Category Archives: Streets of Rage

The Fires This Time

Posted on June 5, 2020 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Last year, 2019, we marked 400 years since Africans were brought to Virginia and America’s “peculiar institution” took root. Since then, in the annals of American history, there has been systematic oppression and brutality against the descendants of Africans in … Continue reading →

Posted in being a teenager, Black patriotism, James Baldwin, Justice Chronicles, juveniles, Lest We Forget, Martin Luther King, police involved shooting, police-involved killing, Politics, race, raising black boys, Relationships, Revolution, Slavery, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“NYPD detective indicted on perjury charges: DA”

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

Joseph Franco, a suspended NYPD detective, was indicted for perjury, official misconduct and filing false documents in connection with narcotic cases he was involved in between 2017 and 2018.  As a result of Franco’s perjury and related charges, three people … Continue reading →

Posted in ezwwaters, Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, Streets of Rage, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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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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 →

Posted in crime, Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, Murder, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

On this day in history, May 4, 1992 — Worst of Los Angeles Riots Ends

Posted on May 4, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The 1992 Los Angeles Riots erupted on April 29, 1992, after police officers who were videotaped beating Rodney King, a black man, during a traffic stop were acquitted of criminal charges. Initially peaceful protests grew larger and turned violent, as … Continue reading →

Posted in crime, Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, race, raising black boys, Revolution, Streets of Rage, urban decay, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

On this day in history, May 3, 1946 — Black Teen Survives Louisiana Electric Chair

Posted on May 3, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1945, a black sixteen-year-old named Willie Francis was sentenced to death in St. Martinville, Louisiana. Willie was convicted of killing Andrew Thomas, a fifty-three-year-old Cajun pharmacist, and the case revealed many flaws in the state’s justice system: Willie’s jury … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 23, 1899 — Sam Hose Lynched in Newnan, Georgia

Posted on April 23, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In January 1899, five Palmetto, Georgia, businesses were destroyed by two fires of unknown cause. Though there was no evidence to support the theory, white residents quickly concluded that the fires were set by black conspirators intent on destroying property … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, ezwwaters, Justice Chronicles, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Just Info at “Knowledge is Power” Community Forum

Posted on May 27, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On Saturday, May 16, 2015, Just Info staff, Moira Meltzer-Cohen and William Eric Waters participated in the “Knowledge is Power” community forum at New Jerusalem Worship Center in Jamaica, NY. There were about 50 people in attendance, a handful of … Continue reading →

Posted in being a teenager, crime, ezwwaters, Ferguson Missouri, Growing Up, Justice Chronicles, juveniles, Michael Brown, MIssouri, Murder, NYPD, police involved shooting, police-involved killing, raising black boys, Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, Streets of Rage, Uncategorized, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Review of my book, Streets of Rage, by Isa Rock

Posted on April 6, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Easy Waters’ Streets of Rage is a must read, especially for anyone who enjoys reading a good and well written coming-of-age tale. The majority of the story takes place in 1970’s Brooklyn, in the projects and surrounding area. It’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in being a teenager, Five Percent Nation, Growing Up, juveniles, Murder, Nation of Islam, raising black boys, Streets of Rage, Uncategorized, urban decay, Urban Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Some thoughts on my novel, “Streets of Rage”

Posted on February 28, 2015 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Growing up in the early ’70s, the Black Power Movement, informed by Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, and its offshoot the Five Percent Nation, informed the thinking of the best minds of my generation — including mine, if … Continue reading →

Posted in being a teenager, crime, ezwwaters, Growing Up, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment