I came across this documentary randomly while surfing the internet. Actually, I didn’t recall clicking anything that would have taken me to this webpage. When the vbs.tv page came up a documentary called “The Vice Guide To Liberia” auto-played and I began watching.
The documentarian visited Liberia, a country on the west coast of Africa, which was settled by freed American slaves in 1822. Upon settlement the American repatriates brought lessons of subjugation from home and promptly began discriminating against the natives of that area.
Years of class issues, economic indebtedness to foreign banks/countries, corrupt government leaders, and a gruesome,14 year civil war, has effectively obliterated Liberia as a country. Liberia is listed as one to the 5 poorest countries in the world by three of the major world statistical agencies (IMF, World Bank, The CIA’s World Factbook.)
”The Vice Guide To Liberia” comes face to face with abject poverty, rampant drug use, inhumane living conditions, sex-industries, and other things that are commonly found in slums around the world, including religion.
To be completely honest, I haven’t decided how I feel about this film. On the one hand, I’ve learned information that I didn’t know previously; on the other hand, well… see for yourself.
Below is the first part to the documentary, however it can be watched in full @ vbs.tv.
After President Obama’s State of the Union address, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews did his usual critiquing on what the President speech. Matthews is usually pro-Obama in much of his analysis of him, once saying he felt a “thrill going up my leg” as heard the President speak.
Right after the State of the Union address, Matthews, referring to the President, quoted “I forgot he was black tonight for an hour.” So of course this immediately sparked outrage and rightfully so. Chris Matthews later defended his statements saying “I think he’s taken us beyond black and white in our politics.”
Has Obama really taken our country beyond racial politics? Do we live in post-racial society? Are the many pictures out there with him being compared to a monkey, or the song called Happy Magic Negro, or even the tirade by Joe Wilson which had racial undertones just isolated incidences? Or are they revealing and telling about the true state of race and politics in America.
An article penned by Jesse Washington takes a look at the comments by Matthews and offers critiques from others.
Read Jesse Washington’s full article, “Matthews’ remark exposes complexity of ‘transcending race’” after the jump.
"We Area All Oscar Grant" -- As the march returned to the rally point, the protesters were forced to walk a gauntlet between two lines of riot cops. The protesters lied down in the middle of the street, face down with their hands behind their backs, in the same position that Oscar Grant was in when he was shot by the police.
Source: Channel 7 (KGO-TV San-Franciso CA – ABC Affiliate)”
“BART has reached an agreement in a $50 million lawsuit following the shooting death of Oscar Grant by former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle early New Year’s Day 2009.
Grant’s daughter will receive a $1.5 million settlement as part of the agreement.”
720 AM and 106.9 FM (KCBS) has this to add:
“BART Attorney Dale Allen said there is still civil litigation ongoing.
“It’s only of that claim. Ms. Wanda Johnson, Mr. Grant’s mother has chosen to continue on with her litigation,” said Allen. “In fact, there’s not just the lawsuit being pursued by Ms. Johnson, but there is a lawsuit being pursued by the five men who were with Mr. Grant on the night of the incident. And that is still in litigation as well.”
“Allen said they reached out to the family early in the process and have been trying to bring closure to the family since last February.
The trial of Mehserle is expected to begin in Los Angeles in May.”
The Democratic Republic of Congo lies at the heart of Africa. Formerly known as Zaire, The Democratic Republic of Congo is the third largest country ( the size of Western Europe) on the continent of Africa. The DRC is facing a crisis that can no longer be ignored.
The war taking place in the Eastern part of Congo is being described as “the world’s deadliest conflict since WWII”.
In eastern Congo, the prevalence of rape and other sexual violence is described as the worst in the world.
In 1996 the Rwandan genocide spilled over into the Congo. Since the 1997 coup of then President Mobutu Sese Seko, Rwandan troops entered the Congo and placed Laurent Kabila as president. However, in 2001 Laurent Kabila was assassinated, allegedly by his adopted Rwandan son Ipolite Kanyambe (Joseph Kabila) who is now the sitting president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Another reason behind the Congo crisis is a mineral called Coltan or Tantalum. You may be familiar with Blood Diamonds, I now introduce you to Blood Tantalum. Eighty percent of the worlds Coltan is mined in the Congo and Coltan is a hot commodity. Without it, you will not be able to use cellphones, laptops, dvd players, video game systems, and a plethora of other electronic devices. However, the Congo does not see the benefit of such a valuable mineral. It is so valuable that people in the eastern Congo, especially women are being brutally, raped, slaughtered, and absolutely eradicated for it.
This Jan. 13, 2010 photo released by Terez Miles shows her son Jordan Miles at the hospital in Pittsburgh. Miles was charged on Jan. 13 with assault and resisting arrest. His family says he was hospitalized after being hit with a stun gun and suffered head lacerations. He says he resisted because he thought the men were trying to abduct him and didn’t identify themselves as police. (AP Photo/Terez Miles)
Unfortunately, another individual has been beaten to a pulp simply because he is young, black, and unable to control where his guardians can afford to live. Jordan Miles was accosted at night by three white men who demanded to know: “Where’s the money? – Where’s the gun? – Where’s the drugs?” It wasn’t until uniformed officers reached the scene that Miles realized the situation he found himself in was not a robbery and the handcuffs that were placed on his wrists meant he was being arrested and not abducted as he had previously thought.
The victim asserts that the individuals never identified themselves as officers of the law. During the altercation with plain clothes police, Miles was hit with a stun gun and received lacerations to the head and face. It is being reported that the officers mistook a Mountain Dew bottle in the victims pocket for a gun.
Miles faces charges of assault and resisting arrest. The three arresting officers have been “reassigned” while the incident is being investigated. The family is considering a lawsuit. CLICK HERE to read the article posted by The Huffington Post.
Has police training become so shady that sworn officers can’t recognize the difference between tasers and guns (see the Oscar Grant case) or soda bottles and guns? And even if Miles was engaging in criminal activity would that have justified the severity of the beating he received by the officers? We will keep you updated!
Black Politics On The Web also covered the case: CLICK HERE
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