Author: Carma Henry

Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

America represents four percent of the world’s population, yet we detain nearly 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated people. At least 95 percent of people in State prisons today eventually will return to their communities. The new consensus is that we are better served by helping those formerly incarcerated to have the best shot at a second chance, rather than warehousing them and sending them back into our communities without the necessary skills, tools, and sup-port to have a prosperous life.

The civil rights struggle wasn’t only concerned with racial equality. It was about increasing American democracy, reestablishing Black voting rights, thus open handedly giving new meaning to American democracy and shutting down segregation. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a prophet, played a vital role in all of the aforementioned areas and transitioned to glory before their completion.

“The right to vote was hard fought for African Americans in this country, and I think too many people take for granted. I think we proved that in the special election in 2017, that every vote count,” said Jones.Jones said voting rights had been under attack since the 2013 Shelby V. Holder decision, which eliminated a lot of voter protections. “It’s not the same as the old Jim Crow laws, but there’s still efforts out there to suppress votes and keep people from having that free access to the booths,” he stated.Jones noted that he’s working to restore “teeth” in the Voting Rights Act, but doubts that the current GOP-led Senate and President Trump’s administration would approve. “I don’t see it happening, so it’s all the more important to get out and vote in the 2020 elections,” Jones stated.

     “Nobody looked at this video and said there’s any doubt that this officer acted inappropriately,” Forth Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus noted. “I was going to fire [Dean] even before he quit. We had already taken his badge and weapon. There were violations in his use of force, and he didn’t follow de-escalation protocols. His conduct was unprofessional. There are times for officers to act as warriors and defenders, and there are times for them to act as public servants and humble servants.”

On December 26, I went to Candytopia, a colorful exhibition with beautiful candy art and actual candy  which visitors can sample. Candytopia sends its visitors through a trip straight out of a Willy Wonka dream.