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Mayor Andrew Gillum launches statewide bus tour in final push for Democratic nomination
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33310
PERMIT NO. 1179
PAGE 12 VOL. 47 NO. 29 50¢
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23 - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018
A M E S S A GE F ROM OU R PU BL IS H E R
(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Three weeks after judge’s deadline, 565 migrant children are still separated from families By Ryan Velez The Huffington Post reports that despite a judge’s order to reunite migrant children who were separated from their families at the border, the actual progress of this move is more of a crawl, if it could even be called that. In court filings, lawyers reported that 565 children, including 24 who are younger than five, remain in government-contracted shelters, separated from their parents. To put this in perspective, that’s only 7 less than the number reported (Cont’d on page 10)
OPINION
What kind of fool do you think I am? “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ Luke 12:20 (NIV)
“There is a huge disparity where Black folks are receiving more severe punishments than any other group.” - Chief Assistant Public Defender Gordon Weekes. (Photo by Arri Henry/The Westside Gazette Newspaper)
By Nichole Richards As proven by the election of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, one of the most powerful votes in America is the Black vote. Since the Voting Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed voter suppression tactics and enforced the 15th Amendment, Black communities have assumed a great deal of political sway. Unfortunately, it is rarely tapped in to. This places the responsibility of educating the community of their political power on the shoulders of Black institutions and pillars, such as our churches, newspapers barbershops, and salons. Two such institutions in Broward County took on this charge, holding an informative gathering where state and local candidates had the opportunity to speak directly to Black voters. The Westside Gazette Editorial Board’s 2nd Annual Sweet Potato Pie, Politics, and Ice Cream event was held at the historical Mount Hermon AME Church in Fort Lauderdale on August 18th.
This highly attended event allowed voters to engage candidates in faceto-face dialogue concerning issues of importance to the Black community. Despite it being the first day of early voting in Florida, candidates took the time to literally serve the community with “a slice of a pie, a scoop of ice cream, and a side of political conversation.” The attendees ranged from School Board aspirants to Congressional and Judicial candidates, all eager to literally “sit at the table” with the community. Despite the wide range of interests represented by the political hopefuls, particular topics dominated the general conversation. What stood out most as a community concern was criminal justice and the roles judges play in ensuring equity in the courtroom and in our personal lives. “There are some real problems in our judicial system,” emphasized Gordon Weekes, the Chief Assistant Public Defender at Broward County’s Public Defender’s Office, “There is a huge disparity where Black folks are
The Rev. Omarosa Manigault-Newman Comments and Commentary
by Dr. Ron Daniels
Omarosa is taking the media by storm and captivating the nation with the tell-all revelations in her book Unhinged – which provides insights into the machinations of the most reckless, ruinous, racist and (Cont’d on page 10)
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Contrib. While there’s at least a perceived growing number of Democrats who say they want to replace California Rep. Nancy Pelosi as the
Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn has emerged as a favorite among his peers to become (Cont’d on page 12)
receiving more severe punishments than any other group.” Weekes, who has served Broward County as Assistant Public Defender for over 20 years and is currently seeking the Public Defender seat in 2020, was referencing the thorough 2016 investigation conducted by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune where reporters uncovered an undeniable racial bias in Florida’s sentencing system. According to the study, white judges in Florida sentence Black defendants far harsher than their white counterparts. The ideal solution is to elect more minority judges who provide a cultural perspective and, thus, fair, balanced sentencing. “There are 90 judges in Broward County,” stated Stephanie Moon, an African American candidate for Circuit Court Judge- Group 38, “Only nine of them look like us.” Moon has over 20 years of practicing law at the state and federal level. She is seeking the seat of Judge Ilona M. Holmes, who is set to (Cont’d on page 16)
FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Four years after the deadly police shooting that triggered racial unrest in Ferguson and helped give rise to the Black Lives Matter movement, a black city councilman scored an election upset and ousted the white prosecutor criticized over his handling of the case. Wesley Bell’s stunning defeat of seven-term St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch in Tuesday’s Democratic contest all but assures Bell of victory in November. The Republicans have not put up a candidate. “People did not think it could be done,” the 43-year-old Bell said in an interview Wednesday. “The (Cont’d on page 3)
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr. In a sermon from Luke 12:13 -21, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. enlightens us to the value of arranging our life in directives presented by God to please Him, which are Love God first, family second and be productive in the society. Dr. King uses where Jesus gives the Parable of the Rich Fool, the story of a well-to-do man who was contingent exclusively on his financial affluence to secure all of his comforts. If unguarded and left to the whims of earthly intellect, we would be like chlorine trifluoride, a substance so flammable that it does not require an ignition source to combust, especially in this political firestorm. Chlorine trifluoride like many Politrickians are capable of activating incineration of practically any material, including many considered to be fire-safe: retardants, asbestos, glass, concrete and sand. To at least help to control and be a fire retardant before and during the political firestorm, make sure you’re a registered voter, know who to vote for, then go vote and if for some reason you can’t vote take three other people to the polls to vote! After all, you can participate in a “GET BACK VOTE”, that is the kind of vote that you can get some payback with. Payback from all of the misery and disappointment that you see and you wish you could help change. “Dear God. In the name of Jesus please don’t let me be called a fool, unless I’m called a fool for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” WHO’S THE MORE FOOLISH THE FOOL OR ONE WHO FOLLOWS THE FOOL?
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