The late Congressman John Lewis Arrested 45 times!!   Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested too!!  Never for Looting, Arson, Stealing, Pillaging or Tearing-down Confederate Memorial Statues!! Or the Black Community being “Offended” by the heritage of others!!  $100 Reward Offered!!!    –Report, research and arguendo by Robert A. Williams

I am old enough to personally remember the 1960’s. Before, start to finish, and all the years beyond. I remember when Dr. King was in competition with Robert Franklin Williams of Monroe, NC for the direction the NAACP leadership would take regarding the civil rights movement. Dr. King was for non-violent protest and Robert F. Williams, a former Marine, advocated the black community taking up arms to protect themselves and their property. Dr. King was assonated and the FBI chased Robert F. Williams out of the USA to Fidel Castro’s Cuba and Communist China. Ultimately Robert F. Williams returned to the USA at the request of President Richard M. Nixon in an effort to “butter-up” to China.

As I clearly remember those times when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Franklin Williams were competing for the hearts and souls of the black community, never do I remember one incident where they advocated or instigated looting, arson, stealing, pillaging or tearing down Confederate Soldiers Memorial Monuments and statues. Clearly both Dr. King and Robert F. Williams valued economic, social and legal equality and opportunity and fighting those present-day injustices through non-violent means or armed self-protection. Everything else was apparently too petty for them to even think about.

The recent passing of Congressman John Lewis and all the old news coverage of Lewis, King and others. And their many arrests for such things as sit-ins and such reminded me that John Lewis was arrested many times (45), 40 during the old times and 5 times while a congressman. And Lewis never looted, committed arson, stole anything, pillaged or engaged in tearing down Confederate Monuments. Or defamed Christopher Columbus, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Only after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did that kind of behavior ever start. Hypocritical actions. Committing serious crimes and violence in the honor of a man who preached peace and non-violence. All the while seeking an equal opportunity for economic and social justice! In very recent times the looting, arson, stealing, pillaging and tearing down monuments and statues has become the new normal for protesters who do their protests at the drop of a hat. And often don’t know or care what they are protesting about. Stealing a new TV from a Target store is justified in you can yell loud enough slogans and make emotional pleas to defund the police who are trying to restore law and order.

I am also reminded that the boom economy under President Donald Trump included record jobs for members of the Black Community. Jobs and work being the driving force in the United States economy as well as the world economy. Yet when the sun goes down in many cities in America,  paid protesters come out of the woodwork like so many cockroaches to fight the police, throw rocks, loot, steal, set fires, pillage, paint graffiti while some city officials condone such acts and even justify such heinous crimes. Even large areas of some cities have been taken over by mobs of so-called protesters with news cameras rolling. And everybody blaming President Donald Trump. For everything. Including a strain of coronavirus that came out of China.

So, what is there to do?

I suggest   leaders in the Black Community get their acts together and decide what is the right thing to do. Support riots and looting or pursue justice through the ballot box or the jury box. Something that Mr. Willie Green is trying to do. Root out the corruption coming out of the Shelby City Hall using the legal means that everybody has. Strangely with NO vocal support or otherwise from Black Community leaders.

But that is OK. Mr. Green, with my support in my own way-as well as the Rev. Dante Murphy who has created a movement called the Southern Coalition for Equal Protection under the Law (SCEPUL) as well as Professor Dr. Clyde Edgerton are chipping in with our ballot box or the jury box approach. And we are winning. Although the ballot box approach doesn’t work very well when the Massa’s control the black community in Cleveland County by divisive tactics, the jury box approach is going well. A judge has ruled that Shelby city officials can be sued in their individual capacity when they act with malicious or criminal intent. Lawsuits against various city officials are cranking up and those sued are spending huge amounts of Shelby taxpayer dollars for lawyers to defend their undefendable acts. And, there is more to come and soon when the Courts open back up for business.

So, why many in the Black Community seem to be “constipated” with the thought that they have been “offended” and done wrong by statues, songs and flags-Mr. Green is concentrating on what he can do to wisely and economically prosper with the tools that he has available to him. The same tools that are available to all of us. Provided we are not lazy, are willing to work hard for what we want and if we are not afraid to try to do the right things.

That is why I have chosen to support Mr. Green’s efforts to do what is right and by the proper methods. I offer a $100 reward to the first person that can prove to me that I am wrong!!!