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SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
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WOMEN UNITED—Women of all ages, faiths, and from all over the region held hands and prayed before the walk began. (Photo by J.L. Martello)
Women’s Walk for Peace seeks to end violence by Samson X Horne For New Pittsburgh Courier
The Northside Coalition for Fair Housing conducted its annual Women’s Walk for Peace on Sept. 26. This is the eighth year of the walk, which has traditionally been geared to community awareness in parenting, domestic violence and violence within the community. NCFH Executive Director
Courier Staff Writer
One day after Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto announced that his administration had brokered a deal between the owners and residents of the Penn Plaza apartments in East Liberty, city councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess
In 1979, when Brenda Tate applied to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, her cadet class consisted of 10 White males, 10 White females, 10 Black males and 10 Black females. But with such quotas being ruled illegal, in the intervening 30-plus years, few classes have had more than three Black males or females—until now. During a recent press announcement at police headquarters, 23 members of the current recruit class waited in the back— having been temporarily displaced from a lecture for the press conference. Of those 23, seven were Black males. “I’m surprised and hopeful that they can build on that. It shouldn’t have taken a lawsuit to find qualified Black men,” said Tate, who retired last year. “I’ve had friends who were so discouraged because their kids applied and ended up going to other cities to get hired. There’s no telling how many qualified candidates were eliminated over the years.” But Witold “Vic” Walczak, who as Pennsylvania legal director for the ACLU won a $985,000 settlement for 360 Blacks SEE CADETS A5
Work Pittsburgh building futures for ex-offenders
Ronell Guy said that this is an event that everyone can relate to. “I don’t think there’s a woman alive that hasn’t been affected in some form of domestic abuse whether it’s physical or emotional. And if they haven’t, they know someone that has. There are no perfect people,” she said. The walk has also transformed into a #BlackLivesMatter movement in which the opportunity Black women in the communities of Pittsburgh to speak up for
themselves through the demonstration. “We have to take responsibility of our actions, and to have respect for the life and love of one another,” said Guy. The walk kicked off with a rally in the lot across the street from the Pittsburgh Project on North Charles Street. Reverend Dorothy Stubbs of Lost But Not Forgotten Outreach de-
introduced legislation designed to maintain affordability and livability for the city’s low- and moderate-income residents. The Penn Plaza agreement, reached 10 weeks after the residents were initially given 90-day eviction notices, calls for the residents of the complex’s two buildings to be moved out in two
phases, with funding support from the owner, Pennley Park South, which plans to redevelop the property into a mixed-use retail and housing site. In addition to Burgess, Peduto, the residents and owners, state Rep. Ed Gainey, D-East Liberty,
At the end of the day when Kris Davis leaves his job at Work Pittsburgh on the South Side, he can look across the rivers at the Allegheny County Jail windows he would stare out of. “I would look at the cars on Parkway East and wish I was stuck in rush hour traffic,” he said. Now, when other drivers are fuming about traffic as he drives home to McKeesport, he smiles. And he gives a lot of credit for that smile to the people he is working with, who have honed his modest skills with shop tools into the rough and finished carpentry needed to build a house—which he is doing in a South 6th Street warehouse. Along with 10 other ex-offenders and one
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Burgess introduces ‘Agenda for All’ following Penn Plaza deal by Christian Morrow
COUNCILMAN RICKY BURGESS
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Usually a small audience attends the Center for Race and Social Problems lectures at the University of Pittsburgh. But Pittsburgh Police Chief Cameron McLay is anything but usual. That meant room 2017 at the Cathedral of Learning was standing room only for his Sept. 14 presentation. McLay began by saying that racism is not driving the animosity between Pittsburgh’s Black communities and the police. “It’s about poverty, access to opportunity, unconscious bias and lack of communication. It’s not as easy as “racism” he said. “Is it a factor? Absolutely, but it’s not the prime driver.” McLay cannot do anything about the first two factors, but since he arrived one year ago, he has been working to improve officercommunity communication, and has recently begun implementing training to eliminate unconscious bias throughout the police bureau. “Unconscious bias training scared me because I had been a ‘use of force’ trainer
Current police class: Most Black cadets in decades Published Weekly
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by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer
SisterFriend gives ‘forgotten about supplies’ to women by Ashley Johnson Courier Staff Writer
When people donate to individuals in need or to organizations that provide aide, it’s usually the same items—toiletries such as soap, lotion, deodorant, etc.—but what about the other items? Those products that few like to talk about, but women need on a monthly basis. SisterFriend Inc., a new community organization that provides feminine hygiene products and more to social service organizations, is not only meeting those needs, but also breaking the stigma that comes along with it. “This is one of the major needs for shelters because, of course, menstruation is
WOMEN'S NEEDS—The SisterFriend Inc. team, from left: Shauna Brown, Julie Strickland-Gillard, founder Tamara Whiting and Darlene Powell, with its SisterFriend kits and other feminine hygiene products collected at its Community Outreach Day. (Photo by Rossano P. Stewart)
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not something that’s talked about; it’s unfortunately taboo and there is a lot of shame around that. Women are groomed from day one to hide the fact that they have periods, so if that’s the case, it doesn’t really get funded, organizations don’t really have the supplies and it’s something people don’t think to donate,” said Tamara Whiting, founder of SisterFriend Inc. “(Shelters) get the hats, the gloves, the deodorant the soaps, which they continuously need all the time, but they don’t get the tampons, the pads, the bras, the underwear, even the adult diapers, so that’s where SisterFriend comes SEE SISTERFRIEND A5
Ulish Carter says
Leon Ford continues his fight for justice Opinion A6
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13,000 MILE JOURNEY—In this Aug. 22, file photo, in Mexico City, 41-year-old Catire Walker, center, 39-year-old Noel Zemborain, left, and their children, from left, 3-year-old Carmin, 5-yearold Mia, 8-year-old Dimas and 12-year-old Cala pose in front of their 1980 Volkswagen van, which they named Francisca. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)
Pope meets with family who drove 13,000 miles to see him by Chris Post Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP)— Pope Francis met with a family, on Sept. 27, who made a 13,000-mile trip over 194 days from Argentina to Philadelphia in an old Volkswagen van. Francis spent time with fellow Argentinians Catire Walker and Noel Zemborain and their four children, talking about their visit and praying. Zemborain told the Asso-
“We couldn’t believe it. They called us this morning (and) we were like in shock. The children got to hug him a lot. They couldn’t leave him. Not at all protocol, not at all formal, it was like being with a friend.” NOEL ZEMBORAIN ciated Press that Francis told her that they were crazy to drive so far with their children. She said it was like meeting an old friend and Francis hugged the children. “We couldn’t believe it. They called us this morning (and) we were like in shock,” she said after Sunday night’s Mass. “It is like being with an old friend. He
was so warm. He told us we were crazy. He made jokes. “The children got to hug him a lot. They couldn’t leave him. Not at all protocol, not at all formal, it was like being with a friend.” Walker and Zemborain quit their jobs in food service and marketing to lead their children on the unforgettable tour of the Americas, using savings and soliciting donations to fund the trip to the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. Along the way they made 12 border crossings and stayed with dozens of host families, did lots of sightseeing and documented the trip online. They schooled their children—Cala, 12; Dimas, 8; Mia, 5; and Carmin, 3—with the help of a distance learning program. The family said they got a call at 6 a.m. on Sept. 27 that Francis wanted to meet with them at the Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, where he stayed this weekend. Francis told the family he had been following their trip, they wrote in a Facebook post. Zemborain, Walker and the kids plan to continue traveling until November, when they will fly home from Miami. They were going to send the van by ship, but then a relative volunteered to drive it back to Buenos Aires from Florida. Francis celebrated Mass on Sept. 27 that drew hundreds of thousands to downtown Philadelphia.
This Week In Black History
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Week of Sept. 30-Oct. 6 October 1 1841—Fannie M. Richards is born. She becomes one of the nation’s early civil rights advocates as well as a prominent educator. 1868—John Mercer Langston (1829-1897) organizes the nation’s first Black law school at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Largely forgotten today, Langston was a major Black political figure during his day. He was one of the nation’s first African-American lawyers, elected political officials and he influenced Black education throughout the country. The town of Langston, Okla., is named in his honor. 1872—Morgan State College is founded in Maryland. 1937—The NAACP awards the prestigious Spingarn Medal to Walter White for his work against lynching. The light complexioned White had “passed for White” to gather evidence against terrorist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. 1960—Africa’s most populous nation-Nigeria-declares its independence from colonial rule. 1966—The militant Black Panther Party is founded in Oakland, Calif., by JOHN MERCER LANGSTON Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. October 2 1800—Nat Turner is born on this day in South Hampton, Va. The spiritually inspired Turner would organize and carry out one of the deadliest slave revolts in American history. His rebellion led to the deaths of 57 Whites including men, women and children. 1937—Famed attorney Johnny Cochran is born on this day in Shreveport, La. He was the lead-attorney in the 1995 murder trial which reBLACK PANTHERS sulted in the not guilty verdict for football legend O.J. Simpson. In addition to Simpson, Cochran was involved in several other high profile cases. He died on March 29, 2005 at the age of 67. 1967—Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first Black justice on the United States Supreme Court. President Lyndon Johnson had nominated him in part because of his distinguished career in the NAACP fighting to desegregate American institutions. Marshall had been the lead attorney in the historic Brown v Board of Education case which led to the desegregation of the nation’s schools. 1986—The U.S. Senate imposes economic sanctions on the then White minority government in South Africa. The sanctions were imposed only after the Senate overrode a veto of the measure by President Ronald Reagan. Reagan had angered Blacks and progressive Whites by favoring a policy he referred to as “constructive engagement” with the racist South African JOHNNY COCHRAN regime. Black majority rule was not achieved in South Africa until 1994. October 3 1856—Journalist and fiery advocate for Black rights T. Thomas Fortune is born in Marianna, Jackson County, Fla. He was an orator, journalist and militant civil rights advocate. He attended school at Howard University in Washington, D.C., but later moved to New York City where he founded the New York Age newspaper. Fortune died in Philadelphia at the age of 71 in 1928. 1935—The then-independent East African nation of Ethiopia is invaded by fascist Italy in an attempt to join other European nations which had used military force to establish colonies in Africa and exploit its economic resources. Blacks throughout the world rallied to Ethiopia’s defense, in part, because the nation was viewed by many as the place on Earth where human life began. The U.S. effort was led by prominent Harlem, N.Y., minister Adam Clayton Powell Sr. THURGOOD MARSHALL 1949—One of the first Black-owned radio stations in America begins broadcasting in Atlanta, Ga. The principal organizing force behind WERD was businessman J.B. Blayton. 1995—Former professional football great O.J. Simpson is found not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman. The trial had been a national sensation. The verdict angered a majority of Whites. Polls showed that better than 80 percent of Whites surveyed felt Simpson got away with murder. October 4 1864—What was to become the nation’s first Black daily newspaper began publishing on this day in New Orleans, La. Amazingly, the New Orleans Tribune began distribution while slavery still existed. It was founded by Dr. Louis C. Reudanez. It began as a tri-weekly but soon became a daily published in both French and English. 1969—Howard Lee and Charles Evers became the first Black mayors of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Fayette, Miss., respectively. Evers was the brother of civil rights legend Medgar Evers who was murdered by Ku Klux Klan member Byron De La Beckwith on June 12, 1963. 1988—The Martin Luther King Jr. federal building is dedicated in Atlanta, Ga. It thus became the first federal building to bear the name of the slain civil rights leader. October 5 1867—The first Black mayor of any American city takes office. His name was Monroe Baker. The prominent businessman was appointed mayor of St. Martin, La., two O.J. SIMPSON years after the end of slavery. October 6 1847—The first National Black Convention takes place in Troy, N.Y. There were over 100 delegates in attendance from at least nine states. Top items on the agenda included determining ways to help end slavery and encouraging free Blacks to refuse to purchase products produced by slave labor. Frederick Douglass frequently makes note of the convention because one of its aims was to organize independent Black power and “not depend on Whites and hope” to free Blacks. 1871—The now world famous Fisk Jubilee Singers begin their first national tour. The tours helped raise funds for Nashville, Tenn.’s, predominately Black Fisk University as well as give the school an international reputation. 1917—Activist Fannie Lou Hamer is born in Montgomery County, Miss. She goes on to become one of the major female figures in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Nevertheless, she remains one of the movement’s most effective unFREDERICK DOUGLASS sung heroes. As to why she became involved in the movement for Black freedom, dignity and political rights, she THE NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER PUBLISHING COMPANY
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FANNIE LOU HAMER would often say in reference to injustice, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” 1971—The first legal interracial marriage takes place in North Carolina. A Black man, John Wilkinson, marries a White woman, Lorraine Mary Turner. The marriage came a few years after the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Virginia, that ruled legal barriers to interracial marriage, which existed in most Southern states, were unconstitutional.
Study: Asians expected to become largest U.S. immigrant group
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by Jesse J. Holland Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP)—In a major shift in immigration patterns, Asians will surge past Hispanics to become the largest group of immigrants heading to the United States by 2065, according to estimates in a new study. An increase in Asian and Hispanic immigration also will drive U.S. population growth, with foreign-born residents expected to make up 18 percent of the country’s projected 441 million people in 50 years, the Pew Research Center said in a report being released Monday. This will be a record, higher than the nearly 15 percent during the late 19th century and early 20th century wave of immigration from Europe. Today, immigrants make up 14 percent of the population, an increase from 5 percent in 1965. The tipping point is expected to come in 2055, when Asians will become the largest immigrant group at 36 percent, compared with Hispanics at 34 percent. White immigrants to America, 80 percent back in 1965, will hover somewhere between 18 and 20 percent with Black immigrants in the 8 percent to 9 percent range, the study said. Currently, 47 percent of immigrants living in the United States are Hispanic, but by 2065 that number will have dropped to 31 percent. Asians currently make up 26 percent of the immigrant population but in 50 years that percentage is expected to increase to 38 percent. Pew researchers analyzed a combination of Census Bureau information and its own data to develop its projections.
WORKERS RALLY—In this May 1, 2014 file photo, Seattle City Council Member Kshama Sawant, right, looks on as Stephanie Sucasaca holds up a fist as Sawant had just done while interpreting Sawant’s remarks into Spanish at a May Day rally in support of immigrant and workers rights and a boost in the minimum wage, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File) Part of the reason for the shift is that the fertility rate of women in Latin America and especially Mexico has decreased, said Mark Hugo Lopez, Pew’s director of Hispanic research. In Mexico, Lopez said, women are now having around two children, when back in the 1960s and 1970s, they were having about seven children per woman. “There are relatively fewer people who would choose to migrate from Mexico so demographic changes in Mexico have led to a
somewhat smaller pool of potential migrants,” he said. “At the same time we’ve seen a growing number of immigrants particularly from China or India who are coming for reasons such as pursuing a college degree or coming here to work temporarily in the high-tech sector.” Despite the increase in Asian immigrants, Hispanics will still make up a larger number inside the United States, Lopez said.
Cummings said he did not know if McDole pointed the gun at any of the four officers, “but when he went to remove the
gates all police shootings that result in injury or death, and it had staff in the neighborhood Friday as part of the probe. Richard Smith, head of the Delaware chapter of the NAACP, said he did not trust the state Justice Department to conduct a fair and impartial investigation and called for an independent investigation by a special prosecutor. “We cannot continue having all our folks being shot and nobody held accountable,” Smith said Sept. 24. Video of the shooting posted online, which the chief said appeared to be authentic, shows an officer approaching McDole with a gun drawn, shouting “show me your hands” and “drop the gun.” Other officers then appear in the video with guns drawn, yelling similar commands. McDole moves around in his wheelchair and reaches into his jeans, but it’s unclear what he is doing.
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“Hispanic population growth is coming from people born here in the United States,” he said. “It is really U.S. births that are now the driver of Hispanic population growth, and that’s a recent change from what we saw in the ‘80s and ‘90s.” By 2065, no racial or ethnic group will hold a majority in the United States, with Whites holding 46 percent of the population, Hispanics at 24 percent, Asians at 14 percent and Blacks at 13 percent. Currently, the country is 62 percent White, 18 percent Hispanic, 12 percent Black and 6 percent Asian. Pew also asked Americans surveyed for one word to describe immigrants in the U.S. today. Twelve percent said “illegal,” “overpopulation” was at 5 percent, “legality (other than illegal)” at 4 percent, and “jobs,” “deportation,” “Americans” and “work ethic” at 3 percent each. Forty-nine percent offered general descriptions, and of those 12 percent were positive, 11 percent negative and 26 percent neutral, according to the report. Americans also said immigrants are likely to make the United States better, with 45 percent agreeing with that statement and 37 percent saying they make the country worse. Eighteen said they don’t have much of an effect one way or the other. The survey was conducted online from March 10 to April 6, 2015. The survey’s margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.4 percentage points. (Jesse J. Holland covers race, ethnicity and demographics for The Associated Press. Contact him at jholland(at)ap.org, on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jessejholland or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jessejholland.)
State investigators working on police-wheelchair shooting
by Randall Chase Associated Press Writer
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP)—Investigators from the Delaware attorney general’s office talked to potential witnesses and examined the scene Friday where police fatally shot a man in a wheelchair. Officers shot Jeremy McDole, 28, of Wilmington, on Sept. 23. Police said they responded to a 911 call about a man who had shot himself and had a handgun. Wilmington Police Chief Bobby Cummings said Thursday that McDole, who was paralyzed in a shooting 10 years ago, did not obey commands to show his hands and refused to put his weapon down, and that he was shot as he began to remove the gun from his waist. Police said they recovered a .38 caliber handgun next to McDole’s body.
“We cannot continue having all our folks being shot and nobody held accountable.’’ RICHARD SMITH, head of the Delaware chapter of the NAACP weapon, they engaged him.” The shooting is being investigated by the police department’s criminal investigation and professional standards units, as well as the Delaware Department of Justice’s Office of Civil Rights and Public Trust, which will determine whether any officers will be charged. The state agency investi-
The officers, who are not in the video at this point, fire multiple shots, and McDole falls out of his wheelchair. McDole’s mother, Phyllis McDole, decried the shooting as “unjust” during a police news conference. Relatives declined Friday to be interviewed by The Associated Press. Governor Jack Markell has met with McDole’s family and said in a statement he was grateful to the attorney general’s office for its “swift action to review the details of the case.” McDole has an arrest record that dates back at least to 2005, the year he was paralyzed after being shot in the back by an associate with whom he had been walking around a neighborhood, smoking marijuana, according to court documents. He has convictions for drug possession and disorderly conduct. In November, McDole was found to have violated probation.
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Women’s Walk for Peace seeks to end violence CONTINUED FROM A1
livered the opening prayer in which she asked for change to start at home. “God is calling us back to family time,” she said. Following the opening prayer, the Obama Academy Drum Line kicked off the rally with a few selections that were coupled with spoken word from local talent. The participants then grabbed the available picket signs that were constructed the week before in preparation for the walk. Some read: “Come together right now. Believe in Change!” “Stop Killing!” “Hurt People, Hurt People” “Black on Black Murder IS Genocide” and “Love Us Don’t Hit Us.” The Pittsburgh Police and Pennsylvania State Constables escorted the 250 plus procession down North Charles Street to Brighton Road and W North Avenue before concluding at West Park. “We’re happy to escort them down to the park, and then we’ll stick around,” said Deputy Constable Randy Canella Sr. Throughout the procession, the residents of North Charles Street turned into onlookers as they hung out of windows and front doors, and sat on front porches waving at and thanking the walkers. Some took pictures and others applauded the movement. Motorists
beeped and waved to show their support of the enthusiastic crowd. “It’s beautiful because it’s the one time we see togetherness in our community. Mothers, sisters and aunties are making all of this happen,” said Marlon Mayo of N Charles Street. State Rep. Jake Wheatley walked with the group and participated in chants. “It’s all about community empowerment,” he said. Kenneth Minnefield, long time North Side resident, was skeptical of the true impact the walk will have on the neighborhood. “It’s great as a concept,” he said, “but the community as a whole hasn’t bought into the aspect of taking ownership of the community.” Chad Tyksinski of the Mexican War Streets, brought his wife and daughters ages six and 18 months, and is optimistic about the possibilities of the walk. “We want it (violence) to stop. Everyone needs to have love and respect for each other, so we need to walk together more often.” The Black Lives Matter addition to the Walk for Peace particularly resonates with Cameron Scott and his family of Penn Hills. His brother was murdered in 2000. Though he has been able to cope through strong family ties, he is encouraged by the movement starting in Pitts-
burgh. “It’s a positive thing. Support and love from others that have gone through similar situations helps. What are they supposed to do otherwise? The world doesn’t stop. We need positive energy.” Once the group reached the park, a concert began with headliner, Jasiri X, a local hip hop artist, known for his empowering and thoughtful lyrics. “I just know he will bring a message of hope. And hopefully at least one person will get that message,” said Guy. The rapper provided the crowd with a sample of his unorthodox style with his
“Frisk Commandments”, a rendition of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ten Crack Commandments,” in which he advises young (Black) men how to behave during police interactions. Jasiri X said he was honored to be given the opportunity to be involved in an event that benefits and supports women in the community. “These beautiful women are the forefront of our community. They call for peace and in turn have to suffer the burden when their partner or child is killed. If the youth don’t know what’s going on or how to act, it’s our responsibility as Black men.”
He agreed with Rev. Stubbs stance on starting with change within the home first. “We must promote social consciousness for our youth to navigate life. It can start with conversation at meal times.” Other special guests at the park included Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and one of the original organizers for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, Erika Totten. Mayor Peduto encouraged peace and unity for people in the community while also vowing to provide opportunities for young people. “We’ve got to work together,” he said. Totten flew in from Wash-
ington, DC and urged the crowd to focus on peace and collective healing. According to her, the Black community says they are “committed to peace, but freedom is needed first. We suffer from generational trauma,” she said. She captivated the audience by recounting the National Guard putting guns in her face and telling her to disperse while she protested in Ferguson, Mo., after the Michael Brown shooting last summer. She implored that the community continues to display its resilience by gathering for peace and protest.
Work Pittsburgh building futures CONTINUED FROM A1
U.S. Marine Corp veteran, Davis is one of Work Pittsburgh’s first employees; earning $15.50 an hour plus benefits building prefabricated Micro Homes. “It’s a chance to learn a trade and excel in some aspect of it. This is a God-send to every one of us,” said Davis, taking a break from installing exterior cedar siding. “They gave us fertile soil to grow in. It does a lot for a man’s ego and confidence.” Work Pittsburgh is a subsidiary of Nello Development and the brainchild of
Business Development Director Lee Davis and Nello Vice President of Business Development Dan Bull, and is all about second chances. “Its quite simple. We believe that ‘ex-offenders,’ or ‘felons’ have unlimited potential, skills and talents, and we stand by the motto ‘A Hand Up, Not A Handout,’” said Davis. “This notion, we believe, will serve as the backdrop for our employees to become successful business men, and more importantly, successful contributors to society. We believe in second
chances and this venture will serve as a model for other cities, states, and the country to help change and transform people’s lives concretely.” It’s doing so for Irv Brentley. He is installing the electrical wiring, plugs and junction boxes in the 750 squarefoot model Micro Home the crew has been building since Sept. 3. Though he is being supervised by a journeyman from the union he didn’t need much. He earned his part I and part II electrical certifications during a 17year stint in the Pennsylvania State Correctional Facility at Frackville. “This is different from the large industrial systems I worked on in the penitentiary, but it will have some neat efficiency features— occupancy sensors, large windows, to appeal to environmentally conscious millennials,” said Brentley. “Lee and Dan deserve a lot of credit for this. I mean, there are companies out there that are hiring exfelons and don’t get any recognition. But these guys—I’ve never seen anything on this kind of scale.” Bull said the company is poised to address three of Pittsburgh’s problems simultaneously: affordable housing, unemployed veterans and former felons. An ex-offender himself, Bull said forgiveness is his prime motivation. He was forgiven, and given a second chance, and as a 50 percent owner in Nello, has done well. Others should have that chance. And these guys will. In addition to quarterly raises, at the end of two years, members can get one of these houses, if they like, and will have the opportunity to take an ownership stake in the company. “In two years, these guys will be the supervisors and managers for future employees, if they haven’t moved on to another company,” said Bull. “No matter how much you know or are committed to a new start, you need that hand up. These guys have almost completed this home in three weeks—and their official training hasn’t even started.” At around 700 square feet, these single bedroom homes are larger than the “Tiny Homes” people may
have seen on television or like the 350 square-foot one Eve Picker’s No Walls nonprofit built with the Urban Redevelopment Authority in Garfield. Unlike that project which saw costs skyrocket due to unforeseen site and city code problems, the Work Pittsburgh single story, one bedroom, one-bath homes can go for as little as $65,000. Bull has presold 40 of them already. But they are all custom jobs, so the price depends on what the client wants in, and on it. “You’re only limited by what you can do with a box,” said Bull. “Put it over a full basement, on a slab, reinforce the roof and put another on top. You want marble counter tops, walnut paneling? It’s up to you.” The model will have inexpensive, composite board cabinets. Leon Spearman, who was assembling them, said he loves working with this crew. Spearman served six years in the marines, including nine months in Afghanistan. “I tried law enforcement when I got back but the Pittsburgh police wouldn’t hire me. You know that discrimination case the ACLU just won against them? Yeah, I was part of that,” he said. “But I’ve been here since Sept. 8 and I love it. The motivation is high, everyone’s excited, a real team atmosphere. It’s a blessing to work with a good group of guys who all have a vision.” Eventually, Bull and Davis want the Work Pittsburgh warehouse to also serve as an incubator for ex-offender entrepreneurs, collocating office space with related ventures, while maintaining the homebuilding showroom. That work will be expanding also, as the facility has enough space to build three micro homes at a time. The first 14 of the homes will be going into a development by Pritchard Hill Capital on Arlington Avenue above the South Side. Bull said that’s why they chose the warehouse site they did. “It’s a straight line from the (county) jail, to our facility, to the building sight up there on the hill,” he said. “So the guys can see where they’ve been, where they are, and where they are going.”
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SisterFriend gives ‘forgotten about supplies’ to women CONTINUED FROM A1
in and says, “Let us help you fill this need that you may have, let us fill the gap.” The concept for SisterFriend was derived after Whiting, who at one time was a volunteer and later consultant for the social service organization Bethlehem Haven and saw the need for products first-hand, decided that she wanted to do more to aid and uplift homeless and underprivileged women and girls. She created this organization “of women working for women” to help sustain feminine health despite their social-economic status. Since it commenced four months ago, the nonprofit has partnered with Bethlehem Haven, a nonprofit that provides local women with emergency shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing, meals, and medical and mental health services, and Light of Life Rescue Mission, which meets the immediate needs of poor and homeless men and women. In October it will add Shepherd’s Heart, which focuses on meeting the needs of veterans, to its growing list of partners. They will provide products for their emergency winter shelter. Each month, the SisterFriend team and volunteers put together kits containing 10 tampons or 10 sanitary pads, or sometimes both, as well as a note of encouragement, which is given to uplift the woman’s spirits and make that time of the month easier; and delivers approximately 100 kits to its various partners. Along with feminine hygiene products, the group also provides adult diapers, bras and panties.
“This isn’t about SisterFriend, it isn’t necessarily about providing feminine hygiene products, it’s really about providing and helping these women maintain a sense of dignity in their lives. Life has already handed these women a bad hand, so if we can make that one time a little bit easier for them, then we’re doing our job.” Amber Jackson, development and volunteer coordinator at Bethlehem Haven, said she has been working with SisterFriend for months and finds the initiative to be successful and the women truly grateful. “We receive a lot of donations, but one thing people don’t think of are feminine hygiene products. Because Bethlehem Haven, at any given time, houses 96 women, that’s something we’re always in constant need of. We may put requests out for it, but some people are uncomfortable with purchasing that type of item; so when SisterFriend contacted us, we were grateful that we could benefit from it,” Jackson said. Like Jackson, Heidi Allison, Donor Relations and Grant coordinator of Light of Life, said she is grateful for SisterFriend’s generosity. “There’s definitely a need and we’re just grateful that SisterFriend stepped up to fill it,” Allison said. Recently, on Sept. 19, SisterFriend held its first Community Outreach Day, just one of many events they have held since the organization began. Along with the day that introduced them to the community, they’ve attended local community days and held volunteer events. Whiting said through making their presence known in the community, she hopes more peo-
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representatives from Action United, and Urban Redevelopment Authority board Chair Kevin Acklin also took part in the monthslong negotiations. Under the agreement residents of a building at 5704 Penn Avenue will receive relocation assistance from Pennley Park South and have until Feb. 28, 2016, to move to new homes. The city will also have an onsite relocation consultant to assist them in their search. Residents of the 5600 Penn Avenue building will have until March 31, 2017, to move, again with financial assistance from the owner and search support from the city. The agreement also calls for the city to sell the twoacre park the Penn Plaza
buildings surround to Pennley Park South as part of its redevelopment. Proceeds from the sale will be put into the East Liberty Affordable Housing Fund being established by the URA. Pennley Park South also agreed to commit 50 percent of the tax increment created by its redevelopment to the Local Economic Redevelopment Tax Assistance district fund, which would be devoted to affordable housing and small business throughout East Liberty, Larimer, LincolnLemington and Homewood. Burgess said his legislation package would build on that by focusing on “affordable housing for all, living wage jobs for all, neighborhood safety foe all, and good schools for all.” “It’s time to prioritize low-
and moderate-income residents in the city of Pittsburgh,” he said. “Everybody deserves a clean, decent, safe, and affordable place to call home in the ‘new’ Pittsburgh. That’s why we have to make Pittsburgh livable and affordable for everyone.” The four-bill package includes initiatives to: •Amend the city’s fair housing law to prohibit discrimination based on income; •Require all new development projects to file a statement on its impact on affordable housing; •Commission a study on the number of low-income workers employed by anchor industries; and •Develop a public-private East End multi-neighborhood affordable housing protection strategy.
Chief McLay draws large crowd at Pitt CONTINUED FROM A1
all my career. The level and application of force is based on the perception of a reasonable threat. But, what if my perceptions are wrong,” he said. “The training makes you aware of the unconscious biases we all have. Once you’re aware of them, they aren’t unconscious anymore—and can be defeated.” The communication aspect is mainly about exploding the two false narratives that increased the distrust between the Black community and the bureau: the community’s perception that the cops are all racists and hate us, and the officers’ perceptions that the community is filled with violent criminals who hate us. McLay said he knows lack of communication can create those false narratives, because he took part in it as a lieutenant in Madison, Wis., when crack cocaine and its attendant violence use exploded in the mid 1990s. “In the beginning the community told us who the bad guys were and we hit them like a laser. Things improved. But when we kept the pressure on—without the community information—we ended up using other tools like ‘reasonable suspicion.’ And we didn’t understand why the community was angry,” he said. “Only later did we realize we hadn’t kept the lines of communication open. And because of that we caused a lot of collateral damage. It was an eye opener for me. We have to have a shared diagnosis, if we are to maintain legitimacy.” In Pittsburgh, that lack of communication was partially to blame for the bureau becoming more insular and unresponsive
and unaccountable. McLay has addressed that with a model that makes individual officers responsible and accountable for their actions and for improving their contact and communication with the people they serve. Following his presentation, McLay responded to questions on a variety of points. On the “militarization of police forces,” he noted that the problems arise not from the equipment deployed but the reasons some people deploy it—like SWAT teams serving warrants. “There are times when it’s absolutely necessary. It has actually allowed me to save suspects just because of the visibility of superior weapons and tactics.” On the surveillance of “activists,” McLay said the bureau has a history of collecting information on people. “But as long as I am chief, activists are going to be partners,” he said. “We’ll be facilitating rights of speech, unless there is evidence of criminal activity. Then all bets are off.” On dealing with people with mental issues, McLay said his officers are undergoing additional training. “We’ve gotten everyone trained in crisis intervention,” he said. “But our next move is to put together a special unit with far more expertise.” So, when will it be safe for the public to assume all officers have had the implicit bias training? It will take about two years for everyone in the bureau to cycle through the system, he said. (Send comments to cmorrow@npittsburghcourier.com.)
ple will donate, not only products, but money and time as well to help them spread the word about the organization, and its reach. “It’s definitely grown. I think the more people that hear about what we do, the more excited they get ( and) the more they have what I call the “Oprah Uh-huh” moment, where they say, “Oh I didn’t know,” she said. “We have three partners now, but the more donations we receive, the more organizations we can add.” Jackson said she encourages others to donate to SisterFriend. “I think it’s a great organization,” she said. “I encourage you to look it up, become involved, donate and participate.” Next, Whiting said the group plans to focus on partnering with local schools. She said just like shelters, schools also have limited supplies, if any at all. She said school
aged girls are missing school due to lack of supplies and they want to eliminate that. But as Whiting said before, SisterFriend is not just about fulfilling a need; it’s about breaking the stigma and bringing awareness to the issue of feminine hygiene. She said by them talking about it, hopefully, men will not only feel comfortable buying products, but they will give money to organizations that help those women in need of them. “Our sisters are out there, our sisters on the street need us. These are your sisters, mothers, grandmothers and nieces; this is not just a woman’s issue, this touches men too,” she said. “We need to take a look in the mirror and really say, ‘what can we do? How can we go above and beyond what we’re already doing to make a difference in a woman’s life?’”
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a long way to go.” Responding to the initial numbers from the press event, Black Political Empowerment Project Chair Tim Stevens was somewhat stunned by the class size. “Seven? That almost seems like a miracle. For the last 15 years or so, we’ve seen classes with one, maybe two, and most with zero. So this is a huge accomplishment and we should give kudos to the mayor, (former) Public Safety Director Steven Bucar, Chief McLay, Vic and solicitor Lourdes Sanchez-Ridge,” he said. “It’s just a beginning but it’s a very positive beginning. And kudos also to those African Americans who elected to apply and set a new tone for our city. Whatever was done to get those numbers must be continued and expanded.” Tate doesn’t care what the number is— she just wants to help. “I have emailed Comdr. Eric Holmes about setting up a program where I can help mentor these new officers,” she said. “I want to put a support system in place for them so they have an even playing field.” In addition to the 10 African American males, the current recruit class also includes three White females, one Asian male, 25 White males, and one who declined to identify by race or gender.
Police class: Most Black cadets in decades wrongly eliminated from the applicant pool, said the new recruit numbers are not only impressive—they’re better. “I heard it was 10 out of 40,” he said. “These numbers are very welcome and reflective of Pittsburgh’s demographics, which has been the goal all along,” Public Safety Department Information Officer Sonya Toler did confirm that only part of the class was present at the Sept. 16 press conference and that Walczak’s total is correct. “I think it results from combination of changes to the process and the litigation,” he added “But I’m, concerned about whether that percentage will be maintained in the next few classes. There’s been so much ill will between the Black community and the police; it’s going to be hard to get applicants. I think it’s going to take time and more positive interaction, but I also think the chief is doing a great job at that.” So does Mayor Bill Peduto, who said a lot of people helped bring this about. “It’s great to see these numbers up, and to see a recruit class that more closely mirrors the makeup of Pittsburgh as a whole,” he said. “A lot of work from departments across the city, the police bureau and the ACLU has gotten us here, but we still have
(For more information on SisterFriend Inc. or how to get involved, visit www.sisterfriend.org.)
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SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
OPINION
Leon Ford continues his fight for justice
Commentary
Time for Black community to flex its collective muscles We’ve been hearing more and more good news about the nation’s unemployment rate. Labor Department statistics released this month showed that, in August, it had edged down to 5.1 percent. But the unemployment rate for the nation isn’t the same as the unemployment rate for Black people. For African Americans, it was 9.5 percent. For Whites, it was 4.4 percent. That the rate last month for unemployed Blacks was more than twice that of Whites should not surprise us at all. In fact, we should be able to predict it, because the rate of Blacks who are unemployed has been roughly twice that of Whites for the past 40 years. That’s right. It’s as wide today as it was in 1972, when the Labor Department began aggregating employment stats by race. The rub about the rate’s gap is the failure of systems and steps that were taken to bring about equality— integration, federal anti-discrimination policies and patience to allow the cruel vestiges of racism to fade. We even elected an African-American president. But these changes have not changed the size of the gap in employment. So perhaps we need to ask ourselves, now what? We’ve waited long enough. We’ve waited for someone to give us something. We’ve waited for other groups to see our worth, we’ve waited for them to recognize the wrongness of their ways and to embrace us as equals. Well maybe “they” aren’t the problem. Maybe we are. Far too often, we support those who fail to support us. We attend schools that minimize our culture and spend our money in places that don’t really employ us. We flaunt our money as consumers, but fail to become employers. An American Economic Review report found that job seekers with resumes containing more Blacksounding names received fewer callbacks. Job seekers with white-sounding names received 50 percent more callbacks for interviews. Another report this summer from the Center for Popular Democracy and Economic Policy Institute found that wages for Black workers had actually even fallen during the past 15 years. Wages dropped by 44 cents for Black workers. Wages for Hispanic workers rose by 48 cents, and 45 cents for White workers. Perhaps we need to finally acknowledge that until all of us makes it, none of us makes it. And the individual success of the occasional Black star athlete or entertainer is not moving us as a group. Frederick Douglass once said “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” So let’s stop waiting on concessions. Let’s form a collective muscle and use it. (Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)
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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
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Rod Doss
Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher
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Ulish Carter
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John H. Sengstacke Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)
The vast majority of the time when there are confrontations between Black males and police officers we only get one side, but in the Leon Ford case he actually lived through such a confrontation in which he was shot five times. And now he’s speaking about it. You would think that in his situation he would be bitter against all cops and have the attitude that some people in the #BlackLivesMatter movement that come out with statements like “kill the cops,” but he simply stated the facts as he saw them and even though he still seeks justice in his case he wants to do something to better conditions between the Black community and the police so that police are not shooting first and asking questions later when it comes to young Black males. This is a young man, 22 or 23, who may spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair because police over reacted in a traffic stop, thinking he was someone else. Even if he was that someone else, that person wasn’t wanted for any violent act so why the guns? He talked about the trial, shooting, and being confined to a wheelchair. How he had to stay strong in public, somewhat indicating that it has been a struggle for him to stay strong in life with all the things facing him. I don’t know if I could have handled it. All I can say is put your hands in God’s hands and let him guide you through. You will be in my prayers, because you still have a rough road ahead of you. Speaking of the police, I was really surprised when I looked at the photo of the new class of police recruits. There were seven Blacks and three women out of a class of 24. That is amazing. That’s probably more than all the classes combined over the past 5 to 10 years. Maybe former police Chief Nate Harper was right when he said that someone was blocking them. And maybe
Ulish Carter
Just Sayin’ the ACLU suit helped unplug that blockage. Wow, seven. It’s hard to believe. This brings up something of interest. One of our reporters was talking to a group of young men who were in training for something else, when one said that even though he had been accepted by the Marines, spent his last two years in service in Afghanistan he was still one of the many Blacks passed over in his effort to become a Pittsburgh police officer. Too bad for this young man, but hopefully the suit will continue to open up doors in the future, plus more conscious efforts by the mayor and police chief to get more Blacks interested in becoming police officers through community activities that show Black youth and children that police officers are there to protect and serve, not to rule and control. There are more and more groups, vigils, rallies and just social events springing up all throughout the city by families and individuals who have lost a loved one, family or friend, to street violence. Two such groups are Embrace Life and Justice or Else. The great thing about these functions and groups is that they are preaching and emphasizing love and understanding instead of hate. Yes they all want the killers of their loved ones brought to justice, but they are asking that all the killings stop. And the only way it will stop is through community efforts of love. Kudos to Chaz Kellem who has gone against the odds to show everyone you can make it regardless of your physical
condition. He has moved from one toplevel slot with the Pirates to the YWCA. I wish him all the luck in the world. I know he will be just as successful there as he was with the Pirates. Speaking of the Pittsburgh Pirates, President Frank Coonley told the African American Chamber of Commerce at its PowerBreakfast that despite efforts by the Pirates and other Major League teams talented Blacks are opting to play other sports, namely football and basketball, primarily because of the expense, and baseball is suffering because of it. My advice to the Pirates and Major League baseball is to find out where the youth baseball teams and leagues are in their city, and who’s running them. Then extend a financial hand to them. Most of these leagues, Pittsburgh is no exception, are in desperate need of money for equipment, and everything else. A few dollars from the local Major League team could solidify these teams thus increasing the number of kids participating in these leagues. Now is the perfect time. Why? Because football, the new No. 1 sport is facing new health and safety measures which are going to get tougher during the next few years the number of kids participating are going to drop, which opens the door for baseball. Plus you don’t have to be as big and tall to play baseball as compared to football and basketball, and it’s much safer than either of the other two. So for you parents who are concerned about your son’s health, baseball is safer than the other two major sports, and it pays better than football and is mighty close to basketball, and there are more players than basketball. Another plus is that you don’t have to go to college like football and basketball, and not get paid. The Minor Leagues, right out of high school, don’t pay like the pros but it’s a long ways from minimum wage. It’s time Major League Baseball put its money where its mouth is.
Blacks and Latinos working together (NNPA)—If there was ever a propitious time for African Americans and Latino Americans to unite to advance the cause of freedom, justice, equality and economic empowerment, it is now. Today, more than ever, the rapidly changing national demographics and the potential political and economic power as a direct result of Latino and Black unity in America cannot be overstated. We are now in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 -Octo. 15, across the United States. It is important to note that during this year’s observance of Hispanic heritage, Latino leaders are also articulating the strategic value and need for more unity between Blacks and Latinos. In a recent column to the New York Amsterdam News, Bronx Borough President Rueben Diaz Jr. stated, “As we face heated, dangerous rhetoric on the issues that concern us the most, the Hispanic community must not only stand together but to also unite with our allies of different backgrounds, such as the African-American community, to fight for the betterment of our communities.” I know Borough President Diaz and I believe that one day he may become the first Latino mayor of New York City. Fighting to improve the quality of life in our communities is exactly what our long mutual struggles for justice and empowerment continues to be about. The two largest people of color groups in America are Latinos and Blacks. And if Blacks and Latinos unite in New York and elsewhere, it will achieve more effective political
Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.
Commentary and economic results. President Barack H. Obama issued a proclamation in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month stating, “America’s Hispanic community has woven unique threads into the diverse fabric of our country and played an important role in shaping our national character as a people of limitless possibility.” We are witnessing a political challenge to the nation’s diversity with the exponential increase in residents of people of color in every region of the country. Some studies show that the racial-disparity divide in America is becoming more and more pronounced in housing, education, business, immigration, and mass incarceration. Going forward will require a serious effort to ensure a massive voter turnout of Latinos and Blacks in the 2016 elections. Neither the Black nor Latino vote can be taken for granted. The political future of the U.S. will swing in the balance and scale of how Get-Out-The-Vote efforts will be financed, advertised, staffed and mobilized. Neither elected officials nor Corporate America can effectively reach the Black and Brown communities by ignoring their media outlets. And a
promising sign of increased unity between the two powerhouse groups is that the National Association of Hispanic Publishers and the National Newspaper Publishers Association have announced the establishment of a NNPA-NAHP National Advertising Task Force. The purpose of the coalition is to educate marketers on the benefits and importance of the African American and Hispanic newspaper markets. “With close to 97 million African Americans and Hispanics in the U.S. today, representing 33 percent of the total population, this consumer segment demands attention,” said Martha Montoya, VP of the NAHP. “The buying power of the African American and Hispanic communities, currently at over $2.3 trillion combined, continues to outpace the national average.” NNPA Chair Denise Rolark Barnes emphasized, “This task force also marks a historic partnership between the NNPA and NAHP, the nation’s most influential publishing organizations that are currently led by women. Martha and I have a shared vision and commitment to empower our communities by strengthening the voices of the media we serve.” The potential force of African Americans and Latinos working together in business, politics, education, housing, family and community development are enormous. The challenge will be to achieve and maintain this unity not just for one year or two, but for a lifetime of solidarity and action to represent and defend the interests of our communities respectively.
Revolutionary lessons from Burkina Faso by Bill Fletcher, Jr. (NNPA)—The Sept. 17 coup against the interim president of Burkina Faso, Michel Kafando, contains important lessons regarding the struggle for justice and democracy. Under pressure from demonstrators, striking labor unions and the West Africa regional bloc, the coup leader, Gen. Gilbert Diendere, stepped aside and Kafando and Prime Minister Yacouba Issac Zida were restored to power as transitional leaders of the country formerly known as the Republic of Upper Volta. The background to the September 17 coup can be traced to October 2014 when a popular uprising ousted longtime dictator Blaise Compaore, who had overthrown and murdered his former friend and comrade, the near legendary, Thomas Sankara in 1987. It reversed the revolutionary changes that the central African country of Burkina Faso had experienced under Sankara’s leadership. Compaore returned Burkina Faso to its neo-colonial status under French and U.S. domination, and instituted a repressive dictatorship. In the fall of 2014, after an attempt to extend the length of his presidency, millions of people turned out in defiance of the government, ultimately driving Compaore not only out of office, but out of the country. The excitement generated by this insurrection was infectious, not only in
Burkina Faso but in neighboring countries. Yet, there was an almost immediate problem. Was this an antiCompaore insurrection or was it a revolution? And, if it was to be a revolution, then how was it to be pursued? The Sept. 17 coup against the interim president was carried out by units led by the presidential puard, which had not been dismantled and remained loyal to Compaore. In carrying out a coup, shortly before the upcoming elections, the objective of the coup-people was clear. Regardless of whether Compaore is returned, the coup leaders wanted a return to the old regime. Since the Arab democratic uprisings that started in late 2010, we have witnessed in the Middle East and Africa a phenomenon of similar democratic protests and insurrections. In many cases, the leadership of such movements are not visible, and in other cases, they are quite dispersed. Popular, democratic uprisings can drive dictators out of office, but in order to purse a revolution, more is needed than masses of people in the streets. There is a critical need for organization, whether in the form of political parties, unions or national fronts that can harness the energy of those in rebellion and help to advance the interests of the majority of the people. It is also essential to have organization in order to neutralize the organi-
zation of the “other side.” That is, the side that represents the old and corrupt regime. After all, the old regime would never have been able to stay in power absent organization. And there are few examples in history where the old regime has voluntarily surrendered and walked off into the night of history. Usually, they attempt to find their way back into power. Recognizing that, Kafando announced Friday the disbandment of the presidential guard, a unit of about 1,300 soldiers, and fired its commander and the minister of security. On Saturday, the country announced that it would freeze the assets of Gen. Gilbert Diendere and 13 others suspected of being associated with the coup. General Diendere and presidential guard staged the coup because they were upset that supporters of former President Blaise Compaore couldn’t run in elections, originally scheduled for Oct. 11. They are expected to be postponed for several weeks and a 30day investigation of the coup will be conducted. In the wake of disbanding the presidential guard, the county issued a statement Saturday saying, “The government invites the populations to remain calm and exert restraint.” (Bill Fletcher Jr. is the host of The Global African on Telesur-English. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com.)
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
FORUM
HNIC mindset is highly Jeb Bush is wrong about Blacks detrimental to Black communities
wanting ‘free stuff’ (NNPA)—Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush thinks he can become president of the United States if Republicans can double their share of the Black vote in several key states. But he, like his GOP comrades, is demonstrating how not to accomplish that goal. Bush’s latest failure came last week when he continued a longtime Republican tradition of trying to portray African Americans as addicted to welfare and government handouts. He was speaking at the East Cooper Republican Women’s Club annual Shrimp Dinner in Mount Pleasant, S.C. According to the Washington Post, this is what happened: “Look around this room,” a man told Bush, who spoke to a mostly White crowd. “How many Black faces do you see? How are you going to include them and get them to vote for you?” asked the man, who was White. “Bush pointed to his record on school choice and said that if Republicans could double their share of the Black vote, they would win the swing states of Ohio and Virginia.” Then Bush uttered this clunker: “Our message is one of hope and aspiration. It isn’t one of division and get in line and we’ll take care of you with free stuff. Our message is one that is uplifting—that says you can achieve earned success.” To paraphrase GOP icon Ronald Reagan, “There you Republicans go again.” In the 2012 presidential election, Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee, made an
George E. Curry
Commentary eerily similar remark at a Montana fundraiser. He said, “I want people to know what I stand for and if I don’t stand for what they want, go vote for someone else, that’s just fine. But I hope people understand this, your friends who like Obamacare, you remind them of this, if they want more stuff from government tell them to go vote for the other guy—more free stuff.” Ronald Reagan framed the “free stuff ” in the form of welfare. He frequently lamented “welfare queens,” which was a way to indirectly exploit racial anxieties. Yet his son, Michael Reagan, had the temerity to argue two years into the Obama administration “…The past two years have made one thing clear: Ronald Reagan was a far better friend to Black Americans than Barack Obama has been.” In fact, as I wrote earlier in this space, Reagan was one of the nation’s worst presidents on civil rights. Among other things, he moved to invalidate voluntary affirmative action programs and school desegregation plans, vetoed the Civil Rights Restoration Act and tried to undermine the independence of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights by firing three of its members. Another Republican, Richard M. Nixon, railed against Blacks and Jews in a 1973 taped conversation with his secretary, Rose Mary Woods. Nixon said, “Bill Rogers has got—to his credit it’s a decent feeling—but somewhat sort of a blind spot on the Black thing because he’s been in New York,” Nixon said. “He says well, ‘They are coming along, and that after all they are going to strengthen our country in the end because they are strong physically and some of them are smart.’ So forth and so on. “My own view is I think he’s right if you’re talking in terms of 500 years,” he said. “I think it’s wrong if you’re talking in terms of 50 years. What has to happen is they have to be, frankly, inbred. And, you just, that’s the only thing that’s going to do it, Rose.” In a May 13, 1971 conversation with top aides John D. Ehrlichman and H. R. Haldeman, Nixon said: “We’re going to [put] more of these little Negro bastards on the welfare rolls at $2,400 a family—let people like [New York Sen.] Pat Moynihan...believe in all that crap. But I don’t believe in it. Work, work—throw ‘em off the rolls. That’s the key...I have the greatest affection for [Blacks], but I know they’re not going to make it for 500 years. They aren’t. You know it, too. The Mexicans are a different cup of tea. They have a heritage. At the present time they steal, they’re dishonest, but they do have some concept of family life. They don’t live like a bunch of dogs, which the Negroes do live like.” It’s not just the anti-Black sentiments expressed in words that are troubling about Republicans—it’s their actions as well. According to the NAACP legislative report card, no Republican in the House or Senate earned a grade above an “F” when voting on issues deemed important to African Americans. That’s far more damaging than the ignorant words that have been spouted for years. We’ll take positive action over “free stuff ” any day of the week. (George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the NNPA and BlackPressUSA.com. He can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com.)
There are a cess to gigantic number of phys- Louis ‘Hop’ Kendrick numbers of ical ailments Blacks. Do the that have taken councilpersons a toll on Black meet with more people and most than a of us are familpreacher or iar with them. two, or the Allow me to remasses, or do fresh your they make the memory; they decision based are blood pressure, diabetes, cancer on what they believe are the disand Alzheimer’s. However in my esti- trict’s priorities? As you read this colmation the sickness that is most detri- umn ask yourself when was the last mental to Black people is HNIC. time you were extended an opportuWho are these people? They gener- nity to attend a meeting with you ally come in two categories: 1. Those elected official that you could make a who are funded and have titles and recommendation. As a rule when a are provided with opportunities to neighborhood meeting is called it meet the funders and politicians. 2. generally is to inform you what the Black politicians who are elected with speaker has already spoke to the substantial Black votes and now have politician about. The presentation the politicians cell phone numbers. starts with, “I met with the Mayor or These persons constantly use the ex- County Executive and this is what I pression that “I met with the Mayor or have proposed.” the County Executive and I suggested There those who operate funded orto them” or “I have a relationship with ganizations and they have met others both of them.” It is an accurate state- they never would have known in their ment that they are able to meet with other lives, and some of them have bethe politicians, but do they truly speak come confused. They have allowed for those who elected them? I say no, themselves to tell funders that they because we as the voters have been ex- speak for all Black folks, they have all tremely reluctant for whatever rea- of the answers and only them. The sons to place demands on those that real tragedy is not that I perceive cerwe elected. tain persons acting like they are In both of the Pittsburgh City HNIC, but the fact they believe they Council districts, which have Black are an HNIC. (Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a weekly contribucouncilmen, there are a multitude of churches and the ministers have ac- tor to the Forum page.)
To Tell The Truth
No religious test? Right after kind of America Sen. Obama J. Pharoah Doss … I fought for announced his in the South Pacandidacy for cific, and the president a kind my rumor spread brother died for that he was a in Europe. No Muslim. (The one suggested internet magathen that we zine Insight may have a diclaimed that vided loyalty, the Clinton campaign told them that we did not believe in liberty, or Obama attended a Muslim school as a that we belonged to a disloyal group.” child in Indonesia, of course, the ClinKennedy’s speech was effective. ton campaign denied the allegations.) In 2008 Obama also delivered a But the falsehood was all that was speech to secure the democratic nomineeded for fringe members of different nation .After the Muslim rumor Christian denominations to lose faith Obama had to distant himself from in Obama’s presidential qualifications. anti-American comments made by the Obama supporters rejected the Mus- pastor of Trinity United Church of lim label and reinforced their candi- Christ, the church Obama attended date’s Christian assertions. But for twenty years, and he had to disasObama supporters never attempted to sociate himself from the church’s phisilence the Muslim accusations by losophy of Black Liberation Theology. asking the Islamophobic accusers: So Liberation theology originated in what if he is? Or what difference does Latin America within the Catholic it make? They didn’t bother to point Church in the 1950’s. It was a moral out that Article VI of the constitution response to poverty with an emphasis states no religious test shall be re- on social justice. Many Americans that quired for office holders. Why not? Be- religiously opposed communism discause the constitution doesn’t restrict missed liberation theology as Christhe opinion held by the public, people tian Marxism. (Black Liberation Theare prejudicial. ology had the same focus but it origiIn 1928 republican Herbert Hoover nated as a counter to Black Muslims was elected president. The race wasn’t proclaiming Christianity as the white close. The landslide was blamed on man’s religion.) “three P’s: Prohibition, Prosperity, and Meanwhile during the Republican Prejudice.” Democratic candidate Al- primary presidential candidate Mitt fred E. Smith was the first catholic Romney wasn’t even considered by presidential nominee and Protestants some voters because of his Morfeared a catholic president would take monism. According to a 2008 poll 29 direct orders from the Pope. The next percent of Republicans said they year the stock market crashed. would not vote for a Mormon and Catholics were relieved Smith lost. Evangelicals simply called MorThey felt if he was president the great monism heretical. depression would have been blamed Now in 2015 Republican presidential on Catholicism. candidate Ben Carson stated he would In 1960 John F. Kennedy confronted not advocate for a Muslim to be in the same anti-catholic climate. He ad- charge of the country because Islam is dressed the Greater Houston Ministe- inconsistent with the constitution. rial Association and said, “I believe in These anti-Muslim comments have atan America that is officially neither tracted the largest amount of contriCatholic, Protestant, nor Jewish; bution toward Carson’s campaign. where no public official either reBack in 1960 Kennedy said, “When quests or accepts instructions on pub- the finger of suspicion is pointed, in lic policy from the Pope, the National other years it has been…A Jew or a Council of Churches, or other ecclesi- Quaker or a Unitarian…Today I may astical source … I believe in an Amer- be the victim, but tomorrow it may be ica where religious intolerance will you.” (J. Pharoah Doss is a contributor to the New someday end…Where there is no Catholic vote, no anti-Catholic vote, no Pittsburgh Courier. He blogs at jpharoahbloc voting of any kind…This is the doss@blogspot.com)
Commentary
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
A7
Marc H. Morial
To Be Equal
Pope Francis’ message of compassion (NNPA)—“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:35-36,40 Like power, with compassion comes great responsibility. So much more than a feeling, the person with compassion is compelled to transform their compassion into intent, and most importantly, action. To be compassionate is to see, to feel and to do something. The recent arrival of Pope Francis on our shores has rekindled our national conversation over how we will protect and care for our marginalized, provide access to our disenfranchised communities and promote justice for all. Francis, the spiritual leader of more than a billion Catholics, the world over, has placed the poor and the treatment of the poor at the center of his papacy. But, his message of mercy, compassion and service as the engines of much-needed change is not solely limited to the Catholic faithful. It is a message that can transcend boundaries of faith, gender, political cultures or borders. It is a message that can transform the entire world for the benefit of the common good. While calls for societal change precede the pope, his papacy and his status as a respected global leader, gives added voice to the voiceless and the oppressed, and encourages the men and women who have decided they would no longer observe (or suffer) injustice from the sidelines—instead they would advocate, and when necessary, agitate for a more just society for the excluded and marginalized among us. From Moses to the man registering students to vote, or the woman fighting for environmental justice in an impoverished community today, for as long as inequality has plagued society, people have always appeared in the pages of history to carry the heavy and unavoidable banner of change. For Francis, this call to action is motivated by God’s presence, which he said in his final homily in Cuba, “never leaves us tranquil: it always pushes to do something. When God comes, He always calls us out of our house. We are visited so that we can visit others; we are encountered so as to encounter others; we receive love in order to give love.” For more than 100 years, the National Urban League has dedicated itself to loving, visiting and encountering people and communities in their times of need. Our mission—like the mission of so many people of faith dedicated to changing lives and reforming the structures that compromise the quality of life of the most vulnerable—is to establish mechanisms and policies aimed at economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. This cross-section of compassion and social justice has been, and continues to be, a defining element of our existence and struggle across a range of social justice movements. The pope is visiting the United States at a pivotal time in our history, when justice and equality is facing challenges on many fronts. We face challenges in the constitutional right of citizens to vote; we are experiencing a rash of deaths of Black men at the hands of police officers who are rarely held accountable; equity in funding and resources for public school education remains a distant reality; and the economic gap that exist between the rich and the poor only continues to widen. The National Urban League continues to tackle these ever-present issues with programs and policy recommendations that not only benefit communities of color, but our nation as a whole. Our education programs, like Project Ready, support academic achievement, civic involvement and the physical and emotional development of our young people. But it doesn’t end there, we also challenge our states and federal government to develop formulas to distribute resources to schools in a fair manner that does not discriminate based on what community you live in. Our workforce development programs deliver jobs and valuable employment services to the people who need it the most and encourage economic self-sufficiency. We have, and continue to fight on the frontline of the battles to rid our nation of pervasive criminal justice abuses. The gospel of compassion has guided many into service beyond their own lives and selfinterests. The gospel of compassion: to see, to feel and to do something, is a driver of change that pays no regard to differences in gender, color, community or faith. It is a call to minister and serve those who find themselves on the margins of any given society. We may all come from different traditions and cultures, but we should all be able to agree on our broader duty to provide access to a decent standard of living, protect the poor and promote justice. It is the message of the Francis and his Church, and I hope that it is a message that will continue to reach many more ears—and hearts. (Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League.)
When Pa. State Police shoot, it’s almost always ruled ‘justified’
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SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
by Jeffrey Benzing PublicSource
Since 2008, Pennsylvania State Police troopers intentionally fired their guns in the line of duty at least 120 times. Only one of those shootings was deemed “improper” by internal investigators, according to records obtained by PublicSource. That’s less than 1 percent of the shootings. The near-perfect record covers a period when at least 18 citizens were killed by troopers who felt a threat to themselves or others and fired their service weapons. Yet the agency, which insists its investigations are free from bias, declined to provide PublicSource with details on that single maligned shooting from 2010, saying it was a personnel matter. Nor could the state police provide updated statistics on the number of citizens killed by troopers. PublicSource filed three open-records requests over six months and still ended up with scant detail about the outcomes of use-offorce investigations. The internal reports provided the numbers on investigation results, but no details on the shootings themselves. The lack of transparency from the Pennsylvania State Police comes at a time when shootings in local police departments have been under intense scrutiny because of the rolling tide of police shootings nationwide. Communities in Ferguson, Mo., Cleveland and Philadelphia have been outraged over the use of deadly force by officers and asked why shootings are nearly always justified. The sole “improper” selfdefense shooting is listed, without additional detail, in this 2010 internal report. The pristine record of the Pennsylvania State Police could well be a mark of strong training, rather than a record of poor judgment. But that is impossible to examine because there is so little information about the investigations. “You want to know, is the [police] organization really that good or is this process flawed?” said David Harris, professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh. Police owe the public the “greatest degree of transparency that they can muster,” including the release of policies on how and when force can be used, he said. Killing in Fayette Shawn Knight was shot dead by troopers in Fayette County in 2013. His death is either an example of troopers reasonably defending themselves, or a tale of an innocent man shot dead in his home moments after being roused from sleep. A June lawsuit from Knight’s widow, Kim, claims two troopers responded to a domestic disturbance call in North Union and, upon arrival, were told that the argument between Knight, 50, and his daughter ended and that they were no longer needed. But, according to the lawsuit, the troopers pushed over Kim Knight, entered the home and exited after spotting two handguns on the table, which they’d been told were present. Shawn Knight, according to the lawsuit, was startled awake and picked up the guns after the troopers left, but did not realize they were law enforcement or raise the weapons. After opening his front door, Knight was struck by three bullets, with others in close proximity to his wife and daughter, the suit said. The state had a totally different story on behalf of the troopers. By its telling, Knight was not sleeping when a trooper entered and pointed a handgun while yelling for the trooper to leave his house. He then brought at least one gun out on the porch, disobeyed an order to “get down” and
raised the handgun at troopers. The troopers opened fire because they “reasonably feared for their lives and the safety of others,” said the state’s response to the lawsuit. Deadly force is authorized in exactly those circumstances. A threat doesn’t even have to actually exist; for instance, force could be justified if a citizen reached for a wallet but an officer mistook it for a gun. Investigations following shootings are automatic. A district attorney decides whether criminal charges are warranted, though the investigation of police actions is internal, as is any non-criminal investigation of policy violations. Richard Long, executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, said the group hasn’t specifically examined state police shootings but said prosecutors have generally been satisfied with the agency’s investigations. To avoid bias, internal investigations are handled and monitored by troopers outside the chain of command of anyone involved in the shooting, said Maria Finn, a state police spokeswoman. Other agencies may take part in the investigations, depending on the jurisdiction and whether other police departments are involved. Joel Sansone, a Pittsburgh-based attorney for Knight’s widow, said the internal process is inherently flawed. “Asking an agency, any police agency to police itself is fraught with peril,” Sansone said. In 2013, the year Knight died, at least 26 line-ofduty shootings were tallied and none considered improper. An “improper” ruling means the trooper’s actions did not meet guidelines established by the agency or the law. Sansone also cites the death of Michael Ellerbe, 12 years old when shot dead in Fayette County by a trooper on Christmas Eve in 2002. Ellerbe was running away from a stolen vehicle, and the responding troopers said one of their own guns accidentally fired. Thinking Ellerbe was the one shooting, Trooper Samuel Nassan III shot and killed the unarmed boy, according to the troopers. Sansone helped represent Ellerbe’s family, who won $28 million in a civil trial in 2008. Nassan has been the subject of several lawsuits and was also involved in a fatal shooting on Pittsburgh’s South Side in 2009. The state, which denied liability, settled for $650,000 with the family of Nicholas Haniotakis, who allegedly tried to run down officers with a vehicle before being shot dead by Nassan. He was cleared by prosecutors after both shootings. While the state police has not yet provided PublicSource with statistics on justifiable homicides, The Wall Street Journal obtained them from the agency for a story on the holes in FBI data on deadly police shootings nationwide. According to that report, the state police tallied 15 justifiable homicides from 2008 through 2012, the latest year available. In an effort to patch missing numbers in FBI data, The Washington Post has been tracking every fatal police shooting nationwide for 2015. So far, the Post reports two fatal shootings by Pennsylvania troopers, one involving a man reportedly firing a rifle in the air outside the Adams County Prison and another involving a fugitive from Arizona killed in a home in Reading. Reports provided to PublicSource do not say when anyone was injured or killed in a shooting, including the single incident ruled “improper.” Training and scrutiny The state police sepa-
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
NATIONAL
MICHAEL ELLERBE (Courier File Photo) rately tallies accidental discharges. Ten out of 23 accidental discharges were deemed improper from 2008 through 2013. Another seven adjudications said troopers were either negligent or in need of counseling or training. Detailed data is not available for 2014 or 2015. Mistakes can easily turn deadly. Last month, a state police shooting instructor was sentenced to two weeks in jail following a tragic 2014 accidental shooting. Trooper Richard Schroeter, now retired, pulled the trigger of a loaded gun, inadvertently killing Trooper David Kedra in Montgomery County. In some cases, an “improper” discharge is simply an indication that more training is needed, said John “Rick” Brown, who retired in 2010 as Pennsylvania’s state police deputy commissioner of administration and professional responsibility. Brown, whose company Transparency Matters advises departments on internal investigations, said he believes the state police does a good job both at shooting investigations and in training officers to make
split-second, life-or-death decisions. “I think we’ve got one of the better processes,” Brown said, explaining that the state police is often the go-to agency to process evidence and to investigate shootings involving officers in local departments. The state police separately considers shots fired at fleeing vehicles. Brown finds that category troubling, citing how danger is compounded when moving vehicles are involved. Many departments ban the practice in all but the most extreme cases. Bullets can fly and hit other vehicles. If a driver is hit, a vehicle could become uncontrollable and crash at high speed. However, internal reports show 17 justified cases where troopers shot at moving vehicles. Three of these shootings (two in 2010 and one in 2012) were marked “improper.” The state police would not disclose its policy on firing at or from moving vehicles, Finn said. For Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, the question is not only whether officers use
their firearms in violation of policy or law, but also whether police are examining whether force was necessary at all. “Is there something we can offer this officer to make this kind of encounter less dangerous and less likely to use force in the future?” she said. In other words, should training and internal reviews put more emphasis on reactions that aren’t a trigger pull? Finn said the state police uses investigations to look for training opportunities. But that doesn’t mean the agency believes the trooper did anything wrong. “If a trooper felt they or others were in fear of death or serious bodily injury, and the discharge of the weapon was within the law and policy, then it was necessary,” Finn said in an email. In a heated moment, the trooper “gets milliseconds to decide what to do, and people look at it for years afterward,” said Jeffrey Shaw, former head of state police internal affairs for Western Pennsylvania. A willingness to accept outside criticism is crucial, Roper said. Recently, the U.S. Justice Department released a
scathing report on use of force by the Philadelphia Police Department, saying that the department had “serious deficiencies” in its use-of-force policies and insufficient oversight of investigations. To be clear, Philadelphia police and the state police are very different. Philadelphia reported more than four times as many justifiable homicides as the state police to the Wall Street Journal from 2008 until 2012, and has tallied 394 shootings in eight years, according to the DOJ report. The Philadelphia Police review was requested by Charles Ramsey, its own commissioner, after a Philly.com article pointed out that shootings by police were up even though crime was down. Ramsey at the time considered the use-of-force policy to fit best practices. The DOJ published nearly 180 pages in March assessing flaws that led to Philadelphia officers shooting too often, many times at unarmed suspects. Roper said all departments should be open to that type of review, which gives a rare look at how officers use deadly force, and when they fall short in efforts to avoid shootings and investigate them properly. The state police provides timely information on officer-involved shootings, Finn said, though details depend on the facts of the case. Attorney Sansone would like to see civilian oversight of officer shooting investigations. Troopers would no longer be policing themselves, which he thinks comes with an incentive to protect their own. “These guys consider themselves to be the elite force in Pennsylvania,” Sansone said. “Yet many, many times they violate the Constitution and the people they’re sworn to protect.” (Reach Jeffrey Benzing at 412315-0265 or at jbenzing@publicsource.org. Follow him on Twitter @jabenzing. PublicSource reporter Eric Holmberg contributed data work to this report.)
New Pittsburgh Courier
women are beautiful too B4
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LIFESTYLES SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Northside Institutional’s
pastoral anniversary B2
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Debbie Norrell
Lifestyles Report
Who says that? Last week Yogi Berra passed away. He was one of the greatest catchers in baseball history and was well-known for his humorous malapropisms. Are you scratching your head and asking yourself what is a malaprop? I get it. I didn’t hear the word malaprop until about three weeks ago. Here is a definition: an example of a malapropism (he always said polo bears and remember Pearl Island). A malapropism is the unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase: the use of a word sounding somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in context. Most of the time the joke is on the one misusing the word. I heard Sirius XM talk show host Karen Hunter use the word malaprop when a caller used the phrase “right off the back.” The term is actually “right off the bat.” The poor caller never got to finish his thought because Hunter, who is also a publisher and professor at Hunter College, took him to task and hung up on him. You go girl! Hunter reminds me of my old talk show days. Let’s get back to Yogi, here is a list of his most infamous “Yogisms.” When you come to a fork in the road, take it. You can observe a lot by just watching. It ain’t over till it’s over. It’s like déjà vu all over again.No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded. Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical. A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore. Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours. We made too many wrong mistakes. Congratulations. I knew the record would stand until it was broken.” The one that drives me crazy is the phrase, “it’s like Deja vu all over again” it makes my skin crawl. I didn’t know where this ridiculous statement came from. I was hearing national and local news anchors use it time after time. I kept asking myself why isn’t anyone correcting them? The term déjà vu means the illusion of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time or a feeling that one has seen or heard something before. The correct way to use the phrase is, “it was like déjà vu.” When I hear new anchors use this phrase on the television and radio it appears to me that they believe what they are saying is correct. Perhaps if they had added “to quote Yogi Berra” in front of the phrase it would have made sense or if they defined it when using it. But you should never use a word in a newscast that you have to immediately define for your audience. But in most of the news reports that I can remember they were reporting very serious news stories why are they using this quip? The other malaprop that burns my butt is the use of the word “ideal” when the person really means “idea.” Look these words up they are two different words. Who says that? (Email the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.com)
WELCOME—Rev. Amelia Harris
SOLOIST—Kara Pennybaker
Sister/Sista Ministries celebrates 15 years by Debbie Norrell Courier Staff Writer
RECEIVING HER ROSES—Rev. June Jeffries
PRAISE & WORSHIP—Maurette Simpson
WORSHIP LEADER—Rev. LaWana Simmons
A large group of ladies gathered on Sept. 12 to honor Reverend June Jeffries, founder of Sister/Sista Ministries, and to celebrate that ministry’s 15 years of empowering, encouraging, training and equipping women ministers. The celebration was held at Oasis Ministries Inc. in West Mifflin, Pa. During a beautiful program, 15 orange roses were presented to Rev. Jeffries. Orange is her favorite color. Reverend Jeffries is the pastor of New Life Baptist Church in Apollo, Pa., where she also teaches adult Sunday School and Bible Study classes. Guests enjoyed soloist Kara Pennybaker and praise and worship led by Rev. Amelia Harris and Rev. LaWana Simmons. Reverend Jeffries spoke about t h e 15-year journey of Sister/Sista Ministries and compared it to the many detours she had to take to arrive at Oasis Ministries. “Don’t throw up your hands, keep following the signs, endure the detours, and know that God is taking you somewhere.” After a delightful meal, Pastor Karen Garland preached the Word of God, speaking from the Book of Matthew and focused on maintaining personal standards. In March of 2006, Pastor Garland founded Zion Apostolic Assembly of McKeesport. She has been employed for more than 15 years at Sojourner House Inc. as a counselor and assistant clinical supervisor. In 2008, Pastor Garland received the “50 Women of Excellence Award” from the PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD—Rev. Karen Garland New Pittsburgh Courier.
HONORING REV. JUNE JEFFRIES—Min. Rebecca Beard, Min. Esther Washington, Rev. Amelia Harris and Rev. Dr. Mary Perdue with Rev. Jeffries, center.
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SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
Northside Institutional’s pastoral anniversary
Praise & Worship HILLCREST SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 2340 Wylie Ave., Pgh., PA 15219 412-391-4334 412-566-8757
“Be Encouraged”
Elder Christopher C. Thompson Power Hour Sabbath..............8:15 A.M. Sabbath School.......................9:00 A.M. Divine Worship.....................11:00 A.M. AYS One Hour Before Sunset Prayer Meeting Wednesday....7:30 P.M.
ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH Crawford & Centre Ave. Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Mass Sunday 9:00 A.M. & Noon
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
RELIGION
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY—Rev. Dr. Lola M. Thorpe, senior pastor of Northside Institutional COGIC.
Sunday (Gospel Choir Mass) Noon www.stbtmchurch.org
While the nation begins to prepare for the upcoming fall season and kids have returned back to school, the business of saving souls and giving praise continues. On Sept. 12, Northside Institutional COGIC, located at 302 W. North Ave., in the North Side, shared their love and praise for their matriarch, Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Lola M. Thorpe. With the theme, “We Remember You, Pastor Lola,” honors were bestowed upon Rev. Thorpe by pastors and bishops alike. The Pentecostal COGIC of Cleveland showed their love through song.
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER— Bishop J. Delano Ellis of Pentecostal COGIC, in Cleveland, preached the Word.
METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH 22 Sampsonia Street, Northside Pittsburgh., PA 15212 412-231-2554 FAX 412-231-6395 Rev. Lacy F. Richardson, Ph.D., Pastor Church School.....................................9:30 A.M. Worship Service.....................8:00 & 10:45 A.M. Bible Study/ Prayer Wednesday.......................6:30/7:30 P.M. www.metropolitanbaptistchurchpgh.com metropolitanbaptist2224@gmail0.com
SIXTH MOUNT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH 6556 Shetland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206 (412) 441-7839
GLORIOUS VOICES—Pentecostal COGIC of Cleveland. (Photos by Rossano P. Stewart)
Church School 9:00 a.m. Worship Service 10:15 a.m. Wednesday Night Bible Study 6:00 p.m.
East Liberty PresbyterianChurch Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800 116 S. Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206 www.cathedralofhope.org
Journey Worship.........8:45 a.m. Sanctuary Worship........11 a.m.
Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community For rate information, call 412481-8302, ext 40. We are looking to
feature our positive youth in the church communities. You can e-mail, fax or mail their bios and photo to:
New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Fax: 412-481-1360 e-mail:
egaines@newpittsburghcourier.com
HONORING ONE OF THEIR OWN—Pastors and bishops show their appreciation for Rev. Dr. Lola M. Thorpe, center.
TESTIMONIAL—Bishop Loran Mann gives praise.
Church Circuit Code R.E.D.D. Revival SEPT. 30—Macedonia Baptist Church of Pittsburgh, 2225 Bedford Ave., Hill District, will host its Code R.E.D.D. (Recruit, Equip, Deploy, Develop) Revival at 7 p.m. Every Wednesday in September, special guest preachers will give a word on the theme. The evening’s special guest will be Pastor Howard-John Wesley of Virginia. For more information, call 412-281-8437.
Initial Sermon SEPT. 30—Union Baptist Church of Swissvale, 2117 Collingwood Ave., Swissvale, will host the Initial Sermon of First Lady Michele Tedder at 7 p.m.
For more information, call 412271-3900.
www.travismalloy.brownpapertick ets.com.
Worship Concert
Prayer Breakfast
OCT. 2—Malloy Entertainment will host the “Purposed 2 Worship” Concert at 7:30 p.m. at Mt. Ararat Baptist Church, 271 Paulson Ave., East Liberty. The event will feature gospel-recording artist Travis Malloy, BET Sunday’s Best winner Tasha Page-Lockhart, Kierra Sheard and Brother Hahz of New York. The event will launch the Inspired to Live on Purpose initiative, which will inspire youth to walk in their God given purpose via workshops, conferences and life skills trainings. For more information, visit
OCT. 3—The Missionary Ministry of Bethlehem Baptist Church, 716 Walnut St., McKeesport, will host a Prayer Breakfast at 9 a.m. at the Georgetowne Centre, 526 E Bruceton Rd., Pleasant Hills. The theme is “We Have No Excuse.” For more information, call 412-664-7272.
NCM Awards Dinner OCT. 9—Nabhi Christian Ministries will host the NCM Awards 2015 Dinner from 6-9 pm. at the Rivers Club, One Oxford Centre, 301 Grant St., Downtown. The
evening will include cocktails and dinner, live jazz, speakers and the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Louis “Hop” Kendrick. Proceeds from the event will go to the Kingsley Association. For more information, call 412-661-1919 ext. 1 or email ncmawards@aol.com.
Octoberfest OCT. 10—The Women’s Usher Board #1 of St. James AME Church, 444 Lincoln Ave., will host its 21st Annual Octoberfest Holiday Blast Bazaar from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in the church’s Sumpter Hall. There will be vendors, homemade baked goods, chicken dinners, door prizes and
more. This is an opportunity to come browse and buy for the holidays. For more information, call 412-441-9706.
Empowerment Conference OCT. 16—Woman 2 Woman & God’s Virtuous Girls will host its “A God Encounter” Women’s Empowerment Conference at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 245 Third Ave., Rankin. This two-day event will include guest speakers author Tracy Vinson, Pastor Earlene Coleman and Tracy Conti, MD. Registration is required by Oct. 12 and will include a light breakfast and session materials. For more information, call Rev. Melanie Timbers or Min. Lorie Gunter at 412-271-2428.
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
PEOPLE
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
B3
‘Brub’ back-to-school day in honor of homicide victim by Paige Mitchell For New Pittsburgh Courier
Knowledge is power and education is the key to success in today’s society. Over the past few weeks, students have returned back to school to embark on their educational journeys and start the 2015-2016 academic school year. In the midst of preparing our youth for the school year, it is important that we also make sure students are prepared with school supplies, along with other necessary tools to be successful in the classroom. To aid in getting students their tools, Latasha Lee and Latia Lee held the back -toschool event, “Brub Day,” on August 22 at Sheraden Park. “We wanted too give back to the youth in a different way. We hosted a back to school drive so that children in the community would be excited about going back to school with supplies needed for a successful school year,” event organizer Latasha Lee said. “Brub Day” was not only created to support the
PAINTED FACE youth, but it was a tribute to Latasha and Latia’s late brother, Steven “Brub” Lee Jr. who died due to reckless gun violence. Steven Lee was invested in the youth of the community. He enjoyed spending time with the youth and motivating them to stay out of trouble, the sisters agreed. He had a tremendous impact on encouraging the youth to be better. The sisters felt holding a school drive was the perfect way to carry on their brother’s legacy. “Brub loved the youth. During his free time he would go to the basketball court with my little brother, Stephon “Noopy,” to play a variety of sports with the younger boys in our neighborhood, trying to keep them out of trouble,” Latasha said. “Kids ranging from (ages) 6-12 would come to our grandparent’s house looking for him to come outside and play catch, or basketball;
LEE FAMILY—From left: Latasha Lee, Tiffani Monique and other Lee family members pose with Latia Lee, right. (Photos by Paige Mitchell) anything to spend time with him. He was a beautiful person inside and out.” Twenty-five individuals volunteered at the event to assist with keeping the children active and safe. There were a few staff that donated and made contributions to the school drive. Tandra Wade donated supplies and book bags; Lateesha Lee Jones, supplied the food and beverages; and Julius Lee cooked for the children. “I am blessed and very appreciative to know these individuals that volunteered their time to help with the school drive. Because of the hard work and dedication put firth, made this school drive beyond my expectations,” Latasha Lee said. “My daughter participated in the Brub Day back to school drive, and she had so much fun. And it was nice to see positive young role models there, helping and encouraging the kids to have a productive school year,” Rhena Lewis said. Each child in attendance received a “Brub Pack” which included notebooks, rulers, erasers, pens, pencils, tissue, crayons, sharpeners, folders and crayon pencils. They were also able to play a raffle for a basket, which was filled with a number of exclusive school supplies such as binders, staplers, small art set, diary, calendar, dry erase board and so much more. The kids were also able to get haircuts provided by Jamarr Kicks, nail services by Aliya Wrays and face paintings by Korey Edmundson.
PROUD FISHERWOMEN—Two Pittsburgh area women show off their big catches. Tiara Watson from Penn Hills, left, with her 38inch, 10-pound northern pike and Danielle Jackson, of the North Side, right, with her 35-inch, 9-pound northern pike, each displays their excellent catches from Erie, Pa. It should be good eating.
Along with receiving school supplies, children particpated in relay races, played basketball and football, jumped in the bouncy
houses, limboed and had a memorable dance battle as Mike Brazil deejayed. “Lately, in the community, there has been so many
tragedies due to violence. Memories of death seem like its the only way I see everyone come together. I wanted the parents and
children to know that we don’t only have to come together when someone dies. The plan is to take our streets and youth’s mentality away from violence and closer to peace and unity,” Lee said. In addition to this event, the Lee sisters host an event every year for their brother’s April 18 birthday. “This was the first back to school drive we hosted, and because it was such a beautiful and successful event we will continue to host them annually. Right now we are building his empire, and we will plan events according to the need of the people in Pittsburgh,” Latasha Lee said. She had a message to encourage the youth as they prepare for a new school year. “Going to school is a privilege. Don’t take it for granted. Read as often as you can, and never stop learning. Hard work, dedication, and God will make your dreams possible. Dream big and win bigger. Your accomplishments is only as big as you make them,” she said.
New Pittsburgh Courier
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ENTERTAINER SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Cover To Cover
‘Hoops to Hippos’ by Terri Schlichenmeyer For New Pittsburgh Courier
Peanut butter and jelly. Bacon and eggs. Rock & roll, Mario & Luigi, whip & nae nae, Batman & Robin. Some things just naturally go together; they belong in pairs. And for NBA player and author Boris Diaw, there are two things he likes to add together. Read “Hoops to Hippos” (with Kitson Jazynka), and see what they are. A long time ago, when Boris Diaw was a little boy growing up in Bordeaux, France, his mother took him and his brother to Senegal to visit the boys’ father. Neither Boris nor his brother, Marcus, had ever been to Africa and they were excited! Boris wanted more than anything to see wild animals in Africa; he bought a camera while he was traveling, and he hoped to take lots of pictures. On that trip, he saw zebras and giraffes, monkeys,
hippos, birds, and warthogs. He never saw lions or tigers then—but he wasn’t done traveling! He still wanted to see the Big Cats but first, Diaw grew up to become a professional basketball player in France, then he moved to the U.S. to play for the San Antonio Spurs. After his rookie year in Texas, he returned to Senegal again, to catch wild animals with his camera. Diaw snapped pictures of hyenas and chameleons. He saw a herd of elephants and “noticed a baby elephant standing in between the legs of his mom. He was so small!” Hiking in the bush, he saw impalas and he played a traditional African bush game. Diaw was also startled by a huge African buffalo. On later trips to Africa, Diaw saw lions and rhinos, and he steered clear of hippos and crocodiles, both of which can run quite fast. He and his group were once stalked by a pack of hungry hyenas who wanted a piece of a basketball star! While in India, Diaw learned a lot about tigers before he saw a mother tiger and her cubs in the wild. And he noted how animals and basketball players have a lot in common: it’s safer, easier, and sometimes more fun to work together as a team. In your child’s life, he’ll have many interests. One of them may become her career but in “Hoops to Hippos,” she’ll see that it’s possible to have many passions. Though, obviously, basketball is a subject that author (with Kitson Jazynka) loves, wildlife and photography really are the focus of this book. In it, Diaw explains what it takes to hunt animals with his camera and, among tales of spotting creatures in their natural habitats, he also shares with young readers the thrilling adventures he’s had on safari. For young basketball fans and for 7- to 9-year-old animal lovers who are just starting to read chapter books, this one is a great pick-up. (“Hoops to Hippos! True Stories of a Basketball Star on Safari! By Boris Diaw with Kitson Jazynka, c.2015, National Geographic Kids, $5.99/$6.99 Canada, 112 pages.)
Cedric the Entertainer: Man of many talents by Genea L. Webb For New Pittsburgh Courier
For the past three decades Cedric the Entertainer has been charming audiences with his no nonsense brand of humor and his infectious smile. “I’m blessed and thankful for what I’ve been able to do in my career. I’ve done movies, and television, written books and I’ve done producing and directing,” said Cedric, who was born Cedric Antonio Kyles in Jefferson City, Mo. in 1964. Cedric has stuck gold again with his Comedy Get Down Tour, which features fellow comedians DL Hughley, Charlie Murphy, George Lopez and Eddie Griffin talking about everything from politics to pop stars during the tag-team style show. The genesis for the tour was created when the friends came together in October of 2014 for a fundraising concert in Peoria, Ill to help erect a statue of Richard Pryor in his hometown of Peoria. That became a reality and the fellas had so much fun working together that they decided to take the show on the road. “This is huge!” Cedric said of the show, which is playing in sold-out arenas across the country. “We talk about everything from the NFL to politics. People get to see the classic Cedric The Entertainer on stage. It’s very high energy.” The Comedy Get Down made a stop at the Consol Energy Center on Sept. 18 and had the audience rolling in the aisles and wiping tears from their eyes. “I’ve been to Pittsburgh a couple of times. It’s a great town with great people. I performed at the Improv there and at Soldiers and Sailors. I’m a big Steelers fan,” he said. Like his name says, Cedric entertains in any medium that he can. He just completed filming of the third installment of the box-office hit “Barbershop” in Atlanta alongside
CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER co-stars Ice Cube, Common and Nicki Minaj. “Barbershop 3” is set for an April 2016 release. He is currently in talks to film the sequel to his 2004 hit “Johnson Family Reunion.” The Entertainer has Monday night television on lockdown. The TVland series,” The Soul Man,” has been picked up for its fifth season. Cedric serves as star, executive producer and co-creator of the show. He portrays Reverend Boyce “The Voice” Ballentine, a former R & B superstar-turned preacher. Comedic actress Niecy Nash shares the screen as his devoted wife Lolli. Fellow Comedienne/ actress Sherri Shepherd will return this season. She joined the cast last season
in a recurring role as his pain-in-the-neck cousin Nikki. “Sherri definitely brought energy to the show last season,” Cedric said. “Her character is the bane of my (character’s) existence. Sherri is working hard and she’s bringing in some good, new energy to the show.” “The Soul Man” airs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. on TVland. On “Cedric’s Barber Battle,” which aired Monday nights at 9:30 on the CW, Cedric effortlessly blended hair cutting with comedy as he pitted some of the most talented barbers across the country against each other to fight with their clippers to showcase their artistic hair designs. The winner was hailed as the creator of “the best crowns in town”
and received a big cash prize. The first show aired in early April of this year and two more episodes followed before it went on hiatus. It returned in late June with four more episodes. Three more episodes will air soon according to Cedric who served as the show’s host, creator and executive producer. “I felt that it was important to the barbering world to put a spot light on barbering,” he said “It goes into the world of competitive barbering. There’s a lot of trash talking and a lot of good times.” Cedric will once again don his stand-up comedian hat in early October for “An Evening with Cedric & Friends” at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis. The event will feature per-
formances by Cedric and iconic songstress Patti LaBelle. The event is a celebration of women’s health services offered at the upcoming Rosetta Boyce Kyles’ Women’s Pavilion at SSM Health Center St. Mary’s Hospital to be named in honor of Cedric’s mother. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2009 and treated at St. Mary’s. She passed away in early June of this year. The hospital wanted to build a women’s health pavilion and name it after a woman with St. Lois ties. “It’s an honor for a hospital wing to be named after my mother. My sister and I loved the idea so did my mom. This wing will allow all women to have the same care,” he said. Diabetic nerve pain is another health issue that is near and dear to Cedric’s heart. “My dad was diagnosed with diabetes and that’s how I got involved with it,” explained Cedric when asked about the diabetic nerve pain commercial as part of the Pfizer-American Diabetes Association initiative “Step on Up,” which aims to bring awareness to diabetic nerve pain. The condition can cause a burning, shooting pain in the hands and feet. “A lot of times males don’t recognize the symptoms so when I was asked to do this I said yes because I thought it was a great way to spread the message.” Cedric also helps men tighten up their style and swagger with his Whoced hat line. The company is celebrating its five-year anniversary this year. The 2015 fall line was recently revealed to rave reviews. “I love wearing hats. The business has grown quite a bit in the last few years,” he said. Cedric is having the most successful time in his career right now and shows no signs of throwing in the towel. “It’s really a good time for comedy right now,” he said.
Plus-Size women are beautiful too
(For more information on Cedric the Entertainer visit IamCedric.com.)
Crowdfunding campaign to change Hollywood’s ideal of beauty PRNewswire/—Michael Elliot Media announced a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.com to fund a
women as love interests in films, Hollywood is perpetuating a view that plus-size women aren’t desirable,
MICHAEL ELLIOT new romantic comedy that will feature a plus-size actress as the primary love interest in the film. The campaign is being called Project Plus-Size Movie Star. “The media, especially television and film, significantly affects how and what we think,” Michael Elliot, an award-winning screenwriter and CEO of Michael Elliot Media, said. “By rarely ever seeing plus-size
sexy, or beautiful, and that they are unimportant. This is a message that needs to change, and this film – and hopefully the films that could be made as a direct result of it—will play a significant role in changing this message.” Elliot wrote the romantic comedies “Brown Sugar” (2002) and “Just Wright” (2010), which starred Queen Latifah and Common.
“I loved Queen Latifah as the reassuring best friend in “Brown Sugar,” but I loved her more in my film “Just Wright,” where she rocked a sexy black dress in the film’s first five minutes, owned a home, was accomplished in her career, and played the film’s romantic lead—without a single reference to her weight or body type,” Elliot said. Elliot hopes the Project Plus-Size Movie Star campaign will reach its funding goal of $1,250,000 and enable him to shoot the currently untitled film next summer. “I believe that if this campaign reaches and exceeds its funding goal, it will send a message to Hollywood that there is tremendous support for films that feature plus-size women in starring roles,” Elliot said. “And should this film do well at the box office or in television ratings, Hollywood studios and networks will see the economic viability of films starring plussize actresses, and fund more of them. More positive images of plus-size women in film will not only affect how women, including my own daughters, view themselves and how others— both men and women— view other women, but begin to destroy the long-
standing Hollywood ideal of beauty that is neither realistic nor accurate.” Elliot’s film writing credits include: “Carmen: A HipHopera” (2001), which launched Beyonce’s film career; “Like Mike” (2002), which starred rapper/actor Lil’ Bow Wow; “Brown Sugar” (2002), with a notable cast including Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Mos Def and Queen Latifah; and
“Just Wright” (2010), for which Elliot received the 2011 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture. Elliot is also the owner of Hammer & Nails, a men’s hand and foot grooming shop in Los Angeles. (For more information about the Project Plus-Size Movie Star campaign, visit h t t p : / / i g g. m e / a t / P r o j e c t PlusSizeMovieStar/x/8644402.)
COMMON, QUEEN LATIFAH IN MOVIE ‘JUST WRIGHT’
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
ARTS & CULTURE
Lower Ninth Caravan Theatre of Pittsburgh presents “Lower Ninth” at 4 p.m. at the Hill House Association Kaufmann Center, Elsie Hillman Auditorium, 1825 Centre Ave., Hill District. This play is about three men stuck on the roof above floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina and the journey of two men who are hoping to be saved. The play by Beau Willimon and directed by Edwin Lee Gibson, will run through Oct. 4. For more information, call 412-392-4000.
Friday 2 I.D. New Horizon Theater Inc. presents “I.D.” at The Falk School/ University of Pittsburgh, 4060 Allequippa St., Oakland. “I.D.” is a hip-hop theatre piece that explores cultural identity utilizing dance, music and emceeing. The production by NSankou Njikam, choreographed by Kikora Franklin and directed by Steve Broadnax, will run through Oct. 11. For more information, call 412-431-0773 or visit www.newhorizontheater.org.
Jazz at Andys Andys Wine Bar at the Fairmont Pittsburgh Hotel presents Jazz at Andys from 5-7:30 p.m. at 510 Market St., Downtown. Special guest DJ Malls will be spinning the vinyl as part of the VINYL Happy Hour. Following the happy hour, there will be a musical performance by Tania Grubbs. It is open to the public. For more information, visit www.andyswinebar.com.
Saturday 3 Lower Ninth Caravan Theatre of Pittsburgh presents “Lower Ninth” at 8 p.m. at the Hill House Association Kaufmann Center, Elsie Hillman Auditorium, 1825 Centre Ave., Hill District. This play is about three men stuck on the roof above floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina and the journey of two men who are hoping to be saved. The play by Beau Willimon and directed by Edwin Lee Gibson, will run through Oct. 4. For more information, call 412-392-4000.
Southern Cuisine/Jazz Night The Rivers Club presents the 2015 Southern Cuisine Buffet & Jazz Night from 6-10 p.m. at the Rivers Club, 301 Grant St., Downtown. Enjoy an evening that will include a Southern Cuisine buffet by Chef Jim and live jazz entertainment by Lyndsey Smith & Soul Distribution, along with Kenny Blake and DJ Frankie B. Advance reservations are required. For more information, call Yolanda at 412-391-5227 or email Yolanda.wingate@clubcorp.com.
Sunday 4 Dulcy The Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company presents “Dulcy” at 4 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, 937 Liberty Ave., Cultural District. “Dulcy,” the first play of the season, is about Dulcinea Smith Gordon, also known as Dulcy, and the hilarious party she holds for her husband and his friends. Although filled with good intentions, the bubbly yet meddling Dulcy always seems to cause calamity whenever she tries to help her husband. The show will run through Oct. 11. For more information, visit www.pittsburghplaywrights.com.
Monday 5 Savoy Jazz Savoy Restaurant presents Savoy Jazz Mondays from 5-9 p.m. at 2623 Penn Ave., Strip District. Every Monday guests can enjoy live jazz in a sophisticated atmosphere by some of the city’s most talented jazz performers. The attire is business casual. For more information, call 412-281-0660 or visit www.savoypgh.com.
Tuesday 6 JazzLive The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents JazzLive at 5 p.m. at the Backstage Bar at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District. Every Tuesday, guests can enjoy a free live jazz series that showcases some of the region’s finest jazz musicians. The evening’s featured performer will be Kenny Blake. For more information, call 412-456-6666 or visit www.trustarts.org.
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Spanky comes back home
October Thursday 1
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
SPANKY WILSON SINGING ON STAGE. (Photo by J.L. Martello)
TITLE TOWN returned to the Thunderbird Café for another ‘Dance & Show” event, this time including a live performance by Pittsburgh’s own, world-renowned songstress Spanky Wilson & The AllStars. Wilson should need no introduction. Her first three albums (1969-1971) were produced by Aretha Franklin’s musical conductor H.B. Barnum. She subsequently recorded for Westbound Records (1975), where she joined a roster of artists including the likes of Funkadelic, The Ohio Players, The Detroit Emeralds, Denise LaSalle and many others. After spending many
years in France, her career was rejuvenated a decade ago by a UK-based DJ, Will Holland aka Quantic of the Quantic Soul Orchestra, who released her 2006 fulllength album, “I’m Thankful.” The album was followed up by a tour across Europe and a 2008 DVD release, “The Quantic Soul Orchestra & Spanky Wilson Live in Paris.” Wilson assembled an Alist group of Pittsburghbased musicians for this Dance & Show event. The All-Stars were comprised of Max Leake (keys), Paul Thompson (bass), Thomas Wendt (drums) and Lou Stellute (sax).
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SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
PEOPLE
Dr. Primas passes Wilkinsburg’s first Black superintendent dies at 83 Dr. Hugh Raymond Primas Jr. passed on Aug. 25, at the age of 90. He was the first of two children born to Dr. Hugh Raymond Primas Sr. and Mary Belle Jacobs. He graduated from Oliver High School and initially went on to Howard University. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. He continued his studies at Pitt, graduating with a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree the following year. He married Joyce Nadine Watson in 1950 and was blessed with three children. Primas Jr. was a member of Bidwell Presbyterian Church where he was named an Elder in the church. He continued to remain faithful to the church even after he relocated to Scottsdale, Ariz. Primas Jr. served his country as an Air Force Captain during the Korean War. Upon returning to civilian life, he built upon the proud legacy of his father by forging a distinguished and lengthy career in dentistry in the Manchester area of the city, having begun his practice in Aliquippa, in a corner store front that served as the location of his first private practice. Primas Jr. served as president to the National Dental Association from 1965–66. In 2007, he was honored as a Legacy Laureate by the University of Pittsburgh as an alumni who exemplified the best in leadership qualities and commitment to the greater good of their profession, community and society as a whole. Primas Jr.’s primary intention had always been to help people in need and his interests eventually led to public health and organizing aid for developing countries in Africa. He was recognized as an expert on Africa and was later sent to inventory and distribute supplies from two mobile units in Benin, Africa. He later returned to the
DR. HUGH PRIMAS JR. University to obtain a master’s degree in Public Health in 1969. He became a professor in the Graduate School of Public Health and directed a health education program between 1970 and 1975, which provided technical personnel to the African nations of Cameroon, Central African Republic and Chad. He was seen as a mentor by both family members and friends, in particular National Geographic Photographer Ken Love, who to this day feels that Primas Jr. was the catalyst that helped him grow in his craft which ultimately led to his receiving an Emmy. He relocated from Pittsburgh to Scottsdale, Ariz., and married Phyllis Janet Krause. He retired from his full-time dental practice in 1995, but remained active in his craft by volunteering his skill at local clinics for the uninsured through St. Vincent DePaul. Primas Jr. pledged the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and was also a lifetime member of the NAACP and a member of the FROGs. He is survived by his children, Hugh Raymond III, Greensboro, N.C.; Nicole “Nikki” Primas Gaines (Toby), Pittsburgh, Leisha Primas Humphrey, Palm Harbor, Fla.; his five grandchildren; his four great-grandchildren; and many cousins, friends and extended family from Pittsburgh to California. Arrangements were entrusted to White Memorial Chapel and a service was held Sept. 28 at Bidwell Presbyterian Church.
Walter Ray Watson Sr., peacefully ended 83 years of a remarkable life on the evening of Sept. 18 in Monroeville. His entered this world Aug. 16, 1932, in Waco, Texas, as the second son of Willie R. and Beatrice Booker Watson. Along with his older brother Bill, the family was forged in Christian faith, love and hard work. Watson Sr. graduated from A.J. Moore High School in 1949 and attended Texas Southern University in Houston on a football scholarship. There, he was initiated in Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He had a promising football career that was ended by an injury. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss in Texas during the Korean conflict. He later earned an MBA degree in business management from Denver University. In 1959, he married Theresa Sampia, they had three children, Walter Ray Jr., Marcus and Derrick. By the end of the 1960s, he rose from teaching jobs in the Chicago public schools to lead Providence-St. Mel, as its principal, a Catholic high school serving predominantly African American students on the city’s West Side. He then joined Cook County Educational Service Region as an assistant superintendent of schools for 13 suburban Chicago school districts during the 1970s. In 1979, a few years after his first marriage ended in divorce, he moved his three sons as a single parent to western Pennsylvania. He eventually became Wilkinsburg’s first African American superintendent of schools. Along the way, he earned a PhD in administration and policy studies from the University of Pittsburgh. He later married Signora Hall. Well into his retirement, Watson Sr.’s energy and interest in service and volunteer work continued. He served as a mediator volun-
WALTER RAY WATSON SR. teering for the Pittsburgh Mediation Center. He was chair of a panel in Wilkinsburg that determined alternatives for nonviolent offenders, steering them away from receiving criminal records. He was also a member of the Wilkinsburg Boys and Girls Club and Wilkinsburg Kiwanis Club Boards of Directors,
focusing on Wilkinsburg students and supporting social service organizations that help the community. Watson Sr. was also on the executive board of the Hosanna House. He was involved in groups like his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, in making scholarships for eligible students, and mentoring and supporting work with fourth and fifth grade students at Northview Heights Academy. He was recently involved with Community Connections and ideas around community projects with Rev. Keith Shields of Morningside COGIC. He is deeply loved and fondly remembered by surviving family, his wife, Signora; sons, Walter Ray Jr., (Carline) of Washington, D.C., Marcus Watson of San Diego, and Derrick Watson (Gail) of Pittsburgh; three grandchildren, Nichole Blair, Derria Raye
Watson and Cydnee Jordan Watson; one great-grandchild, Christopher Wess; a nephew, Donné R. Watson (Paula) of Corsicana, Texas; and a cousin, Vivian Royal of Dallas, Texas. Locally, he is survived by his sister-in-law Louise Grant; brother-in-law, John Armstrong Sr.; nieces, Pam Battles, Patricia Grant, Rhonda Grant and Dollethea Grant; nephews, Tony Battles, John Armstrong Jr., Reginald Grant, Ronald Grant (Patricia), Freddie Grant (Myrna) and Mark Hall; and nieces, Carol Hall, April Mitchell and Iva Tucker, all of Pittsburgh, Linda Moody (Michael); brothers-in-law, Thearthur Hall (Jean) and Edward Hall (Millie), all of Maryland; and nephews, Edward Hall (Kimberly) of California and Edgar Hall (Miechele) of Virginia Beach, Va.
New Pittsburgh Courier
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Inside Conditions
BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Find what you need from jobs to cars to housing C5-C6
Classifieds
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Let’s narrow the racial wealth gap Wealth offers security and privilege that can last for generations. For minority households striving to achieve the American Dream, homeownership is often the surest path. Yet, in today’s environment and more than 50 years since the passing of the Civil Rights Act, the United States continues to experience a widening racial gap in home ownership. Current policies are making homeownership for millions of creditworthy people of color unnecessarily difficult. More than ever, the U.S. needs a more modern approach to determining creditworthiness. It’s a relatively simple solution to a destructive divide among our nation’s households. Homeownership and small business development were becoming the new norm in communities of color. That halted in 2008 when the Great Recession, created by an avoidable subprime crisis, hit the urban communities. Since the Great Recession,
RANDAL PINKETT
Make money the old fashioned way
Michael Grant
Blackonomics the racial wealth gap only widened during the economic recovery: non-minority households were better positioned to recover their losses through stocks and other assets, leaving people of color, who often hold much of their wealth in home equity, to face a slow and painful recovery. We’ve seen this notably in communities like Prince George’s County in Maryland, once seen as a symbol of the African-American middle class. Today, it is experiencing some of the highest foreclosure rates in the country. Cities with high African-American and Hispanic populations, like Hartford, Conn. and Newark, N.J., reported in 2014 the highest number of homeowners stuck in loans far more than their homes are worth. Lending to African Americans and Latinos in 2012 was down by more than 50 and 45 percent, respectively, relative to where it stood prior to the subprime crisis. While housing inequity has been problematic for decades, many policy makers are largely unaware of the direct link that credit scores have on housing opportunities. The nation’s government-sponsored
by Willie Jolley NNPA Columnist
(NNPA)—As someone who has pursued business ventures since he opened his first lemonade stand as a kid, Randal Pinkett’s favorite television commercial growing up was from the financial firm, Smith Barney. It had a famous line, “We make money the old fashioned way, we earn it!” The underlying message was that while there are plenty of ways to make money, the admired way is to actually earn it. And that tagline speaks to the work ethic of Randal Pinkett, who was the first African American winner of The Apprentice with Donald Trump on Season #4. With an educational background in engineering and business, Pinkett is both a Rhodes Scholar and a Walter Byers Scholar, holding five earned academic degrees. His MBA and Ph.D. are from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before appearing on The Apprentice, Pinkett had already established a career in business. He is considered a “serial entrepreneur,” having founded his first company, MBS Enterprises—selling compact
discs and cassettes out of his dormitory room in college. From there, he went on to start and grow numerous businesses, then sell them and go on to his next venture. From his compact disc company, he moved on to start a business to improve the lives of high school students. This evolved into his second venture—a training and development company for emerging and seasoned professionals. Next, there was the Inner City Consulting Group, where he helped small companies grow their profits and performance. From there, Pinkett co-founded Access One Corporation, with a mission to ensure that affordable housing was equipped for the 21st by implementing innovative, sustainable broadband network and telecommunications solutions. All of this lead to his current consulting business that he co-founded called BCT Partners. This is a multimillion-dollar, management, technology and policy consulting services firm. They work with corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations to improve organizational effectiveness and support strategies for change.
Teen CEO of a $3.5 million global enterprise, talks about his dream GPS SEE GAP C2
*Many people have learned to run their mouth incessantly, and some of them actually talk a good game. But few of the mouth-runners actually have something to show for all that talk. So don’t even bother listening to the next broke-ass individual that tries to tell you how to go about making money. I just had to get that off my chest before I introduce (or re-introduce) you to Jaylen D. Bledsoe. Yes people, it is possible to learn
about the road to success from a 17-year-old. Especially one who is a successful entrepreneur whose company, Bledsoe Technologies, LLC, is valued at $3.5 million dollars! His tech company now employs 180 people around the country and in the video below, he successfully uses the metaphor of a GPS to break down the concepts of win and fail or just “recalculate.” Bledsoe is a nationally recognized teen entrepreneur, investor, motivational
speaker and business development consultant. A techie in every sense of the word, Bledsoe used a $100 investment to develop his information technology consulting business when he was 12 years old and within two years he had 150 contractors. Bledsoe, who is now working on an app for hotels (something about your cellphone acting as a room key) has been successful in a number of areas including start-up businesses, brand
BCT Partners is a minority-owned and operated, federal 8(a), small business enterprise. He has been a stalwart for sharing the excellence that small minority-owned businesses can bring to the marketplace. BCT Partners have positioned themselves as one of the leading firms in the country with expertise in the areas of: housing and community development, economic development, education, government and human services. Randal Pinkett’s belief in God has always been his source of strength and kept him grounded. He grew up attending St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in Hightstown, N.J. When he returned from England as a Rhode Scholar, he joined the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, and later, First Baptist Church of Lincoln in Somerset, N.J., where Pinkett is an active member today. He is the author of three books: Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur’s Guide to Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business (Kaplan Business 2007), No-Money Down CEO: How to Start Your Dream Business SEE MAKE C2
and business development, venture capital funding, direct marketing platform development and implementation, entrepreneurship and increasing revenue streams. And of course Hollywood has taken notice (his clients include celebs like Jordin Sparks and Steve Harvey). All I can say is that I commend the parents of Jaylen Bledsoe, who appears to stay out of his limelight, but at the same time supported SEE TEEN C2
JAYLEN BLEDSOE
Blacks still short changed in mortgage markets (NNPA)—Financial security can often feel like a tug of war with earnings and income on one side and the cost of living and debt on the other. Which side wins can determine whether a household is mired in insurmountable debt or gains the financial ability for a better life. For many families, the path to that better life is through homeownership. If you’re Black or Latino, however, wanting and getting are often two different things. In 2014, borrowers of color and families with low-to-moderate incomes continue to be shortchanged in the mortgage market, according to the newly-released Home Mortgage Disclosure Act report. One of the few reports that tracks data by race and income, the HMDA report tallies how many mortgage loans were approved and by type. To put it another way, the HMDA numbers reveal whether Black America is getting its fair share of mortgages. In 2014, the numbers show that communities of color got a lot less: •Out of 1,736,000 conventional mortgage loans for purchases last year, Black borrowers received only 45,544; Latino borrowers fared better, receiving 87,570. Only 2.6 percent of these loans, typically
the most affordable half of all first-time and widely availhomebuyers. Charlene Crowell able, were made to Lenders and FanBlacks and just 5 nie Mae and Fredpercent for Latinos. die Mac have a •The more costly duty to serve more government-backed than just conloan programs such sumers with prisas FHA, VA and tine credit and high USDA were the prilevels of wealth. mary mortgage veHomeownership hicles for consumers of color. For Blacks, must be available to all credit-worthy 96,780 home loans (9.7 percent of all govconsumers so they can pursue their own ernment-sponsored loans) were made, and American Dream.” again Latinos received slightly more with An in-depth analysis of 2014 HMDA 128,653 (12.9 percent) of these loans. data is available on CRL’s web. “These stark disparities in mortgage Among mortgage professionals, it is lending to borrowers of color and lowwidely held that owning a home is how wealth families occur to the very people many Americans build wealth. Because hardest hit by abusive lending and the the private mortgage market has failed foreclosure crisis. These disparities also to make loans available to Black homecome at a time when our nation’s demobuyers, our community suffers from a graphics are changing,” said Nikitra Bai- limited ability to create wealth through ley, executive vice president with the this reliable and proven method. Center for Responsible Lending. Demos, a public policy organization, “The future health of our mortgage published a report that demonstrated if market, a major driver of the economy, the rate of homeownership by people of relies on closing these gaps.” color would increase, the racial wealth Bailey continued, “By 2025, the popula- gap would substantially reduce the racial tion will be even more diverse with wealth gap. “Black and Latino homeownhouseholds of color representing nearly ers saw less return in wealth on their in-
Commentary
vestment in homeownership: for every $1 in wealth that accrues to median Black households as a result of homeownership, median white households accrue $1.34,” states the report. Housing is critical to the health of our national economy. Excluding credit-worthy families from fully participating fully in the entire housing marketplace hinders the market’s ability to continue its steady improvement. This exclusion also systematically limits the total number of potential homebuyers. As America’s retirees grow older, many will seek to downsize. Expanding the pool of homebuyers looking for their first home can help first-time buyers access a greater number of options. Between historically and broadly available low mortgage interest rates, coupled with strengthened consumer protections, today’s lending climate is better able to create safe and successful lending for consumers and lenders alike. It’s also an opportunity to close the racial wealth gap in the name of economic fairness. (Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.)
C2 SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
Make money the old fashioned way CONTINUED FROM C1
with Little or No Cash (Trump University 2008), and Black Faces in White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness (AMACOM Books 2010) with his college roommate and business partner, Professor Jeffrey Robinson of the Rutgers Business School. In addition to his business ventures, Randall Pinkett speaks to corporations around the country, including Pepsi and Walgreens; universities such as Duke and the University of Virginia; government agencies, including the U.S. Small Business Administration, plus national conferences, including the Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference. Pickett has signed radio and television commercial deals; served as spokesperson for Autism Speaks and made regular public appearances on behalf of Verizon to support their “Fiber Optics Services” (FiOS) services and their “Verizon Shotcaller Showdown” business plan competition for minority high school students around the country. During my SiriusXM interview with Pinkett, he shared lessons learned and earned as an entrepreneur
and first African American winner of The Apprentice. Dr. Pickett says: You can do anything you set your mind to do if you are willing to work hard to achieve it. Start by envisioning your success on the inside and then go to work to create it on the outside. You must create your own opportunity rather than waiting for it to appear. Success is what we accomplish for ourselves, while greatness is the impact we have in the eyes of others. Strive for both. The key to success is to bring value to world; then figure out how to monetize it. Use your creativity, be resourceful and persevere! Never give up. You must grow your courage. Courage makes you willing to take the first step. No first step, no ultimate success. Don’t be afraid to fail because failure and success go hand and hand. The cleaner “Formula 409” was named 409 because it was the company’s 409th attempt. It happened after 408 failures! (Willie Jolley is America’s #1 inspirational/motivational speaker/singer/author. He is the author of several best-selling books and can be reached through his website www.williejolley.com.)
Let’s narrow the racial wealth gap CONTINUED FROM C1
enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, rely on outdated credit scoring models from FICO in making mortgage lending decisions. These FICO models, which are now generations old, monopolize the market and lenders are left without a choice of scoring models when originating loans to be sold to the GSEs. With credit scores being a determining factor in obtaining a mortgage, this action by the GSEs needlessly locks out of the housing market millions of creditworthy consumers, especially low income families and people of color. We need a challenge to the outdated credit scoring models locked-in by the GSEs. My suggestion is a clarion call for alternative credit scoring models that will bring between some 3035 million Americans into the discussions of who should and should not be worthy to receive mortgage loans in this country. By using larger swaths of data to build models and by taking into consideration alternative payments such rent, utilities, cell phones and cable, newer, more inclusive credit scoring models, like the Vantage Score model, can more accurately report credit behavior for larger numbers of consumers. Revising the GSE guidelines can give lenders the flexibility to choose between validated models that best fit their businesses and customers. If these newer models were adopted, it could open the door for people of color seeking responsible and sustainable mortgage
credit without loosening standards. According to some estimates, more inclusive credit scoring models could also expand annual purchase mortgage lending to people of color by 32 percent over 2013 levels. The additional revenue from new home purchases could spur the housing ecosystem, the broader economy and foster healthy competition and innovation among credit scoring models. The imperative to improve access to mortgage credit safely and soundly in order to fix the widening wealth and homeownership gap cannot be overstated. Just as Congress, overtime, saw the competitive value inherent in having two competing mortgage GSEs, so too, it seems clear that competition in permissible credit scores that can be used to underwrite mortgages to be sold to the GSEs cannot harm and can only benefit lenders, borrowers, investors and the American economy as a whole. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt has urged the GSEs to consider this effort this year but that’s only the beginning. It’s an issue that should be squarely placed in front of President Obama, HUD Secretary Julian Castro, key legislators and industry influencers in Washington D.C. if it is to be taken seriously. To be sure, waiting until the next Administration is not an option. The time to act is now. (Michael Grant is president of the National Bankers Association. Grant can be reached at mgrant@nationalbankers.org)
Teen CEO talks about his dream CONTINUED FROM C1
him immensely with great guidance, a strong and focused work ethic and most importantly, a belief in his dream. “I see greater meaning in knowing that I’ve motivated someone with my story, inspired someone with my words, or impacted someone with my business rather than just enjoying the check that’s offered,” he told The Huffington Post. “I’ve come to the understanding in my life as I travel the country speaking to youth, hoping to change
lives, that the word ‘networth’ doesn’t have to simply be the equation of ‘your assets minus your liabilities’.” –Jaylen D. Bledsoe CEO Scott Schnuck is the man Bledsoe credits as being a mentor to him from the very beginning of his business journey. He says the owner of a chain of grocery stores gave him invaluable advice: “Take risks, there’s nothing that you can do as a minor that will shoot you down for too long. Because you are young, you can come back up and keep going.”
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
BUSINESS
Teaching our dollars to make more sense ( N N PA ) — W h e n down and NAN Donald Trump first James Clingman says “Let’s ‘maach’ spoke about his inon Washington.” tentions to run for A young Black president and called man is killed in a out Mexicans and Walmart and our Hispanics in gen“leaders” rally in eral, here’s what front of that store happened. Yes, — for a day. Our unthere were protests employment is at in the streets by an all-time high, deLatinos who felt they had been insulted by spite the “great economy” they say we are Trump, but further action was taken, not in, and the National Urban League writes by Latinos but by corporations. a report each year telling us how bad According to an article by Sarah Berger, things are for Black America. Our voting with the International Business Times, rights are being discarded, our HBCU’s are “[Macy’s] said they would no longer carry losing millions because of Parent-Plus Trump’s menswear collection, which fea- Loan changes, we are ignored and taken for tured shirts, ties and watches.” Further, granted by both political parties, and Black “Macy’s is not alone: NBCUniversal, Univi- politicians like John Lewis tell us to vote sion, mattress maker Serta and other com- our way out of our problems. panies have also cut ties with Trump…The It’s no wonder we don’t get the same rebroken deals point to the growing influence spect and support as other groups. The of Hispanic consumers in the United ways we respond to negative issues allow States. As the Latino demographic in the the mistreatment we get from others. Take U.S. rapidly increases, so does their buying the “Black Lives Matter” mantra. Of course power, and businesses are starting to real- our lives matter and it makes no difference ize that value.” if others have a problem with our saying it. Economics raises its head again, doesn’t But we have some Black folks who are tryit? Macy’s was not boycotted; it was not tar- ing to gain acceptance from others and trygeted by Latinos in any way. Why did they ing to make others feel comfortable with us feel obliged to cut ties with Trump when he by adding to the phrase, “All lives matter,” dissed Hispanics? A better question is: which is obvious to most people anyway. “Why haven’t we seen companies take any Saying and acting upon the fact that Black corresponding action on behalf of Black peo- lives matter “less” than all other lives is imple? Remember the Indianapolis incident portant, but we must act appropriately earlier this year, when corporations threat- upon what we say. ened to move their companies out of that Carlos Santiago, president and chief city if the law that “discriminated” against strategist of Santiago Solutions Group gay people was not changed? It took about said, “Latino customers represent an op24 hours for it to be changed. portunity for Macy’s to grow its business John Crawford was killed in a Walmart model…Macy’s Hispanic base of buyers is for holding a BB gun, 12 year-old Tamir significant and growing while the ‘non-HisRice was killed in two seconds for holding a panic’ is declining slowly. They (Macy’s) toy gun, Eric Garner was choked to death have to protect their growing loyal base on national and TV after saying “Why do just as their competitors like Nordstrom, you keep bothering me?” and Sandra Bland JC Penney’s, Target and Walmart are. In was arrested and died three days later be- this race to capture the new growth, a cause she failed to signal a lane change and change in public image is worth millions of was smoking in her own car. Did any cor- dollars in goodwill and loyalty.” porations make threats against anyone on The appropriate response to those who their behalf? transgress against us must be grounded in Macy’s and the others punished Trump economics. We spend money at Macy’s, as without being asked to do so, because they well as many other corporations. Why have respect the $1.5 billion buying power of they not spoken and acted on our behalf? Hispanics. That’s it, plain and simple. “But As I have written many times, until we are annual Black buying power is $1.2 trillion, serious about gaining the support of those Jim; why are we ignored?” with whom we do business, they will ignore Major corps with whom we spend much of our plight and take our dollars for granted. that $1.2 trillion each year have, a “deOur economic response must be “Black praved indifference” to our plight, as Bob Dollars Matter!” And we must teach our Law says. They do not respond to our issues dollars how to make more sense. (Jim Clingman, founder of the Greater Cincinnati in the same way because there is no price to pay for not doing so. We get slapped upside African American Chamber of Commerce, is the nathe head by politicians and our big bad tion’s most prolific writer on economic empowerNAACP tells us to take a 1,000-mile walk. ment for Black people. He can be reached through One of our children gets shot down or beat his website, blackonomics.com.)
Blackonomics
Social Security question and answer Question: My neighbor said he applied for Social Security retirement benefits online. Can you really apply for retirement without traveling to an office? Answer: Yes, you can! And, what’s more exciting, it’s the easiest, fastest, and most convenient way to apply for retirement benefits. Our secure website makes it simple, allowing you to apply for retirement benefits in as little as 15 minutes. You can get started now at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline. Question:
What is the earliest age I can begin receiving Social Security retirement benefits? Answer: The earliest age you can begin receiving Social Security retirement benefits is age 62. If you decide to receive benefits before your full retirement age, which for most people is age 66 or 67, you will receive a reduced benefit. Keep in mind you will not be able to receive Medicare coverage until age 65, even if you decide to retire at an earlier age. For more information, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/retire.
Tax considerations when starting a small business Are you thinking of launching your own business? Roughly 800,000 new businesses open each year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. When these young companies get started, it’s critical for their owners to understand the many rules and regulations that apply to them. The Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants offers advice on three of the many questions you’ll need to address. What Form Should the Company Take? Business structure choices can include sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or a limited liability company. The one you select will be based on many factors, including whether you will have employees or partners and the kinds of risks your business may face. Your choice will also have an impact on your tax situation. There are some relatively simple business structures that don’t cost a lot to set up or maintain, such as a sole proprietorship or partnership. Even an LLC may incur low annual state fees. Corporations will generally involve higher costs related to required financial recordkeeping and other documentation. Tax reporting can be relatively straightforward for sole proprietorships, partnerships, and LLCs, too, because owners can report their business income on their personal returns rather than on a business return. What if I work at home? If you run your business out of your home, or if you use a portion of it for business purposes, you may be able to take the home office deduction for expenses related to that section of your home. To be eligible, you must use part of your residence—which could mean some or all of a room or other area—exclusively for business on a regular basis. Double check with your CPA to see if
you qualify. Of course, no matter where the business is located, you can deduct your company’s expenses from your revenues. Some items can be deducted immediately on your current year return and others must be amortized, or taken over time. How can I save for my future? Retirement may be the last thing on your mind as you start a new business, but the tax laws offer numerous incentives to start building your nest egg sooner rather than later. There are several retirement plan options for small business owners that feature low start-up and maintenance costs and few paperwork burdens. The contribution limits in some cases are much higher than those for other IRAs or a corporate 401(k). With a Simplified Employee Pension IRA (SEP), for example, you can contribute up to 25 percent of your (or an employee’s) compensation, up to a maximum of $53,000. Another choice is the SIMPLE (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees) IRA, which is typically best suited to companies with 100 or fewer employees. SIMPLE IRAs may be a good option for companies that want to offer a retirement plan to their workers without facing high administrative costs. These and other available retirement plans offer owners and workers tax-advantaged savings options. Your CPA can help Starting a new business is an exciting prospect, but it’s one that can seem daunting at times. You don’t have to go it alone. Your local CPA has the experience and knowledge to provide business insights and answer your most pressing questions. Turn to him or her for valuable advice on all your financial concerns. Visit www.picpa.org/moneyandlife for more small business resources including PICPA’s CPA locator tool.
BUSINESS CALENDAR
Advancing Entrepreneurship OCT. 1—The University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence, the University Center for Social and Urban Research, and Small Business Development Center will host Advancing Entrepreneurship in the Mon Valley series from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Library of Homestead, 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. This free program offers educational programs and consulting services to new, emerging and existing entrepreneurs in the Mon Valley. The topic is “The Second Step: Developing a Business Plan.” Attendees will learn all they need to about operational and production planning, conducting market research and creating financial spreadsheets to attract funding for one’s business. Registration is required. For more information, call 412624-3095 or visit www.monvalleyentrepreneur.pitt. edu.
Financial Success Seminar OCT. 7—The University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence will host the “Financial Success Seminar for Boomer Business Owners” from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Clearview Federal Credit Union, 8805 University Blvd., Moon Township. This informative seminar geared towards workers age 50-plus will teach individuals about business start-up and financial basics such as the taxes and licenses needed to start one’s own business and legal entity options for their new venture. Experienced financial and legal professionals will be onhand to discuss financial planning related to starting a small business, loan types and how to work with their banker. Registration is required. For more information, call 412-648-1542 or email info@innovation.pitt.edu.
Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Business OCT. 7—The African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania will host its Business Institute from 1-4 p.m. at Manchester Bidwell Corporation, 1815 Metropolitan St., North Side. The workshop title is “Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Business.” Diana Burley, PhD, a cybersecurity workforce expert, the co-PI and research director for the National Cyber Watch Center, and the associate professor in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University, will teach attendees how to defend their business against cyber attacks. Registration is required. For more information, call 412-392-0610.
Plant A Seed OCT. 8—Small Seeds Development Inc. will host Plant A Seed from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Le Mont Restaurant, 1114 Grandview Ave., Mt. Washington. Attendees will enjoy an evening of networking, fun, recognition and investment. Reservations are required. For more information, call Brittany Tonet at 412-6652810 or email botnet@ssdipgh.org.
Think Big Forum OCT. 13—The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University will host its 10th Annual Think Big Forum from 5-8 p.m. at Chatham University, Eddy Hall, Woodland Rd., Shadyside. The theme is “By Women, For Women: Celebrating 10 Years of Entrepreneurship in Pittsburgh.” The conference will feature guests such as Cara Jones-Harries, Nicole Narvaez Manns, Rohini Shag, Sophia Berman and Laura West. Registration is required. For more information, visit www.chatham.edu/cwe.
Soldier to Entrepreneur OCT. 14—The University of Pittsburgh Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence will host “Soldier to Entrepreneur: Understanding the Financial Condition on Your Business” from 7:3010:30 a.m. at Riverside Center for Innovation, 700 Ridge Ave., North Side. This class will provide an overview of how to analyze and understand differing financial statements to help identify and understand major problem points and areas for growth. Registration is required. For more information, call 412-6481542 or email info@innovation.pitt.edu. (To have information on Business Calendar, send information at least two weeks in advance to: 315 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219; Fax: 412-481-1360 or e-mail: newsroom@newpittsburghcourier.com.)
New Pittsburgh Courier
SPORTS
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SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Steelers ‘D’ lead them to victory Now must face the hated Ravens without Big Ben by Ulish Carter Courier Staff Writer
The Steelers defense stepped up to lead them to a win over the St. Louis Rams, and is now ready to do battle with Joe Flacco and the much-hated Baltimore Ravens, but without star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. In what was supposed to be an easy game ended up being a 12-6 defensive struggle won by the much criticized Steelers defense which was supposed to be the Steelers weak link this season. Once again the Steelers offense marched up and down the field but without DeAngelo Williams, who was lost on the bench, they were only able to score one touchdown in the Red Zone. Compounding the offensive problems was Roethlisberger getting hurt in the fourth quarter. But even though the Steelers stayed on the ground most of the fourth quarter, after a scoreless third quarter, Williams became the forgotten man. The Steelers are going to have to find a way to play both Le’Veon Bell and Williams if they expect to beat a desperate Ravens team this Thursday. The Ravens were expected to battle the Steelers for the AFC North title but they enter the game against the Steelers at 0-3. They can’t afford to go 0-4 in that tough division. The Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Andy Dalton jumped on the Ravens early but Ravens Quarterback Joe Flacco brought them back and even took the lead in the fourth quarter. But
BIG BEN DOWN—Ben Roethlishberger holds his leg in pain after a tackle. He will miss from 4 to 6 weeks. (AP photos) Dalton threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to his favorite target, A.J. Green with 2:10 left in the game to keep the Bengals undefeated at 3-0. Dalton went 20 for 32 for 383 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite target was Green, who finished with 10 catches for a careerhigh 227 yards and two scores. Baltimore lost despite getting 362 yards passing from Flacco, who twice connected with Steve Smith for touchdowns. Smith had 13 catches for 186 yards, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Ravens from losing again. Partly because they totally abandoned the running game, picking up just 25 yards on only 13 carries. Baltimore was the only
existing NFL team never to start 0-3. Well that’s over. In the Steelers, Rams games Roethlisberger was carted off the field with a knee injury in the second half and Pittsburgh’s defense came through to give the Steelers the victory. Will Allen’s interception with 1:56 left set up a field goal by Josh Scobey to put Pittsburgh ahead by six points. Pittsburgh (2-1) averaged 32 points in its first two games but was held down well before Roethlisberger’s leg got caught underneath him on a diving, sliding sack by Mark Barron. The Rams (1-2) were limited to two field goals by Greg Zuerlein and have scored just 16 points the last two games. Their last chance ended when the
Steelers successfully challenged a potential firstdown catch by Kenny Britt near midfield with 1:19 to
play. The Steelers defense held Nick Foles to just 197 yards on 19 of 28 passing. The
running game was even worst being held to just 40 yards on 16 carries. For the Steelers Roethlisberger was not as impressive as the previous two games picking up just 197 yards on 20 of 24 passing. Once again Antonio Brown had a great day with 11 catches for 108 yards. No one else on offense did much of anything. Bell had 62 yards on 19 carries, as well as 7 catches for 70 yards. Steelers defense played without its best player from last week linebacker Ryan Shazier. Just how long Roethlisberger will be out is not known, it’s speculated that it will take 4 to 6 weeks before he can return. Michael Vick will start in his place against Baltimore, which will be a Thursday night game on CBS at around 8:30 p.m. In other AFC North action, the Cleveland Browns, 1-2, lost to the Oakland Raiders, 2-1, 27-20.
THE ‘D’—The Steelers defense stayed in front of the St. Louis Rams all game to hold them to just 6 points.
FLYING HIGH—Le’Veon Bell, 26, tries to jump over defenders in his return to play after a two game suspension.
THE GREATEST—Antonio Brown appears to be floating on air as he gathers in one of his 11 catches for 108 yards.
Inside Conditions—Horror story by Aubrey Bruce For New Pittsburgh Courier
Just when things couldn’t get any better for the Pittsburgh Steelers, well things went from great to “ghost.” The Steelers starting QB, “Big” Ben Roethlisberger suffered a left knee injury during the Steelers 12-6 victory over the St. Louis Rams on this past Sunday Michael Vick the second string QB of the Steelers will be stepping in to replace Roethlisberger for the time that he will be out had this to say regarding the injury to Big Ben. Big Ben was the only postgame topic that really mattered to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Michael Vick’s reaction when Ben Roethlisberger went down in the third quarter, and
he had to grab his helmet and go, said it all. “I was kind of stunned, you never want to see a guy like Ben go down. I was listening to the post game radio analysis of the game and I was in the process of dozing when a comment by some USDA prime “knucklehead” caused me to sit straight up. This unique individual had the nerve to say that: ‘ I can’t prove it but Michael Vick probably wanted Big Ben to get hurt so he could be the starting QB and prove his worth to another team.’” Yeah right, and the tooth fairy does not compensate children who travel to the dentist for a tooth extraction as opposed to taking a trip with mom or dad to the tool shed and allowing one of them to extract the
AUBREY BRUCE offending tooth with a pair of vise grips. Someone even suggested that the Steelers go out and snag QB Tim Tebow as an extra insurance policy until Ben Roethlisberger’s return. Sorry
folks, I hate to disappoint yinz but Roethlisberger is going to need some top of the line, cutting edge medical care along with a good old fashioned prayer meeting to get back on the playing field to keep the Steelers season from flying south for the winter. I wonder if the Steelers did decide to snag Tim Tebow would there be protestors out there spitting tobacco juice wearing overalls and cute little outfits or would there be groups holding prayer vigils, releasing balloons of thanks in regards to snagging the most moral, religious vigilante? As far as Roethlisberger’s injury is concerned Rams quarterback Nick Foles had this to say: “we’ll be saying those prayers for
Big Ben.” Please excuse my ignorance but I have uttered and received many a prayer but for the life of me, I need all of you to identify a few of “those” prayers for me so that I can use a slew of them when I give the cashier at the lottery window my “powerball” numbers for the upcoming week. The injury to Ben Roethlisberger was caused by a blow administered by an opposing defensive player to prevent the Steelers QB from making a play then, now or in the future. Almost for the life of his career, Ben Roethlisberger has arguably been treated differently in regards to blows delivered to NFL quarterbacks and the empathy associated with those blows. Why?
Well partially because traditionally it has taken a bit more strength to bring Roethlisberger to the ground than the average NFL quarterback. So the attitude may be; if you have a shot to bring him down, ya better take it. Football is a violent game, played by violent men for a blood thirsty audience, period. However, we should all be praying for Ben Roethlisberger the man, as well as Ben Roethlisberger the athlete because when his career is all over he will remain a son, a husband and a father. (espn.com was the source of this story) (Aubrey Bruce can be reached at: abruce@newpittsburghcourier.com or 412-583-6741. Follow him on Twitter@ultrascribe.)
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SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
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SPORTS
City League Preview: Dragons hope to end 40-year curse by Smokin’ Jim Frazier For New Pittsburgh Courier
The most famous curse in the world of sports is the Curse of the Bambino, and it was a superstition evolving from the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series in the 86-year period from 1918 to 2004. This misfortune began after the Red Sox sold player, Babe Ruth, sometimes called the Bambino, to the New York Yankees in 1919. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been suffering under the “Bream Curse,” since 1992. Sid Bream, playing then for Atlanta, and a former Pirate, slided the sweeping tag of Mike LaValliere to win the game and knock the Pirates out of the 1992 National League Championship Series. Allderdice With appearance in three of the last four City League football title games, Allderdice has grown accustomed to success. But, the Dragons haven’t won a City League football championship since 1967 and was embarrassed, 42-14, by
Brashear in last year’s title game. Allderdice features 6’3 twins, James and Tim Jackson, two of the best players in the state and the team, is determined to end the 45-year curse.
Former Keystone Oaks coach, Ed White, takes over the coaching position at Carrick. The Raiders return a very talented and experienced team and could make some noise in 2015. Allderdice Seniors, Ramon Creighton and Tim
Brashear The returning champion Bulls are led by senior quarterback/defensive back, Therran Coleman, and he is being recruited by Pitt, West Virginia, and Arizona State.
SMOKIN’ JIM’S WESTERN PA. TERRIFIC 25
USO Shawn Rutherford, a 6foot-3, 220-pound quarterback, is in his first season at University Prep after transferring from Perry Traditional Academy. Rutherford will be throwing to Kenny Robinson, who already have scholarship offers to Pitt and Toledo. Perry As a sophomore, running back Richard Giles, scored 14 touchdowns for Avonworth and could rush for more than 1,000 yards for Perry’s “Blue Steel” Power I offense. Carrick
Defense DL - Tyler Thornton - Carrick DL - Jamon Miyares - Westinghouse DL - Ray Dean - Perry DL - Tyree Jackson - Perry LB - Ramon Creighton - Allderdice LB - Keyshawn Brooks - Westinghouse LB - Trevon Williams - Allderdice CB - Therran Coleman - Brashear CB - Khalil Sanders - Brashear S - Dajuan Dugger - Allderdice S - Kenny Robinson - USO K - Dom Molinaro - Brashear Athlete: James Jackson - Allderdice Player of the Year: Shawn Rutherford - Perry Coach of the Year: Jerry Haslett - Allderdice
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and James Jackson, are potential major college prospects in football and basketball. Superior coaching, playmakers at the skilled positions and strong in the trenches are the recipe that the Dragons will use to break the curse.
1711 Penn Ave. In The Strip District
1) Aidan Howard - WR/DB - Senior - Gateway 2) James Jackson - QB - Senior - Allderdice 3) Phil Juakovec - QB - Sophomore - Pine-Richland 4) Paris Ford - WR/S - Junior - Seton-LaSalle 5) Kaezon Pugh - RB/LB - Senior - Aliquippa 6) Lamont Wade - RB/DB - Junior - Clairton 7) Therran Coleman - QB/DB - Senior - Brashear 8) Donovan Jeter - TE/DE - Junior - Beaver Falls 9) Miles Sanders - RB/DB - Senior - Woodland Hills 10) Tim Jackson - WR/S - Senior - Allderdice 11) Jason Dambach - QB - Senior - Riverside 12) Damar Hamlin - WR/CB - Senior - Central Catholic 13) Kenny Robinson - WB - Junior - University Prep 14) Aaron Matthews - WR/QB - Senior - Clairton 15) Billy Kisner - QB/DB - Senior - Penn Hills 16) DeWayne Murray - RB - Junior - Steel Valley 17) Liam Sweeney - QB - Senior - Seton-La Salle 18) Levi Metheny - QB - Senior - Bethel Park 19) Zach Chandler - QB - Senior - Avonworth 20) Shawn Rutherford - QB - Senior - Perry 21) Khaleke Hudson - RB/S - Senior - McKeesport 22) Dremar Everette - TE - Senior - Wilkinsburg 23) Hunter Hayes - RB - Senior - South Fayette 24) Khalid Blount - OL - Senior - Washington 25) Chuck Sanders - C - Senior - North Allegheny
Overtime by Bill Neal For New Pittsburgh Courier
:10—PYRO - TECH – NICS…a super fancy word for fireworks which is a fancy word for firecrackers…as we know it. Whatever you call it, don’t do it before the game. C’mon Man! :09—“Le’Veon Bell” clearly hasn’t missed a step. A supremely conditioned athlete to be sure, with a great skill set…of course some “good weed” doesn’t hurt either! OK, OK, once again I’m the bad guy. You know you were thinking it too. :08—Yeah, I’m at my spot…no, not that spot…no, not that spot either. Oh please, stop. You know if I tell ya, I’d have to kill ya! Anyway, from where I sit, the questions about the Steelers defense seem to be answered. They treated the Rams like they tried to set ‘em on fire…oh wait, they did try to set ‘em on fire! (For you Oliver grads, please see #10.) :07—Speaking of Oliver, and I just was if you’re paying attention. And that was no accident…if anyone sees Ray Zellers, the former great running back by way of Oliver…by way of Notre Dame…by way of the New Orleans Saints…please ask him to call me so we can have him as a special guest at the Pittsburgh City League Hall of Fame Inductions on Saturday, Oct. 17, and tell him we still have his award from last year. Thank ya! 412-628-4856.
BILL NEAL :06—OK, this just in! Ben is down…Ben is down…Ben is down!!! But not to worry Steelers faithful, Michael Vick to the rescue. Who you say? Oh, c’mon, you remember Vick, the guy you tried to run out of town for dog fighting that happened forever ago. HEY - PITTSBURGH - HOW YA - LIKE - ME - NOW??? :05—Congrats to Penn Hills and Pitt native Aaron Donald in his homeboy game against the Steelers. Although he only had one sack, his presence was felt all day. :04—While you’re filling out your score card, be reminded of the brilliance of Francisco Liariano, striking out nine of the bothersome Cubs en route to is 12th win. :03—You heard it here loud and clear, the Pirates will catch St. Louis and win the Division outright. I know you haven’t been there in a while, but that boys and girls You- CanTake-To-The-Bank!
:02—Big Ben was on record to break Bradshaw’s win record, but the knee injury will delay that. My guess is the big fella will be back in four weeks, but the inside word is it could be 810. :01—I know I was last to the dance, but I just saw “Straight Outta Compton.” FAN - TAS - TIC! Ice Cube’s son, great job, as were all the actors. I give it 4 basketballs . 4 out of 5 not bad, not bad at all. :00—DOUBLE OVERTIME: Here are the final inductees for the Class of 2015 Pittsburgh City League All-Sports Hall of Fame Inductions: Larry Anderson (SH), Katelyn Brown, Larry Brown; Carmen Bruce, Edna Campbell, Ricky Cannon, Bill Clark, Joe DeFirore, Herb Douglas, Henry Ford, Wesley Garnett, John Gerdaino, Lynn Harris, Renee Henderson, Mark Hogan, Hosea Holder, Curtis Hefflin, Tony Liscio, Rod Rutherford; Ahmad Shereef; Arnie Sowell, Henri Chatman, Clarence Hopson, Carlita Jones, and Shawn Crosby. The event is set for Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Wyndham Hotel University Center in Oakland. (Not Downtown.) Cocktail Reception – 6 p.m.; Hors d’oeuvres spread and welcome – 7 p.m.; Awards presentation 8 p.m.; Post-reception party (to be announced); Tickets $40 in advance, $50 at the door. Only 250 seats available. Call 412-628-4856 for information. ~ GAME OVER ~
New Pittsburgh Courier
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SONNY BOY
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Help Wanted
Health Care
UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER
California University of Pennsylvania seeks to hire a University Photographer who will manage and coordinate all photo assignment requests by university staff and faculty, outside vendors, designers and publications. A minimum of a bachelor's degree in visual communications or related field plus five years of photojournalism experience (photo editor preferred) or an equivalent amount of training and experience as a photographer / photo editor is required. For a detailed job description, position requirements and instructions for application, visit www.calu.edu; click on Employment, then Staff Positions. All applicants must apply online. Integrity, Civility and Responsibility are the official core values of California University of Pennsylvania. Cal U is M/F/V/D/AA/EEO.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
California University of Pennsylvania seeks to hire a Director of Development who will identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward prospects and donors typically seeking gifts of $10,000 and above. A bachelor's degree with a minimum of five to ten years prior experience in related higher education development, including work achieving documented success with major gifts, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations and strategic partnerships is required. For a detailed job description, position requirements and instructions for application, visit www.calu.edu; click on Employment, then Staff Positions. All applicants must apply online. Integrity, Civility and Responsibility are the official core values of California University of Pennsylvania. Cal U is M/F/V/D/AA/EEO.
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR MARKETING
California University of Pennsylvania seeks to hire an Associate Vice President for Marketing who will serve as a visionary leader and manager for comprehensive strategic marketing efforts at the University. The primary focus of this position will be the development, implementation, and evaluation of marketing plans, principles, and practices to increase enrollments through comprehensive strategic enrollment management efforts. A Master's degree in marketing, communications or a related field from a regionally accredited college or university, or progressive, related work experience that may be considered in lieu of a master's degree is required. For a detailed job description, position requirements and instructions for application, visit www.calu.edu; click on Employment, then Staff Positions. All applicants must apply online. Integrity, Civility and Responsibility are the official core values of California University of Pennsylvania. Cal U is M/F/V/D/AA/EEO.
DUQUESNE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Duquesne City School District is seeking the following Substitutes: Substitute Paraprofessionals. Requirements include High School Diploma or GED. Associateʼs degree or minimum 60 credit hours from accredited college/university required; Bachelorʼs preferred. Substitute Personal Care Assistants. Requirements include High School Diploma or GED; Standards as required by Federal and State regulations. Substitute Secretaries. Requirements include High School Diploma or Equivalent; Practical secretarial experience preferred. ALL candidates must have current Act 151/34/114 clearances. Additional information can be found on the Districtʼs website www.dukecitysd.org. Please send resume and cover letter to Duquesne City School District, 300 Kennedy Avenue, Duquesne, Pa 15110, ATTN: Human Resources/PR. EOE Deadline to apply is October 5, 2015. JOB OPPORTUNITIES Health Care
CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PART-TIME NURSING POOL TEMPORARY POSITIONS WITHOUT BENEFITS
Registered Nurse (varying shifts, seven days a week): College campus nursing responsibilities, not limited to: student-patient examinations, preventive intervention and treatment of medical conditions including emergency treatment, and maintaining records. Ability to position, lift and/or transfer non-ambulatory students/patients, with assistance as needed. For position details and to apply on line, visit https://careers.calu.edu. Cal U is M/F/V/D/AA/EOE
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LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT Invitation for Bid ACHA-1545, Emergency Generator Preventative Maintenance
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ANNOUNCEMENTS Public Notices
NOTICE
POISE Foundation announces the availability of applications for the 2015 Community Development Block Grant for District 9 of the City of Pittsburgh (Hope Fund Grants) beginning Thursday, October 1, 2015. Councilman Ricky Burgess has engaged POISE Foundation to manage the assessment and selection of CDBG grant recipients for District 9. For more information about Hope Fund Grants and to access the online application, please visit www.poisefoundation.org. Completed applications must be submitted using the on-line system by 5:00 p.m. Monday, November 2, 2015 to be considered for funding. RENTAL SERVICE Unfurnished Apartments
COMING SOON! Penn Mathilda Apartments 4816 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15224
AFFORDABLE 1 Bedroom starts at $605.00 2 Bedroom starts at $730.00 *Scheduled to open February 2016 *Equipped Kitchens *Carpeting *Central Air *Onsite Laundry Facility *Intercom System *Utilities Included *Veteran preference on 20 units Income Limits Apply For More Info Contact Supportive Housing Management Services, Inc. (SHMS) 803 E. Pittsburgh Plaza East Pittsburgh, PA 15112 Applications & Assistance Available Monday-Friday Phone: 1(800) 238-7555 (412) 829-3910 Applications cannot be postmarked prior to October 15, 2015 SMOKE FREE ENVIRONMENT Equal Housing Opportunity LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices
Estate Notices
Letters have been granted on the estate of each of the following decedents to the personal representative named who request all persons having claims against the estate of the decedent to make known the same in writing to him or his attorney, and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment to him without delay:
Estate of BRACCO, DOROTHY, deceased of Homestead, No. 5745 of 2015, Timothy Bracco, Extr. or to c/o Matthew J. Beam, Esq., Scolieri Law Group, 1207 Fifth Avenue, Ste 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Estate of FLEISCHER, MILDRED, of Pittsburgh, PA. No. 02-15-05613, Myrna Kline, Executrix c/o Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, PC, One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or to Nancy L. Rackoff, Esquire, Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, PC, One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Estate of DUMOND, HAZEL C., of Mt. Lebanon, No. 02-15-05754, Lynn D. Portnoff, Executrix, 160 Robinson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, R.M. Entwisle, III, Atty., 125 1st Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Estate and Trust Estate of RACKOFF, BARBARA, a/k/a RACKOFF, BARBARA WEINBERG, deceased of Pittsburgh, PA. No. 02-15-05335, William H. Rackoff, Executor and William H. Rackoff and John M. Rackoff, CoTrustees under Irrevocable Trust Agreement of Barbara Rackoff c/o Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, PC, One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or to Nancy L. Rackoff, Esquire, Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, PC, One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140 E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com Deadline/Closing/Cancellation schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication
Sealed bid proposals are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 (412.237.3020) on the following items: Bid Proposal No. 950 Fortinet Maintenance Renewal Proposals will be received at the Purchasing Department until 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at which time they will be publicly opened. Any proposals received after this deadline will be considered as a “late bid” and will be returned unopened to the offerer. The CCAC Purchasing Department is now publishing all bids via the CCAC website at h t t p s : / / w w w. c c a c . e d u / B i d RFP_Opportunities.aspx It will be each vendorʼs responsibility to monitor the bid activity within the given website (“Bid and RFP Opportunities”) and ensure compliance with all applicable bid documents inclusive of any issued addenda. Failure to incorporate any applicable addenda in the final submittal may result in the rejection of your bid. Proposals may require Bid Bonds, Performance Bonds, Payment Bonds, and Surety as dictated by the specifications. No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids. The Community College of Allegheny County is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and encourages bids from Minority/Disadvantaged owned businesses.
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B. F. JONES MEMORIAL LIBRARY AND LGA PARTNERS INVITE POTENTIAL BIDDERS TO SUBMIT AN OFFER FOR THE ROOF REPLACEMENT CONTRACT BEFORE 2:30 PM LOCAL STANDARD TIME ON THE 23RD DAY OF OCTOBER, 2015. OFFERS SUBMITTED AFTER THE ABOVE TIME SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: COMPLETE REMOVAL OF EXISTING FLAT ROOFING SYSTEM OF B. F. JONES LIBRARY, 663 FRANKLIN AVENUE, ALIQUIPPA, PA 15001, AND REPLACEMENT WITH A TPO FLAT ROOF SYSTEM. SOME REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING ACCESSORIES. SUCCESSFUL BIDDER WILL BEGIN WORK WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF THE AWARD OF CONTRACT. THERE WILL BE A PRE-BID MEETING AT THE SITE ON OCTOBER 8, 2015, AT 9:00 AM. PLEASE CONTACT BILL EDMONDS, LGA PARTNERS, 412-224-6551, OR wedmonds@lga-partners.com IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND. POTENTIAL BIDDERS MAY USE THE SAME CONTACT IF THERE ARE ANY GENERAL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE WORK. BID DOCUMENTS MAY BE PURCHASED FROM TRI-STATE REPROGRAPHICS 2934 SMALLMAN ST, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201. BIDS WILL ONLY BE ACCEPTED FROM BIDDERS WHO HAVE OBTAINED ORIGINAL PRINTED BID DOCUMENTS. ADDITIONAL BID DOCUMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED, UPON REQUEST, IN ELECTRONIC “PDF” FORMAT TO BIDDERS WHO HAVE PREVIOUSLY OBTAINED PRINTED DOCUMENTS. BIDDERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE BID SECURITY IN THE FORM OF A BID BOND OF A SUM NO LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF THE BID AMOUNT. REFER TO OTHER BIDDING REQUIREMENTS DESCRIBED IN SECTION 00 2113 INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS. SUBMIT YOUR OFFER ON THE BID FORM PROVIDED. BIDDERS MAY SUPPLEMENT THIS FORM AS APPROPRIATE. YOUR OFFER WILL BE REQUIRED TO BE SUBMITTED UNDER A CONDITION OF IRREVOCABILITY FOR A PERIOD OF 30 DAYS AFTER SUBMISSION. THE OWNER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REJECT ANY OR ALL OFFERS.
COURIER CLASSIFIEDS…THE ONLY WAY TO GO!
PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY ADVERTISEMENT Separate sealed Bids for the Work as listed hereinafter will be received at the Purchasing and Materials Management Department of Port Authority of Allegheny County (Authority) Heinz 57 Center, 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222-2527 until 1:30 p.m. on October 29, 2015 and will be publicly opened and read immediately thereafter at the same address. BROADWAY AVENUE TRACK RENEWAL AND PAVING CONTRACT NO. SYS-15-08 The Work of this Project includes, but is not limited to, the furnishing of all track replacement and pavement of the center two lanes of Broadway Avenue, Beechview neighborhood in the City of Pittsburgh. The work zone of the Project runs along Broadway Avenue between two ballasted track sections near Neeld and Fallowfield Avenues. The Contractor shall furnish all materials (except track rail and strap guard), tools, equipment, transportation and supervision and perform all labor and services necessary and incidental to the satisfactory completion of the Work in a proper workmanlike manner within the time limits set forth in the Contract Documents. Bid Documents will be available for public inspection and may be obtained on or after September 28, 2015 at Authorityʼs offices at the following address: Port Authority of Allegheny County Purchasing and Materials Management Department Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527 Bid Documents are available for purchase as follows: Bid Documents are available in an electronic form on compact disk upon payment of ($15.00) per set. Payment shall be by check or money order (NO CASH), payable to “Port Authority of Allegheny County.” No refunds of payment will be made. Upon request, Bid Documents can be mailed upon receipt of payment in full. Should the purchaser wish to have the Bid Documents delivered via special delivery, such as UPS or Federal Express, the purchaser shall provide its appropriate account numbers for such special delivery methods. This Project is subject to financial assistance contracts between Authority and County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Authority, in compliance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, as amended, 74 Pa. C.S. § 303, as may be amended, implements positive affirmative action procedures to ensure that all Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (“DBEs”) and certified Diverse Businesses (“DBs”) have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts financed, in whole or in part, with federal and state funds provided for this Project. In this regard, all Bidders shall take all necessary and reasonable steps, and make good faith efforts, in accordance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, to ensure that DBEʼs, and in accordance with 74 Pa. C.S. § 300, to insure that DBs, have the maximum opportunity to compete for and perform contracts. Bidders shall also not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, disability, national origin, sexual origin, gender identity or status as a parent in the award and performance of DOT-assisted contracts. It is a condition of this Contract that all Bidders shall follow the DBE and DB required procedures as set forth in the Bid Documents. If aid is required to involve DBEs and DBs in the Work, Bidders are to contact Authorityʼs DBE Representative, Cameil Williams at (412) 566-5257. The Bidderʼs attention is directed to the following contacts for Bidderʼs questions: Procedural Questions Regarding Bidding: Margarita Rodriguez - Authority (412) 566-5150 All other questions relating to the Bid Documents must be submitted by mail or facsimile to: Port Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 Attn: Margarita Rodriguez Fax: (412) 566-5359 In addition, the Bidderʼs attention is directed to the following schedule of activities for preparation of its Bid: 9:00 a.m. Pre-Bid Conference October 12, 2015 Port Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 5th Floor Board Room 345 Sixth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 (Attendance is not mandatory, but strongly recommended) Pre-Bid Site Tour immediately following the Pre-Bid Conference 1:30 p.m. Bids Due October 29, 2015 Purchasing and Materials Management Department Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Bids The Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County (SEA) will receive proposals for ELEVATOR AND ESCALATOR SERVICE CONTRACT as identified below. The contract for this work will be with SMG. The Request for Proposals may be obtained after the date identified below from Linda Mihalic, email: lmihalic@pittsburghcc.com, Telephone: (412) 325-6167, Facsimile: (412) 325-6104. This Advertisement applies to the following Request for Proposal: Contract: Elevator/Escalator Service Contract RFP Available: September 24, 2015 Pre-Proposal Meeting: 10:00 AM Wednesday, September 30, 2015, David Lawrence Convention Center, SMG Admin Office- East Lobby, 1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Time/Date/Location for Proposals: 2:00 PM Thursday, October 15, 2015, David Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Ft Duquesne Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
The Allegheny County Housing Authority is requesting Bids from qualified vendors to provide preventive and remedial maintenance, inspection and repair of standby-by emergency generators. Invitation for Bids and Contract Documents are on file and may be obtained at no charge from the Allegheny County Housing Authority, 625 Stanwix Street, 12th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or by contacting Guy Phillips at gphillips@achsng.com, 412-4022435. A pre-bid conference will be held in the ACHAʼs Boardroom on Thursday, October 15, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. Bid submittals are due no later than 10:00 a.m., Monday, November 9, 2015. The Authority encourages responses from small firms, minority firms and firms that have not previously performed work for the ACHA. The Allegheny County Housing Authority reserves the right to reject any and all submissions.
To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129
C6
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2015
CLASSIFIEDS
LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals
OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION of the SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH
Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Room 251, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on October 13, 2015, until 2:00 p.m., local prevailing time for: Pittsburgh Phillip Murray Abatement and Demolition Bid Package Asbestos, General, Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical Primes Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on September 18, 2015 at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700) 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is nonrefundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual.
America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140 E-mail: ads@newpittsburgh courier.com Deadline/Closing/ Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication
To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129
Look for our red box WHOLE FOODS MARKET 5880 CENTRE AVE AMTRACK STATION LIBERTY AVE & GRANT ST CITY COUNTY BUILDING 420 GRANT ST CCAC—HOMEWOOD BRANCH HOMEWOOD & BRUSHTON AVE YMCA 11817 FRANKSTOWN RD EAST LIBERTY EBA EAST BUSWAY KINGSLEY ASSOCIATION 6435 FRANKSTOWN AVE. WILKINSBURG EBA EAST BUSWAY
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On Sale Wednesdays WESTERN AREA: CRAFTON BEVERAGE CRAFTON/INGRAM SHOPPING CENTER GIANT EAGLE CRAFTON/INGRAM SHOPPING CENTER SHEETZ #353 5400 CAMPBELL’S RUN RD SHOP N’ SAVE #1686 2103 NOBLESTOWN RD SAFRANS SUPER MKT 429 WALNUT ST GIANT EAGLE #74 PARKWAY CENTER MALL SOUTHERN AREA: KEN’S 216 BELTZHOOVER AVE NELSON’S 92 SYLVANIA AVE GIANT EAGLE #61 2021 WHARTON AVE COGO’S 2400 EAST CARSON ST COGO’S 925 EAST CARSON ST DAILY MART 1125 ARLINGTON AVE SHOP N SAVE CARRICK SOUTH EASTERN AREA: SUPER STOP 403 KENMAWR AVE CARL’S CAFE 337 FIFTH AVE COMET NEWS 540 BRADDOCK AVE PUFFS DISCOUNT TOBACCO 1722 GREENSBUR AVE A-PLUS SUNOCO 7403 WASHINGTON ST COGO’S 1050 BRINTON RD COGO’S 2003 S BRADDOCK AVE EDGEWOOD EXPRESS 253 EDGEWOOD AVE BRAD EXPRESS 1101 S BRADDOCK AVE GIANT EAGLE #619 1705 S. BRADDOCK AVE CVS 7406 CHURCH ST HANINI MARKET 1105 SWISSVALE AVE DUKE’S SUNOCO 825 DUQUESNE BLVD 7-11 818 N. DUQUESNE BLVD GIANT EAGLE #6379 420 EAST WATERFRONT DR GIANT EAGLE—MCKEESPORT 3812 O’NEILL BLVD J & S FOOD MART 625 W GRANT AVE RITE AID PHARMACY 100 WILLIAM MARKS DR GIANT EAGLE 1356 HOFFMAN BLVD BP GAS STATION LYSLE & WALNUT DS FOODMART 929 UNION ST RITE AID PHARMACY 725 LYSLE BLVD
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A-PLUS MINI MART 7701 PENN AVE WOOD & PENN 902 WOOD ST AL’S FISH & CHICKEN 1000 PENN AVE SAVE A LOT 725 ROSS AVE CVS PHARMACY 520 PENN AVE GETGO 408 PENN AVE QUICK STOP LIBERTY 3349 LIBERTY AVE K-2 CONVENIENT STORE 4900 PENN AVE SHUR SAVE 4120 MAIN ST SHELL GAS 6701 FRANKSTOWN RD UNIMART 5724 ELLSWORTH AVE GIANT EAGLE #77 254 YOST BLVD PUFF’S DISCOUNT TOBACCO 234 YOST BLVD SPEEDY MART 2131 ARDMORE BLVD SQUIRREL HILL NEWS 5804 FORBES AVE MURRAY AVE. NEWS 2024 MURRAY AVE GIANT EAGLE MURRAY AVE & LORETTA ST DISCOUNT TOBACCO & NEWS 1929 MURRAY AVE UNIVERSITY OF PGH BOOKSTORE 4000 5TH AVE DANA’S BAKERY 720 N. HOMEWOOD AVE DA STORE 606 & 1/2 N. HOMEWOOD AVE FLOSSYS HAIR DESIGNS 5927 PENN AVE BONUS TIRE SERVICE 4349 VERONA RD KANDY CAFE 4291 VERONA RD GIANT EAGLE SHADYSIDE 550 CENTRE AVE MARATHON GAS 4010 PENN AVE STANTON NEGLEY DRUG 804 N. NEGLEY AVE RON’S CORNER DRUG MT. CARMEL RD CENTRAL AREA: GET GO #64 4924 BAUM BLVD SCHWARTZ MARKET 1901 5TH AVE SMOKER FRIENDLY 906 5TH AVE HILL DISTRICT: WONG’S MARKET 2170 CENTRE AVE ANN’S MARKET 2316 WEBSTER AVE A-PLUS MINI MART 2350 CENTRE AVE UJAMMA BOUTIQUE 1901 CENTRE AVE K LEROY IRVIS TOWERS 715 MERCER ST SHOP & SAVE SUPERMARKET 1850 CENTRE AVE ABE’S MARKET 1860 CENTRE AVE WYLIE TOBACCO 2152 WYLIE AVE
DOWNTOWN: KWIK-E-MART 212-10TH ST 7-11 #167 643 LIBERTY AVE 7-11 #165 SIXTH & PENN AVE 7-11 #170 429 WOOD ST ESTER’S SNAX FEDERAL BUILDING, 2ND FL SMITHFIELD NEWS 115 SMITHFIELD ST CITY NEWS & ARCADE 422 WOOD ST FABER COE & GREGG 500 GRANT ST FABER COE & GREGG FIFTH AVE. PLACE FABER COE & GREGG 600 GRANT ST NIELSEN’S STORES #09 301 GRANT ST— ONE OXFORD CENTER NIELSEN’S STORES #13 437 SEVENTH AVE— KOPPERS BUILDING 9TH & PENN NEWS-NUMBERS 136 PENN AVE EXTRA EXTRA NEWS 413 SEVENTH AVE NEAL NEWS 400 CHERRY WAY CVS PHARMACY #4120 610-612 WOOD ST C&C NEWS 2 PPG PLACE NEWSTAND SIXTH & WOOD ONE STOP 300 SIXTH & WOOD EDDIE’S SNACKS 262 5TH AVE BIG DADDY 465 FORBES AVE 711 SMITHFIELD 420 SMITHFIELD ST NORTHERN AREA: W. N. GROCERY 1018 NORTH AVE. NORTH SIDE BEER & BEVERAGE 1304 FEDERAL ST ALLEGHENY GIFT SHOP— AGH HOSPITAL 320 EAST NORTH AVE GIANT EAGLE #652 318 CEDAR AVE 7-11 #158 1001 WESTERN AVE RICHEY’S BARBER SHOP 1207 N. FRANKLIN ST QUIK-IT 820 PENNSYLVANIA AVE RITE AID #3459 802 PENNSYLVANIA AVE MARSHALL SHELL 1500 SPRING GARDEN AVE SWINKO’S MARKET 2535 PERYSVILLE AVE MERCY STREET EXPRESS 6 MERCY ST HARV’S EXXON 2501 BRIGHTON RD QUICK SCHWARTZ 3235 BRIGHTON RD HANINI MARKET 3245 BRIGHTON RD