URBAN CONFIDENTIAL: Prison for six more L A sheriff’s deputies. A3
LECRAE
JON JONES FINED $50,000
Faith Rap artist tops all charts A13
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Heralding the First Amendment: Freedom of the Press and the Public’s Right to Know!
COMPTON
HERALD
VOL. 1 NO. 2
www.comptonherald.com
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
THE HIGHWAY
FOOD A9
16 PAGES
State’s movie industry to keep ‘rolling’
High job death rates for Latinos, says report (NAM)—As Latino workers take on more and more of the nation’s toughest and dirtiest jobs, they increasingly are paying for it with their lives. Preliminary federal figures released last week showed that of the 4,405 U.S. workers killed on the job in 2013, 797 were Latinos. That equates to 3.8 of every 100,000 fulltime Latino employees in the U.S. dying in workplace accidents during the year. The fatality rate for Latinos was up marginally from 3.7 per 100,000 workers in 2012, and was significantly higher than the 2013 fatality rates of 3.2 for whites, 2.9 for blacks and 1.5 for Asians. Safety experts point to reluctance among many Latino workers, particularly immigrants, to protest job hazards. They commonly attribute the reluctance to language barriers or fears that complaining about working conditions will cost them their jobs or even lead to deportation. In addition, worker advocates blame weak federal and state regulation and a trend of employers increasingly giving dangerous jobs to temporary workers, including some with little training. Last year’s victims included Luis Rey Rivera Pavia, a 32-year-old machine helper for a Wire Mesh Sales LLC factory in Jacksonville, Fla., where most of the workers were Latino immigrants. Federal authorities said Rivera was killed in August when he tried to retrieve a metal bar that fell into a wire mesh manufacturing machine, and wound up being struck by a piece of the equipment. While investigating the case, U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors discovered that two other workers previously suffered severe injuries on the same machinery. One worker had a limb amputated, and the other suffered a crushed forearm. David Michaels, OSHA’s chief, last week highlighted the Wire Mesh case when he outlined his agency’s adoption of new rules for reporting severe injuries, a change intended to help authorities better target their inspections.
TENDER BRISKET TONIGHT
WHITE HOUSE [HOTO BY PETE SOUZA
Well Represented A girl looks up at President Barack Obama as he talks with wounded warriors and their families in the East Room during their tour of the White House, Sept. 22, 2014. The Wounded Warrior Project to help thousands of injured warriors returning
from the battlefield, providing for their families, applies here, as Compton is well represented in the campaigns for freedom from World War II to Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Future editions of the Herald will bring you their stories.
BOTTOM LINE
He Was Right for the Job BY BETTY PLEASANT
T
his week, the people of the state of California lost one of the best legislators it ever had. Roderick Devon Wright, who has held elective offices almost continuously since 1996 and who has written almost 300 bills—most of which were enacted into law —during his 18-year legislative career, while the average state senator or assemblyman (he’s been both) is lucky if he/she writes 10 bills during a single session. Wright-authored state bills and resolutions from 1996 until now, which were compiled in a singlespaced list for this reporter which covers 51 pages and they impact the broad range of the people’s issues with respect to social justice, public safety, education, energy and utilities, small business, family law, consumer privacy, housing, emplo yment discrimination, child welfare, increased benefits to military veterans and much more.
legislature’s Budget and Finance Committee in 1998-99, Wright actually rebuilt the Southland’s California African American Museum. And just last year, in the wake of the loss of redevelopment throughout the state, Wright’s SB470 returned the authority of local government — such as Los Angeles —to engage in economic development activities using local funds. He authored the measure to help cities and counties create jobs, support transit-oriented development and assist with affordable housing. Also last year, Wright’s SB458 gave parents and law enforcement an opportunity to help children who are becoming involved with gangs, or to clear the names of those who are falsely accused of gang affiliation. His bill requires parental notification when a minor is added to the CalGang Database, thus ending
‘A leader in family court reform’ Wright’s resolutions have resulted in the annual designation of February as Black History Month and, while serving as a member of the
See BOTTOM LINE page 4
LOS ANGELES (MNS) —Taking action to keep cameras rolling in California, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. joined legislative leaders and dozens of film and television workers in Hollywood, Sept. 29, to sign bipartisan legislation—AB 1839, authored by Assemblymembers Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, and Raul J. Bocanegra, D-Los Angeles)— that expands, extends and improves the state’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program. “Today, we remind the world that the Golden State is the home of the silver screen,” said Brown. “This bill helps thousands of Californians — from stage hands and set designers to electricians and del-ivery drivers.” AB 1839 will increase the state’s film and television tax credit to $330 million a year for five years beginning with fiscal year 2015-16 and replace the current flawed and arbitrary lottery system with a more competitive and accountable system that ranks applicants according to net new jobs created and overall positive economic impacts for the entire state. The legislation received broad support from both republican and democratic lawmakers. Legislation will keep the cameras rolling in the state and “strengthen our position as the entertainment Capital of the world. “We are bringing Californians who are working away from families in Georgia and Louisiana back to California where they belong,” said Senate President pro Tem-elect Kevin de León. “It’s the 'behind the scenes’ workers who bring the imagination and creativity to life that keep this industry moving, and the businesses that serve the production sites and teams —their jobs were on the line. “We need to keep these jobs in California and that's why I was proud to co-author AB 1839,” said Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff. “ “Extending the Film Tax Credit keep cameras rolling in California, keeps costumers designing, craft services catering, and carpenters hammering,” said Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins. “[It] will give stability to families, and help our communities.”
PAGE 2 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
CITY BEAT uNchArTed
College Report Highlights Success
BY JARRETTE FELLOWS, JR.
O
kay, Herald revelers, I am happy to no end that you are thrilled to have a newspaper to call your own. I’m gladder than glad that you understand and appreciate the privilege and value of a free press. Other nations don’t always enjoy this. But, if we’re going to have detente, there is one thing that you must absolutely know and understand about this editor: Newspaper deadlines are sacred to me; to be observed at all times! If you don’t know what a deadline is, it’s a race—a race to the finish by a specific time on the clock. If I do not complete the job of writing, editing and pagination of the Herald by the expiration deadline, the Herald misses its “print window” and therefore does not get printed. This has never befallen this editor. And it never will. So, when you attempt to call and speak with me on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, and I seem “short” with you (I must answer the phone because I never know who’s going to call on at a given moment) and seem to be rushing to end the conversation, it’s because I’m on a deadline—that sacred thing that all editors must observe. If you get an outgoing “message,” just be sure to leave your message, name, and phone number and I will return the call... . This West Nile Virus disease that can make you very ill—even kill you, is nothing to play with. We’ve had a lot of warnings about it and how to control mosquitoes, which are vectors of the disease. We’ve been told to empty free-standing containers of water because mosquitoes lay their eggs in water. That’s why the City forks out tax dollars to keep the Compton Creek free of debris and excess water because this attracts the buzzing varmints. Bearing that in mind, I have to ask why the swimming pool at Lueders Park is undrained and remains filled with water. Swim season is over. Shouldn’t the pool be drained to stave off mosquito breeding? It appears someone is derelict of duty. If you’re reading this, do get over there and drain that pool! I can see a swarm, now, dive-bombing the water dropping their ordnance of eggs. Okay, to all you gadflies that consistently bombard the council meetings dropping criticism after criticism; here’s something to talk about!
GOOD NEWS ROUNDUP at Compton Schools
Parent involvement is a major part of raising student achievement at all Compton Unified School District (CUSD) schools. Toward that end, last year Franklin Delano Roosevelt Elementary School opened its Parent Technology University to bridge the gap between home and school. The program teaches parents how to use the same computer-based educational software their children use throughout the school year. Parents will learn how to operate English Language Arts programs like Imagine Learning and Achieve3000. For Spanish-speaking adults, it is an opportunity to learn English so that they will be more competitive in the job market while also being able to support
their children with homework. Principal Sal Aquino is excited to work together with parents helping them better assist their children with homework. “It’s about making sure parents understand the instructional material our students are interacting with. “By doing so, we are empowering them in Spanish and English with skills and knowledge that only helps their children in the classroom,” he said. “We’re also helping parents start their ParentLink accounts so they can follow their child’s academic progress. For more info call (310) 604-6529 or visit www. compton.k12. ca.us.
COMPTON
HERALD Monday, September 29, 2014 PUBLISHER and EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Jarrette Fellows, Jr. MARKETING DIRECTOR
Marshall Crawford DIGITAL MARKETING DIRECTOR
Tyrone Gaines COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR
Alonzo Williams DISTRIBUTION / CIRCULATION
Pedro Martin Editorial: (310) 908-9683 Advertising: (562) 776-5421 700 N. Bullis Rd., Compton, CA 90220 website :www.comptonherald.com e-mail: thecomptonherald@gmail.com
CUSD PHOTO
Foster Elementary choir members collaborated with ETM-Los Angeles through music, to lift the heavy hearts of people in Liberia, Nicaragua, and India.
School choir lends voices to goodwill global cause COMPTON—Less than three months ago during their summer vacation, 20 Foster Elementary students collaborated with Education Through Music-Los Angeles (ETM-LA), to create a song to bring charitable relief to distressed regions of the world in Monrovia,Liberia; El Manzano Uno, Nicaragua; and Haryana, India. ETM-L.A., a non-profit group that partners with disadvantaged inner-city schools to provide and promote music as part of the core curriculum, sought out the choir from partner school Foster Elementary to aid them with their humanitarian project. Foster Elementary’s students infused the ETMl..A. single, “You Are Beautiful,” with 20 young voices Since its digital release in June on cdbaby. com, iTunes, and OneVo i c e C o m m u n i t y. o rg , sales from the song has helped raise $14,000 toward the cause to bring relief to Haryana, Monrovia, and El Manzano Uno. OneVoice founder Robbie Schaefer recorded the students’ vocals at Sonic Fuel Studios in El Segundo with Producer Jamie Chris-
topherson. Songs like “‘You Are Beautiful’” give students the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others despite their own circumstances,” Schaefer said. “One of the core tenants of OneVoice is that we each have a gift for the world, no matter where we’re from. “Compton is a place full of powerful kids with immeasurable gifts for the world. They just need the opportunity and encouragement to use [the] gifts. That’s why I’m so grateful to ETM-LA and Foster Elementary.” Principal Jacqueline Sanderlin expressed pride in her school’s young singers. “This was such an incredible experience for them. It opened their eyes to the power of music, as well as the educational and career opportunities that come with it,” she said. For three hours students got an eye view of the daily operations of music industry professionals, touring the studio’s control room where they had the opportunity to listen to tracks of the song in production. ETM-LA Executive Director Victoria Lanier said
participating students also learned a great deal about life as music professionals. “Several other top composers from Sonic Fuel including Tim Wynn and Michael Patti worked with the children to give them insight into their professional lives,” she said. “They shared the importance [with them] of practicing and working hard to achieve one’s dreams. “The behind-the-scenes recording experience was inspiring. When they were asked what they want to do when they grow up, many of them said they’d love to pursue careers in music.” Christopherson related that Foster’s students were excited to work in a professional environment. “Working with the students was a real pleasure. I’m a big fan and supporter of ETM-LA and their work with public schools. “When Robbie and I decided that a choir would be a great addition to the song, I called ETM-LA right away to see if we could collaborate with one of their wonderful choirs. “They brought Foster to our attention and we’re so happy with the results,” he said.
Compton Herald Online www.comptonherald.com
COMPTON—El Camino College Compton Center 2014 graduate Tywanna Davis went from being a self-professed “math illiterate” to earning straight A’s in all of her math classes. She now plans to continue her education at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Hers is one of many stories in a new report highlighting student success at ECC Compton Center. The El Camino College Compton Center: ThreeYear Report marks the eighth anniversary of the partnership between El Camino Community, and Compton Community College Districts. Davis credits the Student Success Center and Supplemental Instruction program at Compton Center for helping her overcome math anxiety, a problem she had battled since the third grade. The accomplishments of ECC Compton Center students are highlighted in the report, along with important student success indicators, such as increased numbers of students earning degrees and certificates. The number of degrees and certificates awarded at Compton Center increased by nearly 20 percent between the academic years of 2012-13 and 2013-14. From 2011 to 2014, more than 850 Compton Center students graduated with an associate degree, and more than 250 students earned certificates. The college has also increased the number of students transferring to the University of California and California State University campuses by more than 150 percent.
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PAGE 3 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
LOCAL Panderer gets 47 years for human trafficking, rape LONG BEACH (MNS) —A 23-year-old man, here, convicted of pimping two women and sexually assaulting one of them was sentenced to 47 years and four months to life in state prison, the Herald has learned. Last month, a jury found Lebrette Stacey Winn guilty of two counts each of pimping, and pandering by procuring, and one count each of human trafficking to commit another crime, of sodomy by use of force, forcible rape, aggravated
mayhem and kidnapping. At the sentencing, county Superior Court Judge Tomson Ong also ordered Winn to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and pay a $10,000 fine. Additionally, Winn was ordered to stay away from the two victims for 10 years. A co-defendant of Winn, Eric James Avery, 25, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 17 at the County Supperior Court, Long Beach. Avery was convicted on Aug, 11 of two felony counts: pimping a 16-year-
Prison for six LA sheriff’s deputies Obstructed federal probe LOS ANGELES (UPI)— A federal judge sentenced six members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to prison time Tuesday for their roles in allegedly obstructing an FBI probe into civil rights violations in the city's jail system. According to KPCC, in 2011 the FBI, investigating allegations of abuse and corruption, paid a corrupt deputy to smuggle a cellphone behind bars to inmate-turned-informant Anthony Brown. Sheriff’s deputies found Brown’s cellphone and discovered the number for the FBI Civil Rights Division in the call history. Prosecutors alleged that several members of the LA County Sheriff's department conspired to obstruct the FBI’s probe into abuses occurring in the jails by hiding Brown, moving him from cell to cell, jail to jail, under assumed names, and falsifying records to reflect that he had already been released. Additionally, prosecutors alleged that a group of Sheriff's officers attempted
to intimidate an FBI agent involved in the investigation, the one who had helped get Brown the phone, by showing up at her place of residence and threatening to arrest her for introducing contraband into the jail. According to an LA daily newspaper, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maggie Carter told the jury the six defendants attempted to “silence the witness.” “Even if this was standard operating procedure, this was a federal investigation and they had the intent to commit obstruction of justice,” she said. “You broke the vow you made to protect the public and serve the community,” U.S. District Court Judge Percy Anderson said, according to another LA daily newspaper. Of the attempts to “shield the dirty deputies,” Anderson said: “Perhaps it is a symptom of the corrupt culture within the Sheriff’s Department.” "Blind obedience to a corrupt culture has serious consequences," Anderson added
old minor and human trafficking of a minor for sex. Jurors also found true a gang allegation for Avery. Deputy DA Lee Ashley Cernok, who prosecuted the case, said on May 15, 2013, two female victims, ages 20 and 18, escaped a locked car in Culver City and ran to a good Samaritan, telling him they had been kidnapped and forced into prostitution. The man drove them to a nearby police station and authorities began an investigation. The 20-year-old victim told police she met Winn in January 2013. At the time, Winn convinced her to work as a prostitute and then raped her.
CUSD PHOTO
Parent Technology University Franklin Roosevelt Middle School Principal Sal Aquino helps parent Patricia Solis navigate through the Imagine Learning program during the first Parent Technology University workshop of the 2014-15 school year.
PAGE 4 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
CALIFORNIA LA, SoCal would gain from Bond passage SACRAMENTO (MNS)
—The new, leaner water bond, officially known as “The Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014”, that voters will see on their November ballot is a $7.5billion response to the state’s significant water
crisis. Assemblymember Isadore Hall III, D-Los Angeles. praised the new water bond, saying it’s a fiscally efficient plan to improve California’s water infrastructure. Hall noted that $900-million in the bond for water clean-up
grants could be very beneficial to Los Angeles and Southern California. He says passage of the water bond by voters in November will provide short-term and long term solutions to the state’s water crisis.
BOTTOM LINE Continued from page 1 law enforcement’s practice of officially designating a minor as “a gang banger/ member” without the parent or the child knowing anything about it, thus negating parental intervention in the child’s behavior. A Democrat, Wright, who was first elected to the California State Assembly for much of Los Angeles County’s 48th District in 1996, was forced to resign his seat in the state Senate Tuesday. And nobody is happy about it except Republicans, who are rid of his people-oriented legislative obsession; the Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, who convicted him of perjury and voter fraud (the only crimes that seem to get her attention); two local black politicians
by the Fathers and Families organization for his “fine leadership in the fight for family court reform,” the group said. Wright worked closely with Fathers and Families in 2010 on four bills regarding child custody and child support reform, all of which were signed into law by the governor. Wright was named 2011 Legislator of the Year by the League of California Cities for his efforts to reform and save redevelopment in the state’s cities. And right after that, the South Bay Assn. of Chambers of Commerce honored Wright’s leadership by presenting him the Shaun Lumachi Memorial Legislator of the Year Award for 2012, the year Wright authored SB 1099, which helps
‘Wright is a hail fellow well met.’ who protected their own behinds by ratting Wright out to Lacey, and a couple of empty suit-wearing politicians who are looking to replace Wright in the Senate. Everyone else who is not one of the above is devastated at the loss of a politician who dedicated virtually all his adult life to making things better for the people of South Los Angeles. Wright is a hail fellow well met. Everybody likes him and everybody appreciates his rare diligence in behalf of the people who elected him. He’s been honored by professional groups and community organizations which benefitted from his legislative skills, including his 2009 designation as “Legislator of the Year” by the California Manufacturing and Technology Assn., which extolled his “unique ability and political courage to balance the interests of the environment with the very real needs of the business community and California’s hard-working families,” the association noted. Wright was named the 2010 “Senator of the Year”
small businesses keep up with the myriad of new regulations imposed on them each year. Wright’s bill established that such changes would be implemented on set dates quarterly, and that they would also be posted on one website. (Something none of the legislators who preceded him had even thought about!) Despite having been born in Chicago on July 3, 1952 to Leo and Bettye Wright, the former senator is a product of South Los Angeles, having arrived here with his family when he was three years old. He attended the same LAUSD schools which we all did and he earned urban studies and city planning degrees from Pepperdine University, at which he was elected the university’s second African American student body president. Wright was drawn to politics as a youth and was deeply involved in the political campaigns of Councilman Dave Cunningham and the mayoral and gubernatorial campaigns of Tom Bradley. See BOTTOM LINE p. 6
PAGE 5
COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
NATION & GLOBE Farm-working women plagued by abuse BY LILY DAYTON
CENTRAL VALLEY— Salinas resident Maricruz Ladino was all too familiar with harassing comments and sexual innuendos tossed around by her co-
fire her. Then, one day the supervisor drove her to an isolated field-supposedly to inspect the crops. Instead, Ladino says, he raped her. “I kept quiet for a long time,” she says in Spanish,
NORTH-SOUTH OF THE BORDER US-MEXICO
PHOTO BY LILY DAYTON
workers and supervisors while working for over a decade in the agricultural industry. But when she started a job at a Salinas lettuce packing plant in 2005, the harassment escalated. Her supervisor began making sexual advances, she says, insinuating that if she didn’t succumb to his sexual demands he would
explaining how she was afraid to speak out-afraid her supervisor might hurt her more, afraid no one would believe her, afraid of losing her job. As a single mother raising three young daughters on her own, she desperately needed the income to survive. But the abuse continued until she couldn’t take it anymore.
Maricruz Ladino, agricultural worker, rape survivor and advocate, in front of a Salinas lettuce field.
“Finally I said, ‘No más,’” she says, her gaze unfaltering. “I had to speak because, even though I might die, he was going to pay for what he was doing to me.” We’re sitting in a dimly
lit Salinas restaurant, a favorite with locals in this Central Coast farming town. Abuzz with the clattering of dishes and the fluttering of Spanish tongues, the restaurant sits atop some of the most fer-
tile ground in the nationthe Salinas River Valley, a broad swath of land cut through two mountain ranges that loom in the distance. Nicknamed the Salad Bowl of the World, the region has long attracted a large number of immigrants who’ve fled crushing poverty in their home countries and come here in search of a better life. Many, like Ladino, are Mexican immigrants. They toil long hours at low wages under sweltering sun, planting, tending and harvesting the crops that fill our grocery stores with fresh produce. Ladino’s steeliness isn’t apparent when we first meet. Her dark auburn hair sweeps softly to the side, framing soft coffee-colored eyes that glisten when she smiles. In her arms she cradles her six-month-old granddaughter, who coos at
the sound of Ladino’s voice. Around her neck, a gold heart dangles from a chain. But Ladino’s voice deepens in tone as she recounts the events that led to her decision to report her supervisor’s abuse to their upper-management boss. Soon after she filed a complaint, her boss handed her a check and told her the company didn’t need her anymore. A co-worker advised her to seek help from California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), which represented her in filing a civil suit. Though the supervisor denied Ladino’s allegations, the company settled before the case went to trial. For Ladino, the lawsuit wasn’t about money. It was about holding the company accountable-and breaking the silence that had held her captive for so long. See ABUSE page 6
PAGE 6 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
AMERICA The Unheralded History BOTTOM LINE
‘Anomaly among politicians’ Continued from page 4 He held his first real political job (outside of campaigning) when Councilman Bob Farrell hired him as his field deputy in 1974. After that, Wright became the district director to congresswoman Maxine Waters. Wright, who has two daughters and two granddaughters, threw his own hat into the political ring in 1996 and was elected to the
state Assembly for the 48th District. He was re-elected twice. Then he was elected to the California Senate for District 25 in 2008 and was re-elected in 2012 in what had become the reapportioned Senate District 35 -- the district seat he vacated last week. Former Sen. Wright is an anomaly among politicians. In an era in which politicians are generally
denigrated, bad-mouthed and constantly subjected to comedic jabs, Rod Wright is regarded as the pillar of a profession everyone loves to hate. While researching Wright’s career, this reporter found no one who said they did not like him or who does not hold him in high regard. This is an extremely rare response. It is for this reason that Wright’s lawyer, Atty. Winston Kevin McKes-
son, is appealing Wright’s conviction of D.A. Lacey’s charges to the state’s Court of Appeal. “I’m not guilty and I must get my name back,” Wright said. “I may not get my job back, but I must fight to restore my reputation and get my name back,” Wright said. “And I’m working on that right now,” McKesson added.
Compton Online at www.comptonherald.com
ABUSE IN THE FIELDS Continued from page 5 Empowered by the strength she found in coming forward, Ladino was one of the first women who agreed to speak on camera for the 2013 Frontline investigative documentary, “Rape in the Fields”—a film that brought national attention to the pervasive problem of sexual abuse in the U.S. agricultural industry. “Speaking out was a way to show people that I am real and that this happened to me,” Ladino says. “Through the film I hope to prevent this from happening to other people.” In a Salinas River Valley strawberry field, the loamy scent of rich, black earth fills the air. Verdant rows that dangle with red berries stretch toward the distant mountains.
a former fieldworker who is now an assistant coordinator for Líderes Campesinas, a statewide farmworking women’s organization. “When they eat, they only lift a piece of the bandana near their mouth-they don’t take it off,” she says in Spanish. “They don’t want the men to see them.” If farmworker women don’t cover up in this manner, they are often accused of “asking for it,” says Laura Segura, executive director of Monarch Services in Santa Cruz. “It’s a norm if they’re getting harassed, they [always] get blamed.” A 2010 study looking at farm-working women in Central California found that 80 percent of the 150 women surveyed had experienced workplace sexual
Hundreds, if not thousands, of farm-working women in California have had to have sex with supervisors to get or keep their jobs. US EEOC The campesinos work quickly, their hands feverishly plucking ripe berries and dropping them into cartons as they advance in a line down each row. When their carton is full, many run to the punchadora, the person stationed beside the field to count each carton. Once their quota card is punched, the campesinos run back into the rows to fill another carton. The difference between the way the men and women dress for work is striking. Most of the men wear baseball hats to shade their faces, and some pull the hoods of their sweatshirts over their necks as they hunch over in the rows. But the women dress in multiple layers of oversized shirts to obscure their figures, and fasten sweaters and jackets around their waists to cover their bottoms as they bend over to pick fruit. They tie bandanas across their faces so when they look up all you can see are their eyes. Many wear dark glasses. Bandanas-called paños in the fields-shield women’s faces from the sun, dust and pesticides, but they also shield them from the unwanted attention of male co-workers and supervisors, says Paula Placencia,
harassment. Of these, 53 percent described experiences ranging from “inappropriate and offensive verbal advances to gross sexual imposition, and even rape.” In a 2012 Human Rights Watch report, several farmworkers said that some supervisors and foremen view sexual relations with employees as a “perk of the job.” An earlier U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission report states that hundreds, if not thousands, of farm-working women in California have had to have sex with supervisors to get or keep their jobs. Farmworkers from Salinas referred to one company’s field as the field de calzón or “field of panties” because so many supervisors raped women there. Other than a handful of reports, there are no statistics measuring how often sexual harassment, or even sexual assault, occurs in California’s agricultural industry. “No one is tracking it locally,” says Segura. “We just started tracking it in our agency because we couldn’t find any data at all.” This feature will be published in two parts. Part 2 continues next week.
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PAGE 7 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
SPORTS Dodgers win NL West Beat Giants 9-1; Kershaw gets 21 wins LOS ANGELES (AP)— Clayton Kershaw tied a career high with his 21st victory, Yasiel Puig homered to highlight a four-run sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers won the NL West title with a 9-1 victory over the secondplace San Francisco Giants
on Wednesday night. Fittingly, the Dodgers won their second straight division title behind Kershaw (21-3), the probable NL Cy Young Award winner and MVP candidate who has been the catalyst behind their success this season.
He didn’t pitch lights out —getting called for a balk and wild pitch—and he committed a throwing faux pas in the seventh but he did a little bit of everything, including hitting and fielding to ensure the Dod gers’ celebrated in front of their longtime rivals.
MMA: Jones, Cormier fined for brawl LAS VEGAS — UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was found to be more culpable than Daniel Cormier for their Aug. 4 brawl in the lobby of the MGM Grand and thus paid a heavier price. Jones, who revealed he lost his Nike endorsement deal as a result of the incident, was fined $50,000 and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service in Las Vegas. Cormier was fined $9,000 and ordered to do 20 hours of community service. The fines are 10 percent of each man's base purse
Jon Jones
for the Jan. 3 title fight, where Jones will earn $500,000 and Cormier $90,000 with a $90,000 bonus for winning.
Both men were apologetic for their roles in the brawl. Jones appeared first and was contrite. After a video of the brawl was shown, Jones said he was sorry for what had occurred. “I [do] make a conscious effort to be a great example,” Jones said. “Moments like this are embarrassing.” Cormier also apologized, but told the commission he was bullied as a child and had to learn to defend himself. He said those experiences have impacted him into adulthood.
L.A. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will likely earn both the MVP and Cy Young awards after hurling his 21st victory to lead his team to the West title, Wednesday.
PAGE 8 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
FOOD Nutritious and Good for the Body he words “detox” and “cleanse” may have you conjuring up an image of a miserable version of yourself two days into a seven-day plan to consume nothing but water, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. This idea will make a person cringe. Fortunately, such extreme measures are not necessary for you to bring your body into balance. Nature has provided us with an abundance of foods that naturally detox and cleanse our systems, helping us achieve balance and sustenance. Double win! Consider including the foods (to the right) in your everyday diet to help maintain balance, or try a diet primarily consisting of these foods for a set period of time (2-4 days) to hit the reset button on your health. It is bound to be much less painful than a more dramatic cleanse. Cucumber: on average around 95 percent water, this veggie helps flush out toxins and alkalize the body while delivering a
T
powerful nutrient punch. Garlic: stimulates the liver to encourage production of detoxification enzymes. Broccoli: delivers a large dose of vitamins while neutralizing and eliminating toxins. Lentils: extremely fiberrich (1 cup cooked has 62.5 percent of your RDA!), lentils aids in toxin elimination, lower cholesterol, and balance blood sugar. Turnip greens: loaded with antioxidants and sulfur-containing nutrients (Without sulfur, the body cannot properly detoxify substances such as pharmaceuticals, environmental toxins and heavy metals), turnip greens also contain phytonutrients called glucosinolates that help activate and regulate detoxification enzymes. Sunflower seeds: these little slivers of sunshine are not only high selenium and Vitamin E, but also assist liver’s detoxing capabilities and prevent cholesterol build up in the blood and arteries. Be sure to choose organic as their high fat and oil allows
them to easily soak up chemicals used in the production process. Walnuts: infuse the body with healthy omega3 oils to assist detoxification. Turmeric: stimulates liver function. (Also a great addition to your diet for all-around health). Red pepper: when it comes to cleansing, vitamin C is one of the cream of the vitamin crop because it transforms toxins into digestible material. One red pepper contains about 3 times more vitamin C than an orange. Grapefruit: a class of its own, grapefruit lowers cholesterol, prevents kidney stones and aids the digestive system, which set it apart from the other citrus fruits. Watercress: keeps free radicals away from cells, energizes cleaning enzymes in the liver and is a natural diuretic. Mung beans: used by Ayurvedic doctors for thousands of years, this easily digestible bean absorbs toxic residue from the intestinal walls. Artichokes: chock-full of
cynarin, which increases bile production and promotes healthy digestion. Whole grains: full of nutrients and antioxidants, whole grains are incredibly high in insoluble fiber, keeping you regular,
which is especially important while detoxing. Remember to always hydrate, which further helps dispel impurities. For an extra kick, add green tea which has a special type of antioxidant
called catechins (a flavonoid) that increases liver function and helps flush impurities. Doesn’t this all seem so much more pleasant than lemon and pepper water!?
‘What’s Up, Doc?’ Bugs Bunny had it right: A carrot a day...
O
raw carrot a day helps balance hormones by detoxifying estrogen! It has to be a whole, raw carrot (not baby carrots). Raw carrots contain a unique fiber that absorbs excess estrogen and helps sweep it out of the body. Our western society faces rampant estrogen domi-
nance because we face an increasing stress burden. Stress, whether physical or emotional, increases estrogen. Additionally, many pesticides and chemicals are xenonestrogens — chemicals which the body perceives as estrogen. Further, dietary components throw estrogen drastically out of balance. Soy contains phytoestrogens that mimic estrogen in the
body. The contemporary soy craze has devastating effects on hormone balance for men, women and particularly kids. Unhealthful “newfangled” fats including all vegetable oils (corn oil, soy oil, safflower oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, etc.) lead to
inflammation and increase the estrogenic load. Estrogen dominance is an
‘RESTAURANT ROW’ IS COMING! Shouldn’t your restaurant be among the ‘Row?’
underlying cause of PMS, menopausal symptoms, hormonal acne, infertility, and mood disorders. It doesn’t just affect women: men, and particularly prepubescent boys, face the threat of estrogen dominance. Lack of muscle tone, erectile dysfunction, and “man boobs” all point in part to estrogen dominance. By helping to detox some of the excess estrogen, a raw carrot a day plays an important role in both male and female hormone balance. Dr. Ray Peat, who shares controversial and groundbreaking nutrition research, introduced the “Carrot a Day” routine: Research has shown that in some people, a raw carrot on a daily basis stopped
migraines. Carrot fiber has both a bowel-protective and an antiestrogen effect. Several women who suffered from premenstrual symptoms, including migraine headaches, had their serum estrogen measured before and after the “carrot diet,” and they found that the carrot lowered their estrogen within a few days, as it relieved their symptoms. The carrot salad improves the ratio of progesterone to estrogen and cortisol, and so is as appropriate for epilepsy as for premenstrual syndrome, insomnia, or arthritis. The carrot must be raw, not cooked Enjoy it peeled or unpeeled. Ideally, eat between meals whole or prepare the Detox Carrot Salad. To prepare the salad, coarsely grate the carrot and add coconut oil, vinegar and salt to taste. Chill in the frig before serving.
The holidays cometh That means Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s feasts! Do you have a special diabetic-safe recipe to share with our readers. The Compton Herald would like to feature you and your recipe.
Call (562) 719-7096
Call (310) 908-9683. Ask for the editor.
PAGE 9 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
FOOD TABLE TOP
Delicious Fall comfort meals 3 large onions, sliced 5-6 garlic cloves, minced 1 sprig thyme 1 sprig rosemary 3-4 bay leaves 2 cups of beef stock 2-3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
Beef Brisket Pot Roast; Garlic Mashed Potatoes; Asparagus Spears Beef brisket is a fabulous cut of meat. The brisket is located between the shoulders and the forelegs of the steer, marbled with fat. So they are highly flavorful and perfect for slow braises. Long cooking time is needed to melt the connective tissue. Upon serving, the meat is cut against the grain, helping it become fall-apart tender. This recipe is fairly classic, a slow braise with lots and lots of onions. A favorite beef brisket recipe is just simply slathering it with a barbecue sauce mixture and cooking it forever in the oven. With this recipe, please feel free to mix it up a bit. You could easily use other root vegetables such as parsnips or turnips. Cook time: 4 hours, 15 minutesYield: Serves 8-12
Ingredients: 3 medium baking potatoes peeled and coarsely chopped 1 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic 1 tablespoon (or more) whole milk, at room temperature or warmed Salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions In a medium saucepan, cook the potatoes in salted
Ingredients: 4-5 pound beef brisket Salt 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
‘Taste of Uptown Long Beach’ set LONG BEACH (MNS) —A day of food and live entertainment will occur Oct. 19, 2014, from noon to 6 p.m., when the second annual “Taste of Uptown Long Beach” gets underway at 609 E. Artesia Blvd. in Long Beach. Co-sponsored by Soul Bound Inc. and the Arts Council of Long Beach, the Taste of Uptown Long Beach will feature local diners and food companies Johnny Reb’s Barbecue, Flame Broiler, City Foods, El Cortez Mexican Restaurant, Robert Earl’s Bar-
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
becue, KBQ Barbecue, Revive Organic Juice, Unforgettable Lemonade, and Mighty Munchie Kettle Korn. Providing entertainment will be Dave Williams and The MBT, Pure Freedom, guitarist Robi Duganne, The Jazz Angels, Bike Odyssey, the Long Beach Playhouse and Angela Wilcocks. “[This] is our second year organizing this event. Once again we will connect communities in the eighth and ninth districts of uptown Long Beach like no other
event has done before,” said organizer Stephen Metz. Admission is free, but there will be a charge for tickets for food samples from vendors. Community partners for the event include Andy Street Association, Chase Bank, Century 21, CDR Benefits and Insurance, the Eighth and Ninth Council Districts, the Long Beach Children’s Clinic, and the Long Beach chapter of the Boy Scouts of America. For more info call (310) 383-7973.
water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan. Add the butter, sour cream and garlic. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or the back of a fork until the ingredients are blended. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes are the desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. Asparagus Spears Directions Steam asparagus 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.
PAGE 10 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
HEALTH CDC: Diabetes leveling off
Backyard chickens linked to salmonella (MNS)—Backyard chickens have been linked to salmonella outbreaks tied to live chickens. Keeping backyard chickens in urban settings may be a growing trend, but federal health officials are warning about a surprising trend: salmonella infections tied to kissing and other close contact with live poultry. Nearly 2,200 salmonella infections tied to live poultry were logged between 1990 and 2013, including
306 people who were hospitalized and five who died, according to new figures compiled by veterinary experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “People just don’t know a healthy chicken can carry germs like salmonella,” said Casey Behravesh, a
zoonotic disease expert with the CDC. And those are just the cases reported. Federal officials estimate that for every salmonella infection they know about, there are 30 others that go undetected, which works out to nearly 67,000 illnesses during those 23 years.
WASHINGTON (UPI)— According to a new study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control, rates of diabetes in the U.S. have slowed and are leveling off, though statistics suggest rates continue to rise among African American and Latino patients. To get a more accurate measure of the disease’s trajectory over the last 30plus years, researchers analyzed the health data of 665,000 adults ages 20 to 79. They focused on the incidence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes between 1980 and 2012. Analysis showed while rates remained stable dur-
ing the 1980s, the disease’s prevalence shot up during the 1990s and early 2000s. Diabetes rates more than doubled between 1990 and 2008, from 3.5 percent of U.S. adults to 7.9 percent. And while diabetic rates have continued to ascend since 2008, the rate of increase tapered off between 2008 and 2012. The percentage of adults with diabetes in 2012 was 8.3 percent. The rate of new diagnosis in the last several years has also remained stable, researchers found. “However, there appear to be continued increases in the prevalence or inci-
dence of diabetes among subgroups, including nonLatino African American, Latino subpopulations, and those with less than a high school education,” the authors wrote in the journal JAMA. The good news is only one very small positive among a litany of worrying statistics surrounding what remains a serious health issue for millions of Americans. According to the CDC, in 2012 there were 21 million Americans with diabetes— 1.7 million of those were newly diagnosed patients that emerged in just 2012 alone.
US says Ebola could hit 1.4 million by Jan. NEW YORK (AP)— U.S. health officials Tues- day laid out worst-case and best-case scenarios for the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, warning that the number of infected people could explode to at least 1.4 million by mid-January —or peak well below that, if efforts to control the outbreak are ramped up. The widely varying projections by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were based on con-
ditions in late August and do not take into account a recent international surge in medical aid for the stricken region. That burst has given health authorities reason for some optimism. “I’m confident the most dire projections are not going to come to pass,” said CDC chief Dr. Tom Frieden said in releasing the report. About 5,800 illnesses and over 2,800 deaths have been counted since the first
cases were reported six months ago. But international health authorities have warned that the crisis is probably far worse in reality, with many corpses and infected people unreported. The CDC, for example, estimated that the real number of cases, reported and unreported, could reach 21,000 by Sept. 30 in just two of the hardest-hit countries, Sierra Leone and Liberia. In its worst-case scenario, the CDC said the number of illnesses in those nations could hit 1.4 million by Jan. 20. But the CDC also said that the epidemic in both countries could be almost ended by Jan. 20, by aggressively isolating the sick, either in hospitals or at home, and taking steps to reduce the spread of the disease during burials. “A surge now can break the back of the epidemic,” Frieden said. The CDC did not give an estimate of how many Ebola cases overall could be expected under the bestcase scenario. But it said the number of new cases per day could be fewer than 300 by midJanuary, instead of the thousands feared under the grimmer projections. The World Health Organization released its own estimates Tuesday, also warning that cases could soar dramatically. The U.N. agency, whose estimates were published online by the New England Journal of Medicine, said
Reported and unreported cases, could reach 21,000 by October 2014 21,000 people could be infected in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone by early November. WHO said the death rate has been about 70 percent among patients hospitalized. Guessing the epidemic’s path—especially long term —is difficult, experts said. “This is a bit like weather forecasting. We can do it a few days in advance, but looking months ahead is very difficult,” according to Christopher Dye, WHO director of strategy and coauthor of the organization's study. “We’re beginning to see so,” he added.
PAGE 11 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
FILM STAGE TV Actress asked to apologize over claims of LAPD racism LOS ANGELES (MNS) —Civil rights advocates are calling on Django Unchained actor Danièle Watts to apologize for accusing a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant of racial bias, after she was arrested for a public display of affection with her white boyfriend. The activists, who initially supported Watts, told reporters they were now uncertain whether she had been telling the full truth about the highly publicized incident in the Studio City neighbourhood on Sept. 11, according to NBC News. Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable president Earl Ofari Hutchinson said new photos which showed Watts straddling her cel-
AP PHOTO
Danièle Watts and Brian Lucas speak during a TV news interview in Los Angeles, Sept. 14.
ebrity chef boyfriend Brian James Lucas suggested there was “provable cause
for the detention.” Hutchinson said Watts’ Facebook post on the matter, in which
she wrote passionately of crying tears “for a country that calls itself ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave’ and yet detains people for claiming that very right” was “like crying wolf.” LAPD sergeant Jim Parker has also denied suggestions by Lucas that he thought the pair were “trick” and “ho”, calling the claims “malicious and false statements”. He told a LA entertainment magazine he was called to the scene because a caller complained the couple were having sex in public. In a leaked audio recording of the incident, he can be heard defending his right to ask the actor for her identification, while she refuses
‘Agnes of God’ opens in October CARSON—The California State University, Dominguez Hills Department of Theatre and Dance presents the second show of the 2014-2015 season, “Agnes of God,” written by John Pielmeier, adapted and directed by theatre faculty member Naomi Buckley. Performances in the intimate 70-seat Edison Theatre, located in the University Theatre Complex, will be held over three weekends, Oct. 10-12, 1719, and 24-26, with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday performances at 2 p.m. Summoned to a convent, Dr. Martha Livingstone, a court-appointed psychiatrist, is charged with assessing the sanity of a novice nun, Agnes, who is accused of murdering her newborn. The Mother Superior keeps young Agnes from the doctor, arousing Livingstone’s suspicions further. Who killed the infant and who fathered the tiny victim? Livingstone’s questions force all three women to re-examine the meaning of faith and the power of love, leading to a dramatic, compelling climax. In adapting the play for the CSUDH production, Buckley has added two new ensemble characters to the original threewoman cast. The two characters—Agnes’ mother (Erin Kremer, senior, psychology major). The Lady (Mariah Walsh, senior, theatre arts), a figure Agnes sees in a vision when she is 10 that follows her through the rest of her life—help create the mental instability within Agnes and set the tone for the piece, Buckley said. In addition, the lead actresses Stefani Baez, (‘13,
FRONT ROW
with Lonzo
Front Row with Lonzo, a hip, ecletic music column penned by 40-year music connoiseur and party spinmaster Alonzo “Lonzo” Wi l l i a m s , debuts as a weekly feature in the Herald, next week. Featured in the column will be an assortment of top CDs, artists, concert reviews, and more.
B.A., liberal studies; theatre arts minor); Amanda Hubbell, (senior, theatre arts); and Krystle Tugadi, (senior, theatre arts) will switch between playing Agnes, Dr. Livingston and Mother Superior throughout the play, reinforcing the theme of identity and sanity, as well as how one deals with personal trag-
edy. “Agnes of God’ is a taut psychological thriller that forces the audience to analyze the very fabric of reality,” Buckley says. “‘Agnes of God’ is a play for 2014 just as much as it was a play for 1980. It is a tour-de-force that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the shocking end-
ing.” NOTE: Herbal cigarettes are used in this performance at the beginning of Act I and Act II. For more info and to purchase tickets online, visit http://nbuckley6453.wix. com/agnesofgod or call the box office at (310) 2433589.
Tavis Smiley
‘Dancin’ With the Stars’ gives TV host the boot LOS ANGELES (UPI) —Tavis Smiley and his professional dance partner Sharna Burgess were eliminated from Dancing with the Stars in Los Angeles Tuesday night. “I do not live a life of regret, No. 1,” Smiley said upon learning his fate. “No. 2, the art of dance, I absolutely love, but like anything in life, it takes time to perfect it. “And, if you’re on a book tour and you only have eight or 10 hours a week to do it... I don’t care what it is, you have to spend time at your vocation perfecting it. So, it’s been a wonderful experience. “I wish everyone all the best. I loved it.”
Olympic track & field star Lolo Jones was the first celebrity cast-off for Season 19 last week. Still in the running for the coveted mirrorball trophy are Tommy Chong, Randy Couture, Michael Waltrip, Betsey Johnson, Jonathan Bennett, Bethany Mota, Janel Parrish, Alfonso Ribeiro, Sadie Robertson, Antonio Sabato, Jr. and Lea Thompson. The show kicked off the season on Sept. 15, with Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews returning as cohosts and former DWTS pro Julianne Hough joining the judges' panel with fellow experts Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
PAGE 12 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
BUSINESS Program enables low-income to gain Internet access BY PETER SHURMANN
SAN JOSE (NAM)— When Libier Gonzalez first
arrived to the United States from Mexico three years ago, her family could not afford Internet access at
home. A mother of three, she says not having Internet impacted everything from her ability to find
work to her children’s education. Then, about a year ago, she attended a workshop for low-income parents, where she learned about a Comcast program called Internet Essentials that allows families like hers to gain broadband access at dramatically reduced rates. “I found work through the Internet,” said Gonzalez, adding that her own kids were better able to keep up with their schoolwork. Gonzalez now works as an associate director with the non-profit Parent Institute for Quality Education. She shared her story at a briefing in San Jose for ethnic media Tuesday. She spoke alongside Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen and Muhammed Chaudhry, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF). “Access to the Internet has a potentially transformative impact for the entire home,” not just students, stressed Cohen at the briefing, hosted by New America Media and part of a Youth Tech Summit organized by Comcast and SVEF. Pointing to hiring practices, Cohen noted that more than “80 percent of Fortune 500 companies now only accept job applications online.”
That means anyone without access to broadband Internet—about 30 percent of U.S. families—is at a serious disadvantage when it comes to things like finding employment, health care, government services and education. A Pew study from 2013 showed nearly a quarter of low-income adults in the country were not online, and that African Americans and Latinos had lower rates of connectivity than their white counterparts. Launched four years ago, Internet Essentials has helped 350,000 families so far, or 1.4 million lowincome Americans, gain broadband access, Cohen said, pointing out the number is roughly equivalent to three times the population of the Northern California city of Oakland. “It has had a substantial impact,” Cohen said. Internet Essentials offers eligible families low-cost broadband service for less than $10 per month. That compares to an average cost of about $90 a month for comparable services. Families also can purchase an Internet-ready computer for less than $150 and access digital literacy training sessions and materials. This year families who have an outstanding Comcast bill of more than one year and who meet eligibility require-
ments can also apply. The program is available to families with children in grades pre-K to high school who qualify for free or reduced meals at their local school district, or 170 percent or below of the federal poverty level. It has also been extended to schools where more than 70 percent of students are low-income. Cohen explained, the initiative is aimed in large measure at improving educational outcomes for lowincome students. “In the 21st century, technology is essential to taking advantage of the opportunities available to young people,” he said. “It’s an advantage that every family in America should enjoy, regardless of zip code,” he said. Cohen also pointed out that in surveys conducted by Comcast, 97 percent of respondents said they need Internet so their kids can do their homework. Chaudhury also touched on the digital disparities separating low-income families from more affluent communities around the Bay Area. “I see two Silicon Valleys,” he told the audience, pointing to the “schools and communities” that line the route along Highway 280 versus those along 101, where “you see the real challenges.” One of those challenges will come with the new computer-based assessments being rolled out this school year across California as part of the Common Core education standards. Chadhury noted that without access to the right tools, low-income students would be at a “distinct disadvantage” when it comes time to sit for the exams. Pointing to the impact of Internet Essentials in bridging what he called the “racial achievement gap” in education, he described the program as a “game changer,” stressing that it is the direction that “Silicon Valley and the country need to go.”
Accusations of mortgage refusal levied by Blacks against bank NEW YORK — Evans Bank in New York is being sued by the state over accusations that its mortgage lenders refused financing to African-Amer icans in Buffalo. The bank, which has 13 branches in western New York, is accused of intentionally excluding predominantly black neighborhoods on the city's east side from its lending services, according to the lawsuit Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. The lawsuit is reportedly part of a wider investigation by Schneiderman's office into the illegal practice of redlining — a process which denies prospective borrowers access to mortgages or charges more in certain neighborhoods based on race. In this case, the attorney general maintains that more than 75 percent of Buffalo's African-Ameriican population was denied access to the bank's mortgage offerings. Bank President David Nasca said in a statement that Evans will “vigorously” defend itself against
PAGE 13 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
RELIGION Latin Evangelicals seek alliance (RNS)—With minority students now making up a majority of public school enrollments, a national group of Latin evangelicals is calling for strong ties between churches and schools to encourage better academic results. The National Latin Christian Leadership Conference, which includes 40,000 U.S. churches, has launched a website with resources and a bilingual parental toolkit that its officials hope will bridge an “opportunity gap” between Latin and other students. “We say that pastors and principals should meet,” said Carlos Campo, chair of the NHCLC’s Latin Education Alliance, at a recent National Press Club
news conference. “We say that parents and professors should meet so that we no longer have these false dichotomies, these barriers that keep us apart.” Ahead of his organization’s annual observance of National Latin Education Sunday on Sept. 7, Campo introduced other new programs, including “Becas and Bibles,” which encourages churches to give children bibles and seed money for scholarships when they are baptized or christened. Campo said a joint study conducted by NHCLC and Barna Group in 2012 found that at least 25 percent of Latin American children don’t graduate from high school, and the percentage
is much higher in some communities. The new website, FaithandEducation.com, includes resources for students about choosing a career, how to be successful in college, and scholarship applications to select evangelical universities. Its parental tips feature a guide to “help your child make it to college,” details about the importance of a high school diploma and lists of English-as-a-SecondLanguage opportunities. Ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee joined Campo in the Aug. 22 announcement. Referring to the program, the former Southern Baptist pastor said “it will remind the parents that it is your responsibility to make
sure that your children are getting the very best education that they are possibly able to receive.” The NHCLC has supported the Common Core State Standards, which will be implemented in dozens of states this fall but have been criticized by some conservatives. At the news conference, Campo called the standards “redeemable” while Huckabee, who now considers them “toxic,” said he wants to “fight for students” rather than over the program. Edwin Hernandez, director of the University of Notre Dame’s Project for the Study of Latino Religion, said the initiatives by NHCLC are “important
Latin Evangelicals are calling for strong ties between churches and schools to aid in the learning process.
first steps in creating [the] awareness and raising symbolically as well as rhetorically the power of the pulpit to the importance of education.” They represent a change he has observed from past acquiescence about education from Latins who often shy away from challenging
the U.S. educational system. He said that in addition to celebrating achievement and bolstering parents’ roles, Latin Christians must push the educational system for student success. “These institutions may not be serviving us well,” he said. “You have to be vigilant.”
Christian artist rises to top of secular charts responded. In a recent piece for ESPN’s Grantland, Rembert Browne compares Lecrae to filmmaker Tyler Perry, who successfully
BY SARAH BAILEY
NEW YORK (RNS)— He’s been crowned the “new hip-hop king” and his newest album, “Anomaly,” topped iTunes and Amazon charts the day of its Sept. 9 release. He’s been invited to birthday parties for both Billy Graham and Michael Jordan and riffed on NBC’s “Tonight Show” with host Jimmy Fallon. It’s the kind of mainstream success that has eluded most Christian rappers. Then again, some people are still trying to decide if hip-hop star Lecrae is a Christian rapper, or a rapper who happens to be Christian. It depends who you ask, including Lecrae himself. “God has also raised up lowly, kind of insignificant individuals to do miraculous and incredible things,” Lecrae, 34, said in an interview. “We’re the Gideons, we’re the Davids. Even Jesus himself made himself of no reputation. It’s when you can link it back to God doing it, I think that’s what he loves. He’s not a megalomaniac, he’s deserving of glory and honor, and to use individuals that demonstrate that it was him, and him alone, it accomplishes his mission and that’s success.” While most Christian artists have struggled to
Lecrae
break out of the Christian music subculture, Lecrae has found early crossover success — and a significant following among white evangelical elites. He navigates the tricky waters between rapping explicitly about Christianity while reaching a mainstream audience. According to Billboard, he’s sold 1.4 million albums and 2.9 million track downloads. “Anomaly” hit Billboard’s No. 1 last week — a first for a gospel album and only the fifth for a Christian album. His acting debut in “Believe Me,” a film about a group of four men who try to con money out of churchgoers, received a short, positive nod from The New York Times. Some of Lecrae’s fans are worried the success could
ruin him or at least soften his lyrics. But when Christian artists like U2’s Bono or Switchfoot find mainstream success, many Christian fans often latch on for good. In fact, while once shunning mainstream and creating its own music and entertainment subculture, American evangelicalism now values recognition and engagement in mainstream culture. “Lecrae is probably the hottest Christian artist alive right now,” said Atlanta megachurch pastor Louie Giglio in his sermon on Sept. 21 at his Passion City Church. Giglio recently ran into Lecrae in their hometown airport in Atlanta, praising the artist for his recent success. “It’s only hors d’oeuvres for heaven,” Lecrae
reached black and Christian audiences. “Because, in ‘Anomaly,’ like some of Perry’s films, the Christianity sneaks up on you,” Browne wrote,
linking “Believe Me” to a string of other recent successful Christian-themed films. “It’s clear there is a market for Christian pop culture.
PAGE 14 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
EDITORIAL JARRETTE DEAN FELLOWS, JR PUBLISHER, CEO and EXECUTIVE EDITOR FOUNDED 2007
Reflecting on a promise to fix America’s immigration policy BY ED KISSAM New America Media
Q
uite appropriately, immigrants and immigrant advocates reacted with anger and dismay to President Obama’s Sept. 6 announcement he would not move forward to fix “broken” immigration policy until after the November elections. It’s now old news that the decision was “political.” Of course it was—everything in the world of federal policy is. More urgent than recriminations and “what if” scenarios is consideration of what now, where to go next? It’s now a month since the president’s disappointing announcement and a month until Election Day. What should immigrant advocates do and what should pro-immigrant voters do now? Of course it’s sad and frustrating to observe the limitations of the president’s ability to lead the nation, given a recalcitrant Congress. But this is an everyday reality as the nation’s social policy dialogue continues to devolve into a multitude of sweaty, grunting, ideological wrestling matches—full of sound and fury and signifying very little. There’s little utility fixating on the president’s “broken promise” to fix the immigration system. A more useful priority will be to weigh in about what the fix should look like once it’s announced. Immigration reform advocates will need to overcome their frustration and work hard to get proimmigrant voters to the polls in November for what will, essentially, be a vote of confidence in Obama’s commitment to (very soon!) take practical steps toward (substantially!) better immigration policy. Of course, the challenge in getting demoralized pro-immigrant voters to turn out is, indeed, formidable. The Center for American Progress/Latino Decision’s timely survey (in June, before the president’s decision to defer executive action) asking Latino voters how it would affect their decision to go to the polls provides a worrisome assessment of the challenge: They found that 54 percent of Latino voters would be less likely to turn out to vote. The Latino Decisions researchers correctly ask whether the “broken promise” decision by the
Obama administration was a missed opportunity for Democrats to mobilize Latino voters. There’s no doubt that it was. But I would argue there still remain opportunities to restore Latino and other pro-immigrant voters’ enthusiasm. Immigrant advocates, ethnic media, and pro-immigrant candidates can do this if they move vigorously to seize the opportunities opened up by Obama’s delaying executive action by catalyzing widespread community dialogue on two key issues: • What should a “sustainable” administratively-initiated fix to immigration policy look like? • How does a fairer, more equitable, and more inclusive immigration policy benefit not only immigrants but also entire communities, regions and the nation? Obama’s “broken promise” excuses for his delay in acting actually represent an invitation to advocates, candidates, and voters to weigh in on the shape of executive action on immigration policy and ongoing efforts to enact immigration reform. This can be seen in these two excerpts from his remarks: “What I’m saying is that I’m going to act because it’s the right thing for the country,” he said. “But it's going to be more sustainable and more effective if the public understands what the facts are on immigration…. “I want to … make sure that the public understands why we’re doing this, why it’s the right thing for the American people, why it’s the right thing for the American economy.” In reality, more important than the exact timing of executive action is its scope (how many will benefit in principle), the viability of effectively implementing new provisions (how many will actually be able to benefit), and the extent to which new guidelines provide a supportive legal framework for long-term settled immigrants who have waited 10 to 15 years for relief to get on (and move ahead) with their lives. Immigrant advocates and proimmigrant political candidates can and should engage with their constituents in pressing the Obama administration for executive action that is broader and bolder—not narrower, compromised or timid. Pro-immigrant voters should go
“What I’m saying is that I’m going to act because it’s the right thing for the country. But it's going to be more sustainable and more effective if the public understands what the facts are on immigration...
”
to the polls with an almost-paradoxical mixture of anger and optimism to make their voices heard and send the message that executive action, when it comes, must be big, bold, and for real. “Sustainable” executive action will need to do more than simply protect from deportation longtime community residents who are undocumented. To make good on the president’s newly-articulated commitment to a sustainable fix, the new policy will need to catalyze and nurture genuine immigrant integration. It must provide, at the very least, pathways for learning English, for developing workplace skills, and
for immigrant participation in civic decision-making and community service. Such a policy would present a win-win, benefitting both immigrants and the general public. At the same time, ongoing pressure will be needed to ensure that executive action to provide administrative relief is more than a rhetorical promise. The process for applicants to seek DACA-like relief will need to be streamlined and affordable. Ethnic media, immigrant advocates and candidates must get out the message that the November mid-term elections are not a time to give up—but for pro-immi-
grant voters to make their voices heard. After all, it’s only two years until 2016 and voter apathy is a vote for the intolerable status quo. Ed Kissam has led various studies of immigrant settlement in the U.S. over the past decade, including the New Pluralism Study of immigrants in rural areas and the Latino Entrepreneurship study focusing on North Carolina and Iowa . He is currently working with a research task force on strategies to improve educational outcomes for Latino youth in rural communities in the U.S.
PAGE 15 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
COMPTON HERALD
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National jobless rate drops to 6.1 in August WASHINGTON—The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose less than expected last week, suggesting an acceleration in job growth in September. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 293,000 for the week ended Sept. 20, the Labor Department said Thursday. Claims for the prior week were revised to show 1,000 more applications received than previously reported. Economists polled had forecast claims rising to 300,000 last week. The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 1,250 to 293,500. A Labor Department analyst said there were no spe-
cial factors influencing the state level data. Claims are hovering near their pre-recession levels, an indication that labor market conditions are tightening despite August's sharp slowdown in job growth. The jobless claims report showed the number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid edged up 7,000 to 2.44 million in the week ended Sept. 13. The data for the so-called continuing claims covered the household survey week from which the unemployment rate for September will be calculated. Continuing claims fell 89,000 between the August and September survey weeks, suggesting some improvement in the unemployment rate. The jobless rate was at 6.1 percent in August. —AOL.com
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PAGE 16 COMPTON HERALD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
SPECIAL REPORT
Drought: Progress on state conservation efforts CITY, DISTRICT BREAKDOWN
California’s urban water conservation efforts for the month of July resulted in a seven and one-half percent drop, statewide, in urban water usage from a year ago, according to results of a survey of retail water suppliers by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board). The percentage drop in urban water usage represents more than 17 billion gallons of water -- the equivalent to 25,755 Olympic-sized swimming pools or enough water for 1.7 billion people each to take a 5-minute shower. The average level of conservation achieved across each of the state’s hydrologic regions ranged from 2 percent to 22 percent during this first reporting period. Of the 362 urban water suppliers that submitted their water production data, 44 representing 3.2 million Californians reported conservation gains above 20 percent for the month of July over the preceding year. In July, the State Water Board adopted an emergency water conservation regulation, which required mandatory reporting of water usage by urban water suppliers. The seven and one-half percent drop in water usage represents numbers reported by 87 percent of urban water suppliers which have responded to the survey thus far, representing 97 percent of the population
served. There are 414 urban water suppliers covered by the regulation. Of those, 362 serving 33 million Californians have returned the surveys. The State Water Board is working with the remaining water suppliers to ensure their water production data is provided as required by the Emergency Conservation Regulation. Reports are due on the 15th of each month. “We are glad to see the progress that many more California urban communities have made to conserve water,” said Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Board. “Every action, from taking a shorter shower, to putting a lawn on a water diet, to replacing turf with drought-tolerant landscaping, contributes to every community’s water security. “While this initial report is an improvement, we hope and trust that it is just a start. Countless Californians see and feel the effects of this drought and know that we still are facing a drought that may be far from over – others still do not and can and should step up. Wasting precious potable water today imperils our communities’ future.” At the Sept. 9 Board meeting, additional information about the first month’s results was presented. This information included results by region, noteworthy water suppli-
er conservation and enforcement actions, and observations about how residents and businesses have responded. Since the Emergency Water Conservation Regulation went into effect, the Board has received hundreds of emails, phone calls, and letters on water conservation concerns and actions by the residents and businesses in California. Within two weeks of enactment of the emergency regulation, approximately 70 percent of the state’s urban water suppliers implemented mandatory outdoor irrigation restrictions. Many more water suppliers took action during August and early September. A fact sheet detailing the emergency regulation is here. Some northern California communities facing acute water shortages have dramatically reduced their water consumption by as much as 40-50 percent. Southern California communities have been aggressive in implementing outdoor conservation such as offering turf removal programs. Approximately 2.5 million square feet of turf was removed from residential properties in Southern California in July (1665 front yards), while an additional 4.7 million square feet of turf was removed from commercial properties in Southern California in July (82 football fields).