HSK EXCLUSIVE WITH NATION OF ISLAM’S CAPTAIN DENNIS MUHAMMAD

CONTINUES PREACHING PEACEFUL TEACHINGS OF ELIJAH MUHAMMAD

I had the great opportunity to speak with The Nation of Islam’s Captain Dennis Muhammad, the man behind the movement, “At-One PeaceKeepers”. Dennis Muhammad’s mission is to provide alternative training offered to neighborhood law enforcement, under the “Enota Project”.

It’s now been 36-years since he made the conversion to become a Muslim. He paid his dues, which earned him the title of a Captain of the Nation of Islam; which are some big shoes to fill. Holding the title of Captain means Dennis Muhammad is responsible for training males to become better men, better husbands, better fathers, and better citizens of society as a whole.

Dennis grew-up on the poverty stricken streets of Columbus, Ohio. The now reformed Dennis Muhammad is no stranger to police brutality. As a teen, he and a pair of his friends broke into a gas station, neither one of them had a gun. That’s when the then 14-year-old Dennis was shot at, by a cop. It happened while Dennis was using a crowbar to break the glass of a cigarette machine, inside the gas station. The oil that blanketed the floor at the scene of the crime is what Dennis says saved his life. “I fell to the ground because of that oil,” said Dennis. “When I got up, he hit me upside the head with the side of his gun, and grabbed me – calling me, a nigger and a lucky son of a bitch.” Dennis says the oil he slipped on was no coincidence. “If God didn’t have that oil on that ground, I wouldn’t be here to tell this story,” said Dennis.

He was ultimately charged with breaking and entering. After being convicted, Dennis served a year (in 1967) at a juvenile detention facility. While serving his sentence (which was predominantly filled with both Caucasian juvenile inmates, and Caucasian jail guards), Dennis was accused of the beating of a fellow prisoner (who happened to be Caucasian). He says he did not do it, but was not about to spill the beans, by becoming a rat. “They (the guards) tried to beat the confession out of me” said Dennis. “This happened at the same time Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.”

By the time Dennis reached the age of 17, he caught a forgery charge, after the then teen was caught forging checks. In order to try and escape more of his young life behind bars, Dennis enlisted into the army. The judge presiding over the case granted Dennis 30-days to enlist into the Marine Corps. He was ultimately rejected. As a result, Dennis (then age 18) was sentenced to 30-days at the Franklin County Jail. Turns out, those 30-days were a blessing in disguise. Because, that’s where he met the man who helped Dennis convert to becoming a Muslim.

On the very first day Dennis stepped into the county jail, he was approached by a fellow prisoner, “He asked me – Have you ever heard of the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad?” said Dennis. “I heard that mutha fucka just takes people’s money.” Dennis replied. The man who now serves as a Captain to The Nation of Islam, admitted to me that he was about to get his ass kicked as several other prisoners displayed complete shock, after new bird on the block was acting way outta pocket to an O.G. “He pushed me up against the bars,” said Dennis. “He said you’re gonna respect him and you’re gonna respect me, lil’ nigga!” That very same day, while at the mess hall (where many inmates eat their three meals a day), Dennis spotted the same O.G. who put his ass in check. He noticed the man who was about give him a beat-down just hours earlier, threw a bologna sandwich into the garbage. To try to make amends with the man, Dennis offered to trade his cheese sandwich for the O.G.’s meat sandwich. His request was flat out denied. “I was moved by how that man had enough capacity to not give me what he didn’t eat,” said Dennis. “So, I asked him to come on and tell me something about Elijah.” During the last 15-days of Dennis’ sentence, the man who brought the Qur’an to him, eventually took Dennis under his wing. “I was like a student..That’s how I became a Muslim, and I left reformed out of jail, a Muslim,” said Captain Muhammad. “It changed my life for the better and it made me the respected man I now am, across the country.”

Not only has Dennis Muhammad been a member of The Nation of Islam for almost four decades, but he’s also served as personal security to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. What’s even more impressive is the fact that though Dennis Muhammad has encountered police brutality first-hand, he’s chosen to rise above that negative experience of his life and turn it into a positive. Here’s a teen who could have been murdered at the hands of a cop. Now, the founder of the “Enota Project” is also the man law enforcement officials have relied upon for more than 20-years, for what’s called “law enforcement sensitivity.” He’s called in to ‘school’ police officers, working in law enforcement agencies that are found to be NOT upholding the “To Serve and Protect” protocol, while their stations are under investigations of racial profiling and police brutality.

I asked Dennis Muhammad to share his feelings regarding the infamous Rodney King beating, at the hands of several LAPD officers. “Historically, police brutality is not a stranger when it come to minorities, replied Captain Dennis. “White people were outraged, but not enough of them stepped up to speak out.”

Because of his respected process of sensitivity training of Harlem police officers, Dennis Muhammad was one of the very first people to shake the hand of former NYPD Chief of Police, the very day William Bratton was sworn in.

Not long after Bratton took the seat of Chief of Police to NYPD, chaos broke out. Hundreds of police officers and swat team members surrounded Harlem’s Mosque #7. “They (the cops) ran past our security with their guns drawn, during a Sunday Mosque Meeting,” said Captain Dennis. “Drug dealers were dealing around Harlem’s Mosque #7, and we (Mosque members) did what we could to clean-up the area” said Dennis Muhammad. “A fake 9-1-1 call was made, which Bratton later played for me…the anonymous caller reported a robbery was going down up stairs, in the Mosque.” stated Dennis Muhammad. “It was evident on my part, and theirs that somebody wanted to see this happen.” A fight broke out as a result of the mayhem, and the brothers of Islam retreated back into the Mosque.

A meeting was immediately set-up to find a way to resolve the unfortunate situation at hand. Former Chief Bratton, Dennis Muhammad, Nation of Islam’s Minister Conrad (NYC Headquarters), Nation of Islam’s Minister Don (of Boston’s Headquarters), and a major Chicago official all put their heads together to hopefully come-up with a peaceful solution to the problem on their hands. Dennis says Rev. Al Sharpton was denied access to that meeting. New York’s Mayor (at that time) Rudy Giuliani, suggested that swat team members should storm the Mosque, but Bratton shot that idea down immediately. Dennis Muhammad admits Bratton looked to him for advice, “He asked me – How can we take what’s on the front page, and put it on the back page?” stated Dennis Muhammad.

Dennis says he requested to have an qualified African American person take the seat of Captain of Police for the district of Harlem. With William Bratton’s blessing, Dennis Muhammad played a major role in landing the first African American female, Joyce Stevens the seat of Harlem’s Deputy Inspector. As a result, William Bratton merged the NYPD and New York’s Housing and Transportation Authorities as one entity.

The Nation of Islam’s Captain Dennis’ pro-active movement to help rid America’s streets of violence (The Enota Project), now has many followers across the country. Some of those looking to lend their helping hands to the Captain’s mission range from families who were forced to bury their children, after being brutally murdered…to reformed gang members…and even well-known celebrities including Russell Simmons, Eric B, Doug E Fresh, Eric Sermon and Charles Oakley.

Just last week, HSK reported on a Chicago teen’s murder, after he was bludgeoned to death with a board, by a group of teens. Now, the mother of the deceased 16-year-old boy is stricken with grief. “It’s hard,” says Anjanette Albert. “Ya hear about that happening to other people’s kids, and never think that’s something that will happen to yours.” The sad reality is, Anjanette Albert is not alone. Delaware resident, Gail Cannon tragically lost both of her sons. The first one was shot to death, as was the second…just nine months later. Detroit resident, Ruby Cameron also buried her son after he lost his life during a drug overdose. I mean…the list goes on and on. That’s exactly why Dennis Muhammad, who is married and a devoted father to four grown children, has now made it a point to devote the rest of his life to ensure America’s adults of tomorrow live in a society without ignorance and unnecessary violence.

As of February of this year, America’s total resident population is about 305 million people. According to the United nations, “the US is EXPECTED 402 million BY 2050 — an increase of 32%, less than the world’s 38%.”

With that stated, we’ve found some staggering statistics for you:

US CRIME STATS
- Gun violence > Homicides > % homicides with firearms 39.5604
- Murders 16,204
- Murders with firearms 9,369
- Prisoners 2,019,234 prisoners
- Rapes 95,136
- Total crime victims 21.1%
- Total crimes 11,877,218

In the words of Captain Dennis Muhammad: “One hour of doing something is better than 24-hours of doing nothing, we meet our youth where they are.”

To learn more details about the Captain Dennis Muhammad’s pro-active movement, please click the link below.

And, if you think that, “I’m just one person…how would I be able to help do something to stop this rapidly growing problem?” YOU ARE WRONG! We need each and every one of you to stand by this mission. It’s a domino effect…and you are one of those Domino’s.