Houston Defender: May 30, 2010

May 30 – June 5, 2010 | FREE

Volume 79 Number 31

www.defendernetwork.com

Blacks demand more channels from Comcast

Black Veterans

By Pharoh Martin NNPA NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT

Getting help with anxiety disorder

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Ownership is a major driver of the Black economy. Knowing this, a group advocating Black media ownership and a former Federal Communications Commission chairman are spearheading a crusade against cable giant Comcast and their proposed merger with NBC/Universal over the cable operator’s lack of African-American owned channels on its national platform.

“When you really start thinking about the areas that are critically important to us as AfricanAmericans, one of the biggest issues is our ability to own, distribute and create our image,” said Stanley Washington, president of the National Coalition of African American Owned Media (NCAAOM).

Although African-Americans make up almost 13 percent of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, they own far less than one percent of the country’s television channels.

Seventy-seven percent of all television channels are white-owned, according to media watchdog group Free Press, who cites public FCC filings. The numbers do not include stations owned by publicly-held companies whose boards are typically not very diverse.

By LaGloria Wheatfall DEFENDER

B SOME OF THE COMMON SYMPTOMS OF PTSD ■

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Anger Issues (problems/separation from spouses and children) Feeling socially alienated Recurrent bad dreams/nightmares Aggressive Outbursts/ Physical Violence

■

■ ■ ■

Random noises such as: (doors slamming, planes flying too low can cause them to react negatively) Feeling guilt for surviving A resistance to large crowds Risky Behavior

lack veterans may soon get some much-needed help in dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), thanks to a community coalition. The Community Veterans Outreach Coalition has already held a strategy meeting at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church to develop ways to help veterans, particularly ethnic minority veterans diagnosed with PTSD. ★BLACK VETERANS, Page 6

CELEBRATE MEMORIAL DAY

★COMCAST, Page 5

TSU/PORT OF HOUSTON PROGRAM

Training Maritime professionals for tomorrow

By ReShonda Tate Billingsley DEFENDER

In an era where more and more people are looking for recession-proof jobs, Texas Southern University is starting a new academic program aimed at a little-known, yet extremely stable field – Maritime Transportation.

“Within the next few years, most of the current employees in this industry will have actually had 25 to 30 years of experience and they will be very soon at a retirement age so there will be a need to replenish the workforce,” said Ursurla Williams, Director for the Maritime Program at Texas Southern. “And Maritime fields are very stable,

this particular form of transportation is one of the oldest industries. It has basically been a recession proof industry. Also, there is an expansion of the Panama Canal that is expected to be finished in the year 2014 that will drastically increase trade, so there is an anticipated growth there. A very little known fact is that the Port of Houston generates over 785-thousand jobs in the state of Texas, just from their activities. So it is a huge economic engine.”

That’s why TSU has partnered with the Port of Houston Authority to develop a new academic program in Maritime Transportation ★TSU, Page 6

Maritime Transportation is one of the most stable and recession-proof industries.

Former Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick tells his story

By Brian W. Carter SPECIAL TO THE NNPA FROM THE LOS ANGELES SENTINEL

Kwame Kilpatrick is trying to rebuild his personal and professional life.

(NNPA) - On Kwame Kilpatrick’s website, the following statement was written by one of his previous constituents: “May God bless you and your family Kwame. I’m a 30-yr-old Detroiter and 20 something years ago my granny told me, ‘in life we all make mistakes, but God knew it, saw it and is ALWAYS there for forgiveness.’ I guess my point is: despite ANYTHING that went on in your personal life, it didn’t affect your Mayoral duties to the city of Detroit, you were THE BEST next to Mayor Young and it really hurt living in a city that I felt should’ve had your back 100 percent the way you had ours: 100 percent. Please CONTINUE to hold your head high brother because you’re walking with The Lord. Regardless of the media, the court system and anyone else who had something negative to say, you’re a role model, a good person and a child of The Lord.”

Kilpatrick was referred to as the young, “hip-

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge David Groner sentenced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to 18 months to 5 years in prison hop” Mayor of Detroit and the youngest in history of that city to be elected to office. At the age of 31, he was full of enthusiasm, energy and had plans to help Detroit become a great city. Unfortunately, some of his choices and decisions eventually derailed his agenda.

Kilpatrick now walks the redemption road, still possibly facing black clouds on the horizon.

“While I was Mayor of the city of Detroit,” said Kilpatrick, “all I wanted to do was do well for the city. I know that my reckless behavior was a big disappointment to my family, friends and the people of the city. But now I am in the process of coming back.”

Kilpatrick has faced a storm of controversies, including a civil lawsuit, perjury and obstruction of justice that resulted from an affair with his former chief of staff. But he has

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George E. Curry

Health

Ron Walters

Ousted SCLC Officers Hope to Regain Control

Be aware of food allergies

Blame Obama All the Time

been very contrite and wants to return to his former standing as a well-respected family man after having fallen from grace.

In 2008, the affair with his chief of staff was exposed via a series of text messages, which the prosecutors used to buttress their case that ended Kilpatrick’s political ambitions and landed him in jail. However, he used the time constructively and said afterward, “I called that experience a purification process.”

And now, with Bishop T. D. Jakes, senior pastor of Potter’s House in Dallas, he is undergoing intensive spiritual counseling with the purpose of producing a new Kwame Kilpatrick. He remarked that his down time was a time of self-reflection, which he utilized to address his wrongs and search his spirit and Bishop Jakes has been mentoring him and helping in re-building his faith.

After that terrible and humbling ordeal, “My first priority was to reconnect with my family and I think I’ve done that in a major way,” said Kilpatrick. “My wife and I are closer than ★KILPATRICK, Page 2

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MAY 30 – JUNE 5, 2010 | DEFENDER

Kilpatrick

continued from page 1 we’ve ever been, my children have their father back and that is the main thing.

“The information that I’ve gained, the knowledge that I’ve gained,” added Kilpatrick, “the experience that I’ve had, has made me a better person, made me a better man, a better father, and it’s also going to make me a better leader in the future.”Despite extenuating circumstances, Kilpatrick continues to forge onward. He has a new position as an account executive at a medical software company and he hopes to help the community in this way by dealing with issues and awareness relative to healthcare.

“Now, I work for a health information technology company,” said Kilpatrick. “I’m learning that business and I think it’s an emerging field, trying to really establish healthcare in underserved communities around the country.”

The road to redemption may be somewhat bumpy and Kilpatrick has had to live under the microscope of the court, but has been willing to meet all of his financial obligations related to restitution. For the moment, his life is an open book and in terms of his rehabilitation, it will certainly pay multiple dividends in his future, which at present looks promising.

Kilpatrick doesn’t see any politics in his future, but he did comment on President Barack Obama. “I think the meteoric rise of Barack Obama has been one of those being-at-the-rightplace, at-the-right-time, anointings for this country,” he said.

“I think that he has been phenomenal at his job ... how he has handled himself has been phenomenal...I think for the last, particularly, eight months, what we’ve been seeing is one of the best presidential executives that we’ll see in our lifetime.”

And as a former chief executive himself, Kilpatrick can relate to Obama and the many changes he has gone through, from being a legislator to being the first Black president. “I was a state representative and then I was leader of the state house, I was the first African-American and the youngest person ever to hold that position in Michigan history.”

His inspiration, as he puts it, for choosing politics as a profession was his mother: Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who represents

VOLUME 79 • NUMBER 31 MAY 30 – JUNE 5, 2010 Publisher Sonceria Messiah-Jiles Editor Von Jiles Associate Editor ReShonda Billingsley Art Director Cale Carter Columnist Yvette Chargois Sports Editors Max Edison Darrell K. Ardison Contributing Writers Aswad Walker Webmaster Corneleon Block The Houston Defender Newspaper published

by The Houston Defender Inc. Company (713) 663-6996. The Defender audited by Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For subscriptions, send $60.00 — 1 year, to: Defender, P.O. Box 8005, Houston, TX 77288.

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Michigan’s 13th District in the United States House of Representatives. “She’s the epitome of a public servant,” said Kilpatrick. “I only wanted to be in politics to serve and I watched her every single day go out when I was a kid...I saw her march and speak truth to power, I saw her organize labor unions...and she is just a phenomenal energy and spirit.”

Having set his focus in a new direction, Kilpatrick wants to focus on young, Black men and help them avoid similar mistakes. He feels that his experiences can be shared with the younger generation. “I think particularly African-American men in this country,” he said, “our sexual prowess, our manhood, our self-determination, our ego sometimes will force us

to do things that we have no business doing.” And finally, to show that there is still a need for Kilpatrick’s leadership, another of his former constituents stated on his website, “I voted you in as mayor and I know it was something about you that was going to make some big changes in our city.

You did a wonderful job when you were here and I thank you

for all your good. I pray for you and your family everyday that this nightmare will be over.

Right now, my family and I are going through hard times but if we were not, I would give to your fund. In the future, if things get better for us, I will be sending you something. We all need some kind of help sometime in our life. God bless you and your family.

UPDATE: “Kwame Kilpatrick will be off the Compuware Corporation payroll at the end of the month," said a company statement. "We don’t have any choices. It’s an unfortunate situation, and we feel bad for his family, but our hands are tied.”

SPORTS

MAY 30 – JUNE 5, 2010 | DEFENDER

Max Edison

on Sports

Astros Solution So I’m sitting in the press box at Minute Maid Park last Sunday, watching the best team in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays and I could not help but marvel at the sights. The Ray’s started 3 AfricanAmerican players. Houstonian Carl Crawford (who put on a clinic all weekend) started in leftfield, B.J. Upton (struggling at the plate) in centerfield and David Price, who recorded his MLB best 7th win (7-1) against our Astros.

Watching the Ray’s caused me to think out loud. What would it take for the Astros to truly be competitive again?

What deals could we make to bring us some hotshot, can’t miss young prospects like the Rays?

Well leave it to my man James “Mr. Baseball” Montgomery from KCOH, to come up with the perfect solution while we watched the “Carl Crawford Show”.

“Baseball” opined that the Astros most valuable asset to date was hard luck pitching ace Roy Oswalt. Oswalt, good Mississippi country boy, has a no-trade clause in his contract, but has grown increasing wearing of pitching his arm off and getting virtually no run support. He has started to finally concede he would be willing to waive the no-trade clause to pitch for a winning franchise.

“Mr. Baseball” suggests we ship Oswalt up I45N to the Texas Rangers. His rational: the Rangers are in first place in the AL West Division, a winnable division. They score runs, but could use a true ace to anchor their pitching staff.

The Rangers minor league system is rated one of the top ★EDISON, Page 4

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Alvin Brooks Home Again at the University of Houston

By Max Edison

just never thought it would be Houston.”

The fact that Brooks had been There is an old cliché that simply fired as head coach at Houston crestates “you can go home again”. For ated some obvious apprehension former Phillis Wheatley All-Star about returning. and current University of Houston “I wouldn’t be truthful if I said associate head coach Alvin Brooks, there wasn’t some apprehension,” no statement could be more accu- Alvin admitted. “Not from the perrate. Brooks has returned to the spective of hard or bitter feelings, Cougars for his second tour of duty. but my feelings were you just don’t He served from 1986-1993 go backwards. Initially my as assistant coach under thoughts about returning to head coach Pat Foster and Houston was like revisitserved as Cougar head ing the past, in a bad way. coach from 1993-1998. For After speaking with AD Brooks, a 27 year college Mack Rhoades, a good basketball coaching veterfriend I had worked with at an, the opportunity to come El Paso (UTEP), I knew he back to Houston was a forhad things headed in the Alvin Brooks tunate, yet unexpected right direction from an opportunity. administrative point of “I was not coaching anywhere view that made it a easy to return.” this past season,” Brooks recalled.

All in all, Brooks still chuckles at “I had moved back to Houston and how things fell into place for his was working with John Lucas at homecoming.

League America, working out NBA “I’ve always heard the saying “be and college guys. I was preparing to careful what you pray for” and get back in the college game. When “God has a sense of humor”. My the opportunity came to work with prayer, when I was out, was to get James Dickey again I thought it was back in college coaching, working a great opportunity to get back in with good people and since I had the game. The unique thing was been back in town, I was hoping to James was coming to a place in land somewhere that was fairly Houston where I had worked close to home. I’d actually talked to before. I had been at Houston for 12 a few NBA teams with hopes that if years as an assistant and head coach I went with them I could still be and I had been gone for 12 years. I ★BROOKS, Page 4 thought I’d be back in the game I DEFENDER

Alvin Brooks is glad to be back home.

Darrell Ardison

on H.S. Sports AUSTIN -Westbury head girls track coach Sherita Jackson said it best following her team’s rousing performance at the University Interscholastic League’s 2010 high school track and field meet on the campus of the University of Texas.

“The legacy continues. This is the beginning of a new program. We’re back,” she said.

Jackson knows all about the past Westbury dominance when she was an integral part of it. Back in 2000, Westbury was wrapping up four consecutive state titles and the former gold medal hurdler knew what it meant to be on top of the track and field world.

Competing in just five events, the 2010 edition of Westbury track participants opened the meet with a goldmedal performance in the Class 4A girls 400-meter relay.

Normaria Lane, Kristian Austin, Tiara Cross and Christy Udoh circled the oval track at Mike A Myers Stadium in a time of 45.75 seconds.

Cross, Kathy Lenore, Lane and Austin led the Lady Rebels to a silver medal in the 800-meter relay with a clocking of one minute, 38.24 seconds.

Udoh placed first in the 200-meter dash and Austin garnered more points with a fifth-place finish in the 300meter hurdles. That left the Rebels tied with Beaumont Ozen (48 points) going into ★ARDISON, Page 4

North Shore makes history at state track meet

By Darrell K. Ardison

Buckner, Tre’Von Davis and Artigus Johnson ran legs on the mile relay.

AUSTIN – For the “I want to give all glory North Shore boys and an to God and thank my entire gallery of Houston teammates and coaches for –area high school track motivating us to win this and field competitors, it state championship,” was “Mission White said. “We used footAccomplished” at the ball for motivation. We 2010 state track meet. didn’t win a state title in Known as a football football, but we did win powerhouse for most of one in track.” the past two decades, the Willowridge (28) and North Shore boys culmiDulles (20) finished third nated their ascension to and fourth in the boys the best in Texas by comteam standings. piling a Class 5A record Dallas Skyline won the 88 points in seven events girls team title with 56 to easily hold off runnerpoints. up De Soto (64) for the Lamar won a photo finboys team title.

North Shore boys claim 2010 Class 5A state track team championship. ish at the finish line with Senior DeAndrew De Soto to win the girls White, a football signee to the University of North Shore claiming the school’s first mile relay in a time of three minutes, 24.31 Alabama, was a driving force in the state track championship in school history seconds. Tyneisha McCoy, Bria Guerin, Mustangs’ run to the title. White won medals was definitely a team effort. Devonte Davis Ayanna McGee and anchor Blessing in all four of his events, including a gold and Darius Hyacinth placed 1-2 in the boys Mayungbe combined in the meet’s final medal in the long jump and a silver medal in triple jump. event to give Lamar enough points to finish the 200-meter dash along with legs on the After finishing second to Hyacinth at the third in the girls team standings.

800-meter (bronze) and mile relays (silver).

Region III-5A meet, Davis leaped an eventIn the individual open events, Houston“This is proof that you don’t have to neces- best 50 feet, 41/2 inches at Mike A. Myers area athletes shined in both running and field sarily win races to win track meets,” said Stadium. Hyacinth claimed silver with a events.

North Shore coach Barry Briner. “We knew jump of 48 feet, 21/2 inches.

Dulles junior sprinter Sheroid Evans won that we had to get all three relays on the podiThe North Shore foursome of Larry gold medals in the 100-meter dash (10.39 um in order to give ourselves a chance. De Stephens, Tim Cornett, Devon Gibson and seconds) and the 200-meter dash (20.82).

Soto is an awfully good track team and we Jaylon Hicks got the Mustangs off to a good “I’d have to say it was mission accomplished knew that going into the meet. We thought it start in the meet’s first event by placing sec- because I was able to bring home both gold was going to be close. ond in the 400-meter relay with a time of medals,” he said. “Yet I also wanted a per“For most of these kids, this is their third 41.37 seconds. De Soto won the gold medal sonal record in the 200.” year on the varsity. It’s a special group that (40.74) and Willowridge brought home the Evans, who has already committed to the came into the season focused on a goal,” bronze medal (41.47).

University of Texas, also announced that he Briner said. “It’s great to see kids obtain a Hicks won a silver medal in the 100-meter planned to resume competing in the 300goal and it’s going to be hard to say good- dash. Stephens, Cornett and Gibson ran legs ★NORTH SHORE, Page 4 bye.” on the 800-meter relay while Caneron DEFENDER

SPORTS

4

North Shore

Brooks

meter hurdles next season. As a freshman Evans qualified for state and finished sixth.

“That would be a major accomplishment for me at the facility that I will call home for the next four or five years,” Evans said.

Joining Evans on the victory stand was his Blessing first cousin, Taylor Mayungbe Houston. The Elkins junior won the girls 200-meter dash in a time of 23.62 seconds.

Tiffany Hines of Dallas Skyline finished second (23.71).

“Sheroid is one of my DeAndrew White biggest supporters,” Houston said. “He was one of the first people to congratulate me.

Once I heard my name on the loudspeaker, I knew that I was in position to win the race.”

Both pole vault titles India Daniels went to Houston-area competitors.

Seth Arnold of New Caney won the boys event by clearing 16 feet.

Brittany Wooten of Tomball won the girls pole vault with fewer Sheroid Evans misses at 12 feet, six inches.

Westside senior Diamond Dixon had her sights squarely on the 400-meter dash state record (52.46 seconds) when she lined up for the event at Taylor Houston Myers Stadium, but the senior had to settle for her second consecutive gold medal in a time of 52.92 seconds.

Nefertari Hall of Klein Collins (54.39) and Lamar’s Mayungbe (54.67) gave the Houston area a clean sweep in the girls 400-meter dash.

One of the surprises of the 2010 state meet was the performance by Westfield sophomore sprinter India Daniels. With a time of 11.64 seconds in the girls 100-meter dash, Daniels claimed a gold medal. She also placed fourth in the 200-meter dash.

Conroe’s quartet of Dawelo Sears, Christopher Parks, Marquise Sneed and Desmon Jones won the 1,600-meter relay with a time of 3 minutes, 14.65 seconds.

Oak Ridge junior Dalton Rowan won the 5A boys discus title with a winning heave of 177 feet, 2 inches.

based close to Houston. My prayers were answered sending me back to UH. I was able to go back to the college game, stay at home, in familiar surroundings, working with good people like Mack and James. I felt a great sense of gratitude that I could have an opportunity, for a second time, to be at home and have a great impact on a university and city that I love.”

For Alvin Brooks the interim periods between stints at Houston have been tailormade to enhance his evolution as a wellrounded college coach. After being fired in March of 1998 and the passing of his mother in April of the same year, Brooks took a year off from the grind of coaching. He resumed his career at Texas Tech in 1999, working under then head coach James Dickey for 2 seasons. From there he coached as an assistant at the University of North Texas for two years under Coach Johnny Jones. He then travelled to UTEP where he met Mack Rhoades. He was paired with UTEP head coach Billy Gillispie. After a year at UTEP the Gillispie connection lead him to Texas A & M for 3 years and to Kentucky for 2 years.

“After my Houston tenure was over (1998), I had a chance to reflect on my time as head coach. One thing I concluded was I wish I had been better prepared for the opportunity. When I took the Houston job I had been coaching for 12 years, I had never been a head coach and I had only been around one style of teaching as a coach, Pat Foster. I had to get out of my comfort zone and make an effort to be apart off staffs, with coaches that taught in a different way than I had learned previously. Working with Coach Dickey at Tech was the first step in that process.”

One of the most significant learning experiences Brooks was exposed to was a clinic by college basketball icon former UCLA head coach John Wooden.

“Wooden is the greatest coach of all time and a person that I admire,” Brooks acknowledged. “His whole philosophy was so simple.

He believed in balance, not all basketball, but family. He also believed he was a teacher first. A lot of those teachings have helped shape me to where I am now, compared to where I was. ” For fans of college basketball, Brooks

continued from page 3

Edison

continued from page 3 in all of MLB. They have the young prospects that could form a solid foundation for the Astros future. Finally Texas legend and Ranger president Nolan Ryan, is a part of a group that is the front runner to purchase the Rangers. His group’s corporate commitment is “putting together a team that will compete for championships year in and year out.” What better way to show that than trading for Roy Oswalt. Ryan has the type of personality that Oswalt can identify with and his Hall of Fame resume is impeccable. In addition manager Ron Washington is known as the ultimate “player’s manager”; couple that with the fact that the culture of baseball is, “win right now” and you’ve got a perfect match.

I explained to “Baseball” that this made perfect sense and as a result the Astros probably wouldn’t be interested, but thanks for the consideration. Now you know why he’s called “Mr. Baseball”.

What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

continued from page 3

MAY 30 – JUNE 5, 2010 | DEFENDER

Ardison

believes you will be in for a treat watching the new look Cougars under James Dickey. continued from page 3 “Expect an up-tempo style, very fast paced the meet’s final event. game. We’ll get after people on defense. It Ozen didn’t qualify for the girls 1,600-meter will be a very entertaining style of basketball. relay. The title was left up for grabs between A lot of people have forgotten his teams at Westbury and Lancaster, an eight-time state chamTech. He won a lot of games. His team in pion. Lancaster trailed Westbury by eight points.

1996 ended up on the cover of Sports Cross, Lane and Lenore gave Udoh the lead Illustrated after beating North Carolina. They heading into the final lap.Udoh ran a 54.13-secwere undefeated in the last year of conference ond anchor leg to seal the win (3:44.53) and the play in the Southwest Conference and sent title with 68 points. Lancaster was a distant runquite a few players to the NBA, like Darvin nerup in the mile relay (3:48.04) and finished secHam, Tony Battie, Jason Sasser and Mark ond in the team standings with 56 points.

Davis. This guy (Dickey) has been a very The Westbury faithful wore t-shirts with the good college basketball coach.” words “We didn’t come this far to only come this Besides having a chance to return home far.” and coach, the other thing that brings a big Those words proved to be quite prophetic. smile to Alvin Brooks face is the success his Lancaster won the boys 4A state title with 72 son, Alvin the III, is having in the college points. coaching ranks.

Angleton finished second (38 points) despite “I’m real excited for him,” Alvin competing in only three events. The Wildcats expressed. “He has recently accepted a job to foursome of Ryan Jackson, Henry Josey, Quandre be one of the top assistants at Sam Houston Diggs and Terrance Franks won the 400-meter State. He’s been in college coaching for 6 relay with a time of 41.28 seconds. years. The last 3 years he was at Bradley Angleton placed third in the 800-meter relay University, a Division I school, as an assisand Josey brought home a bronze medal in the tant. Prior to that he spent 3 years in the jun100-meter dash. Three medals in three races adds ior college ranks, winning a NJCAA national up to a quality day at the state meet championship at University of Arkansas- Fort Sharpstown senior Ryesa Whigham won a gold Smith and then the following year at Midland medal in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 14.3 JC. I think that’s the first time that’s ever been seconds. done, successive championships at different schools in successive years (2006-2007).

He’s done an extremely good job in the business. He’s a good coach and I’m very proud of him.”

Basketball success under Coach BID OR PROPOSAL NOTICE FOR Dickey and rebuilding the Demolition of Turner Elementary School Cougars program to prominence Houston Independent School District (HISD) is Alvin’s immediate goal. He knows that will give him the Turner Construction Company, as Construction Manager-at-Risk for HISD, in accordance with Texas Education Code Section 44.038, will receive bids or proposals from subcontractors for opportunity to achieve his long demolition of Turner Elementary School. The work includes demolition and abatement of the existing elementary school and associated sitework demolition. Bids or proposals are term goal, another opportunity to due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8, 2010, at the offices of Turner Construction be a head coach.

Company, 4263 Dacoma Street, Houston, Texas 77092, phone 713 840-8441, fax 713 8408365 attention: Todd Granato or Juan Romero.

“That’s what I look forward to, The plans and specifications will be available beginning Monday, May 24, 2010, and may be another opportunity to be a head obtained from A & E The Graphics Complex, 4325 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77027, (713) 621-0022 or www.aecomplex.com, upon refundable deposit of $100.00 for each set of printcoach. I’ve prepared myself extened plans and specifications. Documents in pdf format are also available from A&E on disk for a sively since my last opportunity. deposit of $50.00. Deposit checks should be made payable to HISD. Requests for access to online documents and any questions regarding documents are to be addressed to Turner Right now my main priority is to Construction Company, 4263 Dacoma Street, Houston, Texas 77092, phone 713 840-8441, fax 713 840-8365 attention: Todd Granato or Juan Romero. restore our program. Coach Dickey is a proven winner and we M/WBE documents as described below will be received until 4:00 p.m. on the due date.There will be no public opening of bids or proposals. All bids or proposals shall be available after award of have a fine staff of young coaches. contract or the 7th day after final selection of bids or proposals, whichever is later. After receipt of bids or proposals, Turner Construction Company will conduct its evaluation of the subcon“We’ll get it done.”

CLASSIFIED

tractor bids or proposals in relation to the project requirements and will select the bid(s) or proposal(s) that offers the best value to HISD. Turner Construction Company, is committed to meeting the M/WBE goals set for this project.

M/WBE forms, schedules and statements, as required by the package documents, shall accompany each bid or proposal that is submitted. BIDS OR PROPOSALS SUBMITTED WITHOUT ALL REQUIRED INFORMATION AND IN THE MANNER SPECIFIED WILL BE CONSIDERED NONRESPONSIVE. A pre-bid/proposal conference will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 1, 2010, at Turner Elementary School, 3200 Rosedale, Houston,TX 77004. For additional information regarding this project, please contact Mr. Elvis Eaglin, at 713-556-6526, or eeaglin@houstonisd.org.

Drawings and Specifications may be reviewed at: Turner Construction Company, 4263 Dacoma Street, Houston, Texas 77092, phone 713 840-8441, fax 713 840-8365 attention: Todd Granato. and the following Houston locations: Associated General Contractors, 3825 Dacoma Street, (713) 843-3700 McGraw Hill Construction Dodge Plan Room, 10106 Hempstead Rd., Ste.110, (713) 316 9411 Associated Builders & Contractors, 3910 Kirby, #131, (713) 523-6222 Revive Houston Plan Room, Roland W. Smith Bldg., Rm. 122, 5555 Community College Dr, Houston 77013, (281) 704-9269

BID OR PROPOSAL NOTICE FOR Cunningham Elementary School Construction Package Drymalla Construction Company, Ltd., (Drymalla) as Construction Manager-at-Risk for HISD, in accordance with Texas Education Code Section 44.038, will receive bids or proposals from subcontractors for construction related to the replacement of Cunningham Elementary School.

The work includes new building construction and surrounding sitework. Bids or proposals are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 16, 2010, at the offices of Drymalla Construction Company, Ltd., 608 Harbert Street, Columbus, TX, 78934, phone (979) 7325731, attention Jason Labay.

The plans and specifications will be available beginning Monday, May 24, 2010, and may be obtained from A&E, The Graphics Complex, 713-579-1234 or www.aecomplex.com, upon refundable deposit of $250.00 for each set of printed plans and specifications. Documents in pdf format are also available from A&E on disk for a deposit of $50.00. Deposit checks should be made payable to HISD. Requests for access to on-line documents and any questions regarding documents are to be addressed to Drymalla, phone (979) 732-5731, and fax (979) 7323663, attention Jason Labay.

M/WBE documents as described below will be received until 4:00 p.m. on the due date.There will be no public opening of bids or proposals. All bids or proposals shall be available after award of contract or the 7th day after final selection of bids or proposals, whichever is later. After receipt of bids or proposals, Drymalla will conduct its evaluation of the subcontractor bids or proposals in relation to the project requirements and will select the bid(s) or proposal(s) that offers the best value to HISD. Drymalla Construction Company, Ltd., is committed to meeting the M/WBE goals set for this project. M/WBE forms, schedules and statements, as required by the package documents, shall accompany each bid or proposal that is submitted. BIDS OR PROPOSALS SUBMITTED WITHOUT ALL REQUIRED INFORMATION AND IN THE MANNER SPECIFIED WILL BE CONSIDERED NON-RESPONSIVE. A pre-bid/proposal conference will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, June 2, 2010, at Cunningham Elementary School, 5100 Gulfton, Houston, TX 77081. For additional information regarding this project, please contact Mr. Elvis Eaglin, at 713-556-6526, or eeaglin@houstonisd.org.

Drawings and Specifications may be reviewed at: Drymalla Construction Company, Ltd., 608 Harbert Street, Columbus,TX, 78934, (979) 7325731 and the following Houston locations: Associated General Contractors, 3825 Dacoma Street, (713) 843-3700 McGraw Hill Construction Dodge Plan Room, 10106 Hempstead Rd., Ste.110, (713) 316 9411 Associated Builders & Contractors, 3910 Kirby, #131, (713) 523-6222 Revive Houston Plan Room, Roland W. Smith Bldg., Rm. 122, 5555 Community College Dr, Houston 77013, (281) 704-9269

HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTICE TO PROPOSERS The Houston Independent School District located in the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center at 4400 West 18th Street Houston,Texas 77092 will accept proposals, until the stated date and time deadlines, in the Board Services Office, Level C1 ‘ • Project 10-05-14 – PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT – with a deadline of 10 A.M; June 9, 2010. The pre-proposal conference for this project will be held in room 2C06 on June 2, 2010 at 10 A.M. • Project 10-05-17 – Trailers - Purchase - Repair – Parts with a proposal deadline of 2 P.M. June 16, 2010. The pre-proposal conference for this project will be held in the second floor conference room at HISD Central Warehouse, 228 McCarty Drive Houston, TX 77029 on June 8, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. • Project 10-05-18 – Truck Rigging & Upfitters with a proposal deadline of 2 P.M. June 16, 2010.

The pre-proposal conference for this project will be held in the second floor conference room at HISD Central Warehouse, 228 McCarty Drive Houston,TX 77029 on June 8, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. • Project 10-05-19 – Natural Gas Supply Requirements – with a deadline of 3:00 P.M. June 15, 2010. There will be no pre-proposal conference for this project.

• Project 10-06-05 – RFP / Employee Discount and Purchase through Payroll Deduction Program was a deadline of June 16, 2010 at 2 P.M. The pre-proposal conference will be held on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 2 P.M. in Room 2C10 at the above stated address.

Proposals are available on the HISD web-site at www.houstonisd.org.

The District reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or, to accept the proposal that is most advantageous to the District.

The District sells obsolete assets on-line at www.PublicSuprlus.com.

Scwyana Smith

5

MAY 30 – JUNE 5, 2010 | DEFENDER

Comcast

continued from page 1 If the FCC approves the merger, Comcast, already the country’s largest cable and home Internet provider, will own 44 of the 250 channels carried on its platform.

According to the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism’s 2010 State of the Media Report, the top three owners of African-American-targeted cable channels are TV One and media behemoths Time Warner and Viacom, who both own three such channels a piece. Viacom’s African-American-targeted channels such as BET, VH1 Soul and new channel Centric dedicate a significant portion of its programming toward music videos.

“In addition to cable networks and Video-onDemand, Comcast also carries several broadcast stations around the country that are AfricanAmerican owned and/or targeted to AfricanAmerican audiences,” said Comcast spokesperson Sena Fitzmaurice in a statement. “Our desire to work with African-American media owners extends proudly to our seminal role in partnering with Radio One to launch TV One in 2003.”

After Black Entertainment Television’s sale to Viacom by Robert Johnson in 2003, TV One is the closest thing to a Black-owned cable channel that Comcast has on its basic cable platform.

Comcast owns 33 percent of the Black-targeted channels along with Radio One, which owns a 40 percent interest. Until it became a publiclytraded company, Radio One, with its 69 radio stations and other media properties, was the largest Black-owned media company in the U.S. Its African-American founder Cathy Hughes and her son Alfred Liggins, who is the company’s chief executive and chairman of TV One’s board, still control 90 percent of the company’s vote.

Still, Washington contends that TV One is not technically “Black-owned” because although Radio One is a majority owner it still operates as a publicly-traded company.

Washington is demanding that if the FCC approves the Comcast and NBC/Universal merger, then at least 25 channels or 10 percent of the 250 channel capacity that Comcast carries in its basic cable platform should be allocated to Black-owned cable channels.

The demand is not unprecedented. When the FCC approved the merging of satellite radio company’s Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc in 2008, the companies agreed to dedicate eight percent of their channels to African American-owned media.

Are there even enough viable AfricanAmerican ownership groups available to sustain 25 cable channels?

“Absolutely,” said Washington. “We have a number of African-American led groups that have come to the table and they have tried to build themselves strong, viable channel opportunities in the industry.”

Washington is not demanding 25 different Black owners. One owner can own and control multiple channels as big corporations already do, he said. He just wants parity.

“We just want as African-American owners in a free trade environment to be able to come to the table fairly like everybody else,” Washington said. “It doesn’t have to be 25 BETs or TV Ones.

It can be any kind of channels or any type of content. Ultimately, we’re looking for ownership in the platform.”

Possible high-profile players could be people like BET founder Robert Johnson, who is awaiting the FCC to approve his plan to launch a new television network called Urban Television, and television host and producer Byron Allen who already has six channels on Verizon’s FiOs fiberoptic television service. Television personalities like Tyler Perry, Ice Cube, P. Diddy and Russell Simmons are already heavily responsible in the creation of Black programming on major networks and could have a hand in new channels.

“Comcast distributes a variety of minority-

“What Comcast has been doing is economically starving our business owners out of the business by not giving them fair revenue from subscriber fees that they pay everybody else and by not widely carrying them on their platform.”

— Stanley Washington President of the National Coalition of African American Owned Media

and/or independently-owned channels,” Comcast’s spokesperson said. “We have carriage agreements with independent, AfricanAmerican networks, such as The Black Television News Channel, which will deliver news and information specifically relevant to the African-American community, and The Africa Channel, which is carried in many Comcast systems today. We also carry other cable networks and Video-On-Demand programming of interest to African American audiences including BET, Centric, VH1 Soul, and the Gospel Music Channel.”

While not on its national platform, Comcast has carriage agreements with Black-owned channels the Africa Channel, which focuses on programming about and from the continent it was named after, and the Black Television News Channel, a not-yet-launched 24/7 Black news channel founded by J.C. Watts, a former Black Republican congressman from Oklahoma. The agreement allows Comcast to selectively roll out a channel to a limited number of markets where it is expected to perform well. Washington charges that carriage agreements do not give independent channels an equal playing field to perform.

“Instead of giving the Africa Channel an opportunity to be widely carried, Comcast, which is the nation’s largest cable provider and has 25 million households, will give them a carriage agreement—which is essentially a hunting license. But they won’t put them on their basic cable platform to be widely-distributed nationally,” Washington said.

Cable and satellite providers must pay the channels they carry a monthly subscription payout that can range anywhere from 10 cents to five dollars per subscriber. Subscription rates for carriage agreements, on the other hand, can be as low as one cent per subscriber, according to Washington. Because of their limited distribution, the subscriber base for channels with carriage agreements are far less than basic cable channels.

“What Comcast has been doing is economically starving our business owners out of the business by not giving them fair revenue from subscriber fees that they pay everybody else and by not widely carrying them on their platform,” Washington said.

He charges that Comcast viewed the Robert Townsend founded-Black Family Channel, which folded in 2007 over lack of distribution, as a competitor to its TV One channel and limited its support. He contends that they are doing the same thing to the Africa Channel.

“At the end of the day, the Black Family Channel was unable to sustain itself enough to be able to grow to become a channel on Comcast and other platforms,” he said.

In an April letter to Comcast chairman Brian Roberts, Willis Edwards, vice president of NAACP’s Beverly Hills Hollywood chapter, wrote, “After decades of ignoring this problem, the perpetual lack of support behind AfricanAmerican owned media can only be described as discriminatory and Restraint of Trade...Our focus on this issue is only the first step in an established strategy to expose what many consider the largest trade deficit in this country; the one between Corporate America and Black

America. ... There is a belief that Comcast has been operating in a restraint of trade with a lot of businesses- the Tennis Channel, The NFL Channel, [financial and business channel] Bloomberg Television is concerned about this merger because Comcast will own [rival business channel] CNBC.” The Tennis Channel and the NFL Network have filed lawsuits against the cable giant over fair trade practices, some connected to its ownership of rival channels.

“If those big players with mass resources can’t compete, imagine what happens to us?”

Washington said.

Over the next 18 months, Comcast is converting its platform to become entirely digital.

Like it’s satellite competitors, Comcast will be able to have a virtual unlimited channel capacity, which could mean better opportunities for independent and Black-owned channels to be carried nationally.

In the meantime, the NCAAOM is working on filing a restraint of trade lawsuit against Comcast. They have retained former FCC chairman Kevin Martin as their lead attorney. As the FCC head under the Bush administration, Martin earned a fierce reputation of being ‘anticable’ over his series of regulatory battles against cable operators.

Fitzmaurice said that all subscriber fees are individually negotiated between each channel and carrier. A popular channel like ABC-owned ESPN with it’s expensive sports broadcast licenses and it’s millions of viewers has the leverage to negotiate a higher subscriber fee than an independent channel with very little name recognition.

“We have to pay and, ultimately, our customers have to pay,” Fitzmaurice said. “We have to determine our programming based on what we and our customers have to pay for these channels.”

6

MAY 30 – JUNE 5, 2010 | DEFENDER

Black Veterans continued from page 1

According to welcomebackveterans.org, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that may develop after experiencing or witnessing events such as sexual or physical assault, natural or man-made disasters, war, torture, and where the person experienced intense feelings of helplessness, fear or horror.

People with PTSD are haunted by events that happened in their past. Reports from The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study found that African Americans had greater exposure to war stresses and had more predisposing factors than whites, which appeared to account for their higher rate of PTSD. Reports also indicate both Hispanic and AfricanAmerican male Vietnam Veterans had higher rates of PTSD than whites did. Rates of current PTSD in the 1990 study were 28 percent among Hispanics, 21 percent among African Americans, and 14 percent among whites.

“We are trying to bring all these groups together and seek funding, because there is funding available from several resources to establish a pilot project for this coalition,” says Pastor William A. Lawson, President of the William A. Lawson Institute for Peace & Prosperity (WALIPP).

Evangelina Hammonds, a licensed social worker with of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program, works with combat veterans and their families on how to increase their resiliency skills to facilitate reintegration to civilian life.

“A lot of times, people hear the words PTSD and they somehow have an idea of things that they see on the news or read about veterans or soldiers with PTSD. But until you actually really talk about how it affects the children and spouses, their employers or the schools that they are trying to attend; then you really don’t have an indepth understanding of the

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Charles W. Gill

U.S. Army Pfc. Damien Montgomery, from 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, attaches chains to a barrier to be moved into position at a state operated gas station in Mansur, Iraq. The barriers will provide added security and traffic control at the gas station. huge effect it has on our communities,” said Hammonds.

The centralized goal of the recent Wheeler Avenue meeting was to brainstorm on ways in which each organization can help and the common resolutions were to get involved in outreach and get the vets in the “know.”

“In the fall of 2007, Houston, Harris County and the United Way developed a resource directory. You can find any information about where veterans can go for just about any and every service just by dialing 2-1-1 or you can go online to the City of Houston website through the veteran’s affairs section and do your own research. You also have the option to get all this information found on the website mailed to you,” said E.A. Buddy Grantham, Director at the Office of Veterans Affairs for the City of Houston.

Grantham also implies that there is no wrong coalition when it comes to assisting veterans.

“It is important to get in tune with the spiritual cure of PTSD because I believe that everyone in the church may not be a social worker but they can potentially know someone who can help,” he said.

The coalition also hopes to

TSU

continued from page 1 Management and Security. The Bachelor of Science Degree will address three nationally recognized priorities; logistics, freight, security and environment – in a single curriculum.

“We are hoping to train the next generation of Maritime professionals in the Gulf Coast Region,” said Williams “This is the first such program of its kind, in this area and also at any historically Black college or university.”

The program starts in the fall and will train students to work as; freight logistics specialists, shipping managers, port managers and operators, port security officers, Maritime policy makers, Maritime Transportation Planners, Environmental Compliance Coordinators, and Emergency Response Specialists.

The Port of Houston is excited about getting on board. ““It’s really exciting for us. We’re excited to have the opportunity to partner with such a program,” said Gilda Ramirez, Vice President Small Business and Development with the Port of Houston.

The Port has already made – and fulfilled – a two million dollar commitment and plans to work closely with the Texas Southern University. Ramirez says they are committed because a program like this is sorely needed.

“There’s a shortage of employees in several of the maritime professions,” Ramirez said, blaming the disparity on a lack of knowledge.

“People don’t really know about the different opportunities in the Maritime field and that has been one of the reasons why we have seen a slowdown in these particular fields. It’s important because we are the economic engine for the region and we stimulate the commerce, obviously and drive a lot of different factors, including local jobs and help with the local economy and promoting that.”

Ramirez says if more people knew the inner workings of the Port of Houston, more young people might be inclined to pursue Maritime careers.

“I think that the Port industry is one of the best

educate the veterans about certain assistance and benefits that are open to them.

Professional responsibility in providing appropriate services to ethnic minority Veterans also applies to Compensation and Pensions examinations. If clinicians do not evaluate for negative racerelated events that may have led to psychiatric problems, the ethnic minority Veteran may not be receiving the appropriate disability rating or compensation, according to reports from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

“There are compensation and pension benefits,” says Vincent C. Morrison, Veterans Service Officer for the Harris County Community Service Department. “Compensation in injury and disease that happened while you’re on active duty and pension is a disability where veterans served their country honorably and they don’t have the finances now—pension cases have to do with income based, social security and retirement. And what comes from these cases is the monetary and education value to help the veterans.”

Judge Daniel Jay Simms, presiding Judge and Magistrate of Municipal Court No. 17 says, “I knew an

kept secrets in Houston. People out west rarely even think about it. Maybe once people go east they see it, but even then, you have people who drive over the Port of Houston every day and all they can relate to is they see maybe, the Volkswagen automobiles. They don’t make the connection that the clothes they’re wearing, the computers they’re using on a daily basis, the jewelry, all the things they use on a daily basis, comes through the Port authority. People don’t realize all the port does and what kind of jobs there are in this particular field. When you say I work for the Port, they think pilot, longshoreman, they don’t think all the various fields. We have our own police force, our own fire department. There are so many areas in which to work.”

Right now, the challenge is spreading the word about the program and getting potential students interested.

“We have been going to various high schools and have made contact with the counselors to basically get them informed,” said Williams.

“We are also offering scholarships to entice students.”

Full scholarships, which run as much as $18,000 will be provided to 18 students; another seven students will receive partial scholarships. Candidates for the program are anyone that is interested in the field of transportation, cargo, the environment, or homeland security “We’ll be active for as long as they have the program. We will continue to work and help them recruit students and are currently working with two area high schools, which are feeders to this program,” Ramirez added. “We’ll also be working with TSU in getting the word out to high school students and letting them know how the opportunity to attend a four-year program and even obtain a Master’s with emphasis on a maritime program will be very beneficial, not just to the individual, the community, but to our industry as well.”

The program will start at TSU in the fall and Williams says scholarships are still available until the June 3rd deadline. For more information, or requirements and an application, contact 713-313-4394.

individual who was suffering from PTSD and Agent Orange exposure and after pulling all his medical records and getting proof of his service in Vietnam when the USSR engaged in more than 17 combat missions, he was given a back-award of $58,000 and additionally was able to get social security benefits.”

Funding is a key element in getting this coalition and others alike off the ground to help bring awareness and create future solutions to veterans with PTSD. “The NAACP is going to work and plan together with this coalition to see what kind of support, funding and anything that we can do to make sure that we provide services to veterans in need, says NAACP representative, Carolyn Scantlebury. “We are going to focus on several issues regarding the veterans with PTSD; physiological

support, homelessness and deal with a collaboration of agencies to ensure that all the services are provided collectively.”

Some of the common symptoms of PTSD include: • Anger Issues (problems/separation from spouses and children) • Feeling socially alienated • Recurrent bad dreams/nightmares • Aggressive Outbursts/ Physical Violence: (oftentimes feel regret afterwards because their brain doesn’t automatically shut off and feels that they always have to be on guard) • Random noises such as: (doors slamming, planes flying too low can cause them to react negatively) • Feeling guilt for surviving • A resistance to large crowds • Short sense of future: (can’t picture themselves married, with children and/or with

career) • Risky Behavior: ( they feel they can survive anything no matter how much danger is involved) Studies show that once a person is diagnosed with PTSD, it is likely that they will always have it. Experts agree that talking about the disorder and getting the veterans comfortable with talking to others about what they’ve experienced, can help them manage and function in everyday life.

Also, according to reports from the American Journal of Psychiatry, “Using ethnically relevant measures to screen for PTSD is important because it advances the cultural-based competence level of practitioners who work with ethnic minorities: because racial pairing of clinician and Veteran has been shown to enhance length of treatment, efforts toward recruiting clinicians of ethnic minority backgrounds become important.”

Grantham adds, “There are many individuals that have different levels of depression, ranging from mild depression all the way to PTSD and so what we learn are coping mechanisms that I like to call a thermostat: which means that even though we sense things, doesn’t mean we have to overreact to them yet we can control ourselves with the thermostat. “If you continue to talk about it and get help, you can learn to turn it down.”

For more information on PTSD visit the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or http://www.va.gov/.