MR_042312_web

1 :: WWW.MINORITYREPORTER.NET - WEEK OF APRIL 23 - 29, 2012Rochester, NYVOL 5. NO. 26 APRIL 23 - 29, 2012

www.MinorityReporter.netw t

From Information to Understanding


F I U

MinorityReportergF

HOODIE:Criminal Profi ling or Racial Profi ling?

2 :: WWW.MINORITYREPORTER.NET - WEEK OF APRIL 23 - 29, 2012

Minority

Reporter

Offi ce Address:17 East Main Street, Rochester, NY 14614

Mailing Address:P.O. Box 26352, Rochester, NY 14626

PH: 585-301-4199 Toll-free: 1-888-792-9303

FX: 1-888-796-6292

EMAIL:[email protected]

PUBLISHERDave McCleary

[email protected]

BUSINESS MANAGERPauline McCleary

[email protected]

COPY EDITORGary McLendon

[email protected]

ART DIRECTORCatie Fiscus

[email protected]

STAFF REPORTERRodney Brown

[email protected] Hardaway

[email protected]

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Claribel Oliveras

ADVERTISINGDave McClearyLucy Smith-Fulmore

[email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHYTemple Boggs, Jr.Todd Elliott

COLUMNISTSGloria Winston Al-SaragC. Michael Tillman Rev. Michael Vaughn Vincent FelderDiane WatkinsMike DulaneyDavy Vara

Minority Reporter, Inc. is a family of publications and other media formats committed to fostering self awareness, building community and empowering people of color to reach their greatest potential. Fur-ther, Minority Reporter, Inc. seeks to present a bal-anced view of relevant issues, utilizing its resources to build bridges among diverse populations; taking them from information to understanding.

Minority Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject content submitted. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Minority Reporter does not assume responsibility concerning advertisers, their positions, practices, services or products; nor does the publication of advertisements constitute or imply endorsement.

Minority Reporter invites news and story suggestions from readers.

Deadline for all copy is Tuesday at noon.

Call 585-301-4199 or email [email protected].

In This Issue:

COVER Pgs 8-9

- HOODIE: Criminal Profi ling or Racial Profi ling By Rodney Brown

READERS WRITE Pg 3- Saving America from Obama?

LOCAL Pg 4- City Teachers will not be Judged on Performance- County Executive Pondering Medicaid Swap- New Law Restricts Lawn Fertilizers- Some Residents Call Superintendent Search a Sham

STATE Pg 6- Mixed Martial Arts Goes Around in New York- NY Audit Faults $42 Mil in Medicaid Payments- NY City Basement Searched for Boy Missing Since 1979

POLITICS Pg 7- Polls Show Obama-Romney Race Very Close- Maurice Jones Sworn in as HUD’s Deputy Secretary

HEALTH Pg 10- Care at Home: Congestive Heart Failure

NATIONAL Pg 12- More Firings Likely at US Secret Service

CALENDAR / CLASSIFIEDS Pg 13

COLUMNS: Pg 14-15

- Who is Minister Franklin Florence, and Why is He Being Honored By Gloria Winston Al-Sarag

- Confronting Black Rochester Cultural Crisis By Avery Blackman

- Liberal Democrats, They Never Seem to Go Away By Ayesha Kreutz

Rochester, NYVOL 5. NO. 26 APRIL 23 - 29, 2012


From Information to Understanding


F I U a

MinorityReportergFF

Get A New PERSPECTIVE on The Issues Facing Rochester

www.MinorityReporter.net

Featuring: LaShay Harris & Rodney Brown

Covering Rochester’s

Current topics and more!

Sundays @ 7PM

Call in number 347-826-9366

Talk2Me

www.blogtalkradio.com/filmstress


Rochester Area

DEPAUL

—

—

[email protected]

Send us your

Test again at

Lead paint poisons more than 300 kids in Monroe County every year. The damage to

their brains and bones is permanent. Make sure your children are tested at one and again

at two years old. Have your home tested today. You can get the information you need to

protect your children. Call 585-224-3125. Or visit www.letsmakeleadhistory.org.

Space donated to the Ad Council as a public service of this publication.

Saving America from Obama?(Original OpEd and comments at: http://www.minorityreporter.net/fullstory.php?id=967)

Eff ec ve poli cal solu ons are local and that is where black folks suff er adversely with one party representa on. US Presidents run on expedited issues and rarely solve them rather they are Democrats, Republicans, White or Black. The Congress and lobbyist will not allow that to happen, the corrup on is too entrenched. Personality worship is excessive in both par es and Presiden al elec ons are an exercise in fashion and beauty shows. Locally is where poli cs can make a real diff erence especially with Republicans [black] who are not afraid to take on issues and develop solu ons that develop urban communi es into communi es of choice versus communi es of default. If we are trying to just push emo onal bu ons based on “I do research and one side is fl awed,” the research on both side will support that na onally there is a bipar san con-job on the American people. Eight years of each party in power claiming to solve the problems they both create. Both par es are the same. Wake up for 150 years of Presiden al elec ons for blacks - Republican 90 years Democrat 60 years with nothing to show for it.~Hanif Abdul-Wahid

Interes ng Editor’s note; however, the rise during Bush’s elec on term and fall of the prices as the new elec on approached does not parallel here. I am seeing gas prices rise as the November 2012 elec ons approach. I believe you are onto something here, Ayesha, especially since Obama’s rhetoric indicates that he is assuming he will be re-elected. Right on that just because a person is black or a minority they should support Obama. I pray the people who need to understand that will read this ar cle.~May Davies

I love the part “all we hear are crickets” Not only is Obama a failure so is the media. They dressed this fool up and sold him to the public hook, line and sinker. And are STILL running cover for him; not a peep out of them about $4.00 plus gas, it’s disgus ng. You should write an ar cle on the “Dumbing down of America” by the media whores and fake news. Great ar cle, keep up the good work! ~Pete

Ayesha is so right on---- We have forgo en the most famous words of Doctor Mar n Luther King. I want my children to live in a Na on where my they are not judged on the color of their skin but on the content of their character. Our Na on has made many mistakes, but instead of improving the lives of blacks our laws and poli cians have placed them in situa ons that will never allow them to rise up and achieve prosperity. Educa on is the root out of poverty and the Department of Educa on is not even allowing teachers to teach basic reading wri ng and math--they are pushing an educa on agenda based in social jus ce. We feed our college students majoring in Educa on this; and then it gets passed down to their students in the American school systems. I have seen the text books from my college (age) son. I want every child to succeed in America and not have to survive on “sharing the wealth or by relying on “Daddy government” ~Barb C

I’m thankful that the editor at Minority Reporter had enough sense to ad an editor’s note to clarify and refute your misstatements, Ayesha. I fi nd it interes ng that you can only remember gas going up to $3/gallon under the Bush administra on when in fact it rose to just above $4/gallon. This, under a president who has massive interest in the oil business--did you not know this or are you just so animate about discredi ng Obama that you will do and say anything including changing the facts? Let us all remember that President Obama came into offi ce under a major fi nancial crisis. One that his predecessor said was of major propor ons. Here’s what Bush said in a 2008 speech where he was calling for the federal government to “s mulate” the economy. “Our system of free enterprise rests on the convic on that the federal government should interfere in the marketplace only when necessary. Given the precarious state of today’s fi nancial markets -- and their vital importance to the daily lives of the American people -- government interven on is not only warranted, it is essen al.” So, Obama comes into offi ce a few months later and adopts the same policy that the federal government must con nue to act and add billions of dollars into the economy to get us back on track. What I fi nd truly disingenuous is that these same republicans (Ayesha included) are now blaming Obama and calling him the biggest spender in presiden al history. I could go on but it’s pointless. I fi nd it unfortunate that black conserva ves are so dishonest, especially when they want to discredit Obama.~Michael Frazier


City Teachers Will Not Be Judged on PerformanceStaff

Earlier in the week, Rochester Teacher Union President Adam Urbanski, told reporters “Teachers in Rochester would not agree to merit pay because it doesn’t work.”

“It hasn’t worked anywhere,” Urbanski con nued. “What work is more support for teachers and more funding to improve teachers knowledge and skills.”

Under the federal Teacher Incen ve Study, Rochester city schools will received $16 million over the next three years when English language

arts or math scores improve.

Some schools will be allowed to consider a $5,800 bonus at year’s end for teachers considered ‘highly eff ec ve.’ Teachers can also earn bonuses for comple ng addi onal training hours.

Under the study ‘ineff ec ve’ teachers will not be singled out which the study ini ally mandated.

According to Urbanski, the district is on board to not include performance based pay.

County Execu ve Pondering Medicaid SwapStaff

In 2007 Monroe was the only county to par cipate in the state’s Medicaid Swap Program.

The state in 2007 took over the county Medicaid program for a set percentage por on of the county’s sales tax revenue. According to Maggie Brooks, County Execu ve of Monroe County, the swap has saved taxpayers $26 million to date.

Earlier in the month a er the state announced to cap increasing Medicaid costs and require coun es pay the diff erence, Democrats in the county’s legislature has been calling for the program to be scraped.

In reports to the media, Democra c Minority leader ted O’Brien said “We’re right now approaching the crossroads where it will become a more expensive op on for us. The

opportunity to rescind or repeal that decision may never be presented again and then the intercept decision becomes more expensive.”

In response County spokesman Noah Lebowitz said “We are absolutely going to consider repealing the swap and we will make the decision based on what will give us the lowest cost of Medicaid. It’s a straight dollars-and-cents ques on,” he said.

Democrats say sales tax revenue will exceed the cost of Medicaid which leaves the county no choice but to repeal the Swap program.

The move to repeal to the program will again place the ul mate fi duciary responsibility on the county to run and fund the city’s Medicaid program.

The county has un l Jan. 1 to repeal the Swap.

New Law Restricts Lawn Fer lizersStaff

A new law is now in eff ect that restricts lawn fer lizers.

The law was implemented in an eff ort to help protect the state’s waterways from dangerous runoff which can cause algae.

Dixon Rollins, D.E.C. Regional Water Engineer said “It promotes the growth of algae and other vegeta on in the waterways. We just try to protect our resources the best we can. This is just another tool to protect water resources of the state.”

The ban is aimed to limit the amount

of phosphorus allowed in general fer lizers and dishwasher detergents.“There are three numbers the fi rst being nitrogen, the second being phosphorous, and the being potassium. If it’s a zero on the bag, the middle number, it means there is no phosphorous or minimal phosphorus in that par cular bag of fer lizer,” Rollins said. “The idea is to reduce the amount of nutrient that gets into the local water bodies to minimize or try to reduce the amount of algae or other growth that might occur,”According to offi cials currently 70 water bodies have been tainted with phosphorus, including Lake Ontario.

Some Residents call Superintendent Search a ShamStaff

Some parents and residents are saying the city school district has once again taken the community for a ride.

A er the departure of Jean Claude- Brizard, RCSD former Superintendent of Schools, the residents and parents pe oned to have the community and the district select the next permanent superintendent and not a search fi rm.

The district is down to two fi nalists for the job- Bolgen Vargas, RCSD interim Superintendent and Andre Spencer, Houston School District.

Residents in the community are upset a search fi rm was paid $40,000 to fi nd Bolgen Vargas, to be the permanent superintendent who’s already running the district.

Ini ally, the board informed residents that Vargas would not be allowed to apply for the job but later rescinded the decision a month later.

Several board members and city Councilman Adam McFadden has publicly stated they believe the superintendent search is a sham.

McFadden believes the board wasted $40,000 of taxpayer’s money to cover

up its back door hiring of Bolgen Vargas. Many residents are upset and believe a search fi rm was hired to purposely restrain and limit community input in order to do so.

In comments to the media, School Board President Malik Evans said “Any me you have a search process like this, there are going to be cri cs.”


Rochester Area Black Political Caucus First Annual Political Conference

The State of African Americans in Rochester, NY Nazareth College

4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618 Otto A. Shults Community Center

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Name:

Address:

Email: Phone:

We will engage in a lively, facilitated discussion on topics that disproportionately impact our community and an exploration of strategies, roles and solutions to resolve the disparities.

Please rate topics from 1-6 (1=most interested, 6=least interested)

Morning Session 9:30 – 11:00

Rating Afternoon Session 12:00 – 1:30

Rating

Community Health Community Health Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Education Education Housing Housing Jobs & Economic Development Jobs & Economic Development Role of the Black Church Today Role of the Black Church Today

Are you affiliated with an Organization or Group, i.e. Church, Educational Institution, Neighborhood Association, Not-for-profit, Private Corporation/Business, Other?

Please email form to [email protected] or mail to Lovely Warren 93 Woodman Park, Rochester, NY 14609 by April 16, 2012. The cost is $10. Please make checks payable to RABPC.

FREE TRAININGJob Readiness Training

Occupational Skills Training

On The Job Training

Learn skills that will help you ob-tain and retain a job such as:

This Program Sponsored by U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and

Training AdministrationEqual Opportunity Employer/Program

Your Loan Arrangervisionsfcu.org

Rate and term available on new loans only and may change at any time. Refinancing of existing Visions loans does not qualify. Certain relationships required to receive promotional rate - ask for details. Credit union membership required with a $25 minimum deposit and $1.00 membership fee. APR= Annual Percentage Rate. Loan rate based on creditworthiness and is subject to standard credit criteria. Payment would be $564.08 on a $20,000 loan with a .99%APR with a 36 month term (approx). Variable rates may change monthly. Other terms available.

at you a a st ut ?at you a a st ut ?these

aa a stt utt ?aaaaaaaaaaa aaaa stststttttttttt tututttttttttt ???

New & Used Auto Loans

YourYY

at youaaatatt yyyoyoououu

New &

with rates as low as

APR0.99


Mixed Mar al Arts Goes Another Round in NYALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Professional mixed mar al arts is a emp ng another comeback in New York.

The state Senate voted 43-14 Wednesday to again approve legisla on to make New York the 46th state to legalize and regulate the sport, though opposi on remains in the Assembly.

The Assembly has beaten back legaliza on for seven years, recently keeping it out of the budget.

Ronda Rousey (row-SEE’) is MMA’s newest lobbyist at the Capitol, where she urged lawmakers Wednesday to pass the legisla on. The winner of a 2008 Olympics bronze medal in judo, she is the unbeaten Strikeforce champion at 135 pounds.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says he doesn’t think there’s “a groundswell of support” and he has mixed feelings about it.

Opponents decry the popular televised sport as too violent and a bad example for children.

NY Audits Fault $42 Million in Medicaid PaymentsALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — State auditors say data problems and informa on delays at New York’s Medicaid claims processing system have caused $36 million in improper payments and another $6.3 million in overpayments.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli

said Wednesday that $3.2 million has been recouped and the health department says it has changed prac ces.

An audit of Medicaid managed care plans for three years, examining premium payments for “dual-eligible”

enrollees who are also in Medicare or other federal programs, says there were unnecessary payments on behalf of 45,000 people due to delays in pos ng Medicare data and then removing those people from managed care plans.

A second audit noted actual and suspected overpayments during six months when eMedNY processed approximately 174 million claims resul ng in payments to health care providers of about $25 billion.

NYC Basement Searched For Boy Missing Since 1979By SAMANTHA GROSS and TOM HAYS

NEW YORK (AP) — A team of police offi cers and FBI agents began tearing apart a New York City basement Thursday as part of a decades-old inves ga on into the disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz, whose case made a genera on of parents afraid to send their children out alone.

Etan vanished without a trace in 1979 a er leaving his family’s Manha an apartment for a short walk to catch a school bus. It was the fi rst me his parents had let him go off to school alone.

The building being searched sits about a block from where the family lived, in the borough’s SoHo sec on, and is along the route that the boy would have taken on his walk to the bus stop.

Police spokesman Paul Browne said a forensic team would dig up a fl oor and search through the rubble for blood, clothing or human remains. The work is expected to take as many as fi ve days.

He wouldn’t say what evidence led inves gators to the property, but a law enforcement offi cial, speaking on condi on of anonymity, told The Associated Press that at the me of the boy’s disappearance, the building housed the workspace of a carpenter who was thought to have been friendly with the boy.

In the past few months, the offi cial said, inves gators had received informa on that Etan’s remains might be buried in the basement. Then, within the past few weeks, an FBI dog indicated the possible presence of human remains in the space, promp ng the decision to dig.

The offi cial spoke to the AP on condi on of anonymity because the inves ga on is ongoing. Two other law enforcement offi cials confi rmed that an FBI dog had detected the scent of remains.

Etan’s disappearance was a media sensa on in 1979. The press a en on helped fuel a na onal movement to publicize the cases of missing children. Etan’s face was among the fi rst to appear on milk cartons. President Ronald Reagan declared May 25 to be Na onal Missing Children’s Day.

Etan’s parents, Stanley and Julie Patz, became outspoken advocates for missing children. For years, they refused to change their phone number, in the hope that Etan was alive somewhere, and might call. They never moved.

Stanley Patz didn’t respond to phone calls and email messages Thursday. A man who answered the buzzer at the family’s apartment, just a few doors down from the building being searched, said they wouldn’t be speaking to the media.

No one has ever been prosecuted for the crime, but in recent years Stanley Patz sued an incarcerated dri er and admi ed child-molester, Jose Ramos, who had been da ng Etan’s baby si er around the me he disappeared. Ramos denied killing the child, but in 2004 a Manha an judge ruled him to be responsible for the death, largely due to his refusal to contest the case.

Ramos is scheduled to be released from prison in Pennsylvania in November, when he fi nishes serving most of a 20-year-sentence for abusing an 8-year-old boy. His pending freedom is

one of the factors that has given new urgency to the case.

He is not the carpenter whose old workspace was being searched.

Inves gators have looked at a long list of possible suspects over the years, and have excavated in other places before without success.

The 13-foot by 62-foot basement space being searched Thursday sits beneath several clothing bou ques. The building has undergone renova ons over the decades, and Browne said inves gators began by removing drywall par ons so they could get to the area where they planned to dig.

The excava on was part of a review of the case, recently ordered by the Manha an district a orney, Browne said.

“This was a shocking case at the me and it hasn’t been resolved,” Browne said.

The law enforcement ac vity forced the temporary closure of some businesses on the block, including the fashion bou que Wink, on the ground fl oor of the excavated building.

“It’s insignifi cant,” said owner Stephen Werther, of the lost business. “It’s retail. There’s always another day for us to make a living. This may be the family’s last chance to fi nd out what happened to their son.”

___

Associated Press writers David B. Caruso and Colleen Long contributed to this report.

Etan Patz, age 6 in 1979


FHJCFHJCFHJCFHJCFHJCFHJCFHJC

FHJCFHJCFHJC

FHJCFHJCFHJ

FHJCFHJCFHJCFHJC

C O M M U N I T Y

R E C O G N I T I O N D I N N E R

A N D T R I B U T E T O

Minister Franklin Florence, Sr.

The Honorable Jesse Jackson, Jr.K E Y N O T E S P E A K E R

The Honorable David F. GanttH O N O R A RY C H A I R

Janet LomaxM I S T R E S S O F C E R E M O N I E S

You’re Invited!The Honorable David F. Gantt and

the Committee to Honor Minister Franklin Florence, Sr.

invite you to the

Community Recognition Dinner and Tribute to Minister Franklin Florence, Sr.

Entertainment provided by Art Beaty & Friends (Best of Friends) featuring Todd East on keyboard

Friday, May 4, 20126 p.m.Rochester Riverside Convention Center

GOLD SPONSOR LEVEL$2000includes table for ten, full page ad*,sponsor listing,recognition from the podium

SILVER SPONSOR LEVEL$1,500includes table for ten, 1/2 page ad*,sponsor listing,recognition from the podium

BRONZE SPONSOR LEVEL$1,000includes table for ten, 1/4 page ad*,sponsor listing

$500 Table of Ten$60 Individual Tickets

No tickets will be sold at the doorPlease make checks payable to MFFRecognition Dinner

RSVP no later than April 23c/o Allen Williams29 Reynolds StreetRochester, NY 14608

Questions? Call 585-563-6215

*Ads must be received by April 13, 2012

THE RACE: Polls Show Obama-Romney Race Very CloseBy TOM RAUM

Polls go up and polls go down. That’s a common refrain from poli cians, usually from those with sinking numbers. But it could be said today by either President Barack Obama or Republican Mi Romney in a clearly ghtening presiden al race — but one with confl ic ng poll numbers.

Since Rick Santorum abandoned his GOP bid on April 10, nearly all major polls show a close na onal elec on matchup at the outset.

Some give Obama a slight lead, others Romney. A New York Times poll has a dead heat at 46 percent.

Gallup shows Romney ahead, 48 percent

to Obama’s 44 percent. A Fox News poll gives Romney a 46-44 advantage. But a Pew poll gives Obama the lead, 49 to 45. And a Quinnipiac survey has Obama up 46-42.

An ABC-Washington Post poll shows Obama ahead by 51 to 44 — but it was conducted before Santorum’s withdrawal.

That exit made Romney the presump ve nominee.

It’s s ll a long me before the Republican conven on in Tampa, Fla., in late August and the Democra c one in Charlo e, N.C. in early September. So voter moods can change.

Right now, polls consistently show the

economy as the top issue. Romney runs about even with Obama on his handling of the economy. The president lags on several other issues tested.

Given recent trends, Obama can point to a gradually improving outlook and Romney can cite his experience as a business leader and appeal to those concerned about their own fi nancial plight.

Obama s ll enjoys a big gender-gap advantage. And the polls show both Romney and Obama are strongly supported by their respec ve par sans. In most polls, Romney fares well among independents, although not decisively so.

Of course, a lot more ups — and downs — lie ahead.

___

AP Deputy Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.

Follow Tom Raum on Twi er: h p://www.twi er.com/tomraum . For more AP poli cal coverage, look for the 2012 Presiden al Race in AP Mobile’s Big Stories sec on. Also follow h ps://twi er.com/APCampaign and AP journalists covering the campaign: h ps://twi er.com/AP/ap-campaign-2012.

EDITOR’S NOTE _ With 201 days le un l Elec on Day, here are insights into today’s highlights in US poli cs

WASHINGTON – Maurice Jones was sworn in today as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. De-partment of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Jones was confi rmed by the U.S. Senate on March 29, 2012. As the second most senior offi cial at HUD, Jones will be charged with man-aging the Department’s day-to-day opera ons, a nearly $47 billion annual opera ng budget, and the agency’s 8,900 employees.

“President Obama and Secretary Donovan have blessed me with the opportunity to join HUD during this cri cal period when we con- nue to support a fragile recovery from an

historic housing crisis,” said Jones. “I’m ready to help con nue transforming an organiza on charged with moving beyond the yesterday’s experiences to tackle today’s challenges and those we’ll face tomorrow.”

“Maurice has one of the strongest public and private sector track records I’ve seen for build-ing consensus and solving big problems,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan “As we con n-ue to confront our current housing challenges, HUD will certainly benefi t from Maurice’s intel-lect, his proven management experience and his great people skills.”

Jones added, “Public service has been a pas-sion of mine since my high school days in rural Lunenburg County, Virginia. As a ninth grader, I was fortunate enough to be selected to serve as a page during that year’s legisla ve session of the Virginia General Assembly. The expe-rience changed my life. I resolved then and there to enter public service when I grew up so that I too could work to make things be er.”

Jones most recently worked in Norfolk, Virginia as President of Pilot Media, the largest print and digital organiza on in Hampton Roads. Pilot Media’s businesses include The Virginian-Pilot newspaper, Pilot Interac ve and Targeted Publica ons and Media. Jones served as Presi-dent and Publisher of The Virginian-Pilot, the locally owned and managed newspaper found-ed in 1865.

Jones joined Landmark Media Enterprises, owner of Pilot Media, in 2005, serving as Vice President of the Landmark Publishing Group, consis ng of mul ple newspapers including the News & Record in Greensboro, NC; The Ro-anoke Times; The Capital Gaze e in Annapolis, MD; and Landmark Community Newspapers, Inc., based in Shelbyville, Ky. In 2006 Jones be-

came the Vice President and General Manager of Pilot Media and in 2008 he became presi-dent and publisher of The Virginian-Pilot.

A Kenbridge, Virginia na ve, Jones also served as commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services and deputy chief of staff to then-Virginia Governor Mark Warner. At the U.S. Treasury Department, Jones was special assistant to the general counsel and he also served as legal counsel to the Community De-velopment Financial Ins tu ons (CDFI) Fund and as director of the fund during the Clinton Administra on. Jones also worked for the law fi rm of Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Virgin-ia and he was a partner at a Partner in Venture Philanthropy Partners, a fi rm that invests mil-lions in the Washington, DC metropolitan area to assist low-income children.

MAURICE JONES SWORN IN AS HUD’ S DEPUTY SECRETARY


Rodney BrownStaff Reporter

The great percentage of white Americans who con nue to deny our country s ll has a very serious race problem were off ered an anecdotal message of comfort recently when Fox News Analyst Geraldo Rivera said he believes the hoodie is as responsible for Trayvon Mar n’s death “as much as George Zimmerman was.”

For some black Americans, the hoodie had nothing to do with Trayvon’s death.

Blacks, however, saw the hoodie as an opportunity to talk about racial profi ling – an unjus fi able prac ce African-Americans have been subjected to, in nearly every facet of American society on a daily basis, for centuries.

Trayvon’s killer, a neighborhood watchman named George Zimmerman, said Mar n looked “suspicious” while speaking to a 911 dispatcher moments before killing him.

Zimmerman then went on to say: “He looks like he’s up to no good.”

Zimmerman then followed Mar n a er he was instructed not to, and to wait un l offi cers arrive.

According to the police department, in Sanford, Fla., Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense was enough to prevent his arrest under the Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.

Under the direc on of Chief of Police Jim Sheppard, in Rochester, N.Y., police offi cers can follow and apprehend Trayvon look-alikes and anyone else, because he or she looked suspicious; and it would be jus fi ed under a police department policy that allows criminal profi ling.

According to the F.B.I. defi ni on: “Criminal profi ling is the act of

developing a psychological profi le of an off ender based on the state of the crime scene. Profi ling is most o en done by a forensic psychologist – someone who has studied the criminal mind. This profi le can then be used by police departments to assist in apprehending the criminal.”

The diff erence is, in an FBI’s criminal profi le inves ga on, a crime has to be commi ed before a criminal profi le of a suspect can be developed.

In Rochester offi cers have the discre on to view a person – or someone about to commit a criminal act based solely on his/her look – as suspicious.

For many residents of color living in Rochester, criminal profi ling is a revolving back door for police offi cers to engage in racial profi ling.

For some, Rochester resident Emily Good’s accusa on that RPD offi cers violated the 14th Amendment rights of three black motorists when they were stopped and frisked in the 19th Ward neighborhood solely because they were black, was an opportunity to challenge the department’s applica on of criminal profi ling.

In response, Chief Sheppard said:

“The department engages in ‘criminal profi ling,’ not racial profi ling, and that the man on Good’s video is a known criminal.”

According to Sheppard the young black men were stopped not because they commi ed a criminal act.

“We’re going to stop people who are known to us. We’re going to stop people who are engaged in behaviors that may be suspicious,” Sheppard con nued. “We’re not going to be on a posi on where we’re going to wait for something to happen and then react to it.”

About this, Thomas Richards, mayor of Rochester said: “I’m in full support of the internal inves ga on being conducted regarding the incident, but that the incident in no way shows racial profi ling.

“Racial profi ling that Emily Good talked about, if that exists, we’ll do something to eliminate it. But, the incident that she was involved in doesn’t prove that.”

West’s Encyclopedia of American Law (2005) points to a report aired in 1996 by ABC en tled Driving While Black. In it three young black men drove around the city of New Brunswick, N.J., in a

Mercedes-Benz.

Three offi cers in the city pulled over the car for a minor traffi c infrac on and then proceeded to search the car and the young men.

The show demonstrated with li le doubt that the only reason the three men were pulled over was their race.

Nevertheless, the offi cers brought a defama on suit against ABC, claiming that ABC had defamed their character and had violated New Jersey’s an -wiretapping law. In 2000, a New Jersey Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit.

Concerning racial profi ling Rochester’s fi rst black Mayor Bill Johnson (1994-2005) has said: “People other than blacks commit crimes. Why would anyone want to automa cally conclude that all criminal people are people of color? I have tremendous admira on for Jim Sheppard but I wouldn’t accept that type of ac on.”

“How many people are in jail because they were suspected of a crime and didn’t have the means to properly defend themselves and eventually ended up going to jail?

“We’ve got to close some of these loop holes and not leave a vacuum for unjus fi able police misconduct to take place that can be easily swept under a rug,” said Johnson. “No one should be apprehended or harassed under the suspicion they will commit a criminal act. This is what the Trayvon Mar n case is all about.”

Zimmerman’s unjus fi able ac ons started with his drawn conclusion that Mar n was a criminal because he was a young black man with a hoodie on walking through an affl uent predominately white neighborhood.”

Johnson then said law enforcement personnel need to be trained in a way “to begin to look beyond stereotypes

HOODIE:Criminal Profi ling or Racial Profi ling?


cityofrochester.gov/cleansweepVolunteer today! Call 311

SATURDAYS, 9 am to 1 pm

in our city!

showingIt’s about

Join us as we and our way to a better Rochester.

Edgerton Park, 41 Backus St.Genesee Valley Park, 131 Elmwood Ave.Cobbs Hill Park, Norris Dr. & Culver Rd.

NE Neighborhood Service Center, 500 Norton St.

and prejudices when working in the line of duty.”

A racial profi ling study has not been done in Rochester but one has been done Syracuse.In 2006, the city commissioned William Horrace, an economics professor and researcher at Syracuse University, to inves gate racial profi ling in Syracuse using data provided by the police department. The same team of experts also worked on the 2010 report, which includes data collected from 2006 to 2009.

For both 2006 and 2010, Horrace inves gated the number of discre onary stops and arrests made by Syracuse police offi cers and evaluated whether offi cers discriminated against African-Americans.“When a police offi cer makes an ‘on-call’ stop or arrest, he is responding to calls made by ci zens to the police sta on to handle a situa on,” said Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler. “Discre onary stops or arrests are made when an offi cer is patrolling a neighborhood or makes a decision to stop an individual without an order from the police sta on or request from a ci zen.”

Both Fowler’s and the city’s 2010 studies evaluate the number of discre onary stops and arrests Syracuse police offi cers made from 2006 to 2009.In his 2006 study, Horrace found that African-Americans, 27 percent of Syracuse’s total popula on in 2006, comprised 54 percent of all police stops, while whites, 65 percent of the popula on, accounted for 39 percent of stops. In combina on with other fi ndings, Horrace and his team determined that racial profi ling did exist and issued a series of recommenda ons for the police department, including con nued data collec on for future racial profi ling studies and use of the study’s results in developing police force training. Chief Fowler rejected the study and ordered that a new study be done by a law enforcement ins tu on of his choice.Florida Law versus New York Law

People of all ethnici es, ages, and culture marched in ci es throughout the na on calling for the arrest of Mar n’s killer who was cleared and freed under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law.

Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law states a person may use force in self-defense when there’s reasonable belief of a threat, without an obliga on to retreat fi rst.

According to most legal experts, the ini al preliminary evidence in the Mar n case was enough for Zimmerman to be arrested the night of the murder because in his case the state’s Stand Your Ground Law was no longer applicable when Zimmerman proceeded to follow Mar n a er he was told not to by the 911 dispatcher.

A great majority of minori es in New York State believe the law that exclusively contains a penal code jus fi ca on giving police offi cers – the absolute right to shoot and kill if he/

she believes their lives or the life of a civilian are in danger– is a green light to shoot minori es without explana on.

In 1999 plain clothes offi cers in New York City shot 23-year-old unarmed Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo 41 mes when his wallet was mistaken

for a gun.

In 2006, Sean Bell and two others were shot by NYC offi cers more than 50 mes on his wedding day as he exited

a night club. Bell and his friends were unarmed.

Johnson said because of the undiversifi ed nature of most inner-city police forces in America, the law giving offi cers the right to shoot to kill and ask ques ons later has been on the wrong side of jus ce for minori es.

Johnson recalled a 1970s case where Denise Hawkins, a 19-year-old black woman was killed by a RPD offi cer while trying to fl ee her abusive boyfriend. According to Johnson, apparently Hawkins grabbed a knife to warn away her boyfriend.

“She got to the door the same me the police offi cer got to the door,” Johnson said. “She was trying to run away from her husband with the knife in her hand and the offi cer shot and killed her. She wasn’t trying to wield the knife at him but the law protected him.”“We almost had a riot because people saw a 19-year-old young black women gunned down by a white police offi cer without any true explana on,” he noted.The vola le situa on among African-American residents compelled former Mayor Thomas Ryan to establish a Civilian Review Board to handle any case in which an offi cer is accused of using excessive force or might have been involved in criminal behavior.Eight years later in 1983 in an almost iden cal circumstance, the daughter of Jim McCuller, former director of Ac on for a Be er Community, was engaged in a domes c dispute at her home.“She comes out of the house with the knife. Offi cers pleaded with her to drop the knife and she advanced towards one of them and they shot and killed her,” Johnson said.

When he became mayor, 14-year-old Craig Heard was shot and killed a er police followed the car he was driving down a dead end street.“They shot the car up, why did they have to shoot the kid in the head? They could have shot the res out, they could have blockaded him, they could’ve done a lot of things but they choose to shoot him,” Johnson said. “The laws of New York State gives them that cover. As much as a tragedy it was it’s jus fi ed according to law.”He noted, “The law doesn’t say you have to have incontrover ble evidence that your life is in danger. The law says if you think your life is in danger. The diff erence between the Stand Your Ground Law and the law that governs our enforcement offi cials is the law in New York does not extend to civilians; only to sworn police offi cers.”In response to why offi cers shoot to kill, Johnson said: “They are trained to take you down.”


Summer is sweet at Brockport!

250+ undergraduate and graduate courses

General Education courses

Day and evening courses that fit your schedule

Three convenient sessions with courses on the Brockport campus and at the Rochester MetroCenter

Over 40 online courses

Contact the Office of Special Sessions and Programs at (585) 395-2900 or email [email protected] for more information.

SummerSession ’12

To register, visit www.brockport.edu/ssp/summer.Session I May 14 – 25Session II May 29 – June 30Session III July 2 – August 4Special Sessions Dates vary

Live “suite” this summer.On-campus housing is available in the Student Townhome suites for all three sessions.

Visit www.brockport.edu/ssp/summer for costs and additional information. Or, contact the Office of Residential Life/Learning Communities at (585) 395-2108 or www.brockport.edu/reslife.

By Deysi Reagan

“I felt very stressed,” Sharmaine Speed recalls. Despite care from her physician, Ms. Speed con nued to have symptoms of heart disease and wasn’t feeling well. Ms. Speed suff ers from mild cardiomyopathy, which literally means “heart muscle disease” and although she took her blood thinner medica on regularly, Speed’s physician believed that she was not compliant.

Chronic heart diseases like conges ve heart failure (CHF) or cardiomyopathy are devasta ng condi ons that can keep people from being able to perform simple tasks. It is the leading cause of hospitaliza on for people over the age of 65 (however younger individuals are also at risk). When an individual is diagnosed with CHF, it means that their heart is pumping blood more weakly than a normal, healthy heart; it does not mean that the heart has literally stopped. Over one million people are hospitalized and nearly 300,000 die from heart failure-related diseases each year.

An interven on from a home care cardiac team saved Ms. Speed. Julie Lewis, RN, a Nurse Prac oner at HCR Home Care, detected that Ms. Speed was resistant to her blood thinner medica on. Lewis decided to contact Speed’s physician and ask to have her dosage was raised; she responded to treatment posi vely. “HCR’s interven on opened the door between me and improvements to the treatment of my cardiomyopathy,” Ms. Speed states, now healthier and in more control of her chronic disease. “Julie [Lewis, RN] has been a blessing for my life and health. I am grateful for the dedicated, professional, and knowledgeable work the cardiac team has achieved.”

Two causes of heart failure prevalent among African Americans is high blood pressure (or hypertension) and diabetes. When blood pressure is too high, your heart has to work harder to con nue blood circula on which will eventually weaken your heart. African American women develop high blood pressure earlier in life; about thirty-seven percent of all African American women have high blood pressure. This also increases the risk of stroke and conges ve heart failure.

According to the Na onal Ins tutes of Health (NIH) minority popula ons in the United States have shorter overall life expectancies and higher rates of cardiovascular disease. From 2004 to 2006, the average hospitaliza on rate in the Fingerlakes Region for heart disease was greatest among African Americans. More African Americans, than White non-La nos are hospitalized for conges ve heart failure. Heart disease (including conges ve heart failure) is one of the top three causes of death in our region for African Americans. But these are

just sta s cs. You can improve your personal situa on by preven ve and disease management strategies.

Krishna Rao, MD, a cardiologist with Rochester Cardiopulmonary Group o en sees individuals diagnosed with chronic heart diseases for a second opinion when their disease seems to con nue to be out of control. According to Rao, “the nurses played a key role in iden fying and communica ng early signs and symptoms of heart defense-failure leading to early interven ons and improved outcomes.” Rao believes in the importance of consistent oversight from a medical professional knowledgeable in cardiac disease, to help pa ents learn to control their disease and live healthier lives. Rao con nues, “the tender loving and effi cient care rendered by HCR staff is proving vital to the well being of this otherwise very sick popula on with heart failure.”

Communica ng carefully about Ms. Speed’s ac vi es and problems with her home care nurse was a very important step in a be er result from the home care system. The fi rst issue was the management of her medica on, Coumadin. Some mes individuals have to advocate for themselves when the plan of care isn’t working. Or, working with a nurse who can talk with the doctor in medical terms, and advocate for you, can be helpful.

Ms. Speed now feels in control of her heart disease, “My life style has change for good and my health has improved.” Speed shows us all the necessity of keeping in contact with your health care providers, especially when you have a chronic health condi on. “Now I am able to help myself and my daughter, whose condi on is similar to mine,” Speed boasts. Given the educa on and tools to succeed, health care providers can bring true success stories and results to individuals and communi es.

Do you know your blood pressure? Consul ng with a home health nurse can put you on a plan to reduce the impact of cardiac disease. Don’t be one of the more than 2,000 people in Monroe County hospitalized for heart failure each year.

Deysi Reagan is a Telehealth Clinical Support Specialist at HCR Home Care, whose purpose is reducing dispari es in health outcomes of the African American and other minority groups. HCR provides nursing, therapy, home health aide service, and companion care to older adults in the comfort of their homes. It is the only home care agency in our region to be designated a winner of the na onal Top 100 Home Care Elite Award, and is a valued partner of Minority Reporter and LaVoz newspapers. To learn more call us at 585-295-6590, or visit www.HCRhealth.com.

Care at Home: Conges ve Heart Failure

Sharmaine Speed with her nurse, Julie Lewis.



Rural/Metro Medical Services is now recruiting City of Rochester residents for the 2012 Summer *EMT Academy.

Selected candidates will be sponsored by Rural/Metro.Candidate Requirements

*18yrs or older with a G.E.D. or H.S. DiplomaCity of Rochester residentValid driver’s license

We Offer:Tuition sponsorship Tutoring Books for the courseEligible for employment after successful completion

Applications are being accepted starting April 23, 2012Application Deadline is May 11, 2012

APPLY ONLINE AT www.ruralmetrorochester.comBY CLICKING ON CAREERS-NY/EMT-INTERN

ORAPPLY IN PERSON AT 811 WEST AVE

MON-FRI 8:00AM-4:00PM*Must be 18 years by June 18, 2012

The EMT Certification is a pre-requisite for the Paramedic Programwww.ruralmetrorochester.com or find us on Facebook!

For More Information Call 530-1232S C 30 1232 O O O

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRurRurrRuRuRuRurrRurRurRurRuuurRurRur ///////ll////lll/////l////lal//al/////al/al/al/MMMMM tMM ttMMMM tMeM tMeMeetetMeMeeMMeeetMetetetrororoororo MMMMMMMMMMMM dM ddddMMMMMMMMMMMM dddM dM dMMMMM ddM dMMeMM dMedMMedMeMedMMMMMMeMMedMedeedMMediiicaiiccaaicaacaacaccaicicaaica SSlll SSllll Sll Sl Slll Sl Sllllllll SSl Servervrvererverviiiiiiiicciceicececiceceecccecicececeiceicesssssssssssss iiiiisisisisis nonownownownow ecreeccccreccccreccccreccrecrec iiirruiruirruititititintintinggg

Emergency Medical TechnicianResponsive, Professional and Prepared

Lawmaker: More Firings Likely at US Secret ServiceBy ALICIA A. CALDWELL

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top lawmaker briefed on the inves ga on into a Secret Service pros tu on scandal said more fi rings could be imminent following the ouster of three agency employees.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw more dismissals and more being forced out sooner rather than later,” Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said Thursday. King is being updated on the inves ga on by Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan.

“You may see a few more today or tomorrow,” King added.

The Secret Service has moved quickly to quell the scandal that erupted late last week, when at least some of 11 agency employees implicated in the incident brought pros tutes back to their hotel in Cartagena, Colombia, where they were se ng up security for a visit by President Barack Obama.

So far, three people involved have lost their jobs. The service said Wednesday that one supervisor was allowed to re re, and another will be fi red for cause. A third employee, who was not

a supervisor, has resigned.

In Washington and Colombia, separate U.S. government inves ga ons are under way. The Secret Service has inves gators in Colombia, and King said he has assigned four congressional inves gators to the probe. The House Commi ee on Oversight and Government Reform, led by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., sought details of the Secret Service inves ga on, including the disciplinary histories of the agents involved.

In a le er to the Secret Service director, Issa and Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the commi ee’s senior Democrat, said the agents “brought foreign na onals in contact with sensi ve security informa on.” The lawmakers have demanded that Sullivan provide them by May 1 with detailed informa on about the incident, including a full meline of the events that unfolded in Colombia and assurances that none of the women involved were under the age of 18.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the Secret Service employees under inves ga on “stupid” and said there is not much Congress can do

to stop others from making similar choices.

“There is not a bill we can pass to cause people to have common sense,” Reid, D-Nev., said Thursday.

Issa said Thursday he would wait un l the Secret Service fi nished its internal inves ga on before deciding whether to launch his own commi ee probe.

While congressional lawmakers pushed for more answers from the Secret Service, the White House, frustrated by the elec on-year embarrassment, pleaded for pa ence.

“What I’m not prepared to do is to off er you sort of day-by-day commentary on new revela ons or even new ac ons taken with regards to this inves ga on while it’s s ll under way,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. “I don’t think that’s helpful to the process.”

Carney said Obama remained confi dent in the Secret Service chief, though he said the president had not talked with Sullivan since the incident unfolded. Senior White House aides were in touch with Sullivan about the ongoing inves ga on.

One Republican lawmaker said Thursday the Secret Service incident raised ques ons about whether Obama was capably leading the government.

“I don’t sense that this president has shown that kind of managerial leadership,” Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said.

Carney shot back: “That sounds very much like a lawmaker a emp ng to poli cize something that is not at all poli cal.”

Hours a er launching his cri cism of the president, Sessions showed up at the White House to a end a ceremony honoring his home-state University of Alabama football team.

The Secret Service employees under inves ga on include members of the agency’s “jump teams,” which are sent to sites ahead of the president’s arrival to set up security. Others involved are on counter-assault and counter-sniper teams. The majority of those involved are believed to be based in the Washington area.

Two of the employees forced out Wednesday were supervisors in the agency’s uniformed division; one is a sergeant, according to a person familiar with Secret Service opera ons and refused to be iden fi ed because he was not authorized to discuss the

ma er.

Eight other Secret Service employees remain on administra ve leave and have had their top-secret clearance revoked.

Sullivan has off ered the agents under inves ga on the opportunity to take a polygraph test, though the agents can refuse.

The scandal also involved about 10 military service members and as many as 20 women.

King said agency inves gators in Colombia s ll have not been able to talk to the women who were brought back to the hotel. The inves gators do, however, have the names, addresses and pictures of the women, said King, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Commi ee, which oversees the Secret Service.

The lawmaker said the agency was “reasonably confi dent” that drug use was not an issue with the three agents who have been forced out. But he said Secret Service inves gators would con nue to look into whether drugs played a role in the incident as they talk to the other eight agents involved.

The episode took a sharp poli cal turn Wednesday when presump ve Republican presiden al nominee Mi Romney said he would “clean house” and fi re the agents involved. However, Romney said he, too, con nued to have confi dence in Sullivan.

The 10 military personnel under inves ga on were staying at the same hotel at the service employees. The troops are suspected of viola ng curfews set by their commanders.

Two U.S. military offi cials have said they include fi ve Army Green Berets. One of the offi cials said the group also includes two Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal technicians, two Marine dog handlers and an Air Force airman. The offi cials spoke on condi on of anonymity because the inves ga on is s ll under way.

Sullivan, who this week has briefed lawmakers behind closed doors, said he has referred to the case to an independent government inves gator.

___

Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman, Julie Pace, Ken Thomas and Steve Peoples in Washington and Frank Bajak in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.


19TNT Recep on.Join professional African Americans in Rochester for TNT’s 3rd Thursday recep on. This month we will be at:Neighbor Works Rochester, 570 South AvenueTime: 5:30pm - 8:30pmHost: Cheryl Sco Cost: Free for members, non-members $10For more informa on contact TNT at 585.209.3110TNT, we INTRODUCE, INTERACT, INFORM and INSPIRE.

19RCTV Free OUTPUT Fes valTime: 7:00pm-8:30PMLoca on: 21 Gorham StreetOUTPUT Image. Several years ago, RCTV began holding an OUTPUT Film Fes val, giving RCTV’s local producers an opportunity to screen their works for friends, families and members of the community. It was so successful that we’ve made it an annual event.

20“FASD: Importance of Diagnosis, Research Updates & Advances”Time: 9:00am-3:00pmLoca on: Mario’s Italian Steakhouse - 2740 Monroe Ave.AN AFFILIATE OF NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG DEPENDENCE, INC.DePaul’s Na onal Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence - Rochester Area

21Mount Hope SweepTime: 8:30AM-2:00 PMLoca on: 1133 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 (opposite The Dis llery Restaurant)Join the Friends of Mount Hope and the cemetery’s neighbors for a spring clean up! Check in is at 8:30 am and work begins at 9 am. Lunch will be available at 12:30 pm. Some tools and gloves will be available, but par cipants are encourage to bring their own rakes and garden tools. Registeronline www.cityofrochester.gov/mthopesweep

21Celebrate Earth Day at Seneca Park Zoo with Dinosaur Train’s BuddyTime: 10:00 AM to 04:00 PM

Loca on: Seneca Park ZooJoin WXXI and Buddy the Dinosaur at the Seneca Park Zoo as we celebrate Earth Day! Meet your favorite dinosaur and have your picture taken with him. Plus, learn more about how you can become a Dinosaur Train Nature Tracker! By joining this free Dinosaur Train Club, you make a promise to learn about nature and do good things for your environment.

25College Assistance PlusTime: 5:00PM-6:00PmLoca on: Sage Ru y & Company 100 Corporate Woods, Suite 300 College Assistance Plus Would you let your teenager make a $100,000 decision? This workshop off ers you a prac cal look at planning and paying for your child’s college educa on. Parents and grandparents of high school freshman through junior year of college will benefi t from this valuable informa on prior to beginning the college applica on process. Take the confusion & fi nancial burden out of planning and fi nancing your child’s educa on. 585.512.2309

29Flower City Challenge - Wegmans Family 5KTime: 7:30AM-10:00 AMLoca on: The Wegmans Family 5K begins at the War Memorial, 1 War Memorial SquareThe Wegmans Family 5K is a tour of Center City that off ers fun for the whole family with a course that’s only 3.1 miles long. Race Starts at 7:50 a.m.

May

1Books Sandwiched-In program at Central LibraryTime: 12:12 PM to 12:52 PMLoca on: Kate Gleason Auditorium, Central Library, 115 South Ave.My Song by Harry BelafonteAdmission: Free and open to the public, sea ng up to 120, wheelchair accessibleSponsor: Central Library and the Friends & Founda on of the Rochester Public Library

CALENDARAPRIL CLASSIFIEDS

Employment

Let Minority Reporter Help You Grow Your Business!

888.792.9303

LET US KNOW ABOUT YOUR NEXT EVENTE-MAIL US TODAY

[email protected]

ATTENTION CONTRACTORS: The Village of Johnson City recently received funds for a New York Main Street Program. This program provides assistance for interior and exterior improvements to buildings located in the downtown or central business district. The type of work to be performed may include windows, doors, roofi ng, masonry, pain ng, insula on, plumbing, hea ng, electric, interior and exterior carpentry. Contractors that are interested in being placed on the Village’s Qualifi ed Contractors List to perform the rehabilita on work should call, write or fax the Village to obtain an offi cial applica on form. References and proof of insurance coverage (minimum $500,000 liability) are required.

The Village of Johnson City encourages Minority and Woman Owned Businesses and Sec on 3 Business to par cipate in the program. The Village also encourages the par cipa on of contractors cer fi ed to work with lead based paint.

Please Contact: Thomas A Johnson, Village ClerkTreasurer at Village Hall, 243 Main Street, Johnson City, NY 13790. Telephone (607)798-7861, Fax (607)798-7865, e-mail: tjohnson@villageofi c.com

Public No ces

Start Your Career With ConServe!

Accounts Receivable Clerk Application Developer

Collection Manager Debt Counselors

200 Cross Keys Office Park, Fairport, 14450

ConServe is an EOE and a Drug-Free Workplace

www.conserve-arm.com Click the “ConServe Careers” tab to apply

Paid Onside Training Generous Vacation Plan 100% Paid Single Medical 100% Paid Single Vision/Dental Ethics Award Winning Company

Order your Ornamental or Vegetable Garden now for rewarding curb appeal & plentiful harvest throughout the season. Enjoy the benefi ts of a professionally installed Sun or Shade Garden. •Fruit, Vegetable or Herbal Garden •Hummingbird/Butterfl y Garden •Memory, Medicinal Healing or Labyrinth Garden •Special Event or Wedding Garden100 Sq. Ft. Garden $250 Includes: Consultation, Soil Test, Plants and Installation. Have your space commercial or residential space landscaped and established before summer arrives with guaranteed great garden results no matter the garden size. Primus Landscape Design 281-8300

Services

ADOPTBirth Date: December, 1994

Georganna is described as a “spiritual, creative and unique” young woman. She has a great sense of humor and an infectious smile. Georganna loves expressive dance and church activities, including singing and dancing. Other hob-bies include listening to music and talking walks. Georganna’s favorite foods are chicken and pizza and she waits for the day when she can share her meals at the dinner table of her forever family. Her favorite subjects are art and music. In the future, Georganna hopes to be a pastor or employed by a church. She hopes for a loving, support-ive forever family...and maybe even a big sister or two!

If you’re interested in learning more about Latairance, or other waiting children, visit:www.ChildrenAwaitingParents.org or c all 585-232-5110.


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

necessarily represent the position or viewpoint of Minority Reporter.

Kawaida (ka-wa-ee-da) as taught by Dr. Maulana Karenga, is the cultural philosophy that defi nes culture as the totality of a people’s thought and prac ce by which a people creates itself, develops, sustains and celebrates itself,

and introduces itself to history and humanity.

Kawaida concludes that there are seven essen al components of culture: history, spirituality, poli cal organiza on, economic organiza on, social organiza on, crea ve produc on and ethos.

All seven components require consistent correla on, ongoing preven ve maintenance and strong prac cal applica on in order for the people to maximize the benefi ts that evolves from the prac ce.

The state of black Rochester is in a cultural crisis. The crisis is equivalent to living in a massive ball of unnecessary toxic confusion.

It is a crisis of views and values fueled by, but not limited to historical ignorance, egoism, social cliques, so-called black eli sts, mid and unrealis c religious leaders, a broken public educa on system, a large popula on of angry youth and the absence of a collec ve working defi ni on of Rochester’s black community.

The severity of this cultural crisis demands swi ac on by those of us that desire to experience a true African-American village where people of goodwill can come together to resolve the aff ects of broken-heartedness, disappointment, spiritual impotence, miseduca on and a host of other social demons that haunts thousands of blacks in this city with psychological frustra on and socioeconomic instability.

Using the Afrocentric defi ni on of culture and working collec vely to ensure that all seven components are intact, and are being prac ced accordingly, off ers black Rochester an opportunity to produce a holis c community infrastructure that can create an environment of ethnic dignity, authen c intellectual discourse and a ract economic investors.

This is not a new vision; it is another call to ac on for the reawakening of the Cultural Revolu on movement advocated for by black leaders of the nineteenth and twen eth century such as: Mar n R. Delaney, Alexander Crummell, Edward W. Blyden, Henry M. Turner, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Elijah Muhammad and many other sisters and brothers that understood that cultural philosophy and tradi ons are the focal point of spiritual and psychological survival for a people reeling from the residuals of being dehumanized for more than two-hundred years.

With that said, in contrast, the era of the black integra onist and accommoda onist movement—which s ll func ons today with millions of followers —calls for the abandonment of African-centeredness.

This group is the home of most black civil rights, poli cal, religious and bourgeoisie schemes; but due to the recent years of ongoing defeat by the so-called mainstream, they reserve their rights to use the validity of African-centeredness as a trump card when their integra on and accommoda on concepts awards them sociopoli cal defeat.

They remind me of assorted hyenas. Unfortunately for black Rochester and most blacks in America, it is the failure of leadership by black integra onists and accommoda onists that hinders the progressive change needed to fi x this cultural crisis.

I recall working locally under the supervision of a black integra onist-accommoda onist who refused to acknowledge that low-income socially disadvantaged black people have a natural responsibility to collec vely address their social ills.

One day, I confronted this person about this issue, and ended up in a heated debate about the haves and the have nots. The individual became so upset with my cultural advocacy that the only defensive-leverage the individual could use was the following statement: “You need to stop talking about that black stuff . Do you think those people are going to feed you when you loose your job?” The person added: “There’s room in the boat for one more, all you have to do is shuffl e along.”

My response to what I considered an -cultural thinking was: “I don’t shuffl e and there will be no buck dancing over here!”

Eventually, this person terminated me from the so-called community-based organiza on and later abandoned that establishment to take a job with the City of Rochester in the administra on of Rochester’s fi rst black mayor.

Time moves on. Indeed me does move on, and the overwhelming majority of black Rochesterians are s ll confronted with the unwillingness to collec vely examine the community of self and embark on a philosophical cultural journey designed to purify the heart, transform the soul, and rec fy the misguided psychological and poli cal drama that has been allowed to take center stage and control the image of black Rochester.

It is evident that most black Rochesterians choose not to par cipate in cultural restora ve ini a ves designed to eliminate the growing decep ons that black integra onists and accommoda onists are feeding black youth.

A people void of collec ve consciousness and cultural awareness will fi nd themselves trapped in cogni ve dissonance for genera ons to come.

Kawaida stands fi rm as a prac cal solu on to release us form this cultural crisis. This is Afrocentric commentary.

Confron ng Black Rochester Cultural Crisis

AFROCENTRIC COMMENTARY

AVERY T. BLACKMAN

STRAIGHT…NO CHASER

Who is Minister Franklin Florence, and Why is he Being Honored?

Who is Minister Franklin Florence? Believe it or not, I have been asked that ques on by far too many folks.

Not all are newcomers to Rochester but many represent the genera on my genera on allegedly failed.

We not only failed in our roles as village elders, we also failed to insist that the grade school and high school curriculum contain local history that refl ects our modern-day heroes.

I learned about Frederick Douglass and George Eastman in the fourth grade, but I later discovered that they were not the only pioneers or trailblazers who have made a diff erence in our community.

George Eastman, even though he dropped out of school, was smart enough to build an empire, one that may be crumbling now but his memory and accomplishments are etched in stone.

We, as a people, are going to learn to do that for our icons one day.

Frederick Douglass – the only black man I heard about other then George Washington Carver – was not only a great orator, statesman, writer and newspaper man, he was a champion for jus ce and equality on all fronts – much like Minister Franklin Florence, was called to do.

They shared the same vision as it relates to jus ce, equality and fairness.

In the spirit of Frederick Douglass and every warrior that came before him including Christ, Minister Franklin Florence, who is now in his eigh es, has been our local drum major for jus ce since arriving in Rochester in 1959.

Upon becoming pastor of the Reynolds Street Church of Christ, he hit the ground running and got involved and stayed involved in this community.

It was just a few years ago he was carted off to jail in handcuff s along with David Gan and Ray Sco during the public defender issue.

For me it would be a travesty if the long overdue recogni on dinner to be held at the Rochester Riverside Conven on Center, on Friday, May 4 comes and goes with only church folks, the elderly, family members and dinosaurs like me who love and respect what this man has done in this community in a endance.

Personally, I would like to see tables of young folks from the Rochester City School District in a endance so they can be introduced to a history they will not fi nd in their text books.

But so far the only voice we have heard from the City School District is that of Malik Evans.

If you really want to be superintendent, Bolgen Vargas, then here is an opportunity to show me you are serious.

The recogni on dinner will be a teachable moment and an opportunity for those who claim they know nothing about our local

history our Civil Rights history in par cular.

This is an appeal to all fat check writers, like the unions (especially the teachers union), social services agencies, sorori es, fraterni es and churches to make sure young folks are present and accounted for.

Young folks need to know whose shoulders they stand on, par cularly if they have kinfolks working at Kodak, Eltrex or living comfortably at Fight Village or lived at Fight Square.

Every black elected offi cial within the confi nes of Rochester also needs to be standing at a en on giving honor and saying thank you to a man who has been in the Civil Rights trenches forever and has fought hard and long for jus ce, equal opportunity in employment, housing and more.

Minister Franklin Florence’s steps were ordered long ago and he has carried out with great sacrifi ce a thankless job, that at mes has paid li le to no money.

This community is overridden with folks who know not where they came from or how they got there – and may not even realize the debt of gra tude that is due.

This event will not only be of historical signifi cance but will lend an opportunity to remind or enlighten folks to the accomplishments of such a humble, great man.

All the so-called wannabe leaders need to pay a en on, as well. Yes, we had to stroke Minister Florence and chase him down to get him to consent to this recogni on dinner because much like Assemblyman David Gan , he has never made a move just to be in the spotlight.

He is camera shy, believe it or not. Trust and believe, the upcoming recogni on dinner for him is not one that anyone wants to miss.

We have many highlights in store and promise it will be an event that will be talked about for months if not years to come.

One of the surprises will be a short documentary on the F.I.G.H.T. Organiza on.

The documentary by Carvin Eisen, of RCTV, and Chris Christopher will debut at the dinner.

You may recall that Carvin and Chris are responsible for the Produc on of the July 64, documen ng the Rochester riot that occurred July 24, 1964.

Together, they once again have done an excellent job. Chris is also the brainchild and producer of a soon to be revealed documentary on A ca.

A er 40 years of lies she has researched and put on fi lm, the truth.

The recogni on dinner, on May 4 will kick off with a recep on that will begin at 6 p.m. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. to accommodate what we an cipate as an overfl ow crowd.

Folks will mingle in the Conven on Center lobby for photo ops with Minister Florence, and Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., who will be the keynote speaker that evening.

The atmosphere promises to be lively with

GLORIA WINSTONAL-SARAG

Con nued on next page

-------------------Avery T. Blackman is an Afrocentric Spiritual-Cultural preceptor and community ac vist.


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

necessarily represent the position or viewpoint of Minority Reporter.

Liberal Democrats, They Never Seem to Go Away

AYESHAKREUTZ

When I think of Liberals, there are a few scriptures that come to mind.

Genesis 3:1 - “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the fi eld which

the LORD God had made.”

2 Corinthians 11:14 - “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”

The Democrat says one thing and then does another, and this is not to say Republicans don’t do the same thing. Humans are human, and we are all fl awed. Truth be told, I am what Frederick Douglass called a “God-lican” and a devout “Christ-ocrat!” As Frederick Douglass once said: “I am a Republican, a black, dyed-in-the-wool Republican, and I never intend to belong to any other party than the party of freedom and progress.”

The reason for this is simple. Liberals have almost always been on the wrong side of the issues as they pertain to God, freedom and liberty. I am not talking classic liberalism but American liberalism.

Democrats have consistently undermined the progress of minori es in all forms, while tou ng how they are for the black man or for the woman or for the homosexual.

The fact is: blacks did much be er under Republican leadership than they ever have under Democrat leadership.

The fi rst problem is that Democrats always want to segregate people into vo ng blocks (blacks, Hispanics, women, white men, rich, poor etc..) and make us enemies of each other. Whatever happened to united we stand and divided we fall?

Blacks are being killed in epic numbers,

from abor on alone. If we con nue on the demographic path we are on now, blacks will cease to play a signifi cant role in vo ng by 2038.

This can be traced back to Democrat supported policies that perpetuate dispropor onal death rates of black children due to the racist and bigoted strategies postulated and enforced by Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood.

And abor on doesn’t even take into account all the black-on-black violence, black drop-out rates, black incarcera on rates and single-parent homes. Blacks are denied jobs, because of laws like the Davis-Bacon Act, and we are dispropor onally harmed whenever America experiences high unemployment rates, which have been exacerbated due to the current Democrat-Party tax schemes and regula ons.

Lack of educa on has enabled the indoctrina on of genera ons to accept the idea that government handouts are the best we can do because the white man keeps us down.

This is the so bigotry of low expecta ons when blacks accept the idea that, unless government gets us a job, we will not be able to get it on our own.

This same group of people, the Democrats, who say they are for us, pass and advocate for policies that assume we cannot and will not do anything for ourselves. Right under our noses, they are calling us the weaker race, and, somewhere along the way, subconsciously too many of us have bought into this idea.

It is so bad that now, when a group of people come along and say “Hey, I believe in you and I know you can accomplish anything you set your mind to,” we get off ended.

What is so wrong with saying to another fellow human being that you do not deserve to live off the scraps

of others or that you do not have to accept just enough to make you complacent so that you lose your desire and ability to dream?

Why is it wrong for people to say to you: “I believe in you, and I want you to have the same opportunity to succeed or fail as I do?”

God has promised us Good and said that those of us who are children of God have an inheritance wai ng for us. So what is even wrong with wan ng to build an empire to leave for your children? Yet the Democrats want to demonize hard work and wealth as though there is something wrong with leaving a legacy for our children.

Consider when President Bush wanted to set up a por on of younger people’s Social Security funds as a separate account.

Blacks have lower life expectancies than whites, but we put just as high a percentage of our checks into social security as whites.

In other words, if a white man lives longer, he will receive more from Social Security than the black father of fi ve who gets shot down before he re res.

If President Bush were successful in crea ng personal accounts within Social Security, this man would have an asset to leave to his children. Instead, they get money un l they’re a certain age, and then all that money goes to someone else.

That was the Democrats making sure the Social Security system benefi ted whites more than blacks, all the while telling blacks they were doing it for them.

I didn’t get suckered by the Democrats, and I didn’t believe what they were saying. I looked at what they were doing. And what they were doing hurts people.

In the third plank of the Communist

Manifesto, wri en by Karl Marx the beloved philosopher of choice for the Democrats is the aboli on of all rights of inheritance. On top of preven ng us from being able to pass our Social Security funds to our children, the Democrat Party advocates the stealing of the people’s inheritance through inheritance taxes of 55 percent.The inheritance and estate taxes have abolished or at least greatly diluted the right of private property owners to determine the disposi on and distribu on of their estates upon their death.

Instead, government bureaucrats get their greedy hands involved. When Republicans fi ght against it they are called horrid names.

It’s said that they hate the poor and want everyone to suff er, yet it is the Democrats who have almost succeeded in crea ng a permanent underclass of people.

With the right policies, it would be easier for black folks to acquire wealth and pass it on, where it will get be er and larger. But the Democrats do whatever they can to stop that.

But aren’t they taxing themselves? No, the wealthy Democrats are advoca ng policies that purposely hurt black folks, have estate a orneys and insurance policies to take care of all the tax issues.

They want for nothing while blacks get suckered into poverty and needing the government to supplement their lives. Wise up black folks. Consider the Republican Party.

It is a er all, the party that freed the slaves.

--------------Ayesha Pursegrove-Kreutz is President of the Frederick Douglass Founda on of NY Become a member today www.TFDF.org

music coming from accomplished guitarist, Art Beaty and Friends with Todd East on keyboards.

Janet Lomax will be our mistress of ceremonies and the Central Church of Christ Choir will perform when the program offi cially starts at 7:00 p.m.

Poli cal speeches will be kept to a minimum, and the commi ee requests, that if you are an elected offi cial in a endance, you let Lovely Warren know so we can acknowledge your support publicly.

No proclama ons, though appreciated, will be read. They will all be published in the souvenir journal a endees will get to take home.

If there is something you want to say to Minister Florence we will have a book with blank pages available for personal comments and refl ec ons.

There will be two photographers available;

and one will make sure you take your memories home with you that night.

The beau ful ad on WDKX has defi nitely lit a fi re so I encourage all who say they are coming to get your ckets now, because they will not be sold at the door.

For those who don’t understand the ra onale for that decision, it is because the food count and numbers are not something we can change the night of the event.

The commi ee did not write the copy for the WDKX ad that has been running and my hat is off to who did because they did a tremendous job in le ng the listeners know exactly who Minister Florence is. Tony Boler’s voice alone makes the ad a masterpiece.

If you didn’t get an invita on, your church did; and if claim you don’t listen to WDKX or read the Minority Reporter Newspaper, then I might not listen to you when you say I

didn’t know anything about the dinner.

I didn’t know anything about it is a familiar and frequent excuse we all hear from many at mes. Our public rela on skills are not waning so if you don’t know about the recogni on for Minister Franklin Florence by now then you obviously live in a vacuum.

And my appeal to the churches asleep at the wheel, please announce the event from the pulpit, put it in your programs and for God’s sake sponsor some young folks.

I don’t think that is asking too much for our community servants, the ones concerned about young folks.

Tickets are available at F.I.G.H.T. Village, or Central Church of Christ; or you can get them from the following Commi ee Members: Sheila Williams, Chris Christopher, Dave McCleary, Rev. Ruben Goff , Minister Raymond B.T. Sco , Minster Cliff ord Florence, Lovely Warren, Clianda Florence, Gaynelle Wethers, Carrie Remis,

Constance Mitchell-Jeff erson, Dana Bratcher, Allen Williams, or Gloria Winston Al-Sarag.

Assemblyman David F. Gan is the honorary chairperson of the event.

If you run into anyone who asks who Minister Franklin Florence is, and since you know now, please enlighten them knowledge is not worth a dime if you don’t share it.

Minister Franklin Florence, has shared and given to this community his en re life, please join us in saying thank you as we present him with fl owers while he can s ll smell them.

He is more than deserving.

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


May 3-6, 2012155 Pinnacle RoadHenrietta NY 14467(585) 334-8730icnhm.orgFREE! 500-seats max.

14TH Anniversary & Dedication

Looking Unto Jesus

7PM | May 3-4 Apostle Frederick K.C. Price

7PM | May 5 Praise & Worship Concert

9:30AM | May 6 Pastor Roger L. Breedlove (Host)

4PM | May 6 Pastor James L. Cherry Sr.

Hebrews 12:2

Ministering to the whole man; spirit, soul and body

Doors open 45-minutes early

No childcare will be provided

Questions? Special needs?

Please contact Sister Cathy

Little at (585) 334-8730 or

[email protected]

Documents

MR_042312_web