Sunday, July 2, 2017

we congratulate troy williams. new editor of the new bayview newspaper



 

 

 Welcoming Troy Williams, new Bay View editor

June 30, 2017
Editorial by Troy Williams

Dear Bay View,

Troy Williams – Photo: Uncommon Law


My name is Troy Williams. On Monday, Juneteenth, Black Liberation Day, I agreed to be the editor for the Bay View newspaper. It is with great honor, respect and much consideration that I step into this position.

I recognize that over the past 40-plus years the Bay View has been a voice for the people. Simply put, we speak truth to power, logic to the illogical, from the perspective of those who seldom have a platform to speak from. And, what greater truth is there than examples of people whose lives have been touched, transformed and empowered by what they read in the Bay View newspaper.
I first heard of the Bay View while serving time in prison. Two and a half years ago, I was serving a life sentence and paroled from San Quentin State Prison with $200 to my name, a skill set and a plan for my life. As we move forward, I will share more about me. But for the purposes of this introduction, I will state that I am most noted for founding a media organization inside the walls of San Quentin.


Dr. Willie Ratcliff, Bay View publisher since 1991, welcomes the Bay View’s new editor, Troy Williams. – Photo: Francisco Da Costa

My goal, much like I see the Bay View, was to create a platform for our voices to be heard. We were tired of the fearmonger shows and media outlets that portrayed us as one-dimensional and violent based on acts committed 20, 30 and in some cases 40 years ago. On a personal note, I wholeheartedly accept responsibility for the decisions I made that put me there. And still there is another side to this story that never gets told.

My resume includes working in some capacity to produce, write, direct, film, edit and/or assist with the organization of most video and radio productions done inside San Quentin between 2007 and 2014. I was one of the early members and among the first journalists reporting for the San Quentin News when it was reinvigorated in 2008 after a 25-year hiatus.

I cofounded the first satellite chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists inside a prison in the United States. I am also co-founder of the Financial Literacy Program at San Quentin and FEEL (Financial Empowerment Emotional Literacy) philosophy in partnership with Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll.

I have co-organized restorative justice symposiums, health fairs, job fairs, numerous self-help workshops, as well as initiated the efforts to present a TED talk at San Quentin prior to my parole. TED talks began in 1984 as a conference about Technology, Entertainment and Design. Today, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in more than 100 languages in communities around the world. Former presidents, famous activists, scholars and celebrities have given TED talks. I was fortunate to be able to walk back into San Quentin a free man with my eldest daughter to speak at TEDx San Quentin.


Troy founded the San Quentin Prison Report, but it wasn’t easy, he says. Guards weren’t used to seeing prisoners with cameras gathering news.


Keith Wattley of Uncommon Law was the attorney who helped Troy win his freedom, and on Nov. 16, 2016, Troy spoke at Uncommon Law’s 10th Anniversary Celebration in Oakland. – Photo: Scott Braley

Over the past two years I have worked as a columnist for the Oakland Post, founded a media company, continue to engage in restorative practices, speak truth to power, as well as attempt to repair the harms of my past. The bottom line is that people in society seldom if ever hear from the men and women, all across this country, whose perspectives of self, community and government have been shaped by the wisdom of life’s experiences.


Troy speaks often with decision makers – here with Congresswoman Barbara Lee – about urgently needed improvements to criminal justice law and policy.

In this country, too many have been taught to view the totality of a person based on what they heard about the worst day of that person’s life. The worst day of someone’s life too often becomes the book cover for the story of his or her life. And I am here to remind us never to judge a book by its cover.
For over 40 years, writers for the Bay View have shed the light of truth in some of the darkest of places. And now that some of us have been removed from those dark places, the time has come for us to stand together and share our insights in a manner that will continue to strengthen our voices and move us beyond the pitfalls that came before or lie ahead.

On that note, it is with humble gratitude that I accept the position as editor of the Bay View newspaper. I am grateful to all the elders who came before and will be looking to you for support and guidance. Thank you to all the staff, volunteers and supporters who have held this paper down throughout the years. Thank you, Willie and Mary Ratcliff, for believing in me.
Thank you, Paul Cobb, publisher of Oakland Post, for providing my first opportunity to work for an outside newspaper when I came home. And thank you to all the men and women across this country, whether still serving time or home free, for being examples of what real transformation looks like. You are not forgotten. It’s time for change.

Bay View Editor Troy Williams can be reached at troy@sfbayview.com or 415-671-0789.

jazz forever



jazz black classical music forever
let me have my sanity joy
jazz sun ra jc miles dizzy
jazz
milford graves mad drummer jazz
jazz
let me live in jazz world
wake up jazz night time jazz
children say oh dad yes
i named her naeema
think I didn't listen to your music
naeema joy
yes, dad, she was jazz to my soul
jazz i heard in yr house jazz
not mama music jazz
mad dad jazz
marijuana jazz
i heard in yr house
jazz dad yr jazz
sun ra crazy far out jazz
dad, i listened
i am jazz
yes, naeema jazz
jahmeel jazz
miles coltrane
beyond jazz jazz
your world jazz
other side of time jazz
black classical music you call it
ab calls it jazz
music of my mind
sitting still music
no standing
hip hop sounds
sitting still thinking music
jazz
then moving jazz
far out sounds on the other side of time
your buddy sun ra said
space in the place
jazz
beyond jazz sonny said
beyond time space jazz
no history only mystery
my story jazz
his story no jazz
his story mazz
mazz ain't jazz
jazz earle davis said is jazz blues
did he have bluese
cotton field blues
sugar cane cuttin blues
how he sing blues
lynching blues
auction block blues
how he sing auction block jazz/blues
triangular trade jazz/blues
king sold the farmer blues
kunta kenti toby blues jazz
mississippi delta muslim mali blues jazz
how he know jazz blues
maybe worker blues
trailer house trash blues
coal miner blues
treated worse than a nigger jazz blues
sing white boy blues
dolly parton blues
ass whippin blues
beer house blues
tobacco spitin blues
hog eatin blues
pain of a nigger blues
jazz
blues
jazz
beyond mississippi blues
charley parker jazz blues
on the other side of time jazz blues
be bop be bop
hip hop
be bob
hip hop
blues in the present era
rap blues jazz
can't pass charley parker jazz
bird lives
no matter dope pain insane
white supremacy post slavery jim crow games
charley no strings cept for heroin gain
play charley play
like bessie smith say
kiss my black ass
kiss my black unruly ass
ofay white peckerwood motherfucker
kiss my black unruly ass
baraka say charley and bessie say
baraka say up against the wall
motherfucker up against the wall
humpty dumpty sat on the wall
had a great fall
all the kings horses
all the kings men
couldn't put him back together again
jazz
blues
fusion
usion
conclusion
play Sun Ra
tell the devil he ain't shit
RA RA RA RA RA.
-Marvin X
7/2/17

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Beyonce' is a true trooper for Pan African liberation--stop hatin' on a true trooper!



BeyGOOD: Beyoncé Partners With UNICEF to Bring Safe Water to Children in Remote Areas in Burundi, East Africa

Global entertainer and humanitarian, Beyoncé has teamed up with UNICEF through her BeyGOOD philanthropic arm to announce the launch of BEYGOOD4BURUNDI, a multi-year partnership to provide safe water to the most vulnerable children in Burundi, known as the "Heart of Africa."  The partnership will support programs to improve water, sanitation and basic hygiene practices in the hardest-to-reach areas of the landlocked East African nation, where nearly half the population has no access to safe water.

BEYGOOD4BURUNDI INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED TODAY AT ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL WITH THE OPENING OF AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE SUPPORTED BY CHIME FOR CHANGE AND GLOBAL CITIZEN.
he water crisis in Burundi is a crisis for children. When children have to rely on unsafe water, they become weak, malnourished, and susceptible to water-borne diseases, which are among the leading causes of death in children under five. In order to walk for miles in search for wells, the lack of water also forces children to miss out on school. The burden of fetching water falls disproportionately on girls, who risk attacks along their journeys.
"Access to water is a fundamental right. When you give children clean and safe water, you don't just give them life, you give them health, an education, and a brighter future. I am committed to helping drive lasting solutions to the water crisis in Burundi," said Beyoncé.
"Addressing the global water crisis is one of the defining challenges of our time, and the children of Burundi are among the most vulnerable," said Caryl M. Stern, President and CEO of UNICEF USA. "This unique partnership combines UNICEF's decades of expertise in providing clean water to children in Burundi and around the world with the power and influence of the entertainment world to bring about social change. We are grateful to Beyoncé and BeyGOOD for joining forces with UNICEF, to highlight this critical issue to new audiences."
"BEYGOOD4BURUNDI is a continuation of the work that Beyoncé, her family and Parkwood Entertainment are doing to address water crises around the world, including right here in the state of Louisiana and in Michigan," said Ivy McGregor, ‎Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations at Parkwood Entertainment, who traveled to Burundi earlier this year. "In Burundi I saw myself, my sisters and my mother in the strength of the women and young sisters travelling miles to carry water for their families. Today young girls in the 'Heart of Africa' are given the gift of hope for a brighter tomorrow through our multi-year partnership with UNICEF and commitment to support safe water access solutions."
The first phase of the partnership includes the construction of new wells equipped with hand pumps, hygiene education and the improvement of water and sanitation facilities in schools in four priority regions, including Bukemba and Giharo in Rutana Province and Kinyinya and Nyabitsinda in Ruyigui Province. In these rural communities, children are chronically malnourished and more than 65 percent of the population is using unsafe water sources. Children and families have to walk long distances to water collection points, and even then the water access rate is extremely low.
More than 100 million people have gained access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services with the support of UNICEF in the last three years.  With over 70 years of field-tested experience and a network that spans the globe, UNICEF has unequalled expertise in providing immediate, lifesaving relief as well as driving long-term, sustainable solutions to the biggest development challenges facing the world's children.
Today's announcement in New Orleans, at the Essence Music Festival, is supported by CHIME FOR CHANGE, the campaign co-founded by Beyoncé, Salma Hayek Pinault and Gucci in 2013 to address critical issues facing women and girls around the world, and Global Citizen, the global social action platform that aims to solve the world's biggest challenges.  Global Citizen believes that it is only through partnership that the world can end extreme poverty by 2030.  In 2015 CHIME FOR CHANGE and Global Citizen joined forces to achieve measurable outcomes for girls' and women's issues, leveraging the combination of their powerful platforms, communities, partners and influence.
CHIME FOR CHANGE and Global Citizen support Beyoncé, BeyGOOD and UNICEF in opening an interactive experience at the Essence Music Festival that depicts life in a village in Burundi and the water crisis, complete with story-telling, photographs and moving images.  The BeyGOOD4Burundi experience occupies booth #450 at the New OrleansConvention Center and offers festival goers simple ways to help.  The experience is open now through Sunday, July 2.
To learn more go to www.beyonce.com 
About BeyGOOD Founded in 2013 during the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, BeyGOOD is an extension of Beyoncé's charitable heart. Through impactful dynamic partnerships, BeyGOOD's mission is to set an example of giving back and paying it forward while empowering others to do the same with what they have in their own communities. BeyGOOD is built on the belief that we are all in this together and each and every one of us can make a difference by giving back.
About UNICEFThe United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.
SOURCE Parkwood Entertainment
http://www.parkwood-ent.com
NEW ORLEANSJune 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -

BAM Supporter Fantastic Negrito at Stern Grove, Sunday, July 2, 2017


We much appreciate the artistic personality known as Fantastic Negrito who offered his services to perform at the Laney College 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Black Arts Movement. A scheduling conflict didn't allow him to perform, but since then we had the pleasure of meeting him. We found him a humble person, and he agreed to support our long planned 27 City Tour of Black Arts Movement icons. Finally, I heard his music and was blown away by his neo-blues, spiritual, black classical music style. We will soon write a review of his music. We wish him well and appreciate him as much as his fans have expressed to me, and those who grew up with him in the hood. Our desire is to perform with him ASAP.
--Marvin X, Publisher, The Movement, Voice of the Black Arts Movement International

 Maestro Marvin X and the Black Arts Movement Poets Choir and Arkestra
photo collage Adam Turner

Founding performance of the Black Arts Movement Poets Choir and Arkestra, University of California, Merced, 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Black Arts Movement


 Maestro Marvin X with living legends of BAM, David Murray and Earle Davis, Malcolm X Jazz/Art Festival, Oakland CA

Marvin X in the light, Laney College reading at performance of Donald Lacy's Color Struck




Fantistic Negrito and BAM Master Poet/playwright Marvin X
photo Adam Turner

New Music - Out Today!
'Push Back' and 'The Shadows' 

Family, Friends and Fans - 

Been far too long! 

After our Grammy win, we took a moment to celebrate. But then we got right back in the studio, and today I'm excited to share the two tracks we added to The Last Days of Oakland: Push Back and The Shadows - which are available now through our new partner Cooking Vinyl. You can hear them HERE and order them HERE. They'll be available on vinyl soon!
Listen to 'Push Back' Now!
Order, Download or Stream The Last Days Of Oakland Here
I can't wait to get back on the road and share these songs with you.  We're kicking things off with dates in Portland and San Francisco, before heading to Europe for two months. Then we come home for a six week US tour with Sturgill Simpson. Get your tickets HERE.
2017 Summer Tour Dates
Supporting STURGILL SIMPSON**

June 30 – Portland, OR @ Waterfront Blues Festival
July 02 – San Francisco, CA @ Stern Grove Festival
July 07 – Suwalki, Poland @ Suwalki Blues Festival
JulY 09 – Rotterdam, The Netherlands @ North Sea Jazz Festival
July 13 – Pori, Finland @ Pori Jazz
July 15 – Paris, France @ Festival Afropunk
July 17 – Tuscany, Italy @ Festival delle Colline  
July 19 – Madrid, Spain  @ Joy Eslava  
July 20 – Majorca, Spain @ Claustre de Pollenca
July 23 – San Sebastian, Spain @ Jazzaldia
July 24 – Girona, Spain @ Tempo Sota les Estrelles
July 27 – Lucerne, Switzerland @ Blue Balls Festival
July 28 – London, UK @ Nell's Jazz and Blues
July 29 – Cambridge, UK @ Cambridge Folk Festival
July 31 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
Aug 03 – Nottingham, UK @ The Bodega
Aug 05 – Kato Drys Village, Cyprus @ Fengaros Festival
Aug 10 – Oslo, Norway @ Oya Festival (Øyamatt/Parkteatret)
Aug 11 – Haugesund, Norway @ Sildajazz
Aug 12 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ wayoutwest
Aug 17 – Trondheim, Norway @ Pstereo
Aug 18 – Mo-I-rana, Norway @ Verkat Festival
Aug 19 – Bodo, Norway @ Parkfestivalen
Sept 07 – Sugar Land, TX @ Smart Financial Centre**
Sept 08 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Verizon Theatre**
Sept 09 – Austin, TX @ Austin 360 Amphitheater**
Sept 14 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall**
Sept 15 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion**
Sept 16 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion**
Sept 17 – New York, NY @ The Meadows Music & Art Festival
Sept 19 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre**
Sept 21 – St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theatre**
Sept 22 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island**
Sept 23 – Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond Festival
Sept 25 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre**
Sept 28 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall**
Sept 29 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall**
Sept 30 – Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Amphitheater**
Oct 06 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre** 
I hope to see you on the road, especially now -- at this moment -- when it seems like people in power are trying to divide us. We will not give in to fear or hate. We're going to push back. Together. One world one love one race.

Sincerely,

Fantastic Negrito
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marvin x speaks at we love africa expo



Dear Marvin X,

On behalf of the organization, I want to thank you for your presence and rousing speech at the "Black And African Business Expo". The speech left us educated and inspired.
Judging from the comments of those who attended, the expo was very successful. Most of the credit goes to you and other vendors who made their presence felt. I hope your speech imparted into everyone, especially the youngsters, the importance of "Black Dollars".
Again, we were pleased to have your participation in this outstanding expo, and we thank you for your valuable contribution.
I will be sending you pictures and looking forward to your write up on the expo. GCEA will plan to do an interview with you about the Black Arts Movement Business District.
One last thing, is there any suggestion, critique or observation you can point out that can make us a better host in the future.
Best Regards
-- 







music meet paul tillman smith

MEET PAUL TILLMAN SMITH....

Friday, 30 June 2017 13:21 Bill BE-mailPrintPDF
altOakland's PAUL TILLMAN SMITH is not one of modern soul big "names", but the drummer/percussionist has been in the business for almost four decades and in that time he's created some quite beautiful music that deserves a larger audience and as items from his back catalogue are now being reissued and re-promoted, the time is right to get to know Paul Tillman Smith a whole lot better!
First a little history. In his career Paul has led several bands including Vitamin E, Bridge and Park Place. He's also the founding Board member of the "Bay Area Jazz Society" a non-profit music charity and the co-founder & Artistic Director of the Berkeley Juneteenth Festival, the longest running African American Music and Arts festival in Northern California history.
altTo offer an overview of his career, back in 2013 Mr. Tillman Smith released the retrospective album 'Bed Ballads' credited to 'Park Place Presents Paul Tillman Smith'. The long player brought together his best performances from his forty year career and amongst the vocalists on the album are dear Phyllis Hyman (on 'As You Are') and Lenny Williams (whose 'Invisible man' is one of his very best). Want more? Well the musicians number people like Pharaoh Sanders, the Brecker Brothers, Jon Faddis, James Gadson, Mtume, Bobby Lyles, Wah Wah Watson and David T. Walker. The producer, by the way, is someone called Norman Connors! 'Bed Ballads' is a wonderful piece of work and so aptly named! Indeed 'Bed Ballads' is like a Norman Connors' set for the 21st century!
altPaul's newest album is the equally excellent 'A Beautiful Heart' and the album's title track offers a link to 'Bed Ballads'. The song featured on that album too but here it's given a very different treatment – tough and funky with vocals from American Idol finalist LaToya London. There's input on it from Rosie Gaines too and she's involved in another cut – a remix of the sweet 'Summer Sky'. Other vocalists include Skyler Jet and Donnie Williams (another American Idol finalist). Amongst other cuts, Donnie features on the gospel tune 'Precious Song' (another re-recorded item from, 'Bed Ballads') and it's just one of countless highlights. Indeed there's just so much good on 'A Beautiful Heart' and 'Bed Ballads' that's it's impossible to cherry pick highlights.
Just know that both are currently available via your favourite outlet (digital or real) and they're both a must for investigation that is if you really care about proper modern soul music!

Notes on a tale of two gold brothers and a gold sista

 michael basquait

tupac shakur

I asked Dr. Nathan Hare to write something on two young genius brothers who departed this earth before their thirties. When Dr. Hare wrote on the suicide of my son at 39, he compared my son's death to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., both of whom were taken from us when they were 39 years old. Dr. Hare said my son just took another route but he noted suicide and homicide are  two sides of the same coin.


So in the era of Malcolm and Martin, the "man" would take you out,  one didn't need to walk into a train as my brilliant son did, yes, after traveling the to Brazil, Japan, Egypt, Europe, Syria and returning home to do graduate work at Harvard before his mental breakdown from mani-depression. And yes, I must admit, there came a point when I knew I was not capable of helping my son, especially after he tried to throw me into the water at San Francisco's Pier 39.


dr. nathan hare and his student/patient marvin x

When I asked Dr. Hare to write something on two young genius black men, Michael Basquait and Tupac Shakur, it was a rhetorical request  because he had already written about the topic of young black men experiencing homicide and suicide. And I had his comforting notes on the suicide of my son who walked into a train after graduating in Arabic and Near Eastern Literature at UC Berkeley, a Fulbright at the University of Damascus, Syria. Yet my heart yearned to understand the self-destruction of two of our greatest artists, Basequait and Tupac, not that my son was a lessor person because he certainly was not, yet he suffered the same fate of self destruction. Surely it did not matter that he was an intellectual rather than an artist. He was a young man trying to navigate the perilous mental landscape of Americana, just as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. attempted. What did it matter that Malcom, Martin and my son were in their late 30s rather than their late twenties as were Basquait and Shakur? Alas, we are told the most dangerous time for a black child is in the womb! Yes, thanks to Madam Sanger and her Planned Parenthood genocide project, black babies are more likely to suffer destruction than our young men.

We look at Tupac and Michael and wonder why and how could they leave us when we need them so much. And people beg me to stay here as long as I can so I can help the helpless, though I am totally exhausted with this life and wish to join the ancestors asap. Then I check myself and realize my life is not my life but for a greater cause, the liberation of my people--and I am yet standing because I am standing on the shoulders of my ancestors and elders and should shut the fuck up and do the work until every ounce of life has departed my body. Alas, not long ago I wanted to throw in the white flag but a true trooper came by and put the red, black and green in my hand, demanding I continue the fight. I thank him for handing me the red, black and green and making me put down the white flag of surrender.

And so when I consider Michael Basquait and Tupac Shakur, I must also consider Serena Williams since the brothers are gone and sister Serena is still here and about to give birth to the next generation, no matter a bi-racial baby, for we don't know what the next generation will accomplish. Alas, when he was three years old, my grandson told me, "Grandfather, you can't save the world, but I can!" I have no idea where he was coming from but I knew he was coming from somewhere beyond my imagination and perhaps somewhere on more solid ground than I could ever know.

Michael and Tupac were the very best of their generation and yet they self destructed and we must accept the wisdom they gave us and move on to the next level. Departing at 25, Tupac, 27 for Michael, they were closer to Jesus at 33 than Martin, Malcolm and my son, Darrel P. Jackmon, 39.

My son used to mock me and say he would preach my funeral and tell every secret thing about me, yet I had to speak at his funeral as many parents are doing these days. Surely nature is out of order when parents bury children rather than the reverse.

Imagine, I tried to work with the mothers of children, mostly sons, murdered in drive by killings in Oakland. I could not take the pain and grief of the mothers. Few fathers were in these meetings and I was yet to bury my son as a victim of suicide, though Dr. Hare comforted me with the knowledge that suicide and homicide are flip sides of the same coin! Alas, many of the homicides are in fact suicides because the young men put themselves in a position to be killed because they were too cowardly to take their own lives! Yes, they did some shit to make another brother take them out or the police. Does it matter that they were too cowardly to kill themselves?  Does it matter than Tupac got caught in some East Coast/West Coast bullshit? Does it matter that Michael Basquait overdosed because the NY police killed his friend? As Dr. Hare noted, "...nothing can sedate the angst and shattered cultural strivings...."

We called this story A Tale of Two Gold Brothers, yet, sadly, they never enjoyed the gold! Perhaps,  their lives were simply not about gold but a cause greater than gold and themselves. Let us then go into the deep structure of their young lives to unravel the conundrum that will help us heal and save ourselves from the world of make believe and conspicuous consumption Dr. E. Franklin Frazier told us about in his classic Black Bourgeoisie, followed by Dr. Nathan Hare in his sociological classic Black Ango-Saxons.



Yes, the brothers are gone but our beloved sister Serena Williams is yet with us and is about to give birth to the next generation. Need we wonder if her child will lead us on to freedom?

Well, don't put that pressure on Serena, ask yourselves if your children and grandchildren will fight the good fight. I am so relieved my grandson said, "Grandfather, you can't save the world, but I can!"

Can you imagine the pressure and stress he took off me, and he was only two or three years old at best? Yet I am confident, he knows something I don't know. Did not Gibran tell us our children come through us but they are not us? We are the bow, they are the arrow.

Thus, we are thankful Tupac shared his life and wisdom with us; we are thankful Michael Basquait gave us 27 years of his artistic life. And we are thankful for Serena and Venus Williams for being the Black goddesses in our lives.

venus and serena williams

--Marvin X
7/1/17

Friday, June 30, 2017

federal help to stop chicago violence

Trump Says He’s Sending ‘Federal Help’ to Chicago Amid Gun Violence

After countless shootings and hundreds of murders during the first half of 2017, Chicago is getting more federal aid.

Twenty additional federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) have been sent to the city after President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that: “Crime and killings in Chicago have reached such epidemic proportions that I am sending in Federal help.”
screen-shot-2017-06-30-at-1-40-50-pm
Local Chicago website DNAInfo says at least 332 people have been shot and killed in Chicago in this year. Last year, 751 were gunned down and more than 4,300 people were shot, according to local reports.