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Volume 123 No. 42
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MAY 23, 2015 - MAY 29, 2015
Honoring Our Heroes
Civil Rights Group Honors Dole, Holder and Murphy
By James Wright Special to the AFRO
In this Aug. 11, 2014 file photo, police wearing riot gear walk toward a man with his hands raised in Ferguson, Mo. U.S.
AP Photo
Obama Puts Stricter Controls on Military-Style for Police By Nedra Pickler Associated Press Nine months after police in riot gear dispelled racially charged protests, President Barack Obama is prohibiting the federal government from
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providing some militarystyle equipment to local departments and putting stricter controls on other weapons and gear distributed to law enforcement. The surprise announcement comes after the White House suggested last year that Obama would maintain programs that provide the type of militarystyle equipment used to respond to demonstrators
last summer in Ferguson, Mo., because of their broader contribution to public safety. But an interagency group found “substantial risk of misusing or overusing” items like tracked armored vehicles, high-powered firearms and camouflage could undermine trust in police. With scrutiny on police only increasing in the ensuing months after a series of highly publicized deaths of
Black suspects nationwide, Obama also is unveiling the final report of a task force he created to help build confidence between police and minority communities in particular. The announcements come as Obama is visiting Camden, N.J., one of the country’s most violent and poorest cities. Obama plans to visit Continued on A3
Laura Murphy, Eric Holder and Bob Dole (right) were honored at the 39th Annual Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Awards Dinner.
Photos by Rob Roberts
American Legion Builds Young Male Leaders
AFRO Exclusive:
Minister Admits to Misallocating Grant Funds
By Christina Sturdivant Special to the AFRO
By James Wright Special to the AFRO The Rev. Anthony Motley, a longtime political operator with ties to the late Marion S. Barry, pled guilty to misallocating grant funds, an offense that took place several years ago. A May 11 story from the Washington City Paper said Motley pled guilty in D.C. Superior Court on April 28 to stealing $52,063 from various grants in 2008 and 2009. The publication reported that Motley used his organization, Inner Thoughts Inc., to illegally take grant money intended for the National Association of Former Foster Care Children of America. Motley said, however, that he didn’t steal any money, but he didn’t properly use the money received legally. “The situation is real and I regret the actions of seven years ago,” Motley told the AFRO on May 14. “I made a mistake.” His attorney, Rodney Mitchell, confirmed that Motley is facing a firstdegree fraud charge for the misallocation of funds. If convicted, Motley could face up to 10 years in prison, Facebook Photo Mitchell said. Mitchell said Motley has cooperated with The Rev. Anthony Motley the FBI and with prosecutors is a well-known political of the U.S. Attorney for the operator in the District. District of Columbia and he hopes the minister won’t be incarcerated. Motley will be sentenced on June 24 before D.C. Superior Court Judge Yvonne M. Williams. Motley is a native Washingtonian who has served in the military and is a graduate of the University of Detroit and the Howard University School of Divinity. He has worked in various capacities with Barry on his campaigns for political office and from 1987-1990, Motley served as a special assistant to the president of the United States tasked with helping the then Reagan and Bush administrations come up with policies to stop drug abuse. Continued on A3
Former ACLU Washington Director Laura Murphy, the recently retired U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, and former Sen. Robert Dole were the 2015 honorees at the 39th Annual Hubert H. Humphrey Civil and Human Rights Awards Dinner on May 13. The event was held at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Wade Henderson, the president and CEO of the dinner’s sponsor, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said that the work of the honorees is needed now more than ever. Continued on A4
Photo courtesy of H. Landry Noudja
Hermann-Landry Noudja, senior at Calvin Coolidge High School, is a Gates Millennium Scholar.
Graduating senior, Hermann-Landry Noudja, from Calvin Coolidge High School will attend Penn State University as a 2015 Gates Millennium Scholar, administered by the United Negro College Fund. As one of 1000 scholarship recipients from across the country, Noudja’s funding for the award will allow him to bypass much of the debt associated with college tuition. While his award is grand, it did not come without adversity. “When I first came [to the U.S.] I was in the 10th grade and they moved me back to the 9th grade because my English wasn’t so good,” Noudja told the AFRO on May 13. “It was very hard because most people didn’t understand what I was saying and they laughed at my accent. It was very hard to keep calm and stay humble while people would laugh at everything I said.” Continued on A4
D.C. Citizens Need Not Show Reason to Carry Concealed Handguns Judge Stops Enforcement of Part of ‘Good Reason’ Handgun Law By Jessica Gresko and Ben Nuckols Associated Press (May 19, 2015) WASHINGTON (AP) — People in the nation’s capital no longer have to show a good reason to get a permit to carry concealed handguns outside their homes and businesses. The District of Columbia’s police chief said Tuesday that she’s dropping this requirement, a centerpiece of the city’s handgun-control legislation, after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against it.
“…this requirement makes it impossible for the overwhelming majority of law-abiding citizens to obtain licenses to carry handguns…” – U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. This is round two for the city and U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr., who also found the city’s ban on carrying handguns outside the home unconstitutional last year. Now he’s stopped the
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city from enforcing the key provision of a law the D.C. Council adopted in response. The city’s law, one of the nation’s toughest, says a person must show a “good Continued on A3