OF CRITICISM AFRICAN AMERICANS BECOMING CO-CONSPIRATORS IN THE
DESTRUCTION AND CONDEMNATION OF YOUNG BLACK MALES.
The Condemnation of Little B, Brown's central theses is the criminal justice system
looking for a quick, symbolic conviction
Brown cites studies and cases from all over America that reveal how much more likely youth of
color are to be convicted of crimes and to serve long-even life-sentences, and how deeply the
new black middle class is implicated in this devastating reality.
Elaine Brown exposes the "New Age" racism that effectively condemns millions of poor
African-Americans to a third world life.
I.
Scapegoat
Gave the background of the murder, its suspects, and key elements of the testimonies.
Laid the foundation for the rest of the book, telling who the people with power were and
giving detailed descriptions of their backgrounds. Identified the present social dynamics
of Atlanta. Presumed Michael Little B Lewis as innocent and gave his life background.
II.
Shadow of the Dome
Prosecutor Paul Howard felt the burden of protecting the Olympic dream in Atlanta at the
time, and making an example of Michael was a perfect way to get started. He symbolized
the very demographic that was labeled as the problem in Atlanta, and he allegedly shot
down a part of the perceived solution.
Continues to uncover the racism embedded in Americas history, from Blacks to Easterns
to Native Americans.
With the burning of Atlanta in 1864, so ended the driving force and most profitable
source of income in Georgia, cotton. The end of the confederacy was a blessing in
disguise, marking the end of slavery and the beginning of blacks being predestined into
poverty.
Blacks had to fight to gain access into the rich white economy and did so through a series
of protests and movements in the mid 1900s, namely the bus boycotts and Brown v.
Board of Education.
Brown symbolizes The Bluff as a place where blacks have been imprisoned since the
beginning of slavery and still to this day.
The Bluff is more than just a few clustered blocks of poverty and drug-abuse on the
fringe of upscale neighborhoods. It is a prime example of the dozens of nearly All-Black
neighborhoods with the same dismal existence scattered throughout Atlanta.
Brown dedicates a whole chapter exclusively to Little B and his interactions with his
family and friends, creating much more of a connection between him and the reader and
exposing him as the innocent underprivileged product of an evil environment that he is.
When addressing the incident involving baby Tameka, Brown effectively highlights yet
another example of how extreme racism immediately takes control of the assumed
situation. Before any real evidence and investigation had been conducted neglect and
mistreatment was the accepted cause, regardless of the autopsy report indicating the
excellent health of the infant. Society, having been caught up in ridding the streets of
such horrors, focused on solely the negative and often times tainted facts of these
peoples lives.
III.
The Root of this Evil
Brown begins to explore the core of racism in the American way of life, from war crimes
to scientific racism embedded in the Jeffersonian concept of race, who himself
symbolizes America and its foundation. He inherently justified the enslavement of blacks
in America and marked the beginning of centuries of oppression in the African-American
community.
Even during the Civil War, the very fight for freedom Blacks had been waiting for, a
large portion was fought under the strict order of Abraham Lincoln of a white-only army.
Additionally, Post-Emancipation America was far from equal. Social and political
barriers still existed without much promise of fading away, and most Blacks could merely
watch and hope for change. When freedoms were given, restrictions accompanied them
in the form of land limitations and white-only jobs/buildings. And, with PostEmancipation Black populations often equaling white populations in many southern
states, most blacks didnt know where to go.
Racism hit new heights with the enactment of the Black Codes, one of which empowered
any white to arrest any black, and this Post-Emancipation freedom battle continued
through the early 1900s.
Accompanying these racist impediments was the formation of blatant Anti-Black groups
such as the Klu Klux Klan, among others. Brown credits this pairing of racist
movements to the stripping of Black freedom that took place the century following the
Emancipation Proclamation.
IV.
New Age Racism
With the inauguration of Bill Clinton as Americas 42nd president, the black population in
America finally had hope for change. Brown makes it clear that Bill Clinton wasnt
expected to be a black activist savoir necessarily, but more importantly he was not a part
of the oppression that was George Bush. But this soon proved to be a sad
misinterpretation with President Clinton, in Browns eyes, selling bane to blacks as balm
for centuries of wounds. p175
Clinton went back on his promise for national healthcare and abandoned the millions of
Blacks that voted for him just months before.
Clinton stripped the poor of their welfare opportunities and in essence made life harder
for the blacks that lived in places like The Bluff.
The affirmative action approach was completely abandoned by 1995
Brown argues that the blood sweat and tears sacrificed by the black movements of the
1950s and 1960s are wasted by todays African-Americans holding positions of power.
Figures such as Condoleezza Rice who are able to spark change are instead submitting to
the ideals of George Bush and the oppressive leaders of their era.
V.
The Real Crime
Brown now brings the reader back to Woods murder, in front of Henrys Market.
Little B became the face of evil in the city, immediately being made an example of.
The witnesses consisted of drug dealers awaiting sentences on possession charges.I