Page 21 - Florida Sentinel 7-29-16 Online Edition

National
Attorney Jailed After Refusing To Remove ‘Black Lives Matter’ Pin In Court
Ex-Guard Admits To Falsifying Records Before Sandra Bland’s Death
Nine-Year-Old’s Acts Of Kindness Leading Her To Set Up Non-Profit Organization
PRAIRIE VIEW, TX --- A for- mer Texas jail guard recently admitted to falsifying log en- tries to show he checked on Sandra Bland an hour before her death when in fact he did not, according to a lawyer for Bland's family.
But Waller County officials say that's not what jailer Rafael Zuniga's testimony said at all.
Bland's in-custody death last year sparked protests across the country as angry ac- tivists demanded answers.
The 28-year-old was in the middle of moving from Chicago to the Texas area when she was collared during a trou- bling traffic stop when she for- got to put on her turn signal. The arresting officer claimed Bland was combative, but dashcam footage called the cop's version of events into question.
Bland was booked into the county jail for allegedly as- saulting an officer.
Three days later, she was found hanging from a cell par- tition in the county jail, a plas- tic garbage bag around her neck.
Sandra Bland was found hung in her jail cell in Hemp- stead, Texas on July 13, 2015.
Afterward, the medical ex- aminer ruled the death a sui- cide and a grand jury failed to press charges against the jail and sheriff's officials.
A source told a Houston paper that special prosecutors knew about the falsified log and the grand jury still failed to indict. But now, it's come out in the course of a wrongful death suit Bland's mother launched against the county and 12 of its employees.
Zuniga was a new hire, and was just doing what other guards told him when he logged a check he hadn't actu- ally done yet, the source said.
Khloe Thompson, 9, started her acts of kindness by making ‘kare’ bags for homeless women.
ATTORNEY ANDREA BURTON
YOUNGSTOWN, OH -- The Ohio judge stared at Andrea Burton across the table and told the 30-year-old attorney that there had been complaints about the Black Lives Matter pin she was wearing.
He didn’t allow court officials to wear political pins in his courtroom, she recalled him saying, and he asked her to re- move it. She refused.
A few minutes later, after again refusing to take off the pin, Burton was convicted of contempt of court, placed in handcuffs and taken to jail and sentenced to five days.
Now, Burton’s community — and as the story spread, the rest of the nation — is trying to decide whether Burton was exercising her constitutional right to freedom of expression about the killings of black peo- ple by police officers or whether her pin was a political message unfitting of a court official.
Judge Robert Milich told the CBS affiliate in Youngstown, Ohio, that his opinions about Black Lives Matter had nothing to do with his decision.
CALIFORNIA -- Khloe Thompson, 9, is the young creator of Khloe Kares. She proves you’re never too young to give back to your community and make an impact on the world.
Khloe Kares distributes “Kare Bags,” which are hand- made handbags filled with es- sential personal items that she hands out to homeless women.
With the help of her grand- mother, who helps her sew the bags – which contain tooth- paste, deodorant, wipes, soap, hand sanitizers and the like – and then she and her mother distribute them.
Khloe also set up a Go- FundMe page and surpassed her goal of $10,000 by raising over $14,000 in 2 months! Her next project will be to set up a Toy Drive to supply Bar- bies and toy trucks to kids who live in group homes. “These kids have not had the same ad- vantages as I have had in life, and I really want to give back and brighten their day,” Khloe says.
She’s even working to make Khloe Kares a registered 501(c)3 charity organization. She wants to “do even more good for the people in my com- munity and beyond.”
Can You Hear Me Now: Florida Native Is Youngest Black Owner Of Telecommunications Company
TALLAHASSEE, FL —Fred- die Figgers, 26, became one of the youngest African-Amer- icans to own and operate an in- dependent, U. S. based telecommunications company when he launched Figgers Communications.
When he was just 9 years old, Freddie was given a non- functioning computer to take apart and fix. At the age of 13, he went to work as a computer technician and network and administrator, and at 16, Freddie Figgers launched a computer repair business. The same year, Figgers Computers, Inc., was born. He now holds 4 U. S. patents and continues to forge ahead.
The young inventor and soft- ware engineer has taken a pas- sion for working on electronics and a dedication to helping others to create a series of serv- ices and products that seam- lessly provide solutions for everyday needs. For instance, his Figgers F1 phone encour- ages safe driving by disallowing incoming or outgoing texts when it detects motion over 10 MPH.
FREDDIE FIGGERS
Outside of Figgers Commu- nications, Freddie has even helped physicians with an in- vention that helps doctors monitor patients remotely, and in banking with his debit card fraud protection software.
Figgers Communications of- fers cell phone service plans and mobile broadband plans with nationwide coverage starting at $15 per month with- out annual contracts. For more details about the company, visit www.Figgers.com
For more details about Freddie Figgers himself, visit www.FreddieFiggers.com.
Toy Designer Fires Back After Critics Say Her Dolls Are ‘Too Dark’
MALAVILLE TOY DOLLS
NATIONWIDE — Entrepre- neur Mala Bryan, via her company Malaville Toys, is an independent doll maker that designs dolls for African and African American girls to play with. Her unique dolls come in several different shades of brown, each with her own backstory, including career and hobbies. Some, however, have been saying that her dolls are “too dark”.
That simple comment sparked outrage on social media. Even Mala herself was offended, and responded by posting a message on social media that said: “Sending lots of love to the beautiful dark skinned people out there, es-
pecially to those that share the same complexion as our #MaishaDoll just know that you black is beautiful.” She also revealed that the Maisha doll, is in fact, her second best- seller, contrary to what her critics assume.
The truth is that the Malaville doll collection fills a major void in an industry that still underrepresents toys that reflect the kids that play with them. Industry experts say that with the increasing de- mand of dolls for little black girls, dolls with darker com- plexions are very likely to be- come even more popular – especially in Jamaica and countries throughout Africa.
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-B