The Final Call

Right wing zealots continue to attack New Black Panther Party

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(FinalCall.com) - Despite relentless efforts by outspoken conservatives like Republican Congressmen Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and Lamar Smith (R-Texas) to rein in the Justice Department over a May 2009 decision to drop voter intimidation charges against the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense, America's top law agency stood by its decision at a May 14 hearing before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

National New Black Panther Party chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz said the Justice Department determined the allegations were politically motivated and lacked sufficient legal grounds.

“Obama's Justice Dept. recognized that this was a politicized case from a politicized Justice Dept. under George Bush and that the case against the organization and myself as the chairman had no legal merits,” Mr. Shabazz told The Final Call in a telephone interview.

But why is so much energy still being expended more than one year after an adjudicated matter? Some claim there is a legitimate case against the New Black Panther Party, while others say it's really about the angry politics of right wing ideologues aiming to “take back” the government.

The decision to withdraw the charges sparked a firestorm of criticism and condemnation of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and his Justice Department mainly from Republican congressmen and GOP political pundits.
“The way Attorney General Holder has refused to prosecute young Black thugs who gathered at a voting site with menacing clubs, in blatant violation of federal laws against intimidating voters, speaks louder than any words from him or his president,” argued Black conservative writer Thomas Sowell in an July 2009 article posted on JewishWorldReview.com.

“I worry that the department's commitment to protecting the ‘fundamental right to vote' is wavering under your leadership,” wrote Rep. Wolfe in an irate letter to Mr. Holder. “I fail to understand how you could dismiss a legitimate case against a party that deployed armed men to a polling station—one of whom brandished a weapon to voters.”

The correspondence also implied the decision was Mr. Holder's pandering to Black radicals and raised the subject of possible political cronyism and favoritism by some lawyers in the Civil Rights Division who pushed to dismiss the case.

Mr. Shabazz said such implications are false because the New Black Panther Party never had ties to the Obama campaign. “The allegation that the Obama administration is somehow in bed with the NBPP is absurd,” Mr. Shabazz retorted.

Leading up to the hearings of May 14, a turn of events in the highly politicized drama was the resignation of J. Christian Adams, a Bush-era hire and Justice Dept. lawyer who called for the legal action in the final days of the Bush administration. Mr. Adams is a known advocate attorney for right wing causes. According to Mr. Adams' resignation letter, he exited after being “ordered not to comply” with a Civil Rights Commission subpoena to answer inquiries about the withdrawal decision.

However, Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, testified before the commission on behalf of the Justice Dept. He explained the weakness in prosecuting the case and rationale for its dismissal.

The transcript of Mr. Perez' statement noted that before November 2008 elections, the New Black Panther Party was transparent about its intentions to place party members at polling locations throughout the United States. “To the Department's knowledge, the single polling place in Philadelphia is the only location where an incident occurred,” Mr. Perez told the Civil Rights Commission. “This apparent fact is inconsistent with the notion that the Party or Malik Zulu Shabazz directed a campaign of intimidation.”

“In reaching this conclusion, the Department placed significant weight on the response of the law enforcement first responder to the Philadelphia polling place,” he further said.

According to the transcript, Philadelphia police had declined to pursue state charges against those named in the federal suit.

Mr. Perez also highlighted a New Black Panther Party statement concerning the suspension of Minister King Samir Shabazz for violating intra-organizational policy by having a night stick at the polling place. The timing of the discipline as posted on the group's Web Site eliminated the view that possession of the weapon represented New Black Panther Party intention, he said. Mr. Perez further stated that from May 2009, the Justice Department had information indicating that the statement was posted prior to the filing of the federal action.

“A separate statement posted on the Party Web Site, dated January 7, 2009 (the same date that the complaint in this case was filed), reported the suspension of the Philadelphia chapter because of these activities,” Mr. Perez said.

Still with the Panthers pushed into turbulent political water by right wing conservatives bent on obliterating President Obama and Mr. Holder, the saga continues.

Mr. Shabazz contends the New Black Panther Party is being used as a “political tool.” He said there has been an increase in insults hurled at the Panthers through conservative magazines and media outlets. The “demonization” of the New Black Panther Party is partly groundwork for upcoming midterm election ads and talking points, Mr. Shabazz said, citing the dishonorable mention of the party in “Right Now,” a new book by Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele.

The federal case was tied to a national initiative by the New Black Panther Party to independently monitor polling sites during the historic presidential contest between Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. Controversy arose over the presence of two uniformed Panthers, one carrying a night stick, near the entrance of a Philadelphia polling site. “These right wingers are frightened that a Black man is running the country and they are doing everything they can to conjure up White fears of a Black president and Black people. They are using anything they can to further their motives in this time that I believe is the time of their demise,” Mr. Shabazz said.