The AC Phoenix: More than a Newspaper, a Community Institution -- Issue No. 2015, September 2014

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Page 12 September 2014 The AC Phoenix Ferguson Is Reminiscent of Some of This Country’s Worst Moments By Clarence B. Jones Clarence B. Jones No, no! My smart TV is playing a visual trick on me. Am I actually watching, in real time, military-garbed police in Ferguson, MO, pointing their weapons at persons in that community who have peacefully assembled? People who gathered to express their outrage over the recent shooting by an unidentified police officer of 18-yearold Michael Brown, Jr., an African-American believed to have been unarmed? Relations between police and African- American communities across our country may be at its worst since the 1960s. What do public officials in the police department in Ferguson fear? When the shooting of Mr. Brown by a white police officer occurred, word spread. There was some limited violence and rioting, which was quickly contained by leaders and others in Ferguson. The demonstrations on national TV Wednesday evening were initially peaceful and disciplined. Police subsequently fired tear gas and rubber bullets into them -- that is when some acts of retaliatory violence occurred. Ferguson is reminiscent of some of the worst confrontations between the African-American communities and police nationwide. I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever. Moreover, events in Ferguson are occurring during the second term of Barack Obama, America’s first African-American president. Ironically, they occurred also on the same evening when he is being celebrated at Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard. Oak Bluffs is the vacation venue of America’s Black bourgeoisie and those who genuinely believe that they have become, in our 21st century, significant participants in white America’s economic power structure. In 1968, at the request of President Lyndon Johnson, a commission was created to examine the causes of riots that had occurred in several urban communities. These included Newark and New Brunswick, NJ, Detroit and several other cities. Named after its Chairman, Otto Kerner, then Governor of Illinois, the “1968 Kerner Commission Report concluded that the nation was “moving toward two societies, one black, one white -- separate and unequal.” The Report noted at the time that: “A new mood has sprung up among Negroes, particularly among the young, in whom self-esteem and enhanced racial pride are replacing apathy and submission to “the system.” “The abrasive relationship between the police and the minority communities has been a major-and explosive-source of grievance, tension and disorder. The blame must be shared by the total society.” The Report concluded that: “To some Negroes, police have come to symbolize white power, white racism and white repression. And the fact is that many police do reflect and express these white attitudes. The atmosphere of hostility and cynicism is reinforced by a widespread belief among Negroes in the existence of police brutality and in a “double standard” of justice and protection -- one for Negroes and one for whites.” Professor Michelle Alexander’s book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in a Color Blind America may be the best 21st century update “Report” about the police and African-American communities since the 1968 Kerner Commission Report. But we don’t need any more commissions, books or studies about African-American young men and the police across America. It is apparently open season to shoot or apply otherwise deadly force with impunity upon black men -- an unspoken “license to kill.” In 1962 the African-American author James Baldwin wrote “The Fire Next Time.” It was an open letter to his nephew on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Baldwin wrote: “You were born where you were born and faced the future you faced because you were black and for no other reason. The limits of your ambition were thus, were expected to be set forever. You were born into a society, which spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways possible that you were a worthless human being. You were not expected to aspire to excellence: you were expected to make peace with mediocrity...the symbols of your life have been constructed to make you believe what white people say about you.” “God gave Noah the rainbow sign, No more water, the fire next time.” President Obama has held press conferences on Iraq, the “refugee crisis” on our southern borders, Putin and the Ukraine, etc. A thoughtful, well-intended message to the Holmes family from him and First Lady Michelle is not enough. We have a crisis between the police in our country and young black men. National presidential leadership and action is required to address this. We don’t need another Commission. We need immediate presidential executive action and leadership to resolve this crisis An Evening and Book Signing With Dr. Howard Fuller GREENSBORO – In the late 1960s and early 70s, the city of Greensboro held great promise for Dr. Howard Fuller. He was then known as Owusu Sadaukai, which means “one who clears the way for others” and “one who gathers strength from his ancestors to lead his people.” Fuller was also known as one of the most dangerous men in North Carolina for his efforts to help poor, black communities organize and petition local governments for better living and working conditions. He also helped black students organize for academic experiences that reflected the diverse richness of American life. It was in a modest building at 708 Asheboro Street in Greensboro that Fuller, along with a cadre of committed activists, educators and students opened the Malcolm X Liberation University. Its goal was simple: train students who would be willing to go to Africa and help those nations obtain their independence and rebuild. Nearly 45 years after the university opened its doors on October 5, 1970, Fuller will return to Greensboro on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 to promote his new book No Struggle No Progress: A Warrior’s Life from Black Power to Education Reform. The book chronicles his remarkable journey from his Louisiana roots, to preventing a race riot in North Carolina after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, to the jungles of Africa with freedom fighters to the frontlines of the school choice movement. Sponsored by Partners for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, the event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the International Civil Rights Museum & Center. Dr. Fuller will engage with the audience through a Q&A session about his extraordinary life experiences and the lessons he’s learned along the way. For more information, go to https://drfullergreensboro.eventbrite.com. NC Turtle Stew And Family Reunions Revisited [continued from page 1] He holds a BA from Wake Forest in History, a MS from North Carolina State A & T University in Education (Secondary Social Studies), and has just finished his add-on licensure for school administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His passion for history led him to create and sponsor the History Club at his school. His students have been exposed to college professors, historical movies, and history themed trips to local, state, and national sites. This past Spring, the History Club hosted the Slave Dwelling Project on the Old McCollum Farm in Madison, NC for an overnight stay and brought together descendants of the original plantation owners and the original slaves for a family reunion. You can register for the conference by following this link: http://slavedwellingproject.org/registration-is-now-open-for-the-slave-dwellingproject-conference-2014/
Page 13 September 2014 The AC Phoenix CBC: The Clueless Black Caucus By Raynard Jackson Raynard Jackson No one is born with an empty, open, closed or lOn the very day that Michael Brown, the slain teenager from Ferguson, Mo., was buried, the Congressional Black Caucus made a major announcement. They sent a letter complaining to President Obama. Yep, you heard correctly. They took the bold move of asking the president to investigate issues of racism and discrimination within local law enforcement nationally by setting up a police czar. Now that you have finished laughing, let’s discuss this a little further. It took plodding through the CBC’s meandering letter, to see that they made a few strong recommendations to the president. They first want Obama to appoint the “Department of Justice (DOJ) to train every police department in the country on the issue of racial bias.” It’s amazing that members of congress need to be reminded that policing is a local issue, not a federal one. The federal government has its hands full trying to eradicate racism from its own ranks. So I have a recommendation for the CBC: Let the states and municipal governments deal with the issue on the local level. The second recommendation concerned accountability. According to the CBC’s letter, “Police departments should not be solely responsible for investigating themselves.” Oh really? These same members of congress seem to have no problem when it comes to congress investigating itself. If another member of congress or the public files a complaint against a member of congress, Congress refuses to bring in an independent investigator. The third recommendation deals with the issue of diversity. “Police department personnel should be representative of the communities they serve… DOJ must set, implement, and monitor diversity hiring and retention guidelines for local police departments,” according to the letter. Again, this is a local issue and DOJ has no authority to engage in such an activity. Why won’t Congress agree to be subjected to this same standard? Besides, Congress conveniently exempts itself from some of the law it passes. The fourth recommendation revolved around engagement. “Too often law enforcement personnel hold stereotypes about black and brown youth and vice versa. Lack of familiarity breeds lack of understanding and increased opportunities for conflict…” These same members of Congress perpetuate stereotypes that Republicans hate Blacks; and don’t care about the poor. Democrats rarely Nothing endures but change. engage with Republicans on any issues; and people wonder why no legislation gets passed in D.C. The fifth recommendation: “…The Administration must quickly establish a national commission to review existing police policies and practices and identify the best policies and practices that can prevent more Fergusons and vastly improve policing in communities across the nation.” Is anyone listening? This is a local issue. The final recommendation called for more bureaucracy. “The Administration must appoint a federal Czar, housed in the U.S. Department of Justice, who is specifically tasked with promoting the professionalization of local law enforcement, monitoring egregious law enforcement activities, and adjudicating suspicious actions of local law enforcement agencies that receive federal funding.” In essence, the CBC wants to nationalize all local and municipal police departments. This is yet another example of why no one takes the CBC seriously. They constantly advocate positions that have no chance of passing Congress; and in this case, are not even legal. Did the CBC really just realize that racial disparities on the Ferguson police force existed? I was born and raised in St. Louis and these disparities have existed for decades in Ferguson and throughout the region. The federal government has absolutely no role in insuring diversity on a local police force. That is the responsibility of the locally elected leadership. Local police should answer to the citizens they are sworn to serve and protect, not to Eric Holder or the CBC. The CBC conveniently ignore that Blacks are 67 percent of the population of Ferguson; but they rarely participate in elections in any meaningful way. Are the Blacks in Ferguson just realizing that there were only three Blacks out of 53 on the police force? Maybe Blacks are fine with the composition of the police force and the rest of their elected officials. If they were dissatisfied, they could have quickly changed that by voting. We cannot continue to blame others for our apathetic behaviors; and we can’t continue to run to big government to do for us what we are not willing to do for ourselves. We must be what we are looking for. The CBC has chosen to put the blame and responsibility for Ferguson on everyone but the citizens of Ferguson. Whose fault is it that Blacks don’t vote in Ferguson? They have the power to vote, but they don’t have the will to vote. They hold the key to their own future. Beware: Overthe-Counter Pain Relievers Can Be Deadly By Sylvia Booth Hubbard Over-the-counter pain relievers are handy for killing the aches and pains of everyday life, but it’s easy to take too much. A study from the Scotland’s University of Edinburgh found that people can take too much acetaminophen without realizing it, sometimes with deadly results. “Even a little extra can cause liver damage that can kill you,” Dr. Erika Schwartz, chief medical officer at the Age Management Institute in New York City, tells Newsmax Health. “A ‘staggered dose’ — taking doses of Tylenol over a period of time — builds up in the system, even when taken at recommended levels.” Switching to another type of painkiller may be just as risky. “Advil — ibuprofen — is just as dangerous,” says Dr. Schwartz. “In addition to damaging your liver, ibuprofen has the additional possibility of causing gastrointestinal bleeding.” Although all painkillers can cause liver damage when taken in excess, those available over-the-counter (OTC) can be especially hazardous, says Dr. Schwartz. “People don’t think a painkiller they can buy over the counter can hurt them. And people are popping Tylenol and Advil like candy. Almost everyone says they take up to five a day.” It’s shockingly easy to overdose. A regular Tylenol contains 325 mg of acetaminophen, and an extra-strength tablet contains 500 mg. For the average, healthy adult, the maximum recommended dose over a 24-hour period is 4 grams. Liver damage occurs at 7 grams. “Who only takes one at a time?” asks Dr. Schwartz. “Most people take two or three.” Taking three pills five times a day puts you over the safe dosage limit, but if those pills are the extra-strength version, you increase the possibility of liver damage. In addition to too many doses throughout a day, there are three other easy ways to overdose: recommendation of your doctor can be deadly if you’re advised to take a dose of acetaminophen and follow with a dose of ibuprofen two hours later, then repeat. “This dosage absolutely puts adults in danger,” says Dr. Schwartz. The danger is even worse for children. “Pediatricians often prescribe that much medicine for children who have a slight fever or are teething.” that contain the same ingredient. “Advil, Aleve, Motrin, Advil Cold & Sinus, and Motrin IB all contain the same ingredient, ibuprofen” says Dr. Schwartz. “And Tylenol, Thankful Pamprin, and Tylenol Cold all contain acetaminophen.” Complete liver failure can occur within days, says Schwartz, and often neither the doctor nor the patient makes the connection. “Since you’re not trying to commit suicide, your doctor doesn’t suspect liver failure caused by pain pills.” Even though 7 grams is considered an overdose, your threshold may be lower depending on many factors. “If you have an unhealthy lifestyle, 5 grams may be toxic for you,” warns Dr. Schwartz. A junky diet or too much alcohol puts stress on the liver and can increase the risk of liver failure, as well as your sex and age — women and those over 40 are more likely to suffer liver damage. “Just remember that all painkillers can damage your liver,” Dr. Schwartz says. “If you take a little bit of Advil and then a little bit of Motrin because you don’t want to take too much of either, you’re taking too much.”
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The AC Phoenix: More than a Newspaper, a Community Institution -- Issue No. 2015, September 2014

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