The Black Informant

Help wanted (NEEDED): A man in his life

Woman Says Joyriding Grandson, 7, Beat Her Up
Boy Taken For Mental Evaluation After Incident

LAKE PARK, Fla. — A 7-year-old boy who took his grandmother’s car on a joyride last month has been taken for a mental health evaluation after he allegedly beat her up inside a South Florida Wal-Mart, WPBF News 25 reported.

Latarian Milton told WPBF on April 28 that he took his grandmother’s Dodge Durango on a joyride because he was mad at his mother and because he enjoyed doing “bad things.”

“I wanted to do it because it’s fun. It’s fun to do bad things,” Milton said. “I wanted to do hood-rat stuff for my friend.”

[…]

Milton’s grandmother, Vikkita Stratford, told WPBF that the 7-year-old took his mischievous activities to a new level Monday when she said he beat her up inside a Lake Park Wal-Mart.

According to Stratford, the problem began when Milton asked his grandmother for some chicken wings. When she refused, Milton walked over over to the counter and ordered them anyway.

Stratford said that when she confronted him about it, Milton just snapped.

“He just started hitting me — just started hitting me in front of the whole Wal-Mart. Every one in there was upset,” Stratford said.

Stratford told WPBF that Milton hit her stomach, legs and “wherever he could reach me.”

Riviera Beach police picked up Milton from his home and took him to an area hospital for a mental health evaluation Monday afternoon, WPBF reported. The 7-year-old can be held for up to 72 hours while he is evaluated by mental health officials.

Stratford said that she believes Milton’s problems are due to a bad atmosphere with his parents.

“I know what causes the behavior, cause all he’s ever seen was his parents do physical and abusive and verbal things, and I don’t want him to continue in this direction so I’m doing the best I can to get him the help,” she told WPBF. (more…)

NPR link up

Wednesday’s “News & Notes” link finally up.
[Link]

Feds investigate King…again

Someone was kind enough to e-mail me the following story after hearing me on NPR “News and Notes” yesterday (which b.t.w. the audio link is still not available—I will post it as soon as NPR places it on their site).
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Outsourcing of King Memorial to China Is Probed
By JOSH GERSTEIN, Staff Reporter of the Sun

A federal investigation is under way into the organization raising funds for a memorial to the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in the nation’s capital, according to two people interviewed as part of the inquiry.

The probe of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation is being conducted by the inspector general of the Interior Department, which oversees the National Park Service.

The scope of the inquiry is not clear, but it seems to focus on whether the foundation was obliged to follow federal procurement rules, including competitive bidding and so-called “Buy American” policies favoring domestic sources. The foundation is largely supported by private donations, but it received almost $10 million from the federal government in 2006. (more…)
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As I have been saying since my conversation with the folks at King is Ours back in September of last year, while I fully support the argument that the King monument should not be created or funded by a communist country, I take strong issue with this organization making it into a race issue/anti-communism issue only after it was realized that a Black sculptor was not going to do the work. Ed Dwight (member of King is Ours) knew of China connection beforehand, yet as a consultant for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, he was one of those that approved the project in the first place.

In the meantime, here is another sculpture of MLK I was able to find on the net. This one comes to us from Virginia. I wonder if anyone found this one “too confrontational”?

I present to you “tolerance”

‘Memba the other day when I posted an article about UT employee Crystal Dixon and the lil’ firestorm surrounding her comments about homosexuals and Blacks (“University administrator gets suspended for not buying into the ‘Gay is the same as being Black’ line“)? Well, sistah-girl has just become a new member of the X-Men (as in X-employee).

Crystal Dixon no longer UT employee

A University of Toledo official has told News 11 that Crystal Dixon is no longer an employee at the University of Toledo.

We have no further information about the cause of the change in employment status.

Crystal Dixon has been on paid leave because of an article she wrote for Toledo Free Press in April.

At the time, she was UT’s associate vice president of human resources. She responded to a column about the gay rights struggle, saying “As a Black woman … I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are civil rights victims. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a Black woman. Daily thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle.” (more…)

2-minute T.V.

Reality television has never really been my cup of tea, but I was willing to give the latest addition to the ever-growing heap of brainless T.V. a chance.

The show “Deion and Pilar: Prime Time Love” has just been added to my mental category as “2-minute T.V.” Why? Because I can only watch 2 minutes of it before I feel compelled to turn (or vomit).

In this show, cameras are welcomed into the beautiful home of Deion Sanders and his lovely wife Pilar along with their children where viewers are given the opportunity to see yet another American family play up the drama of everyday mundane life. For a reason unknown or understood by me, from time to time Deion feels the need to use an electric cart to get around the house. When I saw this I knew that unlike the cart this show was not going anywhere fast in my household.

Could I write more about the show? Sure. But that would mean that I have to move it to the 3-minute T.V. category. In the meantime, here is another review of the show I found this morning.

Deion’s home team needs a new playbook (This reviewer was really being nice by giving this show 2 stars).

Karen Bass makes history

Calif installs 1st black female legislative leader
By SAMANTHA YOUNG

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California on Tuesday installed the nation’s first black female legislative leader, swearing in Los Angeles Democrat Karen Bass as speaker of the state Assembly.

Bass said at the ceremony that she feels the weight of history on her shoulders.

“If we could only harness the power of our common humanity, I don’t think there’s anything we couldn’t do for the people of this state,” she said.

The 54-year-old becomes the 67th speaker, succeeding fellow Los Angeles Democrat Fabian Nunez. He is relinquishing the post at the end of the year because of term limits.

Bass was a physician’s assistant before being elected to the Assembly in 2004 and is known for writing legislation on child welfare and social justice issues. As speaker, she will hold what is regarded as the second most powerful post in state government behind the governor.

[…]

California’s Assembly is the first state legislative body in the nation to be led by a black woman, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Washington state, Rosa Franklin holds the largely honorary title of Senate president pro tem. (more…)

Tuesday’s briefings

Not a lot of time today, but here is what caught my attention –

>>Another Democratic race-baiting ploy goes unnoticed. [Link]

>>Contrary to what the media has been suggesting, the voters that were polled recently want the Clinton/Obama race to continue. [Link]
(Jerry Day’s analysis makes a very strong case that the media is driving this campaign, not voter interests.)

>>But Michelle already said “No!”
Majority of Dems want Clinton to be V.P.

>>The movie “Iron Man” was neat, but if it wasn’t for my kids I would have waited until the DVD. The register at the ticket booth was saying $23, but my mind was thinking $15 for the DVD in Wal-Mart.

>>Just wrong!
911 Operator: ‘I Don’t Give a S***t’
(The reporter for this story really worked up the drama factor with this woman–see video in story)

>>Once McCain starts talking about ceasing our dependency on oil from the middle east by drilling in our own backyard, I’ll take him serious. In the meantime, here is his master plan. [Link]

>>One of my favorite shows is Discovery Science Channel’s “Rise of the Video Game”. Last night they talked about the game Second Life. Personally, it was the first time for me hearing about it, but that is not the case for millions who immerse themselves in this virtual world on a daily basis. At first, I thought is was just a knock-off of The Sims. But as the documentary explained, it is a place where real commerce is taking place. Companies like American Apparel, Sears, Circuit City, Dell, etc. have already staked their claim in this virtual universe. Players are able to buy and sell virtual real estate and make a real profit. One guy actually took a $100k loan on his house, used it in Second Life and was able to make it all back in 8 months.

I guess the main selling point of Second Life is the fact that you can be whatever you want to be. In other words, if you are an overweight, 5′ 6″, balding man, you can present yourself in this virtual world as a 6′ 4″ brown-skinned man with muscles. Add-ons and skins can be purchased from other participants who know how to create them. I think the commerce part is what really intrigues me about this whole thing.

Me? I deal with enough knuckleheads in the real world to have the time to deal with them in the virtual universe. The whole thing sounds like a scary science fiction novel becoming real life. In the meantime, here is a short intro video to the world of Second Life.

I got a feeling that I will be writing about this game again in the future.

>>Worth the read: “Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency” NY Times

Here’s an excerpt:

Some public health experts are questioning why menthol, the most widely used cigarette flavoring and the most popular cigarette choice of African-American smokers, is receiving special protection as Congress tries to regulate tobacco for the first time.

The legislation, which would give the Food and Drug Administration the power to oversee tobacco products, would try to reduce smoking’s allure to young people by banning most flavored cigarettes, including clove and cinnamon.

But those new strictures would exempt menthol — even though menthol masks the harsh taste of cigarettes for beginners and may make it harder for the addicted to kick the smoking habit. For years, public health authorities have worried that menthol might be a factor in high cancer rates in African-Americans.

The reason menthol is seen as politically off limits, despite those concerns, is that mentholated brands are so crucial to the American cigarette industry. They make up more than one-fourth of the $70 billion American cigarette market and are becoming increasingly important to the industry leader, Philip Morris USA, without whose lobbying support the legislation might have no chance of passage.

[…]

Even the head of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network, a nonprofit group that has been adamantly against menthol, acknowledges that the ingredient needed to be off the bargaining table — for now — because he does not want to imperil the bill’s chances.

“The bottom line is we want the legislation,” said William S. Robinson, the group’s executive director. “But we want to reserve the right to address this issue at some critical point because of the percentage of people of African descent who use mentholated products.” (more…)

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I will have to revisit this article at a later date. Interesting!

>>Here are the topics for tomorrow’s Black Blogger’s segment on NPR’s News and Notes:

- Al Sharpton’s Tax Problems
- MLK Tribute Statue is Too “Confrontational”
- first white man named Valedictorian at Morehouse

I’m officially frightened

Misguided anger

“Most notably, while giving much attention to critics of hip-hop videos, Wiltz never mentioned that videos now constitute only about 20 percent of the network’s programming, down from nearly 70 percent just three years ago. Nor does she mention that BET has won seven awards for its news programs in the past year; that BET won the NAACP Image Award for its annual “Celebration of Gospel” (the highest-rated religious program in television the past two years); that BET Networks received an Emmy Award for its long-standing “Rap-It-Up” campaign, which promotes HIV-AIDS awareness; or that the annual BET Awards show has been the No. 1 show in African American households for several years.” (Debra Lee, chairman and chief executive of BET Networks in her response to a Washington Post article criticizing BET)

The BET debate has come up on this site plenty of times in the past. What really gets me about the crowd that is behind protesting anything BET is that they fail to acknowledge the fact that Lee has raised in her comment. And that is music videos (in general) only make up 20 percent of their programing. Out of that 20 percent is a smaller percentage of videos that are apparently offensive to some people out there. Making a sweeping judgment on such a small percentage of programing IMO is plain ridiculous. Don’t like it? Don’t watch it.

In the meantime, the anti-BET coalition seem to not be just as moved to protest other venues where–particularly Black women–are made to look foolish. For example, morning radio shows are known for their zainy, ridiculous and over the line comedy that often comes at the expense of someone making a total fool of themselves for money or a pair of tickets. I remember some years ago radio station Power 99 in Philly having a contest where women competed for some prize by calling the show and performing an orgasam. There there are the endless “Yo’ Mamma” joke contests. Here is another contest I just happened to come across today.

As I have said many of times before, the unfortunate thing is that there is an audience out there for this kind of entertainment. What may be “foolishness” to you is entertainment for someone else. Don’t like it? Protest THEM first and see just how far you will get.

Might be a little slow for a minute

For the past few weeks on this end, things have been getting quite busy. With no sign of it letting up anytime soon, I am going to slow things down here for a while. In the meantime, I am scheduled to appear on NPR’s “News and Notes” this Wednesday, so stay tuned!

Something New

A different kind of ‘Morehouse Man’
2008 valedictorian is white

By ERRIN HAINES Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) _ From his first day at Morehouse College — the country’s only institution of higher learning dedicated to the education of black men — Joshua Packwood has been a standout.

His popularity got him elected dorm president as a freshman. His looks and physique made him a fashion-show favorite. His intellect made him a Rhodes Scholar finalist. His work ethic landed him a job at the prestigious investment banking firm Goldman Sachs in New York City.

But it’s his skin that has made all of this an anomaly. This month, Packwood is set to take the stage and address his classmates as the first white valedictorian in Morehouse’s 141-year history.

The 22-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., will graduate on May 18 with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a degree in economics.

He could have gone elsewhere, to a school like Columbia, Stanford or Yale, but his four-year journey through Morehouse has taught him a few things that they could not, and he makes it clear that he has no regrets.

“I’ve been forced to see the world in a different perspective, that I don’t think I could’ve gotten anywhere else,” he said. “None of the Ivies, no matter how large their enrollment is, no matter how many Nobel laureates they have on their faculty … none of them could’ve provided me with the perspective I have now.” (more…)

Is it time for a “Men Studies” curriculum?

The Slump: It’s a Guy Thing
by Peter Coy
Businessweek.com

Men, concentrated in the weakest sectors, are losing jobs in this downturn, while women make gains

They eat from the same dishes and sleep in the same beds, but they seem to be operating in two different economies. From last November through this April, American women aged 20 and up gained nearly 300,000 jobs, according to the household survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). At the same time, American men lost nearly 700,000 jobs. You might even say American men are in recession, and American women are not.

What’s going on? Simply put, men have the misfortune of being concentrated in the two sectors that are doing the worst: manufacturing and construction. Women are concentrated in sectors that are still growing, such as education and health care.

This situation is hardly good news for women, though. While they’re getting more jobs, their pay is stagnant. Also, most share households—and bills—with the men who are losing jobs. And the “female” economy can’t stay strong for long if the “male” economy weakens too much.

The troubles for the American male worker, while exacerbated by the current slump, are hardly new. The manufacturing sector is in long-term decline, and construction goes through repeated booms and busts. Meanwhile women are graduating from college at higher rates than men. Some analysts even argue that men are less suited than women to the knowledge economy, which rewards supposedly female traits such as sensitivity, intuition, and a willingness to collaborate. “Men have tended to do better in the hierarchies, following orders and relying on positional power,” says Andy Hines, a futurist at the Washington (D.C.) consulting firm Social Technologies, who previously worked for Kellogg and Dow Chemical.

Problem Industries

Whether you buy that argument or not, it’s clear that right now men are in a bad spot. The share of all men aged 20 and over with jobs has fallen since last November, when private-sector employment peaked, going from 72.9% to 72.2% in April. For women the ratio rose, from 58.1% to 58.3%. The adult male unemployment rate has risen twice as much as the female jobless rate since November. Those figures from the BLS’ household survey are echoed in its separate survey of employers.

To see why, go sector by sector. Manufacturing is over 70% male and construction is about 88% male. Meanwhile the growing education and health services sector is 77% female. The government sector, which has remained strong, is 57% female. The securities business, which is filled with high-paying jobs, is likely to be the next sector to get whacked—and more than 60% of its workers are men. (more…)

The family: An old institution worth fighting for

Found this on one of my favorite blogs–oldtruth.com

“We are technologically superior to previous generations. But are we losing too much in the process? First we walked, then galloped, then road on rails together. Now we drive, largely alone with the window up, and go home to [air conditioned and heated] homes, only coming out to take out the trash or grab the newspaper. Once we entertained ourselves at home by reading books aloud. In the 1920s, families gathered around the radio. In the 1950s, they gathered around the TV. Now there is a TV in each room. Computers will only make it worse. Once the home was a castle, a place of refuge for the family. When behind its doors, the family conducted its affairs without interruption and without outside influence. Now one can hardly eat a meal or conduct family worship without the phone ringing. Sacrosanct family time is violated daily. Friends and strangers alike barge right into the middle of the family’s most private and intimate moments via technology. Again my question is, is this progress? ”

[…]

“Growing prosperity and technological advancement do not necessarily or automatically mark human progress. I have labored this point because I believe the church has largely failed to recognized the death of family and community or compensate for it. Rather than reaffirm traditional practices that build family life and stimulate community, it has tended to baptize secular trends that do the opposite. The small neighborhood church has given way to the large commuter church. The friendly country parson has been replaced by the suburban CEO/pastor. Older practices such as the “family altar” and the “family pew” have received token attention while new programs have been devised that divide families and segregate the ages. In many ways we have become too clever for our own good.” [Terry L. Johnson from the book “Family Worship: A Resource Book For Family Devotions”] (more…)

There have been many of nights in my household where the laptop, cell phone and television have been permanent fixtures at the dinner table. It all seemed “normal” to me until one day I noticed that saying grace had become reduced to that thing we say before we eat. I especially noticed it with the kids. Prayer at the table coming from them sounded more like a silent mumble that sounded more like they were praying to some statue than the living God who had truly blessed us with the resources to get the food we want and the time we have together.

It did not take long for me to realize that I was the one that needed to make the adjustment, not them. My example at the table was a total joke and I had to do something about it. I have not reached the level of perfection in this department, but looking back we have made some progress.

While blogging can be enjoyable, I oftentimes find that it is easy to miss the true personality of an individual. Depending on the topic, responses to comments are well researched and bullet pointed. However, if you were to actually meet that individual, all the formality is virtually non-existent. And what you are left with is a person who is just as vulnerable, unpolished and nutty as you. Welcome to life beyond the keyboard. (a little off topic here—sorry!)

As much as I love technology, the one thing that will always remain valuable to me is good ol’ face to face conversation. Allowing technology to replace good ‘ol fashioned family time is anything but advancement for the family.

Happy Momma’s Day!

Plain and simple. Thanks to all the mommas out there who do their part to help groom the next generation.

Man!

“And while 11,519 black Baltimoreans are living with HIV/AIDS, the figure for whites is just 1,302, she said.” (One of many issues discussed he Greater Baltimore Urban League’s report, “The State of Black Baltimore”)

[Link]

Developer finds success in SanFran market

Michael Johnson: Taking Urban Development to Another Level
thewesternedition.com

When you mention the Fillmore Heritage Center to Michael Johnson, he smiles as he reflects on the development he helped to create. The almost one-year-old $102 million project is a mixed use housing development, which features condominiums, a parking garage, the restaurant 1300 On Fillmore, a jazz music and education non-profit organization (the Jazz Heritage Center), and Yoshi’s new San Francisco location.
This complex is located in the heart of San Francisco’s Western Addition on Fillmore Street.

“The Fillmore Heritage Center has become a legacy project for me and our company,” said Johnson. “It combines a lot of things that are important for community development in African American neighborhoods such as mixed use housing and commercial space.”

The project has helped to signal the rebirth of the Western Addition area, and is the latest urban development project in the city of San Francisco.

“This would not have happened without the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and the Western Addition community,” continued Johnson. “Everyone believed that if we did not get the project built on that site that it would not happen.”

But it did, after years of project proposals and disappointments. The Fillmore Heritage Center is one of the largest projects developed by an African American developer in California.

Johnson, president and founder of EM Johnson Interest, Inc. has over 20 years of experience in urban real estate development around the country. A native of Philadelphia, Johnson studied architecture at the University of Maryland and then went on to Georgia Tech, where he got a Masters Degree in Real Estate Development.

After graduating from Georgia Tech, Johnson stayed in the Atlanta area where he worked at the Community Design Center of Atlanta, which offered free architecture services for community organizations. He then went into private business with Ron Wilson - a real estate salesman, and Richard Dagenhart - an architect, to form Wilson, Dagenhart, and Johnson, a firm that focused on urban and economic development in minority communities.

“We were together for 11 years and we worked throughout the country in Birmingham, Memphis, Dallas - with most of the focus on urban redevelopment,” says Johnson. “We worked on the Martin Luther King Historical District in Atlanta, which includes Ebenezer Baptist Church. We helped to create what is now a national park.”

After being in Atlanta for a number of years, Johnson wanted a change of pace and in 1989 began looking at various cities to move to. He decided to move to the Bay Area, where he went to work with the Neighborhood Housing Services of America, based in Oakland, which provides funding for other non-profits that develop affordable housing.

He stayed out of development for a few years, but he got back into it in1993, founding EM Johnson Interest, Inc. He would begin working on projects in various states including Oregon, Idaho, and Georgia. He did not enter the San Francisco market until 1998, when he decided to bid on the St. Regis project on Third and Mission Streets, a mixed use, housing, hotel and open space, which would eventually become the Museum of African Diaspora. (more…)

Time will ultimately tell

Black lawmakers consider bids for Congress as independents
By The Associated Press | The Natchez Democrat

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Three black state lawmakers say they are weighing whether to run for three U.S. House seats this fall as independents, a move that could splinter Democratic support in the races.

Sen. Don Cravins Jr., Sen. Lydia Jackson and Rep. Michael Jackson say the state and national Democratic parties have failed to recruit and support black candidates to run for federal and statewide offices. They said there’s disparity between how the party treats black and white candidates.

“For many, many years, the African-American community has been very supportive of Democrats, and many of us feel that has not been reciprocated,” said Cravins, D-Opelousas.

Louisiana has only one black member of Congress: U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, a Democrat who represents a majority black district.

All seven of Louisiana’s U.S. House seats come up for election in November.

Cravins said he is considering a run as an independent for the 7th U.S. Congressional District that is held by U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany Jr., R-Lafayette.

Though he said the Democratic Party supports him as a state senator in a majority black district, Cravins said he worries that financial and organizational help would evaporate once he ventures into a congressional district that is majority white.

“When an African-American candidate runs in a majority white district, race is always an issue,” said Cravins.

Cravins’ father — Opelousas Mayor Don Cravins Sr. — ran for Congress in 2004 and lost, and at the time, Cravins Sr. criticized members of the Democratic Party for not providing enough support for his candidacy. (more…)

I am already laughing (and I haven’t seen it yet)

Both Ben Stiller and Jack Black are crazy ANYWAY. Putting them together with Downey’s roll is going to be a trip. Here is an excerpt from a review on the movie-

“While I see no problem with this, I guess the studio is expecting some major controversy and has even screened the movie for all African-American audiences to see their reactions (which were very positive), but honestly, if anyone gets upset over that in a zany satirical comedy, they really need to take a step back to look at themselves, reflect, then jump off a bridge.” (more…)

Favorite line from the previews comes from Downey’s character: “What do you mean ‘Your people’?” (Brandon T. Jackson’s character ‘Alpa Chino’) “What do YOU mean ‘Your people’?”

Follow the green dot

What was discussed back in 2007

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“In 2000, about 6% of U.S corn production went into ethanol. In 2005, this had jumped up to 14% of the corn crop for biofuels. In 2006, 20% was converted into motor ethanol, the same percentage of production that typically has gone into U.S. corn exports in recent years.

For 2007, the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture projection is that 27% of U.S. corn production will go to ethanol, and corn exports will decline to 19%. But this is just early June, and the bounty of the harvest is far from certain. Given that the United States has accounted for some 40% of all corn traded worldwide, any decrease in U.S. corn for food or livestock feed automatically constitutes a major grain supply problem internationally.”

[…]

These biofuels-induced shifts in agriculture occur at a time of record low food reserves. The May 11 USDA report projected that worldwide grain stocks of all kinds (wheat, rice, corn) at the end of the 2007/2008 crop year will fall to 305.08 million metric tons (mmt), significantly below 319.79 mmt in the 2006/2007 crop year, and far below the 390.14 million metric tons for 2005/2006 ending stocks. Grain stocks per capita are at danger ratios. (from the article “Biofuels Are Famine Policy; Food Shortages Are Hitting” by by Marcia Merry Baker)

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Is America Headed for a Food Shortage?
A new study suggests that ethanol production could drive up corn prices, leaving U.S. grains and meat in short supply (read)

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U.N. official says crops as biofuel ‘crime against humanity’
By The Associated Press - 10/27/07
UNITED NATIONS — A U.N. expert on Friday called the growing practice of turning crops into biofuel “a crime against humanity” because it has created food shortages and sent food prices soaring, leaving millions of poor people hungry.

Jean Ziegler, who has been the U.N.’s independent expert on the right to food since the position was established in 2000, called for a five-year moratorium on biofuel production to halt the growing “catastrophe” for poor people. (more…)

And now all of a sudden folks are surprised?

The part of the story that will get lost in the noise

“Ramsey said that the latest incident occurred after a team of narcotics officers with the 25th Police District in North Philadelphia witnessed a triple shooting during a drug surveillance at 4th and Ansberry streets. The officers were hoping to arrest drug suspects and question them about the slaying of Andrew Coach on Sunday, Ramsey said.”

“Police watched as four men got out of a gold Mercury Grand Marquis and walked to the corner. One of them then fired upon three other men standing on the corner. The man who fired took off running and his three companions got back in the Grand Marquis and drove off, with police in pursuit, Ramsey said.”

[…]

“The three shooting victims are recovering from their gunshot wounds, police said.”

[…]

“Dyches, Hopkins and Hall have been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, weapons possession and criminal conspiracy. Bail was set at $300,000 for Hall and $1 million for Hopkins.” (more…)

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If the cops stepped over the line in how they handled this arrest, then may they get what is coming to them. In the meantime, I not about to throw all my anger towards the cops when these boys just finished trying to add to the growing body count of young Black men in that city.