A Political History of Cleveland's Travesty in the Wake of the Brelo Verdict

By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis

Scene guest editorial

May 27, 2015 at 11:29 am

Last Thursday a friend called saying, “Did you see Roland Martin? They’re talking about Cleveland.” Busy woman that I am, I had not.

Thankfully, my friend recorded the program during which Martin expressed to his guests how bewildered he was by the state of affairs in Cleveland. He could not understand why residents were not protesting, en masse, the deaths of Timothy Russell, Malissa Williams, and Tamir Rice (to name just a few) at the hands of Cleveland police officers.

Two days later, on Saturday, May 23, Judge John P. O’Donnell released his judgment of not guilty for Police Officer (yes, he remains on the force) Michael Brelo, who fired 49 of the 137 shots aimed at Russell and Williams in 2012.

Yet, the expression of mass outcry that Martin queried about still had not come. On the day the verdict was announced, protests occurred in Cleveland and 71 people were arrested. At the time of this writing protests continue and more are in the works. Even so, Cleveland did not and probably will not experience riots of the magnitude witnessed in Ferguson and Baltimore.

I surmise that Martin was searching for answers as to why Clevelanders appeared apathetic or unorganized. First, let me convey that there are passionate, long-standing activists in this community. People like members of the Carl Stokes Brigade and Puncture The Silence CLE, and individuals including Julia Shearson of the Center for American-Islamic Relations and Bill Swain have been on the case along with a cadre of clergy, college students, particularly from nearby Oberlin College, and other groups and individuals.

Yet Cleveland appears very different from other cities devastated by blatant acts of police brutality. With Judge O’Donnell’s shady verdict, the question moved from why is Cleveland not aflame to “How did this happen?” The “this” is two-part: One, how did O’Donnell find Brelo “not guilty”? Two, why was Brelo the only officer tried? As tends to be the case, the answers are found in history.

Cleveland was the site of two notable “race” conflicts in the 1960s, and the police were involved in both. Substantial numbers of Cleveland’s population have not forgotten the Hough Riots or the Glenville Shootout. Having watched recent events in Ferguson, Baltimore, and even Los Angeles after the merciless beating of Rodney King, most Clevelanders have less than zero appetite for riot. While some have claimed the anthem “No Justice, No Peace” most Clevelanders hold an ideology that eschews destroying your own neighborhood in the quest for justice.

This is Cleveland’s version of “politics of respectability.” Trust me when I tell you, politics and respectability mean a great deal in this town. More to the point, politics and respectability are tools used to control the masses (hence, no rioting) and to establish social class and electoral politics.

Without question, politics is a tremendous part of the equation in analyzing the legal system that perverted justice for Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. We know that African Americans have been denied respect and partiality in the criminal justice system since our ancestors touched its shores in 1619. With respect to the present case, we need not look any further than the 2012 election for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor.

This race was contested on the Democratic side with a crowded field of five candidates including the winner, Timothy McGinty, an appointed incumbent, and runner-up Stephanie Hall, an African American attorney and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. McGinty, a former Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge, went on to beat Independent candidate Ed Wade, an African American Howard University School of Law-trained defense attorney (I too am an alumnus). Cuyahoga County is overwhelmingly Democratic. Republicans are seldom relevant here.

For African Americans in the know, grave concern was had about McGinty. His judicial record of incarcerating African Americans, Latinos, and Hispanics was legendary. Of all the candidates he was by far the worst potential outcome for people of color as captured in commentary by local activist Kathy Wray Coleman.

Nonetheless, McGinty won the 2012 Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s race for two reasons—money and “the Machine.” Money and the political machine that is the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party have proven to be lethal mechanisms in these recent times of trouble and attempts at progress for African Americans, who, by the way, vote overwhelmingly Democratic in this county, like so many others, too.

The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party also plays respectability politics. Without question, a hierarchy exists and foot soldiers—elected public officials and low-level operatives—are expected to toe-the-line, wait your turn, and keep your mouth shut unless you are telling lies to discredit an undesirable, non-compliant, or threateningly competent candidate.

(For full disclosure, I am a registered Democrat and an elected official. I, however, do not fit in well, as I am progressive and a critical thinker with an independent and activist spirit and curriculum vita. Perhaps that is obvious from this piece. I am most interested in serving “we the people” righteously regardless of the perceived “cost.” Forsaking my truth and integrity is the only dynamic that equates to “cost” by my personal definition. Unfortunately, mine is a rare profile in Cuyahoga County. It is the status quo, which I have described above, that allows oppressive political and social structures to persist in Cleveland. More often than not, residents willingly participate in these structures or, as the only perceived viable alternative, opt out (this is the de facto vote that I speak of). A staunch minority seeks to change the systems and they are the city’s small, persistent activists who are striving for holistic reform, justice, and recognition of everyone’s humanity and dignity.)

McGinty and O’Donnell, systems-keepers, are but two individuals who represent a close-knit Irish-American network that essentially controls Cleveland judicial system and police force. I must note that Cuyahoga County is larger than Cleveland. So while Cleveland is a city where the majority of its residents are of color, that is not the case with the County. Cleveland would be better off with a city prosecutor, like in Baltimore, allowing for a prosecutor and system to be more reflective of and attentive to its people.

For Cleveland’s majority population of color, Democratic candidate Stephanie Hall and Independent Ed Wade, presumably, would have been better prosecutors. With African Americans in high places, I always vet them through the filter of Zora Neale Hurston’s comment, “All my skinfolk ain’t kinfolk.” I have encountered both candidates personally, to varying degrees, and doubt that Mother Zora’s adage applies to either Hall or Wade. Now, I cannot assert that either would be as stalwart in seeking justice for victims of police brutality as Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, but I can contend that McGinty is the Anti-Mosby. Indeed, McGinty is the antithesis of Mosby in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, and legal and “racial” ideology.

So, at the end of the day, who is to blame for the verdict that allowed Michael Brelo to go free and the decision not to prosecute the twelve other officers involved in the wanton murders of Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell? Those who voted for McGinty and O’Donnell by casting votes for them and those who “voted” by default by not voting at all.

Be mad if you want too. March and protest if you want too. But if you voted for McGinty or did not vote at all, the injustice dealt to Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell rest on your hands as well as the 13 officers involved in the shooting, the brass of the Cleveland Police Department, members of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office, Tim McGinty and John O’Donnell. With actual and de facto votes, the morally corrupt political systems of Cuyahoga County would not—could not exist.

Next time, get up on the candidates, attend the Democratic Club functions, witness the candidates for yourself, do not rely solely on endorsements from your Party or federal representatives. Support those who love and demand righteousness, justice, and decency. #StayWoke. #BlackLivesMatter. #HumanStriving.   

Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min., (ABD), is a minister, councilwoman, author, animation producer, and literary activist. She recently completed her dissertation on sex and sexuality in the African American Baptist Church and a manuscript on legal, religious, and political rhetoric pertinent to “race.” Follow her @HumanStriving and on SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis.

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2015/05/27/guest-editorial-a-political-history-of-clevelands-travesty-in-the-wake-of-the-brelo-verdict

You Mad?: How Dr. Saida Grundy Busted Open the Myth of White Supremacy

By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis
May 13, 2015

The Myth of White Supremacy is the scourge of the earth. Period. I do not believe that world has ever seen an affliction of this magnitude. People of European descent who are so inclined and people of color who are broken by the ever-present execution of this pernicious ideology perpetuate this diabolical myth. 

Many of the purveyors of this sinister mindset are men who act out in ways detrimental to the human race because significant numbers of people are harmed socially, economically, physically, psychologically, and spiritually. 

If we were to look solely at the implications of the Myth of White Supremacy in the United States, it is white men in the various seats of power that have murdered and pilfered countless millions often in the name of some form of self-declared and self-determined “manifest destiny.” From the presidency, to Congress, to Wall Street, to corporate board rooms, to military situation rooms, white men inclined toward mayhem for their own gain have laid waste to valuable human resources in one form or another.

Without question in the United States, the historical facts establish this: the dastardly enslavement of African peoples, patriarchy, the genocide of Native American Indians, never-ending warmongering, the manipulation of discriminatory laws, and the numerous anti-immigrant campaigns have been—and in some instances, continue to be—perpetuated largely by white men. Consequently, opportunities for people of color and women have consistently and persistently been decimated. These are not racist, but factual, claims. 

This is but one of a myriad of ways of understanding and placing into context the tweets from Saida Grundy, Ph.D. As a result of her exercise of well-honed thought and free speech, some folks are all upset. Professor Grundy has been label as “racist” and “anti-white” for asserting factual summations of U.S. history in 140 characters or less. Such claims simply do not hold weight. Contending that white males are a “problem population” alone is not enough to forge a claim that Dr. Grundy meets what is perhaps the lowest threshold of ethnic bigotry—in this case, asserting the inferiority of white males or the superiority of any other group. 

The young scholar (presumably a white male) who took umbrage with Professor Grundy’s tweets felt compelled, first, to compile a series of her tweets and then opted to justify the immorality and pathology of white males by pointing out that other populations are immoral and pathological too. For example, it was noted that Arabs, Muslims, and Barbary pirates also participated in the slave trade. (Let me add, so did Africans who deemed their captives “enemies.”) To justify brutality by calling a roll of those who also perpetuated slavery is perverse in itself, is it not?

A critical piece of data is lost in this outrage over Dr. Grundy’s remarks—especially her tweet about white males as a troubled population. Here it is: The world would be a much better place if white males would engage in a measure of self-introspection that could possibly lead them to the recognition of who they really are—flawed, not superior, human beings just like the rest of humanity. 

To make or imply this recommendation does not make me or Dr. Grundy a racist or anti-white. It makes us clear-eyed, intelligent, and realistic. 

As a population that has wielded so much power, the legacy of privileged white men is predicated on the destruction and delimiting of other peoples and women. History bears this out in grand fashion. This is a sad reality. 

Fulfillment of this nation’s true greatness is not known due to the long-standing suppression of talents possessed by people of color and women. Until every human being is given place and space to operate in the full measure of our intelligence and abilities our communities and societies suffer. The United States included.

When I first read of the burgeoning controversy surrounding Saida Grundy on Facebook, my reply was: "Yeah, and what she said is true. So, what's the problem? Her detractors can't handle the truth! This we know.” 

My people are often told, "Get over it." The “it” being our entire history and present day struggle to fend off the systems and other ramifications of the Myth of White Supremacy. It is very difficult to get over what one is currently living through.

So, for those offended by Professor Grundy’s justifiable take on history, how about taking up the oft bandied about recommendation. Lay down your fragility, face the truth, and “get over it.” Face the truth of your long-standing white male privilege and the legacy of degradation of peoples of color and women from which you have benefited. For good measure, I suggest you "get over it" by undertaking acts of contrition. 

I can dream can I not? 


Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min., (ABD), is a minister, councilwoman, author, animation producer, and literary activist. She recently completed her dissertation on sex and sexuality in the African American Baptist Church and a manuscript on legal, religious, and political rhetoric pertinent to “race.” Follow her on Twitter: @HumanStriving and on SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis.

http://www.forharriet.com/2015/05/you-mad-how-dr-saida-grundy-busted-open.html#axzz3c1uYt3VD

Police Body Cameras Will Not End Systemic Racism and Police Brutality

By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis

April 29, 2015

Remember the old adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words?” There was a time when the primary purpose of a camera was to record the highlights and the fun and frivolous moments of our lives. Now, the camera is a lawful and vital instrument of social justice and an implement of our (in)justice system. 

Citizens, like David Diaz, wisely employ camera phones when police activity occurs in their midst. The world needed to know of the abuse suffered by Marlene Pinnock, a 51-year-old African American woman, at the hands of California Highway Patrolman Daniel Andrew. Otherwise, Ms. Pinnock might not have received justice. 

Government entities are using taxpayer-dollar to suit police officers with body cameras. Even President Obama promoted the distribution of federal money to support municipal police departments to this end. Currently, elected officials are tinkering filming police activity through legislation and policy. One of our own, Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington D.C., is seeking to limit the power of pictures. Mayor Bowser wants to restrict the public’s access to footage from police body cameras. She is not alone. Legislatures in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, and other states are now taking up the issue. Even the open-minded American Civil Liberties Union is expressing concern regarding what type of footage should be available to media and other members of the public. 

All of this is fine and well, but cameras are neither the problem nor the solution. Cameras will not stop our slaughter. As the Eric Garner case indicates, cameras may not even lead to an indictment. We still await the outcome of the Walter Scott case where charges have at least been filed against former officer Michael T. Slager. We still don’t know what happened to Baltimore’s Freddie Gray, who died from a spinal cord injury he sustained while under arrest, though the city proposed a police body camera pilot program in Frebruary.

Curbing the wanton and disproportionate number of murders of citizens of color and from impoverished communities is what is called for. This can be done. Believe it or not there are communities where law enforcement leaders are committed to honoring #BlackLivesMatter through the employment of anti-racism training and internal policies that enhance cultural competencies of officers. 

Now, let me be clear, I am by no means suggesting that these police departments are perfect. I am not. I put these examples forward as a demonstration of what is possible and as evidence of “progress” within caring communities. Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota are working with the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society and the Local and Regional Government Alliance on Race & Equity. The Haas Institute and the Alliance on Race & Equity share the objective “to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all.” 

Equity requires an end to White Supremacy and White Privilege. Equity calls for the recognition of the value of all life including, of course, the lives of African Americans. Equity also calls for the elimination of varying and disparate standards in the treatment and punishment of alleged offenders of crime—civilian and police. Through their work with the Haas Institute and the Alliance, the police departments of note are altering their hiring practices, employing community policing and outreach, instituting anti-racism training and appropriate zero-tolerance policies to cultivate cultures that reflect equitable treatment of all people. 

Communities that commit to equity will have the power needed to end mass incarceration, police brutality, intra-ethnic violence, economic injustice, and all sorts of social problems. Citizens must organize for equity. Then, citizens must elect representatives with a demand for administration of equitable policies and solutions. When this is done, social progress will be made. 

Cameras provide important evidence of crime, but they are only tools for recording. If we give the issue of cameras more time, energy, and weight than we ought, they become a distraction from the real issue—unchecked “xenophobia and oppression”—the hatred and fear of black, brown, and poor people. Hatred, fear, and a complete disregard for the value of human life lies at the root of our present problem. When all lives are seen as worthy and murderers are charged and adjudicated justly, then and only then, will we as a society solve the problem which #BlackLivesMatter necessarily brings to our attention. #StayWoke.

Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min., (ABD), is a minister, councilwoman, author, and animation producer. She recently completed her dissertation on sex and sexuality in the African American Baptist Church and a manuscript on legal, religious, and political rhetoric pertinent to “race.” Follow her on Twitter: @HumanStriving and on SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis.

http://www.forharriet.com/2015/04/police-body-cameras-will-not-end.html#axzz3c1uYt3VD

Confirm Loretta Lynch as U.S. Attorney General without Further Delay

By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis
Plain Dealer guest columnist
April 10, 2015


In the Senate's delay to proceed with Loretta Lynch's confirmation for U.S. attorney general, we have a dramatic clash of Republican ideologies -- being tough on crime on the one hand versus obstructing the president, and in turn the nation's progress, no matter what, on the other.

Lynch was nominated to replace U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Nov. 8, 2014. She and the nation have been in a holding pattern for five months. I cannot think of any business or corporate boardroom where such needless delay would be acceptable or tolerated.


Here we have, by the admission of diverse law enforcement officials, an exceedingly qualified candidate. New York Police Commissioner William Bratton called Lynch "a remarkable prosecutor with a clear sense of justice without fear or favor."

Louis Freeh, former FBI director, noted, "She has been a leading [prosecutor] in terms of major public corruption cases, including the former State Senate Majority leader in New York City, former state senators, former assemblymen. And that's very significant because bringing public corruption cases not only requires a lot of skill and competence, but requires a fearlessness and independence which Loretta Lynch has reflected very completely in all of her work."

Even Rudolph Giuliani has lauded Lynch's nomination and called for his fellow Republicans to stop the obstruction and to confirm Ms. Lynch posthaste.

To needlessly delay the confirmation of Lynch as the nation's leading law enforcement officer flies in the face of the Republicans' long-standing assertion that theirs is a party that is tough on crime. It, however, fortifies the fact that Republicans have been obstructionists under President Barack Obama's tenure to the great disadvantage of our nation.

Further, this politicized, tactical delay of the appointment of an abundantly and uniquely qualified African-American woman epitomizes the Republicans' modus operandi, which includes disenfranchising people of color and women, and complete and utter lack of professional efficacy.

Throughout her 30-year career, Loretta Lynch has cultivated exceptional skills. She brings critical and rarified experiences to the task. Serving as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York since 2010 -- and previously from 1999 to 2001 -- she holds the responsibility for overseeing all federal and civil investigations in that district. She began her career in government in 1990 in the Eastern District prosecuting narcotics and violent crime cases. Later on, she prosecuted white-collar crime and public-corruption cases. She was the lead prosecutor in a series of public-corruption trials in the Long Island town of Brookhaven.

Under Lynch's leadership, the Eastern District of New York has developed a national security practice that has tried more terrorism cases since 9/11 than any other office in the country (see United States v. Medunjanin, et al. and United States v. Nafis). Additionally, she prosecuted groundbreaking cyber and international organized crime cases (see United States v. Lajud, et al.), built an MS-13 gang program that is a national model, crafted institutional change in the construction industry in New York, championed victims of human trafficking, defended the government in litigation, and protected the environment.

These credentials position Lynch well to serve the best interest of the American people. It seems as though she has not left any legal stone -- domestic or those with international implications -- unturned.

Politics should never hinder the safety and administration of justice on behalf of the citizens of the United States. Lynch and the American people have waited longer for confirmation following her committee vote than the last seven attorney general nominees combined. This is an abomination. Confirm Loretta Lynch without further delay.

Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min., (ABD), is a minister, councilwoman, author, animation producer, and literary activist. She recently completed her dissertation on sex and sexuality in the African American Baptist Church and a manuscript on legal, religious, and political rhetoric pertinent to “race.” Follow her @HumanStriving and on SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis.

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/04/confirm_loretta_lynch_as_us_at.html#incart_river

Tamir Rice Reminds Us of How America Has Always (De)Valued Black Lives

By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis
March 5, 2015

It is official: Cleveland’s descent into moral decay has been solidified with its proclamation that a twelve-year-old boy playing with a toy gun caused his own death. 

James Holmes was 24 at the time he shot 24 people dead and wounded 70 others during his rampage at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater in 2012. At the time of this writing, James Holmes, due to the legal wrangling of his defense team, has yet to be tried for his “alleged” crimes: 24 counts of first-degree murder and 116 counts of attempted murder. My point is that James Holmes actually killed people and wounded others and he is still alive.

Tamir Rice had a toy gun and he now lives, as we say in the African American church, on the other side of the Jordan. 



[Photo: Tamir Rice]

Firearms have been around since the 1300s. I suspect the creation of the toy gun followed shortly thereafter. Toy guns and children of the United States have a long tradition. Who has not played with a toy gun? Who has not felt the exhalation of a water gun fight on a hot summer’s day? Even so, I am not a gun advocate—toy or otherwise. 

We can argue all day long that Tamir never should have had that gun or that he never should have had it outside appearing to “menace” people. I understand the presence of this argument due to our context and the fact that African American children, in particular, have been killed in the past when police have presumed toy guns real. Yes, context matters. But the appearance of a toy gun—emphasis on “toy”—did not kill Tamir. 

Timothy Loehmann did. A rookie officer shot Tamir, less than two seconds after arriving on the scene. TWO SECONDS. Prior to being hired by the Cleveland Police Department, Loehmann was deemed “unfit for duty at a previous police department and was in the process of being fired when he resigned from his post.” 

Loehmann lacked the requisite ability to serve and protect, but was hired by the Cleveland Police Department anyway. Clearly, the officers in Aurora were fit. Those officers were so competent they subdued a man armed with enough weaponry to injure at least 94 human beings.

Competence is only part of the issue here. The central issue is the valuation of human life. Let me be exact: the vulgar attempt to judge the value of life is a critical issue here. Loehmann, it appears, judged Tamir’s life to have no more value than a cardboard shooting target. Our recent national history is replete with stories of innocent unarmed men, women, and children dying at the hands of law enforcement and armed citizens. To murder someone is to assess the value of that person’s life as worthless and expendable. This is an abomination.

You know where I am going next. Our society still fails to recognize the equal value of human life across and throughout the color spectrum. All life is invaluable. In actuality, all life is priceless.

Actuaries may project life expectancies, but no one is capable of truly affixing a value to human life because life is sacred. Let me dream a prophetic dream for a moment: In a world where humility reigns, humans would recognize that only our Creator has the power to make life, and therefore, our Higher Power is the only One with the authority to take a life. 

There is an adage from the I Ching, an ancient Chinese book of wisdom, which says, “Evil turns on itself.” The evil within the United States continues to turn on its very citizens. If I were to call the roll, you would see that the evil within is turning on the most vulnerable among us—children, women, the mentally ill, and the homeless. African Americans are seemingly dying at a disproportionate rate.

Madness and mayhem of this nature will continue until a critical mass of people decides that this wave of violence must end. As a society, we must begin to reorient ourselves toward the truth that all life is holy. For our own sustainability, we must begin to socialize our children with the honorable idea that all lives matter including, of course, the lives of people of African descent.

This nation has struggled with the truth of the immeasurable value of African American life since Africans and Europeans came to its shores. We have an exceedingly weighty history to overcome. Various U.S. caste systems that have declared particular individuals enslaved or indentured, worthy of the right to vote or not, fully human or only three-fifths human have scarred the U.S. psyche in ways that are so obvious and so profound. A great lie has marred this land and its people since the nation’s participation in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the mutually dehumanizing specter of the slave market, auction block, and the inspection of human beings made cargo and chattel. To enslave is as dehumanizing as to be enslaved, perhaps more so.

It does not matter if life is possessed by a homeless man, who may be mentally ill, on Los Angeles’s Skid Row. It does not matter if a woman who remains in a violent relationship, or stumbles drunk and high on a stranger’s porch after a car accident possesses the life. All life is sacred. 

We are in the throes of mayhem. When a legal brief blaming a child for his death comes into existence and is filed with the court simply because it aims to alleviate a municipality’s liability in a boy’s murder, the death knell of decency has been sound. When the world finds it acceptable to kill a twelve year old holding a toy gun on a playground we have truly lost our way. Our descent into madness is buttressed when money associated with a likely legal settlement takes precedent over taking responsibility for an immoral and depraved act. 

Tamir Rice was a twelve-year-old boy. Killing a child is particularly heinous. My heart aches for any society that lacks the ability to hold the lives of our children as holy. Young lives, I say, should matter most.



Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., is a minister, councilwoman, author, and animation producer. She recently completed her dissertation on sex and sexuality in the African American Baptist Church and a manuscript on legal, religious, and political rhetoric pertinent to “race.” Follow her on Twitter: @HumanStriving and on SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis.

http://www.forharriet.com/2015/03/tamir-rice-reminds-us-of-how-america.html#axzz3TYRXAPeU

The Demon Within: Black Men, Brilliance, and Diabolical Personalities

By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis
December 28, 2014



It seems every skeleton in the closets of notable African American men is coming out. Historically, there have been claims of domestic violence against men like Miles Davis, James Brown, Ike Turner, and Bill Withers (who will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015).

In this age of technology, we have photographic proof of Chris Brown’s vicious assault on Rihanna. That was but a precursor to the video of Ray Rice’s knockout blow to the face of his then girlfriend, Janay Palmer (now Janay Rice, as she shortly thereafter became his wife).

[Photo: Chris Brown, Ray Rice, Bill Cosby]

The fifteenth year of the twenty-first century appears to be the year the chickens began coming home to roost. While activists took to the streets and shopping districts for die-ins and stopped traffic on highways to protest the unrighteous killings of unarmed African American women, men, and children, twenty or so women have come out to accuse Bill Cosby of rape and sexual assault. Some of the alleged assaults date back as far as the 1960’s and involve the use of illicit drugs. Darren Sharper, who once won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints sits in a Los Angeles jail awaiting trial on rape he allegedly perpetrated with an accomplice and the use of date-rape drugs. Shaper may also be charged in two other jurisdictions—New Orleans and Tempe, Arizona—for similar crimes.

Many years ago, we witnessed assertions of child molestation against R. Kelly and Michael Jackson. Then there is the recent case of child abuse against Adrian Peterson, formerly of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, to which he pleaded no contest.

Lest I forget, James Fortune, the minister and Gospel artist, who was involved in two separate instances—first, sued for child abuse in 2012, and recently, criminally charged with assaulting his wife.

Just days ago, on this very site, I read an article asserting the debauched behavior of the creator and king of AfroBeat, Nigeria’s Fela Kuti, long deceased.

Even in light of this litany of sadness, suffering, and degradation, I do not believe for one minute that our men are any more pathological than the men in any other ethnic group. But, really, that is not the issue, is it?

What matters is that something demonic is raging among our people and the bloodletting just does not seem to stop. In the process, families, and individuals are being destroyed along with reputations built on hard work and blessings.

Creative geniuses and athletically gifted men are being exposed as potentially deeply broken vessels.

What are we, their adoring public, expected to do as we watch the media spectacle that becomes their lives? Is it immoral and anti-feminine to appreciate their artistic or athletic gifts? Are we to condemn them in the public square and the market place, especially, when they evade prosecution in the courts?

For each of us it comes down to choice—or better yet, choices. Our ethics and our aesthetics come into play. Can our minds conceive that they committed the acts for which they have been blamed? Do we deem their alleged actions tolerable or morally reprehensible? Do we like their music, their shows, or their team? Can we live without the gifts they bring? We may ask, “What contribution have they made to better the lives of other African Americans?”

We all have a scale against which we weigh egregious behavior. On one side, we place our tolerance and appreciation. On the other side, we place the violations of child molestation, rape, and domestic violence and any other unlawful or immoral deed.

Because we are human, we shutter to think of our own frailties. Because we are human, our emotions often strongly come into play. Because we are human, we often pass judgment, not recognizing that without proof, we do not know with certainty whether the accused is actually guilty because we were not there. Alternatively, we fail to accept that human beings, regardless of their brilliance or our relationship to them, are capable of the diabolical.

As women, we are placed in a quandary when our men endanger us. It would serve us well to develop a personal and collective zero-tolerance policy regarding all types of abuse. Let us not reward bad behavior in any form or fashion. To do so perpetuates our disregard, ill treatment, and exploitation. Since #BlackWomensLivesMatter too, let us hold up a standard against our destruction at the hands of our men and the industries that profit from their abilities.


Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., is a minister, councilwoman, author, and animation producer. She recently completed her dissertation on sex and sexuality in the African American Baptist Church and a manuscript on legal, religious, and political rhetoric pertinent to “race.” Follow her on Twitter @HumanStriving and on SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis.

http://www.forharriet.com/2014/12/the-demon-within-black-men-brilliance.html#axzz3c1uYt3VD

Inequity Among Children Is Not God's Doing: Messages of Faith

By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis
Plain Dealer guest columnist
July 6, 2012 at 8:00 pm







Them that's got shall get

Them that's not shall lose

So the Bible said and it still is news

Mama may have, Papa may have

But God bless the child that's got his own

That's got his own



These poignant words sung by the incomparable Billie Holiday never sat well with me. A beautiful and heart-wrenching song, "God Bless the Child" is a profound articulation of the human condition. Yet, this song attributes an inequitable reality to the absence of God. Reason dictates that if the child that has, is blessed of God, then the child that does not have, consequently, is not blessed of God.

It is this attribution and the disparities of life that trouble me.

Speculation suggests that Holiday and her co-writer Arthur Herzog employed the biblical theology of Matthew 25:14-30. This, the Parable of the Talents, conveys that those who do not squander their resources will be blessed with more assets.

Viewing Ohio through the lens of this parable provides a stark conclusion when we examine how we treat our children in the areas of education and the law. In far too many instances in this land of plenty, our children are not given the chance to explore their talents. The elimination of music, arts and athletic programs in schools are prime examples.

God gives all humans some measure of ability. As such, we are all God's actors in the world. Yet, sometimes we fail to perform our social responsibilities to act for the benefit of others. On the material level, human action is responsible for the condition of the world. More often than not, this is why bad things happen to good people. This is why adults fail to act responsibly as faithful stewards of children. Freewill and human action often mitigate God's loving intentions toward us.

Some of Ohio's children who have had the misfortune of being defendants in the criminal justice system have experienced a violation of their right to adult guidance and supervision. Under Ohio's new Juvenile Rule 3, which took effect July 1, children still may waive their right to legal counsel in certain instances. But the juvenile court has to make sure the child understands he or she has a right to counsel and the disadvantages of self-representation. In addition, a child can't waive the right to counsel in felony cases without consulting an attorney.

No child should have the ability to waive counsel. We do not allow children to make significant decisions about their well-being because they lack capacity. Even many parents of children who find themselves in the juvenile justice system lack the competence to make wise and prudent determinations for their children.

A society that values expediency and the hope of reducing courts costs over our children is assuring its degradation.

We have an even more paltry record in the realm of education. On Monday, Gov. John Kasich came to Cleveland to sign the Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools into law. I expect that in November Mayor Frank Jackson and the school board will ask the businesses and residents of Cleveland to pass a levy.

These are positive moves, but both are only stopgap measures. Since the 1979 Ohio Supreme Court decision DeRolph v. State, our state legislature has permitted an unconstitutional system of educational inequity to persist in our state. The Ohio Supreme Court has repeatedly deemed our current system of funding education a violation of the state Constitution pursuant to Miller v. Korns.

While our legislators have lacked the political will to ensure that every young Ohioan experiences educational equity and that all school districts have adequate funding, we the people have failed to make the demand of them.

This perpetuates the condition illustrated by the sad adage: Them that's got shall get, Them that's not shall lose.


Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min., (ABD), is a minister, councilwoman, author, animation producer, and literary activist. She recently completed her dissertation on sex and sexuality in the African American Baptist Church and a manuscript on legal, religious, and political rhetoric pertinent to “race.” Follow her @HumanStriving and on SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis.

http://www.cleveland.com/religion/index.ssf/2012/07/inequity_among_children_is_not.html

Protest, Where Justice and Obedience Intersect: Messages of Faith Print

By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis,
Plain Dealer guest columnist 
February 17, 2012 at 8:00 PM

Time magazine dubbed "The Protester" its 2011 "Person of the Year." A promotional phrase accompanied this proclamation: "In 2011, protesters didn't just voice their complaints; they changed the world."

Sadly, this grand claim sounds hollow to me. Granted, Time did not qualify the "change" as positive or negative. The periodical chronicled protests from North Africa to Europe to the United States and Russia.

Neither the world nor this country has changed positively enough, in my opinion. There remains too much unemployment, too much poverty, too much criminal injustice, too much xenophobia and oppression, too much political discord, ineffectiveness and corruption. Too much, too much, too much -- clearly, I lament.

Four days after St. Valentine's Day, I ponder "love" in the face of human suffering and moral frailty. On this annual occasion when we exchange tokens of affection, two other types of love come to mind.

The first is the love of self and the second, the love of money. Two Greek words, philautos and philargyros, succinctly express these concepts. Both, I detect, lie at the root of the world's problems. Certainly, this diagnosis is not novel. Why then are these destructive personality traits chronic in the human experience? Further, why are people who possess these attributes permitted to run rampant through communities and societies to the detriment of the greater population? The Protester seeks to curb the second phenomenon.

Ponder Micah 6:8. : "O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

The Protester is an excellent embodiment of this passage. Faith requires action. Action must point toward justice and be undergirded by love. A love of self is required, but so too is a love of others, and a love of kindness or noble deeds.

Generally, most people perceive economic suffering as a minority class phenomenon, especially amid national prosperity. For the indifferent and disconnected, the thought goes that poverty affects only those on the edge of society. Before scarcity took up residence on Main Street, even the well-off should have protested the mere existence of destitution.

Protesting, in addition to the time-honored religious tradition of giving alms -- also known as charity -- would have been an appropriate demonstration of doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with our God. Ethical and equitable business practices serve as an even greater display of the divine edict. Love -- altruistic and brotherly -- is a fundamental ingredient for human success and social thriving. 

As I see it, the well-prepared, properly informed, strategically organized, nonviolent Protester seeks to increase the productivity of his or her nation through the modification of systems and policies that hinder the greatest expression of holistic prosperity for the greatest number of people.

One final element of the three-part requirement for human conduct found in Micah is walking humbly. For the conservatively inclined, the notion of humility requires subjugation to external forces whatever they may be. I, however, urge another view. A quick check of the etymology of "humble" also yields "on the ground," a phrase that often means at the grass-roots level.

Essentially, protesters' "groundedness " prompts their very public protest. Personal financial strains and a grave sense of systemic unfairness activate their civil disobedience.

Social justice protests represent the love of self and love of others. Events of 2011 brought to life the conundrum posed by the divine edict "to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."

It would seem that the first obligation -- doing justice -- and third -- walking humbly with our God -- demand mutual exclusivity. This is not so when the second prerequisite, to "love kindness" or to love good conduct, serves as a bridge between the other two. Micah 6:8 shines light on obscure but precious keys to sustainable nation-building.

Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min., (ABD), is a minister, councilwoman, author, animation producer, and literary activist. She recently completed her dissertation on sex and sexuality in the African American Baptist Church and a manuscript on legal, religious, and political rhetoric pertinent to “race.” Follow her @HumanStriving and on SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis.

http://www.cleveland.com/religion/index.ssf/2012/02/protest_where_justice_and_obed.html

Leaders Have a Duty to Be Compassionate and Caring: Messages of Faith

By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis, 
Plain Dealer guest columnist 
November 09, 2012 at 8:00 PM

Before we settle into the reality of the country's re-election of President Barack Obama, let's ponder the moral implications and monetary effects of the 2012 presidential campaigns.

In the New Testament book of Acts 20:35, the Apostle Paul -- conversing with the elders of the church at Ephesus -- invokes a quote from Jesus, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Paul's remark is directed toward leaders charged with expanding the Christian church. Implicit in this passage is that those leaders show love, caring and wisdom through their service. Paul's guidance is superb advice for modern leaders outside the church as well.

Today's leaders might also be cautioned about the impact of money, used to secure influence of all sorts. It has become the primary resource skewing our political process and perverting human priorities.

According to The New York Times, President Barack Obama had raised $934 million through September, while his opponent, Mitt Romney, had raised nearly $882 million. The money was raised by the candidates, the national party committees and the primary "super PACs" that supported each candidate.

That this amount of money has been contributed to the election campaigns of two men is beyond disgraceful, considering the myriad needs of our society. It's nearly $2 billion that could be used for the common good -- the more basic and critical functions that directly help people.

The Cleveland School District's deficit of about $13 million, for example, is but a drop in the bucket compared to presidential campaign donations. Thankfully, an ethic of giving prevailed with the passage of the 15-mill school levy, Issue 107.

I concede that presidential policies affect the lives of millions of U.S. citizens and even millions more around the globe. Due to the significance of our presidency as the quintessential bully pulpit, we must elect humane servant-leaders.

In Acts 20:35, Apostle Paul admonishes leaders to "support the weak." Certainly, Paul's philosophy of care and giving among leaders would cause him to be deemed a "liberal" or a "socialist" or even the "welfare Apostle" today.

It is astonishing that providing for the poor, the young, the elderly, the ill, the imprisoned and the otherwise disenfranchised is maligned by some people. A segment of our society has fallen so far from the essential tenet of the Christian faith -- to give -- even as its members claim allegiance to Christ.

The gifted – those with money, time or talent -- are blessed to be in a position to support the weak. In Paul's reasoning, noted in Acts 20:29, failing to support the weak makes a person a greedy, savage wolf. Uncaring, uncompassionate leaders fall within the ranks of "savage wolves" preying on, instead of caring for, the weak.

I have the audacity to believe that human beings have the capacity to solve all of our self-created earthly problems. We have the intelligence, creativity and, as the presidential campaign bounty of 2012 indicates, the financial resources. We tend to lack the will, requisite empathy and clarity of purpose.

We should choose leaders who embody Paul's leadership code and would work with the public to solve the nation's education crisis, create stricter gun control laws, address climate change, end the profit-driven mass incarceration of poor people, establish a living wage, create sufficient job opportunities, stimulate the economy with progressive action and fortify social safety nets.
I propose we that continue our forward progress and strive to behave as benevolent beings mindful of the declaration that "it is better to give than to receive" and not as "grievous wolves."

Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min., (ABD), is a minister, councilwoman, author, animation producer, and literary activist. She recently completed her dissertation on sex and sexuality in the African American Baptist Church and a manuscript on legal, religious, and political rhetoric pertinent to “race.” Follow her @HumanStriving and on SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis.

http://www.cleveland.com/religion/index.ssf/2012/11/leaders_have_a_duty_to_be_comp.html