Posts by Solomon
Police officers’ testimony on the Capitol riot shows the Blue Lives Matter slogan is a scam
“This is how I’m going to die, defending this entrance.” That’s what Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell told the congressional panel investigating the violent Jan. 6 riot by Trump supporters who tried to stop Joe Biden’s votes from being certified. It was an ugly day for police officers. One of them, Brian Sicknick, died the…
Read MoreIf we’re declaring a gun violence emergency, don’t just flood Black neighborhoods with cops
With gun violence in Philadelphia out of control, politicians and members of the media are calling on the mayor to declare a state of emergency. So far, the mayor has refused to do it, and unless we’re talking about something other than flooding our neighborhoods with cops, I think he’s right, and here’s why. Declaring…
Read More Richard Sherman’s domestic violence arrest shines a light on mental health in the Black community
When I learned that NFL cornerback Richard Sherman was arrested following a domestic violence incident, I was afraid for his family. Then I was afraid for our people, because Sherman, who’s been a strong voice for Black justice, would lose credibility if he hurt those he claimed to love. And in reality, you can’t…
Read More Biden’s speech on voting rights had everything except a plan
Joe Biden came to Philadelphia yesterday to talk about voting rights, a fight that he rightly called “the most significant test” of American democracy since the Civil War. And as he spoke, Biden did what Texas Democrats called on him to do when they came to Washington to stop a voter suppression law. He pressed…
Read More The push to suppress Black votes continues, and it’s getting worse
The troubling case of Hervis Rogers, a 62-year-old Black Texas resident facing up to 40 years in prison for illegally voting, is the latest front in the war for American democracy. Having served time in prison for felony burglary, Rogers was still on parole when he voted in 2018. When he voted again in 2020,…
Read More Teaching critical race theory could bring about equality, and that’s what they’re afraid of
A few years back, when I learned that my high school classmate, Dr. Tim Golden, had gone from lawyer to philosopher to critical race theorist, I sought his opinion on everything when it came to race. From police shootings of unarmed Black people to the fight for reparations, Dr. Golden broke it all down with…
Read More The Sha’Carrie Richardson story shows anti-Back rules at their best
When I saw that Sha-Carrie Richardson was left off the Olympic team, even though her 30-day suspension for a positive marijuana test will end in time for her to run in the 4 by 100 relays, I thought of America’s reverence for rules. The initial suspension happened because Richardson broke international rules that ban…
Read More Phylicia Rashad is under attack for supporting Cosby. Black folks have bigger fish to fry.
Bill Cosby was freed from prison because his constitutional right to due process was violated. Not because he was innocent, and not as an insult to sexual assault victims. He was freed because former Montgomery County DA Bruce Castor told Cosby that he wouldn’t prosecute him if he testified in a civil case. DA’s that…
Read More There is more to the Cosby case than guilt or innocence
Like everyone else, I was surprised that Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. It’s one thing for me to believe that Cosby was treated unfairly by a racist criminal justice system. It’s quite another thing for the state’s highest court to say Cosby’s due process rights were violated. At…
Read More Chauvin only got 22.5 years, but that’s just the beginning
On Friday, when he was about to sentence Derek Chauvin, Minnesota Judge Peter Cahill said, “I’m not basing my sentence … on public opinion. I am not basing it on any attempt to send any messages.” As he spoke my heart sank, because it sounded like he might sentence George Floyd’s killer to…
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