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Monday, May 27, 2013
The great stop-and-frisk fraud
Mac Donald: If U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin rules against the New York Police Department in the racial profiling trial that concluded last week, she will rely heavily on the arcane statistical models of Columbia law professor Jeffrey Fagan, the anti-cop advocates’ favorite expert witness.
The great stop-and-frisk fraud
Heather Mac Donald
Sun, 26 May 2013 08:20:46 GMT
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Parents Talk Leaving Chicago In Wake Of Mass School Closings
Parents Talk Leaving Chicago In Wake Of Mass School Closings
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Board of Education voted Wednesday to close 50 schools and programs, an ambitious plan that has sparked protests and lawsuits and could help define — for better or worse — Mayor Rahm Emanuel‘s term in office.
City officials say the closings are necessary because of falling school enrollment and as part of their efforts to improve the city’s struggling education system. Critics have blasted Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff, and schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett, saying the closings disproportionately affect minority neighborhoods and will endanger children who may have to cross gang boundaries to get to a new school.
They protested during a sometimes raucous board meeting Wednesday and sent busloads of parents, teachers and students to Springfield to lobby lawmakers to approve a moratorium on the closings. Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis called it “a day of mourning” for the children of Chicago, but Byrd-Bennett defended the decision.
“The only consideration for us today is to do exactly what is right for the children,” Byrd-Bennett said before the vote.
Many experts say it is the largest number of closings at any one time by any school district in recent memory, and it comes with political risk. The teacher’s union already has pledged to start a voter registration drive in an attempt to register 200,000 new voters before the 2015 municipal elections — when Emanuel will be up for re-election — and to raise funds to support candidates for mayor, city council and statewide office.
“We know that we may not win every seat we intend to target but with research, polling, money and people power we can win some of them,” Lewis said.
But the mayor said Tuesday he believes closing the schools is the right thing to do, and that possible blowback from voters wasn’t a factor in his decisions.
“I will absorb the political consequence so our children have a better future,” Emanuel said. “If I was to shrink from something the city has discussed for over a decade about what it needed to do … because it was politically too tough, but then watch another generation of children drop out or fail in their reading and math, I don’t want to hold this job.”
Chicago is among several major U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, Washington and Detroit to use mass school closures to reduce costs and offset declining enrollment. Detroit has closed more than 130 schools since 2005, including more than 40 in 2010 alone.
The school closings are the second major issue pitting Emanuel against the Chicago Teachers Union. The group’s 26,000 members went on strike early in the school year, partly over the school district’s demand for longer school days, idling students for a week.
Emanuel and Byrd-Bennett say the district’s financial and educational struggles call for drastic action. They say Chicago Public Schools is facing a deficit of about $1 billion and that too many buildings are half-empty because of a population drop in some city neighborhoods. CPS says it has 403,000 students in a system that has seats for more than 500,000.
Emanuel and Byrd-Bennett have said students will be moved to schools that are performing better academically and that CPS will work with Chicago police and community groups to ensure students can get to and from their new schools safely. They also have promised all of the schools that receive students from closed buildings will have air conditioning and a library, and that students in third through eighth grades will be given iPads.
Byrd-Bennett proposed in March that 54 schools and programs be closed. She revised her recommendation on Wednesday, asking the board to spare four schools. Three were left open because they have unique initiatives, such as a program for hearing impaired students and child/parent center. The other was saved because it is the only magnet school in one area of the city.
The board — whose members are appointed by Emanuel — agreed with her recommendations, ultimately voting to close one high school program and 49 elementary schools, which serve students up to eighth grade. One closing will be delayed by one year; the remaining schools are scheduled to close at the end of the current academic year.
Whether the closings impact Emanuel politically could depend greatly on how things play out over those next few months. If all goes smoothly, he could be the mayor who finally found a way to turnaround the nation’s third-largest school district. If they don’t, said political analyst Don Rose, “it’s going to be trouble.”
Alison Burke, whose 3-year-old son is in the pre-kindergarten program at Trumbull Elementary, which will be closed, predicted the vote will trigger an exodus from the city by parents.
“No question about it,” she said. “I’ve talked to hundreds of parents who all say if their kids can’t get into neighborhood schools they can’t stay.”
Nina Stoner’s four kids attend West Pullman Elementary on the city’s South Side, which the board also voted to close. She said she plans to “boycott” CPS rather than let her children go to their new school, which is located in rival gang territory.
“It’s a war. It’s not safe,” Stoner said.
Stoner said the gang members to the north of her neighborhood already have gotten “really aggressive.” She’s had one family member jumped by the gang, and another who was shot.
And she’s already made up her mind about the mayor in 2015.
“He won’t get no vote from me,” she said.
Parents Talk Leaving Chicago In Wake Of Mass School Closings
Associated Press
Sat, 25 May 2013 21:59:29 GMT
Friday, May 24, 2013
Teacher Allegedly Called Student ‘Negro,’ Really Wasn’t Getting Through to Her Class
Teacher Allegedly Called Student ‘Negro,’ Really Wasn’t Getting Through to Her Class
Bronx teacher Petrona Smith was fired from PS 211 in March 2012 after allegedly calling a seventh-grader "negro," but in a new lawsuit she claims she was merely teaching a lesson on how to say colors in Spanish. Smith's lawyer points out that she is also black, and “They haven’t even accounted for how absurd it is for someone who’s black to be using a racial slur to a student." But that isn't the only communication problem she had with her class. Students accused her of calling them "failures," but she said she just asked those who failed a test to move to the back of the room. And if you don't buy that explanation, she has another one: The students started it. Smith claims in the lawsuit that the middle schoolers had verbally abused her, calling her a "f--king monkey," a "cockroach," and a "n----r," but she never stooped to that level.
Read more posts by Margaret Hartmann
Filed Under: bad education ,teachers
Teacher Allegedly Called Student ‘Negro,’ Really Wasn’t Getting Through to Her Class
Margaret Hartmann
Fri, 24 May 2013 01:43:57 GMT
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Fw: Hatewatch Headlines for May 23, 2013
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Funeral Program For Malcolm Shabazz Released
Funeral Program For Malcolm Shabazz Released
Two days after the birthday of iconic human rights leader, El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (Malcolm X), his grandson, Malcolm Shabazz, was buried next to him and his wife, Dr. Betty Shabazz, at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY, according to a statement released by Shabazz family spokesperson, Terrie Williams. NewsOne has obtained his funeral program.
“Malcolm Shabazz was laid to rest today, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at 11:30 AM near his grandparents (Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz) at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY,” the statement reads. “He was surrounded by his mother Qubilah; his aunts–Attallah, Gamilah, Ilyasah, Malaak, Malikah, other family & very close friends. Surprise guest and friend, R&B recording artist, Jaheim, offered his condolences and sang acapella “I Miss You (For Moms)” from his 1st album entitled “Ghetto Love”. Malcolm and Jaheim met at a youth rally The Terrie Williams Agency hosted at a Queens Public Library many years ago.”
As previously reported by NewsOne, Shabazz died from vicious injuries sustained on May 9, 2013 in Mexico City, Mexico, during a brawl at the Palace bar near Plaza Garibaldi, reportedly a dangerous area for tourists.
Two Palace waiters, David Hernandez Cruz and Manuel Alejandro Perez de Jesus, have been charged with homicide.
Though that would be neat conclusion for law enforcement, Malcolm’s own words after being arrested and harassed by police en-route to a Hollywoodism conference in Iran allude to a more sinister reality:
In the beginning of 2012 I had been informed that I was under investigation by the F.B.I.’s Counter Terrorism Task Force Unit located in Goshen, N.Y.
…
The formula for a public assassination is: the character assassination before the physical assassination; so one has to be made killable before the eyes of the public in order for their eventual murder to then deemed justifiable. And when the time arrives for these hits to be carried out you’re not going to see a C.I.A. agent with a suit & tie, and a badge that says “C.I.A.” walk up to someone, and pull the trigger. What they will do is to out-source to local police departments in the region of their target, and to employ those that look like the target of interest to infiltrate the workings in order to set up the environment for the eventual assassination (character, physical/incarceration, exile) to take place.
In the days prior to Malcolm’s death, he posted two cryptic — and now arguably foreshadowing — Facebook update about his “powerful enemies” and “weird” messages:
Malcolm’s last Facebook status — one day prior to his death — was a picture of “The Last Supper.”
These updates, as well as the sketchy details surrounding his death have led some people to call for an investigation.
Though the circumstances of his death are tragic, young Malcolm’s legacy will love on.
Words from his absolutely beautiful funeral program tell his story with an honesty that is missing from a mainstream media more concerned with salacious details from his childhood. It speaks of his tireless activism, global humanitarianism, quest to end the modern-day slavery that is the Prison Industrial Complex, the building of Masjids around the country, as well as focusing on the quality of public education.
It tells the story of an emerging leader, a son, a friend, and a father taken away far too soon.
Our hearts continue to be with the Shabazz family during this most difficult time.
View Malcolm’s funeral program here.
Malcolm Shabazz and mother Quibilah Shabazz
WATCH NEWSONE’S EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO WITH MALCOLM SHABAZZ BELOW:
Funeral Program For Malcolm Shabazz Released
Kirsten West Savali
Thu, 23 May 2013 01:09:04 GMT
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
CIVIL SERVICE: New plan to restore NYPD burial ground
CIVIL SERVICE: New plan to restore NYPD burial ground
On Saturday, retired and active police officers are set to gather at the Police Arlington in Cypress Hills Cemetery at 11 a.m. for a somber annual remembrance ceremony.
CIVIL SERVICE: New plan to restore NYPD burial ground
Lisa Colangelo
Tue, 21 May 2013 08:00:16 GMT
Monday, May 20, 2013
Fw: Notify NYC - Notification
 Notification issued 5/20/13 at 2:12 PM. NYPD has issued a Missing Senior Notification for the disappearance of Ana Warnock, female, white, 65 years old, from Melrose Avenue at East 154th Street in the Bronx. Ana is described as 5' 6" tall, 130lbs, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. A photo is attached. If you see Ana Warnock, please call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit http://www.nypdcrimestoppers.com. The sender included the following attachment: The sender provided the following contact information. Sender's Name: Notify NYC Sender's Email: notifynyc@oem.nyc.gov Sender's Contact Phone: 212-639-9675 | ||
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Sunday, May 19, 2013
Fw: Notify NYC - Notification
 Notification issued on 5/19/13 at 5:25 PM. The NYPD has issued a Missing Senior Notification for Eusevio Rivera, 70. Mr. Rivera was last seen near 2502 Grand Ave. in the Bronx today 5/19/13 at 9AM. Mr. Rivera is a Hispanic male, black hair, black mustache, 5'8", 200lbs. and was last seen wearing a red t-shirt and brown pants. Mr. Rivera suffers from mood disorders and hypertension . If you see this person please contact 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You can also submit tips at www.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.com. The sender included the following attachment: The sender provided the following contact information. Sender's Name: Notify NYC Sender's Email: notifynyc@oem.nyc.gov Sender's Contact Phone: 212-639-9675 | ||
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OPEN LINE PETITION
WBLS Pres Charles Warfield, VP Deon Levingston, Op Mgr Skip Dillard: Restore the length of Open Line to 2 hours & air it from 10am-noon
Open Line is a powerful source of information about the Black Community in the NYC region. Weekly, the hosts present information, news, progressive view points and educational topics of interest to for people of color. The program is now streamed live online, and can be heard by anyone with an Internet connection. Supporters engage the program's hosts via Social Media platforms and by telephone call ins. It's urgently important to have relevant, community based topics discussed on the radio. Those two hours represent only .01% of the on air time of the station. The remaining 166 hours are primarily filled with entertainment content of comparatively insignificant content and value, with the exception of religious content for those who choose to hear it. The assault on Black Talk Radio silences voices and thought that are significant to our community. We urge the Network to restore Open LIne's air time to 2 hours, and move it back to its 10am to noon time slot. To: WBLS Pres Charles Warfield, VP Deon Levingston, Op Mgr Skip Dillard Restore the length of Open Line to 2 hours & air it from 10am-noon Sincerely, | ||
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Saturday, May 18, 2013
Taxi And Limousine Commission Drives Unlicensed "Dollar" Vans Off The Road
Taxi And Limousine Commission Drives Unlicensed "Dollar" Vans Off The Road
The Taxi and Limousine Commission is cracking down on gypsy cabs and illegal dollar vans, and its enforcement team takes hundreds of unlicensed vehicles off the streets every month.
Taxi And Limousine Commission Drives Unlicensed "Dollar" Vans Off The Road
Sat, 18 May 2013 04:17:28 GMT
Friday, May 17, 2013
It's My Park Day at Sherman Creek Park
It's My Park Day at Sherman Creek Park
Date: May 18, 2013
On It's My Park Day, come out and help out with a general clean-up of the park including picking up litter, weeding, spreading of mulch and planting annuals and perennials.
Start time: 10:00 am
End time: 3:00 pm
Contact phone: (917) 536-1275
Location: Sherman Creek Park (in Sherman Creek)
It's My Park Day at Sherman Creek Park
Fri, 17 May 2013 04:00:02 GMT
For Your Information: Was The Lone Ranger Really A Black Man?
For Your Information: Was The Lone Ranger Really A Black Man?
If you hit up the movies this Summer to see Jerry Bruckheimer’s “The Lone Ranger” you may want to keep in mind that the real life Lone Ranger was actually black.
Via Shadow And Act:
Was the Lone Ranger actually based on the exploits of a real life black hero? The evidence points to a resounding yes.
That person was Bass Reeves (the gent pictured above with one helluva mustache) who, not surprisingly, was written out, or purposely overlooked in histories of the West, by historians, until recently, and who was the subject of a long overdue book written a few years years ago by Art Burton, titled Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves.
Naturally born a slave in 1838, Reeves’ master brought him along as his personal servant when he went off to fight with the Confederate Army, during the Civil War. And seeing an opportunity when it presented itself, Reeves escaped for freedom after, reportedly, beating up his master following an argument over a card game.
Reeves fled to the then Indian Territory (which later became the state of Oklahoma) and lived among the Seminole and Creek Indians. After the war, he married and eventually fathered ten children.
He became a Deputy U.S. Marshall working in Arkansas and the Indian Territory (the first black one ever) when the existing U.S. Marshall, James Fagan, who himself was a former Confederate Army officer, needed deputies to establish law and order in the region, and had heard about Reeves, who knew the area well and could speak several Indian languages. Fagan made him a deputy.
So where does the Lone Ranger connection come in? Well, according to Burton, like the Ranger, Reeves was a master of disguises which he would use to track down wanted outlaws, and even adopting their clothes and mannerisms to blend in with them.
According to Burton, Reeves also gave out silver coins as a sort of personal trademark, which is not too dissimilar from the Lone Ranger who uses silver bullets.
Also, like the Lone Ranger, Reeves was an expert crack shot; So good, in fact, that he was barred from participating in shooting contests being that he had an unfair advantage. And Reeves always rode a white or grey horse like the Ranger.
Also Reeves had his own Tonto of sorts – an Indian posse man and tracker he often rode with, when he was out capturing bad guys (close to 3000 in all, during his years as a marshal, 14 of them he killed).
But Burton also draws the connection between Reeves and the Lone Ranger with the fact that many of the outlaws Reeves captured were sent to a federal prison in Detroit. And by some strange coincidence, The Lone Ranger was first introduced to the public in 1933 on a weekly radio show broadcast from WXYZ in Detroit.
Perhaps the stories about Reeves told by those convicts in that Detroit prison, circulated around for years and eventually reached the ears of the creators of The Lone Ranger, who used them as the inspiration for their fictional creation.
Sadly, Reeves’ years as a deputy came to an end in 1907 when the territory became the state of Oklahoma and the state, strictly following the Southern states segregationist Jim Crow laws, took away his badge and he retired. He died three years later in 1910, to be totally forgotten… until recently.
And that’s the story of American history isn’t it? Just barely scratch the surface and you’ll always find a black man underneath.
Fascinating right? Don’t act like we never taught y’all nothing.
For Your Information: Was The Lone Ranger Really A Black Man?
thatsmybiz1
Fri, 17 May 2013 11:50:50 GMT
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