Crime

NAACP Demands Answers in Hanging Death of Son of BLM Activist

THE AFRO — National and local chapters of the NAACP continue to call out the St. Louis Medical Examiner’s office over the issue of whether the office will be destroying evidence in the investigation of the death of Danye Jones.

Published

6 years ago

January 7, 2019

Oakland Post

By AFRO Staff

National and local chapters of the NAACP continue to call out the St. Louis Medical Examiner’s office over the issue of whether the office will be destroying evidence in the investigation of the death of Danye Jones.

Jones, the son Black Lives Matter activist Melissa McKinnes, was found dead, hanging from a tree, nine weeks ago at the McKinnes home.

McKinnes believes that her son was murdered, but has not yet received the promised Medical Examiner’s report, a document expected eight weeks ago.

Police report the death as a suicide, whereas McKinnes says her son died in a “lynching.”

Jones’s death falls within a series of murders and suspicious deaths of prominent Ferguson activists that took to the streets in protest of the killing of Michael Brown.

McKinnes claims that she and other activists across the country are being targeted by multiple law enforcement agencies and White supremacist groups who find her work dangerous. Many Federal agencies have already been found to be surveilling other such activists.

“We are calling for justice and transparency,” said John Gaskin III, St. Louis County NAACP President.”

A lawsuit, filed last year by Color of Change and the Center for Constitutional Rights, remains ongoing. It asks for answers regarding the full extent of law enforcements targeting of agitating within the movement for Black lives.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

Published

3 days ago

June 20, 2025

Oakland Post

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Learning Life’s Lessons

Since his release over five years ago, Richard has committed himself to making a difference, particularly by reaching out to women and families who lack the presence of a father or husband. He knows he cannot undo the years lost behind prison walls, but he is determined to use his past to build a better future for others. His story mirrors that of many who have walked a similar path. Yet, it remains uniquely his own – a testament to the power of change, resilience, and the belief that even from tragedy, something good can emerge.

Published

1 week ago

June 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Richard Johnson and son Fati. Courtesy photo.

“California’s three-strike laws gave me 2 life sentences for drug possession. After serving 28 years, mostly in solitary confinement, I am free to lead a movement to get the formerly incarcerated to give back.”

By Richard Johnson

I have written this book in hopes of being able to help others from not traveling down the path that leads to imprisonment or a cemetery. At the very beginning of writing this book, it began as a message to my son Fati Yero Gaidi, who was only two years old at the time that I was given two life sentences in prison for drug possession, under the newly implemented three-strikes-you-out law. The more that I wrote, the book began to evolve beyond its intended purpose for my son; it became something that any and everyone could utilize on their separate journeys through life challenges that we encounter. The book helped me put my thoughts, reasoning, perceptions, and views on display, while opening doors that, for the most part, were closed. The book can be purchased via Amazon. Learning life lessons.

About the Author

By Post staff

Richard “Razor” Johnson, 74, is a man whose life journey is marked by hard-earned wisdom, redemption, and an unshakable commitment to guiding the next generation. Once sentenced to life under California’s Three Strikes Law, he was released through what he calls nothing short of divine intervention. His time behind bars, particularly in Pelican Bay State Prison, gave him a new raw and unfiltered understanding of life’s hardest truths.

With the realization that time is precious and the future is shaped by the lessons we learn, Richard writes with urgency and purpose. His book—a 300-page labor of love—is dedicated to young men who may not have a father to teach them the meaning of life’s most important words. Through definitions filled with wisdom, experience, and deep personal insight, he offers direction to those who find themselves lost, just as he once was.

His words are not just lessons; they are a call to action. He hopes that by investing in young minds with wisdom and insight, they will be better equipped to navigate life’s trials, learn from their mistakes, and find their path to success. Richard “Razor” Johnson writes not just to be heard, but to help – because he knows firsthand that sometimes guidance can make all the difference.

Post publishers Paul and Gay Cobb visited Johnson in San Quentin and attended his graduation while he was in prison. He became a columnist with the Post News Group and has continued his advocacy for the formerly incarcerated by urging them to “give something back”. Johnson says he will be speaking at prisons, colleges, and media outlets to help organize voter registration and community service projects.