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OCTOBER 4 - OCTOBER 10, 2013
VOLUME 21 NO. 40
FINALLY!
Despite glitches and slowdowns, Americans are signing up for ‘Obamacare.’ The Obama administration says Black Americans will enjoy major benefits. TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE
DAVID LIENEMANN/THE WHITE HOUSE
Marcelas Owens, then 11, watched as President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010. Marcelas’ mother Tifanny died in 2007 of pulmonary hypertension; it was largely untreated because she lost her health insurance when she lost her job.
The Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) came fully into the law this week amidst desperate political acts to stop it from happening – including a Republican-led government shutdown which could last for days, weeks or even longer. In a nutshell, the closure of certain government offices and services took place as of midnight Monday after a divided Congress failed to reach an agreement to fund federal agencies. Amidst bitter disagreements over the ACA, the Republicanled Congress has allowed the
closure of nonessential services of the U. S. Government in attempt to force the president to delay the effects of the health care law. But the president has refused. Some parts of the ACA are already in effect, but this week, Americans can begin shopping for and signing up for full benefits by going to a recently created website, heathcare.gov, to review the Health Insurance Marketplace. This website offers competing insurance agencies and help guide people to the best insurance choices for them. See ACA, Page A2
Does a ‘dashcam’ video lie?
CLAYTON HUGH BAILEY / 1975-2013
The face of grief Patdrica Bailey consoles daughter Trinity Bailey as the family leaves the graveside of Trinity’s father, Deacon Clayton Bailey; he was killed in a construction accident Sept. 16. Trinity celebrated her sixth birthday Sept. 30. Her sister, Keyerra Francoeur, looks on.
Questions raised about police chase, death BY JAMES HARPER FLORIDA COURIER
The ex-wife of a DeLand (Volusia County) man who was run over and killed by a DeLand police car in May wants the Volusia County medical examiner removed or suspended for her conclusion that “there was no evidence that he was struck by the vehicle,” despite the fact that a dashboard camera video surfaced that clearly showed the contrary. In a Sept. 26 interview with the Florida Courier, Attorney Benjamin Crump and his client, Krystal Brown, accused Dr. Marie Herrmann, the medical examiner, of “professional negligence, at worst intentional deceit.” Marlon Brown was run over and killed by DeLand Police Officer James Harris during a pursuit on May 8. DeLand is about 15 miles from Sanford, where Trayvon Martin was killed. Crump is the attorney for Martin’s parents. With advice from Crump, Krystal Brown filed a complaint against Herrmann with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Medical Examiner’s Commission. The Florida Courier also has learned that the Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches reached out to the Department of Justice about the DeLand case.
CHARLES W. CHERRY II / FLORIDA COURIER
See VIDEO, Page A2
SNAPSHOTS NATION | B3-B6
Nielsen releases African-American 2013 Consumer Report
NATION | A6
King siblings still fighting
FINEST | B5
Meet Shalisa
ALSO INSIDE
Master preacher-teacher Dr. Mack King Carter dies FROM THE FLORIDA COURIER STAFF
Dr. Mack King Carter, former senior pastor of the 10,000member congregation New Mount Olive Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale and one of the state’s most beloved ministers, died Wednesday. He was 66. Dr. Carter was a native of Ocala. He received an Associate of Arts degree in 1967 from Central Florida Community College, a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970 from the University of Florida, a Master of Divinity degree in 1976 from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctorate of Ministry degree in 1978 from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also did additional stud-
ies at Florida Memorial College in Miami, and received honorary doctorate degrees from Bethune-Cookman College and Florida Memorial College.
Ministering as a teen Dr. Carter told the Sun-Sentinel newspaper in a 2009 story that he gave his life to Christ at the age of five, and was preaching from the time he was a child growing up in Ocala just outside Gainesville. He led his first church at the age of 19. His sermons “combine a unique talent of learned biblical scholarship and good old folkways of the traditional African-American preacher,” said Dr. Mack King Carter was one of Black America’s best See CARTER, Page A2
preacher-teachers.
COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: DR. WILMER J. LEON: TEA PARTY HOLDING AMERICANS HOSTAGE | A5
FOCUS
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OCTOBER 4 – OCTOBER 10, 2013
D.C. residents feel locked out, fed-up, shut out In talking to people at the places where I meet, greet and discuss issues of the day, as well as looking at the local news and taking it all in, the sentiment is the same. Though we built the city – we are its backbone and provide many city services – there is little need for the people of Washington, D.C. The REAL people of D.C. are looked at almost like the ones who built this country (code word: “slaves”), only to be looked at as though our usefulness had an expiration date. In a recent article, Washington Post columnist Clinton Yates highlighted what author Mark Leibovich of the book “This Town” said – which was that the only thing that local D.C. is good for is bringing down the average per capita income.
We don’t matter One has to give thought to what people who come here to “run the country” are really feeling. This latest crisis is merely providing a backdrop for the feelings that us native Washingtonians feel – which is that we don’t matter.
BRIAN S. YELDELL GUEST COMMENTARY
Of course, there are federal workers who get paid like the people making laws. But the “rank and file” who will miss those paychecks are made to feel like pawns. That’s the same soup warmed over for another meal of indecision, politicking and unnecessary bickering. And we wonder how people get fed up, walk around angry and want to just hurt somebody. (I know that that is not a smart or viable resolution or option, but the fact of the matter is that people are fed up with these politicians playing games with people’s lives and livelihoods. You see it everywhere you go.) Economics affects the locals more than people “back home” who vote for people who come here and are supposed to legislate. As is the case when sports leagues lock their athletes out, it is the ticket takers, the custodi-
ans, the parking lot attendants and auxiliary businesspeople that feel the brunt.
office to go back and try to peddle influence, which is BIG business in Washington.
Missing meals
In another world
Local restaurants, cleaners, cashiers, health clubs, etc. all set up shop so that they can provide products and services to people who are federal workers. They don’t get a check after the shutdown is settled. They have to go home and tell their kids they will miss a few meals. That’s not the case for House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, former Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, (all Republicans and Tea Party sympathizers), or even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat. The book “This Town” gives insight into the minds and mindset of people who come to work here in Washington. There was a time that most politicians went “back home.” Not anymore. These days over 50 percent of politicians stay here and work as lobbyists, government relations officials, and others who use their former time in
The only time these people see, meet, or otherwise care about local D.C. folks is when they need their car parked, their laundry done, a seat at a restaurant or decide to catch a cab. Many wouldn’t be caught dead going to a local high school, because they almost live in a world that, though they actually do drive through D.C., they might as well as drive around the Beltway. The average D.C. native knows where Capitol Hill is, where the White House is, and where politicians work and hang out. But these places might as well be on Mars, because that’s how far most feel away from being able to relate to what they do, how they do it and the mindset that goes into what they do. Unless and until politicians have to answer to the folks they see every day, as well as the ones back home, they will never have any sensitivity to us locals here in D.C. There needs to be some
VIDEO Complaint filed In a letter to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Medical Examiner’s Commission obtained by the Courier, Krystal Brown wrote, “I am requesting that the Medical Examiner’s Commission perform an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Marlon Brown’s death and whether Dr. Herrmann violated any professional or ethical regulations or worse engaged in criminal conduct to conceal the truth about what caused Marlon Brown’s death.” Mrs. Brown is appalled that a high-speed car chase over a possible seat belt violation led to the death of Marlon Brown, the father of her three children.
from A1 Republicans in the House of Representatives, who argue that the ACA is too expensive for small businesses, continued their attempts to defund what they call “Obamacare” this week, but none of the political moves would pass the Democratically-led Senate. Even if it did, President Obama has promised to veto it.
Signup kickoff The ACA signup, which started Tuesday, is encouraged by President Obama despite government closures. “The Affordable Care Act is moving forward. That funding is already in place. You can’t shut it down,” he told reporters in a briefing Monday. “This is a law that passed both houses of Congress; a law that bears my signature; a law that the Supreme Court upheld as constitutional; a law that voters chose not to repeal last November.”
List of benefits The White House recently released a detailed report listing the benefits of the ACA to AfricanAmericans. The Obama administration says those benefits include:
That seems like the only way that these politicians will have and show some sensitivity to people who hurt when things like a shutdown happens. In the meantime, we may have to do what we always do: pray. Until then, we feel like Doughboy from the movie “Boyz In The ‘Hood” felt. He said, “Either they don’t know. They don’t show. Or they just don’t care about what’s going on in the ‘hood!” Maybe one day.
Brian S. Yeldell, a D.C. native, is a small business owner there. A Morehouse College graduate, he is the author of a book of essays entitled “Notions and Potions” available on Amazon. He wrote this commentary especially for the Florida Courier. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
Ten-year marriage
After midnight
ACA
‘They don’t show’
conclusions. The video of the incident was released last week. A grand jury chose not to file vehicular homicide charges against Harris. Crump said he didn’t know if the grand jury had viewed the video. He said he does know the medical examiner’s report was read to the grand jury. Harris was fired May 31.
from A1
According to a police report, Volusia County Sheriff’s Deputy John Szabo noticed that Brown was driving on May 8 just after midnight without using a seat belt. Szabo turned on his emergency lights, Brown took off, and a chase began. DeLand Police Officers Harris and Justin Ferrari joined the pursuit of Brown. Ferrari abandoned
magic elixir they are made to drink or something akin to a stun gun that shocks them when we are hurt mentally, physically, emotionally and economically.
COURTESY OF KRYSTAL BROWN
Policy changes
Marlon Brown, shown with ex-wife Krystal Brown, was killed when a DeLand police officer ran over him approximately 100 feet from nearest roadway and pinned him to a fence. the chase. Harris drove to the left of Ferrari’s patrol car and continued the pursuit until Brown abandoned his vehicle and took off running through a vegetable garden. • Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act will provide 6.8 million uninsured African-Americans an opportunity to get affordable health insurance coverage. Already, an estimated 7.3 million AfricanAmericans with private insurance now have access to expanded preventive services with no cost-sharing. These services include well-child visits, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, Pap tests and mammograms for women, and flu shots for children and adults. • The 4.5 million elderly and disabled AfricanAmericans who receive health coverage from Medicare also have access to many preventive services with no costsharing, including annual wellness visits with personalized prevention plans, diabetes and colorectal cancer screening, bone mass measurement and mammograms • More than 500,000 young African-American adults between ages 19 and 25 who would otherwise have been uninsured now have coverage under their parent’s employer-sponsored or individually purchased health plan. • Major federal investments to improve quality of care are improving management of chronic diseases more prevalent among African-Americans.
According to law enforcement reports, Brown fell and was run over. Mrs. Brown and Attorney Crump believe Brown’s death was caused by Harris’ car running him over.
• The health care workforce will be more diverse due to a neartripling of the National Health Service Corps. African-American physicians make up about 17 percent of Corps physicians, a percentage that greatly exceeds their 6 percent share of the national physician workforce. • Investments in data collection and research will help establish greater clarity on the causes of health care disparities and develop effective programs to eliminate them. • Targeted interventions, such as community transformation grants, will promote healthy lifestyles, lower health care costs, and reduce health disparities. • Increased funding available to more than 1,100 community health centers will increase the number of patients served. One of every five patients at a health center is African-American. • States have new opportunities to expand Medicaid coverage to include Americans with family incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level (generally $31,322 for a family of four in 2013). This expansion includes adults without dependent children living at home, who have not previously been eligible in most states.
‘Dashcam’ video The dashboard camera of the patrol car caught the incident on video, which Mrs. Brown and Crump believe clearly proves their
CARTER from A1 the Rev. Dr. Gerald Kisner, minister of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in West Palm Beach, in the article. Also in the article, the Rev. Lance Chaney, pastor of St. John’s Baptist Church in Boynton Beach, said, “He’s a preacher’s counselor. He has mentored more than 100 preachers across this nation and he’s been a confidant for me. “When you hear him preach, you know he mastered the Greek language. It makes people who want to preach go and study and prepare.” Dr. Carter was known for having a photographic memory and weaving everyday situations as well as current events into his sermons to make a biblical point. Usually he would lecture directly from the Bible – without notes or prompting.
Tremendous growth In 1981, Rev. George E. Weaver, then pastor of New Mount Olive, invited Dr. Carter to become his copastor before passing the torch to him in November 1982. Under Dr. Carter’s leadership, the congregation grew from about 2,800 to more than 10,000 members.
Mrs. Brown was married to Marlon for 10 years before they divorced in 2006. Though the marriage ended, Mrs. Brown told the Florida Courier they remained friends. “I still loved him. We talked a couple a times a week,” she said. Mrs. Brown said she had spoken to him the day before the accident. Brown, who is a licensed nurse, has two degrees, but considers her full-time job raising the couple’s three children – Marlon Brown Jr., 12; Armani Brown, 13; and DeAndre Williamson, 23. No matter what happens, Brown says she vows to speak up to fight against laws pertaining to highspeed chases to prevent what happened to her exhusband from happening to anyone else. She noted she has started her crusade working with the DeLand Police Department on their
During his tenure, Dr. Carter established a television ministry and created the Mount Olive Development Corporation, a faithbased organization focused on revitalizing low and moderate income communities. He was considered one of America’s great African-American preachers as he traveled throughout the United States and abroad preaching, teaching and lecturing. His regular classes at the National Baptist Convention Congress of Christian Education were packed to capacity with preachers and regular churchgoers each year.
‘Preacher’s preacher’ “Noted for his biblical scholarship, his exegetical expertise and masterful skill in homiletics and hermeneutics, he is considered a ‘preacher’s preacher,’ according to his website. Prior to accepting the call at New Mount Olive, Dr. Carter served Calvary, Watula and St. John Baptist Churches in Ocala, and Green Castle Baptist Church in Prospect, Ky.
Till the end Dr. Carter “moved on,” in his words, from New Mount Olive Baptist Church in 2009 after serving there 27 years. At the time, he was fighting a battle against cancer and heart problems. But he continued to teach
pursuit policy. “I would like to be the spokesman to end illegal high-speed chase pursuits,” she said. If Brown was not wearing a seat belt, the police did have the right to pull him over. In 2009, a law in Florida went into effect that allows officers to cite an individual for driving without a seatbelt on, even if no other violations are cited. Prior to this law, officers could issue a civil citation for failure to wear a seat belt but could not use this violation as reason to stop a motorist.
Lawsuit settled Even though Brown’s family has settled a civil suit with the city for $550,000, Crump said they have the right to continue pursuing criminal charges. “Neither one should affect the other,” Crump said, referring to the criminal and civil cases. “We don’t know what the grand jury saw. All we know is they presented the medical examiner’s report. We believe it was inaccurate – evidence shows this,” he said. “The whole nation is looking at the video. How can they say car didn’t hit him?”
You can view the video at www.flcourier.com.
and preach until he died. After leaving New Mount Olive, he joined New Birth Cathedral of Faith International in Miami-Dade County, where Bishop Victor T. Curry is the pastor. He taught Bible study there and at St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church in Dania Beach. He also preached the 11 a.m. Sunday sermon on Easter 2013 at New Birth, one of the state’s largest predominately Black churches. During the last year of his life, Dr. Carter often said he was too tired or to sick to preach – until he got to church. He said “the Lord would meet me there” to give him the strength and presence of mind to preach with the same energy and passion he had done for almost 50 years.
Husband and father Dr. Carter was the author of four books: “A Catechism for Baptists,” “To Calvary and Beyond,” “A Quest for Freedom,” and “Interpreting the Will of God.” Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Patricia A. Thomas Carter; daughters Annalisa Robinson-Melton and Pamela Latrice Johnson and grandchildren Brittany N. Robinson and Carter Nathaniel Johnson. Homegoing arrangements were incomplete at the Florida Courier’s press time late Wednesday night.
OCTOBER 4 – OCTOBER 10, 2013
A3
FLORIDA
Texting ban, ‘EBT’ limits among new laws in state More new laws went into effect this week BY JIM TURNER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
TALLAHASSEE – An attempt to curb motorists from texting while driving went into effect Tuesday, along with laws that put limits on funeral protests, late-night massages and the use of tax dollars at strip joints and liquor stores. Also, a new law creates another specialty license plate, this one – the 121st offered by the state – for the Freemasons. While the majority of the nearly 200 bills approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Scott this spring hit the books July 1, another round of new laws went into effect Oct. 1.
Texting while stopped OK The new laws include measures that increase penalties on those who recruit minors into gangs (HB 407) and distribute harmful material to minors at school (HB 113), as well as measures that give people the chance to speak at government meetings (SB 50) and provide protections against the theft of plastic pallets used to transport agriculture (HB 1393). The new law getting the most attention is the longsought texting-while-driving ban (SB 52). The law makes texting while driving a secondary offense, which means motorists could only be ticketed if they are pulled over for other infractions. Also, the measure provides exemptions for use of GPS devices, talk-to-text technology and for reporting criminal behavior. It also allows texting while stopped, such as at red lights.
FHP outreach at schools While the measure has faced criticism for being too weak, lawmakers and the Florida Highway Patrol say the important thing is to simply have such a rule on the books. “Over half of all teens self report they have used a cell phone while driving,” FHP spokesman Lt. Jeff Frost said. “Eleven percent of fatal crashes, where the driver was under 20, were the result of distracted driving.” The FHP has been conducting educational outreach at high schools across the state about the new law. The aim is to reduce the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving, as one in five of those distracted teens involved in fatal crashes
SARAH HOFFMAN/DALLAS MORNING NEWS/MCT
Jamie Nash Wiens, a survivor of an accident caused by texting-while-driving, speaks at an It Can Wait campaign event on Sept. 19, 2013, in Dallas. Cellular provider AT&T is spending millions on the campaign to prevent accidents from texting while operating a car. were using cell phones or texting, Frost said. For lawmakers, the law, which was more than five years in the making, is just the first step to reduce texting while driving. Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, was to file a bill for the 2014 session that seeks to strengthen the texting-while-driving ban.
EBT banned at strip clubs The texting law isn’t the only one coming into practice with some notoriety. A couple of vice-tied measures went into place Tuesday. A new law (HB 701) prohibits state-issued Electronic Benefits Transfer “EBT” Cards, formerly known as food stamps, from being used at strip clubs, liquor stores and gambling establishments. During the 2013 session, several Democrats called the Republican-backed proposal political posturing, noting that the state Department of Children and Families already had the ability to shut off state “EBT” cards from being used at such facilities.
Massage parlor limits Another new law (HB 7005) is the latest effort to crack down on human trafficking by targeting shady massage businesses that are fronts for prostitution. The law prevents the operations of massage establishments between midnight and 5 a.m. and in most cases prohibits people from living in the businesses. The law has exception for businesses such as health spas and hotels that offer massage services.
N.C. Attorney General probing death of former FAMU player TRICE EDNEY NEWS SERVICE
Roy Cooper, the North Carolina Attorney General, will investigate the shooting death by a CharlotteMecklenburg police officer of Jonathan A. Ferrell, a 24 year-old Black man, who was seeking help following a car accident. Cooper said he took over the investigation at the request of R. Andrew Murray, Mecklenburg District Attorney. “Special prosecutors in the Attorney General’s Office have agreed to handle the case of Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department officer Randall Kerrick,” Cooper said.
Shot while seeking help Kerrick fired 12 shots at Ferrell, wounding him 10 times as Ferrell ran toward Kerrick and two other officers seeking help following a one-car acJonathan cident. Ferrell, who was unarmed Ferrell and did not have a criminal record, died at the scene. The deadly shooting occurred at 2:36 a.m. on Sept. 14. Ferrell’s car hit several trees and rolled down an embankment. Ferrell kicked out the car’s rear window to escape, police said. The former Florida A&M University football play-
Funeral protest guidelines Also, the never-popular field of funeral protesting will now have some state backed guidelines. A law (HB 15) makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to protest within 500 feet of a funeral. Besides being a first-degree misdemeanor to protest within 500 feet of a funeral, protests must halt during the period one hour before the services to one hour after the funeral or burial is completed. The measure is a direct response to protests that have been held for several years at military funerals and other events to draw attention to the beliefs of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church. Also, among the new laws that took effect Oct. 1:
Free speech SB 50: Public speaking time at meetings. The law guarantees members of the public the right to speak at public meetings. While most government meetings in Florida must be open to the public, courts have found that, under current law, there is no guarantee that citizens get to speak at those meetings. The measure exempts emergency meetings from the requirement and allows for time and decorum limits.
Transportation HB 487: Freemasonry license plates. The law creates a Freemasonry license plate, with most of the proceeds from the $25 annual fee going to the Masonic Home Endowment Fund, Inc. Presale of the plates started Tuesday.
Brands for boxes HB 1393: Branding box-
es. Due to the increased costs of plastic, along with reports of increased thefts of plastic pallets and merchandise containers, the law allows those who own containers for storage and transportation of agricultural and commercial goods to adopt a mark or brand to signify ownership.
Criminal Justice SB 112: False documents. Strengthens penalties against filing false documents that are intended to defraud or harass others. SB 338: Utility theft. The law imposes tougher penalties for electricity thieves. Rather than a first-degree misdemeanor, the penalty would vary depending on the value and services stolen, along with the criminal history of the accused. HB 407: Gang prevention. The law makes it a second-degree felony to recruit or encourage anyone under 13 years of age into a criminal gang. The law also increases from second-degree misdemeanor to firstdegree misdemeanor trespassing charges for individuals previously convicted of gang related crimes in school safety zones. The law also allows judges, rather than juries, to factor gang membership into criminal sentencing. HB 611: False information to law enforcement. Anyone who has previously been convicted of giving false information to a law enforcement officer will face a third-degree felony for repeating the offense verbally or in writing. HB 691: Identification theft. The law makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to possess the personal identification information – such as Social Security
er ran to a nearby house and pounded on the door, seeking help, but the woman, Sarah McCarthy, called the police. She stated that Ferrell was trying to kick in the door.
Kerrick charged When Kerrick and officers Thornell Little and Adam Neal arrived at the home, they saw Ferrell, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. One of the officers fired a Taser Gun. Kerrick drew his gun and shot Ferrell dead. Charlotte-Mecklenburg is in Charlotte, N.C. “The investigation showed that the initial encounter of Mr. Ferrell and Officer Kerrick was appropriate and lawful,” police said. “The evidence revealed that Mr. Ferrell did advance on Officer Kerrick and the investigation showed that the subsequent shooting of Mr. Ferrell was excessive. Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter.” Prosecutors charged Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter, according to police. Cooper said “The Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Section is available to all district attorneys in the state when there is a conflict or when there are other issues that prevent a district attorney from handling the case.” Before being elected district attorney for Mecklenburg County, Murray was a partner in the Charlotte, N.C., law firm of Goodman, Carr, Laughrun, Levine, Murray & Greene. George Laughrun and Michael Greene, two of the firm’s partners, are representing Kerrick in Ferrell’s shooting death.
This story is special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStarNews.com.
numbers, driver licenses, passport information and credit card numbers – of four or fewer people, and a third-degree felony to possess five or more. There are exemptions for parents, guardians and certain government employees. HB 1173: Florida Communications Fraud Act. The law increases penalties for communications fraud, while setting a 5-year statute of limitations for the pursuit of civil and criminal actions against those who commit communications fraud.
Schools HB 113: Harmful material to minors. The law tightens rules and makes it a thirddegree felony for adults to post certain types of obscene or otherwise harmful materials to minors on school property. The material could be a picture, photograph, drawing, sculpture, motion picture film, videocassette, or similar visual representation that depicts nudity or sexual conduct, sexual excitement, sexual battery, bestiality, or sadomasochistic abuse that could be considered harmful to minors.
Finances, real estate and insurance SB 166: Annuities. Requires an insurance agent recommending the purchase or exchange of an annuity that involves an insurance transaction to reasonably believe the recommendation is suitable for the consumer. HB 665: Mortgage broker licenses. The law ends a requirement that the Office of Financial Regulation automatically reject an application for a mortgage broker or mortgage lender license simply because the
Senate committee to consider Neighborhood Watch changes NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
After the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of teen Trayvon Martin, a Senate committee next week will consider two bills that would provide more oversight of neighborhood-watch programs. Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, is sponsoring SB 130, while Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, DFort Lauderdale, is sponsoring SB 122. Both measures, which will be heard Oct. 8 in the Judiciary Committee, call for local law-enforcement agencies to set guidelines for neighborhood-watch programs and would seek to prevent neighborhood-watch volunteers from confronting or trying to apprehend people suspected
applicant had a similar license revoked in another state. Also, it requires securities and mortgage license applicants to submit electronic or live-scan fingerprints for required background checks by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI. Currently, the applicants are required to submit paper fingerprint cards for the checks.
Contractors HB 973: Low-voltage electric work. The law allows an alarm contractor to start work on a low-voltage alarm system project without first having to notify the local government. Instead, the contractor must notify the local enforcement agency within 21 days of the item being installed.
Public record exemptions SB 452: Creates a publicrecords exemption for the Joshua Abbott Organ and Tissue Registry, which involves lung transplants. HB 731: Creates a public-records exemption for spouses and children of law enforcement personnel. HB 7079: Keeps a public-record exemption alive for select information contained in records documenting acts of domestic violence or sexual violence. HB 7143: Keeps a publicrecords exemption alive tied to identifying certain donors to the direct-support organization for the Department of Veterans Affairs. HB 7145: Keeps a publicrecords exemption alive for all complaints in the custody of a state agency involving employment discrimination.
of wrongdoing. Zimmerman was a neighborhood-watch volunteer in Sanford when an altercation led to Martin’s death. The case drew international attention. Smith’s bill also would make changes in the state’s controversial “stand your ground” law, such as prohibiting people from using the law as a defense if they leave places of safety to initiate confrontations.
Bill would block ecigarettes for minors Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, filed a bill this week that would ban the sales of electronic cigarettes to minors. The electronic devices, which deliver nicotine and simulate cigarette smoking, would be added to part of state law that prohibits the sale of tobacco products to people under age 18. The bill (SB 224), which was filed Monday, also would make it illegal for minors to possess electronic cigarettes. The proposal is filed for the 2014 legislative session.
EDITORIAL
A4
OCTOBER 4 – OCTOBER 10, 2013
Keep hope alive with a new war on poverty Only a few weeks ago, as the nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful “I Have a Dream” speech, I was reminded of the Rev. King’s last birthday, in January 1968. He combined it with work — a staff meeting, planning for the multiracial Poor People’s March, where we made plans to occupy the National Mall. He spoke to us of the need to march to demand an end to the War in Vietnam and to push for a full commitment to the War on Poverty. Four-and-a-half decades later — the U.S. Census Bureau has now reported that “the nation’s official poverty rate in 2012 was 15.0 percent, which represents 46.5 million people living at or below the poverty line.” That’s up from 46.2 million in 2011, and translates to a poverty rate of 15 percent — one out of every seven Americans.
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM
Income drops The Census Bureau says that number includes about 16 million children and almost 4 million seniors. Is anybody listening? The Census Bureau reported that median household income also dropped. As Reuters summarized it, “While the Standard and Poor’s 500 index gained 16 percent on a total return basis last year . . . median household income slipped to $51,017 from of $51,100 in 2011.” Is anybody listening? Or as Bill Moyers puts it on his web site: “That number may sound familiar to anyone who remembers George H.W. Bush’s first year as
president. . . . because household income in 2012 is similar to what it was in 1989.” The Census Bureau report was released on the second anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which drove the issue of inequality in America into public debate. Unfortunately, House Republicans continue to try to head the nation the wrong way down austerity’s one-way street. Their latest act of meanness?
Food stamps cut
NATE BEELER, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 188 quick takes from #2: straight, no chaser
Charles W. Cherry II, Esq. PUBLISHER
ingness to buy it for him. There was many a day years ago when he and I would talk religion and politics (local, state, national and church) at the old Morrison’s cafeteria in Fort Lauderdale. I’d be starting on my salad, while he’d be finishing his apple pie – he was quick with a fork. Despite life’s changes, he greeted me like a lost brother as I pushed him (“Preach hard, preacher!”) from the pews on Good Friday 2013, cancer be damned. Well done, Doc…
Contact me at ccherry2@gmail.com; holler at me at www.facebook.com/ ccherry2; follow me on Twitter @ccherry2.
Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.
THE CREDO OF THE BLACK PRESS The Black Press believes that Americans can best lead the world away from racism and national antagonism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color or creed, full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person. The Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief...that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.
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War on poor This is not a War on Poverty, but a War on the Poor! Is anybody listening? Perhaps not in Washington, where the collusion with Wall Street has created a 1 percent economy. As Berkeley professor Emmanuel Saez’s new study shows, “the top 1 percent captured 95 percent of the income gains in the first three years of the recovery.”
The GOP-dominated House voted to cut $40 billion out of food stamps over the next 10 years. The Center for American Progress (CAP) had the details: “In a partyline vote, 217 House Republicans voted to cut $40 billion from the food stamps program.” In a press release titled “Reverse Cries heard Robin Hood,” CAP continued: “The The poor did get some good non-partisan Congressional Bud- news this week. It sounds like get Office estimates that Thurs- Pope Francis has been listening,
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: OBAMACARE EXCHANGE
Dr. Mack King Carter – I was a young lawyer working in the office of the Broward County state attorney when I came to Fort Lauderdale in 1983 about the same time Mack Carter came to New Mount Olive. I heard it was the church to be, and it was – full of Black urban professionals (known then as “Buppies”) who worked in the Broward school system, the courthouse, local businesses, various hospitals, banks, etc. The church facility was relatively new. The youthful energy was there. The first time I heard Dr. Carter speak was at a funeral. The family member of a friend of mine had committed suicide. I was interested in how the preacher would handle the situation. Dr. Carter’s theme of the eulogy? “God Knows.” No condemnation. No judgment. I was intrigued enough to come back to Sunday service at a time in my life when I was deciding whether to live life guided by Islam or Christianity. Long story short: Dr. Carter baptized me a few years later, and we established a relationship for the next 30 years that was energized by crackling conversation, his love for good restaurant food, and my will-
day’s cuts will bump 3.8 million off the program next year, with an additional 2.8 million losing them each year on average over the next decade. Additionally, an estimated 210,000 children will lose access to free school lunch programs and 55,000 jobs will be lost in the first year of cuts alone.”
Charles W. Cherry, Sr. (1928-2004), Founder Julia T. Cherry, Senior Managing Member, Central Florida Communicators Group, LLC Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Cassandra CherryKittles, Charles W. Cherry II, Managing Members Dr. Glenn W. Cherry, Chief Executive Officer Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher Dr. Valerie Rawls-Cherry, Human Resources Jenise Morgan, Senior Editor Linda Fructuoso, Marketing Consultant/Sales, Circulation Angela VanEmmerik, Creative Director Chicago Jones, Eugene Leach, Louis Muhammad, Lisa Rogers-Cherry, Circulation James Harper, Andreas Butler, Ashley Thomas, Staff Writers Delroy Cole, Kim Gibson, Photojournalists MEMBER National Newspaper Publishers Association Society of Professional Journalists Florida Press Association Associated Press National Newspaper Association
has heard the cries of the poor. When asked what he wished for the Catholic Church, Pope Francis replied in a way that gave me great hope: “ . . . the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. . . . Heal the wounds, heal the wounds. . . . And you have to start from the ground up.” Unfortunately, as writer Steven Rosenfeld pointed out, the “House GOP didn’t get the pope’s memo before slashing food stamps.” These cuts must be blocked. Even better, we could honor Dr. King and the March on Washington with a new War on Poverty. Keep hope alive.
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. is president/CEO of the Rainbow/ PUSH Coalition. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
Must-read books for potential Black leaders As students move into the 2013 fall semester in colleges and universities throughout the country, it’s a good time to alert those who strive to be or are considered to be future leaders in the African-American communities about books that will assist them in achieving their goals. It must be noted the students to whom I am referring are those who aspire to be leaders in the Black community, those who share the attitude expressed by the late publisher John H. Johnson when he reportedly said, “I don’t want to be King of the Hill; I want to be King of the Black Hill.” That’s the kind of visionary, persistent, intelligent leadership needed by Black folks to promote and protect our economic cultural and political interests in this group-oriented society. The recommended books are presented by serious Black folks from a variety of arenas, all of whom are activists in the ongoing campaign for equal rights, justice and opportunity.
and works need to be studied.” Howard University scholA. Peter ar, Dr. Greg Carr, selected “The Eloquence of the Bailey Scribe’s by Ayi Kwei Armah. TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM “It is a narrative of his life that focuses on the imporof White supremacy and its tance of scholarship and acmyriad ramifications.” tivism in Black life throughout history.”
‘21 Irrefutable Laws’
Imam Al-Hajj Hakim Abdul Ali, a columnist for The Chronicle newspaper (Charleston, S.C.), recommends “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership’’ by John Maxwell “in which the author distills everything that he learned from more than 30 years of leadership in business and life. It’s a definitive read for a beginner who seriously wants to assume leadership in our community or any community.”
‘Black Bourgeoisie’
For entrepreneur Jesse Frierson the book is E. Franklin Frazier’s “Black Bourgeoisie’’ because “before any real progress can be made, we must fully understand that ‘political power’ is but an idea in the minds ‘Brainwashed’ of many that will never be The first is from Dr. Ade- achieved without real ecolaide C. Sanford, Vice Chan- nomic power.” cellor Emerita, New York State Board of Regents. Her ‘Black Man’ book is “Brainwashed’’ by Radio talk show warTom Burrell which she says rior Leroy J. Baylor’s book “clarifies not only the self- is “Message to the Black destructive phenomena of Man’’ by “The Honorable self-hatred suffered by too Elijah Muhammad because many African-Americans, its philosophy still fuels the but also makes substantive Black consciousness moverecommendations to coun- ment today. In the book he teract the centuries long promotes Adam Clayton projection of inferiority and Powell, Jr. and J.A Rogers, its unexamined assumption two Black men whose lives
‘Operation Mind Control’ For electrical engineer Earl Grant who worked closely with Brother Malcolm X and for President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, the recommended book is “Operation Mind Control,’’ which is “a confession of activities by those out to control our people. Their activities have deeply and negatively affected us without our knowing about them. Anyone serious about leadership must be knowledgeable about such tactics.” My recommended book is “The Destruction of Black Civilization: Great Issues of a Race from 4500 B.C. to 2000 A.D’’ a thought-provoking, informative, compelling analyses by Chancellor Williams on what he considered the negative impact of both Islam and Christianity on African people. Its last two chapters provide concrete guidelines for anyone serious about being an effective leader of our people.
Peter Bailey, a lecturer and author. He can be reached at apeterb@veriozn.net. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
Where do we go from here? Many talk about post-racial, post-civil rights, and post-March on Washington, but reaching certain milestones doesn’t mean that our journey is complete. Often, our accomplishments clearly contrast with the setbacks we presently experience. Regressive efforts against voters’ rights and the waging of war against women evidence the unmistakable design to turn back the clock on our rights. Acknowledgment of the value of citizens, regardless of difference, is the offspring of a Civil Rights Movement which has dismantled many barriers for people of color and expanded access for Disabled Americans, the LGBT community, senior citizens, immigrants and workers.
Remain vigilant Although past struggles have resulted in unexpected achievement, our present challenge is remaining vigilant against those who’d reverse the gains we’ve made and retard future progress. I believe that the necessary action steps toward this goal includes: • Removing the egos that prevent us from accomplishing our goals. The “WE” is more important than the “I.” • Working to build/expand Black businesses to provide jobs and circulate more of our money in our own communities. We must compete for jobs in the corporate sector which provide the authority to hire and to promote. • Making a greater impact on education in our communities. We must increase mentoring so each one can reach one or more. • Encouraging the accurate teaching of our history. This must involve the contri-
Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. TRICE EDNEY WIRE
butions of women. While we honor the accomplishments of our men, more of the story must be told about Diane Nash, Ella Baker, Vivian Malone Jones, Harriett Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan and more. Children without an historical anchor are bound to drift in obscurity. • Registering and getting more people out to vote. We’ve made a strong first-step in that direction by electing President Obama, but we must continue the process. We must teach the importance of all elections - local, state and federal - to our community. • Coalescing with others who share our interests. Our activism must increase on immigration, election of more Blacks, more women, more Hispanics and others who have common goals. • Supporting the Black press and media. They’re often the only outlets telling our positive stories. • Finally, by reading the 2013 “21st Century Agenda for Jobs and Freedom” plan developed by our major Black organizations and doing all we can to make the plan work.
Dr. E. Faye Williams is National Chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc. Contact her at www.nationalcongressbw.org. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
OCTOBER 4 – OCTOBER 10, 2013
EDITORIAL
Cruz, Cantor, Tea Party political terrorists holding Americans hostage Shortly after the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776 the Second Continental Congress struggled to develop a document that would provide the structure for the first government of the United States. On Nov. 15, 1777, the representatives of the 13 original colonies adopted the Articles of Confederation. It provided structure for a loose association of independent states, enabling them to cooperate on specific matters while maintaining individual state sovereignty. The Articles of Confederation failed for a number of reasons. Among those reasons were the inability of the national government to tax, regulate interstate and foreign commerce, and provide for central leadership. One major event that signaled the failings of the Articles was Shay’s Rebellion, an armed uprising that took place in Massachusetts in 1786 and 1787.
Ungovernable Daniel Shay, a Revolutionary War veteran and Massachusetts farmer was being forced into foreclosure on his farm as the state raised taxes and interest rates to cover its war debt. Shay and fellow protesters shut down county courts to stop the judicial hearings for tax and debt collection. The government’s inability to deal with the issues leading up to the rebellion signaled a break down in order and signaled that a new structure was needed. The country was becoming ungovernable.
DR. WILMER J. LEON III TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM
Today, 226 years later, American’s face yet another shutdown of the government but this time there’s a difference. Shay’s Rebellion was an uprising led by a small band of citizens against the established order, the government. Today, the shutdown is being led by a small band of elected officials who are more focused on their narrow political ideology than operating in the best interest of the American people. They misrepresent the facts and lie to the American people to make their case. Congress’ unwillingness to work with the executive branch and its inability to pass legislation is a clear indication that once again, the country is becoming ungovernable. Conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives have passed a bill linking the continued funding of the government to the unrelated defunding of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Poster boy Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is the poster boy for the conservative opposition to the ACA. He has called the ACA a “glitch-riddled healthcare takeover that is killing jobs, wages, and health-care benefits all across the nation.” It’s not a takeover of health-care; it’s a change to
VISUAL VIEWPOINT: GOP NEW FALL FASHIONS
health insurance which provides greater access to care for the previously uninsured. According to fact checking by USA Today, Cruz’s diatribe on the Senate floor was filled with outright lies. Even Senator John McCain (RAZ) took issue with Cruz. He called it “extended oratory” and took issue with Cruz’s reference to Nazi Germany. House speaker Boehner has stated, ““The American people don’t want a government shutdown and they don’t want Obamacare...The House has listened to the American people…Now is the time for the U.S. Senate to listen to them as well.”
Obama won The problem with Boehner’s statement is that it is just not supported by the facts. For example, CNBC released a poll earlier this week showing Americans oppose defunding the new health care by a 44 percent to 38 percent margin and strongly opposed defunding 59 percent to 19 percent, if it means shutting down the government. Not to mention the fact that health care reform was a significant plank in President Obama’s platform in both the 2008 and 2012 campaigns. He won convincingly both times. Senator McCain addressed the previous point by saying, “the people spoke” and still reelected President Barack Obama in 2012. Lawmakers shouldn’t “give up our efforts to repair Obamacare” McCain said, but said it wasn’t worth shut-
Christopher Weyant, The Hill
ting down the government. “We fought as hard as we could in a fair and honest manner and we lost…” These are the same people who two weeks ago under the direction of the House majority leader, Eric Cantor (R-VA), pushed through a bill that slashes $40 billion from the food stamp program over the next 10 years and limits the time recipients can get benefits to three months. Cutting food stamps at a time when, according to Bread for the World, 14.5 percent of American households struggle to put food on the table? More than one in four American children are at risk of hunger? Senate Democrats have pledged to not pass this bill and President Obama has promised to veto the bill if it comes across his desk.
Black consumer power still matters It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Resilient, Receptive and Relevant: The African-Consumer 2013 Report. This is Nielsen and the NNPA’s third comprehensive, in-depth report on African-American consumers. I along with Cloves Campbell, chairman of the NNPA; Rev. Jacques DeGraff, who is the co-chair of Nielsen’s External African-American Advisory Council, officially released the report during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 43rd Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. during a press conference.
On the rise Since I have been writing this column, you’ve seen me repeatedly write about our tremendous buying power and how we are to use that power wisely.
ulation – the demographic But, 55 percent of us live in the South. And here’s an interesting fact, Blacks who moved to the South were On average, our popula- young – 40 percent were tion is three years younger adults ages 21 to 40. So, the than other demos – 35 com- Southern migration is not pared to 38, which is a cov- limited solely to older retireted age for marketers. Our ees. population numbers have grown 64 percent faster Girls run world than any other group in the Now, you all know I love country since 2010, which Beyoncé’s “Girls Run the includes people who claim World.” And as a matter of Black and another race. fact, we do! Black women That’s 43 million Black peo- are a force to be reckoned ple, or 14 percent, of the en- with, representing 52 pertire population – the largest cent of employed Blacks, racial minority in the Unit- controlling 43 percent of the ed States. The Black pop- $1 trillion current, collective ulation remains the largest African-American spendracial minority in the Unit- ing power, and owning the ed States as Hispanic is an majority of Black businessethnic identity, not a race. es. The insights in this reBlacks live all over the port do, indeed, show that country, mostly in or we are a resilient group, but around large metropoli- the report also documents tan areas such as New York our ability to thrive through City, Atlanta and Chicago. tough economic times.
CHERYL information. PEARSONPopulation younger MCNEIL NNPA COLUMNIST
Well, guess what? That buying power sees no signs of slowing down. Black buying power is on the rise; and is expected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2017. That’s some serious economic clout. How and where we use it is explained in this year’s report, with an even more thorough picture of the African-American consumer. There is so much valuable information; we can’t possibly digest it all in one sitting, so, in the coming weeks, I’ll help explain this report section by section. So, this week, let’s start with our strength in the U.S. pop-
Obama the ‘Warmonger-in-Chief’ President Obama went to the United Nations last month and declared war against the UN’s most fundamental founding principles, all the while claiming the U.S. is the world’s one indispensable, unique and exceptional nation. The speech was a reminder of the reason rich people in America financed and sponsored Obama’s rise to the presidency in the first place, as the new, non-white face of U.S. imperial power. Obama’s foreign policy mission was to subvert United Nations prohibitions against the use of force except in self-defense, and to substitute a so-called “humanitarian” rationale justifying aggression by Washington and its allies. This constitutes a fundamental break with the UN Charter, signifying that the U.S. realizes it can no longer dominate the world by economic and other “soft power” and must, therefore, sweep away the accumulated structures of international law that inhibit America’s ability to smash its adversaries with raw military force.
Rule of law Obama’s speech was one long threat against world order and the rule of law. He baldly stated that the U.S. is prepared to “use all elements of [its] power, including military force, to secure
GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT
[its] core interests in the region” – a statement that is, on its face, a violation of the UN’s prohibition against the threat of the use of force against other nations. International law forbids the powerful from rattling their sabers over perceived challenges to their “interests” in other people’s countries. Obama, like the honey badger, doesn’t give a damn about international law. He says that, “wherever possible” he will try to “respect the sovereignty of nations,” but will “take direct action” – meaning, military force – “when it is necessary to defend the United States against terrorist attacks.” That’s another way of saying the U.S. reserves the right to send drones anywhere in the world to kill whoever it wants, whenever it wants, for its own reasons that are nobody else’s business – which is the behavior of an outlaw, rogue state.
Warmonger-in-Chief Among the “interests” that the U.S. sees as just cause for going to war, is the promotion of what Obama calls “democracy, human rights,
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and open markets” in the Middle East and North Africa. “These objectives,” says Obama, “are best achieved when we partner with the international community and with countries and people of the region.” Translation: The U.S. will continue to form “coalitions of the willing” to use military force for regime change or to preserve the status quo, circumventing the United Nations – a gross violation of international law. In a final obscenity, Obama concludes with a shameless reference to Dr. Martin Luther King’s “dream.” Fortysix years ago, Dr. King declared that the U.S. was the “greatest purveyor of violence in the world.” That is what is so exceptional about America: its relentless quest for military domination of the planet and utter disregard for the norms of law and civilization. Barack Obama is the planetary Warmonger-in-Chief. His breath smells of sulfur, just as George Bush’s did when he addressed the UN, seven years ago.
Glen Ford is the Black Agenda Report executive editor and can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
The Ted Cruz’s and Eric Cantor’s of the world are the modern day Daniel Shay. The difference is Shay led a populist movement of citizen’s who’s way of life was being threatened by the government. Cruz, Cantor, and their band of Tea Party political terrorists are holding Americans hostage and using the American government against the American people; making the United States of America, un-united and ungovernable.
Dr. Wilmer Leon is the producer/ host of the Sirius/XM Satellite radio channel 110 call-in talk radio program, “Inside the Issues with Wilmer Leon.’’ More information: www.wilmerleon. com. Click on this story at www. flcourier.com to write your own response.
Seventy-three percent of Whites and 67 percent of Hispanics believe that Blacks are a great influence on popular culture. Think about it, music (e.g. jazz, blues & hip-hop), clothes language (e.g. slang), gestures (e.g. “Fist bumps,” that’s to the Obamas, and they are also known as “daps”).
Education important Education is important to us. The number of African-American college graduates was up nine percent between 1990 (11 percent) and 2010 (20 percent). And, in a myth-shattering revelation, the report shows that we spend 44 percent more time on Education and Career sites than the total market consumers. Did you know that we read financial magazines like Forbes, Fortune and Black Enterprise, 28 percent more than other consumers? And, we spend an average 87 minutes on
finance and investment websites. That’s 12 percent more than other groups. On the flip side, we could catch up in the actual purchase of mutual funds, first mortgages and stocks. But, the curiosity is there, which helps illustrate to financial institutions that there are opportunities to market and create more awareness about services to Black audiences. Now, we are just getting started so stay tuned. You can also find a four-page copy of the report inserted in this week’s Florida Courier. Check it out and let us know what you think.
Cheryl Pearson-McNeil is senior vice president of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Nielsen. For more information and studies, go to www.nielsen.com. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.
Affordable health care arrives “Nearly 6 in 10 uninsured Americans will be able to get coverage for $100 or less.” –President Barack Obama We fought and won a battle three years ago to improve access to affordable health care for every American and finally it’s here. On Tuesday, a key component of the Affordable Care Act took effect when the new Health Insurance Marketplace opened for business, allowing millions of Americans to shop for a variety of quality, affordable health plans that best meet their needs. Here is how it works. First, if you are among the vast majority of Americans who already have health insurance that you like, you can keep it and you don’t have to change a thing. The only changes you will see are new benefits, better protections from insurance company abuses and more value for every dollar you spend on health care. For example, you can no longer be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition and you can’t be canceled because you get sick. Young people can be covered by their parents up to age 26. Most people will now be eligible for free preven-
MARC H. MORIAL TRICE EDNEY WIRE
tive screenings like blood pressure and cholesterol tests, mammograms, and colonoscopies. Insurance companies will no longer be able to set a life-time dollar limit on what they spend for your essential health services. In addition, 47 million women will gain access to preventive health services. The law makes it illegal to charge women different rates than men. And seniors on Medicare will have access to cheaper drugs, and free preventive care. For the millions of Americans who currently have no health insurance, the new law offers a longawaited lifeline of protection.
Lower costs With a visit to the Health Insurance Marketplace at www.HealthCare.gov, you can learn if you can get lower costs based on your income, compare your coverage options side-byside, and enroll. When you use the Marketplace, or “health insurance exchange”, as it is al-
so called, you’ll fill out an application and see all the health plans available in your area. You’ll provide some information about your household size and income to find out if you can get lower costs on your monthly premiums for private insurance plans. You’ll learn if you qualify for lower out-ofpocket costs. The Marketplace will also tell you if you qualify for free or low-cost coverage available through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The open enrollment period runs through March 31, 2014. Coverage begins on Jan. 1, 2014. You can also get help by phone, 24/7, by calling 1-800-318-2596. And local help can be found by visiting LocalHelp. HealthCare.Gov. President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010. It was upheld by the Supreme Court on June 28, 2012. Obamacare is here to stay.
Marc Morial is president/CEO of the National Urban League. Click on this story at www. flcourier.com to write your own response.
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NATION
OCTOBER 4 – OCTOBER 10, 2013
King siblings continue to fight in court Latest squabble pits MLK’s sons against daughter in dispute about Atlanta center
trol both entities, so family dynamics as well as corporate interests are at play.
Federal court battle
BY ERNIE SUGGS ATLANTA JOURNALCONSTITUTION (MCT)
ATLANTA — Almost since its inception in 1968, and despite its national and global reach, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change has teetered on the brink of relevancy and survival. Maintenance has been a problem, and local and federal courts are littered with years of lawsuits filed by and against the center. But perhaps nothing has threatened the future of the center as much as a lawsuit filed last month. If successful, it would not only force major changes in leadership, it would prevent the organization dedicated to furthering King’s legacy from using his name, image or words. Martin Luther King III and his brother, Dexter King, authorized the suit on behalf of the King Estate, which owns their father’s intellectual property. The target of their dissatisfaction is their younger sister, Bernice King, who runs the King Center.
‘Disappointing to country’ Reverberations of the dispute threaten to sully a piece of America’s heritage that, for many throughout the world, is the first thing they think of when they think of Atlanta. “When (the siblings) are
W.A. BRIDGES/ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
Bernice King, center, speaks during the memorial for her sister, Yolanda, as Dexter King (left) and Martin King III listen on May 24, 2007, in Atlanta. fighting, they are wasting opportunities they have to better foster race relations in this country,” said relationship and family expert Laurie Puhn, the author of “Fight Less, Love More.” “They have been born with tremendous access and opportunities. Having a family name is not a burden. It is freedom to pick what their interests are and help others. (Their conflict) is disappointing to the country, and an embarrassment.” The estate, a for-profit entity that owns
the rights to King’s intellectual property, generates income for family members by licensing the rights to use it.
Tale of two entities The King Center, like any outside entity, must purchase the rights to use King’s words and image. In their suit, the brothers contend that the center is disseminating the items it has licensed too freely, undermining the value of the estate’s copyrights.
To some degree, the conflict may be inevitable, given the two entities’ divergent goals, said Tricia Harris, who has served in key roles with both organizations. “On the one hand, you have the King Center, which is out to promote the legacy. That is not the mission of the King Estate, which is more along the lines of protecting the legacy,” Harris said. Making things even messier, the three surviving King children closely con-
In suing the center, the brothers are filing suit against a nonprofit whose board they are members of. (Dexter is CEO of the estate and chairman of the center’s board.) Bernice King is defending herself against a suit brought by a company in which she is a major shareholder. On Sept. 9, attorneys for the King Center and Bernice King shifted the battle to federal court. They asked a federal district judge to issue an emergency order that would preserve the status quo, allowing the center to continue making use of the copyrighted material it has licensed. Bernice King is also seeking to bar her brothers — because of conflicts of interest — from attempting to control the center through another organization in which they are all stakeholders. That’s Intellectual Properties Management Inc., which was established in 1994 by the King Estate to manage the King brand.
Family matters This is the third public dust-up in five years. In 2008, Bernice King and King III took Dexter King to court over how he was handling the family fortune. In 2012, when Bernice King took over the King Center, it was she and Dexter King who deposed King III, who had been serving as president and CEO. Alveda King, a cousin and member of the King Center’s board, said the conflict is no different from
that experienced by other families. She noted that the brothers were with Bernice King earlier this year to celebrate her 50th birthday. On the Sunday before the anniversary of the March on Washington, Bernice King attended King III’s book signing at the King Memorial in Washington. “People outside the family will try to create a tension and not allow the process of love and healing to take place,” Alveda King said.
No response Yet, since the lawsuit was filed Aug. 28, the siblings haven’t seen or spoken to each other. Calls and emails over the past two weeks from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to the brothers were not returned. William Hill of Rafuse Hill & Hodges, who is representing the estate in the suit, declined to comment, referring all questions to Sandra Butler, the licensing manager for IPM. She did not return calls or respond to a list of questions provided by the AJC. The King Center — inside the National Park Service’s King National Historic Site — between his birth home and historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he and his father preached. Just months after her husband’s death in 1968, Coretta Scott King established the center to honor his memory and carry forth his legacy. The executive leadership and board have always been dominated by family members. The current board includes the three siblings, two other family members and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.
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IFE/FAITH
October 4 - October 10, 2013
Remembering civil rights leader Evelyn Lowery See page B2
SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE
Underwood stars in new ‘Ironside’ See page B4
SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE
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www.flcourier.com
SECTION
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TOJ
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
TIME TO ENROLL
Individual mandate
Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act requires most individuals and their dependents to have health insurance or pay a penalty. Although a key factor in reducing the number of uninsured Americans, the mandate is the most unpopular part of the law. But it’s necessary to make the law’s insurance market reforms work properly. The ACA bars insurers in the individual and small-group markets from denying coverage to people with pre-existing health problems, charging higher premiums based on their health and placing annual and lifetime limits on covered benefits. Without the individual mandate, these new consumer protections would cause sharper premium hikes because they would encourage older, sicker people to get coverage, while healthy people would wait until they get sick to buy insurance. The mandate is designed to discourage this behavior and promote a mix of healthy and lesshealthy people to enroll for coverage. That diversity of new enrollees is designed to help keep premium costs in check.
On Oct. 1, Americans began enrolling for health coverage next year on the new state insurance marketplaces. The Affordable Care Act becomes fully operational three months later in 2014. That’s when most people must have health insurance or face a fine for noncompliance. Most of the roughly 260 million Americans with job-based, individual or government coverage probably have nothing to worry about. But if you’re unsure – or among the nearly 49 million uninsured Americans – we’ve prepared a guide to bring you up to speed. —Tony Pugh, McClatchy Washington Bureau
• A grandfathered plan from before ACA was enacted
No if ...
... you’re a member of one of the following exempt groups • Part of religious group opposed to accepting health insurance benefits
• An undocumented immigrant • In prison
• Part of an Indian tribe
• Too poor to file a tax return ($10,000 single, $20,000 family)
• Paying more than 8 percent of income for health insurance, minus employer contribution or tax credits
Penalties for the uninsured 2014
2015
2016
Adult
$95.00 325.00
695.00
Child
47.50 162.50
347.50
Family* 285.00 975.00 2,085.00
Penalties will increase yearly by cost-of-living adjustment after 2016
*Family penalty is whatever is greater: $285 or 1 percent of family income for 2014; $975 or 2 percent, 2015; $2,085 or 2.5 percent, 2016 Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Graphic: Judy Treible © 2013 MCT
Medicaid expansion Hoping to reduce the ranks of nearly 49 million uninsured Americans, the Affordable Care Act allows states to expand the number of people eligible for Medicaid, the state/federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled. This so-called “Medicaid Expansion” will extend coverage in 2014 to an estimated 8 million nonelderly adults who earn up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. That’s about $15,900 for an individual in 2013 or nearly $32,500 for a family of four. The federal government has pledged to pay all medical costs for the newly eligible Medicaid enrollees in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and no less than 90 percent
• Hospitalization
• Maternity and newborn care • Mental health services • Prescription drugs
• Rehabilitation services
Insurance industry reforms Rules designed to make new policies more generous, affordable and transparent Accessibilty Guarantees access to individual coverage regardless of current or past health problems Value of coverage Each plan must cover at least 60 percent of costs Out-of-pocket limits Insurers must limit annual out-of-pocket costs such as co-pays, deductibles
• Your employer
• Private insurance you bought that’s at least the bronze coverage level
• Emergency services
• Pediatric services
... you have insurance through
• Medicare
• Ambulatory patient services
• Preventive and wellness care
No if ...
• Tricare or veteran’s health program
All insurance plans, both in and out of the marketplaces, must cover these 10 “essential health” benefits
• Laboratory services
Do I have to buy coverage?
• Medicaid or CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program)
Essential health benefits
COREY LOWENSTEIN/RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER/MCT
Dawud Montague, a self-employed HVAC technician who was uninsured, center, makes an appointment to discuss his insurance needs with Charles Galt, president of Wellness Security, right, an independent agent working at the BlueCross BlueShield of N.C. kiosk in the Northgate Mall in Durham, N.C. on Oct. 1. of their costs thereafter. The June 2012 Supreme Court decision allows states to decide whether to participate in the Medicaid expansion. As of July 1, 23 states and the District of Columbia are moving forward with expansion, 21 states are not and six others are still debating the issue, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies health care issues.
Insurance marketplaces As part of broad changes to the way health insurance is bought and sold, the Affordable Care Act creates new online health insurance marketplaces where individual and small-group coverage can be purchased from qualified health plans. Each state will have a marketplace that will launch in October with open enrollment for coverage in 2014. An estimated 7 million people will purchase insurance on the marketplaces between October and March 2014, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The marketplaces will either be federally operated, state-run or administered jointly. Marketplace plans will be divided into four categories based on the portion of medical expenses they cover: Bronze plans cover 60 percent; silver plans cover 70 percent; gold plans cover 80 percent and platinum plans cover 90 percent. Plan members pay the remaining portion. The marketplaces will also offer “catastrophic coverage” for people under age 30 and those age 30 and over with low incomes who can’t get affordable insurance or who have a hardship exemption from the individual mandate. Catastrophic plans protect against high medical costs from accidents or a major illness. Small employers and their workers will also be able to purchase coverage through the marketplaces, using the Small Business Health Options Program, or SHOP. Some small employers with less than 25 workers will be eligible for a tax credit worth up to 50 percent of their premium contribution. In states with federally-operated marketplaces, employers can only offer worker coverage
Insurance marketplace coverage Who will use marketplaces? People purchasing individual and small-group coverage
How the coverage levels vary Percent of health care costs covered by: Insurers
You
40%
30
60% Bronze
70 Silver
20
80 Gold
10
90
Platinum
Catastrophic plans typically have lower premiums than a comprehensive plan, but individuals are usually responsible for initial health costs — often up to $6,000 — before coverage kicks in. Tax credits cannot be used to purchase catastrophic coverage. Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Graphic: Judy Treible
© 2013 MCT
JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/MCT
Onaney Hernandez, right, a “navigator,” presents information during a session at Orlando Public Library on the process for individuals to get health insurance, during the first day of the federal Health Care Exchange on Oct. 1. through one SHOP plan in 2014, but multiple plans in 2015 and thereafter.
Tax credits Nearly 26 million low- and moderate-income people will be eligible for tax credits to help pay for coverage on the new marketplaces, according to Families USA, a nonpartisan patient advocacy group. The tax credits are structured to protect people from spending more than a set portion of their income on coverage. The amount of the tax cred-
it depends on the applicant’s income and the cost of coverage. The tax credits could range from a few hundred dollars to more than $10,000. Low-income people will get larger tax credits than those with higher incomes. The amount of the tax credit is revealed after submitting an online application through the marketplace. The money is sent directly to the applicant’s insurance company to be applied to the premiums. Individuals and families who earn between 100 percent to 400 percent of the federal pov-
Rating requirements Limits amount older plan members may be charged, no annual benefit-spending limits, rates can’t vary based on gender, occupation or claims history Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, Alevere Health, acaexplained.org. Graphic: Judy Treible © 2013 MCT
erty level will be eligible for the tax credits. In 2013, that would be individuals who earn roughly $11,500 to $46,000 annually, or four-person families earning roughly between about $23,550 and $94,200 annually. The amount of the tax credit is based on the price of the “benchmark plan,” which is the secondlowest cost “silver” plan in your area.
Insurance market changes The health care law engineers a complete makeover of individual and small group coverage next year through a series of changes designed to make newly issued policies more generous, accessible, affordable and transparent. The individual, or “nongroup,” market has long been problematic for consumers. It’s known for high customer dissatisfaction and turnover, high coverage denial rates, lean benefits and premiums subject to frequent increases. The new rules guarantee access to individual and smallgroup coverage regardless of current or past health problems. They also require each plan to cover at least 60 percent of medical costs, and limit annual outof-pocket costs, like co-payments and deductibles. The new consumer protections also limit the amount that older plan members may be charged; outlaw annual benefit-spending limits; and no longer allow insurers to vary rates based on gender, occupation or medical claims history. The law requires all individual and small-group health plans in 2014 to cover a list of “essential health benefits,” including substance abuse services, pediatric dental and vision care, mental health treatment and others often excluded from current policies. Just 15.4 million people purchase individual coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. But that number is expected to increase substantially next year, when premium tax credits become available to help people buy individual coverage through the new online insurance marketplaces in October. About 24.5 million people have small-group coverage through companies with 50 or fewer employees, according to federal estimates.
OBITUARIES
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OCTOBER 4 – OCTOBER 10, 2013
Civil rights community mourns the passing of Evelyn Lowery Champion of human, women’s rights and wife of Joseph Lowery suffered stroke
to Montgomery March participant, and were arrested for protesting against South African Apartheid and the dumping of toxic waste in North Carolina.”
BY DAVID STOKES AND HAZEL TRICE EDNEY TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE
Called a hero
America’s civil rights community is in mourning this week upon the death of Evelyn Gibson Lowery, 88, wife of civil rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery, who was a heroine in her own right. “My beloved Evelyn was a special woman whose life was committed to service, especially around issues of empowering women. She Evelyn was a wonderful mother Lowery and wife, and I thank God that she didn’t suffer any pain, and that I was blessed having her as my partner, my confidante and my best friend for close to 70 years,” Rev. Lowery said in an article published by the Atlanta Inquirer. “I will miss her each and every day, but as a man of faith, I know that she is with her God. My entire family has been overwhelmed by the continuous outpourings of love, support and prayers that have come from across the country, and we ask for your continued prayers over the next few days.”
Suffered massive stroke Mrs. Lowery, founder and board chair of SCLC/WOMEN (Women’s Organizational Movement for Equality Now), Inc., died Sept. 26, while resting at their southwest Atlanta home after suffering a massive stroke. She had left a local hospital after doctors asserted there was nothing more medically that could be done for her. The schedule of events to celebrate her life and legacy this week included a public viewing on Monday, Sept. 30, from 11 a.m. to 9 pm. at Cascade United Methodist Church, 3144 Cascade Road in Atlanta. The homegoing celebration was Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College. The outpouring of statements in her memory began immediately upon the news of her death.
‘Unafraid and unbowed’ “Evelyn, the beloved wife of Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery impacted numerous lives,” said Barbara Arnwine, president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “She held a deep passion for empowering women and was a staunch advocate for women, children and families. Against many odds, she, and her husband, Rev. Lowery, were indeed leaders and foot soldiers in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. “Unafraid and unbowed, they fought together for justice and equality during some of the most tumultuous times in Alabama, marched for voting rights as Selma
Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the NAACP board of directors, said, “Evelyn Lowery’s leadership was essential to the longevity and power behind the movement for equality. Ms. Lowery was a drum major for justice in her own right. Her spirit lives on in the initiatives she founded and in the activists she mentored across the nation.” NAACP President/CEO Ben Jealous said, “Ms. Lowery’s foresight and leadership pushed the envelope of what organizations like the SCLC and the NAACP could do for women and families. Her legacy lives on in the coalitions she built and the strong foundation she laid. She was a hero and will be truly missed.”
Led SCLC women For more than one-half century, Mrs. Lowery assisted in advancing the cause of women and the African-American family unit, in particular, as well as mankind, in general, alongside her husband within the civil rights movement’s era that began in 1955 Alabama. Throughout the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, Mrs. Lowery championed the cause and promoted women’s rights within the movement, as well as worked alongside her husband with the Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), co-founded by Rev. Lowery, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others. Although SCLC/WOMEN, Inc. was formed in 1979, Mrs. Lowery, 16 years later in 1995, led in the rehabilitation of the present SCLC/WOMEN’s headquarters where she coordinated various programs and initiatives to benefit women and the family unit, as well as remember stalwart activists who rendered the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of justice and equality within the movement.
TOJ
Lee Thornton, journalist and educator, dies
Former Tigers outfielder Gates Brown dies, 74
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) – Lee Thornton, a journalist who covered the White House for CBS and served as dean for the Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, has died. In a post on its website, Merrill College said Thornton died Sept. 25 after a brief illness. She was 71. Thornton worked for CBS and CNN. NPR said Lee Thornton co-hosted the Thornton weekend edition of “All Things Considered’’ in the mid-1980s. Merrill College said Thornton joined the faculty in 1997, teaching television news reporting and production and documentary filmmaking. She was also creator and host of “Front & Center,’’ a series of interviews with journalists produced by Merrill College’s cable station. Thornton served as interim dean at Merrill in 2008 and was interim associate provost for equity and diversity in 2011.
DETROIT (AP) _ Gates Brown, an outfielder who played his entire 13-year major league career with the Detroit Tigers, died on Sept. 27. He was 74. Brown, jailed for armed robbery in Ohio before starting his baseball career, played on Detroit’s 1968 team that won the World Series, and Gates was part of another Brown title with the Tigers in 1984 as a batting coach. Brown never played more than 125 games in a season, but he made a nice contribution during the title year of `68, when he hit .370 in 67 games. He ended up playing 1,051 games in his career, finishing with a .257 average and 84 home runs. His career with the Tigers began in 1963, a few years after his prison term. He had been helped by a prison guard who had noticed his ability.
Created awards dinner Mrs. Lowery will be remembered as the champion and creator of several signature initiatives, including SCLC/WOMEN’s annual “Drum Major for Justice” awards dinner, held every April 4, in commemoration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to recognize individuals of various professions carrying out the objectives of Dr. King of justice, equality and peace. Contributions in her memory can be sent to SCLC/WOMEN, Inc., Evelyn G. Lowery Civil Rights Heritage Educational Tour, 328 Auburn Avenue, NE Atlanta, Ga., 30303 or Joseph E. Lowery Institute P.O. Box 92801 Atlanta, Ga. 30314 Mrs. Lowery, age 88, was the motherT:7” of Yvonne, Karen, Cheryl, respectively, as well as a grandmother and great-grandmother.
David Stokes is associate editor of the Atlanta Inquirer.
Who would have thought? Garrett Morgan did in 1923. The Traffic Signal, developed by Garrett Morgan,
is just one of the many life-changing innovations that came from the mind of an African American. We must do all we can to support minority education today, so we don’t miss out on the next big idea tomorrow. To find out more about African American innovators and to support the United Negro College Fund, visit us at uncf.org or call 1-800-332-UNCF. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
©2007 UNCF
INSTEAD OF JUST HANGING OUT ON SATURDAYS
IBECAUSE HELP KIDS HANG IN THERE AT SCHOOL I DON’T JUST WEAR THE SHIRT, I LIVE IT. GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. LIVE UNITED
®
Michael Cleveland is part of United Way’s ongoing work to improve the education, income, and health of our communities. To find out how you can help create opportunities for a better life for all, visit LIVEUNITED.ORG.
TOJ
OCTOBER 4 – OCTOBER 10, 2013
FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Dr. Earl Cotman, an oncologist in St. Petersburg, will be one of the University of Florida alumni to be presented a 2013 Gator Pioneer Award on Oct. 11 during the University of Florida Association of Black Alumni’s “Gator Nation Celebrating Dreams Fulfilled” weekend. More information about weekend events: http:// aba.ufalumni.ufl.edu.
Apopka: Psychologist and author Dr. Robin Smith along with fitness expert Donna Richardson will be the guests at the “Take Back Your Life” Mind, Body and Soul Women’s Retreat Oct. 12 at Rejoice in the Lord Ministries. More information: www.tbyl.net. St. Petersburg: Tickets are on sale now for Rick Ross
at The Mahaffey Theater on Nov. 22. Orlando: Federation of Families of Central Florida will host its first Black Tie gala on Oct. 10 at the Rosen Centre, 9840 International Drive. More information on tickets and sponsorships: Visit www.ffcflinc.org, email jsheffield.ffcfl@gmail.com or call 407-334-8049.
Tommy are coming to the University of South Florida Sun Dome on Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. Orlando: Soulbird will present a SongVersation with India.Arie on Oct. 11 at the House of Blues Orlando and Oct. 17 at the Florida Theatre Jacksonville.
Clearwater: John Legend and Tamar Braxton are scheduled at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Nov. 4.
Daytona Beach: A Southern Soul Blues Concert featuring Mel Waiters, Sir Charles Jones and Bigg Robb is scheduled Oct. 5 at the Mary McLeod Bethune Performing Arts Center.
Tampa: The Isley Brothers with Kem and Nephew
St. Petersburg: Youths ages 7 to 11 can enjoy a night of
B3 6161 NW 22nd Ave. Show times and more information: www.aapact.com.
DR. EARL COTMAN
Oldsmar: The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists’ Eighth Annual Griot Drum Awards & Scholarship Banquet is Saturday, Oct. 12 at Nielsen, 501 Brooker Creek Blvd. More information: www.tbabj.com. Fort Pierce: A free lecture on Oct. 12 by Minister Akbar Abdul Muhammad, International Representative of Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam is titled “Justice or Else: The Murder of James Anderson and the Attack on Black America.” The event is at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Marks Missionary Baptist Church, 921 Orange Ave. More details: Call Dr. Vibert White at 407-484-5673.
CALENDAR
Miami: A concert featuring the English-born Scottish recording artist and singer Emeli Sande is Oct. 11 at the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater.
SISAUNDRA LEWIS
Florida native Sisaundra Lewis will be one of the performers at the Oct. 26 Onyx Awards in Orlando. More information: www.onyxawards. com.
football, kickball, ping-pong, foosball, video games and dance parties during “Freestyle Fridays” at the Fossil Park and Willis S. Johns Center, 6635 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N. First visit free; $6 each following visit. More information: 727893-7756. St. Petersburg: Stephen “Ragga’’ Marley will perform Oct. 17 at Jannus Live. St. Petersburg: First Fridays are held in downtown St. Petersburg at 250 Central Ave. between Second and Third Avenues from 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. More infor-
mation: 727-393-3597. West Palm Beach: “America’s Got Talent Live’’ makes a stop at the Kravis Center on Oct. 5. The show begins at 8 p.m. Miami Gardens: The Miami Broward One Carnival is scheduled Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Sun Life Stadium. Miami: The African American Performing Arts Community Theatre (AAPACT) will present its production of Fences, written by August Wilson, on Oct. 16 through Nov. 3 at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center,
Miami: A concert with Drake, Miguel and Future is set for Nov. 5 at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami: Kid Cudi, Big Jean and Logic are scheduled Oct. 8 at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Show begins at 7:30 p.m. Fort Lauderdale: Live jazz, blues, pop and everything in between along Hollywood’s signature 2.5 mile Boardwalk is every Friday of every month. More information: 954-924-2980. Miami: Carol Jazzar, recognized as a rising star thanks to the notoriety of her home/garage gallery, transports the work of six of her artists to ArtCenter/ South Florida this month for their first-ever pop-up show with a gallery - On Location: Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art. More information is available at 305/674-8278 and artcentersf.org.
TOj B4
Underwood stars in a grittier, grimmer ‘Ironside’ BY RICH HELDENFELS AKRON BEACON JOURNAL (MCT)
For most young viewers, the history of “Ironside” is ancient. For anyone who remembers that history, might as well forget it before watching the new version. The original “Ironside” series premiered in 1967 and ran until 1975, with a reunion movie in 1993. Raymond Burr starred as the gruff Robert Ironside, a blunt-speaking departure from the smooth and sophisticated “Perry Mason” Burr had played on TV from 1957 to 1966. (Later years would bring many “Mason” reunion movies.) Ironside’s career as San Francisco’s chief of police detectives had ended after he was shot and paralyzed; still, from a wheelchair he led a team of investigators solving sundry crimes to the beat of a jazzy soundtrack and Quincy Jones’ theme. The show could surprise, at least in the early years; it was the first place most folks saw Tiny Tim perform. But mostly
ENTERTAINMENT
STOJ
OCTOBER 4 – OCTOBER 10, 2013
Server puts Lil Scrappy on blast for $3 tip
it was a mildly interesting detective show depending on the audience affection for Burr.
Gloomy scenes In the new “Ironside,” which will air on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC, there’s still a detective (but not a chief ) named Robert Ironside who works from a wheelchair, and is now played by Blair Underwood. Beyond that, though, this is a grittier and grimmer show; even the shooting that put Ironside in a chair — revealed in a flashback in the premiere — is laden with gloom. And this is an Ironside who’s fundamentally angry, and looking for people to take it out on. He was a physical, street detective and has lost a lot of that. After the shooting, he had to go to court to get back on the force and in charge of his own team. And even the checking of a crime scene is a reminder that he sees the world from a different angle than cops who can walk.
EURWEB.COM
Lots of competition Of course, that may also mean he can see better. And the show goes out of its way to establish that Ironside still has a good skill set. The series opens with him interrogating a suspect in the back of a car, where the close quarters let Ironside play rough. It also shows that Ironside’s charisma is appealing to women, and he is quite capable of a steamy love scene. Is that enough? Can viewers today, like those of the old “Ironside,” stick around only because there’s a moderately interesting character on the air? The show’s atmosphere was fine. Only there have been a lot of police and detective series in the years since the old “Ironside” ended. The storytelling here felt full of copshow deja vu.
J.R. MANKOFF/COURTSY OF NBC/MCT
Blair Underwood plays the wheelchair bound detective “Ironside” on NBC.
After his recent trip to a restaurant in South Florida, rapper and “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star Lil Scrappy was called out by a server for his less than impressive tip. According to Crunk & Disorderly, his server on Sept. 23 sent them an email explaining Scrappy’s experience with her establishment. “I work at a restaurant in South Florida,” reads the email. “Monday night Lil Scrappy, Bambi, and two other men came to my job for dinner. They ran up an $85 bill, paid in cash, told my co-worker the service was great, and tipped her $3 and change.” Well as we all know there’s always two sides to every story and RumorFix set out to get the other side. They reached out to Scrappy’s lawyer Mawuli Mel Davis. “Scrappy was with a group of people – he paid for his portion and left before the bill arrived. He thought they were leaving the tip,” said the attorney. In his client’s defense, Davis added that Scrappy is always extremely generous and would never shortchange anyone on their tip.
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OCTOBER 4 – OCTOBER 10, 2013
Meet some of
FLORIDA'S
finest
New up and coming model Shalisa describes herself as edgy, sexy, and unique. She loves fashion and considers the runway her second home. Currently she is a junior in college but remains hungry for the modeling industry. She says to “look out, Shalisa is going to take modeling to a higher level.” Contact Shalisa at facebook.com/ shalisawest or on twitter @_ shalisaw. CREDIT: Sosdezign
submitted for your approval
FINEST
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.
maba ba
shalisa
B5
Maba Ba, is a native of Dakar, Senegal, and currently lives in New York where he is pursuing a passion in acting and filmmaking. He played division football at Old Dominion University and graduated with a degree in computer science and international business. Contact him at baempire@ gmail.com. CREDIT: Gabrielle Linden photography.
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FOOD
Create a fun and flavorful
FALL GATHERING From fAMILY FEATURES
A
utumn brings colorful foliage and perfect weather for entertaining indoors and out. As you plan your fall gatherings, consider stopping by your local farmers mar-
ket to pick up all the ingre dients neces - sary for preparing a savory home cooked feast that’s sure to please any crowd. See how local inspira tion and fresh ingredi ents led celebrity Chef Tim Love to create his most recent recipes. Every fall, Chef Love
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OCTOBER 4 – OCTOBER 10, 2013
takes inspiration from the end of summer harvest to create unique dishes, like his latest recipe for Balsamic Turkey Meatloaf with Balsamic Mayonnaise. Ripe fall vegetables are the inspiration for his Grilled Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato-Balsamic Salad and
his Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Mayon naise. All three recipes include Hellmann’s® Creamy Balsamic Mayonnaise Dressing, which combines the rich, great taste of Hellmann’s® that you love with a touch of sweet, aged balsamic vinegar. Whether you’re hosting a casual evening with friends or having the whole family over for a relaxing Sunday after noon, these simple recipes are perfect for any occasion. Pair the dishes with clean table decor and your favorite refreshing beverages for an easy evening of entertaining. Carry a tradi tional theme throughout the tablescape by using mismatched plates, cutlery and glasses. Tie napkins and cutlery together with twine, and then tuck in a little bouquet of fresh herbs from the garden to add a dash of color and homegrown goodness. For a daytime gathering, take the dining table outside to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and final weeks of grilling season. Lay out a blanket for the kids to picnic, and add a few games to keep them entertained. Savor the season by enjoying delicious meals and lasting memories in the company of your loved ones. For more recipes, visit www. Hellmanns.com. Balsamic.
Grilled Chicken Thighs with Sweet PotatoBalsamic Salad A Chef Tim Love recipe Serves 4 Grilled chicken thighs: 4 chicken thighs, skin removed Peanut oil 2 tablespoons Tim Love Poultry Rub (or your favorite poultry rub) Sweet potato-balsamic salad: 2 cups large dice sweet potatoes 3 strips cooked bacon, diced 1/2 cup julienned onion 1/2 cup minced red pepper 1/2 cup Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Creamy Balsamic Mayonnaise Dressing Salt and pepper Preheat grill to 400°F. Rub thighs with peanut oil and poultry rub. Place thighs on grill and close lid for 5 minutes. Open grill lid and flip chicken. Close lid and let cook for five more minutes until chicken is done (168°F). Mean while, poach sweet potato in salted water for 5 minutes. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Mayonnaise A Chef Tim Love recipe Serves 4 20 Brussels sprouts 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and pepper 1 red chile, minced 1/4 cup Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Creamy Balsamic Mayonnaise Dressing Preheat grill to medium high. Fill large saucepan half full of water and bring to a boil. Add Brussels sprouts and simmer for 4 minutes. Make water bath of half ice and water. Place sprouts in bath to cool quickly. Cut in half lengthwise. Oil sprout halves. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 1 minute each side. Top with minced chile. Serve with mayonnaise. Balsamic Turkey Meatloaf A Chef Tim Love recipe Serves 6 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey 1 cup bread crumbs 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 white onion, diced 1/2 cup Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Creamy Balsamic Mayonnaise Dressing 1 (8-ounce) can tomato juice 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients, place in loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.