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Best Wishes during this season Don't FORGET our
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MY TRUTH
Garland
Your Congressman
In the election earlier this month, Colin Allred unseated Pete Sessions and now joins the 116th Congress. A civil rights attorney and former professional football player, he is the Democratic Congressman for the United States House of Representatives in Texas's 32nd congressional district. Born and raised in North Dallas by a single mom who taught in Texas public schools for nearly 30 years, Colin was an All-Star athlete at Hillcrest High School before earning a full-ride foot-
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We’re really at war
See CONGRESSMAN, page 3
City Holiday Hours and Services: Nov. 22-23 In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, all City of Garland offices, utility customer service and tax offices, libraries, recreation centers and senior centers will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 22-23. City facilities will reopen Saturday, Nov. 24.
April Ryan
Abby Phillip
JOURNAL
By Cheryl Smith
As a journalist, I know and I have told so many students over the years, “you don’t want to ask ‘that question.’” For me a “stupid question” is that ill-prepared question: meaning your facts were wrong and you hadn’t done your research. On occasion I have had the opportunity to ask a question of both of the Clintons, and then-Senator Barack Obama.
GARLAND JOURNAL
On Wednesday, Nov. 21, all Garland recreation centers and senior centers will close at 5 p.m., and the Central Library will close at 6 p.m. The Recycling Center, Charles M. Hinton Regional Landfill, transfer station and wood recycling facility will be closed Thursday, Nov. 22. Garbage, recycling, and brush and bulky collection normally scheduled on Thursday will move to Friday, Nov. 23. The regular Friday collection schedule will move to
Saturday, Nov. 24. Regular pickup schedules for all areas will resume Monday, Nov. 26. Find your pickup schedule at GarlandEnvironmentalWaste.com. Holiday Closures: Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Thanksgiving Holiday Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Closed! City of Garland Parks Admin offices, Recreation Centers and Senior Centers will be closed starting at 5 pm on Wednesday, Nov. 21 and are closed Thursday, Nov. 22 and Friday, Nov. 23 for Thanksgiving.
NOVEMBER 21, 2018
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VOL XVIII ISSUE 8 NOVEMBER 21, 2018
Chief of Police Search Community Input
The City of Garland invites residents to provide input regarding the search for the City's next Chief of Police. After 16 years of leadership, current Police Chief Mitch Bates has accepted a new position as Garland's Deputy City Manager and Chief Operating Officer. This new position will assist in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the City. In an effort to engage residents in the search for this vital leadership position, the City has partnered with various organizations to host meetings as a forum to identify the candidate attributes, background and experiences that are most important to the community. All sessions are open to the public.
Tuesday, Nov. 27 (Hosted by the NAACP Time: 7:30 to 9 p.m. Location: Garland Women's Activities Building, 713 Austin St.
Two additional meetings will be scheduled for early December. Vietnamese and Spanish translation services will be available. Updates will be posted on the City's website (GarlandTX. gov) and via social media. Residents who are unable to attend may participate via a Citizen Feedback Survey or by contacting the City's Human Resources Department at GarlandHR@GarlandTX.gov.
Baltimore officer accused of planting drugs found guilty
For more information Phone: 972-205-2750 Email: play@garlandtx.gov
NAACP strongly urges Senate rejection of Farr Nomination Yamiche Alcindor In a crowded room, with thousands of journalists each time, I came prepared with the well-researched and rehearsed question. I also had the knowledge, which was affirmed by two of my journalism/life mentors, the late George Curry and Dr. Julianne Malveaux, that whatever question I asked, there would be those in the room who felt they had a better question or that my question was not good enough. Like Marcus Garvey said, “Every man has a right to his own opinion.” So, while my question may not have been “the question” for every other journalist, no one could say that I hadn’t done my homework. I’ve never been shot down at a press conference or during any interviews; however I have seen a reporter taken to task, like the time actor Samuel L. Jackson shut down a young man. Reporter: You said that rappers shouldn’t be actors and… Mr. Jackson (cutting the reporter off): That is not what I said. What I did say was… I breathed a sigh of relief. I could think of ways the question could have been framed better and I hope the young man learned from the experience. Mr. Jackson was neither degrading or verbally abusive, though. Which brings me to my truth. I was, am, and will probably always be mortified when I recall the way three women were treated by the man who is viewed as the most powerful person in the free world. See MY TRUTH, page 6
BALTIMORE — The NAACP strongly condemns Thomas Farr’s nomination and the Senate’s scheduling of his vote. The nation just experienced national elections which are not yet over, and which were tainted by egregious voting rights violations. That Majority Leader McConnell chooses this moment in time to vote on a judicial nominee known as the vote-suppressor-in-chief is not lost on anyone. It is a slap in the face to communities of color everywhere. Thomas Farr poses a serious threat to civil rights, especially since he would preside over a jurisdiction with a large African-American population. Even among dangerous Trump nominees, Farr stands out for his decades-long crusade to disenfranchise African Americans. He learned how to intimidate Black voters from segregationist Senator Jesse Helms and
Screen capture of Axon Body Camera footage
By Sean Yoes Baltimore AFRO Editor Thomas Farr, nominee to be a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina
helped turn North Carolina into ground zero for voter suppression tactics. His nomination is a travesty. His confirmation would be heresy. We believe the American people want tolerance and unity, rather than hate and divisiveness, and that applies to the federal courts, too. We urge each and every Senator to reject this judicial throwback to white supremacy and segregation. The people of North Carolina and our entire country deserve better than this.
A Baltimore police officer charged with planting drugs at a crime scene has been found guilty, according to sources within the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office. The guilty verdict for Officer Richard Pinheiro Jr. camelate afternoon and he was given a six-month suspended sentence. Pinheiro had pled not guilty to charges of fabricating evidence, which is a misdemeanor that carries up to three years in prison and misconduct in office, which the court was free to choose any penalty. During his testimony in Baltimore Circuit Court on Nov. 8, Pinheiro testified in his own defense that the
body cam footage, which appeared to show him planting drugs actually depicted him attempting to recreate the crime scene. Pinheiro, 30, testified that he forgot to turn on his body-worn camera when he initially found the drugs in a Southwest Baltimore alley in January 2017. He testified that when he returned to the alley, he activated his camera and retraced his steps to document how he found the evidence. However, when he re-enacted the discovery of the drugs in a baggie inside of a soup can, he acted as if he had found the drugs for the first time. This article originally appeared in The Afro.
Bill Filing for 2019 Session begins with Legislation on Marijuana, Taxes and Daylight Saving Time By Defender News Service The Texas Legislature’s newest incoming members were elected less than a month ago, and the two chambers won’t gavel in until Jan 8. But the law-writing bonanza of the 2019 legislative session kicked off Monday, the first day to pre-file bills for the 86th Legislature. By noon, more than 400 bills had been filed. In the state Senate, the first bill, as usual, came from Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, who is known to have her staff line up outside the clerk’s office hours before prefiling starts. Senate Bill 31 is a bipartisan effort — eight senators signed on as authors, with Zaffirini at the top — to create a guardianship, abuse, fraud and exploitation
deterrence program within the state Office of Court Administration. Meanwhile, the first bill filed in the lower chamber, House Bill 21, is related to higher education. Authored by state Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, the bill would exempt college textbooks from sales taxes during one week in August and one week in January. (Filing early gets a bill a low number. But the lowest numbers are reserved by the House speaker and lieutenant governor, who assign those numbers to their top-priority legislation.) Here’s a list, which will be updated regularly, of notable bills from the first day: House Bill 49, by Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, would get rid of daylight saving time in Texas. Some law-
makers have tried to do this in past sessions. House Bill 63, by Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, would make it a civil offense — not a crime — to be caught with less than one ounce of marijuana. Moody’s bill was one of several filed Monday aiming to loosen marijuana laws in Texas. House Bill 84, also by Moody, would repeal the section of the Texas penal code that lists “homosexual conduct” as a crime. The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that the section is unenforceable, but it remains on the books. House Bill 222, by Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, would prohibit Texas cities from adopting or enforcing ordinances that would require employers to offer their employees paid sick
leave. San Antonio and Austin have passed paid sick leave ordinances this year. Soon after Austin passed its ordinance, state Rep. Paul Workman, R-Austin, announced that he would file legislation banning the ordinances, but Workman was defeated in Tuesday’s election. House Joint Resolution 24, by Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, would propose a constitutional amendment requiring the state to fund at least half of the cost of funding public schools. If the amendment were approved by voters, local property tax collections would not apply to the state’s share. Senate Bill 66, by Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, would reduce and eventually eliminate the state’s franchise tax.