Karmelo Anthony, a 17-year-old student in Arlington, Texas, is accused of fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a confrontation at a track meet. The tragedy has sparked intense public debate, particularly after Anthony’s bail was significantly reduced and he was released from custody.
If you’ve been following the Anthony case, you may have heard of the Next Generation Action Network (NGAN) and Minister Dominique Alexander, its controversial president and CEO. He seemed to take center stage at the recent Anthony family press conference. In the video of Karmelo Anthony being released from jail, Alexander is seen walking by his side. Judging by his remarks, it seems America is being manipulated again into turning another tragedy into fuel for a race war instead of a serious discussion about violence and accountability. Since he’s decided to make himself such a prominent figure, I think it’s only right to look into his past and the details of his nonprofit organization.
NGAN and Alexander
The Next Generation Action Network is a Dallas-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization founded in 2014. NGAN’s stated mission is to eradicate so-called social injustice through educational, civil, and community reform. The group frequently engages in activism related to police reform, youth incarceration, and community engagement. Alexander is its president and CEO.
Shockingly, Alexander has a criminal history that includes a 2009 conviction for injury to a child after violently shaking his girlfriend’s two-year-old son, resulting in serious injuries. He was sentenced to probation, but in 2016 he violated that probation by racking up multiple traffic offenses and failing to comply with court requirements. He was later arrested on a felony assault charge for domestic violence in 2019. Yet despite this troubling record, he continues to position himself as a prominent activist in Texas, regularly speaking at rallies and leading protests.
NGAN’s most recent tax filing is from 2020, which already raises red flags, especially considering their increased activity now. According to that filing, Alexander was the only paid staff member, receiving just $17,000 in compensation, while the organization brought in over $170,000 in revenue. Today, it lists a staff of nine. It’s highly unlikely NGAN’s budget remains unchanged since their filing in 2020. I’ve submitted a formal request for their most recent Form 990 to see where the money is actually going. The public deserves to know.
Another red flag? When you click the “donate” button on their website, you’re redirected to an ActBlue fundraising page collecting donations for the organization. Yes, this is the same ActBlue that is currently under investigation for possible “terror-financing” and fraud.
In 2020, following the death of George Floyd, NGAN established a legal advocacy fund to support protesters arrested in Dallas and other cities. NGAN’s policy priorities include dismantling the prison-industrial complex, ending cash bail, eliminating no-knock warrants, and implementing community-based policing strategies.
Karmelo Anthony Case
Of course, NGAN gained recent attention for its involvement in the now-infamous Karmelo Anthony case. NGAN has rallied around Anthony and his family, stating that bullying played a role in the incident and calling for a deeper examination of school safety and mental health support. We are still waiting for all the facts in this case to come out, but many are arguing that this retaliation-for-bullying excuse distracts from the gravity of stabbing someone in the chest. It seems obvious that being asked to leave a tent is no excuse for murder.
Here’s my issue: If there were a white-led activist group rallying behind a white teen who had just killed a black student, the media would be losing its mind. There would be outrage, investigations, and likely some claims of white supremacy thrown in. But because NGAN is black-led and the accused is black, we’re all supposed to tiptoe around it. I refuse.
Privilege vs. Equality
Organizations like NGAN are pushing the idea that black Americans deserve a separate set of rules, protections, and even forgiveness, not because of the content of their character, but because of the color of their skin. That is not justice. That is a special privilege, and it’s not helping us—it’s dividing us.
Let me be very clear: I’m a black woman who believes in justice, personal responsibility, and unity under one law for all Americans. I didn’t support Black Lives Matter or the call to defund the police from the beginning, even before we learned about the nefarious agenda behind these movements. I don’t believe in burning down cities in the name of activism, and I certainly don’t believe in giving a free pass to bad actors just because they happen to be black. That’s not the American ideal of equality. If anything, it can be argued that this is a form of black supremacy. Such an attitude is sure to spark a backlash.
Equality doesn’t mean you can rewrite the rules when your side is in trouble. Equality means one law for everyone, and if we don’t hold our own communities accountable, how can we expect anyone else to take us seriously?
What do people expect will be the reaction when the family of an accused murderer acts like they are the victims? Groups like NGAN, BLM, and others that pretend to stand for justice are actually contributing to the growing racial tension in this country. By constantly framing every issue through the lens of race and by excusing criminal behavior in the name of “social justice,” they are feeding the very racism they claim to fight.
