Guns Kill

h/t to bag news notes.

That's what I'm talking about !

United States Marine Corps Master Sergeant Goode's Retirement

United States Marine Corps Master Sergeant Reggie Goode has announced his retirement effective in July, 2007. Master Sergeant Goode's announcement comes after twenty five years with the Marine Corps.

Master Sergeant Goode has traveled extensively during his career. Master Sergeant has traveled to such places as Parris Island, SC (where it all started), Maryland, Okinawa, Japan (3 times), Detroit, MI, San Diego, CA, Washington, DC and many other major and small cities throughout the United States.


Master Sergeant Goode looks forward to spending more time with his family and continuing his involvement with his church.


Master Sergeant Goode will remain in the Maryland area with his wife Tiana and two daughters, LaTara and Kiana.

His parents are Mr. Levert Goode and the late Mrs. Louise Goode. Marvin, brother who served in the US Army,(deceased). Other family members:Bernice & Catherine (Pensacola, FL), Delphine & Greta (Mobile, AL), Bernadine (Camden).


Goode has received a number of awards recognizing his many accomplishments: 3) Navy Commendation Medals, (3) Navy Achievement Medals, (8) Good Conduct Medals, (2) National Defense Service Medals, (1) Global War on Terror.

Master Sergeant Goode graduated from Wilcox County High School in 1982. He completed a bachelor's degree in Workforce, Education and Development from Southern Illinois University.




After his retirement, he will begin a new career working with the federal government.

Master Sergeant Goode will celebrate his retirement with family and friends at a retirement party. The Retirement Ceremony will be on July 20, 2007 at Evangel Assembly Church.

Notes from Master Sergeant Goode:

There will be a formal invitation sent to each of you via mail and/or e-mail in the near future with the details of the event. I wanted to send the hotel information in advance so that you can reserve your rooms before it’s too late in the game. I have reserved 20 rooms from 19-23 July 2007 at the following hotels less than 5 miles from my home in Maryland .

Best Western Potomac View @ Cost $108.90 per day
6400 Oxon Hill Rd.
Oxon Hill , MD 20745
(301) 749-9400

(10) Rooms reserved under “GOODE’s RETIREMENT PARTY”


Comfort Inn @ Cost $88.00 per day
6363 Oxon Hill Rd
Oxon Hill , MD 20745
(301) 839-0001

(10) Rooms reserved under “GOODE’s RETIREMENT”

Please call and reserve your rooms as soon as you can in order for us to get an estimate of how many people will be coming from out of town. I understand that all of you might not be able to attend, just know that you are all special to me and my family. A special thanks to everyone and we look forward to seeing you all in July.

FW Fusion 63 Spokane Shock 56

Unsung Hero

Ryan Clark

Virginia Tech senior, double major, G.P.A. 4.0.


list of loved ones of a senseless random act of violence.

Georgia-Lethal Weapon

Sometimes, a flip comment to a stranger or even someone you know can lead to a misunderstanding. No harm meant, but harm taken may lead to a fight. In Atlanta the harm was taken to the street, a fight over a perceived slight.

The police were called, but the disputed had been settled before their arrival. Still, somehow the police weapons were fired.

Pettaway was shot. One week before his 27th birthday, a police officer fired a shot to the back of Pettaway's head. The shot fired was fatal, Ron died.

Something went wrong. From the contagious gun firing, Pettaway's brother, Roy, was shot, in the back. Roy was attempting to intervene in his brother's behalf. The community is not trying to make sense of this tragic. It is a senseless lost of a life, period. The Afrospear offers it support to the Pettaway's family, friends and his fiancee. A website has been created in memory of Ron Pettaway. A link is included on this website for more details on how such a horrible tragic could occur from police contagious gun fire.

h/t to Exodus Mentality and Francis L. Holland.

Voters fraud vs voters suppression

A few weeks before the primary makes you think about voting irregularities. Temple 3 post a New York Time article on 12 questions for Alberto Gonzales, I post here only three question.

A question about voter fraud is among one of the question. Indiana Court's has recently address this issue. Indiana Law Blog has more information on voter's fraud.

Just say no

Sheriff Ken Fries withdrew the request for a grant that would fund the controversial Metro squad, citing “lack of co-operation from another agency.” The Allen County Council was scheduled to hear discussion on the grant at its meeting Thursday morning.

The Project Safe Neighborhoods grant would have funded overtime for the Allen County Sheriff’s Department and Fort Wayne Police Department officers who would have been participating in the federal gun crime reduction project.

Fries said the grant would have used 2006 money, and he plans to apply again to use 2007 money.

“We are working with the city to work out its problems with the memorandums of understanding,” Fries said.

Councilwoman Maye Johnson said she had received numerous phone calls about the squad and questioned its possible lack of diversity. She also asked Fries to look into working with local groups whose goal is the same as the squads’. She said she plans to set up a meeting with Fries and others about pursuing the grant in the future.

From 1995 to 2001, the squad targeted high crime areas and employed both county and city police officers.

Diversity? What is Johnson talking about? Those members who might have been selected from the city's police department would have lacked diversity based on seniority. The grant calls for a 50-50 split from the city and county. This means that the Mayor Dick appointee, Police Chief Rusty team members of the 50% split would have lacked diversity also.

Kroger buyout Scott's

The news blaring from channel 15, Kroger will purchase 18 Scott's stores from Supervalue. What? Some of those stores are right here in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Harrsion Square is going to do what again?

Oh and the Mayor's people, the democrats on the southside will be having a democratic propaganda open house on just how great things are going on the southside. Now let's see with a show of hands, how many are going to keep buying into the white elephant they called the former southtown mall? Oh I should correct myself and state the new Southtown Centre. And that translate into how many stores and how many jobs for thousands and thousand of folks living on the southside in this barren land.

The city is yelping and yelling about Thank God for Hardball Capital money for saving downtown. Pray tell what private investors do you think are waiting in the wings with millions of dollars to revitalize the southside? Did I not tell you readers this before? It is called speculation. You know when folks were looking for gold. Now developers are sitting on land, waiting for green dollars in that southcentre land grab.

Unless you are Mayor Dick. Dick has a business. A business that folks pay to hear him speak. Maybe Dick will recruit some southsiders to participate in his business for the sake of diversity. Wait a minute, the Mayor business is located in downtown (where the investment dollars are) and not at the great Southcentre Mall. My bag, or is that my bad. Dig it!

One other question, did SouthCentre Mall get TIF? Heck no, TIF is to built up the northside, not the southside. But, heck how was the southside to know, on what of the blog, one of the African-American newspaper editor, was quoted as not understanding TIF or CRED. That probably explains why CRED appeared for the southtown business owners who were on the southside and TIF for the residents was not even considered. CRED is reimbursement for the businesses. TIF is to improve the community. Are you there yet?

The mistake was believing that Democratic politicians are really concerned about the quality of life of those who live on the southside. It's your vote. It's nothing complicated about that. Our history tells us that African-Americans were denied that right along with reading But the African-American right to vote called the swing vote, is very valuable. But you thought it was all about you. And the editor/owner of the African-American newspaper, let me state in writing, that your property taxes did indeed increase.

Everybody taxes increased. The fiction that your property taxes did not increase is mitigated by a number game called the tax rate and property tax replacement. Two mechanism imposed that the state level that protected local taxes payers from your former boss and friends. But read your tax bills, and the Mayor love for you is just a lie, your property taxes did indeed increase. Reading that property tax bill might prove to be as complicated as understanding TIF. But it is doable. You can't rely on the folks preparing the tax bill.

But, if we fail as African-American to fully understand that fact, it is not a surprise that new laws that are crafted and implemented in a disparaging manner to to impact African-American community negatively are not going to be understood until the damage is done. Especially if you are waiting and believing what elected officials and its underlings tell you about a law instead of what the law says. That's one reason, our ancestors fought to get us an education, so that we could at least read and seek understanding for ourselves.

Our African-American newspaper were one way of communicating this misinformation and disparate in news coverage. I surely don't want to waste my time reading a newspaper that is suppose to be about us and for us if the news is just be piped in from the political machine that looks nothing like me. Question Question and more Questions. But that's why I started this blog.

Type in TIF and see how much information you get about it or where or about finding the information to read up on it yourself. Because I don't want you to take my word for it. I may not be a journalist, but I am a firm believer in the policy read it for yourself and you decide whose zooming who. I bet if Scott's had some of the TIF dollars we could have probably gotten some more stores on the southside.


Let's see this is the second largest city in Indiana and we are reduced to one Major food store. TIF, TIF, TIF

This gun for sell

This not about hookers, rutger, virginia tech, or cho or the assassinated students.

h/t to bag news notes.

THE EMAIL

Fort Wayne group bloggers, new form of public e-mail, are discussing one of the bloggers real email going public.

Because this is a legal matter, emails are considered, I won't repeat the content of the email, private. Email are considered private communication. I receive comments on the my blog and I print them. But emails are treated different especially, if they are defamatory. Someone asked me a question in an email, and I took them I did not want to see it on their blog. Private.


But back to the email in question. really did not see anything defamatory in the email. But the young bucks are livid. I think it is a sign of betrayal. It borders on inbreed fighting. . This is a groupthink mentality. If I agree with you in one thing, I will agree with you in all things. Not true. And that is what the young bucks are finding out.

But back to emails, I received emails and I've shot back my response, swift. I try to be careful in the email because it is private but it can be used against me. If I really told the person, where to go or I was going to put my foot in a place where stuggle usually come out of. I could get into some serious trouble.
Same way in which you speak to people in public, folks want you say stuff about folks. But mums the word, that ain't want it's about. It's the facts, you may not like the SOB but you don't tell them to their face. You just walk away, and mumble under your breath.

Blogging is different, I can say whatever, I want. Some things I say may be even offensive, but I feel safe, as long as it is a public figure. Yep, a public figure, I am not going after private citizens. Now, I don't call public figure SOB, but it becomes obvious that I am not in support of some of their policies. Which are my opinions.

My opinion on politicians is protected political speech, my character assassination of an individual is not, and I know the different. So, I watch my p's and q's. I do not advocate harm to come to politicians or to be done to politicians or private individuals. But, I do have opinions, and I try to not cross that fine line into character assassination.

I have been asked about folks, but will not share my deepest darkest thoughts, because it is clearly character assassination. You either agree with this person, or you don't. It is not a straddle the fence issue. But, if walls could talk, I probably would be sued. or emails, I can be sued.

Sued.

WOWO-Chosen Mayoral Candidates Discussion

Have you seen the sign? No I am not talking about the huge sign hanging from a building by Matt Kelty. I am talking about the backtracking of arrogant republicans in the scheduled photo op Harrison Square public hearing. And if that is not proof enough, I hope you got a chance to listen to WOWO this morning. Tom Henry, Matt Kelty and Nelson Peters were guests of Charley Butcher on WOWO program. The program was a breakfast program broadcast with three candidates for Mayor talking with Charles Butcher and Jeff Neumeyer of IndianaNews Center. It was interesting that other candidates were excluded from this dialogue this morning. Especially, when there is a large pool of candidates running for Mayor. But those other candidates must not count. At least they must not count to the media.

I suggest, that the media is contributing to the outcome of the republican election, by focusing only on Kelty and Peters. The women and African-Americans votes are not representatives of the business owners' support these two candidates are seeking. Tom Henry, Democrat was probably thrown in to the morning event to outset the media bias. This is clearly a bias of business support in the battle between Kelty and Peters. The Kelty's campaign is giving Peters campaign a fit. Free media. Yes free airtime, priceless.

The republicans must be outraged that Kelty is receiving advertising support from business folks in the community that does not support the Harrison Square Project. If the Zogby poll was not enough for the Kelty Camp to signal to republicans the folks are listening. The letter written by Nelson Peters flip flop on the support for the Harrison Square is and lead to a call for a public hearing.

Those republicans sitting on city council who are Nelson Peters supporters, are saying their want to hear from the public before casting their votes. Ha, big laugh. The fact that Nelson Peters calls for a referendum is even a bigger laugh. Peter's letter is pandering to Kelty supporters by suggesting voters are offended in the council rush to pass the Harrison Square Project. Funding of the project that the voters find offensive from the Zogby poll.

And now the fact that these republicans are allowing the real public to stand before them instead of the fake special group orchestraed meetin, to vent is council members paying attention to Kelty's poll. The public hearing is not an opportunity for voters to be heard, but for republicans to pretend that they too listened to the voters, as Kelty had suggested. It's a public relation ploy by city council members who are unsure of the backlash if they vote yes.

The candidates discussed other issues, such as the funding for schools, sewers, user fees, and consolidation with Jeff Neumeyer and Charly Butcher. But the most dominate issue was the Harrison Square Project and its funding.

Note: Kelty had my vote until he made the statement about gangs on the southside. Kelty failed to name any gangs, but stated that there is a gang problem on the southside. Kelty is not attempting to attract voters on the southside. Kelty knows his audience is republicans for the primary, a no brainer, the majority of these voters do not live on the southside. There is a drug problem on the southside, but that is not the same as gangs. Unless Kelty can name gangs on the southside, I believe it is name calling no different than Don Imus's rant on his right to freedom of speech to insult a segment of our community.

Downtown Condo Success

Women for Obama

Senator Barack Obama beat the odds. Senator Obama did what he set out to do, not run to come in second. Senator Obama raised the most funds in the primary. Senator Obama won the money game raising $24.8 million to Senator Hillary Clinton's $19.1 millions.We must find something to stand for or we will fall for anything, is a saying, or is it?

No I.D. required before a sista is called a Ho

My comments after watching Russell Simmons talk down to the African-American Community on Oprah: No I.D. required before being called a HO

He or she wasn't one of us-Virginia Tech students killer

Cho Seung-Hui

He was not one of us.

The gunman responsible for the massacre at Virginia Tech University, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, was an Asian male student who lived in a campus dormitory, President Charles Steger said today.

The violence will be blamed on outsiders, foreigners let into this country. Not us, we are uncapable of doing such a thing.

But Field Negro corrects us when he writes about young lives lost in his community, blood everywhere from killings. And we can only say one more body , without action. Where is the outrage? Who said it was okay to have this nihilistic view? Derrick Bell? Death and Killing. Locked up and throw away the key, made me safe in my community? Who said so? Who Eddie writes about unanswered rage and it toil on the human psyche. Dr. Spence reminds how we decide to rally behind those in our community when injured. Bronze Trinity provides us a petition within even the Afrosphear to check ourselves. This is a mission of action.

And that is what Temple 3, tells us. We have got to come out of our goo goo ga ga mode of action. T3 provides us with what we need most in our communities, solutions. Temple writes about succession planning. "D" spot headed toward the brick and mortar that Dr. Spence speaks about, a school of children. Children get ready, he's on his way. Afrosphear, where is our plan for succession? Our youth and not so young are waiting on us to get up and to pass on solutions to this madness living in the United States of America. Conference calls can be made, we need solutions. Katrina has taught us that they are not coming. And we do know who they are, or do we?

I don't want to hear not one more time it was not one of us.

Derek O'Dell, who was shot in the arm, said there was an ``eerie silence'' when the gunman entered his class in Norris Hall. The man wore a black leather jacket with ammunition sleeves inside, jeans

and a maroon hat, the student said.

``He was very methodical. He seemed trained to kill,'' O'Dell said during a broadcast interview. ``He had no anger in him at all; he was very calm -- just determined to kill everybody.

Read more on BlackProf.

Listen to It wasn't one of us



Cho was one of us. Rest in Peace..all lives lost in violence. I've updated from 9:30 A.M.

NRA vs Gun Control Advocates

Photo from Black Prof website
Former Mayor of Fort Wayne Indiana Paul Helmke now President of the Brady Campaign issues a press release on the shooting at Virginia Tech.

Blacksburg, VA – Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement:

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the Virginia Tech University community, and to the families of the victims of what appears to be one of the worst mass shootings in American history.

"Details are still forthcoming about what motivated the shooter in this case to act, and how he was able to arm himself. It is well known, however, how easy it is for an individual to get powerful weapons in our country.

"Eight years ago this week, the young people in Littleton, Colorado suffered a horrible attack at Columbine High School, and almost exactly six months ago, five young people were killed at an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania. Since these killings, we've done nothing as a country to end gun violence in our schools and communities. If anything, we've made it easier to access powerful weapons.

"We have now seen another horrible tragedy that will never be forgotten. It is long overdue for us to take some common-sense actions to prevent tragedies like this from continuing to occur."

Bag news note provides us with a slideshow.

Hip hop Mogul Russell Simmons Speaks and Everybody listens?

Give me a break. Russell Simmons is educating Senator Barack Obama on how its okay for African-Americans women to be called out of their names because of the setting.

People who are angry, uneducated and come from tremendous struggle, they have poetic license and they say things that offend you," Simmons said. "You have to talk about the conditions that create those kinds of lyrics. When you are talking about a privileged man who has a mainstream vehicle and mainstream support and is on a radio station like that you have to deal with them differently."

Folks now do you understand why, African-American young males need not listen to some of this music. This after the media went to the not so best of the brightest among the rappers, Snoop Dogg, for this quote:

"It's a completely different scenario. We are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about hos that's in the 'hood that ain't doing sh, that's trying to get a n-a for his money. These are two separate things&.we ain't no old-a-- white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them muthaf-as say we in the same league as him."

Simmons is doing the deflection that Eddie talks about on his spot. Ya'll Obama not black, who you gonna listen too, him or me?

Simmons go to the bible and find me these words, and take your friend snoop with you. Loud in clear, it is not okay rich or poor to call any woman, out of her name. If the women that you live with like it, keep it beyond your closed doors.


Listen to African-Americans Professions-Pimps, Prostitutes, Gangster Rappers



Hopefully Oprah will straighten out Simmons.

Simmons spoke to ABC News from Chicago, where he was preparing for an Oprah Winfrey town hall meeting on the subject of rap lyrics, which will also feature hip-hop artist Common, who raps about love and spirituality, Kansas City Star sports writer Jason Whitlock, former NAACP president Bruce Gordon and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

A press release from the Winfrey show said, "The group will address whether or not there is a double standard in this country, what behavior different races are willing and not willing to tolerate, and why women and minorities often are targets for derogatory and degrading comments. Winfrey asks the panel to consider if this incident could be a 'tipping point' for American society."

h/t to electronic village

The Talks Continues-Harrison Square Park

Memorandum of Understanding for stuff other than the hotel

Memorandum of Understanding among the following parties:

City of Fort Wayne, Indiana, The Redevelopment Commission of the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Fort Wayne Professional Baseball, LLC, Hardball Capital LLC and Barry Real Estate Companies, LLC..


The groups have placed their John Hancock on a memorandum with language that all parties involved are working in good faith, together to agree on some things, while working on some other things. But the MOU is not a legally binding document. As stated under Recital (E):

D.

This Memorandum is intended to memorialize the current understanding between the parties regarding the basic scope and structure of the Project.It is not intended as a binding obligation of either party, but rather an expression of good faith and commitment to continue the diligently working toward the objectives outlined herein.

The groups are still in negotiation.

The Project consist of three stages:

Phase 1--hotel with 250 rooms
Parking facility -900 spaces
condominium-60
retail space-minimum of 30,000 square feet of commercial space
Stadium-multi purpose


So, Phase 1 is all inclusive, but some parts are independent of the other.

Hotel is a third party
Parking facility owned and operated by the City and/or the City of Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission (Redevelopment Commission) to service the Hotel, Lincoln National Corporation, public parking and the Stadium . The Parking Structure is not intended to serve as the primary parking facility for the Stadium. The Stadium would be owned by the City or Redevelopment Commission or other related entity, and managed by HC or a related HC entity under the terms of a management agreement.

The Stadium is to be in compliance with the Professional Baseball Agreement Minimum Facility Standards for Class AA baseball stadiums. The Stadium will contain at least 5,000 seats with a depressed seating bowl, walk around concourse and a minimum of 12-16 suites. Other stuff will or may be stipulated before the binding agreement.

The big ticket item-Stadium

HC is in for a $30,000,000 stadium, if it exceeds that cost, HC will not provide another penny. The cost includes hard construction costs, architectural fees, and all related design, engineering costs and expenses, and certain personal property to be supplied by the city. As will be defined in the binding agreement,


HC will contribute, in cash or cash equivalent, during construction, the amount of $5,000,000 which shall be applied to the Stadium cost. The Stadium must be completed by September 2009. The construction should begin no longer than September 2007.


Now new housing and retail-downtown

Barry Real Estate (BRE)( this name is new) we are use to hearing Hardball Capital, but not Barry Real Estate. BRE or a related entity, shall commit to the construction of a minimum number of residential condominium units presently expected to be 60 units and to to Retail Space, presently expected to be 30,000 square feet of lease able Retail space within Phase 1 of the retail and Condominium Development at Harrison Square. BRE or a related entity, will spend $14,500,000. The City in return will assist HC in obtaining available tax abatement, New Market Tax Credits, CREeD tax credits and other available incentives in connection with the Residential Condominiums and Retail Development, including assistance in identifying possible investors to acquire transferable credits where available. And for each phase, somewhere in the tune 1.4.5 million dollars for infrastructure cost.

Having typed all that, the deal could fall through on Phase 2 and Phase 3 and by default go to other developers. Or the whole thing could collapse if the hotel is not built.


Memorandum of Understanding for the Hotel


The MOU is between the City of Fort Wayne Department of Redevelopment by the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission (Commission) and Acquest Realty Advisors, Inc./acquest Development Inc. and White Lodging Service Corporation (Development Team)

The hotel will be a full service Marriott. If however, the balance of the Harrison square project is cancelled and or delayed, the design may be modified. Development of the Project is not contingent upon the development of the balance of the Harrison Square Project, except for the Parking Facility.


But the stadium is contingent on the hotel.



The land as be amassed, it is now up to the developers to come in and work their magic. That is with the approval of City Council.


Disclaimer, this was a first pass through on the MOU, and this is what I gleamed from the documents. However, the documents are here for you to purview and reach your own conclusion. H/t to Downtown Fort Wayne Baseball.

If Fort Wayne is unable to pull this deal off with Jason and Friends, it will go to its B Plan. The land it has acquired from Omni-Source. The City will try and save face and build a water slide, casino or whatever it was that the taxpayer told them they wanted, allegedly a $4.3 million dollar 29 acres riverfrontoption agreement deal.

Students killed at Virginia Tech

How can this be? Great sadness for families and their friends.

Virginia Polytechnical Institute, Collegiate
Time newspaper coverage.
From Virginia Tech website: Two shootings on campus today have left 22 confirmed dead. Update the confirmed dead at 2:00 are 28.

Families wishing to reunite with students are suggested to meet at the Inn at Virginia Tech. The university is planning a convocation for tomorrow at noon at Cassell Coliseum for the university community to come together to begin to deal with the tragedy.

Counseling is available in the Bowman Room in the Merriman Center (part of the athletic complex) for employees who seek assistance following today’s events.

All faculty and staff have been released and asked to go home effective immediately.

The university will open tomorrow at 8 a.m. but classes are cancelled.

Cnn video

Bonnie blog of crime

The Leaf Chronicle


At least 17 individuals are wounded.

President George Bush speaks on the right to bear arms.

The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed," Perino said, noting that Bush and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings held a conference on school gun violence last October. "Certainly, bringing a gun into a school domitory and shooting ... is against the law and something someone should be held accountable for," Perino said.

More on the shooting at law hawk.

Former student blogs about shooting.

Paula Mooney more on video shooting.