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Volume 122 No. 52
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July 5, 2014 - July 5, 2014, The Afro-American
AUGUST 2, 2014 - AUGUST 8, 2014
Former D.C. Councilmember Reports to Prison
Judge Delays Ruling Against D.C. Handgun Ban The Associated Press A federal judge who struck down the District of Columbia’s ban on carrying handguns outside the home has stopped his ruling from going into effect for
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about three months so city lawmakers can respond with new legislation. U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin on July 29 stayed his ruling from going into effect until Oct. 22. In a ruling that became public on July 26, Scullin struck down the city’s ban. He wrote that the Second Amendment gives people the right to carry a handgun outside the home for selfdefense. “There is no longer any basis on which this court can conclude that the District of Columbia’s total ban on the public carrying of ready-touse handguns outside the home is constitutional under any level of scrutiny,” wrote Scullin, who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush and is a retired Army colonel. The group that had brought the lawsuit against the city did not oppose a 90day stay. Lawyers for the city want Scullin to stay the ruling while they appeal, but he will not rule on that request until at least August. The city rewrote its rules after the 2008 Supreme Court decision. Residents were required to register their guns
By Valencia Mohammed Special to the AFRO Former D.C. Councilmember Michael A. Brown (D-At Large) began his prison sentence on his federal bribery conviction July 29. He plead guilty to the charge in June 2013. Brown was sentenced to 39 months for carrying out a scheme in which he accepted a total of $55,000 in a series of meetings with undercover FBI agents. The agents posed as company officials wanting to win government contracting opportunities. The plea agreement called for Brown to
“As elected officials we have an obligation to serve the residents with dignity and integrity. Public service … should never be about your personal interest.” An amendment was successfully added to a bill that would block the District from spending any money to enforce local gun laws. and keep them in their homes. Gun owners also have to take a safety class, be photographed and fingerprinted and reContinued on A3
pay a money judgment of $35,000, covering the amount of money he collected before being confronted by law enforcement. At the completion of his prison term, Brown will be placed on two years of supervised release. Brown emailed friends and supporters with details for reaching him by mail. “Thank you for your continued prayers and support,” wrote Brown.
Ben’s Chili Bowl Debuts New Location at Reagan National Airport
Obama Affirms Support for D.C. Statehood By Maria Adebola AFRO Staff Writer
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In a town hall meeting July 21 to promote the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, President Barack Obama voiced support for D.C. statehood. In his response to the question asked about his stance on D.C. being the 51st state, Obama replied, “I’m in D.C. so I’m for it! “Folks in D.C. pay taxes like everybody else, they contribute to the overall well-being of the country like everybody else, and they should be treated like everybody else.” Obama mentioned he has supported the long-running
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By Andrea “Aunni” Young Special to the AFRO
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“Folks in D.C. pay taxes like everybody else … they should be treated like everybody else.” – President Obama
AFRO File photo
The legendary Ben’s Chili Bowl restaurant opened a new location at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Virginia on July 23, in the DCA B/C Terminal pre-security area. “He would be very proud, he would really be very proud of his boys,” said Virginia Ali, owner, when asked what her late husband Ben Ali would say today. “He
A local resident holds a sign in support of D.C. statehood.
Liberians in U.S. Worry about Ebola Outbreak By Amy Forliti Associated Press
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– Wendell Felder
“Michael A. Brown, Register Number: 25098-016 FPC Montgomery Maxwell Air Force Base Montgomery, AL 36112” “Rather than wielding his political power to serve the citizens of the District of Columbia who voted for him, Michael Brown exerted his influence on behalf of purported contractors who were willing to line his pockets with hundredFormer D.C. dollar bills,” Councilmember Michael said U.S. A. Brown reported to Attorney prison to begin serving Machen, in his 39-month sentence on a May 29, press release. bribery charge. “Brown’s decision to auction off the public trust was especially disappointing because of his enormous potential to stand as a bright light for the residents of this city. His term of incarceration will hopefully serve as an admonition to other public officials who are considering betraying Continued on A3
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Decontee Sawyer, wife of Liberian government official Patrick Sawyer, a U.S. citizen who died from Ebola after traveling from Liberia to Nigeria, cradles her 1-year-old daughter Bella.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An outbreak of Ebola in West Africa may seem like a distant threat to many Americans, but it is causing some to cancel travel plans and stirring fear in Minnesota, which has the largest Liberian immigrant population in the United States. The potentially Ebolarelated death last week of a Liberian government official whose wife and children live in Minnesota has heightened concerns and inspired a fundraising drive to send
medical supplies to Liberia. State health officials also have been meeting with community members to talk about recognizing the disease and how to travel safely. More than 670 people have died during the recent outbreak in West Africa. But no cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the United States, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday it poses little risk to the general U.S. population. “It is killing people like crazy,” said Prudence McCabe, a Brooklyn Park Continued on A4
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Ben’s Chili Bowl opened a new location at Ronald Reagan National Airport. never thought any one of the three would have had such a passion for the Chili Bowl.” All three brothers, Sage, Kamal and Nizam, and their wives, Vida, Sonya, and Joytika, are committed to the operation of Ben’s Chili Bowl Continued on A4