Sunday, May 5, 2019
Howroyd to address ECC graduates
… their Power 100 Most Influential African American’s List that same year …
Judge In Nation’s Longest Running Housing Discrimination Case Dies Before Final Victory
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (AP) — A federal judge who worked until his recent death at age 96 left a historic trail of groundbreaking legal opinions. But one case outlived Damon Keith: the longest-running housing discrimination lawsuit in the United States.
Keith declared in 1971 that Hamtramck, a tiny Detroit-area city long known for Polish culture, had intentionally forced out blacks or cut them off from the community to make room for Interstate 75 and so-called urban renewal projects in the 1950s and ’60s.
Hamtramck finally agreed to offer 200 family housing units, as well as housing for senior citizens, for violating the constitutional rights of black residents. Yet even today — decades later — there still are three houses left to build. Keith, who died on April 28, won’t see the keys change hands, an unfortunate postscript for a judge whose steadfast enforcement of civil rights was the emblem of his career.
“The finish line will probably be this summer,” said Michael Barnhart, an attorney who has represented generations of black families in the litigation. “I know his health was declining, but I wanted him to be there after all these years.”
Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski said: “It’s bittersweet. The end really is around the corner.”
Keith, the grandson of slaves, was a judge for 52 years, first at the U.S. District Court in Detroit, followed by 42 years on a federal appeals court. He made history on the bench, ruling against the Nixon administration’s use of warrantless phone taps and ordering George W. Bush’s administration to open deportation hearings.
In the Hamtramck lawsuit, filed in 1968, Keith noted that blacks made up less than 15% of the city’s population but represented more than 70% of residents whose neighborhoods were broken up because of the path of I-75. He also cited other examples.
“The judge referred to it as the ‘black removal case,'” Barnhart said. “It was an extreme example of racial discrimination.”
After nearly a decade, Hamtramck agreed to offer housing at below-market rates to families that wanted to return. But that solution languished for many more years, due to political opposition and the city’s poor finances. By 2010, half of the 200 units were complete, and Keith proudly attended a ribbon-cutting at a new home on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Then work stalled again.
“The problem always was the city was broke,” Barnhart said. “Through the whole case we’ve tried to identify federal programs or county programs or state programs to help us put together the housing that was needed. That has been the fundamental problem.”
Keith had the case for virtually his entire career, keeping it until 2018 despite his promotion to the appeals court. In his 2014 biography, “Crusader for Justice,” the judge scoffed at critics who accused him of “social engineering.”
“If I see inequities … as it relates to discrimination and violation of the law, then I have broad authority to fashion a remedy,” Keith said.
Lemuel Sawyer, 61, and his sisters are among those who have benefited from Keith’s decision. His family was forced out when he was a boy, but he returned to Hamtramck in 2014 to live in a new two-story home. His parents are dead.
“To me, this is my mother’s home. This is my family’s home,” Sawyer said, speaking in his doorway on Goodson Street. “Judge Damon Keith — he saved the day. He gave us optimism.”
Hamtramck, a 2-square-mile (5.1-square-kilometer) city surrounded by Detroit, was a haven for Polish immigrants who worked in area factories. A park features a towering statue of St. John Paul II, who visited as a cardinal and as pope. But the city now is culturally diverse: Someone looking for a meal can find a pierogi on one side of Hamtramck and a kebab at the other. Most City Council members are Muslim. A mosque sits across the street from a Roman Catholic church.
“The greatest monument in Hamtramck to Judge Keith is the fact that most of the residents have learned to live together in peace,” city attorney James Allen said.
PHOTO: AP
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Everything Went to Shit For Daenerys on Game of Thrones
Two shocking deaths, and new information changes everything in Episode Four.
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Amber Alert Issued In Houston For 5-Year Old Abducted By Three Men
In Texas, an Amber Alert has been set in place due to a 5-year-old girl being reportedly abducted by three men.
Anyone with information on Maleah’s whereabouts is urged to contact HPD Homicide at 713-308-3600 or @CrimeStopHOU at 713-222-TIPS. Media partners: all updates on this case will be disseminated here. #hounews pic.twitter.com/8F0PRPRgFN
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) May 5, 2019
The reported kidnapping of Maleah Davis took place around 9pm Saturday night. She was last seen near the 16500 block of the Southwest Freeway and Highway 6 in Sugar Land, TX near Houston.
Media Briefing on Investigation into Missing Child Maleah Davis https://t.co/ce9ZdFrWUZ
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) May 5, 2019
Maleah’s stepfather claims that he, his two-year-old son and Maleah were abducted by three Hispanic men in their 30s driving a 2010 blue Chevrolet Crew Cab pick-up truck, according to ABC13.
At this point, authorities don’t know the motive behind the kidnapping. They also do not know the license plate of the kidnapping car used in the incident which is believed to have originated in north Houston.
PHOTO: Social Media/Family
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Kamala Harris says AG Barr representing president, not US
… percent. Yet it was heavily African American Wayne County, home to Detroit … votes. Harris told the largely African-American audience that as president, she …
Opinion: Whitewashing white identity politics
… , 42% of white Republicans believed African-Americans were lazier than whites, 55% …
The Latest: Harris says Barr representing Trump, not US
… by worshipping at a prominent African American church in West Columbia. Sitting … hall in North Charleston, where African Americans account for nearly half the …
Buttigieg Hopes To Reach More Black Voters
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Continuing his outreach to African American voters, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg acknowledged Sunday that he needs to do more work to connect with the community, particularly in the early-voting state of South Carolina.
“It shows we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Buttigieg said after a town hall with 600 mostly white voters in North Charleston, where nearly half the population is black.
Buttigieg is planning to do just that during his two-day swing in South Carolina, the first state where black votes play a major role in the presidential primaries. On Monday, he’s holding a meet and greet in Orangeburg before sitting down with community leaders in Columbia.
Some of Buttigieg’s comments touched on issues African American voters have said they see as crucial in the 2020 presidential election, including criminal justice reform. On that front, Buttigieg said he wanted to do away with structures “that perpetuate racial inequality in this country,” including mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.
In what he has characterized as a conscious effort to focus on issues important to black voters, Buttigieg this past week met in New York with the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader, at the Harlem soul food restaurant Sylvia’s. Buttigieg said Sharpton encouraged him “to engage with people who may not find their way to me, who I need to go out and find my way in front of.”
Earlier Sunday, Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, joined the large crowd at former President Jimmy Carter’s Sunday school class in rural South Georgia. At Carter’s invitation Buttigieg stood and read from the Bible as part of the lesson at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains. Talking with reporters Sunday, Buttigieg called his meeting with Carter “very humbling,” saying they discussed, among other topics, “the rigors of campaigning for president.”
Elsewhere in campaigning Sunday by Democratic presidential candidates:
MICHAEL BENNET
The latest Democrat pursuing the presidential nomination is trying to distinguish himself as someone “who’s going to level with the American people about why our system doesn’t seem to work for them.”
Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that his time in Washington has helped him know how to get things done and what needs fixing.
He said it’s “a disgrace that we lost” to Donald Trump in 2016, adding that Democrats must find an approach to deny him a second term.
Bennet said it seems “fairly clear” from special counsel Robert Mueller’s report that Trump “committed impeachable offenses,” but for now the senator favored continued congressional investigations.
He said he thinks Attorney General William Barr should resign and that Barr “has behaved like Trump’s criminal defense lawyer” rather than the nation’s attorney general.
JOE BIDEN
Democrat Joe Biden wrapped up his first presidential campaign trip to South Carolina by worshipping at a prominent African American church in West Columbia.
Sitting on a front-center pew, the former vice president and his wife, Jill, received a standing ovation when the Rev. Charles B. Jackson of Brookland Baptist Church introduced them as “Dr. Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden.”
The 76-year-old Catholic candidate smiled and waved.
“Dr. Joe, that was some major applause, my brother,” Jackson said.
Jackson praised his congregation as already approaching 100 percent voter registration and participation. He encouraged parishioners to “take somebody else to the polls with you.”
South Carolina hosts the South’s first presidential primary and is the first state in the Democratic nominating process where black voters wield considerable influence.
BETO O’ROURKE
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke repeated his calls to impeach President Donald Trump and drew a distinction between himself and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has declined any rush to proceedings.
The former Texas congressman spoke with reporters on Sunday after a town hall at a former livestock auction space in rural Shenandoah, Iowa.
O’Rourke said special counsel Robert Mueller’s report makes impeachment more necessary than ever. “Proceedings in the House ensure that more of these facts come to light, ensure that the Senate can make a very informed decision about this president,” he said.
Asked about Pelosi cautioning against doing so, O’Rourke answered: “That’s fine. We’re two different people.”
O’Rourke said he really respects “the speaker and what she’s been able to do, but when asked my opinion I’ve got to give my opinion, not anyone else’s.”
BERNIE SANDERS
Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed a sweeping agriculture and rural investment plan that would change farm subsidies and break up major agriculture monopolies.
Sanders unveiled the plan in Osage, Iowa, a town of fewer than 4,000 residents.
The plan includes a number of antitrust proposals, including breaking up existing agriculture monopolies and placing a moratorium on future mergers between big agriculture companies.
It also proposes major changes to the current farm subsidy system toward what the plan calls a “parity system.” That plan seeks to ensure farmers are “guaranteed the cost of production and family living expenses,” though the plan doesn’t include details on how.
Sanders would also classify food supply as a national security issue.
__
Associated Press writer Bill Barrow in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
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Poll: 75.6% say statue should remain in front of Chatham courthouse, 24.4% say to move it
… Confederacy propaganda campaign to intimidate African Americans 100 years ago has no …
John Singleton Will Have Private Funeral On Monday
John Singleton funeral and interment details have been released. We now know the date and location of his services and where he’ll be buried.
Singleton’s service will be observed this Monday at 10 a.m. at the Angelus Funeral Home on Crenshaw Blvd. in the Crenshaw District of South Los Angeles. If the Angelus Funeral Home name sounds familiar, that’s because you might recognize it as the same place that handled Nipsey Hussle’s funeral arrangements.
After services for Singleton, he will be interred at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills. Yes, it’s the same place where Nipsey, along with numerous other celebrities, is buried.
Speaking of his interment, a family member told TMZ that Monday’s funeral will be closed off to the public. However, a larger event will be held on May 21, but at present the details haven’t been worked out.
In other news about Singleton’s death, TMZ is reporting that the late director’s will was filed in Los Angeles Friday. His oldest daughter, 26-year-old Justice, will get his estate which is valued at $3.8 million. The will was drafted in 1993, before his 6 other children were born. They could have a claim to split the assets 7 ways.
The report goes on to say that Singleton, who died of a stroke last month at 51, could also have a trust outside the will. His estate was reportedly valued at around $35 million, so the will may not be a full accounting of the assets he left behind.
PHOTO: PR Photos
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At Least 40 Dead In Russian Plane’s Emergency Landing
MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian airliner burst into flames while making an emergency landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport Sunday evening, and at least at least 40 people died, officials said.
The Sukhoi SSJ100 operated by national airline Aeroflot had 73 passengers and five crew members on board when it touched down and sped down a runway spewing huge flames and black smoke.
Elena Markovskaya, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said early Monday that 41 people were killed. But Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said later that 38 survived, implying the death toll was 40.
The victims included one member of the crew and at least two teenagers, according to the Investigative Committee.
Video showed desperate passengers leaping out of the plane onto inflatable evacuation slides and staggering across the airport’s tarmac and grass, some holding luggage.
The airport said in a statement that the plane, which had taken off from Sheremetyevo Airport for the northern city of Murmansk, turned back for unspecified technical reasons and made a hard landing that started the fire.
Video broadcast later on Russian television showed flames bursting from the jetliner’s underside as it lands and then bounces. The plane apparently did not have time to jettison fuel before the emergency landing, news reports said.
The SSJ100, also known as the Superjet, is a two-engine regional jet put into service in 2011 with considerable fanfare as a signal that Russia’s troubled aerospace industry was on the rise.
However, the plane’s reputation was troubled after defects were found in some horizontal stabilizers.
The plane’s manufacturer, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, said the plane in Sunday’s accident had received maintenance at the beginning of April. Aeroflot said the pilot had some 1,400 hours of experience flying the plane.
The plane is largely used in Russia as a replacement for outdated Soviet-era aircraft, but also has been used by airlines in other countries, including Armenia and Mexico.
This is the second fatal accident involving a SSJ100. In 2012, a demonstration flight in Indonesia struck a mountain, killing all 45 aboard.
PHOTO: AP
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Charleston Massacre: Domestic Terrorism, Rac
… murder of worshippers in an African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina … . He specifically meant to kill black Americans. That makes this case different …
Poll Shows Obama Favored "Uniter
… percent. In addition, we oversampled African-Americans in order to get a …
Video: The Firing Squad Execution of Willie McCoy By Vallejo Police
… murderous men like these officers? Black Americans are killed and murdered in … -cops. As these killings of Black Americans, by police, continue where’s … and holding killer-cops accountable? Black Americans must continue to fight for …
Buttigieg acknowledges work needed to appeal to black voters
… ) - Continuing his outreach to African American voters, Democratic presidential candidate Pete … ;s comments touched on issues African American voters have said they see … by worshipping at a prominent African American church in West Columbia. Sitting …
Reckless Pair: Why Boehner's Invitation
… debase America'’s first African-American president to satisfy political objectives … disrespectful conduct and still attract African-Americans and Latinos into their Party … ;s America’'s first African-American president. Boehner escaped a challenge …
The Latest: Buttigieg calls for criminal justice reform
… by worshipping at a prominent African American church in West Columbia. Sitting … hall in North Charleston, where African Americans account for nearly half the …
The Kindle Paperwhite Is Finally Waterproof, And Back On Sale
Basically every device Amazon makes was on sale for Black Friday, with one glaring exception: The new, waterproof, Bluetooth-equipped Kindle Paperwhite. So if you were holding out on a deal for all your pool and bathtub reading needs, your patience has been rewarded today with a $30 discount.
source https://kinjadeals.theinventory.com/the-kindle-paperwhite-is-finally-waterproof-and-on-sal-1830967787
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