NPC 6.3.20

America’s best weekly

TAKE THIS VIRUS SERIOUSLY Courier urges community to stay safe as region moves to ‘green phase’

Pittsburgh Courier NEW

www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 111 No. 23

Two Sections

JUNE 3-9, 2020

thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE descended upon Downtown and the area around PPG Paints Arena, May 30, to protest the unjust killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a White Minneapolis police officer, who was fired and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. See more photos of the protest on Pages A6, A7, and B6.

(Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)

ENOUGH SAID.

Pgh Police Chief: ‘Excessive force is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at any level’ Stern warning given to city police officers, after George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by police in Minneapolis

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

PITTSBURGH POLICE CHIEF SCOTT SCHUBERT

George Floyd, the African American man who resided in Minneapolis and was known to many as a “gentle giant,” went from vivacious to lifeless, all at the hands of a White Minneapolis police officer who’s now been charged with murder.

Pittsburgh’s police chief, Scott E. Schubert, was so perturbed by what he, along with the rest of the world, saw (video of the May 25 encounter), that he

Pittsburgh Courier NEW

To subscribe, call 412-481-8302 ext. 140

addressed his entire police force in a May 29 letter, effectively telling them to never act anywhere close to the manner that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin did.

“Regardless of the original crime or what occurred prior to the arrest, a person in handcuffs and facedown on the ground should not lose their life due to the action or inaction of the involved officers,” Chief Schubert’s letter read, released to the media. “I simply cannot comprehend the actions of the officers or their lack of moral courage and duty to intervene and stop the action before it was too late.”

Chief Schubert then added: “As police officers, we

VALERIE DIXON, vice chair of the Black Political Empowerment Project, addresses the media at a press conference on Wylie Avenue, May 29. Tim Stevens, B-PEP’s chairman and CEO, looks on. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.) have a fundamental duty to care for and safeguard everyone and anyone in our custody…there was no consideration for the value of human life and that is in-

excusable.”

The chief said further that “I know firsthand the high level of professionalism, bravery, courage and compassion our officers display

on a daily basis. We have sworn an oath and I trust that all of us will use our moral courage to intervene when we see something SEE POLICE A2

A2

METRO

JUNE 3-9, 2020

New Pittsburgh Courier

Class of 2020

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

New Pittsburgh Courier

Celebrating The Graduates The New Pittsburgh Courier wants to showcase your outstanding high school or college graduate in our June 24 special edition, entitled, “Class of 2020 — Celebrating The Graduates.”

The coronavirus pandemic has forced most in-person graduation ceremonies to be canceled; however, the Courier wants to make sure your 2020 high school or college graduate gets the recognition they deserve. Our special edition will be a keepsake for years to come, and their photo will also be featured on our website, www.newpittsburghcourier.com.

To be part of this special commemorative edition, just compile the graduate’s photo of your choice, along with the graduate’s name and school that they graduated from (if a college graduate, please specify degree earned), along with your name and phone number, and send ASAP via email to our managing editor, Rob Taylor Jr., at

rtaylor@newpittsburghcourier.com

Tyrell Minniefield was featured in our 2018 edition!

Rob will email you back, confirming he’s received the information, and then direct you to the next steps for payment with the courier’s office manager, allison palm.

(Cost is only $15, which includes a free 3-month subscription to the Courier!)

(HURRY! The deadline for graduates information sent to the Courier via email, and payment via credit/debit card or check, is Monday, June 15, 2020, at 5 p.m. However, our special edition is limited to the first 125 graduate photos with payment, so please act quickly!)

Congratulations to your outstanding 2020 high school or college graduate!

From all of us at the New Pittsburgh Courier, the voice of Black Pittsburgh.

Pgh Police Chief: ‘Excessive force is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at any level’ POLICE FROM A1

wrong. We owe it to each other, we owe it to our noble profession and we owe it to the community we protect and serve.”

Chief Schubert was referring to the other Minneapolis police officers on-scene who did not intervene and stop fellow officer Chauvin from continuing his knee-on-neck maneuver on Floyd.

Chief Schubert then said that he asked the Police Academy to “review this senseless death and share additional information that can help reinforce our training and policies.

Excessive force is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at any level.”

Later in the day on May 29, members of the Black Political Empowerment Project made their own public statement, as they,

too, were disturbed at the video of the Chauvin/ Floyd encounter.

“No individual in this country should be treated the way George Floyd was treated by the officer who had his foot on his neck, while witnesses called upon the officers to stop,” Tim Stevens, the organization’s chairman and CEO, said. “I’m hoping that the words our Pittsburgh Chief, Scott Schubert, shared, will be taken to heart by every police officer in the city,

THE NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER PUBLISHING COMPANY

Publication No.: USPS 381940 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone: 412-481-8302 Fax: 412-481-1360 The New Pittsburgh Courier is published weekly Periodicals paid at Pittsburgh, Pa. PRICE $1.00 (Payable in advance) 6 Months—$25 1 Year—$45 2 Years—$85 9-Month School Rate $35

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:

New Pittsburgh Courier 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219

and I’m hopeful that every police chief will echo similar words to their officers.”

Stevens commended Chief Schubert for his statements, along with the chief ’s advocation of the “You And The Police” brochure promoted by Stevens and his team. The brochure gives the public, as well as police officers, specific details on each other’s rights and responsibilities if in a situation where a person is stopped by the police.

Chief Schubert pushed for city officers to read the brochure, and even had them take a quiz on the brochure’s contents.

“I ask people who are White, to think about this: if they’re in a sensitive moment with the police and police officers who do not seem to care about humanity…what do you think might be better for you to be, White or Black? And anybody White who’s listening to this knows the answer,” Stevens said.

Beth Pittinger, with the Citizen Police Review Board, said during the May 29 press conference that “we all witnessed a live murder with someone who has been entrusted with our well-being.”

She added: “The fact that it happens so frequently, to people of brown to Black skin, is a clear message; it’s time for all of us to rehumanize humanity and for White people to stand up…stand up and be anti-racist, stand up and pay attention that people who are around you who make up our community at-large, who don’t all look like us, but have the same hopes and

dreams and aspirations.”

In recent months, police brutality against African Americans has again come to light. In Louisville, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African American woman, was shot multiple times in March by undercover police detectives as they stormed into Taylor’s residence. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, believed intruders were breaking into the apartment and fired his weapon. The officers returned fire, striking Taylor eight times, killing her.

The Louisville Police Department was looking for a suspect and drugs at the residence—they found neither.

In Georgia, a former police officer, Gregory McMichael, and his son, Travis, tried to apprehend a Black man whom they thought was responsible for recent break-ins in the neighborhood. As the Black man, Ahmaud Arbery, 25, tussled with Travis McMichael over a shotgun, three gunshots went off from the shotgun, killing Arbery.

Both McMichaels, who are White, along with a third man, William Bryan, who recorded the encounter, were charged with felony murder in May, three months after the February 23 incident.

Last week, parts of Minneapolis were burned to the ground, including the police station where Chauvin formerly worked.

Protesters were fed up at the distasteful video, fed up that a Black man is no longer living, when, by all accounts, it could have all been avoided, and Floyd, who was 46, would be alive today.

Protests also took place in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver, Columbus, Cleveland, Chicago, etc.

The outrage over Floyd’s death won’t soon fade.

Remarkably, though not necessarily a shock, it took days after the encounter and Floyd’s death for Chauvin to be charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter by the county’s district attorney.

Chauvin and the other officers involved were fired the day after the May 25 incident, but charges were not brought against Chauvin until May 29.

Chauvin, who is 44, apparently will be fighting his charges alone—his wife, Kellie Chauvin, has filed for divorce.

Chauvin had 18 complaints filed against him, according to the Minneapolis Police Department’s Internal Affairs division.

Only two of the 18 complaints were “closed with discipline.” In each case, the “discipline issued” column showed that a reprimand in the form of a letter was issued to Chauvin.

Valerie Dixon, the vice chair of B-PEP, said during the May 29 press conference in the Hill District that when a White officer kills an unarmed Black person, “our young people see a devalue in their human Black lives.

So they devalue each other out here. For generations they continuously see that we’re the low man on the totem pole, then it’s nothing for us to kill each other. But when we see somebody that’s supposed to protect us, kill us, too, where do we go? Who do we go to?”

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JUNE 3-9, 2020

A3

A4

METRO

JUNE 3-9, 2020

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

NEWS FROM PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Pittsburgh Public Schools and Paragon Foods provide fresh produce weekly to families Pittsburgh Public Schools is excited to announce a new partnership with Paragon Foods, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned. Paragon Foods will distribute a mixed bag of fresh vegetables every Thursday for the next six months in the parking lots at the following schools: Pittsburgh Carmalt: 1550 Breining Street—15226 Pittsburgh Fais-

on: 7430 Tioga Street—15208 Pittsburgh Gifted Center: 1400 Crucible Street —15205 Pittsburgh Milliones (U-Prep): 3117 Centre Avenue—15219 Pittsburgh Perry: 3875 Perrysville Avenue— 15214 “Paragon Foods is the latest community partner to share their resources with PPS families. We appreciate the outpouring of love and

support from Paragon as this weekly contribution will provide nutritious value to local families as they prepare meals,” said Dr. Anthony Hamlet, Superintendent, in a release.

Paragon trucks will arrive at 9 a.m., and families can begin to line up at 10 a.m. Food will be placed in each family’s car/trunk from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on a firstcome, first-serve basis.

Mixed boxes of produce

may include potatoes, onions, carrots, and sweet potatoes, apples, pears, oranges, blueberries, strawberries, and tomatoes. Families unable to participate with a vehicle can contact The Great Pittsburgh Community Food Bank at 412-460-3663 ext.

665 or Dial 2-1-1.

About Paragon Paragon is a premier supplier of fresh and specialty foods in Western Pennsylvania. With

PPS families to receive SNAP benefits in response to COVID-19 All Pittsburgh Public Schools families will receive Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) supplemental funds for lunches missed while being out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned. PPS families, PreK-12, will receive these emergency benefits.

“Since this pandemic school closure began on March 16th, Pittsburgh Public Schools has distributed 120,964 Grab and Go meals to help feed students,” said Dr. Anthony Hamlet, Superintendent, in a statement. “We know that this additional resource will provide financial relief for families struggling with food security.”

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response

Act, the Food and Nutrition Service approved the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) to provide households with children eligible for free and reduced-priced meals under the National School Lunch Program (NLSP) or the School Breakfast Program (SBP) with P-EBT benefits due to COVID-19 and related school closures. Since all District students are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Program, all PPS families will receive P-EBT supplemental funds.

The benefit is issued for 65 days to cover the period from March 16, 2020, through June 12, 2020.

Each PPS student will receive $370.50 total. Benefits will be provided to all eligible children whether

or not they currently receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

The benefit amount is $5.70 per school day per child through the average end of the school year, covering the weekdays the child missed due to school closures. The benefit period for which P-EBT benefits can be issued is March 16, 2020 to June 12, 2020, as schools were closed statewide on March 16, 2020. PPS families who currently receive SNAP benefits will have their P-EBT benefit directly onto their current EBT card. All other PPS families will receive a special white EBT card with their P-EBT benefits. Families who do not wish to participate in the program can shred and dispose of the card.

the addition of JustCut, Paragon now supplies both foodservice and retail customers with uniquely fresh pre-cut produce. We work with customers ranging from the region’s largest grocery store chains and wholesalers to the trendiest independent restaurants to create proprietary cuts and blends that inspire extraordinary eating experiences for their customers.

ANTHONY HAMLET, EDD

Former Steeler Ryan Clark pulls no punches in statements about George Floyd death “I am excited that people actually care this time.

I hate that we’re tearing down our own communities, I hate that we’re tearing down our own stuff. I hate that we are not working to build instead of destroy, but at least they’re listening…

When I got an opportunity to talk this morning, I was told, ‘don’t say this’ or ‘you can’t say that’ or ‘it’s cool to be in this place’ but ‘you can’t be here,’ because we RYAN CLARK don’t make no rules. We don’t make the rules. And so when you don’t make the rules, you can’t make the change...

What can we do? You gotta vote. You gotta be different. You gotta act different. You gotta treat people differently, you gotta love differently, you gotta teach differently. And when people are mad and have AR-15s at the Capitol in Michigan because they can’t go to salons and because they can’t go to beaches, things that they feel they are entitled to do, there’s no outrage…

You can’t tell us how to grieve, ‘you can be this mad but you can’t be that mad,’ because, you ain’t dying.

So, I do feel better that people are listening; it’s still not better for us. And when you hear, ‘if you don’t like it, go back to your country...’ This is my country.”

- Ryan Clark, on ESPN Television’s “Get Up” program, Tuesday, June 2. Clark is an NFL analyst for ESPN.

The Courier is the VOICE of Black Pittsburgh.

Read us online at www.newpittsburghcourier.com

RELIGION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Park Place AME Homestead steps into ‘God’s Vision’

JUNE 3-9, 2020

A5

Praise & Worship ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH Crawford & Centre Ave. Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Sunday Mass 10:30 A.M. www.stbtmchurch.org

East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800 Worship Online on Facebook/YouTube www.ELPC.church Journey Worship...........8:45 a.m.

Sanctuary Worship...........11 a.m.

Taize -Wednesdays.........7 p.m.

HONOREES: Lloyd Cheatom, Kevin McNair, Bishop Loran E. Mann, Njaimeh Niedzielski, Karris Jackson, Delbert Mackson, Olivia Livingston and Sam Morant (not pictured).

The Park Place African Methodist Episcopal Church, 215 E.10th Ave., Homestead, celebrated and honored exceptional Pittsburghers at their 15th Annual Black History Luncheon at the Comfort Inn in Penn Hills on Feb. 29.

The event theme, “Stepping into God’s Vision” (Jeremiah 29:11), was the focus. This annual luncheon didn’t disappoint the expectant crowd of both church and civic groups that gathered from Pitts-

burgh and the surrounding areas. Many stated it felt like a family reunion.

Third generation Bishop Frank Madison Reid III, who serves as the Ecumenical Officer and the Endorsing Agent for the AME Church, gave the spirited address as keynote speaker. He is also the Presiding Prelate of the Third Episcopal District.

- Jacquelyn McDonald

MRS. YVONNE MURPHY, REV. & MRS MORTTY & ANDREA IVY...luncheon REVEREND THOMAS FANT (PARK PLACE AME PASTOR) greets guests. guests.

Curious about Quakerism?

You Are Welcome at our Meetings for Worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m.

Pittsburgh Friends Meeting 4836 Ellsworth Avenue www.quaker.org/pghpamm/

Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community!

For rate information, call 412481-8302, ext.

128.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEXT CHURCH EVENT! PENTECOSTAL TEMPLE COGIC members joined in the celebration.

We want to place your event in our Church Circuit weekly calendar!

Send info to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh PA 15219

WQED-TV AND KDKA RADIO’S CHRIS MOORE enjoyed the celebration.

Or Email us! religion@ newpittsburgh courier.com

A SUCCESSFUL LUNCHEON GATHERING...

BISHOP FRANK MADISON REID III, the featured speaker.

The Courier is THE VOICE of Black Pittsburgh.

A6

JUNE 3-9, 2020

METRO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

PITTSBURGH PROTESTS THE UNJUST POLICE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD

DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020

Photos by Courier photographer Rob Taylor Jr.

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

METRO

JUNE 3-9, 2020

A7

PITTSBURGH PROTESTS THE UNJUST POLICE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD

Photos by Courier photographer Rob Taylor Jr.

A8 JUNE 3-9, 2020

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

BUSINESS New Pittsburgh Courier

Outside agitators are old news, but should have been the story J. Pharoah Doss B5

Classifieds

Find what you need from jobs to cars to housing B3

JUNE 3-9, 2020

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

B

How businesses can adapt and prosper in a post-pandemic economy

4 steps to create a household budget with staying power (StatePoint)—These uncertain times are forcing more people to reexamine finances and rewrite their household budgets. According to the Pew Research Center in a survey conducted soon after the COVID-19 crisis began, 33 percent of Americans either lost their jobs or suffered a pay cut or reduction in work hours. Plus, 49 percent said the outbreak is a major threat to their personal finances.

Regardless of your situation, examining your budget and making some changes can save money and make your financial future more secure. Here are four ways to budget wisely.

1. Calculate the bottom line: Figure out your baseline income.

Then, categorize expenses by what you need to maintain your standard of living, such as a mortgage, utilities, groceries and insurance. Another category should include non-essential expenses.

Determine if you also want to set aside money for savings, retirement plans or college tuition.

And, experts advise setting aside at least three to six months of expenses for emergencies. Once you have these numbers, you can calculate what you’ll need on a

monthly basis.

2. Eliminate or reduce niceto-haves: If your expenses are still too high, or you want to save more, take another look at discretionary spending and find ways to cut. One easy way to save is to cancel premium TV channels, switch to a basic package or even sign up for a streaming service instead (Sling, Hulu, etc.). You can also drop your DVR option to save on the monthly bill. Digitally streaming or downloading content from your local library is another entertainment option too —everything from movies, music and magazines is available at no charge.

3. Find ways to save on the must-haves: Everyone needs insurance and many companies offer discounts if you buy both auto and home insurance together. You can also look for unique programs to control expenses. For example, Erie Insurance offers a program called ERIE Rate Lock that takes away the worry of having car insurance premiums rise with inflation. Instead, unless you move, get a different car or change drivers, you’ll pay the same amount every year, even if you have a claim. Erie Insurance

also announced immediate financial relief for auto customers impacted by the pandemic. Other ways to save include taking advantage of credit card rewards and cash back apps, and making sure to use them. And if you’re overwhelmed by keeping things organized, there are free services online to track your loyalty program points, including airline miles.

4. Consider at-home side gigs: Many are supplementing their income without leaving the safety of their living room. In fact, nearly half of working Americans have a gig outside their primary job, according to Bankrate.

But before applying for a remote job, always check with the Better Business Bureau to make sure the company is legit. Depending on your skills, there are a variety of online jobs you could do, such as customer service, copywriting or online tutoring.

By tracking and cutting expenses, taking advantage of discounts and special savings programs, and perhaps even earning extra money on the side, you’ll be on your way to having a household budget with staying power.

–Statepoint

By Tom Winschel

• Review your work history; and • Request a replacement Social Security card (in most States).

If you already receive benefits, you can also: • Get a benefit verification or proof of income letter; • Set up or change your direct deposit; • Change your address; • Request a replacement Medicarecard; and • Get a Social Security 1099 form (SSA-1099).

You can even use your personal

my Social Security account to opt out of receiving certain notices by mail, such as the annual costof-living adjustments and the income-related monthly adjustment amount notice. Instead, through the Message Center you can receive secure, sensitive communications.

Let your friends and family know that they can create a my Social Security account today at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

Access my social security from your home For New Pittsburgh Courier

With so many services available online through my Social Security, signing up for a secure account will help you conduct Social Security business from home. With your personal my Social Security account, you can: • Estimate your future benefits with our Retirement Calculator to compare different dates or ages to begin receiving benefits; • Check the status of your Social Security application;

The late great Nipsey Hustle left us with some jams and gems. I heard about Nipsey but I didn’t get a full appreciation for what he stood for until after his death.

All the attention he received around the time of his death prompted me to listen to his catalog of songs and the various interviews he did. IMPRESSIVE! As a Financial Planner, one of the songs that caught my attention was “Double Up”. Wisdom in those lyrics! I’ll paraphrase a few and then summarize what he’s saying. “Double up, three or four times—I ain’t telling no lies. I just run it up. Never let hard times humble us.

Turn 7 to a 14. 14 to a whole thing.”

Nipsey was talking about doubling the money he invested. No matter how hard times get, he will remain steadfast in his efforts to make a 100-percent return on his investments and keep doubling its value—three or four times. Echoing the words of the hook of this song—who knew, who knew?

The answer to the question of who knew? Jay-Z. In the song by Jay-Z titled, “The story of OJ”, Jay-Z is trying to teach his listeners how to “Double Up”.

I’ll paraphrase a few of his lyrics. “Financial Freedom is my only hope. Forget living rich and dying broke. I bought some artwork that’s worth 1-million.

Two years later it’s worth 2-million. Few years later it’s worth 8-million. I can’t wait to give it to my children.” In this song he says, he’s trying to give us a million dollars worth of game for $9.99—the cost of his album? Did you get the lesson or were you too busy bobbing your head

(Tom Winschel is Social Security District Manager in Pittsburgh.)

As the economy restarts after the forced shutdown caused

by COVID-19, businesses face a litany of unknowns. How quickly will shoppers return to their buying routines? Will temporary measures—working remotely, eating at home more, using delivery services—become permanent for large numbers of Americans?

“Many businesses won’t be able to return to their old way of doing things, but in some cases that might be just as well,” says Bill Higgs, an authority on corporate culture and the ForbesBooks author of the Culture Code Champions: 7 Steps to Scale & Succeed in Your Business.

Often, those old ways probably weren’t working, says Higgs, a founder and former CEO of Mustang Engineering who recently launched the Culture Code Champions podcast.

“Many companies have problems within their corporate culture that keep them from prospering the way they should,” he says. “They hire whoever is available instead of seeking out the best talent. They communicate poorly. They have silos within the company that create a lot of rework and foster competition instead of cooperation.”

Now is a chance to do better, Higgs says, and he recommends a few thing business leaders should do as they work

to bring their companies out of the economic downturn: • Be a visible presence. Higgs says he has known instances where, during a downturn, leadership goes into hiding. “They would just disappear,” he says. “They didn’t want to face the music with their people. But as businesses struggle to recover from our current crisis, owners and CEOs need to get out and talk to their people. I call it ‘management by wandering around.’ They need to engage their team and discuss how everyone can pull together to get through this.”

• Understand this could be an opportune time to hire. The unemployment rate spiked upward as the economy went into freefall, but that means there’s an opportunity for businesses that want to build a strong team, Higgs says.

“During just about any downturn, the people who lose their jobs include top-notch performers,” he says. “Be on the lookout for that talent. Snap them up if you can. But even if you can’t hire right away, it’s important to be aware that those top performers are out there so you can go after them when the time is right.”

• Don’t get comfortable. One problem businesses encounter when good times return is that they revert to bad habits, Higgs says. They aren’t as diligent about eliminating waste. They keep poor-performing employees long past the point where they should have parted ways. “Companies by necessity run lean in the lean times,” he says. “But they also need to run lean in the good times, so they will be in better shape the next time the economy goes bust. Staying lean in the good times is a game changer.”

“One more mistake businesses make in good times is that when they get really busy, they stop selling, or at least aren’t as motivated to sell,” Higgs says. “I always say you should sell while the shop is full. That way when your sales people are in a client’s office, they don’t come off as desperately begging for work. Instead, they are talking about all the fun stuff and good stuff you’re doing at your company.

Double up!

to the beat?

Jay-Z is talking about “Doubling Up” on his investments. He’s also talking about creating generational wealth to be passed down to his children.

I’m about to crank up the volume on this “Double Up” theory. I’m about to give you the game for the cost of this newspaper. No loud music to distract you.

I recently shared a gifting idea online for Class of 2020 graduates. My middle son is a part of this graduating class. As I was thinking about a gift to give to him, I realized that I could provide a gift and a financial planning lesson at the same time. I can show him how to “Double Up”. He worked a part-time job during his senior year of High School. Given the fact he had earned income, we can open a ROTH IRA in his name. We will give him $500 as a graduation gift to park inside this ROTH IRA and invest in an S&P 500 Index Fund. A ROTH IRA is a retirement account with some tax advantages. I explained to him that if he didn’t pull the money out of this account and if he never added another penny to this account, forty-nine years from now when he reaches retirement age of 67-years old, that $500 one time investment would be worth approximately $53,000. Just think if you added money to it throughout the years, imagine how much it could be worth? He looked at me eyes wide open and said,

“WOW, that’s a lot of money. How can $500 turn into $53,000 like that?” I explained to him of Time Value of Money, Compound Interest and Rule 72.

Time Value of Money: Money today is worth more in the future because of its earning capacity in the form of compounding interest and/or appreciation in value. The more time you allow money to compound or appreciate, the greater the eventual return.

Compound Interest: Interest earned on top of interest, reinvested.

Interest you earned on initial investment reinvested to create larger investment. For example: $500 initial investment with a 10 percent annual return on investment will be worth $550 in one year.

If you reinvest $550 with a 10 percent annual return on investment, it will be worth $605 in the next year. As you continue to allow money to compound it will grow exponentially.

Rule of 72: This is a quick rough and dirty calculation used in finance to compute how long it will take for your investment to double in value. It’s an approximate but close to accurate. The larger the rate of return, the faster it will double in value. To compute, you take 72 and divide it by the rate of return. For example, using 10 percent rate of return. 72 divided by 10 equal 7.2. With a 10 percent rate of return you can expect your investment to double every 7.2 years. If

your rate of return was 7 percent, you can expect your investment to double every 10 years (72 / 7 = 10.28).

The sooner you start to invest money and allow it to compound, the more time you’ll allow your investments to continue to “Double Up” – 3 or 4 times. The higher the rate of return, the faster your money will “Double Up”.

As Jay-Z indicates with the artwork, this investment strategy of “doubling up” applies to anything that has the potential to increase in value or earn interest overtime.

The same holds true in reverse. When you borrow money, those granting the loans are making an investment in you.

The interest you pay is their return on investment. It’s important to note: Interest you earn is a friend. Interest you pay is a foe!

They get you with double-digit interest rates on credit cards. Then they suck you in with the lower monthly payments by extending the term of your loan as long as they can. The higher the rate and/ or the longer the term equates to them “Doubling Up” on you. For Example: A $200,000 mortgage with a 5 percent rate and 30-year term will cost you a total of $386,500. That’s $186,500 in interest— they “Doubled Up”.

As Jay-Z says in “The Story of OJ”, “Yall out here still taking advances” (loans).

Me and my friends taking real “chances” (investments, businesses, art real estate, etc.)

(Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached at 412-216-1013.)

B2

OPINION

JUNE 3-9, 2020

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Stop the killing of Black and Brown people!!

Guest Editorial

Trump’s threat to WHO is dangerous and callous Last month, President Donald Trump followed through on a threat to temporarily cut U.S. funding to the World Health Organization.

Then last week, Trump threatened to permanently cut U.S. funding to the WHO unless the agency commits to “substantive improvements” in the next 30 days. He is also threatening to review U.S. membership in the United Nations agency responsible for international public health.

“I cannot allow American taxpayer dollars to continue to finance an organization that, in its present state, is so clearly not serving America’s interests,” he wrote.

The United States is the WHO’s biggest donor, providing about $450 million a year.

The president’s threats could undercut global health.

Health experts point out that Trump’s increasing attacks on the World Health Organization for its handling of the coronavirus demonstrate a misunderstanding of the U.N. agency’s role and could ultimately serve to weaken global health.

In a letter to the WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Trump writes that the agency has “repeated missteps” in its response to the pandemic that have proven “very costly for the world.”

Devi Sridhar, a professor of global health at the University of Edinburgh, said the letter was likely written for Trump’s political base and meant to deflect blame for the virus’ devastating impact in the U.S., which has the most infections and coronavirus deaths in the world.

“China and the U.S. are fighting it out like divorced parents while (the) WHO is the child caught in the middle, trying not to pick sides,” she said.

“President Trump doesn’t understand what the WHO can and cannot do,” she said, explaining that it sets international standards and is driven by its member countries. “If he thinks they need more power, then member states should agree and delegate it more.”

The European Union expressed support for WHO, urging all countries to support it in the wake of Trump’s continued attacks.

“This is the time for solidarity,” said European Commission spokeswoman Virginie Battu-Henriksson. “It is not the time for finger pointing or undermining multilateral cooperation.”

Michael Head, a senior research fellow at the University of Southampton, said much of Trump’s demand was beyond the WHO’s intended scope.

“The WHO have limited powers, in terms of what they can demand of countries where outbreaks are taking place,” Head said. “They provide expert guidance and not enforcement by law.”

Head notes that there are clear gaps in governance elsewhere that have allowed COVID-19 to spread — notably in the U.S., which has seen 1.5 million infections and over 90,000 deaths linked to COVID-19.

Trump’s letter cited “credible reports of the virus spreading in Wuhan in early December 2019 or even earlier, including reports from the Lancet medical journal.”

On Tuesday, Lancet editor Dr. Richard Horton tweeted that the reference was inaccurate, noting it published the first reports of the disease only in January.

“The allegations levelled against (the) WHO in President Trump’s letter are serious and damaging to efforts to strengthen international cooperation to control this pandemic,” the journal said.

Trump’s threat to permanently withdraw funding from the WHO follows a pattern of attacks on world organizations that began long before the coronavirus outbreak. The president has questioned the value of the U.S. funding sent to the United Nations, has withdrawn from global climate agreements and lambasted the World Trade Organization — claiming all were ripping off the U.S. Throughout his presidency, Trump has criticized China and global institutions for problems plaguing the U.S., and the coronavirus pandemic is the latest of his attacks.

Trump continued threats to the World Health Organization, especially during a worldwide pandemic, could endanger global health.

(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)

Founded 1910

Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher Allison Palm

Rob Taylor Jr.

Jeff Marion

Office Manager

Managing Editor

Circulation Consultant

John. H. Sengstacke

Rachel Barrows-Russel

Commentary positions of power within our government.

Sit-ins, protests, countless arrests and brutal murders is what it took for America to allow a Black child to attend a school to learn with White students.

While we might look back on those times and consider them the “past” and act as if some sort of growth in this society has happened due to that, and I mean we as people would like to believe it, some fail to understand the reality of this entire injustice is generational.

While we may not have large numbers of Klan members and other racist organizations openly active today, those original members are people’s grandparents, uncles, aunties and cousins who still live to this day and have invested that racial hate in their offspring!

This racial hatred has manifest itself in different forms; from quiet streets of the South, to the police force. This hate has made itself unclassifiable for one specific environment, while the other has been allowed a reprieve from racial crimes because laws have considered their acts justifiable.

So much so, that arresting men who have committed racial murders have been set free due to their forces being reasonable or appropriate for the situation, and justice for them, while the voices of the victims they’ve killed in their “appropriate” behaviors are forever left unheard.

The cruel system’s wicked ways are being noticed throughout the Black and Brown community, and it is Reasonable and Appropriate for us to be exhausted from this endless injustice!

We turn on the television, watch the news and see these stories that makes you question America’s elimination of its racist past.

News commentators will state a variety of different motives for

these crimes we hear, labeled as a racist act because America is so scared to admit that that deep-rooted hatred problem was NEVER solved in this society and still effects us deeply today!

It pains me to see my mother in fear for my brother to simply walk down the street to our local pizza parlor to get a box for himself for lunch because she cannot trust that someone won’t try to find a way to suspect him as a Black young male who is up to no good.

We have Black men who wake up every morning with more education, qualifications and poise than the men who killed Ahmaud, and the police officers who killed George Floyd. For these Black men to wake up with intentions to only do right in this society that has hated them since the beginning of time, for them to wake up fearful for their lives is unfair!

For any person of color to FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES is unfair!

At the end of the day this world has two sides to it, one of good and one of evil!

This racial evil must end, not only to bring relief within the Black community, but to finally lift the curse on this land.

Until then this country should not be considered the land of the free, cause freedom isn’t something that all men have as stated in the declaration. Once people of this country can look beyond racial barriers and just simply look at each other as equals, freedom is non existence.

Our country is in an uproar right now because we are exhausted of years of oppression, it’s time for change, a real change of justice and no one in governmental positions should think that we are going to be silent; we will speak out until our voices are heard.

Our ancestors’ success came from them refusing to be silenced, and to keep the fight going strong til justice for all is not just a dream; but an authentic reality!

(Rachel Barrows-Russel is a graduating senior at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in Baltimore City. She’s attending Temple University in the fall, where she’ll major in biology/pre-med.)

(The opinions on this page are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the AFRO.)

Tapping community-based organizations to create better job pipelines History will surely recall the first year of this decade as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the year when large portions of our economy stopped, when institutions that defined our everyday lives – from schools to grocery stores, from offices to playgrounds – changed. Economists will undoubtedly look back and see the business cycle at work, characterized in the broadest sense as recession followed by recovery, unemployment followed by opportunity.

But there are communities within our society that don’t see life in terms of business cycles. They are stuck at the bottom and the only cycle they see is multi-generational poverty, inadequate educational opportunities, and high levels of long-term unemployment.

As our country recovers from the economic devastation wrought by COVID-19, the government and private sector are undoubtedly going to expend enormous amounts of energy and money to train members of the workforce whose jobs no longer exist and whose industries have been forever altered.

We need programs to prepare those individuals for new jobs in new industries that are going to be in demand in the future.

But what about the underserved and economically disadvantaged communities that have experienced long-term poverty and unemployment? Over the next decade, as we reach new peaks of economic prosperity in this country, will we demonstrate the same level of commitment to building a path to prosperity for those who have been left behind for decades?

Leaders in the Pittsburgh region should feel particularly motivated.

Our economy has transitioned from its industrial past to one driven by robotics and artificial intelligence, life sciences, energy and advanced manufacturing.

Dr. Quintin Bullock

Commentary Even with our many great two- and four-year colleges and universities, skilled workers have been in short supply and projections indicate a looming workforce gap in the future. We need to expand our pool of talent.

Individuals in underserved communities have been particularly hard hit

by COVID-19. The pandemic will likely exacerbate the already wide employment gap. We are going to need to build innovative new partnerships with government, industry, foundations and educational institutions to close that gap.

Job training programs will need to be creative and include community-based organizations that are trusted among their neighbors, that are familiar with the complex array of obstacles holding their communities back, that can identify resident needs and develop wrap-around services that support participants.

A lack of access to transportation, childcare, mental health support and housing are often barriers for populations that include individuals without high school diplomas, ex-offenders, veterans, and single parents. But there are successful models for cost-effective solutions.

One of these is the Caring Connections to Careers program, a comprehensive career-readiness and training initiative created by Community College

Letters to the editor for publication

Rod Doss Editor & Publisher

Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)

(High School Senior Letter to the Editor After Officer’s Arrest in Murder of George Floyd) (THE AFRO)—This insidious hatred towards people of color that has lurked deep in the roots of the foundation of this country must end!

We have politicians, activist and other leaders who stand on their platforms and demand that progression is the key to success for this country but fail to realize that this “progression” can only be achieved through acknowledging the vested situations that still exist on this “Free” land we live upon.

The injustice for Black and Brown people isn’t something foreign to this society. Children have been taught since grade school that people of darker complexions have been classified as every other name imaginable except human. Slaves, indentured servants, monkeys, colored, Negro, and the infamous “N-word” have been used as tools for White people to remind Black folk of what they believe is their rightful place in society as second class citizens.

The limited amount of historical information given to me and many other children of color while in grade school is part of the reason this injustice has lingered for so many centuries. The systematic construct of the educational environment lacks the adequate resources and teachings behind the truth of how the White man’s oppression towards people of color wasn’t something that was created over night, but something that was developed by the founding fathers to last on this soil til the day God returns!

For years justice has been more of an idea for the black and brown community rather than an actuality. Sure we survived the separate but equal era, Jim Crow laws, and were successful in the Brown v/s Board of education case, but looking back on those highlighted accomplishments they still involved numerous obstacles that people of color still have to endure in order for them to be achieved.

Black brothers and sisters had to make their voices heard by doing both radical and intellectual protests, because their simple cry for justice was left unheard by the White men who held these

The New Pittsburgh Courier welcomes all responsible viewpoints for publication.

All letters should be typewritten and contain writer’s address and phone number for verification. All letters will be edited for clarity and length. Address all letters to: Letters to the Editor New Pittsburgh Courier 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219 You may fax your letter to 412-481-1360, or via e-mail to letters@newpittsburghcourier.com

of Allegheny County (CCAC) and the Community Empowerment Association, Inc. (CEA), and supported by a grant from RK Mellon Foundation. Launched in 2019, members of several low-income, predominantly African-American communities in Allegheny County have been receiving: * Customized GED preparation and testing. * Career counseling. * Training in one of four in-demand industry clusters: Allied Health, Business, Information/Applied Technology and various Trades. * Life skills training. * Work culture/environment training. * Interpersonal communications training. * Financial literacy training. * Stipends, financial incentives, and bus passes. * A case manager who checks in with program participants regularly to make sure they stay on track.

The results to date: almost 100% of participants are completing their program and getting a job in a related field shortly thereafter. The cost is approximately $5,600 per student– a small investment that is yielding big results.

Individuals who were unemployed or underemployed before now have careers, can support their families and be financial independent. Even this year, which was disrupted by COVID-19, our newest student cohort is still on track to complete their training this summer.

But we can’t do this work alone. One program isn’t enough to tackle regional unemployment and underemployment concerns post-COVID-19, especially for our hardest hit communities and residents. We need to support the creation and growth of such comprehensive programs so that we can reach a larger number of individuals and help them and their communities get back on their feet. We need partnerships – community colleges have the tools to train the future workforce, community organizations know the pulse of their communities and can provide the everyday support their residents need, and a combination of government, businesses and foundations will be needed to provide the funding.

Together, we can rise to the occasion and replicate this work on a widespread basis. That is the key to preparing the region’s workforce for the challenging times ahead and facilitating our economy’s rebound.

(Dr. Quintin Bullock is president of Community College of Allegheny County.)

New Pittsburgh Courier

CLASSIFIED

B3

JUNE 3-9, 2020

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Help Wanted

Bids/Proposals

SR. ATLASSIAN DEVELOPER Aurora Innovation, Inc. seeks Sr. Atlassian Developer in Pittsburgh, PA to maintain cloud systems. Mail resume to Sarah itz erald , mbarcadero Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE CONTRACT NO. 1728 “RAS PIPE AND PUMP REPLACEMENT” Sealed Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1728 - RAS Pipe and Pump Replacement shall be received at the ngineering epartment office of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15233, until 11:00 A.M., Prevailing Time, Wednesday July 8, 2020 and then shall be publicly opened and read.

A Pre-Bid Meeting will be held via a video conference call on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at 10:00 A.M., Prevailing Time.

ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities and women to submit bids on Authority Contracts or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to successful Bidders. Successful Bidders are to use minority and women’s businesses to the fullest extent possible.

Contract Documents may be examined and obtained at the Engineering office of the Authority. A non-refundable fee of $100 (no cash or credit cards will be accepted) will be charged for each set of Contract Documents received.

Bid Security shall be furnished by providing with the id a Certified Check or Bid Bond in the amount of 10% of the Bid Price.

Any questions regarding the Contract Documents should be directed to Daniel Petrowski, Michael Baker, via email to: Daniel.petrowski@mbakerintl.com The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informality in any bid and to accept any bid should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY Kimberly Kennedy, P.E. Director of Engineering and Construction

CO-TEACHER GRADES K-5 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Seeking position for a Co-Teacher grades K-5 Elementary School. Please send Resume and all three clearances along with three references to sharris@urbanacademypgh.org.

LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices

Estate of DOLORES LEE, Deceased of the th ard ittsburgh, ennsylvania. Allegheny County Court. Claims may be filed as follows: Bonita Pannell 110 Silo Court Oakdale, PA 15071 Exec Admin.

Estate of LORETTA D. ALBRIGHT Deceased of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania NO.02-20-02307, Sandra A. rown, ecutor, rake rive, e ford a or to T A. U , Atty U , C. ashington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of CLARE MAUREEN THEBERGE, Deceased of Oakdale, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No.02-20-02366, A A T .

ST, Administrator, oodwind rive Jefferson Hills, PA 15025 or to Robin L. Rarie, Atty U , C. ashington Avenue Bridgeville, PA 15017

America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140 E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com

Deadline/Closing/ Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication

To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129 COURIER CLASSIFIEDS… THE ONLY WAY TO GO!

LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT INVITATION FOR BID ACHA-1628, REFUSE COLLECTION SERVICES The Allegheny County Housing Authority is requesting bids from uailed firm individuals to provide Refuse Collection Service, per specifications for it locations throughout Allegheny County.

Invitation for bids and contract documents are on file and may be obtained, at no charge, in the Purchasing Department of the Allegheny County Housing Authority, Pleasant Ridge Community Center, 251 Jefferson Drive, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 or by contacting the ACHA at 412-402-2435 or email at: gphillips@achsng.com.

A pre-bid conference will be held on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. in the Pleasant Ridge Community Center, 251 Jefferson Drive, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 (Not Mandatory).

Bids are due by 10:00 a.m. local time, Wednesday, July 1, 2020 at the Allegheny County Housing Authority, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

The Allegheny County Housing Authority encourages responses from small firms, minority firms and firms that have not previously performed work for Allegheny County Housing Authority.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY Frank Aggazio, Executive Director

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS… THE ONLY WAY TO GO! COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129

SONNY BOY

1 0 7

9 3 4

2 8 6

LEGAL ADVERTISING

LEGAL ADVERTISING

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org).

Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 a.m. on June 19, 2020 and will be read at 11:15 a.m., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information for the Bid Opening), for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)

Bid Number Bid Name 1 B200432A Articulated Bus Bellows 2 B200434A Hybrid Powertrain Rotor Assemblies - Coach 3 B200437A Antifreeze / Coolant - Ready to Use 4 B200538A Wiper Arm Assemblies - Coach 5 B200539A Oil Fuel & Antifreeze Analysis Services No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids.

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 a.m. on June 3, 2020. Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening.

These contracts may be sub ect to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations.

Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing. ort Authority of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

The Board of Port Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS The Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County (SEA) will receive proposals for Structural Cable Inspections at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center CC as identified below. The contract for this work will be with the Sports & Exhibition Authority. The Request for Proposals may be obtained after the date identified below from uy e azio, email: gdefazio@pittsburghcc.com,Telephone: , acsimile: (412) 325-6104.

This Advertisement applies to the following Request for Proposal: Project: DLCC Structural Cable Inspections Available: May 27, 2020 Pre-Proposal Meeting: 10:00 am, Tuesday, June 2, 2020 Zoom Meeting, details on www.pgh-sea.com Time/Date/Location for Proposals: 2:00 pm, Friday, June 19, 2020 CC, t u uesne lvd, ittsburgh, A NOTICE TO PROPOSERS The Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County (SEA) will receive proposals for abric oof nspection and epair at the avid . awrence Convention Center CC as identified below. The contract for this work will be with the Sports & Exhibition Authority. The Request for Proposals may be obtained after the date identified below from uy e azio, email: gdefazio@pittsburghcc.com,Telephone: , acsimile: (412) 325-6104.

This Advertisement applies to the following Request for Proposal: ro ect: CC abric oof nspection and epair Available: May 27, 2020 Pre-Proposal Meeting: 1:00 pm, Tues., June 2, 2020 Zoom Meeting, details on www.pgh-sea.com Time/Date/Location for Proposals: 2:00 pm, Fri., June 19, 2020 CC, t u uesne lvd, ittsburgh, A

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140

E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com Deadline/Closing/Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication

To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129 COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS… THE ONLY WAY TO GO!

Support the publication that is ALWAYS focused on Pittsburgh’s African American community.

Subscribe to the Courier today by calling 412-481-8302, ext. 140 America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140

E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com Deadline/Closing/Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

B4

NATIONAL

‘He will never see her grow up, graduate; he will never walk her down the aisle.’

JUNE 3-9, 2020

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Roxie Washington, mother of George Floyd’s daughter, Gianna, speaks publicly for first time since Floyd’s death

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

When former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin made the obviously uncivilized and deadly decision to place his knee on George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest, May 25, he took away the ability for a 6-year-old named Gianna to ever see her father alive again.

On Tuesday, June 2, Gianna’s mother, Roxie Washington, addressed the media for the first time. Gianna was by her side.

“At the end of the day, they (the officers) get to go home and be with their families.

Gianna does not have a father. He will never see her grow up, graduate; he will never walk her down the aisle. If it’s a problem she’s having and she needs her dad, she does not have

that anymore,” Washington said, speaking in Minneapolis.

“I want justice for him (George) because he was good, no matter what anybody thinks, he was good, and this is the proof (Gianna) that he was a good man.”

Stephen Jackson, a former NBA player who considered Floyd a brother, then said: “Y’all in here with cameras for a reason, to record what’s here so you can have it for later, so you can have proof of what happened today… and when you post that footage on your news station, you expect people to believe what you posted… was real. Why is it not that simple when somebody’s getting video-ed and getting murdered? Why is it not that simple? Why do we have to see her (Roxie Washington) pain? Why do

ROXIE WASHINGTON, the mother of George Floyd’s daughter, Gianna, left, speaks at a press conference in Minneapolis, June 2. we have to see a daughter getting raised without her father?”

Jackson added: “Floyd might not be here, but I’m here for her, I’m here to get justice and we will get justice for my brother…I’m

The state of Minnesota on June 2 filed a civil rights charge against the Minneapolis Police Department. The investigation will review the department’s policies, procedures and practices over the last 10 years to determine if the department has utilized systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color.

telling you, we’re not leaving, we’re demanding justice.”

Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who had moved to Minneapolis some years ago from Houston, Texas.

Chauvin and three other officers were fired from the department on May 26, a day after Floyd’s death, but the other three officers have yet to be charged with a crime as of late June 2.

The state of Minnesota on June 2 filed a civil rights charge against the Minneapolis Police Department.

“The investigation will review MPD’s policies, procedures and practices over the last 10 years to determine if the department has utilized systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said.

Also on June 2, the Minneapolis City Council—all 12 members—issued a statement urging the state “to use its full weight to hold the Minneapolis Police Department accountable for any and all abuses of power and harms to our community and stand ready to aid in this process and full partners.”

The Minneapolis mayor, Jacob Frey, who has been lambasted by President Donald Trump for being “weak,” among other things, said in a June 2 statement that “for years in Minneapolis, police chiefs and elected officials committed to change have been thwarted by police union protections and laws that severely limit accountability among police departments. I welcome today’s announcement because braking through those persistent barriers, shifting the culture of policing, and addressing systemic racism will require all of us working hand-in-hand.”

The killing of George Floyd sparks continued protests, outrage across the nation

by Hamil R. Harris For New Pittsburgh Courier

(TriceEdneyWire.com)— Minneapolis Police Department Officer Derek Chauvin relaxed as he was suffocating George Floyd.

His hands were in his pockets. He was looking around and his knee was on the neck of the handcuffed man for nearly nine minutes until he died.

It didn’t matter that the 46-year- old Black man cried out, “I can’t breathe!” and “They are trying to kill me!” Chauvin didn’t move. And when paramedics finally arrived, there was no attempt to perform CPR on Floyd.

And even though Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, it is too little too late. The incident has ignited protests, fires and destruction in cities across America from Minneapolis to Atlanta, and from Los Angeles to New York City. Even the coronavirus has taken a backseat to this incident as civil rights leaders, activists and politics speak about the horrendus act against Floyd.

In a tweet, President Obama said the Floyd case calls on the nation to “create a ‘new normal,’ in which

the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions and our hearts.”

NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson called the murder of Floyd “an unspeakable tragedy,” and while some news outlets have focused on violence after his death, Johnson said, “The uprising spreading across the country is fueled by systematic racial issues that have been ingrained in the fabric of this country for decades.”

National Urban League President/CEO Marc Morial said in a statement, “Minneapolis has erupted in outrage. The primal scream of anguish—what Martin Luther King Jr., called ‘the language of the unheard’—reverberates across the nation. We pray for those who have taken to the streets, that they will refrain from violence—and for the police who are responding, that they exercise restraint and de-escalate tensions.”

The officers who participated in the deadly assault of George Floyd were fired within 24 hours, and shortly after the National Urban League and the Urban League of the Twin Cities demanded their names, have been identified. They are Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J.

Alexander Kueng.

“These men no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt. Their word can no long be trusted. Their records—which, in the case of Chauvin and Thao, include a disturbing number of use-of-force incidents and civilian complaints—must be thoroughly examined for evidence of the racism and inhumanity they displayed during George Floyd’s deadly assault,” Morial said.

Rev. Al Sharpton said on his MSNBC show that he will go to Minneapolis to preach Floyd’s funeral. He interviewed Floyd’s brother who talked about the conversations he had with President Donald Trump, Vice-President Pence and former Vice-President Joe Biden.

Philonise Floyd said that he told Biden, “I never had to beg a man before but I asked (Biden) could he please, please get justice for my brother, please. Because I need it, I just don’t want to see him on a shirt like those other guys. Nobody deserves that.”

Floyd said his call with Trump was much briefer.

“It was so fast. He didn’t give me the opportunity to even speak. It was hard. I was trying to talk to him but he just kept like pushing me off like ‘I don’t want

to hear what you’re talking about.’ I just told him I want justice. I said that I can’t believe that they committed a modern-day lynching in broad daylight,” he shared.

President Trump made comments about the incident Saturday, May 30, following the historic launch of the SpaceX rocket with two astronauts aboard.

It was the first manned launch in nine years.

“Yesterday, I spoke to George’s family and expressed the sorrow of our

KEITH ELLISON

case involving the killing of George Floyd,” Ellison said during a recent news conference in Minneapolis.

“We are going to bring to bear all the resources necessary to achieve justice in this case,” he pronounced.

Ellison’s appointment came following a telephone meeting between hip-hop icon Jay-Z and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Jay-Z described the conversation as “very earnest” and thanked Governor Walz.

“Earlier today, Governor Walz mentioned having a

human conversation with me—a dad and a Black man in pain,” Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, wrote in a statement.

“Yes, I am human, a father and a Black man in pain, and I am not the only one.

This is just a first step. I am more determined to fight for justice than any fight my would-be oppressors may have.”

Walz noted that the icon came to him “not as an international performer, but dad, stressing to me that justice needs to be served.”

This week, Jay-Z’s superstar wife, Beyonce, also spoke out on Floyd’s death on a social media post.

“We need justice for George Floyd,” she uttered. “We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken, and we’re

GEORGE FLOYD entire nation for their loss. I stand before you as a friend and ally to every American seeking justice and peace, and I stand before you in firm opposition to anyone exploiting this tragedy to loot, rob, and menace.

Healing not hatred, justice not chaos are the mission at hand,” Trump said. “I understand the pain that people are feeling. We support the right of peaceful protests and we hear their pleas, but what we are now seeing on the streets of our cities has nothing to do

with the memory of George Floyd.”

Also during the MSNBC interview, Floyd gave his thoughts about former officer Chauvin and the other officers involved in the incident on nine-minute video, which shows Floyd’s brother screaming as he is dying.

“They all need to be convicted of first-degree murder, and given the death penalty because they didn’t care about what they wanted to do with my brother.

He wasn’t a person to them, he was scum. He was nothing,” he told Sharpton. “I’m hurt, my family is hurt. His kids are hurt. They will grow up without a father.

Everybody is crying and in pain right now. So if they could do anything please arrest those other officers.”

“Being Black in America should not be a death sentence,” said Minister Russell Pointer of the Metropolitan Church of Christ in Minneapolis. His comments were part of a Zoom forum that was out on Facebook live by the Christian Chronicle.

From Minnesota to Washington, D.C., people are talking, protesting and demanding change at a moment because of the incident that has forced the nation to focus on something other than the COVID 19 pandemic.

Attorney General Keith Ellison takes over George Floyd murder case

by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA)—Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has taken over the prosecution of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed and handcuffed African American who died because of the actions of Chauvin and other officers.

“It is with a large degree of humility and great seriousness, I accept for my office, the responsibility for leadership in this critical

disgusted. We cannot normalize this pain.”

Walz’s selection of Ellison comes as uprisings are taking place around the country and abroad. It also comes as Floyd’s family and their attorney, Ben Crump, have demanded that the other three officers involved face charges.

The family remains outraged that Chauvin is the only officer arrested so far, and prosecutors have leveled just the relatively minor third-degree murder charge against the cop.

Ellison, a former congressman from Minnesota who ran for chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017, noted that he was accepting the lead on the case with “a large degree of humility and great seriousness.”

FORUM

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

What do we tell our children, our students?

For the past few days, I, like many others have been viewing through the lens of the media, the reaction of our country to the deplorable and senseless death of yet another defenseless Black person at the hands of a White police officer, a tragic mockery to the truth that Black Lives Matter. Similar to other Americans, I am overcome with a range of emotions.

As the father of two sons and as a Black man myself, I can assure you that I am furious and deeply saddened by the death of George Floyd, as I am by every senseless killing of Black males and females in America. It could have been either of my sons, my brothers, my nephews or nieces, my friends or even one of my students who lay on the ground, pleading for mercy on that horrific day.

Looking into the eyes of my 11-year-old son and trying to help him comprehend what happened and what is happening in our nation, I am cognizant of the fact that I am old enough only to have read about the many civil rights protests and nonviolent demonstrations that have afforded me the opportunities that I have enjoyed during my lifetime. While I was not an eyewitness to the protests, I do try to paint a picture for my son, drawing from my exposure to many civil rights icons and their recounting of historic events of the past, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the march from Selma to Montgomery, the brutality of law enforcement officers such as Bull Connor and the story of Ruby Bridges. I am emotionally distraught about the stark parallel of our nation’s present state of affairs and our nation’s historical past.

I have been giving thought to this national crisis, especially as it relates to Alabama State University’s rich history and her overwhelming contributions to the advancement of civil rights in Dr. Quinton T. Ross the nation. I am one of thousands of students who have matriculated and emerged from ASU with purpose and a true understanding of social justice and responsibility. At ASU, we learned the importance and the power of the vote. The call to public service and advocacy was ingrained in our DNA by O’ Mother Dear.

While I attempt to give some sensible explanation to the most recent senseless acts of brutality, I have reflected on my first real encounter with the reality of racist police violence against Blacks in America. It was the spring of 1991, just prior to my senior year in college, and I had just been elected President of the Student Government Association. This was the time that our nation witnessed Rodney King being brutally beaten by Los Angeles law enforcement officers after he led them on a high-speed chase. I remember asking myself, “Is this what would happen to me as a Black man if I found myself in a similar situation with authorities?” I vividly recall how the nation erupted into protests because of Rodney King’s mistreatment, just like the protests that have erupted nationally because of the senseless death of George Floyd and others.

Each incident is similar to the protests that happened across this nation in the 1960s due to social injustice. As a young student, I was confused and enraged by what I witnessed. I remember the rumbling of unrest within our student body regarding Rodney King. We were all ready to act on our anger and frustration by taking to the streets of Montgomery to let our voices be heard. Word of our intentions reached our President, the late Dr. C. C. Baker, who later became one of my mentors. My SGA leadership team and I were summoned to Dr. Baker’s office, and it was there that I learned what social protesting was really all about. It is not about the destruction of property, looting or acting disorderly; it is about banding together peacefully with a common goal, with a purpose and a plan for change. During the meeting, we discussed our desire to be heard and our passion for change, and emerged with a plan for a peaceful protest on the campus that historically has been a beacon for change—our home, our haven—Alabama State University.

This focusing event allowed me to lead my first press conference. It would be the first time I had ever spoken in front of news cameras.

Every news outlet in the city was on campus that day as students gathered with community stakeholders in great numbers. I led the protest with a speech. Students and local elected officials were also able to have their voices heard as the media captured our impassioned sentiments and broadcast the event. I share this personal experience not only to highlight the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in providing a platform for change, but also to emphasize the need to protest peacefully and with a purpose.

I offer that advice while understanding and even relating to the rage that has been unleashed across the nation by the infection of racism that is more potent than ever in America. Our nation has a new and improved infection of racism when George Floyd can plead for mercy while dying publicly under the force of a racist man’s knee just as his forefathers died publicly hanging from a noose. There is a new and improved infection of racism when a young man by the name of Michael Brown can hold his hands up in surrender and still be shot to death in broad daylight in Ferguson, Missouri.

There is a new and improved infection of racism when a man by the name of Eric Garner in New York City can tell authorities “I can’t breathe” as he is choked to death. The infection of racism is new and improved when a young man by the name of Trayvon Martin is gunned down in cold blood while walking from the store to his home. Racism is new and improved when Ahmaud Arbery can be gunned down while jogging not far from his home. There is a new and improved infection of racism when Breonna Taylor can be shot and killed by police officers as she lay sleeping in her apartment in Louisville, Kentucky. Let us not forget the infection of racism that related to the death of Sandra Bland, who was found hanged in a jail cell in Walker County, Texas, after being arrested for a minor traffic stop. Here in Montgomery, there is a new and improved infection of racism when a man by the name of Greg Gunn, who attended ASU, is chased and killed by a police officer just a few steps from his mother’s front door. Their tragic deaths made headlines, but across this nation and even in this city, we could easily add more names to the rolls of those whose lives have been so tragically cut short with no cell phone cameras to capture their last, painful breaths.

With this in mind, we struggle with the question, “What should we tell our students?” The answer that I offer you is the same that I give to my sons. I ask that you find ways to protest peacefully, including exercising your personal responsibility to register to vote and then go vote, and committing yourself to continuing your education so that you are prepared to emerge as this nation’s next generation of leaders. I ask that you resist the temptation to channel your anger into destruction; instead, channel your energy into the very thing that disturbs and disrupts those who would oppress you: Education.

Our nonviolent stand proved successful in the past, and I believe it could be the catalyst for real and impactful change today. Let peace be at the core of all of our actions.

While it seems as though remaining calm in the midst of a racist storm is a signal to be disrespected, disregarded and endangered, remember the lives that were lost to get us to this day. Remember the examples of those who were brutally beaten and rose up from that brutality to walk the halls of congress, to become mayors, governors, state legislators and community leaders. They are the ones upon whose shoulders we stand. Their sacrifices have afforded us the opportunity to stand and take up the mantle of peace, justice and equality for all.

Stay in the fight against injustice my children and my students, with peace, purpose and a plan that saves us from self-destruction and allows us all to “breathe” freely.

Commentary

(Dr. Quinton T. Ross Jr. is Alabama State University President)

JUNE 3-9, 2020

B5

Outside agitators are old news, but should have been the story In 2014 a White police officer shot and killed a Black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting wasn’t recorded, but eyewitnesses insisted that the Black teenager was killed with his hands up, begging the White officer not to shoot.

The “hands up, don’t shoot” narrative enraged the nation. Before any official investigation got underway riots broke out in Ferguson. Then it was revealed the “hands up, don’t shoot” narrative was false. The police officer and the teenager fought over the officer’s firearm and the teenager ended up dead. If the rage over the teenager’s death was honestly produced by the belief that a cop gunned down a kid in cold blood, then the discovery of a false narrative should have altered the course of events, but the rage wasn’t generated by the situation in general, it was solely produced by race. The details of the actual encounter were irrelevant because the White officer represented the power structure, the Black victim represented historical injustice, and the entire scenario was indicative of systemic racism. The Black teenager’s death became a springboard for confronting “The System”.

The event also attracted a subversive element.

After a week of violence, Capt. Ron Johnson, the highway patrolman in charge of security in Ferguson, told reporters the troublemakers were not from Ferguson. Out of 51 people arrested (the day before the interview) only one person was from Ferguson.

The rest were from surrounding

J. Pharoah Doss

Check It Out towns and faraway cities such as De Moines, Iowa, Chicago, and New York. Capt. Johnson told reporters that community leaders have stepped in to weed out the bad actors. (Notice community leaders stepped in after the damage was done.)

The mainstream media missed the story within the story. Who were these outside agitators, and, more importantly, who were behind them?

Baltimore, 2015, a Black man died in police custody. The Baltimore police department failed to adequately explain how the Black man died. Protesters demanded answers. Protests continued in a non-violent fashion up to the victim’s funeral. After the funeral, it was reported that outsiders advocated for violence and rioting erupted in Baltimore. The family of the victim condemned the violence and asked all participating parties to stop. Baltimore’s police commissioner said “splinter groups” from outside the area smashed windows of restaurants and bars. The police commissioner acknowledged most of the arrest made were of local residents, but he stressed “outside agitators continued to be the instigators behind the acts of violence and destruction.”

Following the Baltimore riots Cathy Lisa Schneider, a professor of sociology, wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post called: 5 Myths about Riots. The first thing she declared a myth was that riots were caused by outside agitators. Schneider wrote, “New York blamed “outside agitators” for violence in 1964. Ferguson did the same in 2014. Now Baltimore … Is blaming non-locals for the riots … Riots, however, are almost always homegrown.

In Ferguson, only 21 percent of those arrested in August were from outside Missouri, and 76 percent were from Ferguson or surrounding towns. And of the 31 adults arrested in Baltimore as of last Sunday, only three were not Maryland residents. The main participants in riots … are usually young people from disadvantaged neighborhoods.”

Schneider’s assessment is problematic because she localized both states.

According to her, if I left Pittsburgh and started a riot in Philadelphia the riot was homegrown because I’m from Pennsylvania. Schneider ignored the fact that Capt. Johnson didn’t just call the people from out of state outsiders he listed Missourians who weren’t from Ferguson as outside agitators too. The other problem is the percentage of outsiders arrested doesn’t reflect the total number of outsiders involved nor does it measure their range of influence.

But the riots were blamed on disadvantaged youth, the police claim of outside agitators was labeled a myth, and the story within the story disappeared.

We have a right to be angry!

(BlackPressUSA)—This morning, we are awakened with heavy hearts burdened with a heavy load of worry, care, anger, and frustration. In the last several months, we have witnessed the outcry of God’s people in so many ways—people wailing and moaning with tears of disbelief, death, and sickness.

Fear has plagued the world.

The shattered dreams of individuals, families, businesses, communities, religious institutions and churches are real. We are all suffering and struggling individually and collectively with pain and grief.

In the midst of over 100,000 deaths and millions of people being infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19), people in our cities all over our nation are taking to the streets, protesting in anger against the wrongful, unjust, hateful, and unmerciful racist death of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer right before the eyes of the world.

We have a right to be angry!

What we are seeing and living

Dr. Rev. Ralph E. Williamson

Commentary out in our nation is truly unprecedented. There is no justification for the tragedies that have been forced upon us; the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affects African Americans and people of color, the death of George Floyd, the racist wrongful allegations made by Amy Cooper, the blatant racist attack, and the murder by a father and son perpetrated on Ahmaud Arbery.

We have a right to be angry!

But there is what is described as righteous anger… “In your anger, do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. And do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27) We are still the body of Christ!

And while we have the right to be angry, we will use our rights with power to promote change.

We will stand up, speak up, and defend what is right and denounce what is wrong! What we do for the Lord must be done decently and in order.

Our God is a righteous judge and we are seeking a cease and desist indictment to be served against the injustice acts of our nation. I am calling on those who are willing to stand with Christ Our Redeemer in unity.

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. declared, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.

Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Now is not the time to be silent. Our nation and future are at stake. God will judge us accordingly!

(The Dr. Rev. Ralph E. Williamson is the pastor of Christ Our Redeemer AME Church in Irvine, Calif.)

(We Have a Right to be Angry! appeared first on Los Angeles Sentinel.)

Don’t fall prey to being used to further other peoples’ agendas As Black people, we have to be forever mindful of falling prey to being used to further the agenda of those who do not have our best interests in their hearts. The reality of police brutality and the need to rise up in protest is undisputed.

However, please recognize there are forces mingled in our community protests who will lead many unthinking people down a road that leaves nothing but ashes after the fire burns out. In the heat of legitimate

Ron Porter

Commentary passion, there are those who ask us to release our fury without a sense of consequence.

Be careful! Talk to your chil-

dren to help them understand what ultimate victory looks like.

Victory is not vandalizing African American businesses. Some of those who lead other to burn and loot are not our friends and their definition of victory is not racial justice.

It’s often been quoted the devil quotes scripture to serve his purposes. There are those among us on the crowded streets of protest who chant with us, scream and holler, toss bricks and gasoline bottles at police and then disappear quietly into a voting booth and vote for Donald Trump.

There is overwhelming justification for public outrage.

Remember this is not new.

Police didn’t put a knee on Fred Hampton’s throat forty years ago, they filled his body with bullets! The struggle is not new. Malcolm and Martin fought the same battle decades ago. We knew who our leaders were, even though they used diverse tactics, they marched to a common drummer.

Be alert. There are many who walk in our ranks who have not earned the legitimacy to be followed. The leaders who will guide us to outcomes of justice and peace are not one day soldiers!

Keep fighting, but please don’t allow others to lead you into the incendiary belly of the beast while they rest comfortably while you are consumed.

B6

JUNE 3-9, 2020

METRO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

PITTSBURGH PROTESTS THE UNJUST POLICE KILLING OF GEORGE FLOYD

Through the lens of Courier photographer Emmai Alaquiva SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020