Author: Carma Henry

       In hard times, people look for answers. The decimation of American manufacturing starting in the 1990s with trade agreements like NAFTA led to decades of downward economic mobility for working families. That creates ripe conditions for demagogues to come out of the woodwork offering an easy answer for people’s pain. And if history teaches us anything, that answer is usually someone else to blame.

       This was the United States in 1850 when Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law, legislation requiring that all escaped slaves be returned to the slave-owner and that officials and citizens in free states must cooperate. Aiding or harboring a slave meant prison and steep fines. Habeas Corpus was suspended under this law. Citizens were required to return a runaway slave to the chains of bondage or face the wrath of the federal courts.  

       You know, value everything, including the disposables of life. I guess I’ve always had this wacky inner protest going on, not against order and cleanliness per se, but against the clank of the trash can: “throwing stuff away,” then assuming it’s permanently gone from our universe, rather than floating in a river somewhere or buried in a landfill.

  Let us be clear: this is not about law enforcement. It’s about power—who holds it, who questions it, and who gets punished for doing so. These charges are not rooted in justice; they are rooted in retaliation. This administration is sending a message: that when Black women lead with integrity and courage, they will be met not with respect, but with resistance and reprisal.

    There exists a gross misperception that local mental health agencies and churches will take care of those people with mental health issues or disabilities. Taos is blessed to have multiple human service agencies, but they all have limited funds, space, personnel and resources. A few churches provide weekly food banks, will cover a single utility bill, or give free clothing. These gestures, while helpful and authentic, are paltry in contrast with the extremely challenging, occasionally dire, circumstances some of these people face. Many of my clients receive SSI, SSDI, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, EBT (food stamps), Public Housing or Section 8 housing. These are a critical safety net in many cases, and not easy to come by.

     “Our neighbors are living in fear. And that’s what the administration wants. They want people to be scared. So, we’re combatting that by bringing the neighborhood together and saying, ‘you’re not going to frighten us into complicity; you’re not going to frighten us into hiding; we’re one neighborhood, regardless of anyone’s immigration status, and we’re going to stay one neighborhood.’”

       In 2021, the City of Hallandale Beach acquired 13 Tesla Model Y vehicles for its Police Department. These vehicles were operationalized in June 2022, and Hallandale Beach’s purchase may position it as the largest rollout of full-size electric vehicles for law enforcement use in the United States. Notably, Tesla Model Y vehicles are not reasonably priced. The base price of a Model Y commences at approximately $45,000, excluding any tax credits or incentives, which, incidentally, will be phased out for the average consumer. 

If perhaps as a minority you were employed in the 70s in law enforcement, with the fire department/emergency rescue or even in the field of electronics, Mr. Emmitt Kater likely had some impact or significant influence Don your chosen career or at the very minimum you knew him professionally or personally. Having met him through his association with the Westside Gazette family, particularly our publisher Bobby Henry and my wife Sonia, whom he refers to as his wife as well – more on that later – he struck me as a larger than life character – gregarious, loquacious, energetic, comical and highly intelligent with the memory of an elephant, which is on constant display in our presence. His influence and impact on others emanated from his vast professional experiences as Communications Engineer with the Hollywood Public Safety, Police & Fire/Fire Rescue where he serviced Two-Way Radio devices, Mobil and Base Station Repeaters, Digital Voice Land Lines, and Computer Local to Wide Area Networking.

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — “To see mega-companies now walk away from diversity, equity, and inclusion is a stark contrast from where we were five years ago.”

       Coming behind a legend is such a difficult proposition for a coach.  Bethune-Cookman (B-CU) has had such a high level of performance in baseball that it has produced two legendary baseball coaches back-to-back.  With Sunday’s win in the SWAC Baseball Championship, Jonathan “Johnny” Hernandez is making room in a talented legacy.