LAWT 09-20-2012

W E E K E N D E R

Vol. XXX, No. 1302

SEE PAGES 8-9

www.lawattstimes.com Thursday, September 20, 2012

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

HOROSCOPES Sept. 20 - 26

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ments this week, and plan to accept them gracefully. You may be planning a time period trip; it’s going to be a nice getaway.

Soul Affirmation: Communication is a skeleton key that opens many doors.

CORPIO ~ A party or gathering with friends from the past gives you the opportunity to strut your stuff a bit. You’ve made tremendous strides and accomplished much in your life, so be pleased with yourself this week. Pass some of your wisdom along to others. Soul Affirmation: All that I need is within me.

AGITTARIUS ~ You should know by now that trying to be in two places at once is very taxing to your nerves!

Slow down a bit and trust that you’ll get what needs to be done accomplished.

Give yourself a head start on all road trips so that you have time to enjoy the view.

Soul Affirmation: Seeing my past clearly this week gives me a clear vision of my future.

APRICORN ~ An afterglow surrounds you during the week, and you may not feel like getting immediately into workmode this week. It’s okay to go with your feelings; the world will wait for a little while. Treasure happy moments. Soul Affirmation: Facing down challenges makes me feel good about myself.

QUARIUS ~ Your mind is busy this week with thoughts of new projects and the things you want to get done. Best course of action is to clear up pending and overdue items. You’ll have a clean desk in no time and will feel genuinely content and relaxed for the week. Soul Affirmation: I will actually write a love letter to the universe this week.

ISCES ~ Lots of opportunities are swirling around you, and it will require some diligence on your part to make the most of some of them. You’ll be happy you put in some extra effort this week! Soul Affirmation: I open up to the universe. The universe opens up to me.

S S

Is LAPD going backwards?

During the past 30 days, there has been a rash of LAPD officer-involved incidents reminiscent of the past where at least one person has been killed

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LA WATTS TIMES STAFF REPORT Three recent back-to-back, useof-force incidents involving Los Angeles police officers, have the community asking: ‘Is LAPD reverting back to the old days (when police

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LAPD Chief Charlie Beck

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L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER Published Weekly – Updates 3800 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008 Administration – Sales – Graphics – Editorial 323.299.3800 - office 323.291.6804 - fax

Councilmember Bernard Parks bullying tactics led to two major riots)?’ One of the three incidents has resulted in the death of a young Black woman, and the questions persist and remain. One pastor has asked rhetorically: “Who’s going to protect us from the protectors?”

Alesia Thomas, 35, died on July 22, after a violent confrontation with LAPD. At least five police officers are under investigation into the circumstances of her death. It was reported that during the arrest an officer kicked her genitals, police officials said.

Ronald Weekley Jr., a student from Xavier University was arrested Saturday, August 18, on the front lawn of his Venice home. Weekley shared that he was reaching into his front gate (with his skateboard in his hand) when he heard footsteps rapid-

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MOMBASA SQUARE ANSWERS FROM 9-13-12

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RIES ~ You seem preoccupied this week and it’s because your mind is filled with a vision of love for the entire planet. Use your gifts to assist others in seeing the world as you do, in glorious color.

Check the details on paperwork that you have to do, dreamer. Soul Affirmation: I release internal pressure by enjoying the beauties of the world around me.

AURUS ~ Everybody’s in a good mood this week, and you’ll want to join friends or family in sharing good food and feelings. You may be asked to grow, or move. Think seriously about it, because it could enhance your spiritual growth. Soul Affirmation: In order for money to come I must think about money as my friend.

EMINI ~ At work, some matters have been on hold but now you will get the green light. Continue to work as diligently as you have been in the pass to ensure success. Have faith that your plans are on target. Soul Affirmation: Anticipation of a beautiful immediate future lights up my week.

ANCER ~ Remember that you are in control of your emotions this week.

Things will look brighter as soon as you let yourself feel like the glowing spirit that you are. Co-create your reality this week by using positive emotions to remind yourself of how wonderful you are. Soul Affirmation: I will ask joy to marry me.

EO ~ You are in the middle of a dream coming true. Watch for signs that your wish is about to be granted. You’ll be very happy with what you’ve achieved. Soul Affirmation: Love is easier than breathing.

IRGO ~ Overall, the vibrations surrounding you this week are very good, very good indeed. Go with the best, and refuse to allow any minor inconvenience to spoil your sunny mood. You are going to have a lovely week. Soul Affirmation: He who doesn’t ask will remain a fool forever.

IBRA ~ Remember that you look marvelous! Be prepared for lots of compli-

Inside This Edition

ly approaching. He described, that following a loud yell, he was grabbed by his hair, shoulders and shirt and immediately thrown to the ground.

“I didn’t know what was going on at first so I was just trying to control my body.”

However, once Weekley realized that he was being arrested he was compliant.

The third incident took place in the San Fernando Valley. A security camera captured officers from LAPD’s Foothill division throwing Michelle Jordan to the ground twice, face first after she had been handcuffed. The incident appears to end with the officers exchanging a fistbump.

Chief Charlie Beck said, “Every Los Angeles police officer, regardless of rank, will be held accountable for their actions.”

But not everyone’s convinced.

City Councilman Bernard C. Parks, a former chief of police, sees the recent incidents as the product of a long slide away from solid discipline.

Parks contends that officers today See LAPD, page 10

Let’s stamp out cell phone snatchings Aboard Metro buses and trains thieves are snatching smart phones at a growing rate and Metro officials and Los Angeles County Sheriffs want it stopped. But they need the public’s help in putting an end to these crimes of opportunity. Raising awareness is the first step.

“It’s a national trend. And we need to educate the public about how they can avoid being victims of this kind of crime,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Commander Patrick Jordan.

In L.A., as well as in New York, Washington D.C., Boston and Chicago, thieves are stealing cell phones out of the hands of inattentive

transit riders. Metro experienced a 47 percent increase in cell phone thefts during the first half of this year, compared with the first half of last year.

In looking at phone thefts by month, they began to increase steadily in March of this year, with a low of 15 in February and a high of 34 in July. There have been 168 phone theft reports taken since the first of the year. The result has been 84 arrests.

And yet, the Metro system is safe and overall crime on Metro is stable.

For every 100 million boardings in the first half of 2011, Metro had 250 crimes — the same number as for the first half of this year.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Obama creates new national Space shuttle monument in Colorado Endeavour heads west to new mission

BY MARCIA DUNN ASSOCIATED PRESS Space shuttle Endeavour embarked on its new life as a museum piece September 19, leaving behind its NASA home and heading west on the last ferry flight of its kind.

Bolted to the top of a jumbo jet, NASA's youngest shuttle departed Kennedy Space Center at sunrise on the first leg of its flight to California.

Hundreds of people — astronauts, space center workers, tourists and journalists — gathered at the runway to bid Endeavour farewell following two days of rain delays. Crowds also lined the nearby beaches as the shuttle

President Barack Obama boards Air Force One, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., en route to New York.

swooped in and out of low clouds in one final show.

Onlookers waved, saluted, blew kisses and cheered as Endeavour made one last swoop over its old landing strip, and then aimed for the Gulf of Mexico.

“You know what? I am feeling a tremendous amount of pride,” said astronaut Kay Hire, who flew aboard Endeavour two years ago.

Several hours later, onlookers cheered excitedly as Endeavour flew over its landing place in Houston, not far from the home of NASA’s Mission Control and all the astronauts. The jet carrying Endeavour landed a short See SPACE SHUTTLE, page 10

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

President Barack Obama’s administration will create a national monument at a dramatic rock formation in southwestern Colorado on a site that was home to the ancestors of modern Pueblo Indians 1,000 years ago, officials confirmed on Wednesday

September 19.

The move to preserve 4,726 acres of high desert at Chimney Rock, which holds spiritual significance for some tribes, will be announced September 21. The Denver Post first reported the decision, which was confirmed by Senator Michael Bennet's office.

The monument will be the third created by the Obama administration.

The Republican congressman who

business card bulletin board

ASSOCIATED PRESS

represents the area, Scott Tipton, sponsored a bill urging the designation that passed the House of Representatives in May. Bennet proposed a similar bill that never made it through the Senate following partisan squabbling.

“Making Chimney Rock a national monument will be an extraordinary boost for the region by preserving and See NATIONAL MONUMENT, page 14

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Space Shuttle Endeavour

Congressman Jackson puts Washington home on market

BY SOPHIA TAREEN ASSOCIATED PRESS Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., who has been on a hushed medical leave for more than three months, has put his home in Washington on the market for $2.5 million to help pay for health care costs, an aide said recently.

Jackson’s medical treatment for bipolar disorder and gastrointestinal issues included several weeks of hospitalization at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The Chicago Democrat returned to his family at their Washington home earlier this month, but his staff has given no indication of when he'll return to work.

“Like millions of Americans, Congressman Jackson and Mrs. Jackson are grappling with soaring health care costs and are selling their residence to help defray costs of their obligations,” Jackson spokesman Rick Bryant said in an emailed statement.

Jesse Jackson Jr.

Jackson put the Victorian-style town house on the market Sept. 8, a day after his office announced he’d been released from Mayo. Online listings for the home say it was built See JESSE JACKSON JR., page 12

Thursday, September 20, 2012

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Person Of The Week | Dr. Elaine Batchlor Rep. Bass speaks on Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital Rev. Jackson’s board appoints new chief executive successful negotiations in Gambia

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.)

“I’d like to offer my sincere President Jammeh announced that thanks and gratitude to Rev. Jesse the remaining 37 death row inmates Jackson for his extraordinary efforts would be executed by the end of the to free two Americans from harsh month in order to send a message to imprisonment in Gambia, allowing Gambians that violent crimes would them to return home to the U.S. to be not be tolerated in the country. After with their loved ones,” said U.S. rep- outcry from the international comresentative, Karen Bass (D-Calif.) of munity, Jackson began working with the Reverend Jesse Jackson’s recent the Gambian government to discuss appeal to President Dr. Alhaji Yahya the reversal of this decision. This Jammeh of Gambia for the release of visit has been credited as the impetus two American citizens. for President Jammeh’s decision that “Rev. Jackson has a history of further executions would be susserving as an international diplomat pended indefinitely. in sensitive situations like this one, including the release of Navy Lieutenant Robert Goodman from Syria and 48 Cuban and Cuban-American prisoners from Cuba. His leadership has been invaluable in this situation and I commend his foresight to assure these American citizens are able to be in the safety of their homes with the people they love most.”

Amadou Scattred Janneh and Tamsir Jasseh were serving a life and 20 year sentences, respectively, for treason. Jackson was also instrumental in urging President Jammeh to extend indefinitely a moratorium on the death penalty and execution of 38 death row prisoners.

In August, nine prisoners on Gambia’s death row were executed by a firing squad Courtesy Butch Wing, Rainbow PUSH Coalition prior to the exhaustion of their legal appeals, The Rev. Jesse Jackson meets with Gambian and in September President Yayha Jammeh.

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital board members made major progress toward the new MLK hospital recently, when they named Dr. Elaine Batchlor as the institution’s new chief executive officer. Now as the hospital, still under construction, is built, Batchlor will begin to assemble its staff, physicians, personnel and also see to the equipping of the new facility. Scheduled for completion in 2014, the hospital will have 130 beds, including a 21-bed emergency department and a critical care unit. It also will provide a range of healthcare and social services.

Dr. Batchlor has an outstanding background and brings a history of excellence and innovation to her new position. A physician of internal medicine and rheumatology, she previously served as chief medical officer for L.A. Care, the largest public health plan in the United States. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Harvard University, an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University, and a master’s degree in public health from UCLA. Upon her appointment as CEO, Supervisor Mark Ridley-

Dr. Elaine Batchlor Thomas said, “Dr. Batchlor has the experience, expertise and leadership skills required to make this tremen-

dous undertaking, the launch of a new hospital, the success we know it will be.”

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Little Children with nowhere to go 18 pounds of meth Head Start families decry delayed start dates, sudden program changes, confusing enrollment policies, staff turnover, and complete lack of communication

and rifles seized Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announces seizure of 18 pounds of methamphetamine and assault rifles from suspected cartel associates

Photo Credit: Lupe Alzaga

Parents and teachers rally outside of Greater Emmanuel Head Start in Lynwood recently, to highlight how the Head Start program’s unorganized leadership transition has negatively affected families.

Parents rallied and held a press conference to highlight the unnecessarily rough transition as program oversight passes from CDI Head Start—the temporary operator of these programs for the past several years—to Volunteers of America. By federal mandate, these parents are supposed to be highly involved leaders of their Head Start programs. Instead, they have been completely shut out of this process. Parents, teachers, and others deeply concerned about continuity of

care have been pleading that classrooms not be disrupted. Last month, parents delivered nearly 500 signatures asking that existing staff be kept on at their Head Start centers. Recently, they were joined by Head Start staff, many of whom have served generations of families in our communities.

While Head Start programs all over Southern California opened their doors weeks ago, enabling parents to get to their jobs and attend their own classes, Greater Emmanuel Head Start in

Lynwood and other community Head Start centers remain locked up. The new operator, Volunteers of America (VOA), has left families completely in the dark with no advance warning that they should seek other arrangements for child care or of the drastic changes to schedules, staff, and programs. At this late date, alternatives, such as transitional kindergarten, have no more spaces for affected children.

“My little girl thrived last year in See HEAD START, page 15

Photo Courtesy of OAG.gov

Attorney General Kamala Harris Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced the arraignment of two men who were arrested in possession of 18 pounds of methamphetamine recently, as well as four handguns, three assault rifles and a .50 caliber sniper rifle. The individuals are believed to be associates of the La Familia cartel in Michoacan, Mexico.

“The fight against transnational gangs continues to be a priority for the California Department of Justice,” said Harris. “These arrests are another example of the hard work and dedication of our agents in the continued effort to stop the trafficking of guns, drugs and human beings throughout our state.”

Jesus Espinoza, 25, of San Diego and Jose Manuel Guizar-Gaytan, 25, of Mexico, were arraigned in Riverside County Superior Court on two felony counts each of possession of methamphetamine for sale and possession of methamphetamine with a loaded firearm and three felony counts each of possession of an assault weapon, possession of an assault rifle and possession of any .50 BMG (sniper) rifle. Both defendants pled not guilty, and bail was set at $500,000 for each.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case because the defendants were arrested in the City of Moreno Valley. The investigation was conducted by the attorney general’s Inland Crackdown Allied Task Force (INCA).

On September 14, INCA agents received information about a home in Moreno Valley that contained methamphetamine and weapons.

INCA agents, along with deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, contacted Espinoza and Guizar-Gaytan at the residence.

INCA agents obtained a search warrant for the residence, two vehicles and a public storage locker associated with the location. As a result of the search warrant, agents seized approximately 18 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of more than $832,000, four handguns, three assault rifles and a .50 caliber sniper rifle. Both men were arrested without incident and booked into the Riverside County Jail.

These arrests are the latest in a series of successful DOJ-led investigations targeting transnational gang crime across California. Earlier this month DOJ agents seized $1.1 million worth of methamphetamine from the Sinaloa Cartel. The Attorney General’s INCA Task Force is comprised of: the Beaumont Police Department, the California Department of Justice, the Calexico Police Department, the California Alcoholic Beverage Control, the California Highway Patrol, the Corona Police Department, the San Bernardino Police Department, the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Riverside Police Department, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and the Murrieta Police Department.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

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CSU OKs plan 11 wounded in to raise tuition if Calif. prison tax measure fails riot, including

BY TERENCE CHEA ASSOCIATED PRESS A California State University panel approved a plan on Tuesday September 18 to raise tuition by 5 percent early next year if voters reject Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative and trigger a $250 million funding cut to the 23-campus system.

The CSU board of trustees' finance committee voted for the chancellor’s contingency strategy to manage the potential failure of Proposition 30.

The Nov. 6 ballot measure would temporarily boost the state sales and income taxes to help close California's budget deficit and avoid deeper cuts to K-12 schools and colleges.

Under the resolution approved Tuesday, CSU would raise tuition in the winter and in spring 2013 if the tax measure fails. Tuition for in-state undergraduates would increase to $3,135 a semester or $6,270 a year.

The tuition increase would generate $116 million a year.

CSU would also increase supplemental tuition paid by out-of-state students by 7 percent, or $810 per year, to $11,970 a year starting in fall 2013. That move would generate an expected $9 million a year.

The failure of Proposition 30 would trigger deep midyear cuts to K-12 and higher education while forcing CSU campuses to cut course offerings, instructors and student services, administrators said.

If Proposition 30 passes, CSU would rescind a previously approved 9 percent tuition increase that went into effect this fall. Annual tuition would fall to $5,472.

If CSU freezes tuition this year, the system would receive an additional $125 million in state funding in 2013-14 — if Proposition 30 passes — under legislation Brown signed as part of the 2012-13 state budget.

“If Proposition 30 doesn’t pass, we’re going to cut $250 million out of our budget, and we’re going to need some revenue to replace that,” See CSU TUITION HIKE, page 13

1 shot ASSOCIATED PRESS

A riot Wednesday September 19 at a California prison holding many of the state’s most hardened criminals left 11 inmates hospitalized, including one who was shot by correctional officers.

The disturbance inside a yard at the California State Prison, Sacramento in Folsom involved an unknown number of inmates after it broke out shortly after 11 a.m., said Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

In addition to the inmate who was shot, at least 10 were either stabbed or slashed during the riot, Thornton said.

Their conditions have not been released and no other injuries have been reported.

Prison officials still don’t know how many inmates were involved nor a possible motive, Thornton added.

It is at least the second known incident within a year at the 2,800-inmate maximum-security facility that opened in 1986 commonly known as New Folsom, due to its proximity to the more well-known Folsom State Prison, located 20 miles east of Sacramento.

Eleven inmates were hospitalized, including one shot by officers, after a riot that involved 150 inmates in December. One officer was injured during the See PRISON RIOT, page 15

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

A guard tower is seen behind the wire fence that surrounds California State Prison, Sacramento, in Folsom, Calif.

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

F E AT U R E

L.A. Watts Times WEEKENDER

Dwindling Options for Fresh Food in South L.A.

By Thandisizwe Chimurenga | LAWT Contributor

Photos by: Brandon I. Brooks

The month of September has given grocery shoppers in South Los Angeles a one-two punch with the announcements of two large store closings. At the beginning of the month Supervalu, the parent company of Albertson’s grocery stores, announced it would be closing its La Brea Ave. and Rodeo Road store by Dec. 1 of this year, one of about 60 “underperforming” stores in the Southern California region. Recently, the Sentinel learned that the Ralph’s grocery store at Rodeo Road and Crenshaw Blvd. is also scheduled for closure.

Both stores are located in Los Angeles’ 10th Council District, represented by Herb Wesson who is currently president of the Los Angeles City Council. Ed Johnson, the assistant chief deputy for Wesson, says that a new shopping cen-

ter, which will include a Target department store and possibly a Smart and Final is planned for the Rodeo and Crenshaw site.

According to Johnson the Ralph’s market further up the street at LaBrea and Rodeo which is “currently 30,000 square feet, will be expanding to 58,000 square feet and they will expand the grocery selection.” Johnson says Ralph’s plan is to have the remodeling and expansion of the current store – which is projected to cost $9 million – completed and reopened by the end of the year.

In addition to the expanded Ralph’s store and Target there is also the Wal-Mart, located at King and Crenshaw boulevards, that Johnson says will also be increasing its grocery selection.

As for new or additional grocers coming to South L.A., British-based Fresh and Easy Supermarkets is scheduled to bring its oơerings to Jeơerson and Crenshaw boulevards. The chain had been in discussions to build a store at the corner of 52nd Street and Crenshaw Blvd. for several years but has basically abandoned that plan, according to a spokesperson for 8th District Councilman Bernard Parks.

“They have given up, but Councilman Parks has not,” said Christine Dixon, Parks’ district director. “The location [at 52nd and Crenshaw] is owned by a private individual. We are working with the landowner to try and find another grocery store to build at the site, but so far we have not received any calls of interest.”

Northgate Market, which operates “full service supermarkets in areas where first and second generation Mexican and Hispanic nationals predominantly live,” is also scheduled to open a store at 94th Street and South Broadway soon, according to Councilman Parks’ oƥce.

The lack of fresh food oơerings in urban areas across the U.S. – while at the same time having an over-abundance of fast food outlets – is most popularly known as a ‘food desert.’ In light of these recent store closings, one local activist

www.lawattstimes.com

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The closure of the two stores in the 10th District represents more disinvestment in our communities. ~ Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Community Coalition

thinks that name is misleading. “… we call it ‘food apartheid’ and not a ‘food desert’ – a desert occurs naturally, and apartheid is a result of human decisions. Human decisions depict winners and losers,” said Marqueece Harris-Dawson of the Community Coalition.

‘Apartheid’ was the doctrine of ‘separateness’ that the white minority used to govern the majority-Black country of South Africa from approximately 1948 until 1994.

According to Harris-Dawson, the closure of the two stores in the 10th District “represents more disinvestment in our communities; we ought to be able to have a Target, a Wal-Mart AND grocery stores just like any other community. We don’t find that in other communities - people having to choose this type of retail availability. Target and Wal-Mart food selections are not a replacement for a grocery store. From what we’ve seen, it still means less fresh fruits and vegetable choices,” he said.

Bahni Turpin, an organizer for the South Los Angeles Food Co-op, echoes Harris-Dawson’s comments.

Turpin feels that both fresh and organic food should be available to the residents of South Los Angeles and that choosing between Target and Wal-Mart really doesn’t

represent choice at all. “It’s the same thing that was there before; with their labor practices, do you think that the food is going to get any better?”

Turpin and others have been working over the past year to set up a food cooperative or “co-op” (a business that is jointly-owned by all of its members with the profits and other benefits split equally) that will provide residents of South Los Angeles with organic foods which, according to Turpin are “foods that have been grown from seeds that are not genetically modified and without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers.”

The group is currently in the process of incorporating within the State of California and looks forward to opening its doors by the end of next summer.

The Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Farmer’s Market, which began in Leimert Park 5 years ago but has been headquartered at the mall since Nov., 2009, provides a fresh produce option for South L.A. Open every Saturday (“rain or shine”) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the farmer’s market is located in the parking lot of the Sear’s automotive center, and from 100 to 400 people take advantage of the oơerings supplied by the 35 farmers, food vendors and artisans each week.

The small farmers who participate regularly come from around the Southern California region (Bakersfield, Temecula, San Diego, Clovis, San Bernadino, as well as Los Angeles County). According to Brown the farmers select their produce the Friday before the Farmer’s Market to insure freshness, and many – though not all – of the products are grown without the use of harsh chemical pesticides.

“The farmers go through a process with the state’s department of agriculture to become certified as farmers, but to become certified as organic involves a separate application and permit, and many of them are not able

to aơord that additional fee,” said Brown.

Brown also said that, to her knowledge, the farmers do not use seeds or produce that has been genetically modified.

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Thursday, September 20, 2012

The double whammy of Greedy King poverty and unemployment children at it again

BY JULIANNE MALVEAUX NNPA COLUMNIST Last week, we learned that African American unemployment rates stayed level last month, with an absurdly high official unemployment rate of 14.1 percent. Unemployment rates for African American men fell, while those for African American women rose. These rates are way too high and understate the extent of pain that exists in the African American community.

The philosopher Albert Camus wrote, “Without work all life is rotten” because so many people value and define themselves by the work they do. Indeed, at many professional social gatherings the first, second, or third question is: “What do you do?”

Work seems to anchor us to stability, and to the world. Too many African American people have no anchor.

While President Obama, Vice President Biden and other key Democrats have acknowledged that unemployment rates are not falling quickly enough, few deal with the psychic effects that unemployment has on the person. For many, it causes a malaise and a sense of absolute disconnection. Others feel disillusioned and depressed, although others use their own talent at entrepreneurship to create work where there is none, using skills to offer goods and services to their neighbors.

We don’t need government data to validate the pain that many in the African American community experience, far more pain than experienced in other communities. The overall unemployment rate dropped from 8.3 to 8.1 percent with African American unemployment staying level, means some are enjoying our tepid economic recovery, while others are waiting for gains to trickle down.

Unemployment data were released on September 7, and the poverty data released on September 12. That’s a double whammy for African

SPACE SHUTTLE Continued from page 4 time later at Ellington Field.

Endeavour will spend the night in Houston before continuing its journey to Los Angeles International Airport, where it’s scheduled to land September 21.

In mid-October, Endeavour will be transported down city streets to the California Science Center.

If Endeavour couldn’t remain anchored at the International Space Station, its main destination in recent years, then the science center is an ideal final stop, said astronaut Gregory Chamitoff. He will be on hand for Endeavour’s arrival in Los Angeles.

Chamitoff grew up in California and flew to the space station in spring 2011 on Endeavour’s final trip to orbit.

“I guess I didn’t really know how I would feel until I woke up, and I think this is more exciting than it is sad for me,” he said.

This is the last flight for a space shuttle. Atlantis will remain at

Julianne Malveaux Americans. Not only is the employment situation stagnant, with “real” unemployment rising as high as 25 percent, but new data on income and poverty suggest, again, that African Americans experience a greater burden than others in our society. The poverty rate among African Americans rose from 27.6 to 27.8 percent.

Some might describe these numbers as ”not statistically significant,” but try telling that to the 200,000 more African Americans in poverty.

Overall, poverty rates dropped slightly from 15.2 to 15.1 percent. This means that nearly one in six Americans experience poverty, while one in four African Americans and Hispanics experience poverty.

Incomes have dropped by more than 8 percent in 2007, and again African Americans have lost more.

While household incomes fell by 1.5 percent between 2010 and 2011, African Americans incomes fell by 2.7

Kennedy for display. Discovery is already at the Smithsonian Institution, parked at a hangar in Virginia since April.

Endeavour — the replacement for the destroyed Challenger shuttle — made its debut in 1992 and flew 25 times in space before retiring. It logged 123 million miles in space and circled Earth nearly 4,700 times.

The back-to-back delays in the ferry flight resulted in one day being cut from the Houston visit. The city was one of the bidders for a permanent shuttle exhibit, but had to settle for a mock-up from Kennedy. It lost out to New York City for the Enterprise, the shuttle prototype that was housed for years at the Smithsonian.

NASA retired its shuttle fleet last summer, under the direction of the White House, to spend more time and money on reaching destinations beyond low-Earth orbit. Asteroids and the planet Mars are on the space agency’s radar for crewed missions.

Scott Rush, 54, of Crystal Beach, Texas, said he has been a fan of NASA

percent, the largest drop of any racial or ethnic group. I don’t mean to underestimate anyone’s pain. All incomes fell, but African American incomes fell most. African American incomes hit their peak in 1999 at $38,700. Today, with dollars adjusted, the amount is $32,200, the lowest level since 1997.

At the top or at the bottom, African Americans lost ground.

In the face of this double whammy, how do we answer the Reagan question: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Economists have described the “misery index” as the sum of unemployment rates and poverty rates, and using that index, all of America has seen erosion in status.

Still, legislation to improve both poverty and unemployment rates has been stuck in legislative gridlock because House Republicans would rather see people suffer than to see President Obama appear successful.

But for the obduracy of House Majority Leader John Boehner (ROH) and his posse, including Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan (RWI), we might see lower unemployment and poverty rates.

More importantly, the Congressional Budget Office says that extreme spending cuts and lower tax rates for the wealthy will plunge us into recession in six months or so. As President Barack Obama says, we have choices; we are at a fork in the road. With an unresponsive Congress, I am not sure how quickly President Obama can lead us to economic recovery, but with a change in strategy, I am absolutely certain that Romney-Ryan will plunge us into disaster. The double whammy of poverty and unemployment is a body blow. Spending and tax cuts will take African Americans from the hospital into the emergency room.

Julianne Malveaux is a Washington, D.C.-based economist and writer. She is President Emerita of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C.

since its earliest days and didn’t want to miss a chance to see Endeavour, even though he’s not happy it isn’t staying in Texas.

Houston wasn’t chosen as a shuttle retirement home. Instead, it got a fullsized replica.

“I think it’s a pretty rotten deal, basically,” Rush said. “The one we’re getting is a toy. An important toy, but a toy nonetheless.”

LAPD Continued from page 2 dress more sloppily and bend other rules: activating their car lights to run red lights, being discourteous to residents, getting into more traffic accidents. His office, he said, gets plenty of complaints.

And those minor violations encourage laxity on more serious issues. “You have to make them understand that there are consequences,” he said of police officers. “Otherwise, it’s the big wink.”

BY GEORGE E. CURRY NNPA COLUMNIST In his “I Have a Dream Speech” delivered at the 1963 March on Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said he dreamed of the day his children would be judged not by the color of their skin but the content of their character. If Dr. King had known how Martin III, Dexter and Bernice would later fight over money generated by commercially exploiting his name, he might have omitted any reference to their character.

When it comes to money, King’s remaining children have no character.

The latest of many examples is their profiting from the construction of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial.

They – and all Americans – should be grateful that Harry E. Johnson, Sr. and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity had the vision and unflagging commitment to believe they could erect a memorial to Dr. King on the National Mall. Last year, the 30-foot, 8-inch statue of King was unveiled, dwarfing the 19-foot statue of Thomas Jefferson and the Abraham Lincoln memorial, which is 19 feet, 6 inches.

Instead of being satisfied with this impressive memorial to their father – the first monument to an African American on the Mall – the King children saw dollar signs. They have collected more than $3 million in licensing fees from the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. The fees were charged in exchange for allowing the foundation to use King’s words and likeness in fundraising appeals and as part of the memorial complex itself.

Harry Johnson has raised $119 million of the $120 million needed to build the memorial. But I doubt that any donor gave money to the project with the expectation that the King children would be able to line their pockets with their contribution.

David Garrow, the Pulitzer Prizewinning King biographer, told the Associated Press that Dr. King would have been “absolutely scandalized by the profiteering behavior of his children.” He added, “I don’t think the Jefferson family, the Lincoln family…I don’t think any other group of family ancestors has been paid a licensing fee for a memorial in Washington. One would think any family would be so thrilled to have their forefather celebrated and memorialized in D.C. that it would never dawn on them to ask for a penny.”

The King family is not looking for pennies or dollars. They are looking for millions. They are already making millions from King’s “I Have a Dream Speech.” King was a very public man, giving a public speech at the Lincoln Memorial, yet the King children claim that he was a private citizen and therefore they are entitled to profit from his public pronouncements. They successfully sued CBS to prevent the network from airing the “I Have a Dream Speech” – without paying them.

But would they win such a suit today? Fortunately for them, people

George E. Curry are willing to give them a pass because they are Dr. King’s dysfunctional children, not because of anything they have done. Private citizens don’t have federal holidays named in their honor. Monuments aren’t erected to them on the National Mall. If Dr. King isn’t a public figure, no one is.

Even worse than charging the foundation that erected the King Memorial for use of King’s words and images, the King family has now told the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation that their licensing agreement has expired and the family will not extend it. Not even for a sizeable fee. And by the way, the foundation can no longer use King in its name and will have to change that, too..

So what is their angle? You know the money grubbing Kings had to have one. Bernice King, CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, announced a year-long celebration leading to the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“We are excited by the four days of activities we have organized to commemorate my father’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, in cooperation with the MLK, Jr. National Historic Site and the CDC,” she said. “As we launch the year-long countdown to the global observance of the 50th anniversary, the Dreamkeepers Program events will help us address the still relevant challenge of creating a more just society through nonviolent activism.”

The King Center – which has been managed by Dexter, Martin III and now Bernice – hopes to raise $170 million from the events.

The famous march was about more than a young preacher from Atlanta delivering a sterling speech that mesmerized the nation. Rather, it was called the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was organized by A. Philip Randolph, president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

With an official Black unemployment rate of 14.4 percent, the emphasis should again be on jobs, not Dr. See CURRY, page 14

Thursday, September 20, 2012

11

9 / 2012

e v e n t LISTINGS

L.A. Watts Times Calendar, Compiled by Brandon I. Brooks, Co-Managing Editor 9/21 ANTHONY HAMILTON WITH SPECIAL GUEST ESTELLE - BACK TO LOVE TOUR: WHEN: 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Greek

Community Center 822 E. 20th Street Los Angeles, CA 90011. WHEN: 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. For more information call (213) 7476357. There will be a day care on site, door prizes, Spanish translation and refreshments.

Theatre Los Angeles, CA

Anthony Hamilton

9/22 “RACE, VOTERS RIGHTS, ELECTIONS AND THE CONSTITUTION”: Journalists, Erin Aubry Kaplan and Larry Aubry will lead a Community Forum on “Race, Voters Rights, Elections and the Constitution.” An opportunity to express your concerns and join the discussion about voting rights.

Voter registration will also be available.

WHEN: 2:30 p.m.

AC Bilbrew Library, 150 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles 90061, Larry Aubry (310) 5383350. This is a California Reads program.

Free and open to the public.

SCAM JAM 2012: Hosted by the United States Attorney’s Office Central District of California, All Peoples Community Center, California National Guard and County of Los Angeles Dept. of Consumer Affairs. Get help with consumer issues, including: Help for military personnel and their families, immigration fraud and fraudulent “notaries,” consultants, paralegals, identity theft, credit card fraud, government/health benefits, bank accounts, mortgage fraud, foreclosures, loan modifications, contracts, false ads, door-todoor sales, warranties, abusive debt collectors, threats, invalid accounts, evictions, repairs rent increases, car purchases, financing, repairs, repossensions, telemarketing fraud, fake lotteries, work-at-home scams, phony prizes and legal aid help for lowincome consumers. WHERE: All Peoples

CITY OF GARDENA FOOD, WINE AND CIGAR FESTIVAL: Hosted

by Paul K. Tanaka.

Performances by Sax Pack with Jeff Kashiwa, Steve Cole and Marcus Anderson.

Additional performers include Alex Bugon, Joey Sommerville, Elan Trotman and Matt Marshak.

Artist subject to change without notice. Over 80 foods, wine, cigar and other vendors for you to enjoy. WHEN: 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. WHERE: Gardena City Hall Front Lawn . For more information contact the recraction department at (310) 217-9537.

9/24

will be on site to serve you. WHERE: Los Angeles Sports Arena. WHEN: September 27 – 30. You must have a wristband to enter. Patients may pick up a free wristband on Monday September 24 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena – 3939 South Figueroa Street. Distribution begins at 1:00 p.m. Gates open at 7: a.m. First come, first served until all wristbands are given out.

One wristband per person. For more information, visit www.careharbor.org or email us at info@careharbor.com.

9/28 FILM

SCREENING AND BOOK DISCUS-

SION: See the film, “To Form a More Perfect Union: Milestones of the Civil Rights Movement” and discuss your understanding of the Constitution with Richard Beeman’s book, “The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution.” WHEN: 2:00 p.m. WHERE: Willowbrook Senior Center, 12915 Jarvis Ave., Los Angeles 90061, (310) 217-5650. You may sign-up for this event beginning September 13th at 11:00 a.m. This is a California Reads program.

Free and open to the public.

ON GOING THE J SPOT COMEDY CLUB PRESENTS MONDAY NIGHT MADNESS: Hosted

CELEBRATING OUR TEACHERS: El Cholo community events presents, “Celebrating our Teachers.” WHEN: 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. WHERE: El Cholo Los Angeles, 1121 S. Western Ave. , El Cholo Santa Monica, 1025 Wilshire Blvd., El Cholo Downtown, 1037 S. Flower St.. El Cholo La Habra 840 E. Whittier Blvd. and El Cholo Irvine 4565 Alton Pkwy. Present current school credentials and a photo identification to receive your FREE ENTRÉE. Educators enter to win a $25 Visa gift card for classroom supplies.

by the J Spot Divas. Come watch Monday night football at the J Spot Comedy Club.

WHERE: W. Manchester Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90045. WHEN: Monday nights. Doors open at 4 p.m. $3 Draft Beers, $5 Margaritas & Long Island Iced Tea. Have a birthday party on either of these days for parties of 10 or more and J will give you a free cake and bottle of champagne. Must call day before by 10:30 .p.m. to RSVP. For more information Call (310) 337-9057.

9/25

9/29

FREE FORECLOSURE INVESTING WORKSHOP: California Foreclosure

YOUNG LADIES HEALTHY, WEALTHY AND WISE CONFERENCE: Forgiving for

Institute will present a free two-hour workshop for investors and realtors on how to get started finding and buying foreclosure properties. WHEN: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Lloyd Taber-Marina Del Rey Public Library, 4533 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292. Guest speaker will be Lloyd Segal, author of “Foreclosure Investing” and “Stop Foreclosure Now.” The workshop is complimentary, but reservations are required. To register, please call (310) 379-0101 or visit www.ForeclosureWorkshop.net.

9/27 FREE MEDICAL, DENTAL & VISION CARE: Free services – Dental: Cleanings, fillings, extractions and other procedures.

Vision: Eye exams, prescriptions and eyeglasses. Medical: Exams and screening, women’s health, immunizations, others services and procedures. Hundreds of doctors, dentists, optometrists and other professionals

UP COMING

Living, a community based nonprofit organization founded by philanthropist, businesswoman and community activist Wendy Gladney will host its 1st Annual Healthy, Wealthy and Wise Conference. WHEN: Saturday.

WHEN: The Double Tree Hotel at 6161 West Cantilena Avenue in Los Angeles. The conference which is sponsored by The California Endowment, Wells Fargo Bank, NBC Universal and Southern California Edison is designed to empower young women and educate them on the importance of living a better life through better health, better personal wisdom, financial literacy and personal growth. The conference is free to women and young ladies and will consist of a number

of workshops and speakers including Forgiving for Living Founder Wendy Gladney, Verizon Communications Director of Government and External Affairs, Julia Cooksey, Wells Fargo Bank’s VP of South Valley Metro Melissa White as well as Patty Dominic and Maureen Ford from Life Moments for Women. The events luncheon will be hosted by NBC Universal Correspondent and Community Activist Beverly White. For more information or to RSVP for the conference contact Forgiving for Living by email at forgivng4living@aol.com.

10/13 YOUTH AND THE LAW: Professional Attorney’s that are members of the 100 Black Men of Los Angeles (100BMLA), will conduct a briefing called “Youth and the Law”.

This is where our young men can participate in the practice of being an attorney. There will be role playing and eventually a mock trial where all of the participants will be young people in a courtroom setting. This is an activity of the “See Your Future Mentoring Program” sponsored by the 100 BMLA. Age group 11 to 17 (Young men & women).

WHEN: 10 a.m. WHERE: Initial Orientation at 3701 Stocker Suite 309A Los Angeles, CA 90008. For more questions, please send email to: info@100bmla.org with “Youth and the Law” in the subject line. For more information visit, www.100bmla.org and www.youngblackscholars.com.

TO MAKE A CALENDAR SUBMISSION: Include event name, date(s), time, location, contact/RSVP information and admission price, if any. Use BRIEF paragraph format (no lists, line breaks, or all caps). All calendar submissions are space-permitting and may be edited for brevity.

Send submissions, along with any images, to brandon@lasentinel.net with the subject heading “LAWT Community Events.” Please include text in the body of your email, not in an attachment.

Beverly White

12

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Wyclef Jean revisits Chris Brown due to return Fugees, politics to court in in ‘Purpose’

AP Photo/It Books

This book cover image released by It Books shows “Purpose,” by Wyclef Jean with Anthony Bozza.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Anyone who needs to catch up with hip-hop star Wyclef Jean just has to refresh his Twitter feed.

“You know I’m direct about everything,” says Jean, 42.

Some things need more than a tweet to explain, though, so Jean has written an autobiography, “Purpose” (It Books) on sale Tuesday, that explores his political, financial and personal turmoil, including an extramarital affair with fellow Fugee Lauryn Hill.

The book opens with Jean hearing the news that a catastrophic earthquake has struck Haiti, the Caribbean country where he was born. The Grammy-winning multimillionaire returned home the next morning, trying to make sense of the chaos and overwhelming loss of life.

He kicked his Yele Haiti Foundation into overdrive to help survivors, and the urgency to get Haitians

back to work drove Jean to announce his candidacy during Haiti’s 2010 presidential elections.

Both efforts, though, eventually left him reeling from criticism over his methods and motives. His presidential campaign was cut short, while Yele faced allegations of financial improprieties that benefited the singer.

In his book, Jean dismisses the problems at Yele as complications of a small charity's sudden growth. After a restructuring, Jean writes, “We are a completely transparent organization and I invite the world’s curiosity.”

In a conversation with The Associated Press, Jean compares those setbacks with the success he achieved with the Fugees, whose second album “The Score” remains one of the bestselling hip-hop records of all time.

AP: Do you think you’re going to run for president of Haiti again in a couple years?

Jean: (chuckling) ... Keep in mind,

right, that y’all always say “my run for the presidency” but there’s something you all must add — Wyclef never even got a chance to run for the presidency. It was sort of like, before I could even spit out who my technicians are, what are my policies, it was like, “Yo, this guy don’t have no technicians, this guy don’t have no policies, he’s not running, get him out!” Right now, it’s definitely, like, not in the focus.

AP: How was working on a book different from working on an album?

Jean: It takes you back to a place and to a time. I always tell people, the easiest thing for me in the book was talking about the Fugees. Because, you know, you’re young, you’re rock and roll. The hardest thing in the book was probably talking about my relationship with my dad. Growing up in a Christian household and then defying that and saying I’m going to be a rapper, and after they bring you from Haiti and the expectations, what they expect from you, and the fact that he never really came to my shows. ...

AP: The book brings up some of your personal drama (extramarital affairs, including an on-again, off-again relationship with Hill) and your wife in the books comes off as being one of the most patient people in the world. What was her reaction to the book?

Jean: The main thing about me is, I’m just bluntly honest, you know what I mean? It’s like, I’m a man. Beyond my book, it’s in my music. If I’m going through something, you’ll hear it in my music. Like, if you’ve heard “The Carnival” — “To all the girls I’ve cheated on before, it’s a new year ... I’m in love with two women, who is it going to be now?” This is not (something) I waited like 20 years later to be like, boom. I just basically stated the stuff that happened when it happened. ...

They say, what’s the secret? I say, first, the person I was trying to be with had to be a friend first, and clearly I would say that's how we made it through.

AP: Was there any kind of bitterness when ex-Fugee Pras Michel came out and supported Haitian musicianturned-politician Michel Martelly instead of you early in your so-called run for the president?

Jean: No. ... There’s a clear line, you know, between music and politics.

And if you decide that you’re going to be a political candidate or run for that, then you have to have (what are called in Haitian Creole) “iron pants.” You basically have to be ready for everything to come at you, and whatever you expect, expect different. ... As you can see, it was a lot of people coming at me, so that tells me a lot about myself, you know what I mean — my strengths, and what I possess. I always say, you come at me, I only weigh a buck-seventy-five, but you’re coming after what created me and you’re going to have a lot on your hands, because that’s God.

assault case

ASSOCIATED PRESS Chris Brown is scheduled to return to a Los Angeles courtroom for the first time in more than a year amid questions about his community service.

The R&B singer is on probation for the 2009 beating of his then-girlfriend Rihanna and had been ordered to perform six months’ worth of community service, including graffiti removal, roadside cleanup and other manual labor.

Brown has completed his terms with praise from a judge, however a prosecutor raised concerns about how many hours he had completed.

The singer has received praise from a judge overseeing his probation for the 2009 beating of Rihanna, but an audit of his community service was ordered in July.

Brown was also ordered to appear in court for a review of his probation on Monday.

Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File

In this Sept. 6, 2012, file photo, Chris Brown accepts the award for best male video for “Turn Up the Music” at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles.

JESSE JACKSON JR. Continued from page 4 in 1921, has four bedrooms, five fireplaces, a gourmet kitchen and a rooftop deck with a Jacuzzi. One listing indicates that the sellers “need to find a home of choice.”

It was unclear if the Jacksons are interested in buying or renting another home in Washington. The congressman and his wife, Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, also have a home in Chicago, though their children attend school in Washington.

The home sale prompted questions about the family’s finances, though neither Bryant nor a public relations firm hired by the family returned phone messages from The Associated Press. Jackson makes about $174,000 a year as a congressman.

Jackson, 47, has been on medical leave since June 10, but his office did not publicly disclose the leave until about two weeks later and has released little information since then, which has invited scrutiny. His office first said Jackson was being treated for exhaustion and didn’t reveal his whereabouts. Staff members later said he was being treated

for a “mood disorder,” and only later disclosed he was at Mayo treatment.

Members of his prominent family — including his father, civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson — also have been mum. The elder Jackson declined to speak about his son.

The timing of the leave also has raised questions, since it comes as Jackson is under a House Ethics Committee investigation for ties to imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The committee is looking into allegations that Jackson was involved in discussions about raising money for Blagojevich's campaign in exchange for the then-governor appointing him to President Barack Obama’s vacated U.S. Senate seat.

And the announcement of the leave came just days after a former fundraiser connected to those allegations was arrested on unrelated federal medical fraud charges.

Jackson has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Jackson, who first won office in 1995, is on the November ballot with two little-known candidates. He’s widely expected to win re-election.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

13

Larry Blackmon: Cameo, the R. Kelly makes Soul Train history, codpiece and the Duke of York Usher up for 5

BY JOY CHILDS LAWT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file

This Feb. 12, 2011 file photo shows R. Kelly performing at the preGrammy gala & salute to industry icons with Clive Davis honoring David Geffen in Beverly Hills, Calif.

ASSOCIATED PRESS R. Kelly is nominated for two awards at this year’s Soul Train Awards, making him the most nominated act ever at the awards show.

Kelly is up for the Ashford & Simpson songwriter’s award and album of the year, bringing his career total to 21 nominations.

Usher leads this year’s awards with five nominations. Estelle, Nas, Trey Songz and John Legend are also multiple nominees.

Whitney Houston is nominated for best gospel inspirational performance and Amy Winehouse is nominated for best international performance. New Edition will receive a lifetime achievement award.

The Soul Train Awards, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, will be taped Nov. 8 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. The show will air Nov. 25 on BET and Centric.

CSU TUITION HIKE

If you were asked which artist popularized that well-known expression of funk surprise — “ow” — you could quickly narrow it down to two.

One would be Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, guitarist/vocalist of the Ohio Players (think “Love Rollercoaster”).

The other: Larry Blackmon of Cameo. As first annual Balboa Music Festival attendees know, the funksters were one of that events’ few saving graces. (See this week’s Los Angeles Sentinel for a complete festival review).

From the group’s earliest days as the New York City Players to the current days when original members (founder/drummer/multi-instrumentalist Blackmon along with Tomi Jenkins, Anthony Lockett, Aaron Mills and Charlie Singleton) mix it up with newer band mates, these boys came to par-tay in the Valley. And par-tay they did, performing nearly every funk anthem in their repertoire. Word!

The last time Cameo was in L.A. was at Funk-A-Palooza at the Gibson Amphitheatre, the event coming off as a kind of pantheon of funk-meisters: Parliament Funkadelic, Zapp, Con Funk Shun, et. al. Blackmon and the guys have been doin’ it steadily for nearly 30 years, the Harlem-born and –bred Blackmon (who now lives in the Atlanta area) forming the predecessor group — the New York City Players — in the early 1970s. Their first project, Cardiac Arrest, featured the equally morbidly titled Rigor Mortis. No doubt the titles didn’t matter, because See BLACKMON, page 15

Photo by Joy Childs

Larry Blackmon

Mariah Carey: No feuding with Minaj on ‘Idol’ yet

BY MESFIN FEKADU ASSOCIATED PRESS Mariah Carey says there’s no feud between her and fellow new “American Idol” judge Nicki Minaj at

the moment.

Judges Carey, Minaj, Keith Urban and Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest attended a press conference in New York September 17, after auditioning singers for the Fox music real-

ity TV series.

Fox announced Sunday September 16, that Minaj and Urban would join Carey and Jackson as judges on “Idol” following Jennifer See ‘IDOL’ FEUD, page 15

Continued from page 7 Chancellor Charles Reed told the board. “If Proposition 30 passes, there’ll be some light at the end of the tunnel. We could roll back our tuition.”

The committee voted to postpone until November a decision on imposing new fees on students who repeat courses, take more than 16 units in a semester, or have earned more than 150 units.

The proposed fees, which would go into effect in fall 2013, are aimed at increasing student access to courses and reducing the time it takes to graduate.

“I’m interested in more students getting more opportunities to get the classes that they need,” Reed said.

The chancellor said colleges in at

least 15 other states impose fees on so-called “super seniors” who have earned more units than they need to graduate.

CSU students complained that the “graduation incentive fee” would unfairly penalize students who have switched majors or couldn’t get courses, leading them to take classes they don’t need so they can keep their financial aid.

“It’s penalizing a lot of students for something that’s not necessary their fault,” said David C. Allison, president of the California State Student Association. “The CSU administration, faculty and students have all been put in a very tough position due to the lack of state support for the CSU.”

AP Photo/FOX, Michael Becker

This image released by Fox shows the new judges for the singing competition series, “American Idol,” from left, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson during a news conference in New York on Monday Sept. 17, 2012.

14

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Obama salutes WNBA’s Nets’ first year in Minnesota Lynx at White House Brooklyn to be

featured on TV

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

President Barack Obama holds up a Lynx team basketball jersey that was presented to him in a ceremony honoring the WNBA Champion Minnesota Lynx, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012, in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. Also on stage is head coach, Cheryl Reeve, left.

ASSOCIATED PRESS President Barack Obama has welcomed the reigning WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx to the White House.

It’s been nearly a year since the Lynx won the championship, but the team’s visit was delayed by the Summer

Olympics and Obama’s busy schedule.

Obama told team members they are great ambassadors for the game and strong role models for his own daughters. The president says the Lynx have returned glory to the Twin Cities.

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve thanked Obama for his support of the WNBA

and told him the selflessness of her players along with leadership are behind their success.

The Lynx won the championship after sweeping the Atlanta Dream in three games last October. The team is in first place in the league’s western conference this season.

Redskins’ Morgan deals with Twitter death threats ASSOCIATED PRESS Washington Redskins receiver Joshua Morgan felt the full downside of the social media age this week, receiving death threats and other venomous messages on Twitter because

of his fourth-quarter blunder in the loss to the St. Louis Rams.

Morgan talked recently about the nastiness he's heard from fans since his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for throwing the ball at Cortland Finnegan. The penalty cost the

AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Lee

Washington Redskins wide receiver Joshua Morgan (15).

Redskins valuable field position during the team’s final drive in Sunday's 31-28 defeat.

“I heard everything, especially when they get you on Twitter and are sending you death threats and wishing you bad things and your firstborn,” Morgan said. “You see it all, you hear it all. You never let it get to you, especially with me being from D.C. They treated me kind of like they did (San Francisco 49ers return man) Kyle Williams last year when he dropped a punt against the Giants.”

Morgan said the threats are keeping him focused. He said he wasn’t tempted to discontinue his Twitter account.

“The only thing I take seriously is football and my family, and nothing really scares me,” he said.

Morgan said he’s been fined over the penalty but doesn’t yet know the amount. He also said he wouldn’t be throwing such a tantrum again. After all, raising the ire of fans is one thing, but getting a cold stare from the coaching staff is something else.

“Especially with coach Mike Shanahan,” he said, “none of us are dumb enough to make the same mistake twice.”

The Redskins play Cincinnati on Sunday.

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Brooklyn Nets basketball player Brook Lopez tries on a hat with the new Nets' logo during a news conference to unveil the new logos in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Monday, April 30, 2012. The Nets will be moving from New Jersey to the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York for the 2012-2013 NBA basketball season.

ASSOCIATED PRESS The Brooklyn Nets will be featured in a behind-the-scenes series on both NBA TV and NBA.com.

The league's network announced recently that it will spotlight the team on “The Association” in its inaugural season in the New York borough.

This is the fourth straight season that the “The Association” has followed a team. Previously, it spotlighted the Los Angeles Lakers (2009-10), Boston Celtics (2010-11), and Denver Nuggets (2011-12).

The Nets series will tip off on Oct. 16.

CURRY Continued from page 10 King’s speech.

But a focus on jobs wouldn’t put any money into the King coffers. And they’ve already shown that is one of their major objectives. They had arranged for Sotheby to auction King’s papers in 2006. But Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin stepped in and organized a private group that paid $32 million for the papers and donated them to Morehouse College, King’s alma mater.

Had he been alive, that’s something Dr. King probably would have

done. But unlike his children, he wouldn’t do it to make a buck.

George E. Curry, former editorin-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service (NNPA) and editorial director of Heart & Soul magazine.

He is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. Curry can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter.com/ currygeorge.

NATIONAL MONUMENT Continued from page 4 protecting the site and driving tourism, which would draw more visitors and bring more dollars into the local, regional and state economies,” Bennet said in a statement.

The 1906 Antiquities Act gives the president the power to designate certain historic federal properties as national monuments, to be preserved in perpetuity.

President Clinton’s designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah in 1996 angered many local residents and politicians who had hoped to tap the underground energy deposits

there. When Obama took office, some Western conservatives were suspicious his administration would go on a national monument-creating spree.

But Obama has so far only designated two other national monuments: the-14,000 acre Fort Ord National Monument along the California Coast, and Fort Monroe, a former army base in Virginia that was a safe haven for slaves during the Civil War. Some small business owners in southwest Colorado have said such a designation for Chimney Rock would give people more reasons to visit the region.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

BLACKMON Continued from page 13 that first album spelled gold.

The pre-Cameo years Asked whether either his parents or his sisters or brothers led him down the path to Cameosis, Blackmon responds: “Not at all!” What does seem to account for his earliest musical memories, however, is that he grew up not far from the Apollo Theater.

LB: … so ever since I was 5 years old, I think I’ve seen just about every Black performer that ever existed — from as far back as Sam Cooke.

LAWT: What act(s) do you remember being impressed with to the point that you said, ‘Hmmm this is what I wanna do?’

LB: All of them — Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke — you cannot name one Black act that I have not seen at the Apollo, including Bill Cosby and Flip Wilson.

LAWT: Wow! But was there a particular singer that really struck a nerve with you … Like, I’m sure, James Brown.

LB: He made quite an impression ’cause coming to the Apollo for him was like coming home … but I cannot name one because I was impressed by all of them for different reasons … and the older I got, I went on Sundays … My parents would send us to church and I would take my sister, and then I would take her across the street to my cousin’s and I would go see a matinee [at the Apollo] and then I would come back and get her and go home!

LAWT: Were you influenced by music in the church at all?

LB: Not at all!

LAWT: So it was the cumulative effect of going to all those Apollo events, right?

LB: Yeah … I started out as a drummer. I played drums in the drumand-bugle corps. Then I went to high school, where I started playing drums in the orchestra there and in the second year I played baritone bass clef horn, and then beyond that, I went back to drums. And I think I put my first band together at 14. It had drums and all acoustical instruments: baritone horn, trombone and trumpet, and the first song we played was Funky Broadway LAWT: By Dyke and the Blazers?

LB: By Dyke and the Blazers!

LAWT: Somewhere I read that you attended The Julliard School?

LB: Yes. After high school I took a year to apply to Julliard extension.

That way, my parents didn’t have to come up with the tuition, so that allowed me to go to Julliard at night.

His purpose for going, he adds, was to have the benefit of getting a certificate on his resume, but in the middle of his second year, the group, by then transitioning from the New York City Players to Cameo, had its first release, Find My Way. LB: It didn’t do that well on the charts but it gave us the opportunity to have Cecil Holmes [co-founder of Casablanca Records and a founder of Chocolate City Records] come in and listen because we had a single deal at the time. And after he came in, he OKd us to do an album (Cardiac Arrest) and Rigor Mortis was the first single from that …

And I was working at a clothing store at the time on Wall Street owned

by Arabs, and they would pray the

15

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whole Holy Qur’an in the morning before we’d start, and one day the radio was on and they were playing WBLS. Frankie Crocker (popular New York radio DJ) had a special program and they had one called the world premiere and during these blocks you know that he’d be playing the song for at least eight times a day!

And whatever song played on the world premiere became a hit. Didn’t matter what it was … Frankie picked the songs that he thought would go someplace and once I heard it [Rigor Mortis] on the radio, I immediately gave the customer to another associate and went to the locker room and cleared my locker and walked out!

Simple as that! … I didn’t know things would take off, but I was determined to stick to it until something happened.

That red thing LAWT: Speaking of ‘sticking to it,’ let’s talk codpiece: Who’s responsible for the codpiece?

LB: When we first started out, we wanted to have some unique outfits, and Bernard Johnson was a pretty well-known costume designer/wardrobe designer. And when we first started we all had codpieces and they were rhinestone and that was Bernard Johnson’s creation so after several years of that, when we did Word Up [another person] was hired as a wardrobe consultant, and I didn’t see that (red) codpiece until the day we shot the Word Up video. Everyone was standing on line, and I was on line to get my outfit and the [costumer] had this box on top of a black spandex body suit … and I opened it, then closed it real fast and the guys said, “That’s great, Blackmon … balls out!, Go for it …

LAWT: So that very first time you walked out in it? What was the reaction? Where were you?

LB: I sort of made myself numb to any reaction … Aside from performing (in the Word Up video), I was directing it as well so I was trying to keep my focus as to what shots were next and whatever else, so I really wasn’t as focused on what was going on around me as much as what I was trying to get done. But that’s interesting that you asked that question because I’ve never been asked that before, first of all, and then secondly, I guess in my peripheral view I did notice people staring but I didn’t think about it at the time, you know what I mean?

LAWT: No, I don’t know what you mean … Sorry, I don’t!

[Both laughing.]

LB: That’s just the way it was, ya know?

LAWT: Then let me ask you this question: What was the first time you became aware there was a reaction to it then?

LB: Oh, man, I guess that same night! I mean, you know, once again, it’s kinda hard to explain how when you’re doing what you do and you’re wearing different hats at different times throughout a particular event how your focus just switches to different things. The last thing you’re thinking about is what the reaction of the people you’re working with is …

Blackmon went on to tell the tale of one of the more, shall we say, inter-

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esting reactors to the codpiece. It happened in merry olde England at a Chinese restaurant called the Great Earth in Covent Garden (a district in London) in the late 1990s: LB: As a matter of fact, [1980s R&B duo] Rene and Angela were there also. We were all having dinner … and one of the royal family members were there — who’s Charles’ brother?

LAWT: Prince Andrew?

LB: Yes, it was Andrew … and he came over and said he liked the codpiece!

LAWT: You weren’t wearing it at the restaurant, were you?!

LB: Oh no! Not at all! But the next day one of the British rags reported that the prince had mentioned he liked the codpiece!

Beyond Word Up! When you’ve been havin’ fun doin’ funk for nearly 30 years, it would seem easy to put together what is essentially a greatest hits package. Not so, says Blackmon — especially since he and the group have been working on a DVD of the performances of their major hits as well as more than a dozen new songs for the better part of the last five years.

Just a few more months, says Blackmon — at the top of 2013 — and we Cameosuperfans will get to see performances of hits like Back and Forth, Candy, I Just Want to Be, Keep It Hot, Shake Your Pants, She’s Strange, Single Life and Sparkle — and hear their funky offspring.

It’ll be like manna from funk heaven!

PRISON RIOT Continued from page 7 confrontation.

The fight occurred in the exercise yard of a housing unit.

The same prison that mostly houses inmates serving long sentences and has a sizable prison gang population was also the scene of a riot in May 2011 that sent six inmates to outside hospitals, two with serious injuries.

It’s also located next to the Folsom State Prison, a medium-security prison that opened in 1880 and is the secondoldest prison in California. It houses more than 3,100 inmates.

‘IDOL’ FEUD Continued from page 13 Lopez and Steven Tyler’s exits in July.

Carey tried to quell rumors about her quarreling with Minaj by saying they’ve only been together two days and “a feud takes a little longer to happen.”

All the judges burst into laughter.

Minaj says the new “Idol” judges are “getting along wonderfully, darling.” Minaj and Carey collaborated on a remix of Carey’s song “Up Out My Face” in 2010.

Carey confessed she’s “never been a fan” of singing competition shows.

“I’ll be completely honest,” she said. “But I realize what this show has done for such talented artists and truly giving them careers.”

When asked why TV watchers should view “Idol” versus another Fox show, “X Factor,” which boasts Britney Spears and Demi Lovato as judges, Carey simply pointed her fingers to herself.

“Did I do that? I didn’t mean that

as a final gesture,” she said with a smile. “I’m sorry.”

Then the 42-year-old multiple Grammy Award-winner said she wants to help those who dream of careers in music even if they don’t get to move on to the next round on the show. “(What) I’m bringing to the table is years of experience, writing songs, performing,” she said.

Minaj, who has had multiple hits on the Billboard charts and two platinum albums, said she’s been through a lot since she came on the scene in 2009 and she wants to give the contestants a real perspective of the music industry.

“I would love to be able to tell the contestants honestly and truthfully what they can really expect, and sometimes you have to tell people, ‘Hey, you really might not want to be in this,’” she said.

The 12th season of “Idol” airs in January.

HEAD START Continued from page 6 Head Start,” said parent Tamara Jones.

“I chose to leave her in Head Start because we were so happy with it. But when August rolled around and I still had not heard anything from Volunteers of America, I started to get nervous.

When I called and couldn’t get any answers, I enrolled my daughter in transitional kindergarten. It wasn’t my first choice, but it became my only option.”

Families have relied on these community Head Start centers for decades.

Highly qualified staff members, with more than 3,000 years of combined experience, who have served generations of families, have not even been

offered interviews. There was no explanation for why these changes were necessary. And there is still—weeks later—no definite start date. Families, staff, and community leaders are fed up with this sloppy transition “I was fortunate enough to get hired,” said teacher Samantha Sareth.

“But my co-teacher wasn’t. She has years of experience, a Masters degree, and knows this community. I’m sad, frustrated, and so confused. We ran a wonderful classroom together. What is the process for making these decisions?

I’ve always believed it doesn’t make sense to ‘fix’ something that isn’t broken.”

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Thursday, September 20, 2012