Not one (to my and Google's knowledge) of the national news outlets has bothered to follow-up on the story about the "race attacks" (black on white beatings) that occurred a few weeks ago at the Wisconsin State Fair. All national major media outlets took their shot and kept on driving. There's actually a little good news to report, which is another reason the MSM (mainstream media) won't touch the story again.
This is pretty inclusive; I'll do my best to lay-out the entire story properly. If you do not make use of the links I provide in this story you may not get the full picture. I provide these links to help you gain a better understanding of the entire story, which is somewhat involved, yet necessary to understanding the whole story.
I have my own opinions about this entire story and will do my best to keep them mostly to myself. That being said, there are a few instances where my personal opinion will be included. After all, this IS my blog.
Here we go:
Earlier this month, during the evening of Thursday, August 4th, the following quotes were reported from the victims of and witnesses to the black on white attacks at the Wisconsin state fairgrounds:
"It looked like they were just going after white guys, white people,"
"They were attacking everybody for no reason whatsoever."
"It was 100% racial,"
"I had a black couple on my right side, and these black kids were running in between all the cars, and they were pounding on my doors and trying to open up doors on my car, and they didn't do one thing to this black couple that was in this car next to us. They just kept walking right past their car. They were looking in everybody's windshield as they were running by, seeing who was white and who was black. Guarantee it."
"it was like a scene you needed the National Guard to control."
"To me, it looked like a scene out of a movie,"
"I have not seen anything like this in my life. It was a huge mob, and it was a fight that maybe lasted one to two minutes."
There you have it. Black on white, racially-motivated beatings took place on August 4th, 2011 on the Wisconsin state fairgrounds. Really though, that is only the middle of this story. Yes, that's right...the middle of this story.
The story really begins at an earlier time. Trying to pin-down when exactly that is is not for me to do. One may say that this "kind" of story is ingrained in human behavior. People have been separating and segregating themselves since the beginning of time for myriad reasons. It could also be said that this very singular incident at the fairgrounds stemmed from a series of eight police-involved shootings in Milwaukee this year, the fifth since Memorial Day. That's the time-frame in which I'm going to begin.
I provide you this link where four of the police-involved shootings are briefly discussed. However, there's one shooting, in particular, that plays a role in this "good news" story I'm trying to tell. A 20-year-old black male from Milwaukee known as "Big Mike" lost his Uncle, Latare Nixon, 37, in this police-involved shooting. Below is a media account about the incident in which Mr. Nixon died.
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn on Sunday described the circumstances under which a police officer fatally shot an armed man.
The victim, Latare Nixon, 37, was killed in the 3100 block of N. 44th St. early Sunday after firing several shots at the officer, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer, 37, who is assigned to District 7, has five years of service. He was not injured.
"This is the eighth time this year one of our officers has been involved in a shooting," Flynn said. "The man is now deceased."
Police had responded to a call at 5:25 a.m. Sunday from Nixon's ex-girlfriend, saying he was trying to break into her house, when the shooting occurred.
If you'd like to view a video and read another local media account of this shooting you can click this link: Milwaukee Police Officer Shoots, Kills Domestic Violence Suspect.
Now, as one can only imagine, the family of Mr. Nixon is not entirely trusting of the police-account of the shooting, or "killing", as they call it (as heard in the blogtalkradio show below), of their family member by a Milwaukee police officer. The opinions of the family of Mr. Nixon are shared on "Big Mike's" blogtalkradio show only 3 days after the loss of their family member. The emotions of the family are raw and some, perhaps unjust, accusations are made against the Milwaukee police.
Two months after the shooting, I don't know if the family still believes this to have been an unjust shooting by the Milwaukee police. If they do, I believe that they are wrong. Mr. Nixon had a gun. He fired his weapon. The police fired at him and killed him. You do not fire a weapon at the police, and if you do, you had better expect to die. The family of Mr. Nixon may think that's a little harsh but, it is really that simple to me. That being said, I have empathy for the emotional response from Mr. Nixon's family in regard to the manner in which he died.
This blogtalkradio show is 112 minutes long. Mike and his family discuss the fatal shooting of his uncle. Skip ahead to about the 15-minute mark of this radio show and listen for 6-8 minutes in order to be able to understand my comments in the above paragraph. (Keep in mind that "Big Mike" is 20 years old.)
Listen to internet radio with IMEliteRadio on Blog Talk Radio
OK, now I want to focus on Mike Hagler, aka "Big Mike," for a moment. He is the 20-year-old nephew of Mr. Nixon. He is also the "good news" in this sea of "bad news" stories.
This is "Big Mike" of Big Mike's Blog Talk Radio Show, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Mike is a young man from Milwaukee who has grown tired of the violence in his hometown and is trying to be a positive force in bringing about peace in his city.
July 4th is the day that Mike started a new Facebook page called @TeamStopTheViolence on Facebook. Here is how Mike is describing his new movement on this Facebook page:
Teenagers growing up in some of Milwaukee's toughest neighborhoods took a stand. Some of them have had family members killed by gun violence. But now, they want to be a shining light of peace; an example for others to follow.
Here's a video from YouTube that "Big Mike" (of) "It's Big Mike Time - the voice of the teens" posted on June 29, 2011, 4 days after his uncle died. I encourage you to go to YouTube (click the title of the video in the video player below) and read the nasty comments that others have left under his video. There are only 3 of them, but they are racial in content. Again, please keep in mind that Mike is 20 years old.
*******Big Mike's YouTube account was hacked and his videos were deleted!******
(Sept. 4, 2011 - approx 6PM CST)
If he makes any new videos I'll include them in this post.
Here's a young kid that is TRYING to be a positive force in his community. That's good news. Click the following link to watch and read more about this story from the local Milwaukee FOX affiliate.
Here's more BAD NEWS (video and article). This story, which actually accounts for 2 separate incidents, a "mob looting" and an "attack by a mob of teens" (race is not mentioned), was reported on July 4th, the same day "Big Mike" began his facebook page @TeamStopTheViolence. The very first post on Mike's Facebook page was at 8:19 in the morning, approximately 8 hours AFTER to the "mob looting" and "attacks" occurred in Milwaukee, as described in the previous link, which also made national news.
Here is a 12-minute press conference (video and short article) held by Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn where he lays out the timeline of the mob looting and subsequent attacks that occurred in the early morning hours of July 4th.
Here's more GOOD NEWS where the Mother of 2 of the teens involved in the above incident makes them turn themselves in to the police department (July 6th):
I do want to state that the above video should NOT be "newsworthy." It should be the norm, and if it were, our society, as a whole, wouldn't have half of the problems that it has now. More parents, like the woman above, need to be able to admit to themselves AND to their kids when their kids DO mess up. Their kids WILL LIE (just about every time their lips move) and all parents need to MAKE their kids be accountable. Too many parents do everything they can to make sure their "precious children" are NOT held accountable. It is the "rest of us" who are left to deal with them once they fly from the protective enclave of their parents. If they are not raised with the skills which are necessary to survive a basic human existence, who do these coddling parents think will teach these necessary skills to their kids? It's people like me who have zero tolerance for bad behavior, which, by extension, is the criminal justice system that fills this role. If more parents would take responsibility for producing respectful, accountable, productive, law-abiding citizens, the world would be a better place. I thank the woman in the video above for being a parent that, in this case, is attempting to show her kids the right path.
OK, back to Mike...
Below is a local media report of the second anti-violence rally that Mike took part in on July 15th for which he made the following posts on the "Team Stop the Violence" Facebook page:
BLACK OR WHITE IT DON'T MATTER WE COMING TOGETHER TO MAKE A CHANGE
---AND---
Team STOP the Violence (Big Mike) is have a Stop the Violence Rally Tomorrow at Sherman Park 3pm. PCA will be there supporting this great cause. Please we are asking adults and youth to come to Sherman Park and lets help make this a great event. WE MUST PUT A END TO VIOLENCE, FINALLY WE HAVE YOUTH MAKING A STAND. SEE YOU TOMORROW.. TIME TO NETWORK AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Here's the video:
So, what I've laid out for you so far, is this: One young man, who's life has been affected by "gun violence" in the most racially-segregated city in the nation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a young man that has chosen to not join those that choose to violate their own neighborhood and its citizens. He is one person that has chosen to make a stand for a better way of life. He has not chosen to let himself be overcome by the circumstances that are his life; he is choosing to seek a better way of life. He is trying to get others to join him in his new mission. This is commendable behavior for which his family should be proud.
July 23rd Mike gave an interview to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online in which he stated the following:
"I'm just so tired of people dying over dumb things," said Hagler after co-organizing a peace vigil in the Riverwest neighborhood last week in response to the ransacking of a gas station and the attack by a mob of youths on Fourth of July revelers at Kilbourn Reservoir Park.
"It only takes one person to do something negative, and other people will do the same thing," Hagler said.
"I want to be a leader who's doing something positive, and hopefully other young people will follow me."
August 4th, the racially-motivated attacks on the the Wisconsin state fairgrounds took place. You can read more about those attacks here, here, and finally, here where a state democratic lawmaker calls for a hate-crimes investigation which, ultimately, was not conducted, however, "The District Attorney will look into hate crime charges for the other suspects being investigated."
The video below includes the 911 calls to dispatch about the racially-charged attacks at the fairgrounds as well as a discussion with a "former leader of Milwaukee's white power movement" who at one time "routinely attacked people because of the color of their skin":
BACK TO MIKE. Here is Mike's August 6th response to the state fair mob attacks. This video has received over 10,000 views on YouTube and has over 250 comments, many of which, again, are racially charged, from "both sides." Once again, read the comments under the video.
*******Big Mike's YouTube account was hacked and his videos were deleted!******
(Sept. 4, 2011 - approx 6PM CST)
If he makes any new videos I'll include them in this post.
Here's the next video Mike uploaded, the following day, to YouTube (August 7th). In this video, Mike is not alone. This is an assortment of other teens from Milwaukee that are supporting Mike's "Team Stop the Violence" campaign. This video has over 13,000 views on YouTube and over 320 comments...again, many of which, are racially-charged.
*******Big Mike's YouTube account was hacked and his videos were deleted!******
(Sept. 4, 2011 - approx 6PM CST)
If he makes any new videos I'll include them in this post.
*****UPDATE*****
This video has been re-uploaded to YouTube. The original of this video of Big Mike's had over 20,000 views on YouTube...just for the record.
I have to say that I do have a problem with this video. The reason I have a problem with it is because only one person in the video condemns any of the attacks that have taken place. One girl in the video says "the way those kids acted (at the fairgrounds) was a disgrace to our race." That is it. The general theme of this video is that "the media is portraying black teens in a bad light." Yet, only one of the black teens that participate in this video condemns the attacks that took place. Out of fairness, I must add that I presume that the same question was asked of most of the teens that took part in this video and it must have been something like: "How do you feel black teens are portrayed by the media following the attacks at the state fair?" The answer to that question was the basic response given by most of the participants in this video. That being said, once again, I urge you to read the comments under this video on YouTube. What the hell is wrong with people?
Once again, Mike responds with another Team Stop the Violence rally on August 11th to combat the negative effects of violence on his community.
A few days after the rally, on August 19th, Mike posts to his "Team Stop the Violence" Facebook page, the following:
3 people was shot last night and one was a 15yrs old. It's crazy!!! No more meetings on why is this happening. TIME TO FIGHT BACK!!!!!
1. BLOCK WATCHES
2. BE A WITNESS
3. STOP BEING AFRAID OF THE YOUTH
4. MEN HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS WITH YOUR KIDS (WOMEN CAN'T DO IT ALL BY THEM SELF!)
5. ENFORCE THE CURFEW LAW!!
6. GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR!!
7. PARENTS FIND OUT WHATS GOING ON IN YOUR CHILDREN LIVES.
8. STOP BEING YOUR KIDS FRIEND AND BE A MOM OR A DAD!
Instead of just organizing "events" Mike's group is now beginning to offer some solutions.
Mike is a courageous soul and I give him due credit for standing for something in his community. The hate that he's receiving in public (as evidenced in comments under his YouTube videos) is what we see. Having had a long-term relationship with the internet, I can personally speak to the fact that these "online rants" are probably not the only threats and negativity he's receiving.
As far as I've been able to find online (which has been my sole source of information in the writing of this article), there are only two "outside-the-media" groups that have chosen to highlight Mike's efforts. I could have missed something and, to be honest, I hope I did; I believe this kid needs MORE SUPPORT from his community than he is currently receiving...at least as far as I've been able to tell with the internet being my sole source of information.
Here's an excerpt from one such source.
Too many of our so-called black leaders have failed to address this issue, instead choosing to run to every television camera they can get in front of, repeating the same old talking points about institutionalized racism. It's an insult to every single black man and woman who sacrificed his or her life to make ours better. They faced more racism than you or I can ever imagine. And this is how we repay them? By letting kids believe that there are no consequences for their actions as long as you can blame it on the white man and racism? By allowing too many young black men and women to believe that there's more value in serving time than getting an education? And instead of supporting those who stand up and speak out on the issue (Bill Cosby), we criticize them for airing out "dirty laundry." Well the secret is out, and it's not pretty. And it has to stop.
Please read the entire 8-paragraph piece above entitled "Commentary: Breakdown Of The Family Is Destroying Black Community," written by Derrell Connor.
Mr. Connor's piece exalts his heritage. He pays homage to those that have come, not only before him, but to those have come now and should feel responsible to their heritage, as well as to themselves...but, don't.
Mr. Connor's piece above also appeared on The Milwaukee Drum which is, as far as I can tell, is a source of "balanced" news (conservative and liberal opinions) for the black community in Milwaukee. The Drum posts stories from both sides of the political spectrum from left (An Open Letter to our Young, Gifted, Talented and Black) to right (Black Tea Drinkers Demonstrate at NAACP Convention).
If I could offer my well wishes and extol my hopes onto Big Mike's movement, I would offer this:
I hope that Big Mike and Derrell Connor can work together on this movement. I would hope that Mike and "Wonder Woman" from The Milwaukee Drum could meet and discuss, with Mr. Connor, some fresh ideas to promote Mike's cause. I would hope that Mike and his movement will not fall victim to the hoard of liberal do-gooders that only seek to garner the vote of the black community while making promises on which they'll never deliver...as they have done to the black community for several decades. In the end, if Mike's movement is not successful it won't be because HE failed...it will be because his COMMUNITY failed him.
I know Mike is young. I'm double his age. There are days when I'm sure that I know more than most 20-year-olds. There are other days that I'm positive I do. (No typos there, btw.) I hope Mike and his movement can associate themselves with other successful leaders in the Milwaukee area (or beyond) and actually MAKE that dream of peace that Mike seeks into a reality. I know one simple, white woman in Nebraska that is rooting for you, Mike. I hope you know that there ARE people, commonly referred to as the "silent majority" in this nation, that are rooting for you as well.
In closing, I want to include three posts that just didn't seem to properly fit into the story above. They are examples of the spectrum of which this subject encompasses. I'm simply going to post them and offer nothing about them except the date they were posted and their respective titles.
August 18, 2011
Mike posted the video below to his "Team Stop the Violence" Facebook page with this message:
THIS IS CRAZY WE HAVE TO PUT A STOP TO THIS ! YALL MAKING MILWAUKEE LOOK BAD ! JOIN @TeamStopTheViolence TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE !!!
***WARNING: DISTURBING & VIOLENT CONTENT!***
August 19, 2011
"Youth hold community day of action, dispel stereotyped images"
August 26 (?), 2011
"White separatist group plans protest of State Fair attacks" (To be held in Milwaukee on September 3rd, 2011.)
Here is Mike's Facebook page for TeamStopTheViolence.
Also, in honor of Mike's movement, I post this YouTube video for the Peace for Change Alliance with whom Mike has associated his new movement.
---------------------------------------THE END----------------------------------
I have some final thoughts I wish to state, now that this story has been told:
--- I have based everything in this piece on the internet research I have done over the past 48 hours+ on this subject.
--- I first came across one of Big Mike's YouTube videos while getting side-tracked Friday evening while watching a few "black vs white" fight videos that are posted on YouTube (which is not something I recommend). One of Big Mike's videos were in the "related videos" section screen-right of a video I was watching.
--- I am well aware of the various and numerous racial and non-racial attacks that have occurred all over the world within the past several weeks.
--- I am well aware of the racial discrimination that has and will continue to occur in this country (USA) over the past many months and decades. While I don't want all black youths portrayed as "violent," I, as a TEA party member wish to not be portrayed as such, either...including by the current President of the United States, Barack Obama, nor by the political party (Democrat) to which he belongs as has been done on numerous occasions.
--- There has never been a time in my 40 years on earth (nor in those of my 93-year-old Grandmother's) when a leader of this country has made an effort to create, not simply CLASS WARFARE,
..but also RACE WARFARE
...among the citizens of the United States, not to mention among those that reside here but are not citizens.
--- Mike, what you are doing is respectable, commendable, and enviable. You have chosen to take on a cause that is so necessary in today's America. I'm convinced that your movement is relevant to the future of this country. The problems that you are combating will not only reverberate in your own Milwaukee community, they are going to vibrate throughout all major cities within the United States over approximately the next 10 years. You are "ahead of the curve" in your community; yet, you are behind in the total score. Others need to join you and I hope young leaders in other major cities see the positive difference you are trying to make and will be inspired by your leadership...sooner, rather than later.
--- I wish that you and those joining you in this movement will never forget that they not only have rights afforded to all citizens of the United States by our Constitution and, thereby the grace of God, they also have responsibilities that go hand-in-hand with those God-given rights. I implore you to read and UTILIZE in your movement the new Declaration of Rights & Responsibilities offered by Glenn Beck. No one needs to know the source of this "Declaration." People just need to agree to it.
--- Mike, I encourage you to teach others in your movement to NOT rely on the hand of government, but to rely on the participation of their community. If they don't know what this truly entails, it is up to you to learn about it and teach it to them. Beware of those that wish to take advantage of you. Trust your gut and do not let your movement be co-opted by those with impure designs on you and your intent.
--- There was a time in this country when people who were in need didn't have a "government office" (whichever one it may be) to which they could turn in their hour of need (whatever that may be). As a country, we ALL need to return to this state-of-mind. The individual trumps government, always. How could some bureaucrat in some far-off state or federal government office have more of a sense of dedication to your family or to your neighbor than you? They don't. They won't. Those who have found their way to reliance on assistance from the federal, state or local government need to be shown a new light. A light that leads them to a path of self-sustenance. A light that truly lets their OWN light shine brighter than that of a hand that assists them. A light that allows them to reach the potential with which they were born...as a gift from God.
