Election 2008

16 Arrested During Election Night Celebration in Charles Village

CEM — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:21:32 -0800

Here's a letter that we received and wanted to share with everyone. If anyone else would like to publicize first-hand information about the police misconduct in Charles Village on Election Night, or has other Election Night experiences they'd like to share, please post your comments here or email us at cem@centerforemergingmedia.org.

Marc,

During the night following the election, my roommates and I walked
down to 33rd and St. Paul and started celebrating the election of
Barack Obama. We quickly gained support of local students, and our
group of seven quickly grew to over 400. What was a beautifully
patriotic evening, filled with unity and gentle celebration, quickly
turned into fear and chaos as the Baltimore Police Department randomly
(and illegally) assaulted, intimidated, and arrested many members of a
peaceful crowd.

Last Spring, President Ungar invited you to speak at Goucher to a
group of Goucher students, faculty, and staff. President Ungar
personally invited me at the last moment, claiming it was essential
that I hear you speak. Your discussion inspired me to want to get more
involved with our city, and this semester several of my friends and I
moved down to Charles Village from Towson, in order to become true
Baltimoreans.

On November 4, the six of us - all sophomores at Goucher, voted
for the first time. Sending in my absentee ballot to my native
California was one of the most exciting things I have ever done, and
we were all excited to partake in making history. Just a month before
hearing you speak at Goucher, I had the opportunity to shake now
President-elect Obama's hand at an election rally in Wilmington. I
took the train up to Wilmington by myself, and I instantly befriended
a group of students from the University of Delaware. The feeling of
unity was overwhelming, and I instantly knew this campaign was unlike
anything else in history.

The night of Nov. 4th was no exception. My roommates and I had to get
outside to celebrate. People joined quickly and we were suddenly
flanked by members of the community, students from several
institutions, schoolteachers, and professors - all united and chanting
"USA! USA!". The Hopkins Campus Security respected the crowd and kept
it under control, and it became a truly beautiful event. I was
surrounded by people I had never met before, of all colors: black and
white, Muslim and Jewish, old and young, from near and far all
celebrating under American flags.

You have already heard about what the police did last night. They
arrested two of my roommates and another one of my friends, for
reasons that were never disclosed. I stood and watched while my
roommate, a 19-year-old girl from New Jersey, was grabbed by the
throat by two policemen twice her size and had her arms bound so
tightly behind her back, she was screaming in agony.

I have talked with Goucher President Sanford Ungar, and he has already tried to help us get our
voice heard. The fact is that this happens every night in this city,
without a single mention in the Sun or on the local TV news. These
students and the professor that were arrested were never told their
rights and were fingerprinted, photographed, intimidated, and forced
to spend hours in cells with people charged with violent crimes.
Fortunately, my friends and the rest of these aforementioned sixteen
that were arrested are lucky enough to be backed up by institutions
like Goucher College and Johns Hopkins University.

I know this letter is far from brief, and I appreciate that you have
taken the time to read this. I was inspired by your discussion at
Goucher, and wanted to know what I could do to change something in
this city. I think Baltimore is a beautiful place buried in an
inconceivable amount of filth. Before election day I couldn't fathom
how I could help, or what I could even help with. I now know the
intricacies of how the Baltimore Police Department detains citizens
without Mirandizing them, charging them, or respecting their basic
freedoms. I feel I can speak on behalf of everyone who witnessed
Tuesday night's atrocities when I say that we want to help.

The sixteen people arrested last night were picked randomly. It could
have been anyone. I have spoken with and know personally several of
those arrested and can tell you that they were all respectable and
respectful citizens that have done so much already to make this city a
better place. Will these volunteers, public school teachers, artists,
and professors voices be drowned out?

I hope not.

Thank you again for speaking to us at Goucher. Baltimore needs you,
and is lucky to have you.

Thank you,

Nick Bourland
Goucher College class of 2011

Day After the Election by Marc Steiner

CEM — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:25:33 -0800

Last night, I went to my daughter Chelsea’s home to watch the returns. She was having a watch party. It was the perfect venue for that night for many reasons. Chelsea’s mom, Sayida Stone, my first wife and a dear friend, is African American. Chelsea is a Black woman, a mixed race child of America. She has three children, my grand children. Their father, Ebon, a schoolteacher, martial artist and musician, is Afro-Italian-Puerto Rican. From the beginning, Chelsea was deeply moved by Obama’s candidacy. It was their time, it was their day, and it is their time now.

Chelsea’s sister, Alana, her mom’s daughter with her husband who is Jamaican, is 21 years old, a brilliant artist and a junior at MICA. I call her my daughter once removed, she calls me Saba, which is Hebrew for grandfather. Alana was there with a dozen of her classmates. Young, African American, Latino, Asian, mixed race and white who worked for this campaign, who believed in this message of hope.

Chelsea’s friends who were there ranged from 28 to their early forties, every color of the American rainbow. Her mom, her husband Jenel, and others of our generation were there, as well.

The feeling in her home was electric and explosive, but explosive with peace and hope. When Obama was announced the next President of the Untied States of America, there was a pandemonium of joy, screaming, shouting, hugging, singing and champagne corks popping.

I looked around realizing this was their day. These young people believed so deeply and were so full of what the future might bring to us all.

While watching television it was hard not to notice the contrast between the Obama supporters in Grant Park in Chicago and the McCain supporters. Obama’s in a public park with thousands of people of every generation and race in America and McCain’s in a private club for the wealthy and all, well not all, but almost all, white.

This was an election of the two Americas from which we were born and in which we still live. Our great nation has no state religion. Our state religion is our democracy, our belief in freedom and liberty. The USA was founded on liberty and slavery in the same breath. Imagine that and think about that for a moment. Liberty and slavery are the foundations of our nation. The roots of the contradiction and the hope that dwell uneasily together in our nation’s soul were alive and palpable last night in this election.

Maybe the tenor is about to change. Race and racism hurt America. It is a deep wound in the Black American spirit. It is a burden of pain in white America, as well.

The man who was voted in to become the 44th President of the United States of America may be changing the tenor and tone of our nation. In the spirit of the civil rights warriors, he was unbowed and non-violent in his stand against his tormentors in this campaign. When Barack Obama was faced with lies and low blows dealt by his opponents, the Republican Party and their independent advocates, he responded with dignity, strength and love. So many of his supporters screamed that he should fight back, blow for blow and spit in their eye. Barack Obama chose to hold his head and his sense of morality and ethics high, so he kept walking straight ahead amidst the verbal blows and lies. He set a standard for his supporters and the America he believes in. The roots of that way of responding politically come from Martin Luther King, the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee, Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s that they gave birth to and that gave birth to them. It bodes well for what we may be able to do in America together.

I am not naïve about the difficulty that lies ahead of us. Barack Obama is not the savior; he is the embodiment of hope for many Americans. The struggle is now on to define our future. We can now fight for something rather than against it. We will have a seat at the table for the debate on our nation’s future. We have serious work ahead of us.

Good gumbo, too, last night... A gumbo of America in the room, a gumbo of America who voted Obama, and a great gumbo in the pot.

Change We Cannot Quit On by Stavros Halkias

CEM — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:49:29 -0800

Here are some thoughts written late last night by CEM intern and UMBC student Stavros Halkias. We'd like to encourage everyone to send in their post-election thoughts. Post comments here, email us at cem@centerforemergingmedia.org, or call us on the air today between 5-6pm at 410-319-8888.

Voting for the first time in my life was legitimately exciting. From the moment I entered my polling place, which happened to be my elementary school, I was overcome with emotion. In the building where I first learned what the office of the president was, I would have a hand in choosing the next person to occupy that office. Even better, I was supporting a candidate I actually believed in and held incredible hopes for. My nerves and elation were held together by an overarching sense of purpose. I was part of a societal change, with my ballot serving as tangible proof. Why can’t I feel like this everyday? Why can’t every day be Election Day?

Despite these feelings, as I walked out of that polling station I couldn’t help but wonder “What’s next?” Barack Obama had the kind of campaign and following that was unprecedented in this nation’s history. His campaign deposed Democratic royalty in the primaries, broke all kinds of fundraising records, and truly inspired vast numbers of people for the first time in decades. The sobering realization I came to was that campaigns and administrations are two very different things. Historically, the energy campaigns create largely dies after the immediate goal of election is met. We can’t allow that to happen this time. All the people who voted for Barack Obama on Tuesday, all the people that were part of the historic movement for change in our country, must challenge themselves further. To borrow a few words from the President elect’s victory speech, “This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.”

So, don’t let things go back to the way they were before Barack came along. Don't rely solely on his administration to make change. Let Barack Obama's election be the beginning--not the end--of your efforts. Become more civically involved. Start helping your community in any way you can. Identify problems and work towards them yourself. Volunteer. Tutor at-risk youth. Protest injustice. Support more change-minded politicians. Study social change movements. Do something! Take the energy you put into the campaign and move it to your community, don’t let it go to waste. Don’t just get excited and wait for change-- make change and make everyday Election Day.

-Stavros Halkias

Impressions from Obama Rally

CEM — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:42:49 -0800

We got the two following emails in from local listeners who traveled to Virginia last night for Obama's final rally. Thought we would share them with you!

Click READ MORE below!

Yesterday afternoon I got wind of a small caravan of cars leaving Baltimore for Barack's Obama's final campaign rally at the Prince William County fairgrounds in Manassas. My friend Valerie rode with me and came prepared with provisions of trail mix, chips & chocolate. Scheduled to leave at 3, we finally got on the road at 4. The gates were to open at 5 with event starting at 9 pm. But at around 7:30 pm, we were still in our cars at a dead stop on Rte. 234 about a mile from the fairgrounds. So we did a u-turn, parked on the sidewalk, and walked the rest of the way -- but promptly lost our caravan group in the process.

In the fairgrounds at 8:15; Obama finally came on around 10:30. Valerie & I were 2 of about 100,000, and as short people, we were constantly on our tip toes dodging the heads in front of us.

Did I really see Obama? Yes but he was this tiny fuzzy image in a cloud of fog & dust.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! Even after dealing with poor logistics, a rude state trooper and not arriving back home until 3 a.m. Being in the presence of the first African-American president (we hope, go vote), whose talking points I was long familiar with, had me awe-struck.

And as enthusiastic as the crowd was during the rally, everyone was equally polite and congenial leaving (despite feeling like a herd of cattle squeezing through the exit gates). It was an amazingly diverse crowd -- black, white, hispanic, muslim, babies, teens, families and grammies like me.

It was a good and worthy 12-hour adventure.

-Clare

I went down to Obama's final rally, in Manassas, last night. It was so amazing - the energy was beautiful. The message of hope, moving forward, civility, and how one voice can change the world was reflected in the genuine respect that each person there showed every other person. (Under less than desirable conditions!) Young black "yo boys" next to white-haired grandmothers next to round-faced Latino workers next to Muslim women in scarves.

I had heard the words many times, but being in that crowd I understood - down to my bones - how positive sentiments of truth, peace, and love can transform (in this case, 100,000 people). It was a reminder of the lesson I am grappling with each day, to let go of the negativity of the past and surrender to the extraordinary potential of this day.

-Valerie

November 3, 2008

CEM — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:00:58 -0800

This is truly the race that has reinvented itself hundreds of times.
Remember when Hillary Clinton was inevitable? When Rudy Giuliani was a front runner? When breaking news about Obama's former pastor threatened to derail his campaign? When McCain's senior staff had to work for free?

So much has happened in the past two years-and tomorrow it all ends (hopefully...we certainly do not need another Election 2000!.

On today's show was discussion of the race in it's final moments, with savy political analysts Lea Gilmore and Kevin Dayhoff. Marc also talked with Ken Anderson and Hans Von Spakosvky about voter fraud and voter suppression. Hans wrote an article about voter fraud that was published in the Wall Street Journal this weekend. Ken Anderson responded here.

October 30, 2008

CEM — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:35:07 -0700

Some recent polls show that the races in Maryland's congressional districts 1 and 6 have become increasingly competitive.

These
districts,unlike the rest of Maryland, have been represented by
Republicans for years. Will voters in these districts break with
history and vote for Democrats? Or will tradition and the conservative
bent of these districts prove too much for even moderate democrats
Frank Kratovil and Jennifer Dougherty to overcome?

Queen Anne's
State's Attorney Frank Kratovil joined Marc for the first half of the
show, followed by an interview with former Mayor of Frederick Jennifer
Dougherty.

State Senator Andy Harris, who is running as a
Republican in District 1, and incumbent Republican Congressman Roscoe
Bartlett, who is running for re-election in District 6, were invited
onto the show. Neither campaigns responded to our invitation.

The
Marc Steiner Show airs at 5 p.m. each Monday-Thursday, and you can be
part of the show by calling (410) 319-8888 or emailing us at
steinershow@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing your questions and
ideas!

October 27 2008

CEM — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:19:22 -0700

You may be tired of the 24/7 breaking news updates, the pandering and talking points, but one segment of the American public isn't tired of Campaign 2008.

The nation's hardworking comedians and comedy late-night television writers have found this election season to be a treasure trove of material. Some of them are no doubt dreading the day when the election is over and they have to look elsewhere for fodder (with the exception of Tina Fey, who has said she cannot wait to stop doing Sarah Palin).

But what role does political comedy really play in shaping our feelings about candidates? Do our impressions of a candidate change after we see him or her mocked? Does comedy have a liberal bias? Can a joke destroy a campaign?

On this show we discussed the role of political comedy with political cartoonist for The Economist Kevin "Kal" Kallaugher, local comedian Koli Tengella, and professor Dannagal Young.

October 16, 2008

CEM — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:22:53 -0700

Jim Pelura, Chairman of the Maryland Republican Party, and Quincy Gamble, Executive Director of the Maryland Democratic Party, join us in the studio to discuss the third and final Presidential debate.

Also, author Zohara Meyerhoff Hieronimus discusses her new book, Kabbalistic Teachings of the Female Prophets: The Seven Holy Women of Ancient Israel. Click here for the complete interview, only available online.

The first few seconds of the show are missing from the recording; sorry about that!

October 15, 2008

CEM — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:16:17 -0700

In the beginning, many pundits predicted that race could cost Senator Obama the election. Too many people had strong prejudices against African Americans, conventional wisdom went, to elect a black man as president.

But Slate.com reporter Chris Beam says that for various reasons, Obama's race may actually help him in this election. From the economy to racists' belief in Obama's exceptionalism, Beam says there are plenty of reasons that those who dislike blacks in general will go to the polls in support of Obama-and why this does not necessarily represent a victory over racism. Chris Beam joined Marc by phone.

And then, we discussed the Winter Soldier hearings that are taking place in Baltimore this weekend. Veterans of Iraq will be coming to Baltimore to share their stories and discuss why they are now against the war. We spoke with Trey Kindlinger, an organizer of this event who is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Fort Meade Chapter, and Brian Casler, the NE Regional Director of Iraq Veterans Against the War who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. We also heard stunning, horrific testimony from the March 2008 Winter Soldier event in Silver Spring.

Note: Due to a technical error, the first few seconds of the broadcast were not recorded. Our apologies.

October 14, 2008

CEM — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:38:47 -0700

Lenny McAllister, a self-described "Hip Hop Republican," shares his take on the increasingly ugly tone of the campaigns.

Kenneth Morris is both the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington! He joins us to discuss his work fighting against modern day slavery, along with Robert Benz, Executive V.P. of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation.

Then, Marc talks with Frank Schaeffer. In his recent op-ed for the Baltimore Sun, this former supporter of Senator John McCain took McCain to task for "potentially instigating violence" with his recent attacks on Senator Barack Obama.