LAWT-1-28-2010

January 28, 2010

SERVING LOS ANGELES COUNTY WITH NEWS YOU CAN USE

Vol. XXX, No. 1164 FIRST COLUMN

Haiti’s History Created Bond With Many U.S. Blacks

BY JESSE WASHINGTON AP NATIONAL WRITER

A terrible earthquake anywhere in the Caribbean would have hit a sympathetic nerve in most Americans. But as the first black republic of the West, born when slaves overthrew white rulers, Haiti holds a unique place in the hearts of many American blacks.

That’s why Toussaint Tabb, a college student named after Toussaint L’Ouverture, the Haitian slave-turned-general who led the revolution more than 200 years ago, was jolted when he saw televised images of the devastation in Haiti.

“They looked just like any other black people over here in America,” said Tabb, a history major at North Carolina Central University. “They’re the same people.”

“I would say it hit home harder because it was a predominantly black country, and my name is Toussaint, and it’s Haiti.”

Joel Dreyfuss, a native Haitian and editor of the black-oriented Web site TheRoot.com, said American blacks easily “could have ended up in Haiti instead of the U.S., depending on where the slave ship stopped.”

“I think there is a connection,” Dreyfuss continued. “It’s not unreasonable or racist, it’s human nature, just as Jews identify with Israel. ...

There’s a natural sense of identification with people who look like yourself.”

Much of that connection revolves around racial issues, said Jean-Max Hogarth, a physician born in the United States to Haitian immigrants.

Haiti’s status as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere “has a lot to do with the fact it has been independent since 1804, it had a long period of discrimination, it had to pay reparations” and had corrupt dictators, said Hogarth, whose medical practice donated a five-figure sum to send him and other doctors to Haiti to treat earthquake victims.

“That has created further solidarity with African Americans,” he said. “We think about Haiti being a nation that gained its own independence through struggle. It gives a sense of pride not only for Haitians, but for African Americans as well.”

Under French rule, Haiti’s abundant sugar plantations made it perhaps the richest colony of the See HAITIAN BOND, page 10

Photo Courtesy of AGÊNCIA BRASIL

UNDERSTANDING — People waiting in Cité Soleil, Haiti, after a 7.0 earthquake devastated the Caribbean nation about two weeks ago. Black Americans can relate to Haitians in a unique way, The Associated Press reports. “They looked just like any other black people over here in America,” said Toussaint Tabb, a history major at North Carolina Central University.

“They’re the same people.”

Photo Courtesy of WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY

HONORING THE CHAMPS — President Barack Obama honored the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 25 at the White House for winning the 2009 NBA championship against the Orlando Magic last June. The Lakers’ current record as of Jan. 27 — before they played the Indiana Pacers last night — was 34-11.

New Law Allows California to Trim Inmate Population

BY DON THOMPSON AP WRITER

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California will begin to reduce its prison population by about 6,500 inmates over the next year under a state law that took effect Jan. 25.

The bill was signed as part of last year’s state budget package.

Under it, early release credits for inmates who complete educational and vocational programs will be expanded, letting more inmates leave prison earlier.

At the same time, the state will stop its monitoring of low-level offenders after their release. That is designed to reduce the number of parolees returned to prison, essentially because the state will not know if they are violating the terms of their parole.

Corrections Secretary Matthew Cate told The Associated Press on Jan. 21 that the law will let parole agents concentrate on more dangerous ex-convicts.

Agents will be responsible for

Empowerment Summit Held, Freedom Schools Planned

BY CHICO C. NORWOOD STAFF WRITER

Hundreds of people attended the 18th annual Empowerment Congress Summit at California State University’s Dominguez Hills campus Jan. 23, where a variety of issues were discussed including new Freedom Schools coming to Los Angeles.

As part of the event, workshops were held that touched on economic development for the Crenshaw Corridor (which will have an 8.5-mile light rail that will go from Crenshaw and Exposition boulevards to Aviation Boulevard near Los Angeles International Airport) and health disparities in the community.

Photo by HAYWOOD GALBREATH/MPJI.ORG

Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas at the Empowerment Congress Summit Jan. 23.

Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman also discussed a partnership with Second District Los Angeles County Super-

visor Mark Ridley-Thomas to bring Freedom Schools to his district.

Freedom Schools are not an alternative to public schools, Edelman said before the summit, but a sixweek summer and after-school enrichment program that aims to have high-quality academic enrichment; parent and family involvement; social action and civic engagement; intergenerational servant leadership development; and nutrition, physical health and mental health.

“We’re doing a lot of things that children don’t get otherwise,” she said.

See FREEDOM SCHOOLS, page 8

supervising an average of 48 parolees instead of the current 70 because the law ends California’s practice of automatically putting every released convict on three years of parole.

Ex-convicts deemed less dangerous or less likely to commit new crimes will not be monitored at all, although they still can be searched without a warrant.

The reduced caseload will let the state more intensively watch gang members, sex offenders and violent felons, using lessons it learned from its failure to catch Jaycee Dugard’s accused kidnappers, Cate said.

Parole agents have been faulted for failing to learn that paroled sex offender Phillip Garrido was hiding the young woman in his backyard for nearly 20 years.

“We’re going back to the time when the parole officer not only has time to be a cop, but add that socialworker factor,” Cate said in a telephone interview. “We could see the

recidivism rate actually go down in California, so that’s the great hope.”

Groups representing crime victims and the union representing Los Angeles police officers criticized the new law.

“California has decided to begin jeopardizing public safety with no perceivable financial benefit,” said Los Angeles Police Protective League President Paul M. Weber in a statement.

He argued that despite the short-term financial gain, an increase in crime will cost the state and victims more in the long run.

Cate acknowledged some unsupervised ex-felons will inevitably commit serious crimes after their release. But he said residents will be safer in general because parole agents will be able to concentrate on higher-risk parolees.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the law in October. Finance officials on Jan. 21 estimated the measure will save the state about $500 million its first full year.

NEWS IN BRIEF THE SOUTHLAND Inglewood Mayor Pleads Guilty to Corruption (AP) — The mayor of Inglewood has pleaded guilty to a political corruption charge and has resigned.

Roosevelt Dorn pleaded guilty Jan. 25 to misdemeanor conflict of interest for accepting a $500,000 city loan. The 74-year-old Dorn was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $1,000.

Authorities say the mayor got a low-interest loan from the city in 2004, only months after he voted to

extend a city housing incentive program to include elected officials.

He was facing trial on felony charges that carried a Roosevelt Dorn prison term. Under a plea deal, two other charges were dropped.

The Inglewood City Council said in a statement that Dorn’s resignation was “an unfortunate development and a sad day for Inglewood.”

www.lawattstimes.com

See BRIEFS, page 12

Page 2

L.A. WATTS TIMES

January 28, 2010

OPINION EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON

Time for Obama to Really Act Like FDR President Barack Obama never encouraged the media-concocted, adman’s-fantasy-land comparison of him to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

He didn’t discourage the comparison either.

He was flattered by it. But with the Massachusetts vote debacle smacking Obama in the face, his only hope for rebound is to really act like Roosevelt.

Roosevelt knew he was in a political life-and-death, take-no-prisoners war with his political enemies — the GOP, ultra-conservative Democrats, Wall Street, the big bankers and big manufacturers. He repeatedly lambasted them as obstructionists and economic royalists.

Obama is in the same war.

These groups make absolutely no effort to mask their loath of his policies and presidency, and have made it clear they will stop at nothing to bounce him from office. This was before Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts for the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat.

These groups will be even more bellicose and intransigent against Obama and his agenda now.

Roosevelt didn’t just hit back, and hit back hard, against the economic royalists. He did not make weak appeals and empty threats to banks and Wall Street to be responsible, do the right thing, and ramp up lending to businesses, farm and homeowners, and pump money into efforts to create jobs; he imposed tough regulations on them.

One of the toughest regulations was the Glass-Steagall Act. The congressional gut of Glass-Steagall unleashed the orgy of Wall Street freeboot speculation, trading, swaps, and scams of investors, borrowers and

the government that nearly wrecked the economy.

Roosevelt’s bank and Wall Street rein-in sent the blunt message that he meant business on financial reform and that this was a key to job creation, saving homes, and getting businesses up and going. He spent, spent and spent some more on jobs, housing, and social services.

Roosevelt did not resort to smokeand-mirror, photo-op White House jobs summits and conferences, and imploring business councils to expand and create jobs. He put the money directly in the hands of the needy through a litany of recovery programs.

Obama has belatedly acknowledged that Glass-Steagall must be reinstated. That’s only a start.

Obama should do what FDR did and plow stimulus dollars directly into government-run job training programs, job banks, and public works projects.

Roosevelt’s economic brain trust were tough, reform-minded academics and public officials, not Wall Street, and corporate shills.

Obama should put the same team around him.

That means asking for the immediate resignation of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. His bumbles, manipulation and outright lies as New York Federal Reserve Chairman and as treasury secretary to cover up the malfeasance of AIG, Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street wheeler-dealers have done more to taint Obama as a hopeless captive of Wall Street.

Giving Geithner the boot would reinforce a tough message that Wall Street and the banks must toe the administration line on reform.

Roosevelt would quickly pull the plug if something didn’t work or worked badly to advance his agenda.

The health care reform bill is that “something.” Obama should yank it off the Senate table.

His mistake was not to battle for health care reform, but to battle for it at the wrong time and on the wrong terms. It was a fight that was preordained to be long, contentious, embittered and ultimately shamelessly compromised; a fight that let a GOP, flat on its back, off the canvas.

Obama should revisit the issue later and this time write the bill himself with a fully functioning public option, firm cost-containment measures, and tough monitoring provisions. Then he should quietly and patiently sell congressional leaders and the public on it.

Roosevelt made sure that when he went to war, it was truly the right war in the right place at the right time. He had America’s allies and the American people firmly behind him.

Afghanistan and certainly Iraq are not the right wars, and only for a brief moment did they have the cooperation of America’s allies, and the American public firmly behind them.

Obama should set and stick to a firm date for withdrawal, call a regional conference of allies to inform them of the exit plan, and then demand that they make regional security, containment, and peace as much their responsibility as the Unites States’. He should then announce that the billions saved from disengagement will go directly into a massive program of jobs, education, housing expansion and infrastructure rebuilding — in America.

See HUTCHINSON, page 10

It’s Time to Help Haiti Now

BY MARC H. MORIAL

My faith in the essential goodness of American people and our government has been strengthened recently, as I have witnessed the extraordinary mobilization of relief efforts for Haiti following the Jan.12 earthquake that has caused massive casualties.

As I watch the screaming, tearstained scenes of death and anguish unfolding on the nightly news, I cannot help but recall that almost five years ago my own hometown of New Orleans might have disappeared into the abyss of forgotten history were it not for the compassionate outreach of millions of people in this country and around the world.

As President Obama noted, it is times like these that remind us of our common humanity.

But as governments, the United Nations, and relief organizations scramble to rescue an already-distressed nation from a crisis of biblical proportions, there is still a desperate need for all of us to donate whatever dollars, supplies and expertise we can.

As in New Orleans, this tragedy also challenges the United States and other countries to change long-standing policies that have contributed to Haiti’s status as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. But, first things first.

As recovery and relief efforts intensify, we recommend the following: It is clear that right now, cash donations are the best way to help.

We are urging everyone to donate to the Haiti Support Project’s Haiti Relief Fund at www.ibw21.org.

Headed by noted political scientist and scholar Ron Daniels, the Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW) is committed to an enhanced quality of life and the overall development of black people and the global black community.

The group’s Haitian Support

Project provides humanitarian and economic assistance to Haitian nongovernmental organizations seeking to ameliorate the dire Marc H. Morial conditions of the Haitian people, most of whom live on about or less than $2 a day.

You can also go to www.white house.gov/HaitiEarthquake to choose another organization to contribute to.

While we applaud Obama’s swift response and commitment of $100 million in immediate emergency relief, we urge the government to take further steps to rectify years of U.S. trade and immigration embargoes that have had adverse consequences for the people of Haiti.

We are pleased that, in the wake of this disaster, the Obama administration has halted deportations and has granted temporary protected status to 100,000 Haitian nationals who, prior to Jan. 12, 2010, have been living in the United States illegally. This will allow them to continue living and working here for the next 18 months.

For years, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and others have been fighting for more aid and engagement with Haiti.

CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee has made an impassioned plea that we take this opportunity to bring more of those efforts to fruition.

We agree.

In our view, the United States has both a moral and political obligation to lead a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of Haiti, like the Marshall Plan, to ensure that the physical infrastructure and human lives are permanently rebuilt.

Marc H. Morial is president and CEO of the National Urban League. For information, visit www. nul.org.

Go Back to Africa: Hatin’ on Black History

BY PAUL SCOTT

“Go back to Africa!”

Back when I was in elementary school, that statement would either lead to fist fights or tears, depending on the temperament of the one dissed. Many black folks vividly recall the first time they were called the “N-word” and how they eventually got over it.

But for me, the taunt “go back to Africa” hasn’t been easy to shake.

See, for black kids like me, being told to take a trip back across the Atlantic was the ultimate insult, as it meant being exiled to a place where cannibals with bones in their noses ran around with spears, waiting to catch some unsuspecting person slippin’ so that he could be Sunday evening supper. After all, this is the image of Africa that black kids were given courtesy of those old Looney Tune cartoons and Tarzan movies.

Unfortunately, the educational system back then did nothing to counter this negative depiction of Africa. The textbooks only reinforced the idea of “the Dark Continent” as a God-forsaken place that made no contribution to civilization besides slave labor. In early texts,

Africa was divided into “white” Africa (Northern Africa) and “black” Africa (sub-Saharan Africa).

So the achievements of the ancient Egyptians were credited to Greek invaders, and the empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai were written out of history altogether. Things have not changed much since I was young. An unbiased view of African world history is still sadly missing from most school systems to the detriment of thousands of black children every school year.

While it is widely accepted that Afrocentricity was a product of the Black Power Movement of the late 1960s, it actually started more than 100 years earlier. According to Mia Bay in her book “The White Image in the Black Mind,” as early as the 1830s, scholars such as John Russwurm and David Walker were championing the idea of the African American connection to the great ancient civilizations of Egypt.

In his 1920 essay, “The Souls of White Folk,” W.E.B. DuBois proclaimed, “Europe has never produced and never will, in our day, bring forth a single human soul who cannot be matched and over matched in every line of human

endeavor by Asia and Africa.”

In 1926, Carter G. Woodson founded Black History Week (later becoming Black History Month).

However, as he Paul Scott wrote in his book “The Miseducation of the Negro” in 1933, teaching African Americans that they had accomplished just as much as any other race would “upset the program of the oppressor in Africa and America.” Therefore, there has been a concerted effort to confine all talk of black history to the period after the 18th century.

The modern concept of Afrocentricity can be attributed to professors such as Molefi Asante, John Henrik Clark and Yosef benJochannan, as their works created a series of arguments and counterarguments over the validity of Afrocentric scholarship in the mid-1990s.

Although many bemoan the educational gap between African American children (especially males) and their peers, the suggestion of Afrocentric studies as a See SCOTT, page 3

Published Weekly

The L.A. Watts Times 3540 Wilshire Boulevard, PH3 • Los Angeles, CA 90010

Administration - Sales - Graphics - Editorial

(213) 251-5700 Fax (213) 251-5720 Beverly Cook - Publisher, Managing Editor 1976-1993 Charles Cook - Publisher, 1976-1998

WWW.LAWATTSTIMES.COM Melanie Polk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Publisher Vincent Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Business Manager Samuel Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Managing Editor Nadra Kareem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Assistant Editor Chico C. Norwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Staff Writer Willa Robinson . . . . . . . . . . .Director of Advertising Jenny C. Cohen . . . . . . . . . .Advertising Coordinator Madaline Vinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Office Manager Marty Cotwright . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Staff Photographer EMAIL: lawattsnus@aol.com Audited Circulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25,000 The opinions expressed by contributing writers are not necessarily those of the L.A. Watts Times.

The L.A. Watts Times is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, CDs or tapes.

CIRCULATION AUDIT BY

January 28, 2010

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 3

BUSINESS There’s Got to be a Better Way! Infomercial Advice

BY ERIN CONROY AP BUSINESS WRITER

But wait, there’s more!: You never realized how badly you needed a vegetable chopper.

Whether it’s to tighten your tummy, remove dead skin from your feet, give your hair a boost or find use for a towel that supposedly holds 12 times its weight in liquid, you may feel tempted by energetic pitchmen peddling such products via late-night infomercials.

However kitschy or misleading, they’re often successful in getting people off the couch to reach for the phone and $19.95.

But buyer beware, says Consumer Reports magazine, which recently tested a roundup of 15 infomercial products and found some disappointments.

The $19.95 Slap Chop diced foods unevenly, while the PedEgg, a pedicure device that costs $9.99, did a good job removing calluses but left a mess.

Still, there are some good offers.

The Magic Jack, a voice-over Internet Protocol device that costs $39.95, has a clear connection and is a great deal, the magazine said.

Tired of buying as-seen-onTV products that aren’t worth the price? There’s got to be a better

way! Well, there is!

Here are Consumer Reports’ tips for avoiding infomercial buyer’s remorse: • Pause 10 minutes before making a purchase. The excited pace of the commercials boosts dopamine levels, so once they return to normal you’ll be feeling less impulsive — and less likely to buy something you don’t need.

• Consider other options. The item may seem like the perfect solution to a common problem, maybe even genius. But often they are simple ideas that can easily be duplicated, or aren’t even necessary. Soaking a pan in hot water overnight with dish soap may be just as effective as using the Grease Bullet cleaning tablets.

• Listen for true “value” clues.

When a pitchman cites a $40 value, then says he’ll give you two for one, that means the value is probably much less.

• Calculate the real price by factoring in the shipping and handling charges. Sometimes those charges are nearly as much as the item itself.

• Say no to add-ons. Those “operators standing by” will likely pitch additional products, accessories and refills — before you know whether the product even works.

SCOTT Continued from page 2 viable solution to the problem more times than not falls on deaf ears.

Despite the fact that many members of my generation who developed a zeal for reading were inspired by a single book dealing with the African experience, be it “Stolen Legacy” by George G.M. James or “Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization” by Anthony Browder, many do not believe that books dealing with the African experience could have the same impact on this so-called hiphop generation.

Several factors have served as stumbling blocks to Afrocentricity being included in school curriculum, despite years of prodding by grassroots activists concerned about the welfare of black children. First, it must be understood that, while Afrocentricity is an academic construct, for many, the idea is politically charged. Any call for the affirmation of one’s “blackness” is usually drowned out by cries of reverse racism and divisiveness.

Secondly, Afrocentricity challenges the very foundation of Western thought. Many will shudder at the mere fact of their adoration of Greek culture being challenged by pre-19th Dynasty Egypt. Finally, the resistance that comes from school administrators and educators who have a vested professional interest in preserving the status quo is perhaps the main obstacle.

Either they do not have sufficient knowledge of black history themselves or do not have the courage to challenge the false doctrine of educational white supremacy. As James Lowen wrote in his book “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” “perhaps the most pervasive theme

in our history is the domination of black America by white America.”

So, they are more comfortable allowing our children to become indoctrinated with hip-hop lyrics and gang rituals instead of inspirational messages of self-empowerment.

As we approach this year’s Black History Month observation, parents, activists and concerned citizens must demand not only that the concept of black history be expanded to include the entire scope of the African experience, but that it be incorporated year-round into the curriculum.

One can only guess how much further along — socially, politically and economically — my generation would have been if we had only been exposed to the greatness of African cultural history at an early age.

Sadly, 30 years after the fact, I am still angered by the “go back to Africa” comments now — not so much because of the ignorance of my white classmates, but because my own ignorance allowed me to take it as an insult.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@ nowarningshotsfired.com. The Intelligence over Ignorance “Take Back Black History” lecture tour begins in February.

Facts Jan. 28, 1986 Astronaut Ronald McNair dies in the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Surviving him are his wife Cheryl McNair and children.

Source: blackfacts.com

BIZSHORTS Feds Seize Pirated DVDs Worth $7M at U.S. Ports (AP) — Federal inspectors at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have seized a shipment of pirated DVDs worth more than $7 million.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Jan. 15 that more than 250,000 of the discs were confiscated on Jan. 7. The shipment arrived on a sea container from South Korea and was destined to an importer in Los Angeles County.

Last year, U.S. Customs and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized more than $260 million worth of counterfeit items nationwide. Media items were among the top items taken.

Customs spokeswoman Christina Gamez said the counterfeit DVDs will be destroyed.

Agents Get Millions for CA Pension Fund Business (AP) — Documents released Jan. 14 show placement agents have received more than $125 million in fees from private investment funds for getting business with the giant California Public Employees’ Retirement System.

The nation’s largest public pension fund released the payment disclosure documents amid scrutiny into the activities and influence of the agents, who include former CalPERS’ board members, and a move to enact a law requiring agents to register as lobbyists while barring contingent fee arrangements.

Examinations have been conducted across the nation concerning how public pension funds are being steered into investment funds.

Anne Stausboll, CalPERS’ chief executive officer, said the information was being turned over to a law firm that is reviewing the activities of placement agents.

CalPERS said that more than 600 disclosures were obtained from its outside investment partners either voluntarily or under a new policy mandating disclosure on the use of placement agents and fees on new investment proposals or amendments to existing proposals after May 2009.

The pension fund said certain external managers mentioned in news stories involving the New York attorney general and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission were asked for vol-

untary retroactive information.

CalPERS stated that it did not verify or tally all of the reported payments.

The largest recipient was Arvco Financial Ventures, run by former CalPERS board member Alfred Villalobos, which reportedly received $58.9 million in fees.

$50M Worth of California IOUS Still Uncashed SACRAMENTO (AP) — California officials are at a loss to explain why $50 million worth of IOUs issued during last year’s fiscal crisis have not been cashed.

Controller John Chiang and Treasurer Bill Lockyer have begun mailing letters to those who have yet to redeem the nearly 90,000 outstanding IOUs. They stopped earning interest in September. The letters explain how to redeem IOUs and include a preaddressed envelope.

The cash-strapped state issued $2.6 billion in IOUs to 450,000 vendors, taxpayers, and other creditors last summer to get through its budget crunch.

In Los Angeles, $9.8 million in IOUs remain uncashed. In San Francisco, $1.4 million worth of IOUs are outstanding.

Page 4

L.A. WATTS TIMES

January 28, 2010

COMMUNITY

WHAT’S GOING ON?

KING COMMEMORATION — California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass at the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Ceremony with dancers from the West Angeles Praise Dancers Group.

Bass was honored at the California African American Museum.

Other honorees included Steven B. Sample, president of the University of Southern California and California Judicial Appointments Secretary Sharon Majors-Lewis.

The event was hosted by Assemblyman Mike Davis.

Haitians in Country Illegally Can Stay

BY SUZANNE GAMBOA AP WRITER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration said Jan. 15 it will allow Haitians who were already in the United States illegally to remain for the time being because of their country’s catastrophic earthquake.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano granted the tempo-

rary protected status on Jan. 15, two days after she temporarily halted deportations of Haitians, even those already in detention. The protection is only available to Haitians already in the country as of Jan. 12, and allows them to stay and work for 18 months.

Napolitano told reporters that the temporary legal status is an act of compassion.

“It’s a horrible thing that has hap-

Deadline for receipt of What’s Going On listings is Friday, noon, at least two weeks prior to activity.

Fax to: (213) 251-5720, e-mail us at lawattsnus@aol.com or mail to: L.A. Watts Times, 3540 Wilshire Blvd., PH3, Los Angeles, CA 90010.

FUNDRAISER — The Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable’s annual fundraiser will take place Jan. 30, 6 to 8 p.m., at Lucy Florence Cultural Center, 3351 W. 43rd St., Los Angeles. The nonprofit aims to raise $100,000 this year. Some of the roundtable’s initiatives for 2009 included monitoring federal stimulus funds for jobs in Los Angeles, an effort to help boost construction jobs in South Los Angeles, and several more. Information: 323-3836145, laurban@aol.com.

GAME NIGHT — Mosaic Church in Pasadena will present “Fun

Friday Game Night” Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m., in Franson Hall of William Carey University, 1539 E. Howard St., Pasadena. The once-a-month parties known as Fun Fridays are back in action for 2010. Participants can try their hands at Wii and PS3 games or reveal their inner musician by playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero, or relax and just catch up with friends old and new. Attendees are encouraged to bring board games of their own if they have them. Refreshment donation is $3. Information: Tom Soong, (626) 262-0774, soong316@hotmail.com.

MASTERMINDS — Master Mind Goal Achievers’ Workshops will present “Master Your Mind for Success in 2010” on Wednesdays, 7 to 9 p.m., and Saturdays, 8:30 to 10 am., at the House of RA, 7823 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles.

Information: (323) 756-7567.

ETIQUETTE — The University of Manners, where kids learn how to behave properly, takes place Wednesdays, 6 to 7:30 p.m., at 6560 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles. Admission is $20. Information: (800) 7815266, http://MShannonConsulting. com.

PHOTO EXPO — Professional Photographers of California will present Pro Photo Expo 2010, said to be the year’s biggest photo trade show, during its 57th Western States Convention. The expo will take place Feb. 6, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Feb. 7 to 8, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St. Learn about the latest in equipment, computer software, albums, frames, backdrops, labs and more. Information: (800) 439-5839, www.prophotoca.com.

pened to Haiti,” the secretary said.

Temporary protected status is granted to foreigners who may not be able to return safely to their country because of a natural disaster, armed conflict or other reasons.

Haitians in the United States illegally have pleaded for years for permission to stay, work, and send money home — the same treatment the federal government gave Central Americans in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch devastated their region.

The pleas have been denied despite four tropical storms in 2008, massive floods almost every other year since 2000, and the long-running political strife that has prompted thousands to seek asylum in the United States.

About 30,000 Haitians have orders to leave the United States, according to Department of Homeland Security statistics. Many others are appealing their cases.

The federal government estimates there are about 100,000 to 200,000 Haitians living in the U.S. illegally, Napolitano said.

Among those in the United States who could benefit from the relief is Yvrose, a soft-spoken mother of two in Miami who declined to give her last name for fear of hurting her asylum case.

Yvrose fled Haiti in 2003 after men searching for her husband — a member of a political opposition party — beat her so badly she ended up unconscious in the hospital.

She said family members spirited her by boat to the United States, where she applied for political asylum. She has not been legally permitted to work.

Yvrose, 31, said she hopes to find a job to help her family.

“I need so much to work for my family in Haiti and to put food on the table for my kids here,” she said through an interpreter Jan. 14 at Catholic Charities in Miami, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

The news was welcomed in Haitian communities in the United States.

Marleine Bastien, executive director of Haitian Women of Miami and a long-time advocate of TPS, said Jan. 15 that she was extremely relieved to hear Napolitano’s announcement.

“It comes amid a lot of agony, a lot of sadness and a lot of death,” said Bastien. “But it is one less thing for people to worry about.”

Jean-Renaud Guillaume, pastor of the Full Gospel Apostolic Church of God in Los Angeles, said the decision to grant temporary protected status will help many undocumented Haitians in this country.

“They have no place to go back to,” Guillaume said, “and no way to go back there.”

Associated Press writer Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami and Amy Taxin in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

✁

Need A $ Bailout?

Shop The Roadium FREE ADMISSION FOR 2 The Best Shopping Bargains in L.A.

7 Days a Week 7AM-4PM EXPIRES 2-14-10

2500 Redondo Beach Blvd.

(Between Crenshaw and Van Ness) LAWT 1-28-10

(323) 321-3709

Saturday & Sunday please park at El Camino College Lot

Visit us on the web at: www.roadium.com

January 28, 2010

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 5

COMMUNITY COMMUNITY MEETINGS, FORUMS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Photo by IAN FOXX

CANDIDATES FORUM — The 47th Assembly District Candidates Forum took place Jan. 21 in light of the seat Speaker Karen Bass will vacate

by March 1. The Crenshaw Chamber of Commerce hosted the event at Holman United Methodist Church, its new meeting location. Participating in the forum were (from left) Armed Ross, moderator; Rae Jones, chamber vice president of publicity; Reggie Jones-Sawyer, director, asset management; Holly Mitchell, chief executive officer of Crystal Stairs; Robert Jones, partner and chief arbitrator with Jones & Parker, P.C.; and Michael Jones, chamber CEO.

Maxine Waters to Report on Fact-Finding Mission to Haiti

Earned Income Tax Credit Program Launches

Congresswoman Maxine Waters will report on her recent fact-finding mission to Haiti Jan. 31, 3 p.m., at The African American Cultural Center (Us), 3018 W. 48th St., Los Angeles.

Waters’ report will include Maxine Waters an evaluation about what Haiti needs and the conditions its people are in.

Information: (323) 299-6124.

United Way kicks off the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program Jan. 28. This year’s program extends benefits to more families.

United Way and its partners will reach out to low-income, working families about one of the nation’s most underutilized tax credits. Due to the stimulus package, this year is the first year that EITC has extended credits to families with three children. Additional facts on the program include: • EITC is one of the largest anti-poverty programs for working families. • EITC brings an estimated $1.5 billion in refunds to qualified taxpayers. • For the 2009 tax year, working families can claim up to $5,650 in individual tax refunds. • Up to 20 percent of eligible taxpayers leave up to $250 million in tax credits on the table.

Stimulus Funds and Tax Credits Pave Way on Job Corps Campus for Inner-City Youths

BY SAM HASSAN COURTESY OF LOS ANGELES GARMENT & CITIZEN/LABEEZ.ORG

The YWCAGreater Los Angeles has secured a final piece of financing for a proposed new facility at 1020 S. Olive St. in the South Park district of downtown, where the nonprofit organization plans to build a seven-story Job Corps Urban Campus to provide employment training, placement services, and a residential dormitory for as many as 400 area youths.

Officials of the organization said they also plan to consolidate a number

of its housing and social services programs — currently scattered across six sites — at the new facility. The 155,000-square-foot building will feature a commercial kitchen for culinary training, a dining hall, classrooms, and a health care facility. Four floors will be dedicated to 200 dormitory-style rooms, lounges, laundry facilities, and study rooms, according to representatives of the organization. The building also will feature a gated entry and 24hour security, officials added.

Initial funding for the project came late last year through in the form of an $82 milion grant for a 20-year lease on

the property under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more commonly known as the federal stimulus package. The more recent piece of financing for construction of the project came more recently through New Markets Tax Credits, a federal initiative intended to promote economic development in low-income communities.

Tax credits are sold through various programs nationwide.

Investors purchase the credits to be used against federal tax obligations, and money raised through such sales goes to provide low-cost financing for See JOB CORPS, page 11

LADWP to Hold Public Workshop on Budget, Budget Cuts and Rates The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) will hold a community meeting regarding the current fiscal year budget, recently enacted budget cuts and rates Jan. 30, 10 a.m., in the Cafeteria Conference Center of the

LADWP John Ferraro Building, 111 N. Hope St., Los Angeles.

The meeting will feature a presentation on the current fiscal year’s budget, a discussion of the department’s efforts to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels by increasing the use of renewable energy, and a question-andanswer period with LADWP Interim General Manager S. David Freeman.

The meeting will provide customers with a forum to learn about the budget and its challenges, ask questions and provide input directly to LADWP management.

You can RSVP by logging onto www.ladwpnews.com and selecting “Budget Workshop RSVP� under “Contact Us� forms.

Free parking is available in the LADWP customer parking lot adjacent to the John Ferraro Building.

Information: (213) 367-1815, (213) 923-6668.

Discussion Set for Media Coverage of Haiti Quake A panel discussion on the current and historic portrayal of Haiti in the news media will take place Feb. 3 in the theater of Leimert Park’s Lucy Florence Cultural Center, 3351 W. 43rd St., Los Angeles.

Journalists Erin Aubry Kaplan and Joanne Griffith will be the featured panelists. A donation of $5 will be requested at the door to go towards Haitian relief efforts.

Information: (213) 321-0575.

Caltrans District 7 Procurement Fair

<28 $5( ,19,7(' LADWP Community Meeting on Budget and Rates

6DWXUGD\ -DQXDU\ D P /$':3 -RKQ )HUUDUR %XLOGLQJ &DIHWHULD &RQIHUHQFH &HQWHU $ /HYHO 1RUWK +RSH 6WUHHW /RV $QJHOHV &$ The meeting will feature a presentation on the current year budget and rates, as well as a discussion of the efforts to increase use of renewable energy and a question and answer period with LADWP Interim General Manager S. David Freeman and other senior managers.

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, service and activities. To ensure availability, such requests should be made 72 hours in advance by calling (213) 367-1361, TDD: 1 (800) 432-7397.

4XHVWLRQV FDOO

FEBRUARY 4, 2010 10 a.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2 p.m.

Caltrans, District 7 100 S. Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 897-0597 Thomas.knox@dot.ca.gov

REGISTER R ONLINE E TODAY! http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/business/smlbus/procurement/index.php

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 7 is hosting a Southern California Purchasing Event, Thursday, February 4, 2010. This event is designed to promote small businesses.

Caltrans believes that Small Business is Smart Business. It is our goal and commitment to increase contracting and purchasing with small businesses. They are the engine that helps keep California moving. This event is intended to also provide small businesses an opportunity to network with Caltrans District staff.

You will have the opportunity to: Listen to presentations Learn about ongoing and upcoming contracts Develop relationships with staff Exhibit and sell your products

Page 6

L.A. WATTS TIMES

January 28, 2010

ARTS & CULTURE SHORT TAKES BOOKS • Oakland resident Jacqueline E. Luckett’s novel “Searching for Tina Turner,” was published Jan. 27. The novel is about a woman named Lena Spencer who appears to have it all: a rich husband, two children and a life of luxury. Despite

her blessings, Spencer is unhappy.

To transform her life, she draws

strength from Tina Turner’s life story. The hardcover book is $24.99 and available from Grand Central Publishing. Information: www. hatchettebookgroup.com, www. jacquelineluckett.com.

• Sapphire Webb’s new book — “Oh, That You Would Bless Me, Indeed: But…Who the Heck Are You?” — came out in early January via Kimble Publishing Group. Through the book, Webb aims to remove “the blinders from the eyes of Christians,” a press statement says, and shine the light of truth on the popular biblical story featuring the prayer of Jabez. Webb will discuss aspects of her book and answer questions at her book-signing party on Jan. 30, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 1440 E. Imperial Ave., El Segundo.

Hors d’oeuvres and cake will be served to attendees. Cost is $20. Information: (818) 489-0633, www. sapphirewebb.com.

MUSIC • On the heels of his last album “Prayer for My Ancestors,” jazz saxophonist Azar Lawrence is scheduled to release his new CD, “Mystic Journey,” in February on

ple throughout the country and world. To kick off the release of “Mystic Journey,” Lawrence is going on tour with a stop in San Pedro in March. The Azar Lawrence Quartet, featuring Gonzalez, will perform March 6, 8 and 10 p.m., at Alvas Showroom, 417 W. Eighth St., San Pedro. Suggested donation is $20. Information: (310) 519-1314, www.alvasshowroom.com. More information on Lawrence: www. azarlawrence.com.

CCH Pounder

FILM

Azar Lawrence

Furthermore Recordings. On the recording, Lawrence was joined by Eddie Henderson, Gerald Hayes, Benito Gonzalez, Essiet Okon Essiet and the drummer Rashied Ali. Lawrence’s music has reached peo-

NOW ON SALE!

“FANTASIA IS PHENOMENAL!” –Newsday

• The Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF), America’s largest black film and arts festival, has announced actress CCH Pounder as its 2010 celebrity host. Taking place Feb. 10 through 17 in Los Angeles at the Culver Plaza Theatres, PAFF will present and showcase a broad spectrum of black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes of Africans and African Americans. In addition to the film festival, PAFF will present its art show Feb. 12 to 15 at the Westfield Culver Plaza, 6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, featuring more than 100 fine artists and craftspeople from around

the world showcasing black fine art, sculpture, photography, handmade crafts, home furnishings, designer jewelry, designer fashions and accessories. Culver Plaza Theatres is at 9919 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Information: (310) 337-4737, www.paff.org.

Facts Jan. 30, 1956 Home of Montgomery Bus Boycott leader Martin Luther King Jr. is bombed.

Source: blackfacts.com

“THRILLING!” SHAWN EDWARDS, FOX-TV

DON’T MISS FANTASIA AS “CELIE” “Four cheers for Fantasia!

If you haven’t seen The Color Purple,

SEE IT NOW.

If you have seen it, SEE IT AGAIN.” PHOTO BY ANDREW ECCLES

– New York Post

SCREEN GEMS PRESENTS A BOLD FILMS PRODUCTION A FILM BY SCOTT STEWART “LEGION” PAUL BETTANY LUCAS BLACK TYRESE GIBSON ADRIANNE PALIMUSICCKI CHARLES S. DUTTON JON TENNEY MUSIC KEVINCO-DURAND WILLA HOLLAND WITH KATEEXECUTIVEWALSH AND DENNIS QUAID BY JOHN FRIZZELLEXECUTIVESUPERVISOR CHRIS DOURIDAS PRODUCERS STEVE BESWICK MARC SADEGHI PRODUCERS SCOTT STEWART JONATHAN ROTHBART PRODUCER GARY MICHAEL WALTERS PRODUCED WRITTEN DIRECTED

BY DAVID LANCASTER AND MICHEL LITVAK BY PETER SCHINK AND SCOTT STEWART BY SCOTT STEWART

NOW PLAYING CENTURY CITY AMC Century 15 • 888/AMC-4FUN 3 Hours Free Parking Additional 2 Hour Parking $3.00 with AMC Validation

L.A./BEVERLY HILLS Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14 323/692-0829 #209 4 Hours On-Site Validated Parking Only $2.00

3 WEEKS ONLY!

FEBRUARY 10-28 BroadwayLA.org 800.982.2787

10+ GROUPS SPECIAL SERVICE! 866-755-3075 • NedGroups.com

HOLLYWOOD At Sunset & Vine 323/464-4226 4 Hours Validated Parking - $2

WESTWOOD AMC Avco 888/AMC-4FUN $4.00 Parking Fri-Sun/$3.00 Parking Mon-Thur At The Avco Center Parking

SHERMAN OAKS At The Sherman Oaks Galleria 818/501-0753

SANTA MONICA AMC Santa Monica 7 • 888/AMC-4FUN DOWNTOWN L.A. Regal Cinemas L.A. Live Stadium 14 800/FANDANGO #4046

UNIVERSAL CITY CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX® 888/AMC-4FUN

Validated Parking $5 for 4 Hours, Parking Lot at Olympic & Francisco

Movie Parking Rebate $5 General Parking Rebate at Box Office with Movie Ticket Purchase (Excludes Preferred & Valet)

WEST LOS ANGELES The Bridge Cinema De Lux 310/568-3375

BALDWIN HILLS AMC Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 • 888/AMC-4FUN

4 Hours Free Validated Parking

AND AT A THEATER NEAR YOU FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS. SORRY, NO PASSES ACCEPTED FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT.

January 28, 2010

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 7

ARTS & CULTURE The 16th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards took place Jan. 23 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Gabourey Sidibe

Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon Camille Winbush

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Tracy Morgan and wife Sabina

Mo’Nique and husband Sidney Hicks

1883 Memoir of Black Life in RI is Project’s Focus

BY MICHELLE R. SMITH AP WRITER

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — William J. Brown led a typical life for a free black man in 1800s Providence.

He was a shoemaker and a preacher, and through his church became a leader of the city’s African American community before dying at age 71 in 1886.

He likely would have been forgotten by history if he hadn’t written a memoir, “The Life of William J. Brown of Providence, R.I.,” published three years before his death. The book chronicles Brown’s family history, including how his grandfather was brought to Rhode Island on a slave ship owned by the Brown family, for whom Brown University is named; the freeing of his father by abolitionist Moses Brown; and his own travels through the city, rubbing elbows with the white elite along the way.

Now, Brown’s book is at the center of a yearlong project, funded by the Rhode Island Council on the Humanities, which seeks to raise his profile and further the public’s understanding of African American history in Rhode Island. The project will include events such as lectures and walking tours, and its organizers are asking dozens of book clubs and libraries to put the book on their reading lists this year.

Ray Rickman, a rare book dealer and history buff who is helping to lead the project, said he hopes that someday Brown’s book will become as widely read in Rhode Island as works by John Steinbeck or William Faulkner.

“There are books that are in the culture, and that’s what we’re trying to do, is get William J. Brown into the culture of Rhode Island,” Rickman said. “It is a stunning piece of historic commentary.”

Brown’s first-person narrative is among only a few dozen such narratives by so-called free people of color — African Americans who were free during the time of slavery — Rickman said. The most famous narrative was by Frederick Douglass.

Many such narratives were ghostwritten, and contemporary readers can find the style and grammar difficult, he said. Brown’s memoir is different because it is so accessible to audiences today and because, many scholars believe, it was likely written by him, said Morgan Grefe, a historian who oversees education and public programs at the Rhode Island Historical Society.

Grefe calls it a remarkable and personal story that gives readers a fresh view of 19th-century Providence, which is most often seen through the perspective of the white ruling class. Instead, the book allows readers to see events through the eyes of one of the city’s many free black residents.

“They were a huge and vital part of the community, closely connected and intertwined with the lives of those families,” she said.

Even after William J. Brown’s father was freed, he worked for Moses Brown and their families maintained close ties. While he has kind words for Moses Brown, who See MEMOIR, page 8

Now at the Skirball

road to freedom PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, 1956–1968

EXHIBITIONS:

SPECIAL OFFER FOR L.A. WATTS TIMES READERS: Bring this ad to the Admissions Desk at the Skirball and receive 50% off Museum admission for up to two people. Promo code 99628. Valid through March 7, 2010.

ROAD TO FREEDOM: PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, 1956–1968 On view now through March 7, 2010 “It’s mesmerizing. It’s gut-wrenching. It’s real.”—L.A. Watts Times AN IDEA CALLED TOMORROW–2 On view now through March 7, 2010 BREACH OF PEACE: PHOTOGRAPHS OF FREEDOM RIDERS BY ERIC ETHERIDGE On view now through April 11, 2010 R E L AT E D P R O G R A M : F I L M

DARE NOT WALK ALONE Featuring Q&A with Director Jeremy Dean Tuesday, February 2, 8:00 p.m.

Watch this compelling documentary about the acts of civil disobedience that aimed to integrate a hotel swimming pool in St. Augustine, Florida—and how it helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

JAMES KARALES, MARCHERS, SELMA TO MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, (DETAIL) 1965.

2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90049 www.skirball.org • (310) 440-4500 Exit 405 Freeway at Skirball Ctr Dr Free on-site parking; street parking strictly prohibited Or take Metro Rapid Bus 761

Page 8

L.A. WATTS TIMES

January 28, 2010

EDUCATION UCLA Report Details Recession’s Impact on Schools

NOTEBOOK Cash Prizes for Student Commitments to Green Power (WE CAN) — The WE CAN Foundation invites all Los Angeles County students, grades 5 to 12, to participate in its fourth annual essay competition series that encourages the use of personal power to develop new patterns of living.

“The Green Power of One” is a series of competitions intended to reinforce the importance of respecting Earth generally and one’s immediate environ specifically. The object is to engage young people in 21st-century standards of urban living by researching, thinking critically about and making a personal commitment to: healthy eating, physical fitness, recycling and sustainable land-use practices.

The series is composed of four competitions, each with a subject/essay title and four prize levels, resulting in a total of 16 opportunities to win cash prizes from $75 up to $1,000.

To qualify, entrants must be Los Angeles County students, in any grade from 5 to 12. The deadline is March 1.

Information: (323) 759-9734, www.wecan-foundation.org.

ACLU Backs Race-Bias Suit Over Pa. Voting Delays PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal lawsuit charges that black voters were disenfranchised when a suburban Philadelphia polling place moved from a historically black university to an off-campus site.

The Voting Rights Act lawsuit filed Jan. 20 says some Chester County voters waited up to seven hours in the rain to vote in the 2008 presidential election.

The plaintiffs include the American Civil Liberties Union and individuals who never got to vote.

They say the Lower Oxford Township polling place was moved from Lincoln University to inconvenient sites more than a mile away from campus, although few students have cars.

The suit was filed against Chester County election authorities.

County Solicitor Thomas Whiteman did not immediately return a message.

Audit Finds $200M Discrepancy in L.A. School Budget (AP) — Auditors say the Los Angeles Unified School District paid out $200 million more in salaries last year than it officially budgeted, even as it laid off 2,000 teachers.

A district audit completed last month found that $4.7 billion was set aside for salaries in 2009 — but the district actually spent $4.9 billion.

The report, cited Jan. 20 in the Los Angeles Times, found no wrongdoing and said auditors were still trying to determine where the money went.

The report also found that some 3,000 unfunded, expired or vacant jobs remained on the payroll.

It’s not the first payroll mess involving the nation’s secondlargest school district. Several years ago, thousands of employees were over- or underpaid because of problems with a new payroll system.

Duncan Urges NCAA to Look at Graduation Rates WASHINGTON (AP) — Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Jan. 20 said poor graduation rates among some college basketball programs would improve if the NCAA linked postseason play to the number of student-athletes getting their diplomas.

“They should make a rule that if you’re below a certain point, you don’t qualify for the tournament,” Duncan told reporters at the Capitol. “And I guarantee that would fix the problem in a hurry.”

Duncan, who played basketball at Harvard University, said 25 percent of men’s basketball teams in last year’s NCAA tournament graduated less than two out of five players.

“You had four teams that didn’t graduate any African American players. Zero. If that was my son, I don’t know if I would want him playing there,” Duncan said. “And why did we allow them to play in this tournament, make all this money, be on national TV, and they’re not graduating any kids?”

He did not name any specific schools.

FREEDOM SCHOOLS Continued from page 1 Edelman describes the program as “reading-rich” that is “sponsored by community organizations and local groups that are taught by college-age students.”

“In six weeks of high-quality curriculum and an exciting approach to teaching … 80 percent of the students are having significant reading gains,” she said.

Edelman said that the program emphasizes leadership development.

She added that every child who attends the Freedom School learns how to engage in a civic action on an

Facts Jan. 29, 1955 Heavyweight boxer John Tate is born in Marion City, Ark. Tate won the vacant World Boxing Association title in 1979 from South African Gerrie Coetzee.

Source: blackfacts.com

issue and has to engage in some type of service activity.

Five Freedom Schools are scheduled to open in the Second District this summer, said RidleyThomas, who along with many others helped put together the summit.

The Second District consists of close to 2.3 million people in many communities, including Carson, Compton, Culver City, Florence, Ladera Heights, Willowbrook, and many more.

The schools will be at Agape International Spiritual Center; Grace United Methodist Church; First New Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church; First New Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church; United Methodist Church of Lynwood; and Empowered Life Development Center.

“The reason they were selected

BY TERENCE CHEA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Widespread teacher layoffs, larger class sizes and increased economic hardship for children are among the impacts California’s budget crisis and the recession have had on public schools and students, according to a report released Jan. 21.

Researchers at UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education and Access interviewed 87 elementary, middle and high school principals across California to gauge the impact of the recession and budget cuts on student welfare and school learning environments.

Before the recession began, California K-12 public schools, which were among the nation’s best in the 1960s, already ranked near the bottom nationally in many measures of academic achievement and school quality.

The economic downturn and state budget crisis has undermined recent academic gains and widened

the disparity between schools in rich and poor communities, said John Rogers, the institute’s director.

“It’s taken California several steps backward on the road to improvement,” Rogers said. “It’s also harmed the long-term prospects for California to rebuild a quality education system.”

The report, called “Educational Opportunities in Hard Times,” found that: • 62 percent of principals reported that teachers in their schools had been laid off, threatened with layoffs or reassigned to other schools. The number of actual layoffs was four times greater at schools in poorer communities than wealthier communities.

• 67 percent reported that class sizes had increased, with 74 percent of elementary school principals reporting larger class sizes.

• 75 percent reported that summer school had been reduced or eliminated.

• 75 percent reported reductions

in instructional materials and supplies.

• 70 percent reported cuts to professional development programs.

• 67 percent reported growing housing insecurity, which includes homelessness, families moving in together and families moving away for economic reasons.

• 51 percent reported an increase in the health, psychological or social service needs of their students.

Many principals are seeing the impact on rising unemployment and poverty on their students as parents lose their jobs and homes, according to the report. About two-thirds said their schools have referred students and families to health and social service providers.

“Lately it’s been kids telling me, ‘We’re hungry, we don’t have food,’ ” Patti Webb, principal of Farmdale Elementary in Merced, told the researchers. “Even some PTA parents are saying they don’t have enough food.”

of protection by the law — unless a member of the white community intervened.

Brown, who went to school until he was 20, tells of a time when he and a friend were walking to night school and got into a fight with some white men. Another white man intervened and demanded the two be hauled off to jail, until the owner of a nearby apothecary shop stepped in to vouch for them.

Brown describes places that no longer exist, such as Addison Hollow, also known as Hardscrabble, where whites attacked African American residents in 1824, and an area where men would line the street looking for fights, called Scamps Corner.

But it also describes existing neighborhoods and buildings on the city’s East Side in such detail that readers can picture him walking down the street.

Rickman plans to use those descriptions to design two walking

tours, one for the public and one aimed at teachers, whom he is especially targeting in hopes that Brown’s story will reach the classroom and become part of the state’s history curriculum.

MEMOIR Continued from page 7 opposed slavery and is an admired figure in the state’s history, William J. Brown also tells of Moses Brown going back on a promise to give land to his father, only giving him some of what he promised. These kind of details shed light on our understanding of the state’s complicated history, Rickman said.

“Here’s Moses pushing for freedom,” he said. “But then he’s willing to use his status and clout to take back half the gift.”

In his book, Brown, whose mother was a Narragansett Indian, describes telling fellow patients at a Boston hospital how the races mixed in the city.

“I told them the rich white people of Providence associate with all respectable colored people; and we associate with them, because from them comes our support. We also are in harmony with the poorer class of white people, and treat them well,” he writes.

But he also speaks of anger and bitterness directed at the black community by whites, and the lack

is because they had their own physical location … that’s conducive to a learning environment,” RidleyThomas said.

Also, it’s a highly accountable program, he said.

The Freedom School movement has annual accountability sessions where organizations must check in on an annual basis and participate in a one-week workshop.

“We are not interested in starting these projects and then they go out of business next summer,” Ridley-Thomas said. “These are in for the long haul.”

A total of $250,000 will be needed to start the Freedom Schools program.

Each site will have to raise $50,000 to cover various costs, including purchasing curriculum materials, administrative costs for local training and meetings, and staff positions, a representative for Ridley-Thomas said.

Facts Jan. 29, 1991 Nelson Mandela, then president of South Africa, and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi hold the first talks for almost 30 years between predominantly Zulu Inkatha and the ethnically mixed African National Congress .

Jan. 28, 1970 Arthur Ashe, the first black male to win Wimbledon, is denied entry to compete on the U.S. team for the South African Open tennis championships due to Ashe’s sentiments on South Africa’s racial policies.

Source: blackfacts.com

Explosive New Book!

How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge (Middle Passage Press, Los Angeles, 2010). Author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson takes a no-political holds barred look at President Barack Obama’s first year in office. He answers one compelling question: Did he fulfill the massive and sweeping promise he made to restore hope and effect change in America?

Buy It Now at Lucy Florence Coffeehouse, 3351 W. 43rd St., Los Angeles 90043 or on the Web at Amazon.Com Tune in To The Hutchinson Report on KTYM Radio 1460 AM Fridays 9:30 to 10:00 AM PST Saturdays 3:00 to 3:30 PM PST Streamed on ktym.com KPFK Radio Los Angeles 90.7 FM Saturdays Noon to 1:00 PM PST Streamed on http://kpfk.org View The Hutchinson Report TV on ustream.tv

January 28, 2010

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 9

HEALTH A Doctor’s Word — Tips on Managing Diabetes

THE PULSE L.A. City Council Moves to Close Pot Dispensaries (AP) — The Los Angeles City Council on Jan. 26 approved an ordinance to close most of the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries, winding down months of debate on how to limit the spread of such clinics.

The ordinance, passed by a 93 vote, would cap the number of dispensaries at 70 and require them to be at least 1,000 feet (305 meters) from “sensitive uses” — schools, parks and other public gathering spots.

The local law would put an end to the proliferation of pot dispensaries. As many as 1,000 have cropped up over the past few years. Four dispensaries were open in 2005, when city officials first discussed a local medical marijuana law. The ordinance would also likely force remaining clinics that comply to move to industrial areas because of the distance requirement.

Los Angeles city officials have discussed an ordinance for years, trying to adopt language that jibes with state law.

The number of clinics has exploded — more than 600 over the past 10 months alone — despite a 2007 city moratorium prohibiting new medical marijuana dispensaries. The shop owners took advantage of a loophole known as a hardship exemption that allowed them to open while awaiting city approval.

More than 180 clinics qualified to remain open because they opened before the ban was enacted.

Families Sue L.A. Medical Center Over Autism Cuts (AP) — The families of seven autistic children have sued a regional medical center for discontinuing a type of treatment that they say helped their children.

In the lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles Superior Court Jan. 21, lawyers for the children’s families said the treatment was provided

by Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center until Aug. 1.

“These kids, if they get this treatment now, are far less likely to be dependent in the future,” said family lawyer Laura Faer. “They’ll be able to achieve dreams and lead independent lives.”

The medical center’s executive director Gloria Wong said the cuts are among many being made as a result of a $384 million budget cut to the state’s 21 regional centers.

The treatment in question — called the Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationshipbased Model — provides children with several hours of one-on-one

care each week. Parents praise the treatment for providing close supervision of their verbally and cognitively impaired children, while teaching proper nonviolent behaviors in social settings.

In the face of budget cuts, a statewide stakeholder group that included advocacy groups and providers decided the treatment was among one of 25 to target for cuts, said Nancy Lungren, spokeswoman for the California Department of Developmental Services.

Wong said the stakeholder group decided that the treatment was a non-medical therapy and experimental, but the lawsuit contends it “is not experimental, nor is it a therapy of any kind.”

Nigeria Reports First Swine Flu-Related Death ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian health officials are reporting the first swine flu-related death in the West African country.

The Federal Ministry of Health says a 38-year-old woman in Lagos became sick six weeks ago and died on Jan. 5.

Nigeria’s Minister of Health Babatunde Osotimehin said late Jan. 18 that the woman had tested positive for H1N1, and was the first recorded death from that type of flu in the country. Osotimehin said the patient had traveled to the United States three months earlier.

The ministry said there are 11 confirmed cases of swine flu in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. Osotimehin said there was another suspected swine flu death, but that the patient died before samples could be taken.

California Set Time Limits for Doctor Visits (AP) — California regulators have unveiled new rules to cut the time patients must wait to see HMO doctors.

The state Department of Managed Health Care announced Jan. 20 that doctors who violate the rules could face various fines.

However, officials say many of the state’s health maintenance organizations are already in compliance.

The rules say an HMO family practitioner has 10 business days to see a patient who makes an appointment. Specialists have 15 days. Patients seeking most urgent care must be seen within 48 hours.

The rules, which take effect next year, were hashed out in discussions with doctors, hospitals, HMOs and consumer groups.

Some observers say HMOs will need to hire more doctors to comply — and that could be a problem because California is facing a doctor shortage.

BY ERIN MARCUS NEW AMERICA MEDIA

Editor’s note: In this column, Dr. Erin Marcus offers practical information on one of the most prevalent and potentially harmful diseases from the perspective of a patient who is managing his chronic Type 2 diabetes.

“Self-management” isn’t a term you’ll hear doctors use much when they’re discussing illnesses such as cancer or heart disease. But when doctors talk about diabetes — a blood sugar condition that affects more than one in 10 Native Americans, African Americans, and Latinos — the conversation is different.

To stay healthy, most people diagnosed with diabetes need to make lots of changes in their everyday lives. They often need to modify the food they eat, get more physical activity, and frequently check their blood sugar levels.

These changes sound daunting, but many diabetics have been able to incorporate them into their daily lives — without giving up their favorite foods or changing jobs.

Al Whitaker, 54, an associate church pastor in Boston, is one of those diabetics.

Whitaker was diagnosed with diabetes about nine years ago, after he found himself too thin to fit into a suit he had purchased five days earlier. He had lost 30 pounds in eight months, but had delayed getting a checkup because he was afraid he might have cancer, and felt unprepared to cope. Instead, his doctor told him that his sugar was four times higher than normal, and that he had Type 2 diabetes, the most common type.

“I had never thought about diabetes,” Whitaker said. “And lo and behold, my sugar was 450.”

The diagnosis was a bit scary at first.

One of Whitaker’s cousins with diabetes had had a toe amputated, and Whitaker experienced several episodes of low blood sugar after beginning medication.

But he felt reassured after reading about diabetes online and in brochures he found at a pharmacy.

“The fear I had subsided once I realized that if I changed my diet I could manage” diabetes, he said.

“There’s such a wealth of knowledge out there.”

A year ago, Whitaker took a job with the American Diabetes Association, organizing community programs to educate the public about diabetes. Below is some of his advice, as well as tips from other diabetics and from Kellie Rodriguez, a veteran nurse educator at the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (full disclosure — I work for the same school, in a different department): • Regularly check your blood sugar, and write the results in a log book.

This is important because your blood sugars can be dangerously high or low without your experiencing any symptoms. Persistently elevated sugars increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and circulation and nerve problems in your feet.

Glucometers, the machines that test blood sugar levels, usually cost

less than $100, and sometimes you can get these for free from a diabetes educator. But the test strips, which cost up to $1 each, can add up.

Medicare and Medicaid and private insurance plans usually cover test strips and glucometers.

If you lack insurance and can’t afford to test your sugars every day, Rodriguez recommends checking at different times — one day before breakfast, another day before lunch or dinner, and another day two hours after a meal with your largest amount of carbohydrates.

If you and a family member are trying to economize, it’s OK to share a glucometer, but you should never share the lancets that you use to stick your fingers since the blood could transmit disease.

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, a group of specialist doctors, recommends a blood sugar goal of 110 or less in the morning before eating and a blood sugar rise of no more than 140 points two hours after a meal. But it’s important to try to remain calm about your numbers and not get upset if they’re not at goal.

Rodriguez urges people to think of their sugars as “high,” “low,” or “target,” not “good” or “bad.”

“Don’t be afraid to go to the doctor because you’re embarrassed,” she told me. “We need the numbers to identify the problem. It’s not about me being happy; it’s about your sugar.”

• Make sure you meet with a diabetes educator, or enroll in a diabetes class, to learn how to manage your disease successfully.

“It’s really important for people to understand diabetes, to break down some of the mystery of it all,” Whitaker said.

The American Association of Diabetes Educators lists diabetes educators on its Web site (www.diabeteseducator.org).

The American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org) also has a toll-free number you can call for more information: 1 (800) 342-2383 (1-800-DIABETES).

• Learn to recognize carbohydrate-rich foods (which make your blood sugar rise quickly), to read food labels, and to identify how much certain foods will increase your blood sugar.

High-carbohydrate foods include breads, cereals, fruits, juices, vegetables, pastas, rice and milk, as well as sugar-containing sodas and sweet desserts. Rodriguez advises people to shop mainly on the perimeter of the supermarket, where they’re more likely to find fresh produce, meats and fish, and avoid the center, where processed foods are usually stocked.

Whitaker said he always eats a meal before going to the grocery store, because if he’s hungry he’s more likely to buy impulsively.

• Ask a diabetes educator or dietician about ways to alter your favorite foods to make them a bit healthier.

Whitaker once prepared collard greens, black-eyed beans, and rice for the holidays using turkey broth instead of ham hock, for example.

When he orders food at restaurants, he immediately requests a to-go container — and puts half his meal in it before he eats.

Rodriguez tells patients they can eat smaller portions of foods like rice, but should check their sugar two hours after the meal to see how much they can tolerate.

• Stop smoking. This adds to your risk of heart and blood circulation problems.

• Prepare before doctor appointments by writing down your questions in advance, and don’t be afraid to ask.

Whitaker recommends bringing a friend or relative.

“You feel empowered, and also the doctor’s going to say, ‘Wow, here’s someone who cares about their condition,’ ” he said.

Rodriguez recommends asking about the following numbers: glycohemoglobin (a blood test measurement that indicates long-term sugar levels); blood pressure (the goal for diabetics is less than 130/80); and cholesterol, including the LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol.

• For Type 2 diabetics, don’t be unduly afraid if pills aren’t enough, and if you need insulin. Many doctors now prescribe insulin pens, devices that usually aren’t painful and that generally control blood sugar better than syringes. Unfortunately, pens can be expensive and aren’t always covered by insurance plans. Some drug companies have patient assistance plans that provide pens for free. Check www. needymeds.org for more information.

• Find ways to move your body.

For Whitaker, this means walking for a short errand instead of taking his car and using the stairs instead of the escalator.

Rodriguez recommends walking around the room while watching television and lifting heavy cans or bags of rice while sitting in a chair, as well as going for walks with a friend or neighbor.

• Take care of your eyes (by getting eye exams annually) and feet (which are at increased risk of infection and poor circulation). Avoid going to the beach barefoot and check your feet each night.

• Find a buddy who can provide you with emotional support.

Whitaker was able to talk with a woman in his church who also had diabetes.

“I could call her up and say, ‘I’m feeling miserable,’ ” he said.

“A lot of people don’t understand how when your sugar levels are high you can become cranky. I appreciated having her around to share.”

Dr. Erin Marcus is an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. A Doctor’s Word is supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation.

Facts Jan. 26, 1990 Elaine Weddington Steward is named assistant general manager of the Boston Red Sox, making her the first black woman executive of a professional baseball organization.

Jan. 28, 1934 Baseball outfielder William “Bill” White is born in Lakewood, Ohio.

White played in 1,673 games and ended his career with a .286 batting average on 1,706 hits. He won the Golden Glove award in 1960 and 1966.

Source: blackfacts.com

Page 10

L.A. WATTS TIMES

January 28, 2010

SPORTS HAITIAN BOND

BRAD PYE JR.

Continued from page 1

SPORTS BEAT Notes, quotes and things picked up on the run from coast-to-coast and all the stops in between and beyond.

The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts are headed to the Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida Feb. 7.

The Colts earned their trip to the bowl by beating the upstart New York Jets 30-17 Jan. 24. Meanwhile, the Saints marched over Brett Favre and his Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for their first trip to the Super Bowl ever.

When Tony Dungy led the Colts to a Super Bowl win three years ago, current Colts head coach, Jim Caldwell, was his assistant head coach.

Vernon Cheek is the Coltsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; assistant director of Public Relations. Yes, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a man of color.

Although, San Diego Chargers Coach Norv Turner didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it to the Super Bowl, he received a three-year extension on his contract.

And the beat continuesâ&#x20AC;Ś The Northern Trust Open, set for Feb. 2 to 7 at the Riviera County Club, and billed as a field of the best golfers in the world, will take place minus Tiger Woods. Woodsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; indefinite leave from golf continues.

Will Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) and Floyd Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 KOs) fight before 2010 is history? The promoters are trying to make it happen.

1# +0 #/+3#" *" #) ,.#" % '* *" % '* $ + # 1# * )/#-* /'1# -# +0 '!( '-#" +$ #'*% '!( '-#"

METHADONE

CLINIC

# -# / &-+*'! '* ""'!/'+*

7E .OW (AVE1# 7E .OW (AVE # +2 # +2 1# 35"54%8 35"/8/.% 35"54%8 35"/8/.%

AND .!,42%8/.% AND .!,42%8/.% *" *"

Serena Williams is on track to play in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Venus Williams will not play.

Serena Williams

The L.A. Kings have at least one man of color now â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Canadian Wayne Simmonds.

And the beat continuesâ&#x20AC;Ś The UCLA and USC basketballers arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t playing like Pac-10 champions, but both teams should improve by Pac-10 tournament time.

Both the Bruins and Trojans hit the road this weekend.

Some USC Trojans â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including Stafon Johnson, Anthony McCoy and Taylor Mays â&#x20AC;&#x201D; will compete in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 30 in Mobile, Ala. LeBron â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kingâ&#x20AC;? James and his Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Lakers 102-87 on Christmas Day, and did it again Jan. 21, 93-87, as the Lakers started on their 13-day road trip. James outplayed Kobe Bryant in the final quarter and led all point producers with 37. Bryant hit for 31

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be wary of out of area companies. Check with the local Better Business Bureau before you send any money for fees or services. Read and understand any contracts before you sign. Shop around for rates.â&#x20AC;?

AUCTIONS TNT PUBLIC AUCTION January 30, 2010 9 AM. 421 Aqua Ln, Ramona, CA. Vehicles, Equipment, & More from San Diego County & Other Agencies. www.TNTAuction.com (801) 519-0123. (Cal-SCAN)

AUTOS WANTED DONATE YOUR CAR: Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cancer Fund!

Help Save A Childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Life Through Research & Support! Free Vacation Package. Fast, Easy & Tax Deductible. Call 1-800-252-0615. (Cal-SCAN) DONATE YOUR VEHICLE! Receive Free Vacation Voucher. United Breast Cancer Foundation. Free Mammograms, Breast Cancer Info www.ubcf.info Free Towing, Tax Deductible, NonRunners Accepted, 1-888-468-5964. (Cal-SCAN)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY ALL CASH VENDING! Be Your Own Boss! Your Own Local Vending Route. Includes 25 Machines and Candy for $9,995. MultiVend LLC, 1-888-6252405. (Cal-SCAN)

BUSINESS SERVICES Advertise online in a network of 50-plus newspaper websites. Border to Border with one order! $7 cost per thousand impressions statewide. Call for details: (916) 288-6010. www.CaliforniaBannerAdNetwork.com (Cal-SCAN)

#ALL OUR HR MESSAGE CENTER ANYTIME #ALL OUR HR MESSAGE CENTER ANYTIME

DISPLAY ADVERTISING in 140 Cal-SDAN newspapers statewide for $1,550! Reach over 3 million Californians! FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.Cal-SDAN.com (Cal-SCAN)

"&# # $$ !% # !'% 11900 Avalon Blvd. #ENTURY 0ARK %AST 3UITE s #ENTURY #ITY Suite 200-Upstairs

EDUCATION

Los Angeles

!%&#' # $%

(310) 553-9500

& % !%&#' %'

.EW ,OCATION ,OS !NGELES

Shannon Brown

Star Game. If the New York Knicksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Nate Robinson wins the contest, he would be the first to win the Slam Dunk title three times. The Bobcatsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Gerald Wallace is the third entry in the contest.

How about those L.A. Clippers? In beating the Chicago Bulls 104-97 Jan. 20, the Clippers matched their last season winning total of 19 games. Baron Davis led the way with 23 points, and Marcus Camby pulled down a season high 25 rebounds.

And the beat ends.

Brad Pye Jr. can be reached at switchreel@aol.com.

CLASSIFIEDS STATEWIDE

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING in 240 Cal-SCAN newspapers for the best reach, coverage, and price.

25-words $550. Reach over 6 million Californians!

FREE email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.Cal-SCAN.com (Cal-SCAN)

(323) 242-0500

as he became the youngest player to score 25,000 points.

By the way, Lakers reserve guard Shannon Brown is the favorite to win the Slam Dunk contest in Dallas next month at the All-

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA! Graduate in 4 weeks!

FREE Brochure. Call Now! 1-866-562-3650 ext. 60 www.SouthEasternHS.com (Cal-SCAN)

HEALTH/MISCELLANEOUS HERNIA REPAIR? Did You Receive A COM-

POSIX KUGEL Mesh Patch Between 1999-2008?

If the Kugel patch was removed due to complications of bowel perforation, abdominal wall tears, puncture of abdominal organs or intestinal fistulae, you may be entitled to compensation.

Attorney Charles Johnson 1-800-535-5727 (CalSCAN)

HELP WANTED ATTN: COMPUTER WORK. Work from anywhere 24/7. Up to $1,500 Part Time to $7,500/mo. Full Time. Training provided. www.KTPGlobal.com or call 1-800-330-8446. (Cal-SCAN) STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM Seeks Local Coordinators Passionate about your community?

Help us expand! Unpaid but monetary/travel incentives. Must be 25+. Visit effoundation.org or call 877-216-1293. (Cal-SCAN)

HELP WANTED/DRIVERS CDL A TEAMS DRIVERS with Hazmat. Split $0.68 for all miles. O/O teams paid$1.40/mile. $1,500 bonus. 1-800-835-9471. (Cal-SCAN) DRIVERS - REGIONAL CDL-A, Experienced 11 Western States. STABLE Family owned 35 yrs+ ANDRUS TRANSPORTATION. Good Pay! Good Routes! Good People! 1-800-888-5838 or 1-866806-5119 x1402. (Cal-SCAN) REGIONAL DRIVERS NEEDED! More Hometime! Top Pay! Up to $.41/mile company drivers! 12 months OTR required. Heartland Express 1800-441-4953. www.HeartlandExpress.com (CalSCAN)

HOMES FOR SALE

Caribbean. The slave rebellion began about 1790 and a leader soon emerged: Toussaint Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ouverture. After years of fierce fighting, Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ouverture was captured by Napoleonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forces and died in France.

The rebellion lived on, and Napoleonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mighty forces were defeated.

Haiti declared itself a nation on Jan. 1, 1804. For years to come, however, Haiti would pay reparations to France.

The loss of Haitiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s riches and strategic location was part of Napoleonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to sell the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States.

In America, where blacks were still seeking freedom, there was pride and wonder that Haitians had seized their destiny. This left an indelible imprint on African American culture. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The negro character at that eventful period, burst upon us in all the splendor of native and original greatness,â&#x20AC;? read an 1827 edition of Freedomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Journal, according to the new book â&#x20AC;&#x153;African Americans and the Haitian Revolution.â&#x20AC;?

In 1893, the black abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass said Haitiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revolution â&#x20AC;&#x153;struck for the freedom of every black man in the world.â&#x20AC;?

After a trip to Haiti in the 1930s, the poet Langston Hughes wrote of â&#x20AC;&#x153;people strong, midnight black ... mulatto politicians, warehouses full of champagne, banks full of money.â&#x20AC;?

Artist Jacob Lawrence painted a 1934 series based on the Haitian revolution. Duke Ellingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jazz symphony â&#x20AC;&#x153;Black, Brown and Beige,â&#x20AC;? which premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1943, paid homage to the Haitian soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War against the British.

Charles Mingusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1954 jazz classic â&#x20AC;&#x153;Haitian Fight Songâ&#x20AC;? appeared years later in a car commercial. In her landmark 1975 play â&#x20AC;&#x153;For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf,â&#x20AC;? Ntozake Shange named a main character Toussaint. AHollywood film about the life of the Haitian general is in the works, directed by Danny Glover and tentatively starring Don Cheadle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Throughout history, you have all these remembrances,â&#x20AC;? said Maurice Jackson, a Georgetown University professor and co-editor of â&#x20AC;&#x153;African Ameri-

HUTCHINSON Continued from page 2 Roosevelt did not substitute rock-star, high-profile media posturing for tough leadership. When the GOP and the press wrote the epitaph for him midway through his second term in 1938, and a decade later wrote the same epitaph for Harry Truman, both came out swinging.

Roosevelt took to the airwaves and blasted the economic royalists.

Truman tooled through the nation with his famed whistle-stop train campaign and hammered the do-

cans and the Haitian Revolution.â&#x20AC;?

Jackson also cited the challenges Haiti faced as a black nation existing just south of a slaveholding giant such as America refusing for decades to recognize or trade with the new republic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no doubt Haiti was treated differently because they were a black nation,â&#x20AC;? Jackson said.

America occupied Haiti from 1915 until 1934, then supported a series of dictators until 1990. Today, Haitian refugees are treated differently than those from other nations, which many believe is partially due to race.

Rep. Yvette Clarke, a child of Jamaican immigrants whose Brooklyn, N.Y., district includes many Haitians, has visited the island three times. She said many African Americans are deeply touched by the Haitian earthquake because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reminiscent of the destruction Hurricane Katrina brought to New Orleans.

Many blacks in her district have offered their assistance and expertise to the relief effort, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;many find it perplexing that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a nation with this much poverty so close to America.â&#x20AC;?

That includes Toussaint Tabb: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Had not that quake happened, I wonder if anybody would be talking about Haiti.â&#x20AC;?

The 20-year-old was named Jerrell Toussaint Tabb by his parents.

As a youngster, he was embarrassed by his middle name, until he learned its origins.

A few years ago, he started using Toussaint as his first name.

On the Net: African Americans and the Haitian Revolution: http:// tinyurl.com/y8anvds; Joel Dreyfuss: www.theroot.com/views/saving-haiti; Dr. Jean-Max Hogarth: www. firstcoloniesanesthesia.com.

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: The following is a list of local donation information for the Haiti relief effort: Kassava Caribbean Restaurant, 8600 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (310) 385-0248.

Tigeorgesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Chicken, 309 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 9441515.

Registry information for Operation Haitian Missing Person: Lucy Florence Coffee House, 3351 W. 43rd St., Los Angeles, (323) 293-1356.

More donation opportunities: www.redcross.org; www.foodforthe poor.org; www.samaritanspurse.org. nothing GOP Congress.

Roosevelt and Truman fired up their base, inspired millions of Americans, continued to push reform and kept the presidency.

Obama could do the same. But only if he really acts like Roosevelt.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challengeâ&#x20AC;?

(Middle Passage Press), was released Jan. 27. Copies of his book can be purchased at Lucy Florence Coffee House, 3351 W. 43rd St., in Leimert Park, Los Angeles.

FORECLOSED HOME AUCTION. 150+ Homes / BIDS OPEN February 13. Open House: 1/30, 31 & 2/6. View Full Listings. www.Auction.com REDC / Brkr 01093886. (Cal-SCAN)

L.A. Watts Times

LAND/ACREAGE

Partners with:

ARIZONALAND.COM Arizonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best selection of wilderness Ranches & forested cabin sites. Photos, Maps, Weather Charts, Pricing, Monthly Payments.

Properties statewide. 1st United Realty. 1-800-9666690. (Cal-SCAN)

MISCELLANEOUS DISH NETWORK. $19.99/mo. Why Pay More for TV? 100+ Channels - FREE! 4-Room Install FREE! HD-DVR Plus $600 Sign-up BONUS. Call Now! 1-866-747-9773. (Cal-SCAN)

ONEiMALL.COM *****Est. 1998*****

One-stop online shopping and you can learn how to earn money from the internet collaboratively.

Go to:

ONEiMALL.COM

It is FREE to begin the process if you have a website!

January 28, 2010

L.A. WATTS TIMES

Page 11

PUBLIC NOTICE INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) NO.1688 REQUEST FOR SUB-QUOTES Project: I-405 Sepulveda Pass Widening Project, Contract No. C0882 Owner: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Concrete Wall Drains Notice of Interest Requested by February 12, 2010 Kiewit Pacific Co. is the design-builder for the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Widening Project and is seeking sub-bids and quotes from Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE).

Opportunities for subcontractors, professional services and material and/or equipment suppliers will occur throughout the life of the project. Requests for Proposals (RFP), and requests for sub-quotes will be ongoing as needed. All DBE’s must be certified by the California Unified Certification Program (CUCP). Currently, Kiewit is requesting your Notice of Interest to provide a sub-quote for the concrete wall drains including gutter and transitions for catch basins, down drains and tie-ins.

Contact us with your Notice of Interest to provide a Sub-Quote no later than February 12, 2010 to receive a Bid Quote Sheet and Bid Instructions.

All responsive subcontractors must posses a valid California contractor’s license and provide acceptable insurance. Responsible subcontractors and material contractors are expected to provide bonding for 100% (if required) of their contract. Kiewit will reimburse bond premiums.

Kiewit intends to conduct itself in good faith with all DBEs and all other business enterprises regarding participation on this project. For further information or questions regarding this opportunity and to receive a Bid Quote Sheet for your specialty, or to discuss this design-build project, requirements of the contract, licensing, project scheduling, insurance or bonding, please contact our project office.

Kiewit Pacific Co. I-405 Sepulveda Pass Widening Project Attn: Rebecca Manning 6060 Center Dr., Suite 200, Los Angeles, Ca 90045 (310) 846-2400 Fax (310) 846-2405 I405.DBE@Kiewit.com

REQUEST FOR SUB-QUOTES Project: I-405 Sepulveda Pass Widening Project, Contract No. C0882 Owner: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Aggregates Notice of Interest Requested by February 12, 2010 Kiewit Pacific Co. is the design-builder for the I-405 Sepulveda Pass Widening Project and is seeking sub-bids and quotes from Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE).

Opportunities for subcontractors, professional services and material and/or equipment suppliers will occur throughout the life of the project. Requests for Proposals (RFP), and requests for sub-quotes will be ongoing as needed. All DBE’s must be certified by the California Unified Certification Program (CUCP). Currently, Kiewit is requesting subquotes for aggregates.

Contact us with your Notice of Interest to provide a Sub-Quote for aggregates no later than February 12, 2010 to receive a Bid Quote Sheet and bid instructions.

All responsive firms are expected to provide acceptable insurance. Responsible subcontractors and material contractors are expected to provide bonding for 100% (if required) of their contract. Kiewit will reimburse bond premiums.

Kiewit intends to conduct itself in good faith with all DBEs and all other business enterprises regarding participation on this project. For further information or questions regarding this opportunity and to receive a Bid Quote Sheets for your specialty, or to discuss this design-build project, requirements of the contract, licensing, project scheduling, insurance or bonding, please contact our project office.

Kiewit Pacific Co. I-405 Sepulveda Pass Widening Project Attn: Rebecca Manning 6060 Center Dr., Suite 200, Los Angeles, Ca 90045 (310) 846-2400 Fax (310) 846-2405 I405.DBE@Kiewit.com

PSOMAS REQUEST FOR BIDS & NOTICE OF INTEREST Psomas is bidding on the following project as a Prime Contractor: As-Needed General Engineering Consultant Services for the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works (LADPW) Bid Date: February 4, 2010 @ 3:00 pm Psomas is seeking interest, qualifications, bids, and quotes from disabled veterans, disadvantaged business enterprises, and minority- and women-owned business enterprises in the following disciplines: Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering (HVAC and Plumbing), Electrical Engineering, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design and Modular Furniture Consultant, Surveying, Cost Estimating, Elevator Consultant, Hardware Consultant, Food Services Consultant, LEED®/Sustainability Consultant, Building Commissioning, Specifications Consultant, Security Consultant, and Reprographics/Printing Services.

This proposal is in alignment with the L.A. County Community Business Enterprise (CBE) Program. In addition, Psomas can provide assistance to interested CBEs in obtaining the required bonds, lines of credit, and/or insurance. Psomas intends to conduct itself in good faith in regards to all CBE and OBE firms.

All interested firms should email a two-page firm overview with recent LADPW experience and CBE documentation to lamarketing@psomas.com no later than EOD on February 2, 2010.

ADA UPGRADE OF RESTROOMS AND RECEPTION COUNTER AT SAN FERNANDO GARDENS The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) invites vendors to submit firm fixed price bids for the ADA Upgrade of Restrooms and Reception Counter at the San Fernando Gardens Housing Development located at 10995 Lehigh Ave., Pacoima, CA 91331. Copies of the IFB documents may be downloaded at www.hacla.org/cgs. Technical questions may be directed to Project Manager Hector Areola at 213-252-4266. Bids will be accepted at 2600 Wilshire Blvd., 3rd floor, Los Angeles, CA 90057 until February 12, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. (local time).

1/21, 1/28/10 CNS-1778435# WATTS TIMES INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) NO. 1700 RESTORATION OF EXISTING (12) UNITS OF APARTMENTS AT NICKERSON GARDENS AND RANCHO SAN PEDRO The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) invites vendors to submit firm fixed price bids for the restoration of existing twelve (12) units of apartments located at: Nickerson Gardens, 1360-1366 114th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90059 and Rancho San Pedro, 103117 W. Santa Cruz Street, San Pedro, CA 90071. Copies of the IFB documents may be downloaded at www.hacla.org/cgs. Technical questions may be directed to Project Manager, Hector Areola at 213-2524266. Bids will be accepted at 2600 Wilshire Blvd., 3rd floor, Los Angeles, CA 90057 until February 3, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. (local time).

1/21, 1/28/10 CNS-1779110# WATTS TIMES FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100091257 The following person is doing business as: APOGIX 11108 Matteson Ave. Culver City, CA 90230 SAVIYNT 11108 Matteson Ave. Culver City, CA 90230 Rishma Shariff 11108 Matteson Ave. Culver City, CA 90230 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is Rishma Shariff. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on January 21, 2010.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

First Filing: 1/28/10, 2/4/10, 2/11/10, 2/18/10 LAWT 401

JOB CORPS Continued from page 5 developers to build qualified projects.

The Los Angeles Development Fund, which is managed by the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), sold a portion of the tax credits that helped finance the YWCA project.

The YWCA Greater Los Angeles campus is the first project to receive funding from the Los Angeles Development Fund.

“These funds have made it possible for the YWCA to move forward on a project that will bring housing, training, and much-needed services to the people of our community and Los Angeles as a whole,” said Ninth District Los Angeles City Councilmember Jan Perry, who represents the South Park district and much of the rest of downtown.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa lauded the tax-credits program for making the project possible. “This is not just the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility,” Villaraigosa said. “This is the

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (Metro) INVITATION FOR BIDS Metro will receive bids for IFB C0949-R Design-Build ATMS Computer Room Modifications per specifications on file at the Office of Procurement & Material Mgmt, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (12th Floor).

All Bids must be submitted on forms furnished by Metro, and must be filed at the reception desk of the Office of Proc. & Mat. Mgmt on or before 3:00 p.m. (Pacific Time),Thursday, March 25, 2010. Bids received later than the above date and time will be rejected and returned to the bidder unopened. Each bid must be sealed and marked Bid No. C0949-R. A Pre-Bid conference will be held on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time), in the Imperial Conference room located on the 12th floor at the address above.

You may obtain bid specifications for a non-refundable price of $25.00 when picked up at the above address or $35.00 if mailed. Requests must be accompanied by payment to the Metro in the form of a money order, a company check, a cashier’s check, or a certified check. Personal checks are not acceptable forms of payment. For further information, please email Wayne Okubo at: okubow@metro.net.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100090716 The following person is doing business as: John E. Head Consultants 1514 W 85th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047 Head Enterprises 2121-B Hawthorne Blvd. #5454 Torrance, CA 90503 John Eldon Head 1514 W 85th St. Los Angeles, CA 90047 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on January 21, 2010.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

First Filing: 1/28/10, 2/4/10, 2/11/10, 2/18/10 LAWT 402 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No. 20100023808 The following person is doing business as: International Import Solutions 1058 W. 106th St. Los Angeles, CA 90044 Sullivan Smith Jr. 1058 W. 106th St. Los Angeles, CA 90044 This business is conducted by an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct (The registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime.) is This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on January 21, 2010.

The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. NOTICE: This Fictitious Name Statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the Los Angeles County Clerk. A New Fictitious Business Name Statement must be filed before that time.

The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a Fictitious Business Name in violation of the rights of another under Federal, State, or common law (See Section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).

First Filing: 1/28/10, 2/4/10, 2/11/10, 2/18/10 LAWT 403

creation of an educational haven that will provide hundreds of young men and women with the job training they need for a stable, successful future.”

YWCA Greater Los Angeles purchased the site on Olive Street in 2004 for a total of $3.5 million, with aid from CRA/LA. The recent sales of tax credits put the final pieces of construction financing in place for the new campus, according to Faye Washington, chief executive officer of the YWCA Greater Los Angeles.

“The YWCAhad funds in place to support the project, (and) the New Market Tax Credit structure allowed us to close the gaps as well as offer a platform for community-minded corporations to participate in a project that will benefit Los Angeles youth for generations to come,” Washington said. “We applaud the entities that went beyond rhetoric to provide funding that will have generational impact.”

Sam Hassan is a writer for the L.A. Garment & Citizen. This story is from Labeez.org, a Web site established by New America Media and features con-

Qualified Consulting firms are invited to submit Statements of Qualifications by 5:00 PM, February 22, 2010 for Project Number E09-27, Design of Aircraft Ramp Reconstruction to provide design services for the reconstruction of the commercial aircraft parking ramp, installation of 400hz power, installation of hydrant fueling system and initiation of a GIS data base at the Bob Hope Airport. A Request for Qualifications package can be obtained directly from the Bob Hope Airport Web site at bobhopeairport.com under Business Opportunities. All Proposers shall register with the Airport Engineering Department either via web site or in person.

Proposals submitted by firms who have not registered with Airport Engineering will be considered non-responsive. A pre-submittal conference will be conducted on February 4, 2010 at 10:00 AM at the Engineering Office of the Bob Hope Airport, 2800 Clybourn, Burbank, California. Access from the intersection of Sherman Way and Clybourn.

NOTICE OF AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE TAX-DEFAULTED PROPERTY FOR DELINQUENT TAXES AGREEMENT NO. 2321 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, in accordance with the provisions of Division 1, Part 6, Chapter 8 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code (and the written authorization of the State Controller) that an agreement, a copy of which is on file in the office of the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County, has been made between said Board of Supervisors and the Working in Neighborhood (WIN) Project approved by the State Controller, whereby Los Angeles County will sell to the Working in Neighborhood (WIN) Project under the terms set forth in said agreement, all of the real property hereinafter described which is Subject to the Power of Sale by the Tax Collector.

That unless sooner redeemed, the undersigned Treasurer and Tax Collector pursuant to said agreement will not less than 21 days after the date of the first publication of this notice as required by law, sell said property to the Working in Neighborhood (WIN) Project. If the property is sold, parties of interest, as defined in Section 4675 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code, have a right to file a claim with the county for any proceeds from the sale, which are in excess of the liens and costs required to be paid from the proceeds. If excess proceeds result from the sale, notice will be given to parties of interest, pursuant to law.

If redemption of the property is not made according to law before the property is sold, the right of redemption will cease. For information as to the amount necessary to redeem, apply to Mark J. Saladino, Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector, 225 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, California 90012. The real property covered by said Agreement is located in the County of Los Angeles, State of California, and is described as follows, to wit: 6020-013-006 ASSESSED TO: SMITH, D. AND MARTIN, D. H. THE MCCARTHY COS FLORENCE AVE HEIGHTS LOT 8 BLK 7 DATED THIS 7th DAY OF JANUARY 2010 MARK J. SALADINO, TREASURER AND TAX COLLECTOR

tributions from several publications that cover various ethnic communities in the Los Angeles area. The Garment & Citizen and Watts Times are both members of L.A. Beez.

Page 12

L.A. WATTS TIMES

January 28, 2010

BUSINESS CARD BULLETIN BOARD We have the BEST Programs With 1/2% Down Payment on Purchase, Low FICO Score and Stated Programs WE BUY PROPERTY FOR CASH!!!

FREE Wireless Alarm System! ($850 Value!)

™

Why Not Take Advantage of the Tax Credit...Time is Limited!

FREE INSTALLATION ~

Call Janice Harrison for a free (562) 708-7287 Consultation with no Obligation (562) 861-4100

SKYLINE SECURITY 20929 Ventura Blvd. #47-167 Woodland Hills, CA 91364

AMERICAN HOME LOANS & REALTY RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT LEGAL DOCUMENT PREPARERS 35 Years Legal Experience Bonded & Reg.#IDA371

R&E’s Assisted & Affordable Services Include: • Divorce, Separation, Response • Expungements • Evictions • Tenant Screening • Bonded Process Servers • Civil Suits; Small Claims, Answers

400 Corporate Pointe, Suite 300 Culver City, CA 90230 Tele: (310) 590-4526 • Fax: (310) 590-4527 Email: Reliable.Efficient4U@gmail.com

• Two-way voice communication & wireless remote • Allows you to Arm/Disarm your system with just a push of a button • Single “Panic Button” for Break-in/Hostage, Fire, or Medical Emergencies!

It’s like having “OnStar” for your Home or Business!

Gourmet Coffee for the jazz art form since 1998 Howling Monk www.howlingmonk.com (310) 671-8551 P.O. Box 1217, Inglewood, CA 90308

THIS IS YOUR COFFEE

WE ARE NOT ATTORNEYS

HAVE YOU BEEN DENIED YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS? Let me assist you.

There is NO Fee if we don’t win.

Jacquelyn Brown, Disability Representative

(323) 756-3755 Join hundreds of other Black men in Los Angeles, who are part of a program to promote self-acceptance, healthy lifestyle choices and reduce HIV infection in the Black community. To get more details about the program and find out if you are eligible, call 310-825-5474. Both HIV-ve and HIV +ve men may participate. Cash compensation and refreshments provided.

All calls are confidential.

Mel’s Fish Shack 4524 West Jefferson Blvd.

Jefferson Blvd. & Farmdale Ave. 5 blocks West of Mel’s Fish Market

323-732-MELS (6357) or visit www.melsfishshack.com

BRIEFS Continued from page 1 The council added, “We acknowledge Mayor Dorn for his long service and commitment to the city and its residents, and we wish him and his family well. At this time, our priority is to ensure that the transition prescribed by the city charter proceeds seamlessly, and that city services continue to be delivered at the highest level possible without interruption.”

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said Dorn will be barred from holding public office for the rest of his life.

Unreported Gifts Received

by Calif. Lawmakers (AP) — The California Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating 38 state lawmakers and 15 members of their staffs for failing to report thousands of dollars worth of gifts in 2008. Failure to disclose such gifts can bring fines of up to $5,000 for each violation.

Here are some of the lawmakers and what the commission says they failed to report, all in 2008: • Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, did not report $112.78 for dinner from AT&T; $94.46 for a reception hosted by the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians; and a $59.06 dinner from Chevron Corp.

kc@skylinesecurity.org www.skylinesecurity.org

A VOLUNTARY RESEARCH STUDY

NOW OPEN

Carry Out Only!

818-715-9068 KIP JACKSON

MAALES Project (310) 825-5474

Hours: Tues. - Thurs. 11-9 Fri. & Sat. 11-10 Sunday 11-8

Bass’ attorney, Stephen Kaufman, described the mistake as a “bookkeeping error” and said the speaker has amended her report.

• Assemblyman Curren Price, D-Los Angeles, failed to report $110 worth of horse racing admissions, parking and lunch from the Oak Tree Racing Association; $99.48 for a legislative reception hosted by the Wine Institute; $94.46 for dinner courtesy of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians; $74.34 for food and beverages from the Farmers Group; and $52.60 for a reception hosted by the California Cable and Telecommunications Association.

On the Net: California Fair Political Practices Commission, www.fppc.ca.gov.

NTSB Blames Texting in Calif. Rail Crash WASHINGTON (AP) — A 16month investigation into a deadly rail crash in California points to a commuter train engineer’s text messaging as the primary cause rather than malfunctioning signs along the track, safety officials indicated Jan. 21.

“Tragically, an instant message turned an ordinary commute into a catastrophe,” said Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Despite eyewitness testimony to the contrary, investigators said the

Sessions held at a discreet location near you. www.cdrewu.edu/maales Charles Drew University IRB Committee Approved May 20 ’09 TO May 19 ‘10 CDU IRB# 06-05-970-04

engineer failed to stop the train at a red signal. The crash on Sept. 12, 2008, in Chatsworth involved a Metrolink commuter train traveling along a track reserved for a Union Pacific freight train.

The trains collided head-on, killing 25 people and injuring more than 100. Each train was traveling faster than 40 mph.

Money Proposed to Reduce LAPD Rape Kit Backlog (AP) — A budget crisis has delayed Los Angeles police efforts to test DNA evidence from hundreds of rape cases, but a new proposal could free up money to eliminate the backlog.

A motion submitted Jan. 15 by City Council President Eric Garcetti would provide about $377,000 to hire outside labs to process the DNA. Crime victim advocates have criticized the police department for its huge backlog of evidence. Outsourcing helped the department reduce the number of untested evidence kits to about 1,300, but the money has run out.

Meanwhile, a plan to hire up to 26 employees for the police crime lab has stalled. A city panel recently refused to grant the exemptions to a city hiring freeze.

The motion would likely take weeks to reach the full council for consideration.

THE STATE Calif. ACORN Chapter Splits from National Group SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California chapter of ACORN has become the first to split from the troubled national organization, citing politically motivated attacks against the parent group and its own internal failings for making the state group’s job too difficult.

Amy Schur, former head of the California branch, said the new nonprofit — Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment — will have similar community-organizing missions in low-income neighborhoods, such as passing anti-predatory lending practices in California, tenant protection laws, and helping to raise the state’s minimum wage.

National ACORN (an acronym for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), which was formed in 1970, has been tarnished by scandal. Critics have accused the group of voter-registration fraud, and an embarrassing sting video made last year showed ACORN workers advising a woman posing as a prostitute how to launder earnings.

Millicent Hill, a former ACORN member who runs a nonprofit for the poor in Watts, said that it was becoming difficult to raise funds after ACORN’s image took a battering.

“We want to continue to do the work we’re doing,” said Hill, who said that giving poor people who do not have money for food has become a major focus.

THE NATION High Court Tosses Ruling Favorable to Abu-Jamal PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Supreme Court on Jan. 19 threw out a ruling that had set aside the death sentence of Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer, in a racially tinged case that has made the former Black Panther an international cause celebre.

The justices ordered the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia to revisit its 2008 ruling that Abu-Jamal deserved a new sentencing hearing because of flawed jury instructions at his 1982 trial.

The Supreme Court pointed to its ruling in an Ohio case recently, when it said a neo-Nazi killer did not deserve a new sentencing hearing on those grounds.

The 3rd Circuit could still order a federal trial court to consider AbuJamal’s case anew on other stillpending defense claims.

A mostly white Philadelphia jury convicted Abu-Jamal of killing white Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981 after the patrolman pulled over Abu-Jamal’s brother in an overnight traffic stop.