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Professor Talks About Amendment Rights Relating To Same Sex Marriages
Activist Changes Approach To Change Community
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Nadine Smith, CEO of the state’s biggest gay rights and same sex marriage or- ganization, Equality Florida, has not wavered in her effort to get not just Florida, but all states to recognize the rights of gay couples.
One point of Smith’s campaign has been the viola- tion of individual rights as well as an amendment to the constitution.
Professor Karen Fultz, a visiting professor at Cooley Law School, said the 14th Amendment requires li- censes be given to same sex couples.
“The indecisiveness of the Supreme Court is because they want to make a state- ment that will have an im- pact across the country. They are still debating among themselves about decisions made in other jurisdictions.
“The second argument is
PROFESSOR KAREN FULTZ
the Supreme Court taking a look into how to deal with same sex marriages recog- nized in one state, but not in others, especially for couples getting married in a state that recognizes the right, then moving to a state that doesn’t.”
Professor Fultz said the 14th Amendment is not gender specific and that is at the basis of arguments about all same sex marriages.
“The argument is consti-
tutional rights are being vio- lated, and the Courts have to deal with this. Also, the state must meet individual scrutiny.
“Same Sex marriage and gay rights has long been a po- litical issue, especially with Democrats and Republicans using it as a platform for their own agendas.”
Professor Fultz said the states feel the people should decide through a ref- erendum.
“I also feel when the sub- ject of medical marijuana fi- nally comes up for discussion, it will become a problem more for employers than their employees.
“If a doctor says it’s fine for you to use medical mari- juana, and an employer says you will be terminated if you useitonthejob,thatisa problem. Also, you will have to take into consideration those employers who require drug testing before hiring anyone.”
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Simply put, 26-year-old Clarence Jones has seen too many violent deaths. He has gone to too many funer- als of young Black men.
There was a need for something to be done to stop the violence, stop the killing, and make a positive change. In order to establish himself, Jones became the leader of the Tampa Black Panther Party. He used a bullhorn and a militant approach to get his message across.
Jones said, “I had to es- tablish the core of the Black Panther Movement in Tampa. Now, I have pro- gressed a bit from the mili- tant side to being out in the forefront to stop the vio- lence.
“My best friend, Terry McDuffie, died in 2007, my uncle, James Bass, died in 2003. He was shot 13 times. I have had several close friends, so many, killed through the years, and it seems no one was paying at- tention to the community,” he said.
With the upsurge of vio- lent deaths this year, several rallies to stop the violence have taken place. Others are on the agenda. But for Jones, this is not a single ef- fort to address an immediate situation. It is a lifetime com- mitment.
“For some, this is a one- time thing, but not for me. I’m out there 24/7 putting it out there.’
A graduate of Blake High School, Jones blames the system for much of what is
CLARENCE JONES Black Panther Party Leader
taking place in the commu- nity today.
“I beat all of the obstacles and I graduated. They made us the problem child in school. The kids are undere- ducated and are being kicked out of school with nowhere to go. They see hopeless- ness,” the member of St. John Progressive Missionary Baptist Church said.
In addition to the deaths, the other problem the com- munity faces is a lack of life insurance. In many in- stances, when an individual dies, the family has to worry about paying for the burial.
“If a family is in need, I’m out there, raising money fry- ing fish or washing cars. I do whatever I can to help. We have helped raise more than $100,000 since 2007,” he said.
In addition to stopping the violence, Jones is also concerned about the rela- tionship between the com- munity and the police department. He has estab- lished a police complaint hotline (813-502-0338), and said he received 25 com- plaints the first day it was op- erational.
“At the end of the month, I will carry the complaints to Internal Affairs. But, the people will have to make an official complaint as well. I can’t do it by myself and I can’t do it for them, they must go through it with me.”
While helping members of the community to file complaints when they feel misconduct or harassment has taken place, Jones said the hotline will be helpful.
However, the day-to-day effort to stop the violence is a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, lifetime commitment.
PAGE 10-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015