Dogon Village News Alerts

Cops vs. Kids Sign- By BOB HERBERT

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:46:50 -0400

The New York Times - If you dont think the police in New York City need to be reined in, consider the way the cops and their agents are treating youngsters in the citys schools.

In March 2009, a girl and a boy in the sixth grade at the Hunts Point School in the Bronx were fooling around and each drew a line on the others desk with an erasable marker. The teacher told them to erase the lines, and the kids went to get tissues. This blew up into a major offense when school safety officers became involved.

The safety officers, who have been accused in many instances of mistreating children, are peace officers assigned to the schools. They wear uniforms, work for the New York Police Department and have the power to detain, search, handcuff and arrest students. They do not carry guns.

In this case, the officers seized the two pupils and handcuffed them. Before long, an armed police officer showed up to question the youngsters. The girl asked for her mother and began to cry. Tears were no defense in the minds of the brave New York City law enforcers surrounding this errant child. They were determined to keep the city safe from sixth graders armed with Magic Markers.

The children were transported in handcuffs to the local precinct. Read Bon Herbert's full column here

Civil Liberties Union Sues Prison Officials

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:58:38 -0500

By REBECCA BOONE (AP) BOISE, Idaho The American Civil Liberties Union sued state prison officials and a private company Thursday, claiming violence is so rampant at the Idaho Correctional Center that it's known as "gladiator school" among inmates.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit against Nashville, Tennessee-based Corrections Corp. of America in U.S. District Court in Boise.

The lawsuit says Idaho's only private prison is extraordinarily violent, with guards deliberately exposing inmates to brutal beatings from other prisoners as a management tool.

The group contends the prison then denies injured inmates medical care to save money and hide the extent of injuries. Read the full story here.

LA Teachers Removed Over Choice of Black Heroes - OJ, RuPaul & Dennis Rodman

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:37:08 -0500

By: Christina Hoag, Associated Press - LOS ANGELES (AP) Three Los Angeles elementary school teachers accused of giving children portraits of O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul to carry in a Black History Month parade have been removed from their classrooms, a school district spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Children from other classes at the school displayed photos of more appropriate black role models, such as Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman and President Barack Obama, Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman Gayle Pollard-Terry said.

The incident occurred Friday at Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School in South Los Angeles, where the student body is more than 90 percent Latino.

District Superintendent Ramon Cortines placed the teachers all white men who teach first, second and fourth grades on administrative leave on Tuesday while an investigation is conducted, Pollard-Terry said. Read the full story here.

Advocates say minorities losing stimulus work

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:31:06 -0500

Jesse Washington, AP - Hispanic and black businesses are receiving a disproportionately small number of federal stimulus contracts, creating a rising chorus of demands for the Obama administration to be more inclusive and more closely track who receives government-financed work.

Latinos and blacks have faced obstacles to winning government contracts long before the stimulus. They own 6.8 and 5.2 percent of all businesses, respectively, according to census figures. Yet Latino-owned business have received only 1.7 percent of $46 billion in federal stimulus contracts recorded in U.S. government data, and black-owned businesses have received just 1.1 percent.

That pot of money is just a small fraction of the $862 billion economic stimulus law. Billions more have been given to states, which have used the money to award contracts of their own.

Although states record minority status when they award contracts to businesses, there is no central, consistent or public compilation of that data, according to Laura Barrett, director of the Transportation Equity Network. She and other minority advocates are calling for complete and publicly accessible demographic information on all contracts and jobs financed by the stimulus.

Minority businesses are often too small to compete for projects; do not have access to the necessary capital, equipment or bonding requirements; or lose bids to companies with well-established relationships. There also has been an emphasis on spending stimulus money quickly, which favors businesses that have won past contracts. Read the full story here

Mississippi woman could die in prison for $11 robbery

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:28:39 -0500

By Myranda Stephens, The Grio - Evelyn Rasco has been living a nightmare for more than 15 years.

"It's torture," she sobs over the phone from her Pensacola, Florida home. "It tortures me on a daily basis."

The nightmare began on Christmas Eve in 1993 when Rasco's two daughters, Jamie and Gladys Scott, left a mini-mart near their home in Scott County, Mississippi. Their car broke down, and they hitched a ride from two young men, one of whom they knew. But later that evening, the men were robbed at gunpoint by three teenagers in another car. The robbers got away with an estimated $11 and no one was hurt, but police accused the Scott sisters of setting the victims up.

Although the young women denied having any involvement and had no criminal record, a jury found them guilty of armed robbery. On October 13, 1994, a judge ordered them to each serve double-life sentences in the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, where they remain today. Read the full story here

Oscar Winners

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:25:23 -0500

Best Picture
The Hurt Locker - Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro

Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christoph Waltz -Inglourious Basterds

Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side

Actress in a Supporting Role
Mo'Nique - Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Film
Up - Pete Docter

Continue reading "Oscar Winners"

UNCF Digital Media and Public Forum Series at Morehouse College Feb 4

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:19:31 -0500

Check out UNCF's Digital forum, TO BE YOUNG, DIGITAL AND BLACK, TOMORROW Feb 4 at Morehouse College 6:00 8:30 pm (404) 302-8607 Ext.8507 clarissa.myrick-harris@uncf.org. For more information click here.

Reid Spoke the Awful Truth about Obamas Racial Exceptionalism

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:14:19 -0500

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson - Senate Majority leader Harry Reid apologized profusely for his unguarded quip that Obamas light skin and non-Negro dialect stood him well with him and by implication other whites. President Obama graciously accepted his apology and applauded him as a supporter and friend. But the embattled leader spoke the awful truth that millions did give Obama a racial pass. The pass did not win the White House for him; money, timing, a skillful campaign, and most importantly Bush blunders and GOP disgrace ultimately tipped the White House his way. But Obamas racial pass made a difference, maybe a crucial difference. Read Earl Ofari Hutchinson's full editorial here.

AP reports Teddy Pendergrass has died

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:54:50 -0500

AP is reporting that 59-year-old soul singer, Teddy Pendergrass, died Wednesday at Bryn Mawr Hospital in PA. Read the full story here: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9557397.

Wyclef Jean leads charge to help Haiti earthquake victims through Yele Haiti charity

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:57:26 -0500

Wyclef Jean Haiti earthquake: Singer leads charge to help through Yele Haiti charity - and Twitter
Hip Hop artist Wyclef Jean is urging people to donate $5 to his Haitian charity, Yéle Haiti, by texting "YELE" to 501501. (The donation will be automatically charged to your cellphone bill.) His is one of many Haiti earthquake relief efforts underway.

By Matt Clark Staff writer / Christian Science Monitor
Platinum-selling Hip Hop artist Wyclef Jean - a native son of Haiti - is leading the charge to help his beleaguered homeland ... through Twitter.

Mr. Jean's platform of choice seems to be Twitter, where the former Fugees star is urging people to donate $5 to his Haitian charity, Yéle Haiti, by texting "YELE" to 501501. (The donation will be automatically charged to your cellphone bill.)

"I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse," said Jean in a statement. "We must act now... Haiti needs your prayers and support." Read the full story here

Arriving Port-au-Prince, Earthquake Damage Can be Seen Everywhere

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:23:12 -0500

Brian Wagner, Voice of America (listen here MP3)
As rescue operations accelerated to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti, correspondent Brian Wagner flew into Port-au-Prince Wednesday to begin covering the story for VOA. He did not have to travel far to give a detailed account of the devastation, which damaged the city's airport. Here are his first impressions of the severe impact of the earthquake:

Our small plane landed in Port-au-Prince shortly before twilight. Getting into Haiti has been extremely difficult because there has been a lot of confusion about whether the airport here in Port-Au-Prince is operational.

Several people told us that only planes carrying humanitarian aid, doctors, supplies or journalists were allowed to enter the country. Read the full story here.
Watch the story here

Eunice W. Johnson, Publishing Pioneer & Producer of Ebony Fashion Fair, Dies at 93

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:55:04 -0500

Eunice W. Johnson, 1916-2010: Widow of Johnson Publishing founder gave Ebony magazine its name By Trevor Jensen, Tribune reporter January 5, 2010

Eunice W. Johnson gave Ebony magazine its name and for almost 50 years produced an influential traveling fashion show that brought haute couture to African-Americans while raising millions of dollars for charity.

The widow of Johnson Publishing Co. founder John H. Johnson, Mrs. Johnson, 93, died of renal failure Sunday, Jan. 3, in her Chicago home, according to a company spokeswoman.

A close business partner of her husband's since the beginning of Johnson Publishing in 1942, Mrs. Johnson remained the company's secretary-treasurer at the time of her death and for years wrote a monthly fashion feature for Ebony magazine.

Johnson Publishing's flagship, conceived as an African-American version of Life magazine and published since 1945, was named by Mrs. Johnson to reflect the mystique of fine black ebony wood, said Wendy Parks of Johnson Publishing. Read the full story here

President Obama addresses crowd in Copenhagen

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:49:35 -0500

In a quiet, monotone manner President Obama spoke urged nations to come together and reach an agreement in Copenhagen. He said:

All major economies must put forward actions to stop climate change.
We must have a mechanism to review whether we are living up to our obligations. There is no international agreement if there is no way to monitor.
Must have financing that helps developing countries.
Mitigation, transparency, financing - that's what's important.
Right now will tell whether we prefer posturing to action.

Time for talk is over. Embrace this accord and continue to refine it. Or, fall back into same divisions with same stale arguments while the danger of climate change grows until it is irreversible.
Now is the time for people of the world to come together. Better for us to choose action over inaction.

President Obama to speak at Climate Conference in Copenhagen

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:52:14 -0500

I am here in Copenhagen waiting for President Obama to speak. Very high level officials are here from all over the world including Hillary Clinton. Nancy Pelosi brought a US delegation that includes Congressman Charles Rangel. Everyone is eagerly waiting for President Obama to speak as if he can solve the impasse here.

Protesters arrested at Copenhagen climate summit

nospam@example.com (Edrea) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:33:33 -0500

Over 1,000 people were arrested as activists marched in Copenhagen in support of world leaders signing an ambitious, legally binding agreement on emissions cuts. I was there for the full program at the beginning of the march and the crowd was lively and peaceful. It was cold so I headed back to the hotel at the end of the program. A reported 100,000 people marched from Parliament where we were assembled for the program across town (4 miles) to the conference center where officials are meeting.

I dont know what the protesters did to prompt the police to start arresting people but I can say there were loads of vans filled with police that looked like SWAT units. All of the police seemed very polite and were not intimidating at all. You got the feeling that they were really PEACE officers - there to keep the peace. It's almost 2010, you would think that young people would understand that violence will not get you anywhere.
This was the peaceful demonstration

Copenhagen climate summit: 1,000 anarchists arrested
Nearly 1,000 people were arrested in Copenhagen yesterday as anarchists and left-wing activists fought running street battles with police in the Danish capital as negotiations continued at the climate summit.
By Colin Freeman

Cobble stones were thrown through the windows of the former stock exchange building and foreign office buildings in the city, but police made a large number of pre-emptive arrests under a controversial anti-hooligan law.

Suspected troublemakers were herded into a closed-off street, made to sit down and then tied up with plastic cuffs. They were then bused to a detention centre set up for the climate conference.

Copenhagen climate summit descends into row

Police said four cars were set on fire during the evening. One policeman was hurt by a stone and a Swedish man injured by a firework. Read the full story here