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Editorials/Columns
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Justice For Levonia
wo weeks ago, Levonia
Riggins, III, was killed by a Hillsborough County Sher- iff's deputy inside of a residence where, allegedly, no weapon was found. His name is now added to the long list of un- armed Black men who also suf- fered the same kind of untimely fate at the hands of law enforce- ment.
Ironically, though, while the horrific accounts of the deaths of those other men, with names like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and Laquan McDonald, have be- come seared into our collective memories, Levonia's story has yet to make national headlines. Outside of the Tampa Bay Area it's almost as if his death didn't occur at all.
While those who loved Lev- onia wish that were indeed the case the unfortunate truth is that this unjustifiable homicide actually happened. The funeral,
the family's heartbreak, the protests and the investigation are all evidence of a tragic event taking place which cut Levo- nia's 22 years on this Earth short.
I imagine part of the reason why Levonia's killing hasn't been highly publicized is due to the fact that his final moments weren't captured on a recording device. We can't attribute a catch phrase to him like "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" or "I Can't Breathe" because the only wit- ness to his end was the deputy who pulled the trigger.
The lack of national news coverage seems to suggest that the only time a Black man's murder is deemed relevant to a large audience is when images of him being brutally killed can be sensationalized and broad- cast across the globe in high-de- finition. Otherwise, to many media outlets, an incident like Levonia's is chalked up as just
another example of a "thugged out n-----" who may or may not have gotten what he had com- ing.
The sad thing is that Levo- nia deserved better. Regardless of his background, or why the cops were at his residence in the first place, nothing Levonia may have been involved with warranted him dying as a result of a confrontation with a trig- ger-happy cop when he didn't present a threat.
With this case so loaded with conflicts of interests, in- cluding the State Attorney Mark Ober having a personal connection to the deputy in question and the deputy coming from a well-known and promi- nent family, the only way to make sure that justice for Lev- onia is served accordingly is by having Hillsborough County placed under the biggest and brightest spotlight of interna- tional scrutiny.
And that means, for those who truly want to have this young man's soul resting in peace, finding a way, by any means necessary, to force the world to take notice.
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What You Should Do If You Cannot Vote
t happened just before the last presidential election like
a thief in the night. Non-violent ex-felons who’d been given their voting rights and who had exercised those rights at the 2009 election were quietly and abruptly informed by Florida’s governor that a mistake had been made and that they (non-violent ex-felons) must resubmit their paperwork in order to be able to vote in the future.
However, like most people who can’t believe they’ve just been struck by lightning in their own living rooms, the ma- jority of ex-felons laughed it off until just recently, when thousands of them in the state of Florida and elsewhere were told not only would they not be able to vote in the upcoming 2016 presidential election, but it would probably take 1 1⁄2 to 2 years for their paperwork to be reviewed and accepted, if at all. Murder! Bloody murder!
So, ex-felon who has long ago paid your dues to society and who jubilantly cast your presidential vote in 2009, with less than 60 days before America goes back to the polls, with the bitter knowledge that no way in heck will you be in that number, WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW?
Well, we’ll tell you. Unfortunately, for them, the dastardly rascals who forfeited your right to vote did not rescind your driver’s license, So, come Election Day, you’re going to outdo Uber and out cab the cabs by making certain that every reg- istered voter in your family and your neighborhood has a way to get to the polls. Are you breaking the law? We don’t think so.
Meanwhile, be certain not to break the speed limit. In- deed, there’s more than one way to pet a cat. Go on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, and by the time Election Day is done, be like Harriet Tubman and the Under- ground Railroad. This is a wake-up call to all non-violent ex- felons regarding the polls: CRANK UP YOUR VOTER CARAVAN!
Let’s Stand Up And Replace ‘Star Spangled Banner’ With ‘America The Beautiful’
Dear Editor,
I am an 85-year-old
Black veteran of the U. S. Air Force. After 20 years of service, I retired as a Mas- ter Sergeant. I whole-heart- edly support Colin Kaepernick’s right to protest the oppression of Black people and people of color in America.
Donald Trump, the Re- publican Presidential Can- didate who took numerous deferments to avoid serving in his country’s Armed Forces, has no right to de- nounce Colin Kaepernick’s decision to protest the hor- rid treatment Blacks and people of color continue to have inflicted on them in America.
Tim Kaine, the Demo- cratic Vice Presidential Candidate, said that Kaepernick’s rationale “didn’t make sense to me,” but supported his right to protest. But unlike Tim Kaine, Mr. Kaepernick’s ac- tions make perfect sense to me, for I have lived the op- pression both in and out of my military uniform. As
Black men, both Mr. Kaepernick and I can be shot down in cold blood in our homes, in our cars, and in the streets without any repercussions.
Ironically, the national anthem that they want Mr. Kaepernick to stand up for was written by Frances Scott Key, a SLAVE OWNER, who was a mem- ber of the ACS, American Colonization Society, an or- ganization that wanted to send all FREE Black Ameri- cans to Africa while RE- TAINING America’s INSTITUTION of slavery.
Key was the brother-in- law of Supreme Court Jus- tice Roger Brooke Taney, who wrote the 1857 Dred Scott ruling denying citi- zenship to Blacks noting that the CONSTITUTION’S FRAMERS considered them “BEINGS OF AN IN- FERIOR ORDER...”
Sadly, it is obvious from the way many Americans are treating Mr. Kaeper- nick, these Americans still feel that African Americans are beings of an inferior
order today in 2016.
Like Mr. Kaepernick, I
never felt at ease standing for the “Star Spangled Banner.” Words like “the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air” made me think of being blown to bits. I am also re- minded of what Seoul, Korea looked liked after I arrived there in 1953 shortly after the cease fire.
I later read that Key was a member of the aforemen- tioned ACS and was one of the organization’s vice presidents. I know that I was NOT taught in school that Key had no love for Black people.
The “Star Spangled Banner” does not include Black people or people of color, and in my opinion, it should not be the national anthem.
Personally, I feel that “America the Beautiful” by Katherine Lee Bates, is a far more fitting song for the national anthem:
“O beautiful for spa- cious skies; For amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with BROTHER- HOOD, From sea to shining sea!”
Words couldn’t be more meaningful and INCLU- SIVE! THIS is the America I love!
WILLIAM E. HINES M/Sgt. USAF (Retired) Tampa, FL
The Perfect Son-In-Law (A Satire)
aggie and Unnerva, two middle aged, middle class
long-time friends were having lunch together recently when Maggie proudly announced her daughter, Naive’s en- gagement and impending wedding. Unnerva inquired as to who the young daughter’s intended groom would be. Maggie excitedly answered, “Oh, he’s much older than she is, but he’s rich, y’know? Even though he lies 64 percent of the time, never says he’s sorry, acts like a bully, blames other people for his mistakes, makes frequent ethnic, feminist and reli- gious slurs, and claims to be really, really wealthy, but won’t say just how much, ooh, child, he’s so niiice!”
Maggie, continued, “He ordered Naive to show him her fi- nancial worth information, her 2015 Income Tax returns, and says mean things to her when she questions him or asks him to show her his financial standing and income tax re- turns, but that’s how folks act, being a rich businessman and all.
But Naive said she did some investigating and found out her love claims he’s richer than he actually is; was sued nearly 30 times by his employees, business partners, and a woman he dated; that he made overly-positive comments
about Russian Vladimir Putin and North Korean Kim Jong (“Shoot’em With An Anti-Aircraft Gun”) Un, but rich folks do have their idiosyncrasies, he-hee!”
Swooning, Maggie asked, “Can you imagine he is liked by all Communist leaders? And guess what? He says that when they are married, he’s going to forbid Naïve to speak to any family member who doesn’t like him, but he will say anything her family wants to hear in order to get their approval, but oh, he’s just so rich, y’know?”
Finally, Unnerva asked, “What’s her fiancé’s name?” Maggie gushed, “They call him DON- ALD ‘T.’ Ooh, he’s so niiice!”
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-A
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