New Black Panther Voter Intimidation Investigation: Bartle Bull: 'You are about to be ruled by a black man cracker."

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) is trying to energize an investigation into the Department of Justice's bewildering dismissal of a case of voter intimidation, which was effectively won by default. During the November 2008 presidential election, two, and maybe three, New Black Panthers stood outside a Philadelphia polling place. Whether two or three, three were named in the lawsuit. Two were dressed in paramilitary gear. One held a police nightstick. Witnesses complained that they did, indeed, feel intimidated

 

New Black Panthers Voter Intimidation in Philadelphia

 Bartle Bull a longtime civil rights activist and a poll minder for either the Republican Party of John McCain on the day this all happened, entered an affidavit, saying:

Their clear purpose and intent was to intimidate voters with whom they did not agree.  Their views were, in part, made apparent by the uniform of the organization the two men wore and the racially-charged statements they made. 

For example, I heard the shorter man [King Samir Shavazz] make a statement directed toward white poll observers that,...

‘you are about to be ruled by a black man, cracker.’

To me, the presence and behavior of the two uniformed men was an outrageous affront to American democracy and the rights of voters to participate in elections without fear.  It would qualify as the most blatant form of voter intimidation I have encountered in my life in political campaigns in many states, even going back to the work I did in Mississippi in the 1960s.”

The men named in the suit refused to show up in court - for five months. Last week, Malik Zulu Shabazz again did not show for a US Human Rights Commission deposition. Could you or I get away with that? Eventually, after numerous court dates, the judge ordered the Civil Rights Division to "file a final motion." That was not going to happen. The administration dropped the charges.

 This from Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX):

The evidence was very clear,” Gohmert said.  “There was a video that spoke for itself of the uniformed, billy-clubbed intimidation occurring in Philadelphia from a group that identifies itself as the New Black Panther Party and associates itself with the Nation of Islam.”

The House Judiciary Committee voted DOWN a resolution that would have required the DOJ to give Congress an explanation for the dismissal of the case. Every Democrat on the Committee voted it down. Every Republican voted for the inquiry.

The dismissal came after "top: lawyers in the DOJ's Civil Rights Division and DOJ "career lawyers" in the got involved. Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli, No. 3 in the DOJ, is responsible for the reversal. There was no protecting the civil rights of Philadelphia voters that day.

Hans von Spakovsky, writing for National Review OnLine points to a possible flurry of activity on this case. When White Visitor logs were released, he found dates corresponding with the dismissal with visits from Perrelli, Cassandra Butts, and Spencer Overton, each of which were previously actively involved with "voting issues" in their previous jobs.

On April 17, the judge in Philadelphia took notice of the failure of the NBPP defendants to answer the lawsuit by issuing an order giving Justice until May 1 to file its request for a default judgment.

On May 1, however, Perrelli met in the West Wing with Butts and Overton at 2 p.m.; later that same day, the trial team on the NBPP case suddenly filed a request for an extension of time — instead of a motion for default — telling the court that it needed additional time to draft an “appropriate” default judgment order.

This was a bizarre request and bizarre timing. Justice had had a full month to draft a proposed order, something that the experienced lawyers on the case could have done in a few hours. It appears they were ordered at the last minute to ask for an extension, instead of completing what they had set in motion on April 1 when they first told the court that the defendants were in default. 

This comment from Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX):

These men were members of The New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, an organization so radical that the original Black Panther Party has found it necessary to denounce it,” Smith continued.

The Human Rights Commission, not to be confused with the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ, along with Rep. Wolf trying to get an investigation into the dismissal moving.

The New Black Panthers are not just street riff-raff. The chairman, Malik Zulu Shabazz is a resident of Washington, D.C. and is an attorney. The thug with the nightstick is Minister King Samir Shabazz of Philadelphia and the head of the Philadelphia chapter of the New Black Panthers.

The "minister" Shabazz allegedly said:

I has waited all my life for the day that Strong Black men could stand outside a voting poll in a Honk neighborhood and beat republiKKKan voters with a baseball bat to keep the motherf**k ers from voting for they racist candidate and walk away scott free and be a hero in the black community,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and that day finally here (Shabass inserted a cheesy smiley face).

It time we up the ante on these white motherf**kers and take it to the next level.

The third person named in the suit is Jerry Jackson. He is an ELECTED member of Philadelphia's 14th Ward Democratic Committee. He is a credentialed poll-minder for the Democrats and still has that privilege.

Rep. Wolf has tried to move the investigation from the pervue of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) into the statutory authority of the Inspector General's office. Every department within government comes under the IG's office - except the DOJ.

Finally, and perhaps after, Wolf and the US Human Rights Commission dug in the burr long enough, the OPR says, hey, we're working on it. But no one is holding their breath.

According to Jennifer Rubin at Commentary Magazine, The US Human Rights Commission will forge ahead and hold its first hearing into the matter on February 12th. Rubin believes the DOJ is not cooperating with the Commission.

Holder continues to stonewall, keeping OPR busy churning paperwork but never seemingly able to reach an end to the investigation. It is yet one more example of the consequences of one-party rule and the absence of significant Congressional oversight.

According to the USHRC Commissioner, Todd Gaziano, three witnesses will testify on February 12. Mike Mauro, Chris Hill and Bartle Bull. All three were poll watchers "affiliated with either the Republican Party of the McCain campaign. Here's more from Jennifer Rubin:

All of these witnesses will describe the actions and comments of members of the New Black Panther Party, as well as conservations they may have had with poll workers inside the voting facility.

Party leader Malik Zulu Shabazz thumbed his nose, again, and did not show up for his deposition.

Sources tell me [Rubin] that the Department of Justice has been requested to enforce the subpoena on behalf of the Commission. No word on whether Justice will do so, but it is hard to fathom what excuse Holder could raise to prevent enforcement of a duly executed subpoena on a third party witness with direct involvement in a matter which is the subject of a Commission investigation.

Here's more from von Spakovsky on subpoenas:

The DOJ has reportedly ordered several of the trial lawyers to disobey subpoenas issued by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, but the subpoena fight is ongoing. Because the DOJ by statute is supposed to enforce the commission’s subpoenas, and instead is actively thwarting them, the DOJ is caught in an outrageous conflict of interest that cries out for condemnation.

We have a racist administration. They protect that agenda by doing whatever it takes. Only Obamabots would seek to protect the NBPP under these circumstances. And remember, the place where the NBPP can receive protection are the courts, but they fail to show up. You and I would be sitting in jail.

Related and Background:
New Black Panther Party Defense in Crackerville

Black Panther DOJ Coverup: Civil Rights Commission Request Ignored

 DOJ Dismisses Black Panthers: Black Panther Voter Intimidation Dropped

DOJ - Black Panther Voter Intimidation Absolved