Page 18 - Florida Sentinel 10-16-18

National
Louisiana Man Exonerated
Restoring Voting Rights To
After 46 Years For Rape,
Former Felons Is Getting Black
Kidnapping Conviction
People Talking About The Midterm
A Louisiana man, who was wrongfully convicted of rape in 1971, has now been exonerated after spending 46 years behind bars.
Wilbert Jones, who is now 65, was released on bail from Angola prison last November after District Judge Richard Anderson overturned the conviction. The judge argued that the case built against Jones had been weak.
But it was only this Thurs- day that Baton Rouge prosecu- tors officially dismissed charges against him, The Advo-
Wilbert Jones was fully ex- onerated this week of a 1971 rape case.
cate reports.
“I feel great,” said Jones.
As we get closer to the 2018 midterm elections, we’ve noticed the amount of energy advocates in our com- munity and public figures are putting in to ensure Black folks are eligible, registered and ready to vote come No- vember 6, but the efforts don’t stop there.
The fight continues to ed- ucate anyone who was for- merly incarcerated and lives in a state that will not restore their voting rights. If the voter rights were restored to this particular group (and we know Black and brown peo- ple make up less of the popu- lation, but are incarcerated at much higher rates than whites), it could have tremendous impact in vot- ing patterns across the coun- try.
Most of the people inter- viewed stated if the felons have to pay taxes then they should have the right to vote.
According to Sentencing- Project.org: “6.1 million Americans are not allowed to vote because of felony disen- franchisement, or laws re- stricting voting rights for those convicted of felony- level crimes. One in 13 African Americans of voting age is disenfranchised, a rate more than four times greater than that of non-African Americans.”
African American voter disenfranchisement also vary significantly by state. In four states – Florida (21 percent), Kentucky (26 percent), Ten-
nessee (21 percent), and Vir- ginia (22 percent) – more than one in five African Americans is disenfran- chised.
Even though Vermont and Maine are currently the only two states that actually allow former prisoners to vote once they’ve been re- leased, things are starting to change in other places across the country. For example, New York Governor An- drew Cuomo, announced earlier this year his plans to restore the voting rights to those on parole through Ex- ecutive Order 181.
Jack And Jill Of America, Inc., Elects 26th National President
Washington D.C. --- Metro Area - Danielle Brown has been elected the 26th national president of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. The announce- ment was made at the organi- zation's 43rd National Convention held in Kansas City, Missouri in July.
"I'm humbled by the great opportunity to serve as the 26th National President of Jack and Jill of America, Inc... Op- portunities have never been greater for children of color, yet at the same time, they continue to face challenges that have plagued generations before them.
“The purpose of our organi- zation has always been to equip our children with the tools needed not just to get by in America, but to succeed, to thrive, to lead and to serve in the 21st century. I'm looking forward to continuing the great work done by my predecessors in this regard."
Jack and Jill of America is celebrating its 80th anniver- sary. It is the nation's oldest African American family or- ganization, founded in 1938 with the specific mission of nurturing future African Amer- ican leaders by stimulating the growth and development of children through educational, cultural, civic, recreational, health and social programs in- spired by mothers.
Through its nearly 250 chapters organized in seven re- gions across the United States, the organization consists of more than 30,000 family members, which includes mother members, fathers and children ages two through 19. Jack and Jill of America chap- ters also support non-profit or- ganizations through its philanthropic arm, the Jack and Jill of America Foundation which is among the first foun- dations established by African- American families in the United States.
Mrs. Brown grew up as a
DANIELLE BROWN
child in the organization, and - following in the footsteps of her great aunt, a founding member of the organization's first chap- ter in Philadelphia Chapter, her mother, a founding member of the Loudoun County, Virginia Chapter, and her aunt, a past National Vice President - she joined the organization as a mother in 1998, in the Alexan- dria Mount Vernon Chapter and later transferred to her current Loudoun County Vir- ginia Chapter.
A graduate of George Mason University, Mrs. Brown brings more than 25 years of proven expertise in nonprofit develop- ment, fundraising, public rela- tions, event planning and executive sales. She is active in several organizations devoted to serving the community, in- cluding the Links Inc.
In addition to Mrs. Brown, the slate of new officers:
National Vice President Tanya Hand, of the Indi- anapolis, Indiana Chapter; Na- tional Program Director Lisa Grant-Dawson, of the Greater Vallejo, California Chapter; National Recording Secretary Michelle Gentry Anderson, of the Tulsa Okla- homa Chapter; National Corre- sponding Secretary Consuella Guillory-Adams, of the Houston, Texas Chapter; Na- tional Treasurer Pamela D. Taylor, of the Raleigh-Wake, North Carolina Chapter; and National Editor Gina Williams-Jackson, of the Memphis, Tenn. Chapter.
Baltimore Police Charged In Freddie
Gray Case Want Supreme Court To
Advance Their Lawsuit Against
District Attorney Marilyn Mosby
Even though a court ruled that Baltimore police can’t sue state attorney Marilyn Mosby over charging them in the Freddie Gray case, five officers won’t let up and want the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case even after the lower courts blocked their attempts, the Associated Press reports.
The case of five Baltimore police officers who tried to sue Mosby, saying that she prosecuted them out of spite after the death of Gray went nowhere fast after the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked their lawsuit.
On Thursday, the Daily Record reports that the offi- cers Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White and Offi- cers Edward Nero, Gar- rett Miller and William Porter filed an appeal accus- ing Mosby of malicious prosecution.
The lawyers for the officers contend that Mosby “didn’t have enough evidence and
Lt. Brian Rice, Sgt. Alicia White and Officers William Porter, Garrett Miller and Edward Nero.
charged them to ease the un- rest that followed his death.” Mosby lawyers argued that as a prosecutor, she was im- mune from this type of law- suit and the federal appeals court agreed with that argu- ment.
“In accordance with my oath to pursue justice over convictions, I’ve refused to allow the grandstanding of some and the hyperbole of others to diminish our re- solve to seek justice on behalf of this young man,” she said shortly after announcing the dropped charges. “I was elected the prosecutor. I
signed up for this, and I can take it.”
She continued, “As long as I’m the chief prosecutor for this city, I vow to you that my office and I will fight. We will fight for a fair and equitable justice system for all. So that whatever happened to Fred- die Gray never happens to another person in this com- munity again.”
All six officers charged in the police-custody death of Gray were indicted by a grand jury but three were ac- quitted by a judge of all charges. Mosby dropped the other cases.
PAGE 18 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2018