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JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
VOLUME 25 NO. 30
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BUILDING BLACK WEALTH That’s the goal of a consortium of Black organizations will focus on economics rather than civil rights. FROM THE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE
According to the various statistics, the economic condition of America’s Black community is in dire straits: • A recent study by Harvard University found that homeownership in the Black community stands at only 42.2 percent in the nation’s largest metro areas. That’s below the Latino-American community, which is at 46 percent, and well below the White-American community, which is at 72 percent. • The mortgage denial rate for Blacks is more than 25 percent, compared to 20 percent for Latinos and just over 10 percent for White applicants, according to the Center for Enterprise Development. • The U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. says the lack of access to
Scott Riddle, left, helps his friend Angela Smith paint her California home. Homeownership is considered one of the key components to building wealth in America.
capital remains the greatest barrier to the establishment, expansion and growth of Black-owned businesses. • Black-owned banks, which grant an overwhelming majority of their loans to Black people, continue to climb their way out of the disparate hit they took during the Great Recession while maintaining their historic role in stabilizing Black communities. These revelations illustrating the economic struggles of African-Americans are the driving forces behind the founding of a new group that’s leading a movement for Black economic justice across America.
KATIE FALKENBERG/
Focusing on assets
LOS ANGELES
Black Wealth 2020, formally
TIMES/TNS
See WEALTH, Page A2
Lawsuit Last call for summer vacations vs. B-CU rages on FLORIDA COURIER / OUT AND ABOUT
Judge allows case to proceed BY THE FLORIDA COURIER STAFF
DAYTONA BEACH – A Volusia County (Daytona Beach) state circuit court judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) and its board of trustees of violating its own rules when it terminated former trustee A. Ray Brinson from the board, allegedly in retaliation for Brinson’s aggressive questions about the school’s finances. The critical court victory sets the stage for former B-CU President Edison O. Jackson, current interim president Hubert Grimes – who is also on the university’s legal defense team – Board Chairman Joe Petrock, and others in the school’s leadership group to be questioned under penalty of possible perjury about a dormitory building project that may ultimately cost the school more than $300 million. It will also force the university to produce documents long sought by critics, including construction contracts and financial statements that B-CU, a private university, has traditionally refused to make public. FLORIDA COURIER / CHARLES W. CHERRY II
Chayla Cherry, right, takes a picture of her brother Charles W. Cherry III during a visit last week to the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee. Families statewide are getting last-minute vacation time in before school starts next month.
High public interest Circuit Judge Christopher France – who is also presiding over a similar lawsuit filed against B-CU by another alumnus, Robert Delancy – ruled See LAWSUIT, Page A2
FLORIDA | A3
NAACP names interim president/CEO
Jobless rate down to 4.1 percent
BY FREDERICK H. LOWE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE
said they wanted to move in a new direction.
The NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, has named Derrick Johnson, formerly the vice chair of its board of directors, interim president and CEO, succeeding Cornell William Brooks who was not offered a new contract when his old one expired on June 30. Brooks was named president in 2014. The NAACP’s executive committee of the board of directors on July 22 chose Johnson to lead the organization at its 108th annual convention in Baltimore, although Brooks had been notified in May that his tenure had come to an end. Organization leaders
‘An honor’
SNAPSHOTS
HEALTH | B3 FLORIDA | A6
Summit to focus on energy, water food crisis State dealing with rise in card skimmers
ALSO INSIDE
U.S. runners slowing down SPORTS | B4
Basketball Hall of Fame to honor Wade
Johnson, president of the Mississippi State Conference, will serve as interim president and CEO until a new president is selected, the NAACP said. “It is truly an honor and a privilege to be named the interim president and CEO of an organization that I’ve served for decades,” Johnson said. Derrick Johnson “There’s a lot of work
that needs to be done and we won’t waste any time getting to it. “We are facing unprecedented threats to our democracy and we will not be sidelined while are rights are being eroded every day. We remain steadfast and immovable, and stand ready on the front lines for the fight for justice.” Leon Russell, NAACP board chairman, said Johnson is the right person to lead the organization through this important transition.
Led campaigns Johnson is a Mississippi native who has a law degree from South
COMMENTARY: REV. JESSE JACKSON: PRESIDENT’S COLD-HEARTED AGENDA IS IMMORAL | A4 GUEST COMMENTARY: A. PETER BAILEY: WHY AMERICA IS THE WORLD’S RICHEST COUNTRY | A5
See NAACP, Page A2
FOCUS
A2
JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
When White folks get shot If you get thrown in the back of a paddy wagon and denied requested medical treatment, if you get lynched and hung, beaten and stomped, sodomized, choked or shot down by a law enforcement officer for a suspicious reason, it doesn’t matter what race, creed or color you are. You are still victimized. You are still dead! People investigating the death of an Australian woman who was fatally shot by Minneapolis police officers recently said that the officers were “startled by a loud sound” near their patrol car right before the shooting.
Really? Hmmm. Now how convenient was that crazy explanation?
LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT
The two officers were driving through an alley near the home of Justine Damond, 40, after she called 911 on a late Saturday night to report a possible assault, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the state agency investigating the shooting. The officer who was driving the patrol car told investigators that right after the loud noise, Damond approached the car on his side. The officer who was in
the passenger seat then fatally shot Damond through the driver’s side window, according to investigators.
Bullets don’t lie It should be crystal clear to all people that abhor police misconduct that bullets don’t lie and color doesn’t matter! White people can experience the hurt and pain from an interaction with a trigger-happy policeman just like any other lawabiding unarmed man or woman in the United States. The idea or suggestion that only scary Black thugs and hoodlums and Black women that speak up at wrongful traffic stops can get shot by people with badges and guns should be discarded.
You tell me Why would officers sitting in a patrol car pull out their weapons and aim at an unarmed White woman that called for police assistance and approached the police car for help? Perhaps she had a suntan and looked Black. You know some Black women have blond wigs and weaves, so the officers might have thought the yoga instructor was a gang member or a drug dealer! No, modern-day cops shoot to kill. They don’t shoot to stop a person or shoot to injure a person. They shoot to kill people, even when a taser or some other non-lethal weapons can be used to calm or mitigate a situation.
Check cops and suspects I pray for the family of the innocent woman that was killed for
unjust reasons, but I hope she did not die in vain. I hope people realize that background checks need to be made on both suspects and police officers. People that feel a need or desire to shoot first and make up a cover-up story later should not be hired to be police officers. Bad decisions made by bad police officers result in bad consequences when White people get shot, or when anybody gets shot for an unjust reason.
Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants. net. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
LAWSUIT from A1
quickly after lawyers made oral arguments on Wednesday. The hearing, which would typically be heard by the judge in his office, was moved to a Volusia County courtroom because of the presence of a group of local BCU alumni and media representatives from local newspaper and TV outlets. Brinson claims he was terminated from the board in October 2016 without notice or warning, and in violation of B-CU’s bylaws that provide a formal process for removal of trustees. His lawsuit was filed by Jacksonville-based attorney Willie J. Walker. Brinson, a Jacksonville resident, is a former Prudential and Aetna Insurance executive who retired in 2002 after 33 years in the industry. He is a B-CU alumnus who has combined service of more than 15 years as a trustee. He also served as president of BCU’s National Alumni Association (NAA) for four years.
Worried about debt “During or around 2015, Plaintiff…expressed worries about the B-CU’s level of debt and lack of transparency regarding the B-CU’s plans to enter into a $72,000,000.00 capital lease over forty (40) years to finance a 1,200bed student housing project. As such, Plaintiff raised these questions in written correspondences directly to the BOT, its Chairperson, and B-CU’s administrators concerning the housing project,”
DUANE C. FERNANDEZ SR. / HARDNOTTSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Former B-CU trustee A. Ray Brinson, right, and Attorney Willie J. Walker convinced a judge to allow their legal action to continue against Bethune-Cookman University. the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit states that for months, Brinson tried to “resolve the matter informally” with B-CU before finally hiring Walker.
Second lawsuit amended In the other lawsuit against the university which France is considering, B-CU’s trustees refused to appoint Delancy, the NAA’s chosen appointee, to the board – also allegedly in retaliation for questioning the school’s financial condition and raising concerns about the dorm deal. Delancy’s lawsuit was dismissed on June 14 by France,
WEALTH from A1
established two years ago, aims to lock arms with some of the most historic national civic and civil rights organizations with a goal to impact economic outcomes in Black America over the next three years. The group’s three-pronged strategy is to increase the number of Black homeowners, strengthen Black-owned businesses and increase deposits in Black banks by the year 2020. “This is, in my recollection, the first time there’s been a systematic effort to draw our community’s attention to these very critical issues related to wealth-building and economic self-sufficiency. That being the importance of supporting Black banks, the importance of homeownership, the importance of growing Black businesses – those really are the three pillars of economic empowerment,” says Marie Johns, former deputy administrator at the Small Business Administration and retired president of Verizon Washington, who is a member of Black Wealth 2020. “If you have strong business ownership, strong homeownership and strong financial institutions, that’s freedom. It’s the closest proximity that we’ll get,” says Johns, also chair of the Howard University board of visitors and creator of SBA’s Council on Underserved Communities.
Joining forces In a nutshell, the seeds of Black Wealth 2020 were initially planted during a fight for economic justice. It started about seven years ago as several like-minded heads of organizations with economic components began regularly discussing the financial plight of Black people. The group gelled after National Bankers Association President
Michael Grant
Ron Busby
Paulette Walker
Marcia Griffin
Michael Grant, National Association of Black-owned Broadcasters (NABOB) President Jim Winston and U.S. Black Chamber President (USBC) Ron Busby joined forces with Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) to push for Black business inclusion in a proposed merger between Comcast and NBC Universal. Winston had asked Waters, ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, to act. Winston then pulled in Grant who pulled in Busby. The Comcast merger ultimately failed. But, “We decided to put together some kind of organizational team,” recalls Grant, “So that whenever these issues come up, we’ll have a united front and we’ll have a lot of organizations. That’s how Black Wealth 2020 was formed.” The goal is to “turbocharge” Black wealth, Grant says. Working with others While Black Wealth 2020 is uniquely economic, it aims to work alongside traditional civil rights organizations, including the National Urban League,
Meanwhile, Delancy is sending email blasts to B-CU alumni and other interested parties to keep pressure on the school’s leadership. He also harshly criticizes the university’s alumni, while trying
to spur them into action. “There are at least 500 alumni posting daily on Facebook: Why are there not 1,000 alumni marching on White Hall (B-CU’s administrative building) demanding deconstruction of the BOT? Why are there not 1,000 alumni sending 10,000 letters to the BOT demanding an immediate forensic audit? “Why are there not 1,000 alumni sending 10,000 letters to the United Methodist Organization demanding an explanation as why those occupying the UMC seats on the BOT sat idly and accepted the status quo? “You are not going affect change
the NAACP and others, Winston says. “We have been concerned that for many years the Black civil rights movement had been the only national voice of the African-American community. Those groups do a great job, but there are business and economic battles that the Black community has been fighting. And we don’t believe that the Black community’s voice has been strong enough and effective enough in that regard,” says Winston. “And so we are able to strengthen each other in each other’s activities as well as our collective voice for the Black community.” Other leaders in Black Wealth 2020 are HomeFree USA President Marcia Griffin; Zenviba Academy of Arts and Science President John William Templeton; Collective Empowerment Group National President Dr. Jonathan Weaver; National Association of Real Estate Brokers President Ron Cooper; Enlightened: Beyond Expectations President Antwanye Ford; and Delta Sigma Theta President Dr. Paulette Walker. At latest count, the group has a total immediate reach of at least 3 million people. Continuing the struggle Members of Black Wealth 2020 are quick to point to the historic roots of its economic goals. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, he had launched a “Poor People’s Campaign,” an economic justice movement that had begun in Memphis. John William Templeton, founder of the 14th Annual National Black Business Month in August, sees the work of Black Wealth 2020 as a continuum of Dr. King’s vision. Templeton contends the prophecy spoken by King the night before his death must still come to fruition. “King said he wasn’t going to get to the Promised Land with us. ‘But we as a people will get to the Promised Land.’ And people have forgotten that,” Templeton says.
Over the past 49 years since the assassination of Dr. King, other Black economic strategies have popped up and fizzled out. For this movement, Black Wealth 2020 members say the strategy for sustainability is built in, including the following elements: • Black America’s current state of affairs: “This current administration is going to force us to look internally, because we don’t have any help coming from outside our community,” says USBC President Busby. • Youth involvement: National Bankers President Grant says the participation of youth is key. Black Wealth 2020 has begun incorporating and mentoring youth economic leaders in their monthly meetings. “In my study of history, going back to ancient times, I can’t think of any major movement that was a societal-changing movement that wasn’t driven by the energy of youth,” Grant says. • Shared leadership: “In the past, movements have been tied to one individual. And as soon as there is some issue, and perhaps maybe death, often what happens on the demise of that individual is the organization goes through a down spin and it in many instances ends up being discarded,” says Dr. Jonathan Weaver. “There is no mindset or mentality among any of us that we want to be the one to be glorified or recognized as the socalled leader. That there is indeed shared leadership within this body…We really are just very resolute and determined to make this work.” • Unique structure: “This is not just one organization, but this is a series of organizations that have come under one banner and will be about empowering Black people,” Weaver says. • The urgent need for economic growth: “It’s a fact that more than half of all African- Americans in our country rent. It’s a fact that a homeowner’s net worth is 36 times that of a renter. And it’s
who gave Delancy 30 days to correct and refile it. In the order, the judge wrote that the NAA is the proper party to bring the lawsuit. The NAA subsequently joined the lawsuit and will also be represented by Delancy’s current Fort Lauderdale-based attorney, Nathaniel E. Green, Jr. That legal action is still pending.
Alums on Facebook
Edison Jackson
Hubert Grimes
Joe Petrock
Robert Delancy
by posting on Facebook alone. At some point you will have to develop a spine, step up to the front line, and be counted!” Delancy exclaimed in an email blast dated July 24. “Why am I so harsh and unforgiving? Because despite all of the smooth talk from Hubert Grimes, despite the BS Petrock is spewing out of his mouth, I still project that if B-CU cannot get from under the massive dorm financing debt, the doors of B-CU will be closed within 3-5 years…. “It is time for all alumni to wake up, do your research, let your voices be heard, and be prepared to donate like you have never donated before. Only you can save B-CU,” he concludes.
a fact that the median income for an African-American household is $35,000 compared to the national average of $53,000,” says Marcia Griffin of HomeFree USA. “This is an unacceptable situation for our people, and Black Wealth 2020 initiatives are critical in reversing these statistics and rebuilding wealth in the Black community.” Clear and positive vision: “This is not an anti-White movement, this is not a reactionary movement. This is a very positive affirmation about Black love and Black support and it’s an acceptance of full responsibility of our economic survival,” says Grant.
NAACP from A1
Texas College of Law. As president of the Mississippi NAACP, he led campaigns for voting rights and equitable education. Johnson also managed two bond referendum campaigns in Jackson, Mississippi, that raised $150 million to be used for school building improvement and $65 million toward construction of a new convention center. He has had fellowships with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the George Washington University School of Political Management and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is an adjunct professor at Tougaloo College, his alma mater, and guest lecturer at Harvard University.
This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from NorthStarNewsToday.com.
JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
FLORIDA
State’s jobless rate falls; now at 4.1 percent THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Florida’s unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent in
June, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous month and representing 419,000 people out of work from the state’s labor force of 10.14 million.
Estimates from the state Department of Economic Opportunity show the number of people working in Florida grew by 7,000 from May to June, while
the jobless ranks dropped by 17,000. The announcement came as Gov. Rick Scott was in Las Vegas on July 21 holding business-
development meetings with Allegiant Air, online shoe retailer Zappos and GigaCrete, which makes a steel-framed construction system. He used the June
A3 unemployment figures to tout a newly created economic-development fund, which will provide money for infrastructure projects and job training. “Our newly established $85 million Florida Job Growth Grant Fund will keep Florida on track to becoming the national leader for job growth,” Scott said in a prepared statement.
Rates by counties
Floridians everywhere are turning into energy experts.
Florida’s lowest unemployment remained in Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, at 2.8 percent, up slightly from 2.7 percent in May. Others at the low end were St. Johns County at 3.3 percent and Okaloosa County at 3.4 percent. Hendry County in rural Southwest Florida maintained the highest jobless figure, jumping from 6.6 percent in May to 9.4 percent in June. The next highest rates were 6.7 percent in Hardee County and 6 percent in Citrus County. The overall state rate was better than the national unemployment figure, which stood at 4.4 percent in June.
Senator questions algebra test fairness While praising a recent legislative decision to eliminate an end-of-course exam for students taking Algebra II, a Northeast Florida senator is raising questions about whether the change is being applied fairly. Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, sent a letter last week to top state education officials that focused on students who took the exam during the past school year. In part, the letter pointed to other students who had planned to take an end-ofcourse makeup exam this month but, he said, will no longer be required to do so. The end-of-course exam was eliminated as part of a massive education bill (HB 7069) approved by lawmakers this spring.
‘Graded differently’
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“Specifically, since the enacting of HB 7069 on July 1, students who took Algebra II last year are graded differently depending on whether they took the endof-course exam or not,” Hutson wrote to Education Commissioner Pam Stewart and State Board of Education Chairwoman Marva Johnson. “While the exam counted as 30 percent of the final grades for those who took it, those who were intending to take the makeup test this month can no longer do so and their grades will be calculated without the exam. This creates a scenario where some students who took the exam would see their grades improve if their grades were calculated the same way as students who did not take the exam.”
‘Flawed test’ Hutson, who said he was contacted by parents and teachers in his district, also raised other concerns about fairness. “The problems with the Algebra II end-of-course exam are well documented and the reasons for its elimination are well founded,” Hutson wrote. “However, there is a current cohort of students who took the exam and had their grades negatively affected by a flawed test that their peers who will take Algebra II next year will not have to worry about. While it is too late to help those who are starting college this year, there is still time to right this wrong for the rising sophomores, juniors and seniors who have had the Algebra II exam hurt their GPAs.”
EDITORIAL
A4
JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
Trump’s cold-hearted agenda is immoral Candidates say campaigns are about articulating programs, issues and priorities. But people vote for candidates based on how that person makes them feel. Consciously or unconsciously, elections are about giving voice to values. Voters are moral proxies who want to know that a candidate or elected official truly cares about them – that they are authentic – more than they care about what they know.
No ‘market value’ President Donald Trump and his administration are expressing moral values that have no market value. The Golden Rule has both moral and market value. Trump wouldn’t want done to him what he’s doing to the majority of the American people. Trump’s values express reverse gratification. The powerful are suppressing the weak; the rich are exploiting the poor; the elephant is crushing the gnat. Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions disavows the Voting Rights Act. He has a history of politicizing it by frivolously charging Blacks with voter fraud, and has withdrawn Justice Department support from a voting rights case involving racial discrimination. That’s an expression of this administration’s values.
What voter fraud? Trump has established a voter fraud commission, despite having no evidence of voter fraud. He
REV. JESSE L. JACKSON, SR. TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE
appointed Kris Kobach, secretary of state of Kansas and the “King of Voter Suppression” as its head, apparently to find 3 million to 5 million examples to “prove” to he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton because of voter fraud. That’s an expression of twisted moral values. Candidate Trump promised a universal health care system better and cheaper than the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appointed 13 men (no women) who came up with a plan to repeal and replace the ACA that would take away affordable health insurance from over 20 million Americans. It would deny money to Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides health services for women; remove billions of dollars from a Medicaid program that serves over 70 million poor people, including children and the disabled; and threaten to bankrupt nursing homes for the old and financial security for their families It would threaten the existence of rural community hospitals and urban public hospitals; drive up costs and drive down health benefits for the middle class; take away millions of jobs from the people who provide these servic-
White supremacists in sheep’s clothing As a minister for close to 20 years, I’m disturbed at what I’m seeing in Christendom. What has me troubled about what’s happening is the fake and phony preaching that’s done by wolves in sheep clothing. I’m speaking about many (but not all) White evangelical preachers, as well as those Black ministers who have been brainwashed by their White oppressor. (I’m not naive to false teachers, pastors, and so-called prophets claiming to speak for God but who are really leading the people who follow them astray.)
No concern for Blacks I’m particularly concerned about people of color who are wasting their time following those within the White evangel-
DR. SINCLAIR GREY III GUEST COLUMNIST
ical community who show no concern for the plight of Black people. These perpetrators, White evangelical preachers, claim to love all of God’s children. But their policies as well as their silence on issues that matter most to people of color are antithetical to the teachings of Jesus Christ. And Blacks who follow them and not hold them accountable are being led down a horrible path. When President Donald Trump had ministers flock to
Democrats control healthcare debate, block reforms Watching US Senate Republicans deal with healthcare reform, you would think they were in clown college and not members of a lawmaking body. After promising constituents for seven years that they would repeal and replace Obamacare, they have thus far reneged – betraying the public trust.
Sticking together One thing you can say about the Democrats: they stick together like a herd of sheep. They follow their shepherds wherever they may lead. Republicans on the other hand – in too many cases – are like a herd of cats to whom party discipline and unity means nothing. The result, if you were in a fire-
CLARENCE V. MCKEE, ESQ. GUEST COMMENTARY
fight and needed air support, you sure couldn’t count on this batch of Senate Republicans to come to the rescue. In fact, they would probably run the other way! Although I can respect conservatives such as Rand Paul of Kentucky who considered the Senate proposal “Obamacare Lite” and a betrayal of Republican principles by “bailing out” insurance companies, I don’t have the same respect for Republican “moderates” who have apparently come to like
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: THE GOP AND ‘OBAMACARE’
es; and do all these things to give massive tax cuts to the greedy.
McCain would have problems If Sen. John McCain was poor or middle-class and had the Republican plan – i.e., old and infirm – he would be in trouble, and that’s a moral disgrace! The Constitution, like the ACA, was imperfect and had shameful flaws, but we chose to amend it not end it. Trump wants to close public schools and build private jails. He appointed a secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, who has dedicated her entire life and lots of money undercutting public education and advocating for forprofit private schools. He is weakening civil rights protections that include racial and sexual minorities. He appointed Scott Pruitt as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a person who was joined at the hip with the fossil fuel industry as Oklahoma’s attorney general and who many times sued the organization he now heads. Pruitt is gutting the strong environmental achievements of Obama and led the charge for Trump to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, relinquishing America’s environment leadership on an issue that will literally cost Americans millions of jobs and economic growth, threaten the Earth’s equilibrium and the existence of humanity. In foreign policy, Trump has weakened our international the White House to lay hands on him, one would think that those preachers were following the commandment of the apostle Paul who wrote, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior...” (1 Timothy 2:1-3, NKJV).
There’s more However, there is a deeper problem with what these ministers failed to do. These ministers look to Trump as their earthly savior. They overlook his racist behavior. They turn a blind eye to his bullish tactics. They say nothing about his xenophobic comments. They don’t do anything about his misogynistic attitude toward women. And they fail to see how much he’s lying to people because they are so quick to defend him.
Obamacare’s federal goodies. Some would call them “RINOS” – Republicans in Name Only. I prefer to label them “Democratlites.”
Cutting and running At the first Democratic, media and left-wing artillery barrage saying the Senate proposal represented “tax cuts for the rich” and will kill thousands, these “Democrat-lites” turned tail, running for liberal cover. They were played like a violin by Democrats and the media, and danced to their tune. Apparently, these Democrat-lites have become addicted to their own political opioid: the expansion of the Medicaid entitlement beyond caring for the poor and those unable to do for themselves to include able-bodied adults. Until the president called all Senate Republicans to the White House for lunch, any hopes to get something done were dashed when three Democrat-lites – Sens. Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – said they would not even support an effort to pass a bill that would re-
ADAM ZYGLIS, THE BUFFALO NEWS
leadership role established over the last three-quarters of a century through the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) that has successfully maintained peace in Europe.
Blind, burned He has cozied up to authoritarian leaders, shown little interest in advancing human rights or a free press, and has turned our wars over to the generals, shunning civilian leadership. Trump’s “eye for an eye” and “fight fire with fire” policy would leave many blind and burned. Trump’s most fervent supporters are the same people who sanctimoniously attend annual prayer breakfasts, cite scripture and pray in public. Trump and Yet, these individuals will gather around him, pray for him, adore him, cheer him on, and applaud his works. This is sick on so many levels.
Serving ‘White Jesus’ Because of the actions of these White evangelical preachers, I conclude that we are not serving the same God. They are serving a ‘White Jesus’ who cares nothing about the least and left out. They are serving a god of White supremacy. And they are serving a god of capitalism. Sadly and shamefully, too many Blacks are following these people. Symbols and images have psychological meanings. As people of color, we need to understand that Jesus was not a European, nor did He have any European features. As people of color, we must not worship, fellowship, or support financially any White evangelical preacher who supports Trump and his policies. Jesus’ ministry revolved around the words of the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The Spirit
peal Obamacare now and work on a replacement over the next two years.
Losing their chance The main problem is that both the Democrat-lites and conservatives, by continuing their opposition to the Senate bill – which would impose annual caps on Medicaid spending and end what has been an open-ended entitlement – ruin any chance for slowing the growth of this massive entitlement. Since the beginning of the healthcare debate, Republicans in the US House and Senate have allowed Democrats to control the narrative and message – GOP proposals were going to bring doom and gloom, kill thousands of people and be a gift for the rich. Democrats and their leftist supporters organized protests and scored unanswered media points one after the other. Republicans were virtually silent, offered no counter-attacks, and put up little defense of their own bill. As usual, at the first sign of Democratic and media attacks, Democrat-lites ran for the hills.
Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher
Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.
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Associated Press
Republicans see ending health care for millions and giving tax cuts to the rich as victorious. Jesus warned about “religious” people who walk over the sick and past the poor. Republicans are struggling to keep promises they made – ones they shouldn’t have made because they lack a moral foundation. Their values are unhealthy and dangerous – and will lead to calamity and downfall. They can’t be exported to the rest of the world by our diplomats, and polls show Americans don’t agree with them. It’s an immoral agenda with no market value at all.
The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is president and CEO of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free.”
Black is beautiful I want you to see how beautiful Black is, and how Black people are all throughout the Bible. Stop accepting images that don’t look like you and stop accepting teachers and teachings that refuse to deal with the issues of today. Trump and those around him don’t care about the plight of Black people, poor people, or the disenfranchised. The White evangelical preachers who support him follow and embrace the footsteps of their earthly savior.
Dr. Sinclair Grey III is a speaker, business trainer, writer, and success coach. Contact him at drgrey@sinclairgrey.org.
In fact, we heard more positive points about the Senate bill in five minutes from the president during the lunch with the senators than we have heard from Senate Republicans in the past five weeks.
Outgunned by Dems Republicans have been outgunned and out-messaged by Democrats. The GOP has lacked fortitude, vision, message, commitment, stamina, and political savvy. Democrats at least show that they believe in and are willing to fight for something. What do Republicans believe in? We’ll see next week when they have a chance to support a procedural motion to at least consider the Senate bill. If they do not, it will not be forgotten in 2018.
Clarence V. McKee is a government, political and media relations consultant and president of McKee Communications, Inc., as well as a Newsmax.com contributor. This article originally appeared on Newsmax.com.
Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC, P.O. Box 48857 Tampa, FL 33646, publishes the Florida Courier on Fridays. Phone: 877-352-4455, 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’.
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JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
Black women in the killing fields Although little is known about the circumstances of her fatal encounter with Minneapolis police, Justine Damond’s death is worldwide news, a “tragedy” that sparked protests from Minnesota to her native Australia. The 40-year-old yoga and meditation teacher set the process of her demise in motion by calling the cops, at about 11:30 on a Saturday night, when she heard what she believed was a sexual assault in progress outside the home she shared with her fiancé in a “quiet” neighborhood dotted with shops and cafes. Damond was standing in an alley outside her house, wearing pajamas, when a young Somaliborn officer shot her in the abdomen, reportedly after hearing a loud noise. Damond had come to the United States seeking “a new life,” according to friends. She is nearuniversally presumed to be innocent – which is almost certainly true, although the assumption is based almost entirely on her race and class. Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges quickly announced she was “heartsick and deeply disturbed” by the shooting.
Another 911 call On June 18, at about 10 o’clock on a Sunday morning, 30-yearold Charleena Lyles also made a fatal call to the police. The Black mother of four, who was three months pregnant, reported a possible burglary at her apartment in northeast Seattle. When the cops arrived, they claimed Lyles began talking about the burglary, but then suddenly lunged at them with a knife, yelling “You ready? Motherf---s.” The officers are required to carry nonlethal weapons, but
GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT
chose to subdue her with bullets rather pepper spray or tasers. According to family members, Ms. Lyles had been struggling with mental health issues, but was not violent. Ms. Lyles was also innocent, especially since the police were aware of her mental health problems.
Two different deaths But she did not benefit from a presumption of innocence, nor was she treated as a person in need of help – because she was Black and poor. She was deemed a pathology, to be snuffed out. Both women were killed by cops, but the two deaths are quite different, in political and historical terms. Charleena Lyles is one of the millions of victims of the mass Black incarceration regime – a U.S. government policy imposed two generations ago that is designed to terrorize and contain Black men, women and children through the full force of the State. Justine Damond’s death is the incidental, collateral damage that sometimes flows from that policy. Lyles’ death was premeditated, the result of calculated policy; Damond’s demise was a mistake, immediately depicted as such by the media and lamented by the mayor.
A. PETER BAILEY TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE
overthrow slavery. (To me, that last sentence should say “enslaved and free Africans” since at that time our ancestors were not American citizens.) • The financial legacy of the slave trade helped create the nation-states of Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, France, Great Britain and the United States, as well as others in the Caribbean and South America. The church, merchants, families and individuals benefitted from those profits which helped to build the large assets of many institutions. • By the mid-1700s, numerous colonies were deeply invested in slavery. Rhode Island grew wealthy from the slave-based economy and the slave trade, while New York maintained one of the largest North American slave ports. Northern merchants looked toward the Caribbean and found
Nissan is a ‘Miracle in Mississippi’ The United Auto Workers (UAW) union is at it again. The UAW was once the fighter for workers’ rights and decent HARRY C. pay. That has become passé since ALFORD the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the US DepartGUEST COMMENTARY ment of Labor being the watchdog on human resources mannor to vice president of the United agement. States. Today, it is rare for the UAW to Union unnecessary try and convert a worksite into a Frankly, the need for the UAW unionized operation. It is quixis questionable. States that don’t otic at best. An auto union in the require union labor, called “right to work” states, have been grow- right-to-work state of Mississippi ing in number over the past de- is an oxymoron, which is why I’m cade. The number is now 23 and concerned about the recent UAW growing. It makes political sense. activity against the Nissan plant While governor, Mike Pence in the fine city of Canton. brought prominence to his political record of accomplishment when he converted Indiana into a right-to-work state. The Hoosier State was static, if not floundering, in its economic growth. The state now is growing and is on the right track. Hence the progression of Mike Pence from gover-
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VISUAL VIEWPOINT: WILL TRUMP PARDON TRUMP?
DAVE GRANLUND, POLITICALCARTOONS.COM
Obama’s two terms in the White House. • Twenty-seven CBC members voted to continue arms transfers: Karen Bass (CA), Joyce Beatty (OH), Sanford Bishop (GA), Corrine Brown (FL), G.K. Butterfield (NC), Andre Carson (IN), Yvette Clarke (NY), William “Lacy” Clay (MO), Emanuel Cleaver (MO), James Clyburn (SC), Elijah Cummings (MD) Danny Davis (IL), Chaka Fattah (PA), Al Green (TX), Alcee Hastings (FL), Steven Horsford (NV), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX), Hakeem Jeffries (NY), Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX), Robin Kelly (IL), Gregory Meeks (NY), Gwen Moore (WI) Donald Payne (NJ), David Scott (GA), Terri Sewell (AL), Marc Veasey (TX), Frederica Wilson (FL). • Five CBC members abstained from voting to continue arms transfers: Marcia Fudge (OH), Charles Rangel (NY), Cedric Richmond (LA), Bobby Rush
(IL), Benny Thompson (MS). • Eight CBC voted to halt arms transfers: John Conyers (MI), Donna Edwards (MD), Keith Ellison (MN), Hank Johnson (GA), Barbara Lee (CA) John Lewis (GA), Robert Scott (VA), Maxine Waters (CA). When the names of the dead are sounded (“Charleena Lyles… Rekia Boyd…Eleanor Bumpers…”), mourners and motivators should also say the names, and loudly curse, those Black politicians that have colluded in arming and encouraging the cops that killed them (“Rep. Bass…Rep. Butterfield…Rep. Beatty…”).
new ways to profit from slavery. In fact, the labor of enslaved Africans supported Northern merchants’ efforts. They grew the food that sustained enslaved workers on Caribbean plantations, served on the docks where slave ships were built and afforded a luxurious life for the slave-owning aristocracy. • On January 1, 1808, a new federal law prohibited the importation of enslaved people into the United States. This opened a massive internal slave trade. Between 1820 and 1860, as cotton cultivation expanded westward, roughly 1,000,000 people were taken away from their families to vast plantations along the Mississippi River Valley. Enslaved Blacks were bequeathed to relatives or moved as planters looked for new land. This immensely profitable trade in humans and forced migration had financial, political and demographic repercussions still felt today. • The mark of slavery was everywhere in America. Drawing on generations of skill and artistry, enslaved people built railroads, constructed canals, dug the Intracoastal Waterway, designed beautiful homes and crafted fine furniture. They lived in cities, small towns, on farms and on huge plantations. Each experience was different and left a small opening
for freedom and ingenuity. Regardless of the place, though, the threat of violence and punishment was never far away. In the domestic slave trade, the brutality that connected people and profits was clearly on display. Dealers were meticulous in their assessments of the value of enslaved people. During slave sales, enslaved people were forced to deliver a good showing to bring in the most profits; a glum display sometimes brought a whipping. Pleading for loved ones was not tolerated. Slave dealers believed such behavior made for a poor business environment, which cost time and money. • The lives and labor of enslaved African-Americans transformed the U.S. into a world power. Yet they received no recognition or payment for what they created. By 1860, four million enslaved people produced well over 60 percent of the nation’s wealth. The slave trade valued them at $217 billion. Selling an enslaved person provided ready cash, explaining in part why roughly 600,000 people were sold in the domestic slave trade. This vast wealth affected the entire nation. In the (South Carolina) Low Country, slave owners were dependent on enslaved West Africans from the Upper Guinea Coast. Generations of West Afri-
cans mastered the rice production in their homelands by harnessing the tide and inland marshes. Africans carried this knowledge to America. Their skills and labor transformed the land from deep swamp into rice fields and made South Carolina one of the richest colonies before the Revolution. By enslaving skills, slave owners reaped enormous profits and political power. • Many Americans opposed slavery. White workers saw enslaved people as undercutting their pay with cheap labor. Farmers feared the competition from wealthy slave owners for land and agricultural markets. Other Americans thought slavery would inevitably lead to rebellion. Regardless of their stance, most White Americans did not want to be integrated with African-Americans. Only a few believed that slavery denied human equality. In 1853, Indiana Congressman George W. Julian remarked, “The American people are emphatically a negro-hating people.” And so it is.
How do you convince a person to shake down his boss simply for the hustle of it and pay a part of their wages to the instigator (via union dues)? The fortunate workers of Nissan in Mississippi are doing very well and are not going to mess that up. Let’s look at what has happened since the ribbon-cutting in 2003 of the Nissan Assembly Plant in Canton, Miss. Nissan provides an economic impact to the state of $2.9 billion per year. It has invested $3.3 billion into the plant. Local and state taxes amount to over $300 million annually. The workers receive $2.6 billion in disposable income which is recycled to Mississippi-based businesses. There are more than 25,000 happy workers receiving paychecks from various sources related to Nissan activity in the Magnolia State.
with more than 6,400 full-time workers in this nation that can match that? Nissan was named one of DiversityInc magazine’s “Top 25 Noteworthy Companies for 2016.” What a fine example for America! The huge facility is more than 4.7 million square feet sitting on 1,038 acres of Mississippi fine earth. Think about how many statewide workers are included in the daily operations of Nissan. Since the ribbon-cutting, more than 3.2 million cars (Frontier, Murano, NV Cargo, NV Passenger, Titan, and Titan XD) are traveling on U.S. highways and through American communities. Since opening, Nissan Mississippi has donated more than $13.6 million to local charitable organizations. Its employees have contributed more than 8,000 volunteer hours to more than 200 local organizations. Nissan Canton has a safety record that is substantially above the average for the industry. In 2016, it spent more than $6 million on safety measures at the Canton plant, and they have 32 full-time health and safety employees (24 medical staff and eight safety employees). This must be a national model.
Don’t ‘fix it’
Militarization continues
Florida Congressman Alan Grayson’s bill would have halted the Pentagon’s infamous 1033 program, which transfers military weapons, equipment and training to local police departments. However, four out of five Black congresspersons either voted against ending the program (27 votes) or abstained (5 votes), which had the same result. Only eight members of the Black Caucus opted to end the Only the latest Pentagon transfers, which inCharleena Lyles is one of five creased 24-fold during Barack
Why America is the richest country in the world The United States of America is much-heralded by itself, and by its friends and enemies, as the materially richest country in the world. It really should be, since it’s the only country in the world that had over 300 years of enslaved labor. This fact is well-documented in the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s section on the enslavement of African people. The following information which is posted on the walls of the section, tell the story of how the USA got so wealthy: • Slavery’s success built the economic foundation of America. In two generations, cotton produced by enslaved people transformed the fledging nation into a world power and a leader in global trade. This rapid change sparked heated political debate. Southern slave owners demanded political power to match their financial influence. Northern interests pushed back, fearing the power of the slave-owning minority. This unease over slavery created dangerous new forms of racism. Together, enslaved and free African-Americans organized to
Black women killed by U.S. police so far this year, according to the body count kept by the Washington Post. At least two of them were pregnant. The African American Policy Forum’s “Say Her Name” campaign reports that, although Black women and girls make up only 13 percent of the U.S. female population, they account for 33 percent of all women killed by police. In raw numbers, White women outnumber Black women by five to one, but police kill nearly as many Black females as they do White females. U.S. police kill more Black women every year than the total of all civilians killed annually by their counterparts in Western Europe’s largest countries: the UK, France, and Germany. These sisters’ male relatives and loved ones are slaughtered on an epic scale – with the connivance and consent of most of the Congressional Black Caucus, 80 percent of whose members voted to continue the militarization of local police when the issue came up for a vote on the full House floor in June 2014.
EDITORIAL
Doesn’t make sense
Real diversity
It would be a shame if the UAW’s propaganda, badgering and dirty tricks would influence the very happy workers of Mississippi. That is like trying to get chickens to vote for Kentucky Fried Chicken.
And just who are these workers? Forty-six percent of the managers are minorities. Sixtytwo percent of the general workforce are minorities. READ THAT AGAIN! Is there any other auto plant
Glen Ford is executive editor of BlackAgendaReport.com. Email him at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
A. Peter Bailey’s latest book is “Witnessing Brother Malcolm X, the Master Teacher.” Contact him at apeterb@verizon. net. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
Workers at the Canton facility have safe, stable jobs, with some of the highest wages and strongest benefits in the state of Mississippi. So why does the UAW want to mess with Nissan? I think they need to go somewhere else. If something is not broken, it would take a fool to try and “fix it.” UAW has a very big problem. Its membership is falling and there is nothing they can do to turn it around. Raise all the hell you want to, UAW, but it is not going to help you. High technology and great human resources are facts well-established. It may be time to find another hustle. On August 3 and 4, about 4,000 of the Nissan workers will vote yes or no for union representation. I don’t think they are going to mess with their very good thing.
Harry C. Alford is the cofounder and president/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Contact him via www.nationalbcc.org. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
FLORIDA
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Summit to address energy, water, food crisis International event will be presented by FAMU, Orlando Florida A&M University (FAMU) is partnering with the City of Orlando to host its 2017 Energy Water Food Nexus International Summit from Sept. 20-22 at the Hilton Orlando. This new science enterprise, launched by FAMU’s School of the Environment in 2015, will unite international thought leaders, researchers, policymakers, corporations and studentscholars in finding innovative and sustainable solutions to the global energy, water and food crisis.
Summit speakers
CAPITAL OUTLOOK
FAMU’s School of the Environment Dean Victor Ibeanusi, Ph.D., is chair of the summit.
Speakers for the twoday summit focused on the theme “Global Access to Safe Water” include: •Csaba Deak, Chancellor, University of Miskolc, Hungary •Alumna Bridgette Bell McAdoo, global director of Sustainability, KFC GLOBAL •Istavan Kenyeres, CEO/ co-founder, Biopulus, Budapest, Hungary •Stephen Mulkey, program director of Graduate Education, National Sci-
ence Foundation •Dimitri Corpakis, former unit head, Research and Innovation, European Commission •Zodwa Dlamini, deputy vice chancellor of Research, Innovation & Engagements, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban, South Africa
City committed Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer also will address attendees during the summit, which will include keynote presentations, panel discussions, workshops, ecotours, a tech expo, a student gathering and gala. Dyer, who said there is no better place than Florida to examine the Energy Water Food Nexus, believes Orlando will serve as the perfect hub for finding transformative solutions for the environment. “The City of Orlando is working to become one of the most sustainable cities in America, and we are committed to building partnerships and sharing resources that foster positive environmental change,” Dyer said.
Expanding awareness Dr. Larry Robinson, FAMU’s interim president,
said hosting the summit is just one example of the university’s dedication to expanding sustainability research and awareness. “As a research institution with expertise in renewable energy, water quality and food science, we will lead the charge on the nexus approach by breaking silos to spark creative collaborations and accelerate innovation, while training a future generation of problem solvers,” Robinson said.
Global impact According to FAMU’s School of the Environment Dean Victor Ibeanusi, Ph.D., the solutions found at the Energy Water Food Nexus will not only have lasting impacts on the health of citizens worldwide, but also the global economy. “The developing world lacks access to clean energy, safe drinking water and food security, putting the global economy in jeopardy of stagnation,” said Ibeanusi, summit chair. “By providing increased access to these basic needs, the global economy stands to grow exponentially, diffusing innovations and sustainable practices across borders.” For more information about the summit or to register, visitwww.famu.edu/ nexusor call 850-599-3550.
Pulse shooter’s widow: He showed club photo ORLANDO SENTINEL
ORLANDO – Noor Salman told federal investigators that her husband, Omar Mateen, showed her a photo of Pulse on his computer less than two days before he opened fire inside the Orlando nightclub, killing 49 people and injuring dozens more. But government forensic experts have not been able to find eviNoor dence of the phoSalman to on his devices, Salman’s defense attorneys wrote in a motion that was made public Monday. They think Mateen may have been browsing the web in incognito mode, which would not keep a record of the sites he visited, the defense said in its motion. Law enforcement questioned Salman over a period of 16 hours
early June 12, 2016, after they identified Mateen at the shooter. She apparently told them he showed her a picture of the club on June 10, records show.
Trial in March Previously released court records show that Salman told investigators Mateen asked her, “How bad would it be if a club got attacked?” about a week beforehand. Mateen was killed in a shootout with law enforcement three hours after he began shooting in the gay nightclub south of downtown Orlando. Both a U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman and Salman’s attorney declined to comment Monday. Salman was arrested in January and faces charges of providing material support to a terrorist and tampering with evidence. She is in custody until her trial, which is scheduled for March.
Senators seek school study funding THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Two Republican senators Tuesday requested a study of a long-controversial part of Florida’s schoolfunding formula, arguing it helps urban school districts at the expense of suburban and rural districts. Senate Education Chairwoman Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, and Sen. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, sent a letter to Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, seeking a study of what is known as the “district cost differential.” That part of the school-funding formula takes into account costs of living in different parts of the state and has repeatedly spurred legislative debates over the years.
DCD concerns In the letter, Hukill and Hutson said, in part, that the so-called DCD has the effect of reducing money allotted to some school districts while increasing money going to other districts. They requested that the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability “conduct a study of the DCD and provide recommendations on what factors are used to determine the DCD, what the appropriate formula should be, how allocations should be distributed among the school districts, are there alternatives to the DCD, and whether the DCD should be eliminated.”
RED HUBER/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS
Above is an aerial view of the mass shooting scene at Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016.
State dealing with increase in card skimmers BY LLOYD DUNKELBERGER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
TALLAHASSEE – Credit-card skimming devices at Florida gas stations and stores are on a dramatic rise this year. State figures show 315 skimmers had been discovered at Florida gas pumps through July 18, compared to 120 skimmers discovered through the first seven months of 2016. That represents a 160 percent increase in the illegal devices used to collect consumers’ credit- or debit-card information. This year’s seven-month total already far exceeds the 219 reported devices in all of 2016 and the 169 skimmers found in 2015, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Upward trend At a press conference in Orlando this month highlighting the problem, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam noted that his inspectors and law-enforcement officers have documented a continued rise since 2015 in the devices, which are typically placed inside gaspump cabinets. “Since that time, we have seen a steady trend upward, an increase in the number of skimmers being found around the state on these gas pumps,” Putnam said. If undetected, each skimmer is capable of collecting cred-
‘Unfortunately, like many forms of criminal activities, the bad guys continue to evolve just like the laws continue to evolve.’ Adam Putnam Agriculture Commissioner it- or debit-card data from 100 consumers, with each losing an average of $1,000 to electronic theft, according to Putnam’s agency., which is responsible for gas-station inspections.
Most in Palm Beach Palm Beach County has the most reported skimmer locations this year with 58, followed by Broward County with 57, Miami-Dade County with 26 and Pinellas and Volusia counties, each reporting 12 devices. Although there appeared to be a correlation between larger counties, with more cars and gas stations, and the detection of skimmers, that isn’t always the case. Brevard County, with 11 skimmer locations, had more than the combined totals of Duval County, with five, and Hillsborough County, with four. In the majority of cases, one skimmer device was reported at each location. But some had multiple skimmers, including a New Smyrna Beach gas station where four skimmers were found on July 11, records show.
Another law Putnam has been working
with the Legislature, the Florida Retail Federation and the Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association the past few years to curb the illegal activity. In 2016, the Legislature passed a law that toughened penalties for credit-card fraud and required security devices on gas pumps, including the use of security tape to alert store employees and consumers about pump tampering. This year, the Legislature passed another law making it illegal to possess skimmer-device equipment. “As the third-largest state with 10,000 convenience stores and more than 100 million tourists visiting each year, Florida presents significantly more opportunities for skimming devices to be used,” said Scott Shalley, president of the Florida Retail Federation, after Gov. Rick Scott signed the latest antiskimming legislation (HB 343) last month.
More sophisticated Putnam said the industry has taken steps to protect gas pumps from tampering, includ-
ing moving away from a universal key system that allowed access to pumps in different locations. He said the newest stores and gas stations are deploying technology that will shut down pumps if they are opened without authorization. But Putnam said skimmer criminals are growing more sophisticated, with some now using devices where credit-card data can be downloaded remotely, eliminating the need to retrieve skimmers from inside the pumps. “Unfortunately, like many forms of criminal activities, the bad guys continue to evolve just like the laws continue to evolve,” Putnam said.
Use cash But Putnam also said “there are some very simple things that the traveling public can do during this summer traveling season to protect themselves.” Among the recommendations are using cash to pay for gas; using credit cards, which typically have more consumer protections than debit cards if fraud occurs; using pumps closer to the stores, as skimmer criminals are more likely to target remote pumps; and avoiding pumps if the cabinets are open or if security tape is broken or appears altered. “This is not a crime limited to Florida, but unfortunately it is a crime that we are seeing growth in and an increasing number of these devices are being found,” Putnam said.
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What happened after she gave boyfriend a kidney See page B3
JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE
SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA
Malcolm D. Lee celebrates sisters again with ‘Girls Trip’ See page B5
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THE SUMMER OF OUR DISCONTENT Trump’s troubled presidency prompts a look at other political heat waves.
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the House of Representatives, though the Senate declined to convict him. In the summer of 1973, the Senate Watergate Committee began to unravel the scandal that led to the August resignation of President Richard Nixon.
‘Fall from grace’ The parallels are inescapable, from another possible “Saturday Night Massacre,” when Nixon ordered his attorney general and deputy attorney general in 1973 to fire the Watergate special prosecutor — they both refused and resigned — to a comment during that scandal from Sen. Hugh Scott. The Pennsylvania Republican, who was Senate minority leader at the time and instrumental in pushing Nixon out, said, “a lack of grace in power has led to a fall from grace.”
Impeachment talk Modesty and political poise have never been among Trump’s chief assets. He revels in his hard-charging, never-surrender reputation. As president, he’s constantly tossing matches onto dry tinder. Just six months into his term, impeachment, the gravest of steps which the Founding Fathers devised, has now become as routine a topic as the health care overhaul or the president’s daily barrage of tweets. “It’s amazing how many questions Trump is raising, because we’ve never had such a mess before,” said Susan Low Bloch, a constitutional scholar at the Georgetown University Law Center. “We should not have to worry about, ‘can we indict a president,’ or ‘can a president pardon himself?’ … I haven’t been as scared for our democracy as I am now.”
Looking to 2018 MIKE CARDEW/AKRON BEACON JOURNAL/TNS
A Trump supporter tries to block the signs of a pair of protesters during the president’s speech at a Make America Great Again rally at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, on Tuesday. BY DAVID GOLDSTEIN MCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU/TNS
W
ASHINGTON – The nation’s capital hasn’t seen a summer like this in at least a generation. There’s growing talk that President Donald Trump might try to pull strings to remove Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating whether his campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. Trump has publicly, and now daily, undercut his attorney general, former Sen. Jeff Sessions, an early and top ally who recused himself from the Russia inquiry, and is said to be looking for ways to oust him. The president has already sacked one FBI director — James Comey — and an acting attorney general — Sally Yates. He has also reportedly inquired about his power to pardon — presumably aides and family members linked to the Russia probe, and there are several, and possibly himself as well.
Expect a collision Washington seems braced for a crash. It’s either hurtling toward a constitutional crisis, or at the very least, a noisy and disruptive political pileup. “We’re heading toward a monumental collision between Trump and Special Counsel Mueller,” said Peter Wehner, who served under the last three Republican presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. “It’s clear from what Trump has said, and his own psychology and emotional profile and instability, that this clash was going to happen.”
Above: President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive at a Make America Great Again rally at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, on Tuesday.
Other tests
MIKE CARDEW/ AKRON BEACON JOURNAL/TNS
Right: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, left, and President Trump talk during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PRESS AND INFORMATION OFFICE/ ABACA PRESS/TNS
Washington has endured similar heat waves where institutions and political allegiances have been tested. In 1998, an independent counsel probing President Bill Clinton’s affair with a White House intern subsequently triggered his impeachment by
In the special counsel’s office, Mueller appears unfazed by Trump’s not-so-veiled threats and reportedly is looking into his finances and business dealings. On Capitol Hill, partisanship is in high gear and Republicans themselves are deeply divided. In a telltale sign of the depth of the political intransigence, Trump’s agenda, as well as the GOP’s, is stalled at a time when the party controls both Congress and the White House. The forbearance Republican lawmakers have consistently extended toward the president, despite his erratic behavior, could become foreboding as the 2018 midterm elections loom. “They’re stuck with him,” said Wehner. “It’s like an out-of-control locomotive that they have no way of stopping or getting out of its way. They will be collateral damage.”
Plenty of questions The warning signs are there. Trump latest approval rating — 38.8 percent — is the lowest of any president in a similar period since the Gallup poll began tracking presidential popularity in 1945. Others don’t think high noon is near. “I don’t see this as some sort of seminal moment,” said Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russia’s role in the election. “There are lot of questions that need to be resolved. Hopefully they can be resolved, and we can move in whatever direction we need to go. But the nation’s still the nation.”
Family ties But in the White House, lawyers involved in the Russia probe come and go. Some presidential aides have already run for the exits. Several, including Trump family members who have been linked to meetings with Russian officials during the campaign, were summoned to Capitol Hill this week to talk behind closed doors to congressional investigators. This was likely a painful development for Trump, who in See TRUMP, Page B2
CALENDAR & OBITUARY
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JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Miami Gardens: A Community Safe Summer Walk & Celebration is July 29 at 11 a.m. at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 15700 NW 20th Ave. The event will include activities for all ages. Tampa: The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival next free financial seminar is 10 a.m. July 29 titled Protect Your Business’ Greatest Asset, Your Business Image. Details: tampablackheritage.org/seminars
NAS
Lauryn Hill and Nas will perform Sept. 23 at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.
Miami: Tickets are on sale for the Mann’s World Concert and Comedy Show with David and Tamela Mann at the James L. Knight Center on Sept. 1.
MARIAH CAREY
MAZE
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Nephew Tommy of the “Steve Harvey Morning Show,’’ Tank and Kelly Price are scheduled Sept. 2 at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa.
Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey and Tauren Wells will be in concert on Aug. 10 at the BB&T Center and Aug. 11 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.
Black journalists mourn passing of D.C. newsman The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is morning the passing of pioneering broadcast journalist WRCTV/NBC Washington anchor Jim Vance. D.C.’s longest-serving news anchor died on July 22 at age 75. “The passing of legendary journalist Jim Vance has struck a chord with the nation and rightfully so as he was a pioneer and role model among the nation’s top broadcasters,” said NABJ President Sarah Glover, NBC Owned Television Stations Social Media Editor. “As one of the first African-American primetime
TRUMP from Page 1
stalled family members as White House advisers; they remain among his closest confidantes. To see his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and sonin-law Jared Kushner, embroiled in what he continues to dismiss as a “witch hunt,” might recall Nixon’s lament at the height of Watergate.
Nixon on resignations It was July 1973 and he had just accepted the resignations of his two closest aides, Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, over their roles in the scandal. “ … I mean, I cut off two arms (Haldeman and Ehrlichman),” Nixon told Henry Kissinger, then his national security adviser, according to the White House tapes. “Who the hell else would have done such a thing — who has ever done that before?” A similar scenario for Trump could lie ahead.
Trump shocks elites He came to the capital with a chip on his shoulder. His victory had shocked the political elites. He won by appealing to the anger and frustration that many voters feel toward to their elected leaders. He tapped into their economic anxieties and concerns over the disappearance of comforting cultural norms. He also stoked some of their base fears — about race, terrorism and foreigners.
anchors in a major television market, Vance was an impeccable deliverer of news, keeping the citizens of Washington informed for 45 years. “He inspired multiple generations of AfricanAmericans to pursue journalism as their craft. His beautiful spirit touched everyone he met and lives on in the scores of working journalists he mentored,’’ Glover added.
Left a void
Jim Vance
Vance joined WRC-TV in 1969 as a general assignment reporter. He became an anchor for the station three years later in 1972. He served as
the station’s main anchor primarily co-anchoring the station’s 6p.m. and 11p.m. newscasts. Vance gave up his 11 p.m. anchor duties only recently but continued to anchor, report, and offer his incisive commentary in a segment dubbed “Vance’s View.” Earlier this year, Vance announced that he had received a cancer diagnosis and was undergoing treatment. He said at the time, “I love what I do. I love the people with whom I am privileged every day to do it.”
Much bravado
those wins.
Some presidents have governed in poetry. “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans,” John F. Kennedy said in his 1961 inaugural speech. Some have led in plainspoken prose, like Ronald Reagan’s 1987 invocation in West Berlin: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Trump speaks the language of resentment and bravado. But he freely untethers himself from the truth, whether it’s his false claim about President Barack Obama wiretapping Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign, or his insistence that Mexico will pay for a border wall and that his health care plan would cover everyone.
Still reliving election
Cancer diagnosis
Lashing out Under the Senate bill he has supported, 22 million people would lose coverage, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Trump ascended to the Oval Office schooled in the fungible nature of business deal-making, but dismissive of the peculiarities of government, like the separation of powers. He attacks institutions: the courts, the press and his own intelligence community, even when he is overseas, and is impatient with the often glacial pace and arcana of legislating. He wants wins on the board, but neglects the care and feeding of lawmakers necessary to secure
Orlando: Reggae star Beres Hammond performs Aug. 5 at Hard Rock Live Orlando and Aug. 6 at the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center.
Jackie Bradford, NBC Washington president and general manager, said in a statement: “For more than 45 years, Jim Vance was not only the soul of NBC4 but of the entire Washington area. “His smooth voice, brilliant mind and unforgettable laugh leaves each of us with a tremendous void. Vance always celebrated the good and acknowledged the parts of life that didn’t go so well. That made him a great man.’’
STOJ
West Palm Beach: Catch the rapper Future on Aug. 13 at the Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre, Tampa’s MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre on Aug. 14 and Aug. 16 at Jacksonville’s Daily’s Place. Miami Beach: Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman Tour stops is at the Jackie Gleason Theater on Aug. 22.
Arena on Aug. 14 and Orlando’s Amway Center on Aug. 16. Jacksonville: The Morocco Shrine Grounds will be site of the Aug. 12 Throwback Concert featuring Morris Day and The Time, Adina Howard, Lakeside, Ready for the World, Troop, and Rude Boys.
Fort Lauderdale: Comedian and actor Sinbad takes the stage Aug. 11 at the Parker Playhouse.
St. Petersburg: Tickets are on sale for a show with the Isley Brothers on Aug. 6 at the Mahaffey Theater.
Orlando: A Parramore/ Holden Heights Neighborhood Coalition town hall is Aug. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Callahan Neighborhood Center: Guest: Rep. Bruce Antone. More information: 407-9535599.
Orlando: The 18th Annual Darrell Armstrong Classic Weekend is Aug. 11-13. The foundation helps premature babies. More info: 407-252-333 or jbm395@gmail.com.
Orlando: Tickets are on sale for Jay-Z’s 4:44 Tour. He’ll be at the Amway Center on Nov. 11 and Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena on Nov. 12. Miami: J. Cole’s Your Eyez Only Tour stops at the AmericanAirlines
Scholarship donations Vance was born on Jan. 10, 1942 in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Cheyney State University and pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. In his early years, he taught English in the Philadelphia Public School System while a newspaper reporter. He also worked in radio. Vance was inducted into NABJ’s Hall of Fame in 2007. A memorial service for
Miami: Tickets are on sale for Kendrick Lamar’s Damn Tour on Sept. 2 at the AmericanAirlines Arena and Sept. 10 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena. Hollywood: Actor and comedian Chris Tucker takes the Hard Rock Live stage on Sept. 2.
friends and family will be set later. In lieu of flowers donations in his honor can be made to the Greater Washington Urban League Jim Vance Scholarship, benefitting at-risk students. Send to GWUL, 2901 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009 (www.gwul.org). In a statement, the GWUL stated, “Vance, who was a longtime friend and supporter of the League’s efforts, was also a persistent advocate for the region’s most vulnerable individuals, families and communities.’’
Indeed, he publicly criticizes members of his own party who don’t fall in line, like Republican Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Dean Heller of Nevada. His departure from the normal behavior of presidents, once startling, now is business as usual. Trump wondered the other day on Twitter why the Justice Department doesn’t investigate his 2016 Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. He also remains obsessed with his electoral victory last year over Clinton, yet the fact that she won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes gnaws at him.
‘Unchartered territory’ He turned an appearance Monday at a Boy Scout Jamboree into a campaign-like event. A speech before a military audience last week at the commissioning of a ship named in honor of former President Gerald Ford became a lobbying plea for health care and defense spending. “We’re in uncharted territory,” said Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “Just to have a president of the United States that is so far outside the norms for how a president typically governs and behaves, certainly how he relates to a foreign adversary as serious as (Russia President) Vladimir Putin, there’s no moment like this.”
FOCUS FEATURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SIERRA PICTURES A DENVER & DELILAH PRODUCTIONS/CHICKIE THE COP/TGIM FILMS AND 87ELEVEN PRODUCTION A FILM BY DAVID LEITCH CHARLIZE THERON JAMES MCAVOY “ATOMIC BLONDE” JOHN GOODMAN TIL SCHWEIGER EDDIE MARSAN SOFIA BOUTELLA AND TOBY JONES CASTING COSTUME PRODUCTION DIRECTOR OF BY MARY VERNIEU, CSA MARISOL RONCALI DESIGNER CINDY EVANS EDITOR ELÍSABET RONALDSDÓTTIR DESIGNER DAVID SCHEUNEMANN PHOTOGRAPHY JONATHAN SELA
NICK MEYER MARC SCHABERGJOE NOZEMACKSTEVEN V. SCAVELLI ETHAN SMITHDAVID GUILLODKURT JOHNSTAD PRODUCEDBY ERIC GITTER PETER SCHWERIN KELLY MCCORMICK CHARLIZE THERON A.J. DIX BETH KONOSCREENPLAY BASED ON THE ONI PRESS GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES “THE COLDEST CITY” WRITTEN BY ANTONY JOHNSTON AND ILLUSTRATED BY SAM HART DIRECTED BY KURT JOHNSTAD BY DAVID LEITCH EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
SOUNDTRACK ON BACK LOT MUSIC
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JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
HEALTH
B3
Average runner ‘has never been slower’ Statistician cites overall decrease in health as one reason Americans are slowing down. BY JEFF STRICKLER STAR TRIBUNE/TNS
If you’re planning to enter a race, allow a little extra time to reach the finish line. You’re not as fast as you used to be. It’s not just you. Americans on the whole are not running as fast as we used to, and we’re getting even slower every year. The only thing we’re quick at is coming up with excuses to rationalize the slower times we’re posting. This news comes from Jens Jakob Andersen, a statistician at the Copenhagen Business School. He’s a former competitive runner who uses his spare time to amass and analyze data about running.
Fewer runners Andersen crunched the times recorded by 34.7 million American runners in nearly 29,000 races — marathons, half-marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks — from 1996 to 2016. His conclusion: “The average American runner has never been slower.” He does offer one caveat: This doesn’t apply to elite runners. Competitive runners continue to improve year-over-year results. As for the rest of us, plop down on the nearest couch and listen to what Andersen has to say. By breaking down the data into subgroups, he has put the kibosh on every excuse we’ve come up with for slowing down.
Myths and facts Myth: The number of casual participants, including people who walk-run or even walk an entire course, is rising. Because they don’t train as much as the more enthusiastic runners, their times are slower. Fact: “This is a sensible argument,” Andersen concedes. But it’s also invalid. Casual runners and walkers also are needing longer to finish races. “We can
DREAMSTIME/TNS
Casual runners and walkers are needing longer time to finish races, says a statistician at the Copenhagen Business School and former competitive runner who uses his spare time to amass and analyze data about running. clearly see that the slowing down is on every level,” the study says. Myth: The number of women participating in races is rising. While there are some very fast female runners, on average women tend to be slower than men. Fact: Women’s times in isolation are slower, too. The average marathon time for women has increased nearly 10 minutes since 2000. Myth: It’s the baby boomers’ fault. They made running a mass sport, and now they’re getting older and slower. Fact: Of course, individual runners are going to see changes in their athleticism as they age, but these findings cut across age groups. The argument doesn’t
explain why today’s 30-somethings are posting higher times than their counterparts a decade ago.
What’s happening? What does Andersen think is causing all this? While pointing out that the study was not set up to draw causative suppositions, he does have some ideas: •Higher obesity rates in adults and teens. •A jump in diabetes and hypertension. •A decrease in overall health (as measured in health care expenditures). There is one last myth that has drawn Andersen’s attention: the theory that distance running is
losing some of its appeal to activities such as biking and that, as it does, participants for whom running is a struggle — i.e., the slowpokes — will drop out of the statistical pool and our collective times will improve as a result. So far, it’s not happening. “In the last two years (2015 and 2016), numbers of participants are declining,” the study says. But “the finish time in all the four major race distances is still growing.”
Recommendations She said mental-health services, behavioral-health services and intensive family services often aren’t accessible. “It’s not available to every-
She gave new love a kidney after dating for 9 months BY NARA SCHOENBERG CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS
Dr. Vanessa Grubbs lay in a hospital bed, her stomach doing somersaults, even as a smile played at the corners of her mouth. A nurse gave her Valium through the IV in her left arm, and then Grubbs was wheeled off to the operating room, where a surgeon would extract one shiny pink kidney from deep within her abdomen. Grubbs, who is not a woman given to halfway gestures, not only gave a kidney to the man she loved on that day in April 2005 — she did so after dating him for only nine months. “A lot of people thought I was insane,” she recalled. “We weren’t officially engaged, but it’s not like we were teenagers. We had (chuckles) — how do you say it? We’d been to the circus, seen all the rides. So we kind of knew what we wanted in a partner; we knew where we were going.”
Advocate for Blacks Grubbs married her boyfriend, Robert Phillips, now the CEO of a Sacramento nonprofit, four months after the surgery. And she didn’t stop there. Distressed by the racial disparities in health care she encountered during her husband’s medical odyssey, she shifted course professionally, pursuing advanced training in the demanding field of nephrology, or kidney treatment.
Rise in Florida’s child Baker Act cases draws attention
Before the transplant
She also became an advocate for African-American patients, who have to wait nearly two years longer than Whites to get lifesaving transplants.
Telling her story Grubbs, 47, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, and the author of the new book “Hundreds of Interlaced Fingers: A Kidney Doctor’s Search for the Perfect Match,” recently discussed her journey and her goal of educating the public about kidney disease. She and her husband live with her teenage son in Oakland, Calif. The following is an edited transcript. Q: How is your husband doing? A: He’s doing well. After the hospitalization, he never required dialysis again — knock on wood! He immediately felt better, and he immediately started doing things — planning for his future. He works full time. The kidney was never considered perfect. He’s a big man, and my kidney was considered relatively small for him. The kidney function tests never came down to normal. But for us, it’s good enough — good enough to keep him (healthy), hopefully, for the rest of his life. It’s been 12 years now, and things are about the same, so we’re really happy about that.
Awe of kidney Q: Do I have this right, the
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With a dramatic increase in the number of children being taken in for involuntary psychiatric examinations, a state panel on July 20 began looking to address the Baker Act issue. More than 32,000 children
body,” Lott said. “Then they get at their wits end, and teachers, parents, and other caregivers don’t know what to do other than to use the Baker Act system.” John Bryant, assistant secretary for mental health and substance abuse at the Department of Children and Families, said he thinks more resources are needed to help address issues before they get out of control. “One of the recommendations might be that we supplement the activities and the level of professional staff that are available to address these problems within the public school system,” Bryant said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF VANESSA GRUBBS
Dr. Vanessa Grubbs gave her now-husband, Robert Phillips, a kidney after dating him for just nine months. Grubbs became a kidney specialist as a result of the experience. She’s also an advocate for African-American kidney patients. background photo on your Twitter profile is a detail of a kidney? A: (Laughs.) Yes, I’m going to change that one. No one understands it, but to me, it’s really gorgeous. That’s the kidney on an electron-microscopic level. It was pictures like that I saw when I was (doing advanced training) that really made me feel awe of the kidney for the first time. Sadly, you don’t really have to delve into nephrology when you’re a medical student. Q: I was surprised by the fig-
ure that African-Americans wait two years longer than White people for kidney transplants. Why is that? A: I think a lot of things go into it. For example, when you think about the process of what it takes to actually get from needing a kidney to getting one. First, you have to know that you have kidney failure, which means you have to be in care, which makes it hard to do if you’re uninsured — and particularly if you’re feeling well.
were subject to examinations under Florida’s Baker Act during the 2015-16 fiscal year, an increase of nearly 50 percent statewide over five years. Six counties saw increases of more than 100 percent over the same period. Under the Baker Act, people can be held against their will for
up to 72 hours, until doctors determine whether they will likely hurt themselves or others. Legislation passed this year required minors to be seen within 12 hours of arriving at facilities. It also created the Task Force on Involuntary Examination of Minors within the Department of Children and Families to ad-
The thing about kidney failure is that people feel really well until it’s almost time to start dialysis, for the most part. So you have to know that something’s wrong, you have to be in care, you have to be referred to a nephrologist and then that person has to look at you and think about kidney transplant and talk to you in a way about it that sounds like a good idea to you, then actually make the referral. So a lot of things happen long before you even get to the transplant center, and then they have their set of rules and make the decisions about who gets a kidney in their closed space. It’s not a transparent process, which to me always brings up flags in terms of what’s happening. So I do think there is (that) part of just the actual transplant center, but there are many steps before anyone gets there that contribute to the fact that Blacks and people of color, in general, are slower to get the transplant than Whites.
Get a physical Q: Is the average person doing enough to monitor his or her kidney health? A: There’s so much that people aren’t aware of, from the basics to these larger societal issues. People should understand that high blood pressure and diabetes are two of the major risk factors for kidney disease in this country; it explains two-thirds of the kidney failure that we see. Q: What can we do? A: People should get at least an annual physical, so they can get the blood and urine tests. Those simple things can detect a problem very, very early.
dress the issue. The group held its first meeting July 20 in Tallahassee. April Lott, CEO of Directions for Living, a community mental-health agency in Pinellas County, said many people don’t know how to help children and see the Baker Act as their only option.
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SPORTS
JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
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Basketball Hall of Fame to honor Wade Former Miami Heat player to receive Human Spirit Award at Sept. 7 dinner BY IRA WINDERMAN SUN SENTINEL/TNS
MIAMI – Dwyane Wade has been named one of three 2017 recipients of the Mannie Jackson Basketball’s Human Spirit Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The award, according to the Hall, “honors individuals who have found the game of basketball to be a contributing aspect of their personal growth and accomplishment, a place to develop an understanding of others and an avenue that has helped shape his or her growth into a recognized visionary leader. “Winners must reflect the values of Mannie Jackson’s lifelong mission to overcome obstacles and challenge the status quo, while taking responsibility for his or her actions and seeking the highest standard of excellence.”
Jackson’s legacy Jackson, a former star for the Harlem Globetrotters, served as a senior executive for Honeywell Inc. during the 1980s and early 1990s, and saved the Globetrotters from near extinction in 1993, when he purchased the team. In doing so, he became the first African-American owner of a major international sports and entertainment organization. Under Jackson’s watch, the Globetrotters charitable contributions totaled over $15 million.
Other honorees This year’s other recipients are high school coaching legend and four-time national-championship coach Bob Hurley and women’s basketball pioneer and current Sacramento Kings assistant coach Nancy Lieberman. The recipients will be recognized Sept. 7 at the Reunion Dinner during the Hall of Fame’s Enshrinement Weekend in Springfield, Mass. Among previous winners of the award, which was instituted in 2007, are former Heat center and current Heat executive
JOE CAVARETTA/SUN SENTINEL/TNS
Dwyane Wade looks up at the scoreboard in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 15, 2014. Alonzo Mourning (2009) and former Heat guard and current broadcaster Steve Smith (2015).
‘Making positive impact’ “The Mannie Jackson Award is an esteemed honor awarded only to those with the highest level of dedication to making a positive impact in the lives of others,” said John L. Doleva, president and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “The Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to recognize Bob Hurley, Nancy Lieberman and Dwyane
Wade as three exceptional humanitarians who have used basketball as a platform to improve the world around them, while creating opportunities for the next generation of leaders.” According to the Hall, Hurley, Lieberman and Wade were selected from a candidate pool that represents every level of basketball and is reviewed annually by a selection committee appointed by the Hall and Jackson.
Foundation lauded In making the announcement,
the Hall noted of Wade, who left the Miami Heat after his first 13 NBA seasons last July to join the Chicago Bulls: “Understanding that his life is bigger than basketball, 12-time NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade and his family established the Wade’s World Foundation in 2003, a nonprofit charity organization dedicated to giving back to atrisk communities of Chicago, Milwaukee, and the South Florida region. “The foundation is dedicated to providing opportunities that enable children to overcome
challenges, excel academically and reach their maximum potential while focusing on the initiatives of literacy, health and fatherhood. With a personal goal to give every child a shot at life, “Dwyane and WWF support a variety of programs including literacy initiatives, youth basketball clinics, court refurbishments and holiday giving. Wade and his foundation have received numerous awards over the past 14 years including the NBA Cares season-long Kia Community Assist Award in 2013 and the BET Humanitarian Award.”
through the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis by Ransom Everglades School to assist with the running of the program. Over the years, the program has expanded to include all contact high school sports in MiamiDade County Public Schools. “Our team is excited about this partnership with the Miami Dolphins,” said Gillian Hotz, Director of the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute’s concussion program. “Their understanding of the importance of education, safety and concussion management in high school sports enables us to provide a safer playing field for local student athletes.”
Aug. 2 seminar
COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SPORTS MEDICINE INSTITUTE
Ray Crittenden (second from left), program coordinator of the Concussion Care High School Program, speaks with a high school athlete.
Dolphins to help sponsor concussion testing in high schools SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA COURIER
The Miami Dolphins Foundation, through its revamped Youth Programs platform, has partnered with the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute and
KiDZ Neuroscience Center at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis to sponsor the University of Miami Countywide Concussion Care High School Program for MiamiDade County Public Schools. The program will impact more
than 15,000 high school student athletes per year. “We are excited to aid studentathletes, parents and coaches of all sports in working with the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute to help identify, treat and establish protocols on concussions and reinforce health and safety standards,” said Miami Dolphins Senior Vice President of Communications & Community Affairs Jason Jenkins. “Sports play such an important role in character development and teach positive lessons of teamwork, physical and men-
tal toughness, resilience and competiveness.”
Followed state law The University of Miami Countywide Concussion Care High School Program was established in 2012. The program followed the passing of the Florida Youth Concussion Legislation, a state law that requires that any student-athlete suspected of sustaining a concussion must immediately be pulled from the playing field and receive medical clearance to return to play. Initial funds were raised
The Countywide Concussion Care High School Program includes a protocol that is managed by a multidisciplinary team of experts in neurology, neurosurgery, neuroscience, ENT, physical therapy and neuropsychology. An annual education and training workshop is provided by a multidisciplinary medical team for all high school athletic trainers and athletic directors prior to each football season to update their knowledge of the protocol and concussion management. In addition, concussion education is provided to all high school football teams through video and classroom discussions. As part of this relationship, the Dolphins will take part in the annual concussion seminar on Aug. 2 at the University of Miami Sports Medicine Institute at Lennar Foundation Medical Center. Additionally, the Miami Dolphins Youth Programs have sponsored a high school training program at Norland High School for the last two years, partnered with USA Football to cover the cost of training for all coaches that take part in Player Safety Coach (PSC) certifications and have hosted area youth and high school boys and girls football teams to watch offseason practices and take part in character building sessions.
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JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT
Meet some of
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’S
finest
Thousands of Caribbean culture lovers converge on South Florida every year on the Columbus Day weekend to attend the annual Miami Broward Carnival, a series of concerts, pageants, parades, and competitions. On Carnival Day, “mas” (masquerade) bands of thousands of revelers dance and march behind 18-wheel tractor-trailer trucks with booming sound systems from morning until nightfall while competing for honors. Here are some of the “Finest” we’ve seen over the years. Go to www. miamibrowardcarnival. com for information on this year’s Carnival. CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER
‘Girls Trip’ director celebrates ‘Black girl magic’ BY TRE’VELL ANDERSON LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS
wanted the ultra bougie and the super ratchet.”
When Malcolm D. Lee was a youngster, he didn’t know if being a filmmaker was possible. At that point, no one in his family was in the business and what constituted “film” to him were massive feats like “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Star Wars” — and none were made by Black people. Then he watched his cousin Spike go from living in his parents’ basement to becoming one of the most talked about directors in the industry with pictures like “She’s Gotta Have It,” “School Daze” and “Do the Right Thing.” By the time the younger Lee was 19, it was decided. He too would make movies. But his cousin gave him an important directive that truly stuck with Malcolm. “Make film,” Spike would constantly say. “Make Black film.”
Perfect location And setting “Girls Trip” at Essence, a real-life music festival (where they actually filmed on location last year) was the fingerlicking icing on the cake, giving the movie an added level of authenticity. After all, they’re celebrating Black women. But as with any movie where Black people are centered, Lee knows there will be critics in the community who find some of the picture’s representations to be problematic or stereotypical.
‘This is fun’
Telling their story And so Malcolm did and has been doing so since 1999’s “The Best Man.” In the 18 years that have passed, he’s directed seven additional films, most with predominantly black casts. His ninth picture, “Girls Trip,” continues this trend. And this time, it’s an ode to Black girl magic. “The films that I’ve done do appeal to Black women,” he said, “but here’s an opportunity for Black women to tell the story — for them to be the leads and tell it the way they want to see it, the way they see themselves.”
Brainchild of Packer “Girls Trip” follows four best friends from college reuniting after some time apart for a trip to the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. Starring Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall and Tiffany Haddish — who deserves a Melissa McCarthy-style breakout for her hilarious antics — the picture, perhaps for the first time, puts four Black women at the center of a buddy comedy. What results is a laugh-out-loud good time projected to be the most successful comedy of the summer. The film was the brainchild
“Girls Trip’’ stars Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah and Tiffany Haddish. The movie debuted with over $30 million in sales during its debut weekend and came in second place at the box office. of mega producer Will Packer of the “Ride Along” franchise and “Straight Outta Compton.”
Strong cast Inspired by the types of movies, “usually with White guys — they go off and have a fun trip and behave really badly,” he said, he thought about staging something similar “with some chocolate girls,” actresses like Regina Hall, whom he had worked with in “About Last Night” and the “Think Like a Man” movies. After running the idea by Hall, who thought it sounded “fun,” he approached Lee shortly after the “Best Man” sequel “The Best Man Holiday” premiered in 2013. (Hall also starred in “Holiday,” a box office surprise that debuted in second place behind the “Thor” sequel and went on to make more than $70 million in the U.S.) “I loved what he had done with
‘Best Man Holiday’s’ ensemble cast and the strong female characters,” Packer said, thinking this would be a great chance to finally collaborate. “And he had broad audience appeal.”
Hall as lead Lee loved the idea, re-teaming with “black-ish” showrunner Kenya Barris and “Survivor’s Remorse” writer Tracy Oliver, who together wrote his 2016 flick “Barbershop: The Next Cut.” Then it came time to cast. Both men wanted Hall at the center of the ensemble. “I was like, ‘Yo, she’s ready to be a leading lady. She’s ready to play a lead in a movie, and she’s got incredible range,’” Lee said. “I told the studio, and (Packer) convinced them that she’s perfect for this role.” They were able to nab Latifah and Pinkett Smith, the duo’s first on-screen pairing in years since
1996’s “Set It Off,” purely out of the actresses’ shared interest in the script. They said “yes” as a pair.
Haddish adds spice Rounding out the cast is Haddish, an up-and-coming comedian whom Lee, Packer and Packer’s business partner James Lopez had seen on “The Carmichael Show.” She was the “fearless,” as Lee described her, an unpredictable spice needed to complete the foursome. “You’re baking the cake, and all the ingredients have to be just right or it falls flat,” Packer said. And what they had assembled seemed to be right, especially since they “wanted to show the complexity of these characters.” “Malcolm and I wanted the couth, articulate, well-mannered and high-powered (woman), but also the down to Earth, ‘round the way girl,” said Packer. “We
He’s seen it firsthand with just about every movie he’s done. He responded: “To those detractors that say we shouldn’t be portrayed that way … Well to whom? Who are we afraid of at this point? (Donald) Trump’s in office. They don’t give a … about us. White people certainly don’t care how you look. They don’t care nothing about that. “And as far as Black people are concerned, we’ve been so conditioned to be like, ‘We gotta present ourselves the right way.’ And I am somewhat in agreement with that … (but) there’s a time and a place for everything and this is a movie. This is fun, and this is Black women telling their story the way they see themselves. Black girl magic is real, and everyone’s craving it right now.”
Wide appeal Also, Packer noted, though “Girls Trip” is a movie for and about Black women, it isn’t only for Black people — just like all of his and Lee’s pictures. “This is the year that (started with) ‘Hidden Figures,’ and I love what that movie was able to do,” he said, noting its box office appeal beyond the African-American community, to the tune of $230.3 million worldwide. “Now we’re in a time when comedies have not been working as of late in the theatrical marketplace. This one happens to be fronted by four Black women, but it’s original storytelling and has universal themes.”
FOOD
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JULY 28 – AUGUST 3, 2017
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Easy does it There’s no sufferin’ over this simple succotash recipe BY WOLFGANG PUCK TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
Cooking with the seasons has become a big catchphrase these days. And it’s easy to understand why. When you plan meals around what’s freshest in the farmers’ market, you almost always ensure that the food you put on your table will have the best flavor and texture while also offering the most nutritional benefits — and all at the greatest savings. Many people think of cooking with the seasons, though, as if those words also promise endless variety, as if each trip to the market will reveal wonderful new produce to bring fresh excitement to your meals. And, yes, often that does happen, as new items gradually come into season. More often, however, in the midst of any given season, each new visit to the farmers’ market is just as likely to present you with the same ingredients over and over again. That can, of course, excite your imagination, encouraging you to look for new ways to cook the same ingredients. Just as often, however, it can make you wish for a perfect “go-to” recipe, something easy that you simply won’t grow tired of no matter how many times you prepare it. That’s how I feel about succotash, the old-fashioned summertime veg-
SUMMER VEGETABLE SUCCOTASH Serves 4 3 large ears white or yellow sweet corn, shucked, all corn silk removed 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) dice 2 celery stalks, darker green leafy ends trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) dice 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) dice
etable mixture whose name comes from “boiled corn kernels” in the language of the Narragansett tribe, whose lands became part of Rhode Island. In colonial days, settlers began using that term to describe mixtures of cooked corn with other summer/early autumn vegetables. The dish’s popularity has endured to this day, despite any negative connotations from the often repeated, exasperated exclamation of Sylvester the Cat in the old Looney Tunes cartoons: “Sufferin’ succotash!” Succotash is, in fact, a recipe not likely to cause you much suffering. It starts with fresh ears of corn, from which you cut the raw kernels off the cob with the help of a sharp knife and a slip-resistant cutting board. Then you saute the corn and combine it with equal-sized pieces of other summer vegetables such as zucchini and bell pepper, plus onion, garlic, celery, fresh herbs and spices. It’s an incredible, simple dish to make, and one you and your family aren’t likely to tire of, especially since you can switch up the recipe with other vegetables such as lima beans or yellow summer squash, hot chiles and different herbs or spices. Serve your succotash as a side for grilled or roasted food; or treat it as a sort of chunky sauce, presenting the main dish on top of it. It’s even fun to toss the succotash with freshly cooked pasta for a vegetarian main dish. You may be surprised by how often you wind up cooking it — without a moment of sufferin’!
1 medium white onion, cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) dice 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves 1 bay leaf Juice of 1/2 lime Pinch cayenne Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish
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To get the freshest taste, cut the kernels straight from shucked ears of corn.
First, cut the kernels from the shucked ears of corn: Steadying one end of an ear of corn on a slip-resistant cutting board, with the corn at an angle away from you, carefully use a sharp knife to cut off the kernels several rows at a time, cutting downward from the nearest end to the other, parallel to the cob. Transfer the kernels to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining ears of corn. In a heavy cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to flow easily, add the corn kernels and saute them, stirring frequently, until they begin turning golden brown, 7 to 10
minutes. Transfer the corn to a bowl and set aside. Carefully wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Return the skillet to the heat. Heat the remaining olive oil and, when it is hot, add the zucchini, celery, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Saute, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender but not yet browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, lime juice, cayenne, salt and black pepper to taste, and continue to cook for 3 minutes more. Stir in the reserved sauteed corn kernels and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with the parsley.
Kyrie
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