The Gift and The Curse: Legendary grammy award-winning artist Whitney Houston dies at 48. How will she be remembered?

According to an email I received from AllHipHop News, "representatives for legendary R&B singer Whitney Houston have confirmed that the singer has died. Details are still being released and the cause of death is currently not known, but her publicist Kristen Foster confirmed that Whitney Houston died today (February 11)."

Additionally AHH reported "Whitney Houston, was just 48 years old when she died. More details will be released through the evening. Whitney Houston has sold over 200 million records world-wide. She was well known for her documented struggles with drugs. Whitney is survived by one child, Bobbi Kristina, with her former husband, Bobby Brown."

We're losing a lot of iconic Black figures and this one is just as sad. I grew up listening to her music because my mother was/is a huge fan. Although my mother never met the singer in person, she certainly felt a connection to her. Like Whitney, my mother had a serious bout with drugs that impacted her life and our lives greatly for many years. That experience shaped my heart to always root for those who battled with drugs because I know what it's like to live in crack houses, be surrounded by crack pipes, see your mother beat up by a drug dealer, and await a call that your mother was found dead due to an overdose. It's something you don't understand until you go through it. That's why I was always rooting for Whitney Houston and others to "get the monkey off of their backs."

After several relapses my mother was blessed to conquer that addiction and is now a state licensed chemical dependency counselor in Texas. She believes she is walking in her calling which is to help others overcome what God blessed her to come through. She wanted that for Whitney as well. My mother was glued to the TV when Oprah interviewed Whitney in a very candid and revealing segment a few years ago. I was touched by it and we both said "Whitney is back!"

So when I got the shocking news of Whitney's death tonight I called my mother and she was disappointed by the news. She shared with me that having your spirituality in order is very critical to maintaining your recovery from drug addiction. "I really hate to see this happen," she said.

Whitney won over 400 music awards, sold over 200 million albums, had seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, starred in multiple movies, and is credited by many popular female artists as being a source of inspiration for their careers. Yet, how will this world remember her? What will the media zero in on? The gift or the curse?

Unfortunately, we live in a world that cheers you on when you're on top, but is eager to kick when you're down. Many don't believe in redemption and will always bring up your past "demons" no matter how much you improve your life. It's harsh but that's just the way it is. Either way, we all have the opportunity choose to overcome instead of succumbing.

Whitney Elizabeth Houston lost her bout with her curse (choices) but I and others will choose to remember her most for the gift that God blessed her with that she chose not to hide: A Dynamic Voice.

(Brother Jesse Muhammad is a staff writer for The Final Call newspaper, an award-winning blogger and motivational speaker. Follow his boring tweets @BrotherJesse)

This is my favorite Whitney Houston moment. This was the National Anthem sung before Super Bowl XXV.

Bullying gone wrong? Former North Forest ISD student accused of shooting classmate delivers public statement to the press

Warren Lewis (center) delivers his prepared statement as his attorney Tanika Solomon (left) and Deric Muhammad looks on.

by Brother Jesse Muhammad

It seemed like a very unusual legal maneuver, but 18-year-old Warren Lewis made a public statement to just about every news station in Houston on Feb. 7 at the Phoenix Outreach Center in 5th Ward.

The former North Forest ISD student is being accused of bringing a gun to North Forest High School, unleashing five rounds and shooting and injuring an innocent student who is still in recovery.

Based upon the comments I’ve read on various sites, the public has already convicted him, however, two community leaders, Deric Muhammad and Jarvis Johnson, a former city councilmember, wanted to meet with the young man in a private session to hear his side of the story. That meeting lasted for an hour leading up to the press conference.

“We called this meeting today because we wanted to meet with Warren Lewis. We wanted to feel his spirit, to ascertain how this could have been prevented. After meeting with Warren Lewis, I’m a firm believer that Warren Lewis is a young man of great ambition who failed victim to his frustration,” said Muhammad in his words to the media.

“If we as a community had been doing our job then we believe it could have been prevented. On behalf of this community, we take responsibility for what happened. I believe we failed Warren Lewis, we failed the injured party, and all of the other children who have been hurt by the situation…We have to send a strong message to our youth that violence is not the vehicle by which we solve our problems. It has never worked for us in the past, it’s not working for us now and it will not work for us in the future,” said Muhammad.

Press conference at Phoenix Outreach Youth Center in Houston

Former councilmember Jarvis Johnson and Yolanda Domino, mother of Warren Lewis

Jarvis Johnson speaking to press as Deric Muhammad looks on.

Lewis, who was slated to graduate in May, served as a member of student government and once ran for the crown of Mr. North Forest, is now enrolled at a juvenile justice alternative school due to the recent incident.

As he delivered his prepared statement he seemed to be on the verge of tears and didn’t crack a smile. He wanted everyone to know that he was a victim of bullying and he had a message for his peers.

"When you're facing something that you can't handle alone, like bullying, harassment and just people making threats, call out for help. Say something,” said Lewis. “Don’t hold it in. Don’t try to handle it yourself. My message to my peers is stop trying to hold it in. Let’s change the cycle. Stop the violence.”

His mother, Yolanda Domino, was present as well. “On behalf of my son, Warren Lewis, myself and my entire family, I’d like to extend my deepest and sincerest apologies to the young man that was injured in the incident. We pray every day that he gets better,” she said.

Domino also said that they have been unable to stay in their home since the Jan. 11 incident due to being targeted by gunfire in a possible retaliation aimed at her son. In regards to her son being allegedly bullied she said, ”I know that I’ve been to the school more than once to talk to the principal and the police officers, teachers, about these boys bullying my child and nothing was done.”

His attorney, Tanika Solomon, told the press that her client could not answer questions related to the case. She also said that they are still undecided about taking the case to trial.

“Warren was seriously considering joining the Navy. Obviously this is going to slow his process down. He wanted to use his experience in the Navy as an opportunity to go to college. He also mentioned he wanted to major in business. He has not counted that out. Warren has resolved that he will not be known just as the young man who was involved in a shooting at North Forest, but wants to be known as someone who overcame,” said Solomon.

“I’m very impressed with this young man. I’m very impressed with the fact that he’s been involved in government at his school. He’s run for Mr. North Forest. He’s made A’s in physics. He’s a good student,” said Johnson. “But I’m saddened at what he’s had to go through at this particular time. Bullying has become a sexy topic in American media…but bullying is only bullying as long as we as adults allow it to happen.”

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Deric Muhammad, Marilyn Gambrell of No More Victims, Inc., and a host of community leaders held a stop the violence rally down the street from North Forest High School. Warren's mother was present as well handing out flyers to announce a defense fund being raised for her son's case. (Rally photos below)

Special Series: What Saviours’ Day Means to me

by Eric R. Muhammad

As-salaam alaikum (Peace be unto you),

It is a great honor to be able to initiate this article with the greeting words of peace which implies civilization! Therefore, at the basis of what Saviours' Day means to me, is coming out of darkness (savage behavior) into light (a little saviour). What am I saying? Before the coming of our Saviour, Master Fard Muhammad, July 4th 1930, our people knew nothing of True Peace; and before my coming to our Saviour, I knew nothing of True Peace. As a Matter of fact, when I first heard the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan via the radio, back in the early 90s’, I thought it was Rev. Jesse Jackson. Now, that points to how disconnected and dead, I was, smile.

The scriptures teach us, "He came after His anointed one, to save His anointed ones." In 1931, the Master was preaching the knowledge of self when He met Elijah Poole in Detroit, Michigan. He taught and trained Elijah Muhammad for three and a half years, day and night into the profound hidden wisdom of the reality of God. He chose him to be His divine representative in continuing the hardest job ever given to man. Upon His departure in 1934, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad labored tirelessly to bring life to his mentally and spiritually dead people.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad identified Master Fard Muhammad as being the answer to the one that the world had been expecting for the past 2,000 years under the names Messiah, the second coming of Jesus, the Christ, Jehovah, God, and the Son of Man. When asked by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad to identify Himself, He replied, "I am the Madhi".

Every February 26, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad brought together the faithful for Saviour’s Day conventions in Chicago to remember his Teacher’s birthday, re-emphasize his message of moral and spiritual renewal and announce his plans and agenda for the upcoming year.

Min. Farrakhan announced the Rebirth of the Nation of Islam, which had been destroyed with the 1975 departure of the Hon. Elijah Muhammad. In 1983, during the Saviour’s Day address in Gary, Ind., Min. Farrakhan announced that Black men and women must be the “saviours” of themselves and their communities. He also announced that the spelling of the commemoration would change to “saviours,” in the plural form to represent that responsibility.

He came to save and deliver a people who had become a nation within a nation, to free us from our former slave-masters and oppressors, and make us into one of the greatest nations that the world has ever seen. To know, that I am a member of the people that Allah came to deliver and set on top of civilization, produces in me the spirit to continue in the path of His coming and Insha’Allah (God-willing), become the purpose of His coming. He said, “He came to make us into Himself.”

All of the above gives me the meaning of the following scriptural verses: 

“And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he” —The Lord— “shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.” Isaiah 19:20.

Then Nehemiah the prophet, in the 9th chapter, the 27th verse writes: “Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours”—plural—“who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.” 

In looking at the above history, it is all capitalized to me, in my journeying to Chicago with my family to share in the festivities of Saviours’ Day weekend with the Believers from all over the world and to hear from the Man of God, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. It is our Hajj (Journey) to the presence of Allah, where the Muslims (Pilgrims) say, “Laibak Allahuma Laibak, Here I am O Allah in thou august presence.” Saviours’ Day, in Chicago, is more than a ritual; you will find that your love of Allah heightens as you start preparing for your pilgrimage journey, with the sole intention of pleasing Allah. With your heart longing to reach your goal, you become purer in thought and deed. You avoid abuse, indecency, dishonesty, fighting and bickering, because you are proceeding on the path of Allah. Thus your entire journey constitutes an act of worship. How can, then you do wrong. This journey, in contrast to every other, is a continuing course through which a Muslim is practicing self improvement, the basis of community development. On this journey, then, you are pilgrims to Allah.

So, Saviours’ Day is not just a weekend, but it is becoming what Saviours’ Day means; and to me it’s the fullness of life-living in the Presence of Allah (God)!

(Eric R. Muhammad is a Student Assistant Minister at Muhammad Mosque No. 45 in Houston, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @Qudus)

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Confessions of a Master Procrastinator: "There is always tomorrow and the day after and the day after that."

Every week you mentally rehearse your agenda. Is it a major deal to close? Is it a huge speaking engagement? Is it a closing deadline that you have procrastinated on until the last minute? How about a story or book that needs to be completed? Whatever the mountain may be, you look in the mirror and say "I can do this. I am ready to conquer". You're focused. You're confident. You know you have the power to execute. Then it happens.

You come out the blocks quickly in the morning but all of a sudden your energy level is affected. Your positive attitude takes a drastic turn. Your calm demeanor has been altered. What happened? Your ever present laziness got you in quicksand. Procrastination got you on the ropes. You're mentally throwing in the towel. You're sinking back into mediocrity. You can't seem to move out.

How do you cope? You resort back to doing the things you like to do instead of doing the things you need to do now. You check your Facebook page to maybe see who left a message on your wall. You send out a few Twitter messages in hopes someone will just retweet you so you can feel "important" again. Or maybe you turn on a movie on your laptop, start indulging in unhealthy snacks, put on your favorite song or call up a friend to talk the time away. You may even check your Blackberry to see who sent you a text message to spark an insignificant chat.Valuable time lost.

Self-imposed distractions now become your source of comfort. You make excuses for yourself and "there is always tomorrow" becomes your post-it note affirmation.

Hold up! Was life meant to be spent in a constant cycle of procrastination like this? Of course not. You know that but once momentum is broken it is a challenge to regain it and maintain it. However, it is doable. Don't wait, go ahead and knock out those goals. Hard work often pays off after time but laziness always pays off now.

(You're welcome to follow Brother Jesse Muhammad on Twitter @Brother Jesse)

(Audio) Overpowering Your Fears to Become a Successful Motivational Speaker

  Brother Jesse: Ways to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking in 2012

The Verdict Is In…Take Control of Your Happiness

(Source: Hurt2Healing Magazine) When we talk about the issue of forgiving and healing, a lot of time it’s all about what has happened to us and the challenge to “get over it” , “let go” , and forgive; in order to arrive at the victorious healing. No one said that there is no work that needs to be done within ourselves.

Sometimes we need to turn the finger off of the one who hurt us and put the finger on ourselves for allowing those to hurt us. We ignore so many signs along the way to destruction. It’s only when we find ourselves at rock bottom that we realize something went wrong which we could have prevented.

The verdict is in. We are making an equal contribution to our unhappiness. We are blaming someone one else for hurting us over and over while we are the ones who continue to allow them to do this to us. When there is no penalty for crime, there is chaos. This does not suggest a punishment that may cause our problem to escalate; it declares drawing the line. When there is no penalty for crossing the line over and over, it will continue to be crossed. You will be tested, the envelope will be pushed, you will be backed against the wall, and finally you will get hurt. Hurt turns into anger when not treated.  Anger turns into rage, and rage is the fire that burnt down the house in which your soul is left to suffer. Your heart is broken, your feelings are hurt, and your healing is short of twilight in a tunnel that goes on forever.  At this point, happiness seems unachievable. So why do we put ourselves through it? 

Solutions do not travel on the same road as problems. If you are looking for a solution, you have to separate from the problem. [READ MORE]
 

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Madonna, Nicki Minaj and M.I.A: Obscenity, entertainment and the Super Bowl

(Blogger's Note: Honestly, I was watching the Super Bowl game and halftime show and I totally missed M.I.A. flipping the bird! LOL! I really don't care, however I think this editorial was very balanced so I decided to share a excerpt)

(Source: FinalCall.com) - When news hit after the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis that singer M.I.A. used an obscene gesture during the half time show headlined by Madonna, there were probably a lot of questions and likely some quick condemnations and recriminations about the lewd, crude side of hip hop and problems with today’s young people.

Hold up, wait a minute, as the hip hop generation might say, there might just be more to this obscene gesture than meets the censored or uncensored eye.

No civilized person would embrace and condone obscenity in the name of freedom of expression, which the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan explained long ago is not license to simply dump filth on the public or heap mud on a people already languishing in it.

“While M.I.A. has offered no official comment on why she threw up a middle finger during Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show, a source close to the rapper told ABC News Radio that her actions were caused by ‘adrenaline and nerves,’ a result of getting ‘caught up in the moment,’ and ‘weren’t an attempt to make any kind of statement,’ ” ABC News reported Feb. 6, the day after the single finger salute.

“Regardless, M.I.A. flipping the bird and uttering an expletive to an audience of millions has become one of the most talked about moments from Super Bowl XLVI. The gesture came during a performance of Madonna’s new single, ‘Give Me All Your Luvin,’ on which M.I.A. raps. Viewers at home saw their TV screens blur for a second afterwards in a failed attempt to conceal the act.”

M.I.A, or Maya Arulpragasam, is a British-born singer who is also a member of the Sri Lankan minority Tamil group, which has struggled for independence and suffered inside the country. She has readily identified with the struggle of her people and gained fame with her 2007 hit “Paper Planes.” It was nominated for a Grammy award and an Academy Award as part of the Slumdog Millionaire movie soundtrack. Her voice was also used on hip hop rappers T.I. and Jay-Z’s single “Swagga Like Us” in 2008, which were lyrics sampled from Paper Planes.

Her fame and outspokenness about the yet unresolved plight of the Tamil people and use of gunshots and strong socially and politically charged images and lyrics made her controversial and at one point made it difficult to enter the United States. Her father was among those who tried to bring peace as Tamils have sought autonomy. [Read More]

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The Ditch Runneth Over: Jewish Rabbi declares Bishop Eddie Long a King. Why did Long apologize to the ADL?

As much as people had been asking me to do it, I steered clear of writing anything about Bishop Eddie Long after he settled out of court with four young males who accused him of coercing them into inappropriate sexual relationships. The verdict I kept to myself: The innocent don’t settle out of court.

However, this blog is not about that.

It’s about the recent bizarre Sunday service at Long’s New Birth Missionary Church in Atlanta. This video has gone viral and has the Internet holy rollers going crazy.

At first I thought this was a Twitter hoax until I saw the video with my own eyes. After viewing it I said, “Did a Jewish Rabbi really just declare Eddie Long, ahem, a King?”

In the clip you will see visiting Rabbi Ralph Messer making a presentation he says that was on behalf of “the Jewish people, the land of Israel, and the God of Israel.”

Messer, who heads Simchat Torah Beit Midrash in Colorado, goes on to start shouting this about Long: “He is a king. God’s blessed him. He’s a humble man, but in him is kingship. In him is royalty.”

Messer gets two men on stage to wrap Long in what he calls a “priceless” 312-year-old scroll of the Torah that was supposedly recovered from the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust. How did they get it out? Well, Messer says it was hid under someone’s clothes to be preserved. Is it me or does that scroll look like the size of a 7-footer? How could someone hide that under their clothes?


And why did Eddie Long apologize to the ADL?

Read More @ http://blog.chron.com/brotherjesse/2012/02/jewish-rabbi-declares-bishop-eddie-long-a-king/

(Be sure to follow Brother Jesse Muhammad on Twitter @BrotherJesse)

Professor Johanna Fernandez shares inspirational email: "Our Contact Visit with Mumia Abu-Jamal"

(Blogger's Note: I received the following from a yahoo group I am a member of. It is from Professor Johanna Fernandez, who had the honor of visiting Mumia Abu-Jamal on February 2 along with Heidi Boghosian. This is an awesome read that I had to share!)

 
Comrades, Brothers and Sisters:

Heidi Boghosian and I just returned from a very moving visit with Mumia. We visited yesterday, Thursday, February 2. This was Mumia's second contact visit in over 30 years, since his transfer to General Population last Friday, Jan 27. His first contact visit was with his wife, Wadiya, on Monday, January 30.

Unlike our previous visits to Death Row at SCI Greene and to solitary confinement at SCI Mahanoy, our visit yesterday took place in a large visitor's area, amidst numerous circles of families and spouses who were visiting other inmates.  Compared to the intense and focused conversations we had had with Mumia in a small, isolated visiting cell on Death Row, behind sterile plexiglass, this exchange was more relaxed and informal and more unpredictably interactive with the people around us...it was more human.  There were so many scenes of affection around us, of children jumping on top of and pulling at their fathers, of entire families talking intimately around small tables, of couples sitting and quietly holding each other, and of girlfriends and wives stealing a forbidden kiss from the men they were there to visit (kisses are only allowed at the start and at the end of visits). These scenes were touching and beautiful, and markedly different from the images of prisoners presented to us by those in power. Our collective work could benefit greatly from these humane, intimate images.

When we entered, we immediately saw Mumia standing across the room. We walked toward each other and he hugged both of us simultaneously. We were both stunned that he would embrace us so warmly and share his personal space so generously after so many years in isolation.

He looked young, and we told him as much. He responded, "Black don't crack!"  We laughed.

He talked to us about the newness of every step he has taken since his release to general population a week ago. So much of what we take for granted daily is new to him, from the microwave in the visiting room to the tremor he felt when, for the first time in 30 years, he kissed his wife.  As he said in his own words, "the only thing more drastically different than what I'm experiencing now would be freedom." He also noted that everyone in the room was watching him.

The experience of breaking bread with our friend and comrade was emotional. It was wonderful to be able to talk and share grilled cheese sandwiches, apple danishes, cookies and hot chocolate from the visiting room vending machines.

One of the highlights of the visit came with the opportunity to take a photo. This was one of the first such opportunities for Mumia in decades, and we had a ball! Primping the hair, making sure that we didn't have food in our teeth, and nervously getting ready for the big photo moment was such a laugh! And Mumia was openly tickled by every second of it.

When the time came to leave, we all hugged and were promptly instructed to line up against the wall and walk out with the other visitors. As we were exiting the prison, one sister pulled us aside and told us that she couldn't stop singing Kelly Clarkson's line "some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this." She shared that she and her parents had followed Mumia's case since 1981 and that she was overjoyed that Mumia was alive and in general population despite Pennsylvania's bloodthirsty pursuit of his execution.  We told her that on April 24 we were going to launch the fight that would win Mumia's release: that on that day we were going to Occupy the Justice Department in Washington DC. She told us that because she recently survived cancer she now believed in possibility, and that since Mumia was now in general population she could see how we could win. She sent us off with the line from Laverne and Shirley's theme song - "never heard the word impossible!"- gave us her number, and asked us to sign her up for the fight.

We're still taking it all in. The journey has been humbling and humanizing, and we are re-energized and re-inspired!!

In the words of City Lights editor, Greg Ruggiero:"

"Long Term Goal: End Mass Incarceration.

Short Term Goal: Free Mumia Abu-Jamal!"

--Johanna Fernandez

Related blog posts:

WTH?! Mumia is Still Being Unjustly Held in “The Hole” at SCI Mahanoy. Sign The Petition! 

Mumia Abu-Jamal transferred to General Prison Population for the first time in 30 years

Blacks protesting Asian gas station owner in Dallas gets attention of the Korean government

For the past week or so I was puzzled as to why the blog I posted "Dallas Activists: Time to close disrespectful businesses and create Do for Self opportunity in Black neighborhoods" at the top of the year started getting heavy traffic and  more comments all of a sudden.

According to The Final Call, "The spark that ignited the effort and spawned a united front among religious, community and political leaders was an early December incident involving Jeffery Muhammad, the Dallas representative of the Nation of Islam. The student minister of Muhammad Mosque No. 48 said he was told “go back to Africa,” called a “monkey,” “slave,” and a “broke a-- n----r by an Asian gas store owner, following a confrontation that began with questions about minimum purchase requirements imposed by the station owner."

The Don't Stop Don't Shop protest has exceeded 40 days of action in front of the business. It has now jumped the ocean. My original blog link has been reposted on this foreign site and according to a report in the Korean Herald "The Foreign Ministry sent Cho Yoon-soo, the consul general in Houston, to Dallas to find facts and discuss countermeasures with Korean community leaders."

Wait. The Korean government is worried about what seems to be a little protest against a little gas station? It's obvious that its not small and they are concerned about losing money. From the look of these tweets from Jeffrey Muhammad, compromising is not an option:

How can you help? Please donate some of your time by joining them on the front lines at the Diamond Shamrock/Kwik Stop located at 1909 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Dallas, Texas 75215 Monday – Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Become a fan of the Facebook page!

The 2012 Saviours' Day convention marks the 82nd year of the Nation of Islam's existence in North America.

The 2012 Saviours' Day convention will mark the 82nd year of the Nation of Islam's existence in North America. Each year, to commemorate the birth of its founder Master W. Fard Muhammad (February 26, 1877), thousands of members and supporters of the Nation of Islam from around the world make the journey to attend the annual convention during the last week of February for a weekend of fellowship, networking, information dissemination and spiritual renewal.

Also during Saviours' Day, some of the best academic minds, entertainers and activists come together for strategizing, organizing and mobilization. Workshops, plenary sessions, the legendary drill competition and more will be held Feb. 24-25 at the Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Saviours' Day is NOT just for members of the Nation of Islam.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan's Saviours' Day messages are always timely as he marvelously deals with current events, spiritual realities, prophecies and solutions to the problems plaguing the Black community in particular and humanity in general. The Saviours' Day 2012 Keynote Address is scheduled to be delivered at the United Center in Chicago, IL., on Sunday, February 26.

(For more information on registration, tickets, the Essay/Art contest and more visit @ http://noi.org/sd2012/ )

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52 Straight Weeks! Black Justice Tuesday to mark one year anniversary of call to end police terrorism and brutality in Houston

(Press Release) Join the Black Justice Tuesday Coalition (BJTC) on Tuesday Feb 7, 2012 at 12noon at the Harris County Court House 1201 Franklin, Houston, Texas, for the one year anniversary of our protest to end police terrorism and brutality in Houston, Texas. The BJTC calls on all organizations, groups and freedom and justice loving people to attend this protest in a show of solidarity.

Since the release of the infamous Chad Holley video beating in February of 2011 the BJTC has maintained a weekly protest at Houston City Hall or the Harris County Court House. The BJTC has demonstrated tremendous resolve through heat, cold and rain to maintain this protest for 52 consecutive weeks. The New Black Panther Party, The National Black United Front, victims of police terrorism and other community organizations have been steadfast on ending once and for all police brutality in Houston. The Chad Holley case follows a long line of victims including: Bobby Joe Connor, Jose Campos Torres, Carl Hampton, Pedro Orregon, Ida Delaney, Byron Gillum, Robbie Tolan and Anthony Childress who have been murdered, shot or brutalized by Harris County area law enforcement agencies.

The major change the BJTC has called for is the Creation of a Civilian Review Board with subpoena power, proper funding and prosecutorial power. This board should be constructed and appointed through a democratic process of the people. For More Information Contact: Black Justice Tuesday Coalition (BJTC) 713-261-3558 ###