A history of disenfranchisement of African Americans. African Americans have had a spotty history of coalescing to address the issues that confront the health safety and economic growth of this community. It\u2019s been a community that for years has been known for being inactive when it comes to addressing wrongs that have been committed against it. That changed a couple of years in 2012 when the current chief of police was called to the mayor\u2019s office and was initially terminated and the next day, actually he agreed to resign, and the next day he thought about it and demanded his job back.<\/p>\n
What had happened was the director of communications in the police department during the course of doing her normal job had uncovered a device that had been used on several police lines taped and recorded conversations. She heard what she alleged was racist, unethical and possibly criminal activity on those tapes in conversations between high ranking police officials. She then made five copies and took then to the chief of police, at that time, Derek \u2026Wilkins? Who was African American? He listened to some of the tapes then went to the mayor, told the mayor of the content. The mayor then demanded his resignation and accused him of \u2026\u2026<\/p>\n
The community then rallied around Chief Wilkins, initially they rallied around Chief Wilkins, then as it began raining down on what the community that what Mr. Peyton was saying was on air racist, unethical and possibly criminal activity, then myself and Elvis got involved. At the same time my telephone started ringing from law enforcement officers that were both black and white who were concerned that the information on the tapes would be hidden, would not come to light and also the injustice of Chief Wilkins who, he was popular in the sense that has was fair for all the officers, so those things initially rallied people. It was a rare coalescent point in the community and some members of law enforcement and at the same time it was energizing the community and this community has never been energized before. Initially to make a demand for the mayor to play the tapes we formed a citizen\u2019s organization. Initially it was called \u201cCitizens United for Better Government\u201d. We had a partnership with Raynbow Kush. Bishop Travis Grant was dispatched here by Reverend Jackson to assist us in the process of building community awareness that was a march against violence to address, at that time, a situation involving a young man by the name of that died at the police hands under mysterious circumstances. Ultimately, yes, the community woke up and realized that this was the time now to begin exposing the corruption that had oppressed the African American community in South Birmingham so many ways. This is a community that had suffered from not being cut into the pie for years, I mean, we would get the crumbs. Even those who were so called power brokers did not sit at the table they were, you know, they were around the table so that when the crumbs fell off they could probably get the job for themselves or their kids or something like that but really didn\u2019t have, we had no black power allegiance out there because the black power allegiance has been compromised. Any time someone broke us up the use to buy them off or do something that would embarrass or create an illegality or incarceration. So the black people here were intimidated but the situation with the tapes it was the straw that broke the camel\u2019s back. So the organization that we formed is for a lot of reasons didn\u2019t progress even though we realized that the issue we were addressing, the play the tapes, everybody wanted that; the leadership of the organization became fractured so what happened was we had formed another organization \u201cThe People United for Better Government\u201d which is chaired by Pastor Coke, Pastor Taylor is on the Board of Directors. I am not on the Board of Directors; I am a spokesperson for the organization. But the mission is still the same. To take over where CUG which had ignited the public interest and imagination to show that we can organize and March. We can run a national organization like Randall Kush. We can make a coherent demand that is supported by the community. We didn\u2019t want that to die Pastor Coke didn\u2019t want that to die so he said okay let\u2019s build this thing in a way that leadership is going to be solid. Let\u2019s continue to take this issue with the tapes but let also look at other issues that are impacting this community like violence from every aspect the issue of justice. You know African Americans, people of color even white folks have found out recently that they\u2019re not protected by the constitution.<\/p>\n
No one is in this for a profit.\u00a0 We are interested solely in addressing the concerns of this community. So that\u2019s what people \u2026\u2026..government.\u00a0 It\u2019s a non-relo organization that includes a lot of other organizations\u2026 Its broad based.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a civil rights organization. It\u2019s a human rights organization and I think that\u2019s where there is the difference. I think a lot of times folks you know white folks wants us to come in and talk about how they were called in working their jobs or something like that.\u00a0 This is a broader organization than that. We go to the underlying causes of correction in the community.\u00a0 So that\u2019s basically the long and short of what we do and why we are here.\u00a0 It\u2019s for we the people\u2026\u2026\u2026 endeavoring to develop and create a more perfect \u2026. That\u2019s what this is, representative government of the people, by the people and for the people and not for one small group of people \u2026there folks have been benefiting from this for a long time.\u00a0 Look, Croak University, University in Notre Dame.\u00a0\u00a0 Seven billion dollars in \u2026a very wealthy, prestigious, internationally known organization. You know they do great work, they do create work in our city. They really do.\u00a0 But you know, the people who they are kissed by, who they influence and send seats of governments don\u2019t represent many times, the interest of the least of these and so that gets our attention because it gets God\u2019s attention.\u00a0 He said when you have done it to the least of my brother you done to me.\u00a0 And when you fail to do it, that good thing which you could have done to the least of these you done it unto me.\u00a0 So that\u2019s our motivation. We love this city. We are not \u2026\u2026.. In the bare not city.\u00a0 I was born and raised here sixty-seven years. Love this city. Love it!\u00a0 But I love what it is called to be.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if I love what it does but I love what it\u2019s called to be.\u00a0 It\u2019s called to be a great city. \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026 A city of diversity, we are thirty percent African-American, fifteen to twenty percent \u2026Latino. So that\u2019s a good mixed.\u00a0 We are supposed to show the nation how we all could get along.\u00a0 We can get along.\u00a0 When the pie is sliced up so that everybody gets a bite, everybody gets some of it.<\/p>\n
And when righteousness is restored.<\/p>\n
Exactly right! So this issue of the tapes and subsequent issues, as you just pointed out if this represents a culture of corruption it\u2019s not just an isolated, single issue of corruption or the event was corrupt but it\u2019s a culture and it operates in the darkness.\u00a0 The enemy of our soul always likes to use the principal power of darkness.\u00a0 He loves to traffic in darkness. So, our job is to bring light, to expose it. Write that down, put that out there, show them, probably do a press conference, talk to the press, reveal that. There is nothing that should not be revealed.<\/p>\n
That is the word, that\u2019s our job.<\/p>\n
AMPS: I may have a quick question.\u00a0 When you were\u2026first talking pastor you talked about what the name used to be, Citizens United for a Better Goal.\u00a0 What was the reason you all changed that?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a big question.\u00a0 As many times what happens to good organizations, personality is involved unfortunately.\u00a0 And in this situation there was a personality who in his mind became larger than the organization.\u00a0 You know activists are a very religious kind of people.\u00a0 Activists tend to be very intelligent people because they realize something is wrong. You know some people just go around all there life hating and in pain, I have this pain.\u00a0 But activist will be like, what is this pain?\u00a0 Let me look into it. So the very intelligent, the very aware people and very freedom minded, because you know that\u2019s what activist is, just don\u2019t go around with how things are they question authority. You know the highest person in organization who became dictator.\u00a0 That\u2019s really what it was.\u00a0 At first it was kind of lacerable because it was so\u2026 You have forty folks who would represent the broader spectrum of the community for an articulate, viral, intelligent, perceptive people and you had somebody telling them I help put them on the board I can take them off board. To persons it\u2019s like a joke because you figure convincing somebody it would either begin or have somebody whisper in his ear.\u00a0 We tried hear the whispering and his calls became louder. To his mind we were trying to thwart his authority.\u00a0 It was clear that organization still exist as an organization that\u2026\u2026\u2026that is a reality.\u00a0 So that\u2019s what it was and there was no hard feeling. We reached out to that individual to ask him and no competing.\u00a0 We are not competing for position\u2026\u2026\u2026It\u2019s the cause. The cause is more important than any one of us individually.\u00a0 So that\u2019s why we are back at the table\u2026the cause still exist. People want to get involved they just do not have good history of activist consistently being involved in what goes on in our city. And that why each one of us has to take some responsibility for that. I see people still getting up. I think in our city people are starting to get saved. We want some of that. Great development is going on in our city.\u00a0 There really is a lot of positive stuff.\u00a0 A lot of positive things are going on in our city.\u00a0 The problem is it is not even handed so we look over here in certain areas of the city, certain neighborhoods, certain people, wow! They are flourishing.\u00a0 Then you go over there and it\u2019s not the same way.\u00a0 You come in office and you say isn\u2019t problem with homelessness, isn\u2019t problem impoverish palsy, baking house with no problem with anything. No gang problem. You take a turn and go to \u2026and it\u2019s right there. It\u2019s an \u2026 and they have city poverty they thought out and say ok let us reroute the traffic so that it doesn\u2019t even have to\u00a0 go through those neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
AMPS: Whenever they read this story how can someone get involved, start a chain or something? What do they need to do?<\/p>\n
We would love people to be affiliates like NWAPC \u2026..You know the membership would have to be vetted by this organization but what you can do is contact PUBG either through our P.O. Box or you can have them\u2026. Our P.O. Box is: People United for Better Government, P.O. Box 1334 South Bend, Indiana\u00a0 46624. They could call either myself 574-298-0110. They could call \u2026..Who is the chairperson, his number is 574-514-1279. So that would be either by direct phone call or written communication. Of course on our Facebook page. Welcome all the chapters it doesn\u2019t matter what state they are in if it\u2019s the state of Indiana or wherever. We think this is the idea that the time has come to make\u2026 Many people are facing the same struggle, in a lot of cities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A history of disenfranchisement of African Americans. African Americans have had a spotty history of coalescing to address the issues that confront the health safety and economic growth of this community. It\u2019s been a community that for years has been known for being inactive when it comes to addressing wrongs that have been committed against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-93","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-charity"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=93"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=93"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=93"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ampsmagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=93"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}