Latest Weather Blog
Nation of Islam calls for new boycotts in Baton Rouge
Related Story
BATON ROUGE - The regional group of the Nation of Islam held the "Justice or Else Coalition" town hall meeting in Baton Rouge Saturday afternoon.
Keynote speaker, Dr. Robert Muhammad spoke about the gunmen behind the July 17 ambush of law enforcement on Airline Highway.
"These people who created these heinous crimes in Dallas and Baton Rouge were all trained in the U.S. military, not the New Black Panthers or the Nation of Islam," Muhammad said.
Organizers say they held the town hall to launch a second boycott of major retailers and restaurants after the killing of Alton Sterling on July 5th. The group also wants to encourage African Americans to spend their dollars at black businesses.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and federal civil rights officials held a round table discussion in the city Friday.
"Out of this tremendous grief, we can work towards improving the relationship of trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve," Lynch said. "I think I have seen mutual commitment to that goal to everyone I have been speaking with."
But Lynch's meeting is not enough for the Nation of Islam.
"We looked at the Justice Department going into Ferguson, Missouri and we have seen the results of that," Muhammad said. "They found systemic racism yet the police officer who killed Mike Brown was somehow not a racist."
Even after the Sterling case is resolves, the Nation of Islam says they are committed to keep black dollars in the black community.
News
