National weekly August 31, 2017

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NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, AUG 31 – SEPT 6, 2017 | VOL. 14 NO. 35

N E T W O R K T H E

M O S T

W I D E L Y

C I R C U L A T E D

C A R I B B E A N

A M E R I C A N

N E W S P A P E R

I N

F L O R I D A

Heights of injustice

WATCH IT. READ IT. LOVE IT. WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED

Dominica reaches out to Houston by Kathy Barrett

by Dr Mary

Dominica's Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, intends to visit hurricane-ravaged Houston, which is reeling from the passage of Hurricane Harvey. “I wish to express my empathy and solidarity with the government of the United States of America and more particularly, the residents of the state of Texas, Houston more specifically,” Skerrit said. He described the situation as “a catastrophic disaster”. “We know very well in Dominica the extent of dislocation, the extent of damage that these natural disasters can cause, and just almost exactly two years ago, we suffered a similar fate.” Skerrit said when he looked at the thousands of families that have been affected,” it really, really touches my heart as a world citizen, and I know that we have several Dominican families resident in Houston.

Keith Stanfield as Colin Warner in a scene from Crown Heights.

Colin Warner's story hits the box office Being incarcerated for 21 years for a crime you did not commit is nothing to sneeze at. Who can fathom this injustice? Fifty-five-yearold Trinidadian Colin Warner was in that predicament, incarcerated at age 18 for murdering someone with whom he had no connection. “I felt out of mind, out of place, out of body I did not kill the victim. I did not know this body, why am I being arrested for killing the victim?,” he asked in a recent interview with CNW. His experience is told in Crown Heights, a movie directed by Matt Ruskin. It stars Lakeith Stanfield as Warner and Nnamdi Asomugha as Carl King, Warner's best friend who is also from Trinidad. The movie was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January, winning the Audience Award. It opens in Florida on September 8 and nationally on September 15; it is distributed by Amazon Studios and IFC Films. It shows King's relentless fight for justice for his friend who

was released from Fishkill Correctional Facility, upstate New York, in 2001. Both went to school in Trinidad. King migrated to the United States first with Warner following three years later. They rekindled their friendship, attending Prospect Heights High School in Brooklyn. “It's amazing how a friend went through financial trouble, lost time with his family, problems in his marriage, all to seek justice for a friend,” Warner stated. Warner's life changed dramatically in April, 1980 when 16year-old Mario Hamilton was killed on Flatbush Avenue. He A6 – Heights of Injustice

Skerrit said he contacted friends who live in Houston. “They themselves had to be rescued indicating that they had lost everything; some of them recently bought homes. So it really is a tragedy and we want to express our solidarity with the President, the government and people of the United States, the Governor and Mayor of the city of Houston.

WHAT’S INSIDE TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

COMMUNITY

ENTERTAINMENT

SPORTS

CELEBRATING 55 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE B1-B7

FIGHTING HIV IN BROWARD COUNTY A7

JUNIOR GONG HITS THE ROAD C2

REGGAE BOYZ TAKE ON CANADA C4


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