Former Green Bay Packer and Super Bowl Champ Christopher Darkins Talks Mass Incarceration and Federal Usurpation of State Power
The Hype Magazine caught up with Former NFL Green Bay Packer and Super Bowl Champ Christopher Darkins to discuss the YahLife Nation, its Criminal and Economic Justice Syndicate (CEJS) as well as one of the high-profile cases they are currently working on for Atlanta rapper and community activist Ralo. Ralo became a victim of the federal justice system after aggressively executing a “buy back the block” program which saw him purchase an apartment building and allowing tenants to reside there free of charge while at the same time receiving a stipend to keep body and soul together. Ralo also made national news when he determined he would give his money to the homeless rather than throw it in the strip club. He publicly threw approximately $10,000 to a group of homeless help seekers making headlines. Subsequently, the apartment building was raided and Ralo was later arrested on conspiracy charges. Currently, he’s inexplicably being held without bail.
Darkins is now the YahLife Community Chief and heads up CEJS after being the first case YahLife successfully defended. Tune in to this Dark America discussion!
Here’s the official line on Ralo and the case YahLife is assisting him with
Atlanta rapper and community activist Ralo expands his family after joining YahLife Nation on January 29, 2019. YahLife is a community development initiative designed to marshal human, financial, and intellectual capital to restore African American households into positions of leadership. Ralo is now eligible to operate through its Criminal and Economic Justice Syndicate (CEJS), which challenges the systematic laws imposed upon African American people. CEJS is providing arraignment intervention and legal advocacy to Ralo towards the drug conspiracy charges filed in April 2018.
Established in December 2017, CEJS is a nonprofit, unincorporated association that advocates on behalf of YahLife citizens in criminal matters initiated by government agencies. The mission is to reclaim liberty and prosperity for at-risk members, while working to reverse the mass incarceration of African Americans in America.
“So far, we’ve been able to successfully assist six cases on YahLife members,” Tribal Chief Justice YahDeinke Rasaan James states. “We’ve have gotten members out of jail, received a number of dismissals, and have many more in the pipeline.”
Former NFL Green Bay Packer Superbowl Champion and now YahLife Community Chief, Christopher Darkins, is currently the quarterback for CEJS after being the first case YahLife defended. In 2016, Darkins was wrongfully accused in Georgia, similar to Ralo’s case, facing one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana. While in federal lockup, he fought the charges for seven months representing himself, and was dismissed on May 3, 2017 for lack of prosecution.
“When I got out, I decided I was going to intellectually weaponize black men myself,” Darkins states. “The brothers you see in jail are prisoners of war. The economic system doesn’t serve them, the education system doesn’t educate them, and the criminal justice system doesn’t recognize them as people they need to provide justice for.”
Ralo’s wife Shanquita Potts and community members are seeking to pass H.R. 493 the 116th Congres’ Sensible Enforcement of Cannabis Act of 2019, which directs the Attorney General to focus on certain enforcement priorities and provisions of the Controlled Substance Act. The passing of this bill would stop the unconstitutional application of federal drug laws to incarcerate African Americans who are statistically less likely to be sellers or buyers of marijuana than Caucasians. With these initiatives, YahLife hopes to see a dramatic reduction in unlawful imprisonment, search and seizures, and malicious prosecutions of African American men and women.
All CEJS interventions require approval by a three-judge panel in order to receive help from the National Council.
“When we heard of his story, we were impressed by everything Ralo had done in his community,” Darkins states. “He changed the lives around him and that’s what YahLife is all about. This is why we are utilizing all of our resources to get him home.”
Since the arrest of Ralo, he has plead not guilty to the drug trafficking charges, while his family and friends reached out for help on his behalf. According to Potts, rapper YFN Lucci’s camp connected to YahLife through Darkins who reached out to Ralo’s manager, Queen who’s the sister of deceased Atlanta rapper, Shawty Lo. Today, leaders of CEJS have been working closely with his family to build on his case. YahLife’s judicial branch is substantiated by knowledge derived from pre-civil war cases and constitutional treaties. The resources of CEJS are leveraged via laws surrounding libertarian theories and jurisdictional arguments.
“Knowing Chris had a similar case like this makes us confident in Ralo’s chances of freedom,” Potts states. “When we spoke with him, he really empathized with our family because he knew what it was like to be in Ralo’s shoes. We are convinced in the strength of YahLife and happy to know we are all in this together.”
Featured image by BPhotography713
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About the Author
Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
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