Florida Courier - May 01, 2015

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MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

VOLUME 23 NO. 18

‘A BALM IN GILEAD’

BY JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN FLORIDA COURIER

Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) has had its share of trials and tribulations lately, but its president, Dr. Edison O. Jackson, is steadfast in his belief that the small, Daytona Beach-based historically Black institution can overcome recent events and become one of the nation’s top research universities.

For months, B-CU and Jackson have been hammered with questions from its alumni, board of trustees and local media about a costly dormitory project; shootings in which students received non-life threatening injuries; the sudden departure of its fiscal affairs chief; and a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former student who wasn’t allowed to try out for the school’s dance team because of her weight.

FILE PHOTO And last week, tragedy struck Dr. Edison O. Jackson says he wants to leave a legacy of when 22-year-old Damian Parks, a student from Miami, drowned “achievement and love” at Bethune-Cookman University.

Poor, Black, ignored Problems were years in the making

BY NOAH BIERMAN AND JOSEPH TANFANI TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU / TNS

In Part 2 of an exclusive interview, Bethune-Cookman University’s current president describes his grand vision for the school. while swimming in the ocean in Daytona Beach. Parks will be funeralized May 2 in Miami.

Greater vision Just days prior – on April 14 – the president had an exclusive interview with the Florida Courier in his office to address questions about B-CU’s fiscal matters, being open to stakeholders, security, the future for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and public access to the BCU campus.

An April 17 story in the Florida

Courier addressed the $72 million dormitory project, transparency and security.

In the interview, Jackson, BCU’s eighth president, also focused on his effort to move the university founded in 1904 by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune to the next level.

A great match “Bethune-Cookman is a wonderful place, and it had so much potential that was not being cultivated and so it was a great match for me – who I am, where I’ve been and what Bethune-Cookman University is all about,” Jackson said about his decision to come to B-CU. He remarked that sometimes when a president is selected, there’s a mismatch between the personality of the one chosen and the university.

“I felt that it was a good match between the two of us, and I saw See B-CU, Page A2

A WINNING COMBINATION

Dolphins donation will help students excel

BALTIMORE – Tanishia Lewis and her young children were filling trash bags in a parking lot Tuesday morning, joining others who hoped to quickly erase the scars left by rioters. But the problems in her West Baltimore neighborhood run much deeper than a night of burning and looting, and won’t be easily scrubbed away.

“I have to go outside my community to go to the supermarket,” she said. “I don’t feel safe for my kids playing in the playground.

“There are some really good people here,” said Lewis, 31, who works for a nonprofit community group and still lives in the neighborhood where she grew up. But “there’s no investment.”

Selective renewal Downtown Baltimore has seen large-scale projects dating to the 1990s – a popular aquarium and a trendsetting baseball stadium, to name two – that have turned the Inner Harbor into a prime example of urban renewal, admired and imitated by city planners around the nation.

But the poor neighborhoods of West Baltimore that formed the epicenter of this week’s riots could be mistaken for parts of Detroit.

Block upon block of three-story row houses lie vacant, with smashed-in windows, boarded See BALTIMORE, Page A2

KIM GIBSON/FLORIDA COURIER

Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, Miami Dolphins President/CEO Tom Garfinkel and Dan Marino join Norland High School students in a selfie Tuesday after the team announced it will give $1 million to bring City Year to Miami Gardens schools. City Year is a nonprofit organization that helps keep at-risk kids in school and on track to graduate. The Dolphins will fund the program at Norland and Carol City High.

SNAPSHOTS NATION | A3

African diet reduces colon cancer risk for Black Americans

1.5 million Black men missing from daily life

BY DAVID TEMPLETON PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE / TNS FLORIDA | A5

3 convicted in FAMU hazing case WORLD | A8

How to help victims of Nepal quake

ALSO INSIDE

PITTSBURGH – When AfricanAmericans and rural South Africans swapped diets for two weeks, they also swapped risk factors for colon cancer. And the surprise is that it happened so quickly.

The swap involved 20 AfricanAmericans who ate South African fare including cornmeal and beans for two weeks, while 20 South Africans consumed an American diet full of meat protein and fats, including fast-food burgers and chicken. The South African diet consisted of one-sixth the

meat of the American diet.

A University of Pittsburghbased study published online Tuesday in Nature Communications found that the South African cornmeal-bean diet reduced risk factors for colon cancer, including changes in gut flora and reductions in inflammation in colon’s mucosa in the American group, while the American diet notably increased the Africans’ risk factors for colon cancer.

Fiber cuts risk The study, involving an international research team, con-

firms that dietary fiber alone reduces inflammation and blocks secondary bile in the colon, cutting the cancer risk.

The South African diet reduced levels of secondary bile in the colon by 70 percent. But that same carcinogenic bile increased in South Africans on the American diet by 400 percent, the study found.

The plant-based, high-fiber African diet also elevated levels of butyrate, a molecule that reduces inflammation levels and cancer biomarkers.

“If you can increase the amount of (butyrate), you can override

the carcinogenic effects of fat and meat,” said lead author Dr. Stephen J.D. O’Keefe, a physician in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in Pitt’s School of Medicine.

Low cancer rate The plant-based South African diet is considered a factor in that nation’s colon-cancer rate of only five people per 100,000 population, as compared with the African-American colon cancer rate of 65 per 100,000 – a rate 13 times greater among African-

COMMENTARY: LUCIUS GANTT: UNREST IN BALTIMORE IS JUST THE BEGINNING | A6 COMMENTARY: REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR.: POVERTY – IT’S TIME FOR A REAL DEBATE | A7

See DIET, Page A2

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FOCUS

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

CORRECTION An incorrect photo of Damian Parks was used on the front page of the Florida Courier issue on April 24. The Facebook photo used was of Damian Thompson and not Damian Parks, a BethuneCookman University student who died in a drowning accident last week in Daytona Beach.

We regret the error.

DIET from A1

JERRY JACKSON/BALTIMORE SUN/TNS

A Maryland Transit Authority patrol car was set aflame in Baltimore on Monday, April 27.

BALTIMORE from A1

doors and garbage.

In the commercial blocks, a yellow ribbon promising “Coming soon: 99 cent store!” is faded and frayed, placed above one of many storefronts that have only shards of glass in the windowpane. A few shops that remain in business cash checks, sell discount cellphone plans and rent furniture.

One bright spot Until Monday, there had been one bright spot amid the despair: a relatively new CVS pharmacy, hardly a luxury showcase but good enough to fill prescriptions and sell milk in a neighborhood that had little.

Now, after it was burned by rioters Monday, it is a bleak symbol, the spot where angry protesters, police in riot gear and live television trucks converge to tell a story of an American city in distress.

“This is a ghost town. The only store we have, they burned down,” said Ashley Ewell, a 27-year-old debt consolidator, standing near looters this week.

Mayor Stephanie RawlingsBlake lamented the lost jobs in a

B-CU from A1

what could be – the possibilities of moving this great university to the next level in terms of its development.’’

Moving forward “I’ve coined the phrase, which is a vision statement, that we’re moving towards becoming a great small research university that happens to be an HBCU,” he said.

“Our students don’t just live in the African-American community. They live and work on the world stage and we want them to be able to compete successfully within the larger context of living in America or abroad.”

‘We’re growing’ During Jackson’s presidency, enrollment has increased steadily. In the fall 2014, B-CU enrolled 4,045 students; 3,787 enrolled the previous year. In addition, the 2013-2014 retention rate of students was 66 percent, up from 63 percent in 2012-2013.

“While most institutions are losing enrollment, we’re growing and have grown for the past few years,” Jackson said, specifically pointing out the 6 percent to 7 percent increase in Black males three years in a row.

Jackson came out of retirement in May 2012 to become B-CU’s interim president, replacing Dr. Trudie Kibbe Reed, who retired after seven years. Jackson was appointed as permanent president in May 2013 and committed to serve a three-year term.

This is his third presidency. He previously served as president of Compton Community College in Compton, Calif., and Medgar Evers College of the City Univer-

neighborhood that badly needs them.

“What are they going to do?” she said.

Neighborhood incident It’s no coincidence that the incident that touched off the unrest happened just six blocks from the CVS. Freddie Gray, the 25-yearold who died last week after he was injured in police custody, was a product of this neighborhood too.

Gray is the latest and most incendiary example of the mutual distrust between police and many Black Americans. Some Baltimore residents, echoing complaints from other troubled cities, say the police act almost as a force of occupiers instead of public servants.

“They’re more like an overseer,” said Damon Speaks, a Black property manager here who said police once chased him, rather than a White burglar, when he reported that an intruder had broken into one of his buildings.

But Gray’s family decries the violent retaliation of Monday’s riots.

“They say they’re doing all this for my cousin,” said Jazz Aiken, 19, while buying a grape snow cone a few blocks from the CVS on Tuesday. “But that’s not why they doing it.

“You’ve got some people that

sity of New York.

More programs, faculty Jackson cited recent improvements, including: • Expanding the School of Business to the College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The expansion enables the university to offer more concentrated areas of study and encourage and foster business owners.

• Creating the College of Health Sciences, which will include a master’s degree in physical health, a doctorate in physical therapy in conjunction with Florida Hospital, and a master’s in nursing program.

• Partnering with Volusia County Schools, which includes a mentoring program for students at elementary schools located near the campus. Next month, B-CU’s School of Education and its Community Initiative K-16 Department will receive the Florida Education Foundation Commissioner’s Business Recognition Award.

• Requiring all B-CU students to take a course in entrepreneurship prior to graduation. The idea is to introduce them to entrepreneurship whether they decide to start a business or not.

• Increasing foreign language requirements to help them be more competive.

• Adding 15 new faculty members.

“We had to recruit them,” Jackson said about the new faculty.

“You want the university to be attractive to scholars and we’re gaining that kind of reputation.”

The censure list The president is working to remove a blemish from the past relating to faculty.

In 2011, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) put B-CU on its list of “censured administrations,”

don’t got jobs,” she said.

Black flight

Familiar pattern

Many of the African-Americans who have pushed themselves out of poverty have left, moving to middle-class suburbs in Baltimore County. That has left the local population even more isolated.

The West Baltimore neighborhoods where the worst rioting happened – Sandtown-Winchester and Harlem Park – are drowning in some of the deepest poverty in one of the poorest cities in the country. About a third of buildings are vacant or abandoned, according to a study by the Justice Policy Institute. More than half the residents aren’t working, and about a quarter receive welfare.

Thurgood Marshall’s path from an elementary school in the area to the Supreme Court is celebrated on the “local heritage trail,” but most current residents don’t even finish high school.

About half the high school students are chronically absent and about 60 percent of adults don’t have a high school diploma. The area has the highest incarceration rate in the state and one of the highest rates of heroin addiction in the country.

This neighborhood, site of the gritty television drama “The Wire,” has followed a familiar pattern of urban decay: a decline of good jobs, interstate highways that ripped across historical enclaves, and public housing projects that became magnets for crime.

Generations of families who have grown up here in poverty say the brutal 1968 race riots that followed the murder of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. have become part of the neighborhood’s narrative fabric, and the community has never fully recovered.

For four days that year, the city was under virtual siege, with bombs going off, buildings burned and looters rampaging.

There were hundreds of injuries and thousands of arrests, and federal troops had to be called in to bring the city under control.

“History repeats itself, I guess,” said Briana Moore, 22, a junior at Coppin State University in Baltimore, as looters raided the nearby Mondawmin Mall.

“To me this is stupid. This is not going to solve anything.

Breaking into malls, breaking into liquor stores, what does this have to do with Freddie Gray?

This ain’t about justice no more.”

which means that conditions for academic freedom and tenure were unsatisfactory at a college or university. B-CU is still one of only 53 institutions nationwide on the censure list.

“We’re working with them to get off that list. It has not impacted our ability to recruit outstanding faculty members,” he said.

Jackson said faculty members in the past complained to AAUP and the university ended up on the list.

One problem Jackson said he found when he arrived at B-CU was that people “thought they were constrained by policies, traditions and practices and don’t dare step out there and be innovative and creative but stay in your lane. And I saw so many individuals with so much talent and they were demoralized because their strengths and talents were not being used to strengthen and build this great university,” he explained.

‘Balm in Gilead’ Jackson says he is also trying to create an atmosphere of service on the campus.

“It was a challenge because the word on the street, if you will, was we didn’t treat our students well as far as customer relations and make them feel they are somebody, make them feel wanted, and we still have not succeeded as I want us to succeed,” he shared.

Two consultants were brought in to help implement protocols and provide training.

Jackson, who often peppers his comments with Scripture, noted how B-CU should be “a balm in Gilead,’’ a help for students who are hurting.

He noted that some students arrive on campus “having come through some very difficult times. … We talk to students sometimes and they say, ‘I was at my wits’

Staff writers W.J. Hennigan and David Lauter contributed to this report.

end. I was ready to commit suicide. We don’t know which one we’ll meet in the course of a day.’’

He also stated, “We want students when they graduate from Bethune-Cookman University to say that ‘I was treated well.’ ‘’ He hopes that in the future, when recent graduates receive letters to donate to B-CU, “they won’t put it in the trashcan because they are so angry and unhappy with the experience they had at Bethune-Cookman University.’’

Good decisions Like other HBCU leaders, Jackson isn’t pleased with some of President Obama’s policy changes on education.

In 2011, the federal government stiffened the credit requirement to receive a Parent PLUS loan. Some HBCUs experienced a drop in enrollment because parents could no longer qualify for loans to help send their kids to college.

Last year, the government eased requirements but not after significant damage. For example, in a two-year period, Clark Atlanta University’s enrollment dropped about 13 percent.

Jackson said B-CU had invested more money toward scholarships that replaced the gap left by the PLUS loans, adding that for the past eight or nine years the university has been operating at a surplus.

“We are in some ways the unusual kid on the block,” he remarked, adding that the initial decision to tighten the credit criteria was unnecessary. “I’m not sure that some of our small institutions will survive because enrollment is the key for private institutions and most of them are not experiencing the growth we’ve experienced here.’’

He also is concerned how the Obama administration’s proposal for free tuition at community

Americans.

All 40 participants were provided food in measured quantities and received biopsies of colon mucosa before and after the study. Each of the 40 participants also underwent colonoscopies, with regular testing for healthful and colon-cancer biomarkers in the urine and feces.

“These findings are really very good news,” O’Keefe said.

“In just two weeks, a change in diet from a Westernized composition to a traditional African high-fiber, low-fat diet reduced these biomarkers of cancer risk, indicating that it is likely never too late to modify the risk of colon cancer.”

While such studies won’t likely change eating habits, “our best hope is that it will open eyes to other possibilities, and point to the fact that a high-fiber diet is not difficult to follow and is well tolerated,” O’Keefe said. “It is enjoyable to eat good food.”

Quick improvement Joel Khan, a clinical professor of medicine at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, said the study represents “sophisticated science.”

“We have learned that changes in dietary patterns have profound influences that occur very quickly,” he said, citing two other studies that used plant-based diets to reduce angina within two weeks and lead to prostate-cancer suppression in three months.

“I think the message here is that this is further evidence that food is information and food speaks directly to genes about the risks of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity, and it doesn’t take long to do this,” Khan said.

colleges will impact HBCUs. Are they going to allocate more money or will they take from the pot that already exists? “If that’s the case, some of us will lose, he responded.

Jackson added that the change on the community college level should not be made at the expense of baccalaureate degrees.

‘Called to serve’ B-CU’s founder left a profound “Last Will and Testament” written shortly before her death in 1955 at age 79.

When asked about his legacy as it relates to B-CU, Jackson stated, “God called me to be a servant and that’s what I’m doing. I didn’t come to be served, but to serve. And I’m mindful of how blessed I am and I understand that you want to leave a legacy of achievement but also love.

“It’s a spiritual journey for me… I love this place. … I see so many possibilities and this institution will survive in spite of all of us because God has ordained it to be. Nobody could have survived the challenges that our founder encountered.’’

What’s next?

When he leaves B-CU – and he doesn’t have a time frame – his plans are clear.

He will return to Virginia to his home on the Potomac River.

Jackson was born in Heathsville, Va. He has been married to Florence Evora Jackson for more than 50 years, and they have two children and three grandkids.

“I didn’t want to be a pastor of a church,” he added about his own legacy. “I wanted to help these young people to be transformed … ‘Enter to Learn and Depart to Serve’.’ It’s simple, but very powerful.’’

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

FLORIDA & NATION

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1.5 million Black men missing from society Prison, early deaths taking brothers from daily American life TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

There are 1.5 million AfricanAmerican men between the ages of 24 and 54, the critical earnings age range, missing daily from American life because of mass incarceration, higher death rates and overseas military deployment, according to a recent report released by The New York Times.

The study, headlined “1.5 million Black Men, Missing From Daily Life,” notes, however, the gender gap doesn’t exist in childhood: “There are roughly as many African-American boys as girls, but the imbalance begins to appear among teenagers and continues to widen through the 20s and peaks in the 30s. It persists through adulthood.”

The New York Times report indicates that higher imprisonment rates account for the loss of almost 600,000 Black men, which is the equivalent to 1 in 12 Black men being locked up compared to 1 in every 60 non-Black men behind bars.

Dying young There is also a higher mortality rate among Black men, leading to 900,000 fewer prime-age Black men than women.

Homicide plays a significant role. It reportedly is the leading cause of death for young Black men. They also die from heart disease and accidents more often than other demographic groups, the report stated.

The newspaper published the study a few weeks after Brookings Institution, a Washingtonbased think tank, reported that most college-educated Black women will never marry.

The studies follow a period in the 1980s and 1990s when some Black women claimed they never wanted to marry. That attitude has changed as some have gotten older.

Focus on Ferguson The largest proportions of missing Black men is in the South, parts of the Midwest and

CURTIS COMPTON/ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION/TNS

Jerry “ Uncle Black” Rodgers, a Ferguson resident, raises his “hands up” during an Aug. 20, 2014, protest. The New York Times began looking into missing Black men after last year’s deadly shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. in East Coast cities. The smallest proportions are in the West.

In New York, there are 118, 000 fewer Black men, in Chicago, there are 45,000 fewer men and in Philadelphia, there are 36,000 fewer men, according to the New York Times.

The Times began looking at this issue following last year’s deadly shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. The St. Louis suburb has become a laboratory showing how police, prosecutorial and judicial racism affect Black men. In Ferguson, there are 60 men for every 100 Black women, the report found.

The study, however, doesn’t address the issue of triage, which is pervasive in the Black community. Women who are heads of home push out their teen-

age sons to make it on their own while at the same time, raising their daughters by keeping them at home, making sure they see physicians, finish school and get jobs.

Kicked out That’s what happened to Calvin McCloud, who grew up in Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood on the city’s near North Side. His mother kicked him out of the house at 19 over a rent dispute.

McCloud, who suffered a heart attack when he was 5 and who was a disability recipient, was homeless for four months and went without eating for 22 days at one point.

In desperation, he would go

to his mother’s house when she wasn’t home and begged his younger sister, who still lived home, to give him cans of food to take with him so he could eat.

It is not known how much these parental practices exacerbate the disappearance of Black men, but licensed mental health practitioners know this familial phenomenon exists though it may not have been formally studied in those exact terms.

Attracted to gangs The Daily Mail, a London newspaper, published a report in 2009 that found that boys who are abandoned by their parents join street gangs so they have some sort of a family and protection. Street gangs, however, can ry heard evidence in the case for months but did not charge Wilson. The officer, who is no longer with the police force, testified that he fired his gun, hitting Brown at least six times, because he feared for his life.

The lack of an indictment set off another round of protests and unrest in November.

‘Evidence is key’

HUY MACH/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH/TNS

Michael Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, center, closes her eyes as attorneys Benjamin Crump, left, and Anthony Gray announce a wrongful-death lawsuit by Brown’s relatives on April 23 at the St. Louis County Circuit Court in Clayton, Mo.

Michael Brown’s parents file lawsuit against Ferguson and police chief, Darren Wilson

BY MATT PEARCE AND RYAN PARKER LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

The parents of Michael Brown, the unarmed Black man who was killed by police last summer, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on Aug. 23 against the city of Ferguson, Mo., former Police Chief Thomas Jackson and former Officer Darren Wilson.

The Brown family’s attorney, Anthony Gray, promised the case “will highlight the facts that nobody has seen, physical evidence that nobody has talked about,” showing that Wilson, the officer who shot Brown, “not only should have been indicted, but he definitely should have been held responsible.”

The lawsuit seeks financial

damages and an independent monitor to oversee reforms at the Ferguson Police Department.

The city did not respond to a request for comment last week.

Jeff Roorda, a police union official who helped organize a fundraiser last year supporting Wilson, said, “We will spend every last dollar to defend Darren Wilson against the outrageous civil claim that he acted improperly that day in Ferguson.

“Darren has been exonerated of any wrongdoing by a grand jury and by the Department of Justice,” Roorda said in an email. Roorda was confident that a “jury in this wrongful death suit will reach the same conclusion.”

Plenty of protests The shooting death of Brown,

18, in August triggered months of protests and unrest in Ferguson, a predominantly Black St. Louis suburb with a mostly White police force.

For months, demonstrators chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” alluding to some witnesses’ claims that Brown was trying to surrender when he was killed.

Other witnesses said Brown was charging Wilson when the officer shot him.

The fatal confrontation began when Wilson told Brown and a friend to stop walking in the street and get on the sidewalk.

The community was enraged not only by the killing but also by the authorities’ decision to leave Brown’s body in the street for more than four hours.

A St. Louis County grand ju-

The U.S. Justice Department also investigated and announced last month that it would not charge Wilson with violating Brown’s civil rights. The department said it did not find credible evidence to support claims that Brown was shot as he tried to surrender.

“Obviously we take dispute with the way those cases were presented,” Gray said at a news conference on April 23. “Presentation of evidence is key.”

Another Brown family attorney, Benjamin Crump, said forensic evidence contradicts some elements of Wilson’s story. “It’s not Michael Brown’s parents filing this lawsuit; it is the forensic evidence that is filing this lawsuit,” he said.

Brown’s parents, Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr., attended the news conference outside the St. Louis County courthouse but declined to speak.

Pattern of discrimination The lawsuit paints Wilson as the aggressor and accuses the city and Chief Jackson of negligence and civil rights violations.

The complaint incorporates a Justice Department investigation that found a widespread pattern of racial discrimination that had turned Ferguson into a “powder keg” by the time the grand jury in November declined to indict Wilson.

The Justice Department report found that the Police Department and the local court system had engaged in institutionalized discrimination against black residents, ticketing and citing them to generate revenue for the city.

It also found that some police officers had passed around racist emails, including one that likened President Barack Obama to a chimpanzee. Those workers have been fired or have resigned.

be dangerous as many members are hunted by rival gangs and by the police and are beaten, shot and murdered.

There is, however, a bright note. Since the 1990s, death rates among Black men have dropped more than rates for other groups for both homicide and HIV-related deaths. Yet the prison population continues to soar as does the unemployment rate for Black men 20 years old and older.

There are more missing men in the U.S. than there are AfricanAmerican men living in New York City — or Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Boston combined, the report added.

Senate in Florida backs online voter registration THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

With sponsor Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, saying the process would be secure and save money, the Senate on Monday overwhelmingly approved a bill (SB 228) that would lead to online voter registration in Florida.

Senators voted 34-3 for the proposal, with Sen. Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, and Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, opposed.

The House version of the bill (HB 7143) is ready for a floor vote.

Under the Senate bill, people would be able to submit voter-registration applications online starting in October 2017. It would require the state Division of Elections to set up a secure website for the process and would use driver’s license records to verify information.

Clemens said 24 other states have online-voter registration. But Secretary of State Ken Detzner, Florida’s top elections official, has expressed opposition to the bill.

That opposition stems, at least in part, from being required to meet the deadline for the online-voter system. Also, Detzner told lawmakers this month the system would have to be built to ward off cyber-attacks from “forces of evil.”

FLORIDA

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MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

Dad laments about being stuck with kids after mom shot

FLORIDA

3 more found guilty in FAMU band hazing case were charged after Champion’s death, but most were sentenced to probation and community service.

The most severe sentence came in January after the conviction of accused ringleader Dante Martin. The 28-year-old former bus president received six years in prison for manslaughter, felony hazing and two counts of misdemeanor hazing related to two other band members.

After the trial on April 24, Ashton said he hopes the case alerts people that hazing is not acceptable, even for a greater purpose such as belonging to a group.

“Young people have to learn that you can’t hide behind what the group does because you are responsible for what your friends do when you get into something like this,” he said.

FROM WIRE REPORTS

A Wawa welcome On April 23, Florida Gov. Rick Scott celebrated the ribbon cutting and grand opening of three new Wawa locations in Fort Myers as part of the convenience store chain’s expansion into Southwest Florida. The three new stores will each create more than 40 new jobs, for a total of more than 120 new jobs in Southwest Florida. There are more than 600 Wawa stores around the country and more are coming to Florida.

Lee County deputy fired for finishing pizza instead of responding to 911 call

BY LYNETTE HOLLOWAY THE ROOT

A Florida sheriff’s deputy in Lee County has been fired after an investigation found that he ignored a 911 call from a woman having a heart attack so that he could finish his pizza, according to television station WZVN. According to an internal report released last week, Lee County Deputy Yvan Fernandez was first dispatched to the home

of a friend of the deceased woman, Gwen Minnis, 48, at 1:11 p.m. on March 13 after the county received a 911 call with no voice on the other end, WZVN reports.

The report says Fernandez was having lunch with three other deputies at a pizza and wings restaurant at the time and acknowledged the call from the 911 dispatcher.

53 minutes to respond Eight minutes later, dispatch

contacted Fernandez again saying the call was still open. Fernandez replied, saying, “Copy,” writes WZVN. It took nearly 30 minutes for Fernandez to tell another deputy to go to the home, but that deputy did not arrive until 2:04 p.m., nearGwen Minnis ly 53 minutes af-

ter the 911 call was made, the report notes.

Minnis died of an apparent heart attack. A family friend, Cykecia Russ, told the television station that Minnis’ body was next to the front door the whole time and that the woman was dead by the time deputies arrived.

Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott told the news outlet that Fernandez’s actions were beyond negligent.

David Stephens of Jacksonville complained about being “stuck with his kids’’ after their mom was shot Sunday night.

Police were searching for a gunman this week after three people were shot in the Grand Park neighborhood on April 26.

Lanay Davis, 24, was recovering in a hospital and told News4Jax TV station on Monday that she was doing OK. Davis, a mother of two, said she was walking down the street when bullets came out of nowhere.

“Whoever it was, they just came up and went to shooting. Everybody scattered,” Davis said. Her friend, 16-year-old Charles McBride, was also shot, along with a man she said she doesn’t know: 39-year-old Jermaine Jackson.

McBride and Davis were taken to the hospital in serious condition.

“I thought I was gonna die,” Davis said. “I was really scared for my life.”

Prayers, tears

Inconvenienced dad When News4Jax caught up with Stephens, he seemed more concerned about the inconvenience of having to be sole parent to his children than the shooting itself. Stephens and Davis have two children together.

“I was stunned, liked to caught a heart attack, you know,” Stephens told the television news station on Monday about his reaction upon learning that his kids’ mom had been shot.

“It’s shocking news to find out that your childrens’ mother got shot, then you gotta be stuck with your kids and hoping that she lives.”

Grand Park residents are afraid to talk to police about suspects out of fear of retribution from criminals.

Eurweb.com was used in compiling this report.

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RED HUBER/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

Pam and Robert Champion Sr. look at defendant Brian Jones on Oct. 22, 2012 as Jones apologizes to them before being sentenced in an Orlando courtroom in the Florida A&M University hazing incident that led to the death of drum major Robert Champion.

Robert Champion’s parents want to see harsher punishments

BY ELYSSA CHERNEY ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

ORLANDO — The April 24 convictions of three former Florida A&M University band members in the 2011 hazing death of a fellow percussionist represent the end of the state’s prosecution against all the students involved in the case.

But for Pam and Robert Cham-

pion Sr. — the victim’s parents — the fight is not over. They want to see a harsher punishment than what has previously been given for the death of Robert their son, Robert Champion Champion.

“A strong message needs to be sent (about hazing),” Pam Champion said shortly after the judge read the guilty verdicts on manslaughter and felony hazing charges. “And there are

consequences. We have to get the message out. For some reason these people are not getting it.”

Facing 20 years A jury took nearly three hours to convict the band members after four days of testimony. Aaron Golson, 22, Benjamin McNamee, 24, and Darryl Cearnel, 28, will be sentenced June 26. They each face up to 20 years in prison.

Their convictions stem from the killing of 26-year-old Champion, who lost too much blood after he endured being beaten, punched and kicked during a

marching-band ritual known as “crossing Bus C” on Nov. 19, 2011.

The famous Marching 100 had just performed at the Florida Classic. Band members voluntarily participated in the tradition, which takes place on a parked bus, to gain prestige in the percussion section.

Nine years possible State Attorney Jeff Ashton said he will seek the minimum prison time of nine years as he did for the two other defendants sentenced to manslaughter in the case. Fifteen ex-band members

Family members of the three defendants would not comment after the verdict. Many cried as the three men gave up their suit jackets for shackles and were ushered out of the courtroom by Orange County deputy sheriffs.

Throughout the trial, the defendants and their families prayed together. It sparked a disruption on April 24 after jurors caught sight of it. Ashton had been concerned the moment may have influenced jurors in their decision and considered asking for a mistrial but later agreed with other attorneys to move forward with the case.

Defense attorney Craig Brown, Golson’s lawyer, said any lesson from the trial is not clear-cut.

The case may momentarily discourage people from hazing, but it won’t have a lasting effect, he said.

“All in all, these are some really good kids who had bright futures, well-educated, and at this point, right now, they have been derailed,” Brown said. “They didn’t go to Florida A&M for any other reason but to be a part of that band, and now to find themselves in this position because of the band — it’s disheartening.”

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EDITORIAL

A6

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

Educate our students – Don’t train them The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character that is the goal of true education.”

With this quote by Dr. King, one cannot help but to examine and even question the education that many of our students are receiving today. Let me say it this way.

Whenever students are trained to take a test and not educated to think critically and logically, something is wrong.

All too often, I hear people say that we need train our children for this and for that. The problem with this comment is using the word ‘train.’ A rational person who dares to stop and think about it for a moment would have to conclude that training a child is different from educating a child. In fact, to use the term

DR. SINCLAIR GREY III GUEST COLUMNIST

‘train’ is to place limits on one’s limitation to be all that they were created to be. The sad reality is as long as the system continues to train a child for a test rather than educating a child to go beyond their wildest dreams, we will continue to see many students living within a cage called ‘confinement.’

Picture this if you will. When you train, you give orders to do something. There’s usually a reward attached to the training.

Let’s look at a dog. You train a dog to sit, lie down, bark, jump, and do whatever the owner sees

fit. After each task is done successfully, the dog is given a treat.

In essence, you train a dog. You don’t educate a dog. Sadly and shamefully, too many people have treated our children the same way. Instead of challenging them to think, children are told to memorize, regurgitate, and know just enough to pass to the next grade. Something has to change.

The word ‘educate’ in Latin is very unique. The root word is ‘ducere’ which means to draw or to lead. Now, if we look at the prefix ‘e’ it means to draw out of. So, when we put it together, to educate is to draw out of someone what is already in them. With that said, our children already have something in them and it’s up to school administrators, teachers, and those who care about the future of the younger generation to

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: INCOME INEQUALITY

RJ MATSON, CAGLECARTOONS.COM

Baltimore is just the beginning America’s so-called Black community leaders can’t draw flies to an outhouse.

But every time a young Black man gets beaten, chocked, shot or gets his back broken, handpicked Negro leaders rush to call for peace.

More and more urban uprisings will take place in the future as long as political puppets, social opportunists and embedded informants masquerading as leaders call for peace, while the poor, the Black, the denied, the exploited and the oppressed masses are calling for equal rights and justice!

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

skies light up and costs go up, things begin to happen.

Compare Central Florida, New York City, Ferguson and other areas to Baltimore. In those cities, nothing happened after the non-violent marches called by so-called and politically endorsed Negro leaders. But when flames can be seen Demands are ignored Every day, you hear protesters saying from miles and miles away, every resource “No Justice, No Peace”! Their cries are a city has is put into action immediately! ignored. Their demands for equal rights are disregarded. Their pleas for jobs, con- What we need No, we don’t need more fires. We need tracts and economic opportunities are a way out of poverty. We need an end to looked at as jokes!

When you like people that rise up, you the vicious cycle where you live in a bad call them “rebels.” When you hate people neighborhood, attend a bad school for that rise up, you call them “thugs!” Any- a few years, only become qualified for one that shoots young people of color is a a bad, low-paying job and end up right hero. Any teenager that throws a rock at a where you started from – back in a poor, trigger-happy law enforcer is a hoodlum, bad neighborhood!

If you are young and Black, you expect a gangster or an urban criminal. to go to jail sooner or later at some point in your life. And if you die, young people, The real story I don’t think that destroying businesses believe it is better to die fighting for equal and institutions in your neighborhoods is rights and justice than to die handcuffed a good idea. However, history is a better in the back of a patrol car, locked up in a jail cell or shot in the back in broad dayteacher than I am. light!

Hurt people can march, but marching Get ready for all of the panel discusgets very few results. They can “sit-in,” but sions, study groups and prayer breakno progress comes from that either. People fasts. Instead of handpicking all of the trapped in the ‘hood can even lock arms speakers and all of the participants, at with closet Klansmen and sing, “We Shall least invite people that represent all asOvercome,” and they still won’t get the pects of Baltimore’s and America’s Black kind of attention that they want or need! communities.

draw out of them what the Creator has already placed in them.

Understanding why our children need to be educated and not trained may be foreign to so many people because for so long, critical thinking and challenging information has been shunned and not appreciated. However, when we allow our children to explore, ask questions, and learn how to come up with answers on their own, perhaps, just perhaps, they will reach their destiny.

An individual cannot reach their destiny as long as they are trained. Why? Because the one is who trained is always under the umbrella of the one who does the training.

I mentioned earlier that many of our children are taught to memorize and regurgitate information. Is that wrong? Not necessarily. While it’s important to

learn how to memorize information, it’s equally important to learn how to use that information in positive and constructive ways. Unless our children are able to dissect and discern what they learn, they will simply become robots. The challenge for all of us is to remove the term ‘training’ when it comes to educating because to educate reaches a deeper level than to merely train. To train is to control, but to educate to set free and open doors of possibilities.

Dr. Sinclair Grey III is an activist, speaker, writer, author, life coach, and host of The Sinclair Grey Show heard on Mondays at 2pm on WAEC Love 860am (iHeart Radio and Tune In). Contact him at drgrey@ sinclairgrey.org or on Twitter @drsinclairgrey

As police killings show, the African-American community needs more change The terrible video is sharp and clean, the one that seems to show what common sense says has been happening all along: A White police officer — apparently unnecessarily and unlawfully — took aim and killed an unarmed Black man. For once, the White officer has been charged with the murder of the Black man.

What happened to Walter Scott in North Charleston, S.C., on April 4, and what unfolded there in the days after — the “sickened” police chief, the calm community, the quick arrest — may represent a turning point that shifts “Black Lives Matter” from protesters’ demands to an everyday reality. But I’m not so sure.

Case after case The list of cases is well-known: Trayvon Martin, in Sanford, Fla., 2012. In 2014, John Crawford III, in Dayton, Ohio; Eric Garner, New York City; Michael Brown, Ferguson, Mo.; Tamir Rice ( just 12 years old), Cleveland; Ezell Ford, South Los Angeles. This year, a homeless man called “Cameroon,” on L.A.’s skid row; Tony Terrell Robinson, in Madison, Wis. And Scott, along with other names added daily.

Each is different, but this much is the same: A Black boy or man, unarmed, is dead at the hands of White police officers, or in the case of Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, a wannabe cop. In the nine most infamous killings, charges have been filed just twice — against Zimmerman (who was acquitted) and Michael Slager (will the charges stand up in court?).

All of this has taken us far from the hope and joy of Nov. 4, 2008, when President Obama was first elected. I stood in Grant Park in Chicago along with thousands of his supporters, from every imaginable ethnic group, the crowd brimming with excitement. I thought America was finally on a fast track to reconciliation, that we’d overcome our national obsession with race. I was wrong.

Public demonstrations Almost as soon as Obama was sworn in, public demonstrations against him bubbled up. The racial animus was stunning. “You lie,” a Republican congressman called out as Obama addressed a joint session of Congress. I’d never seen a sitting president treated with such disdain. I can’t help but believe that the tea party’s venomous anti-Obama narrative contributes to the fear and loathing experienced

by Black men on the nation’s streets.

The killings are only a part of the picture. In just the first few months of this year, SAE fraternity brothers from the University of Oklahoma got caught in a racist chant, a former student was charged

KERMAN MADDOX TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

with putting a noose last year on a statue of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi, and more prosaically but just as dangerous, a study of media coverage in New York City (it could have been done anywhere) showed that Blacks appear on the TV news as crime suspects far out of proportion to reality. According to Media Matters, in New York arrest records, Blacks make up 54 percent of those arrested on suspicion of murder; on the local TV news in the last half of 2014, the corresponding figure was 74 percent.

Fresh outrage Every fresh incident of bigotry and violence rightly launches outraged sermons from Black pulpits, puts protesters on the streets and puts mothers and fathers in the African-American community on edge.

As grand juries in the Brown and Garner cases declined to indict last year, my family watched the demonstrations unfold on television. Too often, I saw coverage that turned away from the reasons for the protests and focused instead on the behavior of the demonstrators. The point was getting lost, and yet my 8-year-old son crystallized it when he turned to me in genuine puzzlement and asked, “Why do police officers keep killing brown people and getting away with it? I thought police officers were supposed to protect us.”

I did my best to explain. It was gutwrenching; a conversation no father should have to have with his son. And it’s not over. In a few years, I will have to add to it, repeating the instructions all Black families faithfully rehearse: exactly how to behave if a police officer stops you.

This is not theoretical for me. My family is comfortable, far from the margins. But no one in the African-American community is immune, no matter his socioeconomic status.

In Chicago in 2008, Barack Obama proudly said, “Change has come to America.” But for Walter Scott, and so many others, it hasn’t been enough.

Kerman Maddox is a communications executive in L.A. He is a co-founder of Suits in Solidarity, a group organized to change the narrative about African-American men and support the Black Lives Matter movement. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Why violence works

Contact Lucius Gantt at www.allIf you look at past riots in Los Angeles, worldconsultants.net. Click on this in Detroit, in Atlanta and urban upris- story at www.flcourier.com to write ings in hundreds of other cities, when the your own response.

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Payday loans are never a good idea You’ve probably heard the commercials on the radio that if you want to go on a nice trip and you don’t have the money to go get a payday loan.

But don’t do it.

Payday loans are a big mistake. Nearly 20 million Americans use payday lenders. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, payday lenders charge their clients, on average, $16 for a $100, two-week loan. This is a 400 percent annual percentage rate — 10-20 times what credit card companies charge. And if borrowers miss payments they begin to accumulate huge penalty fees and can fall into a debt-and-fee spiral that may be hard to escape, and end up with even fewer funds to pay for essentials.

Delroy Cole, Kim Gibson, Photojournalists

Avoid the trap

MEMBER

I fell victim to payday loans and felt like a crackhead giving my bi-weekly paycheck as a newspaper journalist to two payday lenders every pay period. I remember when a payday loan clerk recognized me from the newspaper and I was so embarrassed, but I kept going back because I was in so deep that I had to keep re-advancing

National Newspaper Publishers Association Society of Professional Journalists Florida Press Association Associated Press National Newspaper Association

TENESHIA LAFAYE MISS MONEY SENSE

for a loan every pay period. A couple years later, I finally went to my grandfather and he gave me $2,000 to clear my payday balances. I haven’t been back in 10 years.

So avoid payday loans. If you don’t have the money for a trip or whatever, wait until you do. If it’s a bill, make payment arrangements or defer a payment for a month. But don’t get a payday loan.

Teneshia LaFaye is a former awardwinning newspaper journalist and a nationally certified financial education instructor. She owns a health insurance agency and has written two books, What My Mom Taught Me About Money and Mom’s Money Lessons, available on her web site www.mytensense.com.

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

Shocked — again “America leads the world in shocks.” Those immortal words were spoken by the late Gil ScottHeron during the Nixon “H2O Gate” era. Forty years later, Black people lead the world in shocks.

We are shocked every time a Black person gets killed or abused by a police officer; we are shocked at the absence of indictments and convictions for those acts; we are shocked that our government will only give these acts lip-service; and we are shocked by the endless rhetoric, excuse-making, and rationales put forth as a response to Black lives being treated like they don’t matter.

We are so shocked that we continue to roll out the same old tactics, chant the same phrases, and make idle threats that we know we will not fulfill. We are shocked that society will not change this endless parade to the graveyard for Black men especially. We are also shocked at the rate of our deaths and the nonchalant attitudes of those who kill us. And we are shocked by the fact that even though these killings are caught on cameras, there is still no punishment for the perpetrator.

JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST

and so was Nathaniel Jones killing in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2003.

Heck, White folks photographed the lynching and burning of many Blacks over 100 years ago. Why are we so shocked now? I have come to the conclusion that we just like to be shocked. It’s like the old tale of a boy constantly hitting himself in the head with a hammer. When asked why he did that, he replied, “Because it feels so good when I stop.”

Do we really want this lunacy, this evil, this abuse to stop just so we can catch our breath for a little while, and then return to business as usual? One thing for sure is that it will not stop simply because it ought to, as folks always imply when the news reporter poses the question, “What you think about the latest incident of police abuse?” Inevitably, as was the case in the latest abuse in Baltimore, Maryland, a sister said, ‘Business as usual’ “It’s got to stop.” Others chimed Rodney King’s butt-whuppin’ in and said the same thing, as was was caught on camera in 1992, said in the case of Eric Garner,

EDITORIAL

A7

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: CRISAFULLI LENS CAP

John Crawford, Ezell Ford, Oscar Grant, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and many of the others I could name.

Lack of economic power Let me try this again, after so many years of saying the same thing. The vast majority of the problems Black people face in this nation can be solved through the utilization of economic power.

That’s what runs this country and, therefore, that’s what gets desired outcomes. The lack of economic power results in a perverse weakness and subordination of any group of people. Thus, Black folks are always shocked at our position, our mistreatment, and our dependency on the very political entities that care very little, if at all, about us. That’s backward and wrong-headed thinking.

If Black folks in Baltimore or anywhere else want to be empowered to the degree that politicians finally move beyond merely saying what they think we want to hear, to doing what we need done for our security and progress, we must make drastic changes in our behavior. Our reactions to all the killings and beat-downs have been so predictable, so much so that the authorities know they just need to wait us out for a while, like

BILL DAY, FLORIDAPOLITICS.COM

the Eric Garner case, and we will go away. They know the shock value of their actions is impotent and only temporary.

I would say that Black folks have come to depend on politicians for so long now that even when our people are killed by police, we run to them to solve the problem. It’s not going to happen until we wield power with our dollars and our votes. The “external shock” necessary to prompt political parties to appropriately respond to our needs must be

felt by them rather than by us.

That shock must be one that reverberates throughout the corporate board rooms, the halls of Congress, and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL!

Jim Clingman is a Cincinnati based expert on economic empowerment. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Are Blacks losing momentum?

Momentum: A force or speed of movement Blacks made significant legislative and economic strides over the past 40 years. Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Ga are prime examples of Blacks’ successes circa 1970s, 80s and 90s. Over the past four decades, the two “Black Meccas” were places Blacks held seats of power in government and politics. Unquestionably, Black mayors and lawmakers in these cities spawn the two wealthiest majority-Black counties in the nation.

Mayoral icons Marion Barry and Maynard Jackson made Blacks’ lives and opportunities better in D.C. and Hotlanta because of their “consciousness of” and “adherence to” equal government employment and contracting. The concept and mindset of Black-led governments in D.C and Atlanta played prime roles in the economic evolution of Prince Georges County, Maryland and

WILLIAM REED BUSINESS EXCHANGE

DeKalb County, Georgia through minority “set aside” programs.

But while Blacks in both metropolitan areas basked in their prosperity and cosmopolitan shopping habits, they were losing their plurality in the core city.

‘Mainstream mindsets’ Blacks’ economic successes are falling “victims to” “colorblind” politicians with mainstream mindsets. As Blacks paid scant attention, not only the completion of Washington government changed, but so has its mindset and priorities as well.

Now that Black people are no longer the “prime players” in town,

we need to recognize the perils of “multi-culturalism.” The current crop of city officials show no priority toward ensuring that equitable district contracts end up in the hands of minority businesses. Surely Blacks in D.C. have to illustrate to the City Council that they need to adhere to the integrity and intent of the 35 percent set aside rule and proceed on the Department of Corrections contract, and all others.

The case in point is for the health and care of the District of Columbia’s overwhelmingly-Black inmate population. The District’s Office of Contracting and Procurement has recommended awarding the threeyear, $66 million contract to provide medical, mental health, pharmacy and dental services to inmates to Corizon Health Inc. For purposes of securing the local contract, Corizon which has operations in many jurisdictions, has partnered with a local certified business firm, MBI

Poverty: It's time for a real debate As the 2016 presidential race begins, our extreme income inequality and the sinking middle class is already at the center of the debate. There is a lot of talk about a “deck stacked” for the few. But the real question is whether politicians in both parties will debate poverty in America, particularly among children.

America’s poverty is shocking. Over 100 million Americans are poor or near poor in America. The Democratic convention will be held in Philadelphia where 27 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Our childhood poverty rate is about 20 percent – one in five – compared to 6.1% (less than one in 16) in Norway and the Netherlands. The Kids Count Data Center finds a horrifying 39 percent of African-American children living in poverty in 2013.

Lifelong consequences Growing up in poverty on harsh streets has lifelong consequences. Poor children suffer from bad nutrition. They often don’t get adequate health care. They have little access to early childhood education or summer school programs.

Their schools are poor, understaffed and crowded. Not surprisingly they have far less chance of escaping poverty and moving up.

When Americans think of poverty, they usually think of black welfare mothers, even though welfare was repealed under Bill Clinton. But most poor people in America are female, young and White.

Most poor people work. They take the early bus. They work the hardest jobs, with the least security. Many are forced to work-part time, many on short-term contracts. Many don’t even know their schedules from week to week, making arranging child care almost impossible.

Punish the poor

REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

Earned Income Tax Credit to a subsidy for low wage workers was widely praised, still peddles the poisonous conservative brew of cutting poverty programs and turning them over to the states, opposing any increase in the minimum wage, and of course savaging Medicaid.

Democrats are still uncomfortable talking about poverty, but they increasingly champion low wage workers, supporting raising the minimum wage, cracking down on wage theft, providing expanded day care, paid family leave and sick days, and in some cases paid vacation days.

Hillary Clinton is likely to support President Obama’s emphasis on universal prek and affordable childcare, both key for giving the next generation a shot.

Not enough But that is not enough. We not only have to make work pay; we have to make work available. We also need public investment targeted to areas most in need to supply jobs and hope. We need investment in public transit so the poor can afford to get to where the jobs are. We need government to act as an employer of last resort, particularly for the young, now suffering official unemployment rates of 23-25 percent in our urban areas.

Politicians don’t like to talk about poverty because any real solution costs money. Politicians fear voters who resent taxes that might go to “those” people. But the stark truth is that if we don’t address poverty on the front end of life with prek, child nutrition, education and childcare, jobs and hope, we pay far more on the back end of life in prisons and health care, mental illness and violence.

Among Republicans, the most common temper is to punish the poor to goad them to work. Republicans in Congress ended extended unemployment benefits, even though long-term unemployJesse Jackson Sr. is the founder/presment was still far above normal rates, arguing that it rewarded laziness and cre- ident of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. ated dependency. Even Florida Senator Click on this article at www.flcourier.

Marco Rubio, whose idea of turning the com to write your own response.

Health Services. MBI Health Services, LLC is a D.C.-based Certified Business Enterprise (CBE) healthcare provider.

‘Eye this contract’ To keep some of what we’ve had, Blacks in D.C. must focus high levels of attention and scrutiny on this particular contract.

Because the D.C. Council appears bent on withholding the contract to manage the care of inmates at Washington’s Central Detention Facility and Correctional Treatment Facility from Corizon/MBI requires that Black voters question their intention and trend.

The overall economics of local citizens would bode well if groups like the National Business League of Greater Washington (NBLGW) had their way. NBLGW has sounded an alarm regarding Corizon and the Council. Despite being chosen by the mayor and D.C. procurement officials

and their staff, the Council may “override” their contracting recommendations and obligations.

Despite no promise on their part to involve local minorities, some council members seek to have Unity Health Care keep the city contract and would provide a “waiver” that keeps unity. Such a move illustrates hubris run amok and negative consequences on Blacks’ economic development and wealth-building.

Let’s retain some semblances of the days local Blacks were sought out as partners, and make sure city contracting funds go to local qualified businesses.

William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via Busxchng@ his.com. Click on this article at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Freedom rider Michael Eric Dyson: Crab in a barrel How does one dissect Michael Eric Dyson’s 10,000-word screed against Cornel West? Not only is the attack purely personal, an act of bitter malice, but Dyson uses The New Republic, an openly racist organization, as his platform.

The title, “The Ghost of Cornel West,” is rather odd. No one except Dyson was aware that West had declined, even figuratively. Cornel West is the author or co-author of twenty-three books. He is a sought after advocate and is called upon by people all over the world to speak for them and with them as they struggle against police brutality, occupation and environmental destruction. West is a voice of principled conscience and is highly respected.

Personal details revealed Of course no one is liked or respected by everyone and degrees of dislike are closely related to the opponents one chooses.

Dyson’s infantile need to reveal personal details about his one-time friend is partly based on his own vindictiveness but also on a desire to stay in the good graces of the powerful people West has admonished.

Despite having supported Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008, West has pointedly criticized the president’s policies. Unlike Dyson, his critiques are based on facts, actions taken, and visible outcomes. When Michael Brown’s killer was not indicted by a Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury West made this comment. “Ferguson signifies the end of the age of Obama. It is a very sad end. We began with tremendous hope and we end with great despair.” It is clear that West is acknowledging and mourning the misplaced trust that he and millions of other people placed in the Obama presidency.

But there is also something even more insidious going on with Dyson and his ilk.

He and many other Obamaphiles not only insist on standing by their man, but they go to great lengths to discredit and disparage anyone who doesn’t share their infatuation.

Character assassination Dyson and other critics rarely take on the substance of West’s statements. Their outrage is based on loyalty to the cult of Black success which is epitomized by Obama’s election. They protect him and

MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT

their friends who have found themselves in West’s rhetorical cross hairs.

This most recent act of character assassination is significant in another way. The New Republic was for many years owned

by Martin Peretz, a founding father of neoliberalism. The only Black writers who appeared in TNR were right wingers like Shelby Steele, John McWhorter and Randall Kennedy. Of course TNR should never live down its role in publishing excerpts from The Bell Curve, a book of discredited scholarly value which posited that Black people are genetically inferior to other races.

Neither is Dyson the first to lambast West in the pages of TNR. In a 1995 article, “The Unreal World of Cornel West,” the author states that West’s books are “almost completely worthless.” Now under new ownership, TNR is trying to improve its image and in January 2015 admitted its past racism. Giving Dyson a stage for his attack on a man who embodies black Americans struggle for self-determination proves that the apology was meaningless. Dyson has chosen sides. He stands with our enemies against one of our champions.

Black critics of Obama are often labeled as “haters” or “crabs in a barrel.” Like the crustaceans who can’t escape because they pull each other down, Dyson looks at West and is consumed with a bizarre, jealous rage. Rather than accept his role as a well-paid and mediocre intellect he decided to pull Cornel West down. If there is a crab in the barrel in this sorry episode, it is Michael Eric Dyson.

Margaret Kimberley’s Freedom Rider column appears weekly in Black Agenda Report. Click on this article at www. flcourier.com to write your own response.

NATION & WORLD

TOJ A8

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

LIU DONGJUN/XINHUA/ZUMA PRESS/TNS

A soldier helps a child evacuate in Gyirong County in Xigaze, Tibet Autonomous Region of China, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal on April 25.

California faces serious risk of Nepal-like earthquake In Nepal, experts had long feared that weak buildings would bring mass casualties in the event of a major quake.

BY SHELBY GRAD AND RONG-GONG LIN II LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

LOS ANGELES—A huge earthquake like the one in Nepal could happen in California.

Like Nepal, California is at the intersection of huge pieces of the Earth’s crust and is prone to seismic activity. There have been quakes in California larger than April 25’s 7.8 magnitude quake in Nepal, which killed thousands.

Most notably, the 1906 San Francisco quake killed an estimated 3,000 people and was estimated to be 7.9 magnitude.

The latest on the tragedy in Nepal LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Here’s the latest on what happened and the situation on the ground in Nepal.

Q: How many people have died so far?

A: As of Wednesday, more than 5,200 people had died in the quake, according to authorities in Nepal.

Thousands more were injured in that country alone.

In addition, the quake killed more than 60 in India

Significantly smaller quakes in highly populated areas have has resulted in major loss of life.

Three modern quakes — the Loma Prieta in 1989, the Northridge in 1994 and the Sylmar in 1971 — were each less than 6.9 magnitude but each killed more than 60 people.

The 1933 Long Beach quake was 6.4 magnitude and killed 115 people.

The Long Beach quake sparked a serious effort to make buildings that better withstand earthquakes.

Retrofitting buildings Building code changes over the decades have and more than 20 people in China’s Tibet region. Additional deaths were reported in Bangladesh.

In addition, the quake killed at least 69 people in India and 20 people in China’s Tibet region. Additional deaths were reported in Bangladesh. Officials in Nepal say more than 6,900 people have been injured.

Q: How many Americans have died in the quake?

A: At least four Americans have been reported dead; all of them were at the base camp area of Mount Everest when the quake struck.

Q: Why was the Nepal earthquake so deadly?

A: A number of factors are believed to have contributed to the high death toll, not least of which was lax seismic standards.

Kathmandu Valley is one

PRATAP THAPA XINHUA/ZUMA PRESS/TNS

People embrace each other after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Kathmandu, Nepal, on April 25. significantly strengthened structures. In Nepal, experts had long feared that weak buildings would bring mass casualties in the event of a major quake.

A study by Geohazard International found that two-thirds of the structures built in the area did

not meet the country’s own seismic code standards.

Buildings in California are better equipped to survive a huge quake.

There are now efforts in California to retrofit buildings that experts say are at greatest threat of collapse in a big quake. San

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Aid groups are sending crucial medical supplies, food, water, and shelter to survivors. Here are some organizations operating in the country and/or accepting donations: • UNICEF: www.unicef.org • Red Cross: www.redcross.org • Mercy Corps: www.mercycorps.org • Save the Children: www.savethechildren.org • Oxfam: www.oxfamamerica.org • Doctors Without Borders: www.doctorswithoutborders.org • CARE: www.care.org

of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in South Asia, and many of the people who flocked to the city live in unreinforced masonry buildings. Some twoor three-story buildings have been raised as high as eight stories, increasing the chance they could collapse with major shaking.

Geohazard International

found that two-thirds of the region’s structures did not meet Nepal’s seismic codes.

According to a 2013 report by the U.S. Agency for International Development, outside groups had been working with the Nepalese government to shore up seismic safety and building standards, including building more quake-resistant

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also has proposed requiring retrofit-

ting of brittle concrete buildings as well as various pieces of the city’s infrastructure. Experts have said these concrete buildings— pose the greatest risk of loss of life in the event of a major quake

buildings and training engineers.

The April 25 quake was especially deadly because the fault ruptured toward Kathmandu. The area is located on a former lakebed, which makes it particularly vulnerable during a big quake because the loose soil can amplify shaking.

Officials say the quake occurred at a depth of only seven miles, which is relatively shallow in geological terms. Shallower quakes are more destructive.

In 1934, the 8.2 Nepal-Bihar earthquake, which was centered about 150 miles southeast of last Saturday’s temblor, caused around 10,600 deaths, destroyed 20 percent of the Kathmandu Valley’s buildings, and damaged an additional 40 percent.

Q: What international aid

is being sent?

A: The U.S. sent a disaster assistance response team to Kathmandu, and the U.S. Embassy immediately released $1 million in initial humanitarian assistance.

On Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry announced an additional $9 million in U.S. aid for the Nepal earthquake response and recovery.

The Pentagon sent a cargo jet carrying 45 tons of humanitarian supplies and nearly 70 personnel. A cargo plane carrying 26 personnel already was in Nepal for a training exercise.

Israel sent a 260-person team, including searchand-rescue units and medical personnel equipped to set up a field hospital within hours of landing. Japan sent a 72-person rescue team.

Francisco is now requiring owners of wood apartments with weak first stories to strengthen them.

Los Angeles is moving to follow suit.

White House could allow relatives of US hostages to pay ransoms

BY DAVID S. CLOUD LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

WASHINGTON — A White House review of hostage policy is likely to recommend that the government not block ransom payments by family members seeking release of captives, a U.S. official said this week.

Warren The family of Weinstein Warren Weinstein, the Amer-

ican aid worker taken hostage in 2012 and killed accidentally in a U.S. drone strike in January, reportedly paid a ransom in violation of the policy, hoping it would lead to his release.

Weinstein and an Italian man were killed in a strike targeting a compound thought to be frequented by al-Qaida Qaeda militants, President Barack Obama announced last week in a rare public admission of a grave targeting error by a U.S. drone attack. Obama has embraced the drone strikes as his preferred method of conducting counterterrorism operations overseas,

but the hostage deaths brought renewed scrutiny to his choice.

Proposed change The White House said after confirming the death of the men that it is considering changing its approach to overseas hostage rescues.

The proposed change to the ransom policy, if approved by Obama, would loosen U.S. protocol, which forbids such payments to obtain hostages’ release. The official said the prohibition on ransom payments by the U.S. government would be unaffected by the proposal, which was first

reported by ABC News.

The proposal to permit family-paid ransoms “could make sense,” U.S. Rep. John Delaney, D-Md., who congressional district included Weinstein’s hometown of Rockville, Md., said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Richard A. Clarke, a former U.S. counterterrorism official, argued that lifting the blanket ban on ransom payments would encourage the taking of additional hostages.

“If you say that we’ll pay them, there’ll be many more hostages,” he said on “This Week.”

Hostage czar wanted The White House review, announced in November, was undertaken in response to complaints from captives’ family members, who said they are often left in the dark about government efforts to free hostages.

Delaney called for the creation of a “hostage czar,” an official for coordinating efforts to locate hostages among agencies and departments involved in rescue efforts.

“We don’t do as effective a job as we could in finding these hostages,” he said.

HEALTH FOOD || HEALTH TRAVEL | |MONEY SCIENCE | BOOKS | MOVIES | TV | AUTOS LIFE | FAITH | EVENTS | CLASSIFIEDS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS | FOOD COURIER

IFE/FAITH

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

First lady sparkles at dinner See page B5

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Sweet ideas for Cince de Mayo celebrations See page B6

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

|

SECTION

WWW.FLCOURIER.COM

B

S

FLOYD MAYWEATHER VS. MANNY PACQUIAO

THE WORLD AWAITS

Plenty of buzz, bets on fight between boxing greats A dozen things you may not know about FLOYD MAYWEATHER 1. Twizzlers are one of his go-to favorite snacks.

2. Ramen noodle soup is one of his favorite meals and he doesn’t like 5-star restaurants.

3. He averages over 1,000 sit-ups a day during training camp.

4. He doesn’t use ketchup or mustard on hot dogs but uses barbecue sauce.

5. A guilty pleasure is playing Mega Touch and holding the highest scores in every game on there. His favorites are Spades, Dominos and word scrambles.

6. The movie “Troy’’ with Brad Pitt is one he likes to watch over and over again.

7. Every juice he drinks during training camp is made from scratch.

8. When out to eat, he always orders a glass of hot water to let his silverware soak in the glass before using them.

9. The tree trunks he has been using to chop wood are brought in from Big Bear (in California) and weigh nearly 700 pounds each.

10. He gets a manicure and pedicure at home once a week during training camp.

11. He doesn’t use a microwave – only eats food cooked and heated up on a stove and in an oven.

12. His morning routine includes brushing teeth for 10 straight minutes.

Source: Swanson Communications

BY GREG LOGAN NEWSDAY/TNS

T

he question being repeated again and again is “Who do you like?”

It’s understood the world over that the choice is between undefeated welterweight and poundfor-pound champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Philippines congressman and national hero Manny Pacquiao. It doesn’t matter that the fight should have been made five years earlier when both were in their prime because it’s on now Saturday, May 2 at the MGM Grand, and that’s all that matters.

Even as many boxing luminaries convened in New York for the April 25 heavyweight title fight between champion Wladimir Klitschko and challenger Bryant Jennings at Madison Square Garden, the buzz was building for Mayweather-Pacquiao. (Klitschko won.)

Hopkins picks Mayweather In fact, all-time great light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins, who just signed as a boxing commentator for ESPN, was literally buzzing last week when he described the difficulty Mayweather will encounter with Pacquiao’s southpaw style.

Like most of the cognoscenti, Hopkins is picking Mayweather based on his 47-0 record (26 KOs) and his defensive style and technical brilliance. But Hopkins cautioned that Mayweather won’t be able to counterpunch Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) the way he dissects most foes.

Comparing Pacquiao’s frenetic style to the tepid opposition Mayweather often has faced, Hopkins said, “Were they on him like a bunch of wild bees after you disturbed the bee nest, and the next thing you know, you’re swatting them and they’re biting on your head? This is how Pacquiao fights. Pacquiao is not one punch, then delay, then a punch.

“Mayweather is great, but as all counterpunchers will tell you, if [you’re facing] a rapid-throwing fighter, you don’t have pockets to throw that counter in because

punches are coming more than one at a time.

They’re not accustomed to trying to counter a person who is throwing five, six, seven, eight, nine. If you read what Freddie Roach said, they want to swarm him like bees.”

What others think Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, naturally has been vocal about predicting victory, but even he says Pacquiao must fight a perfect fight. Fellow trainer Abel Sanchez, who handles middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, among others, doesn’t believe Pacquiao can sustain his punching pace against Mayweather.

“I see Floyd winning,” Sanchez said. “I think the first three or four rounds may be difficult.

Floyd has to adjust to Manny’s speed, but Manny is a pattern fighter. The reason for that is because of the work in the gym with Freddie. Everything is a pattern.

I think Floyd is smart enough to eventually figure that out.

“I’m not going to say he’s going to knock Manny out, but I think he will handle him like he did Canelo Alvarez … Manny makes a lot of mistakes. Manny likes to jump in, and once a fighter does that to Floyd, it’s an easy fight for him.”

In Pacquiao’s corner Tom Loeffler, who is Golovkin’s promoter, disagrees with Sanchez about the potential for a Pacquiao upset. He noted Marcos Maidana succeeded in landing enough punches last May to lose a majority decision that earned him a September rematch he lost unanimously.

“Pacquiao is a pressure fighter,” Loeffler said. “He throws a lot of hard punches. A lot of people discount Manny’s chances, but I think he actually has a good chance. Maidana was able to hit Floyd. If Manny hits him with those same punches, he might hurt him.”

While most study styles to determine a winner, promoter Gary Shaw, who handled Jennings the night of April 25 at the Garden, suggested the outcome See FIGHT, Page B2

A dozen things you may not know about

MANNY PACQUIAO

1 He eats steamed white rice and chicken or beef broth at almost every meal.

2. Pacquiao will only drink hot or room temperature water. Never cold water because he feels it is not healthy.

3. The boxer averages over 2,500 situps daily during training camp.

4. He eats five meals and consumes 8,000 calories daily to keep his weight and energy up.

5. The fighter regularly has 500 fans follow him on his morning runs in Los Angeles.

6. He starts every morning with a Bible reading.

7. Pacquiao loves Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups.

8. Over the past 12 months, he has met with President Obama, President Clinton and Prince Harry.

9. Pacman, his 9-year-old Jack Russell terrier and beloved companion, accompanies him on all his morning runs and to his workouts at Wild Card. He even has his own frequent flier account.

10. He is a lieutenant colonel in the reserve force of Philippine Army.

11. Floyd Mayweather will be the third consecutive undefeated world champion he has faced in the past 13 months.

12. He is a big photography buff. He recently purchased two Canon flagship cameras – the 1DX – complete with lenses and accessories.

Source: Swanson Communications

Saturday, May 2 9 p.m. Live on Pay-Per-View

CALENDAR

B2

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

JEH JOHNSON

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson will be the May 2 graduation speaker at Florida Memorial University.

The service is at 8:30 a.m. at the Clock Tower Pavilion.

Daytona Beach: Maze featuring Frankie Beverly will perform June 14 at The Peabody Auditorium.

Jacksonville: Florida Sen. Chris Smith will speak at Edward Waters College’s graduation on May 9 in the Adams-Jenkins Sports and Music Complex at 1 p.m.

WILL PACKER

A video shows Toya Graham beating up on her 16-year-old son.

Baltimore mom who slapped son on TV: ‘I don’t play’ FROM WIRE REPORTS

Baltimore mother Toya Graham became an unwitting symbol of the lengths a Black mother will go to protect her child on Monday when she was captured on TV slapping him and cursing at him for participating in the unrest.

The mother of six is being called “Mom of the Year’’ after a video of her smacking her son went viral. She was trying to stop him from engaging in the violent protest.

But she told CBS news on Wednesday that she’s Toya no hero.

Graham “I thought, ‘Oh my God. My pastor is going to have a fit,’” Graham, 42, said during an interview.

‘I just lost it’ Graham said she rushed out of a doctor’s appointment to the site of the riots where she saw her son with a group of youngsters throwing bricks at police officers.

FIGHT from B1

might depend on whether Pacquiao can revive the knockout punch that has deserted him in his last nine fights since he stopped Miguel Cotto in November, 2009.

“It depends on which Pacquiao comes into the ring,” Shaw said. “If it’s the real religious Pacquiao that comes in and doesn’t have the killer instinct he had years ago, I don’t think he has a chance. If he takes Mayweather into a street fight …”

Mayweather’s advantage recalled

how

BURRELL MECHANICAL

The singer performs May 15 at the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach.

Florida A&M University graduate and filmmaker Will Packer will be the 2 p.m. speaker at FAMU’s spring commencement on May 2 at the Alfred L. Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium, 1800 Wahnish Way. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will be the 9 a.m. speaker.

“To see my son come across the street with a rock in his hand, I think at that point I just lost it,” she said on CBS. “He gave me eye contact. And at that point, you know, not even thinking about cameras or anything like that. That’s my only son and at the end of the day I don’t want him to be a Freddie Gray,” added Graham, a single mother of six kids.

“I was shocked, I was angry because you never want to see your child out there doing that,” she said. “There’s some days that I’ll shield him in the house just so he won’t go outside and I know that I can’t do that for the rest of my life,” said Graham. “I’m a no-tolerant mother. Everybody that knows me, know I don’t play that.”

233 N. MICHIGAN AVE. SUITE 2900, CHICAGO, IL 60601, P:312-297-9600, F: 312-297-9601

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STOJ

Child of Florida is hosting an education forum on May 14 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public Library, 2067 E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Learn about adopting and being a foster care parent. RSVP at 813-985-7831 or lakay_fayson@ococfl.org or visit www. ococfl.org.

Daytona Beach: BethuneCookman University’s spring commencement takes place May 13 at the Ocean Center, 101 N. Atlantic Ave.

Fort Lauderdale: In honor of retired Broward County Library Director Samuel F. Morrison, there will be a permanent exhibit – an animatronic display of his likeness – on May 4 from noon to 6 p.m. at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center Museum/Gallery, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd.

Fort Lauderdale: On May 6 from 5 to 7 p.m., Alexandra Barbot will open her month-long art exhibit, “Black Empires and Kingdom of Haiti, W.I.” at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center.

Tampa: Darius Rucker’s Southern Style Tour takes place May 22 at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds and May 23 at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre at the South Florida Fairgrounds.

Tampa: One Church One

Boca Raton: The Legends

Tampa: Catch comedian and actor Chris Tucker on June 12 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

Miami: The Forever Charlie Tour takes place on June 19 at AmericanAirlines Arena and June 20 at Amalie Arena in Tampa. The show features Charlie Wilson, Joe and Kem. T:7”

of the Old School tour takes place at 7 p.m. May 29 at Mizner Park Amphitheater.

The show will feature Salt N Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Stevie B, Color Me Badd and 2 Live Crew.

Tampa: Candy Lowe hosts Tea & Conversation every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at 3911 N. 34th St., Suite B. More information: 813-3946363.

Gulfport: The A.C.T. Arts Conservatory will present a Soul Train ’70s Throwback Party Inaugural Gala at 7:30 p.m.

May 8 at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom. More information: 727-346.8223 or act1midtown@gmail.com.

Miami: The Haitian Compas Festival is May 16 at 4 p.m. at Sun Life Stadium.

Tampa: BlackintheBay.com and Pickett PR will present the third annual Derby Delight on May 2 from 3 to 7 p.m. at Waterfront Garden at Ulele, 1810 N. Highland Ave. More details: www.blackinthebay. com.

Sunrise: 99 Jamz presents Rick Ross and Jeezy on May 23 at the BB&T Center.

ARE YOU FEELING GAS HIKES AT THE PUMP? CLIENT

JOB NUMBER JOB DESCRIPTION FILE NAME DATE

AD COUNCIL ADCCO11001R9 LET’S MOVE MAGAZINE ADS ADCCO11001R9_m09v00.indd 2-25-2011 11:08 AM 0 1 Sean Devlin VARIOUS MAGAZINES None 7” x 4.875” None 100% 100%

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IS YOUR WALLET FEELING IT TOO? IMAGES 140788_Tuesday_flat.tif (CMYK; 621 ppi; 48.29%), Letsmove.gov.eps, adCouncil_ rev.eps, hhs_logo_rev.eps, usda.rev.eps COLORS CMYK

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Knew her son At the protest site, she zeroed in on the teen — who was wearing all black and a mask that covered most of his face — after recognizing his baggy sweatpants and locking eyes.

“It was something about those sweatpants he had on. And we made eye contact,” Graham said. “And at that point, you know, not even thinking about cameras or anything like that.”

Graham, who recently lost her job, said she had urged her son to go to school on Monday and to not participate in the riots.

She noted that she was trying to shield him and added that “a lot of his friends have been killed.”

Evander Holyfield told him before fighting Mike Tyson that he planned to bully the bully, counter one punch with two back. But saying that and doing that against Mayweather is two different things.

Klitschko won a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where Mayweather suffered his last loss in the semifinals to Bulgarian Serafim Todorov by a controversial 10-9 decision that left him with a bronze medal. “You have to give credit to him to be undefeated since 1996 in the Olympics,” Klitschko said.

“Maybe his fights are not as impressive as Pacquiao’s, but they’re effective. From a boxing standpoint, he has the physical

advantage and slight technical advantage as well.”

Chris Algieri, who was knocked down six times while losing a unanimous decision to Pacquiao last November, came away impressed. “He was not reckless,” Algieri said. “He was very smart in his attack.

What I realize is that his style is so much his own and so rehearsed and so experienced. There’s no change. He is Manny Pacquiao.”

That might be what makes Saturday’s fight so intriguing.

No matter who they are picking, most in boxing at least agree no one has a better chance of becoming the first to beat Mayweather than Pacquiao does.

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CLIENT

STOJ

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

B3 reported. The most common age to start using apps was 2, when 36 percent of the children tried them.

Likewise, 36 percent of the kids started playing video games when they were 2.

If the children enjoyed playing with the digital devices, the parents seemed to benefit too. Nearly twothirds of the parents said they handed over their mobile media gadgets to calm their children, and 29 percent said they used them to get their children to sleep.

Source of entertainment The devices also served to entertain children while their parents did chores around the house (according to 73 percent of the survey takers) and ran errands (60 percent of them said).

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children should avoid screens until they turn 2.

“A child’s brain develops rapidly during these first years, and young children learn best by interacting with people, not screens,” the academy says.

However, only 30 percent of the parents surveyed said they had discussed screen time and other media use with their pediatricians.

The results appeared to surprise the researchers from Philadelphia’s Einstein Medical Center, who conducted the survey in October and November 2014.

“We didn’t expect children are using the devices from the age of 6 months,” Dr. Hilda Kabali, a pediatrics resident who led the study, said in a statement.

“Some of the children were using the screen for as long as 30 minutes.”

The research was presented last week at a Pediatrics Academic Societies meeting in San Diego.

GARY REYES/BAY AREA NEWS GROUP/TNX

Juliana Sanchez, 5, and her brother, Francisco Sanchez Jr., 2, watch children’s programming on YouTube on their parent’s cell phones at their home on March 9 in Mountain House, Calif. When Google launched its YouTube Kids service, allowing parents to control what their children watch, it marked Silicon Valley’s biggest step in gaining a lucrative and an untapped children’s market.

Top apps The ranking of the top 25 apps by unique visitors Facebook YouTube Google Play Google Search Pandora Radio Google Maps Gmail Instagram Apple Maps Yahoo Stocks iTunes Radio/Cloud Facebook Messenger Yahoo Weather Widget Twitter The Weather Channel Google+ Netflix Snapchat Amazon Mobile Pinterest eBay Skype Shazam Yahoo Mail Kik Messenger

115,370 83,392 72,245 70,163 69,000 64,485 60,320 46,637 42,070 42,069 40,544 39,210 36,071 34,702 29,993 28,821 27,615 26,469 26,454 24,586 22,194 18,849 18,372 17,599 17,225

*As of June, 2014 Source: comscore.com Graphic: Staff, Tribune News Service

Survey shows average baby has used smartphone, tablet

BY KAREN KAPLAN LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Have you ever been befuddled by a feature on your iPhone, only to have your 6-year-old show you how it works? A new study helps explain how this happens.

Most children have been using smartphones and digital tablets practically since birth — literally.

Fully 36 percent of parents who answered a recent survey said their children had “touched or scrolled a screen” before they had celebrated their first birthday. An addition-

al 33 percent of parents said their kids had done so when they were 1 year old.

Only 2 percent of the parents surveyed said they had waited until their children were 4 to introduce them to the wonders of the touch-screen.

In case you were figuring that these children must have been born in the heart of Silicon Valley, think again.

The researchers said they conducted their survey of 370 families in a pediatric clinic that caters to “an urban, low-income, minority community” in Philadelphia.

Using apps at 2 In fact, 13 percent of the parents who took the survey had not finished high school. Still, 77 percent of them said they had a smartphone, 83 percent had a tablet and 59 percent had Internet access.

Many of the infants and toddlers may have been poking randomly at their digital screens, but at least some of them were doing something purposeful, according to the parents.

Fifteen percent of the children had used an app before they turned 1, and 24 percent had called someone, the researchers

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR BLACK STUDENTS. NO EXCUSES. The classic guide from Florida Courier publisher, lawyer and broadcaster CHARLES W. CHERRY II PRAISE FOR ‘EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE’: “This guide for African-American college-bound students is packed with practical and insightful information for achieving academic success...The primary focus here is to equip students with the savvy and networking skills to maneuver themselves through the academic maze of higher education.”

– Book review, School Library Journal • How low expectations of Black students’ achievements can get them higher grades; • Want a great grade? Prepare to cheat!

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www.excellencewithoutexcuse.com Download immediately as an eBook or a pdf Order softcover online, from Amazon, or your local bookstore ISBN#978-1-56385-500-9 Published by International Scholastic Press, LLC Contact Charles at ccherry2@gmail.com

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for info on speeches, workshops, seminars, book signings, panel discussions.

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CARLINE JEAN/SUN SENTINEL/TNS

Same-sex couples listen during a mass wedding ceremony at the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach.

Majority in United States believe businesses must serve gay patrons

BY ALI ELKIN BLOOMBERG NEWS/TNS

A majority of American voters say businesses should not be allowed to refuse services to gays and lesbians, even on the basis of religious beliefs, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday.

Coming a day before the Supreme Court heard marriage-equality arguments that could lead to nationwide legalization, the poll also found a majority of voters say same-sex marriage should be legal.

Asked about businesses’ right to refuse service, without mentioning religion, the poll found majorities of Democrats (88 percent) and Republicans (50 percent) in agreement that the practice should not be allowed. Overall, 69 percent of voters said they opposed it.

But when asked their view “if the business says homosexuality violates its owners’ religious beliefs,” the parties diverged. Fifty-six percent of Republicans said the business should be allowed to refuse service in that case.

Seventy-nine percent of Democrats, and 58 percent of voters overall, disagreed.

Rubio weighs in The question set off a firestorm in Indiana in March after Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed a religious-freedom law that critics said would allow discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Some defenders of such laws, including Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio from Florida, say there is a difference between refusing service on the basis of sexual orientation and refusing to take part in a same-sex wedding.

“I don’t believe you can discriminate against people,” Rubio told NPR in April. “So I don’t believe it’s right for a florist to say, I’m not going to provide you flowers because you’re gay. I think there’s a difference between not providing services to a person because of their identity, who they are or who they love, and saying, I’m not going to participate in an event, a same-sex wedding, because that violates my religious beliefs. There’s a distinction between those two things.”

Legalize it?

On the question of whether same-sex marriage should be legal, 58 percent of voters overall, and 74 percent of Democrats, said yes. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans disagreed.

The poll reached 1,353 people by phone from April 16-21. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.

HOME & GARDEN

B4

FROM FAMILY FEATURES

C

reating a perfect outdoor oasis — the first step toward a summer filled with carefree entertaining — requires careful planning for the entire space. While the arrival of spring is the perfect time to start thinking about landscape ele­ments, don’t overlook the finer details, such as the furniture and accessories, that truly bring an outdoor space to life.

Whether you’re looking to create a family-friendly space for entertaining, a serene poolside retreat or a secret garden that showcases your green thumb, begin by defining your vision.

Having a clear idea of how your finished space will look and feel will help you make the best decisions as you begin designing the retreat of your dreams.

Furniture that fits Although tastes and trends may change from one season to the next, selecting the right furniture pieces from the start will let you bring fresh new looks to your outdoor space in other ways.

Sectional seating is an attractive option because it allows you to redefine your space in minutes. Hosting a party? Strategically placed sectional seating can open up your space and encourage an evening of mingling.

Prefer a more intimate arrangement for poolside conversations or a date-night in? The sectional can be rearranged into a closer configuration.

Look for a versatile collection in neutral colors, such as Pier 1 Imports’ Echo Beach collection.

This sectional can be arranged in more than 20 different ways, allowing you to arrange and rearrange to your heart’s content.

To round out your furniture, consider the highly functional but often underrated garden

GIFTS OF SUMMER If summer finds you doing more party-going than party-throwing, show your gratitude by bringing along a little something that recognizes all the work that goes into hosting a perfect party.

• Think about items that can be used at the party, such as wine charms or a citronella candle with a lantern for a practical, yet fun gift.

stool. Place one in a quiet corner for meditative moments, pair them to create a one-of-a-kind coffee table, or pull one up when you need an extra seat. As an added bonus, when cooler weather returns, you can pull your garden stool indoors for a sweet reminder of summer.

Investing in the right pieces will save you time and money in the long run. When you’re ready for a new look, you can easily change the feel of your patio with acces­sories or a new brightly colored accent piece, such as a tiled bistro table or outdoor Papasan chair.

Accent your style Once your furniture is in place, you’ve got a blank slate to play with and most importantly, to accessorize! Accessorizing is where the decorating happens and your personal style shines through.

Add pillows, cushions, umbrellas, outdoor rugs and even outdoor curtains to your space, and what started as a dull patio will begin to transform into an extension of your home. To mix patterns like a pro, choose pillows and rugs in the same color family, vary the scale of your patterns and introduce textures to ensure that they don’t compete with each other.

Be sure to layer in treasures that are uniquely you — lanterns, wall decor, statues and windchimes — to establish a space bursting with personality.

Remember, small changes can make a big impact. Refresh last year’s patterns with the new trends, or simply add a few new accessories into your existing decor for a budget-friendly way to satisfy your urge to update.

Find more tips to transform your boring backyard into a refreshing retreat at www.pier1. com.

• Everyone loves a good party game. Pier 1 Imports’ Horseshoe Game or Ladder Ball & Bean Bag Game are great hostess gift options.

• If you’re attending a potluck, bring your famous dessert on a serving dish that you know the host will love and leave it behind so it can be enjoyed for parties to come.

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

SUMMER ENTERTAINING Once your beautiful outdoor space is complete, you’ll undoubtedly be eager to showcase your hard work. Make enter­taining a breeze with these tips from the experts at Pier 1 Imports:

Highlight your party’s main attraction — the food • If you’re hosting the whole family for a cookout, make memories during a sit-down meal around your outdoor dining table. Freshen up the meal with dinnerware that’s as eye-catching as it is durable. Easycare melamine and fresh-hued acrylic stemware pieces let your guests enjoy without fear of shat­tering glasses or the festive mood.

• A less conventional approach that is perfect for drinks and small bites — serving carts.

They bring action to the party, whether that’s on the patio, in the garden or poolside.

Create a one-of-a-kind tablescape • Combine your favorite accessories, such

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as handcrafted trays, detailed lanterns and a colorful bouquet, to create a cheerful centerpiece that instantly feels like summer.

• Give your party buffet a personal touch with an eclectic mix of your favorite serving dishes. Think multi-use beverage tubs, cheery cake stands and bold chip and dip trays.

Think about the light, both day and night • For a daytime pool party, protect guests from sunburn and the heat by investing in colorful umbrellas to provide a little shade — and the perfect place to sip a cold drink.

• When the sun sets, opt for a more romantic glow that lights up the night. Strategically placed lanterns in a variety of styles, shapes and colors will be the light of your party.

• For mood lighting at the touch of a button, Pier 1 Imports’ outdoor LED candles resemble their melted wax counter­parts but offer a bit of added magic. They’re compatible with a remote control (sold separately) that allows you to set a timer with automatic shut-off.

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MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

South Florida native Marissa Robinson is the eldest of five children and considers family and the love of God the first priority in her life. The model is a graduate of the University of Tampa and says her most important goal in life is to one day open an adult facility catering to the geriatric community.

submitted for your approval

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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.

marissa

Perrish Googins is a 2012 graduate of the University of South Carolina where he studied Information Management and Systems. While at USC, he participated in track and field, and was a cheerleader. He’s a personal trainer and coaches track, cheer, and song and dance. The actor/model enjoys playing the violin. His goals are to compete in the Olympics and to own a business.

Contact Perrish at www.facebook.com/ pharohgogg.

T I Photography by Phil.

perrish New BET shows for Brandy, Rowland

PHOTOS BY OLIVIER DOULERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

President Barack Obama speaks as his translator, played by Keegan-Michael Key, gestures at the White House Correspondent’s Association Gala at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C., on April 25.

President gets laughs, first lady turns heads at dinner

BY LYNETTE HOLLOWAY THE ROOT

President Obama may have gotten big laughs on April 25 at the 89th annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but first lady Michelle Obama stole the show in a shimmering silver gown and ringlets of curls.

The president dished out oneliners about everything from 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent media woes to his bromance with Joe Biden to climate deniers.

“For many Americans, this is still a time of deep uncertainty. I have one friend, just weeks ago, she was making millions of dollars a year, and she’s now living out of a van in Iowa,” he joked about Clinton’s campaign tour bus, fondly called the “Scooby Van” by the press.

‘Retro flavor’ Mocking his friendship with Biden, he said: “The fact is I feel more loose and relaxed than ever. Those Joe Biden shoulder massages are like magic.”

And to maintain his, um, diplomacy, while addressing climate deniers, he brought along a translator Luther, played by Keegan-Michael Key of comedic duo Key & Peele, to express his anger in a hilarious bit.

The first lady brought what People magazine described as a “retro flavor” to the event, which in 2009 became known as the Nerd Prom because the crowd is comprised of a bunch of politicians and journalists.

Known for her singular style, the first lady did not disappoint, donning a glittery silver Zac Posen gown, doorknocker earrings and ringlets of curls.

First lady Michelle Obama sparkles at the White House Correspondent’s Association Gala.

Singers Brandy Norwood and Kelly Rowland will be headlining two different shows on BET. Titled ‘Chasing Destiny,’ a new reality show will follow the former Destiny Child’s singer as she looks for the next hot female superstar group. She also was a judge on “The X Factor’’ music Brandy competition show.

Norwood Norwood will play a newly divorced single mother and fledgling cosmetics mogul who is attempting to get readjusted to life without her husband in a romantic comedy titled “Zoe Moon.’’

The star of “Moe- Kelly sha,’’ which aired on Rowland UPN from 1996 to 2001, most recently was Chardonnay in BET’s “The Game.’’

Lil Wayne’s tour bus shot at in Atlanta EURWEB.COM

Is somebody trying to send a message to the Lil Wayne camp?

That seemed to be the question following reports that Weezy’s bus was used for target practice around 3:30 a.m. April 26 after leaving a performance at Compound Nightclub in Atlanta. The shooting happened after Lil Wayne’s two tour buses pulled away from the venue. Fortunately no one was injured.

According to TMZ, witnesses on the buses didn’t see much — their only description of the suspects is that they were in two white vehicles … a sports car (possibly a Corvette) and an SUV. After the bus left the venue, it drove straight to a local hotel and the Lil police were called. Of- Wayne ficers are currently investigating the incident. No arrests have been made.

Besides Lil Wayne, several Young Money artists and executives were on the bus.

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FOOD

MAY 1 – MAY 7, 2015

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FROM FAMILY FEATURES

C

inco de Mayo is the perfect opportunity to indulge in Mexican-inspired dishes, dips and drinks. This year, put a tangy twist on your festive favorites with a refreshing new flavor.

Watermelon is a versatile fruit with a flavor profile that pairs perfectly with many of the ingredients in traditional Mexican dishes. Sweet and juicy watermelon is a great way to cut the heat of spicier foods, and its texture lends an unex­pected, satisfying crunch in dips such as chunky salsas.

Whether you’re hosting a Cinco de Mayo themed party or simply looking forward to an inspired meal at home, get an early jump on summer and let watermelon be your star ingredient.

For more recipes featuring low-calorie, no-fat watermelon, visit www.watermelon.org.

BAJA FISH TACOS WITH WATERMELON GUACAMOLE Servings: 12–16 tacos 2 medium avocados, peeled and chopped 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 teaspoons diced jalapeno pepper (or to taste) 1/3 cup chopped cilantro 2 medium garlic cloves, minced 1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies, drained 2 1/2 cups diced watermelon, divided Salt, to taste Cooking spray 1 1/2 pounds cod Chili powder 12–16 corn tortillas 3–4 cups commercial coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) 1/2–1 cup commercial salsa For guacamole, mash avocados to mix of smooth and chunky in medium bowl. Add lime, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic and chilies and mix thoroughly. Add 1 1/2 cups diced watermelon and salt (if desired) and toss. Cover and refrigerate to let flavors blend.

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Place cod on sheet and sprinkle with chili powder and salt.

Bake for 12–20 minutes (depending on thickness of fish) or until cooked through. Remove from oven and cut into pieces.

Heat tortillas on grill or griddle. Top each with few pieces of fish, 1/4 cup coleslaw mix, heaping spoonful of guacamole, tablespoon of salsa and few pieces of remaining diced watermelon.

WATERMELON MARGARITA Servings: 1 1 1/2 ounces tequila 3/4 ounce Triple Sec 3/4 ounce Midori 2 ounces sour mix 6 ounces cubed, seeded watermelon 8 ounces ice Blend all ingredients. Serve in 14-ounce glass. Garnish with lime and watermelon wedge.

WATERMELON CILANTRO SALSA TROPICAL Servings: 8–12 2 cups chopped seedless watermelon 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple 1 cup chopped fresh mango 4 limes (juice only) 1 cup trimmed and chopped scallions 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro Salt and pepper, to taste Toss all ingredients in mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper just before serving.

FIESTA-WORTHY FACTS Impress guests at your Cinco de Mayo celebration with these mouthwatering morsels: • Although about 200–300 varieties of watermelon are grown in the United States and Mexico, there are about 50 varieties that are most popular.

• The five best-known types of watermelon include: seeded, seedless, mini, yellow and orange.

• Watermelon is the most-consumed melon in the United States, followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.

• Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.

• Watermelon is 92 percent water, which makes it a good option for hydrating your body.

SOUTHWEST SALSA BOWL Materials: 1 round, seedless watermelon Dry erase marker Utility knife or carving knife Ice cream scoop or other large spoon Fire and Ice Salsa Chips, jalapenos, cilantro and lime, for garnish 1.Choose round seedless watermelon.

2.Wash watermelon and pat dry.

3.Use dry erase marker to trace design around middle of watermelon.

4.Use utility knife to carve design (copy design in photo).

5.Split watermelon in half, and use scoop to carve out flesh.

6.Choose flat area of rind on other watermelon half to trace and carve out lizard design (copy from image in photo).

7.Fill bowl with salsa.

8.Garnish with lizard, chips, jalapenos, cilantro and lime.

FIRE AND ICE SALSA Servings: 3 cups 3 cups seeded and chopped watermelon 1/2 cup green peppers 2 tablespoons lime juice 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon green onion 1–2 tablespoons jalapeno peppers Combine ingredients; mix well and cover. Refrigerate 1 hour or more.