Citizen Suburban Times Weekly 6-24-2020

Y O U R S O U R C E F O R C O R O N AV I R U S N E W S

Citizen The Citizen: Serving The Black Community For 55 Years Week of June 24, 2020

| Vol. 3 | No. 46 | www.citizennewspapergroup.com

SUBURBAN TIMES WEEKLY

The Bank has consistently encouraged the Black community to use its $1.2 trillion in annual spending more purposefully to send a message that is part protest, part progress. Today with the backdrop of proven systemic racism, the Black community is facing another pivotal moment in time.

ONEUNITED BANK, AMERICA’S LARGEST BLACK OWNED BANK, SUPPORTS BLACKOUT DAY 2020

OneUnited Bank, the largest Black owned bank in the country, is supporting #BlackOutDay2020, a national financial movement happening on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. The movement recognizes the need for economic solidarity and requests that not one Black person in America spend a dollar outside of black owned businesses on July 7th. PAGE 3

COVID-19 vaccine to be tested in UIC clinical trial

COVID-19’s impact on the tourism industry

Meridian teams with Aunt Martha’s to offer free COVID-19 Tests

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2 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of June 24, 2020

POLITISCOPE

Supreme Court expands workplace equality to LGBTQ employees, but questions remain

BY JULIE NOVKOV

Even before the Supreme Court’s June 15 decision, many Americans already – and incorrectly – believed that federal law protected lesbians, gay men and transgender people from being fired or otherwise discriminated against at work.

The road to the ruling confirming that belief involved years of advocacy and many losses – and while this decision is a landmark in that effort, more legal work remains to be done to determine the full scope of LGBTQ workers’ rights.

Concerns about sex discrimination The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a historic law that banned U.S. employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of their race, color, religion, national origin and sex.

During the bill’s debate, members of the House and Senate had lengthy discussions about discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion and national origin – but the “sex” category sparked little serious debate.

Early legal and advocacy efforts from the National Organization for Women and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission helped lead the Supreme Court to begin to acknowledge, in the early 1970s, that some forms of discrimination against women were illegal.

The first major ruling on this issue was in 1971, striking down an employer policy of not hiring mothers of preschool-age children, though fathers of children in that age group were welcomed. Sex stereotyping, the court explained, violated the law.

In 1978, the court followed up,

Julie Novkov

ruling that an employer could not require women to contribute more to pension funds than men, even though women tend to live longer than men.

The struggle for LGBTQ rights Protecting gay, lesbian, and transgender rights was still a ways off. In 1979, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was not sex discrimination, and therefore was not illegal.

That same year, the Fifth Circuit dismissed a similar suit. In 1984, the Seventh Circuit likewise found that a person who had been fired after fully transitioning to a woman could not sue for discrimination.

It wasn’t until 1998 that the Supreme Court acknowledged the existence of LGBTQ issues in the workplace. In Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, a male plaintiff claimed that he had faced sexual harassment from his male co-workers. Their employer responded that the law did not prohibit same-sex harassment. A unanimous court, led by Justice Antonin Scalia, disagreed and allowed the suit to proceed.

But that ruling did not make

clear whether workers could be fired, demoted or disciplined on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Congress tried to address the question, and the Senate and the House of Representatives have separately passed bills recognizing this form of discrimination – but never in the same legislative session, which means it couldn’t become law. And different appeals courts have issued rulings that disagree with each other, producing inconsistent national standards.

Three cases come to Washington, D.C. In fall 2019, the Supreme Court agreed to review three cases about employment discrimination against LGBTQ workers.

Two of the cases, Bostock v.

Clayton County and Altitude Express v. Zarda, involved gay men who claimed they were illegally fired for being gay. The plaintiff in the third case was Aimee Stephens, who lost her job shortly after informing her employer that she intended to transition and would begin representing herself at work as a woman.

The core question in each was how to understand the law’s ban on sex discrimination.

Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, appointed to the court by President Donald Trump in 2017, wrote the majority opinion in the 6-3 ruling that resolved all three cases. Joined

by Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, he declared that discrimination against homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people is inherently sex discrimination, and therefore illegal.

Gorsuch’s reasoning was

straightforward: “An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex.” He imagines two model employees, one man and one woman, arriving at the boss’s holiday party with their wives: If the woman would be fired but not the man, Gorsuch wrote, that is sex discrimination.

A changing understanding Gorsuch is best known as a conservative jurist, concerned about the specific texts of laws and the original intentions behind them.

He rested his interpretation of the Civil Rights Act on the evolution of the law over the years. Since the law’s passage, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and federal courts have come to understand a broader definition of sex discrimination, covering motherhood, differential pension programs, pregnancy and sexual harassment.

This history, Gorsuch wrote, signals that the law was meant to be read, and used, in inclusive ways: “refus[ing] enforcement … because the parties before us happened to be unpopular at the time of the law’s passage … would tilt the scales of justice in favor of the strong … and neglect the promise that all persons are entitled to the benefit of the law’s terms.”

He summarized the court’s finding: “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law.”

Alito expressed concern that the new ruling “will threaten freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and personal privacy and safety.” He offered specific example concerns, including allowing people with penises to use women’s bathrooms, stacking women’s athletic competitions with athletes with “the strength and size of a male … and students who are taking male hormones,” assigning college roommates based on gender identity rather than sex, requiring religious organizations to hire LGBTQ people, and limiting free speech disapproving of LGBTQ individuals or their relationships.

Alito also feared that the court’s opinion might lay broader groundwork for a constitutional ruling protecting people from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as strictly as it protects them from sex discrimination.

Many of these concerns may come before federal courts, and ultimately the Supreme Court, in years to come. Gorsuch’s ruling specifically did not decide on whether the results might, in some cases, tread inappropriately on religious liberty.

LGBTQ advocates are celebrating a major acknowledgment of their human rights, though with some sadness: Donald Zarda and Aimee Stephens, two of the three people at the center of the cases, died before learning of their cases’ resolution. And advocates know many more disputes – and court cases – are yet to come.

Concerns, and questions, remain Dissents came from Associate Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Clarence Thomas, and from Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Julie Novkov is a Professor of Political Science and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University at Albany, State University of New York.

NEWS

COVID-19 vaccine to be tested in UIC clinical trial The University of Illinois at Chicago will soon test a vaccine for COVID-19 Expected to launch July 9, the trial — a phase 3 clinical study — will test the efficacy of a vaccine developed by biotech company Moderna. “We want to see if the vaccine will prevent people from getting COVID-19 or if it will prevent people from experiencing

severe illness if they do get the disease,” said Dr. Richard Novak, lead investigator of the clinical trial at UIC. UIC is expected to be the only site in Chicago selected to launch the Moderna phase 3 trial, which is being administered by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

“UIC has a history of engaging diverse

communities in our research programs and I believe our ability to reach the communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic is one of the reasons that we were selected for this clinical trial,” Novak said. “We want to test this vaccine in people who are most at risk of experiencing complications and death due to the virus.” The UIC vaccine trial will be acces-

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sible through a number of clinical locations in the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, or UI Health, including sites in Pilsen, Little Village and Hyde Park.

Anyone interested in volunteering to participate in the vaccine trial should contact UIC researchers at 312-413-5897 or email ProjectWishDOM@uic.edu.

CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of June 24, 2020

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COMMUNITY

OneUnited Bank, America’s Largest Black Owned Bank, Supports Blackout Day 2020 Continued from page 1 OneUnited Bank, the largest Black owned bank in the country, is supporting #BlackOutDay2020, a national financial movement happening on Tuesday, July 7, 2020. The movement recognizes the need for economic solidarity and requests that not one Black person in America spend a dollar outside of black owned businesses on July 7th.

In 2016, the #BankBlack and #BuyBlack Movement began with a simple text and call to action from Killer Mike to Black America to move its money to Black owned banks.

Since that time, while corporate America remained silent, OneUnited Bank actively supported social justice movements including #BlackLivesMatter, #TakeAKnee and the #1619Project. The Bank has consistently encouraged the Black community to use its $1.2 trillion in annual spending more purposefully to send a message that is part protest, part progress. Today with the backdrop of proven systemic racism, the Black community is facing another pivotal moment in time.

Across the nation, America is mourning the deaths of George Floyd, killed by Minneapolis

police, Ahmaud Arbery, killed while jogging in Brunswick, Georgia, and Breonna Taylor, killed by police while sleeping in her home in Louisville, Kentucky. Their murders are added to a long list of Black lives lost, including Trayvon Martin, who ignited the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and present more evidence that Colin Kaepernick was right for taking a knee.

“As the largest Black owned bank in

Congresswoman Karen Bass Says CBC Wants Federal Dollars to Aid the Black Press

BY STACY M. BROWN NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.) joined the Black Press of America for a live interview to discuss the plight of African Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.

Congresswoman Bass, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), called the pandemic a “double-punch” to African Americans.

She also called out President Donald Trump for what she stated was his lack of leadership as the virus has claimed more than 100,000 lives, including as many as 40,000 black people and the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd.

Arbery, an African American Georgia resident, was shot and killed while jogging by a former law enforcement officer and his son.

Floyd died after a police officer inexplicably and aggressively pressed his knee into the handcuffed Minneapolis resident’s neck.

Bass also warned that Republicans led by Lindsay Graham (R-SC) are trying to get certain federal judges off the bench so that the GOP can shape the judicial branch for generations to come.

She said the Trump administration’s failure to act and to lead during the pandemic has damaged America’s reputation on the world stage and the president’s obsession with former

President Barack Obama is in large part because Obama was superior in every way.

“The man [Trump] has a very serious inferiority complex, I think he knows that President Barack Obama is superior to him intellectually, morally, physically, and I think that’s very troubling to him,” Bass stated.

“How dare this black man be better than him. Obama’s popularity around the world is off the charts. Trump has never been able to arrive at the same standard, quality, effectiveness, honesty, moral character of Barack Obama.”

During the 30-minute exclusive interview, Bass said the Black Press and local newspapers were essential, and she and the CBC continue to press for a financial set-aside for publishers.

“It’s not only discussions, and it was on our priority list. It still is,” Bass said of efforts to assist struggling African American newspaper publishers financially.

“The best way to come at it is that the CBC has been calling for specific intervention in areas where COVID-19 specifically is killing black people,” Bass stated, adding that it’s a four-pronged effort.

“One is testing, one is treatment, one is tracing, and one is a public education campaign,” she said.

“The way we have packaged this; we think the public education campaign should provide direct resources to black newspapers, and that’s part of our plan. The Census needs to invest in our (black-owned) newspapers

heavily. There’s no reason the federal government doesn’t do business with our newspapers. Of the billions of dollars they spend in advertising, some of it should be spent with our newspapers,” Bass stated.

CONGRESSWOMAN BASS, THE CHAIR OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS (CBC), CALLED THE PANDEMIC A “DOUBLE-PUNCH” TO AFRICAN AMERICANS. SHE ALSO CALLED OUT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FOR WHAT SHE STATED WAS HIS LACK OF LEADERSHIP AS THE VIRUS HAS CLAIMED MORE THAN 100,000 LIVES, INCLUDING AS MANY AS 40,000 BLACK PEOPLE AND THE DEATHS OF AHMAUD ARBERY AND GEORGE FLOYD.

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America, we’re compelled to play a leadership role to galvanize our community and allies in support of #BlackOutDay2020 and to fight for social justice,” says Kevin Cohee, Chairman & CEO of OneUnited Bank. “We need to use our power – both our spending power, our vote and our voice – to demand criminal justice reform and to address income inequality.”

OneUnited Bank is promoting #BlackOutDay2020 to its over 300,000 supporters, shining a light on the movement through social media and providing support to the organizers.

Congresswoman Bass, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), called the pandemic a “double-punch” to African Americans.

4 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of June 24, 2020

ART SCENE

FILM REVIEW: Blue Story

BY DWIGHT BROWN NNPA NewsWire Film Critic

“They act like guns are toys until they get shot.” That’s it. Kids playing games and suffering grownup consequences. It’s a symptom of misguided adolescent gang life.

With a great feel for modern times and hiphop music, Rapman (aka Andrew Onwubolu) mixes a bit of Boyz N the Hood, with Menace II Society. Seasons that with some Juice and New Jack City swag. Then tops it off with a touch of West Side Story and a twist of African/Caribbean culture.

The setting is bustling London, a city in a state of change. What’s in store? Rapman gives it away in a lyric: “I ain’t tryna justify, but imma show you what these young boys are fighting for.”

They’re mates. Best mates. Timmy (Stephen Odubola) is shy and from the Deptford neighborhood. His nurturing parents have sent him to a high school in the “better” Peckham district. Peckham is home to folks of African and Caribbean descent who fill convenience shops, hardware stores, butchers, boutiques and ethnic restaurants. The faces on the street represent the new England and increasingly multi-cultural capital city.

The African heritage interloper has become chummy with Marco (Michael Ward), a Caribbean student who has gang ties. All is well between the two blokes, until Marco is jumped and pummeled by some of Timmy’s old friends. A fissure grows between the two guys. Tit-for-tat revenge leads to beatings, shootings and then murders. The escalation of violence and vitriol spirals out of control.

Wise as a hip-hop shaman, Rapman, a British rapper turned music producer, actor, writer, YouTube sensation (Shiro’s Story) and

now a film director, lays the groundwork.

His script, with its autobiographical leanings, maps out the challenges that urban youth face and the futility of gang violence.

The storyline becomes more engrossing by the minute. Lively characters, hardened rivalries, revenge subplots, sneaky betrayals and street mayhem mount to a fever pitch.

Shakespearian? If Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar come to mind, it’s because of the dramatic ill-fated love affairs and tragedy of theatrical proportions.

How do you send a message to impressionable adolescents that violence leads you nowhere and gang warfare is pointless?

Show them the folly firsthand, without being preachy. Just tell the story, show the negative results of bad choices and audiences can take the hint.

As a director Rapman injects an inexplicable verve in every scene of a film that never seems glossy or superficial and proudly flaunts its rough edges. This is grassroots filmmaking.

Within the confines of its low budget, it brims with real emotions and a tangible inner-city atmosphere that films that cost millions more never achieve.

Surely, Rapman developed his low-to-the ground technique as he made his YouTube videos. He shoots candid scenes (cinematographer Simon Stolland, Shiro’s Story) that look like they could be uploaded to Facebook or Instagram. He cuts the footage with a sharp knife (editor Mdhamiri Á Nkemi), trimming it to 91 minutes. The sloppy action scenes are more reminiscent of a street gunfight gone viral or on a newsfeed than overly choreographed battle sequences.

Conversely, Rapman is particularly judicious with love scenes. They’re erotic, not graphic. Steamy, yet loving. Like kids who are

Michael Ward stars in Blue Story. Photo Nick Wall

finding their way around the bedroom for the first or second time.

A natural and spontaneous feel is accentuated by the foot-thumping musical score by Jonathon Deering. Also, characters sing or rap in-between dramatic scenes with lyrics that augment feelings and plot points. Call it “rap narration.”

The leads are magnetic: Stephen Odubola as the African/English Timmy has a gentleness about him that makes you gasp when his behavior becomes more sinister. Michael Ward’s Marco brings that cool West Indian vibe to the party. The ensemble cast plays friends, bangers, siblings and love interests with equal authenticity. Eric Kofi Abrefa, Khali Best, Richie Campbell and Jo Martin are electrify-

ing. Karla-Simone Spence as Leah, Timmy’s lover, brings a humanity and vulnerability to her role. Junior Afolabi Salokun shines as Madder.

Towards the end of this heartbreak and misfortune, a veteran thug shows some remorse: “I should never have gotten you into this gang bang thing in the first place.” It’s too late for the characters to reap any benefits from his confession. But not for the audience.

Heads up. First-time feature filmmaker Rapman has schooled Generation Z with a cautionary urban tale that is both raw and affecting.

Visit NNPA NewsWire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com and BlackPressUSA.com.

TRAVEL

Tripadvisor Releases Findings of a Staged Recovery Tripadvisor® recently released the findings of a multi-month study that analyzed consumer travel sentiment and first party behavioral data related to the ongoing pandemic. The report outlines a five-stage recovery for the travel and hospitality industry, inclusive of the period of decline created by the pandemic through the anticipated market recovery and the return of international travel.

The research paper, entitled “Beyond COVID-19: The Road to Recovery for the Travel Industry,” can be read in full, for free, here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ Covid19WhitepaperMay2020.

This research paper also explores and identifies where the tourism and hospitality industry is on this road to recovery as well as 1) outlines

the significant pent up demand that exists in the marketplace for travel and dining, 2) details the change in travel and dining behaviors resulting from the ongoing pandemic and 3) illustrates recent search and traffic patterns on Tripadvisor globally related to the crisis.

A snapshot of some key findings: l New Zealand, Germany and Switzerland are among the first markets to enter the Emerge stage, with restaurant searches on Tripadvisor resurging strongly l Consumer desire to travel remains resilient - around two in five (41%) consumers are optimistic that they will take the same or

more trips than last year l Shorter trips to destinations closer to home are a recurring theme, with nearly half (44%) of consumers saying they are more likely to take a road trip, and two thirds (61%) saying they are most comfortable taking a road trip for 3-5 days l Consumers are 218% more likely to want to take a trip where they can relax compared to before the pandemic, and nearly two thirds (59%) would prefer to go somewhere off the beaten path l Nature and beach destinations are on the rise as Tripadvisor sees a spike in North American traffic researching campgrounds, ranches and beach motels, while Myrtle Beach, San Diego and Key West are among the most popular domestic U.S. deswww.citizennewspapergroup.com

tination searches in recent weeks “We’re encouraged to see positive signs of recovery and are here to help our travelers and partners understand the pathway through this pandemic with clear insights and tangible data,” said Kanika Soni, chief commercial officer for Tripadvisor, Inc. “Our path to recovery will depend on the steps the industry takes to prepare for the road ahead - not just in terms of new standards and practices, but also in how we collectively educate and engage consumers in a new, more thoughtful way of traveling.”

The five stages to recovery The Tripadvisor in-house market research and insights teams have outlined five distinct stages of tour-

ism impact and recovery: 1. Decline - Travel declines sharply as widespread restrictions enforced 2. Plateau - Sharp decline in bookings levels out, but travelers start dreaming about their next trip 3. Emerge - Easing of travel restrictions begins, early signs of recovery in dining sector 4. Domestic Travel - Travelers book their first trips away, but stay close to home 5. International Travel - Border restrictions ease, and international travel begins to rebound For additional information on the impact COVID-19 has had on the tourism industry, visit TripAdvisor’s webinar series found at: https:// www.tripadvisor.com/TripAdvisorInsights/w5933.

CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of June 24, 2020

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NEWS “The Economist US presidential forecast” finds that Joe Biden currently has 83% chance of winning America’s presidency The Economist recently launched its first-ever statistical forecast of a US presidential election, calculating that Joe Biden currently has 83% chance of winning the presidency. https://economist.com/us2020model The model, called “The Economist US presidential forecast”, was created by The Economist’s data team with help from Andrew Gelman and Merlin Heidemanns, political scientists at Columbia University. It estimates Joe Biden’s and Donald Trump’s probabilities of winning each individual state and the election overall.

To produce these figures, it combines fundamental factors, such as economic conditions, presidential popularity and the amount of time one party has

been in power, with polling data at both the national and state level. The model’s projections will be updated daily until the election to reflect the latest available data.

G. Elliott Morris, data journalist at The Economist, said: “Among other innovations, The Economist US presidential forecast is the first of its kind to correct for partisan bias inherent in many presidential election polls. We are confident that it will be one of the most accurate forecasts available and will provide the US electorate with a true picture of the race.”

The methodology for The Economist’s US election model is open-source and available to anyone here: https://projects. economist.com/us-2020-forecast/president/how-this-works

Learn about clinical research in our community.

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If you could do one thing for your community, what would it be? More walk-in clinics? More funding for health services closer to home? Completing the 2020 Census is a safe and easy way to inform billions in funding for hundreds of services and programs in your community.

Respond online, by phone, or by mail.

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6 | CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of June 24, 2020

NEWS

Meridian teams with Aunt Martha’s to offer free COVID-19 Tests

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Meridian of Illinois and Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness are offering free COVID-19 PCR tests and antibody tests to residents in the South Suburbs at Aunt Martha’s Pediatric Health & Wellness, located at 500 Dixie Highway, in Chicago Heights, and at the Kankakee (Illinois) Community Health Center, located at 1777 E. Court St. Results of the tests will go toward a broader research study that will be conducted to provide evidence-based solutions to help reduce healthcare inequities for underserved communities.

Karen Brach, plan president and CEO of Meridian in Illinois, said since COVID-19 hit, the company has deployed a number of programs across the state. Meridian also has donated $80,000 to the Salvation Army, Northern Illinois Food Bank and Greater Chicago Food Depository to support food-funding in local communities.

Brach said Meridian decided to partner with Aunt Martha’s because it had health centers in underserved areas with high proportions of COVID-19.

“A PCR test tells you whether you have coro-

navirus now,” she said. “If you are PCR positive, you may or may not be showing symptoms of COVID-19, so you are asked to quarantine for 14 days.”

Brach said the antibody test, also known as a serology test, is done after someone has fully recovered from COVID-19.

“If test results show that you have antibodies, it indicates that you were likely infected with COVID-19 at some [point] in the past,” she said.

The antibody test is done by a healthcare professional taking a blood sample. The PCR test is done by a healthcare worker collecting fluid from a nasal or throat swab, or from saliva.

Brach said testing for this study will end once 1,000 eligible samples have been obtained.

“The hope for this study is to get a better understanding of the impact COVID-19 is having on racial minorities, rural and tribal communities, while informing the public health response to help address health disparities,” she said.

“This study can also lead to a larger study of the genomic implications of COVID-19 and whether there are distinguishing economic features that put individuals at greater risk of increased mortality and morbidity from COVID-19.”

Raul Garza is the CEO of Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness. He said since the last week of March, the company has seen more than 16,400 patients in telehealth visits and overall, they are seeing about eight times more telehealth visits per week than they did prior to the pandemic.

Garza said Aunt Martha’s partnered with Meridian of Illinois because as an organization dedicated to underserved communities, they felt that partnering with Meridian to offer free PCR and antibody tests would increase testing accessibility in the harder hit communities as well as further Aunt Martha’s commitment to understanding and shining a light on health disparities.

“For Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness, the hope for the research study is to truly understand the acute and chronic impact of COVID-19 in communities of color, as well as to see what public health implications come out of the study, as well as interventions that result in influencing outcomes,” Garza said.

Testing is done on a first come, first served basis. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; and 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

For more information, visit www.auntmarthas.org.

U.S. Postal Service Releases Dog Attack National Rankings The number of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employees attacked by dogs nationwide fell to 5,803 in 2019 — more than 200 fewer than in 2018 and more than 400 fewer since 2017.

According to USPS Safety Awareness Program Manager Chris Johnson, technology supports carrier safety in two ways: Mobile Delivery Devices, handheld scanners used by carriers to confirm customer delivery, include a feature to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address. And the Informed Delivery service alerts customers to mail and packages coming to their homes, allowing them to plan for the carrier’s arrival by securing dogs safely.

A total of 5,803 USPS employees were attacked by dogs in 2019. The top 20 rankings comprise 30 cities, as some cities reported the same number of attacks. In 2019, Chicago, Illinois ranked third on the list with 54 attacks.

COMMENTARY

Law And Order And White Supremacy

BY OSCAR H. BLAYTON

As a young child, I was unfortunate enough to have a trace of reddish hair and relatively pale skin for a Black person – remnants of an interracial rape three generations distant in my family tree.

While I measured my misfortune in personal terms – being taunted by my elementary schoolmates as “a little white boy” – the greater dilemma my physical appearance evidenced was the catastrophe of white supremacy that has plagued the entire world over the past four centuries.

The rape of my African American great-grandmother by a white man was ignored by law enforcement authorities in the western North Carolina county where the crime was committed because it was not that unusual an occurrence. The rape of Black women by white men at that time and in that part of our nation occurred frequently.

On the other hand, any suspicion of rape of a white woman by a Black man produced howls of rage and an execution, usually by lynching after torture.

Oscar H. Blayton

The lynching of Black folk was almost always done in the name of “law and order.” Something of value to the white community had to be protected. It was this way during the days of slavery. It is this way today.

And to clearly understand how this was able to take place all these years, we must understand what law is.

Law is a process of authoritative control, where certain empowered community members establish and maintain a particular public order.

In the 1880s in North Carolina, that particular public order allowed white men to rape Black women with impunity while dealing a death

sentence to any Black man who was believed to have assaulted a white woman.

The laws were not written in the books that way, but neither are today’s laws that allow armed white murderers to be taken into custody alive, while unarmed Black men are summarily executed by police for selling cigarettes without a license.

Law is more than the written statutes and the constitutions. It is also the implementation and execution of written and unwritten notions of public order.

If a police officer or a judge deems it in the best interest of public order to treat Blacks one way and whites another, then that is the law unless and until a higher authority steps in. That is the law, but it is not justice.

Americans usually are not taught the difference between “law” and “justice,” and by conflating the two, we are blinded to the injustice of many laws and the manner of their execution. When the Nazis were empowered to establish and maintain their public order, it was “legal” in Germany to do the horrific things they did to Jews and members of other minority groups. www.citizennewspapergroup.com

But after World War II, the Nazis were no longer empowered, and under a new law of that land, their acts were declared criminal and several were hanged.

Many laws in America are unjust, and many more are executed in an unjust manner. Until we confront this and acknowledge it, we will live in a land plagued with injustice.

Race-based laws reigned supreme in the American South until the federal government developed the will to strip Southern states of their powers to allow the rape, murder, robbery and dehumanization of African Americans. But this was low-hanging fruit. The segregationists and race haters were so disgustingly vile that America could not hold its head up in the global community if it allowed their crimes to continue unchecked.

Unfortunately, it took tragedies like the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till for America to stop and reflect on what was happening.

But once the low-hanging fruit was plucked and the Ku Klux Klan and segregationists like Alabama Gov. George Wallace were driven back into the shadows, the cancer of white supremacy was left to fester

and metastasize throughout the body politic of this nation.

Today, we have the murder of George Floyd, yet another unarmed Black man, by yet another white police officer and there is a new awakening of the American conscience. Floyd’s murder is a clear symptom of the out-of-control cancer of white supremacy in this country. The whole world sees it and their protests let us know that they do not like it.

Americans who claim to be law-and-order advocates can now be asked: What law? What order?

What justice? Why do those elected officials who claim to champion law and order go silent when a police officer breaks the law and murders a Black victim?

I do not expect the “law-andorder politicians” to respond to these questions. However, fairminded Americans should weigh those hypocrites on the scales of justice, and if they find them wanting, remove them from office.

Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia.

CST Weekly

CITIZEN | Suburban Times Weekly | Week of June 24, 2020

Classifieds REAL ESTATES AC 6-10-2020 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION BAYVIEW LOAN SERVICING LLC A DELAWARE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; Plaintiff, vs. DARREN J. O'MALLEY AKA DARREN O'MALLEY; CITIZENS BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS S/I/I TO CHARTER ONE BANK, NA; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 19 CH 13880 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 31-36-408-0340000. Commonly known as 324 Oswego Street, Park Forest, IL 60466. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Law Clerk at Plaintiff's Attorney, The Wirbicki Law Group, 33 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. (312) 360-9455. W19-0882 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3151381 ____________________________ AC 6-17-2020 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Plaintiff, -v.- DUVAL BOND A/K/A DUVAL V. BOND, CLAUDETTE COSBY BOND, GUARANTY TRUST COMPANY AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE UTA DTD 7/10/10 KNOWN AS TRUST NO. L010-102, UNKNOWN BENEFICIARIES OF GUARANTY TRUST COMPANY AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE UTA DTD 7/10/10 KNOWN AS TRUST NO. L010-102, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS Defendants 15 CH 14317 435 NORTH ARIZONA AVENUE GLENWOOD, IL 60425 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on July 26, 2017, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on July 31, 2020, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 435 NORTH ARIZONA AVENUE, GLENWOOD, IL 60425 Property Index No. 32-05-224-0110000 The real estate is improved with a single family residence.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twentyfour (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are

admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver's license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff's Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-3469088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com Attorney File No. 9363 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 15 CH 14317 TJSC#: 40427 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff's attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 15 CH 14317 I3151003 ____________________________

erty is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required

by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver's license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff's Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200 Chicago IL, 60602 312-3469088 E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.comAttorney File No. 270648 Attorney ARDC No. 61256 Attorney Code. 61256 Case Number: 19 CH 10292 TJSC#: 398295 NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff's attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 19 CH 10292 I3151336 ____________________________

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION ROYAL SAVINGS BANK Plaintiff, -v.- VENETTA MCKOY COLEY A/K/A VENETTA M COLEY, A/K/A VENETTA COLEY, CAPITAL ONE BANK (USA), N.A., MIDLAND FUNDING LLC Defendants 19 CH 10292 361 WEST 14TH STREET CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL 60411 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on December 18, 2019, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on July 28, 2020, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 361 WEST 14TH STREET, CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL 60411 Property Index No. 32-19-212-009-0000 The real estate is improved with a brown brick, two story multi unit home, no garage. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twentyfour (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in "AS IS" condition.

The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this prop-

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO USA HOLDINGS INC.; Plaintiff, vs.

UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; SHARON WILLIS-MITCHELL; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF MAIZELLE C. ARCHIE AKA MAIZELLE ARCHIE AKA MAIZELLE CUMMINGS, DECEASED; JACK LYDON AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF MAIZELLE C ARCHIE AKA MAIZELLE ARCHIE AKA MAIZELLE CUMMINGS, DECEASED; Defendants, 17 CH 9497 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Monday, July 27, 2020 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 31-12-405-017-0000.

Commonly known as 2811 Vollmer Road, Flossmoor, IL 60422. The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff's Attorney, Manley Deas Kochalski, LLC, One East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601. (614) 220-5611. 20-003690 F2 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3151762 ____________________________

AC6-24-2020

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION LIMA ONE CAPITAL, LLC; Plaintiff, vs. HG PROPERTIES CONSULTING, INC.; CLARKE CRIDDELL; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 18 CH 15249 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at the hour

of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 32-19-322-025-0000.

Commonly known as 555 Hickory Street, Chicago Heights, IL 60411.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. For information call Law Clerk at Plaintiff's Attorney, The Wirbicki Law Group, 33 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603. (312) 360-9455. W18-1861 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3151779 ____________________________ IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION Hinsdale Bank & Trust Company Plaintiff(s) vs. American Estate and Trust, a Nevada limited liability company, FBO William Blandford IRA; American Estate and Trust, a Nevada limited liability company, FBO Diane Blandford IRA; Genesis 1, LLC, an Illinois limited liability company; Byline Bank,

an Illinois state banking corporation; Unknown Owners; and Non-Record Claimants, Defendant(s) 2019 CH 11095 Sheriff's No 200034 Pursuant to a Judgment made and entered by said Court in the above entitled cause, Thomas J. Dart, Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, will on July 27, 2020, at 1:00 p.m., in Room LL06 of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction the following described premises and real estate mentioned in said Judgment: Address: 2440 222nd Place, Sauk Village, IL 60411 Improvements: single family house Sale shall be under the following terms: payment of not less than ten percent (10%) of the amount of the successful and highest bid to be paid to the Sheriff by cashier's check or certified funds at the sale; and the full remaining balance to be paid to the Sheriff by cashier's check or certified funds within twenty-four (24) hours after sale. Sale shall be subject to general taxes, special assessments. Premises will NOT be open for inspection. For information: Jeffrey S. Burns (No. 31392) Markoff Leinberger LLC Attorneys for Plaintiff 134 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 1050 Chicago, Illinois 60602 O: (312) 726-4162; F: (312) 674-7272 Email address: jeff@markleinlaw.com This is an attempt to collect a debt pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

I3151832 ____________________________

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