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The Afro-American, January 7, 2017 - January 13, 2017
Trey Songz Kicked Out of MGM National Harbor By Chelsea Burwell Special to the AFRO
December seems like a terrible month for Trey Songz after being kicked out of a casino resort in Maryland and arrested in Detroit.
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The end of 2016, spelled nothing but trouble for R&B singer Trey Songz. On Dec. 23, the Virginia native was kicked out of the MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, Md. According to a video posted on the entertainer’s Snapchat account on Dec. 23, the 32-year-old, whose real name is Tremaine Neverson, said he was playing cards at a table when a man at another table started “talking crazy.” After his security approached the man to settle the disturbance, the artist said he and his crew were ejected from the casino for being “unruly.” In his Snapchat video, Songz decried, with profanities, the Prince George’s County police, the MGM casino in both Prince George’s County and Las Vegas and its employees. The video has appeared on several social media sites
including Instagram and You Tube with more than 3,000 views combined. “F*** the MGM…once more,” Songz said in a post on Twitter on Dec. 25. The post was liked by more than 1,000 people
Donelan, spokeswoman for the Prince George’s County Police Department, said that her department was not involved in Songz’ ejection from the resort. In a separate incident, on Dec. 28,
“…the artist said a MGM staff member offered to accommodate him if his social media posts relating to the incident were deleted.” and retweeted more than 300 times. Neither, MGM or Songz’ label commented on the incident. However, in the video, the artist said a MGM staff member offered to accommodate him if his social media posts relating to the incident were deleted. Even though, the singer vocalizes his displeasure with law enforcement in the video posted to social media, the Washington Post reported that Jennifer
Songz was taken into custody in Detroit, Mich. for unruly behavior. He was charged Dec. 29 with aggravated assault and assaulting a police officer after he threw microphones and speakers from a stage, following his performance at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. Songz was released from jail Dec. 29 after posting the $25,000 bail, according to People Magazine. He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 5.
Bowser
Continued from B1 the mayor said in a statement. “Our neighborhoods continue to grow safer and stronger and our schools continue to enroll more students and improve outcomes. The District’s investments in neighborhoods – from affordable housing, public infrastructure and transportation to public schools, parks, retail and the arts – are all making D.C. a highly desirable place to call home.” On Dec. 30, D.C. Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey S. DeWitt released the revised revenue estimate for the FY 2017 Budget and Financial Plan. This showed local fund revenues up by $66.6 million. The mayor was pleased with the revenue revision, saying
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Residents want Mayor Muriel Bowser to address some of D.C.’s major issues in 2017.
Competition Continued from B1
transformative power of language that Frederick Douglass experienced as a young man. The winners are: Elementary (grades 1-3): 1st place, Gabrielle Sutherland,
homeschooled, Baltimore, Md.; 2nd place, Isaiah Montgomery, homeschooled, Takoma Park, Md.; 3rd place, Ethan Sutherland, homeschooled, Baltimore,
that “the District of Columbia’s finances are in good order.” “We continue to manage our finances effectively while working to meet the needs of residents in all eight wards,” she said. “Our financial forecast and bond ratings are the envy of jurisdictions throughout the United States, and this is just one more reason why Washington, D.C. deserves to be the 51st state.” On Nov. 17, U.S. Housing and Urban Development released its annual homeless assessment report to Congress that showed a 14 percent spike in the District from 2015, indicating 8,350 people are without a permanent dwelling. In addition, the unemployment rate in the District stands at 6 percent according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Labor in contrast to the national figure of 4.6 percent. On Aug. 30, Bowser released an 18-month progress report that addressed these issues. While Seegars is aware of the report, she voiced concerns it may not directly deal with, such as the funding for the Virginia Williams Resource Center that helps individuals and families who are housing unstable. “The Virginia Williams Center needs more money,” she said. “They need to put more money into that program.” Seegars also said that she would like “for city agency heads to be more visible in the community.”
“The goal of the contest is for students to experience the same transformative power of language that Frederick Douglass experienced as a young man.” Md. Junior (grades 4-5): 1st place, Silas Montgomery, homeschooled, Takoma Park, Md.; 2nd place, Aneesh Mandapatti, Floris Elementary School, Herndon, Va.; 3rd place, Laila Brooks, Ducketts Lane Elementary School, Elkridge, Md. Junior High (grades 6-8): 1st place, Elijah Coles-Brown, Moody Middle School, Richmond, Va.; 2nd place, Dhruv Pai, Takoma Park Middle School, Silver Spring, Md.; 3rd place, F. Jerimah McClain, Friends Community School, College Park, Md. Senior High (grades 9-12): 1st place, Daevon Gurley, Bard High School Early College, Baltimore, Md.; 2nd place, Daniel Bates, homeschooled, Fort Washington, Md.; 3rd place, Sudhan Chitgopkar, South Forsyth High School, Cumming, Ga. All the winners will be invited back to Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in February 2017 to celebrate Douglass’s birthday and be recognized for their accomplishments and their school’s participation.
Marlena Edwards, a community activist in Ward 4, is a strong Bowser supporter but has issues she wants the mayor to focus on. “There needs to be more opportunity for local businesses,” Edwards told the AFRO. “There should be expanded training for the unemployed and . . . affordable housing.” Douglass Sloan, a District political analyst, told the AFRO that he wants a more resident-friendly police force, starting with its leader. “I would like for her to appoint a permanent police chief,” Sloan said. “We haven’t had one since Cathy Lanier left in September and I would like for the new chief to be African American. I would like the mayor to support progressive police tactics that protects citizens, not harass them.” Sloan said that he wants the school system to continue its improvement and, like Seegars, a focus on ending homelessness. He said that Bowser should expand her political advocacy role. “I would like her to continue her aggressive stance on D.C. statehood, voting rights and self-determination,” he said. “She should continue to push the ball forward on progressive issues despite the GOP leadership in the White House and the Congress.”
Committees Continued from B1
Todd will manage the Committee on Government Operations while Gray will oversee the newly constituted Committee on Health. D.C. Council members Robert White (D-At Large) and Trayon White (D-Ward 8) won’t be committee chairs because of Mendelson’s rule against freshman members in that position. “Over the years I have found that a freshman legislator needs to have a couple of years of experience dealing with issues and the legislative process to understand how to run a committee effectively,” Mendelson told the AFRO. “That experience is a great asset for a new chairman to have.” The chairmanships were announced after the council swore in re-elected council members Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Brandon Todd (D-Ward 4), Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7), and David Grosso (I-At Large), and newly elected council members Robert White (D-At Large) and Trayon White (D-Ward 8). The event took place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown Washington before a crowd of 550 area residents. Chairmanships are prized assignments on the D.C. – D.C. Council Member Kenyan McDuffie Council because it gives the council member a chance to consider legislation they are interested in and can serve as bargaining chips for bills and other legislative actions in other committees. McDuffie told the AFRO he is ready to tackle the responsibilities of his new committee assignment. During the previous council session, McDuffie was the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary. “On my committee, we will be focusing on business development and seeing that small and local businesses have the chance to fairly bid on D.C. government contracts,” he said. “We will also review and monitor participation in the Certified Business Enterprise program and keep an eye on the economic development projects that are going on in the city.” Bonds told the AFRO that she will work to see that the District is a more affordable place to live. “We are going to do more work on rent control,” she said. “We will also do what we can to apply pressure to make sure that more housing units in this city are more affordable. I want to help senior citizens and returning citizens with their housing issues.” Mendelson felt Gray should have a chairmanship and the former mayor selected the committee that he felt affected his constituents the most. “I want to create a health care system on the east end of the city,” Gray told the AFRO. “This system will primarily benefit the residents of Wards 7 and 8. These wards have the worst health care outcomes with high levels of cancer, diabetes, asthma, and other ailments. “To help the people in those wards, we need to focus on this.” Todd will have his first full chairmanship with Government Operations. In 2016, he was the subcommittee chair of Board and Commissions because Mendelson broke up the then Committee on Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs because of Orange’s resignation. Todd spoke about the focus of his chairmanship in remarks made after he was sworn-in. “As the new chairman of the Committee on Government Operations, we will enter a new era,” he said. “We will make sure that all government agencies are accountable for their actions and that they operate efficiently. We want D.C. residents to get the best service that their tax dollars pay for.”
“On my committee, we will be focusing on business development and seeing that small and local businesses have the chance to fairly bid on D.C. government contracts.”