Allentown's Noose Story Turns Out to Be Just That - a Story

On Monday, both The Lehigh Valley News and Morning Call dutifully reported that LaTarsha Brown, a City of Allentown employee and Allentown school board director, has been charged with filing false reports in connection with her claim that someone planted a noose atop her computer at City Hall.  I am surprised by how many of you remember my January story about her claim of racism, in which I suggested it was a set-up to make her many claims of racial discrimination seem credible. Here's what I said then:

According to both The Morning Call and LehighValleyNews, Allentown employee LaTarsha Brown found what appeared to be a small noose on her computer when she reported to work on Friday morning. She just happens to be the very employee who has made multiple accusations of racism and harassment at City Hall. City Council member Ce-Ce (from DC) Gerlach was quick to call the incident a "hate crime." An investigation by Allentown police isn't good enough for outraged activists, who want to involve the FBI in tracking down the bigot who supposedly placed this symbol of racial hatred.  In addition to investigating a possible hate crime, I'd suggest that police or FBI or INTERPOL look into another possibility as well. - false reports. 

While possible, I find it hard to believe that someone would place a noose on the computer of a city employee who has repeatedly claimed that she and others are victims of racism. It's equally possible that it was placed there in an attempt to make the allegations of bigotry seem more credible. Another reason for the hangman's noose is to strangle Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk's quest for re-election. Several members of City Council would be pleased by that outcome. 

Here's what neither news account has revealed. This was reported to authorities by a City Council member who just happened to be at City Hall on a Friday morning at 6:30 am. Though Council's meeting room is on the first floor, and city council offices are on the fifth floor, this City Council member was on the third floor, where this employee's office is located and where there are no cameras. What the hell was this person doing there? If there in response to a tip, who did that come from? 

Elected officials and city employees are issued ID cards and can enter City Hall at any time, but there is a record of it. And there are cameras on the first floor and entrances. 

I'm unwilling to identify this City Council member at this time, but this person is no friend of Tuerk or his re-election efforts. It will come out with the wash. For now, I'll leave you hanging. 

Blogger;s Note: Michael Molovinsky has a related story about the politics of racism.

Brown's claim fueled outrage by people who were quick to assume that perhaps the most woke City Hall in Pennsylvania is a hotbed of racism. The City actually conducted segregated "healing sessions" in response to what certainly appears to have been a lie. 

What's unfortunate about Brown's alleged false report is that there really are victims of racial discrimination, but Brown has just diminished them just as much as when a white woman mendaciously accuses an innocent black person of pulling a gun on her or raping her. 

Allentown Conducts Segregated "Healing Sessions" To Combat Racism

Yesterday, most government workers, schoolteachers and banks took the day off in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. He, and many like him, fought for the Civil Rights, Voting Rights and Fair Housing Acts.  Groups like the Freedom Riders peacefully protested segregation despite being beaten, fire-bombed and arrested. This segregation existed locally, too. Blacks were barred from swimming in our local pools. When they did, the pools were drained.  Now, despite the valiant efforts of civil rights leaders to bring people together, Allentown is doing its best to drive them apart with absurd "healing sessions" in response to a noose supposedly found on the computer of an employee who has made complaints about discrimination at city hall. 

Get this. These "healing sessions," which were conducted on Friday, were divided into two groups. One was for black, the indigenous and persons of color. The other was for whites, even those who call themselves "allies" to persons of color. This initiative imposes the very segregation that civil rights leaders fought against for decades. 

A letter to city staff states, "The purpose of these affinity spaces is not to divide AT ALL. We do not want people thinking that we are dividing by ethnicity, to put people on separate sides or ideals."

Whatever the intention, that is precisely what happened. George Wallace would have been proud. 

By the way, the "affinity space" for persons of color is a basement.  

Unconscious and Conscious Racism in Easton Area

If you think racism only exists in the deep, dark South, think again. It is alive and well here in the Lehigh Valley. All you need do is look at some of the anonymous comments posted here to know what I mean. Most of the time, the racism expressed by whites toward blacks (and vice versa) is unconscious. But it sometimes is very conscious. I'm going to give examples of both

Back in the day, when Tony Rhodin worked for a real newspaper, he published an interesting column nearly every morning. An unabashed liberal, he defended his positions much more gracefully than I do. He's still writing for Lehigh Valley Live, but the newspaper industry no longer values serious discussion. It prefers stories about sex or food, and under 300 words.

On Monday, Rhodin published a story about a young man who had committed a robbery last month. He decided to turn him into Constable Lance Wheeler, who in turn notified local police. This kid had no idea that Lance happens to be the president of the Easton NAACP. I doubt many young people know a thing about that group. He turned himself into Lance because he knew Lance is a constable and trusted him.

In his story, Rhodin felt compelled for some reason to note that Lance is "also an NAACP official in the city." Sure enough, a reader reacted with "Hmmm, NAACP ? Very interesting I think."

The reference to the NAACP was totally irrelevant to what happened. But it provided someone with an excuse to inject race into the discussion.

My example of conscious racism involves a black football player at Wilson Area High School who last year took a knee before games. He was called into the Principal's office twice. Instead of appealing to this student athlete's patriotism, the argument was that this young man was costing the school a lot of money because alumni were refusing to donate.

This year, this young man is a junior and it's his time to shine. In a scrimmage a few weeks ago, he made an outstanding tackle. After doing so, he celebrated briefly. He as cut off by a ref who said, "This ain't no ghetto. You ain't going to be acting all hood-like here."

This upset the player, who wanted to discuss the situation further after what appears to have been a racial remark by a referee. His teammates began to surround him and push him away, trying to keep him out of harm's way. He pushed back against his teammates, but pushed the wrong person. His coach. He's been kicked off the team.

Unable to play at Wilson anymore, he transferred to Notre Dame Green Pond. Under PIAA rules, he must wait 30 days before he can play. But even then, Wilson is objecting to his transfer. After kicking him off the team, Wilson may have lost the ability to "blackball" him.

What is happening to this young athlete is very conscious racism.

Two Black NorCo COs Suspended After Altercation With Neighbor Flying Rebel Flag

Directly across street from jail entrance 

Imagine you're black and work as a Northampton County Corrections Officer. Imagine the first thing you see when you leave the jail at the end of your shift is the Confederate flag. If  you are a black corrections officer at Easton's jail, there's nothing to imagine. That's the first thing you see. As bad as that is, the rebel homeowner or his significant other struck a black guard's car over the weekend. An verbal altercation ensued in which this Southern sympathizer is alleged to have threatened to shoot both the black officer whose car was damaged as well as another who was trying to play peacemaker. Police filed no charges against Stonewall Jackson, but both guards have been suspended by Northampton County.

The suspension is with pay until things are sorted out. The officer who played peacemaker obviously should be working. The other officer never touched the homeowner, but was in the process of taking his shirt off when police arrived. As far as I am concerned, this officer should be able to defend himself against a racist who threatens to shoot him..

At this point, I am declining to identify the officers involved or the rebel, who rotates the Confederate flag with another entitled  "Liberty." I will try talking to him.

He should know that he is needlessly provoking black officers by routinely flying a rebel flag for no reason other than to taunt them with his hate. Stonewall Jackson has a first amendment right to be a bigot, but black guards also have a first amendment right to denounce the bigotry. .

Barr and Bee, Sitting in a Tree ...

I consider Donald Trump an authoritarian hellbent on destroying our democratic institutions. I never liked him. But his family is another story. I think most people are disgusted by cheap personal attacks aimed at the family members of prominent people, whether it is Michele Obama or Ivanka Trump. They are often treated unfairly. So certainly, I was disgusted at Samantha Bee's vicious remarks about Ivanka Trump, in which she called her a "feckless c---t."  No woman I know has ever regarded that pejorative as a compliment. The White House is demanding that Bee's show be canceled, and that may be entirely appropriate. But there are differences between what Barr and Bee said.

In both cases, the language used was entirely hateful and vitriolic. These kinds of attacks have increased markedly since Trump became President. It has brought out the worst in a lot of people.

Barr engaged in the same kind of racist rhetoric that has been used since the days of slavery  Her simian comparison is one I've heard too many times about black people  It is an attempt to dehumanize black people in order to justify treating them as inferior.

Bee's remark, which essentially disparages Trump because of her sex, should be offensive to any woman. It is an attempt to objectify them. Donald Trump's remark about women was also disgusting, but he made that in what he thought was a private setting. Bee's bluster was on national TV. Though she herself is a woman, Bee engaged in misogyny.

So we have two entertainers, one conservative and the other liberal, making racist and vulgar sexist remarks for which both apologized

Yesterday, in my post about Barr, I warned a reader that I did not want to discuss Bee and Barr together. I think doing so takes away from the offensive nature of both kinds of attacks. That reader responded with her own vulgarities and attacks.

That's the real problem. We've become an ugly people who somehow think we have the right to shove our hate down everyone's throats. We don't.

Ironically, the theme of yesterday's Mass was love. This passage from Paul was read:

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[a] Do not be conceited.

Neither Barr nor bee did a very good job of following this advice. Nor did reader "Jamie Kelton." Nor do I at times.

Roseanne Barr on Planet of the Apes

Rarely have I seen a top celebrity climb or fall so swiftly as happened to Roseann Barr in the past year Her popular blue-collar sitcom had just been renewed for a second season, which I suppose is the Hollywood equivalent of a triumph. But as she rode her chariot on Twitter, John Goodman should have been whispering "Memento Mori" into her ear. In the space of just one day, she threw it all away. Her show's been canceled and her career lies in ruins.

She did this to herself. Late Monday, she tweeted this about Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, who happens to be black: “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”

Now she's a comedienne and initially claimed she had been joking. It could just be failed humor. But I doubt it. Living here in the Lehigh Valley, I cannot begin to tell you the number of times that my white friends, political and apolitical, have referred to prominent black people that way. The higher the status, the more simian the reference. Michele Obama, in particular, was routinely subjected to this kind of treatment. Dehumanizing black people has been standard practice since they were first brought over here on slave ships.

She quickly came to her senses and has spent almost the entire day apologizing on Twitter. As recently as midnight, she tweeted, "Don't feel sorry for me, guys!!-I just want to apologize to the hundreds of people,and wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet. I will be on Joe Rogan's podcast friday."

She apologized to most everyone. I think it's sincere. There's a difference between being politically incorrect and a racist. Barr's comment was racist. She recognizes that and asks that you stop defending her.

You're really defending your own bigotry.

Pa State Rep. Will Not Stop Car for Protesters

Aaron Bernstine is a State Representative from the western part of the state, representing a gerrymandered district that consists of portions of three different counties. He's a "conservative" who just voted to close a state budget gap by borrowing $1 billion.  Of course, he is part of the Donald Trump personality cult. He also describes himself as a "Christian," a word perverted by people who proudly proclaim to be all about Jebus while hating anyone who is different. Bernstine stands for the important Christian principle of vehicular homicide, otherwise known as murder, if done to run down a protester.

As many of you will recall, Heather Heyer was mowed down by a pro-Trump white supremacist on August 11 in Charlottesville.  Though the grass has yet to grow on her grave, this is what "Christian" Bernstine tweeted about protesters who blocked traffic in St. Louis last week:

"If anyone EVER tries to stop my car on a highway with negative intentions... I will not stop under any conditions."

When taken to task, he doubled down with this:

"Feel free to call my office and let me know if you think it is ok to refuse to stop if thugs try to stop me or my family on a highway."

And this:

"Difference between me and these snowflakes is that I won't be assaulted in name of "free speech"

And even this:

"Wrong.... I'm saying when thugs try to stop cars and threaten drivers trying to go to work."

These offensive have actually trumped Trump, at least within the last week. although Trump has everyone beat over the long haul.

The Pennsylvania Democratic party has asked Bernstine to apologize, like that's gonna' happen. Bernstine's Republican leaders will no doubt get him his own engraved hood, along with a year's supply of tiki torches.

They may also advance a legislative proposal that already exists in six other states to shield drivers who negligently hit protesters who obstruct traffic. This has been criticized by the ACLU as a "hit and kill" bill, but defended as a way to protect drivers from liability when a protester darts into traffic.

Arnold to Trump: "Let's Terminate Hate!"

My thanks to Jeff Fox, a local conservative, for sending this link.

How Do You Feel About Confederate Statues?

I deleted a number of comments in yesterday's post about Authoritarian Donald Trump's attempt to create a false equivalency between KKK and neo-Nazis on the one hand, and liberal counter protesters on the other. Most of them were arguments about whether we really need to tear Confederate statues. Some people feel they have historical significance. Others may have ancestors who fought for the south in the Civil War. They complain that it's unfair to judge these men by today's standards, and ask where it ends. Should we tear down the Washington monument because he owned slaves? Should we destroy statues in honor of Ulysses S Grant, who once stopped a train to eject every Jew who was on board?

Here's how I feel. I think these are primarily local, not national, decisions. People who live in New Orleans or Charlottesville understand their communities better than I and are entitled to deference. Also, it matters when a Confederate memorial was built. The sculptures in New Orleans and Charlottesville existed long before the Civil Rights movement, while the monuments in Baltimore were built right after WWII, during a time of racial unrest.  

I'd prefer to see statues to Christopher Columbus destroyed. He was a monster who practiced genocide and was so brutal to native Americans that Spanish locked him in chains.

I'd prefer to see Allentown, which is named after a Tory who would have hung George Washington if he could, renamed.

But these are primarily local decisions. I don't consider Allentown residents to be secret British spies, and understand that most Italians honor Christopher Columbus because they share a common heritage.

Trump and Charlottesville: Reaction of Local Exec Candidates

How do our County Executive candidates, in both Lehigh and Northampton County, feel about Donald Trump's assertion that there are "very fine people, on both sides," in connection with the tragedy in Charlottesville. I have responses from three of the four candidates:

Phillips Armstrong, Lehigh County Exec Candidate: "I condemn the violence and racism that was on display in Charlottesville this past weekend, and I say unequivocally that Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan are always in the wrong. I don't believe it takes more than a minute to see that. I believe it is time to move beyond the divisions and supremacist groups in this country and to move forward as one team - Americans."

Brad Osborne, Lehigh County Exec Candidate: ""President Trump's condemnation of white supremacy and racial bigotry made this past weekend is the correct moral response to the events that took place in Charlottesville. There is no room to equivocate from this condemnation.

I also believe that the diversity of Lehigh County residents is one of our greatest strengths, and I look forward to working with leaders of all races and backgrounds as county executive."

Lamont McClure, NorCo Exec candidate: "The Nazis and White Nationalists are solely responsible for the violence in Charlottesville. Any other point of view, is an attempt to normalize the odious, outdated, discredited and repugnant beliefs they spew. If I'm elected County Executive, our people can be confident that all people, no matter their sex, religion, race, ethnicity or national origin, will be treated by their county government with the dignity and respect that they are due by virtue of their Humanity."

John Brown, NorCo Exec candidate: No response.

Bethlehem Response To Charlottesville? Holding Hands, Prayer

Over the weekend, as the 34th Musikfest came to an end, Bethlehem Police Chief Mark DiLuzio had just one word to describe it - "Great!" Over the 10-day festival, over 1.2 million people visited the Christmas City. Only 36 people were arrested, mostly for public drunkenness. But 309 miles away in Charlottesville, Va., a  "Unite the Right"  rally ended in tragedy. Three people are dead. Dozens more are injured. A President first said "both sides" are to blame, then blamed white supremacists and the KKK, and finally returned to saying that "both sides" are responsible.

How did Bethlehem respond?

By holding hands. By praying.

That's what happened Tuesday afternoon at a 5 pm rally called by civil rights champion Esther Lee, who is also President of Bethlehem's NAACP. Nearly 60 people attended. They included clergymen, Bethlehem City officials and the Sierra Club's Don Miles.

"We here in Bethlehem condemn acts of hatred and are deeply saddened by the loss of life," said Mayor Bob Donchez. "We need to show those who divide us that we will not be divided. ... Tonight we are one with Charlottesville and its citizens."

Police Chief Mark DiLuzio stated we have devolved into a nation of "name callers." He said his father is probably "rolling over in his grave at the sight of American citizens giving a Nazi salute."n His father a WWII vet,is one of the 43,000 allied soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach because he did not want Nazism to come to the United States. "Well, Dad, it isn't coming here," asserted Chief DiLuzio. He said people throughout the nation are rising up to say, "We will not stand for or agree with your hatred and prejudice."

Speaking for the Sierra Club, Don Miles read a statement stating that the white supremacists are not patriots, but "vile and unacceptable racists preaching hatred and division that stands in opposition to the values of equality and justice." He added that "those who spew white supremacy feel empowered now when they see allies in the corridors of power."

Rev. Anthony Pompa, Dean and Rector of Cathedral Church of the Nativity,  said that, in the end, "it's all about love. If it's not about love, it's not about God."

Cordelia Miller, Bethlehem NAACP Vice President, said her family came to this country in the bottom of slave ships,"chained together like animals. Someone wants to tell me to go back to the good old days. What good old days?" Holding the American flag in her hand, she said, "This flags stands for something, or it should."

Esther Lee noted that Trump is the people's representative, and was puzzled that he did not immediately condemn the racism."I am very concerned about what he has not said," she observed.

Text of Mayor Donchez' remarks:

Our nation has had a long and difficult history dealing with white supremacy, racism, bigotry, and intolerance. Our founding fathers declared “that all men are created equal,” and it took much conflict and bloodshed over almost 250 years to live up to that. And yet, have we? Once again, we are gathered together to condemn the shocking violence in Charlottesville and the vile ideology behind it.

This kind of thinking and behavior have no place in America or anywhere in the world. We in Bethlehem condemn acts of hatred, and are deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries suffered in Charlottesville. We stand with Mayor Signer and everyone in his city with hope and prayers for a return to a more peaceful time. We also stand together here in Bethlehem, supporting all our brothers and sisters in this show of unity and strength as a community.

We need to show those who would divide us that we will not be divided, we will stand here together as a sign of unity not division. The hatred that comes with racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and intolerance, will not be condoned or supported here in Bethlehem or anywhere else for that matter. We are one. Our anger and abhorrence against those who would hate us, must be converted to something more positive – to hope, to faith and to love. To quote Martin Luther King, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

Tonight, we show solidarity, not only for Charlottesville victims, but also for Bethlehem and for the Lehigh Valley. Tonight, we are one with Charlottesville and its citizens. Tonight, we need to lock arms across the many lines and boundaries of difference and commit ourselves to unity. Tonight, we must be tolerant of all that makes up our city, our region and our country – Black and White, Latino and Asian, rural and urban, poor and rich, gay and straight, male, female and transgender. Tonight, across the entire spectrum of all that is America we need to achieve social and economic justice and equality for all.

The politics of division and hate must end and they must end now.

To quote John F. Kennedy, “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis, maintain their, neutrality.” This is indeed, a time of great moral crisis, and we can no longer say, it doesn’t affect me - because it does. Thank you.

Portions of Esther Lee's remarks:

I was appalled as the President of these United States Donald Trump had great difficulty in condemning the acts of the KKK and white supremacists. I watched as he skirted the issue.

It is so hard to believe that the  President of these United States had to be shamed into delivering his condemnation ... .

***

We know that hate is alive in this area as there are signs daily in individuals who enjoy sharing their racist views by carrying the Confederate flag or wearing the sign of hate.".

(Blogger's Note: This story was delayed a day so it could appear in The Bethlehem Press first.)

NAACP to Meet Several Area School Superintendents Today

Lance Wheeler, President of Easton's NAACP, is meeting today with several school superintendents concerning the racism that unfortunately still exists at our area schools. He is hopeful that an area diversity committee can open closed eyes. As for me, I'm quite happy at the prom pictures from area high schools over the last two weeks.They include numerous interracial couples  I have more confidence in our younger generation than with people my age.

Bangor School District To Form Diversity Committee

In the wake of a pretty serious act of discrimination at Bangor High School on Friday, Superintendent Frank DeFelice and Easton NAACP President Lance Wheeler met yesterday. While school officials are unable to get into specifics, I understand that disciplinary action has been taken against the students involved in that incident. In addition, the school district has agreed to form a diversity committee that will include parents , administrators and teacher. The goal will be to level the playing field.

A diversity committee was formed once before in Bangor, after a federal lawsuit alleging racial discrimination was settled.

It met only once.

This one needs to be more active.    

Lance Wheeler will make sure.

It appears that pockets of racism are still prevalent in the Bangor area. Not the subtle kind, either.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with yet another mother of three biracial children. Her oldest graduated last year, but she still has two boys going through the system. None of her three children ever presented a disciplinary problem. Their experience at what really is a good school is mostly positive. But not completely.

One of her sons, when in the 9th grade, was involved in a debate class and was arguing his points. The student opposed to him eventually blurted out that no one cares what he thinks because he is a "n-gg-r." School officials admonished the boy, but when they called his parents, they were told that is the way they all feel.

Her daughter, who was a senior last year, also experienced a racist encounter with a star baseball player. She had been trying to park her car in her numbered spot when another girl jumped in ahead of her. The two began to argue, and the star baseball player intervened.

He yelled at the biracial girl, "Get in your car. You need to leave. You and your brother are n-gg-rs here,and we don't want your kind."

This incident was witnessed by several students,and an Assistant Principal who conducted an investigation brought them all into his office and told the star baseball player, whose dad happens to be a coach, That statements like that are not permitted on campus. That was it. No apology. No discipline. Everyone was just sent back to class.

Bangor at the time was undefeated in baseball. It finished 23-1.It was around this time when that incident happened.  

NAACP Wants Moon Cricket Lesson From Bangor Schools

Lance Wheeler, President of the Easton branch of the NAACP, likes to learn new things.Today, he plans to visit Bangor Area School District to learn all about moon crickets. He has read the stories and also has been contacted by parents in the slate belt with additional stories.

I have previously told you that two of the high school's most talented basketball players were thrown off the team at the end of the season. They happen to be of color. Did race play a role in this decision? I'd hope not.

Then on Friday, just as my moon cricket story began to die down, a student at the high school donned KKK garb - some say it was ISIS - and shouted "F-ck n-gg-rs!" A mother of biracial children pulled them out of the school, and they may be home-schooled for the rest of the year.

Swift action has been taken. Some of the students who instigated this have been suspended. One has been expelled.

But this story has led to a charge of racism by another parent with bi-racial children. She emailed me. I have been unable to talk to her and don't have permission to use her name. But she claims that reported discrimination against her children to an assistant principal who told her he "had no tolerance for bullying, or racism in his school. The students should always feel safe there and like a big family. ... However, after his investigation and interviews with witness the perpetrator was called in the office along with my children and told not to say things like that anymore and that was it. No disciplinary action, no apology to my kids nothing."

The claim is that the student who donned this regalia was instigated by others, and I can see that happening. But I have since seen his Facebook page. If Bangor school officials are unaware of it, they really need to take a look. It is loaded with photographs of the Confederate flag. That in and of itself could have many explanations. But what really bothers me is the one above.

Like I said on Friday, Bangor has a problem.

Return of the Moon Crickets of Bangor (Updated)

One week ago today, I told you about the moon crickets of Bangor. I never heard this expression, but a coach at the school district did, and is alleged to have used it while addressing some black athletes. They sued, and received a settlement.

This story made me wonder about two basketball players kicked off the team at the end of the season. Was it because they are of color or their inability to follow team rules, I wondered.

I know who these boys are, have watched them play, and  know they are tremendously gifted.  One of the played with my grandson.  But I never spoke with either of them before writing my story.

Last night, I was contacted, for the first time, by their mother.  She explained what had happened, from her point of view.  She told me that, at school, her sons have been accused of stirring up this story, which is untrue. What really provoked me to dig a little, and I did not have to dig long, was the result of other problems at the school district.

Today, as one of these young men made his way down the hall, he was confronted by a student adorned in what appears to be a white hood and mask.

No one has to tell me what means.

 As he was dragged down the hall, students claim he began to shout, "F-ck n-gg-rs!"

No one has to tell me what that means, either.

Bangor has a problem.

(Originally published 1:47 pm)

DA John Morganelli Authorizes Hate Crime Charge Over Racist Video

Being the new kid at a strange school can be pretty tough. But imagine how things were for a 16 year-old African male who was the new kid at predominately white Saucon Valley High School this year. He was harassed by a group of kids calling themselves the "Red Necks." One way in which they let him know he was different was when they tried to drape him with a Confederate flag. Another way was to call him derogatory names. But things were too much for this student when he was presented a with a Snapchat video of him eating lunch in October, taken by a 14 year-old without the older boy's knowledge. He assaulted the fledgling cameraman. Then he was charged by Lower Saucon police with simple assault and harassment. But now the budding broadcaster has also been charged. District Attorney John Morganelli announced yesterday that, following an investigation by Detective Paul Hulbert, he has authorized charges of cyber harassment of a child, a third degree misdemeanor, and ethnic intimidation, a second degree misdemeanor.

All charges against both boys have been filed in Northampton County Juvenile Court. Since neither has a history with police, both will be offered participation in a diversionary program called informal adjustment, in which the charges are ultimately dismissed after a period of probation.

Morganelli found the video to be "outrageous, insulting, demeaning and a video that seriously disparages the African American male's physical characteristics and specifically his African American race."

Though he declined to release the video, but detailed why it appalled him. It was a video of the 16 year-old black boy eating chicken, with a running commentary by the white 14 year-old, which he them distributed to others on Snapchat.

"So there's a chicken eating contest here. This f---in' n----- is taking his time. He's getting free f---in' chicken, you n-----. It has been a minute and he's on the same f---in' wing. Oh, now the black kid is taking the wings back up to his seat. What, what, are you that broke?" At this point, "His welfare check canceled" scrolls across the screen.

According to the Pennsylvania State Police crime records, 1,975 people have been victimized statewide by hate crimes, or ethnic intimidation, since 2000. The statute requires an underlying offense like cyber harassment, which is alleged to have occurred here. Ethnic intimidation occurs if the underlying offense is committed because of the person's race, color, religion or ethnic heritage.

Morganelli noted that after announcing his intention to investigate this matter, he received a number of complaints that he was infringing on people's free speech rights. He acknowledged that people have a First Amendment right to be bigoted. But he explained that the statute does not punish bigoted thought or speech. It merely provides for an enhanced punishment against someone who commits crimes against others based on their ethnicity or race.

In the past, Morganelli has been a defender of free speech.

• He dismissed Flag law violations against a Washington Township protester who flew the American flag upside down.
• He dismissed disorderly conduct charge against anti-war activists who were peaceably assembled outside the Palmer Township post office on income tax day. 
• He dismissed the most serious charges against "Nature Dave," a bank protester who walked inside an Easton bank with a sign declaring, "You're being robbed."
• In the most recent presidential election, he dismissed littering charges filed against a West Easton woman who was placing Donald Trump signs on utility poles. 

He said those cases are a far cry from a crime committed against someone simply because of his color or ethnicity.

Morganelli hopes the charges filed here send the message that "this kind of conduct will not be tolerated. ... Harassment, whether it's based on race or otherwise, is a crime."

"Maybe next time our office won't be so generous," he concluded.

Racism at Allentown Art Museum?

That's the perception of Muhlenberg undergrad Rachel Brudner. She and her class visited Allentown Art Museum recently for a tour about the Latino presence in American art. She was disturbed enough by what the tour guide said that she posted a blog about it at Odyssey.

Though Rachel claims to be upset by the "things that actually came out of the mouth" of her tour guide, she acknowledges she has few direct quotes. She fails to identify the tour guide, who might dispute or add context to some of Rachel's perceptions.

One of the examples of bias she cites is the tour guide's inability to use the words "Latino" and "Hispanic" properly. Gimme a break, Rachel. To preach that this is evidence of bigotry is to display the very kind of political correctness that just drives people nutz. Some just honestly get confused. Trust me on that one, Rachel.

But Rachel cites plenty of other examples that indicate that the Allentown Art Museum's exhibit has failed to awaken this tour guide's sensitivity to those who are different.

In response to Rachel's story, the Allentown Art Museum responds that it "does not condone such sentiment, ideas, or language. We are deeply disturbed that such comments as you described in your post have been associated with this museum. This is neither what we stand for nor what we are willing to tolerate."

But id what Rachel is saying is accurate, then that's precisely what these artsy-fartsies are doing.

Nazareth Cop Admitted He Hates Black People

On Monday night, Esther Lee and the Bethlehem NAACP conducted an overdue forum on race relations between the City's minority population and a bunch of panelists about the City's mostly white police department. Several instances of possible bias were reported, although they seem to really boil down to questions of respect. In fairness to Bethlehem police, whom I consider the best in the Lehigh Valley, it should be noted that beat cops were not invited. I think the discussion would have been even better had they been asked to come. Despite their absence, however, there were no reports of overt racism from the audience.

In Nazareth, things are different. A lot different. Two years ago, I reported claims that then Nazareth Police Officer Danny Troxell was referring on radio to blacks spotted in Nazareth as UNT (Unauthorized N---er in Town) or UNB (Unauthorized N---er in Town). This report came to me from other police officers. I went with this complaint to Nazareth Borough Council, which pretty much ignored me.

I now have additional evidence to support overt racism at Nazareth's police department. It is a written and signed statement provided by Parking Enforcement Officer Mike Tarnok, who has retired and moved out of the area. Because he is gone, I have no fear that he will experience retaliation. That will pretty much be limited to me, and will consist of snide remarks on the newspaper comment boards.

I have thick skin.

Tarnok’s statement concerns Officer Daniel Troxell. His name is no longer listed on the active police roster, but until recently, he was very much in contention for a full-time job and might still be on the Civil Service list

I have decided against publishing the entire two-page, handwritten statement because Troxell makes references to others who should be kept out of this matter

Troxell starts with some bizzaro claims about the Masons: "[Troxell] feels that Stephen and Fred [two other cops] are using their membership in the Masons to try to make him look bad. Danny says you can't beat the Masons and a lot of influence and power."

From Masons, Troxell goes on to blacks.

"Danny told me he hates 'ni--ers.' He also told me he is not fond of [a Nazareth female] because she 'fucked 'ni--ers.'"

Troxell very nearly became a full-time Nazareth police officer. Troxell is the Nazareth police officer who smashed a door down when a mentally distraught Timothy Nixon had stolen a friend's gun and then called him to tell him. He refused to call back-up, setup a perimeter or just call Nixon. When Troxell kicked in the door, Nixon committed suicide. A dismissal of Nixon's wrongful death lawsuit is in the Third Circuit Court.

Incidentally, Timothy Nixon was black.

A Hopeful Bigot

Yesterday, some of you were outraged when a few people suggested, at a Bethlehem forum, that some police officers are racists. Some of you seemed to argue that driving with an expired inspection sticker is a capital offense for which cops should shoot you on sight, black or white. 

Fortunately, most people don't feel that way, including cops. Most officers try to be fair, respectful and polite to one and all, regardless of their race. But racism still exists, even among cops. They are human beings and have the same shortcomings as the rest of us. 

I'm a racist myself. The first thing I notice about a black person is his or her color. If I were truly free from prejudice, the first thing I would notice is the person. But I'm not. Bigotry has been hammered into me. I grew up in Hellertown, where I was told as a child that black people were not allowed to use swimming pools like the rest of us because they smell funny in the summer.

As a kid, if I thought someone cheated me in a deal over baseball cards, I'd say he "Jewed" me  

This thinking started to change by the time I reached high school. I delude myself into thinking I have finally been enlightened and am nothing like those real racists. But then some poor black or Hispanic will walk across the street in a crosswalk in front of me, and will be moving just a little too slowly for me. 

"That n---er has an attitude," I tell myself.

But the person with the attitude is me.

I'm a bigot and will die a bigot. It's ingrained in me, as it is with most people my age who grew up in the Lehigh Valley, at least in the 'burbs.

But there's hope. Not for me, but our kids. 

Just the other day, another bigot on this blog derided President Obama as our "dark hero."  There are kids like my grandson who grew up seeing a black (well, half black) man in a suit everyday on television, talking about important things. Regardless what you think of him, and I don't think much of him myself, the children who have grown up watching him are not buying into the prejudice that has permanently infected me.

So though we are racially divided and there are still confrontations, I am very hopeful for our future. I see it in our children. 

They are better than we are. 

Black Police Officer "I am Now More Likely to Die"

Jay Stalien, a police officer at Palm Beach County in Florida and a former Baltimore cop, writes eloquently and from his heart on the tragedy of black lives lost, not to cops, but to other blacks.

I have come to realize something that is still hard for me to understand to this day. The following may be a shock to some coming from an African American, but the mere fact that it may be shocking to some is prima facie evidence of the sad state of affairs that we are in as Humans.

I used to be so torn inside growing up. Here I am, a young African-American born and raised in Brooklyn, NY wanting to be a cop. I watched and lived through the crime that took place in the hood. My own black people killing others over nothing. Crack heads and heroin addicts lined the lobby of my building as I shuffled around them to make my way to our 1 bedroom apartment with 6 of us living inside. I used to be woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of gun fire, only to look outside and see that it was 2 African Americans shooting at each other.

It never sat right with me. I wanted to help my community and stop watching the blood of African Americans spilled on the street at the hands of a fellow black man. I became a cop because black lives in my community, along with ALL lives, mattered to me, and wanted to help stop the bloodshed.

As time went by in my law enforcement career, I quickly began to realize something. I remember the countless times I stood 2 inches from a young black man, around my age, laying on his back, gasping for air as blood filled his lungs. I remember them bleeding profusely with the unforgettable smell of deoxygenated dark red blood in the air, as it leaked from the bullet holes in his body on to the hot sidewalk on a summer day. I remember the countless family members who attacked me, spit on me, cursed me out, as I put up crime scene tape to cordon off the crime scene, yelling and screaming out of pain and anger at the sight of their loved ones taking their last breath. I never took it personally, I knew they were hurting. I remember the countless times I had to order new uniforms, because the ones I had on, were bloody from the blood of another black victim…of black on black crime. I remember the countless times I got back in my patrol car, distraught after having watched another black male die in front me, having to start my preliminary report something like this:

Suspect- Black/ Male, Victim-Black /Male.

I remember the countless times I canvassed the area afterwards, and asked everyone “did you see who did it”, and the popular response from the very same family members was always, “Fuck the Police, I aint no snitch, Im gonna take care of this myself." This happened every single time, every single homicide, black on black, and then my realization became clearer.

I woke up every morning, put my freshly pressed uniform on, shined my badge, functioned checked my weapon, kissed my wife and kid, and waited for my wife to say the same thing she always does before I leave, “Make sure you come back home to us”. I always replied, “I will”, but the truth was I was never sure if I would. I almost lost my life on this job, and every call, every stop, every moment that I had this uniform on, was another possibility for me to almost lose my life again. I was a target in the very community I swore to protect, the very community I wanted to help. As a matter of fact, they hated my very presence. They called me “Uncle Tom”, and “wanna be white boy”, and I couldn’t understand why. My own fellow black men and women attacking me, wishing for my death, wishing for the death of my family. I was so confused, so torn, I couldn’t understand why my own black people would turn against me, when every time they called …I was there. Every time someone died….I was there. Every time they were going through one of the worst moments in their lives…I was there. So why was I the enemy? I dove deep into that question…Why was I the enemy? Then my realization became clearer.

I spoke to members of the community and listened to some of the complaints as to why they hated cops. I then did research on the facts. I also presented facts to these members of the community, and listened to their complaints in response. This is what I learned:

Complaint: Police always targeting us, they always messing with the black man.

Fact: A city where the majority of citizens are black (Baltimore for example) …will ALWAYS have a higher rate of black people getting arrested, it will ALWAYS have a higher rate of blacks getting stopped, and will ALWAYS have a higher rate of blacks getting killed, and the reason why is because a city with those characteristics will ALWAYS have a higher rate of blacks committing crime. The statistics will follow the same trend for Asians if you go to China, for Hispanics if you go to Puerto Rico, for whites if you go to Russia, and the list goes on. It’s called Demographics

Complaint: More black people get arrested than white boys.

Fact: Black People commit a grossly disproportionate amount of crime. Data from the FBI shows that Nationwide, Blacks committed 5,173 homicides in 2014, whites committed 4,367. Chicago’s death toll is almost equal to that of both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, combined. Chicago’s death toll from 2001–November, 26 2015 stands at 7,401. The combined total deaths during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2015: 4,815) and Operation Enduring Freedom/Afghanistan (2001-2015: 3,506), total 8,321.

Complaint: Blacks are the only ones getting killed by police, or they are killed more.

Fact: As of July 2016, the breakdown of the number of US Citizens killed by Police this year is, 238 White people killed, 123 Black people killed, 79 Hispanics, 69 other/or unknown race.

Fact: Black people kill more other blacks than Police do, and there are only protest and outrage when a cop kills a black man. University of Toledo criminologist Dr. Richard R. Johnson examined the latest crime data from the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports and Centers for Disease Control and found that an average of 4,472 black men were killed by other black men annually between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2012. Professor Johnson’s research further concluded that 112 black men died from both justified and unjustified police-involved killings annually during this same period.

Complaint: Well we already doing a good job of killing ourselves, we don’t need the Police to do it. Besides they should know better.

The more I listened, the more I realized. The more I researched, the more I realized. I would ask questions, and would only get emotional responses & inferences based on no facts at all. The more killing I saw, the more tragedy, the more savagery, the more violence, the more loss of life of a black man at the hands of another black man….the more I realized.

I haven’t slept well in the past few nights. Heartbreak weighs me down, rage flows through my veins, and tears fills my eyes. I watched my fellow officers assassinated on live television, and the images of them laying on the ground are seared into my brain forever. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had been me, a black man, a black cop, on TV, assassinated, laying on the ground dead,..would my friends and family still think black lives mattered? Would my life have mattered? Would they make t-shirts in remembrance of me? Would they go on tv and protest violence? Would they even make a Facebook post, or share a post in reference to my death?

All of my realizations came to this conclusion. Black Lives do not matter to most black people. Only the lives that make the national news matter to them. Only the lives that are taken at the hands of cops or white people, matter. The other thousands of lives lost, the other black souls that I along with every cop, have seen taken at the hands of other blacks, do not matter. Their deaths are unnoticed, accepted as the “norm”, and swept underneath the rug by the very people who claim and post “black lives matter”. I realized that this country is full of ignorance, where an educated individual will watch the ratings-driven news media, and watch a couple YouTube video clips, and then come to the conclusion that they have all the knowledge they need to have in order to know what it feels like to have a bullet proof vest as part of your office equipment, “Stay Alive” as part of your daily to do list, and having insurance for your health insurance because of the high rate of death in your profession. They watch a couple videos and then they magically know in 2 minutes 35 seconds, how you are supposed to handle a violent encounter, which took you 6 months of Academy training, 2 – 3 months of field training, and countless years of blood, sweat, tears and broken bones experiencing violent encounters and fine tuning your execution of the Use of Force Continuum. I realized that there are even cops, COPS, duly sworn law enforcement officers, who are supposed to be decent investigators, who will publicly go on the media and call other white cops racist and KKK, based on a video clip that they watched thousands of miles away, which was filmed after the fact, based on a case where the details aren’t even known yet and the investigation hasn’t even begun. I realized that most in the African American community refuse to look at solving the bigger problem that I see and deal with every day, which is black on black crime taking hundreds of innocent black lives each year, and instead focus on the 9 questionable deaths of black men, where some were in the act of committing crimes. I realized that they value the life of a Sex Offender and Convicted Felon, [who was in the act of committing multiple felonies: felon in possession of a firearm-FELONY, brandishing and threatening a homeless man with a gun-Aggravated Assault in Florida: FELONY, who resisted officers who first tried to taze him, and WAS NOT RESTRAINED, who can be clearly seen in one of the videos raising his right shoulder, then shooting it down towards the right side of his body exactly where the firearm was located and recovered] more than the lives of the innocent cops who were assassinated in Dallas protecting the very people that hated them the most. I realized that they refuse to believe that most cops acknowledge that there are Bad cops who should have never been given a badge & gun, who are chicken shit and will shoot a cockroach if it crawls at them too fast, who never worked in the hood and may be intimidated. That most cops dread the thought of having to shoot someone, and never see the turmoil and mental anguish that a cop goes through after having to kill someone to save his own life. Instead they believe that we are all blood thirsty killers, because the media says so, even though the numbers prove otherwise. I realize that they truly feel as if the death of cops will help people realize the false narrative that Black Lives Matter, when all it will do is take their movement two steps backwards and label them domestic terrorist. I realized that some of these people, who say Black Lives Matter, are full of hate and racism. Hate for cops, because of the false narrative that more black people are targeted and killed. Racism against white people, for a tragedy that began 100’s of years ago, when most of the white people today weren’t even born yet. I realized that some in the African American community’s idea of “Justice” is the prosecution of ANY and EVERY cop or white man that kills or is believed to have killed a black man, no matter what the circumstances are. I realized the African American community refuses to look within to solve its major issues, and instead makes excuses and looks outside for solutions. I realized that a lot of people in the African American community lead with hate, instead of love. Division instead of Unity. Turmoil and rioting, instead of Peace. I realized that they have become the very entity that they claim they are fighting against.

I realized that the very reasons I became a cop, are the very reasons my own people hate me, and now in this toxic hateful racially charged political climate, I am now more likely to die,... and it is still hard for me to understand…. to this day.