w inmate ged inciden Cooper’s m’s decision cou Flori t was making ouda Today reports thca Hills famil1985 conviction inld lead to the overtu t. e y th rn A an e u in th k d g il o ling of a ru their 11-y ri Enough Of of has the Your Lovtie”es say the o Californiapnotential, some polieatir-old house guest. ral Chino an d agree s. Th cal watcher s say, to de case Both the C ivide alifornia an and more th d nited S past appeals an a dozen lower U tates suprem courts hav . e rejected Ce courts “I take no p ooper’s osition regar nocence at about the h this time,” Newsodming Mr. Cooper’s g terest. N igh-profile case that said in his execu uilt or intiv York Times has drawn Sen. Kamew internatioen order ’ co 2. When you see a photo or ad with the Observer lum alaGet nistby app for free downloading Harthe N ris an ic have all ca1. h o las Kristof, al ind reality T Interactive logo scan over the whole photo with your for Google U itlled from orV The App .S starApple re-testingPlay forensic tech . using curren Kim Kardashian SUL n o tablet or smartphone. lo g y. t, more sen The AStore gorilla suitPHUR, La. (AP) – P CLU and o sitive groups hav th er m attress befboroke into a Louisiaonlice h a deeper in e also urged Califuoman rights and soci ho News ouretl officers arrested haim ves gation rnia state o al et into Cooper . fficials to lajustice s Gov. Newtiso sp q u o k o es te m Mel E unch ’s convictio m’s order F tion issued stes in ThSuulphur officers saan n . ri d b ay y e w fo rs x d rmer Gov. pan test four costume. ThJeremie Moran wal ay re rry Brownds previous direcking th ey had rece lowed analpyieces of crime scenJe in so D n looking in ec e em st ev an orange s to perform DN idence. Brown’s ber to to homes.ived calls abou E to A stes prosecutors wel; and the han re-testing on a tanorder al- bo proached bsays Moran ran in dle dies in the say Cooper T-shirt; a hom R In this new used in theand sheath of a hat y ch en arges incluut was discovered to chet Joshua Ryen, the ’s home with a tota murders. investigatio hiding. ding resistin of hair from tr y, l v n w m o ic , f o ti et an 1 g u th m h 4 n al s will lo an 3 e victims’ h s’ d on his th poss sion button Co ands, bloyost and wearinofficer, roat. He w8-year-old son, suffsterab wounds. ing in the San B k at strand tack. In Louisiaes oper’s atto d samplesoan g as the only tigators pla er s ed n n rn a, th ar a ey a e d in sl in p al as N er p le o h o ublic can b son convicatemas gations Co County are survivor of Angeles Co nted at the scene rman Hile mainta d a green le After Coopers’s o e D do p n th se er .A o m e t n ’s .’s o su tenced to atst. Exceptio atto rprised abo o ce. Man three ye vestigation unty Superior Couof the crime. A reins inves- al gally stayed in a h jail break, investig ns are allow ut racial biaffi y of themrneys are making ab h o li d . ay ators found so say they tired Los ouse next rt judge wil se ed s s o like Hallow for religiou do fo , e il- complaints and discriminatio frequently compla ut their l oversee th Coo er, 61 een and M It’s unclea in about are handled n in the w e in- family’s station uwnd evidence in theoRr to the victims. hTh , has main ar years. Hispla r if g an M m g ay . o ag en y ta ey Ju p ra en o th ro t. in n has a ladwi Gras st last mon n that tied ’s home and eir cases or secutor Mic For some, G by Gov. N wyers hope the resu ed his innocence th u C yer w n , in o h d a o ae er o p th S v. Bernardino help prove ewsom, which cou lts of the re-testin over the oinf g in the case is beinNewsom’s order toerbto the murders. e on socipalressure for makinlgSelyem, who is Wan h g cr ld it g ro th th m e, o u m ad ta rd ei d e ed resigned et e an k r client’s in er Observer en NA te m rders Jo Newspapers . His insult him. 23 Volume 34 Number Thursday, April 18, 2019 ismSouthern st- chelle Obama,iaU shua Ryenwith dof nocence eanseveral months, wed ay. The lonDCalifornia porters ofuGroup s targeteddforacist and commen ill th an e ,S d finally ex th su ts B . d e rm R la In 1985, a rv fa R ep ck er iv y m en . o F sh il M r ir s y, ooting victi ey are disap st axine Water and Hughes onerate friends an San Diego on four co pointed w s and an uLnady Mi“Unfortun ith the gov all across the statdesup- Los Thomas R. Parkmer. named 26 and an unts of murder. ACt ounty jury convicte at er , Angeles offi el say n a former d ep ce cord - incluescaped prison inmthe time of his arre d Cooper nfor justice in this cay,seover time it seemosr’s decision. , u b ty el head of the ieves This guy is o District st, he was e victims’ d FBI’s in Pennsylv ding several burglaate. His lengthy crim innocent,” Cooper. Attorney Jamatters less and leth esire “The evidence “Prior DN ries and the ania – did ss h in e ,” so al to S n an ld re A w n as A B th d er o not help his te er e p n n Cooper, form rape of a m st la so N ar th in n ew n d te e g icl sa d, he was stand.” th aimed ou case. inor erly named in 1958 framed, thYork Times. ld exoneratat Mr. Cooper sougidh in a statement. What has k per’s guilw e cops lied e him have t, agreed to t.” months onldear Pittsburgh, PenRichard Goodman, ep t a th fe all confirm e case goin deral appel and nsylvania. was born Y et ed g la p During his , he was adopted an te er M an su W ec co r. dC as e argum ution and re hen he was urt CooLAKE FOR ents based six monies and allegiv iew the ca’ssedecision in 2004 toooper alive - is and he spenchildhood, his par d renamed Kevin ations of ev Gov. Newvso o re EST n as en is recoverin w stay his exC t co o it o a ts n h n o ab g fl p p m o er ic le h id o juvenile det o ysically abu ti . gat d part of ad q en m re n u D ’s g ce es sc g after bei,nCalif. (AP) – Offici N d te ti ie ta ec A o n st m n ti is ite s p fi io ab st er c en y se n o o in o ev in o rs d ti n le u to als g g id o g struck by u t sc h ro , n centers. In sed nail C th ence. im keep raisin allow anoBy ence living ad in South a mental mes early ifornia GovcoHarris-Dawson a police ca Councilmember therMELINDA g CalMarqueece DESLATTE ooper. Theremethods and st in several attack, and to ern Californ in the tecalled ro u L o n er ag ri d Californiah. ealth facility in Pen1982, Cooper esca n es u rm o o in n e h in r f a ave hhero weapons Hussle “avesWest whhis sworn te ose resources thre igh exwho Associated e ped supportersandof th nsylvania b the Orange Beach Police Offi ia. ere used in ti- Coast pectaspent gressPress ive so tions. Harris-Dawson on the popliro ce efore movinfrom coulde attackers who werestimony, Joshua Rywen Duri C r Tho as M the back to “Dthe untywhite hissa life giving community.” OPELOUSAS, La. – oThe suspected N A Regisman ti White. He te have been H ca eon(AP) g to st l ter churches c in gued that nCg his murder trial, Left of m e’African id he saw so g sh s pet when he initiallm lve th ouldup la is te represents Hyde Park, where Hussle grew and got his in the burnings three American p r e o p im F an yinthoug te o R ro eb th F p st ic m y se u . e er en ifi . ed rt 1 cu ca ed killed husb 9 h ia Ryen, their t ca . to er te d th se rs ar C co ly at h te su an m ia ta th d cc d finally en ng sa k place to will remainMin jail, denied bond Mondayinbyfroant of ey start. named Dia plicating the pro ringAngeles cGadded neighbor C 10-year-old daughand and wife Dougesansfully ar- ban sure justiceLouisiana re- prosecutors uire sanew that DNA idinduLos na Roper ca the cam secutions’ cl ys wcharges declaring the The black community creates popular judge, state elonging to ter Jessica an e is seas hristopher the animal p d ev ai P g eg id m ai n rved en e g . m y fo “N s, ce rw ,” b a h o Hughes. Po ca d an 11-yea was biggerhen he got out to ch u w er t ar t n o o te d fo m n h st w ly el in rm culture, Harris-Dawson said, and Hussle saw that “our arsons a hate crime. in it p al. She turn is h bloody cl er boyfrien g la it in w ec than a h u r-old lice found p A en th ro n is fo im v en to cathat al d othing ought to Ebenefit ed the evid se wculture.” ControlMatthews, se cat.son k, h the bloodie ould come rcement solveTwenty-one-year-old ven thofrom Holden the officers ruosh an animal ence over wtoho was a vcommunity cr u iolent crim im d destroyed it. g at h es is n N , o b ew h co o ed ospnot ld, he isAsghedom, st to the police, Hussle,- born Ermias his m’s decis of th a esheriff’s his via th video ital,guilty traumentered e bleedin African Am whereplea treading casoopened state.” deputy, a. ionstore, but theyClothing, issue thtwo it w in the C ericans, His as diaset refusame Marathon ago in the at Cyears conference from the D St.r. Landry Parish jail. The judge gnoa sed w lly onshopping o o al p if er o panics and rn a ca K p ia se w ri o voters tentiallySeptember sti Krause, chinCrenshaw other mincenter at Slausonatand where heacwas date. g. He is kee rossfatally po rizingtrial sh e expects th a veterinaria the poshot. oritipurchased ping hisand litito es liv- Cthe e 11-poJudge cal spectrla n, tells the He In denying bail, state District Doherty b ac ontiproperty focuplanned und (5James k u in nued onin February s m to ne o ar n -kilthey th e fa e ograworried ir w n page A2 il d redevelop the site with a six-story building combiningess sided law enforcement officials who said af and juwith te r McGuire v it regains st m) cat to be stice is re it affordable and market-rate apartments, along with retail Matthews n would tryif to flee the area or set more fires. that ed g th the bcat . h sees it ag onpublic storefronts. ain, he’ll bisorisk “We felt that he ewas an immediate to Friday. H su e a ti ck Hussle also invested in Destination Crenshaw, safety,” said Louisiana Fire Marshal Butch Browning. et “In for jayw a project that will create a 1.3-mile-long outdoor art my mind, I felt another fire was imminent.” museum celebrating black Los Angeles along the tracks Testifying in court, Browning outlined a litany of of the soon-to-open Crenshaw Line. Set to include art evidence, including some new details of the investigation, installations, new streetscaping, and an overlook, it’s slated that he said tied Matthews to the crime, including to be finished in 2020. images on Matthews’ cell phone in which Browning said he “claimed responsibility” for torching the three black Hussle was also vital to the reopening of the Mid-City churches over 10 days. roller rink World on Wheels and founded a STEM hub Matthews was arrested Wednesday on three charges of and coworking space near Hyde Park. arson of a religious building. Prosecutors filed documents The empowering impact of his investments, his faith Monday adding three more charges, accusing Matthews of in the neighborhood in which he was raised, and his refusal violating Louisiana’s hate crime law, confirming that they to leave his community behind when he experienced believe the fires were racially motivated, a link authorities success came up often in comments made by the public had previously stopped short of making. throughout the meeting. Browning said federal officials also are considering “Nipsey Hussle was a true leader, an agent of change,” filing additional federal hate crime and arson charges resident Mario De La Torre told the council. against Matthews. Looking north at the intersection of Crenshaw and Slauson, which will be renamed Nipsey Hussle Square. Thursday morning, tens of thousands of Matthews, shackled and wearing an orange prison Out of view on the southwest corner is the strip mall Hussle purchased in February. (Sterling Davis photo) people attended a memorial service for Hussle at the jumpsuit, never spoke to the court during the hearing, Staples Center, the Los Angeles Times reported. The event letting his court-appointed lawyer enter the not guilty plea By Bianca Barragan was followed by a 25.5-mile funeral procession which wove for him. His parents watched their son’s appearance on La.curbed.com through South LA, passing through what is now Ermias video conference from the courtroom, his dad repeatedly April 12th-The Los Angeles City Council voted The proposal to rename the square follows an online “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom Square before ending at the wringing his hands and, at one point, leaving the room in unanimously today to rename the intersection of Crenshaw petition urging tears. change, which gathered over 500,000 Angelus Funeral Home. and Slauson after the late rapper, activist, and entrepreneur signatures in thethe Murals depicting Hussle sprung up in the last week, The fires occurred in and around Opelousas, about 60 days following Hussle’s death. Nipsey Hussle, who was killed on March 31 in the parking Speaking to a packed council chambers, including one by artist Danny Mateo in an alley near miles west of Louisiana’s capital city of Baton Rouge. lot of a strip mall he owned next to the intersection. Slauson and Crenshaw. Matthews’ arrest came a little more than two weeks after the first blaze at the St. Mary Baptist Church on March 26 in Port Barre, a town just outside of Opelousas. Days later, the Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas were burned. Each was more than 100 years old. The churches were empty at the time, and no one was injured. The fires set the community on edge. Gov. John Bel Edwards said the fires were a reminder “of a very dark past of intimidation and fear.”
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Shortage of Affordable Housing
Growing Lack of Affordable Housing Leaves Low-Income Families with Few Options
By Christopher G. Cox, Publisher and Managing Editor, www.realesavvy.com A recent study by the Urban Institute reports that in communities across the nation home prices and rents are exceeding the reach of an increasing number of households. “For every 100 extremely low-income households, there are only 29 adequate, affordable, and available rental units. That means two parents who both work minimumwage jobs might wait years to find a safe, affordable place to live with their two kids,” the report states. According to Michael Washburn, president at Exit Realty of the Carolinas, based in Charleston, S.C, there are a number of troubling factors that contribute to this problem. “Rules and regulations that govern where and how housing developments can be built,” Washburn said, “vary widely from one municipality to another. Government and the private sector have to come together to streamline the process of building homes and apartments,” he adds. One possible solution to dealing with this problem, says Washburn, is offering developers property tax incentives that make it possible to reduce the cost of land acquisition. Another more long-term answer is expanding public transportation. Modern light rail systems enable residents to have a reliable, economical commute from areas where housing is more affordable to areas where their jobs might be located. “It doesn’t help much to have an affordable rent,” Washburn said, “if you have to buy a car and pay all the costs associated with buying gas, maintenance and insurance.” This growing lack of affordable housing is particularly acute in Charlotte, NC, said LaWana Mayfield, who represents District 3 on Charlotte’s City Council, because of rapid population growth fueled largely by individuals
who have relocated from high-cost-of-living cities hoping to find a more affordable lifestyle. Mayfield also notes that the hosting the national nominating conventions of the nation’s two major political parties puts a city in the national and international spotlight, spurring massive growth and sudden attention that can be disruptive. Charlotte hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2012 and has been selected as the site for the Republican National Convention in 2020. Other important factors contributing to the lack of affordable housing, said Mayfield, are the expanding wage gap between corporate executives and their employees and the ongoing assault on labor unions, which for decades helped to insure wage growth and better working conditions for their members. Despite these external historical factors, Mayfield strongly believes there is an important role for personable responsibility when weighing the many elements that go into purchasing a home. “Home buyers need to take the time to do the research on an area where they are considering buying and understand the current market trends,” she said. “We are bombarded in the media with the idea that we should spend money, but it’s important to understand the longterm impact of your investment for both your family and your community.” Mayfield emphasizes that just because a buyer qualifies for a mortgage at a certain level, does not mean that obtaining that budget-stretching mortgage is the best decision in the long run. “Just because you can pay it,” she adds, “does not mean you should. “For example,” she continues, “suppose a couple qualifies for a $500,000 mortgage. Rather than buying a
home for that amount, they might do better to buy a house that costs $150,000 and spend $50,000 fixing it up. That would give them more financial flexibility to consider other investments or to cope with an unanticipated event such as the loss of a job.”
“…important factors contributing to the lack of affordable housing are the expanding wage gap between corporate executives and their employees and the ongoing assault on labor unions, which for decades helped to insure wage growth and better working conditions for their members.” (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)
Trump Targets Another Black Woman in Congress By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor “The President is inciting violence against a sitting Congresswoman—and an entire group of Americans based on their religion. It’s disgusting. It’s shameful. And any elected leader who refuses to condemn it shares responsibility for it,” tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren (DMA) on the evening of April 12. “The President is actively and willfully endangering the life of a member of Congress,” wrote MSNBC host Chris Hayes, echoing Sen. Warren. The communications came hours after President Trump tweeted video of a misleading montage that began with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and included footage from the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Trump’s Twitter communication came on the evening of April 12 with the words “we will not forget” in all capital letters, days after the conservative New York Post ran a front cover targeting Rep. Omar. The attacks from the right on the freshman Congresswoman and new Congressional Black Caucus member have been continuous. Rep. Omar is one of three vocal members of Congress who continue to win national media attention. The other two are women of color as well: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). Rep. Omar, 37, who won the U.S. House seat vacated by former Rep. Keith Ellison (now Minnesota’s Attorney General), the first Muslim to serve in Congress, is, along with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, one of the first two Muslim women to ever serve in the U.S. Congress. Rep. Tlaib took over the seat long-held by former Congressman John Conyers. Trump has now specifically targeted two Black female members of Congress as their national prominence and
It is not uncommon that members of Congress who appear in the news or are the target of Trump’s vitriol receive a spike in death threats. (Photo: Kristie Boyd; U.S. House Office of Photography [Public domain] / Wikimedia Commons)
platform have grown. After Trump embarked on a running series of negative comments on Rep. Maxine Waters (DCA), the new Chairwoman of the Committee on House
Financial Services, received death threats. On April 11, Anthony Scott Lloyd, who called Rep. Waters’ office and threatened to kill her, pled guilty to a single count of threatening a United States official. According to court documents, Lloyd left a voicemail at Rep. Waters’ office in Washington, D.C. on October 22, 2018 using a racial slur and stating that, “if you continue to make threats towards the president, you’re going to wind up dead, Maxine, ‘cause we’ll kill you.” The complaint added that Lloyd informed the FBI that he was listening to talk radio and his threatening call to Rep. Waters was a “spur of the moment” decision. One of Trump’s first actions as President was the January 27, 2017 signing of Executive Order 13780, also referred to as the Muslim ban. On April 12, Rep. Omar tweeted, “Women— especially women of color—have been told to go slow, to not be seen and to not be heard for many years. We are not in Congress to be invisible. In the words of Congressman John Lewis, we are here to make good trouble.” “Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She won’t back down to Trump’s racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end,” tweeted Sen. Bernie Sanders two hours after Trump tweeted his menacing communication regarding the Michigan Congresswoman. It is not uncommon that members of Congress who appear in the news or are the target of Trump’s vitriol receive a spike in death threats. Members who receive serious threats are typically assigned extra police protection by the U.S. Capitol Police. In the wake of energetic political activity in 2010 near the passage of the Affordable Care Act, a few U.S. House members received extra security.
Gym Teacher had Black Kids Research Slave Games
SHOREWOOD, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin middle school gym teacher has been placed on indefinite leave while district officials look into claims that she separated students in one class by race and assigned the black children to research games that enslaved children played. The Shorewood Intermediate School teacher was instructing seventh-graders about games from around the world on April 1 when she allegedly gave the assignment to the black students, Shorewood School District Superintendent Bryan Davis said in a Thursday letter to parents. He didn’t name the teacher. “We take these allegations extremely serious,” Davis wrote. “Throughout this situation, student safety and wellbeing have been our top priority.” One of the black students, MaHailey Stephens, told WITI-TV that she and her classmates were separated into groups based on race and asked to research games from their cultures. “I went to my mom, I’m like, `mom, what are slave games?”’ she said. Her mother, Reshunda Stephens, told the station that the same teacher asked her older daughter to be part of “the colored club,” last year. “How many more times do people have to feel uncomfortable until change happens?” she asked. Davis said the district is “committed to providing an environment of inclusion in our schools.” “We will continue to assess the situation and ensure that we provide ongoing support to our students as we move forward,” he wrote. School officials including a counselor and a psychologist are providing support to affected students, according to Davis.
MLB Investigating Racist Messages to Cub’s Carl Edwards
CHICAGO (AP) – Major League Baseball is investigating racist messages sent to Chicago Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. on Instagram this month. Theo Epstein, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs, calls the language “reprehensible” and says it “cannot be tolerated in our game or society.” Lee Long, Edwards’ agent, says the racist messages came from a couple different people. He says no player “should be expected to bear such personal attacks especially based on the color of their skin.” Edwards is African American. The Athletic first reported the investigation. Edwards was optioned to Triple-A Iowa after he had trouble with his motion and got off to a tough start this season. The 27-year-old right-hander went 3-2 with a career-low 2.60 ERA in 58 games last year.