Houston Style Magazine June 04 – June 10, 2020
Houston’s Premiere Weekly Publication, Since 1989
Volume 31 | Number 23
Complimentary
ALL 4 FORMER POLICE OFFICERS CHARGED
GEORGE FLOYD HOMETOWN PEACEFUL PROTEST & MARCH
Jesse Jackson I Can’t Breathe
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LENARD SMITH, JR.
Dr. Grenita F. Lathan Vows To Return HISD Students To Campuses In Fall 2020
STAY SMARTHWORK SAFE CORONAVIRUS – US NUMBERS: Cases: 1,903,868 Deaths: 109,176
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Houston Hosts George Floyd Hometown Protest & March for 60,000
HPD Chief Art Acevedo Beloved Chief Gets Tough With President Trump – “Keep Your...
Chris Hollis Sworn In
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June 04 – June 10, 2020
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Managing Editor Jo-Carolyn Goode editorial@stylemagazine.com Social Media Editor/Videographer Reginald Dominique reggiedominique@me.com Sports Editor Brian Barefield
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NATIONAL WRITERS
Jesse Jackson jjackson@rainbowpush.org Roland Martin www.rolandmartin.com Judge Greg Mathis www.askjudgemathis.com
PHOTOGRAPHERS Vicky Pink vhpink@gmail.com William Ealy Williamealy1906@gmail.com Semetra Samuel semetra@artistikrebelcreative.com Mike Munoz artrepreneur91@gmail.com Robert Franklin editorial@stylemagazine.com
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BLACK AMERICA IS BURNING WITH PAIN www.StyleMagazine.com
June 04 – June 10, 2020
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COMMENTARY
I CAN’T BREATHE By Jesse Jackson, National Political Writer
T
he murder of George Floyd was a lynching in broad daylight. Three police officers stood and watched as a fourth, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd’s neck. They watched for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, with Floyd unresponsive for 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that, according to the criminal complaint against Chauvin. They did nothing to stop the murder. Their silence was as much an act of violence as Cauvin’s knee. And if there were no video recording of the murder, they likely would have upheld the Code Blue loyalty, and lied about what happened. Floyd’s murder sparked peaceful demonstrations in cities across the country, demonstrations that, in Minneapolis and a few other places, turned toward riots. Chauvin and his co-conspirators weren’t immediately arrested for the murder. Had Floyd, an African American, done this to a white person, he would likely have been jailed immediately, with a bond too high to reach. For too long, for too often, African Americans have been brutalized without consequence. Floyd’s plea for mercy - “I can’t breathe” - was an echo of Eric Garner’s last words. Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, too often the killers walk free. The signs say Black Lives Matter. Yet, the very people who are supposed to protect us too often, in too many places, don’t seem to agree. Instead of accountability, police have been given impunity. There were 17 complaints filed against Chauvin in his 19 years on the force. Only one even resulted in a reprimand. Too few of the police live in the communities they patrol. Too many see themselves as enforcers, not protectors. There are only a few bad apples we are told. But the Code Blue wall of silence protects the abusers, and too often rots the entire barrel. Young officers learn that if they want to advance, if they want better assignments, better pay, more security, they have to fit in. And the rot keeps spreading. The demonstrations are necessary. The rioting understandable but regrettable. Already, the damage done to property, the exchanges with the police becomes the subject, not the agenda that is necessary to focus on the
outbreaks of rage that are inevitable. “In the final analysis, the riot is the language of the unheard,” Dr. King taught us, “What is it that America has failed to hear?” In the last years of the Obama administration, peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrations occurred in cities across the country. In a stunning display of discipline and self-control, demonstrators protested police brutality and murders peacefully, shutting down major thoroughfares. The Obama administration began an effort to encourage police reform. The sentence disparities between crack and cocaine - the “black” drug and the “white drug” - were reduced. Transfers of military weaponry to police forces were restricted. The Obama Justice Department entered into a series of consent decrees with more than a dozen police departments to encourage them to change their practices - to become more a guardian than an occupier. The consent decrees couldn’t root out racism, or dismiss the sadistic or the disturbed, but they could encourage a change in tactics, and perhaps in attitudes. When Trump was elected, he immediately torpedoed the reforms, and terminated the consent decrees. He reopened the spigot on military weaponry and encouraged the police directly to get tough with offenders. Last October, Bob Kroll, the president of the Minneapolis Police Union, appeared at a Trump rally to celebrate the president for freeing the police from the mild reforms of the Obama years. “The Obama administration and the handcuffing and oppression of police was despicable,” he told the crowd. “The first thing President Trump did when he took office was turn that around, letting the cops do their job, put the handcuffs on the criminals instead of us.” Those trumpeting law and order offer African Americans neither. Those peaceful protests were met with harsh reaction. The voices were not heard. And now, Minneapolis is in flames and the streets of America’s cities are filled with protesters. What America has failed to hear -- decade
after decade -- is the demand for equal justice under the law, the demand for equal opportunity, the call for basic rights - not only for African Americans but for all - the rights to a livable wage, decent housing, health care, a safe environment, a protective, not a dangerous police force. The suffering is real; the gap documented over and over, most recently as poverty, hunger and illness makes African Americans disproportionately the victims of the coronavirus. This isn’t complicated. The solutions are known. From the Kerner Commission in 1968 on, the analyses have been done; the needed reforms detailed - and shelved. There is money enough for top-end tax cuts, for bailing out banks and CEOs, for waging endless wars across the world. There is never enough money to fund the gap. And so the anger and frustration build, kindling ready to ignite. And time after time, an act of outrageous police brutality sets the kindling aflame. The demonstrators are showing courage. We’ve also seen, in a few cities, police leaders show real leadership and wisdom. I pray that all also show caution. We demonstrate not only against the threat of Code Blue, but in the time of COVID-19. Masks, social distancing, care for one another are vital so the demonstrations for life don’t end up sacrificing lives to the virus. In the midst of a pandemic, some march in the hope that America will listen. Some march without hope but because silence is no longer acceptable. Yes, Minneapolis needs to charge, try and convict the murderer and his accomplices. Yes, the Minneapolis police force needs to cleanse itself, inside and out. America too needs to listen and to change. We will come together, or we will surely come apart. You can write to the Rev. Jesse Jackson in care of this newspaper or by email at jjackson@rainbowpush.org. Follow him on Twitter @RevJJackson. Share this story online at StyleMagazine.com.
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THE THREE CHARGED IN SLAYING OF AHMAUD ARBERY FACE COURT HEARING By StyleMagazine.com Newswire
W
illiam Bryan told investigators he heard Travis McMichael use a racial epithet after fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified Thursday during preliminary hearings. Bryan told police McMichael said “fucking nigger” after three blasts from McMichael’s shotgun left Arbery dead in the streets of the Satilla Shores neighborhood, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Richard Dial said. Body camera footage also showed a Confederate flag sticker on the toolbox of McMichael’s truck, Dial said. On cross-examination, Dial testified that Bryan mentioned the slur in a May 13 GBI interview, and to Dial’s knowledge, Bryan had not previously made the allegation, including during a May 11 interview. However, the agent said, there were “numerous times” on social media and via messaging that McMichael used the same slur, replying to an Instagram message sometime before the shooting by saying things would be better if someone had “blown that N-word’s head off,” Dial testified. Dial did not say to whom McMichael might have been referring and was not asked for more context. William Bryan told investigators he heard Travis McMichael use a racial epithet after fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified Thursday during preliminary
Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryant hearings. Bryan told police McMichael said “fucking nigger” after three blasts from McMichael’s shotgun left Arbery dead in the streets of the Satilla Shores neighborhood, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Richard Dial said. Body camera footage also showed a Confederate flag sticker on the toolbox of McMichael’s truck, Dial said. On cross-examination, Dial testified that Bryan mentioned the slur in a May 13 GBI interview, and to Dial’s knowledge, Bryan had not previously made the allegation, including during a May 11 interview. However, the agent said, there
were “numerous times” on social media and via messaging that McMichael used the same slur, replying to an Instagram message sometime before the shooting by saying things would be better if someone had “blown that N-word’s head off,” Dial testified. Dial did not say to whom McMichael might have been referring and was not asked for more context. Gregory and Travis McMichael were arrested May 7 in the shooting death in the Satilla Shores neighborhood. The father and son pursued Arbery after suspecting him in a rash of area break-ins, the elder McMichael told police, according to an incident report.
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The McMichaels armed themselves and, with Bryan’s help, tried to head off Arbery as he ran through their neighborhood, but on their first two attempts, the 25-year-old doubled back and ran in the other direction, Gregory McMichael told police, according to the report. Bryan’s video picks up before the third attempt, and Arbery is seen trying to avoid the McMichaels’ pickup truck, which is stopped in the road, before abruptly turning toward Travis McMichael in front of the truck. A shot goes off as they struggle over the gun. The two disappear off the left side of the screen. Gregory McMichael draws a handgun but does not shoot. A second blow is heard as Arbery and the younger McMichael are off screen. As the men come back into view, the two continue fighting for the shotgun. Arbery appears to throw a punch at Travis McMichael’s head as a third shot is heard. Arbery steps back as blood appears on his T-shirt under his left rib cage. He stumbles and falls in the middle of the street as Travis McMichael walks away. The Justice Department has launched a hate crime investigation in the case, Merritt has said. See More on: www.StyleMagazine.com
CHRIS HOLLINS NEW HARRIS COUNTY CLERK
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By StyleMagazine.com Newswire
onday, Chris Hollins was sworn in as Harris County Clerk, replacing Dr. Diane Trautman, who resigned effective May 31. Under Hollins, the County Clerk’s Office will administer the July 2020 primary runoffs and the November 2020 general election, in addition to continuing to deliver critical services to Harris County residents. He deputized his staff today and immediately began to assess the status of current operations and readiness for the upcoming elections. “My job is to record major
events in the lives of Harris County residents, support Commissioners Court, and most importantly, administer the 2020 elections,” said Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins. “As the Chief Election Officer in the third-largest county in the country, I will spend every day of my tenure working to ensure that every resident in Harris County who is eligible can exercise their fundamental right to vote safely, conveniently, and with the peace of mind that their vote will be counted.” Hollins will remain in office through late 2020, until his successor is chosen by Harris County voters in the November election. Hollins will not run in the November election.
Harris County Clerk – Chris Hollins
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June 04 – June 10, 2020
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Hidalgo And Turner Urge Local Judges To Halt Evictions Until August 24th, Postponing All Evictions Filed After March 27
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arris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner are asking Harris County’s Justices of the Peace to postpone eviction proceedings until August 24, according to a letter shared with Houston Public Media. If all of Harris County’s 16 Justices of the Peace agree to the proposal, it would halt all evictions filed after March 27. A handful of county Justices of the Peace, the judges who are responsible for scheduling and hearing evictions cases, have already delayed cases in their courts. But a majority of judges are already in the process of hearing eviction cases or have cases scheduled in the coming week. Right now, courts can process evictions in the Houston area since a state eviction moratorium was lifted on
May 19. Some renters are still protected under the federal CARES Act through July 24, but that only applies to rental properties with federally-backed mortgages. Then landlords must provide an additional 30-day warning, giving tenants until August 24 before they can be evicted. Experts estimate only about 28% of rental properties nationwide are covered by the federal moratorium. “We call on you to formally commit to postponing evictions hearings filed after March 27th until August 24th, in line with the CARES Act timeline,” Hidalgo and Turner wrote in the letter. “Doing so is not only the right thing to do given the current crisis, but will contribute to our effort to protect public health and eliminate confusion surrounding the Federal eviction moratorium.”
Police Chief To Trump: Please, Keep Your Mouth Shut – If You Can't Be Constructive By CNN / StyleMagazine.com Newswire
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BELOVED Houston police chief – ArtT:5"Acevedo responds to President Trump telling governors to “dominate” protesters. See more: www.StyleMagazine.com
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June 04 – June 10, 2020
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5/28/20 12:55 PM
D
ear HISD Parents and Community: We have officially reached the end of the 2019-2020 school year! Each of you played an essential role in the education of our children this year. As educators, we often say, “It takes a village.” This mindset has never been more critical than now. The 2019-20 school year presented historic challenges. But, like we always do, we stood strong together in the face of adversity. Because of your determination, HISD students and staff achieved incredible things this year. Our students showed incredible resilience this year. They met the challenge to continue learning at home with perseverance and courage. Parents, I want to thank you for the many roles you played to ensure your children could continue engaging in education while at
home. We may be separated physically from our students, but our hearts have never left them. I know there are still some unknowns relating to the start of the 2020-21 school year. Please be assured that HISD is working diligently to ensure that when students can return to campus, the process will be done safely, and in collaboration with all stakeholders. As the state establishes guidelines around how businesses
and organizations can safely resume operations, we are creating a Re-Opening Task Force made up of employees, educators, parents, and health care officials. The group will be charged with gathering, reviewing, and discussing guidance from local, state, and federal health and education officials. It will provide recommendations for a re-opening plan for HISD that prioritizes safety for students, staff, and the community. We will provide you with updates as they become available. Let’s take a moment to celebrate our accomplishments during the 2019-2020 school year. We have so much to be proud of, and I know a bright future awaits HISD. Please enjoy a safe and healthy summer.
H.I.S.D. Interim Superintendent – Grenita F. Lathan, PhD – SPECIAL NOTE – Please be aware that six curbside summer meals sites and all Fresh Bus produce delivery stops have been canceled for Thursday, June 4, following a confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus. Sites are expected to reopen Thursday, June 18.
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Black America Is Burning With Pain Fuel for the Emotional Fires Stems From Internal Anger
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By Jo-Carolyn Goode, Managing Editor StyleMagazine.com
lack America is burning with pain and has been burning for years. Like a fire that needs fuel to ignite the flames, the fuel for Black America’s fire is anger. Anger that has been burning the depths of the inside of the human body for years. Anger that stems from being kidnapped from the homeland of Africa more than 400 years ago. Anger that boils from being made to work in fields and under unruly and backbreaking conditions. Anger from being whipped, hung, and treated like less than a human. Anger from having rights taken away and being told everyone is equal when in fact everyone is separated. Anger from having less that adequate access to fair housing and healthcare. Anger from being stripped of their given name, soul and all hope of better future. Anger from being the victims of a broken justice system that rather have a Black person locked up than reformed. Anger from broken promises of being told year after year that things were going to change only to have things remain the same. Anger from living in a society where justice for all does not include Black America. Anger from having to add another name to the list of Black brothers and sisters senselessly killed by that of a police officer or misguided white man. Anger that it is a crime to do anything while being Black. Anger from those who say racism is dead when it is very much alive and real. Anger from being sick and tired of being sick and tired. Now we all are so angry we can’t breathe. Black America’s anger has turned into a raging fire of pain for all to be felt. Black America’s pain should be everyone’s pain because any and every
threat to justice somewhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Now as the voices of Black America are the loudest that they have been before, I ask, “Do you feel the burn of the fire?” George Floyd, our George Floyd. He grew up here and walked the streets of Third Ward, TX. Houston can stake claims on the Jack Yates High School product. The gentle giant made impressionable imprints wherever he went. He was one of us. He posed no threat. He was just a simple man living life as he sought the riches of the American dream of peace and prosperity. In the pursuit of al things good, Floyd made his way to the land of bread and butter in search for some “bread” of his
own only to have his life cut short in 8minutes and 46 seconds by men who vowed to serve and protect. Floyd’s death was unusually cruel and so horrible that mere words can’t describe the horrific nature of it all. Further insult was added to his death when all parties had not been charged with his murder. Plus, the report of the medical examiner trying to assigned blame Floyd’s death to previous conditions he had and not the fact that a human brace his knee on Floyd’s neck cutting off his oxygen supply. Another slap came when the FBI called for more video footage and the President of the United States not showing any empathy at all.
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Although George Floyd is not the first Black man to be wrongfully murdered by police and sadly probably won’t be the last, his ruthless death has caused a Black rising across the world for justice. Thousands have flooded streets marching, protesting, and demonstrating demanding a change in the justice system. Almost overshadowing the peaceful rallies are the acts of destruction and looting defiling cities and ruining businesses. As a Black American, I understand the pain. As a human being, I understand the hurt. I can relate to being so angry that the notion of what to do to solve the problem fails to have entered the mind. However, the tearing down of the placing called home and the businesses that support the area are not the way to go. Although businesses can be replaced and lives can’t. Obliterating these entities only sets the community further back, especially in the already underserved Black communities. The prices of goods will go up. Taxes will go up. Businesses may or may not be able to reopen. Burning up a grocery store leads to Black neighborhoods becoming food deserts. Torching a bank leads to an already depleted Black economy and robs the dreams of future Black entrepreneurs. A more constructive way to demand change and redirect frustrations over injustices is to use your power resourcefully. Don’t destroy your city. Change your city. Black people have incredible power and if used properly real change may be a reality. Read More at: www.StyleMagazine.com
June 04 – June 10, 2020
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2020
60,000 SUPPORTERS ATTEND GEORGE FLOYD PEACEFUL PROTEST & MARCH DOWNTOWN • HOUSTON, TX
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60,000 SUPPORTERS ATTEND GEORGE FLOYD PEACEFUL PROTEST & MARCH DOWNTOWN • HOUSTON, TX
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60,000 SUPPORTERS ATTEND GEORGE FLOYD PEACEFUL PROTEST & MARCH DOWNTOWN • HOUSTON, TX
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LENARD SMITH, JR.
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60,000 SUPPORTERS ATTEND GEORGE FLOYD PEACEFUL PROTEST & MARCH DOWNTOWN • HOUSTON, TX
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GEORGE FLOYD: WE GOT ALL FOUR By Jo Carolyn Goode, Managing Editor, StyleMagazine.com Newswire
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e got all four. We got all four,” was the rally cry that rang out around the world by protestors in Minneapolis, Minnesota as the four former officers involved in the death of George Floyd were finally arrested and charged with his murder. Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are all in custody awaiting trial. No justice, no peace has been the chant for decades by those seeking a change in the way Black Americans are treated. From the time that the ancestors of African Americans were vehemently removed from Africa to the present day of how race relations are handle, crimes against Black Americans have been committed with violators receiving little to no consequences as a result of others’ actions. This blatant disrespect devalued the worth of Black Americans and festered an anger and pain with the desire for real change. Justice and peace seemed to be just a dream for Black America especially today when Black people one after another across the U.S. were killed despite being unarmed and in some cases not resisting arrest or being able to breathe. The names of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Pamela Turner, Botham Jean, Jordan Edwards, Philando Castile are just a few of the many names that have been committed to memory of those whose lives were wrongfully taken by the hands of police. They were killed for such crimes as “Being Black while driving,” “Being Black while sitting in their own house,” “Being Black while jogging in the “wrong” neighborhood,” “Being Black while playing music,” and “Being Black for being Black.” Their lives were taken for so-called crimes beyond their control. The day when Black America would overcome became an idea that many hoped for but really didn’t believe would come. But oh the faith of a few and the unusual cruel death of one produced a change so that justice could be served. On May 25, 2020, four officers responded to a call from an employee at Cup Foods in Minneapolis, Minnesota for a claim that a Black man was allegedly trying to pay for goods using counterfeit money. The interaction between the officers and the man that the world would soon come to know as George Floyd became violent after Floyd was forced to lie on the ground. While lying on the asphalt, one officer dug his knee into Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds all while Floyd pleaded for his life saying repeatedly “I can’t breathe.” Two other officers helped
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J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, Tau Thao & Derek Chauvin to pinned Floyd down and a fourth officer stood by watching. Thankfully there were plenty of witnesses to the brutality and several who recorded the incident. After the video of Floyd’s death went viral, retribution for the officers was quick, something that is rarely seen for police committing such a crime. All four officers were immediately fired and protests for justice ensued. In the days that followed protests would spread around the world with some turning violent resulting in looting, destruction of property, and outbreaks of fire with police responding with tear gas and a spray of rubber bullets to disband crowds. Four days later after Floyd’s death the first arrest was made with Chauvin being charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, a sentence that had a maximum punishment of 25 years in prison. Insult is added to the death of Floyd with tweets from President Donald Trump glorifying violence and the release of Floyd’s autopsy results. The Hennepin County medical examiner made claims that Floyd’s death was a homicide caused by cardiopulmonary arrest. Floyd’s family had an independent autopsy done that determined Floyd’s death was a homicide caused by asphyxia “due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain.” An investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department was launched. Nine days after the death of Floyd the other three former officers involved with his murder were charged with aiding an abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Chauvin’s charges were upgraded to second-degree murder. Now we must all breathe for Floyd, the ones that came before Floyd, and the ones that will come after Floyd to see this thru until his murders are tried and convicted. Minnesota Attorney
June 04 – June 10, 2020
General Keith Ellison, who is prosecuting the case, has said the arrest of the Chauvin, Thao, Kueng and Lane is just the first step towards justice for Floyd as the trial for officers will be difficult to try. If all four men are convicted for the murder of Floyd they could each get a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. Just because the four men are now in custody does not mean the fight against racism stops. There are still a number of killers walking free. Hopefully, the trial and conviction of the “Minneapolis Four” will lead to more wrong doers behind bars. The bigger success will be a change of how racism is handle in America. Former President Barack Obama said, “To bring about real change, we both have to highlight a problem and make people in power uncomfortable, but we also have to translate that into practical solutions and laws that can be implemented and we can monitor and make sure we’re following up on.” He went on to give details of ways to effect change by utilizing the specific evidence-based reforms to build trust and save lives, having mayors review their force policies and commit to report on planned reforms, and having every city increase policy reforms and public-private partnerships for expanded opportunities for men of color. “It remains a shocking failure that many African Americans, especially young African American men, are harassed and threatened in their own country,” said former president George W. Bush. “Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America or how it becomes a better place.” He went on to say that America’s greatest challenge has been “to unite people of very different backgrounds into a single nation of justice and opportunity” calling it a threat to
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our Union. Former President Bill Clinton made a bold statement dividing the way whites and Blacks are treated saying, “No one deserves to die the way George Floyd did. And the truth is, if you’re white in America, the chances are you won’t.” He further added that those in power need to ask themselves certain questions that deal with why this type of behavior keeps happening and listen to the answers. “We can’t honestly answer these questions in the divide and conquer, us vs. them, shift the blame and shirk the responsibility world we’re living in. People with power should go first — answer the questions, expand who’s “us” and shrink who’s “them,” accept some blame, and assume more responsibility. But the rest of us have to answer these questions too.” “We need a government as good as its people,” stated former president Jimmy Carter. “Dehumanizing people debases us all; humanity is beautifully and almost infinitely diverse. The bonds of our common humanity must overcome the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.” His solution for change relies on people in power and with privilege standing out to say “no more to racially discriminatory police and justice system, immoral economic disparities between whites and blacks, and government actions that undermine our unified democracy.” The arrest of was the first very big step towards justice but it MUST certainly not be the last. The wheels of justice must continue to turn. Don’t let the fight stop or voices die out because of this small victory. Let the voices be like that described in the national Black anthem resounding “loud as the rolling sea” and let the bodies “march on till victory is won.” More at: www.StyleMagazine.com
George Floyd and Family
Doing It For The Culture: Texas Legends ‘Lil Keke and Paul Wall Release SLAB TALK By Cecilia Austin, Style Feature Writer – StyleMagazine.com
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hat do you do when you’ve done it all? From sold-out shows, a Grammy nomination and even a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama, Texas legends Paul Wall and original Screwed Up Click (SUC) member, ‘Lil Keke, have truly done it all. With careers that produced classics like Keke’s 1997 offering Don’t Mess wit Texas and Wall’s 2005 defining The People’s Champ, each has helped amplify Houston’s unique style, sound and aesthetics. Now they simply do it for the culture, often joining forces for anthems like “Break Em Off” and “Chunk Up the Deuce.” They’ve been busy outside of music too, with Keke launching CBD products aimed at calm and relaxation. Now they’re back at it again with a new album titled Slab Talk, which promises to deliver a hearty taste of Houston with new songs like the Slim Thug assisted “So Trill.” Despite the pandemic and ongoing unrest, the two found time to chat with Houston Style Magazine about work in the community, how COVID-19 has reshaped things, their upcoming album, Houston culture and more. How a mutual respect has inspired their collaborations Paul Wall: I’ve been a fan of ‘Lil Keke since he first began rapping. My first introduction was through him rapping on Screw Tapes, so I’ve rallied and cheered him on as a fan. Then to see him get the love he deserves is real. The Making of Slab Talk and pivoting during the pandemic ‘Lil Keke: We didn’t have to change anything from a recording standpoint, we had to change things up from a traveling standpoint. We pushed things back. I’d rather go through this situation
and put it out in June, rather than try to release it during everything that was going on. Once we sat down, we kind of listened to some songs. Just ran through it and fed off it. We already have a lot of work together, so just be comfortable that’s pretty much all we had to do. I’m working on SUC as time permits and we’ve got some things we had planned during the COVID. Paul Wall: This is kind of something that’s been on my mind, cause a lot of Houston music was coming out and people didn’t know what we were talking about. The metaphors might go over someone’s head if you don’t know what we’re talking about. I always saw the lyricism, but I didn’t feel like other people really did. Breaking down Houston’s ‘Slab’ culture ‘Lil Keke: One of the goals is for people to enjoy slab music again. So I just think any of the tracks on here will allow you to do that. Paul Wall: It’s just a Houston thing. A lot of what we talk about, our rims, 84s, swangas. Popping your trunk up, might put a “RIP” to one of our friends, that’s how we represent. Chrome belts and buckles. The wheels. Shops like Texan Wire Wheels. The white cup is something a lot of people didn’t understand for a long time. So it’s cool to finally see people accept that. Given the opportunity, which classics would they redo? ‘Lil Keke: I’m kind of already doing it. I re-released “Southside” for the 20th anniversary because the song is a real big part of me and I always said I wanted to do it right. Paul Wall: (Laughs) I would say “In Love With My Money” but I couldn’t talk him into it. I would probably say
Houston TEXAN Defensive End - J.J. Watt
‘Lil Keke
Paul Wall
“Grillz” with Nelly because we just had so much fun doing it. Maybe “Drive Slow” though. So much was happening back then that I didn’t really get the chance to appreciate the moment. In fact it almost didn’t happen at all, because right when I pulled up to the studio my driver got pulled over. I thought it was a joke like, ‘I’m about to go do a song with Kanye West and I’m getting pulled over?” I thought I’d been Punk’d. Then to shoot the video like that, we only performed the song a couple of times together.
Paul Wall: I think people always assume things are perfect because I’m always smiling. It just comes with it, I feel like we’re all kind of misunderstood or judged in some way. ‘Lil Keke: (laughs) That’s crazy because people think I don’t smile enough, like I”m just mad or angry when all I do is laugh and joke all day. In certain situations, I’m just even keel about things, so it seems like I’m never overly enthused about certain things. Sometimes people can take that as, ‘Oh, Keke might not be as friendly’ because most of the time I have a look on my face, but I’m really chilling. As for collaborations, I think I would say Chris Brown. I like him as a singer, rapper and dancer. I’m just a fan of Chris Brown hooks, maybe do something with his versatility. Something different.
In the community and beyond Paul Wall: We’ve teamed up with the Houston Food Bank for families and kids that need help during COVID, every dollar raised goes towards a family by typing “FEEDHOU” to the number 41444. We’ve also worked with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee as she set-up various testing sites throughout the city. I, myself, went and got tested and it was a little uncomfortable, but my test came back negative. I’m not trying to be out here telling people what to do or not to do, but if you can, pull up, wait in line and get tested. A common misconception about them as artists and dream collaborations
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With new music on the way, both are as active as ever, proving longevity is key with their new album, Slab Talk. Ready for more? Watch the Paul Wall and ‘Lil Keke powered “‘Ridin’ 5.”
Stay Connected: Paul Wall @paulwallbaby ‘Lil Keke @DonKe713 https://slfmade713.com
June 04 – June 10, 2020
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