Page 12 - Florida Sentinel 5-24-16 Online Edition

Local
Traffic Blocked In Honor Of St. Petersburg Girls Who Drowned In Pond
Protesters and activists block an intersection to bring at- tention to the drowning deaths of three teenage girls.
Governor Appoints Interim Sheriff For Marion County
Last Thursday in St. Pe- tersburg as rush hour reached its peak, activists with the Bay Area Dream De- fenders joined other groups by locking arms and walking into the crosswalk on Semi- nole Boulevard at the Ulmer- ton Road intersection.
The activists held a ban- ner: “Say Her Name: Ashaunti, Laniya, Do- minique Had Dreams.”
When the light turned green, the activists stood their ground. As motorists blew their horns, the group chanted: “Black girls matter! Say her name!”
After a few nervous mo- ments with the driver of a Mustang, the group cleared the intersection.
The more than two dozen people gathered to demon- strate on the national “Say Her Name Day of Action,” a movement to bring attention to how women of color are
treated by the criminal justice system.
The event took on a per- sonal tone for those who con- tinue to question how the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Of- fice handled the March 31st deaths of Dominique Bat- tle, Laniya Miller, and Ashaunti Butler. The teenagers were driving a re- ported stolen vehicle that woundupinapondinaSt. Petersburg cemetery while being followed by deputies.
All three girls drowned when the car sank to the bot- tom of the pond.
Activists continue to ques- tion whether deputies con- tributed to the deaths of the three girls by chasing them before they drowned and whether those deputies did enough to try to save the girls.
Natasha Winkler, Laniya Miller’s mother, watched the rally from a dis- tance and called it inspiring.
Last week Governor Rick Scott appointed Emery Gainey as the Interim Sheriff for the Marion County Sherriff Office.
Gainey, 57, of Tallahassee, has served as the Director of Law Enforcement Relations, Victim Services and Criminal Justice Programs for the Florida Office of the Attorney General since 2007. He previ- ously served as the Chief of Staff for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and was with the Sheriff’s Office for more than 25 years since beginning his law enforcement career as a uniform patrol deputy in
EMERY GAINEY
1982.
Gainey received his bache-
lor’s degree from the Univer- sity of Florida and also graduated from the FBI Na- tional Academy. He will serve as the as Marion County In- terim Sheriff until the election
of a new Sheriff in November, at which point he will return to the Attorney General’s Office.
Gainey is replacing Sher- iff Chris Blair who was ar- rested last Thursday and charged with two counts of perjury and one count of offi- cial misconduct. Blair report- edly gave false statements under oath during an investi- gation into the use of excessive force.
If convicted, Sheriff Blair could face up to five years in prison on each count and $5,000 in fines on each count. He was released after posting bond.
HBCU College Fair At Blake High School
Howard W. Blake High School was the site of a Historically Black Colleges and Universities College Day and Decision Day last month. Several parents attended the event with their college- bound students. Among the colleges represented were: Edward Waters College, Florida Memorial University, Alabama State University and Ft. Valley State University. (Photos by BRUNSON)
Standing with Dr. Walter Smith (2nd from left) of Florida A&M University are: Shavonne Brown, Reggie Matis and Joel Blount, Jr.
Representing the blue and gold of Ft. Val- ley State University were: Ann Little, San- ford Ross and Claudia Ross.
Staff members of Blake High in attendance were: Jesse Salters, Principal; Gail Olds, Sher- ryne Scriven and Keisha Thompson.
Tuskegee University was represented by Jennifer Hayes, Laniece Jackson, Bobbie Blount, and Pat Harrell.
FYI
Employment
Workshop
A free workshop to help job seekers find enjoyable employ- ment, will be held on Thursday, May 26th, 9:30 a. m. – 12 noon at Yuengling Brewery, 11111 N. 30th St., Tampa (33612).
You will learn how to assess your experience, introduce yourself, find jobs to match your skills, abilities and inter- ests and the importance of net- working.
For more information, go to www.hodgepodgetraining.com, or email Gene Hodge at ehod- getrain@gmail.com.
Shavone Golden and Zana Carter.
Marcus Okafor, maine Frazier LaShaunda Okafor.
Krista Ford and Briana Brown were also in attendance.
Shamyki A. Overstreet, and Sunny Royal Boyd and Saigan
Boyd attended the College Fair.
Jer-
PAGE 12 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2016