Prince Georges Afro American Newspaper April 25 2015

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION

Volume 123 No. 38

APRIL 25, 2015 - MAY 1, 2015

Family Members Share Stories At National Action Network Convention

Baltimore Demonstrators Take to Streets to Protest Killing of Freddie Gray

By Corinne Hollis Special to the AFRO

Walter Scott, of South Caroline, was shot and killed April 4, but the video detailing his murder didn’t go viral until days before the National Action Network’s (NAN) 17th annual convention, held April 8-11 in New York City. Widespread attention to the clip caused previously planned conference sessions to be even more emotional and relevant, symbolizing ongoing issues in communities of color nationwide and amplifying the need for racial healing and police accountability. Continued on A6

AP Photo

By Juliet Linderman The Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — Amid tears and cries for justice, demonstrators poured into the streets of Baltimore carrying signs emblazoned with the name of a man who died from a spinal injury he suffered while in police custody. Tuesday’s demonstration marked the beginning of a week of protests and rallies planned across the city.

The Justice Department said earlier in the day that it has opened a civil rights investigation into the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man who suffered a fatal spinal-cord injury under mysterious circumstances after he was handcuffed and put in the back of a police van. At the site of Gray’s arrest, more than a thousand demonstrators gathered to remember Gray, who friends and relatives say was kind, funny and generous, and call

for police reform. “I want this to be a sign to the Baltimore Police Department that this is not an act of surrender,” said Pastor Jamal Bryant of the Empowerment Temple, one of the rally’s organizers, as he called on those in the crowd to raise their hands. “It’s a sign of strength, of one unity and one commitment that we will not rest until we get justice for Freddie Gray. “The world is watching,” Bryant said. “The world is watching, and the world needs

to see that Black Baltimore is unified.” Gray was taken into custody April 12 after police “made eye contact” with him and another man in an area known for drug activity, police said, and both men started running. Gray was handcuffed and put in a transport van. At some point during his roughly 30-minute ride, the van was stopped and Gray’s legs were shackled when an officer felt he was becoming “irate,” police said. Continued on A8

AP Photo

Talk show host and panel moderator Iyanla Vanzant, center, comforts Esaw Snipes, right, the wife of police victim Eric Garner, during a panel on police brutality, including Lesley McSpadden, left, the mother of police shooting victim Michael Brown, at the 16th National Action Network’s (NAN) annual national convention.

Loretta Lynch Set for Senate Floor Vote Join the more than 435, 000 Facebook fans who follow the AFRO, the Black newspaper with the largest digital reach in the country.

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By James Wright Special to the AFRO

The vote on the nomination of Loretta Lynch as the U.S. attorney general took a huge leap forward on April 21, when U.S. Senate leaders agreed to terms on an anti-human trafficking bill. The bill, “The Justice for Victims of Trafficking,” had abortion restrictions that the Democrats thought were unacceptable but those issues were resolved when a compromise, negotiated by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), was reached. The anti-trafficking bill had nothing to do with the Lynch nomination but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said several weeks ago that her confirmation process won’t move forward until there was an agreement on the legislation. Lynch, who would be the first Black woman to be the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, has had to wait more than five months-a record-for a Senate floor vote on that position. McConnell said that her process will proceed. “As soon as we finish the trafficking bill, as I’ve indicated for some time

now, we’ll move to the president’s nominee for attorney general-hopefully in the next day or so,” the senator said. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) concurred with McConnell. “So let’s get rid of this quickly,” Reid said. “Let’s get Loretta Lynch confirmed quickly and move on to other matters.” President Obama, who selected Lynch to replace U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder late last year, chastised the Senate for the holdup. “Enough. Enough,” Obama said on April 17. “Call Loretta Lynch for a vote, get her confirmed, put her in place, let her do her job. This is embarrassing.” Lynch is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern -Sen. Harry Reid District of New York. She has been praised in legal and political circles for her work in prosecuting terrorism, public officials’ misconduct and police brutality cases. Lynch holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, which she got in 1981 and a 1984 law degree from the Harvard University School of Law. On Feb. 26, Lynch’s nomination was sent to the Senate floor by the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 12-8 vote. All of the Democrats on the committee Continued on A8

“Let’s get Loretta Lynch confirmed quickly and move on to other matters.”

Edwards Gets Key Support; House Race Intensifies By James Wright Special to the AFRO In her bid to become the first African-American U.S. senator from Maryland, U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards has picked up support from a former senator and the majority of the Prince George’s County Council. On April 13, Carol Moseley Braun, the first Black woman elected to the United States Senate, endorsed Edwards’ bid.

“Following in the footsteps of Senator Mikulski, Maryland deserves a trailblazing fighter with a record of getting results for working families, and that is exactly what they will get in Donna Edwards,” Braun, who represented Illinois from 1993-1999, said. “She will fight to create jobs, to protect and expand Social Security, and will never back down from the Tea Party’s attacks against a woman’s right to

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Donna Edwards would become the second African-American woman elected to the Senate. choose. Donna will challenge the status quo, stand up to special interests, and her voice for Maryland’s families will resonate loudly and clearly in the United States

Senate.” Braun said, “As the first, and so far the only, AfricanAmerican woman elected to the Senate, I am proud to support Donna’s candidacy,

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and hope her home state will embrace the extraordinary voice and talent she could bring.” Since leaving the Senate, Continued on A6


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