MJ:'Please Know That I Love You All'

Posted by Matt Nelson at 3:35 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

"I love you all." This is what Michael Jackson taught me, a humble over-thirty Colombian-born Americano. Damn, what a great loss, and he was so young.

During the nearly 20 years that I have followed MJ in the press, I have been consistently appalled by the slow and steady knife the hegemony pressed in to Mike's white flesh. I have also been inspired and re-inspired with the great love and respect that Black folks gave Michael, to the very end. This was another reminder that, since forced relocation and enslavement, Black Americans have shown the rest of America the people's great capacity to love each other.

This is what Michael taught us well, to love. For the better part of fifty years, he inhaled hate mixed with self hate and exhaled the kind of love that helped us love our selves. He endured great physical suffering and his body expressed this through an ethic of cool that literally made the whole world dance. What could be more loving? Michael Jackson made the entire world, 6 billion people dance.

When the "King of Love," (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) died, Nina Simone asked, "Will my country, stand or fall?" and "Is it too late for us all?" I thought the same when I watched MJ smash the windows on the Nazi, KKK, Nigger Go Home car in "Panther Dance" and proceed to destroy the Klan's urban storefront headquarters. Standing just behind the row of bar stools, my right fist raised high until the large beautiful Black Panther strolls across the screen to end the video. That's right, watch it again if you thought all he was doing was screaming and grabbing his crotch.

Bad, who's bad? You think Wesley Snipes is bad? That vampire, sword-playing, Blaction hero didn't have a thing on MJ in "Bad". And MJ and crew, suited and booted their outfits all had chains, spikes, and were totally off the chain (sorry for the pun, remember I'm over 30). It was Michael's honesty and commitment to love (the beef started when he refused to rob the older dude), made him fearless enough to face down Snipes.

From the last days of Kush, to the dirty cities of the U$A, Michael was there for us. And he created a world where Black and Brown folks were heroes. He showed us that we can win, with dignity and unmatched style and compassion. His songs and his visual performance reinforced that we were somebody. Remember in "Billy Jean" when MJ tossed a coin into the cup of a shivering homeless man, who was then immediately transformed into a OG. That is love! Michael was there for all of us and perhaps, more importantly, he was there for you and me in some deeply personal way, if you allowed yourself to be moved.

Yes, he truly meant, "I love you all." He wanted us to achieve something that he was not able to do. Perhaps he thought that if he showed us how to do the impossible--from the moves, to the style, to the voice, to the art, to the genius, to the scale, to the sales--we would be able to do what seemed impossible for him.

We could fully love ourselves.

After a few weeks since MJ's passing, the loss is really hitting me. When anyone leaves this world, the best thing to do is remember them for how they loved. But, where do we go from here? Michael's torch burned bright and was blazing until his end. He passed it to you and me and we must resolve to set fire again our love for each other and ourselves. MJ's passing at 50 is a tragic reminder that many, many Black men die early.

Finally, I will forever associate Michael Joseph Jackson with these words of wisdom from Assata Shakur, "It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We much love each other and protect each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains."

Thank you and please MJ, may you rest in a much deserved peace.

Milwaukee Police Attack High School Students

Posted by Matt Nelson at 1:00 PM | 1 comment | Permalink

Shortly after 4pm on Tuesday, June 10, Milwaukee police officers attacked and arrested a Riverside High School student who allegedly hit a car with a water balloon during a supposed water balloon fight. Onlookers witnessed this act of aggression by the police officers on duty. The officers on the scene viciously beat the victim over the head and tackled him to the ground. According to over a dozen witnesses, the boy was lying prone on the ground for several minutes before officers proceeded to lift his shirt and attack him with a tazer gun, an excessive and potentially lethal force. The tazer gun was used at close range. After the melee, the police spokesperson told the media that three officers were injured, but has yet to provide concrete evidence supporting these claims.

According to witnesses, including the boy's cousin, the student attacked is a severe asthmatic and was not resisting arrest when tazered. The student was held in the police vehicle for twenty minutes until an ambulance arrived on the scene. At least thirty officers were present and arrested a total of seven students and one parent. At least three of the people arrested were in the act of filming the incident. Police forced many of the first hand witnesses to leave the area.

Demand Police Accountability from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett: (414.286.2200, mayor@milwaukee.gov) and new Police Chief Edward Flynn: (414.935.7200, acolem@milwaukee.gov)

Some of the students were detained for two days before being released and many of the students arrested are currently facing criminal charges and expulsion hearings.

Read the rest of the post »