THE SAN BERNARDINO
AMERICAN
“A Man In Debt is So Far A Slave” -R.W. Emerson
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NEWSPAPER A Community Newspaper Serving San Bernardino, Riverside & Los Angeles Counties
October 26, 2023 Thursday Edition
Volume 54 No. 28
Mailing: P.O. Box 837, Victorville, CA 92393 Office: (909) 889-7677 Email: Mary @Sb-American.com Clifton@Sb-American.com
Website: www.SB-American.com
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them and these will continue till they have resisted either with words or blows or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance those of whom they suppress. —Fredrick Douglass (1849)
NAACP Demands Investigation Into San Bernardino City Council Meeting Hate Incident
Jazz In The Spirit Is Back!! By Lisa D. Kelly
Manny Otiko | California Black Media
Screenshot of Amy Malone at the San Bernardino City Council meeting on October 23. The San Bernardino Branch of the NAACP is calling on the City of San Bernardino to investigate a racial incident that occurred last week. During the public comments section of a council meeting on Oct. 18, Amy Malone, a Black resident of San Bernardino was interrupted by racial slurs from a commenter who was viewing the meeting remotely. The anonymous commenter told Malone to “go back to Africa” and called her the N-word. She was also called a “bitch.” Malone was shocked by the comments and insisted that they be addressed immediately. “You should apologize for what just happened,” said Malone to the city council members present. The local branch of the NAACP also reacted to the incident, calling it “disgusting.” “It is with a heavy heart that we must deal with racial insults being tossed at the Black community on 10/18/23 as they cautioned the mayor and council not to hire Mr. Charles Montoya as City Manager because of his public legal issues cause from being
fired by the Mayor and Council from Avondale, Arizona,” wrote Chache Wright, NAACP San Bernardino Branch President. “A letter signed by Mayor Kenneth N. Weise (Avondale, AZ) lists these five alleged reasons for Montoya termination. 1. Montoya did not live in Avondale as required by his employment contract. 2. Demanding funds from the city he was not entitled to according to his contract. 3. Failing to make timely payment on a loan he had borrowed against his retirement account. 4. Receiving tuition reimbursement payments beyond what his contract allowed. 5. Refusing to repay vehicle reimbursement funds that he was paid in error,” the NAACP statement continued. Before she was interrupted, Malone was expressing her objections to the hiring of Montoya because of past misconduct and his questionable professional past. She was one of several residents who opposed his hiring because of his checkered employment history. According to some of the protestors, Montoya also has a history of
filing lawsuits against previous employers. According to news reports, Montoya clashed with Avondale board members and raised concerns about nepotism prior to his dismissal. He was terminated for not living within the city limits. However, his attorney argues that the city unlawfully terminated him without giving him adequate time to address the problem. Montoya said he was fired out of spite. During an appearance at the meeting, he said he had no regrets about his decision. The case is currently proceeding to federal court. Despite these concerns, the city council approved Montoya’s hiring. Montoya has previously worked as a city manager in California and Arizona. A statement posted on the city’s website says that the official recording of the meeting has been edited to remove the offensive language. “The racist comments made during the October 18, 2023, City Council meeting by individuals
connected remotely through Zoom were offensive and unacceptable, and the City of San Bernardino condemns what happened in no uncertain terms,” according to the statement. “The city apologizes to anyone who heard what was said. Our community will not tolerate this type of hateful language in our public meetings, or anywhere. The city is working to identify the individuals who made the comments. The City Clerk and her staff, along with our IT department, are working with the San Bernardino Police Department on this. We have identified all the IP addresses that were in the queue at the time and are working to identify those that were involved. SBPD is investigating this as a violation of California Penal Code 403.” The offensive comments are part of a phenomenon known as Zoom bombing, which gained prominence during the coronavirus pandemic when many groups and businesses were forced to conduct most meetings via the videoconferencing platform. When these meetings were not properly secured, unauthorized individuals could join the chat and make inappropriate comments. The San Bernardino NAACP says it plans to file a formal request for an investigation into the hate incident and the hiring of the city manager with the city. It will also share that request with State Attorney General Rob Bonta and the U.S. Department of Justice. “The NAACP Legal Redress Committee is currently in the process of compiling relevant information and plans to transmit this information to the appropriate authorities next week, accompanied by their official request,” Wright concluded.
Commentary: No Valid Reason for Failing to Condemn Hamas’ Act of Terrorism Joe W. Bowers Jr | California Black Media Oct 7, 2023, will be known as Israel’s 9/11. Hamas terrorists crossed the Israel-Gaza border and indiscriminately slaughtered Israeli civilians in their homes and apartments. They killed nearly 300 young people at a music festival and took at least 200 hostages including 30 children. The atrocities they committed included massacres of entire families, the abduction of the elderly and young children, burning babies and rapes of women. The horrific surprise attack by Hamas deserves universal and unequivocal condemnation. President Joe Biden called what Hamas did an act of sheer evil and pledged to defend the lives
of Israelis and Jewish Americans. He said, “Let there be no doubt. The United States has Israel’s back. We’ll make sure the Jewish and democratic state of Israel can defend itself today, tomorrow as we always have.”
Hamas killed approximately1400 people including 32 Americans. Citizens from 40 different countries including the United Kingdom, France, Mexico, and Thailand were killed or reported missing.
Hamas fighters breached Israel’s border defenses on the final day of Sukkot while soldiers were away due to the holiday and launched attacks on 22 towns outside the Gaza Strip. This security lapse has been described as a catastrophic failure of Israel's intelligence agencies, including Aman, Mossad and Shin Bet. Hamas is an extremist Islamist militant organization that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007. It is recognized as an Iranian backed terrorist group by the US and European Union and has a long history of violence against Jews and Palestinians, the latter of whom they often continued on page 3
Jazz in the Spirit 2022 at Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland, California was such a great success, they decided to do it again this year! What’s all the excitement about? What is Jazz in the Spirit 2023? It’s a smooth jazz and gospel music outreach concert whose main goal is to unite people from diverse cultural backgrounds for a night of worship, fellowship, and fun! Doors open at 6:00 pm, Friday, October 27, 2023. The concert begins at 6:30 pm, and admission is FREE! What a great way to end the week! You’ll want to get there early because they are expecting a packed house! Charles A. Kelly is one of the featured artists at the concert. You may know him in the neighborhood as Manager/ Coach/Assistant Coach for the local Little League teams. Or, you may have seen him, his wife, and their children serving in ministry at church for many years. Charles and the Praise and Worship Team opened up concerts for Christian artists, CeCe Winans, Israel Houghton, Jeremy Camp, the Katinas, Mary Mary, Salvador, Selah, and Tommy Walker. When asked how he had learned to play multiple keyboards at a time, Charles credits much of his musical experience to the time he spent in the music studio working with Stevie Wonder and his time on the road as Musical Director touring with Sister Sledge (best known for the song We Are Family). So, with all that experience, why go into music ministry for the Church? Charles says, “I got into Christian music initially because I felt it was a healthy environment to resume my music career, while helping
out at the church as a volunteer. However, as time went on, I realized that volunteering to play keyboards in the church services was bringing me into a muchneeded personal relationship with Christ. As I began to be filled with the Holy Spirit, I soon realized that God has a purpose for me playing Christian music. It had become an integral part of my life, and still is. Now, after many years of playing keyboards, Charles, for the first time, has fused his love or Christ with his musical experience in his first album as a solo artist titled, You’re Not Alone. Each song, though instrumental, tells a unique story about personal relationships. Also featured at the Jazz in the Spirit concert is renown electric guitar player, Blake Aaron. “I started playing at Immanuel Baptist Church because of my long relationship with Bob Barrett. He and I played together at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest for eight years before Bob Barrett became the musical Director over at Immanuel. Soon after, about 11 years ago, Bob called me and asked if I would like to join him at Immanuel, and I have been there ever since.” Even though Blake has topped the Smooth Jazz charts, has several #1 Billboard singles, and has recorded and/or performed with such musical greats as Philip Bailey, Sheila E., Frank Stallone, Bobby Womack, Carlos Santana, and many others, Blake still plays his guitar regularly at the Immanuel Baptist Church Sunday morning services. Blake will also be sharing his musical genius with you at the Jazz in the Spirit concert. If you close your eyes for just a moment while continued on page 2
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