By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted on September 5, 2026 A disgusted Mayor Emory Folmar (left) consoles dejected Montgomery city council member Herman Harris after he lost his October 9, 1979, bid for re-election to political newcomer Donald V. Watkins. When I ended my tenure as a Montgomery, Alabama city council member in October 1983, the City's long-serving, right-wing Republican mayor, Emory Folmar, publicly proclaimed during my last council meeting that it was "one of the greatest blessings since the Union troops went home in 1870." Folmar, who was also chairman of Alabama's Republican Party, rejoiced in my departure. Donald V. Watkins was sworn-in as a new Montgomery, Alabama city council member in October 1979. Even though I served only one four-term on the council, I investigated and brought a halt to a spree of fatal police shootings of unarmed black men. I ended the city's infamous "debtor's court," which jailed poor defendants who could not pay their court fines. I blocked a 1980 redistricting plan that intentionally discriminated against the city's black voters. I blocked the reappointment of the city court's chief judge, who was an open and notorious racist. I ended the city's misuse of tens of millions of dollars in federal community redevelopment funds, most of which had been diverted from poor black neighborhoods and spent in the richest white areas of the city. From 1979 to 1983, I formed a city council committee of one person (me) to conduct nearly a dozen in-depth investigations into misconduct or malfeasance by police officers and other top city officials. I had a city council commission and a police department ID, and I used these credentials to aggressively protect and serve communities of color, women, poor people, and the budding LGBTQ political community. I published numerous reports of official misconduct by top city officials and had them spread across the minutes of city council meetings at the conclusion of my investigations. These reports had the purpose and effect of curbing runaway racism and corruption in the administration of city government. My hard-fought battles to provide equal city services to Montgomery's 40% black population were met with massive resistance from Mayor Folmar. They also made me extremely controversial and unpopular with many of the city's ultra conservative white residents. I won my council district seat on October 9, 1979, with 74% of the vote in a crowded field of seven candidates, including incumbent Herman Harris. Mayor Folmar was disgusted on election night because Harris often aligned with him on crucial votes. My favorability rating in the Montgomery’s white community never exceeded 20%. Unlike most of today's black elected officials, my phone number was publicly listed while I served on the city council, and I answered it myself. I was accessible at city hall, at church, at community meetings, or at home. Constituents did not have to go through a staff assistant or aide to schedule a meeting with me. They did not have to sign-up in advance to speak to the council. If they showed up for the meeting, I made sure they had the opportunity to speak. When Mayor Folmar made his comment about the Union troops going home in 1870, I knew exactly what he meant. The Calvary that protected Montgomery's black community from 1979 to 1983 was leaving. I was moving the headquarters of my political operations and legal services from Montgomery to Birmingham to protect and serve an embattled Richard Arrington, Jr., the city's first black mayor.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted on September 13, 2026 Lindsay Clancy (left) and the three Clancy children/murder victims (right). An Editorial Opinion Three children were murdered in the Lindsay Clancy case. Yet, the focus today is on attacking the lone juror who voted to convict her on murder charges. Clancy acknowledged strangling five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and eight-month-old Callan, but argued that her postpartum psychosis meant she was not criminally responsible for the murders. Eleven jurors ultimately favored a verdict of acquittal, while one man, identified by another juror as the panel’s only Black member, favored a conviction. The disagreement produced a mistrial and a backlash against the holdout juror. Jury deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy case resulted in a mistrial. The holdout juror was not an outlier. An entire team of investigators, mental health experts, and prosecutors viewed the evidence in Clancy's case just like he did. Several jurors later accused the holdout juror of ignoring evidence and court instructions. However, no one has cited a single jury instruction he violated. Furthermore, he was entitled by law to give the defense's postpartum psychosis evidence whatever weight it deserved in his mind. He obviously rejected this defense, which was his prerogative. Jurors reject criminal defenses a lot in murder cases. Remember, Karmelo Anthony's claim of self-defense in the 2025 murder of Austin Metcalf was rejected and he was convicted. Revealing the juror's race and personal history was wrong for many reasons. It raised serious concerns about privacy, harassment, and whether jurors can safely disagree in controversial cases. It also injected the issue of whether White jurors believed their opinions on guilt or innocence carried more weight than Black jurors. At the same time, a GoFundMe established for Clancy’s parents has raised about $1.2 million, with its goal increased to $3 million. It has not paid $3 million directly to Clancy. Society can recognize postpartum psychosis, demand a fair legal process, and remember the victims simultaneously. What it should never do is turn justice into a popularity contest between White and Black jurors, which is happening now in the Clancy case.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on February 21, 2025 This is how it began for the Watkins family in America. Our endurance and unbreakable spirit come from this maternal ancestor -- my great-great maternal grandmother. This young girl of African descent arrived in America in 1830. She was human cargo in the transatlantic slave trade. Her journey to America began at a slave port on Bunce Island in Sierra Leone. She was brought to America against her will. We do not know her name or exact age when she was captured. We believe she was in her early teens. We do not know her country of origin, but DNA reports on the Watkins family bloodline suggests that she came from one of the West Central Africa countries. We do not know where and how this young girl was captured. We only know that most African slaves were captured through warfare, raids, kidnapping, or the dissolution of African empires. Once she became ensnared in the transatlantic slave trade, this young girl was crammed into the hellholes of a British slave ship at Bunch Island and fought every day to stay alive during her 8-week hellish journey from Sierra Leone to America. We know from oral family histories that she was a beautiful young girl. Inside the Watkins family, we credit this girl’s inner strength for our endurance during extreme hardships and our unbreakable spirit in the face of harsh oppression. This young girl survived her nightmarish transatlantic voyage. Her ship docked at the port of Charleston in South Carolina. She was listed only by gender and number on the manifest of the British slave ship that delivered her to its destination in the New World. This slave girl arrived in South Carolina approximately 8 years prior to the arrival of Dougald and Katheryn Carmichael. The Carmichaels were my great maternal grandfather William Carmichael's parents. The Carmichaels immigrated to America from Scotland around 1838. They came to America by choice. Dougald and Katheryn Carmichael, both of whom were born in 1817, arrived in America at the port of New York around 1838 as free white Scottish immigrants. The Carmichael’s initially settled in South Carolina. By 1850, they had moved to Hinds County, Mississippi and were raising a family of four children. One of these children was William, who was 13 years old. The British Parliament Papers on the Slave Trade The breakthrough in our research to find my African ancestors and their arrival in America came from admiralty reports reprinted in the British Parliament Papers on the Slave Trade, bills of sale in the U.S. for slaves, and chain-of-title records for slave conveyances in South Carolina and Mississippi. This mix of records documented my great-great maternal grandmother’s perilous journey across the Atlantic Ocean and from Charleston to Mississippi. After arriving in America, this young slave girl was bought and sold at an auction similar to the one depicted in the advertisement below (18 years later). This slave girl eventually ended up as the chattel property of Michael Daley, a white Irish immigrant in Madison County, Mississippi. Daley, who was married but had no biological children with his wife Bridget, lived and farmed on land he owned in Madison County. On April 20, 1847, this slave girl (who was now a full-grown woman) gave birth to Olivia Williamson on Michael Daley’s farm. The Williamson name had been assigned to Olivia’s mother by her original slave owner. In turn, Olivia's mother (whose first name we do not know) gave the Williamson surname to her at birth. Oral family histories and subsequent Madison County property records suggest that Daley was Olivia’s biological father. She had Caucasian features and light skin. The 1870 Federal Census for Mississippi listed Olivia Williamson as a “mulatto.” Olivia Williamson Carmichael, circa 1892, Canton, Mississippi. Prior to 1870, blacks in slaveholding states were counted as "Slaves" or "Free Coloreds." Slaveowners listed the number and description of their slaves on U.S. Census Slave Schedules. The names of slaves were irrelevant for census counting purposes. Shortly after her birth, Michael Daley arranged for Olivia Williamson's freedom and relocated Olivia and her mother to adjoining Hinds County, Mississippi, where she remained until she married. It appears that Olivia was one of the 13 “Freed Coloreds” in Hinds County, Mississippi on the 1850 Census. Olivia Williamson NEVER tried to pass for white. By law, Olivia was "Colored." Since the 1600s, the rule of law in America regarding mixed race people is simple --any person with even one ancestor of black ancestry ("one drop" of "black blood") is considered "Black" (“Negro” or “Colored” in historical terms). This legal principle is called the "One Drop Rule," and it still applies today. On March 25, 1865, Olivia Williamson and William Carmichael, the son of Dougald and Katheryn Carmichael, married in Crawford Station, Mississippi -- about two weeks before General Robert E. Lee surrendered his 28,000 confederate troops to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. William Carmichael, circa 1892, Canton, Mississippi After their marriage, Olivia and William Carmichael moved to the city of Canton in Madison County. On February 26, 1887, Michael Daley signed and recorded a Warranty Deed that conveyed title to all his Madison County property to Olivia Carmichael. With this act, Olivia Carmichael broke the color barrier in Mississippi by becoming the first black female to own land in her name, alone. We may never know Olivia's mother's African name or the name of her native country. However, we know that she had a will to live that allowed her to survive the harrowing transatlantic journey. We know that she endured far worse treatment in the slave trade than we could ever imagine today. We also know that she was smart and beautiful. Finally, we know that her endurance is the source of our strength in the face of the most vicious forms of racism. Her blood runs warm in our veins and her courage birthed ours. The search for our ancestral roots in Africa continues.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted on September 7, 2026 Racism is in America's DNA. An Editorial Opinion While explicit federal laws mandating racial segregation and discrimination were largely dismantled by mid-20th-century civil rights legislation, systemic and structural racism continues to function through deeply entrenched institutional practices and the persistence of the myth of race-neutral policy. Today, the Trump administration has made intentional racism against Americans of color national policy. It also rewards the infliction of government-sponsored cruelty against these Americans. Historical National Policies For more than four centuries, legal frameworks in racism in the United States explicitly codified racial hierarchy: Slavery and Segregation: Constitutional and statutory provisions legally categorized people by race to deny basic human rights and legal protections. Redlining: Federal housing policies from the 1930s onward explicitly graded neighborhoods by race, denying mortgages to Black home buyers and segregating wealth accumulation. Exclusionary Laws: Early immigration and naturalization laws explicitly barred non-white groups from citizenship and land ownership. The Role of Systemic Racism Today Although overt legal discrimination is illegal, systemic racism operates through institutional habits, unwritten rules, Trump-issued Executive Orders, and resource allocation: Criminal Justice: Disparities in policing, sentencing, and the carceral state continue to disproportionately impact communities of color. Economic Inequality: Wealth gaps persist because historical exclusions prevented families from passing down generational property and capital. Voting Access: Voter suppression tactics and structural rules can disenfranchise large numbers of minority voters, reducing political representation. Attacks on DEI: Led by Donald Trump, the federal government and U.S. Supreme Court openly attacked and dismantled every policy and program that assured Americans of color an equal opportunity to participant in the socio-economic benefits of American society. The Myth of Race-Neutral Policy Assuming that a policy is fair simply because it does not explicitly mention race often ignores historical disparities. When rules treat unequal starting points as identical, they inadvertently reinforce and perpetuate existing structural disadvantages. Finally, non-MAGA Americans across the nation finally realize that the Trump administration is openly anti-Black and racist. The White House and federal government reflect Trump's deeply-held, multigenerational, and court-certified racist views toward Black Americans

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on May 12, 2022 As I watch right-wing conservative Republicans rail against gender identification education for children in Florida public schools, I pose a much larger question for these self-professed conservative Bible-thumping Christians. Is The Bible too graphic for children under 18 to read? After all, it contains graphic sexual content and gruesome violence, particularly in the Old Testament. Here is why I raise this question: 1. The Old Testament Contains X-Rated Descriptions of Sexual Conduct, Male Genitalia, Ejaculation, Gang-Raping of Female Prostitutes, Mutilating Female Bodies, Murder, Acts of Terrorism, and Stoning Deaths. In "The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, published by Biblica, Inc. (Miami, 2014), there is a graphic discuss of sexual conduct, male genitalia, ejaculation, gang-raping women, mutilating female bodies, murder, and acts of terrorism in Ezekiel 23:1-48. Chapter 23 discusses the story of two daughters of the same mother, Oholah and Oholibah. Both gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem. Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was the Lord's chosen people. "She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her." Ezekiel 23:8. "They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword." Ezekiel 23:10. All of this happened to Oholah because "she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians -- warriors clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men and mounted horsemen." Ezekiel 23:5-6. "Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution, she was more depraved than her sister." Ezekiel 23:11. "When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body, I turned away from them in disgust, Yet, she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses." Ezekiel 23: 18-20. The New Living Translation (NTL) Study Bible, Second Edition, published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (Carol Stream, Illinois) uses the same language for Ezekiel 23:20: "She lusted after lovers with genitals as large as a donkey's and emissions like those of a horse." God was angry at Oholibah because of her prostitution and stirred up her lovers against her. "They will cut off your noses and your ears...". Ezekiel 23:25. [Y]ou will tear your breasts." Ezekiel 23:34. "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. The mob will stone them and cut them down with their byword; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses. 2. The Bible Discusses the Use of Angelic Weapons of Mass Destruction. In 2 Kings 19:35, the Bible discusses how a single Angel of the Lord "went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning -- there were all the dead bodies." The Angel's execution of 185,000 soldiers in one night, whether justified or not, constitutes an act of "mass destruction." Apart from the Angel's execution of 185,000 Assyrians, the United States is the only nation in recorded history to inflict mass destruction on civilians. On August 6, 1945, America killed 100,000 Japanese civilians with a direct hit from an atomic bomb that was dropped over Hiroshima. An additional 100,000 residents of Hiroshima died from exposure to radiation after the blast. On August 9, 1945, America killed 40,000 Japanese civilians with a direct hit from a atomic bomb dropped over Nagasaki. On September 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered to American forces, thereby ending its role as an American enemy in World War II. Jesus had twelve legions of Angels at his disposal (Matthew 26:52), with about 3,000 Angels in a legion. Based upon 2 Kings 19:35, each one could kill 185,000 people in a single event. Yet, Jesus never killed or harmed any man, woman, or child. Likewise, Jesus nor God ever commanded any person to kill in their names. Both commanded that, "Thou shall not kill." 3. Unlawful Sexual Relations In Leviticus 18:30, Moses lays out what he says is the Lord's list of "detestable customs that were practiced [by the Israelites]." In Chapter 20, Moses set forth the punishment for these sins. "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, .... [t]hey must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." Leviticus 20:13. "If anyone curses his father and mother, he must be put to death." Leviticus 20:9. "If a man commits adultery with another man's wife -- with the wife of his neighbor -- both the adulterer and adulteress must be put to death." Leviticus 20:10. "If a man marries both a woman and her mother, ... Both he and they must be burned in the fire.... ". Leviticus 20:14. "If a priest's daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, .... she must be burned in the fire." Leviticus 21:9. Of course, Jesus explained to his followers that the laws laid out by Moses in Leviticus were too harsh and that it was "not this way in the beginning." Matthew 19:8. What is more, Jesus never advocated the death penalty for any offense. He even stopped the stoning death of a woman who was accused of adultery, as commanded by the laws of Moses in Leviticus 20:10. See, John 8:2-11. 4. Innocent Wives and Children Were Killed for the Sins of Their Husbands/Fathers. In Daniel 6:24, the Bible discusses the story of Daniel, who was thrown into the lion's den. God protected Daniel from any injury and/or death by the lions. After Daniel was lifted out of the lion's den, "the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lion's den, along with their wives and children." Daniel 6:24. "And before they reached the floor, the lions over-powered them and crushed all of their bones." Id. Revised Versions of the Bible Toned Down Some of its X-Rated Sexual Content The reference in Ezekiel 23:20 to sexual organs of Olabah's lovers, "whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses," appears in other Bibles. For example, "The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures," published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (Penn. and New York, 2013), presents Ezekiel 23:20 this way: "She lusted after them like the concubines of men whose male members are like those of a donkey and whose genitals are like those of a horse." The publishers of other Bibles toned-down the graphic sexual content that is found in Ezekiel 23:20. For example, The Santa Biblia Holy Bible, King James Version, published by Hendrickson Publishers (Nashville, Tennessee, 2018), and the Holy Bible, published by Holman Bible Publisher (Peabody, Massachusetts, 2011), use this soft-core sexual language for Ezekiel 23:20: "For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses." The same toned down language for Ezekiel 23:20 appears in the Gideon Bible and many others. On a related subject, the Bible discusses "eunuchs" in the Book of Matthew. A "eunuch" is a castrated man -- a man without a penis and testicles. Jesus discussed this subject by saying: "For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others -- and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 19:12. The most famous eunuch in America is Dr. George Washington Carver, the distinguished botanist and Tuskegee University professor who invented scores of commercial uses for the peanut. Dr. Carver was castrated by his slave-owner so that he could serve his white slave master in the mansion and around master's daughters. Should the Bible Be Banned for Children's Reading? In light of the graphic sexual content and violence depicted in Biblical scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, do right-wing conservative Republicans think the Bible should be banned for children under 18-years of age? If not, why not? If not, which version of the Bible is the religiously-correct and suitable Bible for children under 18? Should Sunday schools teachers in Christian churches across America make references to the sexual topics mentioned in this article when teaching the scripture to children under 18? [Author's Note: I am a life-long Christian. I was raised in the Baptist faith. My maternal grandfather, Rev. Willie Varnado, was a nationally-known black preacher in the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was my Sunday School teacher, pastor, and Baptist Training Union instructor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama (USA) in the early 1950s. In the 1930s, Rev. Varnado's first cousin was lynched in Mississippi on a Sunday afternoon by a crowd of white Southern Baptists, who returned to their afternoon church service after hanging, shooting, and burning this lynching victim. Dr. King preached and practiced non-violence in every aspect of his life. Yet, Dr. King died on April 4, 1968 from a white assassin's rifle bullet to his head.]

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on November 28, 2021 Donald V. Watkins being sworn in as a city council member in Montgomery, Alabama (left) and Emory Folmar, the mayor of Montgomery. When I ended my tenure as a Montgomery, Alabama city council member in October 1983, the City's long-serving, right-wing Republican mayor, Emory Folmar, publicly proclaimed that this was "one of the greatest blessings since the Union troops went home in 1870." Folmar, who was also chairman of Alabama's Republican Party, rejoiced in my departure. Even though I served only one four-term on the council, I investigated and brought a halt to a spree of fatal police shootings of unarmed black men. I ended the city's infamous "debtor's court," which jailed poor defendants who could not pay their court fines. I blocked a 1980 redistricting plan that intentionally discriminated against the city's black voters. I blocked the reappointment of the city court's chief judge, who was an open and notorious racist. I ended the city's misuse of tens of millions of dollars in federal community redevelopment funds, most of which had been diverted from poor black neighborhoods and spent in the richest white areas of the city. From 1979 to 1983, I formed a city council committee of one person (me) to conduct nearly a dozen in-depth investigations into misconduct or malfeasance by police officers and other top city officials. I had a city council commission and a police department ID, and I used these credentials to aggressively protect and serve communities of color, women, poor people, and the budding LGBTQ political community. I published numerous reports of official misconduct by top city officials and had them spread across the minutes of city council meetings at the conclusion of my investigations. These reports had the purpose and effect of curbing runaway racism and corruption in the administration of city government. My hard fought battles to provide equal city services to Montgomery's 40% black population were met with massive resistance from Mayor Folmar. They also made me extremely controversial and unpopular with many of the city's ultra conservative white residents. While I won my council district seat with 74% of the vote in a crowded field of seven candidates, including a popular incumbent, my favorability rating in the white community never peaked above 20%. Unlike most of today's black elected officials in Alabama (and elsewhere), my phone number was publicly listed while I served on the city council and I answered it myself. I was accessible at city hall, at church, at community meetings, or at home. Constituents did not have to go through a staff assistant or aide to schedule a meeting with me. When Mayor Folmar made his comment about the Union troops going home in 1870, I knew exactly what he meant. The Calvary that protected Montgomery's black community from 1979 to 1983 was leaving. I was moving the headquarters of my political operations and legal services from Montgomery to Birmingham to protect and serve an embattled Richard Arrington, Jr., the city's first black mayor. Birmingham Was the "Johannesburg of the South" I opened my office in Birmingham in 1985. Within a year or two, the hatred I experienced from whites in the Jefferson/Shelby County metro-area exceeded anything I had know in Montgomery. They did not want me advising or representing Mayor Arrington. From the moment I took that job, the hatred was non-stop, gutter-level, and overtly racial. Mail from these haters was addressed to: "The Mayor's Nigger Lawyer, Birmingham, Alabama" and would be delivered to my office by the U.S. Postal Service even though no street address was provided by the senders. Some of the state and federal judges in Birmingham routinely referred to me behind my back as, "the Nigger lawyer from Montgomery," a label I first endured during the early years of my legal practice. When a white lawyer tried to physically attack me in a Jefferson County courtroom because I smiled with pleasure at the progress I was making in trying my case, the judge banged his gavel and reprimanded me for smiling, as opposed to scolding the white lawyer who was attempting to hit me. If there was any question about how Birmingham's white business leaders felt about me, they made it crystal clear to me in a meeting I had with local business icon, Henry Goodrich, at his Southside private office. Goodrich opened the meeting with a racist monologue that lasted for at least 15 uninterrupted minutes. According to him, leaders in the white business community had chosen him to speak to me because there was "nothing I could do to [him]." Goodrich called me a "troublemaker" and "outside agitator" who was stirring up Birmingham's black community and making trouble in the city. He claimed that blacks in Birmingham were happy with the way things were and that their relationship with the white community was great. Near the end of the meeting, Goodrich referred to me as "Rasputin," the man who was an influential advisor to Nicholas the Great (the last Czar of Russia). He told me to get out of town or "they" would run me out of town. Well, I did not leave Birmingham. Today, Henry Goodrich is dead, but his spirit lives on. A Succession of Bigots in the Eugene "Bull" Connor Tradition Mr. Goodrich's spirit lived on in Birmingham in a succession of bigots who became torchbearers for white supremacy in the Eugene "Bull" Connor tradition. Connor was the city of Birmingham public safety commissioner who unleashed police dogs and fire hoses on civil rights demonstrators in the early 1960s. Two of the most prominent torchbearers in the Bull Connor tradition were Frank Donaldson, who was elevated to the position of U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama in 1981, and Lloyd Peoples, who was the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, from 2017 to 2020. Donaldson, who is now deceased, was forced to retire as U.S. Attorney after he engaged in a litany of COINTELPRO activities from 1988 to 1992 against Richard Arrington, Jr., Birmingham's first black mayor. Donaldson replaced Bull Connor's use of police dogs and fire hoses against civil rights activists with a Blitzkrieg of grand jury subpoenas and his ruthless harassment and abuse of Arrington's aging mother. Peeples, who has successfully burrowed himself into the U.S. Attorney's office in 2021 as a career prosecutor, targeted successful black entrepreneurs. Birmingham federal judges affectionately coddled Peeples and turned a blind eye as he executed an unrestrained COINTELPRO agenda very similar in nature to Donaldson's. No one can explain why Peeples, who owned and operated a small pizza restaurant that failed during its first year in business, was placed in charge of running the huge, multi-million dollar per year U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of Alabama. At the time of his appointment, Peeples' only credentials for this top federal prosecutor's job appeared to be: (a) his white skin, (b) his hostile attitude towards successful black entrepreneurs, and (c) his willingness to become a full participant in the restoration of white supremacy in the the Northern District of Alabama. What is worse, Donaldson and Peeples plowed their trade in the same federal courthouse that showcased a public shrine in 2019 to one of the most racist federal judges in Alabama -- Judge Edwin Nelson. Epilogue Emory Folmar's analogy of my departure from public office to the Union troops returning home in 1870 did not make sense to me in 1983, but it does now. Folmar was signaling a return to white supremacy. This is what happened in 1870, and it is happening today. The most prominent symbol of white supremacy in 2021 is found in the composition of the state's three appellate courts -- the nine-member Alabama Supreme Court, the five-member Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, and the five-member Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. All nineteen justices and judges on these courts have been white since January of 2001. Every gubernatorial appointment to a vacancy on these courts since 2001 has been white. Every justice or judge elected since 2000 has been white. The white oligarch that runs Alabama does not pretend that a black will ever be seated on these courts in a state that is 26% black. They don't even want a Clarence Thomas-like "Uncle Tom" serving on these courts. Except for Mayor Steven Reed of Montgomery, County Commissioner Albert Turner in Perry County, and a handful of other courageous black officials, most of the other black elected officials in Alabama suffer from psychological castration. They are nothing more than impotent political eunuchs. Furthermore, the few black state court trial judges who have tried to provide equal justice in their courtrooms have been brow-beaten or forced off the bench by the state's judicial kingpins. Former Jefferson County Circuit Court judge Tracie A. Todd is a case in point. The major difference between the restoration of white supremacy in Alabama in 1870 and its restoration today is this: White supremacy in the modern era is thriving in Alabama because black elected officials in state are too weak, too compromised, and/or too complacent to fight it. Alabama's dramatic return to white supremacy in the modern era would make Emory Folmar proud. As an African-American who also has some Native-American and white blood running through his veins, it makes me very sad.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted on November 22, 2022 Jared and Ambrice Miller, superstar siblings from Birmingham, Alabama. Horace and Crystal Miller of Birmingham, Alabama are the proud parents of two very successful children – Jared and Ambrice Miller. These siblings are superstars in their respective professions. Jared and Ambrice Miller are also two of the 32 Birmingham area students who were awarded college scholarships by Voter News Network, a Birmingham-based political news service I founded in 2001. Over the years, I have watched the impressive personal growth and outstanding professional accomplishments of Jared and Ambrice Miller. I salute Jared and Ambrice, along with their parents and individual families, as we approach the Thanksgiving weekend! Jared Miller is Superstar in Law and Business The oldest of the two Miller siblings is Jared Andrew Miller, a married father of twins. Jared and his family reside in Dallas, Texas. Jared is a Corporate Legal Counsel at Amazon, Inc. and the lead attorney supporting U.S. Employee Benefits for the company. Jared specializes in ERISA, HIPAA, employee benefits law, plan document drafting (SPDs, SMMs, plan amendments), corporate strategy, and provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Jared is also an Adjunct Professor at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law teaching an employee benefits and ERISA litigation course. Prior to joining Amazon’s Corporate Legal Counsel’s office, Jared worked at AT&T in several capacities from 2013 to 2021. He started as a Senior Benefits Analyst for Litigation and Appeals. Jared was promoted to the position of Lead Benefits Senior Associate for Health & Welfare. He later served as Lead Benefits Senior Associate for Corporate Governance. Jared is licensed to practice law in Texas, Minnesota, North Dakota, and the District of Columbia. Jared received his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2013. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management from Auburn University in 2009. You can learn more about Jared at: https://jaredmillerventures.com. Jared was recently featured in a Buzz Magazine article titled, “Meet Jared Miller of Jared Miller Ventures.” Ambrice Miller is a Superstar in the World of International Finance and Fine Arts Ambrice Miller is a married mother of one son. Ambrice and her family live in London. Since November 2019, Ambrice Miller has worked for Invesco as the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Head of Liquidity Sales & UK Head of Institutional for Passives. Prior to Invesco, Ambrice worked at BlackRock in various capacities from 2013 to 2019. She started as a Securities Lending Product Manager. After one year, Ambrice promoted to a Securities Lending Business Strategist based in London. Ambrice was responsible for creating a sustainable market advantage through market and trend analysis, initiative ideation and leveraging partnerships across the firm. In 2016, Ambrice was promoted to the position of Vice President-Exchange-Traded Funds (ETF) Head of Insurance. Ambrice held this ETF position until she joined Invesco. Prior to her work at BlackRock, Ambrice worked at Bank of America from 2009 to 2013. Ambrice started in the bank’s Charlotte, North Carolina Project Management Office as the Lead Quality and Change Delivery Associate. From 2010 to 2012, Ambrice served as Bank of America’s EMEA Global Records and Information Management Project Lead in London, where she led the GRM risk and compliance policy implementation across the 26 Bank of America Merrill Lynch EMEA countries in line with FSA and OCC regulations on information management. Throughout this 2009 to 2013 period, Ambrice was a designated Assistant Vice President at the bank. Ambrice Miller attended the six year Visual Arts program at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) to develop her technical skills of painting, drawing and printmaking. It was during her studies at ASFA that she began to find interest in the human form. Upon graduation from the ASFA in 2005, Ambrice attended Davidson College in North Carolina, where she studied for Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine and Studio Arts and Political Science. At Davidson, Ambrice was awarded the Romare Bearden Scholarship -- a scholarship granted to a student who demonstrates a promise and a passion for the Arts. In addition to being a genius in the complex world of international finance, Ambrice Miller is also a world-renowned artist whose works have been exhibited around the globe. Her artistic ability is profiled at: www.ambricemiller.com. The "Best of the Best" Jared and Ambrice Miller represent the "best of the best" in successful adults. This is who our children can be when they are loved in our homes, supported by their families, properly educated in our schools, mentored by caring entrepreneurs, and committed to academic excellence. There are 30 additional Voter News Network Scholars who have equally impressive profiles. Going forward, we will introduce them to you. Congratulations to Horace, Crystal, Jared, and Ambrice Miller for a job well-done!

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published on February 5, 2023 A Dutch photographer's portrait of Jesus using Biblical descriptions and artificial intelligence. People around the world know the name of Jesus and revere his life's story. Nearly 2.4 billion of the world's 8 billion people profess to be Christians who follow Jesus' religious teachings. The American South is flooded with religious zealots who claim to be devoted Christians. Many of them hold very different religious views from the ones I learned from my childhood pastor, Sunday School teacher, and Baptist Training Union instructor -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I often ask self-professed Christians two basic questions: First, do you see a piece of yourself in how Jesus lived his life? Second, if Jesus were here today, how would you treat him? Jesus' Social Media Profile I ask these questions because Jesus stood for everything that many of today’s appointed and elected political officials, religious leaders, business moguls, social media "influencers," and so-called "Evangelical Christians" do not. Here are some examples: Jesus was an outside agitator who led an underground liberation movement. He was homeless most of his life. He was also a minimalist when it came to his rejection of material things. Jesus loved people -- all people. His love was unconditional. Jesus did not practice "situational ethics." He was ethical all of the time. Jesus was true to himself and to others. He was never fake and phony. Jesus welcomed outsiders and foreigners. He favored the poor and afflicted over the rich. Jesus did not “hate” on those who refused to follow his teachings. In fact, Jesus never hated on any person for any reason. Jesus also encouraged help for the sick and elderly. He practiced medicine without a license and healed the sick on the Sabbath. Jesus distributed food without a permit. He made wine without a license. Jesus paraded on public streets without a permit. He held numerous illegal public gatherings. Whenever children sat on Jesus’ lap, he was not molesting them. Instead, Jesus protected children and taught them in the way of the Lord. Jesus aided and abetted known prostitutes. He even stopped the execution of a woman who had been accused of adultery. Jesus destroyed gaming equipment in the Temple (twice), in violation of destruction of property laws. Jesus sent revolutionaries out into the world to spread his word. Nearly all of them were executed in the most gruesome way. Jesus treated the “least of these” with the utmost respect -- all of the time. According to the Bible, Jesus performed at least 37 "miracles." Yet, nearly every one of these "miracles" is a prohibited act under governmental regulations and criminal laws in effect in the United States today. Jesus denounced violence, even when it involved his own crucifixion. He asked God to forgive those who tortured and killed him. Finally, Jesus was not the white man who has been portrayed for hundreds of years in American and European versions of Christianity. Jesus was a Middle Eastern Jew with "bronze" skin (Ezekiel 40:3) and other Jewish facial features. His hair was like "wool" (Revelation 1:13-14). In Isaiah 53:2, the Bible says Jesus "had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him." Is This "Son of God" Your Jesus? With all of this historical Biblical information in mind, who among the self-professed Christian population today promotes, protects, and advances Jesus' brand of Christian values, particularly in the American South? Is this "Son of God" your Jesus? If not, who is?

By Donald V. Watkins ©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on May 7, 2017; Republished on November 11, 2022 Lt. Colonel Paul David Lehman, Jr. A VETERANS DAY TRIBUTE When I began my senior year at Alabama State College Laboratory High School in September 1965, I noticed this stunningly beautiful girl in the tenth grade. Her name was Natalie S. Lehman. Natalie and her brother, Paul D. Lehman, III, were new to our small all-black school in Montgomery, Alabama. They had attended a racially integrated school in Massachusetts the year before. I could tell by the way Natalie dressed and carried herself that she came from a very distinguished family. My father was president of Alabama State College at the time and I had met a lot of distinguished men and women in our home on campus. The President’s Mansion was where black dignitaries stayed while visiting Montgomery during the turbulent civil rights movement of the 1960s. I made it my business to meet and befriend Natalie. I developed an instant crush on her and she eventually became my girlfriend that school year. Shortly after I befriended Natalie, I offered to drive her home after school. She accepted my offer. This is when and where I met Natalie’s mother, Jeraldine Sylvia Lehman. Upon meeting Mrs. Lehman, I instantly knew I had entered an elite strata of black society. Like Natalie, Jeraldine Lehman was strikingly beautiful, polished, well spoken, very cordial, down to earth, and super smart. I learned from Natalie that her father was a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force. In 1965, he was attending the foremost U.S. leadership college for air and space education -- the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. He was also working on his Master of Science degree in International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, DC, while attending the Air War College. He received his Masters Degree in 1966. After a couple of hours of chatting with Natalie and her mother in their home, the door opened and this tall, handsome, distinguished looking man entered the room. He was Lt. Colonel Paul David Lehman, Jr. He looked like a natural born leader and had a commanding presence in his pristine military uniform. Over the course of the school year, I spent a lot of time with the Lehman family. I rode with them to Maxwell Air Force Base on several occasions and watched white airmen salute Lt. Colonel Lehman. I could not believe my eyes. At a time when whites in Montgomery were violently opposing the integration of public schools, lunch counters in downtown stores, and movie theaters and were openly calling blacks “niggers” and “coons”, white airmen on the Base were standing at attention and saluting a black Lt. Colonel. In May of 1966, the Lehman family and I went our separate ways in life. I graduated from high school and left Montgomery to attend Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Natalie and her family moved to Silver Springs, Maryland, where her father would head the ROTC Program at Howard University and groom the next generation of black Air Force generals. We lost touch with each other, but I never forgot about Natalie Lehman and her family. In 1995, HBO released a blockbuster movie titled, “The Tuskegee Airmen”, starring Laurence Fishburne and an all-star cast. This movie told the true story of how a group of African-American aviators and support crews overcame racism in the military to become one of the finest U.S. fighter groups in World War II. The movie was America’s first introduction to the Tuskegee Airmen. After my brother, Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D., died in April of 2015, I received a message of condolence from Paul D. Lehman, III, via Facebook. Shortly thereafter, Paul reconnected me with Natalie. It was the first time I had spoken to her in 49 years. During one of our many “catch-up” conversations, I learned, for the first time, that Lt. Colonel Paul D. Lehman, Jr., was one of the now-famous Tuskegee Airmen. I was floored. In 1965, fate had brought me face-to-face with one of the Tuskegee Airmen who changed the course of U.S. military history. The encyclopedias and school history books of this era had robbed me (and millions of Americans) of any knowledge of the “Tuskegee Airmen” and their positive contribution to military history and American society. Paul David Lehman, Jr., who was born on October 4, 1922, enlisted in the United States Army in Los Angeles, California in November of 1942. When the Army divided functionally into three autonomous forces, Ground Forces, Services of Supply, and Army Air Forces, Lt. Lehman opted for aviation cadet training at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Tuskegee, Alabama. Moton Field at Tuskegee was the focal point for the training of African-American military pilots, navigators, bombardiers, ground crews, and support staff during World War II. Tuskegee Airman at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama circa 1943. Lt. Colonel Lehman stands (third from the left) on the back row. Afterwards, Lt. Lehman attended one of the pioneering navigator bombardier training areas at Hondo, Texas. Later at Lockbourne Air Force Base in Ohio, Lt. Lehman served as Post Exchange Officer while maintaining his flying status in B-25 bombers. In 1950, after the desegregation of the armed services, Lt. Lehman entered additional navigation training at Mather Air Force Base in California. Sent to Korea during the Korean War, he flew approximately 68 missions. In 1952, after the war, Lt. Lehman was promoted to Captain, and assigned to Fairchild Air Force base in Spokane, Washington with Strategic Air Command’s (SAC) 57th Air Division. Capt. Lehman earned an aeronautical rating of Senior Aircraft Observer, and later in June of 1957, he earned the rating of Senior Navigator. His coursework included training in Principles of Guided Missiles and Nuclear Weapons Delivery Operations. Capt. Lehman transferred to Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts where he served as a navigator on top-secret B-36 and B-52 bombers with SAC. In 1960, he received the aeronautical rating of Master Navigator. After his promotion, Major Lehman continued with the 99th Bombardment Wing. His positions included: Assistant, OIC Air Weapons; Chief, Air Weapons Section; and Commander 24th Munitions Squadron. He was soon promoted to Lt. Colonel, and Commander, 24th Munitions Maintenance Squadron, Special Weapons. I knew Lt. Colonel Lehman was special when I met him in 1965, but I did not grasp the nature and magnitude of his stature in the military until 50 years later. Lt. Colonel Lehman retired from the Air Force after serving 27 years. On August 7, 2001, Lt. Colonel Paul D. Lehman, Jr., died in Los Angeles as he had lived for 78 years – a national hero. On March 29, 2007, President George W. Bush stood at attention, held his straightened right hand to his brow, and saluted Lt. Colonel Paul D. Lehman, Jr. (posthumously) and the other Tuskegee Airmen in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol during a ceremony in which the President and members of Congress awarded the Airmen the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award given by Congress. In giving his salute, President Bush wanted to "offer a gesture to help atone for all the unreturned salutes and unforgivable indignities" the Tuskegee Airmen endured during their military careers. With this top-level governmental action, American history was officially corrected and Lt. Colonel Paul David Lehman, Jr., took his rightful place in the annals of military history, along with the rest of the Tuskegee Airmen.

By: Claire Larson © Copyrighted and Published on January 12, 2020 Monroe County, Alabama Sheriff Tom Tate. On Friday, the movie adaptation of the book, Just Mercy, was released nationwide. It chronicles the prosecution, wrongful conviction and imprisonment on death row of Walter McMillian for a murder he did not commit. Heroic measures had to be taken by attorney, Bryan Stevenson, to secure his eventual release. It is a true-to-life commentary on the voids in human decency of numerous individuals in the Deep South who still seem to be fighting the Civil War. Something other than “justice” appears to be going on when the main witnesses recant, numerous people are able to provide an alibi for the accused, and it is proven there is no way possible some of the witnesses would have been able to “witness” anything at all, yet a conviction is obtained and then sustained for years through multiple appeals. Even after the State seems to admit that McMillian didn’t commit the murder, they still attempted to hold him on death row until they had “completed their investigation into the real perpetrator." Stevenson succeeded in getting Walter released. However, the damage to his marriage was permanent as was the damage to his health and mental well-being. He died at the age of 71 with severe dementia. His claim for damages went all the way to the Supreme Court who ruled against him. One particularly moving passage in the book discussed a group of Walter’s black friends and relatives breaking into applause just because Stevenson had come to visit with them in the home of one of the group in attendance. It really brought home how the black population in the South has come to expect so little that it was a big deal to this group that someone had just shown up. Many in this group were acutely aware of the monumental nature of the railroad job perpetrated on McMillian as some of them were also with him at a neighborhood gathering taking place at the same time the murder was going on. McMillian’s sister said, “Just about everybody in here was standing next to him, talking to him, laughing with him, eating with him. Then the police come along months later, say he killed somebody miles away at the same time we were standing next to him. Then they take him away when you know it’s a lie.” Not only was Walter harmed, but what does it do to the psyche of a community when they know a man can be completely innocent, the evidence all points to him being innocent and the judicial system can convict him and steal six years of his life? It should not be lost on anyone that this travesty occurred in Monroeville, Alabama, hometown of To Kill A Mockingbird author, Harper Lee. And the real reason McMillian was arrested should not be lost on anyone either. The arresting officer, Thomas Tate, made the following comment when arresting him: “We’re going to keep all you n****** from running around with white girls. I ought to take you off and hang you like we done that n***** in Mobile.” Tate continued in his position and was reelected after McMillian was freed. He was also responsible for pocketing more than $110,000 that was intended for inmate’s food. That is the state of Alabama today where he served as Sheriff of Monroe County, Alabama up until last year. Perhaps Tate needs to become the subject of a nationwide call for an investigation into just what it is that happened during his tenure as well as what happened in Mobile to Michael Donald. Stevenson boldly declared to the judge after Walter was freed, “Your Honor, I just want to say this before we adjourn. It was far too easy to convict this wrongly accused man for murder and send him to death row for something he didn’t do and much too hard to win his freedom after proving his innocence. We have serious problems and important work that must be done in this state.” It is a very succinct summation of what this country is still fighting, It’s far too easy in Alabama for corrupt government officials to carry out a fraudulent investigation with the judicial community turning a blind eye to justice. The question is, what are we going to do about it? This Harvard educated lawyer, instead of taking the expected path littered with exorbitant billings for inconsequential cases and corporate clients, led with his morals and ethics, representing and fighting for people who had nothing other than their state-issued prison uniform and the twisted life fate handed to them. He has won relief for over 125 inmates on death row including Anthony Ray Hinton. Ask yourself what you can do about the issues going on in Alabama then get out there and do something. Otherwise you’ve just become a part of a sad reflection on what has come to be known as “Southern Justice”. In the words of Martin Luther King, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” At the very least, buy the book, see the movie or make a donation to Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on December 23, 2024 Montgomery, Alabama police officers arrested eleven members of the Taylor family after an incident on February 27, 1983, at the family's home on Todd Road in the Madison Park community of Montgomery. The incident occurred after the burial of Taylor family matriarch Annie Bell Taylor. My 11-page blistering report to the Montgomery city council on March 15, 1983, detailed the severe beatings and torture that Montgomery police officers administered to three black arrestees --Willie James Taylor, Worrie Taylor, and Johnny Taylor – at the City Jail on the night of February 27, 1983. According to the report: “The police abuse at headquarters included …. the kicking and hitting of the arrestees; the hitting of at least one person with a telephone; hand chops to the neck; the hitting of one person with a flashlight; and the infamous ‘hanging technique’.” The “hanging technique” entailed hanging an arrestee by his necktie until he almost faints, then slapping him to consciousness and repeating the process. The report also found that police officers put guns to the heads of at least two arrestees, who were told, “nigger …. we’re going to kill you tonight.” Police officers beat these three Taylor men for hours. The beatings constituted swift and sure retribution for what had occurred hours earlier on Todd Road in the Madison Park community of Montgomery, Alabama. Taylor family members were arrested at the home of Annie Bell Taylor, a respected black Madison Park resident and matriarch of the Taylor family, whose funeral had been held earlier that day. Prior to this incident, none of the Taylor family members had a criminal record of any kind. All of them had good jobs in Michigan and Ohio and all of them were respected and productive citizens in their communities. A Tearful Funeral Experience Turned into a Living Nightmare I investigated the highly publicized Todd Road incident, starting on the night Taylor family members were arrested. The radio traffic on the police scanner in my home was unbelievable. Shots were fired earlier that night inside a house on Todd Road. Two officers had been hit and seriously wounded by gunfire. The officers had been beaten and tortured by the occupants of the house during some sort of melee. Twenty-three black family members, who were described as armed and dangerous, had been taken into police custody. Eleven of them were eventually arrested and faced 66 serious felony charges. Based upon the radio traffic, this incident seemed so bizarre. I had to find out for myself what was going on. So, I went downtown to police headquarters. When I arrived at the City Jail that night, I flashed my city councilman’s badge and demanded to see three arrestees – Willie James Taylor, Worrie Taylor, and Johnny Taylor. I knew their names from the radio traffic. Police officers brought the men into the visitor’s room. I instructed the officers to leave me alone with them. The three men were frightened and shaking. It was obvious that each one of them had been physically abused. Their eyes were still red from crying. They immediately told me about the beatings and showed me how they were administered. I told them that I was there as a city councilman to find out what had happened earlier that night at the Taylor home on Todd Road. My City Council Reports on the Todd Road Incident Sparked Outrage Inside City Hall I conducted a thorough investigation over the next two weeks and issued a series of three detailed reports to the city council about the Todd Road incident. As expected, the original police department report about the incident was riddled with lies. My initial March 15, 1983, report, which focused on the beatings and torture of the male Taylor family members, produced the most outrage. The report was based upon: (a) jailhouse interviews with the male Taylor family arrestees on the night of February 27th, (b) interviews with other jailed inmates over the following days, and (c) corroborating information I had received from five high ranking Montgomery police officers, all of whom spoke to me under assurances that they would remain anonymous. Four of my police officer informants were white and one was black. They were disgusted by the police misconduct in this case. Over the next few months, the Todd Road incident escalated into growing police scandal in state and national news media circles. My Grand Jury Appearance, Contempt Citation, and $500 Per Day Fine My city council reports on the Todd Road incident infuriated Montgomery Mayor Emory Folmar. He pressured Montgomery District Attorney Jimmy Evans into calling me before a local grand jury to find out the names of the police officers who provided me with information on the beatings and torture of Taylor family members. On July 18, 1983, I appeared before a local grand jury, but refused to divulge the identity of the police officers in question. At the time, I knew that a female grand juror was leaking secret grand jury testimony to the city's police chief. I invoked my privilege under Montgomery's Mayor-Council Act to keep my police sources of information confidential. Later that day, I was hauled into the courtroom of Montgomery County Circuit Judge Joseph Phelps and ordered to identify my police informants. I respectfully declined to do so out of fear for the lives and safety of these brave officers. I knew they would be fired or killed for helping me expose the beatings and torture of the Taylor family arrestees. Judge Phelps held me in contempt of court and fined me $500 per day until I divulged the names of these police officers. Montgomery Advertiser, Tuesday, July 19, 1983, p. 2. I appealed my contempt citation and daily fines to the Alabama Supreme Court. On September 23, 1983, the Supreme Court ruled, 8-1, that I had to identify the police officers in question. Naming My Police Sources The next week, I appeared before the Montgomery grand jury, again. Without any privilege protection that permitted me to withhold their names, I was required to identify my police informants to the grand jury. They were: (a) Capt. T. J. McClain, head of the police department's Internal Affairs Division, (b) Maj. Kelly Stevens, (c) Lt. Sidney Williams, (d) Sgt. Lonnie Benjamin, and (e) Sgt. Harold Hicken. I also identified these officers and provided the substance of their information in subsequent court hearings in the case. For example, Capt. McClain had told me the interrogating officers, "beat the shit out of them (the suspects)." Sgt. Benjamin said police headquarters that night "was like a racketball court" during the questioning of the suspects. "They were bouncing off the walls," said Benjamin. "You could hear them screaming all the way down to (Maj. E. B.) Alford's office," he said. Maj. Steven, Lt. Williams, and Sgt. Hicken provided additional details of the beatings and torture of the Taylor family members and confirmed that the beatings abruptly stopped when word spread that I had entered the police department building. Sergeants Benjamin and Hicken were promptly fired by Mayor Folmar. Capt. McClain retired and Maj. Stevens resigned, immediately. Lt. Williams, the lone black officer in the group, remained with the police department under the protection of a court order in a federal case where he was the named plaintiff for class of veteran black officers who sought promotions above the rank of corporal. The firing of Benjamin and Hicken was upheld in by a local federal judge but reversed on appeal. Epilogue Due to my compliance with the Alabama Supreme Court ruling, my contempt citation and $500 per day fines were set aside. My investigative reports and court testimony, along with the brilliant work of the Taylors' criminal defense teams, resulted in the dismissal of all charges against seven family members, and all kidnapping and robbery charges against the other four. The attempted murder felony charges against these four Taylor family members were reduced to simple misdemeanor assault charges. After the defendants pleaded “no contest” to the assault charges and paid a small fine, their legal nightmare was over. No Montgomery police officer was ever charged with a federal or state crime for beating and torturing Willie James Taylor, Worrie Taylor, and Johnny Taylor while they were in police custody. On April 28, 2014, and February 12, 2018, I published (and republished) an article titled, “The Todd Road Incident: Funeral Mourners Portrayed as Vicious Criminals.” My article summarized the true facts and circumstances surrounding the Todd Road incident that were first presented to the Montgomery city council on March 15, 1983.

By: Donald V. Watkins Copyrighted and Published on March 20, 2023 IMAGE: Army Private LaVena Johnson volunteered to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom in July 2005. Army Private LaVena Johnson was only 19-years-old at the time of her death on a U.S. military base in Balad, Iraq in July of 2005. She was not a military intelligence officer working undercover. She was not killed carrying out a covert military operation against dangerous terrorists in Iraq. Private Johnson’s death was not an accident or a suicide. She was not killed by friendly fire. Private Johnson was not a spy for a foreign power who was killed by American soldiers to protect the potential exposure of “top secret” military information in a war zone. Private Johnson was executed at point-blank range in the back of her head solely because she stumbled upon four-star General Kevin P. Byrnes while he was engaging in prohibited extramarital affair in contravention of a direct order from a superior officer. By all accounts, Private Johnson was a great soldier and a wonderful human being. She was ready and willing to die for her country on the battlefield, but she was not prepared to become a murder victim at the hands of one of her commanders. Private Johnson did not deserve to die this way -- alone, unprotected, murdered, and betrayed by her country’s top Pentagon brass. May her soul rest in eternal peace while her family, friends, and supporters seek criminal justice for her murder. In 2016, my legal team issued a "Wanted" poster for a citizen's arrest of General Byrnes, as authorized under Alabama law. A team of citizens led by noted civil rights icon Joseph L. Cole attempted to arrest General Byrnes. This effort failed only because Byrnes sequestered himself for several days at the sprawling Huntsville, Alabama business complex of defense contractor Raytheon in order to evade his arrest. This is the Story the Pentagon Never Wanted Told in a Hollywood Film Despite coordinated efforts by the United States government to suppress LaVena Johnson's story for 18 years, "The Murder of Private LaVena Johnson” will finally become a Hollywood feature film and a Premium TV channel documentary. Team Ramsey Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based independent film production company, landed the project on March 18, 2023. The company is owned and operated by Eric B. Ramsey and his wife/business partner Nicole Nicke. This Hollywood power couple produces award-winning multimedia content for distribution in the U.S. and around the world. IMAGE: Eric Ramsey (left), Nicole Nicke (center), and Donald Watkins (right). Team Ramsey Entertainment produced the movie, "A Kidnapping on Asylum Hill," starring Tom Sizemore. In January and February of 2023, this movie won six film festival awards, including Best Drama and Best BLM Film (Liber International Film Festival), Best Human Rights Film (New York Tri-State International Film Festival), the International Gold Awards, and London Movie Awards. Eric Ramsey directed this movie. Audiences will be able to see and enjoy "A Kidnapping on Asylum Hill"upon completion of the company's U.S. and international distribution deals. Dr. John H. Johnson, Private LaVena Johnson’s father, will serve as one of the co-executive producers on this true story. "The Murder of Private Johnson" is expected to become a Hollywood blockbuster that is loaded with "A-list" talent. God Always Brings the Right People Together at the Right Time and for the Right Reason I first met Eric B. Ramsey in 1991. He was my first client to be featured in a CBS "60 Minutes" story. At the time, I knew Eric had all of the attributes of a superstar in business. The passage of time has proven me right. Eric and Nicole are the perfect team leaders and co-executive producers for the three film and documentary projects I intend to roll out in Hollywood. This is our first film project together. Team Ramsey Entertainment has access to the best screenwriters, on-camera talent, directors, pre and post-production facilities, film/documentary project financing options, advertising and promotional companies, and distribution channels in Hollywood and abroad. Eric and Nicole have empowerment connections with everyone who matters in the U.S. and international film industry. Legendary TV host/multimedia producer Rock Newman first introduced me to the LaVena Johnson story. In December 2015, Newman arranged a meeting between Dr. Johnson and me. Against tremendous pressure from the Pentagon to leave Private Johnson's death alone, a brave Rock Newman moved forward and aired a TV segment on Private Johnson's murder. Newman, whose commitment to civil rights and equal justice is unshakable, put it all on the line to expose the Pentagon's coverup in Private LaVena Johnson's case. Every Pentagon Cover-Up Has a Shelf Life; The One in Private Johnson's Case Has Expired The Army’s official version of Private LaVena Johnson’s death is that she committed "suicide." The forensic evidence, however, points to a murder that was committed by General Kevin P. Byrnes. Between the physical and forensic evidence in Iraq, the post-exhumation autopsy in the U.S., a personal notepad kept by Private Johnson, and the litany of cover-up activities by the Pentagon, all of the pieces of evidence needed to solve Private Johnson's homicide case were hiding in plain sight, albeit scattered in two countries that are nearly 7,000 miles apart. Two weeks after her death, the Commander for Iraqi Operations flew to Washington to brief President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Private Johnson's “suicide." Hers was the only one out of 83 suicides committed by soldiers in 2005 that required a presidential briefing. After this briefing, the Pentagon classified its investigative file in Private Johnson's homicide case as “Top Secret.” After the meeting, General Byrnes was promptly kicked out of the Army even though he was due to retire three months later. To this day, the Pentagon's investigative file remains sealed and classified as "Top Secret." The file can be accessed by the public only if the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff sign off on a declassification request, which they have not done in 18 years. Four U.S. Presidents -- George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald J. Trump, and Joe Biden -- have failed to seek justice in Private Johnson's murder case. All of them gave the Johnson family “bullshit” reasons for turning their backs on Private Johnson. General Kevin P. Byrnes remains free and protected by powerful Pentagon officials in Washington. We remain in hot pursuit of the truth, the murderer, and the culprits who orchestrated the coverup in this case. If Private Johnson's life does NOT matter, whose does? Epilogue Team Ramsey Entertainment will bring my series of exclusive investigative articles on “The Murder of Private LaVena Johnson” to life on the Big Screen. These articles are linked below: https://www.donaldwatkins.com/post/the-murder-of-pfc-lavena-johnson-part-1 https://www.donaldwatkins.com/post/the-murder-of-pfc-lavena-johnson-part-2 https://www.donaldwatkins.com/post/the-murder-of-pfc-lavena-johnson-part-3 https://www.donaldwatkins.com/post/solving-the-murder-of-army-private-lavena-johnson https://www.facebook.com/donald.v.watkins/posts/pfbid0jzpg3NgEAKT9kh52ifjdK96CbNo7ymaTo4Jdr1Lf5BTqWtTZBJetiFsvYtLiv3MPl https://www.facebook.com/donald.v.watkins/posts/pfbid0R6F5s9k6ZXZUVGwZ3KDh2hKEHhXkg9gXwozkyJbpdna8rXhvK5B5A4NzAYzgqvfml https://www.facebook.com/donald.v.watkins/posts/pfbid021VWh98PdiNVMYW3a7wevebpwcXy99Tgh5RqrEKP76gRQgTWLDbBteLGcubbf9DR7l https://www.donaldwatkins.com/post/private-lavena-johnson-an-opportunity-for-justice https://www.donaldwatkins.com/post/will-dod-secretary-austin-seek-justice-in-private-lavena-johnson-s-murder-case https://www.facebook.com/donald.v.watkins/posts/pfbid02qUWm9iJTMd8pJ5Lps8Fb7CNr4e6Q4rScd8wKvv5HLhGPwx2qbYaVeuVwySJ83224l "The Murder of Private LaVena Johnson" has everything that movie audiences like in a dramatic film: sex, lies, violence in a conflict zone, deception by our government, political shenanigans in Washington, betrayal by those you trust, and suspense at every turn. I sincerely hope this film helps the Johnson family secure the criminal justice that has eluded them for 18 years. Only then can they have peace of mind and closure for Private Johnson's brutal murder.