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Detroit Black Music Awards: “We’ve acknowledged Entertainers from the least to the greatest, from Motown stars to Local stars”–Misty Love, Pres.

11th Annual DBMA to be held in Detroit, the “Music Capital of the World”

VOD staff writer Ricardo Ferrell

By Ricardo Ferrell

DETROIT — The DBMA to be held on Sunday, August 4th, 2019, at the Charles H. Wright Museum marks the 11th year this prestigious event has been in Detroit.

Misty Love, President of the Detroit Black Music Awards, is proud to announce this year’s event, which is primed to be the best she and partner Billy Wilson, the President of the Motown Alumni Association, will be presenting, holding it in what could easily be termed the Music Capital of the World.

Misty Love has had quite a singing career. She’s a vocalist with one Gold record; six Platinum records and 10 Diamond records to her credit for singing with artists like Kid Rock and Cheryl Crow. Misty’s also quite the songwriter. She has written songs for Kid Rock that went on to sell over five million copies. Misty has been singing all her life and have been on every show from David Letterman, the Tonight Show, VHI Awards, MTV Awards, and the Soul Train Awards.

Aside from living and singing in Las Vegas, Nevada, she’s been to Spain and other places around the globe showcasing her angelic God-given voice. The idea to create a Detroit version of the Black Music Awards came about when Misty won Blues Singer of the year two years in a row at the Las Vegas Black Music Awards. It inspired her to explore bringing the event to Detroit in 2009.

Every year since its inception, the DBMA has had at least 10 categories, including best R&B male; best R&B female; Entertainer of the Year; best Gospel, etc. The DBMA also gives at least five Special Tribute Awards and five(5) Lifetime Achievement Awards. Misty Love continues to bring this illustrious event to Detroit year after year with No Sponsors! Primarily the only financial support she receives is when someone purchases an ad in her souvenir book.

This year’s event will likely feature a tribute to the late Aretha Louise Franklin, known around the world as the Queen of Soul. In the Motor City she will always be remembered as the Queen of Detroit for all she contributed to the city she loved so dearly.

Aretha Franklin’s homegoing was held at Charles H. Wright Museum.

Misty Love told me in a handwritten correspondence, “So many Detroit artists never get any recognition. They sing in these clubs and concerts and never get any recognition. It doesn’t matter if they perform in a poolroom, they should be recognized for their musical talents. We’ve acknowledged Entertainers from the least to the greatest, from Motown stars to Local stars. It doesn’t matter to us because we give each of them the same recognition.”

The Detroit Black Music Awards is a very classy event and its also a formal affair. Misty calls it “The BET in The DET” which is quite fitting. Black Entertainment at its best in Detroit, you simply can’t get it any better than that, especially since some of the best-of-the-best singers were born and raised in Detroit. The Motown history itself and what that musical dynasty was able to accomplish from scratch inspired the grind and creativity of a determined Black woman to provide a platform for all to be rightfully recognized regardless of their status in the music industry.

Misty Love is the truth when it comes to putting in real work for the mission, and not thinking about any reward. She is a beautiful soul and has a heart of gold. This annual epic event is made possible by the help of Misty’s partner Billy Wilson, who is one of the most prolific Motown historians of today. Billy’s expertise and wealth of knowledge in the music industry, specifically that of the Motown Sound from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and beyond adds credence to the DBMA and its mission.

Billy Wilson and Misty Love during previous DBMA at Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History.

Billy Wilson’s knowledge of Motown’s stature and humble beginnings is priceless. These two brilliant minds, Misty Love & Billy Wilson and their tireless efforts, are what makes the Detroit Black Music Awards such a great and epic event.

“People love this event and they tend to enjoy the voting process, where they can vote for their favorite artist,” says Misty.

Misty shared with me how she will remain committed to the Detroit Black Music Awards, and continue to recognize every talent she can, as her way of giving back. She also said, “I do this to give people their Roses now while they can still see and smell them.”

Some of the notable supporters of the DBMA are: Judge Deborah Thomas, Gloria Ray, Charles H. Wright Museum, Fox 2 News, Voice of Detroit, and a host of others.

Writer’s note: The Detroit Black Music Awards is an event that all Black folks and business owners in the City of Detroit, and its surrounding areas should sponsor and promote without any reservations. This annual event solidifies the true essence of why its imperative that we as a people show a willingness to be supportive of one another regardless of our demographics, or socio-economic status. Detroit is headed for another comeback, and the Detroit Black Music Awards is gearing up to reinvigorate the Motown sound, and giving local talents the stage needed to showcase their talents, is what the DBMA’s are all about. If you have heard about this annual event, then certainly you wouldn’t want to miss this year’s epic extravaganza.

https://www.facebook.com/Detroitblackmusicawardsofficialpage/

 BELOW: MAP OF CHARLES H. WRIGHT MUSEUM

Puerto Ricans shut down major highways, flooded roads to governor RIcky Roselli’s mansion July 22, 2019 to demand his immediate resignation, after years of massive cutbacks ordered by global banks which want phony Detroit-style bankruptcy.

July 22, 2019

PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello and U.S. Pres. Donald Trump enjoy light moment during Hurricane Rita on island.

Thousands of protesters calling for the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló have brought Puerto Rico almost to a standstill. Public outrage was prompted by his texts mocking victims of the devastating 2017 hurricane, Maria.

Protesters were joined by a number of high-profile Puerto Rican celebrities, including Latin pop singer Ricky Martin and rapper René Pérez Joglar, also known by his stage name ‘Residente.’ Many businesses, including the Plaza Las Américas mall in San Juan, closed throughout the day in anticipation of the demonstration.

A major expressway –Highway 18– was completely blocked by protesters.

Some held signs and banners directly calling on Rosselló to resign.

Protesters block one of many major highways in San Juan, Puerto RIco’s capital.

Massive protest flooded streets of San Juan.

The leader of the US territory has been embroiled in controversy following a leak of hundreds of communications in which he made a series of offensive remarks. The leaks amount to almost 900 pages of messages sent to current and former aides and officials. They contain sexist, homophobic and often profanity-laced comments as well as crude and flippant remarks about subjects like death following Hurricane Maria.

In addition to causing great offense, a member of the Puerto Rican legislature has identified 18 cases of potential crimes and introduced a resolution to begin impeachment proceedings against Rosselló. Both island and federal authorities have also launched investigations into possible corruption or conflicts of interest stemming from information contained in the texts.

Women joined the protest en masse.

On Sunday, Rossello said that he would not resign, but will step down as leader of the New Progressive party, the major pro-Puerto Rican statehood party, and would not seek re-election in the upcoming 2020 gubernatorial vote. However, many figures from across the political spectrum – and both on the island and from the US mainland – are calling for nothing short of his resignation, arguing that his position is untenable in light of the leaks.

The Caribbean island nation is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria in 2017. The natural disaster caused billions of dollars in damage, destroyed about 80% of the country’s crop value and left several thousand residents dead. In the months following the storm, over 100,000 Puerto Ricans fled the island for the US mainland. Earlier that year, Puerto Rico became the first US territory to become bankrupt in what has been described as the “biggest government financial collapse in United States history.”

Trump tossing paper towels to Puerto Ricans at hurricane relief center.

The US government’s response to the crisis was controversial. The Senate initially voted 90-10 to approve a multi-billion dollar aid relief program, but Democrats expressed concern that the spending didn’t go far enough.

Congress eventually allocated just over $40 billion to the relief effort, which came from various sources including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Trump made a number of controversial remarks about both this amount and the response of local politicians. He falsely claimed that $92 billion had been spent on the recovery effort, describing the amount as “squandered and wasted and stolen.” He also made a number of disparaging remarks about elected officials in Puerto Rico, describing the governor as “terrible” and the mayor of San Juan as a “horror show.” He also frequently boasted about his own purported role in the recovery effort, describing himself as “the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico.” 

Below: Carmen Yulin Cruz, Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico responds to Trump’s failure to provide sufficient aid, and racist comments on disaster.

This latest controversy might lead to a further need to prop up the troubled island. If Rosselló goes, a new administration will have to take its place. If he stays, his government will turn into a lame duck until the next gubernatorial elections, which are over a year away. Either way, as a US territory for which Washington has ultimate responsibility, the burden will fall on the federal government to help ensure good governance.

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PUERTO RICO’S DEMAND FOR INDEPENDENCE MORE ALIVE THAN EVER

Interview with Puerto Rican patriot Oscar López Rivera

Author: Nuria Barbosa León | internet@granma.cu

March 13, 2019 16:03:36

Puerto RIcan hero Oscar Lopez Rivera.

At the 4th International Conference for the Balance of the World, Oscar López Rivera called for Latin American unity to build support for Puerto Rico’s independence struggle. Photo: Ariel Cecilio Lemus Alvarez

PUERTO RICO —Puerto Rico’s demand for independence was reaffirmed by the patriot Oscar López Rivera recently, insisting that this is the inalterable demand of the island’s people.

In statements to Granma International, he noted that the only path forward for his homeland is independence, and an end to the U.S. protectorate.

He cited, as another other important issue in the struggle, the elimination of Puerto Rico’s exorbitant foreign debt, which according to Wall Street has reached 73 billion dollars, and for which the island’s people bear no responsibility, he said.

López Rivera recalled that the Caribbean nation does not have its own public treasury to pay this debt, since all income generated goes straight to the United States, given its status as the reigning colonial power.

Puerto Rico cannot appeal to any international financial institution or declare bankruptcy as any state of the union could, because it is not part of U.S. continental territory and is prohibited from applying for financial bail-out programs, given its condition as a Free Associated State.

He explained that to resolve the issue, in 2016 the White House named a Financial Oversight Board, with powers greater than those of the governor, charged with the task of developing social cutback plans to guarantee payment to creditors.

López Rivera explained that economic measures taken since then have cut the budget for programs benefitting the population, and accentuate dependence on the United States.

Protest demanding cancellation of Puerto RIco’s debt.

This situation, he said, is leading many Puerto Ricans to fight for the island’s definitive independence, or emigrate to the mainland, a pattern that continues to increase. Moreover, the nation has been unable to recover from the disaster created in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, he added.

“Today we are confronting this criminal, vengeful debt imposed by credit agencies backed by the United States. Related to this issue, the government imposed on us the Financial Oversight Board, which is determining how to implement an austerity plan, one that threatens the present and future of Puerto Rico, in ways we can’t even imagine,” he stated.

The issue will be addressed in the United Nations General Assembly, he said, and the demand for the homeland’s independence and the right to self-determination will be raised, on the basis of the fact that, in 1952, when the United States imposed the Free Associated State, information was manipulated and distorted to serve its neocolonial goals.

“We advocate unity among left political forces, to put our differences aside and work to achieve our definitive independence, which has become a necessity,” López Rivera stressed.

New York march to free Oscar Lopez Rivera.

As a young man he was recruited by the U.S. Army and obliged to participate in the Vietnam War.

Returning to the U.S. city of Chicago, where his family had settled in the 1970s, he joined the struggle in defense of the rights of Puerto Ricans, becoming an outstanding community organizer, demanding better living conditions for the population.

In 1976, he joined the underground movement in favor of Puerto Rican independence as a member of the National Liberation Armed Forces (FALN), and was imprisoned in 1981, following his arrest by the FBI and conviction for alleged seditious conspiracy.

At the time of his capture, he sought classification as a prisoner of war, in accordance with Protocol I of the 1949 Geneva Convention that recognizes this condition in cases of persons detained during armed conflicts and struggles against colonial oppression.

This demand was ignored by the U.S. government, which sentenced him to 55 years in prison. Subsequently, they fabricated an escape attempt and the sentence was extended to 70 years, 12 of which he spent in solitary confinement.

4th International Conference for the Balance of the World, Havana, Cuba

Oscar López served a total of 36 years of hard prison. On January 17, 2017, President Barack Obama granted him a pardon and his release occurred on May 17 of the same year.

He recently traveled to Cuba to attend the 4th International Conference for the Balance of the World in Havana, which was held at the end of January.

For this Puerto Rican patriot, returning to Cuba was a great honor. “I feel super excited to be here. This forum can illuminate us regarding the necessary unity and put divisions aside. I am one of those who have confidence that a better and more just world is possible. We fight to achieve the goal of prosperity for all human beings, because not only does Puerto Rico suffer, but the entire planet. We suffer the punishment imposed by the imperialist U.S. ogre.”

He said that maintaining the continuity and legacy of Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro is important. “We need youth to continue that legacy, because it represents the future of society. To continue the example of Fidel Castro, who assumed it from José Martí,” he concluded.

Video above shows example of Detroit woman forced to walk home in 2 degree weather Detroit police impound car; officer Gary Steele later demoted for racist post

Detroiters pay highest car insurance rates, have highest unemployment and child poverty rates in U.S.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib co-sponsors PAID bill that would lower rates

Dennis Boatwright II

By Dennis S. Boatwright II

July 22, 2019

Thousands of low-income metro-Detroit area moms cannot drive to work because law enforcement officials tow away their cars after they are unable to show proof of insurance, according to Wayne County Clerk records.

Consequently, these near minimum wage earners lose their only means of transportation and must scramble to find other ways to take their children to daycare and doctor appointments.

Essentially, thousands of cars bulge through the gates of police impounds because the mothers don’t earn enough money to pay Detroit’s unaffordable car insurance rates.

For instance, non-Michigan residents are astonished that Michigan drivers pay on average $2,693 annually, and are taken aback that Wayne County residents (including Detroit) pay nearly double that rate at $5,646 per year. This means Detroiters, in particular, have to pay the highest car insurance premiums in the nation, even though Motor City has the lowest per-capita income among large U.S. cities. Detroit’s unbelievable car insurance rates are double that of Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City, big cities that also have high concentrations of people of color, as well as poverty and crime.

Car being impounded. Most drivers can’t afford costs to get cars back, they are sold at auction.

More directly, the average U.S. citizen pays only $115.00 per month while the average Detroiter pays an astonishing $470.00 each month per vehicle. In real terms, that means most Detroiters are paying two car notes every month, essentially.

It is no wonder that sixty percent of Detroit motorists take the chance of driving uninsured.

Since most Detroiters are unable to pay $470.00 per month, many don’t have coverage. This explains why police impounds are crammed with confiscated vehicles that otherwise can be driven.

According to 36th District Court records, when a single mom is pulled over for no insurance coverage, her car is impounded and she is written a two-hundred dollar misdemeanor citation. To get the car back, these distressed mothers are required to show proof of insurance and pay up to $900 in towing and storage fees in order to get the vehicle released from police custody. The fine and impoundment easily surpasses $1,000.

Detroit mother and children.

Since most struggling mothers cannot afford adequate insurance coverage nor the dispiriting towing and storage scams, their cars are auctioned away—oftentimes to a fellow police officer–after thirty days if they are unable to hustle up the cash.

Since the majority of single-parent moms don’t have required insurance, a nefarious cottage industry has popped up to feed off Detroiters who cannot pay such crippling premiums (sometimes 40-percent of their monthly incomes). Strip mall insurance brokerage companies like L.A. Insurance and Advasure sell desperate car owners thirteen-day car insurance policies for $400 ($800/mo). Then the relieved insured catch a ride to the police impound waving an insurance certificate to rescue the vehicle out of car jail, as they call it. Since the insurance policy just lasts two weeks, this sad cycle repeats itself over and over again.

To be sure, many are led to believe that car insurance in Detroit is the highest solely because of lower credit scores or high crime rates. (Credit scores are not the biggest spoiler, though in many cases they are privately factored in.)

Frankly, one reason Detroiters pay high insurance rates is that their political representation is indifferent and relatively weaker than the rest of the nation.

But there is room for hope.

Cars in impound lot.

Enough state legislators can vote to place a cap on how much an insurance company can charge motorists. If Detroiters want to get their insurance premiums lowered to the national average they must elect and support lawmakers who rank lowering car insurance premiums high on their legislation agendas.

So far, only freshman U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI, 13th District) considers this an urgent issue and has already made changes to Michigan’s insurance costs that will provide a 10-percent relief to monthly payments.

However, much more needs to be done and many more lawmakers must be willing to attack this exploitation of poor people. Sympathetic legislators need serious pastors, grassroots educators, and everyday folks to unite and mobilize around this important issue. Otherwise, thousands of more teary-eyed moms will be ordered to “step outside the car.”

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib Bill Could Bar Michigan Auto Insurers From Using Non-Driving Factors

By Bethan Moorecraft

July 15, 2019 Ju

U.S. Rep Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan)

st weeks after Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a landmark no-fault auto insurance reform bill, legislators are demanding for more to be done to reduce the state’s extortionate auto insurance rates.

US Rep. Rashida Tlaib has introduced a bill called the Prohibit Auto Insurance Discrimination Act (PAID), which would prevent auto insurance companies from using non-driving factors like zip code, census tract, gender, education, occupation, employment, homeownership, credit score, and marital status, to determine rates.

According to a report in the Detroit Metro Times, Tlaib brought PAID to the table alongside Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., because she believes the bill recently signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer “does not go far enough to stop these harmful practices” of using non-driving factors.

“Auto insurance rates should be determined by your driving record, not your credit score, gender, marital status, education, residence, or any other non-driving factor that has nothing to do with your safety on the roads,” Tlaib commented. “Drivers in Michigan’s 13th congressional district face some of the highest car insurance rates in the nation, and non-driving factors that serve as proxies for race and income and allow modern-day redlining are a main culprit. The use of non-driving factors puts marginalized communities at a disadvantage and creates obstacles to economic opportunity for families.”

U. S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)

According to the insurance search engine, The Zebra, Michigan has the highest auto insurance rates in the country, with an average premium of $2,693. Some drivers in the state are paying in the realm of $5,000 every year to get on the roads, which takes a significant chunk out of the average annual income of Detroiters.  

Watson Coleman told the Detroit Metro Times: “Car insurance is absolutely necessary for most American families, so when companies raise rates for unfair, undisclosed, and unproven reasons, families are going to be hurt. Income proxies like where you work or whether you have a college degree don’t weed out bad drivers — they just create a two-tier system where those who make less get charged higher rates. Working families deserve better than a system that is fundamentally unfair.”

(Video above is from Michigan Supreme Court website: arguments on Harold Walker application for leave to appeal Jan. 24, 2019)

High court voids conviction and sentence, orders that Walker be re-tried in front of another judge

Cites jury “coercion” and intimidation, Lillard calling Walker a “clown” six times during sentencing to  3 to 75 years 

In three other cases, Courts of Appeal reversed sentences, cited Lillard’s practice of sentencing defendants to highest  level if they exercised Sixth Amendment right to jury trial instead of taking a plea deal

New discovery: Lillard ignored advice from Office of General Counsel to grant Charles Lewis “due process,” hold open court hearing on allegations that Lewis forged order from Judge Drain dismissing conviction; hearing on Lewis case Fri. July 19

By Diane Bukowski

July 17, 2019

Judge Lillard during DUI sentencing.

DETROIT, MI – A news video in which Third Judicial Circuit Court Judge Qiana Lillard called white family members of a DUI defendant “clowns” for allegedly laughing in court went viral last year, making her a hero.  Lillard sent the mother of the defendant to jail for one day.  

One website said Lillard, who is Black, was standing up to “white supremacists.”  Others expressed admiration for her alleged “no-nonsense” control of her courtroom. See https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/video-judge-throws-woman-out-of-court-during-deadly-dui-sentencing.

But on July 11, the Michigan Supreme Court thoroughly castigated Judge Lillard regarding a 2014 case where she repeatedly called defendant Harold Lamont Walker, who is Black, a “clown” and a “coward” before sentencing him to three to 75 years for firearms offenses.  They also cited what they called coercive jury instructions and intimidation of jury members, including forcing one member who was late to sit in the “prisoner’s box” for the duration of the one-day trial.

The high court threw out Walker’s conviction and sentence and ordered him re-tried before another judge. Walker was represented by Attorney Adrienne Young of the State Appellate Defender’s Office, who declined comment on the victory but referred VOD to the court ruling itself. See full ruling at: http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-ontent/uploads/People-V-Walker-MSC-7-11-19.pdf.

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Megan Cavanagh

“We hold that the [jury] instruction crossed the line from appropriately encouraging deliberation and candid consideration to impermissibly coercing jurors to surrender their honestly held beliefs for the sake of reaching a verdict,” Justice Megan Cavanagh wrote for the 5-2 majority.

“The error was plain, affected defendant’s substantial rights, and affected the fairness, integrity, and public reputation of the judicial proceeding . . . . Additionally, in light of the trial court’s conduct during defendant’s sentencing, we direct that defendant be retried before a different judge.”

The court said further, “After defendant indicated at least eight times during his allocution that he had nothing further to say, the trial judge continued to bait him, engaging in name-calling (calling him a “clown” six times and a “coward”), with the exchange escalating to defendant stating, “F— you,” to which the trial court replied, “Oh, you wish you could.” The trial court also admonished defendant, suggesting that he liked being in prison (“Cause that’s what your life shows me, that you like to go to prison.”) and stated that it would have sentenced him more leniently but for his disrespect toward the court (“I was inclined to give you the middle of the road, . . . but because you’re so disrespectful and you just seem to want to go back to prison . . . .”).

Harold Lamont Walker (Photo: MDOC)

Walker was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, and felony firearms. He had been standing with friends, drinking beers, near a house when police cruised by. They claimed they saw Walker move away to a bush near the porch of the house and drop a heavy object from his pocket into the bush. Police said they found a revolver in the bush.

A friend who was with him testified at trial that he had put the gun in the bush earlier in the day. He said Walker had thrown a can of beer into the bush because he was on parole and was not supposed to be drinking.

The court said the judge humiliated a juror who came in 15 minutes late by forcing the juror to sit in the box where in-custody prisoners are usually placed when awaiting their hearings. After the trial ended and the case went to the jury, they sent a note asking to see the weapon and shortly afterwards said they were deadlocked. The court said the judge gave improper and coercive jury instructions as follows:

“Now, if there’s someone among you who’s failing to follow the instructions or there’s someone who’s refusing to participate in the process, you can send us a note and let us know that and we can address that, but at this point I’m not inclined to end your deliberations at this point because you had a full day of testimony and you’ve only been at this, discussing it, for one hour.

“So I’m going to send you to lunch, maybe sometime [sic] apart will help you all to think about things, and then you’ll come back in one hour and resume your deliberations. If you have any questions, if there is anything that you don’t understand or need clarification on send a note. And again, if there’s one among you or two among you, three among you who are refusing to follow the instructions or participate in the process you can let us know that, too.”

Appeals Court Judge Elizabeth Gleicher

The court noted, “The jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts at 3:07 p.m., approximately 1½ hours after returning from lunch. The trial court sentenced defendant as a fourth-offense habitual offender, MCL 769.12, to concurrent prison terms of 46 months to 75 years for felon-in-possession and CCW, both of which were to be served consecutively to the mandatory 10-year sentence for third-offense felony-firearm.

It said it appeared clear that the jury returned a “guilty” verdict in Walker’s case because it was intimidated by Judge Lillard. 

The court also cited Judge Lillard’s depiction of the testimony of Walker’s witness, noting that there was no evidentiary basis for Judge Lillard’s opinion.

“I think he conspired with Mr. Williams, while Mr. Williams was in custody in the Wayne County Jail awaiting trial, and they trumped up that phony, bogus testimony. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that low-and-behold after that young man spent some time in the Wayne County Jail, all of a sudden he decided he wanted to come to court and tell a ridiculous version of events. And I think that that was nothing more than a conspiracy between Mr. Walker and — using his influence over a young man from the neighborhood, who looked up to him, to try to get him to take the rap for him.”

It included an earlier dissenting Appeals Court opinion from Judge Elizabeth Gleicher, in which she included a shocking section of the actual sentencing transcript. See http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/COA-H-L-WALKER-dissenting-1.pdf.

SADO Attorney Adrienne Young (Facebook)

In three earlier cases, state Courts of Appeals sent defendants to another judge for re-sentencing. They were the cases of Christobal DeLeon, Derek James Smith, and Floyd Pennington. The Courts of Appeals cited Lillard’s admitted practice of handing out sentences at the top of the guidelines if defendants had exercised their Sixth Amendment right to jury trials, rather than taking plea deals.

During oral arguments on the Walker case,  Attorney Adrienne Young called the practice “the Pennington practice.” She had included an amendment to her Supreme Court brief regarding that case in particular.

The Courts of Appeals struck down the sentences handed out to those defendants, and ordered that they be re-sentenced in front of other judges.

Trump with “Great Wall of Mexico.”

In the case of Christobal DeLeon, Appeals Court Judge Amy Krause also cited the “severity of the trial court’s misconduct in discussing the race, ethnicity, sexuality or religious beliefs of a defendant while passing sentence.”  Judge Lillard had told the Latino defendant, “You, sir, are a discredit to every immigrant who comes to this country seeking a better life . . . .fodder for the people who believe that a wall should be built to keep Mexicans out.” 

Krause explained, “The trial court’s comments about defendant’s Hispanic heritage are horrific, as confirmed in part by the prosecutor in their brief, who acknowledges that the trial court’s comments were ‘inflammatory’ and  ‘unnecessary.’  Moreover, these statements are meant to echo deeply disturbing rhetoric that paints Hispanic immigrants as rapists, murderers, and thieves.  There can be no doubt that the trial court had exactly such characterizations in mind by stating, “[i]t’s people like you and your friends who did what they did to this woman is the reason right now we have a president and a whole bunch of people following him believing a wall should be built to keep Latinos out of this country.”    The inclusion of such statements on the record leaves me with no choice but to assume that they were influential in the trial court’s decision.”

One long-time defense attorney told VOD recently that Lillard is known for the abnormally high sentences she hands out.

COURT COUNSEL: LILLARD DENIED CHARLES LEWIS DUE PROCESS IN HANDLING GERSHWIN DRAIN ORDER DISMISSING HIS CONVICTION

During three and one-half years of juvenile life re-sentencing hearings, which VOD has covered,  Charles Lewis brought to Judge Lillard’s attention an Order dismissing his case dated April 3, 2000, signed by Judge Gershwin Drain. The Order (below) was belatedly discovered by an employee in the Court Clerk’s office, misfiled in another case. It was then sent to various other personnel including Lewis’ Residential Unit Manager at Lakeland Correctional Facility, who gave it to Lewis.

The Order is listed currently at the beginning of Lewis Register of Actions (below at top). An earlier version of the Register of Actions listed it as a dismissal (below at bottom).

Lillard accepted the copy of the order into the record, but later obtained a letter from U.S. District Court Judge Gershwin Drain dated in 2012 claiming the order was forged and that Lewis had never been on his docket. The letter was not signed by Drain, but instead rubber-stamped.

AP Thomas Dawson and AP Jason Williams share a laugh during one of Lewis’ hearings.

Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Dawson has cited the alleged forgery as evidence of Lewis’ continuing criminal conduct in prison, in his effort to have Lewis re-sentenced to LWOP.

Lewis earlier explained at length, in his Motion to Remand the Correct the Record, how he obtained the document. See full motion under Related Documents below.

But Judge Lillard apparently consulted the Office of the General Counsel about how to handle the order. Atty Valerie Albright responded in 2014 (see full letter at http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/CLewis-OGC-advice-on-Drain-order.pdf 

Beginning of Atty. Valerie Albright’s advice to Judge Lillard on Drain order.

U.S. District Court Judge Gershwin Drain

Instead of holding an evidentiary hearing on this most serious matter, Judge Lillard addressed it verbally, stating she had called now-U.S. District Court Judge Gershwin Drain regarding the order, and he denied authoring it or ever having Lewis on his docket. The phone call constituted an ex parte action in violation of proper court procedure.

Additionally, Lillard previously worked in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office with Judge Drain’s daughter Shelley Drain, constituting a conflict of interest.Lillard has said in a published article that she considers Wayne Co. Prosecutor Kym Worthy her “mentor.” Chief Judge Timothy Kenny recused Lillard from the case involving the murder of Renisha McBride by Theodore Wafer at the request of defense attorneys, who cited her close relationship with members of the Prosecutor’s Office, including one AP working the case.

Defense Attorney Michael Deutsch with Rasmea Odeh

Drain and everyone associated with the discovery of the order should have been called to testify on the record as Albright advised, but that never happened.

Drain is the judge who ordered Palestinian community activist Rasmea Odeh deported to Israel because she stated on her application for citizenship that she had never been arrested. She was detained, tortured and raped by Israeli soldiers many years ago.

WHAT ACTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN AGAINST JUDGE QIANA LILLARD FOR HER CONDUCT IN ALL THE MATTERS LISTED ABOVE, AS SHE CONTEMPLATES WHETHER TO RE-SENTENCE LEWIS TO LWOP?

Related documents:

Charles Lewis Motion to Remand the Correct the Record at http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/CLewis-motion-ro-remand-to-correct-the-record-1.pdf

Court of Appeals dissenting opinion in Harold Lamont Walker case, pending Michigan Supreme Court decision http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/COA-H-L-WALKER-dissenting.pdf

Court of Appeals opinion castigating Judge Lillard for racial anti-immigrant comments in Christobal DeLeon case: http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/Lillard-People-v-DeLeon-2.pdf

Court of Appeals opinion in Floyd Pennington case: http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/People-of-Michigan-COA-Floyd-Ray-Pennington.pdf

Court of Appeals opinion in Derek James Smith case: http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/Lillard-People-v-Smith.pdf

Related stories:

CHARLES. K.K. LEWIS: JUDGE ORDERS FINAL JLWOP HEARING(S) DESPITE LOST COURT FILE, INNOCENCE CLAIM

WHY IS JUVENILE LIFER CHARLES LEWIS STILL IN PRISON, 16 YRS. AFTER HIS CASE WAS DISMISSED?

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MISSION MUSIC – GET UP (feat. De’Asha Spencer-Kyle, 2Tru, Cam G & QueenBarzz)

TO OUR BELOVED READERS AND SUPPORTERS:

Above is a video done by Benton Harbor High School students to save their school district. The state wants the valuable waterfront land BHHS is on. The Benton Harbor School Board has now voted NO! twice on proposals from the Whitmer administration. A VOD story on the second vote is upcoming.

Mother Rosie and Charles Lewis, 1977.

VOD is also working on a story about the Michigan Supreme Court’s July 11 ruling in the case of People v. Walker, which thoroughly exposes the appalling courtroom practices of Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Qiana Lillard, who  is also presiding over the juvenile lifer re-sentencing of Charles Lewis, a case VOD has been following for nearly 4 years.

A mitigation hearing on Lewis in front of Lillard, Rm. 502, Frank Murphy Hall, is scheduled for Fri. July 19 at 9am.

Please donate what you can to keep VOD going, at https://www.gofundme.com/VOD-readers-up.  We just paid our quarterly web-hosting fee of $359 and have numerous other expenses, including gas costs for our reporters to travel to Benton Harbor, where the state is trying to demolish Benton Harbor High School to take over prime waterfront land.

Flint resident Ariana Hawk and daughter Aliana, 4.

Criminal charges including genocide in Flint still need to be brought against former Gov. Snyder and his EM’s, who have taken over most of the assets of majority-Black cities in Michigan. One VOD story on the poisoning of an entire city exposed the real causes of the Flint water crisis:  http://voiceofdetroit.net/2016/02/15/bi-partisan-deal-led-to-flint-water-poisoning-for-profit-the-karegnondi-water-authority-kwa/.

Thelonious ‘Shawn” Searcy

Aiyana Jones, 7, and her dad Charles Jones.

It costs VOD $2.25 a PAGE to get copies of court records related to cases such as those of Charles Lewis, Charles Jones, and Thelonious “Shawn” Searcy, covered for years by this paper.

VOD continues to fight this POLICE STATE and PRISON NATION in its coverage of juvenile lifer re-sentencing and mass incarceration. Dozens of juvenile lifers are still rotting in Michigan prisons despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings in Miller v. Alabama (2012) and Montgomery v. Louisiana (2016), because county prosecutors recommended so many for renewed life sentences for them, They refuse to fund required experts in their cases as they have for JLWOPer’s recommended for terms of years. 

Recent stories with a variety of other topics as well include:

CHARLES JONES, DAD OF AIYANA, 7, KILLED BY DPD, PLEADS TO LESSER CHARGE, MAY BE HOME SOON

LEROY WASHINGTON, DAUGHTER CO-FOUND NATL. ANTI-BULLYING PROJECT TO CHANGE, SAVE LIVES

FEELING FRUSTRATED AND BETRAYED IN FLINT — FROM THE FINAL CALL

ACADEMICS ENDORSE SANDERS STUDENT DEBT CANCELLATION AND TUITION-FREE COLLEGE PLAN

PAY IT FORWARD: BILLIONAIRES PROPOSE A ‘WEALTH TAX’ IN LINE WITH OCASIO-CORTEZ, SANDERS, WARREN

GOV. WHITMER WANTS TO CLOSE BLACK BENTON HARBOR SCHOOLS; STUDENTS SAY: FORGIVE DEBT, TAX THE RICH!

RACIST RAILROAD OF GEORGE RIDER, OTHERS IN 2017 MURDER OF JULII JOHNSON–MACOMB COUNTY ‘JUSTICE’

LAWSUIT ALLEGES MICH. NURSING HOME IMPRISONED OAK PARK SENIOR, HELD HER FOR RANSOM

TWO MORE MIGRANTS DIE IN U.S. CUSTODY AFTER CROSSING MEXICO BORDER

PEOPLE BEFORE THE PENTAGON: SIGN PETITION TO CUT $200B FROM U.S. DEFENSE

RUSSIA UNLIKELY TO STAY NEUTRAL IF U.S. AND IRAN GO TO WAR

JUDGE TO REVIEW CASE OF CARL HUBBARD, IN PRISON SINCE 1992; INNOCENCE BACKED BY DOZENS

WHO KILLED JULII JOHNSON IN 2017–GEORGE RIDER, HARASSED BY FEDS, OR BOYFRIEND/ DRUG ASSOCIATES?

N.Y. JUDGE EXONERATES KEITH BUSH, WRONGLY CONVICTED OF MURDER AT 17; 33 YRS. IN PRISON

CHARLES. K.K. LEWIS: JUDGE ORDERS FINAL JLWOP HEARING(S) DESPITE LOST COURT FILE, INNOCENCE CLAIM

LEAVING NO JUVENILE BEHIND–RAISE THE AGE!

U.S. REP. TLAIB ANNOUNCES 10M SIGNATURES TO IMPEACH TRUMP; INTRODUCES CALL FOR CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRY

THELONIOUS SEARCY TARGETS WAYNE CO. PROS. PATRICK MUSCAT IN ATTY. GRIEVANCE COMMISSION COMPLAINT

KELLOM FAMILY PACKS COURT AFTER COP’S ADMISSION THAT DETROIT DAD WAS UNARMED WHEN ‘EXECUTED’

I AM NOT MY CIRCUMSTANCES, I AM MY DETERMINATION

2ND ANNUAL MARYANNE GODBOLDO FORUM FOR PARENTAL RIGHTS SAT. APRIL 27

FREE CHARLES K.K. LEWIS NOW! CRUELTY: 43 JWLOP RE-SENTENCING HEARINGS IN 3 YRS; HEARING TUES. APR. 16

JUSTICE FOR TERRANCE KELLOM, AIYANA JONES! JAIL KILLER, LYING COPS, REMOVE KYM WORTHY, JAMES CRAIG

RUSSIAGATE FEAR-MONGERING IN U.S. PRODUCES BILLIONS IN PROFITS FOR ARMS INDUSTRY, GROWTH OF FAR RIGHT

JUDGE LILLARD TRAPPING CHARLES K.K. LEWIS TO STOP ACCESS TO HIGHER COURTS? HEARING FRI. MARCH 29 

Charles Jones, father of Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 7, killed by Detroit police May 16, 2010, hears terms of plea agreement reducing his sentences in the related killing of Je’Rean Blake. His atty. Leon Weiss is at center, with AP Mark Hindelang at right. Third Judicial Circuit Court Judge Wanda Evans set re-sentencing for July 26, 2019 at 9 a.m. Jones, Aiyana’s mother Dominika Stanley and two toddler brothers were in his mother Mertilla Jones’ home when a Detroit Police “Special Response Team”  shot Aiyana in the head several seconds after entry. They had a warrant only for the upstairs flat where Chauncey Owens, the target of the raid, lived. A&E’s “The First 48” filmed two days of preparations for the raid and the raid itself.  Aiyana’s killer, DPD Officer Joseph Weekley, a featured A&E star, walked free after two mistrials in front of Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway.

Jones’ 40-60 yr. sentence for 2nd degree murder reduced to manslaughter, 10-20 yrs. concurrent with 10-20 years perjury sentence, with credit for time served since 2011

“Hopefully they’ll let him go with time served, the best possible outcome; his earliest release is in 2021. He’s held on this long, a model prisoner, and hasn’t seen his 5 sons since 2011.”–mother Mertilla Jones

COA granted Jones a new trial Aug. 30, 2012 based on contradictory jury instructions resulting in contradictory verdicts; MSC refused leave to appeal

“We fought real hard to win this appeal”–Defense atty. Leon Weiss of Fieger law firm

Charles Jones with his first-born chIld and only daughter Aiyana Jones in happier times.

DETROIT— Police forced Charles Damon Jones, father of Aiyana Stanley-Jones, 7, to crawl through broken glass and bits of his only daughter’s brains and blood after DPD cop Joseph Weekley shot the child to death with an MP-5 submachine gun May 16, 2010 during a horrific midnight raid on her grandmother Mertilla Jones’ home.

They were looking for Chauncey Owens, who lived in the flat upstairs, for the murder of 17-year-old Je’Rean Blake two days earlier. They had no warrant for the Jones home or Jones.

As the community reacted to Aiyana’s death with outrage, the police and prosecutor put Jones in their cross-hairs instead of Weekley, a star on A&E’s “First 48,” which had cameras rolling during the raid.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged Jones with second-degree murder and perjury in Blake’s death, largely based on the testimony of two “jail-house snitches,” which the late Judge Richard Skutt tried unsuccessfully to bar on a motion from Weiss. Jones, now 34, who also has five young sons, was sentenced to 40 to 60 years on the murder charge and 10 to 20 for perjury.

Joseph Weekley, Jr. in SWAT-style uniform, photo from the website of A&E’s “The First 48.”

“All you’re doing is trying to cover up my daughter’s death because of a reckless officer, but like Aiyana I refuse to be a victim,” Jones told prosecutors during his sentencing in 2014.  “I hope you go after him like you did after me. Here you are judging me like I’m not human.”

A “one-man grand jury” composed of then-Chief Criminal Judge Timothy Kenny charged Weekley only with involuntary manslaughter and reckless use of a firearm.   He walked free after two mistrials declared by Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway, despite testimony from a firearms expert and others that his gun could not have discharged “accidentally.”

During the years after the death of Aiyana Jones, the mainstream media has continued to claim that the child was killed “accidentally.”

However, during one hearing in the Weekley trial, a Wayne Co. medical examiner testified that the reason for the lack of gunpowder “stippling” around Aiyana’s gunshot wound  “could have been” the result of a direct contact shot.  She was shot within seconds of the time a “flash-bang” explosive was tossed into the front window onto the couch where she was sleeping with her grandmother.

Detroit cop Joseph Weekley shot Aiyana Jones, 7 to death May 16, 2010 (depiction from atty. Geoffrey Fieger’s office.)

The defense had sought to claim that Weekley shot her from a distance, first contending that Mertilla Jones caused the shot by forcing Weekley’s gun back in defense of her granddaughter. Jones had been sleeping on the right end of the front room couch. That is what Weekley testified to during his trial.

That claim was discounted by independent autopsy results showing that the bullet entered the top of the child’s head as shown in the depiction at right. The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office later officially accepted that result.

The City of Detroit settled a civil claim against it and Weekley for $8.2 million last month, which indicated a drastic change in the city’s official stance on the case.

The Jones family had endured years of vilification in the mainstream media and on talk shows as the city and police sought to blame the victims for Aiyana’s tragic death. The DPD kept up a constant campaign of harassment, frequently arresting Aiyana’s relatives on bogus charges.

Jay Schlenkerman testifies falsely at Charles Jones’ preliminary exam.

VOD was the only media outlet that researched and reported the background of the chief “snitch” who testified against Jones at his preliminary exam,  Jay Schlenkerman. He lied during exam, stating that he had one felony conviction when in fact he had seven according to court records.

His offenses included drunk driving and violence against women. He was in prison with Chauncey Owens on an original charge of kidnapping and torturing his then girl-friend. But the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office reduced that charge to misdemeanor domestic violence after Schlenkerman agreed to testify that Owens told him Jones gave him the gun to kill Blake.

Owens never said that himself. At Owens’ trial, during which a separate jury was seated, the prosecution showed a video of his first interrogation by the DPD after the May 16, 2010 raid and murder of Aiyana. Owens named someone else as the individual who gave him a gun. Police interrogators also headed off expected statements from Owens regarding the role of his brother Sherrod Heard played in the death of Blake. Heard, who lived across the street from the Jones family, was present when Blake was killed and was known to have a conflict with Blake over a girl.

Schlenkerman has been back in prison at the Chippewa Correctional Facility since 2014, serving a term of six to 10 years for a third offense of operating while intoxicated, and fleeing and eluding police.

LIGHT FINALLY BREAKS, FAMILY HOPES FOR JONES’ RELEASE SOON

Charles Jones’ family including (2nd from left) his mother Mertilla Jones, sister Krystal Jones, son Semaj Jones, mother of three of his sons Dominique Simpson, and cousin Kiarra Hardy (far r), listen as plea agreement is described in court July 9, 2019.

On July 9, Jones, his attorney Leon Weiss of the Fieger law firm, and AP Mark Hindelang agreed to a plea deal for Jones in lieu of a new trial ordered by the Michigan Court of Appeals in April, 2012. See COA ruling at http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/Charles-Jones-COA-charge.pdf. 

Judge Wanda Evans

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Wanda Evans accepted the statement of the agreement, and set sentencing for Friday, July 26 at 9 a.m.

Jones and his family welcomed the deal, in which he pled “nolo contendere” to manslaughter for a sentence of 10-20 years, to be served concurrently with the perjury sentence. After sentencing July 26, Jones should have time served since 2011 applied to that sentence. His earliest release date would now be in 2021, but his family hopes for time served according to his mother.

Jones did not allocute to the offense. AP Hindelang read the terms of the agreement into the record, that “on May 14, 2010 Jones (provided) a handgun to Chauncey Owens knowingly creating a high risk of death or great bodily harm. … within minutes of receiving (the) handgun Mr. Owens shot 17-year-old Je’rean Blake … and Mr. Blake died from those gunshot wounds.”

Weiss told VOD, “We fought HARD for that appeals verdict.” The COA ruled that the jury’s verdict of guilty on the murder charge and not guilty on a firearms charge was inconsistent due to faulty jury instructions.

The Michigan Supreme Court refused to hear Worthy’s appeal.

Aiyana Jones’ father Charles Jones and Dominique Simpson grieve in front of shattered window as child’s aunt watches. Photo by Diane Bukowski

The chief element in the prosecution’s murder charge was a claim that Jones had given Owens the gun with which he killed Blake. But during Owens’ trial in front of a separate jury, the prosecution played a police video taken after Owens’ arrest May 17, 2010 in which Owens named a different man as the provider of the gun. Jones’ jury never saw that video.

Weiss also said the “nolo contendere” plea meant that Jones did not have to give up his innocence claim for legal purposes. He and Jones’ family said essentially that they felt another trial, in light of previous negative publicity against their family, was too chancy.

Lyvonne Cargill, the mother of Je’Rean Blake, was present during the hearing but did not comment.

Mertilla Jones expressed the Jones’ family’s hopeful sentiments in the video below. She has worked for years with the group Protect Our Stolen Treasures, which includes Kevin Kellom and the family of his son Terrance Kellom, 20.

A Detroit police sergeant recently reversed his initial report on the raid, saying that Kellom had no hammer or other weapon in his hand when a multi-agency task force opened fire. P.O.S.T., led by Yolanda McNair, plans an annual national event July 12-14 this weekend in Detroit. (See flier below story.)

“It’s always valuable to be proactive inside these walls,” Jones wrote to VOD after his Circuit Court victory in 2012. “I’ve been taking all this in stride, and trying not to fall victim again, as well as teaching my sons through the phone. It presents a challenge, but it’s a challenge I’ll welcome anytime when it comes to my children.

Remember Aiyana Stanley Jones.

“I am so happy that I can finally have a fair shot at my freedom once again! I know it’s not just cut free, but everybody does not get a second chance as I’ve seen throughout the years I’ve been in here. So thank God, for this chance He’s been giving me.”

Jones also campaigned with members of the National Lifers Association in support of last year’s “Good Time” bills in the state legislature. They would have restored credits to prisoners based on every month served without disciplinary action, a practice that existed until 1978. “Good time” increased the longer a person served. After two decades, “regular ‘good time’” could equal 15 days a month.

Jones’ excellent prison record was achieved in the face of his unbearable grief for his first-born child. His family celebrates her birthday every year.

Some members of Charles Jones’ family who came out to support him in court were (l to r), his cousin Kiarra Hardy, mother Mertilla Jones, son Semaj Jones, Dominique Simpson (mother of three sons), his oldest son Charles Jones, Jr. and his sister Krystal Jones. Another family member gives the victory sign at right.

Rafael Jones, 14, leads march for Justice for Aiyana and Charles Jones April 23 2012 at Frank Murphy Hall in downtown Detroit, grandmother Mertilla Jones at left, aunt LaKrystal Sanders at right.

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POST members and supporters block Woodward Avenue during protest Sept. 24, 2016, as dozens of cars honked their horns in support. They included Arnetta Grable, mother of Lamar Grable, Mertilla Jones, grandmother of Aiyana Jones, Kevin Kellom, father of Terrance Kellom, and Yolanda McNair, mother of Adaisha Miller.

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Aiyana Jones stories from VOD, Final Call, Michigan Citizen

Members of the Anti-Bully Crusader Project at Flint Northwestern High School. (Exec. Director Lauren Washington at center.)

INTERVIEW WITH LEROY WASHINGTON, CO-FOUNDER ABC PROJECT

Project founded by 23-year MDOC prisoner and daughter goes national, wants to make all schools “Bully-Free Safe Zones”

GOAL: to make all schools “Bully-Free Safe Zones”

Ricardo Ferrell

2 out of 9 teens who commit suicide do so as a result of “bullying”

By Ricardo Ferrell

July 5, 2019

LeRoy Washington, an inmate within the Michigan Department of Corrections, has spent the last 23 years of his life behind bars. His time served has not been wasted.

LeRoy has been involved in the field of personal development for over two decades. Since his incarceration he has earned a MBA in Business Administration-Management from California Coast University’s Distant Learning Program and is currently working on a Doctorate’s in Education. Upon completion he will become the first MDOC inmate to earn such honors from an accredited school while incarcerated.

Leroy Washington, co-founder of Anti-Bullying Project

As an aspiring author, cutting-edge teacher, mentor, motivational speaker, and peace advocate, he spreads his energy-filled message of power, potential, and positive change in prisons to younger inmates and vicariously through others to schools, youth centers, churches, and nonprofit organizations.

In his personal and professional pursuit of coaching and developing young people, he has created an unique approach to address one of the most pressing and fundamental issues involving young people today –Bullying.

In a program he calls the Anti-Bullying Crusaders Project (ABC), LeRoy dynamically and effortlessly imparts the most thought-provoking and profound truths of the human bullying experience. Prepare to be inspired, entertained, transformed by this close encounter interview:

Q & A: with VOD reporter Ricardo Ferrell and ABC Co-founder LeRoy Washington.

Q – RICARDO: WHAT IS THE ANTI-BULLYING CRUSADERS PROJECT?

A- LeRoy: The Anti-Bullying Crusaders (ABC) Project is a social movement that takes a realistic approach towards the growing epidemic of bullying in America. Our goal is to eradicate bullying and to start by making all our learning institutions “Bully Free Safe Zones.”

Q – RICARDO: HOW DO YOU DO IT?

Lauren Washington,, Exec. Director Anti-Bullying Crusaders Project

A – LeRoy: ABC has created an effective model and mechanism for teaching and learning. Our hope is to provide educational opportunities and support systems that enhance the future and impact the lives of our young people. Our therapeutic self-help course provides participants with instructions on how to curtail intimidation, crush cruelty, and reduce violence. This groundbreaking interactive program equips young people with the personal life skills and tools necessary to develop positive thinking, attitude, and behavior toward peace, acceptance and tolerance.

Q – RICARDO: WHAT INSPIRED THE ABC INITIATIVE?

A – LeRoy: It was actually my daughter’s idea. During her freshman year she was working on a research paper and came across some startling information about bully related suicides. Did you know according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) that upwards of 4,400 teenagers commit suicide annually and 2 out of 9 as a result of an act of bullying? The statistics are startling, she said.

“Dad, acts of violence and cruelty among my peers are at an all time high. We gotta do something!”

I didn’t know what to do! But she was determined and reminded me of a value I imparted upon her before she went off to college. “Dad, don’t you remember what you said to me? Each of us has a moral obligation to make the world a little bit better than we inherited it for the next generation…. When we live life righteously we not only increase the quality of our own lives, but the value of life increases for everyone we encounter.”

So I asked her, “What you want to do?” Back then I was working in a program mentoring youth offenders and HYTA’s (Holmes Youthful Training Act) prisoners in Lapeer at the Thumb Correctional Facility. She suggested that I bundle my experiences into a curriculum and she and her fellow students would create a platform to reach the masses. Thus ABC was founded (http://www.antibullyingcrusaders.org.) The rest is history.

Being incarcerated, the MDOC won’t let me be a major part of ABC or anything positive in the real world. So, I just write corrective curriculums and provide a little advice here and there. Of course, all free of charge. This is my way of giving back, somewhat of a partial repayment to society.

Q – RICARDO: WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT WHAT ABC DOES FROM OTHER ANTI-BULLYING ORGANIZATIONS?

A- LeRoy: We owe that opportunity to many of the Michigan Community Leaders. In Flint, Michigan, Principal Kelly Fields and Tracey Fountain of DHHS had a group of young men and women whom they thought would benefit from participating in the anti-bullying workshop. Ms. Fountain reached out to ABC. Tracy Palmer of Trendsetters did a wonderful job of training the facilitators, teaching and overseeing the sessions.

In Detroit, Michigan, we worked with a dynamic young man Shawn T. Blanchard and his brother Doug Little to host a seminar at the Martin Luther King High School. In Pontiac, Michigan, we worked with Sandra Rolle, the founder of Great Lakes Charter School.

In Detroit, Michigan, we worked with a dynamic young man Shawn T. Blanchard and his brother Doug Little to host a seminar at the Martin Luther King High School. In Pontiac, Michigan, we worked with Sandra Rolle, the founder of Great Lakes Charter School.

I have to thank the ABC staff. None of this would have been possible without you. I didn’t know educating is so expensive. Someone has to absorb the cost. After some creative fundraising by the ABC girls they were able to provide these opportunities to Michigan schools. This up and coming year we hope to expand our base to Michigan full time. This effort will be spearheaded by a Lansing Public School Teacher Patricia Reed and her group out of Lansing.

Q – RICARDO: WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST REWARDING PART OF THE PROGRAM AND PROCESS FOR YOU?

A – LeRoy: I am not going to lie to you big brah. Being in prison you know I get a kick out of working with beautiful educated diverse women, LOL. Working with all these dynamic women was a fringe benefit and has been both educating and validating. I learned so much. Each of them are unique and phenomenal. They all bring something to the table and have a great passion to do their part to help change and save young people lives. But I guess the most rewarding part has been in seeing my work in action, helping others.

Getting bullied is not always an easy conversation for a child or young adult to have with a parent, teacher, or person of authority. Sometimes it takes an expert to shed light on the subject. Over the years, what I’ve learned is that once we are able to break down the walls and build trust, the magic of transformation begins. You’d be amazed at what you see when you get an objective glimpse of the world from their (young participants’) perspectives. When I read their journal entries…their expressions are a cry and plea for help. Many of our young people are saying, “I want to be different, I want to change, but I don’t know how!” Its our job to give them the tools and teach them HOW! Its no better feeling knowing that you have impacted the lives of our young people in a positive way.

Q – RICARDO: WHAT’S COMING IN THE FUTURE FOR YOU AND ABC?

Tracy Palmer of Trendsetters (r) facilitates ABC graduation.

A – LeRoy: My immediate personal goals are to finish up my schooling. I’m looking forward to earning my Ph.D. I’m also working on a biography, another corrective behavior curriculum, publishing my children’s nursery rhyme book, and helping scale ABC nationally… all that on top of my responsibility of teaching in here. Yeah, my plate is full, but I’ve always been taught that “Where more is given, more is expected in return.” So, I’m grateful to God for all that I have been blessed with, including the responsibilities that I’ve been entrusted with.

As far as ABC goes. . . .Our aim is to challenge people to change for the better by giving them tools and resources to do so and to create bully free safe zones in all schools. No child should have to go to school and be bullied. This culture has to change and it’s up to us (the people) to change it.

Dr. Pepper Arena in Dallas, Texas

ABC’s next big project is the “Bullying Stops Here!” with a fundraising rally during the National Anti-Bullying Awareness Month of October in Dallas, Texas.

This year we are hosting a free Anti-Bullying Seminar and Celebrity Basketball Game at the Dr. Pepper Arena. Our goal this year is to raise $2 million to reach and teach 10,000 students during the 2020 school year. So, we are calling on all individuals, corporations, small businesses, schools, religious organizations, and other nonprofits to support this effort. What could be a better cause than saving the lives of our young people?

Q – RICARDO: ONE LAST QUESTION AND THIS ONE IS FOR ME… WHAT ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW?

A – LeRoy: Interesting. I just finished a book by the phenomenal young man I mentioned earlier: “HOW ‘BOUT THAT FOR A ‘CRACK BABY’ KEYS TO MENTORSHIP AND SUCCESS” by Shawn T. Blanchard. His humble beginnings depict a similar story faced by so many of our urban city youth. Many of us are born into or live in an environment of poverty, drugs, thieves, violence, death, loneliness, and a lack of guidance. In spite of all this he chose to rise above his conditions and circumstances. He chose success.

And beyond that he has used his education and experiences to create a platform to do what I aspire to do…save the lives of our youth. After reading his book, I have that much more admiration for him as a young black man who has chosen to empower himself as well as others. While I have worked with him and vicariously through him I’ve never met him personally. I look forward to that day…just to say thank you young man for your works and for being a great example to our youth.

RICARDO’s FINAL NOTES: Thanks for chopping it up with VOD. Man you been busy! Congrats on all your accomplishments. We like what you are doing in the community, keep up the good work and we wish you and ABC much success with the program. i’d like to get an interview with your daughter. Can you hook me up? And last but not least, would you care to leave us with one last wise thought?

ABC student and facilitator

LeRoy’s response: All Praises be to God! Through Him all things are possible. Thanks to you and Voice of Detroit for having me. Of course I can hook you up with that interview. It would be my pleasure and an honor. I’ll leave you with this, “Our parenting is literally a fight for the lives of our children. It is a noble fight that must be fought hard and relentlessly. It’s not always easy, but when you can touch the lives of a few in a positive way, it is so rewarding. If we can help a few of these young people realize their potential and give them the tools to become change agents, we would have made a difference. Prevention is the way, because damage control is far more costly.”

Ricardo: There you heard it from the man himself. The ABC project is an evolving set of projects that provide educational opportunities and creative strategies that curtail intimidation, crush cruelty, and help to reduce violence. The program demonstrates the potential for dynamic collaborations between students, facilitators, and other prominent figures of the community. Most importantly, through this unique exchange, the ABC Project seeks to deepen the dialogue – transform ways of thinking about being a bully, victim, or witness in society as a whole. ABC needs our support!!

For more information about how you can support, donate, become an independent fundraiser for ABC’s “Bullying Stops Here” Campaign or if you would like to bring a workshop or seminar to your school or community visit ABC’s website at: http://www.antibullycrusaders.org or Facebook/AntibullyCrusaders or Instagram@Antibullycrusaders.

ABC hosts forum-rally at Martin Luther King, Sr. High School in Detroit.

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https://www.abc12.com/content/news/Northwestern-graduates-14-8th-graders-as-Anti-Bully-Crusaders–483077551.html

https://rollingout.com/2018/03/04/lauren-washington-speaks-out-against-bullying/

https://www.thehubflint.com/flint-business-owner-offers-youth-entrepreneurial-experience-and-inspiration/

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) holds a news conference to discuss major college affordability legislation in Washington on Monday June 24, 2019. Co-sponsors, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) flank Sanders (Photo: Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call)

“In the face of this crisis, nothing short of a complete overhaul of our public higher education system will suffice.”

“We must treat education as the public good that it is. That means making public colleges and universities tuition-free, just as public K-12 schools are today. It also means hitting the ‘reset button’ on student loan debt.”—letter

 By Jake Johnson, staff writer

June 26, 2019

More than 100 academics endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders’s tuition-free college and debt cancellation proposal on Wednesday, hailing the plan as the kind of ambitious solution that is needed to tackle soaring higher education costs and provide relief to the millions of Americans drowning in student loans.

In a letter to Congress first obtained by The American Prospect, a mix of education, economic, and legal experts said Sanders’s College for All Act “would benefit the entire economy, improving life not only for those who will feel immediate relief as borrowers, current students, and their loved ones.”

“To some, this will appear too radical. To us, it is the bold solution we need,” the academics said of the bill, which Sanders—a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate—introduced in the Senate Monday alongside Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who unveiled similar legislation in the House.

The group of experts—which included Columbia University economics professor Jeffrey Sachs, Stony Brook University economics professor Stephanie Kelton, and Ohio University public affairs professor Darrick Hamilton—said the “unimaginable 3,819 percent” rise in the annual cost of attending a four-year public college over the past five decades calls for immediate and far-reaching government action.

“While it did not begin in 2008, the student debt problem grew significantly in the decade following the financial crisis, as millions of young people graduated into an economy that was spiraling into the worse economic downturn since the Great Depression,” the academics wrote. “In the face of this crisis, nothing short of a complete overhaul of our public higher education system will suffice. We must treat education as the public good that it is.”

Chicago students call for free college for all.

As Common Dreams reported on Monday, Sanders’s plan would wipe out the $1.6 trillion of student loan debt that is held by 45 million Americans.

To finance his legislation, Sanders proposed a new tax on speculative Wall Street transactions.

In a statement on Thursday, Sanders thanked the academics for backing his legislation.

“These scholars are saying what millions of young people already know from their own experience: the Wall Street crash of 2008 devastated the economic prospects of an entire generation,” Sanders said. “If we do not act boldly and decisively, these young people will face lower living standards than their parents enjoyed. Our College for All Act will boost our economy and offer real opportunity for our people. And the cost will be borne entirely by speculators on Wall Street.”

Read the full letter:

Dear senators and representatives:

We are academics and researchers who strongly endorse legislation to provide tuition-free public higher education and cancel all student debt. Here’s why.

1964 and 2019, the average annual cost of attending a four-year public college or university soared by an unimaginable 3,819 percent. This disastrous trend reflects a broad array of policy failures. The current situation undermines economic security and tears at the fabric of social justice in America. It must not be allowed to continue. By failing to adequately invest in higher education, governments have shifted a greater share of the financial burden onto those trying to advance their studies. Many young people were priced out of higher education altogether, forcing them to abandon their dreams of getting the education they want and need. More than 45 million others took on student loan debt that now stands near a staggering $1.6 trillion. Continue reading →