November 12, 2015
By Amen Oyiboke and
Brian Carter, Staff Writers
On November 11, we remembered the Veterans who put their lives on the line serving our country and protecting the borders of our political interactions. Some carve the day out to barbecue and shake hands to say “thank you” to the men and women who served the country. But, beyond the handshakes and the one-day of recognition, what happens to the every day lives of these veterans?
“It’s just one day that people get excited and then the rest of the year they forget about us. It doesn’t really mean anything for me and isn’t anything special,” said Ronald Jackson, 66, a Vietnam Marine Corp veteran. Jackson, who received a purple heart during his service, isn’t the only veteran who feels the same way. LAWT/ Sentinel staff recently had the opportunity to sit down and speak with seven veterans from the Los Angeles Veteran Center in Gardena about what it means to be a veteran—a Black veteran in America.
The six veterans are Garnett Overby, 68, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years and served two tours in the Vietnam War. Arthur Jarrett, 68, served in the Marine Corps for 3 years and did one tour in the Vietnam War. Ramon Roberts, 68, who was apart of the eleven Armor Calvary in Vietnam and received two purple hearts and one bronze star. Charles O. Green Jr., 67, spent his service in the U.S. Army in Vietnam 1968 and 1970. Hayward Garner, 68, who has two purple hearts, was apart of the U.S. Army in Vietnam 1968-69. James Nall, 71, spent two years in the U.S. Army and one year in Vietnam and received one purple heart and one bronze star.
“It wasn’t until recent years that people showed that they care about Veteran’s Day,” said Roberts. “When I first came [from service] people would ask ‘how many people did you kill?’ and not ask about how we were actually doing. Now they took the time to show that they care—but I make my own celebration.”
Commemorating the act of service can come on and off for servicemen.
“I have bittersweet memories of being in service. I actually didn’t want to serve the country when I went,” said Green. He stated that he did not observe Veteran’s Day until 15 years ago. “My kids and grandkids started honoring it, so I joined them. But, I never did because of my experience when I came back from Vietnam.”
After completing his tour in Vietnam, Green flew into Washington to stay for some time and soon flew back to LAX to be home. While arriving to the airport, he was arrested while in his uniform and experienced forms of racism. "People don’t understand that we had to experience the terrors that come with serving the country and coming back to face the terrors of being Black in America,” said Green.
During the time of the Vietnam War, the U.S. was experiencing its own war—the war of separation through racism. Many of the African American service members had to come back home to deal with the criticism they would face from anti-war enthusiasts and segregationists.
“It was like a double whammy for Black vets. Some of us returned home with bad discharges and had no amnesty—due to racism. That’s when post traumatic stress started to kick in,” said Overby.
One thing Veteran’s Day doesn’t seem to highlight is the crippling effect of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on the lives of veterans. Black veterans unfortunately have the added stress of racism to complicate their return to society. The veterans spoke about the various trials they faced coming back from the Vietnam War.
“We were trained to fight, to shoot, hand-to-hand combat, all that good stuff but to kill somebody, kid, woman, another man—to kill someone, to stand there and shoot someone and see them fall, see that bullet hit them—that’s a whole different ball game,” said Green.
“For me, I think the PSTD started when I got to Vietnam because I was fighting two wars,” said Jackson. “Most of the guys I was stationed with were all white guys. They weren’t all bad, but the ones that were just made it that much worse. I had to deal with some of the South Vietnamese soldiers because the white [soldiers] influenced those people to call you that special name and looked at you in a different way like you were inhuman.”
“I had a problem with authority figures,” said Overby. “ I also had a problem sleeping—nightmares, intrusive thoughts, that’s basic amongst most combat vets, they’re going to have those problems. I had personality problems, I did not want to associate with society basically, I kind of isolated from society.”
“You numb it behind drinking the alcohol but when you’re at a job—you stay busy,” said Jarrett. “When you’re busy, you’re filling a void, you’re away from all the hum-drum and people don’t know where you been and that sort of gets you through.”
“After I left the war, I didn’t want to put my hand on [a weapon] because I see so many things out in the world now—it can really anger you. I don’t know if I could trust myself with a weapon,” said Nall.
The violent and traumatic realities of war altered their lives tremendously. Some of the vets spoke about how they experienced being ostracized or went into self-imposed alienation from friends and family.
“I was a present father but I wasn’t there, I was physically there but not mentally,” said Jackson. “So I really didn’t raise my kids, my wife did because she didn’t expect me to hang around too long with the way I was acting. It’s a lot of things like that that interfere with your lifestyle.”
“When I got home, I’d get all these stupid people coming up to me insulting me,” said Roberts.
“The worst thing of all is—I fly home and it’s 4th of July weekend and I just lost it. I’ve been fighting this stuff ever since. It goes away, then it comes back unexpectedly, for whatever reason, something triggers it.”
“When I started getting jobs, I had a problem with authority,” said Garner. “I left several jobs.
“When I came to the post office, it helped in a way because I was a postman. I was out there by myself and didn’t have to worry about nobody telling me what to do, looking over my shoulders.”
The veterans’ group meetings turned out to be heaven sent when it came to healing from their experiences. They were able to find comfort and understanding in each other’s struggles.
“I started feeling good when I got to know all these guys [members of his veterans group] because we all suffered from the same and we could understand each other,” said Overby.
“I’m with these guys every Wednesday and it just helps me to cope with what’s out there. It gives you a leg up on stuff that you’ve done,” said Jarrett.
At the end of the day, their saving grace is each other—they have the same story. Veterans share the common threads of war with blood, tears, heartache but most of all hope. It was hope that was behind each of their stories as they spoke about their journeys back from war.
November 05, 2015
By AMANDA LEE MYERS
Associated Press
He would approach his victims as they went about their daily routines on the streets of Los Angeles, usually in the late evening or early morning. First he would shoot, and then he would steal whatever he could grab before fleeing.
Between November 2011 and December 2014, the man known as the “Western Bandit” shot eight people, killing two of them. He fired on many more. His only apparent motive, police said, was robbery.
For five years, the Los Angeles Police Department has been trying to track him down. On Monday, they announced they had their man at last.
Patrick Watkins, 51, was charged Monday with 53 counts that included murder, attempted murder, and assault with a firearm, among others. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
It wasn’t clear whether Watkins had an attorney. He was expected to have his first court appearance on Tuesday.
“In some ways calling him a bandit doesn’t begin to capture the fear and the actions of this man,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference announcing Watkins’ arrest. “He’s a cold-blooded killer, somebody who terrorized the streets of Los Angeles for too long.”
The latest of 23 crimes linked to the case was the fatal shooting of 56-year-old Larise Smith as he walked his dog on Dec. 8, 2014. The other killing linked to the case is the November 2011 fatal shooting of 32-year-old Cassidy Vickers.
Capt. William Hayes, who heads the department’s elite Robbery Homicide Division, said the crimes were quickly linked because they had the same suspect description and all the victims were shot at before they were robbed.
“That’s very unusual,” Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said. “And it speaks to the dangerous nature of this individual and why he so richly deserves to be in prison.”
Beck said the same gun was used in all the cases and was recovered during Watkins’ arrest Thursday at his apartment.
A forensic test on a piece of DNA evidence collected from one of the crime scenes matched Watkins and was the key to cracking the case, police said.
“That was the trigger point for us,” Hayes said.
Detectives identified the piece of DNA evidence after going back over every crime connected in the case in a renewed effort to solve it, which included assigning it to a new unit.
Hayes said there was no apparent pattern in how the 35 victims in the case were chosen. Eighteen were men, 14 were women and three were transgendered.
“He came up to them randomly and attacked them,” Hayes said. “He would walk up and begin shooting ... Obviously this is a horrendous crime that somebody would go up without giving people a chance to surrender.”
November 05, 2015
By Dr. Valerie Wardlaw
Contributing Writer
The 2016 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Royal Court has a special connection to the Los Angeles Sentinel this year. Rose Princess Bryce Marie Bakewell is the daughter of the Executive Editor of the Sentinel, Danny Bakewell, Jr., and Tana Bakewell and the granddaughter of Chairman and CEO/Executive Publisher of the Sentinel, Danny Bakewell, Sr., and Mrs. Aline Bakewell.
Rose Princess Bryce, 17, resides in Pasadena and is a senior at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. She is the president of the Black Student Union and hopes to become a criminal justice attorney. A volunteer with a local daycare that cares for disabled children, Princess Bryce plans to attend college and major in U.S. History with a minor in Spanish. Princess Bryce enjoys yoga, volunteer work, and traveling. She has three siblings, Taelor, Danny III, and Devyn.
“We are extremely proud of Bryce. She is so excited because all the girls are friends and that makes it so nice for them,” said Bryce’s mother, Mrs. Tana Bakewell. Bryce’s father, Danny Bakewell, Jr., said, “As a father, what gives me the greatest joy is to see my children happy, and Bryce is so happy so naturally I am filled with joy and tremendous pride.”
When asked to describe her experience thus far as a princess on the Royal Court, Princess Bryce said, “I’m having the best time of my life. It is a lot of work but a labor of love. Being able to go into the community with my sisters and bring joy to the others, is amazing.” “I’m excited that I get to share this experience with Princess Regina, (Regina Marché Pullens), one of my closest friends. “For both of us to make it onto the court is really special. We never imagined that the two of us would be doing this together. Right before they announced the princesses, Regina said, ‘if you make it, I make it,’ and we did.”
Princess Regina, 17, is a senior at Maranatha High School and resides in Altadena. She is the daughter of Reginald and Renita Pullens. “To be a princess on the Rose Court means I get to honor my community and give back and I get to be a role model for young girls. It’s really such an honorable experience,” Princess Regina said. She has three siblings: Teneka, Reece, and Reid. Both princesses laughed when asked about perfecting the queenly wave saying, “it was hard at first but we have down and we’ll be ready.”
Sentinel Chairman and CEO/Executive Publisher Danny Bakewell Sr. acknowledged the specialness of this experience for his granddaughter, his family, and the African American community at large. “This is Bryce’s moment. Bryce has a great sense of self. She is very confident, young Black woman. It makes our heart smile to see how well she represents our family, our people, and young women,” Bakewell Sr., said. “I have a long history in Pasadena and with the Tournament of Roses. As a social justice activist, it was always my desire that people be given opportunities at all levels. It’s great to see the diversity that is represented on this Rose Court, it’s really gratifying. A number of people have said to me that they are inspired by the changes that the Tournament has made through the years. The Tournament of Roses does a great job and I hope they continue to move the organization forward.” “Bryce is a very loving granddaughter as all my granddaughters are. It’s a wonderful opportunity for Bryce. There’s so much she will learn and take away from this experience for the rest of her life so I’m really happy for her.” “Pasadena is community that we are committed too, so it’s really a tremendous honor,” Bryce’s grandmother, Mrs. Aline Bakewell said.
Chosen from over 900 young ladies and 39 finalists, princesses for the Royal Court were selected based on academic achievement, community service, and public speaking ability. The Royal Court will act as ambassadors for the Tournament of Roses and the Pasadena community at large making up to 100 community and media appearances. The appearances of Queen Erika and her Royal Court will culminate with the 127th Rose Parade presented by Honda and the 102nd Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual on January 1, 2016.
Erika Karen Winter, a 17-year old senior at Flintridge Preparatory School will represent the Tournament of Roses as its 98th Rose Queen. Completing the 2016 Royal Court are: Rose Princesses Natalie Breanne Hernandez-Barber, Alverno High School; Rachelle Chacal Renee Liu, San Marino High School; Donaly Elizabeth Marquez, Blair High School; and Sarah Sumiko Shaklan, La Canada High School.
For more information on the 127th Rose Parade presented by Honda and the 102nd Rose Bowl game presented by Northwestern Mutual, visit www.tournamentofroses.com. For biographies of the 2016 Royal Court, visit www.lasentinel.net/news.
October 29, 2015
By Dr. Valerie Wardlaw
Contributing Writer
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses chose Erika Karen Winter, a 17-year old senior at Flintridge Preparatory School as its 98th Rose Queen for the 127th Rose Parade on Thursday, October at the Pasadena Convention Center.
Completing the 2016 Court are Rose Princesses Bryce Marie Bakewell, Flintridge Sacerd Heart Academy; Natalie Breanne Hernandez-Barber, Alverno High School; Rachelle Chacal Renee Liu, San Marino High School; Donaly Elizabeth Marquez, Blair High School; Regina Marché Pullens, Maranatha High School; and Sarah Sumiko Shaklan, La Canada High School.
The Royal Court was chosen from over 900 young ladies who were selected based on academic achievement, community service, and public speaking ability. The Royal Court will make up to 100 community and media appearances, culminating with the 127th Rose Parade and the 102nd Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2016.
“Rose Queen Erika and each member of the Royal Court have embarked on an exciting adventure and we are eager for them to encourage others to find their adventure throughout their community,” said Tournament of Roses President Matthiessen.