Bull City Manifesto

Dear Durham City Council,

Today , March 7, marks the anniversary of the first March on Selma when a group of citizens, peacefully protesting for voter equality, were brutally attacked by law enforcement officers.This is just one example of government sanctioned atrocities committed against its citizens, who have been , disproportionately, African American, Recently, Mayor Elaine O’Neal , mentioned the lack of trust between law enforcement and a segment of the community. According to years of Durham gang assessment reports , 95% of the alleged perpetrators and victims of gang violence in Durham are African Americans. If the distrust in government officials and law enforcement is a barrier to stopping the gun violence that has plagued our city for many years, the historical root causes of this mistrust must be addressed, immediately. Below is the Bull City Manifesto, which I believe will move this city towards establishing trust between local government officials and law enforcement.

Thank you,

Min. Paul Scott, founder

Black Messiah Movement

PO Box 15123

Durham, NC 27704

(919) 972–8305

The Bull City Manifesto

In order to establish trust in the local government and to stop the violence in Durham NC which, disproportionately, affects the African American community we are asking for the following.

1 ) A public acknowledgement by local government and public officials of the historical atrocities that both agencies have committed against the African American community. This includes the attack on Civil Rights workers, the COINTELPRO program against Black leaders, the alleged CIA involvement in the introduction of crack cocaine to the Black community and cases of the police involved shootings of Mike Brown and Breonna Taylor and many others.

2) Unveiling the mystery surrounding Gangnet and other gang databases to make sure they do not stereotype Black men . Such lists should be a deterrent to crime not a contributing factor to the prison industrial complex.

3) An examination of the effect that the failed urban renewal program had in creating the conditions that has lead to the violence on the streets of Durham

4) An audit of all the city and county programs that have been created to “stop gang violence” since 2007 to gauge the effectiveness and an accounting of the tax money that has been used for the programs.

5 ) Since the perpetrators and victims of alleged gang violence have been consistently above 95% African American, an African centered approach to uncover the root causes and to develop a culturally based solution.

Resources)

The New Jim Crow- Michelle Alexander

The Psychopathic Racial Personality- Bobby E. Wright

Black on Black Violence- Amos Wilson

John Hervey Wheeler Black Banking and the Economic Struggle for Civil Rights- Brandon K. Winford

The Color of Law-Richard Rothstein

Partitioning the Projects: Racial Segregation and Public Housing in Durham, North Carolina Thesis — Brittany Aletea Lyons

Our Separate Ways- Christina Greene

Dark Alliance — Gary Webb

2007 Durham Gang Assessment Report

2014 Durham Gang Assessment Report

2019 Gang Reduction Strategy Report

Audio and Transcript of 2/20/20 Durham City Council Work Session

What is a Gang ? — 9/22/09 article News and Observer

Bull City Violence Cultural Intervention Program- Carter Cue