Study: Black Person Killed By Police Every 36 Hours By J. Kojo Livingston

Sept. 23, 2012

Study: Black Person Killed By Police Every 36 Hours
By J. Kojo Livingston

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Louisiana Weekly

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Using government documents and direct investigations a group has issued a call to action, citing that in the first six (6) months of 2012 a Black person was killed by a police officer, security guard or vigilante.

“The Report on Black People Executed without Trial by Police, Security Guards and Self-Appointed Law Enforcers January 1 – June 30, 2012”, was produced by Arlene Eisen and Kali Akuno for the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM). Special assistance was given by Ajamu Baraka. It is available online at mxgm.org

The report comes at a time when the extrajudicial killings of Blacks is on the increase nationally, raising concerns that this is a systemic trend. From California to Florida the killings of mostly unarmed Black males has become a frequent occurrence. In most cases the officers are cleared of any wrongdoing, further heightening racial tensions.

The report and the trend raise the question regarding the safety of innocent Black people who in many cases already have to beware of dangers from the criminal element in their neighborhoods. The notion that one has to expect abuse or violence from those who are hired, paid, trained, armed and sworn to protect communities is a source of anger and discontent from North to South.

Louisiana is no stranger to this trend.

Across the nation there have been high-profile executions of unarmed Blacks and numerous complaints regarding police abuse and misconduct. Internal Affairs Bureaus have little credibility in most cities. Their reputation is for declaring that its officers acted appropriately or “within guidelines” no matter what the behavior or how many witnesses, or other evidence may be presented. Unwarranted beatings, tasings, and other abuse often go unreported because citizens have no confidence in the ability of police to police themselves.

Nationally, leaders are openly questioning the sincerity of police and other officials at resolving the problem.

In New Orleans things have come to a head, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Romell Madison, brother of one of those killed and one wounded in the infamous post-Katrina Danziger Bridge killings.

According to New Orleans activist, Wesley Johnson, one of the leaders of Community United for Change, “Madison made numerous trips to Washington to the Department of Justice asking them to investigate the problem. His pleas were ignored until the Obama administration took over and sent someone to investigate. The investigators met with CUC who urged them to go beyond the Danziger Bridge shootings, which they did. The community held its own hearings in five neighborhoods where residents were able to come and testify, on video, regarding their treatment at the hands of police on a regular basis. The information from these hearings plus DOJ’s own investigations resulted in a Consent Decree mandating a new process to review complaints against police.”

The community thought progress had been made, however, they are extremely upset because the Department of Justice is now trying to leave the community out of the review process.

New Orleans civil rights attorney Tracie Washington told the Sun, “The disappointment here is that the U.S. Department of Justice, the City and the Independent Police Monitor have hijacked this process from the people. The I.P.M. is not getting beat up; the DOJ is not getting beat up by cops. It’s the run-of-the-mill Black folks, particularly Black males on the street who are suffering from police misconduct who need to be involved in this process and they are being removed. I’m hoping that the judge will find a place for a monitor who can balance police responsibility and rights and community responsibility and rights.”

According to Johnson four entities sought to be involved in the intervention process, they were: the Police Association of New Orleans (PANO), the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) the Independent Police Monitor (IPM) and Community United for Change (CUC). All but one of those entities consist of city employees and that one will be excluded from the process if officials have their way.

“CUC was initially denied a place in the intervention process because they said our intervention would pose a hardship on the process and would slow the process down. They gave all four interveners 30 minutes to address an open hearing, which will be held in New Orleans on Friday, September 21,” says Johnson. “We are opposing that the Consent Decree be put into effect because there was no inclusion of not only the community but of any agency that this work is going to fall on if the Consent Decree is accepted.”

“If the decree goes through without including the public, it’s going to be a flawed process. You won’t get the results this could be historic. I hope the judge will look at this as an opportunity to do something really huge,” says Washington.

Some of the disturbing statistics gathered in the report on the 120 extrajudicial killings include:

• 55 (or 46 percent) had no weapon at all at the time they were executed.

• 43 (or 36 percent) were alleged by police to have weapons (including a cane, toy gun and bb gun) but this allegation is disputed by witnesses or later investigation.

• 22 (or 18 percent) were likely armed.

• In the first half of 2012, police alleged that 42 of the people they executed attempted to run away from them.

• 24 of the people who were killed allegedly pointed guns at officers and/or attempted to crash into them. Reports often do not mention if the officers were wearing uniforms or if the “suspects had any way of knowing their assailants were not civilians.

• 48 (40 percent of 120) of police accounts explicitly cite “suspicious behavior or appearance” or traffic violations as the reason for their attempt to detain the person who they eventually killed.

Obama Holds Narrow Lead Two Months Before Election Economy Remains Wild Card Amid Surge in Support By Zenitha Prince

Sept. 23, 2012

Obama Holds Narrow Lead Two Months Before Election
Economy Remains Wild Card Amid Surge in Support

By Zenitha Prince

Special to the Trice Edney Newswire from the Afro American Newspapers

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - From where Democrats sit, things are looking pretty good for their chances of holding on to the White House after the general election in November.

Coming out of the party’s national convention in North Carolina last week, President Obama received a spike in the polls, with at least one survey giving him a six percentage-point lead over Republican rival Mitt Romney.

“On the presidential level they (Democrats) feel comfortable because not only has there been a bounce in the national polls, but in key states, state polls have also seen an increase for Obama,” said Dotty Lynch, professor of public communication at American University and a long-time political analyst and pollster.

“New polls also show for the first time that Obama supporters are a little more enthusiastic for Obama than Romney’s [are for him],” she added.

The news has Democrats patting themselves on the back—though not too heartily.

“I don’t think they are overconfident,” Lynch said, “but they feel like they accomplished what they set out to do.”

What Democrats did in Charlotte was to rev up their core constituencies. Speakers such as Michelle Obama and Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown University student whom Rush Limbaugh called a slut when she testified in favor of having insurance plans cover contraception, appealed to women; actors Kal Pen, of the Harold and Kumar series, and Scarlett Johansson appealed to younger voters; San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and Cristina Saralegui, the “Latin Oprah,” appealed to Hispanics; Reps. John Lewis, a venerable civil rights leader from Georgia,” and Missouri Democrat Emanuel Cleaver appealed to African Americans; and former President Bill Clinton, in his inimitable, pragmatic style, appealed to independents and older Whites.

And they all cooperated to make the case for why Obama—and not Romney—should serve at the nation’s helm for another four years.

“The convention was very effective in highlighting the differences between what the Romney-Ryan ticket is standing for and what President Obama is standing for,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), a delegate at the convention.

But political experts and others warn that Democrats can only ride on the convention high for so long and that the race to the White House remains a tight one.

In a public memo issued Sept. 10, Romney pollster Neil Newhouse said people shouldn’t “get too worked up” over the latest polling.
“While some voters will feel a bit of a sugar-high from the conventions, the basic structure of the race has not changed significantly,” he wrote. “The reality of the Obama economy will reassert itself as the ultimate downfall of the Obama Presidency, and Mitt Romney will win this race.”

The inert economy—underscored by an August jobs report that depicted inadequate job creation and a disillusioned work force—remains Obama’s Achilles’ heel. Disappointment over the state of the country’s growth has turned a once zealous army of liberal Obama enthusiasts into troops of disenchanted volunteers and voters.

Independents, who in 2008 thought to give an un-tried hope-and-change peddler a chance, are now considering whether Romney, who has a record as a successful businessman, wouldn’t do a better job of revitalizing the economy.

“It (2008) was a more hopeful time…[And] I think Obama’s campaign made a mistake in overpromising what he could do,” Lynch said of the enthusiasm gap among Democratic voters. “It’s a more realistic time now.”

And because it is, Democrats will have a hard time in maintaining and translating to voters the level of excitement generated at the convention.

“They definitely helped themselves with the convention, but whether they can get their key supporters to come out and vote is the question,” Lynch added. “And that’s where Obama’s campaign needs to focus.”

Cummings, who is a surrogate for the Obama campaign, agreed.
“I am doing everything in my power to rally people out to vote,”the Maryland Democrat said, expressing concern about a somewhat apathetic electorate.

“My concern is that people will look at the polls and be excited about the convention and the bump the president received as result of the convention, [but] I don’t want them to get overconfident because there are so many forces working to keep us from voting,” he continued. “If people get too comfortable and confident they could say, ‘He’s got in it in the bag so he doesn’t need my vote.”

The Congressional Black Caucus member also expressed concern over the impact of Republican-led voter suppression efforts and also voter confusion created by changing election laws.

“Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have been pushing people to make sure and check their registration status and ensure that they have a proper ID when they go to vote,” he said.

Voter education will be among the key messages conveyed by about 40 Obama surrogates as they travel to swing states during the next couple of months, Cummings said. But mostly, the key message will be that another four years of the Obama administration is necessary for the future of the nation.

“What we’re going to have to do is go out and almost try to [make the case for Obama] as great as the (convention) speakers said it,” he said. “We’ve got to use the same points and lay it out in the systematic way that Clinton did and have the emotion that was conveyed by Mrs. Obama. That’s how we’re going to get people to the polls.”

Dr. Satcher Warns States to Expand Access to Dental Care for Poor Children By Dr. David Satcher

Sept. 16, 2012

Dr. Satcher Warns States to Expand Access to Dental Care for Poor Children
By Dr. David Satcher

satcher-david1

Dr. David Satcher

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from America's Wire

ATLANTA (TriceEdneyWire.com) - As states wrangle with whether or not to pursue Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, they should look carefully at the serious implications for oral health, especially for poor and minority children if Medicaid services are not expanded as originally envisioned under the ACA.

Twelve years ago, as Surgeon General of the United States, I issued a report calling attention to the profound disparities in oral health care across the country. I called it a silent epidemic. Twelve years later, some progress has been made, and it is no longer silent - but for many across the country, it is still a serious epidemic causing pain and harm to millions of poor and minority children. For instance, data from Georgia exemplifies the challenges that poor and minority children face in getting access to appropriate dental care.

In 2008, 15.9 percent of Georgians did not have health insurance and almost half - 41.5 percent - did not have dental insurance (Georgia Population Survey 2008). In 2007, visits to Georgia emergency rooms for preventable dental disease cost more than $23 million. The proportion of children with untreated tooth decay has dropped from 27 percent in 2005 to 19% in 2011, but that still means that close to a fifth of our state's children suffer unnecessary pain and health risks for something that is truly preventable. The majority of these children are poor or minority or can't see a dentist because of financial or geographic reasons.

When I issued my report, tooth decay was the single most common chronic childhood disease - five times more common than asthma. It still is. There were striking disparities in dental disease across the country. There still are. Thirty-seven percent of African American children and 41 percent of Hispanic children have untreated tooth decay, compared with 25 percent of white children. More than 50 million Americans live in areas where dentists do not practice and millions more can't gain access due to cost reasons.

It is time to get serious and pursue the framework for action that I set forth in my 2000 report. All health care professionals need to understand that good oral health means more than sound teeth. The mouth is really a window to the whole body. Oral health affects everything from the ability to speak, eat or smile. Poor oral health is linked to heart disease, stroke and other long-term illnesses. We need to engage other health professions in working to prevent oral disease.

As a country, we have made great strides in prevention, particularly with fluoride and sealants. But many do not have regular access to a dentist or school-based programs that offer some preventive care. That is why it is critical to expand access by seeking innovation on a number of fronts: in oral health policies, how we train our providers, exploring the creation of new dental providers, and building a cadre of ethnically-diverse, culturally-competent dental practitioners, as well as expanding the reach of the dental team with other health care professionals.

The country has a great opportunity to increase access to dental care under the ACA, which calls for extending oral health benefits to an additional five million children in 2014. Expansion of coverage, however, won't translate into access to care if we don't have enough providers to meet the need. Currently just 20 percent of practicing dentists treat Medicaid patients. How can we provide services to an additional five million children in 2014?

States need to think about this now. States should explore all options that could expand access to care, including allowing midlevel dental providers such as dental therapists to practice. They are trained to provide routine services, freeing up dentists to attend to more complicated procedures. These practitioners already work in Alaska and Minnesota. And in just a number of years, they have been able to expand access in Alaska alone to an additional 35,000 people who could not get regular care in their own communities.

It is imperative that everyone have access to the dental care they need. Different professionals can provide different, yet appropriate, levels of service. Our concern and approach to a solution ought to focus first on the patient, not the dental profession. We have an opportunity with the ACA to expand access. Will the medical and dental communities be ready?

.America's Wire is an independent, nonprofit news service run by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education and funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Our stories can be republished free of charge by newspapers, websites and other media sources. For more information, visit www.americaswire.org or contact Michael K. Frisby at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)

Rev. Jesse Jackson Wins Release of Two Americans from Gambia Prison By Butch Wing

Sept. 17, 2012

Rev. Jesse Jackson Wins Release of Two Americans from Gambia Prison
By Butch Wing

revjacksoninbanjul3

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and Dr. Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, President of the Republic of The Gambia. PHOTO:
Butch Wing

BANJUL, The Gambia (TriceEdneyWire.com) --After a face to face appeal by Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Monday, the President of Gambia agreed to release two American citizens into Rev. Jackson’s custody who were serving long prison sentences in the West Africa nation and allowed them to return to the United States with Jackson on Tuesday. The two men were to return to the U.S. by plane with Rev. Jackson from The Gambia.

One of the Americans, Amadou Scattred Janneh, a former professor at the University of Tennessee, is serving a life sentence for treason. Janneh has dual American and Gambia citizenship as does the other imprisoned American, Tamsir Jasseh, who was serving a 20-year sentence for treason. Tamsir is also a U.S. veteran and served in Desert Storm.

Dr. Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, President of the Republic of The Gambia and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, said, because of his respect for Jackson, "a renowned'' civil rights leader, he would allow the men to leave Gambia with Jackson on a flight to Brussels and then on to New York.

The President also agreed to extend indefinitely a moratorium on the death penalty and the execution of the 38 death row prisoners, and re-affirmed his commitment to allow the United Nations to investigate the disappearance of a Gambian newspaper reporter, shortly after being arrested by local authorities six years ago.

Rev. Jackson stated, “As a special joy, being able to take two Americans back home to their families. It was not a legal, but humanitarian plea. Those once scheduled to die are now to set to live. Those serving sentences of 20 years to life, are now scheduled to go home to their families. For that we thank God.”

This is the sixth time Rev. Jackson has traveled abroad to negotiate the release of U.S. citizens and people from other countries held captive – in Syria, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Cuba and Liberia, and now The Gambia.

US Ambassador to Gambia, Edward “Ned” Alford, applauded Rev. Jackson’s successful mission, saying, “Jackson came as a private citizen. We very much welcomed his visit and his effort He (Jackson) has a good track record of doing humanitarian interventions, and this is another one."

Jammeh has been under intense international pressure the last several weeks after announcing he planned to execute all 47 inmates on the country's death row. In late August, nine inmates, including a woman, were executed by firing squad.

The delegation accompanying Rev. Jackson includes ministers Dr. S. Todd Yeary of Baltimore and Dr. Sean McMillian of Chicago, and Columbia University religion professor, Obery M. Hendricks, and Rainbow PUSH staff members James Gomez, Butch Wing and Joseph Harris, to travel to Gambia to plead for mercy.

A day before the delegation arrived in Gambia, the President suspended the executions. Monday, after meeting with Rev. Jackson for several hours in his wood paneled office in the Gambian State House, Jammeh agreed to extend the moratorium indefinitely.

Rev. Jackson thanked the President for his "gesture of hope,'' adding, "These cases should not be allowed to divert'' the world's attention from the many "good stories'' of Gambia, including a free health care system, education and economic development.

He said, "The arrow is pointing upward.''

Michelle Obama Goes Solo at the CBCF Phoenix Awards Dinner By Hazel Trice Edney

Sept. 16, 2012

Michelle Obama Goes Solo at the CBCF Phoenix Awards Dinner
By Hazel Trice Edney

WASHINGTON (TriceEdneyWire.com) – For the first time during the administration of President Barack Obama he will not keynote the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner this Saturday, closing out the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference (CBC-ALC). Instead it will be First Lady Michelle Obama going solo before the audience of approximately 3,000 guests.

Mrs. Obama, still basking in accolades for her speech at the Democratic National Convention, will deliver the keynote address at the gala, held annually at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at the conclusion of the Foundation’s 42nd Annual Legislative Conference (ALC).

“We are so pleased that Mrs. Obama will serve as the keynote speaker for the awards dinner,” said Elsie L. Scott, president and chief executive officer for CBCF in a statement. "As a former CBC Spouse, Mrs. Obama is quite familiar with our mission at the Foundation and we are certain that her remarks will be both thought-provoking, and most importantly, inspire our audience to do their part to prepare the next generation of leaders.”

Mrs. Obama was involved with the CBC Spouses group when husband served in the U. S. Senate. Since his election as President, she has accompanied him every year to speak at the dinner. He is now heavily engaged on the campaign trail as he makes a bid for four more years in the White House.

Notably, last year the President gave a speech at the dinner that some perceived as a chiding to the CBC. The speech came after a series of summer job fairs held around the country by the CBC during which CBC members had become very vocal about the high unemployment rate in the Black community. His dinner speech appealed for the legislators to “Pass the jobs bill,” but the President went a step further: “I expect all of you to march with me and press on. Take off your bedroom slippers, put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying. We are going to press on. We’ve got work to do, CBC,” he concluded.

The audience responded with rousing applause and standing ovation, but not without some criticism. U. S. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) was quoted in the Florida Courier as saying the President’s language toward the CBC was “curious.”

Reporting on her interview on “Meet the Press”, the Courier quoted Waters as saying, “I’m not sure who the president was addressing…(he) spoke to the Hispanic Caucus…he certainly didn’t tell them to stop complaining about immigration. He never would say that to the gay and lesbian community who really pushed him on ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.” Even in a speech to AIPIC (the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee), he would never say to the Jewish community, “Stop complaining about Israel.”

A year later, Democrats - Black and White - appear to have set aside all quarrels, uniting to assure maximum participation by African-American voters. At the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, CBC members showed up in full force and Chairman Emmanuel Cleaver delivered compelling remarks directed to the President, pressing him to “Hope on!”

This Saturday’s dinner will be yet another chance to rally the troops as the dinner will no doubt pack in thousands at the close of the four-day series of issues forums and brain trusts by day and parties, receptions and networking by night. The Caucus, themed “Inspiring Leaders, Building Generations”, takes place Sept. 19-22.

Though the annual dinner is widely seen as the staple event, the National Town Hall meeting also draws thousands. This year’s town hall will focus on Voting Rights and New Age Discrimination. Information on all events, including the Annual Prayer Breakfast, which will feature keynote speaker Bishop Noel Jones, can be found at www.cbcinc.org.

The four Phoenix Awards recipients this year are:

U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. will receive The CBCF Chair's Award for “an individual whose work and accomplishments stand as a role model for the African-American community and the African Diaspora.”

Writer, director George Lucas will also receive The CBC Chair's Award for “an individual who exhibits the highest standards of dedication, ability and creativity.”

U. S. Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) and Charlotte’s first Black Mayor Harvey Gantt will each receive The Harold Washington Award for individuals who have “contributed immeasurably to African-American political awareness, empowerment and the advancement of minorities in the electoral process.”

Phoenix award recipients in past years have included Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson; Athlete, Entrepreneur and Humanitarian George Edward Foreman, Sr.; civil rights activist the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery; and civil rights activist U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga). A release describes the Phoenix Award as symbolizing “the immortality of the human spirit and an eternal desire to reach its full potential.”