All Things Harlem

ATH footage used in Yasin Bey (Mos Def) PSA on Stop and Frisk

2013-05-22T20:34:52Z

Don't Tread On Me - Video

Disgrace of Justice - Ramarley Graham's case thrown out by Bronx Judge

2013-05-16T00:08:28Z

NY1 - A Bronx judge has thrown out the indictment on manslaughter charges filed against the officer accused in the shooting death of Ramarley Graham, saying the grand jury was accidentally misled by the district attorney's office. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.

Constance Malcolm, the mother of Ramarley Graham, couldn't hide her feelings when Judge Stephen Barrett threw out the manslaughter indictment against police officer Richard Haste.

"You killed my God damn child, you son of a bitch," Malcolm yelled in the courtroom.

Haste shot and killed the unarmed teen last year. He said he thought Graham had a gun.

Judge Barrett said Bronx prosecutors made a major mistake in the grand jury process.

"I believe that inadvertently, the district attorney's instructions did mislead the jury," the judge said.

Officer Haste has said he chased Graham into the teen's home because other officers put over the police radio that the teen had a gun. Haste shot and killed Graham in the bathroom, but no gun was found.

Judge Barrett ruled that the grand jury should have been able to consider what other officers reported.

"In effect, the grand jury was told, by both commission and omission, that the communications of other officers to officer Haste were not relevant," Judge Barrett said. "That's my conclusion in reading this instruction, and that is error."

Outside court, supporters of Graham's family were outraged.

"We will continue to fight wherever this fight leads," said Franclot Graham, Ramarley Graham's father. "If we have to go to the Justice Department, then that's where we'll go."

"The people of Bronx County and the citizens of America will not go away, will not cease and desist against police violence, excessive force, against, obviously, murder," said Attorney Royce Russell.

Inside the courtroom, Haste didn't say a word, but his union said the judge made the right decision.

"No police officer ever wants to draw their weapon and be in this situation, so it's a difficult time for everyone," said Pat Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.

Everyone involved in the case knows it's likely to continue. Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said his office will decide if it will appeal the judge's ruling or present the case to another grand jury.

Following the decision, the Rev. Al Sharpton released a statement, saying, "This is an outrageous miscarriage of justice and an insult to the family and supporters of Ramarley Graham. We demand that a new grand jury is convened immediately and that the case is re-presented."

Story from NY1.Com

Event: Emergency Demonstration - Justice for Ramarley Graham

2013-05-13T18:41:47Z

Message From Ramarley Graham's Mother

Dear Ramarley's supporters,

I am not sure if everyone is up to date as to what happened on the last court date but we were not given the impression that a trial will start anytime soon. A trial date was not set due to some " TECHNICALITY". Now, there was no technicality when this murderer illegally gained access to my building, ran upstairs, and kicked off my apartment door and murdered my son. There were no technicality when they were all smirking in my backyard because they did a good job murdering Ramarley in cold blood. There were no technicality when at his first court appearance he was greeted with applaud by his fellow comrades.

I am angry and cannot express my feelings alone. I need your help. My son needs your help. We need to have the same smile and smirk they had with a court date being set. We need to show the judge that COPS are not above the law. The court system is quick to pronounce us citizens guilty until proven innocent. So why is RICHARD HASTE getting the innocent until proven guilty treatment? Four days after my son was murdered the community came out and was angry and fed up of the constant police brutality, well on WEDNESDAY MAY 15th at 8:30 AM, please come out and show your disgust and how fed up you are of the crooked system we call the justice system. I am ready to take it to the streets and the highest of the highest. Please be prepared for a major protest

I am asking you to share this with any and everyone. We need your help, we need your voice, I need you to help me make a difference to the system so that our children are treated fairly.

With Love and Respect from a angry mother

Constance Malcolm.

Drug Prohibition is Human Rights Issue - Jazz Hayden

2013-05-10T14:50:08Z

Jazz Hayden Speaking at NYC Canabis Parade 2013

By: Joseph "Jazz" Hayden

At a recent event against drug prohibition I was asked to speak, as I was asked to speak the year before. Well, my views on drug prohibition have been consistently consistent----prohibition is sheer bull---t! It is my opinion that the entire narrative around drugs in this country (and the world) has to be changed. For far too long we have framed the discussion in terms of law and public policy. It is time for a change because that conversation is not going anywhere. The conversation has to be reframed in terms of “human rights” and an individuals inalienable right to choose what he/she can put in their bodies. Noone should have the power to tell another human being what they can and cannot put in their bodies. Each one of us is trapped in the “castle of our skins” for the duration of our short stay on this planet. We feed, exercise, clothe, house, and take care of our bodies 24/7. I watch the pharmaceutical commercials on television and I am amazed at the glaring contradictions in the way that pharmaceutical drugs are treated and the way that so-called “illicit” drugs are treated. A pharmaceutical drug that has one possible beneficial effect, and fifteen side effects that can maim or kill you is presented to potential customers who are given this information so that they can make a choice. The provision of all research information to the potential consumer and the leaving of the decision up to them is the way that all drugs should be treated. Why isn’t this universally applied? Why do we have so many human beings in cages for simply “self-medicating”, making choices about what to put in their bodies? How do we rationalize designating them as “criminals” and branding them as second class citizens for the rest of their lives? This is madness! The human cost of this failed policy is horrendous! The economic cost is off of the charts…

Drug War Statistics

Did you know....

Amount spent annually in the U.S. on the war on drugs: More than $51,000,000,000

Number of people arrested in 2011 in the U.S. on nonviolent drug charges: 1.53 million

Number of people arrested for a marijuana law violation in 2011: 757,969

• Number of those charged with marijuana law violations who were arrested for possession only: 663,032 (87 percent)

Number of Americans incarcerated in 2011 in federal, state and local prisons and jails: 2,266,800 or 1 in every 99.1 adults, the highest incarceration rate in the world

Fraction of people incarcerated for a drug offense in state prison that are black or Hispanic, although these groups use and sell drugs at similar rates as whites: 2/3

Number of states that allow the medical use of marijuana: 18 + District of Columbia

Estimated annual revenue that California would raise if it taxed and regulated the sale of marijuana: $1,400,000,000

Number of people killed in Mexico's drug war since 2006: 70,000+

Number of students who have lost federal financial aid eligibility because of a drug conviction: 200,000+

Number of people in the U.S. that died from an accidental drug overdose in 2009: 31,758

Tax revenue that drug legalization would yield annually, if currently-illegal drugs were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco: $46.7 billion

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that syringe access programs lower HIV incidence among people who inject drugs by: 80 percent

One-third of all AIDS cases in the U.S. have been caused by syringe sharing: 354,000 people

U.S. federal government support for syringe access programs: $0.00, thanks to a federal ban reinstated by Congress in 2011 that prohibits any federal assistance for them

More Resources

Get additional facts at the Drug War Facts website

Animators Parody NYPD's Stop and Frisk Training Video

2013-05-02T17:14:06Z

Video

Reverend Calvin Butts and the Abyssinian Development Corporation Exposed

2013-04-18T01:21:18Z

This article from the Village Voice gives a detailed look at Abyssinian Baptist Church's Reverend Calvin Butts and the big money dealings of their real estate arm known as the Abyssinian Development Corporation.

Village Voice - From the church pulpit, like the Powells before him, the always crisply attired Butts has talked his way into a role as one of Harlem's key political power brokers—a position that is not without its benefits. In 1998, Butts endorsed the Republican incumbent governor, George Pataki. The following year, Pataki appointed him president of SUNY–Old Westbury, where he continues to earn $200,000 a year. And while he was a harsh critic of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, once calling him a "racist," Butts not only endorsed the Republican Michael Bloomberg, but has said hardly a word against his policies. Bloomberg's City Hall has lavished $68.6 million in government money on the organization, according to the city comptroller's office. The mayor himself has made repeated charitable donations to ADC, and once sat down at a fundraiser and wrote out a $1 million check on the spot. After Senator Hilary Clinton secured $1.5 million in earmarks for ADC, Butts endorsed her for president.

Mayoral Forum with The Faith Community at Convent Avenue Baptist Church

2013-04-16T20:39:54Z

Mayoral candidates were invited to Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harem by the faith based community of New York City. The Ministers of many churches created a covenant with the mayoral candidates, demanding that they be included in discussions of all matters related to their communities.

The candidates discussed a range of issues including health care, mayoral control of the education system, and police community relations. Democratic candidates John Liu, Bill de Blasio, Christine Quinn and Bill Thompson all participated.

Videos

Faith community begins the event

Police violence in the community

Mayoral control of the education system 1/2

Seen in the Subway

2013-04-15T17:17:27Z

Video

This young crew of kids impressed some passengers and left others annoyed or frightened with their acrobatic break dancing moves inside this New York City train car. They are tremendously talented and entrepreneurial. Many people find these young crews annoying to see during their subway commutes. What do you think?

Video

This man seemed to be enjoying whatever was playing in his headphones cause he was singing and dancing to himself as if know one else was around. Do you think he was crazy or just really feeling the music?

Two Systems of Justice

2013-03-26T15:14:22Z

Two systems of criminal justice have once again been confirmed, this time on the international stage with the exposure of one of the largest banks in the world, HSBC, as one of the biggest money launderers in the world.

It has long been my position that the criminal justice system that poor and oppressed people desire already exists. It is a system of restitution, fines, community service, and non-incarceration; unlike the totally punitive system of jails, prisons, chain gangs, death penalties, and harsh prison conditions.

There has always been this duplicity that has been based on power and privilege in America. Racial control of the power structure and white-skinned privilege has unabashedly designed these two systems to meet their needs for social control.

To show the glaring disparity between how the rich and powerful are treated, in contrast to how the poor and vulnerable are treated, I need only relate a chapter in my life experience.

Black Youth subculture: Is it time to push back?

2013-03-19T16:55:35Z

By Joseph "Jazz" Hayden (In response to: The Crime of “Saggy Pants”?)

Some say that Black youth subculture has reinforced every negative stereotype attributed to Blacks in America from slavery to the present? And that Black entrepreneurs, with the support of governmental and private media forces, have facilitated the creation of a black youth subculture that has been antithetical to everything that blacks have struggled for since our forced kidnapping from the shores of Africa and our subsequent enslavement and brutalization to this very day.

The transition from a culture of racial pride, unity, and resistance to a culture of ignorance, self-abasement, and widespread fratricide against other people of color did not happen in a vacuum.

The forties, fifties, and sixties in Harlem was a community of heightened political awareness, i.e., Marcus Garvey movement, Nation of Islam, NAACP, Black Panthers, Young Lords, Father Divine, and Daddy Grace, with a sense of black pride and community. This was reflected in the politics, religion, activism, and foremost in the music of the times; Jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, and the Temptations. This was the Civil Rights era, Black Power movement, racial pride, activism, community organizing, Black Nationalism, self-defense, and black students organizing all around the country. Today’s black youth culture could not have even been imagined then ---- much less gained any traction. It took governmental policy and its Lap Dog Media to make today’s black youth sub-culture possible.