Talk:Deacons for Defense and Justice

Quote from Blackwell article
Ken Blackwell's column includes the following paragraph:
 * As legendary civil rights leader Roy Innis recently said to me, the Deacons forced the Klan to re-evaluate their actions and often change their undergarments.

Perhaps we could quote from this in the article? Cheers, CWC (talk) 06:11, 8 February 2007 (UTC)


 * I've just reorganised the article, and I did include that that great quote. Further work from someone more knowledgeable about the 1960s Civil Rights struggle would be beneficial. Cheers, CWC 16:28, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Wiki
Hum, this doesn't really seem like most Wikipedia articles, no section on "cultural references" (2 are given in the "history" section). When I get some time I'll see if I can add some more wikilinks, find some pictures (I have the Brazilian Portuguese version of the DVD cover, I'll have to look at rules for images) and organise the sections a little more. Any more ideas? - ChrisWar666 (talk) 18:57, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

The summary section is very poorly written, especially the second paragraph. Tyleroar (talk) 03:22, 20 June 2012 (UTC)

I would like to submit a new source for this article. The podcast Undone published an episode titled "The Deacons" about this topic that I found insightful. I am new to Wikipedia edits and not sure how to properly cite audio sources but feel the podcast could be used to help clean this article up. Ruined bog (talk) 17:33, 22 November 2016 (UTC)

Neutrality
The lede claims the group is ignored and imputes motives to those putatively ignoring them, but it gives no reliable sourcing for these claims. --Fl e x (talk/contribs) 13:13, 19 August 2013 (UTC)


 * I believe I've heard about the Deacons twice in my life, the second time being in the reference that brought me here http://drftraining.com/2013/02/12/it%E2%80%99s-time-to-choose-a-side-this-will-offend-you/ That seems like "ignoring" to me, since I've heard about the Panthers easily hundreds of times, probably thousands. 98.118.26.43 (talk) 15:56, 12 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Sources are still needed (I see at least one was provided). Assertions don't depend on anecdotal evidence, such as your experience.Parkwells (talk) 20:20, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Ni--er Knocking?
Earnest “Chilly Willy” Thomas was born in Jonesboro, Louisiana, on November 20, 1935, in a time of extreme segregation. He believed that political reforms could be secured by force rather than moral appeal. The CORE had a freedom house in Jonesboro that became the target of the Klan. The practice referred to as “nigger knocking” was a time-honored tradition among whites in the rural South.[7] Because of repeated attacks on the Freedom House, the Black community responded. Earnest Thomas was one of the first volunteers to guard the house. According to Lance Hill, “Thomas was eager to work with CORE, but he had reservations about the nonviolent terms imposed by the young activists.”[7] Thomas, who had military training, quickly emerged as the leader of this budding defense organization that would guard the Jonesboro community in the day with their guns concealed and carried their guns openly during the cover of night to discourage any Klan activity.

I fail to see the information value of the second sentence in the paragraph. First, the wording "time-honored" seems laudatory. Secondly, it's really not at all informative to understand that the KKK and racist whites targeted facilities counter to their ideology. Third, grammatically the sentence seems inapt and disconnected to the subject of the paragraph. The sentence could be deleted and the paragraph would be equally informative, without including reference to the "time-honored" practice of white racists attacking blacks, since that really goes without saying. Read the paragraph without the second sentence, below:

Earnest “Chilly Willy” Thomas was born in Jonesboro, Louisiana, on November 20, 1935, in a time of extreme segregation. He believed that political reforms could be secured by force rather than moral appeal. The CORE had a freedom house in Jonesboro that became the target of the Klan. Because of repeated attacks on the Freedom House, the Black community responded. Earnest Thomas was one of the first volunteers to guard the house. According to Lance Hill, “Thomas was eager to work with CORE, but he had reservations about the nonviolent terms imposed by the young activists.”[7] Thomas, who had military training, quickly emerged as the leader of this budding defense organization that would guard the Jonesboro community in the day with their guns concealed and carried their guns openly during the cover of night to discourage any Klan activity.

What exactly has been lost in this version?


 * Agree that it is better.Parkwells (talk) 20:25, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Editing for clarity and concision
There was a lot of circular writing and repetition of unsourced material in this article. I have tried to reorganize it to emphasize chronology (including adding in the Lead the year the Deacons were founded), having events and incidents in roughly chronological order, etc. Established a "Representation in other media" section for the TV movie made on this topic. As IMDb is not a Reliable Source (RS) according to Wikipedia MOS, it would be better to find another source and have the IMDb link only as an "External link."Parkwells (talk) 20:25, 10 May 2017 (UTC)

Added content and sources
At least two books have been published related to the Deacons for Defense and their role in the civil rights movement, especially in LA. Have added these.Parkwells (talk) 15:25, 18 May 2017 (UTC)