April 14, 2016
By BRUCE SMITH
Associated Press
A South Carolina judge on Wednesday delayed until next year the state death-penalty trial of Dylann Roof who is charged with killing nine black parishioners at a Charleston church in June of 2015.
Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson granted a request by Roof's defense lawyers who provided documents saying a doctor needed two to six more months to complete psychiatric testing of Roof. No other details were mentioned at the hearing and Nicholson sealed the release of any information about Roof's medical records.
Nicholson moved the trial to Jan. 17, with jury screening to begin in early December. The trial had been scheduled to start on July 11 - a date Nicholson had set almost a year earlier.
Nicholson warned the defense that he will not grant another postponement and at one point during the 30-minute hearing wondered whether the request was simply a means to delay the trial.
"I can assure you this is not a delaying tactic," responded defense attorney William McGuire.
When the judge took up the request for the delay, the defense said it would simply rely on the motion it filed last week seeking a postponement.
That motion said that to begin selecting a jury for a trial this summer "while substantial investigation and preparation remains to be done in a case that is neither factually nor legally straightforward would deny the defendant the basic tools for an adequate defense."
Nicholson said he wanted a monthly report from the doctor updating the court on the progress of the evaluation. Roof was not in the courtroom, although a number of family members of the shooting victims were.
Attorney Andy Savage, who represents some of the family members, said that he wasn't surprised by the delay.
"I think it was expected," he said outside the courthouse. "It's a very short time frame in a death penalty case - a year and a month so I think it was expected."
He said most of the family members seem to understand the need for a delay.
"They want a fair trial because they don't want to have to come back and do this again in a year or two or five or six," he said.
Roof also faces numerous counts, including hate crimes, in federal court. Federal prosecutors have not said whether they will see the death penalty and no date for that trial has been set.
However, in an earlier filing with the federal court, state prosecutor Scarlett Wilson said she would prefer that the state case be held first.
April 14, 2016
Special to the LAWT
Few people in Los Angeles know that legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson is a local hero who went on to become a national icon when he broke baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947. Jackie grew up in Pasadena and went to college at the University of California, before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first African American to play in the major leagues.
The legacy of Jackie Robinson was recently chronicled in a two-part documentary that aired April 11-12 on PBS and is available to stream online throughout the month of April. Directed by acclaimed filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon, the film not only details Robinson’s life-long battle for social justice, it also highlights his wife, Rachel Robinson, who fought alongside Jackie and became a symbol of women’s empowerment. Bank of America’s support of Jackie Robinson represents the company’s steadfast commitment to the importance of fostering an inclusive culture by not only celebrating the diversity of its own workforce but also in the communities it serves.
As an extension of this commitment, on Friday, April 15, Bank of America will sponsor Jackie Robinson Day at Dodgers Stadium, where the first 40,000 fans in attendance will receive an adult Jackie Robinson replica Number ‘42’ jersey. They will join all MLB players who will don the number ’42’ in honor of Jackie Robinson Day, as part of an annual observance that has taken place each April 15th since 2009.
Bank of America’s support of Jackie Robinson Day included the opportunity to nominate a candidate to throw the first pitch, and its local African American leadership team selected Danny Bakewell Sr. in recognition of the impact that the Bakewell family and The Bakewell Company has had in fostering a more inclusive culture in the city of Los Angeles. Danny Sr. co-founded the National Black United Fund and served as president of The Brotherhood Crusades, a civil rights advocacy organization, for more than thirty years.
As part of its dedication to fostering an inclusive company, Bank of America supports employee networks to connect a workforce that’s based in more than 35 countries and features diversity in thought, style, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, culture and experience. By supporting films like Jackie Robinson, as well as moments like Jackie Robinson Day where communities can come together to recognize local civil rights heroes like Danny Bakewell Sr., the bank seeks to foster a more inclusive culture beyond its own walls as well.
April 07, 2016
By Jennifer Bihm
Assistant Editor
The family of a woman who was found dead in a Los Angeles County jail cell on March 27, is asking for the public’s help to raise money for her funeral, which they would not have to do, they said, had the death not been ruled a suicide. They are refusing to believe that suicide is what actually happened in to 36 year old Wakeisha Wilson, who was said to have hung herself with a shirt. Because of the ruling, the insurance will not pay out, they said. However, the family is refusing to believe that suicide.
“That’s the first tragedy,” said family attorney Jaaye Person-Lynn.
“The second tragedy is that her family wasn’t notified until 76 hours after her death. They actually found out by showing up to her scheduled court date (on March 29).”
According to news reports, her family went to court that day, but Wilson never appeared. After repeatedly trying to get an answer as to where Wilson was, her mother says she was given a number on March 30 and was asked to call the coroner's office.
Person-Lynn said he knows for sure that there is a video outside of the cell during the time of the incident, a video that neither he nor the family has been allowed to see. He said that Wilson had a cell mate but that person has not been deemed a suspect.
“We don’t know the contents of that video because the LAPD claims that it is part of an internal investigation that they don’t want compromised. We do know one, that she last talked to her family at 7:45 am (March 27) and was found dead at 9:24 am (March 27). We also know that she’d had an altercation with the police…”
“I don’t believe that my daughter would kill herself,” Lisa Hines, Wilson’s mother told reporters.
“It’s not like this is the first time she’s been incarcerated. No, she had too much to live for.”
Wilson was diagnosed as bipolar but family members said they don’t believe that could have been a factor in her death. She was the mother of a thirteen year old son.
“What I know from the family,” Person Lynn told the Sentinel, “is that the last time she spoke with them, there did not seem to be any hopelessness or depression. She talked to them about the details of her court case and talked about showing up in court on Tuesday.”
“They knew when I was at court,” Hines told reporters.
“They knew Monday when I called. They knew Monday because she died Sunday.”
Anyone wishing to make a donation toward the burial should visit www.gofundme/justice4webo. Webo was Wilson’s nickname, Person Lynn told the Sentinel.
April 07, 2016
By Dr. Valerie Wardlaw
Contributing Writer
I once read a quote that said, “Jackie Robinson loved baseball more than baseball loved him.” Jack Roosevelt Robinson, son of a sharecropper, raised in a small Georgia town, was the first African American to play in the big leagues. Jackie Robinson, a graceful, and dignified man leveled the playing field during a time when most were not graceful, or respectful towards him.
On April 15, 2016, Major League Baseball will once again honor Robinson at stadiums throughout the country. The players will wear his #42 jersey, fans will applaud at the mere mention of his name, and Danny Bakewell Sr., Executive Publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel and the L.A. Watts Times, Chairman of the Brotherhood Crusade and Chairman of The Bakewell Company will have the honor of throwing out the first pitch at Dodger stadium.
A fitting honor for Bakewell (bestowed upon him by Jackie Robinson Day sponsor, Bank of America) whom many would say has sought to also level the playing field. Described as a ferocious and fearless community activist, Bakewell has dedicated his life to being a voice for the voiceless.
On April 15, 1947, Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., was just a baby when Robinson, 28, took the field as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. It is well documented that Robinson encountered ugly, vile acts of racism from fans, the opposing team, and yes, even some of his own teammates.
Despite the moronic and intolerant behavior of many, Robinson would go on to win the first-ever Rookie of the Year title, become the National League’s Most Valuable Player, the Dodgers’ highest paid player and help lead the Dodgers to win the 1955 World Series. Jackie Robinson would be the first African American inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and to have his number retired by Major League Baseball.
In those days, there was no civil rights movement. Robinson endured what most of us could not fathom enduring and he faced it with dignity and honor. His activism continued long after he left the game. In 1957, Robinson wrote to President Dwight Eisenhower, “I read your statement in the papers advising patience. We are wondering to whom you are referring when you say we must be patient. It is easy for those who haven’t felt the evils of a prejudicial society to urge it.” To President John F. Kennedy, Robinson wrote, “I thank you for what you have done so far but it is not how much has been done, but how much more there is to do.” And to President Johnson, Robinson said, “It is important that you take immediate action in Alabama. One more day of savage treatment by legalized hatchet men could lead to open warfare by aroused Negroes. America cannot afford this in 1965.”
Martin Luther King Jr., said that Robinson “had a dramatic impact on the civil rights movement, because he forced people to confront the possibility of change.” And change is a word synonymous with the present-day work of Danny J. Bakewell Sr, a man who embodies the spirit and determination of Jackie Robinson.
It was Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. who built and led the Brotherhood Crusade, an organization committed to civil rights and community development to raise over $60 million for community initiatives. It was Bakewell that purchased the Los Angeles Sentinel, the oldest and largest Black-owned weekly newspaper west of the Mississippi and later purchased the L.A. Watts Times expanding his leadership and ensuring that stories important to people of color were published. He promised that he would champion not just his newspapers but also the Black Press across the country. Bakewell is honored to serve as Chairman Emeritus of the NNPA (National Newspapers Publishers Association), with a membership of 200 black newspapers around the country. “Our responsibility is not just printing our newspapers. Our responsibility is making life better for our people,” Bakewell said.
It was Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. who formed the Bakewell Company, one of the largest African American-owned real estate development companies in the United States. “I want, not just for myself, but for all to enjoy the fruits that this country has to offer,” Bakewell said. It was the bodacious Bakewell that coined the slogan in support of minority construction workers, “If we don’t work, nobody works.”
It was Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. who created The Taste of Soul of Los Angeles in 2005, which has become one of the most popular and best attended family festivals in all of Southern California with 350,000 attendees from around the southland and across the country. Bakewell said he created the Taste of Soul “to encourage the enjoyment, respect and appreciation of our community and each other in an atmosphere of respect, peace, pride and pleasure.” Taste of Soul has become an economic engine boost for businesses to sell and promote their wares and talents.
Bakewell, the family man, along with his wife Aline, founded Sabriya’s Castle of Fun Foundation for hospitalized children, in memory of their daughter, Sabriya, who lost her life to leukemia. He also founded the African American Unity Center, Brotherhood Business Development and Capital Fund and was a trailblazer for many efforts in the civil rights movement in Los Angeles.
Bakewell and Robinson shared familial roots in the City of Pasadena. Robinson was raised in Pasadena, CA and Bakewell raised his family there. His children Danny Jr., Brandi and Sabriya attended school. Like Robinson, Bakewell broke many barriers in the civil rights movement to foster equality for African Americans. Bakewell is known for leading the efforts to integrate the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Board of Directors. Because of his leadership, the Tournament of Roses inducted its first woman and first African American to the board in the 1980s.
It is not surprising that Bank of America, when given the opportunity to suggest someone to throw out the first pitch on Jackie Robinson Day thought of Danny Bakewell Sr. “Danny Sr., is not only an important community leader but a living civil rights legend. Bank of America and the bank’s African American Leadership Team here in Los Angeles are proud to have a close business relationship with the Bakewell family and The Bakewell Company, including the Taste of Soul. We know personally the impact that Danny Sr. and his family have on Los Angeles,” said Michelle Avan, Director, Southwest Division Administrative Manager, Global Wealth Investment Management.
Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important, except in the impact it has on other lives.” “I am honored and deeply humbled to have been asked by Bank of America and the Dodger Organization to throw out the first pitch on Jackie Robinson Day at Dodger stadium. This opportunity is not just for my family, and me but I share it with all of the people within our community who have fought with me and long before me to break down the barriers of oppression and racism, just as Jackie Robinson broke down the barriers of oppression and racism within major league baseball. While the first pitch is only symbolic gesture, it is a reminder of how far we as a people have come, but also stands as a reminder of how far we still have to go,” said Danny J. Bakewell, Sr.
So it is fitting that the legacies of two men who have advocated for the less fortunate will intersect in a stadium where all are normally encouraged to “think blue” but on that day we will all think about the matchless contributions of #42.
(Sidebar: Learn more about Jackie Robinson’s legacy both on and off the field with a new documentary on PBS. Bank of America is partnering with award-winning filmmaker, Ken Burns, to premier Jackie Robinson, a two-part, four-hour documentary, on April 11 and 12, 9 p.m. ET/PT (check your local PBS listing). The film not only details Robinson’s life-long battle for social justice, it also highlights his wife, Rachel Robinson, who fought alongside Jackie and became a symbol of women’s empowerment. Bank of America’s support of Jackie Robinson represents a steadfast commitment to the importance of fostering an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of local communities.)