Even before the killing of George Floyd, I started penning this story, a way of dealing with cops who kill Black people and receive no punishment.
For those of you in Philly, I added an extra special part of the story many of you will remember.
We can't just sit and wait for the system to correct itself. Change must be forced; forced by a Black revolution done like no other before it
The Revolution is Now – The War on the Justice System
David leaned against the dark brown oak desk in his office and stared out at the Columbus skyline. While normally there were blue skies with the sun reflecting on the windows of the skyscrapers, the day was overcast, as though a higher force knew the topic of discussion for the meeting he had scheduled.
Even covered by dark clouds, he loved the city. The gray suit along with his scarlet and gray striped tie showed his loyalty to the college the city was known for, the one he played linebacker for before tearing up his knee junior year.
Ohio State educated him, raised him to be a true gladiator in a world that was not built for the meek.
He couldn’t see it at the time of his injury but losing his dream to play professionally set him on a path to impart change on his world in a way he never imagined.
The intercom buzzed.
“Yes, Kim?”
“Mr. Bethune, the first of the gentlemen for your 1pm appointment is here.
“Thank you, Kim. If you wouldn’t mind, get him a beverage; and let me know when all three men have arrived, please.”
“Yes sir,” Kim said, signing off.
David’s eyes wandered to a bookcase filled with his favorites: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin; The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois; Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston; Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley; Watch Me Fly by Myrlie Evers-Williams; but it was a maroon book in the center with gold embossed lettering that stood out as if it called out to him and he reached for it.
He closed his eyes and ran his fingers over the raised lettering along the spine as if he was reading braille. He did the same over the blood red dragon and the Chinese lettering on the book’s cover as he attempted to guess how many times he had read the book. He opened his eyes.
The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
Numerous bookmark tabs of red, yellow, and green jutted from the book stemming from notes that he had taken or important pieces of wisdom the book imparted on him, but one black tab showed.
David opened the book to that page. With his fingers, he scrolled down until he found the sentence he was looking for, ‘Convince your enemies that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm.’
It was this sentence that stuck with him, that started an idea burgeoning within him until he felt as if he would burst if he held it any longer. He was going to be a part of the change he wanted to see in the world.
With the book cradled in his large hands, forgotten, he wondered how different the world would appear once his plan started rolling to force the seemingly immovable object to budge.
This was his task, and he was more than ready to begin the journey. He couldn’t sit still, armed only with thoughts and prayers, and allow another unarmed Black person to be killed by the very people charged to protect them – the police.
The only way to hold police accountable when the judicial system and their leadership refused was to go to war with them. A war against tyranny would not be won with protests, or marches, nor thoughts and prayers. It would not be won without sacrifice or consequences. But if his strategy went as planned the consequences would be minimal if any at all.
In order to force change, he knew had to speak the language the tyrants recognize – violence. Violence was the only language that made sense to them, so for years David searched for just the right method.
It infuriated him that any time after police kill an unarmed person, the officer told the same lies to best fit their narrative.
Stories of, ‘He grabbed for my gun,’ ‘I saw a weapon,’ or ‘I feared for my life’ were the common go-to excuses that police used to justify shooting an unarmed person. Reminders of police officers’ continued ineptitude was their inability to discern the difference between a gun and a cell phone, or that the officers were so terrified by their own shadow they made Mayberry cop Barney Fife appear brave was yet another issue.
Whenever video surfaced showing the officer as the aggressor, more excuses were made, mostly by White people. Sometimes the video showed the officer barking orders at startled people and firing before ample time is given to follow the order, or at times firing before the command is out of their mouths. No apologies were ever given for the lies told.
The video of Tamir Rice’s murder replayed in his mind and David vigorously shook the vision away, but the thought remained: ‘Was it simply because the person was Black? Was it the officer’s fear of Black people? Why is it always a White cop? Where were the stories of a Black police officer overreacting and killing an unarmed Black person?’
Cops were rarely faced the most severe charge of murder, and even rarer still was the likelihood of the charges resulting in jail time.
The result was often the same - not guilty of all charges.
The free pass police have gotten from both the Justice System and their leadership alike for killing unarmed Black people was being revoked on his call.
Guilty police officers would have to answer for their crimes. The judges who failed to convict these guilty officers in grand juries would be punished severely, but those with blood on their hands would suffer far more.
His mission was clear: eliminate the culture in police that led them to believe that Black people were moving targets on a gun range. Their punishment: any officer involved in an unjustified murder across the United States was to be killed– a life for a life.
The revolution was set to begin in little more than 24 hours.
In the adjoining office, his assistant welcomed the third and final man into the office. The meeting was the first time all four men had been together in the same room.
David recruited with the purpose of finding overcomers - men born and raised in the Black community who worked like hell to achieve far more than their origin would lead people to believe they were capable.
Each had become successful in their field through dedication and hard work, but more importantly retained a commitment to improve the area where they had originated.
The silver spoon-type who lived with a stark, up-turned nose to the plight of the poor Black people in the poorer communities were unsuitable to serve his vision. He felt the same for Black people who came from poor origins but left and didn’t look back once they made enough money to get out.
David wanted people like himself who dug their way out of a bad situation, became successful and continued to give back to the community.
The intercom buzzed.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Bethune. Your 1 pm appointment is here, all three gentlemen, sir. Should I send them in now?”
“Yes, Kim. Send them in, and please, hold all my calls.”
“Yes, sir,” Kim said.
David greeted each one of them the room with a firm handshake hug in the center of the room.
“Gentlemen,” he said. “Glad you could all come down. I know that this is the first time that you’ve all met, but we’ll introduce ourselves really quickly, then adjourn to the table and get on to brass tacks, okay?” he said. David nodded to a tall, thin, light-skinned man in a tailored light gray suit to his right who began the introduction.
“Selwyn Langston, head of banking and finance,” the man said trying to suppress a Long Island accent.
The Finance Chief was a serendipitous find, David thought.
Selwyn was holding an advanced math seminar at a Brooklyn High School on the same day that David held a mentorship program there. The pledge to unselfishly give back to the community connected the two men immediately.
In him, David saw the desire of a man who sought an opportunity to do more, who also was also great with numbers. Selwyn possessed the capability not only the ability to process money transfers necessary to fund the Black Owned Business projects but make his breadcrumbs invisible to the birds in the forest.
After witnessing some of the magic firsthand, he felt confident in his selection.
“Afternoon, gentlemen. Emmett Chisholm, IT Security and background checks.”
David suppressed a smile. Emmett, a stocky built dark-skinned man of 45 years and dressed in casual slacks and a Polo, was potentially the most important piece on his chessboard and the first hire.
History had shown that the greatest threat to every uprising against an oppressor was almost always doomed because of a lackey on the inside. The Black Panther Party was dismantled that way.
With the help of COINTELPRO, the government was able to take down leaders of The Black Panther Party utilizing spies who leaked information on the whereabouts of members and the layout of the houses. This led to the assassination of Fred Hampton and the murder, exile or imprisonment of others.
David knew Emmett had the ability to delve into any and every aspect of the lives of anyone connected to The Revolution simply because he wasn’t constrained by laws. He tracked phone calls, text messages, bank accounts, and then some.
Before a person was approached, the most in-depth background check imaginable was run. He hacked into personal and professional emails, phone records, social media accounts, as well as an internet download history. Spot checks continued to be run thereafter to protect the movement against spies, as well as built-in key word flags.
In the end, he knew more about each person than their spouses and mother combined, including every man in the room.
The third man stood with perfect posture, dark brown complexion, a Navy-blue suit, a red and gold tie with the Marine Corps crest embroidered in the center. With his clean-shaven face, high and tight haircut and chiseled jaw. One could tell this was a military man before he spoke a word.
“Colonel Calvin Benjamin, Marine Corps, retired. In my 27 years in the Corps, my specialties included counterintelligence, military strategy and tactics.
Emmett suggested Colonel Benjamin to David after hearing about the guidance he gave his cousin, a young Lance Corporal in the Marine Corps, after a family tragedy.
“Thank you all for coming. The mission at hand is complex and multifaceted,” David began. “I recruited each of you because of your specialties as well as the fact that you are the perfect combination of leaders and dragon slayers.
"Each one of you has continued to do things in the Black community no matter how far your career took you from it. You did so without reward or fanfare. I know that each of you wants something bigger and better for our people and are willing to go to the extreme lengths we need to in order to achieve it.”
David led the men to a dark mahogany table in the center of the room where each man sat, and he continued.
“Sometimes things need to be done, not for financial gain, not for recognition, but because there is no other way,” he went on. “I’ve devised a multi-tiered plan with the input of everyone in this room. The initial part is for the protection of our people from police.”
David cleared his throat and continued.
“Police leadership has shown time and again that they refuse to hold any of their officers accountable for their drastic actions while clinging to the worn-out lie that they feared for their lives as the reason for doing what they did. The Back the Blue mindset has the so-called good cops scared to report the deeds of the bad cops for fear of the Serpico treatment.
“Now the guilty will truly fear for their lives. I will let the Colonel explain. Colonel?”
David’s eyes bounced around the room to each man, but particularly the Colonel Benjamin and Selwyn Langston. He had no doubt that Emmett could stomach the conversation that was about to occur, but if there was a weak link among the people in the room it was Selwyn.
Selwyn had never gotten his hands dirty. He hadn’t suffered loss the way the Colonel and Emmett had. He wasn’t a sheep – the background check Emmett ran on him showed he wasn’t a pawn for easy use and manipulation by White Supremacy, yet he wasn’t a wolf, either.
David looked at the Marine at the end of the table and he could tell that he was having the same thoughts.
Colonel Benjamin sat up in his chair, straightened his Marine Corps tie, and began.
“Throughout the history of Black people in America post-slavery, we’ve have had to deal with police abusing their power, their authority, and doing so with little or no consequences for their behavior. The have stolen from us, beaten us, planted evidence, and even killed us and yet nothing ever happens. Police officers with 15-20 complaints of violence or worse are still out on patrols.
“With the advent of social media and camera phones, millions of people are seeing police murdering unarmed Black people in cold blood. They are outraged, but they also feel helpless. This has got to stop,” the Colonel said, stabbing his index finger down on the desk three times.
What I’ve organized is ‘White Night,’ a tactical strike on the police who have killed unarmed Black people going back 10 years. If they don’t fear for their jobs when they kill us, then they will fear for their lives when they do so.”
Selwyn Langston flushed beet red and stirred uncomfortably in his seat, while Emmett and David seemed unphased by the plan thus far.
David and the Colonel recognized the unease in the banker seconds before he spoke up.
“Killing cops? I mean, is this necessary?” Selwyn cut in.
The Colonel turned to face the banker. David looked on wondering how Colonel Benjamin would handle Selwyn, but he leaned back to watch the Marine Corps Officer work.
He intentionally kept the banker out of the loop on the tactical part of the plan. Money men are often so far disconnected from the realities that men closer to the fight realize as necessary. He wanted to see if he would break.
“I understand a certain level of consternation,” Colonel Benjamin said, nodding toward Selwyn, who seemed to be losing his cool. “However, I want to convey to you I don’t believe in issuing blind statement attacks. This isn’t a ‘throw a grenade in a police station’ kind of situation. Being a former member of the Armed Forces, I would never condone such an act of blatant terrorism,” Colonel Benjamin said sternly.
“Let me be clear, I was brought into this operation to oversee a mission comprised of men who follow orders. I don’t want to mitigate collateral damage; I want to eliminate it entirely,” he said as his steely gaze swept the room.
“These attacks on bad police is the only way to stop attacks on Black people and save thousands of lives in the process,” he said. “These will be coordinated attacks against officers with a proven history of attacks on Black people. There will be nonlethal attacks on judges and police with a long history of police brutality, but there will be no mercy on those police officers unfit to wear the badge, those who have committed acts of murder while wearing that badge,” he said in a calm, yet serious tone.
“I need the three of you to understand I would never harm a police officer with no history of violence.
Contrary to belief, I do believe good cops exist, and up to this point they’ve done a poor job at getting the bad cops to heel. The purpose of this event is to get the bad dogs back in line, which is going to save lives.”
Selwyn cowed, lowered his eyes and nodded toward the Colonel, who went on.
“As a military man, I was sworn to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That last several words are the reason I am here. Police getting away with killing unarmed civilians, and unpunished acts of police brutality in this country proves these rogue police officers are nothing less than the acts of domestic terrorists. I would be letting both my people and my country down if I turned a blind eye to this.”
“Black people are terrified of the police – even when they’ve done nothing wrong,” David cut in. I went to Colonel Benjamin with this plan a few years ago because I was tired of innocent Black people living in fear. Fear that some rogue, racist or overzealous cop would turn them or someone they love into a hashtag.”
“I realize this is extreme,” David said, again setting his gaze on Selwyn, “But we’ve exhausted all other options.”
“Emmett and I have done our research going back 10 years,” The Colonel continued. “Every person on this list has been vetted. Mind you, these people aren’t innocent - not by a long shot. Not only that, many of the people on this list have a cumulative history of violence a mile long, not only against people of color. These are volatile people are constantly placed into combustible situations, and police officers with a judge, jury, executioner mentality have no business with a badge and a gun.
“There will be no attempt, by us, or anyone connected to us, to take responsibility for the tactical actions. So, in that manner there can be no retribution. Any attempt to retaliate against Black people will be met with swift action on the officers in question, and more guilty police officers will be killed. Future attacks on unarmed Black people will be logged for a reminder if need be, but the focus will be to exterminate the worst and punish those with a history of less severe acts.
“The hits will go out as simultaneously as possible, to nail down as many of the targets as possible before social media can alert anyone as to what’s going on. We will have as many holdouts as necessary to prevent the collateral damage I spoke of.
“We don’t need to hit all of the targets, but what needs to be clear is the message to make serious corrections to the way police business is carried out henceforth,” the Colonel finished and nodded at David.
“This won’t be like the Dallas attack, where Micah Johnson ambushed random police officers. This plan is different because every officer targeted has killed an unarmed Black person and, in most cases, has a very long history of violence.” David said.
“With each hit,” Emmett interjected, “dummy servers have been set up to release information via the internet on each officer ala Godfather Part 1, when Michael Corleone killed Police Chief McCluskey and the Turk, within the first day. After that, we’ll flood the media, the internet and Twitter on information on why each cop, why he is dirty and why each person was attacked. We have hacked into their files and every complaint, every write-up, all disciplinary action, any drug use, any payoffs, any girlfriends or boyfriends their wives don’t know about, any buried domestic violence, on every person will be released.
“Any judge or prosecutor will be hit with non-lethal rounds, of course. Every corrupt judge or prosecutor that is hit will have factual information leaked, from payoffs or any illegal dealings, anything that wasn’t above board will be public information now.
“There won’t be anyone to blame - and that will piss them off to no end. They will attempt to locate the servers, but that will only lead them from one red herring to another. They won’t be able to locate the origin.
“If they’ve got no one to blame, then there can be no one to punish,” Selwin said.
The Colonel and David exchanged a quick glace as they saw the banker start to come aboard.
“Exactly, Emmett said. “A warning will be issued that further attacks on Black people will beget further retaliatory attacks on police who have killed unarmed Black people, and that is a long list.”
“This is why the hits must be done concurrently,” David said. “I don’t want to give them time to react or protect themselves. After the initial hit, any targets not hit will go back into the hopper in case a reminder is deemed necessary.”
“My men have this,” the Colonel said. “They already have instructions at this point to lessen the collective response until it’s all over. The media won’t put it together until later because such a tactic is unfathomable. By the time they do, my men will be long gone. When it comes out that each man is or was a cop, or judge, they’ll go batshit. By then, most of the targets should be hit.”
“The rest will live in constant fear for the rest of their lives because they know what they’ve done,” Selwyn chimed in. “Damned brilliant. Both new and old cops will be kept in check by this action. What did they call that back in the day? Scared straight?” he said with a chuckle.
“And the escape plan?” David asked.
“The men under my leadership know how to get out of dodge. We have long-range snipers, more than capable of hitting moving targets. They know how to dispose of the weapon free of fingerprints, even on the casings.
"In the unlikely chance that one of them is caught, all of them opted for cyanide pills. None of them have a desire to rot in anyone’s prison cell. In any case of death or unlikely capture, it is understood that we will provide for their families,” the Colonel said.
“Their concerns are their parents and their kids. Most of them are not married, this makes it easier for them. They can stomach not being there for their kids or parents if they provided for, which they will be with Selwin’s fund.”
“In what way?” David asked, already knowing the answer.
“It’s a life insurance policy, of sorts. In the same way military service members’ families receive SGLI, these men will be compensated should their service lead them to be unable to provide for their families.
“In essence their wives, kids, and/or parents will receive a stipend. The account from which these funds are drawn is untraceable. Whatever their choice, they can do their time, or die in peace knowing that their families are cared for, just as they would if they were killed in battle in defense of this country,” Selwyn said, recognizing the insurance policies he had spent weeks working on and how they tied in to the current job.
“Good,” David said. “When I gathered the three of you together three years ago it was with the understanding that the changes we would put in place here would last long after we were dead and buried as it should be. We are here to build a legacy, not further our own.”
The other three men nodded.
“Three years ago, we knew that this was ambitious, and a bit dangerous. No one in power relinquishes power without a fight. We couldn’t fight them wallet for wallet if we wanted to. We would lose because we started with next to nothing, and they have a 400 year head start. So first we needed money.”
David nodded at Selwyn.
“As all of you know, when we began operations, we needed money. Initially we ran a series of bogus Go Fund Me accounts. It was worth the attempt. After seeing two White kids raise $55,000 so that they could make potato salad, it was worth a chance to see how gullible people could be. Unfortunately, this branch of the operation yielded only a several hundred thousand.
“We needed more,” he said.
“From my years in banking and computer science, I developed an algorithm that I implanted in the bank accounts of two hundred of the richest televangelists and pastors in America. Kenneth Copeland, Pat Robertson, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn, and others who have been pimping the people.
“This algorithm was, much like the movie Office Space, constructed to take miniscule amounts of money over time. The difference being my algorithm, unlike the movie, actually worked as it should,” he said with a smile. “This money has been funneled into our offshore account to build up our operational budget.”
“So,” David said. “How much have we silently accumulated in three years?”
“$213,797,331.81,” Selwyn said, a broad smile on his lips.
David looked on as the Colonel tried valiantly, yet a tiny smile showed momentarily before the stoic face returned.
Emmett gave out a long whistle, stood, reached across the table and engulfed Selwyn’s hand in both of his and shook it vigorously.
“We can get a whole lot going with that amount of money,” The Colonel said. “Good job, sir.”
Emmett released Selwyn’s hand, but continued beaming.
“Other than the life insurance policies, the rest of the monies will be spent rebuilding the Black community,” Selwyn added.
“Emmett,” David said, immediately quieting the room. “How are we going with the list?”
Emmett dropped his smile and spoke softly, “Over the past 10 years there have been 1,137 deaths of unarmed Black people at the hands of law enforcement. Though many of those were questionable, 613 of them, more than half, would be, should be considered murder had they involved anyone but a police officer.
“Some of them were easier to deduce than others, with video and such, but those officers still got off. For some of them I had to get into the officer’s social media, email, and other accounts, to get clarity. I ended up concentrating on the most egregious and the multiple offenders considering our limited manpower.
There were 339 that I deemed, Thugs with Badges, who made the hit list. Another 173 with at least one kill, and were considered racist with multiple complaints of excessive force to boot. With these people, it is only a matter of time until they kill one of us, again.”
“So we’re going to kill 600 some-odd cops?” Selwyn asked, his voice concerned.
David knew if there was anyone who would have an issue with the area of the mission it would be Selwin, even though the purpose was already explained. He was the only one not personally affected by police corruption.
“No, Selwyn,” The Colonel interjected, calmly. “We don’t have that kind of manpower. I have 137 men who have been dispatched on 122 different packages, with 93 cops and 20 current and former judges, and 9 prosecutors. We are ready to go between 1800 and 1900 tomorrow night.”
“We don’t have to kill 600 cops,” Emmett cut in. “The point of this is to strike fear in them to do things the right way from now on, not to kill as many crooked cops as we can. If they fix the broken system, there is no need for further retaliatory action on our end.”
Selwin but his lip, then nodded his head.
“Police brutality is also an issue,” David said. “For 10 of the most egregious police brutality cases who were not sentenced and also the judges and prosecutors we have men armed with shotguns filled with beanbag rounds. Killing them would not be justice. As Vito Corleone tells Amerigo Bonasera, “That is not justice. Your daughter is still alive.”
“Make them suffer then as she suffers,” Emmett interjected, finishing with Bonacera’s response to The Godfather.
“As I alluded to earlier. This isn’t about killing cops,” David said, his voice as strong as his resolution. “This is about correcting a justice system that has lost its way as it relates to people of color. Killing anyone who didn’t directly kill an unarmed person of color would make us no better than they are. I mean, we're not murderers, in spite of what they think of us.
“The aggressive perpetrators of police brutality,” David continued, “the judges and prosecutors will not be killed. And they will be much easier to scare than police. They are also responsible for this miscarriage of justice state we currently live in.”
“Prosecutors have long toted the police line, following them on whatever the police brass allowed them to do,” Emmett began. “They figure that they need cops to win cases, and to go after the very people that allow them to be successful at their jobs is unwise. We are there to…enlighten them that their alignment to those police is not a wise decision, and that any alignment should be to the American people.
“Some of my men have been armed with the Defenzia M-09. This is a non-lethal pistol that shoots rubber bullets that will incapacitate the subject, the Colonel said. “As David said, those who haven’t directly killed unarmed Black people will not be killed under any circumstances. My men are professionals, so rest assured that no one will die that shouldn’t, Selwin. You can trust me on that.”
“Understand that if there was a shred of doubt, I removed them from the list,” Emmett said. I only included those who were the most egregious.”
“The beanbag rounds?” Selwyn asked the Colonel. “How did you come up with that?”
“This entire mission is basically Operation Scared Straight. You can’t go using lethal force on people not physically connected to murdering the innocent. You can, however, use the threat of physical violence to get these people to do their job as they are supposed to.
“That’s right,” David said, nodding at The Colonel. What kind of package did you build for each one?”
“They are sorted as either rigid or loose,” The Colonel began. “Rigid people have a relatively hard schedule that they stick to. These people are easy to keep track of, the Colonel said. “Loose means they don’t stick to a schedule. Some are just workaholics, others just don’t adhere to a strict schedule. There are photos, hangouts, habits, and family information as well. I, as much as anyone here, want to eliminate the chance for collateral damage. I don’t want a round to go through a father and into his kid like in the movie Face/Off.
“When the city of Philadelphia attacked the MOVE group in Philly, 1985, this directly affected one of the men attached to my unit in the Corps,” Colonel Benjamin said. “The government bombed MOVE headquarters from the sky. They killed his entire family, they limited media coverage, and no one was criminally charged. The former Fire and Police Commissioners were ordered to pay $1 a week to three survivors. That was a damned joke.
“I had to look the man in his eyes and tell him his family was gone. I had to tell that man that the government he was serving under was responsible for killing his family,” the Colonel looked at the ceiling to steel himself before going on.
“To see a bomb go off in the eyes of a Marine trained to do what we do for a country that allows injustices like that to occur was unimaginable as a Second Lieutenant. I took that man under my wing and I chewed every bit of anger and frustration he chewed so he knew he didn’t have to do it alone.
“I kept him focused on his career with the promise that one day justice would be exacted. Thankfully, Judge, Louis Pollak who oversaw that case is still around. Lives out in Bryn Mawr. The former Police Commissioner Gregore J. Sambor lives in Drexel Hill, and the Fire Commissioner William C. Richmond lives in Bucks County. The DA at the time, now the former Governor of Pennsylvania lives in Penn Wynne and Lynne Abraham, the Common Pleas Judge lives in Manayunk. That Marine, I found out later, was Emmett’s cousin.”
The temperature rose in the room as the Colonel made that statement.
Emmett made eye contact with the Colonel, blew out his cheeks and the Colonel’s eyes filled with tears, yet none fell.
“I have 137 really good men, marksmen, snipers, and infantrymen. These men could disappear in broad daylight. Some are special forces, some recon, a few as far back as Vietnam. Every damned one of them a great shot and none of them have an issue following orders, including those I have to take care of those involved in the MOVE bombing,” The Colonel said, as his jaw tightened.
“We all know that in a perfect situation,” David said. “Each man will hit his target and get away clean, but we don’t live in a fairytale world. Some will get caught, or killed, and some, for one reason or another, will not be able to execute the kill. Do they understand the plan, worst case scenario?”
“Worst case scenario,” The Colonel said in his deep baritone voice. “As I stated earlier, most of the men prefer to punch their own ticket. They’ve got no desire to rot in anyone’s prison cell. Almost to a man, their concerns are their parents and their kids. Most of them are not married, this makes it easier for them. They can stomach not being there for their kids or parents if they provided for, which they will be with Selwin’s fund.”
“So, gentlemen. This is happening tomorrow. The Revolution is now. This meeting is adjourned,” David said, as they all stood and shook hands.
Involved in MOVE Bombing:
District attorney, Ed Rendell
Common Pleas Judge, Lynne Abraham
Former Fire Commissioner William C. Richmond & Former Police Commissioner, Gregore Sambor to pay $1 per week for the next 11 years to 3 surviving members of the MOVE
Selwyn’s background - “I’ve spent twenty plus years in banking with firms like Merrill Lynch to others much of the world has never heard of, and for good reason. There’s hardly a trick or manipulation that I can’t pull or haven’t seen pulled when it comes to numbers, legal or otherwise, and the ‘otherwise’ are untraceable,” he said nodding to the short, stocky man to his right.
Emmett’s background - Most of my years were with NASA, ensuring that there were no background fires that could bite us in the butt. I helped with that, running in-depth background checks on current and future employees. While at Stanford, I hacked the network in ’04 just to see if I could. I viewed the employment history and the criminal records of the entire staff. Reprimands, police run-ins, domestic violence, that kind of thing. If there’s something on the internet, I can find it.
Colonel Benjamin background - This mission will require men who follow orders. Former Marines, soldiers and sailors, who have seen combat, not simply trained for it. Men who know first-hand that every mission is not successful; who know the illusion of every man going home is just that – an illusion.”
For those of you in Philly, I added an extra special part of the story many of you will remember.
We can't just sit and wait for the system to correct itself. Change must be forced; forced by a Black revolution done like no other before it
The Revolution is Now – The War on the Justice System
David leaned against the dark brown oak desk in his office and stared out at the Columbus skyline. While normally there were blue skies with the sun reflecting on the windows of the skyscrapers, the day was overcast, as though a higher force knew the topic of discussion for the meeting he had scheduled.
Even covered by dark clouds, he loved the city. The gray suit along with his scarlet and gray striped tie showed his loyalty to the college the city was known for, the one he played linebacker for before tearing up his knee junior year.
Ohio State educated him, raised him to be a true gladiator in a world that was not built for the meek.
He couldn’t see it at the time of his injury but losing his dream to play professionally set him on a path to impart change on his world in a way he never imagined.
The intercom buzzed.
“Yes, Kim?”
“Mr. Bethune, the first of the gentlemen for your 1pm appointment is here.
“Thank you, Kim. If you wouldn’t mind, get him a beverage; and let me know when all three men have arrived, please.”
“Yes sir,” Kim said, signing off.
David’s eyes wandered to a bookcase filled with his favorites: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin; The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois; Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston; Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley; Watch Me Fly by Myrlie Evers-Williams; but it was a maroon book in the center with gold embossed lettering that stood out as if it called out to him and he reached for it.
He closed his eyes and ran his fingers over the raised lettering along the spine as if he was reading braille. He did the same over the blood red dragon and the Chinese lettering on the book’s cover as he attempted to guess how many times he had read the book. He opened his eyes.
The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
Numerous bookmark tabs of red, yellow, and green jutted from the book stemming from notes that he had taken or important pieces of wisdom the book imparted on him, but one black tab showed.
David opened the book to that page. With his fingers, he scrolled down until he found the sentence he was looking for, ‘Convince your enemies that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm.’
It was this sentence that stuck with him, that started an idea burgeoning within him until he felt as if he would burst if he held it any longer. He was going to be a part of the change he wanted to see in the world.
With the book cradled in his large hands, forgotten, he wondered how different the world would appear once his plan started rolling to force the seemingly immovable object to budge.
This was his task, and he was more than ready to begin the journey. He couldn’t sit still, armed only with thoughts and prayers, and allow another unarmed Black person to be killed by the very people charged to protect them – the police.
The only way to hold police accountable when the judicial system and their leadership refused was to go to war with them. A war against tyranny would not be won with protests, or marches, nor thoughts and prayers. It would not be won without sacrifice or consequences. But if his strategy went as planned the consequences would be minimal if any at all.
In order to force change, he knew had to speak the language the tyrants recognize – violence. Violence was the only language that made sense to them, so for years David searched for just the right method.
It infuriated him that any time after police kill an unarmed person, the officer told the same lies to best fit their narrative.
Stories of, ‘He grabbed for my gun,’ ‘I saw a weapon,’ or ‘I feared for my life’ were the common go-to excuses that police used to justify shooting an unarmed person. Reminders of police officers’ continued ineptitude was their inability to discern the difference between a gun and a cell phone, or that the officers were so terrified by their own shadow they made Mayberry cop Barney Fife appear brave was yet another issue.
Whenever video surfaced showing the officer as the aggressor, more excuses were made, mostly by White people. Sometimes the video showed the officer barking orders at startled people and firing before ample time is given to follow the order, or at times firing before the command is out of their mouths. No apologies were ever given for the lies told.
The video of Tamir Rice’s murder replayed in his mind and David vigorously shook the vision away, but the thought remained: ‘Was it simply because the person was Black? Was it the officer’s fear of Black people? Why is it always a White cop? Where were the stories of a Black police officer overreacting and killing an unarmed Black person?’
Cops were rarely faced the most severe charge of murder, and even rarer still was the likelihood of the charges resulting in jail time.
The result was often the same - not guilty of all charges.
The free pass police have gotten from both the Justice System and their leadership alike for killing unarmed Black people was being revoked on his call.
Guilty police officers would have to answer for their crimes. The judges who failed to convict these guilty officers in grand juries would be punished severely, but those with blood on their hands would suffer far more.
His mission was clear: eliminate the culture in police that led them to believe that Black people were moving targets on a gun range. Their punishment: any officer involved in an unjustified murder across the United States was to be killed– a life for a life.
The revolution was set to begin in little more than 24 hours.
In the adjoining office, his assistant welcomed the third and final man into the office. The meeting was the first time all four men had been together in the same room.
David recruited with the purpose of finding overcomers - men born and raised in the Black community who worked like hell to achieve far more than their origin would lead people to believe they were capable.
Each had become successful in their field through dedication and hard work, but more importantly retained a commitment to improve the area where they had originated.
The silver spoon-type who lived with a stark, up-turned nose to the plight of the poor Black people in the poorer communities were unsuitable to serve his vision. He felt the same for Black people who came from poor origins but left and didn’t look back once they made enough money to get out.
David wanted people like himself who dug their way out of a bad situation, became successful and continued to give back to the community.
The intercom buzzed.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Bethune. Your 1 pm appointment is here, all three gentlemen, sir. Should I send them in now?”
“Yes, Kim. Send them in, and please, hold all my calls.”
“Yes, sir,” Kim said.
David greeted each one of them the room with a firm handshake hug in the center of the room.
“Gentlemen,” he said. “Glad you could all come down. I know that this is the first time that you’ve all met, but we’ll introduce ourselves really quickly, then adjourn to the table and get on to brass tacks, okay?” he said. David nodded to a tall, thin, light-skinned man in a tailored light gray suit to his right who began the introduction.
“Selwyn Langston, head of banking and finance,” the man said trying to suppress a Long Island accent.
The Finance Chief was a serendipitous find, David thought.
Selwyn was holding an advanced math seminar at a Brooklyn High School on the same day that David held a mentorship program there. The pledge to unselfishly give back to the community connected the two men immediately.
In him, David saw the desire of a man who sought an opportunity to do more, who also was also great with numbers. Selwyn possessed the capability not only the ability to process money transfers necessary to fund the Black Owned Business projects but make his breadcrumbs invisible to the birds in the forest.
After witnessing some of the magic firsthand, he felt confident in his selection.
“Afternoon, gentlemen. Emmett Chisholm, IT Security and background checks.”
David suppressed a smile. Emmett, a stocky built dark-skinned man of 45 years and dressed in casual slacks and a Polo, was potentially the most important piece on his chessboard and the first hire.
History had shown that the greatest threat to every uprising against an oppressor was almost always doomed because of a lackey on the inside. The Black Panther Party was dismantled that way.
With the help of COINTELPRO, the government was able to take down leaders of The Black Panther Party utilizing spies who leaked information on the whereabouts of members and the layout of the houses. This led to the assassination of Fred Hampton and the murder, exile or imprisonment of others.
David knew Emmett had the ability to delve into any and every aspect of the lives of anyone connected to The Revolution simply because he wasn’t constrained by laws. He tracked phone calls, text messages, bank accounts, and then some.
Before a person was approached, the most in-depth background check imaginable was run. He hacked into personal and professional emails, phone records, social media accounts, as well as an internet download history. Spot checks continued to be run thereafter to protect the movement against spies, as well as built-in key word flags.
In the end, he knew more about each person than their spouses and mother combined, including every man in the room.
The third man stood with perfect posture, dark brown complexion, a Navy-blue suit, a red and gold tie with the Marine Corps crest embroidered in the center. With his clean-shaven face, high and tight haircut and chiseled jaw. One could tell this was a military man before he spoke a word.
“Colonel Calvin Benjamin, Marine Corps, retired. In my 27 years in the Corps, my specialties included counterintelligence, military strategy and tactics.
Emmett suggested Colonel Benjamin to David after hearing about the guidance he gave his cousin, a young Lance Corporal in the Marine Corps, after a family tragedy.
“Thank you all for coming. The mission at hand is complex and multifaceted,” David began. “I recruited each of you because of your specialties as well as the fact that you are the perfect combination of leaders and dragon slayers.
"Each one of you has continued to do things in the Black community no matter how far your career took you from it. You did so without reward or fanfare. I know that each of you wants something bigger and better for our people and are willing to go to the extreme lengths we need to in order to achieve it.”
David led the men to a dark mahogany table in the center of the room where each man sat, and he continued.
“Sometimes things need to be done, not for financial gain, not for recognition, but because there is no other way,” he went on. “I’ve devised a multi-tiered plan with the input of everyone in this room. The initial part is for the protection of our people from police.”
David cleared his throat and continued.
“Police leadership has shown time and again that they refuse to hold any of their officers accountable for their drastic actions while clinging to the worn-out lie that they feared for their lives as the reason for doing what they did. The Back the Blue mindset has the so-called good cops scared to report the deeds of the bad cops for fear of the Serpico treatment.
“Now the guilty will truly fear for their lives. I will let the Colonel explain. Colonel?”
David’s eyes bounced around the room to each man, but particularly the Colonel Benjamin and Selwyn Langston. He had no doubt that Emmett could stomach the conversation that was about to occur, but if there was a weak link among the people in the room it was Selwyn.
Selwyn had never gotten his hands dirty. He hadn’t suffered loss the way the Colonel and Emmett had. He wasn’t a sheep – the background check Emmett ran on him showed he wasn’t a pawn for easy use and manipulation by White Supremacy, yet he wasn’t a wolf, either.
David looked at the Marine at the end of the table and he could tell that he was having the same thoughts.
Colonel Benjamin sat up in his chair, straightened his Marine Corps tie, and began.
“Throughout the history of Black people in America post-slavery, we’ve have had to deal with police abusing their power, their authority, and doing so with little or no consequences for their behavior. The have stolen from us, beaten us, planted evidence, and even killed us and yet nothing ever happens. Police officers with 15-20 complaints of violence or worse are still out on patrols.
“With the advent of social media and camera phones, millions of people are seeing police murdering unarmed Black people in cold blood. They are outraged, but they also feel helpless. This has got to stop,” the Colonel said, stabbing his index finger down on the desk three times.
What I’ve organized is ‘White Night,’ a tactical strike on the police who have killed unarmed Black people going back 10 years. If they don’t fear for their jobs when they kill us, then they will fear for their lives when they do so.”
Selwyn Langston flushed beet red and stirred uncomfortably in his seat, while Emmett and David seemed unphased by the plan thus far.
David and the Colonel recognized the unease in the banker seconds before he spoke up.
“Killing cops? I mean, is this necessary?” Selwyn cut in.
The Colonel turned to face the banker. David looked on wondering how Colonel Benjamin would handle Selwyn, but he leaned back to watch the Marine Corps Officer work.
He intentionally kept the banker out of the loop on the tactical part of the plan. Money men are often so far disconnected from the realities that men closer to the fight realize as necessary. He wanted to see if he would break.
“I understand a certain level of consternation,” Colonel Benjamin said, nodding toward Selwyn, who seemed to be losing his cool. “However, I want to convey to you I don’t believe in issuing blind statement attacks. This isn’t a ‘throw a grenade in a police station’ kind of situation. Being a former member of the Armed Forces, I would never condone such an act of blatant terrorism,” Colonel Benjamin said sternly.
“Let me be clear, I was brought into this operation to oversee a mission comprised of men who follow orders. I don’t want to mitigate collateral damage; I want to eliminate it entirely,” he said as his steely gaze swept the room.
“These attacks on bad police is the only way to stop attacks on Black people and save thousands of lives in the process,” he said. “These will be coordinated attacks against officers with a proven history of attacks on Black people. There will be nonlethal attacks on judges and police with a long history of police brutality, but there will be no mercy on those police officers unfit to wear the badge, those who have committed acts of murder while wearing that badge,” he said in a calm, yet serious tone.
“I need the three of you to understand I would never harm a police officer with no history of violence.
Contrary to belief, I do believe good cops exist, and up to this point they’ve done a poor job at getting the bad cops to heel. The purpose of this event is to get the bad dogs back in line, which is going to save lives.”
Selwyn cowed, lowered his eyes and nodded toward the Colonel, who went on.
“As a military man, I was sworn to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That last several words are the reason I am here. Police getting away with killing unarmed civilians, and unpunished acts of police brutality in this country proves these rogue police officers are nothing less than the acts of domestic terrorists. I would be letting both my people and my country down if I turned a blind eye to this.”
“Black people are terrified of the police – even when they’ve done nothing wrong,” David cut in. I went to Colonel Benjamin with this plan a few years ago because I was tired of innocent Black people living in fear. Fear that some rogue, racist or overzealous cop would turn them or someone they love into a hashtag.”
“I realize this is extreme,” David said, again setting his gaze on Selwyn, “But we’ve exhausted all other options.”
“Emmett and I have done our research going back 10 years,” The Colonel continued. “Every person on this list has been vetted. Mind you, these people aren’t innocent - not by a long shot. Not only that, many of the people on this list have a cumulative history of violence a mile long, not only against people of color. These are volatile people are constantly placed into combustible situations, and police officers with a judge, jury, executioner mentality have no business with a badge and a gun.
“There will be no attempt, by us, or anyone connected to us, to take responsibility for the tactical actions. So, in that manner there can be no retribution. Any attempt to retaliate against Black people will be met with swift action on the officers in question, and more guilty police officers will be killed. Future attacks on unarmed Black people will be logged for a reminder if need be, but the focus will be to exterminate the worst and punish those with a history of less severe acts.
“The hits will go out as simultaneously as possible, to nail down as many of the targets as possible before social media can alert anyone as to what’s going on. We will have as many holdouts as necessary to prevent the collateral damage I spoke of.
“We don’t need to hit all of the targets, but what needs to be clear is the message to make serious corrections to the way police business is carried out henceforth,” the Colonel finished and nodded at David.
“This won’t be like the Dallas attack, where Micah Johnson ambushed random police officers. This plan is different because every officer targeted has killed an unarmed Black person and, in most cases, has a very long history of violence.” David said.
“With each hit,” Emmett interjected, “dummy servers have been set up to release information via the internet on each officer ala Godfather Part 1, when Michael Corleone killed Police Chief McCluskey and the Turk, within the first day. After that, we’ll flood the media, the internet and Twitter on information on why each cop, why he is dirty and why each person was attacked. We have hacked into their files and every complaint, every write-up, all disciplinary action, any drug use, any payoffs, any girlfriends or boyfriends their wives don’t know about, any buried domestic violence, on every person will be released.
“Any judge or prosecutor will be hit with non-lethal rounds, of course. Every corrupt judge or prosecutor that is hit will have factual information leaked, from payoffs or any illegal dealings, anything that wasn’t above board will be public information now.
“There won’t be anyone to blame - and that will piss them off to no end. They will attempt to locate the servers, but that will only lead them from one red herring to another. They won’t be able to locate the origin.
“If they’ve got no one to blame, then there can be no one to punish,” Selwin said.
The Colonel and David exchanged a quick glace as they saw the banker start to come aboard.
“Exactly, Emmett said. “A warning will be issued that further attacks on Black people will beget further retaliatory attacks on police who have killed unarmed Black people, and that is a long list.”
“This is why the hits must be done concurrently,” David said. “I don’t want to give them time to react or protect themselves. After the initial hit, any targets not hit will go back into the hopper in case a reminder is deemed necessary.”
“My men have this,” the Colonel said. “They already have instructions at this point to lessen the collective response until it’s all over. The media won’t put it together until later because such a tactic is unfathomable. By the time they do, my men will be long gone. When it comes out that each man is or was a cop, or judge, they’ll go batshit. By then, most of the targets should be hit.”
“The rest will live in constant fear for the rest of their lives because they know what they’ve done,” Selwyn chimed in. “Damned brilliant. Both new and old cops will be kept in check by this action. What did they call that back in the day? Scared straight?” he said with a chuckle.
“And the escape plan?” David asked.
“The men under my leadership know how to get out of dodge. We have long-range snipers, more than capable of hitting moving targets. They know how to dispose of the weapon free of fingerprints, even on the casings.
"In the unlikely chance that one of them is caught, all of them opted for cyanide pills. None of them have a desire to rot in anyone’s prison cell. In any case of death or unlikely capture, it is understood that we will provide for their families,” the Colonel said.
“Their concerns are their parents and their kids. Most of them are not married, this makes it easier for them. They can stomach not being there for their kids or parents if they provided for, which they will be with Selwin’s fund.”
“In what way?” David asked, already knowing the answer.
“It’s a life insurance policy, of sorts. In the same way military service members’ families receive SGLI, these men will be compensated should their service lead them to be unable to provide for their families.
“In essence their wives, kids, and/or parents will receive a stipend. The account from which these funds are drawn is untraceable. Whatever their choice, they can do their time, or die in peace knowing that their families are cared for, just as they would if they were killed in battle in defense of this country,” Selwyn said, recognizing the insurance policies he had spent weeks working on and how they tied in to the current job.
“Good,” David said. “When I gathered the three of you together three years ago it was with the understanding that the changes we would put in place here would last long after we were dead and buried as it should be. We are here to build a legacy, not further our own.”
The other three men nodded.
“Three years ago, we knew that this was ambitious, and a bit dangerous. No one in power relinquishes power without a fight. We couldn’t fight them wallet for wallet if we wanted to. We would lose because we started with next to nothing, and they have a 400 year head start. So first we needed money.”
David nodded at Selwyn.
“As all of you know, when we began operations, we needed money. Initially we ran a series of bogus Go Fund Me accounts. It was worth the attempt. After seeing two White kids raise $55,000 so that they could make potato salad, it was worth a chance to see how gullible people could be. Unfortunately, this branch of the operation yielded only a several hundred thousand.
“We needed more,” he said.
“From my years in banking and computer science, I developed an algorithm that I implanted in the bank accounts of two hundred of the richest televangelists and pastors in America. Kenneth Copeland, Pat Robertson, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn, and others who have been pimping the people.
“This algorithm was, much like the movie Office Space, constructed to take miniscule amounts of money over time. The difference being my algorithm, unlike the movie, actually worked as it should,” he said with a smile. “This money has been funneled into our offshore account to build up our operational budget.”
“So,” David said. “How much have we silently accumulated in three years?”
“$213,797,331.81,” Selwyn said, a broad smile on his lips.
David looked on as the Colonel tried valiantly, yet a tiny smile showed momentarily before the stoic face returned.
Emmett gave out a long whistle, stood, reached across the table and engulfed Selwyn’s hand in both of his and shook it vigorously.
“We can get a whole lot going with that amount of money,” The Colonel said. “Good job, sir.”
Emmett released Selwyn’s hand, but continued beaming.
“Other than the life insurance policies, the rest of the monies will be spent rebuilding the Black community,” Selwyn added.
“Emmett,” David said, immediately quieting the room. “How are we going with the list?”
Emmett dropped his smile and spoke softly, “Over the past 10 years there have been 1,137 deaths of unarmed Black people at the hands of law enforcement. Though many of those were questionable, 613 of them, more than half, would be, should be considered murder had they involved anyone but a police officer.
“Some of them were easier to deduce than others, with video and such, but those officers still got off. For some of them I had to get into the officer’s social media, email, and other accounts, to get clarity. I ended up concentrating on the most egregious and the multiple offenders considering our limited manpower.
There were 339 that I deemed, Thugs with Badges, who made the hit list. Another 173 with at least one kill, and were considered racist with multiple complaints of excessive force to boot. With these people, it is only a matter of time until they kill one of us, again.”
“So we’re going to kill 600 some-odd cops?” Selwyn asked, his voice concerned.
David knew if there was anyone who would have an issue with the area of the mission it would be Selwin, even though the purpose was already explained. He was the only one not personally affected by police corruption.
“No, Selwyn,” The Colonel interjected, calmly. “We don’t have that kind of manpower. I have 137 men who have been dispatched on 122 different packages, with 93 cops and 20 current and former judges, and 9 prosecutors. We are ready to go between 1800 and 1900 tomorrow night.”
“We don’t have to kill 600 cops,” Emmett cut in. “The point of this is to strike fear in them to do things the right way from now on, not to kill as many crooked cops as we can. If they fix the broken system, there is no need for further retaliatory action on our end.”
Selwin but his lip, then nodded his head.
“Police brutality is also an issue,” David said. “For 10 of the most egregious police brutality cases who were not sentenced and also the judges and prosecutors we have men armed with shotguns filled with beanbag rounds. Killing them would not be justice. As Vito Corleone tells Amerigo Bonasera, “That is not justice. Your daughter is still alive.”
“Make them suffer then as she suffers,” Emmett interjected, finishing with Bonacera’s response to The Godfather.
“As I alluded to earlier. This isn’t about killing cops,” David said, his voice as strong as his resolution. “This is about correcting a justice system that has lost its way as it relates to people of color. Killing anyone who didn’t directly kill an unarmed person of color would make us no better than they are. I mean, we're not murderers, in spite of what they think of us.
“The aggressive perpetrators of police brutality,” David continued, “the judges and prosecutors will not be killed. And they will be much easier to scare than police. They are also responsible for this miscarriage of justice state we currently live in.”
“Prosecutors have long toted the police line, following them on whatever the police brass allowed them to do,” Emmett began. “They figure that they need cops to win cases, and to go after the very people that allow them to be successful at their jobs is unwise. We are there to…enlighten them that their alignment to those police is not a wise decision, and that any alignment should be to the American people.
“Some of my men have been armed with the Defenzia M-09. This is a non-lethal pistol that shoots rubber bullets that will incapacitate the subject, the Colonel said. “As David said, those who haven’t directly killed unarmed Black people will not be killed under any circumstances. My men are professionals, so rest assured that no one will die that shouldn’t, Selwin. You can trust me on that.”
“Understand that if there was a shred of doubt, I removed them from the list,” Emmett said. I only included those who were the most egregious.”
“The beanbag rounds?” Selwyn asked the Colonel. “How did you come up with that?”
“This entire mission is basically Operation Scared Straight. You can’t go using lethal force on people not physically connected to murdering the innocent. You can, however, use the threat of physical violence to get these people to do their job as they are supposed to.
“That’s right,” David said, nodding at The Colonel. What kind of package did you build for each one?”
“They are sorted as either rigid or loose,” The Colonel began. “Rigid people have a relatively hard schedule that they stick to. These people are easy to keep track of, the Colonel said. “Loose means they don’t stick to a schedule. Some are just workaholics, others just don’t adhere to a strict schedule. There are photos, hangouts, habits, and family information as well. I, as much as anyone here, want to eliminate the chance for collateral damage. I don’t want a round to go through a father and into his kid like in the movie Face/Off.
“When the city of Philadelphia attacked the MOVE group in Philly, 1985, this directly affected one of the men attached to my unit in the Corps,” Colonel Benjamin said. “The government bombed MOVE headquarters from the sky. They killed his entire family, they limited media coverage, and no one was criminally charged. The former Fire and Police Commissioners were ordered to pay $1 a week to three survivors. That was a damned joke.
“I had to look the man in his eyes and tell him his family was gone. I had to tell that man that the government he was serving under was responsible for killing his family,” the Colonel looked at the ceiling to steel himself before going on.
“To see a bomb go off in the eyes of a Marine trained to do what we do for a country that allows injustices like that to occur was unimaginable as a Second Lieutenant. I took that man under my wing and I chewed every bit of anger and frustration he chewed so he knew he didn’t have to do it alone.
“I kept him focused on his career with the promise that one day justice would be exacted. Thankfully, Judge, Louis Pollak who oversaw that case is still around. Lives out in Bryn Mawr. The former Police Commissioner Gregore J. Sambor lives in Drexel Hill, and the Fire Commissioner William C. Richmond lives in Bucks County. The DA at the time, now the former Governor of Pennsylvania lives in Penn Wynne and Lynne Abraham, the Common Pleas Judge lives in Manayunk. That Marine, I found out later, was Emmett’s cousin.”
The temperature rose in the room as the Colonel made that statement.
Emmett made eye contact with the Colonel, blew out his cheeks and the Colonel’s eyes filled with tears, yet none fell.
“I have 137 really good men, marksmen, snipers, and infantrymen. These men could disappear in broad daylight. Some are special forces, some recon, a few as far back as Vietnam. Every damned one of them a great shot and none of them have an issue following orders, including those I have to take care of those involved in the MOVE bombing,” The Colonel said, as his jaw tightened.
“We all know that in a perfect situation,” David said. “Each man will hit his target and get away clean, but we don’t live in a fairytale world. Some will get caught, or killed, and some, for one reason or another, will not be able to execute the kill. Do they understand the plan, worst case scenario?”
“Worst case scenario,” The Colonel said in his deep baritone voice. “As I stated earlier, most of the men prefer to punch their own ticket. They’ve got no desire to rot in anyone’s prison cell. Almost to a man, their concerns are their parents and their kids. Most of them are not married, this makes it easier for them. They can stomach not being there for their kids or parents if they provided for, which they will be with Selwin’s fund.”
“So, gentlemen. This is happening tomorrow. The Revolution is now. This meeting is adjourned,” David said, as they all stood and shook hands.
Involved in MOVE Bombing:
District attorney, Ed Rendell
Common Pleas Judge, Lynne Abraham
Former Fire Commissioner William C. Richmond & Former Police Commissioner, Gregore Sambor to pay $1 per week for the next 11 years to 3 surviving members of the MOVE
Selwyn’s background - “I’ve spent twenty plus years in banking with firms like Merrill Lynch to others much of the world has never heard of, and for good reason. There’s hardly a trick or manipulation that I can’t pull or haven’t seen pulled when it comes to numbers, legal or otherwise, and the ‘otherwise’ are untraceable,” he said nodding to the short, stocky man to his right.
Emmett’s background - Most of my years were with NASA, ensuring that there were no background fires that could bite us in the butt. I helped with that, running in-depth background checks on current and future employees. While at Stanford, I hacked the network in ’04 just to see if I could. I viewed the employment history and the criminal records of the entire staff. Reprimands, police run-ins, domestic violence, that kind of thing. If there’s something on the internet, I can find it.
Colonel Benjamin background - This mission will require men who follow orders. Former Marines, soldiers and sailors, who have seen combat, not simply trained for it. Men who know first-hand that every mission is not successful; who know the illusion of every man going home is just that – an illusion.”
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The ONLY solution.
