April 28, 2016
By Erick Johnson
From the Chicago Crusader, NNPA Member
Forget it Hillary. Sorry Bernie.
When the time came for the Florida Courier to endorse either candidate, the edgy Black newspaper dropped a bombshell with a large headline just five days before the crucial primary elections in the sunshine state.
“NONE OF THE ABOVE,” the headline read in caps. It was a much different response nearly 1,000 miles away at the historic New York Amsterdam News. The newspaper’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton drew numerous praises and racked up nearly 47,000 likes on Facebook as of April 11.
It’s a testament to the enduring power of the Black Press, particularly, Black newspapers. But in the past decade, their influence have been challenged by other mediums, changing times and attitudes among a new generation of voters.
For Clinton, the endorsement was her latest coup d’état to win Black voters in New York, where they helped her seal her Democratic nomination for president. On Tuesday, April 19, she deflated the momentum of her opponent Bernie Sanders, who in the last several weeks, swept the primaries in Wisconsin, Wyoming, Washington and Hawaii.
Despite Sanders’ momentum, the 107-year old New York Amsterdam News stood behind the former first lady. In light of escalating racial problems around the nation, many of the nation’s major Black newspapers are not endorsing any presidential candidate this election season, according to a survey by The Chicago Crusader. Many are also not endorsing candidates running for local, state and Congressional offices. Some cite longstanding editorial polices that prohibit endorsements during elections. Other Black newspapers are cutting their support to express their disappointment with the political establishment.
Out of 26 major Black newspapers surveyed by the Crusader, 19 publications are not endorsing any candidate this year. Only seven have blessed Clinton or any candidate with an endorsement. In addition to the New York Amsterdam News, they include The Jacksonville Advocate, The Michigan Chronicle, and The St. Louis American. All of the papers endorsed Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
In Chicago, Clinton bagged endorsements from the city’s three major Black newspapers, the Crusader, the Defender and the Citizen. The Chicago Crusader sister paper, the Gary Crusader also endorses Clinton as that city prepares to hold their primary May 3.
Unlike other newspapers, the Chicago Crusader did not endorse Rahm Emanuel in his reelection campaign in 2014.
None of the Black newspapers surveyed endorsed Sanders, a candidate who has been supported by a host of Black celebrities, including Spike Lee, Kanye West and scholar Dr. Cornel West.
Among the Black newspapers that are not endorsing any candidates in this year’s primaries are The Philadelphia Tribune, New Pittsburg Courier, The Florida Courier, Tri-State Defender, The Washington Informer, The Atlanta Voice, The Los Angeles Sentinel, The Indianapolis Recorder, The Carolina Peacemaker, The Charlotte Post, The Cleveland Call and Post, The Final Call, The Houston Forward Times, the LA Wave and the Richmond Free Press.
With racial and social issues boiling over in the Black community, Black newspapers editors are making tougher decisions about granting political endorsements. Many Black publishers and editors aim to send a message to candidates whose platforms do not offer any sound solutions to longstanding problems in the Black community.
One Black newspaper that’s not giving out presidential endorsements, The Tri-State Defender, made the evening newscast in Memphis when it decided not to support two opposing Black candidates for mayor last October. One failed to show up for an interview with the newspaper’s editorial board while the other candidate did not impress the staff with his platform.
The Atlanta Voice said that it does not endorse political candidates, because of their editorial policy. The city’s mainstream daily newspaper, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, ended its practice of giving political endorsements in 2010 after complaints from its readers who didn’t want to be told how to vote.
On its website, The Charlotte Post explained its decision to hold back on its endorsements.
“In a presidential election cycle, local elections are often overlooked. However, the people who earn out votes in the March 15 primary are the people who are the most responsible to local interests,” the statement reads.
In an unusual twist, rather than endorsing one Democratic presidential candidate, The Richmond Free Press in Virginia encouraged its readers to vote for either Clinton or Sanders.
On March 10, The Florida Courier voiced its frustration on why the newspapers refused to back any political candidate this year.
“Too often, we as Black people allow ourselves and our services to be devalued because we have become so used to working with little, and making something out of nothing. No more,” the editorial read. “Effective immediately, we will not consider… candidates for endorsements who do not use Black-owned media outlets to seriously solicit votes from Florida’s Black communities.”
This wasn’t the first time The Florida Courier withheld its endorsement. The newspaper also made headline when it decided not to endorse the Democratic candidate Charlie Crist or incumbent Florida Governor and eventual winner, Republican Rick Scott.
The New York Amsterdam News also takes its endorsements seriously. Weeks before making its decision to endorse Clinton, an editorial staff member told a Crusader reporter, “We are not endorsing Hillary or anyone until they come in and meet with our editorial board.”
Though many Black newspapers are not making any endorsements, most publications are maintaining their traditional advocacy roles as Black journalists. Many are providing favorable and expanded coverage of Clinton’s campaign promises to help Blacks gain more economic opportunities and boost funding to historically Black colleges. Black newspapers are also providing much ink to denounce Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.
During Barack Obama’s campaign for president against John McCain in 2008, many Black newspapers threw their weight behind him to help him become the nation’s first Black president. This support also came from some mainstream conservative newspapers, which for the first time in their history, endorsed a Democratic candidate for the White House, including the 169-year old Chicago Tribune. Other conservative mainstream papers that traditionally support Republican candidates, declined to give any endorsements in 2008.
In fueling Obama’s rise to the White House, Black voter turnout was the highest in U.S. history, surpassing White participation for the first time.
Historically, the Black Press has played a significant role in deciding presidential and political elections. The once mighty Pittsburgh Courier fueled President Franklin D. Roosevelt reelection bids after he made promises to desegregate the military prior to World War II. In Florida in 1984, The Miami Times pushed Black voters to polls to oust then Mayor Maurice Ferre, who fired the city’s first and only Black city manager, Howard Gary.
That was decades ago. Today, the influence of Black newspapers has been challenged as more Blacks use mainstream newspapers and other sources to examine and choose their political candidates. Despite the competition, endorsements and editorial coverage from Black newspapers are still being sought out. During the campaign for the Illinois Primary, Clinton, along with a handful of congressional, state and judicial candidates sought endorsements from Chicago’s Black newspapers.
To beef up her exposure, Clinton hired Delmarie Cobb, a Black seasoned public relations guru with strong ties to the city’s Black newspapers. As it turned out, Clinton swept Chicago’s heavy Black electorate along with a handful of white candidates who received endorsements from the city’s Black newspapers.
The Chicago Crusader is a member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Learn more about becoming a member at www.nnpa.org.
April 28, 2016
City News Service
Funeral services were pending this week for Willie Williams, who became the first black chief of the Los Angeles Police Department in the aftermath of the L.A. riots.
Williams, 72, died Tuesday night at his home in Fayetteville, Georgia. A relative said he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Williams served as LAPD chief from June 30, 1992, to May 17, 1997. He became the city’s top cop following the resignation of Chief Daryl Gates in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. He came to Los Angeles after serving four years as Philadelphia’s police commissioner – the first black person to hold that position. Williams was a Philadelphia police officer for more than 20 years.
With the LAPD in turmoil following the Rodney King beating, the acquittal of the officers involved and the ensuing riots, Williams worked to implement changes in the department to bolster its relationship with black communities in the city.
During his tenure, the LAPD grew by 2,000 officers and the department adopted more “community policing” strategies that were designed to be less confrontational – putting officers on the streets, interacting with the public.
While he won some praise for building community relationships, he leadership style and ability was often called into question by critics, who suggested that improvements in the department were being slowed by a lack of leadership. His bid for a second term as chief was rejected by Police Commission in 1997.
In March of 2002, Williams was appointed as federal security director for the Transportation Security Administration at Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport.
April 21, 2016
Associated Press
Five former New Orleans police officers pleaded guilty this week in deadly shootings in the days following Hurricane Katrina, abruptly ending a decade-old case that tainted an already scandal-plagued police force and reawakened memories of the chaos and devastation from the catastrophic 2005 storm.
The case also spotlighted misconduct by federal prosecutors. The men had been convicted by a jury in 2011 but U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt set aside the verdict two years later because federal prosecutors leaked information to the media and made anonymous online comments about the case.
The plea agreement means significantly shorter sentences for the former officers, with credit for years already served. It also avoids another long and painful trial.
"Hopefully, today will mean further closure for the victims of these crimes and the city itself," Engelhardt said.
He castigated the Justice Department for what he called evasive and sometimes false responses to questions about the online comments, calling it "jiggery pokery" at one point.
The case isn't completely finished. The sentences still must be completed, lawsuits continue and the criminal case of another ex-officer implicated in the cover up was severed from the others and has yet to be resolved.
Four of the former officers have been locked up for nearly six years while the fifth has been out on bond. Their original convictions called for them to serve anywhere from six years to 65 years in prison. The plea deal calls for them to serve a range of three to 12 years.
On Sept. 4, 2005, days after the levees failed and water swamped the city, police gunned down 17-year-old James Brissette and 40-year-old Ronald Madison, who were both unarmed, and wounded four others on the Danziger Bridge. To cover it up, the officers planted a gun, fabricated witnesses and falsified reports, prosecutors have said.
Lance Madison, brother of mentally disabled Ronald Madison, was on the bridge that day and was initially arrested after being falsely accused of shooting at officers.
"I'm thankful that our mother is still with us to see justice being served and for these officers to finally be held accountable for their crimes," he said in a statement.
Family members of the defendants and the victims stayed quiet throughout the hearing, under warnings from the judge against emotional outbursts. One woman dabbed her eyes as Engelhardt, addressing the pain caused by the shooting, referenced Ronald Madison's disabilities.
"Those of us who have special needs members of our family know what a blessing he or she may be," the judge said.
The shootings at the bridge happened as much of the city remained under water and without power after the Aug. 29 deluge. Tens of thousands had been stranded at the Louisiana Superdome and the Morial Convention Center for days after the storm. The police force was under immense strain as looting was rampant and authorities were struggling to account for, and collect the bodies of hundreds killed in the flood waters.
Police said at the time of the Danziger shooting that the officers were responding to a report of other officers down when they came under fire.
However, after hearing from five dozen witnesses and examining 400 pieces of evidence during a monthlong trial, a federal jury convicted the officers for opening fire and trying to cover up wrongdoing.
Former officer Robert Faulcon initially was sentenced to 65 years in prison before his conviction was thrown out. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 12 years. Ex-Sgts. Kenneth Bowen and Robert Gisevius, once sentenced to 40 years each, will now serve 10.
Anthony Villavaso, once facing 38 years, now is sentenced to seven, and Arthur Kaufman received a six-year sentence originally but was given three. He has been out on bond and Engelhardt agreed to consider home incarceration for him.
Under the plea agreement, they will get credit for time served and most of them could be released from prison anywhere from the next one to six years.
The online posting scandal led to the resignation of two assistant U.S. attorneys in New Orleans and the reprimand of a Justice Department attorney. Jim Letten resigned as U.S. attorney, although he was not implicated in the postings on a newspaper's website.
Prosecutors have argued that there is no evidence the misconduct affected the verdict.
"While an imperfect resolution, today's proceeding ensures that these defendants are held accountable for their criminal actions," current U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite said in a news release.
The Danziger case and other police scandals led to a federal investigation of the New Orleans Police Department and eventually, court-ordered reforms.
"One day, maybe soon, we will have a police department as great as the city it serves," Engelhardt said.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a statement it was unfortunate that New Orleans has had to relive this dark chapter in the city's history.
"And I hope that the decision today will allow us to finally turn the page and begin to heal," he said.
April 21, 2016
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER
Associated Press
Harriet Tubman, an African-American abolitionist who was born a slave, will stand with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin among the iconic faces of U.S. currency.
The $20 bill will be redesigned with Tubman’s portrait on the front, marking two historic milestones, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced Wednesday. Tubman will become the first African-American on U.S. paper money and the first woman to be depicted on currency in 100 years.
The leader of the Underground Railroad will replace the portrait of Andrew Jackson, the nation's seventh president and a slave owner, who will be pushed to the back of the bill.
Lew also settled a backlash that had erupted after he had announced an initial plan to remove Alexander Hamilton, the nation’s first Treasury secretary, from the $10 bill in order to honor a woman on the bill.
Hamilton will remain on the $10 note, Lew said. Instead, the Treasury building on the back of the bill will be changed to commemorate a 1913 march that ended on the steps of the Treasury building that featured suffragette leaders Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul.
The back of the $20, which now shows the White House, will be redesigned to include the White House and Jackson, whose statute stands across the street in Lafayette Park.
The $5 bill will also undergo change: The illustration of the Lincoln Memorial on the back will be redesigned to honor “events at the Lincoln Memorial that helped to shape our history and our democracy.”
The new image on the $5 bill will include civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who gave his famous “I have a dream” speech on the steps of the memorial in 1963 and Marian Anderson and Eleanor Roosevelt. Anderson, an African-American opera singer, gave a concert at the memorial in 1939 after she had been blocked from singing at the then-segregated Constitution Hall. The Lincoln Memorial concert was arranged by Mrs. Roosevelt.
An online group, Women on 20s, said it was encouraged that Lew was responding to its campaign to replace Jackson with a woman. But it said it wouldn’t be satisfied unless Lew committed to issuing the new $20 bill at the same time that the redesigned $10 bill is scheduled to be issued in 2020.
Lew didn’t go that far Wednesday. But he pledged that at least the designs for all three bills will be accelerated so they'll be finished by 2020 — the 100th anniversary of passage of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. He said the new notes will go into circulation as fast as possible after that, consistent with the need to incorporate new anti-counterfeiting measures in the designs.
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, the first woman to head the central bank, said she welcomed the decision to honor the achievements of women in American history. She said the Fed would work closely with Treasury to get the new bills developed and into circulation.
U.S. currency has undergone upgrades over the years to stay ahead of counterfeiters. But the updates proposed by Lew for the three bills would be the most sweeping changes since 1929, when all U.S. paper money was redesigned to feature more standard designs and a smaller size to save printing costs.
Lew had initially selected the $10 bill to feature a woman because under the original timetable it was the next bill to be redesigned. But that proposal met fierce objections from supporters of Hamilton, who is enjoying renewed popular interest with the smash Broadway hit musical “Hamilton.”
Tubman, who was born into slavery in the early part of the 19th century, escaped and then used the network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad to transport other slaves to freedom. After the Civil War, Tubman, who died in 1913, became active in the campaign for women’s suffrage.
Numerous groups have been campaigning to have a woman honored on the nation’s paper currency, which has been an all-male domain for more than a century.
Amrita Myers, a historian at Indiana University, said honoring Tubman was appropriate.
“Not only is this going to be the first African-American historical figure on U.S. currency, but it’s a woman specifically from the era of slavery,” Myers said.
Wednesday’s announcement helped mark a decades-long decline in the reputation of Jackson, once a pillar of the modern Democratic Party but now often defined by his ownership of slaves and the “Trail of Tears” saga that forcibly removed American Indians from their land.
“Jackson at one time was mainly known as the champion of democracy and the defender of the union and the champion of the common man against aggregated wealth and bankers,” said Daniel Feller, a history professor at the University of Tennessee and director of Jackson’s papers.
The last woman featured on U.S. paper money was Martha Washington, who was on a dollar silver certificate from 1891 to 1896. The only other woman ever featured on U.S. paper money was Pocahontas, from 1865 to 1869. Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea are on dollar coins.
Associated Press reporters Hillel Italie in New York and Errin Haines Whack in Philadelphia contributed to this report.