Movement for Black Lives Report Finds Feds Targeted Black Lives Matters Supporters

A report from the racial justice organization, The Movement for Black Lives released Wednesday, comes to the stunning conclusion that the Justice Department “deliberately targeted supporters of the movement to defend Black lives during the summer of 2020 uprisings in order to disrupt and discourage Black organizing.”

Source The Movement for Black Lives

Created in partnership with the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility Clinic at the City University of New York School of Law, the report analyzed 326 criminal cases filed by federal prosecutors in connection with nationwide protests from May 31 to Oct. 25 of last year in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and found the White House to be the motivating force behind the prosecutions. 

Much of the drive to use federal charges against protesters stemmed from top-down directives from former President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General William Barr, states the analysis. These directives, meant to disrupt the movement, were the primary reason for the unprecedented federalization of protest-related prosecutions seen in 2020.

Furthermore, the report claims that rhetoric from the DOJ in the form of press releases regarding the Black Lives Matters protestors painted an image of “violent radicals” in stark opposition to the language used surrounding Covid-19 anti-mask protestors during the same time period when then-President Trump referred to anti-mask protestors as “very good people.”

That difference in language was matched with a difference in response according to The Movement for Black Lives.

… the government justified the expanded use of its authority and deployment of federal enforcement due to what it claimed was local and state leaders’ “abdication of their law enforcement responsibilities in deference to this violent assault,” read the report, going on to note that President Trump urged local officials to negotiate with anti-mask protestors.

Amara Enyia, The Movement for Black Lives’ policy research coordinator told the Associated Press that the point of it was to show how the U. S. government has continued to persecute the Black movement by surveillance, by criminalizing protests, and by using the criminal legal system to prevent people from protesting and punishing them for being engaged in protests by attempting to curtail their First Amendment rights.

 It is undeniable that racism plays a role,” Enyia said. “It is structurally built into the fabric of this country and its institutions, which is why it’s been so difficult to eradicate. It’s based on institutions that were designed around racism and around the devaluing of Black people and the devaluing of Black lives.

Read the entire report here.

Isley Brothers Cover the Hits in ‘Tiny Desk (Home) Concert'

 

Times are tough all around, but whoever scheduled the latest episode of NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert made a valiant attempt to put a little boogie back in our steps by bringing funk, soul and disco legends The Isley Brothers into our homes, from theirs.

Filmed at the group’s home studio in St. Louis, Missouri, the four-song set that began streaming Wednesday morning, attempted to put the hump back in Humpday, as the Isleys opened with their classic bed burner “Between the Sheets” before moving on to “Footsteps in the Dark” followed by 70s classic “For the Love of You” and closed out the set with a showstopping version of “That Lady.”

Along the way the Isleys shared stories about the songs and made several callouts to the legion of popular artists who have sampled them, including Ronald Isley (aka Mr. Biggs) opening “Between the Sheets” with, “I like it when you call me Big Poppa,” in a nod to the late Notorious B.I.G. who sampled the song in his breakthrough hit. 

While the runtime on the concert is just under 13 minutes it stands as an adequate reminder of the power, poise and talent of this iconic band which has been putting out hits for nearly seven decades.

R&B Legend Ray Charles Part of 2021 Country Music Hall of Fame Class

 

Ray Charles Image Courtesy of CMHOF

Nearly two decades after his death Ray Charles is still receiving new honors and accolades for a brilliant
music career that spanned styles, genres and generations. 

The latest honor for the blind virtuoso, perhaps best known for his piano driven soul music that combined an eclectic mix of jazz, gospel and the bules, comes from the Country Music Hall of Fame which cited his 1962 album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” as a major reason for the selection.

“With his landmark 1962 album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music,” the soulful singer and pianist put his own indelible stamp on country songs, broadening the music’s appeal and audience,” read an announcement from the CMHOF. “He made country music a significant part of his repertoire from that point forward, collaborating frequently with country artists, such as Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.”

Following its release, the album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and propelled his collaboration with Nelson on “Seven Spanish Angels” to the top of the country charts.

The announcement went on to acknowledge the entertainer, who lost his sight when he was 7-years-old, “overcame barriers of disability and race to transform American popular music, becoming one of the most revered and recognized entertainers in the world.”

Joining Charles in the class of 2021 are mother-daughter duo the Judds, veteran session drummer Eddie Bayers and pedal steel guitarist Pete Drake.

For Charles, who died in 2004 of complications from liver disease at the age of 73, the induction is just the latest in a long line to halls of fame eager to honor his contributions to music. He was already a member of the Rock and Roll, Grammy, Rhythm & Blues, National Black Sports & Entertainment and Georgia Music Halls of Fame. 

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