PG County 1-5-2018

November 11, 2017 - November 11, 2017, The Afro-American A1 PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION $1.00

Volume 127 No. 22

JANUARY 6, 2018 - JANUARY 12, 2018

Inside

Welcome to Atlanta

Prince George’s

D.C. Masons Bring in New Year with Service to Community

Ryan Sands Plays Parent Not To Be Messed With in ‘Runaways’

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Baltimore

After Alabama Victory, Black Women Must Lead

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Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Surrounded by her family, Keisha Lance-Bottoms is sworn in as Atlanta’s 60th mayor during the Atlanta mayoral inauguration at Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Jan. 2.

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Newly Elected Ala. Sen. Doug Jones Appoints Black Chief of Staff

Courtesy photo

Dana Gresham becomes the only Black chief-ofstaff for a Democrat in U.S. Senate.

AFRO Archived History

Philadelphia Has Woman Asst.

City Solicitor Feb. 25, 1928

PHILADELPHIA-Dr. Sadie Mosell-Alexander was sworn in Wednesday as assistant city solicitor.

She is the first outstanding appointee of Mayor Harry A. Mackey’s administration.

Dr. Alexander is the first woman associated with the road cases department which has to do with litigation brought by contractors and others for the opening and widening of streets, the condemnation of streets and contracts between the city and contractors for work on subways and other civic improvements.

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LeRoy Frasier, Helped Desegregate UNC University, Dies at 80

...golf course and the university-owned restaurant and hotel known as the Carolina Inn were off-limits...

By The Associated Press LeRoy Frasier, who along with his brother and another high school student was among the first AfricanAmerican undergraduate students to successfully challenge racial segregation at North Carolina’s flagship public university, has died at the age of 80.

Family members said Jan. 2 that Frasier, a long-time English teacher, suffered heart failure and died Dec. 29 at a hospital in New York City.

Frasier; his brother, Ralph;

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Sadie Alexander was born on Jan. 2, 1898. She was the first Black woman to receive a PhD. in the U.S. and the first to earn a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She was also the first Black woman to be appointed Assistant City Solicitor for Philadelphia, an event the AFRO put on the front page in 1928.

By Shantella Y. Sherman Special to the AFRO ssherman@afro.com On Jan. 2, Dana Gresham, the former assistant secretary for government affairs at the Department of Transportation, became the only Black chiefof-staff for a Senate Democrat on the Hill. Gresham’s appointment by Sen.-elect Doug Jones (D-Ala.), while widely celebrated, highlighted a generations-old lack of Black hires in key legislative positions. And while those cavernous voids in Black talent thrived unchecked for decades, Gresham’s

The FBI Said ‘No.’ Now What Happens in Det. Suiter Case?

This Sept. 1955 photo shows from left, LeRoy Frasier, John Lewis Brandon and Ralph Frasier on the steps of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C. Roland Giduz Photographic Collection/The Wilson Library, UNC Chapel Hill via AP

and John Lewis Brandon were students at Hillside High School in Durham when they applied to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1955. They were rejected until a federal court judge ordered UNC-Chapel Hill to admit them.

Although UNC-Chapel Hill officially opened its doors to the three young men, they weren’t welcomed everywhere. Ralph Frasier, 79, who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, recalled Tuesday that the golf course and the Continued on A3

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Milwaukee Red Cross Changes Visit Policy After Criticism Mainly Blacks and Latinos Would Have Been Affected

By The Associated Press The American Red Cross of Wisconsin is abandoning a new policy in Milwaukee that would have forced predominantly Black and Latino residents from lowincome areas to travel to

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The Afro-American, January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018

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Brother-in-law of Martin Luther King Jr. Dies in Atlanta at 83

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Isaac Newton Farris Sr., a Founding Member of The Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change

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Baptist church where he was a member for over 60 years.

“He was such an integral part of our family who will be sorely missed,” Farris-Watkins said.

In addition to his daughter, Farris is survived by his wife, Christine, his son Isaac Farris Jr., his granddaughter, Farris Watkins, his sister Gail Farris Joyce and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral arrangements will be handled by Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home in Atlanta.

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The brother-in-law of Martin Luther King Jr. and a founding member of The Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change has died.

Isaac Newton Farris Sr., who suffered from prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease, died at his Atlanta home Dec. 30, his daughter Angela Farris-Watkins told The Associated Press. He was 83.

Farris married Christine King in a ceremony performed by Martin Luther King Jr. and their brother A.D. King on Aug. 19, 1960.

“He wasn’t caught up marrying into a prominent family,” Farris-Watkins said by phone. “He was secure in his own right.”

Farris was a successful entrepreneur and founder of Farris Color Visions. He also served a project manager for the construction of The King Center.

“Through all the tragedies and victories he helped build the King Center,” Farris-Watkins said.

The center was founded by Martin Luther King’s wife, Coretta Scott King.

Farris was also a deacon and trustee at the historic Ebenezer

(Troy Police Department and Steve Hughes/The Albany Times Union via AP)

Justin Mann (left) is one of two men arrested in connection with the deaths of two women and two children in their upstate New York apartment.

Two men have been arrested on murder charges in the deaths of two women and two children in their upstate New York apartment.

Justin Mann and James White pleaded not guilty to murder charges Dec. 30 in Troy. Both are from Schenectady (skehNEHK’-tuh-dee).

The Times-Union says Mann appeared to break down as he was led out of court. Both men are being held in county jail.

A property manager found 36-year-old Shanta Myers; her children, 11-year-old Jeremiah Myers and 5-year-old Shanise Myers; and 22-year-old Brandi Mells in a basement apartment along the Hudson River, just north of Albany on Tuesday.

Police say the two women were in a relationship.

Police Chief John Tedesco says he has “never seen savagery like this” in 42 years in law enforcement.

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January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018, The Afro-American

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LeRoy Frasier Continued from A1

university-owned restaurant and hotel known as the Carolina Inn were off-limits. At football games, they were seated in a section with custodial workers, who were Black. And the three lived on their own floor of a section of a dormitory.

They also had to get a special dispensation to use the swimming pool.

“There were pockets of hostility among students primarily,” said Ralph Frasier, a retired attorney. “But some of the administrators were less than welcoming. Some faculty were less than welcoming.”

The Frasier brothers completed three years at Chapel Hill before Ralph left for the Army and LeRoy for the Peace Corps.

Their harsh treatment at UNC-Chapel Hill was one of the reasons they left the school, Ralph Frasier said.

Both later graduated from what’s now North Carolina Central University, a historically Black school in Durham.

The brothers were 14 months apart in age but Ralph Frasier started his education early. The two went through their school years in the same grade and attended UNC-Chapel Hill at the same time. They spoke by phone almost every day and had last talked Christmas Day.

“We were best friends for life,” Ralph Frasier said.

While four Black students had been admitted to the law school when the Frasiers and Brandon applied, no Black

“There were pockets of hostility among students primarily. But some of the administrators were less than welcoming.

Some faculty were less than welcoming.”

– Ralph Frasier undergraduates had been accepted. Some UNC-Chapel Hill students came to the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs to find students to challenge the school’s racial recalcitrance,

Ralph Frasier said. They met with the principal of Hillside High School, a Black school, to find the right families.

They found families whose jobs couldn’t be threatened, and the Frasier brothers’ parents worked for North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co., which was owned by Blacks. Their uncle was the chief executive officer so “it was felt their employment was pretty secure,” Frasier said.

In the decade since the Frasiers and Brandon attended UNCChapel Hill, the school has taken steps to make amends by inviting them to speak and naming scholarships after them.

School Chancellor Carol Folt said in an email Tuesday that LeRoy Frasier “was a true pioneer and historic figure in Carolina’s history and his legacy of leadership, courage and self-sacrifice made a lasting impact on our university community. LeRoy’s contributions to Carolina will live on through our students who receive scholarships bearing his name.”

The school has changed, Ralph Frasier said, although he noted that the statue of a Confederate soldier called Silent Sam remains on campus.

“There’s still some distance to go,” he said.

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appointment comes as organizations, such as the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, began documenting congressional staffing issues – including a lack of diversity.

The Joint Center’s 2015 report, “Racial Diversity among Top Senate Staff,” found that African Americans account for 23 percent of Democratic voters, yet represent a mere 1.2 percent of Democratic top staff.

Additionally, more than 64 percent of people of color in the U.S. live in just ten states, of which key staff positions in Senate personal offices are held by just five staffers. And within the personal offices of the two states with the most residents of color (California and Texas) there are no staffers of color in top staff positions.

“Many Senate offices from states with high numbers of racial minorities lack a top staffer of color.

Data show that the dearth of senior staff of color is not solely a Republican or Democratic issue, but represents an institutional challenge,” James R. Jones, author of the Joint Center report concluded. “While the task of diversifying the top Senate staff may appear daunting, U.S. Senators can take concrete steps to change this situation. Senators should increase transparency about who works in the Senate, use the Rooney Rule in all hiring decisions, and create senior-level fellowships with a third-party leadership organization.”

Jones also recommended

Senate offices recruit fellows and interns from APAICS, CBCF, CHCI, and the GW Native American Political Leadership Program, provide a central office for diversity resources, develop diversity plans for each personal office and committee office, and require implicit bias training for staff.

The Rooney Rule was devised as an organizational structure modeled after

owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers), who introduced the affirmative action measure in 2002.

The Joint Centers mounted a sizeable campaign in 2017 to push for more diversity among Senate hires, which included enlisting the help of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called for an institution of Rooney Rules in March 2017.

“We must ensure the

“This is an important moment in the movement to make the Senate truly representative of all Americans.”

– Don Bell the National Football League (NFL) wherein the individually-owned teams decide their head coaching, management, and senior football operations hires.

To address the lack of racial diversity among coaches and other management officials, the NFL established the Rooney Rule that required each team to interview a candidate of color along with any other contenders for vacant positions. The Rooney Rule allows each team – or in this instance, each Senate office – to maintain final approval over hiring decisions and ensure that candidates of color are considered. The rule is named after Dan Rooney, the former chairman of the league’s diversity committee (and former

AFRO Archived History Continued from A1

John A. Sparks is the other race assistant solicitor. Dr. Alexander is a PhD. and LLB., from the University of Pennsylvania and owes her appointment to the support of Peter E. Smith and Mrs. Lena Trent-Gordon, 47th Ward Republican leaders.

Her husband is Raymond Pace Alexander, one of the leading trial lawyers in Philadelphia.

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Senate be more reflective of our country’s diverse population. Expanding the diversity initiative, following the Rooney rule and dedicating ourselves to increasing diversity are important steps we can take to help achieve that goal and

better serve our country,” Schumer said in a March statement.

Two Republican Senators have Black chiefs of staff: Tim Scott (S.C.) and Jerry Moran (Kan.) Jones secured a sweeping victory over Republican Roy Moore to gain the Alabama Senate seat -- due i large part to the increased participation of Blacks, whose exit poll tallies registered in the 90thpercentile for his leadership.

Gresham released no immediate statement. The Joint Center, however, did celebrate Gresham’s appointment as a move toward better representation.

“The Joint Center commends Senator-elect Jones for his leadership and commitment to diversity. This is an important moment in the movement to make the Senate truly representative of all Americans. The Joint Center looks forward to continuing to work with Senator-elect Jones as he makes diversity a priority in building the rest of his staff,” said Don Bell, the Director of the Black Talent Initiative.

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The Afro-American, January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018

Charlottesville Names First Black Woman Mayor

(Zack Wajsgras/The Daily Progress via AP)

Nikuyah Walker will be Charlottesville’s first Black female mayor. The city is still coping with the aftermath of White nationalist rallies last year.

By The Associated Press The city of Charlottesville, still coping with the aftermath of White nationalist rallies last year, has a new mayor.

Nikuyah Walker, an independent who was one of two new council members elected in November, was chosen by her fellow councilors at a meeting Jan. 2. News outlets report Walker will be the Virginia city’s first Black female mayor.

Walker has been an outspoken critic of local leaders’ response to the rallies and a frequent presence at council meetings.

Former Mayor Mike Signer will still serve on the five-member council.

In Charlottesville, serving as mayor is a part-time job that involves presiding over council meetings. But Signer also became a public face of the city as it dealt with the rallies, the largest of which came in August and descended into violent chaos.

Arkansas Fugitive Who Made a Life in Michigan Dies at 68

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Lester Stiggers, a convicted killer from Arkansas, died in suburban Detroit, 47 years after he visited Michigan on a brief furlough, and never returned to prison.

By The Associated Press A convicted killer from Arkansas who went to Michigan on a five-day furlough in 1970 but never returned to prison has died in suburban Detroit.

Michigan became a sanctuary for Lester Stiggers. He worked at a Chrysler factory and became a plumber, all while under the protection of the state’s governors for decades.

Stiggers, 68, died Saturday at his apartment in Warren, probably from a heart attack, daughter L’Donne Hampton told The Associated Press.

Stiggers was a teenager when he was convicted of killing his father in Arkansas in the 1960s.

He said his father regularly abused him and his mother.

Despite serving a life sentence, Stiggers was given a few days of freedom in 1970 because of good behavior and decided to visit his mother in Michigan. He never returned to Arkansas, however, because he feared he wouldn’t survive beatings by prison guards.

In 1971, Michigan Gov. William Milliken rejected Arkansas’ demand that Stiggers be turned over, citing, in part, “cruel and unusual treatment” of Black men in southern prisons.

Stiggers made headlines in 2013 when Arkansas suddenly took a fresh interest in getting him back. But Michigan’s current governor, Rick Snyder, noted his poor health and said it wasn’t the “highest priority.”

“I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I don’t do nothin’,” Stiggers told the AP at the time, summing up his life in Michigan. “I walked away from a lot of fights. ... They told me to stay out of trouble.”

Indeed, Hampton said Stiggers’ life was simple but satisfying.

“He worked and took care of his family,” she said Jan. 3.

AFRO.COM •Your History •Your Community • Your News

January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018 The Afro-American

Doug Jones

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COMMENTARY

After Alabama Victory, Black Women Must Lead In the aftermath of Doug Jones’ stunning victory, Alabama stands once more where the south has stood since my time as a girl growing up during Jim Crow: at the crossroads between the country we are and the country we want to be.

Through the defeat of Roy Moore, every day Alabamans from all backgrounds raised their voices to enact a vision for the state and the nation that said yes to healthcare access, yes to inclusiveness and yes to an Alabama that works for all. The possibilities for growth and for betterment in Alabama are enormous, but so too are the responsibilities that flow from that victory. A Democrat has won the state; it remains up to us to determine what that means for the groups that have gone underserved and neglected by the political process.

Alabama is still the sixth poorest state in the nation, with a minimum wage that’s locked by the state government at the bare minimum. Public education, which was once the pride of the nation, has been compromised by divestment from our schools and the unequal segregation of resources. The lack of Medicaid and healthcare has meant a high maternal mortality rate, and high rates of sickness with insufficient or nonexistent coverage.

The weakening of labor unions has meant that workers in Alabama end up being paid less than workers in other states. And suffusing all else we still face the dark legacy of forced intergenerational poverty—most visibly in Alabama’s Black Belt—that, alongside voter suppression and incarceration, morphs our Black and poor population into an underclass whose invisibility is systemically encouraged.

The focus on the Black vote, and particularly on the tireless phonebanking, canvassing, leadership and turnout that came from Black women, has been one of the highlights of the attention paid to Doug Jones’ victory. Less attention has been paid to the needs that motivated Black turnout: We are dying.

Our communities are dying. In poor neighborhoods that are isolated from the rest of Alabama, we see the toll that being locked up and locked out of the political process by racial polarization and negligence has taken. Despite the wonder of Jones’ win and what it means for a resurgent Democratic party, the question posed to us by this moment is whether that will translate to representation for those African Americans who have long and often thanklessly labored as organizers and footsoldiers.

Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, Carol Denise McNair and Cyntheia Wesley’s murders haunted this election, and stood as

Audri Scott Williams

a testament to the decency of one candidate, and the horror of the other. Their place in the memory of the Civil Rights Movement, and in the minds and lived experiences of people who grew up when Birmingham was called “Bombingham,” is still raw, and still fresh. That memory strengthens our voices, and forever connects us to the urgency of the moment.

Our response to those who braved voter suppression and intimidation to vote should be vigilant against taking their vote for granted. As progressives, we have a responsibility to ensure that our institutions not only acknowledge their work, but that we have leadership structures in our political institutions and in who we support for office that reflects the value of Black women.

Enacting a future that represents justice necessitates seeing the injustice of Black exclusion from progressive leadership and agenda-setting.

To create an Alabama and an America that acknowledges both Black women’s contributions to the political process—and contributes to their standing in kind—must mean that truth and not political convenience has to govern what we say and how we say it. It must mean that having a prison population that’s almost 60% Black in a state where black people only make up 26% of the population requires a policy response beyond guaranteeing more jobs.

It must mean that when we talk about increased wages, we have to talk about how wage gaps and income gaps are gendered as well as racial. It must mean understanding how the legacy of Jim Crow and slavery establishes where we’re concentrated, and how much access to capital some Alabamans have. It must mean remembering how, even in high turnout elections, Black citizens turned out despite voter suppression efforts.

Alabamans have a shared future, inseparably tied to the fates of

The AFRO wishes all of our readers, followers, and advertisers a happy and prosperous new year!

The AFRO’s Baltimore headquarters is now located in the Caton 95 Business Park

1531 S. Edgewood Road, Suite B Baltimore, MD 21227

We look forward to continuing to provide you with relevant print and digital news, advertising and community events. all its residents, but we do not have shared access to the political power used to affect it. The work of democracy and equality rests on confronting that challenge directly.

Black women can do more than save us: they can lead us. They can shape our priorities, just as surely as they can form the core of coalitions that ignore theirs. With the election of Doug Jones we’ve seen the power of a coalition formed around the least of these. It’s a power that can guarantee the protection of Medicare and Social Security, just as it can guarantee an emphasis on workers over corporations. It’s a power that can turn a red state blue. But the legacy left by Black women like Rosa Parks, like Coretta Scott King, and like my mentor, Amelia Boynton Robinson also shows us it’s a power that can be turned to shape and expand who our politics and, by extension, who America exists to serve.

Audri Scott Williams is a Progressive Democratic candidate for Congress in 2018 for Alabama, District 2.

Reaping the Bitter Fruit Sown in Baltimore Is it justified to simply scorn the behavior of bad actors who wreak havoc upon neighborhoods in Baltimore without accounting for the unabated decades-long systemic isolation and degradation of communities of color by the larger society that has caused wide swaths of the urban landscape to become desolate wastelands where the more fortunate inhabitants subsist?

The least fortunate among Baltimore’s subsistence culture, however, barely survive in an unbelievable environment of squalor with a physical terrain that resembles a war-torn milieu of vacant, decomposing structures and neighbors in perpetual survival mode.

Couple these circumstances with a population attempting to escape the pain of their existence by consuming alcohol, opiates and other drugs at some of the highest rates in the country, and you have a recipe for a social climate rivaling anarchy.

The daunting conditions that pervade Baltimore is the perfect storm to produce violent actors. Why is the government’s response not to invest resources that might curtail or reverse the conduct of very desperate people, but to invest more police resources to contain them?

I recently visited a West Baltimore home my family lived in

Regi Taylor

for a time, a bustling block of two-story houses with lawns, in a neighborhood of working class families. There used to be storefront businesses on the local thoroughfare that provided the basic amenities any household might need. They’ve been overrun by an abandoned, decrepit, foreboding landscape.

On this block of approximately 40 homes on either side of the street, perhaps only one-in-three was still occupied. Among the occupied homes, half looked uninhabitable. The house I’d lived-in had a tree that had grown through the basement floor and out the roof, with branches extending through doors and windows. A family was residing in a home one door away.

I walked the alley behind my old home. There were rat carcasses in varying stages of decay, mounds of garbage, and glass crunched under my feet. Many of the houses, like my old home, were dilapidated, overgrown by trees and grass. The flourishing local businesses had disappeared. In their place were bars, liquor stores and Asian take-outs, all fortified for security and with worn-down facades.

The conditions faced by most of Baltimore’s poor communities of color have been inherited in a linear trajectory from slavery, through Jim Crow to the present without ever having portended any major social, political or economic uplift.

The out-of-neighborhood migration of the best and brightest, strongest and most ambitious, among the community’s resident talent pool caused a brain-drain that left only the least able and educated en masse to fend against a system that never supported their drive towards emancipation into full citizenship, with all the privileges that come with it.

It is no secret that the City of Baltimore was a pioneer of redlining strict racial neighborhoods a century ago to enforce Jim Crow, that by the 1930’s became the blueprint for the city’s public housing system which continues to inform Baltimore’s still largely racially segregated communities. According to a recent report, Baltimore is currently the 8th most segregated region in the United States. There are 388 metropolitan regions in the U.S. Certainly, the crime and violence that plague Baltimore neighborhoods was not an intentional invention of the City’s power brokers, however the circumstances that foment crime and violence in Baltimore were absolutely by design. With the 3rd highest per capita concentration of police to citizens in the United States behind Washington D.C. and Newark, New Jersey, black Baltimore is overpoliced, and under-invested.

Regi Taylor is a native of West Baltimore and a writer.

D.C. Charter School Students Deserve Justice

As a parent in the District of Columbia and longtime resident, I am stunned by the latest decision of a U.S. District Court judge who ruled against the plaintiffs in a lawsuit brought on behalf of D.C.’s public charter schools. Absent a successful appeal, the court has denied their application that District law, which requires that charter schools receive the same per-student funding as D.C. Public Schools for school operating costs, be enforced.

I remember the collapse of the District’s public education system, which reached its nadir nearly a quarter of a century ago. A comprehensively failed traditional public school system was under the supervision of a Control Board imposed by the U.S. Congress. Almost half of the students dropped out before graduating. Besides abysmal academics, public schools were chronically unsafe.

Following this low point, the D.C. School Reform Act 1995 emerged, which allowed public charter schools—tuition-free, openenrollment campuses run independently of the traditional system—to open. Charters are free to determine their own educational programs while being held to a high standard by D.C.’s Public Charter School Board, whose members are appointed by the D.C. mayor. The board is empowered to approve or reject time-limited charter applications, and monitors school performance with the power to insist upon improvements and close campuses if necessary.

The first two charter schoolhouses opened in 1996 and—thanks to high-parental demand—charters today educate nearly half of all District public school children, pioneering an educational renaissance

Eric McKinley King

that is transforming our city and changing its future. Indeed, over 10,000 individual names are signed up on waitlists for charters that do not have the capacity to accommodate them.

With a reputation for the worst urban education system in the nation, the District has transitioned from sky-high drop-out rates to an on-time—within four years—graduation rate of 73 percent for charters, and 69 percent for D.C. Public Schools. Citywide standardized test scores also have consistently improved, while curricula have been enriched and after-school options expanded.

The greatest improvements in the quality of public education have taken place in the District’s most underserved neighborhoods.

In Wards 7 and 8, where nearly half D.C.’s students live and which have the highest rates of poverty, charter students are more than twice as likely to meet college and career readiness benchmarks on standardized tests as their DCPS counterparts. African-American high school students have an on-time graduation rate of 73 percent in charters, compared to 62 percent for DCPS. Competition from these unique schools of choice was one of the key motives behind the decision of the D.C. Council to bring DCPS under mayoral control 10 years ago, leading to the appointment of reforming Chancellors Rhee, Henderson and Wilson.

You can imagine my chagrin, then, to learn that a judge on the U.S. District Court should ignore the spirit, as well as the clear letter, of the law. The 1995 School Reform Act (SRA) states: “For fiscal year 1997 and for each subsequent fiscal year, the Mayor shall make annual payments from the general fund of the District of Columbia in accordance with the formula,” and “the annual payment…shall

be calculated by multiplying a uniform dollar amount used in the formula” by “the number of students that are enrolled” at “District of Columbia public schools” and “at each public charter school.”

The District has flouted its own law under successive administrations, making school operating funds available to DCPS, but not D.C. public charter schools, by funding the former outside the Uniform Per-Student Funding Formula as required by the SRA. Independent analysis has found that DCPS, but not charters, received between $72 million and $127 million annually on top of formula funds — underfunding charter students by an average of $2,150 each year from 2008 to 2014, when the lawsuit was filed.

Beyond the requirements of the law, there is the inequity of providing fewer local taxpayer dollars for some of the District’s most vulnerable children. Charters educate a higher share—80 percent— of economically-disadvantaged students than DCPS and are overwhelmingly located, by choice, in historically neglected communities.

Given the dearth of employment, housing and educational opportunities for so long in so much of our city, it is almost unbelievable that a judge might back up the city’s persistent attempts to underfund public school students educated outside of DCPS. I have watched the government decide for years that some children are more worthy of the city’s investment than their peers. I expected more – so much more – from the U.S. District Court.

Eric McKinley King is a District parent and managing principal at 100 Proof Strategies and Solutions Consulting Group.

The opinions on this page are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the AFRO. Send letters to The Afro-American • 1531 S. Edgewood St. • Baltimore, MD 21227 or fax to 1-877-570-9297 or e-mail to editor@afro.com

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The Afro-American, January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018

Red Cross Continued from A1

receive the organization’s volunteer assistance after a house fire.

The organization released a statement Jan. 3 saying it will continue sending volunteers out to help fire victims in the affected

neighborhoods. The Red Cross had quickly faced backlash over the policy change, which critics said was discriminatory and favored wealthy residents.

“In an effort to continue to serve people affected

by home fires, we recently implemented new procedures in Milwaukee that we now understand were insensitive to the communities we serve,” Regional Chief Executive Officer Patty Flowers said in the statement. “We apologize for this mistake and will immediately return to the way we have responded to home fires in the past, consistent with American Red Cross practices and values nationwide.”

The agency rolled out a new policy in late December that called for people living in 10 ZIP codes to go to a nearby police station or a Red Cross office for help, rather than volunteers going out to homes in those areas. The organization’s Milwaukee chapter had said it planned to expand the policy citywide, but it didn’t provide a timeframe.

Flowers had said the group was short on volunteers and wanted to use staff more effectively. On Wednesday, she said resource constraints remain but group will redouble its efforts to recruit more volunteers.

Elected officials had criticized the policy’s rollout.

“The optics of it is classic

red-lining. It’s not simply a race issue. I would say it’s a class issue,” said Alderman Khalif J. Rainey, who

health, and help filling out prescriptions among other things.

Under the initial rollout of

“The optics of it is classic redlining. It’s not simply a race issue. I would say it’s a class issue.”

– Alderman Khalif J. Rainey

represents one of the ZIP codes affected by the sincethwarted policy.

The agency had said it wanted to use its limited volunteers more efficiently and have them meet victims at a warm and safe location.

The Milwaukee chapter had characterized the new policy as a temporary fix.

The Red Cross provides fire victims a place to sleep, food and water, health services including mental

the policy, more affluent and largely White areas downtown and along the city’s lake shore were not impacted.

“When people looked at the map as to the areas that were not being served, I think that raised questions,” Mayor Tom Barrett said Tuesday after meeting with Flowers.

The Milwaukee chapter had said the initial 10 ZIP codes it chose were simply the busiest. They spanned the majority Black north

side of the city and southern neighborhoods largely populated by Latinos. In one ZIP code on the north side, 53206, nearly half of the residents live below the poverty level.

Some of the ZIP codes first selected also have among the highest crime rates in the city, leading some aldermen to speculate that the Red Cross may also be concerned about volunteer safety.

Barrett said he and Flowers spoke about race, although “not necessarily racism,” and “the need to make sure that low-income people who are the victims of fires, that they also receive the same treatment that others receive.” He said they’re looking at the issue as an opportunity to recruit more volunteers.

Alderman Robert Donovan, who represents a majority Latino district in the southern part of the city, said there’s no substitute for having “someone there on site when you need them the most.”

“But I can certainly understand the position they’re in if indeed it’s come down to just fewer and fewer volunteers,” he said Tuesday.

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January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018, The Afro-American

B1

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY-AREA Prince George’s County

Levi Seeks Council At-Large Seat

D.C. Masons Ring in New Year by Serving Area Residents

By James Wright Special to the AFRO jwright@afro.com

Photos by Hamil Harris

The Masons held their annual community celebration on Jan. 1 at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia on U Street in Northwest D.C.

By Hamil R. Harris Special to the AFRO Long before the U street corridor was lined with towering apartment buildings and restaurants there was a Masonic Temple where members of Social Lodge #1 fed people in the Washington, D.C. community on New Year’s Day. Dressed in black suits, white gloves and light blue aprons, members of Social Lodge # 1 continued a tradition that was first recorded in 1931 by serving about 200 residents from Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Prince George’s County.

“In those days we were not allowed to convene unless a White person was present and so this was not just a reception this was a way to feed the entire community,” said Floyd Rooth, the Worshipful Master of Social Lodge No. 1. “Masonry is about giving back and helping

those less fortunate than ourselves. For me it’s an honor to carry out that tradition.”

The New Year’s Day meal, consisting of chicken, blackeyed peas and collard greens, was served on the second floor of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. The meal comes from southern traditions that state that black-eyed peas and collard greens, or cabbage, bring luck when eaten on New Year’s Day. Among those in attendance were the Honorable Phillip David, grand master, and Patricia Young, grand worthy matron of the Georgianna Thomas Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.

Bob Taylor, past master of – Bob Taylor the lodge, said the event has a rich history because the lodge was built during a time when “U Street was the Mecca of the Black Community and it is where people came.”

In addition to the men and women in attendance, children were also present and dressed in white dresses and black suits.

“U Street was the Mecca of the Black Community and it is where people came.”

Courtesy Photo

Continued on B2

Crisis Center Fires Executive Director Following Reports of Moldy Food

By Hamil R. Harris Special to the AFRO

Gerron Levi said she wants to serve on the Prince George’s County Council as an at-large member because she believes effective government should be a priority for the county’s legislative body. “I am running because the county’s taxpayers need to have a strong advocate

Gerron Levi, a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, has decided to run for a county at-large council seat.

Prince George’s County

Analysis

Universities Face Criticism on Hate Crime Handling

By Aya Elamroussi Special to the AFRO

As the New Year begins, many look forward to a brighter and more prosperous future that is bright with possibility.

College campuses, particularly predominantly White institutions (PWIs), in the D.C. area are no exception. American University (AU), a private college located in northwest Washington, D.C. with just 7 percent of its student body population classified as Black, has grappled with the problem of racially motivated incidents in 2017 that were directed at Black students.

In September 2016, a Black first-year student had a banana thrown at her in the residence halls by another AU student.

“It pains me to know that such an incident is part of her introduction to AU… The hurt and pain that our Black students endure do not stem from this one instance; they are part of the more systemic and institutional issue of racism that pervades the nation and the world,” then-Student Government President Devontae Torriente wrote in an email to the AU undergraduate student body.

Fast-forward to the end of that same school year, bananas hung with nooses were found Courtesy photo on AU’s campus on May 1, Saba Tshibaka is a student 2017, the day the first Black at UMD who says that woman was sworn in as the schools have to make the Student Government president punishments for racially for the 2017-2018 academic motivated acts on campus year. more prevalent to stop Labeling the incident as a them. hate crime, AU condemned the racist incident in a statement, saying that it “remains committed to principles of diversity, inclusion, common courtesy, and human dignity, and acts of bigotry only strengthen our resolve. Anyone who does not feel similarly does not belong here.”

But that didn’t stop the discovery of 10 Confederate flag posters with cotton attached to them in late September. The posters were hung throughout campus on bulletin boards.

Security footage published by AU showed a White male suspect, disguised as a construction worker, wearing white

gloves and carrying what seemed to be a tool case.

“Clearly these issues are getting progressively worse and more violent in the messages they are sending,” said Adina Greenidge, a political science student at AU who identifies as Afro-Latina.

Greenidge, 21, added that the AU administration reacted quicker to racial-related incidents carried out by outsiders in comparison to the incident incited by AU students.

“I think the university needs to treat students the way they treat outsiders when it comes to hate crimes because that’s the only way you’re going to prevent [hate crimes] from happening,” Greenidge said.

AU has not released the name of the student who threw a banana at a Black first-year student because that would violate the school’s Student Conduct Code.

Even though Greenidge identifies both as Latina and Black, she identifies as Black first because she is treated as a Black person in America, she said.

“So when there are attacks on the Black community on campus, they do distract me from my work. they do create a lot of anxiety for me on campus as to whether or not I’m going to go to the library and have to deal with passive aggressive remarks from people,” Greenidge added.

But the case at University of Maryland-College Park is much more alarming. In a UMD report released in mid-

“I feel like having to block out emotion so that I can go to school like a regular student.”

– Saba Tshibaka December, there have been a total of 27 hate and racial bias incidents just within this past fall semester.

UMD is a state university located in Prince George’s County with 12.5 percent of the students identifying as Black and a total of 43.3 percent of minority students, according to the UMD Undergraduate Student Profile.

The documentation of hate and racial incidents at UMD follows the murder of Second Lt. Richard Collins III on UMD’s campus in May. He was a Black Bowie State University student. Collins was visiting UMD during finals examinations when he was allegedly stabbed at a bus stop by White UMD student, Sean Urbanski.

Continued on B3

Courtesy photo

Derrick Staton, a 16-yearold high school athlete, was fatally stuck by a Metro Police K9 unit on New Year’s Day.

Md. Teen Fatally Struck

by Metro Transit Police Truck

By Briana Thomas Special to the AFRO Maryland State Police said a 16-year-old pedestrian was involved in a fatal crash in Prince George’s County on New Year’s Day. Derrick Staton, a resident of Clinton, Md., was crossing a busy intersection in Brandywine, Md. on Crain Highway at Chadds Ford Drive when a Metro Transit Police K9-unit vehicle struck him, police said.

The officer driving the vehicle, Gary Bottalico, was off duty and on his way to work in a marked Chevy Silverado pickup truck traveling northbound on U.S. 301 at Chadds Ford Drive Continued on B2

With a meager budget and limited staff, the Crisis Center of Prince George’s County, in Brentwood, Md., has offered a haven to victims of domestic violence since 1981. In December, residents complained to the Washington

Courtesy photo

Sophie Ford was the executive director of the Crisis Center of Prince George’s County. She was fired in December.

Post they were forced to live in a 100-year-old building plagued with mold, poor heating and rotten food.

As a result, Sophie Ford, the shelter’s executive director, lost her job. Ford was named as an interim manager for the shelter in 2014 and county officials have visited the facility to make sure the

“The biggest thing is helping people to feel safe in the immediate crisis.”

– Michelle Williams nonprofit group running the shelter is doing everything it can to improve the situation.

The shelter was built in 1915.

“One of the biggest takeaways for me is that I have been here for three years and one person wrote that I was the best director that they ever had,” Ford told the AFRO, referencing that, under her leadership, several of the building’s problems were being addressed. “None of these people have any clue of what is really going on.”

Ford said she only had a $10,000 budget to maintain the facility that is operated by her non-profit group 24 hours a day. However, according to the Post, the county gives the shelter $385,000 a year to operate. It also received $108,000 in the Fall of 2017 to expand services to southern Prince George’s County.

While Ford said she planned to develop a plan and make other changes she never got the opportunity. Last week

Continued on B2

B2

The Afro-American, January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018

Prince George’s County High School Basketball

New Year Brings Early Stand Outs

By Daniel Kucin Jr. Special to the AFRO DeMatha Catholic High School, in Hyattsville, Md., is the cream of the crop of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC). So far, the Stags have enjoyed a 10-1 record and have put together signature wins over Washington, D.C.-based St. John’s College High School and Bishop O’Connell High School (Arlington, VA).

The Stags “big three” consists of junior guard Justin Moore, sophomore guard Earl Timberlake, and sophomore center Hunter Dickinson. All three players are averaging over 14 points per game so far, and it will be interesting to see if they will keep it up moving forward.

Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School, in Upper Marlboro, Md., is on fire as of late behind the scoring efforts of senior combo guard Sherwyn Devonish. The 6-foot, 180-pound student-athlete is averaging over 23 points, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

He dropped 29 points against Bladensburg High School on Dec. 15 displaying his athleticism and ability to take over a game at will. The Pumas are now 6-1, and they look to be a top contender in the 4A division.

Despite falling to perennial powerhouse DeMatha in its first game of the season 86-49, Greenbelt, Md.-based Eleanor Roosevelt High School (5-2) has strung together four consecutive wins including a dominant 21-point victory over Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School located in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Dec. 27.

Senior point guard Jaden Faulkner leads the team in scoring

(17 points per game), and had a In the 3A division, Potomac 26-point outburst in their win over High school located in Glassmanor, Lanham, Md.-based DuVal High Md. and Oxon Hill High School are School on Dec. 15. Junior guard playing lights out lately. Potomac Cameron Brown, senior guard is currently undefeated (6-0) after Juston Bailey, and junior guard most recently defeating Clarksville, Isaiah Gross are currently scoring Md.-based River Hill High School in double-figures for the Raiders by 31 points on Dec. 28. this season.

The Clippers (5-1) are riding on Fairmont Heights High School, a four-game win streak, and their in Capitol Heights, Md., looks to only loss is to Potomac (81-78) on defend its 1A South championship Dec. 13. Six-foot-four senior guard title again this season. The Hornets Nayshone Kane has been leading are 4-2 and started the year off on a the way with 17.8 points per game. three-game winning streak.

Gwynn Park looks like a Senior guards Kimani Benjamin team that will give its opposition and Darren Lucas-White have headaches for the remainder of been a force to be reckoned with the season. The Yellow Jackets are as of late. They combined for 39 now 6-1 but recently fell to Albert points against Phelps Architecture, Einstein High School located in Construction and Engineering High Kensington, Md. on Dec. 28 by the School (Washington, D.C.) in 66score of 73-68.

Photo by Daniel Kucin 29 blowout victory on Dec. 22.

If senior guard Craig Morrow Both players are averaging over Earl Timberlake is a sophomore guard at DeMata and junior guard Jalen Hayes can Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md. 17 points per game as the team’s keep up their 15 points per game primary scoring options, but junior scoring average up or better; point guard Anthony Craven is no Gwynn Park should be the best slouch either in the scoring department at 12 points per contest. contender for a 2A championship run this year.

Levi

Continued from B1 and work to try to hold the line of real property tax rate,” Levi told the AFRO. “If we do that we will improve property values and county services as well.”

Levi, a Democrat who represented District 23A in the Maryland House of Delegates, said she wants to be elected to one of the two new at-large seats on the council in 2018. She will likely be competing against Prince George’s County Council member Mel Franklin (D-District 9); Prince George’s County Council member Karen Toles (D-District 7); Calvin Hawkins, an aide to Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker III, and former County Council member Eric Olson.

The Democratic primary takes place on June 26. The county has a 10 to one Democrat to Republican advantage and therefore the top two vote winners in the Democratic primary are set to win decisively in the Nov. 6 general election.

Levi, 49, is a Chicago native who holds a bachelor’s degree

from the University of California, Berkeley and a juris doctorate from Howard University School of Law. She worked on Capitol Hill for then U.S. Rep. Gus Savage (D-Ill.) and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). She has worked in professional positions for the Laborers International Union of North America and for the AFL-CIO. In 2010, Levi ran for the Democratic nomination for county executive that was won by Baker.

While in the House, Levi [co-sponsored/sponsored/ introduced/voted for] a law prohibiting the issuance of learner’s permits to teenagers who consistently failed to attend school and sponsored anti-gang and anti-gang violence legislation. She was a reliably Democratic, progressive vote on most issues.

On the county council, Levi said she will commit to help the public education system. “Education is the toughest challenge that we have as a county,” she said. “The way to fix it is for the community and government to work together.” She said that the school system faces three challenges: discipline issues within the schools, chronic absenteeism and the need to beef up after-school and summer enrichment programs.

Levi said she will sponsor legislation on the council that will protect the most important asset a family has, which is its home. She understands that there are neighborhoods, particularly in municipalities and unincorporated areas in inner-Beltway communities, such as District Heights Md., with many abandoned houses and she wants to remove that blight. “We have pockets of under-valued property in the county and we need to focus on remedying that,” she said.

In addition, she said focusing on helping county residents find high-paying jobs, smart development that includes transitoriented development and helping small businesses prosper in Prince George’s County will be priorities.

The Delta Research and Educational Foundation in Affiliation with Prince William County Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and in Conjunction with The Cecil & Irene Hylton Foundation Presents...

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Program & Youth Oratorical Contest

Levi attends the From the Heart Church Ministries in Suitland, Md. James Dula, a former president and CEO of the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce, is credited with reviving that organization. He serves as the president of the South County Democratic Club, one of the fastest growing political clubs in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. “When she was a delegate, she served the people well,” he told the AFRO regarding Levi. “She put the people first.”

Dula said Levi has attended meetings of the South County Democrats and they have had conversations on issues. “She has talked about her concern about rising taxes on seniors and they should be given a break because they were here when things weren’t so good in the county,” he said. “She has also mentioned more vocational programs for young people who aren’t interested in college and cleaning up the county. She wants Prince Georgians to live in a county that they can be proud of.”

Moldy Food Continued from B1

the Crisis Center Board of Directors asked for Fords resignation and she agreed to step down.

Despite agreeing to leave, Ford said in an interview, that while residents went to the media they never came to her. “We have a complaint and grievance processes and neither I nor my second in command received any complaint.”

In the final days of the year, the board named Andrea Morris interim executive director until Jan. 1 and announced Michelle Williams, a former manager in the D.C. Department of Social Services, would manage the shelter until a permanent replacement could be found.

“The biggest thing is helping people to feel safe in the immediate crisis,” Williams told the AFRO. “Once we can get people stable in the shelter they can plan what their next housing opportunity will be.”

Even though Williams has the skills to bring order to the facility, Morris said her job is not easy because the facility houses about 50 people in the building each day. “It’s hard,” Morris said, “but the good news is that we never lost our occupancy license and we are sound in terms of the physical plant.”

Md. Teen

Continued from B1

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Snow Day: January 20, 2018 Music By The MLK Community Choir The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, addresses social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.” Nonperishable food items and slightly used/new coats will be collected for famililes in Prince William County, Manassas Park, and Manassas City.

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Tonya Carter - Outreach Committee Chair c: 248-346-2818 • e: justmetlc@gmail.com

when the incident happened around 1 p.m. on Jan. 1, according to police.

Authorities said a pedestrian error maybe a reason for the crash, “For reasons unknown at this time, a pedestrian reportedly walked into the street into oncoming traffic, directly into the path of the approaching patrol car and was subsequently struck.”

The road was closed for five hours after the crash as Maryland State Police CRASH Team investigated the scene. The findings are slated to be presented to Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, but when has not been specified.

Bottalico was unharmed in the accident and has been placed on administrative paid leave, officials said.

Staton, a sophomore at Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Md., died at the scene.

“Derrick had a servant’s heart and was always willing to give whatever he had, including his time at local shelters feeding the homeless. He would never let anyone do anything without offering his help,” family members, who describe Staton as vibrant and upstanding, wrote on a GoFundMe page created to help cover Staton’s funeral expenses. As of Jan. 3, people have donated $4,020. According to the page, there is a $25,000 goal to pay for expenses.

Staton was a member of the JROTC Program as well as a basketball, football and baseball player.

The middle school is providing counseling for students after the tragic incident, “Wise Athletics mourns the loss of JV Football team member Derrick Staton. Crisis intervention is available for students in the guidance office,” the Athletics Department wrote on Twitter.

January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018, The Afro-American

AFRO

WASHINGTON AREA

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Washington, D.C.

401 F Street, NW Shaping the District The National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, is scheduled to host 1968: Shaping the District on Jan. 6 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Explore D.C. as it was in 1968: a predominantly African American city in a complex time of grassroots organizing, groundbreaking initiatives, creative expression, racism, protests, and activism. This collaborative event launches a year of programming and exhibitions throughout the city marking the 50th anniversary of this historic year.

Activities include: City of Stories, images and words from 1968 inspire you to share your own thoughts, feelings, and ideas about Washington, D.C.; Mapping Stories, map the events of 1968 through photographs and first-hand accounts with the Washington Architectural Foundation and the D.C. Public Library’s Special Collections; Organizing History, get an up close look at community organizing posters, maps, and similar items from the year with D.C. History and National Building Museum curator Sarah Leavitt. A personal archiving workshop will also be held from 2 p.m.-3 p.m. The event is free but registration is required. RSVP at go.nbm.org.

1250 New York Ave., NW National Museum of Women in the Arts Hosts Free Community Day Visit the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave., NW, on Jan. 7 from noon to 5 p.m. for Community Day. Community Day is free for participants.

Residents can take the opportunity to explore the museum’s newly reinstalled collection and current exhibitions, including the Magnetic Fields exhibition. The Magnetic Fields expands American Abstraction from the 1960s to present day, places abstract works by multiple generations of Black women artists in context with one another—and within the larger history of abstract art—for the first time.

1640 Rhode Island Ave, N.W. Human Rights Campaign Hold Volunteer Open House The Human Rights Campaign Great Washington is scheduled to hold a Volunteer Open House on Jan. 10 at it headquarters located at 1640 Rhode Island Ave, N.W. Members of the organization’s Steering Committee will be on hand to discuss upcoming volunteer activities and leadership opportunities. Please RVSP at act.hrc.org.

B3

CHURCH EVENTS Washington, D.C. 1313 New York Ave., NW Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington Hosts MLK Multifaith Program The Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington is hosting the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Multifaith Program, titled “His Voice, His Teachings, His Love for Humanity,” on Jan. 7 from 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, located at 1313 New York Ave., NW. This free annual event unites the community to celebrate King’s collective messages of love, peace, equality and justice from multiple faith perspectives.

Homicide Count 2018 Total

2

Data as of Jan. 3

Analysis

Continued from D1

“So when there are attacks on the Black community on campus, they do distract me from my work. they do create a lot of anxiety for me…”

Given the prevalence of racially driven incidents, Saba Tshibaka, a Black UMD student, said that she has become desensitized.

“I feel like having to block out emotion so that I can go to school like a regular student,” she said.

Tshibaka, 19, studies computer science and is a native of Maryland.

Similar to AU, nooses were also hung in a UMD fraternity house kitchen in May. Tshibaka pointed out that while UMD has very strict rules about plagiarism, it does not have clear punishment for hate crime perpetuators.

they would get in trouble for it, they would not end up doing it,” Tshibaka said.

To survive as a Black student at UMD, Tshibaka said she turns to her inner community. She is involved in a number of clubs and organizations such as Black Honors Caucus, the Black Student Union others.

– Adina Greenidge and“You’re living in a majority-White country, and you’re going to have to deal with these issues “I know that if I were to cheat on an exam, I would know everywhere you are. So going to an HBCU, as nice as they are, exactly what punishment I would get… But for incidents like is not going to stop you from experiencing these things in real racism and stuff like that, I don’t know what’s going to happen life,” Greenidge said. if they find out… and that bothers me because if people knew

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Cards with negative balances won’t be able to ride the bus or exit rail stations. Staying positive is easy with Auto-Reload. Signup online and never waste time adding funds again. Visit wmata.com/autoreload.

B4

The Afro-American, January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018

MarcH.Morial,presidentandCEOofthenation’s largestcivilrightsorganization,theNational UrbanLeagueaddressedabout380Bowie Tina Jordan, Ph.D and Makeba Green, Ph.D

Lt. Col. Joel Thomas, chair, Department of Military Science (Army ROTC) and Marc Morial Guerda Zephirin, Regine Zephirin, received degree in psychology and Ronald Zephirin

by Aminta H. Breaux, president, Bowie State University.OneofBowie State’s oldest living alumni, Helen Neal, 88, of Ellicott City, Md. wasalsohonoredatthe commencement.

Diane Wilson-Bragg, 1961 graduate and Norma Gary, 1955 graduate

Winona Taylor, Darsana Josyula, Joan Langdon and Monika Gross

Miss USA 2017, Kara McCullough (left) and Ryan Richardson (right), Miss DC USA 2017 and Byrce Armstrong, Miss DC USA 2018

Madison Chambers is crowned Miss DC Teen USA

StateUniversitygraduatesandtheirfamiliesat thewintercommencementonDec.15,2017at BowieState’sLeonidasS.JamesPhysicalEducation Complex.Thecommencementservicewasled

Dr. Aminta H. Breaux, president, Bowie State University presenting a honorary degree to Marc Morial, president/CEO, National Urban League, the keynote speaker

Photo by Rob Roberts

Bryce Armstrong, Miss DC USA 2018, Madison Chambers, Miss DC Teen USA 2018 and Carla Crawford, pageant director

The Miss D.C. USA and Miss D.C. Teen USA pageants were held on Dec. 16, 2017 at the D.C. Renaissance Hotel in Northwest Washington, DC. Over 30 youngladiescompetedforthecoveted titles with Madison Chambers being crownedMissDCTeenUSA2018andBryce Armstrong,crownedMissDCUSA2018.A majorhighlightofthepageantwasthe attendanceofMissUSA2016andMissUSA 2017,bothformerMissDCUSAwinners.Additionally,Military VeteransReneeAllenandFrankPhillipswere recognizedfortheirservicetothecountry.Kamie Crawford,the2010MissTeenUSAandChris Saltalamacchio were the emcees.

Former Miss D.C. USA Queens

Judges: Danni Starr, Angela Patsy, Tianna Grigg. Bryce Armstrong, Miss DC USA 2018, Stephon Mendoza and Adrienne Watson Shanel James, Miss US International, Courtney Williams and Allison Hill

Chris Saltalamacchio, co-emcee, Bryce Armstrong, Miss DC USA 2018, Madison Chambers, Miss DC Teen USA 2018 and Kamie Crawford, co-emcee

Deshauna Barber, Miss USA 2017, Ryan Richardson, Bryce Armstrong, Miss DC USA 2018, Tara McCullough, Miss USA 2018, Madison Chambers, Miss DC Teen USA 2018 and Karis Felton

Dennis Felton, Karen Wines, Donald Wines, Peggy Wines and Patricia Wright

Photo by Rob Roberts

January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018, The Afro-American

ARTS & CULTURE

C1

Ryan Sands Plays Parent Not To Be Messed With in ‘Runaways’

By Nadine Matthews Special to the AFRO It’s been nine years since Washington D.C. native Ryan Sands moved to Los Angeles but he is still just getting acclimated. Specifically to the weather at Christmas time. “I’m still trying to get used to this warm Christmas. It’s still hard to adjust,” he tells the AFRO. Sands stars in Hulu’s series “Runaways” based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name. Unlike the adults in the comic book series, the adults in Hulu’s version play a critical role in driving the plot. “That aspect,” Sand says, “was one of the bigger surprises. Having read the comics, the adult characters aren’t focused on that much so going in I was just looking forward to playing this villain that pops up now and then but seeing how well the adults were fleshed out and how their story is a focus of the show, I have to admit I consider myself incredibly blessed. It’s been a really fun experience.”

Created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (“Gossip Girl,” “The OC”), who are expert at weaving twisty, juicy stories about the rich, “Runaways” bears their unique stamp.

The series features four different families who live in an upscale California suburb. In a Southern California home straight out of {Architectural Digest}, Sands and Angel Parker (“American Crime Story”), play the parents of the character Alex, (Rhenzy Feliz) a charismatic blerd who rallies his friends to find the courage to go up against their parents’ treachery.

The parents in “Runaways” are the enemies of their teenage children. The teens, mysteriously imbued with superpowers they are only now discovering, are the unlikely heroes.

Twelve hour shooting days and filming from every angle possible puts the abundant special effects and talents of the large cast on full display. The payoff is a small screen show with a largely cinematic feel. “It takes a long time to shoot those scenes with all of us together. It can take a long time to get everybody’s dialogue and everybody’s reaction. Then when

(Courtesy photo)

Ryan Sands is one of the stars of Hulu’s ‘Runaways.’

you incorporate special effects like we do, you’re gonna be there for a while,” Sands says.

A self-described comic book fan since he was a kid, Sands says he was thrilled when he heard about the role. “I’m just a huge comic book fan and have been since I can remember

Tyson Breaks Ground on Weed Ranch

By The Associated Press

(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is becoming a California marijuana entrepreneur.

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is becoming a California marijuana entrepreneur.

TheBlast.com reports that Tyson and partners on Dec. 20 broke ground on a plot for a cannabis resort in California City, a remote Mojave Desert town that’s about a 110-mile (177-kilometer) drive north of Los Angeles.

Partner Robert Hickman tells the website that the undeveloped lands are primed to be cultivated and that Tyson Ranch will be an oasis.

In a video of the event, California City Mayor Jennifer Wood thanks Tyson for his commitment to the community, saying the industry will provide medical marijuana to people in need, revenue, jobs and income for residents.

Calls and emails from The Associated Press to a Tyson representative and the mayor were not immediately returned Tuesday.

Netflix Greenlights ‘Bright’ Sequel, Smith to Return as Star

By The Associated Press Despite scathing reviews from critics, Netflix has greenlit a sequel to “Bright,” with star Will Smith and director David Ayer expected to return.

The streaming service announced the plans Jan. 3, just two weeks after the fantasy police drama debuted. “Bright” is Netflix’s most ambitious and big-budget film yet, with estimates that it cost approximately $90 million to produce.

With a sequel, Netflix will hope to make its first film franchise even though “Bright” has garnered just a 28 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But “Bright” has still been widely watched. Nielsen reported that 11 million watched “Bright” in the United States in the first three days.

Netflix doesn’t release viewing numbers, but it said “Bright” has been its most viewed movie in all of Netflix’s 190-plus countries.

The film stars Smith as a police officer in an alternate

version of Los Angeles where orcs, fairies and magic co-exist

(Matt Kennedy/Netflix via AP)

Despite scathing reviews from critics, Netflix has greenlit a sequel to “Bright,” with star Will Smith (left).

so anything with that Marvel name attached to it I’m there.

That was the initial excitement was just being involved with a Marvel project.”

In fact, Sands is an accomplished artist himself and was always the creative one in his family. “I was a little nerdy kid who wanted to draw all day long and watch my cartoons and read my comic books. My childhood was filled with a lot of time to explore my imagination and I get to play in that world now as an adult.”

Although he lost his father, who was in the military, at the age of twelve, he describes his childhood as a happy one. ”There was always a whole lotta love, a lotta laughter, and a whole lotta support. My older brothers and sisters looked out for me. My artistic talent was recognized early on. I was a creative kid and I always got a lot of support from everybody in the family.”

The acting bug hit Sands as a young boy after watching “Star Wars.” He desperately wanted to be “The Last Jedi.” It wasn’t until he was in college and watched romantic classic “Love Jones” that his passion for acting was reignited. “That was the catalyst. ‘Love Jones’ smacked me in the face. It was just the world that ‘Love Jones’ presented reminded me of my life in D.C. It was exciting to see characters who looked like me and talked like me and who were into the same stuff I was into. I just wanted the opportunity to one day play a character like that.”

Now, when not working or kicking back with his wife to catch up on “Luke Cage,” “This is Us,” or “Queen Sugar,” Sands works on his own film. “Most of my free time goes toward a film project I’ve been working on for years.” His film, “When Autumn Leaves,” is a romantic drama based in his hometown of Washington D.C. Production is scheduled for the Fall of 2018. “I want to show the world this side of D.C. that hasn’t been shown before. I really want to expose people to what the UC corridor is all about and show that D.C. is not just about politics. I’ve been working on that as much as possible.”

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The Afro-American, January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018

Mediocrity Stains Area Football Teams Again

By Mark F. Gray Special to the AFRO Pro football fans on either side of the Baltimore Washington Parkway are reluctant to embrace the similarity of their place in the NFL hierarchy. The Ravens have given their fans more recent championship success but fans in Washington still hold on to the halcyon days when the burgundy and gold were a staple in the playoffs.

The two cities now find themselves bound together in an era of mediocrity. Franchises that were once amongst the League’s elite have drafted poorly, fiscal mismanagement, and incredible streaks of bad luck send them to the loser’s bracket for the last 36 months and counting.

Passions run deep when drawing the inevitable regional comparison between the two teams. The genuine dislike amongst the Baltimore and Washington fan bases is even more pronounced that other regions with teams that share proximity.

The hate is personal and runs deep.

Player and coaches are reluctant to embrace superstitions or karma which have gone against both teams for the last five years. These high profile franchises have underachieved after seeming to make good football decisions that defy conventional wisdom.

The gray clouds of winter that have been hovering over the region since the dawn of the new year signal how bleak pro football is in the area. Washington’s glory days are a quarter of a century behind them. Their last championship was in 1991 and they haven’t been a playoff team since 2015. Ironically it was Baltimore’s Haloti Ngata who derailed the Robert Griffin III era with a shot to the knee that changed the trajectory of the franchise in the glorious 2012 season where the Ravens won the Super Bowl.

This year it appeared Washington was ready to step back into contention with the best teams in the league but after a tumultuous offseason everything that could go wrong did.

lost 17 players to injured reserve this season causing them to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Meanwhile, the Ravens haven’t been the same franchise since they turned their back on Ray Rice. They mishandled the courtship of Colin Kaepernick and chose to rely on Ryan Mallett while Joe Flacco was recovering from a back injury to start training camp. That cost them at least two games early in the season.

Flacco, the Super Bowl MVP, hasn’t been the same since cashing in on his 2012 success without Rice (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) in the backfield. The team Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Brandon Bell (52) tackles Baltimore Ravens wide receiver hasn’t been able to surround Michael Campanaro (12) during the second half of an NFL football game in Baltimore, him with the championship Dec 31. The Ravens missed the playoffs for the third time in a row. caliber receivers and he hasn’t been able to deliver. They’ve They are paying retail for quarterback Kirk Cousins when drafted poorly and weakened they could have signed him to a shorter, money saving long their coaching staff with John Harbaugh’s friends from term wholesale deal three years but didn’t want to negotiate.

Philadelphia.

They hired a championship building personnel executive Scot The Ravens storied defense delivered another collapse McCloughan – who drafted players for the Super Bowl teams against the Cincinnati Bengals ending the year with a blown in San Francisco and Seattle – but right now looks as if he coverage giving up a touchdown that kept them from the missed on 2015 first and second round picks Josh Doctson and playoffs in the most gut wrenching fashion.

Su’a Cravens.

There are similar questions for the Ravens and in The team botched McCloughan’s dismissal by posting an Washington moving forward. The clock is ticking everywhere embarrassing video regarding the personal issues that led to his from the front offices to the sidelines as both try to rise above termination. That miscue has remains in litigation and the team the clouds of mediocrity.

AFRO Sports Desk Faceoff

Should Saquon Barkley Go No. 1 Overall in NFL Draft?

By Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley Special to the AFRO Speed, agility and power—Penn State running back Saquon Barkley offers them all. The third year runner dominated all season for the Nittany Lions and is highly expected to declare early for the 2018 NFL Draft.

Scouts are unsure where Barkley could go as he’s been projected to go as high as No. 1 overall or could go behind a slew of talented signal callers who may also declare (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri) early. Position aside, Barkley Penn State running back Saquon Barkley (26) is projected is the draft’s top prospect. to go high in the upcoming NFL draft.

Running backs aren’t as high as a priority as they used to be but Barkley could be different. Should he go first overall? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate this question.

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Riley: Barkley is the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson and he’ll dominate once he hits the professional scene. That quality alone should have him going first overall. He’s a game changer. The acceleration, the hands and the power are reminiscent of Bo Jackson, and those type of players don’t just pop up on scouting reports every year.

The Cleveland Browns will once again draft first overall and the pressure will be on them to take a signal caller as the quarterback position has eluded them for decades now. Regardless, Barkley is the top talent and could turn the Browns into an actual, watchable unit should he don the brown and orange next season.

Green: Running backs have increasingly become a dime a dozen considering the rate at which they get injured and how many talented runners a team can find late in drafts. I love Barkley as a talent, but running back simply isn’t the priority it used to be. And when you factor in it’s Cleveland drafting, they’ll be hard pressed to select a signal caller regardless of how talented Barkley is.

Make no mistake: I think Barkley is the best talent in the draft but he’s not what the Browns need.

Riley: The best clubs draft talent over need, and considering the Browns are trying their hardest to change things around, they may need to seriously consider Barkley at No. 1. Running backs are plentiful but there’s definitely a difference in guys like Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell, Arizona’s David Johnson and Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott and the rest of the field.

Those type of runners are franchise stars and make their teams’ quarterbacks take a backseat.

Barkley might not be exactly what Cleveland wants but he’s precisely what they need to start turning things around.

Green: If Cleveland drafts anything else beside a quarterback fans could potentially revolt.

They’ve spent too many years trying to stack up on skill players and use later picks to draft signal callers and that plan has exploded in their faces more times than not. If this was any other team like Tampa Bay or even the New York Giants, I’d be all in favor of Barkley as those teams have reputable quarterbacks already in place. However, that’s not the case, and Barkley could find himself slipping down the board as the run on signal callers will be top priority as usual.

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BALTIMORE-AREA

The FBI Said ‘No.’ Now What Happens New Year, in Det. Suiter Case?

Same Race and Politics

Violence

1,005…

In the last three years 1,005 people have been added to the murder list in Baltimore.

Sean Yoes Several Baltimore AFRO homicides Editor syoes@afro.com from previous years (for example, the shooting of William Wallace in 1995, which led to his death in September was counted in the 2017 total), always wind up being counted towards any given year, if you want to be accurate with this grisly math. But, what is clear is the vast majority of the murdered in 2015 (344), 2016 (318) and 2017 (343), have been Black males. On the first day of 2018, we picked up right where we left off in 2017; two more Black men dead.

Andre Galloway, 16, who was killed around 3:45 p.m. in the 2000 block of Eagle St., in South Baltimore was the first homicide victim of 2018.

About two hours later, Brian Taylor, 30, was killed in the 5100 block of Goodnow Rd., in East Baltimore.

“We end 2017 with an unacceptable number of homicides and overall violence. That much is clear to us all. As your police commissioner, the buck ultimately stops with me. What to do about it all requires a collaborative and holistic approach,” wrote Commissioner Kevin Davis in a Baltimore Sun oped, Dec. 30 titled, “Police commissioner: BPD making strides.”

“Murders and corruption dominate the headlines and make it difficult for Baltimoreans to truly

Continued on D2

D1

HBCU Equity Lawsuit

HBCU Supporters Outline 2018 Plans

By Deborah Bailey Special to the AFRO

Last month, Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis (at podium, with BPD spokesman T. J. Smith at left) asked for the FBI to lead the investigation into the murder of Baltimore Homicide Det. Sean Suiter. The FBI refused to take the case, leaving many to question what’s next in the Suiter murder investigation.

By Stephen Janis Special to the AFRO There is a term homicide detectives use to designate an investigation top priority: Red Ball. Its origin is unknown, but among cops who have worked on the homicide floor no other case qualifies as Red Ball more than the murder of cop, no less a detective who worked among them.

Which is why the drama engulfing a call for an outside agency to investigate the death of Det. Sean Suiter has troubled former detectives who know how investigations work. Particularly since the FBI recently turned down the request to take over the case, leaving the homicide floor in limbo.

“Everyone is pretty upset with Police Commissioner Davis,” a person familiar with the investigation who did not wish to be identified told the AFRO. Suiter was found shot in the head with his own gun in a West Baltimore alley in November.

Police Commissioner Kevin Davis immediately locked down the Harlem Park neighborhood where the shooting occurred touting the theory that a lone Black man wearing a striped jacket was responsible for Suiter’s death.

It’s a hypothesis Davis has clung to even after it was revealed Suiter was set to testify before a federal grand jury in a widening corruption case involving former members of the Gun Trace Task Force the day after he died.

“What we have left before us is a murder committed by

a yet to be identified perpetrator,” Davis reiterated at press conference last week.

But it is Davis’ public endorsement of a single theory of the case that has added to the turmoil surrounding the investigation.

Particularly when Davis would not rule out seeking help elsewhere after the FBI turned him down.

“In terms of our willingness to bring in extra eyes and ears…. I am not reluctant at all to identify some nationally known subject matter experts on homicide…I am open to that,” said Davis.

Part of the problem with Davis’ strategy, which has been endorsed by the mayor and city council members, is the often-contradictory statements regarding just why another agency is –Kevin Davis needed.

On one hand, Davis, along with Mayor Catherine Pugh, continue to insist that Baltimore homicide detectives are more than qualified to handle the case. But both also continue to deny that the burgeoning corruption scandal that has led to charges of robbery, extortion and stealing overtime against at least eight cops that Suiter was set to testify against, also had anything to do with his death, leaving questions about why the case cannot be handled internally unanswered.

This week, former BPD Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, who was the supervisor of the disbanded and disgraced Gun Trace Task Force, is expected to plead guilty. Jenkins is the sixth Baltimore Continued on D2

“What we have left before us is a murder committed by a yet to be identified perpetrator.”

Students, alumni and supporters of Maryland’s four Historically Black Colleges and Universities ( HBCU’s) are taking their battle to stop the decades of discrimination against them by Maryland, to the Maryland General Assembly and the state’s voting booths in 2018, while efforts to stop discrimination through the court system are on hold.

“This state has discriminated against its four HBCU’s as proven

by Judge Catherine Blake’s court order.”

– Marvin ‘Doc’ Cheatham

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. This state has discriminated against its four HBCU’s as proven by Judge Catherine Blake’s court order,” said Marvin ‘Doc’ Cheatham, spokesman for the HBCU Matters Coalition in recent testimony before the Continued on D2

Freezing Temps, Lack of Heat:

Arthur Sherman Evans, First Homicides of 2018 Teachers Union Calls for Jr., Award Winning Closure of City Schools Educator Dies

By Michelle Richardson Special to the AFRO

By Sean Yoes Baltimore AFRO Editor

By AFRO Staff

Frigid temperatures in the Baltimore area over the last several days combined with a lack of heat in several Baltimore City Public School buildings has compelled the Baltimore

Teachers Union (BTU), to call for the closure of city schools, until the heating issues can be resolved.

On Jan. 3, a hand delivered letter was sent from Marietta English, president of the BTU, to Sonja Santelises, BCPS CEO. “The past 36 hours have been quite difficult for our membership and the children they teach,” reads the letter sent

by English.

“Our educators have been forced to endure teaching in classrooms with dangerously low temperatures, instructing students who have been forced to try to learn bundled up in coats, hats and gloves. Trying to provide a stable learning environment in these extreme conditions is unfair and inhumane, to say the least.”

Continued on D2

Arthur Evans, Jr., a long-time professor at Florida Atlantic University, who also served as the school’s chair of the Department of Sociology, died Dec. 11 after a prolonged battle with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. He was 66.

Evans was born to Arthur and Evelyn Evans in Baltimore, Oct. 19, 1951. He was educated in the public school system. He attended Delaware State College, where he graduated with a B.A. degree in Sociology in 1973. He later attained his Masters degree from Kansas State University in 1975 and his Doctorate degree in 1978, also at Kansas State.

It was at Kansas State, where he met and fell in love with Annette Mirocke, who he was married to for 39 years.

He began his teaching career at Indiana University in 1978, then two years later landed at Florida Atlantic University, where he served in various capacities including chair of the Sociology Department and director of Ethnic Studies. Evans authored several scholarly papers and publications and won various research and teaching awards, including the “Degree of Difference,” award at Florida Atlantic. He is the only person in the school’s history to win the honor twice.

Evans leaves to mourn: his wife Annette Evans, father Arthur S. Evans, Sr., two brothers, Dr. Anthony Evans and Maurice Evans, a sister Beverly E. Johnson, three grandchildren, a great grandson, and many other family members and friends.

There were two homicides in Baltimore on the first day of 2018, after three people were shot in two separate shootings.

The first reported at about 3:40 p.m. in South Baltimore’s Mount Claire neighborhood on Eagle St. near Monroe St. and Wilkens Ave. The victim, 16 year old Andre Galloway, was found shot in the neck. Galloway was transported to Shock Trauma where he died a short time later.

Galloway’s family and friends remember him in social media with one cousin writing “Evil never takes a break and the devil don’t go on vacation...” and to, “pray for his

Continued on D3

343 2017 Total

3

2018 Total

Data as of Jan. 3

D2

The Afro-American, January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018

Race and Politics Continued from D1

understand the strides in public safety necessary for the Baltimore Police Department to fundamentally succeed in a way it has never known. Those improvements are now taking place in an organization that has long been one dimensional and unable to establish momentum that outlasts a calendar year or an election cycle.”

Kevin Davis can be a compelling, even charismatic figure when engaging with the Black community. And the statistics he cites in the op-ed, connected to internal accountability within the BPD seem encouraging. But, to suggest in the wake of the last three years that the BPD is “making strides,” damn, that’s a hard sell.

In 2015, there was the murder of Freddie Gray (the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide), gravely injured while in police custody. His death sparked the uprising. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice delivered its devastating report saying Baltimore Police routinely violated the constitutional rights of the city’s mostly Black and poor communities by conducting unlawful stops, illegal arrests and beating the hell out of mostly poor, Black people.

In 2017, the nefarious actions of the now disbanded and disgraced Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF), came to light. Also in 2017, the murky circumstances of the still unsolved murder

of Baltimore Homicide Det. Sean Suiter, has led a broad cross section of Baltimoreans to believe he was killed by a member of his own department, because Suiter was scheduled to testify (the day after he was gunned down) in a case involving the GTTF. I think the most cogent observation Davis made in his op-ed

But, to suggest in the wake of the last three years that the BPD is “making strides,” damn, that’s a hard sell. is, “it requires a collaborative and holistic approach,” to combat violence in our city. In fact, the farcical belief police should continue to have an outsized role in reducing violence and murder in Baltimore is unfair to the police and the people they have sworn to serve and protect.

At the end of the 1990’s, BPD imported much of its law

enforcement identity from New York City; from rogue police commissioner, Ed Norris, who ended up serving time in a federal prison, to the catastrophic “zero tolerance” policing strategy, which ignited 100,000 arrests (one-sixth of the city’s population) for several years in the early 2000’s. In case you forgot, a huge percentage of those arrests were deemed unlawful and the charges were dropped. Yet, the arrest records for those people -- mostly Black, mostly poor, almost all male -- have remained in place for the most part. Much of Black Baltimore still has not recovered.

In recent years, New York has eschewed both zero tolerance and the unconstitutional “stop and frisk,” policing strategies.

And in 2017, the city of 8.5 million people registered about 290 homicides, its lowest murder rate since the 1950’s.

Let that sink in; Baltimore with a population of about 620,000 people lost 343 people to homicide in 2017, while New York with a population of more than 10 times Baltimore’s, registered less than 300 murders.

Numbers don’t lie.

Sean Yoes is Baltimore editor of the AFRO and host the AFRO First Edition video podcast, which airs Monday and Friday on the AFRO’s Facebook page.

Suiter Case Continued from D1

officer charged in the case to plead guilty.

When asked to explain these contradictions at a press conference last month, Pugh was blunt.

“It makes sense to me,” she said, without elaborating.

Former Baltimore police commander Neill Franklin said part of the problem is that by publicly fixating on the least likely scenario – an assailant in the neighborhood – the commissioner has boxed himself into a corner “It is another way for him to say, we don’t have a single

lead in this case, even though we went and locked down your neighborhood for days,”

“It is another way for him to say, we don’t have a single lead in this case, even though we went and locked down your neighborhood for days.”

– Neill Franklin Franklin said. “And since

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the FBI.’” Franklin said the commissioner’s admission that there is no direct evidence of a suspect weeks

after the shooting occurred is troubling.

“It’s daylight, someone hears a gunshot, someone’s going to know something, someone is going to see someone running. I guarantee someone saw something if indeed it was a person from the neighborhood.”

An outspoken critic of the war on drugs and member of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), a group of law enforcement professionals who are leading the effort to curtail it, Franklin believes that theories tying Suiter’s killing to the grand jury investigation warrant equal consideration.

“Could Suiter have

additional information about something else? Could he be concerned about something we don’t know about?”

Franklin said.

Franklin said a theory Davis has dismissed, that Suiter committed suicide, can also not be ruled out.

Particular since suicide among police officers is an ongoing problem, an issue he dealt with personally during his tenure with the Maryland State Police when he contemplated ending his own life.

“If it comes to suicide we don’t know the true story of what’s going on in someone else’s mind,” he said.

“Personally, I can concede, when I was dealing with

[the thought of committing suicide] when on the job I always thought of a number of ways of I could take my life to make it look like it was on duty.”

As to where the investigation is headed, police spokesman T.J Smith said nothing has changed since the commissioner pledged to seek outside help last week. A move Franklin believes is the correct course for now.

“I would give this to the Maryland State Police, I’m saying this because with the questions still floating around, it would be better, perception wise, to let state police take the lead with the assistance from Baltimore city homicide.”

HBCU Equity Lawsuit Continued from D1

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Legislative Black Caucus.

Cheatham outlined a program of action with students, alumni and supporters of Maryland’s HBCU’s on Martin Luther King’s birthday (Jan. 15) barraging Attorney General Brian Frosh to halt action impeding the U.S. District Court ruling in the HBCU equity trial.

Each month, the HBCU Matters Coalition will continue pressuring state lawmakers to act on behalf of the state’s HBCU’s. The Coalition is also working to ensure that five current seats of the Maryland Higher Education Commission are re-appointed to include African-American commissioners.

“We contend all five of those seats need to be re-appointed to look more like the state of Maryland which it presently does not” Cheatham said. There are at least four people of color who are currently members (there are 13 members total), of MHEC: Anwer Haan, Sandra Jimenez, Rizwan Siddiqi and Vera Jackson.

On Feb. 15, The HBCU Coalition will follow-up the calls to Frosh with calls to members of the Maryland General Assembly urging support of Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS) endorsed legislation advancing the interest of HBCU’s.

Baltimore County Del. Charles Sydnor (D– 44) is considering legislation that would change the language of the Maryland Higher Education statute to end program duplication.

Baltimore City Sen. Joan

Carter Conway ( D-43), and Baltimore City Del. Nick Mosby (D– 40), are resubmitting the Blount-Rawlings-Britt HBI (Historically Black Institutions) Comparability bill with monetary adjustments for funding Maryland’s HBCU’s, consistent with Judge Blake’s order in the Nov. ruling.

“Our Mar. 15, 2018 MD HBCU Night in Annapolis must be strongly attended and impactful on our senators and delegates.

Finally, we will issue a MD HBCU Matter’s 2018 MD General Assembly Report Card on how our officials voted or not voted in April 2018,” Cheatham said.

Each month, the HBCU Matters Coalition will continue pressuring state lawmakers to act on behalf of the state’s HBCU’s.

Despite a Nov. 2017 remedial ruling by US District Court affirming a process to end state sponsored discrimination in academic program duplication at Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Attorney General Brian Frosh filed a request for the court to “vacate the judgement” rendered by the District Court’s remedial order, late in 2017, laying the groundwork for the state’s appeal.

“It’s time to diversify our strategy,” said David Burton, president of the Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education. “We must take our quest for equity and excellence for HBI’s to the ballot box and the upcoming election provides the ideal opportunity,” Burton wrote in a recent AFRO op-ed, referring to the Maryland Gubernatorial and State elections held in November.

City Schools Continued from D1

Four schools were closed Jan. 3 due to lack of heat: Calverton Elementary/Middle School, Elementary/Middle Alternative Program, KIPP Harmony Academy and Lakeland Elementary/ Middle School. Two other schools, Frederick Douglass High School and Cecil Elementary School, were forced to close early.

“I do realize that you and your staff are managing the best you can to rectify the issue in this record-breaking cold weather, however, doing so on the backs of our members and the children of Baltimore City is unacceptable,”

state English. “Additionally, your expectation that our members and the children that they teach endure endure bursting boilers, drafty windows, frigid temperatures in classrooms, and risk getting sick in these “less than ideal” conditions, is utterly ridiculous,” English added.

Perhaps complicating the issue further, the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory, (one to three inches of snow), in effect from 10 p.m. Jan. 3, to 11 a.m., Jan. 4, which could cause the school closures the BTU is calling for.

January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018, The Afro-American

Silent Night and Joy to the World

Happy New Year to all my fans and friends! Let’s be grateful that we are still above ground. Hopefully this year will be better than last year. God bless us all!

I want to say ‘Brova,’ to Carl Grubbs and Craig Alston, who led the closing performances of “SAX Camp” recently celebrating 20 years of service to the community from 1997 to 2017. It is heartwarming to know that so many of you supported their efforts to present and preserve jazz in the Baltimore metropolitan area. With the success of this program they have helped so many children.

Their accomplishments are numerous. The camp enrolled over 1000 participants in the instrumental music & dance programs for youth ages 4-17. Many of the camp attendees have graduated and gone on to study music and perform professionally.

They have also provided Louis R. Tucker of the St. employment opportunities James Brotherhood of St. to local and nationally Andrew, will host a jazz recognized artists. concert featuring the Carl They have entered into Grubbs Quartet on Jan. 13, collaborations and created 2018, 1 p.m.-4 p.m., at the St. partnerships with local, James Parish Center, 1020 W. private and public schools, Lafayette Avenue. businesses and arts venues to bring new and exciting performing arts to the community. Barbara Harrell Grubbs, Carl’s wife is the executive director, Carl Grubbs is the artistic director and Frederick Cager is the president. Starting out for 2018 Carl Grubbs and his quartet will perform a jazz concert on Jan. 13, 1 p.m-4 p.m., hosted by Louis R. Tucker, of the St. James Brotherhood of St. Andrew. The concert will be at the

St. James Parish Center, 1020 W. Lafayette Avenue. For more at the Kingdom information, call 410-523-4588.

Celebration A group called, “Forever Yours” will be performing the songs Center, 1350 and sounds of one of my favorites, the mighty O’Jays. The tribute Blair Drive #H to the O’Jays will take place on Jan. 6. The show will be held at in Odenton, Md., Arts Harmony Hall, 10701 Livingston Road, Ft. Washington, Md. where Bishop Go and be prepared to take a stroll down memory lane. The music Antonio Palmer will take you back to a time when the Philly Soul sound was at the is the Pastor. For top of the R&B music chart and the O’Jays kept those hits coming ticket information year after year. My goodness, do I remember that! Show time is 8 call, 443-816p.m. For ticket information, call 301-203-6070.

3006 or email The Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Gamma Omicron them at events@ Omega Chapter is having their 4th annual black tie gala, divineofannapolis. on Jan. 13, 2018, 9 p.m.-12 a.m., at the Forum Caterers, com. I will see you with open bar and live entertainment featuring The Panama there.

Band and Issac Parham. For more information, go to: www.

Look, my gammaomicronomegachapter@IPT1963AOO. friends, I am really St. John’s Lodge #5 is hosting a prayer breakfast, on Jan. 13, out of space, but 10 a.m.- 12 noon, at St. James Episcopal Church Parish Center, remember if you 1020 W. Lafayette Avenue. Guest speaker is the Rev. Melvin E. need me, call me Truiett. For more information, call 443-384-7929. at 410-833-9474 On Jan. 10, check out Gerald Veasley with Jaguar Wright or email me at Song stylist, renowned national performing the music of Nina Simone for two shows, 8 rosapryor@aol. recording artist, Baltimore’s own p.m. and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave., NW., com. Until the Brenda Afford sports her new look Washington D.C. For ticket information, call 267-225-8018 or next time, I’m when she performed recently on a gig musically yours.

202-337-4141. at Sistas’ Place Jazz Club in Brooklyn, There is one more thing I want to tell you about before I New York. go and it is about this baddddddddd gospel show in Odenton, Md. Check this out! The Divine of Annapolis’, 25th anniversary celebration will be off the hook! Along with Divine of Annapolis, others that will perform include: The Remnant of Maryland, The Christian Cavaliers of Annapolis, Md., The Wings of Praise of Baltimore, Evangelist Skipwith and the Inspirations, from North Carolina, Charles and The Spiritual Voices of Washington, D.C., and so The Anbessa Orchestra will be performing live at the Motor House Theater, 120 W. many more. The emcee’s North Ave. on Jan. 5, 2018, 8 p.m.-11 p.m. The Anbessa Orchestra is a seven piece group are, Stephanie McDonald, from New York City that takes the listeners on a musical journey from Addis to Brooklyn, VSC Christian Media, radio and now Baltimore.

Playing the music of, or inspired by the 1960’s, 1970’s, jazz and R&B. personality, Doresa Harvey, For ticket information, contact: yourgirlcheryl@gmail.com. and the Shouting MC, Minister Robert Wilson. This event will be on Jan. 14, at 4 p.m.

Homicides Continued from D1

mother during this hard time.”

Andre’s mother wrote “I can’t believe they took my son.” Andre was her youngest son according to a family member.

Efforts from the AFRO to reach out to Galloway’s mother went unanswered.

One family member who did not want to be identified for this story, said that she didn’t want to speak about Andre without his mother’s permission.

An employee of the SEED School of Maryland, a college-preparatory, public boarding school confirmed that Andre did attend the school calling him, “forever a saber,” referring to the school’s mascot.

Two hours later, at 5:45 p.m. two men

D3

were found shot in a White Infiniti in the Parkside Shopping Center on Goodnow Road, in Northeast Baltimore.

The 30 year- old driver, Brian Taylor, was shot in the head and torso area and was pronounced dead a short time later after being taken to a hospital.

The other man in the car has not been identified as Baltimore City doesn’t identify those that survived shootings but he was shot in the hip and taken to a hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

There are suspects in either case.

Anyone with information about either homicide is asked to call detectives at 410-396-2221, or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.

D4

The Afro-American, January 6, 2018 - January 12, 2018

Dr. Russell Kelley, Senator Delores Kelley, Dr. Erness Hill, Mark Hill, Ann Parker

Margaret Turner, charter member for 61 years, Continentals Societies

The much sought after post-Christmas annual event in Baltimore is the Holiday Gala sponsored by the Baltimore Chapter Lynn Lawings, gala chairman Yvonne Woods Howard, president, Baltimore Continental Societies, Inc. It was held on Dec. Chapter, Nina Blackmon, 1st Vice Lynetta Parker, Gladys Johson, Mozelle Fisher, Beulah Parker, 29 at Martin’s West in Woodlawn, Md. President Dorothy Patterson, Dorethea Patterson, Genesta Keys The ballroom’s large dance floor was overflowing with partygoers who kept the band busy playing familiar fast and slow tunes for the tireless dancers.

The Baltimore Chapter presented the Continental Continentals Ellen Howard, Gloria Campbell, Victor Green, Deborah Steve Williams, Dara Williams, LeRoy Community Service Award Marguerite Walker, Doris Smith Sutton, Michael Ware Cunningham, Shirley Swafford to Dr. Winifred Booker, a pediatric dentist and principle owner of Valley Dental Pediatrics.

Proceeds benefit underserved children and youth on their academic path Jill Johnston, Robyn Browder, National Kim De Laine, Richmond Manigault, Dr. Nathan Fletcher, Karen Carrington, President, Lynn Lawings, Yvonne Woods to higher education.

Joe Ann Oatis, Dr. Florence MarcusRamsey, Muriel Gates

Howard, Chapter President, Dr. Winifred Booker, honoree, Tiera York Jones

Lorna Manigault, Doris Holmes, Ivy Gates Smith, Danard Smith

Photos by Dr. A. Lois DeLaine

On December 31, friends and guests of the Baltimore Delta Alumnae Foundation, Inc., gathered at the Dr. Eugene Byrd, Laura Phillips Byrd, Dr. Sheryl Nelson, Zanes Cypress, Donna Cypress, Raphael Donald Rainey, Judy Doubletree by Hilton in Pikesville for Frederick “Kit” Adams, Adele Adams, Gaynelle Richardson, Jacqueline Richardson, Dr. Florence Marcus Rainey, Aileen Taylor, a party to say goodbye to 2017 and Lewis-Fleming, Osborne Dixon Dwight Taylor celebrate the New Year.

As the clock struck midnight into New Year’s Day, the excited and happy partygoers celebrated the event by exchanging hugs, kisses and wishing each other a Happy New Year with a champagne toast as the band played, “Auld Lang Syne”. Guests were Bob and Gladys Rice enjoy dressed in formal wear and kept the dance floor crowded. dancing to the music of Craig The Craig Alston Syndicate Band played a wide variety of popular Alston Syndicate Band music, as well as “oldies, but goodies.”

After midnight, there was the traditional menu of black eyed peas and greens for the guests. Rooms were also available for those who Barbara Blount Armstrong, Percy Boone, Paula Boone, wanted to stay for a safe night of celebration.

Jake Oliver, AFRO publisher Dorothy Chestnut, Mary Carter, The Baltimore Delta Alumnae Foundation’s mission is to provide Stuart Carter educational programs and grants to students and universities. Roslyn Smith serves as president of the foundation.

Wanda Tucker, Wanda Tucker

Takiea Hinton, AFRO American Newspaper, and guests

Dr. Charlene Cooper Boston, Orester Shaw

Elmer “Teddy” Murray, Dr. Mabel Murray

Marian Finney, Rose Wiggins, Adolph McDonald, Helen McDonald

Photos by Dr. A. Lois DeLaine

Pastor Jamal Bryant of Empowerment Temple AME Church graciously hosted Ms. Santa (Diane Hocker) of the AFRO AFRO Staff: Diane Hocker,Tasha Nicole Kirby (Public Relations Dir. American Newspaper, as Owens,Lenora Howze and Takiea Hinton Empowerment Temple) and Ms. a distribution point for Santa (Diane Hocker) her Christmas toy drive on Dec. 21st.

Volunteers from the Baltimore chapter of the Kappa Silhouettes and the Baltimore Chums, were on hand to assist.

Nominated families were allowed to come in and select toys and bicycles.

Robyn Priest, Shirell Tyner, Ms. Santa (Diane Hocker), Pastor Bryant and staff were also on Freddi Vaughn, Deborah Ferguson and Takiea Hinton hand to greet the families. AFRO publisher/ CEO John J. Oliver Jr. stopped by as well.

Brittany Brown, Aiden, Ethan and Liam

Photos Anderson R. Ward

La’Tasha Owens of the AFRO and family Ayden and Ms. Santa

Takiea Hinton, Diane Hocker, AFRO American Newspaper, with guests

Chanteau Smith, Ms. Santa (Diane Hocker) and Charlita Richardson

Freddi Vaughn, Pastor Jamal Bryant (Empowerment Temple), Ms. Santa (Diane Hocker) and Joseph Greene