How Much Money Did Uptown Funk Make

Commentary

COMMENTARY: Justice for Jussie Smollett? What About the Rest of Us?

Smollett stuck to his own story and had a few character witnesses. But the jury determined the truth. Jussie Smollett lied to us all. The attack was the charade, not the trial. The attack was done as a play for our sympathy. If you weren't a fan of Smollett on "Empire," maybe you checked it out. That appears to have been the goal. Smollett became an overnight sensation and people saw him as a traumatized survivor.

Published

2 days ago

December 22, 2021

From here on, Jussie Smollet has spoiled that trust for all people of color who speak the truth about race crimes. The hill we climb for justice is steeper than ever. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Sister Circle Live)

By Emil Guillermo

And so now the verdict is in. Jussie Smollett was found guilty of five of six felony counts of disorderly conduct, connected to the night Smollett claimed he was mugged by two masked men in Chicago.

The breaking news of the "attack" two years ago only breaks our hearts today. Because the perps were friends and associates of Smollett who testified under oath that it was all planned and staged.

Smollett stuck to his own story and had a few character witnesses. But the jury determined the truth. Jussie Smollett lied to us all.

The attack was the charade, not the trial. The attack was done as a play for our sympathy.

If you weren't a fan of Smollett on "Empire," maybe you checked it out. That appears to have been the goal. Smollett became an overnight sensation and people saw him as a traumatized survivor.

Some commentators have suggested Jussie be placed on probation, given no prior record. But not so fast.

There is somewhere under $175,000 the city of Chicago wants back to pay police overtime for investigating the matter. That's real, and a civil matter. But criminally, he should face some time. Should the system go light on a person who willingly concocted a story of hate? And refuses to be held accountable?

Some commentators mention the 'dog' woman in New York's Central Park, Amy Cooper, who falsely claimed a bird-watching Black man was harassing her. She got community service, but compassion was shown after she admitted her guilt.

Jussie continued to tell his story on the stand. And his defense even says, they will appeal because of the one not-guilty count. But a juror told the media this week they were giving Jussie a break on the sixth count — that of filing a false report on an aggravated battery (the attackers were masked). Since the attackers were always masked, a juror told a reporter that with further deliberation "I think we probably would have found him guilty."

Hate crimes are real. We don't get justice for the real race crimes against our communities.

We shouldn't waste an opportunity for justice on a fake one.

The real harm is that Jussie has now unleashed doubt on all our claims, credibility be damned.

Suni Lee, the Asian American Hmong Olympic champ, a few weeks ago claimed that she was accosted by a passerby in a car who yelled out a racial epithet.

As I recounted the story on my web show "Emil Amok's Takeout" on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, a viewer put in the chat how he doubted the story. He said it was just like Jussie Smollett. After all, wasn't she appearing on "Dancing with the Stars," a show that takes public votes?

I didn't even think about that. But afterward, I questioned — was there a police report? No. What about her girlfriends who were with her. Did anyone corroborate the story? No.

But the story made its way to all the major outlets, NBC, CNN, New York Times, etc., because there was trust in the Olympic champion.

How about for you or me?

From here on, Jussie Smollet has spoiled that trust for all people of color who speak the truth about race crimes. The hill we climb for justice is steeper than ever.

It's not like it wasn't hard enough already.

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator. A former host of NPR's "All Things Considered," see his work at www.amok.com

Bay Area

Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce Hosts 4th Black Sunday Holiday Expo at Akoma Market

The East Oakland Black Cultural Zone is a safe place for families, professionals, and children. It was a time to celebrate Black culture as we continue to promote "Oakland for the Holidays" campaign in collaboration with KRON 4. Guests enjoyed free admission and parking and came ready to kick-start their holiday shopping!

Published

2 weeks ago

December 12, 2021

Present at the Black Sunday Holiday Expo were Carl Davis, president of the California Black Chamber of Commerce; Cathy D. Adams, president of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce; Frederick Jordan, president of the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce; Jonathan Jones, Post Newspaper Group and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf with 'Little King' Landon Sandoval.

By Post Staff

The Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC), in collaboration with Akoma Outdoor Market, celebrated the season at the 4^th Annual Black Sunday Holiday Expo on December 5, at 73^rd Avenue and Foothill Boulevard in Oakland.

OAACC was joined by the city's other ethnic chambers of commerce in this community event.

OAACC also promoted several Black-owned businesses which needed to boost revenue because of the ongoing pandemic. "The Culture Zone has offered vendor spaces for a number of businesses that do not have a store front," said District 6 Councilmember Loren Taylor. "Growing their businesses by participating every month is a step closer too to a permanent location and job creation."

"We have to continue to support Black-owned businesses to help them survive and thrive," said Cathy D. Adams, who is president and CEO of the OAACC. "Our job is to promote our businesses as much as possible and find resources to support them.

"This year we featured live entertainment by the legendary West Coast Blues under the direction of Ronnie Stewart. Desserts were provided by Grandma's Desserts business owner Sherry Vance. Food was catered by Magnolia Street Catering, a member of OAACC.

Mayor Libby Schaaf joined the Holiday Expo to provide an official greeting and San Francisco Mayor London Breed made a guest appearance as did recording artist Dewayne Wiggins.

District 7 Councilmember Treva Reid and Congresswoman Barbara Lee were not able to attend but both sent a representative.

Also present was Carl Davis Jr., the new president and chief executive officer of the California African American Chamber of Commerce. He is also known as the founder of the Northern California Black Chamber Presidents Association, which was represented by its current president Elease Cheek. Frederick Jordan, board chairman and founder of the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce was present as well.

OAACC partnered with Lend a Hand Foundation in collecting toys at the Expo. The organization is still in need of unwrapped toys for children 1-11 years old. Toys can still be dropped off at OAACC's office at 333 Helgenberger Road, Suite 269 in Oakland, Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Please call the office at (510) 268-1600 if you are able to donate a toy.

OAACC was established in 2003. We are a private non-profit organization whose mission is to advance economic opportunity and strengthen Oakland's Black business community. We provide several services for our business associates and members including access to workshops, business development opportunities and advocacy.

Activism

Open Letter to the City Council: Tell the A's to Stop Abusing Oakland

Stop this madness now! Tell the A's to pay their fair share or get out of town! Give them no public money for a ballpark. None! If Howard Terminal is so much a better deal than the Coliseum, where a ballpark could be built for little or no public money, let the A's billionaire owner pay for it. If the A's don't like that deal, let them leave.

Published

2 weeks ago

December 12, 2021

The A's have been pitting cities against each other to leverage more public money for a ballpark.

By Post Staff

The City of Oakland is in an abusive relationship with the Oakland A's.

The A's tell the city, "Give me what I want, and I will stop hitting you." The city bends and the A's demand more and hit the city harder. We, the voters must come to the aid of their elected leaders. Please intervene and tell our elected leaders to stop allowing the A's to bully them. Just say "NO" and walk away.

After all the city of Oakland has done to demonstrate their desire to keep the A's in Oakland, including offering over $500 million of public funds for development of the Howard Terminal ballpark, the so-called 'rooted in Oakland' A's have made an offer on a Las Vegas ballpark site at the Tropicana Casino. https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/sports/nevius-as-should-just-skip-oakland-charade-head-for-vegas/

Clearly, the A's have been pitting cities against each other to leverage more public money for a ballpark.

Who needs a team that is so uncaring that they arrogantly demand diversion of public funds to them, or they will leave?

Taxpaying residents of Oakland have suffered long and hard with homelessness and crime. They need public funds devoted to those problems, not a baseball park. At a point where the city has empaneled a blue-ribbon commission to actively consider increasing business taxes for every business in town to pay for revenue shortages, it is outrageous to consider giving the A's public money and tax breaks to build a baseball stadium.

This is especially galling when there is perfectly good property at the Coliseum that could be the site of a new ballpark without the need for all the public money the A's are demanding for Howard Terminal.

"Our job is to feed people," said Keith Carson, president of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, at a recent hearing on whether Alameda County should contribute public funds to the Howard Terminal project. Carson is absolutely right. The City and the County have great needs that should take priority over giving public money for a ballpark.

But the arrogant and hostile ways the A's treat the public does not stop with city taxpayers. The A's recently increased their season ticket prices and eliminated discounts previously offered to their fans. But the fans did the appropriate thing. They stopped buying tickets. During a recent playoff run, the A's had fewer than 5,000 fans at their games. According to public reports they ranked 29^th out of 30 teams in fan attendance.

Our elected officials should follow fan responses to the greed and arrogance of the A's. The A's must pay their own way. Do not spend public dollars on baseball parks. Do not let them bully and abuse our elected officials.

If they choose to leave, "let the door hit them where the dog should have bit them."