She came to stay! Vote Akile!

Dear Editor:

My name is Gazi Kodzo and I am the interim campaign manager for Eritha “Akile” Cainion.

Firstly, we are winning! Secondly, I have the best District 6 candidate and we have the best supporters!

Our volunteers, known as the “Akile Squad,” have made the most calls, sent out the most emails and knocked on the most doors. The majority of the Akile Squad is the poor and working class black youths of St. Petersburg.

Cainion is the most dynamic candidate, not just in the city but also in the country! She receives hundreds of messages from people all over the nation saluting her for her passion and dedication to her community and her people. Her reach is so broad that she has done interviews with “Ebony” magazine, MTV and more.

Not only does Cainion win the masses with her courageous activism, but also her 10-point platform is so vividly progressive it has ignited the imagination of tens of thousands of people. Let the record show that even though she is the youngest candidate, she was the first to create and present her platform to the people because she understands the seriousness of her future seat.

Many of her competitors speak of having a movement, but their movements must either be invisible or have fallen ill because all media sources have stated that only Cainion and mayoral candidate Jesse Nevel have a movement that is visible, audible and front-page newsworthy.

The movement for Radical Times, Radical Solutions is so threatening to the system that they are being slandered by the status-quo media like Tampa Bay Times and Bay News 9. They are terrorized by the police and being kept out of the only televised debate on July 25. If this sounds familiar it’s because movements of the 1960s faced the same barrage of attacks.

The Eritha “Akile” Cainion campaign has been violated since day one, but she and her squad have prevailed through it all and have built a movement that has transformed the entire nucleus of this election from talking about a pier to talking about ending gentrification, economic development to the black community, black community control of the schools, black community control of the police and reparations to the black community.

During Monday’s debate, the aggression from the system against Cainion and her movement was so clear when the League of Women Voters unjustifiably silenced her in the debate.

The moderator said Cainion’s supporters cheering were too loud so they cut the time she was given to answer questions. They cut her time to answer questions to 30 seconds while her competitors had two minutes to answer!

This was not just an attack on democracy but a strike against the poor and working class black community and our fight against gentrification, poverty and police brutality!

Every political debate I have ever been to I hear people cheering for their candidate! When Donald Trump received a standing ovation during his debate, did they cut his time? When Bernie Sanders received roars of applause during his debate, did they cut his time? When Hillary Clinton’s supporters gave her cheers, did they cut her time?

Why was Cainion penalized for something that is typical during debates? It’s because she is a black woman that is representing the interests of the black community and bringing the poor and working class black community into the political arena while leading a fight against big money developers, corrupt politicians, the racist police department and gentrifying forces.

These corrupt political entities are used to holding forums, meetings and debates with decorum while discussing how to further terrorize and dismantle the black community to continue building empty domes and overpriced high rises on top of us.

They are not used to the victims of their crummy deals being present in the room. Therefore, they took time away from my candidate not because of the volume, but because the people were present and winning!

Cainion packs the room to record high numbers with poor and working class black citizens and our white allies who have been charged by the zeal and a bright future, which her campaign and platform presents to the people.

Even with these dirty and malicious attacks of taking her time away, Cainion still won that night! Not only did she once again lay out a platform that speaks to the core issues that the white community of St. Petersburg lives at the expense of the black community, she reminded her constituents of her profound background.

She showed her experience of engaging in building and sustaining real black economic development and not just using it as a buzzword to pander voters. She laid out her years of participation in black economic instructions such as, One Nation One Africa Market Place, Uhuru Health Festival & Flea Market, Jiko Commercial Kitchen, Akwaaba Auditorium and Banquet Hall, All People’s Tyron Lewis Gym, Uhuru Foods and Pies, Black Power 96.3 Community Radio Station and so much more!

All of which directly benefit the black community of south side St. Petersburg.

No one can touch my candidate, Eritha “Akile” Cainion, in experience, platform, activism, leadership skills, community organizing and enthusiasm.

We are winning because the people want the Uhuru candidate, aka the Freedom Candidate!

Gazi Kodzo