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se rican-Amer o t in han Cooper. ican deathld quadruple The allegeddcuffs and ha New row inmate in ci Cooper’s 1som’s decision could d en Flori t wa making ouda Today reports t Hills famil 985 conviction in lead to the overtu t. y th rn A an e u in th k d g il o ling of a ru their 11-y ri Enough Of of has the Your Lovtie”es say t Californiapnotential, some polieatir-old house guest. ral Chino and a s. The case cal watcher s say, to d Both the C ivide aliforn and more an a dozenia and United States past appeath lo su w p er courts hav re ls. e rejectedmCe courts “I take no p ooper’s osition regar nocence at about the h this time,” Newsodming Mr. Cooper’s g uilt or inigh-profile said in his terest. N ca ex se free 2. When you see a photo or ad with the Observer 1. Get for that hby Yothe as downloading rk Tapp drawn inteecutive order Sen. Kamew im es ’ co rn lu al at m Interactive logo scan over the whole photo with your it from Google Play or The Apple App a io n is H n al in t Nic arri have all ca lled for res -tand reality TV starholas Kristof, U.S.tablet or smartphone. forensic Store technology. esting using curr Kim Kardashian SUL ent, more The ACLU gorilla suitPHUR, La. (AP) – P se n si an ti ve groups hav d other hu mattress befbroke into a Louisiaol man rights e also urged o n a deeper in an Serving Kern County News ouretl officers arrested h ves gation California state o d social justice et into Cooper fficials to la s Gov. Newtiso sp q u o k o for Over 40 Years es te m Mel E unch ’s con m’s tion issu st in ThSuulphu officers saan by formerorder Friday expandviction. w Jeremie es rsday test four ed s G p co o Moran wal re v. stume. They vious direc rry Brown lowed analpyieces of crime scenJe h ad in son looking received ca kin D ember lls a into homes to an orange sts to perform DNe evidence. Brownec ’s . E to A o st es says Mo prosecutors wel; and the han re-testing on a tan rder al- bo p ra ro n ac ran into a hed but w dle and sh dies in the say Cooper T-shirt; as discover eath Ry In th new u charges incl ed investigatseiod in the murders. of a hatchet Joshua Ryen, theen’s home with a total u d of hair frois in g re tr sisting an hoidin y, meth poss victims’ 8-y wound on of 143 stab button Com the victims’ hannd, analysts will look es ea h w si is in ro o g in the San u o son, su throat. He In Louisian n and wearingffia c ffered a slnasds. the al was the old Bernardino tigators plaoper’s attorney No s, blood samples anat strands tack. a, a person in n p ly le h u g County are blic survivor of ations Coo nvicte Angeles Co nted at the scene rman Hile mainta d a green le After Coopers’s per’s attorn not surprise the at- D.A.’s office most. Excecan be sentencedco in g o ja u al f s n il ly ty th in ey b to d . p e v re st S s M ab esti uperior Co ay crime. A re ak thre ar vestigation o an o n ed , e u s ra y in t m ar in ci v o h ak e es al biases an f em freq olidays like al a ho in tigat also urt judge w . ti d discrimth Halloweenlowed for relig uently comg about their ill oversee rethd Los familsay they found eviduse next door to thors found, he il- complaints Cooper, 61 in It at an p ’s la io dM unclear if M e victims. ence in th y’s statio in abou are hand n in the e in, has main years. His g ment. oran has a ardi G tained his For some,nGwagon that tied Coe Ryen’s home and inThey unang prosecutor Miclehd. Just last month,way their cases ort lawy by Gov. Nlawyers hope the re in n o ce d a o ae er o n p th S v. l er ce an pressure fo e Selyem, wh sults of the New ewsom, wh Volume 45 Number Newspapers August 28, 2019 over the ingObserver BernardinWednesday, in the case Group the murderCalifornia som’s order oftoSouthern hel51 r o re m p pro o o ic n -t ak is h is s. so es in W being met co ti cial media. with dismtoaybroaden DNA te st him. ve their client’s innould take several mong ordered poof the murders Josh His insultgscrude and racist anhdite, resigned - chelle Obama, U ua Ryen an nths, will . The lone su cence and ta rters of the rg mments et ed ,S fo B . d rmer Firstco finally exo Rep. Maxin lack shooti In 1 “B Lady Minerate they are disappoRyens and Hughesfamily, friends andrvivor n e g W v on four co9u85, a San Diego Co ic at ti er m s . su an in al Th l p te d across the o an unnamed “Unfortunat d with the gov 26 and an nts of murder. At unty jury convicte state say Los Angelmas R. Parker, a form ernor’s dec ely, over tim the time of d Cooper for justice in es office, bel er is d io ep cord - incluescaped prison inm n e u . it ty h th is se is case mat head of the ie ems the vic arrest, he w Th ters FBI’s ti s’ desire “The evis guy is innocenvt,es Cooper. as no Distric in Pennsylv ding several burglaate. His lengthy cr ” he told th iminal re- “Prior DNtAAttorney Jason Anless and less,” San m id ries and the ania – did en ce w as B d er o not help his te er e p n n Cooper, form rape of a m st la so N ar th in n ew n d te e g icl sa d st th aimed ou Y , he was fr and.” case. inor erly named in 1958 ld exoneratat Mr. Cooper sougidh in a statement. amed, theork Times. What has k per’s guilw e him have t, agreed to cops lied t.” months onldear Pittsburgh, PenRichard Goodman, ep t a th fe all confirm e case goin deral appel and nsylvania. was born Y et ed g la p During his , he was adopted an te er M an su W ec co r. dC asive argum ution and re hen he was urt CooLAKE FOR ents ased six monies and iew the ca’ssedecision in 2004 toooper alive - is and he spenchildhood, his par d renamed Kevin Gov. Newvso on conflicti EST ents physica is recoverin w stay his exCooper. reasonable qualeslegations of evidenbce t a good p it h m juvenile det o m re n D ’s g sc g after bei,nCalif. (AP) – Offic ar N ll d te ti ie t ta y ec A o n st o m n ab ti is if g te s p fi io at ad u ab st er c en y se n o o in o ev in o rs d ti n le u to g g id o g struck by u t sc h ro , n se co the ethod ence. im k p raisin ence living ad in South centers. In a mental d nail Co low another a polic g California Governmes early in the al s and storiee in several attack, and to ern Californ oper. Threm ro u L n ag te d Californiah. ealth facility in Pen1982, Cooper esca es u rm o o in n e h in r f a ia. av w whose supp of the prog Beach Police e high expec ped from three attacker sworn testimony, eapons were use vestinsylvania b th e O o re rt ra ta ss O er n iv ti ffi g s d in the e so (AP) – eACman on the pLOS s who were cerhe efore movin Jo Duri Tho as “DN test ons. oliti ANGELES Registerafter yenLisa meone’s pet ountyarrested White. Heshua RBy g to could have been H saidFitch l Lef ing should gued that nCg his murder trial, he initiallm he saw solve the A led policecaon a twildFRV chase with young children whhis later testifi is en p o p im an y th o R ro eb th F p ic m y se u . e er en . ed rt 1 cu ca ed k 9. of kidnapping, child her iate Ryen, th illed husb t darabuse, case tors succ thatNews hiang saContributor ted in fron Our Weekly they LosCAngeles ke pyear been convicted named Diacomplicating the pro lacehas id during thand finally ensurely talast t M to cG neighboreiCr 10-year-old daughand and wife Dougesansfully ar- ban re u th ir n se at More than 2,000 Black-owned eateries are featured on e says when just cutions’ clai e campaign DNA eviden ice is searvspouse elonging to a Roper came fo ter Jessica an injuring and other charges. hristopher th d e P an eg h g im . m y e ed “N s, ce al g rw ,” b o a her former Hughes. Po can eatblackowned. d was biggAttorney’s ut terestaurant t out to ch wominternet-based d with the help law en ot only isThe sting in thlocator er than a h Office Angeles County bloonew it pLos boyfriend ar lice foundan 11-year-old inal. She turned AnimalDistrict roven dwhich is casetowosupport forcement y clothlaunched ouse cat. ec Confor June 21 th intending Blackwho wascom, the eviden ing the bloodie Even d u tr es so ld o to tr lv l co o o an e a said Monday that jurors deliberated two hours before y ffi m cr o ed v ce u an io ce e im d gh it. rs rushed th at no cost to imal hospit es, tr over to the ownedlerestaurants. n is al, w eb the stguilty auma.for 48-year-old police, buttcrim- issubold, he is treadinNgewsom’s decision in African Am here it w returning Stephen Merle ate.” verdicts “There’s only onee th thing that everyone in this world they ericans, His ca as diagnolese th re e at fu C ll C o y o al p o if D er n o panics and r. rn a ca Houk. K p ia se w ri o votersfood,” sti Krause, common: weatch allinlove tasting creatortentially pola otherhas across th g. Hgreat she expinecMay a vbeing e is soul minin riziwas eterinar e political sp Houk oritiL. keepfood, ng arrested ts the2018 oniathe es Dillard ing hisvegan, Edward have BBQ, liv- Csaid. 11-poafter n, tell b ec ac ontin“We fo und (5-kilorchard tr k cu u in s m to ued o o ar n th e fa e ogram) castth run for two days. He escaped into a Bakersfield ir Caribbean, seafood and more listed the site.” n paon w n il ess and just d ge A2 af te r M it ice police uire visited ainsmotor “I believe that if people have a place where they can strength. to after leading acG100-mile chase inreghis thaton th if e h b e o se b es ca t on Friday find all the minority-owned restaurants in this country, home that began in Hollywood.it again, he’ll is sue a were more of us will start to support these small businesses,” ticket for j. Houk’s 10-month-old and 3-year-old children Dillard said. inside the RV. They weren’t hurt. Increasing Black dollar circulation Investigators said the incident began after Houk “Ninety-three cents of every dollar spent by Black fought with his wife and threatened to kill her. consumers produces no economic benefit for the Black He faces 78 years in prison when he’s sentenced community, as the dollar only circulates in the community Sept. 4. for six hours,” he adds. A professional truck driver for a company out of New Jersey, Dillard has been on the road for 15 years, and travels across the country four or five days of the week. “I didn’t like the direction of the country,” he said in a recent phone interview. “I wanted to do more to support Black-owned businesses, but I was always gone. I don’t spend money on clothes, accessories or shoes. The majority BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) – Kern County of my money was going to food. authorities say the Kern River remains very dangerous “I decided to spend it in different restaurants,” he even though water levels have declined somewhat. added, noting that the internet was of little help. “The The Sheriff’s Office says a search is continuing problem was only the major cities and only real popular Monday for a 32-year-old man who reportedly fell into restaurants would come up in my search. The really small the river near the mouth of the Kern River Canyon late ones wouldn’t come up.” There already are some existing Saturday afternoon and was swept downstream. websites promoting Black-owned businesses in general, but Earlier Saturday, the body of a 31-year-old Los they don’t have a lot of restaurant listings. Angeles man was recovered by searchers after it was Dillard was inspired. spotted floating in the river near Keyesville. His name With the popularity and general necessity of food, one might wonder, why there aren’t many more blackHave a vision and go forward has not been released. owned restaurants? (Photo: iStockPhoto / NNPA) “I had a vision in mind but didn’t have the experience in designing a website,” he said. “Luckily, there’s Google and You Tube. They pretty much teach you everything! I realized there was a small chance that I might be able to make this happen.” Dillard spent nearly five months conducting research for his project, collecting the names and addresses of more By MARTHA WAGGONER than 2,000 restaurants in the U.S. Then, he completed the Associated Press website design. Children everywhere are going to get the chance to have RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Four death row prisoners “It took me a long time to design a website,” Dillard a historical female role model as part of their play sets. will argue to North Carolina’s highest court that racial said. “What surprised me is that I got the job done.” Mattel is honoring Rosa Parks with her very own Barbie bias so infected their trials that they should be resentenced Working as a one-man show, Dillard then collected doll. to life in prison as attorneys revive arguments about a the restaurant pictures and website links to complete the Rosa Parks was an American activist known as the repealed law on race and capital punishment. project for launch. So far, the site includes 94 restaurants Mother of the Modern Civil Rights Movement. The state Supreme Court will hear arguments in New York, but only 35 within a 25-mile radius of As Barbie turns 60, how has the world’s most famous Monday and Tuesday in the cases of four death row downtown LA. doll grown up? inmates who briefly were resentenced to life without Fostering culinary inclusion Each doll comes with educational material about her parole when legislators approved the Racial Justice Act in “African-Americans make up only eight percent of contribution to society, authentic clothing and unique 2009. The law was repealed four years later. restaurant owners and managers in the U.S.,” said Warren accessories. Justices also will hear from attorneys for two other Luckett, co-founder of BRW in a recent Forbes feature. “Rosa Parks made the world better for future generations death row prisoners whose claims under the act weren’t “Our mission is to provide a platform that calls for of girls,” a Mattel spokesperson said. “By celebrating her decided before the law was repealed in 2013. inclusion in the industry and exposes and elevates blackachievement with a doll made in her likeness, we hope girls Under the act, condemned men and women could owned businesses.” will be inspired to pursue their dreams.” challenge their death sentences by using statistics to show Visit https://labrw.com for a list of participating BRW It’s only fitting that this new Barbie be debuted on that race tainted their trials. restaurants. Women’s Equality Day. With the popularity and general necessity of food, one “Women’s Equality Day celebrates the hard-won might wonder, why there aren’t many more black-owned achievement of women’s suffrage and pays tribute to the restaurants? trailblazers who paved the way for future generations,” the “Access to capital,” explained Veronica Hendrix, who Mattel spokesperson said. participated in a panel discussion on food at a recent LA According to Mattel, research has shown that starting chapter meeting of the National Association of Black at the age of five, many girls are less likely than boys to view Journalists. “It takes a lot to start a restaurant, in terms their own gender as smart and begin to lose confidence in of finding a location; working with the leasing company their own competence -- this is coined the “Dream Gap.” agreement; and overhead costs.” Showing girls more role models, historical and present, and “I think that’s why so many of them are choosing telling their stories can help close that gap. alternative ways of creating a presence in the community,” The new dolls are part of the Inspiring Women Series, Hendrix added. “Food trucks, pop ups, becoming personal which debuted on International Women’s Day in 2018. Its chefs, cooking for small groups—just looking for alternative mission is to honor historical role models who paved the way ways of raising capital.” ELAINE, Ark. (AP) – Officials are investigating for generations of girls to dream bigger than before. Setting realistic goals after someone cut down a willow tree that was planted to Amelia Earhart, Katherine Johnson and Frida Kahlo are “A lot of banks initially look at them as a risk until honor the victims of the 1919 Elaine massacre in eastern also part of this collection. they’re proven,” Hendrix said. Arkansas. Both dolls are available for purchase Monday, August Nearly 60 percent of restaurants fail within their first The Elaine Legacy Center says the tree was chopped 26. down at its base last week and a memorial tag was stolen. Continued on page A3 Memphis, Tennessee, television station WMC reports that police and state parks officials are investigating. The tree was planted in April in remembrance of the victims of the massacre, which was one of the largest racial mass killings in U.S. history. It occurred during the summer of 1919, when hundreds of African Americans died at the hands of white mob violence during the “Red Summer.’’ By Stacy M. Brown and has unveiled an ambitious plan to tackle the problem. plagued by the lack of affordable housing – housing Events are planned for later next month to mark the NNPA Newswire Correspondent Candy Moore, the senior vice president and manager affordability, financial health and small business growth,” 100th anniversary of the massacre in Arkansas. The lack of affordable housing has caught the attention of Wells Fargo’s Community Relations and Southeast said Moore. of Wells Fargo and the banking giant isn’t taking it lightly Community Development, told NNPA Newswire that “Charitable giving has always been a part of our the company will invest $1 billion over the history,” Moore said. next five years from its business and “And, we feel we should be foundation to help make housing doing even more to address more affordable. the systematic changes in “We will address affordable housing and three key issues uncover new ways in underserved to increase the communities availability and that have Continued on been page A2
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Civil Rights and Business Leader Michael Van Leesten Dies at 80
Cynthia Eaglin and Rufaro Jenkins in front of their former home at Parkway Overlook Apartments in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy Photo)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A Rhode Island civil rights and business leader has died. The Providence Journal reports Michael Van Leesten died Friday. He was 80. Van Leesten helped co-found and served as CEO of the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Rhode Island, which provides job training, career counseling and other programs for people from underserved communities. He also worked for Connecticut’s Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and helped develop their Foxwoods Resort Casino. Earlier in life, Van Leesten helped register black people to vote in Alabama in the 1960s. He was also a star basketball player at Rhode Island College. James Vincent, president of the NAACP Providence branch, called his passing a major blow to the community. Democratic state Rep. Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, of Providence, said Van Leesten was “synonymous with `fighter’ and `integrity’ and `love’ and `compassion’.’’