Today is one of those days that I have more to talk about than I have time to discuss it all. So let me jump right in.
Yesterday evening I received a text message from my good friend, Attorney Lee Merritt, that the Charlottesville Virginia Police Department had just done something unthinkable – they issued an arrest warrant for DeAndre Harris – the young brother who was brutally assaulted by a mob of white supremacists earlier this summer.
I’d like to say that it’s a baffling development, but it isn’t. Every single Neo-Nazi and white supremacist they’ve arrested has been identified by me and a team of volunteers. We have literally had to find the names, addresses, and criminal histories of these men, turn them over to police, then basically force them, through making thousands of phone calls and emails, to issue the arrest warrants. Even though the entire assault is on video, and the men are clearly seen breaking the law, they’ve had to be cornered into justice.
Please allow me to remind you that DeAndre was beaten bloody with fists, feet, flag poles, sticks, shields, and batons – in the parking lot of the Charlottesville Police Department – and that this police department stood down while white supremacists took over their entire town – beating people and eventually killing a young woman – Heather Heyer, by mauling her and dozens of others with one of their cars.
I want to be clear on something. I’ve watched every single video, and have seen every single photo, taken that day from Charlottesville. I’ve spent hundreds of hours researching it, moment by moment, block by block, person by person. DeAndre Harris and Heather Heyer were actually from Charlottesville. They showed up that Saturday in their hometown to stand up for their city and to show the hundreds of bigots who traveled there from all over the country to terrorize Charlottesville that it was not OK with them.
Right before a mob of men beat DeAndre, a man used a flagpole that had a sharp tip on the end of it and tried to spear DeAndre’s friend with it. DeAndre, who had never been violent or arrested a day in his life, swung to try back the man away from his friend. That’s it. The Charlottesville Police Department has issued an arrest warrant for DeAndre Harris for that. He will turn himself in later today.
Meanwhile, even though we’ve identified four violent men from Charlottesville, the two men who beat DeAndre the worst are still free and haven’t even been identified yet. Another man, Jacob Goodwin, who started the attack has been identified by us, but is still at home in Arkansas as police drag their feet.
So that’s that. Of course, we’re frustrated, but it’s hard to be surprised anymore. I’m going to keep everybody posted on this, but let give you a quick update on the madness that is the NFL.
In case you missed it, two different teams, the Miami Dolphins, and the Dallas Cowboys have made it public that they are forcing their players to stand for the National Anthem or risk punishment from the team. Players from five additional teams have told me privately that their teams have already done or about to do the exact same thing.
But Colin Kaepernick still does not have a job and police brutality and racial violence continue to rage ahead in this country. That’s why these men are taking a knee. It’s why these men are raising a fist. These men aren’t disrespecting the flag or the military, they are saying that they want this country to actually uphold its promises and live up to its ideals.
But Donald Trump and Mike Pence saw an opportunity to hijack their protests and make it about themselves. The stunt that Trump and Pence pulled this weekend, with Pence going to a game, only to walk out and leave after members from the 49ers took a knee, was all a pre-planned protest – which is wild – because Pence just used a football game to make a point about how he doesn’t want players to use a football game to make a point.
In an interview yesterday, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones actually admitted that Donald Trump swayed him to speak out publicly against demonstrations from players. Trump then confirmed this in his own tweets.
But here’s something interesting – Chris Long of the Philadelphia Eagles, son of NFL legend Howie Long, who just happened to go to college in Charlottesville, tweeted last night that it appears Donald Trump has broken the law. And I think he’s right.
U.S. Code, Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 11, Section 227 states that it is illegal, and punishable by up to 15 years in prison, for any member of the United States government, including the President of the United States, to influence an employment decision or employment practice of a private entity.
That’s exactly what Trump, through his speeches, his tweets, and now his private conversations with Jerry Jones, has done here. He’s broken the law.
Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
