Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Glen Ford, along with my co-host, Nellie Bailey. Coming up: the MOVE organization will hold a three day event to dispel confusion about why the Philadelphia police killed 11 of their members, burned out a whole city block, and put nine MOVE people in prison for life, in the 1970s and 80s; and, an advocate for the people of the Congo says it may be a good thing that Donald Trump doesn’t yet have a policy on Africa.
The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and other law firms have sued the State of Louisiana for denying poor defendants even the semblance of adequate legal counsel. Lawyers Committee president Kristen Clark says Louisiana violates the Constitution by depriving people charged with crimes with the means to defend themselves — and that’s why the state is the “Incarceration Capital of the World.”
In 1985, Philadelphia police bombed the residence of the MOVE organization, killing 11 of the group’s members, including 5 children, and burning down a whole city block. Eight years earlier, nine MOVE members were sentenced to life in prison in the death of a policeman. But MOVE keeps on moving, and on May 5 th will hold a three day event, in Philadelphia, to counter decades of disinformation about the group. Ramona Africa is MOVE’s Minister of Communications.
President Donald Trump does not yet seem to have yet developed his own policy on Africa. That means former President Obama’s policies are still largely in effect – which is not necessarily a good thing, since Obama vastly increased the U.S. military presence in Africa, and continued Washington’s support for friendly dictators in the region. Kam-BAH-lay Moo-sah- VOO-lee is a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the DRC, and a spokesperson for the Washington-based advocacy organization Friends of Congo. He is particularly concerned about the lasting mark made on U.S. policy by two war hawks of the Obama administration: Samantha Power and Susan Rice. Under their influence, the U.S. State Department created a strange new agency, called the “Atrocity Prevention Board.” Moo-sah-VOO-lee explains.
And that it’s for this edition of Black Agenda Radio. Be sure to visit us at BlackAgendaReport.com, where you’ll find a new and provocative issue, each Wednesday. That’s www.BlackAgendaReport.com. It’s the place for news, commentary and analysis, from the Black Left.