I learned about this story courtesy of the TJMS (Tom Joyner Morning Show) commentator
Jeff Johnson and
BlackAmericaWeb.com. It plays into some of the stuff that
Kola Boof, Renee, Allison and I briefly discussed in our podcast with her a few weeks ago.
By dint of our birth in North America, African descended people living in the United States and Canada are considered by the rest of the African Diaspora as wealthy in comparison to the rest of our African cousins.
That's news to us on a lot of levels, but the reality is that the median income of an African-American family was $25,351 in 1998.
While we know that pales in comparison to the $88,000 median income of a White family, our African descended cousins, with visions of American TV shows on the mind, see it differently.
But that perception of wealth plays into some of the negative treatment that we African-Americans sometimes receive when we sail on these cruises that stop in Caribbean islands
But on to the subjects of this post. The Antigua Six are Rachel Henry, 27, Shoshannah Henry, 24, Dolores Lalanne, 25, Nancy Lalanne, 22, Joshua Jackson, 25, and Mike Pierre-Paul, 25.
And before you haters get started with the usual negative stereotypes about African-Americans, let me nip this in the bud now.
Peep the professions of the Antigua 6:
Rachel Henry, certified chef; fashion and runway model
Shoshannah Henry, singer-songwriter; law school student
Dolores Lalanne, social worker
Nancy Lalanne, licensed practical nurse
Joshua Jackson, crew chief for an international airline and a customer service representative for a utilities company
Mike Pierre-Paul, licensed practical nurse
They were part of a group of a dozen Brooklyn, NY residents aboard a Carnival Cruise ship that docked at Antigua earlier this month.
The six negotiated a $50 fare with a cab driver to tour the island, but ended up in a dispute with the cabbie when he demanded double the amount at the end of the ride. When the group refused to pay the new amount, he drove the passengers to a police station away from the port where the cruise ship was docked.
The group was subsequently arrested and beaten by the Antiguan po-po's. They are facing numerous charges and had an Antiguan court hearing at 2 PM yesterday in which the all pleaded not guilty.
There was a press conference held for the Antigua Six yesterday in New York, and this is the statement that was prepared by Dudley Brutus, one of the group of the tourists the Antigua Six was part of.
****
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
On August 30, 2009, Martine Larochelle, Kirstie Mauze, Joshua Jackson, Nancy and Dolores Lalanne, Antoinette Lovelace, Rachel and Shoshannah Henry, Natacha Chicoye, Edwine and Dudley Brutus and Mike Pierre-Paul, embarked on an 8 day cruise on the Carnival Victory ship leaving from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Throughout the week, we visited the following islands: St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua and St. Kitts.
On Friday, September 4th, 2009, we docked on the island of Antigua, where the majority of the group wanted to go to the beach, while Shoshannah wanted to rent All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). As we disembarked from the ship, Martine was greeted by a van operator who agreed to take us to the beach and rent ATVs afterwards. Martine negotiated a flat fare of $50 for a trip to the locations, to which the driver agreed. Martine shared the agreement with the group, and we all walked with the driver towards his minibus, which was parked separately from the other taxi cabs. While in the minibus, we asked the driver permission to use his cell phone so we could inquire about the renting costs for the ATVs. He informed us that we would need to purchase a phone card to put minutes on his phone so we can use it. The driver took us to a store, where Martine, Kirstie and Joshua went in to buy the phone card.
While inside the store, Martine decided the price was too excessive for the phone card and decided not to purchase it. We then decided to just go to the beach.
The driver took us to the beach and agreed to return and pick us up within an hour. When the driver did not return at the agreed time, the group began to consider getting another driver. A few minutes after the hour, he returned and we decided to continue with his services because the driver had not yet received payment from us. We got back into the minibus, and Shoshannah asked the driver about the costs of renting ATVs again. He indicated that he was unaware of the price or its location, but would take the group back to the store to get the phone card to call and obtain the necessary information.
During the ride back from the beach, some of us entertained ourselves by playing games, singing and listening to our IPods. At some point, we noticed that we were driving towards the direction of the ship and not to the store to obtain the phone card. When we asked the driver what was happening, he told us that the trip has ended and the fare is $100 US. We argued that the price was not a $100 US but $50 US. In his response, he stated its $50 US going and $50 US coming. The driver re-stated that the price was $100 US and informed us that if we did not pay what he was demanding, he would take us to the police. We asked to be taken to the police that we had seen at the port earlier in the day to resolve the issue and the driver agreed. At that moment, he picked up his cell phone and made a call as he drove in a direction that appeared to be away from the boat. When the group inquired about where he was going, the driver informed us that the road was closed and as a result, he had to take another route.
The driver started to pull up to a gated area and we became fearful of the unfamiliar surroundings. As the driver approached the gate, it began to open and I jumped out of the minibus, and the rest of the group followed behind me. As the gate opened, a uniformed officer approached the minibus and exchanged words with the driver and then with Mike. The officer tried to grab Mike, who pulled away, and the officer said, “You are under arrest!” We were still largely unclear of our surroundings, and we were becoming increasingly fearful and confused. At this point, all we saw was a uniformed officer standing outside a gate in front of an unmarked building. We asked the officer, “Why is he under arrest? What did he do? What did he do?”
A man in a white polo shirt approached the group, punched Shoshannah in the face and hit Nancy (which was witnessed by Antoinette, Kirstie, Edwine and myself). Shoshannah then told the uniformed officer that she wanted to press charges on the man who punched her. The officer ignored her and continued to hold on to Mike. Then, several people in plain clothes came out of the gate and started attacking us. Shoshannah was being kicked by individuals in plain clothes as she was down on the ground. We were pushed inside the gates and Joshua was placed in a grappling hold from behind by a plain clothes male (witnessed by Edwine, Martine and myself).
Soon afterwards, Joshua was placed in a cell with Mike and a uniformed officer came to the cell, with his hand resting on his gun, and told them that if they moved, he would shoot them.
Meanwhile, Kirstie was being attacked by a plain clothes female with a red shirt and twists in her hair. Nancy ran to her defense, and then the same female began attacking Nancy. Another woman also in plain clothes came over to hit Nancy with a baton, but was advised by another person not to do so. Kirstie and Martine asked uniformed officers to intervene, but the requests were ignored, as the uniformed officer watched the scene unravel. Natacha witnessed Dolores get kicked, while Dolores was sitting on the floor crying. Antoinette and Rachel were on the floor by what looked like holding cells. Antoinette was helping Rachel calm down, who was having what appeared to be an anxiety attack at the time. I also tried to stop the fighting between the plain clothes women and Nancy, but I was pulled by the collar by a uniformed officer with a paddle in his hand. The officer then moved me off to the side and hit me in the stomach with the paddle. Antoinette, Martine and Natacha noticed our belongings on the ground and began retrieving all our property.
The police attacked us with no attempts to resolve the situation with the driver. We were in an unknown territory, trying to obtain assistance to resolve a dispute. Some of us were working at breaking up the squabble, but when attempts were made to do so, we had to protect ourselves from being punched, hit with paddles, pushed and kicked by “officers” who failed to identify themselves.
Martine, Kirstie, Natacha, Edwine, Rachel and I were released, but then two-three plain clothes individuals came running after us and demanded that Rachel return with them. Shoshannah was carried away to a different area on an upper level above the jail cells outside the main office. Shoshannah asked that her sisters, Antoinette and Rachel, accompany her, but the police officials states only one sister, Antoinette, can escort her. Inside the room, Antoinette and Shoshannah were met by Reverend Mark Azille, who instructed them to do as they were told by the officers.
There was a tall, burly, dark-skinned police officer who noticed the Reverend speaking to the women, and told the Reverend to leave the room, and then the officer demanded that Antoinette leave the room as well. Antoinette asked the officer for a reason, stating that she did not feel comfortable leaving her sister alone, but with no remorse she was commanded to leave.
Mike and Joshua were jailed while Nancy, Rachel and Dolores were behind a partition in a different holding area. Martine, Kirstie, Natacha, Edwin and I returned to the ship and met Antoinette there. We told the Carnival officials about what occurred. Carnival referred us to an individual named Kevin, who took us to Nathan Dundas, president of the travel tourism office on the island. He called us into his office and explained that the six individuals who were arrested would not be returning to the ship and advised us to retrieve the passports and personal belongings of the detained. Mr. Dundas helped us get the belongings to the group. Martine and I returned to the holding facility and left the detained with cash and debit cards. Joshua asked for a lawyer so Mr. Dundas reached out to Mr. Benjamin, a private lawyer, to represent the six in jail.
As it stands, the six of us 12 are on trial for battery and wounding of police officers, using indecent language and disorderly conduct. The six of us here are concerned about the injustice they are receiving, and we all feel victimized. Presently, we are seeking assistance from the U.S. government, media outlets and citizens of the Unites States of America to bring our friends and family members home.
****
Time to not only see to it that our peeps not only receive justice, but bring them back home to their families. W should also let the Antiguan
government, the Antiguan ambassador in Washington D.C. and their Ministry of Tourism know that we African Americans ain't having and won't tolerate this bullshit.
Y'all won't pull this bullcrap on white tourists because the unblinking eye of the MSM would come crashing down on you.
You already got a
taste of that in the wake of the July 2008 attack on British honeymooners Dr. Catherine and Benjamin Mullany at an Antiguan beachside resort that left her dead and her husband on life support.
Speaking of the MSM media besides the TJMS, where y'all at on this?
Today is my little sis Isis King's birthday. 
The First Lady has arrived in Copenhagen in advance of the 121st International Olympic Committee Session that will determine on Friday whether her hometown hosts the 2016 Summer Olympics.
On Thursday, the First Lady will meet with IOC President Jacques Rogge and attend a luncheon hosted by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark at the Amalienborg Palace. 
Being a Chicago native, The FLOTUS is definitely the right person to sell the world in bringing the 2016 Games to Chicago. She knows the neighborhoods where the Games venues would be placed, she grew up on the Chicago's South Side and lived just a short walk from the planned Olympic stadium before moving to Washington. 
Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern, one of the GLBT community's virulent Christohaters, will have to fight to keep her office in 2010. 
Kern's homophobia according to several business people has cost Oklahoma jobs. Two corporations that were set to move high wage jobs to the state changed their mind after hearing Kern's anti gay tirades.
"I've addressed that, and I've not had any Oklahomans treat me different. They are good people who are going to judge me for who I am and judge me for my ability to go be a fierce advocate who's going to fight for them." She earned her J.D. from the University of California – Hastings in 2005. Despite her time in California, Brittany saw that she could make the greatest difference as a lawyer back in her home state.
In addition to managing her own career, Brittany has also been an active member of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. As a member of the Young Democrats, she serves as the National Committeewoman and the chair of the YDO LGBT caucus.
The story of East Cleveland, Ohio mayor Eric Brewer has blown up all over the Net.
That being said, I'm going to focus on Mayor Brewer the human being for a minute.
It also doesn't help that East Cleveland is predominately Black and some of my peeps tend to be less than enlightened on gender identity issues. While peeps claimed the unverified photos didn't matter in public, in the privacy of the voting booth they voted for his opponent by a 2-1 margin.
The new session of the Supreme Court starts Monday October 5, and as per tradition they take a group photo at the beginning of it.
There was a recent CBS News poll taken that asked its respondents what woman would they most like to trade places with for a week. 
There are various congresswomen and other political women I'd love to be such as Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Canadian Governor General Michaelle Jean, and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. 
And yes, Maya Angelou, Oprah and Tyra are on my list as well as power sisters such as Desiree Rogers and Valerie Jarrett.
Today would have been my fellow Texan Jahna Steele's 51st birthday.
U of L's 2009 Pride Week will conclude later today probably to the mixed sadness and relief of everyone involved in the planning of it. 
One of the fallacies of modern day politics is that Texas has always been a rock ribbed solid red conservative state.
We had Democrats such as Billie “The Godmother” Carr. She fought a pitched battle for liberal progressive voices to be heard in the party and be more inclusive to all Texans. She also acted as a mentor to future president Bill Clinton when he arrived in 1972 to help run the McGovern campaign in the Lone Star State.
The momentum is building in the Texas Dems direction. The good people of the Lone State State are tiring of GOP mismanagement of the state and the negative perceptions of Texans as intolerant yahoos.
The International Olympic Committee meeting to determine who gets the 2016 Summer Olympics will be held on Friday and the Chicago 2016 delegation is hard at work trying to land the bid.
Chicago 2016 Chair Patrick Ryan stated, "There is no greater expression of the support our bid enjoys, from the highest levels of government and throughout our country, than to have President Obama join us in Copenhagen for the pinnacle moment in our bid. We are honored that President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be with us to extend a hand of friendship on behalf of our nation and the city of Chicago as we seek to welcome the world for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games".
Oprah Winfrey has also announced she would be heading to Copenhagen as well to help push the Chicago Olympic bid, and the leadership is happy to have her along as well.
We are guaranteed equal protection by the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. Free and equal people do not bargain for or prioritize our rights, so we are coming to DC this October 10-11 to demand equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. Now.
While we were sleeping on this side of the Pond, the Germans were headed to the polls today. The results were the opposite of what happened in the States and Japan.
This election was also occurring at a critical time for Europe's largest economy, which is like everywhere else on the planet recovering from its deepest recession of the post-war era.
Her challenger in the vote was Social Democrat (SPD) Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He appeared on television shortly after the first projections came out and conceded that his party had suffered a "bitter defeat", garnering only 22.5% support.
I enjoyed the stress inducing 29-28 win over Texas Tech last night just like everybody else in Cougar Nation.
The Coogs take their football act on the road during the month of October. The play their C-USA opener in El Paso October 3 versus UTEP. They follow that up with an October 10 game in Starkville, MS against Mississippi State from the SEC, and another C-USA road game in the Superdome against Tulane.
Jeopardy! is one of my favorite game shows. 
Like all Jeopardy! fans I play along and try to answer the questions before the contestants do. I got so good at it that one day during my airline days I was competing with one of my coworkers Rick Owen. At that time Jeopardy! came on in Houston at 3;30 PM and we had a break during that period. 
Yeah yeah, I know. Geek moment. But I saw it (and still do) as an excellent opportunity to test and hone my knowledge.
At 8 PM EDT Allison, Renee and I will do another edition of our Womanist Musings Blogtalkradio podcast show.
I said Texas Tech was going to be a big test for the Number 17 ranked Coogs, and they passed it with flying colors.
After the defense came up big on a critical fourth and goal stop with 5:43 left in the game and Tech leading 28-23, Case Keenum led the Coogs on a drive that will live in Cougar fans hearts forever.
Keenum scored on a quarterback draw with 49 seconds left. A Hail Mary for Tech wasn't answered and the celebration was on at the Rob as the Cougars beat Texas Tech for the first time since 1990.
No matter how many time I say that what I write is what I'm thinking at the moment I penned the piece, too many times I'll get people who will try to decipher it as if I typed my words on a World War II era Enigma code machine.
You can't read my mind. If you have that ability, I suggest you call up the feds, have them pay you a seven figure salary and give you a high level security clearance. That way your abilities can be used to serve the country as you read the minds of various world leaders and our enemies.
Throughout our tortured history here in North America, we have had people who will sell out the entire community for their own personal gain and comfort.
Angela definitely deserves an Oreo cookie when it comes to kissing up to the 'white' wing. She's also a living example of Zora Neale Hurston's commentary that 'all my skinfolk ain't my kinfolk'. 
I've decided to start a new feature on TransGriot tomorrow called the Saturday Sellout.
No more will they be allowed to do that. Time to tell it like it T-I-S is about these 'honorary white people' as Pat Buchanan called the man sitting on the Court.
It's Pride Week on the U of L campus. In addition to participating in some of the events, I've gotten the opportunity to interface with the younglings on campus as well.
But this weeks Shut Up Fool! award winner is Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA). 
TransGriot Note: One issue that many trans people are passionate about is GID reform. 
One of the cool things about the transgender community is when you finally get to talk to people in real time that you have much admiration and respect for.
I learned about this story courtesy of the TJMS (Tom Joyner Morning Show) commentator Jeff Johnson and BlackAmericaWeb.com. It plays into some of the stuff that Kola Boof, Renee, Allison and I briefly discussed in our podcast with her a few weeks ago.
That's news to us on a lot of levels, but the reality is that the median income of an African-American family was $25,351 in 1998. 
They were part of a group of a dozen Brooklyn, NY residents aboard a Carnival Cruise ship that docked at Antigua earlier this month. 
On August 30, 2009, Martine Larochelle, Kirstie Mauze, Joshua Jackson, Nancy and Dolores Lalanne, Antoinette Lovelace, Rachel and Shoshannah Henry, Natacha Chicoye, Edwine and Dudley Brutus and Mike Pierre-Paul, embarked on an 8 day cruise on the Carnival Victory ship leaving from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
On Friday, September 4th, 2009, we docked on the island of Antigua, where the majority of the group wanted to go to the beach, while Shoshannah wanted to rent All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). As we disembarked from the ship, Martine was greeted by a van operator who agreed to take us to the beach and rent ATVs afterwards. Martine negotiated a flat fare of $50 for a trip to the locations, to which the driver agreed. Martine shared the agreement with the group, and we all walked with the driver towards his minibus, which was parked separately from the other taxi cabs. While in the minibus, we asked the driver permission to use his cell phone so we could inquire about the renting costs for the ATVs. He informed us that we would need to purchase a phone card to put minutes on his phone so we can use it. The driver took us to a store, where Martine, Kirstie and Joshua went in to buy the phone card. 
During the ride back from the beach, some of us entertained ourselves by playing games, singing and listening to our IPods. At some point, we noticed that we were driving towards the direction of the ship and not to the store to obtain the phone card. When we asked the driver what was happening, he told us that the trip has ended and the fare is $100 US. We argued that the price was not a $100 US but $50 US. In his response, he stated its $50 US going and $50 US coming. The driver re-stated that the price was $100 US and informed us that if we did not pay what he was demanding, he would take us to the police. We asked to be taken to the police that we had seen at the port earlier in the day to resolve the issue and the driver agreed. At that moment, he picked up his cell phone and made a call as he drove in a direction that appeared to be away from the boat. When the group inquired about where he was going, the driver informed us that the road was closed and as a result, he had to take another route.
Meanwhile, Kirstie was being attacked by a plain clothes female with a red shirt and twists in her hair. Nancy ran to her defense, and then the same female began attacking Nancy. Another woman also in plain clothes came over to hit Nancy with a baton, but was advised by another person not to do so. Kirstie and Martine asked uniformed officers to intervene, but the requests were ignored, as the uniformed officer watched the scene unravel. Natacha witnessed Dolores get kicked, while Dolores was sitting on the floor crying. Antoinette and Rachel were on the floor by what looked like holding cells. Antoinette was helping Rachel calm down, who was having what appeared to be an anxiety attack at the time. I also tried to stop the fighting between the plain clothes women and Nancy, but I was pulled by the collar by a uniformed officer with a paddle in his hand. The officer then moved me off to the side and hit me in the stomach with the paddle. Antoinette, Martine and Natacha noticed our belongings on the ground and began retrieving all our property.
Martine, Kirstie, Natacha, Edwine, Rachel and I were released, but then two-three plain clothes individuals came running after us and demanded that Rachel return with them. Shoshannah was carried away to a different area on an upper level above the jail cells outside the main office. Shoshannah asked that her sisters, Antoinette and Rachel, accompany her, but the police officials states only one sister, Antoinette, can escort her. Inside the room, Antoinette and Shoshannah were met by Reverend Mark Azille, who instructed them to do as they were told by the officers.
Y'all won't pull this bullcrap on white tourists because the unblinking eye of the MSM would come crashing down on you. 
