Page 20 - 3-10-15 Tuesday's Edition

National
Michael Brown’s Family To Sue City
Former Sec. Of State Colin Powell Speaks Out A Day After ‘Bloody Sunday’
Of Ferguson After Officer Cleared
Speaking on the day fol- lowing the 50-year anniver- sary of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Alabama, the first African-American Secretary of State Colin Powell said he still sees a "dark vein" of intolerance in the Republican Party, echoing comments that he made in 2013.
"I still see it. I still see it in the Republican Party and I still see it in other parts of our country. You don't have to be a Republican to be touched by this dark vein," Powell told ABC's George Stephanopoulos Sunday on "This Week."
"We've come a long way, but there's a long way to go.
On last Tuesday, the De- partment of Justice found Ferguson’s Police Depart- ment guilty of racially charged practices (that tar- geted Black residents).
But they also concluded that former cop Darren Wilson would not be facing criminal charges for killing unarmed 18-year- old Michael Brown.
A shocking decision con- sidering his murder was the capstone of why the DOJ in- vestigated Ferguson’s racial bias in the first place. Follow- ing the ruling, Brown’s fam- ily have chosen to sue the city of Ferguson and Wilson in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Wilson being officially freed of responsibility for Brown’s death was ex- pressed in an intense 86- page memorandum from the DOJ, released on Wednes- day. Within its pages, it pro- claimed Wilson did not violate Brown’s civil rights and had reacted in self-de- fense. As the Brown family responded hurt and disap-
Michael Brown’s mother and father at the press confer- ence.
GEN. COLIN POWELL
And we have to change the hearts and minds of Ameri- cans. And I see progress, es- pecially in the younger generation," Powell added.
“Bloody Sunday” cat- alyzed the moral fundamental of this country. We the people have the responsibility to make changes.’’
Daryl Parks, another Wisconsin Teen Fatally
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA - -- Sigma Alpha Epsilon's na- tional headquarters closed its chapter at the University of Oklahoma Sunday after a video emerged purportedly showing members of the chapter singing a racist chant.
The video quickly gained visibility online. It was ob- tained and posted to Twitter by Unheard, which describes itself as "an alliance of Black students organized for change within campus ad- ministration and atmos- phere," shows young men on a bus chanting "There will never be a n----r at SAE."
The tweet, directed at OU president David Boren, says "Racism is alive at The
University
members recorded doing racist chant.
University of Oklahoma." Students at the university plan to demonstrate on the Norman, Oklahoma campus at 7:30 a.m. local time. A prayer vigil was held Sunday
night.
The frat house was van-
dalized overnight, defaced with graffiti.
pointed, they weren’t the only ones baffled and protesters returned to the streets object- ing the reasoning. With their lawyer Anthony Gray, a brief press conference was held where the general points of the lawsuit against Fergu- son and Wilson were made.
“We are officially formu- lating a civil case that we an- ticipate will be filed very shortly on behalf of the fam- ily. We plan to demonstrate in a court of law that Wil- son’s choice to use deadly force was unreasonable and unnecessary.”
lawyer for the Browns, stated that further details couldn’t be shared at the mo- ment publicly, but that a fil- ing would be soon. The family stood behind Gray but did not speak to the media.
There was hope that jus- tice was on the way for Brown once the DOJ re- leased their harsh reassess- ment of the Ferguson police. Yet their contradictory move in having viewed Wilson as behaving appropriately in shooting Brown, has again left this controversial inci- dent in limbo.
Howard University Paying Its Seniors Who Graduate On Time
Howard University
Seniors gearing up for graduation at Howard Univer- sity can breathe a little easier now; the Mecca is implement- ing a new practice that will surely lower some of those Sallie Mae student loans.
Starting next year, the uni- versity will cover 50 percent of a student’s final semester if they graduate early or on time. Now there’s some incentive to fast-track your matriculation. Students pay about $11,900 per semester — that leaves students who graduate on time with an extra $6,000 floating around.
And as Derek Kindle, Howard’s executive director of student financial services points out, the program actu- ally saves students more money, since they won’t be spending dollars on additional semesters.
According to CNN Money, about 46 percent of Howard University students graduate in four years. The national av- erage is 39 percent.
University Of Oklahoma Fraternity Closed Down Due To Video
fraternity
--
Shot By Police Officer
MADISON, WISCONSIN Activists plan more protests in Madison, Wiscon- sin, this week after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police- man, the latest in a string of killings that highlighted con- cerns of racial bias in U.S. law
enforcement.
Tony Robinson, Jr., 19,
was shot in Wisconsin's capi- tal on Friday evening after Officer Matt Kenny re- sponded to calls reporting a man was dodging cars in traf- fic and had battered another person, Police Chief Mike Koval said.
Kenny, 45, followed the suspect into an apartment, where he was struck in the head, according to Koval. The officer then shot the un- armed teen, who died later in hospital.
Demonstrators marched on Saturday evening from the Capitol building to the neigh- borhood where Robinson was shot, carrying a banner reading "Black Lives Matter" and signs that read "Justice 4 Tony."
The community group called Young, Black and Gifted plans a demonstration on Wednesday afternoon at the Wisconsin Department of Corrections building in Madi- son, according to the group's Facebook page.
"There's no doubt about the fact that we have to be
Tony Robinson was shot by Officer Matt Kenny.
clear about this. I want to be very transparent: He was un- armed," Chief Koval said at a news conference on Satur- day.
Last year, the deaths of unarmed black men in Fergu- son, Missouri, and New York City triggered a nationwide wave of demonstrations against the use of excessive force by law enforcement.
Chief Koval said he went to the home of Robin- son's family early Saturday morning to express his con- dolences and "remorse for the loss of life." He met Robinson's grandparents in the driveway, and they spoke for about 45 minutes and prayed together, he said.
"To his family, and to his friends, and to this commu- nity, that is a loss," Koval said. "Nineteen years old is too young."
This was not the first time that Officer Kenny has killed someone while serving on the force for 12 years.
Chad And Niger Forces Begin Fight Against Boko Haram
BOSSO, NIGERIA --- Forces from Chad and Niger opened a new front in the re- gional military fight against the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, as army vehi- cles full of soldiers crossed the border into northeast Nigeria, officials and wit- nesses said Monday.
The escalation in Africa's joint battle against the Nige- ria-based jihadists comes just weeks before Nigerians head to the polls for an election which many fear will turn vi- olent, and after scores of at- tacks by the militants on neighboring countries who have pledged to help Nigeria defeat the extremists.
Chadian Brig. Gen. Za- karia Ngobongue said Monday that his soldiers, alongside troops from Niger, had entered Nigeria. He de- clined to give details about the ongoing operation. Al- ready Chadian forces had crossed into northeastern
Nigeria from Cameroon to fight the jihadis, he said.
Boko Haram has been fighting a nearly six-year in- surgency against the Nigerian government, and on Saturday declared their allegiance to the extremist Islamic State group in the Middle East. Boko Haram has carried out mass kidnappings, including of schoolgirls.
"They are bandits and criminals who have nothing to do with religion," Ngob- ongue said. He spoke to re- porters after the closing ceremony for Flintlock, a mil- itary training event that in- cluded U.S. special forces and involved 20 countries.
Witnesses in the Niger town of Bosso reported about 200 military vehicles crossing over into Nigeria. Adam Boukarna, one resident, said the deployment was fol- lowed by loud detonations, signaling heavy combat with Boko Haram.
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