5 reasons why Mayor John Cranley and Councilman Christopher Smitherman aren't ready for Prime Time

While me and my fellow citizens – ‘the local vocal Active-Advocates’ -  continue to strategize ways to have Councilman Smitherman turn his moral outrage over crime  into solutions that address institutional racism, here are a few reasons that Mayor John Cranley and Councilman Christopher Smitherman may not be able to further their careers beyond local politics. They aren’t ready for prime time.

Cranley can’t control his staff and Christopher can’t control his mouth

On Friday April 25 Mayor Cranley did a pointless drive-by interview on Lincoln Ware’s radio show (1230 WDBZ the Buzz) as a follow-up to ‘Local Vocals – Active Advocates’ who attended a April 23 City Hall council meeting requesting that Mayor John Cranley remove Councilman Christopher Smitherman as the chair of The Law and Public Safety Committee, because of his recent divisive comments regarding the African American community’s response to crime. Mayor Cranley repeated on the radio what he told the local paper and that is: Smitherman’s job is safe. He further went on to say that he couldn’t control what his committee chairs say. Said Cranley, “I can’t control what he says, if I had to remove a chair every time that they said something that I disagreed with I’d have no committee chairs.”

Can you imagine a national politician admitting that he can’t control one of his staff members who was speaking disparagingly about the gay or Jewish community?

Councilman Smitherman can’t control his mouth and has become infamous over the past few years for his negative rants about the African American community -on conservative talk (mostly white radio) and at City Council.

Many years before that Smitherman was infamous for his rants against the white and Jewish community on a predominantly African American radio station.

Politicians that can’t control their staff’s behavior or those that can’t control their divisive tongue, don’t go very far.  

Neither Mayor Cranley nor Smitherman seem to learn from political mistakes

During the April 9, 2001 Cincinnati riots uprising both Cranley and Smitherman were on City Council. During that administration Cranley was the chair of the Law & Public Safety Committee when the uprising started,  in which he admitted in several media stories that he lost control (Google it).  Instead of listening to the citizens who packed City Hall to express concerns over police brutality, Cranley blew the citizens off and the citizens blew up.

Smitherman, at the time posing as a militant black man, told then Police Chief Streicher, “I’m your boss”  (Google it).  Back then, like now, his words were divisive directed towards, whites and caused a lot of backlash and hurt feelings from police officers. Prosecutor Joe Deters subsequently led the charge to make sure Smitherman was not reelected during the next council term.

Back to April 23, 2014 when a couple of dozen concerned citizens attended a City Council meeting to express concerns and requested a May 10 response to the request that Councilman Smitherman be removed as the chair of The Law and Public Safety Committee.

Mayor Cranley responded to the request immediately but not directly to those who made the request.  Here’s what he told the local paper; Smitherman’s job is safe: "I'm not removing him. Under Smitherman's leadership, we have added cops, rejuvenated CIRV, put a renewed focus on the community monitors, restarted the call-ins, and added police overtime. The entire community has embraced these action steps."

The problem with his response is two-fold.  He is once again blowing the citizens off. It was incredibly disrespectful for him not to respond directly to those who took a day off work, rearranged their schedules to engage Council and let their voices be heard.  It is also a damn lie that the entire community has embraced what he calls “action steps” when the majority of the community knows little about 4 of the 5 steps that he named.

Perhaps Cranley should have started his interview to the paper in this way, Fuck those activists I appreciate the engagement and the concerns of the citizens’ who spoke, however Smitherman’s job is safe…” Sounds like Cranley needs Judy Smith the real life, Olivia Pope to do his public relations.

Mayor Cranley’s lack of action and Smitherman’s reckless divisive rants proves that neither is in control or ready for the big political stage.
(correction: Smitherman was elected in 2003 - still he made the reckless and divisive comments to Streicher while Cincinnati was in turmoil)

Both continue to blast the last administration

It appears that anytime there is a problem at City Hall or in the City of Cincinnati, both the mayor and the council member have one response and that is to blame it on the last administration of Mayor Mallory and City manager Milton Dohoney.

At what point will the mayor and the councilman start to work for solutions and address institutional racism, because they are now the driver’s seat?

Did the old political Bait and Switch

Cranley baited because when he was running for mayor he was very visible in the African American community, even going so far as to show up at a nightclub in the hood in mom jeans. He made so many promises to the community, including that he would always be accessible.  To date, he has been anything but.

And then we have Smitherman, who  switched to the side of those who bankrollnearly every economic and social injustice against the African Americancommunity. 

Crime is up

Mayor Cranley’s interview in the paper made it appear that crime was being managed.  It is not. Heroin and crack addicts still roam the streets and Cincinnatians find out what they did the next day on the morning news. Black men are still getting murdered and white men and women are still leaving their babies to go commit crimes for their hourly heroin fix.

Politicians who fail to protect tax payers from crime limited political careers.

Do your damn job John and Christopher!

THANKS SIS. V FOR SHOWING GREAT LEADERSHIP!

FBK is an unapologetic black writer who is not afraid to write about the ‘R’ word. She is a member of Cincinnati’s Local Vocal Active-Activists who often keeps it real.  She blogs, she writes eBooks and she is currently juicing- on and off -  so don’t mess with her.

                         FBK is a combo of 3 writers - you figure it out....we're not telling. 

Read More

Do black women deserve to be bitch-slapped?

 

In February my cousin T. Nicole was a victim of violence from a high profile African-American man, the president of the Cincinnati chapter of the NAACP.

On the night it happened my cousin called and told me  what happened to her at the Cincinnati NAACP office.  She was crying her heart out over the telephone as she explained to me the humiliation and pain she felt over being shoved down the steps by the big black man in a powerful position.

As I listened to my younger cousin weep on the phone,  I really didn’t know what was the right course of action or how to advise her.  I knew that it was not right for NAACP president Ishton Morton  to shove  her but I also knew the man’s history and his connection with the powerful and oldest civil rights organization in the country. I was aware that even though she was a victim how she would be stereotyped and made to believe she deserved to be pushed and thrown out of a meeting. 

 

Although she and I had dedicated over 6 years of our life to the NAACP organization, that same organization had failed to protect us when we reported the behavior of the powerful men in the group which included, emotional abuse, threats of physical intimidation as well as sexual harassment by the current leader who reportedly is not in America legally.

 

Despite the intimidation we faced and reporting the problems to the National office with no response, we continued to show up at meetings. Because that’s what we are expected to do as black women.  We are not expected to feel vulnerable or to be fragile. We are expected to show up at meetings keep our mouth closed, or else get bitch-slapped.

Former NAACP Cincinnati chapter president and Council member  Christopher Smitherman, who is the chair of the Law and Public safety committee said this of the abuse my cousin suffered, “The women cause a scene, acting in such a way that begs someone to touch them in order to escort them out.”

 

There you have it folks. Black women deserved to be bitch-slapped.

Read More

NAACP President Ishton Morton arrested for assault on Executive Committee member (See mugshot)

 

 

 

In February Executive Committee member Nicole Taylor attempted to attend an Executive meeting being held by newly elected President Ishton Morton who replaced Christopher Smitherman.

Mr. Morton refused to let Ms.Taylor (who serves on the committee) into the meeting.  That's when she begin recording him with her Ipad.  Enraged he pushed her down the  snow covered stairs in front of independent witnesses causing emotional trauma.

Mr. Morton's attack on Ms. Taylor continues a very recent trend in Cincinnati in what some are dubbing, "Senseless verbal and physical  attacks on Black Women." 

 

Mr. Morton is reportedly not a U.S. citizen.

 

Ms. Taylor has served as a volunteer on the board for seven years.  She has fought for African American contractors to get contracts,in a city that currently gives them around 1%. She's fought  for justice in the "just-us" system. She has collected signatures for petitions.  If she were paid a salary for her outstanding volunteer work that would amount to around 200 thousand dollars.  Yet she gets repaid with attacks by and violence.

Read More

The Passion of restaurateur Liz Rogers Mahogany's

Before I begin this post, please allow me to explain a couple of things. I am not the creator of this fine artwork. I commissioned this fine piece of art from an artist in India. Seriously. When I commission artwork, I usually email a picture of said subject to a guy that I do business with in India and he creates the masterpiece.  Of course I give him my ideas (another black woman gets nailed to the cross). But he does his interpretation of face and body.  I have nothing to do with that part.

It is the opinion of many in the community that Mrs. Rogers is being crucified by the media and The black man who has no soul, Christopher Smitherman and a few of his good ole’ boy Republican pals.

Furthermore, as I am terribly tired (pronounced ti-eeeerrd) tonight, this blog post will not be edited.  And if you are a regular reader of my blog you are well aware that I rarely edit this thing.

I have not read the piece by Kathy Y. Wilson written about Mahogany’s. I have yet to read the piece, despite urging from my fellow blogger Mr. Nathanial Livingston of the Cincinnati Black Blog. Nor have I read the follow-up piece. The reason I have not read the piece is because I don’t want to get more upset.  I am a big fan of Wilson’s writing. I keep her book, "Your Negro Tour Guide" on my ladder bookshelf. I keep her book handy so when I need lethal inspiration and have to write strong and nasty words about people like Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters and Christopher Smitherman.  I keep her book handy like some keep a weapon.  Wilson fires off words like bullets into the temple of people that I use to think needed it. But now that she’s has fired into the temple of my friend Iris Roley who is friends with Liz Rogers that makes me unhappy.  Roley introduced me to Rogers and she is good people.  She is good people like JudgeTracie Hunter.   I admire her for pursuing her dreams.  She works 16 hour days and that is what America tells you to do.  America tells you to get our education and work hard to make something out of your life. And that is what Rogers has done and that is what Judge Tracie Hunter has done, and that’s why I don’t understand why they are being crucified. Why are black women in Cincinnati being discriminated against.  Before Rogers received money from the city a lot of white men received money from the city and a lot of white women received money from the city because they pretended like they were a minority owned business. They are not.  It’s a scam.  The businesses are owned by their hubbys. They are operating as pass through companies and Christopher Smtiherman knows a lot about pass through companies..  Anybody remember when he attacked Ty Stuckey? 

“You are a racist”  I get that comment a lot from racist that post anonymous comments on my blog even though I like white people.  Lots of white people read this blog and they tell me things about Joe Deters and that gal, the hooker in Cleveland. And then there are just good white people that I really like. And even though I like white people, people read my blog and they call me a racist because I write about race, and other bloggers that write for this site, write about race.  Isn't America unscrambled, "I Am Race?"

I don’t discriminate.  Christopher Smitherman is black and he has no soul. Rumor on the street has it that attorney Chris Finney purchased his soul.  He’s the devil you know? And then Joe Deters came along and purchased his soul, but he had already sold it to Finney and so Deters bought his heart and his mind instead. But back to Liz Rogers and Mahogany’s.  They really should not continue to single out and attack black women in Cincinnati. And I’m sorry that I’ve reverted back to wretched and unedited blog post.  I still write good stuff.  Remember this?  Forgive me Dear and Faithful blog readers for the wretchedness of this evening’s post. If you want to do something good go buy you a meal at Mahogany's on the Banks. 

Each time they nail a black woman to the cross.  I will shine the light on the injustice

FBK is a unapologetic black writer who speaks truth to power. 

Read More

“The Passion of Judge Tracie Hunter”

The inscription above her head tauntingly read        ‘She cares about the children’

Each morning except on occasion, 7 days a week, I get up at  4:45 am, put on a pot of coffee and turn on my laptop. If it’s a work day, I write from about 5-6 am.  


If not a work day, it’s not uncommon for me to write the entire day, give or take the essential things that must be done. 


Why, am I telling you this? I’m telling you this because for the most part, except when on occasion, “I’m on some other shit,” I take my writing, love and commitment to the community very seriously. 


I realize that words are powerful, that they deserve a great deal of respect.  These words that I have written today reflect the heaviness of my heart.

Since Judge Tracie Hunter was indicted about 16 days ago, I have been in mourning.

§  Over the death of the future of our children and the certainty of a school to prison pipeline

§  Over the death of democracy in Hamilton County

§  Over the temporarily torture and death of Judge Hunter’s reputation

§  Over the death of fair and balanced media coverage

§  Over the death of the criminal justice system

§  Over the death of the mostly silent Democratic party

§  Over the death of the silence of so-called Christians

§  Over the death of power of anyone except the disgustingly brutal brutes in the Hamilton County Republican Party

Last week I wrote that what was happening to the Honorable Judge Tracie Hunter felt like a 21stcentury high tech lynching.

I stand corrected.


The Honorable Judge Hunter is being crucified.

As this saga continues to unfold my tears continue to flow, and my heart gets heavier.  I find myself struggling to understand the why, why is this happening? Why does it hurt so badly?  I would describe my relationship with Judge Hunter as friendly.  From the bottom of my heart, I believe that she is “good people.”  I would put her sanity up against any brute in Cincinnati.

Bullshit like this doesn’t happen to good people.  This situation makes me so angry that if I had the tendencies of a 21-year freckled face, red hair boy who grew up with guns – I might do something terrible.

Thankfully, I am a mature and mostly sane woman raised by a wonderful and beloved grandmother who was a devout Christian of about 40 years. She passed away and never got to see the first African-American president elected – and thankfully she isn’t alive to see the first African-American woman (juvenile court judge) get crucified.

I challenge any of you – real or fake Christian - to DENY that Judge Hunter has been beaten, punched, spit upon, whipped, tortured and she has been NAILED TO A CROSS. I challenge any of you to deny the repugnant details of this modern day crucifixion.

“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as your will.”
 

CLICK HERE OR    CUT AND PASTE LINK BELOW TO DONATE
http://traciehunterlegaldefensefund.com/


 Comments from insightful blog reader:  
DEMOCRACY being crucified. The ideas and thoughts at make this country great and which form the basis for our U.S. and State Constitutions. What's CRUCIFIED? The PEOPLE's right to vote and to have that VOTE counted without further political manipulation is the REAL issue.

cc: National Action Network Rev. Al Sharpton
cc:  NAACP


FBK is an unapologetic black eBook writer who speaks truth to power!

Read More