Challenge News Magazine February-March Edition 2022 by Probation Challenge

‘

•Let’s Be Biblically Sound• What is a pastor, and what does it require to pastor a congregation? The definitive question is; have particular pastors lost sight of their assignment to watch over the flock assigned them?

have forgotten their resting place. Dumb is not a fair attribute of sheep, but “dependent” certainly is. Sheep are dependent on their shepherd for direction and protection. They are not independent creatures, They are

Has the word of God become dismal when Christ said in John 10:11 - I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. And scripture states that “The LORD [is] my shepherd; I shall not want.” We, the people of God rely on the watchful eye of God – through the Shepherd. Why do we need a Shepherd? … Why is because, a good shepherd accompanies sheep in order to keep a watch over predators… dangerous concerns. Shepherds can actually keep flocks of sheep away from such areas, where they could become devoured by Satan’s tactics. The scripture warns pastors, “Woe (danger) to the Shepherd that allow the flock to be scattered.” Church true baptized believers represent the flock that attend services to receive instructions from the minister – the minister that has heard from the Lord. Diligent believ- not strong, nor are they survivors. ers obey the Shepherd, and quick to They quickly wander away and can easily be led astray. Without their comply with what is spoken. shepherd’s care, sheep are in great We know that God’s sheep strayed: peril because they are not hunters Jer: 50:6 My people hath been lost that can find food, and they are small sheep: their shepherds have caused and defenseless, making them easy them to go astray, they have turned prey for predators. That’s why the them away on the mountains: they shepherd must keep close watch have gone from mountain to hill, they

over his flock to protect and preserve the flock. So when a sheep stray, the shepherd will prod them back into the sheepfold and put wandering sheep back on the right path. The same is true for God’s sheep. Jesus, as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14) will prod His wandering sheep back into His fold, to keep them in His protective care—and He will use a “rod” and a “staff” to direct them to ever abide with Him and to walk in the right direction on the right path. The question becomes, what are some congregations understanding, and where is the lesson coming from? Pastors sending members into the fiery furnace of hurt, harm and danger, is not the will of God, for Christ, who came that we should have life and have it more abundantly. Enthusiastic persons ask what the role of a pastor is accordant to the scripture. It was stated in various biblical documents that the primary duty of a pastor is to spread the word of God while shepherding the worshipers. Are concerned clergymen observing that individuals who are infected with COVID-19, can release particles and droplets of respiratory fluids that contain the SARS CoV-2 virus into the air when they exhale (e.g., quiet breathing, speaking, singing, coughing, sneezing). While singing is most

As persons continue their day-to-day under- higher rate than Black inmates, an analysis takings of work, shopping, or leisure, familiar of public data by a prison reform group. faces of African Americans’ John Doe or Mary Sue who once lived in the community, have strangely disappeared… but who bothers to inquire? As mentally induced slumber and severe traumatization wears down in the community, citizens are discovering that countless number of minorities incarcerated is not a charade.

It has been reported that the Illinois Department of Corrections did not at once respond to questions about the racial disparities in prisoners released from state correctional centers between March and June. Criminal justice groups have pushed Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois prison officials since the beginning of the pandemic to mass release inmates from the state’s twenty-eight correctional centers, most of which are overcrowded and lack adequate medical staff and equipment.

Noiselessly, a multitude of families are deprived of their off springs as they are; arrested, and for the lack of revenue sent to court without proper representation, while the majority are sentenced to jail or prison. It is not to suggest that criminals are justified in breaking the law… for certain offenders should have been detained long before they got there. However, there is a matter of cause and effect… and there is also an issue called ‘political prostitution’ that keeps them ‘Incarcerated’ for monetary gain.

Double standard: Illinois has an incarceration rate of 497 per 100,000 people (including prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities), meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than almost any democracy on earth. Are jails and prisons playing genocide with people of color – in pretense of covid as the backdrop? Truth: The realization is that White inmates in Illinois are having their sentences shortened during the coronavirus pandemic at a

Hundreds of Illinois prisoners released as COVID-19 spreads, but few elders see reprieve. The Illinois Department of Corrections has begun using a once controversial tool to release hundreds of inmates using sentencing credits. But the releases have not been uniformed across the state.

Whereas cynics wink at yesteryears’ historical Slavery, abductors yet exist in this the 21st Century. Pilfering Black people from a ship or transport vessel is ancient, but young men and women are currently stolen from homes, schools, and American street corners!

With well over 60-years of working with troubled youth from the minority community, the Rev. Dr. Harold Bailey said, “I have seen with a jaundiced eye that the majority of youths from the court system were from a one parent family, high school dropouts and void of spiritual knowledge. Spiritual education most of the time is lacking.” Bailey said, “Spiritual training should be paramount in a child’s life, for it gives an important sense of an encouraging direction. An adolescent emulate what is seen and heard.”

released with 90 days or more left on their sentences were Black, compared to 55% who were white... analysis discovered.

State officials released approximately 3,600 people early from Illinois prisons between March 1 and June 4, according to a report published by the Chicago-based group, Restore Justice. It should be noted that less than half (46%) of inmates released early were Black, even though Black inmates make up 54% of the state prison population. Meanwhile, 43% of inmates who were released early were white, even though whites make up about 32% of the prison population, according to the Restore Justice report.

Children of African Kings and Queens were stolen away from ‘The Motherland’ and became unwilling Slaves to traitors. For monetary gain captives were transported to the shores of America and other countries. The captured Slaves were tormented to become subservient to buyers only to have horrific rule over them. Today, minorities are enslaved legally to perform Slave Labor!

Consider that a third of the 1,800 inmates

Spiritual fiber governs the steps of an individual throughout life, and that needed fiber gives a yes or no in decision building. A spiritual frame of reference is always a given weather in leisure or in matters of business. A lack of directions often causes an individual to resort to hearing the voice of Satan through man or woman – comes only but to misdirect. Who other than political scoundrels’ benefits when minorities adhere to the voice of the master Satan, who allows people to believe that crime is moral, and drugs to destroy the Creators creatures be allowed. Lucifer tries to deceive by pretending that wrongful intents of lawlessness allows the offender an opportunity to escape the perils of crime – sin! Please Continue on page 11.

month thereafter until the big day-April, 2022!

Chicago, IL: To many people, Mayor Harold Washington was the greatest mayor Chicago ever had. Chicagoans, Americans and even our global neighbors were thrilled and delighted when he was elected. The benefits Chicagoans reaped from his administration caused his reelection to be a literal piece of cake. Unfortunately, Mayor Washington passed away just months after his reelection, and the world joined Chicago in mourning the passing of this great man.

The City of Chicago’s Special Events, the Harold Washington Library and the Administration of the Harold Washington City College have already accepted our invitation to be involved. Now we’re inviting Churches, Organizations, Temples, Mosques, Schools, Sororities, and Fraternities, Radio Stations, TV Networks to start now to get your members, students, friend and associated individuals in planning an event-an essay contest, special church concert or service, a “ Happy 100th Harold “ concert, or dance or play or movie showing, or any other creative way we can fill up this year’s calendar with celebration after celebration after celebration.

Now, the Mayor Harold Washington Legacy Committee is inviting the city and nation and the world to help us celebrate Mayor Harold Washington’s 100th Birthday. We’ll be counting down the days and weeks and months leading up to that date by celebrating Mayor Harold Washington everywhere and in every way beginning right now, in the month of May and every

•To get involved contact Ms. Josie Childs, President, Mayor Harold Washington Legacy Committee at the following email: doublej24@att.net

The Rev. Adolphus J. and Patri- to discovered that God has cia A. Bailey recently celebrat- carried us throughout our joured their 64th year ney. He said that wedding anniver“God is still on the sary. throne, and as I’m now older, I can Rev. A.J. said that he truthfully speak with credits his blessed conviction... that I’ve marriage to God. never seen the rightTheir union brings eous forsaken, or His forth 4 children, 4 seed begging for grandchildren and 4 bread.” great grandchildren. Rev. A.J. and Patricia A.J. Bailey said, “I gives praise to God once thought I was for granting a joyful carrying myself, later

Continued from page 10. The Prince of Darkness stands back ters and four adult transition centers. and laughs at the perpetrator’s calamities as the penal systems Hundreds of Illinois prisoners released as COVID-19 spreads, but rack in the multi million dollars… predicated on the enslavement of few elders are reported to be in the number released. mostly Black people. The Illinois Department of Corrections has begun using a once The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) directly pays about controversial tool to release hundreds of inmates using sentencing $21,600 per inmate, from the general funds budget. Could blacks/ credits. But the releases have not been uniformed across the slavery be incorporated in this Monterey figure? state. To many this represents Slave Labor: The built-in, low-cost Jobi Cates, the executive director of Restore Justice, suggested workforce helps the prison industry, which relies on undercompenthat the racial disparities in the release data stem sated labor to keep running costs low and sell from a combination of other factors, including cheap goods to government agencies and private policing and sentencing disparities. She said her companies. Companies that source prisongroup’s analysis provides “a really concrete exproduced goods, or themselves subcontract labor ample of how systemic racism works,” and recfrom prisons, also receive help from low labor ommended that criminal justice officials take costs. Names of companies who have subnote. scribed to this measure are unbelievable. “If you don’t review your own work, of systems Why are so many people still in prison in Illinois? that are inherently biased toward white people The concerns focus on the impact on inmates’ and away from Black people, you end up with a families and communities, the loss of productive racist outcome,” she said. “You can’t be neutral human potential, racial inequities, and high finanwhen the system is at play, you have to actively cial cost. Despite recent reductions, Illinois still engage in challenging every step.” holds 40,000 adults in its prison system, with significant fiscal impact. That is what ‘they’ said; however it is be- The Rev. Dr. Harold Bailey checked the criminal justice system for decades, and said, “It is clear that the closer corrective eyes gets hind closed doors it is known that prisoners aid in providing an to devastating matters, the enemy hasten to further overpower income for thousands of rural inhabitants… residents of these young minorities.” communities reside well at the expense of prisons and prisoners. That’s the real story. Bailey said, “Without question, in these Not So United States, there is a European mindset that particular people have an entitleCost of reentry in Illinois? ment… not with minorities included. With smiling faces hypocrites The facilities’ goal is to reduce recidivism and thereby lower the continue to lead people of color to the fiery furnace to give pleasprison population further. While the re-entry program is expensive, ure only to themselves…as in the Holocaust. Yesterday’s horror at a cost of $181 per inmate per day compared to $72 per inmate game is still the same with only new methods of approach.” per day at other Illinois prisons, it is less expensive overall than Bailey said, “It’s quite necessary that people of color educate as the cost of recidivism. never before. Why, because education brings about an awareIllinois spends an estimated $22,000 in operational expenses to ness. Awareness causes an individual to think. When an individual incarcerate one person for a year. This figure rises to $37,000 can think – prayerfully, they can then make rational decisions.” when accounting for capital costs and employee benefits, includBailey thinks that in the minority community, the absence of eduing pensions. The total proposed FY2021 General Funds expendi- cational tools in the 21st Century is not by mistake – but intentionture for the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is about $1.5 al. He strongly believes that to educate Blacks well would cause billion, most of which is for the operation of prison facilities. IDOC the criminal ‘just us system’ to collapse. operates twenty-five correctional centers, two treatment centers Rev. Dr. Harold E. Bailey, President, Probation Challenge PCC Network. for inmates with severe mental illness, two life skills re-entry cen-

Continued from page 7. times allowed, church leaders have been advised by the medical community that it carries “a higher risk of catching or passing on the virus,” and church leaders have been urged to consider opening windows and doors, shortening the duration of singing, and encouraging mask wearing.

two shepherds… one is the good shepherd while the other is a deceitful shepherd who comes only but to rob, steal, kill, and will destroy. How do we know...the scripture tells us: You shall know them by the fruit they bear.

Be mindful of the scripture regarding the Good Shephard: Psalm 23:The LORD is my shepherd, I lack The shepherd’s rod was used to fight off wild animals, nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He spiritual dangers, and to count the sheep while directing leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He them from harmful intents. The rod as the word of God, guides me along the right paths for His name's sake. prodded them during the day in their grazing and at Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear night into the sheepfold. A willing sheep (parishioner) no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, would respond correctly to the prodthey comfort me. ding of sound doctrine, but a stubJohn 10:11-18. "I am the good shepborn, strong-willed sheep would not. herd. The good shepherd lays down As God has admonished pastors as his life for the sheep. to the trickeries of the enemy, should 12. The hired hand is not the shepnot the true Shepherd quickly alert herd and does not own the sheep. So those who follow? God will hold the when he sees the wolf (dangers of Shepherd accountable for leading any sort coming), he abandons the His sheep into danger. sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.

Even with the Corvet-19, which is the hidden hand of death, there are some ‘shepherds’ who have directed choirs and memberships to fellowship with various churches where the dangerous virus could possibly be exchanged through preaching, singing, hugging, and other salivating exchanges. Would such a gathering be executed at the leading of the Lord - when the disposition would be that half of some choirs contract the deadly virus? Would God be pleased?

13 The Man Runs Away Because He is a Hired Hand and Cares Nothing for the Sheep. 14 "I Am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me. 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

So what is the rod and staff that our Good, Great, and Chief Shepherd uses? I would figuratively suggest that it the Word. The Holy Scriptures move us, direct us, guide us, and even correct us, to put us back on the right path and keep us in the sheepfold under the care of our Good Shepherd.

Believers: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Matthew 7:15-23. - Rev. Dr. Harold E. Bailey, President, Probation Challenge PCC Network.

Siblings in the Lord, be pensive and know that there are

the young man running through Satilla Shores," he said

his father. I'll never get that chance to sit next to my son ever again — not at the dinner table, not at the holidays and not Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory Arbery's mother says her son's killers did at a wedding," he said Friday in the courtMcMichael, were sentenced to life in prisroom. "When I close my eyes, I see his on without the possibility of paexecution in my mind over and over. I'll role by Judge Timothy Walmsley in the see that for the rest of my life." death of Ahmaud Arbery. Arbery was "hunted down and William “Roddie” Bryan was sentenced shot": Walmsley said Arbery was to life in prison with the possibility "hunted down and shot" before the senof parole. tencing of the three men convicted of killing the 25-year-old Black man running Walmsley addressed Arbery's family in a Georgia neighborhood in 2020. ahead of the sentencing, warning that Walmsley described the events that led "sentencing does not generally provide to the shooting of Arbery and commentclosure." ed on remarks made by the three convict"In this case, I think many people are ed men. "In my opinion, Greg McMiseeking closure. The mother, the father, chael very early on in this tried the community, and maybe even parts of to establish a narrative. He made comthe nation, but closure is hard to define not deserve leniency: Wanda Cooperments like 'Ahmaud Arbery was trapped and is a granular concept. It's seen differ- Jones, Arbery’s mother, addressed the like a rat,' 'stop or I'll blow your — and ently by all depending on their perspeccourt before the sentencing of the three I won't repeat it again — head tive and the prism of your lives," men convicted of killing her son. off.' Effectively admitted that he wasn't Walmsley said. “These men have chose to lie and attack sure what Ahmaud Arbery had done my son and his surviving family. They wrong," Walmsley said. A jury consisting of nine White women, two White men and one Black man, found each have no remorse and do not deWhether to profit from Arbery's serve any leniency," Cooper-Jones said the men guilty on a raft of charges, indeath: After the three men convicted for in her victim impact statement. "They cluding felony murder, in November. the murder of Arbery were sentenced to chose to treat him differently than other A minute of silence: Walmsley called for people who frequently visited their com- life in prison, prosecutor Linda Dunikoski requested that they not be "allowed to silence for one minute before moving munity. And when they couldmake any money off of their actions, forward with the sentencing. "That one n't sufficiently scare him or intimidate such as a book deal, a movie deal, social minute represents a fraction of the time him, they killed him,” she said. media deal or anything along any way, that Ahmaud Arbery was running in SatilA father left without his son: Marcus Arshape or form make any money off of la Shores," he said, before going silent. bery, the father of Ahmaud, shared a vic- this experience, this conviction, and this The chase of Arbery occurred for about tim impact statement ahead of the sentrial." She additionally asked if "any monfive minutes, the judge said once he reey be made, that it go into a fund for the sumed speaking. "When I thought about tencing. "You know something that just does not sit right with me at this time? Arbery family." Walmsley told Dunikoski this, I thought from a lot of differThe man who killed my son has sat in to submit a formal request to the court ent angles, and I kept coming back to the this courtroom every single day next to and said he would review it. terror that must have been in the mind of Here's what happened in the sentencing of the 3 men who killed Ahmaud Arbery

Nationwide — Sylvester Ofori, a Ghanaian pastor from Orlando, Florida, shot and killed his wife, Barbara Tommey, after reportedly discovering that she was having an affair with another man who is a member and choir director at his church. She was also reportedly pregnant with his child.

According to YEN, some reports are circulating the idea that Ofori found out about the affair when his wife mistakenly sent him nude photos and videos of herself that were intended to her lover. The reports also say that he eventually found out that his wife was even having sex with the choir director in their own home. He even saw a video of them taken in the jacuzzi. Ofori went to his wife’s workplace at the Navy Federal Credit Union in Orlando on September 8 and shot his wife to death. The incident was recorded by a surveillance camera nearby. Police have confirmed that Ofori has since been arrested.

Stop Lying: Jail, Prison is Not a Piece of Cake… but it is a Horror House! How to Survive in Prison: 8 Etiquette Rules

and someone cuts in front of you, you are expected to “check” that inmate (tell him he needs to get in the back of the line), and fight him if necessary. Otherwise, others will

Are you or anyone you know facing prison time for some sort of criminal conviction? Or, do you have a close friend or family member who has recently been incarcerated and does not know what to expect in prison? The following eight most important rules for surviving in prison should be a big help. Some of them were told to me by a career criminal at the onset of a nine-year prison sentence that I completed. Others I learned from experience during my incarceration. In other words, I am not only passing on theoretical information I received from someone else; I am also speaking from experience. These rules will help you or someone you know survive in prison. They might just save someone's life!

Not to mention, after joining a gang, it is very difficult to get out. Once, a shot caller (leader) for the Norteños tried stepping down in Lompoc Federal Prison, where I did most of my time. A couple of guys from his gang beat him up with padlocks inside socks. He did not even see it coming. He was sitting at a table in the courtyard when they came from behind him and attacked him with swift brutality. He received many severe blows to the head. He didn't stand a chance.

Rule 1: Respect Other Inmates

Afterward, the scene of the crime looked like someone had been murdered. There was a pool of blood on the ground with blood spatter in various directions. Last I heard, the shot caller was in the hospital with a coma because his brain was swollen.

To respect others basically means not to say or do anything to them that you would not want them to say or do to you. This should go without saying, but you would be surprised at how many inmates do not follow this rule and end up getting in trouble, hurt, or killed in prison. One of the worst forms of disrespect I am aware of is stealing from another prisoner. Stealing is not tolerated in prison. Your own friends will beat you up for stealing. You also do not want to call someone a “punk.” This is just inviting trouble. Inmates take that seriously. A punk is someone who won’t stand up for himself. Therefore, when you call someone a punk, you are basically insulting his manhood and challenging him to a fight. Cutting in line is another violation. Prison has lines for everything: the chow hall, work, the clinic, etc. At times, prisoners must wait half an hour or more in several lines a day. When you cut in front of them, they see that as you thinking you are better than them, and they do not like that at all. Moreover, not only will the prisoner you cut in front of be angry at you, but everyone behind him will be upset with you as well. In some prisons, it is basically part of the prisoners’ code to discipline those who cut in line. If you are a prisoner standing in line

bers! The same ones that were supposed to have all of the protection! That is because gangs are always fighting each other for control. I remember when a fight broke out between the Norteños and the Sureños, and a bunch of them got beat up. This was in Lompoc federal prison in California. Across the street, at a higher security prison, Norteños and Sureños even sliced each other with tin from soda cans.

Therefore, unless you absolutely, positively have to join a gang for survival because you are in some kind of hard-core, do-or-die prison, stay as far away from gangs as possible. Rule 3: Do Not Do Drugs

think you are a punk and beat you up. Rule 2: Do Not Get Involved With a Gang Forget what prison movies depict about the necessity of joining a prison gang for survival. In most prisons, you do not need to join a gang for protection. I was never part of a prison gang, and I never got beat up, stabbed, raped, or anything like that. As a matter of fact, I never even got into one fight during my entire incarceration; although, I got close a couple of times. There were some arguments. However, I was in a lowsecurity prison for most of my sentence. Nonetheless, the people that were getting beat up and stabbed were the gang mem-

The first time I saw someone die of a drug overdose was in prison. My neighbor overdosed on heroin and died right in front of me. Not to mention, prisons perform random drug tests on inmates. I was tested about twice a year. Sometimes, they would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. to test me. If your drug test comes up dirty, then you are taken to solitary confinement for something like a month. In addition, you could lose a few weeks of good time, which means you will have to do a few more weeks in prison. I know a few people this happened to. Solitary confinement is basically prison inside of prison. There, you are confined to

‘’

‘General Information on Black Crimes’ Compared to Caucasians, African Americans come in smaller numbers with regard to arrest and victimization rates. But considering that there are nearly 200 million whites and only 42 million blacks in America, the population percentage of African Americans tagged as criminal offenders is much higher. There are also more black crime victims in terms of proportion. The figures from 2019 onwards have yet to be released by the FBI and the Department of Justice, but historical data conveys a vast disparity in black and white arrests. And the trend is expected to continue as there is no sharp downturn in black arrest and victimization rates.

petty crimes. Tighter law enforcement measures might be needed to improve the safety of communities, provided that the suspects are judged based on their acts and not their skin color. In 2017, 53.1% of those arrested for manslaughter were black.

According to the NIBRS, out of the 4,720,900 victims listed in 2018, 69.6% were white, and 21.6% were black. Between 2008 and 2018, 49.95% of murder victims in the US were black, and 46.25% were white. Between 2008 and 2018, 57.39% of gun violence victims were black, while 39.64% were white.

Based on a 2017 FBI crime report, 54% of the people arrested for robbery were black.

Between 2007 and 2016, there were 6.5 million In that same year, blacks white American non-fatal asmade up 51.9% of those charged with illegal gambling. sault victims, while black Americans accounted for 4.3 They also accounted for million. 33.5% of offenders charged Violent and Serious with aggravated assault and Crime Statistics 28.7% of rape arrests.

In addition, blacks accounted for 29.8% of burglary arrests, In 2018, the FBI’s National and 43.9% of people caught Incident-Based Reporting Sys- carrying firearms. tem (NIBRS) listed down a Out of the 429,000 sentenced total of 5,625,156 known crimiblack prisoners in 2015, nal offenders, 53.9% of whom 252,300 (58.8%) were involved were white Americans, and in violent crimes, 65,000 27.4% were black Americans. (15.2%) were charged with In that same year, the FBI arproperty crimes, 61,600 rested 3,480,625 people, (14.4%) were busted for drug69.6% of whom were white, related incidents, 48,200 and 24.7% were black. (11.2%) were nabbed for crimes against public order, In 2016, 27% of all arrested and 1,900 (0.4%) were charged individuals in the US were with other crimes. composed of black Americans. According to the FBI, in 2013, blacks accounted for 52.2% of Crispus Attucks, an African all murder arrests, while American, is the first person whites made up 45.3%. killed in the Boston Massacre and the very first casualty of Black Victim Statistics the American Revolution in The number of black gun vio1770. lence victims is alarming, Crimes Committed which adds to the discussion of gun control in the US. LikeDespite the massive disparity wise, the high rate of African in population, blacks felons American murder victims outnumber the whites in should be addressed, perhaps crimes like manslaughter, robby increasing the risks inbery, and illegal gambling. volved in committing a crime They also take up large perand better surveillance. centages of both serious and

Violent crimes are defined as acts where a victim is threatened or harmed with the use of force. This includes murder, assault, rape, robbery, burglary, and harassment. Serious crimes, on the other hand, are completed or successful violent crimes.

In 2018, there were 644,710 African-American victims of violent crimes, excluding Hispanic blacks and cases involving victims aged 12 and below. The percentage of violent crimes committed by black criminals is 1.8 times higher than that of the percentage of the black population in the US. The violent crimes committed against black people increased from 389,340 in 2017 to 416,850 in 2018. Out of the 4,636,730 serious crimes committed in 2018, 732,020 were committed by African Americans. The number of serious crimes committed by blacks increased from 639,140 in 2017 to 732,020 in 2018. There was a 2:1 ratio between black violent crime offenders and black victims in 2018. Black Victim Statistics

The number of black gun violence victims is alarming, which adds to the discussion of gun control in the US. LikeWhile the stats suggest that wise, the high rate of African Caucasians and African AmerAmerican murder victims icans figure in both classificashould be addressed, perhaps tions at proportionate rates, by increasing the risks inthere is a progressive rise in volved in committing a crime the number of black violent and better surveillance. crime victims from 2016 to 2018. This could be caused by According to the NIBRS, out a multitude of reasons, from of the 4,720,900 victims listed poverty and unemployment to in 2018, 69.6% were white, and easy access to contrabands 21.6% were black. and firearms. Between 2008 and 2018, Violent incidents involving 49.95% of murder victims in white and black people in the US were black, and 46.25% 2018 carry a similar percentwere white. age of their population in the Between 2008 and 2018, US, 62%, and 12%, respective57.39% of gun violence vicly. tims were black, while 39.64% In 2018, there were 1,115,670 were white. crimes committed by AfricanBetween 2007 and 2016, there Americans, excluding Hispanwere 6.5 million white Ameriic blacks and cases involving can non-fatal assault victims. victims aged 12 and below.

they heard the slaveowners read from their Bible the question from Jeremiah 8:32, “Is As I looked at Psalm 137 and saw the condithere no balm in Gilead? Is there no physition of the enslavement of the Israelites in cian there? Why then is there no healing for captivity in the land of Babylon, it took my the wounds of my people?” They believed in mind to the unjust treatment of my ancestors the miracle-working God and were able to as they were snatched from their homeland change that question mark into an exclamain Africa and brought to the “strange land” of America. I began to compare the situations and was astounded to find out that the thing that the Israelites refused to do was the very thing that brought my ancestors through hopelessness, trouble, and pain. What was that thing? It was their song! I tell my Ministries all of the time – DO NOT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT A SONG! Pastor Mitty Collier

The Israelites were “on the banks of the river” where their captors came and requested that they sing just one of the songs that they sang when they were in Zion - and they could not sing! They asked the question, “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” They did not have their grand, beautiful temple anymore, no priests to lead them through the religious ceremonies, none of the sacrifices, and no God! They had sung so gloriously in the Temple that people came from everywhere to hear them glorify their God. Even the Black Queen of Sheba, Makeda, came to visit King Solomon and heard the choir sing. When she left, she was so overwhelmed and when asked about all her experience, all she could say was, “The half has never been told!” (1 Kings 10:7). King David, who was a musician and singer, had formed this choir himself, and now they can’t sing one song!

“strange land” of America as their Refuge and Strength. Even though captivity does not make one wish to sing, they looked at the Babylonian River and sang, “Deep River, MY home is over Jordan…I want to cross over into campgrounds.” I’m telling you – DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT A SONG! Feeling the loneliness at the end of the day, someone would begin singing as they all joined in, “Sometimes I feel like a motherless child, a long way from home,” but this would be backed up by the encouragement of “Up above my head, I hear music in the air… dere must be a God somewhere.” Yes, there was a God in “heb’n” who kept them from feeling motherless, but who was also a Father for them! So, they kept on singing! Why did they keep singing? They were singing their way from slavery to freedom! This kept their hope alive and their desire to walk out to freedom one day. But as they got older, and the burdens became heavier, and they felt that their lives were over, they wanted everybody to know that “ALL IS WELL,” so they kept on singing with confidence: “Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home…. I ain’t got long to stay here.”

tion point by singing,“Dere is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole, dere is a balm in Gilead to heal a sin-sick soul.” Whether blind, deaf, halt, or maimed, they believed that the Great Physician was real, and He would one day show up. Oh yes, everyday our ancestors woke up with a song The Israelites sang from their experiences and carried it with them through the day. I on the mountain, in the temple, the tabermust say to you again – DON’T LEAVE nacle, the feasts, festivals, the Ark and the HOME WITHOUT A SONG! Tablets of Stone. All of this was external. Look at the Israelites down by the river. These things were now gone and that is why They were so distressed and depressed that they were not able to sing anymore. But our they “wept and hung their harps upon the fore parents developed their songs from willows.” WHAT! Hanging up the instrutheir religious experiences, their trials, and ments? Now, that’s hopelessness! Thinking tribulations and how they got over. These This does not describe our fore parents. of their past in the temple in Zion was dethings were internal - stemming from their Yes, they were cut off from their homeland blood, sweat, and tears, and they were able and brought here to America as slaves, but stroying their future, so much so, until they they never lost their song! I tell you – DON’T just lost their song! I am sure that our ances- to keep on singing songs that came from the tors thought of the things they used to do inside to the outside! DON’T LEAVE HOME LEAVE HOME WITHOUT A SONG! that they couldn’t do now, but it never enWITHOUT A SONG! Our fore parents sang in the midst of the tered their minds that things wouldn’t get storms, suffering, and beatings inflicted up- better, so they kept on singing. They could- Our ancestors were not playing. They didn’t just know about Jesus – they knew Jesus! on them by the “messiah’s” whips. They n’t worship in the physical buildings, but could sing because they believed that one nothing could stop their spirits from rejoicing They knew that He is love, One who shows gentleness, kindness, patience, and meekday God would deliver them. They could in the fields as they sang, “Steal Away To ness. They knew that these were not the sing, “Soon I will be done wit de trouble of Jesus.” characteristics of the slave massahs, and dis world” because they believed that God The Israelites felt that they could not “sing that “Everybody talkin’ ‘bout heab’n ain’t was with them no matter where they lived! the Lord’s song in a strange land.” The land goin’ dere.” The captors requested the Israelites to sing, may be “strange,” but they must have forgotWe have come a long way, but we still have but our ancestors sang automatically. Noten that God is not strange and is a “very a long way to go. Please do not be fooled by body had to ask or force them to sing. It was present help in times of trouble” (Psalm part of their survival. They encouraged 46:1). In the midst of their trouble, the Holy those who are smiling in your face, but at the same time they have a spear ready to themselves through their songs. Not only Spirit within our ancestors reminded them throw into your back. Don’t accept the cash that, but they also left us a legacy in songs that their God would never leave them or money Continue on page 21. that inspire and encourage us today. When forsake them! He was with them in this

Continued from page 20. from those who are offering to purchase your home. Don’t you know this is just a way to get us back into slavery; a way to push us back into Project living? You own your home – keep it! When they come knocking, you answer SINGING! During this time of the Pandemic, which is not over, you need a song. If you know Jesus, a song will take you through. I hope that all of you who are reading this can see how we have made it through the knees on our necks, through our children being gunned down for no reason, through the unlawful invasion of our homes, through the Depression, the oppression, the pain, the sickness – through it all – it’s been our SONG! Whether cooking, cleaning, riding, walking, sitting down or talking, I always got a SONG! Don’t be caught without a SONG – DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT A SONG! Without a song, the day would never end, Without a song, the road would never have been, When things go wrong, a man ain’t got a

About five months after Randy Jinks became an Alabama county probate judge in 2019, he noticed his office’s only Black employee had bought a new car.

friend, Without a song. That field of corn would never see a plow, That field of corn, would be deserted now. A man is born, but he’s no good no how Without a song. I’ll never know what makes the rain to fall, I’ll never know, what makes the grass so tall. I only know there ain’t no love at all WITHOUT A SONG! ——————————————————— Pastor Mitty Collier is an American church pastor, gospel singer and former rhythm and blues singer. She had a number of successful records in the 1960s, of which probably the best known is "I Had A Talk With My Man". Collier recently received an ‘Honorary Doctored’ from her graduating school—Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama. Pastor Collier, Shepard's the ’More Like Christ’ Church in Chicago.

Jinks denied the allegations after the complaint was filed in March. “I’m not saying I haven’t made a few errors along the way,” he told WOIL. “But the overwhelming majority of these very vicious and vile and vulgar accusations are false.”

“I can’t even afford a car like that, and I’m the judge here," Jinks told the employee, according to a complaint filed against the judge in Jinks’s attorney, Amanda Hardy, did not immediately respond to March. "What are you doing? Sellquestions from The Washington ing drugs?” Post late Monday. In a statement to AL.com following the court’s deciJinks’s comment was one of several sion, Hardy said that Jinks “spent examples of explicitly racist and his entire life not being accused as sexually inappropriate behavior by being a racist. Once he entered the judge since he took office in politics and became the first ReJanuary 2019, the Alabama Court of publican to hold that office, that all the Judiciary concluded on Friday. changed.” That behavior, the court found, included Jinks using racist language Alabama judge booted for racand displaying “sexually inappropriist, inappropriate behavior ate conduct.” A judge who oversees elections in The court also concluded that Jinks an Alabama county was removed had used his position to secure the from office after being accused of early release of an incarcerated woman he knew. racist, sexually inappropriate behavior that included demeaning comments about women. As a consequence, the court — a nine-member panel that can impose discipline on judges in the state — removed Jinks as a proBIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A judge who oversees elections in an Alabate judge in Talladega County, where he was elected in 2018 and bama county was removed from office after being accused of racist, took office the following year. sexually inappropriate behavior that included demeaning comments The decision followed a probe into Jinks’s behavior, which resulted about women and saying George Floyd “got what he deserved” when an officer in Minnesota murdered him. in a 78-page complaint chronicling numerous allegations of racism and sexual harassment, including occasionally mouthing the n-word and making inappropriate comments to female employees. Jinks also once referred to George Floyd, a Black man murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, as a “thug” who “got what he deserved," the complaint alleged.

Talladega County Probate Judge Randy Jinks, 65, was ousted in a unanimous order filed by the nine-member Alabama Court of the Judiciary. Following a trial, the panel found that he violated five judicial ethics rules including failing to uphold the integrity and independence of the court system.

On March 25, 1965, at the conclusion of the brutally consequential march from Selma to Montgomery, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered a speech titled “Our God Is Marching On!” He spoke to a crowd of twenty-five thousand people on the grounds of the Alabama state capitol, in view of the office window of the segregationist governor George Wallace. The address is not among King’s best-known, but it is among the most revelatory. King argued that, in the decade since the bus boycotts in that city, a new movement had emerged, and an older order was starting to fall away. Referring to the historian C. Vann Woodward’s book “The Strange Career of Jim Crow,” King said that racial segregation had begun not simply as an expression of white supremacy but as a “political stratagem employed by the emerging Bourbon interests in the South to keep the southern masses divided and southern labor the cheapest in the land.” The so-called splitlabor-market theory held that, by creating a hyper-exploited class of Black people, white élites could hold down the wages of white workers. And so racism didn’t just injure Black people, its immediate object; it took a toll on white laborers, too. The Montgomery speech is notable because it presages the interracial populism that became an increasingly prominent part of King’s thinking and organizing in his remaining years; it’s notable, too, because it highlights the extent to which his thought had always been informed by a study of American history. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, he had mentioned the ideas of “interposition and nullification,” which he attributed to Wallace, but which implicitly harked back to John C. Calhoun’s efforts to protect slavery. King’s final book, “Where Do We Go from Here?” (1967), rooted an argument for a universal basic income and general economic redistribution in the Homestead policies of the mid-nineteenth century. To an underappreciated extent, he related the nation’s contemporary concerns to a genealogy of past ones. Such historical continuities stand to be lost in the mainstream American understanding. Legislation recently passed in eight states— a list that may expand—seeks to restrict what students can be taught about our past, segregating laudatory and thereby permissible subjects in American history from a Jim

Crow section in which the nation’s deepest shortcomings are hidden from view. These efforts come at a fraught moment. Last week, when President Joe Biden spoke to the nation from National Statuary Hall on the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, he pointed out that the riot brought the Confederate flag into the halls of Congress—a violation that had not occurred even during the Civil War.

to be under major threat are Republicans— the party whose President incited the attack on the Capitol in the first place. Given the prevalence of disinformation and propaganda on social media and cable news, electoral mistrust among conservatives, and thus the prospect of democracy derailed by its defenders, is not a surprising development. But it is a deeply disquieting one.

President Biden’s speech was an attempt to correct a false narrative taking hold on the right. The President criticized Donald Trump (without naming him) for creating “a web of lies about the 2020 election.” The word “truth” was used sixteen times. Yet purveyors of disinformation win simply by forcing their subjects to address their lies in public. Indeed, previous attempts to correct Trump-fueled lies, not least Barack Obama’s showing his birth certificate, in 2011, have not proved an effective remedy. And aggregated lies can congeal into a counterfeit history of their own—the old Southern myths of the Lost Cause flutter the Confederate flags of today. As the Smithsonian curators Jon Grin The substance as well as the symbols of a span and Peter Manseau argued in a divided era have been infiltrating our political chilling Times piece last week, it is not farspaces. “In state after state, new laws are fetched to consider that Statuary Hall might being written not to protect the vote but to one day feature a marble likeness of the deny it, not only to suppress the vote but to QAnon Shaman, who, with his headdress of subvert it,” the President observed. King’s horns and fur, helped galvanize the Januspeech at the Alabama capitol, it should be ary 6th mob. A statue of Jefferson Davis has recalled, was given amid a fight for a voting- resided there since 1931. rights law. Stripping the right to vote from This holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., Black Southerners, King noted, laid the sees a nation embroiled in conflicts that groundwork for laws that further disadvanwould have looked numbingly familiar to him. taged poor people across racial lines. Then As school curricula and online discourse as now, Southern legislatures justified limitthreaten to narrow our understanding of both ing the franchise with specious claims about past and future, it’s more important than ever electoral malfeasance. to take stock of our history and its conseThe Selma campaign was marked by the quences, as King did in his speech more particular brutality unleashed on the march- than half a century ago. In Montgomery, the ers; voting-rights activists (including the late civil-rights leader spoke of the intransigent representative John Lewis) were bludgoptimism that had led activists to fight for eoned, and some were even killed. White change, in the face of skepticism about what Southerners who participated in this violence could actually be achieved. President Biden understood themselves to be acting defenstruck a similar note in his Statuary Hall sively; the marchers, they believed, were the speech. For those who believe in democraaggressors, whose actions left them no cy, he said, “anything is possible—anything.” choice but to turn to violence. That sentiment This is true, as the events of both will be familiar to anyone who has been ob- March 25, 1965, and January 6, 2021, esserving recent events. A survey from the fall tablished. Anything is possible right now, found that large numbers of Americans think and that is as much cause for hope as it is the nation’s democracy is in trouble, but that for sincere concern. the preponderance of those who consider it

The chief prosecutor for the city of Baltimore has

been indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements on loan applications for the purchase of two vacation homes in Florida, according to court documents filed Thursday. State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby is facing perjury charges over documents she submitted to apply for loans against her retirement plan in 2020, according to the indictment. In doing so, allegedly she used a withdrawal option created under the CARES Act, passed to help people who were financially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the indictment, when Mosby applied for two loans against her 457(b) retirement plan, she signed documents that indicated she "experienced adverse financial consequences" due to Covid-19. However, the indictment said her gross income in 2020 was $247,955.58, an increase of nearly $10,000 from the previous year. Mosby received $36,000 in May and $45,000 in December of 2020 from her retirement account, according to the indictment. The money Mosby received allegedly went toward the purchase of two vacation homes in Florida, and she is also charged with making false statements on the mortgage applications, according to the indictment. She secured a $490,500 mortgage in 2020 and a $428,400 mortgage in 2021, but she

did not disclose in the applications that she owed more than $45,000 in federal back taxes, the indictment says. Additionally, Mosby allegedly stated that she would be the primary resident of one of the homes for at least a year in order to receive a lower mortgage rate. But she had already entered an agreement with a vacation home management company to rent out the house the week before, the indictment alleges. Mosby's lawyer said his client is innocent of the charges. "I remain confident that once all the evidence is presented, that she will prevail against these bogus charges — charges that are rooted in personal, political and racial animus five months from her election," attorney A. Scott Bolden said in a statement.

•By Chinta Strausberg Chicago, IL – Long-time restauranteur Josephine “Mother” Wade held a press conference at the McCormick Square, 2301 S. Jean Baptiste DuSable Lake Shore Drive, where she was honored by Savor Our World for her decades of culinary cuisine. Mrs. Wade was joined by Rev. Dr. Byron T. Brazier and his son, J. Byron Brazier, officials from McCormick Quarter, Savor Our World and the University of Chicago. They have partnered to bring diversity to McCormick Quarter.

partnering with me as it opens the door of opportunity for other diverse entrepreneurs. “For years, African Americans have been shut out of the vendor business, but Savor Our World, McCormick Quarter and the University of Chicago have fast become the guiding light to diversity and have opened the doors to African Americans and other entrepreneurs to showcase their diverse cuisines,” Mrs. Wade said. Mrs. Wade was accompanied by Rev. Dr. Brazier, who is a vendor with the McCormick Quarter, and his son, who has developed the historic Woodlawn Central Master Plan led by his father, that is located less than a mile from the Obama Presidential Center site in Jackson Park.

In the restaurant business since the age of 21, Mrs. Wade will be the only African American chef included in a cookbook that Savor Our World and the McCormick Quarter are showcasHis son’s plan will include a hotel, residential ing to display the diversity of their culinary talents and being a housing, a theater, a food court, a parking structure, office and vendor. retail space and greenhouse gardens with Woodlawn and “I am proud to be included in this book, “Savor Our World,” McCormick. The area is 80 percent African American, and Brathat shows the diversity of chefs from around the world,” said zier’s plan is estimated to bring in from $300 million to $600 Mrs. Wade who is nearly 80-years old. “I am proud of their million in investments.

Dick Gregory perform there, he hired him to perform at his Playboy Clubs.

- Eugene Bailey Herman Roberts came to Chicago during the Great Migration. Roberts was one of six children growing up in Beggs, Oklahoma. Around the age of 12, he came to Chicago with his family. He went to Burke elementary school and washed cabs for change. After Englewood High School, he discovered by observing how to build a taxi fleet that crisscrossed the South Side at a time when white-owned cabs usually wouldn’t.

Headline shows featured super-stars like Count Basie, Billy Eckstine, Ramsey Lewis, Della Reese, and Nipsey Russell. Knowing that Black entertainers and customers at that time weren’t welcome at most downtown hotels, Mr. Roberts in 1960 built the first Roberts Motel across the street from the Roberts Show Club. Herman Roberts open em-

It has been said that he once owned 35 taxis, eight motels, a nightclub that ployment opportunities that included all nationalities. swung with some of the world’s greatest stars, a bowling alley, a skating rink, and oil wells on a 2,000-acre ranch in Oklahoma. Besides six children from his two marriages, he acknowledged 11 more, his wife said. Three sons died. Mr. Roberts also had 27 grandchildren and five Roberts opened the Roberts Show Club in a garage that once held his cabs. great-grandchildren. The South Side club known as the Roberts Show Lounge featured stars including Sammy Davis Jr., Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah WashingSir Roberts depart this life at his home in Las Vegas and was buried at ton, and Jackie Wilson. Comics who performed there were Redd Foxx, Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery. George Kirby, and Moms Mabley. It is reported that after Hugh Hefner saw

In the 1870s and ’80s, approximately 25 percent of the 35,000 cowboys on the Western Frontier were black. And yet the majority of their legacy has been whitewashed and written over. One notable example of this erasure manifests in the story of Bass Reeves, a slave in Arkansas in the 19th century who later became a deputy U.S. marshal, known for his ace detective skills and bombastic style. (He often disguised himself in costume to fool felons and passed out silver dollars as a calling card.) Some have speculated that Reeves was the inspiration for the fictional Lone Ranger character. Most people remain unaware of the black cowboy’s account and fundamentally patriotic, past. “The East Coast people had never heard of or didn’t know there were black cowboys.” Chicago: The Chicago Police Department assigned officers (late Ollie H. Cotton and retired Richard L. Drummond— Stickman) to represent the CPD in the Chicago Public Schools with cowboy presentations. They represented well. The late Herman Roberts was said to be an excellent cowboy.

It is rather hard to imagine the sufferings fore parents endured just to exist - while being told not to think and that others would think for them? Indisputable events took place along with other humiliations inflicted on Blacks during the notorious days of Slavery. Nonetheless, throughout these turbulent times, they were endowed with a spiritual inaptness that only God could allow. Being deprived, enslaved people heldon to a hope of deliverance while entrusting in that which they could not see. Yet, there was faith in a higher power, one that would deliver them from the horrific bondage. Belief in God then, brought this current generation into existence today! … Brought into this year’s 2022, the 21st Century.

ed teachers knew the disposition of their stance, yet they taught well. I shudder to reflect that they stood in the mouth of segregation knowing the cost of honesty could mean termination of service. Today, Black citizens are the products of righteous and courageous decisions by those having the fear of God to bring about change. I support authentic history; good, bad, or indifferent, because if we do not teach truth coupled with honesty, there would be an absence of a sustainable frame of reference. Without critical knowledge of education there is no power, and minorities would continue the bidding of others… and that bidding is often a disservice to people of color. It is critical that we educate: Education brings about an awareness, moreover some are fearful of Black people acquiring a serious dose of learning. Nonetheless, for strange reasons some folk would not have minorities to become better educated, or to know the authentic history of this country. Is it because some have an insatiable desire for wicked deeds to be hidden and to not surface in the archives of history?

It is grueling to ever imagine the throbbing stripes and torture inflicted on our fore parents for not being obedient to yet another’s command. These evil behaviors were not inflicted in another country – but right here in these United States of America… a land declared to be free! And now there are bigoted individuals who are sparring to recreate another round of hurt, harm and danger for people of color. Nowadays, much is taken for granted regarding an educational process! Need I remind the community that there was a period in this country where a person of color found with a book was punishable by lashing or even death. Do we dare speak of returning to such measures? There are however persons who subliminally seek to return to despicable days of torture and rule over minorities.

Without knowledge there is no power, thusly, minorities would continue the bidding of others and that bidding is often a disservice to people of color.

Education brings about an awareness. Although, for strange reasons, some oppose African Americans to ever become aware… for they may become aware of complicit behaviors against them.

Black instructors during the segregated era should be applauded for teaching far beyond the pages of the textbook… and a white prescribed syllabus. Without fear, these dedicat-

What is there about Hell that so many folks are clamoring to get there? It has been said that Hell has swollen its bowel to accommodate those desiring to obtain a one-way experience.

What did Jesus say about Hell? Jesus said that hell was “prepared” for Satan and the demons (Matthew 25:41). It is a just punishment for the wicked one. Hell, or the lake of fire, will also be the destination for those who reject Christ (2 Peter 2:4–9).

With earthly torments against one another, killing our children and siblings, murdering for the sake of it, abus- The good news is that people can avoid hell. God, in His ing elders and the like… there will be a day of reckoning. infinite mercy and love, has made a way of salvation for everyone who trusts in God’s There is not a word of attriSon, Jesus Christ (John 3:16, tion coming from the leaders 36; 5:24). in the Nation’s Capitol – Yes, hell is "the eternal fire where many Politicians beprepared for the devil and his lieve they will dodge the torangels" (Matt 25:41), but also ment of Hell’s fire. And some for those who disobey. have no honest consideration for God’s people who are perish for the lack of health care and food. These ungodly people will surely not escape the wrath of God. They ought to know they can’t politically bargain past the eyes and ears of God … who see and hears all that’s said and done.

Satan has deceived many, trusting that the word of God will not reach their hearing… thus, they continue in their ignorance of Christ, the Chosen One.

Warning: Those who are carjacking, murdering for gang And shall cut him asunder, and participation, stealing, robappoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping You wonder if many siting in bing and other criminal activiand gnashing of teeth. the Capitol, are aware as to ties, must know that they the description of Hell: Hell must give an account before was created as a place of God… for their careless judgment for Satan and those stewardship on earth. In who followed him in their reshort, anything including bellion against God. The Bicrime, that is not like Christ is ble says that the devil and his a sin. These matters would angels will eventually be consigned to hell: And the devil come under condemnation. who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and The only hope anyone has is in Christ Jesus… and an brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. escape Satan’s trickeries would be through the repent“Hell” is the place where those who reject the Lordship ance of sin! After confession and complete turning to of Jesus Christ will experience the wrath and justice of Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you’re on the God for all of eternity. right road now. Matthew 24:51

Black

grain

Romans 13:1-7 1. Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4. For the one in authority is God's servant for your

good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5.Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6.This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

WHAT PEOPLE SAY Some believe that Satan the Devil is not a person but, rather, the abstract quality of evil that exists inside each person.

invisible realm. For a time, Satan was allowed to move about at will where God and the faithful angels reside. (Job 1:6) Now,

Satan is a real person. He is a rebel angel, a spirit creature who opposes God. The Bible calls Satan “the ruler of this world.” (John 12:31) He uses “lying signs” and “deception” to accomplish his aims.—2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10.

The Bible also records more extreme cases, in which Satan or other rebel angels have taken control of people and caused them physical harm.—Matthew 12:22; 17:1518; Mark 5:2-5.

The Bible records a conversation in heaven between Satan and God. If Satan were a mere symbol of the evil that exists inside each person, how could God, who is perfect and morally unblemished, have been talking to an evil part of himself? (Deuteronomy 32:4; Job 2:1-6) Clearly, Satan is a real person and not merely a personification of evil.

WHAT YOU CAN DO You need not dread Satan’s power. To avoid coming under Satan’s influence or control, you need to learn how he manipulates people, so that you are “not ignorant of his designs.”(2 Corinthians 2:11) By reading the Bible, you can obtain vital knowledge of Satan’s tactics and thus avoid becoming a victim.

WHY SHOULD IT MATTER TO YOU?

Where does Satan live? “Woe for the earth . . . because the Devil has come down to you.”—Revelation 12:12. WHAT PEOPLE SAY Many believe that Satan resides in a fiery hell at the center of the earth. Others feel that he exists inside bad people. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS Satan is a spirit creature, so he lives in an

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS Most of mankind have yielded to Satan’s misleading influence and have thus come under his power. (2 Corinthians 11:14) This fact helps explain why humans have been unable to improve world conditions.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS

Satan’s reasons for wanting you to believe that he is fictitious are similar to those of a criminal who hides his identity so that he may continue to break the law undetected. To protect yourself against Satan, you first need to acknowledge that he exists..

“The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”—1 John 5:19.

however, he has been evicted from God’s presence and, along with other wicked spirit creatures, is confined to the vicinity of the earth.—Revelation 12:12. Does this mean that Satan is limited to one specific place on earth? For example, you may have read that the ancient city of Pergamum was said to be “where Satan is dwelling.” (Revelation 2:13) Actually, that expression alluded to the concentration of satanic worship there. Satan does not call any one physical place on earth home. Instead, the Bible says that “all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth” are his.—Luke 4:5, 6. Can Satan harm or control people?

Get rid of any paraphernalia associated with demon activity. (Acts 19:19) That includes charms, printed matter, videos, music, and computer applications that promote spiritism or divination. “Oppose the Devil,” says the Bible, “and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) By obeying the Bible’s wise counsel, you can protect yourself against Satan’s evil machinations.—Ephesians 6:11-18.