After yesterday's show (CLICK HERE to listen) where I detailed what Justice for James Omaha organizer JaKeen Fox said on Twitter about the shooter who killed five Dallas police officers in 2016 (as you can see in our tweets above), word got back to Mayor Stothert about it since Fox serves on her LGBTQ advisory board.
CLICK HERE to hear the mayor's comments about this situation on NewsRadio 1110 KFAB this morning.
For what it's worth, I think Mr. Fox is a young guy who could have a bright future for positive change in our community. He certainly gets things done -- he's the one who organized the protesters at Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine's neighborhood over the past several weeks. He's talked with me on the air about his experiences with law enforcement, and I recognize his experiences are different from mine. I also get using your voice to say some strong opinions; there are definitely some feelings I've had about things as a young man I feel differently about now. I wish Mr. Fox would learn a lot more about the fallout of these murders in Dallas, and look at law enforcement differently, as this BLM protester did:
Just before 2pm today, I received this response from JaKeen Fox:
On July 8th, I wrote a tweet saying "Rest in Power Micah X Johnson" On July 14th Scott Voorhees, of 1110 KFAB asked "I'm curious, why you paid tribute to a guy who murdered five police officers in Dallas in 2016?" to which I responded "He valued his life and the life of Black people enough not tow wait around and be killed unjustly."
Today, I was informed by most of the news outlets in Omaha that the Mayor's office has sent out a press release stating that Mayor Stothert will be asking me to resign. I have not received that communication yet.
The reason I welcome this conversation is because it showcases two things:
1) Mayor Stothert has no problem utilizing her influence when she deems it necessary. So when asked repeatedly to protect protestors from prosecution, her replying no wasn't a question of if she could, but if she cared enough to do so. When asked how she will hold OPD accountable to the violence they enacted on citizens, during which time police officers were paid over $2 million in overtime, her equivocating wasn't because she wasn't empowered to do something, it was because she wasn't courageous enough to stand up for her constituents. Unless those constituents wear a gun and badge of course. The bias is not new or unexpected, but just made so much more obvious because of this time of social unrest.
2) I want to respond even more pointedly to Scott Voorhees' question, while acknowledging his interest in this is strictly because of his relationship to County Attorney Don Kleine. I pay tribute to Micah X with the same fervor YT Americans have paid tribute to the founding fathers of this country. If it's appropriate to pay tribute to a country that during its formation killed millions upon millions of Indigenous, Black, and Brown peoples, then surely I can pay tribute to Micah X.
I want to be as clear as possible. There will be no apology from me. I won't step down unless asked to do so by my fellow Board members or forced to do so by the Mayors office. If Mayor Stothert is "asking" me to resign, the answer is a resounding no. It's also very telling that the news was sent to the media first with no attempt to contact me personally.
In regards to Micah X Johnson, America has declared war on Black people for literal centuries, but continues to be shocked by Black people that refuse to accept state violence as normal. You will never see me advocate for Black people to be docile in the face of state violence. The old America wasn't formed that way and the new America we hope to build won't be achieved that way either.