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Federal Inmate Leads Debate And Reentry Forum
REV. BELAY REDDICK
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Unit Management, along with federal inmate, Rev. Belay D. Reddick hosted “The Great Debate and Reen- try Forum.” The event was held May 9th at the All Faith Chapel on the grounds of the Atlanta Federal Prison.
Rev. Reddick said scores of city officials, educators, community residents, and in-
JAMES COLE Deputy Secretary of Education
mates filled the chapel to hear a debate team of three inmates with long custodial sentences challenge a team of three Morehouse College un- dergraduates.
“The event had a great theme, “The Great Debate and Reentry Forum: Every- one Deserves a Fair and Sec- ond Chance.” The event was orchestrated to raise the awareness of the U. S. De-
KAROL MASON Deputy Assistant Attorney General
partment of Education’s Be- yond the Box and Second Chance Pell initiatives.”
The event was spear- headed and presided over by Dr. Bryant T. Marks, an Associate Professor at More- house College, and Commis- sioner for the White House Initiative on Educational Ex- cellence for African Ameri- cans.
Among the keynote speak-
MICHAEL SMITH Executive Director of My Brother’s Keeper
ers was Karol Mason, the Department of Justice’s As- sistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Pro- grams; James Cole, General Counsel delegated the duties of Deputy Secretary of Edu- cation; Dr. Ivory Toldson, the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Michael Smith, Special As-
DR. IVORY TOLDSON Executive Director White House Initiative On HBCU’s
sistant to the President and Senior Director of Cabinet Af- fairs for My Brother’s Keeper.
“For the White House offi- cials to attend, they stipu- lated that the forum be closed to the press.
“I am proud to have been the first inmate in the history of the Federal Bureau of Pris- ons to both conjointly coordi- nate and co-chair an event of this magnitude.”
Quality Seafood Company Opens At New Location
Women Want To Establish Support Group For Ex-Felons
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Shirley Copeland, Brunette Mc- Cray, and Bessie Salter say the govern- ment is more interested in incarcerating offenders than helping them re-enter soci- ety as productive citizens.
All three women have suggested organ- izing a family support group with all the at- tention being given to helping ex-felons.
“It’s time attention be given to the fami- lies of incarcerated men and women,” said Ms. Salter.
“No one ever pays attention to what the family members have to endure while their loved one is incarcerated. It can get to be a stressful experience, and they have nowhere to go for help.”
Ms. McCray said she feels the way in- mates are treated also needs to be ad- dressed.
“The horror stories the inmates talk about in letters to family members, or to other loved ones when they are released, are all true. They continue to occur, and some have involved deaths.
“There has to be a better system of checks and balances in dealing with inmates and ex-felons. Any person serving time in prison, or enjoying freedom again, deserves to be treated like a human being.”
Ms. Copeland wants to thank the Hills- borough County School District for step- ping up and helping a lot of young men by not kicking them out of school.
“A lot of these kids have working parents, and when you kick them out of school, they are virtually on their own without adult su- pervision. I really applaud the efforts of the School District in dealing with this situa- tion.”
Ms. Salter was released from prison two years ago after serving a 29-year sen- tence. She said her institutional record was excellent, and now she’s an Outreach Coor- dinator with Cons Helping Cons (CHC), an organization founded by Robert Taylor.
From left to right: Shirley Copeland, Bessie Salters, and Brunette McCray.
“On behalf of CHC we want to thank local law enforcement for their support in help- ing ex-felons so they don’t reoffend.”
Ms. McCray said something has to be put in place to help inmates, like a struc- tured program that can make sure they are able to find their place in society again.
“If that doesn’t happen, a lot of ex-felons will feel they might as well continue break- ing the law, because they have no other way to support themselves or their family mem- bers.”
Ms. Copeland said ex-felons looking for work need a chance to redeem them- selves.
“So many of them come out of prison mentally damaged and no one is giving them the help they need. They are being re- leased and forgotten.”
Ms. McCray said she feels they need in- tensive counseling, and it needs to be a life- time commitment.
Ms. Copeland said she appreciates the interest they’ve gained from the commu- nity, and she wants everyone to stay fo- cused on issues involving clemency.
Ms. Salter said CHC helps former in- mates with housing and jobs, and they are completely supported by donations.
“All of us are ex-felons and love the Lord. When inmates are released we help them so they can pay their rent and advance to regular employment.
“We want them to strengthen them- selves in confidence and assurance.”
GOOD EARTH SONNY AND AL PICCOLO
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
For more than 8 years, Good Earth has been servicing the area with quality seafood. They expect that trend to continue at their new location.
Good Earth has opened their new store at 5012 East Broadway Avenue, adjacent to the Broadway Plaza on Broadway and 50th Street.
Good Earth owner, Al Piccolo, said they began wholesaling to the public 6 years ago, and they want their customers to know they’re still in business and serving the community.
“We’ve put a lot of effort into being a part of the community by being very active with local com- munity groups and area schools,” said Piccolo.
“We hope our new customers will discover the same great deals our old customers continue to enjoy. We’re also looking forward to setting up a farmer’s market to serve the area and we’ll be offer-
ing a higher grade of meat than anyone else in the area.”
Piccolo said he knows he’s in a very competitive industry and they take pride in offering their customers quality products.
“Don’t every try to fool your customers. That’s the quickest way to lose business and establish a bad relationship.
“Customers know what they want, and they can judge the qual- ity of the products.”
Piccolo said he’d like to see people come by their new loca- tion, then judge for themselves.
“I guarantee that they won’t find better seafood or meat prod- ucts anywhere else in the city.
“To be successful in this busi- ness, you have to be consistent, and that means never taking a step back from your commitment to your customers.”
Al Piccolo is the first cousin of the late Chicago Bear star, Brian Piccolo, and is proud to have met Gale Sayers and the late George “Papa Bear” Halas.
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