Call for National Blackout No-Shopping day to support Jena 6

[crispini]

I got this in my email and thought I would pass it along. Haven't seen other sources so have yet to confirm it.... If it's substantiated, I'll participate in support.

MAKE NO PURCHASES NOV. 1-3, 2007.
November 2, 2007 National Blackout Day

WARREN BALLENTINE, 'THE PEOPLE'S ATTORNEY,' IS CALLING FOR ALL AFRICAN AMERICANS TO PARTICIPATE IN A NATIONAL BLACKOUT'

WHO: Warren Ballentine 'The People's Attorney' and radio 'Truth Fighter' is calling for a National Blackout throughout America, on Friday, November 2, 2007.

WHAT: Attorney Ballentine is calling for a National Blackout that is necessary for African Americans, and is long over due. Especially with all the present injustices that are being allowed and accepted in America right now. From the situation with Mychal Bell and the Jena 6, Genarlow Wilson, Megan Williams, and all of the nooses being hung all over America lately. Until we have federal legislation in place regarding these hate crimes, as African Americans, we need to band together to show our 'Economic Power' by refusing to spend ANY money that day from fast food restaurants to gas. More on Jena 6 at http://www.JENA6TV. com.

WHY: As African Americans we spend an estimated 715 billion dollars a year, and if we were to stop spending for one day that is 2 billion dollars that will not in the system. However, we ask that you don't make a mad dash to the stores days prior or on the days following. If the stores have a major increase in sales right before or right after the Blackout than we will not create the impact we are striving for.

WHEN & Friday, November 2, 2007

WHERE: Nationwide Blackout for ALL African Americans

Syndication One, a joint venture of Radio One, Inc. and REACH Media, Inc., is designed to develop African-American targeted programming. While there are more than 1,200 talk shows currently available to radio audiences nationwide, there are few programs that offer listeners a daily dose of ideas, issues, analysis and information targeted to the African-American audience. Syndication One offers its listeners timely, relevant, probing and entertaining programming, addressing a wide range of issues from a broad spectrum of viewpoints.

Radio One, Inc. (http://www.radio- one.com) is the nation's seventh largest radio broadcasting company (based on 2006 net broadcast revenue) and the largest radio broadcasting company that primarily targets African-American and urban listeners. Pro forma for recently announced transactions, Radio One owns and/or operates 60 radio stations located in 19 urban markets in the United States. Additionally, Radio One owns Magazine One, Inc. (d/b/a Giant Magazine) (http://www.giantmag .com), interests in TV One, LLC (http://www.tvoneonl ine.com), a cable/satellite network programming primarily to African-Americans and Reach Media, Inc. (http://www.blackame ricaweb.com), owner of the Tom Joyner Morning Show and other businesses associated with Tom Joyner. Radio One also operates the only nationwide African-American news/talk network on free radio and programs 'XM 169 The POWER,' an African-American news/talk channel, on XM Satellite Radio.

Blackout 2 November 2007

Don't Spend ANY money — Show a sign of solidarity

Many people marched in Jena, LA, last month in support of the 6 young men unjustly charged with attempted murder for a school yard fight. There are many situations all over the nation that scream of injustice and unfair treatment of people in this country.

There is the woman in West Virginia who was raped and tortured for days with barely any national coverage. They called her the N word but as of this writing, they still had not confirmed they are treating this as a hate crime. We all know the young groom in NYC who was murdered by the NYPD on the eve of his wedding. There is the teenage girl in Tex as who was sentenced to jail time for an altercation with a school official.

How about the teenage girl who was sprayed with mace for missing curfew? You can see her in the video restrained by a police officer twice her size. She was in handcuffs when she was sprayed. Maybe you heard of the California girl who had her arm broken by a school security official when she refused to pick up a piece of cake from the floor. It was filmed by a school mate and is all over You Tube.

You may have heard of the young man in Georgia who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having consensual sex with a young girl. He was 17, she was 15. There was also the young brother in Florida who died in the custody of the state when he was admitted to their boot camp. They said he had diabetes but they couldn't explain his battered body. All of these stories happened within the last year or two.

Those are just a few instances where people in this country have been treated unfairly, while 4 young men in Raleigh, NC sue the state for 10 million dollars each because they were 'falsely' accused of rape. There are people who spend YEARS in prison and are exonerated that don't get nearly that much coin. By the way, who else is tired of the Princess Diana wrongful death inquiry? I mean, come on, it's very sad how she died but does her death need to be the top news story 10 years and 2 months after her death?

On Friday, November 2, 2007, Warren Ballentine, Reverend Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders are calling for a national boycott. Black people alone spend 2 billion dollars a day in the United States and we are only approximately 12% of the population—2 billion dollars a day, lining the pockets of companies that have shown no interest in our interests. We ARE living in the new civil rights movement.

We cannot allow the march in Jena to be only an event. It MUST be a movement. In the 1950s, the bus boycott was only supposed to be for a few days or weeks. It ended up being over a year.

The goal was for fair treatment and bus integration. Our parents and grandparents sacrificed and showed that with faith and strength, they could show corporate America the power of the community and demanded fair treatment. As we know, those buses were integrated. This is not about color. This is about class. The middle class and poor people in this country are not treated as the Declaration of Independence says we should be treated. It states that 'all men are created equal'. Clearly the governing class of the United States disagrees with their document.

Join us on Friday, November 2, 2007 and don't spend ANY money. If you have to shop, do it the day before or the day after. If you need gas, get it the day before or the day after. We have to join together as a community. You may be thinking, it's only one day, what difference will it make? I had the same thought at first, but just think about it. If we all save our money that day, it WILL make a difference. That day may become a weekend. That weekend may become a week and that week a month. As we showed in the 1950s, we can make a difference if we do this together.

If you can pass the many dumb jokes and forwards we all get, you most certainly can pass this important email to all your friends and family.

Show a sign of solidarity.

[daninthemoon]

1. I'm thinkin that even if this is legit, one day might not get much notice.

A week just might get some attention.

[crispini]

3. That's a good point.

Everything starts somewhere, I guess.

[NOLALady]

5. A General Strike has been called for Nov. 6th.

Harper's magazine suggests a National Strike starting Nov. 6, 2007 to force impeachment!



I plan to boycott from Nov 2nd through the 6th.

[daninthemoon]

6. Now you're talkin. Is there really something big getting organized,

or just an exercise?

[Cha]

2. I never shop mainstream

so I won't be shopping on Nov 2, either..and I would gladly stop for the Jena 6.

[tkmorris]

4. I've seen these sorts of efforts a thousand times

I have yet to see one have any detectable impact. Perhaps participation isn't high enough, maybe retailers just assume that over the long term people will end up buying as much as they ever do, or maybe targeting retailers just isn't an effective way to put pressure the people you really want to affect, I don't know.

I have strongly supported the Jena 6 from the earliest mentions of the case, and will continue to do so. I don't think I'll be participating in this though, because I don't see any connection between the two things, it wouldn't work in any case, and the request is only extended to African Americans (What the hell is up with that anyway?) of which I am not one.