Achieving Civil Rights in the Face of Stop & Frisk Abuses
There are pundits who place the US Civil Rights era between
the years 1955 and 1968. This placement
suggests the struggle for civil rights for African-Americans and other hyphenated
Americans was just a 13-year ordeal. Is
this actually the case? Can national
ancestors such as Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers rest easy, assured that
their bloodshed brought franchise, fair deals and justice?
“Much has changed for the better since Mr. Evers’s brutal
death 50 years ago—but there is also much we can still learn and put in use
from the brave life he lived”, reflects St. Senator Eric Adams (D, WF) 20 SD. “Certainly, if he were alive today, he would
be at the front lines against the abuse of Stop and Frisk…Yes, this City would
do well to consider his courage and continue the fight against inequality and
injustice that still exist today.”
The Senator speaks with authority regarding the flaws of the
NYC Police Department’s procedure officially named Stop, Question and
Frisk. Prior to gaining the NYS Senate
seat, he was a NYPD Captain in central Brooklyn. He distinguished his police
career by co-founding 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care with several other
peace officers. Since taking his NYS
Senate office in 2006, Adams has kept an eye on NYPD activity. A visit to his State Senate website reveals
his dedicated attention to local police matters. There is a downloadable 23-slide presentation
entitled Stop, Question and Frisk
Procedure in the ‘Report’ section.
This slide show gives the objectives of Stop, Question and Frisk; the
procedure for carrying it out; and the four scenarios when a police officer can
conduct Stop, Question and Frisk. Using
2009 Center for Constitutional Rights’
findings and statistics, the State Senator makes a strong case that the
procedure “has unmerited focus on African-American and Latino youth; the
required reporting is not being followed; and the negative impact it has on
youths of color’s psyche and criminal record.” The slide show purports “Of the
four scenarios when a police officer should execute the practice, the
overwhelming scenario is to fulfill quotas or gather names for the NYPD
database”.
It appears that Stop, Question and Frisk flies in the face
of civil rights. When queried about the realities of
Stop Question and Frisk the State Senator posits, “Protecting New Yorkers and
protecting their civil rights do not have to be competing interests. We must give our law enforcement the tools
they need to keep us safe. The abuse of
Stop and Frisk is not useful in preventing crime. In fact, it sours communities against working
with police and that means crucial information isn’t shared to stop violence
before it can occur. The practice must
be reformed to better meet the necessary standard of reasonable suspicion, to
remove discrimination, and to ensure more criminals and fewer innocents are
targeted for Stop and Frisk.” His study
and assessment of Stop, Question and Frisk is comparable to Medgar Evers’s work
and concerns. Evers was shot in his back the early morning of June 12, 1963.
Currently the front runner in the race for the Brooklyn
Borough President’s Office, Adams stands to win the election in September. Should he win he will not only be New York
City’s first African American in the seat and but be the first police officer
in several decades. How will he make his
mark as the BP serving all of Brooklyn? Adam
says, “This is a pivotal moment for Brooklyn.
We have become very popular in recent years but that hasn’t meant a
better quality of life for everyone. I
want to turn our popularity into prosperity for all. The BP must have a unifying vision for the
borough that brings all Brooklynites together to make Brooklyn the best it can
be.”
Labels: African Americans, black interest, civil rights movement, community, discrimination, NYC, NYC politics, NYS Senate, Stop and Frisk, urban
Filling the Unemployment Quagmire
NYS Dept. of
Labor’s Preliminary Area Unemployment Rates monthly report for April 2013 puts
the state’s rate at 7.8%, which is the state’s lowest level since March
2009. NYC’s rate (all 5 boroughs) for
April was 7.7%. This is down from 8.5%
since the preceding month. These figures
strongly suggest that the local economy is bouncing back from the “Great
Recession”.
Digging deeper
reveals where high unemployment persists.
The Bronx County’s rate is 10.5% and Kings County’s is 8.4%, followed by
Queens, Richmond County, and New York County at 6.9%, 6.7%, and 6.5%,
respectively.
Census 2010 and
historic residential patterns show that the Bronx is the home of most Hispanics
and Brooklyn having the highest number of blacks in the City. Could it be that NYC blacks and Hispanics
experience higher unemployment than other New Yorkers? Unfortunately, this is the case.
April 2013
figures for NYC Human Resources Administration’s three cash assistance programs
count 363,991 recipients where most reside in Brooklyn (36.8%) and the Bronx
(32.5%). The case heads, regardless of
residence, are primarily black (46%) and Hispanic (42.3%) for these
programs. White and Other are
cumulatively a distant 11.67%.
What accounts for
the high unemployment? “Lack of
education makes them unemployable”, asserts Michelle George, Brooklyn Community
District 8 Manager. This district covers
Prospect Heights, northern Crown Heights, and Weeksville. “Their high school dropout rates are higher
than whites and the types of jobs that ‘lack of education’ affords—fast food
and retail—[this population] doesn’t want”.
Workforce One Centers are dealing with this aversion by preparing
Workforce One members for such employment.
Their clients include Home Depot, Lowe’s, Victoria’s Secret, Hale &
Hearty Soups, and Burger Shack.
Glen Ettienne,
owner of Delux Gallery Natural Hair Salon, in Clinton Hill, contends media
exposure shapes young blacks' and Hispanics' life decisions. “The people who own the press understand that
we’re followers. 50% can’t think for
themselves. In owning the press, they
can sway the public”. Ettienne believes
the music industry is another influencer.
“The original rap music was conscious rap that lifted us”, Ettienne
opines. “So the record executives had the musicians change their lyrics. Now nobody raps about going to college,
respecting your brother, or raising your child. 'It’s drive a nice car', 'get, the money', 'get the bitches'”.
Others observe
that neither public schools nor parents are adequately presenting the breadth
of career and occupation options that youth could consider. There are black businesses that admirably
weather the current economic climate. Black Enterprise’s Industry Leaders
lists include many local enterprises.
Kristal Auto Mall, Uniworld Group, Inc., the Brooklyn-based advertising
agency, Carver Federal, with branches in three boroughs, Valentine Mfg, in
Hauppauge, and Prime Access, a marketing company need mentioning.
Where there is no
apparent work people must make work. One
recession-proof industry is food and beverages.
Lowell Hawthorne turned one Caribbean cuisine restaurant into a
franchise called Golden Crust Caribbean
Bakery & Grill. Franchising
resulted in not only a business for Hawthorne and his co-founder but businesses
and employment for 120 franchises.
Franchising can
be an expensive proposition. Golden Crust franchisees invest between
$173,000 and $564,000 to operate the moneymakers. There are franchises that require much lower
cash outlays. Janitorial franchises are
within reach of moderate income households.
The investment ranges between $1,500 and $55,000. JAN-Pro Cleaning Systems with 10,414
franchises in the US counts 2,675 franchises owned by black executives. Investment is from $3,145 to $50,130. Returning to attitudes, blacks and Hispanics
must rethink what is worthy work and how to build wealth, if the community is
determined to solve the unemployment quagmire.
Labels: African Americans, black interest, economic recovery, economy, employment, entrepreneur, gangsta rap, Hispanics, public education, structural inequalities
Match Made in Cyber
The tri-state
region went from chilly-spring to midsummer-like weather all in the month of
May. Soon summer love madness will be in
full effect before June is out. Do you
have your options to meet your spouse-to-be or a summer amour? Many people choose cyberspace to connect with
those special “someones”.
The pioneer of
web romance connections is Match.com.
Going live in 1995, Match.com still offers online and face-to-face local
events. Quantcast.com, the digital
advertising company, estimates 120.5 million Americans visit the site per
month. 77% identify as Caucasian; 9% as
African American; 9% as Hispanic; and 5% as Asian or Other. If a subscriber has challenges in waxing
dynamic statements to catch the imagination of prospects, Match.com has Profile
Pro® that assigns writers to be the Cyrano de Bergerac for them.
Chemistry.com is
Match’s sophisticated sister site.
Here subscribers take personality tests, write profile essays; and
receive Chemistry Coaching to improve social skills. Dr. Helen Fisher is the in-house
psychologist. While Quantcast.com
estimates “84.6 thousand Americans visit this site monthly”, Chemistry.com boasts
having “over 13 million people worldwide who completed the personality test.”
Apparently having
a psychologist on staff adds to creditability.
e-Harmony.com is founded by Dr. Neil Warren who established “the 29
Dimensions of Capability”.
PerfectMatch.com relies on Dr. Pepper Schwartz and her Duet® Total
Compatibility. Zoosk, the tidal wave that swept the online dating and social
networking scene in 2006, doesn’t trumpet a Ph.D. but uses “Behavioral
Matchmaking”. Why is Zoosk the tidal wave
? “Over 40 million people globally log
onto to it and it has 12.5 million Facebook Likes.
Zoosk is
“available in 25 languages and subscribers in over 70 countries”. As opposed to finding long-term, committed
relationships, Zoosk positions itself as “a fun and social online dating
experience”. Zoosk offers a Facebook
dating app, a Mobile dating app, a singles chat, and video messaging. These offerings can keep things flirty and
non-tactile.
Dr. Julie
Spooner, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, practicing in Brooklyn, recognizes the
value of such sites. “As a clinician I
have recommended it to people who have trouble meeting people. I don’t suggest it to everyone. If I see that the person can’t meet others,
[I present it as a means] to exponentially increase the number of people to
meet”.
If the income
levels and educational attainment of subscribers to four of the reviewed sites
are factual, then roughly 57% of subscribers have completed undergraduate
studies and did some graduate studies.
Most are prosperous with six-figure incomes. Is this truth or ‘rubbery’ truth?
Dr. Spooner
“encourages moving to the telephone and then moving to the face-to-face
meeting. You shouldn’t interact
exclusively online. The voice and facial
expressions are not there for intimate communication”. Zoosk tries to keep things transparent by
virtue of its parent Facebook. One need
only visit FB profiles. Dr. Lisa
Orbé-Austin, Ph.D., a partner in Dynamic Transitions Psychological Consulting,
LLP, also sees the value in online dating and has clients who share the good
and bad aspects of it. The bad being
where “some women are surprised by men that were simply interested in a
physical relationship. However, they
later realized that it’s a function of the particular site to which they were
subscribed”.
Some people
reject the online scene. Take Hapi
Kamenthu, Merr (director) of The Earth Center of Maanu, in New York. She believes it would be “disastrous” if
online dating were to eclipse face-to-face as the first choice in the initial
meeting between people. “It would be
disastrous because the modern educational system doesn’t teach people about themselves
and their roles in life. Traditionally,
[people] will do extensive family background checks”. Dr. Orbé-Austin doesn’t see it eclipsing
face-to-face but, “thinks that online dating will be one of the primary ways
that people meet. This is not a
conversation that I was having with my clients 10 years ago, but now it’s a
very normal part of the dating discussion.”
Labels: African Americans, business, Hispanics, marriage, online dating, social media, social networking
Now in its 40th year, the International African Arts Festival (IAAF) has something to bring residents and visitors back each day to Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn, July 1 through 4, 10 AM to 10 PM. Does music with “tomate y cilantro” bring shivers to your spine? How about House music all night long? Do dancers leaping like gazelles across a sunny savanna inspire you? Will wisdom wrapped in chuckles give you the bigger picture? Then Colonel Abrams’ Dance Party will start the party quickly July 1. Performer and social activist Phyllis Yvonne Stickney will drop the knowledge July 3 & 4; Orquesta Tipica ’73 will have skirts swirling to salsa and Forces of Nature Dance Company majestically closes the weekend July 4.
July 2 three stalwarts of West African traditions will be honored. Keeper of Akan tradition Nana Okomfohene Opare Dinizulu, folklorist and percussionist Baba Chief Bey, and past artistic director of the Ishangi African Dancers Baba Kwame Ishangi all of whom were artistic and cultural pillars of the International African Arts Festival who performed virtually every year. In fact, the Dinizulu African Dancers, Drummers and Singers and the Ishangi African Dancers will perform this day. When asked about Dinizulu’s legacy, Nana Adzua Opare “wishes that he was here to see that what he believed for the future has manifested.” Of Ishangi’s legacy Kemetic priest and business executive Heru Ur Nekhet describes Ishangi’s multifacets in terms “his mental store of African cultural facts, martial arts skills and his work to build a museum in Tangi, Gambia.” Each man must be respected for his dedication to sharing the beauty and power of Africa. All three traveled to the continent to share cultural gems. Neil Clark quips, “Baba Chief Bey had a way of taking the alien, exoticness from Africa, and making it as familiar as collard greens, potato salad and fried chicken.”
Celebrating 40, or Arobaini in Kiswahili, would not be complete at this festival without a tribute to the musician, social critic, and teacher Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron who passed at age 62, May 27, 2011 remains an icon to musicians, spoken word artists and social activists. Scott-Heron performed at The East, Uhuru Cultural Center and previous IAAF. The Tribute to Gil Scott-Heron featuring The Last Poets and the Midnight Band is scheduled for July 3.
Commodore Barry Park is located near the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, bounded by Flushing Ave., Navy St., and Park Ave. Admission is free, but $3 donations for adults and $1 donations for children are needed.
Labels: African Americans, bazaar, branded music, culture, dance, festival, food, Gil Scott-Heron, spoken word
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The 40th International African Arts Festival Will Shine Like a Diamond
- - It is said “Everything is downhill at 40;” others know 40 is the diamond that comes from persistent pressure on coal. Like a diamond, IAAF has reached a clarity that ever ascends and not rolls down. From Friday, July 1 through Monday, July 4, 2011, the 40th International African Arts Festival, at Commodore Barry Park in the Ft. Greene section of Brooklyn, showcases Africana in all its diversity. From 10 AM to 10 PM each day, visitors will be fascinated by stilt walkers and African dance troupes; enjoy locticians and ‘poulet grillé’ (grilled chicken); and get deals on home furnishings and medicinal herbs.
This year’s theme Arobaini is Kiswahili for “40”. Taiwo Duvall’s playful mural, Slammin’ graces this year’s banner, website and postcards. The four-day celebration is dedicated to the legacies of Nana Okomfohene Opare Dinizulu, African culturalist & martial artist Baba Ishangi, and African folklorist & percussionist Chief Bey. The Festival’s cultural mixture of music and dance will have something for everyone. On opening day, Friday, July 1, the Festival will begin with the pouring of libation that pays tribute to our ancestors. Later that day, singer & record producer Colonel Abrams gets the crowd charged with house and club favorites.
Saturday, July 2 features the parade led by the Federation of Black Cowboys NYC to the Festival grounds, starting at the corner of Fulton Street and Vanderbilt Avenue. The Culture Community, Struggle Symposium, held across the street at PS 287 and the first day of the fashion show featuring The TBA Clothing Co, Moshood and Tintawi Charaka creations are also scheduled.
Sunday, July 3 the models take to the runway for the second edition of the fashion show. During past festivals the Nana Asuo Gyebi akom, officiated by Nana Akosua Baakan Yirenkyiwa has fascinated visitors. The akom is still to be confirmed.
The festival closes Monday, July 4, 2011 on the usual high note. Tribal Instinct Natural Hair Show stylists accent their coifs with raffia, flowers, and stones. Forces of Nature Dance Co., takes the stage near sunset. Other fine performances during the festival come from salsa wonders Tipica 73 Orquestra and performer/social activist Phyliss Stickney.
There are two performance stages, the African Marketplace, Carib Zone, and Kid Rides Zone. Past festivals featured a shrine for priests of traditional African beliefs. Admission is free; however, three-dollar donations are warmly received.
The festival meets many objectives. It’s a great Meetup Group rendezvous. It’s an exciting yet inexpensive date. The petting zoo gets city kids time with farm animals. Clients will be dazzled and negotiations are conducted in a relaxed atmosphere. With ever-increasing gas prices, the International African Arts Festival is the closest treasure chest worth delving into.
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The festival has grown from a one-day street fair to raise funds for Uhura Sasa, a private, precollegiate school, to a technology-driven extravaganza. Almost 2,000 people came to the event and the fundraiser was a success. That early format of entertainment, food, and market place drew increasing crowds annually and became known as the African Street Carnival. Four years later, the festival moved to the field at Boys and Girls High School where it became the African Street Festival.
Today the festival is known as the International African Arts Festival (IAAF) and has an estimated annual audience of over 75,000. It is still held in Brooklyn but is now in its third transition to a larger venue to accommodate growing audiences. The original line-up of local folk arts entertainment has also remained, but has since been bejeweled with artists such as The Mighty Sparrow, Eddie Palmieri, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, KRS-1, India Arie, and Eric Roberson. The work of dozens of volunteers as security, sanitation, administration and promotion personnel is key to its success. Equally, public and private sponsors feed the festival’s evolution.
Past sponsors include NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Brooklyn Arts Council, Councilmember Charles Barron, Councilmember Letitia James, JPMorganChase, The Network Journal, and Hot 97. For more event details, vending or sponsorship opportunities, call 718 638 6700 or visit www.iaafestival.org.
International African Arts Festival
1360 Fulton Street, 5th Fl.
Brooklyn, NY 11216
# # #Labels: African Americans, Brooklyn, culture, festival, tourism
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Safekeeping
Experts say this generation of African Americans has the most educated, affluent and influential in society compared to previous ones. An unobtrusive scan into some homes reveal the luxury vehicles, outdoor grills, wine collections, oriental rugs, original artwork and home entertainment systems. In fact, many unmarried women own homes, whether they are condos or detached, single-family corner houses.
Any investment requires securing it. Consumers seek security measures that are not as costly as the items that they want guarded. People have options in home security systems. The state-of-the-art security systems use the home’s electrical system to transport electric signals from a control module to another module attached to a lamp or other electrical appliance in another part of the home. Others feature “redundant”, wireless and web-enabled components. Redundant means each component can detect breaks and transmit a notice to the online or remote center. These are significant innovations since the introduction of safes, deadbolt locks, alarms, motion sensors and closed circuit TV monitoring. State-of-the-art doesn’t trump time-tested security measures, however. So if the LCD intercom system permits sight and communication with people at your doors, keep it.
This product review foregoes describing market giants ADT, Brinks, Slomin and GE to highlight other effective market leaders.
InGrid Digital Home Protection
The co
mplete system consists of My InGrid software, two-piece sensors, a tabletop console, a wireless handset with base, a keychain remote control, and a grid extender. All pieces are decorative yet discretely fit into any décor. The Basic kit secures homes that are no more than 1,500 s.f. It comes with three sensors, My InGrid software, the tabletop console and wireless handset with the base. Its retail price is $199 with a one-year surveillance contract, billing rate at $29.99 / month. The Homes kit is for homes and businesses under 2,500 s.f. It contains eight sensors, My InGrid software, the console, handset, grid extender and keychain remote control. It retails for $299 with a one-year surveillance contract. Visit
http://www.ingridhome.com/ to buy direct.
Visonic Pow
erMax Smart Home Security and Control System, retails for $209.00. The package consists of a keychain, Door/Window Wireless Contact, Table Console Dialer System and Transmitter. One lithium battery is provided. This package not only serves as intrusion detection but also notifies of gas, flooding, and smoke. The heart of the system is the PowerMax Table Console Dialer System and Transmitter. Similar to the InGrid Digital Home Security, it offers remote, mobile and in-house control.
Skylink Complete Deluxe Wireless Security Kit (model SC1000) retails for $232.95. Emergency
Dialer Unit, Control Panel, Motion Sensor, 2 Door/Window Sensors, Keychain Transmitter, Emergency Dialer, 2 adaptors, three 9V alkaline batteries and three 12V alkaline batteries (no monthly service fee)
The Emergency Dialer Unit holds up to 9 telephone or pager numbers in memory as well as a emergency voice message. The numbers in memory will be rung up to 9 times.
CCTV
Star 4 CH Complete DVR Security System for Office / Home, retails for $995.00.
Digital Video Recorders (DVR) are replacing VCRs and multiplexers in the closed circuit TV monitoring world. CCTV Star’s security systems comes a DVR, four IR color cameras, four 75-foot cables, wireless remote control and power supply. This monitoring system is designed for live play over the Internet. The DVR has 250 Gb disk drive storage capacity.
X10
Home Security System, How to set up a low-cost home security system using X10 by Michael Maikowski, Jefferson Technology Press, 2006. ISBN 0-9678917-1-X. $24.95
This book describes the detection system that uses a residence’s electrical system that’s called X10. Subjects covered are steps to construct a progressively more complex system which at its core includes modules, a controller box, video camera, motion sensing and remote monitoring.
Home Security, 2nd edition, by Vivian Capel, Newnes, 1997. ISBN 0750635460, $48.95.
This book describes the common ways burglars break in and measures to thwart them. Topics covered include space protectors, alarms and sensors
To learn about other security options and read consumer critiques and ratings visit such retailer Web portals as
http://www.consumerreports.org/,
http://www.popularscience.com/, or
http://www.amazon.com/.
Labels: affluence, African Americans, home security, InGrid Digital Home Protection, motion sensors, society, technology
