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1 :: WWW.MINORITYREPORTER.NET - WEEK OF MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2012Rochester, NYRochester, NYVOL 5. NO. 31VOL 5. NO. 31 may 28 - June 3, 2012

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From Information to Understanding

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2 :: WWW.MINORITYREPORTER.NET - WEEK OF MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2012

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In This Issue:

COVER Pgs 8 - 9

- Urban Renewal

By Rodney Brown

READERS WRITE Pg 3

LOCAL Pgs 4 - 5

- Longer School Day and Year Planned For Northeast Prep- Carol Jones to Remain Principal of Vanguard- Court Rules NY Town’s Prayer Violated Constitution- Benefi t Concert to Promote Education and Agriculture in Africa- Joe Flowers- Local Army National Guard Aviation Unit to Deploy

STATE Pgs 6 - 7

- NY Girl, 4, Calls 911 to Help Save Choking Brother- Raising Minimum Wage Impossible Politically- Forced to Fly Solo, Even on Family Vacation- Cuomo Ends Finger Printing for Food Stamps in NY

NATIONAL Pgs 10 - 11

- NAACP Backs Same Sex Marriage as Civil Right- Women Gets 20 Years for Firing Warning Shot

HEALTH Pg 12

- Occupational Therapy Works!

POLITCS Pg 12

- Romney to Raise About $10M in NY

COLUMNS: Pg 14-15

- ROC’n The Beach 2012

By Gloria Winston Al-Sarag

- City School District Secrets

By Diane Watkins

- The NAACP Has Turned Its Back on God and Colored People

By Ayesha Kreutz

Rochester, NYVOL 5. NO. 31

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Merriweather Library Niagara Falls Library Mood Makers Bookstore May 30, 2012 June 6, 2012 June 16, 2010 6pm-7:30pm 6pm-7:30pm 11:30am-1:00pm Buffalo, NY Niagara Falls, NY Rochester, NY (Village Gate)

Sponsors Councilmen: Demone Smith, Charles Walker & Legislature Betty J. Grant

Philippians 4:13 Books available for $10.00

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This message speaks volumes about who and what some of us are. When our President “needs” convicted felons to vote, our President needs to be replaced. Parole Offi cers need to hold some idiots hand and walk him/her through the registra on process? Are you serious! Once again, we blame everyone else for the inadequacies within ourselves. “Mom didn’t do a good job raising me, and Dad didn’t s ck around. Now it’s a Parole Offi cer’s job to show me how to be an adult”. How about this, if you or your minor children process an EBT card, you DON’T get to vote un l such me as you become a produc ve member of this Country, rather than a leech.~Bigchubb6570

I say the president should get his support from the gay community he so vehemently supports; especially since he has refused to off er such fi rm support to the Black community and to ge ng jobs for the

Black community... I guess that’s not as poli cally correct.

There is a long list of things convicted fellons needs to be aware of; and, vo ng is probably not at the top of the list. Hopefully they are making changes to their lives so they can become produc ve ci zens of society.~Joe Alexander

Good point Joe. Yes, the beloved Obama suddenly has decided to hang the “I’m not totally opposed to same sex marriage” carrot out in front of gay America. And don’t forget the very recent removal from Iraq, that he assured us nearly four years ago he was going to do. Oh, and just today, the purposes removal from Afganistan. How convenient.~Bigchubb6570

Wake Up Convicted Felons: Time to Register & Vote(h p://www.minorityreporter.net/fullstory.php?id=1021)

A Clear Choice (in the upcoming Presiden al Elec on)!(h p://www.minorityreporter.net/fullstory.php?id=1024)

Maybe this just shows that Chris ans shouldn’t put their trust in the government or ANY offi cials, as they have fl aws and that includes those that profess to be followers of Christ. Hence, the reason why our trust should be in Him, regardless of what stance a poli cian makes.

With this said, poli cians are what they are and with teams telling them what to say and so forth, I’m not even sure if Obama

even agrees with that stance. This is given what he has stated in the past. Who knows though (besides God)?

Also, we have to be careful, as the word also talks about taking care of the poor and those that get more should give more as well. We only get because God blesses us to be proper distributers of resources too.~C. Hud

“Pressing Towards Your Vision” The 11th Annual “Pressing Towards Your Vision” conference was held April 19th @ Diplomat Banquet Center with host Golden Lewis


Court Rules Town of Greece’s Prayer Policy Violates Cons tu on(AP) The town of Greece violated the cons tu onal ban against favoring one religion over another by opening nearly every mee ng over an 11-year span with prayers that stressed Chris anity, a federal court of appeals ruled Thursday.

In what it said was its fi rst case tes ng the cons tu onally mandated separa on of church and state, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled the town of Greece should have made a greater eff ort to invite people from other faiths to open monthly mee ngs. The town’s lawyer says it will appeal.

From 1999 through 2007, and again from January 2009 through June 2010, every mee ng was opened with a Chris an-oriented invoca on. In 2008, a er residents Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens complained, four

of 12 mee ngs were opened by non-Chris ans, including a Jewish layman, a Wiccan priestess and the chairman of the local Baha’i congrega on.

Galloway and Stephens sued and, in 2010, a lower court ruled there was no evidence the town had inten onally excluded other faiths.

A town employee each month selected clerics or lay people by using a local published guide of churches. The guide did not include non-Chris an denomina ons, however. The court found that religious ins tu ons in the town of just under 100,000 people are primarily Chris an, and even Galloway and Stephens tes fi ed they knew of no non-Chris an places of worship there.

The court ruled the town should have expanded its search outside its borders.

``The town’s process for selec ng prayer-givers virtually ensured a Chris an viewpoint,’’ it ruled.

The court acknowledges there was no formal policy on who should be invited to deliver invoca ons, and that the town was open to people of all faiths speaking at mee ngs. But it also noted the town board didn’t publicize the idea that anybody could volunteer to deliver prayers and made no comment when a prayer in October 2007 described people who objected to the prayer prac ce as a ``minority . . . ignorant of the history of our country.’’

Rev. Barry W. Lynn, execu ve director of Americans United, which represented Galloway and Stephens, was pleased with the ruling.

``Government mee ngs should

welcome everyone,’’ he said. ``When one faith is preferred over others, that clearly leaves some people out.’’

The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based group that presses faith-based cases in courts na onwide, represented the town in court. It said it will appeal the ruling.Joel Oster, senior counsel for ADF who argued the town’s case, called the ruling ``highly inconsistent’’ with what the Supreme Court has said on the issue and said it means towns will have to ``complete an obstacle course’’ before they can qualify to say a prayer before a mee ng.

``The town has no obliga on to go outside of its borders as if it’s an affi rma ve ac on program,’’ he said.

Flowers Pleads Guilty to Addi onal ChargesStaff

Joe Flowers, the imprisoned former pastor of the Walk of Life Chris an Center, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of transpor ng a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual ac vity.

Flowers who is currently serving a seven year sentence for repeatedly sexually abusing a boy between 2007 and 2010, took a plea deal Wednesday in court and will face an addi onal 1 and 1/3 to 4 years for the new charges.

According to court documents, in 2004 Flowers drove a child under the age of

15 to an amusement park in Florida where he sexually abused the child.

Flowers will be sentenced in September on the new charges.

In statements to the media, Flowers’ a orney Maurice Verrillo said, “He is very remorseful about the situa on which he’s admi ed to and I believe that’s genuine from what I’ve seen both in the case today and the case yesterday. He is very sorry about what happened.”

He will face another trial for similar allega ons made by two other boys.

Local Army Na onal Guard Avia on Unit to DeploySeveral dozen members of an Army Na onal Guard avia on unit based in western New York le for training before they’re deployed to Afghanistan this summer.

A departure ceremony was held Wednesday morning at the Army Avia on Support Facility at Rochester Interna onal Airport for more than 55 soldiers assigned to the 3rd Ba alion of the 126th Avia on Regiment.

They’re headed for Fort Hood in Texas, where they’ll train before their nine-month deployment to Afghanistan star ng in July.

The avia on unit fl ies CH-47 Chinook

helicopters, the largest fl own by the Army. The Chinook can carry more than 30 Soldiers and 14 tons of cargo.

Staff

Rochester City School Board members passed a resolu on, Tuesday, to lengthen the school day, week and year for students at Northeast College Preparatory High School.

Beginning in the fall of 2012, students will be in school Monday through Saturday for 11 hours per day--7:30am to 6:30pm. Their new school year will run from September to July with one month off in the summer.

The school’s name and loca on at the Douglass Campus will not change.

In addi on to three meals per day--including dinner--students will also receive laptop computers, medical and dental care and tutoring. Arts, music, and athle cs will be part of the curriculum and homework will be completed at school.

The plan, which has support of Rochester City School District (RCSD)

Superintendent Bolgen Vargas and School Board president Malik Evans, was thought up by Wegmans vice chairman and general council, Paul Speranza.

Speranza said the program should not cost the district more money because it will rely on mostly volunteers.

According to RCSD documents regarding the new program, teachers will be fairly compensated if they work a longer school day or school year;

and, costs not covered will be paid for by dona ons.

RCSD offi cials say each student’s schedule will be tailored to fi t their needs and if the plan works it will be implemented at other schools.

Board members voted unanimously for the program. School Board Commissioner Cynthia Ellio noted she wished that designers of the program would have targeted more at-risk youth.

Longer School Day and Year Planned for Northeast Prep


Benefi t Concert to Promote Educa on and Agriculture in AfricaA benefi t concert to promote rural educa on and sustainable agriculture in Ghana, West Africa will be held at Water Street Music Hall on Sunday, May 27.

The event starts at 4 p.m. and goes un l 12 a.m.

Ar sts to perform include: Audioinfl ux, Subsoil, Skribe, T.A.O., Windsor Folk Family, Evelyn Agrah Aborgah, Grupo de Pagodinho, African warrior, Pimpim, Live Pain ng and many special guests. All proceeds are going to Ndor Eco Village to help complete an adobe school building for children and start a guest house for volunteers in Aklobortornu, Ghana.

Dona ons of school supplies are welcome at the event.

About Ndor Eco Village

Student Yao Foli founded Ndor Eco Village in 2008 as a sophomore at Cazenovia College in upstate New York. Yao Foli grew up in the town of Hohoe in the Volta region, the son of farmer and one of fi ve kids. Yao’s leadership in the environmental movement in the Volta region resulted in his full scholarship to Cazenovia College where he has developed the reading, wri ng, and cri cal thinking to fulfi ll his lifelong dream to create Ndor Eco Village in the Volta region.

At Ndor Eco-Village (Ndor means Sun in Ewe) we are inspired by the latent opportunity and promise in rural Ghana where over half of Ghana’s nearly 24 million people live. Working in the Volta region in the village of Aklobortornu, they are developing a holis c approach to poverty reduc on.

Aklobortornu is a small community in the Volta region, Ghana with a popula on of 300 people including adults and children. The main lucra ve industries in Aklobortornu are farming, fi shing, and Kente weaving. Aklobortornu lack many developing facili es, few to men on, quality educa on, electricity, and quality water; all these add up to the decline in educa on and development in Aklobortornu.

Issues like distance to and loca on of school dampen par cipa on in school.

Children have to walk two miles to the nearest village; carrying their tables and chairs on their head back and forth to and from school. This scenario discourages a child from going to school. Most of the children end up on the farm helping parents instead going to school. The public school in the nearest Aklobortornu town lacks many facili es as well such as qualifi ed teachers, reading books, crayons, pens and pencils.

Ndor has successfully purchased fi ve acres of land for the project and hired

a local architect to create plans for the school and guest houses. In addi on, Ndor has collected bags full of school supplies and other dona ons for the community available for immediate distribu on.

For more informa on, or to donate contact: Email: ndorecovillage.gmail.com

Website: www. ndorecovillage.org For dona on visit www.bluekitabu.org and donate online.

Carol Jones to Remain Principal of VanguardStaff

In an execu ve session, Tuesday, that ended at midnight. Rochester City School District Board members voted to keep Carol Jones as principal of Vanguard Collegiate High School.

Jones, whose job was in jeopardy due to low student performance and test

scores, received great support from parents and students of the school.

Earlier in the evening a group of students, parents and staff spoke to the School Board telling them that Jones was not the problem. They say Jones was not given enough me to turn things around.

Jones, who has been on the job for two years, spoke at Tuesday’s mee ng in her own defense. “I wanted kids to have a voice. I think I over did it,” she said. “I want them to be heard and I want them to understand that their life me they are the ones that have to be heard because they are such a force to our community.”

Upon hearing the vote by School Board members late Tuesday, supporters say they are happy with the verdict.


Catholic Dioceses, Colleges Sue Over Obama MandateBy RACHEL ZOLLAP Religion Writer

NEW YORK (AP) _ Dozens of Roman Catholic dioceses, schools and other ins tu ons sued the Obama administra on Monday over a government mandate requiring most employers to provide birth control coverage as part of their employee health plans.

The lawsuits fi led in federal courts around the country represent the largest push against the mandate since President Barack Obama announced the policy in January. Among those suing are the University of Notre Dame, the Archdioceses of Washington, New York and Michigan, and the Catholic University of America.

``We have tried nego a on with the administra on and legisla on with the Congress, and we’ll keep at it, but there’s s ll no fi x,’’ said New York

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. ``Time is running out, and our valuable ministries and fundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to the courts now.’’

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department adopted the rule to improve health care for women. Last year, an advisory panel from the Ins tute of Medicine, which advises the federal government, recommended including birth control on the list of covered services, partly because it promotes maternal and child health by allowing women to space their pregnancies.

However, faith leaders from across religious tradi ons protested, saying the mandate violates religious freedom. The original rule includes a religious exemp on that allows houses of worship to opt-out of the mandate, but keeps the requirement in place for

religiously affi liated chari es.

In response to the poli cal furor, Obama off ered to so en the rule so that insurers would pay for birth control instead of religious groups. However, the bishops and others have said that the accommoda on doesn’t go far enough.

Health and Human Services spokeswoman Erin Shields said Monday that the department does not comment on pending li ga on.

Notre Dame’s president, the Rev. John Jenkins, said in a statement that the school decided to sue ``a er much delibera on, discussion and eff orts to fi nd a solu on acceptable to the various par es.’’ The university argued that the mandate violates religious freedom by requiring many religiously affi liated hospitals, schools and chari es to comply.

``We do not seek to impose our religious beliefs on others,’’ Jenkins said. ``We simply ask that the government not impose its values on the university when those values confl ict with our religious teachings.’’

Other religious colleges and ins tu ons have already fi led federal suit over the mandate, but observers had been closely watching for Notre Dame’s next step.

The university, among the best-known Catholic schools in the country, has indicated past willingness to work with Obama, despite their diff erences with him on abor on and other issues. Notre Dame came under unprecedented cri cism from U.S. bishops and others in 2009 for invi ng Obama, who supports abor on rights, as commencement speaker and presen ng him with an honorary law degree.

Cuomo Announces $15 M to Help Energy CompaniesALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ The state is providing $15 million to that will help companies develop high-technology energy products and jobs.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the money will be divided among three companies statewide. The state is invi ng universi es, scien st and research organiza ons to partner with

businesses to move breakthroughs in laboratories to market.

The money will be used to accelerate the sale of innova ons and a ract

private sector investment.

The recipients will be chosen soon.

NY Girl, 4, Calls 911 to Help Save Choking BrotherAMITYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) _ They talked about calling 911 in Grace Varley’s prekindergarten class. She must have been listening.

The 4-year-old New York girl calmly dialed for help Wednesday a er her younger brother choked on a piece of chicken and passed out.

A police offi cer who lived near the family’s Amityville home was on the scene within moments. Offi cer John Adriella was able to dislodge the food and get the child breathing again.

Now Gracie is being hailed as a hero. The police sergeant who took her call tells Newsday (h p://bit.ly/L70FW4) she was ``cool and collected’’ on the line.

For a few minutes, the situa on was desperate. A grandmother taking care of the children was unable to clear the boy’s airway and had carried the child outside yelling for help.

He’s doing fi ne now.

Cuomo: Raising Minimum Wage Impossible Poli callyALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ Gov. Andrew Cuomo says it’s impossible to raise the minimum wage this year because of legisla ve poli cs. But advocates for the poor say he can force a change administra vely.

Cuomo says he supports raising the minimum, but that it’s not in the ``realm of possibility’’ to get the

measure passed in the Republican-led Senate. Cuomo made the comments Monday on public radio’s ``Capitol Pressroom.’’

But the Hunger Ac on Network says his administra on could force the change through a provision in state Labor Law that hasn’t yet been tested.

Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto says the provision can’t be used to raise the wage for most workers.

The minimum is now $7.25 an hour. The Democrat-led Assembly wants it increased to $8.50.

Cuomo Ends Finger Prin ng for Food Stamps in NYALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is ending the fi nger prin ng of recipients seeking Food Stamps.

He says the an -fraud measure was

turning away families who need the subsidy to help provide nutri ous meals for their children.

He says 1 in 6 children in New York live in homes without enough food

on the table, yet 30 percent of New Yorkers eligible for Food Stamps don’t get them. That’s more than 1.4 million people.

The ac on announced Thursday by

Lt. Gov. Robert Duff y was praised by advocates for the poor. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, says Cuomo did simply the right thing.


Forced to Fly Solo, Even on Family Vaca onsBy SCOTT MAYEROWITZAP Airlines Writer

NEW YORK (AP) _ If you’re fl ying this summer in the U.S., be prepared to kiss your family goodbye at the gate. Even if they’re on the same plane.

U.S. airlines are reserving a growing number of window and aisle seats for passengers willing to pay extra. That’s helping to boost revenue but also making it harder for friends and family members who don’t pay this fee to sit next to each other. At the peak of the summer travel season, it might be nearly impossible.

Buying ckets two or more months in advance makes things a li le easier. But passengers are increasingly fi nding that the only way to sit next to a spouse, child or friend is to shell out $25 or more, each way.

With base fares on the rise _ the average domes c roundtrip cket this summer is forecast by Kayak.com to be $431, or 3 percent higher than last year _ some families are reluctant to cough up more money.

``Who wants to fl y like this?’’ says Khampha Bouaphanh, a photographer from Fort Worth, Texas. `Ìt gets more ridiculous every year.’’

Bouaphanh balked at paying an extra $114 roundtrip in fees to reserve three adjacent seats for him, his wife and their four-year-old daughter on an upcoming trip to Disney World. `Ì’m hoping that when we can get to the counter, they can accommodate us for free,’’ he says.

Airlines say their gate agents try to help family members without adjacent seats sit together, especially people fl ying with small children. Yet there is no guarantee things will work out.

Not everyone is complaining.

Frequent business travelers used to get stuck with middle seats even though their last-minute fares were two or three mes higher than the

average. Now, airlines are se ng aside more window and aisle seats for their most frequent fl iers at no extra cost.

``The customers that are more loyal, who fl y more o en, we want to make sure they have the best travel experience,’’ says Eduardo Marcos, American Airline’s manager of merchandising strategy.

For everybody else, choosing seats on airline websites has become more of a guessing game.

To travelers who haven’t earned `èlite’’ status in a frequent fl ier program, fl ights o en appear full even though they are not. These casual travelers end up paying extra for an aisle or window seat believing they have no other op on.

But as fl ights get closer many of the seats airlines had set aside for those willing to pay a premium do become available _ at no extra cost.

`Àirlines are holding these seats hostage,’’ says George Hobica, founder of travel site AirfareWatchdog. ``The seat selec on process isn’t as fair as it used to be.’’

Airlines are searching for more ways to raise revenue to off set rising fuel costs. In the last fi ve years, they have added fees for checked baggage, watching TV, skipping security lines and boarding early.

Now they are turning to seats.

Since last summer, American, Delta Air Lines, Fron er Airlines and United Airlines have increased the percentage of coach seats requiring an extra fee. Some _ like those on Delta, JetBlue Airways and United _ come with more legroom. Others, including those on American and US Airways, are just as cramped but are window and aisle seats near the front.

Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines go one step further, charging extra for any advanced seat assignment. On Spirit, passengers who aren’t willing

to pay the extra $5 to $15 per fl ight, are assigned a seat at check-in. The computer doesn’t make any eff ort to keep families together.

`Ìt gets really diffi cult, unfortunately, because all you end up with is a lot of onesies and twosies,’’ says Barry Biffl e, Spirit’s chief marke ng offi cer. `Ìf you want to sit together, we would highly encourage you to get seat assignments in advance.’’

Delta just launched a discounted ``Basic Economy’’ fare on certain routes where it competes with Spirit that doesn’t include advance seat assignments.

`Àirlines have to be careful. They can only push this so far before they risk incurring the wrath of customers or the government,’’ says Henry Harteveldt, co-founder Atmosphere Research Group.

Summer brings passengers traveling in larger groups and fewer empty seats. Last July and August, a record 86.4 percent of seats were fi lled by paying customers. Planes will be ``slightly fuller this year,’’ says John P. Heimlich, chief economist at the industry’s trade group, Airlines for America. Add in seats occupied by off -duty airline

staff and passengers who redeemed frequent-fl ier miles, and on many fl ights there won’t be a spare seat.

On a July fl ight from Dallas to San Francisco on American, a recent search showed only 28 of 144 coach seats available for passengers unwilling to pay extra. Of those, 21 were middle seats. There were fi ve spots where a couple could sit together; groups of three or more were out of luck.

It was drama cally diff erent for elite frequent fl iers. They could pick from 75 seats including nine rows with four or more seats together.

Another fl ight _ New York to Los Angeles on Delta _ off ered its most loyal fl iers almost twice as many seats for free: 111 versus 60.

For those unable to fi nd two or more adjacent seats, new seat assignments can be snagged for free star ng fi ve days before departure as some elite fl iers are upgraded to fi rst class. Another block of seats is released 24 hours in advance when online check-in starts. Finally, gate agents can some mes put families in seats set aside for disabled passengers or ask others to move.

NY Assembly to Vote on Bills to Help DisabledALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ The New York Assembly has set votes on measures to help the disabled, though the Cuomo administra on’s bill to create a new state agency to police abuse isn’t on its current agenda.

The Senate has passed the bill that

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says would be er protect about a million disabled New Yorkers under state-funded care.

It would establish a new prosecutor and inspector general, hotline and central registries to handle some 10,000 annual abuse complaints.

Some advocates say reports were o en buried in-house and cases should go straight to police and county prosecutors.

The Assembly is reviewing Cuomo’s bill. It has scheduled votes Monday to require eight-foot access aisles for

handicapped parking spaces and to require coun es to maintain registries of the disabled for sheltering and evacua on during disasters.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ Gov. Andrew Cuomo says new ethics and lobbying regulatory board he created needs some changes a er the Senate’s deputy majority leader was publicly iden fi ed as the subject of a preliminary case review.

Cuomo tells public radio’s ``Capitol Pressroom’’ that the Joint Commission on Public Ethics needs what he called ``fi ne tuning’’ a er news organiza ons reported it’s considering an allega on against Sen. Thomas Libous of Broome County.

Cuomo says Monday the commission can’t be used as a poli cal tool.

Democra c Binghamton Mayor Ma Ryan had said he’d request an inves ga on of the Republican senator a er a felon tes fi ed during

an unrelated corrup on trial that Libous used his poli cal infl uence to land a law fi rm job for his son.

Neither Libous nor his son has been accused of a crime.

Cuomo Says New Ethics Board Needs ‘Fine Tuning’

Passengers crowd the kiosks to check in and print boarding passes in June last year at San Francisco Interna onal Airport in San Francisco. Airlines are se ng aside more rows for passengers willing to pay extra for a be er seat. That means families are going to struggle to sit next to each other unless they booked early or are willing to shell out anywhere from $5 to $180 extra, each way. (AP Photo/George Niki n, File)


Rodney BrownStaff Reporter

In this year’s State of the City address Rochester Mayor Thomas Richards announced the city has invested more than $1.7 billion to redevelop the center of the city and surrounding neighborhoods to combat urban decay.

The scope of Mayor Richards’ overall strategy indicates that all four of the city’s quadrants and the city’s center have numerous areas that are experiencing urban decay.

Richards’ redevelopment plan is a fresh look at his new reconfi gured Focused Investment Strategy where the city dedicates a higher por on of federal funds and community development revenues to make a visible diff erence.

However, before going forward, perhaps we could all learn from past lessons.

In the study, Rochester History: Housing and Urban Renewal, by Blake McKelvey, in the beginning years of the 20th century, “a pe on was signed by 3,000 residents from the city’s predominately white 22nd Ward that supported the construc on of public housing (commonly referred to as ghe oes or projects) as a response to the rapid infl ux of blacks migra ng to inner-ci es with bustling economies such as Rochester who were se ling in the historic Corn Hill District and proximi es centered-around St. Paul and Upper Falls boulevards.

During the migra on more than 3,000 homes were built in the city’s suburban territories such as; Greece, Gates, Chili, Henrie a, Brighton and Irondequoit. The popula on numbers for Rochester stood at 332,448 in 1950 and saw a decline to 318,611 in 1960.

The migra on of blacks to inner ci es in America precipitated what

is referred to as white fl ight, a term that originated in the United States, star ng in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migra on of whites from ci es to suburbs.

The roads built via the Na onal Interstate and Defense Highways Act (1956) and its successors served to transport suburbanites to their city jobs, thus facilita ng white fl ight, and propor onately reduced the city’s suppor ng tax base, thus consequently, beginning urban decay.

Plans by local and federal governments in the 20th century to refurbish America’s inner-ci es failed because neither addressed the racial issues in the communi es they sought to rebuild.

White residents of the 20th century living in Rochester didn’t want black people in their neighborhoods, and to produce predominately white neighborhoods, discriminatory tac cs

such as redlining – where lenders refuse to lend money or extend credit to borrowers in certain struggling areas of town – were prac ced.

Redlining became known as such because lenders would draw a red line around a neighborhood on a map, o en targe ng areas with a high concentra on of minori es, and then refused to lend in those areas because they considered the risk too high. Even though it is now against the law, some lenders today are s ll accused of redlining.

In addi on, local and federal governments of states in the North and South failed to address acts of mortgage discrimina on and restric ve covenants. Before the 1950s, these covenants were legally used to create segrega on. A covenant promised that only members of a certain race could occupy the property.

In hindsight, many social scien sts

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have determined that concentrated poverty, dispropor onately high unemployment, and ineff ec ve educa onal systems in America’s urban inner-ci es today are the result of the racist laws and policies passed and upheld by our local and federal governments of the past.

During an interview Ruth Sco , Rochester’s fi rst black city council member, vividly recalled blunt acts of discrimina on that s ll existed when she moved to Rochester with her husband in 1969.

The couple’s early involvement within the Rochester community began as volunteers for a housing discrimina on program run by the Urban League of Rochester where they would enter predominantly-white neighborhoods and try to rent apartments or homes from landlords who were white.

In nearly every incident, Ruth said, they were turned away with the white landlord saying, “We’ve just rented it out to someone else.”

A 1958 study on race rela ons in New York’s fi ve major ci es revealed that Rochester had the most rigid barriers against the sale of houses in the suburbs to blacks.

McKelvey’s study noted, that leaders of the 22nd Ward proposed that rather than moving slum residents out to blight another district on the outskirts, the city should clear part of the slum and build the new housing project. By the me the cluster of seven-story apartment houses was opened in 1953, the con nuous infl ux of blacks made the area even more predominately non-white and prac cally branded the project as a colored one.

Records from the study indicate, in order to reduce the cost per unit, the authority had increased the number of dwelling units on the six-acre site from 137 to 392, thus tripling the density of an already congested area.

So many poor people were crowded into the 7th Ward that city manager Louis Cartwright requested the Planning Commission draw up a plan for the redevelopment of the 156-acre tract surrounding Hanover Houses.

The prac ce of packing hundreds of poor people in merely habitable

buildings without opportuni es for meaningful employment or to obtain a decent educa on created a vola le situa on that eventually sparked a riot in Rochester in 1964.

Desmond Stone wrote in the Times Union newspaper that if poor housing was not the direct cause for the riot, it was a major contribu ng factor. Stone said a rapid infl ux of Negroes occurred during the two previous decades, with Rochester’s non-white popula on increasing from 5,000 to 30,000 during the period.

Currently, Mayor Richards’ Focused Investment Strategy is a mix of renova on, selec ve demoli on, and commercial development and tax incen ves to revitalize the neighborhoods.

His redevelopment approach, which is referred to as urban renewal, is similar to the community development plan ini ated by the City Council in the early 20th century.

Many minori es living in the city today face debilita ng issues, including concentrated poverty, dispropor onate high unemployment, and ineff ec ve educa onal systems that black migrants from the South faced in the 20th century. And like the past, the local government offi cials in Rochester today have yet to address the racial issues in the communi es they seek to rebuild.

In addi on, Rochester leaders have yet to introduce a comprehensive plan that would successfully relocate the hundreds of minority residents who will be displaced by urban gentrifi ca on – a process in which low-cost deteriorated neighborhoods are physically renovated; property values increase and an infl ux of wealthier residents o en replace the prior residents.

The process o en returns decaying parts of a city to their original func on as middle-class, economically viable neighborhoods; however, it o en forces low-income residents to move due to the increase in property values and rental payments that usually accompanies such gentrifi ca on. These wealthier residents some mes move from suburbs, but more o en they are from other, nicer parts of the city.


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School Pulls Boy From Class for Black Face CostumeCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) _ A white Colorado second-grade student who wore black face paint as part of a Mar n Luther King costume has drawn cri cism from school offi cials.

Sean King was pulled out of class Wednesday a er donning the makeup for a project requiring students to dress up as a historical fi gure.

The Colorado Springs boy said he was trying to honor the slain civil rights leader. His parents knew about his costume and came to watch the presenta ons.

School offi cials ``thought it was inappropriate and would be disrespec ul to black people, but I say that it’s not, I like black people,’’ the 7-year-old King told KRDO-TV (h p://bit.ly/KqIxqM ).

The parents refused a request from the principal to remove the student’s makeup and took him home, the sta on said.

School offi cials say the student will be welcomed back in school.

Blackface was common in minstrel shows in the 19th century when featured white performers played stereotyped black characters.

Steve Klein of The King Center in Atlanta told the sta on the youth apparently had good inten ons but he said the child and his family need to understand some people are s ll off ended by white people wearing the makeup.

``These shows portrayed blacks as subservient, childish and had nega ve stereotypes,’’ he told The Associated Press on Friday.

Meridian Elementary Principal Erica Mason hopes to turn the situa on into a teaching moment by asking the local chapter of the NAACP for help while se ng up a class for adults and children to understand why stereotypes can be off ensive.

MIAMI (AP) _ The NAACP passed a resolu on Saturday endorsing same-sex marriage as a civil right and opposing any eff orts ``to codify discrimina on or hatred into the law.’’

The Na onal Associa on for the Advancement of Colored People’s board voted at a leadership retreat in Miami to back a resolu on suppor ng marriage equality, calling the posi on consistent with the equal protec on provision of the U.S. Cons tu on.

``The mission of the NAACP has always been to ensure poli cal, social and economic equality of all people,’’ Board Chairwoman Roslyn M. Brock said in a statement. ``We have and will oppose eff orts to codify discrimina on into law.’’

Same-sex marriage is legal in six states and the District of Columbia, but 31 states have passed amendments to ban it.

The NAACP vote came about two weeks a er President Barack Obama announced his support for gay marriage, se ng off a fl urry of poli cal ac vity in a number of states. Obama’s announcement followed Vice President Joe Biden’s declara on in a television interview that he was ``absolutely comfortable’’ with gay couples marrying.

``Civil marriage is a civil right and a ma er of civil law. The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment

of the United States Cons tu on and equal protec on of all people’’ said NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous, a strong backer of gay rights.

Gay marriage has divided the black community, with many religious leaders opposing it. In California, exit polls showed about 70 percent of blacks opposed same-sex marriage in 2008. In Maryland, black religious leaders helped derail a gay marriage bill last year. But state lawmakers passed a gay marriage bill this year.

Pew Research Center polls have found that African Americans have become more suppor ve of same-sex marriage in recent years, but remain less suppor ve than other groups. A poll conducted in April showed 39 percent of African-Americans favor gay marriage, compared with 47 percent of whites. The poll showed 49 percent of blacks and 43 percent of whites are opposed.

The Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay rights advocacy group, applauded the step by the Bal more-based civil rights organiza on.

``We could not be more pleased with the NAACP’s history-making vote today _ which is yet another example of the trac on marriage equality con nues to gain in every community,’’ HRC President Joe Solmonese said in a statement.

NAACP Backs Same-sex Marriage as Civil Right


Woman Gets 20 Years for Firing Warning ShotBy MITCH STACY

TAMPA, Florida (AP) _ Marissa Alexander had never been arrested before she fi red a bullet at a wall one day in 2010 to scare off her husband when she felt he was threatening her. Nobody got hurt, but this month a northeast Florida judge was bound by state law to sentence her to 20 years in prison.

Alexander, a 31-year-old mother of a toddler and 11-year-old twins, knew it was coming. She had claimed self-defense, tried to invoke Florida’s ``stand your ground’’ law and rejected plea deals that could have go en her a much shorter sentence. A jury found her guilty as charged: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Because she fi red a gun while commi ng a felony, Florida’s mandatory-minimum gun law dictated the 20-year sentence.

Her case in Jacksonville has drawn a fresh round of cri cism aimed at mandatory-minimum sentencing laws. The local chapter of the NAACP civil rights group and the district’s African-American congresswoman say blacks more o en are incarcerated for long periods because of overzealous prosecutors and judges bound by the wrong-headed statute. Alexander is black.

It also has added fuel to the controversy over Florida’s ``stand your ground’’ law, which the judge would not allow Alexander to invoke. State A orney Angela Corey, who also is overseeing the prosecu on of shooter George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Mar n case _ in which a neighborhood watch volunteer fatally shot an unarmed black teenager _ stands by the handling of Alexander’s case. Corey says she believes Alexander aimed the gun at the man and his two sons, and the bullet she fi red could have ricocheted and hit any of them.

At the May 11 sentencing, Alexander’s rela ves begged Circuit Judge James Daniel for leniency but he said the decision was `òut of my hands.’’

``The Legislature has not given me the discre on to do what the family and many others have asked me to do,’’ he said.

The state’s ``10-20-life’’ law was implemented in 1999 and credited with helping to lower the violent crime rate. Anyone who shows a gun in the commission of certain felonies gets an automa c 10 years in prison. Fire the gun, and it’s an automa c 20 years. Shoot and wound someone, and it’s 25 years to life.

Cri cs say Alexander’s case underscores the unfair sentences that can result when laws strip judges of discre on. About two-thirds of the states have mandatory-minimum sentencing laws, mostly for drug crimes, according to

a website for the Families Against Mandatory Minimums advocacy group.

``We’re not saying she’s not guilty of a crime, we’re not saying that she doesn’t deserve some sort of sanc on by the court,’’ said Greg Newburn, Florida director for the group. Rather, he said, the judge should have the authority to decide an appropriate sanc on a er hearing all the unique circumstances of the case.

U.S. Rep. Corinne Brown, whose district includes Jacksonville, has been an advocate for Alexander. Brown was present at the sentencing, where she and Corey had a brief, terse exchange a erward as sign-to ng supporters rallied outside the courthouse.

``The Florida criminal jus ce system has sent two clear messages today,’’ Brown said a erward. `Òne is that if women who are vic ms of domes c violence try to protect themselves, the `Stand Your Ground Law’ will not apply to them. ... The second message is that if you are black, the system will treat you diff erently.’’

Victor Crist was a Republican state legislator who cra ed the ``10-20-life’’ bill enacted in 1999 in Gov. Jeb Bush’s fi rst term. He said Alexander’s sentence _ if she truly did fi re a warning shot and wasn’t trying to kill her husband _ is not what lawmakers wanted.

``We were trying to get at the thug who was robbing a liquor store who had a gun in his possession or pulled out the gun and threatened someone or shot someone during the commission of the crime,’’ said Crist, who served in the state House and Senate for 18 years before being elected Hillsborough County commissioner.

On Aug. 1, 2010, Alexander was working for a payroll so ware company. She was estranged from her husband, Rico Gray, and had a restraining order against him, even though they’d had a baby together just nine days before. Thinking he was gone, she went to their former home to retrieve the rest of her clothes, family members said.

An argument ensued, and Alexander said she feared for her life when she went out to her vehicle and retrieved the gun she legally owned. She came back inside and ended up fi ring a shot into the wall, which ricocheted into the ceiling.

Gray tes fi ed that he saw Alexander point the gun at him and looked away before she fi red the shot. He claims she was the aggressor, and he had begged her to put away the weapon.

A judge threw out Alexander’s ``stand your ground’’ self-defense claim, no ng that she could have run out of the house to escape her husband but instead got the gun and went back inside. Alexander rejected a plea deal that would have resulted in a three-year prison sentence and chose to go to trial. A jury deliberated 12 minutes before convic ng her.

``The irony of the 10-20-life law is the people who actually think they’re innocent of the crime, they roll the dice and take their chances, and they get the really harsh prison sentences,’’ Newburn said. ``Whereas the people who think they are actually guilty of the crime take the plea deal and get out (of prison) well before. So it certainly isn’t working the way it is intended.’’

Alexander was also charged with domes c ba ery four months a er

the shoo ng in another assault on Gray. She pleaded no contest and was sentenced to me served.

Her family says that doesn’t erase the fact that a rela vely law-abiding person _ a woman with a master’s degree _ who was making posi ve contribu ons to society will endure prison for two decades over a single viola on in which no one was hurt.

``She had a restraining order against him. Now Marissa is incarcerated and he’s not,’’ said her father, Raoul Jenkins. `Ì’m wrestling with that in my mind and trying to determine how the system worked that detail out. It’s really frustra ng.’’

Newburn says Alexander’s case is not an isolated incident, and that people ensnared by mandatory-minimum laws cross racial barriers.

In central Florida, a white man named Orville Lee Wollard is nearly two years into a 20-year sentence for fi ring his gun inside his house to scare his daughter’s boyfriend. Prosecutors contended that Wollard was shoo ng at the young man and missed.

He rejected a plea deal that off ered proba on but no prison me. Like Alexander, he took his chances at trial and was convicted of aggravated assault with a fi rearm. Circuit Judge Donald Jacobsen said he was ``duty bound’’ by the 10-20-life law to impose the harsh sentence.

`Ì would say that, if it wasn’t for the minimum mandatory aspect of this, I would use my discre on and impose some separate sentence, having taken into considera on the circumstances of this event,’’ Jacobsen said.


By Jennifer Thompson, Occupa onal Therapist at HCR Home Care

Upon returning home a er an elec ve hip replacement surgery, Brenda Barone was afraid to get into her bathtub. She lived in an apartment furnished with a small bathroom containing minimal fl oor space. To make ma ers more complicated, the fl oor of the tub was not level with the fl oor of the bathroom, which caused Barone to have to “hop and jump” to get in and out of the tub.

Although the tub was equipped with grab bars, Barone described them as being “awkwardly placed” and so, useless. A sink that was posi oned quite close to the tub, made it even more diffi cult to use the grab bars. She did have a tub seat in place, thus providing her the ability to sit down and rest while taking a shower. Barone was referred to Occupa onal Therapy and upon the ini al evalua on, she reported her fear of ge ng into the tub to her Occupa onal Therapist and her concerns of the set up from her bathroom fl oor to the tub.

Occupa onal Therapy (O.T.) is a health care profession with the goal of assis ng pa ents in achieving a maximum level of independent living a er surgery, disease, accident, or deformity. Therapeu c interven ons in the home care se ng are designed to promote or enhance safety and performance in ac vi es that individuals perform every day, including bathing, dressing, and preparing a meal. This can be achieved through various treatment techniques including home modifi ca on and equipment recommenda ons, instruc on on compensatory strategies and or development of a home exercise program to improve strength and endurance.

Barone’s bathroom off ered li le space for mobility, but her Occupa onal Therapist quickly iden fi ed opportuni es for environmental modifi ca ons to op mize safety and mobility. The fi rst step taken by her Occupa onal Therapist was to assure

the pa ent that she would be able to safely get into her tub; avoiding risk for falls and maintaining the mobility precau ons set forth by her orthopedic surgeon. The Occupa onal Therapist then verbally instructed Barone on the recommended environmental modifi ca ons for the bathroom and proper techniques for transferring in and out of her bathtub. Barone was beginning to believe that there was indeed a way to get safely in and out of her bathtub, even with the pain and uncertainty resul ng from her recent hip surgery.

At this point, Brenda Barone and her Occupa onal Therapist entered the bathroom in order to make adjustments to the height and placement of the tub seat providing more room in the tub for transferring. Barone’s Occupa onal Therapist educated her on the proper placement of her walker, hands, and feet for each step of the transfer; u lizing an alterna ve technique than what Barone had previously been familiar with.

A er Brenda Barone observed the therapist demonstrate the transfer, she gained the confi dence to a empt the tub transfer with direct supervision of the Occupa onal Therapist. The therapist off ered step by step verbal cues and provided some physical assistance to help the pa ent get her aff ected leg over the tub wall. Following two more a empts by Barone, the therapist needed to provide only contact support and minimal cues for her to perform the tub transfer.

Lastly, the Occupa onal Therapist instructed Barone on the proper placement of her bathing supplies and toiletries ensuring her ability to reach all items during the ac vi es of her shower. Upon comple on of the second follow-up visit by the Occupa onal Therapist, Barone was feeling much more comfortable with the tub transfer and the showering process. Brenda Barone gladly stated “with the changes you made to the bathroom and teaching me where to put my hands and feet, ge ng into the

tub was 80% easier than before I had the surgery.”

Generally, people want to return to and stay in their own homes following a surgery, accident, injury, or illness and as they age; Occupa onal Therapy is a tool that can help individuals remain independent and secure in their home. If you or a loved one is having more diffi culty comple ng every day ac vi es safely or independently, consult an Occupa onal Therapist who can assess, treat and provide recommenda ons to help make this a reality.

Jennifer Thompson is an Occupa onal

Therapist with HCR Home Care whose Transcultural Team’s purpose is reducing dispari es in health outcomes of African Americans and other minority groups. HCR provides nursing, therapy, home health aide service, and companion care to older adults in the comfort of their homes. It is the only home care agency in our region to be designated a winner of the na onal Top 100 Home Care Elite Award, and is a valued partner of Minority Reporter and the Perspec ves TV show. To learn more call us at 585-295-6590, or visit www.hcrhealth.com.

Occupa onal Therapy Works!

www.hcrhealth.com

By STEVE PEOPLESAssociated Press

NEW YORK (AP) _ Mi Romney is set to raise about $10 million during a fundraising swing through New York and Connec cut.

Romney’s top fi nance aide told donors in New York City on Monday that the presump ve Republican presiden al nominee was set to raise at least that _ and possibly ``substan ally’’ more _ during more than a dozen events during two days this week.

Romney also plans a July fundraiser with former Vice President Dick Cheney in Wyoming, according to a ``Save the Date’’ invita on to the event.

Romney’s fundraising has skyrocketed since he started raising money with the Republican Na onal Commi ee.

With the party, Romney raised $40.1 million in April. That’s nearly as much as the $43.6 million that President Barack Obama and the Democra c Party raised together last month.

Romney to Raise About $10 Million in NY, Conn.


15-31Nazareth College Hosts Photo Voice Project ExhibitTime: 8:00a.m.-8:00p.m.Loca on: Nazareth College’s Lore e Wilmot LibraryThere will be an opening recep on on May 17, at 6:00 p.m.The event is free and open to the public. About: In the fall of 2011, the Photo Voice Project was developed in an eff ort to bring awareness to what it is like to be homeless in Rochester while incorpora ng par cipants’ photography and wri ng skills. Individuals took photos of their daily lives and then refl ected on these captured moments. The project seeks to encourage new ideas and solu ons to the epidemic of homelessness.

29Flower City Looking Good - Hor culture WorkshopTime: 6:15 PM-7:00 PMLoca on: David F. Gan Community Center, 700 North Street Join a free gardening talk designed to address your specifi c gardening ques ons. Subjects include gardening on a budget, growing plants from seed, planning a vegetable garden, raising herbs, and more.

JUNE

1-3Fairport Canal Days 35th Anniversary Celebra on

2CTV-15 THROWS OPEN ITS DOORS IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK MUSIC MONTHTime: 2:00pm-5:00pmLoca on: 21 Gorham StreetThis is a FREE community celebra on. Refreshments will be available for purchase. The full musical line up will be listed at www.RCTV15.org.

2CPR and Emergency Preparedness TrainingTime: 11:00AM-1:00 PMLoca on: South Ave Recrea on Center, 999 South Ave

2Flower City Looking Good - Hor culture WorkshopTime: 6:00PM-7:00 PMLoca on: Maplewood Branch Library, 1111 Dewey AvenueJoin a free gardening talk designed to address your specifi c gardening ques ons. Subjects include gardening on a budget, growing plants from seed, planning a vegetable garden, raising herbs, and more.

4FIS Looking Good - Marketview HeightsTime: 6:00PM-7:00 PM

Loca on: Rochester Public Market, A-ShedFIS Looking Good is a new program that will give residents and homeowners in our Focused Investment Strategy (FIS) areas the skills and resources they need to improve the appearance of their front yards through landscaping and gardening.Free fl owers and plants will be provided to workshop par cipants!This is an invita on only event. Par cipants will receive an invita on postcard in the mail. Registra on is required by calling 311

5Flower City Looking Good - June 5 Hor culture WorkshopTime: 6:00PM-7:00 PMLoca on: Flint Street Community Center, 271 Flint Street Join a free gardening talk designed to address your specifi c gardening ques ons. Subjects include gardening on a budget, growing plants from seed, planning a vegetable garden, raising herbs, and more. Info: Michael Warren Thomas, 428-8820 5FIS Looking Good - BeechwoodTime: 6:00Pm-7:00 PMLoca on: North East Area Development 360 Webster AveFIS Looking Good is a new program that will give residents and homeowners in our Focused Investment Strategy (FIS) areas the skills and resources they need to improve the appearance of their front yards through landscaping and gardening.Free fl owers and plants will be provided to workshop par cipants!This is an invita on only event. Par cipants will receive an invita on postcard in the mail. Registra on is required by calling 311

6FIS Looking Good - Dewey & Driving ParkTime: 6:00PM-7:00 PMLoca on: NCS Community Development Corp. 275 Driving Park Ave.FIS Looking Good is a new program that will give residents and homeowners in our Focused Investment Strategy (FIS) areas the skills and resources they need to improve the appearance of their front yards through landscaping and gardening.Free fl owers and plants will be provided to workshop par cipants!This is an invita on only event. Par cipants will receive an invita on postcard in the mail. Registra on is required by calling 311

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The views expressed on our opinion pages are those of the author and do not

necessarily represent the position or viewpoint of Minority Reporter.

STRAIGHT…NO CHASER

ROC’n the Beach 2012Jennae Moran, the wife of WCMF’s Bill Moran, has extended an invita on to me to a end ROC’n the Beach 2012, on Saturday, June 2.

So naturally, I want to extend the invita on to the en re community.

Please make a point to a end the second ROC’n the Beach family picnic; and support a movement I believe was created to quell any fears that may have been ins lled by the outrageous behavior of a few bad apples.

The event will be held at Ontario Beach Park, where for the second year in a row some out of control young folks have sought to air their diff erences through violent behavior.

Please come and occupy Ontario Beach Park with your family. Make the thugs stay away. There will be no charge for this event and all are encouraged to bring a dish to pass. There will be lots of fun ac vi es, games, and live bands.

Any band that has a desire to perform needs to contact Bill Moran at WCMF, who is the brainchild of the event.

What saddens me most about the event are the circumstances that triggered the need to hold it.

Some may recall the violence that occurred at the beach last Memorial Day caused the park to be shut down early.

Some may recall how families out for a day of fun felt threatened by a group of unruly teens par cipa ng in violent ac vi es that put others in harms way. That was last year.

Well according to reports the same kind of

behavior has found its way into 2012 and Memorial Day is not even here yet.

Last week arrests were made as Ontario Park once again was closed early due to violence.

It appears collec vely that we s ll do more preaching than teaching. It appears once again the violent behavior that some young folks carry into public places is something they feel comfortable doing.

We all know that all young people are not violent. Some are actually taught how to behave and carry themselves in public. But it is the handful of disrup ve young folks that spoil it for all the rest. What is ultra-embarrassing is the fact that these kids look like me.

Since the month of May has reportedly seen an increase in violence and death among young folks, I can only surmise that what ever eff orts this community is engaged in to prevent such acts are failing miserably.

God knows, I wish I knew the answer to curbing the unfortunate behavior some of our young folks engage themselves in.

I certainly wish I could prove I am right about the root causes I suspect these behaviors stem from.

Oh, if I only had the power to point in the right direc on, the poverty pimps, and others ge ng paid to get and keep our kids on track.

If only their parents cared enough or knew enough to teach them what social behaviors are acceptable.

Those parents who are failing con nue to raise children who make nega ve news and who show a blatant disregard for the safety of others, are seemingly oblivious to the poten al for deadly consequences.

These children consistently create hos le,

unsafe environments for other individuals and families. Are these the same children who don’t expect to live past 25-years-old?

I believe we are looking in the wrong places for answers as it relates to those falling through the cracks.

In many cases we are poin ng fi ngers at the wrong persons. There are those who constantly blame the educa onal system and all of its ills. I don’t.

Educa on is primarily responsible for the increase of knowledge. I have always been of the impression that educa on is supposed to broaden horizons and expose folks to the variety of choices available to them in life.

Although knowledge can contribute to behavior pro or con, the exposure to or the lack of educa on is not en rely responsible for the lack of home training.

Those wiser than I can produce studies and data up the ying-yang but no one will convince me that behavior does not begin and end at home.

I consider myself an authority on behavior because I was actually raised to respect others. As I o en write, I was blessed to be brought up in an era where what children said, saw, did and acted like they actually ma ered to everyone.

I don’t know if it is because I was raised in a two- parent home that made a diff erence or not, especially since all of my friends were not raised in two-parent homes but knew how to act in the street.

Being from a single-parent home could not possibly hold water as an excuse for behavior problems in my day.

If a child were misbehaving he or she would be put in check by someone else’s parent, rela ve, friend or a total stranger.

Stepping out of line and demonstra ng inappropriate behavior was unacceptable. My parents were also more than 15 years older than me and that could have made a diff erence on what my brothers and I were taught.

At least they were grown and had some knowledge about raising children that they could pass on to their children when they started a family.

You can’t possibly teach what you don’t know. If you have parents trying to raise children who themselves were given no boundaries or taught how to act when they were developing then what we are experiencing is the end result.

I am convinced these unruly terrorists come from a culture, and environment of constant unhealthy images in their homes. I believe they leave home angry and frustrated because the love and nurturing that should be a part of their emo onal and spiritual founda on just does not exist.

I believe they come from homes where they witness the use of drugs, and are subjected to violent behavior as a means of problem solving in their homes. Some are so angry they may be vic ms of molesta on. Repeatedly, I have said there really are no bad children but we have more than enough bad parents.

These children and families do not represent the majority in their age group, or race, but what they do represent makes it hard on others.

But as a community, we can’t stay home and let them win. Come join me Saturday, June 2 for ROC’n the Beach, and refuse to let this handful of home-grown terrorists prevail.

GLORIA WINSTONAL-SARAG

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

City School District SecretsOver the last couple of weeks, I have worked with my students on racism; and of how it relates to past Jim Crow segrega on and current life in Rochester.

At some point it dawned on me that a big part of

why schooling con nues to be bad in the City School District is because those of us who work in the district tend to keep a lot of secrets. I don’t mean personal secrets, those who is sleeping with whom secrets; or which child’s mother or father aren’t upholding their parental du es.

I mean basic everyday secrets that nega vely impact the overall well-being of some of our most vulnerable young people.

I am talking about children who are mistreated by having their property taken or damaged; or children endure daily classroom disrup ons by other children who do not want to be in school and are forced to a end.

I am talking about the mental, physical and verbal violence that our children are subjected to.

I am talking about school workers or leaders who are incompetent, self-aggrandizing or disconnected; and I am talking about school programs that look good on paper, but have no semblance to

what happens in real life.

I could go on but I think that you get the point.

I personally know of many, many individuals who work really hard for their students. Some of them spend their own money, work un l dark every day, organize a er school ac vi es or coach sports, but I think that we also know of people who are there simply to collect a paycheck and seldom do the jobs that they were hired to do.

Seldom to do we call a spade a spade outside of hush conversa ons in our small circles. I would like to suggest that when it comes to doing what is right and ethical for our students in the City School District that we, in the words of Prophetess Juanita Bynum, operate under no more sheets.

No more hiding behind professionalism, team building and fake slogans.

It all sounds good in sound bites or on billboards but in day-to-day prac ce, some of us do not take our vow to put children fi rst as seriously as we should.

Ac ons speak louder than words and some mes, our ac ons show that our schools mainly func on on the same old, highly-puni ve Jim Crow policies and on enhanced rigid policies, prac ces and procedures rooted in the antebellum South.

We basically govern and operate schools to sa sfy adults, and the ac vi es that are most comfortable us and will get us the most credit or recogni on. (CONT’D ON NEXT PAGE)

DIANE WATKINS


The views expressed on our opinion pages are those of the author and do not

necessarily represent the position or viewpoint of Minority Reporter.

The NAACP Has Turned its Back on God and Colored PeopleThree of the biggest killers of blacks are abor on, AIDS, and black-on-black homicide.

Abor on kills 1,500 black babies a day - more black Americans than the next seven leading causes of death combined.

What is the NAACP’s stance on abor on?

They’re for it.Before the legaliza on of abor on in 1973, whites made up the bulk of its vic ms. Since the legaliza on, the number of blacks killed has skyrocketed. The incidence of breast cancer in women has increased by more than 40 percent, as well. According to recent data from the American Cancer Society, this cancer now ranks as a leading cause of death in black women.Abor on and miscarriages (to a lesser extent) both increase a woman’s risk of ge ng breast cancer because the lacta on process is prematurely halted when the woman is no longer pregnant. Manda ng acceptance of abor on is the true war on women.The reasons most o en given by women seeking abor ons are the desire to postpone childbearing, lack of fi nancial resources, or rela onship issues with a partner.

So, today in America, over 70 percent of black children are born into single-parent homes, less than 50 percent of young black men graduate high school – and a large percentage of those that graduate are func onally illiterate. How are men supposed to live up to their desired obliga ons to care and provide for their families and to being the father they

wish to be for their children when they cannot even read?

Instead of focusing on abor on as a civil right and promo ng the self-genocide of our people, maybe the NAACP should focus on educa on and the freedom that comes with a good educa on, as we at The Frederick Douglass Founda on do. Blacks in America have gone from 22 percent of the popula on to 13 presently. Without the infl uence of abor on, homicide and AIDS, it was projected that by 2012, blacks would be 40 percent of the popula on. Yet, the NAACP supports the abor on of black babies.AIDS is another major killer of blacks in America.

More than 1.2 million people in America are living with HIV or AIDS. Almost 50 percent of the new HIV infec ons every year are in black Americans.

Among women, more than 60 percent of women with HIV are black. Among gay and bisexual men, more than 40 percent of those living with HIV are black.

Among HIV-posi ve youth between the ages of 15-29, nearly 70 percent are black.

If the NAACP wanted to tackle the AIDS epidemic in our community, they would be dealing with the fundamental issues of family and educa on so that our men would stop ending up in jail, where many of them have their fi rst homosexual experience.

They come out of jail with HIV and pass it on to the woman they love. If the NAACP were serious about AIDS, instead of encouraging a lifestyle that too o en causes the spread of AIDS, they would be encouraging fatherhood.

Instead, the NAACP has come out in favor of President Obama’s desire to redefi ne

marriage as an anything goes contract between any two people regardless of their sexuality.

Redefi ning a God-defi ned sacrament that existed before the United States was even imagined will only serve to make heterosexual marriage increasingly rare.

If marriage already has a meaning, allowing fl awed men to give it a new meaning will render it meaningless in the minds of too many people.

And I ask: What right does the Obama administra on and the NAACP presume to have that would allow them to redefi ne God’s law?

A wholesale endorsement of the gay lifestyle through redefi ni on of marriage in order to make homosexual rela onships equal to heterosexual rela onships will drive more black boys and men to feel comfortable trying homosexuality.

They will take the HIV and AIDS that they get in prison and spread it to black women. More black women will die. How does this advance colored people? How is this not a war on women?

Black-on-black homicide and gang-related homicide also lead to way too many dead black folks.

If a young black man isn’t killed by another, he is too likely to be sent to jail. Some of the biggest threats to the black community are broken homes and incarcera on.

By the me a black male is 40, there is a 70 percent chance that he has spent me in jail, rehab or some kind of ins tu on at least once; and 32 percent of black males will serve prison me over the course of their life.

These are stats that break my heart and I simply cannot live with.

Where is the NAACP on these issues? You know the answer to that. They are on the wrong side. They’re more interested in keeping their power by making money from the abor on providers and the homosexuals, and in turn, they promote abor on and gay marriage against the interests of the people they presume to represent.

Follow the money. It doesn’t go to helping the black community. It helps the poli cians get campaign funds. And what have they done for you lately?

Every me I turn around the NAACP is calling something a civil right. Have they lost all sense of reality? I have to wonder what type of educa on people are ge ng these days. It seems as though the educa onal system is really just an indoctrina on system.

If the right to marry someone of the same sex is a civil right, like the kind that black folks fought for to get equal protec on wri en into the law, then the world is turned upside down. Choosing to live a gay lifestyle is not the same as being born black, and to say otherwise only cheapens the advancements in civil rights that we black people earned.

As well, there were Chris an arguments behind Frederick Douglass’ and Dr. Mar n Luther King’s crusades for civil rights.

There is no biblical argument whatsoever for redefi ning marriage for gay people.

The NAACP needs to stop suppor ng our genocide and needs to stop taking us for suckers.

If we really cared about what students want, we would ask them, remove the barriers, and put some of their plans into ac on.

Students and families must have some say in what they are or are not willing to do. Every day we take away student property (phones, music players, or clothing) and some mes we lose it.

There are no rules in place that say that if school staff loses or breaks a student’s property, that the school staff must replace it.

I can guarantee that at least 100 district families can tes fy that this scenario fi ts them, and maybe I am wrong, but I can’t see this same pa ern happening 20 minutes south in Brighton schools. This is what racism looks like in prac ce.

Some high school students in the City School District get ejected from their

academic classes because they are not in uniform or because they have on a hoodie, or jeans, or a hat, or a head scarf, or they have their pants hanging off of their bu s.

The la er in my opinion is a stupid style but to put children out of Social Studies, Science, Math or English over clothing, or to interrupt a class to take clothing is even stupider.

Kids with rich parents have access to lawyers who quietly clarify with school staff what the First Amendment is and how important it is for their children to be in class for their academic studies.

Since our local school districts are predominately segregated by race and economic class, these geographically reinforced prac ces make sure only certain kids get punished. This is systema cally racist.

When the Pi sford school district off ers a

selec on of courses students can choose from in order to graduate, they mean it.

Course selec on for many city high school students means that their counselor will assign them to one of the slim selec on of classes that they off er. Some mes the classes that students want or need are unavailable.

A student recently asked me to help her review a gradua on plan which included the school’s scope and sequence.

This packet, which had been sent home to parents, off ered classes that don’t exist.

I assume that this document was just for show, or to get approval of a funding source, or to recruit students. Nonetheless, it is unethical.

And believe it or not, some City School District students have to repeat courses that they have already passed because it

is either the only course that is available in their school during a par cular me period in their schedule; or so many other students have failed a par cular course that staffi ng higher level courses for students who have already passed becomes too challenging.

We in the RCSD tend to aim low in order to meet the needs of the lowest performing students. It creates a vacuum for high achievers.

I see the whole course selec on debacle as another way that we limit city student access to success. It is therefore structurally racist. It is me to stop hiding dirty li le secrets. Racism con nues through policies, prac ces and procedures.

What’s happening in your child’s school?

AYESHAKREUTZ

----------------Ayesha Kreutz is President of the Frederick Douglass Founda on


Rochester, NY

VOL 5. NO. 27

APR 30 - may 6, 2012


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