Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 9-19-17

National
Harlem Boutique Icon, Dapper Dan Teams With Gucci
South Carolina Woman, 84, Finally Given Her Diploma
South Carolina resident Willie Dell Grimes started her journey to receiving her high school diploma in 1991.
She was encouraged to take night classes by her children where she excelled at math and social studies.
Economic and geographic barriers prevented Grimes from getting her diploma ini- tially in the 1940s. She at- tended a rural South Carolina school that only went up to the seventh grade. The nearest school to continue her educa- tion was nine miles away. Grimes had no way of making the trip according to The State.
She married Jack E. Grimes at an age when most girls today are thinking about prom dates and Friday night football plans. Over the next 17 years she became the mother of 12 children – five boys and seven girls.
Ten children graduated high school and went on to higher education. Her children became military members, a horticulturist, a firefighter/paramedic, minis- ters, nurses, counselors, busi- ness owner, financial manager, an industrial personnel admin- istrator and an educator.
She ultimately finished the coursework from the night
Willie Dell Grimes now has her diploma.
school and received her high school certificate in 1999. But she wanted a real diploma. In 2014, the South Carolina Gen- eral Assembly passed Act 155, which eliminated the exit exam and allowed individuals who did not receive a high school diploma because they did not pass the exam, to file a petition with their local school board for a diploma.
Richland District 2 helped Willie Dell with the process of applying for her high school diploma via Act 155.
The result? Willie Dell fi- nally received her high school diploma at a Richland District 2 board meeting last month. This time she wore a Richland Northeast High cap and gown.
Dapper Dan and Gucci are officially working together, with a capsule collection in the works and plans for Dan to re-open his store once more, New York Times re- ports.
The Harlem designer ap- pears in the Cruise 2018 men’s tailoring campaign, shot by Glen Luchford. Next spring a collection created in partnership by Dan and the Italian fashion house will be sold as part of the brand's 2018 pre-fall range.
Meanwhile, his eponymous Harlem boutique, closed since
Dapper Dan is working with Gucci and will re-open his bou- tique in Harlem.
1992, will open its doors once again.
U.S. Justice Department Will Not File Charges Against Baltimore Officers
Involved In Freddie Gray’s Death
Six officers from the Balti- more Police Department will not be prosecuted in the death of Freddie Gray, the De- partment of Justice an- nounced Tuesday (Sept. 12). The DOJ couldn’t find “suffi- cient evidence” to support fed- eral criminal civil rights charges.
“The Department con- ducted a comprehensive inde- pendent investigation of the events surrounding Gray’s death and carefully reviewed the materials and evidence generated by BPD and the State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO),” the statement reads.
Freddie Gray suffered a sev- ered spinal cord while in po- lice custody.
“Career prosecutors examined evidence from numerous sources, including surveil-
lance videos from closed cir- cuit cameras (CCTV) that cap- tured various sites where Gray was taken while in cus- tody.”
The investigation included “cell phone videos taken by civilian witnesses at the time of Gray’s arrest,” in addition to “numerous witness inter- views (transcripts, audio, and video recordings); photos; maps; medical reports,” as well as police dispatch record- ings and reports “concerning DNA and blood stain evi- dence,” an autopsy conducted by Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
For First Time In History North Carolina Has 6 Black Female Police Chiefs
Violent Protests Erupt After Acquittal Of Former Cop For Killing Black Man
Anthony Lamar Smith was killed by former police officer Jason Stockley. Stockley was acquit- ted on Friday by a judge, that led to days of protesting.
Female Police Chiefs
NORTH CAROLINA —- Six black women currently hold the title of police chief in North Carolina, marking the first time this has happened in state history, according to WRAL.
Among them are Raleigh’s
Cassandra Deck-Brown, Durham’s C.J. Davis, Mor- risville’s Patrice Andrews and Fayetteville’s Gina Hawkins.
The women recently talked about what it like being in the male-dominated field and the obstacles they’ve overcome.
Women only make up 13 percent of the police force in America, according to the Na- tional Center for Women and Policing.
The women, who said they often feel the need to do more to prove their abilities to men who may doubt them, have over 100 years of experience
among them.
Andrews, who was sworn
in to her position in Mor- risville last year, was the fourth black female police chief appointed in her area.
Others, like Hawkins, who began as Fayetteville’s police chief in June, became the first woman and first minority in the city to do so.
The police chiefs recognize the existing tensions between cops and the black community and the unique challenges they face in building trust while keeping communities safe.
The women acknowledged that compassion, empathy and communication were among the key traits they display on the job ― and that these qual- ities can contribute to a posi- tive change in the way cops police communities, especially those where people of color are specifically targeted.
ST. LOUIS, MO —- Protests turned violent for a second night near St. Louis following the acquittal of a white former police officer in the fatal shooting of a Black man, as demonstrators refused to dis- perse, breaking windows at dozens of businesses and throwing objects at police, who moved in with hundreds of officers in riot gear to make arrests.
The confrontation took place late Saturday night in the Delmar Loop area of Uni-
versity City, a suburb about 10 miles west of St. Louis near Washington University. The area is known for concert ven- ues, restaurants, shops and bars.
University City had been the scene of a tense, but calm march earlier in the evening to protest a judge's ruling Friday clearing ex-officer Jason Stockley of first-degree mur- der in the 2011 shooting of 24- year-old Anthony Lamar Smith.
At the heart of the trial was
the question of whether Smith was in possession of a firearm at the time of the shooting. Prosecutors argued that a revolver found in Smith's car had been planted by Stockley to justify the shooting, but the gun was never seen from the multiple cameras that captured Stock- ley and other officers at the scene.
That march ended with or- ganizers calling for people to leave and reconvene Sunday afternoon.
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