The formation story of “maverick” “free-thinking,,” “risk-taking,” “brilliant” white male business & political leaders often includes gems like this, remembered fondly by old acquaintances. This time it’s “the Contrarian” Peter Thiel. 1/
nymag.com/intelligencer/…
Keep reading…
Now think of how many videos you’ve seen and imagine 4 Black male students from, say, Clark-Atlanta University speeding down the road and pulled over by troopers. Try to imagine the story ending this way. /3
But we are supposed to read this story as an example of the originality, moxie and contrary nature of Thiel, who in fact was privileged to be allowed by America’s unspoken rules of race to sass a state trooper & live to have it recalled w/wry humor. And one day make billions. /4

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More from @Sifill_LDF

17 Sep
Another devastating story about Facebook. You think you know the worst of it, but there’s always more. wsj.com/articles/faceb…
Ok I’ll thread some of the recent ones.
Read 4 tweets
16 Sep
THREAD. This was a big week for civil rights at the DOJ. Proof that elections matter and that having civil rts attys in DOJ leadership matters. Let me walk you through what’s happened in just this one week. It’s actually astounding. 1/
On Monday, AG Garland announced a review of its use of monitors who oversee the implementation of consent decrees. This has been a concern among community groups in cities where police dept’s are covered by consent decrees after DOJ investigations. justice.gov/opa/pr/attorne… 2/
On Tuesday Asst AG for Civil Rights @KristenClarkeJD announced that the @CivilRights Division has opened an investigation into conditions in Georgia’s prisons. This is huge. The humanitarian crisis in southern prisons is a critically important issue.

nytimes.com/2021/09/14/us/…
Read 9 tweets
1 Sep
It’s critical to understand the TX law b/c it is part of a desperate effort to do by harassment, intimidation, & menacing what could not be accomplished by regular channels of democratic engagement. It is of a piece w/recent voter suppression bills and anti-truth school bd mobs.
By authorizing “citizen suits” vs. anyone facilitating an abortion, the law deputizes ordinary ppl to terrorize women seeking abortions w/lawsuits against their friends, partners, doctors, providers. In essence allowing zealots to do the work of overturning Roe by intimidation.
Georgia’s new voter suppression allows any voter to make unlimited “challenges” against the legitimacy of other voters. Unlimited. Even though in Nov 20 there were 360,000 challenges w/only a score of ballots found to be illegitimate. ajc.com/politics/georg…
Read 5 tweets
7 Aug
You’re being ridiculous. Samuel DuBose, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, Botham Jean, Michael Crawford, Jonathan Price, Emantic Bradford, Atatiana Jefferson and so many more. Can I add in choking and tasing? Cause then there’s Philando Castile, Elijah McCain, Eric Garner & so many more.
Going about their business or trying to help others. When one man knelt to protest this injustice that you claim “no one denies” he was blackballed from a pro sports career. Protesters were accused of demonizing the police.
Over and over we were told “if they just complied” they would be alive. Have you read the transcript of the killing of Elijah McClain? None of these unarmed ppl killed were breaking and entering into the Capitol w/the intent of overthrowing the govt.
Read 4 tweets
11 Jul
So pleased to see this from @BrentNYT. In “On The Courthouse Lawn” I wrote extensively about the failures of the white press in its reporting on lynchings, leaving the Black press “to speak to & about Blacks, who experienced firsthand the consequences of lynching.”
The white press also used erasure to gaslight and minimize the truth about white violence. The day after Matthew Williams was lynched in Salisbury, MD in 1931, the local paper - The Salisbury Times - issued a “Statement” below the fold. It read:
“This paper is omitting the details of the demonstration here last night….for the very obvious reason that almost every reader of our paper had an opportunity to learn of them firsthand from eyewitnesses.”
Yes, DEMONSTRATION. Also, one of the publishers was an eyewitness.
Read 4 tweets
1 Jul
We are fighting against the most concerted state-based effort to undermine Black voting strength since the Civil Rights Mvmt. And in that context, the Supreme Court has again, & w/abandon, shredded a core provision of the Voting Rights Act.
The move is bold. The announcement of a new "test" for vote denial cases - jettisoning the "totality of circumstances" test that has been adjudicated by trial & appellate cts for decades in these cases & replacing it w/a test that put a hand on the scale for "state interests."
The test itself is deeply cynical. First, the bait & switch. While the Shelby Court insisted we must not focus on the past, but must take acct of the new voting landscape, the Court in Brnovich suggests a presumption of validity for voting measures that were in place in 1982.
Read 8 tweets

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