Motive Behind a Journalist's Assassination

Chauncey Bailey (see previous post) was working on a series exposing how a rump group of criminals calling themselves Black Muslims were involved in all manner of crime, including rape, murder, fraud. Take a look at this article from the San Francisco Chronicle's Leslie Fulbright, where a member of the family involved, the Beys, tells of being Bailey's main source.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/08/07/MNA1RDQAE1.DTL

And take a look at this piece from the Village Voice, where a journalist named Chris Thompson tells of being threatened by members of that Bey clan when he, too, ventured into dangerous territory -- namely, the truth.

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0732,thompson,77457,2.html

True journalists speak truth to power -- regardless of race, creed, color or anything else -- as often as possible. They are the eyes and ears and noses that try to hold accountable those aspects of government and civil society that mean the difference between true democracy and bullshit served on a stick.

Bailey was the victim/hero/martyr here. Don't forget that as others may try to turn this into a persecution of the Beys.