Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 12-25-15 Edition

National
Author Pens Book To Help Children Understand ‘Black Lives Matter’
Interest Rate Hike Puts Tighter Squeeze On Black Community
CONG. MAXINE WATERS
You probably slept through or glossed over news of the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise interest rates a quarter point. The problem, however, is that it directly squeezes the one thing that keeps most, if not all, struggling Black folks up at night: money.
African Americans, espe- cially, remain lost in the eco- nomic woods, a reality sealed by the vagaries of a Groundhog Day recession. It’s still rough out there, despite headlines of a plummeting jobless rate and glitzy ads that make you want to run to the nearest car deal- ership. Maybe that whiter seg- ment of the population is doing all good enough to move on to terrorism as its top issue for 2016. But, as this most re- cent YouGov poll confirms, Black voters rank living stan- dards as the top priority, with a 23% majority viewing Social Security as the most important out of 15 issues (compared with a 20% majority of whites caught up in a terror frenzy).
That might seem strange, but it’s not. It just means that quite a few African Americans are living tight.
“Nearly 40% of Black households have no financial assets. “The Black median value of household assets is about $200—only $25 if re- tirement savings are ex- cluded!”
The absence of basic safety nets like Social Security (and health care, which Blacks ranked second) are a much more threatening prospect than the Islamic State group.
A seemingly innocent and, at best, obscure hike in interest rates makes that kind of living much tighter. Economically, for underserved people of color, it’s like an odorless gas fatally snaking its way through your house.
“Increasing rates and put- ting downward pressure on wages will leave many hard- working Americans ill- equipped to deal with the borrowing expenses that are necessary to pay for everyday needs,” says Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), ranking Democrat on the House Finan- cial Services Committee, who’s been the loudest about this on Capitol Hill for some time.
St. Louis Police Officer Who Killed Teen Arrested For DWI; Resigns
Author Kenneth Braswell pens new book.
ATLANTA, GA — Execu- tive Director of Fathers In- corporated; Kenneth Braswell is no stranger to finding ways to help his com- munity address sensitive sub- jects. His professional career is currently grounded in run- ning his 11-year-old not-for- profit in an effort to build the capacity of fathers to build stronger families. Fast-for- ward thousands of articles, three books and two docu- mentaries later, Braswell has turned his attention to children’s literature.
Braswell’s newest ven- ture Daddy, There’s a Noise Outside, takes the complex issue of protesting and breaks the conversation down so
that a 1st grader can under- stand. That explanation transformed into a 24-page children’s book focused on helping 1st-3rd graders un- derstand the nuances of protest.
The story begins when two children are awakened by noises in the middle of the night outside the window of their inner-city neighbor- hood. Both their Dad and Mom spend the next morning explaining to them what was taking place in their commu- nity.
The book is available for presell through the 15th at www.fathersincorporated.com /dtano.html in order for books to arrive by Christmas.
Jason Flanery, the St. Louis police officer who made headlines last fall for the killing of 18-year-old VonDerrit Myers, Jr., re- signed Saturday amidst sus- picions of driving under the influence.
Flanery was off-duty and driving his patrol car after dawn when he crashed into a parked car near his home in St. Louis.
When police officers re- sponded, witnesses on the scene told them that a police car had fled the scene. The patrol car was found at Flanery's nearby home and, upon request, the offi- cer refused his colleagues' request to take a breatha- lyzer test.
Officers then left to obtain a warrant to draw blood, which they did upon return- ing to Flanery's home.
St. Louis Officer Jason Flanery fatally shot Von- Derrit Myers, Jr. last year, has resigned.
Flanery was arrested and booked Saturday on suspi- cion of driving while intoxi- cated and misdemeanor leaving the scene of an acci- dent.He was released pend- ing application for the warrant and results of the toxicology test, according to Susan Rice, spokesperson for St. Louis Circuit Atty. Jennifer Joyce.
New Orleans City Council Votes To Remove City’s Confederate Symbols
Gang-Related Shooting Leaves High School Football Player Dead After He Shields Friends
NEW ORLEANS, LA --- By a vote of 6-1, the New Or- leans City Council decided Thursday to remove symbols honoring the Confederate States of America, a domes- tic terrorist group that ex- isted in this country 1860-1865.
The oneopposing vote was cast by Councilwoman Stacey Head. She argued that the removal of the mon- uments—statues of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard and Confederate President Jefferson Davis, and an obelisk dedicated to the Bat- tle of Liberty Place—would cause division.
Four groups—the Louisiana Landmarks Soci- ety, the Foundation for His- torical Louisiana, the Monumental Task Commit- tee and Beauregard Camp No. 130—have filed a lawsuit to stop the removal of the monuments, claiming that the City Council “failed to comply with federal laws
KNOXVILLE, TN - Fam- ily, friends and classmates are mourning a high school athlete this weekend who sacrificed his life to save three girls. Zaevion Dob- son, 15, died during a shoot- ing spree in Knoxville, Tenn. The mayhem began last Thursday night when shoot- ers opened fire at a house, injuring Lisa Perry, 46, who was hit several times in the back. In retaliation, her son, 23-year-old Brandon Perry, and his friends drove to another neighborhood and randomly fired at peo- ple.
Zaevion, a football player at Knoxville’s Fulton High School, jumped on top of his friends to shield them from the gunfire.
Zack Dobson, Zae- vion’s older brother, told NBC that they were sitting on a porch when “these ran- dom dudes” approached and started shooting.The teenage girls were unharmed. “If it wasn’t for Zaevion, me or her would have probably been shot,” one of them said.
Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch said the
Zaevion Dobson, 15, sac- rificed himself to save his friends when a gang shot at them in retaliation.
shootings were gang-related. When asked about Zae- vion’s actions, Rausch said, “I have a military back- ground, that’s the actions of heroes’’.
The shooting spree ended in the early morning hours on Friday when a rival gang shot Perry while he was driving. Perry crashed the vehicle and died later. Knoxville police are search- ing for three more gang members who are suspected of involvement in Zaevion’s killing. Meanwhile, Zae- vion’s family is preparing bury him on day after Christ- mas.
Statue of Jefferson Davis has been defaced. Davis was an American politician who was a U.S. Representative and Senator from Missis- sippi, the 23rd U.S. Secre- tary of War, and the President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.
protecting sites on the Na- tional Register of Historic Places.’’
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-B