"Ernest (Ernie) 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.

On November 6, 2012, Chambers was once again elected to represent north Omaha's 11th district in the Nebraska Unicameral, defeating Brenda Council by a comfortable margin."
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Chambers]


“I intend as long as I'm a member of this body, to use this platform and this forum, to bring before the State, to the extent that I can, these types of issues, and let those people know who think they have a friend NOWHERE they have at least a voice in the legislature . . .

People just want there to be a death penalty in place. If it's never used it makes no difference. It's the only kind of law which can be on the books and never be used and people think it should stay there. There are far more first degree murderers in the general population than on death row. And there are far more in the general prison population who have committed far worse murders. So when people say we save this penalty for the worst of the worst, the worst of the worst don't get it.

Nobody who suffered because of what that person did is gonna be any less troubled. It does nothing but make the society just a bit less civilized . . . Cruelty underlies all of these harsh punishments, the idea is to make somebody hurt as much as you can.

But remember this, killing is not what leads somebody into the death house; it begins if you don't have status, if you don't have money. If you have status and money you will never face the death penalty. So you can say poverty, unpopularity, being on the fringe of society, in other words an expendable, throw away person, the kind that Jesus spent his time with, those are the ones who wind up on death row. I don't think the death penalty will be abolished, but I didn't think a black person would be elected president either. And here's where sometimes I'm at war with myself, and it was often this way in the legislature. As a black man I'm very cynical, very skeptical, but at the same time I work as though I believe anything is possible . . . I could not get the death penalty abolished but through indirection . . . and there's a possibility that I might have to go back to the legislature . . . so who knows . . . when people ask me what are my plans, I quote Stonewall Jackson, an old general, he said if the sleeves of my coat knew my plans I should have to burn my coat. In other words, my plans are mine.”
--Ernie Chambers, community barber, longest standing Senator at 38 years, re- elected to Nebraks Senate Nov. 2012, North Omaha