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The Valley’s
Volume 35 Number 49
Serving the San Fernando Valley for Over 35 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
California Congresswoman, South Central Residents Bewildered by
Ice Cube/Trump Relationship
“I put out the CWBA. Both parties contacted me,” Cube stated. “Democrats said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA.” Still, the hip-hop legend received a firestorm of backlash. California Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee fails to understand Cube’s decision. “I’m sickened. There’s no consistency in this based on Ice Cube’s history,” Lee voiced in a phone interview with Black Press USA. (Photo: Ice Cube at Chicago screening for the film “Ride Along” at AMC River East 21 Theaters, Chicago, IL, USA | Adam Bielawski/Wikimedia Commons)
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent To Sean Broadus and his brother Evan, Ice Cube was more than an icon. He presented as someone to admire – a hope for making it out of the hood. The Broadus brothers live near the Gilbert Lindsay Community Center in South Central, Los Angeles, less than 20 minutes from where their idol grew up. Both are having a hard time processing the hip-hop icon’s revelation that he’s working with President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign on what Cube calls a “Contract with Black America.” “We can’t say we understand why he would roll like that knowing the damage 45 has done to Black people, to Hispanics, to our women and children,” Sean, the older of the brothers, told Black Press USA. Like Sean, Evan struggled not to criticize Cube heavily, often fumbling with his cellphone. “I don’t want to say the dude is a sellout. Maybe we need to hear more from Cube because when I look around the neighborhood when I go to Compton when I walk around our hood, there’s nothing, and I mean nothing, that puts damn Donald Trump and freakin’ Ice Cube in the same breath,” Evan stated. Though social media heat has turned up on the star, Cube stood firm in his decision to work with Trump on a “Platinum Plan for Black America.” Through a spokesman, Cube said he only wants what’s best for African Americans. He demanded that it’s always been his position, and nothing has changed despite a flurry of social media posts attacking the Californiabased mogul. “I will advise anybody on the planet who has the power to help Black Americans close the enormous wealth gap,” Cube stated. “Black progress is a bipartisan issue. When we created the Contract with Black America, we expected to talk to both sides of the aisle. Talking truth to power is part of the process.” Cube, whose real name is O’Shea Jackson, noted that while Democrats asked that he wait until after the election to discuss specifics of Joe Biden’s plan for Black America, the Trump administration embraced his demands. He said the President had promised as much as $500 billion outlined in Cube’s “Contract with Black America.” The contract outlines 13 separate bills that Cube believes will greatly help African Americans moving forward. In signing the deal, Trump agreed to support and demand an open debate and a transparent and fair vote within the first 100 days of the 117th Congress in 2021. Among the 13 pieces of legislation demanded is a bill to guarantee Black opportunity and representation, bank lending reform, and baby bonds’ federal funding. The document also includes government pensions, finance oversight to look at Black and minority lending,
and guidelines regarding arrest records that allow similar privacy and accuracy protections and the right to dispute and correct inaccurate credit reporting data. It calls for abolishing privately run prisons, disallowing prison labor without consent, and freedom for nonviolent offenders incarcerated for ten or more years, provided acceptable behavior standards are. It also calls for the immediate release of all prisoners convicted of marijuana possession. The contract’s judicial and police reforms include eliminating mandatory minimums and three-strike laws and qualified immunity. Cube asked for a requirement of mandatory malpractice insurance for police officers, making municipalities liable for unconstitutional actions by police, and the mandatory use of dashboard and body cams. Additionally, the contract calls for eliminating chokeholds and “no-knock” warrants, establishing residency requirements, de-escalation training, and the requirement to update training and severe penalties for evidence tampering, including withholding DNA. “I put out the CWBA. Both parties contacted me,” Cube stated. “Democrats said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA.” Still, the hip-hop legend received a firestorm of backlash. California Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee fails to understand Cube’s decision. “I’m sickened. There’s no consistency in this based on Ice Cube’s history,” Lee voiced in a phone interview with Black Press USA. “When you look at what Donald Trump has or hasn’t done, for example, ending qualified immunity, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, each of which the Senate hasn’t voted on. “Why won’t Trump take it up? Why won’t he make Juneteenth a holiday? Trump doesn’t want that. We have an anti-lynching bill Trump won’t take up. “The fact that Donald Trump has not done or supported any of the priority issues shows he won’t [honor his deal with Ice Cube]. Donald Trump is not supportive of ending systemic racism, he doesn’t believe systemic racism exists, and he won’t condemn white supremacists.” Lee continued: “Look at Ice Cube’s history, and he’s been opposed to Donald Trump, so I can’t say that this makes any sense. When Trump was first elected, we sent him 100 pages that laid out policies that would create parity and justice for African Americans, and I don’t believe he’s ever responded to that, and that was four years ago.” Lee dared Ice Cube to look at Trump’s comprehensive history, including his handling of COVID, eliminating diversity training in the federal government, and executive Continued on page A5
P23 Grave Threat to Black Patients Quinci LeGardye California Black Media Ahead of the November election, a group of dialysis nurses and patients have come out in strong opposition to Proposition 23. If passed, Proposition 23 would require all kidney dialysis clinics to have a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant on site during dialysis treatment. It would also prohibit clinics from reducing their services without state approval and make it illegal for them to refuse treatment for patients based on their insurance or payment source. Although the proposition’s supporters say passing it would improve clinics across the board, opponents argue that requiring the presence of a physician at each clinic would force many clinics to shut down and increase healthcare costs for 80,000 California dialysis patients. Opponents also point out that the ballot measure would not require the physician to be a nephrologist or kidney specialist. Dialysis is an important medical procedure for patients with kidney failure, with risk of death increasing by 30 % after one missed appointment. Patients need to attend a regular clinic to avoid complications in treatment that may arise if patients were forced to visit emergency rooms. Opponents of Prop 23 argue that many smaller clinics would not be able to afford the new staffing requirements and would be forced to shut down, leaving dialysis patients without a regular clinic. “They’re not going to be able to operate because they’re not going to be able to afford the additional expense of paying this doctor when some of these expenses could be utilized to improve the equipment we have and which basically impacts the improvement in the care of a patient.
It’s a waste of money,” said Kim Bailey, an Inglewoodbased dialysis nurse. African Americans make up the majority of dialysis patients. According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 35 % of all patients receiving dialysis for kidney failure in the U.S. are Black, even though Black people make up only 13.2 % of the U.S. population. Bailey spoke about her staff, using tasks her employees perform as examples of the services that dialysis clinics already provide without Prop 23 in place. She emphasized that the patients, who come three times a week, are treated by nurses who match their shifts. This allows the nurses to bond with their patients and understand their conditions through familiarity. “This clinic is one of the largest ones in Southern California. I have 58 chairs, I have about 350 in-center patients, and then I have a home program as well. I have a medical director and associate medical director that are very accessible to us at any given time. Each patient has an assigned nephrologist. My physicians frequent the clinic. There is always someone in this clinic,” said Bailey. Los Angeles-based dialysis patient DeWayne Cox spoke about his own experience with dialysis, including what happened when he missed treatment, as an example of what might happen to other dialysis patients if the proposition passes. “I missed a shift for work on a Friday. I ended up in the emergency room that Saturday, and the physicians there did not know how to treat me. I received kidney failure because of high blood pressure, but I am not diabetic, but the physician there treated me like I was a diabetic and gave me insulin. I’d never had insulin before in my life, and I nearly died. And other patients do because of Continued on page A5
Election 2020: Your Cheat Sheet (Part 2 of 3 Part Series) Quinci LeGardye California Black Media 2020 is a big election year. With all eyes on the presidential race, Californians can’t afford to lose sight of our state and local elections. These decisions need the same amount of consideration being given to the big race. They are the ones with the most -- and the most immediate -- effects on you and your family’s safety, quality of life and finances. This year, California as a whole is reckoning with some big changes. The 12 qualified propositions on the ballot cover many issues, including tax codes, voting rights, workers’ rights and affirmative action. The results of these ballot measures will affect every life in California in some shape or form, and it’s important that voters understand them and make informed decisions on how to vote. Prop 18 - Amends California Constitution to Permit
17-Year-Olds to Vote in Primary and Special Elections If They Will Turn 18 by the Next General Election and Be Otherwise Eligible to Vote. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. Prop 18 concerns the minimum voting age. If passed, young people who are 17-years-olds at the time of a primary or special election will be able to vote if they will turn 18 by the following general election and are otherwise eligible. This would allow these young adults to exercise their vote across a full election cycle. Proponents of Prop 18 argue that 17-year-olds can make informed decisions about voting and should be allowed to participate in the full election cycle. They also argue that young people should have a say in issues that directly affect them, and that the change will inspire young people to get more engaged in politics. Opponents of the measure say that 17-year-olds are still legal minors and can be unduly influenced by parents and teachers. Prop 19 – Changes Certain Property Tax Rules. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. Prop 19 regards property tax code changes for older Californians and natural disaster victims. If passed, the proposition would give homeowners who are over 55, disabled, or victims of wildfires and other natural disasters a tax break, allowing them to transfer their primary home’s low property tax base to their new home when they move, up to three times.
It would also change the inheritance tax break to require heirs to use the inherited home as their primary residence within a year, or else the property tax will be reassessed to market value. If passed, local governments and schools could gain tens of millions of dollars in new property tax revenue per year, and the initiative would also establish a fund for fire protection. Proponents argue that Prop 19 will provide tax relief for seniors who are stuck in houses that they can’t maintain or are too far from family or medical care. They also argue that narrowing the inheritance tax break would generate more revenue for local governments and schools, since people who use inherited property as rental units or second homes would be forced to pay more taxes. Opponents argue that the initiative would increase inequality by allowing homeowners to take the tax break, their initial home’s low property tax base, with them for up to three properties, instead of the current limit of one move. They say it would put people who are struggling to buy a home at a disadvantage, giving more purchasing power to existing homeowners. Prop 20 - Restricts Parole for Certain Offenses Currently Considered to Be Non-Violent. Authorizes Felony Sentences for Certain Offenses Currently Treated Only as Misdemeanors. Initiative Statute. Prop 20, if passed, would change procedures and standards for the state Board of Parole Hearings and community probation programs, and expand the list of Continued on page A5
Free!
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Elon Musk Firm Proposing ‘Vegas Loop’ Tunnel
LAS VEGAS (AP) – A company nearing completion of a short underground motorway for electric cars at the expanded Las Vegas Convention Center wants to widen its scope and build a people mover tunnel system beneath the Las Vegas Strip. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s tunneling operator, called The Boring Co., dubs the project the “Vegas Loop.” It would drill underground from downtown Las Vegas, beneath the Las Vegas Boulevard resort corridor to the newly opened Allegiant Stadium, a distance of about 7 miles (11.25 kilometers), according to a presentation Tuesday to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. A connection to McCarran International Airport is also being considered, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. No cost projections were disclosed by authority CEO Steve Hill and Boring Co. President Steve Davis. But they said taxpayer dollars would not be used and passenger stations would be paid for by property owners. They said the company is seeking a city permit and will submit plans to Clark County. The concept includes a loop of about 15 miles (24.15 kilometers), with perhaps 50 stations where passengers would board self-driving electric Tesla vehicles. Passenger fares have not yet been determined. Boring Co. has spent about a year drilling the $52.5 million Convention Center people mover, which has three stations along parallel 1-mile (1.6 kilometer) tunnels connecting exhibit halls and parking at the sprawling conference facility just east of the Strip. It is expected to open by the end of the year to provide trips of less than two minutes for conventioneers in 16-passenger Tesla vehicles. The convention authority plans to make trips free. Davis and Hill have in the past floated the idea of a wider transit system similar to the Convention Center project that would be built and operated as a commercial venture by Boring, the Review-Journal reported. The system would function as an underground ride-hailing system with passengers taken point-topoint to destinations, instead of a subway system with station stops. Musk co-founded and leads Tesla, the private rocket company SpaceX and the human-computer interface firm Neuralink.
Tulsa Resumes Excavation for Victims of 1921 Race Massacre TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Excavation work began Monday at two locations in a Tulsa cemetery for victims of a race massacre nearly 100 years ago that left hundreds dead and decimated an area that was once a cultural and economic mecca for African Americans. Researchers took a core soil sample at one location to give them a better idea of what lies beneath the soil, said Oklahoma State Archeologist Kary Stackelbeck. “That will help narrow the focus for the heavier machinery,” Stackelbeck added. Both areas of interests are in Oaklawn Cemetery in north Tulsa, where a search for remains of victims ended without success in July, and near the Greenwood District where the massacre happened. Stackelbeck noted that researchers have a “high level of confidence” some remains will be found in an area known as the Original 18, where old funeral home records indicate up to 18 Black people who were massacre victims were buried. The latest search is expected to continue for the rest of the week, Stackelbeck said. If bodies are discovered, researchers will try to determine if there are signs of trauma that could indicate they were massacre victims, said Phoebe Stubblefield, a forensic anthropologist at the University of Florida who is assisting in the search effort. Attempts would also be made to identify the remains and any possible descendants, according to Stubblefield. The violence took place on May 31 and June 1 in 1921, when a white mob attacked Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, killing an estimated 300 people and wounding 800 more while robbing and burning businesses, homes and churches. The massacre – which happened two years after what is known as the “Red Summer,” when hundreds of African Americans died at the hands of white mobs in violence around the U.S. – has been depicted in recent HBO shows “Watchmen” and “Lovecraft County.”
San Francisco Zoo Stolen Lemur Located
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A ring-tailed lemur stolen from the San Francisco Zoo has been found, police said Thursday. The 21-year-old male lemur named Maki was discovered missing shortly before the zoo opened to visitors on Wednesday. Investigators found evidence of a forced entry to the lemur enclosure. Someone called police Thursday evening to say that Maki was spotted in Daly City, a few miles south of the zoo, officials said. “Around 5pm, we got a report he was in the home,’’ Daly City police tweeted. Maki was found to be in good health and was transported back to the zoo, San Francisco police said in a statement. Detectives are still investigating the break-in. Maki was born at the zoo in 1999 and has an offspring in the enclosure, zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan said. The outdoor lemur habitat houses seven different lemur species native to Madagascar, according to the zoo’s website. Some are endangered. “Guests can see the lemurs from several vantage points: from across a surrounding pond, looking eye to eye at lemurs in the trees or gazing down below from an elevated boardwalk,’’ the website says.