Jena 6 Plea Bargain Deal Not A Win-Win...Tha Artivist Reports...

One of the most publicized civil rights cases in recent memory has garnered more scrutiny…On Dec. 3, 2007 the defense team for Mychal Bell, the first of the Jena 6 to face jail time and trial, avoided a possible 2nd media circus filled trial by taking a plea bargain…Although Mychal will be free in only a matter of months many questioned the decision made by his legal defense team as well as the motive…Opinions varied far and wide from those connected to the case to those who were made aware of the saga through the media and the wonders of modern technology…

Mychal Bell’s father Marcus Jones and Mychal’s lead Attorney Lewis Scott are the two most distinctive voices involved in this issue…Marcus Jones felt that his son was mislead by Attorney Scott and his legal defense team while Attorney Scott felt that the plea bargain he helped to engineer served the best interest and individual needs of his client…

Both of these men are passionate about what they believe in…Below both men are given space to tell the story of the plea bargain in their own words from their individual perspectives…

The jury is now the in the court of public opinion…Regardless of how one may feel there’s no denying that the Jena 6 saga is one of the most prominent civil rights sagas of the early 21st Century…The Jena 6 legacy and the interpretations of that legacy will have long term effects…The final verdict has yet to be given…

Jena 6 Attorney Louis Scott Makes His Case

Louis Scott and associate Carol Powell-Lexing. (Courtesy photo)

Plea Bargain For Mychal Bell Was The Right Decision For His Client

Attorney Scott felt very confident that the decision his team made on behalf of his client was the right one…”The charges we entered the plea on, Mychal had been convicted of those charges in adult court…The part related to the aggravated nature was dismissed, the conspiracy was dismissed and the plea was less than what he was charged with…We could have been battling this case for a couple of years but in the meantime he wasn’t getting any education and we didn’t want him to fall by the wayside…We wanted to take time and look at his well being specifically…”

According to Attorney Scott going to trial would not have stopped the lawsuit filed by Justin Barker and his family…”The plea bargain and the filing of the lawsuit really didn’t have anything to do with each other…It really would have been filed regardless because it was prepared for months…I had already spoke with the attorneys for the Barkers and I knew that was coming down the pipe anyway…”

Attorney Scott did not feel that the plea bargain was a cop out or let the town of Jena off the hook…”For people who are interested in civil rights they should realize that there are two separate issues…If we would have gone to trial and if he was convicted of the things that he entered the plea to, they would have considered that a cop out…For people who want to straighten out the system it takes a lot more…”

“Dealing with racism in Jena or anywhere else requires more than us just preceding to trial…Going to trial was not going to deal with the fact that the other young white men who have taken part in the various activities were not prosecuted…Going to trial was not going to make the school system protect the rights of the African American students who go to school there…Going to trial was not going to deal with all the problems… Those problems if people are really serious about it are going to have to be dealt with over a period of time...”

Attorney Scott also noted the tension that existed among Mychal Bell’s family over the plea bargain…”In reality I would have fought the case as long as my client would have wanted to fight it…However, in the situation we were in we talked to Mychal himself, Melissa (Mychal’s mom) and Marcus (father)…Melissa was very much in favor to the plea bargain, Mychal was in favor to entering the plea agreement but Marcus disagreed to it…”

“My role as representative of Mychal Bell was to represent Mychal Bell and to do things that was going to be in his best interest so he can have some certainty in his life and plan his life…He felt it to be in his best interest to continue his education and put this behind him…I sympathize with his father and if Mychal would have decided to continue to fight just as his father wanted to do then that’s what we would have been doing”…

Quite frankly Attorney Scott admitted that in terms of a civil rights case taking a plea was not the best option…“From a civil rights perspective it may have been better to probably fight the case throughout…However, the decision of a lawyer has to be based upon the needs of his client…For certain reasons I hated to enter into the plea agreement because we would have had a better chance of exposing all of the problems and difficulties especially with the judge and judicial system in the area”…


Attorney Scott alluded to Mychal Bell’s football background as a running back to convince his client he made the right decision…”You still have five other people, like I told Mychal you don’t have to be ashamed of the decision you make, you ran the ball, you advanced the ball a certain distance now somebody is going to have to run the ball for awhile…You been the one who have been taking a pounding and been incarcerated…You done your part…Keep your head up and go head finish your education…”

Attorney Scott said that the lawyer’s main concern should be the individual needs of his clients and not to offer his client up as ‘a sacrificial lamb for the cause’…”If you look back over history of the people that were involved in the high profile cases the individuals didn’t always turn out okay…When you had marquee defendants like the Scottsboro 9 or Wilmington 10, just because they fought the battles for a long time doesn’t mean that the individuals turned out okay…If you look at the Little Rock 9, alot of them turned out okay because they had the support of people on a personal basis and they weren’t considered as sacrifices…They were considered as human beings who had needs themselves and they were able to progress and achieve in life…”

“A lot of people never looked at Mychal’s individual needs because they wanted a sacrifice...They didn’t consider him as a young person who is 17 years old who still needs an education, parental nurturing, somebody who can explain to him the ins and outs, somebody who can counsel him, those are needs he still has…”

Attorney Scott offered the following words for those who still wanted to continue the fight against injustice and for the rest of the Jena 6:

“There’s still five young men…There’s still injustice in Jena and those who want to deal with injustice should not let this (plea bargain) stop them…Injustice can not be dealt with through one march or going to one city on one day, it has to be dealt with day in and day out…It has to be dealt with in the courtrooms as well as in the chambers of legislature, on our jobs and in our schools…It’s something people have to organize for rather than thinking it is something that can be dealt with on the spur of the moment…”

Marcus Jones Offers His Rebuttal

Marcus Jones

Marcus Jones Questions The Motive And Timing Of Plea Bargain

Marcus Jones the father of Mychal Bell to say the least is not satisfied with the plea bargain deal at all…”When I first heard about the plea bargain quite naturally I wasn’t for it…I told my son this…The whole puzzling thing is why my son’s lawyer would accept a plea bargain from the D.A….”

Marcus Jones thought the plea was in bad taste because he felt the momentum of public opinion shifting heavily in the favor of Mychal Bell and other Jena 6 defendants…”With all the resources that has been galvanized around my son, the resources that my son had with people wanting to help from Harvard Law School; Howard University; Southern University and law students that other universities had; the National Black Caucus taking a stand; Rev. Sharpton; Michael Baisden, all these people bringing all this to the forefront, bringing this light…”

So the question remains as Marcus Jones said…

“Why would they as Black men and a Black woman (legal defense team) sell my son out like that?”

Marcus Jones first and foremost wanted his son to have a fair trial after what he felt the first trial represented which was a mockery of the judicial system, but business as usual in Jena…”If he was a good lawyer he would have said we are not taking any plea deals, we are going to take my client to trial and we are going to have our day in court…I thought he took the case to fight for my son…I never said my son didn’t participate in the fight…My whole issue from day one was that it was an unequal justice here where whites got away with committing crimes and the D.A. were forcing the laws on Blacks for lesser or similar crimes…”

Marcus also had a problem with the way they were “maliciously prosecuting and maliciously incarcerating” his son from day one…Marcus cries of abuse of his son Mychal included “locking him up as a juvenile with adults, trying him as an adult and then dropping those charges 10 months later and sending him to juvenile…”

Marcus fears and beliefs were for better or worse validated when the 3rd Circuit Court came back with their ruling…”Then 3rd circuit court came back 10 months later and overturned it saying that the D.A. and the judge misused the law…It should have been in juvenile court from day one…That was a violation of what the judge and D.A. had done in the law...It seems like to me that the DOJ (U.S. Department of Justice) should have came in and removed them by locking them up or suspending them...”

Marcus was nevertheless elated and thought that Attorney Scott and his team will act immediately upon the news with immediate and positive results…Or so he thought…

“My son’s lawyer got the word from the 3rd Circuit Court that they were wrong for incarcerating my son, holding him as an adult when he should have been in juvenile custody, they violated his civil rights…Locked him up in a facility where he could not continue his education…It’s been so many violations and civil suits that should have been filed by my son’s lawyer but he never did…But at the time I had such confidence in my son’s lawyer that I thought he was really trying to defend my son in the right way and to the end…”

Marcus feels the motive was money for Attorney Scott’s seemingly betrayal of his client…”If somebody paid me for running a race and you paid me for running the race before I even run the race, whoever gave me the money to run the race you suddenly get burned because you should have paid me after I got through running the race and that’s how I view what my son’s lawyer has done here…The confidence that I had in my son’s lawyer, I really don’t understand why he done this…”

“When my son went to court on Nov. 6 for two motion hearings, for the double jeopardy thing and for no police report being done we knew that Judge Maffrey in Jena wasn’t going to rule in our favor anyway”…The reason for the hearings was to able to advance their cause to the 3rd Circuit Court…”He (Scott) said when you get out and people ask and interview you or anything push the issue they are trying to try your son twice for the same thing…”

Marcus was surprised to learn on November 29 that the legal team never filed in the 3rd Circuit Court…Frustrated and confused Marcus asked them why didn’t they file and Attorney Scott said that Peggy one of the other lawyers on the defense team wasn’t finished writing the writ…Marcus upon hearing this stated “wait a minute that’s been a whole month, there’s something wrong with this picture…”

According to Marcus when his son asked Attorney Scott for the reason for not filing in 3rd Circuit Court, Scott told him because the plea bargain deal became available…Marcus felt that Attorney Scott told his son a lie because his intent was to do the plea bargain all along…

Marcus believes that there was an arrangement between the Barker Family and his son’s lead lawyer Louis Scott in order to help the Barker’s lawsuit and that his son was going to be the sacrificial lamb…”Somebody had to be the fall guy for this…In order for the Barker Family to make this lawsuit they filed against us good it had to be by Dec. 4…They needed somebody to take the plea in order for the lawsuit to be good…So the timing of the plea is very suspect…”

“I try to tell his mother and Mychal don’t do it, but they were making these promises to my son by being out before Christmas and his birthday and my son still sitting in jail…Something is wrong with this picture…”

Marcus believes that the plea bargain also let down the true supporters of his son and of the rest of the Jena 6…”All that’s been done to help our people come together around my son’s wrongful incarceration...People went out on the limb to send and raise money to help defend my son…They didn’t send that money for no plea bargain...”

The terms of the plea bargain according to Marcus Jones are suspect as well…Terms of the plea included not being able to go back and appeal the plea; Marcus will continue to pay child support for Mychal until he is 18 (what does this have to do with the case?); the parents have to pay a portion of Mychal’s medical bill; any motion that they, being Mychal and his parents, filed against the judge and D.A. will have to be withdrawn and the parents will have to pay the court costs…”What lawyer in their right mind would agree for their client to take a plea bargain from a D.A. under those circumstances…That’s bad law practice…”

Special Jena 6 Post-Plea Bargain Show On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio
To listen to the entire Attorney Louis Scott and Marcus Jones interviews as well as others on this case please visit the following link on-line: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/blog/2007/12/16/Tha-Artivist-PresentsWE-ALL-BE-Radio

(Ron Herd II also known as R2C2H2 Tha Artivist hosts the internet radio show “Tha Artivist Presents...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio” at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe . His Website is http://www.weallbe.blogspot.com... He is also the author of James Reese Europe: Jazz Lieutenant http://www.jazzlieutenant.blogspot.com)

More Jena 6 On W.E. A.L.L. B.E.:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/search?q=jena+6

UNTIL THE JENA 6 ARE FREE NEITHER ARE WE!!!

Singing The Praises Of An Unsung Genius...Tha Artivist Reports...

Video: Larry Lee - Mastermind (Unreleased Woodstock Performance)



Video: Larry Lee - Gypsy Woman (Unreleased Woodstock Performance)

The Unsung Genius Of A Memphis Guitar Legend

Larry Lee (right) and Jimi Hendrix get in sync. Their music ties extend to their band days in Nashville.

Memphis Guitar Legend Larry Lee Was The Link Between Jimi Hendrix & Al Green.

Hendrix, Lee And Green By R2C2H2

Underappreciated genius traveled the streets of Memphis in the form of Lawrence Harold “Larry” Lee Jr. Some say he had the raw talent of a star, but chose to remain in the background with his rhythm guitar.

To say that Lee was the link between music icons Jimi Hendrix and Al Green is simply telling the truth about one of the many great “unknowns” who have called Memphis home.

Lee, 64, knew he had stomach cancer, and he died on Oct. 29 after a long bout with it.

“Larry should have a brass note on Beale Street,” said Memphis businessman Mabra Holeyfield, who once played trumpet alongside Lee.

“He was not a person who sought recognition. He helped other musicians. He was a very giving person. He was always content to stay in the background but everybody knew he was a great musician…He does deserve a lot more than he has received.”
Rev. Ronnie Williams, one of Lee’s thick-and-thin friends, is convinced that now is the right time for Lee to start getting his recognition.

“The real greatness of a man starts coming the day when he passes,” said Williams. “Larry’s greatness is now blooming.”

The years yielded many happy moments for Larry Lee and his wife, Jackie.

In The Beginning

Lee started as an ambitious and talented songwriter at Stax when he was just a teen attending Hamilton High School in South Memphis. “What Can It Be” and “A Woman Needs The Love of Man” are among the hit songs he penned for Stax’s popular vocal group, The Astors

Tennessee State University in Nashville beckoned when Lee decided to continue his education. In his senior year, Lee walked away from TSU to find his musical voice in the club venues and chitlin’ circuit of Nashville.

He formed a band that eventually drew the interest of an eccentric, skinny, Seattle, Wash., kid who joined the band as the second guitar. The kid was Hendrix, a recently discharged member of the legendary military parachute unit, the 101st Airborne a.k.a. Screaming Eagles stationed at Fort Campbell on the Tennessee-Kentucky border.

Lee and Hendrix performed often at legendary Nashville venues such as The New Era Club together. When Aretha Franklin and other popular musical artists toured the Nashville area, Lee and Hendrix often performed backup.

The Woodstock Experience

The bond between Hendrix and Lee proved strong enough to withstand the challenges of longevity. Several years beyond Nashville, Hendrix, who had formed his own band, asked Lee to join him in upstate New York for the Woodstock Music and Art Fair of 1969, a four-day event that drew 450,000 people and became a cultural icon.

Lee had just returned from the Vietnam War two weeks earlier when his old Nashville music-running buddy invited him to join his Gypsy Sun and Rainbows band. Hendrix’s performance is now the stuff of legend and Lee was on rhythm guitar.

The band was short lived. Lee did record and perform on a few memorable tracks, including singing leads on the soul ballad “Mastermind,” as well as the hypnotic and melodic “Gypsy Woman” – a song originally written for The Impressions and which Hendrix and Lee had learned to perform from the soul master Curtis Mayfield when Lee and Hendrix toured with The Impressions and The Marvelettes (Motown’s first female group) in their Chitlin’ Circuit days.

Larry Lee took the stage with many groups and musicians.

A Friend’s View

Mabra Holeyfield went to Hamilton High School with Larry Lee. They met playing WDIA Baseball. Lee played for Elliston Heights; Holeyfield played for Castalia Height.

In addition to baseball, both loved music. Holeyfield, who played trumpet, recorded several times at Stax as a studio session musician when he was 15 and 16. He continued his music interests playing in the Tennessee State University band. Lee, a gifted athlete as well as talented musician, played baseball at TSU

“Larry was self taught and a very, very good musician,” recalls Holeyfield. “Larry was the lead guitarist in a band that played in the clubs of Nashville in the early sixties…This band would go on the road on the weekends to places like Clarksville,Tn., Huntsville, Ala.; Paris, Tenn. and other place. . . .

“Jimi would come down from Fort Campbell, Kentucky to play with the band from time to time. After the service he joined the band…He played behind Larry…We called him little Jimi.”

Hendrix was a good musician but Larry was the musician at the time,” said Holeyfield.

“Larry got drafted during the Vietnam War and left town. . . .Jimi decided he wanted to go to New York and be famous, that is what he told us. . . .Jimi obviously got to be very famous,” said Holeyfield

“When Larry came out of the service Jimi was very huge internationally… .Larry teamed up with Jimi at that point, toured with him and he was at Woodstock with Jimi… .For some reason Larry left the group at that point and came back home to Memphis… .Shortly after that Jimi died.”

Elmo & The Shades, including Larry Lee (right), on Beale Street

The Al Green Connection

Back in Memphis, Lee hooked up with Al Green becoming Green’s music director and personal guitarist at the Willie Mitchell-led Hi Records. The association would last for more than 30 years.

Green covered one of Lee’s original compositions “Judy” among others. With Green, Lee was able to perform all over the world and on television, including “The Johnny Carson Show.”

“We Lost A Great Soldier.”

Memphis music legend Howard Grimes said Lee kept a smile on him all the time

“He was very business about his music, playing his guitar. He was one of the finest guitar players that I had ever worked with…I loved him as a friend as well as working with him on stage because he was like no other guitar player…He had his own style.”

Grimes recalled his last visits with Lee, who told him that he no longer had enough strength or life in his fingers to pull the strings of his guitar.

“We lost a great soldier, great guitar player… I always like to remember someone by not looking at the life passed but at the life that was,” said Grimes. “And I will always remember him the way the rest of his colleagues, friends that he worked with will. It was always a joy and lots of fun. . . .

“I know he’s in the right place playing for “The Mastermind,” the angels….They can use him there because his work is done here,” said Grimes.

“He was a great man, a great human being, a great musician and that’s the way I like to leave it.”

(Ron Herd II, also known as R2C2H2 Tha Artivist, hosts the Internet radio show “Tha Artivist Presents... W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio” at www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe. His Web site is www.weallbe.blogspot.com)

See Also W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News & Radio Special...

If Memphis Could Talk Part 3~Singing The Unsung Genius Of Larry Lee: Memphis Soul Music Legend & Jimi Hendrix's Best Friend
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2008/12/07/Tha-Artivist-PresentsWE-ALL-BE-News-Radio

Life Tips From Coach V....

Coach V. Is Also A Fan Of Tha Artivist

On Saturday Dec. 9 @ The Gathering Event @ the J.E. Walker House in the heart of South Memphis, Vincent "Coach V." Williams shared with us some tips on how to live your like it's golden and with purpose...I took some notes but like Lamar Burton used to say on Reading Rainbow "but don't just take my word for it":

1.) Know Who You Are Or Might Try To Be Someone Else

2.) Every Human Being Desires A Destination That Characterizes Success

3.) With Each Choice We Custom Design Our Destiny

4.) To Reach Your True Destiny You Must Define Your Own Success

5.) Don't Chase The Money Follow Your Passions

6.) Leadership Is A Role That We Play Rather Than A Life That We Lead

7.) Keep Trying Until You Get The Odds In Your Favor

8.) A Job Is Employment Created By The Success Of Somebody Else's Dreams

9.) Fear Is An Emotion Or Apprehension Creating False Images Of Failure

10.) We Inventory Our Failure, Pain And Fear

11.) Downsize To Pursue The Desires Of Your Heart

12.) Within Every Human Being Resides A Dream

13.) Love And Family Are Verbs

14.) We Like Comfort Even When It's Negative

15.) Reaching Your True Destiny Is A Balancing Cooperation Between God's Will And Your Free Will

If You Want To Know More Please Buy The New Book How Do I Reach My True Destiny? Available At Coach V.'s Official Website:
http://www.mytruedestiny.com

R.I.P. Ike!!!

Ike Turner dies in San Diego at age 76

By ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press WriterWed Dec 12, 6:52 PM ET

Ike Turner, whose role as one of rock's critical architects was overshadowed by his ogrelike image as the man who brutally abused former wife Tina Turner, died Wednesday at his home in suburban San Diego. He was 76.

Turner died at his San Marcos home, Scott M. Hanover of Thrill Entertainment Group, which managed Turner's career, told The Associated Press.

There was no immediate word on the cause of death, which was first reported by celebrity Web site TMZ.com.

Turner managed to rehabilitate his image somewhat in later years, touring around the globe with his band the Kings of Rhythm and drawing critical acclaim for his work. He won a Grammy in 2007 in the traditional blues album category for "Risin' With the Blues."

But his image is forever identified as the drug-addicted, wife-abusing husband of Tina Turner. He was hauntingly portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in the movie "What's Love Got To Do With It," based on Tina Turner's autobiography.

In a 2001 interview with The Associated Press, Turner denied his ex-wife's claims of abuse and expressed frustration that he had been demonized in the media while his historic role in rock's beginnings had been ignored.

"You can go ask Snoop Dogg or Eminem, you can ask the Rolling Stones or (Eric) Clapton, or you can ask anybody — anybody, they all know my contribution to music, but it hasn't been in print about what I've done or what I've contributed until now," he said.

Turner, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is credited by many rock historians with making the first rock 'n' roll record, "Rocket 88," in 1951. Produced by the legendary Sam Phillips, it was groundbreaking for its use of distorted electric guitar.

But as would be the case for most of his career, Turner, a prolific session guitarist and piano player, was not the star on the record — it was recorded with Turner's band but credited to singer Jackie Brenston.

And it would be another singer — a young woman named Anna Mae Bullock — who would bring Turner his greatest fame, and infamy.

Turner met the 18-year-old Bullock, whom he would later marry, in 1959 and quickly made the husky-voiced woman the lead singer of his group, refashioning her into the sexy Tina Turner. Her stage persona was highlighted by short skirts and stiletto heels that made her legs her most visible asset. But despite the glamorous image, she still sang with the grit and fervor of a rock singer with a twist of soul.

The pair would have two sons. They also produced a string of hits. The first, "A Fool In Love," was a top R&B song in 1959, and others followed, including "I Idolize You" and "It's Gonna Work Out Fine."

But over the years their genre-defying sound would make them favorites on the rock 'n' roll scene, as they opened for acts like the Rolling Stones.

Their densely layered hit "River Deep, Mountain High" was one of producer Phil Spector's proudest creations. A rousing version of "Proud Mary," a cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit, became their signature song and won them a Grammy for best R&B vocal performance by a group.

Still, their hits were often sporadic, and while their public life depicted a powerful, dynamic duo, Tina Turner would later charge that her husband was an overbearing wife abuser and cocaine addict.

In her 1987 autobiography, "I, Tina," she narrated a harrowing tale of abuse, including suffering a broken nose. She said that cycle ended after a vicious fight between the pair in the back seat of a car in Las Vegas, where they were scheduled to perform.

It was the only time she ever fought back against her husband, Turner said.

After the two broke up, both fell into obscurity and endured money woes for years before Tina Turner made a dramatic comeback in 1982 with the release of the album "Private Dancer," a multiplatinum success with hits such as "Let's Stay Together" and "What's Love Got To Do With It."

The movie based on her life, "What's Love Got To Do With It," was also a hit, earning Angela Bassett an Oscar nomination.

But Fishburne's glowering depiction of Ike Turner also furthered Turner's reputation as a rock villain.

Meanwhile, Turner never again had the success he enjoyed with his former wife.

After years of drug abuse, he was jailed in 1989 and served 17 months.

Turner told the AP he originally began using drugs to stay awake and handle the rigors of nonstop touring during his glory years.

"My experience, man, with drugs — I can't say that I'm proud that I did drugs, but I'm glad I'm still alive to convey how I came through," he said. "I'm a good example that you can go to the bottom. ... I used to pray, `God, if you let me get three days clean, I will never look back.' But I never did get to three days. You know why? Because I would lie to myself. And then only when I went to jail, man, did I get those three days. And man, I haven't looked back since then."

But while he would readily admit to drug abuse, Turner always denied abusing his ex-wife.

After years out of the spotlight his career finally began to revive in 2001 when he released the album "Here and Now." The recording won rave reviews and a Grammy nomination and finally helped shift some of the public's attention away from his troubled past and onto his musical legacy.

"His last chapter in life shouldn't be drug abuse and the problems he had with Tina," said Rob Johnson, the producer of "Here and Now."

Turner spent his later years making more music and touring, even while he battled emphysema.

Robbie Montgomery — one of the "Ikettes," backup singers who worked with Ike and Tina Turner — said Turner's death was "devastating" to her.

"He gave me my start. He gave a million people their start," Montgomery said.

Accolades for Turner's early and later work continued to come in as he grew older, and the once-broke musician managed to garner a comfortable income as his songs were sampled by a variety of rap acts.

In interviews toward the end of his life, Turner would acknowledge having made many mistakes, but maintained he was still able to carry himself with pride.

"I know what I am in my heart. And I know regardless of what I've done, good and bad, it took it all to make me what I am today," he once told the AP.

___

Associated Press Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody in New York and Associated Press Writer Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this story.

___

On the Net:

http://www.iketurner.com/

Eddie Floyd Remembers Otis Redding...Tha Artivist Reports...

Stax Man Eddie Floyd Recalls Days With ‘Otis’


Stax legend Eddie Floyd performs worldwide and always pays tribute to Otis Redding.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stax stalwart Eddie Floyd already had blazed musical trails of his own in Detroit with soul luminaries Wilson Pickett and “Sir” Mack Rice when he met Otis Redding in Memphis.

Floyd, a soul artist and premier songwriter, had been persuaded to come to Stax by soul great Carla Thomas in 1965. He was well aware of Redding’s songs and reputation.

“Otis was dynamic and considered the leader of Stax records in every way and everyone followed suit, followed Otis’ lead, came up with the Memphis Sound and made history,” Floyd said recently, as he looked back 40-plus years, pausing on Dec. 10, 1967, the date Redding died in a plane crash.

In reflection Floyd sees Redding “like the disciple or apostle of soul who spread the Memphis Sound to Europe and beyond.” And in this 50th anniversary year of Stax, Floyd has been busy promoting the Memphis and Stax sound all over the world.

The historic Stax first European tour in 1967 headlined by Otis Redding did much to stimulate the popularity that Stax enjoys to this day, he said.

“They will always remember when we did our first tour and Otis brought us all over,” said Floyd. “Now I am doing it in places where I thought I would never go.”

Floyd always does Redding’s signature tune “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” at his worldwide performances. The classic was released posthumously in 1968.

That ’67 tour “was like how America treated The Beatles when they first came over in 1964,” recalls Floyd.

Floyd was in London when he first heard the news of the fatal plane crash that killed Redding, the pilot and all but one member of the Bar-Kays band that was on board. He was doing his first single European tour.

The call from a local newspaper came at 6 a.m. “We woke the band up and we were all up at 7 a.m. in the morning in the lobby of the hotel. It was buzzing,” said Floyd.

“It was all that you could read, see and hear about.”

Redding was 26 with an “old soul,” said Floyd. “He’d been here forever.”

Floyd said he and others “thought we could and should really carry it on,” realizing that they had something special.

“It was destined to be, it had to be.”

Dr. King’s Death And The Lorraine Motel’s Role In Soul Music History…

“Everything in the world changed after his death, but I don’t know if it stopped the music…The attitude and things was a little different of course, nobody experienced that before, but that didn’t stop the music…All the music or 99 and a half of it probably came from the Lorraine Motel…We come into town, a little hotel downtown, and a little gentleman named Mr. Butler who owned the hotel loved entertainers to come and we sat in those little rooms and write…We sat in those rooms and write…Every time I see on t.v. the monuments of Memphis or Dr. King I am looking at the same rooms where we wrote Knock on the Wood, 634-5789 (Soulsville USA), Midnight Hour etc., I look at that as being a double history thing although many don’t realize or acknowledge that…That particular day I was recording in the studio when I heard Dr. King got killed…My mind goes back to those little rooms at the Lorraine Motel and I can see every corner…I probably stayed in every room…It’s kind of ironic that all the history of the music started there at first and the ending was Dr. King…It’s a double history thing there…”


(Please visit the official Eddie Floyd Web site http://www.eddiefloyd.com/)

(Ron Herd II also known as R2C2H2 Tha Artivist hosts the Internet radio show “Tha Artivist Presents...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio” at www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe

His Web site is http://www.weallbe.blogspot.com/)

*BONUS: Listen To Eddie Floyd Reminisce About Otis Redding And Stax On The 2nd Hour Of The 12/09/2007 Installment Of Tha Artivist Presents...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/blog/2007/12/09/Tha-Artivist-PresentsWE-ALL-BE-Radio

What Happens In Vegas...FUHGEDDABOUTIT!!!

Las Vegas Plans To Open A Mob Museum

The Godfathers Of Las Vegas: Meyer Lansky (top) and Bugsy Siegel (bottom)

By KEN RITTER, Associated Press WriterMon Dec 10, 3:45 PM ET

Las Vegas is building a museum about some of its founding fathers and most influential figures — guys with names like Bugsy, Lefty and Lansky.

The mob museum will stand as frank acknowledgment of the major role mobsters played in developing Las Vegas into the gambling capital of America and giving the city its rakish glamour during the 1940s and '50s.

"Let's be brutally honest, warts and all. This is more than legend. It's fact," said Mayor Oscar Goodman, a former defense attorney whose clients once included mobsters Meyer Lansky and Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro. "This is something that differentiates us from other cities."

The project has gained the support of the FBI and is guided by a retired FBI agent. They say they are involved because you can't tell the stories of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, his banker, Lansky, casino boss Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and others without telling the story of the lawmen who pursued them.

"This is a way to connect with the public and show the results of our work," said Dan McCarron, a spokesman for the FBI in Washington.

Ellen Knowlton, who retired in 2006 as FBI agent in charge in Las Vegas and now heads the not-for-profit museum organization, said FBI officials have offered to share photographs, transcripts of wiretaps and histories of efforts to kneecap organized crime in the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

"Despite the sort of edgy theme, this museum will be historically accurate and it will tell the true story of organized crime," Knowlton said. "The plan is to give people a kind of gritty taste of what it would have been like to be not only a person involved or affiliated with organized crime, but also what it would have been like to be in law enforcement."

Officials expect to open the museum by 2010 in a brick federal building that was the centerpiece of this dusty town of 5,100 residents when it opened in 1933. In 1950, the three-story building hosted a hearing by Tennessee Sen. Estes Kefauver's special investigating committee on the rackets.

Goodman, who showed his own willingness to play up Las Vegas' mob past by making a cameo in the 1995 Robert De Niro-Joe Pesci movie "Casino," has pushed the idea of a mob museum from the time he was elected mayor in 1999.

He brokered a deal for the city to buy the building in 2000 for $1, with the understanding it would be turned into cultural center. Officials expect the final cost, including renovations, to reach almost $50 million.

About $15 million has been raised through grants, city funds, contributions and the sale of commemorative license plates that marked Las Vegas' centennial in 2005.

It was Siegel who pioneered the transformation of this one-time desert stopover into a glittering tourist mecca, opening the $6 million Flamingo hotel on the fledgling Las Vegas Strip in 1946 with financial backing from Lansky.

The movie-star handsome Siegel was rubbed out six months later in Beverly Hills, Calif., perhaps because he angered the mob with cost overruns on the hotel.

Spilotro and Rosenthal were associates in the 1970s, when Rosenthal ran several casinos, including the Stardust. Spilotro was killed in 1986 and buried in an Indiana cornfield.

Organized crime eventually was driven out of Las Vegas in the 1970s and '80s by the FBI, local police and prosecutors, state crackdowns and casino purchases by corporate interests.

Many of these stories have been dramatized by Hollywood in such movies as "Bugsy," "The Godfather" and "Casino." But documenting mob history isn't going to be easy.

"If anybody out there finds a memo saying: `To the boys, from Meyer. Re: Bugsy. Kill him,' We'd love to have it," said Michael Green, a College of Southern Nevada history professor who is researching exhibits for the museum. "But we doubt it's there."

"Because of that, you have to do a lot of reconstructing, inferring and implying," he said. "There's a lot of winking we're going to have to do."

Green pointed to stories about Moe Dalitz, a Cleveland businessman who rescued the Desert Inn and Stardust casinos in the 1950s and '60s and built a hospital, golf courses and shopping centers.

"Was he tied to the mob or involved with the mob? Yes," Green said. "A mobster? Harder to explain."

Dennis Barrie, who designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the popular International Spy Museum in Washington, said he will design the as-yet-unnamed Las Vegas museum to show how organized crime and the fight against it shaped modern life.

"Whether it's running the casinos in Las Vegas, or controlling cigarette sales or numbers or trash collection in any city, organized crime is part of the American culture," Barrie said. "Everybody has a mob story or a brush with the mob world. Or they at least say they do."

Organizers say paying visitors might be asked to decide as they arrive which side of the law they want to be on, and then be given a story line tracing the life of a famous lawman or mobster or a street cop or numbers runner.

"Were you a hit man? Were you a prosecutor? What choices do you have to make?" Green said. "We're telling a story of things that are multisided."

Organizers also hope to have an oral-history area where visitors "can sit down in front of a camera and say, `I knew Bugsy,' or `I saw Meyer,' or whatever," he said.

Fighting For A Dream: The Struggle Continues But Protesters Keep Their Eyes On The Prize…Tha Artivist Reports...

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

--Dr. King from his "Strength to Love" speech (1963).

On an unseasonably warm and beautiful Saturday afternoon (Dec. 9, 2007) 150 plus people gathered at the National Civil Rights Museum for a rally to make the public at large aware of the ongoing power struggle between The National Civil Rights Museum Board of Directors and The Lorraine Museum Community Oversight Committee…The rally was organized by the Judge D’Army Bailey and Attorney Laurice Smith led Lorraine Motel Community Oversight Committee…People of all races, gender and walks of life gathered for the public display of outrage concerning the current board alleged misinterpretations and application of the victories gained from the modern American Civil Rights Movement…

Currently the NCRM Board is 73% Corporate controlled with Blacks, the major players in the American Civil Rights Movement, having a very small representation...Also there are no grassroots American civil rights veterans represented on the board, something inexcusable by many considering there are many still alive and active…After all they were the ones who were on the front lines that sacrificed and even lost countless comrades to the sometimes bitter and harsh realities of the movement to ensure liberty and justice for all…Passionate and colorful rhetoric from the featured speakers which included noted civil rights veterans, a promising student leader and politicians combined with passionate response from the audience electrified the air and added to further embed the rally’s catch phase “History Not For Sale “ into the consciousness of the Memphis Community at large…

Beautiful freedom singing performed by Sis. Margaret Block and Sis. Winters got the crowd singing and swinging in harmony and unity…Part rally, part church service, part history lesson and part reunion the event served in uniting segments of a very fragmented and segregated Memphis community into an universal cry for freedom…

All Photos Are Courtesy of R2C2H2 Tha Artivist...The Following Are Some Highlights And Quotes From Some Of The Featured Speakers:

Civil Rights Labor Leader Bill Lucy

“It’s our duty to get a board that reflects this community…Here in Memphis, TN our society killed Dr. King…We want community people on board…This institution is going to reflect the struggle of 1300 sanitation workers…We’ll be back until we reach a point when the board of this foundation reflects our goal…”

Civil Rights Veteran And Politician Marion Barry

“We have a great rich history…We can’t forget…We must struggle, we must fight against injustice wherever it is…We don’t want any crumbs, we want the whole pie…Some think Corporate America runs America but they ain’t going to run this board…Take the Corporate out keep the America…Don’t give up, give out or give in…”

TN State Rep. Barbara Cooper

“We been caught asleep at the wheel…We don’t have a lot of history displayed and must keep this…We need people down here to teach non-violence…They (young people) don’t have anything to lift their self-esteem…”

Community Activist Isaac Mitchell

“If you try to sell out the museum in the backroom you got another thing coming…The fight goes on…”

Student Leader Anthony White of the University of Memphis

“This is a legacy, this is our legacy, this is the people’s legacy and we must keep it truthful for our children’s children…We must take the time and opportunity to preserve and keep this legacy…Peace and perseverance prevails…Let’s be peaceful and tactful…”

TN State Rep. G.A. Hardaway

“Beautiful faces of freedom stay involved and know like all good movements you got to have that young blood….If they knew better, they’ll do better…”

Mississippi Civil Rights Veteran Willie Blue

“Don’t let your museum be like my cap pistol…Don’t let them see, don’t let them hold it…Nobody can sell it like we can sell it…You got to be like a dirt diver…He hauls his own dirt and do his own diving…”

Civil Rights Veteran And Grassroots Community Activist Deke Pope

“This is the site of the crucifixion of Dr. King…He was our modern day Moses…Whenever there’s a crucifixion a resurrection must also take place…We ask you all to join in on this resurrection…We want this museum to be a first class museum…We can not allow people to make this sacred site a profit site…”



(Ron Herd II also known as R2C2H2 Tha Artivist hosts the internet radio show “Tha Artivist Presents...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio” at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe . His website is http://www.weallbe.blogspot.com)

*Listen To Judge D'Army Bailey Discuss The NCRM In Crisis On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2007/09/23/tha-artivist-presentswe-all-be-radio

More NCRM In Crisis Articles On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. :
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/search?q=national+civil+rights+museum

The Gathering Proves To Be A True Meeting Of The Minds…Tha Artivist Reports

A Gathering Of The Minds : Organizer Tracey Parker (Left) And Friends

On Saturday evening Dec. 9 people lucky enough in attendance were treated to a delightful and spiritually moving display of the breath of the Black Experience through the art of words and motivation at the J.E. Walker House on 1109 Mississippi Blvd…

The Gathering organized by longtime Memphis resident and recent Charlotte, NC transplant Ms. Tracey Parker provided hefty portions of food for thought for all in attendance…

Renaissance Brothers And Titans Of Black Thought And Expression: Vincent "Coach V" Williams (left) and El Hakim (right)

The featured artists were popular Memphis spoken word artist El Hakim The Poet
http://www.elhakimthepoet.com/

and well known motivational speaker and author Vincent “Coach V” Williams
( http://www.mytruedestiny.com/ )

El Hakim True Lyrical Ridah

El Hakim wowed the audience with his lyrical dexterity and mind blowing metaphors all rolled up into a r & b smooth vocal delivery…And like Gil Scott Heron and other socially conscious artists before and since he was able to incite meaningful introspection as well as retrospection from the audience on the state and ills of Black America today...Lines like






"So Many Lives Are Destroyed And Ruined Because People Don't Know They Doin'" or "Preachers Are Professional Pick Pockets...Posing As Prophets Or Posing For Profit...Peddling Prayer With Scare Tactics" as well as his unique play on words such as "television= telling lies visually" left the audience spellbound, speechless and wanting more as they hinged onto every syllable that rolled off his tongue and jumped off his lips, taking a frre falling yet directed dive into the pool of the collective audience's consciousness...

Coach V for Victory

Coach V. Is Also A Fan Of Tha Artivist

Coach V also offered his own pearls of wisdom in his equally gripping and charismatic way…Coming from a long line of gospel ministers and musicians from his native Mobile, Alabama, Coach V knows the importance of stage presence and presentation…He also stated that a balance life is the key to unlocking one's life potential...Coach V relayed to the audience eager for news you can use that "inner peace+preparation+action+appearance+attitude+professionalism= positive results"...He also knows the importance of finding one’s true destiny or calling…Coach V believes that you should “know who you are or you might try to be someone else”…He also believes that “every human being desires a destination that characterizes success and to reach your own destiny you must define your own success”...

Daughter Of American Gangster Frank Lucas Speaks Out And Otis Redding/Larry Lee/Stax Tribute On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio...

December's Theme Is "Harvest For The World..."

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Proves Once Again That We Sow And Reap A Bountiful Harvest When It Comes To Giving You News That You Can Use!!!

Please Check Out The 4/11 You Can't Miss On One Of The Fastest Growing Internet News You Can Use Hubs Around...And As Always Please Spread The Good News!!!

When: Sunday Dec. 9, 2007
Time: 4PM-6PM Central Time
Where: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe
Call In: 646-652-4593
E-mail: r2c2h2@gmail.com

Don't Miss This Historic Two Hour Star Studded Extravaganza On Tha Artivist Presents...W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio!!!!

Our Featured Guests Include...

1st Hour (4PM-5PM Central)

1.) Francine Lucas-Sinclair, The Daughter Of American Gangster Movie Subject Frank Lucas And Founder Of Yellow Brick Roads, A Children Of Incarcerated Parents Support Organization.

Words From Francine Lucas-Sinclair:

I'm not a celebrity or anyone of big influence. However, my family's story has recently become a topic of interest for Hollywood. A film by the name of American Gangster was based on my father Frank Lucas' life (www.americangangster.net). I soon realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to try to shine the spotlight on the issue of children of prisoners. I'm hoping that by sharing my personal story, which I held very secret for thirty years, I can draw the attention of people with influence who can help move our cause forward. I invite anyone to help in any way that they can. For my part I'll continue to speak around the country, work to use my dad's publicity to raise the visibility of the children, and work on this website so that it becomes a truly comprehensive and useful information source for the children, caregivers and the general public.

Visit Francine Lucas-Sinclair's Official Website:
http://yellowbrickroads.org

Also Check Out The Recent Glamour Magazine Article Featuring Francine's Story:
http://www.glamour.com/news/articles/2007/10/druglord

2nd Hour (5PM-6PM Central)

2.) Otis Redding, Stax Records And Larry Lee Tributes Featuring Soul Great Eddie Floyd a.k.a. "Mr. Knock On Wood", Memphis Soul Drummer Legend Howard Grimes And Pioneering Memphis Hotel Businessman Mabra Holeyfield!!!

Soul Music Icon Eddie Floyd a.k.a. Mr. Knock On Wood Is A Fan Of Tha Artivist...

****

Get Involved

As Always You Can Catch Tha Artivist Presents…W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Live Every Sunday @ 4PM Central/5PM Eastern By Clicking On The Following Link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe

Please Be Our Invited Guest By Calling Us Live @ 646-652-4593 Or E-mailing Us Your Questions And Comments @ r2c2h2@gmail.com

As Always Please Spread The Good News!!!

~~~~~~

Check Out The 2007 R2C2H2 Winter Newsletter:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2007/11/2007-r2c2h2-winter-newsletter.html

~~~~~~

Check Out "The Empowerment Hour" Hosted By Bro. Kermit Eady Every Saturday @ 6 PM EST/ 5PM CST

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/EadyAssociates

~~~~~~

Pimp C Finally Free...Trill In Peace!!

Chad "Pimp C" Butler
12/29/1973-12/4/2007

Tha Artivist Writes:
This past Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2007, we lost one of the trillest Southern Hip Hop Icons ever...Chad Butler a.k.a. Pimp C won't ever be forgotten...In my opinion the Underground Kingz or UGK is the link between 8 Ball & MJG and Outkast...They laid it down consistently every since the early 90s with hit after hit...Their music was made for the streets literally...Thumping and pumping from car stereos as if it was the living heart and soul of the southern hip hop movement...It is true ridah muzic!!! Don't let there group name fool you because their music and ambitions were as large, known and far reaching as the great state of Texas where these brothers from other mothers hailed from and proudly represented...Port Arthur to be exact also known as the birth place of Rock Iconoclast Janis Joplin...

Pimp C, whose father was a trumpeter for soul great Solomon Burke, was known for his beautiful trumpet like phrasing smothered with down home southern flavor and for his very real down to earth and sometimes eccentric persona...Even when he was saying off the wall stuff, you can tell that you were hearing one of the realest soldiers in the game...Like any true artist Pimp C had his ups and downs but he kept putting it down whether he was in a jail cell or in the studio...

To me Pimp C and Bun B were the Lewis and Clark of the rap game...They opened up the game and provided a gateway to the Southern Hip Hop culture for renowned East Coast artists like Jay Hova himself a.k.a. Jay Z..."Remember Big Pimpin'"??? They also helped to forge unity among their Southern Brethren as well...Remember the very successful club anthem and Three Six Mafia collabo "Sippin' On Syrup", numerous Master P collabos, Ludacris' classic banger "Stick 'Em Up", or the recently Grammy nominated classic "International Players' Anthem" with Outkast...They were true pioneers in the rap game and forged roadways that many are now traveling on...

No matter what anyone may say about their aesthetics or content, the Under Ground Kingz earned their crownz and wore them very well!!! May You Forever Trill In Peace Sir Pimp C...Long Live The Underground Kingz!!!

Check Out This Pimp C Atlanta Radio Interview Just Months Before His Death...Classic Pimp C At His Trillest:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2007/07/pimp-c-for-president.html

More Pimp C Sites:
http://www.pimpcmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/pimpcofugk
http://www.rapalotrecords.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimp_C

~~~~~~

Pimp C Nominated For Grammy Two Days After Death

Thu Dec 6, 8:27 PM ET

Two days after he died suddenly in a Los Angeles hotel room, Texas rapper Chad "Pimp C" Butler received a Grammy nomination on Thursday.

Butler and partner Bernard "Bun B" Freeman, who performed together as UGK (Underground Kingz), were nominated for their collaboration with hip-hop duo OutKast on the tune "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)."

The recording will compete in the rap performance by a duo or group category with tracks from Common featuring Kanye West, Fat Joe featuring Lil Wayne, Shop Boyz, and a partnership among West, Nas and KRS-One.

"While this nomination is bittersweet to say the least, I am thankful for the acknowledgment," Freeman said in a statement. "And as this was a lifelong dream for Chad, it warms my heart to know that he has finally gotten the recognition from the powers that be that his talent, passion and relentless drive for music so rightfully deserved."

Butler, 33, was found dead on his bed at the Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles on Tuesday. An official with the coroner's office said on Thursday an autopsy had been performed, but further tests are pending to determine cause of death.

UGK topped the U.S. pop album charts in August with "Underground Kingz," its first entry on the survey in five years. Butler spent much of that time in prison, serving nearly four years for aggravated assault. He was paroled in 2005.

He was not the only posthumous Grammy nominee. R&B singer Gerald Levert, who died of an accidental overdose of prescription medications last year, was cited for best traditional R&B vocal performance.

Guitarist Robert Lockwood, who died last year at 91, was nominated for best traditional blues album.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Steve Gorman)

Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited.

March To Take Back Our History - Memphis, Dec. 8, 2007

Mass Rally and March To Take Back Our History

Join Martin Luther King, III, Rev. Al Sharpton, and other special guests in the
March and Vigil to Save the National Civil Rights Museum.

What: March and Vigil to Save the National Civil Rights Museum
When: Saturday, December 8,2007
Time: March begins at 12:00 noon (Start to Assemble at 11:00 a.m.)

Where: March begins at Clayborn Temple (Corner of Hernando and Pontotoc,
Directly Across from FedEx Forum)
Vigil will be held in front of the National Civil Rights Museum
at 450 Mulberry Street, Memphis, Tennessee.

Bring: Friends, Relatives, Church Members, Neighbors, and
your Signs, Posters & Banners)

Guests: Martin Luther King, III
(son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)
Rev. Al Sharpton (National Action Network)
Charles Steele (National President SCLC)
Rev. C.T. Vivian
(Living Legend of the Civil Rights Movement)

For More Information: Contact DeKe Pope at 901-277-7748

Statement read by DeKe Pope for
Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Community Oversight Committee
November 27, 2007 press conference:

The battle for control of the National Civil Rights museum has now entered a crucial phase. The Bredesen Administration and Tennessee State officials will most likely decide in two weeks whether to sign a long-term forty year lease with the present Board that has allowed this historic site to deteriorate. We of the Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Community Oversight Committee started at the invitation of black Tennessee state legislators. We have been meeting and working now for several months on this issue.



During this time we have enlisted scores of community volunteers who have researched other national museums, reviewed what financial and other records the Museum Board has slowly made available, and we have set about to educate the community not to take for granted that this historic site of Dr. King’s death will always be ours.



Frankly, it almost slipped by our community that in February this year this Board was planning to buy the museum for a dollar after which a predominantly white, conservative and corporate controlled board would have had total control of this symbol of black struggle. When black legislators began raising questions about this impending state give-a-way, this Board quickly abandoned that plan. Instead they asked for a fifty year lease at no cost. More recently, in a grudging acknowledgment that the community is outraged by these finaglings with our history, the Board has now dropped its request from fifty to forty years of control.



It is bad enough that a conservative white businessman, Mr. J.R. Pitt Hyde, with no record of commitment to civil rights, has controlled this taxpayer-owned site for 16 years as chair of its Executive Committee. It is worse that blacks on the board have allowed themselves to be reduced to less than a majority in tightly controlled board elections where community representation is sparse and labor representation is completely absent. And worse still is that this is a board with no member who is generally known to have been active in social activism or civil rights advocacy in the sixteen years since the museum opened.



The Community Oversight Committee has already submitted its research data and proposals for change in the governance and structure of the museum to appropriate state officials and the legislative black caucus. Importantly the newly proposed board will be committed to also aggressively seeking city, county, state and federal operating support which has been missing up to now but is common in other cities civil rights facilities. The Community Oversight Committee proposals also provide that its new board will have a two thirds black majority, will organize specific ongoing programs to focus to help black and poor youth, and partner with other civil rights groups nationally to develop new civil rights strategies. This will be a new national and community board which will include corporate and government leaders but will be guided largely by individuals with current involvement in the ongoing struggle for black advancement.



There is no other place in the world as important to black America as this motel where another King of Kings was crucified. The future of who controls this motel and therefore black history will be decided in Nashville in two weeks. Those blacks in the Tennessee legislature who serve in office because of the sacrifices of Dr. Kings and other soldiers of our movement must now step forward and declare themselves on who they support to control this sacred site, us, or them? As black state officials on an issue so vital to the black world, surely their voice will be strong with the Governor and state officials who will decide the future of this treasure of our legacy.



But we cannot rest on faith alone. Those in the Memphis black community who have been saying quietly but encouragingly that we are right and they are with us must now come out into the light. You the citizens of this great community must now show that you are with us.



To that end we are planning a Mass Rally and March To Take Back Our History. The March will be planned to proceed from the Clayborn Temple to the Lorraine Motel on Saturday, December 8th at twelve noon. We have invited, and the following national leaders have accepted our invitation to lead this march and speak at the rally at the Lorraine Motel. Leading our march will be the son of the man this sacred site celebrates, Martin Luther King III. For too many years the King family has been rebuffed and this is an opportunity for solidarity. Alongside Martin the third will be Dr. Charles Steele, National President of the SCLC, the Atlanta based civil rights group Dr. King helped found, and led throughout his life. These two national leaders will be joined in Memphis by Rev. Al Sharpton, President of the National Action Network, Rev. C.T. Vivian, a historic figure in the Nashville Movement and in Dr. King’s Selma, Alabama campaign, and national black journalist George Currie. We expect other civil rights luminaries, veterans and current activists will also be coming.

*Listen To Judge D'Army Bailey Discuss The NCRM In Crisis On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2007/09/23/tha-artivist-presentswe-all-be-radio

More NCRM In Crisis Articles On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. :
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/search?q=national+civil+rights+museum