We’ve all
heard the expression “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice,
shame on me.” Apparently that’s the philosophy that the Metro East
Black Contractors Organization (MEBCO) has adopted with respect to
the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Recall that two months ago MEBCO was poised to march and shut down the Mississippi River Bridge project (on the Illinois side of the river) because of disparities regarding African-American inclusion.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Then, on the verge of what would have been an embarrassing protest for Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, the governor intervened and dispatched staffers (including the acting secretary of IDOT) to East St. Louis to meet with MEBCO leader, Dr. William E. Mason, MEBCO legal advisor attorney Eric Vickers and ESL Mayor Alvin Parks Jr.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>During their meeting, a number of concessions were tentatively agreed upon for the appeasement of MEBCO and the would-be protestors. It appeared that a catastrophe had been averted.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>However, over the past two months, nothing was ever finalized, making it appear, in the words of Malcolm X, that MEBCO and the protestors had been “had… took…hoodwinked and bamboozled” into standing down.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>So, after being clearly tricked, betrayed and humiliated, MEBCO called a press conference, announcing the filing of a $650 million lawsuit against IDOT, claiming that the state has reneged on promises concerning minority hiring for the bridge project.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>According to Vickers, “IDOT has harmed the black community. IDOT has harmed black contractors black workers. It has harmed black people and minorities who have ever thought about going into construction but looked at IDOT and said, ‘I can’t ever get work there.’ So IDOT has to pay for the harm that it has done.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Should MEBCO prevail, money from the lawsuit would be placed into a trust fund for minority contractors.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>This is what happens when a state like Illinois has $13 billion set aside for their roadwork plan, but is too selfish, too racist and too arrogant to share the wealth with those who have prepared themselves for the workplace (as America preaches), yet are locked out because of racial “poli-tricks” as usual.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>This must stop, and so-called black leadership doesn’t get a free pass on this one either. NAACP president Johnny Scott has been missing in action, as usual, throughout this ordeal and State Representative Eddie Jackson and State Senator James Clayborne have been conspicuously invisible, mute and detached, as expected.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Yet, I am sure that when Scott needs to pimp his NAACP banquet tickets or Jackson and Clayborne are up for re-election they will be front and center with their campaign literature filled with bogus facts and photo ops.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>And what of Lee Coleman, the so-called minority inclusion officer for IDOT (and a native of E. St. Louis)? One would think that if he were actually doing his job all of these compliance issues would never have become an issue in the first place.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>That is why MEBCO, the unemployed black construction workers and contractors MUST (through protests, “blowing-up” the phone lines with calls and organizing) remind these political leeches that “you reap what you sow,” then work vigorously to replace them with those who will fight for their interests.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>If you like my column, them you will love my radio show on WGNU-920am every Friday from 7-8 pm. “font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Please tune-in and call-in. I’d love to hear from my St. Louis American readers.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Email:
“mailto:jitingram_1960@yahoo.com”>jitingram_1960@yahoo.com
