One of the most popular articles ever published at American Thinker concerned civil rights attorney Leo Terrell.  Bill Schanefelt wrote about what is a really "big deal": namely, the fact that black civil rights attorney Leo Terrell, a longtime Democrat supporter, announced during Mark Levin's Life, Liberty & Levin that he is throwing his support behind Donald Trump.

The reason for Terrell's change of heart is he has realized that the Democrat party is not a friend to black Americans.  Instead, it uses them.  His epiphany came when Joe Biden told blacks that if they didn't vote for him, they were race-betrayers.  Terrell has also looked at the way the Democrat party has enabled the riots that have served no purpose other than to destroy black communities and take black lives.  You can read the American Thinker post and see the video here.

Having taken a courageous stand, Terrell is now paying the price.  In an interview with the Daily Caller's Stephanie Hamill, Terrell talks about how, since he went public with his declaration of independence from the Democrat party, he's essentially been "un-personed."

In the interview, Terrell tells Hamill that today's Democrat party has "been hijacked by Black Lives Matter."  He continues to be outraged by Biden's remark about blacks being a monolithic group defined by loyalty to the Democrat party.  He also says defunding the police is "absolutely ridiculous."  BLM and the Democrat party have no issues or beliefs other than attacking Trump.

Terrell has decided that everything the Democrat party stands for is inconsistent with his values as a civil rights attorney.  Terrell believes that law enforcement is critical for all Americans.  The Democrat party, however, is backing a group that wants to throw out the 98% of good police who help Americans.  As far as Terrell is concerned, this dangerous idea will overthrow the whole American system, a system in which he believes.

In a statement that was balm to my soul, Terrell says he rejects the idea of systemic racism.  Moreover, he says, the Black Lives Matter movement (and, presumably, by extension, the modern Democrat party) has no idea what that phrase means.  Terrell points out the obvious, which is that we're no longer living in 1960.  The chaos in American cities isn't coming from systemic racism; it's coming from awful Democrat governance.

Terrell wants whites to know they're not racist if they don't support Black Lives Matter.  He doesn't support it because the group doesn't care in the slightest about actual black lives.  Instead, the group has turned into a "shake-down" organization that's getting millions from foolish corporations, something that deeply offends Terrell.

CNN and MSNBC are also part of the problem.  They're in bed with Black Lives Matter.  Those groups, and the race-hustlers like Al Sharpton, continued to support Seattle's CHOP even as the anarchy there was killing blacks.

When it comes to Biden, Terrell dismisses him as an "empty-suit being hijacked by extremists on the left."  To him, that's a reason by itself to walk away from the Democrat party.  He doesn't have any kinder words for AOC.  She is an ignoramus about the things that matter for keeping black lives safe.

Terrell is also disgusted by how Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Kamala Harris blocked Sen. Tim Scott's efforts to improve police reform simply because Scott is a Republican.  For all these reasons, if the election were held today, Terrell says, he would cast his vote for Trump.

Terrell has paid the price for these principled views:

My colleagues have shunned me. They don't talk to me. They don't text me anymore. I don't care. I don't care. 'Cause you know what? I'm thinking here [pointing to his head] and here [pointing to his heart].

They are so, excuse my term, hellbent on defeating Trump, they'll vote for anyone. I can't ignore or dismiss logic. And so shun me. Fine. I sleep well at night because I am not going to sell out. There is no black vote that is going to be 100% Democratic. And I find it offensive. So, hey! I sleep very well at night.

It's an excellent interview and one I urge people to watch:

What Leo Terrell may discover is that, now that he's crossed the Rubicon, he'll meet wonderful people whose values are more compatible with his.  Moreover, these new friends, unlike his old friends, won't insist that he march in ideological lockstep with them to preserve the friendships.

Image: YouTube screen grab.