Cherokee Indians says race matters

A reader informed me about all those wanting to benefit from the free labor of slavery. That it included African-Americans and Indians. I believed I've blogged on some of the reasons for African-American involvement in slavery. Here, I point out the decision by Cherokee to kick out of descendant of Freedmen before slavery was abolished in the United States.

From the New York Times:

At issue is a group barely known outside of Indian country, the Freedmen. These are the descendants of black slaves owned by Cherokees, free blacks who were married to Cherokees and the children of mixed-race families known as black Cherokees, all of whom joined the Cherokee migration to Oklahoma in 1838.

The Freedmen became full citizens of the Cherokee Nation after emancipation, as part of the Treaty of 1866 with the United States. But in 1983, by tribal decree, the Freedmen were denied the right to vote in tribal elections on the ground they were not “Cherokee by blood.”

It appears that the Cherokee Nation is growing, and their is preference in who can be a citizen and who can vote !

Officially, the election will ask voters whether to amend the Cherokee Nation Constitution. Overriding the 1866 treaty, it would limit citizenship to those who can trace their heritage to “Cherokee by blood” rolls, part of a census known as the Dawes Rolls of 1906. The Freedmen would automatically be denied citizenship because the Dawes Rolls, a census commissioned by Congress to distribute land to tribal members, put the Freedmen on a separate roll that made no mention of Indian blood.

Proponents of the amendment say it is about drawing a line, a blood line. The Cherokee Nation, the second-largest tribe in the country after the Navajo, is also one of the fastest growing, with 270,000 members and 1,000 new citizens enrolled every month. Members are entitled to federal benefits and tribal services , including medical and housing aid and scholarships.

It appears that the Freedman was between a rock and hard place, slavery in the United State and a non citizen in the Indian nation under the Dawes Rolls. The Rolls were used to give land to members of the Indian Nation. The issue did that mean could a Freedman marry or have children by a Cherokee and become a Cherokee or would the fact that it was not full blooded denied him or her citizenship. But this did not applied to Cherokee with raced white children or marriages!

Cherokee blacks will have to prove they are not passing! Read more on Alas, a blog for background. Read more here

Where y'all at

Wynton Marsalis appeared on ABC Sunday's This Week Person of the Week with George Stephanopoulos. Marsalis is releasing a new album called From the "Plantation to the Penitentiary". One song called "Where y'all at" has a political message Marsalia a jazz genius focus attention on the apathy of grown folks. Folks not holding officials accountable, like checking where there taxes are going:

Feb. 25, 2007 — Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis is about to release his most political album yet. "From the Plantation to the Penitentiary" condemns complacency and calls on citizens to act.

Wynton Marsalis: Apathy is the enemy. Participate. … With the song, "Where Y'All At," I'm just asking the question. It's really, "Where are we at?" Because I know with the generations, we always want to blame a younger generation. … What are we giving the younger generation? So the question of "Where Y'All At" started with all you '60s radicals, world beaters, liberal students.

Song lyrics: Liberal students, equal rights pleaders, What's goin' on now that y'all are the leaders. …Where y'all at?

Marsalis: American people means something to me. I've been around this country. I've been in people's homes, all kinds of people, taught people's kids for many years. Our country, we always had so much problems; we still have. … Instead of asking, "What can we do about it?" we have to be spurred to action — collective action. … Jump in there. Find out where the tax money is going. Find out why something's happening. Write to people. Just be a participant. Go down to your school and see what people are doing. Do your thing, you know.

(italics and bold added by me)

Marsalis from New Orleans could not have not been impacted by the apathy shown by the government of addressing New Orleans families devastation from Katrina. With the slang Marsalis goes street and drops a challenge to hip-hop rappers to create some meaningful lyrics. Marsalis subtle title can be interpreted to mean that plantation may no longer exist, but the streets serve the same purpose. On the plantation African-Americans struggled against being lynched, and on the street African-American struggle to survive by dealing and killing going straight to jail..from the plantation(street) to the Penitentiary(modern day lynching)

From Mr. Greg's Musing

The title track on this begins with periodically discordant, almost avant-garde instrumentation (from pianist Dan Nimmer and drummer Ali Jackson Jr. especially) and singing (from Jennifer Sanon) and I think Marsalis' first trumpet solo has kind of a Lester Bowie thing going. (He switches to Don Cherry later.) I still hear the blues, New Orleans and Duke Ellington in sections. It is a Wynton Marsalis CD, after all. But it's got hard edges I haven't heard a lot from him since "Black Codes (From the Underground)" or "Live at Blues Alley" or maybe his Jazz Messengers days.

Also reminds me of his Pulitzer-winning opus on slavery, segregation and racism "Blood on the Fields," and the songs with lyrics generally have a political or social message; the disproportionate number of black men in prison, the homeless, the unfulfilling nature of consumerism (in the form of a frenetic Sanon scat on "Doin' (Y)Our Thing"). I think he's going to get some flak for "These Are Those Soulful Days," which takes a poke at the gangster end of hip-hop. But the message is worth considering and the music the message is wrapped around is wonderful. It's followed by "Where Y'all At?," on which Marsalis bends rap, second line style, to his own purposes.

Not every song is overtly message driven. "Find Me" is a pretty, bluesy ballad. "Supercapitalism" had me thinking of children's songs, Freddie Hubbard's '70s stuff and Gershwin. Go figure?

Some nice sax playing by Walter Blanding (tenor and soprano, where I can hear some Coltrane in his playing) as well, both solo and in the ensemble.

Maybe a tad too much singing for my tastes, but very interesting all the way through. Music writer at work loaned me a review copy of this. (Comes out in March.) I will buy it.

Everyone is not so arts guardian is not so kind.

The Sunday Funnies-Property Reassessment by your local government

Amanda Iacone reports on Fort Wayne.Com about reassessment. Iacone reports:

All of the property updates – about 130,000 – will have been mailed by Monday. About 20,000 properties had no change in their value and will not receive the forms, said Ryan Keuneke, chief deputy assessor.

I posted here:

The assessors offices are mailing out form 11 R/A. I know many of you want to believe that your leaders are honest people !!! But be warned because your new tax bill will increase and it has nothing to do with Fort Wayne Community School but greed from your local officials to build Harrison Square.

This notification form 11 R/A is an important part of the reassessment because it starts the second phase of the reassessment process. The second phase involves a review process by the property owners on the accuracy of the assessors assessment. Any property owner wanting to challenge the accuracy of the assessment must file an appeal in writing for review of the assessment on form 130 or form 133 within 45 days of the notification.

The mailing is not an update. This statement that your property has been assessed at a certain values based on faulty record keeping in the assessor office from years and years of abuse in assessing property is a notice. This abuse of power from assessors caused Judge Thomas Fisher to determine that it was so widespread that Fisher promulgated rulings governing a uniformed way of assessing property and a way to measure whether or not these assessors were playing by the rules.


So, out of the office and on to the streets, assessors had to learn how to assess property and record property. Time was of the essence. Going door to door many homeowners were not letting folks in or were not at home. So assessor birth a way to get the job done in the mandated time period.

The updates reflect changes in assessed property values. Many properties increased in value because the last time properties were assessed, local assessors used sales and market data from 1999

.

Nope, it was made up. Hired new inexperience computer techies and manipulated the system. And that's what they did. Many homes were sold to capture the over assessment creating sales disclosures that were based on misinformation. Homes were not worth the values and the unsuspecting buyers were duped. And these sale disclosures are what the assessor offices is using to duped the public in this year current assessment. That is if homeowners do not appeal.


Of course some property was assessed in the proper fashion but many inconsistency existed and still do to this day. The State was outraged at the greed of the local government. So the State legislators to protect homeowners from the greedy locals increased the homestead deduction, place a circuit breaker on the taxing amount, and required annual assessment.
From the State:

The circuit breaker became law in 2006 with the passage of House Enrolled Act 1001. It is aimed at helping Hoosiers by ensuring they don’t pay more than 2 percent of their property value in taxes. The goal is to provide predictability in tax bills and equity among Hoosier taxpayers.

The Circuit Breaker is slated to become mandatory statewide for residential property in 2007. Homeowners will not see the potential Circuit Breaker impact until their 2008 tax bill. The circuit breaker expands to include all property types in 2009. Taxpayers will not see the impact of the expansion until their 2010 tax bill.

State law now requires that properties be reassessed each year so that property tax bills increase bit by bit instead of a large increase every several years, County Treasurer Bob Lee said.

The quote by the Treasure Bob Lee, here's another take on it, from the state.

Under the old system, real estate was generally only reassessed every 10 years. That left taxpayers with a large change in their assessments every decade. Annual adjustments curb that large lump sum change in assessments by annually adjusting values based on sales

.
The annual assessment would prevent sticker shock to homeowners. And homeowners would be better able to prove their property values did not triple in value every year. This placed the inexperienced staff back into their offices researching sales disclosure form to increase their knowledge and record keeping in trying to make money for the city. Rather than truly assess property value to meet the budget.



The willy-nilly reassessment caused sticker shock and many high end tax payers were outraged and threaten to go to court. Deals were made. The squeaky wheels property owners assessment were reconfigured undocumented, just a number change in the system. The unsuspected just bite the bullet of the egregious increase. The number of appeals were reduced and unknown to the public. The meme-journalists only reports those folks that would not go away. The number of folks who demanded immediate reduction to the proper values of their homes and was cut a deal are missing in the informal appeal process.


Oh the heading,

Tax growth to hit 14.5%; past delays fuel increase

The tax growth is more than 14.5% and it's has nothing to do with delays. More from the state

Hoosier taxpayers could see an increase or a decrease in their tax bills after the annual adjustment of their assessment based on their location and the expenditures by local government.

In essence, the assessment represents a property owner’s share of the overall tax burden for a specific area.

Tell that to those who work for city government, as they over assess and collect field of revenue to pay for a hotel, baseball stadium......

In the newspaper

Rep. Jeff Espich, R-Uniondale, ranking minority member on the House Ways and Means Committee, said about 7 percent of that is a direct result of trending.

.That suggest that of the disclosed 14.5 per cent in property value increase is too high. But the real increase is hidden in the details.

A picture speaks a thousand words

Kevin Leininger knows a lot of his newspaper readers will never go into Hanna-Creighton Neighborhood. But, I wanted to share a picture that sits right across from Zion.

The library is a small library that is used by Zion Lutheran School, which belongs to the church. The few students who go there. The church is beautiful but failure to earlier integrate has left the church badly in need of members. St. Peters did much better than Zion. St. Peters has brought up lots of land and property close to it's church. St. Peters has paved almost a whole city block for parking, not houses but parking. St. Peters school is long closed, it has been turned into a senior housing. The senior apartment had to offer a basement discount to get any takers. There are no amenities close by except the tiny library with few books, and the Urban League. You can't buy grocery or pay your bill or go out to socialize with friends.

But Leininger see this as a community that the folks who are spending $50,000 to $100,000 to ripoff artists should be appreciative. Do you think we'll see any of Leinginer's children moving into this neighborhood anytime soon? A neighborhood with potential but the city helped pilfer out millions and millions with a smile and a handshake. Folks who are now trying to pay their mortgages but their payments are sent back. Folks trying to call the agency's number but it is disconnected. What city allows such mistreatment of its citizens? Fort Wayne.

If anyone gets any credit for home ownership in the Hanna Creighton neighborhood, look up a guy by the name of Ian Rolland. Rolland tried to do what the local government would not do. And when the city had a chance they ripped off the people, the very people Rolland was trying to help. Some folks need to go to prison.

If the city couldn't build housing for it's citizen how in heaven's name is the city going to be fiscal steward in building a hotel or stadium?

Election at the Allen County Republican Headquarter

Steve Shine ran unopposed for chairman of the Allen County Republican Headquarter. The countywide election was held at the Fort Wayne Allen County Republican Headquarter at 9:00 a.m.

From the Allen County Republican Party website:

Current Allen County Republican Chairman Steve Shine is seeking re-election and will ask precinct officials to elect Candice Fries as Vice Chairwoman, and to re-elect Secretary Jerry Zuber and Treasurer Al Rodriquez to their respective positions. If elected, Fries will replace Cathy Hawks who has decided not to seek a third term, allowing her to instead work on the campaigns of specific individuals.

So only two position changed hands.

You say Hotel I say Baseball =Shell Game

In an guest column in the newspaper, Ron Reinking cites the pitfalls of local government attempting to commingle tax dollars with private dollars for economic development. The commingling of tax dollars with private dollars could becomes like the shell game pea. How do you determine where is which? The tax payers don't want to have to guess. Reinking provides an examples of a private investor's decision to do business in Muncie over Bowling Green.

Here is an early editorial by Reinking concerning the downtown parking garage renamed the Plaza Garage. Ron Reinking wrote this article about tax dollars used for public relation events for promoting government venturing into the private business using tax dollars. Reinking cites, the failed downtown parking garage that was created from the spectre of fear that was spread about the downtown area. The garage was built for protection for the government workers believing that the expense would be recouped from the use by citizens needing parking downtown? For what, they find that out as the garage lost money.

I called it hiding the baseball.

Running as a Woman for President in Selma Alabama

Senator Hillary Clinton is going to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in commemoration of the right to vote in Selma Alabama. The bridge that showed the world, the anonymity southern raced whites had toward African-Americans. John Lewis and others marching got a beat down, by Alabama state troopers. Lewis on the Early Morning Show stated, that on the highest point of the bridge, marchers found themselves facing a sea of blue, state troopers. Sheriff Jim Clark was instrumental in the movement to prevent African-American from registering to vote. Later, even the great Dr. Martin King, Jr. and fellow marchers were turned around and forbidden to cross the bridge. But King, Jr. eventually crossed the bridge, and Selma would be known as the landmark that changed America.

Senator Clinton attending such an emotional historical event sends a message to Senator Barack Obama that she ain't skeert. Yep, she is going to show Senator Obama she may not be black, but she is bringing along an authentic black man. Her husband, the one and only President Bill Clinton is gonna help her get the African-American vote. Now go tell that to your MaMa Obama! It's all about heart for the African-American vote. Or is it? No there is something else byeond loving Bill.

Perhaps after Senator Clinton crosses the bridge, Clinton may hear the echos of one of Dr. King, Jr. speeches, How Long, Not Long. It took hundreds of years for African-Americans to get the right to vote, with a constitution amendment in 1870. But many African-Americans were not allowed to vote until the passing of Voting Rights Act of 1965. When will an African-American male be qualified to sit in the President seat? How long, Not Long.

Tracing that family tree-Senator Barack Obama

Who would have of thunk it. Senator Barack Obama may have some "black" cousins born in the Midwest. Senator Obama even has a connection to Indiana. A few of Sen. Obama's family members migrated to Tipton,Indiana.

According to a Baltimore Sun exclusive, a worker, William Addams Reitwiesner, in the Library of Congress, who on the side does genealogy. And in his spare time he has drafted a family tree report on Sen.Obama, and some other famous folks. And the worker did all this part time. Any one spending anytime in Allen County Public Library Genealogy Department, researching microfilm must be going wow. Not because he found planters in Sen. Obama 's family, but all the Reitwiesner's finds on political figures and others that he researched only part time.


We want to see the paper trail..documents, documents. Anyways. Sen. Obama's family on his mama side may have been planters. Translation, A few of Obama's mama family were slave masters or owners of indentured servants who were African-Americans.

In a reference to his American ancestry, Senator Obama writes "while one of my great-great-grandfathers, Christopher Columbus Clark, had been a decorated Union soldier, his wife's mother was rumored to have been a second cousin of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy."

Clark was actually Obama's great-great-great-grandfather, according to Reitwiesner's research and census data available at ancestry.com. A 1930 census document lists Clark, 84, living in the same El Dorado City, Kan., household as a 12-year-old great-grandson, Stanley A. Dunham. Dunham was Obama's grandfather.

From wargs website:

Christopher Columbus Clark, b. ... , Mo., ... 1846, d. ... [living 1930]
m. Nelson Co., Ky., 6 Jan. 1870

Susan C ... Overall, b. Nelson Co., Ky., ... 1849, d. ... [by 1920]

Clark being a descendant of Maureen Duvall a major land owner

The research traces the Duvalls to Mareen Duvall, a major land owner in Anne Arundel County in the 1600s. The inventory of his estate in 1694 names 18 slaves, according to a family history published in 1952.

Who is Mareen Duvall ?

From Notable Descendants of Maureen Duvall website:

Mareen Duvall was born about 1625, in the Kingdom of France and settled on the south side of the South River in Anne Arundel County, Province of Maryland circa 1655. The first tract of land patented to him in 1659 by Lord Baltimore was called "Laval," the name of an ancient town, the capital of the present Department of Mayenne in France. He was a planter and merchant, and a public spirited citizen of the Province until his death in 1694. He resided at the time of his death at his estate, Middle Plantation, located on South River, and patented to him in 1664 by the Lord Proprietary. His public service consisted in part, with leadership in the Jacobite Party, and the Provincial Archives show his appointment to the Provincial Commission in 1683 by the Proprietary and Assembly, to lay out town sites and ports of entry for the encouragement of trade. He was the patentee of numerous tracts of land, and the purchaser of many others containing several thousand acres, as evidenced by the Public Land Records and his Will dated, and probated in August, 1694

And

Mareen Duvall(1652-1694)came to America from Nantes, France with William Burgess. He is one of the founders of the Colony that became the State of Maryland and a direct descendant of King William the Conqueror of England. If you are a direct descendant of Mareen Duvall, you may want to seek membership in the Society of Descendants of Mareen Duvall (See link on this page). A book, originally published in 1952 by Harry Wright Newman, entitled "Mareen Duvall of Middle Plantation: A Genealogical History", is available from the Society of which I am a LIFE Member (#956L). Other famous direct-line cousins to me by way of Mareen Duvall are President Harry S. Truman and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Hmm is it saying Vice President Dick Cheney, the Bushes side kick might be kin to Sen. Obama? Let's hear the rest of the story about Sen. Obama's mama's planter family members. Now see what Rev. Al Sharpton has started. Who next President George Bush, Jr.?

March Winds

Jennifer Hudson may have song the h double ll out of I am telling you I ain't going. But Hudson is a no contest to the March wind that is a blowing this wintry day. It is a shaking and rattling things around this old house. the chilly wind is saying Winter is right here to stay! I sure hope that cold wind did not blow that little red robin away, because I was hoping that see that little birdie was a sign of Spring soon on its way.

Women History

Whew, African-American history is over! Not really. I used the designated month to highlight small bits of history that often goes unnoticed. To ignore African-American contribute is ignoring the true making of America. I attempted to offer from my lens a different perspective in telling the story of America. Surprising, I did not get a lot of negative feedback, with the number of hits. **happy** So folks are reading about African-American history, so keep reading.

March 1, 2007 began Women History Month with little fanfare in the local blogosphere. But not much was posted in the local blogosphere about African-American history. coinky-dink?! Politics may be local but it sure ain't female driven. But guess what? Yep, I will writing about women during the month.

I will be posting from other women on issues impacting women and directing you to their sites. I will be feminizing the local blogosphere. If you are local and would like to present a post on women issue email me at dowdells@comcast.net to direct my reader to your site.

The Million Voters March Presidential Campaigning Tour on the Move

After a gathering or a crowd reported to be over 20,000 in Austin, Texas;

Obama website reports:

Just last week, record crowds bursting with energy also attended events in Los Angeles, Iowa, Kentucky and Ohio.

And online, people have been inspired to engage with this campaign in record numbers.

In the two weeks since this campaign kicked off:

- 3,306 grassroots volunteer groups have been founded and attracted tens of thousands of members who are organizing online and offline

- 4,416 personal fundraising pages have been established, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in small contributions

- 6,706 people have created their own blogs and begun chronicling why they are supporting Barack and their campaign experience

- 38,799 people have created profiles and started networking with other supporters in their community and across the country

This morning Obama will hit the airwaves on all three morning news-talk shows

Working Family and Property Taxes

The local officials will spread the property tax increase amongst the working families and retired seniors of lower valued homes. How will this take place? A home owned by a senior citizen, that is valued at $40,000 will see an increase in their property value. Although homes may not be selling in these neighborhood, the increase is needed to offset the homestead deduction for homeowners. The homestead deduction is a tax break provided by the State of Indiana to homeowners. The deduction can be as much as $45,000 depending of the value of the home. After the deduction, local officials calculates the property tax.

However to maximize the amount of property tax collected, local officials will artificially increase the home values by taking into account the homestead deduction. By artificially increasing the value of the home, it recaptures the deduction given to the homeowners from the State of Indiana. With this manipulating of the numbers, local official will tout that there was a increase in the homestead deduction bu tin fact reduced the deduction provided by the homestead deduction. So a home valued at $40,000 reduced by a homestead deduction to $20,000 taxable value will see their home value artificially raised above the $40,000 Why, you say? The answer from IDLFG: Read more click here.

Credit for High end Home Owners Imposed by the State of Indiana

Those homeowners should be happy with the circuit breaker rule. The reason why because the state know the greed of the local officials and will only allow two percent of the value of your expensive home. What does this mean? It means the local government will have to be conscious of the two percent cap. From the IDLGF website

The circuit breaker provides property owners with a credit for any amount of taxes over 2 percent. For example, the maximum amount of property taxes a homeowner would pay on a $100,000 house would be $2,000. In this example, the credit limits the tax liability for the property to the 2 percent cap of $2,000.

The impact the Circuit Breaker may have on local governments and taxpayers will not be fully known until the annual adjustments of assessed values are completed later this year. With the new assessed values, counties and the state will be better able to fully calculate the impact of the Circuit Breaker.

But warning, these same local official could increase your tax rate to met the two percent cap. Oh my cooking the book is such a fun game to play with the tax payers.

2006-2007 Assessment-Hiding the baseball

If you did not believe what I had to say about local officials screwing over you in the last reassessment read the comment from a former deputy budget director. I prepare income taxes, and it never fails to amaze me how many folks don't understand the distribution of their earnings on the W-2 form.

And these same folks will be robbed under the property tax reassessment because of the lack of understanding in the process. The words elected officials will likely throw around, will be it's too complicated. Translation in the meaning of the words are, we have willy-nilly increased your property values to put money into other accounts beyond what we are legally required to do. But none of your property taxes will be used to build a hotel, stadium or Harrison Square (wink wink).

And the real reason you are paying more in property tax is because of the half billion building improvement for the children of Fort Wayne Community School. Not true.

But it sounds good to be able blame someone else rather than blaming yourself for electing these folks into office. Damn those non learning children of Fort Wayne Community School, close the damn schools, will be some of your responses to increase in your property tax bill. (stomp stomp, off you go, sigh). Don't believe them, its because of Big Dick, Mayor Dick that is, and his projects. Read more here.

Positive Liberty

I requested writers and so far have not received any responses. However, Positive Liberty has a carnival of citizens by Jason Kuznicki blogging this morning on religion and state. Also posted here.

Credo writes on Barack Obama and Illinois’ segregationist history at Fort Wayne African-American Independent Woman. I’ve often seen the claim that there need to be more local-interest blogs, and that we could learn many interesting things from citizen-journalists with an eye to local events. This is just one example of what I hope will be a trend in that direction.

Mediashuttle presents a list of bloggers.

Investing in your political future

In this morning paper:

Steve Shine, local Republican chairman, said the Democrats may have won some township seats, but the Republican money was well-spent in locking up every countywide elected office.

Read more click here.

Circuit Breaker

If you are wondering why so much talk about Harrison Square and Fort Wayne Community Schools cost, it came in the mail for some homeowners. The property tax bill with increase. The assessor office has until March 12, 2007 to bill these notices of a reassessment. The last reassessment saw the willingness of dishonest assessment and the state government stepped in and imposed a circuit breaker rule. Read more click here.

Ida B. Wells-Barnett

Ida Barnett Wells was born during slavery and lived during the emancipating of enslaved African-American. Wells witnessed the birth of Jim Crow laws instituted to prevent African-Americans for what Abraham Lincoln stated about African-American, "free but not equal" under the separate but equal doctrine. As an educated woman she discovered that would not protect an African-American woman from being manhandled by raced white men. During Wells time period she experienced the silence on the intersectional position of being both an African-American and a woman. Click here to read more.

Al Sharpton

Once again I was going to write about Ida Wells. But. Who could not stop and chuckling when hearing that good old Dixiecrat,Strom Thurmond's ancestors may have or did enslave some of the ancestors of Al Sharpton. What does it mean, ask Black Professor website? Read more click here.

DePauw University of Indiana

DePauw University is making national news. A sorority on campus has brought attention to the University for allegedly kicking out young women based on personal characteristics. However, one students writes that the attention should not be on these women but on the University silence on such attention to reduce the memberships. The reason for the University silent is motivated for wanting a justification for taking property after these organization closes. As evidence to the intent of the University, the writer mention several other fraternities and sororities losing their property after they were closed.

The students are leaving that many Universities are a business and they invest their dollars in building rather than students. It does not just happen at the Pre k-12 level the donors money is used sometime to acquire land.....

Oprah

Oprah adopts a nation...a nation of young women.

Racialist Behavior by AWB

I decided to post the complete article from yesterday newspaper in it's entirety. I wouldn't wont folks to think I called anyone a racist.

Obstacles persist for local minority candidates
But color has less influence on vote as ballots see more diversity
By Benjamin Lanka
The Journal Gazette


Even as Sen. Barack Obama tries to blaze trails by becoming the nation’s first black president, minority candidates still face hurdles in winning elections at the local level.

Many political candidates, officials and experts said the issue of race is becoming less of a factor in local elections, but it will continue to hold influence for some time.

Andy Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics, said race undoubtedly affects local politics, as it does everywhere. The reason is simple, he said.

“There are still some racists out there,” he said.

In Fort Wayne government, one of 11 elected officials is a minority. In Allen County government, not including the court systems, one of 17 elected officials is not white. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Allen County is 80 percent white, while minorities make up about 26 percent of the Fort Wayne population.

Women in Fort Wayne and Allen County have held many elected positions. They currently hold the offices of city clerk, county auditor, county assessor, county prosecutor, one of the three county commissioners, two of the 10 Allen Superior and Circuit Court judges and three of the seven county council members.

This year’s Fort Wayne city elections include several minority candidates, and at least one will win. Councilman Glynn Hines, D-6th, will face Joe Smith, a Republican minister, to represent southeast Fort Wayne in the only race to pit two blacks from opposite parties. This is an area home to many minorities.

Denise Porter-Ross, Eddie Arrington, Melvin Billingsley and Tom Essex, all Democrats, are seeking to become the first minority – all are black – to win a citywide elected office as they run for one of three at-large city council seats. Essex is the former Wayne Township trustee.

Hines said he doesn’t believe running as a minority in Fort Wayne is a problem, pointing to the success of Rick Stevenson in last year’s race for the Wayne Township trustee. Stevenson, who is black, unseated two-term incumbent Matt Schomburg in a result that was a surprise to many Republicans.

Stevenson said his family has local roots dating back to 1915, giving him more recognition within minority circles and throughout Wayne Township.

“I could just about name every black individual in Fort Wayne,” he said.

Mike Cunegin, a Republican, served as president of the Allen County Council before losing a race for county commissioner and then leaving to take a job with the state.

Race did not play a factor in losing the Republican primary to current Commissioner Nelson Peters, Cunegin said. He said the main color in that race was green – Peters was able to outspend him.

Party choice

Both major political parties claim to be the party of choice for minorities. Kevin Knuth, chairman of the Allen County Democratic Party, announced during his state of the party speech this year that the party will form a black caucus, along with caucuses for other minority groups.

Knuth said starting the caucus is a way to drive interest in politics for minorities as well as develop minority candidates. This will not only help minority candidates, it also will help the party increase its appeal, he said.

“I think the party as a whole has taken the black vote for granted and that’s a mistake,” he said.

Hines said the caucus is an excellent idea, although he believes many black Democrats have been meeting informally for years. He said one of the best ways to get minority candidates is to first get minorities working on campaigns for people of all colors. That way they get involved with the political process.

He also didn’t believe the candidacy of Obama for president would help local candidates, but said it will work in reverse. If local minorities participate in elections and win, he said, that will energize the entire minority community to get out and support national candidates.

Steve Shine, Allen County Republican chairman, said the local party has been able to reverse the national perception that minorities flock to the Democratic Party.

“Our record with members of the multicultural community is stellar,” he said.

Shine pointed out that Herb Hernandez was the first Hispanic – and minority – elected to countywide office. Shine also cited Cunegin’s accomplishments.

Two blacks, Ivan Hood and Wilbert “Duke” Brown, are running for mayor of Fort Wayne as Republicans. While Hood and Brown aren’t seen by many as candidates with legitimate chances of winning, Shine said they are given every opportunity within the party to succeed.

“They have to run their own campaigns,” he said.

Winning big

Minority candidates in Fort Wayne and Allen County have had success winning races confined to small areas of the community. For example, the 6th District City Council seat has historically been held by a minority.

In fact, some seats favor minority candidates. Shine said his party tried to attract a minority to replace Cunegin on the ticket for the 1st County Council district, which represents southeast Allen County. A Republican caucus nominated James Ball, a white business owner from New Haven. Ball then lost to Maye Johnson, a black Democrat, in the fall election.

Winning across a broader population has been more difficult for minorities. In fact, officials could point only to Hernandez as a minority who won a countywide race. He was elected to an at-large County Council seat in 2000. Hernandez, however, only made it to the fall ballot through an appointment by Shine after the death of Jack McComb.

Hernandez did not seek re-election to his seat in 2004, instead running a fairly low-key race for commissioner against Cunegin and Peters. He finished third.

Council candidate Essex handily lost a race for Fort Wayne mayor in 1995 against incumbent Paul Helmke.

Downs, a self-proclaimed optimist, said he believes minorities can win elections, but that it will take specific qualities for them to win city or countywide. For example, a minority candidate would have to have some initial name recognition to start. Candidates would also need the ability to raise significant money, Downs said, and they would likely have to hope their opponent does not run a perfect campaign.

Cunegin said one of the reasons he lost his election for commissioner was because his campaign did not adequately target absentee voters.

Knuth said a concerted effort to bring out Democratic voters last year helped spur both Stevenson and Johnson to victory. He said a similar effort on a larger scale could propel a minority to win a citywide seat.

Shine said he would hope race doesn’t play a factor in elections anymore.

“I hope they would judge someone on their merits rather than on the color of their skin,” he said.

Burdened with victory

While campaigning last year, Stevenson said he heard references to shortcomings of previous black trustees in Wayne Township. While it was not expressly stated, he said the message was clear that their past mistakes should be lumped on Stevenson because he is also black.

Most people would consider it ludicrous to associate a white politician’s failings with another white politician, just because of their race, Downs said. Still, he said, some people use this line of thinking with minority candidates.

“This is something that we have seen for decades,” he said. “It took the right African American to break into baseball, and he knew that.”

That is one of the reasons Hines said he strives to achieve the highest level of performance in government.

“You gotta be able to show them by example that you can do it,” he said.

This not only quiets critics, he said but also inspires younger minorities to seek these positions.

Stevenson said he believes sometimes that he is carrying much of the black community on his shoulders. That is why he makes sure to do everything he can to be a great example, he said.

“I don’t want to let those people down,” he said, “who have now developed hope.”

blanka@jg.net


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elected minorities

Black

Statewide

In 2001, there were 86 black elected officials in Indiana state, county or local government, out of 11,636 total elected officials.

Nationwide

In 2001, there were 9,101 black elected officials across the country. In 1970, there were 1,469.

Hispanic

Statewide

In 2001, there were 10 Hispanic elected officials in Indiana state, county or local government; that number increased to 13 in 2005.

Nationwide

In 2005, there were 4,853 Hispanic elected officials across the country. In 1984, there were 3,063.

Source: Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Both datasets can be accessed through the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Press-During World War II

I wanted to write about Ida Wells today, but found this instead, its about the Negro Bulletin. The article The black press: setting the political agenda during World War II - African Americans and World War II is written by Charles G. Spellman with additional information on the black press. I will read it later. To Read more Click here

CREDO FOR THE NEGRO PRESS

I Shall Be A Crusader...

I Shall Be An Advocate...

I Shall Be A Herald...

I Shall Be A Mirror And A Record...

I Shall Have Integrity...

I Shall be a crusader and an advocate, a mirror and a record, a herald and a spotlight, and I Shall not falter.

So help me God.

The Credo, wrtten by Journal and Guide editor P. Bernard Young, Jr. represents a declaration to provide truth, honesty, and service to the black community. When the Credo was written, the black press was the sole "Voice of the Negro." As a crusader, the black press fought vigorously for Negro rights. As an advocate, the black press fought vigorously to ban "Jim Crow" laws which legally sanctioned segregation. As a herald, the black press was the bearer of both good and bad news, always heralding those causes that others would suppress out of bias or perceived lack of interest.

The black press gained its respectful reputation for being the "Voice of the Negro" in the early days of segregation and unconscionable discrimination. African Americans were often negatively depicted in the white media. The negative images were reflective of the perceptions held by many whites, resulting in the development of the advocacy movement by the black press.

In the early years of the black presence in America, access to the white press was denied to the "Negro." As a result, African Americans founded their own newspapers. In 1827, Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm established the first black newpaper, Freedom's Journal writing in an editorial:

"We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us. Too long has the public been deceived by misrepresentations in the things which concern us dearly."

Although Cornish and Russwurm were primarily concerned with negative aspects of the colonization of free African Americans and the gradualism of emancipation as advocated by the white press, they addressed many issues of concern to their readership. From this auspicious beginning, the black press became the primary voice for information and journalistic expression in the black community. That role remained a key one up to and during World War II.

When the war began, the news and information needs of the black community increased. The absence of news about African Americans in the segregated white media inspired additional coverage by the black press. As the only means of constant mass communication information particularly relevant to the African American, the black press assumed the awesome responsibility of relating the activities of the war to its readership. As reporting increased, so did newspaper circulation. Since the primary news of interest to African Americans appeared in the black press, it reached its peak circulation during the war years. The Pittsburgh Courier had a circulation of 350,000; the Chicago Defender, 230,000; the Baltimore Afro-American, 170,000 and the Norfolk Journal and Guide, 100,000.

The black press enhanced the political awareness of its readership during World War II while mobilizing black public opinion. As America went to war to fight against Nazism and Fascism abroad, the black press formulated a political agenda at home. Theoretically, "the [black] press did not tell its readership what to think; it told its readership what to think about."

The black press reported vital information that increased awareness about war activities and black participation in the armed services. As significant political information about the state of black affairs in the Armed Services was gathered and reported in the black press, black opinion leaders emerged. Ministers, politicians and community leaders were responsible conduits for spreading the word about the war. Consequently, government, political, social, and wartime issues were covered with great care. Important issues concerning the acceptance of African Americans in the armed forces, the types of jobs African Americans would have in the armed forces, the treatment of African Americans in the Armed forces, and whether or not African Americans would be allowed the "right to fight" for their country were among the most important issues covered.

What emerges from the analysis of news coverage is a composite picture of a black press that generally supported the involvement and participation of African Americans in the war effort. For example, the Afro-American Newspaper, based in Baltimore, Maryland, led the way. In an editorial entitled 'We Are For War," September 16, 1939, the editors provided the following reasons for supporting the war:

1. The War would stimulate black migration to the Northern industrial states, a benefit to the race,

2. The War would mean eventual freedom for African Americans, and

3. African Americans were against Hitler because of his race hatred of Jews.

In a strategic move, the press began to look carefully at the Nazi situation, comparing Nazism to racism. It was concluded that there was little difference between the two. Although Hitler had not been guilty of oppressing African Americans, his hatred of Jews sent a clear message that Nazism and racism were based upon similar principles. One black newspaper, The Pittsburgh Courier provided a detailed analysis of Nazism and racism by comparing Germany and Georgia. It suggested that the only difference between the two was that Germany was planning to do what the South had already done. This vivid comparison caught the attention of the black press readership, mainly because "Negroes" had been so negatively affected by racism.

As the black press continued to address issues of concern to the black community, its role and function began to crystalize. It becomes clear, through editorial analysis, that the black press was a "team player." While some editorials justly questioned the segregationist and discriminatory policies of the military, a sampling of messages disseminated through the black press about the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor reveals substantial support by the black press for the nation's war effort.

For example, the December 11, 1941 edition of the Savannah Tribune declared "The Black Tenth is ready," referring to the 10% black population, but wondered whether the country would let African Americans fight. The December 13, 1941 edition of The Afro-American headlined 'Mr. President, Count on Us;' "Strongly proclaims an allegiance to America" appeared as a headline in the December 18, 1941 edition of the Chicago Bee. One of the strongest statements appeared in the California Eagle. The editorial vowed that the newspaper would "Continue to fight against segregation and discrimination but indicated that it would also emphasize citizenship duties since quasi-democracy in America was superior to Fascism and therefore Nazism." As the war progressed, so did the vigilant news gathering and reporting efforts of the black press. Issue oriented messages were regularly sent to a large, disenchanted black audience anxious for information about their friends, relatives and loved ones.

A primary concern to the audience of the black press was the unequal treatment of African Americans in the military. Although abhorrent social conditions related to inequality at home garnered much of the national news, the black press was also instrumental in seeking military justice for soldiers. As wartime casualties increased, so did the numbers of black men and women soldiers. As the number of soldiers increased so did the number of complaints about social injustices. Many were stationed in southern towns where race relations were at best poor. Many of the young men and women were from the North and had not experienced the "Jim Crow" laws they were subjected to upon their arrival. Soon, the black newspapers published stories detailing the complaints of soldiers. Selected opinion leaders were motivated to action after reading the complaints, focusing on the segregationist policies of the military and seeking social justice for the troops. Titles of selected articles appearing in the black press clearly document some of the concerns and issues:

"The Army's policy of racial segregation," Chicago Defender, April 18, 1942

"Military justice," Pittsburgh Courier, December 11, 1943

"Will They try to Discredit Our G.I.s?" New York Amsterdam News, December 2, 1944

"Wacs who staged a strike to protest discriminatory treatment and hostility directed at them," The Afro-American, March 31, 1945; Pittsburgh Courier, March 24, 1945.

Rather than suppress these politically oriented issues about the conditions affecting the lives of black soldiers at home and abroad, the black press chose to aggressively pursue and report all the news, whether good or bad.

On the home front, one of the most significant issues was "the fight for the right to fight." This struggle evolved because of the armed services practice that clearly restricted the use of Negroes in combat missions. Justifications for the practice were the Negroes perceived inability to fight, the impression that Negroes were afraid to fight based on their performance in World War I, and the fear that Negroes could not be trusted with weapons. As a result, the armed services developed a practice to only employ African Americans in menial service jobs behind the lines. The practice relegated black soldiers to a degraded status and further perpetuated their status as second class citizens.

The "right to fight" campaign was supremely important to the cause of equality. To be successful, the fight for the "right to fight" campaign needed wide coverage. The editors of blakc newspapers concluded that a positive record of combat service would significantly further the cause of the African American's civil rights. The editors also wisely concluded that "full equality" could not be achieved for African Americans without a combat record that showed black contributions to the war effort. With this goal, the editors of the black press began to write stories reflecting the right to fight campaign strategy.

To further emphasize the necessity for the success of the "right to fight," the November 27, 1943 edition of the Journal and Guide highlighted the importance of black soldiers being allowed to fight in combat units. "If Negroes didn't fight on the front lines and stayed behind the lines, it could be reasoned that they were not fully entitled to their full share of the fruits of society."
The idea of African Americans actually fighting in combat situations was not received well nor fully accepted. However, the task of the black press was to convince its readership that full participation in the war effort, including combat, would eventually pave the road to freedom, justice and equality. The black press also had to show its readership that World War II was not just a "white man's war." Without black participation in the war effort, losing the war abroad could mean absolute defeat at home. What emerged from this strategic thinking was a struggle for victory on two fronts: victory at home and victory overseas. The double "V" victory struggle became a cause celebrated by the black press. The official campaign was named "The Double V Campaign." For readers of the black press this campaign slogan meant there could be no victory at home without a victory against the Axis powers abroad.

None of the accomplishments of the black press would have been possible without the help of black correspondents who were information gatheres and writers. Most messages and articles were processed through a government censor to make certain vital classified information was not revealed. Even so, the right and need to know about the war effort was significantly enhanced by the presence of black war correspondents. The Pittsburgh Courier, The Afro-American, Chicago Defender, and the Norfolk Journal and Guide had foreign correspondents. The National Negro Publishers Association and the Associated Negro Press filed sotries with several newspapers during the war.
Vincent Tubbs of the Baltimore Afro-American, one of the most notable foreign correspondents, was the first black journalist in the Pacific, arriving in March 1943. He filed numerous stories about conditions affecting the black troops. He later became a movie publicist in Hollywood.

The black press during World War II was the single most important information source for African Americans. The black press set the political agenda for African Americans and was a crusader for human and civil rights. When soldiers were treated badly, the black press investigated and printed the facts.

The primary function of the black press during World War II was to impart vital military, political, social and cultural information to its readership and to ultimately have a significant impact on military and political awareness and participation.

Key objectives were to impact the opinion formation process of the black reader and to move its readership to active participation in the affairs of state and country. The desired result was full citizenship rights. Based on a theory of social responsibility and the Credo for the Black Press, one can only conclude that the black public was well served by the black press during World War II.

Jennifer Hudson -Dream Girl and Forest Whitaker -The Last King of Scotland

Jennifer Hudson leaves the stage of American Idol for wannabee stars. Hudson wins a place in Dreamgirl.Hudson win an Oscar for best supporting actress in Dreamgirl almost two years later. Forest Whitaker took home an Oscar for best actor in The Last King of Scotland.

Former Fort Wayne Urban League Leader-Gayle Greer

Christopher Vaugh's article which appeared in Black Enterprise

Gayle Greer, the highest-ranking black woman at a cable company, is a quintessential mentor. She is both office and group vice president, national division, of the second-largest cable system in the country, Denver-based American Telecommunication Corp. (ATC). Greer oversees operations at ATC's 25 cable operators in the Midwest. Her department of more than 350 employees brings in $95 million in revenues annually. The executive has been at ATC for almost 14 years, and says the senior vice president who hired her, proved that mentioning can be valuable for a young executive's career.

"I had a master's degree in social work and was working as executive director of Fort Wayne, Indiana's Urban League, trying to get minorities invilved in cable franchising, when ATC approached me about a job. I knew virtually nothing about the cable industry," she recalls. "The timing was excellent, though. [Cable] was an emerging young industry and lots of folks were being hired at that time. Luckily, David Kinley, the guy who hired me, took an interest in may career and guided me by identifying various political and business relationships that proved key to my develepment."

Even with her degree and Urban League credentials, Greer started at a low-level job, recruiting cable franchises in different cities so that ATC could build its cable operating system. While there were no minority officers at ATC, she realized that the bottom-level training she was getting would teach her how the cable business really operates, and would help her to grow right along with it. There were five other blacks hired with her, and she is the only one of that group left at ATC. "I had the experience of what it's like to work in a 'man's world' while I was working in Indiana. In fact, the first time I became aware of sexism was from my black brothers at the Urban League," she says. "When I got into cable, it was rougher and more intimidating, but it wasn't something totally new. I advise everyone I talk to--especially black women--to make sure you understand what you want from this business and to have a lot of inner strength, or it will chew you up. When I was in franchising, I went into offices and was asked to leave the room because the guy I was scheduled to meet with refused to deal with a black woman."
Harsh realities such as these make Greer determined to help others climb the ladder to cable's corporate boardrooms. "I just brought in two black women to handle marketing and customer service in the Indiana area, and one of them is definitely on her way," Greer says. "There are definitely management opportunities in this business for minorities. Sometimes it helps, rather than hinders, to be black and a woman. It certainly helped me coming in."

After 11 years in purchasing and advertising personnel at Procter & Gamble and four years as an account supervisor at the New York-based Ogilby & Mather advertising agency, LaVida Dowdell-Cammon moved to the cable industry. She began in 1989 as director of trade marketing for Showtime Networks Inc., where she handled advertising programs, advertising support and sales support for the network's affiliates. Today, as Showtime's vice president of advertising and field marketing, she develops consumer and trade advertising and oversees five employees and a seven-figure budget.

As the only black woman at the executive level in the company, Dowdell- Cammon acknowledges that at times she feels "extremely visible." But she says her confidence in her own ability helps her deal with the uncomfortable realities of advancement that may be harder for some to ignore.

"I've felt confindent all along that I could do a good job, and that goes a long way in allowing you to ignore whatever glass ceiling is said to exist. I can understand, though, how a black man's radar goes up quicker than mine when the' glass ceiling' or 'advancement' discussion begins," says the 39-year old Dowdell-Cammon. "I always thish of how something could be done better, and never think that anyone wouldn't want me to have the job or the assignment. I've alwas thought I was qualified for whatever assignment I was up for."

Political Pandering of the African-American voters

Ben Lanka hedges in his article about race not mattering on the ballot. Lanka wrote several other articles about the potential candidates running for Mayor which conspicuously left out the names of Ivan Hood and Wilbert Brown, both African-American males running for the position as Republicans. Lanka in his most recent article uses a quote from Andy Downs,

Andy Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics, said race undoubtedly affects local politics, as it does everywhere. The reason is simple, he said.

“There are still some racists out there,” he said.

Downs uses this statement with the word "racists" to show his solidarity in the uplifting of the African-Americans in spite of his privileges received by being a spoke person for the African-Americans community. When in fact we all live in a racist society. But people exhibiting a deep seeded belief in maintaining this system practice racialist behaviors which is against the law. This behavior is built into organizational structures, developed as a culture of permissible practices of discrimination and segregation.

Andy Downs, board member for the Allen County Election Board is incorrect in labeling voters who do vote for African-Americans as racists. Both the Republican and Democratic Parties encourage racialist behaviors by it leaders and followers.

Lanka used another quote by Micheal Cunegin, who is a republican to suggest that race does not matter yet, Cunegin often appealed to the African-American community voters who normally voted on the Democrat ticket,

Mike Cunegin, a Republican, served as president of the Allen County Council before losing a race for county commissioner and then leaving to take a job with the state.

Race did not play a factor in losing the Republican primary to current Commissioner Nelson Peters, Cunegin said. He said the main color in that race was green – Peters was able to outspend him.

. Cunegin suggest it was green that determined the outcome, which takes the issue away from the fact that over 90% of African-American lives in the city of Fort Wayne and not one of the County Commissioners are African-Americans.

African-Americans have the right to run for office based on the Constitution, on representation, not green. Party leaders suggest that they have to select which African-American candidates represents a certain model for running as an African-American for their respective party. The political parties are made up of many people but the African-American voter is told he or she must earn the support from the party. In other words, the African-Americans must seek permission to run by raced whites who think they are running things, you see!

When in fact, the party leaders are saying go to the back of the line, and if we need the African-American vote to get our preferred candidate, like Tim Pape,we will allow you, African-American to appear on the ticket. I say appear on the ticket because the party will not fund the candidate to run a viable race. And at the end, the party will say the African-American candidate did not have enough money. Money that could have come from the party. You know from those little fundraisers

The local Democrats have been found out to be a party that is a mini-Republican, not accepted by the Republicans and unwilling to go to the back of the line. These Dixiecrats, I mean local Democrats use the African-American voters to get their candidates into office. The local Democrats are not trying to be the inclusive party for the African-American. Take one look at the webpage, and you will see the only type of inclusiveness that the Democrat is building has to do with raced white women, and says nothing about welcoming African-Americans in that picture. The Party keeps its money but needs the African-American vote, yep need the African-Americans votes found throughout the city. How do you explain just one African-American on the city council seat and one on the county seat where over 90% of African-Americans live...Ben, race does matter, go ask Obama.

Focus 15-Free advertisement

Focus 15 unable to provide a balance brings only the selling component of the Harrison Square team. This is not objective reporting does it think its viewers are that uninformed. Or did it fail to read the informal survey that readers opposed the Harrison Square project.

mark the reporter wanted to know why eminent domain was not used? But did not know how to ask the question. The answer is that the buying of property would be more open to the public instead of sneaky deals to take advantage of the property owners.

Steve Brody tries to spin the deal as being not a park but to create a job and revitalize downtown. Brody also says the hotel is doing well downtown but says nothing about that great glass edifice called the Grand Wayne.

Spin and sell, spin and sell

Okay, mark does another take on those who are not strongly support this take over of property. Mark Kelty, a Mayoral Candidates get air time. But beside him is a Kim Bowman, a business professor is pushing the issue as something other than a baseball park. Bowman suggest that a multi use and private investment and the Harrison Square needs to bring in more private dollars.

Hey it's the stealing of land and money from the citizens, people.

The State of Virginia Apologies for Slavery

In 1619, the first enslaved African-American touched the shores of Virginia. Today, Virginian wakes up to learn that the Virginia General Assembly apologized for its role in the institution of slavery,

Larry O'Dell of the Association Press writes.

The resolution says government-sanctioned slavery "ranks as the most horrendous of all depredations of human rights and violations of our founding ideals in our nation's history, and the abolition of slavery was followed by systematic discrimination, enforced segregation, and other insidious institutions and practices toward Americans of African descent that were rooted in racism, racial bias, and racial misunderstanding. In Virginia, black voter turnout was suppressed with a poll tax and literacy tests before those practices were struck down by federal courts, and state leaders responded to federally ordered school desegregation with a "Massive Resistance" movement in the 1950s and early '60s. Some communities created exclusive whites-only schools.

Virginia is preparing it's state for the 400 year anniversary of Jamestown. Virginia legislators understanding just simply saying African-Americans should just get over slavery is not the appropriate response to a people in which their country committed one of the greatest crime against humanity.


Indiana is still rewriting history as African-American wait for its apology.

African-American Newpapers

Long before Fredrick Douglass started his newspaper the North Star,there were African-American newspapers. Many were short lived. Some Africcan-American newspapers shelf live was limited by finances, death and some were seized and destroyed.

James Williams writes about the "Freedom Journal". The "Freedom Journal" editor was John Russwurm, America's first African-American college graduate. Russwurm words, " We wish to plead our own causes.. Too long have others spoken for us. Too Long has the public been deceived by misrepresentations in things which concern us dearly, through in the estimation of some mere trifles; for though there are many in society who exercise toward us benevolent feelings; still (with sorrow we confess it) there are others who make it their business to enlarge upon the least trifle, which tens to the discredit of any person of colour; and pronounce anathemas and denounce our whole body for the misconduct of the guilty one,", quoted by Williams. Read more click here.

Overappraisal is not legal and some double closings

.Dan Stockman writes an interesting article on flipping. Flipping is when you buy for example the Pizza Hut owner's home for $3 million dollars but it is worth $40 million dollars. We would wonder why the Pizza Hut man would sell his house valued at $40 million, but we would agree that the buyer definitely got a good deal.

Matter of fact, we would not be too surprised if the buyer turned around and resold the house after discovering that the house is worth $40 million for $20 million or even the $40 millions and we would agree that the buyer made some money in this deal..flipping.

But the one that gives us a moment pause is when a house worth only $2,000 is brought for $10,000 but appraised for $40,000. This is not the same as the Pizza Man house because the Pizza Man has a huge amount of wealth in it when the second house has no wealth to begin with. So in the second example, the first buyer is willing to pay the $10,000 for the worthless property. Why because the buyer knows that the appraised price is not $2,000 but $40,000.

This $2,000 home was divided up for a profit of $38,000 by two individuals. The last buyer without knowldege has a home lacking in truth in lending that is only worth $2,000. This information was not shared with the last buyer, by the seller or lender that the house was overvalued..illegal fiipping. The loan was for more than the value of the property and the lender should have made sure several different appraisal confirmed that the house was really $40,000 or they were as responsible as the seller in deceptive lending. Call it by what ever name, flipping, it was fraud if the property was overvalued or over assessed and the information was never shared with the buyer.

Illegal flipping of over assessed home with information not shared with buyers is what has happened to many families in Fort Wayne, supported by our elected officials..go read the books.

.


Where is Attorney General Stephens Carter on this? Why is Attorney General Carter not investigating and charging elected official with fraud? Home owners or business owners are embarrassed that they were robbed by people they trusted to give them a fair deal. This just made these crooks fat cats and smug in going for bigger deals.

Can we say Southtown mall. The Mayor Graham Richard used eminent domain to steal the property of Whichard to sell to another buyer. That buyer is holding the land to sell at a high price. What did Whichard get about $4.5 million dollars for property that would be appraised at a higher value without any improvement? Now ask yourself the question? Is this not flipping? You bet it is, but the city official calls it saving the tax payers dollars when it sold the property under the market value.

The city not only overtaxed the citizen, (but likes to say them are saving the taxpayer dollars )in the over assessing of property during the 2002 property reassessment but it also entered the real estate business to take advantage of the over assessment. Millions of dollars stolen from the taxpayer, explains why we see an outgoing smiling Mayor Dick.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Susan Brooks’ office was handling so many mortgage fraud cases in the Indianapolis area that she set up a task force, bringing together federal prosecutors, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Service Inspector’s Office and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General.

Some folks need to contact those folks in the morning!

In Cleveland, a grand jury has indicted 59 defendants on 269 charges of racketeering, forgery and theft in a $3 million mortgage scheme involving 38 properties. The ringleaders in that case are accused of using false information to get mortgages.

Don't forget to check out the mortgage fraud blog. And a little disclaimer this is in no way legal advice.

Redistricting- Where to vote?

I check the IMAP for voting location for Ronald Buskirk and posted that information. A comment on the blog suggest that Ron Buskirk filed in the right district based on the City's July 2006 redistricting map. Conclusion, Buskirk will be challenging Tim Pape, if this is true.

From the city's website:

The six re-confingured council districts were given final passage by City Council in July 2006. Approximately 40 neighborhood associations will be changing from one council district to another. If you are a registered voter in one of these areas of change you will be recieving new precinct information from the Allen County Election Board before the May 2007 primary.

The First Admendment-Expressing an Oppositional Point of View

Fredrick Douglass is well known for being an abolitionist. Douglass escaped slavery and was outspoken about the institution of slavery. Douglass wrote a book called The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, An American Slave. Douglass started the most prominent newspaper for African-American, to voice his opposition to the institution of slavery. Douglas published an African-American newspaper in 1847 in Rochester New York, called the North Star. The credo expressed by the newspaper: " The object of the North Star will be to attack slavery in all its forms and aspects advocate universal emancipation exact the standard of the colored people; and to hasten the day of freedom to our three million enslaved fellow countryman." according to the Black Press and The First Amendment by James D. Williams. Read more click here.

Mitch Harper files in the right district beats out Ronald Buskirk who filed in the wrong district

Photo used with owner's permission

Mitchell Harper escaped a challenge by Ronald Buskirk. Mitch Harper will be the lone republican seeking the republican nomination for city council 4th district. It appears that all the shining comments from the party chair about the Buskirk's name won't help Ronald Buskirk in the fifth district. Buskirk does not live in the fifth according to the voting registration records but the fourth district. Buskirk would have had to run in the fourth district city council race. This may lead to a challenge that must come from the voters.

Harper reports Buskirk filing and even Buskirk bio. but not the fact that Buskirk papers were for the wrong district. That Mitch Harper over at FWOB can be a sly one if you don't watch him very closely. H/t to Indianapundit.

Address

3210 WASHINGTON RD N


City
FORT WAYNE
US Congressional District
3
State Senate District
16
State Representative District
80
County Commissioner District
3
County Council District
4
Township
WAYNE
School Board District
FW 5
School Board East Allen Electoral District

School Board East Allen Residential District

City Council District
FW 4
Voting Precinct
412
Voting Location
VFW POST 857(VETERAN OF FOREIGN WARS)
Voting Location Address
2202 W MAIN ST
Voting Location City
FORT WAYNE

Several potential candidates were surprised by who they wanted to challenge was not their representative. Some potential discovering they were not in the district they thought they were in either withdrew their names or decided to run for an at large candidate seat.

If the potential candidates are confused about their district can you imagine the number of voters who do not know who their representative is. Matter of fact, some of the current representatives are unaware of their boundary. So much for an informed electorates under the redistricting administrated by their council representatives.

City owned baseball park-Harrison Square Park

The downtown fortwayne baseball website has an interesting interview with Jason Freier, an attorney and one of the owners of the Wizard.

What I found interesting was this statement,

City-owned ballpark and related development, share some revenue streams with the City and assume some of the operating costs in the City-owned facility.

So does that mean the Wizard will play their games there and that the park will be used for other activities sponsored by other groups including the city? I assume such activities such as the three river festival, German fest, etc. So, I would take that to mean that the park will be leased to Hardball Capital for Wizard Games in exchange for their dollars toward the downtown development.

Harrison Square is a mixed-use commercial development in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that is currently a concept. It will feature a ballpark that will be primarily used for baseball, and will be the home field of the Fort Wayne Wizards minor league baseball team. It will possibly open downtown in 2009 at the corner of Harrison and Jefferson, and will hold 8,000 people. A recent poll of Fort Wayne residents suggests that they do not back the ballpark component of the project

from the online encyclopedia.


The other option for Hardball would be to invest in their investment, the Wizard, by renovating Memorial Stadium, the Wizard current playing location. The interview suggest the city did not support the team or its fan with the ill maintained Memorial Stadium as much as they are ranting and raving about in hope of bringing these fans downtown to support a retail component. Matter of fact the interview cite areas which did improvement in support of their teams.

If Harrison Square, for whatever reason, does not come to fruition, our focus would turn to finding our second best option to fulfill the aforementioned commitments. That, most likely, would be to work with Randy Brown and the Coliseum Authority to renovate and improve Memorial Stadium. Memorial Stadium is a facility, frankly, that was built with a minimum of amenities to begin with and that has not kept up with the times and is showing its age. The fact that Memorial Stadium remains a great place to take a family for a game is a testament to the incredible job done by the Wizards local management and dedicated employees, led by our General Manger Mike Nutter, and to the great job that Randy Brown and his staff do managing the facility.

For us to provide the sort of gameday experience our fans deserve, a very significant investment would have to be made to bring Memorial Stadium up to date. Less was invested in Memorial Stadium when it was built than virtually any other facility we are aware of that was built during the same time frame and no significant improvements to the facility itself have been made in the intervening 15 years. As a matter of comparison, the ballpark in Lansing opened just three years after our stadium but more than twice as much money was invested in that facility. Also, the ballpark in Lansing is undergoing a multimillion dollar improvement this off-season and a commitment has been made to put millions more in over the next ten years.

One needn’t look as far as Lansing to understand how out of date Memorial Stadium is, however, you just need to walk across the parking lot and take a look at the Coliseum--compare a suite in the Coliseum to those at Memorial Stadium. If Harrison Square cannot be brought to fruition, our goal would be to make Memorial Stadium a facility, like the Coliseum, that our fans can enjoy and that the community can be proud of. We just think that the resources necessary to do so are better spent
downtown, where such a facility can have so much more of an impact on the community as a whole.

Mr. Jason Freier is exactly right, city official do not believe in supporting what the city has already. So what the city is now doing is trying to save their risky investment of tax payers dollars in the Grand Wayne Center and the Library, by trying to get the baseball games downtown. And to entice the hardball capital company to go along for this ride, the city is giving Hardball everything but the kitchen sink. Why, so the city can use the money Hardball would have used to renovate the Memorial Stadium for the Wizard fans. Instead the city wants Hardball to plop it down in another long shot using tax payers dollars.

The fact that city officials do not want to invest in our schools is another example of how the city neglect its buildings, until they are required based on federal law. Another scheme was the building of the Safety Buildings with tax dollars that could have been used on other projects in the city. You know the one I am talking, the stolen land called Southtown Centre that cost over $40 million dollars. But the city creates these scheme to try to gauge and line the pockets of their friends. But Mr. Freier you would recognize such unethical dealings, being that you are a successful wealthy businessman dealing with a city in need of some serious funds.

Great interview.

Harrison Square Supporters-Mayor or City Council Members?

The News Sentinel prints this letter to the editor from John Shoaff a city council member in response to a letter to the editor from Fred Rost on council members commitment to the Harrison Square project.

In his otherwise-thoughtful Feb. 15 guest column, Fred Rost errs in linking the City Council to the mayor’s position and actions on the Harrison Square project. Contrary to his assertions, the council is not “leading” or “moving forward” at this time on that project. The administration has brought neither this project nor any part of it to the council. We have not discussed it as a body, either at the council table or behind closed doors (where assembly of enough of us to form a consensus would be illegal).

If Rost were to approach us individually, he would find we are all asking questions. I think he would be impressed by the diversity of our opinions and concerns. Two council members, Tom Smith and Don Schmidt, are calling a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. March 8 at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 4700 Vance Ave., to solicit further public input. For all of us, the complexity and high cost of public funding, with its high opportunity cost, mandates that we evaluate the project with the greatest of care before approving or rejecting it.

I would also like to respond briefly to a point made Feb. 16 in a guest column by David Haist. Haist stated correctly that a volunteer task force had recommended a complex of the type represented by Harrison Square. However, it was one of numerous recommendations, and it was not made a priority. It is important to clarify that the task force was disbanded before it would have had the opportunity to evaluate and approve the suitability and prioritization of the Harrison Square plan itself.

I would also ask Haist and other supporters of the project to bear in mind that many who question or even oppose Harrison Square remain nonetheless as deeply committed to downtown revitalization as he is. The overarching question for all of us should be whether Harrison Square isthe best way to get us there.

John H. Shoaff, at-large Fort Wayne City Council

Feb. 15, 2007

I have to agree with mayoral candidate Matt Kelty’s Feb. 1 letter on the proposed Harrison Square project. I believe his position of supporting downtown redevelopment, but questioning whether the proposed stadium is the best way to do it is a practical and measured position. The questions he believes needs to be answered are indeed right on; particularly, Who benefits?

There will be proponents of the project who will undoubtedly criticize Kelty’s call for a business case, transparency, accountability and public discourse on the $125 million proposal as being anti-progress and critical of so-called leadership. As an Army combat veteran of two conflicts and a business executive, it is my experience that there is a difference between leading on an issue and demonstrating leadership.

As a new Army lieutenant coming out of graduate school, I was an Army leader, but I demonstrated leadership after I gained the confidence and trust of my platoon through good judgment, competence and genuine concern for their well being, to where they would follow me anywhere and do anything, enthusiastically and without question. The mayor and the City Council may be leading on this issue, but they have not demonstrated leadership, evidenced by the people overwhelmingly questioning their judgment on promoting the stadium. I believe we deserve more facts and less marketing.

Although Kelty was called a “skeptic” by a recent editorial in The News-Sentinel, I believe his skepticism is well-founded, particularly when one looks at the speed and ferocity with which the mayor’s administration and City Council is moving to get a vote and break ground on Harrison Square. What’s the hurry? I think all would do well to ask who benefits from this project and follow the money.

Early on in his first term, Mayor Graham Richard moved away from having any one law firm represent the city and has successfully spread it around to many Fort Wayne law firms. So who are the local law firms aligned with this proposed project that will benefit from it moving forward? Further, are any City Council members or their respective firms positioned to directly and materially benefit from a Harrison Square transaction? If so, shouldn’t they recuse themselves from voting on the issue to avoid a conflict of interest?

Southtown Centre is heralded as a model success. I would agree the Menards and Wal-Mart have been good additions to the area, but approximately $30 million for a hardware store, a general merchandise store and public-safety academy (a solution in search of a problem)? Too much! As a project, Southtown was over budget and not on schedule, at least as originally briefed to the City Council (and I wouldn’t be so fast to blame it all on litigation). And again, who benefited? Sole-source contracts with much of the work coincidentally going to some of the mayor’s largest campaign contributors. C’mon, we can do better than that.

Kelty is right. If the stadium idea is such a good business opportunity, why aren’t businesses flocking to fund the entire endeavor with no public funding required? I might agree to some favorable tax treatment (such as General Motors has received in Allen County) if private developers built downtown, but even then, wouldn’t we want to make sure that whatever project was being built works with downtown, is part of more comprehensive plan and achieves our objectives for revitalization? If a public investment is to be made downtown, shouldn’t it be made in revitalizing the surrounding neighborhoods, what Kelty calls the “urban core,” so it seamlessly becomes a vital part of the fabric of downtown?

Polls indicate people support the revitalization of downtown. The question is how; the answer should make business, practical and strategic sense and be supported by residents. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this issue is the arrogance. The mayor and City Council are moving forward on their own, regardless of public outcry and disapproval, then calling it “leadership.” Since the mayor and some City Council members have decided to leave office this year, the public doesn’t have much leverage with key elected officials for them to consider and act on their concerns.

Downtown, yes; stadium, no. If it does get rammed through, we should all ask, cui bono?

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Fred Rost is a senior vice president at Sierra Nevada Corp., former general manager of General Dynamics in Fort Wayne and a Fort Wayne resident.

Times up

Times up...for now in seeking the primary nomination. By noon time, an additional 17 candidates had filed their necessary paperwork.