On Saturday, October 28, 2023, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan delivered a statement on the lawsuit filed against the Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
We invite you to watch and share the replay with family, friends and loved ones.
Source: FinalCall.com
CHICAGO—The brutal killing of 81-year-old Thana Muhammad in her home of 40 years drew anger, shock and calls for community involvement and healing to help solve the heinous murder.
A $5,000 cash reward has been offered and her daughter said a dialogue is necessary so “we can feel safe” and “not be deprived of our family.” Her daughter, longtime activist Ashanti Chimurenga, said, “My mother had a right to be safe.”
Camille Dunham (left) and her mother, Ashanti Chimurenga, are asking for help to get justice for great-grandmother Thana Muhammad.
|
If you know something you have a moral obligation to come forward, she added.
Ms. Chimurenga, flanked and surrounded by the Nation of Islam’s Fruit of Islam from Mosque Maryam, vowed to walk the streets of the city to seek justice for her mother. Police said there was plenty of blood in the basement and someone cleaned it up, said family members. The dismembered body was found in two bins.
Despite the personal pain, the problem is not just my mother’s death, said Ms. Chimaranga. My mother was found in garbage bins but Black youths leave us in boxes, she said. The family stressed their love and commitment to the Black community and unwillingness to simply be victims.
“You don’t have to be necessarily involved in what happened to know something,” said Camille Durham, who cited the family history of activism and involvement in the Black community. She does criminal defense work for indigent defendants, her mother has taught inmates and children and advocated for death row inmates, her uncle was the late Chicago alderman Michael Chandler and another family member served on the police force.
Great grandchildren of Thana Muhammad hold banner calling for justice.
|
“We love our community,” said Ms. Durham. My grandmother was a Muslim and died during Ramadan, she added. “I know she hollered out for Allah and I know he reached his hand out to her, I’m ok with that,” she said. But, she added, it’s not okay for someone to die in a home of 40 years.
“We should be very afraid,” said Ms. Durham. “People are losing their humanity and we have to get it back.”
Thana Muhammad came to Chicago from Arkansas with her parents, who were homeowners and business owners and started a legacy of service, said her granddaughter.
Born Mattie Jean Chandler, she was a devout Muslim since the 1970s, joining the Nation of Islam under the Hon. Elijah Muhammad, said Ms. Durham. Her grandmother spent over 40 years in the health profession as a radiologist, owned a restaurant during the 1970s and was a building rehabber, said Ms. Durham. “She (Ms. Muhammad) gave property to people sometimes who she knew wouldn’t pay. But she had a soft spot for people in the community,” said the granddaughter.
Family stressed their determination that the beautiful life and legacy of Thana Muhammad would not be murder victim. They described her as active, strong, charitable, loving and living life on her own terms, with ties on the South Side and the West Side of Chicago. “Those that nobody else would help, she was right there,” said her niece. “She was so much bigger than the tragedy that took her life.”
Members of the Fruit of Islam came out to show support for and to assist the Great grandchildren of Thana Muhammad hold banner calling for justice. Chandler-Muhammad family after the death of their loved one.
|
Ms. Muhammad was robbed two and a half weeks after returning to the home. Whoever committed this murder is a “monster,” who needs help, said her granddaughter. “You should be very afraid,” said Ms. Durham.
Something small could be important, just share the information, said family members.
The elderly woman’s remains were found after a real estate agent was unable to reach Ms. Muhammad, came to the house, noticed a foul odor and called police.
A police spokesman said much effort was put into this “horrific act.” Authorities believe Ms. Muhammad was killed in her home.
The death occurred on the Far South Side of the city, near 100th and Forest Avenue in the city’s Rosemoor neighborhood. There is an email address, JusticeForThana@gmail.com, and a Justice For Thana Facebook page where information can be shared. Family members can be reached at 224-678-5001. Voicemail messages should be left if the phone is not answered. If leery of talking to police, call the family, said Ms. Muhammad’s loved ones.
Ms. Muhammad’s silver 2012 four-door Honda Accord and her purse were stolen. The vehicle’s license plate No. is R881876. It was found on Chicago’s West Side in the Lawndale neighborhood. “Help us, help yourself, help the city,” her granddaughter pleaded.
Anyone with information is urged to call Area South Detectives at 312-747-8271.
Charlene Muhammad | FinalCall.com
Strategic boycotts for justice hit third year
Americans are on target to spend almost $700 billion on Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays to the first of next year, but activists, entrepreneurs and organizers have escalated boycotts to curb holiday spending in their fight for justice and battle against racism and police brutality.
Demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Chicago Nov. 24 to boycott Black Friday and to call attention to injustice and inequity. Photo: Haroon Rajaee
|
Across the country, there have been “buycotts,” petition drives, and protests outside shopping malls, such as the Magnificent Mile, where some 300 demonstrators blocked entrances to stores in Chicago’s upscale shopping district on Michigan Avenue after Thanksgiving.
The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression called the Black Friday Boycott for Nov. 24 to underscore determination to get justice for 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who was killed by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke on Oct. 20, 2014.
“The first two shots put him on the ground. This child was laying on the ground, helpless, and he shot him 14 more times,” said Frank Chapman, field coordinator of the Alliance. “In fact, his clip ran out and he was getting ready to put another clip in the gun, when fellow officers stopped him.”
“They don’t issue a report telling us about what profit losses we cause, but we know we caused some because we passed out several thousand flyers, and there were people who would have been shopping in those stores that walked right on by them,” Mr. Chapman told The Final Call.
There was mass media coverage of the protest, a mass police presence, and two police snipers situated on nearby roofs, he said.
“They don’t care about us demonstrating in our own neighborhood, but when we come down there, in the central business district of this city, and start raising hell, they care about that. They don’t want us down there … We’re going to continue to go down there until we see some justice,” Mr. Chapman told The Final Call.
A multi-generational, multi-racial crowd participated in demonstrations in downtown Chicago calling for police accountability during Black Friday.
|
Their next move is to go after the banks, namely Chase Bank and Bank of America, for their roles in bilking Blacks out of wealth during the mortgage scheme of 2007-2008.
The plan is to ask everyone, but particularly Blacks, to shift money from those two banks and Wells Fargo, into Black-owned community-based credit unions, such as the Trinity United Church of Christ Federal Credit Union.
“They literally robbed the African American community of billions of dollars in real estate and we’re still walking up in there making deposits, and that needs to stop! The reason why we’re stopping it is because no justice, no profits! We can’t get justice for LaQuan McDonald. We can’t get justice for the over 100 torture victims that are now languishing in jails in the state of Illinois … then we will not contribute to your profits. We’re gonna spread the pain.”
His sentiments reflect the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s call for the “Up With Jesus! Down With Santa!” national economic boycott of commercial spending.
Stop shopping until the end of this holiday season, Jan. 2, 2018, or shop with Black-owned businesses, not those who could care less for Blacks, and make mockery of their real love for Jesus during “Christmas,” instructed Min. Farrakhan during organizing for the Justice or Else! gathering that marked the 20th anniversary of the historic Million Man March on Oct. 10, 2015 in Washington, D.C.
He gave the command, “Up with Jesus! Down with Santa!” following the beautiful instructions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Christmas is a pagan holiday that the enemy invented; it came out of the Babylonian era,” the Minister said. Sun worshipers that were heathens would go in the forest and cut down a tree, deck it with silver and gold, and fasten it with nails on the floor, Min. Farrakhan said. The practice is condemned in the Bible, Jeremiah 10:1-5.
When the pagans became Christians, they didn’t give up pagan practices. Those practices were simply incorporated in their new Christian religion.
“Did you know that when you put your lights on, put it all over your house, put a candle in the window, and a wreath, that’s because the people worshiped the Sun?” Min. Farrakhan observed.
On Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year, sun worshippers thought their god was leaving them, so they burned a yule log, lit candles, and cut a tree out of the forest to entreat their god back to them. When Constantine decided to become a Christian, instead of a pagan, he substituted the worship of the sun for worship of the son of God, said Min. Farrakhan.
Source: FinalCall.com
Philadelphia Eagles players, owner Jeffrey Lurie, center right, Eagles’ President Don Smolenski, second from left, and a Philadelphia police officer, third from left, stand for the national anthem before an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sept. 24, in Philadelphia. Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins raises his fist next to Lurie. Photos: AP/Wide World photos
(L) New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandon Coleman kneels in protest during the National Anthem. (R) Buffalo Bills players take a knee during the National Anthem in protest.
Protecting rights or profits? NFL owners on bended knee
Generally speaking, sports are seen as apolitical. Certainly, professional athletes and team owners have their own individual views and embrace political ideologies that don’t always align, but both parties can usually find a common goal in their desire to compete and win for their organizations, cities and fans.
Since being elected president, it’s become almost a weekly occurrence that Donald Trump says something that is attention grabbing that gets people talking. Mr. Trump has a knack—and a penchant—for getting under people’s skin with his abrasive rhetoric that has driven the wedge in the relationship between Black and White people in America, even deeper.
Since taking a knee during the National Anthem more than a year ago, Colin Kaepernick has consistently been on the radar of Donald Trump, and even more so now that athletes in the NFL, and in other sports leagues, have begun taking a knee in support of the movement started by Mr. Kaepernick.
At a September reelection rally for Alabama Senator Luther Strange, Mr. Trump took another shot at Mr. Kaepernick, and others, in front of an all-White audience that seemed to hang on his every word.
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son-of-a-bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired!’ ” Mr. Trump said to rousing applause. “You know, some owner is going to do that. He’s gonna say, ‘That guy disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it. They don’t know it. They’re friends of mine, many of them. They don’t know it. They’ll be the most popular person, for a week. They’ll be the most popular person in the country.”
Buffalo Bills fullback Mike Tolbert leaves the field after working out prior to an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sept. 24, in Orchard Park, N.Y.
The very next day, in a series of tweets, Mr. Trump attacked Stephen Curry, star of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors basketball team. It is customary, after a team wins a championship, to visit the White House and deliver a personalized jersey to the sitting president. However, Mr. Curry has publicly stated on several occasions that because he does not agree with the politics of Donald Trump, causing the president to rescind the invitation via Twitter—the very same day that as a team, the Warriors were planning to discuss whether or not they wanted to make the trip.
Both incidents created an uproar within the sports world—as well as the White House recently calling for the firing of Black female ESPN sports personality Jemele Hill for tweets calling Mr. Trump a White supremacist.
But the president’s Alabama tirade seemed to ignite special, widespread criticism, a call for solidarity with players under the hashtag #TakeTheKnee. Despite outward shows of togetherness, the question must be asked: What are we showing solidarity for? NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in a statement regarding Mr. Trump’s comments, called them “divisive.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers, coached by Mike Tomlin, a Black man, stayed in the locker room while the National Anthem was being sung prior to their game against the Chicago Bears. Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, locked arms with his players on the sidelines on Sunday as a show of support. The irony here was 28 of the NFL’s 32 owners, all donated money to the Trump campaign, including Mr. Snyder who gave $1 million initially, and another $100,000 after Mr. Trump won.
DeMaurice Smith, the Black executive director of the NFL Players Union, said, “This union will never back down when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights of our players as citizens, as well as their safety as men who compete in a game that exposes them to great risks.”
Source: FinalCall.com
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.—Attorneys in the case of a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of the widow of Nation of Islam Student Minister Robert Dion Muhammad were back in court recently presenting additional motions in front of the judge who will ultimately decide if there is enough information to proceed to a jury trial. (See Final Call Vol. 36, No. 48).
One critical decision made during the mid-September hearing by Judge J. John Rossi was the scheduling of an upcoming November court date when both sides will present their final arguments. However, Judge Rossi made it clear that he would not promise a ruling on that day.
The Sept. 14 hearing was less intense compared to three weeks earlier when Judge Rossi at the Kent County Circuit Court ruled on several critical motions over an arduous and sometimes tense two-day period.
“The rulings (today) kind of dealt with how we would proceed forward. The three motions that we filed, one of them was a Motion to Reconsider the Motion to Amend. That’s a very substantive motion which there will be a written order for that. Today was a procedural type day that did not require a lot of fireworks,” said Atty. Berve Power Muhammad who along with Atty. Sadiyah Evangelista Karriem represent Yreva Muhammad, wife of Robert Muhammad.
Left to right, Yreva Muhammad, Atty. Sadiyah Evangelista Karriem, Atty. Berve Power Muhammad and Atty. Arif Muhammad at an August hearing in the wrongful death lawsuit involving Robert Dion Muhammad. Photos: Starla Muhammad
|
The body of what would have been the 40th birthday of the husband and father of eight was pulled from Muskegon Lake in Grand Rapids on Sept. 6, 2014 after he went on an outing with co-workers. Mrs. Muhammad, her legal team as well as several members of Robert Muhammad’s family and supporters, do not think his death was an accident as authorities have claimed, but that several of his co-workers had something to do with what happened that fateful day leading to his death. There are at least six different law firms representing eight co-workers named in the lawsuit.
Mrs. Muhammad’s legal team filed three motions requesting that Judge Rossi reconsider his late August rulings that went against the plaintiff on three key issues, one of which was to amend their original complaint filed because of new and critical information that could lead to clues and more information about what really happened to Robert Muhammad. The judge previously denied several plaintiff’s motions including the inclusion of testimony by an aquatics expert. The motions to reconsider provide an opportunity for the judge to review the requests again.
Judge Rossi said he would make his rulings on the plaintiff’s motions known in writing and would not hear oral arguments from attorneys on either side. It is up to the judge’s discretion on when he will make a decision on the motions to reconsider, explained Atty. Power Muhammad.
Kent County Courthouse in Grand Rapids.
|
Judge Rossi also scheduled upcoming dates for the defense attorneys for parties in the lawsuit to file their summary disposition for their arguments, for Mrs. Muhammad’s attorneys to respond and for the defense to then reply to those responses.
“The one thing that I am very pleased about is that we have a firm schedule for our response and we can plan in advance for the hearing on the 7th because other than having a preset schedule, it would be whenever the defense counsel would decide that they wanted to have it set for hearing and you have to conform and that’s why our Motion for 28 Days to Respond,” explained Atty. Power Muhammad.
“The hearing could have been set 10 days after they filed the motion. … I could have motioned for more time but the point is this give us an opportunity to structure our time to officially respond to what will be filed.”
Defense attorneys have argued the lawsuit is frivolous and that the death of Robert Muhammad, who served as Study Group Coordinator for the Nation of Islam in Grand Rapids, was a tragic accident. Three additional minor motions defense attorneys were set to present on Sept. 14, were resolved with Mrs. Muhammad’s attorneys prior to the hearing.
Today was just another step in the process, said Atty. Evangelista Karriem. “We believe that we will continue to be the victors in this. It’s just a process of a civil wrongful death suit,” she said.
“We continue to press forward. This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. We have to wait on Allah for justice and be patient in the process.”
I have to structure this review of the newly released film Detroit around the words and Divine Guidance given to us by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan published nearly five years ago when the movie Django Unchained released. In his interview with Dr. Boyce Watkins, Minister Farrakhan gave his detailed review and prophetic perspective about what he concerned himself with when watching this film. This was the filter by which I watched Detroit as well as other films that followed his interview.
In response to Dr. Boyce Watkins’ question about Minister Farrakhan’s take on the film Django Unchained, he responded stating, “I always try, Dr. Watkins, to ascertain ‘What is the motive of the writer? What is the motive of the producer?’ Not ‘What is the motive of the actor’, because actors as their job if they like the script, try to play the part. Every actor in that film, in my humble judgment, played their part. Now, looking at motives is what concerns me.”
Before setting out to see the movie Detroit, I re-familiarized myself with what took place during the Summer of 1967, not only in Detroit but in other cities experiencing unrest. I was particularly partial to the account detailed in The Final Call Newspaper, published by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, because of its unshakable track record of delivering uncompromised truth, especially when it comes to telling our story. The account expressed in the Final Call Newspaper was inclusive of quotes from those who were present during the uprisings of 1967 and details regarding the onset of the unrest. After my research, I bought my ticket and took my seat in the theater to see how this story would be told by Hollywood.
The beginning of the film is captioned with diluted language to describe the Black experience of injustice in a “bean shell” leading to 1967 uprising. Shortly after, it pans out to a party that is mentioned in various articles at an after-hours nightclub. Police raid this club and evacuate everyone inside through the front door to create a scene in front of the community. It is alluded that there wasn’t a liquor license to serve alcohol, therefore, just about everyone present was arrested and loaded into police cars. There were verbal protests of the arrests from bystanders, and then the police vehicles departed with many of the party-goers inside.
Then, all of a sudden it shows the bystanders loot and set fire to stores. Then, all of a sudden it became a war-zone. No exaggeration. It was quite obvious that major pieces of the story were missing. It depicted Black people as senseless and destructive for “no reason”. This was how the tone was set within the first 20 minutes. The remaining two hours got worse.
It flashed to scenes with police officers driving around harassing and beating those who lived in the community, some for just walking around in their own neighborhood. One of the first disturbing scenes was seeing the National Guard arrive with tanks. There was a little Black girl looking through the blinds of her window, when suddenly one of the guards yelled, “Sniper!” and several of them fired unceasingly into that window, where that little girl stood.
There were no real narratives, only randomly placed footage that seemed to be from that time repeating how out of control things were. It was made to appear as though the riots happened out of nowhere. Again, although some aspects were captioned in the very beginning, if you blinked you missed the fine printed “history lesson” of what sparked the rioting. Movie goers would have been lost if they failed to do research ahead of time. More visual and cinematic emphasis was placed elsewhere. What is the motive?
Things escalated from there when a White cop sees a Black man coming out of a grocery store with food. When he saw the police he began running. The cop shoots the brother in the back, severely wounding him. His partner checked him saying that they don’t shoot people who are looting. The cop replied that it was his way of sending a message to the others. Wow…doesn’t that sound familiar?
When the White cop returns to the police station a detective investigating the shooting questions him about it. The cop lies saying he knew nothing about a shooting. When caught in the lie, after it being revealed the Black man he shot later died, the detective recommended murder charges and for that cop to not return on patrol. That cop leaves and returns to the street against those instructions.
After shots were heard coming from the direction of the Algiers Motel, the troops storm the establishment, and for the next hour and a half movie viewers watched in horror the vivid torture, antagonistic, blood thirsty beasts in blue uniforms, with that particular cop as the ringleader, beat and murder the young Black men.
We watched, for what felt like hours, how the story-line was lost. At what point were the Civil Rights and Black Power activists going to be mentioned? If this was about the 1967 uprising of Detroit, where was the coverage of the outcries for justice that spilled into the streets? The scenes that were sprinkled here and there of rallies appeared more like afterthoughts. None of WHY the uprising began was focused on. For those like myself who watched the trailer, we wondered at what point was the Black security officer going to be brought in to tell what really happened on behalf of those who were murdered at the hands of the police?
For what felt like eternity, we watched dehumanizing acts against those young Black men. It was as if we were fooled into believing this was a movie discussing the historic accounts of unrest brought on by the unpopular military draft that targeted the poor and Black youth, the lack of adequate education, voting rights, etc. It was a reel of endless brutality against Black lives without a pause.
The street soldiers in Kings Row Apartments told us if we do anything for the children, they will back us up. We told them we would, and we’re striving to make our word bond this Saturday (July 22nd) with the “Make Our Community A Decent Place To Live” Day! Free food, empowering information booths, moonwalks, giveaways, music and more for our people! If you live in the area, come through at 4141 Barberry, Houston, Texas 77051 from 3-6:30PM.
Can’t you see that the God of justice is whipping the hell out of America with the storms, with floods, with hell, with hurricanes, with tornadoes; can’t you see that things are happening? The clouds of war are gathering. Trump is the right man in the right place in the White House for White people at the time of the end of their power to rule over us. He’s going to bring it on. – The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
via FinalCall.com
There are significant questions for the Milwaukee County Jail and its Sherriff’s Department about the death of Terrill Thomas, 38, an inmate found in his cell a year ago. The cause of death was “profound dehydration” after being deprived of water for seven straight days, the medical examiner said. Family and an outraged public agree that someone should be held legally accountable for the death of Mr. Thomas.
An inquest convened by the city’s prosecutor believes someone should be punished too. The jurors came back May 1 with a recommendation that some county jail workers face charges.
The jury has recommended criminal charges against seven Milwaukee County jail staffers. The jury’s recommendation followed a six-day inquest that included testimony from jail staff and evidence from county prosecutors. The jury found probable cause to believe the staffers committed the crime of abuse of a resident of a penal facility in the death of Mr. Thomas.
They recommended charges against two jail supervisors and five correctional officers.
It’s up to prosecutors whether to file charges.
The inquest highlighted errors surrounding Mr. Thomas’ death, including the failure to log that his water had been turned off.
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke oversees the jail, but the inquest did not target him.
A guard intentionally turned off the water in an isolation cell because Mr. Thomas had flooded a previous cell, according to officials. A jail supervisor insists she only ordered that water to the toilet in the cell be turned off to prevent any flooding.
The jurors recommended charges against two jail supervisors, Nancy Evans and Kashka Meadors, and five officers: James Ramsey-Guy, JorDon Johnson, Thomas Laine, Dominique Smith and John Weber.
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said he had no timeline to decide, and that he could charge more people—or fewer.
The jury returned its recommendation just a few hours after morning testimony that the sheriff’s office continued using water deprivation as a form of punishment even after Mr. Thomas’ death. Prosecutors presented jurors with jail logs documenting two cases in which disobeying inmates had water to their cells turned off—both within a month of Mr. Thomas dying. One of the cases happened a week after Mr. Thomas’ death and in both subsequent instances it wasn’t clear when it was turned back on.
“This isn’t the first time this happened. This is a pattern,” Assistant District Attorney Kurt Bentley said.
Mr. Chisholm said he thought jurors were swayed by evidence that showed jail policies weren’t followed and that Mr. Thomas had been left in poor conditions.
“I think it’s just the clear lack of oversight over this entire process that really troubled them more than anything else,” he said.
Mr. Chisholm said he conducted an inquest because what happened was a “major system failure” and he wanted the public to have some input in his decision.
It’s happening in DC, NYC, Atlanta and Philadelphia. It’s an epidemic that needs to be fixed immediately.
Thankfully, 16-year-old Kennedi High from Baltimore has since been found according to Baltimore City police department. However, this doesn’t change the fact that unless you follow local police department’s Twitter account, watch local news or are related to these missing teens, you know absolutely nothing about it. This is an epidemic that is happening nationwide.
Last week, reports came out that an Atlanta man turned his mansion into a prison, where he kidnapped eight women between the ages of 18 to 22 and made them sex slaves. In Philadelphia, the now 17-year-old girl is suing a motel that knew she was being held against her will to have sex with over a thousand men in a two-year stretch when she was just 14-years-old. And last July, it was reported that 14 young girls were missing in the Bronx, raising concern for local officials that began to fear that a sex trafficking ring was targeting the community’s young women.
Read more at Blavity.com