Florida Courier, June 14, 2019

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JUNE 14 – JUNE 20, 2019

VOLUME 27 NO. 24

SHOT FOR AN APOLOGY Florida is still ‘The Gunshine State.’

Here’s news on a mistaken road rage incident and some relevant political happenings this week.

COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

DAVIE – Keith Byrne was trying to do the right thing.

After the Marine Corps veteran accidentally cut off another car, he was ready to apologize at the next light.

Before he could, a passenger got out of the cut-off car and shot him square in the chest.

Returned fire The mortally wounded Byrne, 41, was also prepared to fight back. With his own gun, he fired

two shots at 22-year-old Andre Sinclair, and Sinclair died of his injuries at the hospital two days later. Byrne died on scene.

Sinclair had been a passenger in the car his girlfriend was driving. Their toddler was in the backseat.

The whole incident was something that Davie Police Sgt. Mark Leone called ultimately “pointless and silly.” In a news conference Wednesday, the sergeant went through what had happened on June 7 at the corner of Flamingo Road and Southwest

DOUG PHILLIPS/SUN SENTINEL/TNS

Two men killed each other in an apparent road rage incident in South Florida.

Eighth Street just south of Interstate 595.

‘My bad’ Byrne had been on the phone with a friend at the time.

The friend “heard his friend Keith say, ‘My bad,’ in making an attempt to apologize,” Leone said.

“At that time over the phone he heard the gunshots and Mr. Byrne said, ‘I think I’ve been shot,’ started slurring his speech, and

then the phone call was disconnected.”

According to police, Sinclair got out of his girlfriend’s blue BMW displaying his gun and was See RAGE, Page A2

Census 2020 is hiring

2019 NBA PLAYOFFS

Warriors not dead yet

Here’s your guide SPECIAL TO THE TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE FROM ETHNIC MEDIA SERVICES

The Census Bureau has said it expects to hire about a half-million people nationwide to help in its all-important counting of everybody living in the United States – something the government has done every 10 years since 1790.

That half-million hiring target is a sizable decrease from the last census, in 2010, when the bureau was more dependent on shoe leather than silicon to get the work done.

Going online

GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

Despite NBA superstar Kevin Durant’s early-game injury, the Golden State Warriors used killer three-point shooting to stave off elimination on June 10’s Game Five of the 2019 NBA Finals in Toronto, Canada. Game Six was scheduled to be played on June 13, after the Florida Courier’s press time late Wednesday night.

Instead of the 635,000 people hired in 2010 to knock on doors to fill out questionnaires with people who hadn’t gotten theirs to the mailbox, in 2020, for the first time, the government is counting on people filling out their forms online.

The half-million Census Bureau jobs are open to any U.S. citizen who can pass a background check, is at least 18 and possesses a Social Security number. In California, census officials project they will fill or already have filled about 12,800 positions.

“It’s a relatively fluid number, just a projection,” said Celeste Jimenez, assistant regional census manager based in Los Angeles.

That’s because for “enumerators,” the biggest category of census workers, the number of people hired will depend on how many people didn’t complete their census questionnaires promptSee CENSUS, Page A2

SNAPSHOTS

DeSantis, GOP make petition drives harder

BY JIM SAUNDERS NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 38 bills, including a controversial measure that will make it harder for groups and citizens to put proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot.

The Republican-dominated Florida Legislature passed the measure (HB 5) amid petition drives designed to place a series of issues on the November 2020

ALSO INSIDE

ballot, including proposed amendments to increase the minimum wage, expand Medicaid, overhaul the electric-utility industry, ban assault-style weapons and revamp primary elections.

More regulations The bill places new restrictions on the petitiongathering process, which plays a critical role in getGov. Ron ting initiatives on the balDeSantis lot. For the November 2020 election, as an example, supporters of amendments need to submit 766,200 valid petition signatures to reach the ballot.

Among other things, the bill makes it illegal to pay petition gatherers based on the number of petitions they collect, a

change that is expected to drive up costs for amendments backers.

Also, the bill requires submission of information about petition gatherers, including their permanent and temporary addresses and dates of birth. In addition, it requires petitions to be turned into county supervisors of elections no more than 30 days after being signed by voters and includes penalties of up to $50 for each late submission.

FLORIDA | A3

Record heat here in May Pulse owner focuses on healing

Now in effect The prohibition on paid petition-gatherers takes effect immediately, while other petition-related changes in the bill will take effect in 30 days, according to a House analysis. The changes apply to amendments proposed for the 2020 ballot, though they do not affect signatures See DESANTIS, Page A2

NATION | A6

Hospitalized Black men focus of study Trump says he would never resign

COMMENTARY: GLEN FORD: BLACK LIVES MATTER FOUNDER SHRINKS BLACK LIVES | A4 COMMENTARY: DR. WILLIE J. KIMMONS: WHAT HAPPENED TO BLACK CHURCHES AND BLACK COLLEGES? | A5

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FOCUS

JUNE 14 – JUNE 20, 2019

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Injustice of Central Park Five case should give Florida pause There are 340 people on Florida’s death row. Without a thorough investigation into the state’s criminal justice system and a full review of every capital conviction, the next execution could be of an innocent person.

Many state leaders seem OK with that. Those leaders, like Gov. Ron DeSantis, should bingewatch some television.

Netflix series “When They See Us,” a fourpart series on Netflix dramatizing the infamous case of the Central Park Five – five young Black and Latino boys falsely accused and wrongfully convicted of the brutal rape of a New York jogger in 1989 – vividly demonstrates how badly flawed the justice system in America can be.

THE MIAMI HERALD GUEST EDITORIAL

It took more than a decade for the boys’ unjust convictions to be overturned, but the damage to their lives and reputations can never be repaired. It could have been worse, though. The oldest boy was tried as an adult. He could have received the death penalty – and he could have been executed before he was exonerated.

Irreversible action One of the most compelling arguments against the death penalty is that an execution cannot be

undone if it turns out an inmate was wrongly convicted. That potential should be especially concerning in Florida, where more death-row inmates have been exonerated than in any other state.

In March, Clifford Williams Jr. became the 29th person exonerated from Florida’s death row since the 1970s. Prosecutors now say he didn’t commit the crime he was convicted of – after he spent 42 years in prison.

Florida has, almost certainly, executed innocent men. Leo Jones might have been one of them. He was executed in 1998 for the murder of a police officer even though one of the main witnesses against him had recanted and there were allegations that his confession came only after a brutal beating by the police officers who interrogated him.

Restoration necessary

Court reversal?

Given that there appears to be no political will to end the death penalty in Florida – one of only about five states that still regularly executes prisoners – restoring confidence in the integrity of the system that puts people on death row is paramount.

Gov. DeSantis, a death penalty supporter who recently signed a bill making it harder for ex-felons to vote, should order a review of death-row exonerations and other wrongful convictions.

But instead of doing that, he has appointed three conservative justices to the Florida Supreme Court who might lead the court in reversing a decision about retroactively resentencing death row inmates.

The issue arises from a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court decision that found that allowing judges – not juries – to decide if the facts warranted a death sentence violated the accused men’s right to trial by jury. The state therefore began reviewing death sentences back to 2002, but that state Supreme Court justices seem poised to stop that.

When the state executes a convict, it is acting on behalf of every resident of Florida, and if the state is wrong, it stains all of us.

Such an act must rest on a firm, unassailable foundation. There must be absolute confidence that the system is fair, just and devoted to the truth.

There can be no such confidence in the current system.

CENSUS from A1 ly next year, leading the Census Bureau to hire people who know their communities and languages and can go out into the field and come back with completed questionnaires from the non-responders.

Focused on staffing This year, the Census Bureau is focused on setting up and staffing offices across the country and checking and updating the list of addresses used to send people reminders and instructions on filling out the 2020 Census questionnaire online when it is released in mid-March.

In California, where there will be 30 census offices up and down the state, the administrative jobs – mostly already filled or due to fill soon – are expected to last all the way through till the census-gathering is completed next summer, at a pay scale ranging from $18 to $51 per hour, depending on the assignment and the location.

The next wave of hiring, for “listers” who will do the address verification work this year, is underway. Those jobs pay from $16.50 to $33 per hour and are expected to last only for a couple of months, including paid training.

To apply for these positions, go to https://2020census.gov/en/ jobs.html.

Follow-up help Next year, after mailings are sent out with instructions on the legally required process of filling

RAGE from A1 heading for Byrne, who was still inside his air-conditioning work truck.

‘Permitted’ shootings Sinclair shot Byrne once in the chest. Byrne shot Sinclair several times, police said.

Both Byrne and Sinclair held concealed carry permits.

“Mr. Byrne was acting in selfdefense when he ultimately fired back at Mr. Sinclair,” Leone said.

He added that if Sinclair had survived, “we would have identified him as the primary aggressor, and he would have ultimately been charged with murder.”

Police say that Sinclair’s girlfriend had been pleading with her boyfriend to stay in the car when they stopped at the light.

Neither she nor their daughter were harmed in the shooting.

DeSantis reviews budget TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis hopes to sign a state budget and issue vetoes next week, with the spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year expected to arrive on his desk today.

Appearing Tuesday at a billsigning event in The Villages, DeSantis said he and his staff have completed a “first glance” at the line items in the $91.1 billion, 448-page document for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The governor has line-item veto power.

“Some of them (budget items) obviously just don’t pass muster with me, so they’re not going to make it,” DeSantis said. “There’s

BORIS YARO/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

This paperwork was used by census takers in 2000. out the census questionnaires, the biggest wave of hiring will begin for field staff or enumerators to do the non-response followup work that in large part consists of knocking on doors at addresses where residents didn’t file completed questionnaires.

These positions also will be filled through the Census Bureau website: https://2020census. gov/en/jobs.html.

The Census Bureau hopes that having people file their questionnaires online will yield billions of dollars in savings on the shoe

leather it’s always needed to get those questionnaires completed. It expects at least half of the country’s more than 300 million people to take the online option.

others that definitely pass muster, so they will.”

Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, intends to formally send the budget (SB 2500) to DeSantis this morning, Katie Betta, Galvano’s spokeswoman, said in an email Tuesday.

Once the budget lands on his desk, DeSantis will have 15 days to act.

$3.4 billion in reserves, but DeSantis has indicated he would like to see a larger amount. Vetoes of spending could boost the reserves.

Why spend it?

DeSantis said he’s still reaching out to lawmakers to get their justification for projects that made it into the budget.

“We’re in the middle of that process,” DeSantis said. “I hope that we’ll have everything signed sometime next week.”

When the budget was approved by the Legislature on May 4, DeSantis said he planned to put his line-item veto power to use.

Since then, DeSantis has repeatedly praised lawmakers for exceeding by $55 million his $625 million request for Everglades restoration funding and for separate water projects.

Last Friday, he said he intended to approve a new aircraft to fight wildfires. The budget includes $4.98 million for the Florida Forestry Service to make such a purchase. Otherwise, DeSantis has mostly kept his budget plans within his office.

Major items The budget includes highprofile spending issues such as a $242-per-student increase in school funding; more than $220 million to help areas of the Panhandle hit last year by Hurricane Michael; and $10.2 billion in general-revenue funding for health care and other social service programs, with much of that state money drawing federal matching funds.

The spending plan includes

Reduced costs In the past, with questionnaires submitted through “snail mail,” the cost per person of gathering census data had grown to $92 in 2010, from just $16 in 1970, as measured in constant dollars.

The ability to bridge language barriers will be invaluable, and in fact is a requirement for some

Cuts eyed The business-backed nonprofit Florida TaxWatch has recommended DeSantis cut 109 projects from the budget worth a combined $133 million. The group contends the projects, derided as “turkeys,” failed to be properly vetted before the Legislature completed the budget.

Dominated by transportation projects, the TaxWatch turkey list includes: $13.3 million sought by Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, to widen County Road 491 in Citrus County; $1 million to restore Centennial Park in Fort Myers; $4.75 million for the Deputy William J. Gentry, Jr. Regional Public Safety Training Center in Highlands County; and $8 million for a workforce housing multi-family apartment complex in Jacksonville’s urban core.

As of Tuesday afternoon, DeSantis had received 126 of the 194 bills approved by the Legislature during this year’s session.

He’s signed 118 and vetoed two, according to a tally on the Senate website.

While the number of bills passed was smaller than in some past legislative sessions, DeSantis called the session “productive.”

Gillum raises cash TALLAHASSEE – Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum’s political committee, Forward Florida, which is playing a key role in Gillum’s voter-registration drive, received nearly $370,000 in May, according to a campaign finance report filed Monday.

of the managerial positions the Census Bureau still has open. Bilingual census staff will be needed wherever five percent or more of a community is believed to primarily use another language.

The Census Bureau is touting its jobs as ideal for people just starting their working life who need to establish a record of reliability, for people who can use the frequently evening or weekend hours to supplement jobs they already have, or for retirees who would like to re-enter the workforce in a limited way.

Ex-felons can apply

Most of the contributions came in small-dollar amounts, ranging from $3 to $50. But big donors also dropped checks in May, including $100,000 from Stephen Silberstein, who is tied to an organization whose goal is to reform the Electoral College to choose the president through popular vote.

Collecting and spending

Inquiry underway The finance report does not give a clear indication about whether a recent federal subpoena inquiring into Gillum’s political committee and campaign have impacted fundraising.

Over the weekend, Gillum said he does not underestimate the inquiry being a distraction but that his committee has been able to raise money with no problem, including $250,000 after the subpoena came to light.

DESANTIS from A1 already gathered.

Supporters of the bill have said it is needed to combat fraud and efforts by out-ofstate interests to use the initiative process to change the Florida Constitution.

“Thank you to the Florida Legislature for protecting Florida’s Constitution from out-of-state special interests and returning the process back to Florida citizens,” the Florida Chamber of Commerce tweeted after the mea-

As for the background checks, hiring will be on a case-by-case basis, so having a felony conviction, for instance, isn’t necessarily a disqualifier.

Payday comes every week and people using their cars will be reimbursed. Although the jobs are in most cases temporary, the work occasionally can lead to a career. For career info, go to https://census.ca.gov/job-opportunities/

While money flowed in, the committee also spent nearly $85,000 in May. A large part of that money went to travel expenses, which are needed for Gillum to raise money, according to a spokesperson for the political committee.

A breakdown of the committee’s expenses also show $25,000 was spent on legal expenses. Another $38,000 was spent on consulting and research services tied to the voter registration drive, which has a goal of registering and re-engaging 1 million new Democratic voters in Florida.

Gillum, a former Tallahassee mayor, narrowly lost the 2018 gubernatorial race to DeSantis.

Wayne K. Roustan and Laurel Weibezahn of the Sun Sentinel / TNS and Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

sure was approved last month.

Constitutional violation?

But critics argued the Legislature was trying to block citizens from amending the Constitution.

“It weakens the people’s inherent rights to amend organic law in the Constitution.

That’s a fundamental constitutional right that the Legislature is essentially eviscerating,” lawyer Glenn Burhans, who chairs a political committee backing an initiative that would change the primary-election system, told The News Service of Florida recently.

JUNE 14 – JUNE 20, 2019

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Jacksonville with an average monthly temperature of 78.4 degrees with a maximum high of 100.

“We were basically just in a quieter pattern where we had a good ridge of high pressure that was located somewhere in our vicinity over a portion of that time,” said Sean Miller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami.

“A lot of times when we have high pressure set up we get an easterly flow which can cool it down a little bit so we might not have been as warm as other areas.”

More rain elsewhere

LOGAN PIERSON/DREAMSTIME/TNS

The sun rises on March 26, 2018 in Boca Raton. Steadfast high pressure over Florida last month led to the warmest May in more than a century.

Florida earns top spot in May heat Last month was hottest in more than a century

BY KIMBERLY MILLER FLORIDA TIMES-UNION/TNS

A steadfast carousel of high pressure over Florida last month led to the warmest May in more than a century with an average temperature nearly four degrees above what’s normal for the fifth month of the year.

At 78.8 degrees — 3.7 degrees hotter than normal — May in the Sunshine State earned the top spot for record heat in measurements that date back to 1895, according to a report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Florida was the only state in the contiguous United States that ranked hottest in May, but Southeastern states from Alabama to Maryland recorded above average warmth as the same area of high pressure cleared away springtime clouds.

Hundreds of tornadoes Florida climatologist David Zierden said the May heat was more of a weather phenomenon than something tied to climate change.

“It was just a stubborn deep layer high pressure system that set up over us and was very persistent for two or more weeks,” Zierden said. “We had warm high pressure here and troughing in the west and a battleground in between where there was all the severe weather.”

More than 500 tornadoes were reported in May nationwide.

That’s more than double the three-year average of 226 and the most active 30-day tornado period since 2011.

How cities fared At least seven Florida cities simmered through last month with their highest May temperatures, including Jacksonville, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Melbourne, Punta Gorda, Sarasota and Orlando.

Weather Service figures show

Miller said a lack of robust cold fronts was to blame for a warm winter.

“We had a decent amount of fronts, but no really strong ones, or very few strong ones,” he said.

“We just stayed a little further way from the higher mid-latitude weather that brings us the cooler intrusions.”

Nationwide, May was marked more by rain than heat.

The National Centers for Environmental Information, which issues the monthly NOAA weather summary, said last month was the second wettest May on record and the second wettest month of all months since January 1895.

The national average May rainfall was 4.41 inches, about 1.5 inches above normal.

Although a hefty early-May deluge left South Florida flush with rain for the month, including 6.27 inches in coastal Palm Beach County, North Florida is suffering from drought.

Dry in Panhandle The U.S. Drought Monitor report released last week showed most of the Panhandle in a moderate drought or with “abnormally dry” conditions.

“This is what they call a flash drought,” Zierden said. “It came on very suddenly.”

Zierden said there has been no measurable rainfall in Tallahassee for about 18 days with high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s.

“Things dried out very quickly,” he said.

Pulse owner focusing on memorial, healing Project honoring victims expected to open in 2022

BY KATE SANTICH ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

ORLANDO – It is an early June morning, waves of heat already rising off Orange Avenue, as a 40-ish Orlando woman winds her way around the interim memorial at the former Pulse nightclub, taking in the photos and mementos and reading the names of the dead.

Though they are strangers to her, she begins to weep.

Barbara Poma, the club’s cofounder and matriarch, who happens to be there on this morning, slowly approaches to talk and offer comfort.

“Every time I go, I see people like that,” she says later. “Some are there for the first time; some have been there many times. But it is always emotional.”

Sense of duty Three years after the June 12, 2016, mass shooting — at the time, the worst in modern U.S. history — the site still holds a powerful draw for the mourning and the curious. But for Poma, now charged with shaping the memorial and museum scheduled to open here in another three years, it also brings a sense of duty.

One question she doesn’t indulge is: Why? Why her happy little dance club, which so many considered a place of acceptance and escapism?

“The whys are a very difficult, slippery slope,” she says. “I feel like if I start asking those questions, it will take me to a place I don’t want to be.

“The question is really: Why anybody? Why the 49 mothers?

Why did they have to lose their children? Why were the survivors made to change the whole trajectory of their lives? Why is our society the way it is right now?”

‘A ways to go’ Poma had helped to open the

club in 2004 in memory of her older brother, John, who died after a long battle with AIDS in 1991. She used it to host fundraisers for Make-A-Wish and LGBTQ civil rights and breast cancer awareness.

Today she is CEO of the onePULSE Foundation, the nonprofit trying to raise $50 million for the design, land purchase, construction, maintenance and educational programming, and the 49 annual college scholarships her organization envisions.

So far, the foundation has $14 million — most of it from Orange County — a staff of eight and some big-name board members, including entertainer Lance Bass and Walt Disney World President George Kalogridis.

“It’s a ways to go,” Poma says.

“I hear people say, ‘Wasn’t there $30-some million already raised?’ And I tell them, ‘Yes, and every one of those dollars went exactly where it was supposed to — to the survivors and the family members.’”

Battling lawsuit But even as she works on the memorial plans, Poma and her husband, Rosario, are battling a lawsuit filed on behalf of survivors and victims’ family members.

The suit initially claimed the club was negligent because it did not have proper security or staff to prevent the shooting.

Last month, an amended suit also alleged that the couple fraudulently transferred ownership of the Pulse property after the shooting to hide its value from those suing.

Poma rejects the claims.

“Since the tragedy, we, like others directly impacted by this unimaginable act of violence, have been targeted by out-of-state personal injury lawyers pursuing us in this frivolous case,” she told the Sentinel in an email.

“To question my intent or motives based on the mistaken assumptions, suggestions or speculation of others who have no knowledge of our circumstances or of our character is misplaced

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS

Barbara Poma, CEO of the onePULSE Foundation, stands in front of the Pulse Interim Memorial located at the Pulse nightclub site on June 6. and unjustified.”

Deciding on designs Brandon Wolf, who survived the attack but lost two close friends in the shooting, says he has faith in Poma and her team working on the memorial.

“I love her vision,” he says. “I love the idea of creating a large community space where we all can come to mourn, love, learn and celebrate with each other in a way that embodies what Orlando has become since Pulse.”

Late last month, a selection committee sorted through design pitches from 68 teams of architects, landscape architects and artists from 19 countries to compile a short list of six. Three of them are from the United States, the others from France, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Their works include the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London and the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the largest art

museum in the Arabian Peninsula.

Architect weighs in Each had to write why the team wanted the project.

“There were some letters that you just cried through,” Poma says. “You just saw how much it meant — even from 19 other countries — to be involved.”

Rene Gonzalez, a Miami architect, was one of them.

“As a Florida architect and as a Latino gay man, this project may be the most meaningful of my career,” he says. “What happened in Orlando struck very close to home. It could have been me — or any of my friends. It seemed so backwards, that here was a place of joy, a place of dance, a place that was uplifting … “

From hate to hope He is now among the six finalists, charged with creating a me-

morial that is “iconic, somber, serene, sublime and welcoming,” as well as a museum that will house 7,000 artifacts from the nightclub and the aftermath of the tragedy, and a “Survivors Walk” that will connect the nightclub site to the Orlando Health Memorial Paver Garden along Lake Beauty and extend north to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

A winning design will be chosen by the end of October, Poma says. The project is expected to open in June 2022.

To understand the magnitude of their task, onePULSE trustees and staff have visited the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala., the national September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York and its counterpart at the Pentagon, the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., and the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.

EDITORIAL

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JUNE 14 – JUNE 20, 2019

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Black Lives Matter founder shrinks Black lives Alicia Garza, of Black Lives Matter fame, last week introduced her latest project in the pages of the New York Times: a survey of “more than 31,000 Black people from all 50 states” to determine, as the headline announced, “What Black People Want.”

The Black Census Project “is the largest independent survey of Black people ever conducted in the United States,” wrote Garza.

A collaboration of Garza’s Black Futures Lab, Color of Change, Demos, and Socioanalítica Research, the project “trained more than 100 Black organizers and worked with some 30 grass-roots organizations” to elicit Black people’s views on a range of domestic subjects – but asked not a single question related to war and peace.

No opinion?

Garza & Co. have thus performed a kind of lobotomy on the Black polity in the United States, excising from public policy discussion Black Americans’ views on the nation’s endless military and economic wars against people of color around the world.

Garza’s team appears to have operated on the premise that Black people have no opinion on the death of millions and the destruction of whole societies, crimes that are committed in their name by the U.S. government.

As if Black Americans don’t see the connection between ever-expanding war budgets and constantly shrinking domestic social spending. The project is structured as if African Americans are provincial boobs who don’t give a damn about foreign affairs or the intersection of U.S. foreign and domestic policy.

All about Dems What is perfectly clear, is that the survey is designed to influence the election strategies of the Democratic Party, whose candidates, she writes, fail to “address the issues that affect Black communities or meaningfully court them.”

Instead, “time, money and effort are expended to identify and cater to moderate White voters who are already fickle about politicians and political parties.

GLEN FORD BLACK AGENDA REPORT

Alicia Garza pretends, for Black Census Project purposes, to be blind to the intersection between U.S. slaughter of millions of non-White people abroad and the mass Black incarceration regime at home. She doesn’t respect Black folks enough to even ask if they approve or disapprove of their government’s conduct abroad.

America’s natural gas and oil industry is hiring The economy is booming, but that doesn’t mean it’s all Easy Street for American families.

Costs for household essentials continue to rise – with expenses for healthcare up 73 percent over 10 years, education costs increasing 58 percent and food bills rising 26 percent. There’s one important exception: energy costs.

Billions saved Household energy expenses have dropped 10.5 percent, and Americans saved $300 billion in 2016 compared to 2010. As recently as 2011, media reports were blaring headlines like “$4 Gas Might be Here to Stay.”

With the United States now leading the world in production of natural gas and oil, families are enjoying welcome savings on their utility bills and at the gas pump – savings that help them afford other priorities that keep getting pricier.

For a growing number of American workers, the U.S. natural gas and oil industry doesn’t just mean lower bills, it means fatter paychecks.

“Black Census respondents are highly engaged in elections: Not only did more than 73 percent report voting in 2016, but 40 percent also report some other form of electoral activity, such as engaging as donors, volunteers, or canvassers.”

Put them to work The message is: these are folks that need to be put to work on some worthy Democrat’s campaign.

“As the unwavering base of the Democratic Party, if the politically engaged Black population ceased to vote and gave up on the system, it would upend the Democratic Party and have devastating effects on our democracy as a whole,” says Garza’s Black Census Project, in a transparent pitch for its availability to save the Party and “the system.”

The survey is quite methodical in providing questions to guide candidates in navigating Black domestic political views.

It confirms that the Black political consensus on economic justice at home remains intact, with large majorities of respondents favoring high taxes on the rich, increased minimum wages, and affordable health, higher education and housing. (The survey does not ask if any of these things should be a right.)

Predictably, three-quarters of those surveyed want cops made accountable for their misconduct, and just over half want community boards created to supervised police departments.

Obama scores high

This has long been the Democratic establishment’s strategy, but they doubled down on it after the 2016 election when analysts proclaimed that the left’s undue focus on ‘identity politics’ sent moderate White voters to the Republican side.”

Most corporate Democratic candidates also avoid foreign policy issues whenever possible.

Garza and her corporate-philanthropy-funded crew impose the same strictures on Black discussion, in hopes of creating a saleable electoral campaign product for Democrats.

The survey’s web page is keen to advertise that the 31,000

But the surveyors were not interested in Black people’s views on U.S. military violence abroad, or the impact of U.S. policies on poverty in the world, or anything at all about Africa, a continent the United States has militarily occupied since 2008. We do learn that President Obama, who effectuated the occupation, enjoys an 85 percent approval rating among respondents, as does Black Lives Matter.

The survey is a hustle to make Garza, Color of Change and their (already deeply-connected) financial backers bigger players in the Democratic Party – without challenging lawless U.S. em-

ologists, engineers, rig workers, welders, electricians, communications professionals, truck drivers, environmental consultants, business analysts, computer technicians – you name it.

Opportunities are growing MIKE SOMMERS GUEST COMMENTARY

‘Best bet’ A 2018 Bloomberg report called the industry “the best bet for U.S. workers” thanks to its “paycheck potency” – with salary levels that “topped all sectors, including utilities, tech and health care” in recent rankings.

Non-retail station jobs in the natural gas and oil industry pay an average annual wage of over $100,000 – nearly $50,000 more than the U.S. average. Studies show natural gas and oil industry workers earn more across all education levels, degree majors, gender and race/ethnicity groups, and occupation types.

The diversity of career opportunities means there’s something for everyone – across a variety of fields and education levels. Ge-

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: GUNS IN AMERICA

The industry supports 10.3 million U.S. jobs across the economy – 2.7 additional jobs for each direct natural gas and oil job.

With 40 percent or more of the industry’s worker base expected to retire by 2035, there’s never been a better time to join the energy workforce.

Studies project we’ll see nearly 1.9 million job opportunities over that period in the oil and natural gas and petrochemical industries – with 707,000 jobs, or 38percent of the total, projected to be filled by African American and Hispanic workers. We consider that number a floor, not a ceiling.

One of our top priorities as an industry is building a more diverse workforce, and ensuring these opportunities reach every community. One of the biggest barriers our research has identified is lack of awareness about the opportunities in our industry.

We’re partnering with a number of organizations to change that.

STEVE SACK, THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE, MN

pire, “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world, today,” as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated more than half a century ago, and as Malcolm X hammered home till his dying breath.

Knows what she’s doing The Movement for Black Lives platform, titled “A Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands for Black Power, Freedom and Justice,” is quite radical in its demands to end the (domestic) war on Black people, and on reparations, disinvestment of oppressive government and economic institutions, economic justice, community control, and decriminalizing Black political activity.

It puts forward no demands on U.S. foreign policy, but instead offers an apology: “While the movement’s platform largely focuses on the implementation of domestic policies that will advance Black communities in America, the movement also recognizes that patriarchy, exploitative capitalism, militarism, and White supremacy know no borders.”

No further But Garza knows the borders of what is acceptable to the corporate Democratic Party, and adheres to the limits imposed by the fat cats – who are also among her donors. This is sometimes called political “capture” of dissidents by the ruling class. However, the term “capture” hardly fits when the prey is begging to be caught.

Alicia Garza pretends, for Black Census Project purposes, to be blind to the intersection between U.S. slaughter of millions

Through coordinated efforts with groups like the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and others, we’re working to spread the word that the industry is hiring.

We’re building Constructing the pipelines and other infrastructure needed to keep pace with record energy production – and move affordable energy to homes and businesses — can support up to 1 million-plus jobs per year.

That means construction workers, welders, pipe fitters. We partner with the National Building Trades Unions to train workers for these good jobs.

The industry also needs workers with backgrounds in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. In coordination with these organizations and many more, companies sponsor and participate in job fairs, hands-on educational labs, science fairs and teacher training.

As great as the opportunities are, it’s not all about the paycheck. America’s energy professionals are part an industry that

Charles W. Cherry II, Esq., Publisher

Opinions expressed on this editorial page are those of the writers, and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of the newspaper or the publisher.

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of non-White people abroad and the mass Black incarceration regime at home. She doesn’t respect Black folks enough to even ask if they approve or disapprove of their government’s conduct abroad.

The absence of foreign policy questions is a deliberate ploy to make the project and its players palatable to imperialists. Garza not only pretends that she doesn’t see the connection between the trillion-dollar U.S. military budget versus endless austerity for human needs programs, she has overseen a survey that pretends the rest of Black America is also blind and dumb.

Her survey is an insult to the Black Radical Tradition, which is rooted in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of the world and has resulted in Black America winning allies and emulators around the globe.

One never forgets Fortunately, an organization exists that will never forget the six million Congolese that have been slaughtered to date as a result of U.S. foreign policy – the worst genocide since World War Two – and which fights daily to bring Washington’s “endless wars” to a halt: the Black Alliance for Peace. But that’s not the kind of project that corporate billionaires fund.

Glen Ford is executive editor of BlackAgendaReport.com. Email him at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier.com to write your own response.

fuels the economy and powers daily life. It’s an industry of innovators – that not only leads the world in production of natural gas and oil but is developing the technologies that make our air cleaner.

World leader The United States leads the world in reduction of carbon emissions, thanks primarily to clean natural gas. Cleaner fuels and other breakthroughs have helped drive combined emissions of the primary air pollutants down 73 percent since 1970 – while energy use and vehicle miles have climbed.

Building a better future takes energy, and building the best workforce is essential to keep delivering energy benefits to U.S. families. Working with our partners in African American and Hispanic communities, America’s natural gas and oil industry is focused on expanding opportunities and building the diversity that will make our workforce even stronger.

Mike Sommers is president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute. Click on this commentary at www.flcourier. com to write your own response.

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JUNE 14 – JUNE 20, 2019

STOJ

What happened to our Black churches and Black colleges?

I was propelled to write this article because of the current status and dilemma of our Black churches and Black colleges.

For the past 18 years, since my retirement as a superintendent of schools and college president, I worship on a rotating basis at five different churches in Daytona Beach for my community involvement. As a public servant, community leader and career educator, my life’s work has been to serve, to give, to support and to mentor our youth and young people.

I was baptized in 1953 at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. God has been my spiritual guiding force daily. Sunday is still the most segregated day of the week. We African Americans historically were forced to create our own religious institutions, including our Black colleges, because Whites refused to accept or allow Blacks to attend their churches and colleges.

What happened?

Hundreds of years later, I ask the question: “What happened to our Black churches and Black colleges?”

My generation gave up most of the gains, sacrifices and struggles that our ancestors made to educate us. They gave us a place to worship and to be liberated and educated as human beings.

In the past, many Black churches and Black colleges were open seven days a week. This was when Black churches and Black colleges were a viable part of the daily life of the Black community. Today, many Black churches are only open three to four days a week. Our Black colleges close their doors on Friday, and open back up on Monday.

Not connected

DR. WILLIE J. KIMMONS GUEST COMMENTARY

At our beloved BethuneCookman University there will have been, from 2003 until 2019, five presidents in 16 years. This, my friends, isn’t conducive to maintaining the stability, growth and survival of these institutions. ed rate.

The advent of the charter/private/public schools vs. our traditional public schools is one of the many reasons our public schools are eroding. Why? Many of our people now attend White churches and White colleges.

Forgotten our history My sisters and brothers, it is truly obvious that we have forgotten about our history of being denied access to White churches and White colleges. One who cannot protect and invest in its own is one that is doomed to fail.

In Daytona Beach, we have more than 10 Black churches on the same street, nearly next door to each other. Most of them are half-full on Sundays. The religious leaders, pastors, have very little interaction with each other.

As I attend my five churches on different Sundays, I’ve observed the same requests from all of these Black pastors, i.e., “We need members to support the church financially and we need to recruit more people to attend our church because we have bills to pay. We have to maintain our church.”

There is a huge disconnect between my generation and two & three generations of young people.

As a result of this disconnection, the survival of our Black churches and Black colleges are at an alarming crisis.

We, as a race of people, have retrogressed on every front: education, religion, political, economics; not respecting our elders; not knowing and appreciating our history. Today, many traditional Black churches are nearly empty Taking money out I’ve observed on Sundays in the as we worship on Sunday. Black colleges are losing Black students Black community, buses comto White colleges at an accelerat- ing in from White churches con-

Trump attempts to erase Harriet Tubman With uniquely American hypocrisy, the Trump Treasury Department has pushed back the 2016 plan to put escaped slave and Underground Railroad heroine Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. Tubman would be the first African American woman featured on U.S. currency.

The $20 currently features a former president, Andrew Jackson, who owned slaves and ordered the death march of thousands of Native Americans. Euphemistically called “Indian Removal,” the Trail of Tears made way for White settlers to claim millions of acres of southern land.

More from Trump The attempted erasure of Tubman represents yet another move in the Trump playbook to disconnect racial reality from White fantasy.

In the fantasy of White supremacy, traitors like Jefferson Davis and other Confederates are memorialized for being freedom fighters – the freedom of Whites to own

A. SCOTT BOLDEN NNPA CONTRIBUTOR

Black human beings and work them to death – while a woman who risked her life time and again to free enslaved people is simply dismissed. Ignored. Erased.

In the fantasy of White supremacy, White people are always justified in killing unarmed Black men, women and children, either with their own guns or by aiming the unquestioned power of the police. No act is too repugnant, even those resulting in the sexual abuse or death of immigrant children in American custody, if it can be framed as a defense of White superiority.

In the fantasy of White supremacy, the FBI spent millions in time and treasure to plant false evidence of Communist influence on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – while

Donald Trump is not an aberration The American news media is deceiving the world when it consistently describes No. 45 as an aberration in the history of the United States presidency. Equally deceiving is its describing and romanticizing the American voting public as some kind of godly people who are devoted to liberty and justice for all citizens of this country.

Rather than being an aberration, No. 45 is a direct descendant of the presidents, including Saint George Washington and Saint

stantly picking up Black church worshipers and taking them 15 to 20 miles to White churches to attend service. It has been reported that these Black worshipers spend more money at these White churches than they ever contributed at Black churches.

As a reminder, Blacks didn’t create this dual religious and education system. Whites did, many years ago. My friends, we need our Black churches and our Black colleges if we are going to survive as a race of people.

Today, we have a number of Black college alumni associations contributing less than $50,000 annually to their respective Black colleges. In the past, Black churches and Black colleges were always able to sustain themselves by being economically and politically endowed. They were in business to sell quality education and to restore souls religiously.

The real control Many Black colleges are churchrelated, politically, spiritually and economically controlled by Black religious affiliations and Black politicians. They really control the financial resources and oversee the operation of these Black colleges and Black churches.

As a former college dean, vice president, president and chancellor of Black and White Black colleges throughout this country, I’ve witnessed, first hand, who really makes the final decisions at many of these Black churches and Black colleges. This, my friends, in my opinion, is part of the overall problem with the survival of Black churches and Black colleges.

This does not negate the many religious supervisors who are doing an outstanding job managing and properly utilizing the financial resources for the success of Black colleges and churches. But there are too many that are not.

Getting paid Several Black religious affiliations and Black politicians are getting their “fair share,” or assessment fees off the top. Some Black religious supervisors require of their church congregations to pay an assessment fee on a regular basis. The amount depends on the size of the church. The Black politicians at many Black colleges serve as “lobbyists” or consultants

in reality, Russians today are using the racial tension in American to incite violence and paralyze our society, while they work towards global dominance.

An ‘unholy alliance’ By erasing Tubman, the Trump forces again deploy their most effective weapon in the quest to maintain power – the unholy alliance of racism and misogyny. Because in America, it seems, freedom is for Whites only, and more specifically, for White men.

To be sure, Trump has ordered his own digital Trail of Tears, as he rolls back civil rights protections for people of color, for women, for immigrants fleeing starvation or oppressive regimes, for LGBTQ people, for the poor and the voiceless.

And currently, the cognitive dissonance in America has reached a new, critical level of psychosis. As a nation we exalt independence, freedom and equality – we boast of our shining city on the hill. Yet our shining city was built on genocide of the native peoples, enslavement of Africans and exploitation of immigrants.

Without a doubt, every people and every culture on Earth have had to deal with unpleasant facts of its history. America is not spe-

of those presidents who did absolutely nothing from the Reconstruction Era through the 1960s as leaders in the former Confederate States of America economically and politically oppressed Black people, including those who fought in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean and Vietnam wars reA. PETER spectively.

BAILEY No. 45 is also a direct descendant of those presidents who sat TRICE EDNEY NEWS WIRE by passively as thousands of Black Thomas Jefferson, who bought, folks were lynched and otherwise murdered by White supremasold, owned and exploited Africists/racists mostly in the forcan men, women and children. mer Confederate States of America. Their victims included Black No accident combat veterans. Therefore, He’s also a direct descendant Number 45, a draft dodger, is by

EDITORIAL

TOJ

A5

VISUAL VIEWPOINT: PRESIDENTS RICHARD NIXON AND DONALD TRUMP

RJ MATSON, CQ ROLL CALL

for these Black colleges and demand a certain amount of money per month.

It is obvious to me why our Black colleges and Black churches are struggling to survive. Today, we, as a race of people, are not supporting our Black churches and Black colleges the way we did 40, 50, 60 years ago. We are sending our children’s’ children’s children to White churches and White colleges. Many Black parents, grandparents and great-grandparents are doing the same.

As a career educator, I have seen Historically and Predominately Black colleges that today are now predominately White. My friends, I don’t know of any Historically and Predominately White colleges that are now predominately Black.

Why? I’m sure some of us will always have reasons why or can make excuses, comments and justifications. The real question I ask myself and the Black community is, “How many of our Black churches and Black colleges will survive for the next 5,10 to 20 years?” The future looks extremely bleak for their survival.

My sisters and brothers, if we lose our Black churches and our Black colleges, we will certainly lose our Black communities, our Black history and a viable vehicle to educate and minister to our Black children. I think we have a moral, personal, professional, educational and political obligation to do what’s in the best interest of our people to maintain their survival.

Some of our Black religious affiliations and Black politicians are

draining our churches and Black colleges, even though many Black colleges don’t have adequate student enrollment and some Black religious congregations are shrinking. This, my friends, is an accident waiting to happen.

Barely surviving The survival of Black churches and Black colleges is eroding every day. Many of us are sitting idle, doing too little of anything to take corrective measures to stop this crisis or catastrophe. My brothers and sisters, we need our Black churches and our Black colleges if we are going to survive as a race of people.

As I travel throughout Daytona Beach, Volusia County and the country, I’ve seen a proliferation of Black pastors and Black college presidents. Many Black pastors at churches in Daytona Beach are like a revolving door – in constant change.

At our beloved Bethune-Cookman University there will have been, from 2003 until 2019, five presidents in 16 years. This, my friends, isn’t conducive to maintaining the stability, growth and survival of these institutions.

God bless each and every one of us in the struggle. Stay in prayer and stay healthy.

Dr. Willie J. Greer Kimmons is an educational consultant for pre K-16 and Title I schools, teachers and parents. He is also a motivational speaker, author, former classroom teacher, superintendent of schools, college professor, college president and chancellor.

cial in that regard. Where most of ed instead to self-medicate, and White America goes off the rails is maintain the delusion of White suin completely denying and mini- premacy at all costs. mizing the facts of racial oppression. This erasure makes racial A shared belief reconciliation – and true equality Jackson, a president who au– impossible to achieve. thored one of the cruelest and most brutal acts in American hisAn icon ignored tory, is a Trump hero, which is perIn 2019, Harriet Tubman should fectly logical – they share a deep, be a respected and lauded icon for entitled belief in the superiority people of every race and ethnic- of White men, and a world order ity. Did she not personify Amer- in which Manifest Destiny is not a ican ideals, at the risk of her own just doctrine but a divine right. life? As a Black woman in antebelJackson should never be forgotlum times, she was vulnerable to ten. He should be remembered alcapture, prison, assault or lynchways as an example of what kind ing, but did she falter? Did she not refuse to kneel to any man or any of horrors our leaders can inflict king? Did she not fight for free- when their values and morals are dom against overwhelming odds? wildly askew. Trump will be reAre these not the qualities we hold membered in the same light – if enough of us survive to tell the stodear in our American heroes?

Instead, Tubman is erased. In- ry.

And despite their best efforts, stead, our current administrathe legacy of Harriet Tubman can tion embraces the slave owner, the mass murderer, the White su- never be erased. She embodies the spirit of everything our nation premacist – and calls him a hero.

For a psychiatric patient – in this claims to stand for, and each one case, White America – the reality of of us – every race, every gender racism, misogyny and oppression – should be proud to call her our is incompatible with their self- fellow American. identity as lovers of freedom and Scott Bolden is a trial and defenders of equality. But instead of taking the painful but therapeu- white-collar defense lawyer of tic steps to achieve reconciliation the Washington, D.C., law office and closure, the patient has opt- of Reed Smith.

no definition an aberration.

Voters cooperated As for the American voting public, through the years the overwhelming majority of them looked on, often with relish, as atrocities were committed against Black people. They voted for politicians who did little, if anything, to stop or punish the White supremacist/racist terrorists.

It was overwhelmingly White American men and women who put No. 45 into the White House.

Not one of them can say that he or she was deceived by him. He made it very clear in the Republican primary campaigns and in the general election campaign who and what he was and is. In

fact, that’s one positive thing that can be said about him.

Manly personification No. 45 is the personification of most White males in this country and, unfortunately, a sizable number of Black men for whom I have coined the name “Blawhis,” i.e., Black-Whites.

When, if ever, is the American media going to tell it like it is? No. 45 is not an aberration, and the White American voting public is not composed of bamboozled innocents.

A. Peter Bailey’s latest book is “Witnessing Brother Malcolm X, the Master Teacher.” Contact him at apeterb@verizon.net.

TOJ

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NATION

JUNE 14 – JUNE 20, 2019

STOJ

New study focuses on hospitalized Black men Nearly half with physical injuries develop PTSD or depression

BY ANERI PATTANI PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER/TNS

Nearly half of Black men who come to a Philadelphia hospital with a physical injury — anything from a sports accident to a gunshot wound — develop depression or post traumatic stress disorder in the following months, a new study found.

The research, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, was published in JAMA Surgery. Here are the highlights.

The context A growing body of research supports the idea that patients’ mental health affects their physical outcomes. Some studies have shown that patients with depression have longer hospital stays even when they’re admitted for physical illnesses.

Others have shown that mental illness can slow recovery after surgery or other medical procedures.

People who have experienced a traumatic event, such as a car crash or a violent altercation, are particularly at risk of experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Yet a national survey found only 7% of trauma centers in U.S. hospitals routinely screen patients for PTSD.

The data The research is based on 500 adult Black men who were treated for injury at either the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania or Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

The study did not include men who had a current psychotic disorder, were hospitalized because of attempted suicide, or were currently receiving treatment for depression or PTSD. Researchers recruited the men between January 2013 and Octo-

RAWPIXEL/STOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

Most hospitals don’t screen injury patients for mental illness, which can put patients at risk for poor recovery or even long-term disability. ber 2017, and followed each of them for three months after they left the hospital.

The participants self-reported their symptoms of depression and PTSD through surveys.

The results Of the 500 men in the study, 225 met criteria for a mental health diagnosis at the threemonth follow up period. Of those, 13% screened positive for depression, 10% for PTSD, and 22% for both.

Men with violent injuries were more likely to show symptoms of mental illness than those with

non-violent injuries.

Men who had experienced prior trauma or adverse childhood experiences — like having an incarcerated family member or suffering emotional or physical abuse — were at greatest risk.

This is supported by dozens of large-scale studies that show the more adverse experiences people have as children, the more likely they are to have poorer health outcomes as adults, including premature death.

The authors said these results show that discharging men without screening for psychological symptoms puts them at risk for

poor recovery, which can sometimes lead to long-term disability or self-medication with prescription or non-prescription drugs.

The caveats Although this study reinforced previous findings, it’s still important to note it focused on participants from one Philadelphia hospital system. The results might not apply to other populations.

The study also relied on selfreported data for symptoms of depression and PTSD, as well as adverse childhood effects, so these may not have been entirely accurate.

Next steps The authors suggest that addressing the psychological effects of injury can improve health and reduce the negative outcomes of injury.

Screening patients for mental illness and asking about traumatic childhood experiences could help identify those at greatest risk.

Study co-author and Penn professor of nursing Therese Richmond said in a statement, “We must integrate psychological care into the very essence of trauma care if we are to improve outcomes from serious injuries.”

New Jersey requiring hotels provide ‘panic buttons’ to cleaners

BY JULIANA FELICIANO REYES PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER/TNS

OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/TNS

Protesters hold placards as President Donald Trump’s motorcade leaves the Trump National Golf Club on June 1 in Sterling, Virginia.

Trump vows to not resign in the face of impeachment

BY CHRIS SOMMERFELDT NEW YORK DAILY NEWS/TNS

President Donald Trump pledged Monday he won’t pull a Richard Nixon and resign in the face of certain impeachment, saying he’s not the type of person who backs down from a fight.

Trump sought to set himself apart from the disgraced 37th president while fielding questions about mounting Democratic calls for his removal from office.

“President Nixon never got there. He left. I don’t leave,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “There’s a big difference.”

Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974 after his political support had eroded amid a House Judiciary

Committee impeachment inquiry unearthing damning information about his involvement in a cover-up of the Watergate scandal.

Would stay put Nearly all members of Congress — Republicans and Democrats alike — had abandoned Nixon at the time of his resignation, and it was widely believed he would have been impeached in the House and convicted in the Senate had he not stepped down voluntarily.

But Trump — despite having a long history of pulling out of business ventures when the going gets tough — said it’s not in his nature to “leave” and pledged to stay put even if the House impeaches him.

“You can’t impeach somebody

when there’s never been a thing done wrong,” Trump said at the White House.

Dean testifies The president’s comments came as former White House counsel and Watergate star witness John Dean testified before the House Judiciary Committee on what he called “striking” parallels between Trump and Nixon.

“In many ways, the Mueller report is to President Trump what the so-called Watergate road map … was to President Richard Nixon,” Dean said of the grand jury document that painted a damning portrait of Nixon and was handed over to the House judiciary panel in March 1974.

“Stated a little differently, special counsel Mueller has provided this committee with a road map.”

Trump took aim at Dean even before he started speaking at the House hearing, tweeting, “Can’t believe they are bringing in John Dean, the disgraced Nixon White

House Counsel who is a paid CNN contributor … Democrats just want a do-over which they’ll never get!”

Focus on report A growing number of Democrats have called for Trump’s impeachment in light of special counsel Robert Mueller refusing to exonerate the president of obstruction of justice.

During an unusual public appearance last month, Mueller upped the ante even more as he said he never indicted Trump because it wasn’t an “option” under longstanding Justice Department policy.

Dean’s testimony was part of House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler’s effort to dig into the “lessons” of Mueller’s 448-page report.

Before kicking off Monday’s hearing, Nadler, D-N.Y., said the intent of the session was to make sure, “no president, Democrat or Republican, can ever act in this way again.”

New Jersey on Tuesday became the first state to mandate that hotels provide their room cleaners with wearable “panic buttons.”

The devices, which call for help, aim to protect workers from sexual harassment and other dangers.

In September, major hotel brands — including Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt — agreed to provide the buttons to their employees after hotel workers with the union Unite Here held protests across the country calling for panic buttons and other safety measures.

January start The law applies to hotels with 100 rooms or more, which includes all nine casino hotels in Atlantic City, and will take effect in January.

Local governments have begun taken to passing worker-protection laws where the federal government has not.

Raising wages too In January, New Jersey said it would raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024.

Last year, New Jersey’s earned sick leave law went into effect, mandating paid sick days.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, legislators have passed laws like “Fair Workweek” scheduling for service workers and “justcause” prevention of unfair firings for parking lot workers.

COURIER

Gifts ideas for Father’s Day See page B3

SOUTH FLORIDA / TREASURE COAST AREA

JUNE 14 – JUNE 20, 2019

|

Serve Dad a delicious steak See page B4

WWW.FLCOURIER.COM

SECTION

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OUR MEN

This Father’s Day, the Florida Courier recognizes its male staffers. Some are dads, some are father figures.

We salute them for their dedication to carrying out the newspaper’s goal of “Sharing Black Life, Statewide.’’

ON A MISSION

Glenn, Charles Sr., Charles II, 2003

Publisher Charles W. Cherry II and Charles W. Cherry III

CEO Dr. Glenn W. Cherry and Jamal Cherry

To Charles W. Cherry, Sr., 1928-2004: We fight daily to keep the charge assigned to us. Asking, “What would Daddy do?” allows your wisdom to defy time and eternity, as you continue to guide us. We love you, and think about you every day.

The Cherry Family

Meeting Charles III (“Wig”) for the first time, 2004

J. Michael McKay, Sales

Duane C. Fernandez, Photojournalist

Andreas Butler, Reporter, and Andreas Butler, Jr.

Eugene Leach and Mr. John, Central Florida circulation

Chicago Jones, Statewide Circulation Manager

Willie Neal and Eddie Rumph, South Florida circulation

Devon Williams, Sun Coast circulation

Willie Kittles, Central Florida and Daytona Times circulation

Robert Wilson, Duval County circulation

B2

EVENTS & FINEST

JUNE 14 – JUNE 20, 2019

STOJ

TLC

Catch the duo on June 28 at Hard Rock Live Orlando.

HATTIE BALBUENA The Black Wall Street Experience & Expo is June 14-15 in Tampa featuring the “Black Wall Street’’ play

by Florida playwright Hattie Balbuena.

Details: thapgroup.org

FLORIDA COMMUNITY CALENDAR Fort Lauderdale: The Urban League of Broward County presents its annual summer job fair on June 20 at 560 Northwest 27th Ave. Details: ulbroward.org Daytona Beach: The 19th Annual Juneteenth Family Festival is June 15 at Cypress Street Park (925 George Engram Blvd.), Daytona Beach from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. More info: www.juneteenthdab.com Davie: The South Florida Institute on Aging will host

STEPHEN SMITH/SIPA USA/TNS

Andre De Shields won a Tony on June 9 for the best featured actor in a musical for his role as Hermes in “Hadestown.’

Actor wins first Tony Award at age 73

BY MAKEDA EASTER LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

André De Shields capped a 50-year acting career by scoring his first Tony Award on Sunday, June 9, winning best featured actor in a musical for his role as Hermes in “Hadestown.”

It’s been a long time coming. The 73-year-old performer has worked on Broadway, off-Broadway, in regional theater and on film and television.

In accepting his award, De Shields shared his three cardinal rules for longevity: One, surround yourself with people whose eyes light up when they see you coming. Two, slowly is the fastest way to get where you want to be. And three, the top of one mountain is the bottom of the next, so keep climbing, he said.

De Shields’ two prior Tony nominations were in 1997 for “Play On!” and in 2001 for “The Full Monty.” In 2007, De Shields won an Obie Award for sustained excellence in performance.

But there’s much, much more to De Shields’ storied career. Some highlights.

featuring Duke Ellington’s music.

He received another Tony nomination in 2001 for “The Full Monty,” the musical adapted from the British film about unemployed steel workers who make money with an unlikely strip-tease act.

Among his co-stars: Patrick Wilson.

De Shields’ other Broadway credits include 2009’s “Impressionism” and the short-lived “Prymate” in 2004.

Off-Broadway work too De Shields’ other New York-area shows have included a Melting Pot Theatre production of Neil Simon’s “The Good Doctor” and “Let Me Sing” at the George Street Playhouse.

His regional theater work includes “The Fortress of Solitude” in Dallas and “King Hedley II” in Washington, DC.

More than actor De Shields is a director, choreographer and educator. He choreographed two Bette Midler musicals in New York — her Christmas show in 1973 and 1975’s “Clams on the Half Shell Revue.”

During the 1970s, De Shields was also something of a cabaret king, creating six theatrical concerts including “Have You Ever Been Kissed by Lightning?” and “Black by Popular Demand,” a show he brought back in 2012.

He has taught at New York University, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and Southern Methodist University in Texas.

Starred in ‘The Wiz’

Emmy winner too

De Shields grew up in Baltimore, the ninth of 11 children. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, he made his professional debut in the 1969 Chicago production of “Hair.”

In 1975, De Shields starred in his breakout role: the title character in “The Wiz,” the Broadway Black retelling of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” “The Wiz” ran for more than 1,600 performances and won seven Tony Awards, including best musical.

De Shields’ role was later reprised

by Richard Pryor in the 1978 film and Queen Latifah in the live NBC TV special in 2015.

In 1982, De Shields picked up an Emmy for his performance as the Viper in the NBC special “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

Other TV and movie appearances include the NBC comedy “Lipstick Jungle” in 2008, HBO’s “Sex and the City” in 2002 and the Michael Apted film “Extreme Measures” in 1996.

5 decades on Broadway De Shields starred in the original cast of the Fats Waller musical “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” a tribute to Black musicians of the Harlem Renaissance, which premiered on Broadway in 1978.

It’s a role he revived in 1988, and in 2018 De Shields directed and choreographed the show for a 30th anniversary run in New Jersey.

The performer’s first Tony nomination was for “Play On!” — a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”

On racism But it will be his Tony and his work in theater for which De Shields likely will always be best known. In an interview with the Daily Beast, De Shields described the subtle yet rampant racism he faced as a Black performer in the industry.

“Broadway has come around to diversity, equity, and inclusion, but it’s come around after we dragged them screaming and kicking,” he said.

“The Great White Way is not called that for racial reasons, but because many years ago it was electrified and it appeared as if it were daylight all the time.

But it’s a marvelous metaphor if you want to discuss racism, because for so many generations we of color have been taught this is an inhospitable environment.”

IYANLA VANZANT

Her Acts of Faith Remix Tour stops at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center on Aug. 1 and Jacksonville’s Florida Theatre on Aug. 2. Details: iyanlavanzantlive. com

an aging seminar on June 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Nova Southeastern University.

Register at www.theSoFIA. org.

Boca Raton: Saxophonist and flautist JackieM Joyner will be at the Funky Biscuit on June 28.

Hollywood: Lionel Richie performs July 27 at Hard Rock Live and July 28 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.

Jacksonville: Gospel star Kirk Franklin will be at the Florida Theatre Jacksonville on July 15.

Miami: The People Matter Music Fest organized by radio host Papa Keith is June 15

at Gwen Cherry Park. Details: Peoplematterfest.com Miramar: The Caribbean Village Festival is June 23 at Miramar Regional Park Amphitheater.

Jacksonville: Mary J. Blige will be at Daily’s Place on July 14.

West Palm Beach: Mary J. Blige and Nas will perform at the Coral Sky Amphitheater on July 11 and MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater in Tampa on July 13.

Ponte Vedra: Catch Leela James at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on July 5 and Plaza Live – Orlando on July 8.

finest

FLORIDA’S Think you’re one of Florida’s Finest?

E-mail your high-resolution (200 dpi) digital photo in casual wear or bathing suit taken in front of a plain background with few distractions, to news@flcourier.com with a short biography of yourself and your contact information. (No nude/glamour/ fashion photography, please!) In order to be considered, you must be at least 18 years of age. Acceptance of the photographs submitted is in the sole and absolute discretion of Florida Courier editors. We reserve the right to retain your photograph even if it is not published.

If you are selected, you will be contacted by e-mail and further instructions will be given.

JUNE 14 – JUNE 20, 2019

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FATHER'S DAY

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To Dad, with love Gift ideas for a fantastic Father’s Day FROM FAMILY FEATURES

Dads can be notorious as the hardest family members to shop for, but come Father’s Day, there’s little doubt you’ll need a gift that shows dad just how much he means.

Truth be told, your company is probably all dad really needs, but you can

help deliver a little something he wants with these diverse ideas for all different kinds of dads. Remember, the secret to great gifting is giving something that shows you know and care about his personal interests.

Find more ideas for all your gifting occasions at eLivingToday.com.

Game for golf An avid golfer never tires of golfing gear, so it’s usually a safe bet for gifting. If you’re knowledgeable enough about his preferences, you can always add a new club to his collection. However, there are plenty of other useful gifts a golfer can appreciate, from a sleeve of quality balls to a book about a legendary player. A new set of gloves can improve his grip (and his game) while a new hat or shirt can give him something he can sport on the course.

A sizzling gift

Keep him connected

Subscribe to style

Gift dad everything he needs to throw an impressive cookout any time he wants with the Father’s Day Gift Package from Omaha Steaks. He’ll be set for summer barbecues with steaks and more on-hand, including two tender filet mignons; two rich and indulgent ribeyes; four robust, juicy burgers and more. The package also includes German Chocolate Cake for a sweet way to end a backyard meal. Find more information and gift packages for dad at omahasteaks.com.

For the dad who’s always tuned in, there’s a way to provide him with entertainment and connectivity while protecting his hearing all at once. Whether he’s using a power saw or mowing the day away, dad can stream his favorite music with the 3M WorkTunes Connect Hearing Protector with Bluetooth wireless technology to make his day both enjoyable and comfortable. With built-in features like high-fidelity audio, comfortable ear cushions and a low-pressure headband, he can even make and take phone calls without missing a beat. Find more information at 3M.com/WorkTunes.

Keep dad in style with all the latest looks with a clothing subscription. You can choose from services that coordinate complete outfits, options for accessories only or providers that select a handful of garments for each shipment. It’s a simple solution for a dad who takes pride in his appearance but never has time to shop or dislikes the shopping experience itself.

Pricing varies quite a bit; in some cases dad will need to pay a styling fee while with other services he’ll pay only for the items he keeps.

There are no limits to what you can accomplish.

You have the power to redefine what’s possible. From being the first to graduate college to becoming the next big star in your field — you work relentlessly to knock down barriers and build a stronger legacy. We call that being empowerful. As you continue to create more financial stability for you and your family, Wells Fargo will be right by your side helping to make it happen. You’ve come this far. We can help you go further.

Learn how at:

wellsfargo.com © 2019 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. IHA-24730_A21

A cut above Practical tools can be the perfect gift, and a pocket knife is such a useful choice that it’s hard to go wrong. For a more sentimental approach, consider a knife with a laser-cut personal message, or go ultrafunctional with a multi-tool design. Keep in mind that lesser quality blades may require more frequent sharpening, but they’ll generally do the job just as well as pricier models. Also be conscious of the weight and features like safety catches that may affect comfort and usability.

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DUKKAH RUB Prep time: 5 minutes Active time: 5 minutes Serves: 12 1/3 cup sliced almonds, roasted with no salt 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds 2 tablespoons Omaha Steaks Private Reserve Rub 2 teaspoons sesame seeds On cutting board, chop almonds to rough texture and add fennel seeds, chopping until mixture is fine. Place almond and fennel mix in bowl and add rub and sesame seeds.

DADS WANT STEAK

Give your dad the best for Father’s Day FROM FAMILY FEATURES

Dads typically love steak, so this Father’s Day, go ahead and shower him with some love straight off the grill. You can make the day even more memorable by sharing the grilling experience together.

In fact, it may be the perfect chance to teach your old man a thing or two with these tips from Omaha Steaks Executive Chef Grant Hon.

Choose your protein Selecting quality protein is the starting place for an exceptional grilled meal. For example, the ribeye is the most well-marbled steak, meaning it’s super juicy, rich with beefy flavor and excellent on the grill.

Prepare the grill Always start with clean grill grates. Heat your gas grill to high or start your charcoal 10-15 minutes before you grill. Dip a paper towel

Pat steaks dry with a clean paper towel and season them before they hit the grill. You can’t go wrong with simple sea salt and cracked pepper, but creative recipes like this Dukkah Rub can add a special twist.

melts during cooking. This is a good thing, but you may experience more dripping or flare-ups if you’re used to grilling leaner steaks.

To minimize the need to open the grill cover, determine the amount of time you’ll need to reach your desired doneness then use the 60-40 grilling method. Grill 60 percent on the first side then 40 percent after you turn the steak over for an even cook.

Sear and crust

Let it rest

in oil using tongs and oil your grill grates before adding steaks for a great sear.

Prepare the meat

Cook steaks directly over your heat source to get a tasty, crunchy sear on the outside of the steak.

This is where the best flavor comes from, and it offers a delicious contrast to the rich, juicy inside of the cut.

Control your cook Keep the grill cover closed as much as possible to maintain a temperature of around 450 F. This helps lock in flavor and prevent flare-ups. Remember the marbling on a ribeye means more fat, which

A resting time of at least 5 minutes allows steak juices to redistribute for the best eating experience. A foil tent can help regulate temperature during the resting period.

Garnish and flavor Whether you’re grilling vegetables, sauteing onions or adding a different kind of sweet or savory topping, just before you serve is the right time to garnish your steak.

Find more expert tips for summer grilling and the perfect Father’s Day gift at OmahaSteaks.com.

TASTY TOPPERS Once you pull a juicy steak away from the flame, there’s only one way to make it better: toppings that create a true taste explosion. When they’re prepared with fresh, premium ingredients, your friends and family may not be able to get enough of these sweet and savory additions. Simply mix them up while your meat is on the grill, or skip a step and rely on Omaha Steaks Toppers to capture the same delicious flavors without the prep work.

Crispy Onions and Jalapenos: Savor a one-two punch of crispy onions combined with spicy jalapenos for some crunch with a kick.

Dijon Mustard Aioli: Blend Dijon and wholegrain mustard with creamy Greek yogurt, garlic, tarragon and white pepper for a rich, tangy topping.

Mushrooms and Blue Cheese: Mix hearty mushrooms and full-flavored blue cheese with your favorite savory spices and a splash of sherry wine.

Smoky Bacon Jam: Start with the finest cuts of bacon browned to crispy perfection then add caramelized onion and an accent like brown sugar or balsamic vinegar.

Sweet Bourbon Onions: Warm things up with a medley of natural honey, bourbon whiskey and sherry wine offset by zesty red onions and balsamic vinegar.

Tomato Jam: Experiment with your favorite varieties to find the perfect balance of crushed tomatoes, sweet gherkins and seasonings.

Easy grocery delivery. publix.com/shop

Item prices vary from in-store prices. Service fees may apply. Available in select zip codes.