It was so interesting to hear long time CNN African American Anchorman Bernard Shaw speak at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government on C-Span from the George Washington University School of Communications, talking about the lack of media coverage and public criminal enforcement against white collar crime. My immediate thought was that Mr. Shaw has nipped the tip of the proverbial ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ICEBERG.

 The question I raised comes from the basics of Latin; "WHY?" I will submit that the answer to "WHY" is embedded in the once long time held U. S. Department of Justice position that organized crime did not exist; therefore, there was no need to investigate nor to enforce the ORGANIZED CRIME THEFT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities administered in America.

 I watched the Arts and Entertainment Channel week long TV special on the criminal "Real Good-Fellows." As I watched that TV special, it became clear that since the U.S. Government's formal recognition of Organized Labor, ORGANIZED CRIME in America considered the THEFT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities as an American Governmental expenditure that could, through bribes and kick-backs, become a corruptible racket. If discrimination is a crime and if an organized effort exists to discriminate; then the perpetrators of such an organized criminal effort is ORGANIZED CRIME. If true, then it should be prosecuted under the Federal Government's Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act.

 Personal knowledge from my late Grandfather, an original member of the first African American labor union in America the International Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, makes me understand why that union's founder A. Phillip Randolph insisted that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 include Title VI to protect the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities of Federal, state and local procurement and construction contacting administered in America from discrimination based upon race, color and national origin. This Title VI protection in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was to exempt the protected class African Americans, persons of color and emigrant communities from the financial depression by the ORGANIZED CRIME THEFT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities of public contracting.



 The economic benefits of public procurement and construction contracts directly enhanced my Grandfather's ability to support my Grandmother and their thirteen children. It has long been understood in my family that business owners have a tendency to hire their own people, other family members or people who look like them. It was a natural perception of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that European Americans would basically hire European Americans, African Americans would basically hire African Americans and so on and so forth. Therefore, the antithesis of this perception has validity as well, that if African Americans basically do not have access to Federal, state and local procurement and construction contacting then African Americans would basically not be able to hire African Americans.

  Economics structure the creation of the U.S. Laws, and as such economics is the Law for any civilized community or society. Economics is not however the Law of the Jungle, because the Law of the Jungle is based upon brute strength. The weak must accept their place either to be eaten by the stronger roaring Lion, for instance, or the weak must combine together with others who are also weak to form a strong union to counteract the strength of the roaring Lion.

  The roar of the Lion often frightens the weak into a panic. When the weakest of the weak separates from the others that are also weak, they becoming a feast for the roaring Lion. There is an object lesson for African Americans to learn from this analogy of the ways of the African jungle's "Survival of the Fittest." So in this American jungle, the roaring Lions of ORGANIZED CRIME continuously trying to destroy the African American community, by systematic THEFT of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities in public contracting, need not prevail if in-fact the weakest within the community are not separated from the others that are also weak.

  We have here the basis for a solution in order to overcome the roaring Lions of ORGANIZED CRIME found in I Peter 5: 8 and 9 (New International Version): "Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." The ravaging lions in Africa and in America are compared to the devil or Satan and are compared to a roaring lion looking to devour anyone that it can.

 With that analogy being given, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 sought to give African Americans, other persons of color and persons of foreign ethnicity protection from the roaring Lions of ORGANIZED CRIME. But again, the Bible warns the faithful to "Be self-controlled and alert," for this devil is full of trickery.

 Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 can be compared to those mighty and fearless Elephants from Africa that Hannibal rode to victory against his roaring lions of Rome. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 can also be compared to those mighty and fearless African American brothers of the Nation of Islam that Muhammad Ali joined forces with to confront the roaring lions of the Italian Mafia so that Muhammad Ali could maintain his independence.

 The U.S Department of Justice's enforcement of Executive Order 12250 is the mighty and fearless Elephants of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This provides the resistant force that African Americans must utilize so as to overcome the ORGANIZED CRIME THEFT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities in public contracting by that comparative roaring lion of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America. Yes, we must identify that roaring lion of the AGC so as to conform to the U.S. Supreme Court's rulings requiring the "Disparate Impact Provision" not only to identify the thief of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Civil Rights, but also to specify how much money that roaring lion has stolen. Therefore, African Americans must know exactly how much is owed from the Public Administrators who released that roaring lion of the AGC to perpetrate the ORGANIZED CRIME THEFT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities from African Americans, persons of color and other persons of foreign ethnicity.

 For instance, that roaring lion of the AGC, through a contractor member, initiated Proposition 209 in California and Initiative 200 in the State of Washington. The popular voter ballot movements were to counteract the Affirmative Action enforcement of not only Title VII and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, affecting both equal and fair employment and educational opportunities based on race, color, national origin, sex and physical disabilities; but also it was to counteract the enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for public construction and procurement contracting based on race, color and national origin. However, Washington State voter ballot Initiative 200's language included a NULL AND VOID clause, if it resulted in lost of Federal funds in the State of Washington.

 We venture back to the basics of Latin to get the answer "WHY?" Yes, "WHY" is this NULL AND VOID clause included in this "FAKE" Civil Rights voter initiative in the State of Washington? The roaring lion of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America's desire is to perpetrate the ORGANIZED CRIME THEFT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities from African Americans, persons of color and other persons of foreign ethnicity, so long as the AGC does not lose its own ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT public contracts.

 This innocuous NULL AND VOID clause in Washington State's Initiative 200 points out the ACHILLES HILL of that roaring lion of the AGC that of their not wanting to loose their own public construction and procurement contracts. By "HOOK OR CROOK" elected officials, public administrators and that roaring lion of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America are depriving African Americans of eligible public construction and procurement contracts. This criminal act is depriving African Americans of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities. Hence, the African American community must "Be self controlled and alert." African Americans must use that mighty and fearless Elephant-like enforcement strength of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to be the resistant force to overcome the ORGANIZED CRIME THEFT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities in public contracting. That roaring lion of the AGC, even with their financially supported elected officials and public administrators, can not prevail.

 With all this being said, one might wonder that if anything said here is not true then it is an invitation to a lawsuit. You would be right again, Inspector Colombo. A lawsuit would also allow for the entirety of discovery documents from those duplicitous and crooked elected officials, public administrators and from that roaring lion of the AGC. Yes, African Americans would surely welcome the airing of this dirty and evil laundry before the American people and the Courts.

 Maybe in the end African Americans will put an end, for itself, for other persons of color and for persons of foreign ethnicity, to the ORGANIZED CRIME THEFT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities in public contracting. Then and maybe only then will the African American community provide its own people with some equitable and legitimate livable wage work and employment through much needed ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT activities within the African American Community and throughout America as well.


  Mr. Jones is Second Vice President of Pacific Northwest Chapter National Black Chamber of Commerce, 4301 South Pine Street, Suite 401, Tacoma Mall Office Building, Tacoma, Washington 98409; Phone: 253-473-0515: Fax: 253 473-1671; Email: info@pncnbcc.org.