A little while back, I posted a story on the eyewitness account of the death of Ronald Madison. Madison, a 40-year-old mentally handicapped man, was shot in the back by police officers on the Danziger Bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The eyewitness in question says he saw Madison running with his hands in the air when he was shot in the back. All told, 6 people were shot by police on the bridge that day. In addition to Madison, James Brissette, was was killed by police near the base of the bridge.

According the Ronald’s brother, Lance Madison, the two of them were crossing the bridge on foot to go to another brother’s dental office when a group of teenagers began firing behind them. Lance Madison said, at that point, he and his brother began running. Then, Madison says, a group of seven police officers pulled up in a moving van and began firing at them. Then, officers pointed a rifle at this brother as the two were running up the bridge. Ronald Madison was shot 7 times, 5 of those times were in the back.

As a result of this incident, 7 officers were indicted yesterday. Four were charged with first-degree murder and attempted first degree murder. Two were charged with attempted first-degree murder and one was charged with attempted second-degree murder. For the four accused of first-degree murder, they could face the death penalty, if convicted.

List of charges

The officers and the charges they face:

Sgt. Kenneth Bowen: one count of first-degree murder of Brissette and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder of Leonard Bartholomew, Susan Bartholomew, Lesha Bartholomew, Jose Holmes Jr., Lance Madison and Ronald Madison.

Sgt. Robert Gisevius: one count of first-degree murder of Brissette and two counts of attempted first-degree murder of the Madisons.

Officer Anthony Villavaso: one count of first-degree murder of Brissette and four counts of attempted first-degree murder of the Bartholomews and Holmes.

Officer Robert Faulcon: two counts of first-degree murder of Brissette and Ronald Madison and attempted first-degree murder of the Bartholomews and Holmes.

Officer Robert Barrios: four counts of attempted first-degree murder of the Bartholomews and Holmes.

Officer Michael Hunter: two counts of attempted first-degree murder of the Madisons.

Officer Ignatius Hills: one count of attempted second-degree murder of Leonard Bartholomew IV.

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Today’s Principle: Ujaama (Cooperative Economics)

To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

When I look at issues like black unemployment or tragedies like the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I realize that these things happen because we lack the infrastructure the fix them. If we were more active in spending money among ourselves, our businesses could compete in the American marketplace with the best of them and, more importantly, we could be hiring more of our people. Furthermore, with the logistical channels in place and people with a wider array of resources, we can step in and help our own when tragedy strikes. Perhaps, in 2007, we can make a stronger commitment to “buy black”.

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When people try to tell me that racism is a thing of the past, I remind them that there has never been a black president and of how few blacks there are in the upper echelons of corporate America.

Believe me when I say this — this is not due to a shortage of minority talent. There are Black, Latino, Asian and women prospects that could perform just as well, if not better, than many of the white recruits brought into corporate America.

Perhaps, Wall Street is finally beginning to wake up to this fact but, not soon enough. As it stands, now, Wall Street is still a “white man’s world”. There is a dearth of minority talent at the upper echelons of management and, though Wall Street firms are recruiting more minority talent, changes at the top may be decades away.

Even though Wall Street investment banks have made diversity a priority for the past decade, it may take several more years before women and minorities gain a foothold in the ranks of senior management.

That forecast comes from industry experts, investment-bank diversity chiefs and trends in hiring data.

Minorities and women continue to be squeezed in Wall Street’s promotion pipeline when it comes to attaining senior positions — those at the managing-director level and above that reaped multimillion-dollar bonuses this year.

“The numbers indicate the squeeze is real,” said Subha Barry, the head of diversity at Merrill Lynch (MER, news, msgs).

On an upbeat note, Barry said she would be surprised if Merrill Lynch’s diversity in the middle to senior management ranks doesn’t mirror in five years the composition of the company’s board of directors. Its board includes several women and minorities, including Chairman Stan O’Neal, who is black.

In the past four years, Merrill Lynch’s entry-level hires for diversity “are 100% better,” she said.

“The top and the bottom have to meet. The middle is where the work has to be done,” Barry said.

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Today’s Principle: Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)

To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems and to solve them together.

I often think about what it takes to build a nation. Too often, we think only about the charismatic leaders who are in the forefront and being the voices for particular movements. However, we ignore the day-to-day (and often mundane) tasks that go into this, as well. These are done by hard-working and dedicated people who realize that what they do may not be known, much less appreciated, in their lifetimes but, they understand that we must strive, together, if we are going to reach our goals.

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One of my favorite writings is Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. This was an epistle, of sorts, that Dr. King sent to clergy in Birmingham who were questioning his work there and his admonition to them of why injustice must be fought.

One particular passage in this letter has always stood out in my mind and keept me focused on the fact that we have to rely on ourselves for our own liberation. In part, it goes as follows:

‘I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.’

This is what jumped in my mind when I read an article by Rinku Sen, entitled “White Progressives Don’t Get It“. Sen exposes a dirty, open secret. White liberals (progressives), to paraphrase Dr. King, “paternalistically believe they can set the timetable for another man’s freedom”.

Sen pulls no punches and, I couldn’t do the article justice without letting you read it for yourselves. Here’s a bit of what the author says on this issue:

Read More… »

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Today’s Principle: Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)

To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

I believe the highest form of freedom for any people is the right to self-determination. In my lifetime, I saw apartheid end in South Africa. While not perfect, it was a miraculous thing to see black people begin to get from under the crushing yoke of a system that sought to destroy them mentally and spiritually. I hope that we all learn the value of self-determination.