Prince Georges Afro American Newspaper May 2 2015

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY EDITION

Volume 123 No. 39

MAY 2, 2015 - MAY 8, 2015

Property Tax Hike Creates Prince George’s County School Budget Debate

Baltimore 2015 An officer vehicle burns April 27, during unrest following the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore.

Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP

Police ride on an armored vehicle through the area where the April 27 riots occurred in Baltimore.

AP Photo

Firefighters battle a threealarm fire April 27, at Southern Baptist Church’s senior living facility in East Baltimore.

By Melanie R. Duncan Special to the AFRO Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP

Ishawn Nelson, from left, his sister, Marae Nelson and LaQuicha Harper, sweep the area outside a CVS in Baltimore, April 28.

AP Photo

Community Works to Calm Tensions as Day Turns to Evening in West Baltimore By Roberto Alejandro Special to the AFRO It had been a day for cleaning and reflection, of pulling together to bring some sense of normalcy to a community that had seen many businesses destroyed just the day before. As day turned to evening in West Baltimore on April 28, a young man gave a dance performance to Michael Jackson music for those living near the Gilmor Homes community where Freddie Gray was raised. A group from Diva T Fitness gave a dance performance of their own near the intersection of W. North and Pennsylvania avenues, dancing in front of a line of police in riot gear who were standing in front of armored and other police vehicles.

That line of police with shields was thinner than it had been earlier in the day, when tensions between community members assembling near the corner of W. North Avenue and N. Carey Street and the police occupying the intersection of North and Pennsylvania were much higher. Around noon, a group of women began to form a prayer circle as a way of easing the tension, directing the energy of those around them into a constructive demonstration before an aggressive show of force. The morning had largely been marked by sustained cleanup efforts, and by this point in the day, there was scant evidence on the street of what had occurred the evening of April 27. That day the corner businesses at the intersection of W. North and Fulton avenues had been broken into and looted, by a number of young men, many of Continued on A4

Lynch Takes Helm of Justice Department Join the more than 437, 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 Loretta Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, officially became the 83rd U.S. attorney general on April 27. Lynch, 55, –Joe Biden was sworn into her office by Vice President Joe Biden before a packed room with an overflow site. Biden said that he has glad that Lynch, and indeed the nation, had reached the point of her swearing-in ceremony.

“You showed grace and humility during this [confirmation] process.”

Continued on A3

Attorney General Bids Farewell after 6-Year Tenure By Eric Tucker Associated Press

AP Photo

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AP Photo

Vice President Joe Biden administers the oath of office to Loretta Lynch for U.S. attorney general, surrounded by Lynch’s family.

Attorney General Eric Holder ends his speech during a farewell gathering at the Justice Department, April 24.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder bid farewell to the Justice Department on Friday after six years, outlining what he said were his major accomplishments and telling staffers they helped produce a “golden age” in the department’s history. An emotional Holder, who has served as the nation’s top law enforcement official since the start of the Obama administration, addressed hundreds of lawyers and staff members one day after his successor, Loretta Lynch, was confirmed by the Senate following a months-long delay. “I am proud of you. I’m going to miss you. I am going to miss this building. I am going Continued on A3

Prince George’s County Schools need to improve. Residents and county officials agree on this point. It’s the method proposed to fund a $1.839 billion school budget that is being debated. County Executive Rushern Baker has suggested a 15 percent property tax increase to the County Council that will finance an ambitious improvement program

“We’re just not funding our education system the way we should.” – Kevin Maxwell for schools, but some homeowners are not happy. The council is scheduled to approve a final budget for the county on June 1. PGCS Chief Executive Officer Kevin Maxwell said the 2016 budget represents a 2.5 percent increase over this year’s spending and is designed to jumpstart his strategic plan for all students to receive high-quality education by 2020. The goal is for all children in the county graduate high school ready for college and careers. “We can overcome our historical rankings at the bottom,” he said during a budget forum at Charles H. Flowers High School. “We’re just not funding our education system the way we should.” The budget proposal includes $68.7 million from the state of Maryland and Continued on A3

Prince George’s County Teacher Dies after Long Battle with Cancer By Courtney Jacobs AFRO Staff Writer After serving 22 years as a Prince George’s County exemplary teacher at Beltsville Academic Center in Beltsville, Erika Robyn White Mushala, 44, died April 21 after a long battle with cancer. Mushala, daughter of Barbara Johnson White and the late Robert Albert White, was born on Nov. 7, 1970 in Philadelphia, Pa. In the fall of 1988, Erika enrolled Photo courtesy of the Phila. Tribune at Howard University in Erika Robyn White Mushala Continued on A4 died April 21.

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