Lester's World
•
Do�TEVE�
-rH'tJ"
AeoUT \T'
•
ca h
bad ·disco
continent.
Columbu
lost, but h very cl bout
his intentions to arc! the indi
noUB peopl who welcomed him
and his rty to t
Columbus wrote in his diary:
·They ... brought us parrots and
balla of cotton and and
many thin , which they ex
changed for glass beads and
hawk' bells ... They were ell
built, with good bodie and
handsom tures ... They do
ot bear arms ... They would
.db fine rvants ... With fifty
men we could subjugate them all
• and make them do whatever
want ..
THERE WERE once more
than 30 million Native Ameri
cans in North America. There .
RIC ,
oth r peopl of color and all pee
pi of consci and goodwill
m follo t 1 of indi
no people in correcting t in
ju tice he p d �pon th
original eepers of this land.
We must join in the righteous
demand that all treati signed
with indigenous people be hon
ored and strictly enforced; that
the sovereignty of Native Ameri
cans be respected without quee
tion; and that their demands for
economic restoration within the
framework ofself-determmation
become a national priority.
Fin8ny, the shameful racist
practice of perpetuating the hu
miliation of Native Americans
through the u e of Native
American ima and symbols
as sports logos and mascots and
the prevalence' of racial stere0-
typing i.e. Chief Wahoo, the
tomahawk chop, the Red Skins,
Braves etc. must end. 'It is an
unmistakable sign of the sick
ness of American society that
these insults could persist and
be perceived as normal.
Five- hundred years of con
quest, of broken promises and
broken treaties, five-hundred
years of betrayal must end. Only
then can America become a
-- __ .- ---- holeeom -soeiety. Only then
will there be occasion for a real
Thanksgiving.
of·"hi
t on building
nation.
Ultim
peopl b rei off to
vatio , U.S. tyl ntusta,
here Amari frankly hoped
that th y would imply di off.
But th indigenou people
ha not di pite every ef
fort to liquidate them culturally,
pi ritually and physically, N a
tive Americans have urvived.
Not only have they urvived,
they are rising up to remind
America that this is their land
and that there will be no peace
in this land until America has
atoned for its crim against in
digenous people.
Rejecting the way of
life/death of the Europeans and
returning to the sanity and
safety of their traditional way of
life, indigenou people are
poised to challenge the insanity
and insecurity of a way of
life/death that has destroyed
count! millions of people and
whose ethic of greed and corrup-
t .
,/ I ...
Ron.Dan�l8 TVua8Presidento{tM
Institute for Commun.i� Organization
and Deuelopment. in Youngstown., Ohio.
He may be contaaed at (216) 746-5747.
We appreciate your
letters and comments.
Please send them to:
Michigan Citizen
12541 Second
Highland Park, MI
48203
..
I I'H ' ••
f ( ..... r' I •
J,' I
egina e y wi love
everybody all the way to, ba k
By James E. Alsbrook
Rodney, King reportedly tried
to get Cochran but an office as
sistant answered Kings tele
phone call and did not realize the
magnitude of Kings involve
ments. King evidently was told
that this lawyer was too busy to
handle his case immediately.
Be that as it may, Cochran
evidently is the central figure of
Denny's legal and financial
strategies .
Denny could make much
money on talk shows, on the lec
ture circuit and from various
publications. But Denny, a truck
driver, probably will be able to
retire comfortably with millions
in a legal settlement, when he
su Los Angeles for failure to
give him adequate police protec
tion. The world saw him beaten
near his truck and th world saw
his gestures of forgiveness.
People like him, his lawyer, of
course, will not starve. The
usual attorney' (I in similar
contingent cases is on -third of
the money.
RODNEY ASKED for peace
If your favorite preacher, with his words, "Can't we get
moralist or barber-shop philoso- along'?" Reginald asked for peace
pher has not made Reginald with his hugs.
Denny the subject of lively dis- White supremacists ranted at
cussion, he or she has missed a Denny's courtroom doings and
sure thing. ' cursed their luck. They obvi-
Remember that Denny was ously wanted to "get even" with
the white truck driver shown on Black men who dared to lay hos
video tape receiving blows to the tile hands on a white man.
head and body during the riot But why did Denny behave as
that followed the not guilty ver- he did? Maybe he is simply a
diet for police who beat Rodney forgivingp::rson who harbors no
King. vengeance. Maybe he was trying
Denny took the witness stand to calm the stormy �aters and.to
during the recent trial of break"the so-called cycle OfVlO-
. Damion Williams and Henry lence.
Watson and said he did not re- Already, rumors were afoot
member the beating and could that if Williams and Watson re
not identify Williams or Watson. ceived harsh sentences, white
When he finished testifying he police would be called into Black
went to the mothers of the two ghettoes and be ambushed by
men and embraced them in open Black gunmen.
courtbeforethejudge,jury,star- Denny was represented and
tIed courtroom crowd and mil- guided by Johnnie L. Cochran
lions who saw the pictures on Jr., an effective, well-known and
television. widely admired Black lawyer.
By failing to 'identify Ius al-
leged attackers and by embrac
ing their mothers, Denny took
much wind out of the sails of
those who wanted the jury to
"throw the book" at Williams
and Watson. He rewrote cript
for this courtroom drama that
attracted worldwide attention.
EXACTLY WHY DENNY
used lawyer Cochran remains
unexplained. But well-informed
Blacks in Los Angeles say he is
a top-flight operator who gets
things done and protects his cli
ents.
he is white and was beaten by
Black men. The "do-goodere,
moral philosophers, and relig
ious people like him because he
radiated a "Jesus" climate, oozed
a spirit of forgiven and wore
a "halo" of unconditional love.
These really worked!!
His family members will love
him because he will be able to
provide for them comfortably as
long as they live, and his laWyer
will love him because he care
fully followed legal advice, be
came a saint-like "martyr" and
will have loved everybody all the
way to the bank.
Rodney King will sue prob
ably after Denny sues and sets a
monetary precedent - a big dol
lar among to "repair" Denny's
"damages."
The big Iosers will be cities
with police that commit criminal
beatings like those of Rodney
King in Los Angeles and Malice
Green, whom police killed in De
troit.
Ku Klux-minded police cost
the nation international embar
rassment and taxpayers mil
lions of dollars. With more big
tax money involved, white folks
will help stop police brutality.
SO DENNY WILL have the
best of several worlds. Blacks
like him heca he did not in
criminate Watson and Williams
and avoided all mblanees of
racism. Whites lik him beca