In the 1970s my wife was murdered, and my daughter – who was a toddler at the time – was kidnapped. It was the most horrifying experience I’ve ever endured. But as devastating as it was to learn of my wife’s death, my grief had to be temporarily set aside so I could stay focused on finding my daughter. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to realize the detective who had been assigned to investigate the case was inept, so, I began searching for my child on my own. I followed every clue that seemed remotely related to my wife’s murder, and ultimately I uncovered a letter that had been stolen by a homeless man that suggested my daughter had been taken to Kansas City -- except I didn’t know if it was Kansas City, Missouri, or Kansas City, Kansas.
Unsure of what step to take next, I randomly selected, and then, called a police department in Kansas City, Missouri. Fortunately, a very empathetic and capable police officer answered. He enlisted the help of the assistant District Attorney who volunteered to help expedite the search. Within 24 hours, the assistant DA had identified and located the man who had kidnapped my daughter. The kidnapper was an ex-convict, so the police had kept him on the radar for sometime, and to make a long story short, my daughter was rescued in a midnight raid on his apartment.
I rarely talk about that event anymore. It has taken many years to place it in a corner of my heart where the pain is no longer overwhelming.
But what I remember most about that rescue was the kindness and compassion displayed by the assistant District Attorney. He was an African American lawyer who understood grief, and he made it clear he was a father who understood the love a man feels for his daughter.
I have never forgotten that act of kindness. He will always be my hero.
That is why it is so hard for me to understand people on this site who take the attitude: “Yeah, you helped me then, but what are you doing for me now?” I would never have said that to the man who helped rescue my child – no matter his color. It seems unimaginable that anyone would ever take a position like that. And yet, that was the response I received from one of the African American members of the Daily Kos when I mentioned I had been active in the civil rights movement during the 1960s.
And that is the underlying message of a diary – that made it to the top of the recommend list today -- attacking Bernie Sander’s civil rights record.
At what point did members of the Democratic Party lose their gratitude for the efforts of those who had worked so diligently to ensure that every American had an opportunity to succeed? At what point did the agendas of certain groups of people become so important that compassion for others became less important – that now there is no gratitude for white people who once risked everything to help black people?
This is not the same Democratic Party that once inspired me to spend college vacations feeding hungry people in the ghettos. In fact, there is very little about the neo-liberal wing of the Democratic Party that moves me to support any Democratic cause. The party’s faithful have become too egocentric and too deceitful to elicit the better part of humanity.
Some months back, Armando led a vicious McCarthy style witch-hunt against me that lasted for several days. I was accused of being a racist, even though I had risked my life to serve the civil rights movement. He ignored the pain I had endured because my family turned their backs on me; he didn’t take into consideration that the people I had known all my life treated me like a pariah because I believed black lives mattered.
The lies and innuendo directed at me were very difficult to endure, and because of my distress, I suffered a mini-stroke that placed me in a very vulnerable position. Instead of being able to defend myself, I was confused, and unable to mount any type of defense.
I don’t understand why Democrats – people who once represented the best of humanity – have sunk so low. They no longer seem capable of understanding that hateful actions can cause unimaginable consequences.
Bernie Sanders is not a perfect man. But nothing in his political record suggests he deserves to be viciously attacked for not living up to other people’s expectations. He has established a long track record that proves he is a very decent man, and that record should be honored and respected.