5 POINTS NEWS - March 2019

Happenings in and around Historic 5 Points, Northeast Denver and Aurora March 2019

Wallace Simpson American Legion Post 29

5 POINTS NEWS

Proud Recipient of the Dr. Syl Morgan Smith Excellence in Media Award, the Colorado Black Roundtable Commitment to Service Award and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Colorado Media Award

Black soldiers have fought in every U.S. battle, war and skirmish since the inception of the country. Sadly, many of their stories are untold. Wallace Simpson was ship steward during WWI and the first Black Colorado soldier to die as a result of the USS Jacob Jones being torpedoed in 1918. Veterans returned home from fighting in segregated troops to a segregated society. Black veterans were excluded from American Legion Post 1, so the Wallace Simpson American Legion Post 29 was created in Five Points. They continue to meet the first Saturday of each month. For information contact 1st Vice-commander Charles Fulton at 720.298.1850.

2019 Denver Little Black Book Release Party

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2019 Denver Little Black Book publisher Carla Ladd (left) RJ Price along with Gregory Robert Anderson (right)

The search is over for those looking for barbers, stylists, financial professionals and other services? DenverBlackPages.com celebrated the 2019 Denver Little Black Book Release Party Feb. 21st at the Black woman owned Bar Helix located in Historic Five Points. The overflow crowed included Black entrepreneurs, elected officials, artists, activists and more.

“Driven by an educated, talented and diverse workforce, businesses chose Denver’s robust economy for new operations and relocation. A hub for start-up businesses and propelled by our nationally recognized Start-Up Week, Forbes magazine continues to rank Denver as one of the top five places for businesses and professionals. Additionally, the Mile-High City continues to rank as one of the best places to live. It is an exciting time to live, work and thrive in the Denver Metro Area,” says Publisher Carla Ladd. “The Denver Little Black Book showcases Denver Metro’s African American community and shares our rich heritage, culture and people with both visitors and residents,” Denver Metro’s 30 Most Influential African Americans (listed in the Little Black Book) was also unveiled also with a special to this year’s recipients. Available in both print and on-line, this exclusive annual Resource/Entertainment Guide contains things to do, places to go and resources essential for visitors, newcomers, and long-time residents to keep handy in print and on mobile devices.

Readers are encouraged to patronize the advertisers and tell them you found them in The Denver Little Black Book. For your copy visit www.DenverBlackPages.com.

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12 Black car dealership owner, legendary videographer and Bar Helix owner where just a few notables in attendance. Visit www.DenverBlackPages to learn more

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Leanne Wheeler to Seek Aurora City Council Seat

I Only Have Two Word

Dr. Syl Morgan-Smith presents brother jeff with the Warrior of the Year Award

I am humbled that several individuals and organizations have taken time to honor me over the past few months. 5 POINTS NEWS has received a past award for our journalism from Dr. Syl Morgan Smith. So imagine my surprise when the “First Lady of Gospel” called and told me I was receiving an award at her 48th Annual Colorado Gospel Music Academy Hall of Fame Awards.

“But Dr. Syl, you already gave me an award,” I said. She told me that was one award and this was another. “You need to get three awards to qualify for entry into the Colorado Gospel Music Academy Hall of Fame,” she said. During Black History Month Dr. Syl gave me the Warrior of the Year Award. Wow! In January the great P.M Winn called to say she was honoring me with the GMWA Colorado Springs Chapter Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Sadly, I was out of town and unable to attend. Not to worry, P.M. drove down to Denver from Colorado Springs and presented me with the award at a New Hope Baptist Church function. Wow! Next I received a call from the extraordinary entrepreneur Carla Ladd. I was happy the be invited to her 2019 Denver Little Black Book release party. Carla went further and told me that I was included in the 30 Metro Denver Most Influential African Americans and Politicians. Wow! I know this recognition is not only about me. It is our entire community and collective work that is being honored. As such, I want to express my appreciation to everyone that makes what we do possible (and yes, that includes you the reader).

I am going to conclude with two powerful words, two words that will open many doors and take anyone further than they imagine possible. Thank you.

–brother jeff

5 POINTS NEWS Monthly Publication March 2019

Publisher brother jeff Editor brother jeff

Layout & Design Cynthia R. Martin Photography A-Team Photography brother jeff Lens of Ansar

Leanne Wheeler, center, with supporters as she announced her bid for Aurora City Council At-Large seat

US Air Force Veteran and Small Business Owner, Leanne Wheeler, announced her candidacy for Aurora City Council AtLarge, in the November 2019 Municipal Election.

“I am honored to announce my candidacy for At-Large Council Member, in the city that holds my heart. Work brought me to Aurora in 1996, and my love for this community keeps me here. I am confident that Aurora can be the place where every community member can live, play and work. It will take a Council committed to rolling up its collective sleeves to get there, and I am the At-Large Candidate to spark that alignment and forge the path forward, in lock step with our community.”

“We need a clear-eyed, 20/20 Vision to build a city government that is transparent, ethical and high performing. I will focus on constituent-centered governance, by supporting policies that contribute to the social, economic, and environmental health of our community.”

“Aurora is a special city; and we are

growing metropolis. I am vested in my intentional home city and committed to ensuring our city operates under responsible and ethical governance, as we grow with an ever-changing world. My commitment to our neighbors is to encourage other forms of revenue for the city that allows Aurora to diversify our income opportunities and make Aurora a bedrock community where both families AND businesses thrive.

“I hold firm that the function of our government, is to support and enable citizens and neighbors to solve our own community ills. Our council is missing this critical mark in staggering ways. We’ve only to look to our neighbors at The Denver Meadows, and the recent multi-million-dollar Permanent Supportive Housing Development, a mere mile or so from our Town Center. I am ready to partner with my neighbors as their At-Large Council Member and take on the challenge of this fundamental paradigm shift in our culture at Aurora City Hall.”

–Source: Wheeler for City Council

Contributing Writers & Researchers brother jeff Aliyah Fard Jim “Dr. Daddio” Walker Jon Bowman Distribution Gerald Borden 5 Points News is a publication of brotherjeff.com 2836 Welton Street Denver, CO 80205 303.297.0823 5pointsnews@brotherjeff.com

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In Loving Memory ~ Kenya Michelle Carter DeAndre “Elway” Lee Abrams ~

August 7, 1975 ~ February 2, 2019

Kenya Michelle Carter was born August 7, 1975, in Spokane, Washington, to Florine Gordon Cannady and Carl Carter.

She was the second of three children born into this family.

The Carter family moved to Denver when Kenya was an infant. She was a fun-loving girl who had command over her brothers Isaac and Dante. She was educated in the Denver Public School

System, having attended Wyman Elementary, Cole Junior High, East and George Washington High School.

Kenya gave her life to Christ at an early age. She grow-up attending the House of Joy Miracle Deliverance Church under the leadership of the late Apostle Ralph Beechum.

Six years ago, Kenya moved to Houston, Texas to train and work as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She found the work of helping others very gratifying.

Family was Kenya’s priority. Her mother, brothers, four children, and four grandchildren were her world. Family gatherings, cookouts, partying with her friends and dancing was her joy. She was a great cook with seafood being her favorite. She was a woman of style with a wardrobe that reflected her personality.

Kenya departed this life on February 2, 2019. Left to cherish her memory is her mother, Florine Cannaday: father, Carl Carter; brothers, Isaac Carter and Dante Estes; her children, Kendja, Kendall, Kennedi Carter and Keir Ryan; grandchildren, Zyion Carter, Tahleel Khabir, McKenna Carter and Kambry Carter; grandmother, Minnie Gordon; a host of nieces, nephews, relatives and devoted friends.

Donna Marie Alexis

April 6, 1968 ~ February 10, 2019

Donna Marie Alexis was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on April 6, 1968 to her parents, Don Alexis and Earleen Jackson.

Donna was the third child born out of five children. She was blessed with siblings, Danny Billings, Michael Alexis, Sherill Alexis and Christopher Alexis. Donna was very close to her siblings, and they loved hanging out together most of the

time.

Donna attended school in the Denver Public Schools District, graduating from the legendary Manual High School in Denver, Colorado. She was a proud graduate of the class of 1982.

A proud and confident woman, she was known as the “Fashionista of Colorado.” She was definitely a “Go-getta,” as her family affectionately knew her to be.

Donna was a woman with an incredible heart and loving spirit. As a trailblazer, Donna pursued her greatest desire of owning her own business which she named “Trezur’s Kitchen”. All her customers and family member will never forget how she ran her business with honesty and loyalty throughout the community. To know Donna was to love Donna.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents Donna Marie Alexis departed this life on February 10, 2019. She is survived by her loving children, Koskei (Shazeeda) Johnson; two daughters, Molia Phillips and Dakahnea Bahn; two grandchildren, Justice Phillips and Zawadi Johnson; her brothers, Danny Billings, Michael Alexis, Christopher (Nakia) Alexis; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

To Place an Obituary, In Memoriam or Death Notice in 5 POINTS NEWS Send it to 5PointsNews@brotherjeff.com I feel your wings brush against my face wiping away the tears I shed since I can no longer hold you in my arms but in my heart.

–Author Unknown

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January 20, 1987 ~ January 21, 2019

Deandre “Elway” Lee Abrams affectionately called “Elway” by family and friends was born on January 20, 1987, in Denver, Colorado to his parents, Jacqueline M. Abrams, and Darrell Jones. He was the second child born in the family. He was raised surrounded by his sisters, Jamika, Talisa, and his step-brother, Christopher. As a child, he is remembered as a little daredevil. He loved flipping off buildings and cars. He loved playing sports which included basketball, football, and baseball.

Deandre received his formal education in Denver where he graduated from Manual High School in 2005. In 2010, Deandre and Paris Landrum began chatting, and on April 25, 2015, Deandre proposed to Paris in Denver, Colorado. She remembers his laughs and his love. To this union, a daughter, named Za’Riya Jordan (1924-2016) pictured in her with the late Sara Foster Nevaeh AbramsCharlene was born.

He was also the proud father of two other daughters, Aziya and Aniza. Deandra enjoyed teaching them to dress, always making them laugh, the family trips to California and Las Vegas. He also loved teaching them how to flip and building forts out of covers.

By profession, Deandre was a Business Entrepreneur and he worked in Construction. He was the type of man who didn’t mind working hard. When he set his mind to any goal or objective, he stuck with until it was completed.

A man of faith and belief in the Lord, Deandre attended Friendship Baptist Church of Christ Jesus under the pastoral leadership of Pastor Paul and Evangelist Dallas Burleson. He loved the church ministry and the wisdom and knowledge he gained as he worshipped the Lord.

“Elway” was a fun-loving man who enjoyed life and those he encircled. In his free time, he enjoyed shopping, making custom shirts, rapping, hanging out with family and friends, and visiting the mountains. His closest friends, Marshae Wheelock, Urocca Guyton “RIP” Marlow Martin “RIP”, and Keisha Stewart will all miss the camaraderie’s they shared together and the fact that he was a true and trusted friend. He was extremely close to his nieces and nephews Da-Janah, DayUahsha, Dalani, Jazzmaurie, and Alaya, who all were the world to him, and he loved each of them unconditionally.

Everyone who had contact with Elway will miss his smile that was filled with love. His sister called him “blue human sour patch.” They will also miss him hosting the Denver Water Warz, his Trappin, and Rapping. To know Deandre was to love him.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.~ 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 Deandre “Elway” Lee Abrams departed this life on January 21, 2019, in Denver, Colorado. Those left to cherish his memories and mourn his loss include his wife, Paris Landrum; 3 daughters, Za’Riya N. Abrams, Aziya A. V. Russell and Aniza Z.M. Russell; his mother, Jacqueline M. (Shawn) Gilkey, 1 brother, Christopher Pounds; 3 sisters, Jamika D. Abrams, Talisa M. Means, and Sinead L. Jones; his aunt, Francis Huguley all of whom reside in Denver, Colorado. He also leaves a host of other relatives and many friends.

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Tay Anderson Running for Denver School Board

At-Large School Board Candidate Tay Anderson

Tay Anderson who ran for Denver Public School’s Board of Education seat in District 4 during the 2017 elections, has once again committed to the students, educators, and community of Denver and will be campaigning to be elected for the AtLarge seat to be decided on in the November 2019 elections. Anderson’s Statement: I submitted my statement of intent to the Denver Elections Division, Colorado Secretary of State, and the Board of Education to seek the At-Large position on the Denver School Board in November of 2019. This decision did not come lightly, after a lot of thought, prayer, and seeking guidance from mentors, I decided this is the path I need to pursue to fulfill my commitment to the students, teachers, and community of Denver. I learned many valuable lessons during my campaign in 2017 and I know that I need to prepare and ensure that I have the adequate time to be in every part of Denver to connect

with as many voters as possible which is why I am getting to work now!

My dedication to Denver Public Schools has always been deeply personal and this campaign is reflective of that. As I gear up for another campaign I am once again driven and motivated by my grandmother who was an educator for over 35 years. Her tenacity to never give up is what drives my passion for the students in Denver Public Schools. I am determined to follow in her footsteps. I have organized students around school safety and more importantly impacted students’ lives in Denver Public Schools and Aurora Public Schools. These students have a voice and I am prepared to fight for their agency in their education.

I am embarking on this journey with an open mind and a commitment to listening to all students, educators, and community members that make up Denver Public Schools. I am here to learn and to that end you will see me at bargaining sessions, community meetings, and many other meetings and community forums.

Finally, It’s important for me to be clear that I am a fierce advocate for a quality public school in every neighborhood. Students, parents and community, my commitment is to students in whatever building they attend school. I hope you will join me in making sure that every student has an equitable opportunity to succeed.

–For Questions or Comments contact: Tay Anderson 720-641-5150 www.tayanderson.org Editor’s note: Former DPS school board member Dr. Nate Easley is considering entering the 2020 school board race.

Denver Educators End Strike the Denver Classroom Teachers Association reached an historic agreement with Denver Public Schools on behalf of Denver’s educators. The tentative agreement, which must be ratified by the full DCTA membership, reforms a pay system which largely relied on unstable bonuses, and provides stability for students who, for the past ten years, have had their education disrupted by a compensation schedule that drove their teachers away from the district. DCTA teachers may return to the classroom today. If teachers choose not to return to work, DPS has stated that they will be unpaid.

“This agreement is a win, plain and simple: for our students; for our educators; and for our communities,” said DCTA President Henry Roman, an elementary school teacher. “No longer will our students see their education disrupted because their teachers cannot afford to stay in their classrooms. We are thankful that both sides were able to come together after 15 months of bargaining to ensure our educators have a transparent salary schedule with a professional base salary scale and less reliance on unpredictable bonuses that disrupt our schools.

Every Denver educator should be proud today that they accomplished something historic for their students.”

The full tentative agreement will posted on the DCTA website later today.

Highlights of the agreement include an increase of between seven and eleven percent in base salary on a clear and transparent 20-step salary schedule, full cost of living increases in years two and three of the agreement, the opportunity to use professional development to move lanes on the salary schedule, and an end to exorbitant five-figure bonuses for senior DPS administrators. Both sides also agreed to a study of the effects of high priority school bonuses on teacher retention.

“I am overwhelmed with gratitude for our Denver educators for being brave and bold and for standing up for Denver students and our profession,” said Amie Baca-Oehlert, high school counselor and president of the Colorado Education Association. “Denver educators didn’t just fight for their students, profession and community. They have led the way for our entire state by bringing to the forefront our students’ need for qualified, committed, and caring educators that can afford to stay in the classroom and live in the communities where they teach.”

Denver educators went on strike for our students on February 11 after 15 months of negotiations to reform the ProComp pay system with Denver Public Schools. The district repeatedly brought proposals to the table that exacerbated the problems educators were trying to fix, and did not deliver a professional salary plan that would pay all teachers a living wage and limit unpredictable bonuses that disrupt our students’ education. A breakthrough occurred DPS and DCTA worked late into the night and were able to find common ground on many of the issues that have disrupted our students’ education.

–DCTA 6 8 5 Points News

School Board Directs District to Better Serve Blacks

Every Denver public school soon will be required to develop a plan to boost the success of black and African-American students by embracing their strengths rather than focusing on the challenges they face.

That’s according to a resolution unanimously passed Thursday night by the Denver school board. The resolution, which would also require district employees to take training on implicit bias, was shepherded by Jennifer Bacon, who was elected in 2017 to represent northeast Denver and is one of two black members on the diverse school board. Longer-serving board members said it was overdue.

“With good intentions, we were battling the idea that singling out a group of students was not acceptable,” said Happy Haynes, who has served on the board since 2011. “We were always talking about, ‘all students, all students.’”

In doing so, Haynes said, “we lost sight of so many of our students. So I really celebrate this change in our thinking.”

Denver Public Schools’ data show big disparities in how black students are served by the district. While 13 percent of the approximately 93,000 students are black, 28 percent of out-of-school suspensions last year were given to black students, 16.5 percent of students identified as having a disability were black, Just 10 percent of students enrolled in rigorous high school courses were black.

The focus on black students comes after more than a year of relentless and high-profile advocacy from black parents and activists, and 2½ years after a damning report about how black teachers and students are treated in Denver Public Schools.

Known colloquially as the Bailey Report, it was based on interviews with black educators conducted by former school board member Sharon Bailey, who has studied racial dynamics in Denver.

It found that black educators feel isolated and mistreated by the district, and perceive that black students are more harshly disciplined in part because the young white women who make up a sizeable portion of the teacher workforce are afraid of them.

The report led to a task force, which presented the district with 11 recommendations. Among them: offering signing bonuses to help attract more black teachers, making student discipline data count toward school ratings, and requiring each school to create a plan “designed to strengthen relationships between AfricanAmericans and schools.”

Nearly two years later, none of that has happened. And much of what the district has done has been voluntary for teachers and schools. Meanwhile, the data keeps mounting.

Last year, 67 percent of black students graduated on time, meaning within four years of starting high school, compared with 78 percent of white students.

On state math tests, 17 percent of black students in grades three through eight scored on grade level, compared with 65 percent of white students. The literacy gap was similar.

Avery Williams, a senior at George Washington High School, told the school board at a work session in December that “there’s an awkwardness around being black” in Denver schools.

“Teachers, specifically white teachers, don’t know how to act around me,” Williams said. Many of her classmates, she said, “do not know how to have respectful conversations because they’re afraid of being offensive or because they’re not educated in the right terminology.”

Michael Filmore, a junior at East High School, spoke about being one of only a few black students in his more rigorous classes, an experience Williams shares. After taking remedial classes his freshman year at East, Filmore said he decided to take all honors classes as a sophomore. He also took the public bus to school and was often late for first period.

“I would walk in the classroom and I would feel like I didn’t belong there,” Filmore told the board. “I felt uncomfortable and that I shouldn’t be in these classes. I was pressured. I eventually dropped the class. My junior year, I felt that I would never let myself down again.”

At that December session, Bacon expressed a desire to more explicitly address issues affecting black students. The district has put that kind of focus on students learning English as a second language, many of whom are Hispanic, after a federal judge found the district was violating their rights. Under that order, the district has developed specific methods for teaching English language learners. It requires all new teachers to get certified to teach them.

Bacon and others questioned why that hasn’t happened for black students, as well.

“It’s not because there’s a lack of effort, will, or love,” Bacon said in an interview. “I think it’s because we’re not organized properly and we don’t have an internal stake in the ground around expectations, outcomes, and accountability measures. People want to see DPS is doing that.”

Her fellow board members agreed.

On Thursday, they took turns thanking her for bringing forth the resolution, which directs the district to do several things: Require all schools, including district-run and charter schools, to review data about student academic performance, discipline, and referrals for special education to understand how each school’s black students are doing “on an individual level” Require all schools to set goals for supporting black students that prioritize giving them “access to grade-level and more rigorous coursework” Require school leaders to articulate how they will monitor progress toward their goals Train all district staff on implicit bias and culturally responsive education Conduct an “equity audit” to understand what the district is doing well and what it is not to figure out how it “can better prioritize the success of our black students” It will now be up to new Superintendent Susana Cordova, who made equity a cornerstone of her bid for the district’s top job, to carry out the directive. The resolution gives her until May 31 to come up with a plan that would go into effect by the start of the next school year.

“We know that we have a painful and inequitable history of outcomes for our students,” Cordova said. “But facing this with courage, facing this in community, facing this with our stakeholders, our parents, our family members, our community members, and our students holding us accountable, I believe deeply in the ability of people to come together to solve these problems.”

–By Melanie Asmar This article originally appeared in www.Chalkbeat.org.

Reprinted with permission @MELANIEASMAR MASMAR@CHALKBEAT.ORG

So Very Much to Talk About

Jon Bowman 5 POINTS NEWS Journalist

So much has happened since last we talked, starting with the Denver Teachers Strike, which saw teachers walk out for a week before the instructors and District came up with a solution and teachers settled upon a new contract.

Then 46-year-old, TJ Cunningham -a former CU Buffalo football player - was laid to rest last week after being murdered over a parking space dispute with his 31-year-old neighbor. Services were held at Heritage Christian Center in Aurora.

The men had been at odds over the space for some time. In mid-February, the pair agreed to “settle things” by heading to a nearby school complex.

One witness told investigators that both men rushed at each other, shouting threats, when Marcus Johnson is said to have pulled a hand gun and opened fired hitting the Hinkley High Asst. Principal three times. The ‘much-loved’ former NFL player leaves behind a wife and three children.

Sad to think that now two families

will go forward without a father in the home, one dead and the other caught-up in prison drama.

In other news, New York State had to pass a law to allow Blacks and others to be able to grow and wear the hair style they want without discrimination. Just think about that one.

And I’ve got to mention Jussie Smollett. Apparently, Terrence Howard had a complete meltdown on the set of “Empire” after Smollett was arrested for allegedly staging his “attack.”

Sources on the “Empire” set told TMZ that Howard was so upset he refused to come out of his trailer for most of the day.

The fellow actor didn’t believe Jussie’s account from the get-go, he felt the story never added up. They said Howard grilled Smollett periodically as holes began to emerge in story.

I agree with Sir Charles: “America, when you do a crime, don’t pay with a personal check!”

What a week, and I didn’t even mention 45 and Michael Cohen’s testimony.

Everybody, please stay engaged and hold those these elected officials accountable every two or four years.

–Jon Bowman

Did You Know Denver elections are taking place in May 2019?

Get registered and vote?

Death Penalty is Unfair Justice, It’s Time We Abolish It

State Senator Angela Williams District 33

In 1972, Justice Douglas in Georgia v.

Furman argued that the rarity of the death sentence and the great amount of discretion left to prosecutors would ultimately lead to an arbitrary and racially disparate application. And he was not wrong.

Indeed, as applied, Colorado’s death penalty certainly discriminates. In fact, Colorado’s death penalty was born from lynchings. Between 1859 and 1919, Coloradans lynched 175 people, and, application of the death penalty since its genesis has always been unequally applied. Take for example the 1876 murder by three white men. The murder was unequivocally brutal, but the murderers received a sentence of life in prison. Fast forward: Less than one year later, an African-American male who was convicted of murdering one person became the first person legally executed by our state.

The common response I often hear is that the death penalty is or should only be reserved for the worst of the worst. But the facts tell a different story.

A recent study by the University of Denver examined 500 murder cases from

1999 to 2010. In those cases, at least one of the aggravating factors to qualify the case for the death penalty was present. Interestingly, out of all these cases, the death penalty was only sought through sentencing in just five -cases. This does not strike me as justice.

Even more striking of questionable justice is a glance at who currently sits on death row - three African American males, all from Aurora, who attended the same high school and have been prosecuted by the 18th Judicial District.

That same University of Denver study shows us that prosecutors in Colorado are five times more likely to seek the death penalty against minority defendants. Some will point to James Holmes as a defense against the racial inequities’ argument.

Holmes committed the brutal murder of 12 people, and can be without a doubt considered the worst of the worst. He and his attorneys offered to plea guilty and accept a sentence of life without parole. Regardless, District Attorney George Brauchler went full steam ahead in pursuit of the death penalty. After spending millions of dollars on pursuing this ultimate punishment, the jury delivered a NO death penalty verdict, and Holmes now sits in prison for the rest of his life -- an outcome that was offered years before.

Since 1967, only one person has been executed in Colorado, and this was during a period in which 8,100 homicides were committed in this state. Thankfully, the death penalty is rarely used -- but still we can no longer justify having this penalty as an option. It is both ineffective and applied disproportionately to people of color. Let’s abolish the death penalty and be done with it for good.

–Senator Angela Williams District 33

Public Integrity Division Names Executive Advisory Board Members

The Public Integrity Division (PID), under Denver’s Department of Public Safety, is taking its first major step towards becoming operational with the appointment of the 15-member Executive Advisory Board.

Per the December 2018 announcement by Mayor Michael B. Hancock and Executive Director of Public Safety, Troy Riggs, the PID will be a fully civilianized division responsible for investigating misconduct complaints against sworn members of the Denver Sheriff Department and reviewing investigative findings for potential rule violations.

The Board was established to review materials being drafted by two subcommittees and make recommendations to the Executive Director on policies, procedures and identified training needs for the PID. “I am happy we were able to get such a diverse group of individuals together for the Executive Advisory Board,” said Executive Director Riggs. “We want to create a division that will serve as a national model for investigations and the Board’s

insight will be invaluable to that process.”

Chaired by Deputy Director of Public Safety, Eric Williams, a 12-year veteran of the FBI who has extensive experience in investigations, the Board members include representatives from the City Attorney’s Office, Sheriff Department staff and the Sheriff’s unions, community members, Denver Police and the Office of the Independent Monitor. The Board is also being advised by former U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, Bob Troyer.

“I’m honored to work with this talented group of individuals who provide diversity of thought and insight,” said Deputy Director Williams. “Our collective effort will create a strong foundation on which this new division can grow.”

The initial focus of the PID will be to reduce the length of time it takes to process complaints; ensure complaints are investigated and reviewed in an equitable manner; and enhance staff and public confidence in the Denver Sheriff Department’s disciplinary process.

The PID is expected to start investigating new cases sometime in April 2019.

Public Integrity Division - Executive Advisory Board Eric Williams, Denver Department of Public Safety • Bob Troyer. Former U.S. District Attorney Chad Sublet, City Attorney’s Office • Rob Nespor, City Attorney’s Office Sheriff Patrick Firman, Denver Sheriff Department • Major Sonya Gillespie-Carter, Denver Sheriff Department Armando Saldate III, Denver Department of Public Safety • Ed Bagwell, Teamsters Local 17 Deputy Sheriff Michael Jackson, Denver Sheriff Lodge #27 • Captain Harold Minter, Denver Sheriff Union Dr. Robert L. Davis, Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance • Nikki Braziel, Citizens Oversight Board Commander Michael Battista, Denver Police Department • Nicholas E. Mitchell, Office of the Independent Monitor Gregory Crittenden, Office of the Independent Monitor –Source: Department of Public Safety

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The Real Meaning of Drain the Swamp

James “Dr. Daddio” Walker Sr.

I spent an entire day watching the testimony of Michael Cohen before Congress. I was glued to the television and amazed at how much information Cohen shared regarding the business, social and political life of Donald Trump. It was so fascinating that I taped it and plan to watch it again. Cohen is already guilty of lying before Congress and is heading to federal prison, but it seems like he has no intention of going there alone. He shared information that should send the president to prison also.

There’s no question that Cohen lied.

The other issue is Trump. He lies all the time and while Cohen is going to prison, Trump is going around the world. I don’t get it. I don’t get it at all.

However, I must say the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Rep. Elijah Cummings handled the proceeding well. He was professional, and I was very impressed. At first I thought Cummings was going to come out weak. He stumbled a little in the beginning and then he began to hit his stride. Those that tried to push

back on him and create arguments got shut down so smooth. It was amazing and I wish that all of our people would take the time to see some of the footage and especially the closing remarks. Cummings took those proceedings to another level. Everyone walked out with their heads down and were thinking that was dynamite. Cummings is an old Black man. That’s the part that was so great about it. He showed incredible leadership.

I think Cohen was honest. I don’t think he was trying to hide anything. I don’t think he lied, but there were a couple of Republicans that tried to back him in a corner. It was interesting how Cohen would make a point and back it up with facts. For example, he had a check signed

by Trump and another check written after he took office.

I don’t know what the outcome is going to be. It seems like Trump gets away with everything he does. In fact, we should stop looking at the president’s behavior and start asking these congress people why they continue to let the president off the hook.

They need to do something with the Cohen testimony and stop playing politics.

Cohen is already going to prison so his testimony doesn’t help or hurt him. He did indicate that he is working with prosecutors on other unrelated items in hopes that the courts may grant him leniency. If he has more to share I can only imagine how many more people in the Trump circle are going to be brought down.

Trump said he was going to drain the swamp. I think we missed his point. He is draining the swamp and the swamp he is referring to is his very own. Like the old saying goes: wait a little while and the truth will always come out.

–James “Dr. Daddio” Walker

5 Points News Photo Gallery Black Community Creating HBCU Style School

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Deltas Shorter AME Church Sunday Worship

Free Alzheimer’s Conference Comes to Denver The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s (AFA) 2019 national Educating America Tour will visit Denver on Thursday, March 14 with a free Alzheimer’s and caregiver educational conference at Denver Hilton City Center (1701 California Street, Denver) from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The conference, which is free and open to everyone, is designed to connect people with information about Alzheimer’s disease, brain health, and dementia caregiving. Participants have the opportunity to interact with Alzheimer’s experts, ask questions, network, and obtain a free memory screening.

“More than 71,000 Colorado residents are living with Alzheimer’s disease; many others are caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s. As those numbers grow, it’s critically important to connect people with information that can help them if Alzheimer’s enters their lives,” said Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., AFA’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “This conference will help individuals learn about Alzheimer’s disease, caring for someone who has Alzheimer’s and support resources that are available to help.

We invite everyone to attend.”

There will be several informative sessions led by dementia and caregiving experts, including: Unraveling Alzheimer’s Disease John DenBoer, Ph.D., will provide an overview of Alzheimer’s disease and will talk about distinguishing Alzheimer’s from normal cognitive aging. He will also offer potential ways to improve brain health and wellness. Dr. DenBoer is a Licensed Psychologist, Clinical Neuropsychologist, and Sports Psychologist, and Founder of Smart Brain Aging.

From Diagnosis to Care: Forming Your Care Partner Team – Having a strong support network is essential for caregivers to reduce stress, prevent burnout and ultimately provide the best care possible. No one can, or should, handle the challenges of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease alone. In this session, a panel of experts will offer important tips on how to build that support structure to aid in caregiving.

Innovative Activities – Preserving Functional Ability – Learn how thinking outside the box when programming activities allows for greater success and helps maintain high level of functioning. There will be a discussion on the importance of activity programming in helping someone with Alzheimer’s disease improve their quality of life. Attendees will be taught new, innovative programming ideas and share examples of personal experiences to help make caregivers’ lives a little easier.

Participants will also receive tips on how you can turn daily activities into opportunities for joy, and how to make quality use of leisure time.

Free, confidential memory screenings will be conducted throughout the day.

Registration is free and open to all.

For more information or to register, please visit www.alzfdn.org and click on “events calendar” at the top of the page. Those who can’t attend the conference or have immediate questions about Alzheimer’s disease can contact AFA’s National TollFree Helpline at 866-232-8484.

For more information about AFA, call 866-232-8484, visit www.alzfdn.org, follow us on Twitter, or connect with us on Facebook or LinkedIn.

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An example of housing reparations in Denver

It must be election year because the candidates are making promises again.

This year, the big promise being to African-Americans is reparations. Every Democratic presidential candidate from Julian Castro to Elizabeth Warren to Kamala Harris say they believe African-Americans are due reparations for slavery.

This is a no-brainer to most who understand how this country benefited from the free labor of enslaved Africans. The government also created policies that prevented the children of enslaved people from improving their lives post-slavery, denying Black folks housing loans, for example. Those discriminatory policies were never corrected with restorative policies – and that is the issue candidates seem to want to sort out.

But while government leaders drag their feet, everyday people are finding their own way to right historical wrongs.

I had the fortune to witness this firsthand in Denver.

I was facilitating a real estate transaction recently where housing reparations came into play. The seller is a white woman, and the buyer is a black woman.

The seller bought a home in north Park Hill, which used to be a Black neighborhood due to segregation and red-lining.

But she could not bring herself to move into the house. She knew the impacts of gentrification and couldn’t stomach the thought that she might be contributing to the problem. So instead, she rented the house to a black family for a cost equal to her mortgage payment (not the incredibly high rent prices the area demands).

Two years later, she sold her house to a black woman at $30,000 under the appraised value. The seller was well aware of the property value. She knew the buyer

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Real Estate Agent Millete Birhanemaskel

was walking into instant equity.

In the dog-eat-dog world of real estate, it is incredulous that someone would leave money on the table. For most, real estate is their greatest asset and they want top-dollar for their property.

When I asked why, her answer was terse: “I believe in reparations,” she said. It was just that simple for her.

The same way government-led discrimination destroyed the ability for Black families to create wealth – this woman’s act helped change that reality for one family. Her actions are powerful at a time when Black people are often told to just “get over” slavery. She gave up a part of her personal wealth to rectify a gaping historical wound.

White families have accumulated 10 times more net worth than Black families and, in large part, real estate was a driving factor. Black homeownership today is near 30year lows. We can change that narrative.

Please reach out so we can change the narrative.

Bishop J.L. Demmer Installed as GMDMA President

Denver’s First Lady of Gospel Dr. Syl Morgan-Smith

Bishop Kevin Foreman offers a prayer for Bishop Jerry L. Demmer

James “Dr. Daddio” Walker and family accept the Colorado Legend Award posthumously for Pat Walker

The Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance (GMDMA) installed Bishop Jerry L. Demmer of Absolute Word Church as their incoming president. Bishop Kevin Foreman of The Harvest Church served as guest speaker. The oath of office investiture ceremony was conducted by the Honorable Judge Wiley Daniels.

Bishop Demmer was consecrated Bishop of Living Word Ministries International August 2017. He retired from the Denver Water Department where he worked for 25-years and established two businesses: AFMERICA clothing ling and JK Realty. In May 2007, Bishop Demmer began his own ministry and is the Senior Pastor of The Absolute Word Church.

Bishop Demmer currently works as co-director and business manager at Parkhill Learning Academy Charter School; City and County of Denver Parks and Recreation as a park host at Sonny Lawson Park; and Chairman of the Board for Faith Bridge, a non-profit organization. Bishop Demmer is

also a Chaplain for the Colorado State Senate.

Bishop Demmer has his own radio broadcast ministry Time for a Change for five years on KLDC Shine 1220 am that aired every Sunday, and on Internet TV on www.Godswordtv.com, The outreach ministries he has overseen are: Tamar Men’s Ministry, AWC Street Feeding, Fatherhood/Fatherless Mentorship Program, gang prevention and intervention, prison outreach, prison letter writing ministry, St. James 1:27 Outreach, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Classes. Bishop Demmer and his wife Katrina Demmer “Lady K” owned and operated The Absolute Word Childcare for over four years.

Bishop Demmer was appointed by the Manager of Safety for the City and County of Denver to lead a gang symposium, and has been affiliated with may other non-profit organizations...

–GMDMA

The Colorado Gospel Music Academy and Hall of Fame began in the mind of Dr. Syl Morgan-Smith in January 1969 and became a reality in January 1971.

After being known nationally as a gospel singer, the change over to broadcasting, promoting and producing gospel music was a natural transition. Dr. Syl excelled in course work in college, theatre and broadcasting school to be prepared for a future in music and theatre. But as a mother of four young children it soon became clear that her career needed to be more narrowly focused and based in Denver to avoid uprooting her children.

Consequently, she answered her calling to become a Christian Servant for the local Church and Civic Community as a mass media professional. She was quickly embraced as a public speaker, community leader and gospel singer.

A constant learner, Dr. Syl persevered to be trained and hired as a love onair radio broadcaster in February 1970 by

her mentor Mr. Freeman “Cosmo” Harris, at the time station manager of Denver’s KBPI 105.1 FM Radio. Harris, recruited to Denver to change KDKO Radio format from Country Western to Rhythm and Blues, continued to excel in radio station management before purchasing and operating two suburban television stations and a Country Western radio station in Eastern Colorado...

Since February 1971, the Academy Awards Gospel Music Festival has been held the second Sunday of February during Black History Month to celebrate through music the challenges and richness of African American history and culture.

This year’s special guest was Dr. Prince Yelder of Birmingham, Alabama.

Dr. Yelder is an international recording artist, singer, musician, composer and director, Women’s Mass Choir, Gospel Music Workshop of America, Inc. –Colorado Gospel Music Academy

5 Points News Photo Gallery GMDMA Presidential Installation Service

48th Annual Gospel Music Academy Hall of Fame

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Neil-Graves Selected for AG Leadership

Chief Innovation Officer Lisa Neal-Graves

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has selected Lisa Neal-Graves to serve on his leadership team as the Colorado Department of Law’s Chief Innovation Officer. Neal-Graves is the first person in the nation to serve in such a role in an Attorney General’s office and constitutes another pioneering first for Colorado.

Establishing this new role is the first step in advancing the Weiser’s vision of creating a 21st Century law department. In her role, Neal-Graves will bring people together, establish processes, and spearhead technology solutions to help attorneys and staff create a more efficient, effective, and equitable justice system for all Coloradans.

“I am energized by the opportunity to reinvent and reinvigorate the Department of Law. Lisa Neal-Graves is an accomplished executive whose

experience in corporate law, technology, and business performance will make her an outstanding Chief Innovation Officer. Her breadth of experience—and deep commitment to public service—will be invaluable to our team as we build a culture of innovation to better defend our freedoms, fight for opportunities for all, and protect Colorado’s, land, air, and water,” said Weiser.

Neal-Graves has a proven track record of leading high-impact organizational change. Before joining the Attorney General’s office, she was vice president of the Cloud Strategic Product Group at Zayo Group in Boulder. Additionally, she held a number of leadership positions at Intel Corporation, including Director of Technology Insights, Group Counsel for IT and Procurement. Neal-Graves has also served in senior positions at Unisys, Serviceware, Chase Business Services, Deloitte Consulting, and AT&T Corporation. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Parker Performing Arts School, the Board of Directors of the Colorado Council of Black Nurses, and on the Board of Advisors for Harper DB in Denver.

Neal-Graves is a former law student of Weiser’s, earning her J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law, Boulder, Colo. She also earned an M.E. in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado, Boulder; an M.S. in Computer Science from Michigan State University in Lansing, Mich.; and a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Hampton University, Hampton, Va.

Book Discusses Law Enforcement in Black and Blue

While distressed relationships between law enforcement and African Americans are at an all-time high in America, Matthew Horace offers an unforgettable account of the racism, crimes, and color lines that permeate America’s law enforcement, and lays out an urgent call for change. He will discuss and sign The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America’s Law Enforcement during his speaker tour at the Blair Caldwell African American Research Library in the historic Five Points community in Denver, CO on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m.

Horace was an officer at the federal, state, and local level for 28 years working in every state in the country. Yet it was after seven years of service when Horace found himself face-down on the ground with a gun pointed at his head

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by a white fellow officer, that he fully understood the racism seething within America’s police departments. Using gut-wrenching reportage, on-the-ground research, and personal accounts garnered by interviews with police and government officials around the country, Horace presents an insider’s examination of police tactics and dissects some of the nation’s most highly publicized police shootings and communities highlighted in the Black Lives Matter movement and beyond.

Using gut-wrenching reportage, on-the-ground research, and personal accounts garnered from interviews with over 100 police and government officials around the country, Horace presents an insider’s examination of police tactics, which he concludes is an “archaic system” built on a “toxic brotherhood.” He dissects some of the nation’s most highly publicized police shootings and crimes to explain how these techniques have had detrimental outcomes to the people that they serve. Horace provides fresh analysis on communities experiencing police brutality and disparate imprisonment rates due to racist policing such as Ferguson, New Orleans, Baltimore, and Chicago.

He reveals law enforcement norms and policies that have sown the seeds of violence.

In the provocative and timely The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America’s Law Enforcement (Hachette Books; August 7, 2018, $27; 256 pages; ISBN # 978-0-316-44008-0) Matthew Horace sheds light on what truly goes on behind the blue line - and opens a much-needed dialogue about how to best mend the rift between law enforcement and the public.

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Attorney General-elect Weiser will seek settlement in Moses-EL’s $1.9M wrongful-conviction claim

Finally. Finally, Clarence Moses-EL gets some measure of closure.

Finally, Colorado’s justice system ends 32 years of elected officials seeing to it that whatever could go wrong with his attempts to prove his innocence in a 1987 rape case did go wrong — and then some.

And finally, someone in a position of power calls his wrongful conviction what it is: “A travesty of justice.”

As you may have read, Phil Weiser, Colorado’s new attorney general, has nixed an effort by his predecessor, Cynthia Coffman, to block Moses-EL from being compensated under a state law meant to provide some modicum of reparation for wrongful conviction victims (yes, victims). The state will pay the $1.9 million owed to Moses-EL – $70,000 for each of the 28 years it kept him needlessly behind bars.

Mo, as he likes to be called, is a proud man, too proud to admit that he has struggled to support himself since a judge vacated his rape conviction and freed him from prison in December 2015. His lawyers have advised him not to speak publicly about his case while his federal civil rights lawsuit against Denver and the state is pending.

So the 63-year-old exoneree I’ve come to know through the many years of this cynical ordeal texted me Thursday with a short note and flourish of upbeat emojis. “ Let me say that when the dust clears I will chat with my friend and homie.

I met Mo at the Kit Carson Correctional Facility in 2006 when my colleague Miles Moffeit and I were investigating the loss and destruction of DNA evidence for The Denver Post. “Homie” is hardly how he received me.

That first interview was hands down my toughest in 30 years of reporting. Mo spoke of himself in the third person. He told his story with stiff legal language.

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And he wouldn’t hold my gaze for more than a few seconds. Understandably, the man who’d already served 18 years of a 48-year sentence for another man’s crime didn’t trust me or anyone else to tell his story.

After that first interview flailed for about two hours, I asked the photographer I was working with to turn on the video camera he’d brought so Mo could speak to Mitch Morrissey, then Denver’s district attorney, as if he were there right in front of him.

Mo looked as if I’d given him a gift, then faced the lens and spoke.

“I’m an innocent man,” he said. “I’m gonna be like a mosquito, a gnat. I’m gonna bug you. I’m gonna bug society. I’m going to bug the courts. I’m gonna bug the governor. I’m gonna bug the president if I have to.

“What does it take for an innocent man to get out?”

In August 1987, Mo was riding his bike in Denver’s High Points neighborhood with his 3-year-old, Anthony, on his handlebars. Police drove up and ordered him to stop. They handcuffed and arrested him for the rape and assault days earlier of a neighbor in his housing project, then hauled him away while Anthony stood there and watched.

The Baltimore native had a rap sheet for burglary and a chip on his shoulder from growing up poor and black and having to quit school early to support his mom and siblings. The Denver jury convicted him in 1988 solely on one piece of evidence: The victim’s claim a day and a half after her attack that his identity as her assailant had come to her in a dream.

Police and prosecutors under thenDistrict Attorney Norm Early apparently found her dream credible enough that

they didn’t bother questioning any of the three men – “LC, Earl or Darnell” – the victim had named to police immediately after her assault.

“A dream,” Mo told me in our second interview. “I’m in here because of a dream.”

Watching the OJ Simpson trial in prison in 1995, Mo was intrigued by defense attorney Barry Scheck’s use of thengroundbreaking technology that tested evidence for DNA fingerprints. He wrote Scheck asking him to help him persuade a judge to have the evidence from his case analyzed for genetic markers. DNA, Mo figured, was the only way to prove the innocence he had professed since the day of his arrest seven years earlier.

Scheck agreed to take Mo’s case pro bono provided that he raise $1,000 to analyze the evidence from his case for genetic coding. Mo scraped together the money, mostly from fellow prisoners, and then won two court orders to preserve the evidence for testing.

Denver Police packed the rape kit, two bed sheets and an outfit worn by the victim into a box, which they marked in capital letters “DO NOT DESTROY.” A few weeks later, before the box could be sent to the DNA lab in California, someone in the evidence room pulled it from a shelf and tossed it in a dumpster.

A city investigation found that a lack of communication within the police department and between police and the DA’s office caused the SNAFU. Nobody was reprimanded.

Mo remembers the moment he learned that the city thrown out the evidence. He recalls the realization that, without DNA samples to help prove his innocence, he was likely to spend decades more behind bars. It felt, he has told me,

like having been “given cement shoes and thrown in the water just to sink.”

DNA evidence isn’t the only aspect of Mo’s case that Denver officials trashed.

After police destroyed the box of evidence, the DA’s office – then led by Bill Ritter – persuaded a judge to quash Mo’s efforts for a new trial.

Years later, Ritter’s successor Mitch Morrissey refused to investigate an alternate suspect named LC Jackson, the first man the victim identified as her assailant immediately after her attack. Morrissey knew full well that Jackson was a violent rapist because his office had used DNA evidence to nail him for the 1993 cold case rapes of a mother and her 9-year-old daughter in an attack that bore striking similarities to the one for which Mo was doing time. Insisting, erroneously, that the victim in Mo’s case hadn’t named Jackson in her outcry, Morrissey refused even to have him questioned.

I interviewed Morrissey at that time and was struck by the fact that the DA who was building a national reputation rallying for the preservation of DNA evidence to crack cold cases was downplaying with a “too bad, shit happens” indifference the destruction of DNA evidence.

Even if the samples from Mo’s case had been preserved and tested, Morrissey told me in an interview, “they probably wouldn’t have proved anything one way or another.”

Morrissey responded to my coverage of Mo’s case by trying to discredit it. He dug in his heels even harder in 2013 after Jackson wrote a letter to Mo, saying “It’s time to bring to light what was done in the darkness” and confessing to being the assailant. Morrissey fought to keep Jackson from testifying in Mo’s appeal.

Welcome Shay J to 5 POINTS NEWS

Shay J

Oh, what a year it has been thus far!!

From the” Mile High Income City” to across the Nation.

First the candidates have come out swinging for the Denver Mayoral race.

The prestigious men of Kappa Alpha Psi organized a valuable mayoral debate at Denver’s Potters House. The stage included current Mayor Hancock, and hopefuls Jamie Giellis, Penfield Tate, and Dr. Lisa Calderon. The debate tackled our housing, education, law enforcement, and the people and their issues. Each candidate stood firm on their beliefs, answered questions with passion and held nothing back from their opponents. Leaving the audience wanting nothing except to know – Who is going to be the next Mayor of Denver.

Now if you ask me, Dr. Lisa Calderon won this debate hands down. I anticipate this race to the finish line only becoming more intense, as the other candidates weigh in and state their position. May 7, 2019 is the general election and June 4,2 019 the run off; we need all your votes

Denver so stay involved.

My eyes seem to be failing me or so I thought; my spirit cringed and I wanted to know why??? Denver, Colorado MLK Marade one of the largest in the world never seems to disappoint. Filled with dignitaries, organizations and messages of hope.

However, one sign had some of us doing a double take. Yes, a protest is freedom of expression against something you publicly want to speak against. The white lady with a F*** R Kelly sign was one sight I wasn’t prepared to see. Yes, R. Kelly is a SICK person and should be prosecuted to the fullest; No, I didn’t need the white woman to share her uncuffed thoughts at the Martin Luther King celebration. We are here to uplift and fight injustice. There are plenty of white men for you to hang on a sign; please keep that same energy about the issues that directly affect people you actually care about. This feels like a publicity over protest to me. But hey that’s just Shay J talk.

Blackface has been a no since 1830’s when people use this for entertainment gain. It was a no then and it’s a no now.

Gucci ignited a firestorm by selling a black balaclava sweater that resembled black Sambo caricature. The racially insensitive $890 sweater gained the attention of outraged celebrities such as TI, Spike Lee, Russell Simmons and even Dapper Dan who works closely with Gucci. The blatant disrespect has led the black community to protest in buying this brand & other designers, until there is significant change, black designers are hired and or consulted with these companies until they figure out what is offensive and what is isn’t. Remember it wasn’t just Gucci- You can add Prada, Moncler, Burberry and Katy Perry to the list. Is black outrage is the new marketing strategy.

–Shay J

RIP Robert

New Name, Same Great Service (Formerly Wireless Express)

TWO FREE PHONES WHEN YOU SWITCH Real Service • Real Prices • Real People

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