Vol. 60 No. 24, Thursday, June 11, 2020

Page 1

60

th

Anniversary

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ThursdayJune Vol. Vol. 57 60No. No.24 35    || Thursday, August 11, 2020 31, 2017

COVID-19 UPDATES - SEE PAGE 16

NATIONAL BLACK

CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION

SIGNS HISTORIC AGREEMENT WITH AGC

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Cannot be Heard”

Serving Serving San Diego SanCounty’s Diego County’s African & African AfricanAmerican & African Communities American57Communities Years 60 Years

BLM SAN DIEGO CHAPTER’S MOVING PROTESTS – see page 8

FHCSD’S ‘WHITE COATS FOR BLACK LIVES’ – see page 10

BLACK RUNNING CLUB RUNS FOR JUSTICE – see page 16

THE WASHINGTON D.C.

Mayor and Her Street Sign

LA MESA RESIDENTS SHARE THOUGHTS ON THE AMAURIE JOHNSON CASE

Photo: AP

By Staff Writer

By Voice & Viewpoint Staff

Voice & Viewpoint

By now, the nation knows that the Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington, D.C., had blocks of the city’s streets leading to the White House painted “BLACK LIVES MATTER” in large yellow letters. At the same time, Mayor Bowser renamed the street in front of the White House “Black Lives Matter Plaza.” She clearly demonstrated that she, not the President, controls the streets of D.C.

For many, the signing of an agreement between the National Black Contactor’s Association (NBCA) and the Association of General Contractors (AGC) was not only a long time coming, but never expected. For years the AGC, the predominantly white arm of the construction industry in the City of San Diego, has taken upwards of 95% of all construction contracts. Much of this has been done with complete disregard See AGREEMENT page 2

On the same day, Bowser contacted the governors of the states that sent their National Guard Troops to Washington, D.C. and asked for them to be recalled. While these actions might have seemed unusual for a Mayor to take in the face of the President of the United States, one must be reminded of the nature of Washington, D.C., which is not a state and is not located in any of the fifty states. In its truest sense, Washington is a “City State.’’ Its

80+64+807566 See SIGN page 2

BILL BANNING DEADLY POLICE

NEW POLL REVEALS

IN CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY

ON AFRICAN AMERICANS

“SLEEPER HOLD” INTRODUCED COVID-19’s IMPACTS By Antonio Ray Harvey

80%

California Black Media

64%

80%

Last week, reacting to the violent death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man in Minnesota, California Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) introduced a new bill.

75%

66%

64% feel less likely to get offered COVID-19 testing 80% think Trump has done a poor job

75% think Trump is the most dangerous threat to Af Ams

The legislation, AB 1196, bans law enforcement officers in the state from using carotid artery restraints to subdue and detain suspects. The chokehold — commonly called the “sleeper hold” among wrestling fans — is supposed to render victims unconscious, but it has proven to be deadly.

Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) speaking at a press conference June 8, at the State Captiol. Photo by: Antonio Harvey.

80% want to hold off on ending the shutdown

66% believe race is a factor in police treatment of protesters

Newswire

By Voice & Viewpoint Staff We journeyed in and around La Mesa this week and asked La Mesa residents,”What are your thoughts about the Amaurie Johnson case?” A controversial video of Johnson, 23, being arrested May 27 at an apartment complex adjacent to the Grossmont Trolley Station went viral over social media. Johnson was arrested just two days after the tragic police-custody death of George Floyd was caught on video and images of Floyd’s death swept the country. Though Johnson was arrested for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, the video showed no evidence of the charge. The video of Johnson’s arrest, in part, sparked the protests that erupted in front of the La Mesa Police Department just days later. La Mesa Police Chief Walt Vasquez announced Friday, June 5, that all charges against Johnson would be dropped. Here’s what was on the minds of three La Mesa residents when asked about the Amaurie Johnson case: Security Guard Dave Johnson

“The world watched as the 200-pound weight of a police officer was leveraged on the neck of George Floyd for over 8 minutes. Two other officers held him down and another watched as his body succumbed to the attack and went limp before expiring,” said Gipson, who co-authored the bill with other legislators who are members of California’s

In mid May 2020, the African American Research Collaborative (AARC) in partnership with the NAACP and the Equity Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) at Yale School of Medicine presented new polling detailing the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic on African American communities. The poll is the first of its kind, with a deep dive into

Security Guard Dave Johnson has been temporarily standing post of the La Mesa Vons. Although he isn’t a resident of La Mesa, Johnson believes there was an unconscious bias used against Amauri Johnson. When asked if there was something more he thinks

See BILL page 2

See POLL page 2

See AMAURIE page 2

Voice & Viewpoint


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