The Counterpublic Papers vol. 8 no. 18

In 2014 Donald Sterling (owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers) was forced to sell the team after Vivian Steviano leaked taped recordings in which Sterling made a number of racist statements about African Americans (who constitute the majority of the Clippers and NBA players in general). The leak occurred days before the Clippers were set to play the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs. Not only did the Clippers threaten to walk out, but players on a number of other playoff teams threatened to do the same. After fining Sterling the highest amount possible ($2.5 million), David Stern banned Sterling from anything involving the NBA (including attending games) and put the gears in motion to sell the team. 

On June 4, FX released Clipped, a television series about the scandal. 

Now what struck me about this issue when it happened, was the fact that Sterling’s racism was known long before the leaked recording. Not only did he have a decades long reputation as a racist landlord, in 2006 the US Justice Department levied the largest fine against him ever levied in settlement of a housing discrimination case. Not only did the NBA know about the case, but ESPN’s Bomani Jones wrote on it.

Why do I bring this up now?

A couple of weeks ago, Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of money laundering in a hush money scandal. I get there are all types of ways these two instances aren’t comparable. Yet and still, just like it wasn’t Sterling’s rampant housing discrimination, it was the salacious call, it wasn’t the insurrection—when Colorado removed Trump from the ballot given his involvement in the January 6 insurrection the ruling was overturned unanimously by the Supreme Court. It won’t be the classified documents case—which will be slow-walked until after the election. 

It’ll be the hush money.

Nothing else to say about this, other than that our institutions don’t appear to be capable of dealing with systemic corruption, even when national security is at risk. 

……

A quick note on the Baltimore elections, which were also held a few weeks ago. Brandon Scott won the Democratic primary against former mayor Sheila Dixon (Thiru Vignarajah bowed out). I think this is the correct choice. I haven’t written about Scott—even here—but I think Scott’s challenge is one that many progressive candidates have faced over the past decade or so. The institutional apparatus required to elect them differs from the institutional apparatus required to establish an effective governing regime. The apparatus required to elect them has two parts. One part to stave off concerns about progressive governing, and in this instance that involves fighting off The Baltimore Sun (a media entity that, since being sold to David Smith, has become revanchist). Another part to get supporters to the polls. Although a lot of labor goes into both parts, the apparatus is straightforward enough to manage. 

The apparatus required to create an effective governing regime is a bit more complex. Because for Scott to govern effectively to an extent he has to govern differently. He has to rewire how Baltimore functions politically so as to empower an entirely different group of Baltimoreans—working class predominantly black ones. And he has to generate a new common sense about how cities like Baltimore are supposed to function. This not only requires a set of new policy ideas with which to pull this off, but it also requires a staff capable of articulating this agenda in ways that various city bureaucracies can implement, and media entities capable of articulating these ideas in a way that can be understood and appreciated by a broad swath of Baltimoreans. And then, in addition, a staff capable of countering attempts by developers and profit/non-profit leaders to steer Scott back to status quo policies. The liberal to left end of the political spectrum is far better at electing candidates than it was ten to twenty years ago, but I think it’s that hurdle they need to figure out. 

Zeke Cohen defeated Nick Mosby in the City Council President race. I know and consider both Cohen and Mosby friends—I taught Cohen several years ago and served on his board, and Mosby is my fraternity brother. Cohen is the more progressive choice and should have a better working relationship with Scott than Mosby. And won’t have the legal issues Mosby did.

I remember having a conversation with a councilwoman years ago about what it would take to turn the city council in a more progressive direction. I’m pretty sure every progressive city council candidate won, knocking out important incumbents in the process.

My favorite? Zac Blanchard defeated Eric Costello. Costello’s district was pretty much split between upper income Baltimoreans (concentrated in the Bolton Hill neighborhood) and working class black Baltimoreans (concentrated in Sandtown Winchester). I remember attending a Costello campaign event some years ago hanging out with a couple of my friends. I brought along a neighborhood organizer. At the Bolton Hill event, she cornered Costello asking why people in Sandtown Winchester could never get a hold of him. Costello responded by giving her his cell phone.

Which she promptly used to call him. We all saw him pick his phone up, look at the number, and put it back in his pocket. She went in on him for that…and if I recall correctly we were politely asked to leave shortly thereafter.

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams was on Drink Champs earlier in the month. For those who don’t know, Drink Champs is probably one of the most important hip-hop podcasts on the internet. Co-hosted by a former New York MC and a Miami DJ, the show’s title comes from the fact that the hosts and guests drink during the show. 

If someone like Brandon Scott is viewed as one of the more progressive mayors, Adams is decidedly not, as Adams served as a member of the NYPD for decades, and was widely viewed as the anti-Black Lives Matter candidate. And it isn’t that this take is wrong. However this approach neglects the role of hip-hop. Adams grew up on and still lives through hip-hop. Twenty years ago Detroit elected its youngest mayor in history—Kwame Kilpatrick. Not long after being elected, Kilpatrick was given the moniker “the hip-hop mayor.” Kilpatrick would go on to be found guilty of corruption, but it appears Adams has taken the moniker and run with it—Drink Champs co-host N.O.R.E. consistently referred to Adams as “the hip-hop mayor.“ 

Now Drink Champs could’ve handled Adam’s with kid gloves. I appreciate the fact that they didn’t, bringing on a third co-host who didn’t mince words in critiquing Adams for ignoring the needs of his black and working class constituents. Adams himself didn’t back down from the critiques, and spent much of the show defending his record with policies and facts. He responds to critiques about the city’s issues with rodents, as well as with the city’s approach to homelessness, to the carceral state, and then to Gaza. It’s worth listening to at the very least as a primer on how to critique black elected officials in a way that black constituents themselves can understand. However it’s also worth listening to because of the one word Adams uses to defend himself over and over again—authenticity. For Adams, his authenticity is the reason why he succeeds as a mayor, why he should be supported by black and working class constituencies. I couldn’t disagree more strongly. Going back to the first hip-hop mayor it was clear that Kilpatrick was from Detroit. But it was also clear that Kilpatrick used his authenticity to benefit one person—himself. Along these lines Adams also brought up the elephant in the room—the fact that black mayors are consistently used as posterchildren for government itself.

The episode runs long, but it’s worth listening to.

….

I had a lot going on this month.

The goal was to use these past three years to figure out the next stage. Everything’s coming together. If you’re around come check out our Looking Rights exhibition at 709 N. Howard. We’re here through June 27 and in the gallery pretty much everyday. If you read this on Juneteenth, we’ll likely be going into the evening.

(Oh. My friend and colleague Sam Chambers created a new newsletter about politics and money. Check it out and subscribe.)