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Schubert meets with community VOL. 107, NO. 49
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DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
Vows to follow McLay’s vision
by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer
Echoing the comments he made at former Chief Cameron McLay’s final press conference, Acting Chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Scott Schubert said he would continue to follow McLay’s policies aimed at improving relations with the community. “I’ve been going out as much as I can to different meetings to assure people that we will stay the course and follow through the vision of Chief McLay,” said Schubert. “He did a lot of great things and we’re not going to stop now.” That commitment was put into question when—just one day after McLay’s last official day—officers used smoke grenades to disperse a crowd protesting Donald Trump’s presidential election victory. McLay never used that particular tactic. Schubert told the crowd of about 50 at the Kingsley Association in Larimer that he might have handled it differently had he been there—but since he wasn’t, he wouldn’t
second-guess the officers who were. He said one of his priorities is to set clear procedures for when such tactics would be used in the future, adding that he would meet with community members to get their input. “We want to do everything to keep the public and the marchers safe. We are as passionate as the mayor about people’s First Amendment rights,” he said. “We usually try to work with organizers on CONTINUING COMMUNICATION—Acting Police Chief Scott Schubert tells SEE SCHUBERT a Kingsley Association audience he will continue the work of forging better relations with the community. (Photo by J.L. Martello) A4
77 of 96 homicides Black lives
More Black lives lost in November by Ulish Carter and Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writers
It’s not likely Allegheny County will stay under the 100 mark in homicides in 2016 after finishing November with 96 deaths. Of those 96, 77 were Black, which rounds out to be 80 percent. This statistic is even harder to take when Blacks make up approxi-
LEMUEL NIXON
Lemuel Nixon passes at 83 Was a tireless business and NAACP advocate
PROUD URBAN LEAGUE HONOREES—Individuals honored by the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh hold their awards at the Annual Ronald L. Brown Leadership Awards Gala at the Omni William Penn Hotel. Pictured above, from left: honorees Ralph Bangs, Claudette Lewis and Hallie Donner with the Urban League’s President and CEO Esther Bush and Board Chair Judge Dwayne D. Woodruff. See more photos on A5. (Photo by J.L. Martello)
by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer
Musician, basketball star, NAACP planning director and born salesman Lemuel O. “Rip” Nixon, who was a pioneering Black executive with Pittsburgh Brewing and IBM, died Dec. 1 after suffering a stroke. He was 83. “Rip just had that aura about him. He commanded respect,” said Tim Stevens. “And he was passionate, about creating opportunities, about justice, about people. I’ll miss him” Originally from Beltzhoover, Nixon was a star athlete at Westinghouse, and for the U.S. Army—having been drafted just before the Korean War—and became the first Black player on the Ohio University team in 1952; he later transferred to St. Francis College, graduating in 1958. He returned to Pittsburgh and sold Iron City Beer for Pittsburgh Brewing until 1965 when he landed a job with IBM, which took him and his new family—having married his wife, Yvonne, two years earlier— to Detroit, then Chicago, SEE NIXON A4
Black to the Future event thrills hundreds by Christian Morrow Courier Staff writer
Assisted by Day-Glo body paint, black lights and “cosmic coolers,” nearly 250 guests took the party to outer space as New Voices Pittsburgh celebrated its 12th anniversary with its Black to the Future 12th Anniversary Gala at WQED Studios in Oakland. “With our Black to the Future Celebration, New Voices is honoring our past as we inspire our supporters to help us build the future of our movement to protect and expand the Human Rights of Black women, femmes and girls,” said NVP Founder and Executive Director La’Tasha Mayes. In addition to the cosmic coolers—a vodka, citrus and CO2-chilled concoction provided by the Common Plea––partiers enjoyed live entertainment from Turntable Ruckus and ABAFASI, led by master Djembe drummer Kelly E. Parker, “Black to the Future” time capsules, a Tap
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mately 13 percent of the county and 30 percent of Pittsburgh. The percentage and number is far too high. We need to be hopeful that the work of mothers who are against violence and other community activist organizations will kick-in soon, and stop the killings. November was no different than the rest of the year with nine deaths, seven of them being Black which is 78 percent. Making it even worse––five were under 30 and one was a 1-yearSEE HOMICIDES B10
Gun suicides outnumber homicides in Pa. by Jeffrey Benzing PublicSource
their support and urged them to keep on fighting. “We started this in 2004 because there was nothing and no place for women of color to get pol active,” said Board Chair Alecia Young. “So support community organizing, fund community organizing. It’s the only thing that ever changed
We hear more about homicides, but gun suicides outnumber murders in Pennsylvania. Ken Bacha is no foe of the Second Amendment. As coroner for Westmoreland County, he carries a Glock 23 pistol in a protective hip holster, almost casually, like an oversized smartphone. He’s fond of hunting. He enjoys shooting sports, gun bash fundraisers, and has about 15 guns at home. He shoots, his wife shoots, his daughters shoot. That’s pretty typical in the county, where gun sales are among the highest in the state, where hunting is a way of life and gun permit applications swell after terror attacks and mass shootings. Guns for sport, guns for protection. Bacha has both. Eighty-five percent of gun suicide victims in Pennsylvania are White men.
SEE FUTURE A4
SEE SUICIDES A4
SPACE ODYSSEY—Jasmine Burnett, left, and La'Tasha Mayes of New Voices Pittsburgh pose at its Black to the Future 12th Anniversary Gala at WQED studios, Dec. 3. (Photo by J.L. Martello) Snap social media photo booth, as well as recognition of exceptional leadership in New Voices, catering by Big Burrito Group and the Common Plea, and a Liquid Nitrogen dessert station courtesy of Bella Christie. Before the guest got too far into the future, Mayes, various board members and sponsors thanked everyone for
Ulish Carter says
Our jails are filled with the wrong people Opinion B5
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INTERNATIONAL
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
Mandela Children’s Hospital opens in Johannesburg by Stuart Graham Associated Press Writer
JOHANNESBURG (AP)—Nelson Mandela’s dream of a hospital to provide specialized care for children has opened in Johannesburg on Friday. The 200-bed Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital cost $70 million to build. It was conceived by Mandela more than a decade ago, will employ 150 pediatric doctors and 450 nurses. “There are only four other hospitals in Africa to serve nearly 450 million children,” said Sibongile Mkhabela, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust. “Millions of these children suffer from life-threatening illnesses and have little or no chance of receiving the care they need.” Mandela’s “love for children was deep,” Mkhabela said. “When you brought a child in to the room, his eyes lit up. This hospital will be part of his legacy.” The hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and will provide child-centered treatment for cancer, kidney, brain, lung and heart ailments. Video equipment
CARING FOR KIDS—The main entrance the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, Dec. 2. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) has been installed in the operating rooms to send live broadcasts of surgeries to educate doctors in remote areas across southern Africa. Corridors and walls in the wards have been painted with murals of African folklore and children playing. The landscaping around the hospital aims to promote nature and play. The poor will not have to pay for treatments, according to the hospital trust. Construction of the hospital was funded largely through donations from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Islam-
ic Relief Worldwide and the Kellogg Foundation, said the trust. Specialist doctors from Canada’s Hospital for Sick Children and Johns Hopkins Medicine International in the U.S. will be among those working at the hospital. The hospital will be South Africa’s second for children after the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. There are also two children’s hospitals in Egypt and one in Kenya. Mandela, who became South Africa’s first Black president in 1994, died at the age of 95 on Dec. 5, 2013.
Rape used for ethnic cleansing in South Sudan, says UN team KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) —South Sudan is experiencing ethnic cleansing in several parts of the country and risks becoming a Rwanda-like catastrophe, a team of U.N. human rights investigators said Friday. “There is already a steady process of ethnic cleansing underway in several areas of South Sudan using starvation, gang rape, and the burning of villages,” said Yasmin Sooka, the lead U.N. investigator, earlier this week. Rape is “one of the tools being used for ethnic cleansing,” the U.N. investigators said Friday, adding that sexual violence in the East African nation “has reached epic proportions.” “The scale of gang rape of civilian women as well as the horrendous nature of the rapes by armed men
DISPLACED—In this Jan. 19, file photo, displaced people walk next to a razor wire fence at the United Nations base in the capital Juba, South Sudan. (AP Photo/Jason Patinkin, File) belonging to all groups is utterly repugnant,” said Sooka. A U.N. survey found that 70 percent of the women in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, had experienced sexual assault since the country’s civil war began in December 2013, the team said. The warning comes after
the special investigators finished a 10-day visit to South Sudan earlier this week. They found that the South Sudan government is intentionally moving civilians from the Dinka ethnic group out of Yei, a town that has seen significant fighting near the border of Uganda and the Congo, Ken Scott, a member of the U.N. team, told The Associated Press on Friday in Nairobi. He warned that South Sudan’s violence could soon spill over into Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia. The core definition of ethnic cleansing is displacement along ethnic lines, said Scott. “It can take many forms, obviously killing people is the most extreme, raping very close to that, destruction of property, destruction of schools,” he said.
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This Week In Black History
December 7 1931—Comer Cottrell is born. Cottrell founds the Pro-Line hair care products company. He also becomes the first Black to own part of a professional baseball team when he buys into the Texas Rangers in 1989. 1941—Dorie Miller shoots down three or four Japanese war planes during the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Miller was a kitchen worker on the USS Arizona who had learned to operate the ship’s weapons. After his death he was awarded the Navy Cross. December 8 1850—Lucy Ann Stanton graduates from COMER COTTRELL Oberlin College in Ohio. She is believed to be the first Black female college graduate in America. 1936—The Gibbs v. Board of Education in Montgomery County, Md., decision is rendered. It was the first of a series of court rulings, which eliminated the practice of paying White teachers more than Black teachers. DORRIE MILLER December 9 1872—P.B.S. Pinchback begins serving as the first Black governor of Louisiana. He served for a little more than a month. Pinchback, son of a White plantation owner and a former Macon, Ga., slave, was a major force in Louisiana politics after the civil war and during Reconstruction. He was also instrumental in the 1879 establishment of Southern University. 1875—Carter G. Woodson is born in New Canton, Va. In 1926, Woodson started the first Negro History Week which grew to become Black History Month. December 10 1846—Norbert Rillieux invents the “multiple effect pan evaporator” which revolutionizes the sugar industry and makes the work much less hazardous for the workers. Rillieux was born “quadroon libre” in New Orleans, La. His father was a wealthy French plantation owner and his mother a former slave. He was sent to Paris, France, to be educated in engineering. He also researched Egyptian hieroglyphics. There is no record that he ever returned to the U.S. after the 1850s. He died in Paris in 1894. 1854—Edwin C. Berry is born in Oberlin, Ohio. In Athens, Ohio, he co-founds the City Restaurant and builds the Hotel Berry which was to become one of the most elegant hotels in the entire state. By the time he retired in 1921, he was one of the most successful Black businessmen in America. He dies in 1931. 1950—Ralph Bunche becomes the first African-American awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Bunch was born in Detroit, Mich. But his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and then Los Angeles, Calif., where he showed academic genius and won a scholarship to Harvard. His fame came when he worked out a temporary settlement between the PalRALPH BUNCHE estinians and the Jews after the state of Israel was established in 1948 on Palestinian lands. It was that work which won him the Nobel Peace Prize. December 11 1917—Thirteen Black soldiers were hanged for their participation in the socalled Houston riot. The “riot” had occurred in August of 1917 when Whites objected to the presence of Black soldiers in the city. Racist insults and mistreatment began. Then a Black soldier intervenes in the arrest of a Black woman. A Black corporal inquires with the police about the arrest of the soldier. A fight breaks out between the corporal and the police. A rumor spreads that a White mob was marching on the Black camp. Roughly 100 Black soldiers grabbed rifles and marched onto downtown Houston. Within two hours they had killed 15 Whites including four police officers. They returned to camp but military officials pressured seven soldiers to snitch on the others. Their snitching resulted in the convictions and hangings of 13 Black soldiers. 1917—The Great Jazz Migration begins when noted musician Joe “King” Oliver leaves New Orleans, La., and settles in Chicago, Ill. He is soon joined by other early Jazz greats. Their presence in Chicago laid the foundation for the JOE ‘KING’ OLIVER Southern Black music genre (with heavy sexual overtones) to become a national obsession. Actually, the “migration” may not have been quite so romantic. Instead of being forced by the closing of the New Orleans Storyville district, Jazz greats probably left New Orleans for Chicago for the same reason other Blacks left the South—failing crops forced the disappearance of jobs while Northern factories recruited Blacks for work to produce arms and other goods for World War I. Nevertheless, many historians view Oliver’s relocation to Chicago as the start of New Orleans Jazz migrating to the rest of the nation. December 12 1911—Josh Gibson, legend of the Negro Baseball JOSH GIBSON League, is born in Buena Vista, Ga. Standing 6’2” and weighing between 205 and 215, Gibson was a near perfect physical specimen who became the league’s home run king. He is credited with up to 932 home runs and a lifetime batting average of over .350. The only Negro League baseball player better known than Gibson was the great pitcher Satchel Paige. The tremendous talent of the Negro League players was summed up by Washington Post sports writer Shirley Povich in a 1941 column, “The only thing keeping them out of the big leagues is the pigmentation of their skin.” 1941—Three time Grammy winning singer Dionne Warwick is born on this day. She is a woman of many accomplishments including leading Hollywood’s anti-AIDS camDIONNE WARWICK paign and having her own skin care line. Her career was tainted a bit by her latter day association with the so-called Psychic Friends Network. 1963—The east African nation of Kenya is proclaimed independent from colonial rule. The first president is the charismatic Jomo Kenyatta. Despite many of the same problems which beset most other African nations, Kenya has remained one of the most politically stable countries on the continent. This is despite its beginnings which saw the brutal British repression of the Mau Mau movement–a secret insurgency of Kikuyu tribesmen, which had risen up to, drive out the White settlers. December 13 1903—Another one of the great unsung heroines of the Civil Rights Movement Ella Baker is born in ELLA BAKER Norfolk, Va. She directed the New York branch of the NAACP; became executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. founded Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the turbulent 1960s; and played a key role in the founding of the “Black Power” oriented Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In addition, she was a mentor to Rosa Parks and helped to lead the Mississippi voter registration drive. She frequently found herself as the only woman in the usually all male leadership structure of civil rights organizations and often had to battle sexism. Even more than Rosa Parks, Baker deserves to be called the “mother of the civil rights movement.” Baker, a teacher, mentor and organizer, died in 1986 on her 83rd birthday. 1913—Archie Moore is born Archibald Lee White in Benoit, Miss. He becomes light heavyweight champion in 1952. 1981—Old-style Black comedian Dewey “Pigmeat” Markham dies. His standup comedy routine was a major attraction at many Black-oriented events and shows during the 1950s and 1960s. He also achieved some DEWEY “PIGMEAT” MARKHAM national fame among Whites with his “here comes the judge” routine on the 1970s TV series “Laugh In.”
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Many Blacks applaud Castro legacy of racial equality by Corey Williams Associated Press Writer
DETROIT (AP)—The Fidel Castro that Sam Riddle and many other African-Americans admired was not the revolutionary dictator who plunged Cuba into economic ruin and held the island nation in an iron grip. To them, he was a freedom fighter who cared about improving the lives of all Cubans, regardless of race. Castro, who died Nov. 25 at age 90, sought out Black leaders. He met with Malcolm X in 1960 in Harlem, New York’s most celebrated Black neighborhood. He also had a close relationship with South Africa’s Nelson Mandela. “It was Fidel who fought for the human rights for Black Cubans,” said Riddle, political director of the Michigan Chapter of the National Action Network. “Many Cubans are as Black as any Black who worked the fields of Mississippi or lived in Harlem. He believed in medical care and education for his people.” The dictator’s efforts to achieve racial equality mean he “will never be a monster” to his many admirers, Riddle added. “To me, he’s the essence of hu-
manity.” Castro led a rebel army to victory in 1959 over the country’s pro-U.S. Batista government. Many Cuban elites fled 90 miles north to Miami, where they spent decades in exile. After his death, many Cuban Americans in the United States celebrated. Some of those who fled to Miami “had looted Cuba ... and exploited the poor and the working class,” said Riddle, 70, who also teaches media at a Detroit community college. “Now those are the same individuals who have twisted the story to demonize Fidel Castro in death.” Under President Barack Obama, diplomatic relations with Cuba are being reopened. President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the Obama administration’s stance on Cuba and threatened Monday to “terminate” the U.S. detente with the Cuban government. After the revolution, Castro declared an end to segregation. However, the number of Afro-Cubans at the top of the country’s political and economic ladder is small. They make up a disproportionate number of the urban and rural poor.
LEADERS EMBRACE—In this Sept. 2, 2001, file photo, former South African President Nelson Mandela, left, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro embrace during a visit by Castro in Johannesburg, South Africa. (AP Photo/Jose Goitia, File) Workers with lighter skin are hired more quickly for hospitality jobs tied to tourism. Castro’s actions “would appeal more to anybody of color,” said Lynn Reasonover, a Black financial executive in Chicago who visited Cuba in August as part of a vacation cruise. “I’m not so sure if White America would appreciate what he’s done.”
Reasonover, 54, walked through parts of Havana and two other cities, speaking with Cubans. What she saw resembled parts of the United States. There were areas where progress was evident and some parts of the island where poverty stood out. “I understand what he was trying to achieve,” she said of Castro. “He had a deep love for his people.
Cuba backed Angolan fighters who battled forces supported by the pro-apartheid South African government of the 1980s. Castro also granted asylum to Joanne Chesimard, who was convicted in 1977 in the death of state Trooper Werner Foerster during a 1973 gunfight on the New Jersey Turnpike. Chesimard was sentenced to life in prison but escaped and made her way to Cuba, where she has been living under the name Assata Shakur. “He was a hero in Africa, Latin America and North America for those who needed freedom from oligarchic and autocratic oppression,” Rev. Jesse Jackson said last weekend in a statement. “While Castro unfortunately denied many political freedoms, he at the same time did establish many economic freedoms— education and health care,” Jackson said. “He changed the world. While we may not agree with all of Castro’s actions, we can accept his lesson that where there is oppression there must be resistance.”
He had a great ideal, but I don’t think one size fits all, though.” In comments made six years ago, Cuba’s foreign minister said the first communist Cuban delegation to the United Nations received support from Malcolm X and other Black leaders and forged a lasting bond (Associated Press Writer Sobetween “Cuban revolutionaries and the African-Amer- phia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.) ican progressive people.”
Trump taps former campaign rival Carson as housing secretary by Julie Pace
secretary and billionaire investor Wilbur Ross to Associated Press Writer lead the Commerce DeWASHINGTON (AP)— partment. He chose Betsy President-elect Donald DeVos to be secretary of Trump, moving to complete education and Elaine Chao, formation of his Cabinet the wife of Senate Repuband decide other key posts, lican Leader Mitch McCochose former campaign rinnell, to be transportation val Ben Carson on Monday secretary. Trump also has to be secretary of the Deturned to retired Marine partment of Housing and Gen. James Mattis to be Urban Development. secretary of defense. Trump’s decision, anHe now has expanded nounced by his transition his pool of candidates for office, comes as the real secretary of state, raising estate mogul continues a a question about whether series of interviews, meetformer CIA Director David ings with aides and other Petraeus’ guilty plea for deliberations aimed at leaking classified inforforming his administration. mation disqualifies him to He announced several Cab- serve as the nation’s top inet appointees last week. diplomat. In a statement, Trump Trump’s aides had said he was “thrilled to confirmed that the presinominate” Carson, dedent-elect had settled on scribing the retired neufour finalists for the post. rosurgeon as having “a But over the weekend, brilliant mind” and saying two people close to the he “is passionate about transition told The Associstrengthening communities ated Press that Trump is and families within those moving away from two of communities.” the four: former New York Carson had been coy City Mayor Rudy Giuliani about joining the new and Mitt Romney, the 2012 administration, saying Republican presidential shortly after Trump’s elec- nominee. tion victory that he wasn’t That would leave Petraecertain he’d fit into a Cabus as a top contender, along inet-style role. The discuswith Tennessee Republican sion at that time centered Sen. Bob Corker, chairman on speculation that Carson of the Senate Foreign Relamight be selected to head tions Committee. Both peothe sprawling Department ple close to the transition of Health and Human said Trump’s prolonged Services. decision-making process “Ben shares my optimism has left the door open to about the future of our other options. Among other country,” Trump said, “and possibilities, one official is part of ensuring that says is Jon Huntsman, a this is a presidency repreformer Republican Utah senting all Americans.” governor who also served House Democratic leader as the ambassador to ChiNancy Pelosi said Carson na and speaks Mandarin. had no credentials for the The people close to the job and was a “discontransition spoke on condicerting and disturbingly tion of anonymity because unqualified choice.” She they were not authorized to said the country deserves discuss the private process someone with “relevant publicly. experience to protect the Carson has often recountrights of homeowners and ed his childhood as the renters.” son of a single mother in Carson was among the 16 inner-city Detroit in his Republican candidates who books and motivational challenged Trump for the speeches. In his 1996 autoRepublican nomination. He biography “Gifted Hands,” was a favorite of religious Carson wrote of the conservatives and a strong humiliation he felt using fundraiser, but his team food stamps from his mom burned through money to pay for bread and milk, quickly and he failed to and said how he began to win any of the early prima- excel at school only after ry contests. receiving a free pair of Trump treated Carson glasses that allowed him to harshly during the prisee the lessons written on mary, saying he had a chalk boards. “pathological temper.” Still, Carson has not said Carson quickly endorsed whether his family ever Trump after he dropped lived in federally funded out of the contest. housing or received Section As a Trump supporter, 8 subsidies to help pay Carson was both loyal and rent. But as a political figcritical. He conceded that ure he has criticized such Trump had “major defects” public assistance programs and said at one point that for creating “dependency” he would have preferred a on the government among scenario other than Trump low-income minorities. winning the Republican With the help of financial primary. aid and scholarships, CarLast week, Trump anson attended Yale Univernounced that he planned to sity and the University of nominate former Goldman Michigan Medical School Sachs executive Steven before being the first Mnuchin as his Treasury African-American named
overall direction while President Barack Obama was seated just feet away. During the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Carson’s inspirational life story, Christian faith and anti-establishment message briefly catapulted him last year ahead of Trump and other rivals in opinion polls. But his success on the campaign trail quickly crumbled amid questions about whether elements of his rags-to-riches autobiography were exaggerated or fabricated—including a purported childhood fit of rage in which he tried to FORMER RIVALS—In this Aug. 25 photo, former Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson stab his best friend in the during Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s roundtable meeting with the Republican belly only to be foiled by a belt buckle. Carson’s busiLeadership Initiative at Trump Tower. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) ness dealings also faced scrutiny, including his ties directing the first surgery as the head of pediatric 2013 speech at the Nato a wealthy Pittsburgh to separate twins connectneurosurgery at Johns tional Prayer Breakfast, Hopkins Children’s Center ed at the back of the head. where he gave a withering dentist whom he helped Carson’s rise to political in Baltimore. There he garcritique of the modern wel- avoid prison time for felony health care fraud. prominence began with a nered national acclaim for fare state and the nation’s
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DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
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Gun suicides outnumber homicides in Pa. CONTINUED FROM A1
In his 15th year as coroner, he also sees a moral responsibility to explain what’s killing his residents. That duty is what brought him to this old schoolhouse in Greensburg in mid-September. It’s an open room with a fried chicken buffet and bowls of candy set out on conference tables. He is talking to about 20 members of a suicide prevention task force. This August, an unprecedented number of deaths put the county in danger of topping 60 suicides by the year’s end. “Which would be a new record,” Bacha, 55, told the group. “Which is not good.” Handfuls of asphyxiations, intentional overdoses and blunt trauma make up those tragic deaths. Yet all those combined still trail the one category responsible for about 60 percent of the fatalities: “Self-inflicted gunshot.” That’s common knowledge to many in the room. But it’s mostly unknown to the public. Guns are implicated in street crime and mass shootings but little is ever mentioned about these lonely deaths. It’s suicide, not homicide Back in 1999, gunfire took 1,183 lives in Pennsylvania. Now, deaths total about 1,400 annually. Homicides don’t account for that rise. Those are rare in most places. Remove three counties—Allegheny, Philadelphia and Delaware—and you’ve removed roughly 70 percent of the state’s gun murders from 2014, the most recent year with statewide data. Most Pennsylvania counties have either zero gun murders or totals you could count on one hand. That’s not the case for suicides, which account for nearly two-thirds of the state’s gun deaths, largely in towns like Greensburg and the surrounding rural areas. Eighty-five percent of these suicide victims are white men. Gun suicides outnumber murders in Pennsylvania In most Pennsylvania counties, gun suicides are far more common than gun murders. Using state data on gun deaths from 2010 through 2014, PublicSource has to-
taled each county’s gun suicides and murders. The darker the shade of blue, the higher the rate of gun suicides compared to gun murders in that county. Only in Allegheny, Delaware and Philadelphia Counties were gun murders more common. “Everything you read about in the paper is always homicides,” said Laurie Barnett Levine, who heads the Ray of Hope suicide prevention task force, which Bacha addressed in Greensburg. “Nobody talks about suicide.” Virtually no public account exists for most of these cases. Not in newspapers, which only report the most public incidents, not even in obituaries. The reasons are understandable. Sensitivity to the stigma of suicide, fear of inspiring other deaths and basic privacy. But the void creates a skewed view of gun deaths. In Westmoreland County last year, there were 32 gun suicides and only four total murders, according to the coroner’s office. Most of those suicides are white men age 41 and older. Through October, suicides were on pace to trail the county record by just two cases, putting 2016 as the second deadliest year for suicides in county history. Meanwhile, the county is in the midst of an unprecedented opioid crisis, which Bacha thinks is related to the rise in suicides. Common risk factors for suicide include depression, other addiction, isolation and breakdowns in families, which can hit men particularly hard in middle age. Add in guns, and a moment of desperation can lead to an irreversible tragedy. “It’s one thing to think about shooting yourself and not have a gun in the house,” said Krista Mechling, who focuses on suicide prevention at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Pittsburgh. “It’s another thing to have an arsenal down the hall in a locked cabinet.” Veterans have an even greater risk for suicide and are more likely to use guns. A self-inflicted gunshot wound is often instantaneous. No chance for intervention. No second thoughts.
Schubert meets with community
COMMUNITY MEETS WITH ACTING CHIEF CONTINUED FROM A1
marches. There was no organizer on that one. The key is communication and building that relationship.” Answering audience questions presented by moderator Elaine Effort, Schubert touched on a number of issues, noting he had no problem with citizens serving on promotion boards for officers, nor would his officers automatically contact immigration officials when they encounter individuals in the country illegally. As for hiring more Blacks and women, he said the department can always do better.
“I met with civil service, and they’re under new leadership as well and they trying to figure out what works and what hasn’t,” he said. “I don’t know if anyone has even talked to the recruits of color to see what attracted them. In the long run it will be about building trust with the community so people of color can look at policing as something they could do.” He was also asked about tactics used to address the crowds of young people congregating Downtown—and in some cases creating problems. He said he is
working with the school district and the Port Authority to ease the congestion. He also said he doesn’t expect pushback from rankand-file officers about community policing. “I started in Zone 6 (now Zone 5 in the East End) in Larimer and Homewood. I learned a lot about how 99 percent of the residents care about their community,” he said. “Treat people with dignity and respect, how you would want your family treated, and try to make a difference in the lives of people. If officers don’t want to do it—there are other jobs they can find.”
HAVING A FUNKY GOOD TIME—Everyone on the dance floor getting down. (Photos by J.L. Martello)
Black to the Future thrills hundreds CONTINUED FROM A1
anything in this country.” Carmen Anderson, representing sponsor the Heinz Endowments said she was proud to see such a room full of advocates. She was also impressed with the event itself. “You know, I throw a pretty good party,” she said. “But La'Tasha throws a really good party.” New Voices Cleveland Director of Community Organizing Jasmine Burnett agreed, and had the costume to prove it. “I’m dressed as a futuristic Medusa because I want to be able to intimidate misogynistic men,” she said. “But this is not only an opportunity to dress up and get crazy, it’s also important to have a space where you can be creative and express how you care about human rights and justice. It’s an opportunity to be free. And even if it’s only for a few hours, we can make this space as beautiful as possible.” Mayes also thanked everyone, joking that—as one of the founders—she thanked herself first. “No I’m kidding, sort of,” she said. “I would do this work for free—I have done it for free. But when I look at all of you, 12 years later, I couldn’t have imagined what this day would be. We are building the next generation of leaders.” (J.L. Martello contributed to this story.)
RENAE GREEN AND MERIAN BROOKS
CO-CHAIRS—Damon Young and wife, Alecia Young.
COMMITTEE—Part of the host committee, from left, are: Tara Sherry-Torres, Aerion Abney and Lauren Fraley.
Lemuel Nixon passes at 83 CONTINUED FROM A1
and New York and finally Connecticut, as his work for the company over the next 23 years took him to France, England and Germany as he assisted European marketing teams with sales, marketing, administration and new product roll-outs. Nixon returned to Pittsburgh after retiring, settling in Wilkinsburg, and instantly became active in the community. In addition to serving on the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch executive committee, he became president of the Ambassador Apartments Tenants Association and worked on the Westinghouse Alumni Commission on Recognition. In 1997, he joined Ralph Proctor, and then city council members Valerie McDonald and Sala Udin in formulating the plan for a museum honoring Black achievements—but that unlike most, was tactile and interactive. The plan eventually led to building of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. Nixon served as one of the original directors, resigning in 2010, well before the center’s financial problems forced its sale to a coalition of regional Foundations.
From 2003-2008, Nixon put his considerable business and sales experience to work for the state when then Gov. Ed Rendell appointed him to the Minority Business Development Authority. In the program for his funeral service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, in the Hill District—where he and Yvonne were married 53 years earlier—the family remembered him as a strong father who held great values, and whose passion, gifts and skills were devoted to connecting people with people, and developing systems and teams to promote, advance and achieve success. “He believed in justice and equality for all, and he worked very hard to protect, instill and promote these values,” it read. Asked how she would like to have her husband remembered, Yvonne Nixon said she had only one thought: “He was a special guy of substance and high ethics—and he did things right.” In addition to his wife, Nixon is survived by daughters, Leslie Adams, Stacy Carter, Christine Livingston and Monica Nixon; sons, David Chilton, Jeffrey Nixon and William Price Robinson; and 12 grandchildren.
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
METRO
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
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Urban League Annual Ronald H. Brown Gala
ANDREW STOCKEY, master of ceremonies, welcoming everyone.
PACKED HOUSE—People from all over the Pittsburgh area attended the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh’s Annual Ronald H. Brown Leadership Awards Gala. (Photos by J.L. Martello)
ETTA COX singing the ‘Negro National Anthem.’
REV. GLENN GRAYSON giving the Invocation.
Community Calendar Community Healing Workshop DEC. 13—The Community Empowerment Association will host another in its series of community trauma healing sessions, 6 p.m. at 7120 Kelly Street. The session will focus on dealing with grief, loss and stress during the holiday season, helping those who’ve lost a loved one, who lost employment, or been forced to relocate. For more information, call 412-371-3689.
Holiday Project ONGOING through DEC. 20— The Allegheny County Department of Human Services’ Holiday Project is again collecting new, unwrapped gifts for children and youth who receive services through the DHS Office of Children, Youth and Families. While all donation are appreciated, there is a specific need for: warm winter clothing for ages 018 months; board games for all ages; puzzles for all ages, sporting goods, dolls and action figures, and creative kits for school ages children. Donations are being accepted at three downtown locations: the Allegehny County Courthouse, the Human Services building and the City County Federal Credit Union. Opportunities to receive and fulfill a child’s wish list are also
available. To request a child’s name and wish list and/or for more information about this process, please contact the Event and Donations Team at 412-3503428.
Oral History Session DEC. 17—Writer Cody McDevitt, brings his search for descendants of the African Americans expelled from Johnstown’s Rosedale neighborhood by the mayor in 1923 to the Homewood Branch of the Carnegie Library at 1:30 p.m. McDevitt who is writing a book on the incident and its aftermath , hopes to interview descendants for the oral history portion of his project. He can be reached at at 412-651-6882, or they can email me at codymcdevitt@gmail.com.
Holiday Cruises DEC. 30—The Gateway Clipper fleet will host two Princess Balls boarding at 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., inviting all “little princesses” to celebrate the New Year aboard a Pittsburgh riverboat. Call 412-355-7580 for more information and prices. Dec. 31—The Gateway Clipper fleet will host three New Year’s Eve events: a Dinner Cruise, A Dance Cruise, and an Hors D’Ouevres & Dance Cruise. Call 412-355-7580 for more information and prices.
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HEALTH
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Take charge of your health today. Be informed. Be involved. Depression across the Life Span ESTHER BUSH
Depression This month the “Take Charge of Your Health Today” page focuses on depression. Vianca Masucci, health advocate at the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, and Esther L. Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, speak on this topic. VM: Hello, Ms. Bush. I’ve been looking forward to our conversation about this month’s topic—depression. Even though people are being more open about their depression, there’s still so much stigma and misinformation surrounding the topic. EB: You’re right about that, Vianca. There are two big misconceptions that I’d like to discuss today and challenge our readers to consider. The first misconception is the idea that it’s normal to be depressed. Sadness is normal. Depression is not. It’s an illness. Second, there’s a misconception that depression is a state of mind that people can overcome through sheer strength of mind. Strength or weakness has nothing to do with depression. It’s caused by many factors that are out of our control—like your daily environment or genetics. VM: Thank you for tackling those common misconceptions. Depression is more than just feeling sad every now and again. It’s an illness—like diabetes or asthma— that must be treated by a mental health professional. Depression can be more than sadness too. It can make people feel anxious or irritable, cause changes in appetite or sleep, make people lose interest in hobbies or hanging out with friends, make it difficult to concentrate or even cause physical pains like head or body aches. EB: I’d encourage anyone experiencing these symptoms to seek professional help. There are many mental health services options. People can find a care plan that works for them. VM: It’s so important for you to say that, Ms. Bush. Research has shown that Black adults are more likely to report psychological distress than White adults. This makes sense, considering the racial adversity that we deal with every day, that we have dealt with in the past and that we fear we will deal with in the future. It can be very stressful to be a person of color in the United States. We need to confront that stress and what it does to our spirit. To deny it or to call it a weakness takes the focus away from those issues and puts it on the individual person. EB: Yes, Vianca, and we need to change that thought. No one should blame themselves for depression. VM: But what about folks who blame depression on their relationship with God? What advice would you give to people who say that feeling depressed means that they must work on getting closer to God? EB: I’d say that having a relationship with God is a beautiful and rewarding thing. If people want to have a closer relationship with God, they should. This relationship is a big part of the healing for many people. But getting help from a mental health professional is also absolutely essential. VM: Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Ms. Bush. I can’t wait to talk about next month’s topic, which is preventive health and wellness. If anyone has questions or needs resources for depression, e-mail partners@hs.pitt. edu.
Depression is a serious mental illness that is described as persistent sadness and sometimes irritability. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls it “one of the leading causes of disease or injury worldwide for both men and women.” The symptoms of depression are different for everyone. But the general symptoms include feeling hopeless, crying a lot, not being able to concentrate, as well as changes in appetite or weight, loss of interest in activities or changes in sleep quality. Depression can, literally, make it hard to get out of bed and complete duties that were once routine. Depression is a complex disease. There is no single cause for it. The causes can be a chemical imbalance in the brain, stressful life events, a medication side effect, illness or family history. It is not just feeling “blue.” It is a medical condition that can be treated, like high blood pressure or diabetes. With treatment, many people can function very well. The CDC reports that older adults have a higher risk of being depressed but that it is not a normal part of aging. Depression in older adults usually goes along with other medical problems, according to Charles F. Reynolds III, MD, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and director of the Aging Institute at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh. He also notes that older adults have periods of vulnerability that are more common in their age group. These periods can be grief, major transitions in life (like retirement) and changes in/loss of health. Adults are not the only ones who have depression. Young people can also suffer from it. Depression can be tricky to diagnose in young people, especially in adolescence. Adolescence
is a time of change. It can be difficult to know if a young person is just changing or developing symptoms
they going to school, doing the same activities, wanting to hang out with friends or having the same group of friends? They’re supposed to be having fun, even if they’re irritable sometimes.” Dr. Radovic says it is especially useful for parents or caregivers to have a primary care doctor for their children. It helps to have someone who has a lot of experience observing many young people help care for your child. A primary care doctor can also look at your child without the emotional Charles F. Reynolds III, MD attachment of a parent or of depression. Young people guardian and possibly be can be irritable, but is that more objective about how normal adolescence or a the child is doing. Dr. Rasign of depression? dovic encourages parents “Doctors like to look (or adolescents themselves) at whether adolescents’ to talk to a health care profunctioning is decreasing,” vider if they have concerns says Ana Radovic, MD, about a young person in MSc, assistant professor of their life. pediatrics at the University “What’s important for of Pittsburgh School of Med- parents, caregivers and icine. “Meaning, are they do- schools to know is that ing what they’re supposed research shows a healthy to be doing at their age? Are lifestyle can help with men-
tal health problems,” says Dr. Radovic. “Making sure young people get the sleep they need, nutrition, social
her parent or guardian. Treatment can include medication and/or cognitive behavioral therapy (“talk” therapy). Dr. Radovic says that people still sometimes have negative beliefs about medication and therapy. She points out that people may be nervous about giving their children medication but says the risks are usually very small. It is important to remember that some of the risks of depression are poor school performance, risky behavior and thoughts of suicide. Dr. Radovic also Ana Radovic, MD, MSc refers to therapy as more of support and a caring thera“coaching” and likens it to peutic relationship (as with physical therapy. She says, a health care professional) “If you hurt your ankle, you are all ways to help them be could do exercises alone, healthier.” and it would probably heal. In addition to self-care, But if you worked with a doctors will help guide physical therapist, you could adolescents to any treatget it back to full strength.” ment they need. Dr. Radovic Dr. Radovic says that says that a doctor will look only one-third of depressed at the symptoms and their adolescents will get treatseverity and make treatment ment—sometimes because decisions with the young of negative beliefs about person and sometimes his/ treatment. So, she and her colleagues developed two websites for young people (sova.pitt.edu) and parents/ caregivers (wisesova.pitt. edu) to get support and find people with whom they can share experiences. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, Dr. Radovic says talking with someone cannot hurt. “A lot of people are afraid of getting help,” she says, “but most are grateful that they did. There are laws to protect confidentiality. And just because people are depressed doesn’t mean it will last forever. Treatment can help prevent people from feeling worse.”
Improving Health Through Research
Annual Thanksgiving Distribution at Convention Center On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Clinical & Translational Science Institute co-organized the Annual Thanksgiving Distribution at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. This yearly event combines a food distribution where families receive all the ingredients needed for a Thanksgiving meal. There is also a health and human services village, where participants hear about Pitt+MeTM
research studies and can get important health screenings and information from human services organizations. This year’s event served 700 families from Allegheny, Beaver, Greene, Lawrence and Washington Counties. Over 200 individuals received a free health screening. We cannot do this without the support of the community and send a big thank you to the 450 volunteers, vendors and staff who helped to make this year’s event successful.
Pitt+Me™ is a community of patients, volunteers, and researchers working together as partners in research and clinical trials to advance healthcare. Play an important role in the process of discovery by joining at www.pittplusme.org. Visit the Depression Studies Page to find current studies that may interest you: https://goo.gl/sBD6EE
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
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ENTERTAINER New Pittsburgh Courier
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DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Cover To Cover
‘Brief Histories...’ by Terri Schlichenmeyer For New Pittsburgh Courier
Imagine the first person who created a toothbrush. Better yet—imagine life before a toothbrush. Think about it: getting your mouth minty-fresh wasn’t exactly easy with twigs or rags. Same things with clean hair, unspoiled leftovers, unsmelly bathrooms, or cool gamepieces, as you’ll see in “Brief Histories of Everyday Objects” by Andy Warner. Scientists say you do your best thinking in the shower. That’s where Andy Warner was on the morning he was trying to “come up with an idea for a comic.” Sadly, there wasn’t much story in a showerhead, but his toothbrush turned out to be a pretty interesting thing. It also opened the door to more. Take, for instance, shampoo. Yes, people washed their hair prior to the 1860s but Sarah Breedlove saw a special need for special hair formula. Prior to Breedlove’s hair-care products, African American women used goose fat to tame their locks. Breedlove’s concoction, it should go without saying, was a whole lot bet-
GERI ALLEN, organizer and pianist (Photos by J.L. Martello)
Pitt Presents 46th Annual Jazz Seminar, concert PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh Annual Jazz Seminar and Concert—one of the region’s premier jazz events— which was held last month, featured free
ter product. Or how about shaving: King Gillette (his real first name, not a British title) made a fortune, but not from razors. He sold those FRED WESLEY on trombone at a loss but got rich from the disposable blades that went inside those razors. Genius marketing, no? The toilet you used this morning got its start in the 12th century in Baghdad. Kitty litter began as place for hens to lay their eggs. The guy who invented the modern safety pin sold the idea for a lousy $400. Six-sided dice are ancient things, at least 5,000 years old; dominoes, as Warner points out, are basically flat dice. A German woman invented coffee filters, but she had a string of bad luck for the rest of her life: because of war and more war, she lost her factory twice. The man who invented traffic lights was the son of former slaves. When they were new, ballpoint pens were considered to be a luxury and sold for more than $12 each. JAMISON ROSS on drums Some 14 million trees become paper bags each year in the U.S. And paper clips? They were once a “show… of defiance” against the Nazis. The election is over. The semester’s almost finished. Even the year is running out of time. At the end of these (and your day), you want something light to relax with and “Brief Histories of Everyday Objects” is perfect. Who doesn’t like to read comics? Yep, that’s how author-artist Andy Warner presents what you’ll learn here: quick chapters of illustrated info, offered in small bites of truth and funny bits of created dialogue. We get a good understanding of each main subject, and a few follow-up factlets to sweeten the enjoyment of a book like this. (“Brief Histories of Everyday Objects” by Andy Warner, c.2016, Picador, $20/$28 Canada, 209 pages)
S. EPATHA MERKERSON, actress and host
DWAYNE DOLPHIN on bass
lunchtime concerts, a jazz film screening, free on-campus seminars, and an outreach event in the Hill District, culminating Nov. 5 with a concert at Carnegie Music Hall.
Under the direction of renowned pianist, composer, and Pitt Jazz Studies Program Director Geri Allen, the following artists participated: •Ambrose Akinmusire, award-winning trumpeter and composer; •Dwayne Dolphin, a mainstay bassist on the Pittsburgh jazz scene who launched his career in the 1980s with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis; •Perry Hughes, guitarist for Earl Klugh, Bob James, and Aretha Franklin; •Dave McMurray, the multi-instrumentalist from Detroit who most recently performed on saxophone with Kid Rock; •Jamison Ross, gifted drummer and vocalist and winner of the 2012 Thelonius Monk International Jazz Drums Competition; •Fred Wesley, jazz-funk trombonist who was also music director and arranger for James Brown; and •Cassandra Wilson, Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist. S. Epatha Merkerson served as the emcee. An
Emmy Award-winning actress, Merkerson is best known for her role as Lt. Anita Van Buren on NBC’s “Law & Order.” She also has worked extensively in the theatre; produced the
award-winning documentary “The Contradictions of Fair Hope” and currently plays hospital administrator Sharon Goodwin on NBC’s “Chicago Med.”
CASSANDRA WILSON on vocals
PERRY HUGHES on guitar
DAVE MCMURRAY on sax
AMBROSE AKINMISIRE on trumpet
PEOPLE
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
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Lalah Hathaway performs at AWC R en ow n ed artist’ s u n iq u e skills Neo-soul singer Lalah Hathaway recently performed music from her seven albums at the August Wilson Center as part of the Pittsburgh Cultural
Trust’s SOUL SESSIONS. The music series features intimate concerts from some of the most talented, award-winning bands and vocalists today.
The AWC’s intimate setting serves as the perfect venue for artists to connect with their fans while they enjoy the soulful performances.
LALAH HATHAWAY (Photos by J.L. Martello)
DJ SPARK opens up the show for Lalah Hathaway.
Live music
lead her to m ain stream su c c ess by Timothy Cox
For New Pittsburgh Courier
BROOKLYN, N.Y.—When Sylvia Parker Maier displays her art work at the “Formation” show at the renowned Bernaducci Meisel Gallery in New York City on Jan. 12, 2017, art industry aficionados will get an opportunity to witness her oil paintings which reflect the culmination of a brilliant career and a young woman’s lifetime passion for the arts—an interest that began as a child in her native Manhattan, N.Y., digs. As the sole child of a bi-racial marriage, her African American father worked as a professional musician and composer of R&B music, while her mother of Argentine descent was a poet and a classically-trained pianist. Though her parents split when she was just 11, they ensured that she was able to pursue her artistic passion by having her study at such famed institutions such as the School of Visual Art, The National Academy of Design and the New York Academy. As a youth, she likewise studied at the acclaimed Art Students League of New York with notable figures like Ron Sherr and Harvey Dinnerstein. She earned the prestigious Greenshield Award and other merit scholarships during her formative years. Though she continuously works toward ultimately becoming the proverbial household name—Maier is already a recognizable entity among her peers. As the married mother of two teenage sons, Maier, is proud to note that throughout her 25-year career, several of her paintings have been displayed at the Parish Museum in South Hampton, N.Y., and at the Cork Gallery at Lincoln Center. She’s also presented solo shows at the Forum Gallery in Frankfurt, Germany, in addition to many presentations throughout the U.S. and Europe. In a recent interview from
SYLVIA PARKER MALER her residence in Brooklyn, she noted that her influences to pursue art mainly stemmed from her parent’s musical backgrounds. “It was my mother who insisted on taking me to see such legends as Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne. The music validated my artistic approach,” she said. “As an only child, I was always drawing and that helped shape my style.” Being fortunate enough to have relatives in Argentina, she spent several childhood summers visiting her grandmother in cities like Viedma and Buenos Aires. “I went to church every day with my grandmother,” she reflected with a smile. Maier’s paintings have recently been displayed on the popular FOX cable network show “Empire.” Filmmaker Spike Lee is also one of her proponents and has utilized her works. A few years ago, Lee chose 30 of her paintings to appear in a PSA/TV commercial to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout her career, she has worked with the U.S. State Departments’ Art in Embassies Program, in addition to having her paintings displayed and contributed to by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons’
“Art for Life” project. Other clients include the Mars candy company. Her works have also appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Her recent work, “Circle Of Mothers,” depicts the images of mothers of slain sons, including Iris Baez, mother of Anthony Baez; Hawa Bah, mother of Mohamed Bah; Valerie Bell, mother of Sean Bell; Kadiatou Diallo, mother of Amadou Diallo; Constance Malcom, mother of Ramarley Graham; and Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin. ESSENCE Magazine staffers recently visitedMaier’s home, and is set to publish an article utilizing her artistic work as a backdrop for one of their photo shoots. “It’s certainly an honor,” she remarked. Maier is currently displaying her works at the renowned Art Basel in Miami. This will be her third time presenting at the prestigious South Beach art affair. Her piece is titled “Rice and Beans.” Art Basel runs from Dec. 3-Jan. 7. Previously, she has shown at Miami’s Yeelen Gallery. “Art Basel is a pretty big deal. There’ll be lots of major celebrity parties, and overall, just a good place to network with people in our industry,” she said.
finis ed ssa ae s nsec re in one sitting
by Merecedes J. Howze For New Pittsburgh Courier
It took me exactly 240 minutes to finish the first season of HBO’s new series “Insecure.” After many Facebook posts about the admiration for the show created by YouTube sensation Issa Rae, I decided to start the show earlier this week. But, once I began watching the show last Monday evening, I just couldn’t stop. “Insecure” is that good! Starring Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Lisa Joyce and Jay Ellis, the eight episode series is a tale of two African American women in the tumultuous dating scene of Los Angeles. Rae is a school community organizer in a questionable, stagnant relationship with her live-in boyfriend, Lawrence (Ellis). While, her best friend, Molly (Orji), is a successful lawyer with the troubles of finding a man. Plagued with the successful Black woman stereotype, both friends find themselves questioning their professional and romantic existence. Thanks to HBO On Demand, I had the ability to watch and pause at my leisure for those 240 minutes of raw, rugged comedy and new adventures. The first season is a powerhouse of entertainment and energy. Everything that is typically inappropriate in life is not with “Insecure.” Cursing. Kissing ex-boyfriends. Random dating or hookup apps. “Insecure” celebrates the predictability of human beings, while showcasing the complexity of actually understanding them Unless you’re currently SWEET JAZZ MUSIC––Pictured above are those who enjoyed musicians featured in the Live Music married to your high school Thursdays series at Wallace TapRoom, located at 123 Highland Ave. ,in East Liberty, through Decem- sweetheart, every woman, ber. 6 to 8 p.m. For more information, call 412-665-0555. (Photos by J. L. Martello) at one point in time, has
ISSA RAE been Molly, Rae, or a combination of both. The besties remind us that relationships are hard, but dating
is harder. From standards to expectations, find the right one is an uphill battle. I also binge watched FX’s new show “Atlanta,” a hilarious interpretation of Donald Glover’s fictitious life as an underground music manager. Some have compared the shows and, while they are very similar, I am here to set the record straight. “Insecure” is a better show. Rae is authentic, accurately aware, and, as she boasts on her web series, awkward. She is luminously beautiful, the definition of black girl magic. According to Rae’s Instagram (@issarae), season 2 of “Insecure” is in the works.
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GIFT GUIDE
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
The best holiday gifts of 2016
(BPT)—Spending time with friends and family is a big part of what makes the holidays so special. Celebrating with loved ones and exchanging gifts is a time-honored tradition. But before the wrapping paper can be ripped away in a flurry of sparkling shreds, you first need to find the right gifts for all the people on your list. Don’t fret about discovering the perfect present. The experts at BJ’s Wholesale Club offer their predictions for the hottest gifts of the holiday season for loved ones of any age. Toys Both kids and kids-atheart adore unwrapping a gift to discover a neat new toy just for them. This holiday season, give them something that will make them squeal with delight. For example, a Giant Keyboard Playmat is great fun for the entire family. Creativity sets let little ones’ imaginations take flight. A 70-inch Jumbo Plush Dog is absolutely snuggle-worthy as it sits next to the tree. Learn more about BJ’s exclusive Top 10 Toys at www.bjs.com PLUSH LOVE—70-inch Jumbo Plush Dog is absolutely snuggle-worthy as it sits next to the tree.
Technology Technology items top holiday wish lists for people both young and old. TVs and smartphones are sure to please, but if Santa’s budget is a bit more frugal, you’re not out of luck. One of 2016’s most-wanted gifts is wireless headphones. Whether sleek in-the-ear headphones or on-the-ear options that provide an incredible audio experience, it’s a gift that will be used constantly. Look for top brands like Bose, Skullcandy and LG that give you a secure, comfortable fit without sacrificing audio quality. Gift baskets The smell of cookies, the taste of freshly roasted nuts, the crunch of caramel corn—food is such a memorable part of the holiday season. For the person who has everything, gift baskets are guaranteed to please. From savory baskets featuring delicious foods like pretzels, cheese and sausage to sweet baskets with chocolate, cookies and candies, you’ll find something for everyone on your gift list this year at BJ’s. Outdoors Bikes and other riding
toys are always a hit as holiday gifts. Whether you get the next size bike for your growing child or purchase a rocking horse for your little one just finding her balance, it’s a great gift that continues to give long after the holidays are over. In addition to bikes, trikes, scooters, powered-riding toys and wagons all make great holiday gifts. Indoor play Want to find something fun for inside the home? Get kids away from the TV screen with amazing toys that inspire indoor play. Play kitchens are fantastic choices for toddlers and elementary-aged children. Dress-up outfits let your kid be a doctor, chef, cowboy and more. Building block sets are created to suite kids of virtually every age. Finally, indoor tents and tunnels are great for kids, and even mom and dad will want to get in on the fun. With these great gift ideas, holiday 2016 will be unforgettable. Save time and money when you find everything on your gift list at BJ’s. To locate the club nearest you, visit www.bjs. com.
4 changes shoppers will see as they buy on their phones by Anne D’Innocenzio Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP)—Shoppers buying on their phones this holiday season will see new ways stores are making it easier and faster as they try to lock in sales before people swipe to the next site. “It’s not just a shopper’s tool,” said Tamara Gaffney, principal analyst and director at Adobe Digital Insights, the research arm of Adobe Systems. “It’s now so embedded in our existence we don’t even think about the fact that we pulled
out our phone and bought things.” Mobile shopping accounted for $4.61 billion in sales from Thanksgiving through Nov. 28, according to Adobe Digital Insights. Some 54 percent of visits to retailers’ sites and 36 percent of sales for the five-day period came from phones and tablets. Here are four ways smartphones are changing the way people shop—and how retailers are responding: MORE IMPULSE BUYING: Mobile shopping entices people to buy right when they’re thinking about it, Gaffney said, “It’s
this sense of urgency.” She noted that retailers that had more mobile traffic enjoyed a 30 percent increase in online revenue. Retailers need to make it easier to find items so shoppers don’t quickly move on. “They want it fast,” said Peter Cobb, co-founder and executive vice president of eBags, which says mobile accounted for 43 percent of visits and 20 percent of sales for the five-day period. The handbags and luggage site now highlights the top five sales hits to save people from sorting through 90,000 products.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which has worked to improve its app including the browse feature, said 70 percent of Walmart.com traffic and 60 percent of orders Nov. 24 and 25 were driven by mobile devices. FOCUSED ON DEALS: Even in an improving economy, shoppers are fixated on deals—and mobile phones make it easier to grab them. Customers look to have spent nearly 3.5 percent less on average for the fourday weekend starting Nov. 24 than a year ago, according to a survey conducted over the weekend by the National Retail Federation trade group. Much of the drop had to do with the heavy discounting shoppers demand. The NRF’s survey showed more than 36 percent of shoppers said everything they bought this past weekend was on sale, compared with 32.5 percent a year ago. Retailers are shifting to a stream of discounts and alerts during the entire week via email and social media. Toys R Us is doing more flash sales, and eBags introduced a page called “Steals and Deals” highlighting items that are heavily discounted for a limited time. Market Track, which monitored nearly 1,500 products online from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, says stores changed prices more often than last year, and more were lowered than raised. Some 41 percent of prices shifted at least once, compared with 27 percent last year, said Traci Gregorski, senior vice president of marketing. About 16 percent changed more than once, compared with only 7 percent in 2015. SEEKING SPEEDIER
SAVVY SHOPPER—In this Friday, Nov. 23, 2012, file photo, Tashalee Rodriguez, of Boston, uses a smartphone app while shopping at Macy’s in downtown Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) SERVICE: People buying on the go want a swifter response when they need help. “When you have shoppers who are engaged, you have to try to capture as much revenue as you can,” said
in 61 percent of chat interactions over the holiday weekend, someone responded within 20 seconds, up from 45 percent a year ago. Cobb says eBags has started using Facebook messenger to interact with
“In the past, consumers did their research online and then purchased in-store, but brick and mortar stores are now critical to consumers’ research needs. Consumers came and bought, impulsively and socially. They do research online, compare prices, look for deals and even try on an outfit and Snapchat it to a friend, all while in the store.” Tom McGee, CEO, International Council of Shopping Centers
Kevon Hills, senior vice president of operations at StellaService, which tracks customer service for retailers and online companies. Two years ago, 97 percent of retailers offered email as a way to interact with customers, but that fell to 81 percent heading into this holiday season, StellaService said. Some 90 percent use live chat, up from 80 percent two years ago. And
shoppers. VISITING STORES FOR DIFFERENT REASONS: Even people who’d bought lots of items on their phones were spending time in stores on Saturday and Sunday, said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at research firm NPD Group Inc. “In the past, consumers did their research online and then purchased instore, but brick and mortar stores are now critical to consumers’ research needs,” he wrote in a blog post. He said “consumers came and bought, impulsively and socially.” Technology beyond shopping apps means people use stores differently. “They do research online, compare prices, look for deals and even try on an outfit and Snapchat it to a friend, all while in the store,” said Tom McGee, CEO of the mall group International Council of Shopping Centers. They’re also using the phone to buy right in the store. Many retailers believe letting online shoppers pick up their orders at stores is helping bring mobile shoppers back. Wal-Mart says nearly half of its pick-up orders came from mobile purchases over the five-day weekend, and that shoppers buy more items when they come to collect their goods. (Follow Anne D’Innocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio)
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
GIFT GUIDE
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
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DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
PEOPLE
by Renee P. Aldrich For New Pittsburgh Courier
Dasawn Gray, 15, is one of the most talented and versatile young men that Joey Hebner, who heads up the RAGS Block Club, ever remembers meeting. RAGS, which represents residents of Renova, Aluvian, Glenwood and Sunnyside Streets, is one of the many entities in Hazelwood with a mission to enhance the quality of life for resi-
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
cookies in my school,” Gray recalls. “I was making 12 to 15 dozen at a time and every day I sold out. My brother was a rapper and I would take his CDs Downtown and sell them for $5 —and he would give me $2 of each sale.” Gray’s abilities provide him opportunities to serve his community. He works on a variety of fundraising projects that support the development of Hazelwood’s new vibrancy.
His accomplishments and his efforts have special meaning after prevailing through the tragic loss of his older brother, Raymond, who, along with a first cousin, lost their lives to gun violence. “We’ve had our struggles and heartaches,” says his mother, Louise Gray, “but I’ve seen Dasawn keep on moving in a positive direction—helping others remains his way of getting through it.”
DASAWN GRAY gives back to the community as a way of dealing with his own personal heartaches, according to his mother, Louise Gray. (Photo by Jacquelyn McDonald) dents and the community. It is also one of the places where Gray is heavily involved as a volunteer, which includes cooking a good deal of the food for their fundraising events. “His skills and talents are so many that it is hard to keep up with them,” Hebner says. “Not only does he do them, he does them all well. We recently held a chili dinner for a fundraiser, and he cooked all of the chili.” Gray has made a profound impact on those who know him. His confident demeanor, mature sensibilities, superior entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to excellence in service makes him a stand out. Connie Denio, one of his English teachers from Pittsburgh Mifflin PreK-8, gave an exuberant overview of his qualities. “This young man, who has been through so much, has demonstrated a mastery of entrepreneurship that I have never witnessed in my 31 years of teaching,” Denio says. “He is always open to learning new things and has never backed away from an opportunity to grow. Once, he entered a hoagie-selling contest to raise money for the students to go to on an end-of-year trip. Dasawn sold so many hoagies that he not only made enough money for his own trip, he was able to make contributions to other students who needed more money.” His penchant for business began at an early age. “I was in fifth grade when I began baking, and selling chocolate chip and sugar
Among other things, he is a member of the Hazelwood Youth Media Justice Program, which teaches photography, audio, journalism and social media to youth in the Hazelwood area. Driven by the principles of social justice, participants learn basic journalism skills and how to use digital equipment, social media platforms and create podcasts. Gray is involved in the photography portion of this and is fully on track to begin doing photo journalism. He also fundraises for the group. His current ongoing enterprise is his Flicker Candle Company, through which he sells candles, soap and jewelry. The unique aspect of this business is that he makes all the candles and soaps from natural products—and his mother makes the jewelry. His customers come by word of mouth, from the schools he has attended and the neighborhoods where he volunteers. His products are also carried in a local grocery store on Hazelwood Avenue. The technology-and-business-infused curriculum at City Charter High School, where he is a sophomore, helps Gray cultivate his business development practices. “I learn a lot about running a business at school, but I do my own research as well,” he says. “I read up on the best way to make candles with natural products, and I watched a lot of YouTube videos to get instructions that way.”
Gray’s mother explains that she tried to teach her children to work hard, treat people the way you want to be treated, embrace and learn what you can from all people, and learn by your own mistakes to make your life better. Gray is very clear in his goal to go to college and graduate with a degree in business. After college, he plans to begin culinary training so that he can ultimately open a food truck, where he will offer organic food.
Each month in New Pittsburgh Courier, McAuley Ministries will sponsor an article highlighting the positive contributions of an African-American youth—male or female. We welcome community members to suggest a young person to feature in this monthly column. Criteria include: •Youth and young adults, ages 12-23 •Documented evidence of leadership or achievement in community service/volunteerism; leadership or achievement in their classroom/school; creativity as an artist, musician, dancer or filmmaker; success as an entrepreneur; leadership in advocating for social justice and equity; and/or achievement in corporate or nonprofit arenas •A resident of Allegheny County. Readers who would like to suggest a youth for this feature should email GENNEXT@pittsburghmercy. org.
LIFESTYLES New Pittsburgh Courier
Davis Consulting Solutions celebrates 5-year anniversary B3
Debbie Norrell
Lifestyles Report
And then... Each week I think about what I want to write about, and then something happens and I get sidetracked. Since the presidential election I have wondered about Omarosa and why her good friend Donald Trump has yet to give her a position in the White House. After all, Omarosa actually worked for Al Gore during the Clinton Administration, so she has a little White House experience. Now that she has completed her role as director of African American Outreach, what is she going to do next Donald? Perhaps another reality show? I wonder if she will be invited to the Inauguration. She is probably planning her outfit now. *** I also wanted to let you know about something I heard when I went to the event that said you could wear only 33 items in 30 days. During that event, I learned a good tip from Kia Tomlin that I wanted to share with you before Christmas. Tomlin says each year this is what she and Coach Mike Tomlin buy for her children: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. I love this!!! She says her kids have not complained since this was introduced in their household. I think more parents should do this. I especially like the last one––something to read. *** Recently, there have been some demonstrations about the amount of minimum wage. Reportedly, about a week ago, some fast food workers walked off the job and demands included a minimum wage of $15 an hour. When I heard this, I remembered the pitiful service I had received from a particular fast food restaurant––the McDonalds in East Liberty, near the police station. I must say it was the worst service I had ever received. While I was in the drive thru I was forced to watch and listen to this group of younger people talk about their evening out. The language was awful and they were totally unprofessional. They had no interest in my order and it ended up being incorrect. After that encounter I saw several friends on Facebook complain about the same restaurant; we all agreed to write a letter to the corporate office, and then I got busy and forgot. And then last week, I sent a friend to pick up my favorite fast food salad, the apple pecan chicken salad at Wendy’s. I always expect this salad to be correct. I think that the salad portion comes in pre-made and I know that what goes in the salad is written down somewhere in that restaurant. It is to have apples, blue cheese, pecans and it comes with raspberry vingerette dressing. When my friend got to my house with the salad, the pecans, blue cheese and the raspberry dressing were missing. Thank goodness the Wendy’s is close by and he went back. I have often had the same problem with my order there. This is not rocket science. How do you get this wrong? Bottom line: you do not deserve $15 an hour until you do better. (Email the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.com)
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
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Destiny International Ministries celebrates the journey! by Debbie Norrell Lifestyles Editor
Destiny International Ministries began 15 years ago on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2001, in the hotel ballroom at the Ramada Inn in Penn Hills. Seventy Five people attended the first “grand opening” service. Many in attendance were family and friends who came out simply to support and encourage them for their first service. At the next service the following week only 12 to 15 people attended. Destiny International Ministries was born with 12 faithful members. As a young ministry, Destiny would be forced to move four times over the next seven years. On Aug. 1, 2008, Destiny purchased the former Lemington Elementary School. On Oct. 1, 2008, Destiny held their first service in their new church home and began to build a foundation for their future. On Nov. 11, at the Doubletree Hotel in Monroeville, Pa., Destiny International Ministries celebrated their 15-year journey with an anniversary banquet. Guests enjoyed musical selections by Katherine
MEMBERS OF DESTINY—Linda and Deacon Doug Webster
Hammond & the Destiny Praise Team and a dance selection was performed by David’s Dance Team & I am Saved Christian Dance Company. The Old School Band featuring Flo Wilson supplied the soundtrack. Reverend John Knight, associate pastor of Mount Ararat Baptist Church, delivered pastoral remarks. Knight, who had attended the Destiny’s first service, said the average life time of a startup church is two years. The deacons and elders of Destiny participated in a slight roast of their senior pastor, Rev. Michael H. Smith. Later, the appreciation for Rev. Smith was shown when hes the was presentWELCOME—Deacon Rochelle Gaines, Deacon Edith Smith Ridley and Pastor Michael H. Smith ed with a plaque and the anniversary committee presented $1,000 to the church for new curtains. Sunday service is held at 10:30 a.m. at 7061 Lemington Ave., PittsVOCALIST—Katherine Hamburgh, Pa. mond 15206.
FIFTEEN YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP—Rev. John Knight, Onterio Ford, Devin L. Patterson and Pastor MEMBERS OF DESTINY—Tredessa and Deacon Jeff Marion Michael H. Smith
I AM SAVED CHRISTIAN DANCE COMPANY
SENIOR PASTOR MICHAEL SMITH ACCEPTS PLAQUE
TABLE MATES—Joseph and Sandra Simmons, Ashley Woodford, Francois Blake, Michele Rice and DESTINY DEACONS—Gayle Richburg and Tiffany Smith Donna Bundy Ford
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Praise & Worship ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH Crawford & Centre Ave. Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Mass Sunday 9:00 A.M. & 12:00 P.M. Sunday (Gospel Choir Mass) 12:00 P.M. www.stbtmchurch.org
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.metropolitanbaptistchurch.com metropolitanbaptist2224@gmail.com
East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800 116 S. Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206
www.cathedralofhope.com
Journey Worship........8:45 a.m. Sanctuary Worship........11 a.m.
To have your church included in the Praise & Worship section contact Ashley Johnson at 412-481-8302 ext. 128 for ad rates.
Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community For rate information, call 412481-8302, ext. 128.
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 email: ajohnson@newpittsburghcourier.com
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Mt. Zion Baptist celebrates Rev. Smith by Jackie McDonald For New Pittsburgh Courier
The best in gospel music was enjoyed by the members and friends of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in West Newton, Pa., when they recently celebrated Rev. Eileen O. Smith’s 13th year as a pastor. There was no shortage of accolades as the members emotionally shared their words and gifts of appreciation for Pastor Smith’s passion to teach and minister to their families. The implementation of a local Food Distribution Program to neighborhood families as well as 23 years experience as a hospice chaplain has afforded many opportunities for Rev. Smith to share her expertise and compassion as a grief and domestic violence counselor. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and commendations. She is also the founder and coordinator of the Minority Emergency Preparedness Task Force and prepared an on-line curriculum case study on Community Emergency Response Teams for Harvard University. Reverend Smith attended the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and is a 2000 graduate of Geneva College, and her legacy of service and ministry continues through her daughters, recording artist Rev. Nikki Porter and Toya Jones, PhD, professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She is also the proud grandmother of three. Mt. Zion Baptist Church has become a beacon of light, and a place for personal and spiritual growth because of Rev. Smith’s desire to inspire success. The praise group Voices for Christ provided perfect vocal harmony, and the dynamic Porter and friends led the crowd to glorious praise.
A CHURCH MEMBER PRAISING GOD
REV. EILEEN O. SMITH praising God. (Photos by Jackie McDonald)
NIKKI PORTER, a recording artist, singing praises to HENRY BIGGS, a vocalist, enjoy- REV. VICTORIA SMALL giving ing the concert. accolades God.
Black clergy group gives 6 reasons why Trump won Washington, D.C.—The National Black Church Initiative, faith-based coalitions of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African Americans, say the blame for the election of Donald Trump lay on the shoulders of the first Black President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama. Reverend Anthony Evans, president of the National Black Church Initiative, states, “These six reasons that we spell out and give an acute analysis of the moral, psychological underpinning of why the poor did not vote and the middle class Blacks like Angela Rye tried to defend both a president who forgot he was a Black man, and tried to elect a woman who was the wrong woman for the Presidency, and who was draped in moral contradictions and possessed a Biblical Eve tenacity of trying to negotiate with the Devil. Hillary oversaw the DNC who castrated the Christian church for our views, lied and undermined the Bernie Sanders campaign and stole money from the poor Haitians. Now Ms. Rye and others find themselves trying to explain how Donald Trump got elected. Here’s what we know:” 1) The lack of action against the killing of African American males Every Black mother witnessed how impudent Obama’s Justice Department, ran by his White friends from Harvard who were ill-equipped and understaffed to deal with the deep racial hatred felt by low income Whites, who could not find jobs to pay them because they were White. She also witnessed how they gunned down her son who was the sparkle of her eyes and the promise of our people. 2) The legalization of homosexual marriage No one that we have spoken to other than David Axelrod who we cornered
in the airport so that he could admit to the fact that the President always believed in gay marriage but knew that if he told the truth the Black Church would not have supported him. He lied in Rev. (Jeremiah) Wright’s church and said that he did not support gay marriage. Here was the beginning and the unraveling of his immoral ethos (if he would lie in God’s church) that saw this policy emerging from the first Black presidency as being his chief accomplishment. Abe Lincoln freed the slaves and Obama freed the homosexuals. In the words of Rev. Charles Adams and the Apostle Paul, how foolish should one spend its blessing from God? 3) The mess in the Middle East The Nobel Peace Prize committee could not wait for the president to assume the presidency because they deeply believed that the Middle East, which was destroyed by the Bush and Chaney Administration would realize a moral revival of goodness and peace under the Obama administration. So in anticipation of this they gave him the Nobel Peace Prize only to witness a president who was not interested in engaging the American people into a symphony of brotherhood and lasting peace in the Middle East, only to prove to his critics like Fox News and Bill Krystal that he can kill like the rest of them. He unleashed drone warfare to the nth degree that even the New York Times called it the new level to the killing fields that consist of both women and children. So the Black Church asked the first Black President and the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, where’s the peace? When you look at Syria, Libya, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Turkey one can only say, what were the Nobel Peace Prize people thinking? It is more confused now than ever
before in the history of the Middle East. Congratulations Mr. President, you did something that most people cannot. You actually moved backwards. 4) The creation of Obamacare as a tax not as healthcare Healthcare was a good idea. When the president had the majority in both the House and the Senate in his first two years of the presidency he squandered it by putting healthcare in the hands of Nancy Pelosi birthed a 2,000 baby Healthcare Bill and, he waited till the eve of the changing of the Senate, for the election of Scott Brown to stuff healthcare down our throats, healthcare then became a tax, not Healthcare for the poor. In addition, all of those poor Blacks who stood out in the line in 2008 hoping to be a part of this miracle, did not get health insurance largely because they were too poor to get it and their governor was too Republican. Thus making healthcare an excellent issue for getting Trump elected for the 20 million Americans who have benefited briefly under this bad experiment, there is more heartache to come under a Trump administration and the Black poor will still not get healthcare. 5) The corrupt soul of Hillary and her campaign President Obama, in a speech before the Congressional Black Caucus on the eve of the election asked the audience of middle class and well to do African Americans who were connected to the Democratic Party through an umbilical cord to go out and preserve his legacy by electing Clinton as the first female president of the United States so that she can preserve the immoral legacy of gay marriage, so that she can preserve a healthcare that did not provide healthcare for the poor, so that they can protect a young white boy
who felt that he should be able to use the girl’s bathroom. Those Blacks listened to him and stood up and applauded. The problem is that he did not understand that between his immorality and lack of commitment to Black people himself, and the corrupt soul of Clinton, who cannot even tell the truth, like the scripture says, “Make your speech nay or yay and anything more than that is evil.” The Black poor who stood in those lines in 2008 hoping for healthcare, which they did not get, and for White racist cops not to murder down their only male child, were not present at that dinner, did not hear those eloquent words from the president, because the president had long since abandoned their dreams for our White gay brothers and sisters and these same poor Blacks turned around because they heard him and saw him for over eight years and they love him, but they refuse to be used by him and Clinton another eight years. So they sat down like Rosa Parks to signify their sense of justice. His silence and non-action continues to cause death in the Black community. His White House has refused to defend the human rights of Black Americans. This is why students were forced to create the Black Lives Matter Movement. President Obama’s most publicized initiative in the face of all of this, even as the spate of racial incidents pressured him to be more forthright about this issue, has been My Brother’s Keeper, a public-private partnership to address the crisis of young men and boys of color—“A Band-Aid for a gunshot wound,” writes Eddie Glaude Jr. He has treated us like the general society has—as second class. He has done everything in his power not to show any favoritism toward Black Americans. He
has done a prefect job of not doing anything for African Americans. African Americans continue to suffer in every catalog in this democracy and there has been no real improvement under his administration. Glaude, in “Democracy in Black,” argues that under Obama, “Black communities have been devastated.” 6) The White House harbors the White Harvard glee club When those of us thought after working 20-30 years in the vineyard, we had an opportunity to sit with the first Black president and shape the Nation’s policy on Healthcare, the economy, jobs, housing and labor and economic development, our hopes were quickly dashed by the president’s refusal to have a Black kitchen cabinet who can advise him as well as protect him. He was far more comfortable around the straight hair cut, Harvard glee club looking White males who had two or more homosexual friends. They did the advising, they told the president what it means to be Black in America. They told the president about inequality in housing and healthcare, they told the president about the condition of Black children and Black women. These White kids told the president everything he wanted to know about Black people because he refused to ask Black people himself. And this is another reason why those poor Blacks sat down as Rosa Parks did and refused to vote for Hillary and to preserve his legacy. But they still love him. Axelrod was one of the White singers who serenaded the President with his political and moral miscalculations. Al Sharpton was the only Black member of the glee club who tried to keep the voice of the prophet silent during the Obama administration.
(Article courtesy of the National Black Church Initiative.)
New Pittsburgh Courier
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www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Charlene Crowell
Commentary
Bill seeks financial justice for defrauded Wells Fargo victims A series of developments following the Wells Fargo scandal has now led to the introduction of legislation designed to bring financial justice to the millions of consumers affected by fees and fraudulent accounts they never authorized, nor opened. On Dec. 1, Ohio U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, introduced a bill that would grant Wells Fargo victims their own day in court—even if they signed contracts that included arbitration for legitimately-opened accounts with the bank. Entitled the Justice for Victims of Fraud Act of 2016, the bill would work hand-in-hand with provisions of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposed oversight rule. While CFPB’s rule would apply to credit contracts signed after the rule took effect, Brown’s legislation would apply only to cases of fraud like those affected by the Wells Fargo scandal that preceded the record $185 million CFPB fine. A companion bill was also filed in the House of Representatives by California Congressman Brad Sherman. “I want to thank Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Sherrod Brown for working with me to introduce the Justice for Victims of Fraud Act of 2016. This bill will give defrauded Wells Fargo customers the opportunity for their day in court,” said Sherman. “If customers never authorized the opening of a phony credit card or checking account, there is no reason they should be bound by the arbitration agreement they were forced to sign when they set up their legitimate account.” “Forced arbitration is shielding Wells Fargo from being held accountable for tanking customers’ credit scores and charging them fraudulent fines,” said Sen. Brown. “Wells Fargo’s customers never intended to sign away their right to fight back against fraud and deceit. We need to give customers back their ability to seek justice in court so they can be made whole again.” The legislative initiative follows earlier congressional testimony by John Stumpf, the former CEO of Wells Fargo who said that the bank would continue its practice of forced arbitration, despite Sen. Brown pressing for clear answers as to how cheated customers with damaged credit scores would be treated. The nation’s third largest bank by assets, Wells Fargo fraudulently created an estimated 2 million credit card and deposit accounts. Forced arbitration authorizes an arbitrator selected and paid by the bank to settle customer disputes. It is also an approach that is usually hidden in the fine printed details of consumer credit agreements. If a consumer is dissatisfied with the decision of the arbitrator, he/she is denied the right to sue or further question the decision. Already, Brown’s bill has support of 14 Senate co-sponsors representing Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. Additionally, the measure is supported by a growing list of organizations that include the NAACP, California Reinvestment Coalition, Public Justice, the Franciscan Action Network, the Economic Policy Institute, National Consumer Law Center, and Americans for Financial Reform. Speaking on behalf of the Center for Responsible Lending, another organizational supporter, Melissa Stegman, a SEE BILL B4
FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING—Celebrating five years of business, Danielle Davis of Davis Consulting Solutions describes the many services her company provides during an anniversary brunch. (Photos by Diane I. Daniels)
Davis Consulting Solutions celebrates 5-year anniversary by Diane I. Daniels For New Pittsburgh Courier
Collaborations, partnerships and linkages are a few tools Danielle Davis, the owner of Davis Consulting Solutions, believes assists in operating a successful business. “No one becomes a success on their own and there is strength in numbers,” she says. She also believes in the Chinese proverb: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Over 100 entrepreneurs, city officials, community and non-profit organizations, government employees, higher education representatives and family members were on hand Friday, Dec. 2 at the East Liberty Library to assist Davis celebrates the fifth-year anniversary of her consulting business. “I am amazed and grateful at the amount of people who have turned out today,” said Davis during her welcoming remarks. With the theme “Make Your Business Our Business and Succeed in 2017” in anticipation to continue her efforts to work within communities, with government officials, business owners, community leaders, and faith-based organizations she classified the anniversary brunch as “a sharing of resources, and a presentation for how we can work together in the upcoming years.” Pleased to be considered a partner, Valerie McDonald Roberts Chief Urban Affairs Officer for the City of Pittsburgh praised Davis for her work and emphasized the significance of the groups in attendance working together. “This is the way we will grow the city,” she said. Activities during the event consisted of heavy networking, presentations by Mike Capsambelis from Google Pittsburgh, Dr. Heather Starr Fiedler from Point Park University and Sylvia Elsayed of Community College of Allegheny County. Presentations were also made by Marty Stahl of Volunteers of America, Renee Robin-
son of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh with closing remarks by Lori L. Moran of the East Liberty Station Associates and East Liberty Quarter Chamber of Commerce. Part of the proceeds from a silent auction during the event benefited the Chamber. Paula B. Castleberry, Minority/Woman Business Coordinator of the School District of Pittsburgh served as mistress of ceremony and the invocation was made by Messenger Annette Carswell. Davis describes DCS, a certified Section 3, Minority and Woman Owned Firm as providing innovative coaching, training and consulting services in collaboration with other organizations in the Greater Pittsburgh and Mon Valley areas, that help to secure jobs, through job creation, education, and training, with an aim to deSEE DAVIS B4
GOOD JOB—Assisting DCS celebrate five years, Valerie McDonald Roberts Chief Urban Affairs Officer for the City of Pittsburgh reminds the audience that it takes many partnerships to grow the city.
Mester gives economic forecast at Chamber luncheon by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer
As it’s President and CEO Doris Carson Williams notes The African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania is all about Improving opportunities for African American business owners and professionals. Part of that mission includes providing the best in economic forecasting for its members. So Williams was pleased to welcome Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester as the keynote speaker for the chamber’s annual Business Luncheon Nov. 16. Though not necessarily an economic prediction, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald in his welcoming remarks alluded to the results of the presidential election by stating that Pittsburgh would continue to be a “welcoming city for all.” “We are a city of bridges and we will continue to be,” he said. “Because the opportunities here are unparalleled by any region in the country.” For her part, Mester said it is too early to speculate on what President-elect Donald Trump’s economic agenda will mean for the
COMMUNITY PARTNERS—African American Chamber Board Chair Samuel Stephenson and President and CEO Doris Carson Williams give speaker Loretta Mester the customary Chamber pin. business climate. She said the federal reserve will continue its mission to foster growth and keep inflation down. Mester said that
means 2 percent inflation and full employment. Following a 0.25 raise in December 2015, the Fed planned four increases
throughout this year—it made none. Mester told the 300 or so attending the chamber luncheon that she supported the Fed approving a raise in interest rates sooner rather than later because “monetary policy affects the economy with long and variable lags, so policy actions have to be taken before our policy goals are fully met.” “If we delay too long and then find ourselves in a situation where the labor market becomes unsustainably tight, price pressures become excessive, and we have to move rates up steeply, we could risk a recession, a bad outcome that disproportionately harms the more vulnerable parts of our society,” she said. “I view a small step up in interest rates as appropriate—not because I want to curtail the expansion, but because I believe it will help prolong the expansion.” Mester also lauded the region for its economic diversification, aiming it less vulnerable to major swings in the economy. She also said the the region’s welleducated work force is a draw to new businesses— some of which are already
LOOKING FORWARD—Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester tells the African American Business Luncheon crowd the region is more poised for growth than others. raising wages in the competition for talent. Mester said she expects new growth in the energy field locally, as recent oil price hikes indicate the global energy glut is abating. The local “investment in human capital” made by universities and trade training programs will en-
able more individuals to take advantage of the increasing opportunities. For that she also thanked people like Williams, Fitzgerald, the business and foundation community. “Effective leadership has also been a driver in the region’s success,” she said.
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Bill seeks financial justice for victims
Women Business Leaders Breakfast Series
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Senior Policy Counsel said, “This legislation gives these defrauded customers the opportunity to seek justice in court and is a step in the right direction in bringing fairness to consumer finance. . . Opening fraudulent accounts is not the only abusive tactic Wells Fargo has committed – they are also notorious for manipulating transactions in order to charge excessive overdraft fees to their customers.” Defrauded consumers do not deserved to be financially victimized a second time. Instead of trying to minimize the costs Wells Fargo will accrue, both the bank’s long-term interests and its customers would be better served by fully acknowledging its actions, providing fair restitution, and enacting reforms to ensure that these kinds of illegal actions will not happen again.
MOTIVATING—Harold Lefall Jr. speaking to a group of aspiring entrepreneurs
Author/entrepreneur reveals Davis Consulting Solutions how to reach the maximum
(Charlene Crowell is communications deputy director with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.)
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crease unemployment. Its mission is to provide multifaceted supportive services for individuals, families, organizations and businesses. Business development services and virtual assistance will help build economic stability. Social assistance will provide individuals equal access to resources within educational, governmental, social, professional, health, and faith-based organizations. Utilizing an integrative community outreach model, the vision of DCS is to promote the strength of the communities it serves by providing resources beyond just information, enabling individuals and or businesses to achieve sustainability through a coordination of services related to personal, professional and or business development. Davis brings over 15 years of administration experience coupled with more than 10 years of business and human service knowledge to her role as consultant, educator, trainer and entrepreneur. Currently the Hazelwood resident is a PhD. student in Community Engagement at Point Park University. With a Masters in Organizational Leadership from Geneva College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Ministry, she is focused on strengthening the community and economic development opportunities. As a licensed and ordained minister, Davis is expressive in her passion for enhancing talented and skilled leaders across the globe. DCS also consists of a
team of experts that includes volunteer administrative assistant Vanessa Bartee, Diane I. Daniels of DID & Associates, Donielle (Belle) Owen of Donielle Owen Consulting, Bernice Boyden of the Boyden Group, Ron Hart of Resumes that Talk and Mitchel Nickols of More Than a Nickols Worth Consulting and Coaching, LLC Like many small businesses, Davis says she became an entrepreneur by accident, “I started off just trying to make ends meet with people telling me I had a business, to get a license and register it.” Located in McKeesport Davis said, “I started off fixing computers, then I began to love graphic design and desktop publishing and shifted into printing services and what I now know to be marketing.” Recalling that her first business venture started in 1995 her climb to success of today she credits to participating in business development programs in the former incubator in McKeesport and the Minority Enterprise Corporation in the Hill District. She also has participated in the Duquesne University Small Business Development Center while furthering her education and gaining experience from various professional occupations. Now five years and counting, Davis is looking forward to enabling individuals and businesses to achieve sustainability through coordination of services related to their personal, professional and business development.
Oakland, Calif. (BlackNews.com)—Many people today seek personal motivators to help them succeed in their business and personal endeavors. Few realize the power to change resides within. This is the central message of Harold Leffall Jr., well known author, entrepreneur, business coach and speaker, who is on a mission to remind people, “You are enough.” As an entrepreneur who built a multi-million dollar business and former host of popular radio talk show, “Faith and Business,” Harold offers business coaching and personal success courses to anyone who wants to build new businesses by re-discovering their hidden talent. The empowerment coaching includes business plan development, proposal writing and coaching to learn the nuances of entrepreneurship. The coaching period unfolds as an alliance and partnership to help the client reconnect with their inner wisdom and discover their own answers. Harold is a cancer survivor. He beat cancer and went on a mission to motivate others to do the same. He has also rebound from a foreclosure, bankruptcy and loss of his mother to tell others that the power to overcome hurdles is already within. In the past, Harold has appeared in “Best Self Atlanta,”
“Black Enterprise,” “Entrepreneur” and “Essence magazines.” He has also contributed to national publications such as the NV magazine and has been featured on the television show, Making IT, as well as on National Public Radio. In 2006, he started a non-profit firm to create employment opportunities for people transitioning from homelessness. Harold holds an M.A. in management and has served as an adjunct professor. As part of his coaching career, Harold has spoken at Auburn University Montgomery’s Administrative Professionals Conference and the Coca-Cola Dare to Dream Conference. He has also been featured on EON-TV on various shows, sharing practical tips and strategies for living a purposeful life. As an author, he has published “Living from Within, Getting to the Heart of True Happiness, Self-Acceptance and Peace,” available on Amazon. He is also the author of “Brother CEO” published by Zaire Publishing. “You usually don’t start living from within, until you’re forced to stop living without someone or something,” said Leffall. “When this occurs you can take the opportunity to go deeper inside yourself and discover the amazing person you truly are.” (For more information, please visit www.haroldleffall.com.)
Overcoming growing pains ATLANTA, Ga. (BlackNews.com)—“Busi- distribution pipeline. ness has been moving faster than exSneakersCustom.com products are availpected,” explains Tarik Edmonson, owner able through independent wholesalers and & CEO of SneakersCustom.com. Sales direct from the website. By using today’s have been strong all over the globe—from technology, anyone with the enAngola, South Africa, Democratic Republic trepreneurial drive can be a part of the of Congo to London, England. The fast sneaker industry by becoming a wholegrowing demand for their shoes has saler of this fast selling, product line. Also, brought with it some minor growing pains for the company. The company had several of their most popular lines temporarily sold out, but demand kept growing despite the inventory shortage. But now, the company is restocked and ready for the upcoming holiday season, with the new Jamaica canvas low top sneaker, the African Running sneaker; a unisex mesh sneaker remix of several popular styles, and the very popular TARIK EDMONSON—Founder of SneakersCustom.com leather high top sneaker. They have a new deal for the holiday season! All customers who pur- if a consumer just wants to purchase a pair chased an out-of-stock sneaker, or who had of these unique sneakers, they can order any problems during the re-stocking period from their cell phone, tablet or laptop. will receive 20 percent off any new orders SneakersCustom.com is growing rapidly direct from www.sneakerscustom.com. To with new, ambitious people joining the redeem the 20 percent off coupon, con- team. “For 2017, we see the company doing sumers just need to log on to the website great things in the community and changand type in the discount code—nat ing the game,” says Tarik Edmonson. The company has more new sneaker designs turner—and they will automatically reready for 2017 release—a Red, Gold & Green ceive the 20 percent off on all orders. “We have 3,000 pairs of the African run- Lion of Judah sneaker, the all green Nigeria ning shoe in stock for the holiday season,” sneaker, and several fraternity and sorority explains Tarik. In less than a year, this At- designs on deck. To learn more about their line lanta-based company made a huge impact of products, visit www.sneakercustom.com or with its’ fashionable, athletic footwear by connect with them on Facebook at selling worldwide thru its’ own innovative www.Facebook.com/nagastfootwear
DEC. 9—Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship’s will host its breakfast meeting 8-9:30 a.m. in Braun Hall, Woodland Rd. in Shadyside. Utilizing the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank as a case study, Lisa Scales will discuss the adjustments in organizational culture, talent, and operations that are required for transformational growth in an organization. For more information, call 412-3651253.
Business Showcase DEC. 13—The Oakland Business Improvement District will host a celebration of the regions food and drink purveyors from 5 to 8 p.m., at Soldiers and Sailors Museum, 4141 Fifth Ave. Attending businesses include Full Pint Brewery, Red Oak Café, Sushi Fuku, Wigle Whiskey and more. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at onlyinoakland.org.
Business Showcase DEC. 13—The Oakland Business Improvement District will host a celebration of the regions food and drink purveyors from 5 to 8 p.m., at Soldiers and Sailors Museum, 4141 Fifth Ave. Attending businesses include Full Pint Brewery, Red Oak Café, Sushi Fuku, Wigle Whiskey and more. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at onlyinoakland.org.
Year End Celebration DEC. 14—The Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council will host its 2106 Year End Celebration, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Station Square. Review 2016 successes, get an overview of 2017 programming, and network with corporate decision makers and fellow MBEs. Wilson Group President and CEO Derrick Wilson will give the keynote address. The event includes dinner and a cash bar. Tickets are $50. To register, call 412-391-4423 or visit EMSDC.org.
SBA Women-Owned Business Registration DEC. 21—The Pittsburgh District office of the U.S. Small Business Administration will host its monthly hands-on workshop for 8(a) HUBZone and Women-owned certification programs, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at its Pittsburgh offices, 411 Seventh Avenue Suite 1450. Attendees can review the requirements and application process with the staff specialists. The workshop is free, but registration is required. For more information, call 412-3956560.
Early Registration DEC. 31—Deadline for early registration for INPEX, the region’s largest invention showcase, JUNE 13-15 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Those registering by the deadline will be eligible to win up to three free nights at the Drury Hotel adjacent to the convention center during the expo. For more information, contact Rachel Rushlander at rrushlander@inpex.com or call 888-544-6739 ext. 4124
OPINION
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
B5
Our jails are filled with the wrong people
Guest Editorial
The coming reported battle over Medicare President-elect Donald Trump’s move to tap Georgia Rep. Tom Price to lead the Department of Health and Human Services signals that his administration could be moving far to the right on programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. The president-elect won praise from conservatives for his pick of Price to serve as health and human services secretary. The staunchly conservative lawmaker will be leading an agency with a $1 trillion budget and overseeing Medicare and Medicaid programs which affect more than 100 million Americans. A six-term congressman and orthopedic surgeon, Price has been a vehement critic of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. If confirmed by the Senate, he’ll be a leading figure in Republican efforts to repeal the health care law. Incoming Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Price “has proven to be far out of the mainstream of what Americans want” for programs that help seniors, women, families and those with disabilities. His nomination, Schumer said, is “akin to asking the fox to guard the hen house.” Schumer appears to be right. Like many Republicans, Price is an advocate for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. But he is also a leading proponent of overhauling entitlement programs such as Medicare. The Washington Post reports that Price is “One of the 18 members of the House GOP Doctors Caucus.” Price supports major changes to Medicaid and Medicare, health insurance pillars of the Great Society programs of the 1960s. Under his vision, both programs would cease to be entitlements that require them to provide coverage to every person who qualifies. Instead, like many Republicans, he wants to covert Medicaid into block grants to states—which would give them more latitude from federal requirements about eligibility rules and the medical services that must be covered for low-income Americans. This plan would also require “able-bodied” applicants to meet work requirements to receive health care benefits—an idea that the Obama administration has consistently rebuffed.” The Republican proposals are likely to lead deep cuts for those who use the program. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that at least 14 million people would lose coverage if Congress revokes the Medicaid expansion that has occurred under the Affordable Care Act. On Medicare, Price has proposed switching it from a “defined benefit” to a “defined contribution.” This means the government-run health insurance plan for the elderly and disabled will shift from a guaranteed government program to a risky and skimpy voucher program. “Beneficiaries would have to pay much more to stay in traditional fee-for-service Medicare,” John K. Gorman, a former Medicare official who is now an insurance consultant, said to the New York Times. “Regular Medicare would become the province of affluent beneficiaries who can buy their way out of” private plans. During his election campaign, Trump promised to protect Medicare. In fact he said substantial changes to the popular program would be a political death wish. But the president-elect’s selection of Price would indicate that despite his populist message and promises, the incoming Trump administration would face internal and external pressure to change Medicare. House Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.) and other Republican leaders in congress have long championed changes in entitlement programs including deep cuts and a move toward privatization. With Price in his cabinet and with Republicans controlling the House and the Senate, Trump could be pushed toward changing Medicare even if that is not his political inclination. Democrats and moderate Republicans must oppose and defeat these proposals similar to what was done when President George W. Bush proposed efforts to drastically change Social Security after his re-election in 2004. (Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)
Founded 1910
Rod Doss Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher Allison Palm
Ulish Carter
Jeff Marion
Office Manager
Managing Editor
Circulation Consultant
John. H. Sengstacke
Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)
A recent extensive report by Allegheny County stated what most of us already knew. The wrong people are in jail, and most are Black. According to a “Criminal Justice in the 21st Century: Improving incarceration Policies and Practices in Allegheny County” report released recently by the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics’ Criminal Justice Task Force. With all the violent crime occurring throughout Allegheny County and the country as a whole the vast majority, 65 to 80 percent of the people in jail are nonviolent Blacks. Blacks comprise just 13 percent of Allegheny yet 49 percent of the jail population, and those numbers are much higher in other major urban areas where the Black populations are higher. Then add to that the number of people in jail or pleading guilty because judges allow cancelations of trials because the police don’t show, or a witness doesn’t show or whatever. If the trial is scheduled at a certain time it should be mandatory that police or anyone connected to it show up or the case should be tossed out. Remember every time a defendant shows up he or she must pay their lawyer. One lady said she showed up nine times and each time it was rescheduled because someone from law enforcement didn’t show, so the judge rescheduled, and each time she had to pay their lawyer $500 or more. Think about it. Most people, at $250 to $500 or more a pop, would have run out of money, thus having to plead guilty or go in without a lawyer. The report stated that most of the people in county jails was there not because they were guilty but because they didn’t have the money
Ulish Carter
Just Sayin’ to pay the fine. Yet we have killers walking the streets. The report went on to say that incarceration contributes to poverty by creating employment barriers, reducing earnings and decreasing economic security through criminal debt, fees and fines, making access to public benefits difficult or impossible. And we wonder why the Black communities throughout this country are not recovering. The criminal justice system is filling the jails with non-violent Black men and women. Which is all the more reason we have to fight to get more Black judges, lawyers, police officers, as well as Blacks at every level of the Criminal Justice System, because while killers and hardened criminals are walking the streets threatening our homes and lives, the system is going after our kids. With this knowledge we must find a way to educate our youth, and young adults to not just walk right into these traps. Don’t drink alcohol or smoke marijuana in the car, if you use drugs, use them at home, be extremely careful about who you hang with, and know what they are doing at all time. Because many of our young people end up in jail or prison because they was with the wrong people at the wrong time. And this includes relatives. Yes we all know there are many of our relatives who
are up to no good, so we need to stay away from them, or monitor when and where. This report will not mean a thing if the Black community, don’t pressure the system to change the way they do business. Police have the option to either cite the person or release. Surprise, surprise, surprise, in the suburbs the police who probably knows the person well he has just stopped, gives a citation and releases the person, but in the city where they don’t know the person the person is cited and held. Which is all the more reason police should live in the city that they serve. With the new President, House and Senate taking office in January look for the criminal justice system to become even darker if we don’t fight to change the system. If we are ever going to lift our communities out of poverty we must find a way to replace all the non-violent inmates in our prisons and jails with the violent people on the streets gunning our young people down in the streets, or anyone else who get in their way. *** One man one vote. One woman one vote. That’s the Democracy that the U.S. has been trying to push down people’s throat for hundreds of years, but in all actuality we don’t have one-man one vote. We have the Electoral College that votes for the president. Al Gore got more votes than George Bush in 2000 but lost the election, and the same happened with Hillary Clinton. I said it in 2000 that the Electoral College was outdated and needed to be abolished, and I believe it even stronger today.
(Ulish Carter is the managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier.)
Facebook’s ‘Ethnic Affinities’ is digital racism (NNPA)—Racism is a malignant, powerful, and harmful reality for millions of persons of color throughout the world. Here, inside the United States, racism is institutionalized and we have the evidence that this dreadful, racially discriminatory system of oppression now has been digitized thanks to Facebook. We must oppose all forms, nuances, and modes of racism. I am defining “digital racism” as the deliberate and systematic exclusion and discrimination of people from any Internet access, benefit or policy-making procedure based on race, color, ethnicity, or any other social or cultural factor. I know when this is read, some of you will be shocked while others will be in some form of denial. Such was the case when I first coined the term “environmental racism” over 30 years ago. But the truth is the truth. And the truth is therapeutic. Racial and ethnic cleaning at Facebook is the manifestation of digital racism on one of the most powerful social media platforms in the world. The National Newspaper Publishers Association is opposed to racial and ethnic discrimination. We are alarmed and we resolutely join with the Congressional Black Caucus in demanding that Facebook stop engaging in racially discriminatory practices.
Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.
Commentary Earlier this month, the CBC sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, concerning this issue. “We are writing to express our deep concerns with reports that Facebook’s “Ethnic Affinities” advertising customization feature allows for advertisers to exclude specific racial and ethnic groups when placing housing advertising,” stated the CBC. The CBC letter was signed by Robin L. Kelly, D-Ill., Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., and G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., the Chairman of the CBC. Their joint statement concluded, “This is in direct violation of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, and it is our strong desire to see Facebook address this issue immediately.” The Fair Housing Act of 1968 says it is illegal “to make, print, publish, or cause to be made, printed, or published any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation,
or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin” (42 U.S.C. § 3604). The enactment of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 was a milestone accomplishment of the Civil Rights Movement. “By allowing online advertisers to promote or market a community or home for the purpose of sale to select an ‘ethnic affinity’ as part of their advertising campaign, Facebook is complicit in promoting restrictive housing practices,” the CBC letter stated. This is clearly a violation of the law. The NNPA agrees with the CBC. This practice must be stopped immediately. Today, we all should remain vigilant and committed to stand up and speak out against all instances of racial and ethnic discrimination. Facebook needs to right this wrong. The online and digital worlds should not be permissive of racism. With all the technological advances to hopefully ensure that the quality of life of all people will ultimately be enhanced in the U.S. and throughout the world, we must strive to identify, call out and stop racism wherever it may arise. Therefore, we call upon Facebook to stop its digital racism and its “Ethnic Affinities” discriminatory program.
(Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is president and CEO of the National NNPAand can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa.org.)
Clinton gets 2 million more votes than Trump and everyone pretends they don’t notice (NNPA)—Imagine if Donald Trump got two million more votes than Hillary Clinton, but by some fluke of Electoral College math, Clinton won. What would Trump be saying? The answer is easy: He’d be saying what he said weeks before Election Day: That the election was rigged against him. Why the same isn’t true the other way around is anyone’s guess. On Nov. 23, we learned that Clinton received two million more popular votes than Trump. Yeah, I know: Trump will be the next President. At some point someone has to ask: Does it make sense that the person who received the most votes isn’t the winner? Does it make sense that Clinton has a wider vote margin over Trump than seven people who eventually became President? The talk after the election was that the Democratic Party needs an overhaul and all is lost for the party. But the Democrats should be careful not to over-correct. If receiving two million more votes signals a crisis, that’s quite something. Just imagine that Democrats received 2 million more votes with an imperfect candidate of the past carrying loads of baggage. The bigger problem for the Democrats is running establishment candidates at the top of the ticket in an age of anti-establishment politics doesn’t work. The 2008 run of
Lauren Victoria Burke
Commentary Barack Obama should have taught them the value of change politics to the American voters. But what did the Democratic Party—more specifically President Obama—do instead? As the leader of the party, the President handpicked Hillary Clinton as his successor, put her in the position of Secretary of State, selected a Democratic National Committee Chair who wouldn’t get in the way and fought against Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ efforts during the primaries. And we all know what happened next. It’s unlikely all of that would happen again, but after President Obama made the DNC an afterthought in favor of his Obama for America affinity project, who knows what the future holds. “Mr. Trump is unfit to serve. His scapegoating of so many Americans, and his impulsivity, bullying, lying, admitted history of sexual assault, and utter lack of experience make him a danger,” wrote Elijah Berg,
who has launched the petition urging electors to vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. The petition now has over 4.6 million people signed on. Former Green Party candidate for President Jill Stein has raised $5 million dollars for a recount efforts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. You can bet that the two states with Republican governor, Wisconsin and Michigan, will reject a recount for fear of what they might find.
(Lauren Victoria Burke is a political analyst who speaks on politics and African American leadership. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke.)
Letters to the editor for publication The New Pittsburgh Courier welcomes all responsible viewpoints for publication. All letters should be typewritten and contain writer’s address and phone number for verification. All letters will be edited for clarity and length. Address all letters to: Letters to the Editor New Pittsburgh Courier, 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219 You may fax your letter to 412-4811360, or via e-mail to letters@newpittsburghcourier.com.
B6
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
FORUM
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Armstrong Williams How Americans If Trump is serious about lost faith in fighting terrorism, he should Commentary everything and register White Nationalists first found Trump Bill Fletcher Jr. President Donald Trump
(NNPA)—Professor Deva Woodly teaches political science at the New School for Social Research in New York. During a recent talk, she shared that trust in our nation’s institutions is at an all-time low. That is, perhaps, why that man who currently holds the title of president-elect was able to prevail over someone far more qualified in the November election. Using Gallup Poll data from June 2016, Professor Woodly notes that the military is our nation’s most trusted institution—73 percent trust them, while our Congress is the least trusted with only 7 percent support. Fifty-six percent of us trust the police, 41 percent trust the church, just 36 percent support the president, and only 23 percent trust organized labor or the criminal justice system. One in five trusts television news or newspapers. In a nutshell, it does not appear that we trust anybody! This lack of trust results in a lack of involvement in civil society. If you don’t trust the church, how involved will you be in it? If you don’t trust your union, will you do much more than pay your dues? Only two in five trust the medical profession—do you believe your doctors? Just one in four of us trust banks. If we don’t trust institutions, do we trust each other? And if we don’t trust each other, how
Julianne Malveaux
Commentary do we come together to organize, to resist the corrosiveness of the callous, racist, misogynistic leadership that Trump offers our nation. The man has no regard for the truth, and he has pandered to our collective mistrust by describing everything as “rigged.” Now he is saying that he really won the popular vote because “millions” of people voted fraudulently. He has no proof of it, and he ought to be ashamed for lying, except for if he had any shame he never would have run for president. Between fake news and mistrust, there are those who believe him, which further erodes institutional trust. Our nation is on a downward spiral, and there is no soft landing unless we rediscover the ways we once connected, and revive them. Woodly and I joined Michael Eric Dyson, and Columbia University Professor and moderator Fred Harris in a New School-sponsored panel on Obama, Race and Politics. Anyone who has read Dyson or me would not be surprised at our analysis. Fred Harris, too, has written about the Obama presidency in his book, “The Price of the Ticket: Barack Obama and the Rise and Fall of Black Politics” (Oxford University Press, 2012). Professor Woodly’s analysis stood out for me, though, because she talked about community distrust and ways it disconnects people from politics, the polls, and outcomes. Too many people thought that their actions had no consequences, and that whatever they did had no meaning. Their impressions may have been shaped by the smugness many of us saw coming from the Clinton campaign that behaved as if their victory was inevitable. Just 107,000 votes in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania separated Hillary Clinton from victory. Recounts are not likely to sway the election, and the “if I coulda, woulda, shoulda” post-mortem around the resources that should have been used to energize the base makes no difference now. The fact is that Hillary Clinton should have won this election. She didn’t, because the village she says it takes to save a child has been fractured. Instead of talking to each other, too many are texting each other. Instead of talking to voters, the Clinton campaign was spending millions on ads that vilified Trump instead of lifting up Clinton. The election is over. Recounts are important for the sake of accountability, but I’m not sure they will make a difference in the electoral outcome. I support the recounts, and also an electoral audit. I support reform that makes it easier, not harder for people to vote. I believe that there are things that can be done in the next two years to take our democracy back. I refuse to wring my hands and dry my eyes about Trump and his “victory” anymore. What must happen now is a return to community. I was heartened to see so many millennials at the New School panel, young people asking what to do next. The answer—we must rebuild community. We must organize, organize, organize, and agitate, agitate, agitate. The man who calls himself our president-elect is an unabashed liar who some say “deserves a chance.” Give him a chance, if you will, but hold him accountable for his lies, his conflicts of interest, and his racist appointments of Steve Bannon and Senator Sessions, D-Ala. Our community, revived, can do no less. (Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist. For more info visit www.juliannemalveaux. com.)
(NNPA)--I have been trying to figure out how there can be any discussion of registering Muslims due to alleged national security concerns, when it is documented that the major source of terrorism in the United States since 9/11 has been White supremacists groups. The Southern Poverty Law Center has been a major source of information documenting myriad right-wing terrorist attacks, though little mainstream attention has gone to this phenomenon. Just recently several right-wingers in Oregon were acquitted of an ARMED occupation of federal property. This was not civil disobedience or standard protest, but an armed action. In the late 1960s/early 1970s, there were many Black activists who worried that, in the face of some alleged crisis proclaimed by the U.S. government, African Americans would be placed into concentration camps. The mainstream political establishment declared that we were paranoid. While it was true, they would say, that Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans had been imprisoned in 1942 as an alleged security threat during World War II, we were subjected to repeated arguments that this would never happen again; what happened to the Japanese had been an aberration. The fact that Native Americans had been locked up on reservations was conveniently ignored. Fast forward to the 2016 presidential elections. Republican candi-
Commentary
dates, including, but not limited to, now President-elect Donald Trump, began making suggestions regarding the registering and possible interning of Muslims in the U.S. The rationale: alleged national security concerns. This threat of registration, if not detention, has not disappeared. Despite the fact that White supremacists are the main source of terrorism in the U.S., there has been no call to register White nationalists, let alone any other White people. Using the Trump rationale, there should be a massive registering of White nationalists since history demonstrates their propensity for violence. Yet any time the issue of right-wing/White supremacist terrorism is raised, it is brushed under the rug and the act(s) of violence is pinned on an allegedly disturbed White person, who committed the horrible act, solely due to some sort of inexplicable compulsion. If there is a registry of Muslims, then all people of conscience should sign up as an act of protest. We should ensure that the registry is debunked and that any discussion of terrorism in the U.S. begins with a current and historical examination of the main danger of terrorism we face, terrorism perpetrated by the homegrown right-wing.
(Bill Fletcher Jr. is a talk show host, writer and activist. Follow him on Twitter @BillFletcherJr, Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com.)
Colin Kaepernick, Fidel Castro and revolutionary romanticism Cuban revolufamilies, like his tionary leader own. Fidel Castro J. Pharoah Doss Kaepernick redied the week plied, “We break the San Franup families here. cisco 49ers were That’s what scheduled to mass incarceraplay the Miami tion is, the founDolphins. Bedation of slavery. fore his death, So our country there was a dishas been based pute over a T-shirt with his depiction. on that as well as the genocide of NaBack during the preseason Colin tive Americans.” Kaepernick, the 49ers quarterback At first the reporter’s questions known for his pre-game national an- were like a lawyer badgering a witthem protest, wore a T-shirt featuring ness about a trivial matter, but he a meeting between Fidel Castro and was actually protesting the romantiMalcolm X. (Background: In 1959 cizing of the Cuban revolution. Castro overthrew the U.S. backed It’s most likely Kaepernick wore dictator and promised Cuba will have the T-shirt during the preseason beno more dictators and free elections. cause Fidel Castro and Malcolm X In 1960 Castro gave a speech at the are romanticized figures for defying U.N. denouncing the United States. America and Black militancy. That During this U.N. visit Castro stayed combination (the middle finger and in a Harlem hotel. That’s when Cas- the black fist) was perfect symbolism tro and Malcolm X were introduced. for his national anthem protest. The photos have more symbolism I doubt if Kaepernick gave the than historical significance.) plight of Cuban exiles a single During a teleconference, a Miami thought. Kaepernick confirmed he reporter, a Cuban exile, reminded didn’t, by stating he’s not talking Kaepernick of his preseason apparel about Castro’s oppression, but that and asked how he could protest op- statement also confirms he’s aware pression then don a T-shirt featuring of it. Then he bragged about Cuba’s an oppressor. high literacy rate as if the ability to Kaepernick said he wore a Malcolm read as a child is an even exchange X shirt. for a lifetime of autocratic rule. The reporter said Castro was also If Kaepernick was ignorant of the depicted. human suffering inflicted by Castro Kaepernick explained he believed the reporter might not have menin Malcolm X’s ideology and his tioned the T-shirt, but Kaepernick is meeting with Castro showed Mal- aware and ignores it because of what colm’s open mind and interest in in- Castro symbolizes to him. ternational affairs. The reporter quoted Kaepernick But the reporter only wanted to saying if anyone is okay with peoknow if Kaepernick supported Castro ple being treated unfairly, being and his oppression, Kaepernick said, harassed, being terrorized then the “I’m not talking about Fidel Castro’s problem is more what they’re doing oppression.” in their lives. The reporter wrote, The reporter wrote in his own op-ed, “Kaepernick doesn’t understand his then “in the next breath Kaepernick, words apply to him before he can apborn in Milwaukee, Wis., explains ply them to others.” to me, the guy born in Havana, how But this is the moral failing of rogreat Castro really is.” manticism when faced with reality. Kaepernick said, “One thing Fidel Romanticism is nothing but an inCastro did do is…Have the highest fatuation with ideology, or in this literacy rate because they invest case revolutionary intentions, while more in their educational system overlooking the real life consequencthan they do their prison systems.” es of their implementation. (J. Pharoah Doss is a contributor to The reporter asked about the communist revolution, the lack of free the New Pittsburgh Courier. He blogs at elections, justice and the break up of jpharoahdoss@blogspot.com.)
Commentary
Letters to the editor for publication The New Pittsburgh Courier welcomes all responsible viewpoints for publication. All letters should be typewritten and contain writer’s address and phone number for verification. All letters will be edited for clarity and length. Address all letters to: Letters to the Editor, New Pittsburgh Courier 315 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219 You may fax your letter to 412-481-1360, or via e-mail to letters@newpittsburghcourier.com.
will make the Middle East great again, too
(NNPA)—The election of Donald J. Trump signals very dark days ahead. Not for the American people, of course, but for our nation’s enemies and adversaries in the Middle East. The American people turned out to the polls in record numbers for the election, and they delivered the future President Trump an undeniable and strong mandate to lead. With the Republican Party in control of both the House and the Senate, Trump is poised to avoid the gridlock that has perpetually plagued Washington, and actually get things done. It’s a new day in America, and we should expect tremendous changes when it comes to how America approaches conflict in the Middle East. President Obama withdrew from the region, minimizing American power and diminishing our much-needed presence and leadership. Trump will bring that indispensable leadership back to the Middle East, and the world will be better for it. Notably, the presidency of Trump signals a rekindling of the historic ties that have bound America to its closest ally and the only true democracy in the region, the Jewish state of Israel. Trump has a strong affinity for the Jewish people. It’s not just politics—it’s personal. His daughter Ivanka is a convert to Judaism, and his Orthodox Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner has been a trusted advisor on the campaign trail. Trump has spoken with pride about his Jewish grandchildren. His affection for Israel will be reflected in his policies, too. Trump’s Israel advisors recently issued a position paper noting that his administration will veto any United Nations vote that unfairly singles out Israel. It shames UNESCO for its clear egregious bias against Israel. It pledges that he will move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the holy city as the uncontested capital of Israel. Trump has also derided the idea that a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be imposed from outside parties, including the U.N. And Trump is not the only rock solid pro-Israel leader on his ticket. During his time serving in Congress, Vice President-elect Mike Pence was one of the most stalwart supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship. A devout Christian, Pence has said that his support for Israel is rooted deeply in his faith. Among his many laudable achievements in office, Pence signed one of the strongest laws against the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. He advocated for robust military aid to Israel, and he led bids to place conditions on funding for the Palestinian Authority. With Trump in the White House, Israel can be assured that the United States will fight alongside it to protect the Jewish state from the many perils of its neighborhood. Both Trump and Pence have repeatedly spoken of the dangers of the disgraceful Iran deal. Both have opposed the agreement, which hands $150 billion to a thuggish, terrorist regime. Trump has pledged to revisit this misguided and dangerous deal and address its many shortcomings. While negotiating this deeply flawed agreement, Obama bent over backwards to give Iran concession after concession and Secretary of State John Kerry was outfoxed and maneuvered, time and again. The unelected mullahs in Iran must surely feel much more uneasy about the future. Trump has been making deals throughout his entire illustrious career, and he is a master of negotiation. With him in the Oval Office, the world should expect an end to America’s bad deals with tyrannical dictatorships that put our allies in danger. Now, America’s interests will be put first. Meanwhile, U.S. allies in the Middle East should be breathing a collective sigh of relief. No longer will our country be so quick to turn its back on long-time friends. Countries like Egypt that are fighting terrorists should be gratified that the most powerful country in the world will be led by someone who understands, and is unafraid to confront, the existential threat that radical Islamic terrorism poses to the democratic way of life. In fact, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was among the first foreign leaders to call and congratulate the president-elect. Moving forward, America is going to be smarter and more strategic in the choices it makes in the international arena. Gone are the days when America draws a red line in Syria and backs away from it, showing dangerous and bloodthirsty regimes that America is afraid to live up to our commitments and that we lack the moral courage to follow through on our pledges. A lack of leadership in the Middle East created a vacuum filled by nefarious actors, including ISIS. We will not make that mistake again. There’s a new Commander-in-Chief in town, and our enemies should be frightened. As Trump looks to “Make America Great Again,” that includes demonstrating to our closest allies in the Middle East that we stand with them. It will mean showing them that America is not just a paper tiger, and that we are unafraid to stand strong against tyranny. The Obama administration purposefully and irresponsibly showed hostility toward allies, including Israel, and that damaged our standing in the world. As we transition to the Trump administration, our friendships across the globe will be restored. Americans should take comfort in knowing that Trump will boldly lead, and that our essential relationship with our partner Israel will be stronger than ever. (Armstrong Williams is manager/sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year.)
CLASSIFIED New Pittsburgh Courier
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DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
LEGAL ADVERTISING
Help Wanted
Legal Notices
SENIOR APPLICATIONS RAMS ENGINEER
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
Ansaldo STS USA, Inc. is seeking a Senior Applications RAMS Engineer to work in Pittsburgh, PA, & to provide for railroad transportation projects, the development & maintenance of a RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability & Safety) specific schedule of activities as updated on monthly intervals & provided to project scheduler. Apply at www.ansaldo-sts.com.
FINANCIAL MANAGER
Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation (PCBC) dba 90.5 WESA / 91.3 WYEP is seeking an experienced financial manager to oversee our financial and human resources functions. Reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, this individual will be the senior financial manager for our organization and will also handle the day to day human resources requirements of the organization. For the complete job description and to apply, go to: http://wesa.fm/topic/905-wesaemployment-opportunities Please, no phone calls. EOE
JAVA DEVELOPER (Multiple Openings)
SDLC Management, Inc. (Greater Pittsburgh, PA area) currently seeking Java Developers to be responsible for analysis, dsgn, dvlpmnt & implmntn of clients’ proprietary systems. Specific duties incl: (i) working w/ wide array of business & IT mngmnt to analyze, dsgn & dvlp system architecture using Java Enterprise Edition (J2EE); (ii) dvlp’g Java web apps using JSP, Struts, or Servlets; (iii) designing & implmnt’g user interfaces w/ HTML, JavaScript, & CSS; & (iv) deploying apps using IBM WebSphere technologies, such as WebSphere Application Developer (WSAD) or WebSphere Application Server (WAS). Must hold Master’s degree in Comp Sci or directly rel’d field or Bach’s degree in one of the same disciplines, together w/ 5 yrs of progressively responsible employment exp in position offered or directly rel’d position. Submit resume by mail: Terri Nicholls, Sr. HR Specialist, SDLC Management, Inc., 2790 Mosside Blvd., Ste. 705, Monroeville, PA 15146 & refer to “Java Developer”. Finance
QUANTITATIVE ANALYTICS AND MODEL DEVELOPMENT ANALYST SENIOR
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. seeks a Quantitative Analytics and Model Development Analyst Senior in Pittsburgh, PA responsible for: (i) assisting the development of models used in credit risk Economic Capital and other models, such as systematic risk of retail and wholesale products; (ii) conducting quantitative analyses on internal and external data to refine, monitor and recalibrate existing model; (iii) performing sensitivity analyses and evaluations on credit risk measures (PD, LGD, EAD) and other model parameters; (iv) preparing documentation of risk models and assumptions for validation and regulatory compliance; (v) communicating model methodologies and impacts to senior management, model risk management, business partners, and regulators; (vi) acting as lead or subject-matter expert on assigned projects; and (vii) assisting IT and other parties to ensure the smooth model implementation. Master’s degree in Finance, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Management or Operations Research plus one year of experience in credit risk modeling is required. Experience must include: (i) SAS, SQL and VBA for statistical modeling and data analysis; (ii) data analysis of large datasets involving large numbers of records (>10K) or variables (>50); and (iii) credit risk frame, including loss driver, including PD and LGD. Knowledge required of Monte Carlo simulation, Merton model, counterparty credit risk, credit valuation adjustment, and derivatives pricing. 40 hours/week, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Interested individuals apply online at www.pnc.com using keyword 253957BR. PNC provides equal opportunity to qualified persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or other categories protected by law.
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
Pittsburgh, PA November 23, 2016 The previously issued advertisements for Letters of Interest which were due on November 18, 2016 is hereby extended until December 22, 2016. The Office of the Director of the DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY will receive Letters of Interest with current SF 330 for professional services until 4:00 p.m. on December 22, 2016 for the following assignment: COUNTY PROJECT NO. ZBHD-CCRN CLACK BUILDING NO. 1 RENOVATION COUNTY PROJECT NO. ZBCH-TR02 ALLEGHENY COUNTY COURTHOUSE TOWER RENOVATIONS COUNTY PROJECT NO. ZBCH-RF08 ALLEGHENY COUNTY COURTHOUSE ROOF REPLACEMENT The selected firm will be responsible for construction management and inspection services for all three improvement projects listed above. A description of work for these projects is available upon request. Firms who submitted previously will be considered for selection and DO NOT need to resubmit their qualifications. If your firm is interested in providing the aforementioned services, please submit five (5) copies of your Letter of Interest and current SF 330 to: Stephen G. Shanley, P.E., Director Allegheny County Department of Public Works County Office Building, Room 501 542 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Place five (5) copies of your Letter of Interest with required SF 330 forms in a sealed, opaque envelope with your firm’s name and the words: “Letters of Interest for Construction Management and Inspection of Clack Building No. 1 Renovation & Courthouse Towers/Roof Replacement, Project No. ZBHD-CCRN/ ZBCH-TR02/ZBCH-RF08,” written on the front. If you mail the Letter of Interest insert the sealed, opaque envelope containing the Letter of Interest and SF 330 form inside a separate mailing envelope. The Director will receive Letters of Interest with accompanying SF 330 until the day and hour stated in this Public Advertisement. The Director will not consider any Letter of Interest received after the set day and hour and will return it to the addressee unopened. The firm is responsible for ensuring that the Director receives the Letter of Interest by the set day and hour. The County will use only SF 330 of firms responding with Letters of Interest to prequalify firms for consideration for these services. The County encourages responses from small firms, minority and women owned firms and firms that have not previously worked for the County. The County will preselect or shortlist three firms for consideration for this Project assignment on the following evaluation criteria: Experience, Record, Size, Workload, and Related Work. By a Request for Proposal the Department of Public Works will notify the top three short-listed firms to submit proposals. The County will invite each of these firms to attend a Preproposal Scoping and Presentation Meeting. The County will base final selection of a firm for this assignment on the following evaluation criteria: Project Proposal, Organization, Design Ability, Experience, and Special Criteria such as the team proposed understanding of the scope of work. The County’s minority business enterprise and women’s business enterprise goals for this Project will be 13% of the total price for MBE participation and 2% of the total price for WBE participation. Certification of MBEs and WBEs by the County is mandatory on or before proposal due date. Firms submitting a Letter of Interest must have their MBE/WBE participants in place and noted in their letter and/or SF 330 form information in order to be considered for this project. The Director may reject any Letters of Interest/Proposals and may waive any irregularity in the Submission of Letters of Interest/Proposals. For further information, contact Michael J. Dillon, PE at 412-350-5469. Stephen G. Shanley, P.E., Director Allegheny County Department of Public Works
NOTICE OF ORGANIZATION LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Witherel & Associates Attorney (s) 966 Perry Highway Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15237 Notice is hereby given that a certificate of Organization was filed with the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for a limited liability company which has been formed under the provisions of 15 Pa. C.S. Section 8913. The name of the limited liability company is Arias-Price Properties, LLC. COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Public Notice
Public Notice
Public Notice
NOTICE CITY OF PITTSBURGH
Notice is hereby given that the following amendments are being made to the 2014 budget of the City of Pittsburgh’s Community Development Block Grant Program: PROJECT
YEAR
ORIGINAL AMOUNT
NEW AMOUNT
CHANGE +/-
ACTIVITY
SERVICE AREA
North Borough Sewickley MOW/ Brighton Heights MOW
2014
$2,500.00
$0.00
-$2,500.00
Public Service
Brighton Heights
North Boroughs Sewickley/MOW Tri-Valley MOW
2014
$2,500.00
$0.00
-$2,500.00
Public Service
Northside Neighborhoods
Tree of Hope
2014
$3,000.00
$8,000.00
$5,000.00
Public Service
City-Wide
The City of Pittsburgh is requesting comments on its proposed use of Community Development Block Grant funds and on the City’s past CDBG performance. Comments may be sent to: Michael Petrucci Assistant Director for Community Development Department of City Planning 200 Ross Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 It is requested that comments be received no later than Monday, January 9, 2017 ANNOUNCEMENTS
LEGAL ADVERTISING
LEGAL ADVERTISING
Public Notice
Legal Notices
Bids/Proposals
Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Public Notice of Revised Flat Rent Schedule
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP), in accordance with federal law and regulation, is proposing revisions to its Low Income Public Housing Flat Rent Schedule. The revised HACP Flat Rent Schedule is available for review and comment from December 9, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. to January 9, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. at the following locations: •HACP Operations Department 200 Ross St. 6th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219; •HACP Web Site: www.hacp.org; HACP Management Offices A Public Hearing to receive public comments on the revised HACP Flat Rent Schedule will be held on Wednesday December 28, 2016, at 12:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., at 200 Ross St., 9th oor Board Room. Written comments on the proposed revisions to the HACP Flat Rent Schedule must be addressed to “Attention: HACP Flat Rent Schedule” at HACP Department of Operations, Asset Management, 200 Ross St. 6th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, and must be received by 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9, 2017. Once approved, the final revised HACP Flat Rent Schedule will be effective February 1, 2017. Persons with disabilities requiring assistance or alternative formats, or wishing to make comments in alternative formats, can contact the HACP ADA/504 Coordinator at 412456-5020, Ext. 2504; TTY 412-2015384.
SCHOOLS Training
WESTERN PA OPERATING ENGINEERS HEAVY CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT OPERATORS/ MECHANIC TECHNICIANS
Earn while you learn through a registered 4 yr Apprenticeship Program. High School or GED. Must be 18 by June 1. Selection and drug test required. Applications available Dec 5-Dec 16 at www.wpaoperators. org and Mon-Fri, 9 AM-3 PM at Operating Engineers, 111 Zeta Drive, Pittsburgh, PA or WPA Operating Engineers, 457 Christopher Road, New Alexandria, PA. Also Saturday, Dec 10, 9 AM-3 PM New Alexandria
COURIER CLASSIFIEDS… THE ONLY WAY TO GO!
PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY
Estate of MS. STELLA TULENKO, deceased, of 2734 Volta Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Estate No. 02-12-05934. Mr. Ronald Tulenko, 450 Elizabeth Street, McKees Rocks, PA 15136, Co-Executor, and Mr. William Tulenko, 2734 Volta Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, c/o Max Feldman, Attorney At Law, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Estate of ALEXANDER WEILENMANN, a/k/a ALEX WEILENMANN, deceased of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania No. 02-16-06027. David Y. Miller, Executor, c/o Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, P.C., One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or to Nancy L. Rackoff, Esquire, Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, P.C., One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Estate of DOROTHY REHTORIK, deceased of Bellevue, Pennsylvania No. 02-16-04524. Lorraine Rehtorik, Co-Administrator, 18 Greenwood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15205 or to: Sandra Carioto, Co-Administrator, 922 McCoy Road, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 or to: Todd T. Jordon, Esquire, Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, P.C., One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Estate of DAVID H. DUNLAP, of Indiana Township, PA, No.: 02-16-06280, Debra R. McFadden, Administratrix, 516 Kellingwood Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15238. R.M. Entwisle, III, Atty., 125 1st Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
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 January 3, 2017, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for the following: Pgh. Allderdice H. S. Replace Electrical Distribution System Electrical Prime Exterior Envelope Evaluation – Bid Package 2 Various Locations General and Asbestos Primes Maintenance of Fire Extinguishers and Hoses Various Locations General Prime Pgh. Minadeo Pre K-5 Roof Replacement General and Plumbing Primes Pgh. Student Achievement Ctr. Roof Replacement General and Plumbing Primes Pgh. Student Achievement Ctr. Façade Restoration Project (Masonry Repairs and Windows) General and Asbestos Primes Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on December 5, 2016 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 non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual. COURIER CLASSIFIEDS
Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.port authority.org). Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on December 16, 2016 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day, at Port Authority, 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527, for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org) B151289AR Turbochargers– Cummins Engines B160428AR Coach Replacement Parts–Engine: Detroit Diesel Cylinder Heads B160864R Switch Machines B161086A On-Call Plumbing Services B161091A Shock Absorbers— LRV B161092A Air Brake Compressors B161094A Hybrid Transmission Parts B161095 Dell Servers for Horizon Upgrade B161096 VMWare Horizon Upgrade B161098A Maintenance, Inspection, Testing, and Certification of Fire Protection Systems No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held on each of the above items at 10:00am on November 30, 2016 at Port Authority, 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, PA. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within 48 hours of the scheduled bid opening. These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations. Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing. Port Authority of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. The Board of Port Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
COURIER CLASSIFIEDS… THE ONLY WAY TO GO!
B8
CLASSIFIEDS
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
LEGAL ADVERTISING
LEGAL ADVERTISING
Bids/Proposals
Bids/Proposals
SONNY BOY
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 January 5th, 2017 and will be publicly opened and read immediately thereafter at the same address. Each Bidder shall be solely responsible for assuring that its Bid is both received and time stamped by a representative of the Purchasing and Materials Management Department at or before the advertised time for submission of Bids. Bids received or time stamped in the Purchasing and Materials Management Department after the advertised time for the submission of Bids shall be non-responsive and therefore ineligible for Award. BERRY STREET AND WABASH TUNNELS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS CONTRACT NO. SYS-17-02 The Work of this Project includes, but is not limited to, the furnishing of all material, equipment, and labor for the installation of new tunnel LED luminaires with phenolic conduit, emergency phones with phenolic conduit, air monitors with stainless steel tubing, and associated hardware in the Berry Street Tunnel and portal buildings. The work also includes, but is not limited to the furnishing and installation of new air monitors with stainless steel tubing and associated hardware in the Wabash Tunnel and portal buildings. Bid Documents will be available for public inspection and may be obtained on or after December 5, 2016 at Authority’s 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 CD. 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 DBE’s, 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 Authority’s DBE Representative, Cameil Williams at (412) 566-5257. The Bidder’s attention is directed to the following contacts for Bidder’s questions: Procedural Questions Regarding Bidding: Cindy Denner – Authority cdenner@portauthority.org (412) 566-5117 All other questions relating to the Bid Documents must be submitted by mail or email to: Port Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 Attn: Cindy Denner cdenner@portauthority.org In addition, the Bidder’s attention is directed to the following schedule of activities for preparation of its Bid: 9:00 a.m. Pre-Bid Conference December 15, 2016 Port Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 5th Floor, Neal Holmes 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 January 5, 2017 Purchasing and Materials Management Department Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Bids
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for RFP for a Lead Agency for the Penn Hills Family Support Center. Proposals are due by: January 27, 2017. For more details and submission information, visit: www.alleghenycounty.us/ Human-Services/Resources/ Doing-Business/Solicitations(RFP/RFQ/RFI).aspx. Marc Cherna Director Allegheny County Department of Human Services
ADVERTISEMENT
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: RFQ 3086 – Architectural and Engineering Services for Student Housing A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13, 2016. The assembly point will be lobby of the Office of College Services, 800 Allegheny Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15233. Proposals will be received at the Purchasing Department until 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Wednesday, January 25, 2017. The CCAC Purchasing Department is now publishing all bids via the CCAC website at https://www. ccac.edu/Bid-RFP_Opportunities. aspx. It will be each vendor’s 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. 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. COURIER CLASSIFIEDS
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
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LEGAL ADVERTISING
Bids/Proposals
Bids/Proposals
Bids/Proposals
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR NEW RHVAC UNIT FOR 201 KIRKPATRICK STREET REBID IFB# 300-49-16 Rebid
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR INSTALLATION OF ROLL-IN OR WALK-IN SHOWERS AUTHORITY WIDE REBID IFB# 300-47-16 Rebid
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR FLEET VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR - FORD IFB#300-51-16
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): NEW RHVAC UNIT FOR 201 KIRKPATRICK STREET REBID IFB# 300-49-16 Rebid The documents will be available no later than December 5, 2016 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 11:00 a.m. on December 27, 2016 at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, at which time they will be opened and read aloud. Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP. org. Questions or inquiries should be directed to: Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-456-5116 Opt 1 A pre bid meeting will be held: Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Dept. 100 Ross Street 2nd. Fl. Ste. 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Thursday, December 15, 2016 11:00 A.M. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP’s has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/RFPs documentation. Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh
HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.
COURIER CLASSIFIEDS… THE ONLY WAY TO GO!
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): INSTALLATION OF ROLL-IN OR WALK-IN SHOWERS AUTHORITY WIDE REBID IFB# 300-47-16 Rebid The documents will be available no later than December 5, 2016 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 10:00 a.m. on December 27, 2016 at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, at which time they will be opened and read aloud. Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP. org. Questions or inquiries should be directed to: Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-456-5116 Opt 1 A pre bid meeting will be held: Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Dept. 100 Ross Street 2nd. Fl. Ste. 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Thursday, December 15, 2016 10:00 A.M. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP’s has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/RFPs documentation. Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh
HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): FLEET VEHICHLE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR FORD IFB#300-51-16 The documents will be available no later than November 28, 2016 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 11:00 A.M., December 16, 2016 at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, at which time they will be opened and read aloud. Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Invitation for Bid from the Business Opportunities page of www. HACP.org. Questions or inquires should be directed to: Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 2nd Floor, Suite 200 100 Ross Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-456-5116 Opt 1 A pre bid meeting will be held: Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Dept. 100 Ross Street 2nd. Fl. Ste. 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Thursday, December 8 2016 11:00 A.M. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP’s has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/RFPs documentation. Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh
HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.
Pick up your Courier at these locations 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 CHARLIE’S CORNER STORE 500 LOCUST ST NEIGHBORHOOD DOLLAR 333 5TH AVE GIANT EAGLE #38 1901 MURRAY AVE JACK’S E 8TH AVE EASTERN AREA: WATERWORKS GIANT EAGLE #72 1005 FREEPORT RD DIVINE HAIR STUDIO 10 DUFF RD GIANT EAGLE 9001 FRANKSTOWN RD GIANT EAGLE #78 230 RODI RD BP GAS STATION 11835 FRANKSTOWN RD THE SPOT 11675 FRANKSTOWN RD MASH MINI MART 4341 OLD WM. PENN HWY GIANT EAGLE #60 4004 MONROEVILLE BLVD GIANT EAGLE #76 AMES PLAZA, ROUTE 22 GET IT QUICK 500 GARDEN CITY DESTINY’S HAIR SALON 408 RODI RD PUFF’S DISCOUNT TOBACCO 10991 FRANKSTOWN RD SHOP N SAVE 3335 WILLIAM PENN HWY SHEETZ 3457 WILLIAM PENN HWY GETGO 10525 FRANKSTOWN RD CVS PHARMACY 10600 FRANKSTOWN RD SHELL OIL 7619 BAUM BLVD
KIWI SUNOCO FRANKSTOWN AVE WILLIAM PENN SMOKE SHOP II 132 NORTH HIGHLAND AVE MARATHON GAS 6680 FRANKSTOWN AVE PENN AIKEN DAIRY 5401 PENN AVE GIANT EAGLE #17 6320 SHAKESPEARE ST HOMEWOOD MARKET 7201 FRANKSTOWN AVE SALIK HARDWARE 607 NORTH HOMEWOOD AVE NEGLEY A PLUS 123 NORTH NEGLEY AVE BAKER’S 7203 HAMILTON & STERRETT AVES DORSEY’S RECORDS 7614 FRANKSTOWN AVE HOSPITAL CORNER 4201 PENN AVE PEOPLES GROCERY 5136 PENN AVE A&M MARKET 5224 PENN AVE 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
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SPORTS New Pittsburgh Courier
B9
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Inside Conditions…Best buddies
by Aubrey Bruce For New Pittsburgh Courier
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New York Giants by score of 24-14. One of the sidebar discussions of the resident prognosticators wasn’t based on the fact that the Steelers leaky defense, at least momentarily, was able to keep a quarterback in check other than 2nd, 3rd or 4th stringer fresh back from a journey to “bench-land.” No, the quarterback that they sent packing back to “Gotham City” with an 18 wheeler still filled with a couple hundred cases of unused “whoopass” was none other than future Hall-ofFame, NY Giants QB, Eli Manning; otherwise known to his recently retired sibling, former Broncos and Colts QB Peyton Manning as “E-man.”
Now hmm, could “E-man have stood for embarrassed or enigmatic? Based on his journeyman like performance, the performance by “E-man” could have stood for empty. For most of the afternoon and evening, the Steelers defense removed all of the southern comfort from Manning’s game and caused “E-man to be as skittish as a bag of “Skittles.” At times one could have surmised that the Steelers “Big Nasty ‘D” were more inhospitable to Manning than a den of diamondback rattlesnakes. Add to that despair, Eli Manning was forced to sit on the sidelines and witness Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and his partner-incrime wide receiver Antonio Brown hooking up and completing; circus du soleii type catches while the Giants star receiver applaud-
AUBREY BRUCE ed, approving the reception by Brown. Oh, by the way Antonio Brown and Odell Beckam Jr. just happen to be “best buds.” See a few of the bloodthirsty, “vampiric,” guts and glory media types would like to see nothing more than these two young, rich, swaggering superstars aiming at
and targeting each other’s jugular, but instead of a blood-fest, these two young performers have decided on a love fest, realizing at a very young age that there is enough dough and praise to spread for everyone and they can augment and make each other’s brand stronger and more formidable in the fickle ever changing marketplace of sports. However, according to Steve Serby on nypost.com recognizing a good play by the opposition may be frowned upon in some “media maniacal” circle. On December 4, 2017 Serby wrote the following article titled: “Odell Beckham blasts refs after his Antonio Brown lovefest.” In the article Mr. Serby points out that; “Before he began throwing a verbal flag on the officiating Sunday, Odell Beckham Jr. answered why he was
smiling and clapping on the sidelines when his dynamic pal Antonio Brown caught a 22-yard touchdown pass in the Steelers’ 24-14 victory. “I didn’t admire the points going on the board, but I admire him, so it’s a tough balance,” he said. “I would have liked for him to score next week and not this week, but the guy’s great. He’s one of the best in the league day in and day out. He came in today, he did his thing.” There will be many, of course, who do not consider this a good optic. “It is what it is, you can’t really sit there and worry about what everybody else has to say about something, or somebody’s mad because I smiled when he scored. It doesn’t really cross my mind. Like I said, the man’s like a brother to me, he’s taken me under his wing in
the offseason, we go training, we do this … he’s just a good guy. Beckham, though, was more concerned with the officiating. “I went up to ask him what was going on, what was the flag? And he said, ‘Get out of my face.’ Beckham said that he had never heard anything like that from a zebra. . Serby said in regards to Odell Beckham Jr. celebrating his friend’s success:” There will be many, of course, who do not consider this a good optic. Is it a good optic for opponents to be hurling insults at each other or wishing bloodshed on one another to appease the bloodthirstiness of the cowardly, non-combatant “chicken hawks?”
(Aubrey Bruce can be reached at: abruce@newpittsburghcourier.com or 412-583-6741. Follow him on Twitter@ultrascribe.)
Steelers keep playoff hopes alive
PITTSBURGH (AP)— The Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) ended the New York Giants’ winning streak with a familiar formula. Ben Roethlisberger passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns, Le’Veon Bell rolled up 182 yards of total offense, and Pittsburgh’s resurgent defense harassed Eli Manning into a flurry of mistakes in a dominant 24-14 win on Sunday. Manning completed just 24 of 39 passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns and two picks in the red zone for the Giants (8-4), whose six-game run ended with a thud. Beckham was largely a non-factor despite a gamehigh 10 receptions for 100 yards. New York managed just 56 yards rushing and couldn’t convert on it few opportunities. Both of Manning’s interceptions came near the Pittsburgh goal line and the Giants missed on all three of their fourth-down attempts. The Steelers have reinvented themselves on the fly following a four-game midseason slide. Rather than try to overwhelm opponents with the firepower they showed during a 4-1 start, Pittsburgh has relied heavily on Bell and the defense to get back in the playoff picture. Bell touched the ball 35 times—29 rushes and six receptions—and went over 100 yards rushing for the third straight game by churning for 118. He did so against a defense that hadn’t allowed an opponent to reach the century mark since Adrian Peterson in Week 16 of the 2015 season. Pittsburgh methodically built a 14-0 halftime lead in unorthodox fashion. Points came on a safety
by Bill Neal For New Pittsburgh Courier
SPECIAL…SPECIAL… SPECIAL REPORT! Coming to you live from “The Now” PPG Paints Arena where the Annual Pittsburgh City Game will settle grass roots bragging rights for the top team in the Burgh for the next 364 days, “No Dis” Robert Morris and Point Park . . . and no consideration CMU; La Roche, CCAC or Penn State McKeesport. I am just sayin’! :10—Well I can tell you this right out the gate, the Dukes hosted this grudge match and they left no stone unturned. Lights, action, camera. The volume was turned way up. The electricity was at 105F and all the right bodies were in the right place. VIPs, celebs, ex-legends, the
LE’VEON BELL
BEN ROETHLISBERGER (Photos by Shelley Lipton) for New York holding in the end zone; a pair of field goals by substitute kicker Randy Bullock; and a pretty grab at the back on the end zone by Brown, who leapt high in the air then secured the ball while landing with his right shoulder barely in bounds. Brown’s score was set up by a 58-yard interception return by linebacker Lawrence Timmons, the first of three fruitless trips into the red zone by the Giants. New York briefly got back into it in the third quarter when Bell fumbled at the Pittsburgh 17 and Manning flipped a short pass to Rashad Jennings for a 13-yard score. Pittsburgh responded immediately. Green, who signed a lucrative four-year contract in the offseason but missed the first eight
cheerleaders, the band, student body left and right and a darn good crowd. About 15,000 total. :09—Pitt draws first blood and fittingly it’s Michael Young. Let me answer those Michael Young questions for ya right now. Yes, he can play at the next level. Yes, he can play facing the hoop. Yes, he can shoot the 15 to 20 footer…and well! And although lightweight by NBA small forward standards, that will be his advantage against tall slower opponents. He can score and in a variety of ways and all coaches will find a spot for that (Especially his baby hook shot. All big men should have it.) :08—In case you’re hearing all this for the first time, you Duke alumni should feel good knowing the Red,
ANTONIO BROWN
Overtime
BILL NEAL White and Blue came out shooting and hitting. Mike Lewis, Tarin Smith and Emile Blackman taking the fight to Pitt. At 10:38 in the first half, WE - ARE - TIED! (I gotcha huh? Kinda like being there. Just doing
what I do. It’s my job. Stay tuned.) :07—Hold on there “Skippy,” this just in. Well, not just in. Apparently everybody knew but me. (Nothing new about that.) Any - way, senior guard Jamel Artis not playing tonight. “Jamel failed to meet our high standards and we have addressed the issue internally,” said new Coach Kevin Stallings. Artis is currently second in the ACC in scoring at 19.7 points per game, including five games with 20 or more points. :06—At the half, Pitt only up by one, 30-29. Not to worry you Panther faithful. I still see a Pitt double digit win. (Keep in mind I also said it would only rain 20 days and 20 nights . . . that “3 Stooges” would never work and Google was just a shot in the dark!!!)
:05—Say what you want, and I know you will, but at 14:38 of the 2nd half, the Duquesne Dukes lead 4236. Apparently they didn’t get the memo everybody else got about the “thumpin” Pitt was gonna put on them. :04—I don’t know much…and many people will agree with me, especially Kevin Cameron, but I’ll tell ya this, if Pitt doesn’t go inside and work them boards and get off all the outside shooting, that trophy’s going to the Bluff. But, it’s still early boys and girls. (Answer??? More Ryan Luther! Question: How does Pitt win this game?) :03—HeyDuquesne, while I have your attention, be reminded if you live by the 3 . . . you die by the 3! Hoorah!!! But it looks like living is what you do!
weeks while recovering from various health issues, played a pivotal role. His 33-yard reception moved the Steelers to midfield. Six plays later, Roethlisberger found Green streaking down the slot from 20 yards to make it 21-7. New York’s next two possessions ended with Manning throwing a fourth-down pick to end one drive, then ending up underneath Pittsburgh’s Ricardo Mathews on fourth down on another. INJURIES Giants: Played the second half without defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who left in the second quarter with a groin injury. New York also lost cornerback Coty Sensabaugh to a rib injury. Steelers: Rookie nose tackle Javon Hargrave left in the first half due to a concussion. Safety Shamarko Thomas, recently recovered from a groin injury, sustained a concussion while covering a kickoff return in the first half. UP NEXT Giants: host NFC East-leading Dallas next Sunday night. New York beat the Cowboys 20-19 in Week 1. Dallas has not lost since. Steelers: head north to Buffalo next Sunday. Antonio Brown edged good buddy Odell Beckham Jr. in their personal showdown, catching six passes for 54 yards and an acrobatic scoring grab at the back of the end zone. Tight end Ladarius Green added six receptions for 110 yards, both career highs, and a touchdown as the Steelers (7-5) won their third straight to keep pace with Baltimore atop the AFC North.
:02—Excuse me. Did I hear somebody say Jamel Artis who? Hey, don’t “listen” at me like that. I’m only the messenger! 20 points out the line-up is a lot. I’m just sayin’! :01—Duquesne wins. Duquesne wins. Duquesne wins. That’s it. :00-00 DOUBLE OVERTIME…of course. Let’s wind this party up with an at-a-boy to both teams and take a walk down ole memory lane. Remember these names. Larry Harris, B.B. Flenory, Norm Nixon, Clyde Vaughn, Fred Moon, Donny Gambridge, Carlton Neverson, Sam Clancy, Jessie Hubbard, Kirk B r u c e , Darryl Gissendanner, Jeff Baldwin, John Cinicola. Man we had a good time along the way. ~ GAME OVER ~ SEE YA NEXT YEAR AT THE CITY GAME!
B10
DECEMBER 7-13, 2016
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
METRO
77 of 96 homicides Black lives…More Black lives lost in November CONTINUED FROM A1
old child. It would be great if there could be none in December, but that’s not likely. We must not give up. We must continue to fight to spotlight the fact that Black Lives Matter. November Homicides (9) Nov. 1—Deon Traylor, a 41-year-old Black male, was fatally shot in the head in his Brookline apartment following an argument over profits from drug sales. Michael Frye, a 23-year-old Black male from Elliott, has been charged with the shooting. Nov. 1—Andre Price III, a 1-year-old Black male, was smothered to death by his mother, 21-year-old Christian Clark, who allegedly texted a video of the murder to the child’s father. The father, Andre Price Jr., 23, was later charged with felony child endangerment for failing to contact police as the homicide occurred. Clark remains in the Allegheny County Jail. Nov. 1—Charles Parker, a 58-year-old White male, was beaten to death in his Brentwood apartment by his roommate Justin Vankirk, who allegedly was angered by Parker drinking all of his beer. He remains in the Allegheny County Jail. Nov. 8—Kyle Petty, a 21year-old Black male from McKeesport, was fatally shot on B Drive in West Mifflin. Police detained an individual for questioning, but have not announced an arrest. The investigation is ongoing. Nov. 10—Lorenzo Lewis, a 22-year-old Black male, was found shot near the Salvation Army building in the 1100 block of Fifth Avenue in New Kensington. He later died at Allegheny Valley Hospital. Police were examining multiple crime scenes to determine where Lewis was shot. No suspects have yet been identified. The investigation is ongoing. Nov. 22–The badly decomposed body of Jerry Kunes, a 46-year-old White male, was discovered in an abandoned house on Jenny Lind Street in McKeesport. Shawn Thomas, a 24-yearold Black male told police he beat and suffocated Kunes with a plastic bag after Kunes made sexual advances toward him. He remains in the Allegheny County Jail. Nov. 26–Niles Young, a 22-year-old Black male, was fatally shot as he was working on his car outside the Maplewood Apartments in East Hills. Police said multiple shooters came from the woods by the parking lot and fired at Young, wounding three others—including two children—in the process. Police still have no description of the shooters. The investigation is ongoing. Nov. 27—Trenton Campbell, a 51-year-old Black male, was stabbed to death in a Third Avenue apartment in Rankin. Police detained one person for questioning, but as yet have made no arrest. The investigation is ongoing. Nov. 30—Shanique Sanders—a 23-year-old Black female from Homestead was fatally shot in broad daylight in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood. Police said a group of five or six young men were seen fleeing toward Alice Street. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. October Homicides (6) Oct. 3—Ronald Carter, a 29-yearold Black male, was found by police on the sidewalk in the 1300 block of Maple Avenue in McKeesport shot multiple times. Police have charged Derrick “Snowmann” Means with homicide. He was arrested Oct. 12 and awaits trial in the Allegheny County Jail. Oct. 7—Michael West, a 27-yearold Black male, was discovered mortally wounded by police responding to reports of shots fired in the 400 block of South Avenue in Wilkinsburg. He died about an hour later at the hospital. Investigators said a thin Black man wearing dark clothing was seen fleeing from the area, police said. The investigation is ongoing. Oct. 21—Jabree Hines, an 18year-old Black male, was found shot multiple times in a vacant lot in the 400 block of Russellwood Street in
Stowe Township. Police have not yet identified a suspect in the case. The investigation is ongoing. Oct. 21—John Davern, a 19-yearold Black male from Beltzhoover, was found shot multiple times in a vacant lot in the 7100 Block of Upland Street in Homewood. Police have not yet identified a suspect. The investigation is ongoing. Oct. 27—Michael Mongeluzzo, a 27-year-old White male, was shot multiple times as he and his girlfriend drove along Pressley Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side. He pulled into the Giant Eagle parking lot on Cedar Avenue and died after medics transported him to Allegheny General Hospital. The investigation is ongoing. Oct. 29—Thomas Watt, a 28year-old White male, was shot twice in the head while walking with his girlfriend in the 1300 block of Woodland Avenue on Pittsburgh’s North Side. She was also wounded in the attack. Police stopped a vehicle matching the description of the one used by the shooter near the intersection of East and Venture streets and took 34-year-old Abdul Rasheed into custody. He was charged with homicide and aggravated assault, and is in the Allegheny County Jail. September Homicides (4) Sept. 9—Domenek Cabbagestalk, a 25-year-old Black male, died from gunshot wounds he received during a fight in Crafton Heights on Aug. 31. Police found Cabbagestalk on a porch on Steuben Street, bleeding from wounds to the chest and leg. They believe he ran there after an altercation on Woodlow Street. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Sept. 9—Wade Howard, a 20year-old Black male, died from gunshot wounds at UPMC Mercy after being driven there from De Raud Street in Oakland, where police say he was shot. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Sept. 12—Delon Williams, a 17year-old Black male, was gunned down shortly after being dropped off from a Community Intensive Supervision Program van. Police found him in a grassy area along Mossfield Street, in Garfield. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Sept. 17—Daija McCall, a 17year-old Black female, died in a hail of gunfire at the intersection of Belmar and Mount Vernon Streets, in Homewood. Police said ShotSpotter detected at least 11 shots. SIxteenyear-old Steven Cansler was arrested OCt. 26 and has been charged with homicide in this case. He awaits trail in the Allegheny County Jail August Homicides (10) Aug. 1—Christopher Rodriguez, a 20-year-old Hispanic male, was shot multiple times in his Allentown Apartment by his friend, Kenneth Murphy, a 20-year-old Black male who came there to purchase a gun. Murphy told police he accidentally shot Rodriguez while examining one of the guns. Murphy remains in the Allegheny County Jail. Aug. 12—Jesse Poole, a 47year-old Black male, was found by a neighbor lying on the stoop of a home on Rose Street in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. He had been shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Aug. 13—Raekwon Epps, a 20year-old Black male, was shot multiple times as he sat on a chair outside a Brushton Avenue building in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Aug. 15—Gordon Johnson, a 33year-old Black male, was found in a grassy area off Donson Way in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood next to a burning car he had recently purchased. He had been shot in the chest. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Aug. 19—Rico Smith, a 27-yearold Black male, was shot multiple times as he worked on a home in Wilmerding. County police said witnesses saw a Black male fleeing the scene. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Aug. 19—Chazz Bush, a 21-yearold Black male, was found in Clairton. He died later at Jefferson Hospital. But before he died, he identified 21-year-old Dyran Davenport, a Black male also of Clairton, as the shooter. Davenport is now being held without bail in the Allegheny County Jail. Aug. 22—Antonio Troutman, a 19-year-old Black male, was shot near the parking lot of Wendy’s restaurant during an altercation between two groups. He ran a short distance across Peebles Street before he died. James Davis, a 29year-old Black male from Braddock has been charged with the shooting. Aug. 22—Paris Wheatley, a 31year-old Black male, died at UPMC Presbyterian after being driven there by two females. Wheatley was shot after the women picked up an unknown Black male in Homewood. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Aug. 27—Deven Clark, a 32-yearold Black male, is identified using DNA as the victim found in the trunk of a burning car in Penn Hills, May
27. The cause and manner of death have yet to be determined. The investigation is ongoing. Aug. 27—William Wilson, a 51year-old Black male, was found on the sidewalk by police with a gunshot wound to the head on Kincaid Street in Garfield. A home was also hit by gunfire. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. July Homicides (9) July 3—Reginald Shelton, a 56year-old Black male, drove himself to Allegheny General Hospital on Pittsburgh’s North Side after being shot in the chest. He died about three hours later. Police are still uncertain where he was shot. The investigation continues. July 4—James Swanson, a 28year-old Black male, was found fatally shot in the courtyard of a Fineview housing complex. The investigation is ongoing. July 4—Kennir Parr, a 14-yearold Black male, was fatally shot in the head when someone fired into a crowd setting off fireworks at Rankin’s Hawkins Village housing complex. No suspects have yet been identified. The investigation continues. July 8—Kai Thomas, a 19-yearold Black male, was fatally shot in broad daylight when multiple shooters approached his car and opened fire as he sat parked next to the Atmore Street playground on the North Side. A passenger was also shot but survived. The investigation is ongoing. July 10—Cheyenne Allen, a 22year-old Black male, was found fatally shot in the head and neck, laying in the middle of McMasters Street in Turtle Creek. Allegheny County police are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call 412-350-1300. July 17—Isis Allen, a 6-year-old Black female, was shot in the head as she walked past a home on Zara Street in Knoxville where 19-yearold Kamau Thomas tried to shoot someone on the porch, but “lost control” of the gun. He remains in the Allegheny County Jail. July 23—Machi Brown, a 27year-old Black male, was fatally stabbed by his 30-year-old sister Monica after allegedly attacking her during a party at her Carrick home. Monica Brown is in the Allegheny County Jail. July 28—Robert Ray, a 22-yearold Black male, was fatally shot near his Russellwood Avenue home in Stowe Township. Allegheny County police issued an arrest warrant for 27-year-old Charles Dixson, a Black male known to frequent Stowe and McKees Rocks. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911. Mark Kleist, a 49-year-old White male, from West Mifflin died in January, his death was classified a homicide in July. The investigation is ongoing. June Homicides (10) June 1—Benito Nicoletti, a 73year-old White male, was found beaten to death in his McKees Rocks home. Branden Frazier, a 25year-old Black male has been charged in the murder. He is in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting trial. June 3—Carlton Watson, a 24year-old Black male, was shot to death while driving on Route 65 near the McKees Rocks Bridge on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Police did not release a description of the shooter. The investigation is ongoing. June 3—Richard West-Gray, a 26-year-old Black male, was shot to death while driving on Route 65 near the McKees Rocks Bridge on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Police did not release a description of the shooter. The investigation is ongoing. June 3—John Connors, an 83year-old White male, was found fatally beaten and burned by police responding to a 911 call of “a man on fire.” Jawwaad Ali, a 24-year-old Black male, has been charged with Connors’ homicide. June 7—Keith Coleman, a 31-yearold Black Male, was found lying on Kennedy Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side, shot multiple times. Police believe he was driving when shot; his car hit four others before coming to a rest. Coleman was pronounced dead a short time later at Allegheny General Hospital. The investigation is ongoing. June 9—Isaiah Thomas, a 31year-old Black male, was found in a wooded area near Lawndale Road in Penn Hills by a man looking for scrap metal. He had been shot, and his body burned. Detectives said Thomas’ death may be related to another Penn Hills homicide from two weeks earlier where the victim was found shot and burned in a car trunk. The investigation is ongoing. June 23—Brenda Johnson, a 58year-old Black female, was found stuffed in multiple trash bags in her East Pittsburgh apartment. Police say her daughter Catherine Grier, 19, stabbed her to death during an argument about a week earlier. Grier’s boyfriend, 23-year-old Keith Blackman, was also arrested for dismembering the body. Both are in the Allegheny County Jail. June 23—Jonmarquis Stepich, 8-year-old Black male from Braddock, died after his mother’s fiancé 38-year-old Orlando Williams slammed him to the ground for not
cleaning his room. Williams has been charged with homicide and is in Allegheny County Jail. June 26—Brandon Turowski, a 27-year-old White male, was fatally shot in his Oakmont house during a home invasion carried out by two unidentified White males. The investigation continues. June 28—Anthony Belland, a 51year-old Black male, was found shot multiple times at the Marion Circle housing complex in Clairton. He died a short time later at Jefferson Hospital. County police said Belland may have been playing dice prior to his death. The investigation continues. May Homicides (8) May 1—Gerald Harris, a 19-yearold Black male, was shot multiple times in a vacant house on Divinity Street in Pittsburgh’s North Side. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. May 1—Isha Tyree, a 20-year-old Black female, was shot multiple times as she sat in her car outside a vacant house on Divinity Street in Pittsburgh’s North Side. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. May 15—Darshele Johnson, a 41-year-old Black male, was found shot multiple times outside a home on Graham Boulevard extension in Penn Hills. Police said he had just exited his car when someone in a white Cadillac drove up and shot him. Johnson had previously been charged in the shooting death of Christopher Moss in 2014. The investigation continues. May 25—Thomas Cheeks, a 40year-old Black male, was fatally shot during a home invasion at his Crafton Heights home. His wife and son were home at the time but were not harmed. The two gunmen also killed the family dog. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. May 26—Tamar Taylor, a 26year-old Black male, was shot multiple times as he sat in his car on Bellanca Avenue. Police have charged 29-year-old Daevon Plowden with the homicide. He is currently in the Allegheny County Jail. May 27—Dehnad Taiedi, a 78year-old Iranian, was shot once in the head at the front desk of the motel he owned on Rte. 51 in Jefferson Hills, in what police said was an apparent robbery. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. May 27—Mark Lopata, a 35-yearold White male, was found beaten and fatally shot in his Elliot apartment. Police have charged his roommate, 28-year-old Robert Hunter in the death. Hunter is in the Allegheny County jail. May 28—Delores Alviani, a 70year-old White female, was found by police fatally shot in a bedroom of her Bloomfield home along with her 79-year-old husband Louis, also deceased, in what police said was a murder-suicide. April Homicides (6) April 1—Dontae Thompson, a 27year-old Black male was shot multiple times after another vehicle pulled along side him while driving on Henderson Street in Pittsburgh’s Fineview neighborhood. Police discovered him after his car had crashed trough a fence and flipped onto its roof. He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital where he died a few hours later. On April 20, Police arrested Andre BranchSamuels for the killing after tracking him and his vehicle on surveillance video through several neighborhoods. He is in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 4. April 6—Brandon Nguyen, a 29year-old Asian male, was sitting in his car in front of his home on Shadeland Avenue on Pittsburgh’s North Side when another car pulled up and a tall, thin Black male got out and shot Nguyen multiple times before speeding away. Nguyen was pronounced dead at the scene. No arrest has been made. The investigation is ongoing. April 14—Terence Jackson, a 27year-old Black male, was shot multiple times inside Red’s Bar on E. Warrington Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood. He was taken to UPMC Mercy in critical condition and died about two hours later. Another man who was wounded in the leg during the incident said the shooting started after a scuffle. As yet, police have released no description of the shooter. The investigation is ongoing. April 15—Derek Schindler, a 30year-old White male, was fatally shot by Joshua Huber following marijuana and alcohol-fueled argument in Huber’s Etna apartment. Huber’s upstairs neighbor heard the shots and held him at gunpoint with his shotgun until police arrived. Huber is being held in the Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing. April 15—Melissa Zuk, a 22year-old White female, was fatally shot by Joshua Huber following marijuana and alcohol-fueled argument in Huber’s Etna apartment. Huber’s upstairs neighbor heard the shots and held him at gunpoint with his shotgun until police arrived. Huber is being held in the Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing.
April 26—Aaron Govostes, a 42year-old Black male, was shot three times in the doorway of his South Oakland home after opening his front door to intruders. His mother and two children were unharmed. Police found marijuana and cash in the house but did not reveal a motive. Govostes was pronounced dead at the scene. His mother described the intruders only as three Black males. As yet, police have no suspects. The investigation is ongoing. March Homicides (10) March 1—Tyrell Jones, a 20-yrold Black man, was discovered by police shot multiple times near a Homestead playground. No arrest has been made. The investigation is ongoing. March 5—Michael Watson, a 52year-old Black Male, was discovered by police fatally wounded in the 600 block of Chataqua Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side. He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital where he died shortly afterward. No suspects have been arrested. The investigation is ongoing. March 9—Tina Shelton, 37, Shada Mahone, 26, Chanetta Powell, 25, Brittany Powell, 27, all Black females, Baby Boy Powell, 8 months, and Jerry Shelton, a 35year-old Black male were all executed by a pair of gunmen at a during a cookout in Wilkinsburg. Despite District Attorney Steven A Zappala saying police had good leads on the shooters, no arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. March 12—Derek Price, a 26year-old Black male, was shot multiple times at the Monview Heights housing complex in West Mifflin and later died at the hospital. Hours later police arrested 22-year-old Zyaire James of Clairton and charged him with homicide. He is in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting trial. March 13—Taevon Harris, a 15year-old Black male, was fatally shot by 19-yea-old Ryzel Barret after the two argued outside Mr. Barrett’s house in Homestead. Police said Barrett then went into the house, argued with his father, shot and wounded him shooting himself. March 14—Walli Hardy, a 23year-old Black male, was found shot to death in a neighbor’s kitchen in Homewood. No suspects have been arrested. The investigation is ongoing. March 23—Linda Katilius, a 63year-old White female, was strangled to death by her 60-year-old husband Richard, who confessed to the crime. He is in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting trial. March 24—Saevon Ponder, a 21year-old Black male, was fatally shot and dumped in Beltzhoover after being kidnapped over what police said was a drug debt. Mitchell Coles has been arrested and charged with the shooting, kidnapping and other charges. He is in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting trial. March 25—Tarvus Gainer, a 28year-old Black male, was found fatally shot on Montier Street in Wilkinsburg. No arrests have been made. The investigation continues. March 27—Glenn Fischer, a 49year-old White male, was discovered strangled after a disturbance in a neighbor’s home. No charges have yet been filed. February Homicides (4) FEB. 3—Reginald Franklin, a 27year-old Black male from Homewood, was fatally shot while exiting a store in the 7200 block of Frankstown Avenue in Homewood. He was taken to UPMC Presbyterian where he later died. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing. On the listing provided by the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner, Franklin is identified as Reginald Frankin. Feb. 15—Calvin Turner, 56, Gerald Johnson, 68, and Darlyn Vance, 73, all Black males, died of smoke inhalation and burns after the North Lang Street house where they lived in Homewood was set on fire. Latoya Lyerly, 42, who also lived there confessed to the arson. She is in the Allegheny County Jail. FEB. 15—Keith Woodard, a 19year-old Black male from North Side, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the 100 block of Waldorf Street in the North Side. He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital where he later died. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing. FEB. 15—Amelia Roman, a 96year-old White female from North Braddock, was found dead in her North Braddock home, in the 700 block of Jones Avenue, by individuals conducting a welfare check. It has been reported that she had a heart attack during a home invasion in which she was left bound and gagged. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing. FEB. 17—Madeline Bernard, a 65-year-old Black female from Brighton Heights, was found stabbed to death in her home on Verner Court in Brighton Heights. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Madeline Bernard was reportedly stabbed during a domestic altercation with her daughter, Sommer Bernard, who has been charged with criminal homicide. January Homicides JAN. 10—Damion Graham, a 39-
year-old Black male from the North Side, was fatally shot during a domestic altercation at a home on Forest Avenue in Bellevue. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing. JAN. 10—Chauncey Howard, a 25-year-old Black male from the North Side, was found fatally shot inside of a vehicle that had crashed into a pole in the 3100 block of Universal Street in Sheraden. He was found by officers who were responding to a call of shots fired in the 3200 block. Howard was pronounced dead at the scene. Tremond Allston and Charles Williams have been charged with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy, carrying a firearm without a license and more. JAN. 15—Martell Benton-Bridgett, an 18-year-old Black male from McKees Rocks, was found at the Holiday Inn Express, in the 800 block of Greentree Road, in Greentree, with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died. It has been reported that he had been at a party at the hotel when he was shot. No one had been charged; the investigation is ongoing. JAN. 19—Shawn Cavender, a 39year-old Black male from Pittsburgh, was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his lower extremities in a home in the 100 block of Southern Avenue in Mt. Washington. He was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital where he later died. Reportedly, he had gotten into an argument with another male who fled the scene. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing. JAN. 19—Raymond O’Neal, a 17year-old Black male from Penn Hills, was shot and killed at a home in the 8900 block of Upland Terrace in Penn Hills. It is believed that there was a confrontation and O’Neal was shot. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing. JAN. 20—Dante Dawkins, a 29year-old Black male from Clairton, was shot to death in the 400 block of Windgap Avenue, in Windgap Industrial Park, which is in the Windgap/Esplen area. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Divine Barrett was also found dead at the scene; one was found in a nearby vehicle and the other was lying in the street. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing. (The Office of the Medical Examiner of Allegheny County has Dawkins’ age listed as 39, but other reports and an obituary list him as 29.) JAN. 20—Divine Barrett, a 24year-old Black male from New Jersey, was shot to death in the 400 block of Windgap Avenue, in Windgap Industrial Park, which is in the Windgap/Esplen area. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Dante Dawkins was also found dead at the scene; one was found in a nearby vehicle and the other was lying in the street. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing. JAN. 21—Bronson Waite, a 23year-old White male from Brighton Heights, was found shot to death in the torso at a residence in the 3900 block of Vinceton Street in Perry North. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It has been reported that a robbery and the shooting may have taken place the previous day. Daron Clark has been charged with criminal homicide, burglary, robbery, criminal conspiracy, receiving stolen property and possession of a firearm with an altered manufacture number. JAN. 22—Janese Jackson Talton, a 29-year-old Black female from Penn Hills, was found fatally shot outside of Cliff’s Bar, located at North Lang Avenue in Homewood, by officers who were responding to a ShotSpotter notification. She was pronounced dead at the scene. According to reports, Talton was allegedly shot by Charles McKinney after rejecting his advances. McKinney is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, carrying a firearm without a license, fleeing or attempting to elude police, possession with intent to deliver, recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving. JAN. 30—Eric Johnson, a 24year-old Black male from McKeesport, was fatally shot in the area of Fern Alley, in McKeesport, while sitting in a vehicle with another male. Johnson died at the scene; the other male was taken to a local hospital. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing. JAN. 31—Bruce Kelley Jr., a 37year-old Black male from Pittsburgh, was shot and killed by Port Authority Police after an altercation. According to reports, Kelley and his father were found drinking alcohol at a Wilkinsburg shelter near the East Busway when officers initially encountered them. An altercation broke out and the two got away. After finding the two again and Kelley allegedly refusing orders to put down a knife, officers Tased him. When that did not work, they released their K-9, Aren, and Kelley stabbed him. Officers then shot and killed Kelley. He died of multiple gunshot wounds to the trunk and extremities. Aren also died. The investigation is ongoing.