Hot News!
• RALLY FOR SAFE JOBS AT CINTAS ON OCTOBER 14!
• Proportional Representation: Christopher Smitherman v. Jeff Berding
Contact Us
v mail, fax: (214) 481-6464
e mail: click here
Events
 |
|
|
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
More Ignorance from The Enquirer: The Anti-Petition Scandal
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
Photo courtesy of here.
In a message released this morning, Christopher Smitherman, president of the Cincinnati NAACP, claims The Cincinnati Enquirer never contacted him about how many signatures the NAACP has gathered in the effort to put a jail-tax on the ballot. This is just another chapter in The Enquirer’s continuing exercise in propaganda, supporting the big-money interests behind a prison-industrial complex that disproportionately incarcerates black people.
"The paper has no idea how many signatures we have collected to date because your President has not shared that information with the public,” stated Smitherman in a message to NAACP members. “This is a game by the paper and others to discourage our efforts.”
“I feel good about our progress on the collection of signatures,” continued Smitherman. “I am aware that misinformation was given over the radio yesterday. All of us must stay the course and do our individual job. Our goal is to get our referendum petition on the ballot for a vote. Stay focused on the objective and do your part for the collective. Taxation without representation is wrong.”
So what is going on here? Blogger Nate Livingston recently wondered why an Enquirer article didn’t cite information from the NAACP. Now, we have discovered their propagation of rumors doesn’t even include data from the NAACP, which is the main sponsor of the drive!
This is irresponsible reporting by the region’s main news source at worst, and complete ignorance at best.
• Share This Article!
Listen to this article
|  |
Register
Anonymous comments are allowed, but you can create an account above to stamp your name and to avoid typing the anti-spam code.
If you are not familiar with our rules for leaving comments, click here! The Cincinnati Beacon is not responsible for the contents of any comments. Comments do not represent the views of the moderators of The Cincinnati Beacon.
19 Jun 2007 at 09:25 am | #
.
The gop controled fishwRap doesn’t care about the African American community.
They are only interested in coast, finney’s fanning, and the other gop schmidt.
Don’t act like this is current news !
.
19 Jun 2007 at 09:34 am | #
You are forgetting how the Democrats don’t care what the black community wants, either!
19 Jun 2007 at 09:46 am | #
If Smitherman returned his phone calls from the press, who called him for that story, then maybe his comments would be reflected.
19 Jun 2007 at 10:08 am | #
.
“...You are forgetting how the Democrats don’t care what the black community wants, either!...”
What is it the black community wants ?
Special privileges ?
They elected representatives, those representatives created laws.
The commission used those laws to save the tax payer money by starting the construction of a correction facility now instead of latter after massive civil litigation expense, interest expense, increase construction expense.
The black community has the right to gain support to place the sales tax on the ballot.
That will not stop a facility from being built. It will mean social programs will be cut to fund the construction, but, IT WILL BE BUILT !
Your divisionist rhetoric serves no purpose.
Your alignment with a minority faction of the black community serves no one, PERIOD !
.
19 Jun 2007 at 10:47 am | #
While I hate the Enquirer and its abysmal coverage, I know that Smitherman used to have a policy while on council of never calling reporters back who were from that paper. Is it possible they tried to call him and he didn’t reply or didn’t get the message? Just wondering.
19 Jun 2007 at 10:56 am | #
The Enquirer does care about black people. they care about them being locked up so they can’t move into their neighborhoods and about ringing up convictions against them so they can’t get good jobs.
Failing to contact the NAACP is just more proof of that.
It’s kind of weird though, do the worst of the worst racist support the CSP or not? It’s like they are trying to sabotage the petition campaign verses their alliance with COAST’s group verses their hatred for Portune and Pepper.
I think this plan is so expansive, the fringe groups on both ends really don’t know what the heck to do:
1) racists don’t really want treatment that lets people re-gain their lives - they just want to lock ‘em up
2) the far left want just the programs but no place to house inmates in in-custody treatment programs.
3) people in the middle seem to want both
4) then we just got the tight wads who don’t want anything if they are expected to pay for it
EVERYBODY likes some of theplan and hates other parts - normally this would be grounds for a “consensus” or “compromise” but instead, we want to focus on what we don’t want rather than what we want and are getting
Grandma used to say about people, you weigh what you like about them and what you don’t like about them and you decide whether or not they’worth it. I guess
19 Jun 2007 at 11:44 am | #
Ed Rothenberg was fired as head of COAST today for giving out bad information during the Lincoln Ware show. We’ll see if COAST can pick up the pieces and help get the issue on the ballot.
19 Jun 2007 at 01:00 pm | #
Jessica Brown’s story is surprising. Deer Park Inn on Blue Ash Road has the petition available, even has large sign behind the bar announcing the fact. Jessica Brown interviewed Herman (the German) the taverns proprietor Friday afternoon (4pm). I spoke with Ms. Brown, say, 10am or so Friday morning, she phoned asking if I knew of locations collecting signatures, she was especially interested in Salem Hardware (Salem Ave at Beacon), she took a photographer along, Steve has a five foot by three foot sign out front announcing his business is gathering signatures, Jessica wanted a pic for her story.
After Hardware Store interview Ms. Brown, and photographer, went to Deer Park Inn, there she sampled the new summer Libation “King Portune Soaker” that Herman is serving, again taking pictures, and making notes.
In view of the fact these interviews were late Friday, keeping in mind she was out in Deer Park, I’m thinking this information was gathered for an upcoming story, that what was in Saturdays paper was hurriedly complied as she hit the road, a young lady has other pursuits late Friday’s, donchathink? Then again, some editor might have completely rewritten her work, I wonder what happened to all the pictures?
19 Jun 2007 at 01:43 pm | #
don’t wanna know either.... just as long as there are bodies in the jails for the overcrowding headcount… that’s all that matters....
19 Jun 2007 at 04:12 pm | #
Ed Rothenberg was fired as head of COAST today for giving out bad information during the Lincoln Ware show. We’ll see if COAST can pick up the pieces and help get the issue on the ballot… What????
Please tell more!
19 Jun 2007 at 04:53 pm | #
Smitherman says this: “The paper has no idea how many signatures we have collected to date because your President has not shared that information with the public,” stated Smitherman in a message to NAACP members. “This is a game by the paper and others to discourage our efforts.”
Sounds more like it’s a game with Smitherman. So the paper has no idea and Smitherman’s not telling. Now that’s real democratic. The fact that only he knows the progress of a collaborative effort that a lot of people are putting a lot of sweat into, shows that he thinks this is a one-man show. He should be giving regular updates. Telling the public where this stands. Does he know? Does he want the truth to get out? Are people so stupid that that will just take marching orders without asking for accountability? Even asking, “how are we doing boss?”
And Dean, one thing we don’t forget is that your site is totally about promoting a Republican agenda and bashing democrats. Stop crying about YOUR perception that other people,not you, other people, being taken for granted. Do you ever stand back and realize how racist you sound when you talk about and for the “black community”? Especially the implication that black people, are a community, have one voice, one thought, one philosophy, not individuals like other races and ethnicities. I think that’s called profiling, dude.
19 Jun 2007 at 07:48 pm | #
That’s not true. I don’t like Republicans, either.
Actually, there are lots of issues that, in theory, align me with Democrats. Building great big jails is not one of them.
19 Jun 2007 at 09:13 pm | #
Smitherman will anounce the count soon and I heard it’s going well. Why does anyone bother to read the racist Enquirer? They never get anything right and certainly aren’t democratic. Didn’t they endorse Jim Crow Blackwell in 2006 and pretend there wasn’t anything funny about the stolen election in 2004?
19 Jun 2007 at 10:06 pm | #
Jason: “Now, we have discovered their propagation of rumors doesn’t even include data from the NAACP, which is the main sponsor of the drive!”
Jason, your post doesn’t include any data from the NAACP either.
Smitherman: “I feel good about our progress on the collection of signatures,”
Translation: Our effort is going down in flames.
This is just another chapter in The Beacon’s continuing exercise in propaganda, opposing the jail; and is irresponsible reporting at worst, and complete ignorance at best.
20 Jun 2007 at 05:55 am | #
because the nigg-quirer speaks for a segment of the klancinnati public that doesn’t want to see the ‘black community’ take care of itself and handle their business. And when someone takes that initiative, they’re branded as a ‘troublemaker’, a ‘punk’, etc., and then the usual BS is thrown about, i.e., you people need to do something about the crime in YOUR neighborhood, blah blah blah, do something about the criminals/thugs in YOUR neighborhood/community, blah blah blah… all of you people enable thugs/crime in YOUR neighborhood, blah blah blah....
after the blanket generalizations, any alleged ‘dialogue’ is over....
20 Jun 2007 at 10:32 am | #
.
“...YOUR neighborhood/community, blah blah blah… all of you people enable thugs/crime in YOUR neighborhood, blah blah blah....”
If open air drug dealing was going on in our community, we would be the first to call the police.
If citizens are responsible, open air drug dealing should not exist, PERIOD !
.
20 Jun 2007 at 11:30 am | #
Daily I solicit registered voters, as required I witness their signing, twenty to petition, when each is completed (twenty signatures) I fill in last page signing next to the line which reads “under penalty of election falsification“. Many completed petitions are accumulating in the rear of my car, perhaps my undocumented pile of petitions will be the ones to bring this issue before Portune’s and Pepper’s subjects.
My experience shows 75% of registered voters are angry the tax was imposed, particularly since it was recently rejected. Frequently I hear “I think we need a new jail, I don’t like how it has been forced upon us”
On the street I have no opinion, I envision my task as that of election facilitator, giving my time to promote the democratic process that our republic was founded http://www.usahistory.info/timeline/revolution.html
I do not attempt to “sell” or promote my own agenda, the time for that will be when this issue is before the people, that is how our government is supposed to operate, Portune and Pepper have forgotten that fact, neither could pass the INS test to become citizens, http://usgovinfo.about.com/blinstst.htm.
20 Jun 2007 at 03:10 pm | #
.
“...I do not attempt to “sell” or promote my own agenda...Portune and Pepper have forgotten that fact, neither could pass the INS test to become citizens...”
LET US GUESS ?
YOUR AGENDA IS TO OPPOSE PORTUNE and PEPPER ?
.
20 Jun 2007 at 04:58 pm | #
Interesting that no one mentioned the fact that when the Enquirer called and left a message to Smitherman and he didn’t reply that they just made up the news.
That is fucked up
20 Jun 2007 at 08:46 pm | #
sd#17:"My experience shows 75% of registered voters are angry the tax was imposed, particularly since it was recently rejected.”
What kind of documentation you got to back that up? My experience shows that 80% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
20 Jun 2007 at 11:33 pm | #
Greetings Holy-er (sic) than thou,
My agenda is not to arbitrarily oppose Portune and Pepper, I helped Todd get elected, installed, and removed, many political signs for his campaign. If Dave had followed my advice, freely given at the Urban Leagues debate, he would have carried Bond Hill, he would now be mayor.
I oppose an imposed tax, read “stamp act” in first link of previous post, an eerie parallel. Makes me remember “those that forget history are doomed to repeat it” Democracy is government by the people, a majority of the people, in the last freely held election, defeated this very tax.
If commissioners Portune and Pepper honestly believe what they have proposed will actually make our community safer they need to “sell” their constituents on the plan. My agenda is to contribute to democracy by encouraging our commissioners to educate us (you, me, everyone) on precisely how this plan will make all of us safer, a plan all of us will be happy to pay for. I did not elect Portune and Pepper to spend my money, money they are now attempting to steal. I merely want to debate how they (Portune and Pepper) intend to spend our (yours and mine) money. If, after debate, I approve of this plan I will vote for it.
I trust this allows you to arrive at a correct conclusion regarding my agenda, I wouldn’t want you and the others (us) to guess, or conjecture, about my intentions.
21 Jun 2007 at 05:44 am | #
not true, the dealers would find a way to deal… wouldn’t have to be ‘open air’ as it were… and when ‘open air’ IS going on in one’s community, it would be nice if the police actually did their job regarding assisting said community, instead of NOT doing their job and allowing the crime to grow.... and the slowdown continues....
21 Jun 2007 at 07:40 am | #
JFD#20
My statistics are nothing more than my own personal observations as they relate to voters I come in contact with daily. I really have no supporting “documentation”, I do have many signatures of enraged voters on a stack of petitions in the back of my car, I realize these alone do not validate my claim “75% of registered voters are angry the tax was imposed, particularly since it was recently rejected.” I don’t know what else you want me to do, sweat blood? You can and hang on King’s Portune and Pepper’s strings like a marionette does, not me, this is a fact, 100% signing the petition are sick and tired of being jerked around.
26 Jun 2007 at 04:43 pm | #
A Message from ColorofChange.org to those that are truly interested securing the right to vote.
Dear friend,
I just learned from ColorOfChange that President Bush has nominated Hans von Spakovsky--one of the worst perpetrators of voter suppression in recent history--to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), an agency charged with enforcing election law. Under Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, von Spakovsky led the effort within the Department of Justice
to win elections for Republicans by disenfranchising minority voters.
It’s important that members of the Senate take a stand for voting rights by refusing to confirm von Spakovsky. Can you take a moment to send a brief message to your senators?
http://www.colorofchange.org/vonspakovsky/?id=1914-61884
Congressional investigations into the actions of Alberto Gonzales and the firings at the Justice Department (DOJ) have pointed to an even bigger scandal: that for years, the Republican party has been suppressing the vote of minority and low income voters---those most likely to vote Democratic. And Hans von Spakovsky has been at the center of the suppression strategy.
During his first term, Bush installed von Spakovsky in the Justice Department’s (DOJ) voting rights section, which enforces the Voting Rights Act. There, von Spakovsky undermined the DOJ’s historic mission of protecting minority voting rights, and actually transformed
the department into a tool to suppress the vote.
When long-term, career employees at the Justice Department unanimously recommended rejecting Tom Delay’s infamous Texas redistricting plan because it discriminated against minority voters, von Spakovsky led the charge to overrule these voting rights experts, and approved the plan. The Supreme Court later ruled that the plan violated the Voting
Rights Act.
Similarly, when career attorneys recommended rejecting a
discriminatory Georgia voter ID law—a law that even the Republican Governor said would disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Georgians-- von Spakovsky overruled them to approve the law. Again, the law was later struck down by the courts, with the ruling judge likening it
to a Jim Crow-era poll tax.
Last week, seven of von Spakovsky’s former colleagues at the DOJ said that he blocked career attorneys from filing at least three lawsuits against local governments that had violated the voting rights of Black people and other minorities, and that he derailed at least two DOJ
investigations into discriminatory election laws.
Von Spakovsky’s career in suppression didn’t start at the DOJ. In 1997, he set the stage for Florida’s 2000 voter purge when he wrote an article that called for purging felons from voter rolls. Serving on the board of the “Voter Integrity Project” (VIP) he quickly put his
ideas into action—VIP met with the company that designed Florida’s purge to disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters, most of whom were Black.
As shocking as these examples are, they only scratch the surface. Hans von Spakovsky has made it his life mission to solidify Republican control by disenfranchising untold thousands and subverting our most fundamental democratic right.
A vote for von Spakovsky is a vote for voter suppression. Anything less than the strongest condemnation of at his nomination will send a message to President Bush that the Senate will turn a blind eye to Republican attacks on our voting rights. Let’s demand that our senators send the opposite message—that they will fight tooth and
nail to defend the right to vote, and that their strong rejection of von Spakovsky’s nomination is only the beginning of a much needed reckoning for the assault on voting rights over the last six and a half years.
You can help make sure your senators do the right thing and oppose von Spakovsky’s nomination. It takes only a moment.
http://www.colorofchange.org/vonspakovsky/?id=2052-53911
Thanks.
27 Jun 2007 at 05:16 pm | #
http://foxattacks.com/videos.php
I don’t know where else this fits on the blog so I’ll put it here. I think it’s important when discussing how there’s no difference between the two major parties. Watch this video on Fox network’s comments about black Americans. This is the network where every Republican wants to be seen and heard. THE voice of the Republican party. The network that Democrats won’t appear on. The network colorofchange.org has called for a boycott against.