I Won’t Lie To You, I Play The Race Card And I Play It Proudly by Eric Smith

I won’t lie to you. I play the race card and I play it proudly. Why, because I am proud of who & what I am; not so much because of the dark color of my skin but because that every day I am alive I am the living embodiment of that unique history of struggle & survival associated with those who share my dark skin color from before the dawning days of this country.

I play the race card and play it proudly because I know that each day I live and live a life of decency & with respect to others, this race card I so proudly play represents an individual triumph of will over the mean spirited, evil, and irrational forces of hate & racism that every waking hour seeks to deny me life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness solely because of that dark color of my skin.

In short I play the race card and I play it proudly because to not play it would be to deny who I am and dismiss & ignore the sacrifices of those of all races & creeds who struggled & died to make a better world not only for black people like me but for all people; not only in my time but for all time and to the end of time itself.

In the end I play the race card & I play it proudly because I know that in an America still too consumed by the color of a person’s skin rather than the content of their character, to be black in this country is to be a race card.

The Political Agitator response: When everyone recognize and understand they better play the race card too, the better off they will be!

Supreme Court Rules that Cops DO NOT Need a Warrant to Search Your Home – The Free Thought Project

In another devastating blow to freedom, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police don’t need a warrant to search your property. As long as two occupants disagree about allowing officers to enter, and the resident who refuses access is then arrested, police may enter the residence.

“Instead of adhering to the warrant requirement,” Ginsburg wrote, “today’s decision tells the police they may dodge it, nevermind ample time to secure the approval of a neutral magistrate.” Tuesday’s ruling, she added, “shrinks to petite size our holding in Georgia v. Randolph.”

Georgia v. Randolph was a similar case the Supreme Court addressed in 2006, in which a domestic violence suspect would not allow police to enter his home, though his wife did offer police consent. The police ultimately entered the home. The Court ruled in the case that the man’s refusal while being present in the home should have kept authorities from entering. (Source: Read more)

City Council splits on vote to seek upset bids – Rocky Mount Telegram

The second-to-last item on a full Rocky Mount City Council agenda Monday night elicited the most discussion at an unusually lengthy meeting.

The item concerned advertising for upset bids on the redevelopment of the China American Trading and Tobacco building at 436 N. Pearl St. Rehab Development made an offer of $300,000 in March for the property, but the deal includes one year of due diligence to perform a market analysis before the sale would go through.

On Thursday, the Opportunities Industrialization Center made an offer of $165,000 with promises of renovating the property within a year into warehouse, storage and light manufacturing operations then further redevelopment within three to five years with the help of a third-party entity. (Source: Read more)

SBI probes suspect’s death in police custody – Rocky Mount Telegram

An Enfield police lieutenant is on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation into a suspect who died while in police custody.

According to a press release, Enfield police Lt. Jerry Powell responded around 11 p.m. Saturday to the 100 block of Whitfield Street where a witness reported a breaking and entering in progress. Upon Powell’s arrival, he reportedly encountered Michael Tyrone Gallagher and confronted the 55-year-old convicted felon from Midlothian, Va.

“After a confrontation, Powell and a witness became engaged in a physical altercation with Gallagher,” the release states. “During the confrontation, Powell’s taser was deployed and contacted Gallagher.”

Authorities said the witness assisted the police lieutenant in handcuffing Gallagher and EMS responded to treat all three individuals for injuries. (Source: Read more)

The CDC Has Debunked the "Absent Black Father" Myth – Centers For Disease Control

When the public reacts to the deaths of young black men in Baltimore and Ferguson and Sanford, we often hear about a “crisis” among black fathers—namely, that too many of them are absent from their children’s lives. But that “crisis” may not be real at all. A study conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that black fathers are just as present—and sometimes more so—in the lives of their children than dads of other races, defying the stereotype that black fathers simply aren’t around to give their kids guidance and support. (Source: Read more)

4 Arrested After 2 Mississippi Police Officers Are Killed During Traffic Stop

The Political Agitator response: I just don’t understand how these folks can kill someone as if they ain’t going to jail and/or gonna get the death penalty.

Law enforcement officials in Mississippi said Sunday that they had arrested four people after the fatal shooting of two police officers in Hattiesburg, and that two of the suspects had been charged with capital murder.

The officers were shot about 8 p.m. Saturday during a traffic stop, the police said. They later died at a local hospital.

Police officials identified the officers as Benjamin Deen, 34, a K-9 officer, and Liquori Tate, 25, a 2014 graduate of the police academy. One of their police cars was stolen after the shooting and was found abandoned a few blocks away, investigators said. (Source: Read more)