Ernie Chambers
Encyclopedia
Ernest W. Chambers (born July 10, 1937) is a former Nebraska State Senator who represented North Omaha
's 11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature
. He is also a civil rights
activist and is considered by most citizens of Nebraska as the most prominent and outspoken African American leader
in the state. As a State Senator, Chambers was considered one of the Legislature's most passionate, controversial and colorful members and was characterized by some outlets of the national media as "the Maverick of Omaha," the "angriest black man in Nebraska," and "defender of the downtrodden". Due to a term limits law passed in 2000, his term in the Nebraska Legislature ended in January 2009. It is generally agreed that even after 38 years he would have easily won re-election. As he put it, "They had to change the [state] constitution to get rid of me." He is the longest-serving state senator in the history of Nebraska.
and Creighton University School of Law
although he is not a member of the bar and does not practice law.
The protest that catapulted Senator Chambers, as a young 25-year-old, into the political limelight occurred in 1963 while he worked for the Omaha post office. Chambers was fired for insubordination because he did not appreciate the management at the Post Office referring to the black staff as “boys.” Young, outspoken, courageous, and alone, Ernie Chambers picketed the Postmaster General’s speech in Omaha with a sign that read, “I spoke against discrimination in the Omaha Post Office and was fired.”
He was a young barber when he first appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1966 documentary film A Time for Burning
. During this period, he emerged as a prominent leader in the North Omaha community as illustrated in his instrumental role during the 1966 riots, when he successfully negotiated concessions from the city's leaders on behalf of the African American youths of North Omaha.
Realizing that the North Omaha's 11th District needed a voice to represent it, the community recommended that Chambers run to replace deceased Senator Edward Danner, and appointee George W. Althouse. Senator Chambers’s grass roots brand of politics from the streets helped him to be elected to the conservative unicameral legislature in 1970.
Sen. Chambers also ran for the United States Senate
in 1988 as a New Alliance Party
candidate. He petitioned to be included on the 1974 ballot for Governor of the state of Nebraska and also ran for Governor in 1994, receiving 0.44% of the vote.
Chambers hosted a weekly call-in Public-access television
cable TV show on Omaha Cox Channel 22.
veto; the issue remained as a primary focus of his while in office.
Frequently employing legislative rules and filibusters to block proposals, his legislative opposition has caused friction with some of his colleagues in the Legislature. It has, in fact, been suggested by opponents of legislative term limits that the 2000 amendment limiting senators to two four-year terms had been conceived largely to force him from his position. But despite such friction, he is well respected by many past and present Nebraska politicians for his intimate knowledge of legislative rules, his persuasive skills as an orator and for wearing his sweatsuits or black or blue T-shirts and denim jeans on the floor of the Senate rather than a suit.
. The district court
held that the prayer did not violate the Constitution, but that state support for the chaplain did. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals
held that both practices violated the Constitution. However, in Marsh v. Chambers
(1983), the Supreme Court
held by a 6–3 vote that both practices were constitutional because of the "unique history" of the United States.
, a Nebraska grand jury was convened to investigate the allegations and possibly return indictments. Eventually, the grand jury ruled the entire matter was "a carefully crafted hoax," although they failed to identify the perpetrators of said hoax.
district into three different districts. The bill and its amendment were created in response to an effort by the Omaha schools district to "absorb a string of largely white schools that were within the Omaha city limits but were controlled by suburban or independent districts". Omaha Schools claimed that the usurpation was necessary to avoid financial and racial inequity
, but supporters of LB 1024 contested the district's expansion, favoring more localized control, especially along racial and ethnic lines. The bill has received national attention and some critics have referred to it as "state-sponsored segregation".
A bill passed in 2007 repealed LB 1024, restoring pre-2006 Omaha-area school district boundaries, after which a "learning community" was created to equalize student achievement in Douglas
and Sarpy
counties.
Sen. Chambers said his action was in response to another lawsuit filed in the state court that he considers to be frivolous and inappropriate. In that case a woman was taking Lancaster County Judge Jeffre Cheuvront to federal court for ruling that the words "rape", "sexual assault kit", "victim", and "assailant" could not be used in her testimony.
Senator Chambers (a member of the Judiciary Committee) stated that the case "is inappropriate because the Nebraska Supreme Court has already considered the case and federal courts follow the decisions of state supreme courts on state matters." He went on to announce his lawsuit against God and said "This lawsuit [against Judge Cheuvront] having been filed and being of such questionable merit creates a circumstance where my lawsuit is appropriately filed. People might call it frivolous but if they read it they’ll see there are very serious issues I have raised."
Chambers' lawsuit drew even more media attention than the lawsuit that had inspired him to take the action to prove his point. Many media outlets covering the story made no mention that Chambers' case was intended to show that the courts were currently required to hear cases, regardless of how frivolous they were. The confusion was furthered by Chambers himself who, apparently tongue-in-cheek, told reporters that his case was not to protest frivolous lawsuits, but to insure them saying his action was "in response to bills brought forth by other state senators to try and stop lawsuits from being filed. 'The Constitution requires that the courthouse doors be open, so you cannot prohibit the filing of suits, Anyone can sue anyone they choose, even God.'"
The case was finally closed on February 25, 2008 when the Nebraska Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal and vacated the order of the district court. The court quoted cases according to which "[a] court decides real controversies and determines rights actually controverted, and does not address or dispose of abstract questions or issues that might arise in hypothetical or fictitious situation or setting".
, who were convicted of the murder of an Omaha police officer; Amnesty International considers the men political prisoner
s.
Often clashing with fellow senators, Senator Chambers has taken on several issues of concern to rural Nebraskans during his tenure, such as a bill requiring landowners to manage the population of black-tailed prairie dog
s on their property and a proposed constitutional amendment to preserve the right to fish, trap and hunt in the state. Chambers described the latter measure as one of the most "asinine, simple-minded pieces of trash" ever to be considered by the Legislature. In 2004 Chambers co-authored an opinion piece with U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne opposing a set of initiative
s that would allow casino gambling and slot machines in Nebraska. Chambers also opposed proposed funding of the state's ethanol plant incentive programs, declaring them "a boondoggle".
In the spring of 2006, Chambers withdrew support from two tax incentive bills which would have provided funding for Omaha and Lincoln civic building projects. Chambers claimed that he withdrew support because Omaha business leaders had insulted the Legislature and the North Omaha community which he represents by criticizing the passage of LB 1024. He was also insulted by the Omaha City Council
's refusal to name a North Omaha park after him despite another request by that neighborhood to do so.
He has also been featured as a guest on The Political Cesspool
.
was renamed the Ernie Chambers Court in the 1990s.
North Omaha, Nebraska
North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the east, as defined by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha...
's 11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature
Nebraska Legislature
The Nebraska Legislature is the supreme legislative body of the State of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County....
. He is also a civil rights
Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska
The Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska has roots that extend back until at least 1912. With a history of racial tension that starts before the founding of the city, Omaha has been the home of numerous overt efforts related to securing civil rights for African Americans since at least the...
activist and is considered by most citizens of Nebraska as the most prominent and outspoken African American leader
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska are central to the development and growth of the 43rd largest city in the United States. The first free black settler in the city arrived in 1854, the year the city was incorporated....
in the state. As a State Senator, Chambers was considered one of the Legislature's most passionate, controversial and colorful members and was characterized by some outlets of the national media as "the Maverick of Omaha," the "angriest black man in Nebraska," and "defender of the downtrodden". Due to a term limits law passed in 2000, his term in the Nebraska Legislature ended in January 2009. It is generally agreed that even after 38 years he would have easily won re-election. As he put it, "They had to change the [state] constitution to get rid of me." He is the longest-serving state senator in the history of Nebraska.
Biography
Ernie Chambers is a lifetime Omaha resident. He is a graduate of Omaha Central High SchoolOmaha Central High School
Omaha Central High School, originally known as Omaha High School, was founded in 1859.The current building, located in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, was designed by John Latenser, Sr. and built between 1900 and 1912...
and Creighton University School of Law
Creighton University School of Law
Creighton University School of Law is a part of Creighton University. Founded in 1904, Creighton Law is one of 14 Jesuit Catholic law schools in the U.S. One out of every 10 American law students is enrolled in a Jesuit law school. Situated primarily in urban centers, these schools were...
although he is not a member of the bar and does not practice law.
The protest that catapulted Senator Chambers, as a young 25-year-old, into the political limelight occurred in 1963 while he worked for the Omaha post office. Chambers was fired for insubordination because he did not appreciate the management at the Post Office referring to the black staff as “boys.” Young, outspoken, courageous, and alone, Ernie Chambers picketed the Postmaster General’s speech in Omaha with a sign that read, “I spoke against discrimination in the Omaha Post Office and was fired.”
He was a young barber when he first appeared in the Oscar-nominated 1966 documentary film A Time for Burning
A Time for Burning
A Time for Burning is a 1966 American documentary film which explores the attempts of the minister of Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska, to persuade his all-white congregation to reach out to "negro" Lutherans in the city's north side. The film was directed by San Francisco filmmaker...
. During this period, he emerged as a prominent leader in the North Omaha community as illustrated in his instrumental role during the 1966 riots, when he successfully negotiated concessions from the city's leaders on behalf of the African American youths of North Omaha.
Realizing that the North Omaha's 11th District needed a voice to represent it, the community recommended that Chambers run to replace deceased Senator Edward Danner, and appointee George W. Althouse. Senator Chambers’s grass roots brand of politics from the streets helped him to be elected to the conservative unicameral legislature in 1970.
Political career
First elected to represent North Omaha's 11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature in 1970, Chambers was successfully re-elected in every ensuing election through 2004. On April 25, 2005, Chambers became Nebraska's longest-serving state senator, having served for more than 35 years. He was not allowed to seek re-election in 2008 because of a constitutional amendment passed by Nebraska voters in 2000 which limits Nebraska state legislators to two consecutive four-year terms. The constitutional amendment, however, permits senators to seek re-election to their office after sitting out for four years. In June 2010, Chambers indicated he may consider seeking re-election in 2012 to the District 11 seat he held in the Legislature for nearly four decades.Sen. Chambers also ran for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 1988 as a New Alliance Party
New Alliance Party
The New Alliance Party was an American political party formed in New York City in 1979. Its immediate precursor was an umbrella organization known as the Labor Community Alliance for Change, whose member groups included the coalition of Grass Roots Women and the New York City Unemployed and...
candidate. He petitioned to be included on the 1974 ballot for Governor of the state of Nebraska and also ran for Governor in 1994, receiving 0.44% of the vote.
Chambers hosted a weekly call-in Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV show on Omaha Cox Channel 22.
Legislative service
Senator Chambers' politics are liberal. He is a firm opponent of the death penalty, and introduced a bill to repeal Nebraska's capital punishment law at the start of each legislative session. The bill was once passed by the Legislature but could not overcome Governor Dave Heineman'sDave Heineman
David Eugene "Dave" Heineman is the 39th and current Governor of Nebraska. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
veto; the issue remained as a primary focus of his while in office.
Frequently employing legislative rules and filibusters to block proposals, his legislative opposition has caused friction with some of his colleagues in the Legislature. It has, in fact, been suggested by opponents of legislative term limits that the 2000 amendment limiting senators to two four-year terms had been conceived largely to force him from his position. But despite such friction, he is well respected by many past and present Nebraska politicians for his intimate knowledge of legislative rules, his persuasive skills as an orator and for wearing his sweatsuits or black or blue T-shirts and denim jeans on the floor of the Senate rather than a suit.
Marsh v. Chambers
Senator Chambers initiated a lawsuit in 1980 attempting to end the Legislature's practice of beginning its session with a prayer offered by a state-supported chaplain, arguing that such practice was forbidden by the Establishment Clause of the First AmendmentEstablishment Clause of the First Amendment
The Establishment Clause is the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, stating, Together with the Free Exercise Clause The Establishment Clause is the first of several pronouncements in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,...
. The district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
held that the prayer did not violate the Constitution, but that state support for the chaplain did. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Arkansas* Western District of Arkansas...
held that both practices violated the Constitution. However, in Marsh v. Chambers
Marsh v. Chambers
Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783 , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that government funding for chaplains was constitutional because of the "unique history" of the United States...
(1983), the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
held by a 6–3 vote that both practices were constitutional because of the "unique history" of the United States.
1986 NCAA student athletes as state employees
Senator Chambers has promoted recognizing NCAA student athletes as state employees since the 1980s, arguing that the athletes are generating revenue for their universities without any legal benefits for doing so, which encourages illegal payments and gifts. A bill on this issue too was once passed by the Legislature and again it was unable to overcome the governor's veto. After it was revealed that requiring student athletes to be recognized as state employees would jeopardize any university's NCAA standing, the language of the bill was changed such that a university could allow for players to be paid a stipend, a change that allowed for the bill's passage and signature of governor approval in 2003.1989 Franklin Scandal
According to an article that appeared in the December 18, 1988, edition of the New York Times, unidentified people present at a closed meeting reported that Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers claimed he heard credible reports of "boys and girls, some of them from foster homes, who had been transported around the country by airplane to provide sexual favors, for which they were rewarded." Investigating what became known as the Franklin child prostitution ring allegationsFranklin child prostitution ring allegations
The Franklin child prostitution ring allegations were a series of high-profile accusations and legal actions between 1988 and 1991 surrounding an alleged child sex ring serving prominent citizens of Omaha, Nebraska, as well as high-level U.S. politicians. The allegations centered around the actions...
, a Nebraska grand jury was convened to investigate the allegations and possibly return indictments. Eventually, the grand jury ruled the entire matter was "a carefully crafted hoax," although they failed to identify the perpetrators of said hoax.
2006 Omaha Public Schools controversy
In April 2006, Senator Chambers introduced LB 1024, an amendment to a bill that would divide the Omaha Public SchoolsOmaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska. This public school district serves a diverse community of more than 46,000 students at over 80 elementary and secondary schools in Omaha, Nebraska...
district into three different districts. The bill and its amendment were created in response to an effort by the Omaha schools district to "absorb a string of largely white schools that were within the Omaha city limits but were controlled by suburban or independent districts". Omaha Schools claimed that the usurpation was necessary to avoid financial and racial inequity
Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska
Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska occurred mostly because of the city's volatile mixture of high numbers of new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and African-American migrants from the Deep South. While racial discrimination existed at several levels, the violent outbreaks were within...
, but supporters of LB 1024 contested the district's expansion, favoring more localized control, especially along racial and ethnic lines. The bill has received national attention and some critics have referred to it as "state-sponsored segregation".
A bill passed in 2007 repealed LB 1024, restoring pre-2006 Omaha-area school district boundaries, after which a "learning community" was created to equalize student achievement in Douglas
Douglas County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 463,585 people, 182,194 households, and 115,146 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,401 people per square mile . There were 192,672 housing units at an average density of 582 per square mile...
and Sarpy
Sarpy County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 122,595 people, 43,426 households, and 33,220 families residing in the county. The population density was 510 people per square mile . There were 44,981 housing units at an average density of 187 per square mile...
counties.
2007 Lawsuit against God
On September 14, 2007, Sen. Chambers filed a lawsuit against God, seeking a permanent injunction ordering God to "cease certain harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats...of grave harm to innumerable persons, including constituents of Plaintiff who Plaintiff has the duty to represent".Sen. Chambers said his action was in response to another lawsuit filed in the state court that he considers to be frivolous and inappropriate. In that case a woman was taking Lancaster County Judge Jeffre Cheuvront to federal court for ruling that the words "rape", "sexual assault kit", "victim", and "assailant" could not be used in her testimony.
Senator Chambers (a member of the Judiciary Committee) stated that the case "is inappropriate because the Nebraska Supreme Court has already considered the case and federal courts follow the decisions of state supreme courts on state matters." He went on to announce his lawsuit against God and said "This lawsuit [against Judge Cheuvront] having been filed and being of such questionable merit creates a circumstance where my lawsuit is appropriately filed. People might call it frivolous but if they read it they’ll see there are very serious issues I have raised."
Chambers' lawsuit drew even more media attention than the lawsuit that had inspired him to take the action to prove his point. Many media outlets covering the story made no mention that Chambers' case was intended to show that the courts were currently required to hear cases, regardless of how frivolous they were. The confusion was furthered by Chambers himself who, apparently tongue-in-cheek, told reporters that his case was not to protest frivolous lawsuits, but to insure them saying his action was "in response to bills brought forth by other state senators to try and stop lawsuits from being filed. 'The Constitution requires that the courthouse doors be open, so you cannot prohibit the filing of suits, Anyone can sue anyone they choose, even God.'"
The case was finally closed on February 25, 2008 when the Nebraska Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal and vacated the order of the district court. The court quoted cases according to which "[a] court decides real controversies and determines rights actually controverted, and does not address or dispose of abstract questions or issues that might arise in hypothetical or fictitious situation or setting".
Assorted legislation
Chambers has long advocated on behalf of David Rice and Ed PoindexterRice/Poindexter Case
David Rice and Edward Poindexter were charged and convicted of the murder of Omaha Police Officer Larry Minard. Minard died when a suitcase containing dynamite exploded in a North Omaha home on August 17, 1970...
, who were convicted of the murder of an Omaha police officer; Amnesty International considers the men political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s.
Often clashing with fellow senators, Senator Chambers has taken on several issues of concern to rural Nebraskans during his tenure, such as a bill requiring landowners to manage the population of black-tailed prairie dog
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
The black-tailed prairie dog , is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the USA-Canada border to the USA-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, these animals do not truly hibernate. The black-tailed prairie dog can be seen aboveground in...
s on their property and a proposed constitutional amendment to preserve the right to fish, trap and hunt in the state. Chambers described the latter measure as one of the most "asinine, simple-minded pieces of trash" ever to be considered by the Legislature. In 2004 Chambers co-authored an opinion piece with U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne opposing a set of initiative
Initiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
s that would allow casino gambling and slot machines in Nebraska. Chambers also opposed proposed funding of the state's ethanol plant incentive programs, declaring them "a boondoggle".
In the spring of 2006, Chambers withdrew support from two tax incentive bills which would have provided funding for Omaha and Lincoln civic building projects. Chambers claimed that he withdrew support because Omaha business leaders had insulted the Legislature and the North Omaha community which he represents by criticizing the passage of LB 1024. He was also insulted by the Omaha City Council
Omaha City Council
The City Council of Omaha, Nebraska is elected every four years on a nonpartisan basis. The next election will occur in 2009. Omaha has a strong mayor form of government. Members are elected by district...
's refusal to name a North Omaha park after him despite another request by that neighborhood to do so.
Post-Legislative Life
On November 4, 2008, Chambers was elected to be a member of the new Douglas and Sarpy County, NE, Learning Community board. Chambers was sworn in in early 2009.He has also been featured as a guest on The Political Cesspool
The Political Cesspool
The Political Cesspool is a weekly talk radio show founded by James Edwards, and syndicated by Liberty News Radio Network and Accent Radio Network in the United States...
.
Legacy
Aside from the long-ranging effects of his legislative service, Chambers has also been honored in Omaha. The apartment complex originally called Strehlow TerraceStrehlow Terrace
Strehlow Terrace, also called the Terrace Garden Apartment Complex and Ernie Chambers Court, is located at 2024 and 2107 North Sixteenth Street in the Near North Side neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska...
was renamed the Ernie Chambers Court in the 1990s.
See also
- Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, NebraskaCivil rights movement in Omaha, NebraskaThe Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska has roots that extend back until at least 1912. With a history of racial tension that starts before the founding of the city, Omaha has been the home of numerous overt efforts related to securing civil rights for African Americans since at least the...
- Education in North Omaha
- History of North Omaha, NebraskaHistory of North Omaha, NebraskaThe history of North Omaha, Nebraska includes wildcat banks, ethnic enclaves, race riots and social change spanning over 200 years. With a recorded history that pre-dates the rest of the city, North Omaha has roots back to 1812 with the founding of Fort Lisa...