Booker T Investigates Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Published 10-29-03
Who speaks for White people?
Leadership in the African American community has been the hot topic of discussion of late. The Star Tribune and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak have taken it upon themselves to try to define and discredit some leaders in the African American community.
If you recall, back in December 2002 I wrote a column expressing my concern about several leaders in our community. I said that I didn't feel comfortable with any one person saying that he or she speaks for the African American community. In that column I listed several people whom I felt were doing just that, speaking for the entire Black community. The Star Tribune and Rybak seem to feel as though they can do the same by criticizing some of the leaders of our community.
The Star Tribune (AKA the ***Rybak Times***) and Rybak have spent a great deal of time discussing Black leadership, and in some cases even trying to define Black leadership, without defining White leadership. Once Rybak and the ***Rybak Times*** define the White leadership and show us the White leader, maybe I can show them the Black leader.
Who is the leader of White people? Is it Robert Lilligren, Paul Ostrow, Tim Pawlenty, or R.T. Rybek? When these White people speak, are they speaking on behalf of all White people? Of course they aren't, so why is it that when Spike Moss, Reverend Staten, or Reverend Jerry McAfee speak, White people assume that they are speaking on behalf of all Black people?
Spike, Reverend Staten, and Reverend McAfee champion some good causes, and in most cases I am confident that they are speaking in the best interest of Black people. Some Black people, including myself, have criticized these individuals in the past for speaking for us without consulting some other Blacks outside of their leadership organizations.
It seems to me that Mayor Rybak and the ***Rybak Times*** didn't have any problems with these individuals until they started speaking for a united Black people. Once these individuals showed up at the Minneapolis School Board with the support of many organizations of color and White people, they got the attention of Rybak and the ***Rybak Times***.
R.T. Rybak and the ***Rybak Times*** saw fit to try to discredit these individuals once they realized that they were representing a united people of color. Rybak basically called these individuals non-authentic community leaders who just show up when the camera is rolling. Well, if these individuals are non-authentic, who needs to authenticate them? Is it me? Is it you? Is it R.T. Rybak?
Everyone knows that I have not agreed with these individuals all the time, but let me say this: When they took on the appointment of David Jenkins as superintendent, I agreed with them. So I guess I can say that they were speaking for me when they took on that issue. More than likely I will disagree with these individuals in the future, but I will always side with them over our cowardly mayor and his newspaper.
Now let's talk about Stephen Porter, the alleged victim of a plunging at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. Porter alleges that during a drug raid he was strip-searched and sodomized with a plunger four times by two Minneapolis police officers.
Police, of course, deny these allegations. Police say that Porter is a drug dealer with a history of concealing contraband in his rectum, and that is why he was strip-searched during the drug raid.
People keep writing to ask me what I think happened. Well, I want to reserve judgment until all the facts are known, but to me there are only three possibilities. One, the police didn't sodomize Porter with a plunger. Two, Mr. Porter was sodomized four times with a plunger. Three, the police officers used the plunger to spread and rake Porter's anus because they didn't want to stick their hands in his butt. If the allegations are true, these officers should be sent to prison; if they are not true, Porter should be punished.
The ***Rybak Times*** put Mr. Porter's life in danger when they identified him as a police informant, and they successfully shifted the focus to Porter as opposed to the egregious allegations.
Lastly, Channel 5 reported that complaints of police brutality have declined over the last couple of years. I say the reason for the decline is because there is no place to file complaints. If you want to file a complaint with the CRA or the Civil Rights Department, you have to go to Marshall Fields, because the staff members are constantly shopping there during business hours. Besides, nothing will get done with your complaint anyway. I wish the news media would report the complete story.
Note to the ***Rybak Times***: please stop plagiarizing this wonderful newspaper.
***If you are being abused or know someone who is being abused, you can call the following numbers: Harriet Tubman Center, 612-825-0000; Domestic Abuse Project, 612-673-3526; Minnesota Domestic Abuse Hotline, 1-866-223-1111; National Domestic Abuse Hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE.
Booker T welcomes reader responses to [EMAIL PROTECTED], or you can call the Spokesman at 612-827-4021 and leave a message.***
Booker T Hodges North side
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