May 2, 2021
GREATER HOUSTON EDITION
Vol. 26, Issue 15
“Addressing Current & Historical Realties Affecting Our Community”
INDOOR/ OUTDOOR MASK REQUIREMENTS
WILL THERE BE JUSTICE?
By: Roy Douglas Malonson
For Ahmaud Arbery and Andrew Brown Jr.? “In order to protect life and property, prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime, we will provide service with understanding, response with compassion, performance with integrity, and law enforcement with purpose and vision.” Though this is the mission statement of the Pasquotank County Sheriff ’s Office, a recent “overkill” shooting shows the office is lacking in understanding, compassion, and especially integrity. Another Black man has been killed by police in AmeriKKKa, and again, Benjamin Crump is standing beside a grieving family at a news conference about the death. Andrew Brown Jr., 42, was shot to death by police last week in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. His family is calling it a cold-blooded “execution.” According to Sheriff Tommy Wooten, seven Pasquotank deputies were trying to serve Brown search and arrest warrants from a felony drug charge. “This tragic incident was quick and over in less than 30 seconds, and body cameras are shaky
and sometimes hard to decipher,” Wooten said. Do you hear this? Thirty seconds, and a Black man was dead. Reports indicate that Brown was attempting to get away when deputies opened fire. He was shot several times in the arm as he was driving, but an independent autopsy concluded that the fatal shot was a gunshot wound to the back of the head. It has been shown that Brown posed no major threat to deputies as he was attempting to flee. Adding insult to injury, Brown’s relatives and attorneys said in a news conference that they were only allowed to view a 20-second body camera video of the incident. The footage showed deputies in a pickup truck rushing to arrest Brown. Shouting and commands can be heard, but the actual shooting is not shown. The deputies involved have been placed on administrative leave. Unlike some states, North Carolina does not consider police recordings to be public record. Formal requests have to be signed off by a judge for record-
Justice cont’d page 3
By: N.L. Preston
Fully vaccinated people are no longer required to wear masks outdoors unless in crowded settings and venues. “As more people get vaccinated, the CDC will continue loosening its guidance on who needs to wear a mask and when they should be used,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “The City of Houston will require people to continue to wear face masks inside municipal buildings like City Hall and the George R. Brown Convention Center.” Fully vaccinated people can now unmask at small outdoor gatherings, or when dining outside with friends from multiple households. The Centers for Disease Control is telling unvaccinated people that they still need to wear a mask at such gatherings. The CDC advises both vaccinated and unvaccinated people to still wear masks in indoor public spaces, such as a mall, movie theater or museum. Agency says even if you’ve been vaccinated, you should avoid large indoor gatherings. - AANI
“OUR VOTE AND OUR MONEY ARE THE TWO MOST POWERFUL THINGS WE HAVE. BE CAREFUL WHO YOU GIVE THEM TO.” - ROY DOUGLAS MALONSON