Maj Toure | |
|---|---|
 Toure at FreedomFest 2021 | |
| Born | Martin Anthony Jones Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Founding Black Guns Matter |
| Political party | Independent (2019–present) Libertarian (until 2019)[1] |
Maj Toure (born Martin Anthony Jones)[2] is an American libertarian political activist and rapper. Toure is closely associated with the Mises Caucus wing of the American Libertarian Party.[3]
A native of North Philadelphia, Toure founded the educational nonprofit organization Black Guns Matter in 2016.[2][4] The organization advocates for the right to keep and bear arms, and promotes responsible ownership of firearms within African-American and urban communities.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
He has released three rap/hip hop recordings: Solutionary Vol. 1 (2005), Solutionary Vol. 2 (2014), and Solutionary Vol. 3 (2016).[10][11]
Toure was a candidate for an at-large seat in the Philadelphia City Council in the city's 2019 election. He ran as a Libertarian.[12] In addition to his support for Second Amendment rights, his stated political priorities included: criminal justice reform; ending the practice of solitary confinement; legalization of cannabis; improved education in Philadelphia; and conflict resolution training for disconnected youths.[12][13] On November 5, 2019, Toure finished 15th in a field of 17 candidates in the city's election, failing to secure a seat on the City Council. He received 5,676 votes (0.5% of the vote total).[14]
Toure spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February 2019.[2][15]
In a dialogue with Lawrence B. Jones in 2021, Toure applauded grassroots anti-racist protestors for emphasizing that black lives do in fact matter, while denouncing Black Lives Matter, Inc. as a "money laundering operation" that "fleeces the black community," with the goal of aiding Democratic politicians.[16]
Electoral history[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Helen Gym | 205,661 | 15.4 | |
| Democratic | Isaiah Thomas | 196,733 | 14.7 | |
| Democratic | Derek S. Green | 189,819 | 14.2 | |
| Democratic | Katherine Gilmore Richardson | 189,813 | 14.2 | |
| Democratic | Allan Domb | 186,665 | 13.9 | |
| Working Families | Kendra Brooks | 60,256 | 4.5 | |
| Republican | David Oh | 53,742 | 4.0 | |
| Republican | Al Taubenberger | 47,547 | 3.6 | |
| Working Families | Nicolas O'Rourke | 46,560 | 3.5 | |
| Republican | Dan Tinney | 46,270 | 3.5 | |
| Republican | Bill Heeney | 43,249 | 3.2 | |
| Republican | Matt Wolfe | 41,341 | 3.1 | |
| Independent | Sherrie Cohen | 9,116 | 0.7 | |
| Independent | Joe Cox | 8,880 | 0.7 | |
| Libertarian | Maj Toure | 6,179 | 0.5 | |
| Independent | Steve Cherniavsky | 3,480 | 0.4 | |
| Independent | Clarc King | 2,959 | 0.2 | |
| Write-in | 745 | nil | ||
| Total votes | 1,339,015 | 100 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Working Families gain from Republican | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
References[edit]
- ^ Brennan, Chris; Seidman, Andrew (15 November 2019). "Maj Toure exits the Libertarian Party in controversy after a failed bid for City Council". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ a b c Brennan, Chris; Seidman, Andrew (November 15, 2019). "Maj Toure exits the Libertarian Party in controversy after a failed bid for City Council". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ Gillespie, Nick; Weissmueller, Zach. "Maj Toure: Why Black Guns—and Libertarianism—Matter". reason.com. Reason. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Black guns matter: Weapons campaigner wants more access to guns". Daily Express. February 17, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Newhouse, Sam (May 20, 2016). "Rapper: Answer to bloodbath on Philly's streets – more guns". Metro. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Malagon, Elvia (May 17, 2018). "Black Guns Matter bringing gun rights workshop to Chicago's African-American community". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Kogan, Danielle (July 7, 2018). "March For Our Rights: Pro-Gun Activists Rally In 13 Cities Across U.S." Newsweek. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Manchester, Julia (March 1, 2019). "Black Guns Matter leader on conservative support for arming urban communities: 'Talk is cheap'". The Hill. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ Miles, Tiya (March 9, 2019). "The Black Gun Owner Next Door". The New York Times. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "Maj Toure" Archived 2019-05-10 at the Wayback Machine, CDbaby.com.
- ^ Rupp, Jacqueline (October 12, 2016) "Under the Gun: Advocacy group aims to train blacks", Philadelphia Weekly. Retrieved May 10.
- ^ a b Shaheeli, Joe (May 10, 2019). "Libertarian Toure Hunts at-Large Seat". The Public Record. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Fink, Jenni (April 2, 2019). "After Nipsey Hussle's Death, Black Guns Matter Founder Pushes For Conflict Resolution Skills". Newsweek. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "2019 Pennsylvania general election results". WHYY. November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ^ Schreckinger, Ben (March 1, 2019). "New CPAC stars: Black gun rights activists". Politico.
- ^ Toure, Maj (24 May 2021). "Black Guns Matter Founder Maj Toure: Black Lives Matter "Designed Specifically To Fleece The Black Community"" (Interview). Interviewed by Lawrence B. Jones.
External links[edit]
- Maj Toure's City Council official campaign site Archived 2019-05-08 at the Wayback Machine