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July 5, 2014 - July 5, 2014, The Afro-American
www.afro.com
Volume 123 No. 5
SEPTEMBER 6, 2014 - SEPTEMBER 12, 2014
Report Issued on Relisha Rudd’s Disappearance
Dr. Jazz at Jericho By Zenitha Prince Senior AFRO Correspondent
In Laventille, Trinidad, dreams are hard to come by. For its residents, the beauty of the Caribbean Sea just beyond them and the towering edifices of the nearby capital of Port-of-Spain belie their
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hardscrabble existence in the hillside ghetto that is rife with poverty, crime and gang warfare. In this place, where life is an often-wasted commodity and hope has long fled, dreams are but wishes for survival or escape. That is why the Rev. Dr. Continued on A4
Courtesy Photo
Rev. ‘Jazz’ preached First Resurection Sunday at Jericho City of Praise this past April. AFRO File Photo
Around noon Aug. 30, there was a wait to be seated at the Florida Avenue Grill in the Shaw neighborhood of Northwest D.C. At the
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Photo by Christina Sturdivant
counter, friends David Levy and Latrice Johnson met for breakfast. He lives nearby and has visited the restaurant three times this year – “not nearly enough,” he says. She remembers dining at the restaurant as a child and continuing as a student at Howard University. “It’s a permanent fixture
in D.C.,” she said of the establishment nicknamed “the Grill.” Three bar stools over sat John DiPaolo and his 3-yearold daughter, Claudia. It was his first time at the grill since moving back to the city in 2010. They eagerly awaited his biscuits and sausage gravy and her apples and hotcakes. “You can’t find this kind of food at many places,” DiPaolo said. A few feet away at the carry out line, James Hawkins, known to the Grill staff as “Cowboy,” waited for his to-go order. Earlier this year, he celebrated his 80th birthday at the Grill. Almost as old as Hawkins, the Grill will celebrate its 70th anniversary Oct. 4, at Cardozo High School in Northwest D.C. “If you think about it, where else can you see a Congress person sitting next to a trash truck operator – actually sitting together, talking to each other and having fun?” said Owner Imar Hutchins. “There’s not many places you’ll see that and it’s a testament to the way The Grill is welcoming to all and has evolved over the years.” Continued on A3
AP Photo
Brown pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to time served.
Chris Brown Pleads Guilty to Assault in Washington By Ben Nuckols The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Chris Brown pleaded guilty on Tuesday to punching a man in the face outside a Washington hotel, an assault that occurred while the singer was on probation for attacking his then-girlfriend Rihanna.
“No matter your status or celebrity, you will be held accountable for such conduct in our city.” – U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Courtesy Photo
Relisha Rudd was last seen on March 1. Relisha’s family had allowed her to spend time with Khalil Tatum. After Relisha was reported missing, the body of Tatum’s wife was found in a motel, and Tatum was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Six months after she was last seen, Relisha remains missing. Tatum’s body was found in a 700-acre park in northeast Washington, but police found no sign of Relisha there after a severalday search. On Tuesday, the District government released a report Continued on A4
Brown pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to time served. He spent two days in a District of Columbia jail in the case, one that further tarnished the image of the Grammy-winning singer. Brown, 25, admitted that he hit a man who tried to get in a picture the singer was taking with two women outside the W hotel a few blocks from the White House last October. The victim, Parker Adams, suffered a broken nose. At the time of the arrest, Brown was on probation in a felony assault case for attacking pop star Rihanna hours before the 2009 Grammy awards. The arrest led a judge in California to revoke his probation, and he was ordered in May to serve an additional 131 days in jail. He was released in June. Brown’s attorney, Danny Onorato, argued that Brown had already suffered extensive consequences from the Washington case, noting the additional jail time in California and the four months he spent receiving inpatient counseling. He said that Brown’s career has been on hold for nearly a year and that he wanted to take responsibility for his actions so he could go back to work, including a tour in support of a new album. “To say that he’s been punished severely in this matter is an understatement,” Onorato said. Brown spoke only briefly, saying: “I would like to say to the Continued on A4
Calls for Justice Want Immediate Action to Rid Police Brutality (particularly men and boys), the end of mass incarceration, the release of boys and men of color for minor crimes, the mitigation of The crowd with arms in the air shouted the police militarization complex resonating “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!” in front of the throughout the country, and the assignment Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice of an independent prosecutor to the Michael Building in Northwest D.C. Aug. 27. Brown case. Progressive groups and sponsors such as A letter was also read at the rally, which No Fear Coalition, CODEPINK National, contained an action plan that was forwarded the Institute of the Black World, and WPFW to Attorney General Eric Holder. “We need Radio were there to send a message in the the full support of the Attorney General’s aftermath of the Michael Brown killing. office to make sure that Michael Brown “Michael’s murder is symptomatic of a is not simply another name added to the Groups at the rally hold signs systemic, racist culture that condones the anonymous statistics and meaningless deaths for justice in front of the murder and incarceration of Black boys and of African Americans at the mercy of a Department of Justice men at rates highly disproportionate to the merciless system,” Adebayo said. Courtesy Photo from by Marsha Coleman-Adebayo general population. U.S. police or vigilantes Rally speakers consisted of Black World kill a Black man every 28 hours,” said Dr. President Ron Daniels, retired U.S. Marshal Marsha Coleman-Adebayo of No FEAR Matthew Fogg, and activist the Rev. Graylan of measures. The measures included the immediate Coalition and Black Agenda Report. Hagler. arrest and prosecution of Darren Wilson and other A flyer was handed out to the crowd with a list policemen to stop the killing of Black people Continued on A6 By Linda Poulson Special to the AFRO
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A review of interactions between the District of Columbia government and the family of a missing 8-yearold girl has recommended more than two dozen policy changes but concluded that none of those reforms would have prevented her disappearance. Relisha Rudd was last seen on March 1 in the company of a janitor at the homeless shelter where the girl lived with her mother and brothers.
Florida Avenue Grill at 70 By Christina Sturdivant Special to the AFRO
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