October 29, 2015
By Cora Jackson-Fossett
Staff Writer
Several African American clergy gathered at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Los Angeles to request an apology from the Black Lives Matter Los Angeles Chapter leaders for disrupting a town hall meeting with Mayor Eric Garcetti, held last week in the sanctuary of Holman United Methodist Church.
While Garcetti was speaking last week at Holman United Methodist Church, members of the group stood and turned their backs on the mayor. Some then began shouting during the meeting and walked to the church's altar, where the speakers were assembled, prompting the meeting to be cut short.
Holman Pastor Kelvin Sauls, Rev. Xavier Thompson of Southern Missionary Baptist Church and president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Los Angeles and Southern California, and the Rev. K.W. Tulloss, pastor of Weller Street Missionary Baptist Church and president of the L.A. chapter of the National Action Network, joined with other ministers and community leaders at a press conference on October 26 to denounce the behavior of Black Lives Matter activists.
During the town hall meeting some media reported profanity and insults directed to Sauls by members of Black Lives Matter and Garcetti had to be escorted out of the church by security.
“We’re asking that Black Lives Matter Los Angeles apologize publicly for what took place publicly. To disrespect a prominent pastor, one that loves the people of the community and loves his church and to disrespect a historical church in the community that’s been right there for us for many years is not acceptable,” said Tulloss.
“We are calling the Black Lives Matter leaders into accountability. Come let us reason together. Let’s talk, let’s air out whatever differences, whether it be our message or our methods. We certainly hope that Black Lives will reach out and do the right thing,” said Thompson.
However, Melina Abdullah, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles spokesperson, feels differently and believes that responsibility for the incident falls on Garcetti.
“I think that the one who needs to apologize is the mayor. [He] attempted to use and exploit the Black community and …create tension within the Black community where none previously existed,” she said.
Abdullah argues that the real problem is Garcetti’s lack of involvement in community issues that impact South L.A.
“We are calling for unity. We should continue to work together and we should not allow a mayor who has been absent from South Los Angeles and unwilling to get to the real issues in our community to create a wedge within the community. We need to remember who is ultimately responsible for this and we say Mayor Eric Garcetti,” Abdullah insisted.
Several outlets reported that members of Black Lives Matter said they were upset that Garcetti did not notify them of the town hall meeting, despite having earlier promised to meet with the group to discuss concerns.
In response, both Tulloss and Sauls noted that group not only knew about the town hall, but also participated in planning the event. Sauls noted that 17 groups were part of the coalition, including Black Lives Matter.
“Our plan was to meet with the mayor and his department heads and begin to develop strategies in various areas that would help our community, utilizing those who have been at the forefront of the struggle. That was the outcome we were seeking,” Sauls said. “Unfortunately, it became clear to us that Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and their allies were more interested in objecting than the outcomes.”
Abdullah disputed that account as well, countering that Black Lives Matter Los Angeles was not part of the original planning team even though the group had negotiated a series of town halls with Garcetti last July. She said Black Lives Matter learned about the town hall from an L.A. Times reporter a week before the meeting.
“By the time we were brought in, the speakers had been confirmed, the agenda had been set, flyers gone to the community, so we tried to repair it, … create something that was more of a community-driven process,” said Abdullah.
Despite the incident, both Abdullah and the ministers agreed that they would continue to seek a united front among all groups as well as communicate with city officials and department managers to improve the quality of life throughout South Los Angeles neighborhoods.
”We have, in the past, worked together for a long time and so we can’t allow someone else who is not of our community determine what our relationships will be within the community,” she said.
Sauls observed that the concerns of South L.A. residents encompass a multitude of issues.
“In the end, this is not just about Holman and Black Lives Matter. This is about the pain that’s going on in our community, the marginalization, discrimination, and destruction in our community,” he said.
“We are committed, undeterred, determined to get back on track, refine our agenda and move forward around social justice, around economic development, around ending state-sanctioned violence and around ending the violence in our community.”
October 22, 2015
By FREIDA FRISARO and
KELLI KENNEDY
Associated Press
The siblings of a missing 11-year-old Florida girl told child welfare investigators that they went to school one day and never saw their sister again, and one boy told them, "I think she is dead or something," according to an affidavit in the case.
The girl's mother, Keishanna Thomas, 31, remained in jail Tuesday on contempt and child abuse charges. She has refused to talk about the whereabouts of Janiya Thomas. She appeared before Circuit Judge Diana Moreland again Tuesday morning, and Assistant Public Defender Franklin Roberts said Thomas is "not going to be making any statements at all."
Another hearing on the contempt charge is planned for Thursday morning.
The heavily redacted affidavit, dated Monday and first reported by the Bradenton Herald, was released by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. It describes remarks made by the three oldest of Thomas' five children in interviews with investigators. One child told them that Thomas punished Janiya for soiling herself by leaving her inside a bathroom for long periods of time. When asked how long, the child said it was a week or so, with Janiya even eating in the bathroom. He said his mother slept in the front room so she could catch Janiya if she tried to sneak out at night.
When asked how the girl celebrated her birthday last year, the child said Janiya just stayed in the bathroom. One child said the mother used a belt and punched Janiya.
Manatee County Sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said that since 2003, there have been 10 reports involving the family, including the most recent one, which was opened Sept. 23.
Authorities say they think Janiya has been missing for at least a year, but they didn't know she was gone until Friday, when investigators went to Thomas' Bradenton apartment to take custody of the children. That move stemmed from a previous incident involving alleged abuse of her 12-year-old son. The investigators found four children, ranging in age from 2 to 15, but couldn't find Janiya. They say Keishanna Thomas refused to tell them where the child was.
Police began searching for the missing girl, and eventually relatives heard about the search. That prompted the child's grandmother on Sunday evening to open a padlocked freezer that had been dropped off at her house last week by Keishanna Thomas and a man. Inside, they found a body and called police.
The medical examiner's office has not confirmed the body is Janiya, but police believe it is.
October 22, 2015
by Charlene Muhammad
Contributing Writer
Black America, and particularly Black youth, made a significant turn with the successful Justice or Else gathering commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Million March on October 10.
According to Jesse Muhammad, Social Media Director for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, the youth represented approximately 85 percent of those who answered Minister Farrakhan’s call for unity, an end to police brutality, an economic boycott of Christmas and holiday spending, and for accountability.
“We who are getting older—and I’m speaking now of myself and my generation—what good are we if we don’t prepare young people to carry the torch of liberation to the next step? What good are we if we think we can last forever, and not prepare others to walk in our footsteps,” Minister Farrakhan said as he noted the youth’s response to the call which he said could only have been made by God, not man.
Some said they appreciated Minister Farrakhan calling out America’s hypocritical foreign policy in the face of injustices to her own citizens. Many said they were bowled over by the astonishingly, sincere display of unity.
“It was a beautiful message that I hope everybody felt inspired to keep the unity and the peace in the Black community, and I hope that we get the justice that we deserve, that we can all come together as one people to save our Black community and keep the money in our community instead of giving it to the enemy,” said 17-year-old Malik Muhammad of Compton.
“I take Minister Farrakhan’s message to the youth as we have a job to do and there’s nothing to do but just work. When he gives us the torch like he said, it’s our job to make sure we keep it lit, and work hard,” he continued.
“This was much needed and very inspirational. This is my first time seeing him and being in his presence and the energy is so vibrant, lovely, and it’s a lot to take away,” said Brent Gates of Atlanta, GA. “Honestly I’m still just absorbing it all, really. Do something. Take a stand and build amongst your community, build each other up instead of tear each other down is the message I’m taking away from today,” Gates stated.
Akeem Mapp attended Justice or Else with four friends from Boston, MA. He was six-years-old when he attended the historic 1995 Million Man March with his father and
approximately two million other Black men.
“He touched on every area I wanted to hear about,” the 26-year-old stated. “I don’t know where to begin. One thing I could say is when he brought up eating properly, that wasn’t even something I was expecting. That shows you how liberal he is. This was powerful,” Mapp added.
Liseli Walan said she wept throughout Minister Farrakhan’s message. “The message is clear. It’s empowering. It’s right on! It’s the truth,” she expressed.
“He’s not about violence. He’s about let’s set it straight. Let’s fix it ourselves, because they’re not going to fix it for us,” Walan said. She was eager to return home to spread the word about what she’d experienced.
“I’m going to tell them it’s a revolution, but it’s not a bloody revolution. It’s a revolution of change and setting it right, because Minister Farrakhan is right. The United States, it’s the day of reckoning, and the time has come, and that’s why they’re scared,” Walan said.
She was awe-struck when Minister Farrakhan asked Muslim women draped in pastel colored garments to join him on the Capitol steps.
“That was so powerful, when the women walked up there with so much pride and dignity, and each one more beautiful than the next. I thought to myself, what man would choose something cheap over something so incredibly deep and beautiful that stood there with such pride,” she said.
“There was so much pride and inner beauty, I was just so moved,” Walan stated.
October 15, 2015
By ELIAS MESERET
Associated Press
Ethiopia's government is calling for international assistance to help feed 8.2 million people after erratic rains devastated crop yields.
Climate shocks are common in Ethiopia and often cause poor or failed harvests that lead to acute food shortages.
The government has allocated $192 million for food and other aid and is appealing for $596 million in assistance from the international community for the remainder of 2015, said Mitiku Kassa, secretary of the Ethiopian Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Committee.
More than 300,000 children are in need of specialized nutritious food and a projected 48,000 more children under 5 are suffering from severe malnutrition, according to a government assessment conducted in September.
The situation is "incredibly serious," said John Aylieff, an official in Ethiopia with the U.N.'s World Food Program, who said Ethiopia needs the international community to help remedy the worst effects of El Nino conditions.
The conflict in South Sudan is also exacerbating the food insecurity situation, said Dennis Weller, the USAID mission director in Ethiopia. Since the outbreak of violence in South Sudan in mid-December 2013, hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese refugees have fled to Ethiopia and are living alongside local communities.
"We are seeing malnutrition rates go up in some of the host communities. We are looking at ways of reducing the stress levels to the host communities in Ethiopia by providing supplementary feeding that could bring the malnutrition levels down," he said.