Local activists join families in renewed call for equal justice
1st June 2015 · 0 Comments
A coalition of grassroots activists, civil rights leaders and justice advocates joined New Orleans families near the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office recently in a renewed call for equal justice.
The groups that participated in the May 22 event included Community United for Change, the New Orleans Branch of the NAACP, Justice and Beyond, Louisiana United International, SCLC, Orthodox Muslim Community, National Action Network, Committee to Free Rogers LaCaze, Committee to Support the Danziger Bridge Massacre Victims, Free McKinley “Mac” Phipps Society and others.
“The purpose of the direct action is to call attention to the fact that heinous crimes and neglected policies towards non-white people is not an accident but rather a conscious act of racism and justice denied,” W.C. Johnson, a member of Community United for Change and host of the local cable-access show “OurStory,” said. “Of all people, (U.S. Attorney) Kenneth Polite should be well aware that had it not been for direct actions by primarily Black and Brown people, Kenneth Polite would not be able to hold the position he enjoys today. Orleans Parish District Attorney has always been viewed as a racist position. After the reputation (Leon) Cannizzaro received during his tenure as a Criminal District Judge, his action as District Attorney continues a trail of tears. Much like the forced movement of the indigenous people from the southeastern United States to west of the Mississippi, Cannizzaro continues to be unapologetic about his brand of justice. From turning a blind eye to police corruption and murder to powering forward with harsh prosecutions of non-white defendants, to upholding prosecutorial misconduct in cases prior to his assuming office, Cannizzaro continues to prove Black Life Does Not Matter.”
The coalition is seeking to raise awareness of four cases in particular including ongoing efforts to convict five officers previously convicted in the 2005 Danziger Bridge shootings whose convictions were overturned after an online posting scandal that involved several key federal prosecutors; a decision by D.A. Cannizzaro on whether to indict former NOPD Officer David Warren in the death of Henry Glover less than a week after Hurricane Katrina; a pending decision by Judge Michael Kirby on whether to grant a new trial to Rogers LaCaze in the Antoinette Frank murder case and efforts by McKinley “Mac” Phipps to get a new trial after someone came forward and confessed to committing the murder which sent Phipps to jail for 25 years.
The coalition said it plans to monitors the aforementioned cases closely and engage local criminal justice system leaders in their quest for equal justice.
In an interview that aired recently on WBOK, McKinley Phipps said that he has never seen and does not know the man he was convicted of murdering. After spending 13 years behind bars for a crime he says he did not commit, Phipps says he hopes that the confession of someone else to the murder will be enough to get him a new trial. If it is not, he will have to spend another 10 years behind bars.
“There are several direct action events planned,” Johnson said. “Among them will be support at the June 4 hearing in Federal Appeals Court to overturn the appeal process of the five officers convicted in the Danziger Bridge case
“U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt said at least three government attorneys posted anonymous comments on a New Orleans newspaper’s website, creating a “carnival atmosphere” that perverted justice in the case. June 4 is expected to be the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling. The organizations participating at the Press Conference are asking for the Appeals Court to overturn Judge Engelhardt.
Several weeks ago, the U.S. Attorney’s Office also asked the Federal Court to reinstate the convictions of the five NOPD officers in the Danziger Bridge case.
In that incident, less than a week after Hurricane Katrina, two unarmed civilians were killed and four others were wounded on the eastern New Orleans bridge.
While coalition leaders said they will continue to monitor the cases, they agreed that more needs to be done to level the playing field in the criminal justice system and ensure equal protection under the law.
“Reform is not enough,” Johnson told The Louisiana Weekly. “The core of the injustice for Black people is rooted in the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The 13th Amendment must be repealed. Slavery, according to the 13th Amendment, is still legal in America. Slavery is a form used to punish Blacks for crimes they are convicted of or admit to committing. It is unfortunate, but the slippery slopes of law have convinced Black folks that slavery was abolished. It was not, it was only moved from the private sector to the public sector.
“The reason for expanding ‘Black Life Matters’ to include the courtroom is to make Black folks aware of the high-tech lynchings carried out in the courtrooms of America.”
“Because of the handwriting on the wall, Black politicians and Black legal professionals are given only one option: Join the fraternity or find another means of employment,” Johnson told The Louisiana Weekly when asked why he believes so few Black elected officials and people working in the local criminal justice system have spoken out about unequal justice in the local system. “What most people are not aware of is that the blue code of protection doesn’t stop with the police. The blue code covers all officers of the court which includes police, prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges. The entire criminal justice system is members of the court. Where are the provision of protection for the defendant?”
This article originally published in the June 1, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
