Author Archives: William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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About William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Award-winning poet, playwright, and essayist. Author of three books of poetry, "Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembrance of Things Past and Present"; "Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats"; "The Black Feminine Mystique," and a novel, "Streets of Rage," written under his pen name Easy Waters. All four books are available on Amazon.com. Waters has over 25 years of experience in the criminal legal system. He is a change agent for a just society and a catalyst for change.

On this Day in American History, April 24, 2019 – White supremacist killer of James Byrd Jr. Executed

Posted on April 25, 2019 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Some say it was “one of the most notorious hate crimes of modern times.” James Byrd Jr., a 48 year old Black male, was targeted and murdered by white racists in 1998 in Jasper, Texas. They tied him to their … Continue reading →

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#NationalRacistAnthem (My Favorite Things)

Posted on February 9, 2019 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Blood drops on roses And nooses on niggas Bright copper kettles and boiling some jiggers Brown men and brown women hung up on trees These are a few of my favorite things White-hooded Klansmen and black burning bodies Nazis and … Continue reading →

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Amadou Diallo — 20 years later

Posted on February 4, 2019 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Today is the 20th anniversary of the killing of Amadou Diallo by New York’s “Finest.” All those years ago, I wrote the following poem, which is included in my collection, “Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats”: ON A BRONX STREET … Continue reading →

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Ham Sandwiches, Indictments, and Unjust Convictions

Posted on December 28, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

One of the fundamental problems of the U.S. criminal legal system is the nearly unfettered power of prosecutors to indict, so much so that Judge Learned Hand once quipped that a prosecutor could get a ham sandwich indicted.  (Note that … Continue reading →

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Death of a Kingmaker

Posted on December 27, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

William C. Thompson Sr. passed away on Christmas Eve, a belated gift to the thousands of people who were railroaded under his judicial watch when he was the Administrative Judge in Kings County Supreme Court. The praises have been pouring … Continue reading →

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The White Hats Are Coming…

Posted on November 9, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

White supremacist flyers were found in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.  Under the heading, “White Excellence,” the flyers called on white men to “defend your heritage” – of lynching and racial violence against Black people? – and stop Blacks … Continue reading →

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On this day in American history, November 7, 1931 — Fisk University Dean and Student Die In Car Wreck After Denied Hospital Care Due to Race

Posted on November 7, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On November 7, 1931, Dean Juliette Derricotte of Fisk University in Nashville was driving three students to her parents’ home in Atlanta when a Model T driven by an older white man suddenly swerved and struck Ms. Derricotte’s car, overturning … Continue reading →

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On this day in American history, November 7, 1955 — U.S. Supreme Court Affirms Ruling Outlawing Racial Segregation in Public Recreational Facilities

Posted on November 7, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In Mayor and City Council of Baltimore v. Dawson, African Americans living in Baltimore, Maryland, sued the city’s mayor and city council for maintaining racially segregated, publicly-funded beaches and parks. A federal district court initially dismissed the complaint, holding that the … Continue reading →

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Every Election Has Been Important in My Lifetime

Posted on November 6, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Political pundits are proclaiming that this is the most important election of our lifetime.  Every election has been important in my lifetime.  As a child of the ‘60s, as a kid, I heard the stories of Black people being killed … Continue reading →

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On this day in American History, November 6, 1909 — Colored Alabamian Reports Murder of Black Wagon Driver in Alabama

Posted on November 6, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In October 1909, a black wagon driver “who did not drive as far to the right as a white man thought he should” was shot dead in Montgomery, Alabama. According to an article in Colored Alabamian magazine, the white man avoided punishment … Continue reading →

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