Florida Courier - May 22, 2015

FC

EE FR

PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BEACH, FL PERMIT #189

www.flcourier.com

READ US ONLINE

Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/ flcourier

Remembering B.B. King See Page B1

Follow us on Twitter@flcourier

VOLUME 23 NO. 21

www.flcourier.com

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

WHERE ARE THE BLACK COPS? In cities statewide, there are relatively few African-American police officers on duty anywhere. Experts say that scarcity contributes to racial tensions and higher incarceration.

BY JOHN LANTIGUA FLORIDA CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

The majority of Florida police departments have significantly lower percentages of Blacks in their law enforcement ranks than they have Blacks in the populations they protect and serve.

In some cities, the percentages of Black citizens are two to three times the percentages of Black officers patrolling the streets – a disparity that experts say contributes to racial tensions, increases the risk of excessive uses of force, and JOHN VAN BEEKUM/FCIR drains taxpayer dollars due to unnecessary arrests and incarceraMajor Delrish Moss, left, visits with Tim and Annie Bostic at tions. their booth at the Jackson Soul Food restaurant in the Overtown Police officials in Florida say section of Miami. Moss is in charge of the Miami Police Depart- they are trying to recruit additionment’s Community Relations Section. al Black officers to mirror the de-

Justice Department begins probe Feds to investigate inmate’s death

back and killed by a White officer on April 7, the city is 47 percent Black, while the police force is 80 percent White. In both cities, Black residents had long complained of what they consider harassment by White officers.

Freddie Gray’s death after his April 12 arrest by Baltimore police prompted several days of rioting.

Six police officers were charged: three White, three Black. BaltiNational issue more’s force is 46 percent White, The fatal shooting of Michael while the city’s population is 28 Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in Au- percent White. gust 2014 shined a national spotlight on the issue: The population Large gaps of Ferguson was 67 percent Black, The Florida Center for Investibut 50 of 53 police officers there gative Reporting obtained 2015 were White. officer demographic data providIn North Charleston, S.C., ed by police departments statewhere a fleeing Walter Scott See COPS, Page A2 was shot multiple times in the mographics of their communities – a mantra in law enforcement these days. The latest data and interviews with police administrators statewide indicate those efforts are falling short.

“I am failing miserably,” says Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood. He speaks for himself, but he might as well be referring to most of the state.

EL HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ / MAY 19, 1925 – FEB. 21, 1965

Happy birthday to our ‘Black shining prince’

BY JULIE K. BROWN MIAMI HERALD / TNS

MIAMI – The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has begun an investigation into the death of Darren Rainey, the 50-year-old inmate who was locked in a shower that had been converted into a scalding torture chamber at Florida’s Dade Correctional Institution.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida are also questioning witnesses in connection with alleged atrocities in the prison’s mental health ward, including a practice of starving inmates so severely that they would snap off sprinkler heads, flooding their cells and violating fire codes, so they would be arrested and sent to the county jail, where they would be fed.

Rainey’s death nearly three years ago, along with subsequent stories about rampant inmate abuse as well as a record number of deaths in Florida’s prisons, has spawned demands for an overhaul of the Florida Department of Corrections.

The agency’s inspector general, Jeffery Beasley, has been accused of trying to whitewash suspicious deaths, medical neglect cases and corruption. He himself is the subject of a state investigation after four of his subordinates stated under oath this year that he asked See PROBE, Page A2

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Black activist Malcolm X, seen here with a portrait of his mentor Elijah Muhammad, would have celebrated his 90th birthday on Wednesday, May 19, had he lived. Assassins murdered him in 1965.

See a related No Chaser column on Page A4.

SNAPSHOTS NATION | A3

How life of mom who publicly slapped son has changed FLORIDA | B4

Event to honor diabetic who died in police custody FLORIDA | B2

Edward Waters recruiting boys for summer program

ALSO INSIDE

Study cites sharp rise in suicide by Black children COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

For the first time, a national scientific study has found a higher suicide rate for Blacks than for Whites of any age group.

Suicide rates are almost always lower among Blacks than among Whites of any age.

The study, published in medical journal JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, and summarized in a New York Times article on Tues-

day, found that the suicide rate increased sharply among Black children – to 2.54 from 1.36 per one million children. The rate for White children fell to 0.77 per million from 1.14.

Suicide among children ages 5 to 11 is rare. Researchers blended multiple years of data to get reliable results. The findings, measuring the years 1993 to 2012, were so unexpected that researchers waited for an addi-

tional year of data to check them.

The trend did not change.

Researchers used national data based on death certificates that listed suicide as the underlying cause. The study’s authors offered some explanations: • Black children are more likely to be exposed to violence and traumatic stress; • Black children are more likely to experience an early onset of puberty, which can increase the risk of depression and impulsive aggression.

• Lower suicide rates for Blacks has often been attributed to strong social networks and family support, religious faith and other cultural factors. The

study didn’t determine whether a change in these factors were the cause of the increase.

“Findings highlight a potential racial disparity that warrants attention. Further studies are needed to monitor these emerging trends and identify risk, protective, and precipitating factors relevant to suicide prevention efforts in children younger than 12 years,” the study concluded.

To review the full study, log on to http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article. aspx?articleid=2293169.

Information from the New York Times was used to prepare this report.

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: MARGARET KIMBERLEY: WHEN A BLACK MAYOR KILLED BLACK PEOPLE | A4

A2

FOCUS

PROBE from A1

them to sideline cases that would give the agency “a black eye.’’

Rampant abuses For more than a year, the Miami Herald has investigated claims, interviewed witnesses and reviewed hundreds of records from current and former inmates and staff at Dade Correctional, located on the edge of the Everglades south of Homestead. Alleged abuses included sexual assaults by officers against inmates, racially motivated beatings and the withholding of food from inmates in one wing of the mental health ward.

Inmates nicknamed a group of guards “the Diet Shift’’ because members routinely gave certain inmates empty food trays.

Prisoners interviewed by the Herald described pervasive physical and mental abuse by officers, who threatened them with further abuse if they filed complaints.

Inmates also reported that guards would shut off their water and take away their toilet paper so they had no means to clean themselves.

FLORIDA COURIER FILES

Darren Rainey was forced into a scalding hot shower at the Dade Correctional Institution in June 2012 and was allegedly left there for two hours. He was literally cooked to death.

Dead inmate ‘unavailable’ One inmate, Richard Mair, committed suicide in September 2013 by hanging, leaving a note filled with detailed stories of alleged corruption and assaults by officers. Five days before his death, the inmate, who had been serving a life sentence, sent a letter to Florida Gov. Rick Scott and his chief inspector general, Melinda Miguel, that contained ma-

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015 ny of the same allegations.

Miguel’s office forwarded it to Beasley, who assigned an inspector to investigate, records show.

But in a single-page report submitted to Miguel one month after Mair’s suicide, the investigator determined that the issues Mair raised had no merit, that he failed to identify witnesses and that he was, in any event, “unavailable for a follow-up interview’’ – because, the report noted, he was dead.

‘Pattern and practice’ investigation Justice Department officials, in a letter to the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, acknowledged the federal investigation and said they were also examining whether prison officials abused their positions of authority and whether there was a pattern and practice of civil rights violations in the prison.

Harriet Krzykowski, a former counselor at the prison, said she suspected corrections officers were starving and abusing inmates. She said officers told her that if she didn’t keep quiet, she might find herself alone in a dorm full of violent inmates with no officers to protect her. She said corrections officers

described to her how they would fabricate reports to make it appear that inmates who were beaten or abused had instigated the trouble.

“I would have conversations with officers and I would tell them you don’t have to be disrespectful or nasty, and they would say, ‘Oh yeah, they are a piece of garbage. Do you know what their crime is?’” said Kryzykowski, who has a degree in psychology and now counsels abused children in another state.

Severe mentally illness

Media investigation

Rainey, who was sentenced to a two-year term for cocaine possession, suffered from severe schizophrenia and had been in prison for four months when, on June 25, 2012, he was locked in a shower chamber specially rigged to deliver 180-degree water through a hose from a neighboring janitorial closet. Although inmates could avoid the stream, the blistering water would lap at their feet and fill the enclosed chamber with steam, making the air difficult to breathe.

Rainey was placed in the shower after defecating in his cell and refusing to clean it up. Prisoners said corrections Officers Cornelius Thompson and

Finally, last year, Harold Hempstead, a convicted burglar, contacted the Miami Herald, and the newspaper began gathering records to support his story.

Hempstead kept journals, now in the hands of investigators, detailing the abuse of inmates at Dade Correctional, including two inmates who weren’t fed and later died and several who were placed in the scalding shower before Rainey but survived. Hempstead said he heard Rainey’s dying screams and the inmate’s lifeless body was carried directly past his cell.

Corrections officers ordered one inmate to clean up the shower, including chunks of Rainey’s skin that had separated

COPS

their street forces. Recruiters say the recent deaths of Black men at police hands in various states will only make that challenge more difficult.

But Lia Gaines, president of the West Palm Beach NAACP, says Floridians cannot allow what has happened elsewhere to be used as an excuse for not recruiting more Blacks into Florida policing.

“It’s not about what happened anywhere else,” says Gaines. “It is about the relationships between police and minority communities right here in Florida. Those relationships have to improve. The behavior of the police in those communities has to change.”

from A1

wide to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

FCIR then compared that data with the 2013 U.S. Census, the most recent available. The analysis includes only sworn officers who work the streets, not corrections personnel or other police employees.

Racial disparities exist in police departments throughout Florida. In Fort Lauderdale, the population is 31.4 percent Black, while only 13.6 percent of police officers are Black. In Daytona Beach, the gap between the Black population and Black street officers is 34.8 percent to 14.4 percent.

The Fort Myers numbers are 31.2 percent to 13.4 percent.

The gaps in Gainesville (22.4 percent to 15.6 percent), Orlando (28.6 percent to 16.1 percent), St. Petersburg (24.4 percent to 14.3 percent) and Tallahassee (35.3 percent to 15 percent) further underscore the problem.

In some smaller cities, the disparity is even greater. Boynton Beach is 31.5 percent Black, yet only 9.9 percent of its street force is Black. Fort Pierce is 40.9 percent Black, and its police ranks are 16.4 percent Black.

In suburban Broward County, Sunrise has a Black community that accounts for 33.1 percent of the population, which is being served by a police force that is 8.8 percent Black, while Lauderhill is 79.3 percent Black with a police force whose Black street officers make up only 31.2 percent.

Some exceptions exist, but they are generally more affluent cities with very small Black populations, such as Boca Raton, Coral Gables and Miami Beach. Those three cities have higher percentages of Black police on the streets than Black residents.

Among larger Florida cities, Miami is the only one with a force that represents the population, which is the result of a 1977 “consent decree” with the U.S. Department of Justice that mandated the integration of the police department there.

In some Florida counties, sheriff’s offices oversee significant segments of the populations. Jacksonville, for example, is policed by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office due to government consolidation with Duval County.

In general, Florida sheriffs also report low numbers of Black law enforcement deputies. But sheriffs tend to employ a high-

Roland Clarke and others on the shift that night ridiculed Rainey as he kicked the locked door and begged to be let out. They left him there for between an hour and a half and two hours, according to various staff reports. At some point he collapsed, falling faceup onto the drain.

Afterward, inmates wrote letters to the governor, the prison system’s inspector general, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and MiamiDade police, but nothing was done.

Representative policing JOHN LANTIGUA/FCIR

Miami Police Officer Reynold Philippe (right) on patrol in Liberty City. er number of deputies who are certified for both law enforcement and corrections duties, and since the FDLE does not track how many of those deputies are working the street and how many are assigned to jail duties, FCIR did not include them in this analysis.

A legacy of segregation Frederick Shenkman, a University of Florida criminologist, says the effects of the country’s troubled racial history linger in Florida, as they do in law enforcement staffing in many parts of the United States.

“Up until the 1960s, most Florida agencies were segregated,” he said. “If there were Black officers on a force, they worked only in Black areas and could arrest only Black people.”

Those days are gone. Today, Black community activists say they see more White officers on their streets than Black officers.

And those officers often exercise an intense enforcement style – known as “broken windows” policing.

Neighborhoods designated as high-crime areas are targeted and local residents – the majority of whom are not criminals – are stopped for even the smallest of infractions: vehicle windows tinted a shade too dark, rolling stops at intersections, panhandling, loitering on a street corner.

Strict enforcement The rationale is that if police crack down on the small stuff, the problem criminals will head for cover. Police say that strategy has lowered serious crime, but community leaders say the concentrated focus

on their neighborhoods amounts to racial profiling.

“We’ve had people arrested for sitting on the sidewalk,” says Cynthia Slater of Daytona Beach, president of the Volusia County NAACP. “What’s that about? People see it as harassment. They don’t do this in White neighborhoods.”

Another example: A Tampa Bay Times investigation in April revealed that 79 percent of tickets for bicycle offenses in that city are given to Blacks, while Blacks make up only 27.5 percent of the population.

Tampa street cops are 13.7 percent Black.

Such stops for minor infractions often lead to searches, and sometimes to charges that are more serious. A 2013 American Civil Liberties Union study found that nationwide Blacks are arrested for possession of marijuana at 3.8 times more per capita than Whites, even though the two races use marijuana at about the same rate.

In Florida, it was 4.2 times.

Community leaders say many of those arrests follow questionable stops – again, stops that are less likely to happen in White enclaves.

Few applicants Historically, a drug conviction disqualified a person from a law enforcement career. Today, some offenders can avoid a conviction through court diversion programs. And many departments say even with a conviction, if a young person stays clean for several years after an arrest and passes written, psychological and polygraph tests, he or she can still be a cop. But Black leaders say the intense police scruti-

ny of their neighborhoods makes that path much more difficult and contributes to the low number applying for police jobs.

“I’ve never heard of a person who had a marijuana charge ever being hired by police around here,” says Slater of Daytona Beach.

What has developed is a sense, especially among young Blacks, that law enforcement is a White institution designed to oppress Blacks. Daytona Beach Police Chief Chitwood defends his officers, but says he understands that tensions are heightened in Black neighborhoods when White officers are the ones carrying badges and guns.

“If an African-American officer tells someone there that they need to stop doing something, it is more likely to resonate,” he says.

“A White officer does that and it is construed, ‘He’s telling me this because I’m Black.’ ” Major Delrish Moss of the Miami Police Department, a Black officer, says a predominantly White police presence in Black neighborhoods is seen as “an occupying force that comes from the outside.”

“You’re trying to recruit African-Americans, but they look at the way law enforcement works in their neighborhoods and say, ‘Why would I want to be part of that?’” says Moss.

Recruitment efforts All of the police departments contacted by FCIR said they are recruiting officers at Black colleges, military bases and Black churches, as well as running police cadet programs for kids.

But most of these efforts haven’t made a dent in the racial demographics of

Advocates for more Black police say saving money starts at the neighborhood level with officers who lower tensions, reduce crime and solve problems without adding to costs.

Moss says the fact that his department has attracted a large number of Black officers – the population of Miami is 19.8 percent Black and 28.9 of city law enforcement officers are Black – allows for more community policing. He recalls being an officer in the blighted Overtown neighborhood and dealing with local people who got in trouble.

“But I had grown up there and I knew those people,” he says. “I knew this one guy had started acting up after he lost his job, so I reached out to someone and helped him get a new job. If a kid was doing what he shouldn’t, I went to his mom and she exacted justice. I didn’t have to arrest those people and the taxpayer didn’t have to pay for it.”

Of course, some people had to be jailed. He recalls a local teenager, Willie Bonner Jr., who was involved in a murder and went into hiding.

“I called his mother and told her as a fugitive from justice he was risking getting killed. I told her to bring him down here and she did,” Moss says. Bonner went to prison, and no police officer was injured trying to capture him. “Relationships in the community make you very effective,” Moss added.

Never-ending arrests Gaines of the NAACP says the current racial imbalance makes law enforcement inefficient in Black communities.

“The police are constantly arresting people for possession of marijuana, but you almost never hear of the suppliers of the mari-

from his body, according to the inmate, Mark Joiner. He placed them in a shoe, which was eventually tossed in the trash.

In an interview with the Herald last year, Joiner said he, too, heard Rainey screaming as steam filled the chamber that night and also heard the guards taunting Rainey, asking “How do you like your shower?”

It wasn’t until after the Herald published the story that the case was revived

by Miami-Dade police, which recently finished its investigation and turned over findings to State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.

Lawsuit filed Although the Dade Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to release an autopsy, a lawsuit filed in November by Rainey’s family said he was burned over 90 percent of his body.

The federal civil rights suit filed by Rainey’s family alleges that the Department of Corrections and Corizon, the company responsible for the prison’s health care at the time of Rainey’s death, not only knew inmates with mental illnesses were being abused in the prison, but allowed staffers to cover up the abuse. juana to those neighborhoods being arrested, because police they send in there can’t get that kind of information,” she says.

“They arrest and arrest people, and it never ends. It makes no sense.”

Officer Reynold Philippe, 45, a Haitian-American with the Miami Police Department, was raised in Miami’s largely Black north end. Today, he patrols that area and spends his days wading into crime scenes and neighborhood disputes among people he has been around all his life. He works with a large smile and wraps his arm around the shoulders of people he is trying to calm.

“I don’t bust people for minor stuff,” he says. “I talk to them, but I don’t bust them. Those same people will help me when something serious happens. They won’t talk to me where people can see them, but they give me a nod and later they call me and tell me what I need to know.”

Philippe spends the workweek in Miami and his off days in a St. Lucie County community, where he owns a house.

“I’ve never told any of the police up there that I am an officer,” he says. “I watch how they operate. There are almost no Black police up there, but lots of Black people. They don’t do community policing. They aren’t friendly. They don’t mix with the community.

Some don’t let people even stand next to them, and of course, the people don’t help them with anything.”

Collaborative effort Moss thinks the Justice Department could use “consent decrees,” as it did in Miami, to diversify other Florida departments.

But he also believes Black civic organizations such as the NAACP and the Urban League, as well as Black churches, should do more to encourage youth to enter policing. He says those groups also need to be at the table with police chiefs when recruitment is being implemented.

“Those police departments say they are trying to recruit more Blacks, but who do they have sitting at the table with them?” Moss asks. “It will take some doing, but I’m convinced there are idealistic young Black people out there who can help bring change.”

The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting is a nonprofit news organization supported by foundations and individual contributions. For more information, visit fcir.org.

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

NATION

A3

‘Hero mom’ shares story of struggle, survival Baltimore mother’s berating of son in public yields job offers, scholarship fund, chats with celebs

BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV BALTIMORE SUN/TNS

Weeks ago, Toya Graham was a recently unemployed single mother of six and grandmother of one struggling to scrape by in West Baltimore.

Today, she’s the beneficiary of a growing GoFundMe page, and a scholarship fund has been established for her 16-year-old son.

She’s fielding job offers, she said, from BET, Under Armour and St. Joseph’s Hospital.

“I told them all yes,” she said. “I know I can’t work all of those jobs. But, I didn’t want to seem ungrateful.”

Graham’s newfound opportunities are the result of one indelible moment: She confronted her son with a barrage of slaps — just as he was poised to throw rocks at police officers by Mondawmin Mall. Captured on video, it was one of the unforgettable scenes from the unrest related to Freddie Gray, the 25-yearold man who died as a result of injuries sustained while in police custody.

Lots of fame The clip catapulted her to overnight fame, with whirlwind appearances on almost every major news network and on shows such as “The View.” She even received a call of support from Oprah Winfrey.

The change in fortune brings her to tears.

“It’s really overwhelming,” she said, sitting in a couch in her living room, where framed pictures of her family and religious scripture adorn a glass table atop paneled wood floors. “When you have struggled for so long, you don’t know where your next meal is coming from.

It means a lot. … I’m grateful that they heard me say I was struggling.”

But prior to April 27, Graham’s experiences were not atypical for West Baltimore: going to church, getting by, raising her children in a neighborhood that can echo with gunshots. While one daughter aspires to be in uniform, her son resents the police; Graham fears his story ending the same way as Trayvon Martin or Freddie Gray.

Lost caregiver job After moving her family from Park Heights to a larger rowhouse in West Baltimore, the 42-year-old health care worker injured her back on the job; she eventually lost her position as a caregiver. She made ends meet with the help of her significant other and an older daughter. Graham also enlisted the help of social services.

To compound matters, Graham said, past legal trouble kept her from getting new employment.

“If you have any criminal background it is hard to find work,” she said. A court records search showed Graham was charged with second-degree assault in 2002, but the case was dismissed.

The number of people seeking work who have such records in their background is so widespread in Baltimore that last year the City Council passed “Ban the Box” legislation that would force employers to wait until they have extended a conditional job offer before checking an applicant’s criminal history.

Woman of faith Even while Graham struggled, she never lost sight of her faith and her family. The youngest of five, she was raised by her parents in a close-knit family in Park Heights.

“Growing up in Baltimore, everyone had a mother and father in the household. Parents were strict. I had to do chores, go to school. We respected elders,” she said.

She was devastated when her mother died in 1996. “It was hard for me,” she said. Her voice lowers to almost a whisper as she describes family gatherings at the gravesite. “We go up there with blankets and talk to her,” she said.

Graham has a “strong connection with the church,” she said. She has served as an usher in Berean Baptist Church, where she has been a member for years, she said. Her daughters have been part of the dance ministry.

Not keen on labels Perhaps it is Graham’s stern background that comes through in the video that shows her hitting and pushing her son while yelling and cursing at him.

The images stirred sharp emotions, drawing praise for Graham as “Mother of the Year,” as well as condemnation for her violence against a child. There were cheers of approval, then a backlash, then a backlash

KIM HAIRSTON/BALTIMORE SUN/TNS

Tierra Brown, from left, and Tyiesha Graham listen as their mother Toya Graham talks on April 27 in Baltimore. to the backlash.

Graham said she doesn’t want any labels. She just wants to keep her children safe.

“I know I’m not alone out there,” she said. “It’s just that the cameras caught me on TV that day.

I was trying to get my son out of a bad situation.”

Praise from loved ones Graham stands 5 feet 2 inches tall. She’s always been called “shorty,” but her presence is commanding. On the day of the interview, she wore a sparkly “Boss” necklace that accented her black dress.

The way she has handled attention since the video makes her oldest daughter, Tericka Tate, proud.

“People are recognizing what she’s done for me in my 24 years of living,” Tate said. “She’s done the best she could.”

Graham’s father, Robert, echoes the praise.

“She adopted what I was teaching,” the 68-year-old said. “To me, she was raising them in the order I tried to raise them.”

Robert Graham lives in Westport and works laying tile and marble. He does not view what his daughter did as wrong or abusive.

“I was proud of her for catching him from get-

ting into trouble,” he said.

“Those were the things I would do to them growing up. I would go to school to check on them.”

Didn’t know Freddie Gray For more than a year, Graham said, she has watched narratives in the deaths of unarmed Black youths unfold on television. Her heart ached for the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and Michael Brown.

“It petrifies me to see the different cases on national television,” said Graham, who follows current events closely. “They want answers as to why they don’t have their son.”

Graham didn’t want to become one of those mothers. So when she spotted her son, Michael Singleton, with a rock in hand ready to throw it at police, she jumped into action.

“I wanted to get my son and have him be safe,” she said. “I knew that whole thing was not safe.”

Although she had never known Gray or heard of him before his death, she attended his viewing.

“I was one of those mothers who couldn’t imagine being in that same situation,” she said. “I don’t know him, the mother or no one in the family. But as

a mother I thought I should pay my respect.”

‘We were fed up’ Despite the harsh realities of Baltimore, she remains unwavering in her loyalty to her city. Graham lives in a red-brick rowhouse surrounded by boarded-up homes in the Edmondson/Poplar Grove neighborhood. The issues that converged in the Gray case are what she sees “on a daily basis.”

Of the protests, she said, “People just need to understand that we were fed up.”

Shootings are a regular occurrence here, according to Graham. Nearby gunshots disrupted a recent evening.

“Last night, when my daughter was doing my hair, I heard gunshots so I pushed her to the ground,” she recalled. “You don’t know where it is going to wind up.”

Since the video, Graham has been even more protective.

“He hasn’t really been out of my sight since this incident,” she said. “It’s best to keep him with me.

Everybody who knows me, knows I always have my children with me. I like to know they are OK.”

No teasing son Life for Michael, a stu-

dent at Excel Academy at Frances M. Wood High School in Baltimore, has been shifting back to normal since the video aired in late April.

Graham said classmates haven’t teased him about the video, which has garnered more than 8 million views on YouTube alone.

In fact, they have reacted with admiration.

“They’ve said: ‘Michael, you are lucky you had a mom like that. She came out there to get you,’” said Graham, who declined to allow her son to be interviewed by The Sun. In addition to drawing high-profile names and more than $12,000 in donations on GoFundMe, the video has helped Graham connect to several local employers, including St. Joseph’s Hospital in Towson.

She has gone to New York for appearances on shows such as “The View” and “CBS This Morning.”

Graham said, she has been deeply touched by the outpouring of support and praise.

“I don’t feel that I am a hero mom,” she said. “It’s just me and my children.

To see my son in that same predicament, I had to get out there and do something. I see myself as a regular mom who had to get out there to protect my child.”

Freddie Gray among many suspects with no medical care from police

BY MARK PUENTE AND MEREDITH COHN THE BALTIMORE SUN/TNS

When Baltimore State’s Attorney Maryliyn Mosby charged six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, she said they had ignored Gray’s pleas for medical care during his arrest and a 45-minute transport van ride.

Records obtained by The Baltimore Sun show that city police often disregard or are oblivious to injuries and illnesses among people they apprehend — in fact, such cases occur by the thousands.

From June 2012 through April 2015, correctional officers at the Baltimore City D e t e nt i o n Center have refused to admit nearly 2,600 deFreddie tainees who Gray were in police custody, according to state records obtained through a Maryland Public Information Act request.

In those records, intake officers in Central Booking

noted a wide variety of injuries, including fractured bones, facial trauma and hypertension. Of the detainees denied entry, 123 had visible head injuries, the third most common medical problem cited by jail officials, records show.

The jail records redacted the names of detainees, but a Sun investigation found similar problems among Baltimore residents and others who have made allegations of police brutality.

Officers don’t care Salahudeen Abdul-Aziz, who was awarded $170,000 by a jury in 2011, testified that he was arrested and transported to the Western District after being beaten by police and left with a broken nose, facial fracture and other injuries. Hours later, he went to Central Booking and then to Bon Secours Hospital, according to court records.

Abdul-Aziz recently said that jailers at Central Booking “wouldn’t let me in the door as soon as they saw my face. … I thought I was gonna die that day. Freddie Gray wasn’t so lucky.”

Some critics say the data from the state-run jail

KARL MERTON FERRON/BALTIMORE SUN/TNS

A Baltimore Police transfer van pulls into the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center on May 7. show that city officers don’t care about the condition of detainees.

“It goes to demonstrate the callous indifference the officers show when they are involved with the public,” said attorney A. Dwight Pettit, who has sued dozens of city officers in the past 40 years. “Why would they render medical care when they rendered many of the

injuries on the people?”

Lack of training Criminologists and law enforcement experts say Gray’s death shows that police lack adequate training to detect injuries. Many suspects fake injuries in an effort to avoid a jail cell, they add.

“The curriculum has

been generally the same for the past 20-30 years at the [police] academy,” said Hamin Shabazz, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Stevenson University and a former police officer in Camden, N.J. He served on the panel that reviewed the death of Tyrone West, who died from a heart condition made worse by a struggle

with officers during a traffic stop amid summer heat in 2012.

Officers, Shabazz said, “do get some in-service training, but what happens is training is usually reactive, after something has happened.”

The Sun’s examination of more than 100 lawsuits against officers — in which the city paid more than $6 million in court judgments and settlements — found that dozens of residents accused police of inflicting severe injuries during questionable arrests and disregarding appeals for medical attention.

Such problems have damaged relations between police and residents, according to officials and community leaders.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has announced a broad civil rights investigation into the police department, a move designed to address the “serious erosion of public trust.”

Baltimore police did not respond to several requests for comment.

Baltimore Sun newsroom data developer Patrick Maynard contributed to this article.

EDITORIAL

A4

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

White eyes and Black lives I love my Black friends, I love my non-Black friends and I love my neighbors. But most people just don’t get it!

It amazes me how many folk are so quick to judge others using their own criteria. Why is it that I know that individual people are treated in different ways, but some believe everyone and everything is the same?

Every day I hear someone say or see where someone wrote, “The kid was shot because he was a criminal,” or “They burn down their own neighborhoods!” They say, “They can’t get a job because they’re lazy,” or “They can’t figure it out because they are dumb!”

The truth is that it is easy for non-Blacks to criticize Black people and Black life. But the critics can’t go to sleep and dream about living the life that most Black peo-

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

ple have to live!

In a capitalist country, it’s all about the money. I’ve seen a White person go into a bank and get a million-dollar loan with only his signature. I’ve seen a Black man with over $100,000 in his bank account go into the very same bank and get turned down for trying to get a $30,000 loan.

Trailer trash living in the worst trailer park in town can walk into a bank and get a mortgage loan for a site-built home purchase.

But a Black man living in a middle-or upper-class neighborhood

can’t get a loan to renovate or add a room to his house.

What upsets me the most is how non-Blacks in big-money businesses like stock trading, asset management, commodity trading or international finance can’t understand how “Bruce” or “Amy” can transfer millions and billions of dollars in 48 hours, and it could take a Black person 48 days to do the same type transaction.

Whether you are for real or not, if you tell your banker that you will be receiving million dollar MTs, SWIFTs or other large money transfers, your banker won’t believe you.

Not even your friends and family that know you best will believe you if you say you will be getting million-dollar commissions on billion-dollar trading platform investments.

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: OBAMA’S TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

You won’t be believed because you’re Black! The belief is that there are certain financial limits that are impossible for Black people to reach or enjoy!

The biggest financial obstacle that Blacks have trouble explaining and non-Blacks have difficulty in seeing are the political and law enforcement roadblocks and setbacks.

Blacks in high finance are scrutinized far more than everyone else. Everybody gets background checked and due diligence inquiries when dealing with very large sums of money, but Blacks get far more negative depictions when they are investigated.

Not all Blacks get money from conflict gems or conflict minerals. Every Black person is not a terrorist. And most Blacks in high finance areas are not embezzlers, con men, drug dealers or thieves!

So, when money is held up by America’s PATRIOT Act or by similar laws and acts in other countries, it is not unusual to Black

‘Hypnotic response’

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 257 El-Hajj Malik el Shabazz – Malcolm X would have been 90 this week. I have four Black activist role models – Malcolm (Black people will bring our rights into existence “by any means necessary”); MLK (We must shift from a “thing-oriented” to a “personoriented” society, among other quotes); Frederick Douglass (“power concedes nothing without a demand”); and Ghana’s founding president, Kwame Nkrumah (“Forward, ever; backward, never”).

What would they all say about us today, and the direction in which people of African descent worldwide are going?

In my humble opinion, Malcolm would be disappointed in the slow progress we have made to unify Africa’s resources, history, and ancient culture with Black America’s high levels of education and training and our history of intergenerational struggle. MLK would be disappointed in the blatant materialism and extreme consumerism that has captured our young people, and the general weakness of the Black church – which now focuses on prosperity and comfort.

Douglass would consider us too unfocused, distracted, and relaxed by Barack Obama’s election, and our unwillingness to “make a demand” of the Obama administration on behalf of our people. Nkrumah would be especially disappointed that his native Ghana, the “Black Star of

QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER

CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER

Africa” and the first sub-Saharan African nation to achieve modern independence, has not unconditionally set out a welcome mat for Black people worldwide and is not leading the development of a United States of Africa…

Where are the Black cops? Ask Bill Clinton and Jeb Bush. The 1990s-era epidemic of incarceration, the continuation of the “war on drugs,” “three strikes you’re out,” zero-tolerance school discipline, and high-stakes educational testing has narrowed the career possibilities of Black boys and girls who have been criminalized, incarcerated, or flunked out…

Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com; holler at me at www.facebook.com/ ccherry2 and ‘like’ the Florida Courier and Daytona Times pages. Follow the Florida Courier (@flcourier), the Daytona Times (@daytonatimes) and me (@ ccherry2) on Twitter. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

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

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

W W W.FLCOURIER.COM Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, publishes the Florida Courier on Fridays. Phone: 877352-4455, toll-free. For all sales inquiries, call 877-352-4455; e-mail sales@flcourier.com.

Subscriptions to the print version are $69 per year. Mail check to P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, or log on to www.flcourier.com; click on ‘Subscribe’.

SUBMISSIONS POLICY SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO NEWS@FLCOURIER.COM. Deadline for submitting news and pictures is 5 p.m. the Monday before the Friday publication date. You may submit articles at any time. However, current events received prior to deadline will be considered before any information that is submitted, without the Publisher’s prior approval, after the deadline. Press releases, letters to the editor, and guest commentaries must be e-mailed to be considered for publication. The Florida Courier reserves the right to edit any submission, and crop any photograph, for style and clarity.

Materials will not be returned.

Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Sales Manager Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Angela VanEmmerik, Creative Director Chicago Jones, Eugene Leach, Louis Muhammad, Lisa Rogers-Cherry, Circulation Ashley Thomas, Staff Writer Delroy Cole, Kim Gibson, Photojournalists MEMBER National Newspaper Publishers Association Society of Professional Journalists Florida Press Association Associated Press National Newspaper Association

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

When a Black mayor killed Black people On May 13, 1985, Wilson Goode, the first Black mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, burned down a neighborhood occupied by other Black people.

As mayor, he had the power to start or stop actions undertaken by any city agency.

He had the power to scuttle the police decision to bomb the house occupied by members of a neighborhood organization called MOVE. He had the power to order the fire department to extinguish the flames. He had the power to order police to save lives that night.

JOHN COLE, THE SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE

people around the world.

But White people especially get up in arms about a mere request to have their luggage searched at an African or Caribbean airport.

They will call their embassy if they are in a country of color if their credit card is rejected!

Instead of criticizing or blaming the perpetrators of racially motivated banking and financing, privileged people in the world criticize and blame the victims of unfair and discriminatory banking, financing, lending and law enforcement because the Black person can’t do what nonBlacks do. They can’t get what non-Blacks get and in many ways Black people can’t live the life that some non-Blacks live!

When you use White eyes to look at Black live, most times the vision is distorted!

One important issue can never be forgotten about this horrific episode. The presence of a Black face in a high place still provokes an almost hypnotic response from the masses of people.

The deeply felt feelings of pride are based on the history of enslavement, Jim Crow humiliation and terror. While the sentiments have an historical basis and are understandable, they can also be very dangerous and create support for events just as dreadful as the destruction of Osage Avenue in Philadelphia.

Wilson Goode’s political career should have ended that day. Instead, a group of Black ministers publicly expressed their support for Goode while the fire still smoldered on the incinerated street. He was reelected two years later and again won a majority of the Black vote.

Little to show Black Americans have precious little to show for the thousands of Black mayors, congress people, and city and state legislators elected to office since the 1960s.

The disasters of mass incarceration, police murder, gentrification, privatized public schools, and austerity have all taken place on their watch.

Barack Obama’s election was the nightmare scenario for Black politics. Already teetering due to multiple treacheries from the misleadership class, Black politics flatlined after the 2008 presidential campaign.

When Obama called for war against Syria in 2013, support was tepid at best, except in the Black community. A group known for being vehemently anti-war and anti-empire suddenly turned into the largest cohort supporting a misadventure that no one else wanted.

Black politicians are as much for sale as

MARGARET KIMBERLEY BLACK AGENDA REPORT

their White counterparts and they will turn over public money for sports stadiums or anything else that wealthy, powerful people may demand.

When developers decide to put big money back into the cities, Black neighborhoods disappear and their residents are disbursed. If hedge fund captains want to destroy public schools in favor of privately funded charter schools, then Black politicians will sing the praises of privatized education.

Off the hook The saddest part is that the masses of Black people will put aside their long history of struggle against oppression if one of their own suddenly becomes the public face of bad policy.

Black mayors will join in the chorus demanding more police for already over-policed communities. None of them demanded federal prosecution of the murders of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Rekia Boyd, Timothy Russell, Malissa Williams, Michael Brown or Freddie Gray.

Hundreds of lives taken by police violence might have been saved if Black politicians established true community control or demanded that the Black president who gets so much love actually did something to earn it.

Not unique Wilson Goode’s victims should be remembered in Philadelphia. But it would be a mistake if the night of terror in 1985 was regarded as a unique event and not as part of a larger and continuing problem.

The mayors and congress people and, yes, the president, owe their positions to the Black liberation movement. One wouldn’t know that by looking at the state of Black life today.

Contact Margaret at Margaret.Kimberley@BlackAgendaReport.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

Immigration policy: Do Black lives matter?

In a nation of immigrants, do Black lives matter?

Apparently not, because Black lives are effectively being ethno-racially cleansed from American society by an illegal alien invasion and a growing occupation of our neighborhoods.

Black America is being challenged by what’s been dubbed by its supporters as “comprehensive immigration reform.”

It is routinely suggested by U.S. presidents, other politicians and even leaders of the Black establishment that America is a nation of immigrants.

That sentiment is misleading and wrong because it ignores the fact that so many Blacks are not the successors of immigrants, but are instead the descendants of those who were brought here unwillingly as chattel slaves. They are also descended from the survivors of then-legal Jim Crow discrimination.

It is upon our ancestors’ backs that much of this alleged nation of immigrants was built. Maybe other Americans can boast of their wonderful immigrant heritage, but they rarely seem to think of, much less acknowledge, the slavery factor.

Different history Our Black community experience consists of four consecutive race-harming calamities: 246 years of chattel slavery; 99 years of Jim Crow laws; 50 years of failed modern government social programs; and generations of mass immigration, both legal and illegal, into our neighborhoods.

Despite these problems, there are certain insensitive Americans who insist that Blacks “get over it” and forget about past injustices altogether.

Tell Ashkenazi Jews to get over it and forget the Nazi holocaust. Tell the Christians

TED HAYES PROJECT 21

in the Middle East being tormented by ISIS to get over it. Ask any group of people bound by ethnic, racial, religious or regional bonds to ignore their own historical sufferings.

That’s why it is immoral to equate the struggles of immigrants – legal, and especially illegal – with those of Blacks.

Different experiences If it’s to be believed that Black lives matter to Americans to President Obama in particular: Why grant around 5 million work visas to illegal aliens when Black U.S. citizens, a mere 13 percent of the national population, are disproportionately unemployed?

Why award DREAM Act tuition advantages to young illegal aliens when our own students are in dire need of education?

Why assist with housing for foreign invaders when so many of our own people are homeless?

Why consider amnesty to lawbreakers who are essentially stealing the civil rights benefits for which our predecessors fought and died?

Now is the time for Blacks to unite and correct this injustice. That is, if Black lives matter.

Ted Hayes is a member of the national advisory council of the Project 21 Black leadership network.

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

Celebrating the legacy: Lifting the veil Editor’s note: On May 17, Dr. Harper delivered this keynote address during a ‘Vision of the Future’ ceremony, formerly known as a Baccalaureate service, for senior students graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta.

A journey through Booker T. Washington High School, graduating seniors, should begin and end at the statue located in front of the school. That magnificent sculpture sums up the legacy, the life and the love of Dr. Booker T. Washington.

Erected at the entrance of the school in 1927, the statue is an exact replica of the statue created in bronze at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1922. Look closely at the statue. Dr. Washington lifts the veil from a person, a man that obviously is in an inferior condition.

What significance, then, does this have for you as a millennial in the 21st Century? What are the veils that need to be lifted?

First – ‘Veil of Ignorance’ Sculptor Charles Keck portrays Dr. Booker T. Washington with his goal of bringing his people a better life through a better education. He is depicted lifting the veil of ignorance from his people, symbolized by a terrified slave.

The slave holds a book representing education and crouches on a plow and anvil, representing tools of agriculture and industry.

The inscription reads, “He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry” – education and industry that now includes the field of technology.

I believe that Dr. Washington was allowed to stand on his prophetic tip-toes, look over into the annals of time to see YOU, the keepers of his legacy, engaged in technology-based education and industry that would shape and mold future generations!

I believe that Dr. Washington realized that creative, inquisitive and innovative minds would challenge the status quo as you became logical and critical thinkers!

I believe that Dr. Washington saw you as producers, not just as

DR. CHARLES A. HARPER, III GUEST COMMENTARY

On Jan. 20, 2009, when Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as president of the United States of America, tears of joy flowed and we really believe it now! If you are willing to set goals and plan – to work hard, be persistent, and be patient – you can make it! end users!

He might caution you, however – Be careful; do not develop an entitlement mentality; there is no substitute for a great work ethic, for no one owes you anything.

Read his words on the statue!

Second – ‘Veil of Poverty’ Some statistics indicate that younger generations today will not be as economically successful as preceding generations for whatever reason. The recent downturn in the economy disproportionately affected minorities.

But read the statue. Dr. Washington said, “We shall prosper in proportion as we learn to dignify and glorify Labor, and, put Brains and skills into the common occupations of life.” Not only is there a premium in obtaining a college

thew Ajebade, 21, had bipolar disorder. He was placed in a restraining chair, and held in isolation.

After being put in the restraining chair, he was tasered; that action ultimately led to his death. All nine of the sheriff’s deputies who detained him were fired.

In Oakland, Calif., Johannes Mehserle spent a few months in jail before he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Oscar Grant. He was sentenced to two years in jail, but served only 11 months because he received time off for good behavior.

Silent about rape

There is other abuse that too frequently goes unpunished – rape.

In fact, inmates are so frequently raped when they are imprisoned that Congress passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003.

This legislation mandated that the Department of Justice collect data on sexual victimization.

They measured more than 80,000 reports of sexual activity in the polar, was an Air Force veteran.

2011-2012 year. Some of these sexHe was running through an Atlan- Some exceptions In Chatham County, Ga., Mat- ual encounters were described as ta street. Instead of being calmed

EU plans war to keep Europe White The United States has been the big, bad leader of the imperial world for so long, we may sometimes forget that most of the evils that beset our world have their origins in Europe, a small corner of the Earth that has for 500 years grown fat off the blood and resources of the rest of the planet.

This Europe is a greedy little place, most of whose inhabitants believe they have somehow earned what they have stolen from the world’s darker peoples, and that they are entitled to continue stealing in perpetuity.

Unprovoked aggression In 2011, in league with the United States, European members of NATO launched a totally unprovoked 7-month bombing cam-

GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT

paign against Libya, resulting in the murder of Col. Muammar Gaddafi and the empowerment of Islamist jihadists throughout the northern tier of the African continent.

Col. Gaddafi had warned that the Euro-American aggression would turn Libya into another Somalia, with vast numbers of people desperately fleeing across the Mediterranean Sea to escape the turmoil.

Gaddafi was right, of course. Not

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: GRADUATION AND SCHOOL LOANS

education, there is a great intrinsic value in the “common occupations” of life! Electricians, plumbers, technologists, etc.

Less than one mile from here, a $1.5 billion building (the New Atlanta Stadium) is under construction by people with common occupations. Dr. Washington knew that college is not for everyone.

However, technical education is vital in mastering many skillsets.

I received three bills this week for services rendered: one from a medical doctor; one from a plumber; the other from a heating - ventilating - air conditioning (HVAC) contractor. For one hour’s service, their rates were about the STEVE SACK. THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE same!

Whatever your passion is – through desire, dedication and discipline – if you believe it, you rough, your companions may be will receive this scholarship. can achieve it!

It’s good to celebrate the legacy few. You cannot be bought, comat class reunions. It’s great to cel- promised, detoured, lured away, Third – ‘Veil of Doubt’ ebrate the legacy while tailgating turned back, deluded, or delayed.

Graduation is a glorious time, in the back. It’s wonderful to celyet for some, it may be a time for ebrate the legacy at Homecoming apprehension and doubt. What’s games. But it’s better to celebrate Don’t give up next? Where do I go? What do I do? the legacy with your time, talent, Do not flinch in the face of sacBetween the ages of 18 and 21, and treasure! We challenge all rifice, hesitate in the presence of many life-altering decisions are alumni to contribute in like man- the adversary, negotiate at the feet made. ner! of the enemy, ponder at the pool I know that you are used to of popularity, or meander in the hearing, “You can be anything you ‘Bulldog power’ maze of mediocrity. Don’t give up, want to be.” I have a confession to In closing, allow me to leave you shut up, let up, until you’ve have make. Up until a few years ago, I with this thought, Class of 2015. stayed up, stored up, saved up, (along with others) didn’t really You are part of the fellowship of believe that. the unashamed. You have “Bull- paid up, stood up for the cause of But on Jan. 20, 2009, when what is right. dog power.”

Barack Hussein Obama was sworn You are headed toward success!

The die has been cast. You are in as president of the United States about to step over the line. The You must go till it comes; you must of America, tears of joy flowed and decision has been made – you are give till you drop; you must witwe really believe it now! If you are determined to succeed. Don’t look willing to set goals and plan – to back, let up, slow down, back away, ness till all know; and work tirework hard, be persistent, and be or be still. Your past is redeemed; lessly. And when you come back in 2065 (after 50 years), they will have patient – you can make it! your present makes sense; your funo problem recognizing you. ture is secure.

Your message to future generaBTW will live on Be finished and done with low It is not a secret. I have heard living, sight-walking, small plan- tions will be clear. In the words of some express doubt as to wheth- ning, smooth knees, colorless the great, powerful, and prophetic er or not there will be a Booker T. dreams, tamed visions, mundane principal Dr. J. Y. Moreland, your Washington High School in years talking, and cheap living. Do not banner will be clear, it will read: to come! concentrate on preeminence, po- ROLL ON BULLDOGS, ROLL ON! It will be! Class of 2015 and sitions, promotions, or popularity. alumni, this school needs your Remain humble! You don’t have to Dr. Charles A. Harper, III is time, your talent and your trea- be recognized, praised, regarded, senior pastor of Paradise Missure. My sisters and my wife and or rewarded. sionary Baptist Church in AtLive by faith, honor your famI would like to establish and fund the Charles A. Harper, Jr. Class ily, walk by patience, be lifted by lanta. Contact him at cahaof 1934 Memorial Scholarship prayer, and labor by power. Be de- rper3ministries@yahoo.com. to be awarded annually. Dr. Wil- termined; your face is set, your Click on this story at www.flson, please accept this check for step is fast, your goal is success, courier.com to write your own $1,000. If at all possible, one of you your road is narrow, your way is response.

Legalized torture of prisoners Freddie Gray is neither the first, nor will he be the last person to die DR. in police custody.

JULIANNE According to a 2011 report from MALVEAUX the Department of Justice, 4,813 people died in police custody beTRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM tween 2003 and 2009 (the most recent data, reported in 2011). However, not every state reports their down and clothed, he was killed.

Robert Saylor had Down’s syndata, so the number is probably drome.

He was killed at the Rehigher. A new report is scheduled gal Cinema Westview Stadium in to be released this year or next.

Frederick, Md. over a $13 movie ticket. He was handcuffed, made Mental illness problem to lay face down on the ground, Many of those who die in police and was asphyxiated. custody are bipolar or have othPolice officers need more trainer mental health challenges. Too ing to deal with the mentally ill, many officers of the law have not and those with Down’s syndrome. been trained to deal with people Unless these “violators” are flashwith mental health problems. The ing a weapon, they should be talkmentally ill need help, not a fatal ed down, not shot down. Instead, bullet. those officers think they have a liTanisha Anderson had a heart cense to shoot and kill harmless condition and bipolar disorder.

When she was detained in Cleve- and helpless people? These deaths land, she was pushed and forced are should be classified as police into a prone position, which led to misconduct, but these “officers of the law” rarely pay a price for their her death.

Anthony Hall, unarmed and bi- behavior.

EDITORIAL

only has Libya been reduced to a state of sheer anarchy and terror, but thanks to Europe and the United States, Hell has descended on Syria, and conditions in Somalia have grown even worse.

The Europeans and their American cousins are intent on wiping out every vestige of civilization in the Muslim world – all the while spouting the same twisted, racist logic that they have employed for half a millennium: that Muslims and Africans are unsuited to civilization, and must be guided by the White hands of Europe for their own good.

The refugee crisis, the thousands of deaths at sea, are crimes of Europe and the United States.

The Euro-Americans are just as unquestionably guilty as the ar-

“consensual,” but an imprisoned person hardly has the means to withhold sex from a jailer. Some trade sex for more food, a blanket, or a better cell.

Whether consensual or not, it is illegal for guards to engage in sexual activity with prisoners. These guards are often neither disciplined nor fired. What is a prisoner to do? Report the violation and subject themselves to additional abuse?

Less than human In addition to sexual abuse, prisoners are subject to the loss of their dignity and their physical safety in many instances. Prisoners in San Francisco were forced to fight each other (as if they were Mandingos during slavery), for the entertainment of deputy sheriffs.

According to the San Francisco Examiner newspaper, these fights were described by some as “little more than horseplay.”

But who wants to be thrashed in the name of horseplay? Further, this so-called horseplay reduces inmates to gladiators, to people who are perceived as less than human.

Many ‘law enforcement officers’ in San Francisco, Ferguson, Mo. and other places reveal their attitudes through text messages they

send to one another. They refer to African-Americans, Latinos, and Asian-Americans using crude language to show contempt for these populations. They treat people of color as far less than human, and their text messages reflect that.

Silence kills These killings, rapes, arranged fights and other forms of oppressive harassment are just the tip of the iceberg. Few officers will tell the truth about legalized human rights violations because they are protecting their colleagues. In covering up these violations, they contribute in the erosion of trust in some communities.

To be sure, only a small percentage of police officers violate the human rights of prisoners. A far greater number are silent in the face of evil.

Inhumane attacks on the lives and liberties of prisoners will stop when silent officers open their mouths and put and put and end to the legalized killing and torture of prisoners.

Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

European civilization is a fragsonist who sets the fire that causes apartment dwellers to jump to ile thing. Although the British, their deaths from high windows to French, Spaniards, Portuguese, escape the flames.

Belgians, Dutch, Danes and Germans have looted, raped and masNot here sacred every people they have enNow, the nations of the Europe- countered since the early 1400s, an Union, all 28 of them, are back- their own societies cannot tolerate ing plans to launch air and naval more than a token exposure to forattacks against boats in the ports mer colonized cultures. In addiof Libya and on the high seas, to tion to the riches of the world, the make sure that the refugees that Europeans demand racial excluEurope and America have creat- sivity on their home turf.

So today, they prepare to beat ed do not wind up on European back by military force the most shores.

This new war against Libya will desperate victims of previous Eunot be to destroy a secular regime, ro-American crimes. And they or to grab oil fields, but a war to have the colossal gall to call it a keep Europe white. On this, the “humanitarian” operation.

Europeans can unite. They arGlen Ford is executive editor gue only about how to distribute among themselves the Muslim of BlackAgendaReport.com. Eand African refugees that some- mail him at Glen.Ford@BlackAhow do manage to make landfall. gendaReport.com. Click on this They must be scattered across the story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response. map.

TOJ A6

FLORIDA

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

Zimmerman shooter must turn in weapons, avoid him

BY GAL TZIPERMAN LOTAN ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

The man accused of shooting at George Zimmerman must turn in his weapons and avoid contact with him, a judge ruled on May 16.

Matthew Apperson, 35 of Winter Springs, was charged on May 15 with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and firing a deadly missile into an occupied conveyance.

“I don’t care whether you’ve been shopping at Publix for two hours and have a full cart of groceries, or whatever. You see Mr. Zimmerman walking through that door, you’re the one who has to leave,” Circuit Judge Michael Rudisill told Apperson in his first court appearance.

No contact Typically, people arrested are ordered to stay away from specific places where the people they are accused of attacking live or work. But in this case, Zimmerman did not want his whereabouts made public, Rudisill said.

“I don’t know where he’s going to be, I can’t tell you where not to be,” Rudisill told Apperson.

But if Apperson happens to see Zimmerman, he is not allowed to interact with him, Rudisill said.

“I understand,” Apperson said.

Along with forcing Apperson to hand over all of his weapons to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office with 24 hours of his release from jail, the judge also set Apperson’s bond at $35,000.

His next court appearance is scheduled for June 23.

“Mr. Zimmerman was relieved when he learned of Mr. Apperson’s arrest,” said Don West, attorney for Zimmerman. “George has confidence in the Seminole County State Attorney’s office to effectively prosecute Mr. Apperson and he will continue to cooperate in the investigation and prosecution of the case.”

Apperson blamed After the shooting, Apperson told Lake Mary Police that Zimmerman pointed a gun at him while both were driving down West Lake Mary Boulevard.

But when Zimmerman spoke with police on May

Florida GOP approves winnertake-all primary THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

The Republican Party of Florida’s executive board formally voted on May 16 to make the state’s presidential primary a winner-takeall contest, meaning whoever carries Florida will get 99 delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Party leaders hope the move, made possible by legislation approved this spring, will bring more attention to the state.

“The road to the White House runs through Florida,” party Chairman Blaise Ingoglia said in a statement released after the board approved the change in a closed session. “This now confirms that the road to the Republican nomination for president will run through Florida as well.”

In March, the Legislature approved moving the 2016 presidential primaries back two weeks, to March 15, so the party could make the contest winner-take-all without running afoul of national GOP rules. Democratic Party delegates are awarded proportionally regardless of when a state’s primary is held.

13, he said Apperson was the aggressor.

Apperson fired a shot through the passenger’s side of Zimmerman’s truck, according to police.

Zimmerman had some minor injuries from broken

glass to his face and arm.

Zimmerman, a former Neighborhood Watch volunteer in Sanford, was charged with second-degree murder and acquitted in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012.

Matthew Apperson, 35, makes his first appearance in Seminole County court at the John E. Polk correctional facility in Sanford on May 16.

JOSHUA C. CRUEY/ ORLANDO SENTINEL/ TNS

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

IFE/FAITH Nutrition tips from Beyonce’s trainer See page B3

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Minaj snags six BET Awards nominations See page B5

WWW.FLCOURIER.COM

|

SECTION

B

S

KEN HIVELY/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

B.B. King performed such hits as “The Thrill Is Gone” and “Everyday I Have The Blues” at the Hollywood Bowl “Hall of Fame” on June 20, 2008.

REMEMBERING

B.B. KING Musicians recall blues legend’s generous spirit and his unique approach to music

Robert Cray, left, plays while B.B. King toasts Eric Clapton during Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in Bridgeview, Ill., on July 28, 2007.

BONNIE TRAFELET/ CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS

BY RANDY LEWIS LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

E

xpect some musical heavyweights to turn up Saturday, May 23 in Las Vegas at the funeral service for B.B. King, whose influence spread far beyond the blues he came to personify and well into rock, R&B and jazz.

To hear many of the world’s greatest musicians talk about the man born Riley B. King, who died May 14 at age 89 at his home in Las Vegas, the only quality that transcended his prodigious guitar skills and emotive voice was his generous human spirit.

“He was the face of the blues,” said Vince Gill, Grammy Awardwinning guitarist, singer and songwriter. “He was probably the most influential blues man, maybe ever.

He had such a gentlemanly quality about him, and that always struck me as really, really important. This man, as famous as he was, for all the accolades, what struck me was the gentlemanliness he had, the kindness.”

A new way to play a guitar In a video selfie posted May 15, Eric Clapton said, “He was a bea-

con for all of us who loved this kind of music, and I thank him from the bottom of my heart.... There’s not a lot left to say, because his music is almost a thing of the past now, and there are not many left that play it in the pure way that B.B. did.”

Indeed, few musicians in any genre have ever created a sound and an approach to their instrument as instantly identifiable as the one honed over more than seven decades by King. He coaxed clarion notes from the electric guitar he called Lucille.

“The tone he got out of that guitar, the way he shook his left wrist, the way he squeezed the strings... man, he came out with that, and it was all new to the whole guitar-playin’ world,” Buddy Guy — King’s fellow blues guitarist, singer and longtime friend — said in a statement. “The way B.B. did it is the way we all do it now.”

Refused to focus on the bad times Growing up during the Depression, King often recalled picking 500 pounds of cotton per day for a wage of 35 cents per 100 pounds picked. He witnessed first-hand the racism of the Deep South, the experience of which was part of what motivated him to move north

to pursue music, after discovering on Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn., that he could make more money in one night playing guitar and singing than he earned picking cotton for a week.

But he typically spoke softly about his choice not to focus on injustice in his own life.

“The bad times I had in my early years ...,” he told The Times in 2005, his voice trailing off. “People have been so good to me the last 40 or 50 years that I forgot ’em. I really forgot ’em. For me to think about them, somebody’s gotta talk about it — the segregated era and the many things that happened. I finally learned that drinking out of a white fountain — the water tastes just as good out of the black one.”

On a quest for that one right note That was a reflection of the kindheartedness so many of his peers remember of him.

“He was a little bit of a contradiction,” said country singer Brad Paisley, who recorded a duet with King for his 2008 largely instrumental album “Play.” “As much as he was known for playing the blues, this is one of the happiest people I’ve ever met.”

One of his guitar-playing hall-

marks was musical economy — he often appeared to be on a quest for that one right note, rather than on a mission to spew out as many as humanly possible.

“He could do more with a shortstated phrase than most could do with the calendar and the alphabet combined,” said ZZ Top guitarist Billy F. Gibbons. “Myself, all the British guys, the Mike Bloomfields, count ’em — we’re all lucky to be interpreters. B.B. was an originator.”

A masterful singer as well as musician Likewise, he was revered among other musicians as a singer, although much of the public’s attention was focused on his singular guitar-playing style. He was a master at channeling the deep pain of loss, of course, but equally convincing when he was playful, coy, seductive, perplexed or celebratory.

“Oftentimes, people overlook that he’s such an amazing singer,” said singer, guitarist and songwriter Bonnie Raitt. “It’s because of his eloquence and his soul as a singer, the way he interprets a lyric. The way he plays his voice is as intrinsic to who he is as an artist as who he is in his (guitar) playing. Whether it’s heartache or anger or joy, it’s that passion that he builds and builds, then pulls back and waits, and then it erupts.

“As with all the greatest artists, he doesn’t think about it — it just pours out of him.”

Whatever came forth from King, it connected with a broad swath of listeners and peers, taking his music far beyond the confines of the world of blues aficionados.

As Paisley put it: “He really appealed to everyone who ever saw him play. There’s nobody who ever saw B.B. King over the course of his career and thought, ‘I don’t get it.’”

FUNERAL ON MAY 23 In Las Vegas, a public viewing was scheduled Friday afternoon at Palm Mortuary West.

A private memorial service for family and close friends is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 23, at the larger downtown Palm Mortuary chapel, followed by a public service.

His burial is to be in Indianola, Miss.

He was born in Itta Bena, Miss.

CALENDAR

B2

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Fort Lauderdale: A May 23 concert at Revolution Live will feature Oscar G, Icey, Babyanne and Roland.

Tampa: Darius Rucker’s Southern Style Tour makes a stop on May 23 at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach.

Sunrise: The Main Event concert will feature New Kids on the Block with TLC and Nelly on June 4 at the BB&T Center.

Pompano Beach: Morris Day & The Time along with Cameo are scheduled at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater on May 29.

Fort Lauderdale: The organization Readingpaysmore will host a free Children’s Multi-cultural Book Fair from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. More information: 954-535-0827.

Jacksonville: Saxophonist Kim Waters performs June 6 at the Ritz Theatre.

Miami Beach: Earth, Wind & Fire is scheduled for an 8 p.m. show on June 2 at the Fillmore Miami Beach in the Jackson Gleason Theater.

Fort Lauderdale: The Ameri-

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

S

can Foundation for University West Indies: Caribbean Jazz Matazz is June 14 starting at 7 p.m. at the Amaturo Theater at Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

Miami: The Forever Charlie Tour takes place on June 19 at the AmericanAirlines Arena and June 20 at Amalie Arena in Tampa. The show features Charlie Wilson, Joe and Kem. Daytona Beach: Maze featuring Frankie Beverly will perform June 14 at The Peabody Auditorium.

Boca Raton: The Legends of the Old School tour is May 29 at Mizner Park Amphitheater featuring Salt N Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Stevie B, Color Me Badd and 2 Live Crew.

JILL SCOTT

Orlando: The Democratic Black Caucus of Florida annual conference will meet May 29-31 at the Doubletree

by Hilton, 10100 International Drive. Details: www.dbcflorida.org.

St. Petersburg: Wendy Williams takes her humor to the Mahaffey Theatre on July 18 for an 8 p.m. show.

Catch the singer Aug. 8 at Hard Rock Live Hollywood or Aug. 9 at the Mahaffey Theatre in St. Petersburg.

GUY TORRY

AARON BING

The saxophonist will be in concert May 31 with Jon B at the Jacksonville Times Union Center for the Performing Arts.

Miami: Nicki Minaj: The Pinkprint Tour stops at Bayfront Park Amphitheatre on July 20.

The 7 p.m. show will feature Tinashe, Dej Loaf and Meek Mill.

African-American Research Library and Cultural Center.

Fort Lauderdale: Alexandra Barbot’s exhibit, “Black Empires and Kingdom of Haiti, W.I.” is on display at the

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

FAMU alumni association raises $203,000 at convention SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

HOUSTON - The Florida A&M University National Alumni Association (FAMUNAA) set a new participation record as more than 450 alumni participated in convention activities in Houston last month to raise dollars for scholars during the 2015 National Convention. A total of $203,000 was raised on site, with additional donations flooding in virtually through the portal, www.FAMU.edu/RattlersGive.

“In just a few moments, together we have doubled the amount of money raised at this event last year,” said FAMUNAA President Tommy Mitchell. “This is how much Rattlers love and support FAMU. We give to ensure a bright future for our alma mater so that the legacy will continue to be there for Rattlers yet unborn.”

Alumna Cheryl A. Miller, Allstate Senior Vice President of Sourcing and Procurement Services, set the tone through her stirring keynote speech where she encouraged the alumni to support the new administration because innovative change is critical to FAMU’s future.

‘FAMU must evolve’ Miller reminded the audience that history tells the story of several corporations that are no longer present because they refused to change such as Blockbuster, Kodak Camera, and Borders Bookstore. Similarly, academia has witnessed the demise of several institutions of higher learning.

Miller stressed the importance of coming together to protect FAMU’s longevity.

“Industries evolve to meet future demands and FAMU is no different,” said Miller. “FAMU must evolve to meet the needs of today’s students or lose relevancy.” She invited the alumni to be a part of the change by financially supporting the new president’s vision.

FAMU President Dr. Elmira Mangum delivered a video message thanking the alumni for their continuous support and Provost Marcella David shared an impressive list of recent campus accolades.

The Eighth Annual Memorial Weekend Comedy Festival takes place May 24 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami. The show will feature Loni Love, Alex Thomas, Guy Torry, Dominique, Damon Williams, Spoken Reason and Tony Rock.

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

Miami: Sam Smith performs July 20 at the AmericanAirlines Arena and July 21 at the

Amalie Arena in Tampa.

St. Petersburg: Tickets are on sale for a July 25 show with Kenny “Babyface’’ Edmonds at the Mahaffey Theatre.

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.

The Social Mobility Index ranked FAMU No. 3 in the nation for facilitating economic opportunity for underserved students. The university outranked the nation’s leading Ivy League institutions on the list such as Princeton (360th), Harvard (438th), and Yale (440th).

Additionally, FAMU recently awarded two doctoral degrees in physics to two accomplished African-American women.

The national average number of AfricanAmericans awarded the Ph.D. in physics annually is six.

“There is a lot for you to be proud of as alumni,” said David.

Campaign goes viral Professor Charles Magee, Ph.D., gave a history lesson on the significance of FAMU’s status as an 1890 Land Grant Institution. He has several scholarships to give to students who major in the lucrative field of agriculture science, but needs alumni assistance to direct top scholars his way.

Alumna Cecka Rose Green, founder of the FAMU 10 for 10 Campaign, gave a presentation on how the fundraiser went viral instantly when she asked 10 friends to donate $10 to FAMU monthly and then ask 10 others to do the same. Within 48 hours, the campaign raised $10,000.

To date, the initiative has generated $176,000 and garnered 3,000 first-time donors. The next phase of the campaign is #8434. When 8,434 commit to donating $10 a month for 12 months, the collective efforts will raise $1 million annually.

‘Large FAMU-ly reunion’ FAMU alumni from across the nation partied with a purpose throughout the four-day convention. Many are already making plans to attend the 2016 convention, which will be held Memorial Day weekend in Tampa.

“The national convention is essentially a large FAMU-ly reunion,” said Lt. Col. Gregory Clark, FAMUNAA first vice president and convention chair.

“It’s a great time to catch up with old friends, find out the latest news from the university and give back so that the next generation of Rattlers can experience everything that FAMU has to offer. This has been our largest turn out in six years, and I expect even larger numbers as the Rattlers gather in Tampa next year.”

For more information on the FAMU National Alumni Association, visit www.FAMUNAA.org. To donate to FAMU, visit www.FAMU.edu/RattlersGive.

The Florida A&M University National Alumni Association gathered in Houston for its annual national convention. More than $203,000 was raised for FAMU during a fundraising breakfast.

Members of the Edward Waters College Black Male Explorers Program are shown in front of the White House during a 2014 visit to Washington, D.C.

Edward Waters recruiting young Black males for summer program Edward Waters College (EWC) in Jacksonville is enrolling students for its 2015 Black Male College Explorers Program.

The EWC Black Male Explorers Program is an at-risk prevention/intervention program designed specifically to prevent Black males from dropping out of high school; facilitate their admission to college; and significantly increase their chances of earning a college degree.

The program targets students in the seventh through 11th grades who are

classified as at-risk by parents and/or the schools they attended.

June 15 start Edward Waters College provides yearround cultural and academic workshop as well as five weeks of highly concentrated developmental experiences, which includes weekly seminars, workshops and motivational trips during the summer.

Since 2005, the EWC Black Male College Explorers Program has had 100 percent high school graduation rate.

During the program, the students will live on campus in one of the residential dorms. The 2015 summer program will begin June 15 and conclude July 17.

Anyone interested in applying can go to www.ewc.edu and click on the Black Male College Explorers tab at the bottom of the home page. The access code for new users is “EWC.”

S

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

HEALTH

B3

Beyonce’s ‘trainer’ releases book to get readers in shape

BY MADELEINE MARR MIAMI HERALD/TNS

NANCY KASZERMAN/ZUMA PRESS/TNS

Beyonce Knowles attends the Costume Institute Benefit gala celebrating the opening of the new exhibit “ China: Through the Looking Glass” held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4 in New York.

Since most New Year’s resolutions have gone by the wayside by now, you’ll need a better excuse to kick-start your diet.

Here’s one: Beyoncé’s bodacious figure that she managed to slip into that sheer barely there Givenchy sparkler at the Met Gala. To figure out how the 33-year-old songstress pulled off her near-nakedness like a boss, we spoke to Miami native Marco Borges, Bey’s go-to nutrition man and exercise physiologist (rough translation: trainer).

The married father of three has come out with a new book, and the title about says it all: “The 22-Day Revolution: The Plant Based Program That Will Transform Your Body, Reset Your Habits and Change Your Life” (Celebra, $27.95).

How do you describe a plantbased diet to a layperson?

A plant-based diet is made up of fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes, beans and unrefined grains (quinoa, amaranth, brown rice, etc.) and absent of any products that come from anything with an eye.

No meat, poultry, fish, dairy, cheese and honey. In addition, a plant-based diet avoids highly processed foods and refined grains and instead is made up of edibles found as close to their natural state as possible.

A lot of people in Miami love their meat, chicken, rice, the whole nine yards. How can they change things up and still get the satisfaction?

Although for some time I was the only Cuban-American vegan

ARE YOU FEELING GAS HIKES AT THE PUMP? IS YOUR WALLET FEELING IT TOO?

If you answered ‘yes’ to both of these questions, then you need to

TRY A DOSE OF FUEL MAX PLUS Super Concentrated Fuel Catalyst helps break down large hard-to-burn fuel particles, capturing more energy from the fuel, resulting in maximum fuel economy with reduced emissions.

I knew, I can confidently say that because we already love meals like that the transition is much easier for Hispanics than one might imagine. The preparation of the food changes for the better in ways that leave us feeling full of energy and life and the staples are more delicious than ever.

Walnut tacos ... need I say more?

How can everyday folks with harried schedules prepare to do this meal plan?

The beauty of The 22-Day Revolution is its simplicity. You don’t need to prepare for it, you just simply start. The program serves as a daily guide over the course of 22 days and helps create habits that empower you with optimum wellness beyond.

Are there any cheat days?

Yes. Every day you’re on the program you’re cheating statistics and reducing your risk of disease. (So the answer is no.)

If you could name one of your

guilty pleasures what would it be?

Re-setting habits allows you to realize that pleasures don’t have to feel guilty. I love chips! I love the texture, crunch and explosion of flavors, so I make my own in a food dehydrator and love exploring with new recipes and bases.

Organic means spending more at the store. What if readers can’t afford it?

Yes, organic produce can be more expensive than conventional produce, however, it is still way less expensive than animal proteins. Ultimately, health is always less expensive than the absence of it.

What is a typical day like for you in regards to diet and exercise?

I usually begin my day with a glass of warm water and lime juice followed by oatmeal cooked in water or almond milk topped with walnuts, berries and milled flaxseeds. Sometimes I work out before and sometimes I work out after breakfast, and it’s a combination of high intensity training, cardio and resistance work; never the same and constantly evolving.

Lunch is usually some of my favorite legumes with veggies and quinoa or other complete grain. Dinner is almost always a giant bowl of greens often topped with more greens, bright veggies, seeds and homemade dressings.

Because life isn’t always perfect, if I’m pressed for time I’ll replace a meal with a plant-based protein smoothie full of fruits, veggies and seeds, recipes found in the book, which will also be available in Spanish and Portuguese.

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!

• How Black students can program their minds for success;

HELPS

• Setting goals – When to tell everybody, and when to keep your mouth shut;

• Boost Power and Performance

• Black English, and why Black students must be ‘bilingual.’

• Reduce Harmful Emissions

…AND MUCH MORE!

• Clean Carbon Deposits • Improve Fuel Stability • Add Lubricity to the Fuel • Reduce Exhaust Smoke

Fuel Max Plus is helping people save as much as $0.30$0.75 per gallon, per vehicle!

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

• Improve MPG Contact Charles at ccherry2@gmail.com

Get your dose today by calling Cassandra at 386-299-4661 BuyXGnow.com/cassandrakittles

Facebook ccherry2 excellencewithoutexcuse

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

Twitter @ccherry2

B4

FLORIDA

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

STOJ

‘Can anything good come out of Opa-locka?’

City celebrates 89th birthday with pioneers, celebs SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

On May 14, 1926 at 8 p.m., 28 registered voters met in a firehouse to sign the charter for the town of Opa-locka. Exactly 89 years to the date, more than 200 residents, business owners, dignitaries, neighboring community members and others reflected on the now city of Opa-locka’s past during a program at the Sherbondy Village Auditorium.

Longtime residents of the South Florida city were part of a free birthday celebration the evening of May 14 of “Opatishawockalocka,’’ which was shortened to Opa-locka. It means “big island covered by many trees in the swamp,” originally named by the Seminole Indians, according to Dr. Alwyn Nicholas in his book, “A Brief History of Opa-locka.’’ The city occupies 4.2 square miles in the northwestern area of MiamiDade County.

The city, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was developed based on the Arabian Nights theme, which is evident by the large collection of Moorish architecture throughout the city and with street names like Sabur, Sultan, Ali Baba, Sharazad, Aladdin and Sesame.

Above: Pioneers citizens, who are 89 years old and have been living in Opa-locka since the incorporation, were honored. They are Mrs. Vera Johnson (hand raised) and Mrs. Shirley Bodwell (black hat).

Small but tall At the May 14 semi-formal event, the current of Opa-locka’s 13 mayors, Mayor Myra L Taylor, gave a brief “History at Heart,” highlighting significant dates, locations, events and people that shaped Opa-locka into the city which it has become over time.

“Can anything good come out of Opa-locka,” Taylor asked, at which the crowd affirmed with applause and affirmative yells!

“We are small, but we are tall,” she responded.

“We have over 16,000 residents, 2,000 businesses and we are propelling ourselves from ‘Great to Grand,’ like the (Old School Band) OSG band sang, ‘Ain’t no stopping us now!’ We have stability, fortitude and longevity.”

Left: Mayor Myra Taylor (seated) poses with actress Jo Marie Payton and DadeCounty Commissioner Barbara Jordan with the OSG (Old School Gang) Band.

Below: Opa-locka Commissioner Terence Pinder, Commissioner Luis B. Santiago, Mayor Myra Taylor, Commissioner Joseph L. Kelley, former Mayor John Riley and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Barbara Jordan blow out the replica of the Historic City Hall cake during the 89th birthday celebration.

Proud Opa-lockans Attending the celebration were Opa-locka pioneer citizens – Mrs. Vera Johnson, Mrs. Shirley Bodwell and Deacon Elliot Flanders - who were born in 1926 and have been in the city since it was formed.

Also present were former NFL Atlanta Falcons player Joel Williams and playwright Leroy Meadows, who are from the city. Making an appearance as well were actors Dorothy Morrison and Jo Marie Payton (“Family Matters”).

Payton revealed that she lived in Opa-locka from age 3 to 24. She refers to the 4.2 square-mile community as her “little big city!”

Payton boasted that she has always been proud to say that she is from the City of Opa-locka and maintains it on her resume.

Dinner to celebrate man who died in police custody, raise money for diabetes education SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER

Training for officers

Remembering a tragic event and working to make sure it never happens again is the goal of “Celebrating the Life of Arthur Green Jr., a memorial dinner honoring a man whose death last year has led to lasting change in how Florida police officers deal with those who suffer from diabetes.

The dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at the University of South Florida’s Gibbons Alumni Center and will feature a number of community leaders inspired by Green to fight for change in the state Legislature, including Green’s widow, Lena Young Green, Florida Rep. Ed Narain Erin Smith and the night’s Aebel keynote speaker, Erin Smith Aebel an attorney with Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP. Green, who suffered from diabetes, died in April 2014 while in police custody. He had been driving erratically while undergoing diabetic shock and the officers mistakenly believed he was intoxicated.

Green was known throughout Tampa as a respected neighborhood leader. His widow has worked for years as a community activist and as a staff member for former state Rep. and Sen. Jim Hargrett in Tallahassee.

With a commitment from Narain, then a candidate for the state House, Mrs. Green seized on the idea of a bill, the first of its kind in the United States, to mandate training on the signs of diabetic shock for all police officers in the state. Then she went to work getting it passed.

“We never want to allow what happened to our family to happen to another family,” said Kareem Young, Mrs. Green’s son and Green’s stepson. “We’re going to make a change.”

Working with Narain, who was elected in November 2014, Lena traveled repeatedly to Tallahassee to push for a statewide training law. Narain, meanwhile, secured support from a number of law enforcement groups, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Police Benevolent Association.

State Sen. Tom Lee of Brandon filed the Senate version of the bill and pushed for its passage in that chamber.

“I saw this as the right thing to do, not just for the Green family, but for diabetics all across the state of Florida and the nation,” Narain said. “Good policy is bigger than politics, and this is good policy.”

Aebel’s involvement Another group Mrs. Green contacted early on was the Tampa chapter of the American Diabetes Association, where Aebel serves as the chair of the Community Leadership Board. Aebel got involved in diabetes advocacy after her daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 4.

When she read about Green’s death, it instantly struck a chord.

“That’s my worst nightmare, thinking about my daughter going into diabetic shock with no one around to help,” Aebel said.

“After meeting Arthur’s family and Rep. Narain, I knew I needed to help make their bill a reality.”

Aebel enlisted the support of the American Diabetes Association and contacted state Rep. Dana Young to argue in favor of the measure.

Waiting for governor A freshman lawmaker in the minority party, Narain was able to rally support for the bill,

Arthur Green Jr. and Lena Young Green dubbed the “Arthur Green, Jr., Act.” The text of the law calls for police training on how to recognize the symptoms of diabetic emergencies, in particular how to distinguish them from “alcohol intoxication or drug overdose.”

It passed unanimously in the state Senate and with only one no vote in the state House. Narain says he’s confident Gov. Rick Scott soon will sign the bill into law.

The May 23 dinner is intended to further Green’s legacy by raising money for the newly established Arthur Green Jr. Memorial Foundation.

The nonprofit provides opportunities to young people and works to educate the public about diabetes. The group hopes that other states will use the new Florida legislation as a model for their own police training rules.

“We want the police to have this resource, because these types of tragedies are completely avoidable,” Aebel added. “Just recognize the symptoms and give them sugar. That’s all you have to do. It sounds simple, but it saves lives.”

For more information on the dinner and on Arthur Green Jr., visit arthurgreenjr.org.

STOJ

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

submitted for your approval

B5

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.

Florida Courier photojournalists were on board Royal Caribbean ships with thousands of “Tom Joyner Morning Show’’ fans on past Fantastic Voyage cruises.

We’re featuring some of the “Finest” cruisers.

TONY LEAVELL/FLORIDA COURIER

DELROY COLE/FLORIDA COURIER

Brown, Minaj get most BET Awards nominees Jacob Latimore Jaden Smith Zendaya

EURWEB.COM

Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown lead this year’s list of 2015 BET Awards nominees with six nods each, followed by and Lil Wayne follow with four apiece.

Common and John Legend’s Oscar-winning song “Glory” from the film Selma also received a nomination.

Iggy Azalea, who won a Billboard Award on May 17, will battle her rap rival Azealia Banks for the title of Best Female Hip Hop artist.

On the TV side, “Empire” earned three acting nominations: Jussie Smollett, Terrence Howard and, of course, Taraji P. Henson.

This will be the 15th anniversary of the show, slated to air live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on June 28.

BET anchors its awards show with a multi-day festival at venues in downtown Los Angeles. The BET Experience is June 25-28 and will include concerts, seminars and an explo.

Visit BET.com for more information.

Here is the complete list of 2015 BET Awards nominees.

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist Beyoncé Ciara Janelle Monae K. Michelle Rihanna Jhené Aiko

Best Movie “Annie’’ “Beyond the Lights’’ “”Selma’’ “Top Five’’ “Think Like a Man Too’’ Subway Sportswoman of the Year Brittney Griner Candace Parker Serena Williams Skylar Diggins Venus Williams

Chris Brown’s “Loyal’’ was nominated for best collaboration and best video.

Subway Sportsman of the Year Chris Paul Floyd Mayweather Jr. Stephen Curry Marshawn Lynch LeBron James

Best Male Hip Hop Artist Drake Common J. Cole Big Sean Wale Kendrick Lamar

Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award Beyoncé – “7/11″ Dej Loaf – “Try Me” Kendrick Lamar – “i” Nicki Minaj featuring Drake and Lil Wayne – “Only” Rae Sremmurd featuring Nicki Minaj and Young Thug – “Throw Sum Mo” The Weeknd – “Earned It”

Best Female Hip Hop Artist Azealia Banks Dej Loaf Tink Iggy Azalea Nicki Minaj Trina

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist August Alsina Chris Brown John Legend The Weeknd Usher Trey Songz

Video of the Year Beyoncé – “7/11” Big Sean featuring E-40 – “IDFWU” Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga – “Loyal” Chris Brown featuring Usher and Rick Ross – “New Flame” Common and John Legend – “Glory” Nicki Minaj – “Anaconda”

Best Group A$AP Mob Rich Gang Rae Sremmurd Migos Jodeci Young Money

Video Director of the Year Benny Boom Chris Robinson Fatima Robinson Hype Williams Beyoncé, Ed Burke and Todd Tourso

Best Collaboration August Alsina featuring Nicki Minaj – “No Love” (Remix) Big Sean featuring E-40 – “IDFWU” Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga – “Loyal” Chris Brown featuring Usher and Rick Ross – “New Flame” Common and John Legend – “Glory”

Best New Artist Bobby Shmurda Dej Loaf Fetty Wap Rae Sremmurd Tinashe Sam Smith Best Gospel Artist Donnie McClurkin Erica Campbell

Centric Award Avery Sunshine – “Call My Name” Jazmine Sullivan featuring Meek Mill – “Dumb” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk” Sam Smith featuring Mary J. Blige – “Stay With Me” The Weeknd – “Earned It”

ALLEN J. SCHABEN/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Nicki Minaj is shown at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 8. She has received six BET Awards nominees.

Hezekiah Walker Tye Tribbett Tamela Mann Best Actress Gabrielle Union Kerry Washington Taraji P. Henson Tracee Ellis Ross Viola Davis

Best Actor Anthony Anderson Idris Elba Kevin Hart Jussie Smollett Terrence Howard YoungStars Award Mo’ne Davis Quvenzhané Wallis

Best International Act: Africa AKA (South Africa) Fally Ipupa (Dr Congo) Sarkodie (Ghana) Sauti Sol (Kenya) Stonebwoy (Ghana) The Soil (South Africa) Wizkid (Nigeria) Yemi Alade (Nigeria) Best International Act: UK FKA twigs Fuse ODG Lethal Bizzle Little Simz Mnek Stormzy

FOOD

B6

MAY 22 – MAY 28, 2015

TOJ

SPICY SORGHUM CHICKEN BREASTS Contributed by Joy Gray Yield: 4 servings Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 12 minutes 4 chicken breasts 1/2 cup canola oil 2 tablespoons sorghum syrup 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 jalapeno peppers, minced Juice of 1 lemon Salt Pepper Put chicken breasts between sheets of wax paper and gently pound to about 1/2-inch thickness. Pierce both sides several times with fork and set aside.

In large resealable bag, combine canola oil, sorghum syrup, garlic, jalapenos and lemon juice.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken breasts to bag, seal and refrigerate 2–10 hours.

Heat grill to high. Remove chicken breasts from marinade and cook for 6 minutes. Turn to other side and cook for another 6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

GRILLING with grains

FROM FAMILY FEATURES

I

f your outdoor grilling menu calls for easy, gluten-free dishes to accompany your favorite flame-kissed foods, sorghum may be your secret to success.

Sorghum, an ancient cereal grain, is a highly versatile ingredient that can be used in a wide range of preparations, such as leavened and unleavened breads, fermented and unfermented beverages, and a host of flour-based foods such as pizza dough, pastas and cereals. It can also be consumed in place of whole grain in countless recipes and as a syrup.

Because it is naturally gluten free, sorghum is a terrific option for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance who don’t want to sacrifice the texture and taste of grain-based foods. What’s more, the nutrient-rich grain is a good source of iron, calcium, potassium as well as polycosinol, which research has shown to lower serum cholesterol and may improve heart health.

For those who monitor glycemic index, sorghum also offers good news. Research indicates sorghum offers slow digestibility and a lower glycemic index. Foods with a lower glycemic index are believed to increase satiety, which means you feel fuller longer, aiding with weight management.

Enjoy grilled fare with a new twist. From sweet, savory marinades to crisp, crunchy salads to refreshingly tangy beverages, sorghum is the ingredient that makes these recipes shine.

For more recipes and tips for cooking with sorghum, visit www.HealthySorghum.com.

SOUTHERN SWEET SORGHUM TEA Yield: 4 servings Prep time: 10 minutes 6 cups water 4 black tea bags 3/4 cup sorghum syrup 1/4cup sugar 1/4 cup bourbon (optional) Juice of 1 orange

COOKING WITH SORGHUM A wide variety of recipes use sorghum, which can be found in whole grain, flour or syrup form. Learn which type of sorghum is best for your recipe: Use whole grain sorghum for great tasting and healthful dishes just like you would use rice. Whole grain sorghum can be used as an addition to vegetable salads or in cooked dishes like tabbouleh. It resembles bulgar or wheat berries and is a hearty, chewy solution for meeting the daily goal of two to three serv­ings of whole grain.

White sorghum flour is made from white food grade sorghum, which has the hull removed and milled like traditional flours. This flour can be used in a variety of baking applications in conjunction with other flours.

Whole grain sorghum flour is milled with the entire grain without the hull removed. Whole grain flours contain all of the nutrition found in the outer cas­ing of the grain.

Sorghum syrup is a natural sweetener that comes from juice squeezed from the stalks of sweet sorghum. It has a rich, dark color and consistency similar to molasses but with a milder taste.

1 orange, washed and sliced Mint to garnish Boil water. Remove from heat, add tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and stir in sorghum syrup and sugar. Pour into pitcher and refrigerate until cold.

Stir in bourbon and orange juice.

Add sliced oranges to pitcher. Serve over ice with mint to garnish.

GRILLED SORGHUM TABBOULEH SALAD Contributed by Brady Shadid Yield: 4 servings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 1 cup sorghum grain 3 cups water 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and quartered 1 red bell pepper, cored and quartered 1 white onion, cut into wedges 1/4 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon 3 bunches parsley, chopped 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped 1/3 cup lemon juice Salt Pepper Add sorghum to water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 50 minutes or until water is absorbed. Set aside and let cool. Sorghum can be prepared in advance and refrigerated overnight.

Brush bell peppers and onion with 1 tablespoon olive oil and grill over medium heat for 4 minutes.

Turn to other side and grill for another 4 minutes.

Remove and let cool.

Chop grilled peppers and onion and add to cooled sorghum. Add parsley, mint, lemon juice and 1/4 cup olive oil to sorghum and toss lightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.