see dallas page 2 see africa page 6 - the villagerties are rap superstar kanye west and jackson...
TRANSCRIPT
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Austin, TexasPermit No. 01949
INSIDE Vol. 44 No. 29 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: [email protected] December 9, 2016
www.TheAustinVillager.com
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RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’RAPPIN’Tommy WyattTommy WyattTommy WyattTommy WyattTommy Wyatt
TPATPATPATPATPATEXASPUBLISHERSASSOCIATION
Lauryn Hill DeliversSuperb Performance
at The MoodyBy Naomi Richard | The VILLAGER
AUSTIN, TX - OnNovember 27, neo-soulicon and GrammyAward® winner LaurynHill delivered a stellarperformance to herawaiting fans at ACL-Live at The Moody The-atre for her MLH Cara-van: A Diaspora Call-ing! concert series. Thesoulful hit-maker tookthe stage with her beau-tiful natural hair, longflowing olive tunicasymmetrical en-semble, white collaredshirt, purple heels andflattering ornate jew-elry singing the classic
Lauryn Hill performs at ACL-Live at TheMoody Theater November 27, 2016. Photo byChris Jones for the Villager Newspaper.
Everything Is Everything.With her smooth
contralto voice, Hill con-tinued with When ItHurts So Bad, ForgiveThem Father and Rebel.The crowd danced withthe entertainer as shedanced on the stage, ac-companied by a fullband.
Other crowdpleasers included Readyor Not, Killing Me Softly,and Feeling Good, whilewrapping up theevening with herbreakout single Doo Wop
See AWARDS, page 2
FENCES Starring DenzelWashington and Viola
Davis Hits TheatersChristmas Day, 2016!
By Naomi Richard | The VILLAGER
Denzel Washington plays Troy Maxson andViola Davis plays Rose Maxson in Fences fromParamount Pictures. Directed by Denzel Wash-ington from a screenplay by August Wilson.Photo credit: David Lee. © 2016 Paramount Pic-tures. All Rights Reserved.
The screen adapta-tion of August Wilson’siconic FENCES — starringDenzel Washington andViola Davis — comes tomovie theaters on Christ-mas Day, 2016. This is ahistoric moment, the firstmajor August productionon the big screen.
The play (and themovie) of course, centerson a father, a mother, a
son, and their extendedfamily; focusing on all thethings said and tragicallyleft unsaid. Set in 1950sPittsburgh, a former NegroLeague Player, now work-ing as a waste collector,struggles to provide for hisfamily and come to termswith the events of his life.Troy Maxson (the father
See CAMPAIGN, pg 2
Black Celebrities, Athletes SayGive Trump a Chance
By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
Joseph Jackson, the patriarch of the JacksonFive, said that Donald Trump has always beengood to his family. Donald Trump (left) appearswith Michael Jackson in this undated photo. (Jo-seph W. Jackson)
Several prominent African-Americans and ce-lebrities said that they supported President-ElectDonald Trump. Some even voted for him.
Among the more well-known Black celebri-ties are rap superstar Kanye West and Jackson fam-ily patriarch Joseph Jackson.
Now, other popular and respected African-American celebrities, including BET Founder BobJohnson, are calling on African-Americans to givethe controversial New York businessman a chance.
“Trump is a business guy, and I think he’sgoing to tilt towards finding a way to use fiscalpolicy to move the economy forward,” saidJohnson, who acknowledged that he voted forDemocrat Hillary Clinton.
Johnson, 70, a media magnate, executive, phi-lanthropist and investor, said it’s in the best inter-ests of everyone, including African-Americans, tosee what Trump has in store.
“Let’s give him a shot. Let’s give him the ben-efit of the doubt and see if we can find common
See Q-Tip and Kanye at odds, page 2
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)— A Virginia police depart-ment has settled a lawsuitfiled by the sister of a manwho died in police custodyafter officers shocked himrepeatedly with stun guns.
The $25 million lawsuitwas filed by the sister ofLinwood Lambert Jr., whodied in May 2013 after threeSouth Boston, Virginia, po-lice officers used stun gunson him multiple times. Theofficers were taking him tothe hospital for a mentalhealth evaluation.
Gwendolyn Smalls’lawsuit was dismissed lastweek after the parties toldthe court they resolved theirdifferences. Details of thesettlement weren’t re-leased.
Attorneys for Smallsand the South Boston PoliceDepartment didn’t immedi-ately return phone mes-sages Monday. Smalls de-clined to comment.
South Boston TownManager Tom Raab said theofficers will keep their jobs.
LawsuitSettled overBlack Man’sDeath after
VirginiaOfficers
RepeatedlyUsed Stun
Gunsby: The Associated Press
Thank youCommissioner
Ron Davis! Commissioner RonDavis was surprised onSunday, December 4, 2016by a room full of family,friends, elected and formerelected officials at the FourSeasons Hotel. They allwanted to thank him for hisoutstanding communityservice and his outstandingservice as Commissioner ofPrecinct One in TravisCounty. Ron Davis was electedto the Travis County Com-missioners’ Court in 1998.He is the third African-American elected to thisposition. Ron grew up inEast Austin where he wasraised by his grandparents,the Rev. & Mrs. S.L. Davis.Before joining the Com-missioners’ Court, Ron wasknown for his many ac-complishments in the com-munity including keepingan Austin Community Col-lege campus in East Austinand forcing major oil com-panies to move their tankfarms out of East Austinneighborhoods. His accom-plishments on the Commis-sioners’ Court include se-curing water and wastewa-ter service for KennedyRidge, a subdivision thatwas abandoned by devel-opers, obtaining private-sector funding for a swim-ming pool at TravisCounty’s East Metro Park,expanding the 2005 TravisCounty bond package toinclude $15 million morefor open space and $15more for mobility, andfighting Tom DeLay’s Con-gressional redistrictingscheme all the way to theSupreme Court, helpingbring Congressman LloydDoggett back home to Aus-tin and Travis County. Commissioner Davisdid not run for reelectionand says that he will takethe next six months to re-lax and do some of thethings that he enjoys, in-cluding fishing. He will bereplaced on the Commis-sioners Court by Commis-sioner Elect Jeff Travillion.
Retired police Chiefgives insight on
social justice reform.See DALLAS
Page 2
Local Nonprofitimplements life
saving water system.See AFRICA
Page 6
Clinton’s votermargin over Trumpcontinues to rise.See MILLION
Page 7
Page 2 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 9, 2016 THE COMMUNIQUÉ www.theaustinvillager.com
Hill became the firstwoman and hip-hop
artist to win fiveGrammy Awards
(That Thing). With aset list of over twentysongs, Hill’s soulfulsounds filled the roomwith love, joy and com-fort in a time of so muchuncertainty.
The singer,songwriter, rapper,record producer, andactress enjoys an exten-sive entertainment ca-reer spanning over 20years. She began sing-ing at Harlem’s ApolloTheater at the age of 13.Hill is best known forbeing a member of theFugees and her 1998solo debut project TheMiseducation of Lauryn
Lauryn Hill performs at ACL-Live at TheMoody Theater November 27, 2016. Photo byChris Jones for the Villager Newspaper.CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Hill. With this project,Hill became the firstwoman and hip-hop art-ist to win five GrammyAwards. She won Al-bum of the Year, BestNew Artist, Best FemaleR&B Performance, BestR&B Album, and BestR&B song.
From the younggirl we fell in love within as Rita Watson in Sis-ter Act II with co-starWhoopi Goldberg tothe thriving musical art-ist we know today,Hill’s natural talentscontinue to delight au-diences around theglobe.
The Austin Villager is working with ParamountPictures and Values Partnerships on a campaigncalled #ACROSSTHEFENCE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
played by Washington) struggles with race re-lations in the United States while trying to raise hisfamily, and coming to terms with the events of hislife.
To promote this theme of family healing, the Aus-tin Villager is working with Paramount Pictures and Val-ues Partnerships on a campaign called#ACROSSTHEFENCE. There is a platform for you to sharemessages, photos and videos with your loved ones.
Visit http://acrossthefence.co/ to learn more about
how you can join the conversation.FENCES is directed by Denzel Washington from a
screenplay by August Wilson, adapted from Wilson’sPulitzer Prize-winning play. The film stars Denzel Wash-ington, Viola Davis, Jovan Adepo, Stephen McKinleyHenderson, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, andSaniyya Sidney. The film is produced by Scott Rudin,Denzel Washington and Todd Black.
Make this the holiday movie to share with yourentire family on Christmas day!
ground,” Johnsonsaid. “That is what’sbest for African-Ameri-cans.”
Jackson, the fatherof the famed JacksonFive, Janet Jackson andlate King of PopMichael Jackson, saidhe voted for Trump.
“Many people arerushing to judge a bookby its cover. The TrumpI know has always beenvery good to my fam-ily,” Jackson, 88, said ina statement. “He was agood friend to my sonMichael and supported[my daughter] Latoyaon her television career.I consider him a friendof the family.”
During the cam-paign, Trump toutedhis friendship withMichael Jackson, notingthat many people spokeabout the late singer af-ter his death, but fewknew him like he did.
Michael Jackson’solder brother, Jermaine,denounced Trump’scomments andslammed the President-Elect for using theMichael’s name to “helphim get elected.”
Jermaine Jackson’sdispleasure did not de-ter his father’s fondnessfor Trump.
“Regardless of who
Q-Tip of a Tribe Called Quest and fellowrapper Kanye West are at odds overPresident-elect Donald Trump CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
you voted for, it is im-portant to acknowledgethat the next president ofthe United States isDonald J. Trump,” theelder Jackson said.“During the electioncycle, I was reminded ofthe time I quit my twojobs and almost every-one laughed at me andthought of me as a foolwho was quitting to goand try to sell musicwith my family.”
Jackson continued:“They said I was mad. Iremember digging deepand believing in myself,the rest is history.Trump ran with no sup-port from the establish-ment and not only wonthe election, but did sodecisively. He deservesrespect, recognition andacceptance.”
West, the 39-year-old “Life of Pablo” rap-per has publicly statedthat he will run forpresident in 2020. And,even though he report-edly donated toClinton’s campaign andthe Democratic NationalCommittee, West told aconcert audience inCalifornia last monththat he “would havevoted for Trump” hadhe voted in the election.
West’s remarks leftsome of his peers in-
credulous.“That’s my brother.
I reached out to him andI’m hoping that we justget to talk,” said rapperQ-Tip of A Tribe CalledQuest. “But, his re-marks are somethingthat require he and Ihaving a real discus-sion.”
Trump’s electionvictory has sparked pro-tests and outcriesaround the country andit also led to more than700 incidents of racistattacks in America, ac-cording to news reports.
Green Party presi-dential candidate JillStein has filed recountpetitions in three swingstates (Wisconsin, Penn-sylvania and Michigan),in an effort to ensure theintegrity of the ballotbox.
However, Jacksonand West aren’t theonly famous African-Americans to proclaimsupport for Trump.Former NFL starHerschel Walker, 54,voiced his supportearly on and then afterTrump won the Nov. 8contest.
“We have to dowhat’s right to saveAmerica. I guaranteeyou, Donald would dobetter than a lot of
people in office now,”said Walker, the formerDallas Cowboy runningback who also playedbriefly for the Trump-owned New Jersey Gen-erals of the defunctUSFL.
Retired former Chi-cago Bulls and DetroitPistons superstar Den-nis Rodman also ex-pressed support forTrump. “He has been agreat friend for manyyears,” Rodman, 55,said. “We don’t needanother politician, weneed a businessman likeTrump.”
Former NFL super-stars Terrell Owens andShawn Merriman, box-ing great Mike Tysonand, of course, formerRepublican presiden-tial candidate Dr. BenCarson all expressedtheir support forTrump. Carson was re-cently nominated tolead the Department ofHousing and Urban De-velopment.
Johnson noted thatAfr i can-Amer icansshould have no perma-nent friends or enemies,just “permanent inter-ests.”
He said the coun-try needs a leader andhe hopes that leaderturns out to be Trump.
Retired DallasPolice Chief Hiredas Contributor by
ABC Newsby: The Associated Press
Former Dallas Po-lice Chief David Brownretired in on Oct. Hewill contribute to ABCNews on topics such aseconomic inequality,gun violence, race rela-tions, policing and so-cial justice. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
Retired Dallas Po-lice Chief David Brown,who stepped into thenational spotlight after asniper killed five law en-forcement officers at aJuly protest, will stepback into the spotlight asa contributor for ABCNews.
A news releaseposted on ABC News’website on Nov. 30quotes a note to staffsent by company Presi-dent James Goldstonannouncing Brown’s hir-ing. The note says Brownwill start Jan. 1 as a con-tributor on topics such aseconomic inequality, gunviolence, race relations,policing and social jus-tice.
A network spokes-woman didn’t immedi-ately respond to a re-quest for more informa-tion.
Brown announcedhis retirement after 33years on the force abouttwo months after theattack. He officially re-tired on Oct. 4.
St. Peter’s United Methodist Church 4509 Springdale Road Austin, Tx 78723Office 512- 926-1686 Fax 512-929-7281
Christian Web Site-stpetersaustintx.ning.com
[email protected] PLACE WHERE WE STEP OUT ON FAITH.
COME AND STEP OUT ON FAITH WITH USSunday School 8:45 a.m.
Praise and Worship 10:15 a.m.Wednesday Bible Study 12:00 p.m.
and Praise /Bible Study 6:30 p.m.(to include Children’s Choir Rehersaland
Bible Study with age appropiate Activities)Rev. Jack C. Gause Pastor
Agape Baptist ChurchIn “The Centre” Bldg. F-15 7801 N. Lamar Blvd. (SE Corner of N Lamar and 183)
AGAPE is a chuch for all people. “Where Jesus Christ is Magnified and the love Heexhibited is Exemplified.” Come, receive God’s unconditional lovefor you.
For there is no greater love!
Church ServicesSunday School 9:30 AMSunday Worship 11:00 AM
Mid-Week Service Thursday: Praise,Prayer and Bible Study 7:00 PMCall 454-1547 for Transporation
Website www.agapebcaustintx.comRev. H. Ed Calahan
Pastor
Imani Community ChurchDavis Elementray Auditorium 5214 West Duval Road
Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Worship Service 10:00 A.M.•Power Hour Bible Life Group 6:00 P.M.
Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval Austin, Texas 78727
Visit:imanichurch.comOffice: 512-343-9300Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Donald-Mims
7801 N. Lamar Blvd,Suite D 102,
Austin, Texas 78752
Worship: Sunday--10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Tuesday Bible Studies--7:30pm - 9:00 pmFriday Prayers--7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
The Church of Pentecost, USA Inc,Austin offers a wide variety of opportuni-ties for children, youth, adults, and olderadults to be involved in worship, spiritualgrowth, education, community outreach,and making a tangible difference to thosein need in our community. You too, canmake a positive difference in our commu-nity through your prayers, your presence,your gifts, your service, and your witness.Tel: 512 302-1270
Leading People to Experience God’s Love, Know Jesus Christ & Grow in His ImageThe Church of Pentecost
Olive Branch Fellowship of Austin / All Faith Chapel4110 Guadalupe St Bldg #639 Austin, TX 78751
Sunday MorningWorship @ 11: am
Romans 5:1 Therefore,having beenjustified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
This life, therefore, is not righteous-ness, but growth in righteousness; not health,but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest,but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be,but we are growing toward it. The process isnot yet finished, but it is going on. This is notthe end, but it is the road. All does not yetgleam in glory, but all is being purified.
--- Martin Luther
Kenneth Hill, Pastor
1179 San Bernard Street,Austin, TX 78702, 512-478-7023
Sunday Morning Bible Study, 9:00 A.M.Sunday Morning Worship, 10:15 A.M.Visit our website @ www.obcaus.org
Globalizing the Gospel
A Ministry That Ministers
Edward M. Fleming,Sr. Pastor
OLIVET BAPTISTCHURCH
Felix Bamirin, PastorGRACEWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Experience Grace For Life
(By Parmer Lane Baptist Church building, behind Wells Fargo)
Call: 682.472.9073 l Email: [email protected] lVisit: www.gracewaycca.org
JOIN US This SUNDAY / THURSDAY@ 12424 Scofield Farms Drive, Austin, TX 78758
SUNDAYS 10:30 A.M., THURSDAYS 7:30 P.M.
Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church 5900 Cameron Road Austin, Texas 78723-1843
(512) 451-0808 (512) 302-4575 Fax Web Site - www.themount.net
WORSHIP SERVICESSunday Worship - 7:45 a.m. & 11 a.m.Church School - 9:45 a.m.Bible Studies - Mon, 6:30 p.m. & Wed., 12 noonWednesday Night Worship - 7 p.m.
“Ministries For Mankind” Luke 4:18 A.W.. Anthony Mays, Senior Pastor
Ebenezer Baptist Church1010 East 10th Street 512-478-1875 Fax 512-478-1892
WednesdayMidweek Prayer Service 7:00 P.M.Child Development CenterAges 0-5 years (Daily) 512-478-6709
Bus Ministry Call 512-478-1875
Worship Service 8:00 A.M.Sunday School 9:00 A.M.Discipleship Training 10:00 A.M.Worship Service 11:00 A.M.
Dr. Ricky Freeman,Pastor
Sunday Services
Do you have church news? Would you like topurchase a monthly ad for your church?
Inquire TODAY!Send your information to [email protected]
or call 512-476-0082
ProphetessStephanie N’ChoAssociate Pastor
469-226-4679 | www.vainqueurs.org805 S. Sherman St. Richardson, TX 75081
La Génération des VainqueursMinistry Church
Tuesday - Friday: 3pm -10pmWalking and Appointment
Wednesday Bible Study | 7:45pmFriday Prayer |7:45pm
Sunday Service | 10:00am
Villager Youth Brigade will be taking sponsorshipsstarting summer of 2015.Your support has beenmuch appreciated over the years. Please continueto invest in Austin’s youth. We look forward toanother successful year with some promisingstudents. FMI Call 512-476-0082
DAVID CHAPEL Missionary Baptist ChurchSUNDAY | Christian Education 9:15a.m.Worship 10:30 a.m. (MLK)Nursery AvailableTUESDAY | TNT Bible Study(Pflugerville) 6:45p.m.WEDNESDAY | Prayer & Praise 7:00p.m.Bible Study 7:30p.m.
Dr. Joseph C. Parker, Jr.Senior Pastor
512-472-9748 www.davidchapel.org2211 E.MLK @ Chestnut St. Austin, TX 78702
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www.theaustinvillager.com THE BULLETIN THE VILLAGER/December 9, 2016 ~ Page 3
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Mistrial Declared in Walter Scott’s FatalShooting by South Carolina Officer
by: Bruce Smith and Seanna Adcox Associated Press
Judy Scott, center, Walter Scott’s (inset photo) mother, is comforted by her son Rodney Scott, asthe family attorneys, Chris Stewart, left, and Justin Bamberg, right, hold a press conference after themistrial was declared for the Michael Slager trial Monday Dec. 5, 2016, in Charleston, S.C. Formerpatrolman, Slager, is charged with murder in the shooting death of Walter Scott last year. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
CHARLESTON, S.C.(AP) — A South Carolinajudge declared a mistrialMonday after a jury dead-locked in the murder trialof a White former policeofficer charged in theshooting death of an un-armed Black motorist.
A panel of one Blackand 11 White jurors —who had seemed close toa verdict to convict Friday,with apparently only oneholdout — said Mondaythey were unable to reacha unanimous decision af-ter deliberating more than22 hours over four days.
“We as a jury regretto inform the court thatdespite the best efforts ofall parties we are unable tocome to a unanimous de-cision,” said Circuit JudgeClifton Newman, reading anote from the jury beforedeclaring a mistrial.
Former patrolmanMichael Slager wascharged with murder inthe April 4, 2015, shootingdeath of 50-year-oldWalter Scott. The judgehad said the jury couldalso consider a lessercharge of voluntary man-slaughter.
Outside the court-room, Scott’s mother andbrother said justice willeventually prevail.
“I’m not sad, becauseI know justice will beserved,” Judy Scott said.
Asked whether hecould forgive Slager, An-thony Scott said he couldeventually “find thepeace” to forgive the ex-officer but not before jus-tice is served.
“He gets to spendChristmas with his family,”he said of Slager.
Cellphone videotaken by a bystander thatshowed Scott being shot inthe back five times wasshown widely in the mediaand on the internet andshocked the country, in-flaming the national de-bate about how Blacks aretreated by law enforce-ment officers.
After the video wentpublic, Slager was fired bythe police department andcharged with murder.Scott’s family called forpeace in the NorthCharleston community.Their calls for calm are be-lieved to have helped pre-vent the kind of violencethat erupted elsewherewhen black men werekilled in encounters withlaw enforcement.
It’s the second timein recent weeks a jury hasdeadlocked in an officer-involved shooting. A mis-
trial was declared Nov. 12when a jury in Cincinnaticouldn’t reach a verdict inthe case of a former cam-pus police officer who wasalso charged with shootinga Black motorist.
The video in the Scottslaying renewed debateabout how blacks aretreated by white law offic-ers. There have been simi-lar debates over race andpolicing in places fromNew York to Ferguson,Missouri, and from Tulsa,Oklahoma, to North Caro-lina.
“We’re not going totear up this city,” AnthonyScott said. “We’re nothappy. But we’re not sad.”
Solicitor Scarlett Wil-son praised Scott’s familyfor their patience and un-derstanding.
“They have not re-ceived the credit they de-serve in their calm leader-ship for the community,”she said in a statement.“The Scotts have been asterling example of dignityand grace in extraordinarycircumstances.”
Slager also faces trialnext year in federal courton charges of deprivingScott of his civil rights.
Gov. Nikki Haley saidthat she understood therewill be “a new trial where
the Scott family and all ofSouth Carolina will hope-fully receive the closurethat a verdict brings. Jus-tice is not always immedi-ate, but we must all havefaith that it will be servedI certainly do.”
While Slager is Whiteand Scott was Black, thevideo, not the races of themen, dominated the trial.
Scott was pulled overin North Charleston forhaving a broken taillight onhis 1990 Mercedes andthen fled the car, runninginto a vacant lot. Familymembers have said hemay have run because hewas worried about goingto jail because he was$18,000 behind on childsupport.
The prosecution ar-gued that the 35-year-oldSlager let his sense of au-thority get the better ofhim.
The defense main-tained that the two menwrestled on the ground,that Scott got control ofSlager’s stun gun and thenpointed the weapon at theofficer before the shoot-ing.
Last year, the city ofNorth Charleston reacheda $6.5 million civil settle-ment with Scott’s family inthe wake of the shooting.
Youth of TodayHope of Tomorrow
Kappa Alpha PsiFraternity, Inc
Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 9, 2016 YOUTH BRIGADE www.theaustinvillager.com
National Recycling Day
Hello everybody, to-day I want to talk to youabout how Top Teens ofAmerica volunteered tohelp the community be-come cleaner during Na-tional Recycling Day. Be-fore I do that I would liketo invite you guys to cometo my school on December9th to hear our orchestraplay in the cafeteria.There will be food and en-tertainment for everyone!Now I will tell you aboutNational Recycling Day.
National RecyclingDay starts on November15. National RecyclingDay is a day when peoplehelp raise awareness of
Malakhi WashingtonCovington Academy
Kayla WinnManor New Technology
Averill ToppsStephen F. Austin H.S.
the benefits of recycling.For example, if you buyproducts that can be re-cycled it will cost less thanproducts that can’t be re-cycled. The number of re-cycled goods has in-creased a substantialamount over the last thirtyyears because of this holi-day. People have realizedwhat kind of harmful im-pact non-recyclable goodshave on our planet. Forexample, when you throwaway a Coca-Cola can thataluminum can goes to aTransfer Station, thengoes to a landfill where itis incinerated. This re-leases harmful chemicalsinto the air, poisoning ouratmosphere. Top Teens ofAmerica has volunteeredto help our community byraising awareness of whathappens when you thrownon-recyclable goodsaway and why you shouldthink about what youshould buy before you buyit.
That’s all for thisweek. Until Next Time. GoAustin High Maroons
Christmas
December 25th isthe day that everyonesets aside to celebratethe holiday namedChristmas. Christmas isthe day that my familyand I believe that JesusChrist was born. Christ-mas is one of my favor-ite holidays because youget gifts and you set timeaside to spend with yourfamily. This year we willwake up and go to church
for a hour and then goback home to open ourpresents.
Every year we getthe best gifts! ThisChristmas I want aphone, laptop, camera,and gift cards. EveryChristmas my familymakes a lot of food andmy grandpa sits andhands out gifts while mygrandma and mom andaunt takes pictures, butthis year it will be a littledifferent because mygrandpa will be workingso I do not know who willbe passing out the pre-sents. I would love totake his place, just forthis year! I am very ex-cited that I have alreadybought all of my presentsfor the people that meanthe most to me! ThisChristmas I know will bea great Christmas!
Christmas Break Traditions
During the week be-fore Christmas break vari-ous events occur at ManorNew Tech High School(MNTHS). One event thathas become a tradition isthe student versus staffbasketball game andalumni panel. On the Fri-day before break the
alumni from the previousgraduating class come toMNTHS to speak abouttheir first few months as acollege student. The stu-dents are told to ask thealumni any questions theyhave regarding life afterhigh school.
Most have bothegood and bad experiencesthat high school studentscan learn from in the fu-ture. After the panelalumni that chose to playin the student versus staffbasketball game do theirlast minute workouts andpreparations before thegame. Freshman, sopho-mores, jouniors, and se-niors are allowed to par-ticipate in or watch thegame.
Meet was December3rd, I had my second FirstTech Challenge (FTC) ofthe year. I have a neigh-borhood team, whichmeans that we are not apart of a school group ororganization. In totalthere are 4 kids in thegroup. We competedagainst other robots, butnot like the show BattleBots. Instead of fightingwe try to complete chal-
The Second FTC
SaNaya WhiteAnn Richards
lenges such as parkingon the ramp, picking upballs, throwing them etc.I have done this beforeand this is now my sec-ond time competing.While we competed wewere having trouble withour program.
Our robot was notable to move for majorityof the competition whichwas really upsetting. Wehad to depend on our al-liance to help us. It wasreally upsetting to our al-liance, and to ourselvesthat we could not move.Every time we finishedcompeting, we went backto a place called the "pit"where we fix our robot ifneeded. We were the lastgroup to compete, andthe robot had finallystarted to work. Ouroverall score was 6thplace, out of 12 places. Ionce again enjoyed it justlike last time. I can't waitfor the next one to come.
Children's Christmas Party
On Saturday Decem-ber 3, 2016, the East Com-munities YMCA held anannual Children's Christ-mas Party to help spreadholiday cheer to those inneed. The kids played onbouncy houses and got totalk to Santa.
Joshua MooreKIPP Austin Academy
When the kids startedto arrive they entered thegym and started playing onthe bouncy houses. Therewere three different bouncyhouses. One of them had aslide and on another onethey played dodgeball. Onthe third one, they just dida lot of flips.
As people started toleave the kids got a chanceto hug Santa. All the kidsreceived a present. Afterthey received a presentthey were able to get pop-corn and hot cocoa.
I participated in thisevent by passing out pre-sents as people started toleave. I received an elfshirt for volunteering. Thisparty was very fun and Ican't wait to do it againnext year.
Sickle Cell Anima Breakfast
The Sickle Cell Asso-ciation of Texas Marc Tho-mas Foundation hosted aChristmas breakfast partyat the YMCA in Austin. OnDecember 3, families ofpeople impacted withsickle cell anemia wereinvited to the party forfood, arts and crafts, andpresents. The party alsorose awareness to the vol-unteers when the childrenand adults who live withthe sickle cell diseaseshared their stories.
Sickle cell anemia iswhen red blood cells formcrescent shapes, or sick-les, rather than disks. Thesickled blood cells are notflexible like normal cells,so they get trapped inblood vessels, blocking theblood flow. The SCATMTF
Cyrena MatingouCedar Ridge H. S.
offers services to peoplewith sickle cell, such ascamps for children with thedisease to scanning forthe disease. Emily Osheais a social worker whoworks with the associa-tion. At the breakfast, herfavorite part was when“the speakers shared theirstories.” She enjoyed hear-ing them explain how theylive with the disease andshe loved hearing a littlegirl with sickle cell sing“Twinkle, Twinkle LittleStar.” Emily loves workingwith the SCATMTF, be-cause “I love working withpeople who enjoy helpingpeople. The association isa great place to work, be-cause they truly careabout the families.”
This was my firsttime volunteering at thisevent and it was an inspir-ing experience. Manyfamilies came out, eventhough the weather wasnot optimal, showing theirgratitude to the organiza-tion. I was amazed by allthe courageous childrenbattling the disease, so Iloved handing out pre-sents to them and seeingthem run around with eachother. Everyone was verykind and happy to bethere, whether volunteer-ing or with their families.
Gattiland Lock-in
On Friday, my bandhad our annual Gattilandlock-in where we stay atthe Gattiland in RoundRock for the night. We gotthere around 11pm to geteveryone settled and lis-ten to instructions. I gottogether with my group of
friends and we went to goplay games before we ate.One of my favorite gameswas the rollercoastersimulation. We got drinksand ate pizza, but I only gota few breadsticks and lem-onade. We walked aroundfor a few hours and prob-ably spent a whole hourtrying to knock downclowns. When we gotbored we went to watchthe movie that was show-ing and I went to sleep.When I woke up it wasaround six which was thetime to leave and my momwas on her way. I said byeto my friends and wenthome where I went rightback to sleep. The lock- inwas fun, and I was glad Ididn’t get sick like lastyear.
Kennedy GeorgePflugerville Cele M. S.
Merry Christmas
Ava RobertsSpring Hill Elementary
HoHoHo, it is almostChristmas! I am thankfulfor many things and doknow the reason for theseason. My favorite thingis giving and receiving
gifts. I donate time andgifts to various communityoutreach programs. Also Imake my wish list andhope that Santa bringsgifts from the list.
I believe that every-thing on my list will be"hot" items for 2016. Ihave listed toys, comput-ers, and electronics. Myshort list includes wirelessheadphones, AmazonEcho, camera, fitnesswatch, bicycle, and PlayStation 4 Pro. I can hardlywait to see what I will get!I hope that you have aMerry Christmas and getat least one thing from youlist!
Santa Special presented by The George Washington Carver Am-bassadors on Saturday, December 17th from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at theGeorge Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center 1165 AngelinaSt., Austin, Texas 78702.
Sweet treats, Christmas crafts, and a FREE photo with Santa! Call(512) 974-4926 to RSVP by Wednesday, December 14th.
2016Santa
Special
www.theaustinvillager.com THE COURIER THE VILLAGER/December 9, 2016 ~ Page 5
Pioneers Meeting
Kevin ParishPark Crest M.S.
Jalen MooreKIPP Austin Collegiate
Sarah RobertsonAthlos Leadership Acad.
Last week, my friendBrenda and I were as-signed the task of leadinga meeting. We've donethis once before, but wehad the help of two se-niors. This time, we werecompletely on our own.
We needed to pitchthe idea of a 'partneringprogram' rather than astudent mentorship be-
cause that established onestudent as at a higher levelthan another. With theconcept of partnership,the two students wouldmotivate and help eachother while sti ll beingequals.
With this in mind, wetook a different approachto leading the meeting.Instead of having aPowerPoint about theidea, we decided that itwould be best if we all satdown in a circle and dis-cussed the idea together.Ultimately, I think this ap-proach was more success-ful than the traditionalmanner of leading a meet-ing. It allowed everyone tocontribute their ideasabout the program andmade the experience sig-nificantly less intimidating.
After School Activities
For an after schoolactivity, I participate in theKrew 12 program with theAfrican American YouthHarvest Foundation. Krew12 is a program that allowkids who are interested infilm, computers and cam-eras to have an opportu-nity for mentoring, tutor-ing and engage in project-based learning. Tuesdaywe had the opportunity touse our skills and knowl-edge for the Austin PoliceDepartment. We will bemaking three Public Ser-vice Announcements (orPSA) and one short film.The purpose is to shareimportant information to
the community.
This will not be myfirst time doing PSA's andshort films because I did asimilar project last yearand I hope I have a lot offun filming this year. I re-ally enjoy the people andthe project with Krew 12this year. I think this year Ihave a better opportunityto share my creativitythrough films. For this PSA,I've learned a lot of thingsabout camera angles,lighting, and positioningthe camera. I can't wait tosee the final produce fromfilming this past Tuesdayfor the Austin Police De-partment because I cantell that this is going to bean informative PSA. InKrew 12, we are doing a lotof great and new projectsthat we didn't get the op-portunity to do last year.I'm very optimistic aboutwhat will happen with Krew12 in the near future and Ithink after school activitiesare wonderful becausethere are somethings youcan’t do at school.
America’s team, theDallas Cowboys, is doinggreat this year and theyhave two rookies that arethe face of the team. Withthe help of Ezekiel Elliottand Dak Prescott theCowboy’s record is 11-1and looking to take an-other win against the NewYork Giants. They are also
How ‘bout “Dem” Cowboyslooking to make the 10game winning streak to a11 game winning streak.Since Tony Romo got hurtin preseason Dak is havingan amazing year andEzekiel Elliott is also doinggreat this year. He recentlybroke Tony Dorsett’s singleseason rushing record fora rookie.
Some people hate-on the Cowboys andsome people love themso it will be interesting tosee what will happenover these next fewgames. Last year they fin-ished the season 4-10.They failed to make theplayoffs but now they arelooking to make the play-offs and probably go toSuper Bowl LI.
Alyssa James WinnManor High School
Quinn LangfordCedar Ridge H. S.
Privileges
After months of privi-leges being revoked be-cause the students startedto decrease the number intardies, absences, and theamount of trash outside of
the school. Manor HighSchool has also given stu-dents music at lunchthanks to the junior classwho asked the principal.The idea came from musicbeing played in the hall-ways during passing peri-ods. Students have alsobeen granted talent showsso they can show off theirtalents to the school. Theyare thinking about givingstudents mini prep-rally'sas well. Manor HighSchool often has privilegesadded when good behav-ior is shown. My opinion isthat the privileges aregood because we get re-warded for our hard workand commitment to oureducation and school.
Inclusive STEM Education
A group of studentsfrom the Austin areawere personally invitedto the White House for ascience, technology, en-gineering, and math{STEM} conference,known as the WhiteHouse Conference on In-clusive STEM Education.They belong to ChangingExpectations, an organi-zation that focuses onhigher education for mi-
norities in science andtechnology. SolomonStarkes, one of those stu-dents, said his favoritepart of the conferencewas “weeting all thepeople like Dr. MaeJemison and Dr. BernardHarris.” Dr. Jemison andDr. Harris are astronautsthat made history.
Kaleb Winn, anothermiddle school student inChanging Expectations,was selected to speak onthe panel. He learned that“with all the STEM expertswho were in attendance atthis White House confer-ence on inclusion, theredoes not appear to be aclear consensus on whatneeds to be done to en-courage more minorityyouth and girls to continueon the STEM path past thefifth grade.” The trip was amemorable experience forthe kids and shows thatone is never too young tomake a difference.
That’sMy Face:
YoungAdultFilm
Series:“Race”(2016)
That’s My Face is aFilm Series for YoungAdults. We will be screen-ing influential films andworks by Black Filmmak-ers. December’s film is“Race” (2016), JesseOwens’ quest to becomethe greatest track and fieldathlete in history thrustshim onto the world stageof the 1936 Olympics,where he faces off againstAdolf Hitler’s vision ofAryan supremacy.
Rating: Rated PG-13for thematic elements andlanguage.
Mon December 19th6:30 pm | 8:30 pm
Lee Elementary Celebrates,Honors Bettie Mann
Saluting more thanfour decades of service,Austin ISD honored formerteacher Bettie Mann De-cember 8, 2016.
Mann, the first Afri-can-American teacher atRussell Lee Elementary,where she taught for morethan 40 years, will have awing of the school dedi-
cated to her.During her career,
Mann taught every gradeat the school. Her sonswere the first black stu-dents at Lee Elementary.
Honoring the Past –The Medal of Honor for
Dorie Miller?
by: Marsha JoynerSpecial to the AFRO
As the nation honorsthe past on the 75th com-memoration of the dawnof World War II, I am re-questing that you write tothe President aboutawarding the Medal ofHonor to World War IIMessman Attendant Sec-ond Class Doris Miller forhis acts of valor during theDecember 7th, 1941, at-tack on Pearl Harborwhich indeed made him ahero of epic proportions.
Seventy four years isa very long time. SinceApril 19, 1942, thousandshave requested that theU.S. Navy recommendDoris Miller for the Medalof Honor. It is never toolate to do the right thing.
The president’s boldacknowledgement of the24 Army veterans who de-served Medals of Honorbut were denied them dueto racism is part of Presi-dent Obama’s broader ef-fort to highlight racial in-justice and cultural aware-ness.
President Obamamade an effort to correctan historical act of dis-crimination when heawarded the Medal ofHonor, the nation’s highest
commendation for com-bat valor, to a group of His-panic, Jewish and African-American veterans whowere passed over becauseof their racial or ethnicbackgrounds.
The unusual presen-tation culminated a 12-year Pentagon review or-dered by Congress intopast discrimination in theranks and will hold a par-ticular poignancy whenconducted by the nation’sfirst African-Americanpresident.
Although the reviewpredates Obama’s tenure,he has made great stridesaddressing discriminationin the military.
In 2002, Congresscalled for a review of warrecords from World War II,the Korean War and theVietnam War to ensurethat soldiers deserving theMedal of Honor were notdenied because of preju-dice.
The reassessmentsent a host of candidatesthrough the various ser-vice boards that decide onMedal of Honor recipientsand then to the JointChiefs for approval. Twodozen veterans — all fromthe Army — emerged asworthy of an upgrade tothe Medal of Honor.
World War II Messman Attendant Second ClassDoris Miller. (Courtesy Photo)
Page 6 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 9, 2016 DIASPORA www.theaustinvillager.com
Austin Based Nonprofit, Impacting Lives on the African Continent
On December 2,2016, a local nonprofit“Well Aware” Organiza-tion held a fundraiserevent in the heart ofdowntown Austin. Despitethe rain and the coldweather, numerous indi-viduals came out to sup-port this Austin basednonprofit organizationthat does a lot of work onthe African Continent. Theevent started from 8 AMand ended at 12AM offer-ing a variety of entertain-ment for the attendees.There was a great musicalperformance and also avirtual artist present at theevent.
According to the or-ganizers, the event waswell attended by CentralTexas who supports thework that Well Aware
Pictured left to right are “Well Aware” nonprofit organizers: Lindsey, Staff member; Sarah, founderand Barbara. Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon |Villager Columnist
does on the African conti-nent, especially in the na-tion of Kenya. According to
Well Aware, “It is a 501(c)3nonprofit organizationwith headquarters in Aus-
tin, Texas that provides in-novative and sustainablesolutions to water scarcity
and contamination in Af-rica. We fund and imple-ment life-saving water sys-
tems to drive economicdevelopment and buildself-sufficient communi-ties.”
Well Aware whichwas founded in 2008 hasmade “good usage” of ev-ery dollar received. Ac-cording to Well Aware,“We believe that it is ourobligation to our commu-nities and our donors to bethe best possible stewardsof their trust and re-sources. So, we combineinnovation, collaboration,and community involve-ment to have an exponen-tial impact.” In addition,they have produced someresults that have changedlives of individuals on theAfrican continent. A few oftheir numerous accom-plishments in 2016 includehaving, “More than145,000 cumulative livesimpacted and 81% of ev-ery dollar directly fundedour projects.”
Anioma Women’s Association Host Christmas Celebration
Saturday, December3, 2016, the Anioma (Nige-rian American) Women’sAssociation Austin Branchheld its annual Christmasparty. Moreover, it was theAnioma Women’s Associa-tion sixth annual Christ-mas celebration, whichwas full of cultural (Nige-rian) presentations. Theevent was marked by vari-ous types of presentationsand dances. The event waswell attended by themembers of the commu-nity. It was an opportunityfor Anioma people to re-affirm their cultural iden-tity and heritage. For theirguests, it was an opportu-nity to teach others abouttheir customs, traditions,and values.
According the Associa-tion, “The name Anioma
Pflugerville City CouncilSwearing In Ceremony
was used by late Chief Den-nis Osadebay to describethe peace loving people
who inhabited the geo-graphical areas known to-day as Delta North. In addi-
tion, the Anioma Diasporain Central Texas can tracetheir origins to areas of Ni-
geria such as “Ukwuani,Ndokwa West, NdokwaEast, South Ika, North Ika,
North Aniocha, SouthAniocha and Oshimili.”Moreover, the associationallows for them to pass onthe knowledge of their cul-ture and languages to thenext generation who hasbeen “Americanized.”
The Anioma Women’sAssociation is a social orga-nization that seeks to bringtheir community together.According to the associa-tion, “our mission is to bethere to support eachother, especially in this faraway land of America. Weregard ourselves as bornof the same mother inwhich we greet each otheras Ofunne Amaka.” In ad-dition, the association wasformed to share eachother joy in good timesand in challenging times tohelp each other.” More-over, they meet once amonth to deal with the in-ternal working of their or-ganization.
by Tsoke(Chuch) Adjavon |Villager Columnist
Anioma Association Organizers
On November 29th, 2016 the city of Pflugerville held a swearing inceremony for the incoming Mayor Gonzales and for the incoming CityCouncil member Doug Weiss. The swearing in ceremony was very wellattended by individuals from both Pflugerville and surrounding areas. Itwas an opportunity to “celebrate” the achievements of these two indi-viduals who managed to convince the voters to give them a chance torepresent them.
The swearing in ceremony marks the transition from old adminis-tration to a new one. The transition also better reflects the “diversity”of Pflugerville. Now, it is time for the residents of Pflugerville to cometogether and put Pflugerville first. Pflugerville is at a crossroad in whichthe next 4 years will be crucial for the city. The next 4 years will deter-mine whether or not Pflugerville will grow into a “city.”
Pflugerville has been growing at a fast rate. As the city grows, it willhave to find ways to keep its residents to both live and work in the area.Some of the new ideas will be to start building more office spaces, inorder, to attract more businesses to move within the Pflugerville citylimits. Not only has some council member sought to increase the officespace but, also have thought to build more roads. According to some,Pflugerville shouldn’t wait to build roads because it will latter avoid traf-fic issues which Austin faces. Now the question is will Pflugerville retainits “small town feel” in the next 4 years?
by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon | Villager Columnist
PFLUGERVILLE INAUGURAL CEREMONY - Pictured left to right isDoug Weiss, Newly Elected Pflugerville City Council Member and BarbaraNajera a supporter of Mr Weiss. Photo courtesy of Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon
Sheryl Cole Discussion on Campaign forState House Represenative District 46
Wednesday December 14, 2016, 6:30 pm | 8:30 pm at theGeorge Washington Carver Museum, Cultural, and Genealogy
Center, 1165 Angelina St., Austin, TX 78702
Apply at HRMiddle Fiskville Rd.
6th Floor, Austin, TX 78752Job Line (512 223-5621hhtp://www./austincc.ed
EEOC/AA/M/F/D/V
EMPLOYMENT | PROPOSALS | PUBLIC INFORMATIONFOR SALE | FOR RENT | BIDS | MISCELLANEOUS
www.theaustinvillager.com CLASSIFIEDS THE VILLAGER/December 9, 2016 ~ Page 7
Are you interested in doing businesswith the City of Austin?
We are here for you!City of Austin
Purchasing OfficeVendor Registration
www.austintexas.gov/department/purchasing
For information on the City of Austin’s Minority/Women-Owned Procurement Program please contact theSmall & Minority Business Resources at 512-974-7600 orvisit www.austintexas.gov/smbr.
Austin Travis County IntegralCare is currently solicitingproposals through a Request forProposals (RFP) process for aVeterans Service Program. RFPsmay be sent electronically, bycontacting Brody Ballard [email protected] or (512)440-4022 beginning December 2,2016. The deadline to submit aproposal under the RFP is 4 p.m.CST on January 6, 2017.Historically UnderutilizedBusinesses, including Minority-Owned Businesses and Women-Owned Businesses, are encouragedto apply.
New Jobs for theWeek of 12/04/2016
District Police, Patrol OfficerLocation is assigned
Job# 1611048Specialist, Custodial Operations
SupportLocation as assigned
Job# 1611045Technician, Senior IT (Computer
Support)Location as assigned
Job# 1611040
Musician NeededHoly Cross CatholicChurch seeks musicdirector. Must readmusic and play con-temporary and tradi-tional gospel music.Contact Barbara Scott(512-922-1202 & text;[email protected])or Ron Collins (512-569-4424 &text;ron.collins [email protected]).
Hillary Clinton Gets 2 Million More Votes Than DonaldTrump and Everyone Pretends They Don’t Notice
By Lauren VictoriaBurke
(NNPA NewswireContributor)
Imagine if DonaldTrump got two millionmore votes than HillaryClinton, but by some flukeof Electoral College math,Clinton won. What wouldTrump be saying? The an-swer is easy: He’d be say-ing what he said weeksbefore Election Day: Thatthe election was riggedagainst him. Why thesame isn’t true the otherway around is anyone’sguess.
On November 23, welearned that Clinton re-ceived two million morepopular votes than Trump.Yeah, I know: Trump willbe the next President. Atsome point someone hasto ask: Does it make sensethat the person who re-ceived the most votes isn’tthe winner? Does it makesense that Clinton has awider vote margin overTrump than seven peoplewho eventually becamePresident?
Pictured is an undated photo of Hillary Clinton. Lauren Victoria Burke says that the Demo-crats need to reconsider running establishment candidates at the top of the ticket in an age of anti-establishment politics.
The talk after theelection was that theDemocratic Party needsan overhaul and all is lostfor the party. But theDemocrats should becareful not to over-cor-
rect. If receiving two mil-lion more votes signals acrisis, that’s quite some-thing. Just imagine thatDemocrats received 2million more votes withan imperfect candidate
of the past carrying loadsof baggage.
The bigger problemfor the Democrats is run-ning establishment can-didates at the top of theticket in an age of anti-establishment politicsdoesn’t work. The 2008run of Barack Obamashould have taughtthem the value ofchange politics to theAmerican voters. Butwhat d id the Demo-crat ic Party — morespecif ical ly PresidentObama — do instead?As the leader of theparty, the Pres identhandpicked Hi l laryClinton as his successor,put her in the positionof Secretary of State,selected a DemocraticNat ional CommitteeChair who wouldn’t get
in the way and foughtagainst Vice PresidentJoe Biden and Sen.Bernie Sanders’ effortsduring the primaries.And we all know whathappened next.
It’s unlikely all ofthat would happenagain, but after Presi-dent Obama made theDNC an afterthought infavor of his Obama forAmerica (OFA) affinityproject , who knowswhat the future holds.
“Mr. Trump is un-f i t to serve. H isscapegoat ing of somany Americans, andhis impulsivity, bully-ing , ly ing , admittedhistory of sexual as-sault, and utter lack ofexperience make him adanger,” wrote ElijahBerg , who has
AUSTIN, Texas — Ad-vocates are celebrating afederal report showing asignificant reduction in thehomeless population inTexas over the past decade.According to the Depart-ment of Housing and UrbanDevelopment’s annualcount, homelessness inTexas dropped by almost 42percent from 2007 to 2016- a period when the state’soverall population grew 13percent. Eric Samuels, ex-ecutive director at the TexasHomeless Network, saidthe progress is due to bet-ter funding and support, aswell as new methods forhousing the homeless. “It’seither permanent supporthousing or rapid re-hous-ing, right away.
Survey:Texas
ReducesHomelessnessby 42 Percent
Since 2007
Alleged Church Killer to Be His Own LawyerJury selection began this week in the trial of Dylann Storm Roof
By Frederick H. LoweSpecial to the Trice Edney News Wire from NorthStarNewsToday.com
(TriceEdneyWire.com)- U.S. District Court JudgeRichard Mark Gergelruled on November 28ththat Dylann Storm Roof,a white supremacist whois charged with murder-ing nine black parishio-ners during Bible studylast year in a Charleston,S.C., church, can act ashis own lawyer in a casethat he faces the deathpenalty.
Judge Gergel issued averbal order in open courtafter Roof filed a motionSunday night asking ifcould act as his own coun-sel in the trial involvingthe June 17, 2015, massa-cre at Emanuel AfricanMethodist Episcopal, a his-toric black church in down-town Charleston.
Other lawyers will sitwith Roof at the defensetable, but he will “call theshots,” said Charles W.Hall, a member of the pub-lic affairs office of the Ad-ministrative Office of theCourts in Washington D.C.,told NorthStar NewsT o d a y . c o m . /BlackmanStreetToday.com.
Judge Gergel allowedRoof to represent himselfafter ruling on Friday thathe was mentally compe-tent to stand trial.
“The court con-ducted a competencyhearing on November 21-22, 2016, and received tes-timony and voluminousdocuments and other in-formation related to theissue of competency. Theyincluded the live testi-mony of Dr. James C.
Ballenger, a court-ap-pointed examiner, andfour other witnesses andthe testimony by swornaffidavits of three addi-tional persons,” JudgeGergel wrote.
Judge Gergel then is-sued his ruling. “Aftercarefully considering therecord before the court,the relevant legal stan-dard, and the argumentsof counsel, the court nowfinds and concludes thatthe defendant is compe-tent to stand trial.”
495 Potential JurorsJury selection also
began today, Hall said.There are 495 potentialjurors will go through voirdire. The pool will be re-duced to 70. From the 70,prosecutors and defensewill select 12 jurors and sixalternates, Hall said.
Federal prosecutorshave charged Roof withthe Hate Crimes Act Re-sulting in Death, the Hate
Crimes Act Involving anAttempt to Kill, Obstruc-tion of Exercise of ReligionResulting in Death, Ob-struction of Exercise ofReligion Involving an At-tempt to Kill and Use of aDangerous Weapon andUse of a Firearm to Com-mit Murder During and inRelation to a Crime of Vio-lence, according to the 15-page indictment. Roof hasplead not guilty.
In addition, he facesstate murder chargesbought by South Carolina,which also is seeking thedeath penalty. That trial isscheduled to begin inJanuary.
Roof sat for an hourwith Emanuel parishionersbefore firing his gun, aGlock .45-caliber pistol.
Roof, 22, said hekilled the churchgoers toincite a race war. The pis-tol was loaded with eightmagazines of hollow-pointbullets.
Dylann Storm Roof
launched the pet it ionurging electors to votefor Hillary Clinton overDonald Trump. The peti-t ion now has over 4.6million people signed on.
Former Green Partycandidate for PresidentJi ll Stein has raised $5million dollars for a re-count efforts in Wiscon-s in , Pennsylvania andMichigan. You can betthat the two states withRepubl ican governor,Wisconsin and Michigan,will reject a recount forfear of what they mightfind.
We Want YOU!Advertise With
TheVILLAGER
Page 8 ~ THE VILLAGER/december 9, 2016 THE DISPATCH www.theaustinvillager.com
Fidel Castro Is DeadWhen Castro First Came to the U.S.,
He Stayed in Harlem and Met with Malcolm X
By Frederick H. Lowe | Special to the Trice Edney News Wirefrom NorthStarNewsToday.com
Fidel Castro and Malcolm X
(TriceEdneyWire.com)- On September, 18, 1960,when Fidel Castro led aCuban delegation to NewYork City to speak beforethe United Nations, theystayed at the HotelTheresa in Harlem, wherethey met with Malcolm X,poet Langston Hughes andother African-Americanleaders.
The meetings andtheir location caused animmediate sensation, al-though details of the con-versations are not known.Two Black reporters and aBlack photographer at-tended the meetings, ac-cording to the book“Memories of a MeetingBetween Fidel andMalcolm X,” published byBlack Classic Press. Castroand Malcolm X spoke toeach other through inter-preters.
Castro also walkedHarlem’s streets, shakinghands and talking withresidents while drinkingorange juice, according toPan African News Wire.
Thousands of Harlemresidents gave Castro arousing reception. Theystood in the pouring rainoutside his balcony win-dow to cheer him.
They were unfazedby the government’s redbaiting. U.S. Vice PresidentRichard Nixon believedCastro was leaning to-wards Communism. ButCastro did not declare
himself a Communist un-til late 1961.
Cuba’s leader an-gered the American gov-ernment and the Ameri-can Mafia by nationalizingU.S. companies and invest-ments in Cuba and closingMafia-owned casinos andbordellos, according to T.J. English’s book “HavanaNocturne: How the MobOwned Cuba… And ThenLost It to the Revolution.”
Castro, who hadoverthrown the corruptU.S.–backed governmentof Cuban dictatorFulgenico Batista in 1959,delivered on September26, 1960, a scathing morethan four-hour speech atthe United Nations con-cerning U.S. aggressionand imperialism.
Castro, Cuba’s Maxi-mum Leader, wholaunched his revolutionaryoverthrow of Cuba’s gov-ernment in November1956 with an army of 82recruits, died after a longillness Friday in Havana,Cuba’s capital. He was 90.
Castro led the coun-try for 50 years, defyingthe power of 10 U.S. presi-dents and numerous at-tempts to assassinate oroverthrow him, includingthe failed Bay of Pigs inva-sion in 1961, ordered byPresident John F. Kennedy.
The announcementof Castro’s death sparkedcelebrations in Miami’sLittle Havana and days of
mourning in Cuba.President Barack
Obama visited Cuba inMay and met with RaulCastro, Fidel’s brother.Raul succeeded Fidel in2008 because of hisbrother’s illness. PresidentObama extended his con-dolences to the Castrofamily.
“Today, we offer con-dolences to Fidel Castro’sfamily, and our thoughtsand prayers are with theCuban people. In the daysahead, they will recall thepast and also look to thefuture. As they do, the Cu-ban people must knowthat they have a friend andpartner in the UnitedStates of America,” saidPresident Obama.
Man Arrested in Joe McKnight’sDeath; Louisiana Sheriff Attempts
to Defend Probeby: Rebecca Santana and Bill Fuller | Associated Press
(Left) Booking photo released by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Officeshows Ronald Gasser, 54, the man who fatally shot ex-NFL player JoeMcKnight (right) in a New Orleans suburb during a road rage dispute.Gasser was arrested late Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, jailed on a charge of man-slaughter. He was initially taken into custody after the shooting last Thurs-day, but he was released without being charged pending further investi-gation. (AP Photos/Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office and AP File)
HARVEY, La. (AP)—The Louisiana man whofatally shot ex-NFL playerJoe McKnight during aroad rage dispute wasjailed on a manslaughtercharge as a sheriff angrilydefended the investigationTuesday, saying authorities“strategically” waited fordays to make the arrestbecause they needed tofind independent wit-nesses.
Ronald Gasser, 54,was initially taken into cus-tody after the shooting lastThursday but he was re-leased without beingcharged, drawing heatedcriticism from protesterswho said race played a rolein the investigation. Gas-ser, who is White, was ar-rested late Monday.McKnight was Black.
Jefferson Parish Sher-iff Newell Normandpounded on a podium dur-ing a news conference ex-plaining the investigation.
“This isn’t about race.Not a single witness hassaid … a single racial slurwas uttered,” the sheriffsaid.
The case comes at atime of intense scrutiny inthe African-Americancommunity about theshootings of Black men, inparticular by police. Whilethis case doesn’t involve apolice shooting, it hasflared temperatures anddrawn protests at thesheriff’s department.
It’s not clear whetherGasser has an attorney.Attempts to reach Gasser’sfamily unsuccessful Tues-day.
The sheriff said thedispute between the menstarted on a bridge andproceeded into a New Or-leans suburb, with bothmen driving erratically andyelling at each other. Even-tually, the cars came to astop and McKnight con-fronted Gasser, who wasstill seated in his car, thesheriff said. Gasser pulledout a gun and shotMcKnight three times, kill-ing him. When deputiesarrived, the sheriff saidGasser handed them hisgun and said he shotMcKnight, 28.
The sheriff saidMcKnight did have a gunin his vehicle but no evi-dence suggested he in-sinuated anything about it.It was his stepfather’s gun,and his stepfather’s ve-hicle.
During the news con-ference, the sheriff readaloud some of the deroga-tory remarks about the in-vestigation, including ra-cially charged comments.
“We have sometimesunrealistic expectations ofhow these things work …you don’t just run out andstart slapping cuffs onpeople,” Normand said.
He noted that onThursday, Gasser gave au-thorities a statement thatincluded him being fearfuland defending himself,saying that McKnight hadmade threatening com-ments. At that point, au-thorities hadn’t inter-viewed any independentwitnesses. One personthey had talked to lied toauthorities about whathappened, the sheriff said.
Normand said had anarrest been made Thurs-day, he was certain peoplewould be afraid to comeforward. Instead, authori-ties identified more than250 people they wanted totalk to by identifying li-cense plates in the area atthe time, and conductedmore than 160 interviews.The sheriff said severalwitnesses were the key tomaking the arrest andmade comments contra-dicting Gasser ’s state-ments.
He also pointed outthat Gasser didn’t ask foran attorney but instead satwith authorities for overten hours of interviews inthe days after the shoot-ing and gave permissionfor them to search hishome.
McKnight playedthree seasons for the NewYork Jets and one with theKansas City Chiefs.
The Jets held a mo-ment of silence Mondaynight before their gameagainst the IndianapolisColts at MetLife Stadiumto honor the former run-ning back.
McKnight was ratedthe nation’s No. 1 runningback recruit when hesigned with the Universityof Southern California. Hewas a fourth-round draftpick of the Jets in 2010 andplayed three seasons forNew York. McKnight had a107-yard kickoff return fora touchdown in 2011, andit remains the longest playin Jets history.
He also spent a sea-son with Kansas City, andmost recently played forthe SaskatchewanRoughriders of the Cana-dian Football League.
McKnight’s deathwas eerily similar to thatof former New OrleansSaints player Will Smith,who was killed last April ina shooting sparked by atraffic altercation. CardellHayes is charged with sec-ond-degree murder.
A decade ago, Gasserwas involved in a similaraltercation at the same in-tersection with a driver.The sheriff said that in Feb-ruary 2006, a man ob-served a truck driving er-ratically and called a num-ber on the truck, speakingto a man later identified asGasser.
Gasser and the mangot into a fight on thephone and then Gasserfollowed the man to a ser-vice station, confrontedhim and hit him severaltimes. Gasser drove awayand the victim called 911.
Investigators foundGasser and issued a mis-demeanor summons forsimple battery, which waslater dismissed. Authori-ties have said they are try-ing to determine why itwas dismissed.
Jefferson Parish SheriffNewell Normand
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
At a press confer-ence, NFL quarterbackColin Kaepernick wore aT-shirt bearing photos ofMalcolm X with commu-nist dictator Fidel Castro.