Terrorists Attack Upscale Mali Hotel

 As we #PrayForMali we are faced, yet again, with the question if this tragedy could have been prevented? Here is what we know:

1. The Western African Nation of Mali has been in a civil war since 2012.

2. #France has lead the way with minimal U.N. troops aiding them to stop the bloodshed in the country since the fighting has begun.

3. Countries stating citizens known to be in the #RadissonBlu (An upscale hotel) in the Capital city of #Bamako include: The U.S., Turkey, China, France and India so far.

4. Over 340 Malians civilians have been killed this year by terrorist groups.

5. #Al-Mourabitoun, an affiliate of #AlQaeda, has claimed on twitter that they are the terror group wreaking havoc at the hotel.

6. A peace treaty was taking place today at the hotel to try and end the civil war in Mali.

7. Escapees have said that the terror group is asking hostages to quote a passage of the Quran to see if they are loyal to Islam.

8. Malian troops along with French and U.N. Peace Keepers are going floor-to-floor seeking trying to rescue as many hostages as possible.

9. The death toll is 27 and there is a number of injured. So far Belgium has stated one of their diplomats have been killed, along with Malian security officers and a French soldier. The attackers have all escaped and Mali troops is vowing to hunt them down.

10.  Reuters is reporting Al Qaeda is already celebrating the attack on the Radisson Blu  as a success and #ISIS should learn from them.

   In conclusion, the attack could have been a lot worse. It is another somber reminder of how terrorists groups across Africa are out of control. The attack on the Radisson Blu follows the attack in Paris which took less than a week ago. Despite what International leaders are stating in regards to having an upper hand on terror groups around the world, the facts are starting to show the opposite. When you have terror groups competing on who can wreak the most havoc and bragging about it on social media, a message to international travelers has been sent.

Bloody but Unbrokened

   The 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday will be commemorated with marches from Civil Rights organizations, politicians, celebrities along with President George Bush, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle, and their children. That Sunday march is remembered as a pivotal changer in the Civil Rights movement because it helped launch the passing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. This made it illegal for any jurisdiction to discriminate to citizens on the basis of race when it came to voting. Selma, Alabama's Bloody Sunday was watched in awe around the world because it showed the best and worst of America. Here are the 10 most important lessons that we should never forget from events of that day:

10.  Planning is more important than execution. These trail blazing civil rights leaders did their homework and studied what would be effective to accomplish their goal.

9.   Servant Leadership as displayed by Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi and many others before him was importnat for Dr. Martin Luther King in winning the trust of so many from various walks of life.

8.   Communication was effective in getting the word out to the world as to why people where desperate for their right to vote. The first march attempt had 600 demonstrators, Turn around Tuesday had 2500, and finally the successful third march had 8,000. Media relations were crucial to achieving the goal. 

7.   Non violence as a means of protest displays your intentions of not hurting a system of government but in making it better. We saw this effective in India (Gandhi), United States (King), and in South Africa (Mandela.)

6.    "Face your fears head on!" This was a lesson taught me when I first started my career. Who taught it to me? As a young reporter I interviewed Selma's first African American Mayor, James Perkin's, Jr., and he defeated a White incumbent that had been in office for 36 years. He overcame many death threats and lies on his family to win the seat.

5.    Sir Winston Churchill once said: "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it!" We must let our future generations know the good, the bad, and the ugly of the events from Bloody Sunday.

4.   Organizations coming together create a strong power structure. A young Congressman John Lewis headed the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Dr. Martin Luther King headed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and other organizations worked tirelessly to make the march happen.

3.   If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The march from Selma to Montgomery was not successful the first time due to police brutality on the peaceful demonstrators as they kneeled to pray. The Non-violence movement drew worldwide attention and the third march attempt on March 17 was successful.

2.   Our First Amendment Right allows us the right to peacefully assemble and protest. Even though some municipalities (Recently seen in Ferguson, Missouri) try and discourage this right, it has afforded America to become the powerful, diverse nation it is.

1.   There is power when we come together in unity. Bloody Sunday marchers were from all over the United States and included individuals of all races, ages, denominations and religions.

Top Reasons to Boycott Ferguson

The family of teenager Michael Brown announced that they will soon be filing a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Officer Darren Wilson formerly of the Ferguson, Missouri Police Department.  This announcement comes less than 24 hours of a staving report from the Department of Justice(DOJ) concluding that the police department and city officials had routinely practiced racial bias and profiling but there was no solid evidence of wrongdoing by the Officer Wilson. Based on the DOJ report here are the top 10 reasons why you should not visit or move to Ferguson anytime soon: 

10. Even though the city of Ferguson is 67% Black, the mayor is White and they only have one Black council member. Lack of representation over the years has lead to systemic racism that reached its boiling point in 2014.

9.   The DOJ concluded that even though Ferguson is 67% Black, they received 85% of the traffic stops, 90% of the citations, and 93% of the arrests made.

8.   Minor offenses such as parking tickets lead to crippling debt and jail time due to one's inability to pay. Many Blacks have also lost their drivers license.

7.   Over 96% of the warrants issued by the city of Ferguson was for Blacks and less than 68% of their cases were dismissed.

6.   Police and court staff joked about a black woman having abortions as a way of decreasing crime.

5.   The city financial coordinator and the police chief worked together regarding ways of how to increase city revenue through citations. The number of citations jumped from 400 to 700 in one month.

4.   Police/City officials mocked President Obama depicting him as a chimpanzee.

3.   Violations of first amendment rights including the recording of police activities and lawfully protesting perceived injustices.

2.   African-Americans are more than twice as likely to be searched during vehicle stops, but are found in possession of contraband 26% less often than white drivers.

1.    Violations of your fourth amendment rights with unreasonable searches and seizures(Just sitting at the bus stop can get you arrested if you're not careful.)