movement began to mobilize, forming chapters in cities rocked by the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police. In Ferguson, Staten Island, and Baltimore, the overwhelming majority of demonstrators assembled in peaceful protest, yet the small segments of violent, destructive dissenters become inextricably linked to the organization.

The pattern appears to be happening in Dallas, where police have identified ex-Army reservist Micah Xavier Johnson as seemingly the lone gunman responsible for the carnage.

Dallas police chief David Brown said Johnson told negotiators during the standoff that he “was not affiliated with any groups” and that “he did this alone”. Multiple news organizations have cited law enforcement sources as saying Johnson had no criminal record nor any direct ties to any terror organizations or political groups, including Black Lives Matter.

Which begs the question, why doesn’t African American Micah Johnson get the same lone wolf label as Charleston shooter Dylann Roof? Why the need to link the thoughts and actions of individual Black Americans to a larger group?

BLM representatives condemned Thursday’s shootings in a message titled, “The Black Lives Matter Network advocates for dignity, justice, and respect”, published to the official website Friday.

“In the last few days, this country witnessed the recorded murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police, the latest victims in this country’s failed policing system. As we have done for decades, we marched and protested to highlight the urgent need to transform policing in America, to call for justice, transparency and accountability.

In Dallas, many gathered to do the same, joining in a day of action with friends, family, and co-workers. Their efforts were cut short when a lone gunman targeted and attacked 11 police officers, killing five. This is a tragedy—both for those who have been impacted by yesterday’s attack and for our democracy.

There are some who would use these events to stifle a movement for change and quicken the demise of a vibrant discourse on the human rights of Black Americans. We should reject all of this.

Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it. Yesterday’s attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman. To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible. We continue our efforts to bring about a better world for all of us.”

The petition has until August 5, 2016, to obtain 100,000 signatures – the number that elicits a response from White House officials.

In a separate development, attorneys for the accused church shooter Dylann Roof are asking that all federal charges against their client be dropped, calling Roof’s government case unconstitutional. According to Charleston, South Carolina news station WCSC, lawyers filed the motion Tuesday, arguing the federal government didn’t have the constitutional authority to prosecute Roof; instead, the state government should be left to handle the matter.

They also claim the federal case against Roof violates his 13th Amendment rights (which outlawed slavery) and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

“The charges at issue are extremely grave, but under the Constitution they are not properly charged,” argued Sarah Gannett, one of Roof’s lawyers. “The defendant therefore requests that the indictment be dismissed.”

The 21-year-old was slapped with 33 hate crimes charges after killing nine Black parishioners at the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. church in June of last year. Per WCSC,  jury selection for his federal trial is set to begin Nov. 7 while his state trial is scheduled for January 17, 2017. Prosecutors at the state and federal levels are seeking the death penalty for Roof.

His lawyers’ request for a case dismissal comes just a month after the one-year anniversary of the tragic church shooting. Roof also opted for a bench trial early last month, Atlanta Black Star reports.

“Pursuant to this order, the defendant hereby states that he is willing to waive jury, and to be tried and sentenced by the court,” read the motion filed by attorneys David Bruck and Michael O’Connell. It’s highly unlikely the government will grant their request, however.

“Counsel for the government has informed defense counsel that the government will not consent to waive jury at either stage of this case,” the filing read.

According to the Post and Courier, Roof’s attorneys have offered to drop their challenge if the federal government agrees to a life sentence behind bars for Roof, rather than the death penalty.

“The motion is being made only because the statutes at issue form the basis of the government’s request for the death penalty,” the motion states. “Should the government’s death notice be withdrawn at any point in the future, the defendant will withdraw this motion and plead guilty as charged to all counts in the indictment.” Prosecutors must respond to the offer by July 25, the Post and Courier reports.

Next week, Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson is expected to decide whether the state of South Carolina will try Roof before the federal trial against him begins.