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The CSRA’s FREE WEEKLY WEEKLY

Newspaper Newspaper VOL.2 NO.31 VOL.2 NO.18 The CSRA’s

APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

TERROR

BOSTON

REPLAY

MARATHON Could it happen here?

Sheriff Roundtree responds

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UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

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— Sheriff Richard Roundtree

Augusta Sheriff Richard Roundtree says the Augusta commission may have to consider increased security measures when budget time rolls around. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

Roundtree discusses bombing in Boston and Masters security UrbanProWeekly: What went through your mind when you first began to understand the facts of the bombings from a law enforcement perspective?

Bomb blast area near the finish line at the Boston Marathon has become ‘ground zero’ in search for clues.

Bomb investigators search for suspect shown in video

By David L. Ryan Boston Globe Staff Writer BOSTON In a potential breakthrough in the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombing, investigators have isolated images of a suspect carrying and perhaps dropping a black bag believed to have held one of two bombs that exploded 12 seconds apart Monday near the finish line of the historic race, said an official briefed on the investigation.

Authorities were “very close” Wednesday in their pursuit of the bomber, said the official, who declined to be named.

A surveillance camera at the Lord & Taylor store, across Boylston Street from the Forum

restaurant where the second bomb exploded, has provided video of the area, though it was unclear whether the image of the suspect came from that camera, the official said.

“The camera from Lord & Taylor is the best source of video so far,” confirmed Dot Joyce, a spokeswoman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston. “All I know is that they are making progress.”

Disclosure that a bomber had been caught on camera came on a tumultuous day filled with a seesaw of emotion, due to disputed reports that police had made an arrest in the case, and as Boston prepared to receive President Obama to speak at an interfaith service Thursday.

Sheriff Roundtree: My immediate thought was of the victims and the officers on the scene and could there be additional explosions. Two friends of mine that I met in the FBI Academy are captains with the Boston Police Department and had just been guests of mine on Saturday for the Masters and they had told me that they had to fly back to work the marathon.

Then I thought that for the past seven days all of the world had been tuned into Augusta for the Masters and what if an explosions occurred at the corner of Washington Rd. and Berkmans’s Rd. at 8:00 AM on Sunday. There were easily 1000 people in that area.

UrbanProWeekly: In preparation for your first Masters Tournament as sheriff, were there any specific measures already in place or newly implemented which would have enabled you to respond more efficiently to a deadly threat to the public?

Sheriff Roundtree: I can’t comment on specific security measures, but there was, and always has been, an Emergency Operational Plan in Place. For the last few months we discussed certain scenarios and our response to them. In the event that we have a Critical incident, I am confident that the citizens of Augusta would see us at our best.

UrbanProWeekly: What other outside agencies, federal or state, assist in security

for The Masters Tournament?

Sheriff Roundtree: We have support from all surrounding Federal, State and local agencies, to include but not limited to the FBI, ATF, GBI, State Patrol, Probation & Parole, School Board, Railroad Police and Columbia County S.O.

UrbanProWeekly: Is the Richmond County obliged to follow any guidelines for dealing with potential terror attacks in the wake of the 911 Bombings?

Sheriff Roundtree: The State and Federal Government offers National Emergency Management training for agencies as well as individual Officers who may have to act as Incident Commanders. All of my Command Staff have completed various levels of training, but it is up to each individual agency to develop their own emergency response plan.

UrbanProWeekly: Will preparations for the 2014 Masters Tournament likely be modified to include the possibility of violent disruptions threatening public safety?

Sheriff Roundtree: We are always looking for ways to improve security. We would be remiss if we do not use this this tragedy as a learning opportunity. And we would be naive to think that something like this could not happen here. We also know that come budget time, the Commission is going to have to make some hard decisions and we are going to do everything in our power to help, but when it comes to the safety of this community….is it really a hard decision?

3 UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

. . . we would be naive to think that something like this could not happen here.

UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

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Neighborhoods & more Shortages in pubic housing money fueled by the implementation of the first round of automatic budget cuts – sequestration – have reached the Garden City. The Augusta Housing Authority, in the midst of an unprecedented building boom, has been forced to fire 25 employees and freeze its Section 8 voucher program.

Cherry Tree Crossing residents gather in the community room to hear Housing Authority officials update them about a demolition application being made to HUD. If approved, they will have to relocate in an economic climate where fewer afforable housing units are available. Photo by Vincent Hobbs

Housing Authority slashes payroll

By Frederick Benjamin Urban Pro Weekly Staff Writer AUGUSTA About six weeks ago, the public housing outlook for Augusta became far more precarious as a result of federal budget cuts.

When the country went over the mythic “fiscal cliff” at the end of 2012 it automatically kicked off a series of automatic budget cuts — sequestration — which began on March 1, 2013.

On that day, public housing professionals, advocates and developers all across the nation had to cope with 5 percent fewer public housing dollars.

In Augusta, it meant that the Augusta Housing Authority (AHA), the shelter provider of last resort, faced its greatest challenge ever in its attempt to provide affordable housing for poor, elderly, and disabled citizens. It’s a challenge that the AHA is taking seriously. It has been unable to meet its monthly payroll.

Housing Authority director Jacob Oglesby told Urban Pro Weekly that it had to release 25 workers.

Things will likely get worse.

“We’re only getting 82 percent of what we should be getting,” Oglesby said.

According to Oglesby, the cuts mean that Housing Assistance Fees (the money paid to landlords who rent through the Section 8 program) have been cut by 6 percent and administrative fees have been cut by 30 percent.

The cuts mean that the availability of the Section 8 housing will not increase until funding levels return to normal.

“We normally have turnover vouchers, but we’re not able to use them without further funding,” Oglesby said.

The federal Section 8 program enables tenants to pay 30 percent of their income toward housing, and public housing agencies pay the rest using federal dollars.

Continued on next page

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Harold V. Jones II ATTORNEY AT LAW

Criminal Law • Divorce • Personal Injury • Employment Law

SHEPARD, PLUNKETT, HAMILTON & BOUDREAUX, LLP 429 Walker Street Upper Level Augusta, GA 30901

Phone 706-722-6200 Fax 706 722-4817 hjones@shepardplunkett.com

U W rban Pro

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UrbanProWeekly LLC Mailing Address: 3529 Monte Carlo Drive Augusta, Georgia 30906

Publisher Ben Hasan 706-394-9411 Managing Editor Frederick Benjamin Sr. 706-836-2018

Marshall Curtis, Pharmacist/Owner Baron Curtis, Pharmacist

Sales & Marketing Phone: 706-394-9411 New Media Consultant Director of Photography Vincent Hobbs

FREE DELIVERY SERVICE

706-722-7355 email: Ben Hasan bzhasan54@yahoo.com Frederick Benjamin Sr. editor@urbanproweekly.com Vincent Hobbs photos@urbanproweekly.com

Housing crisis from page 4

UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

Those federal dollars are harder to come by. For public housing agencies across the nation, sequestration is just the latest in a series of cuts. In January 2012, the federal housing authority (HUD) cut funding to help administer the voucher program by 25 percent.

With fewer dollars available to pay out, some landlords may be discouraged from participating in the Section 8 program, making it harder for low-income families to find qualifying units, housing professionals say.

Augusta has to stop issuing vouchers to some new tenants as other families move off the program. And since future funding is based in part on actual expenditures, present cuts will cause the agency to further contract in the future, Oglesby explains.

Douglas Rice, senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recently authored a report that found 140,000 low-income families could be denied access to rental assistance by early next year because of the sequester.

“The severity of the shortfall in voucher renewal funding caused by sequestration is unprecedented in the history of the program,” Rice wrote in the report.

“Facing such large shortfalls, agencies will be forced to take steps to reduce program costs quickly, even as they spend down reserves.”

The latest round of cuts currently won’t have an impact on the AHA’s current development plans that include the Legacy at Walton Oaks begun in 2011 and the plans it has on the drawing board for Cherry Tree Crossing and other projects.

On Wednesday, the AHA conducted a public hearing with Cherry Tree Crossing

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Augustan Yusuf Shahiid speaks to members of the Augusta Housing Authority after a public hearing was held in the community room of Cherry Tree Crossing on Tuesday. The Augusta Housing Authority gave residents updated moving information during the hearing. Mr. Sahiid voiced his concerns about preparing residents for the transition of moving into new housing once Cherry Tree Crossing is closed. Photo by Vincent Hobbs residents who learned last October that the housing complex, Augusta’s oldest and largest, will be torn town and the residents will have to be relocated.

Demolition of public housing is not a simple process. The housing authority must present an acceptable plan for the future use of the property and the successful relocation of current tenants.

The housing authority proposes to

COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY The Richmond County School System will accept bids and request for proposals until 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, 2013, for the following: Asbestos Abatement at Butler High School Project No. ACES 118-205 Bid specifications may be obtained by contacting Amy Bauman in the Business Office at 706-8261298, on our web site at www.rcboe.org, or at the Richmond County School System, Central Office, 864 Broad Street, 4th Floor, Augusta, Georgia 30901.

The Richmond County School System reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive technicalities and informalities.

COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY By: Dr. Frank G. Roberson, Secretary

redevelop the Cherry Tree Crossing site with approximately 300 affordable units in a four phased mixed-finance development under the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. Approximately 30 percent of the units will be public housing/project based rental assistance with the remaining units being tax credit units.

According to Oglesby, the transforma-

tion of the neighborhood is in line with the city’s Master Plan for the 15th Street corridor.

“Once HUD approves the application, we will meet with each family to determine what their needs are – if they prefer to remain in public housing or if they want to move out into the private sector through the Section 8 Housing voucher program,” Oglesby said.

UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

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PEOPLE & organizations making a difference

Everfaithful celebrates Missionary Anniversary The Everfaithful Missionary Baptist Church will celebrate its Missionary Anniversary on Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 3 p.m.

The featured speaker will be Elder Jackuline Scott, Daughter of the House

of Everfaithful Missionary Baptist Church. The sanctuary is located at 314 Sand Bar Ferry Road in Augusta, Ga. Bishop Rosa L. Williams is the pastor.

For information, call Charlene Crane at 706-722-0553.

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Boot Camp starts on April 8!

GRU students win video competition Four Georgia Regents University students have earned a national award in an American Physiological Society video competition.

The students won Best Video for “Hillbilly Hypoglycemia,” an original video about a person suffering from hypoglycemia. Science majors Michael Ridlehoover, Alexis Wren and Zachary Minter starred in and produced the video, and

Trent Arant, a freshman TV/cinema major, filmed, directed and edited the piece.

Ridlehoover, Wren and Minter will be recognized during the 2013 Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in Boston from April 20-22.

The team received a $750 prize and could win an additional $250 if their video captures the most online views.

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Danny Glover featured at Capital City Bank Scholarship Banquet Friday, April 19, 2013 HEAL Complex

A

Paine College Campus

ctor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover will be the featured guest at the First Annual Capital City Bank & Trust Company Scholarship Foundation Banquet on Friday, April 19, 2013. The event will begin at 7 pm. at Paine College’s HEAL Complex on Druid Park Avenue. Tickets for the Black Tie Event can be obtained by calling 706-432-0024.

Glover has been a commanding presence on screen, stage and television for more than 25 years. As an actor, his film credits range from the blockbuster Lethal Weapon franchise to smaller independent features, some of which Glover also produced. In recent years he has starred in an array of motion pictures including the critically-acclaimed Dreamgirls directed by Bill Condon and in the futuristic 2012 for director Roland Emmerich. In addition to his film work, Glover is highly sought after as a public speaker, delivering inspiring addresses and moving performances in such diverse venues as college campuses, union rallies and business conventions.

Glover has gained respect for his widereaching community activism and philanthropic efforts, with a particular emphasis on advocacy for economic justice and access to health care and education programs in the United States and Africa. For these efforts Glover received a 2006 DGA Honor and was honored with a 2011 “Pioneer Award” from the National Civil Rights Museum. Internationally

Celebrating 100 Years of Distinguished Sisterhood The Augusta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Aiken Alumnae, Lake Oconee Area Alumnae, Thomson Alumnae, Eta Theta (Paine College), and MU XI - Georgia Regents University continue to celebrate 100 hundred years of Distinguished Sisterhood, Scholarship and Service.

As a part of this celebration, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will hold its Centennial Gala at the Savannah Rapids Pavilion on Friday, May 3, 2013 from 7:30 pm - Midnight. Tickets are $35.00 and attire is formal. The Savannah Rapids Pavilion is located at 3300 Evans to Lock Road, Martinez, GA. The celebration in Augusta will culminate Parade and Torch Ceremony on May 4, 2013. A special Torch Ceremony will be held at 10am (location to be announced) with the parade line up at 8 am on Mill Street behind C.T. Walker Magnet School.

Venders will be located at 339 LaneyWalker Blvd.

For More Information Contact: Chandra Tennpenny 615-507-9711 or Valencia Burns 678-314-1853.

Glover has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 19982004, focusing on issues of poverty, disease and economic development in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Glover was presented in 2011 with the prestigious Medaille des Arts et des Letters from the French Ministry of Culture.

In 2005 Glover co-founded NY based Louverture Films with writer/ producer Joslyn Barnes. The company is dedicated to the development and production of films of historical relevance, social purpose, commercial value and artistic integrity. Among the films Glover has executive produced at Louverture are: the César-nominated Bamako, Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Oscarâ and Emmyâ nominated Trouble The Water, the award winning The Black Power Mixtape 19671975, and the 2012 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner The House I Live In. He has also associate produced Elia Suleiman’s The Time That Remains, and the 2010 Cannes Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.

It was his Broadway debut in Fugard’s Master Harold…and the Boys that brought him to national recognition and led director Robert Benton to cast him in his first leading role in 1984’s Academy Award-nominated Best Picture, Places in the Heart. The fol-

lowing year Glover starred in two more Best Picture nominated films: Peter Weir’s Witness and Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. In 1987 Glover partnered with Mel Gibson in the first Lethal Weapon film and went on the star in three hugely successful Lethal Weapon sequels.

On the small screen, Glover won an Image Award, a Cable ACE Award and earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of the HBO Movie Mandela. He has also received Emmy nominations for his work in the acclaimed miniseries Lonesome Dove, the telefilm Freedom Song and as a director he earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Showtime’s Just a Dream. Most recently, Glover was a co-star on the popular television series Touch.

UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

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Snarkey Puppy appears live at the Julian Smith Casino on Sunday, April 21, 2013.

#JazzLives

National Poetry Month

Collective Culture + Soul Celebration

April 21, 2013 @ 7pm Julian Smith Casino Augusta GA

On April 21, 2013, Live Music, Art and Movement will be hosted

by Garden City Jazz, Humanitree House and Soul Center Georgia.

This collaboration will feature local rising stars, visual artists interpreting the music; dance and poetry; recording artists Snarky Puppy closes the show. Snarky Puppy has one of the freshest sounds in the world of instrumental music today.

This convergence of different cultures, races, ages, and musical backgrounds has birthed a sound that is setting trends and defying boundaries worldwide. It is a delicate mixture of real American music, from jazz to funk to R&B to rock, and seasoned heavily with the sounds of Brazil, Puerto Rico, Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans. While exotic, virtuosic, and laden with

musical depth, Snarky Puppy has the ability to “go in multiple directions while remaining imminently listenable and ultimately, danceable. The music is completely uncompromised, unorthodox, and unmistakably unique.

The Julian Smith Casino will be transformed into a Soulful, Jazzy, Funky Paradise that is sure to engage your senses on every level.

This is a family friendly event and all are welcome. You don’t want to miss this evening of EXPLOSIVE music, beautiful people and celebration.

WHEN: Sunday, April 21, 2013 6:00 p.m. @ Julian Smith Casino TICKETS: $12 adv., $15 door or PURCHASE ONLINE @http:// jazzlives.bpt.me/ CONTACT: Jazzlives@ gardencityjazz.com • www.

Live music, art and movement hosted by Garden City Jazz, Humanitree House and Soul Center GA; open jam with

Friday, April 19, 2013

Open Mic Variety Show

Hosted by: LadyVee DaPoet Brought to you by: Lucinda Clark, ‘Poetry Matters Celebration;’ Sherryl James, Augusta Richmond County Public Library Doors Open: 6:30pm; Show: 7-9pm Calling all Spoken Word Artists, Poets, Writers, Singers, Musicians, Conscious Hip Hop Artists, and Lovers of the Quality Performing Arts!

It’s time to take to the stage and Celebrate the Artistry of LIVE Entertainment!

(Refreshments will be served) This Event is FREE and Open to the Public!!

All Ages Welcome!

Augusta Library Downtown 823 Telfair Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901

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UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

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LAGOS JUMP: People walk through the street during Lagos Carnival in Lagos, Nigeria, Monday, April 1, 2013. Performers filled the streets of Lagos’ islands Monday as part of the Lagos Carnival, a major festival in Nigeria’s largest city during Easter weekend. (AP Photo/ Sunday Alamba)

Jennifer Norman-Dixon Independent Cruise & Vacation Specialist

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Award-winning journalist Bob Woodruff and his wife, Lee, are the featured speakers at Georgia Regents University’s Alumni Weekend Signature Event at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at the Imperial Theatre in downtown Augusta. The university’s alumni award winners will also be recognized during the program.

Bob Woodruff joined ABC News in 1996 and has covered major stories including Hurricane Katrina, the Asian Tsunami, and the war in Iraq.

He was named co-anchor of ABC’s World News Tonight in December 2005. The following month, while reporting from Iraq, Woodruff and his cameraman were critically injured by a roadside bomb that struck his vehicle near Taji.

He and his wife’s presentation will focus on how their family, including their four children, survived and thrived after such a life-changing event.

Bob Woodruff returned to ABC News in 2007 and continues to cover stories focusing on the needs of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with his “Bob Woodruff Reports” unit. Lee Woodruff garnered critical acclaim for the compelling and humorous way she chronicled her family’s journey to recovery. She is a contributing reporter for CBS This Morning and is the author of two more best-selling books “Perfectly Imperfect – A Life in Progress” and “Those We Love Most.” She has penned

Unique Baskets

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UniqueBaskets51@yahoo.com Facebook: Unique Baskets Bob and Lee Woodruff numerous personal articles about her family and parenting that have run in high-profile magazines like Ladies Home Journal, Real Simple, Redbook, Country Livingand Parade.

The Woodruffs founded the Bob Woodruff Foundation (ReMind.org) in 2006 to assist wounded service members and their families to receive the long-term care that they need and help them successfully reintegrate into their communities.

Tickets are free for alumni and $10 for non-alums. To purchase tickets, contact the GRU Office of Alumni Relations 706-737-1759. To register for Alumni Weekend events, visit http:// www.gru.edu/alumniweekend/.

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11 UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

Bob and Lee Woodruff to speak at GRU Alumni Weekend

Commentary

UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

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No rush to judgement in Boston

by Robert Parry The U.S. news media appears to have learned some painful lessons from past experiences about jumping to conclusions after terrorist incidents, and most pundits as well as journalists demonstrated more professional restraint in their coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing on Monday, the Patriots Day holiday in Massachusetts.

Shortly after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, people help remove the injured from the scene.

While there was speculation about a possible attack by Middle East terrorists, spurred by the questioning of a Saudi national, there were also timely observations about the significance of the date for American rightwing extremists.

Not only is April 15 known as Tax Day because of the federal filing deadline, but Patriots Day in Massachusetts honors the Minutemen

The definition of terrorism is a violent act directed against civilians to achieve a political goal. While the Boston bombing was clearly a violent attack on civilians, it wasn’t immediately clear what the motivation was since no individual or group had credibly claimed responsibility for the attack. who battled the British on April 19, 1775, the start of the Revolutionary War. Some right-wing extremists have hijacked such patriotic symbolism to justify violent attacks on the federal government.

Timothy McVeigh’s bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City was on April 19, 1995, which also was the second anniversary of the fiery conclusion of the Waco siege which began 50 days earlier when a heavily armed Christian sect opened fire on and killed federal agents arriving to serve a warrant to search for illegal guns.

Given the intense passions about

gun control and the other significance of Patriots Day, the hesitancy to immediately blame “Muslim terrorists” represented an improvement over the recklessness that was common at such moments, especially in the 1990s when some “terrorism experts” regularly pointed their fingers in the wrong directions.

In flipping the channels on Monday evening and Tuesday morning, I did encounter some silly chatter criticizing President Barack Obama for not immediately condemning the twin bombings in Boston as “terrorism.” Obama apparently was being circumspect in his brief speech to the nation on Monday

evening and did not want to enflame the situation with speculation.

The definition of terrorism is a violent act directed against civilians to achieve a political goal. While the Boston bombing was clearly a violent attack on civilians, it wasn’t immediately clear what the motivation was since no individual or group had credibly claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the absence of known motivation, one could not rule out the possibility of a single perpetrator acting out of personal rage or simply insanity, which might fall outside the rubric of terrorism. So, Obama’s caution appeared well-placed, since a presidential declaration prejudging some act as terrorism could have legal ramifications.

The pundit chatter over his choice of words, therefore, represented an example of a contrived “controversy,” sadly the sort of silliness that the news media seemed to be avoiding with its more careful handling of the tragedy in Boston.

Gitmo is killing me!

Detained for years without a trial, political prisoners on hunger strike.

By Samir Naji al Hasan Moqbel GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba ONE man here weighs just 77 pounds. Another, 98. Last thing I knew, I weighed 132, but that was a month ago.

I’ve been on a hunger strike since Feb. 10 and have lost well over 30 pounds. I will not eat until they restore my dignity.

I’ve been det a i ned at Guantánamo for 11 years and three months. I have never been charged with any crime. I have never received a trial.

I could have been home years ago — no one seriously thinks I am a threat — but still I am here. Years ago the military said I was a “guard” for Osama bin Laden, but this was nonsense, like something out of the American movies I used to watch.

They don’t even seem to believe it anymore. But they don’t seem to care how long I sit here, either.

When I was at home in Yemen, in 2000, a childhood friend told me that in Afghanistan I could do better than the $50 a month I earned in a factory, and support my family. I’d never really traveled, and knew nothing about Afghanistan, but I gave it a try.

I was wrong to trust him. There was no work. I wanted to leave, but had no money to fly home. After the American invasion in 2001, I fled to Pakistan like everyone else.

“The only reason I am still here is that President Obama refuses to send any detainees back to Yemen. This makes no sense. I am a human being, not a passport, and I deserve to be treated like one.”

The Pakistanis arrested me when I asked to see someone from the Yemeni Embassy. I was then sent to Kandahar, and put on the first plane to Gitmo.

Last month, on March 15, I was sick in the prison hospital and refused to be fed. A team from the E.R.F. (Extreme Reaction Force), a squad of eight military police officers in riot gear, burst in. They tied my hands and feet to the bed. They forcibly

inserted an IV into my hand. I spent 26 hours in this state, tied to the bed.

During this time I was not permitted to go to the toilet. They inserted a catheter, which was painful, degrading and unnecessary. I was not even permitted to pray.

I will never forget the first time they passed the feeding tube up my nose.

I can’t describe how painful it is to be force-fed this way. As it was thrust in, it made me feel like throwing up. I

wanted to vomit, but I couldn’t. There was agony in my chest, throat and stomach. I had never experienced such pain before. I would not wish this cruel punishment upon anyone.

I am still being force-fed. Two times a day they tie me to a chair in my cell.

My arms, legs and head are strapped down. I never know when they will come. Sometimes they come during the night, as late as 11 p.m., when I’m sleeping.

There are so many of us on hunger strike now that there aren’t enough qualified medical staff members to carry out the force-feedings; nothing is happening at regular intervals.

They are feeding people around the clock just to keep up.

During one force-feeding the nurse pushed the tube about 18 inches into my stomach, hurting me more than usual, because she was doing things so hastily. I called the interpreter to ask the doctor if the procedure was being done correctly or not.

It was so painful that I begged them to stop feeding me. The nurse refused to stop feeding me. As they were finishing, some of the “food” spilled on my clothes. I asked them to change my clothes, but the guard refused to allow me to hold on to this last shred of my dignity.

When they come to force me into the chair, if I refuse to be tied up, they Continued on next page

call the E.R.F. team. So I have a choice.

Either I can exercise my right to protest my detention, and be beaten up, or I can submit to painful force-feeding.

The only reason I am still here is that President Obama refuses to send any detainees back to Yemen. This makes no sense. I am a human being, not a passport, and I deserve to be treated like one.

I do not want to die here, but until President Obama and Yemen’s president do something, that is what I risk every day.

Where is my government? I will submit to any “security measures” they want in order to go home, even though they are totally unnecessary.

I will agree to whatever it takes in order to be free. I am now 35. All I want is to see my family again and to start a

family of my own.

The situation is desperate now. All of the detainees here are suffering deeply.

At least 40 people here are on a hunger strike. People are fainting with exhaustion every day. I have vomited blood.

And there is no end in sight to our imprisonment. Denying ourselves food and risking death every day is the choice we have made.

I just hope that because of the pain we are suffering, the eyes of the world will once again look to Guantánamo before it is too late.

Samir Naji al Hasan Moqbel, a prisoner at Guantánamo Bay since 2002, told this story, through an Arabic interpreter, to his lawyers at the legal charity Reprieve in an unclassified telephone call.

COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY The Richmond County School System will accept bids and request for proposals until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2013, for the following: 1. Kitchen Exhaust Hood System Cleaning RFP #13-632 2. Ambulance Service for Football Games RFP #13-637 3. Small Kitchen Equipment Bid #318 Bid specifications may be obtained by contacting Amy Bauman in the Business Office at 706-826-1298, on our web site at www.rcboe.org, or at the Richmond County School System, Central Office, 864 Broad Street, 4th Floor, Augusta, Georgia 30901.

The Richmond County School System reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive technicalities and informalities.

COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION OF RICHMOND COUNTY By: Dr. Frank G. Roberson, Secretary

Notice to Lower Income Families Augusta Housing Authority This notice is to advise that effective Tuesday, April 9, 2013 the Augusta Housing Authority will open the waiting list for the Project Based Voucher Programs for The Legacy at Walton Oaks and Maxwell House Apartments. The waiting list for the Public Housing Program is open.

The waiting list for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and Moderate Rehabilitation Program is currently closed. The Augusta Housing Authority will accept updated information from persons who have previously applied for the Section 8, Moderate Rehabilitation, Project Based and Public Housing Programs.

Walton Communities provides a quality living environment in a “Breathe Easy, Smoke Free Community” for low income adults ages 55 and up.

Special rental assistance will be provided with respect to 26 of the 75 apartment homes through the project based vouchers provided by the Augusta Housing Authority. Applications for the Section 8 Project Based Voucher Program for The Legacy at Walton Oaks will be accepted by applying in person at the Augusta Housing Authority located at 1435 Walton Way, Augusta, Georgia between the hours of 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. and completing an on-line application at www.augustapha.org. The Legacy at Walton Oaks will access a $14 application fee to process your application. Eligible applicants will be placed on the site-based waiting list and will be ranked by date and time.

Maxwell House, LLC provides 44 1-bedroom units of permanent supportive housing at Maxwell House Apartments. The Project Based Vouchers are used to provide rental assistance for 44 extremely low to lower income families. Maxwell House, LLC offers quality affordable housing while providing essential supportive services to assist special needs families to move successfully from dependency to self-sufficiency. Applications for the Section 8 Project Based Voucher Program for Maxwell House Apartments will be accepted by contacting Maxwell House Apartments at (706) 724-1927 and completing an on-line application at www.augustapha. org. Walk-in customers wanting to apply will not be seen during the open application period.

This notice is also to advise that effective May 8, 2013 at 6:00p.m., the Augusta Housing Authority will close the waiting lists for the Project Based Voucher Programs for The Legacy at Walton Oaks and Maxwell House Apartments.

The Augusta Housing Authority does not discriminate in admission or access to its federally assisted programs. Any potentially eligible individual who has a visual or hearing impairment will be provided with information necessary to understand and participate in the Augusta Housing Authority’s programs. Richard Arfman has been designated as the responsible employee to coordinate the Augusta Housing Authority’s efforts to comply with the nondiscrimination based on handicap regulations.

Equal Housing Opportunity The Housing Authority of the City of Augusta, Georgia

EAST AUGUSTA COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION

SUMMER CAMP

The East Augusta Community Organization will hold a Summer Camp at May Park Community Center for students in grades 5-8 and 9-12 from June 10, 2013 - July 19, 2013. This Summer Camp will strengthen academic skills, promote community awareness, and provide participation in a team sport, such as basketball. The unique set of academic, cultural, and athletic experiences wil enhance the participants’ self-estem, expand their critical thinking skills, and improve their physical fitness. All students in the Augusta community are encouraged to apply. If you need additional information, please call (706) 231-4937 or (706) 860-9872. If no one answers, please leave your name and number and you will be contacted.

Please sent you name, address, and telephone number to the address below: East Augusta Community Organization

P.O. Box 6366, Augusta, GA 30916

By: Jacob Oglesby, Executive Director Mission Statement: To promote adequate and affordable housing, economic opportunity and a suitable living environment free from discrimination.

Get Urban Pro Weekly at your local Circle K store In Augusta

13 UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

GITMO IS KILLING ME from page 12

UrbanProWeekly • APRIL 18 - 24, 2013

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LETTERS

Another forgotten community?

Fascinating facts presented all week by the Augusta Chronicle on the forgotten cities of the CSRA. Pinetucky, Dunbarton, and Ellenton were all once thriving communities, and were lost for a greater good. This history was insightful as our community faces a similar fate. Yes, I’m talking about Sand Hills... again. Anyone who knows me is familiar with my diatribe. We must revitalize this historic African American neighborhood that is literally a stone’s throw from the Augusta National. We are surrounded

by GRU, Augusta Country Club, and Summerville but we continue to serve only as a thoroughfare. Ironically, I was told by a local historian that there used to be Masters celebrations and parades in Sand Hills during the 40s and 50s, as it was home to many of the caddies. That’s some history I would love to see.

Today, as holy week comes and goes, the dichotomy stings somewhat. On

one side is celebration of the world’s best known tournament and on our side.....nothing...for now. The white and gray passenger vans roll through, the G5s and G6s have their landing patterns pass over our neighborhood on their way to Daniel Field. I hear Bill Gates passes right by my house on the way to the Augusta National from Summerville. Really? Bill, we need you to see the incredible opportunity in this forgotten community and invest Gates Foundation monies into it. I was also excited to see the newest Augusta National member, former Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice in town for the tournament. Now that she’s an honorary Augustan, I want to invite her to come to Sand Hills during next year’s Masters. What a way to inspire our youth and community at large!

On April 6, our neighborhood association hosted a community breakfast.

Leaders from various city departments as well as civic leaders were all in

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attendance. Commissioners Bill Fennoy and Alvin Mason, Steven Kendrick, Fred Russell, Cedric Johnson of GRU, Fire Chief Chris James--the list of speakers was incredible. We presented a scholastic achievement award to Frank Booker Jr., as well as provided vital resources and information to our community.

Thanks to all that participated on a Saturday morning. More importantly thank you to those leaders who have committed to helping Sand Hills move forward. We need holistic revitalization, the model founded by Purpose Built Communities of Atlanta. ‘ Rather than focusing on just a single component of community change, holistic initiatives typically include mixedincome housing, radically improved cradle-to-college educational opportunities, youth and adult development programs, jobs and job training, health and wellness programs, transportation access, recreational opportunities and commercial investment.”

THAT IS WHAT WE NEED. Plan and simple. Revitalization that makes Sand Hills beneficial for those that live here and those around us. Then we can be an integral part of the celebration that is Augusta. (Purpose Built’s executive director and former mayor of Atlanta, Shirley Franklin came down in January to discuss opportunities already) We are the perfect fit.

Let’s make this happen, Augusta.

By 2014, we intend to be a part of this holistic revitalization, and we need the support of our local leaders to speak as one voice. For now, our association is working on our youth programs. Some of the neighborhood kids are helping with our community garden, but they’re anxiously waiting for computers at our community center. Any local companies, libraries or corporations that have a surplus, please let us know.

Javon Armstrong, President Sand Hills Neighborhood Association

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