VOL. 62, No. 7
February 14 - 20, 2013
www.tsdmemphis.com
75 Cents
Crime keys ‘Operation Take Back’ The New Tri-State Defender
by Tony Jones
A long-awaited chance to vent at the Memphis Police Department? No, that wasn’t the idea behind the Operation Take Back town hall meeting hosted Tuesday night by the Memphis chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Convened at Mt. Moriah East Baptist Church, 1248 Haynes St., the meeting put Mayor AC Wharton Jr. and MPD Director Toney Armstrong in position to respond to citizen concerns and hear recommendations about police conduct, policies and procedures. It also afforded an opportunity to move toward a deeper understanding
of recent incidents that resulted in fatal shootings by police officers. The meeting had been postponed, twice. First because of the fatal shooting of MPD officer Maritoya Lane on Dec. 14, and a second time due to inclement weather. The Rev. Dr. Dwight Montgomery, SCLC Memphis president, termed the session a success. SCLC and Rainbow PUSH, he said, are now committed to creating a regular series of meetings throughout the city and county. One issue that still has to be addressed is citizen recommendations forwarded to the mayor’s office this past fall, said Montgomery. “On Oct. 13 we sent a list of recommendations compiled from citizens, and that was not addressed at
The Rev. Dwight Montgomery (left), president of the Memphis SCLC, and Police Director Toney Armstrong at a town hall meeting where Montgomery said violence is “eating up our kids and we have to come together and put a stop to it.” (Photo by Tyrone P. Easley)
‘Game Over!’
SEE CRIME ON PAGE 2
Past perfect…
Accused, jailed and acquitted, Southwest player makes comeback
Artifacts such as these are on display at the Benjamin L. Hooks Library as part of Dr. Carnita Atwaterʼs African American History Month exhibit. See the TSDʼs African American History Month special section, pages 7-10. (Photo by Shirley Jackson)
Special to The New Tri-state Defender
by Kelvin Cowans
As I entered the gym of Southwest Tennessee Community College on Union Ave., I could hear the basketballs bouncing on the hardwood floors. The stopping-and-going sounds made by the sneakers were sharp and precise as the Saluqis players moved in rhythm. This was pre-practice, where some of interim coach Kevin Whitted players show up early – for the betterment of the team – to work on the individual things they haven’t perfected yet. Free throws, left-handed layups, catch-and-shoot three pointers all help the team. I was here to interview Marshun Newell, who at one point sat behind bars facing 65 to 100 years with no parole, if convicted as accused. I quickly got the feeling that everything had made its way back into place in his life. I’d never met anyone who had ever had a million-dollar bond and is now a free man. A bond that large reflects that authorities have definitely got the right man, right? “I originally had a $250,000 bond for especially aggravated robbery,” said Newell, “but then I was recharged with aggravated assault and deployment of a fire arm and aggravated arson. so that’s when my bond was increased to a million dollars.” I wanted to know what happened, to the best of his knowledge. “Well, on the million dollar bond charge I didn’t have any knowledge of what had happened, nor have I ever had any intention of doing anything of that nature. I was completely shocked that I had a million dollar SEE COMEBACK ON PAGE 2
- INSIDE • Need for prom dress yields business solution. See Business, page 5. • Math teacher picks up from football player’s handoff. See Community, page 6.
Beyoncé
• Beyoncé: I feel a lot more like a woman. See Entertainment, page 13.
TSD Women of Excellence gala set for April 27
ʻIn the end, I have learned to cherish life more and focus on the things that matter the most.ʼ – Marshun Newell (Photo by Kelvin Cowans)
Country nudged to the left is Obama’s vision ANALYSIS
SEE WOMEN ON PAGE 2
CNN
by Rebecca Sinderbrand WASHINGTON – The heart of President Barack Obama’s speech Tuesday was the same focus on jobs and middle-class economic uncertainty that’s driven every State of the Union of his presidency. But that was far from the only ground he covered. The president reeled off a laundry list of small-bore proposals: He called on Congress to hike the minimum wage to $9 an hour and invest $50 billion on rebuilding roads and bridges. He proposed universal preschool for 4-year-olds and linking some federal grant decisions to research schools on their ability to keep tuition costs in check. And he urged Congress to put his full gun control agenda up for a vote. Nearly every idea in his speech had a couple of things in common:
The New TriState Defender will honor and recognize the significant achievements, contributions and work of outstanding African-American women from the Greater Memphis community Bernal E. during its sixth anSmith II nual Women of Excellence Brunch and Awards Celebration at the Memphis Botanic Gardens on April 27. “Women have long been the backbone of our community, contributing significantly to our growth and progress,” said TSD President/ Publisher Bernal E. Smith II. “They deserve a day of recognition and reward for all they do and for all they mean to us.” The Women of Excellence Awards salute honorees who are in the forefront of all sectors from politics and public service to business and entertainment. Each woman should pos-
MEMPHIS WEEKEND
President Obama delivers the annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. (CNN photo) Virtually all of them are core Democratic priorities presented in language that delighted the base. None of them were shoot-for-the moon ambitious. They were either old ideas repackaged or markedly modest new ones. And few if any of them are likely to become a reality under the current Congress – nobody in the chamber Tuesday night, including the president himself, thought otherwise. In a sharp contrast to his first ad-
dress to Congress four years ago, the president paid lip service to bipartisanship, but he made clear that it was a luxury, not a driving priority. He invited Republicans to join him in a bipartisan effort... to back the Democratic policy vision. If the speech came across more like a wish list than an action plan with a good chance of making it past SEE OBAMA ON PAGE 3
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
H -47o - L-32o A .M . C l o u d s
H- 4 3 o - L - 3 0 o P a r tl y C l oud y
H- 5 3 o - L - 4 1 o S unn y
REGIONAL TEMPS LITTLE ROCK NASHVILLE JACKSON, MS
Friday H-52 L-33 H-48 L-27 H-60 L-34
Saturday H-47 L-29 H-39 L-22 H-50 L-32
Sunday H-60 L-40 H-45 L-33 H-57 L-39