Los Angeles News Observer 3.24.22

House Passes CROWN Act to End Discrimination Against Natural Black Hairstyles

Black & Latinx Youth More Likely to Face Juvenile Incarceration Than Their White Peers

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News Observer Los Angeles

Volume 37 Number 19

Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California

Dems Propose $200 Payments to Offset Rising Cost of Living

By McKenzie Jackson California Black Media Blondy B. is an Uber driver and budding social media content creator in West Los Angeles. When he first started seeing the high cost of gas posted on service station pylon signs in his neighborhood, he says his frustration was met with a sense of disbelief at how fast prices were shooting up.

“I was like, ‘Yo, what the …,” said the 31-year-old, adding an expletive for emphasis. “It has been mind-blowing,” he said.

Blondy B. says it used to take $75 to fill his SUV’s tank.

Now, it costs nearly $110.

He says dollars he was stacking to pursue his California Dream are now being poured into his gas tank.

The average cost of a gallon of gas in the Golden State has increased over $1 during the last month, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

“Sometimes with Uber, you wait five, 15, or even 30 minutes to get a ride,” he said. “Now, whenever I’m done with a ride, I park right there, shutdown the car, and wait for the next call.”

Uber and Lyft are both tacking on a surcharge of 55-cents per ride paid to drivers to offset the high costs of gas.

Santa Monica resident Clint Thompson, an avid cyclist, has spent more time walking and riding his bicycle than driving this month. He says the cost to fill his car’s tank is $120.

“It’s horrible,” he told California Black Media.

Like Blondy B. and Thompson, millions of drivers across the Golden State and around the U.S. are feeling the pain of record high prices at the gas pump. According to AAA, the average cost of regular gas per gallon in California was 5.847 on Sunday. The national average for regular gas was $4.30 per gallon.

On March 18, Democrats in the California Senate and Assembly presented a plan to provide $200 payments to each taxpayer in the state and their dependents. Under the plan, the state will send out the rebates to households with incomes of up to $250,000 to offset the costs of food, gas and other services family need.

Based on initial estimates, the plan could cost the state $6.8 Continued on Page A2

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Ye No Longer Performing at Grammys

NEW YORK (AP) – Ye will not be performing at the Grammys this year. A report published in The Blast said that the musician was told Friday that his act had been pulled from the show, which are set to take place on April 3.

A representative for Ye, who changed his name from Kanye West, confirmed the information in The Blast article in an email to the Associated Press. She did not offer additional comment.

Ye had not been confirmed yet as someone set to perform at the show, which has announced acts such as Billie Eilish, BTS, Lil’ Nas X and Olivia Rodirgo. Ye’s album “Donda” is nominated for album of the year. Representatives from the Recording Academy have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

According to reports, the decision was made in response to his “concerning online behavior.”

Trevor Noah, who is hosting the Grammy Awards, called Ye’s treatment of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian “more and more belligerent” on The Daily Show last week.

“What we’re seeing here is one of the most powerful, one of the richest women in the world unable to get her ex to stop texting her, to stop chasing after her, to stop harassing her,” Noah said.

Woman Pleads to Lesser Counts in 2020 Police Vehicle Fires

(Shutterstock Photo)

On Equal Pay Day, Advocates Shine Light on Earning Gap for Black Women Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media On Equal Pay Day last week, First Partner of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom addressed the gender and race wage gap in the U.S. and the state, as the federal government announced similar plans. “In [California], we have some of the strongest pay laws in the nation, but women still earn just $.86 on the dollar and that number plummets for women of color,” said Newsom.

Equal Pay Day was March 15. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) estimates that women in the U.S. earn 83 cents to every dollar that men earn. That gap gets wider for women of color, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

According to the AAUW, Black women earned 58 cents for every dollar White men made in 2019.

In 2019, the AAUW estimated that Black women, on average, were paid about 63% of what white men were paid.

To throw light on the specificity of this discrepancy, AAUW designates Sept. 21 as Black Women Equal Pay Day. “While sexism and racism are distinct forms of discrimination that manifest differently, their effects are compounded when a person experiences both at the same time.

Intersectional discrimination perpetuates the racial and gender wealth gaps, limits Black women’s access to educational opportunities, and impedes their career advancement,” it reads on the AAUW’s website.

Last week, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced plans to implement measures to combat the gender and racial wage gap last Tuesday. According to the U.S.

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Department of Labor, women earn less than men on average in nearly 350 different occupations.

Department of Labor Chief Economist Janelle Jones wrote that educated Black and Brown women are representative of this estimate. “Black and Latina women with only a bachelor’s degree have the largest gap at 65%, and Black women with advanced degrees earn 70% of what white men with advanced degrees earn,” stated Jones. “This is a big problem, but we actually know how to fix it,” said Wendy Chun-Hoon, director of the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor.

(Shutterstock Photo)

The federal investment strategy includes two major aspects of the gender wage gap: salary history and occupational segregation.

The Department of Labor plans to limit the use of prior salary history in the hiring process, which they hope will help to close the gender gap and balance the pay-setting for federal employees.

Additionally, the White House announced that President Biden will sign an executive order focused on the same goals regarding employment decisions by federal contractors.

“By looking at things like salary history, what’s really underneath that is the fact that women are concentrated into some of the lowest paying jobs in our economy,” said Chun-Hoon. The White House’s second area of concern is the effect of occupational segregation on women’s economic security. Occupational segregation, according to Chun-Hoon, is concerned with where women work and how some of those jobs tend to be valued at a lower rate. “By looking at things like salary history, what’s really underneath that is the fact that women are concentrated into some of the lowest paying jobs in our economy,” said ChunHoon.

She mentioned that the effect occupational segregation has on gender wage disparities also affects race wage disparities, as is the intersectional nature of earning inequality. “In 2019, this is even before the impact of the pandemic, Black women faced a $39.3 billion loss, Hispanic women faced a $46.7 billion loss just because of the jobs they were concentrated in,” said Chun-Hoon.

The goal, according to Chun-Hoon, is to make investments in occupations often filled by women -- such as education and health care -- to bridge the gap.

Black Women, Civil Rights Groups Join Rallies for Judge Jackson Confirmation

Black women led organizations including The National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, She Will Rise, Black Women’s Roundtable and others have continued their rallies in support of D.C. Circuit Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as a Senate Judiciary Committee considers her confirmation.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Several women-led groups held a rally in front of the Supreme Court on Monday to bolster support for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ahead of her Senate confirmation hearings.

Black women led organizations including The National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, She Will Rise, Black Women’s Roundtable and others have continued their rallies in support of D.C. Circuit Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as a Senate Judiciary Committee considers her confirmation.

“This is a moment that is historic but also filled with so much possibility for all of us,” Fatima Goss Graces, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, proclaimed at a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court and a short distance from the Capitol Hill location where the confirmation hearings are held.

With a sizable crowd chanting and urging Senators to “confirm [Judge Jackson] today,” Graces and others spoke of the Judge Jackson’s vast credentials and the potential she’d make as the first African American women on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Inside the hearings, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) spelled out some of the Republican opposition to Judge Jackson.

Serving his seventh term in the Senate, the 88-year-old alluded to the rallies, noting how protestors stood outside the confirmation hearings of Trump nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

He also claimed that Judge Jackson had blocked Republicans from obtaining internal U.S. Sentencing Commission documents.

Judge Jackson once sat prominently on the commission.

“As for her district court record, there have been some accusations that we cherry-picked some of Judge Jackson’s criminal cases,” Grassley said.

“Well, don’t worry. We’re going to talk about other cases as Continued on Page A2

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A woman charged with setting fire to two police vehicles during civil disorder in Philadelphia following 2020 protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has pleaded guilty to lesser offenses in an agreement with federal prosecutors.

Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal, 35, pleaded guilty last week to two counts of obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder, each carrying a maximum five-year term, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. She would have faced a sevenyear minimum sentence if convicted of arson.

Defense attorney Paul Hetznecker called the deal “appropriate.” He called the original charges “political” and an overreaction to crimes that he maintained should have been pursued in state court.

A police sedan and a sport utility vehicle outside City Hall were set afire and destroyed in violence following the May 2020 protests. Prosecutors argued that Blumenthal – identified through news footage and social media posts, her online activity and a distinctive tattoo and T-shirt – put hundreds of protesters at risk and then fought off and tried to evade agents who came to arrest her.

Authorities also reported finding goggles, a backpack and flame-retardant gloves in Blumenthal’s home and suggested that bringing them to the protest suggested an intent to destroy property. But supporters called her a “political prisoner” jailed for an act of dissent against police brutality and vandalized the federal detention center in Philadelphia’s Center City, the newspaper reported.

Blumenthal, who has been in custody since her arrest, is scheduled for sentencing in June. The plea deal calls for her to pay more than $92,000 in restitution. Five other defendants are still facing federal arson counts related to police vehicles burned at the protest; prosecutors declined comment on whether they had been offered similar plea deals.

Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died May 25, 2020 after then-Officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground with his knee for more than 9 minutes as Floyd lay handcuffed and facedown on the street. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted last year in state court of murder, and sentenced to 22 1/2 years; he awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to a federal charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights.

Former Maryland Legislator, NAACP Leader Rev. Emmett C. Burns Jr. Dies at 81 The Rev. Emmett C. Burns Jr., a civil rights leader in Maryland who also served in the General Assembly for 20 years, has died at age 81.

Del. Benjamin Brooks Sr., who succeeded Burns in the legislature, told The Baltimore Sun that Burns died Thursday at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore from complications of a fall.

Burns joined the House of Delegates in 1995, becoming the first African American elected to statewide government office from Baltimore County, the newspaper reported.

While a legislator, Burns led a successful campaign to name the Baltimore/Washington International Airport for Thurgood Marshall, the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Burns “was very instrumental and strong leader in the community,” Brooks said. “He was a man of morals, values, ethics and integrity. We are going to sorely miss him.”

A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Burns got involved in civil rights work at a young age. His son, the Rev. Engel Burns, said his father grew up several blocks away from where civil rights leader Medgar Evers maintained an office.

After serving in several ministerial positions, the elder Burns in 1971 became director of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP, where he led protests against segregation and filed lawsuits seeking equal city services for Black and white people. He relocated in Baltimore in 1979 to become an NAACP regional director for Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The Rev. Burns relocated to Baltimore in 1979 to serve as the NAACP’s first regional director, serving Maryland, Washington, and Virginia. He and his wife started Rising Sun First Baptist Church in 1983, and he retired from the NAACP 10 years later.

Survivors include his wife, the former Earlene Poe, along with three sons and five grandchildren.

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Los Angeles News Observer

World & Nation

Thursday, March 24, 2022

D.C. Rep. Norton Introduces Universal Prekindergarten Bill

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has reintroduced her Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act, which would provide federal funds to encourage states to provide universal prekindergarten to every child, regardless of income.

According to a news release, the bill would afford the benefits of early childhood education to all families, many of which are currently not able to afford it.

“The earliest years of childhood are critical for brain development, which means that every child should have access to the benefits of early childhood education,” Congresswoman Norton said.

“Just as providing K-12 education is essential, universal prekindergarten is an investment that we must make as a nation to ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed.”

Congresswoman Norton’s bill fills the prekindergarten education gap by using existing public-school infrastructure and standards for public school teachers, which would make prekindergarten more affordable and accessible.

Norton’s bill would institutionalize prekindergarten, like kindergarten today, in publicly funded schools for parents who desire it, according to the Congresswoman’s office.

“My bill would establish and expand prekindergarten programs in public and public charter schools for three- and fouryear-old children,” Congresswoman Norton stated.

The prekindergarten years are critical for children’s brain development, she insisted.

“My bill seeks a breakthrough in public education by providing funding for states to add prekindergarten for children at three and four years of age, like kindergarten programs for fiveyear-old children now routinely available in public schools,” the Congresswoman asserted.

“This bill would eliminate major shortcomings of unevenly available day care and, importantly, would take advantage of the safe facilities required in public schools,” she said.

Congresswoman Norton continued: “My bill provides federal funds to states, which must be matched by at least 20 percent of a state’s own funds, to establish or expand universal, voluntary prekindergarten in public and public charter schools, regardless of income.

“The classes, which would be full-day and run throughout the entire school year, must be taught by teachers who possess equivalent qualifications to those teaching other grades in the school. The funds would supplement, not supplant, other federal funds for early childhood education. The unique money-saving aspect of my bill is that it uses the existing public-school infrastructure and trained teachers to make early childhood education available to all, saving billions of dollars in implementation costs.”

She added that the success of Head Start and other prekindergarten programs, combined with new scientific evidence on the importance of brain development in early childhood, virtually mandates the expansion of early childhood education to all children.

Early learning programs mainly have been available only to the affluent, who can afford them, and to some low-income families in programs such as Head Start, which would be unaffected by the bill, Congresswoman Norton concluded.

“My bill provides a practical way to universal, public preschool education for the majority of families. The goal of the bill is to afford the benefits of early childhood education to the working poor, lower middle class, and middle class, most of whom have been left out of this essential education for their children,” she stated.

“We cannot afford to allow the most fertile years for childhood development to pass unenriched. My bill responds to

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has reintroduced her Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act, which would provide federal funds to encourage states to provide universal prekindergarten to every child, regardless of income. (Photo: Urban.org)

the great needs of parents who seek early childhood education, as well as to today’s brain science, which shows that a child’s brain development begins much earlier than had been previously understood.”

Finally, the congresswoman said considering the staggering cost of day care, the inaccessibility of early childhood education and the opportunity that early education offers to improve a child’s chances of success, schooling for three- and four-year-old

children is overdue.

The absence of viable options for families demands our immediate attention, she declared.

“My bill reflects what jurisdictions throughout the nation increasingly are trying to accomplish. The District of Columbia, for example, has achieved an extensive integration of early childhood education as part of a larger effort to improve D.C. public schools,” Congresswoman Norton remarked.

“I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.”

$200 Payments to Offset Rising Cost of Living Continued from Page A1

billion.

“Speaker Rendon and I made a commitment to the people of California that we would find a solution to help people get through the financial hardships imposed by the rising cost of fuel and consumer goods,” said California Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego).

“We’re holding true to that promise and have developed a proposal that would help a vast majority of Californians,” she added.

Before that, on March 14, California Assembly Democrats unanimously voted 40-18 against a proposal their Republican colleagues pushed to suspend California’s 51-cent per gallon gas tax.

“Wow. Every @AsmRepublicans lawmaker voted to take 50 cents off the gallon of gas. Not a single Democrat Assemblymember supported this effort to lower gas prices,” Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) tweeted.

Then, on March 16, Assembly Democrats announced

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a proposal for a $400 tax rebate that would be sent to every California taxpayer -- whether they drive or own an automobile or not – to offset the high price of gas. The $400 amount is based on an estimate of what the total annual cost would be to cover the .51-cent-per-gallon tax for the average driver.

“A rebate is a better approach than suspending the gas tax -- which would severely impact funding for important transportation projects and offers no guarantee that oil companies would pass on the savings to consumers,” said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) in a statement.

The Rev. Shane Harris, the president of the People’s Association of Justice Advocates (PAJA) in San Diego, said the $400 rebate doesn’t help enough.

On March 17, he sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators. In it, Harris proposed what he called the Golden State Gas Stimulus, which asks that $1,200 be given to every Californian who has a registered vehicle and makes up to $75,000 annually.

State registered vehicle owners that earn between $75,000 and $95,000 would receive $600, according to Harris’ plan.

“A stimulus is extra money, a rebate is essentially giving me

back what I own anyway,” Harris said. “My argument is that we need more resources, not money that is already ours. The $400 just does not meet this moment from my perspective.”

Across California, there are 15 refineries supplying gas for transportation to all regions of the state, according to the California Air Resources Board.

On top of that, Californians pay an average of about $1.27 more than the rest of the country per gallon in taxes and fees, including a 51.1 cent excise tax that goes toward road repairs.

Other fees included in that amount are climate program costs and local taxes.

PAJA teamed up with several groups -- many who share his view about the Dems’ $400 gas rebate plan -- to hold a gas giveaway at an Arco gas station in San Diego on March 14. The organizations used $15,000 worth of donated funds to put up to $50 of gas in the tanks of over 320 people’s cars.

Harris said drivers told him that without the donated gasoline they would not have been able to meet routine obligations like getting to work or taking their children to school.

“We were trying to meet a critical need for working class and low-income people,” Harris said. “One mother handed me a card

and was crying. She didn’t know if she would be able to pay for her medication or gas this week.

Her medication was $70. Meeting this need was critical for those most impacted by the prices at the pump.”

A lot of individuals, Harris noted, are terrified of high gas prices, and those telling people to take a bus or trolley or buy an electric car instead of driving their current automobile are in the wrong.

“I don’t know how you tell a low-income person or a working-class person they should buy a $50,000 electric car in the spur of a moment when gas prices are at an all-time high,” Harris said. “It is very elitist to tell working class people to get on the bus when the bus takes three hours to get from one location to the next.”

Blondy B. said California’s leaders need to realize if individuals like him, who have service jobs, are priced out of driving their automobiles the whole state will pay.

“They aren’t going to listen to me,” Blondy B. said of elected officials. “They need to help out. If prices keep going up, people are going to suffer.”

House Passes CROWN Act

to End Discrimination Against Natural Black Hairstyles

By Stacy M Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes sounded off to critics of legislation that would allow individuals freedom to express themselves by how they wear their hair.

“Natural hair should be worn without fear of discrimination,” Rep. Hayes asserted moments after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act, banning hairrelated discrimination.

The measure passed in a vote of 235-189 along party lines.

Introduced by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-New Jersey), the acronym CROWN stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.

The measure outlaws discrimination based on an individual’s texture or style of hair.

The bill will, which now heads to the Senate, states that “routinely, people of African descent are deprived of educational and employment opportunities” for wearing their hair in natural or protective hairstyles such as locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, or Afros.

Republicans strongly opposed the measure, and some used race-baiting words in expressing their opposition. “No to the nappy hair act,” Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Green railed.

Civil rights groups applauded the passage of the measure.

“Passage of the CROWN Act by the House of Representatives moves our nation one step closer to federal protection for Black women, men, and children from discrimination across the country simply because of their natural hair or hairstyle,” stated Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’

Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “We urge the Senate to quickly take up this important legislation, which would ensure that Black students are not prohibited from attending or participating in school events because of their natural hair, that Black employees are not subject to pretextual firing or negative employment actions because of their hair texture or style, and that Black people are accorded dignity and respect in choosing to embrace a natural hairstyle.”

Hewitt said restrictions on Black hairstyles and textures in workplaces and school campuses are relics of white supremacy.

“This explicit protection against racial discrimination based on hairstyles is long overdue,” he remarked.

In a statement, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) said Black women and girls face discrimination because of their natural hair each day at their workplaces and schools.

“So today, I proudly voted yes on the CROWN Act to finally end race-based hair discrimination once and for all,” Beatty insisted.

“It’s simple — discrimination against Black hair is discrimination based on race. I look forward to swift passage of this critical legislation in the Senate and standing with President Biden as he signs it into law.”

Rep. Beatty then delivered a message to Black youth.

“To every young Black girl and boy, I say to you, your hair — from your kinks to your curls, from your fros to your fades, from your locs to your braids — is a crown,” she asserted.

“Be proud of your hair and know the Congressional Black Introduced by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-New Jersey), the acronym CROWN stands for Creating a Caucus is fighting for you.”

Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.

On Equal Pay Day, Advocates Shine Light on Earning Gap for Black Women Continued from Page A1

well.”

Supporters have pointed to Judge Jackson’s strong career on the bench, and her ability to write concise opinions.

“After carefully vetting Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s record, it is clear that she has the extraordinary qualifications, experience, and character to serve the nation on the Supreme Court,” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Judge Jackson is a highly skilled and meticulous jurist who will bring a welcome perspective to the high court as the first Justice with experience as a public defender, and the first since Justice Thurgood Marshall to bring significant criminal defense experience to the Court.

The nation and its citizens are best served when Justices share the lived experiences as those that make up the country, said Melanie Campbell, the National Convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable.

If confirmed, it will be the first time a Justice will more closely understand what it’s like to be entangled in a criminal justice system that has unfairly treated BIPOC communities, Campbell said.

“The need for a fair judicial process is pertinent,” she stated.

“The Senate must focus on Judge Jackson’s qualifications, including her decades of experience as a federal judge and public defender, ethical track record, and faithfulness to the law to ensure that the reputation of the Court is not diminished during this process.”

Here’s a list of organizations rallying in support of Judge Jackson: • African American Ministers in Action • Black Women’s Roundtable • National Women’s Law Center • She Will Rise • Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

• National Council of Negro Women • Higher Heights • The National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc., Metropolitan Washington, DC Chapter • National Black Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL Women) • We Testify • End Rape On Campus • NAACP • Black Women’s Health Imperative • Black Girl Magic Network • Ms. Foundation for Women • National Education Association • National Partnership for Women & Families • Center for Popular Democracy Action • ERA Coalition • National Organization for Women

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Entertainment

Los Angeles News Observer A3

Jussie Smollett Released from County Jail During Appeal

Michael Jackson Musical to Launch National Tour in 2023

By DON BABWIN and SARA BURNETT Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) _ Jussie Smollett was released from jail Wednesday following six nights behind bars after an appeals court agreed with his lawyers that he should be free pending the appeal of his conviction for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack.

The former “Empire” actor walked out of the Cook County Jail surrounded by security. He did not comment as he got into an awaiting SUV, but his attorneys said Smollett, who is Black and gay, was the target of a racist justice system and people playing politics.

The appeals court ruling came after a Cook County judge sentenced Smollett last week to immediately begin serving 150 days in jail for his conviction on five felony counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police. In an outburst immediately after the sentence was handed down, Smollett proclaimed his innocence and said “I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.”

The appeals court said Smollett could be released after posting a personal recognizance bond of $150,000, meaning he didn't have to put down money but agrees to come to court as required.

Smollett defense attorney Nenye Uche, speaking to reporters outside the jail after Smollett left, said the Smollett family is “very very happy with today's developments.” Uche said during his time at the jail, Smollett had not eaten and drank only water, though he did not say why.

He criticized the special prosecutor's decision to charge Smollett again after the initial charges were dropped by Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and he paid a fine. He also called Judge James Linn's sentence excessive for a low-level felony, adding that the appellate court doesn't “play politics.”

“The real question is: Should Black men be walked into jail for a class 4 felony? Shame on you if you think they should,” Uche said.

Special prosecutor Dan Webb recommended that Smollett serve “an appropriate amount of prison time” during sentencing.

“His conduct denigrated hate crimes,” Webb said after the hearing. “His conduct will discourage others who are victims of hate crimes from coming forward and reporting those crimes to law enforcement.”

Smollett's attorneys had argued that he would have completed the sentence by the time the appeal process was completed and that Smollett could be in danger of physical harm if he remained locked up in Cook County Jail.

The office of the special prosecutor called the claim that Smollett's health and safety were at risk “factually incorrect,” in a response to his motion, noting that Smollett was being held in protective custody at the jail.

The court's decision marks the latest chapter in a strange story that began in January 2019 when Smollett reported to Chicago police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men wearing ski masks. The manhunt for the attackers soon turned into an investigation of Smollett himself and his arrest on charges that he'd orchestrated the attack and lied to police about it.

Authorities said Smollett paid two men he knew from work on the TV show “Empire” to stage the attack. Prosecutors said he told them what racist and homophobic slurs to shout, and to yell that Smollett was in “MAGA Country,” a reference to the campaign slogan of Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

A jury convicted Smollett in December on five felony counts of disorderly conduct – the charge filed when a person lies to police. He was acquitted on a sixth count. Judge James Linn sentenced Smollett last week to 150 days in jail – with good behavior he could have been released in as little as 75 days.

Smollett maintained his innocence during the trial. During sentencing he shouted at the judge that he was innocent, warning the judge that he was not suicidal and if he died in custody it was somebody else, and not him, who would have taken his life.

Uche said the first thing Jussie did when learning the news was push his hands on the glass between them and said he nearly lost hope in the U.S. constitutional system. “I think he had nearly given up,” Uche said.

He said the next step will be to file an appeal of the verdict.

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) – The new, splashy Broadway musical about Michael Jackson is going to moonwalk across America next year.

“MJ,” packed with dozens of songs by the King of Pop and others, plans to hit 17 major cities over two years starting in 2023.

It kicks off in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre on July 15, 2023.

“We are thrilled by the Broadway response to `MJ,' and that we are already deep in preparations to bring this exhilarating show to Chicago and across the United States,” said producer Lia Vollack in a statement. “Chicago is a premier theater and music destination, and we are excited to be able to begin this journey in one of the Nederlander Organization's most beautiful venues.”

Additional tour engagements and complete cast will be announced at a later date. The tour will also include a previously revealed two-week engagement at the Blumenthal Performing

Arts Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, from Sept. 26-Oct. 8, 2023.

The musical has most of Jackson's and the Jackson 5's big hits, including “ABC,” “Black or White,” “Blame it on the Boogie,” “Bad,” “Billie Jean,” “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “I'll Be There.”

The framing technique for the bio is a fictional MTV film crew that has gotten access to capture Jackson's 1992 “Dangerous” tour prep. Jackson melts back in time to explain his career and approach, showing a perfectionist edge. It is the work of playwright Lynn Nottage and director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. The musical has been approved by the Michael Jackson estate; Jackson died in 2009.

Broadway critics were divided over the musical, with many frustrated that it sidestepped accusations of molestation, which later dogged Jackson. But virtually all agreed that the songs and dancing were top-notch, as was the leading man, Myles Frost.

‘The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois’ Wins Book Critics Award

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) – Honoree Fanonne Jeffers’ “The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois,” her epic novel about racism, resilience and identity named for the influential Black scholar and activist, has received the fiction prize from the National Book Critics Circle.

The critics circle praised Jeffers for “weaving several centuries’ worth of `songs’ from the ancestors into her narrative of the coming of age and young adulthood of a brilliant Atlanta scholar.” Jeffers, a professor of English at the University of Oklahoma and author of five poetry collections, was among the winners announced Thursday during a ceremony held online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the nonfiction category, the award was given to Clint Smith’s “How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America.” Rebecca Donner’s “All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler” won for biography, and Jeremy Atherton Lin’s “Gay Bar: Why We Went Out” was named the best autobiography. The poetry prize was given to Diane Seuss’ “frank: sonnets,” and the criticism award went to Melissa Febos’ “Girlhood.”

Antthony Veasna So, a highly regarded author who died

suddenly in 2020 at age 28, received posthumous praise on Thursday. His story collection “Afterparties” was awarded the John Leonard Prize for best first book. Leonard, a founding member of the NBCC who died in 2008, was known for his support for emerging writers.

The inaugural Toni Morrison Achievement Award, established last year in honor of the late Nobel laureate and presented to “institutions that have made lasting and meaningful contributions to book culture,” was given to the Cave Canem Foundation. A self-defined “home for Black poetry” started in 1996 by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady, the foundation has helped support such prize winning poets as Claudia Rankine and Tracy K. Smith.

Novelist Percival Everett, whose books include such metafiction as “Erasure” and “A History of the African-American People,” received the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, named for the critics circle’s first president. The Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, named for the late critic and co-founder of the NBCC, was given to New Yorker contributor Merve Emre.

The NBCC was founded in 1974 and includes hundreds of “critics, authors, literary bloggers, book publishing professionals, student members, and friends.”

Features

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Los Angeles News Observer

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Reparations Advocates Host Townhall Ahead of Task Force Mtg Next Week

By Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media Most people attending a recent community meeting on reparations in the Bay Area had never heard of Russell City, an unincorporated majority Black community in N o r t h e r n California that local authorities bulldozed in the 1960s, causing the displacement of most of its Black residents.

Many of Russell City’s African American residents had relocated to the Northern California town, located in present-day Hayward, to escape segregation and sharecropping in the South.

Marian Johnson and Michael Johnson,

(Shutterstock Photo)

sister and brother, testified at the meeting co-hosted by the Coalition For

A Just and Equitable California (CJEC) with the support of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans. Both their grandparents and great-grandparents lived in Russell city.

CJEC is a statewide coalition of organizations, fighting for reparations for the descendants of enslaved Black Americans.

The Johnsons explained to the audience what Russell City meant to them and why they are supporting the push for reparations in California.

“Russell City had a population of 1,400 people and 400 homes. It was a ‘redlined community,’ and all the properties were taken by eminent domain,” Marian Johnson said. “In California, a lot of this happened and a lot of people did not know it happened. It’s a secret. Now, it’s coming to light.”

Task Force member Don Tamaki attended the meeting. He said the information shared during the discussion is pertinent to correcting the injustices that prevented Black families from building generational wealth.

“What you are describing is what happened to the Fillmore District, the ‘Harlem of the West,’ in the 1950s, where 20,000 were actually displaced and almost 900 Black businesses were destroyed because of eminent domain,” Tamaki told California Black Media, referring to the historic majority Black San Francisco neighborhood known as the Golden City’s foremost Black cultural and political hub.

Russell City started as a farming community in 1853. It was founded by a Danish immigrant who provided sanctuary to African Americans before and after the Civil War. As the community grew, it became independent, and “culturally vibrant,” Michael Johnson said. By the 1950s, though, Hayward leaders considered Russell City a “blight” to the surrounding area and sought to rebuild it as an industrial park.

On Jan. 8, 1963, Alameda County and Hayward officials began hearings to discuss the forced removal of Russell City residents. Soon after, authorities wiped out the entire community with bulldozers, and rezoned the land for industrial

use.

Michael Johnson said one of his grandparents moved to Russell City because urban renewal pushed them out of the Fillmore District in San Francisco.

“Ultimately, they moved those Africans, indigenous, and people of color into Russell City because they couldn’t buy homes in Hayward or Oakland. Then, they determined it was a blighted area and forced them out,” said Michael Johnson.

Since the reparations task force started holding meetings in June 2021, numerous accounts of private and state-backed land grabs targeting African Americans have surfaced. Some of property was taken from Black landowners through eminent domain in the name of “urban renewal” projects. Others were stolen through fraud, intimidation and violence.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill to return Manhattan Beach property to descendants of the Bruce family who owned a beachfront resort in Los Angeles County before it was forcefully taken from them in the early 1920s.

Chris Lodgson, a member of CJEC, said he is asking other Black Californians like the Johnsons to come forward with their stories.

CJEC is one of seven organizations across the state that will hold “listening sessions” involving Black Californians from different backgrounds and regions of the state.

The community partners of the Richmond event were Parable of the Sower Intentional Community Cooperative (PSICC), Richmond Progressive Alliance, and the Bay Area Black Alliance for Peace (BAP).

Members of the National Black Liberation Movement Network (NBLMN) and AfroSocialists also attended.

The Richmond testimonies mirrored other accounts that have been shared with the task force. Another Southern California eminent domain case coming to light – and to the attention of the task force -- had been obscured for over six decades.

In 1958, Silas White, a Black entrepreneur, a grand idea to open a recreational venue on Santa Monica Beach called the Ebony Beach Club. White had a vision for entertainment and leisure that would include golf tournaments, talent shows, and fishing trips.

Before White could move ahead with his plans, Santa Monica

officials used eminent domain to take his property at 1811 Ocean Avenue. The facility was near a tight-knit community of Black Californians that lived, worked, and attended churches in the Belmar Triangle.

The city of Santa Monica demolished the building in January 1960 after White lost a court battle to keep the property.

Subsequently, homes in the vicinity owned by Black people were burned to the ground to build the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

In 2021, Hayward City Council voted unanimously to approve a resolution apologizing to African Americans and other people of color for the city’s real estate and banking industries’ “racially disparate impacts and inequities resulting from past City policy and decision-making,” the council said in a statement.

“The resolution also cites Hayward’s participation in federally sponsored urban renewal initiatives, which frequently resulted in the mass displacement and dislocation without fair compensation of largely Black households, neighborhoods, and entire communities across the country during the 1960s and 1970s,” the council stated.

The Hayward Community Services Commission has drawn up a list of 10 steps the Bay Area City could develop to address past unfairness and complicity in historical racism and social injustices.

The program would also include working with surviving Russell City to determine appropriate restitution.

Michael Johnson said restitution should be reparations.

“There are a number of things we want. No. 1, we want our land back. We have proof that we own the property,” said Michael Johnson, who grew up in East Oakland. “Secondly, we want all the leases turned over to the rightful owners of that land and the taxes collected over 58 years. The other form of reparations, that we see fit is maybe not having a tax on the land for the next 50 years.”

Lodgson said more stories like Russell City will emerge as the listening sessions get underway.

“There is so much work to be done. There is no turning back,” Lodgson said.

The Reparations Task Force next two-day meeting will be held March 29 at 8:30 a.m. and March 30 at 9 a.m.

Legendary Publisher Enshrined in Black Press Archives and Gallery of Distinguished Black Publishers

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent William Garth, Sr., a philanthropist, community leader, activist, political influencer, and freedom fighter, earned posthumous enshrinement into the Black Press Archives and Gallery of Distinguished Black Publishers at Howard University’s historic Moorland-Spingarn Research Center.

The guiding force behind the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group, Garth joined a host of others enshrined, including Lenora “Doll” Carter, Marcus Garvey, Frances Murphy, Dr. Mary Ellen Strong, Charles Tisdale, and M. Paul Redd.

“On behalf of the National Newspaper Publishers Association Fund (NNPAF), we pause in sacred remembrance in tribute to the life, legacy, and memory of Publisher William ‘Bill’ Garth Sr.,” NNPAF Chair Pluria Marshall Jr., stated in a video tribute to Garth during Black Press Week.

The 2022 Black Press also commemorated the 195th anniversary of the founding of the Black Press of America.

A pillar in and around his community, Garth reportedly led the Citizen Newspaper with “a steady hand and worked hard to make the news operation the largest Black-owned ABC audited newspaper in the Midwest.”

He began selling advertisements for the Citizen but eventually purchased the newspaper chain in 1980.

The sale included the Chatham Citizen, Southend Citizen, and the Chicago Weekend Newspapers.

He later added the South Suburban and Hyde Park Citizen Newspapers to his holdings.

The Citizen soon became a business that Garth both nurtured and loved. “I’ve been good to the Citizen because the Citizen has been good to me,” Garth famously proclaimed.

To the innovative businessman, it counted as vital to him to

ensure African American representation at all levels.

His peers said Garth understood the power of the Black Press and remained an active member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association [NNPA].

He served as president of Midwest Region III of the NNPA and the Region III Advertising Representative.

Garth became the first Black person elected president of the Illinois Press Association [IPA] – the state’s largest newspaper association and office trade organization for Illinois weekly and daily newspapers.

“Bill Garth was my hero, friend, and business partner,” noted former NNPA Chairman Al McFarlane, the founder of Insight News. “He was part of the pantheon of legendary newspaper owners and civic leaders.”

Garth died in 2016 at the age of 79.

The guiding force behind the Chicago Citizen Newspaper Group, Garth joined a host of others enshrined, including Lenora “Doll” Carter, Marcus Garvey, Frances Murphy, Dr. Mary Ellen Strong, Charles Tisdale, and M. Paul Redd.

A Passion-Driven Life:

Remembering Educator Brenda Harris (Dec. 1951 - March 2022)

Brenda Harris (Image courtesy of Leo T. McCarthy Center)

Tanu Henry California Black Media Like her devotion to her Catholic faith, Brenda Harris’ willingness to help others, especially disadvantaged people, was consistent and rare, authentic in a way that drew everyone to her, friends and loved ones say.

On March 5, Harris, an outspoken advocate and civil servant who influenced state education policy, died after a brief illness. She was 71.

“I had the honor of knowing Brenda for over 35 years, dating back to when she was a senior advisor at the California Department of Education. She was an extraordinary individual, an expert policymaker in the field of education and a fearless civil rights advocate,” said Dotson Wilson, former Chief Clerk and Parliamentarian of the California Assembly.

“Whether she was speaking to aspiring young students, academicians or elected officials, Brenda remained steadfast in her goal to implement sound education policy,” Wilson continued. “I consider it an honor to have known her as a colleague and friend.”

Wilson, who was the longest serving African American in the State Assembly, retired in 2019 after 26 years.

Before becoming an Education Program Consultant at the

California Department of Education, an advisor to the California State Board of Education and a Professor at Sacramento State University, Harris was an elementary, middle and high school teacher in San Francisco.

Harris, who was a resident of Sacramento when she passed, tutored students and taught classes at several after-school programs and community learning centers in Sacramento and the Bay Area.

When Harris was a teenager, her family moved to Marysville, California, a Yuba County town about 50 miles north of San Francisco. After graduating from high school in 1969, she attended Gonzaga University in Washington. Later, she transferred to the University of San Francisco (USF) in 1971, where she majored in Communications and Sociology.

“She looked up to her parents as role models, both of whom were active participants in the civil rights movement and had participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the mid-1950s,” said Jack Weinrieb and Meghan Grant, two San Francisco educators who wrote a biography of Harris.

“Harris would listen to her parents discuss the inhumanity of racism, injustice, and discrimination and quickly learned about the importance of doing her part in social movements,” Weinreib and Grant continued. “Harris recalls that her mother instilled an understanding that underprivileged populations have similar struggles, no matter their race.”

While she was a student at USF, Harris became close to other Black students and participated in several social and political activities on campus and in nearby neighborhoods.

She worked in USF’s financial aid office and with the school’s Drama department. And she volunteered, lending her time to community organizations serving several disadvantaged city districts with large Black populations, including the Western Addition, Bayview–Hunters Point, Haight-Ashbury and the Fillmore.

Daniel Hahn, Sacramento’s first Black Chief of Police – who served from 2017 until the end of last year – said he was always impressed by how many people Harris knew and how committed she was to helping others.

“She was extremely engaged in making tomorrow better for all people,” he said. “She was constantly introducing me to

people in the city and she was always encouraging me to carry out the things I believed in. She wasn’t just talk. She always followed through with her actions.”

Harris attended St. Ignatius Loyola church in Sacramento and taught classes at the church’s Center for Ignatian Spirituality.

“Gratitude is at the core of my existence. Ignatian Spirituality made me a global citizen. Living at this moment in world history, I am to share Ignatian Spirituality with a diverse ecumenical group globally,” Harris said in a statement on the center’s website.

Regina Wilson, Executive Director of California Black

Media, said Harris loved the Black press.

“She always wanted to know what was happening in Black communities,” Wilson said. “She was a faithful supporter of Black-owned news outlets across the state.”

“For her, it was more than just representation. It was about informing people, educating people and improving lives,” Wilson said.

A memorial mass for Harris will be held at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Sacramento at 10 a.m. on April l8.

Legal Notices PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 2022 049954 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: GOOTS at 1310 N Hoover Street, Los Angeles, Ca. 90027 County: Los Angeles Mailing: Same REGISTERED OWNERS(S): LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR, INC., 1310 N Hoover Street, Los Angeles, Ca. 90027 The business is conducted by: a Corporation SIGNED: DAN GUTERMAN, President The date registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on: Mar 3, 2022 DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk By: (Signature not legible) Deputy NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION

17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2014, THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY FORM. This statement expires on Mar 3, 2027 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Mar 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022 �������������������������������

PUBLIC NOTICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 2022 050384 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: DELGADO PRODUCTIONS at 678 19th Street Apartment D, San Pedro, Ca. 90731 County: Los Angeles Mailing Same REGISTERED OWNERS(S): JOSE DELGADO, 678 West 19th Street Apartment D, San Pedro, Ca. 90731 The business is conducted by: an Individual SIGNED: JOSE DELGADO, Owner The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 3/2021 This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on: Mar 4, 2022 DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk By: C. PORTER Deputy NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH

PUBLIC NOTICE SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES ST THE END IOF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE OF WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2014, THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY FORM. This statement expires on Mar 4, 2027 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Mar 24, 31, Apr 7, 14, 2022 �������������������������������

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Los Angeles News Observer A5

Features

Black Press Journalist Appointed to Two National League of Cities Posts

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Houston Forward Times Associate Editor Jeffrey L. Boney, who serves as Mayor Pro Tem in Missouri City, has received appointments to two crucial national posts.

The award-winning journalist, author, and three-term councilmember earned an appointment to the National League of Cities (NLC) 2022 Community and Economic Development Federal Advocacy Committee (CED) and the 2022 Race, Equity, And Leadership Council –or REAL. Re-elected to a one-year term at CED, Boney, who just released his new book, “Don’t Argue With Me! A No-Nonsense Approach to the Issues in the Black Community,” Boney expects to provide strategic direction and guidance for NLC’s federal advocacy agenda and policy priorities.

NLC President Mayor Vince Williams of Union City, Georgia, announced the appointment.

“I have been a member of NLC’s Community and Economic Development Federal Advocacy Committee for several years, and I am honored to continue working with my colleagues from across the country to make a difference while representing the city

of Missouri City at the federal level,” Boney said in a statement.

As a member of NLC’s Community and Economic Development committee, officials said Boney would continue to play a vital role among a diverse group of local leaders in shaping NLC’s policy positions and advocating on behalf of America’s municipalities before Congress with the administration and at home.

“NLC’s federal advocacy committees are a key tool for gathering insights directly from the communities that our members serve,” Mayor Williams stated. “I am excited to have Mayor Pro Tem Boney serve on the Community and Economic Development committee again, and I look forward to working with him to fulfill the promise of America’s cities, towns, and villages.”

The entire leadership of this year’s Committee consists of Chair Sharon Weston Broome, mayor-President of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Vice-Chair Jamie Patino, Councilmember of the city of Union City, California; and Vice-Chair Richard Shaw, Councilmember of the City of Huber Heights, Ohio.

Boney’s new one-year appointment to REAL includes guiding programs among local elected officials from similar

communities.

“I am extremely excited and humbled to have been appointed to serve on the Race, Equity, And Leadership Council this year,” Boney remarked. “This incredibly transformative council will allow me the opportunity to focus on issues that are important to me while working with my colleagues on the issues that matter most to cities, towns, and villages across the country.

As a member of NCL’s REAL Council, Boney expects to play a critical role among a diverse group of leaders to encourage collaboration, networking, and developing resources and programs beneficial to communities that share demographics, size, or location that can replicate across the country.

“Our member Councils are the voices of what’s happening on the ground in our communities,” Mayor Williams asserted.

“I am proud to have Mayor Pro Tem Boney join NLC’s REAL Council. “Together with a team of local leaders from around the country, we will work to solve the most pressing challenges facing our communities and help fulfill the promise of America’s cities, towns, and villages.”

The Committee consists of Co-Chairs, Councilmember Janice Zahn, Bellevue, Washington, Councilmember Casey

Award-winning Black Press Journalist Jeffrey L. Boney has received appointment to two important posts at the National League of Cities. (Courtesy Photo)

Thomas, Dallas, Texas; Vice-Chairs Mayor Patrick Wojahn, College Park Maryland; and Mayor Steve Patterson, Athens, Ohio.

Sharon Weston Broome, Mayor-President and CEO of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will serve as the REAL Council’s liaison to the NLC Board of directors.

Black & Latinx Youth Are 50% More Likely to Face Juvenile Incarceration Than Their White Peers

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Two kindergarteners in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, tried their best to pick a fight, throwing feeble punches at an older and much larger boy who insulted one of their mothers.

Police, having seen the fight online, couldn’t determine which boys were part of these mundane events but arrested 11 other kids – all were Black and all of them in elementary school – who purportedly were there and watched the fight unfold.

According to The Sentencing Project, the children, some of them in handcuffs, were brought to the Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center. Authorities ran them through an undefined “filter system” that determined some needed to be locked up.

In Rutherford County, roughly half of the arrested kids are detained.

According to Rutherford County Judge Donna Scott Davenport, who approved the detentions, “Being detained in our facility is not a picnic at all. It’s not supposed to be. It’s a consequence for an action.”

Children alleged “action” – watching a fight and not breaking it up – isn’t a crime in Tennessee.

But it folds nicely into new data from the Sentencing Project, which revealed that youth detentions and commitment revealed sharp racial and ethnic disparities.

According to the report titled “Too Many Locked Doors,” youth of color encounter police more often than their white peers and are disproportionately arrested despite modest differences in

behavior that cannot explain the extent of arrest disparities.

The disparities in incarceration begin with arrests but grow at each point of contact along the justice system continuum, the authors of the 27-page report found.

In roughly one-quarter of delinquency cases throughout the decade, a youth was detained pre-adjudication.

Moreover, the authors determined that children of color are more likely to face detainment than their white peers when arrested.

Despite states and counties’ traditional reliance on detention when responding to misbehaviors and offenses committed by youth, the scope and impact of youth incarceration in the United

States are not fully understood, and traditional counts understate its size.

“Every time juvenile courts decide to confine a young person, even for short stays, devastating and life-long consequences may result,” said Josh Rovner, Senior Advocacy Associate, and the author of the new report.

“Understanding the full scope of kids’ incarceration is critical to protecting youth and ensuring equal justice for youth of color,” Rovner noted in a news release.

The Sentencing Project said the report offers a fresh look at nationwide juvenile courts data, such as the frequency of youth detention after encounters with law enforcement and out-ofhome placements after court hearings. More than one in four youth are detained upon their arrest, a ratio that has slightly worsened over the last decade.

In 2019, officials recorded nearly 200,000 instances of youth detained upon their arrest, often for less than two or three weeks. In addition, more than 55,000 times youths were sent to out-of-home placement after their court hearings.

Every other year, a one-day count occurs to provide a snapshot of the extent of youth incarceration; that count overlooks more than four out of five instances of a child or adolescent being removed from their home.

“Too Many Locked Doors” offers a more comprehensive view of youth incarceration.

According to the report, overall, there is far fewer youth in detention and commitment than a decade ago, due primarily to declines in youth offending and arrests.

However, when American children and adolescents are arrested, the juvenile justice system too often detains and commits them.

In addition, the youth of color face even more harsh treatment than their white peers.

The report includes policy recommendations to reduce youth confinement, such as eliminating the detention of young children and those with low-level offenses.

As examples of the systemic underrepresentation of detained youth in the one-day count of those detained or incarcerated, the report notes: • Thirty-one youths charged with drug offenses are detained for each one measured in the one-day count.

• Twenty-five youths charged with public order offenses are detained for each one measured in the one-day count.

• Seventeen youths charged with property offenses are detained for each one measured in the one-day count.

• Eleven youths charged with personal offenses are detained for each one measured in the one-day count.

“To their detriment, youth of color are treated differently by juvenile courts than their white peers,” the authors wrote.

“They are detained and committed more frequently across offense categories.

“Detentions are often brief and pointless, except to the extent that they are harmful. Even worse, detention disparities have grown. Decisions to commit to out-of-home placement, the most severe punishment the juvenile system has to offer, harm youth of color most often.”

Sports

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Los Angeles News Observer

Thursday, March 24, 2022

New Chargers Edge Rusher Khalil Mack Says, “I just want to be destructive”

By Cameron Buford whatsgoodinsports.com When he took over as head coach for the Chargers last season, Staley made it clear that he wanted his team to “win the line of scrimmage.” With that frame of mind, it made sense for them to focus on protecting their franchise player, Justin Herbert, in their initial offseason. Bringing on All-Pro Corey Linsley and drafting Rashawn Slater, who only made the pro bowl in his rookie season, significantly improved that side if the ball.

Stopping the run, on known running downs, and getting to the quarterback was a challenge for the Chargers last season.

It is imperative that they improve on the 4.6 yards per rush they allowed along with the minuscule 31 sacks they got last season.

This offseason, the Chargers brass focused on significantly improving their porous run defense and often ineffective pass rush. This would be necessary to become the team coach Staley envisioned when he took over the Los Angeles Chargers. With the acquisition of the fifth pick in the 2014 NFL draft Khalil Mack, they have seemingly improved their rush defense and pass rush with this one move.

“We felt this was a smart deal; you’re trading for one of the best players in the game.” Staley of the Chargers acquiring a former AP Player of the Year in Khalil Mack. Four consecutive seasons of double-digit sacks with the division rivals and then Oakland Raiders support Staley’s claim and are further evidence of Mack’s dominance.

“He was a big part of me consuming a big part of that playbook,” Mack said of why he thought he and Staley hit it off

right away after being traded mid-season to the Bears in 2018.

Mack credits Staley, then outside linebacker coach, for getting him up to speed once he got traded to the Bears.

“I feel like we talked a lot of ball, which is why I can say I know who he is as a person and as a coach. He listened. I feel like it was a mix of him and [former Bears Defensive Coordinator] Vic [Fangio]. At the time, they listened to the input of the players and understand what positions to put them in and how to make them their best self throughout the game.” Mack stated about Staley’s willingness to listen to players and include their input when developing game plans.

“I want to be able to change the game, whether it’s getting turnovers, which I feel like I have a knack for. I just want to be destructive in any way possible.” Mack made it clear what his intentions were when asked about which metrics he uses to grade himself.

The ‘ole saying goes, ‘offense wins games, and defense wins championships!’ The Chargers have certainly upgraded the defense with this one move. Pairing a former 2016 Defensive Player of the Year with the 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year in Joey Bosa should be a frightening duo for opponents to plan for.

The mere presence of the six-time Pro Bowler makes the Chargers defense more formidable. The trade cost the Chargers a nominal 2nd round-pick in this year’s draft and a 6th round-pick in the 2023 draft. Since 2017, the Chargers have 39.5 sacks from the guys lined-up opposite Joey Bosa, whereas Mack himself has 46.5 sacks during that same time. Similarly, Mack’s tackle for loss production (49.5) since 2017 isn’t that far off the pace set by two

guys (63) who have filled that role previously.

Bosa has to be excited about this trade. Though he would never admit it, he has had to essentially carry the Chargers defensive line all on his own in recent years. Widely recognized as the Charger’s toughest player to block, Bosa led the team in quarterback hurries and sacks, three of the past four seasons.

Khalil Mack has 74 quarterback hurries since he played for Staley in 2018, versus the 50 quarterback hurries the Chargers Edge rushers totaled playing opposite of Joey Bosa.

Kindly share your thoughts on the Chargers acquisition of edge rusher Khalil Mack. His presence alone makes them a better defense, not to mention the pressure he’ll take off fellow edge rusher Joey Bosa. Though the NFL off-season has just begun, the Chargers have significantly improved their team with this trade.

You can reach out to me using Twitter @whatsgoodnsport or send me an email at voiceofthefans@outlook.com. I’d also encourage you to forward any suggestions on what topics or angles about this new version of the Los Angeles Chargers you would like to read about this season.

Lastly, kindly subscribe to our weekly “Voice of the Fans Podcast,” which is available for you on most podcasting platforms; Apple and Google Podcasts, including Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeart Radio. We have passionate banter about everything NFL while addressing current NBA topics. In addition to discussing various issues in and around the world of sports.

Thank you, as always, for spending time with me and Making Our Voice, Your Choice!

Chicago Bears’ Khalil Mack walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Oct. 3, 2021, in Chicago. The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to acquire Mack from the Bears in exchange for two draft picks, two people familiar with the negotiations confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday, March 10, 2022. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade cannot become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski, File)

Rams Make Changes Trying to “Run It Back”

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer The Los Angeles Rams were winners of were of SUPER BOWL LVI and only a few days later during their parade Celebration they were talking about “Running it back” another way to say “Repeat”.

The gates opened with the retirement of Andrew Whitworth, that freed up some 16 million in salary cap space, while the release veteran punter Johnny Hekker a few days later added another 3 million. That followed with the signing of Bears free agent wide receiver Allen Robinson to a 3 year deal which 31-million in guaranteed.

The process has begun with moves like sighing quarterback Mathew Stafford to a four-year contract extension keeping him with the team until 2026. They have also traded veteran Robert Woods to Tennessee.

Woods who’s still recovering from a knee injury was part of the fabric of the team since the team returned to Los Angeles. He was due to carry a salary cap hit of 15.7 million this season.

He and Cooper Kupp were a solid tandem in the locker room, team leadership catching and blocking.

The team is working on a deal to keep Odell Beckham Jr.

who is still recovering from his Super Bowl injury.

The loss of Woods is a hometown hit as he stared at Serra high in Gardena then went on to becoming an All-American at USC. Him Pro career Began by playing four years with the Buffalo Bills before returning home signing with the Rams in 2017. The dazzling receiver surpassed 1,100 In both 2018 and 2019. His parents and family were regulars at the Coliseum and So-Fi Stadium.

The current Rams receivers include a talented bunch of Kupp, Robinson, Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell and Bandon Powell the speedster who also handles punt return duties.

With Von Miller gone the Rams are eyeing Bobby Wagner former Seattle Seahawk.

Stafford’s new contract is estimated around 160 million with 135 guaranteed. He was the driving force tossing 41 touchdown passes and 17 INT’s during the regular season. During crunch time in the play-offs he had wins over Arizona, Tampa Bay and San Francisco. He led the team to a come back win against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl.

The post season wheeling, and dealing is not complete just yet. But it does take a lot if you want to “Run it Back”.

Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, left, announces the arrival of free agent Freddie Freeman during a news conference at spring training baseball, Friday, March 18, 2022, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Dodgers Getting Ready to Crank up Season

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer The biggest news in the in the off season thus far was the signing of Freddie Freeman. With an unsettling lockout that lasted 99 days many of us wondered.

Freeman agreed to terms with the Dodgers on a six-year, $162 million deal last week.

The 32 year-old , reached free agency for the first time in his career after helping the Atlanta Braves clinch their first World Series since 1995 with a six-game triumph over the Houston Astros. During his 12th big league season, the first baseman hit .300 (eighth in the National League) with 31 homers, 83 RBIs and an NL-leading 120 runs.

Orange County native was drafted out of El Madera high in 2007 and spent 15 years in the Braves organization. “I do believe there’s a heavy heart in there a lot of emotions when your with a

team 15 years “said skipper Dave Roberts at Camelback Ranch in Arizona.. “I think he’s still trying to sift through those emotions.

But I know he’s happy to be here. The guys are happy and each day gets a little bit easy for him.”

One key component that made is easy was having his family come see him play on a regular basis. Freeman had his first game this week with eight members present. He’ll have a bunch more come from The OC this weekend. He went one for two in his spring debut against the Reds.

“Usually Dodger fans aren’t chanting my name” said Freeman, “It was nice to get back out there.”

DODGER NOTES: the DODGERS will have no A bus carrying Los Angeles Rams players and coaches drives past fans during the team’s victory parade in arbitration hearing this week as Trea Turner (21 million), Julio Los Angeles, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, following their win Sunday over the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL Urias (8 million ) and Celeb Ferguson ($ 762,500) all agreed to Super Bowl 56 football game. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong) one year deals.

Chargers Further Bolster Their Defense

by Adding Jackson, Day, and Johnson

By Cameron Buford whatsgoodinsports.com This off-season, the Chargers continue to reconstruct their defense that gave up the 29th most points in the NFL last season.

Their defense also ranked 22nd in interceptions and 29th in rushing touchdowns allowed last season. Their recent acquisitions during the NFL free agent period show they’re serious about improving upon their production from last season.

Since entering the NFL, J.C. Jackson leads the NFL with 25 interceptions. His unique knack for finding the ball will surely pay dividends for the Chargers, who ranked 17th in turnovers in 2021. Jackson is also one of five guys to record five, or more, interceptions in consecutive seasons. In 2020 and 2021, Jackson has grabbed nine and eight interceptions, respectively.

Upon my deep dive looking into the Chargers defensive numbers, I found that no Chargers defender has had more than three interceptions since Jackson entered the league in 2018.

In his four seasons in the league, Jackson has grabbed over fifty percent of the picks the Chargers (47) have had in the same time frame. Just looking at the raw numbers alone, you can see why Telesco and Staley went all in for this guy.

“I was pretty shocked,” Jackson said about not resigning with the New England Patriots. Jackson added, “I thought that I was going to be a Patriot. It’s all a business; that’s part of the game.”

“Yes, every year!” That is how Jackson responded when asked about coming into the league as an unrestricted free agent.

Jackson also added, “No matter the situation, no matter how much money you make, every year I want to prove myself.” When

asked what’s left to prove, Jackson exclaimed, “That I’m the best.

That I’m Mr. INT.” “He can get you the ball, he has rare instincts, rare ball judge,” Staley says of the recently acquired Jackson. “He’s been trained well. He’s been a part of a really good defensive system.”

In his brief time on a Zoom conference with the media, Jackson showed that he is confident and is excited to be a part of the Chargers squad. He let on that his relationship with Chargers all-pro Derwin James was the catalyst for him signing with the Bolts.

After adding an All-Pro EDGE Rusher in Khalil Mack and Pro-Bowl corner J.C. Jackson in free-agency the Chargers weren’t finished. Staley went back to the circle of trust by calling up former Rams nose tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day. The need for Day’s experience stopping the run on the defense was needed for the Chargers to improve their porous run game which ranked 28th in yards per carry and 30th in rush yards allowed last season.

As the 195th pick in the 2018 draft, Sebastian Joseph-Day understands the urgency of producing right away. Pair this with his previous experience under Staley’s system and last season winning the Super Bowl for the Los Angeles Rams, Day will be expected to be a leader on this defense. Prior to missing 10 games last season, Day has started 31 of the initial 32 games of his career.

Day additionally gained some valuable playoff experience last season that he can share with his new squad this summer.

When the six-foot four-inches, Stroudsburg, PA. native, Day played under Staley’s scheme in 2020 with the Rams. They had the third-best run defense in the NFL in terms of yards per attempt and total rush yards. This is the size and the disruption

at the point of attack that Staley was missing from his Chargers squad last season. “’I know who you are. You’re a good player. People don’t know about you yet, but people are going to find out about you real quick. You’re an up-and-coming, great defensive lineman that people are going to find out about.’” Day tells the story, of his initial interaction with Staley. Day then added, “I was in my third year when Staley became the defensive coordinator — that gives you a different type of confidence. I was always confident, but hearing that — then, obviously, the relationship that we built — him caring for who you are as a person, not just as a player, makes you want to ride for that guy.”

“Film study. I felt like I became such a better football player because of it, just watching the film, knowing what they’re going to do based on backfield sets, what the opposition is telling you because of him and the impact he left.” This is how Day responded when asked about the lasting impression which Staley left him with. Day added, “He’s a student of the game. He’s brilliant. I’m telling you; it’s going to be fun. I’m really excited.”

The Chargers were not done with adding to their defensive line. They also brought on 27-year-old Austin Johnson, who was a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Johnson suited up for the Titans, then the Giants. Johnson has registered 173 tackles and seven sacks in his young career. In the 2021 season, he recorded 72 tackles and added 3.5 sacks. It’s expected that Johnson will play most of his snaps in the B gap, which is the role Justin Jones played for the Bolts last season.

This new combination of Joseph-Day and Johnson should bring the size and energy to their front line in the future. These

strategic additions to the Chargers defense “of guys who have been through the fire” should better prepare them to make a Super Bowl run.

In the coming NFL draft, the Chargers could look to further bolster their defensive front by adding Georgia’s athletic nose tackle Jordan Davis with the 17th overall pick. Though the acquisition of Jackson and Mack has received much attention, the upgrades to the defensive front may prove to be just critical to their improvements defensively.

Kindly share your thoughts on the Charger’s free-agent acquisitions. Though the NFL off-season just got underway, I think the Chargers have significantly improved their team with their recent additions. Let me know your thoughts by reaching out to me on Twitter @whatsgoodnsport or shoot me an email at voiceofthefans@outlook.com. I’d also encourage you to forward any suggestions on what topics or angles about this new version of the Los Angeles Chargers you would like to read about this season.

Lastly, be sure to subscribe to our weekly “Voice of the Fans Podcast,” which is available for you on most podcasting platforms; Apple and Google Podcasts, including Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeart Radio. We have passionate banter about everything NFL while addressing current NBA topics, in addition to discussing multiple issues in and around the world of sports.

Thank you, as always, for spending time with me and Making Our Voice, Your Choice!

Thursday, March 24, 2022

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Los Angeles Rams, Unify Financial Credit Union And City Year Los Angeles Team Up For

Beautification Project At WoodworthMonroe K-8 Academy In Inglewood In partnership with UNIFY Financial Credit Union and City Year Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Rams are leading a school beautification project at Inglewood Unified School District’s Woodworth-Monroe K-8 Academy. During the event, Rams Cornerback DAVID LONG JR., Legend CHRIS DRAFT and volunteers will paint murals on campus to inspire students as they adjust to being back in the classroom following their transition from distance learning to in-person learning due to the pandemic.

With service at the heart of both organizations, the Rams and UNIFY Financial Credit Union continue to collaborate on ways to make a positive difference in their shared Los Angeles community through a series of initiatives including local outreach events and joint “Staff Days of Service.” UNIFY Financial Credit Union is a nationwide leading credit union and the Official Credit Union of the Los Angeles Rams.

City Year Los Angeles (CYLA) partners with public schools

to help students stay in school and on track to graduate. City Year AmeriCorps members serve in schools and prepare students with the social, emotional and academic skills they need to succeed. In

Closing Warren Lane Elementary in Inglewood Is a Terrible Decision Joe W. Bowers Jr. California Black Media If you live in the Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD), especially if you are Black and a property taxpayer, you should be concerned about the judgment of Dr. Erika Torres, County Administrator in charge of running Inglewood public schools.

Recently, Torres announced that IUSD is closing Warren Lane (aka Daniel Freeman) Elementary school.

Parents and others in the community reacted swiftly, letting IUSD and the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) know that they opposed the decision. So far, Torres has largely ignored their disagreement and plowed ahead, leaving their concerns unaddressed.

IUSD, like many California school districts, for many years has experienced declining student enrollment. Since the 2003-04 school year, enrollment has decreased from about 18,000 students to approximately 7,750.

As a result, the district’s facilities capacity is roughly twice the amount needed to accommodate its students. So, Torres’ decision to close some of Inglewood schools is fiscally and operationally appropriate.

To assist local educational agencies in selecting which schools to shut down, the California Department of Education developed the Closing a School Best Practices Guide (CASBPG).

School districts usually form a School Closing/Consolidation Committee (SCCC) to recommend which schools to close.

Torres formed a pseudo SCCC which allows her to say that the committee recommended closing Warren Lane. But when you view the videos of the SCCC meetings the recommendation actually came from Total School Solutions (TSS), a consulting firm whose business license was suspended by the Franchise Tax Board while it was providing advice to IUSD. TSS’s recommendation criterion relies on “current school enrollment” and “projected future enrollment” as the primary factors identifying schools to be closed.

However, it seems, IUSD and TSS totally disregarded the Closing a School Best Practices Guide (CASBPG), which advises, “The most obvious criterion, a school with declining enrollment, is not necessarily the best.”

According to CASBPG, it was bad judgment by Torres to adopt TSS’s simplistic criterion. Using this criterion will lead IUSD to close the schools it should keep open while keeping open schools it should close.

Another indicator of Torres’ bad judgment is the fact that she did not involve the Warren Lane community before making her decision. She blindsided them when she made her decision to close the school.

Warren Lane is the kind of school IUSD should keep active in its portfolio of schools. It is in a safe, stable neighborhood offering an ideal environment for educating students.

The schools that Torres is opting to keep open are located under the flight path of LAX or near commercial businesses; exposed to freeway noise and air pollution; and alongside inherently unsafe, high traffic roads. She is keeping open four schools that are older than Warren Lane and seven with greater

projected modernization costs.

Warren Lane has IUSD’s lowest enrollment. But that is because it is arguably the most neglected school in the district.

Bond money promised for facility upgrades was diverted to other schools.

IUSD offers open enrollment, meaning students can opt to attend any school in the district. Enrollment reflects how well the school is maintained and the programs it offers. IUSD can attract students to Warren Lane by using its bond money to upgrade the school and offering rigorous academic programs and popular extracurricular activities.

It is not clear if Torres considered that closing Warren Lane would leave IUSD with only one majority African American school. Or whether being in a majority African American section of Inglewood where the houses are among the highest value in the city should be a reason to keep the school open.

Closing Warren Lane creates a “school desert” in the middle of zip code 90305. It disenfranchises highly taxed property owners unfairly, forcing them to support schools located in other parts of the school district.

Torres’ decision may add to the school district’s declining enrollment problem because IUSD is not guaranteed that children attending Warren Lane would go to other IUSD schools.

Also, voters in the neighborhood would likely not be supportive of future bond measures because its school was closed.

Torres became Inglewood’s County Administrator about two years ago. She had never overseen a school district, so she lacks experience making these kinds of decisions. She is supported in her decision

by Dr. Debra Duardo, Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools. Because IUSD is in state receivership, the county oversees its schools.

Duardo is Torres’ boss, and she is fully aware of the reasons why there is opposition to closing Warren Lane, but she is betting that the people she reports to, the Los Angeles County Board of Education and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, view this as an inconsequential decision.

The LACOE Board and the Board of Supervisors have a responsibility to the residents of the Inglewood Unified School District to make sure administrators are making good judgments and following proper procedures on their behalf.

The LACOE Board or the Board of Supervisors can resolve this dispute by directing a Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) or other independent agency to investigate how the recommendation to close Warren Lane was developed. That team should investigate whether IUSD conducted a sufficient review of factors. If not, the decision to close Warren Lane should be rescinded.

Both Duardo and Torres have said to the community, “we understand that these decisions are difficult.” But acknowledgement is not adequate. They owe parents and the community an explanation of all the factors that led IUSD to closing Warren Lane and visibility to the process through which that decision was made.

addition to their work in schools, City Year plans and executes school beautification projects with their partners to create more inspiring spaces where students can learn and thrive.

The school beautification project is a continuation of the longstanding partnership between the Rams and City Year Los Angeles to increase student’s access to learning environments and resources in communities impacted by systemic inequities that disproportionately affect students of color, so that students can thrive in school and in life. As part of the Rams’ commitment to address educational inequities, the organization has funded City Year student success teams throughout the school year at Grape Street Elementary in Watts and Crozier Middle School in Inglewood. The Rams-funded student success teams are City Year AmeriCorps members who serve as tutors, mentors and role models that assist students and support teachers. The Rams and CYLA have also completed school beautification projects at Crozier Middle School and Dymally High School in Watts.

Rep. Waters Secures $13,153,127 in Projects in California’s 43rd District

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, announced the enactment of a government funding package that includes $13,153,127 in Community Project Funding that she secured for the 43rd district of California. This funding responds directly to some of the most pressing needs in the district. The bill was signed into law by President Biden on March 15th after passing the House of Representatives on March 9th – with Congresswoman Waters’ vote – and passing the Senate the following day.

“I am incredibly pleased to have secured $13,153,127 in Community Project Funding in this bill that I know will have a profound impact on my district,” Congresswoman Waters said.

“These investments support working families, help underserved areas, and foster economic development, making a real difference in the lives of so many in our diverse community. I am proud to have fought for funding that will make our community healthier, stronger, and more resilient.”

Congresswoman Waters championed funding for 10 projects that will directly benefit residents throughout the 43rd district. These include: - $235,127 for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2075 Rehabilitation Project, Hawthorne, CA. - $350,000 for the El Camino College student support services project, Torrance, CA. - $500,000 for the Hawthorne Affordable Housing Improvements Project, Hawthorne, CA. - $500,000 for the South Bay Workforce Investment Board for workforce development activities, Hawthorne, CA. - $938,000 for the Torrance Airport Storm Water Basin

Project, Torrance, CA. - $940,000 for the Lomita Water System Improvements Project, Lomita, CA. $1,400,000 for the Gardena Community Aquatic & Senior Center, Gardena, CA. - $1,500,000 for the Los Angeles Southwest College student support services project, Los Angeles, CA. - $3,000,000 for the Downtown Inglewood Revitalization Project, Inglewood, CA. - $3,790,000 for the North Gardena Recycled Water Lateral Project, Gardena, CA. The government funding package will help middle class families with the cost of living, create American jobs, support the vulnerable, and help small businesses that are key to our economic future. Taken together, the funding for the 43rd district and the funding for critical government programs throughout the United States will reverse decades of disinvestment in our communities and strengthen our nation.

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