Florida Courier - December 19, 2014

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VOLUME 22 NO. 51

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

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TURNING THE PAGE

Protesters at Versailles Restaurant in Miami decry the exchange of convicted Cuban spies for Alan Gross, who has been held by the Cuban government.

As President Obama attempts to overhaul America’s relationship with Cuba, older Cubans in South Florida accuse the president of selling out.

COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

WASHINGTON – Saying it’s time to “cut the shackles of the past,” President Obama announced Wednesday that the U.S. will restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, a historic first step in a process that could ultimately end a more-than-50-year stalemate between the two countries.

Obama acknowledged that the long-standing U.S. economic embargo against Cuba has failed to move the island nation toward democracy or improved human rights there. He said choosing instead to engage with Cuba will improve the lives of Cubans, reunite families estranged by Cold War-era policies and strengthen ties between the two countries.

“These 50 years have shown that isolation does not work. It’s time to try a new approach,” Obama said to reporters in the Cabinet Room of the White House.

His statement came after Cuba’s release early Wednesday of American Alan Gross, who was convicted of illegally bringing communications equipment into the country as a U.S. government contractor, and was imprisoned there for five years. Obama called Gross’ release one of the last hurdles to beginning talks to restore relations.

The U.S. ended formal ties with Cuba in 1961, two years after Fidel Castro seized power, amid worries about communism encroaching on the West.

Legally, Obama cannot lift the

ROBERTO KOLTUN/EL NUEVO HERALD/TNS

embargo. Only Congress can do that condemns terrorism “should that. But he can take numerous not face this sanction,” the presisteps that, de facto, normalize dent said. diplomatic relations.

The new policy will also allow the export of software, medical Obama’s moves devices and telecommunication Obama directed the State De- systems. At present, presidential partment to establish an embas- advisors say, only about 5 percent sy in Havana and to review Cuba’s of the Cuban population has acdesignation as a state sponsor of cess to the Internet.

Obama also ordered an expanterrorism, though such an endeavor will take time. A country sion of travel to Cuba under the

CHRISTMAS 2014

The reason for the season

existing categories now allowed by law, including visits by Cuban families and government officials as well as journalists and businesspeople.

Under the new rules, as long as those travelers are in Cuba legally, they can buy up to $100 worth of alcohol and tobacco – including Cuban cigars – to bring back See OBAMA, Page A2

A ‘great kid’ dies Family faces mournful holiday

BY JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN FLORIDA COURIER

Fourteen-year-old Andrew Joseph III was hit and killed by a 19-year-old motorist the night of Feb. 7 while trying to cross a busy highway in Tampa after being ejected from the Florida State Fair during its Student Day. Most of those ejected from the fair were Black. There also were 12 arrests that night.

The honor roll student, who had never been in trouble in school or with the law, was kicked out of the fair with droves of young people deemed troublemakers by sheriff’s deputies.

This month, the teen’s parents filed a notice of intent to sue the Florida State Fair Authority and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. They blame the fair for not providing a safe environment at an event depicted as a fun evening for food, rides and face painting. They are furious that officers didn’t allow their child or the other 98 ejected from the fair to call parents to pick them up.

Remembering ‘Peewee’ CHAYLA C. CHERRY / FLORIDA COURIER

St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church in Dania Beach (Broward County) continued its “Hope for the Holidays” tradition this year. As do many Black churches statewide, St. Ruth gave away free toys, food and clothing. Bishop Victor T. Curry is the pastor.

Ten months after the teen’s death, his parents, Andrew II and Deanna Joseph, are still reeling about the circumstances leading up to their only son’s death and See ANDREW, Page A2

Wealth gap in America at record level

BY DON LEE TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU /TNS

WASHINGTON – The wealth gap between middle- and upper-income households has widened to the highest level on record, says a new report.

Using the latest Federal Reserve data, the Pew Research Center said Wednesday that the median wealth for high-income families was $639,400 last year – up 7 percent from three years earlier on an inflation-adjusted basis.

For middle-income families, the median wealth – that

ALSO INSIDE

is, assets minus debts – stood at $96,500 last year, unchanged from 2010.

Seven times more The result is that the typical wealth of the nation’s upper-income households last year was nearly seven times that of middle-class ones. By Pew’s calculations, that is the biggest gap in the 30 years that the Fed has been collecting statistics from its Survey of Consumer Finances.

“The latest data reinforces the larger story of America’s middleclass household wealth stagnation over the past three decades,”

Pew said. “The Great Recession destroyed a significant amount of middle-income and lower-income families’ wealth, and the economic ‘recovery’ has yet to be felt for them.”

A one-person household was categorized as middle income if its earnings last year were at least $22,000 but less than $66,000.

For a four-person family to qualify as middle income, earnings would have to be at least $44,000 but less than $132,000.

Never recovered The Pew data shows that lower-, middle- and upper-income

households all have yet to recover the wealth lost in the Great Recession.

But higher-earning families had the smallest percentage loss of wealth from 2007 to 2010. And these same households, thanks in good part to their disproportionately large stock holdings, recovered a substantial part of the lost wealth since then, while lower-income families made no pickup at all.

Seen over a longer period, the typical wealth of upper-income households in 2013 was about double what it was in 1983, after adjusting for inflation.

For middle-income households, there was practically no change in wealth over the 30-year period.

SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3

Jeb Bush to explore run for president in 2016

NATION | A6

Spelman cuts ties with Cosby WORLD | B4

Legal battle for Winnie Mandela

COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: DR. FAYE WILLIAMS: LEGALIZED LYNCHINGS ARE ON THE RISE | A5

FOCUS

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DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

‘Death by cop’ is all about the money This is one of those Gantt Report columns that some people love to hate. Many in our community never want to get hurt, but the truth hurts!

This column will discuss why bad cops can shoot unarmed African-American children and get away with it.

The people you love, the people you follow around town on marching parade routes designated by the police force, and the people you invite into your homes to help you get justice won’t tell you some things. But I will!

No punishment It is nearly impossible for courts, juries and governments to charge, arrest, jail and punish any law enforcement officer for police misconduct, police brutality or for wrongful death caused by police and other law enforcers!

If it was easy for every victim of law enforcement misconduct to get a preacher, hire a lawyer, go down to the courthouse or to City Hall and get equal rights, justice

ANDREW from A1

the investigation that followed. They also are livid that the young Andrew was lumped in with those who were “wilding” at the fair, a tradition in which groups stampede and create havoc through the event. His parents call their son a “great kid” who never gave them any trouble.

“Peewee,” as he was affectionately called, was an honor student at St. Stephens Catholic School in Riverview and a standout player with the Brandon Ravens youth football team. Friends at the fair told him that officers were detaining some of his pals.

He went to see what was happening, was also detained, and then forced into a detention area.

Young Andrew was ejected from the fair at around 8:30 p.m. He was with Corey Thornton, age 13. Andrew’s parents had made arrangements for the friends to be dropped off and picked up. About 10:45 p.m., Andrew was hit by a vehicle driven by 19-yearold Jonathan M. Hatfield and pronounced dead at the scene at 11:03 p.m.

Corey had made it across safely.

Sloppy investigation The Josephs have questioned the investigation of the accident. Hatfield was not detained, ticketed or given a Breathalyzer test after the accident.

“He was simply let go,” Andrew Joseph said. His wife added this week:

OBAMA from A1

home for personal use.

They can now pay with U.S. credit and debit cards, if they like.

Obama is also increasing the amount of money that friends and family can send to Cuba, raising it from $500 to $2,000 each quarter.

Obama ‘sold out’ Miami, the heart of the Cuban exile community, reacted with a collective shock. Hardline opponents of the Castro regime lambasted the president for what they called a betrayal.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo, a Republican whose father was a pilot in the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue mission, called Obama a sellout.

“Today will be a sad day for all those who have dedicated their lives for a free Cuba. Our President has sold out freedom,” Bovo posted to his Twitter account, @CommBovo.

He followed up with two

LUCIUS GANTT THE GANTT REPORT

and compensation for your losses – there would be a line around the courthouse every day!

If you’re Black, you and every other Black person you know has been or has someone in their family or in their community that has been mistreated, harassed, disrespected, over-charged, aggressively prosecuted, pulled over, pushed, shoved, hit, punched, beaten, jailed, choked or shot by a law enforcer!

If one grieving mother gets paid for the loss of a husband or child, every mother who has had an unarmed child shot down in the street in broad daylight by a trigger-happy cop should get paid for their losses too!

It won’t happen When a lawyer says he represents a victimized parent or fam-

ily, the first thing the government does is tell the lawyer, “Get your client to drop the case and we’ll pay your legal fees.” If that doesn’t work, government will say, “Government can send you some risk management cases if you can get the Black parents to drop any lawsuit.” If the lawyer doesn’t cooperate, the lawyer usually gets nothing.

Recently, parents of victims of police misconduct have been shuttled around the country to attend marches and rallies. Do you believe these mourning parents are spending their own money to march in a city thousands of miles from their hometowns?

If you don’t know, it should be obvious they are getting expenses paid and some parents get paid stipends or honorariums to give teary-eyed speeches about murdered children. So parents can make money off of police misconduct, too.

The lawyers that love you and your dead child, in many cases, are fighting their FRIENDS to help you. They know prosecutors, donate to campaigns of prosecutors, attend meetings

with law enforcers. At Christmas time, trial lawyers host or attend holiday parties and get drunk with prosecutors, government officials and law enforcers.

Everyone gets paid Brothers and sisters, death by policeman, in many cases, is all about the money.

The murderous cops get suspended with pay, the lawyers get 30 percent (or more) of any award or settlement, plus 100 percent of excessive legal expenses like a dollar-a-page photocopies that can be purchased anywhere for a dime.

The government saves money that should go to victims and uses it to fund no-bid contracts for political cronies and campaign contributors.

So, what can you do when victimized by police?

First do as much fact-finding, legal research and investigation as you can yourself. Anything you ask others to do will almost certainly have a price tag on it.

You should consider suing everyone involved, including elect-

ed officials. Lawyers won’t usually recommend that, because they contribute to all politicians.

But politicians are liable in police misconduct cases as both officials and as individuals because politicians voted to use taxpayer dollars for police training for cops that obviously are not adequately trained on how to relate to Black citizens.

Be careful But the main thing you can do is try to avoid trouble and don’t break the law. Act right, live clean and let your works be seen.

If you do come across a bad cop that insists on treating you badly and wrongfully, you should defend yourself at all times by any appropriate means!

Buy Gantt’s latest book, “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing” on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere. Contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net. “Like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook. Click on this story at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

“He didn’t even get a citation. … I truly believe that if Andrew was driving and killed Jonathan, he would have been in jail.” She also believes that if Andrew had been White, “Every rock would have been uncovered, every ‘t’ would have been crossed.”

ville convenience store.

No Christmas spirit

Protest, activism Nevertheless, it warms Deanna’s heart when she sees the impact Andrew’s death has had on others who didn’t even know him. She told of participating in a Dec. 5 demonstration against police brutality in Tampa. More than 200 demonstrators united to protest the grand juries’ decisions not to indict officers who killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York.

“This was the first time I had done something like that…. So many young people, so many races and nationalities. It was eyeopening,” she said.

“A bunch of strangers were holding up his signs.

‘I Died for Change’ and ‘Please Stop Killing Us’….

People who didn’t know him standing with his sign up.’’

Some progress Since the teen’s death, there have been some changes made by the fair authority, the non-profit that runs the event.

In 2015, Hillsborough County students still will get in free, but must be accommodated by an adult over age 21 after 6 p.m.

The fair authority will spend $100,000 on a surveillance system with 240 cameras throughout the grounds. An additional

more posts, directed at the dissident Ladies in White and at the Brothers to the Rescue families, whose relatives were shot down by the Cuban Air Force.

Not told Maggie Khuly, the sister of Armando Alejandre Jr., one of the four Brothers to the Rescue members shot down, said the families of the failed mission’s victims were outraged.

“We’re giving them a lot of stuff in payment for the exchange of a hostage,” Khuly told the Miami Herald. “What about human rights? It’s just incredible.

I’m extremely disappointed in the president.”

County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a Wednesday morning interview with the Miami Herald that he didn’t know enough to critique the White House plan, but was critical of normalizing relations.

“The Cuban government hasn’t done anything to deserve this,” said Gimenez, who was born in Cuba. “If it’s going to happen, I hope there will be positive results.”

JENISE GRIFFIN MORGAN/FLORIDA COURIER

Andrew Joseph II points to a cross and other mementos in his home created in memory of his son who was killed in an accident on Feb. 7 after being kicked out of the Florida State Fair in Tampa. $50,000 will go to widen the fair’s midway by 10 feet in some areas and there will be more lighting in picnic areas.

And if students are ejected next year, they will be allowed to call for a ride home from a safe area outside of the fairgrounds.

Club of grieving parents There were two funerals for “Peewee’’ – one at their local church and one in New Orleans, where the teen was buried.

The Josephs moved to Florida from New Orleans

National announcement In Havana, President Raul Castro – Fidel’s brother – went on national television to announce the release of Gross and other prisoners as part of what he called the possible advent of significantly better relations with the United States.

An agreement between the two governments also calls for the United States to release three Cubans convicted of spying on anti-Castro groups, Obama administration officials said. The three were part of the “Cuban Five,” a group of intelligence officers arrested by the FBI in Miami in 1998.

In exchange, the U.S. also secured the release of a Cuban intelligence asset who helped put them behind bars, according to a senior administration official. Raul Castro confirmed the release.

Officials identified the man only as a Cuban citizen who has spent nearly 20 years in prison there for helping to disrupt several Cuban intelligence operatives working in the U.S.

after Hurricane Katrina.

Andrew Joseph II said he and Deanna chose Tampa Bay because they considered it a safe place to raise their young son and daughter.

A “Pursuit of Justice’’ rally in Andrew’s name was held in New Orleans during Thanksgiving, organized by family members there. During Christmastime, there will be a candlelight service and other family observances in his honor.

Christmas also will be a time to reflect on Andrew’s life with family in their native Louisiana. The Jo-

sephs also plan to spend time with parents who also have lost children, including Kendrick Jackson, the 17-year-old found wrapped into a rolled-up gym mat at his high school in January 2013.

Since young Andrew’s death, the Josephs are part of what they call a “club’’ of parents who have lost their children, primarily young Black men.

Friendships now include Jackson’s family, along with the family of Jordan Davis, the Black male shot

by Michael Dunn in 2012 in an argument over loud music outside of a Jackson-

Only a handful of people know who the man is, said one senior administration official, and the word about his part in the intelligence operations is the first public acknowledgment of his service.

ed despite enormous damage to the Cuban people and economy, Castro noted.

On the phone Raul Castro said that in an unprecedented telephone conversation with Obama on Tuesday, the two were able “to advance in the solution of certain subjects of interest to both countries.”

“The progress obtained in these exchanges shows it is possible to find solutions to many problems,” Castro said.

Extolling the virtues of nearly 56 years of revolution, he nevertheless praised Obama’s decision to make overtures toward the improving of relations between the two countries as deserving of “the respect and recognition of our people.”

Despite the progress, he said, “it does not mean the basic issues have been resolved.” The embargo, which Cubans refer to as a blockade, has not been lift-

Political resistance Though the administration has latitude to alter the diplomatic and economic relationship between the two nations through use of its executive powers, antiCastro activists, including those in the Florida delegation in Congress, are likely to resist such steps.

Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, immediately challenged the White House.

“This was not a ‘humanitarian’ act by the Castro regime. It was a swap of convicted spies for an innocent American,” he said.

“President Obama’s actions have vindicated the brutal behavior of the Cuban government. There is no equivalence between an international aid worker and convicted spies who were found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage against our nation.”

The deal sets a dangerous precedent, Menendez warned.

At their home in Riverview, there are no Christmas decorations because “that was a thing we did as a family,’’ Deanna told the Florida Courier this week. “ We’re trying to find a new way of celebrating the holidays.”

While they are in no mood to celebrate, they will travel to Louisiana primarily for their remaining child.

“The decision was made because my daughter, 11, still wants to be among her family, her cousins. We’re trying to maintain some sense of family with her being somewhat of an only child for Christmas,’’ Deanna Joseph noted.

After midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, they will open their gifts, a family tradition. Last year, Andrew and his sister Deja bought her a nice “Mom’’ necklace with a diamondencrusted heart.

Deanna reflected on last year’s Christmas holiday and how much joy her son brought to those around him. He was thrilled when he received a smartphone as a gift from his grandmother.

“Andrew was a technology boy. He enjoyed technology. The latest in iPads, the latest in smartphones.

That was his passion.”

“As we reflect on him, he was more jovial, engaging, jokie. Everyone enjoyed him,” she reminisced.

The Josephs also established a foundation to advocate for the safety of other children. The website is www.andrewjosephfoundation.org.

However, experts say the political costs to Obama of pursuing better relations have decreased as the Cuban-American immigrant community has become younger and less strident – and as evidence mounts that the embargo is not achieving its stated goals of easing the Communist grip on the country.

“Opening the door with Cuba for trade, travel and the exchange of ideas will create a force for positive change in Cuba that more than 50 years of our current policy of exclusion could not achieve,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. “I do not expect the changes I am announcing today to bring about a transformation of Cuban society overnight,” Obama said. But through a policy of engagement, he said, the U.S. can “help the Cuban people help themselves.”

Paul Richter, Tracy Wilkinson and Christi Parsons of the Tribune Washington Bureau, and Patrick Mazzei and Jay Weaver of the Miami Herald TNS all contributed to this report.

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

FLORIDA

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Jeb Bush will ‘actively explore’ presidential run Former governor makes announcement Tuesday on Facebook and Twitter

BY JIM SAUNDERS THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – After weeks of increasing speculation about his plans, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday he will “actively explore” a possible bid for president in 2016.

Bush made the announcement on Twitter and Facebook. He wrote on Facebook about spending time with his wife, Columba, children and grandchildren at Thanksgiving.

“We also talked about the future of our nation,’’ Bush wrote. “As a result of these conversations and thoughtful consideration of the kind of strong leadership I think America needs, I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States.”

‘Leadership Pac’ coming

TRACY GLANTZ/THE STATE/TNS

Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, gives a commencement speech after being awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service on Dec. 15 at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.

Bush, who was elected governor in 1998 and served two terms, also wrote that he will establish what is known as a “Leadership PAC” in January “that will help me facilitate conversations with citizens across America to discuss the most critical challenges facing our exceptional nation.

The Pac’s purpose will be

to support leaders, ideas and policies that will expand opportunity and prosperity for all Americans.”

Bush, 61, made the announcement a day after giving a commencement address at the University of South Carolina – a state that plays a major role in Republican primaries. If he ultimately decides to run, Bush would seek to follow his father and brother into the White House.

Fierce opposition But Bush also would face fierce opposition from Democrats and likely from some Republicans who disagree with him on issues such as immigration reform and education policy.

The Florida Democratic Party website Tuesday, for example, featured a prominent picture of Bush and touted what it said was his “awful week” that included “damning articles” in national media outlets.

Bush’s Facebook post did not say when he will make a final decision about entering the race.

“In the coming months, I hope to visit with many of you and have a conversation about restoring the promise of America,” he wrote.

Bondi takes gay marriage opposition to US Supreme Court

BY DARA KAM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to keep in place a hold on

gay marriage, which is set to begin in early January unless an extension of the state’s ban is approved.

Bondi’s request came less than two weeks after a federal appeals court rejected her effort to at least temporarily extend the gay-marriage prohibition,

which U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled in August was unconstitutional.

Hinkle placed a stay on his decision to allow time for appeals in three cases then pending before the Supreme Court, but that stay is scheduled to expire at the end of the day Jan. 5.

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Bondi’s memo Bondi asked the Supreme Court to keep the hold in place until Florida’s appeals run out or until the justices rule in similar cases. The Republican attorney general is asking justices to intervene to avoid confusion and to “maintain uniformity,” her spokeswoman Jenn Meale said in a memo accompanying the filing.

“In a continuation of the effort to maintain uniformity and order throughout Florida until final resolution of the numerous challenges to the voterapproved constitutional amendment on marriage, the Attorney General’s Office filed with the United States Supreme Court an application to extend the stay.

“If the Supreme Court grants the application, the stay will remain in place during the state’s appeal. If the Supreme Court denies the stay, then the preliminary injunction will become effective at the end of the day on Jan. 5, 2015,” Meale wrote.

‘Statewide confusion’ In the 70-page filing, Bondi’s lawyers wrote that

the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ denial of an extension Dec. 3 “has created statewide confusion” and that lifting the stay could lead to county clerks throughout the state issuing marriage licenses to gay couples although only one Florida county – Washington – was a party to the federal lawsuit.

“The constitutional issue is a serious one, and it deserves appellate review before the injunctions (against the gay-marriage ban) should become effective,” Florida Solicitor General Allen Winsor wrote.

A series of federal appeals-court decisions have struck down similar gay-marriage bans in other states, and the U.S. Supreme Court in October declined to take up the issue.

But, as she did when she asked the 11th Circuit for an extension of the stay, Bondi pointed to a decision in November by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld bans in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

ACLU blasts Bondi The conflicting appellate rulings indicate that the Supreme Court is more likely to take up the issue

now, Bondi’s lawyers wrote in Monday’s filing.

But the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, which represents some of the plaintiffs in combined cases involved in Hinkle’s ruling, blasted Bondi for pursuing the emergency stay.

“It is unsurprising, given how hard Governor Scott, his appointees, and Attorney General Bondi have fought to keep loving and committed couples from getting married and having their marriages recognized in Florida, that they would keep up this dead-end fight. But with just weeks until the ruling is scheduled to go into effect, it is disappointing,” ACLU of Florida lawyer Daniel Tilley said in a statement.

“Florida families have waited long enough for the end of a ban that a federal court has declared unconstitutional. Since October, the Supreme Court has refused all requests to stay rulings striking down the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage in other states. We are hopeful they will do the same here so that loving couples and their children can get the protections for which they have waited so long.”

Beer can display next to nativity scene at state Capitol THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

A 6-foot-tall stack of empty Pabst Blue Ribbon cans, built to mark the sitcom-inspired Festivus holiday, returned to the Florida Capitol on Monday for a second year.

The pole, the creation of Deerfield Beach political blogger Chaz Stevens, will stand across the first-floor rotunda from a moreelaborate nativity scene put up the same day by the Florida Prayer Network.

Stevens sees his pole as a protest against the nativity scene, intended to make a point about the need for a separation between church and state.

“My game plan was very simple, make a circus out of it, make it a fiasco, make it ridiculous,” Stevens said Monday. “I hope next year that some Haitian fellows with the slaying of chickens want to come up, or some other crazy what not, because we need to take all of this out of here.”

Inspired by ‘Seinfeld’ Stevens’ Festivus pole is among a number of displays that have been approved by the Department of Management Services for this year’s holiday season. A one-week limit has been placed on the displays.

Festivus is a “holiday” created for the TV

sitcom “Seinfeld” as a non-commercial festival “for the rest of us” in the Christmas and year-end holiday season. More attention to the Capitol holiday displays is expected next Monday as the New York-based Satanic Temple will put up a display that will banner the phrase “Happy holidays from the Satanic Temple” atop a diorama of an angel falling into hell.

More nativity The Department of Management Services ruled the display “grossly offensive” a year ago. The temple threatened legal action.

The Florida Prayer Network’s nativity scene will be replaced next Monday by another nativity sponsored by the International House of Prayer Tallahassee.

Pam Olsen, president of the Florida Prayer Network, said she isn’t deterred by the displays proposed by Stevens, atheists groups and the Satanists.

“They’re here to protest Christ and Christmas,” Olsen said. “While I don’t like some of the displays, and I think it’s inappropriate, I’m sad because I think we should look for the hope and the message of love and joy and peace that the holiday does bring.”

EDITORIAL

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DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

End injustice, period!

The grand jury decisions in Ferguson, Mo. and Staten Island, NY have sparked protests globally with the way the justice system handled as well as handles people of color. Without a doubt, voices need to be heard with regard to the injustice too many people face on a daily basis. Let me be frank with this – injustice that affects anyone must be addressed and eradicated.

This whole concept of injustice leads me to the injustice too many people of color (African-Americans) do to one another. Can we look at some of the music being played? Whenever a rapper calls a woman a b****, where’s the uproar. How come there’s no

meaning Black life. Oh, let me drop this in your spirit – our Black artists won’t say anything against Jews in any of their songs. How come? Because they know if they were to say anything negative about Jews, their career in music would be over. On the other hand, not so, if they say the same thing about us. They continue to get paid. This is an injustice.

DR. SINCLAIR GREY III GUEST COLUMNIST

boycott of the artist and/or record label? Is it because people are stuck in a weird mentality that says ‘it’s okay for us to disrespect our own people, but no one else can? I don’t understand why we put up with this.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that record company executives don’t want a song uplifting and empowering Black people because it won’t sell. However, they don’t mind artists making songs degrading and de-

‘Black Lives Matter’ Seeing the continual protest throughout the streets can teach us something about ridding injustice within our community.

The slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’ is more than a movement; it’s a call to action for all people. We can-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: STOP AND FRISK

not walk around and shout ‘Black Lives Matter’ when it comes to the police but fail to implement it within our songs, educational systems, and business enterprises, just to name a few.

If people really believe that ‘Black Lives Matter’ then it’s time to show it through action (365 24/7). It must move from the streets to the hearts.

Another lesson we can learn from the protests is that there are decent people who care about human life. Because there are people from all walks of life participating in the protests, we have to conclude that everyone isn’t a racist.

The actions of a few are not a reflection of the behavior of so many. Coming together to iron out misconceived prejudices will only help with race relations.

Hurting ourselves The third lesson we can gain from these protests is that destroying neighborhoods is never wise. Unless anger is channeled into action that doesn’t resort to violence, we end up

hurting ourselves. Burning down businesses takes away from community empowerment. Without local businesses, people suffer economically. And when there’s an economic problem, a social problem emanates.

The fourth lesson gained is that collectively we can make a difference. Together, we can put an end to injustice. Let me say it again.

When African-Americans (the have and have-nots) come together and are willing to work together, we can end much of the injustice heard in songs. We can improve our neighborhoods and communities. We can establish businesses that will not only provide quality products and services, but will also give back. When we come together, we can mentor children who don’t have good role models.

When we come together, we get pass the mindset of ‘me, myself, and I,’ and transition into the model of ‘we, ours, and us.’

Speak truth I’m in no way, shape,

or form naive to the injustice and hatred many people have toward African-Americans. However, we don’t have to succumb to the stereotypes people place on us by acting up and acting out in an inappropriate manner. Protesting is good, but it must never turn to violence.

Demonstration is good, but it can’t be destructive. Voicing our concerns and opinions is within our rights, but we must use it to speak truth to power. Never should we use our voice to emasculate.

I leave you with this – END INJUSTICE - NO MATTER WHO THE PERPETRATOR IS.

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

Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

President Obama reprimanded for making jokes on Colbert’s show

BILL SCHORR, CAGLE CARTOONS

Random thoughts of a free Black mind, v. 237 Bro. Prez and Cuba – I’m completely for resetting America’s relationship with Cuba. My problem is that as usual, Bro. Prez didn’t get much for what he gave.

Every deal is a negotiation, and I’m on record as calling Barack Obama one of the worst high-level negotiators I’ve ever seen. Will political prisoners be freed?

Will there be freedom of the press? Political elections? Unfettered small business activity? We’ll see what happens when a Republican-dominated Congress weighs in on the Cuban embargo.

On the other hand, is it America’s duty to help Cubans to free themselves from the Castros’ regime? Hell no. Cuba is no longer the existential threat that it was 50 years ago when the now-defunct Soviet Union tried to put nuclear missiles 90 miles away from Miami. We have bigger fish to fry – ISIS, al-Qaeda, radical Islamic fundamentalism – and getting rid of TV reality shows that make Black women look like ratchet hoochies and Black men look like materialistic, sex-crazy thugs…

Bill Cosby – People who want to believe that he’s not a serial rapist wonder why he’s not defending himself. Why not?

He’s between a legal rock and a branding/marketing hard place. His lawyers’

QUICK TAKES FROM #2: STRAIGHT, NO CHASER

CHARLES W. CHERRY II, ESQ. PUBLISHER

primary job is to keep him out of jail.

Any prison sentence he would get would practically be for life, considering his age.

Cosby’s brand and personal legacy are now secondary. Statutes of limitations on sex crimes vary from state to state. If he was my client, I’d advise him to stay quiet, watch what happens, and wait for either criminal charges or civil lawsuits to start dropping. Then we would do what’s necessary to keep him out of jail and minimize his financial exposure.

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

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As the president continues to improve the quality of life for all Americans, he is being criticized every day. It does not matter what the reason or the subject matter, there is always something wrong, when the president speaks. Our president is always caught between a rock and a hard place.

Even when, he decides to have some fun, and talk to the younger generation, some conservatives think it is inappropriate to tell jokes and laugh at himself. At times it gets ridiculous, when certain media outlets and leaders try to tell President Obama what TV late show he can appear on, and what he should be doing. I guess they think our president should be gloomy, and in the White House burning the midnight oil, reading reports and solving the world’s problems.

Too many jokes The criticism comes from both Black and White, and after six years of being in office our president has tough skin, and he is not backing down from criticism. In six years he has appeared on the Leno and Fallon “Tonight” shows, the “Letterman” shows, “The Daily Show,” “The View,” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and the audiences have always had a great time. Some political experts argue that the president has won two terms, because he is a pioneer in connecting different target markets on TV, and everyone looks at television.

Last week on “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central, the president and Stephen Colbert had a great time at a special show originating from Washington, at a crowed auditorium at George Washington University. I guess the president’s critics think he should only be thinking about the mess the country and the world is in, but I am sure that humor has helped the president survive the last six years.

On Colbert’s show, the president was the only guest, and he knows how to deliver a punch line and his timing is impeccable. The president starts the show by doing a monologue, which he is highly critical of his own policies and ObamaCare. Only

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GUEST COLUMNIST

the president can get away at poking fun at himself, and come away with dignity and respect.

A greater purpose Comedians have always used their jokes as education, and the president used jokes on the Colbert’s show to advocate for his polices, and get the youth market to sign up for the ACA. During the second half of the show, the president got more serious and talked about his executive order on immigration and the challenge of working with a Republican majority in both Houses.

The amazing thing about President Obama is that earlier in the day, he gave a ricocheting interview on BET about Ferguson, Mike Brown and Eric Garner. In this interview the president shared his thoughts on race, nationwide protests, his responsibilities as president, and the future of America. At this interview there were no punch lines and satire, and he spoke from his heart.

Many Blacks felt the president was wrong for communicating his belief in the system and acknowledging that young Blacks had a right to demonstrate. Most Americans do not understand how the president is able to switch gears and still connect to what is on the country’s mind.

Let the president do his job, because he understands the pulse of Americans and the world. There is nothing wrong with the president laughing at himself, because maybe the world would be a better place if we all learned to laugh.

Roger Caldwell is the president/CEO of on point media group. Write your own response at www.flcourer.com.

Neutering democracy in Michigan You may not have heard about this. Earlier this month, a piece of legislation was introduced in the Michigan state legislature that is aimed at killing democracy. Entitled the “Local government employer mandate prohibition act,” this bill would block cities and towns from enacting any ordinances requiring developers to negotiate what are called “Community Benefit Agreements” with local residents and businesses. This would also stop cities and towns from taking any actions that addressed wages or benefits, a clear step aimed at derailing efforts to raise the minimum wage.

Introduced by a Republican legislator, the bill targets Detroit, but what becomes clear is that this legislation has a potential impact way beyond Detroit. Essentially, such a statute would stop towns and cities from being able to take any meaningful steps to improve the lives of its workers. All such power would be invested in the state legislature.

Delroy Cole, Kim Gibson, Photojournalists MEMBER

ROGER CALDWELL

‘Right to work’ What is remarkable about legislation of this type is that it originates from a political party that spouts platitudes about local control but is now prepared to usurp all power from the institutions that are closest to the public. Such cynical moves, along with efforts to undermine labor unions–such as

BILL FLETCHER, JR. NNPA COLUMNIST

the spread of so-called “right to work” laws– are directed at weakening the position and strength of working people. In order to carry out this assault, the Republican cabal is prepared to overturn democracy.

This legislation will be an interesting test case for racial politics. To the extent to which the Republicans are able to convince the rest of Michigan that this legislation is only aimed at reining in Detroit [read this as Black people], they may be able to pull it off. On the other hand, should the rest of Michigan awaken and realize that these efforts could have a catastrophic impact on working people throughout Michigan, this subtle coup could backfire. After all, if the right of cities and town to take such actions is seized by the state legislature, where does it end?

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the host of The Global African on Telesur-English. He is a racial justice, labor and global justice activist and writer. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

Stolen Christmas?

Walmart will earn about a third of its profits from this Christmas shopping season. Jewelers earn nearly the same amount between November and December.

If spending were evenly spread during the 12 months of the year, sales and profits would be about 8 percent a month. Instead, lots of retailers depend on holiday spending to meet their bottom line. Even car sales peak at the end of the year in August and December.

Consumers are barraged with ads urging them to spend, spend, and spend, even as many are resisting spending. The unemployment rate has remained level at 5.8 percent; enough consumers were expecting the rate to fall, leading to a sharp decline in consumer confidence. While the consumer confidence rate was 93.8 in October, it dropped to 87 percent in November. This means that many are likely to stay home or spend less rather than participate in the annual spending orgy.

42 hours shopping

DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX TRICEEDNEYWIRE.COM

that those who earn more than $50,000 a year will spend more, while those earning less than $50,000 will be more modest in their spending. Why? Consumers say they have limited or insufficient money to do much shopping, or they say that they are considering the high cost of living as they shop.

Another factor might be our nation’s rising debt. The average consumer has more than $15,000 in credit card debt. The average recent graduate owes more than $32,000 in student loans. For these folks to spend is utter folly, yet many will get caught up in holiday drama and spend money that they do not have.

Improving or not?

Every macroeconomic indicaLast year, the average consum- tor suggests that our economy is er spent 42 hours and $800 shop- improving. Nearly every microping. This year, it is projected economic indicator says the op-

EDITORIAL

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: GRINCHY CHRISTMAS

posite. From relatively high unemployment rates (the reported rate of 5.8 percent is 11.4 percent when hidden unemployment is considered; African-American unemployment, reported at 11.1 percent rises to 22 percent), to dire perceptions of economic conditions (72 percent say economic conditions are the same or worse than a year ago), consumers, especially those at the bottom (which means most folks), are not happy with the economy despite happy news.

Consumers could be the Grinch that stole Christmas. What if, instead of dropping hundreds of dollars on “stuff”, people chose to consciously reduce profits by staying home? Would Walmart become an advocate for consumers if they felt the pinch from lower spending? Would the other industries that count on year-end spending be hurt if people constructively withdrew dollars from commercial enterprise?

Some will say that they must shop because their children and loved ones will feel deprived if they don’t get a bunch of goodies for the holidays. What about if you spend a bit less and use this holiday as a way to talk to chil-

STEVE SACK, THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

dren about capitalism, spending, and the ways excess spending hurts families in the long run.

Explain that less spending now might mean a larger college fund later. Explain how retailers are hurt when we refuse to cooperate with their oppression.

Will the Grinch steal Christmas? It’s up to consumers.

Whether people pull a grand heist

or a little pickpocketing, it would be great if people would let retailers know that their behavior may lead to less spending at Christmas and during other parts of the year.

Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist based in Washington, D.C. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com.

Legalized lynchings are on the rise I’ve never been one to forcefully insert my opinions into the minds or mouths of others, but I think the events of the past several weeks require a more forceful approach to getting certain ideas into the public domain for discussion and action.

It’s been made abundantly clear that Black life holds little value in America’s so-called post-racial environment. Though our system of jurisprudence was made available to the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, the exercise of those rights came to less than satisfactory results.

Irregular prosecutorial practices led to no indictment. The consequence of those practices led to legalized lynching.

Ever present reminder 12 year old Tamir Rice was killed on a public playground by a trigger-happy policeman. Instead of the reasoned response to a threat the officers initially described, Tamir was murdered

DR. E. FAYE WILLIAMS, ESQ. TRICE EDNEY WIRE

in callous haste without warning.

Brown, Garner and Rice join an increasing list of Black people who’ve been relegated to a long list of examples of historical racial animus. The recurrence of this type of event is an ever present reminder that Black people are an expendable element in America.

If local prosecutors, law enforcement personnel and grand juries fail to provide for our guaranteed protections, one obvious question that arises from this series of events is “Who will provide the protections we have come to expect under the law?”

Considering the latest civil and voting rights decisions of the Supreme Court, it is doubtful that

we can hope for relief from the highest court. It seems that the only legal institution available to serve as an advocate for us is the Office of the Attorney General.

A few questions This brings us to the key part of my discussion: Q: Who will succeed Eric Holder as the Attorney General?

A: The decision is still “up in the air.” The answer will be determined by the vote of a more conservative Senate that will have to confirm any designee submitted by President Obama. If our community is to be protected, Mr. Holder’s replacement must be an individual of character and substance who’s more interested in the rights of all citizens rather than political propriety.

Q: Will we be able to muster the political will and proactive response to force the conservative majority to respect our will and interests as they deliberate on their confirmation decision?

Obama’s legacy: Defining the course forward The president has paid his courtesies to the Republican leaders who now control Congress. Mitch McConnell has indicated that he’s prepared to cooperate with the president, if he’s prepared to capitulate.

Others, like Sen. Ted Cruz, have declared that the scorched earth obstruction will continue.

The real question is how President Barack Obama acts. Many talking heads urge him to find common ground — on fast track trade authority, on tax breaks for multinationals, on various “reforms” of Obamacare, on lifting restrictions on exporting natural gas. He can, he’s told, consolidate his “legacy” by getting things done. But these accomplishments take the country in the wrong direction. They deal with none of the true challenges facing the country.

Why tax breaks for corporations that already capture a record percentage of the national income? Why more corporate trade treaties that ship good jobs abroad?

Address what is needed

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

far as possible toward immigration reform. It is vital that the millions now locked in the shadow economy be liberated from the exploitation that allows. That is not only humane; it lifts the bottom of the economy helping all.

Be a bully?

Republicans argue that if he acts unilaterally, they will never pass comprehensive reform, but they have already made it clear that sensible reforms will never pass this Republican Congress. On basic justice, the president can use his bully pulpit and his pen to accelerate the attorney general’s efforts to reform our racially troubled criminal justice system from police practices to judicial sentencing. He can ensure that the events in Ferguson — too frequently mirrored in communities across the country — help crystallize a bold agenda for reform. He can convene governors, mayors, public safety officials and civil rights and citizen leaders to drive that reform. On inequality, the president likely will have to wield his veto pen to counter Republican efforts to offer more tax breaks for the rich while cutting basic investment in support for the vulnerable.

He can still help Americans understand the challenges that can no longer be ducked and the bold steps needed to meet them. His proposals will be dead on arrival in the Republican Congress. His words will be mocked by conservative hawks. But he can define the choice, and that may be the most important legacy of all.

Why join in denying the reality of catastrophic climate change? Instead, the president can and should make his legacy clear by defining what his presidency stands for. He needs to address the pressing challenges facing this country — and contrast that starkly with the wrongheaded corporate and special interest agenda of Republicans.

Here are five ways he can help secure a true legacy that points the way forward: In foreign policy, he can open a new chapter with neighbors in our own hemisphere. A bold first step would be to issue executive orders doing what he can to ease the boycott, open up travel and normalize relations with Cuba. Our failed policy toward Cuba now isolates the U.S. in its own hemisphere.

An opening to Cuba could be the dramatic step needed to open real Jesse Jackson Sr. is the founder cooperation on economic development, drug trafficking, public health of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. and immigration. In economic pol- Write your own response at www. icy he should, as promised, push as flcourier.com.

A: We must stand up for the confirmation of a designee who’ll protect our interests, too, and flex our power as a constant presence in the landscape of every political movement that concerns our community. Current demonstrations to prevent police brutality clearly illustrate the political will necessary to convince those not aligned with the interests of our community that it’s better to make a concession in their selection than to risk confrontation.

Make a difference President Obama nominated Loretta Lynch to become General Holder’s replacement. In her nomination, he praised her professionalism and stated that “She doesn’t look to make headlines.

She looks to make a difference.”

Her record clearly indicates she’s a champion for equal protection under the law. She’s a staunch advocate for the protection of voting rights.

Our ability to protect our com-

munity is dependent upon how aggressively we fight for those positioned to protect us. Loretta Lynch is the right person who’ll, in part, determine our future for the next two years.

If you think the struggle does not continue against lynching Black people, I refer you to Senate Resolution 39 in the Congressional Record, Volume 151, Issue 77 on June 13, 2005 regarding our nation’s record on lynching and how many things have not changed. I’ll address this subject in greater detail in a future article—but we must continue to march and protest in all the non-violent ways we can to stop police brutality and other injustices.

E. Faye Williams, president of the National Congress of Black Women. Write your own response at www.flcourier. com.

Cincinnati NAACP: Negroes are acting like crazy people Tennessee Williams said, “The only thing worse than a liar is a liar that is also a hypocrite.” I could not agree more, especially as it relates to what is currently underway in my hometown under the auspices of the NAACP. Collusion, dishonesty, inequity, intimidation and, yes, hypocrisy, abound within the ranks of this venerable organization.

In my hometown, the letters NAACP could very well stand for: Negroes Are Acting like Crazy People.

That hasn’t always been the case.

National award winner Over the past eight years, the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP rose from near obscurity to become Ohio’s largest branch, winning the national NAACP convention in 2008 from work done by then-president Edith Thrower, and continued by her successor, Christopher Smitherman. Now, under current President Ishton Morton, the national convention selection committee has again chosen to come to Cincinnati in 2016.

The Cincinnati branch has won numerous national awards, established and funded six scholarship endowments, adopted two schools to provide mentors and tutors, done work that resulted in tens of millions of dollars for Black contractors and workers, successfully obtained the early release of two prisoners and kept another one from being executed. The branch has opened doors to political empowerment by drafting initiatives, collecting tens of thousands of signatures, and placing our initiatives on the ballot for a public vote. We won on three of the initiatives, which prevented

JAMES CLINGMAN NNPA COLUMNIST

red light cameras from being installed in our city, our water system from being privatized, and preventing the building of a $200 million jail.

‘Gill Ford experience’ Despite all of that good work, and much more, our branch is once again fighting against national representative, Gill Ford in his effort to determine the outcome of our local election.

He tried it in 2012, and he and his local cronies are at it again; but this time he is using even dirtier tactics. The same candidates who lost by an overwhelming margin in 2012 are back again, with the help of Ford, to take over the branch for their own personal benefit via their union ties.

The proof of his actions is well documented, and I would be glad to send it to anyone who is interested, in light of the fact that I have spoken to folks in other branches who have had the “Gill Ford experience.”

I do not understand why the national office of the NAACP allows this man to do whatever he wants, but I do know that we will not be silent about his shenanigans.

The irony and hypocrisy of this sham being perpetrated on the good members of our branch is that it comes in the shadow of the national office’s position on voting rights and its recent stance against voter suppression. Gill Ford, in his effort to get his cronies elected, is issuing edicts that essentially result in voter suppres-

sion and trampling on voters’ rights. Instead of supporting our members’ voting rights he is committing “voting wrongs” against the very folks who help pay his salary. To make matters even worse, his behavior is the antithesis of what the NAACP purports to fight for. Elections must be fair, not just nationally but locally, where it counts even more. In our case the NAACP, thus far, has not chosen to support the very tenets it espouses. That is hypocrisy, folks.

Sweep up at home Gill Ford is disallowing what the NAACP calls “watchers” and “challengers” to monitor our election, a capacity I served in during the 2012 election, and positions that have always been chosen by both candidates. He wrote, “The National Office will be working with the Election Supervisory Committee,” which is stacked with his takeover crowd, one of whom is currently under investigation by the Ohio Elections Commission.

Ford has arbitrarily changed the venue, the date for the election, the day of the week, and the timeframe for voting, from 12 hours to five, initially, and now to eight hours.

That is hardly enough time for some 2,000 members to cast votes. Voter suppression? This was done at the request of the son of the candidate for president, who was also “selected” to head the Election Supervisory Committee. Do we have a conflict of interest here? You be the judge. Clean it up, NAACP!

Jim Clingman is the founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce. Write your own response at www.flcourier.com

NATION

TOJ A6

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014 the college is considering changing the name of the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D. Academic Center, which houses the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, the college archives and offices.

While some Spelman students at the all-female school supported Cosby, there were some who protested the entertainer’s association with the college by using the Twitter hashtag #NotMyFather, referring to Cosby’s television persona.

Cleage: Right move

SUSAN TUSA/DETROIT FREE PRESS/TNS

Bill Cosby speaks at Triumph Church in Detroit on Dec. 3, 2006. He was participating in a workshop titled “It’s Your Life: Who’s In Charge?”

Spelman College suspends Cosby endowed professorship Prestigious all-female school in Atlanta announces decision via email statement

social sciences.

Two decades later, the only attention Cosby — once considered one of the most influential men in America through his exposure as a television mogul and philanthropist — is getting is from ongoing and relentless allegations that he has been drugging and raping women since at least the 1960s.

On Dec. 14, the Atlanta JournalConstitution exclusively learned that Spelman loosened its ties with Cosby by indefinitely suspending the William and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed Professorship, which was established after Cosby and his wife, Camille, gave the school $20 million in 1987.

BY ERNIE SUGGS ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

In the late 1980s, when Spelman College established a prestigious endowed professorship named in honor of Bill Cosby and his wife, the goals were to bring positive attention to what was already considered one of the finest Black colleges in the country, while attracting leading scholars in the fine arts, humanities and

No verbal comments “The William and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed Professorship was established to bring positive attention and accomplished visiting scholars to Spelman College in order to enhance our intellectual, cultural and creative life,” Spelman spokeswoman Audrey Arthur said in an email.

“The current context prevents us from continuing to meet these objectives fully. Consequently, we will suspend the program until such time that the original goals can again be met.”

Arthur said the 133-year-old school would not make any more comments.

Her statement did not address if

Spelman College graduate Pearl Cleage, an award-winning novelist and playwright, as well as a former Cosby Chair, said the school made the right move to suspend the program.

“In light of the current accusations against Mr. Cosby, it’s appropriate to suspend the chair while the college reevaluates the relationship with Mr. Cosby, moving forward,” Cleage said.

Cosby — who in 2002 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor — has seen his legacy crumble under the weight of countless allegations that he drugged and sexually assaulted several women.

In allegations that date as far back as the 1960s, more than two dozen women have claimed that Cosby drugged and raped them.

Last week, super model Beverly Johnson, became the most highprofile accuser, claiming Cosby drugged her in the 1980s during an audition for “The Cosby Show.”

She said she was able to get away without being raped.

Lecture to Black media The Spelman decision follows Cosby’s resignation after 32 years as a member of the board of trustees at Temple University and resignation as an honorary co-chair of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s capital campaign.

High Point University in North Carolina also removed him from its national board of advisers and the Berklee Colleg of Music stopped granting a scholarship in his name.

Cosby, 77, had been mum on

the allegations. But on Dec. 13, he spoke briefly to the New York Post offering a lecture to the Black media.

“I only expect the Black media to uphold the standards of excellence in journalism and when you do that you have to go in with a neutral mind,” Cosby told the New York Post.

He also said that his wife was holding up through the controversy with, “Love and the strength of womanhood…And, you could reverse it, the strength of womanhood and love.”

Developed ‘Different World’ In 1987, when the Cosbys gave the single largest donation ever awarded to an HBCU, the thought of any of this happening seemed impossible.

At the time, Cosby was at the height of his powers as an entertainer, philanthropist and trusted father figure. He was starring in the landmark “The Cosby Show,” which depicted a successful Black family who appreciated jazz and Black art.

He had also developed the groundbreaking, “A Different World,” which for the first time in television history, focused solely on a historically Black college.

The show was credited with increasing interest and enrollment at HBCUs, including Spelman, Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University.

Chairs’ names removed With their $20 million donation, the Cosbys, whose daughters attended Spelman, helped build Cosby Center on campus, as well as fund the endowed chair, which has also been held by author Tananarive Due. Choreographer Aku Kadogo, is the current the Cosby Endowed Professor. But on the Spelman College website, she is now listed as “a Spelman College Distinguished Visiting Scholar for 20142015.”

The list of all of the former endowed chairs seems to have been removed.

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‘Selma’ movie already racking up honors See page B3

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA WWW.FLCOURIER.COM

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

SHARING BLACK LIFE, STATEWIDE

Twist on classic holiday recipes See page B5

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SECTION

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In the eerie glow of a burning warehouse, two women and a dog cautiously walk down an Overtown street on Jan. 17, 1989.

Legal legacy of the1989 Miami case Circumstances and trial of officer involved in shooting death still raises questions

BY DAVID OVALLE MIAMI HERALD (TNS)

MIAMI — In a city long torn by racial tension, a uniformed police officer fatally shot a Black man. Days of upheaval and rioting riveted the nation.

A series of investigations scrutinized the officer’s use of deadly force. He claimed self-defense. Would the cop face criminal charges?

The case that exploded in Miami in 1989 still resonates today, echoing the murky, racially charged confrontation that has put a 24/7 media spotlight on the small Missouri town of Ferguson.

Twenty-five years ago, after a trial that lives on in local legal lore, jurors convicted Miami Police Officer William Lozano for shooting and killing a motorcyclist. It was the last time any police officer in Florida was convicted for an on-duty shooting.

Tough to convict As in many cities, racially charged riots wracked Miami in the 1960s and 1970s.

The most notorious disturbance came in 1980, after jurors acquitted a group of Dade police officers for the beating death of motorist Arthur McDuffie.

In the aftermath of that infamous case, the grand jury and prosecutors in Miami turned unusually aggressive. Before Lozano, they went after four officers in separate on-duty shootings of unarmed Black men.

The only successful prosecution: Dade Officer Robert Koenig, a White rookie who fatally shot Donald Harp as fellow cops tried pulling him from a car in 1983.

Jurors convicted Koenig of manslaughter.

He got a five-year prison term.

But convicting a police officer for manslaughter, an unintentional death caused by “gross negligence,” proved tough.

It was against that backdrop that Lozano, a 30-year-old patrolman who hailed from a family of officers, encountered Clement Lloyd and Allan Blanchard.

Police help a bloodspattered passerby who got caught in the melee and was struck by stones on Jan. 17, 1989, in Miami.

The city was consumed by riots after the January 1989 shooting of Arthur McDuffie.

JON KRAL/ MIAMI HERALD/TNS

See 1989, Page B2

Lozano acquitted Unlike in Ferguson, Miami-Dade prosecutors did make an arrest, charging Lozano with manslaughter in a criminal case that sharply divided the city. But for Miami’s African-American community, any sense of justice proved short lived. Lozano was acquitted after an appeals court granted him a new trial.

And the legal opinion that gave Lozano a second chance also barred prosecutors from revealing to jurors the details of internal police procedures and training.

The ruling set a powerful precedent, all but dooming prosecutions in a state that already affords wide latitude for cops to use deadly force to protect themselves and others.

“That ruling and that opinion has come back to haunt us,” said MiamiDade Chief Assistant State Attorney Don Horn, one of the prosecutors who convicted Lozano on Dec. 7, 1989.

Lozano could not be reached for comment, but his famed Miami defense attorney Roy Black sees a positive legal legacy. The case, he said, ensured police officers, tasked with protecting the community, remain able to act quickly in the face of danger.

JON KRAL/MIAMI HERALD/TNS “Those rulings really worked to the benefit of the cops on the street,” Black Police in riot gear rush to the disturbance in Overtown in January 1989. The city was consumed by riots after the shootsaid. ing of a Black motorcyclist by Miami police officer William Lozano.

CALENDAR

B2

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

STOJ

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR

CHRIS BROWN

The Between the Sheets Tour with Chris Brown. Trey Songz and Tyga takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise.

Miami: DeLou Africa, educational and performing arts organization focused on West African culture, and Community Builders HDC will present a free Kwanzaa program and concert on Dec. 28 at 4:30 at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NW 59th Terrace.

Jacksonville: Tickets are on sale for the 70s Soul Jam featuring The Spinners, The Stylistics, Jimmy Walker, Cuba Gooding Sr. and Main Ingredient. Shows are Jan. 8 at the Florida Theatre Jacksonville, Jan. 9 at the Kravis Center in West Palm and Jan. 10 at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa.

SMOKEY ROBINSON

Tickets are on sale for a show with Smokey Robinson at The Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg on April 12.

1989 from B1

One cop, two deaths The night was Jan. 16, 1989, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Miami was set to host the Super Bowl days later, an important event for a tourist city banking on the national spotlight.

Lloyd, 23, a car-wash manager, was speeding his high-powered Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle through the streets of Overtown. His passenger: Allan Blanchard, 24, an unemployed construction worker who had just moved to Miami from the Virgin Islands.

Activating his car’s lights and siren, a Miami patrolman tried pulling them over. Lloyd sped up Northwest Third Avenue toward Lozano, who just happened to be stopped on the side of the road taking a report from a citizen.

Lozano squeezed off one shot. The bullet struck Lloyd in the head. The motorcycle plowed into a Buick Regal, hurling Blanchard to the pavement.

Both men died. As investigators and local city officials arrived at the scene, Overtown residents began angrily hurling bottles and rocks.

‘No respect’ Within hours, television news vans were torched. A meat market was looted. As police in Ferguson would do a quarter of a century later, officers with riot shields and shotguns streamed to the chaos.

“We’ve been victimized all our lives, and now they’re treating us like animals, with no respect, and especially on this day, Martin Luther King Day,” one Overtown resident said.

When the violence subsided, officials launched a slew of investigations. The Rev. Al Sharpton, already a polarizing civil rights activist, visited Overtown to decry Lozano’s actions — raising many of the same concerns he has repeated with the Ferguson shooting of an unarmed teenager by a White officer.

City torn apart Ultimately, Dade State Attorney Janet Reno bypassed the grand jury. Instead, prosecutors directly filed two counts of manslaughter with a deadly weapon against Lozano.

Her decision tore Miami apart. Many cops and Hispanics defended Lozano, a Colombian-born patrolman with a clean record.

“The political influence was extremely heavy,” said Black, Lozano’s attorney.

“Everybody was concerned about further disturbances and, of course, with the image of Miami and the Super Bowl. That was more important than justice.”

DIANA ROSS

Tickets are available for an 8 p.m. show on Feb. 19 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood.

Orlando: The Experience Christian Center and Changing Experiences Annual Seasons Blessings takes place Dec. 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at John H. Jackson Community Center 1002 Carter St. Vendors will provide free services. Giveways include toys and food.

Tensions high

Conviction reversed

The trial was set to begin in November, just 10 months after the shooting.

Despite defense requests, Dade Circuit Judge Joseph Farina refused to move the trial from Miami.

Tension mounted as rallies were staged on both sides. Dade’s community relations board predicted 25 people might die in riots were Lozano acquitted.

“It was a horrible responsibility,” said thenDade prosecutor John Hogan, who scored a conviction against Koenig and led the state’s efforts against Lozano. “It’s hard to imagine how much stress it caused.”

Courthouse observers predicted a win for Lozano. His lawyers were the prominent and eloquent Black and former cop Mark Seiden. The duo had just won the acquittal of Luis Alvarez, a Miami cop who fatally shot an unarmed man inside an Overtown arcade.

Testimony lasted 13 tense days. And after eight hours, 13 minutes of deliberations, the six-person jury declared Lozano guilty of all counts.

Worried citizens, watching the trial live on television, exhaled. No violence.

But that did not end the divide. Some police officers wore black wristbands to protest.

Farina sentenced Lozano to seven years in prison. He was allowed to remain free on bond pending an appeal.

In June 1991, the Third District Court of Appeal reversed Lozano’s conviction. Farina, they ruled, was indeed wrong to have not properly considered moving the trial from Dade County amid fears of violence.

More critically for future cases in Florida, Farina should have never allowed into evidence that Lozano violated internal procedures and training, the court ruled.

“The opinion reaffirmed the fact that police officers are in a unique situation,” Seiden said.

“They have to make split life or death decisions, and they don’t have the luxury of reflection.”

Hogan still believes the original Miami trial was fair.

“It’s something that really bothers me a great deal because I really do not think the jury confused training as a substitute for the law,” he said.

The 1993 retrial was held in Orlando. The odds shifted in favor of Lozano — during jury selection, some candidates named their “local police officers” as heroes.

Jurors acquitted Lozano.

Four years removed from Lloyd’s and Blanchard’s deaths, Miami’s streets remained calm.

One hasty shot?

Black and Seiden, however, knew the trial was an uphill battle.

Every day, jurors walked into a Miami-Dade courthouse teeming with heavily armed police officers in the stairwells and snipers on the roof.

“Jurors had a real fear, in my opinion, that a not guilty verdict would cause the city to burn again,” Seiden said.

At trial, five eyewitnesses told jurors that Lozano aimed his pistol at Lloyd, tracking him in a dualhanded combat stance before firing the one calculated shot.

In a halting performance, Lozano took the stand in his own defense. He insisted he stepped onto the street to pull Lloyd over and only fired — a hasty shot from the hip — after the motorcycle bore down on him with no time to spare.

“You ended up, for lack of a different way of putting it, with the Black folks with one version of what happened, and the police officers with a different version,” prosecutor Horn recalled.

Training introduced But Lozano’s account cut against him. The forensic evidence was key. The bullet’s trajectory was downward, which contradicted the hip shot, prosecutors argued.

And over objections, the state was allowed to introduce Lozano’s departmental training that forbid shooting at a moving vehicle. At trial, three expert witnesses also testified that a cop should not enter a street with his gun drawn to pull someone over.

“He knew other options because he had been trained in other options,” Hogan said. “That was an important thing for the jury to know.”

Stand Your Ground law Since then, controversial police shootings have not stopped, nor criminals wielding high-powered weaponry. But not a single state prosecutor in Florida since Lozano has charged an officer with an on-duty shooting.

Florida law does not require officers — or even regular citizens, thanks to the 2005 Stand Your Ground law — to retreat in the face of mortal danger. And law enforcement can use deadly force to stop a “fleeing felon” who presumably could harm others.

In Miami-Dade, prosecutors stopped going to the grand jury, a secretive process that critics say sheds no light on how a shooting unfolds.

sidered whether to recommend charges.

Instead, a committee of senior prosecutors consider criminal charges, and whether an officer was justified in using deadly force under Florida law. They produce exhaustive memos detailing the evidence collected by police detectives.

One upcoming case in the works also involves a vehicle: the fatal shooting of motorist Raymond Herisse on South Beach at the hands of 11 officers. The case spurred Miami Beach police to forbid shooting at moving vehicles.

Few legal experts expect criminal charges.

Reviews criticized The “close-out memo” reviews have drawn criti-

Miami: The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County will present a program of culture, dance, drumming and more

by DeLou Africa on Jan. 24 at 1:30 p.m.

Tampa: The Black and Brown Comedy Get Down featuring Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps and Eddie Griffin is Jan. 23 at the Amalie Arena.

Miami: A Dec. 20 show at the James L. Knight Center titled One Night Stand will feature Ginuwine, Lyfe Jennings, Jon B and Case.

Fort Lauderdale: Aaron Neville is scheduled for an 8 p.m. show Feb. 12 at the Parker Playouse.

Plantation: Judah Worship Word Ministries International will host a 5 p.m. Christmas concert on Dec. 21 at 4441 W. Sunrise Blvd. A New Year’s Eve service begins at 9 p.m.

The speaker will be Dr. Ane Mercer of Jacksonville. More info: 954-791-2999.

Orlando: A show with The cism for sometimes dragging out years. Although Fernandez Rundle’s office mostly rules shootings justified, some cases have come closer to criminal charges than others.

In March, prosecutors refused to justify the Miami-Dade Police Special Response Team’s 2011 fatal shooting of three of four home-invasion robbers during a botched sting in the Redland.

One slain man, a confidential informant named Rosendo Betancourt, had already dropped his weapon. He was lying on the ground when Sgt. Manuel Malgor ordered him to roll over on his back. Malgor fatally shot the informant, saying the man appeared to reach for his waistband.

“Greatly disturbing,” pros-

Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley and special guests is set for 8 p.m. Dec. 26 at the CFE Arena.

West Palm Beach: Tickets are on sale now for a Jan. 4 show featuring Vanessa Williams at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

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

Jacksonville: Catch R&B singer Avant on Dec. 20 at the Ritz Theatre & Museum for an 8 p.m. show.

Coral Gables: The Ultimate Holiday Experience is scheduled Dec. 27 at Bank United Center featuring Angie Stone, El DeBarge, Ron Isley and the Isley Brothers.

Fort Lauderdale: Audra McDonald and Seth Rudetsky are booked for the Parker Playhouse on Jan. 8. The concert begins at 8 p.m. ecutors said of Betancourt’s killing. But they could not disprove Malgor’s claim of fear, though they noted the sergeant could have easily handcuffed the man while he lay on his belly.

In their final memo, prosecutors said jurors in a potential criminal case could never be told whether Malgor’s fateful command was “unorthodox or in violation of his training and procedures.”

The reason: The legal legacy of the Lozano case.

“We all understand police shootings better because of Lozano,” Fernandez Rundle said. “Lozano represented a conviction and an acquittal, and that tells the average person out there that there was an attempt at justice.”

WINNER TOP 10 LIST

ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR AFRICAN-AMERICAN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION

AWARDS

ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR TOP 10 LIST

ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR PETER TRAVERS

WINNER

ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND LEGENDARY PICTURES PRESENT A JOLIE PAS PRODUCTION A 3 ARTS ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION MUSIC “UNBROKEN” JACK O’ C ONNELL DOMHNALL GLEESON MIYAVI GARRETT HEDLUND FINN WITTROCK

BY ALEXANDRE DESPLAT PRODUCED EXECUTIVE

BY ANGELINA JOLIE p.g.a. CLAYTON TOWNSEND p.g.a. MATTHEW BAER p.g.a. ERWIN STOFF PRODUCERS MICK GARRIS THOMAS TULL JON JASHNI SCREENPLAY DIRECTED BASED ON

BY JOEL COEN & ETHAN COEN AND RICHARD LAGRAVENESE AND WILLIAM NICHOLSON

BY ANGELINA JOLIE THE BOOK BY LAURA HILLENBRAND A UNI V ERSAL PICTURE VISUAL EFFECTS AND ANIMATION BY INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC THIS FILM CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF TOBACCO CONSUMPTION

SOUNDTRACK ON PARLOPHONE RECORDS

© 2014 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

Committee of prosecutors The office of State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle also stopped muchcriticized “inquest” hearings, in which judges, after hearing evidence, con-

STARTS CHRISTMAS DAY

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

STOJ

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

FINEST & ENTERTAINMENT

Meet some of

FLORIDA’S

finest

submitted for your approval

B3

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.

More than 4,000 cruisers joined nationally syndicated radio talk show host Tom Joyner on the 13th annual Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage 2012 aboard Royal Caribbean’s “Navigator of the Seas,” one of the world’s largest cruise ships. The Florida Courier spotlights some of the best-looking people on board.

Vicki, a native of Charlotte, N.C., was on her fourth Tom Joyner cruise.

Miguel Baidy of Atlanta was on his first Tom Joyner cruise.

DELROY COLE / FLORIDA COURIER

vicki miquel ‘Selma’ named top film by African-American film critics TRICE EDNEY NEWS SERVICE

The civil rights drama “Selma” has been named the top film of the year by the African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and also leads NAACP Image Awards nominations with eight.

The Paramount film, which is the first studio production to center around the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., not only earned top honors among the Black critics, but also received nods for Best Director (Ava DuVernay), Best Actor (Davis Oyelowo) and Best Song (John Legend’s and Common’s theme song, “Glory,”) the film critics association announced this week.

A mix of Hollywood veterans and fledglings were recognized in the other categories.

Recognition for Mbatha-Raw, Spencer Best actress went to Gugu Mbatha-Raw for her lead role in “Belle,” a peri-

Samuel L. Jackson is shown in February 2013 at the 85th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

LAWRENCE K. HO/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

The movie “Selma’’ focuses on a three-month stretch in 1965 when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organized a campaign to ensure equal voting rights for all men and women. The movie is playing in select theaters. od drama in which the illegitimate, biracial daughter of a British admiral plays a pivotal role in abolishing slavery in England.

Octavia Spencer of “The Help” fame won best supporting actress for her role in “Black and White,” a sto-

ry of a bitter custody battle.

Tyler Perry and J.K. Simmons shared best supporting actor honors — Perry won for his role as an attorney in “Gone Girl” and Simmons for his portrayal overly exuberant music instructor in “Whiplash.”

Honors for ‘Dear White People’ “Dear White People” won best independent film and cast member Tessa Thompson earned the nod for best breakout performance with her part as a

college student activist.

Top screenplay honors went to Gina Prince-Bythewood for “Beyond the Lights” and best ensemble went to the James Brown biopic “Get On Up.” Best documentary went to “Life Itself,” about the

career of critic Roger Ebert, and best world cinema honors went to “Timbuktu,” a political drama about Islamic militants briefly occupying Timbuktu.

“Our members found the output of cinema released this year to be a truly insightful mix of titles that reflect the world we live in,” AAFCA president Gil Robertson said in a statement.

“The members of AAFCA were especially pleased with this range of storytelling supported by the studios that gave voice to the many sides of the experience of Black people in America and around the world. We had a lot to pick from this year from ‘Belle,’ ‘Dear White People,’ ‘Top Five,’ ‘Timbuktu’ and ‘Selma’ and hope the industry will continue to provide a platform for diversity on the big screen.”

The AAFCA will hold its annual award ceremony on Feb. 4 at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood.

Samuel L. Jackson to celebs: Call out racist police BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM

Samuel L. Jackson is requesting celebrities to put up or shut up with violence against Blacks involving racist police officers. Jackson created a video message on Facebook calling on celebs who participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge this summer to sing, “We Ain’t Gonna Stop Till People are Free.’’

Jackson posted a video message on Facebook the night of Dec. 13, after a day of nationwide protests against racist police killings in the wake of grand

juries declining to indict White police officers involved in killing unarmed Black men Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

Jackson’s lyrics Jackson stated: “All you celebrities out there who poured ice water on your head, here’s a chance to do something else. I challenge all of you to sing the “We ain’t gonna stop, till people are free.”

Soon afterwards Jackson began singing the song with the lyrics: I can hear my neighbor cryin’ ‘I can’t breathe’

Now I’m in the struggle and I can’t leave.

Callin’ out the violence of the racist police.

We ain’t gonna stop, till people are free.

We ain’t gonna stop, till people are free.

The lyrics echoes Garner’s last words, “I can’t breathe” to Staten Island police officers after he was placed in a chokehold. Police officer Daniel Pantaleo was caught placing him in the hold, which lead to Garner’s death.

B4

NATION & WORLD

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

STOJ

Winnie Mandela fighting for property South African leader’s ex-wife questions validity of his will TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE

Last December, Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and his last wife, Graca Machel, were seen comforting each other in the wake of the revered South African president’s death.

The warmth has cooled, if not frozen over, as Winnie opens a court fight for the estate of the former president, the validity of the will, and the legitimacy of the handover to Machel of the rural house.

“I let him live on my property.

I wasn’t going to evict him simply because he was married to a third wife,” she said in a combative tone that surprised many.

“It is such a pity he is no longer there for me to ask what on earth would have brought him to elect that he would take my land and give it away to someone who actually has a whole world in Mozambique because [Machel has] her four houses in Mozambique.”

Land fraud?

The will states that Mandela’s homes in Qunu and Houghton, Johannesburg, would be held in the Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Family Trust and the Nelson Mandela Trust.

Madikizela-Mandela, however, disputes that, asserting that Mandela may have committed land fraud when he registered a plot of land in Qunu, Eastern Cape, in his own name.

According to the longtime ANC activist, abaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo gave

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Winnie Mandela visits children at a youth center in California during a visit to the U.S. in 1999. her the land when Mandela was imprisoned and that it was rightfully hers. She contends the registration of the house in Mandela’s name was unlawful and should be set aside.

President Jacob Zuma has filed a notice to oppose the ex-wife’s reported application to access government documents relating to the Qunu property.

Question of title The property claim began over the summer when a letter by

Madikizela-Mandela’s lawyers sought to repossess the house for Winnie’s children.

“It is only in this home that the children and grandchildren of Mrs. Madikizela-Mandela can conduct their own customs and tradition and the house cannot be given to the sole custody of an individual nor can it be generally given to the custody of any person other than the children of Mrs. Madikizela-Mandela and/ or her grandchildren,” the lawyers stated.

Traditional leaders also have

Rolene Strauss of South Africa is Miss World 2014.

Edina Kulcsar of Hungary was the runner-up and Elizabeth Safrit of the United States came in Rolene third in the contest held in London.

The winners were announced on Dec. 14 after Strauss a competition involving contestants from more than 120 countries.

The contest was marred by the murder last month of Miss Honduras and her sister in that country.

Buju Banton files motion for early release from prison

Former Sony employees sue over email leaks The first legal salvo has been leveled against Sony Pictures Entertainment since the massive computer breach that exposed the personal information of thousands of current and former employees.

Lawyers representing two former Sony Pictures employees filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles. The 45-page complaint on behalf of former and current employees alleges that the Culver City studio was negligent by ignoring warnings that its computer system was prone to attack.

Sony “failed to secure its computer systems, servers and databases, despite weaknesses that it has known about for years” and “subsequently failed to timely protect confidential information of its current and former employees from law-breaking hackers,” according to the complaint filed late Monday by the Seattle law firm, Keller Rohrback.

47,000 affected Hackers began releasing sensitive data after the studio’s security breach became public on Nov. 24.

The group, calling itself Guardians of Peace, has released data including thousands of pages of emails from studio chiefs, salaries of top executives, and Social Security numbers of 47,000 current and former employees.

There has also been a series of bombshell emails released from top executives, including thousands of emails from the studio’s co-chairman, Amy Pascal. Some have included exchanges with

not his, but allocated to him, well then there is a little more wiggle room here. Then we would have to look at undocumented, largely, customary law and here the lines can get very blurred.”

Sony hackers are threatening a 9/11-type attack if “The Interview’’ comedy is released this month. The movie, which debuts this month, features a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It stars Seth Rogen, above.

South African woman named Miss World 2014

Sony hackers are threatening a 9/11-type attack if “The Interview’’ comedy is released this month. The movie, which debuts this month, features a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

It stars James Franco and Seth Rogen, above.

BY SABA HAMEDY AND MEG JAMES LOS ANGELES TIMES (TNS)

the power to allocate parcels of land to people, but they do not become the official owner. Therefore, the issue may have to be decided under traditional customary law, said Professor Stephen Tuson from Wits University in Johannesburg.

“My first crisp question would be what was Nelson Mandela’s title to that home - if anything?

That would be definitive in my view,” said Tuson. “If he had the title deeds then he can do with his home what he wishes. If he was not the title holder, if it was

producer Scott Rudin over whether President Obama prefers Blackthemed films such as “The Butler.”

Pascal and Rudin have apologized for their remarks.

The breach is expected to cost Sony Pictures tens of millions of dollars as the company rebuilds its computer network, conducts a forensic investigation of the attack and deals with the legal fallout.

Movie debut threat The hackers have demanded that Sony cancel the Dec. 25 release of “The Interview,” a comedy depicting a fictional assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jung Un. The FBI is investigating the hack, which is suspected to have been orchestrated

by North Korea.

At an all-hands meeting on Monday, Sony’s chief executive and chairman, Michael Lynton, told employees: “This won’t take us down. You should not be worried about the future of this studio.”

Sony offered employees identity protection services through a third-party provider for a year. But anxiety among employees heightened after some received a threatening email on Dec. 5 from someone claiming to be with the hacking group.

The email was written in broken English. It asked employees to sign a statement disassociating themselves with Sony. “If you don’t, not only you but your family will be in danger,” the message said.

Medical details released In the first lawsuit filed against Sony over the breach, the plaintiffs claim that the studio had a

duty to be more vigilant in safeguarding the personal information of its current and past employees, including their medical information. In California, companies have a strict legal obligation to protect workers’ medical information.

“We have reason to believe that medical information has been released,” Cari Laufenberg, a partner with Keller Rohrback, said in a brief interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Some news reports have mentioned the release of medical details about some Sony employees and their family members.

The suit also says that while Sony has notified current employees about the breach, it has not done an adequate job notifying former employees who might have also been victimized in the attack.

NNPA NEWS SERVICE

Grammy Award-winning reggae artist Buju Banton, who was convicted on cocaine trafficking charges in 2011, has filed a motion in court in an attempt to secure an earlier release date.

The Tampa Tribune reports that Banton, whose given name is Mark Myrie, filed his own motion from prison asking to be released early based on a recent change in federal drug sentencing guidelines.

This would mean an earlier release date and deportation to Jamaica.

He is serving a mandatory 10-year sentence for his conviction on a charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He is scheduled to be released in 2019.

However, the amendments do not apply to those serving minimum mandatory sentences under the law. This would only be possible where the convicts cooperate with investigators or at give a full confession to their crimes.

According to the paper, this is unlikely to happen, as Banton has maintained his innocence since being arrested.

Banton was convicted in February 2011, days after he won a Grammy award for his album, “Before the Dawn.”

Seeking jury trial The complaint called the breach “an epic nightmare, much better suited to a cinematic thriller than real life.”

“Put simply, Sony knew about the risks it took with its past and current employees’ data,” the suit said. “Sony gambled, and its employees — past and current — lost.”

Sony has been the victim of previous data breaches, but the company made a business decision to continue to operate without dramatically improving its computer security, the suit contends.

The complaint suggests that the hackers might have infiltrated the system about a year ago, though did not pinpoint when the breach occurred.

“There are thousands of people who have been affected by this,” Laufenberg said.

The attorneys have asked for a jury trial.

Los Angeles Times staff writer Ryan Faughnder contributed to this report.

Buju Banton is serving a 10-year prison term.

TOJ

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

FOOD

FROM FAMILY FEATURES

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Eggs and essentials for sweet eats

SUGAR COOKIE CUT-OUTS Prep time: 15 minutes Chill time: 2 hours or up to 2 days Cook time: 8–10 minutes per batch Yield: 4 dozen cookies 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 egg, room temperature 2 egg yolks, room temperature 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt Icing: 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted 2 tablespoons meringue powder 4 tablespoons water Combine butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in mixer bowl.

Beat on medium speed until

light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add egg and egg yolks; beat on low speed until blended.

Gradually add flour and salt, beating just until blended.

Refrigerate dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Heat oven to 350°F. Work with 1/2 of dough at a time, keeping remaining dough refrig­erated. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4inch thickness. Cut out cookies using cookie cutters; place 1 inch apart on parchment paperlined or ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in oven until edges are lightly browned, 8–10 minutes.

Cool on baking sheets 1 minute.

Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

For icing, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder and water in mixer bowl. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 6–8 minutes. If icing is too thick, thin with small amount of additional water.

he holidays are a special time of year to celebrate and connect with family and friends. From a cookie swap at work to a formal holiday dinner at home, with the right kind of recipes and a little planning, any holiday gathering can be a sweet success.

But, before you tie your apron strings and grab your rolling pin, avoid the last minute trips to the store by stocking up on baking staples like flour, butter, sugar and especially eggs.

As a versatile and affordable ingredient, eggs can be used in everything and offer limitless baking possibilities — from pies to cookies to eggnog. Plus, at 15 cents apiece, they can be an affordable way to feed a crowd for the holidays.

For holiday recipes, baking hacks and more, visit IncredibleEgg.org and Incredible Eggs on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

B5

MINI PUMPKIN PIES Prep time: 35 minutes Chill time: Several hours or overnight Cook time: 35–37 minutes Yield: 6 mini pies Crust: 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup vegetable shortening, cold 2 egg yolks 6–8 tablespoons ice water, divided 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Filling: 3eggs, slightly beaten 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup half and half To make unbaked crusts, mix flour and salt in large bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until pieces are size of small peas. Mix egg yolks, 6 tablespoons ice water and lemon juice in small bowl. Add to flour mixture, 1 table­spoon at a time, stirring lightly and tossing with fork until moistened and dough just holds together. Add remaining ice water, if needed. Gather dough and shape into six 1-inch-thick disks. Refrigerate, wrapped in plastic wrap, 1 hour or overnight.

Roll out each dough disk on lightly floured surface, rolling from center to edge, to form 6-inch circle. Fold into quarters; ease and unfold into 4-inch pie plate. Press pastry gently against bottom and sides of pie plate, easing out any air. Trim edge leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under; flute edge. Refrigerate, covered, at least 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 400°F. Whisk eggs, pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in medium bowl. Beat in half and half. Pour approximately 2/3 cup into each mini piecrust.

Carefully place pies on rack in oven. Bake 15 min­utes. Reduce oven to 350°F; continue baking 20–22 minutes or until knife inserted midway between center and edge of pie comes out clean.

Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate, loosely covered, until firm, several hours or overnight.

Garnish with toasted pecans and whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CRINKLES Prep time: 30 minutes Chill time: 1 hour or overnight Cook time: 8–10 minutes per batch Yield: 6 dozen cookies 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups granulated sugar 1 package (12 ounces) or 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted, cooled 3 eggs, room temperature 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon peppermint extract or vanilla 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in large bowl.

Combine sugar, cooled chocolate, eggs, oil and pepper­mint extract in mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed until blended.

Refrigerate, covered, until firm enough to shape, about 1 hour or overnight.

Heat oven to 350°F. Mix powdered sugar and crushed candy in small bowl. Work with 1/3 of dough at a time, keeping remaining dough refrigerated. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar first and then in crushed candy mixture. Place 2 inches apart on parchment paperlined or ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in oven until lightly browned, 8–10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1–2 minutes.

Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

B6

FOOD

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

TOJ

Brown Rice Frittata with Bacon and Edamame

FROM FAMILY FEATURES

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hen you are looking for a taste of yesteryear this holiday season, look no further than your pantry for a staple you can incorporate into holiday meals, including snacks, breakfast, the big dinner and even desserts. Instant white or brown rice and multi-grain blends provide easy ways to put a fresh twist on traditional recipes your family knows and loves.

For a delicious, modern take on classic family favorites, look for ways to integrate current or seasonal flavors that complement the original recipe. Start new family mealtime traditions with easy recipe make­overs. For example, traditional broccoli, cheese and rice casserole only gets better with bacon, and using quinoa adds a subtle new texture. You can also give your sweet potato casserole a lift with white or brown rice for an updated take on this revered dish.

Using a quick and wholesome ingredient like fluffy Minute Rice saves cooking time so you can trans­form your favorite recipes while spending less time in the kitchen and more time with loved ones.

These recipes demonstrate how to update recipes from a frittata and casserole to dressing and stuffing for new ways to enjoy the classics this holiday season.

Explore more recipes and preparation tips at www.minuterice.com.

BROWN RICE FRITTATA WITH BACON AND EDAMAME Servings: 6–8 1cup Minute® Brown Rice 4thick cut bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 4scallions, thinly sliced (whites and greens divided) 1cup frozen shelled edamame 6eggs 3/4cup sour cream, divided 1/2teaspoon kosher salt Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare rice according to package directions.

While rice cooks, sauté bacon pieces in 10-inch oven­proof skillet over medium heat until starting to crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat, then add scallion whites and edamame (or if desired, use 1 cup frozen green peas) to the bacon in the pan and sauté 1 minute.

Add cooked rice, and sauté 1 minute. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, 1/2 cup sour cream and salt. Add egg mix­ture to pan, swirling gently to distribute mixture evenly throughout other ingredients. Cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes, until edges look set. Then place pan in preheated oven until set in center, about 10 minutes.

Mix together scallion greens with remaining 1/4 cup sour cream. Serve frittata in wedges topped with a dollop of scallion cream.

SWEET POTATO RICE CASSEROLE Servings: 6 1can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple in natural juice, drained (reserve juice) 1cup Minute® White Rice or Minute® Brown Rice, uncooked 1large egg, lightly beaten 1can (5 ounces) evaporated skim milk 1can (15 ounces) sweet potatoes, drained 1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon 2cups miniature marshmallows Preheat oven to 400°F. Measure reserved pineapple juice and add enough water to make 1 cup. Prepare rice according to package directions using juice-water mixture.

In large bowl combine pineapple, rice, egg, milk, sweet potatoes and cinnamon. Mix well. Spread in 2-quart casse­role dish. Top with marshmallows.

Bake 20 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to brown.

HONEY NUT DRESSING Servings: 6 1cup Minute® Brown Rice, uncooked 1tablespoon butter or margarine 1/4cup chopped walnuts 3/4cup chopped onion 3/4cup chopped celery 1/2cup raisins 2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional) 2tablespoons honey 1tablespoon lemon juice 1/4teaspoon salt Prepare rice according to package directions.

Melt butter or margarine in large skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts; cook and stir until lightly toasted. Add onions and celery; cook and stir until crisp-tender.

Stir in rice and remaining ingredients. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally.

CRANBERRY PECAN MULTI-GRAIN STUFFING Servings: 4 1tablespoon olive oil 1/2cup chopped onion 1/4cup chopped fresh celery 1/4teaspoon poultry seasoning 1/2cup dried cranberries 1cup chicken broth 1bag Minute® Multi-Grain Medley, uncooked 1/2cup chopped pecans, toasted Salt and ground black pepper, optional Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 2 minutes.

Add poultry seasoning, cranberries and broth. Bring to boil, and stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in pecans and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Sweet Potato Rice Casserole

Honey Nut Dressing

Cranberry Pecan Multi-Grain Stuffing

B6

DECEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 25, 2014

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O u r F a m i ly . O u r F O O d .

O u r C e l e b r at i O n .

As part of Kwanzaa tradition, after enjoying family dinner, an elder leads guests in the Harambee (ha-RAM-bee) salute, where everyone says “Harambee!” seven times in unison. In Swahili, the word Harambee means “all pull together.”

This year, Publix pulls together with your family to celebrate the special holiday.

H appy

2014