Forget the Mahdi militia...
Worry about the one in Philadelphia. Philly seeks 10000 men to guard streets.
The program's backers include Dennis Muhammad, a former Nation of Islam official who has been hired by police departments in Detroit, Syracuse, N.Y., and other cities to conduct community-sensitivity training.
New Orleans thought it was a good idea to bring in Louis Farrakhan's former head of security once upon a time, too. Compass scraps plan to have NOI Member Train PD
Amid complaints from officers and religious leaders, the New Orleans Police Department has canceled plans for the security director for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to provide sensitivity training to police.
Police Superintendent Eddie Compass is rescinding a $15,000 contract with Dennis Muhammad, who has provided similar training in other cities.
There's Detroit. ENOTA Training Peacekeepers
There's Buffalo.
Under Mr. Muhammad's ENOTA project, participates who complete the course training are given a photo identification card, which alerts parents, teachers and law enforcement that the individual has completed the training program. The ENOTA project is designed to remove the barriers between authority figures (i.e. law enforcement) and the citizens.
Mr. Muhammad's courses will include topics such as: defining the ENOTA project, the pros and cons of racial profiling, enhancing people skills, creating a melting pot in the community and bridging the gap between the public and law enforcement.
(The pros and cons of racial profiling???? Now, that I'd like to hear more about!)
Muhammed speaks out about the Philly project to BET:
Hopefully, the results in Philadelphia will inspire a national movement, Muhammad said. “We plan to deploy these men and distinguish them with a colored shirt or something, and our very physical presence will become a deterrent,” Muhammad said. “It would be hard to commit a crime on a corner with 200 men. When this is successful, we hope to bottle this and take it to every major city in the country.”
Why does his saying that he wants to "bottle this" and take it to every major city in the country make me feel uneasy? Oh, and about Muhammed's connection to the Nation of Islam? I found this in a wild Village Voice article about their internal politics and it had this to say:
The battle for control of Mosque No. 7 resulted in the dismissal two years ago of Captain Dennis Muhammad and the popular "hip hop minister," Conrad Muhammad. Over the years, there have been secret maneuvers by ambitious Muslims, some with dubious agendas.Dubious agendas. Well, I guess that's one way to describe the actions of the Religion of Peace...
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