USA - Nebraska. Senator Ernie Chambers, 77, black, Independent, is the absolute star of the hitherto successful abolitionist attempt in Nebraska.

Senator Ernie Chambers, 77, black, Independent, is the absolute star of the hitherto successful abolitionist attempt in Nebraska. Always an activist for civil rights, he is a recognized leader of the black minority, and the only Afro-American Senator of Nebraska, a state almost in the exact center of the United States, with a population of less than 2 million, an economy based on agriculture and livestock, and a traditionally conservative political direction. The man has several nicknames: "the maverick of Nebraska,” the "angriest black man in Nebraska," and is self-described as a "Defender of the Downtrodden." Chambers is known for his casual attire of blue jeans and T-shirts, even when in session at the Nebraska Legislature. The son of a Protestant pastor, Chambers says he is an atheist. He attended Creighton University School of Law in the early 1960s "before being barred for failure to attend classes." In 1979, Chambers completed a law degree from Creighton University School of Law, but supposedly "never practiced law because he refused to join the Nebraska State Bar Association." Chambers is not a member of the bar and does not practice law. In 1963, he was hired to the post office, but soon after, he was fired for "insubordination". He then worked as a barber. He began his political activity as "spokesman" of the black community during the famous "Omaha Riots" in the summer of 1966. In 1970 the Senator of the North Omaha's 11th District, an area with a high crime rate and frequent clashes between police and young black people, died. Chambers ran, and was elected. Chambers presented an abolitionist bill every year from 1973 to 2009. He was not allowed to seek re-election in 2008 because of a constitutional amendment passed by Nebraska voters in 2000, which limits state legislators to two consecutive terms. The amendment, however, permits senators to seek re-election to their office after sitting out for four years. Chambers ran again in 2012, winning election by a "landslide". He submitted “his” law in 2013, which that year passed 7-0 in the Judiciary Committee but stalled in the full Legislature following a filibuster. At the end of this legislature he will not be allowed to run. In 2014 the bill was introduced but not brought to a vote, and this year, as we have seen, his initiative, presented for the 37th time, passed 8-0 in the Judiciary Committee, 30-13, 30-16 and 32-15 in the three floor votes. Republican Governor Pete Ricketts has announced the veto, but judging by the margin of votes that the bill has so far received, the veto will be overcome. Chambers seems to have convinced, with a work of patience lasted years, a sufficient number of Conservative MPs. An "accident" looked like it could put Chambers’ work at risk. On March 20, 2015, During a public hearing about a bill involving concealed handguns, Chambers said residents of his north Omaha district were more in fear of police than of extremist groups such as the Islamic State. “My ISIS is the police. Nobody from ISIS ever terrorized us as a people as the police do us daily. And they get away with it” My home is not threatened by ISIS, mine is threatened by the police. The police are licensed to kill us: Children, old people.” He drew a lot of criticism, and was asked to back down. But Chambers defiantly stood on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature and rejected many of his colleagues’ calls for him to apologize — or even resign. “I meant what I said and I said what I meant,” Chambers said. “I’m not going to resign,” he said. “I’m not going to apologize.” Chambers said he will continue to criticize the police "strongly and vociferously." It was feared that Republican MPs could pull support from the abolitionist law, but in the end only one withdrew his name as a sponsor, but said he would still vote the law. Apart from these sudden controversies, Chambers has always been very prudent. Until the day before the final vote, he said he was not able to predict the vote. He was confident in the fact that in this session there is a high percentage of newly elected members and of these as many as 11, including 6 Republicans, have signed his bill. Chambers told the press that compared to previous years, parliamentary colleagues seem very attentive to the fact that the death penalty is an expensive system, which drains many human and financial resources, and produce few concrete results, and that seems that this concept is circulating widely also among Republicans. In a week or so, we will know if the Legislature of Nebraska will override the veto that the governor will communicate probably Tuesday, to coincide with the funeral of a police officer killed on duty. Will the simple emotionalism of a funeral beat many years of patient cultural work concocted by Senator Ernie Chambers?