OUR TIME PRESS | July 27 – August 2, 2017

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OUR TIME PRESS THE L OCAL PAPER WITH THE G LOBAL VIEW

| VOL. 21 NO. 30

July 27 – August 2, 2017 |

Since 1996

Photo: Marlon Rice

Rising Stars: Young entrepreneurs from a variety of disciplines have come together in a collective, We Are Inspo, founded by 21-year-old Drexell student Keith Taylor, inset, of Crown Heights. Page 6 Keith Taylor, inset, is the founder of We Are Inspo

View From Here ■■

By David Mark Greaves

Health Debate The Republican Party is right now planning to reach into our community to remove all lmanner of health care, including hospital and nursing home beds, home attendants, Medicare-supplied wheelchairs and crutches, and then use these cost “savings” to funnel more money to the rich and leave the rest of us to fend for ourselves, go into debt and die early. We don’t know how far they’ll get in this effort but only because the same cuts apply to their constituents as well, there is a hope that their instinct for self-preservation, will save us.

Scout’s Honor Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Those are the commandments of scouting as I remember them from long ago when the Annual Boy Scouts of America’s National Jamboree was an event I

dreamed of attending but never could.

Those commandments were not in evidence as President Trump spoke before 30,000 scouts at this year’s gathering and defiled it as his usual vulgar, preening, mean-spirited, vengeful, victimized, totally inappropriate self, subjecting these young men to a pernicious example of nothing less than child abuse. And with his rhetoric and the scouts in uniform, he was successful only in evoking an image reminiscent of the German-American Band training camps for Nazis in the 1930s. Another reason why he is the worst president ever.

The Russian Connection Whether he gets his comeuppance or not is an open question, but based on what we know so far, somebody connected with Donald Trump and Russia is supposed to be going to ➔➔ Continued on page 3

Long time compatriots Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Rev Jesse Jackson during Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign.

Page 2

☞ INSIDE Masaai Performers Visas Held Up ➔➔ Page 2 Brooklyn DA Forum ➔➔ Page 3

Presidential Pardons Possible ➔➔ Page 5 Who Tolls the Bell: In Search of Education Resources ➔➔ Page 7

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OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

President Trump’s Travel Ban Creating Visa Nightmare For Cultural Arts Groups Invited From Abroad

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resident Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban has created a visa nightmare far more widely than the seven targeted countries listed on his executive order. Performing arts and cultural groups, who have been invited by U.S. cultural organization, are experiencing a high rate of rejection for visas entry into the U.S. In many cases, an explanation or reason is never given for the rejection.

Since March, the Bedford Stuyvesant Museum of African Art (BSMAA) has been coordinating with Nicholas Sironka, who is a Maasai artist from Kenya and who is currently living in Washington State, to bring six Maasai Dancers from Kenya to perform at BSMAA’s Fourth Annual Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Award Event. The event will be held on October 14, 2017 at the Brooklyn Museum.

“Homeland Security has sent the visa paperwork back to me for the second time last week always claiming that I have not included requested documents. The first time it was sent back, I was told that a form for one of the dancers was missing,” Executive Director of BSMAA, Vira Lynn Jones, said. “Nicholas was confident that Homeland Security would

VOL. 21 NO. 29 DBG MEDIA Publishers of Our Time Press, Inc. 358 Classon Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11238 (718) 599-6828 Web site: www.ourtimepress.com e-mail: editors@ourtimepress.com Publisher DBG MEDIA Editor-in-Chief David Mark Greaves Consultant Bernice Elizabeth Green Legacy Ventures

Friends of SIronka Dance Troupe have run into Homeland Security red tape threatening their October performance at the Brooklyn Museum for the Bedford Stuyvesant Museum of African Art (BSMAA) approve the application so that the dancers would be invited for the crucial U.S. State Department interview in Kenya.”

The Friends of Nicholas Sironka Dance Troupe have traveled to the U.S. since 2002.

The last time they the group performed on the West Coast was in 2012. “Nicholas was very confident that the group would get their visas without any problem,” said Vira. “I basically followed all guidelines that he provided me from previous paperwork that had been submitted successfully over the years and the visas were always granted.”

Last week Homeland Security returned the paperwork to BSMAA for the second time.

“The government agency claimed that the performance contract for the dancers was missing. It also wanted more information about BSMAA, where the group was performing, at what venue and what they were going to be paid,” said Vira. “Why didn’t they ask for this information the last time the documents

were returned. Nicholas told me this information was never requested in the past. I feel that time is running out for us. The Maasai dancers have been practicing since early March. Periodically, they have been sending me Facebook videos of them practicing. We will all be devastated if the visas are denied.”

In July, visas were denied to an all-girls robotic-building team from Afghanistan.

They had been invited to an international robotics competition in Washington, D.C. While no explanation was ever given for the rejection, the State Department reversed its decision once the team’s ordeal was reported in the international media. On July 6 of this year, five teenagers from a robotics team from the small West African country of Gambia were initially denied visas to attend the same event. After Al Jazeera reported their ordeal, the decision was reversed.

According to data compiled between 2015 ➔➔ Continued on page 11

Contributors Victoria Horsford Selma Jackson Margo McKenzie Priscilla Mensah Earline Mensah Marlon Rice Manager www.ourtimepress.com Liani Greaves Sports Eddie Castro Office Manager Joanna Williams © 2015, DBG MEDIA Publishers of Our Time Press, Inc., printed in New York City.

All rights reserved.

No part of the publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the publishers. Publishers are not responsible for any ad claims.

MBE Certified in NYC, NYS and the Port Authority of NY & NJ Member: New York State Press Association

Sanders and Jackson take on Trump’s Voter Suppression Efforts ■■ By Greg Palaste, Investigative Journalist

“Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity”—and its chief, Kris Kobach, Sec. of State of Kansas.

[Dateline: Chicago] “Why would someIt was Sunday. The choir was rocking body say a crazy statement like that?” Bernie the sanctuary upstairs. This was the Annual had his arms spread like gull wings, fingers Convention of Operation Rainbow/PUSH. scribbling facts in the air.

Rev. Jackson had just announced that “Why” was not really a question. he’d asked the nation’s premier voting rights In Jesse Jackson’s private ministry office, attorney, Barbara Arnwine, to chair a comthe reverend and I had just laid out President mission of “real experts” to counter Trump’s Trump’s claim that 3 million Americans and Kobach’s commission of zealots and were voting twice—a massive crime wave of whack-jobs Trump assigned to rewrite the Black, Brown and Asian-Americans stealing nation’s laws to make voting an effectively the vote. whites-only affair. (Trump appointees To Sanders, “crazy” is Trump’s cover. include “Prof.” Hans von Spakovsky, who Bernie was worked up. He was talking about peddles the completely Loony-Tunes claim Trump’s claims of millions of people illegal- that over one million aliens voted in the last ly voting twice. “To my mind, it was fairly election.) obvious. What he was doing was sending a Jackson had called me down to his signal to every Republican governor in the sanctum to explain Kobach’s secretive country: you go do voter suppression. So “Crosscheck” vote purging program and that is the signal. So then he follows up with enlisted Sanders help in stopping Kobach this so-called ‘Commission’.” from forcing this ethnic voter cleansing Jackson has declared war—and drafted system on all fifty states.

Bernie Sanders for the front-line assault. ➔➔ Continued on page 11 Their target: Donald Trump’s so-called

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VOL. 21 NO. 29

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OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

DA Criminal Justice Forum Features Fireworks Between Candidates ■■ By Phoebe Taylor Vuolo / Kings County Politics

T

he Criminal Justice Forum featuring the Brooklyn District Attorney candidates at St. Francis College last week featured fierce debate and a seemingly split audience showcasing just how close the DA primary might be this September.

Brian Vines, host of BRIC TV’s BK Live and BHeard Town Hall, moderated the event which featured candidates including the Acting DA Eric Gonzalez, Anne Swern, Ama Dwimoh, Marc Fliedner and Vincent Gentile.

The candidates discussed issues ranging from the cash bail system to closing Rikers Island.

Anne Swern “When you think about mass incarceration, when you think about the disproportionate contact among minorities with the criminal justice system, Ama Dwimoh said Swern, there is no one, no one in the system, who wields more power than the DA.” The candidates talked about “Broken Windows” policing, which enforces low-level crimes such as turnstile-jumping

or carrying an open container, and the cash bail system, which many advocates argue is inequitable and puts low-income New Yorkers in jail.

Dwimoh said that “Broken Windows” policies were “criminalizing being poor”, and argued for “seasoned prosecutors” who had experience. Fliedner called “Broken Windows” offenses “survival offenses”, and argued that courts should not seek bail “on cases where we’re not seeking jail”.

Gonzalez agreed that “when we set bail on people who can’t make bail, we’ve (in essence) criminalized the fact that they live in poverty”.

He held that he was the only one of the candidates to have changed bail policy to “only ask for bail when necessary”. He also argued that Brooklyn courts ask for the least amount of bail, compared to other counties.

When questions turned t ow a r d s the issue of wrongful convictions, the Acting Brooklyn debate heated up District Attorney even more. Before Eric Gonzalez his death in 2016, former DA Ken Thompson overturned 22 wrongful convictions with many being carried out by his predecessor Charles Hynes.

“That’s the City Councilman worst thing you Vincent Gentile

Schumer: Democrats’ top priority is health care, not Russia ■■

By Eli Watkins, CNN

W

ashington (CNN)Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, denied Monday that his party is overly fixated on Russia as Democrats rolled out a new campaign focused on economics.

Schumer, in an interview for CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” said the party’s primary concerns are health care and “the economic well-being of the working family” -- not the various investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

“Those are our two big focuses,” Schumer said. “Obviously Russia is in the news. Obviously we want Bob Mueller to be able to pursue and our committees to be able to pursue their investigations unimpeded.”

But Schumer did allow that the party has had a longstanding messaging problem and needs to make its economic agenda known.

The Senate’s minority leader was speaking from Berryville, Virginia, just after joining other Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, to unveil the party’s new agenda, titled “A Better Deal.” He said because of his focus on the rollout, he had not kept up with the comments about Russia

View From Here ➔➔ Continued from page 1

jail. I say supposed to be because as Cody Cain writes in Salon, Donald, Jr., Jared Kushner and all the others have a get-out-of-jail-free card, the presidential power of pardon for all federal crimes they committed or may have committed.

And if it looks like Donald, Jr. is at risk of

from Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and top adviser to President Donald Trump, or Trump’s own tweet calling Attorney General Jeff Sessions “beleaguered.”

Schumer said moving forward, Democrats will focus on health care, jobs training and breaking up monopolies, and that the party would “fill this agenda out” further in coming months.

The new agenda is a reaction to systemic issues in the Democratic Party’s outreach efforts, Schumer said, avoiding pointing specifically to the Hillary Clinton campaign.

“It’s not just 2016. It’s 2014 as well,” Schumer said. “The blame goes all around, and the bottom line is people didn’t know what we stood for.”

When Tapper pointed to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll that found most people think the Democrats stood against Trump as opposed to “for something,” Schumer reiterated his point and explained the new campaign is intended to demonstrate the party has a real economic agenda.

“I’m not going to point any specific fingers,” Schumer said. “We’re all to blame, but what you said, that 52% of Americans don’t know what we stand for, that changes today.” going to a federal lockup, we can expect the pardon to be automatic. And because that is the case, and because Cain reports that pardons don’t extend to state crimes, I would not be surprised if New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman doesn’t begin working closely with the special investigation team of Robert Mueller as far as the law allows, for state crime connections that can still be prosecuted or used as leverage.

can say about a DA’s Office,” said Gentile.

“That a DA’s Office is convicting innocent people and putting them in jail.”

Though all five of the candidates were eager to align themselves with Thompson, each pointed fingers when it came to Hynes, whose office has been accused of misconduct in recent years.

“I’m the only one here that did not go through the Brooklyn DA’s Office that was not part of the management of the DA’s Office when those wrongful convictions were happening,” said Gentile, calling Gonzalez “a creation of Charles Hynes”.

Fliedner also went after Gonzalez, accusing him of “a disregard for the rule of law, a lack of respect for victims and Mark Fliedner out-and-out acts of corruption”.

He was met with some applause, but loud booing as well, some audience members calling out, “and what about you”?

Swern also argued with Gonzalez over their respective records. She accused Gonzalez of claiming credit for a youth court initiative that her office had begun, and he attacked her for her role in Hynes’s office.

“When you led the office with Charles Hynes, you didn’t get it done,” said Gonzalez. “And you sat quietly when they talked about wrongful convictions, you were the first Assistant DA.” The candidates continued to fire back at one another until interrupted by an audience member yelling “Justice for Gurley”! The

room went silent, and Vines took the moment to move on to the next question, though calls for “Justice for Gurley” would continue for the next two hours.

Akai Gurley, 28, was shot by Police Officer Peter Liang in a stairwell at the Louis Pink Houses in East New York on Nov. 20, 2014. His aunt, Hertensia Petersen, was present in the audience, along with Victoria Davis, the sister of Delrawn Small who was killed by off-duty cop Wayne Isaacs during a road rage incident in 2016.

“What will you do to ensure officers who kill New Yorkers face justice?” Davis asked the candidates, adding that past district attorneys had communicated sufficiently with victims’ families.

“We held Peter Liang responsible for what he did,” Gonzalez responded, though the audience reacted, yelling out “bull” and “how about jail time?”

“You can disagree with the sentence recommendation, but the Brooklyn DA’s Office was the first DA’s Office that held a police officer accountable in a very long time in this city,” shot back Gonzalez, adding that he was always open to meeting with families of victims. But Petersen argued that Thompson had never met with her family to explain to them what was going on, adding that Fliedner was the one who had been willing to talk to them, and that most of the information they had received was through the media.

“The Brooklyn DA has failed each and every one of us,” said Petersen, facing Gonzalez and pointing at him. “Do not run on Ken Thompson’s coattails. Run on your own vision. Give the people of Brooklyn what you want for your family.”

Children With Special Health Care Needs Program 2017

HEALTH EDUCATION FORUMS The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) program provides resources, referrals and other services to New York City youth up to age 21 that have been diagnosed with a chronic health condition or disability and are in need of extra health coverage and support.

The CSHCN program offers free Health Education Forums that inform parents, caregivers and community providers about topics related to children with special health care needs.

For more information call 311 or visit nyc.gov/health and search CSHCN.

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OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

WHAT’S GOING ON ■■

By Victoria Horsford

AUGUST MONDAY Why so many August Monday celebrations in the Anglophobe Caribbean? The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 abolished slavery throughout most of the British Empire. In the Caribbean, it ended the enslavement of African people in those colonies who were 6 years and younger. Older enslaved Africans were redesignated “apprentices” and were required to work 40 hours weekly without pay to compensate former slave owners. Full emancipation was granted to all enslaved Caribbean Africans on July 31, 1838. August Monday or Emancipation Day celebrations are rooted in Afro-Caribbean history and culture and the 1838 abolition. Caribbean carnivals are a postscript to the original emancipation celebration.

Calendars are whimsical. August Monday can run from August 1-7. Antigua celebrates their 60th Anniversary of Carnival this year. The 10day Antiguan Music and Dance Marathon begins on July 27 and continues through August 8. Anguilla, Barbados, Crop Over; St. Kitts/ Nevis; Jamaica, Dominica are co-conspirators of August Monday celebrations.

THE WHITE HOUSE President Donald Trump was invited to the NAACP’s 108th Convention, September 22-26, in Maryland this year. Departing from tradition, he declined the invitation by way of his Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, in an announcement while she was speaking with reporters. Deputy US Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will address the NAACP Convention. He will talk about violent crime and efforts to reduce hate crimes. Trump did address the Boy Scouts on 7/24 in West Virginia.

The Trump White House abounds in palace intrigues and heads rolling. Will US

Robert Mueller Attorney General Jeff Sessions be next?

President Trump is concerned about the scope of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s (former FBI chief) criminal investigations into his 2016 presidential campaign and business dealings.

Will Mueller be the next firing?

POLITICS: NY, NY There is no end in sight for the prolonged animus between NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo. They are doing battle over the NY Transit Authority, which is run and controlled by Governor Cuomo. A 7/25 headline reads: “de Blasio Escalates Showdown with Cuomo Over Subway.” Hizzoner has no plans to supplement the MTA budget. They need to form a task force to identify ways to repair TRANSIT with greater fiscal flexibility.

Downstate political pundits say that the Bronx and Queens Democratic delegations will determine who will succeed current NY City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, from East Harlem, who is term-limited.

CITY BUSINESS NEWS Whole Foods Harlem, located at 100 West

125th Street, opened on July 21st after a 5-year gestation. The 40,000-SF duplexed market is a replica of its sister stores, with lots of prepared food stations, a spacious meat counter and the countless rows of organic and conventional fruit and veggie options. Store boasts 200 employees, sells 20 local brands, including Sylvia’s, Egunsi Foods, Vy Higginsen’s Mama One Sauce, Harlem Pie Man and its 365 brands. Welcome Whole Foods! A Fort Greene, Brooklyn Whole Foods will open at 300 Ashland next January.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Time Inc. is looking to sell its majority stake in Essence. In 2015, Time’s CEO said The Essence Festival in New Orleans earned more money than the magazine made in a year.

Essence, like most magazines, is struggling with declining ad revenues. Its events component and its digital presence are growing.

Jamericans Tandra Birkett, and her daughter Yvonne Jewnell, co-founders of Harlem Fashion Week, team with Dianne Bailey, godmother of natural hair care, to launch The Takeover, tasked with women of color reclaiming the beauty supply industry with Pop-Up Tours. The TAKEOVER campaign was inspired by the example set by Madame CJ Walker, America’s first woman millionaire who revolutionized the hair care industry by creating and selling products targeted to Black women in 1905, and a 2017 video shot in a Black community showing an Asian beauty supply store owner kicking a woman of color for allegedly stealing eyelashes.

The TAKEOVER Tour provides a sales platform for women of color who develop beauty, health and hair care products and services. The TOUR dates: July 30, 12-7 pm at Image Nation Raw Space, 2031 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. in Harlem and August 27, 12-6 pm at 33 Lafayette Café in Brooklyn. [Visit HARLEMFW.COM or Call 401.426.4391]

VOL. 21 NO. 29

Dr. Roslyn Artis West Virginia. She holds an Education Doctorate from Vanderbilt University.

Sunburst Birthday wishes to LEO’s: Leah Abraham, Anthony Anderson, Dawn Anderson, Barbara Askins, Halle Barry, Usain Bolt, President Bill Clinton, Viola Davis, Sarah Dash, Ambassador Alice Dear, Robert DeNiro, Barbara Harris, Michael Horsford, IMAN, Magic Johnson, Martha Jones, Vernon Jordan, Woodie King, Lois Knox, Madonna, Barbara Miles, Professor Obie Nichols, President Barack Obama, Karen Phillips, Llyasah Shabazz, Danny Simmons, Ernest Skinner, Yvonne Stafford, Wesley Snipes, Mari Alistine Moss and Winnie Walker.

SUMMER OUTINGS The Newport Jazz Festival runs from August 4-6 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI. Abbreviated festival lineup includes: Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Maceo Parker, Branford Marsalis Quartet, The Roots, Christian McBride Big Band; Flying Toward the Sound for Geri Allen with Love, including Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington with Vijay Iyer, Jason Morand and Christian

NEWSMAKERS Dr. Tashni-Ann Dubroy, 36, President of Shaw University, was named Female President of the Year by the HBCU Digest. Moreover, Dr. Dubroy was recently appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Howard University, effective October 2017.

The Jamaican-born academician is one of the nation’s youngest college leaders. Named Shaw President in 2015, she helped revitalize her alma mater’s campus operations, budget performance and enrollment.

Dr. Roslyn Artis was named President of Benedict College, a 4-year liberal arts HBCU(Historically Black College and University), effective September 1 when she makes history as the first woman to run Benedict in its 147-year history. An attorney since 2003 when she joined the faculty of Mountain State University in Parkersburg,

O

Geri Allen Sands; JAZZ 100, Music of Dizzy, Mongo and Monk. [Visit newportjazz.org] The National Association of Black Journalists hosts its 2017 Convention and Career Fair in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 9-13. The Annual NABJ Convention is the largest convention of journalists of color in the nation. Group anticipates 3000 participants this year. [Visit nabjconvention.com] A Harlem-based management consultant, Victoria Horsford is reachable at Victoria. horsford@gmail.com.

National NAACP Slams Conservative Senators

ver the last six months, conservative senators have shown Americans exactly who they are: a party that is no longer interested in serving the needs of the people they were elected to represent. This next step in the vote to rob Americans of important lifesaving legislation will put the lives and health of 20 to 30 million people at risk. Our lawmakers have opened a debate on a mystery health bill that hasn’t been finalized or fully analyzed. They are trying to sneak this law past us…it seems almost criminal,” said Leon Russell, chairman of the NAACP. “The NAACP will not sit idly by while some of our senators try and rip away health care from millions of families. We must stand together with one voice and keep our lawmakers accountable. The fact remains that the Affordable Care Act provides a system that’s clearly

working for many households, Republican and Democrat alike.”

“Affordable health care is a civil right that must be protected by any means necessary.

Our leaders in the Senate are debating how to effectively sign death warrants on millions of our fellow Americans. Our health care system is at risk of being hijacked and turned into a ‘wealth care’ system for the rich—pushing the most vulnerable among us—children, the elderly, the disenfranchised – to the margins of our society, unable to afford lifesaving treatment while padding the pockets of the most wealthy. This is not the America I know—we can and must do better. The NAACP will not agonize over the heartlessness being shown now by some of our leaders; instead, we will organize like never before—because our lives quite literally depend on it,” said Derrick Johnson, interim president and CEO of the NAACP.

VOL. 21 NO. 29

Thinker's Notebook ■■

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OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

By Marlon Rice

ustin Hackley was a kid from my neighborhood. I’ve known his mother Marie since I was a teenager, grew up right across the street from her family.

He was 20 years old, a young man home on summer break from college, preparing for his senior year at Delaware State University. On a summer night in Flatbush, Justin was gunned down, murdered because he was standing with a friend who was arguing with another man about a girl. Justin wasn’t a gangster or a street guy. He wasn’t a hustler or malicious or someone who had a criminal record. He was a good kid who found himself confronted by the evils of society and unfortunately his life was taken from us.

Chynna Battle worked as a hostess and server at Applebee’s on Fulton Street.

She was a caring and considerate person, and those attributes made her great at her job. She gave birth to her daughter Amelia while still in high school, but she persevered and graduated. She had plans to enlist into the Navy. On a summer night in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Chynna was shot and killed while she was enjoying the night in the courtyard of the Stuyvesant Gardens housing complex on Gates Avenue. She was 21 years old. She was not the intended target of the shooting, but that matters not.

Another woman also died that night in that courtyard. Shaqwanda Staley was 29. Her nickname was “Q” and she was also a devoted mother. Q wasn’t the intended target either, but again, that doesn’t matter.

Summer shouldn’t be so dark

Growing up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, I can remember that as summers approached people would make mention of the increase in violence, inferring that somehow the summer heat played a role in the uptick of murders. It’s urban legend; when the summer heat envelops the hood, tempers flare, tolerance dissipates and people die. I can remember reaching the beginning of the summer season and hearing about someone being killed and automatically attributing that death to the season. I can bring up a handful of friends that were killed during the summer, friends like Curtis from 1304 Pacific Street. We called him “Smirk”. He was an older kid on my block with a bright smile who was murdered in the late 80’s.

Or Dominique Sylvester, who was a friend and high school classmate of mine, another genuinely good person with an amazing spirit who was murdered right before our Senior Prom. Or Damon Allen, who I went to elementary school with. He was killed on Labor Day Weekend 11 years ago, actually shielding others from the danger of gunfire.

Every one of them were good people, and every one of them taken from us during the summer.

But it isn’t the summer that’s killing us.

This week, yet another name was added to the list of good people gunned down.

Zanu Simpson was a master barber. He cut the hair of celebrities like Future and Mobb Deep, and he cut the hair of the children in his community in Queens. Though I didn’t know him personally, a few of my friends were friends of his and only speak in the highest regard about his character.

He and his brother were owners of Strictly Skillz barbershop in Hollis, Queens. Late Monday night, after leaving a restaurant, Zanu was murdered while sitting in his SUV. Another summer night, another good person murdered.

Our communities are in a depressed state. For all of the strength and the beauty found in our neighborhoods, there is still this air of chaos and confusion, you can see it especially in the eyes of our youth.

Hip-Hop normalizes gangsterism. The media normalizes Black criminality. And the impressionable minds of our young become corrupted with images and ideas that only serve to detach them from the stark realities of living a life where violence and disrespect for yourselves and for others is acceptable behavior. Killing a person in real life becomes as easy as killing a person on the Grand Theft Auto video game. There is no divine value for the lives of others because there is no divine value for their own lives. At every turn, young people of color are marginalized and reminded that they are less than. Trayvon Martin’s killer is free.

Michael Brown’s killer is free. Tamir Rice’s killer is free, so when they see a friend die and that friend’s killer isn’t caught and convicted of the murder, it makes perfect sense. If the killers of young Black boys and girls never get punished, does that mean that young Black boys and girls are okay to kill?

Society isn’t going to inspire and reinforce peace and positivity in our children.

The media won’t do it. Movies won’t do it. Hip-Hop won’t do it. Video games will not do it. This practice can only start and

be maintained from one place--the home.

As parents, your sole responsibility is to be an able and willing steward to your child, guiding them through life, reinforcing a positive and loving foundation for their lives, so that as they leave the home and go into our neighborhoods they do so with a loving and peaceful disposition. If you are a parent, then that is YOUR job. It is the most important job to have in our communities right now, in this time, at this moment.

We need to exhibit love for one another.

We need to be considerate and respectful of each other. We need to be able to disagree with each other without having to become violent or murderous to prove a point.

Quite simply, we need to love one another.

This way of thinking doesn’t come out of watching “Love and Hip-Hop”, or playing “Call of Duty”. You won’t get it from Hot 97 or from HBO. Love of community, love of nation, love of self starts in the home. It starts with a parent teaching a child right and wrong. It continues when that parent continues to maintain a greater influence over that child than any video game or rap song could. And it plays out when that child is a young adult and chooses to do the right things because they remember the teachings of their parents. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. That verse is from the book of Proverbs in the Bible, but the truth behind it is universally recognized, regardless of faith or creed.

We need parents in our communities right now, and we cannot afford to take another summer off.

Trump could wreak havoc by abusing the presidential pardon Administration officials and Trump family could all walk free

■■

S

By Cody Cain salon.com

o how is President Donald Trump spending his time these days on behalf of the American people? It turns out that he is huddling with his high-priced lawyers to devise strategies for deploying his presidential pardon power to thwart the Russia investigation.

When the Founding Fathers created the Constitution, they worried about whether to grant the president the power of the pardon.

After all, the power to pardon is very broad. The president can pardon anyone at any time for any acts, or without even specifying any acts. There need not even be a conviction, indictment or any charge at all.

A notorious example is that after President Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace in August 1974 (in the face of near-certain impeachment), the following month President Gerald Ford, his successor, granted Nixon an unconditional pardon for any crimes he had “committed or may have committed” while in office. That is a sweeping exoneration.

Pardons do have some limitations. One is that pardons apply only to past acts, and cannot be used to immunize future acts.

Another is that they apply only to federal crimes and do not absolve state crimes.

And a pardon cannot be used to stop an impeachment. But still, the pardon is extremely powerful.

The Founding Fathers were concerned that at some point in the nation’s future a scoundrel devoid of all honor and integrity just might manage to dupe the voters and become president. Those Founding Fathers sure had insight. They worried that a corrupt president could abuse the pardon by permitting his associates or family members to conduct criminal activity. If they were ever caught, then the president would simply step in and pardon them all.

If abused, the power to pardon could be turned into a license to commit crimes with impunity. The president’s cronies would enjoy a status of being above the law.

Just think of the havoc Trump could wreak by abusing his power to pardon.

Trump could promise his cronies that if they stand by him, he will issue them full pardons. He could hand out these pardons like candy, including to his son, Donald Trump Jr., his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as well as to his associates, including Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Carter Page and whomever else.

His cronies would then have absolutely nothing to worry about in the Russia investigation. FBI be damned. If they lied in the past, no problem. They could continue right on lying as well. They would have no compunction about committing perjury because they know they would be pardoned for that too. Lying to the FBI? No problem.

Lying to Congress? Piece of cake.

This would significantly undermine the ability of the FBI to uncover the truth.

Typically, the FBI seeks to “flip” witnesses by threatening them with prosecution for their involvement in a crime while offering them immunity if they testify against the big fish. But Trump’s cronies would have no such fear of being prosecuted, and thus would be highly unlikely to testify against Trump. In fact, just the opposite. They would have every incentive to hold the line and protect Trump, even if it involved lying, in order to receive their pardons.

No wonder Donald Trump Jr. was so brash in telling lie after lie about his meeting with Russian representatives last June. He holds a get-out-of-jail card. After all, would Trump ever allow his own son to go to jail? Or would Trump simply pardon him, regardless of the crime?

The implications of this for the future are chilling. Trump’s two sons, Donald

Jr. and Eric, are running Trump’s global business. What would prevent them from engaging in illegal activities going forward? Might they accept bribes or enter into sweetheart deals in foreign countries such as Russia and China that routinely bribe royal family members in other countries? As it happens, the sister of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was recently in China drumming up investors for real estate projects being developed by the Kushner family business.

Engaging in illegal activity is simply not a concern for anyone who has a presidential pardon in their back pocket.

It becomes clear that handing the powers of the presidency over to a scoundrel like Trump is a dangerous proposition.

Even though the Founding Fathers knew that a corrupt president could abuse the power to pardon, they went ahead and granted this power in the Constitution anyway.

In their discussions during the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the Founding Fathers reasoned that the check on the president’s power to pardon is the remedy of impeachment. They presumed that if a president were to pardon his cronies in a self-evidently corrupt fashion, Congress would be so outraged that it would remove the president from office through impeachment.

While this remedy is indeed meaningful, it is not foolproof.

What if, as is suspected with Trump, the crime involved the candidate colluding with outsiders to influence the outcome of a presidential election? A significant loophole seems to exist because the criminal would actually assume office and serve as president until the crime could be fully established. While in office, the illegitimate president could do significant damage and impose lasting effects upon the nation, such

as by appointing a justice to the Supreme Court or making significant concessions to a foreign adversary.

Report Advertisement Also, Trump’s party currently controls Congress, and its leaders might well decline to pursue impeachment proceedings against Trump, no matter how many people he pardons, in order to avoid enraging his base and damaging their political prospects.

Furthermore, investigating a crime can take a long time, possibly even the entire presidential term. By the time an investigation establishes that a crime had been committed, the damage might well have been done. The perpetrators in the White House might already have completed their crimes, and then could simply walk away scot-free with pardons.

After the fiasco of an investigation, pardons and impeachment, the matter remains of what would happen to the president.

Once out of office, a president can be prosecuted for crimes committed while in office.

Unless …

Could the president pardon himself before leaving office?

This is quite a question. The courts have never addressed it so we do not know the answer for sure.

Some say that the president could pardon himself because the Constitution does not specify that he cannot. Others say he cannot, because such blatant self-dealing would be an absurd interpretation of the Constitution. If such a bizarre power had been intended, then the Constitution would have expressed it in clear terms, which it does not.

The nation has never before had a president so devoid of integrity that he was willing to attempt, or even contemplate, the disgraceful act of pardoning himself.

Donald Trump just might be that man.

6

OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

VOL. 21 NO. 29

WE ARE INSPO: Reintroducing Collective Work and Responsibility to a New Generation ■■

By Marlon Rice

A

Mechanical Engineer, a Fashion Designer and a Comedian walk into an event space.

That isn’t the start of some campy joke; instead, it just may be the start of a new model of entrepreneurship.

On Saturday, July 22nd We Are Inspo presented the Inspo Expo at Sanders Studio NYC in Clinton Hill. Over 250 guests came to experience an amalgam of creative expression. Patrons got to experience the latest 3-D printing technology and a fashion show introducing a new clothing line. There was an interactive photo booth, a full-art installation and a comedian, all while a publicist was broadcasting live on her own podcast. A graphic artist showcased his T-shirt and hat collection, and a local musician premiered his new tracks, all while the Inspo Profile Video introduced the crowd to the people who moved this idea into action. And while the execution and the intentional variety of this event might lead one to assume that the organizers were all seasoned veterans of their particular industries, that assumption would be completely wrong. Not only are they not industry vets, but not one of them are even older than 22.

Keith Taylor is a 21-year-old from Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He is a junior at Drexel University in Philadelphia, majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Product Design. He is also the founder of We Are Inspo. Inspo is short

Keith Taylor, Founder We Are Inspo for Inspiration. We Are Inspo is a collective. Keith explains the idea: “I find that my inspiration comes from being around like-minded individuals, people who are traveling on similar paths. We Are Inspo is a collective of friends that support one another’s individual endeavors and entrepreneurial ideas.”

Every member of We Are Inspo is either a recent college graduate or will be in the next year. Sade Lewis and Shaniya Charles are co-founders of the fashion line Sade/ Shaniya. Jai Bailey is an illustrator, visual artist and the founder of a brand called Difi, which is short for Disfictional Art. Kaleb Stewart is a comedian and screenwriter. Shenell Renwick is a publicist and the host of her own podcast, titled “Rookie Season”. Together, they launched We Are

Inspo to collectively support each other’s budding brands. In this age of social media, kids Keith’s age have 10,000 IG followers just for posting duck-faced selfies all day.

As Keith put it, “We Are Inspo provides a platform for our work collectively, using our combined influence to breathe life into our individual ideas”. He explained that he got the idea for the collective over a year ago, but spending a semester in Hong Kong motivated him to speak the idea into existence. “It was something I was thinking about for a while. I had ideas about it last year, but it wasn’t until I came back from abroad that I felt really inspired to do it. So I invited my friends over to the house. We talked and people understood what I was thinking and we made it happen.”

The group worked together on every aspect of the launch of the Inspo Expo. From marketing and promotion, to event logistics and securing a venue, every person played a role in making the launch a success. They used Facebook and Instagram for the bulk of their promotions, and Shenell utilized her skills as a publicist to create brand relationships. They captured the attention of their audience in the exact place that

their audience goes for information. And the outcome was amazing. 250 RSVP’s the first time out for a group that has never done an event before, individually or collectively. That accomplishment speaks not just to their work, but also to a generation that sees entrepreneurship and ownership not just as a dream or a wish, but as a natural extension of the education process.

Millennials are the largest generation in Western history. They are becoming the most educated generation in Western history. And they are civic-oriented global citizens. We Are Inspo is a prime example of Millennials taking the idea of business development into their own hands. The idea of collective work and responsibility isn’t a new concept, but Keith hopes to explore the potential and the possibilities of working in tandem without the limits of industry or occupation. The collective will continue to produce Inspo Expos, and there will be no limits on participation. All ages and industries are welcome to be a part of the connectivity he hopes to build. For Keith and the members of We Are Inspo, the sky is not the limit, it’s just another step in the right direction.

VOL. 21 NO. 29

7

OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

Education Last week, BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life), reportedly the largest evidence-based summer learning provider in the U.S., received a 10-year $30 million grant from The Ballmer Group. Founded by former Microsoft CEO and Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie, The Ballmer Group supports organizations and initiatives aimed at improving economic mobility for children and families in the U.S. We asked educator Earline Mensah of the Adelaide Sanford Institute’s (ASI) Parent Leadership Institute to share thoughts on this announcement and comment on how local communities can attract funding and resources. Her answer is below.

Dr. Lester Young, Jr. and Dr. Renee Young Education Rights Advocates ■■

L

By Earline Mensah

ooking at the Board of Directors for BELL, it is quite apparent that these individuals have networks with economic and hence political clout.

If we are to change the narrative and attract partners with the before-mentioned, it is imperative that we work with others in our community that have shown tenacity and a track record of academic success that translates to success for “the whole community” -- a reason I am truly thankful to the leadership of the Adelaide Sanford Institute.

An elder in our community who has since passed on would often articulate that we have everything we need in our community - like the Institute -- to change the

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Who Tolls the Bell: In Search of Education Resources

dire circumstances which are so glaring and prevalent in many of our neighborhoods. We have countless individuals, who understand the concept that it “takes a village”.

It takes courage and fortitude to prevail.

These are traits that our unsung heroes and heroines display day in and out, and are rarely acknowledged for. If we are to change the condition of “our collective community”, we have to be willing to persevere in the face of adversity and work with others who are principled and are doing the work to elicit real change.

To reach our goals of creating a community where our progeny will persevere and be able to sustain themselves mentally and physically, we must be willing to “work” with others that have demonstrated “true leadership”. If we want equity in education,

Integration Head Start

Adelaide Sanford

housing, employment and, in essence, life, we must continue to engage and build sustainable relationships with others who desire the same.

The popular educators Dr. Lester Young and his gracious wife Dr. Renee Young are constantly reaching out and sharing valuable information that profoundly impacts the lives of so many of “our children”, and of course I cannot honor their work without acknowledging the profound wisdom of

Photo Bernice Green

Dr. Adelaide Sanford, a true pioneer in the academic community of New York City.

We must understand the principle “that charity begins at home and spreads abroad” - a principle that speaks volumes about our collective circumstances.

Mensah is researching information about “BELL”, especially schools in NYC that have partnered with this organization, and will report her findings in a future edition of Our Time Press. [eamensahnyc@aol.com]

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8

OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

Uncle Drew wants Orange and Blue?

■■

By Eddie Castro

W

ith free agency pretty much over, there was a huge story coming out of the NBA and it involved arguably the best point guard in the NBA in Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving. Midlast week, there was a report that confirmed that Irving, 25, has requested a trade from the Cavaliers. There has also been sources that Irving has a few preferred destinations he would like to play for with the New York Knicks reportedly atop of his list. Many of

the sources indicated that the All-Star point guard and former NBA champion does not have a desire on playing alongside LeBron James. I get it. It sort of makes sense. He’s got the ring, he’s got the big contract and he is now in a point of his career where he is in his prime and wants to be the guy on a team that will build around him.

Which brings me to the New York Knicks.

Nowadays, you hear that and some people can’t help but simply shake their heads. Hopefully, this franchise, which has been a laughingstock for many years, will be a team to reckon with if, and I mean IF, they are able to land Irving in a trade. This also brings many speculations on whether the Knicks landing Irving somehow would intrigue Carmelo Anthony to stay with the team. As I reported in my article last week,

Anthony has 2 years and $54 million left in his contract with the Knickerbockers and reportedly has “no interest” in playing for the Knicks anymore. We all know it has been quite a nightmare year for the franchise and they are hoping to “strike gold” in a deal that will land them a franchise-caliber player.

The question is, if the Knicks are in play to acquire Kyrie Irving (aka Uncle Drew), what move does new Knick General Manager Scott Perry make to get it done? The team is still willing to trade Melo and maybe a firstround draft pick or 2 and hopefully Cleveland will bite at a scenario like that. It may very well take a third team to jump in this to make a trade to the Knicks or any trade of Irving if that happens. Let’s say, and this is not for my fellow Our Time Press readers to get too

VOL. 21 NO. 29 happy on the high horse, but let’s just say Irving comes to the Knicks via trade, Anthony and a few draft picks go to Cleveland, are the Knicks now known as a solidified playoff team in the Eastern Conference with a “Big 3” of Irving, Porzingis and Tim Hardaway, Jr.? We do know this story is far from over and it will be very interesting what twists and turns come with this story as it escalates through the summer. Stay tuned!

Sports Notes: (Basketball) In what has been a busy off-season for the Brooklyn Nets, the team acquired former Portland Trailblazer Allen Crabbe to go along with the off-season moves that consists of D’Angelo Russell, DeMarre Carroll and Timofey Mozgov.

(Baseball) Baseball’s trade deadline is in 4 days. What will the Yankees and Mets do to improve their ball clubs as they make one big push towards the postseason

President Trump Slams former President Obama; Praises Segregationist During Speech to Boy Scouts REUTERS ■■ By Kaitlyn D’Onofrio / www. diversityinc.com

A

politically charged speech from President Donald Trump at the Boy Scouts of America’s National Jamboree included attacks on former President Barack Obama as well as a nod to a businessman who promoted segregation.

The president’s words drew a firestorm of national attention — and prompted a response from the organization itself.

In a release titled “BSA Perspective on Presidential Visits to the National Jamboree,” the Boy Scouts of America describes itself as “wholly nonpartisan,” adding that it “does not promote any one political position, candidate or philosophy.”

“The invitation for the sitting U.S. President to visit the National Jamboree is a long-standing tradition dating back to President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937,” the statement continues. “Since then, an invitation to speak has been extended to every U.S. President that has had a Scout Jamboree occur during his term.” Toward the beginning of his remarks Trump said, “I said, who the hell wants to speak about politics when I’m in front of the Boy Scouts?”

However, he quickly broke tradition and took the time as an opportunity to spread his political agenda — as well as praise a man with a legacy deeply rooted in racism.

Trump told a story about William Levitt, a builder who provided “cookie cutter” homes

during the baby boomer and post World War II eras to Americans at affordable prices. Such areas became referred to as “Levittowns,” and the first successful one was located in Long Island. Levitt’s homes were particularly appealing to returning veterans and their families who were seeking affordable housing.

Trump recalled meeting Levitt at a party that was attended by “the hottest people in New York,” in the president’s words.

Trying to tie the meeting to some career advice for the young boys, Trump said that Levitt told him, “Donald, I lost my momentum.”

“He lost his momentum, meaning he took this period of time off long, years, and then when he got back, he didn’t have the same momentum,” Trump said. “In life, I always tell this to people. You have to know whether or not you continue to have the momentum.

And if you don’t have it, that’s okay.”

But Levitt’s “momentum” had a questionable history, as he refused to sell homes to minorities. “[Levitt] really built decent housing for a lot of people who otherwise could not have been homeowners,” Herbert J. Gans, a retired Columbia University sociologist, told NJ.com in a 2008 interview. 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of Levitt’s construction in Willingboro, N.J., where Gans was one of the earlier people to purchase one of Levitt’s homes. “He was very good at affordable housing.”

But according to Gans, who wrote a book about suburban life in a Levittown home,

“The bad thing was that it was lily white.”

Eugene Burnett, a military veteran who waited in line to buy one of Levitt’s homes, was turned away because he is Black.

“The anniversary leaves me cold,” Burnett told the New York Times in 1997, the 50-year anniversary of the first Levittown that was built in Long Island.

“It’s symbolic of segregation in America,” he said. “That’s the legacy of Levittown.”

In addition to promoting the legacy of a segregationist during his speech, Trump also made time to criticize his predecessor.

“By the way, just a question, did President Obama ever come to a Jamboree?” Trump asked the crowd.

“The answer is no,” he added.

Obama did not attend a National Jamboree during his presidency. He did, however, record a video message for the 2010 gathering, which was also the year of the Boy Scouts’ centennial celebration.

His message, starkly different from that of the current president, said, in part: “You know, for a century, scouts just like you have served your communities and your nation in ways both large and small. During World War II, scouts played a vital role in supporting the war effort at home by running messages and selling war bonds. Some of our nation’s greatest heroes have worn the scout uniform, including 11 of the 12 men who have walked on the moon. And today, scouts across the country continue the tradition of collecting food for those in need, improving our neighborhoods, and reaching out to those less fortunate.” And,

according to The Voice of Scouting, “Barack Obama was not a part of the Boy Scouts of America; rather, he was a member of Gerakan Pramuka, the Indonesian Scout Association, and was the equivalent of a Cub Scout.”

“President Donald J. Trump was never involved in the Boy Scouts as a youth,” the organization adds, noting that his first involvement with the organization was in fact at the jamboree.

Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show” who also spoke at Diversity Inc’s Top 50 event in May, spoke about the speech the day after on his show.

After calling Trump “America’s most powerful adolescent,” Noah said: “Most presidents have used their jamboree speech to put politics aside and talk to the children about civics and serving the community. But as we keep learning over and over again, Donald Trump is not most presidents.”

Noah said Trump resembled “a drunk stepdad” more than a president.

“But Trump did have an actual message for the Boy Scouts,” he said. “And needless to say, it was completely inappropriate for the Boy Scouts.”

Referring to Trump’s tale about partying on a yacht with Levitt, Noah questioned, “Did this guy just regale 40,000 pre-teen boys with the tale of an old real estate mogul having yacht sex? Is that what he did?”

People who participated in the Scouts as boys, some of whom went on to take on leadership roles, took to social media to express their disdain for the president’s remarks.

A.G. Schneiderman Leads Lawsuit Against Trump EPA

For Blocking Vital Rule to Protect NY Communities and First Responders From Chemical Accidents

N

EW YORK – New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, leading a coalition of 11 state Attorneys General, today filed a lawsuit against the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for illegally delaying a vital rule meant to protect communities, workers and first responders from dangerous chemical accidents. The rule – the Accidental Release Prevention Requirements or the “Chemical Accident Safety Rule” – makes critical improvements to congressionally mandated protections against explosions, fires, poisonous gas releases and other accidents at more than 12,000 facilities across the country— including over 200 in New York—that store and use toxic chemicals.

The lawsuit is led by Attorney General Schneiderman and signed by the Attorneys General of New York, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico,

Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Click here to read the lawsuit.

“Protecting our workers, first responders and communities from chemical accidents should be something on which we all agree.

Yet, the Trump EPA continues to put special interests before the health and safety of the people they serve,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “It’s simply outrageous to block these common sense protections – and Attorneys General will keep fighting back when our communities are put at risk.”

The coalition of Attorneys General is challenging EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s recent delay of the rule by an additional 20 months as exceeding EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act, and as arbitrary and capricious.

According to the EPA, in the last ten years, there have been over 1,5oo accidents at chemical plants, including 30 in New York.

Nationally, these accidents caused 58 deaths; 17,099 people to be injured or seek medical treatment; almost 500,000 people to be evacuated or sheltered-in-place; and over $2 billion in property damage. High-profile incidents included those at BP Refinery in Texas in 2005 (15 people killed, 170 injured), Chevron Refinery in California in 2012 (19 workers endangered, 15,000 people sought medical treatment), Tesoro Refinery in Washington in 2010 (seven people killed), West Fertilizer Facility in Texas in 2013 (15 people killed) and Williams Olefins Plant in Louisiana in 2013 (two workers killed, many more injured).

The number and severity of accidents over the last decade make clear the need to update the safety and security of the nation’s chemical facilities. On January 13, 2017, the Obama Administration finalized the Chemical Accident Safety Rule to update “Risk Management Plan” regulations mandated by

Congress in 1990 amendments to the federal Clean Air Act. The amended rules would necessitate additional safeguards in accident prevention programs to protect communities and prevent future accidents – requiring “root cause” analyses and third-party audits following accidents, as well as analyses of safer technology and alternatives; emergency response procedures, mandating annual coordination with local first responders, annual notification drills and periodic field exercises; and increased public access to facility chemical hazard information, in addition to public meetings within 90 days of an incident. In fact, despite Administrator Pruitt’s delay of the rule, the Trump EPA published a June 2017 fact sheet explaining how these improvements “will help protect local first responders, community members and employees from death or injury due to the chemical facility accidents”.

VOL. 21 NO. 29

9

OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

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OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

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VOL. 21 NO. 29

NEW BUSINESS FORMATIONS CAD4DENT, LLC, Art. Of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 07/14/2017. Office in kings Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to CAD4DENT, LLC 6813 21ST AVE APT 6F, BROOKLYN, NY 11204 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

HUSH HOUSE LLC Art. Of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 04/28/2017. Office in kings Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to HUSH HOUSE LLC United States Agents, 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202 Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose WELL NETWORK SOLUTIONS MSO LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/12/17. Amended to NETWORK SOLUTIONS MSO, LLC on 05/24/17. Office: Kings County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Inessa Sable, 3165 Emmons Avenue, Suite C2-C3, Brooklyn, NY 11235

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

563 Grand Street, LLC, Art. Of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 02/01/2017. Office in QUEENS Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 563 Grand Street, BROOKLYN, NY 11211 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of JL & MT Realty LLC. Arts of Org. filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 6/5/17. Office location: Kings County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 187 Wolf Rd, Ste 101, Albany, NY 12205. The name and address of the Reg. Agent is Business Filings Incorporated, 187 Wolf Rd, Ste 101, Albany, NY 12205. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of EASTERN OBESITY ASSOCIATES, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 06/15/17. Office location: Kings County. Princ. office of LLC: 1162 Eastern Pkwy., Brooklyn, NY 11213. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SAMARKAND SERVICE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/04/2017. Office location: Kings County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 1656 E19TH APT 1G, Brooklyn, NY 11229 .

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

LEGAL NOTICES N OT I C E OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS, CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff, vs. FRED ERANI A/K/A FREDDY ERANI; VICKI ERANI A/K/A VICKI M. ERANI, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly filed on July 06, 2017, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY on September 14, 2017 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 1983 East 23rd Street, Brooklyn, NY. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, Block 7302 and Lot 54. Approximate amount of judgment is $535,725.64 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 502673/2013.

Marc Dittenhoefer, Esq., Referee Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Ste. 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff N OT I C E OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF KINGS DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE REGISTERED HOLDERS OF MORGAN STANLEY ABS CAPITAL I INC. TRUST 2007-HE6 MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007HE6, Plaintiff(s), Against Index No.: 4882/2008 BRIDGETTE STEWART, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered in the Kings County Clerk’s Office on 2/15/2016, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction in Room 224 of Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York

11201 on 8/17/2017 at 2:30 pm, premises known as 2276A Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11233, and described as follows: ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, and designated on the tax maps of the Kings County Treasurer as Block 1435 and Lot 17. The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $1,061,837.53 plus interest and costs. The premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 4882/2008. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney. Eric Adam Goldberg, Esq., Referee. Leopold & Associates, PLLC, 80 Business Park Drive, Suite 110, Armonk, NY 10504 Dated: 6/29/2017 GNS N OT I C E OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS MTGLQ Investors, Plaintiff AGAINST Jason Dupree; Makida Tomlinson a/k/a Makida S. Tomlinson; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated March 4, 2016 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, NY 11201 on August 3, 2017 at 2:30PM, premises known as 592 Powell Street, Brooklyn, NY 11212. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of NY, Block: 3847 Lot: 140. Approximate amount of judgment $358,898.41 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject

to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 10075/2013. Calvin J. Simons, Jr., Esq., Referee Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 759-1835 Dated: June 8, 2017 46582 N OT I C E OF SALE PUBLIC AUCTION Supreme Court of New York, Kings County. SRMOF II 2012-1 TRUST, U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE, Plaintiff, -againstCLEO CHARLES-PHILLIPS; ROBERT PHILLIPS; CITY OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF T R A N S P O RTAT I O N PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; CITY OF NEW YORK TRANSIT AUTHORITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION & FINANCE; SOPHIA JOHNSON, Index No. 2713/2013.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated, February 21, 2017 and entered with the Kings County Clerk on April 6, 2017, Gregory Laspina, Esq., the Appointed Referee, will sell the premises known as 553 Lenox Road, Brooklyn, New York 11203 at public auction at Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, New York 11201, on June 15, 2017 at 2:30 P.M. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings and State of New York known as Block: 4845; Lot: 28 will be sold subject to the provisions of filed Judgment, Index No. 2713/2013. The approximate amount of judgment is $1,047,226.32 plus interest and costs. FRIEDMAN VARTOLO, LLP 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff.

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OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

Acting D.A. Eric Gonzalez Receives Endorsements From Rev. A. R. Bernard and Social Justice Leader Bertha Lewis

n Sunday, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez received the endorsement of the Rev. A.R. Bernard, pastor of the Christian Cultural Center and social justice leader Bertha Lewis, founder of the Black Institute and founding co-chair of the influential Working Families Party.

“I am supporting Eric for District Attorney because he knows that we can keep our communities safe, all while protecting civil rights and promoting social justice,” said Rev. Bernard. “We need someone with his record of experience and commitment of reform to continue to move Brooklyn forward.”

Said Lewis, an early supporter for Ken Thompson in 2013, “Eric is Brooklyn through and through. He has devoted his life to keeping Brooklyn safe while reforming the criminal justice system and ensuring equal justice for every Brooklynite. He deserves the next four years to continue this important work”.

Eric Gonzalez, a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, was raised by a single mother for most of his youth, living first in Williamsburg. During the 1980’s, his family moved to East New York during the height of the city’s crack epidemic. Gonzalez is a graduate of John Dewey High School in Coney Island, Cornell University and the

University of Michigan Law School where he was president of the Latino Law Student Association. He is married to his wife Dagmar and they have three sons. Gonzalez also holds the political and labor endorsements of the following:

Unions Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1199, Mason Tenders, United Federation of Teachers (UFT), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 32BJ, Transit Workers Union (TWU); Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU); United Court Officers Association (UCOA), Council of Supervisors and Administrators (CSA); NYC District Council of Carpenters, Sheet Metal Workers Local 28, Metallic Lathers and Reinforcing Iron Workers, DC9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades

Elected Officials Public Advocate Letitia James, Comptroller Scott Stringer; Assembly members Pamela Harris, William Colton, Robert Carroll, Rodneyse Bichotte, Tremaine Wright and Latrice Walker; Council members Brad Lander and Mark Treyger

Democratic Clubs

District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and family with Bertha Lewis, left and Rev. A. R. Bernard, right.

Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, Lambda Independent Democrats, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Muslim Democratic Club of New York, Vanguard Independent Democratic Association, Stars and Stripes Democratic Club, Progressive Democrats Political Association, Bay Dems, United Progressive Democratic Club, Shore Front Democratic Club, Thomas Jefferson

Sanders and Jackson ➔➔ Continued from page 2

in Washington. However, they failed to mention that they’d already turned over Today (Wednesday), Kobach (and the their files, including those Social Security nominal Commission Chairman, Vice numbers, to Kobach’s office in Kansas.

In all, 28 states, almost all GOPPresident Mike Pence) will hold the first meeting of what Trump calls his “Voter controlled, turned over a total of 98,263,382 voter files to Kobach. And that’s far more Fraud Commission”.

Weirdly, Kobach will have a formal dangerous than sending voter files to swearing-in ceremony—for a commis- DC. The files sent to Kansas churned sion without any congressional authority. through Kobach’s “Crosscheck” computer Authorized or not, this commission can program—which spit out the names of create big trouble for the remnants of our 7.2 million “potential double-registered” voters who, Kobach claims, could vote in democracy.

They Gave Kobach their Files – then two states in a single election. And for this “potential” crime, hundreds of thousands Lied About It. Last week, there was a big brouhaha over will lose their right to vote.

Kobach asking every state to turn over their While the Palaste team, working for voter files, including the last four digits of Al-Jazeera and Rolling Stone, obtained the citizens’ Social Security numbers. confidential lists of millions of names on the In response to a public outcry, one GOP “Crosscheck” suspect list, this document Secretary of State after another loudly pro- was hidden in plain sight… right there on claimed they would not turn over their voter the Web site of the Kansas Secretary of rolls to Kobach and his Commission.

State!

They lied.

No wonder the US media missed it.

It’s absolutely true that the GOP offiBut, as the journalist Yogi Berra once cials of Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi said, “It’s amazing what you can see if you did not hand over their files to Kobach look”.

A

Democratic Club, 41st AD Democrats Club, 57th AD Democratic Organization.

Organizations Working Families Party, New York Immigrant Action Fund (the 501c4 arm of the NY Immigration Coalition) (Photo credits: Kevin Pratt for Eric Gonzalez for District Attorney)

Cumbo Endorsed by Public Advocate James, Council Speaker Mark-Viverito and Borough President Adams

t the Ingersoll Community Center’s Garden of Eden earlier this month, Laurie Cumbo was endorsed by her predecessor in the 35th District and current New York City Public Advocate “Tish” James, Speaker of the New York City Council Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council member Vanessa Gibson, the presidents of four tenant associations in the district and women leaders from all across the city.

This week, Borough President Eric Adams added his endorsement saying, “I am proud to announce my endorsement of Council member Laurie Cumbo’s reelection.

Laurie and I are working together to reduce gun violence, stop the Bedford-Union Armory development project and improve our parks and schools”. “No one is fighting harder for her community than Laurie, and

I look forward to working with her for another four years.” “It has been an honor to work with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams over the last three years on issues that matter most to the 35th District. We’ve fought side-by-side for victories on issues ranging from low-income housing and public safety to capital improvements in our schools and domestic violence prevention,” said Council member Laurie Cumbo. “Most recently, we worked together to deliver a major victory for the community to create over 600 units of rent-regulated affordable housing at the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital housing complex, which prevented the displacement of hundreds of Brooklynites. Eric is a tower in our community and I look forward to building on our accomplishments together over the next four years.”

Primary day is September 12, 2017.

Masaai Travel Ban

➔➔ Continued from page 2

to 2016 by the New York Times from the U.S. State Department records, the information showed that Somalia, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania, all African countries, had a visa denial rate of more than 60 percent.

“I am trying to create a world-class cultural arts organization for the community in Bedford Stuyvesant. I’ve asked for support from Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and senators Charles Schumer and Kristin Gellibrand in the hope their offices can assist us.”

Vira says she does not expect to find the same defeatist attitude that the former Borough President Marty Markowitz displayed during a meeting he had with Vira while his staff was present back in 2013.

Vira recalled him saying that she wasting

her time trying to create an African art museum.

“He said I was wasting my time trying to create an African art museum in Bedford Stuyvesant. He told me didn’t I realize that the demographics were changing in Bedford Stuyvesant,” she said. “Of course, I was very insulted because he was saying the area being gentrified and an African art museum would not be feasible.”

“I was very diplomatic. I explained to Marty that I had traveled all over Europe and that some of the most incredible African art collections were in European museums,” she said. The entire world loves African and they will be visiting Brooklyn to enjoy BSMAA’s exhibits.”

“All I can hope for now is that BSMAA will be successful obtaining visas for the dance troupe,” she said. “Please wish me luck.”

Councilmember Laurie Cumbo, center with supporters Public Advocate Letitia James, (left) and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, (right), among others.

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OUR TIME PRESS July 27 – August 2, 2017

VOL. 21 NO. 29

Music Festival Schedule of Events

Wednesday August Biggie Smalls Day FREE

11am Naming of section of Crispus Attucks Park after Biggie Smalls 1030 Fulton St. 6pm at Bedford Hall official start of the music festival with DJ Mr. Cee spinning the Biggie Small Hits and 90’s Hip Hop with Barry Cooper Hosting Also Biggie Smalls lookalike contest and karaoke 1177 Bedford Hall

Thursday August 3rd Caribbean Night FREE 6pm at Bedford Hall Mass Camp in effect with DJ Marv of WBLS spinning the reggae and soca hits with Cyriac St. Vil Hosting 1177 Bedford Ave.

Friday August 4th Comedy and R&B night FREE

6pm in Von King Park comedy and music brought to you by Digi Music entertainment and Laughaholics Comedy Club with Super host Ray Dejon

Saturday August 5th

Main Music Festival Day Free WordSpit concert 2:00pm to 4:30pm in Herbert Von King Park Amphitheater 670 Lafayette Ave. Free Jim Jones concert 5:00pm to 6pm Herbert Von King Park Amphitheater 670 Lafayette Ave. $40 Eric Benet concert 9:00PM to 10:00pm Christ Fellowship Church 7 Sumpter St. off Fulton St. $20 After Party with DJ Self 11pm to 4AM Bedford Hall 1177 Bedford Ave.

For more info and tickets check out www.500Menmakingadifference.com or call Wayne @ 917-297-2365