Thursday, September 26, 2013

Tsarnaev Sister Charged: Government Hiding Key Info


marathon18n-1-web
Bella Tsarnaeva appears in a New Jersey court to face drug possession and distribution charges.
The story of the Tsarnaev brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar, the alleged Boston bombers, is becoming increasingly complex. On September 16, their stunningly lovely sister, Bella Tsarnaeva appeared in Superior Court in Hackensack, New Jersey, charged with marijuana possession and distribution. She “was arrested in December 2012 after police responded to a domestic violence call to her Fairview home, which they said they searched after smelling marijuana,” reports Kibret Markos of North Jersey News. Bergen County prosecutors said Bella Tsarnaeva will be admitted to a pretrial intervention program, but the case was adjourned till next month while prosecutors and defense attorneys continue to work out a plea deal for her co-defendant, Ahmad Khalil. Bella “will likely be admitted into a diversionary program that could spare her a criminal record.”
Under normal circumstances, a marijuana charge like this is not very interesting news. However, the Federal government has previously tried to link the Tsarnaev family with a triple homicide in Waltham, Massachusetts, where three marijuana dealers were murdered in their own home and their bodies sprinkled with marijuana. An associate of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Ibragim Todashev was murdered by the FBI and Boston police in Florida as they interrogated him in his home. Officials claim he was about to confess to these murders along with implicating Tamerlan, even though he was actually in Atlanta at the time of the crime. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was said to be involved in dealing marijuana, had frequented the house where the triple murder took place. Most likely out of fear, he did not attend the funeral, even though one of the deceased was said to be his best friend.
Two of the three murdered persons are said to be Israelis. This would point to the involvement of the Russian mafia supplying them with the marijuana. It is widely assumed that the deaths were a warning from a rival drug gang, perhaps El Salvadorians.
Do the Tsarnaevs have links to organized crime? While it appears that while the US government has scant evidence that they were actually guilty of the Boston bombing, there seems to be some politics going on behind the scenes. Why would the FBI murder one Chechen man who barely knew the Tsarnaevs, on mere suspicion that he was linked to a drug distribution ring, while not pursuing any type of investigation or prosecution of Bella Tsarnaev, who was actually busted for dealing drugs?
It has been reported that the Tsarnaevs had close ties with the FBI. Their mother, Zubeida Tsarnaeva told reporters that the two brothers spoke with the FBI two days after the bombing on the phone, and that the FBI had been closely monitoring them and meeting with them periodically for some years. Other reports claim that their uncle worked for the CIA. The Russian government contacted the FBI and CIA for a background check on Tamerlan, when he applied for a visa to visit Russia.
With all this governmental investigating going on, it is curious that Bella is not being connected to any of the issues facing her brothers. She is essentially being dismissed. Probably she is a harmless pot smoker but if the US is not going after her to the full extent of their power, like they did with her brothers, it does make one wonder, what exactly is the US government’s relationship with the Russian mafia?
Did the Boston bombing or its prosecutorial aftermath have anything to do with tensions between Russia and the US regarding Syria? Did the government need a Russian fall guy to justify some political actions? Russia has been protecting Syria from a possible US bombing campaign, while Syria protects Hizbollah’s vast marijuana and opium fields on the Syria-Lebanon border, rumored to be much bigger than anything in Afghanistan that is controlled by the CIA. This month, the US shrank back from attacking Assad but instead, sent troops to this Lebanon border area, reports the BBC. In any case, there seem to be a lot of dimensions to this case that are not being openly discussed.
On September 23, 2013, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s defense team, Timothy Watkins, Judy Clarke and Miriam Conrad spoke to Judge A. O’Toole Jr. about wanting more time to prepare their defense. Unfortunately, the status hearing turned into a debate over the death penalty without focusing on first establishing the guilt of the suspect. The death penalty is not allowed in Massachusetts, but because the trial is taking place in federal court, the death penalty is an option.
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley will decide whether to recommend the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev by or before October 31. Eric Holder has ultimate say regarding the death penalty against Tsarnaev. He’s expected to make his decision by January 31.
Could the government have completely made everything up?
Defense attorney Judy Clarke told the court she was concerned that the prosecutors planned to decide whether to seek execution before the defense had finished reviewing the evidence.
“It’s pretty stunning to say they can make a decision based on what they know without any defense input,” Clarke said. “They may have an erroneous story.”
Clarke told U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. in Boston that prosecutors did not furnish the defense with key evidence including grand jury testimony by Tsarnaev’s relatives. She said the prosecution had not presented the defense with all of the evidence it plans to use in the case, making it difficult for the defense to create a solid argument against the death penalty.
“We would like to know if they have accurate information,” Clarke said.
“We do plan to deliver to the government, hopefully by the end of the business day today, a detailed discovery request letter,” defense attorney Miriam Conrad said. “But, that is not going to be the end all be all in the discovery requests for this case.”
Tsarnaev’s defense team believes the government is withholding evidence that might help their client.
The case for the prosecution so far seems to be based solely on spurious claims that the brothers were inspired by al-Qaeda publications and that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev allegedly wrote a confession message on the wall of a boat, that justified the bombings as payback for U.S. military action in Muslim countries.
In 2011, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wrote an English assignment while attending UMass Dartmouth about the West Memphis Three, who many believe were wrongly accused.
“In this case it would have been hard to protect or defend these young boys if the whole town exclaimed in happiness at the arrest. Also, to go against the authorities isn’t the easiest thing to do. Don’t get me wrong though, I am appalled at the situation but I think that the town was scared and desperate to blame someone. It’s because of stories like this and such occurrences that make a positive change in this world. I’m pretty sure there won’t be anymore similar tales like this. In any case, if they do, people won’t stand quiet, I hope.”

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Robel Phillipos Pleads Not Guilty: Kate Russell's Parents Testify


On September 13, Robel Phillipos, the third friend of Boston marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to appear in front of Federal Magistrate Marianne Bowler, pled “Not Guilty” at Moakley Federal Courthouse.

Tsarnaev faces the possibility of the death penalty for the bombing, which killed three and injured over 260 people. Three of his friends were also indicted for allegedly lying to investigators and trying to cover up his role after the bombings, according to a grand jury indictment filed August 29. They are accused of throwing away a backpack containing fireworks and removing a laptop computer from Tsarnaev’s dorm room at UMass Dartmouth. Phillipos is alleged to have concealed from the FBI the fact that the three men had gone into Tsarnaev’s room. Phillipos, who was interrogated without a lawyer present, was charged by the grand jury of making “numerous false and misleading statements to the agents.” 

All three face 20 years in federal prison and could be fined $250,000.

Robel Phillipos, a Cambridge resident and US citizen, is being held on home confinement while Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, who were foreign students from Kazakhstan, await trial under conditions of 24 hour isolation in prison. Tazhayakov’s family was in court during the brief arraignment. The family plans to remain in the United States until the case is resolved.

All three teenagers were scheduled to appear together in court at 10am but only Kadyrbayev and Phillipos arrived there on time. Azamat Tazhayakov's attorney was delayed on a train from New York when a tree fell across the tracks, so his hearing took place at 2pm. Despite the fact that he was late due to circumstances beyond his control, the attorney received a harsh verbal rebuke from Judge Bowler, who had wanted the three to be heard as a group. 

According to US District Attorney spokeswoman Christina Dilorio-Sterling, Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov, who already pled Not Guilty last month, will not face any new charges, but their indictment has changed to include Phillipos.

Phillipos’ attorneys Derege Demissie and Susan Church stated that Phillipos had nothing to do whatsoever with the Boston Marathon bombing or destroying any evidence. In the end, it will be clear that this prosecution should never have been brought in the first place.” 

Kadyrbayev's attorney Robert Stahl describes his client as "a law-abiding college student whose only crime was befriending a fellow student who spoke his more comfortable native language." 

Tazhayakov’s attorney, Nicholas Wooldridge, said the government “rushed into things” in prosecuting his client. Tazhayakov’s family believe he is being "scapegoated," according to attorney Arkady Bukh.
"If he wanted to assist in terrorism, he would have hid the computer," Bukh said, adding that he gave the computer to investigators as soon as they asked for it.

“This is a witch hunt,” Wooldridge told reporters. 

All three friends are due back in court Oct. 29 for a status conference.

The day before, on September 12, the in-laws of Tamerlan Tsarnaev testified in front of a grand jury. Tamerlan is the brother who was killed in a shootout with Boston police. Judith and Warren Russell, parents of Tamerlan’s widow, Katherine Russell appeared after being subpoenaed to testify. Josh Dratel, a lawyer who represents Katherine Russell and her family, said her parents “told the truth.”

“We know that there’s been pressure on law enforcement and the Justice Department in this case. We don’t want her to be scapegoated as a result of that pressure,” Dratel told reporters.

Amato DeLuca, an attorney for Katherine Russell and her family, told reporters she didn’t suspect her husband of anything before the bombings, and nothing seemed strange in the days after. DeLuca said Russell was working 70 to 80 hours per week as a home health aide and had no reason to suspect her husband of anything. Dratel told reporters that the grand jury’s investigation “is not necessarily an investigation of Katherine.”

DeLuca said on Thursday that Russell’s parents also knew nothing about their son-in-law’s alleged involvement  in the bombing that killed three people and wounded more than 260, until after he was publicly identified by authorities.

“They don’t know anything. They have no knowledge,” he said. “They met Tamerlan, so I’m sure they’re being asked about his background.”

Russell, 24, is from Rhode Island. She and Tamerlan Tsarnaev met at Suffolk University in Boston. She had converted to Islam and married him at a Boston mosque in June 2010 — against her family’s wishes and advice, said her grandmother. She gave birth to their daughter soon after and dropped out of college.

Russell and her daughter moved into her parents’ Rhode Island home immediately after her husband was killed and her brother-in-law was captured in a massive manhunt that shut down the Boston area. Russell has never been charged with any wrongdoing, but she has been questioned several times and was followed for several weeks after the bombings by federal authorities. Federal officials ended surveillance of her home around the time her brother-in-law was indicted, according to neighbors, reported the Associated Press.

The new head of the FBI in Boston, Vincent B. Lisi, said on September 16 that the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombing is ongoing and a priority.

“We owe that to the victims of the bombing,” he said. “Our focus, commitment, is that nobody in our office will rest until we’ve identified everyone that had anything to do with the bombing and make sure they face justice.”

On September 23, family and friends of Sunil Tripathi circulated a heartbreaking statement via social media to commemorate his birthday. Tripathi was found dead in a lake after TV news announced he was the Boston Bomber. Their statement reads:


“We are all thinking of Sunny very much today, as today would have been his 23rd birthday. Today we remember Sunil’s gentleness, his care for others, his desire never to be in the spotlight (yup, we messed up on this one!), his musical talent and passion, his principled stands, his incredible ability to debate abstract philosophical concepts, his hugs, and his deep love and kindness for his family, friends, and strangers alike... Keep reaching out to one another in honor and celebration of Sunil. Remember to always slow down. Turn around and look behind you. Be gentle. Be compassionate. Take care of one another. Lend your hand. We need it. The world needs it. Our family will never be the same, Sunny, without having you close to us. We love and miss you so very much. Happy 23rd birthday, Sunny!”

Friday, September 13, 2013

What Makes You Feel New?

12LEVINE-articleLargeThe school year has begun, bringing order and discipline (or the need thereof) to families that had been enjoying the late night sluggishness of summer. This year, my four children began their first year of Kindergarten, Elementary School, Middle School and High School, leaving me home alone for the first time in 15 years. The change is not quite as shocking as thinking about the change: the weeks leading up to my new freedom were characterized by heart palpitations, migraines, sleeplessness, and vertigo. The vertigo, caused by an inner ear infection, gives me the sensation that the ground is no longer a stable place for standing but will suddenly shift so that I slide without warning at any moment into an abyss. This physical sensation oddly mimics my psychological trepidation of the unknown future.
So, thoughts must turn forward, while also returning to who I am, or who I used to be, before I had children sucking all the strength out of me while at the same time giving me a reason to keep going. If nothing else, my responsibilities require me to continue living. We survived summer. Now what? Part of me wants to have another baby, in order to avoid that question. But a more reasonable part of me realizes it’s time to center my life.
“What makes you feel new?” someone asked me. My most immediate response was love – with the disclaimer that such feelings of new beginnings have always been short lived. It is quite astonishing how quickly pure joy turns into total insecurity. Another person asked, “So does feeling pure joy and thinking life is beginning only happen for you when a man is in your life? Does this happen at other times too?”
I saw her point clearly, though admittedly when human contact remains an unfulfilled need, like food and water, the desire for it becomes all consuming. Nevertheless I’ve lived this long without anyone understanding me or comforting me. There must be other ways I have found a sense of life within myself.
Before I had children, I loved to travel. Nowadays, going to the salon is my confidence boost. One time I went to the gym in the morning, as the guest of a friend. I felt genuinely awake after that workout. Makes me want to join a gym. But that costs money. Seeing old friends reminds me that I’m still a person. But that’s a plane ticket.
So, what makes me feel new that doesn’t involve spending money? A smile from a stranger is always huge (but that also requires another person’s cooperation). All I can think of is sleep. My midwife used to teach, “The difference between total despair and hope is often a good night’s sleep.”
What makes me sleep deeply? The only thing that works for me lately is a sense of personal accomplishment. I’m not sure if personal accomplishment constitutes feeling renewed, or just totally exhausted. A deep prayer or a good cry is often cleansing to the soul. Sometimes the best one can do, rather than feeling “new” is feeling “not scared.” One of the most healing mantras for me, when faced with panic, is the realization that “I can do whatever I want.” In most cases we do have choices.
So many of us are not really able to change our situations to become brand new in any outward sense of the term. We must face each day with less than we need. Maybe we don’t have enough sleep, nor enough time, nor enough food, nor enough money. Maybe we have to worry about being shot by hoodlums, framed by the FBI or bombed with chemical weapons. Maybe we are in prison or maybe we are ill. Yet we all have to get up and deal with each day in the best manner possible.
There are two things we can do to improve our quality of life that cost no money, especially when the kids are at school and we have a little bit more free time. We can stretch and exercise, and we can do housework. Physical activity helps us gain strength, and with strength, our everyday tasks become easier to manage. When get some exercise, we sleep better too. Meanwhile, a clean home creates a feeling of peace and satisfaction that cannot be quantified. Taking the time to cook the leftover things in the refrigerator turns what might have soon become garbage into a dish our family will enjoy. We can all choose to do the best we can with what we have, as long as we possess the mental stamina.
Thinking too much can cause us to burn out. Like the vertigo which turns my world into a rocking boat, too many deep and relentless questions can cause one to flounder. We might ask ourselves, “What if everything I think is true turns out to be false?” and at the same time, “What if everything I doubted turns out to be true?” While there are certainly answers to these questions, they will rarely be found by dwelling on the questions to an unhealthy degree. It is necessary to research, meditate, and to develop trust.
When I was young, a rock climbing friend told me I need to trust that the rock will hold me. Ultimately a rock is just a rock. But the difference between slipping and falling or catching and climbing is the personal confidence that comes with oneness with nature. Trust that the rock wants you to climb it, or that you were born to climb rocks.
In this world, we cannot always think too deeply. Ultimately a rock is not a rock. It is a number of spinning molecules with vast space in between them. A rock might at one time have been flowing lava, and in the future it might become dust. But right now, all we have is that rock to hold onto.
God is infinite beyond description and if we think too much about what He is, we will become dizzy. But right now, right here, we have a rock to lean on. “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,” wrote David in the Psalms. We came from Him and we will return to Him. During this life, we climb the rocks that He created.

Thursday, September 05, 2013

Anti-War Protesters Surround Kerry’s House

Boston–On August 31, 2013, approximately 200 people from very divergent political persuasions gathered at Boston Common to rally against a US military strike on Syria. The Boston demonstration was one of many “nationwide demonstrations opposing military strikes against the Syrian government as President Barack Obama announced he would seek congressional approval for such a move,” according to FOX News.

The event, organized by United for Peace and Justice, made a very strong statement against adding another foreign war to the US repertoire:
The demonstration brought together left wingers, right wingers and the undecided, secular Assad supporters as well as Muslims who weren’t speaking – by their own choice – as the microphone was given to anyone who wanted to make a statement. In spite of all the political confusion and attempts to sort out fact from fiction in the media as well as in alternative media, the people of Massachusetts who converged on Boston all agreed that escalation of war is not in anyone’s best interest.“We the People do not accept another illegitimate War of aggression in our name! We the People do not believe that bombing Syria, or any other overt Act of War, will help the people of Syria. We are demanding that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Commander-in-Chief, President Barack Obama, cease all threats of aggression against Syria. We are demanding that the People of the United States are not strapped with the burden of another War, a burden that that we bear through our taxes and blood.”
Garret Kirkland, founder of the Massachusetts Pirate Party told TMO, “Does bombing Syria do anything to help the Syrians, when regime change isn’t even on the table? This is punishment, not aid. The people always take the brunt. For the sake of the Syrian people, we need to back off until the international community has come to the table.”
When asked about the Pirate Party platform, Kirkland responded: “We are concerned with 4th Amendment, Freedom of Information, and Transparency in Government.”
Protesters chanted ‘Don’t Bomb Syria! Don’t bomb Syria! Don’t bomb Syria!’ during breaks between speeches that included Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.
The original plan was to march directly to Fanueil Hall but “everything is fluid on the battlefield,” said Kirkland. Marchers spontaneously redirected their route towards Secretary of State John Kerry’s home on Beacon Hill, knocked on the door and left a handwritten sign that said ‘Stay Out of Syria.’ Kerry was not at that particular property of his many properties, at that time, but photos were taken of protesters from the window.
The anti-war demonstrators then marched on to Faneuil Hall and concluded with a vibrant peace rally.
It was a major victory for anti-war activists that FOX News even covered their event, to the effect that there is a feeling like they actually saved the world. Let’s hope so! It is so important for other people of Massachusetts to realize how important it is to come to Boston Common to express their political opinion every Saturday at Park Street Station, because whatever happens here, whatever YOU want, will be looked upon by the general public as whatever the Founding Fathers would want.
This author was present at the rally. I felt very uncomfortable with some of the Islamophobic language that was used during the rally in support of Assad, including a Syrian flag with Assad’s face on it. One speaker went so far as to say that there are Chechen al Qaeda terrorists in Syria that are connected with the Boston bomber (who has yet to have any evidence demonstrated against him and has not yet been tried).
Luckily the rally represented many different opposing factions that just all agreed to agree we don’t need bombs to solve anything, and they let anyone speak.
Someone should step forward to explain to the Americans about the Syrian resistance against Assad that has been going on for decades. I hope that some Syrians who are part of the Muslim majority will dare to speak in future rallies. The Americans that I spoke to on the sidelines of the demonstration seemed genuinely interested in understanding world politics, but at the same time they also seemed very confused. The good thing was that they have decided to keep their focus on the positive, which means peace on earth and respect for the earth and each other.
We should support political freedom for Syrians without bombing Syria. US bombs are known to be radioactive and cause hideous birth defects as we are seeing in Iraq.
Assad is busy completely obliterating any trace that Syrian history ever existed, to the service of Israel, which views Syria as a suburb, claiming that he is pushing out foreign fighters. The CIA has brought in criminals they call al Qaeda to commit atrocities to undermine the Syrian people’s legitimate struggle for political freedom, not to weaken Assad. Yet it is really ridiculous to refer to a Syrian fighter as al Qaeda and use this slur to dehumanize the majority Syrian population. That some volunteers (and who are they calling foreign?) have come to help defend their cousins, or that CIA mercenaries exist, does not negate the people’s genuine struggle for representational governance.
But we can work that all out later. Right now, we need to counteract those political “experts” like Chandler Atwood and Michael Knights, who are pushing the US to declare war for Israel. Binyamin Netanyahu is the one who is funneling “intelligence” at Obama. “Israel has its own agenda. Should they be trusted here?” writes Kevin Zeese.
163 members of Congress wrote letters to President Obama in order to stall the pending US bombing of Syria. This letter, drafted by Rep. Scott Rigel (R-VA) got 140 signatures, 119 Republicans and 21 Democrats. Rep. Barbara Lee of California also got 53 signers to a letter that calls on the president to seek congressional approval.
The Rigel letter warns Obama that engaging in military action “would violate the Separation of Powers Clause that is clearly delineated in the Constitution.” They also note that the justification for war in Libya also violated the Constitution. The Lee letter warns that “we all swore to uphold and defend” the Constitution; and that we should not engage in an “unwise war – especially without adhering to our own Constitutional requirements.” In their concluding paragraph they warn “Before weighing the use of military force, Congress must fully debate and consider the facts and every alternative.”

Monday, September 02, 2013

Community Demands Shabazz Murder Investigation


Malcolm-Shabazz
File:  Malcolm Shabazz
On May 9, 2013 Malcolm Shabazz, grandson of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, aka Malcolm X, was murdered in Mexico. Since then, there has been a total media blackout, and no meaningful investigation. No public debate has occurred regarding the only male heir of the civil rights history legend, as with the murder of Trayvon Martin.
Mama Dee, a radio talk show host in New Orleans thinks African Americans should be organizing, protesting, demanding justice. “Why are we allowing our children to be killed?” she implored.
Shabazz was in Mexico City to strengthen ties between African American and Mexican activists. His host, Miguel Suarez said Shabazz was killed during a dispute over a $1200 restaurant tab in the wee hours of the morning at an establishment of ill repute. Two waiters David Hernandez Cruz and Manuel Alejandro Perez de Jesus were arrested for homicide, though five men were said to have been involved. An autopsy found that Shabazz died of blows to the head, face and torso. The men who beat Malcolm Shabazz to death not only punched and kicked him but also used a bat or stick during the attack, Mexico City’s top prosecutor Rodolfo Rios said.
Suarez said that he and Shabazz were lured to the bar by a young woman who made conversation with Shabazz in English, reported CBS. Suarez, who is still in Mexico, is not being investigated.
According to the Mexico City District Attorney’s Office, “the owners of the business committed severe irregularities, such as the alteration of video cameras and the modification of the crime scene.” The Palace Club has now been completely renovated and its name changed to La Regadera, according to an article published recently in La Jornada. “Authorities in the CuauhtĂ©moc District speeded up the approval of permits for the reopening of the business.”
According to Wilner Metelus of the Naturalized and Afro-Mexican Citizens Defense Committee, this is “one more proof of the corruption and complicity of the authorities with organized crime; it’s shameful and shows a lack of respect for all the citizens in the capital city and especially the Afro-Mexican community… We want to see that video. And we want a Truth Commission set up to investigate Malcolm Latif’s death, composed of both Mexican and international citizens. Those are our demands.”
Luis González Placencia, head of the city’s Human Rights Commission, refused to meet with hunger strikers demanding an investigation, who protested outside Mexico City government offices for one week. Then he sent 500 riot police to clear them out.
Sabrina Green told W.E.A.L.L.B.E. Radio that hundreds of Mexican federal police savagely beat and kicked Afro-Mexican hunger strikers who “took to the streets of Mexico City” supporting Malcolm Shabazz on July 11, 2013.” The demonstration coincided with another protest supporting Nigerian immigrant Isaac Nwachukwu, killed by Mexican police who just paid a $210 fine after being charged. Police officers ripped up photos of Shabazz and confiscated demonstrators’ signs.
There have been multiple demonstrations in front of the Mexican Embassy in DC throughout July and August. Those participating included Razakhan Shaheed of the Philadelphia Innocence Project; Pam Africa of the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal; Basiymah Muhammad of the World Body of the United Negro Improvement Association; Archbishop John Lewis III of the African Orthodox Church; and Dr. Randy Short of the Black Autonomy Network Organization and Chairman of Malcolm Shabazz Truth and Justice Committee.
“Both governments U.S. and Mexico are in violation of The Foreign Relations Act. Malcolm is entitled by Law to have a proper national and international assassination investigation… it’s about holding both governments to accountability. African Americans have rights! We demand Justice for Malcolm!” commented Dr. Short, who travelled with Shabazz to Libya to meet with Muammar Gadhafi one week prior to NATO intervention, as part of a delegation led by Cynthia McKinney.
Shabazz supporters are now petitioning Secretary of State John Kerry for an investigation via change.org. So far, over 3,500 signatures have been collected.
“This is a very grave matter and those of us who have signed this petition are scrutinizing the U.S. and Mexican government very closely for their lack of interest in and/or coverage of this young man’s savage torture and assassination in a foreign country. We would like the steps of Malcolm Lateef Shabazz retraced from the time that he entered Mexico. The last month of his life are of the utmost importance in getting to the bottom of how he was murdered and who actually murdered him. Considering how closely he was being watched by your government’s FBI and CIA agencies, there is no reason why they should not be able to provide this information in great detail. Unless, of course, they were complicit in young Malcolm Shabazz’s assassination,” reads the statement, filed by Rozlyn Cross-Ratliff.
Dr. Short told W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio, “We know the CIA did it because of premonitions he had before his death.”
Shabazz had posted on Cynthia McKinney’s Facebook page shortly before his assassination:
“The formula for a public assassination is: the character assassination before the physical assassination; so one has to be made killable before the eyes of the public in order for their eventual murder to then (be) deemed justifiable, and when the time arrives for these hits to be carried out, you’re not going to see a CIA agent with a suit & tie, and a badge that says ‘CIA’. What they will do is to out-source to local police departments in the region of their target, and to employ those that look like the target of interest to infiltrate the workings in order to set up the environment for the eventual assassination (character, physical/incarceration, exile) to take place.”
Mauri’ Saalakhan of the Peace and Justice Foundation told TMO: “Malcolm Shabazz impressed me from afar as a gifted and committed young brother with enormous potential to do great things. The fact that his life ended so soon, like that of his imminent grandfather, should give us all pause and force us to reflect over several important lessons: (1) that life and death are twin halves of each other, and none of us knows when or where the end will come; (2) those of us involved in “political” work should not only be careful of how we live our lives, but who we allow into our inner circle. I do hope… that a campaign for accountability will grow, and that a full and transparent investigation will follow.”