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Editorials/Columns
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e question whether Hillsborough County Com-
mission chair, Sandy Murman thinks voters cannot see through her recent proposal to change the makeup of the County Commission board by eliminat- ing at-large seats in favor of expanding the board to 9- single-districts, or changing the present 7 seats, into single-member district seats?
To add to the dynamic, how does chair Murman ex- plain her previous opposition to the 9 single-district plan when lone African American County Commis- sioner Les Miller proposed the same thing on 2 occa- sions?
Historically, Murman has not voted to support all- the-people in this county, and we suspect her newest push favors her district and the Republican Party, while diluting a majority-minority district such as what Comm. Miller would’ve supported.
Indeed, we already know from past experience that a 7-member single-district plan would not benefit Black people in this county.
In fact, Black voters have supported the current 4 single-district and 3 at-large seats.
Let’s be clear, with the political universe changing with each election, and gentrification in urban Hills- borough County, the Black Community cannot afford to support a return to an age-old 7 single-member dis- trict plan.
What we know is this: the majority Republican County commission is currently in charge of drawing the commission map if there are changes to the single- member district boundaries; Comm. Murman is termed out in her present single-member seat, and will have to run for an at-large seat to stay on the board. And, her latest proposal would benefit her ability to remain in office without interruption.
So, although chair Murman’s says she feels the pro- posal would be the best thing for the ever growing county, her timing is self- serving and self- centered.
pril 4th marked the 50th
anniversary of the assas- sination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., at the Lor- raine Hotel in Memphis, Ten- nessee. To commemorate the tragic event newspapers and television networks across the country dedicated portions of their publications and their telecasts to revisiting that crit- ical juncture in this nation’s history through first-hand ac- counts from eyewitnesses and interviews with those who lived through that tumultuous era.
But, throughout all of the coverage, there was one glar- ing omission from the telling of the story... The fact that no one still knows who’s respon- sible for murdering the Civil Rights icon?
The man who was initially charged, James Earl Ray, was exonerated of the crime in 1998 after a retrial. The evi- dence presented to prove his innocence was so overwhelm- ing that even King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, was thoroughly convinced that Ray couldn’t have killed her husband and was quoted as
saying that
she be-
lieved Ray
was a fall
guy for a much larger “conspiracy” at play.
Since the court cleared Ray’s name as the culprit, the question I’ve rarely heard pon- dered is “if he didn’t kill Dr. King, then who did?” It is al- most as if the business of Dr. King’s martyrdom (books, merchandising, image licens- ing, events etc..) has been so lucrative over the years that who warrants blame for taking his life doesn’t even matter.
To me it’s mind-boggling that 50 years after this leg- endary man’s death no one is remotely close to solving the mystery. I mean, the killing of Dr. King is arguably one of the 5 biggest events of the 20th century. How can something of this magnitude go unsolved for so long?
We celebrate his life, pay homage to his legacy and build monuments in his honor, yet we don’t push the issue of hav- ing his killers brought to jus-
tice? There is no way that you can look at this picture in its totality and not see that some- thing is seriously wrong.
The irony of it all, of course, is that not a year goes by without there being a tele- vision special that investigates the murders of rappers Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. Two individuals who’s contri- bution to society probably couldn’t match what Dr. King did for people in a 24-hour pe- riod.
Are you telling me that finding out who murdered the only Black man whose statue is erected inside of the Na- tional Mall in Washington D.C. is less important than who pulled the trigger in a rap beef? I don’t think so.
Along with seeking justice for the Michael Brown’s, Alton Sterling’s and Phi- lando Castille’s of the world there should also be a signifi- cant amount of energy di- rected toward demanding the re-opening of Dr. King’s case. The truth is still out there and unmasking his killers should be as much a part of any Black Lives Matter move- ment as anyone else whose life was unjustly taken.
For what Dr. King accom- plished during his time here on Earth, that’s the very least he deserves.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Company. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbarronice@gmail.com.
Who Killed MLK?
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Single-Member District County Commission Seats Proposal —- Who Benefits?
Put It To Death
mpowered Greet-
ings. Putting some- thing to death means it no longer lives or exist. Whatever has been put to death has been eradicated, obliterated, finished and terminated. Death can be a painful experi- ence. However, we must all participate in death no matter how dreadful it may be.
In fact, in order to live our best lives, we must make the sacrifice of putting to death the obstacles that come to hin- der us.
As we go through seasons of growth in our lives, we must constantly access whether to keep alive or put to death peo- ple, places or things. We need to realize that if it’s broken, causing us damage or making us stand still rather than mov- ing us forward, improving us, and building us up for success, then it must cease to exist.
Otherwise, we’ll notice
that the destructive, messed up areas of our life will creep over to healthy portions and start causing them to decay. The more we ignore the obvi- ous stumbling blocks in our path, the greater the chances are that we’ll be putting our dreams at risk of being mani- fested.
Honestly, if truth be told, the reason we’ve held on to stuff we need to put to death as long as we have, is because we’re afraid to let it go. We don’t have confidence that there’s something better for us.
Or,ithasbeenapartofus so long, we don’t know how we will live without it. We’ve become accustomed to it and comfortable with it being present. We know it’s hurting us more than it’s helping us, but yet we keep holding on to it.
That toxic relationship,
those bad habits, guilty or sin- ful pleasures, negative thoughts and opinions about yourself and or others that we think we can’t let go.
Be that as it may, if it’s not beneficial to getting us to our destiny, it must die. As we cel- ebrated Good Friday and re- cently Easter Sunday, which signifies the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, seek to put to death and bury every- thing that’s stands in the way of you positioning you to pos- sess your promise.
So, you can be like Christ and rise up to progress in your purpose. Be encouraged. You can do all things through Christ that strengthens you.
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