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<h1 id="reader-title">Big Man: Reflections of my life
experiences, today’s conditions</h1>
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<p><strong><em>by Elbert ‘Big Man’ Howard</em></strong></p>
<p>My thoughts are the reflections of my life experiences.
As to whether that is a life lived well or poorly, I
will leave those questions and answers up to historians,
critics, the general public and you, the reader.</p>
<p>In that respect, while time permits, I will express
some of my opinions. I think that 78 years in the game
we call “life” grants me that privilege. Current events
and conditions demand this of me.</p>
<p>To jump right in, take “Black Lives Matter.” This was
originally just a statement of how the victims of
America’s system of racism feel, which then turned into
an entire movement. This movement was created by the
continuing mistreatment, persecution and killings of the
victims, mostly young people of color, by law
enforcement officers.</p>
<p>As usual, the perpetrators of these crimes against
humanity utilize the media to try to control the
thinking of the public, many of whom are confused and
clueless. The public is fed garbage such as, “Black
Lives Matter” means we Black people hate white people to
the extent that no other lives matter but Black people’s
lives.</p>
<p>Just a few decades ago, while the Black Panthers and
others chanted, “Black is beautiful,” the corporate
media spread the misinformation that this message meant
that all white people should be killed. This created
hysteria and led to many white Americans rushing to buy
guns and ammo.</p>
<p>What a great deal for the gun dealers and for the
economy! I say that this was an opportune time for the
scum of the earth politicians to crawl out from under
their rocks, proclaiming that they were going to save
the white race by creating new laws, and then they began
building more prisons and locking up more Black and
Brown men.</p>
<h3><span>Take “Black Lives Matter.” This movement was
created by the continuing mistreatment, persecution
and killings of the victims, mostly young people of
color, by law enforcement officers.</span></h3>
<p>As prisons become increasingly overcrowded, police are
given unlimited power and arms to render the Final
Solution on the streets: “shoot to kill.” There will be
no questions asked or explanations required. Make no
mistake – the police are not out of control; they are in
control, complete control.</p>
<p>The taxpayers have been fooled once again by the
concept of body cameras for law enforcement. Millions of
taxpayer dollars have been spent to equip police with
body cameras, yet police are never found in violation of
any civil or criminal code which has occurred during a
stop or arrest, regardless of the footage.</p>
<p>Officers are free to use and misuse this footage, to
turn the cameras on and off and any number of other such
acts. Who truly believes that a police officer would
turn in evidence against him or herself? Wake up,
everyone; the courts of our injustice system don’t
expect that or demand it.</p>
<h3><strong>Some thoughts on the political process in
America</strong></h3>
<p>Will the November 2016 election bring about democracy
or a dictatorship? In the recent campaigns for
president, democracy is definitely not being practiced
by either of the major political parties.</p>
<p>Both are heavily “owned” or influenced by the wealthy
corporate 1 percent and their lobbies, such as the NRA
(National Rifle Association) and the large
pharmaceutical companies. The other 99 percent of us
have almost no power or voice, which means that a small
minority of wealthy individuals have both political and
social control of America.</p>
<p>Just watching those conventions demonstrates the
overwhelming need for immediate reform to this absurd
institution we have for choosing the candidates who run
for president. The American people have in reality
little or no control of who actually becomes president.
Voting is little more than a ritual in many ways.</p>
<p>The person who gets elected – male or female – and who
has power over this nation’s citizenry and huge
accumulations of wealth and arsenals, who makes vital
decisions in matters of war and peace, life and death
and our social and medical programs, ultimately has
power and control that affects the world. It is stunning
the amount of power which is placed in the hands of the
president of the United States and a small band of
cohorts and advisers.</p>
<h3><span>Will the November 2016 election bring about
democracy or a dictatorship? In the recent campaigns
for president, democracy is definitely not being
practiced by either of the major political parties.</span></h3>
<p>I re-iterate here: What this boils down to is economic
decision-making power which is not in the hands of the
American people but in the hands of the large and
wealthy corporations. Corporations are solely interested
in what produces a profit and by any means necessary.
The corporate media controls the advertising industry
and persuades the public to purchase what is produced by
the corporations, of course.</p>
<p>Due to an almost complete lack of standards and
regulations, dangerous commodities are produced and
sold, which destroy cities, beaches, forests, parks and
other natural habitats, wildlife, the food we consume
and the air we breathe. I am saying that democracy in
the United States appears to me to be a complete
failure.</p>
<h3><strong>Equality before the law</strong></h3>
<p>In my opinion, equality before the law here in the
United States has little or no meaning. In reality, if a
Black child steals a 10-cent piece of candy and runs
from the scene, he or she may be shot and killed by a
police officer.</p>
<p>However, a wealthy man, particularly a wealthy white
man, can pull off a million-dollar swindle, run to
another country, but when captured, does not have to
fear any kind of abuse at the hands of law enforcement.
American courts, the system in place and district
attorneys protect law enforcement officers, no matter
what crimes against human beings have been committed.</p>
<p>The Andy Lopez shooting at the hands of law enforcement
here in Sonoma County is a good example. Communities and
attorneys have few means to combat these violations
against humanity without large amounts of money.</p>
<p>Even then, these cases against an officer are usually
lost or settled with no change in the officer’s position
or income. Members of the communities who protest loudly
must remember they are always in danger of being
arrested.</p>
<p>In closing, I feel that we, the people, in order to
begin to address the huge catastrophes we face, must
unite – the need for this is appallingly urgent. In
order to accomplish change, we must be dedicated to the
ideas of freedom and justice for all, to the end of
brutality and murder of people of color, an end to the
militarization of police and to insist on the
institution of nationwide, true community control of
police.</p>
<h3><span>In my opinion, equality before the law here in
the United States has little or no meaning.</span></h3>
<p>Although we must remember that any movement for
self-empowerment is regarded as a threat by the ruling
class, we have to recognize that we have to overcome our
fears which prevent our actions and create disunity.</p>
<p>We must join each other with heart-felt determination,
focus, commitment, dedication and a feel for the urgent
need for change and take a giant, evolutionary leap into
consciousness. We must recognize the need to commit to
each other as human beings, for the need to fight
against racism and injustice is urgent, as is the need
for freedom and justice for all. Our children and our
grandchildren’s lives depend on it and we owe this to
them and to ourselves.</p>
<h3><span>We must join each other with heart-felt
determination, focus, commitment, dedication and a
feel for the urgent need for change and take a giant,
evolutionary leap into consciousness.</span></h3>
<p><em>Elbert “Big Man” Howard is one of the original six
founding members of the Black Panther Party; he served
as the first editor of the Black Panther newspaper and
as the party’s deputy minister of information, central
committee member, coordinator of national and
international support committees and spokesperson. He
is also a founding member of the Police Accountability
Clinic and Helpline (PACH). An activist, author and
lecturer, he resides in Sonoma County and can be
reached at </em><a href="mailto:bigman0138@aol.com"><em>bigman0138@aol.com</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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