Tln51315

L

EGACY Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

WEDNESDAYS • May 13, 2015

Jamaica Sykes BLACKSBURG – Throughout her years at Virginia Tech, Jamaica Sykes of Portsmouth, a senior majoring in biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has worked her way around campus.

She’s been in meetings with the Commission on Student Affairs and in the Student Success Center as a peer mentor. She could be found in countless labs doing research on traumatic brain injuries or prostate cancer, meeting with international students for a few hours a week to

INSIDE How barbers are saving people - 3 Admitting role in mass jailing - 9 Celebrating ‘Umoja’ in Portsmouth - 12 How life expectancy varies in RVA- 13

Richmond & Hampton Roads

LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM • FREE

First generation student helped unite a divided organization help them learn English, or in the Child Development Center, helping toddlers reach developmental milestones.

But Sykes’ impact is most pronounced through her commitment to the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), one of four councils within Fraternity and Sorority Life. When Sykes, a member of the Mu Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., began her term as president of NPHC in the fall of 2014, she inherited an organization that was riddled by rifts and competition, relied on outdated traditions, and was having a hard time with the academic requirements.

“Jamaica’s commitment to progressive changes within the NPHC has helped the council move beyond the mindset of what’s always been done to the thought of what can we do to be better,” said Tavianna Williams, assistant director of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Through her leadership, the NPHC began the process of reshaping their council to focus on the support of one another. Sykes facilitated

constructive conversations by asking thought-provoking questions of leaders, which spurred positive change. Dedicated to philanthropic work, the primary purpose and focus of NPHC is community awareness and action through educational, economic, and cultural service activities. Sykes’ work has not only refocused the organization on its founding principles, but she encourages recognition of successes to celebrate in each other's achievements.

“Our organizations were created during a time when support was a necessity for African-Americans, so we try to keep that tradition around by supporting one another in all that we do,” said Sykes.

As a first generation college student, making it to Blacksburg was a success in itself, but Sykes recently experienced the heartbreaking death of her mother. However, she hopes to use this experience to better the world around her.

Sykes plans to attend medical school to study pediatrics. She also wants to start a non-profit for

children with mentally ill parents.

She said that she’s learned from her own experience that these children need guidance, financial support, and counseling. She wants to alleviate those additional barriers and prevent young people from going through what she went through.

“Jamaica’s resume is impressive, but beyond what’s on paper, Jamaica is one of the strongest, most generous, kindest women I know,” said Williams.

In March, Sykes was honored with an Aspire! Award for Curiosity.

The awards recognize students who exemplify the Division of Student Affairs’ Aspirations for Student Learning.

Sykes served as a host for Virginia Tech Gateway, an orientation experience for underrepresented students. She is secretary of the Commission on Student Affairs, vice president of her sorority, a member of the Order of the Gavel, and was named Sorority Outstanding New Member of the Year for 2013-14. In addition, Sykes was one of the first recipients of the Virginia Tech Black Alumni Scholarship. ©VT

Richmond Crusade for Voters (RCV) held a forum for candidates running in the June 9 Democratic primaries. Among the candidates are incumbent Del. Betsy Carr of the 69th House being challenged by Preston Brown. In the 74th House District is current School Board member, Lamont Bagby, former Richmond Mayor Leonidas Young and Steve Adkins, chief of the Chickahominy Nation. PHOTO: Paulette Shipman-Singleton

2 • May 13, 2015

The LEGACY

News

An outsider accidentally solved chronic homelessness TERENCE MCCOY The process of innovation is often one of mystery. Where does an idea come from? How do innovators find it? What makes them different from everyone else fumbling around in the dark?

Compounding the puzzle is the irony that those most likely to innovate are rarely the experts. They’re outsiders who see things freshly.

And so, on a recent morning, one such outsider picks his way down a sun-splashed street. Face patched in scruff, wiry frame crammed into a Patagonia jacket, he doesn’t at first

seem like an innovator who has had national impact. But few thinkers today are in greater demand.

Meet Sam Tsemberis. According to academics and advocates, he’s all but solved chronic homelessness.

His research, which commands the support of most scholars, has inspired policies across the nation.

The results have been staggering.

Late last month, Utah, the latest laboratory for Tsemberis’s’s models, reported it has nearly eradicated chronic homelessness. Phoenix, an earlier test case, eliminated chronic homelessness among veterans. Then New Orleans housed every homeless

Sam Tsemberis And now, here he is again, peering up at another brick building on another urban street in another city that’s dabbling with his models.

“This building,” he declares of an Irving Street structure in the nation’s capital, “is great.”

He pauses for a moment, eyes flashing.

“See that sign over there? It says, ‘Now Leasing.’ That’s what we look for.”

It’s that simple, he said. Give homes for the homeless, and you will solve chronic homelessness.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me’ To the uninitiated, this may sound strange. Not because it doesn’t make sense. But because it’s so simple that to call it innovation would seem an insult to the likes of Thomas Edison.

To think that, however, would underestimate how utterly radical Tsemberis’s proposition — give homes to addicts and drunks and schizophrenics without preconditions — once seemed. And still kind of does.

“The truth is, we thought the earth was flat,” said Richard Bebout, a Washington scholar of homelessness who was once critical of Tsemberis’s work. “But here he was saying the earth is round, and we said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’”

Homeless services once worked like a reward system. Kick an addiction, get a home. Take some medication,

get counseling. But Tsemberis’s model, called “housing first,” said the order was backward. Someone has the best chance of improving if they’re stabilized in a home.

It works like this: First, prioritize the chronically homeless, defined as those with mental or physical disabilities who are homeless for longer than a year or have experienced four episodes within three years. They’re the most difficult homeless to reabsorb into society and rack up the most significant public costs in hospital stays, jail sentences and shelter visits.

Then give them a home, no questions asked. Immediately afterward, provide counseling, a step research shows is the most vital.

Give them final say in everything — where they live, what they own, how often they’re counseled.

“People thought this was crazy,” said Tsemberis, who today runs Pathways to Housing. “They said, ‘You mean even when someone relapses and sells all the furniture you gave them … [to pay for] drugs, you don’t kick them out?’ And I said, ‘No, we do not.’”

Stumbling into the solution Born in Greece and raised in Montreal, Tsemberis was never trained in how to treat the homeless.

He repeats this point often. “I’m a psychologist,” he said. “I’m a clinician.”

And so, it perhaps came as a surprise when, in the early nineties, he took a job in New York City doing outreach for the mentally ill, which brought him into close contact with the homeless. He soon sank into their hidden world, noting the complexity of its social rules and survival tactics. How some experts perceived homelessness, he said he realized, was fundamentally flawed.

This world’s denizens, in fact, were profoundly resourceful.

“We were equating the severity of diagnosis with ability to function,” he said. “But surviving in homelessness (continued on page 3)

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 13, 2015 • 3

(from page 2) is labor intensive, exhausting and complicated. It calls for a skill set of functionality.”

Tsemberis’s task was to find the homeless, bring them in for help — sometimes against their will — and medicate them. “But I would see 30 percent of those people over and over and over again,” Tsemberis said. “We knew them by name and location and habit. We knew all of them.”

There was need of a change. So he assembled a very small, very unusual team. None of them had any training in homelessness. They, too, were outsiders. One was a recovering heroin addict. Another was a formerly homeless person.

Another was a psychologist. And the last, Hilary Melton, was a poet and a survivor of incest.

“We were people who weren’t that far removed from the people we were serving,” said Melton, who runs Pathways Vermont. And so, over long conversations, they fashioned the rough contours of what would become housing first. “This was totally off the walls radical,” Melton said. “I remember the moment we took someone’s shopping carts in right off the streets and through the front door of an apartment, and left them there. It felt like Christmas morning.”

Tsemberis soon received $500,000 in federal funding, which he used to track what happened to 139 chronically homeless people who were immediately housed and offered counseling. In 1997, the results arrived. The small team couldn’t

believe it. It showed a retention rate of nearly 85 percent. The next best model’s retention rate? Sixty percent.

Skepticism and growing success Word spread. Tsemberis published another paper in 2000, this time in the respected Psychiatric Services, which ignited fierce debate in the homeless services community. Some loved it. Others thought Tsemberis was, if anything, naive.

Bebout, the Washington homelessness expert who now leads Green Door, a mental-health center, couldn’t understand why Tsemberis cared so much about housing aesthetics. Isn’t most important to just find a house, any house? “I said, ‘We’re not in the business of running pretty houses,’” remembered Bebout, who today is a fierce proponent of housing first. “The whole thing sounded nutty to us at the time. … But the data became so overwhelming.”

Success begat success. Several years later, the federal government tested the model on 734 homeless across 11 cities, finding the model dramatically reduced levels of addiction as well as shrank health related costs by half. “Adults who have experienced chronic homelessness may be successfully housed and can maintain their housing,” the report declared.

Around that time, the District got into the game. Between 2008 and 2010, the city added more than 1,200 units for the chronically homeless. One case study, which tracked 36 participants, showed 84 percent retention over two years. But then, the number of added homes

D.C. resident Jerome Jackson, 59, spent two decades on the streets struggling with mental illness and addiction. Then he heard about housing first and hasn’t been homeless since. PHOTO: Terrence McCoy plummeted. In 2012, only 121 units were added, and the District is still home to more than 1,700 chronically homeless, though Mayor Muriel Bowser’s new budget has since made the program a larger priority.

That inconsistency, Tsemberis and other experts say, can devastate the program. “We committed,” said Utah’s Gordon Walker, explaining how his state succeeded at eliminating homelessness — and saved millions. “It was costing us in state services, health-care costs, jail time, police time, about $20,000 per person. Now, we spend $12,000 per person.”

BANKRUPTCY NIKKI WHITE

377-9431

Call Anytime 24-7

Hours: Weekdays Mondays thru Friday

Saturday and Evening Appointments Available

Offices in convenient locations

“We will beat your lowest reasonable written estimate”

35851-01

"7" Bankruptcy or "13" Debt Adjustment First fee payment

$100

Licensed & Insured

Tell bill collectors to "Call My Lawyer" *Other legal services available*

Law Office of White & Associates P.C.

Additions, Garages, Roofing, Fences, Vinyl Siding, Decks, Painting

804-357-6813

BANKRUPTCY

9101 Midlothian Turnpike, Suite 800 • Richmond, VA 23235

BANKRUPTCY

Class A Contractor

Visit us at profinishexteriors.com

M

oments emories & ...advertised here.

Still, in Washington, D.C., stories of success poke through. Take Jerome Jackson. A drug addict with schizophrenia, he lived two decades on the streets. Then he heard about housing first. He wondered if the stories were true.

“They said they could find me a place fast; they told me not to worry,” Jackson said, at first alarmed that his addictions would exclude him from services. But they didn’t. “And lo and behold, they were right. I had a place in three months, and haven’t been homeless since.” © WaPo

C.L. Belle’s

E Z Car Rental 3101 W. Broad Street

(804) 358-3406

W INTER SPECIAL

ALL Cars

29

Small - Medium -

$

Large

95

a day

Unlimited Miles

Free Pickup in Richmond Area

NO CREDIT CARD NEEDED

www.ezcarrentalsrva.com

4 • May 13, 2015

The LEGACY

How barbers are saving people from colon cancer PERRY STEIN There are 26 barbers and stylists at The Shop in Hyattsville, Md. Between them, they cut the hair of more than 100 people each day.

That’s around 600 people each week, 31,000 heads each year.

Over the last two years, 29 of those customers received a colonoscopy as a direct result of conversations they had with their barbers at The Shop.

One of those people, says owner Fredie Spry, was already showing symptoms of colon cancer and is now getting treated. Many more of Spry’s black clients learned that the cancer is one of the few that are preventable and — given blacks’ higher-thanaverage risk for the disease– they should consider getting a first colonoscopy at 45.

“It makes me feel like I’m giving back to the community,” said Spry, who opened The Shop in 2001.

“In life, you’re either helping our hurting. You’re part of the problem or the solution.”

The Shop was the first establishment to implement University of Maryland’s Health In-Reach and Research Initiative (HAIR)—a one-of-a-kind outreach program that trains barbers to teach their clients about colorectal cancer and measures, like a colonoscopy, that can prevent it.

The initiative has just received a $200,000 grant from the Cigna Foundation, the charitable arm of the health insurance company, to expand to ten barbershops in Maryland.

And on Thursday, it launched its first outpost in D.C. at Christopher’s Grooming Lounge on H Street NE—a two-year-old barber shop and salon with a predominately black customer-base.

So why barber shops, seemingly mundane places that don’t conjure images of healthcare or doctors offices?

Stephen Thomas, a behavioral scientist who now heads the University of Maryland’s Center for Health Equity, developed the HAIR initiative to reach blacks in their own, often under-served, communities. In black communities, barbershops are often social hubs and customers build trusted relationships with their barbers over years. In the barber shop, people talk about their families, sports, relationships and plenty of awkward topics. So talking about health care wouldn’t seem so of the ordinary.

“No self-respecting black barber says they’ll get you in and out in 15 minutes,” said Thomas, who first developed an iteration of the HAIR initiative in 2001 in Pittsburgh. “You are going to be there for a half a day and it doesn’t matter how little hair

Christopher Bradley (at left), cuts the hair of Tyson Greaves, as barber Vince Smith, right, cuts the hair of Lavon Stevens, as both barbers initiate conversation about their customer’s health at Christopher’s Grooming Lounge in D.C. PHOTO: Ricky Carioti and grandparents to make an you have.” appointment.

The effort is intended to have Christopher’s, owned by a ripple effect, starting in barber Christopher Bradley, a D.C. native, shops-and hopefully seeping out has nine barbers and five stylists, from there to customers’ families all of whom will eventually go and friends. A 23-year-old getting through HAIR’s six-part training his haircut may not need to think program so they can talk to their about getting a colonoscopy just yet, but he can tell his parents (continued on page 5)

SERENITY HOME CARE, LLC Improving the quality of your life at home

• Medication Reminders •Bathing and Personal Hygiene • Skin Care •Respite Care • Assistance with transfer and ambulation •Light Cleaning •Incontinence Care •Alzheimer's/dementia Care •Companionship •Over night Care • Day Surgery •Support and Care •Meal Planning/Preparation

9510 Ironbridge Rd., Ste. 210, Chesterfield

804-318-1591 FAITH MAN

CONSTRUCTION, LLC

ANYTHING YOU NEED REPLACED OR REPAIRED... We DO “Painting Special” If you don’t have the full payment, call us, we’ll work something out.

Free Estimates • Licensed & insured “Just have some faith” (Heb. 1: 1-11)

804-231-3958 (Office) • 804-908-3958 (Cell)

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com (from page 4) clients about colon cancer and other health problems plaguing black communities, like hypertension and diabetes. The idea isn’t to transform these hair specialists into medical experts, but rather make them fluent in information about diseases, preventative measures, and risks to the black population that HAIR’s leaders say everyone should know anyway.

“I’ve had people come in their car seats and now they’re driving themselves to their haircut,” said the manager at Christopher’s, Lamont Whitmire, a longtime barber in the area. “To me, this is the way it’s supposed to be…Our clients look forward to not only conversation, but wisdom.”

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies must cover screening for colorectal cancer.

Thomas said this development solves the economic barrier for many people

May 13, 2015 • 5 who need to get a colonoscopy; now he needs to bridge the information gap so people know to get the procedure.

“We need to get out of the Ivory Towers and meet people where they live, where they worship, where they play and where they get their haircuts,” said Thomas. “We realize we are not reaching the people who need to hear our message.”

Thomas wants to address more than just colon cancer, which affects about six in 10,000 black people, and is working to transform these shops into mini-health care centers.

Recently, a health care worker administered dozens of hypertension and breathing tests to people in Christopher’s Grooming Lounge.

A health care advocate from University of Maryland will frequently visit the participating salons in the region to map out customers’ family health histories so they know what diseases they’re most susceptible to. If someone

doesn’t have health insurance, the barbers know who they should contact to help them navigate the system. The initiative is partnering with Capital Digestive Care, a large gastroenterology group, which will provide consultations and screenings to people reached through HAIR. Thomas will track the success of the program—recording how many people get tested as a result of their interactions with their barbers—and apply for additional grant money to

expand HAIR to more shops in the region.

So far, Thomas says the barbers and customers have been receptive and view barber shops as a natural place for this initiative.

“I’m 42, so I probably need one soon, right?” asks customer Kirwin Tromal, a New York resident who works at the Cafe Car on Amtrak and gets his haircut at Christopher’s when work brings him to D.C. “Everything educational is good.”

Route 360 Widening and Bell Creek Road Intersection Relocation Projects Hanover County Citizen Information Meeting

Tuesday, May 26, 2015, 5-7 p.m.

Lee Davis High School 7052 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Mechanicsville, VA 23111 Come learn about construction projects to widen Mechanicsville Tnpk (Route 360) to 8 lanes from Interstate 295 to Colony Dr, and to 6 lanes from Colony Dr to Wynbrook Ln. The Bell Creek Rd intersection with Mechanicsville Tnpk will also be relocated about 650 feet east.

Construction is expected to begin in May 2015.

The meeting will be held from 5-7 p.m. with a presentation at 5:30p.m. followed by an open house format from 5:45-7 p.m. with stations available where individuals can talk one-on-one with project staff. At the meeting, residents and business owners will be able to sign up to receive email updates about the project, or they may contact VDOT to receive these updates.

A comment box will be provided at the meeting where attendees will be able to provide written comments regarding the project. Your written or oral comments may also be provided to Keith Rider, PE, Area Construction Engineer, Virginia Department of Transportation, 523 North Washington Highway, Ashland, VA 23005 or 804-752-5538. You may also email your comments to Keith.Rider@vdot.virginia.gov. Please reference “Route 360 Widening Citizen Information Meeting” in the subject line.

Planting trees for the future Third-graders at Oak Grove Elementary School in Richmond Public Schools hosted a special Arbor Day event to culminate their study of trees and the environment with Dominion’s Project Plant It! program. Here, Mike Colston, a Dominion forester, tells students some facts about the Serviceberry tree. The students read poems, sang a special song and planted six trees on the school grounds to celebrate Arbor Day. More than 12,000 students in the Richmond region were enrolled in Project Plant It! this year and each participating student received a redbud tree seedling. Teachers got lesson plans and other instructional tools to use in the classroom and outdoors.

VDOT ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need more information in regards to your civil rights on this project or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the project manager at the telephone number listed above.

6360-042-V15, P102, R201, C501 STP-5127(354), STP-5127(770), STP-5A27(357) 0360-042-123, P101, R201, C501 STP-5127(353), STP-5127(758), STP-5A27(356)

6 • May 13, 2015

Op/Ed & Letters

The LEGACY

Raise the wage act is more rhetoric than reality JAMES A. DORN When U.S. Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the Raise the Wage Act recently, they promised that their bill would “raise wages for nearly 38 million American workers.” Their bill would also phase out the subminimum tipped wage and index the minimum wage to median wage growth.

With rhetorical flourish, Sen. Murray said, “Raising the minimum wage to $12 by 2020 is a key component to helping more families make ends meet, expanding economic security, and growing our economy from the middle out, not the top down.”

The fact sheet that accompanied the bill claims that passing the Raise the Wage Act would reduce poverty and benefit low-wage workers, especially minorities. Indeed, it is taken as given that the Act “would give 37 percent of African American workers a raise”—by the mere stroke of a legislative pen. It is also assumed that “putting more money into the pockets of low-wage workers stimulates consumer demand and strengthens the economy for all Americans.”

The reality is that whenever wages are artificially pushed above competitive market levels jobs will be destroyed, unemployment will increase for lower-skilled workers, and those effects will be stronger in the long run than in the short run.

The least productive workers will The LEGACY NEWSPAPER Vol. 1 No. 14 Mailing Address 409 E. Main Street 4 Office Address 105 E. Clay St. Richmond, VA 23219 Call 804-644-9060 • 757-244-5654 Online www.legacynewspaper.com

be harmed the most as employers substitute new techniques that require fewer low-skilled workers.

There will be less full-time employment for those workers and their benefits will be cut over time. That is the logic of the market price system.

To deny that logic and, hence, to ignore the law of demand, is to destroy the opportunities that would have otherwise existed.

The minimum wage law increases the price of labor without doing anything to increase a worker’s skills or experience or other traits that would allow that worker to remain employed and earn higher wages in the future. Moreover, if that worker loses her job because she is priced out of the labor market, her income is zero.

Some workers, particularly those with slightly higher skills, more experience, or better work habits, may retain their jobs at the higher minimum wage, but other workers will lose their jobs or won’t be able to find jobs. If workers lose their jobs, it is against the minimum wage law to offer to work at the old wage rate—or for employers to hire at that wage rate. Hence, the minimum wage law restricts freedom of contract and prevents many workers from climbing the income ladder.

Contrary to what proponents of the minimum wage promise, an increase in the minimum wage cannot benefit all workers or all Americans.

Workers who lose their jobs or become unemployable at the higher The LEGACY welcomes all signed letters and all respectful opinions.

Letter writers and columnists opinions are their own and endorsements of their views by The LEGACY should be inferred. The LEGACY assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Annual Subscription Rates Virginia - $50 U.S. states - $75 Outside U.S.- $100 The Virginia Legacy © 2015

minimum wage will have lower—not higher—real incomes. They will have less, not more, spending power.

Linking the minimum wage to the growth of the median wage is a sure way to permanently block some lower-skilled workers out of the market and keep them in poverty.

Proponents of the Raise the Wage Act justify the higher minimum by arguing that inflation has eroded the purchasing power of the nominal minimum wage. The fact sheet states that “the real value of the minimum wage … is down by more than 30 percent from its peak value in the late 1960s.” That comparison is largely irrelevant. What matters is whether the nominal minimum wage is above the nominal market wage rate for low-skilled workers.

No one knows ex ante what the market-clearing wage for low-skilled workers should be, but we do know

that the higher the minimum wage is above the prevailing market wage, the greater the number of jobs that will be lost, the higher the rate of unemployment for that category of labor, and the slower the job growth.

We also know that the minimum wage is an ineffective means to reduce poverty, and that an increase in the minimum wage would benefit mostly non-poor families.

Many studies have strong empirical evidence in support of these effects.

For a summary of some of the many studies that show the negative effects of minimum wage laws, especially in the longer run.

Black teen unemployment is abysmal, especially for males. Raising the minimum wage will make it more so. Poverty is best reduced by gaining education and experience, not by mandating higher federal (continued on page 7 )

Win a FREE CRUISE for 2 to the Bahamas Enter by subscribing to our E-edition at LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM

Terms * 3-5 day cruise from Charleston * Drawing will be held in July * Cruise takes place Aug./Sept. 2015

* One entry permitted per household * Winners will be contacted by email * Winner response required within two days of notification.

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 13, 2015 • 7

P.T. Hoffsteader, Esq.

Solutions abound

There are long-term solutions to the civil unrest and rioting we have seen taking place in Ferguson and now Baltimore.

The loving efforts of one mother who is making a difference in her son’s life by applying punishment to her son, who she observed taking part in rioting went to confront him, she grabbed her child who had a hood on his head and she started smacking him on the head because she was so embarrassed.

Additionally, the Baltimore Police Department has to take responsibility for their violation of Freddie Gray’s civil rights by denying him medical attention after his spine was broken, resulting in his death.

The city of Baltimore’s mayor, similar to the city of Newport News Mayor, must also take responsibility for their lack of leadership by not taking proactive steps to prevent crime and violence in the community. We should not continue to tolerate and/or accept the lack of accountability.

I applaud and commend the North Charleston, South Carolina mayor and police chief for accepting responsibility when an unarmed citizen’s life was taken, holding individuals accountable, including charging a member of the police department for manslaughter.

Their actions were prompt, decisive and forthcoming. We have to get these streets in our communities and neighborhoods under control.

Andrew Shannon Newport News

Rule by force?

Thousands of years of human history cannot be overruled by three hours of debate before nine imperfect people. But recently at the U.S. Supreme court that is exactly what liberal homosexual activist were hoping for in the race to upend nature’s law -- and nature’s God. Outside the U.S. Supreme Court, where the future of civilization was on trial, people from both sides of the marriage debate soaked in the sun while inside clouds gathered over the question that’s shadowed America for the last 11 years. Does the court have a right to force same-sex “marriage” on every state in the union?

Two years ago, these same justices argued no. It was wrong, Anthony Kennedy warned, for courts to “put a thumb on the scales and influence a state’s decision as to how to shape its own marriage laws.”

Now, a vocal minority is asking these nine justices to put -- not just a thumb, but the body of America’s highest court on the scales, toppling 240 years of self-governance. If they concede, burying the nation’s democratic heritage under an avalanche of judicial activism, states’ rights and the voters voice are forever at risk.

For the sake of our great nation, we must hope and pray this does not happen.

Dawna Lee Mechanicsville

Blame goes around

According to a report following the recent Baltimore riots, 63 percent of the population of Baltimore is

comprised of blacks, with blacks committing 85 percent of all crime in the city and 90 percent of all violent crime. These are the statistics in spite of the city having a black mayor, a racially diverse police force with black leadership represented among the ranks, and the same for the city council—as well as a black president.

This is not to say that all blacks are criminals—far from it. Most are hard-working, decent people who are suffering due to the actions and attitudes of a few.

It is not the job of the police to judge guilt or innocence or to mete out punishment for crimes. It is their job to come to the aid of victims, investigate crime, and arrest those who are suspected of committing crime. Suspects’ arguing with law enforcement officers and resisting arrest is an exercise in both ignorance and futility. The time and place to argue one’s innocence is in court with a judge and jury. Law enforcement officers must do their job, and making it harder for them creates a dangerous environment of resentment and fear.

Failed socialist policies have created an entitlement mentality that apparently includes the belief among the criminal element that they are also entitled to do whatever they please, whether legal or not, and not be held accountable for their actions. They react indignantly when they are caught, saying they are being harassed just because of their race. Rioting, looting, and destroying property only escalates

the atmosphere of resentment and distrust, making life harder for decent, hard-working people who have done nothing wrong.

People rioted in Ferguson, Missouri, swearing that Officer Darren Wilson was guilty of murder, both before and after multiple forensic tests and investigations exonerated him from wrongdoing.

The only thing those riots accomplished was to spread the virus of malcontent.

Respect is a two-way street, and it begins with having respect for one’s self, one’s family, and one’s community. And, that applies to all races and all income levels.

Patricia H. Miles Port Haywood (from page 6) minimum wages. There is no free lunch. Congress can’t promise workers a pay raise without adverse consequences for those that are priced out of the market. A more accurate name for Raise the Wage Act would be “Job Destruction Act”— under which Congress makes it illegal to hire low-skilled workers at a rate less than the legal minimum wage—even if they are willing to work at the free-market wage rate.

Raise the Wage Act is a feel good bill, not an effective way to reduce poverty or create jobs for low-skilled workers. Removing barriers to competition and entrepreneurship, lowering taxes on labor and capital, improving educational opportunities, and lowering inner-city crime would do more to help the poor than rigging the price of labor and making promises that can’t be kept.

The LEGACY

8 • May 13, 2015

Keeping the Faith Pushing stones In Greek mythology there was a mighty king named Sisyphus.

In his day he was an entrepreneur with a Trumplike self-image, and presided over his territorial and commercial empire like a cagey Wall Street tycoon. His tactics, however, more resembled those of Tony Soprano than Jack Welch, for Sisyphus was a treacherous man.

If you read the mythologies about Sisyphus you find him so irritating to the gods that they banished him to hell twice (three times, actually, according to some accounts). But he was such a wily character he could even negotiate an escape from the underworld. Nevertheless, his trickery finally caught up with him as such things seem to do.

For his many crimes against humanity and the heavens he was condemned to an eternity of frustratingly hard labor. His endless assignment was to roll a huge boulder to the top of a hill, taking all of his strength to do so. Then, every time Sisyphus arrived with his rock at the top of the hill, it would roll back down to the bottom. Sisyphus would be forced to begin the process all over again. According to the Greeks, he is still struggling with that stone today.

In issues of faith many of us lead a Sisyphean existence. We are always pushing that rock up the hill only to see it slip away just as we “arrive” at a resting place. Proof of our effort is betrayed by words like: “I have got to

do better…I must try harder…I need to give more…I should pray longer…

I’m not good enough…I ought to read the Bible more often.”

Faith becomes a terribly heavy burden that we are pushing up the hill. Like Sisyphus, with his shoulder eternally shoved against the stone, or like the perpetual hamster on a never ending exercise wheel, we turn liberating grace into a repressive pseudo-holiness that is nothing short of a deathtrap.

This concept is completely foreign to the spirituality of Jesus. Matthew 11 frames the contrast best. I love Eugene Peterson’s translation of Jesus’ anti-Sisyphean maxim found there: “Are you tired? Worn out?

Burned out on religion? Come to me.

Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.”

It’s quite the disparity. Granted, faith and spirituality are not passive. A healthy faith and a vibrant spirituality do not develop spontaneously without some level of decision or intentionality. We have to give these our attention. But too many of us have an overly-inflated sense of personal responsibility.

We think that our spiritual journey and growth depends upon all that we can do. Many of us live - or exist rather, as we haven’t learned to really live - with the old Protestant work ethic hanging around our necks like a yoke. Boiled down to a bumper sticker mantra we think: “If it’s going to be, then it’s up to me.” That’s nothing short of sacrilege, even if it sounds resolute and brave.

We who are proponents of the Christian faith must recapture a healthy spirituality that isn’t so much about labor as it is about resting. It should not be so much about all the work we can do for God, or church, or anyone else. It should

RONNIE McBRAYER & MORE

be about recovering what it means to be truly alive.

Being a follower of Christ is not about being an adherent to one of the world’s great religions. God save us from enduring any more of that.

No, being a follower of Christ is the discipline of being still, and learning to trust the way that leads to life.

There will always be another stone

You Can Still File Chapter 7&13 Bankruptcy Get rid of debts that you can’t pay “Get A Fresh Start” STOPS FORECLOSURES, REPOSSESSIONS GARNISHMENTS AND HARASSING PHONE CALLS

wt

t

0

to push up a hill, another mile to run, another burden to bear. But faith should not be one of these.

Faith, particularly faith in the person of Christ, is not a ball-andchain, holding us down in a slave’s hell. It is the very means to live a light and free life.

McBrayer is a syndicated columnist, pastor, and author/ronniemcbrayer.me.

FAITH MAN CONSTRUCTION

houses

power wash $125.00

LIMITED TIME OFFER

GUTTER CLEANING

$59.99

Licensed and Insured

“Just Have Some Faith” (Heb.11-1)

231-3958

Offices in Downtown Richmond Downtown Petersburg at 422 East Franklin Street at 119 North Sycamore St., Suite 301 (5th & Franklin Sts.) First Floor (off Washington St.

804.218.3614 24-7 talk to an attorney for free.

To advertise here, call 804-644-9060 or email ads@legacynewspaper.com

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 13, 2015 • 9

Bill Clinton concedes role in mass incarceration JEREMY DIAMOND President Bill Clinton last week conceded that over-incarceration in the United States stems in part from policies passed under his administration.

Clinton signed into law an omnibus crime bill in 1994 that included the federal “three strikes” provision, mandating life sentences for criminals convicted of a violent felony after two or more prior convictions, including drug crimes. Clinton acknowledged that policy’s role in over-incarceration in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

“The problem is the way it was written and implemented is we cast too wide a net and we had too many people in prison,” Clinton said. “And we wound up...putting so many people in prison that there wasn’t enough money left to educate them, train them for new jobs and increase the chances when they came out so they could live productive lives.”

Clinton’s comments come on the heels of protests in Baltimore over policing and the death of a young black man there and a week after former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, delivered one of the first policy addressees of her presidential campaign on criminal justice reform, saying that the system focuses too much on incarceration.

“Keeping them behind bars does little to reduce crime, but it does a lot to tear apart families,” Hillary Clinton said last week. “Our prisons and our jails are now our mental health institutions.”

As first lady, Clinton helped push the omnibus crime bill in public, calling it a “well-thought out crime bill that is both smart and tough” in a 1994 interview.

She said that the crime bill would keep violent offenders locked up “so they could never get out again” and touted the “three strikes” provision specifically.

“We will finally be able to say, loudly and clearly, that for repeat, violent, criminal offenders: three strikes and you're out. We are tired of putting you back in through the revolving door,” Clinton said in 1994.

A closer look at Virginia Since 1990, increased incarceration had a limited impact on reducing crime nationwide, concludes a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. In What Caused the Crime Decline?, a team of economic and criminal justice researchers examine over 40 years of data, gathered from 50 states and the 50 largest cities.

The report offers a close look at Virginia, where there has been a drastic increase in the state’s prison population.

Virginia has the third lowest violent crime rate in the nation. Despite this, the state has the nation’s 13th highest incarceration rate, with one of every 89 adults incarcerated. As of 2013, Virginia imprisons 448 people per 100,000, compared to 496 for the U.S. In 1995, Virginia eliminated parole and implemented a “truth-in-sentencing” system requiring state inmates to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences. This led to drastic increases in the incarcerated population. Virginia spent $1.174 billion on corrections in 2013.

Crime in Virginia dropped by 52 percent from its height in 1981 to 2013. Increased incarceration has been declining in its effectiveness as a crime control tactic for more than 30 years. It had some effect, likely in the range of 0 to 10 percent, on reducing crime in the 1990s.

SOURCE: Brennan Center On the heels of nationwide protests in Baltimore, Clinton and other politicians are now turning their attention away from “tough on crime” policies to those focused on lowering prison populations and providing more opportunities for low-income areas, where tensions with police have boiled over in Baltimore and other cities.

In the interview, the former president didn’t completely take the blame for those crime policies, though, pointing to Republicans who strongly pushed the “three strikes” provision.

“But I wanted to pass a bill and so I did go along with it,” Clinton said, referencing the legislation that put more police officers on the streets, increased prison funding and banned assault weapons and large ammunition magazines.

Clinton’s administration did attempt to reform the Republican proposal of that policy, but he and his administration touted the benefits of the “three strikes” provision included in the legislation he signed.

Clinton said he agreed with his wife’s new bent on criminal justice reform and called bipartisan support for those types of reforms “one of the most hopeful things.”

“I mean, going from conservative Republicans to liberal Democrats and the people in between saying there's too many people in jail and we’re not doing enough to rehabilitate the ones you could rehabilitate,” Clinton said. “We’re wasting too much money locking people up who don’t need to be there.”

10 • May 13, 2015

The LEGACY

Umoja Festival brings African culture to Portsmouth The city of Portsmouth is hosting the annual Umoja Festival next weekend for the 25th time.

Umoja is a Swahili word that means “unity” and is the first principle of the black American holiday of Kwanzaa. The free festival kicks off May 22 at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion and Festival Park. The kick off on Friday evening features a drum call and a ceremonial procession.

Afterwards, as dictated by African tradition, the event will be blessed by elder members of the Portsmouth community. Starting at 6:15 p.m., evening music will fill the night air, including a tribute to legendary Motown artists Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder.

The free live music will continue on Saturday starting at noon.

Visitors will also be able to step back in history by taking a tour of the Portsmouth Community Colored Library Museum, located off site.

The children’s corner will come alive from noon to 5 p.m. with activities for even the youngest family members, including face painting, bounce houses, games, arts and crafts, and a climbing wall.

On Saturday night award-winning national R&B artists Peabo Bryson and Jazmine Sullivan will take the stage. They will be joined by Portsmouth’s own, CaReam, at the

Prince debuts song about Baltimore at ‘Rally 4 Peace’ Prince took the stage in Baltimore before thousands of fans who were dressed in gray in tribute to a man whose death in police custody prompted riots and drew

nTelos Wireless Pavilion.

While the rest of the weekend’s events are free, the concert on Saturday night requires ticket purchase.

The excitement peaks when the festival swings into its third and final day. Spirits will soar on “Unity Sunday” as the Piney Grove Baptist Church Choir and the award winning Earl Bynum and the Mount Unity Choir raises hands and voices to the Lord. Children’s activities will resume in the afternoon and visitors will once again be able to take a tour of the past, this time at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church Underground Railroad, located off site. In the evening Portsmouth’s own Peggy Britt and Company will take the stage, followed by national gospel artist and Grammy Award-winning singer Vickie Winans, who will close out three days of African culture, cuisine, music and unity.

For the duration of the festival, the event grounds will be decorated to look like Portsmouth’s sister city of Eldoret, Kenya. Visitors will be immersed in the sights and sounds of Africa as they stroll through the marketplace offering an array of traditional African wares including sculptures, paintings, prints, baskets, jewelry and other handcrafted items.

Food vendors will also be on site to offer selections for purchase.

international attention.

The pop star announced Sunday’s “Rally 4 Peace” concert at the Royal Farms Arena Baltimore after weeks of protests sparked by Freddie Gray's death. During the show, Prince debuted a song he wrote for the city after Gray’s death.

“For those who have lost loved ones, we’re here for you tonight,” Prince told the crowd before launching a set that included his most famous hits.

Prince also called on the city’s youth to fix a “broken system.”

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who charged six officers in Gray’s death, was invited to the stage and waved to the crowd.

For two and one-half days, the Portsmouth waterfront is transformed into an image of its sister city, Eldoret, Kenya.

Nationally-renowned artists Peabo Bryson (left), Jazmine Sullivan and Portsmouth’s own CaReam will perform at nTelos Pavilion.

Ethnic foods such as jambalaya and larderbout, and a marketplace of sculptures, paintings, prints, baskets, quilts and other assorted handcrafted wares contribute to the ambiance of the festival

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 13, 2015, • 11

Smithsonian’s black history museum on track for opening BRETT ZONGKER With a bronze metal and glass structure taking shape on the National Mall, the Smithsonian Institution recently said that its new National Museum of African American History and Culture is on track to open in 2016.

Over the past two weeks, workers have begun installing the bronze-color panels that will form the defining “corona” facade of Washington’s newest museum. The idea was inspired by an African headdress. Architects said it will appear as a glowing bronze crown in different lights.

The design is a significant departure from the mostly classical structures of Washington. Museum Director Lonnie Bunch said the idea for the metal lattice panels was meant to evoke the work of enslaved craftspeople and iron workers who created screens and designs popular in New Orleans and Charleston, South Carolina.

“So much of the African-American experience is hidden in plain sight,” Bunch said during a briefing on

Philip Freelon the museum’s progress. “I thought: Wouldn’t it be powerful to take this building and in some ways make it a monument to all those people whose work shaped this country, whose work made the country possible but whose work is often forgotten.”

After 10 years of work to develop the museum, Bunch said the building has reached a milestone as its defining elements become evident. The building is 18 months from completion. Bunch said he’s determined the museum will open before President Barack Obama leaves office so that the nation’s first black president can cut the ribbon.

“It’s a Mommy-Daughter Thing’ dance tour set to launch Hampton will be getting a little piece of dancing heaven on May 17. After appearing on nationallysyndicated ‘The Ellen Show’ several times, four-year old Heaven King and her mom, New York-based choreographer, Tianne King, will launch their “It’s A MommyDaughter Thing” U.S. Summer Dance Tour in Hampton at the Performing and Creative Arts Center. The event takes place from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.

During this four-hour workshop, participants of all ages will learn some cool dance moves and creative choreography as seen in the duo's viral videos that have, to date, garnered over 15 million views.

Immediately following the dance workshop, Heaven and Tianne will be hosting a meet and greet session

where they will take photos with participants, sign posters and take part in scheduled media interviews.

Last week Heaven’s debut video was released via the Dance On Network and subsequently was featured in many national online publications such as People.com, Cosmopolitan.com, Mashable.com and more.

Last weekend on Mother’s Day, and leading up to the tour kickoff, Heaven and Tianne did an all day Instagram Takeover of the Dance On Network’s IG page, where they had a full day of Mommy-Daughter activities planned around New York.

“I’m especially excited to be launching our first mommy-daughter dance tour is an absolutely amazing experience for both Heaven and I,” said Tianne.

The Smithsonian has raised $476 million in public and private funds.

Congress provided half the building funds and money for staffing, and about $200 million has been raised privately from corporations, foundations and individuals.

The Smithsonian still must raise as much as $70 million more to finish the project, Bunch said.

Numerous individual donations of $25 and $50 have shown how important the museum is to so many people, Bunch said. Nearly 82,000 people have joined the museum as members to contribute to the building, representing every state.

The museum has built a collection

Ask Alma A

of 40,000 artifacts, and a staff of 160 is developing the 11 major exhibits that visitors will find at the opening next year. The exhibits will trace the history of slavery, segregation, civil rights and AfricanAmericans’ achievements in the arts, entertainment, sports, the military and the wider culture. Bunch said it will be a museum for everyone to gain a fuller, more nuanced understanding of history.

“The strength of this museum is that it seeks to use African American culture as a lens to understand what it means to be an American,” he said.

“We’re all shaped by the AfricanAmerican experience.”

❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖ ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

Wants to be friends Dear Alma, I was with a police officer for 10 years. He did some awful things in our relationship. Meaning he cheated on me. A lot of it was through the Internet or through the phone and he didn’t consider it cheating.

We were living together and I was battling lupus. He said it was because I was sick often and didn’t like to do the things I used to do.

Cutting a long story short, I found a side phone with over 30 different women in the phone.

I was devastated! Here I am battling lupus and he can’t be loyal.

I was heartbroken, so I kicked him out and our relationship over.

He has tried to be my friend ever since, but I’m so angry that he hurt me. He’s apologized and begged me to forgive him. He wants to be friends and be a part of my life.

What’s your take on this?

Name withheld I’d have to say I’m glad this relationship is over and no, you don’t need him as a friend.

Friends don’t deliver hurt and pain; friends show up with tissue and support. Nobody wants to admit it, but it’s hard to love yourself more than the one you love when they instantly break your heart.

Love’s not like a cell phone, you can’t turn it on and off ~ or put it on

silent when it’s convenient for the situation.

Sounds like you still have feelings for him and if you can’t have him as a lover, you’ll consider allowing him to be your friend. Don’t! You can forgive him, but don’t forget.

My “Ask Alma” super girl powers tell me that you’re beautiful, smart and worthy of someone who will give you his best. You’ve spent enough time allowing Robocop to block your blessings. Unpack your big girl bloomers and let him bounce! Surround yourself with friends and family who love and support you – everybody else has got to go. You’re living with lupus, God bless you! You ain’t got time for no foolishness.

Lupus didn’t give you a choice, but you can chose to have devoted, faithful, compassionate friends and relationships that’ll bring you joy. ***** Want advice? E-mail questions to alwaysaskalma@yahoo.com. Follow her on Facebook at “Ask Alma” and twitter @almaaskalma *****

12 • May 13, 2015

The LEGACY

Babies born within 5 miles of downtown RVA face a 20-year difference in life expectancy A recently-released life expectancy map illustrates that opportunities to lead a long and healthy life can vary dramatically in Richmond based on where you live.

For example, life expectancy differs by 20 years in the 5.5 miles it takes to drive between Westover Hills and Gilpin and by 14 years in the 2.8 miles that separate Westover Hills and Swansboro.

Researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Society and Health, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, created the map using census tract data from the Virginia Department of Health.

The map is the latest in a series developed to raise public awareness of the many factors that shape health, particularly social and

economic factors. The dramatic health gaps the map demonstrates can be used as a conversation starter to support the work of local officials and community organizations looking to address these factors in order to improve, maintain and reclaim their community’s health. These differences between neighborhoods rarely are due to a single cause. A growing body of research shows that health is influenced by a complex web of factors. These factors include opportunities for education and jobs; safe and affordable housing; availability of nutritious food and places for physical activity; clean air; and access to health care, child care and social services.

“The health differences shown in these maps aren’t unique to one area. We see them in big cities,

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey

You’re invited Join Virginia Commonwealth University and the East Marshall Street Well Planning Committee for Community Consultations on The Well, a series of learning and feedback sessions.

Saturday, May 16 8:30 a.m. Breakfast 9 a.m. Program

Pre-registration encouraged.

Free and open to the public.

Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Gymnasium 1000 Mosby St., Richmond, Virginia 23223

About the project The East Marshall Street Well Project is a community-focused effort to engage dialogue about remains from the 19th century discovered near East Marshall Street.

EMSW.vcu.edu VCU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action university.

small towns and rural areas across America,” said Derek Chapman, Ph.D., associate director for research, VCU Center on Society and Health.

“Our goal is to help local officials, residents and others understand that there’s more to health than health care and that improving health requires having a broad range of players at the table.”

For example, a VCU-led initiative aims to reduce health disparities in Richmond through a partnership involving the VCU Health System Virginia Coordinated Care program for the uninsured, the VCU Office of Health Innovation, Richmond City Health District and the Institute for Public Health Innovation. The project will deploy community health workers to address social factors and help residents obtain better care in lower cost community-based health care settings rather than relying on more costly visits to emergency departments.

Additionally, the 7th District Health and Wellness Initiative is

a collaborative effort to improve community health and wellness through health education and outreach; health promotion; and screening, treatment, and medical homes that coordinate patient care.

The initiative has been in place since 2009 and involves partners in the Richmond City Health District, VCU, Bon Secours, Sports Backers, the Minority Health Consortium, and others. Its success in promoting health has prompted the recent expansion of the program into the north side of Richmond.

“To build a culture of health we must build a society where everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, has the opportunity to lead a fulfilling, productive and healthy life,” said RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D. “There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Each community must chart its own course and everyone has a role to play for better health in their homes, in their neighborhoods, in their schools and in their towns.”

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

May 13, 2015 • 13

Saint Leo commencement is ‘family affair’ Saint Leo University’s Virginia commencement will be a family affair as almost 680 students graduate on Saturday, May 16.

And the world “family” rings true for several students who will earn their degrees that day.

Erica Pressey will receive her bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis on management; her husband, Keith, will receive a bachelor of arts in logistics and project management; and her daughter, Raquel Santos, will receive her associate of liberal

arts degree.

The family primarily studied via Saint Leo University’s Newport News Education Office. “A friend of mine was going to Saint Leo when I worked at Fort Eustis,” Erica Pressey said. “I was going to Strayer University [a for-profit school].

My daughter was at a community college. I decided ‘I’m coming over to Saint Leo,’ and my husband did, too.”

And daughter Raquel followed.

The convenience of Saint Leo’s classes helped Pressey, her husband, and her daughter complete their

educations. “It was really good being able to study online and go to classes [on ground],” she said. “And we had access to the bases and Newport News and Fort Eustis and Langley.”

For a while, the family was down to one car and Erica and Keith were able to coordinate classes and carpool.

It’s also a family affair for Christa Leopard, her father, Furnan Henry Leopard, and her sister, Amber Ballmer. Christa and her dad will receive their master of business administration degrees while Ballmer receives her associate of arts

degree.

And they’re not stopping there.

Christa Leopard will pursue a master’s degree in theology and dad, Furnan Henry, is filling out the paperwork to join her while Ballmer pursues a bachelor’s degree – all via Saint Leo University.

Commencement ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m., at Hampton University Convocation Center, 700 Emancipation Drive, Hampton. The guest speaker is Lt. Gen. Robert B. Neller, commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command.

Baskerville to retire as CEO of Va. Girl Scouts Viola O. Baskerville will retire as chief executive office of Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia (GSCV) effective May 15.

The board has selected Molly Fuller, former CEO of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, to assume the role of CEO as of May 18.

“Leadership for me is defined as servant leadership. It is about how well you listen to and help others,” said Viola O. Baskerville, CEO, Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia. “Any success I have attained in life is because I listened to someone who was much wiser than myself.”

While serving as CEO, Baskerville led the council through its relocation back into the city, guided the council through its strategic planning process and renewed its charter.

A proven leader, Baskerville has over 15 years in the public policy arena with 4 years focusing on administration. Prior to joining Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Baskerville was Secretary of Administration for the Commonwealth of Virginia during Governor Tim Kaine’s administration. Before her post with the Governor’s Office of Virginia, Baskerville was a Member of the Virginia House of Delegates and a Council Member and Vice Mayor for the City of Richmond.

Viola O. Baskerville (left), leaves the Girl Scouts this week.

Baskerville received an Honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Richmond, a law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law, was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany, and received a bachelor’s

degree in German Literature from William & Mary where she was also recognized as a Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar. Baskerville received the 2013 Most Influential Woman of the Year award from Virginia Lawyers Weekly.

In honor of Baskerville’s retirement, a scholarship fund has been created and will serve to assist underserved girls to participate in Girl Scouting. Funds for The Viola O. Baskerville Scholarship Fund will be distributed annually.

14 • May 13, 2015

The LEGACY

Baltimore: Next steps for nearby city after Freddie Gray charges Life is starting to return to normal in Baltimore after Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake lifted a city-wide curfew that was in effect for five nights. The curfew followed the riots and looting after the funeral last week of Freddie Gray, a 25-yearold black man who died after he was injured while in police custody.

There have been no reports of confrontations between protesters and police lately.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said

more than 200 businesses were lost to the rioting and looting.

Police say officers will continue to deploy to “areas of concern” and monitor protest activity. More recent protests have been mostly peaceful and even somewhat celebratory in tone since the announcement of charges against six officers involved in Gray’s arrest.

Police said they had arrested 486 people since the unrest began, including 46 people on the final night

of the curfew.

WHAT'S NEXT? IN COURT: The charges announced by State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby are just the start of the legal process. The officers have been released on bond.

Two are suspended with pay and four are suspended without pay. Court records show a preliminary hearing is scheduled May 27 in Baltimore District Court for Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White, and officers Caesar Goodson, Garrett Miller, Edward Nero and William Porter.

INVESTIGATIONS: In the coming weeks, the Justice Department is expected to release results of a review of the police department's use of force practices.

The department requested the review after several cases of physical force by officers resulted in millions of dollars in legal settlements and a public outcry.

The FBI and Justice Department are conducting a separate investigation of Gray's death for potential civil rights violations.

Police officials and Mosby have indicated they will continue to investigate the Gray case.

NEW LAWS: Gov. Hogan said that he would sign several bills this week related to public safety, law enforcement policy.

One bill requires law enforcement agencies statewide to provide information to the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention about deaths in police custody and officer line-of-duty deaths.

THE OFFICERS AND THEIR CHARGES The six officers charged range in age from 25 to 45. Three joined the force in 2012. Two others, Lt. Brian Rice and Officer Caesar Goodson, have been serving since the late 1990s.

Goodson, the driver of the vehicle that transported Gray, faces the most serious charges. He’s been charged with second-degree depraved heart murder, which carries a possible 30-year sentence if convicted. The charge involves acting with extreme disregard for human

life. Mosby said Goodson repeatedly failed to secure Gray with a seatbelt in the back of the van, and because Gray was unbelted, shackled and handcuffed he suffered a severe neck injury. The death has now been ruled a homicide.

Bill Murphy, a lawyer for Gray's family, said “his spine was 80 percent severed.”

Other charges against the officers include involuntary manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and false imprisonment. The officers turned themselves in at the city jail Friday afternoon after charges were announced. All were later released on bonds of between $250,000 and $350,000.

THE TIMELINE The charges came about three weeks after Freddie Gray’s arrest on April 12. After his arrest, Gray spent a week in the hospital before he died April 19. Bystander video captured Gray's arrest and led to protests that began the night before he died and continued almost daily after that.

The protests turned violent for the first time on April 25, when pockets of protesters shattered police car windows and storefronts.

Wider violence erupted Monday, the day of Gray’s funeral. At least 20 officers were hurt, one person was critically injured in a fire, more than 200 adults and 34 juveniles were arrested and nearly 150 cars were burned, police said.

That led officials to impose a citywide 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.

FREDDIE GRAY Friends and relatives knew Gray as warm, funny, and generous. Gray was slight and slender.

He grew up in Baltimore’s predominantly poor and AfricanAmerican Sandtown community, and had collected several drug-related convictions during his life. But the arrest that led to his death was “illegal”, Baltimore’s top prosecutor said Friday, noting he hadn't done anything wrong.

Charging documents from his arrest allege he was carrying an illegal switchblade knife. Mosby said it was a legal folding knife, with the blade folded into the handle.

May 13, 2015 • 15

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

TSA to stop singling out black women for hair searches TSA, the nation’s Transportation Security Administration, has agreed to stop searching through the hair of African American women who wear all natural hairstyles.

“TSA has reached an informal agreement with the ACLU to enhance officer training,” the agency said in a statement. “Racial profiling is not tolerated by TSA. Not only is racial profiling prohibited under DHS and agency policy, but it is also an ineffective security tactic.”

The agreement also promises to keep a record of complaints from black women to “assess whether a discriminatory impact may be occurring” at specific airports across the country.

The issue became big earlier this year after two black women, Malaika Singleton and Novella Coleman, filed complaints about having their hair arbitrarily searched at airports. Both women were reportedly wearing their natural hairstyles when they were stopped and searched in the airport.

Coleman, whose hair was styled in dreadlocks, said that that TSA workers “singled her out” several years ago and searched her hair three times. On one occasion she asked why her hair was being checked, and she was told that agents search hair that has

Two black women filed complaints about having their hair arbitrarily searched at airports. “abnormalities.”

Singleton also had a similar experience when she was stopped, and the TSA searched through her hair, and en route back, her hair was searched again during a layover.

Singleton comments, “The first time I was shocked. I just did not expect that. I felt violated.” She said that

she was never given a reason for why her sister locks were singled out and searched.

Such claims that TSA agents discriminate against black women are not new. Solange Knowles, for example, the sister of Beyonce Knowles, also said that she was profiled back in 2012.

A wrongly convicted man released after 30 years on death row Anthony Ray Hinton, a 58-year-old Alabama man who spent half his life on death row, walked free after prosecutors determined he did not shoot two fast-food managers in the head during a robbery in 1985.

Hinton was quickly convicted of killing a manager at a Mrs. Winner’s Chicken & Biscuits fast food restaurant, and an assistant manager at a Captain D’s, and was sentenced to death in 1987.

But the charges were dropped after

Anthony Ray Hinton speaks at a news conference. modern ballistics tests proved that the bullets did not come from the

.38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver found in Hinton’s home or even from

Recently, in response to the complaints, TSA has launched an internal Disability and Multicultural Division, which is responsible for ensuring that their security screening policies, procedures, and practices comply with all applicable civil liberties and civil rights laws.

the same type of gun.

Hinton told reporters, “I shouldn’t have sat on death row for 30 years. All they had to do was test the gun.” He said the state “had every intention of executing me for something I didn’t do.”

He refers to his case as a “miscarriage of justice, not only to me, but the victims’ family.” He told the family, “I will continue to pray for you as I have for 30 years.”

Meanwhile, Hinton’s long-time attorney, Bryan Stevenson, says that Hinton was convicted because he was poor. He added that for more than 16 years, the state refused his appeals to re-test the gun.

“His case, in my judgment, is a case study in what’s wrong with our system,” Stevenson said. “We have a system that’s compromised by racial bias, and his case proved it.”

16 • May 13, 2015

Calendar

The LEGACY

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

5.16, 10 a.m.

5.16,

The community is invited to attend the Liberty & Justice For All Forum event in Newport News at the United House of Prayer For All People, 1811 Ivy Ave. The event is free and open to the public.

Free lunch will be provided during the forum to all attendees in the Kitchen Fellowship Hall of the United House of Prayer For All People.

Rev. Dean Nelson, National Chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation will serve as moderator of the forum. Special guests will include Pastor Mark Gonzales, executive director of the National Black Robe Regiment, Newport News City Councilwoman Tina L. Vick, Virginia State Del. Brenda Pogge, Don Blake – chairman of the Virginia Christian Alliance; Martin Brown – Former Special Advisor to The Governor of Virginia and Rev. Kermit Jones, Pastor of Holy Tabernacle Church of Deliverance in Newport News.

The Liberty and Justice For All forum will provide an opportunity for residents in the Hampton Roads area and citizens throughout the commonwealth in Virginia to discuss reform in the criminal justice system, issues and concerns in the community; honesty, integrity and ethics in government.

For more information, contact Andrew Shannon, SCLC Chapter president and state vice president at 757-877-0792 or Edna V. Davis, SCLC Chapter vice president at 757218-8157.

5.21, 7 p.m.

National Megan’s Law Helpline & Sex Offender Registration Tips Program

Call (888) ASK-PFML (275-7365)

The Virginia Chapter of CFF is headquartered in Richmond, with an additional office in Hampton Roads, will host Great Strides at Innsbrook’s North Shore Commons across from the Innsbrook Pavilion.

Numerous fundraisers are held annually to support the mission of Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, with the largest national (and local) fundraiser being Great Strides.

Great Strides walks are open to the public and provide opportunity for supporters to come together in support of a worthy cause.

The event will include a 2-mile walk, food, music, awards and many kid’s activities. Registration is free and can be done by visiting www.cff. org/greatstrides.

Back by popular demand, Democratic strategist, political commentator and author Donna Brazile will be delivering the keynote address at the Office of Human Affairs’ (OHA) 49th Annual Awards Banquet on Thursday, May 21.

The banquet, hosted annually by OHA’s Board of Directors, is being held at at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, 1610 Coliseum Dr, Hampton. the cost is $65 per person.

This event, a celebration of the agency’s mission to promote selfsufficiency within the Peninsula’s low-income neighborhoods, provides an opportunity to honor and recognize the many contributions made by individuals, organizations and businesses in the community.

For more information, call 757-2470379, extension 301.

Submit your calendar events to calendar@legacynewspaper.com and include contact infomation that can be published.

CHTravels.com One-stop for travel planning and booking. We’ll do the work so you don’t have to.

May 13, 2015 • 17

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

Directory Bonds Hairstyles 10 E. Marshall St. Relaxer $25 • Silk wrap $20

Weave $60

TO ADVERTISE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS, EMAIL ADS@LEGACYNEWSPAPER.COM

Donate A Boat or Car Today!

Shakoor’s Merchandise Retail & Wholesale Specializing in exotic & essential body oils, incense, shea butter, natural soaps, health products, men & women Afro centric, Western garments, plus jewelry, brass, copper, silver, etc.

Come with hair washed, blow dried and two bags of hair

Mon., Tues. & Wed. specials

(804) 644-3064 herhairreplacement.com

Walk-ins are welcome Hair Stylist Needed

Commission • Owner will help you build clientele

“2-Night Free Vacation!”

1- 800 - CAR - ANGE L

www.boatangel.com

sponsored by boat angel outreach centers

STOP CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN

SAVE $500

*

“Shop with Shakoor’s & Travel The World”

*Any job over $3,000. Good only when presented at time of free inspection. Not to be combined with any other offer.

ICKING WINDOWS? NASTY CR Foundation & Structural Repair • Concrete Lifting FUNGUS? TERMITES, BUGS, RO RACKED BRICKS? UNEVEN FLOO Crawl Space Moisture Control • Basement Waterproofing MELLS? STICKING DOORS? BOU E? WE FOUND

FREE

Spectacular Parcels 3 to 22 acres w/ deepwater access $55,000 to $124,000

Located in an exclusive development on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Amenities include community pier, boat ramp, paved roads and private sandy beach. Only 1 hour to Va. Beach and south of Ocean City. Great climate, boating, fishing, clamming & very low property taxes. Absolute buy of a lifetime!

Recent FDIC bank failure makes these 25 lots available at a fraction of original cost.

For info call (757) 442-2171 or email: oceanlandtrust@yahoo.com Pictures and info on website http://Wibiti.com/5KQN

To reach our readers, send your ads to ads@ legacynewspaper.com

INSPECTION & ESTIMATE ODENTS? FOUNDATION PR OO888-836-9296 RA KE D Y

OUNCY www.jeswork.com FLOORS? STICKIN ASEMENT? MOLD & FUNG

MELLS? STICKING DOORS

CORVETTES WANTED Buying ‘53 thru ‘72 Corvettes and some later models (any condition).

KNOW OF A CORVETTE FOR SALE? Finder’s Fee Paid - Serious Buyer

Call Toll Free 1-800-850-3656 e-mail: vccorvette@aol.com or visit www.VinceConnCorvette.com

319 North 2nd St. S Richmond, VA 23219 Dawud Shakoor, President Mahasin Shakoor, Vice President 804-644-4494 (store) 804-687-1904 (cell) DMShakoor@aol.com www.ShakoorsMerchandise.com

GET YOUR HOME PHONE & CABLE BACK ON TODAY!

CALL 804-322-9677 (Local Office) If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

18 • May 13, 2015

Classifieds nd 804 6 4-90 • 75 ads@leg n

INVITATION FOR BIDS The Hampton Redevelopment & Housing Authority (HRHA) will only be accepting Sealed Bids at the Construction Office located at 811 West Pembroke, Hampton, VA 23669 for the time specified below for the following:

Patterson Crossing Apartments - HRHA 15-002 PRE BID: May 19, 2015 at 11:00 a.m.

HRHA Construction Office, 811 West Pembroke Avenue, Hampton, VA BID DUE: June 11, 2015 at 1:00 p.m.

HRHA Construction Office, 811 West Pembroke Avenue, Hampton, VA

All clarifications regarding the specification and/or scope of work must be in writing a minimum of ten days prior to the bid opening and may be faxed to (757) 727-1768 Attn. Construction Department or ktaylor@hrha.org.

HRHA shall not be responsible for missed transmissions.

EMPLOYMENT, ANNOUNCEMENTS, FOR SALE, SERVICES, FORads@l LET

Hampton University Educational Talent Search Job Openings Hampton University is accepting applications for the Program Director and Administrative Assistant positions with Educational Talent Search (TS), a federal TRIO Program funded through the U. S. Department of Education to provide academic, career, and financial counseling 40 and E toMai St them #4to to eligible middle and high school students encourage graduate from high school and pursue their post-secondary education R For specific responsibilities, required qualifications,80 and application -644 9 information for both positions, please visit the Hampton University Employment page at http://www.hamptonu.edu/about/employment.cfm.

Proposed forms of contract documents, including specifications, are on file and may be obtained by contacting the Construction Office at 811 West Pembroke Avenue, Hampton, VA, or calling (757) 7271481. The plans and specifications may be examined at the Builders and Contractors Exchange in Norfolk, McGraw-Hill Construction in Richmond, or www.hamptonrha.com.

Contractors submitting a bid must possess a valid Virginia Class A contractor’s license. A certified check, payable to HRHA, or a satisfactory Bid Bond executed by the bidder and acceptable sureties in an amount equal to 5% of the bid MUST be submitted with each bid that exceeds $25,000. Performance and Payment Bonds will be required for all Contracts over $100,000. Certified Payroll will be required. This is a Section 3 project.

244 spa

TheRichm LEGACY ng

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS RFP #SCC-15-001-BOI Economist Services The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is seeking sealed proposals to establish a term contract(s) through competitive negotiation with a qualified source(s) to provide professional economist services for the State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance. An electronic copy of RFP# SCC-15-001-BOI can be obtained at the following website: http://eva.virginia.gov.

The State Corporation Commission welcomes and encourages proposals from small, women and minority-owned businesses, including proposals from small, women and minority-owned prime contractors as well as prime contractors who propose to use small, women and minority-owned subcontractors.

CHTravels.com

One-stop for travel planning and booking. We’ll do the work so you don’t have to.

156-508 HAMPTON SOLICITATION The Director of Finance or his designated representative will accept

written responses the Procurement Office Franklin Street, 3rd floor, iling) • 05 in 1/2 E Cla St ( 1ffice) suite 345 Hampton, VA on behalf of the Entity (ies) listed below until the V 23 19 date(s) and local time(s) specified.

HAMPTON CITY acynewspa Thursday, June 4 2:00p.m. ET-ITB 15-72 / A Paul Burbank Elementary Stormwater Management. A Mandatory Pre-bid Conference will be held on Wednesday, at 11:00 a.mX local 5May in 20, hes2015 (2 co mn s) 2 5 time nchein the Public Works Conference Room, 22 Lincoln 4th floor, 1 Is Street, ue (May 13)Hampton, - $55 VA, 23669.

For additional information, see our web page at http://www.hampton.gov/bids-contracts Include Interne p aceme Alease withdrawal bidproof due tomake error shall be in accordance reviewofthe any needed c ange with an Section return of the Code Virginia. forms relating to these f2.2-4330 your respon e sofnot rece All ved by deadline yoursolicitations ad may may be obtained from the above listed address or for further information kcall; X (757) 727-2200. The right is reserved to reject any and all responses, to make awards in whole or in part, and to waive any informality in submittals.

Minority and Woman-Owned Businesses are encouraged to participate.

Karl Daughtrey, is Fridays @ Director of Finance

CONTRACT SALES REP We are looking for a contract sales representative to help us maximize our revenue potential by selling ad space through a multi-platform advertising program that includes newspaper, special editions and online advertising.

The ideal candidate is knowledgeable in newspaper sales, but your motivation and drive to learn are more desirable qualities.

We pay a small weekly stipend with the bulk of your earnings coming from commission paid on closed sales. You must have reliable transportation.

Your responsibilities will include developing and executing sales strategies while meeting and exceeding monthly goals.

You must be professional, motivated, well spoken, willing to learn, and organized.

Please submit your resume, cover letter, references, and contact information to ads@legacyewspaper.com. No phone calls.

May 13, 2015 • 19

www.LEGACYnewspaper.com

EMPLOYMENT

Marten Transport, a Leading Refrigerated carrier, is now hiring at the Colonial Heights, VA terminal for: Service Manager to maintain our fleet of trucks. Highly competitive pay based on exp. Great benefits including UMR medical, Delta Dental, 401k (after 90 days). Apply online today:www.marten.com/careers.html EEOE functioning under AAP

Readers are highly engaged with newspapers in print, online, smartphones and tablets because they value the news, advertising and local feature coverage.

79% of newspaper users took action on a newspaper ad in the past month.

Want your ad to reach thousands without breaking the bank?

Send it to ads@ legacynewspaper.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HELP WANTED / SALES

LAND FOR SALE

Warbirds Over the Beach Air Show May 15-17. See one of the largest collections of flying military aircraft from WWII. Military Aviation Museum. www.

VBairshow.com

EARN $500 A DAY: Insurance Agents Needed • Leads, No Cold Calls • Commissions Paid Daily • Lifetime Renewals • Complete Training • Health & Dental Insurance • Life License Required. Call 1-888-713-6020.

Spectacular 3 to 22 acre lots with deepwater access- Located in an exclusive development on Virginia’s Eastern Shore just hours away. Amenities include community pier, boat ramp, paved roads and private sandy beach. Great climate, boating, fishing, clamming and National Seashore beaches nearby.

Absolute buy of a lifetime, recent FDIC bank failure makes these 25 lots available at a fraction of their original price. Priced at only $55,000 to $124,000. For info call (757) 442-2171, email: oceanlandtrust@yahoo.com, pictures on website: http://Wibiti. com/5KQN

AUCTIONS (3) FORECLOSURE SALES #1—1.24±AC Lot Zoned R-4, Fredericksburg #2—7.15±AC Lot Zoned A-1, Fredericksburg #3— (10)Office/Warehouse Condos, Stafford Co. TUESDAY, MAY19 See Website for Sale Locations/ Times www.motleys.com • 1-877-MOTLEYS VA16 EHO AUCTION - Construction Equipment & Trucks, May 19th, 9 AM, Richmond, VA. Excavators, Dozers, Dumps & More.

Accepting Items Daily thru 5/15 – We Sell Assets Fast. Motleys Asset Disposition Group, 804232-3300x.4, www.motleys.com/ industrial, VAAL #16.

ATTENTION AUCTIONEERS: Advertise your upcoming auctions in Virginia Newspapers for one low cost of $300. Your 25 word classified ad reaches OVER ONE MILLION Virginians! Call this paper or Adriane Long at 804-521-7585 (Virginia Press Services.

EDUCATION / TRAINING Medical Billing Trainees Needed! Train to become a Medical Office Assistant. No Experience Needed! Training & Job Placement available at CTI! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. 1-888-424-9419

HELP WANTED / TRUCK DRIVERS DRIVERS-CDL TRAINING $40,000-$50,000 1st Year!

Roanoke 800-614-6500 or Spotsylvania 800-243-1600.

4 Weeks or 10 Weekends.

Guaranteed Financing, Grants and Job Placement Assistance Available. Veterans Welcome.

67 Driver Trainees needed! No CDL? No Problem-We Train. Be Job ready in as little as 20 days!

Earn Great pay/benefits! 1-800874-7131

LOTS AND ACREAGE

Owner-Operators $180,000$200,000. Work 5 days, off weekends. Run NC, VA, MD, NJ, PA, OH, WV. Permits, tags & tolls paid for. Need 2010 or newer truck, good MVR, 2+ years experience & Hazmat.

Houff Transfer Weyers Cave, Winchester, Richmond, Baltimore MD. Text to 540-746-0955 or call 877-234-9233. Apply at www. houff.com

2 ACRE HOMESITE - fantastic view of Blue Ridge - slopes gently for walk-out basement covenants. Northern Rockbridge, 3 minutes to I-81. $59,900. I’ll finance. 540-487-0480

NEED CDL DRIVERS???

ADVERTISE YOUR TRUCK DRIVER JOBS in Virginia Newspapers for one low cost of $300. Your 25 word classified ad reaches OVER ONE MILLION Virginians! Call this paper or Adriane Long at 804-521-7585 (Virginia Press Services.)

ACRE WITH A VIEW – east of Rocky Mount – unrestricted $26,900 and I’ll finance - low down. 540-294-3826

5 WOODED ACRES - paved state road - Southernmost Nelson County – great spot for mobile.

Wildlife at your door. $45,900. I’ll finance – nothing down. 540-4870480 2 ACRES in western Amherst County. Paved road frontage OK for modular or doublewide. $29,900 and owner will finance low down. 434-534-5161 MOUNTAIN’S SHADOW – 12 acres at the foot of Cahas Mountain southeast of Roanoke, – open and wooded, stunning view, excellent

SEALED PROPOSALS The City of Richmond announces the following project(s) available for services relating to: The City of Richmond is seekingR to fill the following positions:

I

IFB K150021100 – Monument Avenue and Allen Avenue Intersection Safety Improvement Project (UPC 105653) Due Date: June 9, 2015 at 2:30 p.m.

Opening Date: June 10, 2015 at 2:30 p.m.

Information or copies of the above solicitations are available by contacting Procurement Services, at the City of Richmond website (www.RichmondGov.com), or at 11th Floor of City Hall, 900 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. Phone (804) 646-5716 or faxed (804) 646-5989. The City of Richmond encourages all contractors to participate in the procurement process.

For reference purposes, documents may be examined at the above location. financing. $99,900 - call now 540-294-3826 MISCELLANEOUS AVIATION Grads work with JetBlue, Boeing, NASA and others – start here with hands on training for FAA certification.

Financial aid if qualified. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 888-245-9553.

SERVICES DIVORCE – Uncontested, $350 + $88 court cost. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one days.

All telephone inquiries welcome - no obligation. Hilton Oliver, Attorney. 757-490-0126. Se Habla Español.

Classified ads are for everyone!

Place your “For sale”, “Wanted”, and “Service”... ads here for maximum exposure and we’ll add in online placement for close to FREE. Our rates begin at just $11.

Call 804-644-9060 for details.

Do you owe more than $10,000 to the IRS or have unfiled tax returns?

The most common mistake made by taxpayers is engaging the IRS or State on your own. If you owe back taxes or have unfiled tax returns to the IRS or State, call Ultimate Tax Defenders now to receive a confidential consultation. Allow our team of tax attorneys and tax specia ists to protect you and negotiate your absolute best resolution!

Our services:

R R R R

Bank Levy Release Penalty Abatement Unfiled Tax Returns Wage Garnishment Release

R R R R

Tax Lien Audit Defense Income Tax Debt Payroll Taxes

Call us now and you could get a settlement for as low as 25% of previous IRS settlements.

800-587-8033

Open Mon - Thu 8am to 6pm, Fri 8am to 4pm (PST)

Animal Control Officer I 88M00000007 Please review proof, Richmond Animalt eCare & respon Control Apply by 5/24/2015

Business Analysis Manager 29M00001109 Department of Public Works Ok with c Apply by 5/24/2015 Electronics Technician II R 87M00000111 Department of Emergency Communications Apply by 5/31/2015 Human Resources Consultant Training and Development 12M00000007 Department of Human Resources Apply by 5/24/2015 Library Assistant I 03M00000017 Richmond Public Library Apply by 5/24/2015 Management Analyst II 14M00000021 Human Services Continuous Project Management Analyst HR Liaison 30M00000009 Department of Parks & Recreation Apply by 5/24/2015 Plans Examiner - Mechanical 05M00000065 Department of Planning and Development Review Continuous Project Management Analyst 36M00000050 Department of Economic Development Apply by 5/24/2015 Project Management Analyst 05M00000174 Department of Planning and Development Review Apply by 5/24/2015

Did you know...

Nearly 7 out of 10 adults have read a newspaper in the past week – that’s 147 million Americans!