This week in Heroes and Zeros, it all revolves around the craziness of the current executive branch. The hero is a city who is leading the way in the fight against big companies and their questionable connections. The zero is a pastor whose token position only compromises the message he claims to send.
Hero – City of Seattle
This city is leading the way when it comes to taking a stand against the corrupt and damaging effects of Donald Trump’s administration. And in the cross path of the chaos are corporations and companies who align themselves with many of the actions connected to the man. Seattle is this week’s hero for making the choice to divest in Wells Fargo.
If you don’t really understand what this means, here’s the deal- They are more than likely taking $3 billion out of the bank because of its support of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) project. If you remember, during President Obama’s last term, he signed an order that blocked the building of the controversial pipeline that is set to run through Sioux Native American reservation of Standing Rock in North Dakota. Donald Trump, or number 45 as I sometimes refer to him, reportedly signed documents to move it forward once again during the first five days of his administration.
Seattle is taking a stand to show Wells Fargo that they mean business is the prototype. With all that is going on in the country right now, protesting is fine, but people like Trump and his minions respond to money. That’s how we are going to get the change we so desperately need and want to see. The way the protesters and Sioux are being treated by the federal government is a humanity issue. Reports are all over the place, but the consensus is that force is being used to break down those resisting the pipeline. As Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant told the crowd Wednesday in council chambers,
“Let’s build on this, make sure other cities move to divest from Wells Fargo.”
This is the only way to get their attention! We may not be able to go and protest at Standing Rock, but we can still be proactive right where we are. If we show those entities that support the DAPL that we will not accept their stance on the issue, and hit them in the pockets, I wholeheartedly believe that we will see quick change.
For showing the world how to stick it to the ones who could not care less about the welfare of others, Seattle is a hero.
Zero – Pastor Darrell Scott
There is literally no way for me to make this stuff up. An Ohio area pastor named Darrell Scott is this week’s zero for not only proudly claiming to be a “black Trump supporter” who has the “top gang thugs in Chicago” on speed dial, but also for lying about having the “top gang thugs in Chicago” on speed dial and then lying about why he lied about it.
Let’s be clear here- Black people do not support Donald Trump. There may be some tokens that believe their support of number 45 is something to be proud of, but the majority of us vehemently oppose everything he stands for and everything he is doing. That’s the thing with black Republicans, though. They think they are somehow special because they are “going against the grain” and thinking for themselves. As a former black Republican, I know this to be totally true. That’s just one of the issues I have with Scott. Now, he has given a bogus ass excuse for his initial comments made during Trump’s equally bogus meeting on black history month. Scott told Trump and a room full of his people,
“I was recently contacted by some of the top gang thugs in Chicago for a sit-down. “They reached out to me because they associated me with you. They respect you, they believe in what you’re doing, and they want to have a sit down about lowering that body count.”
Naturally, folks called him out on the bull crap, which Scott turned around and responded with,
“I misspoke. I only had three hours of sleep at the time. I meant to say former street thugs. Former.”
To make it even clearer that this man is taking advantage of his 15 minutes of fame, when asked by WFLD reporter Mike Flannery, “So, there are no gang leaders offering to reduce the body count in exchange for federal funds,” Scott replied, “No! I mean, c’mon now! No!” He goes on to say that he only spoke with one former gang member and no current gang leaders.
Scott is the perfect example of what it means to capitalize on one’s connection. His connection to Trump, however, continues to backfire on him and makes him, a “man of God,” look like an opportunist and a liar.
For making up an unbelievable excuse (lie) to cover a lie, PASTOR Darrell Scott is a zero.