NBA Superstars Speak on Black Lives, Police, & Violence at the 2016 ESPYs

Watch Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade & LeBron James opening powerful tribute to unarmed black men shot dead at the hands of police, and violence in general at the ESPYS.

To black police officers: Keep Your Head Up

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports EMAIL
I dedicate this to the brave black men and women who serve as police officers. I know that right know your jobs and to a certain extent just living your life is not an easy thing to do right now.

I am not a police officer, but as a black man elected to my local school board, I know how it can feel when it seems like your own people are against you. What I had to learn is that it wasn't that they were necessarily against me but that they were passionately advocating for their children and because I look like them they RIGHTFULLY expected more from me. Sometimes that can seem unfair, but we have to keep in mind that when we are in positions of authority and responsibility that we have to walk that delicate balance between treating all fairly and at the same time trying to fix the social ills that befall many in the black community. At times your won may not understand why you have to walk that fine line, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY DON'T LOVE AND RESPECT YOU.

I know I and many others respect the work you do and love the reason many of our black brothers and sisters became cops. You did it to give back and to make your communities better. You bravely chose to do a job that few can and that even fewer including myself would want to do. Some joined to help changed a flawed system from the inside. I know that you at times have to face the worst in humanity to protect us all, I love and respect you for that. And trust me it's not only me but millions of others feel the same.

I know that you walk a fine line between working to change the culture of many police departments while at the same time working to change that culture. I know that it's not easy and can make you feel like you are just slamming your head into a wall. But no fight for systemic change is easy, and it takes strong people like you to take up that fight.

In many ways you exemplify the best in humanity especially when it comes to bravery and compassion and are to be commended. But with that come being held to a higher standard that may at times seem unfair but one you will have to and will deal with because you are more than capable of doing that to make things better for both cops and minority communities.

So to my black police officers, Keep ya Head Up!

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Pres. Obama defends Black Lives Matter movement right to protest

While on a trip to Spain, President Obama made the following statement concerning the right of the Black Lives Matter movement to protest.

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Deray McKesson arrested by Baton Rouge police

Deray McKesson, one of the most prominent activists associated with the police reform protest movement, is in police custody in Baton Rouge, where he traveled earlier Saturday to demonstrate in solidarity with residents angered by the recent death of Alton Sterling after an officer-involved shooting that was captured on video.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/07/10/black-lives-matter-activist-deray-mckesson-taken-into-custody-by-baton-rouge-police/#

Carmelo Anthony ask athletes to speak and demand change

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Dallas that left five law enforcement officers dead, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony took to social media Friday morning to ask athletes to "step up" and "demand change" without resorting to violence. Read his post below.

First off let me start off by saying " All Praise Due To The Most High." Secondly, I'm all about rallying, protesting, fighting for OUR people. Look I'll even lead the charge, By Any Means Necessary. We have to be smart about what we are doing though. We need to steer our anger in the right direction. The system is Broken. Point blank period. It has been this way forever. Martin Luther King marched. Malcolm X rebelled. Muhammad Ali literally fought for US. Our anger should be towards the system. If the system doesn't change we will continue to turn on the TVs and see the same thing. We have to put the pressure on the people in charge in order to get this thing we call JUSTICE right. A march doesn't work. We tried that. I've tried that. A couple social media post/tweet doesn't work. We've all tried that. That didn't work. Shooting 11 cops and killing 5 WILL NOT work. While I don't have a solution, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people don't have a solution, we need to come together more than anything at this time. We need each other. These politicians have to step up and fight for change. I'm calling for all my fellow ATHLETES to step up and take charge. Go to your local officials, leaders, congressman, assemblymen/assemblywoman and demand change. There's NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore. Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge. We can't worry about what endorsements we gonna lose or whose going to look at us crazy. I need your voices to be heard. We can demand change. We just have to be willing to. THE TIME IS NOW. IM all in. Take Charge. Take Action. DEMAND CHANGE. Peace7 #StayMe7o

A photo posted by @carmeloanthony on Jul 8, 2016 at 8:02am PDT

Black Lives Matter doesn't make black people dislike cops, bad cops do.

By George L. Cook III [EMAIL]

After the tragic shooting in Dallas of 11 police officers, 5 of whom dead there were those who jumped at the chance to blame BLM (Black Lives Matter). Some going as far as to say the shooters were BLM members which we now know is false.

But even those who didn't go that far keep pushing the idea that it's BLM's anti-police rhetoric that leads to the hate of police in minority communities. Now President Obama and the likes of Al Sharpton have also been blamed for ginning up anti-police feelings.

If you subscribe to that theory, then you must believe that millions of black men enjoyed their mistreatment, harassment, and belittling, at the hands of police and didn't think to be upset until someone told them to do so. Cause you know, black people never think of anything on their own.

Newsflash!

Black men and their communities don't need any group or individual to tell them to mistrust or dislike the police, bad cops are doing a great job of making sure that happens. Decades of abusive police patrolling black and brown neighborhoods leads to decades more of hate and mistrust toward the police, even the good ones. Many young black boys grow up wanting to be cops until they are mistreated themselves or see an older family member harassed by the police. They now view people they once saw as heroes as a threat and not someone to run to for help. That's not the fault of BLM at all.

Almost every black man can tell you of a police encounter where they feared they might die or get arrested for doing nothing wrong. I remember one of the times I was stopped for no reason. I was home on leave from the US Army and a cop pulling me over because he thought I didn't belong in "his"town. He, of course, used the old tried and true excuse of there being a B&E and my car matching the description as a reason for the stop. He went off on a tangent about how I should get a job and do something with my life without knowing who I was at all as three more police cars pulled up around me. How do you think I felt seeing that? After running my license (for 30 minutes, LOL) and seeing I was clean, the officer was obviously upset and told me he was letting me go although I hadn't done anything, to begin with for him to have to let me go. No apology, no I'm sorry for the inconvenience or anything, he just handing me back my papers and walked off. My distrust of the police is no fault of BLM.

All black men know that whether in a sweat suit or a business suit any mundane encounter with the police can be their last. How do you think that makes a black man feel toward police. That again is not the fault of BLM.

Trust and respect are earned not given. When ALL police treat everyone with dignity, politeness, and respect that they afford white Americans, then they will be viewed and treated differently. Police have to remember that you get back what you put out. So if you want to act as an occupying force, you will be handed like one.

To be clear I am talking about bad cops here who abuse the right to wear a badge, not those that truly act like all lives matter. If all police behaved that way groups like Black Lives Matter would not exist.

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Elijah Cummings Ask FBI Director To Do Something About Police Killings

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) made a surprisingly personal plea to FBI director James Comey to do more to break the pattern of police officers killing black men. Watch his plea below.

Pres. Obama Statement On Shootings Of Alton Sterling And Philando Castile

President Obama has released a statement on the shooting deaths of both Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police officers. Read President Obama's statement below.

Hillary Clinton statement on Alton Sterling shooting

Presumptive democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has released the following statement on the shooting death of Alton Sterling:

"The death of Alton Sterling is a tragedy, and my prayers are with his family, including his five children. From Staten Island to Baltimore, Ferguson to Baton Rouge, too many African American families mourn the loss of a loved one from a police-involved incident. Something is profoundly wrong when so many Americans have reason to believe that our country doesn’t consider them as precious as others because of the color of their skin. "I am glad the Department of Justice has agreed to a full and thorough review of this shooting. Incidents like this one have undermined the trust between police departments and the communities they serve. We need to rebuild that trust. We need to ensure justice is served. That begins with common sense reforms like ending racial profiling, providing better training on de-escalation and implicit bias, and supporting municipalities that refer the investigation and prosecution of police-involved deaths to independent bodies. All over America, there are police officers demonstrating how to protect the public without resorting to unnecessary force. We need to learn from and build on those examples. "Progress is possible if we stand together and never waver in our fight to secure the future that every American deserves."

[SOURCE]

NAACP Statement on the Fatal Shooting of Alton Sterling

NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks today issued the following statement regarding the fatal shooting of 37-year old Alton Sterling after an encounter with police in Baton Rouge, LA:

“Yet again Americans are confronted with another fatal shooting of an African-American at the hands of the police. Behind the latest horrific video and hashtag is the humanity of a young black man slain on film whose name was Alton Sterling. The death of another African-American – captured in shocking detail on video - at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve the community is heartbreaking. Beyond heartbreaking, this latest tragedy calls for officials to break the inertia that may paralyze local and state authorities in insuring justice for the family, friends and community of Alton Sterling. 

“Specifically and first, all state and municipal authorities should be directed by Governor Edwards to cooperate with and actively support the ongoing Justice Department investigation. Second, the cooperation with the the federal investigation should be monitored by state authorities, and if the facts bear out, pursue the filing of state charges.  Third, based on the results of all state and federal investigations, if and as the facts warrant, the police involved in the shooting of Mr. Sterling should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Fourth, the Baton Rouge Police Department should undergo a thorough and comprehensive review to insure that its policing practices adhere to the Justice Department protocols and the Presidential Commission on 21st Century Policing.

“Sadly, the video of Alton Sterling’s death appears to be an ugly replay and remix of so many tragedies involving the police. In 2015, 27 people lost their lives at the hands of police in Louisiana, 14 of those were African-Americans. In the same year, 1000 people lost their lives in police custody across the United States.  These tragedies, as well as our communities and country, demand wholesale reform.

“This is precisely why the NAACP is calling for the Protect with Respect Policing Reform Agenda.  First, we are calling on states to pass comprehensive racial profiling laws. One racial profiling law, co-authored and passed with the support of the NAACP in Missouri enabled the Department of Justice to hold the Ferguson Police Department accountable through its “pattern and practice” investigation.

“Second, we demand full support of and passage of two crucial pieces of federal legislation.  Last summer, the NAACP led a 1,002 mile march from Selma, Alabama to Washington DC to demand members of Congress pass the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act (LETIA) and the End Racial Profiling Act. LETIA addresses the issue of police accountability and trust between police departments and their communities. The legislation also provides incentives for police organizations to adopt standards to ensure that incidents of misconduct are reduced through management training and protocols. ERPA would create a federal prohibition on racial profiling, mandate data collection, provide funding for law enforcement retraining and withhold funding to law enforcement agencies that do not comply. 

“Third, as the two presumptive presidential candidates criss-cross this country, we want them to clearly state their commitment to address criminal justice reform and the issues of racial profiling, use of excessive force, and stop and frisk abuses.  As the two candidates lead rallies and fundraising events seeking our support and our vote, we must demand that they support legislation to reform our fractured criminal justice system and end the murder of black and brown men and women at the hands of police.

“Today, we mourn the tragic loss of the life of Alton Sterling and pray for his family and community. But we must also turn our anger and determination towards efforts to ensure there is a transparent and through investigation, demand our legislators and police officials support efforts to reform our criminal justice system at every level, and pass reasonable legislation that would end racial profiling.

“We applaud the efforts of the Baton Rouge NAACP, led by President Mike McClanahan, to support the community and lead the call for a thorough, independent investigation into the shooting death of Alton Sterling.” 

Black congressmen respond to shooting death of Alton Sterling

Several black congressmen/women, such as Rep. John Conyers and Rep. Barbara Lee took to Twitter to respond to the shocking video of Alton Sterling being shot to death by Baton Rouge police. Read their responses below.

#AltonSterling was shot in cold blood. @TheJusticeDept needs to investigate this atrocity & bring #justice to his family. #BlackLivesMatter

— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) July 6, 2016

More than 550 police-involved shooting deaths this year. A Federal response to use of force is long overdue. #AltonSterling

— John Conyers (@RepJohnConyers) July 6, 2016

.@RepRichmond: There’s a "deep reservation" that justice will ever be served https://t.co/RoyrqfdwtY #AltonSterling https://t.co/1EuNqCPD4L

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 6, 2016

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) says #AltonSterling shooting a reminder of need for more police oversight/data collection pic.twitter.com/hD9KYjxehv

— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) July 6, 2016

US Dept. of Justice investigating Alton Sterling shooting

The U.S. Department of Justice is launching into a civil rights investigation regarding the fatal Baton Rouge police shooting of Alton Sterling at a convenience store early Tuesday morning.

Federal officials will collect all the available facts and evidence related to the shooting in order to "conduct a fair, thorough and impartial investigation," FBI New Orleans division spokesman Craig Betbeze said Wednesday morning (July 6).

Betbeze said the FBI was unable to comment further on the investigation due to its ongoing nature. Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III said in a news statement that he supports the federal review of the shooting, calling the move "a very important decision taken to ensure that our community can have confidence" in the police department's commitment to transparency in fatal officer-involved shootings.

[SOURCE]