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Features
Councilman Feels Citizens Review Board’s Lack Of Power Must Change
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
When Councilman Frank Reddick suggested the imple- mentation of a Citizens Review Board, he anticipated a group with power to not just make recommendations to the Police Chief, but a group that also had subpoena and investigative powers.
Once the Board was taken over by Mayor Bob Buck- horn, he instituted his own plan for the makeup of the Board, and what power it would have. That power would only be to make recommenda- tions.
Since the Board was put in place it has garnered criticism and complaints from citizens and elected officials.
As an example of the inef- fectiveness of the Board, one of its members, former Appellate Judge and State Attorney, E. J. Salcines, pointed out one case they reviewed.
An officer’s personal car had been impounded by a towing company. In retaliation, she had tried to bump the com- pany off TPD’s rotation list.
Her punishment: a one-day suspension.
The Citizens Review Board members seemed perplexed. They asked if they could say or do any- thing about the discipline an officer receives for violating department policy.
Not really, came the answer from Assistant City Attorney, Mike Schmidt, as he told the group of its policies and proce- dures.
Councilman Reddick
said what happened with that office demonstrates a lack of effectiveness.
“But, this is what the Mayor wanted, and although it’s not working, he continues to de- fend it. We have to wonder ex- actly what purpose this Board is serving?”
Councilman Reddick
said for things to change, there will have to be changes in the current city administration makeup, then a referendum be put on a ballot to give the Board more power.
“Tampa For Justice” is lead- ing the charge in getting the Board changed.
As far as the investigation by the Department of Justice is concerned, Councilman Reddick said after they con- cluded their mission, they sug- gested the Tampa Police Department conduct a series of forums, but those have accom- plished nothing.
“DOJ recommended no cor- rective action, even though they were presented with the bicycle citation incidents.”
Councilman Reddick
said it will have to be under the administration of a new Mayor to trash this Board, and create one that gives the citizens more power.
Mental Health Walk Set To Bring Awareness To Illness
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
It’s estimated that 60 mil- lion people are affected by mental illness, but it’s a public health concern that remains largely misunderstood.
An official with the Na- tional Alliance on Mental Ill- ness Hillsborough says the grassroots organization is hop- ing to increase awareness while raising money to expand programming with the group’s first ‘Making Strides for Men- tal Health 3K Run/Walk,’ scheduled for October 8th.
The mystique that sur- rounds mental illness needs to be shattered – especially in the African-American community, said Dr. Marketa Wills, event chairwoman and a mem- ber of NAMI Hillsborough’s board.
“It really is a public health issue,” she said. “But we don’t do a good job as a society on how we address those with mental health issues.”
Poor access to healthcare is one of the biggest reasons mental disorders often go un- diagnosed among Blacks, Wills said.
Another is mistrust of the
DR. MARKETA WILLS
health system which results in patients not fully divulging pertinent information that’s necessary to properly address illnesses with treatment that is safe, evidence-based, and ef- fective she said.
“We often think the infor- mation will be used against us and we tend to retreat from treatment,” she said.
Faith also plays a role in whether sufferers will obtain treatment, Wills said.
“It’s not incompatible with spirituality,” she said. “You can’t always pray (it) away.”
Founded in 1977 by two mothers whose sons suffered from schizophrenia, NAMI seeks to provide programming and resources to help sufferers
of mental illness and their fam- ilies increase their quality of life.
The local affiliate was es- tablished in 1987 and facili- tates the national group’s signature programs such as Peer-to-Peer, which helps suf- ferers understand brain disor- ders and teaches coping skills.
Officials hope to raise $25,000 to help the organiza- tion attain its goal of hiring an executive director, Wills said.
The money also will be used to offer live support for those who need to speak with a healthcare professional or get information, she said.
The ultimate goal is to re- move the stigma that sur- rounds mental illness, Wills said.
“At the end of the day, (awareness) makes all of our communities safer and health- ier,” she said.
Get Involved
The first NAMI Hillsbor- ough 3K Walk/Run will take place from 9 a. m. to noon Sat- urday, Oct. 8, at the YMCA Camp Christina, 9840 Balm Riverview Rd., in Riverview. For more information or to do- nate, visit namihillsbor- ough.org.
Tampa Bay Theater Festival Set For Sept. 2nd
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
On the first day of the Tampa Bay Theatre Festival three summers ago, Rory Lawrence was dealing with a serious case of Murphy’s Law.
The support he had hoped to receive from others didn’t come through. Ticket sales were low. The truck he rented to haul materials and supplies for the first workshop broke down a half hour before start- ing time on the way to the venue.
Lawrence, a Lakeland native, couldn’t understand why his dream of hosting a first-class event dedicated to showcasing the area’s theater community was crumbling right before its debut.
“I called my wife and asked ‘why is this so hard?’”, he said. After conferencing with his wife, Lawrence collected himself and got down to busi- ness. He called volunteers to clear out the truck, put every- thing into their cars, and take it all to the venue. Once the room set up was complete, Lawrence gathered everyone
together.
“We stopped and we
prayed,” he said. “We opened (the doors) and the people kept coming and coming.”
When the Tampa Bay The- atre Festival kicks off its third year on Friday, Sept. 2,
RORY LAWRENCE
Lawrence said he’s anticipat- ing a repeat of the past two years with robust attendance at the festival’s workshops, plays, and entertainment events.
Actress and director Erica Sutherlin, creative director of West Tampa’s The Space Theater, was previously in- volved in the festival as a judge. This year, she returns as presenter of a monologue workshop.
“It’s important that we cel- ebrate theater and live per- formance,” she said. “We should be celebrating new plays and directors.”
After a difficult start, Lawrence – a playwright, actor, and producer – said the festival, which is sponsored by his nonprofit organization, RL Stage Inc., is finally finding its footing.
“It’s been nothing but the graces of God, the success we’ve had,” he said.
The festival’s three-day schedule is stocked with the usual happenings, but also of- fers some highlights.
The first is a master acting class with actor and producer Harry Lennix, better known as “Dresser” from the movie “The Five Heartbeats,” who now stars on the NBC drama “The Blacklist.”
It’s the second year Lennix, who recently an- nounced the formation of his production company Expo- nent Media Group, will appear at the festival. After hosting an acting class last year, the ac- complished actor was so im- pressed with the festival that he requested to return, Lawrence said.
Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, Lennix’s class – which is targeted to people who want to get into acting – is free for attendees, he said.
New this year to the festival is the improv showcase, which features four comedy troupes.
It replaces the spoken word event, the result of feedback from attendees, Lawrence said.
If You Go
The Tampa Bay Theatre Festival will take place from Sept. 2 - Sept. 4. To sign up for workshops and see the full schedule of festival events, visit www.tampabaytheatre- festival.com, or tampabaythe- atrefestival@gmail.com.
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