You Can't Fight The Goverment Without A Plan

Interview By People's Tribune

People Tribune:
You've been fighting for justice for seven years. What have you learned?

Rev Harris:
You can't fight the power structure "The Government" without a plan. Once you attack them then in return they will attack you. We as people living in the twenty first century, who are dealing with injustice today, can't let our emotions get in front of us to such a point that we are not thinking ahead. I know people who do not even think about social justice today until something happens to them or a close love one. People living in America today are not thinking. It's like playing NFL football. every year the NFL teams will have spring training to get their bodies, minds and soul in condition for the new football seasons. The pre-seasons is where the coaching staff will make their decision on who to cut before the regulars season begin because they are looking for men who are ready to step up to the plate and win the games. The coaching staff do not want players who are just physically strong but a combination of strength and knowledge working together. Coaches don't want to hear excuses about anything, they just want to win the super-bowl at the end of the year.

We who are living today as civil right leaders and community activist must have the same combinations of conditioning the mind, body, soul with knowledge and strength just like the football player in pre-seasons. We must train our youth and everyone to become liberators. Today is the super-bowl the last game of the year and we must have our best players in the game to fight this injustice that the goverment is putting on our people. This is the last quarter of the game and there is no time on the clock. We can not fumble the ball. We must get the football in the end zone to have victory for our people all over the nation.

What I see happening today is the government is not going to do anything to empower you, because remember Knowledge is Power.. Goverment wants the American people to be clue less when it comes to dealing with procedures and polices. For example, when the FBI goes into a city to spy on you, they have to go through the local law enforcement Sheriff, High-way patrol, State Trooper etc.. to get information on you. While Bush has put the ideal about faith base intuitive, it has become a pimp game with law enforcement. In Fresno and throughout the USA. The South West Fresno Police Captain Greg Garner, say's his boss Chief Dyer believe in faith base intuitive, which allows him to go into the poor community and have meetings once a month with the pastors to discuss what is going on in the community. The police comes into the community with hot dogs and a bounce house to con the people in making them think they care. This is how we get co-opted by law enforcement in giving our information to the FBI. It's your benefit to know who your local representatives are. We must understand that everything we deal with is political. I travel to different cities across America and I ask citizens in their community, who is your Senator, Assemblyman or Assemblywoman, Governor, Mayor, City Council, County Supervisor and Chief of Police and the answer I get " who is that?"

Until we can build a fundamental foundation of education on understanding how the local government operates in each community we will never be successful in getting liberation.

Civil rights community organizing and educating people is my passion but it is a two- way street. If I'm called upon to deal with a racial profiling or officers involve shooting case there is a procedure I have implemented in National Network In Action (NNIA) that is very successful. I do an investigations and analysis on the local government. The Mayors of different cities are important because they hire people who think like him or her. Who is the Mayor? Where did the Mayor come from?How long is their term? How long have they been in office? What is their voting pattern? Does the person look out for the community or their politcal career? Who gave them campaign money? You can use this method for any public office. Researching is important. We have to educate the people in the community on how their representatives vote. . Once you have researched the issues then you can intelligently sit down with your representative and hold them accountable.

The community of Davis California called upon NNIA to come and lead a march against police brutality. We had a press conference set for 5:00pm before the march, but some people left before the press conference and started marching down the street. We then went to Davis City Hall where the Davis Human Relation Commison president and members were leading the pack against the police brutality. There were people lined up out the door complaining about the Davis police. I knew from experience that what they were doing was a waste of time. The Davis city council didn't care about what they were saying because they were in the seat of power. I told the community, lets go and organize and put a plan in place, but, they refused. The only small voice the Davis community had was the Davis Human Relation Commission and the next week the Davis City Council dismanteled and removed the President and all the members who were complaining about the Davis police. We have to get to the table where the decision are being made about our future. Today I see people doing a bunch of hollering, but, I don't see a alot of grass root education on local government components being pushed.

People Tribune:
What is new about the struggle today?

Rev. Harris:
People need to wake up and smell the coffee. It's late in the evening and people are going to miss the bus. People living in 2006 should want to be empowered and be accountable for their own liberation. I am being called from all over the nation by people who need help. What happen to our community coming out of the 60's? Why did people get comfortable? Why wasn't the baton passed on to my generation? My generation is suffering because of the lack of leadership in the community. We need leaders who are going to sacrifice themselves and take a bold stand for social justice. The United State Goverment destroyed all black aggressive organization who were fighting for there civil rights. We have civil right organizations young and old who are more concern about having banquets and giving out awards to people but will not bust a grape for the movement of justice. These groups use the past struggles to punk corporate America into giving them money.. Individuals like Rev. Edward Pinkney in Benton Harbor Michigan or myself in California and others, we are not in this fight for fame. We put our lives and families on the line each day just to get looked over, because, we are dealing with the root of the problems in the community not the surface. We are here for the liberation of our people.

There are some things we have to understand, there are certain economic classes of people. For example; I'm the only African American ministry in Fresno, California who is out on the front line fighting for the liberation of people, while we have hundred of churches more concern about having Pastor's appreciations, usher board meetings, 2 weeks convocations. We have black folks who feel the need to build a black church in a white community. These people aren't worried about racial profiling,affordable housing, environmental racism, quality education or air and water pollution. Black and brown people are being shot in the back, but they are not concern about that, or about a living wage, because they are living good. Do you expect them to come down to the poor community and fight for justice? Hell No! We have to come together and fight like hell for the liberation and social justice for our people. :Living in the twenty-first century "Scared" No! "Scared" shouldn't be an option and should not be in our vocabulary. We have to go back and learn from the people in the sixty's who took a bold stand for justice.There were words spoken in the black community for motivation. "Black Power" "Power To The People" "I'm Black And I'm Proud."