Daytona Times - October 23, 2014 by Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC

Young harpist to perform at church, concert SEE PAGE 2

EE FR

GEORGE CURRY: U.S. trails more than 100 countries in voter turnout SEE PAGE 4

BIKETOBERFEST IN MIDTOWN: PLENTY OF RIDES, FOOD, MUSIC SEE PAGE 7

East Central Florida’s Black Voice OCTOBER 23 - OCTOBER 29, 2014

YEAR 39 NO. 43

www.daytonatimes.com

Movement trying to help ex-felons get jobs ‘Ban the Box’ event explores removing certain questions from applications BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

A seminar held Monday at Bethune-Cookman University centered on a nationwide initiative

to remove an employment barrier for ex-felons. The “Ban the Box’’ campaign asks employers to remove questions regarding conviction histories from their employment applications and to adopt hiring practices that give applicants a fair chance. “This seminar/workshop style event is designed to educate BCU students, leaders, and the faith community on key issues

while building a training base in effort to create the passion and energy needed to move people to action (involvement in the campaign),” Dr. Diana Lee, director of the Odessa Chambliss Center for Health Equity told the Daytona Times. “It is also a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of reinstating the rights of individuals that have served time and are trying to become responsible

citizens. The combination of directly impacted individuals, students and the social justice community has the potential to 1) create local conversation about justice in Daytona Beach, 2) humanize directly impacted individuals through the power of storytelling, and 3) make joining Ban the Box a moral imperative.”

Adopted elsewhere

tersburg will “ban the box’’ on job applications for the city that asks applicants if they have a criminal record. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has called the proposal “good for our economy.” The proposal doesn’t eliminate background checks or even asking the question but delays the criminal history inquiries until later in the hiring process. Please see JOBS, Page 6

Beginning Jan. 1, 2015, St. Pe-

Analysis of killings by police shows major risk for young Black males

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

BY RYAN GABRIELSON, RYANN GROCHOWSKI JONES AND ERIC SAGARA PROPUBLICA

DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Breast Cancer survivors and supporters participate in a 5k walk at Spring Hill Park in Deland on Oct. 18.

Free screenings available locally for the uninsured and underinsured ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease – the second-leading cause of death in women. While most people are aware of breast cancer, many forget to take the steps to have a plan to detect the disease in its early stages and encour-

age others to do the same. It is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and more than 40,000 will die. Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, in part to better screening and early detection, increased awareness, and continually improving treatment options. In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month,

here is a list of organizations that provide help to Volusia County residents seeking information, treatment and preventive care. Halifax Medical Center offers free mammograms for Volusia County residents 40 and older who are uninsured and meet limited financial requirement. The center also may help with diagnostic mammograms and ultrasounds. Residents must have a prescription

from a doctor. Call 386-2544210 for more information. The Volusia County Health Department’s Saving Our Selves Program offers free breast and cervical exams, screening and diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds and, in some cases, biopsies for women 50-64 with limited income and are uninsured or underinsured. Contact Margaret Smith at 800-226-6110 for more inPlease see AWARE, Page 2

Young Black males in recent years were at a far greater risk of being shot dead by police than their White counterparts – 21 times greater, according to a ProPublica analysis of federally collected data on fatal police shootings. The 1,217 deadly police shootings from 2010 to 2012 captured in the federal data show that Blacks, age 15 to 19, were killed at a rate of 31.17 per million, while just 1.47 per million White males in that age range died at the hands of police. One way of appreciating that stark disparity, ProPublica’s analysis shows, is to calculate how many more Whites over those three years would have had to have been killed for them to have been at equal risk. The number is jarring – 185, more than one per week.

12,000 homicides studied ProPublica’s risk analysis on young males killed by police certainly seems to support what has been an article of faith in the African-American community for decades: Blacks are being killed at disturbing rates when set against the rest of the American population. The examination involved detailed accounts of more than 12,000 police homicides stretching from 1980 to 2012 contained in the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Report. The data, annually self-reported by hundreds of police departments across the country, confirms some assumptions, runs counter to others, and adds nuance to a wide range of questions about the use of deadly police force. Please see RISK, Page 2

Daytona block party with focus on education draws hundreds BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

The Westside Elementary School Parent Teacher Association sponsored its annual “Neighborhood Watch for Education” block party on Oct. 15 in the Cedar Highlands neighborhood of Daytona Beach just south of Westside Elementary. More than 300 parents and students flocked to the block party. “Westside Elementary has held this event for a number of years,” Daytona Beach City Commissioner Patrick Henry told the Daytona Times. “The community support is

ALSO INSIDE

here from all avenues,” he continued. “There are teachers, PTA members, school administration, students and parents. Everyone has come together to celebrate the successes our students continue to make.” “I’m proud to say that Westside Elementary is in my district,” Henry continued. “The students are standing in line for books. Not video games, or the newest gadget but for books. I commend those that continue to support this venture and make it a possibility for the community.”

Kids agree “I love books,” 6-year-old Joshua Dudley added. “Our teachers

tell us we can go anywhere and be anything.” Danielle Claxton, a graduating senior of Bethune-Cookman University, also was pleased with the turnout. She already works with students as a teacher’s assistant at Westside Elementary and was at the event with the School of Education from B-CU. “My goal in life is to help people,” Claxton said. “So I figured what better way to help than to start with kids? Just to see the light in their eyes when they grasp a new concept, it’s so rewarding.” In addition to free books, the community enjoyed free concessions as well as safety items such as wristband reflectors and bicycle lights. The Westside Elementary Marching Band performed at the event.

ASHLEY D.THOMAS/DAYTONA TIMES

Hundreds of onlookers watch the Westside Elementary School Marching Eagles as they begin their set.

COMMENTARY: MARC MORIAL: THE RISE AND FALL OF VOTER ID LAWS IN THE US | PAGE 4 CULTURE: HOW HOUSING SEGREGATION PLAYED A ROLE IN FERGUSON TRAGEDY | PAGE 5

7 FOCUS

Harpist to play at church, concert BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

Angelica Hairston will be a special guest harpist at the morning service of United Presbyterian Church on Oct. 26 at 11 a.m. The church is at 730 Beville Road. Hairston began playing the violin at age 4 and the harp at age 12. She is currently a student at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Ontario. Following the morning worship, she will be the guest artist of Daytona Solisti Chamber Orchestra’s fall concert being held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church at 3:30 p.m.,

OCTOBER 23 – OCTOBER 29, 2014

where a $10 donation is requested.

AWARE

African-American influence “My biggest influence has been Ann Hobson Pilot. Ms. Pilot recently retired after 40 years with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and was the first African-American woman to hold a principal position in a major symphony orchestra. She currently resides in Osprey, Fla.,” Hairston relayed to the Daytona Times. “I studied with Ms. Pilot for two summers at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and from working with her, I realized that through practice and dedication, I could accomplish anything that I set my mind to.” Hairston says she is looking toward graduate school following receipt of her bachelor’s degree and hopes to perform the works of minority composers for audiences who may not be familiar with classical music.

from Page 1

Angelica Hairston is a student at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Ontario.

DAVID CARSON/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/MCT

Bassem Masri, center, a man who has live streamed many of the protests in Ferguson, Mo., confronts a St. Louis police officer as protesters gathered at the scene of a fatal police officer-involved shooting on Oct. 18.

RISK

from Page 1 Colin Loftin, University at Albany professor and co-director of the Violence Research Group, said the FBI data is a minimum count of homicides by police, and that it is impossible to precisely measure what puts people at risk of homicide by police without more and better records. Still, what the data shows about the race of victims and officers, and the circumstances of killings, are “certainly relevant,” Loftin said. “No question, there are all kinds of racial disparities across our criminal justice system,” he said. “This is one example.”

Incomplete FBI data The FBI’s data has appeared in news accounts over the years and surfaced again with the August killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. To a great degree, observers and experts lamented the limited nature of the FBI’s reports. Their shortcomings are inarguable. The data, for instance, is terribly incomplete. Vast numbers of the country’s 17,000 police departments don’t file fatal police shoot-

ing reports at all, and many have filed reports for some years but not others. Florida departments haven’t filed reports since 1997 and New York City last reported in 2007. Information contained in the individual reports can also be flawed. Still, lots of the reporting police departments are in larger cities, and at least 1000 police departments filed a report or reports over the 33 years. There is, then, value in what the data can show while accepting, and accounting for, its limitations. Indeed, while the absolute numbers are problematic, a comparison between White and Black victims shows important trends. Analysis included dividing the number of people of each race killed by police by the number of people of that race living in the country at the time, to produce two different rates: the risk of getting killed by police if you are White and if you are Black.

Glaring disparities David Klinger, a University of Missouri-St. Louis professor and expert on police use of deadly force, said racial disparities in the data could result from “measurement error,” meaning that the unreported killings could alter

formation. The American Breast Cancer Foundation’s Key to Life Breast Cancer Screening Assistance Program provides financial assistance to uninsured and underinsured women of all ages for clinical breast exams, screening mammograms, diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds and biopsies. Women interested in the screening assistance can call 877539-2543 to apply for assistance.

ProPublica’s findings. However, he said the disparity between Black and White teenage boys is so wide, “I doubt the measurement error would account for that.” ProPublica spent weeks digging into the many rich categories of information the reports hold: the race of the officers involved; the circumstances cited for the use of deadly force; the age of those killed.

Dying young The finding that young Black men are 21 times as likely as their White peers to be killed by police is drawn from reports filed for the years 2010 to 2012, the three most recent years for which FBI numbers are available. The Black boys killed can be disturbingly young. There were 41 teens 14 years or younger reported killed by police from 1980 to 2012; 27 of them were Black; eight were White; four were Hispanic; and one was Asian. That’s not to say officers weren’t killing White people. Indeed, some 44 percent of all those killed by police across the 33 years were White.

ed to be roughly the same age. The average age of Blacks killed by police was 30. The average age of Whites was 35. Who is killing all those Black men and boys? Mostly White officers. But in hundreds of instances, Black officers, too. Black officers account for a little more than 10 percent of all fatal police shootings. Of those they kill, though, 78 percent were Black. White officers, given their great numbers in so many of the country’s police departments, are well represented in all categories of police killings. White officers killed 91 percent of the Whites who died at the hands of police. And they were responsible for 68 percent of the people of color killed. Those people of color represented 46 percent of all those killed by White officers.

‘Undetermined shootings’ What were the circumstances surrounding all

these fatal encounters? There were 151 instances in which police noted that teens they had shot dead had been fleeing or resisting arrest at the time of the encounter. Sixty-seven percent of those killed in such circumstances were Black. That disparity was even starker in the last couple of years. Of the 15 teens shot fleeing arrest from 2010 to 2012, 14 were Black. Did police always list the circumstances of the killings? No, actually, there were many deadly shooting where the circumstances were listed as “undetermined.” Seventy-seven percent of those killed in such instances were Black.

“Officer under attack’ Certainly, there were instances where police feared for their lives. Police reported that as the cause of their actions in far greater numbers after the 1985 Supreme Court decision that said police

The City of Daytona Beach is in the process of completely reconstructing Orange Avenue from Nova Road to Beach Street. While sections of Orange Avenue are closed, the corridor’s long-standing businesses are still open and ready to serve you. Just follow the detour signs and please support these locally-owned small businesses.

could only justify using deadly force if the suspects posed a threat to the officer or others. From 1980 to 1984, “officer under attack” was listed as the cause for 33 percent of the deadly shootings. Twenty years later, looking at data from 2005 to 2009, “officer under attack” was cited in 62 percent xxxvii of police killings. Does the data include cases where police killed people with something other than a standard service handgun? Yes, and the Los Angeles Police Department stood out in its use of shotguns. Most police killings involve officers firing handguns. But from 1980 to 2012, 714 involved the use of a shotgun. The Los Angeles Police Department has a special claim on that category. It accounted for 47 cases in which an officer used a shotgun. The next highest total came from the Dallas Police Department.

Names of businesses in the closed section Orange Avenue. Access available by following detour signs: • Caring for Others Academy

• Liquor Store

• Church’s Chicken

• Market Place Express

• Daytona Peoples Medical Supply

• Songs Beauty Supply

• Derrick’s CutMasters

• Styles 101 Beauty Salon

• Fausto Grocery Store

• Unik Tax Refunds

• Kemshol Medical Center

• Word & Praise Christian Learning Center

Black officers too White or Black, though, those slain by police tend-

FOR CITY COMMISSIONER ZONE 1 Encourage Clean & Safe Neighborhoods Increase Activity Programs for Seniors and Young Adults Keep Easy, Public Access To Our Beach Fix Our Flood Prone Areas Develop Strategies For Efficient Tax Use Practice Sound Money Management Improve On What We Do Best - TOURISM Encourage New Industry & Help Our Existing Businesses

VOTE FOR POSITIVE LEADERSHIP WITH GOOD CHARACTER! VOTE FOR LEADERSHIP WITH RESPECT AND INTEGRITY! VOTE FOR RUTH TRAGER for ZONE 1 City Commission Daytona Beach

IN THE BOOTH VOTE FOR RUTH • I Support Public Safety, Police, Rescue • The Tragers have been in Daytona Beach for over 114 years • Owner-Businesswoman - Kressman’s Repairs Operated for 119 years • Working In Our Community for over Fifty Years Political Advertisement paid for and approved by Ruth Trager for City Commission Zone 1 Daytona Beach

For information about the Orange Avenue Reconstruction Project, call (386)671-8750 or visit codb.us

3 7

OCTOBER 23 – OCTOBER 29, 2014 COMMUNITY DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2006

M A YNEWS OR

Ada Harvey: Retired from teaching but not from learning Retired science teacher Ada Harvey continues to cultivate her interest in the advanced scientific fields of biotechnology and molecular Biology. Prior to retiring in 2010 from the Flagler County School District and Flagler Palm Coast High School, Harvey taught biology, biotechnology and genetics. Between 1993 and 2005, she applied for and received numerous summer science teacher fellowships from universities and industries that helped to enhance her knowledge in the fields of biotechnology and molecular biology. She shared these experiences with her students and faculty within the Flagler County and St. John County School Districts. It was from these experiences that Harvey approached the principal of Flagler Palm Coast High School and the Flagler County School Board to establish a program of study in biotechnology at Flagler Palm Coast High School and Matanzas High School in Flagler County. The School Board supported the idea both academically and financially, and, in 2006, biotechnology and genetics were implemented in both schools. Since the implementation of these classes, a class in forensic science has been established. The students have developed interests in these courses due to the popular TV series, “Crime Scene Investigations (CSI)” and “Investigation Detective (ID).”

Many classes, honors Harvey received numerous awards for her academic nurture of students in the fields of science since 1996 until her retirement in 2010 and the result of having been cho-

sen “Educator of the Year in 1996” in Flagler County, 2001 top Florida teacher from the National Association of Biology, and as the selection for the 2009 Genzyme-Life Technologies Biotechnology Educator Award. It is now easy to understand why Harvey continues to seek and receive fellowship opportunities that prolong and nurture her interest in the sciences. Since retiring, Harvey has taken classes through Career & Technical Education (CTE) and at the North East Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC). She has received two fellowships that concentrated on DNA science (molecular biology) and industrial biotechnology. The DNA science fellowship came from the Dolan DNA Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor, NY. The fellowship workshop was held one week during the summer at Seminole State College in 2013. The weeklong workshop entailed learning how to do DNA Bar coding and DNA Subway Internet searches for gene sequences, etc. In November 2013, the fellows returned to Seminole College for a follow-up and more training in identifying genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food products.

Bioscience Industry fellow The fellows received information from websites that provide scholarships and fellowships for science faculty and high school students. It was a result of this information that the website, “Bio-quest” was introduced. The website lists opportunities for faculty and students to become yearlong or summer participants in federally sponsored-and-funded pro-

Ada Harvey is shown at Flagler Palm Coast High School while a science teacher there. She retired in 2010.

PALM COAST COMMUNITY NEWS JEROLINE D. MCCARTHY

grams. It was from searching the “Bio-quest” website that Harvey saw the listing for the Bioscience Industry Fellowship Program (BIFP). This program was funded by the National Science Foundation and sponsored through the North Carolina Bioscience Network and made up of the North Carolina Community Colleges. The fellows in this program visited universities that had biotechnology courses preparing students for careers as technologists in a biotechnology laboratory, or technicians in a pharmaceutical industry. They also visited industries across the State of North Carolina that had state-of-the-art research equipment and facilities for engineering 3-D imaging prosthetics to be used to generate human body organs. The opportunity to actually have hands-on experience - in pharmaceu-

re-elect

tical-producing facilities that utilized high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to analyze the chemical make and concentration of substances - was a rewarding experience for Harvey and the other fellows. This program lasted through June. There is so much out there for teachers and students to become part of to further their knowledge in the fields of DNA science, molecular biology and biotechnology. Although Harvey retired from teaching at the high-school level, she continues to teach as adjunct professor at Bethune-Cookman University in addition to filling in for teachers as a substitute teacher in the Flagler County School District. As she puts it, “I am retired from teaching full time, but I will never be retired from learning full time.” She advises teachers and other educators to continuously keep up with the current trends of what’s happening in their particular discipline. Being a participant in these types of programs will enhance an educator’s desire to be a life-long learner. Harvey is available for workshops that apply for summer internships for teachers and students. She can be reached at adhrv@ bellsouth.net.

Links bringing Sepia Fashion Revue

city commission - zone 1

The Daytona Beach Chapter of The Links, Inc. will present the Sepia Fashion Revue’s “The Sensational Collection,” featuring the Vogue-Esquire

Models of Chicago on Nov. 1, 7 p.m. The show will be held at the News-Journal Center of Daytona State College. The Sepia Fashion Revue is celebrating 56 years in the fashion arena and is the longest-traveling fashion show in the United States. Each year, during the Sepia Fashion Revue’s annual tour, the best in American and European designs are showcased. Fashions are shown by male and female high-fashion models. During this year’s tour, changing trends in fashion will be the order of showing. Fashions will have an intercontinental flare, as many styles this year go global. Fashions from Russia will be shown where there are a lot of new, trailblazing designers. Modern luxury comes from Japan, and very-sophisticated looks are coming from the Middle East, bold and shocking designs from South America, casual styles from England, as well as rich, traditionally charming attire. Many fashions will be highlighted during the 2014 tour of the Vogue-Esquire Models and will include more than 40 cities. Sophisticated statements are the fashion newsmakers. Both American and European designers continue to expose the body, with high slits, midriff exposures and d`ecollet`e looks. Again, this season color prevails in the fall collections.... blue takes over for black, plums, purples, brick reds, and orange are the order of the day. “The Sensational Collection” will spotlight and bring to center stage all the new styles and bright silhouettes. This is the first year that the Daytona Beach Chapter of The Links, Inc. is sponsoring The Sepia Fashion Revue. The event is a fundraiser and pro-

ceeds will benefit the chapter’s community outreach and high-school scholarship programs. More ticket information can be obtained by calling 386-252-0915, 386295-5684, 386-676-9699, or 386-756-5514. Founded in 1946, The Links, Inc. is an international organization comprised of over 12,000 professional women of color, whose mission is to provide service to people of African ancestry. The Daytona Beach Chapter was established in 1958 and serves Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns Counties.

Flagler NAACP meets Oct. 28 Join the Flagler County NAACP for the Oct. 28, 6 p.m., membership meeting at the old Bunnell City Hall, 200 South Church Street, Bunnell. This location is not the usual venue for the meeting. But, in order to answer questions regarding the NAACP responsibilities, the executive committee has chosen to go into the community. Moreover, this will be a town-hall type meeting with community leaders scheduled to speak. The NAACP Nominating Committee will also accept nominations from the floor for officers to be included on the slate for the 2015 term. For further details, contact the NAACP at 386-4467822. ••• As always, remember our prayers for the sick, afflicted and bereaved.

Celebrations Birthday wishes to my son, Andrew, of Floral Park, NY, Oct. 26; Keanna Jordan, Oct. 27; Rita Acey, Oct. 28; Verna M. Johnson and Sheryl Luster Phillips, Oct. 29.

DUE TO RECORD BREAKING RAINFALL, we have just experienced the worst flooding since 2009. This has been an ongoing problem for years. In the past two years as your Commissioner, I have taken several trips to Washington D.C. to obtain the resources we need to fix the problem. We know the Solution. We must fix this problem now. It is unreasonable for us to continue addressing the effect and not the cause. This issue has become my #1 priority for 2015 in the City of Daytona Beach. In order to facilitate and sustain the anticipated growth in our community, infrastructure concerns MUST be addressed in the next four years. H #1 Priority for 2015: Infrastructure and Flooding Issues H Continue Crime Reduction H Support Consistent Code Enforcement H Accessible to Residents & Businesses H Over $1.5 Billion in New Construction H Over 14,000 New Jobs Created H New Road Projects Underway H Enhanced Customer Service

VOTE FOR EXPERIENCE ...

PHOTOS BY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY

SUSTAIN THE MOMENTUM

Plenty of jazz, food, camaraderie

VOTE NOV. 4 e-mail: carllentz@me.com 386-566-3726 POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT PAID FOR AND APPROVED BY CARL W. LENTZ IV RE-ELECT CAMPAIGN FOR DAYTONA BEACH CITY COMMISSION, ZONE 1

COMMUNITY

FIRST

The “Thin Man’’ Watts 2014 Jazz Festival was held Oct. 18 at the Watts Amphitheater in DeLand on Oct. 18. The festival is named after Nobel “Thin Man’’ Watts, the renowned jazz musician from DeLand who died in 2004. The festival began in 2004 at the South DeLand amphitheater, which was renamed in 2004 in honor of Watts. The Matanzas High School band, directed by Marc Kolodinsky, opened the event performing jazz pieces by Miles Davis. The introduction of the event was presented by Mary Allen, director of the African American Museum of DeLand, and local artist Anthony Armstrong.

7 EDITORIAL

OCTOBER 23 – OCTOBER 29, 2014

The rise and fall of voter ID laws “The Court holds that SB 14 creates an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote, has an impermissible discriminatory effect against Hispanics and African-Americans, and was imposed with an unconstitutional discriminatory purpose. The Court further holds that SB 14 constitutes an unconstitutional poll tax.” — U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos in striking down the Texas voter ID law

MARC H. MORIAL TRICE EDNEY WIRE

ing that recent midterm turnout has been about 40 percent compared to 56 percent in presidential years. The non-partisan Voter Participation Center (VPC) predicts an even steeper decline in 2014 among what they have termed “The Rising American Electorate or RAE” (people of color, unmarried women and youth voters ages 18-29). Despite many attempts to keep certain groups from the polls, champions for democracy and civil rights – such as the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, led by Sherrilyn Ifill, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, led by Barbara Arnwine – continue to fight to protect our voting rights. We must also continue to build on the momentum of 2012 when, for the first time in history, African-Americans voted at a higher rate than Whites. The repeal of the Texas voter ID law, considered to be the most restrictive in the nation, could have added to that momentum – if it had been upheld.

Two weeks ago, voter ID laws that could have disenfranchised nearly a million voters in the November 4 midterm elections in two states – Texas and Wisconsin – were ruled unconstitutional. These voting rights victories were critical because of the traditional challenges and unprecedented high stakes associated with this year’s midterms. Then, on Tuesday, in a low blow to voting rights across the nation, a federal appeals court blocked the lower court’s decision and cleared the way for Texas to enforce its suppressive voter ID requirements in the upcoming November elections. This Texas law changes existing procedures and requires all voters to present a photo ID before being allowed into the voting booth. In the past, voters could demonstrate their identities in various ways. Now, only a small number of documents are permissible Poll tax – shockingly, gun permits, but not In striking down the law, U.S. student IDs, will be acceptable. District Judge Nelva Ramos ruled that the difficult and expensive efExpected low turnout fort to obtain photo IDs from more Voter participation typically than 600,000 Texas citizens, many drops off in non-presidential elec- of whom are poor, amounted to an tion years, with many analysts not- unconstitutional poll tax. She also

debunked the law’s bogus claim of preventing voter fraud by pointing out that “In the 10 years preceding passage of SB 14 in Texas, only two cases of in-person voter impersonation fraud were prosecuted to conviction – a period of time in which 20 million votes were cast.” Commenting on both initial rulings, Attorney General Eric Holder said, “We are extremely heartened by the court’s decision, which affirms our position that the Texas voter identification law unfairly and unnecessarily restricts access to the franchise…We are also pleased that the Supreme Court has refused to allow Wisconsin to implement its own restrictive voter identification law.” Unfortunately, the latest Texas ruling could not be more disheartening. The three-judge panel in the federal appeals court did not find the lower court’s ruling wrong or unlawful. Instead, they chose to delay consideration of whether the ruling should permanently stand. In a concurring opinion on the appeal, citing concerns about potential confusion from last-minute changes in the voting rules as reason enough to allow Texas to enforce its restrictive voting laws, Judge Gregg Costa also admitted that “we should be extremely reluctant to have an election take place under a law that a district court has found, and that our court may find, is discriminatory.” We agree.

Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League. Write your own response at www.daytonatimes. com.

US trails more than 100 countries in voter turnout Lost in the frenzy to erect barriers to voting, including reducing the hours available for early voting and imposing strict voter ID requirements, is the embarrassing fact that the United States lags behind more than 100 countries in the percentage of registered voters who show up on Election Day. The U.S. ranks 120th with a voter turnout rate of 66.5 percent. That’s well behind No. 1 Australia (94.5 percent) and even behind Guyana (88.5 percent), Belize (80.4 percent), Mozambique (78 percent), Honduras (72.8 percent) and Uganda (70.8 percent).

High turnout Not surprisingly, countries with compulsory voting, such as Australia, have the highest turnout rates. However, those with such laws and lax enforcement, such as Brazil and Mexico, do not fare as well as Australia. And those that have eliminated compulsory voting, including the Netherlands, reported a subsequent drop in voter participation. The Center for Voting and Democracy says the easier it is to register, the higher the participation rate. “Another country with a high-

GEORGE E. CURRY NNPA COLUMNIST

ly efficient registration process is France. At the age of eighteen, all youth are automatically registered. Only new residents and citizens who have moved are responsible for bearing the costs and inconvenience of updating their registration. Similarly, in Nordic countries, all citizens and residents are included in the official population register, which is simultaneously a tax list, voter registration, and membership in the universal health system. Residents are required by law to report any change of address to register within a short time after moving. This is also the system in Germany (but without the membership in the health system).”

Harder to cast ballot “Since the 2010 election, new voting restrictions are slated to be in place in 22 states. Unless these restrictions are blocked – and there are court challenges to laws

in six of those states – voters in nearly half the country could find it harder to cast a ballot in the 2014 midterm election than they did in 2010. The new laws range from photo ID requirements to early voting cutbacks to voter registration restrictions. Partisanship and race were key factors in this movement. Most restrictions passed through GOP-controlled legislatures and in states with increases in minority turnout,” The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University reported. As the Center for Voting and Democracy noted, “The United States is one of only a few democracies in the world where the government does not take responsibility for registering voters. Instead, our government leaves the construction of voter rolls up to partisan and non-partisan voter registration organizations, political parties, election officials and active citizens.”

George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA.) Write your own response at www.daytonatimes.com.

Voting for the party or the person? We say we have “voting power,” but we have settled merely for the “power to vote.” We fight for the “right to vote” but we fail to “vote right.” Voting is a means to gain political power, not an end that simply allows one to participate in the act. As true as those statements are and as many times as we have heard the phrase, “This is the most important election of our time,” and as much as we can see our lack of political reciprocity for our precious votes, we continue to fall for the same old tired political clap-trap prior to every election. Today, Black people vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, as opposed to pre-1933, when the vast majority of Blacks voted for Republicans. Talk about a schizophrenic voting bloc, that be us, y’all. And what do we get in return? A good feeling, that is, until the next election rolls around and the usual suspects return to tell us how important “this” election is and how we should vote their “straight ticket” once again. They want us to believe that all Dems are good and all Repubs are evil. That’s insulting to Black voters.

JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST

provide jobs for politicians, some of whom care nothing about us and haven’t done a day’s work in office since we put them there. To make our political situation even worse, many Black voters simply, and I do mean “simply,” vote for anyone who claims to be a Democrat. They vote for the party rather than for the person. Quite frankly, and I say this in love, that’s just stupid. Why do we keep falling for this hype? We achieved what most Black people considered the ultimate level of political victory when Barack Obama was elected, yet, since 2008 Black folks have made little or no progress; we still languish at the bottom in the most important category: Economics. Locally, we have elected and supported Democrats who have run our cities into the ground and left their constituents, Black folks, frustrated and marginalized. Yet, we continue to subscribe to the Vote for the party “Vote Democrat!” mantra. Some Black folks say they do All the Black electorate does is

not vote for the party, rather they vote for the person. That’s easy to say, but in the voting booth it’s obviously a different story. I wonder if Barack Obama would have won if he had been a Republican. As I said, the Black electorate, after all of these years in the political game, is still naïve and amateurish. We are still playing just to play and not to win. We remain in the clutches of talking-head commentators who carry the water for the party and instruct us to vote the way they tell us. And we do it! Before any of you dyed-in-thewool Democrats get angry because I downed your party, understand that I have the same thing to say about the Republican Party. I believe we must be independent, not necessarily as a structured political party. We should be independent in our thinking and reasoning. That’s what the game is really all about. If we are not getting anything from the game, why are we playing?

Jim Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, is one of the nation’s most prolific writers on economic empowerment for Black people. Write your own response at www.daytonatimes. com.

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: VOTER ID LAWS

ADAM ZYGLIS, THE BUFFALO NEWS

Democrats bash Obama yet want Black vote Here are a few election-time questions to think over: Why in the world do Democrats think they can bash President Obama and his policies and still win Black votes? Why should Black voters be motivated to turn out after months of watching Democrats bash the president? What exactly is the strategy for Democrats to get Black voters out? Many Democrats running this cycle, even in states and districts with large Black voting populations – including North Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana – have made the deduction that annoying and ignoring Black voters is less important than winning White ones. The White swing voter is supposedly a more vital target than the Black voter who is a 95 percent sure bet to vote for a Democrat. It’s a fascinating strategy featuring Democrats running in fear of their own record while ignoring what’s happened over the last six years.

Lowest approval rating Thanks to the president, Osama Bin Laden is dead. The unemployment rate is now 5.9 percent. Even the Black unemployment rate dropped from 16.5 percent in 2011 to its current 11.4 percent. More than 8 million Americans have signed up for health care. The Republican contribution? Gridlock, more than 50 votes on Obamacare repeals and shutting down the government. The approval numbers for Republicans in Congress is lower than the president’s yet Democrats shun his policies? Yes, Obama has a 40 percent approval rating. But Congress’ approval sits at 14 percent — the lowest since 1974. You wonder what the numbers would be if Democrats actually stopped apologizing for their record and instead put the GOP on defensive. Who among the GOP leadership in Washington can claim legislative achievement in a party whose number one ideology is gridlock? This is the least productive Congress in history. If Democrats lose the Senate, it will be because of self-inflicted wounds.

No strategy needed When asked what the Demo-

LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE NNPA COLUMNIST

crats’ strategy was for getting out the Black vote, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel referenced a voter turnout strategy focused on getting voters out based on “what’s at stake for the African-American community.” Apparently Democrats have forgotten – or don’t care – that Black voters are the party’s most loyal voting bloc. In 2012, Black voters turned out at a higher percentage than Whites. Black women are the highest turnout group among all women. But this enthusiasm will likely lessen, not just because the first Black president will no longer be on the ballot, but because Democrats fail to support the policies enacted while he was there. In a midterm election it will take more than a pre-election day Sunday swing-by to get Black voters and others out. Yet many Democrats make no specific references or pledges on specific policy that might motivate that turnout. Few Democrats dare discuss racial profiling, mandatory minimums or justice reform or — God forbid — health care reform. If a voter’s big concern is whether a candidate agreed with the president in their party, you can pretty much bet that’s a Republican voter. For some reason, Democrats are trying to win the voter who hates the president and get out the base simultaneously. Good luck with that one. It seems Democrats are on the brink of getting the result they deserve. Does running away from your own record work? The Democratic Party is likely to find out the answer to that question the hard way on November 4.

Lauren Victoria Burke is freelance writer and creator of the blog Crewof42.com. Write your own response at www. daytonatimes.com.

Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.

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5 7

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OCTOBER 23 – OCTOBER 2014 DECEMBER 14 - 20,29, 2006

Housing segregation played role in Ferguson tragedy Stores, nightclubs, houses of prostitution permitted to locate in St. Louis’ Black neighborhoods BY FREDDIE ALLEN NNPA NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – The shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., by Darren Wilson, a White police officer, was as much as the product a century of housing segregation spurred by federal, state and local policies as longstanding tension between Blacks and police, according to a new report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the nonpartisan think tank and author of the report, said that the long pattern of housing segregation was not an accident. “It wasn’t because of people’s choices, it wasn’t because African-Americans were too poor to live in middle-class neighborhoods. It’s because they were purposefully locked into segregated neighborhoods because of federal, state and local policies,” he said.

Zoned commercial The report said that “In

St. Louis these governmental policies included zoning rules that classified White neighborhoods as residential and Black neighborhoods as commercial or industrial; segregated public housing projects that replaced integrated low-income areas; federal subsidies for suburban development conditioned on African American exclusion,” and restrictive covenants that made it illegal for Whites to sell property or even rent to Black families in certain neighborhoods, despite their relative incomes. St. Louis ordinances that deemed Black neighborhoods suitable for commercial development that was barred in the White suburbs contributed to the slum-like conditions found in the inner city. “Not only were these neighborhoods zoned to permit industry, even polluting industry, but taverns, liquor stores, nightclubs, and houses of prostitution were permitted to locate in African American neighborhoods, but prohibited as violations of the zoning ordinance in

KAREN DEERST. LOUS POST-DISPATCH/MCT

Aubrey Glover, 4, of Bellefontaine Neighbors cleans up the QT parking lot at 9420 West Florissant Avenue Aug. 11, 2014, the day after the first of the riots in Ferguson, Mo. A new report shows that in St. Louis governmental policies included zoning rules that classified White neighborhoods as residential and Black neighborhoods as commercial or industrial. residential districts elsewhere,” stated the report.

History of practices The report noted that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), established during the New Deal and

crafted to support White homeownership, denied those same opportunities to Blacks. The EPI paper included analysis of the FHA’s impact on Black homeownership released by the United States Commission on Civil Rights’ (CCR) in 1959. “Non-White home buyers and renters have not, however enjoyed the benefits of FHA mortgage insurance to the same extent as Whites. According to testimony given before this Commission, less than 2 percent of the total number of new homes insured by FHA since 1946 have been available to minorities. Most of this housing has been all-Negro developments in the South.…Although the relatively low participation [of ] nonWhites has in part been due to their lower incomes, FHA bears some responsibility,” stated the CCR report. “Of great significance in this respect are FHA’s policies with regard to the discriminatory practices toward Negroes of real estate boards, homebuilders and lending institutions. For the first 16 years of its life, FHA itself actually encouraged the use of racially restrictive covenants. It not

only acquiesced in their use but in fact contributed to perfecting them.” The 1959 CCR annual report continued: “The 1938 FHA Underwriting Manual, which contained the criteria used in determining eligibility for receipt of FHA benefits, warned against insuring property that would be used by ‘inharmonious racial groups,’ and declared that for stability of a neighborhood, ‘properties shall continue to be occupied by the same social and racial classes.’ The Manual contained a model restrictive covenant which FHA strongly recommended for inclusion in all sales contracts.” The EPI report said that although many of the laws that encouraged housing segregation were prohibited in the late 20th century their effects still linger today. Fifty years after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision “several elementary schools in Ferguson today are 90 percent AfricanAmerican and no elementary school is less than 75 percent African American; educational performance in such racially isolated settings is inadequate.” Rothstein said that that there’s no way to raise the

achievement of low-income African-American students as long as they’re locked into segregated, high-poverty schools. Rothstein said that because the segregation of metropolitan areas nationwide and “the creation of virtually all-Black low-income communities like Ferguson was not a result of “White Flight,” and instead caused by specific governmental policies, the remedies will also require government intervention. Rothstein recommended that all suburbs be required to accept subsidized and low-income housing and multi-unit buildings. The EPI researcher also suggested forbidding landlords from refusing subsidized renters. “It’s a mistake to think that the problems being protested in Ferguson are simply about the interactions between police and Black men and boys in the community,” said Rothstein. Rothstein continued: “Unless we understand how Ferguson went from being a all-White suburb to a virtually all-Black suburb we’re never going to be able to get to the root of the police problems or any other problems that the community faces.”

IQ, exposure to violence could predict which kids will commit murder BY SARAH MERVOSH DALLAS MORNING NEWS (MCT)

DALLAS — These days, experts more or less understand what puts kids at risk for becoming criminals: using drugs, carrying a gun, even just believing that they will die young. But predicting who will commit murder? Not so easy. A new study by a University of Texas at Dallas criminologist found that it’s nearly impossible to predict which juveniles will become murderers. Only two factors distinguished them from other offenders: lower IQ and a greater exposure to violence.

1,350 juveniles studied But even more notable was what the study didn’t find. Mental health issues and drug use — two

popular narratives to explain crime — didn’t predict which youth offenders would commit homicide. “It’s not always the way people think it is. In fact, with respect to homicide, it’s nothing the way people think it is,” said Alex Piquero, a UTD criminologist and an author of the study. Piquero studied about 1,350 serious juvenile offenders (mostly felony offenses) and found that just 18 had been charged with a homicide offense. Those offenders had an IQ of about 79, compared to about 85 in the other offenders. They also were more likely to have been exposed to violence, such as having been in a dangerous situation or witnessing an assault or rape.

‘Situationally driven’ “Almost everything else

doesn’t matter,” Piquero said. “You always hear on TV that this person had mental illness or this person had this psychological problem. The world’s full of people who have a lot of mental illness or psychological problems, but most of them never commit homicide.” The unpredictability of murder could help explain why they happen, Piquero said. “Our best guess is they are situationally driven,” he said. “They are assaults and drug deals gone bad.” The lesson, Piquero said, is to focus on improving childhood education and reducing neighborhood violence. “We all benefit from having a higher IQ and less violent society,” he said.

JOBS

from Page 1 The change in St. Petersburg will affect only city jobs and not private sector jobs. The policy also allows background checks for city jobs and mandates them for public safety positions to be reviewed later in the hiring process.

Nationwide movement The Ban the Box movement is spreading across the United States. According to a Ban the Box guide from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), approximately 70 U.S. cities and counties as well as 13 states have passed Ban the Box legislation. The question about past convictions appears on applications for employment, housing, public benefits, college admissions, loans, and opportunities for volunteer service.

Panel discussion The conversation at B-CU led by moderator Mykal Tairu began with an account from Jeffery Dove, pastor of Bethel AME Church of DeLand. “In 1995, I was a hustler, I sold dope, smoked dope and walked with a 357,” he began. “I was arrested 12 times and I was redeemed. We can’t count people out.” Dove opened the Bethel Empowerment Center (BEC) in DeLand in May, which serves the low-income, elderly, unemployed and those returning home from prison. “The marker of felon has replaced the marker of race

7 CLASSIFIEDS as a way of being stigmatized and discriminating against people, so I won’t say I’m not hiring you because you’re Black, I’m not hiring you because you’re a felon,” Dornita Rogers, a community organizer with Faith in Florida told the audience. “Because people of color are disproportionately arrested, convicted, and incarcerated, employers’ use of arrest or conviction history has a disparate impact on those communities,” she continued.

Restoring rights Faith in Florida believes that the criminalization and mass incarceration of people of color, coupled with the lack of meaningful and quality opportunities, have contributed to a state of crisis in the country. The organization supports restoring civil and voting rights to 1.5 million disenfranchised Florida citizens. Due to rules enacted in 2011 under Gov. Rick Scott, returning citizens must wait seven to 13 years for the opportunity to have their rights restored, including rights for housing, education, jobs, and the fundamental right to vote.

Not employable The panel discussion included three persons that were directly affected by such practices explaining how that simple box made such an impact on their lives. Susan Rodriquez said she never thought this would ever be her story. Rodriguez was a former drug and alcohol abuser and served time for robbery and other crimes. “I was blessed with a family that said they would

OCTOBER 23 – OCTOBER 29, 2014

give me one more chance. I went to Ruby Tuesdays to waitress because I was very good at it. The one rule of recovery is you do not lie. So I checked it. I checked the box. I made phone calls, I did not get hired. I kept trying and trying. To me if that box wasn’t there, I could have at least went in for an interview, and then been honest with that person before they ran my background check. At least give me a chance. But once I checked that box, that’s it. “So then I decided OK, I want to vote. I went away in 2008, this country was crazy and I wanted to vote. They said, ‘Well, you could apply in seven years.’ I said seven what? And that’s just to apply.” “So I said if I can’t get a job, I’ll go to school, I’ll get my degree and then I’ll be able to get a job. So they said I need to prove that I was a Florida resident.” Rodriguez’ birthday had passed three days before she was released from prison and her identification was expired. She had her prison ID, which though she was housed in Florida, was not valid. “I say OK, what do I need?” Rodriquez eventually was able to get work release papers that proved her residency and enrolled in school.

Another story “My story is similar to Susan’s,” Lashanna Tyson, a community organizer with Faith in Florida said. “I served 13 years in prison. I have been home for three years. The first stop I made was the same college I had attended before going to prison. Even though I had been incarcerated

in Florida for 13 years and lived here all my life, I was told that I would have to pay out-of-state-tuition if I wanted to go to college.” “So I couldn’t go back to college then,” she continued. “I knew that I had worked hard for the past 13 years and I could still work two jobs and not be tired at the end of the day. However, it was that box on the application. I couldn’t get a seat at the table for them to see who I am. Coming home from prison after 13 years and having nothing and can’t get nothing, that is a hurtful feeling. I had nothing else to do but fall to my knees and call out to God, why even let me come home?”

Bittersweet reality “But when God does something, he doesn’t just do it a little bit, he shows all the way out, so now I’m a licensed real estate agent,” she said Monday to applause. “I did the same thing you all are doing.” “I sold my first house in three months, I had enough money to pay for rent six months in advance and I searched all day long, all day long, just to hear no, no, no.” “Because that same box is on those applications,” she continued. “I asked around and said ‘No, for how long?’ Do you know those people had the nerve to tell me 99 years? Ninetynine years and they mean that. That’s forever.”

Local impact The proponents for Ban the Box in other localities have various levels and participation methods. For example, Newark, New Jersey, has prohibited all employers and all housing providers from inquir-

ing about an applicant’s conviction records until that candidate has been found “otherwise qualified” for the job or housing. Philadelphia requires all employers (public and private, including city contractors) to delay any background check until a candidate has been selected for the position, and received a “conditional offer” of employment. The City of Boston and the City of Oakland do background checks only for jobs with unsupervised contact with finances, or vulnerable populations (elderly, youth, disabled people).

Interest from Daytona mayor At Monday’s meeting, Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry said he was interested in knowing

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Who would have thought? Dr. Charles Drew did in 1938. The Blood Bank, developed by Dr. Charles Drew,

is just one of the many life-changing innovations that came from the mind of an African American. We must do all we can to support minority education today, so we don’t miss out on the next big idea tomorrow. To find out more about African American innovators and to support the United Negro College Fund, visit us at uncf.org or call 1-800-332-UNCF. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

more about the initiative and supports measures that increase accessibility and lowers barriers for those who wish to work. “I’m certainly interested in it, but I would have to learn more about it. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart,” Henry told the Times. “This is the first I’ve heard of it so I’m not in the position to say this is something we should go full steam ahead with. But certainly I want to find ways for us as a city to make employment more accessible to people who are returning from incarceration.” Faith in Florida is pushing to put the “Ban the Box” initiative on the ballot in 2016. For more information go to www.faithinflorida.org.

OCTOBERDECEMBER 23 – OCTOBER 29, 2014 14 - 20, 2006

M SPORTS AYOR

B-CU cornerback earns MEAC’s top defensive player title total offense in the third quarter, including negative-six yards rushing.

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

COURTESY OF B-CU ATHLETICS

Thomas Finnie, center, is shown in an earlier game against Grambling.

Bethune-Cookman cornerback Thomas Finnie was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week (MEAC), announced Monday afternoon from the league[s office in Norfolk, Va. Finnie, a senior cornerback from Miami, had a pair of interceptions in No. 14-ranked Bethune-Cookman’s 48-20 road win over Savannah State. He also tallied a tackle for loss in the contest. The Miami Central High alum became the first B-CU player to register multiple interceptions in a game since Michael Williams achieved the feat against Florida A&M University in the Florida Blue Florida Classic in 2010. The Wildcats’ defense, ranked seventh nationally, held Savannah State to just 202 yards of total offense – 70 yards rushing. The Tigers were limited to just four yards of

On to Orangeburg The win allowed B-CU its ninth consecutive MEAC road victory. It is B-CU’s second conference Player of the Week award this season. Quarterback Quentin Williams earned Offensive Player of the Week accolades two days following the Wildcats’ victory over Florida Tech on September 27. Bethune-Cookman (6-1, 3-0 MEAC) travels to South Carolina State (4-3, 2-1 MEAC) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., inside Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg, S.C.

This story was courtesy of B-CU Athletics. For more information on the football team, visit www.bcuathletics.com.

Biketoberfest 2014: They ate, they rode and they partied BY ASHLEY D. THOMAS DAYTONA TIMES aysheldarcel@gmail.com

Markedly lower in attendance from Bike Week held in the spring, Biketoberfest still brought thousands of bikers to the Daytona Beach area last weekend. Though official numbers were not available, bikers who spoke with the Daytona Times said there were not as many bikers, vendors or food options at this year’s event – specifically on old Second Avenue (Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard) where Black bikers and their fans mostly congregate. Those that did come say they had a good time listening to music, comparing bikes, eating and visiting the beach. Calypso, the pseudonym of a biker from Fort Lauderdale, brought friends Andrew, Keith and Moses from Trinidad and Tobago for the event. “I just love the bikes,” he explained with a laugh. The group also attends other events along the East Coast, including Black Bike Week held in Myrtle Beach every Labor Day Weekend. With only three food vendors in the food court area on Second Avenue, business was booming for Ocala resident Linda McDuffie of McDuffie Seafood, who has been coming to Biketoberfest for 22 years. “I love Daytona and Daytona loves me,” said a gleaming McDuffie, who sold sheepshead fish, crab, grilled corn and other fried goods.

ASHLEY D. THOMAS/DAYTONA TIMES

Ms. Lovely, Quiet Storm, Butterfly and Mzjuc of Jacksonville are also riding in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Bikers hang out on Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard) last weekend, where there was plenty of food, music and socializing.

ASHLEY D. THOMAS/DAYTONA TIMES

Jerome Askew of Capital Parking in Raleigh, N.C. waits for customers to pull in.

DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./ HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR./HARDNOTTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Linda McDuffie adds a healthy dose of her special butter sauce to an order of crab legs, shrimp and fish

Ray Rice still has some folks rooting for him BY DOUG DONOVAN BALTIMORE SUN (MCT)

Ray Rice might forever be a pariah to many for knocking out his fiancee in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino in February. Thousands of Ravens fans lined up at M&T Bank Stadium last month to trade in their once-cherished No. 27 jerseys. But to two 9-year-old boys, Rice will forever be a friend unlike any other, the star athlete who spent his

time and money over the past three years, in public and in private, to ease their daily struggles with lifelong ailments. In 2011, when Ashton Dean of Bel Air met the running back at an autograph signing, the Harford County boy with a deadly blood condition asked Rice to pray for him. Today, Dean is the one praying for his fallen-star hero.

Keeping low profile So, too, is Benjamin

DuBose, a Middle River fourth-grader with cerebral palsy who has participated in Rice’s community events. And they’re not the only ones. Rice has kept a low profile since being fired by the Ravens on Sept. 8, the day that video surfaced of him punching Janay Walker, now his wife. But his publicist says he continues to fund scholarships and pay hospital bills, a Baltimore women’s shelter said it is still talk-

ing with the couple about working together, and recipients of his time and money say they stand with him — all work that would be instrumental in any effort he might make to rehabilitate his image. “If I were advising him, I would say that most definitely all of your good works are important to tell people who you really are,” said Washington attorney Lanny Davis, a former special counsel to President Bill Clinton. “America is a

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forgiving people and country. Mr. Rice deserves a chance to rehabilitate himself.”

Represented Penn State Davis, a specialist in crisis management who has also worked with Martha Stewart and Penn State, cautioned that highlighting supporters will not be enough. He said Rice will have to admit he misled the public and the news media about just how violent the elevator punch was. “If you’re going to rehabilitate yourself and ask for forgiveness, you can’t go halfway,” Davis said. When a The Baltimore Sun contacted Rice’s publicist for this article, she expressed concern that it might be seen as an attempt by Rice to rebuild his image. She said Rice would not comment. “The majority of what he did is not in public,” publicist Deb Poquette said. “He’s going to continue to do good work. The fund still exists. He’s not going to start tooting his own horn just to look good. For every story people know about, there are 10 stories no one knows about.”

In talks with shelter House of Ruth Maryland, a Baltimore nonprofit that provides shelter and services to battered women, said it is still in discus-

sions with Rice and his wife about how the couple can help raise awareness about domestic abuse. Those talks began after Rice’s arrest and initial suspension from the NFL but before the elevator video went viral. “Ray and Janay’s desire to work with us on the issue of intimate partner violence has not changed,” Sandi Timmins, executive director of House of Ruth Maryland, said this month. “We are continuing to have conversations with them about the best way for them to be involved at this time.”

November hearing The 27-year-old Pro Bowl player pleaded not guilty to an assault charge in May and was accepted into a pretrial program in New Jersey that will enable him to avoid a criminal record if he completes angermanagement classes. The NFL players union has appealed Rice’s indefinite suspension. On Tuesday, the league scheduled a hearing for Nov. 5 and 6 in New York. The NFL has asked a former federal judge to decide, possibly next month, whether the ban will be altered. Few expect the running back to begin rebuilding his image until then.

7PERSONAL FINANCE

OCTOBER 23 – OCTOBER 29, 2014

C.W. GRIFFIN/MIAMI HERALD/MCT

Striking fast food workers such as Franz Nerette, left, hold picket signs as they walk the line in front of restaurants where they picketed during a nationwide protest in favor of a $15 per hour minimum wage on Sept. 4 in Miami. Seven of them were arrested after obstructing traffic on NW 167th Street and NE 2nd Avenue.

How raising minimum wage would benefit economy Report indicates savings of $39 billion annually on public assistance programs BY FREDDIE ALLEN NNPA NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would likely save taxpayers $39 billion in spending on safety net programs per year, according to a new issue brief by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Researchers at EPI, a Washington, D.C.-based think-tank focused on the needs of low- and middle-income families, also found that “more than 1.7 million American work-

ers would no longer rely on public assistance programs,” if the minimum wage were increased. David Cooper, an economic analyst for EPI and the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN), said that the value of today’s federal minimum wage of $7.25 lost nearly 25 percent of its worth since the 1960s. Raising the minimum wage would help to close the income gap between Blacks and Whites.

Looked at Medicaid, SNAP A report published in EPI’s “Unfinished March” series, a collection of reports that revisited the goals set during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, found that if lawmakers had established the $2 minimum wage that the marchers asked for, “today it would be worth $13.39— a far cry from today’s $7.25.” Cooper said that the report looked at Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), Low Income Home Energy Assistance

Program (LIHEAP), food stamps, the food program for Women Infants and Children (WIC), the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program and the Temporary Assistance for needy families (TANF). According to the report, “roughly 45 percent of workers likely to get a raise from an increase in the minimum wage to $10.10 receive benefits from at least one means-tested public assistance program, either directly or through a family member.”

Long-term support Cooper said that most

of those programs were meant to be temporary support for people that had fallen on hard times or suffered some unexpected change in their income. “They were not intended to act as long-term subsidies to employers so that businesses could get away with paying poverty-level wages,” Cooper explained. “But today roughly half of public assistance dollars for these programs go to working families and roughly half of the workers in those families that receive benefits are working full time.” In 2014, Demos, a public policy group aimed at reducing political and economic inequality, reported that, “the compensation of fast food CEOs was more than 1,200 times the earnings of the average fast food worker,” in 2012. “Accommodation and Food Services [CEOs] earned 543 times the annual income of the average worker in the sector – the highest CEO-to-worker ratio of any sector in the economy in any year since 2000,” stated the Demos report.

Tellers affected too Demos also reported that the food preparation and retail jobs are among the top five occupations expected to grow through 2022. “The increasing reliance on employment in these highly unequal industries will make it harder for working people to share in the gains of economic growth as more and more income becomes concentrated at the top,” the Demos report said. A 2013 report by The Committee for Better Banks (CBB), a group that advocates for bank workers’ rights, said that bank worker wages are so low that roughly one-third of tellers or their family members “receive some sort of public assistance nationwide.”

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The CBB report said that state and federal governments subsidize the lowwages that tellers earn to the tune of $900 million, annually just to help them make ends meet.

Discriminatory practices In a 2014 article posted to AmericanBanker.com, Brigid Flaherty of CBB said that Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, raked in about $19 million in 2013 and that it would take Dimon about two hours to make what a JPMorgan Chase teller earns in a year. And while bank CEOs were earning unheralded salaries and paying WalMart wages to bank tellers, some of their managers were engaging in discriminatory hiring and employee practices. In 2013, the United States Department of Labor said that Bank of America had to compensate 1,100 Black job applicants for discrimination they suffered from 1993-2005. That judgment came on the heels of $160 million settlement against Merrill Lynch for a 2005 class action lawsuit filed by Black brokers that worked at Merrill before the two merged in January 2009.

Long overdue Cooper said that the public should not continue to subsidize low-wage employers who arguably haven’t been doing their fair share of the social contract: the understanding, in American society, that if you work hard you should be paid enough to make ends meet. Cooper added: “Raising the minimum wage is a simple and long overdue step towards rebalancing the social contract so that the private and public sectors are more equal partners in improving living standards for American families.”