The Voice of Southwest Louisiana

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editor’s By Brenda Hill Protect the people… Serve the people… As I drove eastward in the left lane on McNeese St., from Kroger’s a few days ago, I saw in my rearview mirror a funeral procession coming towards me in the right lane. I stopped in honor of the deceased & bereaved. Two sheriff cars pulled up on my left to direct traffic and to proceed towards the right on Common St, but one officer makes two jestures with his hand for me to move over. My grandchildren were buckled in the back in their car seats and the three year old shouts, “They are going to kill us Honey! They are going to kill us!” I turned to look at him and became very disturbed when I saw his face filled with fear. My personality developed in the sixties during a serious time of unrest & racial tension. John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., & Bobby Kennedy were all assassinated and ‘Blacks’ were sprayed with water hoses while being attacked by dogs. As a young child of 4 years old and upward, I witnessed each of these events at home on our black & white television. These visions of men in leadership with authority and different colored individuals being handled in a disrespectful way impacted me deeply as a young child. In the little town of Cameron, LA., my teacher, Miss Allen, had a large cardboard poster of an animated white Police Officer in blue uniform displayed on our wall in the classroom. On a daily basis we repeated after her, “The man in blue is a friend to you.” At home my mom demonstrated how ‘the man in blue is a friend to you’ when police officers came to purchase seafood from my dad’s business and we would go shop in their neighborhoods for our household goods. Seeing that fear on my grand man’s face prompted me to speak with his mom about taking a field trip down to the police station. In our home, we still teach that ‘the man in blue is a friend to you,’ and he is placed in authority by God to protect and serve our communities. (Romans Chp. 13) So I went to visit Chief of Police, Don Dixon of the Lake Charles Police Department. He was very welcoming and listened to my concerns. He immediately invited me to bring Caleb to visit the station the next day. I spoke to Caleb about his visit and he seemed happy to go. He asked me many questions. We arrived the next day, Caleb began to walk slowly and observed everything with wide eyes, caution and apprehension. We entered Chief Dixon’s office where he and Deputy Chief Shawn Caldwell were present. I reached to shake their hands so that Caleb would feel invited and safe. Chief Dixon shook Caleb’s hand and so did Chief Deputy Caldwell. Caleb was hesitant and cautious. Chief Dixon spoke very friendly to Caleb, just as a grandfather would speak to a grandson. He offered Caleb treats, made him a Junior Deputy, and gave him a coin to remind him to obey rules and show respect for authority. He even gave him a business card just in case he needed to call and speak to him directly about his concerns. Caleb remained cautious and guarded. Other officers greeted Caleb at the station with hugs, high fives and the fist to fist bump. He even met Cajun L’Bear, a stuffed bear that hangs out in Chief Dixon’s office. The men in blue were friends to Caleb. Caleb remained very close to my side throughout the entire visit and continued to respond with caution and apprehension. When we got back to the car, I asked Caleb what did he feel about his trip. He said, “I didn’t know how to talk to them and tell them my little sister hit me. I didn’t want her to go to jail.” Please have open dialoque with our little ones. They see. They feel. I am committed in my belief that what is put in the heart of a child is far more powerful than what society puts on the back of a child. August 2016 WWW.THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM Volume 4 • Number 1
LORRAINE BRIDGE PAINTING BY VINH ALEXANDER CALL: 337-842-7202 FOR PRINTS August 2016 LOCAL NEWS, EVENTS, STORIES & PEOPLE 2 EDITOR’S PEN 4 MAYORS NOTES 6 MAKING THE CONNECTION 9 FROM SHERIFF TONY MANCUSO 10 #POSITIVE IS ME 18 SWLA ENTERTAINMENT AND MOVIE REVIEW 20 VINTAGE SHOPPING 22 2016 DANCING GALA 23 M.A.R.C. RESOURCE CENTER 24 THE GIFT OF TEACHING 26 2016 CPHSH EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | Brenda Hill brenda@thevoiceofsouthwestla.com GENERAL MANAGER | Tracy Clark tpllcthevoice_tracy@yahoo.com OFFICE MANAGER | Kay Andrews kandrews_thevoice@yahoo.com GRAPHIC LAYOUT | Vinh Alexander Vinh Alexander www.thevoiceofsouthwestla.com EVENTS COORDINATOR | Carl Hubert ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER | Faye Drake fayedrake@sbcglobal.net 337-794-5678 CONSULTANTS Gene R. Hill, Sr., Reginald Clark CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mayor Randy Roach, Lisa Addison, Joyce R. Kebodeaux, Kris Welcome, Basha Celestaine, Dalia Matheus, Ronald Blanchard All materials contained in the publication are copy-righted and may not be reproduced or reprinted in part or its entirety without the expressed written permission of The Voice of SWLA. The views expressed in articles of The Voice of SWLA are not necessarily the views of the ownership or sponsors in this publication. The Voice of SWLA assumes no liability for errors or omissions. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all content. Volume 4 • Number 1 WWW.THEVOICEOFSOUTHWESTLA.COM August 2016 Published and distributed by TEAM PUBLICATIONS LLC. 4310 Ryan St. Ste. 134 Lake Charles, LA. 70605 In the McNeese SEED Center (337) 474-2210
Page 4 and 5: Pictured are Mayor Randy Roach and
Page 6 and 7: On July 18th, the Pastor of Living
Page 8 and 9: our diversity that actually unites
Page 10 and 11: #PositiveIsMe Protect & Serve… th
Page 12 and 13: SWLA entertainment band By Joyce R.
Page 14 and 15: SWLA entertainment & movie review G
Page 16 and 17: means no waiters bothering you come
Page 18 and 19: SWLA women in business L - R: Shaun
Page 20 and 21: SWLA fashion PRESS Vintage Shopping
Page 22 and 23: SWLA non-profit 2016 Dancing Gala B
Page 24 and 25: SWLA education The Gift of Teaching
Page 26 and 27: Photo credit Joseph P. Booth From l
Page 28: We’re building ... Women in busin

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