The Fall Of Spitzer And The Rise Of Community
By Kermit Eady and Larry Barton
At about 2:12 PM on March 10th I received a phone call from Juanita Thomas, a resident of one of the housing developments by the Black United Fund of New York, telling me to “Get yourself in front of a television! [Governor] Spitzer is in a sex scandal.” I ran to the TV and just as I turned it on, the phone began to ring. The word was out on the beginning of the end of Spitzer.
Today, March 12th, the world witnessed the final act of resignation from office and complete fall of the one that called himself “The F***ing Steamroller”; others called him “The Sheriff of Wall Street”; some in the Black community dubbed him “Eliot The Destroyer”, as experience dictated. What goes around comes around!
I have received hundreds of calls and e-mails regarding now disgraced ex-Governor Eliot Spitzer's unethical and immoral behavior involving a prostitution ring and other serious financial irregularities (“structuring”) to hide his tracks. The very stuff he investigated. I also heard a plethora of compliments like “Congratulations, Kermit!”, “God is truly good!”, “Let’s get BUFNY back!”, and “You and Larry Barton have been truly vindicated!” and more. I also saw the blatant hypocrisy of our elected officials, as well as their stupidity.
Whatever the sadness and tragedy of our condition, it is, in great part, directly related to the self-inflicted deceit, disrespect and abandonment of the very community that they –our powerless politicians- were elected to serve.
CEMOTAP’s James McIntosh, MD, has been writing and providing vital information for over seven years about the unethical behavior and abuse of power by Eliot Spitzer. Since 2003, Larry Barton and this writer, Kermit Eady, joined in with exposing the obvious evilness and deceitfulness of Eliot Spitzer. Yet our Black elected officials still went against their own constituents to support the Eliot Spitzers and Hillary Clintons to enable and allow the destruction of their own economic development institutions like BUFNY.
These politicians like Congressman Charles Rangel; Assemblyman Keith Wright; former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, former Councilman and now State Senator Bill Perkins, former Mayor David Dinkins and other Black elected officials in the State of New York must be exposed, challenged and even removed from office.
It is absolutely shameful that the Black United fund of New York was allowed to be destroyed by this now revealed "pervert,” (one that overturns, corrupts or causes to turn from what is considered right, good, or true; misdirects; leads astray; etc.) Eliot Spitzer, at the request or silent sanction of those named politicians, came unchallenged into the Black community and took over or destroyed Black institutions and viciously attacked Black leadership.
As Spitzer attacked Black institutions and businesses, it is interesting that our elected leaders didn't appear to know that Spitzer had never built anything. Nothing at all! His riches came from his father; yet he was sanctioned to make decisions as to how Black people should build, within this corrupt society, starting with little or no money and against institutionalized “barriers”.
How could Spitzer possibly know how Blacks should build their institutions without ever begging foundations, corporations or governments, but by collecting from themselves and financing their very own freedom and independence? In plainer words, we did not beg whites, although some gave and we thanked them and appreciated their support. Where were our Black elected leaders, some incompetent and too full of fear or self-serving ambition to even show concern for the protection and empowerment of their own?
Thus, with the effective demise of the deeply flawed, but feared, Eliot Spitzer, the reigns of state power pass to David Paterson who again has the opportunity to now correct some of the gross injustices of his predecessors. In this time of economic depression we call upon our soon to be Governor to reinstate in its fullness the Black United Fund of New York, and see to it that Alton Maddox is again licensed to practice law in the state of New York. These actions would go a long way in encouraging the African American community to again engage in and practice the concepts and principles of self-help. This I believe will also encourage a plethora of support for Governor David Paterson.
The petitions and questions to ex-Governor Spitzer (and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo) for the restoration and restitution of BUFNY from Councilman Charles Barron will now be put in the hands of our new Governor David Paterson.
Our vision is that out of the ashes a new and stronger Black institution shall rise like the resurrected Phoenix. It will be an institution that will again carry on the mission of Black empowerment and true self-reliance using the philosophy and practices of self-help.
For those who have not signed the petition, please go to www.kermiteady.com and Click Black United Fund to read the penetrating articles on Spitzer and join with the many others that have taken up the petition challenge to take back what is ours.
About The Authors:
Bro. Kermit Eady
Kermit Eady is president and CEO of Eady Associates/Empowerment Institute, founder and former CEO of Black United Fund of New York. You can contact him at 917-642-1878 and by email at: info@kermiteady.com. Listen to the Empowerment Hour Online University every Saturday at 6pm EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/eadyassociates. You may participate in the conversation by calling 646-716-7472.
Larry Barton is former vice president and general manager of Black United Fund of New York and an IBM Retiree. He can be reached at 239-313-1937 and by email at: lbperf@juno.com.
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