Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 9-11-20

Editorial/Column
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Local
The Systems
e are often led to
believe K-12 Schools are preparing students to achieve edu- cational success, gradu- ate, enter the workforce and contribute to the
economy.
Is this really true for
the average African American male students that are not involved in athletic sports? Are we focused on cheering the African American ath- letes for their competi- tive performance or their academic success? Are there systems in place to
support African Ameri- can male students, espe- cially those exhibiting behavioral issues? There are students going di- rectly from the educa- tional systems into correctional systems.
On a scale from 1-100, an African American male can demonstrate 95 percent positive choices. But if he makes one mis- take, regardless if he is showing promise in aca- demics or sports, he will be booked into a correc- tional facility. A system is in place to quickly re-
move that student from the classroom and rele- gate him to a life behind bars.
It has been docu- mented that there are politicians that profit from the school to prison pipeline. This system is very real and is destruc- tive by nature.
There are few alterna- tives for non-violent African American males that deserve a second chance. There needs to be a diligent review and revision of sentencing re- quirements for non-vio- lent crimes. It’s time to check institutional sys- tems regarding, K-12 Schools and the Judicial Systems to see if they are helping African Ameri- cans males or crippling them.
DR. SHANDALE TERRELL Lakeland, Florida
POSTMASTER: Send Address Change To: Florida Sentinel Bulletin,
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. 1930-2010 (1977)
Weed Looters From BLM Protests
In the era of the outing of racial hate, even after Pres- ident Barack Obama spent two terms in the White House in an attempt to build bridges between diverse Americans and heal some of the pain of the descen- dants of Black American slaves, the only glimmer of hope we have is the hundreds of thousands of whites who marched in protests for the killing of unarmed Black men and women such as George Floyd, Breanna Taylor, David McAtee and others.
Indeed, racists have been hiding in their closets and under camouflaged smiles, until they felt comfortable showing their true selves under the dismissive and supportive attitude of Donald Trump calling them “good people.”
Little is being said about white shooters of BLM pro- testers who have not targeted and shot anyone. There is no doubt that if young Black males were walking around with assault rifles in the areas protests are tak- ing place, the story would end differently and they would be seen as “armed thugs” instead of “armed pa- triots.”
That racists threaten Black Lives Matter protestors with threats to write down the protestors’ auto tag numbers for the purpose of burning their houses and cars later on is a direct attack on the right of Americans to protest.
There is no doubt BLM organizers need to make it clear that they do not condone violence, looting and de- struction of property. Moreover, strategies are needed to identify and weed out non-residents and hate group members.
Requesting protestors to register with identification and secure wristbands would be a good start. Crimi- nals and hate group members are least likely to join the protest if their identity is confirmed with identification requirements.
Violence and looting does not bring support of BLM efforts and stimulates more hate and fear among other Americans. Trump and other conservatives use the vi- olence and looting as an excuse to paint protestors as “leftist radicals,” “Antifa leftists,” and other negative
Tampa City Council Passes Resolution Restricting Use Of Plastics And Styrofoam
The Tampa City Council unanimously passed a resolution Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, supporting the restriction of single-use plas- tics and styrofoam on City properties.
The City of Tampa’s Sustainability and Re- silience Officer, Whit Remer, presented the resolution to the Tampa City Council as part of Mayor Jane Castor’s vision for Trans- forming Tampa’s Tomorrow by establishing sustainable best practices.
“Tampa’s environmental future depends on our actions today,” says Mayor Castor. “By moving away from styrofoam, we can cre- ate a more sustainable and resilient City — which is one of the core pillars of Transform- ing Tampa’s Tomorrow and our commitment to sustainability and resilience in everything we do. This is one small, yet important, step that we can take today to make a big impact on our future for generations to come.”
Single-use plastics and styrofoam are not recyclable in the City of Tampa’s recycling program. These items pose several threats to our environment, waterways, and waste man- agement system.
This resolution is designed to support the reduction and elimination of single-use plas- tics in the City of Tampa and encourage local businesses and residents to restrict the con- sumption and distribution of these items as well. In addition to supporting the implemen- tation of administrative policy, the resolution also calls for the development of a public out- reach and education program that will en- courage businesses to replace single-use plastics with more environmentally-friendly alternatives.
For more information on the City of Tampa’s green initiatives, visit tampagov.net/green-tampa.
terms.
At the same time gun-toting Ku Klux Klan, Skinheads and other White Suprema-
cists rights groups are called “good people.”
We support the BLM movement, and we believe they would be more effective if
they made attempts to weed out criminals and hate group members from their protests.
W
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020