1. law, govt and politics
2. law enforcement
3. police

FERGUSON NEWS
Keep the Movement Alive!
Send Donations of $1 or more to:African American Voice
(not tax-deductible)
P.O. Box 25003
Colorado Springs, CO 80936
HANDS UP
DON’T SHOOT!
November 2014
Special Supplement
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon’s Handling of the Michael Brown Shooting
A Glaring Example of Failed Leadership
By Jerroll Sanders
Ferguson, Missouri─Seconds after
the Michael Brown shooting on August
9, 2014, countless witnesses catalogued
events surrounding the shooting on their
cell phones. In a nearby apartment, an
audio recording underway captured the
sound of gunshots that rang out across
the apartment complex. Countless
witnesses with no prior relationship
provided accounts that were almost
unanimous in fact: Michael Brown
was fleeing from Police Officer Darren
Wilson and was shot when he turned to
surrender with his hands up.
Months later, Officer Wilson remains
free and protests continue as the nation
awaits the decision of the grand jury
charged with deciding Officer Wilson’s
fate. Many speculate as to what the
grand jury verdict will be. Others
brace for a blood bath, anticipating
that residents who take to the street
in pursuit of vigilante justice against
police officers will be met with military
might and tactical maneuvers honed
by law enforcement agents trained for
months prior to the Brown grand jury
announcement.
As the world looks on and ISIS
(Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) seeks
to capitalize on Ferguson’s unrest
by appealing for residents to join its
forces, many are asking, “How did we
in America get here?” Could this have
been avoided?
Responsibility for the turbulent state
of affairs in Ferguson, Missouri, and
the St. Louis Region lay at the feet of
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon who
abdicated his leadership responsibilities
by allowing brazen St. Louis Prosecuting
Attorney Robert P. McCulloch to stay
on the Brown Case. Missouri Law
allows Nixon to replace McCulloch
with an independent prosecutor—one
who could restore public confidence by
ensuring a comprehensive examination
of facts in full view of the public.
McCulloch’s decision to convene a
grand jury where he is the only presenter
of evidence rather than indict Officer
Wilson based upon probable cause is
highly suspect given his prior pattern of
not indicting officers for killing unarmed
African Americans. Public confidence
is further eroded by repeated leaks
from the Brown grand jury, seemingly
intended to bolster Wilson’s self-defense
claims. Also, McCulloch’s decision
to deter substantially from grand jury
protocol and release transcripts and
recordings of grand jury proceedings if
Wilson is not indicted is also being met
with suspicion.
The time has come for Governor
Nixon to replace McCulloch with an
independent prosecutor who can start
anew examining evidence pertaining to
the Michael Brown shooting and other
allegations of police abuse. ONUS,
Business leaders have a responsibilkty to get involved in important affairs
affect ing our community. We are calling upon leaders who head the
following companies to insist that Governor Nixon replace Robert P.
McCulloch with an independent prosecutor on the Michael Brown case and
other cases involving police shootings or allegations of police misconduct.
Please, do not buy products from the following companies until the boycott
is lifted:
Walmart and Sam’s Club;
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which also owns Alamo and National Car Rental
Companies as well as the Centric Group, which sells products to prisoners
in penetentiaries;
Emerson Electric, which sells ClosetMaid, InSinkerator, RIGID (Ridge Tool
Company) and WORKSHOP product brands; and
Anheuser-Busch Companies line of products.
www.changeisonus.org
Prosecutor Bob. McCulloch with a special prosecutor. No Justice, No Sales!
Jerroll Sanders
President
ONUS, Inc.
www.changeisonus.org
BCUP
Black Communities United for
Progress (BCUP) is a virtual
community formed in 2013
by organizations and activists
across the nation desiring to
create a global stage for rigorous
discourse and debate about
America’s racist public and
private policies. BCUP expects
that the presentation of differing
ideas and thoughts as well as indepth point and counterpoint
discussions will give rise to new
local and national partnerships
and initiatives. Such coalitions
will succeed in bringing an end to
devastating, life-diminishing acts
that rob African Americans and
others of peace, opportunity and
justice on a daily basis.
In this new millennium, American
discourse must rise to a higher
level of consciousness in order
to facilitate change based on
promoting human rights and
principles of equality. This
objective can be accomplished
only when thinking men and
women of all races, educational
backgrounds, and ages are no
longer at the sidelines. BCUP
is a place where you can join in
and help set a new agenda for
America by challenging outdated
and dysfunctional viewpoints
that do not serve the best
interests of African Americans
or other citizens at large. To that
end, ONUS and BCUP encourage
you to seek out those in this
forum who share your views,
align with them and ONUS,
and move the agenda of racial
equality to the forefront.
Economic Boycott of St. Louis Businesses
Flood Governnor Nixon’s phone line at 573.751.3222 and tell hime to replace
Inc. and Black Communities United for
Progress (BCUP) are calling upon St.
Louis business leaders, Senator Claire
McCaskill, Senator Roy Blunt other
congressional leaders and America’s
black leadership must demand that
Governor Nixon replace Bob McCulloch.
To do anything less arises to irresponsible
leadership and may result in leaders
having blood on their hands.
Michael Brown (18)
Anna Brown (29)
Kejieme Powell (25)
Vonderrit Myers (18)
Supported and Presented by Black Communities United For Progress
November 2014
www.africanamericanvoice.net
BLACK LIVES MATTER
Ferguson Struggle Emblematic Of National Oppression
collusion with politicians and their army
of police.
The same script has been written in
cities across the country, where qualityof-life ordinances, zero-tolerance
policies, school closings and cutbacks
of social services, and the break-up
of families through the destruction
of public housing — all of this —
feeds into a model that allows white
middle-class families who fled the
inner cities decades ago to move into
areas that were disinvested for years,
and then property is bought cheap and
redeveloped out from under the poor
residents of color.
By Larry Hales
Book-length analyses could be written
on the developments in Ferguson, Mo.,
the majority Black enclave outside St.
Louis where Michael Brown was shot
by Ferguson cop Darren Wilson on
August 9.
There is the killing itself and then
the callous way 18-year-old Michael
Brown’s body was left to lie in the sun,
the trauma it must have caused people in
the community, and the inevitable and
indelible scar left, plus the message that
somehow a Black life must be worth
less — what else could describe the
callous disregard — and the similarity
to the lynchings that preceded the Civil
Rights/Black Liberation struggle and
how they were used to terrorize and
send a message.
There is the neoliberal model and
the ethnic cleansing of neighborhoods
in St. Louis — more gently referred to
as gentrification — and how Ferguson,
which was a majority white, middleclass suburb two decades ago, became
an impoverished Black city with a
high unemployment rate, populated
by residents pushed out of St. Louis
neighborhoods by developers in
capitulating Black person by a cop has
been made a case of reasonable doubt
of Michael Brown’s innocence by virtue
of his Blackness underlies any proper
analysis.
It is another symptom of national
oppression. The mainstream bourgeois
media, the bourgeois government and
the state criminalize, vilify and make
pariahs out of people of color.
The “leaks” coming from Ferguson
point to a process that is purposely
trying to poison the memory of Michael
Brown. And they seemingly lay the
foundation that would justify another
heavy and repressive response from
"There have been attempts all along to smear Michael
Brown. The first was the video from the convenience
store, which the police department released to counter
the demand for the release of the name of the cop
who shot Brown.
The recent release of the autopsy results, which are
being submitted as evidence before the grand jury, is
another attempt to smear the young slain Black male
and paint Darren Wilson as a cop just doing his job
and protecting himself — instead of a person who shot
numerous times and shot to death an unarmed person
who had his hands up."
There are, of course, the rebellion and
the constant and consistent vigilance of
the people of Ferguson and St. Louis
County, supported from around the
country by the burgeoning movement
against police repression and what
may be the resurgence of the Black
Liberation movement.
However, the way in which an obvious
murder of yet another unarmed and
police forces in St. Louis County when
the grand jury makes its decision — a
decision many expect to be in favor of
no indictment of Darren Wilson.
Attempts to Smear Michael Brown
There have been attempts all along
to smear Michael Brown. The first was
the video from the convenience store,
which the police department released
to counter the demand for the release of
the name of the cop who shot Brown.
The recent release of the autopsy
results, which are being submitted
as evidence before the grand jury, is
another attempt to smear the young slain
Black male and paint Darren Wilson as
a cop just doing his job and protecting
himself — instead of a person who shot
numerous times and shot to death an
unarmed person who had his hands up.
That the autopsy results were released
as validating Wilson’s version of events
is another slant and slander. One can
think of several ways in which a person
could receive a bullet wound to the
hand, but such an explanation would
only be believable if it appeared in a
society where a Black life matters and a
young Black man has a right to his life
and, as in the case of Trayvon Martin
too, the right not to be victimized.
For this scenario, only Darren Wilson’s
account matters — not that of numerous
witnesses, not the fact that Brown was
unarmed, nor that Wilson initiated and
escalated a situation because he saw two
young Black men walking in the street.
What further adds to the anger — and
is a perfect example of white privilege
in U.S. society — is that Michael Brown
and protesters around the country have
been labeled thugs and worse, while
college-age whites who rampaged at a
pumpkin fest in Keane, N.H., and at a
football-related event in West Virginia
were treated with kid gloves. The
participants were called rowdy revelers
and mischief makers — none of the
racist, inflammatory language hurled at
people in Ferguson who responded to a
racist killing of a young college-bound
Black man.
Articles copyright 1995-2014 Workers
World. Verbatim copying and distribution
is permitted in any medium without
royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Larry Hales
Workers World
www.workers.org
TUCKER ARRESTED IN FERGUSON
By Margarita Stokes
On Monday, October 13, 2014, Dr.
James Tucker activist, disabled veteran,
and educator who is also the owner
and Editor of the African American
Voice was arrested on trespassing and
other contrived charges at Walmart in
Ferguson, Missouri, while shopping
for batteries for his bullhorn. Tucker
was in Ferguson Missouri to support
Moral Monday during the Weekend
of Resistance sponsored by a local
group of interfaith clergy leaders.
The weekend consisted of a series of
peaceful protests designed to protest the
shooting of Michael Brown and other
African Americans.
Tucker state that a security guard
approached him shortly after entering
the Walmart store, and asked, “Why
do you have a bull horn? Tucker states
that the security guard added, “You
can’t protest in the store.” Tucker says
he told the security guard, “I am not
protesting,” adding that he then walked
away. He says that Jerroll Sanders,
S2
President of Onus, Inc., a national
organization located in the St. Louis
area, and the security guard continued
talking. He says when Sanders joined
him, they browed the store while talking
about the incident.
According to Tucker, Ferguson
Police approached he and Sanders as
they neared the front of the store. He
explains that when he inquired why
he and Sanders were being told to
leave the store, he was handcuffed and
arrested by Ferguson Police. Tucker
was required to post a $1,000 bond and
spent several hours in jail, which caused
him to miss a large part of the protest,
including the planned arrests of Dr.
Cornell West, pastors, rabbis and other
religious leaders from various part of the
United States.
Tucker, claiming the unlawful arrest
violated his civil and human rights,
was charged with disobeying a lawful
order and trespassing. He was arrested
by the Ferguson Police and transported
to the St. Ann Police Department where
he was jailed. The Ferguson Jail area is
St. Ann Jail holding cell #1
currently being renovated.
Publisher's note: Mainstream media
is only telling part of the story and is
a major part of the problem. Why has
mainstream media stopped reporting on
www.africanamericanvoice.net
atrocities still occurring in Ferguson?
Our youth are standing up for justice.
They are demanding justice, equality,
and end to unfair and unjust policies,
and an end to police brutality.
November 2014
The Voice of African Americans in Colorado
" Give advice if people
don't listen, let
adversity teach."
- African Proverb
NOVEMBER 2014
KEEPING THE COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1991
FREE
When Compromised Technology Is a Living Nightmare
By Margarita Stokes
IMAGINE IF...
All your life you lived by the “Golden
Rule” and treated strangers and friends
alike--with kindness and respect. You
worked hard in school as a youngster
and received good grades because you
made an excellent effort at studying and
getting along with your teachers and
fellow students. Most of all you wanted
to make your parents proud.
Life down this path meant applying
and being accepted at the University
of Colorado, Boulder with the intent
of pursuing a degree in the sciences,
namely Mathematics. You graduate
with your degree in hand seeking to find
employment in your field of study. In
your case you have prepared diligently
and can work towards pharmaceutical
medicine. While this is a happy moment
in the span of your life, significant
challenges arise. In this case your mother,
a lifetime advocate of yours develops
serious health issues with her heart.
In that moment, without question, you
do not hesitate and make the necessary
sacrifices to ensure her care and become
her caregiver. Why wouldn’t you? After
all, she is the lady who brought you LIFE.
In April 2013, early one morning, a
nightmare beyond imagination strikes
the very fabric of your being and both
you and the mother you have cared for
so dearly are victims of false allegations
courtesy of vulnerabilities with your
internet provider’s security systems and
that malware has attacked millions of
users systems, including yours.
THIS IS THE STORY OF
MICHAEL FULTON
Michael’s mother Katie Lee, a God
fearing woman was in her apartment,
one morning, with her nightgown on
when Douglas and Arapahoe County
Sheriff’s Offices burst in and raided her
Continued on page 9
Michael Fulton and Katie Lee-Fulton (Michael's Mother)
Commissioners Recognize Local NAACP Ahead of Annual Gala
Black Communities United For Progress Demand Civil and Human Rights Protection
El Paso County, CO, October 21,
2014 – The Board of El Paso County
Commissioners at its regular meeting
on Thursday, October 16, approved a
Proclamation honoring the regional
chapter of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People.
The local branch of the NAACP, Unit
#4001, serves all of El Paso County and
its local volunteers are valued members
of the community.
“The Board of El Paso County
Commissioners, honors local NAACP
President Henry D. Allen Jr. and the
local NAACP staff and volunteers who
work to pursue true equality in all facets
of life in the Pikes Peak region,” said
Commissioner Vice Chair Amy Lathen as
she read the Proclamation into the record.
The NAACP was founded in 1909 and
is the nation’s largest and oldest civil
rights organization leading the fight for
social justice and economic opportunity
for all Americans.
The NAACP 2014 Freedom Fund
Gala, with the theme “Rejuvenating
Our Past, Reaffirming Our Present and
Providing Resources for Our Future”
was held Friday, October 17, 2014 at
Cheyenne Mountain Resort. Ryan P.
Haygood, director of the NAACP Legal
Defense and Educational Fund, was the
keynote speaker. The fund promotes the
full, equal and active participation of all
people in the democratic process.
Publisher’s Note:
The African American Voice and
Black Communities United For
Progress challenge Attorney Darryl
Glenn, El Paso County Commissioner
and other commissioners to demonstrate
a commitment to civil and human rights
by adopting an ordinance to protect
the rights of Blacks, Latinos, Asians
and Native Americans. The African
American Voice and Black Communities
United for Progress further demands
that El Paso County Commissioners
Left to Right: Commissioner Darryl Glenn, Commissioner Amy Lathen, Local NAACP President
Henry Allen and Commissioner Peggy Littleton.
establish a human relations commission
with enforcement power to alleviate
racial discrimination. civilian review
board to monitor the conduct of El
Paso County Sheriff to ensure equality
for Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Native
Americans living in El Paso County.
El Paso County
www.elpasoco.com
Amnesty International Declares Michael Brown’s Death A Human Rights Abuse
By April V. Taylor
For the first time in the history of the
United States, Amnesty International
has documented human rights abuses on
American soil. The report entitled, “On
The Streets of America: Human Rights
Abuses In Ferguson,” declares Michael
Brown’s death a human rights abuse
and also highlights abuses that include
November 2014
police reactions to protesters and racist
policing tactics across the country.
Specifically regarding Officer Wilson
killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown,
the report states that Wilson’s use of lethal
force was a violation of the UN Code of
Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials
and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of
Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement
Officials. While acknowledging the
danger face by law enforcement officers,
the report states that, “Officers may use
firearms as a last resort – when strictly
necessary to protect themselves or others
against the imminent threat of death or
serious injury.”
April V. Taylor
Your Black World
www.yourblackworld.net
www.africanamericanvoice.net
FERGUSON
What to Look For In Dueling Autopsies of Michael Brown
Photo, New America Media
By A.C. Thompson
(NAM) - In the next few weeks,
separate teams of doctors will issue
autopsy reports about Michael Brown,
the unarmed African American shot to
death by a police officer in Ferguson,
Missouri. If history is any guide, they
will differ, perhaps significantly, on
how to interpret the gunshot wounds on
his body. Michael Baden, the veteran
medical examiner chosen to autopsy the
body by Brown’s family, has released
the preliminary results of his autopsy
and both the St. Louis County Medical
Examiner and U.S. Justice Department
have announced plans to conduct or
commission separate post mortems.
As a journalist, I’ve read roughly
1,000 autopsy reports and spent much of
my career reporting on fatal encounters
between police officers and civilians.
Here’s some of what Baden found and
what experts will be looking for as they
examine Brown’s corpse:
1. Evidence that Brown was fleeing
from the officer who shot him, Darren
Wilson. Shots to the back are a red flag,
indicating the victim may have been
running from the officer rather than
attacking. The basic law on use of force
turns on whether a police officer acted
from a “reasonable belief” that he or
she was facing a lethal threat. Baden
— who was hired by Brown’s family
— believes Brown was shot at least six
times with all the bullets striking him
from the front.
2. Signs of a physical altercation.
Forensic pathologists study the exterior
of the body for bruises, scrapes and
lacerations which can be signs that
a scuffle preceded the fatal shots.
Witnesses have said Brown and Wilson
wrestled in the moments before the
killing. On Baden’s diagram of Brown’s
body, the doctor does not appear to have
noted any significant injuries other than
the gun shot wounds. Baden did not find
gunpowder residue on Brown’s hands,
one piece of evidence that would likely
be present if the two men were struggling
for control of a gun discharged at
close range.
3. Bullet trajectory. Shots fired at
a downward angle may indicate the
officer fired while the victim was on his
knees or laying on the ground. A person
in those positions generally poses less
of a physical threat. Baden said a shot
to Brown’s head appeared to have come
from above; he believes this was the
fatal shot.
4. Number of shots. Baden voiced
concern over the fact that Brown was
hit by at least six shots. The doctor,
who served earlier in his career as
chief medical examiner for New York
City and as an expert for the New
York State Police, was quoted by the
New York Times as saying, “In my
capacity as the forensic examiner for
the New York State Police, I would
say, ‘You’re not supposed to shoot so
many times.’” The number of shots may
or may not be significant. Training on
lethal force varies from department to
department. Many forces train officers
to continue firing until the suspect has
been completely subdued. Some experts
say that incidents in which a civilian
has been hit with a single shot are more
suspicious than those with multiple
shots: The lone bullet could have been
fired accidentally or in a moment
of rage.
5. Gunshot residue. The presence
of gunshot residue (GSR) on the skin
or clothes of the victim may mean
that the person was shot at very close
range. Baden found no GSR on Brown’s
body, but said he did not scrutinize his
clothing. Additionally, bullets fired
from a few inches away leave distinct
wound patterns on the flesh. Baden’s
report suggests the shots were fired
from further away.
6. The presence of alcohol or drugs.
Baden has not reviewed the toxicology
tests, but results of those tests should
be available soon (though it could take
the authorities months to release them).
Forensic pathologists typically fill vials
with bodily fluids — urine, blood, or
vitreous humor, the fluid within the
eyeballs — and send them off to outside
laboratories to be screened for alcohol,
prescription drugs, and street drugs.
If drugs or alcohol are discovered
Brown’s system, that information might
provide some additional context to the
fatal events.
In some police-civilian clashes, the
evidence discovered during an autopsy
turns out to be crucial. In the case of
Michael Brown, it’s not clear how
useful this trio of autopsies will be.
As the nation tries to understand what
happened on August 9, the autopsy
results may well not prove conclusive
on the key questions.
A.C. Thompson covers criminal
justice issues for ProPublica. He has
been a reporter for 12 years, mostly in
the San Francisco Bay area. He started
his journalism career with PNS/NAM.
Article from New America Media
Article Link: http://newamericamedia.
org/2014/10/what-to-look-for-in-duelingautopsies-of-michael-brown.php
By A.C. Thompson
ProPublica
www.propublica.org
The Monster St. Louis Created – The Ferguson Riots
By Dr. Karen Little
To understand Ferguson, one must first
understand Kinloch. Kinloch, Missouri
was the first Black incorporated
community in the entire state. Kinloch
was a proud place, full of hard working,
self-sustaining middle class Black folk.
Kinloch was home to many institutions
including Dunbar Elementary School,
named after Paul Lawrence Dunbar,
which still holds the record as the
longest-operated school for Blacks only.
By the 1980’s, residents of Kinloch
were forced out of their homes as a
result of unfair evictions and illegal
foreclosures by rich whites, under the
guise of The City of St. Louis, and the
expansion of the Lambert-St. Louis
International Airport.
As if this unjust mass exodus wasn’t
enough, this once proud property
owning community of Blacks was
forced to relocate to places such as
Ferguson. Ferguson is one of many
neighboring towns that forbade Blacks
from owning property or land. These
historically racially unfair laws meant
no more Black owned schools, no more
Black owned churches, no more Black
owned homes, no more Black owned
store fronts…..no more Black pride.
As a result, corrupt police officers and
politicians, crime and unemployment
escalated. Generations of glory days
of Black doctors, lawyers, politicians,
teachers and laborers were systematically
destroyed by the establishment.
This is the same establishment, today,
represented by Darren Wilson. Darren
Wilson is the cop who shot Michael Brown.
Seemingly isolated as it appears, the riots
and outcries taking place in Ferguson are
reactions to a shameful racially motivated
history that, by design, has left race and
class a problem in Ferguson. It created
a problem that supports police brutality,
2
www.africanamericanvoice.net
housing discrimination, academic
imbalance and unemployment as
acceptable and enforceable.
Whatever happened to Kinloch you
ask? It is now a large vacant land mass
used for dumping. It’s once beautiful
homes, apartments and schools that
created peaceful citizens are now
condemned and dilapidated buildings.
So think twice before you are so quick
to call the Ferguson riots a knee jerk
reaction. It’s actually a result of the
monster St. Louis created.
Dr. Karen Little
Big Momma Remedies
www.bigmommaremedies.com
November 2014
COMMUNITY
In Historic Police Brutality Case, Family of Homeless Denver Pastor
Killed in Custody Awarded $4.6M
Photo, Democracy Now
From Democracy Now
As Denver faces a string of police
brutality cases, a federal jury has awarded
a historic $4.6 million in damages to the
family of a homeless preacher killed
while he was in the booking area of the
Denver jail. Marvin Booker died after
he was grabbed and then piled on by a
team of officers who handcuffed him,
put him in a chokehold and tasered him.
The coroner ruled his death a homicide,
but prosecutors declined to charge the
deputies involved, and Denver Sheriff
Department officials never disciplined
them, saying Booker could have harmed
someone and that force was needed
to restrain him. The case highlights
a history of alleged misconduct by
the police department, and has added
momentum to calls for reform both
locally and nationwide in the aftermath
of calls for justice in the killing of
unarmed teenager Michael Brown by
an officer in Ferguson. We are joined
by two guests: Rev. Reginald Holmes,
pastor of the New Covenant Christian
Church/Alpha and Omega Ministries,
who has been a leading voice calling
for law enforcement accountability, and
Susan Greene, editor of The Colorado
Independent and longtime reporter
formerly with The Denver Post.
Transcript Excerpt:
AMY GOODMAN: We’re on the road
in Denver, Colorado, broadcasting from
the studios of Open Media Foundation/
Denver Open Media. Denver has been
plagued by a string of police brutality
cases, and this week a federal jury
awarded an historic $4.6 million to the
family of a homeless preacher who died
when sheriff’s deputies used excessive
force against him. Marvin Booker
was a homeless street preacher from a
prominent family of Southern preachers.
In 2010, he was killed by deputies in the
booking room of the Denver jail.
Surveillance video of Booker’s death
shows what happened. A warning to
our TV viewers, as we show the video
now, it contains disturbing content. It
shows Marvin Booker being grabbed
by an officer, then piled on by a team
of officers, who then restrain him in
handcuffs and put him in a chokehold.
After he appears motionless, he’s then
tasered. Eventually, deputies carry him
out of sight of the camera. Booker was
pronounced dead hours later in what the
coroner ruled a homicide. Prosecutors
declined to charge the deputies involved,
and Sheriff’s Department officials never
disciplined them, saying they believed
Booker could harm someone and that
force was needed to restrain him.
On Tuesday, Booker’s family and
supporters gathered on the steps of
Denver’s city jail after a jury awarded
the Booker family $4.65 million in
compensation and damages. This is
Reverend Timothy Tyler, pastor at
Shorter Community AME Church
in Denver.
REV. TIMOTHY TYLER: Today, in
the court of law, a jury stood up. A body
of authority stood up for the first time in
four years and declared that five sheriff
deputies were guilty of excessive force,
leading to the death of Marvin Lewis
Booker. All Marvin wanted to do was
get his shoes.
Democracy Now
www.democracynow.org
Charity Gala Features Cuisine by 100 Gentlemen As Chefs
Denver, CO – This November, 100
Men Who Cook, Inc. will host its
annual 1,000 person black-tie gala,
which will raise funds for local youth
charities, Struggle of Love Foundation,
Colorado Starlites Drum and Drill
Team and Jazz C.A.F.E. (Cultivating a
Future of Excellence). The fundraiser
will take place on Saturday, November
29th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Denver
International Airport Convention Center
from 6:00 pm to midnight.
The 100 Men Who Cook Fundraiser
will feature a diverse group of 100
men from throughout the community
preparing their homemade, mouthwatering specialties for sampling
by guests including Denver Mayor
Michael B. Hancock. Mayor Hancock
will prepare his family macaroni and
Photo, Brooks Marketing Group
We Keep Your Culture Alive!
African American Voice is Colorado's Black news
source, online, in print every month, and mobile. All
the time at africanamericanvoice.net
cheese for tasting at the gala, comedian
Sam Adams will amuse the crowd
as master of ceremonies, and guests
will be treated to casino excitement
and live entertainment by national
recording artists reSurface formally
known as Surface. The evening will be
highlighted by a VIP reception featuring
entertainment by Denver First Lady,
Mary Louise Lee.
“We are extremely thankful to have
support from such distinguished men
from around Denver willing to invest
their personal time in our youth,” says
Chief Operating Officer, Norma Paige,
noting Mayor Hancock, Dr. Collis
Johnson and long-time participating
chefs Dr. Johnny Johnson and Walter
Gray. “The thought that this one event
Continued on page 8
Search African American Voice on Facebook
[email protected]
719.528.1954
Read the African American Voice Online!
Anytime Anywhere.
Visit www.africanamericanvoice.net
November 2014
www.africanamericanvoice.net
3
HEALTH
3 Fitness Apps to Get You Back on Track
Kim Farmer
We all want to be fit and feel better
about ourselves but with a busy
schedule its easy to find excuses to not
fit exercise into your daily schedule.
Good news! You don’t need to make
excuses anymore. In case you haven’t
kept up on the bazillion fitness apps
available, they can do everything from
monitoring your heart rate to tracking
James Tucker
Publisher
Phone: 719.528.1954
[email protected]
Undray Tucker
Associate Publisher
[email protected]
Howard Smith (Independent Contractor)
H-zero Designs
Layout and Graphic Design
Reginald Watson
Webmaster
Columnists:
James Clingman
Kim Farmer
Margarita Stokes
Jerroll Sanders
Dr. Conrad Worrill
The African American Voice is published
monthly by The African American
Voice Newspaper, Inc. The contents of
this publication are copyrighted by The
African American Voice Newspaper, Inc.
Reproductions or use of content in any manner
is prohibited without prior written consent.
The Black Press Creed
The Black Press believes that America
can best lead the world away from racial
and national antagonism when it affords
to all people – regardless of race, color
or creed – their human and legal rights.
Hating no person and fearing no person,
the Black Press strives to help every
person in the firm belief that all are hurt
as long as anyone is held back.
Contact us at 719.528.1954 or
[email protected]
African American Voice
P.O. Box 25003
Colorado Springs, CO 80936
your sleeping habits to providing you
with customized workouts and healthy
meal plans. Whether you belong to a
gym or not, these apps can get you back
on track and feeling good. Here are just
three apps to download to get started:
NIKE TRAINING CLUB
If you want to get some serious cardio
and strength training in, get the Nike
Training Club app. This training app
gives you 90 customized workouts
based on your goals. You can choose
between getting lean, toned, strong or
focused and also set your fitness level
as beginner, intermediate or advanced.
The app will then customize a few fulllength workout sessions, each one being
30 to 45 minutes long.
The workouts come with step-bystep instructions and are illustrated
with HD photos of each exercise. The
workouts are timed and go directly from
one workout into the next. You also can
unlock bonus workouts designed by
professional athletes.
Nike Training Club is free for Android
and iPhone users and has workouts
appropriate for both men and women.
GAIN FITNESS
This app concentrates on muscle
building and is highly customizable.
You begin by choosing a goal (health,
fat loss or muscle gain), and then choose
the workout type (abs, upper body or
lower body). You also can choose the
equipment you would like to work with
such as dumbbells, resistance bands or
sturdy furniture like tables and chairs.
GAINFitness takes care of the rest
by designing a workout specifically
or you.
There are videos for you to follow
while an actual trainer explains the
exercise and offers encouraging
comments throughout the workout.
Furthermore, the app includes a calendar
that sends you push notifications when
you miss a workout. It also tracks how
many calories you’ve burned and how
you are progressing.
GAINFitness is free for iPhone users.
Workouts are free, but you can purchase
additional packs such as yoga or
basketball training that run from $3.00
to $30.00.
FITNESS BUDDY
Fitness Buddy is the be-all, endall in virtual training apps. It has over
1,700 exercises and 45 full-length
workouts. Plus, it has over 1,000 videos
and photos with HD and retina display
resolution, which syncs perfectly with
the iPad Mini. Each workout gives you
instructions, and you can listen to music
while you exercise.
The cool thing about this app is that it
provides you with workouts using gym
equipment such as barbells, kettlebells
and resistance bands. So, if you have a
gym membership or an at-home gym
and you don’t know what to do, this app
will help guide you through a workout.
Additionally, you can train for different
sports like tennis, hockey and baseball.
Moreover, you can input the amount
of reps and weight you used for each
exercise and your body weight and heart
rate so the app will track everything in
a graph format. Fitness Buddy is $0.99
for both Android and iPhone users.
Background music is provided on the
paid version.
So, you no longer have any excuses
for not being able to exercise. Download
and follow the apps to be a healthier
version of yourself!
Contributor: Kim Farmer of Mile
High Fitness. Mile High Fitness
offers in-home personal training
and corporate fitness solutions.
Visit www.milehighfitness.com/
personaltraining or email inquires@
milehighfitness.com
Support the Black Press
by Advertising!
Call 719.528.1954
or visit
africanamericanvoice.net
for more information.
Keeping the Community
Informed Since 1991!
4
www.africanamericanvoice.net
November 2014
EDUCATION
James Smithson Fellowship Program
The Smithsonian Office of Fellowships
and Internships (OFI) is currently
accepting applications for the 2015
James Smithson Fellowship Program.
Named after our founder and
funded through the generosity of past
Smithsonian National Board Chair Paul
Neely, this premier fellowship offers
post-doctoral scholars in the fields of
science, the humanities and the arts an
opportunity to examine the interplay
between research and public policy/
discourse in our nation’s capital.
This program combines the best of
the Smithsonian’s vast scholarship and
collections with its unparalleled access
to leading thought leaders and policymakers. Fellowships last one year and
include a stipend of $53,000.
Application deadline for the 2015
cycle is January 15, 2015.
Santa for Hire
Available For:
Holiday Events/Parties
Guest Appearances
For More Information:
719-572-6621 or [email protected]
Veteran Owned Business Since 1991 To place an ad or for more information, call: 719.528.1954
November 2014
www.africanamericanvoice.net
5
BLACKONOMICS
The Black Power Conundrum
James Clingman
Frederick Douglass said, “Power
concedes nothing without a demand,
it never did and never will.” I often
wonder what Black people do not
understand about that statement. We
love to quote it, but when it comes to
putting it into practice we fall far short
of the spirit of Douglass’ words. Maybe
Douglass should have added this caveat:
A demand is nothing without power to
back it up.
In response to incidents of injustice
we are quick to resort to the same old
tactics directed by leaders who sell us
out. They tell us, as our President told
the Congressional Black Caucus a few
years ago: “Take off your bedroom
slippers. Put on your marching shoes,”
and hit the streets chanting and singing
in an effort to show our discontent.
We gather in churches and listen
to fiery speeches; we hold press
conferences and show our disdain
for the system and its oppressive
behavior toward Black people. We
offer milquetoast solutions to the worst
of crimes against us. For instance,
in Ferguson, Missouri, Al Sharpton
advised us to stop having “ghetto pity
parties.” John Lewis called for martial
law in Ferguson. (I am still trying to
6
figure how he thinks implementing
martial law, which has the power to
suspend civil rights, is the answer to a
problem he and others consider to be a
suppression of civil rights.) Other iconic
leaders say the problems in Ferguson
can be solved simply by “voting.”
Tepid solutions offered by our
“leaders” do absolutely nothing to
change our situation, because there
is no power behind them. Demands
sound great and make for good photo
opportunities and press conferences,
but they fall on deaf ears because they
have no power backing them up. Thus,
the conundrum of so-called Black
power. We know that power concedes
nothing without a demand, but a
demand not backed by real power gets
no concessions.
In their quest to be important, many of
our leaders are, as a comedian once said,
“Impotent,” which only exacerbates
our collective situation and keeps us
running like a hamster inside a wheel—
going nowhere.
What we hear and see from some of
our leaders is shameful and insulting
to Black people. Instead of, or even in
addition to, putting forth their weak
responses to killings on all levels,
they should also offer strategies based
on economic power. That’s where
the issue will be solved, but we are
woefully inadequate when it comes to
implementing economic sanctions that
will bring real change.
Some of the local leaders in Ferguson
understand the power of economics
and have been promoting solutions
thereof, but they had to take a backseat
to the fly-in crowd, toward whom the
media gravitated. Now that things have
calmed down and the opportunists have
left Ferguson, the folks who live there,
along with continued collaboration
with young advocates for economic
solutions, can work together.
It is sad to see Black “powerbrokers”
strut to the microphones and threaten
folks, only to walk away with their
proverbial tails between their legs, having
received absolutely no concessions
from the establishment. Rather than
contenders, these folks are pretenders;
and rather than powerbrokers, they are
really “power-broke.” The conundrum
of today’s notion of Black power resides
in false bravado and impotence.
Anheuser Busch (A-B), Radisson, and
Nike withdrew their economic support
from the NFL. They know exactly where
power resides: in dollar bills, y’all.
They wielded their power immediately
to show their “outrage” about domestic
and child abuse.
A-B, domiciled in St. Louis, said, “We
are not yet satisfied with the league’s
handling of behaviors that so clearly go
against our own company culture and
moral code.” A-B took serious action
against child abuse in Adrian Peterson’s
case, but did nothing in response to
Michael Brown’s abuse that occurred in
their back yard. Did that go against their
“moral code”?
Apparently Nike was not outraged
by Eric Garner, Ezell Ford, and John
Crawford, being “abused.” Pardon me,
but isn’t abuse—no matter the form—
still abuse? Pepsi Cola CEO, Indra
Nooyi, spoke against the NFL but voiced
no indignation about Marlene Pinnock’s
abuse on a California highway?
Hypocrisy abounds in reactions to
Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, as with
Michael Vick and his abuse of dogs,
for heaven’s sake. Dogs! But those
company execs and others fail to speak
out and use their economic clout to
put a stop to the abuse of their Black
consumers by police officers because
www.africanamericanvoice.net
we have no power behind our demands.
Folks with power are not reluctant to
use it to punish those who do not operate
in their best interests. Black power has
been reduced to calling for and falling
for voting rallies and worn out speeches
laced with demands not backed up by
any real power at all.
James Clingman
Writer on Economic Empowerment
www.blackonomics.com
Images, Blackonomics
November 2014
Veterans Day
Honor those who Served
"Many Hands Make Light Work" - African Proverb (See A3 for meaning)
November 2014
Veteran Supplement
Free
Black Veteran Betrayed by the Constitution
NCO Creed
No one is more professional than I. I am a noncommissioned officer, a leader of Soldiers. As a noncommissioned officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is
known as "The Backbone of the Army". I am proud of the Corps of noncommissioned officers and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the Corps, the military service
and my country regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or personal safety.
Competence is my watchword. My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind—accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my Soldiers. I will strive to remain
technically and tactically proficient. I am aware of my role as a noncommissioned officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in that role. All Soldiers are entitled to outstanding
leadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my Soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own. I will communicate consistently with my Soldiers and never leave them
uninformed. I will be fair and impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.
Officers of my unit will have maximum time to accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as that of my Soldiers. I will
be loyal to those with whom I serve; seniors, peers, and subordinates alike. I will exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor my moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my comrades to forget that we are professionals, noncommissioned officers, leaders!
Black Press Creed
The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonism when it affords to all people – regardless of race, color or creed – their human and
legal rights. Hating no person and fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.
November 2014
www.africanamericanvoice.net
A1
VETERANS
Fort Carson: No Equal Justice for Blacks
10 FACTS ABOUT FORT CARSON LEADERS
Violated Freedom of Information Act
1. Refuses to provide documents to attorneys assisting the African American Voice and
James Tucker to protect our constitutional rights.
Destruction of personal property - Violation of Civil and Human Rights
2. Destroyed African American Voice newspapers and newspaper racks.
Violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
3. Advertises with “White Only” newspapers and ignores Black newspapers.
Supports Title VI Civil Rights Violators
4. Allow Civil Rights Violators to advertise in “White Only” newspapers such as the
Mountaineer, Gazette, Fountain Valley News, etc that are allowed to be distributed on post.
Constitutional Violations
5. Violates James Tucker’s and African American Voice's First Amendment rights by refusing
to allow the African American Voice to be distributed on post after twenty-two years.
Verbal Racial Harassment And Intimidation
6. Informed James Tucker by phone calls, letter and several times in person that the
African American Voice was not allowed on post while White newspaper owners and
publishers were not treated the same.
Discrimination
7. Denies African American Voice advertisers access to the Fort Carson market and
discriminates against Black businesses, other advertisers and Fort Carson soldiers.
Fourteenth Amendment
8. Ignores James Tucker’s rights as a citizen and decorated combat veteran to enjoy the
same rights and privileges as Whites.
A2
Second Class Citizen
9. Refuses to protect Black civil and human rights on post.
Culturally Insensitive and Disrespectful
10. Continues to be disrespectful and culturally insensitivity to the history of Blacks and
El Paso County Black Communities United For Progress.
Major General Paul J. LaCamera
Fort Carson
Commanding General
Colonel Joel D. Hamilton
Fort Carson
Garrison Commander
Colonel Dennis P. LeMaster
Evans Army Community Hospital
Commander
Fort Carson officials refused to respond to Denver ACLU when questioned
about their racist practices. Fort Carson officials ignored their request....It
has been over a year...The African American Voice was banned without
an explanation.
Fort Carson Leaders violate the U.S. Constitution.
www.africanamericanvoice.net
November 2014
VETERANS
The Call of Conscience: The Long Journey of Isaac Decatur, Jr.
By Margarita Stokes
For nearly fifteen years, former US
Navy veteran, Isaac Decatur has fought
to do what is right. In 1987 , he began
working at the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) a cabinet level
agency operating the nation’s largest
integrated health care system. While
working as a supervisor with the VA
at the New Orleans Medical Center,
Decatur prided himself in maintaining
the VA’s publicly reported high standards
of integrity. In 2005, however, his high
regard of the VA changed. Hurricane
Katrina touchdown and devastated the
Gulf Coast region; much in the same
way upper management devastated the
lives of dedicated employees who cited
improper workplace practices which
badly affected veterans, their families
and survivors.
Decatur reported to senior staff the
violations that were occurring within
the VA​.
His reward for reporting internal
transgressions was reprisal. Similar to
the other whistleblowers who dared to
expose abuses within the Department,
he was left to languish in a hostile
workplace. Management moved quickly
to put him on the “VA Blacklist.” The
persons recorded on the “VA Blacklist”
were typically harassed and, like Isaac
Decatur, they were either reassigned or
removed from the federal service. In
Decatur’s case, he was relocated to North
Carolina and then Washington, D.C.
Today, Isaac Decatur no longer works
for the VA. He was removed from his
government job in 2007. His involuntary
separation from federal service was the
price he paid for his moral stand to expose
civil rights violations, for filing an Equal
Employment Opportunity complaint
and for “proving” discrimination
against the VA. An undaunted Decatur,
often recalls his father’s steadfastness
and duty as he proudly served in the
Pacific theater during World War II. He
recalls how his father helped pave the
way for so many blacks who eventually
joined the United States Armed Service
to fight for their nation. This dedication
to honored service drives Decatur in
demanding to be made whole. He seeks
to be made whole for the harm that he
and others have endured in their stand
for the truth against an overbearing
bureaucratic system. Decatur was
able to verify that VA Management in
at the New Orleans Medical Center
knowingly and consistently violated
civil rights laws. In fact, Sloan Gibson,
the acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
expressed regret about the retaliatory
and unfair actions management officials
took against Decatur. An apology only
goes so far. Isaac Decatur and others,
who have been victimized by upper
level managers, want their due process.
They want justice to prevail.
Issac Decatur in Washington D.C. by the Rosa Parks Statue.
Veterans Day: A Brief History
Veterans Day, which we celebrate on
November 11, was established in 1926,
but to understand its origins and its given
name, we must explore the remnants of
the First World War.
In 1921, an unknown WWI American
soldier was buried on a hillside
overlooking the Potomac River. This
site was Arlington National Cemetery. In
England and France, similar ceremonies
occurred at Westminster Abbey and
the Arc De Triomphe. These memorial
gestures all took place on November 11
in recognition of the ending of WWI
in the eleventh hour of the eleventh
day of the eleventh month of 1918.
This day became known worldwide
as “Armistice Day,” and, in 1938,
Congress proclaimed Armistice Day a
national holiday in America.
Had the Second World War not
erupted, November 11 might still be
called Armistice Day, but of course,
the “War to end all wars” was only
a precursor to an even more hideous
event – World War II. During America’s
four-year involvement, 16.5 million
Americans took part in the war and
400,000 of them died in service – more
than 300,000 on the battlefield. Each
of these great wars was followed by
other less expensive, but no less costly
conflicts – Korea and Vietnam among
the two most notable.
Since WWI, unknown soldiers from
the Second World War, Korea and
Vietnam have also been buried at the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and
Armistice Day has become Veterans
Day to honor all men and women who
have selflessly served America in times
of war.
For a short 10 year period beginning in
1968, Veterans Day was commemorated
on the fourth Monday in October, but
eventually the historic significance of
November 11 prevailed, and in 1978,
Congress reinstated the observance to its
traditional day. However, one tradition
has not changed—the focal point of
official national ceremonies continues
to be the memorial amphitheater built
around the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier on the hillside overlooking
the Potomac.
Reprinted with Permission by Ed Billings
"Many Hands Make Light Work" African Proverb Meaning: We must stick together for the common good.
November 2014
www.africanamericanvoice.net
A3
COALITION FOR CHANGE
Justice Dept.’s Time Bar Scheme Serves to Derail
Civil Rights, Coalition Leaders Say
(PRLog) WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ),
recently raised the statute 28 U.S.C. §
2401 (a) with the courts. The general
catchall statute sets a six-year limitation
period on non-tort civil claims against
the United States. The DoJ, which has
been representing the U.S. Department
of Commerce for years in a race based
complaint that two African American
females filed against the Commerce
Department nearly twenty (20) years
ago, presented the statute in the case of
Janet Howard and Joyce E. Megginson
v. Rebecca Blank, Secretary-U.S.
Department of Commerce, Civil Action
No. 05-1968. Most recently, the DoJ
defended the statute in the Janet Howard
and Joyce E. Megginson v. Penny
Pritzker, Secretary-U.S. Department
of Commerce proceedings (Cas. Nos.
12-5370 and 12-5392).
Coalition leaders of civil and human
rights groups say the Justice Department
has intentionally misplaced the statute
in the Howard/Megginson federal
employment case. The coalition of
leaders say 28 U.S.C. § 2401 (a) does
not apply to the federal redress system
because Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 (Title VII), establishes specific
times when a federal employee “may
file a civil action” for employment
discrimination.
Court records show that the
longstanding case of Howard /
Megginson (Civil Action No. 05-1968),
arose from an employment race-based
class action against the Department of
Commerce (DoC). Howard filed the
class complaint in 1995. She alleged
that the DoC violated Title VII, by
using overly subjective performanceappraisal criteria that resulted in a
disparate impact on African American
employees with respect to promotions
and promotion-related opportunities.
After pursuing the class complaint
in the administrative process for ten
years, Janet Howard, along with Joyce
E. Megginson and others, filed suit on
October 5, 2005 in the U.S. District
Court of the District of Columbia.
Motions to the court unveil how
Justice Department attorneys sought,
over the years, to have the claims of
Howard / Megginson “dismissed” to
prevent the case from going to trial.
On September 19, 2012, the presiding
U.S. District Court Judge John D.
Bates, granted the DoJ’s motion to
dismiss the Howard/Megginson v
Pritzker complaint for lack of subject
matter jurisdiction. Judge Bates stated
that the plaintiffs’ claims were “barred
by § 2401(a) because they accrued six
years before the date of the original
complaint.”
In November 2012, Howard and
Megginson appealed Judge Bates
decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit
(CADC). The Court of Appeals heard
oral arguments on October 10, 2014.
The court-appointed law firm of Jenner
& Block, LLP, prepared an amicus
curaie brief and argued the case for
the appellants Howard and Megginson
(Cas. Nos. 12-5370 and 12-5392).
“I am so proud to share this moment
in history with Janet Howard and
Joyce E. Megginson,” said Tanya Ward
Jordan, President of The Coalition
For Change, Inc. (C4C). “They have
sacrificed much in their unwaivering
pursuit for justice and for racial equality
in the federal workplace. Over two
decades, they have fought a “David
and Goliath” battle, proceeding much
of the time “pro se” while standing
firmly against DoJ’s Assistant United
States Attorneys (AUSA) and standing
under the Obama administration it
attempts to weaken/eliminate the
rights of federal employees who assert
discrimination claims. It is a way to
“back door” and enfeeble Title VII. The
courts have long held that Title VII is
the exclusive remedy for workplace
discrimination claims for federal
employees.
Congress
established
specific time periods in 42 USC §
2000e-16 for federal employees to bring
suit for employment discrimination.
Therefore, the general limitations period
of 28 USC §2401(a) that the DoJ now
asserts simply should not apply.”
“Should the Court of Appeals
accept the DoJ’s six-year time bar
contention, it may likely diminish a
federal employee’s ability to file a
discrimination class suit,” said Paulette
Taylor, the C4C’s Civil Rights Chair.
“The federal complaint procedures
require employees to engage in an
administrative process that the agency/
EEOC largely controls. Many agencies
ignore regulatory timeframes. Agency
officials routinely cause delays which
"Jordan stated that during the oral arguments held
before the Court of Appeals, she witnessed a DoJ
Assistant United States Attorney robustly defend a
redress scheme that conflicts with Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964."
with the conviction that - “all men and
women God created are equal.”
Jordan stated that during the oral
arguments held before the Court of
Appeals, she witnessed a DoJ Assistant
United States Attorney robustly defend
a redress scheme that conflicts with
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (CRA)
of 1964. “I was beyond dismayed that
in the very year our country celebrates
the 50th anniversary of the CRA of
1964, that a Justice Department attorney
would wholly and unambiguously
argue to restrict the access of federal
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
complainants to the courts based on 28
U.S.C. § 2401. Where is the EEOC on
this challenging issue facing America’s
civil servants who lodge discrimination
complaints?” asked Jordan.
“The preposterous argument that the
Justice Department espouses in the
Howard/Megginson case is of critical
concern to civil and human rights
groups,” said Michael McCray, General
Counsel, Federally Employed Women
/ Legal Education Fund. “The U.S.
Department of Justice is supposed to
ensure fair and impartial administration
of justice for all Americans, yet, now
adversely impacts the complainant’s
case. Yet, the Justice Department intends
to impose a cap which would limit the
time a complainant has available to
resolve claims at the administrative
level. Rather that attacking “Title VII”
the Justice Department should strongly
encourage the EEOC to sanction an
agency for failing to comply with
regulatory
complaint
processing
requirements.
Agency
officials
commonly without a worry drag class
complaints out for years because
taxpayers foot the bill,” explained Ms.
Taylor, who also serves as President,
Black Females For Justice II (BFFJ II)
at Social Security Administration, Inc.,
and as class agent in a race-based class
action discrimination case against the
U.S. Social Security Administration
(SSA). The EEOC certified SSA class
complaint is now in its tenth (10th) year.
(Taylor, Harley, et al v SSA, Agency
Nos. SSA 03-0228, SSA 03-0224).
“The DoJ’s time bar tactic, as
introduced in the Howard/Megginson
suit against the Commerce Department,
serves to suppress valid discrimination
claims raised in the administrative
process. It also serves to shield the
guilty parties within Departments, like
Agriculture, by branding complaints
of reprisal and harassment as untimely
filed,”said Lawrence Lucas, President
of the USDA Coalition of Minority
Employees. “The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) has a notorious
record of mishandling EEO complaints
and DoJ, as legal counsel for the
Federal government, protects public
officials, who engage in unlawful,
and at times predatory, acts in the
federal workplace.”
Retired Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal
Matthew Fogg, who also serves as
the Executive Director of Congress
Against Racism and Corruption in
Law Enforcement (CARCLE), said,
“the U.S. Department of Justice’s sixyear jurisdictional argument certainly
creates a perverse incentive for Federal
agencies, like the DoJ’s own U.S.
Marshal Service, to simply ignore EEO
cases. In July 2012, I finally received
a decision from the EEOC on a class
action I filed back in 1994. Government
officials had mishandled the class
action.” [Fogg v Holder, Hearing No.
570-2006-00483X].
Having announced their grave
concerns about DoJ’s recent maneuvers
in the Howard/Megginson case, the
coalition of civil rights leaders now
look to President Obama, as head of
the executive branch of government,
to take immediate corrective steps
to address the U.S. Department of
Justice’s attorneys 28 U.S.C. § 2401
(a) time bar scheme. The group says
truncating the administrative process
sorely undermines Title VII of the Civil
Right Act of 1964, as amended in 1972,
and obstructs the Congressional intent
behind Title VII which is to encourage
claimants to fully pursue administrative
remedies before filing suit in court.
About C4C, Inc.
The C4C is a proactive non-profit civil
rights organization and support network
incorporated in Washington, D.C., on
January 22, 2009. The C4C members
volunteer their time, talent and resources
to address racial injustice and reprisal
in federal employment. The C4C is
comprised of former and present Federal
employees who have been injured or
mistreated due to employment race
discrimination and/or reprisal. (http://
www.coalition4change.org/)
Media Contact:
Jamie Wright
Coalition For Change
[email protected]
C4C Contributor Recognition​
The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C)
gratefully recognizes​ the monetary
contribution of Dr. James Tucker,
Publisher of the African American
Voice. http://africanamericanvoice.net/
​ C4C does not presently require
membership dues.
C4C relies on
the self-less donations of others who
recognize that funds are needed to keep
A4
our message of “racial equality and
mandatory discipline for civil rights
violators” in the public view. With the
limited funds we have available, we
will use Mr. Tucker’s donation to do our
upcoming Press Release and to keep our
website operational.
With much appreciation we recognize
Dr. Tucker, an unrelenting activist, for
www.africanamericanvoice.net
his donation. C4C stands with him as
a part of Black Communities United
For Progress.​
Tanya Ward Jordan
Founder
The Coalition For Change, Inc.(C4C)
www.coalition4change.org
November 2014
CALENDAR - NATIONAL DIABETES MONTH
November is National Diabetes Month
According to the American Diabetes Association:
■■ In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the
population, had diabetes
■■ Of the 29.1 million, 21.0 million were diagnosed, and
8.1 million were undiagnosed
■■ The percentage of Americans age 65 and older remains
high, at 25.9%, or 11.8 million seniors (diagnosed and
undiagnosed)
■■ The incidence of diabetes in 2012 was 1.7 million new
diagnoses/year; in 2010 it was
1.9 million
■■ In 2012, 86 million Americans age 20 and older had
pre-diabetes; this is up from 79 million
in 2010
Support the Black Press with a business card
ad! Call 719.528.1954
$75 per month or 3 months for $150 | Buy 2 get 1
month free!
Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition
Julie Reiskin, Executive Director
655 Broadway
Suite 775
Denver, CO 80203
[email protected]
www.ccdconline.org
Like us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CCDC.CO
Direct Line: (720)-961-4261
Direct Private Fax: (303)-567-6582
Organizational Line: (303)-839-1775
Organizational Fax: (303)-839-1782
■■ Diabetes remains the 7th leading cause of death in the
United States in 2010
You can get involved by helping raise money to find a cure
for this serious disease.
For more information on diabetes, contact:
American Diabetes Association
150 Monument Rd, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
(610) 828-5003 | www.diabetes.org
The Black Educator’s Network (B.E.N.)
Monthly Monday Meeting Schedule at Fox and Hound at 5pm
3101 New Center Point Drive
November 17, 2014
January 26, 2015
For more information contact:
Theresa Newsom, Ph.D. Candidate and B.E.N. Founder/Facilitator
(719) 650-0478
[email protected]
Hillside
Hillside Community
Community Center
Center
Vendors
Vendors Bizarre
Bizarre
Sponsored by: Ray Newson
Global Exchange Art, LLC
Location:
Hillside Community Center
(Center Multi-Purpose Room)
925 S. Institute Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Date: November 22, 2014
Event Time: 9am-6pm
Point of Contact: Ray L. Newson (719) 433-0605
Email: [email protected]
November 2014
www.africanamericanvoice.net
7
WORRILL'S CORNER
We Must Strive For Self-Determination
Dr. Conrad Worrill
In order for the African Community
in America to continue our fight for
self-determination and dignity, it is
important that we remind ourselves of
the nature of the American dynamic.
Essentially, and at the foundation of
the American-European dynamic, is the
fact that it is made up of many nations
who migrated to this country and
continued to fight for and develop their
national interests, inside this country.
At the same time they maintained their
economic, political, cultural, linguistic,
and social relationships with their
country of origin.
We can witness this phenomenon on a
daily basis by just taking a quick glance
at the national/ethnic group practices and
beliefs of the Jews, Poles, Irish, Italians,
Germans, Swedes, Greeks, French,
Slovakians, Czechs, etc., and how they
have consolidated their political and
economic power in America. They have
all done this through their nationalistic
unity on the fundamental life giving
and life sustaining issues that affect
their interests.
In other words, they have maintained
a strong sense of where they came from,
who they are, and where they are going.
This formula has been at the heart of
their historical efforts to acquire power
in America. We can observe this same
trend among the Chinese, Koreans,
Filipinos, Vietnamese, Lebanese,
Charity Gala Features Cuisine by 100 Gentlemen As Chefs
Continued from page 3
helps sustain youth-based organizations
here in Denver keeps us going and
will for years to come. The youth are
our future and this has become the
community’s investment in them.”
The 100 Men Who Cook fundraiser
contributes to grassroots, youth
focused organizations by raising funds
to support their goals and objectives.
After a vigorous selection process, 2014
gala leaders chose charities that have
been nominated by the community.
In this year’s case, three charities are
benefactors. The 2014 100 Men Who
Cook, Inc. recipients include Struggle
of Love Foundation, Colorado Starlites
Drum and Drill Team and Jazz C.A.F.E.
(Cultivating a Future of Excellence).
100 Men Who Cook 2014
Charity Recipients:
Struggle of Love Foundation (SOL):
Offers mentoring and sports programs;
summer/winter camps; back to school
assistance; and toys for the holidays.
Founders, Joel and Lakeshia Hodge
have operated SOL for the past 5
8
Jordanians, and Palestinians who are the
new national/ethnic groups of America.
In fact, the Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and
other Spanish-speaking national/ethnic
groups are following this same pattern.
They are fighting for nationalism in
America, without calling it that.
When African people in America
talk about nationalism, we are
often charged with being racists or
anti-white. However, the historical record
demonstrates clearly that nationalism has
been the primary method by which every
national/ethnic group has achieved and
maintains power.
Harold Cruse describes this dilemma
of the African Community in America,
in his most profound analysis of our
movement, in his book “The Crisis
of the Negro Intellectual.” Cruse
framed the American dynamic in this
manner when he said, “On the face of
it, this dilemma rests on the fact that
America, which idealizes the rights of
the individual above everything else, in
reality, a nation dominated by the social
powers of groups, classes, in-groups and
cliques― both ethnic and religious.”
He goes further to explain, “The
individual in America has few rights
that are not backed up by the political,
economic and social power of one group
or another.” Therefore, Cruse states,
“…the individual [Black person] has,
proportionately, very few rights indeed
because his ethnic group (whether or not
he actually identifies with it) has very
little political, economic or social power
(beyond moral grounds) to wield.”
In our efforts to acquire Black
Power, we should remind ourselves
that the Black Nationalist Tradition has
always been opposed to integration,
assimilation, and accommodation as a
solution to the problems of people of
African ancestry in America. In this
regard, the Black Nationalist Tradition
has rejected the strategies and tactics of
appealing to the morality of white people
and their white supremacy system.
years with in-kind donations and their
own finances.
Colorado Starlites Drum and Drill
Team: Has been serving youth in the
Denver for the past 30 years. Along with
the benefits gained from participation in
a precision driven, teamwork activity,
youth are also taught life skills.
The Jazz C.A.F.E. (Cultivating a
Future of Excellence): Promotes and
develops music and leadership skills
through music education and academic
preparation in youth grades 6-12. In
addition, The Jazz C.A.F.E. equips
students with 21st century technological
skills that assist in advancing their music
and leadership abilities.
100 Men Who Cook
Saturday, November 29, 2014
6:00 pm to Midnight
Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center
15500 East 40th Avenue
Denver, CO 80239
Tickets and information:
www.100menwhocook.co or call
800.998.5984. Each year, the gala
changes colors of the affair to
add more ‘spice’ and this year, the
signature color will be RED.
Black Nationalists have been historically
clear that people in power do not teach
powerless people how to get power. And
they certainly do not give power away,
even though, when challenged, they may
make some concessions.
It is so clear that every national/
ethnic group understands their political,
economic, and cultural interest. It is
so natural for them to function in a
nationalistic manner in their struggle
to acquire and maintain power. The
African Community in America has
not fully conceptualized and reached a
consensus on our nationalistic agenda.
Many of us function as if we are scared
of really acting out what we really know,
for fear of being called racist. We need
to stop denying our own reality.
Being called racist because we believe
in, and will fight for, the interests of
our race with undying loyalty should
become the most honorable badge of
courage in our community. We should
get off of this defensive “trip” when we
fight for the interests of our race and
some other national/ethnic group calls
us racist. We should know by now, this
is a tactic to sway us away from the path
of acquiring power.
Let’s continue our movement “to
assert our own identity, define our own
purpose, to make and enforce decisions
and to move into our own national
interest.” It is called nationalism!
Article originally featured at
www.chicagocrusader.com
Dr. Conrad Worrill
National Chairman Emeritus
National Black United Front
www.nbufront.org
Photo, Brooks Marketing Group
About The 100 Men Who Cook, Inc.
In 2013, the newly formed 100 Men
Who Cook, Inc. was established as a
Colorado non-profit organization whose
mission is: To assist grassroots nonprofit community organizations whose
focus is supporting, educating, and
developing youth; by raising operating
www.africanamericanvoice.net
capital to sustain their goals and
objectives. The annual 100 Men Who
Cook fall event collects and donates
the net proceeds to organizations in an
effort to sustain their operating capital.
100 Men Who Cook
www.100menwhocook.co
November 2014
National
When Compromised Technology Is a
Living Nightmare
Continued from page 1
apartment with guns drawn to her head.
They said they were looking for
Michael and with malice they ransacked
this neatly kept residence and took cell
phones, computers, modems, routers,
billfolds (with cash and debit and
credit cards), purses and personal items
leaving the apartment in disarray.
For twelve years there were no incidents
where Ms. Lee and her son resided. For
five and a half years while Michael lived
on the CU Boulder campus, there were
no incidents or complaints whatsoever
involving Mr. Fulton.
When Ms. Lee asked for a warrant, law
enforcement said they did not have one,
but it was on its way. Although Michael
Fulton and his mother have never resided
in Douglas County, Michael was later
arrested by Douglas County Sheriffs
Office (DCSO). Douglas County Law
Enforcement Officials allege there were
hundreds of child porn images on the
hard drive and these computer images
authorized them to charge Michael with
sexual exploitation of children.
The question then becomes, how did
these images get there?
DEFENDING MICHAEL
Michael had used his computer for
school. Much like the case of Michael
Fiola where malware infected his state
issued laptop and framed an innocent
man, Michael Fulton now faces a similar
dilemma.
http://www.boston.com/business/
technology/articles/2009/11/09/viruses_
can_turn_pcs_into_child_porn_servers/
COMPUTER CRIMES A NEW
STREAM OF CASH FLOW
FOR LUCRATIVE PRIVATE
PRISONS IN COLORADO?
In a June 7, 2013 article by Ryan
Boldrey, with Colorado Community
Media writes, "Duffy, one of five
detectives on the DCSO Special Victims
Unit that focuses on Internet and sexual
assault crimes against children, also
pointed to the county’s population
boom as a factor in more cases turning
up recently."
Duffy continues by adding, "“Increase
in population is always going to increase
your numbers,” he said. “The more
schools you have, the more chances you
have for these types of crimes occurring.
It’s purely statistical.”
But is it purely statistical? How do
you figure that in most of these cases
that defendants take a plea via a deferred
judgment and admit guilt because of the
enormous power granted to overzealous
prosecutors who consistently stack
charges to solely intimidate defendants
whether they are guilty or innocent.
Most defendants do not have the
financial means to hire a top notch
attorney at $300-$500 an hour, not to
mention retaining expert witnesses and
private investigators.
percent in the last two decades. And
CCA wants to get much, much bigger:
Last year, the company made an offer
to 48 governors to buy and operate their
state-funded prisons."
Knoll further writes, "Consider
Colorado. The state's crime rate has
sunk by a third in the past decade, and
since 2009, five state-run prisons have
shuttered because they weren't needed.
Many more prison beds remain empty in
other state facilities. Yet the state chose
not to fill those beds because Democratic
Gov. John Hickenlooper and CCA cut a
deal to instead send 3,330 prisoners to
CCA's three Colorado prisons. Colorado
taxpayers foot the bill for leaving those
state-run prisons underused. In March,
Christie Donner, executive director of
the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform
Coalition, estimated that the state
wasted at least $2 million in taxpayer
money using CCA's prisons instead of
its own.
"Michael had used his computer for school. Much like the
case of Michael Fiola where malware infected his state issued
laptop and framed an innocent man, Michael Fulton now
faces a similar dilemma."
So how does Detective Duffy make
the argument that the population boom
is in direct correlation with the influx
of Internet Sexual Exploitation of
Children, when those individuals and
families moving into Douglas County
are mostly affluent? This demographic
could afford access to top notch legal
representation, yet this population are
no way in the majority of those being
arrested and charged with these crimes.
A September 19, 2013 article, "This
is How Private Prison Companies Make
Millions Even When Crime Rates Fall,"
by Andy Knoll, with Mother Jones
reports, "The Corrections Corporation
of America (CCA), the nation's largest
owner of private prisons, has seen
its revenue climb by more than 500
Read Andy Knoll's Article in its
entirety:http://www.motherjones.
com/mojo/2013/09/private-prisonsoccupancy-quota-cca-crime
PUSH FOR JUSTICE
Katie Lee, Michael’s mother needs
financial assistance for Michael’s
legal defense. She has started a fund,
“SAVE OUR SONS.” Monies raised
from donations will go directly to her
son’s defense, especially retaining the
expertise of Tami Loehrs.
A petition drive on Change.org will
also launch with letters to Judge Paul
King, Senior Deputy District Attorney
Christopher Gallo, Attorney General
John Suthers and Governor John
Hickenlooper that demands Michael’s
defense team be allowed to review
all evidence the State has collected to
charge Michael with these crimes. As
it stands the prosecutor’s office only
wants to disseminate what it deems
appropriate viewing for the defense.
Signatures will be collected in an
effort to bring awareness to Michael’s
case and how unsuspecting users who
surf the internet without criminal intent
can be falsely ensnared into a defective
system that allows tens of thousands to
be criminalized when they NEVER had
any criminal record.
While Michael asserts his innocence
the system is applying extraordinary
pressure on him to accept a plea where
he would register for the rest of his
life as a sex offender or risk going to
trial. If he is convicted at trial, Michael
is potentially subjected to repeated,
mental, emotional and physical abuse.
Under the current justice system
there is no presumption of innocence.
Sadly, human lives are supplied by the
law enforcement, then signed, sealed
and delivered by district attorneys’
and judges. This benefits the prison
profiteers like Corrections Corporation
of America (CCA), and GEO with
astounding financial rewards.
Fulton stands ready much like
David against Goliath---the might
of the Douglas County District
Attorney’s Office. Michael
Fulton
is armed ONLY with the slingshot
of TRUTH, KNOWLEDGE and
DETERMINATION. Let’s all push
for justice and call for an independent
citizens review of flawed forensics,
internet service provider accountability,
removing lobbyists from writing laws
that favor their bottom line and ending
minimum sentencing laws--as ONE
SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL.
Here’s Action You Can Take to Ensure
that Justice For Michael Fulton Takes
Place. http://imagineif.nationbuilder.
com/take_action
Censorship by NAACP
By Pikes Peak Citizens for Life
LifeNews blogger and Black pro-life
advocate, Ryan Bomberger is fighting
back. Earlier this year, a judge issued a
rulling in the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP)’s lawsuit against Ryan
Bomberer, a Black pro-life leader who
exposed NAACP’s pro-abortion views
in an article appearing at LifeNews.
com.
The judge indicated that Bomberger
had no First Amendment right to
lampoon the NAACP by calling it the
National Association for the Abortion
of Colored People. Now, attorneys with
Alliance Defending Freedom have filed
an appeal on behalf of Bomberger and
his prolife organization, the Radiance
Foundation.
Bomberger has previously pointed
out that the NAACP’s website reveals
that Planned Parenthood, the nation’s
biggest abortion “provider”, has been
a corporate sponsor of the NAACP’s
Annual Convention for years. “How
can the NAACP possibly claim
neutrality over the abortion issue if they
are financially profiting from annual
November 2014
sponsorship from the nation’s largest
abortion chain?”
In October, 2013, a federal court
dismissed a lawsuit brought by the
NAACP and the ACLU against an
Arizona bill that prohibits gender
and race-based abortions. Also, the
New York NAACP supported the
“Reproductive Health Act” declaring
abortion a “human right.”
Abortion alone has taken the lives of
over 16 million Black children. African
American teenage abortion rates are
more than twice as high as the national
average.
Reprinted from Pikes Peak Citizens
for Life. For more information, please
join the movement to stop genocide by
calling 719.630.1999 or send an email
to [email protected].
Publisher’s note: The African
American Voice commends Alliance
Defending Freedom and Pikes Peak
Citizens for Life for their courageous
work on behalf of prolife “defenders.”
We must stop the NAACP from
supporting Planned Parenthood. JUST
SAY NO TO THE NAACP and stop
the killing of Black babies. Genocide
is a crime and the NAACP is a Humans
Rights Violator. NAACP members must
hold the NAACP accountable for selling
out Black communities. Wake up Black
America! The NAACP is a civil and
human rights violator.
Pikes Peak Citizens for Life
www.ppcitizensforlife.org
Every Month is Black History Month
www.africanamericanvoice.net
9
COMMUNITY NETWORK
support businesses
that support the
Black Community
All your protection under one roof.®
One call is all it takes to get the insurance
you need. Auto, home, business, health,
life and more, I’m ready to help.*
*Some products not available in every state.
American Family Mutual Insurance Company and its Subsidiaries
American Family Insurance Company
Home Office — Madison, WI 53783
amfam.com
© 2008
10
Cheryl J Branch Agency
315 S Santa Fe Ave
Fountain, CO 80817-1794
(719) 382-4900 Bus
Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM
[email protected]
002134 — Rev. 11/08
www.africanamericanvoice.net
November 2014
BLACK MEDIA RESOURCES
Alternatives to Mainstream Media!
Your Black World
www.yourblackworld.net
African American Voice, Inc.
(719) 528-1954
www.africanamericanvoice.net
Pinkney to Pinkney Online Radio
(347) 857-3293
www.blogtalkradio.com/rev-pinkney
Body of Christ News
(303) 344-4607
www.bodyofchristnews.com
Atlanta Black Star
www.atlantablackstar.com
ONUS
(202) 817-1331
www.changeisonus.org
The NorthStar News & Analysis
www.thenorthstarnews.com
New America Media
www.newamericamedia.org
Final Call
www.finalcall.com
Tom Joyner Morning Show
(972) 789-1058
www.tjms.com
A Force for Justice Radio Show
(504) 341-8255
www.neworleanstalknetwork.com
Workers World
www.workers.org
African American Voice
Colorado Dining Guide
Welton Street Café
Southern & Caribbean Cooking
2736 Welton St., Suite 107
Denver, CO 80205
(303) 308-0860
3037 Jetwing Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80916
(719) 391-1890
November 2014
Taste of Haiti
2622 Welton St.
Denver, CO 80205
(303) 297-3008
506 E. Moreno Ave
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 473-7427
www.lilhowardsbbq.com
1107 S. Nevada Ave. #101
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 578-1468
Local Favorites
4116 E. Colfax Ave
Denver, CO 80220
(303) 316-8830
3016 S. Academy Blvd
Colorado Springs, CO 80916
(719) 391-0142
www.jamaican-flavor.com
www.africanamericanvoice.net
1201 W Colorado Ave
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(719) 227-7732
2934 E. Colfax Ave
Denver, CO 80206
(303) 399-7993
2593 Airport Rd
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
(719) 473-6386
11
JUNETEENTH 2015
JUNETEENTH CARIBBEAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2015
Celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Juneteenth
Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage
Festival Parade 2014
be
an Am
er
nt
Colorado
ica n He
ta g e Mo
For more information:
Call 719.528.1954 | www.africanamericanvoice.net
email: [email protected]
h Carib
June 19-21
ri
Ada Brown
2014 Parade Marshal
Hillside Community Center
Established in June 1991, African American
Voice is the only African American newspaper in
Colorado Springs that covers the Front Range.
Support the Black Press!
Support Black Communities
United For Progress!
Support Black Culture!
Advertise in the African American Voice: www.africanamericanvoice.net/Advertise.html
or Call 719.528.1954 for more information
12
www.africanamericanvoice.net
November 2014
FERGUSON
Cornel West is Arrested in Ferguson
Photo, Your Black World
By Ashley Naples
Dr. Cornel West is not like most
black scholars, who write books and
give speeches. He is also an activist
and willing to go to jail or even die for
black people if necessary. Dr West was
recently arrested in Ferguson, Missouri
as part of the month of resistance against
police terror and mass incarceration. The
activist stated very clearly, in advance,
that he wasn’t simply seeking to give a
speech or make a statement. Instead, he
was ready to give up his freedom for the
plight of black Americans.
“I didn’t come here to give a speech,”
West said during a speech at Saint Louis
University’s Chaifetz Arena. “I came
here to go to jail.”
During the speech, West said that
it was important for older civil rights
activists to work together with the
youth to achieve meaningful change
in the world. He told black youth that
they should “love themselves, respect
themselves in such a way that we can
mobilize and organize. I want to try and
make sure their voices are heard. … The
larger system has been victimizing and
coming at them.”
The event at which West was speaking
became energized when the audience
demanded that local activists be given
a chance to take the stage as well. The
group chanted “Let them speak” when
referring to St. Louis rapper Tef Poe and
Ashley Yates another activist.
Dr. West says that the black middle
class has been made weak when it
comes to fighting for the poor and
incarcerated. In fact, he used a special
term to describe them.
“Our middle-class brothers and sisters
have been reniggerized,” he said.
West said that America is a nation where
the richest 1% control 42% of the wealth
and that 40% of all black children are
living in poverty. He described this chain
of events as a “crime against humanity.”
Dr. West, according to Your Black
World blogger April Taylor, has been
arrested for his role in the protest. It
appears that he is a man of his word.
“We’re here because we love the
young folk … and we want them to know
that there’s some older generation’s
brothers and sisters of all colors who are
willing to put their bodies on the line so
that justice can roll down like water and
righteousness like a mighty stream,”
said West.
Dr. Boyce Watkins, a friend of Dr.
West, has stated that he believes that
Cornel West is the greatest leader of this
generation.
“Dr. West stands alone in his
willingness to make true and legitimate
sacrifices for poor, black, brown and
incarcerated Americans,” said Dr.
Watkins. “If you’re going to measure
the contributions of any black leader,
you should start with how willing they
are to align themselves with people
of color, and how much of their own
personal wealth and power they are
willing to sacrifice in order to help their
community. Dr. West has lost friends,
opportunities and had his integrity
attacked for the last six years for
speaking on behalf of black Americans.
That’s why I consider him to be the
Martin Luther King of our generation.”
In the video below, Dr. West speaks
at the New Paradigm forum in New
York City and explains why African
Americans must learn to fight and
sacrifice for their freedom in order to
effectively combat racism. Dr. West
has joined with Carl Dix, Michelle
Alexander and others for a national
Month of Resistance against mass
incarceration, which is considered
the leading civil rights issue of the
21st century.
Ashley Naples
Your Black World
www.yourblackworld.net
Black Lives Matter - Civil and Human Rights Violators
Steve Bach
City of Colorado Springs
Mayor
E. Stanley Kroenke
Denver Nuggets
Owner
Jerry Forte
Colorado Springs Utilities
CEO
Pat Bowlen
Denver Broncos
Owner
LuAnn Long
Colorado Springs School District 11
President (High School Graduate)
Jill Tiefenhaler
Colorado College
President
Michael T. Baxter
Parkview Medical Center
CEO
School Board District 11 - Special note from Publisher:
As a taxpayer, the Board of Education is guilt of Elementary
Genocide by denying Black students and other students
Black history. It’s a human rights violation. In addition,
the majority school board members supports Jim Crow
economics and violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
November 2014
Scott Blackmun
United States Olympic Committee
CEO
W. James McNerney, Jr.
The Boeing Company
Chairman and CEO
Jim Laffoon
Security Service Federal Credit Union
President
Cornell William Brooks
National NAACP
President
George Hayes
Memorial Hospital
CEO
Margaret Sabin
Penrose-St. Francis Health
President & CEO
Tom Boasberg
Denver Public Schools
Superintendent
Doug McMillon
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc
President and CEO
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded
from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program
or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
Prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
www.africanamericanvoice.net
S3
NATIONAL COMMUNITY NETWORK
Black Autonomy Network Community Organization
(BANCO)
Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C)
(866) 737-9783
www.coalition4change.org
(269) 925-0001
www.bhbanco.org
THE ALLIANCE FOR JUSTICE
COZETTA HAMMOCK-WEST
ONUS
5148 ORLEANS COURT
DENVER, COLORADO
TELEPHONE: (303) 373-3939 (303) 304-0379 (cell)
e-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
(202) 817-1331
www.changeisonus.org
Roots to Glory Tours
(410) 429-0804
www.rootstoglory.com
African American Voice, Inc.
(719) 258-1954
www.africanamericanvoice.net
The mission of Roots to Glory Tours (RTG) is to bridge
the gap by guiding, introducing and being a part of the
experience of discovery and reconnection for African
Americans as they embrace their long lost families.
BARBER SHOP
503 E. Willamette Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Monday - Saturday
8:00 am - 6:00 am
Kids (ages 12 and under) - $10
Adults - $12
Appointments Available
(719) 217-3694
S4
www.africanamericanvoice.net
November 2014