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Volume 123 No. 9
A1 $1.00
October 4, 2014 - October 4, 2014, The Afro-American
Nation’s #1 African American Newspaper 2014 Nielsen-Essence Consumer Report
OCTOBER 4, 2014 - OCTOBER 10, 2014
Defense Attorneys Hold Seminar
How Blacks Survive Cop Stops By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO
A panel of experienced trial lawyers explained to a near capacity audience at Empowerment Temple how to successfully survive being stopped by the police. The crowd had assembled, Sept. 30, for a seminar titled ‘C.O.P.S.: Conscious Operations during Police Stops,’ billed as an event for youths and parents to learn the dos and don’ts of police encounters. Organized by the JustUs Ministry in conjunction with the Power Nation Youth Ministry, the event consisted of a panel of experienced civil and criminal defense attorneys explaining best practices for African Americans who have been stopped by the police. In early remarks, area defense attorney J. Wyndal Gordon spoke to the undercurrent of the event.
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“It’s funny that we’re here tonight learning how to deal with police, but it really should be the other way around. We shouldn’t have to equip you with special knowledge, ‘how to deal with police;’ they should be equipped with special knowledge, ‘how to deal with the public.’” No one disagreed with the sentiment, and the panelists reiterated throughout the event that, while their advice may seem over the top in terms of the level of self-restraint asked of someone faced with a hostile police encounter, it was intended to ensure his or her safe return home. “One of the things that’s most important to remember is to survive,” said attorney and panelist Ivan Bates. “And what do we mean by that? When the police come to you—they have that attitude, they’re accusing you of things, they’re in that position to try to fight—leave your ego at home. At that moment and time, say ‘yes sir’, ‘no ma’am.’ Leave
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By AFRO Staff The AFRO-American Newspapers is considered the No. 1 African-American newspaper among Black consumers nationwide, according to the results of a survey released this week. Nielsen, a leading provider of ratings and other measurements, recently teamed up with ESSENCE magazine to conduct a customized assessment of African-American consumers. Among the categories they polled was media consumption, and the most popular publications in the Black Press were part of that evaluation. The AFRO rose to the top of the heap among Black consumers, followed by the Chicago Defender and the Amsterdam News in New York. And, rounding out the top five were the St. Louis American and The Call and Post in Cleveland, Ohio. AFRO Publisher and CEO Jake Oliver said he believes the ranking reflects the newspaper’s pioneering efforts with regards to digital media. “I am elated about the recognition,” he said. “I believe it confirms our belief that the digital evolution inside the African-American community justifies our continued use of various ambitious, non-traditional digital strategies to provide timely and often ‘real time’ coverage of news the Black community is interested in receiving. “Through our Facebook, Twitter and growing Instagram strategies, we are quickly becoming a ‘staple’ news outlet for growing numbers in the Black community,” he added. The AFRO is part of The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a 73-yearold federation of nearly 200 Black community newspapers from across the United States with a long history of influencing and engaging the AfricanAmerican community.
Continued on A7
Photo by Roberto Alejandro
Baltimore area defense attorney J. Wyndal Gordon speaks at seminar on how to stay safe during police stops.
Voting Rights and Police Top a Crowded U.S. Supreme Court Docket By Gloria J. Browne-Marshall Special to the AFRO Muslim inmates suing to grow beards in Arkansas. Facebook threats and police practices, pension plans and death row executioners, voting rights and a White supremacist’s conviction. These are but a few of the estimated 200 cases out of thousands that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on when the new term opens Oct. 6. A hand-written request by inmate Gregory Holt (aka Abdul Maalik Muhammad) asked the Court to decide if the Arkansas Department of Corrections’ grooming policy violated his religious
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freedom. Holt wants to grow a half-inch beard in accordance with his Muslim beliefs. But, Warden Ray Hobbs prohibits beards as a security risk. Even if the Department of Corrections (DOC) cannot prove beards are a security risk, and many other prisons allow them, Hobbs believes the Supreme Court should defer to DOC’s authority and deny Holt’s request. In Philadelphia, Anthony Elonis was sentenced to 44 months in federal prison for threatening his wife on Facebook. Elonis asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his conviction because he says it violates his First Amendment right to creative Continued on A3 Lisa Snowden-McCray Special to the AFRO This is the second in a series that highlights the high quality workmanship Black owned companies provided at the luxurious Horseshoe Casino. At Baltimore’s Horseshoe Casino, if you’re sitting on it, it’s more than likely that Tony Hill and his business partner Hans Edwards had something to do with it. Their company, Edwards & Hill Office
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Continued on A7
Rev. Bryant Preaches Jesus and the NAACP
By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent
For the Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, the call to ministry was not heralded by a booming voice from heaven or even a still, small voice. Instead, it came from the satiric wit of a popular comedian-slash-activist. “When I tell people I got my call to ministry from Dick Gregory they laugh,” Rev. Bryant said. Then-director of the NAACP Youth and College Division, Rev. Bryant said he was at an NAACP convention, where Gregory, the guest speaker, said something very critical. “He said that during the 1960s when Black people were in trouble they called on Jesus and the NAACP and that we’re now part of a generation that doesn’t know Jesus and they’re not members of the NAACP,” Rev. Bryant recalled. “I grew up in the church, but I had never heard it in that context. And it really jarred me . . . and I really sensed that that was where my assignment was – to merge the spiritual and the social . . ., starting a church that would be socially relevant but spiritually grounded.” The church was always in Rev. Bryant’s blood – literally – having come from a ministerial legacy that was both a gift and a burden. “I see myself more as a prodigal son,” the 42-yearold said. “I knew I had a call my whole life, but because I knew the family legacy – my father was in ministry, my grandfather was in ministry, my mother was in ministry, my aunt was in
Continued on A7
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Oct 17 & 18
Special performance of Venus and Adonis—
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Acclaimed South African theater company Isango Ensemble comes to Center Stage for One Weekend Only!