Page 28 - Florida Sentinel 2-26-16 Edition

Local
Tampa Mom Says Her Teen Sons Are ‘Innocent’ In Hotel Shooting
Victory Will Only Come Through Unity
CHARLES EDWIN JONES
Since the announcement that arrests had been made in the shooting at a St. Peters- burg Holiday Inn Express, one woman has stepped for- ward, proclaiming the inno- cence of the two charged in the crime.
On Saturday night, St. Pe- tersburg Police reported that two people had been shot after a party at a hotel. Police said during the party, an ar- gument started and someone pulled out a gun.
St. Petersburg Police said it was two Armwood High School brothers responsible for the shooting that left two people wounded.
Brothers, Charles Edwin Jones, 16, and Shawn Antonio Turner- McGee, 18, were arrested at their school, and charged. Jones was charged with at- tempted murder and his brother was charged with ag-
SHAWN ANTONIO TURNER-MCGEE
gravated assault.
Christy, who identified
herself as the mother of the two suspects, said her sons are innocent, and she’s hired an attorney to prove it.
“I want the world to know my sons didn’t do this. It’s painful sitting home and lis- tening to them being trashed by the media and treated like some kind of street gang- sters.
“Since this happened, I’ve been threatened by people over the phone, when I go out in public, and on social media. It needs to stop.”
Christy, who wouldn’t give her last name, said the media and law enforcement are defaming her sons, and the truth will come out as to what really happened at that party. She, however, would not add any additional com- ments on the advice of her at- torney.
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Tampa native Karima Destiny Goode now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, but she says Tampa will always be home.
As one of the organizers of the Black Lives Matter Movement, Karima says the top priority must be unity.
“Unity is all I care about. My people are killing each other right along with the po- lice, and that has to stop.
“I’ve done a lot in the community trying to bring opposing sides together. I keep telling them that no change will come without unity, whether it be good or bad.”
Karima said her mother wanted her to get an educa- tion, and not get involved in what’s happening with the Black Lives Matter cam- paign.
“I believe we, as leaders, must get the message across that the mind is a terrible thing to waste. We have the capability of having an im- pact on our future. All we have to do is let our voices be heard.
“My message to the peo- ple is they all have the power to be anything they want to be. We have too many African American organiza- tions in our communities for them all to be going in differ-
KARIMA DESTINY GOODE
ent directions.
“The next generation is so
hungry for knowledge, but no one is stepping up to give it to them. It really hits you home when your children tell you their biggest fear is being shot by the police.”
Karima said it will be the young generation that will change everything and make things better, but they need to know they already have the power to do that.
“When we stop looking at each other as the enemy, that
will be our first victory. But, we can’t stop there. We have to feed them the information they need to progress.
“I’m not afraid to chal- lenge the establishment. I want to empower everyone to feel the same way. Our men are being killed or im- prisoned and turned into machines with goals and am- bitions that don’t help their own people.”
Karima said she wants to see hundreds of people this Saturday joining them for the Black Lives Matter rally and march. They will be marching to Raymond James Stadium at 6 p.m., but are asking everyone to arrive 30 minutes earlier for stag- ing at Al Lopez Park.
They will also stand in solidarity on behalf of An- drew Joseph, III who was killed two years ago after he along with hundreds of other kids were ejected from the Florida State Fairgrounds.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 13-A