August 04, 2016
City News Service
Dozens of block parties were held across the Southland Wednesday night as hundreds of residents gathered with police officers, sheriff’s deputies and elected officials as part of the annual National Night Out crime-prevention event.
As many as 38 million people across the country took part in National Night Out activities. The event initially began more than 30 years ago with a call for people to hold small public gatherings in a take-back- the-streets show of community pride.
Over the years, the event has grown to include block parties, parades, movie screenings and picnics.
During the event, residents were encouraged to lock their doors, turn on their front house lights and join with neighbors, law enforcement and Neighborhood Watch leaders at local neighborhood events. Activities varied by event but generally included free food, police and fire displays, live entertainment and a chance to interact with city officials.
Events were planned throughout the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department areas. Police departments — including in Culver City, Long Beach, Monterey Park, San Fernando and Gardena — sponsored separate events.
Started in 1984, National Night Out is billed as “America’s night out against crime.” It is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and co-sponsored by local municipalities and law enforcement agencies nationwide.
More information is available at www.nationalnightout.org.
July 28, 2016
LAWT News Service
The 12th Annual Brotherhood Crusade Jim Cleamons Books and Basketball Camp will take place August 1 through August 5 at Augustus Hawkins High School, 825 West 60th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90037.
Books and Basketball will provide one hundred 9-15 year old youths an opportunity to mix academics with athletics, learning math and science, financial education, social and personal life skills, health and nutrition tips, therapeutic chess, yoga, and of course, basketball.
Former assistant New York Knicks Coach Jim Cleamons, a wealth of former NBA players, and a cadre of inspiring keynote speakers and guests will be part of the festivities this year.
This year’s Books and Basketball Camp features daily hands-on science experiments taught by the California Science Center and financial education taught by Chase, life skills taught by Common Cents Development Corporation and Bobby Porter, and interactive chess taught by Chess Tutors.
Camp participants will be treated to an all-star line-up of coaches including basketball legends Aaron James, Ricky Sobers, Bobby Porter, Bobbie Porter, Jr., Jasmine Porter, Travis Sobers, Brian Wright, Dion Wright, Jr., Sherrie Sessions, Caroline Dawson, La Sandra Dixon, Taelor Bakewell, Dr. Diandra Bremond, James Jones and, of course, Coach Jim Cleamons.
“It’s the Network!!!” said ABA/NBA legend and camp co-founder James Jones. “I know it sounds like a cliché, but Brotherhood Crusade has assembled strong and dedicated community partners like CAM, Toyota, The Gas Company, Wells Fargo, The California Endowment, Bank of America, State Farm Insurance, Microsoft, Nielsen, Southern California Edison, Frontier Communications, Southwest Airlines, California Science Center, Verizon, AEG, Enterprise Holdings, MUFG Union Bank, US Soccer Foundation, California Community Foundation, American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper, American Airlines, City of Los Angeles GRYD, Ralphs, Comerica Bank, SEIU 2015, Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt, Xerox, UDW, 3090 AFSCME, Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, Councilman Curren Price and Councilmember Marqueece Harris Dawson.
“I am honored to have such strong and committed partners” said Bremond. “Our corporate partners raise the bar when it comes to corporate philanthropy. Their commitment is evident from the moment you meet any of their representatives.”
To make a contribution to the Brotherhood Crusade, send a tax-deductible gift to: Brotherhood Crusade 200 East Slauson Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90011. please call (323) 846-1649 www.brotherhoodcrusade.org or www.facebook.com/ bcrusade.
July 21, 2016
By Charlene Muhammad
Contributing Writer
Members of L.A. Bloods and Crips gangs met in peace under one roof at the Nation of Islam’s meeting on July 17 and forged the “Bloods & Crips 2016 Peace Treaty, July 17th Cease Fire Agreement.”
They came after multi-platinums rapper The Game and Snoop Dogg, Problem, a rapper and Game’s best friend, and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan called on them to open dialogue on how to unite, stop the violence, and make their neighborhood a safe, decent place to live.
The Game said he loves his city as a whole, and is not scared to fight for it or humanity. He made the call for peace and unity through H.U.N.T. (Hunt Us Not Today) his initiative, which formed in response to most recent violence.
That includes the police killings of Black men Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La., Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, and five officers shot and killed in Dallas, Tx. during a protest of the Sterling and Castile shootings.
The incidents also helped to drive attendance at the unity meeting. The Game thanked those who made it their mission to attend the gathering for peace so as a collective unit they may save L.A.
Everyone wants to kill, The Game said, “But ask the same n——r with the gun if he ready to die, and they’re going to say no.”
“… let’s be men. When it’s a gun pointed at you, and it’s cocked back, and you know the only thing standing between you and the gun is God, why you wait until then to start praying, wishing, hoping. It only takes a second to lose your life,” The Game stated.
He said if gangs broker peace here, it will spread, because L.A. writes the passage for everything positive or negative that happens.
The artist spread the word on his far-reaching social media accounts. Popular radio host Big Boy of 92.3 FM/REAL promoted the peace summit on his show. Various organizations and activists shared flyers with their network.
Gang members, gang interventionists, and families of loved ones victimized by gang violence, filled the Church of Scientology’s three-story Vermont Community Center to hear a host of speakers and weigh in on next steps. A strategy session is scheduled for July 21.
There were four over flow areas, including in front of the center, on the street, with a jumbo screen.
Rev. Benny “Taco” Owens, founder of Detours, a gang intervention organization, and member of the Southern California Cease Fire Committee, said the gathering was beautiful.
“I’ve never seen a crowd like this unless I was in prison or a chow hall. I see a lot of faces that I’ve never seen come together like this before,” Owens said. “I believe that you’re here because you want a change … This is a very, very critical moment in our city and our lives,” he stated.
“We’ve had 330 people killed so far in this county…We’ve had 2 killed in Gardena within a week,” Owens stated. He continued, L.A. has come a long way in curbing violence, but has a long way to go.
Alex Sanchez, founder of the gang intervention organization Homies Unidos, attended the peace summit because he believes people can be unified.
“I believe that if we don’t start doing something about reaching to these brothers in our communities the Latino families that are afraid of us, or Black families that are afraid of us, when people come together, or the media takes on this message of racial tension, we do not fall into that language, we do not fall to the work of the enemy that just tries to divide us” Sanchez said.
Danny Bakewell, Sr., executive publisher of the L.A. Sentinel, was among dignitaries present to urge a cease fire. “We have to first stop the killing of each other in our own community of each other,” he told reporters.
“I think it was like the cracking of an atom. It sparked something in everybody. It sparked the spirit of hope that once again we’re at a pivotal point in our history and we can make a difference in our own community,” said Nation of Islam Minister Tony Muhammad, Minister Farrakhan’s Western Region representative.
July 14, 2016
LAWT News Service
The Compton My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Initiative has announced their 2016 Summer Empowerment and Peace Summit to take place July 29 through July 31 at the Dollarhide Community Center. Young men who attend middle and high school in Compton can register for free to attend the summit where attendees will be inspired and motivated through a series of workshops, mentorship opportunities, special guest speakers and performances. Men 18 and older from Compton are invited to participate as volunteers and mentors.
“Compton enthusiastically signed on for the MBK Community Challenge in 2014 because its mission, its goals — and its struggle — match our own,” said Compton Mayor Aja Brown.
“Since joining the MBK challenge we have found that the City of Compton’s goals and the work that we are doing overlap with the vision of the MBK Community Challenge. MBK continues to transform the trajectories of boys and young men of color around the country and in Compton we continue to develop, cultivate, and display highlight the leadership potential of our young men. The Compton MBK Summer Empowerment and Peace Summit is a part of our efforts to meet the President’s challenge and continue our commitment to Compton’s young men. Young people are our future. Every investment in our youth is an investment in a better tomorrow.”
The Summit follows the MBK Men Touring Summer Camp, a three-day event that fostered self-awareness and the meaning of manhood for junior high school boys in Compton. Boys in sixth through eighth grade were treated to a stimulating weekend of swimming, zip lining, mountain biking with the San Bernardino Mountains as the backdrop while being mentored on the basic fundamentals of responsibility, accountability, leadership, team work and education.
In 2014, President Barack Obama announced that more than 100 mayors, county officials and tribal nations had accepted the MBK Community Challenge, an initiative to encourage community leaders across the country to develop plans to improve life outcomes and address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color, ensuring that all young people can reach their full potential. In line with this initiative, the city of Compton has launched an action plan to measurably improve outcomes for children of color ages 0-25 and their families, with an emphasis on Black males. Currently, Compton is focusing on three of the six recommended goals issued by the White House: 1) Reading at grade level by third grade; 2) Improve access to jobs and valuable work experience; and 3) Reducing violence and providing a second chance.
The Summer Empowerment and Peace Summit is a follow up to Mayor Brown’s 2014 action summit where she engaged the community in the development and shaping of the MBK Initiative in Compton. During the summit, Mayor Brown welcomed Michael Smith, Special Assistant to the President on My
Brother’s Keeper along with community leaders, elected officials, law enforcement personnel, business owners, faith-based leaders, former gang members, youth leaders and community-based organizations.
The Summit is supported by Mayor Aja Brown, the City of Compton, Compton Empowered, 4Hundred Waze Foundation, Urban Vision Community Development Corporation and the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation.
The deadline to sign-up for the 2016 Summer Empowerment and Peace Summit is Friday, July 22.
For more information, call (310) 605-5688 or visit comptoncity.org/mbk.asp.