INNER-CITY NEWS

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October , 2019 November 05, 2019 INNER-CITY NEWS July 30 27, 2016 --August 02, 2016

OPINION: Importance of Color for Black & Brown Students Financial JusticeofaEducators Key Focus at 2016 NAACP Convention New Haven, Bridgeport

INNER-CITYNEWS

Volume 27 . No. 2356 Volume 21 No. 2194

Dave

Chappelle

“DMC”

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Malloy Dems: Malloy To ToCall: Dems: Critics’ Ignore Ignore“Tough “ToughOn OnCrime” Crime”

Can Cops

Something

Color Struck?

Snow in July?

Political Gala Celebrates

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

Lamont Inches Toward Transportation and Bond Package

by Christine Stuart

HARTFORD, CT — Gov. Ned Lamont canceled another Bond Commission meeting last week. That leaves just one more scheduled meeting this year and millions in municipal projects hanging in the balance.

Lamont said his administration is talking to legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle trying to come up with a plan that includes how much the state will spend on transportation and how much it will borrow for other infrastructure projects. He wants to complete the discussion on transportation before moving to the other projects on the bond agenda.

But it’s not easy working in the off-session with a part-time legislature.

“The legislative leaders are at the table every day,” Lamont said Monday.

House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, said that’s not true.

Klarides said she had to ask Lamont’s chief of staff for a briefing on the 10-year, $18 billion transportation plan that he’s cautiously pitching in private.

As far as the Bond Commission agenda is concerned, there has been no information beyond what was proposed in July when the Lamont administration and legislative Democrats were $100 million apart.

Office of Policy and Management Secretary Melissa McCaw said then that the governor would agree to increase his selfimposed borrowing limit from $1 billion to $1.3 billion. But that’s contingent on lawmakers making a firm commitment to $100

million per year of that general obligation bonding being used for transportation infrastructure.

Discussions have not moved beyond that point, according to legislative sources.

As far as transportation is concerned, “Nobody reached out to me,” Klarides said. “I had to ask for a meeting.”

She said by stating he’s not going to approve any bonding without an agreement on a transportation plan, Lamont is hurting cities and towns.

“You can’t hold people hostage,” Klarides said.

Lamont disagrees with the characterization of his negotiating tactic.

“The numbers have to add up,” Lamont said.

If the state borrows $700 million for transportation, then other projects on the bond agenda will have to be scaled back to account for the transportation spending.

Lamont was referring to the Republicans’ plan to pay for transportation improvements without any tolls.

Lamont is still waiting on Republican support for his new 10-year, $18 billion proposal that includes a limited number of tolls.

“Governor Ned Lamont is committed to upgrading Connecticut’s infrastructure in a way that benefits all residents and all cities and towns,” Max Reiss, Lamont’s spokesman, said. “He is actively working toward a solution with members of the General Assembly, and once there is agreement on a path forward, the priorities of individual

CHRISTINE STUART / CTNEWSJUNKIE Gov.

cities and towns will be recognized in a negotiated bond bill. Absent that agreement, there is no purpose for a meeting of the bond commission.”

Lamont’s new transportation plan leverages federal dollars for transportation projects in strategic areas with the best opportunity for improved economic development.

However, in order to leverage that federal funding, Connecticut will need to give the feds a guaranteed revenue stream. The state

Ned Lamont

can’t afford to bond the entire amount, so a small “user fee” or toll will be required even with federal help. The number of tolls would be scaled back substantially from Lamont’s initial proposal of 50 gantries to somewhere between 13 and 18, according to sources familiar with the proposal.

Lamont said he’s getting the final feedback from legislative leaders this week on the transportation proposal.

“I think we’ll have some pretty good news

at the end of this week,” Lamont said.

Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, RNorth Haven, said he’s been back and forth with the administration over the numbers.

He said he’s getting his questions answered and giving the administration feedback about the proposal.

“Whether they took the feedback remains to be seen,” Fasano said.

So far this year, the state has borrowed $1.22 billion in general obligation bonds and there is one more meeting scheduled on Dec. 13. Bonding runs on the calendar year, not the fiscal year.

The three main infrastructure funding streams for communities — road aid for towns, Local Capital Improvement Projects, and grants for municipal projects — have not been approved yet.

“Infrastructure funding is critical to the public safety needs and economic development concerns of municipalities and their residents,” Connecticut Conference of Municipalities Executive Director Joe DeLong said.

In September, DeLong said he appreciates the governor’s efforts to address Connecticut’s transportation needs and to secure the needed adequate funding, but these grants are part of the same infrastructure picture.

“Approving these three grants proves how essential the money coming out of the Bond Commission is — it is literally the roads we drive on and the bridges we cross over,” DeLong said. “It is a dangerous waiting game being played with municipalities regarding these infrastructure funds.”

Legislative Leaders Get Briefed On Transportation Plan With Fewer Tolls

by Christine Stuart

HARTFORD, CT — No Tolls CT, which registered as a lobbying organization back in June, is sending out mailers to thousands of Connecticut residents.

It’s the latest step in their effort to prevent officials from erecting electronic tolls on a dozen bridges or highway choke points.

The mailer says “Connecticut wants to tax you for driving to work.” It includes bullet points about how much money was diverted before reaching the Special Transportation Fund and how much Connecticut spends to maintain and repair its roads.

Gov. Ned Lamont is meeting with legislative leaders this week to get their final feedback on his 10-year, $18-billion proposal to improve Connecticut’s roads, rail, and public transit. Lawmakers were privately briefed on a proposal that reduces the number of tolls from 50 to around a dozen.

In a letter the group sent to lawmakers last week, Patrick Sasser, founder of No Tolls CT, said they appreciate the reduction in gantries, but still won’t support any proposal that includes tolling based on their lack of trust in government.

Following an unrelated event in Waterbury Tuesday, Lamont said they are trying to fix the choke points in Connecticut’s transportation system in a fiscally responsible way. He said he’s meeting with lawmakers and next week plans to make it public.

“I think people are honestly giving it a second look,” Lamont said. “We got a lot of feedback from the legislature the last time around.”

Lamont’s first proposal made in February didn’t gain much steam and was never raised for a vote in either chamber.

But Lamont believes there’s a better understanding of the problem.

“We convinced people it’s not a problem that will go away,” Lamont said.

Lamont said that in order to access the low-interest loans from the federal government the state is going to have to provide a revenue stream and some of that will come from tolls that will be paid, at least in part, by out-of-state drivers.

Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi, who endorsed tolls when he ran for governor back in 2010, said Lamont assured him that general tolling on I-95, I-91, the Merritt Parkway, and I-84 will not be implemented, which means there will be no border tolls in the Danbury

area and no possible diversion of traffic into Ridgefield because of tolls.

“The governor told me that the only tolling currently being contemplated was for superstructures like a new bridge or other similar features that require large-scale construction,” Marconi said Tuesday in a press release. “In those instances, any tolling would be local to the project and would remain in place only until the bond was paid off.”

Sources who have been briefed on Lamont’s proposal said all the tolls would be removed once the billions in improvements were made over the 10year period.

Sasser and others have said that Lamont’s decision not to release municipal funding for road improvements could be a mistake.

Lamont has declined to release the money through the Bond Commission until he can reach a deal on his transportation plan.

“The governor is playing a dangerous game as we head into winter,” Sasser said. “Attempting to withhold money promised to municipalities for things like snow-plowing to gain support for his new plan is more trick than treat.”

Kevin Maloney, a spokesman for the

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CTNEWSJUNKIE FILE PHOTO Gov. Ned Lamont with Senate President Martin Looney and House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz Connecticut Conference of Municipali- are concerned about what adjustments ties, said that towns and cities have been they will need to make in the next month dipping into their reserves and others are or so as winter approaches and the need holding off on projects until the state ap- for road salt and other supplies increases. proves the funding. Many town officials

Critics’ Call: Can Cops THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

by PAUL BASS

Rhonda Caldwell has heard enough about the rights of a cop who fired 13 bullets at two unarmed people inside a stopped car.

“I’m tired of hearing, ‘Make sure the officer gets his due process,’” Caldwell told a rally in downtown New Haven Monday evening held to call for the firing of the officer, Devin Eaton, and a second officer, from Yale. “The same process that Paul and Stephanie got at four in the morning!”

Paul is Paul Witherspoon. Stephanie is Stephanie Washington. They were the two unarmed people inside a car Hamden Officer Eaton stopped on Argyle Street in New Haven’s Newhallville neighborhood on April 16 at 4:32 a.m. on suspicion (later dispelled) of having committed an armed robbery.

Eaton fired 13 shots at the car, sending Washington to the hospital. A Yale officer on the scene, Terrance Pollock, fired another three.

Police accountability activists organized Monday evening’s rally at the Yale Broadway parking island to demand that Hamden immediately fire Eaton and that Yale immediately fire Pollock. As “justice for Paul” and “justice for Stephanie.”

The rally was in part a victory lap.

Activists have demonstrated since the shooting to call for the arrests of the cops. After an investigation into the incident by New Haven State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin’s office, Eaton was indeed arrested. Which rarely happens when an officer shoots somebody in Connecticut. Earlier on Monday Eaton appeared in state Superior Court on Elm Street to answer to one charge of felony assault and two misdemeanor charges.

“Look at what we did,” activist Chris Garaffa told the crowd. “We got that cop indicted. How often does that happen? All of us did that. ... We’re going to win again and again.”

Ala Ochumare of Black Lives Matter New Haven laid out the central demands: “Direct and immediate” firing of both police officers; no plea deal by the state for Eaton in his criminal case; decertification of both officers so they can’t work as cops elsewhere in Connecticut; and end “the triple occupation” of Newhallville by not just New Haven, but Yale and Hamden cops.

The two officers’ departments have placed each of them on leave since the shooting, pending the outcomes of internal investigations. Officials said they wanted to wait for the state to complete its criminal probe before completing the

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

internal investigations which are looking at a broader set of potential violations, including of department policies, such as phoning in a stop before approaching a suspect Now that the state’s attorney investigation is done, those other internal probes are continuing.

Yale’s Pollock, who said he fired his bullets after he was being fired on (not realizing it was another cop shooting at him), was not arrested.

And as noted by rally speaker Caldwell, both officials have said they need to follow legal process and labor rules in approaching a disciplinary decision.

Yale has hired the firm of former state Supreme Court Justice Chase Rogers to lead its investigation. “Any administrative action taken will be based upon the facts of the investigation,” Yale spokeswoman Karen Peart commented Monday night. Similarly, Hamden officials said they need to follow procedures agreed upon with the police union to complete investigation before taking action. “We’re following due process.

We’re follow the letter of the [union] contract,” said Hamden Police Chief John Cappiello, who has enlisted a consultant named Jeff Noble to assist his department’s ethics and integrity unit.

The rally put the April 16 shooting in a broader context. One banner listed names of New Haveners who have been the targets of alleged police brutality.

A second banner listed people statewide who have been killed by cops or died in judicial custody or in other incidents involving police.

Speakers broadened the group’s demands, including a call by activist Jeannia Fu to abolish police departments: “How do we end police violence? We have to stop policing altogether. We don’t need 21st century policing; we need a 21st century with no police.”

“What we need is systemic change.

This is not a ‘bad apples’ problem,” argued TJ Grayson of the Yale Black Law Students Association. “This is a policing problem” that routinely “puts the lives of black and brown people in danger ... We need to continue questioning the existence of this kind of statesponsored violence.”

Emcee Kerry Ellington vowed the crowd will keep up that pressure with weekly rallies in the Broadway spot, a rally this week in Hamden, and presence at a Monday night mayoral debate as well as at a Nov. 13 Hamden Police Commission meeting.

John P. Thomas Publisher / CEO

Babz Rawls Ivy

Editor-in-Chief Liaison, Corporate Affairs Babz@penfieldcomm.com

Advertising/Sales Team Keith Jackson Delores Alleyne John Thomas, III

Editorial Team Staff Writers

Christian Lewis/Current Affairs Anthony Scott/Sports Arlene Davis-Rudd/Politics

Contributing Writers David Asbery Tanisha Asbery Jerry Craft/Cartoons Barbara Fair

Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur Michelle Turner Smita Shrestha William Spivey Kam Williams Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

_______________________

Contributors At-Large

Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com Paul Bass New Haven Independent www.newhavenindependent.org

Memberships

National Association of Black Journalist National Newspapers Publishers Association Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.

Protesters call for firings of Officers Devin Eaton and Terrance Pollock.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

20-Something Pols Urge High Schoolers To Jump In

by ALLAN APPEL

Youth politics came to a New Haven high school Monday and students saw up close how running for office can make a difference.

The occasion was a visit by two 23-year-old legislators Westport State Sen. Will Haskell and Hamden Councilman Justin Farmer —to juniors at Metropolitan Business Academy on Water Street.

Civics teacher Julia Miller who has the phone numbers of U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy printed large on her classroom wall — invited Farmer and Haskell to kick off her unit on voting and the electoral process.

The two pols told 100 high school juniors spoke about how they explain Snapchat to their older colleagues, and about the profound responsibilities of being youthful legislators.

“I want students to see examples of young people who have actually run for and won elected offices so they [my students] feel inspired and see it as something actually attainable to do,” Miller said.

Eleventh grade Class President Demarques Stevens and Vice-President Amy Rodriguez posed questions to the visiting pols, including asking why they

ALLAN APPEL PHOTOHaskell and Farmer with moderators Rodriguez and Stevens.

chose to run for office.

Farmer, whose district is perched on the southern Hamden border where it merges into New Haven’s Newhallville neighborhood, said that when he was growing up there had to be at least 15 to 20 shootings not far from his house.

“There are two different Hamdens,” he said. One is symbolized by Sleeping Giant, the other by a nearby liquor store.

“That’s the difference that I wanted to talk about,” and so he ran and “for some reason I was elected.”

Haskell said he always had a vague interest in politics, but thought he should wait his turn. Then something happened: “I was in college when Donald Trump won, and so many values changed. I didn’t recognize my government. I looked at my state senator, and she had been in office for longer than I was alive. Never challenged. That’s crazy. If nobody challenges, it’s not good for democracy.”

Referencing his predecessor’s opposition to paid family leave, he added, “My mom had to go back to work two weeks after she gave birth to me. That’s not right ... so I ran. It’s on all of us in the era of Trump to do something.”

Farmer said he was always a reluctant candidate and an unusual one he wears headphones to deal with Tourette syndrome, so some people assume he’s tun-

ing them out. He knocked on hundreds of doors; he won his seat in an election so close he was only four votes away from a required recount.

“If anyone says your vote doesn’t count, remember Justin’s election,” Haskell said.

“Young people are always being told they are too young” to seek elected office, Haskell noted. “But we can’t wait.

There’s an existential threat [climate change]. Being a young person isn’t a liability, it’s an advantage.”

Then he offered this reality check: “The 18-24 bracket has the worst voting record. That’s bad for democracy.

Democracy belongs to those who show up. So I decided I’d be proud of being 22. You show up and run for office and stand for [addressing] student debt and climate change. One of my favorite quotes is Shirley Chisholm‘s: ‘If they don’t give you a seat at the table, you’ve got to bring a folding chair.’”

Farmer, who is also a student of marine biology at Southern Connecticut State University, described days of balancing meetings, arranging schedules and then rearranging, and then working late into the night to research issues. He described the deep satisfaction at seeing five formerly blighted houses now fixed up due in part to his efforts.

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Lynette Yiadom-Boakye Greenhouse Fantasies (detail) 2014, oil on canvas Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York © Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

Dwight Bachman Named Valedictorian Among “100 Men of Color” Honored in Hartford Springfield, MA Mayor Names Oct. 18, 2019 As “Dwight Bachman Day!”

By Kate Harner ’12, Senior Marketing Communications Specialist, Hawkes Learning, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

On Oct. 18, at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center in Hartford, the June Archer & Eleven28 Entertainment Group, presented Dwight Bachman, public relations officer at Eastern Connecticut State University; along with 99 other men, the “100 Men of Color Black Tie Gala and Award.” The ceremony is named for musician, author and motivational speaker Dr. June Archer.

The gala recognizes the contributions men in business, education, entrepreneurship, entertainment and service have had an impact in communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Archer named Bachman “Valedictorian of the 100 Men of Color Class of 2019.” Dominic Sarno, mayor of Springfield, MA, named Oct. 18, 2019 as “Dwight Bachman Day!” Bachman, of Waterloo, is a frequent contributor to the African American press of features stories that celebrate the lives of African Americans pursuing excellence. He also is a veteran, highoctane public relations official with an extensive record of excellent service to the community who has served as public relations director/officer with distinction at Eastern for more than 30 years. Mr. Bachman is responsible for helping to preserve and enhance the brand and image of Eastern and its mission.

Bachman has worked tirelessly to achieve diversity in all of Eastern’s marketing and branding campaigns.

His 12-part television series on the life of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which airs annually on Eastern’s TV station, has been described as “a gift for future generations.”

In 1967, Bachman was the first African American radio/television reporter for KWWL-Radio/TV in Waterloo, IA. and the first African American director of the Commission on Human Rights in the City of Dubuque, IA. In 1970, as a graduate student at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, he has served as a reading and study skills instructor at the university. Following graduate school, in 1974, Bachman simultaneously served as manager of Howard University’s ACTION Program, and editor of Howard University’s “Urban Research Review” newsletter.

Bachman returned to broadcasting to engage in a distinguished career as reporter, editor and news producer at several major-market radio and television stations in Washington D.C. Baltimore, Stamford, New York City and West Hartford. As editor and producer,

he was responsible for all editorial content and visual graphics, special effects, technical and live-remote operations in the overall presentation of news to millions of viewers and listeners.

Bachman has been named recipient of numerous awards, including Eastern’s Dr. Martin Luther King Distinguished Award; the Connecticut Masons/Dr. David G. Carter Student Advocacy Award; and the Marcus Garvey Distinguished Service Award.

In 1978, in Washington D.C., the Washington D.C.-based Capital Press Club’s nominated Bachman to receive the “Washington Journalist of the Year” Award.

In 1977, Washington D.C.based WTOP All-News Radio nominated Bachman to receive the George Peabody Award for researching, writing and producing an eight-part series on the highly celebrated Allan Bakke Affirmative Action case. The George Peabody Award—the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize for print journalism—is the nation’s highest honor presented to a broadcast journalist.

In May 2014, at Eastern, the Barack Obama White House Administration invited Bachman to be a participate in a briefing on President Obama’s Domestic and International Priorities, where Bachman discussed Obamas’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative and current affairs in Africa. Last year, the State Chapter of the NAACP named him one of “Connecticut’s Most Influential Blacks.”

Bachman currently serves on the board of directors of the Connecticut Invention Convention; Willimantic, CT-based Project Genesis and as a deacon in The First Cathedral Church in Bloomfield.

Bachman has been named recipient of numerous honors and awards for his accomplishments in journalism and public relations. In 2002, the Independent Newspaper Publishers of America (INPA) named “ECSU Returns,” on which Bachman served as editor, as “Best in the Nation” newspaper insert.

In 2003, the INPA, named ECSU Returns as the “Second Best in the Nation” newspaper insert.

In 2012, East High School’s (Waterloo, IA) inducted Bachman into its Hall of Fame Hall of Fame for his professional achievements in television news broadcasting and higher education public relations.

Bachman earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Rhetoric at the University of Northern Iowa and his Master of Professional Studies in African and African American Studies at Cornell University. His Master’s Thesis topic was “Black Radio: Its Origins, Development and Changing Trends.”

Con’t from page

20-Something Pols Urge High Schoolers To Jump In

Audience Applauds DWIGHT

100 Men of Color prepare for group shot

Dr. June Archer speaking

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100 Drummers

“Every day is different. It’s not so much a job as a lifestyle,” he advised.

Haskell was equally candid. “Don’t do it if you want something that pays well.

Young people have to tough it out, but if you like helping people, there’s nothing better.”

Haskell said as the youngest legislator in Hartford he perused the 20 committees he might serve on, and then thought one perspective he feels he’s uniquely able to bring is to ask what Connecticut will look like in 20 years. So he was pleased to be appointed to the higher education committee and to become its chair.

“I’m immensely proud that we passed debt-free community college,” he added.

He also specifically asked to be placed on the government and elections committee. “It sounds boring but it is so important,” he said, pointing out that Connecticut is only one of ten remaining states without any early voting. “Texas has 30 days of early voting, and, also, you ought to be able to request absentee ballots online. It just shouldn’t be so hard to vote,” he added.”

Both legislators cited frequent examples of constituents as well as colleagues asking if they themselves are old enough to vote or are interns walking around the halls of government.

They both said that having a sense of humor is also very helpful in responding to such situations. Haskell said State Senate President Mary Looney commented at the beginning of the session that he had a tie that is older than Haskell. Shortly afterwards, Haskell brought Looney a tie that was even older.

“I like being a young person in politics,” Haskell concluded, even though you often have to keep pushing back. “I hope I’ll have lots more company.”

Haskell asked people to raise their hands if they are going to be 18 by November of 2020. He urged them to register to vote. The presidential election “is going to be watched by history. This is one of those key junctures in American history,” he said. “You don’t want to have regrets.”

“Vote, run for office and be sure to go to your second period,” teacher Miller called out as the session ended. Tuesday she plans to debrief the students on what they heard and ask each to write a response. Later this week come lessons on what is a political party and, oh yes, impeachment.

“I’m inspired by this,” junior Alona Santiago said of Farmer’s and Haskell’s visit. Now she plans to ask her unregistered stepfather, “Why don’t you vote?”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

Quinnipiac University School of Law to host

open house for prospective students on Nov. 16

Prospective law students are invited to attend an open house at the Quinnipiac University School of Law Center, 370 Bassett Road, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16.

Those who attend will tour the center and learn about the law school’s academic program and how the faculty works closely with students to develop a course of study that matches their goals. The law school has concentrations in several areas, including civil advocacy and dispute resolution, criminal law and advocacy, family law, health law, intellectual property, international law and policy, tax law and workplace law.

“The open house is a terrific opportunity for individuals who think they might want to apply to law school to learn more about what Quinnipiac Law has to offer,” said Brad Saxton, interim dean of the School of Law. “Our guests will attend sessions that will give them a very good sense of our program and the range of experiences that our students enjoy in their time here. Those joining us for the open house will also have opportunities to meet and speak with a significant number of students, administrative staff and law faculty members. The day gives prospective law students a very good sense of the strong and welcoming community here, which is one of our most treasured assets.”

In addition, the law school offers several joint degrees, including the JD/MBA and JD/MBA in health care management with Quinnipiac’s School of Business, JD/MELP, master of environmental law and policy in partnership with Vermont Law School, and the JD/MSW, master of social work, with Quinnipiac’s School of Health Sciences. Students can also choose from a growing slate of international opportunities, including a summer

legal study abroad program in Ireland.

The law school’s clinical and externship programs immerse students in reallife work and environments that build highly skilled lawyers. Among the 17 externship areas are criminal justice, health law, intellectual property, legislative and public interest. The law school also offers 17 clinical practice areas, including family law and veterans’ advocacy.

Quinnipiac’s externship program has more than 300 placement sites and emphasizes collaboration among students, faculty supervisors, lawyers, judges and mediators.

For more information, call 203-5823400.

About Quinnipiac University School of Law Quinnipiac University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located in Hamden, Connecticut, with close proximity to New York, New Haven, and Boston. Founded in 1977, the School of Law affiliated with Quinnipiac in 1992 and moved onto Quinnipiac’s Mount Carmel Campus in 1995. In 2014, the school again relocated to the university’s North Haven Campus. Quinnipiac School of Law now enrolls nearly 400 students pursuing a juris doctor degree or a joint JD/MBA degree. The law school offers concentrations in civil advocacy and dispute resolution, criminal and advocacy, family, health, intellectual property, international law and policy, tax and workplace law. The School of Law also boasts many externships and in-house clinical programs. Quinnipiac is fully approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. For more information, please visit law.qu.edu.

Christmas Comes Early Submitted by Althea Musgrove Norcott

Freetown - New Haven Sister Cities program recently sent a shipment of sports equipment, school supplies, books and clothes to St. George’s Orphanage in Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Local Sierra Leonean, Aminata Anthony, will present these gifts at a Christmas Party at the orphanage when she visits in December. This will be the second time Aminata has played Santa Claus for these children of Ebola victims.

After the first shipment, the staff at St. George’s sent a big thank you to the generous citizens of its Sister City, New Haven and a short video to show off their gifts. A special thank you to New Haven Chapter of The Links, Inc. who again helped pay shipping fees.

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This year, the children will be surprised by the number of soccer balls coming their way and we are looking for uniforms to send to them so they can form a team. Soccer is the national sport and the balls are a prized possession.

Freetown has been a Sister City since 1997 but our history with Sierra Leone goes back to the Amistad Incident in 1839. For more information please email Althea Musgrove Norcott anorcott250@hotmail.com Picture on left, left to right: Sharyn Esdaile, Verna Norman, Zariah Norman and Lariah Norman donate clothes to St. George’s Orphanage in Freetown, Sierra Leone which is one of New Haven’s eight Sister Cities. Picture on right is the four boxes sent.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

Duncan Reborn As “Graduate New Haven”

by THOMAS BREEN

The Hotel Duncan is open again on Chapel Street — no longer as a 92-room single-room occupancy (SRO), but instead as a renamed upscale, collegethemed 72-room boutique establishment preserving some of its historic original designs and fixtures.

At a jubilant press conference and ribbon-cutting at 1151 Chapel St. Thursday morning, Mayor Toni Harp, city Acting Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli, and representatives from the Chicago-based investment and development firm AJ Capital Partners joined roughly 100 Downtown and Dwight neighbors and local economic development boosters for the grand opening of what’s now called the Graduate New Haven.

The ribbon-cutting for the hotel, which officially opened for business on Oct. 3, represented the culmination of over two years of development since former owner Stirling Shapiro sold the 1894-built SRO to AJ Capital Partners for $8 million in the summer of 2017.

The intervening years have seen this development at the center of a number of local political disputes regarding the loss of affordable housing downtown and the new hotel’s openness to a union organized staff (click here, here, here, here, here , and here for background).

Thursday’s ribbon cutting held almost none of that accumulated angst.

Instead, everyone in attendance marveled at the history the new owners have preserved — including the original lobby’s checkered-tile floors, pressed-tin ceiling, wood-paneled walls, and century-old elevator. They marveled as well at the stylish additions new bulldog-patterned carpets,a ground-floor cafe and private event space, and bedrooms that rent for between $169 to $699 per night.

Roughly 40 people work at the new sixstory hotel, and, according to a Graduate New Haven representative, those employees are not union organized.

“With the addition of this gleaming, new, boutique hotel,” Harp said in opening remarks that used the word “gleaming” three times in two minutes, “we underscore the fact that New Haven is a destination for people, and a place they want to be and stay.”

The Graduate New Haven is the second hotel to open downtown this year, following Randy Salvatore’s The Blake on High Street. Meanwhile, Spinnaker Real Estate has plans to build a new 132room Hilton Garden Inn at the former Webster Bank building on Elm Street and, around the corner on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Choice Hotels International plans to build a 130-room

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO Rev. Abraham Hernandez at rally: More Latino ed boarders needed.

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Cambria hotel.

“We are the front door to what is happening in this economy,” Piscitelli (pictured) added about the surge in biotech businesses and neuroscience research in town and the accompanying restaurants, hotels, and residential developments that all contribute to a thriving economy.

“These are signs that we are going to be with AJ Capital and all of our hotel partners to make sure that we have strong demand for the rooms here over a long period of time.”

On a pre-press conference tour of the hotel’s lobby, cafe, bedrooms, and subterranean Old Heidelberg bar, hotel Manager Dominic Ruggieri (pictured) said that the hotel design and amenities aren’t just meant to reference Yale and New Haven history. The hotel itself should be a meeting and hang-out place for local residents and hotel guests alike, he said.

“We want to engage with the community,” he said as he walked from the sports-themed “Theo Epstein Scouting Room,” filled with books, photographs, posters, and pennants from Yale sports history ... ... to the “Stirling Library,” located in Shapiro’s former ground-floor office and boasting a a painting by former Hotel Duncan resident named Robert Klopp and a table that once belonged to Shapiro’s grandmother ... ... to the Poindexter cafe and capacious backroom private event space that used to house Hotel Duncan guest rooms ... ... to the Old Heidelberg bar in the basement, formerly home to original, eponymous restaurant and drinking hole.

All of these ground-floor rooms are open to the public and are meant to encourage social encounters between locals and guests as well as celebrate downtown and Yale history, Ruggieri said.

The rooms, meanwhile, range from double-beds to queen-, king-, and premium king-sized rooms, with painted silhouettes of famous Yale alumni forming a ring around the tops of each room’s walls.

Ruggieri described the target guest for the new hotel as “higher-end” and “adventurous.”

“I think they did a really, really nice job,” said Shapiro (pictured), who ran the Hotel Duncan for 47 years after inheriting the business from his father, who had bought the building in the 1950s. “I’m still amazed every time I walk in” to see both what has been preserved and what is brand new.

He described the sensation as “bittersweet,” to see a property that had been in his family’s possession for so many decades transformed into a new boutique hotel. He praised AJ Capital Partners and Graduate Hotels for preserving as much of the Duncan’s history as they did, in a way that other mainstream hotel chains that had been interested in the property almost certainly would not have.

“We saw through the good and the bad times,” he reflected about the old Hotel Duncan. “But we did well, we were a well-run outfit, and, on busy weekends we were always sold out.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

Political Gala Celebrates Selfless Stalwarts

by THOMAS BREEN

Hundreds of New Haveners did their hair, dressed to the nines, and turned out in style to celebrate half-a-dozen locals who have worked tirelessly in some cases, for decades to build community and support their neighbors.

That was the case Thursday night at Anthony’s Ocean View in Morris Cove, where over 500 New Haven politicos filled the waterfront dining room for the eighth annual Board of Alders Black and Hispanic Caucus Fall Gala.

The sartorially impeccable fundraiser and awards ceremony this year had the theme “Coming to America.” It recognized six stalwarts of New Haven public life: the New Haven Hispanic Firefighters Association, as represented by association President Rafael Zayas and Vice President Steve Ortiz; longtime Hillhouse High School administrator Lucille Bittle Patton; the labor organizing force and worker rights advocacy group New Haven Rising; state Department of Housing Commissioner Seila MosqueraBruno; City Clerk Michael Smart; and local funeral home owner Howard K. Hill.

The event also honored Hill Alder and Black and Hispanic Caucus Chair Dolores Colon, who is stepping down from her seat on the local legislature next year after having served nearly two decades as an alder.

“This is a time when everyone comes together and puts our differences aside,” said Dixwell Alder and gala emcee Jeannette Morrison (pictured at right, with Smart), decked out in a black dress covered in red scarves and tassels and crowns all glittering with gold.

The beneficiaries of the night’s fundraiser included the city’s three senior centers and the New Haven Hispanic Fire Fighters Scholarship Fund.

“Tap yourself on the back because you have just helped a young person stay out of trouble,” Colon told the jubilant crowd as she spoke about the scholarship fund the money raised at the gala would go to support.

From educators to activists to entrepreneurs to public servants, the awardees Thursday night all seemed to share at least one trait in common: their steadfast perseverance, over years and years and years, towards helping improve the lives of their fellow New Haveners.

Zayas, in accepting the Heritage Award on behalf of the New Haven Hispanic Firefighters Association, said that, over the past 18 years, the group has given out free toys to over 6,500 New Haven students and raised over $52,000 for local high school seniors.

“We need to stand together and protect these children,” he said. Many New Haven kids are exposed to far too much

violence at far too young of an age, he said. “We need to stand together as one community to help these kids.”

Patton crossed the dining room’s dancefloor to accept the Pioneer Award to a standing ovation from former Hillhouse students who remembered her fondly as a dedicated school administrator always focused on improving student attendance.

When you were late to school, Morrison said with a smile, you had to see Ms. Patton.

“I used to see Ms. Patton on a regular basis,” she said. “That’s not good. And I lived across the street from the school.

I’m still trying to figure that one out.”

Thank you, Morrison continued, “for loving those children every single day.”

Patton returned the thanks, to Morrison and to the dozens of people applauding her recognition. She said it meant so much to her that children whom she had seen grow up were now present as adults, in that room, honoring her work.

This year marks her 50th year working at Hillhouse, she said.

“I love every single one of you,” she continued. “I love every single student who came through Hillhouse High School. They mean so much to me in my life.”

Morrison introduced the Community Service Award recipients, New Haven Rising, with the admonition, “If you have not seen them, then you must be asleep all the time.”

True to form, the group’s co-founder and lead organizer Scott Marks led two dozen New Haven Rising members across the room in a rallying call-andresponse shout of: “New Haven!” “Rising!” “New Haven!” “Rising!”

“For five years,” said community organizer Jaime Myers-McPhail, “we’ve been fighting to ensure that all New Haven residents have access to good jobs.

This year, we won a victory.”

Yale University’s commitment to create 16 new training and hiring pathways for New Haven residents will result in $40 million per year in wages and benefits bolstering the pockets of local residents from the city’s neighborhoods of need, he said.

Smart, a native New Havener who represented Wooster Square on the Board of Alders for eight years and has spent the past six years as City Clerk, kept his remarks brief before giving some praise to the half-dozen tables’ worth of friends and peers who had shown up Thursday to support him as he received the Leadership Award.

“It’s never been about me,” he said about his career in public service to date.

“And it never will be about me. It will be about serving the public of this great city.”

Mosquera-Bruno, who received the

THOMAS BREEN PHOTOS

night’s Mentorship Award, offered a similarly selfless summation of her own life to date working from being a 23-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant to a factory worker to a Harvard University fellow to the 15-year leader of the Fair Haven-based affordable housing development nonprofit Neighborworks New Horizons to becoming the new state housing commissioner under Gov. Ned Lamont.

“Work hard,” she said, describing a maxim imparted to her by her grandmother.

“Go to school. Be someone. Never just type yourself to a job description.”

“When you do something,” she contin-

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ued, “do it because you care. Do it with passion. Do it because you really, really want to make a change in somebody’s life.”

Hill, the recipient of the Advocacy Award, directed his speech almost entirely at the aldermanic caucus itself.

“Your work speaks for itself,” he said.

“Your work is very, very much needed.

The idea of collaboration between the blacks and Hispanics is probably one of the more powerful things that we actually need for our community, our communities.”

Then he gave the 23 alders in the Black and Hispanic Caucus a challenge.

“Dig deep,” he said. “Dig really deep. To deal with root cause issues versus surface issues. The root cause issues keep a lot of people in business, and generally, it’s not the black or Hispanic communities.

“Deal with the root cause issues.”

Even though New Haven’s contested mayoral election between three-term incumbent Mayor Toni Harp and Democratic nominee Justin Elicker is less than two weeks away, not a single speaker over the course of the gala’s entire lineup mentioned the race.

Morrison thanked all of the alders in the room. She thanked all of the members in the state delegation in the room. She thanked all of the elected officials in the room. She even thanked someone running for Stratford’s Town Council.

She didn’t once mention Mayor Harp, who was listed on the program’s agenda as slated to give opening remarks for the gala but, apparently, did not show up to the event.

She didn’t once mention Elicker, who did attend the fundraiser with his wife and his campaign manager and sat with a handful of alders and supporters at a table towards the back of the room.

Elicker handily defeated Harp by 16 percentage points in September’s Democratic Party primary. He will face off against Harp on Nov. 5 as the latter runs on the third-party Working Families line.

A majority of the alders backed Harp in the primary.

The only person to mention Harp during the entire public speaking portion of the program was Marks, in a noticeably awkward exchange towards the end of New Haven Rising receiving its award.

After talking briefly with local attorney Alex Taubes, who attended the fundraiser along with fellow Harp campaign supporter Emma Jones, Marks returned to the podium alongside Morrison and in front of the two dozen New Haven Rising members.

Marks’ group had endorsed and campaigned for Harp in the primary. After Harp lost the primary, Marks helped lead a “unity rally” for Elicker alongside a number of high-profile Connecticut Democrats, including Gov. Ned Lamont and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

“What are you looking at me for?” Morrison asked as she prepared to hand the mic over to Marks. “Reverend Scott’s looking at me, and I’m looking at him,” she told the crowd with a smile.

“I just wanted to say quickly,” Marks said, “that the Black and Hispanic Caucus, the entire Board of Alders, Mayor Toni Harp, worked tirelessly to win the jobs campaign. She stood with us during those tough times. We look forward to continuing to fight, to continue to do the things that we need to do.”

And that was that.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

5 Ways To Preserve Your Kidneys

by Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, for BlackDoctor.com According to a review published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, approximately 30 million Americans – about 15 percent of adults – have chronic kidney disease, a number that is expected to increase in the next 20 years due to rising obesity rates and longer lifespans.

Black Americans have an increased risk of developing kidney disease due to high rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. In fact, black Americans are almost four times as likely as whites to develop kidney failure.

There’s evidence that the proper diet helps people with chronic kidney disease improve their blood sugar and blood pressure. Moreover, the appropriate diet will slow the progression of the disease and even delay or prevent the need for dialysis or a transplant.

Despite the evidence, nearly 90 percent of individuals with chronic kidney disease never meet with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) for education on how to eat right with kidney disease.

“Most patients don’t understand how big a role their diet plays in the management of their kidney disease,” Marsha Schofield, a registered dietitian and senior director of governance for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said in a press release.

“Medical nutrition therapy [diet counseling] helps patients with chronic kidney disease improve their blood sugar and blood pressure, which will slow the progression of the disease and even delay or prevent them from needing to have dialysis or a transplant.”

Decreasing animal protein and salt while increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is the first step to eating right with kidney disease. However, as your kidneys slow down, you will need to decrease phosphorus additives and potassium. Making all these changes to your diet can be challenging. The following 5 tips can help you get started.

1. Choose And Prepare Foods With Less Salt And Sodium Sodium is a part of salt. Eating less salt and sodium helps lower your blood pressure and may slow down kidney disease.

The kidneys filter sodium out of the body and into the urine. When your kidneys are damaged, they cannot filter as well as healthy kidneys can. This can cause sodium to stay in your body and make your blood pressure go up.

Buy fresh food more often. Sodium is

added to many packaged foods.

Use spices, herbs, and sodium-free seasonings in place of salt.

Check the Nutrition Facts label on food packages for sodium. A Daily Value of 20% or more means the food is high in sodium.

Try lower-sodium versions of frozen dinners and other convenience foods.

Rinse canned vegetables, beans, meats, and fish with water before eating.

2. Eat the Right Amount and the Right Types of Protein Protein can be found in foods from animals and from plants. Most diets include both types of protein. When your body uses protein, it produces waste which is removed by the kidneys. Too much protein can make your kidneys work harder.

• Eat small portions of protein foods.

• Protein is found in foods from plants (beans, nuts, and grains) and animals (chicken, fish, meat, eggs, and dairy). An RDN can help you choose the combination that’s right for you.

3. Choose Foods that are Healthy for Your Heart Heart-healthy foods will help keep fat from building up in your blood vessels, heart, and kidneys.

Grill, broil, bake, roast, or stir-fry foods, instead of deep-frying. Cook with nonstick cooking spray or a small amount of olive oil instead of butter.

Trim fat from meat and remove the skin from poultry before eating.

4. Choose Foods with Less Phosphorus When you have kidney disease, phosphorus can build up in your blood, making your bones thin, weak, and more likely to break. It can also cause itchy skin, and bone and joint pain. Most people with kidney disease need to eat foods with less phosphorus than they are used to eating.

• Look for phosphorus—or for words with “PHOS”—on ingredient labels because many packaged foods have added phosphorus.

• Deli meats and some fresh meat and poultry can have added phosphorus. Ask the butcher to help you pick fresh meats without added phosphorus.

5. Choose Foods that Have the Right Amount of Potassium In some people with kidney disease, the kidneys may not remove extra potassium from the blood. Some medicines also can raise your potassium level. Your food choices can help you lower your potassium level.

• Salt substitutes can be very high in potassium. Be sure to check with your health care provider about using them.

• Potassium chloride can be used in place of salt in some packaged foods, like canned soups and tomato products. Read food labels and limit foods with potassium chloride on the ingredient list.

• Drain canned fruits and vegetables before eating.

Eating less salt, limiting protein foods and food high in potassium and phosphorus, and limiting fluids can be frustrating. An RDN specially trained in nutrition therapy for kidney disease can be very helpful.

The RDN will teach you how you can incorporate small amounts of restricted foods you like into your meal planning and how to flavor foods with spices instead of salt.

Constance Brown-Riggs, is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, national speaker and author of the Diabetes Guide to Enjoying Foods of the World, a convenient guide to help people with diabetes enjoy all the flavors of the world while still following a healthy meal plan. Follow Constance on social media @eatingsoulfully

NEW HAVEN’S GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY RADIO STATION! www.newhavenindependent.org

JOE UGLY IN THE MORNING Weekdays 6-9 a.m.

THE TOM FICKLIN SHOW Mondays 10 a.m.

MAYOR MONDAY!

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Mondays 11 a.m.

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“THE SHOW”

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MICHELLE TURNER Tuesdays 9 a.m.

“WERK IT OUT”

ELVERT EDEN Tuesdays at 2 p.m.

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Wednesdays 9 a.m.

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FRIDAY PUNDITS Fridays 11 a.m.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

Steve Harvey to debut new project at Tyler Perry Studios

By Terry Shropshire

Steve Harvey is the walking embodiment of the age-old axiom that “when one door closes, another one opens.”

Now that Harvey has a few minutes on his hands after being unceremoniously ousted from the daytime talk show genre — despite “Steve” garnering high ratings for seven seasons — he appears to be focusing his energies on a new project that represents the meeting of two titans.

The Cleveland-born comedian-turnedTV host shared on his Instagram page a video that shows him and Perry hugged up at the celebration of a project as a crowd cheered them on.

Harvey filmeda soon-to-be named TV project at Perry’s new Tyler Perry Stu-

dios located on the site of a former U.S. Army base near downtown Atlanta.

“This brothers studios you have to see UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!

Just shot a special project there coming soon…… but y’all gotta go see it @tylerperry @tylerperrystudios,” Harvey captioned the footage.

Perry’s opened his studios’ 12 soundstages to tremendous international fanfare in early October. They feature a variety of sets with each stage named after icons of Black Hollywood.

While Harvey doesn’t have a studio named after him, he filmed at one of the studios and fans are clamoring to find out what magic they created.

“I love you both!!! Amazingly talented and the give back to society is heart

melting!!! Praying for you both!! ” one Instagram fan exclaimed.

Another fan added: “ Steve Harvey!! I know Tyler Perry have a spot in his studios for you!! New show, new dream!!

Speaking it into existence!!”

And the accolades continue to flood in: “This post is EVERYTHING” “Been waiting on this!”

“I love, love, love this!!!! This is a REAL BRUH hug…..the way Steve steps away!!!’ Yep! Real stuff!! ” Tyler Perry in front of a sign directing motorists to his studios near downtown Atlanta This article originally appeared in RollingOut.com.

Kevin Hart finally makes statement regarding devastating car crash Patrol that Hart’s car rocketed to high speeds just before the crash.

More than a month after the accident, Hart produced a statement released by his attorney Andrew Brettler about the actor’s concern for his friends.

“I have nothing but love for Jared and wish him and Rebecca a speedy recovery,” Hart wrote in the statement that was obtained by E! News.

Hart’s wife, Eniko, has been keeping fans up to date regarding her husband’s steady progress and grueling rehabilitation process, while Hart has remained silent.

“He’s doing well, thank you. We are just taking it one day at a time … He will be back on track in no time,” Eniko Hart

By Terry Shropshire

Superstar comedic actor Kevin Hart has finally broken his silence about the horrific car crash in suburban Los Angeles that nearly claimed his life.

The 40-year-old father of three was in the passenger seat of his classic 1970 Plymouth muscle car – without proper safety restraints – when it careened off an embankment in Malibu, California.

Hart and the driver, Jared Black, each suffered broken backs that required surgery. The passenger, Black’s fiancé Rebecca Broxterman, escaped nearly unscathed.

The statement comes after reports obtained from the California Highway

Kevin Hart (Photo credit: Splash News) This article originally appeared in RollingOut.com.

last wrote on Instagram about his prognosis.

Hart has even returned to work on the sequel to the blockbuster Jumanji with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Hart’s attorney revealed that the actor only shot promos for the Jumanji sequel for a couple of hours.

“Hart has not been in full costume for these shoots, and he’s not walking much for them either — sitting through most of the day — even though he can walk on his own. Hart doesn’t anticipate going back to work full time until early next year, assuming everything stays on track with his physical therapy,” the attorney stated, according to E! News.

Who’s Hurting Black Girls in School?

By The Afro

Women in the Room Productions announced its premiere schedule for “Pushout: The Criminalization Of Black Girls in Schools”, Friday.

The documentary aims to feature “a close look at the educational, judicial and societal disparities facing Black Girls,” the film’s website says. “Inspired by the groundbreaking book of the same name by renowned scholar, Monique W. Morris, Ed.D. The documentary confronts the ways in which the misunderstanding of Black girlhood has led to excessive punitive discipline which in turn disrupts one of the most important factors in their lives, their education.”

Dr. Morris, the Founder and President of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI), is a 2012 Soros Justice Fellow, former Vice President for Economic Programs, Advocacy and

Morris is both executive producer and co-writer of the film.

and outcomes between White and Black girls in school.

Citing 2018 Discipline Data for Girls in US Public Schools, Department of Education office for Civil Rights, study, Black girls are six times more likely to be suspended, four times more likely to be arrested, and two times more likely to receive corporal punishment.

“Pushout” premiered in New York City this weekend, and will continue to premiere across the country. The schedule includes dates in Richmond, Virginia (November 12), Atlanta, Georgia (November 13 and 14), and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (December 6).

The weekend premiere coincided with the “Black Girl Takeover” of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“Pushout” explores these aforementioned alarming disparities in treatment

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

Research at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the former Director of Research for the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at the UC Berkeley Law School.

“Black and Brown girls continue to disproportionately experience harsh and exclusionary school discipline for incidents and behaviors that do not pose a critical threat to the safety of the learning environment,” Morris said via an October 11 press release. “Many of these behaviors are fueled by experiences with trauma, much of which is under-reported for girls of color,”

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

Master of Comedy, Dave Chappelle Receives ‘Mark Twain Prize for American Humor’

By Lauren Poteat, NNPA Newswire Washington

On Sunday night, Dave Chappelle, the legendary, no holds barred comedian, was awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Gifted with a spirit of perseverance, determination and extreme creative intelligence, the award recognizes Chappelle as one of the world’s greatest humorists.

Bestowed only on a select few, including comedic geniuses Eddie Murphy, David Letterman and the late Richard Pryor (who received the inaugural award), Chappelle emphasized the importance of the genre, while also paying tribute to the late Pryor, during his award at the Kennedy Center.

In honor of Chappelle’s brilliance and ability to convey more than one thoughtprovoking message within a single joke, the event brought out a slew of alist celebrities, all eager to support the clever comedian and his work, including Morgan Freeman, Bradley Cooper, Marlon Wayans, Tiffany Haddish, Keenan Thompson, QTip, Sarah Silverman and Saturday Night Live (SNL) creator, Lorne Michaels, who recounted Dave’s 2016 anticipated hosting debut on SNL. “I knew when the moment came, [Dave would] be ready to perform, yet small doubts about his appearance still lingered until, [he sat down] beside me and everyone in the room and asked if he could read a quote by Toni Morrison,” Michaels reminisced, as he delivered the first official remarks of the night.

“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal,” Michaels recited. “I knew then, we’d be ok.

A Washington, D.C. native and former student of the Duke Ellington School of Performing Arts (located in the Northwest quadrant of the District of Columbia), Chappelle recounted his love for the arts and an even bigger appreciation for those cultivating those same skills within the youth.

“To be on a list with Richard Pryor is unfathomable, like nobody would actually feel worthy enough,” Chappelle reflected during an interview prior to the award ceremony. “And not just Richard, you’ve got George Carlin, Lorne Michaels—that really shaped my imagination, my life… and I hope that one day, somebody will look at me the same way and literally stand on something that I’ve built on, that wouldn’t fall apart.”

“There’s something divine about artistry, it’s like the god-like part of a person that can write a song or tell a good joke, it’s the best part of our nature,” Chap-

Dave Chappelle pelle said.

“Life without art would be miserable. If I could never laugh again at a great joke, hear no beautiful music, or only see bare walls, what kind of life would that be?”

Dave went on. “You touch a higher part of yourself, you connect with people on a more profound level and society is better with good art, so it should be protected and cultivated, and the youth should be encouraged to express themselves in every way.”

Chappelle earned his bearings as a stand-up comedian from many platforms, including Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam (1990’s), Eddie Murphy’s “The Nutty Professor” (1996), and Martin Lawrence’s “Blue Streak” (1999).

However, it was Chappelle’s 2003 Comedy Central show, aptly titled, “Chappelle’s Show,” that cemented his place in history.

Challenging race relations with controversial skits like “Ask a Black Dude,” Black White supremacist “Clayton Bigsby,” and his spoofs of celebrity icons Rick James, Prince and Wayne Brady — the segmented show earned three Emmy nominations and became the best-selling TV show in DVD history.

“When we started the show, I knew Dave was the funniest person I had ever met,” Chappelle’s Show Co-Creator and Co-Writer, Neal Brennan, said. “After the show, I knew he was the funniest person of all time.”

In a special recorded interview presented during the awards ceremony, Eddie Murphy heralded Chappelle as one of

the most intellectual comedians ever. As the ceremony was coming to a close, the former host of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart, took to the stage to share his appreciation and admiration for Chappelle.

“I met Dave in the early ‘90s, a 17-yearold kid cutting his teeth in the toughest comedy clubs in the country and he was shockingly formed. This young prodigy.

This young Mozart,” Stewart said.

“But he didn’t become a legend to me until 2005. I was at ‘The Daily Show’ and he was at ‘Chappelle’s Show.’ …

Comedy Central offered him $50 million to just give us one more [season].

He walked away. It was at that moment I remember thinking, ‘Comedy Central has $50 million?’ …Dave left, but I knew that money was going to need a home. I want you to know that I raised that money like it was my own.”

Like the distinguished 19th century novelist and essayist best known as Mark Twain, Chappelle is among the small group of people whose humor has been able to have an enduring impact on American society and culture.

Chappelle shared that maybe the only thing second to being able to make people laugh is having the right to do so.

“There’s something so true about this genre when done correctly,” Chappelle said. “That I would fight anybody that isn’t a true practitioner of this artform’s way, because I know this is the truth and you are obstructing it. I’m not talking about the content. I’m talking about the artform.”

13

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

The ALOUD series hosts Coogler and Coates for intimate conversation

By Saybin Roberson,

Author Ta-Nehisi Coates and Director, Ryan Coogler Sat Down for an Intimate Conversation Surrounding the Black Experience and Coates debut novel, “The Water Dancer” Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ryan Coogler welcomed many to a night of Black excellence as they discussed Coates’ debut novel, The Water Dancer. Held at West Angeles Cathedral, The Library Foundation of Los Angeles’ ALOUD series welcomed the two to celebrate The Water Dancer, and more.

The Water Dancer written by Ta-Nehisi Coates is his first fictional novel and New York Times #1 Best Seller. His debut novel follows a young Hiram Walker who was born into bondage and lost his mother and the memory of her. Hiram is saved from an accident by an unknown force, which grew newfound urgency on his private rebellion. He then uses his talent to go on a journey into the war on slavery, finding his chosen mother and love, determined to leave the only home he knows. The novel travels through his findings on several plantations, his return to home and the mastering of his gifts, as he reconstructs the story of his biggest loss.

The event opened with a performance from Senegalese drummer Malik Sow and his collection of drummers. Together, Coates and Coogler explored the Black experience through the lens of the

novel’s protagonist Hiram story and the strength exuded by Black culture.

The conversation began as Coogler asked Coates of his craftsmanship, which the author then detailed it took 10 years to write The Water Dancer.

Coogler asks, “At what point did you think you had something?” Coates explains his formula, stating the first draft was terrible. Also adding that of the 10 years, he didn’t feel a true piece was created until just a year ago when he found the key element of the story.

“You can’t talent your way to writing, it’s built, it’s a made thing. The real thing you have to do, you got to go back to that bad writing, you’ve got to revise.

You have to get to bad to not-so-bad,” he says and the crowd laughs.

With Coogler and Coates having a prior relationship, the conversation was fluid and friendly. Coogler explained he finished the book moments before, said he enjoyed and connected to the book thoroughly. Highlighting the common thread and truth of slavery being violence, rape, and bondage, but for this novel, it focused much on emotional trauma.

“I think it’s necessary to tell those types of stories, but what I wasn’t ready for was the type of violence that this focused on, which was not physical violence but emotional,” Coogler says. “I never seen a work that was like, very razor-sharp fo-

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cused on emotion.”

Coates responds, detailing his intention and the most striking aspect that drew him to the story, was the destruction of families. “What got me and what I finally actually got what I thought I was reading about, was the destruction of family,” he says. “In slavery, if somebody sells your kid, that’s just as good as killing your kids. You’re never going to see them again.”

“I had seen the physical [violence] and how bad it was, I wanted to go here, I wanted an opportunity to write a different kind of narrative.”

The two go through elements of the novel, reading an excerpt with a gut-

wrenching monologue from a freedslave who felt she was still in bondage because her family had not come to freedom with her. Coogler goes on saying he couldn’t read the novel without thinking of mass incarceration, Coates agrees.

The conversation travels to therapy, how creating is a form of therapy. As well as the process of becoming and remaining inspired when you have nothing, which according to history is the way of Black culture.

Coates relates this to the protagonist Hiram’s story, “He has to realize it’s not what’s being advertised to him that’s the story he should embrace.”

The Water Dancer, much like the conversation between the two creatives touches on topics and extremely prevalent ideas in today’s society. The notion of taking back our story like Coates’s main character Hiram does. In conjunction with taking back our strength as Coogler promoted in his recording breaking box office hit, “The Black Panther.”

“It’s not what they did to us,” Coates says in his closing statement, “it’s what we did.”

Ta-Nehisi Coates & Ryan Coogler engaging in a one-on-one about the fictional novel, The Water Dancer (Photo by: Michael Rueter) This article originally appeared in The Los Angeles Sentinel.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

COMMENTARY:

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

Deadly and dangerous — Healthcare in America

By Ray Curry, Secretary-Treasurer, UAW

Laughter is the Best Medicine, says the Reader’s Digest version of America.

But, not when it’s the only medicine, responds the America that far too many have known and continue to know. Not when the United States alone is one of the world’s top 33 most developed countries that does not have a form of universal health care that covers all of its population.

I guess I am just not in on the joke when I see people either going without health care — something that ought to be a human right — or struggling to the breaking point to keep on top of huge medical bills when sickness or infirmary hit.

Funny how that just isn’t funny. Actually, it is a national tragedy.

A tragedy when African Americans in disproportionate number lack insurance coverage. For too many folks in this country, you are free to laugh — just not till it hurts.

The system is sick Here are some not-so-fun facts.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), which focuses on major health care issues facing the nation as well as the U.S. role in global health policies, as of year-end 2016, 27 million Americans in this country were without medical coverage.

That number was significantly down from the more than 44 million in 2013 — just before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) kicked in. But in 2017, the current administration took office, and …

VOILA! After much purposeful meddling and dismantling, a year later we saw 700,000 people moving back into the uninsured column. These are the latest stats from the KFF, but the folks there know the score under the current administration.

Ongoing efforts to alter historic gains in health insurance coverage via the ACA or to make receipt of Medicare contingent on work (another Republican initiative) they say, “may further erode coverage gains seen under the ACA.” That statement carries with it profound life and death implications, that have the potential to affect families from coast to coast, in neighborhoods and communities all over America.

The KFF aren’t the only ones who know what that will mean for working Americans. I think we all know that assaults on the ACA are an assault on the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans.

Scared … just plain scared.

So, what does it mean to be without healthcare in America? It is truly frightening on so many levels.

How about facing each day without knowing if medical care is even available for your family? How about having to postpone necessary care and forego

preventive care — such as childhood immunizations and routine check-ups?

How about no regular doctor, limited or no access to prescriptions, and only seeking medical attention when it’s bordering on too late and winding up in the hospital or worse?

And, how about the shameful fact that in today’s America, when a loved one falls ill or is in need of medical care, too often it’s the devastating financial burden that is the focus, rather than being able to concentrate on healing. This is not the America I know and love, and it is certainly not the America I want to know.

On a macro level, the fact that we don’t

insure all of our people adds up this way: The U.S. spends two to three times as much per capita on health care as most industrialized nations. Elsewhere, governments regulate and negotiate the price of drugs and medical services; elsewhere there is no need for a vast private healthinsurance bureaucracy.

And how do African Americans fair in all this? While Obama and the ACA have opened up some new roads, too often we continue down a dangerous path. Here are some even-less-than-fun facts: • Non-elderly African Americans are younger, more likely to be poor, and less likely to have a fulltime worker in the

family compared to non-elderly whites.

• Non-elderly African Americans face endemic health disparities compared to their white counterparts, such as poorer overall health, and conditions such as obesity, diabetes and asthma.

• Uninsured African Americans are more likely to fall into the coverage gap, earning too much for Medicaid but not enough for tax credits.

• And, African Americans are more concentrated in those southern states that somehow see no need to expand Medicaid.

Con’ t from page 22

R.I.P. Medical Debt: Churches Come Together to Pay Off Millions in Medical Bills

by Derrick Lane, BlackDoctor.org

The mountain of medical bills the average America is trying to clear is high.

Medical debt contributes to two-thirds of bankruptcies, according to the American Journal of Public Health. And a 2018 Kaiser Family Foundation/New York Times poll showed that of the 26% of people who reported problems paying medical bills, 59% reported a major life impact, such as taking an extra job, cutting other household spending or using up savings.

Several churches all over the country have come together and joined with a non-profit organization to clear these outstanding medical debts. Take the city of Chicago for example: nearly 6,000 Chicagoans, no strings attached, are finally getting out from under their medical debt.

Trinity United Church of Christ, Covenant United Church of Christ, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, Greater St. John Bible Church, and more, worked

with nonprofit RIP Medical Debt—an organization that purchases debt from collection agencies and forgives or “abolishes” it—to raise $38,000 in order to wipe out $5.3 million in medical debt.

“People don’t know that they’re going to receive this,” Trinity’s Rev. Otis Moss III, who co-sponsored the direct community action with Rev. Traci Blackmon, said. “And it’s my imagination that there will be 5,888 families in Cook County that will be shouting and thanking God that their debt has been forgiven.”

The Chicago Tribune reports that Blackmon, who is the Associate General Minister of Justice & Local Church Ministries for The United Church of Christ, and Senior Pastor of Christ The King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Missouri, came up with the idea to partner with RIP Medical Debt. She and other church leaders urged parishioners to bring the money from the bottom of their purses or coin jars, and by September, they had raised the money needed to buy the medical debt for pennies on the dollar.

“Our efforts in the Chicago area serve as a launching pad, in collaboration with the UCC’s 38 conferences and almost 5,000 congregations, to medical debt relief efforts for those living at or below poverty in the 44 states we currently serve,” Blackmon said. “We view this ministry as one that also embodies what it means to love God, love our neighbors and proclaim Good News to the poor, whether they worship in our churches or not.”

The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a rule in May to curb debt collectors’ ability to… … bug those with outstanding bills, and some states have tried various measures, such as limiting the interest rates collectors may charge. But until a comprehensive solution emerges, churches and others are trying to ease some of the load by jumping into the debt market.

A big part of RIP’s appeal comes from the impact even a small donation can have, say participating church leaders.

When a person can’t pay a bill, that debt is often packaged with other people’s

16

debt and sold to bill collectors for some fraction of the total amount of the bill.

Those debts usually come from lowincome people and are more difficult to collect.

RIP Medical Debt buys debt portfolios on this secondary market for pennies on the dollar with money from its donors.

But instead of collecting the debt, RIP forgives it.

To be eligible for repayment from RIP, the debtor must be earning less than twice the federal poverty level (about $25,000 a year for an individual), have debts that are 5% or more of their annual income and have more debt than assets.

Because hospitals and doctors are eager to get those hard-to-collect debts off their books, they sell them cheap.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

IN MEMORIAM:

John Conyers Dies at 90

By Stacy M.Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

Former U.S. Congressman John Conyers, whose 15-year fight to pass legislation that would make Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a federal holiday, has died. He was 90.

The longtime Michigan Democrat represented what is now the state’s 13th Congressional District (which includes parts of western Detroit) for more than 50 years. Conyers resigned in 2017.

Conyers was born in Detroit in 1929.

He was elected to Congress in 1965 and immediately became a forceful voice in the Civil Rights Movement, co-sponsoring the Voting Rights Act of that same year.

Conyers was the first African American to chair the powerful House Judiciary Committee and helped spearhead the 1994 Violence against Women Act. Conyers and 12 other African American members of the House of Representatives founded the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971.

“We always knew where he stood on issues of equality and civil rights in the fight for the people,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who now represents Conyers’ district, tweeted.

Former U.S. Congressman John Conyers ( Photo: United States Congress Official Photo / Wikimedia Commons)

“Sad to hear of the passing of former Congressman John Conyers,” the Rev. Al Sharpton stated. “He worked with us on many civil rights cases as Chair of the House Judiciary Committee and helped lead the fight for the Martin Luther King [Jr.] Holiday.”

“Most of us from Michigan loved our

congressman. He was idolized and was absolutely an icon. Not only was he an icon of the civil rights movement but we looked to him for leadership. This is a massive loss. All of us in business, the clergy, the community, respected, admired and aspired to be like John Conyers,” Said Hiram Jackson, President and CEO of Real Times Media.

“Congressman John Conyers decades ago held the first U.S. Congressional Hearings on Racially-Motivated Police Brutality; led the House Judiciary Hearings on Criminal Justice and Prison Reform in America; was co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC); and was a leading congressional advocate for the freedom of Angela Davis, the Wilmington Ten, and all political prisoners in the United States,” remarked Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

“Conyers was a constitutional scholar and political visionary whose longstanding vision for freedom, justice and equality was unparalleled in the Congress of the United States,” Chavis continued.

“May God bless the freedom-fighting memory and legacy of The Honorable John Conyers.” Chavis stated.

17

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

COMMENTARY:

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

In Defense of Fair Investigative Journalism

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

Fair and balanced journalism remains under attack from those who do not adhere to publishing truth and facts as a result of objective and non-prejudicial investigation.

A recent Daily Beast article written by Sil Lai Abrams is the latest example that in the age of social media, factchecking and accuracy are no longer criteria to getting a story published.

In her exposé in the Daily Beast published this week, Abrams revisits her unproven sexual assault accusations against hip hop and business mogul Russell Simmons.

Abrams also accused former Extra! Host A.J. Calloway of assault. She claimed that NBC News buried her story.

However, a spokesperson for NBC has said when the network “pursues any investigative story, our mission is always to be as thorough as we can, to scrutinize sources and corroborate information before we report. Anything else falls short of our journalistic standards.”

Because Abrams said it happened, doesn’t make it fact. It also doesn’t make it a lie.

But journalistic standards must consider that anyone can make an accusation – and when publishing and reporting allegations, there should be concrete basis to do so.

Just the mere allegation of sexual misconduct, particularly in the #MeToo era, seriously injures the accused even if he or she is later exonerated.

Journalists have been trained to, and

must, ask probing questions – similar to what a prosecutor might ask, including whether the accuser has made false allegations against others.

Has the accuser changed his or her story? What might have motivated the individual to make allegations? Was financial gain a motive?

Has she accused someone else? In this case she’s accused both Simmons and Callaway, both of whom have denied the allegations. In Abrams’ book, she also accused another man whom she suggests had to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Any journalists who were to read her book would see the multiple contradictions, and that alone should give them pause.

“To accuse someone who was doing the

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kind of work Mr. Simmons was doing – “using his money and fame to raise more to help those who needed it, you have to wonder why?” said Barbara Mealer, author of the novels like “The Jillian Factor,” and “Abilene: No Place to Hide.”

“The media must ask these questions before running with a one-side story: Did he reject them? Were they trying to get even with him for some slight? Were they jumping on the bandwagon so they could get notoriety?” Mealer emphasized.

“Did they even care that they were destroying a man who essentially was helping thousands by accusing him without any proof from thirty years ago? What was their agenda other than being on the bandwagon of women accusing notable people of rape or assault?”

The hit Showtime Network drama, “The Affair,” currently depicts its lead character, Noah, under attack by six women who are using the #MeToo movement to bolster their claims.

In the most recent episode, Noah’s life is in shambles as his wife and children follow reports on television and in the media about him. But it turns out, all the allegations were false.

It’s a cautionary tale of why untested allegations shouldn’t receive unquestioned acceptance by news organizations.

In Abrams case, she claimed Joy-Ann Reid was prepared to both air her story and present it as an article for New York Magazine.

Earlier this year, The Black Press of America began investigating claims made against Simmons by multiple women, including Abrams.

During the investigation, found individuals, who were familiar with Simmons and Abrams’ past relationship. They said the Def Jam founder categorically did nothing wrong.

An ordained minister spoke to the ac-

18

cuser two days after the alleged incident.

The minister signed a statement under penalty of perjury, but was threatened by a reporter when she backed Simmons. “[Abrams] told me that she was mad at Russell because she felt he was using her and never took her out on a date,” the minister said.

The reporter threatened to expose a decade-old accusation against one of the minister’s family members that was unproven and would only serve to destroy the child’s future. Because of that, the minister withdrew from the story.

The fact that an ordained minister with a clean record could be threatened by a reporter who wanted to tell the story of someone with a criminal record should be viewed as shocking by anyone who reads or views the news.

The Black Press investigation also discovered that Abrams admitted in her memoirs to having “sex with as many celebrities” as she could.

Following her alleged encounter with Simmons, Abrams wrote in her book that she “couldn’t wait to get home to Simmons’ bed.”

She had claimed that Simmons’ driver kidnapped her. The driver, Kenneth Jennings, signed a letter under penalty of perjury that he had never kidnapped anyone and that in 25 years he had never seen Simmons abusive to anyone.

At one point, Abrams claimed she was “too drunk to remember,” but on the night in question, a witness said they could place her at the home in the late afternoon.

Several people claim that Simmons and Abrams shared a long sexual relationship that included at least one orgy.

While all of this doesn’t make Simmons innocent, it simply should, at least, prompt responsible journalists to review the credibility of any accuser.

The Black Press also learned that

CNN had turned down a chance to air Abrams’s story.

When contacted, Simmons declined to participate.

He did offer that he had taken and passed nine lie-detector tests. He stated: “I refuse to get in the mud with my accusers.”

Simmons had previously claimed he never saw her the night in question.

Several of Simmons’ current and former show business acquaintances were also contacted by The Black Press and offered their insight.

However, in the end, and because Simmons declined to participate, also decided at that time not to run the story.

Now, NBC News is under fire because of its refusal to air Abrams’ story two years ago.

NBC appears to have done what most would expect in journalism, which makes the Daily Beast decision to dedicate a full column to Abrams to re-publish unproven allegations both surprising and disappointing.

“Every accuser should be heard, but their rights should be no more substantial than the accused, a fact that separates the United States from every other country,” New York-based marketing strategist Tracey Campbell said.

“The press must be above that and must recognize that the burden of proof can’t be found in one corner or the other, even when a reporter is convinced the accuser is telling the truth,” Campbell concluded.

NBC appears to have done what most would expect in journalism, which makes the Daily Beast decision to dedicate a full column to Abrams to re-publish unproven allegations both surprising and disappointing. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

COMMENTARY: Cummings Was Charged With Greatness And He Came Through

By Sean Yoes, Elijah Eugene Cummings entered the Maryland House of Delegates in January 1983, the year I graduated from Walbrook High School in West Baltimore.

He had been a public servant for me, my family, my friends and neighbors my entire adult life until he transitioned last Thursday, Oct. 17.

It’s still hard for me to wrap my mind around his death.

I initially saw the news flash across a television screen at O’Hare Airport in Chicago; I was en route back to West Baltimore after six weeks in Uganda. It still doesn’t seem real, but the political machinations now swirling like a burgeoning funnel cloud in the wake of his passing tell me different. But, that’s another story for another time.

Until his final moments amid this earthly realm at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Baltimore, Rep. Cummings, chairman of the powerful House Oversight Committee went about his job; his prodigious work ethic exhibited to the very end. He realized the gravity of the task he and his

colleagues were engaged in, bringing to heel perhaps the most lawless president in United States history and I suspect the survival of the Republic wore on his spirit until God called him home.

He said as much during a press conference July 24, flanked by fellow Baltimore native Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee and Jerry Nadler, chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

“I’m begging the American people to pay attention to what is going on,” Cummings said. Because if you want to have a democracy intact for your children, and your children’s children, and generations yet unborn we have got to guard this moment, this is our watch.”

But, by the time Cummings was appointed chair of House Oversight in January, he had already achieved the status of an American political titan. After all, he was only the third man to serve as the representative of the legendary Seventh Congressional District of Baltimore. The two men prior to him, Parren Mitchell and Kweisi Mfume had already attained the political pantheon.

I remember the transition from Mfume to Cummings like it was yesterday; Mfume had decided to accept the post of president of the NAACP in 1996, leaving the door to the Seventh open for the hard working and well-respected Cummings to step through. But, it was no cake walk. I remember the solemnity of

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the process that led to Cummings winning the seat, which included a grueling seven-way (appropriately for the 7th) Democratic Primary. Everybody understood the Seventh had become a hallowed political district among the vanguard Black communities in the United States. A large swath of the original Seventh (which has expanded into parts of Baltimore and Howard counties during Cummings’ tenure), was home to neighborhoods where Black political and civil rights gods dwelled: Thurgood Marshall, Clarence Mitchell Jr., Juanita Jackson Mitchell, W. Ashbie Hawkins, Harry Sythe Cummings (no relation to Elijah), among many. But, perhaps most importantly the Seventh was (and still is) home to the working class Black backbone of Baltimore City. Cummings possessed crystal-clear cognition of what he inherited in 1996 and what he presided over until his death last week.

Cummings ascended from being the son of a sharecropper to the Maryland House of Delegates and the first Black Marylander to become House Speaker Pro Tempore. He ascended from the Maryland House, to the House of Representatives and the chairmanship of Oversight. He will become the first Black elected official to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

But, despite the rarified air he attained as one of the most consequential public servants in American history, he never lost the aura of the working class men

and women he represented for decades.

At the end of the day nobody loved West Baltimore more than him.

Matthew 25:21 seems to be crafted for this moment as we celebrate Cummings’ storied life. It reads, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of our Lord.”

And now a final ascension for this favorite son of the city.

Sean Yoes is the AFRO’s Baltimore editor and author of Baltimore After Freddie Gray: Real Stories From One of America’s Great Imperiled Cities.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

Police Officer Town of Greenwich Do You Want A Job That Makes A Difference? Become A Town of Greenwich Police Officer. To view detailed information and apply online visit www.governmentjobs. com/careers/greenwichct Candidates must fulfill several basic requirements including: Be a U.S. Citizen Be at least 20 years of age · Possess 45 college credits, or 2 years of active military service or equivalent

Current Salary: $68,301

The Town of Greenwich is dedicated to Diversity & Equal Opportunity Employment; Town of Greenwich, HR Dept., 101 Field Point Rd, Greenwich, CT 06830 Close Date 4:00 PM 1/23/20.

Recreation Recreation Programs Specialist. Assists in the planning and coordination of a municipal recreation program covering a wide variety of community recreational activities. Requires a bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university in recreation administration or related field plus 1 year of responsible recreation program experience. Must have a valid driver’s license. Salary: $61,376 to $78,529 annually plus an excellent fringe benefit package. Apply: Human Resources Department, Town of Wallingford, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. The closing date will be that date the 50th application form/resume is received, or November 4, 2019 whichever occurs first. EOE

LEGAL NOTICE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR SERVICES OEC-QIS-024 Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Quality Improvement Supports

ISSUE DATE: October 25, 2019

The State of Connecticut, Office of Early Childhood (OEC)is seeking proposals from private and public organizations to design, deliver and or implement OEC technical assistance activities. The scope of work includes reaching personnel working with young children in settings including family childcare, and center- and school-based programs. Technical assistance activities may include training, coaching, and consultation utilizing best practice strategies for delivering assistance that provides not only information but also enhances early care and education practice.

The request for proposals is available from the following sources: • Online at http://www.biznet.ct.gov/SCP_Search/Default.aspx?AccLast=2 • Online at www.ct.gov/oec ; or • From the Official Agency Contact:

Deborah Adams Office of Early Childhood Mail: 450 Columbus Blvd, Suite 304 Hartford, Connecticut 06103 E-mail: OEC.RFP@CT.GOV Telephone: 860-500-4535

A bidder’s conference will be held on November 13, 2019 at the Office of Early Childhood, 450 Columbus Blvd., Hartford. Registration for this event must Be completed at: Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oec-bidders-conference-for-oec-qis024-tickets-77496284473 Or Search Eventbrite.com for OEC Bidders Conference OEC-QIS-024 The due date, post marked, for proposals is 1:00 PM on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 Please direct all questions to the Official Agency Contact.

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

HELP WANTED: Large CT guardrail company

looking for Laborer/Driver with valid CT CDL Class A license and able to get a medical card. Must be able to pass a drug test and physical. Compensation based on experience. Email resume to dmastracchio@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE M-F

Equipment Operator Help Wanted: Immediate opening for Equipment Operator for Heavy and Highway Construction.

10 hour OSHA certificate required. CDL license a plus but not required.

Please call PJF Construction Corp.@ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F.

Laborer Help Wanted: Immediate opening for Construction Laborer for Heavy and Highway Construction.

10 hour OSHA certificate required.

Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F.

CDL Driver Help Wanted: Immediate opening for CDL Driver for Heavy and Highway Construction.

10 hour OSHA certificate and clean CDL license required.

Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-888-9998. We are an equal opportunity employer M/F.

Project Manager/Project Supervisor Help Wanted: Immediate opening for a Project Manager/Project Supervisor for Heavy and Highway Construction. Previous experience on CTDOT projects required.

Please call PJF Construction Corp. @ 860-888-9998.

We are an equal opportunity employer M/F

Listing: Accounting Accounting Department has an immediate opening in Accounts Payable. This full time position in a fast-paced office environment could be an excellent entry to an Accounting career. Requires good computer and organizational skills, attention to detail, and multi-tasking. Benefits include health, dental & LTD insurance plus 401(k). Send resume to: Human Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437. ********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

Town of Bloomfield Vehicle Mechanic Technician Full Time - Benefited $30.49 hourly

Pre-employment drug testing. For more details, visit our website – www.bloomfieldct.org

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Civil Engineer

Diversified Technology Consultants (DTC) is a multi-disciple engineering and environmental consulting firm. DTC is a leader in servicing governmental clients for four decades. DTC prides itself as having worked on a wide variety of project types. From schools and senior centers to town halls and universities, our diverse portfolio provides extensive experience to our communities.

As DTC enters its forth decade, we are seeking an energetic, organized and proactive professional in our Civil Engineering Department. The successful candidate(s) will work closely with our technical staff in support of DTC’s strategic goals and objectives.

This is an entry level position located in our Hamden, Connecticut office.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in the preparation of plans, specifications, supporting documents, and permit applications for private and municipal projects.

• Assist in preparation of calculations such as storm drainage, water supply & wastewater collection, cost estimates, and earthwork quantities.

• Perform design and drafting using AutoCAD Civil 3D. MicroStation experience is beneficial but not required.

Qualifications:

• Graduate from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering.

• Engineer in training certificate preferred.

For Further information or to apply send resumes to ellen.nelson@teamdtc.com DTC is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

DTC is a Drug Free Work Place.

Individuals with Disabilities, Minorities and Protected Veterans are encouraged to apply.

Construction Seeking to employ experienced individuals in the labor, foreman, operator and teamster trades for a heavy outside work statewide. Reliable personal transportation and a valid drivers license required. To apply please call (860) 621-1720 or send resume to: Personnel Department, P.O. Box 368, Cheshire, CT06410.

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V Drug Free Workforce

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for a Policy Development Coordinator position.

Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions for this position is available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/ CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?R1= 191011&R2=1581MP&R3=001 The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

QSR STEEL CORPORATION

APPLY NOW! Steel Fabricators, Erectors & Welders Top pay for top performers.

Health Benefits, 401K, Vacation Pay. Email Resume: Rose@qsrsteel.com Hartford, CT

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

SURVEYING Boundaries LLC is a full-service Land Surveying Firm located in Griswold, CT. We are recruiting for these positions and accepting resumes for: Survey Field Technicians, Survey Computer Technicians, Licensed Land Surveyors, Civil Engineers, From 9/12/2019 through 12/31/2019. Interested parties can contact us at 860-376-2009 or submit your resume to jfaulise@boundariesllc.net An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT

EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST - (P/T) Assist individuals receiving services in identifying and making choices about their social, vocation and personal goals. Duties include case management, job development/placement/retention services and job support as needed. Requires use of personal vehicle. B.A. in a related field; plus 2 yrs’ related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Pay rate $16.61/hr.

Apply to: GWSNE, 432 Washington Ave., North Haven, CT 06473/Fax (203) 495-6108/hr@goodwillsne.org EOE/AA - M/F/D/V

DELIVERY PERSON NEEDED Part Time Delivery Needed One/Two Day a Week,

Norwalk Housing is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Adam Bovilsky, Executive Director.

Listing: Accounting

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks: Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Union Company seeks:

Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, clean driving record, capable of operating heavy equipment; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact Dana at 860-243-2300.

Email: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

HELP WANTED:

Large CT guardrail company looking for Laborer/ Driver with valid CT CDL Class A license and able to get a medical card. Must be able to pass a drug test and physical. Compensation based on experience.

Email resume to dmastracchio@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE M-F

NEW HAVEN POLICE NOW HIRING

If Interested call

(203) 387-0354

Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact: Tom Dunay Phone: 860- 243-2300 Email: Tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is currently seeking Proposals for Information Technology Consulting Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtainedfrom Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at 9:00AM

Must Have your Own Vehicle

is requesting proposals for Legal Services.

Request for Proposal documents can be viewed and printed at www.norwalkha.org under the Business section RFP’s/RFQ’s

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc seeks:

Request for Proposals Information Technology Consulting Services

Accounting Department has two immediate openings for full time Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable professionals in a fast-paced office environment. Must be highly organized, possess good computer skills, be detail oriented, and able to manage multiple projects. Benefits include health, dental & LTD insurance plus 401(k). Send resume to: Human Resource Dept. P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

Apply online at Policeapp.com Or Visit our Social Media Pages For More Information New Haven Police Department Recruitment Team

Nhpdrecruitment

NHPDrecruitment

********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer**********

DIESEL MECHANIC: Diesel Mechanic responsible for the maintenance of Norwalk Transit District’s fleet of diesel and gas powered vehicles, including buses, body-on-chassis vehicles and all support vehicles; vehicle related components, including wheelchair lifts and ramps; vehicle support equipment; facilities and their related equipment, including fork lift and sweeper; light repair of HVAC, electrical and plumbing; maintaining all fixed passenger amenities; and, other duties as assigned by the Foreman/Management.

For more information and to apply, please go to:www.norwalktransit.com/employment The Norwalk Transit District is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

CDL will be required within six months of employment.’

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Housing Coordinator P/T. Bristol Housing Authority is seeking an individual with working knowledge of and experience in federally subsidized housing program rent calculations. Salary will be commensurate with experience. Send resume and references by Oct. 23, 2019 to Mitzy Rowe, CEO, Bristol Housing Authority (BHA), 163 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CT 06010

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Entity

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ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

Invitation for Bids

Window, Screen and Glass Replacement and Repair Services The Housing Authority of the City of New Havend/b/a Elm City Communities is currently seeking Bids for Window, Screen and Glass Replacement and Repairs Services. A complete copy of the requirementsmay be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems. com/gateway beginning on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 3:00PM.

Account Clerk: The Town of East Haven is currently accepting applications to participate in the examination for the following positions: Account Clerk, Payroll-Board of Education. The starting hourly rate is $19.93/hour, 37.5 hours per week.

Account Clerk, Grade Level 10-Tax Office. The starting hourly rate is $22.76/hour, 35 hours per week.

Applications are available from The Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven, CT or https://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civil-service-commission/pages/ job-notices-and-tests. The deadline to apply is November 15, 2019. East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

in THIS RACE IS OURS TO LOSE Healthcare America Con’ t from page 16

by Oscar Bayton When Sputnik circled the earth in 1957, Americans were agog that the Russians had beaten us into space. In Black barbershops, segregated classrooms of the South and other spaces where Black folk could speak openly, it was undisputed that America’s inability to focus on the “space race” was because of its obsession with the “race question.” Three years earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that the doctrine of “separate but equal” was unconstitutional and one year after that, the Court had ordered the desegregation of public school with “all deliberate speed.” These directives for fairness and equality for African Americans set the South ablaze and racial bigots raised every imaginable barricade to prevent equal educational opportunities for Black children.

Some people will say that desegregation had nothing to do with the space race. But the number of Black astronauts, physicists, engineers and mathematicians who have contributed to America’s space efforts since integration expose that bit of white supremacy for what it is. Prohibiting African Americans from attending many universities with advanced science programs, and participating fairly in the aerospace industry and the effort to conquer space, amputated a valuable portion of this nation’s brain power.

Today, we again find ourselves in com-

petition with Russia on another geopolitical chessboard. Russia, Brazil, India and China have pushed forward on the global stage to become economic powerhouses collectively known as “BRIC.” Also, many nations that we once deemed as belonging to the “Third World” are becoming more robust as they slowly shed the neo-colonial economic and political chains that bound them. Many African nations that once were considered dysfunctional are gaining their footing in these areas, forming significant partnerships with China and Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently welcomed several African leaders to a meeting at the Black Sea resort of Sochi and told them he wants to more than double the amount Russia trades with the African continent.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union was invested in liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau and it also had a close relationship with Ethiopia. The Kremlin was not only investing in the military struggles of African nations, it was making efforts to help them improve their capacity for health care and education.

For decades, the Russian government has been positioning itself as an educational mecca for African students. They were successful in this effort in the 1960s thanks to the horrific reputation the United States garnered because of its treatment of African Americans, particularly in Southern states. In 1960, the Soviet government scored a public relations slam dunk when it established the Patrice Lumumba People’s Friendship University in Moscow. Currently, this university has foreigners from approximately 100 countries and counts among its student body

1,100 Africans.

Some of Russia’s assistance to Africa dried up when the Soviet Union dissolved in the 1980s, and its once vigorous presence in Africa became a mere shadow of its former self. But Putin sought to strengthen Russia’s relationships with Africa by inviting African leaders to the conference in Sochi and billed it as an “Africa Summit.” Forty-three of the 55 African heads of state attended.

Pictures of African leaders hobnobbing with Russian businessmen and examining Russian weapons for sale has had an unsettling effect on Western observers. This unease in the West is probably exactly what Putin was aiming for. With an undeniable racist in the White House, and with white nationalism rising in the United States and Western Europe, the politically savvy, former KGB agent sees cracks in the decades-old political links erected by the former colonial powers to stem the communist/socialist tide streaming into the former African colonies with the flood of independence.

Putin is now acting on the political reality that China has exploited for decades. The shiny promise of Western-style democracy, tarnished by the corrosive effects of white supremacy and white privilege, has lost its luster for Africans, and now it is no more than a dull glow from the embers of broken promises.

Racism in America has reached a point where people of color are being gunned down in U.S. streets. And in Western European nations, racial intolerance is surfacing, pushed upward by the backlash against the immigration of people of color seeking those same opportunities Europeans sought a century ago when they left their homelands for America. To the Af-

ricans at home, the Western nations do not present a good look.

At the conclusion of Putin’s Africa Summit, he announced that Russia had signed military cooperation agreements with 30 of the participating nations for military helicopters, fighter jets and armored vehicles.

It cannot be denied that while the United States is hamstrung by an illegitimate president, Moscow is expanding its clout globally. Just days before the Africa Summit, Putin met in Sochi with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey, where the two came to an agreement about the conflict in Syria.

The Daily Mail newspaper of the United Kingdom reports that Russia is already Africa’s largest arms supplier. Its annual trade across that continent now exceeds $20 billion, twice what it was five years ago, and Putin has said that he is confident that this figure can double again in the next four or five years.

In addition to offering a cornucopia of weaponry, Putin offered to demonstrate his diplomatic chops by suggesting he help mediate a thorny dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia – two of the continent’s largest powers – over the waters of the Nile River.

So, again, while the United States is gouging out its own eyes in a bitter struggle over race, Russia is taking advantage of our distraction to position itself as a world leader. If Americans do not wake up to this reality, this is one race we will lose.

Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia.

DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE! Deadline October 25th 2019 To Apply: www.firefighterapp.com General Information: www.newhavenct.gov/fire 22

So, what’s to be done?

I am a union man, so I am going to talk from my gut. The state of our health care here is not some Norman Rockwell painting nor is it some kid bravely waiting for the nurse to give him that booster shot during the monthly visit by the county health department’s mobile clinic.

We must do better. RIGHT NOW. I’m sorry to say it’s bad news for so many Americans and the ACA made it better, but things are starting to backslide. I belong to the UAW. We first proposed comprehensive health coverage for all Americans back in the 1940s and we haven’t stopped as our bargaining and our policies have shown over the years. Not even slowed down.

Our goal is universal health care — coverage for everyone — and we have spoken loud and clear about the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs; against those who would deny coverage for those of us with pre-existing conditions; against those who would scuttle provisions like Section 1557 of the ACA which combats discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

All these reforms are under threat. So, we fight on.

We have recently signed on to a grassroots campaign to lower the cost of prescription drugs. “Lower Drug Prices Now!” is a coalition comprised of 53 state and national organizations that are committed to forcing bold prescription drug reforms that will stop Big Pharma price-gouging and put people ahead of profits. No more should working Americans have to make decisions between putting food on the table and filling their insulin prescription.

I truly believe, as my union brothers and sisters do, that with universal health care, working people can turn to employers for higher wages, for job security and retirement security because health care would be off the table.

I will end this way.

How about this? Instead of some folksy panacea like laughter is the best medicine while we turn back the clock, we go with a healing prescription of democracy and access to affordable, quality health care for one and all.

Non-elderly African Americans face endemic health disparities compared to their white counterparts, such as poorer overall health, and conditions such as obesity, diabetes and asthma. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS -

October 30, 2019 - November 05, 2019

WE HAVE IMMEDIATE OPENINGS NOW!

NHPS - Early Childhood Registration O ce: 54 Meadow Street, New Haven, CT 06519 If you have any additional questions please contact us at: Head Start (475) 220-1463 and School Readiness (475) 220-1482

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