There is a saying: “One one co- coa-full basket.”
It is in that solid vein that grassroots folks are putting their heads and cash together to raise a $10,000 bond, 10 percent of the $100,000 bail currently set for Malikah Sha- bazz, one of Malcolm X and Dr. Bet- ty Shabazz’s six daughters.
A battery of charges, including grand larceny, forgery and iden- tity theft, notwithstanding, the in- formed community appears to be rallying around one of Malcolm’s last born. She has been held at Rik- ers Island since March.
Shabazz, 45, was extradited to
Queens from North Carolina, where she was arrested on felony charges of identity theft and grand larceny back in March. Appearing in Queens Criminal Court, she was charged with stealing money and the iden- tity of Khaula Bakr, the widow of a bodyguard of Malcolm X.
Councilman Charles Barron, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Harlem Mosque No. 7 head Minister Abdul Hafeez Muhammad and professor James Smalls are among the community leaders who have expressed inter- est in supporting the family.
“The Shabazz family is the first family of struggle, and we are obli- gated to support them and not make judgments,” declared. Dr. Leonard
Jeffries, activist and educator. “Dr. Betty and Malcolm Shabazz’s fam- ily is the first family of struggle among African-American people in America, and we are obligated in the African tradition to help the widow and children of our lead- ers. Now we have the children and grandchildren to help and protect. I’ll be one of those who will be help- ing, and I encourage others to do so.”
“We have to support that family. Because it is their father who we love, we have to support his chil- dren,” said cultural activist Nana Camille Yarbrough. “I agree with professor Jeffries 100 percent.”
Yarbrough immediately offereda generous cash contribution. “If 10 people or 100 people gave some money, we could get her out of Rikers very quickly. The community has to rally around Malcolm’s children.”
Barron has been working on the case behind the scenes.
“It a shame that we just celebrated Malcolm X’s 86th birthday on May 21, and his twin daughter is languish- ing in prison,” said Barron. “We are not going to place any judgment here. She is innocent unless proven otherwise. The community needs to support her and help her get out of jail the best way we can. The best way to honor Malcolm is to support his children, no mat- ter what the circumstances are.”
“Malikah has called the office a couple of times,” said Lamont Carolina, community liaison for Barron’s office. “I spoke with herand she was in good spirits, considering.”
The news of Shabazz being extradited to Rikers from her North Carolina home has pretty much flown under the radar. It was her nephew, Malcolm Shabazz, who told of her plight during an event at City College last Saturday, mentioning that Shabazz was still at Rikers and the family was not getting any support. The intimate crowd of 50 or so people at CUNY’s Guill- ermo Morales-Assata Shakur Center seemed shocked at the news, but immediately began strategizing among themselves about how they could help.
When the AmNews asked Malcolm Shabazz about his aunt at the time of her arrest in North Carolina back in Febru- ary, the young man responded, “My mother [Qubilah] was fac- ing a case against the federal government for allegedly hiring a hitman to assassinate Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in 1995. It was COINTELPRO,the government’s counterintel- ligence program. Now they are attacking my family once again. They’re attacking my Aunt Ma- likah. It’s unfortunate. Some- times they place us in a posi- tion that they think will break us, but actually what it does is make us stronger.”
He added, “And look at the timing with my aunt- the [46th] anniversary of the [death] of my grandfather-this case was open for how long?” he asked. “Why would they just come now?”
Shabazz, who has a PhD in educational administration and human development and an MS in mathematical science, is ac- cused of racking up bogus credit card charges of over $55,000. According to paperwork sent to the AmNews by Silvia E. Perez, communications clerk for Queens County District Attor- ney Richard Brown, the charges against her include grand larce- ny in the third degree, criminal possession of stolen property inthe third degree, forgery in the second degree, criminal posses- sion of a forged instrument in the second degree, identity theft in the first degree, and [having] a scheme to defraud in the first degree.
Assistant District Attorney Neil Gitin has also charged that Shabazz had been hiding out in rural North Carolina, with her daughter Betty, 13, in order to evade capture. Shabazz main- tained that she did not know there was a warrant for her ar- rest.
Malaak Shabazz, her twin sister, adamantly proclaimed, “Her family is going to be here for her.”
She slammed the $100,000 bail as “excessive-but I know because of the notoriety of our family that these things hap- pen.” She added that she is concerned for her twin sister’s safety when inmates find out who she is. Meanwhile, Judge Michael Yavinksy has said that Shabazz could be held in protec-tive custody at Rikers Island. The AmNews reached out to Rikers and Shabazz’s attorneys
to no response. “The oppressor never takes
his eye off of his agenda. We should stay aware of how they come after us and our families. They are relentless. They should know, though, that not every shut eye is asleep,” said Divine Allah, national youth minister of the New Black Panther Party. “We offer our complete support to the Shabazz family.”
As he made plans to visit Shabazz at Rikers, Barron add- ed, “Anyone who wants to help bring Malikah home can call my district office at (718) 649-9495. Like Dr. Jeffries said, we are obligated to help the children of our great leader Malcolm X.”
According to Malcolm Sha- bazz, those who would like to donate funds should send them to Hajj Malcolm el Shabazz, Malikah Shabazz Legal De- fense Fund, P.O. Box 726, Stone Ridge, N.Y. 12484.