AfroSpear in the News

Star-Telegram, 01/17/2012 (Eddie Griffin, EDDIE G. GRIFFIN (BASG))

2012-01-17T09:46:00.000Z

Read the media story here.

AfroSpear blogger Eddie Griffin is pictured with the newly selected FWISD Supt. Walter Dansby in the Star-Telegram.

AfroSpear Police Brutality Blog ranks 8th Among Top 100

2011-09-09T09:16:00.000+01:00

Even after afrosphere blogger Francis L. Holland, Esq. refused to publicize the Political Justice Degrees website in exchange for their linking to this blog, they have nonetheless selected this Police Brutality (and Atrocity) Blog as number eight among 100 "Police and Detective Blogs". This is particularly significant in light of the their criteria for selecting blogs for this list.

The Criminal Justice Degrees Guide says:

Criminal justice is perhaps one of the the most broad reaching fields of study in education today. It incorporates not only the topics that immediately come to mind such as law enforcement, corrections and the courts, but also political history, social issues, psychology and civil liberties among many others. This diversity of issues makes criminal justice dynamic but it also makes it dizzyingly complex for someone trying to educate themselves in justice issues. Consequently, we have compiled this list to help anyone involved in the criminal justice field — including academics, practitioners and students — find information and resources about their niche, as well as any other aspect of criminal justice.

Police and Detective Blogs
Get a feel for what it’s like to police the streets in some of the world’s toughest cities by checking out this list.

Our Police Brutality (and Atrocity Blog) is number eight among the list of 100 blogs.

I say 'our blog' because this blog is a compendium of cases, incidents and atrocities supplied by dozens of primarily but not solely AfroSpear and afrosphere blogs from across the country and overseas. The blogs include African American Pundit; the Tasered While Black blog; the Field Negro blog; Electronic Village; Eddie G. Griffin, BASG; Granny Standing for Truth; the Excited Delirium anti-electrocution blog, the national Color of Change group that brings hundreds of thousands of voices to bear through online petitions and fundraising for brutality victims, as well as hundreds of other blogs and organizations.

When I started the Police Brutality Blog, it was with the goal of doing what the Black Panther Paper did four decades ago: it made local examples of color-aroused injustice into national outrages that stiffened all of our resolve to dismantle what was once called "racism" and is now called "color-aroused injustice." If the Black Panthers had had the electronic resources that we do now, they would have had two million followers on Facebook, including the FBI and the local and state police departments as avid readers.

Ironically, the Police Brutality Blog has become a place where both police and their brutality victims, as well as students of the police/public interface, can encounter opposing views about cases without this resulting in violence and arrests. But, I admit that I feel safer writing this blog about American injustice from Brazil than from Boston or Newark. I would hate to be stopped driving while Black, for the officer to then realize I was the man helping to turn obscure local police brutality into nationally and internationally repulsive police injustice cases.

The blog's site meter "referrals" information suggests that the blog has a heterochromatic national and international audience, since many visitors come from sites that are not primarily accessed by people with beige, brown or black skin.

The most important things we are to support local Black accused support groups, as well as national Black accused support groups like Color of Change, and individuals like Kelly Williams-Bolar:

Kelley Williams-Bolar, the Ohio mother who was convicted of a felony after allegedly misleading authorities and sending her children to a school outside her district. We just learned that Ohio Governor John Kasich granted Williams-Bolar executive clemency, reducing her convictions from felonies to misdemeanors. Gov. Kasich took this action despite the fact that Friday, the Ohio parole board made a unanimous recommendation against any form of clemency.

By bringing local cases to national attention, we bring a new level of scrutiny, embarrassment and public responsibility to local police officers and police forces, who realize that there might well be a digital camera capturing their behavior and spreading it worldwide. More than ever before we who fight color-aroused injustice can say to local police forces that, "The whole world is watching."

The Root, Jack & Jill Politics, Field Negro

2011-04-22T17:55:00.001+01:00

Behind the Keyboard: 30 Black Bloggers You Should Know

Read the media story here.

Fast Company, 3/23/10 (Cheryl Contee, Jack and Jill Politics)

2011-03-23T10:34:00.001Z

Oxfam, Greenpeace, the ACLU, MomsRising -- nonprofits and grassroot groups big and small have tapped Cheryl Contee to apply tech solutions to the activist arena.

The Fission Strategy founder also pens the top-ranked African-American politics blog, Jack and Jill Politics, which she launched in 2006.

Read the media story here.

White House Blog, 10/13/10 (Leutisha Stills, Jack and Jill Politics)

2010-10-13T12:42:00.000+01:00

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, drops by the African American Online Summit, October 11, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

On Monday, the White House hosted its first African American Online Summit, which brought together a group of programming leaders from the African American online media world for an in-depth briefing and discussion about how the Administration is approaching important issues such as jobs, the economy, health care, education, community investment, civil rights and civil liberties, and the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative.

The AfroSpear's Jack and Jill blog was one of the participants.

Read the media story here.

Fort Worth Weekly, 06/25/10 (Eddie Griffin, Eddie Griffin BASG)

2010-06-25T13:36:00.004+01:00

Tea Parties, Racism and Eddie Griffin

by Gayle Reaves
When Eddie Griffin wrote back in March in the Weekly’s 2nd Thought space about the racism reported on behalf of protesters during the debate over the healthcare reform bill, his column drew a lot of response, including from folks who dared him to prove that the Tea Partiers and others had ever indeed displayed any bigotry. A few days ago, Eddie sent along a message in reply:

“My last article in the Weekly was highly criticized by some of your readers, even several weeks after publication,” he wrote. They ask for proof that there is racism in the Tea Party. Here is a montage of pictures that are proof for those who can bear the truth.”

Read the media story here.

Dallas Morning News, 06/08/10 (Shawn Williams, Dallas South)

2010-06-08T21:15:00.000+01:00

Shawn P. Williams: Budget woes a chance to remake libraries

Read the media story here.

WFAA 8 Inside Texas Politics, 05/27/10 (Shawn Williams, Dallas South)

2010-05-27T21:21:00.000+01:00

Title Field (above): Publication, Date MM/DD/YY (Blogger Name, Blog Name) Author(s) of the article:

Starts at -10:07

Twin Cities Daily Planet, 5/21/2010 (Field Negro)

2010-05-23T14:15:00.000+01:00

Clouds Forming, by Erik Hare. That's why I love the blog "Field Negro" so much. Field, as he's known to his fans, has the sense of reality that it takes to call out the (CowPuckey) of blame beating by those who are in positions of power and their lackeys. Because of his handle and his unabashed way of writing about racial issues, Field is often cited as a "Black blogger." What he is, however, is a first-class detector of blame deflection and an excellent student of history. If you want to write about the past and future of repression there's really no other perspective to take - which is why everyone should read Field.

Read the full Twin Cities Daily Planet editorial here.

Ft. Worth Star Telegram, 05/15/10 (Rev. Kyev Tatum)

2010-05-15T19:36:00.003+01:00

Fort Worth offers $2 million to settle lawsuit over Taser death

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/05/15/2190966/fort-worth-offers-2-million-to.html#ixzz0o7SSsaqS

The Rev. Kyev Tatum, a local organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, has referred to Tasers as "torture devices." He said the legal settlement was a "giant step," but the group remains opposed to the use of Tasers.

Read the media story here.

Fort Worth Weekly, 03/31/10 (Eddie Griffin, Eddie Griffin BASG)

2010-03-31T18:50:00.001+01:00

Unhealthy Rhetoric

The healthcare vote was historic, but it was the racism that brought back painful history.

When the healthcare reform bill passed the U.S. House last week by a vote of 220 to 211, it wasn’t hard to find things in it to oppose. This indeed is not a miracle cure. It won’t stop insurance companies from jacking up rates, for instance, but maybe folks like my 85-year-old mother will at least get a break on the cost of her prescription drugs.

Read the media story here.

Dallas Morning News, 3/29/2010 (Michael Davis)

2010-03-29T23:30:00.000+01:00

Vice chairman of Dallas plan commission defends Lowest Greenville. This weekend, Michael Davis posted a long defense of Lowest Greenville, a place he sees getting a bad rap. Davis is Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway's appointee to the city's Plan Commission and now serves as its vice chairman.

Read the Dallas Morning News review here. Read the full Dallas Progress article here.

NOTE: Michael Davis is a long-time member of The AfroSpear.

Chicago Tribune, 6/7/2008 (Wayne Bennett, Eddie Griffin)

2010-03-19T15:45:00.000Z

Black Activists Go Blogging in Challenging Status Quo. The first time Eddie Griffin set out to fight for civil rights, back in 1972, he joined the Black Panthers, picked up a gun and robbed a bank in Ft. Worth. The crime landed him in federal prison for 12 years. Today, Griffin's weapon is an Internet blog. And his incisive commentary regularly lands him atop the rankings of the most influential African-American bloggers devoted to issues of racial justice and equality.

"As activists, we can be so much more effective now," Griffin said. "We are not alienating a lot of people like we did back then. And we've learned some things over the years in the art of communication. One thing I learned in prison was to write persuasive arguments."

Read the full Chicago Tribune article here.

SoulBrother v2, 1/7/2010 (Wayne Hicks)

2010-01-07T17:45:00.001Z

Why Do We Do What We Do?: A Question for the Black Blogger. ...However, during the winter break I began a special project. Wayne Hicks of The Electronic Village and the AfroSpear blog think tank and network had been keeping the Black Blog Rankings (BBR) which ranked blogs owned and operated by African Americans. However, because of changes in the rating system at Technorati, he decided to discontinue the BBR. I asked could I pick up where he left off, and he graciously gave me permission.

Read the full blog post here.

Jeff Farias Show, 12/09/09 (Eddie Griffin, Eddie Griffin BASG)

2009-12-09T10:54:00.000Z

at 5:30 PM MST Eddie Griffin is a child rights advocate, community activist, and bible class teacher in Fort Worth, Texas.

“I am a 63-year old African-American retired corporate executive of a civil engineering firm. I volunteer on the school district’s advisory team, and serve on my congressman’s economic summit, and on the county ex-offendered re-entry initiative. In the 1970s, I was a member of the Black Panther Party, and was named a prisoner of conscious in 1977 by the World Peace Council, Helsinki, Finland, and by the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus.”

We will discuss his international work campaigning against tasering, Taser marketing & ‘less-lethal‘ militarization.

To hear Eddie Go To 90:00-100:00

Ultimate Video Relay, 10/22/2009 (Electronic Village, Wayne Hicks)

2009-11-20T15:15:00.000Z

Taser Death.October 2009. In San Bernardino. UPDATE ! Victim Identified. UPDATE: Victim identified as 19-year old FRANK CLEO SUTPHIN. Prayers. Another taser death. Just say 43 shot to death in 43 weeks. That is the truth of it. Shot with ??? Doesn't matter. They were shot by LE. Tasers are deadly. blessings to all. love.

Read the media story here.

Grand Rapids News, 11/17/2009 (Electronic Village, Wayne Hicks)

2009-11-17T16:00:00.001Z

Taser-related deaths in 2009 include two Michigan teens; company says devices reduce injuries. Although Tasers were used in the arrest of a 30-year-old man in East Grand Rapids on Monday night, they have not been confirmed as playing a role in his death. The Electronic Village Web site documents 47 taser-related deaths in the U.S. in 2009. Two of them were in Michigan.

Read the full Grand Rapids News article here.

Wired Science, 11/9/2009 (Electronic Village, Wayne Hicks)

2009-11-09T04:00:00.000Z

Taser Wars: The Real Dangers of Loose Triggers. The lawsuit appears to have had little impact so far, as binding national guidelines still don’t exist. Since the beginning of the year, 45 people have died in the U.S. after being Tasered by law enforcement, according to the blog Electronic Village. How many of these deaths were linked to the Taser is unclear, as is the number of lives saved by the technology.

Read the full media story here.

The 33 TV News, 11/07/09 (Rev. Kyev Tatum, Eddie Griffin (BASG))

2009-11-07T08:52:00.008Z

Star Telegram, 11/07/09 (Rev Kyev Tatum, Eddie Griffin (BASG))

2009-11-07T08:46:00.007Z

The Rev. Kyev Tatum, president of the Tarrant County chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and organizer of Saturday’s march, said that

Tasers inflict cruel and unusual punishment on the community and that their use must stop.

Read the media story here.

Huffington Post, 10/08/09 (Pam Spaulding, Pam's House Blend)

2009-10-08T09:52:00.002+01:00

HuffPost's Game Changers celebrates 100 innovators, visionaries, and leaders in 10 categories who are harnessing the power of new media to reshape their fields and change the world. With your help, we've picked 10 people who are changing the game in Politics. We honor and salute them. Now it's up to you to pick the Ultimate Politics Game Changer.We'll reveal the Ultimate 10 in November.

Vote for Pam via this link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/08/huffpost-game-changers-wh_n_314014.html?slidenumber=9&show_slideshow_ads=1#slide_image

Read the media story here.

Ebonyjet.com Featured Blog, 8/27/09 (Adrianne George, Black Women in Europe™)

2009-08-27T13:34:00.000+01:00

Read the media story here.

Fort Worth Weekly, 7/22/2009 (Kyev Tatum, Eddie Griffin)

2009-07-22T11:45:00.001+01:00

Waiting for Answers. Three months after their son died, Michael Jacobs Jr.'s parents still have obtained no ruling on his cause of death. That means they can't get a payout from his modest insurance policy to help reimburse the individuals who stepped forward in April to cover his funeral expenses.

Read the media story here.

personaldemocracy.com, 06/12/099 (Faye Anderson)

2009-06-12T17:52:00.002+01:00

"Together with our friends at Google, we're happy to announce the twenty remarkable recipients of this year's Google Fellowship to the Personal Democracy Forum conference happening in New York on June 29-30".

Read the media story here.

LoneStarPowerPages: Taser Torture and The Police, 05/20/09 (Kyev Tatum,Eddie Griffin, Afrosphere Action Coalition)

2009-05-20T12:01:00.001+01:00

Read the media story Taser Torture and The Police
here.