Saturday, April 14, 2012

COUNCILMEN DON'T SEE EYE-TO-EYE ON HOW TO COMBAT BLACK-ON-BLACK VIOLENCE





Please Click Here For The Full Story: Councilmen don't see eye to eye on how to combat Black on Black - FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather & Sports

BLACK CINCINNATI CITY COUNCILMEMBERS FIGHT ABOUT BLACK-ON-BLACK VIOLENCE


(Pictured Above: Cincinnati City Council Member and Resident Know-It-All Christopher "Sillyman" Smitherman and Cincinnati City Council Member, The Chairman of The Law & Public Safety Committee and Former Cincinnati Police Officer, Cecil Thomas.)


Greetings Brothers and Sisters,

Here are a series of emails between Cincinnati City Council members Christopher Smitherman and Cecil Thomas, who is the head of the city's Law & Public Safety Committee. These two "black men" are fighting and arguing about the scourge of black-on-black violence in the city.

Read the emails below and let us know what you think. Looks like City CLOWNcil members are once again "hard at work" for you!

**************************************************************

UPDATE: The e-mails continue. Smitherman says he and Charlie Winburn will call a special session of council to discuss black-on-black violence.

8:24 a.m.:

Councilmember Thomas,

Your answer is unacceptable. There must be a comprehensive discussion about the violence. I do understand CIRV, but they are not the answer alone. Councilmember Winburn (R) and I will call a special session of council to address the comprehensive problem of black on black violence.

Sincerely,

Councilmember Smitherman (I)

From: Thomas, Cecil
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 5:11 PM
To:
Smitherman, Christopher
Cc: #COUNCIL
Subject: RE: Black on Black Violence

Councilmember Smitherman,

As a former law enforcement officer with twenty-seven years of experience and the Chair of Public Safety, my focus has always been the safety of our citizens. My expertise, that of CPD, and several criminologist from the University of Cincinnati and John Hopkins University School of Criminology in New York have developed the methodology/strategy of CIRV. It is a proven strategy that works as evident by the year end reports provided to you.

Prior to the budget cut, CIRV had in place a coordinated effort utilizing many of the service organizations you referenced. It was based on the need of the CIRV client.

Also, let me be clear, from a law enforcement standpoint there are things taking place that can’t be discussed but I can assure you that the Law Enforcement component of CIRV is still in tack and they are doing their job. It involves local, county, state and federal investigations. It involved judges, prosecutors, adult probation and parole authorities. However, the services and analytical components were cut, and the CIRV street team is only at 60% of its original capacity.

Again, what you are proposing has already occurred and the result is CIRV.

In closing, the solution to our problem rest in the political will of this council to support CIRV and reinstate those parts that were lost. The meeting to discuss this matter will take place in committee on May 1st. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend. I hope that you will take the time to get a clear understanding of CIRV and be prepared to have a productive meeting. Most if not all that was said at the meeting in Avondale has been taken into account in forming CIRV.

If we choose not to restore CIRV, I’m afraid the group and or gang violence will continue.

Note: The other component that isn’t a part of CIRV is the political will to investment in all the other Social ills of a community. Poverty, Education, Housing, Jobs, Health etc.

Wednesday:

The two councilmen have gone back and forth today via e-mail over what should be done about violence in the black community. Christopher Smitherman wants the city to have a plan to handle it, implying there isn’t one, and wants a public hearing about it.

We do have a plan, Cecil Thomas says – it’s called CIRV, the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence. He’d be the one to schedule – or not – a public hearing in his public safety committee.

Christopher Smitherman

From there, I’ll just let you read the emails. Here they are, in order:

1:02 p.m.:

Dear Council member Thomas,

I am very concerned about the ‘black on black’ violence in Cincinnati. You are the Chair of the Public Safety Committee and control the agenda. I am requesting, as a member of the Public Safety Committee, that a special session be held to discuss this issue directly. It is important that City Hall provide the leadership on how we plan to address this issue.

If as the Chair, you decide to not grant a public hearing at the Public Safety Committee, I will call a special session of Council immediately. At the meeting, City leaders like CIRV and Ozie Davis should be invited. The weather will return to normal this weekend and I am concerned that City Council has no clear public policy plan on how we intend to respond and coordinate resources to decrease the violence. It is my hope that I can get a clear response from your office today on the above matter.

Councilman Christopher Smitherman

From: Thomas, Cecil
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 2:00 PM
To:Smitherman, Christopher
Cc: #COUNCIL
Subject:

Cecil Thomas

Mr. Smitherman:

I appreciate your concern; however, I wanted to make you aware that I have been working to restore the CIRV Budget, which was cut approximately 80% by City Council in 2009. I have attached the 2008 & 2009 CIRV Reports for every Councilmember’s review. These reports outline the strategy that was successful prior to the devastating budget cut. I will be circulating an additional budget proposal for CIRV very shortly, and I hope that you will support this request.

My goal is to restore CIRV to its full capacity in order to continue the success that was demonstrated prior to the 2009 budget cuts. At the May 1st meeting of the Public Safety Committee we will focus on further discussion of this topic. The success of CIRV is centered on the ability to reduce group and/or gang-related violence, i.e., homicides, and I believe it is an integral component of our efforts to address this issue. It is my hope that all members will examine these reports prior to our discussion on May 1st.

Please give me a call if you have any questions.

Cecil Thomas

President Pro Tem

Cincinnati City Council

801 Plum Street

City Hall – Room 356

Cincinnati OH 45202

513-352-3499

2:35 p.m.:

Council member Thomas,

The death rate due to gun violence each day continues to climb. I am very aware of CIRV. I am attempting to get City Council focused on the bloodshed and finally take ownership of the problem with direct leadership. I thought it was most appropriate for the Chair of Public Safety to take the lead for the City of Cincinnati on the comprehensive plan to lower the gun violence and murder of African-American men.

I have heard you speak in public settings that this issue was a priority for your office. However, there has not been a public hearing by your committee with a focus and a solution to the problem. As a member of your committee, I would like to suggest to the Chair that there is nothing more important than this issue. A political discussion on funding CIRV in the budget is one solution, but does not address the coordination of organizations and services that the City of Cincinnati currently funds beyond CIRV.

Again, if the Chair is not interested in having a meeting a black on black violence, I will request a special session of council to address the issue. My initial question that was not answered is will the Chair of Public Safety allow a broad hearing for the City of Cincinnati on this subject matter ASAP?

Councilman Christopher Smitherman

WE COULDN'T AGREE MORE!

Note to Trayvon’s Mother: It’s Time to Step to the Side

by Dr. Boyce Watkins , KultureKritic.com

I haven’t spoken with Al Sharpton in a few months. But if we were still speaking and he were to ask me what to do with the mother of Trayvon Martin, my answer would be very simple: Get her off the stage right now.

Trayvon’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, appeared on The Today Show this week and actually said that she thinks that George Zimmerman shot her son by accident.

“One of the things that I still believe in, a person should apologize when they are actually remorseful for what they’ve done. I believe it was an accident. I believe that it just got out of control and he couldn’t turn the clock back. I would ask him, did he know that that was a minor, that that was a teenager, and that he did not have a weapon?”

When I heard these words, I froze in my tracks. I couldn’t believe that Trayvon’s mother would make a statement that was in such stark contradiction to the charges being brought forth by the prosecutor. In fact, there’s a big part of me that wonders why she was on the show at all.

According to Findlaw.com, second-degree manslaughter is defined as:

1) an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable “heat of passion” or 2) a killing caused by dangerous conduct and the offender’s obvious lack of concern for human life

There is nothing about the word “accident” that implies intent, which is why it’s called an “accident.” Although Sybrina’s attorneys have worked hard to clean up after her mistake, the truth is that she can’t argue that Zimmerman “accidentally” thought that Trayvon looked suspicious or that he “accidentally” chased him down. The only part of this interaction where the word “accident” readily applies is in the actual shooting itself. If I were George Zimmerman’s brother, I would send Syrbrina’s attorney a thankyou card.

God bless Sybrina for being honest (if that is what she meant to say), but there are some things better left unsaid. For the mother of the victim to make a statement in national media that directly contradicts the efforts of the prosecution is nothing short of disastrous.

“George Zimmerman stalked my son and murdered him in cold blood,” Sybrina later said to MSNBC in another interview, retracting her earlier statement.

My question at this point is this: Why was there another interview in the first place? I am not a lawyer myself, but I presume that there’s a reason that attorneys tell their clients to be quiet. All of the cleansing in the world will never take away the fact that Sybrina’s comments have had a remarkably negative impact on the ability of the special prosecutor to do her work.

Sybrina’s words have opened the door for millions of people to understand when George Zimmerman is let off the hook with either an acquittal or a plea bargain for a lesser charge. This remark also undermines her credibility as she seeks to have Zimmerman convicted of second degree murder. Why would I tell someone to punish you for deliberately doing something that I believe to be accidental?

Trayvon’s parents have done their work and they’ve done it well. They’ve achieved the first steps toward justice for their son, and now it’s time for them to try to rebuild their lives in private. Rev. Sharpton has done a wonderful job of highlighting the racial dimensions of this highly unfortunate incident. At this point, the conversation about black men in the justice system must grow beyond Trayvon Martin, and the prosecution should be allowed to do its work. The family, as well all associated racial advocates, need to strategize in private, listen to the evidence and just stop talking.

(Story courtesy of kulturekritic)

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And we here in The Black Fist Blog could not agree more.

Friday, April 6, 2012

FRIDAY FLASHBACK TO THE PAST 32



(Top 2 pictures: Lyn Collins 2005, Days Before Her Death At Age 56)

(Lyn Collins, In the 1970's)


Greetings Brothers & Sisters,

Welcome to today's Flashback to the Past 32! Today's edition is from a little known sister yet superbad all the same introducing, Ms. Lyn Collins.

Lyn Collins was discovered and cultivated under the watchful eye and skillful hands of The Godfather of Soul, Soul Brother Number 1 James Brown. As you read Ms. Collin's bio below then watch look and listen her music videos you will see and hear soul Brother number 1 James Brown's influence throughout her music, and through her vocal skills. Lyn Collins has gone down in history as the ONLY woman to ever go toe-to-toe with James Brown vocally in the recording studio.
On several occasions, Lyn Collins was respectfully asked by various producers when recording with Mr. Brown to "please stand back away from the microphone because your voice is so powerful, you are over singing Mr. Brown".....

Something that had NEVER been done by anyone before or after Sis. Lyn Collins!

Lyn Collins is affectionately called "The Female Preacher". You will see why when you hear her soulful expressions and dynamic vocal skills. Lyn Collins' music has stood the test of time having been remade and sampled by some of today's biggest and brightest recording artist from, R&B Artist Sybil -to- The Queen of Reggae Patra -to- Hip Hop Artist Rob Base.

Also worth noting is that when in the early 1990's reggae artist Patra remade the song "Think", she asked Ms. Lyn Collins to guest star on the single. It has been recorded that Lyn Collins was so honored that one of today's great artist reggae rapper/singer Patra wanted her to duet with her on a song she made famous some 25 years prior that ... Lyn Collins broke down crying so overwhelmed that she was even remembered by the recording industry thought long well to have forgotten her.

Thanks Sis. Patra for putting our sister Lyn Collins back on the map for a whole new generation to enjoy!

Now Brothers and Sisters you sit back and enjoy for yourselves the sister, Lyn Collins!

Until Next Week's 33rd Edition.....

PEACE!


b. Gloria Lavern Collins, 12th June 1948, Lexington, U.S.A.

d. 13th March 2005, Pasadena, California, U.S.A.

Born in Lexington (not Abilene as some reports state. Lyn told me.), Lyn Collins was discovered by James Brown and later moved, and grew up in Abilene, Texas.

She, actually, began recording at the age of 14, recording a song called 'Unlucky In Love'.

She was given the nickname 'The Female Preacher' by the 'Godfather Of Soul', whilst he toured with her at his Revue's.

Marva Whitney then left the Revue, and Vicki Anderson was re-recruited.

In 1971, she recorded the song 'Wheel Of Life' and officially joined James's Revue in 1972 after Vicki Anderson departed again.

Lyn was one of several James Brown discoveries, including Bootsy Collins and Catfish Collins, who were, actually, not Lyn's relatives.

She sang background vocals on many of James Brown's releases, however she released her own material via the People label (a Polydor offshoot), including 'Think (About It)' in 1972.

Other James Brown produced albums on Polydor include 'Check Me Out If You Don't Know Me By Now' in 1975, including 'Rock Me Again & Again & Again'.

Lyn eventually became backup session vocalist, and appreared on the soundtracks of the film 'Dr. Detroit' and the TV series 'Fame'.

She recorded on Belgium's ARS imprint during the late Eighties and early Nineties, releasing the songs 'Shout' and 'Break Your Heart' (for an Italian label).

Lyn then remade 'Think (About It)' with the singer Patra in 1993

In 2005, Lyn teamed up with the singer Martha High for several European shows, including London's Jazz Café in February of that year.

Lyn Collins passed away on the 13th of March 2005 as a result of complications from a seizure she had suffered the previous Thursday 10th of March. She was only 56.

Her friend Martha High was with her. She had choked on some food and was brain dead by the time the Medics had arrived. She had a cardiac arrest on the 13th at the Huntingdon Memorial Hospital.

Albums:

Think (About It) (People 1972)

Check Me Out If You Don't Know Me By Now (People 1975)

(Information on Lyn Collins courtesy of Soulwalking Online United Kingdom Edition)



Never Gonna Give You Up

Think

Don't Make Me Over

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

BLACK WOMAN THREATENS TO KILL PRESIDENT OBAMA




Description:

"The Rochester woman accused of threatening to kill President Barack Obama has a history of mental health issues, which could result in the charges being dropped. Her family says the February 24th phone call to the White House was made out of desperation. “She’s a nice, loving, church-going woman,” says Minnie Pearl Wright. “She would never, never harm (President) Obama.” Yet the Secret Service says 36-year-old Christine Wright Darrisaw’s words suggest otherwise. “I’m going to (expletive) and kill Obama,” is what she is accused of saying to a White House operator. The alleged threat was part of a long tirade about child custody laws. According to court filings the operator told the Secret Service “she recognized the caller’s voice because she’s always calling the White House with regard to child custody issues. The papers go on to say the “female caller was rambling wildly and screaming into the phone…that she needed Obama to fix this.”



(Story Courtesy of WorldStar)

THIS SISTER AIN'T BUDGING ON "HER" MEGA MILLIONS WINNING!



Possible Maryland Mega Millions Winner Refuses To Share The Loot


By Martin Pratt

Mirlande Wilson told The New York Post April 1 that she alone bought one of the three tickets nationwide that will split a record $656 million payout. However, this is where the tangled web of intrigue begins; apparently Wilson bought the alleged ticket as part of a pool with co-workers at a local McDonald’s. Her co-workers are angry at Wilson, who claims she won with a ticket she bought for herself and has no intention of sharing.

“We had a group plan, but I went and played by myself. [The winning ticket] wasn’t on the group plan. I was in the group, but this was separate. The winning ticket was a separate ticket,” the single mother of seven said as she and her fiancé left her home in the Westport neighborhood to attend church.

Then, after continued questioning later the same day, Wilson changed her story. “I don’t know if I won. Some of the numbers were familiar. I recognized some of [them],’’ she said. “I don’t know why people are saying differently. I’m going to go to the lottery office on Monday. I bought some tickets separately.”

Now this is where things get even more twisted, Yohannes Michael, a clerk at the 7-Eleven where Wilson bought the tickets, expressed doubts about her story when he said yesterday that lottery officials have looked at the store’s video and believe that a man bought the winning ticket. Maryland Lottery representatives would not confirm that.

Since other winning tickets were also sold in Illinois and Kansas, if Wilson did win she would get an after-tax lump sum of $105 million, or $5.59 million a year for 26 years. If Wilson is the winner and if the ticket was part of her work pool, then the situation would be just like that of New Jersey lottery winner Americo Lopes, who tried to cheat five former colleagues after hitting a $24 million jackpot before a jury ordered him to spread the wealth.

“She can’ t do this to us!” said Suleiman Osman Husein, a shift manager and one of 15 members in the pool. “We each paid $5. She took everybody’s money!”

The group’s tickets — along with a list of those who contributed to the pool — were left in an office safe at the burger joint, said another man, who gave only his first name, Allen.

Then, late Friday, before the night’s drawing, the owner of the McDonald’s, Birul Desai, gave Wilson $5 to buy more tickets for the pool on her way home from work, and she went back to the 7-Eleven and bought them, Allen said. Then Wilson took those tickets home with her, Allen said. But Wilson insisted that she bought the second batch with an unidentified pal — not for the pool — and that the winning ticket was among them. For the final word on the potential Mega Millions mess, Desai, the McDonald’s owner, declined to comment except to say, “It’s all bulls–t, if you ask me. It’s speculation.”




MEGA MILLIONS WINNER SAYS, "I AM THE SOLE WINNER!"






A Maryland McDonald's worker is in the middle of a Mega Millions meltdown as co-workers wonder whether she ripped them off -- or whether she even won at all.

The case of Mirlande Wilson, 37, of Westport, Md., is a curious one, as well as a cautionary one for folks who like to toss a few bucks into the lottery pool at work.

As everyone in the U.S. now knows -- because of the non-stop media coverage -- three winning tickets split the record $656-million jackpot in Friday's Mega Millions drawing. The three winning tickets were purchased in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.

Many Americans pooled their money at work, hoping to win a piece of the jackpot and the glorious opportunity to quit, en masse.

Wilson was the person at her workplace who collected the cash for the lottery pool. And the day after the drawing, a co-worker said, Wilson called work to gloat "I won! I won!"

Co-workers, though, were immediately suspicious. Wilson told the New York Post (which apparently tracked her down to what it described as her "squalid" Maryland home) that she won using a ticket she had bought for herself -- not the tickets she had bought on behalf of her co-workers.

"I was in the group, but this was separate. The winning ticket was a separate ticket," she told the newspaper.

She later said she's not even sure she's really a mega-millionaire: "I don’t know if I won. Some of the numbers were familiar. I recognized some of [them]," she told the Post.

The details are similar to those in the case of a New Jersey construction worker who last month was found to have ripped off his colleagues in an office pool. In that case, the man's co-workers had to rely on witnesses to prove that Americo Lopes had collected cash from his co-workers for the lottery.

It appears that the lottery pool at the Maryland McDonald's, however, had taken some steps to protect participants from controversy. Workers kept a stack of the lottery tickets purchased with the pool money in an office safe, along with a list of all the participants.

But, the Post says, the McDonald’s owner reportedly gave Wilson an additional $5 to buy more tickets for the pool on her way home. (Nice boss, eh?) Wilson took those tickets home with her, the newspaper reported, leading to co-workers' fears that they may have to watch millions of dollars slip through their fingers.

This is why experts suggest that office pool tickets should be bought well in advance of the drawing, so that there's time to make copies of the tickets and share those copies with all the players. That extra step protects everyone from controversy and accusations, according to the New Jersey State Lottery.



Description:

"Workers at a Maryland McDonald's who pooled their cash for Mega Millions tickets are furious at a colleague who claims she won with a ticket she bought for herself and has no intention of sharing. "We had a group plan, but I went and played by myself. [The 'winning' ticket] wasn't on the group plan," McDonald's "winner" Mirlande Wilson 37, told the New York Post on Sunday, insisting she alone bought one of the three tickets nationwide that will split a record $656 million payout. "I was in the group, but this was separate. The winning ticket was a separate ticket," the single mother of seven said. The Haitian immigrant refused to show what she said was the winning ticket, claiming she had it hidden in another location and would present it to lottery officials Monday."



(Story courtesy of The LATimes)

Monday, April 2, 2012

TOMBSTONE, ARIZONA (I MEAN) TOMBSTONE, AVONDALE!



(1st Picture: Cincinnati Chief of Police James Craig. 2nd Picture: Chief Craig with Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney. Last Picture: Cincinnati City Councilman Cecil Thomas, Head of The Law & Public Safety Committee)


Avondale, Oh - Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig announced a call to action Monday to discuss solutions to end violent crime in the Queen City. The announcement came following a shooting Sunday night that injured five people in Avondale.

"Enough is enough," Chief Craig said Monday.

Craig says the meeting with community members will take place Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the New Friendship Baptist Church at 3212 Reading Road.

"Come to the meeting, come with solutions," Chief Craig urged The Buzz radio listeners Monday morning. "Let's not complain, let's not talk about the past. Let's talk about the here and now."

Craig says he wants to see an active Citizens on Patrol group start up in the neighborhood to help combat crime. Craig says he believes solutions do exist, pointing to the police cadet program starting up as well as a boot camp the department is sponsoring for middle schoolers. He says the first boot camp class recently graduated and another is set to begin in the South Avondale area.

"I want solutions. We don't have all the answers," Chief Craig said. "This is what community policing is all about: working in partnership."

Chief Craig says the department will be ramping up their police presence in the Avondale area by adding more bike, foot, and plain clothes officers on the street. The department will be making use of a grant to pay for the increased oversight which will require overtime pay for the officers.

Craig says they have not determined how long the added patrols will remain in Avondale.

"The individuals out there that think they want to wait me out … don't wait me out," Craig said. "I'm here for the long term. Whether you see us visibly or you don't we'll still be in the area."

The shooting took place near Forest Avenue and Rockdale Avenue around 9:20 p.m. Sunday.

The victims included four young men and a teenage girl between 17 to 21 years old.

"It absolutely is related to a street gang," Chief Craig said. "I'm going to call it what it is."

The girl, who is 17, was shot multiple times and is in the most serious condition of the five victims.

Authorities say no arrests have been made, but two suspects were taken in for questioning.

"Know this," Chief Craig said. "It will stop. We will find you. We will arrest you and you are going to go to jail. It's done."

"The person that pulled the trigger is one of the maggots that I expect to be prosecuted to the fullest extent," Councilman Cecil Thomas said.

Thomas says to ultimately win the battle against violent crime, the city must address the systemic issues at the root of the violence such as poverty.

"It's going to take the community to get angry and no longer tolerate this kind of behavior in order to get the kind of action out of your community to begin to address this problem," he said.

"I should not have to stand here today and talk about five young people shot," Chief James Craig said. "That tells me we haven't succeeded. While I can sit here and statistically talk about a reduction [in violent crime] we need to do more."

"This is not New York, this is not Chicago, this is not Miami, no," Thomas said. "We're not going to have these kinds of random shootings in our area and expect us to just say ‘Oh well, it's happening everywhere else'. Well good, let it happen somewhere else, not here. Simple as that."

Chief Craig says he is urging everyone to come out to the meeting Wednesday to help find solutions that will ‘run the violence epidemic out' of Cincinnati.

Copyright 2012 WXIX. All rights reserved
(Story courtesy of WXIX Fox 19 News)

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Brothers & Sisters, 5 people have been shot in the black community of Avondale, all of them shot just LAST NIGHT!!!

What the hell is going on in Tombstone, Arizona, I mean Tombstone, Avondale?!? Is this the muthafucking OK Corral?!? The shoot 'em up wild wild west?!? What is spurring these multiple killings and shootings? What can be done to stop them? Is the weather getting warmer making our people go nuts already? Is the escalating wave of domestic violence in the black community to blame? Well??? What the fuck is going on?!?

We want answers ... and answers we will get .... One way -Or- The other ..... !


BLACK FIST, BLACK POWER, BLACK NATION!!!

WHITNEY HOUSTON'S LAST FILM: 'SPARKLE'




The new bigscreen musical "Sparkle" is due out on Aug. 17, but one of its stars will not be around to help promote it: Whitney Houston, who died at age 48 in February, had hoped the film might help fuel a comeback for her as both actress and singer. Now, the mantle will fall on her co-star, "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks, who plays the film's title character.

TODAY aired an exclusive clip Monday of the upcoming film, which shows how Sparkle and her sisters try to make a go of it as an all-girl singing group, following in their mother's (Houston's) musical footsteps. Take a look below at what could be one of summer's biggest hits -- tempered by the bittersweet memory that it is Houston's last film appearance:


(Courtesy of MSNBC)


Ummm, will you go see Sparkle when it hits theaters in August? I love the original 1976 film starring Irene Cara and Phillip Michael Thomas. This film, I don't know. What do you think? Or will you go see it cause Whitney's dead?

Sunday, April 1, 2012

MAHOGANY RESTAURANT OWNER FIRES BACK!

(Pictured: Liz Rogers owner of Mahogany's Restaurant)


The owner of Mahogany’s restaurant, whose financing deal with the city of Cincinnati has stirred controversy, said on Wednesday she feels picked on.

“It appears that I have become the subject of a heightened level of scrutiny and several unfavorable media reports pertaining to my business and my character,” said Liz Rogers of Liberty Township. “I am unclear as to why and would like to once again put these issues to rest.”

Sean Rugless, president of the African-American Chamber of Commerce, emailed her statement Wednesday.

Rogers’ $984,000 deal with the city to open a soul-food restaurant at The Banks generated controversy after revelations about her finances. She and her husband, Trent, recently made good on back property taxes, but the couple still owes the IRS about $49,000.

On Tuesday, Rogers turned herself in on a year-old warrant issued because she failed to show up in court regarding a debt that Queen City Computer Press Inc. is trying to collect from her.

Queen City had designed a website for her now-defunct Forest Park business, Brooklyn Spa & Salon. Rogers said the court case “stemmed from a dispute regarding the quality of services” provided.

But on Wednesday, Bob Welch, Queen City Computer Press president, said, “That would have meant she disputed it with me, which she did not.” No mention of such a dispute appears in court records.

Rogers asserted “there may be no merit to the case.” But a Hamilton County judge ruled she owes Welch’s company $3,000 plus interest. The case has been pending since 2009.

A hearing in the case is set for Friday in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

Rogers said “these issues were disclosed along with all relevant credit information” during her a yearlong negotiation with Cincinnati leaders. She also said it’s all unrelated to her plans to open Mahogany’s at The Banks.

“Despite the events of the past couple of weeks, I remain excited about the possibility of bringing new jobs to the city of Cincinnati, as I have done in Hamilton,” said Rogers, who runs a Mahogany’s restaurant there.

Rogers was recently named one of The Enquirer’s “20 Women to Watch in 2012.”

(Story Courtesy of The Cincinnati Enquirer Online)

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And we here in The Black Fist say, "Good For her"! Despite of what some black con man (snake in a suit) so-called newly elected Cincinnati City Councilman tried to do to her! We say keep it pushing Ms. Rogers and throw deuces to that fake negro so-called clowncil (oops, I mean) Councilman! Hell No! I mean CLOWNcilman!


BLACK POWER!!!

TOURE AND PIERS MORGAN FACE OFF ON CNN OVER TRAYVON MARTIN MURDER


Toure and Piers Morgan Face Off on CNN Over Trayvon Martin


After Piers Morgan’s softball interview with George Zimmerman’s brother, Touré took to twitter to berate Morgan’s underperformance.

Then, Morgan tweeted some insults at Touré, and invited him on his show. Touré took Morgan up on the

offer, and reamed Piers Morgan in the interview below:

Here is the original video that started this controversy between Bro. Toure and CNN's Piers Morgan. The Piers Morgan interview with George Zimmerman's brother. (The brother we now know he hasn't even spoken to in years):



George Zimmerman's older brother Robert Zimmerman Jr. went on The Piers Morgan Show to do nothing more than lie and make up shit to save his murdering brother's ass. Later after the interview it was revealed that Robert Zimmerman Jr. has not even spoken to his murdering brother George in years and he has absolutely no knowledge of what happened the night his brother murdered in cold blood a black child, Trayvon Martin.

So it would not be to farfetched to say that Robert Zimmerman Jr. needs to crawl back under that rock he's been hiding under and shut the fuck up on a situation he has absolutely NO knowledge or credible information about!

Yeah! We Said It!!!


(Story & Video Courtesy of BlackLikeMoi & CNN)