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Happy Homecoming
MY TRUTH By Cheryl Smith Publisher
Tricks or Treats
We’re in the throes of yet another election where some great things can happen especially if there is a huge voter turnout. Rain, rain, go away. No voter suppression. No disenfranchisement of voters. No changing polling places at the last minute. No false advertising or lying about critical election information. Early voting has begun. It’s also Halloween time and folks will be out trick or treating soon. There will be all kinds of parties and folks of all ages dressing up and going out with the expectation that they will get a treat. Unfortunately there have been deaths associated with Halloween because there are some sick people out there who will do immoral things like passing out “treats” laced with drugs, razors, and other harmful items. Then there are the weirdos who go out looking for trouble— they just make everything negative. Sound familiar? Voters are coming to the polls expecting that they will elect honest, compassionate, righteous, qualified and conscientious candidates who have common sense. Which brings me to my truth. I love to tell the story of one Halloween for me when I was in elementary school. It was a beautiful Fall day and my brother and I wanted to go out with all the other children IN THE COUNTRY and come back with bags full of candy. Well, Mother wasn't having it! It was a Sunday and she said there was no way she was sending her children out to go trick-or-treating. It was not right. She didn’t care at all that it was October 31st. We had to go the next day. “But Mother,” we protested mildly because we knew we could only say so much. “Everyone is going trickor-treating today, on Halloween.” After all, who goes trick-or-treating in November? Didn’t matter to her. Dressing up in costumes and the thought of ghosts, goblins, witches and other creatures after spending the morning in church, perish the thought! Well, the next day, after school, my mother said we could go trickor-treating. So we put on our costumes, grabbed our bags and hit the streets. I remember Daryl and I standing in the foyer of an apartment building as a neighborhood child teased us. There were NO other children out in costumes. There was also the woman who called for her husband to come to the door and see us in our costumes. They talked about how “cute” we looked! Put yourself in my shoes! Maybe that’s why I don’t like dogs today. I was dressed in a little puppy dog costume that was supposed to be cute but I didn’t feel cute that day. When we returned home, our bags were empty. At door after door, we were told that they didn’t have anything because Halloween was the day before. I know I shed a few tears. And we went home. My mother gave us some money See MY TRUTH, page 6
GARLAND JOURNAL
Garland
JOURNAL
Rev. Jackson spreads hope!
As election day rapidly approaches, some high profile activists hit polling places, churches and community events; encouraging citizens to go to the polls. U.S. Congressman John Lewis and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, were among those joining U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), Fort Worth Democratic Party Chair Deborah Peoples, Pastors Marcus D. King and Ricky Rush, County Commissioner John Wiley Price and others stressing the need to go to the polls. Rev. Jackson and Congressman Lewis have been traveling the country supporting key candidates like, Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gilllum, Texas Senatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke and GA gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
I have a felony conviction. Can I vote? By Ricki Fairley
Judge Etta J. Mullin, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Aiesha Redmond on the campaign trail.
By Emma Lynn
I Messenger Media
Judge Teresa Hawthorne often without lawfully required hearings or holding defendants accountable for actions they were convicted of and/or plead guilty to. Controversial rulings
State vs. John Ogundiran – Defendant John Ogundiran was charged with Aggravated Robbery. The defendant was placed on probation for seven years deferred on July 27, 2017, but he absconded and did not report to his probation officer for 90 days. Subsequently, a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested on September 8, 2017, and ordered to the court’s ATLAS mental health program on October 4, 2017. Ogundiran was continued on probation and absconded again for 90 days and then rearrested. While he was in jail, a competency evalation was ordered on May 4, 2018, that resulted in the
See JUSTICE, page 7
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VOL XVIII ISSUE 5 OCTOBER 31, 2018
Dove Marketing (The Cincinnati Herald and The Dayton Defender)
Justice on Trial - Who wins? Judge Teresa Hawthorne, the sitting judge in Dallas County’s 203rd Judicial District Court who received two rare public reprimands in 2017 and was removed from the 2018 Democratic Primary ballot, has made controversial rulings in multiple felony cases over the past several months. A few of the cases in question include Aggravated Robbery, Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and Possession of a Controlled Substance. According to public information available on Dallas County criminal cases, Judge Hawthorne has granted probation, granted early release from probation, and/or dismissed felony cases
OCTOBER 31, 2018
Many people wonder, “Can a convicted felon vote?” and assume the laws have restricted their rights. But that’s not true. While many states have some restriction on felon voting rights, most states restore the right to vote to people after they complete their sentences. In fact, up to 17 million Americans with past convictions can vote right now – they just don’t know it – because the felony disenfranchisement laws in every state can be confusing. RestoreYourVote.org is a website that was developed by Campaign Legal Center, an organization of attorneys working in Washington, D.C. seeking to ensure that every eligible voter has access to the ballot. Learn more about the Center and their work to protect the right to vote at CampaignLegal.org. CLC is working in partnership on this project with the Democracy Initiative Education Fund, a network of 69 civil rights, environmental, labor and civic organizations formed to restore the core principles of democracy and political equality. They have researched the laws in every state to help people understand their voting rights by state. Though they don’t offer legal services or legal advice and can’t guarantee that voting rights will be restored (that power rests with state authorities), RestoSee FELON, page 6