Tag: justice

August 30, 2013 - In a bit of good news, singer Randy Travis has left the hospital and is in stable condition. He is now headed for a long rehabilitation, but JTMP feels he will make it, and we continue to send out positive thoughts of healing to him. Randy has made it through some tough times in life, such as substance abuse, but has always battled back. We hope to see him next year back doing what we like to see him do, which is play music, and hear that rich voice of his. Read more on Today.com here.  (photo credit Gerry J. Gilmore/CC)

August 1, 2013 - JTMP strongly believes in working with the community and those who have made mistakes in their past and have paid their debt to society and are trying to move on with their lives. One of the issues we support strongly is the restoration of voting rights to felons, and one of our favorite groups is working very hard on this issue, the Brennan Center for Justice. They describe how there are "nearly 4 million disenfranchised Americans who have been released from prison and are living in the community, but are still denied the right to vote." Some states and the District of Columbia automatically give felons their right to vote back once they have paid their debt to society, but there are still 35 states holding on to antiquated prejudices and discriminations against members of the community who have made mistakes in their past, have atoned and paid their debt, and need to move on with their lives. In 2011, the Brennan Center for Justice supported the "Democracy Restoration Act", that called for federal legislation to restore voting rights in federal elections to felons. The bill was introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), but later died in committee. JTMP calls for the current US Congress to pick up the cause, and get a similar bill introduced and passed restoring voting rights to these disenfranchised Americans.

Read more about the Brennan Center for Justice and their efforts to restore voting rights on their website here.

Also, JTMP supports the "Ban The Box" campaign, meaning employers and others cannot ask if that person has even been convicted of a crime on job applications, housing, public benefits, insurance. loans and other services. Once a member of society has paid their debt, some time has gone by, and the crime is irrelevant to the job or situation, it is a matter of privacy and belongs in the past. It is merely callously and unnecessarily prolonging the punishment, and preventing that person from re-entering and being able to to get by in this society. Read more and get involved with the "Ban The Box" cause by visiting the BanTheBoxCampaign.org website.  (photo credit: Scott*/Flickr)

July 26, 2013 - There has been some confusion lately on who is and who is not joining Stevie Wonder's boycott of Florida calling for the repeal of "Stand Your Ground Laws"; and part of it why I think some confusion is out there is because many musicians and artists have spoken out in favor of repealing the "Stand Your Ground" laws, and have been publicly speaking out in support of Trayvon's parents and #Justice4Trayvon. Jay-Z has spoke out in favor of repealing the law, and now 5 days ago Beyonce put up a Trayvon Martin tribute page on her website asking everyone to #ActNow4Trayvon, and signing her name and linking to a MoveOn.org petition calling for Eric Holder and the US Department of Justice to file Federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman who believe Trayvon Martin's civil rights were violated; there are many of us who think they were and JTMP is one of them. Check out Beyonce's Trayvon Martin Tribute Page here, where you can sign the MoveOn.org petition also. So, although many artists have come out in droves of the support of repealing the "Stand Your Ground" laws, they will never be any widespread boycott of Florida by musicians and artists; too many have residences there and too much money being handed around. Having civil rights charges filed against George Zimmerman would be a sweet second prize though. Sign the MoveOn.org petition here.

July 26, 2013 - Well, it took me a little while to figure out this confusion on many artists backing off, or seeming to back off, their signals to join Steve Wonder in his boycott of Florida after it was reported that they would. It's so simple.

Many musicians, athletes, and assorted millionaires make Florida their home, or their "base of operations", because Florida charges no state INCOME tax,  but they do have sales and property tax. It is one of a few favorite haven for millionaires stateside. Nice. When I read this article on The Grio I figured it out. In that post George Clinton comments what all artists and their representatives would similarly say, that to "boycott Florida is not practically maintained by those of use who reside in and whose base of operation is Florida."; which is many artists, all pulling in some serious income that is totally untaxed by the state. What do you think? Am I wrong? Leave a comment on the JTMP Facebook Page here.

July 24, 2013 - Yaslin Bey, also known as rapper Mos Def, underwent the Guantanamo Bay standard force-feeding with a tube procedure; and it is all caught on video and was released on the Guardian website. The American hip-hop artist is a practicing Muslim, and at the start of Ramadan on July 8 (it runs till August 7) got together with the human  rights group Reprieve to make a video showing in graphic detail the procedure being inflicted upon  46 of the 105 Guantanamo detainees on a hunger strike, protesting their conditions and detainment. Mr. Bey said, "When the tube went in, the first part of it is not that bad but you get this burning, I got this burning and it starts to get really unbearable like something that was going into my brain and it reached the back of my throat and I really couldn't take it." 

In 2007, JTMP teamed up with activist band Op-Critical and Velvet Revolution to make an anti-torture PSA and music video for their anti-torture song "Exile", and one of the band members was actually water boarded, similar to what Mos Def has done. Watch the two videos below, but be warned...both videos are extremely graphic and is disturbing to many viewers. They should be, because it is all torture. JTMP calls for the US to cease torturing and force-feeding detainees. Read more on the Guardian website here.