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A former lawyer for the Justice Department claims that charges of voter intimidation against two New Black Panther Party members were dropped because the rights of white voters are often ignored and only minorities are protected by our nation's civil rights laws.
Former Justice Department attorney J. Christian Adams (pictured above) says the case, in which two New Black Panther Party members stood outside a polling place on election day in 2008 and hurled racial epitaphs, such as "white devil," proves an unwillingness to apply the laws equally.
The AP writes:
On Election Day 2008, King Samir Shabazz and Jerry Jackson dressed in black uniforms of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, whose website recently made such statements as, "the white man has kept us deaf, dumb and blind, and used every `dirty trick' in the book to stand in the way of our freedom and independence." The men stationed themselves near the entrance to a polling place in a largely black neighborhood. Shabazz carried a nightstick. Their actions quickly came to the attention of police, who told Shabazz to leave but allowed Jackson, a certified poll watcher, to remain.
Shortly before President George W. Bush left office, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit against the two men, the New Black Panther Party and its leader, Malik Zulu Shabazz. The defendants never responded to the government's lawsuit, which had the same effect as a guilty plea. Before any penalties could be handed down - and after Obama appointed Eric Holder to run the Justice Department - charges were dropped against everyone but Samir Shabazz. The court prohibited him from displaying a weapon within 100 feet of any Philadelphia polling place through 2012.
The Justice Department has explained this decision by saying that Jackson was a certified poll watcher who did not carry any weapons, that the New Black Panther website denounced the actions in Philadelphia and that the group had no national plan to intimidate voters.
"To some, the civil rights laws are not meant to protect all Americans, they are meant to protect certain Americans," said Adams, who helped prosecute the Black Panther case. He is a conservative.
"There is a pervasive hostility within the civil rights division at the Justice Department toward these sorts of cases" where blacks are accused of discrimination," Adams added on Fox News.
First of all, the civil rights laws should apply to everyone. However, it's clear that minorities -- by an overwhelming margin-- are the most frequent victims of civil rights discrimination. It's like being a doctor and having one patient with cancer and another with a cold. I think most everyone agrees that patient with cancer should get more urgent attention than the patient with the cold.
That said, the Justice Department should pursue all viable civil rights cases. It just seems the department determined this wasn't a viable case. The same thing happened with the New York City shooting of Sean Bell, an unarmed black men. More than 50 shots were fired at Bell and his friends the day before his wedding. I didn't feel this outrage when the Justice Department declined to pursue civil rights charges regarding Bell's death.
The Bush administration was right to investigate what they saw as a possible civil rights violation; however, it's a little backwards that the Bush administration, which filed so few civil rights cases during its tenure, would ironically choose a reverse discrimination sort of case to pursue.
Under Attorney General Eric Holder, the Justice Department explained its decision to drop the charges. One of the men was a certified poll watcher who did not have weapons and new Black Panther Party officials denounced the actions of its members.
The Justice Department also determined that, unlike a lot of civil rights cases involving minorities, there was no national plan to intimidate voters. The cases that the Justice Department recently brought against mortgage lenders is a good example of a nationwide, far-reaching effort to violate individuals' civil rights.
Bringing attention to this one case to prove that the rights of Caucasians are not protected in this country is a bit of a stretch.
Of course, each situation should be judged on a case-by-case basis and the civil rights of all Americans should be protected.
Comments: (98)
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By: elizabeth on 7/06/2010 7:26AM
The first shall be last and the last first. My Bible tells me some shall be up while others may be down. So no one will stay at one given place and that is what is making them so angry if we'd been treated fairly all these laws wouldn't have had to be written. But now they want it turned into their favor, it shall not be.
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By: Marlene Franklin on 7/06/2010 8:46AM
Whites can dish it out, but they can't take it when payback comes their way. Get ready Esau/Cain, you are going to receive recompense for everything you have done!
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By: me on 7/06/2010 9:21AM
Payback? For what? I've done nothing to you. That kind of thinking keeps the BS rolling.
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By: Deborah on 7/06/2010 8:48AM
I'm Jewish and I'm over the Holocaust. That was then, this is now! I'm not going to dislike a german because of what happened 70 years ago... thats just dumb. So get over it, get off welfare, stop the inner city fatherless blacks epidemic and all the inner city gang BS and get friggin jobs and raise your familys correctly or your people will ALWAYS be... Down on the world whiney little nothings!!!!!
>>> If you are Jewish, you certainly do not respond like a Jewish who holds their past in honor and respect. You sound like a ignorant, racist Jewish person to boot! The Jewish people that I know, inform me that they will never forget the Holocaust EVER and they will never forget what happened to their relatives at Aushwitz or Dachau! They do not blame all German people, however, they will never allow the atrocities done to them,that Hitler perpetuated against them. NEVER! How could you get up on your damn soapbox and sprout your evil racist notions is beyond me! If you were not racist, you would not be here spewing stereotypical, racist perceptions about ALL black people such as welfare, or living in the inner city. All black people do not reside in the inner city, and the welfare statistics show that more white women are on welfare, but because you are so racist, your small mind cannot allow you to believe that statistic, only the stereotype.
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By: Marlene Franklin on 7/06/2010 10:26AM
To the jew ish woman who said she forgot about the Holocaust is a lie! Your elders will never let you or the rest of the world ever forget! When my people own 90% of the world'wealth, in power over all nations, dominate every field on the planet, have our nationality, God, culture and land offically returned back to us, then we will forget about rape, robbery, murder, brainwashing, self-hate, slavery, discrimination and oppression. But until then, WE WILL NEVER FORGET!
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By: Kenneth B. Tadlock on 7/06/2010 4:24PM
Ken:
I have been reading Black Voices for soe years now and I still read the same old BS, from uninformed black and predjudice whites. We are presently fighting a war in two countries to make these people "free", yet here at home we hate each other.
Electing a Black president did not change anything for the African-American as a group. All any white person have to do is look around him, and he or she would see African Americans, going about their business doing what they have always done suporting their families and trying to make it in a system and country that wishes that they were not living here.
African Americans, have a million reasons to hate whites, yet we continue to reach out a hand of friendship to people that we know hate us. No one has ever given anything to African Americans, that African American did not have to die to get.
When was there a law to kill a white person for being educated, meet in groups larger then three, marry who you loved, live where you wanted, find a employment that paid you wages that you could support your faily on? To all whites I will answer my own question, "Never".
If you do not like African Americans, say that you don't and stop making up stupid reasons for your hate. When you do, we will know you and not wish to interact with you. It is as plain as that.
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By: george on 7/06/2010 10:16AM
This Moron is a Trouble Maker, and wants some spotlight he should be force to Testify Somewhere where he can Perjure himself , and sent away for a while. There is enough trouble without this Fool starting More.
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By: Denise on 7/06/2010 10:24AM
Why is it that Fox news only host news today that is always negative or racial? They help keep people divided and unequal. It’s like they are the KKK. Today’s children can’t watch them. They have nothing good to say. It’s sad for adults to be so negative everyday of their lives. It’s no wonder Palin is one of the host. This guy is just adding more trouble to the only news fox knows about.
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By: chichi on 7/06/2010 11:25AM
Oh white people are complaining about what exactly???????????
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By: David on 7/06/2010 11:32AM
It just amazes me about the ignorance shown by so many so-called Americans who can't see through Obama and what he and his anti-American administration are doing to this country, including this D.C. Chicago transplant's corrupt administrators in the U.S. Injustice Department. You have a group of intimidating uniformed Black Panthers in front of a polling place and this was unlawfully allowed by Obama's Injustice Department. Give me an absolute break. Anyone defending this decision is, in my opinion, UnAmerican.
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