“You been took. You been hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Led astray. Run amuck.” Malcolm X
Submitted by Curtiss Harris
Somewhere somebody is either laughing or crying at how far Black America has come and how far we have to go. Our plight is not just measured by how many raging rivers of oppression we must cross but also by the deep oceans of bigotry that we must endure. African Americans in Milwaukee and their leaders exist in the warm bosom of bigotry, hatred, oppression and segregation; a place where it is easy to forget or even ignore the putrid smell of a history drenched in a dehumanizing apparatus that is tightly held together by the forces of exploitation, hatred and lies.
Johnny Thomas is a young man, a former Gulf War veteran, who aspired to be the first African American to win a city-wide election in Milwaukee.
Johnny’s hero was Mayor Harold Washington, Chicago’s first African American Mayor and a fighter for human rights. Similar to Mayor Washington, Johnny was a consensus builder, a champion of minority contracting, a vocal advocate of minority rights, a critic of environmental racism and a threat to the White establishment of the city.
Mayor Washington died from a heart attack; likely brought on by the stress and strain of constantly fighting the establishment in ugly, racially polarized battles dubbed “Council Wars.” Frederick Douglas was right, “Power concedes nothing without a demand.”
In trying to become Milwaukee’s first City Comptroller, a position that would have wielded considerable power, Johnny challenged the status quo as it had never been challenged before. No African American has ever been elected to a city-wide office in Milwaukee and, if the establishment has its way, no African American will ever be elected to a city-wide office – especially an African like Johnny Thomas. And Johnny was certain to win. Given the vehemently hostile racial attitudes towards the African American community in Milwaukee, it makes sense that the establishment would concoct an elaborate plan to derail the Johnny Thomas train by removing its tracks and watching it crash.
Johnny Thomas’s campaign for City Comptroller did crash; he suspended his campaign as soon as allegations of a bribe hit the newspaper. The establishment celebrated: Victory won!!! Victory won!!! But wait, the establishment in its rush to capture Johnny in a bribe failed to establish a clear and convincing case that 1) Johnny Thomas ever initiated a bribe or 2) intended on participating in a bribe. Could the charges against Johnny Thomas be un-provable or, worse, false? Did the establishment pull the trigger before they had sufficient evidence? WAS JOHNNY THOMAS RAILROADED? The answer: YES! YES! YES!
1) Weak Case: The case against Johnny Thomas is weak.
A. Thomas was targeted and baited-For doing his job
- As Chair of the Finance Committee, Thomas had the right to hold item until information provided. Thomas had regularly held items until sufficient information was obtain.
- Thomas has a pattern of being a champion for minority and DBE contractor rights. Thomas had inquired about the lack of minority and DBE participation in County contracts, particularly at Mitchell International Airport and other contracting opportunities. These inquiries were never fully addressed.
- Farley went to District Attorney instead of answering Thomas’s questions. Had Farley answered Thomas’s questions in a timely manner, Thomas could have put the item on the agenda sooner.
- Meeting at Dunkin Donuts was yet another effort to get what had been hard-toget information on minority and DBE participation on contracts. The intent of the meeting has not been denied by Patrick Farley.
- Thomas thought the money was for a campaign contribution, not a bribe. Thomas specifically asked for and expected a check. He was given cash and expressed discomfort with being given cash. Farley lied to Thomas and told him that the reason why he was given cash was to allow for “maximum flexibility” for Thomas to determine how he would account for the money.
