Some Suggest Fed Probe Not Colorblind ((Philly Mayor))

[smallprint]

Posted on Fri, Oct. 10, 2003
By WILLIAM BUNCH, MENSAH M. DEAN & JENICE M. ARMSTRONG

snip

But four days into the furor over the FBI bugging of Street's office, one thing is clear: With little hard information about what the feds are actually looking at, the episode is instead becoming a prism through which Philadelphians are channeling their broader anxieties about national politics and race.

snip

"There's no doubt in my mind that having finished in California that the Republican Party has turned its attention to one of the biggest elections in this country, and that's the Philadelphia mayoral election," said Joe Quinones, co-chairman of the Coalition of Politically Concerned Professionals, a new civic group.

snip

Leon Williams, a political activist and former candidate for district attorney, said he's spoken with black voters - "people on the sideline, people who are on the fence, people who had a few complaints about John Street, who are now saying, 'Look, we have to stand behind him.' This is more than John Street. This is the federal government coming here in a city where blacks make up the majority, where the will of the black people is going to determine who wins, and now they're coming here, bugging people, trying to win this election."

Fattah said the government has a long history of investigating black mayors, noting that FBI records detailed 20 years of wiretapping and other probes of Detroit's first black mayor, Coleman Young, yet Young was never charged with any crime.

more: http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/6978899.htm

my comment: Can you say, COINTELPRO?

[trotsky]

1. Well, this is all legal again with PATRIOT Act.

FBI can snoop you as much as they want, if they think you might be involved in any "terrorism-related" activities. And of course, the definition of terrorism they use comes from John Ashcroft's twisted little mind:

Terrorist: Anyone who opposes the Bush agenda.

[Mairead]

2. Yep, COINTELPRO rides again (or still?)

[patdem]

3. I had NO idea who the Philly mayor was, but the 1st question I asked

is he black? When the answer was yes I was NOT surprised. I believe the taps were not an ongoing investigation, but put there to find any untoward activity...It is a pre emptive investigation...just in case.

Any black Democrat needs to take notice...they are ON THE LIST...terrorism!!!

[PurityOfEssence]

4. Aaah, whatta ya talkin' about? We don't care what color Democrats are.

I got me this Crat hound here, and it'll root 'em out no matter what color they skin is.

[msanthrope]

5. I live in Philly....

And this Mayor and his crew are so crooked that I know scores of Democrats who are holding their noses and voting Repug this election. I would not put anything past this Bush regime, but there is PLENTY that Street could be investigated for.

For example, somehow, his no-account brother got a no-bid airport expansion contract worth 13.1 million.

Somehow, 6.1 million in parking tickets got fixed by the Philadelphia Parking Authority. (None of them were mine)

And the Philly cops? Don't get me started.

I'm a loyal Democrat, but this guy stinks to high heaven--

In fact, some people have suggested that Street's campaign deliberately leaked this story in order to mobilize his base. He is in real danger of losing this election, but maybe will get sympathy votes, now. I just wish the Feds would come clean. I think the fair thing would be to tell the voters the extent of the probe, and let us decide.