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Showing posts from November, 2014

Conversation with Tyrone Darden Former Candidate for District 2 City Council

Officer Darren Wilson Said He Would not Have Done Anything Different

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By Laura Thompson Believe it or not...everybody is not against us, in this country.  Everybody does not agree with the police brutality that has become second nature to some police officers and police forces across the county. I watched an interview featuring Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer (cop) that shot the unarmed Michael Brown, after he was not indicted for brutally killing this young man.  He admitted killing the young man.  Showed no remorse.  Told a totally different story from numerous eyewitnesses that watched the incident from various angles.  Everyone with the exception of Officer Darren Wilson, stated that Michael Brown was shot with both hands in the air.  Everyone with exception of Officer Darren Wilson, saw Michael Brown running away from the scene after being shot once.  Everyone with the exception of Officer Darren Wilson saw Michael Brown being pursued by the officer and yet the officer was not indicted.  And like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown was

What the Ferguson Decision Means to Me as an African American

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By Laura Thompson I was not surprised by the verdict of not guilty afforded to Zimmerman regarding the Trayvon Martin murder and I am not surprised by the judges decision regarding the Mike Brown murder at the hands of a Ferguson, Missouri police officer.  And you shouldn't be either. What I am surprised about is how divided and disconnected we are as African Americans and why we continue to react the same way to these brutal attacks on our young men.  I don't understand why we are not learning from the brutality of our fallen sons and why we are not coming together and standing together long enough to change this situation. When I was a young girl reading about slavery, I would often ask my parents and my teachers, why we were in slavery for so long, when we out numbered the slave owners.  I ascertained that it was because they had all the ammunition and they kept us divided.  They made all the rules and they enforced the rules through brutality. For generations, th

Thoughts About Bill Cosby

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BY LAURA THOMPSON Bill Cosby is a household name worldwide.  I grew up listening to his commentary and jokes on albums; watched "Fat Albert" and ran to the TV when the Jello Pudding commercials would air.  I never had the privilege of seeing him in person, but I found him to be a person that was able to relate to his audience very well.  Those are the things that appeared on the surface.  Without accusing him of anything, his best foot forward was always presented to the world, because that's the persona he was selling. I've had the opportunity to work with many celebrity personalities behind the scenes and some of their behavior was quite surprising.  Once I came to grips that they are human and are prone to mistakes and missteps just like anyone else, I began to look at celebrities, as just people and not idols to be worshiped. Because we do not know Bill Cosby personally, off stage or behind the scenes, it's hard to grasp what he might be capable of doi