Civil Rights Commission May Target DOJ Over New Black Panthers

Washington Independent:

Stephen Morse's election day reporting was not going as planned. The Philadelphia native had flown back from Los Angeles to take a short-term gig recording video of polling place chicanery. He asked both parties if they were interested in his services; the Republicans hired him first. But the first few hours produced nothing in the way of compelling video. There was no sign that he was about to stumble onto an incident that would galvanize Republicans and conservatives nearly a year later.

At 11 a.m., Morse hit the jackpot. The local McCain-Palin campaign office got a call from a man who'd had trouble voting at the 14th ward, 4th division polling place, inside a senior citizens' apartment complex in a heavily African-American neighborhood. The man was scared away by Samir Shabazz and Jerry Jackson, two members of the New Black Panther Party, a fringe radical group unrelated to the 1960s political organization. Shabazz and Jackson stood outside the polling place dressed in black leather, gripping nightsticks. Morse sped over to the polling place and shot video of the two men, who sniped at him for filming. He filmed the police who ushered the men away. Finally he filmed Shabazz angrily leaving the scene with a final insult: "That's right, you're gonna be ruled by a black man!"

Read the whole story: Washington Independent

Comments

[somsoc]

The Bush appointees to the civil rights division of the DOJ need to be moved to the janitorial team and real civil rights attorneys need to be appointed to aggressively reaffirm our nations commitment to equal protection and equal treatment under the law for ALL Americans.

[Chernynkaya]

I don't know- I may be meandering to a different drummer here, but I believe the NBP Party engaged in voter intimidation. True, the story is about the fact that the commission is stacked with Reptilian creeps, but to be trite, two wrongs don't make a right.

Let's be intellectually honest. If two white militia types, armed with baseball bats, were standing by the polls in an African American neighborhood, wouldn't we yell "Foul!" ? If that were the case- and it has been the case too many times- I would want the full extent of the law to come pounding down on them.

[brt929]

I agree, voter intimidation should be treated seriously no matter what.

However, your comments tell me that you didn't go to the Washington Independent and read the entire story.

These goons were intimidating African American voters, not white voters. It was a district where George Bush received 13 votes in 2004. So the outcome of the election was NOT effected. In your scenario, the outcome of an election could be effected.

Now, are they asking for harsher punishments? That is an entirely different issue, and I could see a debate on that.

Frankly, I think the DOJ doesn't need to waste their time on this one, but I think a decent sized fine was in order.

[Chernynkaya]

Thanks for the clarification. I did go to the WI but admittedly, I scanned it rather than reading in carefully.

[Purveyor]

Yikes! more sensationalism, thats what we need right now.

[Tanyars5]

lol

[austin4]

All due respect to the Blogger, but the story here is not the NBPP, it should be the CRC,,,,,,,,,,they should be exposed big time

[austin4]

Talk about a "Stacked Deck"....who are their Clowns...the "Civil Rights Commission"? Why are Bush Appointees still in office?

[jericho4119]

Okay, this article needs a new title, as the New Black Panther Party is in no way affiliated or associated with the Black Panther Party, as the article makes clear.

Keeping this title only leads to confusion and acts to slander an organization and it's members who took no part in these actions.

[S1m0n]

This story is about some republicans claim that black men in leather scare him?

[Paul Peete - Huffpost Blogger]

Actually, its about a civil rights commission made up of right wing conservatives looking to find a new ACORN to energize their demoralized base, and the Malkins and Becks who support them.

[S1m0n]

But still, the two alleged black panthers, according to this story, did nothing more threatening than make bitchy remarks. The guy that complained needs to grow a pair.

[austin4]

First of all the so-called Civil Rights Commission,,,is totally "ILLEGAL"

[Policon]

We don't need a "new" ACORN, the old ACORN is doing a pretty good job of embarrising themselves.

[wonketteRAWKS]

So it's not about voter intimidation?????

[GayIthacan]

Hey - wait a minute!!!!!

I thought right wing nutjobs were ALL FOR people bringing weapons to political events?????

Funny - I thought free speech and the right to bear arms applied to everybody!

:D :D :D

[comicpro]

It was two guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Conservatives will be digging up some new junk that happened in 1965.

[Tanyars5]

Thank god for the Black Panthers
We will need more just like these brave young men.

[dennisrs]

why do you need BP Tanyars? Really?

[Tanyars5]

The Black Panthers were at that polling place to make sure AA's were protected. We know the police don't protect AA's. Who is going to protect us?

[moveyourimage]

I am not AA but I can assure that Tanyars does need the BP. Or have you not noticed the guns and automatic weapons the Crackers are carrying around lately? If you all keep it up you will be embedded in the civil war you are inciting. I wouldn't bet on the wingnuts.

[Amunaka]

Well just saying....


Efforts to stop `voter fraud' may have curbed legitimate voting

May 20, 2007
By Greg Gordon | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON - During four years as a Justice Department civil rights lawyer, Hans von Spakovsky went so far in a crusade against voter fraud as to warn of its dangers under a pseudonym in a law journal article.

Writing as "Publius," von Spakovsky contended that every voter should be required to produce a photo-identification card and that there was "no evidence" that such restrictions burden minority voters disproportionately.

Now, amid a scandal over politicization of the Justice Department, Congress is beginning to examine allegations that von Spakovsky was a key player in a Republican campaign to hang onto power in Washington by suppressing the votes of minority voters.

Mr. von Spakovsky was central to the administration's pursuit of strategies that had the effect of suppressing the minority vote," charged Joseph Rich, a former Justice Department voting rights chief who worked under him.

He and other former career department lawyers say that von Spakovsky steered the agency toward voting rights policies not seen before, pushing to curb minor instances of election fraud by imposing sweeping restrictions that would make it harder, not easier, for Democratic-leaning poor and minority voters to cast ballots.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/justice/story/16347.html

[jsgaetano]

It's so funny. Conservatives talk a big game about being free, yet they are completely and totally ruled by fear.

Such total and all-consuming moral cowardice is breathtaking to behold.

[solarian]

yes they talk the talk but can not walk the walk

[yankees]

I don't care on which side of the political spectrum you are on but there is no place in the USA that should have accepted what the Blank Panthers were doing. All the whinny white Liberals would be pissing in their pants if they ran across something like this in their neighborhood. Who is kidding who.
The same hold true for the KKK or anybody that stands in the way of our basic freedoms. Fear is a strong instrument of oppression that the USA and the World has witnessed all to often.

[zanzig]

How do you feel about the conservatives who have recently taken to bearing arms at healthcare reform meetings? Or even to going armed in the presence of your President?

[brt929]

Great point!

[noudidnt]

Bingo!

[nia122]

This is a non-issue. The incident was dealt with. The individuals were arrested by the police and an injunction was filed against them. The DOJ reveiwed the case from January through June and found that it merited no federal action. Case closed.

Based on the reporting here, you would think that this was a vast conspiriacy with members of the NPBs all over the city blocking voters. And for the former Kennedy aide to compare this to the denial of voting rights in the south prior to the voting rights act is laughable. Paleeeeze. Give me a break.

[AfroLatina21]

Cosign!

Conservatives have to have something to complain about though.

[jsgaetano]

Since when has anything conservative said or believed had any relationship with reality?

[Gidster]

They were not arrested, just told to leave, and escorted off the property.

Your right though, that should have been the end of it. Yet fearful white wingnuts point to that video as proof of Obama's taking over violently.

The fear of the "Scary black man" seems to trump all reason.

[Lori Bowles]

This is completely twisted.
The GOP is openly accepting " Proud rightwing terr@rists' at town hall meetings, and promoting lunatics to carry firearms, rant racial insanity paranoia to incite fear not to mention laughing about Obama hunting tags.
Trying to figure these people out in a humanistic or normal form would be like beating your head against the wall and calling it therapy.