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MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

VOLUME 23 NO. 11

EE FR

PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL

RAMPANT CORRUPTION

For years, the Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches has been calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the Florida Department of Corrections.

Citing murders and organized crime inside the Florida Department of Corrections, former prison inspectors tell lawmakers DOC is too crooked to police itself.

COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

TALLAHASSEE – In a blistering condemnation of Florida’s prison system, several current and former prison inspectors told state lawmakers Tuesday that their bosses repeatedly told them to ignore evidence of possible criminal wrongdoing by corrections officers, fearing it would give the agency a “black eye.” The four inspectors, speaking publicly for the first time before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, testified under oath about interference by unnamed agency officials as they attempted to weed out inmate abuse, medical neglect, gang violence and orga-

nized crime. They cited cases where they were told to withhold information from prosecutors, to close investigations into people with ties to officials at the state Capitol, and to avoid criminal charges, no matter how much evidence they had.

Human rights abuses “We are at the point where we can no longer police ourselves,” said John Ulm, a veteran law enforcement officer who now works in the inspector general’s office. He said the atrocities he has observed on the streets of America pale in comparison to the human rights violations occurring in the Florida prison system.

Florida loves ‘Obamacare’

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Ulm testified that since he began aggressive probes of widespread corruption, he has been “threatened” and has been the subject of several internal affairs investigations that appeared to be in retaliation for his pursuit of exposing corruption. “We can’t do it alone. We need some oversight,” he said. “The organized crime, the murders, the assaults, the victimization that

goes on there every day is horren- rections not to pursue criminal charges against corrupt, highdous.” ranking officials. Investigators were encouraged No criminal charges Gulf County Sheriff Mike Harri- to pursue administrative cases – which could end in firings but son told the Senate Criminal Jusnot criminal charges – “to make tice Committee that, as a correcit look favorable upon the detions investigator, he was twice partment,” Harrison said after betold by “upper-level manage- ing sworn in, a rarely used option ment” in the inspector general’s See CORRUPT, Page A2 office of the Department of Cor-

SELMA TO MONTGOMERY, 50 YEARS LATER

‘There are more bridges to be crossed’

Majority will get financial subsidies BY NOAM N. LEVEY TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU / TNS

WASHINGTON – More than 85 percent of Americans who signed up for health coverage this year through the Affordable Care Act qualified for government subsidies, according to a new report that underscores the scope of the aid at a time when the Supreme Court is considering sharply restricting it. Florida, which uses the federal HealthCare.gov system, topped all states in 2015 with nearly 1.6 million enrollees; 93 percent are eligible for subsidies. In some of the states that also use the federal HealthCare.gov system – including Alaska, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Wyoming – at least 90 percent of enrollees qualified for the aid this year. Illinois, another state that saw a large surge in enrollment this year compared with 2014, had relatively fewer residents getting assistance, with 78 percent.

Health.gov pays more Reliance on government aid is higher in states where the federal government operates insurance marketplaces than in states like California that run their own systems. In many of those states, consumers are getting subsidies that top $300 a month on average,

BRIAN VAN DER BRUG/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Former President George W. Bush, First Lady Michelle Obama, and President Obama shared the stage at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on March 7. Read excerpts of the president’s Selma speech on Page A5, and more information about the march and its history on Page B1.

See OBAMACARE, Page A2

Cops kill three unarmed Black men in four days COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

Police officers in three different states shot three unarmed Black men to death in separate incidents over a four-day period last week. All three officers involved in the killings are currently on administrative leave with pay.

Aurora, Colo. On March 6, Naeschylus Vinzant was shot and killed by a still-unidentified officer. Vinzant, 37, was approached by officers for alleg-

ALSO INSIDE

Naeschylus Vinzant

Tony Robinson

Anthony Hil

edly violating parole by removing an ankle monitor, and was considered a person of interest in a kidnapping, robbery, and assault incident. The Aurora Police Department has refused to release information of the circumstances of Vinzant’s death, citing an ongoing investigation.

Madison, Wis. Later on March 6, 19-year-old Tony Rob-

inson died after Madison police officer Matt Kenny allegedly shot him in self-defense. Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said that Kenny was responding to reports of a Black man screaming and darting into traffic who then broke into a home and tried to choke someone inside. Koval allegedly shot Robinson after being attacked. Wisconsin is the first state in America to pass a law requiring an outside independent investigation of in-custody deaths caused by police.

SNAPSHOTS NATION | A3

Missouri Supreme Court takes over Ferguson cases FLORIDA | A6

Protesters: Backpacks and bullets don’t mix

Chamblee, Ga. On March 9, Officer Robert Olsen shot 27-year-old Anthony Hill dead. Hill had a history of mental illness, and was shot and killed in his apartment complex outside of Atlanta. Police say they got a call from a maintenance worker saying he saw Hill walking naked on the grounds. Witness accounts vary as to whether Hill actually threatened the police officer.

FOOD | B6

How to add a taste of the Mediterranean to your cuisine

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 ENVIRONMENT: SEMINOLE TRIBE RUNS ONE OF NATION’S LARGEST CATTLE OPERATIONS | B3

FOCUS

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

Your meekness is your weakness Ever since Floyd Mayweather was a little bitty boy, he wanted to be a professional fighter. Today, “Money” Mayweather is universally known as the “pound-for pound” champion of the boxing world. “Money” is also the greatest moneymaker in boxing history and will make upwards of $120 million when he steps into the ring in Las Vegas on May 2, 2015 to face Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand hotel arena. If you don’t know, people are not going to pay hundreds of thousands to attend the fight to cheer Mayweather. Most people will go to the fight hoping to see Mayweather lose! Mayweather is not the most beloved boxer. He is somewhat less educated, considerably pompous and, to a certain extent, very cocky!

Faith in self But Mayweather has faith. If

complish things also!

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

not in God, Mayweather has supreme faith in himself! Every time he has entered the ring, people with devilish intent have said they would beat Mayweather or perhaps knock Mayweather out. In the end, 47 fighters that promised to defeat “Money” left the ring as losers! Mayweather accomplished what he wanted to and overcame every boxing obstacle that was put before him. “Money” wasn’t scared to manage himself, promote himself and decide for himself how he wanted his life and career to go. If you weren’t so terrified of beasts and devils, you could ac-

Every city is Selma People ask me, “Why didn’t you go to Selma for the march commemoration?” I didn’t go because every city in America is Selma! Black people will get beaten, tear gassed and shot in every city south of Canada and north of Mexico! Black people are being victimized, oppressed, exploited and murdered today even more so and worse than they were in Alabama years ago! Uncle Toms and Jemimas are quick to go to Selma to see rappers, actors and other celebrities hold hands with their enemies and sing “We Shall Overcome.” But how many people can you get to come to your town and fight police brutality in 2015?

Who will fight? Who will battle to save unarmed Black youth from being

shot or choked to death? Who is going to join you and fight for Black business equality? Who will join you in the fight to save Black schools and colleges? The keynote speaker at the Selma event won’t help you. The speaker you love recently criticized Black institutions of higher learning! All of the Christians, along with the fake Christians, pray for God to send angels to help them in time of need because they are scared to help themselves. God has good people helping him, but Satan has demons and people with devilish intentions helping him, too. When beast bankers take your money, that is the devil’s work. When you get fired for no reason at all, that is devil work, too! When you get falsely arrested, overcharged and get much too harsh sentences, you got it – it’s the devil doing his thing!

that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not. Behold, your God (and his soldiers, I might add) will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.” The Negro leaders that you love want you to bow down, scratch your head, buck dance and march your way to progress. I want God to send Black Americans another Moses or a Joshua, someone who is not afraid of the wicked pharoah! Even if you are meek and even if you are weak, stand up and take the first real step toward freedom and respectability! Some of the people leading you are getting paid by your enemies to keep you docile, nonviolent and afraid to do the best thing, the right thing and to tell the truth. God helps those that help themselves – including the previously meek and weak!

Bible words

Contact Lucius Gantt at www.allworldconsultants.net. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Help me out bishop, pastor and preacher. According to Isaiah’s 35th chapter, “Say to them

OBAMACARE from A1

according to the data. In Mississippi, for example, that has meant the difference between an average monthly premium of $405 without subsidies and $52 with them. In Texas, the average premium drops from $328 a month to $89 a month with aid. “We now know in very tangible terms how much assistance the Affordable Care Act is providing to people,” said Larry Levitt, senior vice president at the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, which has been closely tracking implementation of the law. “These subsidies have put health insurance within reach for people who couldn’t possibly pay hundreds of dollars per month on their own.” Altogether, close to 10 million of the 11.7 million people who enrolled in coverage this year could get subsidies, the report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows. Of that, nearly 1.3 million Californians qualified for assistance. The 2010 health law allows Americans who don’t get health benefits at work to shop among plans on state-based marketplaces. The marketplaces are operated by the federal government in 37 states and by the states themselves in the rest, including California, Connecticut and Maryland. Consumers making less than four times the federal poverty level – or about $47,000 for a single person or $97,000 for a family of four – qualify for subsidies. Insurers must provide a basic set of benefits and cannot turn away

CORRUPT from A1

available to committee chairmen and ordered Tuesday by Chairman Greg Evers, R-Baker. “Criminal charges on a highranking colonel or warden or assistant warden would obviously be a black eye on DOC,” said Harrison, who left the inspector general’s office in December 2012 after being elected sheriff. Harrison said he was told not to pursue criminal charges against a former Jackson Correctional Institution warden and assistant warden regarding a coverup of the medical treatment of an inmate at the Panhandle prison in which two inmates nearly lost their lives.

Kept going The state attorney’s office originally declined to take the case but agreed to bring charges against former warden Ted Jeter and assistant warden CarolAnn Bracewell after Harrison and another investigator obtained additional sworn testimony indicating that the pair had pressured workers into keeping silent about what happened, Harrison said. Doug Glisson, who was Harrison’s supervisor at the time and still works for Inspector General Jeffrey Beasley, said the decision not to pursue criminal charges came from Beasley.

Statewide outcry The unprecedented testimony comes amid a series of reports

SANDY HUFFAKER/TNS

Floridians are taking advantage of the Affordable Care Act’s provisions allowing doctor’s visits before an illness hits. consumers, even if they are sick. Consumers in states that operate their own marketplaces generally are less reliant on the subsidies, with fewer than two-thirds of enrollees qualifying in Colorado, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Subject to change All of these numbers may change as consumers drop coverage or switch plans in coming months. If last year is a guide, the

on the suspicious deaths of inmates and public outcry by civil rights groups over the treatment of mentally ill prisoners. Ulm, Glisson and inspector Aubrey Land filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit last year claiming that Beasley instructed them to back off an investigation involving a possible cover-up in the killing of a 27-year-old inmate at Franklin Correctional Institution in 2010. The inmate, Randall JordonAparo, died after he was repeatedly gassed by corrections officers whom the inspectors said fabricated their stories about why he was gassed. The suit was dismissed by a federal judge last week but is on appeal.

Successfully charged Harrison also told the committee he was also instructed not to pursue a criminal case against a colonel at Holmes Correctional Institution who had been accused of smuggling contraband into the prison. Harrison said he ignored his superiors and brought the case to the state attorney, who later pressed charges against the colonel, who is now on probation. “I come from a law-enforcement background,” Harrison, who worked for the inspector general’s office for about two years, said. “I was used to, if someone broke the law, that you took the charges to the state attorney’s office and you proceed forward. That didn’t appear to be the case within the inspector general’s office. It was quite frustrating with me.”

number of people enrolled will decline over the course of the year as some people fail to pay their premiums and others obtain coverage through a job or some other means. There may be a surge of signups next month, however, as the Obama administration opens a special enrollment period for people who do not have coverage and were subject to a penalty on their 2014 taxes.

Legal jeopardy

‘No one listens’

venting inspectors from going after senior officials and focusing instead on “low-hanging fruit,” as characterized by an anonymous investigator in a letter highly critical of Beasley sent to Evers. Glisson told the committee on Tuesday that he was told to drop an investigation into a high-ranking corrections official’s possible involvement with wrongdoing at a training academy. Two days after one of Glisson’s inspectors asked the official about the academy, “we were called to the office of the inspector general and we were warned that the person we had named as a subject, that there was a ‘Capitol connection’ with this individual,” Glisson said. “It just had a chilling effect,” he said. Glisson and his inspector then were told to go through the official himself if they wanted any information pertaining to the investigation. “Again, inspectors and investigators are supposed to have unfettered access to documentation, to talk to who we want. But now we’re being told specifically you’ll go through this person who’s been named as a subject,” he said. “We thought it was inappropriate.”

Land acknowledged that while there are scores of good corrections officers within the prison system, the culture of corruption and staff shortages has made it difficult for them to do their jobs adequately. “We have offered up solutions that no one listens to,” Land said. One example he cited involved the black-market tobacco market that he said is “worth millions” of profit for staff and corrections officers who smuggle it in on a daily basis. Gang violence is also rampant, Land said, describing an incident in which an elderly, wheelchairbound inmate – in tears – told him how he had been robbed of all his belongings and slashed in his neck by gang members. No corrections officers were around to protect him, he told Land.

A ‘crisis’ Evers, who has sponsored a sweeping prison overhaul (SB 7020) that would create a commission with investigatory powers to oversee the policing of prisons, said he wants “to dig deeper” into Harrison’s accusations about Beasley’s office. Evers said he would support the creation of a special legislative joint committee to look into allegations of cover-ups within the office of the inspector general. “We’ve got a problem. I said several meetings back that we’ve got a crisis. Yes, we’ve got a crisis,” he said. Tuesday’s testimony from Glisson and Harrison indicated a pattern of Beasley’s office pre-

The legal challenge being considered by the Supreme Court would strip away subsidies in states that rely on the federal government, affecting as many as 7.7 million people, according to the report. The Supreme Court case, King vs. Burwell, was brought by a group of conservative and libertarian activists who argue that a strict reading of the statute makes

‘Years ago’ Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones has acknowledged that the agency has been chronically underfunded and understaffed but has repeatedly defended Beasley – who answers to Scott’s Inspector General Melinda Miguel – since she took over the post in January.

the subsidies available only in the states that established their own insurance marketplaces. It remains unclear what will happen if the Supreme Court strikes the subsidies in the states that rely on HealthCare.gov. Most experts believe that Americans who lose their subsidies would drop coverage, setting off a sweeping disruption of dozens of state insurance markets.

After the meeting, Jones dismissed the testimony and said it “represents one view of several incidents that happened years ago.” She said she was disappointed the allegations were presented to the committee absent “all known facts” and “represents one view of several incidents that happened years ago.” In an interview with the Herald/Times last week, Jones said she believes the employees making the claims are frustrated investigators whom she believes are not authorized to be investigating crimes. “We have a problem with certain individuals in the IGs office that want to be FDLE agents,” she said. “They are not FDLE agents. They are not trained to be criminal investigators – to delve into corruption and the individuals that we’ve hired could be qualified to be criminal investigators but that is not their role.”

State foot-dragging Evers said the testimony was the last chance his committee may have to expose evidence of troubles within the agency during the two-month session. He suggested that DOC Secretary Jones, and the inspector general’s office, were “dragging their feet” in their promises to reform the agency.

Mary Ellen Klas and Julie K. Brown of the Miami Herald / TNS and Dara Kam of the News Service of Florida all contributed to this report.

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

NATION

law firm. In a press release, Bert Fulk, a law associate of Brockmeyer, said Brockmeyer “recognizes that deference to a municipal judge’s judgments and court rulings depends upon public confidence” and media reports, “regardless of their accuracy or validity have diminished the public’s confidence in the Ferguson municipal court.” Fulk said Brockmeyer’s resignation was intended to help restore public confidence and to “help Ferguson begin its healing process.”

Racist emails

ROBERT COHEN/ ST. LOUS POST-DISPATCH/TNS

Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson is surrounded by officers as he leaves a news conference in Forestwood Park on Aug. 15, 2014 in Ferguson, Mo. Jackson resigned Wednesday. His departure has been a high priority for protesters since the controversial shooting of Michael Brown on Aug. 9, 2014.

Missouri Supreme Court takes over cases in Ferguson Judge resigns; cites death threats as primary reason BY JENNIFER S. MANN ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH (TNS)

The Missouri Supreme Court announced Monday that it will take the “extraordinary action” of reassigning all Ferguson municipal court cases to the circuit court, starting next week.

In a news release, the court announced the move was intended “to help restore public trust and confidence in the Ferguson municipal court division.” Ferguson Municipal Judge Ronald J. Brockmeyer resigned his position Monday afternoon. In a phone interview, Brockmeyer also said he would likely resign from Dellwood, where he is prosecutor, but he would not elaborate. He declined to say what would happen with his other municipal court positions as prosecutor in

Vinita Park and Florissant, and judge in Breckenridge Hills. The actions Monday followed the release last week of a scathing Department of Justice report on Ferguson’s police and court practices. “I don’t believe the report was correct,” Brockmeyer told the Post-Dispatch Monday night, “but it’s not worth fighting.”

News elates activists A group of residents waiting outside a closed meeting of the Ferguson

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City Council on Monday night cheered the news. “That’s big,” said Melissa Sanders, 32, of Ferguson. “I’m elated — for now.” Sanders, of the activist group Lost Voices, said she was concerned that “they may be just pacifying us.” Asked after the council meeting if City Administrator John Shaw and Police Chief Thomas Jackson might be ousted, Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small said: “Given the gravity of the DOJ report, it’s safe to say everything is on the table.” (Jackson resigned on Wednesday.) Brockmeyer said the main reason he resigned is that he and his family had received death threats in the last several days. “That’s one of the most important reasons — it’s not worth jeopardizing my family,” he said.

Other reasons Among the issues mentioned in the report, Brockmeyer said, was a red-light camera ticket against him in Hazelwood that was dismissed by the Ferguson prosecutor, who also was prosecutor in Hazelwood. Brockmeyer said Monday the ticket was dismissed after he pointed out to the prosecutor that it would be difficult to show who was driving the vehicle, which was used by his

Brockmeyer was criticized in the DOJ report for acting as a revenue-generator for the court and the city, helping to bring in millions through “c r e a t i v e ” use of fines and fees, while dismissing tickets for himself and Ronald friends. The Brockmeyer report also rapped him for instilling fear in traffic defendants, even jailing one man for 10 days because the man refused to answer questions in court. The DOJ report also revealed racist emails that were sent by court and police officials, and portrayed a police department and court that discriminated against African-Americans at all levels — from the initial traffic stop to how they were treated in court. Last week, Court Clerk Mary Twitty was fired and Police Capt. Rick Henke and Sgt. William Mudd resigned over the emails.

Fresh perspective The statement from Brockmeyer’s law associate distanced the judge from police and court abuses detailed in the report. It noted that Brockmeyer’s part-time position only required him to be in court once a week, compared to the court clerk, whose role was cited in the DOJ report as “the most significant role.” Judge Roy L. Richter of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, will take over the Ferguson court’s caseload. The transfer of cases will continue “until further order” of the Supreme Court, according to the court’s press release. The order, allowed under the state constitution, authorizes Richter to implement reforms to Ferguson’s court policies and procedures. Chief Justice Mary R. Russell said in the release

University shuts down frat over racist video EURWEB.COM

University of Oklahoma’s chapter of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon is no more. The school on Monday shut it down after members were caught chanting a racial slur and referencing lynching in a video that went viral. In the clip, which initially surfaced on March 8, members of SAE are seen on a bus chanting, “There will never be a nigger SAE,” indicating Blacks would never be admitted to the fraternity. The chant also includes the line, “You can hang them from a tree.” “You are disgraceful. You have violated all that we stand for,” the president, David Boren, said in a statement. “Real Sooners are not racist. Real Sooners are not bigots.” Boren set a deadline of midnight Tuesday for the members of the fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, to get their belongings out of the fraternity house. Parker Rice and Levi Pettit, two fraternity members accused of leading the racist chant, were expelled.

Expulsions possible The school opened an investigation to determine who was involved. The president said he was consulting with school lawyers and would consider “all possible punishment,” including expulsion. “I’d be happy if they left, the ones who were involved,” Boren told reporters. “I know not every member of this fraternity was involved. But a large number were, a busload.” He said school investigators have identified “one or two or three individuals” and

that Richter would bring “a fresh, disinterested perspective to this court’s practices and he is able and willing to implement needed reforms.” Russell, through a spokeswoman, declined to be interviewed.

In courts’ defense Richter said in an email that “Lawyers in general, and judges in particular, want the judicial system to operate fairly for all those who deal with the Courts. If that hasn’t been the case in Ferguson or anywhere else in Missouri, that needs to change — and that’s important.” The judge said he and the state court administrator’s office will visit Ferguson soon to assess the situation. He said he’s interested in the idea of having a wider scope of “standard” fines that would be used in Ferguson and elsewhere, and also in making the court more accessible to the public. Richter, on Monday, acknowledged in an email that “one court operating improperly is one too many” but said he’s been educating municipal court judges since the early 1980s, and he does believe that most do it right. “Take a road trip down to Cape Girardeau — just go sit in their municipal court for a session — let me know what you think. If you don’t want to go that far, scoot down to Perryville. My point is, the entire state isn’t St Louis County,” he said.

Judge’s other problems Richter added he shouldn’t be viewed as an outsider coming in. “Being a judge is being a judge — you listen to both sides and do the right thing, applying the facts to the law.” Brockmeyer, who was paid about $20,000 for serving as Ferguson judge, has federal tax liens of about $170,000 filed against property he and his wife own in St. Charles County. Brockmeyer said nobody has mentioned that he’s been paying $5,000 a month to the IRS. “The taxes aren’t being ignored. I’m making my payments, and they’re on time,” he said. He said while some have used that situation to paint him a hypocrite, some of the traffic offenders in court were given a third, fourth and fifth chances to pay up or do a work program in lieu of paying and still couldn’t make good on their tickets.

Margaret Gillerman of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

ventured that some may decide to leave the school on their own. He said he would pay the bus fare himself. He cautioned against making generalities about the entire Greek system, but he said he had asked a school vice president to conduct “a deep study into exactly what’s going on.”

Coaches respond The national president of SAE apologized and said that it had closed the chapter and would expel all the members involved. Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops and several Sooners players also attended the protest. “It’s sad the ignorance that can still be there with some people,” Stoops told the Tulsa World. “It’s just appalling. “I was here to be with my guys. We all work with beautiful young men and women of all races. It’s just — very little gets me choked up. But that hurt.” Assistant football coach Mike Stoops, Oklahoma men’s basketball coach Lon Kruger and approximately 100 athletes were also at the demonstration, according to the Tulsa World. “(The video) is something that should concern everyone,” Kruger told the paper. “It’s not about athletics. It’s not about anything other than everyone being affected by this.” The national fraternity released a statement saying it was “embarrassed” by the “unacceptable and racist” behavior. A link to the video was posted by OU Unheard, a Black student group on campus, after someone anonymously called it to the group’s attention, communications director Alexis Hall said Monday. It’s unclear who recorded the video, when it was recorded and who initially posted it online.

EDITORIAL

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

Selma: 50 years later Over the weekend, many people from all over the United States gathered in Selma, Alabama to remember and commemorate the march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. As you recall, this was known as ‘Bloody Sunday’ in which many people suffered violently from protesting peacefully. While the images of this event will be forever etched in the minds of Americans, we have to ask ourselves the question – how far have we come since Selma? While we have voting rights, civil rights and the first AfricanAmerican president elected, we cannot act as though things are as smooth as some would have us to think. The mere fact that we have progressed in some areas means there is still work to do. That’s right; we have work to do that’s more than making speeches and shedding tears. The tragic events that happened 50 years

DR. SINCLAIR GREY III GUEST COLUMNIST

ago means this country must still address the sin of racism, injustice, and inequality.

What has happened I would go so far as to say that America has faulted on the words within the Declaration of Independence which says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Let’s take a look at what has happened after Selma (50 years):

• The unemployment rate for Blacks is twice as high as compared to Whites • Blacks are incarcerated six times the rate of Whites • The high school graduation gap between Blacks and Whites is still growing. Depending on politicians to fix this problem isn’t the answer. Waiting on the government to establish programs will only constitute a temporary bandaid. And sitting back hearing many of our civil rights leaders give speeches and portray a victim mentality simply won’t work. What we need to do as a society is to create our own programs that will teach positive self-esteem and self-worth. We can’t stop there. As African-Americans, we must encourage our younger generation to start businesses that will create employment opportunities and leave legacies

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: SELMA AT 50

MILT PRIGGEE, WWW.MILTPRIGGEE.COM

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 249 Florida state prisons – They are an abomination that Gov. Rick Scott wants to ignore. One of the last things U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder should do is to initiate a federal investigation into the 100-plus inmate deaths and the pattern and practices of the Florida Department of Corrections – something the state NAACP, the ACLU, and others have been requesting for years… The GOP commits treason (again) – Imagine Congress stepping into negotiations in 1962 between President John F. Kennedy and Russia’s Nikita Khrushchev regarding building Russian missile systems in Cuba. Imagine Congress telling Khrushchev to “ignore what Kennedy says; he has no power. You’re gonna deal with us.” That’s essentially what 47 Republican U.S. senators did by sending a letter to Iran while Bro. Prez is in the middle of sensitive negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Republicans targeted Bro. Prez’s administration for destruction on day one. Now they are openly committing crimes. Treason, a crime, is defined by Black’s Law Dictionary as “the offense of attempting to overthrow the government of the state to which one owes allegiance, either by making war against the state or by materially supporting its enemies.” That’s nothing new for the GOP. One example? The 1980 presidential election between incumbent Demo-

QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER

CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER

crat Jimmy Carter and Republican Ronald Reagan was too close to call in its final days. The year before, 52 Americans were taken hostage when Iran’s dictatorship was overthrown. Carter worked diligently with moderate non-religious Iranian leaders to release the hostages, especially after a failed rescue attempt killed eight U.S. servicemen. Meanwhile, Reagan’s campaign secretly worked out a deal with the Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of Iran’s radical Islamic fundamentalists, to take control of the hostages and keep them in captivity until after the 1980 presidential election. American voters, upset with Carter’s inability to get the hostages released, elected Reagan. Iran released the hostages on January 20, 1981– the day Reagan was sworn into office. Those same fundamentalists run Iran now and have supported Shiite jihadist terrorists around the world. More chickens coming home to roost…

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.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.

THE CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that Americans can best lead the world away from racism and national antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person. The Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief...that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.

to be passed down from generation to generation. We must register people to vote and vote on issues. So many people complain about the injustice within communities, but fail to get involved within their communities. Fifty years after Selma, we cannot simply stay one-sided on issues. Look around to see who cares about our needs and who is willing to stand to make a difference. The Republican Party (the majority of their leaders) failed to converge on Selma over the weekend and yet they want African-Americans to see them as a party of the people. And yet there are many Democrats who like to shout about voting rights but remain silent about issues affecting African-Americans such as the prison industrial complex and high unemployment. While we must remember our history, let’s not become to com-

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Dr. Sinclair Grey III is an activist, speaker, writer, author, life coach, and host of The Sinclair Grey Show heard on Mondays at 2 p.m. on WAEC Love 860am (iHeart Radio and Tune In). Contact him at sinclairgrey@sinclairgrey.org. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Justice for whom? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. The Pledge of Allegiance, something we learn early on, recite every day in our schools, and before our meetings, yet, do we truly mean and understand that which we are saying? In our nation, over not just the past few months, but years, hundreds of years, we have been living a major untruth, because there is not liberty, and there is not certainly justice for all. Looking at data from the 2012 census, overall, woman earn 77 cents on the dollar of men, with this statistic worsening when looking at minorities, African-American women earn 69 cents for every dollar paid to African-American men, and Latinas earn just 58 cents on the dollar compared to Latino men.

No justice for all

MINDY L. MAYES, MPH GUEST COLUMNIST

There are many issues of justice, and we must not pick and choose to help just ourselves, or our groups, but to move towards a change of ‘liberty and justice for all.’

According to Freedomtomarry.org, currently, there is pending litigation in 15 states and 1 US territory, on if individuals who love people of the same sex should be able to get married. I could go on to talk about the debate on higher pay for minimum wage jobs, many jobs that people who are in poverty will hold, or the treatment and number of undocumented children currently being held in migrant camps, and the disproportionate number of minorities in US jails and prisons. These are just a few of the justice issues that come to mind. All are injustices, not “liberty and justice for all.” We all know the injustices done to Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Marissa Alexander. There is also Ezzell Ford, Dante Parker, Yvette Smith. These are the names we do know and there are many more.

so easily recite “and liberty and justice for all.” There are many issues of justice, and we must not pick and choose to help just ourselves, or our groups, but to move towards a change of “liberty and justice for all.” Until we have equal pay, equal rights, and don’t have to chant Black lives matter, because not just Black lives, but all lives, Hispanic, Caucasian, Jewish, Indian, Asian, all lives matter. We must continue to work, we must continue to fight, and we must continue to lift our voices. I think of a song by Sam Cook that says, “It’s been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change gon’ come, oh yes it is.” We must continue to strive towards liberty and justice for all, until that day, that day that is a long time coming, and change comes. I believe it’s possible, oh yes I do, and I hope that you hope this to.

Justice celebrations

Mindy L. Mayes works secularly as an extension educator, and sacredly as a pastor. Based in Indiana, she believes in reaching all people, especially those in the margins. Reach her at mindy142mayes@gmail.com. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

As we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Selma march, the 52nd anniversary of the March on Washington, and the fact that some of us feel we have made it because we have our first African-American President, Barack Hussein Obama, let us truly reflect on what we mean when we

Why you should pursue multiple income streams I have mentioned before how your job should fund your dreams because you can use some of your earnings to start your own business, to save toward retirement goals or to go on dream vacations. However, creating multiple income streams can create financial security and wealth. The super rich have multiple income streams from owning businesses, stocks and rental property, to name a few. So if you want to be rich, copy their income-producing habits and diversify your earnings through multiple income streams.

Use your talents W W W.FLCOURIER.COM

placent and comfortable with what we have that we forget to press on and press forward towards making a difference. I applaud those who risked their lives on ‘Bloody Sunday,’ but I also believe we ought to embrace their spirit in fighting for change so that the words of the Declaration of Independence can ring true for all of God’s people, not just the select few and the haves.

You could have a job in order to pay your bills. You could also offer a service or two that you provide on the side or seasonally, such as tax preparation, hair styling and cutting, tutoring. You could use the extra money you’re earning from your side hustle to save and invest in index-based universal life, mutual funds and stocks that you can draw from to fund your retirement or to pull out to reward yourself from time to time. You also may invest in property to rent out to tenants and residents to create residual income that comes in each month. I know a lady who works a full-time job even though she brings in $7,000 monthly in residual income from rental property. As your company’s revenue grows and exceeds your job’s income, you may decide to leave your job and create opportunities for others by hiring employees to help accommodate your thriving business and drive up the revenue.

Becoming prosperous You also should consider earning com-

TENESHIA LAFAYE MISS MONEY SENSE

missions and residual income by obtaining a state license to sell insurance and other multi-level marketing businesses. However, managing income from various sources can be overwhelming. You should develop a system and a schedule to dedicate time to each revenue stream. You also should have long-term vision for your businesses to be able to run without your regular involvement. This could mean you have employees or team members who manage and produce for your wealth to grow exponentially while you pursue hobbies, spend time with family and friends and relax. But multiple income streams are ideal, and with good money habits, you will never be broke. You will always have a steady stream of money coming in from a variety of sources. The sky is the limit to what you can earn with multiple income streams, and you will be able to save more and play more to live the American dream.

Teneshia LaFaye is a former awardwinning journalist and a nationally certified financial education instructor. Connect with her at www.facebook. com/MissMoneySense. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

EDITORIAL

‘We honor those who walked so we could run’ Editor's note: Here are excerpts from President Obama's speech on March 7 at the during the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march. President and Mrs. Bush, Governor Bentley, Mayor Evans, Sewell, Reverend Strong, members of Congress, elected officials, foot soldiers, friends, fellow Americans: As John (Lewis) noted, there are places and moments in America where this nation’s destiny has been decided. Many are sites of war — Concord and Lexington, Appomattox, Gettysburg. Others are sites that symbolize the daring of America’s character — Independence Hall and Seneca Falls, Kitty Hawk and Cape Canaveral. Selma is such a place. In one afternoon 50 years ago, so much of our turbulent history — the stain of slavery and anguish of civil war; the yoke of segregation and tyranny of Jim Crow; the death of four little girls in Birmingham; and the dream of a Baptist preacher — all that history met on this bridge. It was not a clash of armies, but a clash of wills; a contest to determine the true meaning of America. And because of men and women like John Lewis, Joseph Lowery, Hosea Williams, Amelia Boynton, Diane Nash, Ralph Abernathy, C.T. Vivian, Andrew Young, Fred Shuttlesworth, Dr. Martin Luther King, BRIAN VAN DER BRUG/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS Jr., and so many others, the idea of President Obama speaks at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on Saturday, March 7.. a just America and a fair America, an inclusive America, and a generous America — that idea ultimate- tion, not born to wealth or privi- al right here in Selma, Alabama. an isolated incident; that racism is that is the right to vote. Right now, lege, not of one religious tradi- They saw that idea manifest itself banished; that the work that drew in 2015, 50 years after Selma, there ly triumphed. tion but many, coming together to here in America. men and women to Selma is now are laws across this country deshape their country’s course? complete, and that whatever ra- signed to make it harder for people ‘A broader campaign’ What greater expression of faith Breaking of barriers cial tensions remain are a conse- to vote. As we speak, more of such As is true across the landscape in the American experiment than quence of those seeking to play laws are being proposed. MeanBecause of campaigns like this, of American history, we cannot this, what greater form of patriothe “race card” for their own pur- while, the Voting Rights Act, the examine this moment in isolation. tism is there than the belief that a Voting Rights Act was passed. poses. We don’t need the Fergu- culmination of so much blood, so Political and economic and soThe march on Selma was part of a America is not yet finished, that son report to know that’s not true. much sweat and tears, the product broader campaign that spanned we are strong enough to be self- cial barriers came down. And the We just need to open our eyes, and of so much sacrifice in the face of change these men and women generations; the leaders that day critical, that each successive genour ears, and our hearts to know wanton violence, the Voting Rights wrought is visible here today in the part of a long line of heroes. eration can look upon our imper- presence of African-Americans that this nation’s racial history still Act stands weakened, its future We gather here to celebrate fections and decide that it is in our casts its long shadow upon us. subject to political rancor. them. We gather here to honor power to remake this nation to who run boardrooms, who sit on We know the march is not yet How can that be? The Voting the bench, who serve in elected the courage of ordinary Ameri- more closely align with our highover. We know the race is not yet Rights Act was one of the crowning office from small towns to big citcans willing to endure billy clubs est ideals? won. We know that reaching that achievements of our democracy, ies; from the Congressional Black and the chastening rod; tear gas blessed destination where we are the result of Republican and DemCaucus all the way to the Oval Ofand the trampling hoof; men and judged, all of us, by the content of ocratic efforts. President Reagan Not just words fice. women who despite the gush of our character requires admitting signed its renewal when he was in That’s why Selma is not some Because of what they did, the blood and splintered bone would as much, facing up to the truth. outlier in the American experidoors of opportunity swung open “We are capable of bearing a great office. President George W. Bush stay true to their North Star and signed its renewal when he was in ence. That’s why it’s not a muse- not just for black folks, but for evkeep marching towards justice. burden,” James Baldwin once office. One hundred members of um or a static monument to beThey did as Scripture instructery American. Women marched wrote, “once we discover that the ed: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in hold from a distance. It is instead through those doors. Latinos burden is reality and arrive where Congress have come here today to honor people who were willing tribulation, be constant in prayer.” the manifestation of a creed writ- marched through those doors. reality is.” to die for the right to protect it. If And in the days to come, they went ten into our founding documents: Asian Americans, gay Americans, There’s nothing America can’t we want to honor this day, let that “We the People…in order to form back again and again. When the Americans with disabilities — handle if we actually look squarely trumpet call sounded for more a more perfect union.” “We hold they all came through those doors. at the problem. And this is work for hundred go back to Washington to join, the people came – black these truths to be self-evident, that Their endeavors gave the entire all Americans, not just some. Not and gather four hundred more, and white, young and old, Chris- all men are created equal.” South the chance to rise again, just whites. Not just blacks. If we and together, pledge to make it These are not just words. tian and Jew, waving the Amerinot by reasserting the past, but by want to honor the courage of those their mission to restore that law this year. That’s how we honor can flag and singing the same an- They’re a living thing, a call to ac- transcending the past. who marched that day, then all of those on this bridge. tion, a roadmap for citizenship thems full of faith and hope. A What a glorious thing, Dr. King us are called to possess their moral Of course, our democracy is not white newsman, Bill Plante, who and an insistence in the capacity might say. And what a solemn debt imagination. All of us will need to the task of Congress alone, or the of free men and women to shape covered the marches then and we owe. Which leads us to ask, just feel as they did the fierce urgency courts alone, or even the President who is with us here today, quipped our own destiny. For founders like how might we repay that debt? of now. All of us need to recognize alone. If every new voter-suppresFranklin and Jefferson, for leadthat the growing number of white First and foremost, we have to as they did that change depends sion law was struck down today, people lowered the quality of the ers like Lincoln and FDR, the suc- recognize that one day’s comon our actions, on our attitudes, we would still have, here in Amercess of our experiment in self-govsinging. (Laughter.) To those who memoration, no matter how spe- the things we teach our children. ica, one of the lowest voting rates marched, though, those old gospel ernment rested on engaging all of cial, is not enough. If Selma taught And if we make such an effort, no among free peoples. Fifty years our citizens in this work. And that’s songs must have never sounded so us anything, it’s that our work is what we celebrate here in Selma. never done. The American ex- matter how hard it may sometimes ago, registering to vote here in Selsweet. seem, laws can be passed, and ma and much of the South meant In time, their chorus would well That’s what this movement was all periment in self-government gives consciences can be stirred, and guessing the number of jellybeans up and reach President Johnson. about, one leg in our long journey work and purpose to each generaconsensus can be built. in a jar, the number of bubbles on toward freedom. And he would send them protion. a bar of soap. It meant risking your The American instinct that led tection, and speak to the nation, Selma teaches us, as well, that dignity, and sometimes, your life. echoing their call for America these young men and women to action requires that we shed our Rebuild trust With such an effort, we can and the world to hear: “We shall pick up the torch and cross this cynicism. For when it comes to the overcome.” What enormous faith bridge, that’s the same instinct that pursuit of justice, we can afford make sure our criminal justice sys- What’s the excuse now? these men and women had. Faith moved patriots to choose revolu- neither complacency nor despair. tem serves all and not just some. What’s our excuse today for tion over tyranny. It’s the same inTogether, we can raise the lev- not voting? How do we so casuin God, but also faith in America. stinct that drew immigrants from A familiar narrative el of mutual trust that policing is ally discard the right for which so across oceans and the Rio Grande; built on — the idea that police ofCourage to millions Just this week, I was asked ficers are members of the com- many fought? How do we so fulthe same instinct that led women ly give away our power, our voice, The Americans who crossed this to reach for the ballot, workers to whether I thought the Department munity they risk their lives to pro- in shaping America’s future? Why bridge, they were not physically of Justice’s Ferguson report shows organize against an unjust status tect, and citizens in Ferguson and are we pointing to somebody else imposing. But they gave courage quo; the same instinct that led us that, with respect to race, little has New York and Cleveland, they just when we could take the time just to millions. They held no elected to plant a flag at Iwo Jima and on changed in this country. And I un- want the same thing young people to go to the polling places? We office. But they led a nation. They derstood the question; the report’s here marched for 50 years ago — the surface of the Moon. marched as Americans who had narrative was sadly familiar. It the protection of the law. Togeth- give away our power. Fellow marchers, so much has endured hundreds of years of bruevoked the kind of abuse and dis- er, we can address unfair sentencchanged in 50 years. We have ental violence, countless daily indig- Work in progress regard for citizens that spawned It’s the idea held by genera- the Civil Rights Movement. But I ing and overcrowded prisons, and dured war and we’ve fashioned nities — but they didn’t seek special treatment, just the equal treat- tions of citizens who believed rejected the notion that nothing’s the stunted circumstances that rob peace. We’ve seen technological ment promised to them almost a that America is a constant work in changed. What happened in Fer- too many boys of the chance to be- wonders that touch every aspect of progress; who believed that loving guson may not be unique, but it’s come men, and rob the nation of our lives. We take for granted concentury before. What they did here will rever- this country requires more than no longer endemic. It’s no longer too many men who could be good veniences that our parents could berate through the ages. Not be- singing its praises or avoiding un- sanctioned by law or by custom. dads, and good workers, and good have scarcely imagined. But what has not changed is the imperative cause the change they won was comfortable truths. It requires the And before the Civil Rights Move- neighbors. With effort, we can roll back of citizenship; that willingness of preordained; not because their occasional disruption, the willing- ment, it most surely was. poverty and the roadblocks to op- a 26-year-old deacon, or a Unitarvictory was complete; but be- ness to speak out for what is right, We do a disservice to the cause portunity. Americans don’t accept ian minister, or a young mother of cause they proved that nonviolent to shake up the status quo. That’s of justice by intimating that bia free ride for anybody, nor do we five to decide they loved this counchange is possible, that love and America. as and discrimination are immu- believe in equality of outcomes. try so much that they’d risk everyThat’s what makes us unique. hope can conquer hate. table, that racial division is inherAs we commemorate their That’s what cements our reputa- ent to America. If you think noth- But we do expect equal opportuni- thing to realize its promise. That’s what it means to love achievement, we are well-served tion as a beacon of opportunity. ing’s changed in the past 50 years, ty. And if we really mean it, if we’re to remember that at the time of Young people behind the Iron Cur- ask somebody who lived through not just giving lip service to it, but America. That’s what it means to if we really mean it and are willing believe in America. That’s what it the marches, many in power con- tain would see Selma and eventuthe Selma or Chicago or Los An- to sacrifice for it, then, yes, we can means when we say America is exdemned rather than praised them. ally tear down that wall. Young geles of the 1950s. Ask the female make sure every child gets an educeptional. Back then, they were called Com- people in Soweto would hear BobCEO who once might have been cation suitable to this new centumunists, or half-breeds, or outside by Kennedy talk about ripples of We honor those who walked assigned to the secretarial pool if ry, one that expands imaginations agitators, sexual and moral de- hope and eventually banish the so we could run. We must run so nothing’s changed. Ask your gay and lifts sights and gives those generates, and worse — they were scourge of apartheid. Young peoour children soar. And we will not called everything but the name ple in Burma went to prison rath- friend if it’s easier to be out and children the skills they need. We grow weary. For we believe in the their parents gave them. Their er than submit to military rule. proud in America now than it was can make sure every person will- power of an awesome God, and faith was questioned. Their lives They saw what John Lewis had thirty years ago. To deny this prog- ing to work has the dignity of a job, we believe in this country’s sacred were threatened. Their patriotism done. From the streets of Tunis to ress, this hard-won progress — our and a fair wage, and a real voice, promise. the Maidan in Ukraine, this gen- progress — would be to rob us of and sturdier rungs on that ladder challenged. May He bless those warriors And yet, what could be more eration of young people can draw our own agency, our own capaci- into the middle class. of justice no longer with us, and American than what happened strength from this place, where ty, our responsibility to do what we bless the United States of America. Still fighting to vote in this place? What could more the powerless could change the can to make America better. Thank you, everybody. And with effort, we can proprofoundly vindicate the idea of world’s greatest power and push Click on this article at www.fltect the foundation stone of our America than plain and humble their leaders to expand the bound- Not the ‘race card’ Of course, a more common mis- democracy for which so many courier.com to read the full verpeople — unsung, the downtrod- aries of freedom. They saw that idea made re- take is to suggest that Ferguson is marched across this bridge — and sion of the speech. den, the dreamers not of high sta-

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MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

Protesters: Backpacks, bullets don’t mix Groups rally at Capitol against campus gun bills

Bloomberg, also presented lawmakers with about 12,000 postcards repeating the “backpack and bullets” message. The measures (SB 176 and HB 4005) that would allow people with concealed-firearms licenses to carry guns at state colleges and universities have been heard in initial committees. The proposal received 8-4 backing in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Jan. 20 and narrowly – 3-2 – got through the Senate Criminal Justice Committee on Feb. 16. The proposal has been opposed by university system’s Board of Governors, university police chiefs and the 12 public universities.

BY JIM TURNER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Guns won’t improve safety at schools where students already encounter a “toxic mix” of alcohol, drugs and the pressure of academics, opponents of a series of campus gun bills argued Monday. Members of Everytown for Gun Safety and the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America held a small rally on the steps of the Old Capitol before heading to meetings with a number of lawmakers and staff members, mostly in Democratic offices, to argue that “backpacks and bullets don’t mix.” “These bills are part of a concerted effort by the gun lobby to put more guns in the hands of more people in more places, regardless of how such policies might endanger public safety,” said Chryl Anderson, of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense. “We know that alcohol and drugs and academic pressures are already a toxic mix on college campuses. Adding guns would make things worse.”

Backed by NRA The National Rifle Association (NRA) backs proposals such as allowing people with concealedweapons licenses to carry guns on campus. The gun-rights group argues that such measures will increase school security, pointing to incidents like a November shooting

FAMU chief responds

KATHLEEN MCGRORY/MIAMI HERALD/TNS

Students comfort each other the morning of Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014 after the previous night’s shooting at Florida State University’s Strozier Library in Tallahassee. Three FSU students were shot and wounded inside the library by Myron May, who received his undergraduate degree at the university. He was killed by police. at Florida State University that injured three people. “The recent shooting on the FSU campus and the series of rapes at the University of Florida taught us that we need to restore the rights of licensed adults to carry concealed firearms on campus for protection,” NRA lobby-

ist Marion Hammer said Monday in an email. “Although law enforcement does the best job they can, they can’t stop a crime from happening, only the victim has a chance of actually stopping it. They should not be denied the tools to do so.”

Committees back bills Natalia Perez Santos, a University of Florida sophomore political science and history major from Miami, implored people during the rally to tell lawmakers that allowing women to carry weapons won’t reduce the

potential for sexual assault. “The idea of an attacker being legally able to carry a hidden loaded gun while on campus does not make me feel any safer,” said Perez Santos. Members of Everytown, which is backed by billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael

Florida A&M University Police Chief Terence Calloway said Monday during the rally the proposal will only make his job harder. “College is a time for students to uncover their paths to life,” Calloway said. “Forcing colleges and universities to allow concealed handguns on campus is a perfect way to do just the opposite and turn our communities into dangerous, risky places to be.” The other bills targeted by the groups have not been heard in committees. Two of the proposals (HB 19/SB 180) would allow designated employees or volunteers to carry concealed weapons on public school campuses. Another two bills (HB 251/SB 754) would allow people to avoid charges if they carry guns in school zones, as long the weapons are surrendered at the earliest opportunity and no other offenses were committed.

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‘Dr. Phil’ sends Gordon to rehab See page B5

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RETRACING THE STEPS ‘Bloody Sunday’ marchers recall pains of the past and the present

Above: Marchers make their way across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 8. Left: Thousands march across the bridge on March 8 with reminders of recent protests in Ferguson and around the country.

BY VERN SMITH TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

day after President Barack Obama walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” – the police assault on civil rights demonstrators that led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act – thousand of marchers thronged the bridge beginning in early morning and lasting into late afternoon on March 8. The president was introduced on Saturday by Georgia Democratic Congressman John Lewis, an Alabama native and one of the March leaders who was injured in the “Bloody Sunday” violence. Obama praised Lewis as one of his longtime heroes. Obama was joined on stage by Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, and Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell.

PHOTOS BY BRIAN VAN DER BRUG/ LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Speeches at Brown Chapel More people began arriving early Sunday morning at the foot of Broad Street just below the base of the Pettus Bridge. By noon the crush of thousands had filled the space in preparation for the symbolic crossing. Among the many speakers at Sunday’s program at Brown Chapel AME Church, the original start point for the 1965 March, outgoing attorney general Eric Holder vowed to continue his advocacy to strengthen voting rights laws even after he leaves office as the nation’s first AfricanAmerican attorney general. No matter what he does, Holder said, “I will never leave this work. I will never abandon this mission. Nor can you. If we are to honor those who came before us and those still among us, we must match their sacrifice, their effort.”

Remembering Ferguson, Jimmie Lee Jackson With many families in the crowd, Sunday’s gathering had a festive atmosphere. But the recent events involving police and unarmed Black citizens and the scathing federal report outlining institutional racism in the Ferguson, Mo police department was on the minds of many. Marchers carried signs protesting an end to the spate of shootings of unarmed Black men by White police officers, gun violence and immigration reform. The multiracial, intergenerational marchers sang, kneeled, and locked arms as they retraced the first steps of a march intended to reach the Alabama state capital in Montgomery to protest the shooting on Feb. 18, 1965 of Jimmie Lee Jackson. Jackson, a voter registration worker with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was shot by Alabama State Trooper James Fowler as he attempted to protect his mother from a beating by state troopers after a voting rights march in Marion, Ala. Jackson, who was unarmed, later died from his wounds in a Selma hospital.

From left, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, President Obama, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), George Bush, Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley pause at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on Saturday, March 7.

Remembering

People raise their arms as they march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 8.

In March 1965, civil rights marchers set out three times from Selma, Ala., triggering a series of events that changed the nation. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the march.

Selma, Ala. 65

Selma

Montgomery

Casey

Benton Lowndesboro

From Selma to Montgomery March 7, 1965, ‘Bloody Sunday’ State troopers attack marchers with billy clubs, tear gas at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, six blocks out of town, and drive them back; newspapers and TV carry photos Source: U.S. Library of Congress

March 9 Martin Luther King Jr. leads a symbolic march to the bridge

80 8 km

March 21 About 3,200 marchers set out under court protection; they are about 25,000-strong when they arrive in Montgomery on March 25

8 miles

Aug. 6, 1965 President Lyndon Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act, removing barriers to voting that many African-Americans had faced Graphic: Staff, Tribune News Service

CALENDAR & EVENTS

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

TOJ

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Orlando: Ariana Grande with special guest Rixton will perform March 26 at Amway Center and March 28 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Hollywood: Catch KC & the Sunshine Band March 20 at Hard Rock Live. Orlando: Big Sean will take the stage on March 22 at Firestone Live. Coral Gables: R&B Love Fest 2015 features Keith Sweat, Bell Biv Devoe, K-CI & JoJo along with El DeBarge. The show is April 4 at the BankUnited Center. West Palm Beach: A firsttime homebuyer education workshop is March 18 and 19 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Urban League of Palm Beach County, 1700 N. Australian Ave. More information: wwwulpbc.org or call 561833-1461 ext. 3000. Fort Lauderdale: The Mighty Clouds of Joy and Lee Williams will be at the War Memorial Auditorium on April 5. West Palm Beach: Audra McDonald performs March 24 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Daytona Beach: The Original Wailers will perform March 26 at the Ocean Deck and March 27 at Millikens Reef in Port Canaveral. Tampa: Journalist Roland Martin will be the guest speaker at a scholarship ball hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the GZl Educational Foundation on March 28 at the Mainsail Conference & Event Center. More info: gzleducational-

foundation.org or call 813451-3306. Jacksonville: The legendary Mavis Staples will perform March 21 at the Ritz Theatre. Tampa: Suncoast Credit Union Gasparilla International Film Festival will feature 10 Latin-themed films to be screened March 25-28 at Channelside Cinemas, including “The Poet of Havana”, an in-depth documentary on internationally-renowned musician, Carlos Varela. More information: http://gasparillafilm.sched.org. Orlando: Florida Department of Health in Orange County’s 5K walk and health fair is April 4 at Barnett Park, 4801 W. Colonial Drive. Details: www.orange.floridahealth. gov under the events section or 407-858-1464.

OMAROSA MANIGAULT In celebration of Women’s History Month and in conjunction with the 10th annual Jazz in the Gardens Music Festival, the City of Miami Gardens will present a Women’s Impact Conference & Luncheon themed “There’s No ‘S’ on My Chest, But a Hero Lives Within.’’ Featuring Omarosa Manigault, the event is March 20, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Miramar Cultural Center, 2400 Civic Center Place, Miramar. Tickets at www.jazzinthegardens.com/luncheon.

Estero: Actor and comedian Kevin Hart’s tour makes stops at the Germain Arena in Estero on March 27, April 25 at Amway Center in Orlando and April 25 at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Tampa: Candy Lowe hosts Tea & Conversation every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3911 N. 34th St., Suite B. More details: 813-394-6363. St. Petersburg: The legendary Smokey Robinson performs April 12 at The Mahaffey Theater and April 4 at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers. Tampa: Tickets are on sale for the Nephew Tommy Comedy Tour featuring Thomas Miles at the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome on April 18.

D.L. HUGHLEY & RICKEY SMILEY The Jazz in the Gardens takes place March 21 and 22 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens. The hosts will be comedians and radio personalities D.L. Hughley and Rickey Smiley.

Oates’ new ‘Sacrifice’ loosely based on Brawley case DR. GLENN C. ALTSCHULER SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

As “The Sacrifice,’’ Joyce Carol Oates’ remarkable novel begins, Sybilla Frye, a 15-year-old girl has been found in the basement of a deserted New Jersey factory, bound, gagged, brutally beaten, smeared with feces, with an epithet (“Nigra Bitch Ku Klux Klann”) written on her stomach. Sybilla claims she has been raped by five or six White police officers. She refuses, however, to cooperate with Ines Iglesias, the biracial detective assigned to the case. Iglesias notices that Sybilla pretends to be unconscious, that the epithet was written upside down, and that Ednetta Frye, Sybilla’s mother, will not allow emergency room doctors to conduct X-rays and blood tests to gauge the extent of the injuries.

Not all a lie Inspired in part by the Tawana Brawley case, in which an African-American teenager was found in a similar condition and “supported” by the Rev. Al Sharpton, Oates’ novel enters the consciousness of her characters (Ednetta Frye, Anis Schutt, Sybilla’s stepfather, Ines Iglesias, the Rev. Marus Mudrick, and his fraternal twin, Byron, the lawyer who “defends” Sybilla) to illuminate the (willing and unintentional) “sacrifices” that remain pervasive in inner cities wracked by racial discrimination and discord. Sybilla’s story “is a lie,” Iglesias tells herself – and us. “Yet, no story is entirely a lie. That Sybilla was badly hurt, her life threatened, “that’s real, isn’t it? Yes. That is real.” “The Sacrifice’’ captures the complexity of its

BOOK REVIEW Review of The Sacrifice: A Novel. By Joyce Carol Oates. Harper Collins. 310 pp. $26.99 characters and the wide spectrum of attitudes they hold. Desperate for recognition, Ada Furst, the substitute teacher who discovered Sybilla in the factory cellar, wants to see her photograph in the newspaper. Ada visits the Fryes with a gift for Sybilla, a paperback of Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,’’ only to have Ednetta frown, mutter “Thanks,” and shut the door.

Brutal rage explained Ines Iglesias feels “a thrill of sheer visceral revulsion” for people who live like the Fryes, “who could not help themselves to live in any other way.” Ednetta tries to resist Marus Mudrick’s plan for Sybilla to go public with her accusations “for the sake of Black liberation.” But when she looks into his eyes, senses his approval, “his manly affection,” Ednetta has a submissive sensation akin to her feeling in church, when she knows she will ruin her stockings if she kneels on the floor but finds herself there, “bawl-

ing to Jesus” to enter her heart. Courting controversy, Oates tries to explain Anis Schutt’s brutal rage. When Anis was 12, the police ordered one of his friends to pick up a telephone cable, hanging from a pole in the water. When Oscar steps on it, he is electrocuted instantly, “hardly enough time for him to scream.” And during the race riots in New Jersey in the 1960s, the police killed Anis’ brother, Lysander, who had wandered into the street. Since that time, “every hour of every day” the Angel of Wrath orders Anis to kill a White cop: “You ain’t gon die a righteous death if you fail in this.”

No tidy ending Written for readers conversant with the “cases” of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tawana Brawley, and claims and counterclaims of police brutality, “The Sacrifice’’ does not reveal what “really” happened to Sybilla Frye. And, in a novel that has been suffused with sympathy as well as toughness, Oates concludes with a confrontation on a dead-end street, at the edge of the river, where someone will die, “straining against a badly rusted fence like an animal,” amid remnants of newspaper and Styrofoam litter caught in a chain link fence, while anticipating “the weight of a booted foot” in the back of the neck.

Dr. Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University. He wrote this review for the Florida Courier.

The Green Team, left, was the winner of the Teen Business Challenge, which consisted of Brinyae Dukes, David Nunez, Evan Ellis, Joshua Hamilton and Juan Bezanilla.

Tampa Bay teens compete in tech challenge The weekend of Feb. 20-22 was a special one for a group of 20 local teens. While a majority of the teens were from Hillsborough County’s East and West Tampa, this year’s technology competition included students from as far south of Wimauma. They all took part in the Second Annual Teen Business Challenge, an entrepreneurship training contest where youth learn the process of building business ideas into viable products for the market. The program was hosted by Computer Mentors Group, Inc. and was held at the offices of Microsoft Corporation. There were five challenges that the teams competed in over the weekend. The first round was the “Big Idea Challenge,” which occurred directly after a creative thinking workshop. Other events included a “Treasure Map Challenge, “Show Me the Money Challenge and Marketing and Customer Service workshop. Others included an “MVP Challenge” (minimum viable product) and a Prototyping workshop. The culminating event, “The Pitch Challenge,” was hosted in front of an audience of about 100 people.

Advantage of collaboration The Green Team was the overall winning team, which consisted of Brinyae Dukes, David Nunez, Evan Ellis, Joshua Hamilton and Juan Bezanilla. Nunez called “The Teen Business Challenge a great experience. “It helped me see inside the creative world that businesses work in, and as a person who usually prefers to work without a team, it showed me how advantageous and how much more one can accomplish when they collabo-

rate with others.” The final pitch challenge was evaluated by a panel of judges, which included Chris Arnoldi, president of Royal Road Group founder of Uhsome and CoWorkTampa; Jim Gossett, COO and CIO at SCTC, a member of the USF Connect Council of Professionals, and a Tampa Bay WaVe mentor; Dr. Andrew Gold, Business Administration professor at Hillsborough Community College and cofounder of Tampa Bay Education Entrepreneurs; and David Bellini, an entrepreneur and cofounder and COO of ConnectWise. Participating teens were rewarded with new iPad computers. These were made available by a donation from ConnectWise, which more than matched a donation to host this event by Hillsborough County’s Economic Development Office, headed by Jennifer Whelihan.

About Computer Mentors Ralph Smith, founder and executive director of Computer Mentors, said the nonprofit organization hosts the Teen Business Challenge annually as a way to promote the creative culture of the Tampa Bay area. Part of the mission of the organization is bridging the technology divide and this event helps connect kids of all backgrounds and especially underrepresented populations, to that creative culture and the people involved. Computer Mentors has served Hillsborough County for nearly 18 years with technology programs such as the STEM Corps High School Program, which assists high school students to achieve industry standard computers certifications and prepares them for employment in the IT industry, and KidsCode which teaches middle school aged children to program computers and devices. For more information, contact Computer Mentors at 813-236-1191.

TOJ

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

ENVIRONMENT

B3 with the passage of last fall’s Florida Amendment 1, which earmarks $1 billion a year to conservation efforts for the next 20 years, Sink said. The Seminoles see wildlife — and their cattle — as part of their heritage, said Alex Johns, the tribe’s natural resource director. “It’s part of who we are.” “The tribe has always made it a part of their way of life to take care of the land,” Seminole Tribe President Tony Sanchez said in an interview. “Being in the woods was always part of how we grew up. We had to pay respect to our surroundings.” So far, the Seminoles’ land restoration efforts appear to be helping both cattle and wildlife, Johns said. The Seminoles, for example, are trying to root out invasive species that would take over natural prairie grasses, Johns said. The tribe conducts controlled burns of prairies to ensure vegetation stays healthy in pastures. Both efforts help produce fresh cattle forage that wild animals also eat and use for nests.

MARK RANDALL/SUN SENTINEL/TNS

The Brighton Reservation is near Okeechobee. The nonprofit Florida Wildlife Corridor is saluting the Seminoles who own cattle on the reservation for keeping land open for wildlife to use. in citrus, construction and beverage production.

‘Important stewards’

Cattle are raised at the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Brighton Reservation near Okeechobee.

Seminoles increase efforts to protect Florida wildlife Hollywood-based tribe one of the country’s largest cattle operations BY DONNA GEHRKE-WHITE SUN SENTINEL (TNS)

FORT LAUDERDALE — As development eats away at Florida’s untamed lands, wild animals have found an ally in the Seminole Tribe. The tribe’s 36,000-acre cattle operation on the Brighton Reservation, north

Solar initiative moves toward court review NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Backers of a ballot initiative aimed at boosting the use of solar energy are moving closer to getting a Florida Supreme Court review of the proposal. Floridians for Solar Choice, Inc. totaled 47,438

of Lake Okeechobee, is an important pathway for migrating wildlife including panthers, bobcats, bears, deer, wild hogs and turkeys. So is the even larger Big Cypress reservation, which covers 52,000 acres in southwest Florida but has fewer cattle. The Seminoles have increased efforts in recent years to preserve this habitat, by ensuring cleaner water and by rooting out invasive species, helping wildlife to move freely between

valid petition signatures as of Monday morning, with 68,314 needed for court review, according to the state Division of Elections website. Court review is a critical step in the process, with justices reviewing the wording of ballot proposals. If the wording gets approval, Floridians for Solar Choice then would have to collect a total of 683,149 signatures to get the proposed constitutional amendment

public preserves that abut the reservation.

Beyond casinos Without the Seminoles’ safe haven in between, the animals would be trapped. “Florida’s working farms and ranches are a critical component of Florida’s Wildlife Corridor, and their connections with natural lands and waters help protect our wildlife and watersheds,” state Agriculture Commissioner Adam H. Putnam said in an email.

The tribe, headquartered in Hollywood, operates the nation’s fifth-largest cattle operation with 45,000 acres in Florida and Georgia. Say Seminoles, and most people think of casinos. But the tribe in 2013 bought a Georgia purebred Brangus cattle spread as part of an attempt to diversify its business interests. Gambling still generates 90 percent of the tribe’s revenue, but the Seminoles are expanding their cattle operations as well as stakes

About a third of the cattle are owned and managed by 67 tribal members and their families, who participate in a co-op program. The rest of the herd is managed by the tribe on behalf of its 4,000 members. As ranchers, the Seminoles “are incredibly important stewards of the land,” conservationist Mallory Lykes Dimmitt said by cellphone recently as she hiked across Seminole land. She joined photographer Carlton Ward Jr. and biologist Joe Guthrie in hiking a 1,000-mile wildlife corridor stretching from Everglades National Park to the Okeefenokee Swamp at the Georgia border. The Seminoles’ Brighton Reservation is part of the corridor. Such public-private partnerships are crucial to Florida’s wildlife being able to roam for hundreds of miles, said Alex Sink, a former Florida chief financial officer and gubernatorial candidate who’s on the board of the Florida Wildlife Federation.

Part of heritage The state can’t buy all of the land needed to ensure that wildlife has enough habitat to survive — even

THE H. LEE MOFFITT CANCER CENTER AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC. TAMPA, FLORIDA RFQ 15-06-SSP The H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively “Moffitt”) is seeking qualifications from qualified and responsible parties interested in providing Architectural services for any and all Moffitt owned properties and affiliations, as described in this Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”). The RFQ is the first step in the selection process of qualified entities to enter into an IDIQ contract for a period of three years. The submission must be made in accordance with the instructions outlined in RFQ 15-06-SSP. General Information. The Moffitt Cancer Center is soliciting qualifications for Architects to provide architectural services on an IDIQ (as needed) basis in accordance with the terms, conditions, and requirements set forth in this RFQ, including any attachments hereto. RFQ Package: The RFQ package including the complete RFQ instructions, which must be evaluated before submission of the Architectural services response, can be found via the following link: http://www.moffitt.org/supplieropportunities Submittals must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on April 3, 2015 at jay.wright@moffitt. org. Telefacsimile (fax) and telephone submittals are not acceptable and will not be considered. Properly submitted proposals will not be returned to the respondent. Any plans and/ or specifications will become the property of Moffitt.

The tribe also ensures that water quality on its land meets state standards, though, as a sovereign nation, it is required only to meet federal law, Johns said. Recent water improvement efforts appear to have encouraged some wildlife to return, Johns said. Wood storks and brown pelicans have been stopping at the reservation’s water spots. “We didn’t use to see that,” he said. He pointed out an alligator, brown pelican, wood stork and osprey during a recent drive on the tribe’s cattle spread on the Brighton Reservation. The Seminoles are good neighbors — and good land stewards, said Ron Bergeron, a southwest Broward developer, road builder and trash hauler who also is a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commissioner. Bergeron’s 8,000 acres border the tribe’s Big Cypress reservation and also lie in the wildlife corridor. Hundreds of deer, bears, wild hogs, alligators, turkeys, bobcats, panthers, eagles and hawks call the ranch home, Bergeron said. Every year he compiles a book of wild birds and animals photographed on his ranch, from a sleeping panther to a bear strolling into a prairie to join a trotting wild hog. “It’s totally natural — just like God made it,” Bergeron said.

In 2005, Hurricane Wilma destroyed the trailer Jennifer Farrington shared with her husband in Davie.

on the November 2016 ballot. The group held a news conference last month to announce it had collected 100,000 signatures, but local supervisors of elections have to verify the validity of petitions before signatures can be counted toward the overall totals. The ballot proposal, at least in part, would allow businesses and property owners to sell limited amounts of solar energy.

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES

Good neighbors

CHARLES TRAINOR JR./ MIAMI HERALD/TNS

2005 storm surcharge to end early The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation on Monday formally approved an early end for a Citizens Property Insurance Corp. surcharge imposed on most homeowners’ policies because of damages from the last of the 2005 hurricanes. The state office issued an order for the 1 percent charge to end July 1, two years earlier than previously slated. “Citizens reports it expects to enter the 2015 hurricane season with more than $4 billion in reinsurance coverage and about $7.5 billion in surplus available to pay future claims –

the highest in its history,” Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said in a prepared statement. “That’s important because Citizens can assess surcharges on all property insurance policies in Florida to cover any shortfalls that may occur in future hurricanes. A higher surplus, too, means that more claims can be paid from cash rather than relying as heavily on assessments.” The storm assessment has been imposed on insurance policyholders – whether they were Citizens customers or not – since 2007. Citizens imposed the

storm assessment to recoup $887 million of the roughly $1.7 billion deficit created by Hurricane Wilma, which hit South Florida in October 2005. The state picked up $623 million of the costs from Wilma, while the remainder was covered by additional assessments imposed on Citizens policyholders. In September, the state-backed insurer’s Board of Governors unanimously voted to support the early end, noting that the balance of the remaining debt on the bonds issued for the 2005 storm will be paid off this year.

SPORTS

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

STOJ

BASEBALL IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

A young boy swings a baseball bat on the streets of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. TERRENCE ANTONIO JAMES/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS)

Where baseball is life Fueled by millions from MLB teams, sport thrives in impoverished country rich in talent

BY JARED S. HOPKINS CHICAGO TRIBUNE

SAN PEDRO de MACORIS, Dominican Republic — Winding through the dusty and chaotic streets crammed with honking cars and buzzing scooters, you’d never know this coastal city is a baseball mecca. But past the rows of one-room concrete buildings with peeling paint, and beyond the roads littered with garbage and stray dogs, a sprawling park emerged. Kids there scrambled around the ragged fields, their shouts in Spanish piercing the afternoon heat. Bats cracked and balls thudded into leather gloves. Among the dozens of young ballplayers was Richard Paulino, 16, who stood along the first-base line, a few feet from what used to be a full backstop but had been whittled into a short stub of a fence. Muscular and a bit taller than his teammates, Paulino just finished shagging fly balls in the outfield. “I want to play in the major leagues, of course,” he said, his face curving into a smile to show braces. “I am passionate about the game. I am focused.” Can Paulino reach his goal? He’s certainly in the right country to get there. The Dominican Republic delivers more talent to the major leagues than any other country besides the United States. Kids here are four times more likely than their American counterparts to reach the major leagues. Dominicans make up between 25 and 40 percent of minor leaguers. “It’s the second-most-prolific country of baseball talent in the world,” said Kim Ng, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president in charge of international operations. “The Dominican’s tremendously important and that’s why we just opened a brand-new office down there.” The sport thrives here because of the talent — kids regularly drop out of school to play — and the environment that hastens its development. Money pumps in from the United States, thanks to major league teams and private investors who open academies. And success is still tied to the reluctant, rocky relationship between MLB and a net-

The 20 MLB players on the Dominican Republic’s last World Baseball Classic team were paid a combined $105 million in MLB salaries. work of independent Dominican scouts who train players, known locally as buscones. “They depend on each other for survival and they depend on each other to flourish,” said Alan Klein, a sociology professor at Northeastern University who has written books on Dominican baseball. “So, who’s controlling the game? There’s no clear answer. It’s a new system.” Baseball also remains a leading opportunity for kids to escape a country where more than a third live below the poverty line. Likewise, its economy stretches to jobs far beyond the ballfields: landscapers who care for fields; cooks and housekeepers; even real estate agents teams hire to find prospects housing. Don’t expect the growth to stop soon with the money at stake. MLB’s 20 players on the country’s last World Baseball Classic team were paid a combined $105 million in MLB salaries. All major league clubs operate year-round pristine academies to mold prospects. Legions of scouts are deployed to find them. The growth of Dominican baseball reflects the diverse demographics of foreigners playing in the United States. The Latino player population in the big leagues has steadily increased to reach about 27 percent, according to the most recent statistics from the Society for American Baseball Research. By 2013, there were 510 Dominican player signings, an increase from 432 a decade before, according to MLB. The combined bonuses for player signings jumped from $13.7 million to $61.5 million during that same time period.

But numbers alone don’t paint the complete picture of baseball’s dominance in the Dominican. Many here insist there are more opportunities to make it as a ballplayer. They cite player showcases and the plethora of academies who host them; MLB officials using the Internet to monitor player progress; and pro leagues that replaced the amateurs. “It’s a lot easier than when I used to play,” said ex-Chicago Cub Moises Alou, now the general manager of a Dominican Winter League team. “Everybody now plays baseball. There’s a lot of programs and tryouts and there’s a lot of teams competing to sign players. Everyone wants to be the next Pedro Martinez and the next Sammy Sosa.” The presence of MLB facilities is a crescendo from more than 30 years ago. The newest of these glittery churches rival their stadiums in the United States and boast classrooms, weight rooms and the thickest grass in the Dominican. “The housing itself is bigger, more modern,” said Class A St. Lucie Mets managers Luis Rojas, a Dominican native who visits regularly. “It helps even more with the player, as far as they learn baseball they also develop as human beings. Our education is not as high. Some guys don’t finish high school.” Despite the growth, MLB continues to recover from years of scandal in the Dominican. Age and identity fraud, performance-enhancing drugs and bonus-skimming were regular headlines. In recent years, three White Sox employees went to federal prison in relation to kickbacks from players’ bonuses and contracts. To clean up the sport, MLB launched a task force about a decade back. Some recommendations were enacted, but the much-publicized idea for an international draft was shot down after Jacobo led a protest that included a petition from hundreds of pro players. In recent years, Ng said, MLB has continued to reorganize its Dominican office, begun hosting showcases for players, and started registering prospects. “It has gotten more organized, but I think again, given the inherent issues there, it’s not solved by any stretch,” Ng said.

STOJ

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

submitted for your approval

Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest? E-mail your high-resolution (200 dpi) digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier. com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/ glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published. If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.

jada

david

In a picture sent to her Twitter followers, Jada Pinkett Smith shows off her 40-year old bod. Photo courtesty of Twitter One of David’s favorite things to do is travel, which he says affords him a number of opportunities to get to know different cultures, places and people. He models, acts and is an interpreter and teacher of English and Spanish. When not working on a project, he enjoys eating out, spending time with good friends or working out at the gym. Contact him at davidclaxtonhere@gmail.com or on twitter @claxman. Photo credit: Pmodel Talent

Mother of Cosby accuser sends letter to Camille EURWEB.COM

In December, Camille Cosby issued a statement defending her husband against dozens of sexual assault allegations, and pointing the finger toward the women themselves, stating, “None of us will ever want to be in the position of attacking a victim. But the question should be asked — who is the victim?” Well one of her husband’s accusers was so offended by Mrs. Cosby that she has written a letter in response, saying in part, “Your husband crossed boundaries that never should have been breached.” Of her daughter, she said, “He shattered her innocence.” When William and Judy Thompson met comedian Bill Cosby in the late 1980s to discuss their teen daughter’s modeling and acting career, they felt immediately at ease.

Family trusted Cosby Cosby and William Thompson both belonged to Black fraternities in college. They both had lived in the Washington, D.C.Maryland area. Both were born in July and both went by Bill as a first name. Cosby reassured the Thompsons that their then-17-year-old daughter, Jennifer, would be fine living in an apartment with other models as she launched her career. He promised to help the teen, they said. “We thought we were talking to Dr. Huxtable,” said William Thompson, referring to the comedian’s TV persona in the hit series “The Cosby Show.’’

Jennifer Thompson now says she fended off unwanted sexual advances from Cosby and once performed a sex act on the comedian. He then gave her $700. That encounter – their final – clouded Jennifer Thompson’s next two decades. “It basically shattered my faith so that anything that used to look promising to me, I saw it through a different lens,” she said.

‘Mother to mother’ Thompson, now 44, and her parents recently spoke to The Associated Press about the encounters with Cosby. They also revealed that weeks ago, Judy Thompson sent a letter to Cosby’s wife, Camille. “Mother to mother,” said Judy Thompson. “This Camille letter was written Cosby from my heart.” More than 20 women have stepped forward in recent months to level various accusations against Cosby, ranging from unwanted advances to sexual assault and rape. Additionally, Cosby is being sued by three women for defamation and by another woman who says he molested her when she was 15. Cosby has not been charged with any crime and neither Cosby’s lawyer nor his spokesman returned calls seeking comment. Cosby’s lawyer, Martin Singer, previously has denied some of the allegations and made no comment on others. Judy Thompson said she was inspired to pen the letter after she

Gordon goes to rehab after ‘Dr. Phil’ show

EURWEB.COM

In this March 6, 2015 photo, Judith Thompson, right, talks to her daughter Jennifer before an interview in Spring Hill, Fla. read Camille Cosby’s statement issued in December suggesting that her husband, not the women, is the party being harmed by the women’s allegations. “None of us will ever want to be in the position of attacking a victim,” Camille Cosby said. “But the question should be asked — who is the victim?”

Prays for Cosbys Judy Thompson bristled when she read Cosby’s words. She said she watched her daughter go from a sparkling, ambitious teen to a er in a pre-taped interview that aired on “Dr. Phil’’ on March 11.

Plenty of tears

FROM WIRE REPORTS

To say Nick Gordon – who’s not at all liked by both the Bobby Brown and Houston clans and is supposedly under investigation for foul play regarding Bobbi Kristina being found face down in a bathtub of water – has some serious issues of his own is, well, an understatement. That’s easy to see in his recent

It could not be determined whether Camille Cosby received the letter. Judy Thompson said that it was difficult to find anyone, even a therapist, who would believe her daughter’s story. She didn’t go to police. “To be so hurt and violated, and then not be believed! Resolution has not been easily forthcoming. We all remained in the shadows of your husband’s sick behavior,” she wrote. Jennifer Thompson was one of 13 so-called “Jane Does” in a 2005 civil suit that was brought by a woman named Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee who claimed Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2004. Constand later settled out of court and Thompson and the other women did not testify in the case.

Bobbi Kristina and Nick Gordon interview with Dr. Phil. In fact, Nick’s mother did a lot of the talking, and told Dr. Phil McGraw her son was deep into booze and Xanax. Gordon was so jacked up he could barely form sentences. “Your son, left to his own devices, will be dead inside a week,” Dr. Phil warns Gordon’s moth-

The interview turned into an intervention when McGraw confronts Gordon about his drinking and drugging. “I want you to go straight to rehab,” the daytime talk show host says, as Gordon becomes agitated with the direction things are going and walks out. He reportedly even punched two “Dr. Phil’’ staffers. Gordon also sobbed over the loss of Whitney Houston, who was like a mother to him, as well as Bobbi Kristina, the woman he

woman “with an inner light extinguished.” Only recently has Jennifer Thompson emerged from under “the dark cloud,” said Judy Thompson, who included a Psalms prayer in the letter. “Your husband crossed boundaries that never should have been breached,” she wrote to Camille Cosby. “He shattered her innocence.” Judy Thompson said she prays daily for the Cosbys and ended the letter by writing, “May you and Bill speak the truth and be afforded peace for your souls.” called his wife even though they were never legally married. “I miss Krissi and Whitney so much. I want them back,” Gordon said through tears. He also declared, “I hate Bobby Brown” when asked about Bobbi Kristina’s father who has banned Gordon from visiting her in the hospital since her near-drowning incident on Jan. 31.

‘Volatile’ and distraught McGraw said Gordon was “volatile” and emotionally distraught during the taping…and was clearly not sober. He said Gordon entered a rehab facility immediately after the

Cosby releases video Cosby on Monday released a new video message, his first in months. He doesn’t discuss the allegations and in the short video, promoted his Saturday show in Wheeling, West Va., the next stop in Cosby’s stand-up comedy tour which has seen more than a dozen shows canceled since the most recent round of allegations arose in November. “You know I’ll be hilarious,” Cosby said in the video. “Can’t wait.” He also added a note to the video, which read: “Dear fans, I hope you enjoy my wonderful video message that’s filled with laughter… Hey, hey, hey, I’m far from finished.” taping last week, which McGraw and the show described as an “intervention.” Gordon felt “it was his job to protect Krissy, as he calls her, and that he obviously had failed,” and he’s distressed over being banned from her bedside, McGraw said. Gordon’s attorneys have said that Bobby Brown has consistently denied Gordon permission to visit her in the hospital. A lawyer for Brown said that Gordon was offered a potential opportunity if he agreed to certain conditions.

A story from Eurweb.com was used in this report.

FOOD

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2015

TOJ

A MEDITERRANEAN MENU for outdoor entertaining

FROM FAMILY FEATURES

When al fresco entertaining calls for some flavorful inspiration, look to the fresh and abundant offerings of Mediterranean cuisine. Inspired by its coastal origins, traditional Greek dishes feature a colorful collection of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and grilled fare. Whether you’re serving friends with a themed event or simply enjoying a homemade meal with the family, delicious Greek cuisine is perfect for sharing with those you love. From raw to roasted, pickled to caramelized, the onion is one of the most versatile vegetables, and is commonly found among the many fresh flavors of this fare. Plus, when you cook with the mighty onion, you’re serving up a good source of vitamin C. The growers and shippers of the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee and the National Onion Association offer the following tips about onions: • One large onion, diced equals about 1 cup fresh and 1/4 cup cooked. • Grill and saute onions over low to medium heat. This will bring out a savory, sweet, mellow flavor. High heat can cause the onion to taste bitter. • Store onions in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place with minimal exposure to light. • Keep peeled and cut onions in a sealed container in the refrigerator for seven to 10 days. For more tips and ideas to add flavor to your outdoor celebrations, visit www.onions-usa.org and www.usaonions.com. LENTIL SALAD WITH MARINATED ONIONS, ROASTED TOMATOES AND OLIVES Servings: 6–8 2–3 medium tomatoes cut into eight wedges 1 (9.5-ounce) jar whole, pitted Greek olives, drained 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 8 thyme sprigs, leaves removed Sea salt 1 1/3 cups lentils 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced 1 1/2tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 garlic cloves, pressed 1 medium cucumber, chopped 1 (12-ounce) jar artichoke hearts, sliced 1/4 cup parsley, chopped 3 tablespoons chives, chopped 2/3 cup crumbled feta 1 tablespoon lemon juice Fresh ground black pepper Preheat oven to 400°F. On medium-sized baking sheet lined with parchment paper, arrange tomatoes skin side down. Add drained olives to pan; drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and sea salt. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Cook lentils according to package directions, approximately 20 minutes. While lentils are cooking, place red onion in small bowl. Pour red wine vinegar over onions and sprinkle with sea salt. Stir and let stand at room temperature while lentils are cooking. When lentils finish cooking, drain if needed. In large bowl combine lentils, marinated red onion, garlic and remaining olive oil. Mix well and cool completely. When cool, combine rest of ingredients with lentils. Serve cold.

TURKEY AND ONION MEATBALL KEBABS WITH YOGURT DIPPING SAUCE Servings: 6 large or 9 small kebabs 1 tablespoon cumin seed 1 cup plain yogurt 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon chopped chives 3/4 teaspoon honey 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 pound ground turkey 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 teaspoons lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut in thin wedges 1 green pepper, cut into 1-inch dices 12 cherry tomatoes Heat small pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds to toast. Stir frequently, for about 3 minutes or until seeds are fragrant and slightly browned. Remove seeds to spice grinder or mortar and pestle; grind to moderately fine powder. In medium bowl, combine yogurt, cilantro, chives, honey, salt and 1 teaspoon ground toasted cumin. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. In second medium bowl, combine turkey, garlic, lemon zest, salt, cayenne and 1 teaspoon ground toasted cumin; mix gently but thoroughly. Shape into eighteen 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Preheat grill. On metal skewers (or bamboo skewers soaked in water 30 minutes), thread meatball, onion wedge, pepper square and cherry tomato. Repeat. Finish skewer with another meatball and onion wedge. Grill until meatballs reach internal temperature of 160°F, turning as needed. Serve immediately with dipping sauce. For mini-skewers, use 2 meatballs, 2 onion wedges, 1 cherry tomato and 1 pepper square on each skewer. ORANGE, MINT AND ONION SALAD Servings: 6 3 navel oranges 1/2 sweet yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn 1/4 cup black olives, oil cured, pitted Vinaigrette: 1/3 cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup canola oil For salad, cut top and bottom off each orange so it sits flat on cutting surface. Remove peel and pith (white part) by taking sharp knife and running it down sides of orange from top to bottom, following shape of each orange. Slice oranges into rounds. Arrange slices, overlapping each other slightly, on large platter. Scatter onion, mint and olives over oranges. For vinaigrette, whisk vinegar with honey, mustard, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add oil while whisking constantly, until well combined. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and serve immediately. Note: Any leftover dressing can be stored, tightly covered, in refrigerator for up to 5 days.