When Black Atlanta Remained Silent
Editor:
On Nov. 2, 2004 Officer Terrence Alexander was performing his job patrolling traffic at the Atlanta Airport. He asked a white female driving a SUV to move her vehicle. She refused and indicated that she was not going to "fucking move" and stated, "You police officers are always shitting people." Alexander explained to her that with homeland security requirements no one could park at the curb unless they were loading or off loading. She still refused to move. Alexander asked for her driver's license, registration and insurance in order to write a citation. Without warning, Dietrich Barnes began to back up her SUV striking Alexander with the mirror. Alexander sustained muscle injury to the elbow and a torn rotator cuff. 
He commanded Barnes to stop. He then told her to get out of the vehicle. She refused, indicating that she didn't do anything wrong. Alexander then removed her and took her to the back of the vehicle. He then asked her to get on the ground. She refused. Therefore, Alexander picked her up and laid her on the ground.
There were two witnesses to this incident, a white male and a Black female. One was within five feet and the other within 10 feet of the exchange, and heard and saw the incident. The witnesses said that Officer Alexander was professional, remained calm and did not raise his voice. Nor did he slam Barnes to the ground, as she would later indicate.
Three white male supervisors, Lt. John Mathis, Lt. Anthony Biello and Sergeant B.C. Williams, while treating Alexander like he was sub-human, allowed Barnes to walk around the precinct against police policies. They subsequently released Barnes, which is also against police policies, while refusing to allow Alexander to be transported to the emergency room for treatment, although the ambulance came twice.
Alexander and other officers reviewed the video of the incident, and the tape was close to real time at 30 to 32 frames per second. However, subsequently, the police department produced a video that was only two frames per second. This sped-up video was taken to the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office by Lt. John Mathis in an attempt to obtain the declination of prosecution of Barnes and, instead, bring charges against Alexander. It was later discovered that Barnes' attorney, Steven Lister, used to work as an Assistant D. A. for the District Attorney, Robert Keller, who declined to prosecute Barnes although he had the affidavits of the two independent witnesses.
Mayor Shirley Franklin and police chief, Richard Pennington, who are both African Americans, were personally aware of the grave issues in this case upon receiving the sworn affidavits of the two witnesses who indicated that Alexander did not slam Barnes to the ground. The mayor and police chief could have stopped the tragedy if they had done what was right and in their power to do. However, they took the most expedient political route and did nothing. As a matter-of-fact, when the police department under Chief Pennington realized that there was no slamming as the doctored video indicated and as Barnes contended, Pennington terminated Alexander for placing his knee in Barnes’ back as he handcuffed her, a practice taught during police survival training.
Furthermore, this is the same police chief who refused to fire a white officer who bludgeoned the eye and fractured the jaw of a Black female, Lile Lavender, who scratched the officer. What should this mean to Black women?
The Atlanta Civil Service Board, which is appointed by the mayor, reversed the termination of Alexander. However, as soon as the white press began to report the story, the police department appealed the decision.
Although the Atlanta City Council refused to settle with Barnes, who boldly demanded damages against the city, someone in the city authorized payment of over $350,000, while there are families who are still attempting to get $1 for the death of their Black loved ones at the hands of white officers. Furthermore, there is a question of whether the $350,000 was appropriately authorized, in that the Atlanta City Council is the only body that could approve a sum that large, and they specifically declined to do so.
The question should be asked and answered, "Why do Black people elect Black officials if they refuse to do what is right for the benefit of Black people when it is in their power to do so?" If they are afraid to do what is right, for political reasons, what makes it better for Black people to vote them into office?
Black Atlanta remained silent while Alexander was technologically lynched from the highest technological tree there was, by the white press. While he dangled in mid-technological air, the mayor of the city received acclaim. What a price to pay.
If you are concerned about how the City of Atlanta has treated Officer Alexander, e-mail  citizensforterrencealexander@yahoo.com. Write Mayor Shirley Franklin at Atlanta City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave. SW, Suite 2400, Atlanta, GA. 30335, call 404-330-6100 or  fax 404-658-7361. Write the president of the Atlanta City Council, Lisa Borders at Atlanta City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave. SW, Atlanta, GA., call 404-330-6030, or fax 404-658-6454. Call your branch of the NAACP, Operation PUSH and SCLC and tell them that you want them to investigate this
matter. Call the Black press and ask them to report on this issue. If you live in the Atlanta area, call the city and express your opinion about this matter, and call your state and national representatives and have them inquire. Start a grass-root campaign to pass out flyers or discuss with your family and associates about calling or writing. Pray for Officer Alexander. Just don't remain silent. Silence has never served the best interest of Black people in the past, and
undoubtedly, it never will.
Citizens for Terrence Alexander
citizensforterrencealexander@yahoo.com

Holocaust Remembrance Program A Success
Editor:
On behalf of all of us at the Mountain States Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League, I want to thank you for letting your readers know about our 25th Annual Governor’s Holocaust Remembrance Program. A record number of 1,500 people attended the event and heard child Holocaust survivor David Gewirtzman and Eugenie Mukeshimana, who survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide, not only share their “Voices of Survival,” but also encourage each of us as individuals to speak out against genocide – wherever it occurs. Thank you again.
Vanessa Martin
Assistant Director

Treat The INS "Illegals'" Disease, Not The Symptoms
Editor:
The congressional GOP is still proving they are gutless wonders. They are off again to waste scarce human and fiscal resources in solving the problem of criminal illegal aliens entering this country from Mexico. They have stated the National Guard will be used to augment our Border Patrol. Its mission will be to stem the number of illegal workers coming into this country and to simultaneously stem the tide of illegal drugs like meth, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana brought in by Mexican gangs. The cheapest and easiest way to stop the influx of criminal illegals is to jail the Americans who hire them and those who provide them with living quarters. Immediately we will experience a stampede of criminal illegals back to Mexico.
The GOP can make a case as to being confused about American citizens’ expectations of them, with regards to national security and disaster preparedness. Due solely to incompetence, dereliction of duty, and shirking of duty, President Bush and the GOP congress (national security and disaster preparedness oversight) were rewarded with re-elections, despite their
colossal failures on 9/11 with 3,000 dead, 2,460 warriors dead in Iraq-NAM for a senseless, deceitful, and illegal war, and more than a 1,000 dead in New Orleans (Katrina). No members of the GOP are being prosecuted for this tragic waste of human life. To find 'em, just follow the body bags.
Blacks are the hardest hit ethnic group by the major influx of illegal workers. Illegals are resegregating our schools and communities, driving down wages for menial tasks, GOP-busting organized labor unions, increasing street drug gangs, and retarding our gains made by the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts. Black votes in California are neutered by a staggering number of illegals voting. Blacks in Denver got a Voting Rights Act violation double-whammy. Through a slick Texas-style redistricting scam, for the first time in 50 years, Denver Blacks have no elected representation on the Regional Transportation Board (RTD). As result, we are excluded from the "plum" and cash-cow portions of the $12 billion in federal funds being spent (jobs/contracts) in the T-REX and FasTracks projects. Illegals register to vote and they actually vote, because
they are not required to submit ID or INS documents to show they are in this country legally. The GOP should force all 50 states to require ID for voting until they solve their self-inflicted illegals problem.
I am so angry, I might just run for the U.S. Senate as a write-in candidate. We would then number 2 of 100. Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R-MD) doesn't count in this senate-run equation, because every time he steps up to a microphone to make a campaign pitch, he is literally peppered with Oreo cookies by his fellow Blacks. 
James J. Tenant
Lt. Commander, US Navy, LDO, Retired
Centennial, CO 303-693-5794