Angola 3’s Woodfox to Remain in Prison

Posted: 28 Dec 2008 12:01 AM CST

By BILL LODGE
* Advocate staff writer

Albert Woodfox has spent more than half his 61 years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. And Woodfox will remain there until at least March while a federal appellate panel decides whether he should be released pending a third trial for his alleged murder of a security officer.

The panel will hear oral arguments in the case in March.

The decision was announced today by a three-member panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

U.S. District Judge James J. Brady of Baton Rouge overturned Woodfox’ conviction and ruled last month that he should be released from prison until the next trial for the 1972 fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Officer Brent Miller.

But Louisiana Attorney General James D. ‘Buddy’ Caldwell appealed to the 5th Circuit, arguing that Woodfox poses a potential threat to society because he was serving a 50-year sentence for armed robbery at the time of Miller?s death and has never been prosecuted on at least 10 armed robbery and aggravated rape charges pending since the 1960s in Orleans Parish.

Does Color Fucking Matter?

Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:55 AM CST

By Marlena Gangi

Ever see color? Color in regard to one’s skin?

I ask because throughout my lifetime, I have heard many, many times from folks who I am in regular contact with that they do not see color. Their opinion is that we all live in the same world, and if everyone would just “not see color,” then gosh darnit, this ding dang world would be a grand ol’ place to be. Because, they say, color does not matter.

Something else that I have been witness to is the insistence from folks that because their European ancestors some thousand years ago were considered the “niggers of Europe,” they share my racist history of colonization. With this, I have had a number of cohorts say in all seriousness and without a hint of reality, “I understand your struggle, Sister! I understand because I share your oppression.”

Did I mention that the only people who have said these things to me are white skinned and therefore privy to all of the privilege entitled and contained thereof?

“When those who serve defer to the authority of the experience of the oppressed, social change is possible.”

I have taken this quote from fellow journalist Bonnie Tinker. While her statement speaks specifically to the experience of battered women and the need to create and support a movement that includes the leadership of victims and survivors of domestic violence, I am significantly moved by her statement. I am moved because this statement contains in its few words the message that all too often falls deaf on the ears of the white radical and Progressive Left.

A months ago I spoke at a pre-May Day event in Portland. Aimed at promoting community building, communication and solidarity within the Portland radical community, the gathering was overwhelmingly white, young, and included groups active in protecting the environment, supporting prisoners, publishers of alternative media, as well as organizations whose activism focused on anti-fascist and anti-racist struggles.

As usual, I was one of maybe two other people of color to attend the gathering of about 100. I touched on this when it became my time to speak. I began by thanking the other attendees for their work and then asked why it was that, when attending events organized by the radical Left, I always find myself asking, “Why am I the only person of color here?“

I then addressed one of the anti-racist organizations in attendance. “The folks whose oppression that you work to eradicate — why aren’t they here? Do they know about your work and that you would be here tonight?”

I was met with blanks stares.

I continued to talk about the need for interracial and intercultural dialog within the radical left, or more specifically the white radical left. I also said that in order to make real change possible, it is imperative that this dialog occurs as a first step in forming coalitions with radical people of color.

I have many, many times been asked by white social justice activists to explain how to best organize in Black/Latino/Asian/indigenous communities of color. My answer to this is, if you even have to ask this question, you’ve got no business in even attempting to organize in communities of color.

I remember attending a gathering about 15 years ago that had been called by Indigenous elders who were fighting to preserve sacred sites on Indian land. A young blond haired, blue eyed dread locked man asked one of the elders how he could best assist in the sacred site struggle. The elder answered, “Well, if you find that you absolutely have to be part of our struggle, I guess I would advise that you just show up, keep your mouth shut and listen.”

What I would add to this is, that as much as we all would like to believe that we all live in the same world, the fact of the matter is that we do not. As a colonized Chicana, I awaken every day and wonder in what form I will have to experience racism. Will it come in the form of cultural assumption? Will it arrive in the form of unfounded suspicion based on racist stereotypes? Or, will it be a blatant and direct attack based solely on the color of my skin? We do not all live in the same world. Unless you are, because of your skin color, the target of the 500-year-old undemocratic white supremacist oppression enacted by the 500-year-old dominant social structure, you DO NOT share my oppression. If you have white skin, you are privileged. And, please make no mistake, please understand; I do see color.

And, it fucking matters.

Via Mostly Water

Bicycles, Critical Mass and White Pivilege

Posted: 27 Dec 2008 02:50 AM CST

An excerpt from the Debunking White post:

On the issue of Critical Mass, PoC are more often targeted by police for participating in critical mass, as they are in all other areas of life. I do think the goal of Critical Mass, to make bikes more visible and to encourage people to get rid of their cars, does have a positive effect on communities of color, because of the necessity of bicycles for members of those communities, but also because of issues of environmental justice. This does not negate the fact that it is White Privilege that allows white people to take part in critical mass and break traffic laws en masse without significant repercussions.

Another example of white privilege in the cycling community is the response to the scraper bike video. It was pretty much viewed as a novelty or joke by the (majority white) cycling community, despite the fact that the group is heavily involved in the local community, advocating for green jobs and working against violence, and has taken part in Oakland critical mass. Despite that it was seen as a sort of internet one hit wonder. It certainly isn’t, it’s a deep community based movement that is local culture and a part of the cycling community.

Another major aspect of white privilege in bike culture is the majority white employment in bicycle industry jobs. I work in the warehouse at a fairly big bicycle and parts distribution company. The vast majority of the warehouse workers are not white, given the standards of the rest of the country where most of the white employees are from, whereas most of the non-warehouse employees are white. In my experience with bike shops there is a similar dynamic, the majority of employees are white. Most of the white people who work there are involved in the cycling community in one way or another, most of the PoC are not, even those who express interest. But, worse still is the fact that the white people who work in the warehouse, myself included, are seen as on a track to start working in the office area. I’ll admit that I would like to work in the office, I started working there with the hope that I’d move out of the warehouse. I’m not sure how to address the issues here, but I’m planning on bringing them up with one of the owners who I’m on good terms with.

Overall I think that the (white) cycling community is generally progressive and I hope they will be open to including more PoC, on their(PoC) own terms if approached in the right way.