Since a frontal assault on African- American public officials that’s almost as intense as Pres. George W. Bush’s obsessive “war on terrorist,” I had no difficulty finding news and issues to analyze for this edition of African-American News&Issues. We’re speaking, of course, about the recent article on Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in Houston’s only daily newspaper; the ongoing vilification of Prepared Table Charter School; damaging allegations that have destroyed Kidcare and question the character and reputation of Hurt and Carol Porter, not to mention the indictment of two law enforcement heavyweights.

Incidentally, in between the indictments that forced beleaguered Constable Perry Wooten to resign until further notice, and Chief Clarence C.O. Bradford’s decision to step down until his perjury charges are adjudicated, one way or another, we forgot about Mayor Lee P. Brown’s transgressions. I speak of the fender bender that Mayor Brown was involved in on August 12, 2002. Brown, according to media reports was driving east on Westheimer in his city-owned Lincoln Town Car when he tried to cross three oncoming lanes to turn onto Potomac and collided with an oncoming car in the far right lane.

The media report also suggested that Brown was given special treatment because he wasn’t tested for drugs. “A lot of time I will be in a car and check out the city,” Houston’s first African- American chief executive explained-- when asked why a chauffeur, who doubles as a security guard, was not driving him. Brown paid the ticket, but some of his detractors questioned why he wasn’t given a drug test after having an accident, which is a policy that he established himself. City Attorney Anthony Hall explained that if there is no suspicion of drug or alcohol use, testing is not mandatory.

Meanwhile the District Attorney was building a case against Bradford, who was indicted for perjury and voluntarily stepped down as chief (suspended with pay), until after the matter is settled. Now, if you are among our critics that have hinted in the past that we actually manufacture racist issues to validate our spurious Black perspectives, please allow us to share e-mail with you. To wit: “I can’t believe these racist, red-neck, asinine crackers are going to press charges against Chief Bradford. Stevie Wonder can see through this bullshit. I wonder how much of this is to let the public at large see what an administration with a Black mayor, and a Black police chief can do to a great city like Houston, Texas.”

“The charges are based on the flimsiest crap I’ve ever heard in my life. The scrutiny on his word under testimony is better (scrutinized) than that of several Enron executives before Congress; and there isn’t even any real evidence here. I think our only recourse in the future, to safeguard against this kind of public fiasco, and public humiliation of Blacks in office elected for all, is to drag those responsible from their beds and shoot them in the street. Real pissed. - Alfonso.” Please note, Alfonso wrote the foregoing. AAN&I only provided a forum for him to vent his frustrations just as we provide for every one with an axe to grind. Ironically, Bradford and Wooten were seen on the same floor in the same Harris County Court building which makes me wonder if the same judge, the same D.A. and the same grand jury is overseeing both cases?

Nonetheless, we can’t help but wonder if the onslaught of bad publicity directed at our most visible and popular public officials is simply coincidental or if the attack on African- American community leaders has anything to do with the upcoming November 5, 2002 general elections. Your guess is as good as mine, but there’s no denying that Black public officials are under siege again.