Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 31 March 2000 — Page 9

FRIDAY, MARCH 31,2000

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

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I pray Brown is not trapped by bygono fantasias of violent revolution

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I was disappointed, but not to- title of Minister of Justice of the maximum shock value on crowds, tally surprised, when I heard that Black Panther Party. This was the Yet what was needed was not bold Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin better culmination of Brown's militant threats to destroy the “white estabknown by his 1960s radical trade- odyssey from student dissident, to lishment,” “the white man," “white

civil rights worker, to chairman of devil,” or “white oppressor” but the Student Non-Violent Coordi- concrete activities and programs

nating Committee. By then Black radicals regarded $NCC as a badly tainted relic of the civil rights move-

mark name, H. Rap Brown, is the suspected shooter of two Atlanta sheriff s deputies that left one dead and one seriously wounded.

for those genuinely committed to

change.

Even the title of his book. Die Nigger Die, was calculated for

Though it’s dangerous and irre-

sponsible to convict prown of ment that they deeply reviled.

murder before all the tyris are in, I His speech to the crowd was hyper shock effect. It was long on still immediately thought of the defiant, brash, laced with profani- attacks on those moderate Black eveningin 1968whenlandasmall ties, and filled with threats to kill leaders Brown branded “Negro promises of the Black movement. knotofBlackjoumalistsstoodnear the police and calls for Blacks to sell-outs" and “Uncle Toms” and A few even managed to swap their the podium at the Los Angeles bum down America’s cities. As I lengthy exhortations urging Blacks blackjackets and berets for Brooks Sports Arena at 9 Black Panther soaked in his performance with a to kill and die for the revolution. Brother suits and slide neatly into fund-raiser. / mixture of awe and fascination, I Yet it was totally devoid of any posts at universities, corporations

Brown sat in he middle of the still wondered whether he really stage garbed inaminy black leather believed this fantasy vision of viojacket and a black beret cocked at lent revolution that he was selling an angle on pis head. He was the crowd. His speech was designed

flanked by a

leather jacketfcd bodyguards and audience, assorted hangers on. The warning flares soared higher

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remained trapped by his tough guy many other Blacks such terrible image and seemed destined to be a personal grief and pain, permanent casualty of his violent Brown may or may not be the rhetoric. He seemed utterly inca- triggerman in the slaying of a sherpaMeofmakingthe transition from iffs deputy and the wounding of radical mouthpiece to effective the other deputy and I sincerely community organizer and leader, pray that he isn’t But his capture There were repeated brushes with will almost certainly trigger anthe law that ended in a bungled other round of media reflection on robbery attempt and a shoot-out how he, the Panthers and other with New York police. This landed 1960s Black radicals drowned the him in prison for five years. genuine idealism and passion for Brown reversed his downhill social change of thousands of slide in 1976 when he embraced Blacks in an ocean of selfishness, Islam, rechristened himself with a greed, opportunism and nihilistic - Muslim name, did his mea culpas violence, for his past, and made his peace Some of this will be true, but with America. He took his new what it misses is the sacrifice and

strategy or program for Black po- and elected office,

litical and economic empower- The free clinics, free breakfast role as spiritual leader and tireless struggle of thousands of men and ment. program, legal aid, voter registra- worker against drugs and prostitu- women against injustice. And fora By the mid 1970s, the Panthers tion, and business development tion and for community betterment timethatcertainlyincludedBrown.

1 army of black to stir the red hot emotions of the were in their final death agonies, programs, and community orga-

Panther leaders dropped like flies nizing campaigns to combat police from police bullets and their own abuse devised by early Panther or-

The crowd of several thousand the more I heard him speak during bullets, degenerated into dope deal- ganizers that had given so much roared withdelight when a speaker the next few months. Brown, at ing, hustling and extortion, or hope to so many were badly faded announced that Brown had been times, seemed to take special de- drifted away afflicted with termi- memories. “appointet/" and had accepted the light in picking words that had nal disillusionment with the failed But Brown was unrepentant. He

foMir-

seriously. Yet his arrest for assault and possession of illegal weapons. Ear/ Ofari Hutchinson is the though the charges were dropped, author of the forthcoming. The sent up another warning flare that Disappearance of Black Leadermany believed he was still prone to ship (Monthly Review Press, Los act out the violent rhetoric of the Angeles) Order information: 3231960s that had caused him and so 298-0266 e-mail:

ehutchi344<BaoLcom

Sports wears the faces of Eve

An open letter to the President, members of Congress, Churlton Heston, Gov. Engler end nil of us

Dear Fellow Americans; It was almost incredible In the

sense of the Latin roots of that word (not believable) the story of

the 6-year-old who killed another

^ear-old in school in, Flint,

6-year-old in school in,

Mich.

Little Kayla Rolland shot by a first grade classmate who simply said,” I don’t like you,” while standing in line. Mothers all over America shuddered, wondering

only help for this family in deep trouble was the anger manage-

about their own Children’s safety, ment class for which the little In the weeks since her death, boy was scheduled, but never got

the story of the boy who shot little Kayla has emerged. A little boy whose family has failed him. A little boy whose school has failed him. A little boy whose police department has failed him. A little boy whose state has failed him. A little boy whose nation has failed him. We all failed both that little boy and little Kayla because, in our haste to end old welfare dependencies, we allowed the safety net for the poorest of the poor to be shred-

ded and destroyed.

A little boy who lived in a dysfunctional family, in the

to attend. No social worker tracking children who were in essence homeless. No school counselor doing in depth referrals for a family in dire need and for a child obviously deeply troubled; No police officers trying to close down this garbage strewn, run-down house which the whole neighborhood knew was a crack

house.

Thank you, President Clinton for calling on Congress to pass strict gun control laws. We do need “smart guns,” we do need trigger locks, we do need even tighter restrictions on gun

worst sense of the word. A father purchases and registration. If

already in prison. A mother whom some say used drugs herself, but even if she did not, who left her children in a home where drugs and guns were

obviously present, even to

neighbors who had on several occasions reported it to the police. A family recently evicted from their home. Two children sleeping on a sofa in the living room where drug deals appar-

ently were occurring.

they save even one child’s life in this nation where 12 children die every day by gunfire, then they

will be a success.

But better gun controls would not be the only solution needed for this little boy, Mr. President. We need social services which work for families in trouble. We need better alarm systems for dysfunctional families and for children who have been abandoned by their families and by

A little boy filled with anger at their communities. We need the life he had been given, so school counselors in every school angry that he had already stabbed in this nation. We need funds for another child with a pencil and cities to use to close down crack had already been suspended three houses and to fix them up and times for fighting. When his give them to homeless families, incarcerated father heard about Gov. John Engler, your plan to

the shooting, he knew it was his child who was the shooter because he had asked his son why he fought the other children and the reply was, “because I hate them.” Yet, as far as we know, the *

get families off welfare worked. But in the process of making families independent, you took away the safety net which might have caught this little boy and saved this little girl. Just as the state failed these families, so did

it fail the little 11-year-old Michigan boy convicted of murder, after a long history of violence. There are many Michigan families, and families across this nation, who desperately need help. If the state doesn’t help them, then who will? If the state doesn’t help the schools to cope with these families, then who will? Charlton Heston, you are the president of the National Rifle Association, the nation’s most powerful gun lobby. In the name of the children, call off your employees, who are trying to demonize President Clinton and anyone else who says enough is enough. Twelve children a day, 84 children a week, 372 children a month, 4,380 children killed a year by gunfire is enough. To say that the president of the United States needs violence is over the top and demeans you and your organization. To pretend that the ready availability of guns in this nation has nothing to do with these killings insults every American. Members of Congress, you also have some blame to shoulder. For you passed the legislation which destroyed the safety net for this nation’s children. So now we have a 6-year-old killer who no one was trying to help. So now we even have wealthy parents of a disabled child abandoning him because they just could not handle his care without a safety net which would have given them respite and counseling and help. So now we have thousands of families walking the tightropes of life without a net to catch them. All this during the most prosperous time in our nation’s history. We must all shoulder some of the responsibility for little Kayla’s death. The real tragedy would be if life goes on and nothing changes until the next incredible death of an American child.

March Madness. The Road to Sports provides a vehicle for the Final Four and the newest self-exploration, an avenue to parphrase “Bracketville” all identify ticipate meaningfully, exposure to one significant rite of “basketball” diverse ideas and persons, and enpassage—the NCAA Men’s Bas- courages positive interaction with ketball Championship. peers and adults. This year, Indianapolis, one of The governance of sports prothe Mecca cities for basketball, vides structured and clear limits reigns king for a day, courting and and aids in development through knighting the victorious wairior left competence-building and achievestanding after the 64-team battle ment. Most importantly the healthy royal. And like the great biblical physical activities and life-style tic aspect of sports and its particistpry, David with a slingshot three- choices I participated in have pants. pointer can take down a number helped me reach the point I’m at Many will celebrate the victory one seed named Goliath. today. These aforementfonad ten- or mount the loss on the court I haven’t had an opportunity to ants are the same core values that However, very few will know or personally play on a NCAA na- all adolescents need for their holis- even understand the pain associtional championship team or have tic development. ated with an injury, the repetitiyecourtside seats to watch Michael Contrary to popular belief, the ness of drills, or loneliness of trainJordan or Duke’s last second tour- National Collegiate Athletic Asso- mg- CBS and ESPN won’t show nament miracles. But I’ve been ciation is an organization commit- clips of the players studying in the blessed to compete in intercolle- ted to the uplifting of student-ath- library after they’ve cut down the giate athletics on the Division-I letes. More importantly, its youth net,norwilltheNBA’srookiedraft level, as well as those precious outreach initiatives are dedicated be pre-empted by an Ivy League little league years. to character development, foster- graduation ceremony or the anSometimes it is difficultforps, ing responsible behavior and en- nouncement of juniorcollege Prop &e fans, to remember lint ori ahtt / tourage enjoymentofhealthy com- 48 student-athlete’s passing of all court playing are'young Sriuki rif o-petition. Whether thr6ugh otf-go- Ws classes. 18, 20 or 22 years of age. These ing recognition of student-athletes. Nonetheless, itis important that young men and women arrive on youth development via National celebrate not just the champicollege campuses every year with Youth Sports Programs (NYSP), onship, but also the champion that visions ofadolescent freedom, pro- the Youth Educations through resides, in anyone who accepts the fessional stardom and escaping or Sports Clinics (YES) and Citizen- challenge on the court, gridiron overcominglife’schallenges.Their ship Through Sports initiative, the mid battlefields of life, mode of transportation to their des- NCAA and other governing bodies tination of college is via sports. of sports are.addressirtg the holis-

LETTERS

The problem with Heston and NRA

Dear Editor, It is with much chagrin that I read that Charlton Heston, on one hand calls upon his followers, in a speech delivered December 7, 1997, to lift their swords in the “cultural war” he sees being waged against gun owners, and on the other boasts he was with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the march on Washington in the sixties, and says that he is all for diversity as long as it consists of white, heterosexual, protestants who are willing to wage his warfare. In a sense, whether it be Oprah Winfrey or Barbara Streisand who comes under his cross hairs, it is time for Charlton Heston to realize his incitations are totally irrelevant to anyone except those who would

foster revolution to implement their neo-Nazi, fascist views. His most recent sound bytes, paid for by the NRA, are a total waste of that organization’s money. If the NRA is truly interested in the responsible use of firearms, then why would they oppose 72 hour waiting- periods for background checks at gun shows? Are they telling us that if we can’t stand a background check we can still get weapons of our choice at a gun show, where only ineffectual checks can be made under current law? . And if Charlton Heston is interested in American justice, rooted in a democratic process, then he is going to have to face Mrs. Byrdsong, and numerous others.

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including the Littleton Colorado parents, on a different battleground, the election booths of America. He doesn’t have even Hollywood make-be)ieve guts to face them in person. If the American people have had enough of the inciteful LaPierreHeston rhetoric, enough of a bought-by-the-NRA Congress, and enough senseless killing, then a pull of the voting machine lever, and not a pull of yet another trigger, will give true meaning to the American experience. Isn’t Heston telling us he wants class warfare instead? With regards, I remain. Sincerely yours, Guy Edwtod Lustig

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