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Driving While Black Or Harassment?: Florida’s First Black State Attorney Stopped By Police For No Reason
Compton’s Youngest Mayor Sworn In For 2nd Term; Gets 62% Of Vote
COMPTON, CA —- Aja Brown made history in 2013 at age 31 when she was elected as the city of Compton, CA’s youngest mayor ever. Brown was sworn in last week after winning 62 percent of the vote in her re-election defeat of for- mer Mayor Omar Bradley.
Brown’s campaign strat- egy was to stress the work that she started and needed to fin- ish in order to improve Comp- ton via a “12-Point Plan.” That includes youth development, economic growth, culture and arts, safety and infrastructure.
Brown doubled down on her promises to “build a better Compton” in a post-victory statement.
Brown’s campaign slogan was “Let’s Finish The Work.”
She also announced the “largest street reconstruction project” in the city’s history, aimed at fixing and maintain-
Compton Mayor Aja Brown has won another 4-years to turn her city around.
ing the condition of the streets. As she enters her sec- ond term, Brown is also preparing a reform package that would “moderniz[e] city government and long term property tax reform.”
Compton has generated na- tional attention for what many consider a remarkable turn- about in recent years. The crime and gang killings that for decades plagued the city had plummeted. Businesses are be- ginning to move back into the
city, and property values are on the rise.
According to the L.A. Times, the upswing has elevated Mayor Brown’s image, with glowing profiles in national magazines. She has vowed to turn the south L.A. city into the next Brooklyn and has helped lure some of the city’s many fa- mous sons and daughters, in- cluding Dr. Dre, Serena Williams and Kendrick Lamar, to help with this turn- around.
Orange County State Attorney Aramis Ayala has been at the center of controversy since being elected.
ORLANDO, FL —- Florida’s first black elected state attorney, Aramis Ayala, was pulled over by police last month in a mo- ment that was recorded on video, showing her visibly confused over the officer’s reasons for stopping her.
The video, which was recorded on the officer’s body camera on June 19, has been shared widely on social media, with users pointing to it as yet another example of racial bias in policing. It shows Ayala, who was re- turning from teaching a class at Florida A&M University College of Law, in her car and speaking to at least two cops ― who approached the vehi- cle from both sides.
“What agency are you with?” the officer nearest Ayala asks her as he reviews her license.
“I’m the state attorney” she responds.
“Thank you, your tag didn’t come back. Never seen that before,” the officer quickly re- sponds, explaining that her tag did not come back regis- tered to a vehicle.
Ayala then asks for clarifi- cation on why her tag was run in the first place. The same of- ficer explains that it’s a proce- dure that is done “all the time.”
The Orlando Police Depart- ment later told CNN in a statement that the practice of running tags is completed “for official business only” and is “done routinely on pa- trol.”
“That’s how we figure out if cars are stolen and that sort of thing,” the officer tells Ayala. “Also the windows are really dark, I don’t have a tint meas- ure, but that’s another reason for the stop.”
Ayala gives a quick smile before asking the officer for his business card. The officer says he doesn’t have any on him but opts to write his name on a piece of paper and leave without issuing her a ci- tation.
In a follow-up statement, Ayala said she did not break any laws and that she intends to meet with the city’s police chief in coming weeks to dis- cuss their procedures around policing.
Couple Adopts 7 Siblings That Were Separated In Foster Care
MARIANNA, FL —- A Florida couple that dreamt of having children got their wish—seven times over. Dashoan and Sofia Olds recently adopted seven children, all siblings who had been previously separated among several foster families.
According to WJHG News, it all started when the couple was watching a news story on NewsChannel 7/Local 18 about seven kids who had been dived up between several fos- ter families.
The Olds says that news segment felt like their “calling.” “It was a done deal from the day we saw the story,” Sofia
said.
In time, they found them-
selves adopting every single last one of the clan: Dava, Erica, Eric, Zavian, Leon- dras, Reginald, and 12 year-
Deshoan and Sofia Olds and their 7 children they recently adopted.
old Necia, the oldest.
Necia told the news outlet
that she never thought she would have new parents and have all of her siblings living together at the same time.
Blair Bell from the Chil- dren’s Home Society, who han-
dled the children’s placement, couldn’t believe it either.
As they are all getting settled into their new lives, Dashoan and Sofia stress that they have so much to teach their sons and daughters, which includes religion.
Teen Making History As First Black Woman High-Goal Polo Player
PHILADELPHIA, PA —- A 19-year-old is making history in the sport of polo.
According to the HuffPost, on June 30, Shariah Har- ris of Philadelphia became the first black woman to play high-goal polo, the top tier of polo in the U. S.
This summer, Harris a sophomore at Cornell Uni- versity hit the field at the Tony Greenwich Polo Club in Connecticut to play for the Postage Stamp Farm team in the Silver Cup tournament.
Shariah Harris competing on the Postage Stamp Farm team during the Silver Cup tournament.
Harris became interested in the sport after her mom
took a wrong turn that led them to grounds where other Black children were riding horses. Harris, then 8- years-old, and her mom were intrigued and found that the stables were run by a non- profit called Work to Ride.
The program allows under- privileged inner-city kids to work in the stables and care for the horses. In return, the kids learn about horseman- ship and equine sports.
At 12, she joined the orga- nization’s team and found a
passion in polo. She would watch videos of the best play- ers in the world and aspire to play at that level.
She carried her practice into college and became a force on Cornell’s polo team. In 2016 Harris was named the Polo Training Founda- tion’s 2016 national inter- scholastic player of the year. The animal science major helped lead Cornell’s arena polo team into the finals this year. She credits much of her success to Work to Ride.
PAGE 18 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 18. 2017