Racism at the Department of Justice
Christopher Coates was the Section Chief for voting law enforcement at the Department of Justice (DOJ) headed by Eric Holder. Coates was served a subpoena ordering him to appear and give testimony before the United States Civil Rights Commission in the matter of the dismissal of the case against the Black Panthers who intimidated voters as they entered the poling place to cast their votes. However, Coates was ordered by his superiors at the DOJ not to comply with the subpoena.
Nevertheless, as he explains in his opening statement he says, he felt it to be his professional, ethical, legal and moral duty to comply with the subpoena and testify. In his testimony Coates spoke heroically but also carefully as befitting his circumstances. We have no such constraints
Here we go, this is Coates message made plain and bold. The division of the DOJ that is charged with enforcement of voting law violations, has a long standing policy of enforcing voting law violations only against white people. Racist attitudes are manifest both by flat refusal by attorneys and staff to participate in cases against blacks and by subsequent family harassment of one who did agree to participate during the Bush administration.
Anti-white racist views have permeated and dominated among attorneys and officials in the division of the DOJ responsible for voting act violations for many years. When Obama came to power these racists were elevated to more powerful positions in the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ.
During the Bush administration one case was brought against a black violator (Ike Brown). The very idea of bringing charges against a black person enraged the anti-white racists within the department and set up deep resentments that were pivotal in the decision to dismiss the Black Panther case. The dismissal had no grounds based on the factors of the case. The brief video often seen of the three Black Panthers did not convey the extent of their intimidation and harassment. You can read Coates full statement here. Near the end he gives a picture of their actions.
The message to black community organizations and Democratic operatives everywhere is that cases simply will not be brought against blacks for voting violations while Obama is President. Dare we hope that exposure of this scandal changes that message?
RANDOM THOTS 