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‘Malcolm X Daughters’ sue CIA, FBI, NYPD over their Dad’s Assassination

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(AP) — Three daughters of Malcolm X have accused the CIA, FBI, the New York Police Department and others in a $100 million lawsuit Friday of playing roles in the 1965 assassination of the civil rights leader.

In the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court, the daughters — along with the Malcolm X estate — claimed that the agencies were aware of and were involved in the assassination plot and failed to stop the killing.

At a morning news conference, attorney Ben Crump stood with family members as he described the lawsuit, saying he hoped federal and city officials would read it “and learn all the dastardly deeds that were done by their predecessors and try to right these historic wrongs.”

The NYPD and CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, which was also sued, declined comment. The FBI said in an email that it was its “standard practice” not to comment on litigation.

For decades, more questions than answers have arisen over who was to blame for the death of Malcolm X, who was 39 years old when he was slain on Feb. 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom on West 165th Street in Manhattan as he spoke to several hundred people. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm X later changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.

Three men were convicted of crimes in the death but two of them were exonerated in 2021 after investigators took a fresh look at the case and concluded some evidence was shaky and authorities had held back some information.

In the lawsuit, the family said the prosecution team suppressed the government’s role in the assassination.

The lawsuit alleges that there was a “corrupt, unlawful, and unconstitutional” relationship between law enforcement and “ruthless killers that went unchecked for many years and was actively concealed, condoned, protected, and facilitated by government agents,” leading up to the murder of Malcolm X.

According to the lawsuit, the NYPD, coordinating with federal law enforcement agencies, arrested the activist’s security detail days before the assassination and intentionally removed their officers from inside the ballroom where Malcolm X was killed. Meanwhile, it adds, federal agencies had personnel, including undercover agents, in the ballroom but failed to protect him.

The lawsuit was not brought sooner because the defendants withheld information from the family, including the identities of undercover “informants, agents and provocateurs” and what they knew about the planning that preceded the attack.

Malcolm X’s wife, Betty Shabazz, the plaintiffs, “and their entire family have suffered the pain of the unknown” for decades, the lawsuit states.

“They did not know who murdered Malcolm X, why he was murdered, the level of NYPD, FBI and CIA orchestration, the identity of the governmental agents who conspired to ensure his demise, or who fraudulently covered-up their role,” it states. “The damage caused to the Shabazz family is unimaginable, immense, and irreparable.”

The family announced its intention to sue the law enforcement agencies early last year.

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AFROTECH™ 2024 — NAACP President Derrick Johnson Shares Special Reflections

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2 weeks ago

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November 22, 2024

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…Says ‘If I’m Not Working To Create Black Wealth, Then I’m Not Doing My Job’

The AFROTECH 2024 Conference kicked off in Houston on Wednesday, Nov. 13, bringing tech professionals, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders together for an unforgettable experience.

Day 1 started with dynamic networking opportunities, engaging experiences and meaningful conversations, setting the tone for the week as attendees gathered at the Culture Park Stage, presented by Lexus, for music, wellness and community programming. On Wednesday, there was an opening ceremony featuring a marching band and a compelling address by Blavity Co-Founder and CEO Morgan DeBaun, who spoke on community, innovation and the future. The event concluded with a discussion from Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, the nation’s largest civil rights organization, focusing on “The Power of Our Now: Taking Ownership in AI and Our Rights.”

One of the key issues DeBaun pointed to was the gap in funding stages, noting that Black entrepreneurs often struggle to make it past the early rounds of seed funding.

She asked Johnson about the reactions received since the Oct. 25 announcement regarding the launch of NAACP Capital. The $200 million fund of funds for investors, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs in New York City , NY, aims to invest in fund managers and startups that work to close the gaps affecting communities of color , according to a press release .

“We’re very positive,” Johnson said.

Johnson referenced the Fearless Fund , which recently discontinued its Strivers Grant program for Black-woman-owned businesses after facing pressure from outside forces. He emphasized the need for innovative approaches to funding and highlighted how some investors prey on entrepreneurs by buying out their ideas and intellectual property at vulnerable stages.

“The goal here is, how do we get you over that hump?” he told the crowd. “So you’re not falling prey to losing your intellectual property to these problems.”

In sharing what he wanted to leave the group with, Johnson told DeBaun he was impressed with her phenomenal empire, adding that it was essential and a room he needed to be in.

“What you have done is prove Black folks can work together, we can do it successfully and that this is possible. That’s key,” Johnson said. “Secondly, the narrative about the generational fight, you know, young people don’t do this, and old people do that. We don’t have any time for us vs. us.”

He described the conference as “the future of the civil rights movement,” emphasizing that the movement has always been about human rights and self-determination.

“It is being able to be self-determined that our human essence is an exploited second stool for cheap or free labor, and third stool, and we are able to create more critical thinkers,” Johnson added. “What COVID taught us is our young people are no longer learning, sitting in stale classrooms with outdated textbooks that actually are old ones. Today is printed as already old. And then we have to innovate. And so I need to be in this room, I could be in a room with, you know, elected officials. They’re boring, and they lost, and I ain’t got time for them. “

In the end, he encouraged the crowd to “stay focused” and most importantly, “stay Black.”

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Why Black Woman Police Chief Says She Doesn’t Want To Hire Black Or Hispanic Women

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6 months ago

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June 9, 2024

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There’s a reason we often believe Black cops are cops first and Black second (or never). Time and time again, Black police officers—such as the thugs in blue accused of beating Tyre Nichols to death—prove that they carry around the same anti-Black attitude that many of their white counterparts patrol the streets with.

Well, there’s a Black woman police chief in Atlanta who has taken this sunken place mentality to a whole new level, and she declared during a command staff meeting that she doesn’t want to hire any more Black or Hispanic women as police officers because they come into the force with too much “attitude.” (There’s an NWA joke in there somewhere, but Ima leave it alone for now.)

According to Fox 5 Atlanta, Atlanta VA Medical Center Police Chief Beverly Banks was captured in audio recordings from a September 13, 2023, command staff meeting attended by more than a dozen people, during which she said the following:

“I am to the point… I don’t want to hire black women no more. I’m to that point. I ain’t got no white women beating down my door to come in and work. But I wish they would. Cause I don’t have these problems.

“I don’t have no Hispanic women. Hell, I don’t want them neither. Cause you know what comes with it? A whole of lot of f—–g attitude. And I don’t want it. I’m the only one with an attitude in this place. Me.”

First of all, you know the narrative that racism in policing comes down to “a few bad apples” is some bluish-white nonsense when an officer of the law can casually declare their discriminatory attitudes towards Black people while other commanding officers just sit there and nod along like it’s just another Tuesday.

To be fair, Banks and two other commanding officers were suspended with pay last month due to what the Veterans Administration called “unacceptable behavior,” but that doesn’t change the fact that she felt comfortable enough to say what she said without fear of repercussions. (And by “repercussions,” I mean paid suspension, which some people might call a vacation.)

Also, it’s worth mentioning that it wasn’t just the clear hatred of Black women with bad attitudes—that came from a Black woman who clearly has a bad attitude—that got Banks suspended. The suspensions of the officers also revolved around “allegations of sexual assault and harassment.”

Months before she arrived, VA internal affairs examined the case of Shaneka Jackson. She accused Deputy Chief Johnnie McCullor of sexual assault.

“I didn’t know what he was doing until everything ultimately started to happen,” Jackson told the FOX 5 I-Team.

McCullor denied everything. But a 2022 VA investigation raised questions about his honesty and found Jackson to be “accurate and truthful.”

“I was being truthful,” said Jackson. “And nothing happened.”

Jackson lost her job. McCullor remained deputy chief. And when Chief Banks took over, she kept him there. It’s unclear whether she knew about the IA findings.

In December 2023, another Black woman with the department filed a handwritten complaint with her supervisor accusing McCullor, who is also Black, of threatening to drag her down the hall by her hair, and while it’s unclear what happened with that complaint, during a department-wide meeting the next month, Banks reportedly told McCullor, “Deputy Chief McCullor, if you don’t know how to talk to people, tell me now so I can do whatever I need to do to get you disciplined… again.”

It’s also unclear what that “discipline” would entail since a sexual assault allegation determined to be “accurate and truthful” wasn’t enough to get him the ax. According to the EEO complaint filed by Jackson, McCullor offered to help her get a job with the private security company the Atlanta VA also uses, but that offer came with the condition that she perform sexual acts with the deputy chief.

Jackson was ultimately demoted and transferred—which she said happened after she finally filed the complaint—and after she failed to show up for work the next day, the private security company fired her and denied it had anything to do with the complaint she filed.

McCullor, Banks, and a third officer with the department, Major Daryl Gates, were all relieved of duty pending a VA investigation “to address the challenges in the Atlanta VA police department” as well as “investigate the situation in the Atlanta police department, make recommendations related to these 3 individuals, and identify other changes that might be needed to improve the culture.” Gates has since been reinstated. It’s unclear what role he played in the “unacceptable behavior” that is still under investigation.

As for Banks, a VA spokesman told Fox 5 of her remarks about hiring Black and Hispanic women, “There is no place for racism or discrimination at VA, and these comments are unacceptable.”

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This Former Kenyan Refugee Just Made History As The First Black Mayor Of Northern Ireland

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6 months ago

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June 9, 2024

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Lilian Seenoi-Barr made history this week when she became the first Black Mayor of Northern Ireland. On Monday night, she was installed as mayor of Derry City and Strabane at a special council meeting.

Ms. Seenoi-Barr, who arrived there 14 years ago as a refugee from Kenya, said it was an honor to become the first citizen. After being installed, Seenoi-Barr addressed the council chamber, thanking everyone who made the journey from Kenya for the “historic moment for Derry” acknowledging that their attendance “signifies the unity and shared pride between our communities,” BBC News reports.

“Many of you know that I am deeply proud of my Maasai heritage, rich with culture and tradition,” said Seenoi-Barr. “Growing up as one of 14 siblings in a Maasai village, I was nurtured in a home filled with love, unity, hard work and commitment to justice and freedom – values I carry forward into my service.”

“But my story, becoming both a Maasai woman and a Derry girl, began back in 2010 when I came to this city in search of safety and for a better life,” added Seenoi-Barr. “If you had told me then that I would be seated here today as the mayor of the north’s second city, I don’t think I, or anybody in my family would have believed you…Since I arrived Derry has embraced me, it has granted me a family, a community and now the honour of serving as your first citizen.”

The 42-year-old is no stranger to breaking barriers—just last year, She made headlines for the remarkable accomplishment of becoming the first Black woman to become an elected member of the “public office in Northern Ireland” as a councilor.

ot everyone has been happy with this development and unfortunately, since the mayoral announcement, Seenoi-Barr confessed to being the subject of “racist abuse and death threats. But she said that while the threats have been hurtful, she has also had enormous support across the island from community organizations and politicians who have stood in solidarity,” RTE, Ireland’s National Public Service Media reports.

“Of course there are some in recent weeks who have seen this history making moment as a threat and it is no secret that it has provoked anti immigrant sentiments,” countered Seenoi-Barr. “That has been a reminder of the issues we face as a community, but I know that those sentiments find no home in Derry and they were not reflected by most people in our city and district.”

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