Danger Around the Corner
Police work can be quite different each day that you come in for assignments. It can be very routine and you pretty much repeat what you do every day. You hate to call anything routine because it can get quite different quick. On some days you hardly get any assignments, what we call service calls, like family troubles, missing kids, loud parties, etc. On those days you can do things on your own like traffic stops for vehicles, FI stops, which stop people walking and seeing what they are doing in the area. Before going out on patrol you go over crime trends that are occurring in your squad area. So, let us say you are having burglaries or car thefts in your general area. You would then check for suspects who might be committing these offenses. So, as you can see, officers are checking for a variety of things going on and around their squad areas. On occasion you might see a dog running loose and you might try to pick him up and bring him into the station.
Things can get profoundly serious and dangerous in a minute’s notice. One of those calls is domestic violence calls. When I was a new, young officer, we were dispatched to a DV, domestic violence, call. The male had battered his girlfriend, and this was a mandatory arrest, we handcuffed him, and the woman was begging us not to arrest him. As we were leaving she jumped on my partner’s back trying to get us to let him go. I got her off and he was taken out. Officers told us before mandatory arrest they would go back to some homes several times a night, usually telling the guy to take a walk.
On today’s date, Tuesday, January 2, 2024, officers were dispatched this morning, to a family trouble on the northside. The officers were talking with the subject from outside and he started shooting at them and they returned fire at him. The officers surrounded the house and in the rear the subject started shooting at them again. One officer was shot in the leg and was taken to the hospital. The lady got out of the home, but she had four kids inside with her boyfriend. A tactical situation was then set up with numerous officers responding plus the sheriff also. Command posts and armored vehicles responded to the scene. Eventually he let two small children out who the officers securely led them to safety. The subject himself came out after three hours or so. Officers then cleared the home and found two more small children inside.
Later Chief Norman gave a news conference and stated this was the best outcome with the suspect in custody and the children out safety. DV related incidents can go very wrong, very quickly, but this ended the way police wanted. Reporters asked the chief the status of the officer. Chief Norman stated I am on my way to the hospital right now to check on him. He is 38 years-old with 16 years of service.
Gunfire Erupts in Colorado Supreme Court Break-In Following Controversial Trump Ballot Decision
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
In the early hours of Tuesday, January 2, police arrested an individual for entering the Colorado Supreme Court building and discharging a firearm within the premises, according to an official news release from the Colorado State Patrol.
The break-in and shooting come about two weeks after a 4-3 ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court, resulting in the removal of former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot. The court’s decision was grounded in interpreting the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban,” deeming Trump ineligible to hold office.
The incident unfolded between 1:15 a.m. and 3 a.m., concluding with the unnamed suspect surrendering to law enforcement. Authorities didn’t report any injuries from the shooting, but the incident underscored the continued violence engulfing American politics.
Recent statements by President Joe Biden highlighted his concerns about Trump’s embrace of political violence. Biden, preparing for a potential 2024 rematch against the twice-impeached and four-times indicted former president, emphasized Trump’s threat to democracy, which hit a low point with his challenges to election integrity and pursuit of political opponents.
“He’s threatened to use the U.S. military on the streets of America,” Biden said during a recent fundraiser in Bethesda, Maryland. “Once again, he embraces political violence instead of rejecting it. We can’t let this happen.”
Further, data analysis indicates a significant increase in threats against public officials nationwide, with 83% of Americans expressing concern about political violence. This rise is mainly associated with Trump’s fervent supporters, contributing to a climate where challenging the former president carries political and personal risks for elected officials.
The threats have increased as Trump’s legal problems worsen. In 2023, the former president was slapped with four indictments and 91 felony charges, many of them stemming from his alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden.
Additionally, a civil jury found Trump responsible for sexually assaulting a writer, and a judge ordered him to pay $5 million. In a separate civil business fraud trial in New York, a judge found that Trump and his company committed widespread fraud. He is currently weighing whether to levy fines of as much as $250 million against Trump and prohibit the Trump Organization from doing business in the Empire State.
Threats against members of Congress have escalated over recent years, reaching about 9,700 in 2021. The trend persists as the calendar turns to 2024, with ongoing concerns and increased security expenditures among candidates for the House and Senate.
According to a recent Navigator poll, most Americans are concerned about political violence, with 85% saying they are worried about its future. Democrats exhibit a higher level of concern than Republicans, associating terms like “January 6,” “Trump,” and “white supremacy” with political violence, researchers found. Republicans are perceived as more likely to use political violence, with differing opinions among independents.
“Some of the recent increase in American violence (both political and otherwise) might be attributable to the pandemic. But the spike in threats began well before COVID-19,” Vox’s senior correspondent, Zack Beauchamp, wrote. “Something else is going on—something that’s raising the temperature of American politics, making people feel more angry, afraid, and like they need to take political matters into their own hands.”
That “something,” Beauchamp stated, is Donald Trump. “No figure in American politics commands Trump’s devoted following; no figure is as capable of heightening the stakes of American politics to the breaking point,” Beauchamp concluded.
The Math Still ‘Ain’t Mathing,’ Two New Reports Reveal Deep Disparities in Hollywood
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Shortly after actress Taraji P. Henson said the “math ain’t mathing” when raising concerns about equal pay for women in Hollywood, two new reports not only support the star’s claims, but each go a bit further in revealing the overwhelming disparities in film and television.
The latest report from The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University sheds light on women’s ongoing challenges, particularly those from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, in behind-the-scenes roles. Titled “The Celluloid Ceiling: Employment of Behind-the-Scenes Women on Top Grossing U.S. Films in 2023,” the report comprehensively analyzes the industry’s gender and racial dynamics.
It reveals a concerning decline in the overall representation of women in key behind-the-scenes roles, dropping from 24% in 2022 to 22% in 2023. Examining specific roles, women comprised 16% of directors, 17% of writers, 26% of producers, 24% of executive producers, 21% of editors, and a mere 7% of cinematographers. Notably, films with at least one female director demonstrated higher inclusion of women in various roles than those with exclusively male directors.
While the overall figures indicate sluggish progress over the past 26 years, the study emphasized the pivotal role of women directors in driving positive change in the industry.
The analysis further extends to on-screen representation, revealing a persistent gender gap. In 2022–23, females accounted for 45% of speaking characters on original streaming programs and 44% on broadcast network programs, representing a decline from the previous year. Reality programs and game shows fared better, with 50% female representation.
A glimmer of hope did emerge from the Indie Women study, focusing on independently produced feature-length documentaries and narrative films. While men still dominate key roles, the percentage of female directors increased from 40% in 2021–22 to 42% in 2022–23, reaching a recent historic high. The study also noted increases in the percentages of women writers, producers, and editors.
A separate report by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, examining portrayals of gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, and disability from 2007 to 2022, reveals persistent disparities both on and off-screen.
Only 34.6% of characters in the 100 top-grossing films of 2022 were female-identified, with a persistent ratio of 1.89 males to every female character since 2008. While there was an increase in films featuring gender-balanced casts, the overall percentage remained stagnant at 15%. Moreover, underrepresented racial and ethnic groups faced challenges, with only 19% of films featuring an underrepresented female in a lead or co-lead role.
“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost,” Henson said in a Sirius XM interview, according to a CBS News transcript. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ I have to. The math ain’t mathing. And when you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone. It’s a whole entire team behind us. They have to get paid.”
According to CBS, she went on to say that on the reported compensation for her projects, “Uncle Sam” often takes 50%, and another 30% goes to her team. “It seems every time I do something and break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate, I’m at the bottom again, like I never did what I just did, and I’m tired,” Henson said.
Behind the camera, the report highlights ongoing challenges for underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Only 23.6% of directors, writers, and producers across the 100 top films of 2022 were women. While showing slight improvement, women directors still accounted for only 8.8%. The study emphasized the positive impact of having a female director attached to a film, correlating with increased female leads and speaking characters.
Finally, breaking down racial and ethnic representation, the report noted that 61.7% of characters in 2022 were white, with underrepresented groups comprising 38.3%. While some groups have seen positive trends, erasure and underrepresentation persist for Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and other ethnic groups.
“Annually, we offer solutions that industry leaders can use to create change,” researchers at USC wrote. “Given the lack of progress across many data points in this investigation, it is unclear if the same leaders have read or listened to these suggestions. We suspect they do not read this far into the report.”
Harvard President Claudine Gay Resigns Amidst Scandals and Plagiarism Allegations
By Stacy M. Brown
Harvard President Claudine Gay has resigned, making her tenure the shortest in the university’s history. The decision comes after just six months and two days in office, amidst mounting allegations of plagiarism and criticism over her handling of antisemitism issues on campus.
Harvard University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain declined to comment on Gay’s decision, but Harvard’s official student newspaper confirmed the move.
The first Black president in the storied university’s nearly 400-year history, Gay faced scrutiny over various incidents, including the administration’s response to the October 7 Hamas attack and allegations of plagiarism in her scholarly work. The controversy escalated after her congressional testimony on December 5, where she faced criticism for evasive answers regarding antisemitism.
The Harvard Corporation had previously expressed unanimous support for Gay after “extensive deliberations” following the congressional hearing. However, the recent plagiarism allegations and ongoing controversies seemingly led to a change in circumstances, resulting in Gay’s resignation.
Just the second woman to lead Harvard, Gay expressed her decision in a letter to the Harvard community. “It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president,” she stated.
Accusations of plagiarism surfaced in the past month, with a new and unsigned complaint published in The Washington Free Beacon adding to about 40 previous allegations. The complaint highlighted issues in Gay’s scholarly work, including her doctoral dissertation from 1997.
The controversy gained traction through conservative media, with accusations suggesting inadequate citation in approximately half of the 11 journal articles on her resume. The university acknowledged instances of insufficient citation but stopped short of labeling it “research misconduct.”
Milwaukee man chosen as the first vice president of AARP Wisconsin
MADISON, WI – AARP Wisconsin State Director Martha Cranley announced today that Terrence Moore, Sr. of Milwaukee has been appointed as the inaugural Vice President of the statewide organization, joining volunteer State President Leslie Spencer-Herrera of Whitefish Bay.
Moore is among three new appointments to AARP WI’s all-volunteer Executive Council. Two staff additions are also being announced.
“We are thrilled to be diving into the new year with an AARP Wisconsin team of volunteer and staff leaders who are excited to work together on legislation and community-enhancing engagements that will make life better not only for those 50 and over, but all Wisconsinites as they age,” Cranley said. “Having Terrence as our first-ever vice president will really help us soar to new levels of advocacy and outreach – not only in the greater Milwaukee area where he is so highly thought of and well connected – but across the entire state.”
Moore is an Economic Development Specialist for the City of Milwaukee Department of City Development Commercial Corridor Team. Prior to that he was a Business Development Specialist for the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce. He also has experience in leadership development at numerous levels.
Moore is also Secretary of the Milwaukee County Commission on Aging and will serve as Vice-Chairperson beginning in 2024. He is Board of Director of the African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee (AALAM). He’s a member of United Way Reducing Barriers for Employment for African Americans and sits on many local, national and international boards and committees.
AARP WI’s Executive Council, which helps establish goals, strategies and tactics for efforts that help the more than 800,000 AARP members in Wisconsin, is led by Spencer-Herrera, who welcomes two other additional members to the council, including Sue Miller of Waupaca and Sue Dierksen of Gleason.
Cranley also announces that two staff members – David Bowen of Milwaukee and Martin Hernandez of Middleton – have joined the AARP Wisconsin team to lead the state office’s efforts around advocacy, campaigns, and volunteer management. Here is their information:
Sue Miller – Sue’s career spanned 27 years in sales and senior leadership in commercial insurance and health plan sectors. Since retiring to central Wisconsin, she found that her skills and experience were transferable to non-profit board leadership. In addition to serving on AARP WI’s EC, she is on the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Fund for Client Protection. “I find these and previous board roles both challenging and fulfilling. I enjoy a network of post-career connections which have contributed greatly to my personal growth and still enjoy plenty of time with family, friends, golf, and travel,” she said.
Sue Diersken – As an RN with a Master’s Degree in public health, Sue spent her career with two major corporations, developing and managing employee health and wellness programs which integrated with employee health benefits. In 2018 she joined the team of AARP WI volunteer advocates, supporting legislation affecting Wisconsinites age 50-plus. In this work she has connected with elected officials on issues such reducing the cost of prescription drugs, quality high-speed internet, and support for caregivers. She is 2022 alumni of the Wisconsin Women’s Network Policy Institute increasing her knowledge of the legislative process and connections with lawmakers. She hails from the rural Northwoods in the Tomahawk and Rhinelander area.
David Bowen – Is AARP WI’s new Associate State Director of Advocacy. He has 16 years of experience as a former elected official and director of a non-profit organization. After building a reputation for being active and present on local and state police for families and underserved communities, Bowen was then elected to represent the 10th District on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, becoming the youngest member of the board and one of the youngest Black local elected officials in Milwaukee’s history. Bowen then advanced to the Wisconsin State Assembly, where he served four teams as State Representative for the 10th Assembly District, helping to pass bipartisan bills under governors of each party.
Martin Hernandez – Was born and raised in San Diego, CA and is a graduate of Gonzaga University. As Associate Sate Director of Advocacy at AARP, he works alongside a dedicated team of volunteers, ensuring that Wisconsinites age 50-plus have their voices heard from the State Capitol in Madison and Washington, D.C. Hernandez has spent the last decade working on electoral campaigns from local city council races up to the presidential race in 2020. He has years of experience working with talented, dedicated, and insightful volunteers. “AARP, like any successful political campaign, is only going to go as far as our volunteers have the strength to carry us,” he said. “I’ve made it my goal to empower our Wisconsin advocates to achieve their legislative goals.”
“All of these staff members and volunteers are committed to being strong and capable voices for carrying out AARP’s mission here in Wisconsin, which is to make life better for all of us,” Cranley said. “We are so very pleased to have them leading our statewide efforts.”
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AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment security and retirement planning. We advocate for consumers in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services. A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world’s largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www. aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP VIVA, a bilingual news source. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. The AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at www.aarp.org.
Our War Against Stupidity!
Israel is at war with Hamas and several other terrorist groups. Ukraine is at war against the Racist Russian Roaches. Our brothers in Nigeria, Central African Republic, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are at war with rebels and insurgents.
And here in the good ole U.S.A, Black America is at war with…drum roll, please…’STUPIDITY!’
Yeah, you read that right. And while our war may be as much psychological as it is physical, it does leave a blood trail—mindless zombies, dysfunctional families, and a community in chaos in its wake.
It is also a war for which humanitarian aid, technical advisors, or new munitions are useless.
What’s more alarming is, we’re losing this war.
For the record, knowledge is power, and the lack of it is ignorance. The refusal to properly utilize knowledge, or the abuse of it, is ‘stupidity.’
Based on that premise, consider the following:
Stupidity is the only noun to describe the young brothers who blame racism for their disingenuous behavior, disregard for laws, and lack of civility.
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I have a grandson who holds membership among the contingency of Millennials who believe they are being profiled because of race.
I’m sure race plays a role in their repeated detainments by police. But the cops wouldn’t pull them over if they obeyed the laws about tinting windows, loud music, and expired license plates.
Don’t give the ‘po po’ a reason to stop you. If you do, you eliminate the rationale for being pulled over and the excuse.
Everyone with common sense is upset with educational apartheid in Milwaukee—the lowest Black fourth and eighth-grade reading proficiency rate in the country, the wide academic achievement gap, and flirtation with the lowest Black graduation rates in the country. Parents not seeking solutions are stupid, as are the 90% of ‘concerned’ Black Milwaukee who don’t vote in school board elections.
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I saw a 27-year-old ‘brother’ on television with 16 (yes, 16!) children who claimed he “took care’ of all of dem.”
The mother of one said the Neckbone sperm donor not only didn’t know his eight-year-old’s favorite color, but couldn’t say where the child went to school or know his birthday.
He also doesn’t pay child support.
Stupidity runs through that entire scenario. He’s stupid for having children he can neither afford nor provide resources or time to.
But it’s a double-edged sword. How stupid are the sisters for having children by this Neckbone?
By the way, the mother of the latest child is named ‘LaPeaches.’ I joked about that until my wife mentioned a sister being upset that her child’s teacher incorrectly pronounced her name: La—sha. No, it’s not pronounced the way you would assume. It’s La ‘DASH’ Sha…dash being a word versus a punctuation mark.
There’s a thin line between being creative—which we are— and being stupid.
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The most shocking result of my wearing a ball cap with a ‘confederate flag’ for a month last spring as part of a ‘cultural experiment’ was that so few people responded with anger or outrage.
But what shocked me most was the response I received walking through a public (government) high school. I was totally taken aback when I asked a group of students what the hat represented. One responded, ‘Yeah, Malcolm X, right?’
That’s not stupidity, per se, but ignorance.
But a teacher who overheard the conversation opened the door for stupidity when she said it’s not the teachers’ fault that the school hosts the lowest reading, writing, math, and science proficiency rate in the state—“everybody knows poor kids can’t learn.”
Yeah, she said that.
She also said in response to a student’s statement that they are not taught Black history, that he (the student) was wrong, “We have an excellent Black history program. I teach it.”
Her qualification for teaching Black history? She said she owned Black art! True story: I published her comment when I heard it.
By the way, the North Division high school teacher (educator) couldn’t tell me who W.E.B. Dubois, Marcus Garvey, or Frederick Douglass were, leaving me to assume she was teaching that our ancestors were happy-go-lucky slaves, and Tarzan was king of the jungle.
As Malcolm X once said: “Only a fool will let his enemy teach his children!”
We are obviously culturally dysfunctional because too few of us have a historical/cultural foundation to stand upon. And it’s stupid to assume someone else will lay the cement.
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The 93,398 Black Milwaukeeans with common sense remain distressed, frustrated, and angry about the state of educational apartheid in Milwaukee. The stupidity comes in when you look at our voting records. One out of 10 Black folks vote in school board elections. That’s stupidity—and Black self-hatred—with a capital ‘s,’ which is also the first letter of the word ‘slavery.’
The fools and Neckbones who drive through funeral processions are not only stupid, they are disrespectful, uncivilized, and culturally deprived. So are their parents who passed on their stupid genes to their stupid children.
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James, the driver of the car who ‘murdered’ his two sons—Zapaulion and Paul Eison Vinson— epitomized stupidity. And callousness, mental illness, and atheism.
What’s also worth acknowledging is that this Neckbone’s level of stupidity is shared by many brethren who collectively compose an urban terrorist army that has invaded our community.
These Neckbones have altered our driving habits, threatened the safety of innocent residents, and sparked senseless deaths.
Stupidity should lead to imprisonment. Or better yet, hell.
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Continuing to vote in a two-party system that is essentially represented by the two wings on the same bird is stupid.
Maybe you can assume that blindly supporting the Democratic Party, which has a history of racism and apathy toward us, is justified by the alternative. But lacking the courage or common sense to create an independent political party cannot be dismissed by myopia. Instead, it is the byproduct of fear, political impotence, and—you guessed it—stupidity.
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You have to be more than ‘naïve’ to believe Black lives matter among Black folks. Truth is, we don’t matter to anyone, including ourselves. And to believe otherwise is…yep…stupidity.
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It’s beyond stupid to believe there will ever be a time or occurrence when all Black people will do anything collectively. It was a minority who fought for civil rights, school desegregation, and school choice.
Given our history, and even His-story, you have to be stupid to believe you can get all people of any race, economic status, color/hue, or even religion to do anything as an aggregate.
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You could call those of you who gave up the keys to the Freedom Train to liberals and missionaries–thinking they would drive us to the promised land–ignorant, wishful, or even prayerful. But history will note that ‘stupidity’ best describes their decision.
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Anyone who reads this column or knows me by physical recognition or voice know I have nothing but disdain for the noun/adjective/epithet ‘nigger.’
But I won’t condemn those who use it as a word of endearment or to blunt its impact through rebirthed ownership. But it’s stupid to suggest that strategy has worked. Just as criticizing a liberal white or even biracial person for using it is hypocritical, if you get angry at a racist referring to you as one, it proves the hatred connected to the word is still alive and well.
Plus, I have a problem with y’all who say, Jesus, Yeshua was a nigger.
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To assume or hope someone else will pick up that litter in front of your home is stupid. Conversely, not understanding why suburbanites think we are filthy people after driving through our community is, you guessed it, stupid.
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Thinking a teacher is going to teach your child what he or she should have learned at home before entering school is not only stupid but irresponsible and negligent.
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Likewise, thinking your third ‘sperm donor-produced child’ is not traumatized by the absence of his or her father, who didn’t buy Christmas presents when the other ‘fathers’ did is stupid.
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To think someone or something owes you something—food, shelter, and dope money—is not only stupid, it’s insanity.
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Stupidity best describes those who believe their gangsta rap god is more potent than my spiritual one is stupid. And dangerous. I don’t think there is a ‘hell’ in the general sense, but you could end up living eternity on 18th and Reservoir, or 2nd and Keefe.
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You gotta be stupid to believe the missionaries and conservatives (different wings on the same bird) who want to erase or rewrite history and defuse the impact of ‘American apartheid,’ including slavery, are doing so for your own good or that of mankind.
I oppose tearing down Confederate statutes and White supremacist heroes for that reason. Leave them up so we will be reminded of where we came from.
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To those handful of folks who called me ‘stupid’ for seeking out the owner of a $500 money order I found, you need to look in the mirror. Yes, I could have used the money, and given that the money order was not addressed, I was tempted for a microsecond.
But that’s not how I was raised. Nor does it represent my culture.
I saw the money order and immediately thought of my late mother, who once returned to a Pick N’ Save grocery store because the cashier had failed to include a loaf of bread on her checkout bill.
My saintly mother, Rev. Sideena Holt, stood in line to have the clerk add the $2 to her cashier total to ensure her drawer was balanced at the end of the day.
Unlike the majority today, I was raised in a two-parent household, where we praised God and followed His/Her commandments, even as I later embraced and merged my Christian tenets with Kemetic Spirituality and Africentric paradigms. Thus, it was a no-brainer. And to those who think I was stupid, ‘Ya’ll need to reassess where you came from and what you’re teaching your children.
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Lastly, it is utter stupidity to assume 2024 will be any different than 2023, particularly if we continue to do the same old things over and over again. If nothing changes, nothing changes. It’s a simple, proven fact.
And isn’t that the definition of stupid? —Hotep.
“Stupid
Time for action! White House needs to end delay, move forward with ban on menthol
Decades ago, the tobacco industry launched a devastating campaign to target the Black community with its products, its primary tool being menthol cigarettes.
This sustained attack on Black health has resulted in profits in the billions and the deaths of millions.
Understandably, health and social and racial justice advocates, among many others, saw great promise in the proposal by the Food and Drug Administration to remove menthol cigarettes from the market.
Many saw the ban as a way to change that trajectory and put action behind the statement, “Black Lives Matter.”
That promise is now tempered by disillusionment and utter disappointment as the White House announced recently that any action on menthol won’t happen until at least March.
It’s no secret why the Biden Administration changed its tune, or at least muted it for now.
The tobacco industry and its powerful lobby have funded a campaign using false statements, some being carried by prominent Black activists, to stoke fears that a ban on menthol will cause more harm than good.
Think about that for a second.
Tobacco kills 45,000 African Americans a year and is a prime contributor to the three main causes of death among African Americans: heart disease, cancer and stroke.
Menthol, a product used by 85% of Black smokers nationally and 89% of Black smokers in Wisconsin, is the primary cause of this carnage, the direct result of a successful targeting campaign by the tobacco industry.
Banning menthol will save up to 650,000 lives in 40 years, including more than 200,000 Black lives, research estimates have found. How is this a bad thing?
I’m not here to say that the tobacco lobby arguments against the ban are baseless. They play upon legitimate fears of the Black community in regards to overpolicing and police brutality.
But, instead of addressing those legitimate concerns by standing behind social justice and taking actions such as ending their relentless targeting campaign of the Black community, they’re using the argument to keep our communities in harm’s way. To keep profits rolling their way.
Here’s the facts. The menthol ban will be enforced against manufacturers and retailers, not against individual consumers or smokers of menthol. It would not make it illegal to possess menthol cigarettes.
The menthol ban is also not a campaign issue and will not hurt Biden at the polls. The NAACP of Milwaukee, faith and community groups, residents and many others stand strongly in favor of the ban.
We know it will save lives and the tobacco industry and the Biden Administration know it too. It’s time to stop talking about it and take action before more Black lives are lost to menthol tobacco.
Gorman & Company Empowers Low-Income Renters Through Innovative Homeownership Initiative
In a groundbreaking move to promote homeownership and empower low-income residents, Wisconsin-based developer Gorman & Company is set to sell 30 single-family homes previously used as rental properties to Milwaukee residents.
This homeowner initiative, in collaboration with nonprofit Acts Housing, aims to provide residents with a tangible path to homeownership, breaking barriers in traditionally underserved communities.
Gorman & Company, known for its significant contributions to affordable housing developments, especially through Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) initiatives, has committed to selling single-family homes constructed as part of this initiative to residents after the LIHTC 15-year compliance period, which began in 2007.
As part of the collaboration with Acts Housing, three homes have closed in 2023 and the remainder will be closed in 2024.
This homeownership initiative is set to continue over the next 12 years, which will include eight more phases of LIHTC housing within northside neighborhoods of Milwaukee, totaling over 200 homes that will be sold to qualifying residents.
This homeowner initiative significantly increases black homeownership on the north side of Milwaukee.
The lower purchase price of these homes allows the residents to realize instantaneous equity upon purchase and significantly decreases their monthly housing payment.
By leveraging the equity accumulated through LIHTC investments, residents have the opportunity to purchase homes at a fraction of their market value, providing residents with built-in equity and a more affordable path to homeownership.
To address potential skepticism and foster trust within the community, Gorman & Company enlisted Acts Housing to educate residents about the opportunity and provide essential support services.
By dispelling misconceptions, such as the belief that a 20% down payment is required to buy a home, the collaboration aims to ensure that residents are informed and empowered to make sound financial decisions.
Deatra Kemp, Vice President of Programs for Acts Housing, emphasized the transformative impact of the initiative.
“If I could get half of those people to convert (to homeowners), that will statistically change homeownership rates in Milwaukee,” Kemp said.
Ted Matkom, Wisconsin Market President for Gorman & Company, expressed the company’s commitment to the initiative.
“We are proud to be involved in a project that ultimately increases homeownership rates on the north side of Milwaukee and provides built-in equity for each homebuying resident,” Matkom said.
As this homeownership initiative unfolds, Gorman & Company and Acts Housing will collaboratively seek to streamline the process and address misinformation, contributing to a positive and transformative impact on Milwaukee’s housing landscape
Michigan Court Rejects Bid to Disqualify Trump in 2024 Primary
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Michigan’s highest court has opted not to entertain an appeal from voters seeking to disqualify Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential primary. The voters argued that Trump’s involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol violated a constitutional provision barring individuals engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” from holding office. The top court in Colorado took a different stance last week and disqualified Trump under the same constitutional clause, which sharply contrasts this decision.
The ruling in Michigan allows the twice-impeached and four-times-indicted former president to remain on the ballot for the upcoming primary. The legal battle underscores a growing contrast in interpretations of the Constitution among states.
Meanwhile, a revealing interview with one of Michigan’s Republicans, who acted as a fake elector for Trump, shed light on internal regrets. James Renner, the only Trump elector in Michigan to strike a deal with the state attorney general’s office, expressed remorse for his participation. Renner, 77, replaced two other electors in December 2020 and cooperated with authorities, leading to dropped charges in October.
According to the New York Times, Renner admitted that, upon reviewing testimony from the House investigation into the Capitol attack, he realized that he and other electors had acted improperly. Criminal charges against fake electors have been initiated in multiple states, including Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada, with investigations underway in Arizona and New Mexico.
The legal challenges surrounding Trump extend beyond election-related issues. Prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, have widened their focus beyond electors, charging the former president and key allies for efforts to maintain power post-2020 election loss. Additionally, Trump faces election interference charges from Special Counsel Jack Smith, whom U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed.
Further complicating Trump’s legal standing, a New York judge has determined that the former president committed brazen business fraud, raising the possibility of a $250 million fine and revocation of his right to conduct business in the state.
Earlier, a New York court ordered Trump to pay the writer, E. Jean Carroll, $5 million after a civil jury determined he sexually assaulted her.
In a related development in Colorado, the Denver Police Department has reported increased patrols around the homes of justices in response to apparent threats. While details remain undisclosed due to ongoing investigations and safety considerations, the department confirmed an investigation into an incident at one justice’s home, which appeared to be a “hoax report.” The FBI said it’s collaborating with local law enforcement to thoroughly examine any reported threats or harassment against Colorado Supreme Court justices.