Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 4-15-16 Edition

Features
St. John Progressive M. B. Church To Host Community Day And Ministry Expo
Pastor Bartholomew Banks, Sr., and St. John Pro- gressive Missionary Baptist Church will be hosting a Com- munity Day and Ministry Expo on Saturday, April 23rd from 10 a. m. to 2 p. m. The event will be held at the church located at 2504 East Chipco Street.
The Event Coordinator, Lisa Mifflin, noted, “This will mark the 5th year that St. John has hosted our Commu- nity Day event. It is about em- powering people with information to improve their well-being. We are excited to once again bring these re- sources to the East Tampa community.”
The event features a Com- munity Resource Fair that brings together a variety of or- ganizations with a wealth of information on services for health, education, career de- velopment, personal finance and more.
Some of the organizations scheduled to attend include Moffitt Cancer Center, Sisters Network Tampa Bay, Metro- politan Ministries, Hillsbor- ough Community College,
PASTOR BARTHOLOMEW BANKS, SR.
CareerSource Tampa Bay, ClearPoint Credit Counseling Services and Senior Medicare Patrol. There will also be free health screenings.
The event also includes a Cancer Prevention & Aware- ness Workshop presented by Moffitt Cancer Center. This workshop begins at 10:30 a. m. There will also be a Health Insurance Forum, where ex- perts will discuss your options under the Affordable Care Act. This workshop will be held twice during the day, at 11 a. m. and 12:30 p. m. St. John’s millennial ministry, Genera- tion NEXT, will also host a workshop relevant to teens
LISA MIFFLIN ...Event Coordinator
and young adults.
The Ministry Expo will
showcase the ministries at St. John Progressive for those looking to put their ministry in action. Local churches are also invited to attend as the Min- istry Expo can provide oppor- tunities to partner on community services.
There will be giveaways and prize drawings through- out the day. Complimentary lunch is also included.
For more information, please e-mail Lisa Mifflin at sjp_commday@yahoo.com. You can also visit the church’s website for event updates, www.sjpmbc.org.
Family Of Teen Killed Leaving Fairgrounds Get Support From Congresswoman
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew (Deanna) Joseph, Jr. hold a photo of their son, Andrew, III.
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
A few months before Hurri- cane Katrina wreaked havoc on the City of New Orleans, An- drew Joseph, Jr., his wife, Deanna, and their children, Deja and Andrew, III, packed up and traveled to Tampa.
Two years ago while attend- ing his first Florida State Fair event, Andrew, III was killed by a motorist on I-4. He, along with almost 100 other kids, had been trespassed off the Fairgrounds without any noti- fication being given to their parents.
Since that time, the Joseph family has sought changes in the hospitality industry, and also have sought legal advice in dealing with the various enti- ties they feel are directly re- sponsible for their son’s death.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” said Joseph, Jr.
“We’ve gotten support on a national level in dealing with this situation, and that in- cludes elected officials, celebri- ties, and parents who have lost a child or children to violence.”
The latest addition to their support group is Congress- woman Kathy Castor, who sent a letter to the United States Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, to make in- quiries about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investiga- tion.
Congresswoman Castor
said she’s reviewed the letter from the DOJ regarding their review of the tragic death of Andrew Joseph, III, and the allegation that the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office may have violated the Violent Crime Control and Law En- forcement Act of 1994.
“That Act prohibits law en- forcement from engaging in a pattern of conduct that de- prives juveniles of their consti- tutional rights.
“Congresswoman Castor has said she also supports looking into whether or not the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office was in violation of the Special Litigation Section that enforces the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 that prohibits race and sex discrimination by law en- forcement agencies that receive federal funding.”
The Joseph family said they know there’s still a lot of work to do, but they have vowed to not quit until they’ve gotten justice for their son and the children/relatives of others who have met a similar fate.
“We’d like the DOJ to look into what happened at the Fairgrounds, and release their report on the illegal bicycle ci- tations,” said Joseph, Jr.
“We are concerned, because it appears this area has a major race issue and our children aren’t being educated properly. There’s just too much racial profiling going on.”
PAGE 2-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2016