C E L E B R A T I N G
BLACK HISTORY
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News Observer The Valley’s
Volume 36 Number 15
Serving the San Fernando Valley for Over 36 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
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Thursday, February 25, 2021
Death Bed Confession of NYPD Officer FBI Malcolm X Conspiracy
Murder Charge Dropped Against Al Sharpton’s Half-Brother
Former NYPD officer Ray Wood was, “tasked with ensuring that Malcolm X’s security detail was arrested days prior to the assassination, guaranteeing Malcolm X didn’t have door security while at the Audubon Ballroom, where he was killed on Feb. 21, 1965,” says Attorney Benjamin Crump during a press conference at the former at the old Audubon, the site where Malcolm X was assassinated. The venue has since been renamed The Shabazz Center.
By KIM CHANDLER Associated Press MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – The Rev. Al Sharpton’s half-brother has been cleared of a capital murder charge after a grand jury refused to indict him over a 2018 fatal shooting that police said was committed by a man he was driving. The Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, a voting rights activist, was arrested after a passenger in his car was accused of fatally shooting a woman who the passenger believed had stolen his car. Court records made public Thursday show that an 18-member grand jury refused to indict Glasgow, meaning they did not think there was probable cause to hold him responsible for the shooting. Dothan police had said Glasgow drove Jamie Townes to look for his stolen car before Townes shot 23-year-old Breunia Jennings. Alabama law says a person does not have to be the triggerman to be indicted on capital murder charges but that a person aiding or abetting a criminal act is equally liable. Glasgow had said he had only offered Townes a ride. Police arrested Glasgow in 2018. The grand jury returned the “no bill” three years later. Glasgow said in a statement that he was thankful that grand jurors, “saw the truth and not the picture that was painted against me and my character.” “It isn’t easy to express how I feel at this moment, knowing the charges imposed upon me should not have ever happened. The weight of this charge has caused deep turmoil and increased anxiety levels to my family, friends, colleagues, and supporters,” Glasgow said. Glasgow, the founder of The Ordinary People Society, is a well-known Alabama activist who has worked on voting rights restoration for former felons, prison reform and other issues. Glasgow has been free on bond but has had his location monitored since his release. Court records indicate that the case against Townes is going forward. District Attorney Pat Jones did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Glasgow’s attorney, Derek Yarbrough, said Glasgow’s family is thankful that his client has been cleared. “It has been hanging over his head for this long,” he said. Glasgow still faces an unrelated drug charge.
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Almost 56 years to the Feb. 21, 1965, assassination of Malcolm X, the slain leader’s daughters and a noted civil rights attorney are shining a light on those whom they believe are responsible for the heartless murder. The group gathered on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the old Audubon Ballroom – since renamed The Shabazz Center – with lawyers Ray Hamlin and Paul Napoli and Reggie Wood, whose relative, NYPD Officer Ray Wood, allegedly confessed in a deathbed declaration letter. The gathering occurred in the same venue as the assassination and just one day before the heinous crime’s anniversary. The new allegations focus on Officer Wood and a conspiracy against organized civil rights groups that he said had been perpetrated by the New York City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Reggie Wood alleges that authorities conspired to assassinate Malcolm X in Harlem. “Ray Wood, an undercover police officer at the time, confessed in a deathbed declaration letter that the NYPD and the FBI conspired to undermine the legitimacy of the
Wood’s purported death bed letter was delivered to three of Malcolm’s daughters – Qubiliah, Ilyasah, and Gamilah, pictured here with Attorneys Benjamin Crump, Ray Hamlin and Paul Napoli along with Reggie Wood, whose relative, NYPD Officer Ray Wood, allegedly confessed in a deathbed declaration letter.
civil rights movement and its leaders,” Crump stated. “Without any training, Wood’s job was to infiltrate civil rights organizations and encourage leaders and
members to commit felonious acts,” Crump noted in a news release before the gathering. Continued on page A2
California Black Women Leaders Organize to Open Paths for Others Quinci LeGardye California Black Media After launching a campaign last year to push for another Black woman to replace Vice President Kamala Harris in the United States Senate, a coalition of California Black women leaders say they are not defeated. They are organizing. Many of the women – federal or state legislators, other elected officials and political leaders –have made history in California and across the nation. Now, they have come together to organize, launching an effort to ensure that more Black women are voted into elected office in California. On Feb. 15, the California Black Women’s Collective (CBWC) hosted “Conversation with Congresswomen Karen Bass, Barbara Lee and Maxine Waters.” Melanie Campbell, President and CEO of the National Coalition
of Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable, moderated the virtual event. “After we were disappointed that we were not able to keep the seat for the United States Congress, we wanted to make sure that we did not lose our momentum, so we brought together this collective of Black women across California to make sure that we stay visible and active and engaged,” said LaNiece Jones, Executive Director of Peralta Colleges Foundation and Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA). According to the event’s organizers, the goal of CBWC is to amplify the priorities of Black women and organize with the goal of securing adequate representation for Black women in government. They also work in solidarity with the #WinWithBlackWomen initiative, which advocates for Black women lawmakers nationally. The congresswomen spoke about how they ended
up serving in the state legislature and later Congress, with all of them mentioning that they were ushered in by other Black legislators who called them to serve. Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA-37) said she entered the race for the California Assembly because other Black legislators were going to Congress and there weren’t going to be any African American women serving in the state legislature had she not run and won. “That was very motivating to me because all of the issues that we had worked on in the community. When people leave, everything that you’ve worked on can be reversed. So, that’s what led me to run for office,” said Bass. When asked who had been critical to their success in Continued on page A4
Blacks in Health Care Scholarship
By Zane D. Landin Los Angeles News Observer The underrepresentation of Black/African American professionals in the health care industry has led to significant, unequal disparities in health outcomes and equity for patients, professionals, and communities of color. Considering this, The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals who represent more than 32,000 registered nurses and other health care professionals in California and Hawaii has created the Alexis G. Philius Scholarship to increase access to health care fields for Black/African American students. The Alexis G. Philius Scholarship is for students of Black/ African descent who are pursuing a license, certificate, or health care degree at an accredited college, university, trade, or technical school at any time between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2021, by 3 p.m. Five deserving students will be selected for $2,000 scholarships. Aside from the monetary reward, scholarship recipients will be afforded career development, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Applicants will be evaluated based on their academic promise, social awareness, community and/or social justice commitment, and professional aptitude. While Americans of Black/African descent represent around 13% of the U.S. population, they have the fewest number of registered nurses accumulating 6.2%, medical school graduates of 6%, and 23% of Black Americans have a physician who shares their race and/or ethnicity. There has always been a need to address the low number of Black/African Americans in the health care industry. It has never been more apparent, especially since COVID-19 has been killing Black Americans at an unexpected
rate at roughly two times based on their share of the population. Of those hospitalized with COVID-19, one-third have been Black/African American, and they account for one in four COVID-19 deaths in the United States. The Alexis G. Philius Scholarship was inspired by Alexis Goudeau Philius, RN, an African American, bedside nurse. Philius has been a nurse for the past 13 years, where she currently works at Kaiser Permanente on Sunset in Los Angeles. Often she would witness the harsh reality of homelessness in Los Angeles; thus, she founded Highly Favored: A Blessing to Others, a nonprofit organization that is widely-known for distributing food, toiletries, warm clothing, and other supplies to homeless people in Los Angeles County. “I’m honored that my name’s been chosen for this scholarship,” said Philius. “I was raised by a single mother and I know how hard she worked to put me through school, so I always wanted to help out. That is why it meant so much to me when I received a scholarship to nursing school. To help give one out now means even more, because I know the impact it can have on people’s lives, especially in the Black community. This scholarship will help them enter the medical field.” The Alexis G. Philius Scholarship is the newest addition to three other UNAC/UHCP scholarships that have been awarded to 154 students since the program began in 2013 and distributed $401,000 since 2015. The other three UNAC/UHCP scholarships are the Kathy J. Sackman Member Scholarship for UNAC/UHCP members; the Sonia Moseley Family Scholarship for family of UNAC/UHCP members; and the at-large Delima MacDonald Community Scholarship.
Deputies Who Shot Black Man Debated Whether to Stop Him By ROBERT JABLON Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) – Orange County sheriff’s deputies debated whether to stop a homeless man with mental health issues for jaywalking last year before shooting and killing him during a struggle, according to newly released video footage. The Sept. 23 death of 42-year-old Kurt Reinhold, who was Black, touched off protests and a lawsuit alleging that his race played a role in the confrontation. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department on Wednesday released a “critical incident” briefing video that included footage from a patrol car camera and a motel security camera along with previously released video from a witness’s cellphone. Reinhold was stopped in San Clemente by two deputies assigned to homeless outreach. They spotted Reinhold while sitting in their patrol car. He apparently spotted them and began walking. In audio from microphones worn by the deputies, one tells the other: “Okey-doke. He’s seen ya. He’s seen ya, copper.” A moment later, one deputy says: “Watch this. He’s going to jaywalk” and adds: “There we go.” ‘It’s controlled, man,” the deputy says, meaning the crossing has traffic signs or signals. “I don’t know, dude,” the other deputy replies doubtfully. “It is,” his partner insists and a moment later tells him: “Don’t make case law.” “It’s not case law,” the deputy replies. The cruiser then pulls up to Reinhold, whom the deputies want to identify, as he stands on the sidewalk. He apparently begins to walk away, and the deputies order him to stop. “Are you going to stop or are we going to have to make you stop?” one deputy says. “For what? For what?” Reinhold replies. When Reinhold is told he is being stopped for jaywalking and resisting arrest, he replies: “That’s ridiculous.” The confrontation escalates with the agitated Reinhold repeatedly telling a deputy who puts out a hand to stop him: “Stop touching me.” The witness cellphone video shows Reinhold trying to walk as a deputy tries to halt him and push him back to the sidewalk. Reinhold shoves back, and the deputies grab him. All three fall to the ground, struggling. On the witness video, a deputy is heard yelling several times: “He’s got my gun!” Two shots are then heard. In a close-up of footage from one video, Reinhold appears to grab at a deputy’s gun or holster, but his family has said he was simply flailing. Although a deputy performed CPR, Reinhold died at the scene. Reinhold’s family is suing the county for wrongful death. A statement from the family released through their attorney Thursday said the new video confirmed that the deputies “had no reason” to stop Reinhold and said the officers are heard disagreeing about whether he had jaywalked. The deputies “created and escalated” the confrontation, attorney John Taylor said in the statement. “Mr. Reinhold wasn’t in distress and didn’t pose any danger to himself or anyone else,” Taylor said. “If he wasn’t a Black man, this stop never would’ve happened, let alone the shooting that takes his life.” The shooting remained under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department and the county district attorney’s office.