minority reporter week of may 20 - 26, 2013

1 www.minorityreporter.net | may 20 - 26 | 2013

MINORITYREPORTERfrom information to understanding

www.minorityreporter.netvol. 6 no. 21 may 20 - 26 2013

Support Growing for Wheel-Chair-Bound Man

Beaten by Police

2 www.minorityreporter.net | may 20 - 26| 2013

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EdItOrIAL stAFFLisa DumasDelani Weaver

EdItOrIAL AssIstAnt Claribel Oliveras

AdvErtIsIngDave McClearyYahya AbdullahLucy Smith-Fulmore

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PHOtOgrAPHyTemple Boggs, Jr.Todd Elliott

cOLuMnIstsGloria Winston Al-SaragC. Michael Tillman Rev. Michael Vaughn Vincent FelderDiane WatkinsMike DulaneyDavy VaraAyesha Kreutz

Minority Reporter, Inc. is a family of publications and other media formats committed to fostering self awareness, building community and empowering people of color to reach their greatest potential. Fur-ther, Minority Reporter, Inc. seeks to present a bal-anced view of relevant issues, utilizing its resources to build bridges among diverse populations; taking them from information to understanding.

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In This Issue:

{COVER Pg 8

• Support Growing for Wheel-Chair-Bound Man Beaten by Police

{LOCAL Pg 4,6

• Jordan Health Center Staff Approve New Contract• Local Restaurant Unkl Moes Wins Roc-Chop Challenge• Food Truck Pilot Program Approved by City Council• Monroe County Prepares for ‘Click it or Ticket’

{STATE Pg 10

• Buddy Nix Steps Down as Bills GM • NY Man Finishes Writing Out Entire Bible by Hand• Cuomo says $80M Will Help Local Governments Survice

{nATIOnAL Pg 12, 13

• New FCC Chair Continues Prison Phone Battle• Why the Obama Administration Must Do More to Help Working-Class Families on Housing

{COLUMnS: Pg 14-15

• Crack is Whack and Swan is Gone! By Gloria winston al-saraG

• Foregiveness

By michael vauGhn

• The Alliance Between Warmongers and the Press

By a. peter Bailey


MINORITYREPORTERfrom information to understanding

www.minorityreporter.netvol. 6 no. 21 may 20 - 26 2013


Beaten by Police

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24,27Flower City Days at the Public MarketJoin us for Flower City Days at the Rochester Public Markets. Also 6/2 and 6/9 25PlayDate RochesterTime: 9:00pm–2:00amLocation: Diplomat Party - House located at 1956 Lyell AvePlayDate Rochester offers an environment where people – whether single or married, in their 20s or in their 50s, can get a genuine interaction that breaks down the barriers typically found at a bar or nightclub. It offers nostalgic games at an affordable price.The cost to attend PlayDate Rochester is $10 before May 1st, $15 in advance, and $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at www.playdaterochester.com.

25 ‘The Effects Of Bullying In The 21st Century’Time: 9:00 AM- 12 Noon (Middle High School Students & Guardians)Sunday, May 26, 2013- 3:00 PM- 6:00 PM (High School Students & Guardians)Location: Edgerton Stardust Ballroom- 41 Backus Street, Rochester, NY

14608Fee: Free Event (Including Free Food-Barbecue)This event will consist of youth & adult speakers and panelists including City Council President Lovely Warren, and Moses Robinson, dynamic youth speakers, open discussion forum, educational music rapper-’BREROC,’ singers and dancers and much more. Free Education, Free Fun, Free Food.*** Event location sponsored by the City of Rochester Recreation & Youth Services.For More Information and to Pre-Register Contact: 585- 613-8167, www.karenwardwilder.com 28The Circles God Draws: Memoirs of Ruth Holland ScottTime: 12:12pmLocation: Kate Gleason Auditorium, Central Library, 115 South Ave.The Honorable Ruth Scott will share highlights from her recently published memoir, The Circles God Draws. Ms. Scott was the first woman and African American to head the 19th Ward Neighborhood Association and was the first African American woman elected to the Rochester City Council.ADMISSION: Free and open to the public, seating up to 120, wheelchair accessible

Mondays @ 9pm & Fridays @ 3:30pm on

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The Real Truth About City Youth Celebration and Outstanding HEART Awards were held on May 7 at the School of the Arts.

The HEART Coalition for a Drug-Free Rochester, a partnership between City of Rochester’s Department of Recreation and Youth Services and the Metro Council for Teen Potential hosted the awards ceremony and celebration to highlight the fact the majority of city youth are engaging in positive behavior, rather than in dangerous behavior, specifically drug and alcohol use, fighting and risky sexual behavior.

For the fourth year in a row, the Outstanding HEART Award was given out to show that students appreciate the teachers in their lives. These awards recognize teachers who go above and beyond to strengthen the connection between youth and adults.

The focus of this annual event this year was “Student Leadership and the School Connection.” Youth and youth advocates presented a special video illustrating community youth leadership and the classroom. The theme of the evening was an exploration of the reasons why some youth who are excelling in leadership positions in the community are having a different experience at school and have difficulties in a classroom setting.

The HEART Coalition’s mission is to bring together a diverse group of community organizations, youth leaders, schools, parents, faith groups and business under the leadership of the City of Rochester’s Department of Recreation and Youth Services. The coalition focuses on promoting a positive social norm among youth and developing youth and community assets.


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LOCAL

www.MINORITYREPORTER.net

Jordan Health Center Staff Approve new ContractThe staff of the Anthony L. Jordan Health Center unanimously approved a new labor contract terms Tuesday after several months of negotiations with management.

Under the new terms, employees have gotten a one and one-half percent (1.5%) wage increase effective back in March of this year.

In addition, the center will increase its payment for health insurance to maintain comprehensive coverage at no cost to employees. Jordan’s unionized staff are covered by the same health insurance plan as union

service workers at the University of Rochester and Strong Memorial Hospital.

“This reopener was a victory that we fought long and hard for. Continuing to be able to negotiate our salary and health care benefits with Management was very empowering,” said Minerva Felix, who has worked at Jordan for over 30 years.

Later this year, staff will reopen negotiations to set wages and health insurance rates for 2014.

Approximately seventy staff are

covered by the union contract. They work as secretaries, receptionists, clerks, licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants, medical technicians, and care managers. They are members of 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.

The Anthony L. Jordan Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center whose principal location is at 82 Holland Street, Rochester, NY. The Center provides primary care, dental, behavioral, WIC, and urgent care services.

Local Restaurant UnKL MOE’S Wins Roc-Chop ChallengeHundreds of families went out to Water Street Music Hall Saturday to see five local Rochester restaurants compete in a family-friendly battle of culinary flavors for the first ever ROC-CHOP Challenge hosted by Community Place of Greater Rochester (CPGR).

This event is proof that eating healthy can be easy and fun,” said GRHF President and CEO John Urban.

The overall ROC-CHOP Champion award was presented to Unkl Moe’s for the most impressive healthy spin on a cultural recipe for their Cabbage with Smoked Turkey dish. In addition to receiving a plaque for their restaurant, they also won a $200 cash prize.

Each participating restaurant was asked to create a healthier version of a popular dish using the event guidelines; at least four fruits and vegetables and not exceeding a cost of $25 for a family of four to cook.

The recipes other restaurants created included D’Mangu with their Spanish

Vegetable Strew, Judy’s Soul Food with Judy’s Two Greens, Kana’s Kitchen with Vegetable Chicken Lasagna and Obsessions Grill with Curry Chicken Over Rice and Beans.

All kids attending the event voted for their favorite healthy dish, and although it was a tight race, Judy’s Soul Food took the prize for the tastiest recipe. Other awards were given to participating restaurants including; Budget Friendly, an award given to Unkl Moe’s for having the most cost effective family recipe; Veggie Power, an award given to Judy’s Soul Food and Obsessions Grill for creating dishes that went above and beyond the vegetable requirements.

This award was determined by a judge’s panel composed of editor Julio Sáenz, editor, ConXion, Democrat & Chronicle, examiner Joan Gordon, the Monroe County Department of Health and Human Services, CPGR President and CEO Sue Davin and Greater Rochester Health Foundation President and CEO John Urban.

“Community Place is continually creating amazing events like this that enable kids and their families to play

and be healthy together, and that’s what 5-2-1-0 is all about,” said Urban.

Food Truck Pilot Program Approved by City CouncilA new pilot program will allow food trucks to rent spaces and sell food at several locations around the city.

In an 8-1 vote Rochester City Council approved the program Tuesday.

Three sites will open with space for two trucks each.

Food truck owners will have to pay a $750 licensing fee.


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Tyrone Muse Appointed President of Visions Credit UnionVisions Federal Credit Union recently announced the appointment of Tyrone Muse as their President and Chief Executive Officer.

Muse—taking over for Frank E. Berrish, who retired April 30—began his term effective May 1, 2013.

“We are excited to have Ty join Visions. His knowledge and experience will be valuable in continuing to provide our members the world class convenience, pricing, and service they have come to expect,” Mark Patterson, Visions’ Chairman of the Board said.

Muse most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer at Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union (HVFCU) where he led initiatives surrounding investment returns, financial performance, and diversity. Earlier, he served as Finance Manager at G.E. Asset Management

and as Business Assurance Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP.

“It is a privilege to lead an organization that has excelled in meeting members’ needs for more than 46 years,” Muse said. “We look forward to continuing to place our members first, being a premier employer, and a valued resource in our community.”

Tyrone Muse

ADOPTBirth Date: April, 2007

K’mari is a loveable little boy who loves to prove his doctor’s wrong! With most of his life spent in an assisted living facility, his life expec-tancy was continually adjusted. Recently, K’mari moved into a home setting where he has thrived. He enjoys movies that are bright and have music, his favorite being The Lion King. K’mari is depen-dent on a g-tube. He is starting to try baby foods and prefers fruit. K’mari is in a special classroom with other children who have special needs. He has an IEP and receives various therapies. K’mari’s caregivers can’t help but fall in love with him. He knows when he feels love and needs a family who can commit to his care.

If you’re interested in learning more about K’mari or other waiting children, visit:

www.childrenAwaitingParents.org or call 585-232-5110.

Monroe County will participate in a statewide “Click It or Ticket” enforcement effort to increase seat belt use by residents in the community May 20th through June 2nd.

The County New York State Police, Monroe County Sheriffs, and municipal law enforcement agencies from across New York State will be cracking down in order to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities due to a lack of seat belt use among New Your State residents.

Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks said, “Wearing a seat belt has been proven to be the most effective way to reduce crash-related injuries and fatalities,”

“Click It or Ticket” is a statewide, zero-tolerance law enforcement initiative

designed to increase seat belt use among motorists and passengers. New York State enacted the first mandatory safety belt use law in the United States more than 25 years ago. State officials estimate that 91% of motorists consistently wear their seat belts.

The “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign is projected to save nearly 150 lives and more than $400 million in taxpayer costs related to traffic crashes in New York State.

“Through aggressive targeting and strict enforcement, Monroe County will continue to increase the number of residents who use their seat belts,” Brooks said. “It is our hope that this statewide effort will decrease the rates of preventable death or injuries in motor vehicle accidents.”

Monroe County Prepares for “Click It or Ticket”


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Family and friends of local resident Benny Warr held a rally in support of him and to stand against police brutality on Saturday, May 18.

Warr, a 52-year-old African-American man who is wheel-chair-bound, was beaten by Rochester police officers while waiting for an RTS bus on May 1 near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Bartlett Street.

The incident was caught on video by a bystander and posted on Youtube.com.

Warr was in his motorized wheelchair, when Rochester Police officers walked up to him, and asked him to move. After the incident, Warr was arrested by the police officers and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Warr was released the next morning.

Rally attendees marched and protested from the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Bartlett Street to Columbia Avenue, Epworth Street and back.

There were several speakers from the community as well as his family including: Dave Atias, Felicia Abrams, Markel Miller and Warr’s wife Pastor Nina Warr, who was unable to comment under attorney advisement.

Supporters are making five demands in support of Warr and the fight against police brutality which are:

* Having the district attorney drop all charges against Benny Warr;* that all officers involved in the arrest be fired from the police force;* that the police department issue a public apology to Benny Warr;* that the Rochester Police Department clarify protocols for arresting people with disabilities;* that the RPD end racial profiling and the criminalization for neighborhoods of color.

Warr, who pleaded not guilty to the charges in Rochester City Court on May 14, is being represented by Attorney Charles Burkwit.

“Police officers aren’t supposed to be using excessive force against anyone, regardless of race and whether they’re disabled or not,” Burkwit said. “So what I think this case stands for is that police officers cannot use excessive force against its citizens.”

Burkwit is currently waiting for the blue light camera footage from the intersection where the incident took place.

“There’s criminal charges against him for resisting arrest and disorderly conduct and those are still pending, over in Rochester City Court for Judge Steven Miller,” Burkwit said.

“I believe it’s today (Monday) we’re serving a notice of claim upon the City of Rochester

concerning Benny’s civil claims that he will be making against the city of Rochester. We are scheduled to be back in court on May 30.”

RPD has not made any formal comments in regards to the incident except that the incident is under internal investigation.

COVER STORY


Beaten by Police


A Pregnant Woman Never Drinks Alone

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Lovely Warren: “I intend to remain in the race”Lovely Warren is vowing to stay in the race for mayor of Rochester.

Last Thursday the Monroe County Democratic Committee met for their designation convention where they selected their slate of candidates for several local political races including the Rochester mayoral race. When the votes were tallied, incumbent mayor Thomas Richards received 57 percent while Warren received 42 percent.

“Unlike the premature statements released by County Chairman Joe Morelle and Mayor Richards, the final outcome of the designating vote does not indicate overwhelming support for Mayor Richards; and frankly, is a far slimmer margin than many would expect to see for an incumbent Mayor who has the support of the County Chair,” Warren said in a written statement.

“Now that all committees have voted and we have a final tally, the outcome clearly shows that a significant number of the Democratic committee members -- the community activists and grassroots campaigners who are the heart and soul of our party -- believe, as I do, that our priorities as a city need to be re-balanced, and that it is time to turn the page and bring a fresh energy and fresh perspective to

the office.”

Warren says as Council President she enjoyed working with Richards but their roles are different. “It is up to the Mayor to set the city’s priorities,” she said, adding, “Tom Richards is a very good man, we simply see the city and its challenges through a different lens. I intend to remain in the race, and look forward to a positive and engaging campaign.”

Richards is quoted as saying he has a city agenda and not a political agenda and thus he does not plan to aggressively campaign.

Lovely Warren


Buddy nix steps down as Bills GMBy JOHN WAWROW

Buddy Nix is stepping down as the Buffalo Bills general manager, the team announced on Monday. Nix will remain with the team in a new role as special assistant, the Bills said in a released statement.

Assistant GM Doug Whaley, entering his fourth season in Buffalo, is expected to take over. He was signed to a long-term contract extension in January. Though the Bills did not immediately announce Nix’s replacement, the team has spent much of the offseason grooming Whaley, a former executive with the Steelers and a former player at Pitt, to take over.

The move did not come as a surprise, and comes after Nix oversaw the draft in which the Bills opened by selecting quarterback EJ Manuel. Nix and team president Russ Brandon were set to discuss the move later in the day.

At 73, Nix completed his third season as the Bills general manager. “I’ve made the decision to step away from the general manager’s position because I feel it is the right time,’’ Nix said. “By the right time, I think we have a good young roster, an excellent head coach with a good staff. And it’s time to let someone else handle these responsibilities and move forward together.’’

Nix had previously said he would be interested in stepping down once he felt the team had a franchise quarterback in place and was prepared to move in the right direction.

“I feel strongly that the team is on the right course for success,’’ Nix said.

The Bills are rebuilding from scratch once again under new coach Doug Marrone, who was hired in January after turning around a struggling program at Syracuse. Marrone replaced Chan Gailey, who was fired after a 6-10 finish last year.

The Bills have had eight consecutive

losing seasons, and haven’t made the playoffs in 13 seasons the NFL’s longest active drought.

Buddy Nix

STATE

nY Man Finishes Writing Out Entire Bible By HandA 63-year-old upstate New York man who has spent years writing out every word in the Bible has penned the very last lines.

Phillip Patterson of Philmont began copying the complete King James Bible in his neat, looping handwriting in 2009. He spent two years copying the first five books of the Bible as a prototype before starting fresh.

Patterson completed the final lines of the Book of Revelation on Saturday evening during a ceremony

at St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church in Spencertown, near the Massachusetts border.

Patterson says he started the project to learn about the Bible, not as a spiritual quest. But he says the project has helped him become more patient, confident and loving.

The project was slowed by his health problems, including AIDS and anemia.

Phillip Patterson shown right

Cuomo Says $80M Will Help Local Governments SurviveGovernor Andrew Cuomo proposed at least $80 million in state aid Tuesday to help New York cities and counties escape a decades-long cycle of higher taxes and reduced services in the face of rising public payroll costs and dwindling populations.

Cuomo said state government can no longer afford temporary fixes to an imbalance that is forcing some of America’s greatest cities to face insolvency during a news conference in describing his proposal to the Legislature.

“It’s not a momentary setback, it’s a chronic imbalance,” Cuomo said.

The state’s last four governors have tried to turn the Rust Belt phenomena around with state aid. Cuomo’s approach would involve a panel that would tailor each plan to a local government’s needs. Changes would likely include consolidating administrative duties with other local governments, refinancing debt, reducing the number of politicians in office, bargaining for no raises, cutting spending and more layoffs.

Some local officials welcomed the approach as a way to free themselves

from a tightening fiscal noose. But others said the panel, while helpful, wouldn’t go nearly far enough. They said it lets state government off the hook from making the hard decisions on the biggest issues.

“What is driving us to insolvency is state mandates,’’ Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner said.

Miner, who co-chairs the state Democratic Committee, wasn’t invited to the Democratic governor’s press conference, although she has been a leader in the effort to pressure Cuomo to help local governments.

She said Syracuse has cut staffing by 282 jobs to 1,915 employees since 1990. She also said the city Fire Department is a huge source of the city’s rising health care and pension costs, much of which were set in Albany with public unions. But the city department is the only full-time, professional firefighting unit in Onondaga County and she wondered aloud how the city could share services with another municipality.

Cuomo’s proposal doesn’t include changes to state laws that protect public jobs and benefits, which

powerful state unions lobbied for. Meanwhile, local governments are forced to conform to a law pushed by Cuomo to limit the increase in some of the nation’s highest property taxes to 2 percent a year, with some exceptions.

Tuesday’s proposal also doesn’t cover schools, which account for the largest share of property taxes, and doesn’t include a permanent change in the law that forces governments to accept decisions under binding arbitration in labor disputes, even if the governments can’t afford the result of the decisions.

“I don’t think it will be enough to enable the counties to continue to provide services as well as meet the 2 percent property tax cap. But it does help,” said Stephen J. Acquario of the New York State Association of Counties.

The association is among the supporters of Cuomo’s proposal.

The governor said local governments can choose to work with the panel or not. A local government would only have to accept the recommendations if it accepted state aid to consolidate, merge services, or take other action.

He said the panel is a last step before a financial control board, which under law has power to rewrite labor contracts. Local officials seek to avoid those powerful boards because the state-appointed board supersedes locally elected officials until finances are corrected.

“This is a viable alternative,” said Jamestown Mayor Samuel Teresi. “We may be one of the first municipalities in line.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo


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Specifications and official bid forms may be secured from www.govbids.com. Click on the Empire State Purchasing Group link. The Board of Education reserves the right to re-ject any and all bids as may be in the best interests of education in the City of Rochester.

Gary B. Smith, Director Procurement and Supply

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Technology SupportTechnician

Brockport is seeking a full-timeTechnology Support Technician toprovide computer, classroom andevent technology assistance at theMetro Center.

For more info and to apply, go towww.brockportrecruit.org

The College at Brockport, StateUniversity of New York,is an EO/AA Employer.

MINORITY REPORTER (weekly - Friday paper, deadline is Tuesday)Issue: 5/17 is next issueSize: 1 col. x 2.5Cost: $58.83

Women in Technology - $199 plus $25 posting fee

For the web portion of Rochester Democrat and Women inTechnology, you may use the entire job description as it appears onthe Brockport jobsite.

ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT - estimated costIssue: 5/12Cost: $417.44 includes one Sunday print and 30 days onCareerBuilders

Technology SupportTechnician

Provide computer, classroomand event technology assis-tance at the Metro Center. For more info and to apply, goto www.brockportrecruit.org

EO/AA

rcn child and Adult Food program (cAcFp) field representative/Trainer: Recruit providers, conduct in-home meal monitors monthly, process and enter data; and deliver presentations. An AAS degree in Early Childhood or a minimum of 18 credit hours. Ability to pay close attention to detail. Excellent Communication skills. Typing and Computer skills. At least six (6) months Early Child Hood Education and or Family Child Care experience. Must have own transportation. Be outgoing and sensitive to members of diverse backgrounds. Experienced in fieldwork. Previous training and or presentation experience is a plus. Bi- lingual Spanish speaking is a plus. Experience with the Refugee Population is a plus. Send All Resume’s to Dorthea King-Simpson at [email protected] or at Rochester Childfirst Network 941 South Ave. 14624.

DiMarco constructors LLc of 1950 Brighton-Henrietta Town Line Rd, Rochester, NY 14623 is requesting bids for the BROOKS CROSSING STUDENT RESIDENCE Project, from subcontractors/suppliers. DiMarco Constructors LLC, an EOE, is requesting MBE/WBE participation.

For information contact Estimating at 585-272-7760.

*Answer from puzzle on page 3

united way of Greater rochesterAssistant to the president

Assist in the execution of duties for the office of the president; serve as lead staff person to all matters related to the organizational governance process. provide as-sistance to the board chair. provide counsel to the president.

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notice to Bidders: Economy paving co, Inc will be preparing quotations for the maintenance repairs to city bridges and various facilities in the City of Rochester to be bid on May 28, 2013. We encourage certified M/WBE firms to send Subcontract bids or material supply quotations. Please fax quotes to 607-756-4742. Plans are available at the office of the Purchasing Agent, City of Rochester, City Hall Room 105-A, 30 Church St, Rochester, NY. They can also be viewed at our office in Cortland, NY. Please call in advance for an appointment 607-756-2819.


NATIONALnew FCC Chair Continues Prison Phone BattleBy Stacy M. Brown

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Mignon Clyburn, a veteran policymaker from the Public Service Commission of South Carolina, has been appointed acting chair of the Federal Communications Commission, the first woman to ever hold the post.

Since joining the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2009, Clyburn remains a leader in the fight to reduce telephone rates for prison inmates throughout the country and, in her first interview since being appointed by President Barack Obama to her new post, she vows to continue that battle.

“Tens of thousands of consumers have written, emailed, and telephoned the Federal Communications Commission, pleading for relief on interstate long distance rates from correctional facilities and I intend to keep pushing this issue,” said Clyburn, 51.

Clyburn said that she could not discuss details regarding her recent appointment, which was announced on May 1.

However, the second-term FCC commissioner is miffed that rates make it cheaper to place a cellular telephone call from as far away as Singapore than it is for an inmate to make an interstate collect call from prisons in the United States.

According to data from various telephone companies, including Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint, the average cost of a call to Singapore is 12 cents per minute, while a call from prison includes a $3.95 connection fee regardless of the length of the conversation.

“One five-minute call from prison could be as high as $17 with the connection fee and the per minute rate can be as high as 89 cents,” Clyburn said. “That framework can be as high as your regular monthly phone bill. We’re talking a significant amount of money for those who are least likely to be able to afford that type of engagement. All of this has motivated me to keep this

fight going,” she said.

Clyburn, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking, Finance and Economics from the University of South Carolina, served as chair of South Carolina’s Public Service Commission from 2002 to 2004.

While Clyburn has made her mark in the public sector, she remains proud of her background in media – that’s where she learned to speak truth to power.

“It was on an African-American newspaper, the Coastal Times, in South Carolina,” she said. Clyburn co-owned and operated the newspaper with her father, Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), the former House majority whip and the current Assistant Democratic Leader.

Clyburn said she will continue to pressure regulators to find more affordable solutions and rates for inmates and their families.

Two private companies own the service that operate all prison phone calls in the country, Global Tel*Link Corp. of Mobile, Ala., and Securus Technologies, Inc. of Dallas, Texas. A spokeswoman at Global Tel*Link and a secretary at Securus each declined comment.

Officials from both companies have previously said during a conference in New York last year that the higher rates are due to the security features their technology provides, such as monitoring phone calls and blocking numbers.

“But, technology is readily available and not something that should translate to $15 for a 15-minute phone call,” said Steven Renderos, national organizer for the Center for Media Justice in Oakland, Calif.

Rates for the calls widely vary from state-to-state, but the commissions received by the phone companies and prisons are high, Renderos said.

“For example, in Alabama the commission rate is 61.5 percent, and

this translates to families having to pay 89 cents a minute on top of the $3.95 connection fee every time a family member receives a call,” said Renderos.

“Eight states, California, South Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Michigan, and Missouri, have banned these commissions and in those states, you see some of the lowest rates for phone calls,” he said.

The District of Columbia prohibits any surcharge, commission, or other financial imposition on prisoners’ phone calls beyond legally established phone rates, which are limited to the maximum rate determined by the District’s Public Service Commission, agency officials said.

Clyburn, who in 2001 began work to reduce the rates and recruited Jesse Jackson’s Operation Push to assist, said the telephone is a crucial instrument for the incarcerated, and those who care about them, because telephone usage is often the only communications option available.

“Maintaining contact with family and friends during incarceration not only helps the inmate, but it is beneficial to our society as a whole because there are well over two million children with at least one parent behind bars and regardless of their circumstances, both children and parents gain from regular contact with one another,” said Clyburn.

A major hurdle in the battle to reduce the call rates is the “Almighty dollar,” officials at the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) said. Last week, representatives from the CBC also signed on to help Clyburn fight the exorbitant costs of prison calls.

The phone market in state prison systems is worth more than $362 million annually. Payments to governments in return for exclusive phone contracts account for an estimated 42 percent nationwide, or $152 million per year, according to a 2011 report published by Prison Legal News.

Also, while telephone companies sometimes provide reduced rates for evening and nighttime calls, many prisoners don’t have the luxury of scheduling phone calls during those time periods.

When Louisiana issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for prison phone services in 2001, it specified that the maximum points should be awarded to the bidder who bids the highest percentage of compensation. It also stated a desire that the bidder’s compensation percentages be “as high as possible,” the study stated.

When the Alaska Department of Corrections issued an RFP in 2007, bidders were rated on a point system with 60 percent of the evaluation points assigned to cost.

Some of America’s prisons are privately owned and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), meaning that they are for-profit businesses and pay dividends to shareholders. Cornell Companies Inc. (whose NYSE symbol is CRN), Corrections Corp. of America (CXW) and Geo Group Inc. (GEO), are the three companies that own prisons in the U.S.

Cornell, which operates in 15 states and the District of Columbia, is currently trading at $29.45 a share. Stock for Corrections Corp., the largest owner of partnership correction and detention facilities and one of the largest prison operators in the United States, is trading at $37.07. Located in Boca Raton, Fla., the Geo Group is trading at $37.92 a share and the company is expected to release its first quarter financials on May 9.

“I’m optimistic on a number of fronts,” Clyburn said. “Our office has constantly ensured that this process of reducing the rates is one that is dynamic and moving forward,” she said.

“The more people who are aware of what’s going on, the better because there isn’t anyone, myself included, who hasn’t had this type of engagement. We all know or are related to someone who has been or is currently incarcerated and a lot of people still don’t realize how significant of an economic impact this has on poor families.”

Mignon Clyburn Says Rates Are Unfair To Inmates and Families

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Washington Informer


NATIONAL

By Brent Wilkes

WASHINGTON (TriceEdneyWire.com) - By many accounts, the economy is prospering again and the housing market is on the road to recovery. But, reality is nowhere near as comforting as fiction, and the facts point to a very different reality faced by working families and minority communities, especially in the barrios.

The Great Recession pushed millions of willing workers off the labor force, put many others in lower paying or multiple jobs, and communities are still reeling from assets lost. At a time when we should be discussing how to stimulate our economy and job growth, many policymakers seem to only want to discuss how to mimic European austerity measures.

The regressive nature of our economic recovery has not gone unnoticed in our communities. We hear it every day from friends and family members, and in Washington D.C. we see it in reports like the one issued by Joseph A. Smith, who heads the Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight. Mr. Smith oversees the agreement between 49 state attorneys general and the nation's largest lenders to provide up to $25 billion in relief to borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure. Yet, his report shows that many lenders are instead pushing homeowners to sell, resolving subordinated debt entanglements to drive owners toward short sales, and avoiding principal modifications at all costs.

More recently, attorneys general detailed how lenders grossly underreported the extent of their fraud and misdealing. There is no shortage of scathing reviews that show lenders dragging their feet on modifying mortgages, and regulators fumbling their responsibilities while trusting those very same lenders to police themselves.

The fact is that housing is hot again and investors want inventory. Which inventory exactly? Those would be the homes that were previously or are currently owned by modest wage families and across many communities of color. There is also a big investor driven effort to commercialize renting. If you think that's a good idea, ask working families in Providence, Rhode Island where it is all too common for families to spend, at a minimum, fifty percent of their take home pay on rent.

There's no doubt that banks are working hard to settle liabilities to process more foreclosures, and many more homeowners that may yet lose their home as the allure of profits take hold. What is so frustrating is that there

is so much the government could do to provide relief, like utilizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for principal reductions and modifications, but holdovers of the Bush Administration refuse to act.

Indeed, regulators and agencies on the front lines of housing finance have so little diversity within their ranks that it is not even clear that they genuinely understand the plight of ordinary citizens, and especially minorities. That can be seen in proposed changes that would benefit Wall Street over Main Street, raise down payments and make it more difficult for anyone except the wealthiest to own a home. From policies that have already been approved like the Qualified Residential Mortgage rule to ideas like privatizing Fannie and Freddie, these all undermine the American Dream of homeownership that is so important to working wage families.

We need positive solutions, and increasing the inventory of affordable rental housing is absolutely important, but it should complement the policies that allow families to own a home, build roots in their community and depend on those assets for their children's education, starting a business and retirement.

There are too many private interests actively lobbying to privatize the GSEs and therefore carve out the most profitable pieces, like multifamily, for themselves. At the same time, they want to shift the government guarantee from GSEs to instead guaranteeing large too-big-to-fail financial institutions.

We cannot allow the laws that helped build the post-WWII middle class, in part through homeownership, to disappear. Or worse, to turn the institutions and laws that help average and minority families own a home into yet another subsidy for Wall Street. It is too easy to forget that many of these laws and institutions that would be upended helped tear down redlining and the obstacles that prevented minorities from owning homes, and promoted community reinvestment and home mortgage disclosures that helped working families with little access to credit.

Now, those that would undo a generation's worth of progress are cynically claiming that their efforts are meant to help minorities, but we know better.

Latino families are deeply interested in this discussion. And, while Treasury may have few officials that understand the plight of our community, we will continue to demand more accountability. Because we will not

allow the aspirations of working wage and Latino families on credit access and homeownership to take a back seat to moneyed interests angling for a good return on investment. We simply cannot allow that to happen, again.

Brent Wilkes is Executive Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation's largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers

Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. America's Wire is an independent, nonprofit news service run by the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. Our stories can be republished free of charge by newspapers, websites and other media sources. For more information, visit www.americaswire.org or contact Michael K. Frisby at [email protected].

Why the Obama Administration Must Do More to Help Working-class Families on Housing

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Theviewsexpressedonouropinionpagesarethoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyrepresentthe

positionorviewpointofMinorityReporter.OPINION/EDITORIAL

“Crack is Whack and SWAN is Gone” is the title of a document I recently received in the mail, anonymously.

After reading what appeared to be an expose

on recent s h e n a n i g a n s

within the S.W.A.N organization, I decided to share some of the allegations directed at S.W.A.N, again, with my readers.

As I have indicated previously, it disheartens me to hear of the organization’s failures, particularly because I am one of the founders of the South West Area Neighborhood Association, who served under the leadership of the late Willie Lightfoot Sr.

One of the paragraphs in the unsigned document I received read as follows, “Crack is whack when you continue to use the drug and not understand how it may affect your mind, body and soul, short and long term. As you begin to cheat, steal, deceive and lie to get the drug you are not only destroying yourself, but also supporting the drug dealers in the community where the drug is distributed and sold. Has the organization moved to selling false concepts to the community by continuing to use a drug (current leadership both at board level and organizational structure) that infects the community in ways that will destroy the inner circle of many who wanted to see it change?”

Another interesting paragraph in the

document read, “S.W.A.N is gone when you provide false facts to the leadership and the community relating to the positive growth that new faces provide to an organization. S.W.A.N is gone when board members do not receive proper training and development to support organizational change and new faces on the ground level. S.W.A.N is gone when the old� regime wants to micro-manage an organization instead of embracing ideas to move to the next level. S.W.A.N is gone when board members dismiss CEOs without cause and explanation. S.W.A.N is gone when current leadership dismissed all staff under a blanket of lies, and re-hired staff that cannot follow the rules governing the organization.”

The aforementioned are excerpts from the document. Anyone interested can contact me and I will gladly supply them with a copy of what was sent to me. The document that, once again, triggers this column and my concern for the future of S.W.A.N.

All I know for sure is that the S.W.A.N organization was not founded to be a personal playground for any individual. It was founded to bring services to the Southwest area residents. In the last few years it has become a laughing stock in the community, an embarrassment to say the least. The organization seems to have fallen exempt to accountability and audits. The so-called board of directors is a joke, with leadership seemingly more personally-oriented than community-focused.

A few years ago, I called for the firing and/or retiring of its executive director based on alleged misappropriations of monies and more. Once again, I appeal to the leadership, public officials and

anyone else concerned, to get a handle on what is going on with S.W.A.N.

It is going to take a collective effort to dismantle the ugliness that has manifested and seemingly entrenched itself within the organization.

What I do know is that, almost 11 months ago, a new executive director by the name of Robert Walker was hired after the former director retired, hopefully due to pressure, and potential investigations into that regime; I was attempting to bring to bear.

The new director, one who is competent and brought with him a clean broom, quickly swept the cobwebs and dirt to the street. In the course of doing so, some six employees were allegedly terminated for violations relating to performance, failure to pass drug tests and credentialing.

One of the people he hired as youth development director is James Waters. I know James to be professional and competent, something new to S.W.A.N, I am sure. The new director, from where I sit, was attempting to move the organization forward and restore S.W.A.N’s credibility in this community.

However, the new director was recently terminated, allegedly for insubordination to the board president. The former retired director was then re-hired. What’s really interesting is, allegedly, the new director, Robert Walker, was fired with a total of four votes from the board, not even close to representing a majority.

How does that happen? If it is true, it happens easily when you have strong

dishonest personalities in the loop who play by their own rules. Some, I hear alleging in the pulpit under the guise of being godlike or godly.

Upon being re-hired, the former director, allegedly and without hesitation, terminated everyone the new director had hired. To make matters worse, she then allegedly re-hired everyone who had been terminated for failing drug tests and more.

Please consider my words as an appeal to anyone concerned enough to take the time to investigate just what the heck is going on with S.W.A.N this time.

Last time no one went to jail, but maybe it is time that someone does. Somebody needs to question why the new, competent director that was hired over 11 months ago is now terminated, along with the staff he put in place. Who is it in that organization that is responsible for such ignorance?

If I was the new director, and/or one of the staff terminated or retaliated against, I would be learning how to spell “Class Action” right about now.

I know there are people out there who care and just may not be aware that Satan is back, but crack is truly whack and S.W.A.N is gone if someone doesn’t get concerned enough to investigate the serious allegations that have once again surfaced against S.W.A.N.

Crack is Whack and SWAn is Gone!strAIgHt…NO CHASER

GLORIA WInSTOn AL-SARAG

----------------------------------Gloria Winston Al-Sarag is a Community Activist, Writer, Communicator, Political Activist. She is a native Rochesterian and has been involved with numerous community orgainzations in Rochester. Contact Gloria at: [email protected]

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Once again the American press, which loves to loudly and consistently boast of being the best and freest press in the whole wide world, is allowing warmonger ing politicians and pundits to do their thing

without asking a most basic question: How many family members of the trash-talking chicken hawks will actually fight in the war they insist is absolutely necessary for U.S. national security? Please notice the words, “Fight in combat.” Just their being in the military is not sufficient. Much too

often the relatives of the warmongers who go into the military are seldom assigned to actual combat zones.

Every day one sees or hears “chicken hawks” such as Senator Lindsay Graham, Senator Ted Cruz, columnist Charles Krauthammer, propagandists Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, Bill Kristol and his neo-con desk warriors the Fox and Friends crew, the editorial page writers of the Weekly Standard, and their cohorts, rant and rave about some kind of military involvement in Syria.

This is especially true of Senator Graham. Yet the highly paid, supposedly independent and truth-seeking members of the national print and broadcast press never ask them how many of their children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters,

nieces and nephews or first cousins will face the possibility of combat in Syria or anywhere else. They are high among the chief beneficiaries of the existing system and should be the first ones willing to fight for its continuance.

All one has to do is read Faces of the Fallen, published several times annually in The Washington Post. Its most recent listing was published May 3, 2013. The casualties included many military personnel from places such as Claremore, Okla., Cabot, Ark., Tolar, Tex. Liverpool, N.Y., Maysville, N.C., Houlton, Maine Sierra Vista, Ariz., Gillette, N.J., Gardiner, Ore., Greer, S.C., Jordan, Minn., Sidney, Mont. and New Carlisle, Ohio.

While these overwhelmingly small town soldiers are being killed and maimed in “Operation Enduring

Freedom” in Afghanistan, family members of the warmongers continue attending birthday parties, celebrating holidays, vacationing in the Caribbean, graduating from colleges and universities, attending weddings and jamming at pool parties with their economically and socially elite peers.

Meanwhile, their warmongering grandfathers, fathers, uncles, brothers and cousins are insisting on U.S. military involvement in Syria and members of the press still don’t ask them the most basic question: How many of your immediate family will be in combat if you are successful in your quest for another war of choice? It’s for sure that my godson, who was sent to the Iraq combat zone 5 times wants an answer to that question.

The Alliance Between Warmongers And The Press

A. PETER BAILEY


Theviewsexpressedonouropinionpagesarethoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyrepresentthe

positionorviewpointofMinorityReporter.OPINION/EDITORIALForgiveness

This week’s article is a departure from what I have been sharing in the past. However, it indeed has a tie-in with what we face in this day and time.

While considering what to write about, I decided that we as a society need to check ourselves and make sure that we walk in forgiveness.

There is so much hurt that people do to one another and we can harbor very ill feelings towards people, and that makes us a hard society that can do anything to people, and have no compassion.

No doubt the man that killed those innocent children and teachers in Connecticut as well as the man that ambushed the West Webster firemen had no compassion in their hearts.

There is no way that someone can do what these individuals did and have compassion on people.

Somewhere along the way they allowed bitterness and hatred to set up in their hearts and make them numb to life itself.

This unfortunately is a trend that we see in our society. The Boston bombing; the New Orleans shooting; the Cleveland kidnapping situation; young people killing parents; parents killing infants; there is too much bitterness and hatred going around and it is dangerous to our society.

We have to be a people that are quick to forgive. There is a difference between forgiving and forgetting. Most times when people mention forgiving the idea that we should forget also comes up. That is just ludicrous.

Who can forget Sandy-Hook, 9-11, Aurora, Colorado, or Columbine? These are events that are etched in our collective memory forever.

Forgiveness does not necessarily cause you to forget, it takes away the pain of the situation and allows us to move on and lead the lives that God intended for us.

Unforgiveness keeps us bound to the person(s) and the situation where the hurt was done. As such, it eats away at us and makes us less human in that we stop releasing compassion as we become bitter and revenge and hatred can enter in.

Joyce Meyer has said that unforgiveness is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. It hurts the one that harbors the unforgiveness, not the one that did the damage!

It was concerning to me that people of Boston did not want the body of the bombing suspect buried in their area. What that man did was heinous and if he would have lived, he should have gotten the death penalty.

However, what benefit is received for people to stand against having that body buried in their area?

If they do not release that man in their hearts, he will have a continual impact on their lives many

years beyond the grave that he is in; and many years beyond the horror that he inflicted.

As a people we have to be strong and do the hard thing, follow the biblical example. When Jesus was falsely accused and was on the cross being crucified, He said to the father, relative to those that were killing him: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34; KJV).

He would not allow bitterness to well up in his heart, he released them! He is our example and we have to have the strength to forgive people, even those that have done us the most wrong.

I am not saying that it is easy nor am I saying that we need to be lenient for anyone that perpetrates a crime against us. They need to be prosecuted to the fullest extend of the law!

However, I’m saying that we have to muster up the strength to forgive. By forgiving, we exercise a very unique quality that is only available to human beings.

Do not harbor bitterness, anger, or hatred against those that have harmed you. You do not want to become like them, hard, hateful, frustrated, angry.

Releasing them through forgiveness negates their power in your life and frees you to move forward to accomplish you God-given purpose in spite of what they did to you to try and stop you.

Forgiveness is your key to moving forward!

Let your voice

be heard

Tell us what you think at:

[email protected]

Austerity station

C. MICHAEL VAUGHn

sOMEtHIng TO THINK ABOUT


2ND ANNUAL AFRICAN AMERICAN

GENEOLOGY CONFERENCE

SATURDAY JUNE 1, 20139AM - 5PM

WILSON ACADEMY | 200 GENESEE STREETROCHESTER, NEW YOrk

PRESENTED BY THE MAAFA CELEBRATION COMMITTEE IN COLLABORATION WITH AKWAABA - THEHERITAGE ASSOCIATES , SOUTH-WEST AREA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION [SWAN] AND THE ROCHESTER GENEOLOGY SOCIETY

who’s in your family tree?...Connecting the Branches, Identifying

the Roots

EACH AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILY IS A PAGE IN AMERICAN HISTORY- DR. DAVID ‘SANKOFA’ ANDERSONAKWAABA-THE HERITAGE ASSOCIATES

MAAFA CELEBRATION COMMITTEE MISSION STATEMENT

[THE MAAFA CELEBRATION COMMITTEE PROVIDES AN ANNUAL ‘DAY OF REMEM-

BERANCE’, AS WE LL AS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVIES AND PROGRAMS THAT FOSTER

RESPECT FOR UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY, CULTURE, AND ACCOMPLISH-

MENTS OF PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DECENT WORLDWIDE

Please Contact Diane Sheffield @ 585.313.3685 // Djed Snead @ 585.748.7727 for further information

minority reporter week of may 20 - 26, 2013

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