The Texas native approached an elderly Melanoid man by the name of Roy Coleman, and delivered a crushing blow to Coleman’s face, which broke the 79-year-old Black man’s jaw. During the assault, Barrett used his cellphone to video record the entire ordeal. His reason for doing so? To see if his attack on Mr. Coleman would garner national attention.

Here’s a brief report of the story, according to the Huffington Post:

Barrett shot 11 videos on his cell phone, which his lawyer wrote in a court filing showed “nonsensical racist rants, discussion about ‘the knockout game’ itself” and “a great deal of racist remarks, slurs, and stereotypes, and they are highly inflammatory.” In one of the videos, Barrett said that African-Americans “haven’t fully experienced the blessing of evolution.”

The defense lawyer said Barrett had bipolar disorder and was intoxicated on prescription drugs and alcohol at the time of the attack.

Barrett has been sentenced to 71 months in prison. Mr. Roy Coleman, who is now 81 years of age, says he has suffered permanent health issues due to the attack, and is currently seeking a financial settlement in court.

B. Clark

Brandon Ball, Kennard D. Piggee, and Dan Scarborough were three professional Black men who decided to enjoy a night on the town at a local bar in Houston this past weekend (Friday Sept. 11th), when they were abruptly stopped by the staff of Gaslamp bar. According to Atty. Ball, what he and his friends experienced that night was the typcial case of racial discrimination. Here’s what Ball wrote on his Facebook page, which can also be seen by following this link:

PLEASE READ. PLEASE SHARE.

My name is Brandon Ball. I am 32 years old. I am African American. Tonight I was with my friends Dan Scarbrough (42) and Ken Piggee (43). Both are also African American. We were in the Midtown area of Houston, TX tonight and tried to go into The Gaslamp. Both Dan and Ken had on blazers. I had on a button up and slacks. When we walked up the guy at the door told us $20 each (pictured below in the long sleeve shirt). We didn’t want to pay that amount so we decided to go to the next bar down, The Dogwood, which was free.

After about 30 minutes we left The Dogwood and were walking back. As we passed The Gaslamp we noticed folks walking into The Gaslamp without having to pay. Those folks who didn’t have to pay were white. I brought this to Dan’s attention a few minutes later and he said we should go back and just watch from across the street to see if there was some “funny business” going on.

Ken, Dan, and I went back and watched from across the street as the guys who were working the front door of The Gaslamp (pictured) allowed white people to come in one after the other. Every black person who we watched try to go in was told there was a $20 cover or that their attire was not proper. One black guy was told that he could not get in because he had on Polo Boots.

Dan spoke to several people who were told there was a $20 cover and they pretty much all said the same thing. It was not just blacks they were charging. It was people of both Asain and Latin decent.

I again tried to walk in and was told there was a $20 cover. This was right after I had just seen a group of white guys walk right in.

I finally went and spoke to the cop (also pictured) who was working the door (who is a minority himself) and asked him if he was aware and comfortable with how the door guys were conducting business. His reply was basically…”I just work and do my job and those guys over there do their job.” I told him he was complicit but he blew me off.

I then took pictures of the two main guys at the front door (pictured below) and both of them began to ask if I had a problem. The one in the short sleeved shirt went as far to tell me that he hoped I didn’t “run up on him in the streets because it would be a problem.”

Why does this matter to me? Why is this important? If I have to answer that please just move along. This post is not meant for you. This event occurred in the late night of Sept. 11th. A day in which we as a country are supposed to come together. But events like this just tells us how far apart we are.

Please share this. Please pass along. Please read this and understand what type of establishment The Gaslamp is. If you were at The Gaslamp on this night and had a similar experience please comment and share. Don’t let actions such as this continue with no recourse. If you know the guys working the door let them see this. Please let them. Remember, this is 2015.

Despite this unfortunate incident, this isn’t the first occasion where Melanoid men are forced out of nightlife venues. Oftentimes, many of these establishments create outlandish rules to specifically target Melanoid men based upon our distinctive–and trendsetting– sense of fashion. Another reason why white supremacists keep Black men out of their bars & nightclubs is bred out of an envious fear of the “Black guys taking all of our women”.

Besides, who needs bars like Gaslamp, when there is a plethora of other opportunities for grown Black folks to truly enjoy themselves without strings attached?

B. Clark

DeSoto, a city located in Northern Texas, boasts a Melanoid population of nearly 70 percent. Out of the total businesses owned in DeSoto, a  robust 56 percent of them are Melanoid owned. Although statistics show inclusive graduation numbers regarding all racial groups in DeSoto, the city shows a 92 percent high school graduation rate of individuals 25 years of age or older, between 2009-2013 (Keep in mind that approximately 70 percent of DeSoto’s population comprises of Melanoid citizens).

According to the February 27th news report from NBC DFW, the median income of DeSoto is $60,945, with less than 10 percent of the city’s population living under the poverty line. What is interesting about members of the dominant society who are considering moving to DeSoto is that they are often turned off by the city’s large Melanoid population. Their real estate agents even ask them if they are interested in moving to this city, as if to place doubt in their minds because of the majority Melanoid presence in the city.

For the span of a decade (2000-2010), Melanoid people relocated to DeSoto by the droves, largely in part because of the high standard of living that the city promotes. If this is indeed the case, then much can be said about the collective mindsets of members of the dominant society who opt not to reside in DeSoto for trivial reasons, such as their fear and envy of affluent Melanoid people. Can a city like DeSoto, Texas provide the blueprint for cities across the country (and globe) to establish and maintain a standard of excellence that is conducive to Melanoid empowerment?

by B. Clark