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from Stratfor.com
Prosecutors in Oakland, Calif., are expected to file charges this week against at least one suspect in the Aug. 2 slaying of Chauncey Bailey, editor-in-chief of the weekly African American newspaper, The Oakland Post. Bailey, who was gunned down in broad daylight near the Alameda County Courthouse, was investigating Your Black Muslim Bakery, a combined bakery, bookstore and community outreach center operated by a group of black Muslims in west Oakland. One of the suspects, 19-year-old Devaughdre Broussard, a handyman who worked at the bakery, reportedly has confessed to the shooting.
Bailey’s colleagues believe he was killed because he was looking too closely at the organization’s finances and internal affairs. Individuals associated with the bakery have been linked to at least two other killings in Oakland, have been seen brandishing weapons in the neighborhood, and allegedly have attacked local stores that sell alcoholic beverages, burning one of them. Oakland police raided the bakery Aug. 3 – the day after the slaying – following what authorities said was a yearlong investigation into several violent crimes associated with the organization. Seven people, including Broussard, were arrested.
The bakery was founded in 1968 by Yusef Bey, a black activist influenced by the writings of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the black separatist group Nation of Islam. Although there were similarities between Bey’s organization and the Nation of Islam, the two were, and remain, separate organizations. By 1971, the bakery had become a center of the black nationalist community, and Bey intended for it to become a model for black businesses and black economic self-sufficiency. Bey died in 2003 and was succeeded by Waajid Aliawaad Bey, who was slain in 2004. Antar Bey, one of Yusef’s sons, then took over the organization but was killed in 2005 during a carjacking attempt. Another of Yusef Bey’s sons, Yusuf Ali Bey, also known as Yusuf Bey IV, took over the organization and was listed as its CEO in October 2006 when the bakery, facing more than $1 million in debt, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. He reportedly was one of the people arrested in the Aug. 3 raid.
Groups on the fringe of the U.S. Muslim community, including Your Black Muslim Bakery, are especially scrutinized by intelligence and law enforcement agencies because of their possible links to domestic or international terrorism. Actors such as the Jamaat al-Fuqra movement, the Miami Seven and convicted D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad are not part of the mainstream Muslim community in the United States, but exist on the fringe and often follow unorthodox practices. Some of these Muslims disassociate with the main Muslim community in order to pursue violent agendas or engage in criminal activities.
White hate, anti-abortion, and animal rights groups, as well as biker gangs, receive similar law enforcement attention. These groups also exist on the fringes of society and often have militant agendas or advocate violence. Some biker gangs also are heavily involved in criminal enterprises. In many cases, investigations into these group’s finances lead law enforcement to their criminal or militant activity.
Although they might believe their activities are not attracting attention, fringe Muslim groups – like white hate and certain activist organizations – figure prominently on the watch lists of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. These groups often are shut down before they actually kill anyone. In the case of Your Black Muslim Bakery, however, it seems the authorities arrived too late.
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