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| Sponsored by the Collective Black People Movement (CBPM) |
GO SISTAS!!!!!!! African-American women continue to demonstrate professionalism, intelligence and unlimited potential as they contribute to our overall struggle for unlimited freedom, access and opportunity in America. The sisters on Flights 5202 and 5106 (a jet owned by Atlantic Southeast Airlines) have proven that African-American women can do anything if just given a fair opportunity. They made history on Thursday, February 12, 2009 as the first all African American female crew. |
| Operated flight 5202 from Atlanta to Nashville and flight 5106 from Nashville back to Atlanta |
| The crew included CPT Rachelle Jones, 2nd on right, FO Stephanie Grant, 1st on left, FA's Robin Rogers and Diana Galloway! |
| African-American Female Flight Crew makes history Febuary 12th, 2009. |
| [TheBlackList] THE YEAR OF THE ANT AND THE DRAGON: BAOC & FTP UNITE! Friday, March 6, 2009 1:08 AM From: "Black August Los Angeles" blkaugustla@gmail.com On February 15, 2009, The Black August Organizing Committee (BAOC) and The FTP Movement formed an official union as agreed upon by Shaka At-Thinnin, Chairman of BAOC and Kalonji Changa, Founder/National Coordinator of The FTP Movement. Following a weekend of activities hosted by the Los Angeles branch of FTP, a meeting was held in order to strategize on ways that both organizations could better work together, consolidate efforts and resources to achieve maximum impact for the communities they serve. “When you are serious about working with and for our people, it is only logical to seek out those of like minds”, said Kalonji Changa of FTP. “The BAOC has had a consistent, commitment of resistance for over 30 years. It is a proven track record that cannot be disputed. We bleed the same blood through the same veins; this is the year of The Ant and The Dragon”. While this union is now official, it is by no means new. The FTP Movement and the BAOC have been working together on various initiatives and projects for over five years. “It is not just the building of the Movement that we must be concerned with, but also the sustaining of the Movement. To do that, we must identify our allies, consolidate our forces and expand our programs and efforts across this country”, said Shaka At-Thinnin of Black August. “Our people are suffering and our communities are in need. It is imperative that we build up the consciousness and will of a committed group of people that then work diligently toward improving the conditions of our people.” As one of our first acts of solidarity, FTP and BAOC are announcing the weekend of March 27-29, 2009 as National Feed the People Weekend. In conjunction with Guerrilla Republik and others, Feed the People events will take place in Oakland, CA, Atlanta, GA, Las Vegas, NV, San Diego, CA and Los Angeles, CA. We encourage people in every city across the nation to participate in this weekend, take to the streets and serve our people. This year commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Black August Organizing Committee. Weekend-long celebrations will be taking place in both Atlanta, GA (August 14-16) and Oakland, CA (August 21-23). Please join us as we celebrate 30 years of resistance and build toward the next phase of our people’s Movement. Go to myspace.com/dragonspeaks for additional details. The Black August Organizing Committee and the FTP Movement have developed a series of guidelines and protocols for forming additional chapters or holding events under the BAOC or FTP banner. If you are interested in hosting a Black August or FTP event in your city or starting a local chapter, please contact BAOC or FTP National Headquarters at the contact numbers below. For more information on either Feed the People Weekend or Black August Celebrations, please contact BAOC National Headquarters @ 1 -888 – 600- 1722 or FTP Movement National Headquarters @ (404) 419 – 6959. |
| [TheBlackList] The Detroit Cobo Hall Deal. part 2 ACT! Thursday, March 5, 2009 2:38 PM From: shelley@oldupaigorge.com I went to the detroit regional chamber of commerce and they have an email campaign to support this crap, BUT we can turn it against them and this is something we can use to show support of the council's vote. Once again, all the Non-Detroiters, if you know anyone in Detroit, pass this along. Thanks Please REJECT the Cobo deal. Dear Council Member: On behalf of the city, I am writing to urge you to continue rejecting the Cobo Hall expansion and management authority. We express extreme happiness with the action taken by City Council. The Cobo Hall expansion as the way it is currently written is a terrible deal for the taxpaying citizens of Detroit. The non Detroit stakeholders in the proposed authority have not shown their full support by supplying adequate compensation. In short, they need to put up or shut up. I cant imagine ANY city in this state, nation or even globe that would support a plan where they give up so much for so little. Only the citizens of Detroit are asked to do so. This is unacceptable. The agreement forming the authority needs to be changed so that that EVERYONE involved in making the sacrifice and not just Detroiters. The current physical condition of the facility is seriously outmoded and in a serious state of disrepair. But we are entering a possible economic Depression and to ask Detroit to carry the burden of this deal to at this time is completely unreasonable. If we fail as a community to make a stand at this juncture, efforts to attract further business investment will rely on presenting bad deals to Detroit residents that are totally against their interests. The Detroit Regional Chamber that is pushing this so hard for this deal also needs to put up a few million or so to show honest support of this deal. We hope you will continue to reject this action and insist that take the appropriate steps that will allow this effort to move forward forward the right way, with everyone giving up something. Thank you again. |
| TheBlackList "Running Backwards" by Mumia Abu-Jamal Tuesday, March 3, 2009 1:13 PM From: nattyreb@gmail.com Few sciences are more complex than economics, for despite the plethora of formulas claiming to define its workings, economics remains a bedeviling mystery that confuses and confounds the best minds time and time again. That's often because our economic ideas are formed not only by our experiences but by our beliefs, and as such, we defend our ideas based not on evidence, but on our theoretical constructs -- again, what we believe. We are free marketeers, or Keynesians; we follow the theories of Adam Smith, Henry George, David Ricardo or Karl Marx the way we follow our favorite basketball team, win or lose. Sometimes those theories blind us to the bigger game of life outside our doors. Much of the current economic crisis is the direct result of the economic theory of deregulation, made, not under George Bush alone, but in the waning days of the Clinton administration. For it was in 1999 that Clinton's treasury secretaries, first Robert Rubin, and later Larry Summers, advocated the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, a 1933 law which prohibited commercial banks and investment banks from functioning in the same house. The reason? None other than ole FDR. President Franklin D. Roosevelt explained as much in his famous "Fear Itself" inaugural speech of 1933, when the nation was reeling in the grips of the Great Depression. Roosevelt said,"...there must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments; there must be an end to speculation with other people's money..."* In November 1999 President Bill Clinton signed into law the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, essentially repealing Glass-Steagall, by tearing down the brick wall between commercial and investment banks. The securities industries went on a tear, making millions, billions and then tens of billions on speculation with other people's money-- until the house of cards came crumbling down in November 2008. The speculation business didn't just become toxic. It was poison in the 1930's, and came back to life in the late '90's more poisonous than ever. By then, both political parties were parties of deregulation, for both were instruments of corporate power, and both were the authors of today's Great Recession, if not the Depression to come. [*Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1st Inaugural Address, 1933 ("The Only Thing to Fear Is Fear Itself" speech), repr. in Labour & Trade Union Review (No. 194: Feb. '04), p.6] |
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| On 18 December 2009, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the year beginning on 1 January 2011 the International Year for People of Afrikan Descent résolution 64/169). The Year aims at strengthening national actions and regional and international cooperation for the benefit of people of African descent in relation to their full enjoyment of economic, cultural, social, civil and political rights, their participation and integration in all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society, and the promotion of a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage and culture. The General Assembly encourages Member States, the specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates and existing resources, and civil society to make preparations for and identify possible initiatives that can contribute to the success of the Year. The General Assembly, Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,1 which proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that ever yone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, Recalling the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 2 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,2 the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 3 the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,4 the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 5 the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families,6 the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 7 and other relevant international human rights instruments, Recalling also the relevant provisions of the outcomes of all major United Nations conferences and summits, in particular the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action8 and the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,9 Recalling further its resolutions 62/122 of 17 December 2007, 63/5 of 20 October 2008 and 64/15 of 16 November 2009 on the permanent memorial to and remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, 1. Proclaims the year beginning on 1 January 2011 the International Year for People of African Descent, with a view to strengthening national actions and... Full article and resolution follow this link: Did You Know? Agwamba Services www.agwambaservices.co.uk Mbl: 07814 877 246 Skype: flames.of.jupiter |
UNIA-ACL
Universal
Cooperative
It is Here
Universal
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It is Here
| News: 1. United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the year beginning on 1 January 2011 the International Year for People of Afrikan Descent 2. US Delegation to Black Arts Festival in Senegal Next Week 3. African Union Moves to establish stronger ties with the African Diasora 4. Rita Marley’s Lifetime Commitment to Marcus Garvey 5. 10 Ways to Outfox Cops That Are Abusing Their Powers to Trick You 6. African History Class at Shrine of Black Madonna Greg Simpkins Speaks to the UNIA-ACL Division 332 8. Biggest Prisoner Strike in U.S. History - Day Three 9. Reading One-to-One - The Elder 10. Donate to the UNIA-ACL Legal Defense Fund 11. Get the 2011 Black Seeds Calendar Here 12. Report from the recent AU UN gathering of the African Diaspora 13. The Passing of the Counsel General of the UNIA-ACL Government, Faruq Muhammad. 14. UNIA-ACL Universal Cooperative GA News Recent News Articles |
| Published on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 by New America Media Obama's Scary Budget: Why the Neediest People Should Be the Most Afraid by Earl Ofari Hutchinson President Obama will unveil his budget for 2012 on February 14. The administration has so far been guarded about detailing how deeply the budget ax will slice. What is certain, however, is that the cuts will be painful, and that the neediest Americans will feel the worst of that pain. More than 44 million Americans are living in poverty— a fact that Obama barely referenced in his State of the Union speech. Yet a huge chunk of federal spending goes directly and indirectly for programs and services that provide for the needs of the poor. Last September, Obama dropped a major hint about which programs were likely to be hardest hit. He quietly issued a directive to federal agencies to come up with ways to slash up to $75 billion from discretionary spending for 2012. This figure was not much different from the $100 billion in cuts demanded by the new Tea Party-influenced House Budget Committee chair Paul Ryan. Obama’s directive ticked off several politically safe ways to achieve those cuts, including streamlining government contracting, selling off federal properties, consolidating some agencies, and revamping data collection. When he listed some of these predictable ideas in his State of the Union speech, the response was, predictably, applause. But Obama made no mention though of the likely cuts that pose the greatest peril to the needy, including a 50 percent drop in funding for community service block grants that has already been floated. The savings from these grants—which fund an array of community education, health and social service programs in poor, underserved, largely inner-city neighborhoods—would amount to a relatively modest $350 million. Yet the programs that could be defunded or completely eliminated include many of the type that were near and dear to Obama’s heart during his days as a community organizer in Chicago’s South Side. The bigger 2012 cuts are likely to be concentrated among the dozens of programs and agencies already identified by the Office of Management Budget as ripe for the chopping block. These include: more than 110 programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education across 14 departments and agencies; more than 100 youth-mentoring programs, and 40-plus programs that provide employment and training assistance. Sizeable cuts also loom in departments that disproportionately impact low-income communities of color: Health and Human Services ($4.1 billion), Transportation ($4.0 billion), Education ($2.5 billion), Housing and Urban Development ($2.1 billion), and Justice ($1.4 billion). Obama has little room to maneuver when it comes to these massive cuts. He has been relentlessly pounded by the GOP as a Big Government, tax-and-spend Democrat since the moment he announced his candidacy for President in 2007—a drumbeat that has become deafening. Nervous foreign investors as well as a slew of financial experts and economists, worry that the budget deficit—projected to soar to nearly $1.6 trillion in the current fiscal year, a post-World War II record—will continue to widen. This would saddle the nation, they claim, with higher taxes; deeper cuts in education, health and social services; staggering permanent debt; and possibly even bankruptcy. This doomsday scenario is part political hyperbole, part financial panic. The projected deficit is about 10 percent of gross domestic product. That’s big enough, theoretically, to threaten economic growth if it were sustained for decades—but proportionally far smaller than the deficits that the United States ran during and immediately after World War II. The dooms-dayers also fail to acknowledge why and how the deficit ballooned to current levels. It was unchecked defense spending and reckless tax cuts by GOP Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush that first swelled the deficit to post–World War II records. Bush and Congress piled on more debt with the $1 billion (and probably much bigger) bailout to Wall Street houses and banks in 2008. The GOP boxed in Obama and forced him to extend the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy. This, along with Congress’s refusal to make more than cosmetic trims in a bloated military budget, continues the decades-long (and largely Republican) pattern of piling debt on more debt. The GOP recalcitrance virtually insures that the deficit “crisis” will continue to be a political attack issue and that programs to boost education, health, and jobs will continue to be the prime target of budget cuts this year and for years to come. The needy have good cause for concern. |
| Did You Know: Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in America. 78% of their clinics are in minority communities. Blacks make up 12% of the population, but 35% of the abortions in America. Are we being targeted? Isn't that genocide? We are the only minority in America that is on the decline in population. If the current trend continues, by 2038 the black vote will be insignificant. Did you know that the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, was a devout racist who created the Negro Project designed to sterilize unknowing black women and others she deemed as undesirables of society? The founder of Planned Parenthood said, "Colored people are like human weeds and are to be exterminated." Is her vision being fulfilled today? Wach dih John-Crow dem nuh! Obama's Health Re. Abortion? America today, almost as many African-American children are aborted as are born. A black baby is three times more likely to be murdered in the womb than a white baby. Since 1973, abortion has reduced the black population by over 25 percent.Twice as many African-Americans have died from abortion than have died from AIDS, accidents, violent crimes, cancer, and heart disease combined. Every three days, more African-Americans are killed by abortion than have been killed by the Ku Klux Klan in its entire history. Planned Parenthood operates the nation's largest chain of abortion clinics and almost 80 percent of its facilities are located in minority neighborhoods. About 13 percent of American women are black, but they submit to over 35 percent of the abortions... Follow this link for more: Eugenics for The Negro? Please note! For a more fullness of what you have read above, try and source a copy of the DVD "MAAFA 21" |
| ENSLAVEMENT & CIVIL WAR MUSEUM (formally Slavery and Civil War Museum) is proud to take part in the 2011 ANNUAL BRIDGE CROSSING JUBILEE in historic Selma, Alabama. We will once again inductee Freedom Fighters into our HALL OF RESISTANCE! Since 2009, we have inducted and celebrated those who have helped to progress the African People and Culture. Those who have helped to UniteUs, those who have moved us to be a Self-Determining People, those who have resisted Mental Slavery Everywhere, those who demanded Higher Standards of Excellence for our people, those with a Pan African Consciousness. Past inductees are: Dr. Asa Hillard, Dr. Marimba Ani, Dr. Adelaide Sanford, Dr. Iva Curruthers, SisterWinnie Mandela and Professor B. This year during the 2011 Jubilee on Saturday, March 5 at 10:45am we are honored to induct: The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Brother Chairman Fred Hampton, Sr., Warrior Queen Mother Njere Alghanee, Poet Activist Sonya Sanchez, Educator and the Father of Kwanzaa, Ron Maulana Karenga and Educator Activist Dr. Leonard Jeffries. The Ancient Africa, Enslavement & Civil War Museum Inc located at 1410 Water Avenue in Selma, Alabama was established in June 2002 as an affiliate of the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute. The Ancient Africa, Enslavement & Civil War Museum is the only museum in the country that offers a “Re- enactment Tour”, allowing thousands of visitors to see, hear, feel and experience the history of enslavement in a manner that is engaging, educational, visually and intellectually stimulating. This interactive multi-media tour entitled: “FOOTPRINTS OF OUR ANCESTORS” takes visitors on a journey to experience the spirit of those who suffered the Middle Passage/MAAFA, the auction block and the torture of slavery. It provides visitors with a detailed look at the complete cycle of the slave trade. This powerful experience begins the healing of the many wounds caused by racism resulting from the enslavement of African People. The tour is followed by an open forum that allows tour participants to discuss their experience and the topic of slavery in a safe and nurturing environment. The Ancient Africa, Enslavement & Civil War Museum also features a combination of temporary and permanent exhibits that document the United States American Civil War, which brought an end to the injustice of slavery. Members of our staff are available for storytelling, living history interpretations and workshops. For additional information or to book a tour at AAECWM please call (334) 526- 4000 or email us at AAECWM@gmx.com |
| Women Led Organization Galvanizes Local Women of America’s Most Dangerous City and Asks Them to Come Off the Sidelines and Join Forces to Cease the Violence on the Weekend of Dr. King’s Birthday. St. Louis, MO – January 14, 2011 -- On January 16, 2011 from 1:30pm- 2: 30pm at one of the city’s most dangerous intersections at Natural Bridge Rd. and Newstead Avenue on the city’s northside, League of African American Women and several other women will stand for one hour holding signs, holding hands, and giving out information to the local community about ways to be more productive and less self destructive. The idea behind the event is very practical –help the people find something more constructive to do and to place value on themselves and they won’t have time or the desire to participate in violence, drugs, or any other dysfunctional behaviors. The event organizers plan to make a strong statement against the violence in St. Louis, MO, ranked the country’s most dangerous city according to a national study reported by CQ Press. The even organizers have called for women who live in dangerous communities, women who work in constructive programs for the community or who run programs or organizations to all come out. The flyer for the event asserts that the women should ‘wear white and bring God with them’, showing their purity of heart and intention in this event. The women will be organizing to let communities know that it is time for the Mothers, Daughters, Wives, and Sisters stand up and be more vociferous about the self destruction taking place amongst the young men and women in the violent and predominantly African American neighborhoods of St. Louis city. This event is a one day, one hour event and even though it is set in the dead of winter, the women are enthusiastic about participation and results. They hope to show the passers- by how significantly African American women are affected by violent crime and collapsing community and family structures. They hope to transform the thinking of people in those communities by coming out in solidarity on that day and then working together to get results once the event is over. The event will take place on one of the most important times of the year to the African American community, the celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| In celebration of the Decade of the African Descendant, Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc. presents “Respecting our Heritage sharing our Commonalities” 2011 Summit Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc in partnership with Howard University Washington D.C. and Columbia University New York City has organized an international summit titled, “Respecting our Heritage sharing our Commonalities”. The summit will be held at Howard University September 15th through the 17th 2011 from 9am to 4pm. “Is the story of Africa just on the Continent of Africa? No!!! Is the Story found only in the Americas? No!!! Or is it found in Europe? No!!! But where ever African people are found throughout time and space is the collective story of the oldest continent and peoples on earth,” says Kassayi Hailu, Founder and President of Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc. The purpose of this summit is to produce a tangible document of collective agreements that will be used in reconnecting the African identity for the 21st century and promoted as the official document of use for the next generation of African scholars to use as a learning basic. Under the African Union Constitutive Act Article 3 section Q, adopted by the 1st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 3 February 2003, and by the 2nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union in Maputo, Mozambique on 11 July 2003, stating to, “invite and encourage the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our Continent, in the building of the African Union”. To this end, the summit will host will call together various African scholars, religious institutions, and college students, to learn, share, and openly discuss the commonalities of the African heritage which will include identifying African centered modes for economics, and the role of peace and security that will enhance the developments of a positive and more unified African continent and peoples worldwide. All welcome! In celebration of the Decade of the African Descendant, Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc. presents “Respecting our Heritage sharing our Commonalities” 2011 Summit Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc in partnership with Howard University Washington D.C. and Columbia University New York City has organized an international summit titled, “Respecting our Heritage sharing our Commonalities”. The summit will be held at Howard University September 15th through the 17th 2011 from 9am to 4pm. “Is the story of Africa just on the Continent of Africa? No!!! Is the Story found only in the Americas? No!!! Or is it found in Europe? No!!! But where ever African people are found throughout time and space is the collective story of the oldest continent and peoples on earth,” says Kassayi Hailu, Founder and President of Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc. The purpose of this summit is to produce a tangible document of collective agreements that will be used in reconnecting the African identity for the 21st century and promoted as the official document of use for the next generation of African scholars to use as a learning basic. Under the African Union Constitutive Act Article 3 section Q, adopted by the 1st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 3 February 2003, and by the 2nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union in Maputo, Mozambique on 11 July 2003, stating to, “invite and encourage the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our Continent, in the building of the African Union”. To this end, the summit will host will call together various African scholars, religious institutions, and college students, to learn, share, and openly discuss the commonalities of the African heritage which will include identifying African centered modes for economics, and the role of peace and security that will enhance the developments of a positive and more unified African continent and peoples worldwide. All welcome! |
| Office: 212-531-0384 Fax: 212-531-0382 info@afrikanunityofharlem.com www.afrikanunityofharlem.com 204 West 121st Suite 3c Harlem, New York 10027 Mailing P.O. Box 1121 New York, New York 10027 Afrikan Unity of Harlem, Inc |
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| Freedom is a conversation by a free people about being free. When you are not in conversation, you are not being free. |
| OCCUPY HARLEM CALLS FOR EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION Oppose Obama’s NDAA Police State & Resource Wars to Pillage the World Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 6:00 PM Where: Across the street from the Apollo Theater 253 West 125th Street (Frederick Douglass Boulevard & Adam Clayton Powell Blvd) THE 99% MUST HOLD OBAMA ACCOUNTABLE! IF WE DON’T WHO WILL? On December 31, 2011 President Barack Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012 The Act authorizes $662 billion in funding for “the defense of the United States and its interests abroad". The bill grants power to the military to arrest U.S. citizens on American soil and detain them in military prisons indefinitely without right to legal counsel or even a trial. NDAA, a sweeping expansion of executive powers that goes far beyond the Bush administration. This law poses the greatest threat to "principles" of US democracy. Die heart Obama supporters bully, threaten and berate those who hold the President accountable for ANYTHING most of all his lies to and betrayal of the 99%! The military industrial complex and Wall Street oligarchy owns lock, stock and barrel the US Presidency, Congress and both political parties, Democrat and Republican! It’s not about the “lesser of two evils” but who is the more effective of the two evils! We have to ask ourselves, how do we hold any elected official accountable, most of all a President who has insisted the people hold him accountable! Occupy Movements across the country are hitting the streets every day to confront and end the deadly reign of the 1%. Let's us do our job on January 19th. History will absolve us!! We, the 99%, must hold this White House accountable for its numerous crimes against the 99% at home and abroad: an economic depression caused by gangster banks that received a 16 trillion dollar bailout under Obama; endless illegal resource wars; “shock and awe” military aggression; free trade agreements that kill jobs; deportation of one million immigrants; violation of international laws and human rights; global military expansion to dominate the world; depraved indifference to Mother Earth and continuation of a racist drug war that has given rise to the new Jim Crow mass incarceration. Bring your issues, signs, & fellow 99ers! Directions: Take the A, B, C or D trains to 125th Street and walk east or take the 2 or 3 trains to 125th Street and walk west. Additional Info: (718) 218-4523 Email: occupyharlemgeneralassembly@gmail. com Web: http://tradejutice.net * http://harlemfightback.wordpress.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/#!/occupyharlemnow Endorsers: Occupy Harlem, Harlem FightBack Against War at Home and Abroad, Black is Back Coalition, Occupy Wall Street Trade Justice, TradeJustice New York Metro, Occupy4Jobs, & Global Justice for Animals and the Environment. Contact occupyharlemgeneralassembly@gmail.com or ows@tradejustice.net to have your organization added to this list! From: TheBlackList |
| Press Release: Lula Baity with Byline Eartha Watts-Hicks Freelance Writer/Editor 212.252.6859 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 27, 2011 Kidnapping and Confinement of Elderly African-American Woman Prompts Family’s Request for Investigation by U.S. Dept. of Justice BUFFALO, NY – The Britt family of Buffalo, NY is fighting to rectify the atrocities perpetrated against their elderly aunt, Lula Baity. Eighty-six year old Lula Baity, a then resident of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Complex, went to the rental office on September 30, 2003 to inquire about her current month’s rent payment. The money order had been returned to Ms. Baity, because the amount was deemed insufficient. One hundred dollars and eighty-eight cents ($100.88) was remitted, as opposed to the one hundred eighty-eight dollars ($188.00), that would have served as the rental fee due for the month of September. Ms. Baity explained to the property manager that apparently, the corner store had made an error while issuing the money order. To assist Ms. Baity in resolving the discrepancy, the property manager directed her subordinate, a Housing Authority case management worker, to contact Ms. Baity’s family and Family Services (a non-official agency, community based center, located within the housing complex). The Housing Authority’s case management worker did not assist Ms. Baity as instructed. Instead, she contacted Erie County Crisis Services, a community mental health outreach agency, with allegations that Lula Baity was not paying rent, was increasingly confused and disoriented, was unable to care for herself, and other false claims. The BMHA rental office was not an authorized reporting agency, approved by the Office of Mental Health. As the Housing Authority’s case management worker, this employee’s responsibilities fell within the scope of administrative and operational tasks, usually involving inspections and maintenance issues. It was not within her jurisdiction to request a mental evaluation of Ms. Baity.i It has been confirmed however, that she identified herself, not as the Housing Authority’s case management worker, but as Ms. Baity’s “social worker.” After her call and without verification of her credentials, actions were taken effecting the involuntary removal of Ms. Baity from the home she’d lived in for over forty years. October 1, 2003, the same Housing Authority case worker, accompanied by two Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority police officers, a Crisis Services worker, and an Ambulance, went to Ms. Baity’s apartment. Upon gaining entry, the Housing Authority worker proceeded to seize Ms. Baity, grabbing her by the arm. “As my elderly aunt tried to pull away, this woman threatened her,” says Lula Baity’s niece, Carmen Britt. “She told my aunt that if she continued to resist and did not leave, the housing authority police would use force to remove her.” Against her will, she was strapped to a gurney and transported by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center. After being shaken up by the incident, she arrived at the emergency room with symptoms of increased blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat. Ms. Baity was admitted with a purported diagnosis of “unable to care for herself.” Her family was never contacted by representatives of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority or hospital staff. An anonymous caller alerted her family. Admitted for an emergency mental evaluation, Ms. Baity was subjected to a battery of medical tests, none of which were mental health screenings. Ms. Baity’ s given diagnosis of “inability to care for herself” was never confirmed by a psychiatrist. After ten (10) days of involuntary confinement, Dr. Phillip Rados, the attending physician, making an assumptive diagnosis of “advanced dementia” ordered Ms. Baity’s transfer to Grace Manor Nursing Home. Without court approvalii, 86 year old Lula Baity was transferred to Grace Manor Nursing Home, where she was confined to a locked third-floor dementia unit, and despite her objections, she was subjected to numerous unnecessary medical procedures. She was forced to submit to highly invasive daily enemas and suppositories. In a similar vein, without a written consent or a patient authorization, Grace Manor authorized the surgical extraction of three (3) of Ms. Baity’s healthy teeth. Ms. Baity was also administered daily doses of the psychotropic medication, Risperdal, for the treatment of her alleged diagnosis of dementia that was never confirmed. Risperdal is grouped in a class of drugs known as atypical antipsychotics. The FDA warns against the use of atypical antipsychotics in treating elderly dementia patients. Risperdal has been found to be potentially hazardous and could result in death. The New York State Department of Health, after conducting an investigation into the use of Risperdal by the nursing home, determined that there was no medical basis for administering the drug to Lula Baity and sanctioned Grace Manor. The system failed Ms. Baity New York State and federal law provides mandate procedures which must be followed in all situations involving the involuntary confinement and/or hospitalization of any citizen.iii In the case of Lula Baity, no procedures, whatsoever, had been followed regarding crisis intervention or her involuntary confinement. She remained involuntarily confined at the locked dementia unit of Grace Manor Nursing Home for a period of ninety-two (92) days. Media Contact: Carmen Britt P.O. Box 3382 Buffalo, NY 14240 Phone: 716-566-7783 Email: brittbaity@baity-v-bmha-et-al.com www.baity-v-bmha-et-al.com This is press release was written by Eartha Watts-Hicks, freelance PR writer on behalf of the estate of Lula Baity. Please direct all press queries to Carmen Britt by email at brittbaity@baity-v-bmha-et-al.com or by telephone at (716)566-7783. Ms. Baity’s niece, Carmen Britt, retained attorney Richard L. Baumgarten, who petitioned for writ of habeas corpus, which was thereupon granted by a New York State Supreme Court judge. On January 10, 2004, after 102 days of being involuntarily confined to a hospital and nursing home, Lula Baity was allowed to return to her home. Soon after her release, Ms. Baity’s condition was evaluated by her primary care physician, a clinical psychologist, and a psychiatrist; all concluded that she was completely competent. Unable to put the horrors of these events behind her, however she was diagnosed with posttraumatic anxiety disorder. Despite her fragile health and ripe old age of 86 years, Ms. Baity filed suit against all responsible parties. She did not live to have her day in court or an opportunity to tell her story to a jury of her peers. She passed away on May 9, 2006. May is Elder Abuse Awareness Month According to the American Psychological Association, elder abuse occurs when senior citizens are assaulted, mistreated, or taken advantage of, whether the abuse is intentional or not. Abuse can be verbal, physical, emotional, psychological, or financial. It can also be in the form of gross neglect or even isolation. Often, mistreatment occurs at the hand of family members, but in many instances, as in Ms. Baity’s case, it exists in hospitals, nursing homes, or is caused by perpetrators who are unrelated to the individual. Any caregiver behavior which causes distress is considered abuse, according to the APA. Since aging seniors are more vulnerable to these types of attacks, it is important to recognize the signs. According to the National Elder Abuse Incidence Study conducted by the National Center on Elder Abuse, for each case of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation reported to authorities, five more go unreported. The American Psychological Association estimates more than 2 million older adults are victims of elder abuse. The Family Vows to Push Forward An On-Line Petition has been launched, urging Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., to conduct an investigation into the violation of Lula Baity’s human rights, as well as to investigate the inadequacies that exist within the current system. The injustice that occurred in the case of Ms. Baity should stand as a caution to legislators. The current procedural safeguards in effect are inadequate to safeguard our elders from the type of abuse that has been shown to have occurred with Ms. Baity. Therefore, clearly, additional procedural safeguards need to be in place, and at the very least, those found in violation should be held accountable. Current regulations were not adhered to at the most critical juncture, where decisions are made by individuals and actions are taken by agencies and institutions leading to the removal of such elders from their homes. Measures need to be taken ensure that the provisions set forth are implemented and enforced, thereby protecting the liberties of our growing population of seniors. The full tragic account of Lula Baity’s ordeal, official court documents, and her video-taped deposition testimony may be accessed online. Please support Ms. Baity's cause by visiting the website and signing the On-Line Petition at http://baity-vbmha-et-al.com. All support is appreciated. i New York State Mental Hygiene Law § 9.45 defines those authorized to recommend emergency crisis intervention on the behalf of an alleged mentally ill individual. They are: the parent, adult sibling, spouse or child of the person, the committee or legal guardian of the person, a licensed psychologist, registered professional nurse or certified social worker currently responsible for providing treatment. Standards must be met to involuntarily remove a person to the psychiatric emergency room or hospital for evaluation. Those authorized to take such action must follow certain procedures. These guidelines require that a qualified clinical reporter (licensed M.D. or licensed psychologist, registered nurse or certified social worker treating the individual) provide the Office of Crisis Intervention Services with a report, outlining all the necessary information needed to establish that the individual is mentally ill and presents a danger to self or others. ii New York State Mental Hygiene Law mandates due process notice procedures a hospital or physician must provide an alleged mentally incapacitated person upon involuntarily confining such person. These procedures are required, as such: (a) Written notice must be given to the incapacitated person of his status and rights as a patient under this section.” N.Y. Mental Hygiene Law § 9.39; (b) Notification must immediately be given to Mental Hygiene Legal Services and certain designated individuals, any of whom may request a hearing which must be held no later than five days after the request is received. N.Y. Mental Hygiene Law §§ 9.29(a) and 9.39(a); (c) Written notice must also be given to the patient’s nearest [known] relative, and up to three additional persons designated by the patient, no later than five days after admission. N.Y. Mental Hygiene Law § 9.29(b); (d) Following admission to a hospital, no patient may be sent to another hospital or facility by any form of involuntary admission unless the Mental Hygiene Legal Services has been given notice thereof. Mental Hygiene Law §9. 27. iii New York State Mental Hygiene Law § 81.02[a] mandates that a Nursing Home commence a judicial guardianship proceeding with respect to the placement or admission of any alleged “incapacitated person.” Involuntarily committing wards to nursing homes is available only pursuant to a Mental Hygiene Law Article 78 incompetency proceeding, with its full panoply of procedural due process safeguards”). |
Trayvon Martin (c. 1994-2012) was a 17-year-old black boy killed two weeks ago on February 26th 2012 by a 28-year-old white man, George Zimmerman, captain of the neighbourhood watch. Zimmerman had a gun, a car and instructions from police not to follow Martin. Martin had Skittles, an iced tea and a 140 pounds (63kg) body weight. Zimmerman claims self- defence. The police saw no reas...on to doubt that and let him walk free. The police are still looking into the matter and for that reason have not yet made public the emergency telephone call that Zimmerman made just minutes before the shooting. They say it backs up Zimmerman’s claim of self-defence. Martin was up from Miami visiting his father in Sanford, Florida, a suburb of Orlando. He was watching the NBA All-Star game on television and went out to buy an iced tea and get his brother some candy. He never made it back. Ten minutes later he was dead, just 70 feet (20m) from his father’s house When Zimmerman saw Martin he called police to report a “suspicious person in the area”. The police told him not follow him, that they would be there soon. Despite that Zimmerman continued to follow Martin in his car – because “they always get away”. When Martin noticed Zimmerman following him in his car, he said, “What’s your problem?” Zimmerman got out of his car. They fought. It appears that Martin hit him in the nose – his nose was bleeding, there was grass on his back and the back of his head was bleeding. Zimmerman: “I was yelling for someone to help me but no one would help me.” Zimmerman shot Martin in the chest. When police arrived Martin was dead, face down in the grass. Zimmerman had a permit to carry the 9mm handgun that he killed Martin with. Neighbourhood watches are supposed to report anything strange to the police, not take the law into their own hand and gun down people. The police arrested Zimmerman. He confessed to the killing but said it was self-defence. The police let him go. They said they respected Zimmerman’s background, that he had studied criminal justice for four years and was squeaky clean. Zimmerman was arrested in 2005 for resisting arrest with violence and battery on a police officer. The charges were apparently dropped. Even before the shooting several neighbours had complained of aggressive tactics by Zimmerman. The police say they do not yet have enough evidence to arrest Zimmerman, that the family is jumping to conclusions, that the police are making a fair investigation regardless of colour. The family’s lawyer said, “I don’t think they have any intention on arresting this white man for killing this black boy,” that race is the “the 600lb elephant in the room”. He wants to hear the emergency call Zimmerman made. Zimmerman’s telephone has been disconnected. It is unknown where he is. Martin once pulled his father out of a burning kitchen. He wanted to be a pilot or an aviation mechanic. Now he is dead. ---- SIGN THE PETITION --- |
| Trayvon Martin |
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