Update on actress with Flagler ties SEE PAGE 3
GENEALOGIST OFFERS SECRETS ON LEARNING ABOUT AFRICANAMERICAN ANCESTORS SEE PAGE 8
East Central Florida’s Black Voice MARCH 3 - MARCH 9, 2016
YEAR 41 NO. 9
EE FR
BILL FLETCHER: Why aren’t we talking more about voter suppression? SEE PAGE 4
www.daytonatimes.com
NAACP forum an opportunity to air concerns Crime, diversity, education among issues discussed at Daytona event BY FELIX REYES JR. SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES
Crime, education and the lack of positive activities for youth in Daytona Beach all were addressed last week during a community forum that brought together the NAACP, residents as well as city and county leaders. The forum came just weeks after a shooting that claimed the life of a college student. It also followed months of outrage by the NAACP over the City of Daytona Beach’s hiring and promotional practices.
Cynthia Slater, left, Rev. Larry Edwards and Ida Wright participated in the NAACP forum.
“Here in Daytona there are so many outlying issues that we have to come to terms to address the issues that are hurting the city, whether it’s education, civil rights, criminal justice, criminal activity, civic engagement. There are so many issues,” said Cynthia Slater, Volusia County-Daytona Beach NAACP president. “So as a community we need to come together and discuss and to hear it from the leadership from the city,” Slater continued. Daytona Beach Fire Chief Dru Driscoll, Police Chief Mike Chitwood, Volusia County School Board Chair Ida Wright and the Rev. Larry Edwards were among some of the community leaders on
DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./ HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY. COM
Please see NAACP, Page 2
BIKE WEEK 2016
Residents get second chance through Operation Safe Surrender SPECIAL TO THE DAYTONA TIMES
PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the country converge on Daytona Beach during Bike Week. Pictured on this page are scenes from previous Bike Week events in the city.
Lots of motorcycles, lots of fun Activities are underway for the 10-day Bike Week. That means plenty of flashy bikes, lots of activities and great food. According to to the official Bike Week organizers, the event is “filled with high-octane street festivals, concerts, motorcycle races, bike shows, rallies, manufacturer showcases and much more.’’ It was established more than seven decades ago and has grown into a crowd of over 500,000 motorcyclists who make it an annual pilgrimage. Activities take place at various locations throughout the Daytona Beach area, including along Mary McLeod Bethune and Martin Luther King Boulevards. For details on the official activities, visit www.official bikeweek.com.
Riding in style, bikers washed, shined and accessorized their rides before heading to Daytona Beach.
ALSO INSIDE
Persons with an outstanding warrants will have a chance to clear up past troubles on Tuesday, April 12, during the Operation Safe Surrender program from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Master’s Domain Church of God in Christ, 511 Fremont Ave., Daytona Beach. Members of the clergy, police and representatives from the justice system will welcome and process individuals with outstanding warrants. The idea is to have fugitives turn themselves in and have a chance to get legal assistance from a public defender, attend first appearance before a judge and go home if they are a non-violent offender. The proactive initiative is modeled after a successful program pioneered by the U.S. Marshals Service in 2005. The idea is to create a safe and inviting atmosphere – family members are welcome and officers will be in plain clothes. While the program is not an amnesty program, those who voluntarily turn themselves in will receive favorable consideration from the court, often in the form of reduced fines, probation requirements or a new court date as an alternative to incarceration. This is the fourth time the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) has coordinated this event. Also onsite will be a mobile unit from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Representatives will be able to provide assistance in driver’s license or identification card renewals or replacements, name or address changes, vehicle registration renewals and purchase of specialty license plates.
Butts Miracle Temple to honor overseer BY DAYTONA TIMES STAFF
A vendor gets ready for business during a previous Bike Week.
Two members of the Tuskegee Airmen Motorcycle Club of Richmond, Va. stop for a picture.
Overseer Mother Willie Mae Butts will celebrate 55 years of ministry on March 18 and 19 at Butts Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ, 636 Hawk St., Daytona Beach. Service times are 7 p.m. on Friday, March 18 and 5 p.m. on March 19. Special guests will include Pastor Patricia Jones and Pastor Freddie P. Oats. The event is free and open to the public. Mother Butts, a native of Pine Level, Ala., was the church’s first lady for 45 years and served with her late husband, Dr. Henry L Butts, a community icon. She curMother Willie rently serves as the co-pastor Mae Butts of Butts Miracle Temple. Her son, Bishop Samuel L. Butts, is the senior pastor. The great grandmother is an author, poet, artist, songwriter, gardener, and has 30-plus year radio personality and entrepreneur. Mother Butts has received many local awards and presidential letters of accommodations from every sitting president – from President Jimmy Carter to President Barack Obama.
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