Edgerrin James: from Gold Teeth to Gold Jacket
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Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/August 13, 2021 THE COURIER www.theaustinvillager.com Edgerrin James: From Gold Teeth To Gold Jacket jail. To all those who have been judged pre- maturely because of their appearance, the way they speak, where they come from, and in the minds of many By John Harris should be locked up in VILLAGER Sports prison, I represent us. Columnist I’m forever immortal- ized. Locked up in Can- (CANTON, OH) - It ton Correctional Insti- was my first time working tute. Inmate No. 336 in on a Hall of Fame speech the Pro Football Hall of with an all-time great ath- Fame. My career started lete, so it was fantastic to with gold teeth and witness Edgerrin James’ ended with this gold Pro Football Hall of Fame jacket.” speech played out in real Mic drop. time. I’m excited about I have been co-writ- our upcoming autobiog- ing Edgerrin’s autobiogra- raphy, a collaboration phy for two years. Com- between an all-time ing to Amazon, Barnes great football player and and Nobel and book- a fellow Black man he Pro Football Hall of Famer Edgerrin James (gold jacket) with former Indianapolis Colts teammates stores near you, “From trusted to pen his life (left to right) Dallas Clark, fellow Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne. Photo/John Harris Gold Teeth To Gold story. Opportunities like Jacket” is scheduled for this don’t come along release in October. than Edgerrin, who also EJ hit all his points. family out of poverty, essence of the real very often, but with op- When Edgerrin goes by Edge or EJ. And then some. raised six children to put Edgerrin James. portunity comes great asked me to help him Two months ago, His speech brought to rest the narrative that EJ ended his expectations. I take this prepare for his Hall of we discussed the direc- the audience to its feet Black men are irrespon- speech with this gem: responsibility seriously Fame speech a few tion he wanted his in appreciation and tears sible regarding their off- “For some reason, I al- and promise to deliver months ago, I was hon- speech to go. “I like the to more than a few eyes, spring, and overcame ways had to deal with the best product pos- ored to accept his offer. flow of it,” he said. “I’m including mine. the negative stereotype perceptions. Perception, sible. In the more than 30 trying to make it more Edgerrin proudly that young Black males though, isn’t always re- To learn more years that I have written me and more direct. I turned the spotlight on with dreadlocks and ality. It definitely wasn’t about Edgerrin James, about sports and the want to make sure it all himself as the son of a gold teeth are all thugs. my reality. People read my story: Pro Foot- personalities that play makes sense and hits the single mother who be- When formulating looked at my dreads and ball Hall of Fame in- them, I have rarely en- points but leaves them came the man of the his speech, we decided gold teeth and were ductee Edgerrin James’ countered an athlete as wanting more.” house at a young age, to compare how the shocked and surprised I roots and legacy tied to talented, down-to-earth Mission accom- earned millions of dol- public perceived his out- had never been under HBCUs and less self-absorbed plished! lars in the NFL to lift his ward appearance to the arrest or spent time in (theundefeated.com) Murder Plot Reveals a Deadly Mix: White Supremacists and Law Enforcement By Stacy M. Brown | NNPA NEWSWIRE Senior National Correspondent | @StaceyBrownMedia (NNPA) - The FBI recently unearthed a deadly secret: top Ku Klux Klan members work in America’s prisons, holding unlimited power over inmates, in- cluding recent revelations in Florida where authori- ties thwarted a plot to kill a Black prisoner. “I have long asked (Florida Department of Cor- rections Secretary Mark Inch), to no avail, to inves- tigate this problem because so many of these indi- viduals hide in plain sight,” Florida Democratic State (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) Rep. Dianne Hart said in a statement. “Due to the reported interest in this issue by But, the concerns about racists patrolling 2000, law enforcement officials with alleged con- the federal government, I will now be asking the America’s streets and prisons aren’t new. nections to White supremacist groups or far-right Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct a thor- An October 2006 FBI Intelligence Assessment militant activities have been exposed in Alabama, ough investigation into this matter and give recom- titled “White Supremacist Infiltration of Law En- California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, mendations to the Florida Legislature,” stated Hart, forcement” was de-classified and unearthed in Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Vir- the Tampa native who’s affectionately known as 2020. ginia, Washington, West Virginia, and elsewhere.” “Miss Dee.” According to the 10-page document, White The continued presence of even a small num- Rep. Hart reacted to the revelation of a deadly supremacist groups have historically engaged in ber of far-right militants, White supremacists, and plot by Klan-affiliated corrections officers to kill an strategic efforts to infiltrate and recruit members other overt racists in law enforcement has an African American inmate. from law enforcement communities. outsized impact on public safety and public trust in The would-be murder failed because the FBI Current reporting on attempts reflects self-ini- the criminal justice system, the report’s authors had a confidential informant inside a Ku Klux Klan tiated efforts by individuals, particularly among wrote. operation that planned the killing. those already within law enforcement ranks, to vol- They concluded that the Department of Jus- It involved Warren Williams, a Black man serv- unteer their professional resources to White su- tice should establish clear policies regarding partici- ing a one-year sentence for assaulting a police of- premacist causes with which they sympathize. pation in White supremacist organizations and other ficer. “White supremacist presence among law en- far-right militant groups and on overt and explicit The court ordered Williams to receive mental forcement personnel is a concern due to the access expressions of racism — with specificity regarding health treatment. they may possess to restricted areas vulnerable to tattoos, patches, and insignia as well as social me- When confronted by White prison guard Tho- sabotage and to elected officials or protected per- dia postings. mas Driver, who degraded Williams by repeatedly sons, whom they could see as potential targets for “These policies should be properly vetted by blowing smoke in his face, the inmate and the of- violence,” the document continued. legal counsel to ensure compliance with constitu- ficer began fighting. “In addition, White supremacist infiltration of tional rights, state and local laws, and collective bar- As other guards responded, they pummeled law enforcement can result in other abuses of au- gaining agreements, and they must be clearly ex- Williams, who required hospitalization. thority, and passive tolerance of racism within com- plained to staff,” the researchers determined. Angered, Driver met with fellow Klansmen and munities served.” They concluded that a diverse workforce determined that Williams should die upon his re- Reports of White supremacist groups recruit- should help because it would reflect the demo- lease from prison. ing corrections officers have emanated from Ala- graphic makeup of the communities the agency An informant recorded all of the conversations bama and Mississippi in the South, New York and serves. Law enforcement leaders also should estab- between the Klansmen – three were involved in the New Jersey in the North, and Arizona and Califor- lish mitigation plans when detecting bias officers, plot – and made arrests. nia in the West. including referrals to internal affairs, local prosecu- Driver received four years in prison for his role A 2020 report by the nonprofit Brennan Cen- tors, or the DOJ for investigation and prosecution. in the plot, while his co-conspirators Charles ter noted that the Justice Department has been Further, the researchers suggested establish- Newcomb and David Moran got 12 years for the delinquent in gathering data about overtly racist ing reporting mechanisms to ensure evidence of 2015 plot. police conduct. overtly racist behavior, the employment of Brady This year, Driver will complete his four-year The lack of a federal database that tracks this lists or similar reporting mechanisms, and encour- sentence. type of misconduct or membership in White su- age whistleblowing and protect whistleblowers. The infiltration of Klan members and other premacist or far-right militant groups makes discov- “I have heard from correctional officers, in- White supremacists in law enforcement has rattled ering evidence of intent more difficult. mates, and families about how deep this problem much of America, particularly in the wake of the The FBI only began collecting data on law en- goes,” Rep. Hart remarked. murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year. forcement use of force in 2018, after Black Lives “There are officers who are part of gangs and During the January 6 domestic terrorist attack Matter and other police accountability groups White supremacy groups with positions of leader- on the U.S. Capitol, the FBI found that many of those pushed for more federal oversight of police violence ship within prisons around the state. So, unfortu- involved were law enforcement or ex-military mem- against people of color. nately, I can’t say that I am surprised by this report- bers. The Brennan report also revealed that “since ing.”.