South Street Journal April 4 - 17, 2013

South Street Journal April 4—17, 2013 Page 1

No other ethnic group witness

self-violence in portion of its popula-

tion as African Americans in all of

the U.S. The on

going reports

and root of

crime rest with

drugs. ‘Get rid

of the drugs,

most ills will be

solved’ as the

saying goes.

With data sup-

porting the rela-

tionship of drug

lack of education

and crime; in two

movies Godfather

I (1971) ear of the

1940’s and Pan-

ther (1993) in the

era of 1960’s both detected the future

of the black community as doom

with the influx of drugs.

The Godfather told the other

mob, sell it to the N—- and the Wet-

backs. It will destroy families and

community. The moment you sell it

(Continued on page 7)

April 5—17, 2012

Volume 19 No. 2

773 668-5318 $FREE$ $1 Donations Requested

$Billion

law suit A Chicago man

accused last year of trying to sell bo-gus secur i t ies through social me-dia has turned

By Everloyce McCullough Voters will cast again their choices for

the special election for Illinois' 2nd con-

gressional district on April 9, 2013, to fill

a seat in the United States House of Rep-

resentatives after Congressman Jesse

Jackson, Jr. resigned on November 21,

2012.

Robin Kelly is the winner of the Democ-

ratic primary and Paul McKinley won the

Republican Primary. LeAlan Jones, who

ran unopposed in the Green Party pri-

mary, gained the nomination. As Marcus

Lewis the Independent, and just weeks


Outraged Civil Protest includes

actions at CPS Leaders Homes As students, teachers and staff on spring break protested against the plan

for Chicago Public School attempt to close the district's $1 billion budget

deficit by closing 54 schools.

Schools Chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett released the list of closures ahead

of the March 31 state-mandated deadline. "As a former teacher and principal

and as a mother and grandmother, CEO Byrd-Bennett knows that consolidating


By Chinta Strausberg

If you are in a gang, then you are committing terrorist

acts against the community, said Minister Dewayne

Glover a member of the Concerned of the Faith Commu-

nity and the Salvation Church of God Church, during an

interview late Thursday night on WVON’s Ciff Kelley

show.

Glover, who is also the assistant program director at

WYCA, said if LAPD can put up $1 million to go after

former policeman Christopher Dorner, who allegedly

killed four people including officers, Glover asked,

“What can we do in the city of Chicago over these

gangs?


Innocent youth

from the 6 month

old baby to the

shooting death of

a 15-year-old

Chicago honor

student, as others

not account for

t h e m a n y

wounded daily,

has the Chicago

Police returning

for more solutions

to the violence.

One of which

Mayo r Rham

Emanuel and Po-

lice Superinten-

d e n t G a r r y

McCarthy reas-

signment of approximately 200 police officers from adminis-

trative positions to Area Headquarters. And reported Chicago


The killings in Chicago has tipped Clergy, Community Leaders, Politicians, Block Clubs, and the general public sending many messages

that the violence has to stop. From marches to gun and bullet turn-ins, increase in summer jobs for youth, and now again the National

Guard. In the midst of solutions to the violence, the White House has sent Chicago over $50 million to address the violence.

The Black Women’s Expo 2013 Headliners Kim Coles, Faith

Evans, Dick Greg-ory, Tamela Mann, Sherri

Shepherd, Dr. Ian Smith, Keith

Sweat and Susan Taylor part of

star-studded ros-ter for April 5-7


100 Percent: All Seniors

to Four-Year Universities For the first time, 100 percent of the graduating seniors from

Urban Prep’s Englewood campus and the inaugural graduating

class from its West campus, all African-American males, have

accomplished what some thought would be impossible, but


Jones McKinley Kelly

The Reception Friday, May 3, 2013

and Summit Saturday May 18, 2013

The Quarry, 2425 East 75th St On the first Black

Wall Street District In Chicago

Resolution by the Sen. Donne Trotter

Continue on page 6

Continue on page 8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LeAlanJones.jpg

Page 2 April 4—17, 2013 South Street Journal

South Street Journal Jarrell Communications Inc.

Publisher and Editor: Ron Carter Writers: Chinta Strausberg, Sonja

Predue, Donnell Robinson, Sonja Purdue, Correspondent: Carl West, National; Kam Williams,

Marketing Associate: Sonja Perdue, Chicago’s Black Business

Network South Street Journal Chicago, IL 60616 South Suburb office 18419 S. Halsted, Glenwood Plaza Glenwood, Illinois 773.668.5318 E-mail: [email protected] Copies of SSJ are free, except special

request drop offs and for streethawk-

ers, street hawkers $1 each. Copyright

2013. All rights reserved. SSJ assumes

no responsibility to return unsolicited

editorial or graphic material. All rights

in letters and unsolicited editorial or

graphic material will be treated as

unconditionally assigned for publica-

tion and copyright purposes. Material

may be printed without written permis-

sion, upon credit given to SSJ.

Could Cardinal Peter Kodwao

Appiah Turkson of Ghana

been the first African Pope?

The “Rock” Charles Dutton be held to

making a movie on Harold Washington and

on the Black Wall Street of Tulsa Oko-

homo as he said on the Chicago’s Black

Business Network, radio program? He said

he could play the role of Harold to the ‘T’.

Marc Loveless says, For purpose of clarity the NAACP South Side

Branch of the NAACP lead by Rose Joshua was dissolved as a

Illinois organization. They not only failed to file the correct paper

work with the Secretary of State office, but they have not filed

documents with the Attorney General's office to allow them to

solicit funds. As a result the Illinois Secretary of State's Office dis-

solved the organization in 2009. A group of members have come

together to reorganize the NAACP South Side Branch and have the

organization to be compliant and consistent with the ideals of the

NAACP, Sounds like the internal stuff of Black Wall Street Chi-

cago, dropped by Mark Allen.

Will Sandi Jackson join the alderman she helped removed William Bea-

vers? A moving company was at the home of

former Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., 2559 E.

72nd St.,. Reliable sources say the moving com-

pany is possibly moving him to Washington,

D.C.

….For another Jackson family drama,...Jury

selection began in a lawsuit filed by Michael

Jackson's mother against the promoter of the

late pop star's planned comeback concerts.

Michael Jackson possibly doing an article for

the entertainment services for South Street Jour-

nal? Oh that’s Jovan Carter Dancer / Tribute

Artist offer to the community.

City Counsel ward changes are not

over yet. LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOT-

ERS OF CHICAGO, ) JODI BIANCA-

LANA, BRUCE CROSBY, ) WILLIAM

K. CROSBY, STEPHANIE CRO-

WELL, ) IGNAZIA ANGELA DAIDONE, JIM IGNA-

TOWSKI, ) GERALD A. JUDGE, AMELIA KABAT, ERNIE )

LUKASIK, KEITH MCDONALD, ROBERT MCKAY, ) No.

13-cv-2455 LYNN SEERMON, PATRICIA SWINDLE, and )

ALONSO ZARAGOZA, ) Plaintiffs, ) Jury Demanded v. )

CITY OF CHICAGO, a municipal corporation, ) the defen-

dant, the City of Chicago, is acting under color of law to

deny plaintiffs their right to vote.

The big 100 years will be for Webb Evans this year on

79th Street Black Wall Street District

They was a meeting with the City of Chicago contract

procurement off and question raised on the contracts still

up in the air for Black Chicagoans.

IDES Recovers $44 Million from Unemployment Cheats. In 2012, more than $44 million was recovered from 20,000 people who wrongfully

collected unemployment insurance, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) said Federal

tax returns were confiscated from those who refused IDES’

offer of a repayment plan.

So far this year, IDES has asked the Internal Revenue Service

to seize an additional $226 million from 71,000 people who

either purposefully defrauded the IDES or should have known

they were not entitled to the temporary benefits.

“Not only are we criminally prosecuting benefit fraud, this

shows we are fighting to claw back the money,” IDES Director

Jay Rowell said. “Every dollar we get back means businesses

will pay less in taxes so they can use that money to hire more employees and help grow our economy.”

This is the second year that IDES can garnish federal tax returns following reforms enacted in 2011.

The initiatives to fight fraud, increase tax fairness and reduce costs for businesses are part of Gov. Pat

Quinn’s plan to improve the state’s climate for job creation and strengthen the Illinois economy.

Protecting the integrity of the Trust Fund is paramount. Money that pays for unemployment insur-

ance benefits comes from a business payroll tax. The Trust Fund’s balance is among the factors consid-

ered when determining the payroll tax amount. The lower the Fund balance, the higher the payroll tax.

Unemployment insurance’s temporary dollars most often pay for essentials at the neighborhood gro-

cery, gas station and clothing store, thereby supporting the local economy. Every $1 in unemployment

insurance benefits generates about $1.63 in economic activity.

Potential boycott of Schaumburg is brewing after

village official brags about their murder rate National Block

Club University (NBCU) reached out to the people of Schaumburg and Elgin seeking

widespread help for the anti-volience efforts. A media contact from Schaumburg for-

warded the request to the Village of Schaumburg’s Information Officer, responded to the

fact that Schaumburg has enjoyed only 3 murders in 7 years and issued a deadline of one

week to remove the title Schaumburg off of NBCU’s website. Totally shocked at the level

of insensitivity, the founder of National Block Club University, Syron Smith, responded

with a letter to the six trustees and the village president asking for an apology for the lack

of concern being displayed to a fellow American. With no response of the lack of compas-

sion from this administration. NBCU will focus on a petition drive from 20 neighborhoods

in Chicago to possibly boycott spending in the Village. National Block Club University is

an Illinois not for profit since 2003 designed to combat violence across 167 of America’s

most dangerous neighborhoods block by block. Additional information Syron Smith 312

405-8844 or email him at [email protected].

Aldermen Sawyer supports “No TV Week 2013 Alderman

Roderick T. Sawyer of the Sixth (6th) Ward is supporting No TV Week 2013. No TV Week is happening April 8-12

and is a project sponsored by Acts of Love which was founded by 6th Ward resident William E. Hall. The sixth

ward has partnered with Acts of Love previously on high successful book drives. For one week they are asking

families to not watch any television and do events as a family. “No TV Week is week

for imagination and love to saturate homes across Chicago,” William Hall said.

“Turning off the television for one week, and spending time as a family will start

what we hope are new family traditions that can improve the character of young peo-

ple and the conditions of homes across the City of Chicago."

Alderman Sawyer joins at least 3 public schools, multiple community organiza-

tions and a growing number of residents in supporting No TV Week. “At a time

where there are so many issues going on in our community,” Alderman Sawyer said,

“ there is no better time for a project that focuses on re-establishing family connec-

tions.” The family events for the week are:· Monday – Arts and Crafts, · Tuesday –

Cook Together, · Wednesday – Family History Night

· Thursday – Story Time, · Friday – Game Night

Aysha Butler, President of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood

(R.A.G.E.) who is supporting the event added, "R.A.G.E. is in complete support for of No TV week because too

often our young people are being raised by reality shows, videos, etc. who does not always have their best interest in

mine. No TV week will give families and young people the opportunity to genuinely connect without any distrac-

tions, which we feel should happen more frequently especially in our communities."

You can find more information about No TV Week 2013 at www.NoTVWeek.com

Black Firefighter's Museum, The City Council recently approved an ordi-

nance that leases the vacant firehouse located at 5349 S. Wabash Avenue on a $1, 10 year lease to Mor-

ris Davis, retired firefighter and founder of the museum. The museum will honor black firefighters and

their many contributions and inventions towards firefighting and is set to open next year.

City Vehicle Sticker Overhaul. City Clerk Mendoza introduced legislation that will

mark the first major overhaul of City Vehicle Stickers in 100 years. The ordinance authorizes the Clerk's Office to

transition from seasonal City Sticker sales to Year-Round sales. This year will be the last time residents receive a

June-to-June sticker. The first phase will be focused on educating the public about the upcoming changes to be im-

plemented in 2014.

This legislation is the start of phase one of the Year-Round Sticker

Sales Program, an unprecedented educational outreach effort to

every Chicago driver. One aspect of this will be the 1.3 million re-

newal forms we will send out this spring notifying Chicagoans of

the upcoming changes to City Vehicle Sticker sales and how it will

impact them.

In 2013, the Clerk's Office will be asking residents on their renewal

forms for their email and VIN, or Vehicle Identification Number. In

2014 - during the second phase of the transition to Year-Round sales

- City vehicle owners will be assigned a new sticker expiration

month based on a vehicle's Illinois State License Plate Registration

expiration. There will be a six-month offset between the expiration

of license plate registrations and Vehicle Stickers to help households

budget for vehicle costs. Senior motorists over the age of 65 will not be affected by these changes and will remain

on a June-to-June schedule.


The U.S. Department of La-bor making availability ap-

proximately $26 million in

grants to improve the long-term

labor market prospects of youth

involved in the juvenile justice

system. The “Face Forward”

grants are designed to give

youth a chance at success by

offering support services,and

skills development that can help

them obtain employment and

overcome the stigma of a juve-

nile record. Approximately 26

grants of up to $1 million each

will be awarded to serve juve-

nile offenders between the ages

of 16 and 24. Eligible partici-

pants must be between ages 16

and 24, and must have been

involved in or currently in-

volved in the juvenile justice

system or be candidates for

state juvenile diversion pro-

grams. The solicitation for

grant applications, which in-

cludes information about how

to apply, is available at http://

www.grants.gov.

Free Youth Summer Program, Coppin AME's

Freedom School is offering free summer programs for youth. The six week program runs from July 1, 2013 to August 9, 2013 and features academics, activi-ties, recreation, and meals/nutrition. To register or to get more information, please contact ( 7 7 3 ) 6 6 7 - 5 8 8 1 o r [email protected] visit www.coppiname.org.

April 20, An All Prison

Ministries Holistic Con-ference. Prison and Jail Minis-

tries of Rainbow PUSH Coali-tion and Hope Outreach Life Ministries. St. Paul CME Church (4644 S. Dearborn),, noon to 3:30pm

April 20; Home Expo The

Chesterfield Community Council is presenting this event where services and seminars will be available to assist Chicago resi-dents with home preservation and purchasing. Topics will in-clude: Home Improvement loans, Loan Modification, Fore-closure Prevention, Flooding

Prevention, Senior Housing, and H o m e b u y e r I n i t i a t i v e s /Assistance. For information, (773) 651-3958 or visit www.chesterfieldcommunitycouncil.org. Tuley Park (90th/King), from 10am to 1pm

Saturday, April 27, Malcolm X College Community Jobs Program. Dawson

Technical Institute offers every-thing you need to land a job in construction. Training programs are available in bricklaying, con-struction carpentry, concrete masonry, plumbing, fire protec-tion, and combination welding. Day and evening classes are available. Register by calling (773) 451-2000 or by visiting Dawson Technical Institute (3901 S. State) Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. Visit www.ccc.edu . THE NEXT"Every Child Needs A Savings Account" on the Southside! Where: Mar-quette Bank, 6316 S. Western Avenue, Chicago, : 10 A.M. – Noon. For Complete Event De-tails, Information About The $25 Match Deposit, The $25 Gift Card and Registration. The Monroe Foundation, (773) 315- 9 7 2 0 . www.themonroefoundation.org, A community collaboration with Marquette Bank, Bank On Chicago, and MoneySmart Week.

Monday, April 29, Alderman Dowell to Host Red Line Construction Update with CTA Officials, Alder-

man Pat Dowell will host an update on the CTA Red line Construction project with CTA officials at Greater Harvest Bap-

tist Church. CTA officials will provide an update on the final plans for the shutdown of the Red Line scheduled to begin in May 2013. Greater Harvest Bap-tist Church (5141 S. State Street), 6pm.

PERSONAL CREATIONS -

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To redeem this offer, visit

www.PersonalCreations.com/fun or

Call

1-888-716-1161

BY JESSE JACKSON

A pril 4 will mark the

45th year since the as-

sassination of Dr. Mar-

tin Luther King at the Lorraine

Motel in Memphis. Dr. King,

39, at the time, has now been

gone from us longer than he was

with us. A monument celebrates

his life on the mall in Washing-

ton. He is remembered as the

man with a dream at the March

on Washington.

In 1968, however, Dr. King

was far from the favored celeb-

rity he is today. He was under

fierce criticism for opposing the

war in Vietnam. Former col-

leagues were scorning his com-

mitment to nonviolence. When

he went to Memphis, headlines

called him “Chicken a la King.”

The St. Louis Globe-Democrat

termed him “one of the most

menacing men in America to-

day.” The FBI was planning

COINTELPRO operations to

spread rumors about him and

discredit him.

The civil rights movement

had succeeded in ending legal segregation. The

Voting Rights Act had been passed. But Dr. King

knew that his greatest challenges were still ahead

as he turned his focus to poverty and equal oppor-

tunity. The war on poverty was being lost in the

jungles of Vietnam as war consumed the resources

needed.

Dr. King went to Memphis to support African-

American sanitation workers who were striking for

equal pay and for a union. His first nonviolent

march there was disrupted when some of the

marchers started breaking into and looting stores.

King decided to return to Memphis because he

believed that nonviolence was now on trial.

Dr. King was focused on organizing a Poor Peo-

ple’s Campaign to march on Washington, reaching

out to impoverished white miners, Hispanic farm-

workers, Native Americans, the urban poor. Injus-

tice anywhere, Dr. King preached, was a threat to

justice everywhere.

Dr. King decried the unemployment that was so

crippling to the black community. But he also

knew, even then, that a job no longer guaranteed a

way out of poverty. “Most of the poverty-stricken

people of America,” he said, “are persons who are

working every day and they end up getting part-

time wages for full-time work.”

So Dr. King went to Memphis to march with sani-

tation workers — and there his life was taken from

him.

Now, 45 years later, his last mission is still un-

fulfilled. One in five children in America are at

risk of going without adequate nutrition. One in

three African-American children. Forty-six million

Americans are in poverty. More than 20 million

people are in need of full-time work. African-

American unemployment remains twice the rate of

whites.

Dr. King knew that these conditions would not

change unless working people and the poor joined

across lines of race and religion and region to de-

mand justice. Nothing would change unless people

disrupted business as usual, with nonviolent pro-

test, expressing their own humanity while exposing

the inhumanity of the current arrangements.

On April 4, many will remember Dr. King. The

news programs will rebroadcast parts of his ser-

mon the night before he was shot when he prom-

ised those gathered that they would “get to the

promised land” although “I might not get there

with you.”

The way to remember Dr. King is to pick up the

struggle. Poverty and inequality, he taught us, are a

threat to democracy and to freedom. And only non-

violent engagement by people of good conscience

joining with those who are afflicted can possibly

drive the change we need.

Today, inequality has reached even greater ex-

tremes. Wages are sinking, poverty is spreading. In

this rich nation, poor children go hungry. The Poor

People’s Campaign that was lost in the wake of

war and the assassinations of Martin Luther King

and Robert Kennedy is needed now more than

ever.


Gallup's annual survey on Consumption Habits*, finds that Americans report that they have tried to lose weight an average of seven times in their lives. This includes 24% of Americans who have tried to lose weight once or twice, 28% who have tried between 3 and 10 times, and 11% who have tried more than 10 times.

Obsession, slow metabolism and high-calorie food are a deadly combination for weight gain. But most people don't know how to get over the hump, below are 3 tips that one can implement this. It takes about 30 seconds to eat 150 calories of cookies but a mile and a half of jogging to burn it off. Getting stuffed at an all-you-can-eat buffet fills the stomach with 4,000 calories. To burn off that many calories would re-quire 40 miles of jog-ging. Instead, we spend much of the day sitting in front of a computer, TV or driving. The end result is inevitable …weight gain, but CF4L has a solution.

Fast 1 day a week- Try this for 4 weeks. The form of fasting that I'm speaking of is where you don't eat anything. Yep, for one whole day or a half of day and just drink water. It will be the longest day of your life but it works. Some people are thinking, "how could I go an entire day without eating, I will die."

Think about it, every where in the world people are starving to death, really starving and you have been trying to lose those same 30, 40, 50lbs for years. There are women who are trying to lose there baby w e i g h t a n d t h e r e k i d has graduated college.

Day in and day out, everyday, 365 days a year. Food is con-trolling your life, you are ob-sessed with food, some people are snacking while reading this email. Don't eat breakfast, don't eat lunch, 1 day a week for a month and learn that you can live without overeating but can't live with it!

Say no to sweets- The worst offenders of weight gain are starches, fats, and refined sug-ars. Since the biggest part of our

diet is starch in the form of breakfast cereal, cookies, cakes, pies, chips and bread, it has the greatest impact on weight gain. This isn't a nibble here or a bite there, for 28 days no sweets at all. This is not for life.

From a weight loss perspec-tive SWEETS:

Can add a lot of empty calories to our diet.

Increases our blood sugar and insulin levels which can cause our bodies to begin storing and stop burning fat.

· Can cause an insulin drop (following a surge) which can leave us feeling tired and hungry (usually for something else very sweet).

· Needs valuable vita-mins and minerals to digest which our bodies draw from

existing stores re-served for other roles such as fat burning and muscle building. · May replace other foods that are high in vitamins,

minerals and other important nutrients in our diet.

Drink more water- 8 glasses of water for someone who is 120lbs works differently than for someone who is 280lbs. Just keep bottled war in your car, in your purse, or on your person and you will do just fine. Keep water at your desk, invest in a water bottle and keep filling it up. In fact go get a glass of water right now!

How Water helps you lose weight:

· Water maintains proper kidney function, which increases the efficiency of the kidney's fat burning ability

· water acts as an appe-tite suppressant, when the aver-age person feels hungry they are really just dehydrated

· water intake reduces water retention, I know this may sound crazy but it actually does

· water helps improve the efficiency of a workout by help-ing your body perform at opti-mum level

· water increase your energy throughout the day, be-cause most people have never been hydrated they don't realize the difference it makes in energy levels

Exercise Basics by Brenda Gaines Hunter, PhD

NSCA-CPT, NASM-FNS, ACE-

GEL

Y ou might be wondering,

"What really are the

benefits of exercise and

how do I get started?"

Exercise improves basic fitness:

1.Body composition,

2.Cardiovascular endurance,

3.Muscular strength,

4.Muscular endurance, and

Flexibility.

Exercise causes our bodies to

produce endorphins, the feel good

hormones. Endorphins can relive

depression, raise self-esteem and

improve sleep quality.

Exercise causes our hearts to

enlarge and our lungs to process

oxygen more efficiently,

which gives us more en-

ergy. The increased blood

flow can makes us look

more vibrant, too.

Exercise helps us to

lose weight or maintain

our weight, which lowers

our chances of develop-

ing diabetes, hyperten-

sion, arthritis, sleep apnea, cancer, and heart dis-

ease.

Exercise combats muscle loss and strengthens

our bones. Being able to hold ourselves up and

move improves our balance and flexibility.

Before beginning a routine, check with your doc-

tor to make sure that you have no limitations. Once

you are good to go, cardio, resistance training, and

flexibility exercises need to be a part of your rou-

tine.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

recommends that adults engage in 75 to 150 min-

utes of aerobic exercise per week, depending on

intensity, and work every muscle twice.

Cardio is also known as aerobics. Cardio exer-

cises include jogging, jumping rope, biking, swim-

ming, and dancing. Cardio forces our hearts to

work harder. Over time, they increase in size,

which allows them to push more oxygen and other

nutrients into our bloodstreams and to our organs

and limbs faster. That lowers our heart rates.

Resistance training is exercise that uses

weight to cause muscle contractions.

Stretching resistance bands, lifting

dumbbells and barbells, as well as doing

body weight exercises -- push-ups and

squats, is resistance training. Resistance

training strengthens our bones, improves

our balance and flexibility, when we lift

through the full range of motion, and

makes us strong. It does not cause bulg-

ing muscles unless we train for that.

Hear that women?!

When first starting out, give yourself a

chance to get used to exercising. One of

the best cardio exercises to begin with is

walking. All you need is a good

pair of shoes. You can build

more walking into your daily

routine. Park farther away from

your destination. Get off the bus

a few blocks from the office.

Take the stairs.

Your body weight is likely all

you need to begin a resistance

program. You can do push-ups,

sit-ups, crunches, squats, lunges, walk up and down

stairs, and do triceps dips. You can later add resis-

tance bands. Resistance bands are fairly inexpen-

sive and a good set can provide all of the resistance

you would ever need.

There you have it! For more fit tips, follow my

column. Have questions, tweet me @ hashtag

#southstreet. Your question might be the subject of

an article. Short exercise videos will also be posted

to support all "how-to" articles. See you there.


schools can be emotional and difficult,

but by doing so we will be able to pro-

vide students with a quality, 21st-

century education they deserve." a

spokesperson said.

The closings affect 30,000 CPS stu-

dents and parents. CPS said the consoli-

dation would make it possible to move

children to higher-performing schools

that have the resources the community

would want all their kids to have access

to - to help them achieve and succeed.

Those redirected resources include air

conditioning, up-to-date science and

computer technology, libraries, counsel-

ing and social support. However, many

groups protested CPS direction.

The Chicago Teachers Union Presi-

dent Karen Lewis said, “School closings

are the largest amount ever closed at one

time in any city in America. Parents and

community members are outraged that

Barbara Byrd-Bennett, Mayor Rahm Emanuel

and the Board of Education would even think of

closings that many schools, especially amidst

the current climate

of youth violence.

Most of the

campuses are in

the Black commu-

nity. Since 2001

88% of students

impacted by CPS

School Actions are

African-American.

“And this is by

design .” sa id

Lewis.

“These actions

u n n e c e s s a r i l y

expose our stu-

dents to gang vio-

lence, turf wars

and peer-to-peer

conflict. Some of

our students have

been seriously

injured as a result

of school clos-

ings.”

Lewis added

“There is no safety

plan. There is no

t r a n s p o r t a t i o n

plan. The city has

already raised

CTA fares and

now they expect parents to put their five-year-

old on a crowded city bus in order for them to

get to school, when they used to be able to walk

to a school in their neighborhood. The way this

is being done is an insult and it is disrespectful.

A group called "Chicago Students Organiz-

ing to Save Our Schools" protest at 125 South

Clark Street then

marched to City

Hall to deliver a

letter to Mayor

Rahm Emanuel.

Action Now par-

ents and community

members held a

“School Board Bul-

lies Bus Tour” at the

homes of three CPS

members.

The first stop was

at the home of CPS

member Andrea

Zopp at 10920 S.

Oakley Ave in Chi-

cago. Zopp is the

President of the

Chicago Urban

League which pro-

tectors say the CUL

leader is going

against the mission

for economic, edu-

cational and social

progress for African

Americans by de-

ciding to support the

closing of at least 50

schools, the major-

ity of which are in

African-American communities.

The bus went on to Board of Education

President David Vitale’s house, 4925 S. Wood-

lawn, then continue to Penny Pritzker’s home at

1875 N. Orchard.

At each Board member’s home, protesters

spoke against school closings, with chants and

signs and left information at surrounding

neighbors’ homes. They also placed suspension

notice yard signs at their homes.

One protester charged CPS board members

“bullying parents, students, teachers and com-

munity members by forcing

the implementation of failed

policies that harm public

education in Chicago.”

Young, President of Action

Now commented, “Hearing

that they want to close that

many schools is appalling.

They will be putting our kids

in danger, hurting their educa-

tion and leaving huge build-

ings abandoned where we

know that vandalism and

illegal activity will take place.

The Board of Ed is so out of

touch with the people of Chi-

cago and we are going to

stand up and fight back

against this decision by the

Mayor and CPS.”

Lewis said at a news con-

ference regarding proposed

school closings: “We are

standing here today in the

beautiful Mahaila Jackson

elementary school in Auburn-

Gresham neighborhood. This school was named

for one of the greatest gospel singers in our

nation’s history, a woman who sang at Dr. Mar-

tin Luther King, Jr.’s funeral, a woman who

was instrumental in our Civil Rights struggle.”

S h e w e n t o n t o s a y ,

“Unfortunately, we are gathered

here today not to talk about this

pioneer. We are standing here

because this school, along with

scores of others, has been targeted

for closure by Mayor Rahm

Emanuel’s Chicago Public School

district.

“Closing 50 of our neighborhood

schools is outrageous and no soci-

ety that claims to care anything

about its children can sit back and

allow this to happen to them.

There is no way people of con-

scious will stand by and allow

these people to shut down nearly a

third of our school district without

putting up a fight.

Bill Dock Walls who ran against

Emmanuel in 2010 said, “When

Daley shut down the projects with

no viable plan for the safe tempo-

rary relocation of residents or ultimate restora-

tion of those people indigenous to those com-

munities, our youth once again, be forced to

navigate inherently dangerous streets. Sadly,

this reckless wave of school closures is likely to

result in an increase in the murder rate. Chicago

is a city

“Enough with the lies and public

deception: School closings will not

save money and taxpayers will not

see costs benefits in two years.

Why? Because vibrant school com-

munities will be quickly transformed

into abandon buildings, neighbor-

hood eyesores and public safety

hazards.

“The bottom line is the schools tar-

geted for closure are based on the

racial makeup of those schools and

their zip codes,” Lewis said. “We

will continue to plead our cause,

fight in the courts and in the streets

for what is right for our students and

our communities.

As thousands of parents, students,

teachers, paraprofessionals and

school clinicians attended various

hearings across the city where they

presented evidence that their schools

were not being “underutilized” and

begged for them not to be closed.

Despite the outcry, the CPS listened

instead to a politically-connected, ad

-hoc commission she created and has since

recommended 61 school actions, including the

closings.

(Continued from page 1)

Barbara Byrd-Bennett makes the announcement of school closing as Mayor Rahm Emanuel looks on. William Dock Walls former mayoral candidate call the actions Sadly, this reckless wave of

school closures.

Action Now parents and community members held a “School Board Bullies Bus Tour” at the homes of three CPS board members.

The Chicago Teachers

Union President Karen

Lewis said. “Most of

the campuses

are in the Black

community. ...

“And this is by

design.”


what has be-

come tradition at

Urban Prep –

every single one

of Urban Prep’s

167 seniors has

been accepted to

a four-year col-

lege or univer-

sity.

T h r o u g h o u t

the year, Urban

Prep seniors

ceremoniously

exchange their

red ties for a

special red and

gold striped de-

sign as they re-

ceive college

acceptance let-

ters. At this

event, the sen-

iors most recently admitted to college will exchange their

ties and join their classmates who have already received

this honor. In addition to the entire student body of Urban

Prep’s Englewood and West

Campuses, students from Urban

Prep’s Bronzeville campus will

attend the assembly to honor

their “brothers.”

Urban Prep will also an-

nounced a $150,000 donation

from Citi Foundation to support

Urban Prep’s Alumni Affairs

Program, which supports Urban

Prep’s approximately 300 gradu-

ates enrolled in college.

Urban Prep leadership and

students will be available for

media questions.

Urban Prep Academies was

founded in 2002 by Tim King

and a group of African-

American education, business

and civic leaders who wanted to

improve the educational opportu-

nities available to urban boys. In

2005, this nonprofit organization

was approved to open Urban

Prep Charter Academy for

Young Men – Englewood Cam-

pus. Urban Prep is the country's

first charter public high school

for boys. Since accepting its first

class in the fall of 2006, Urban

Prep has been recognized inter-

nationally for its success in im-

proving the academic, social and emotional development

of urban young men. Urban Prep now operates three

schools in Chicago. 100% of Urban Prep's graduates have

been admitted to college. The Urban Prep Motto is We

Believe.


The Emil Jones Jr. Youth Founda-

tion, headed by former Illinois Sen-

ate President Emil Jones Jr., this

January presented the Chicago State

University (CSU) Foundation with a

$200,000 gift creating the Emil

Jones, Jr. Scholarship Fund for stu-

dents who need financial support to

continue and complete their educa-

tion. In celebration of the donation,

the Foundation will host a special

reception on Friday, March 29 in

honor of the former legislator’s gen-

erous gift. The reception will begin

at 5:30 on the 4th floor of the CSU

Library.

The Emil Jones Jr. Scholarship

Fund will be an endowment that will

provide monetary scholarships in-

tended to improve the educational

experience and support services for

CSU student-scholars. The average

cost of tuition for a student attending

the University is approximately

$11,000 a year and the funds from

the endowment will assist students in

completing their educational goals.

“President Jones is a long-time

advocate of education and we are

very grateful for this gift that will

make it possible for countless num-

bers of CSU students to attain an

education into perpetuity” said Mau-

rice Grant, chairman of the CSU

Foundation Board of Directors. Jones

was a supporter for continuing state

appropriations for education during

his long Senate career. “Education is

the great equalizer”, says Jones.

“Anytime we can provide opportuni-

ties for students to succeed we must

do that. This endowment is my way

of supporting students and the posi-

tive impact the University is making

in our state’s education community.”

Jones has been a long time sup-

porter of Chicago State University

where he was awarded a Doctor of

Humane Letters in 2004. In 2007,

CSU named the 7,000-seat multi-

purpose convocation center in honor

of Jones and his late wife. (Emil and

Patricia Jones Convocation Center)

“In today's environment, with

continuous cuts in federal and state

funding for both students and public

institutions, students have become

more dependent upon scholarships

from their university”, said CSU

President Dr. Wayne D. Watson.

“We are humbled and grateful for

President Jones’ support and how

this gift will touch the lives of untold

thousands here on our campus."

For information on how you can

support Chicago State University

visit the CSU Foundation or call 773-

995-3839

around and filed a $1 billion

lawsuit against the Securities and

Exchange Commission, alleging

defamation of character, slander,

libel and undue hardship.

Anthony Fields, who lives on

Chicago's North Side, filed his law-

suit in the U.S. District

Court in the Northern

District of Illinois on

Feb. 19.

The SEC declined to

comment to the Chicago

Tribune.

Last year, the SEC

alleged in an administra-

tive proceeding that

Fields had fraudulently

used LinkedIn to pro-

mote fictitious "bank guarantees"

and "medium-term notes." It also

said Fields lacked the credentials to

sell securities. His postings drew

interest from potential buyers, but

the SEC allegations didn't claim that

Fields succeeded in selling any

through his two sole proprietorships.

The SEC said he also provided false

information about assets under man-

agement, clients and background

through a website.

In December 2012, Fields said in

his lawsuit, an SEC administrative

law judge issued an initial order

dismissing an alleged violation over

not having a written code of ethics,

but fined him $150,000 for violating

securities regulations and prohibited

him from becoming a broker or

investment adviser.

"However, the order was vague

and failed to address the allegations

of selling fraudulent secu-

rities or trying to buy and

sell fictitious securities on

social media," Fields said

in his lawsuit. He is repre-

senting himself. The SEC

"did not produce any secu-

rities that would be consid-

ered fraudulent."

He said his reputation as

a businessman and ac-

countant has been ruined, and

his family and friends -- who

are now supporting him financially -

- embarrassed. Fields cited more

than a dozen news outlets, including

the Chicago Tribune and South

Street Journal (12/2012), that wrote

about the SEC's action. He said he

has been unable to open a bank ac-

count, get a job or pay child support.

He is seeking a jury trial and a

total of $1 billion in damages.


100 Percent: All Seniors to Four-Year Universities

$Billion law suit

Anthony Fields,


Police Seize More than 1,220 Guns in

First Nine Weeks of 2013 of the De-

partment’s recent strategic saturation

initiative what they say is producing

positive results in areas plagued by

violence.

Superintendent McCarthy high-

lighted several notable arrests in the

last week that illustrate the Depart-

ment’s ongoing efforts to confiscate

firearms and combat

violence involving

guns, gangs and drugs.

“Chicago Police are

working hard to remove

illegal guns from our

streets and protect our

neighborhoods,” said

Superintendent Garry F.

McCarthy. “The pace at

which we are removing

guns from our commu-

nities demonstrates the

need for common sense

gun safety laws and mandatory mini-

mums for gun crimes to keep our

City safe.”

The redeployment comes, Emanuel

says, after multiple audits determined

that additional administrative respon-

sibilities should be handled by civil-

ians and not sworn personnel.

“Since our first week in office, we

have been focused on moving police

officers onto the beat and working

directly in our commu-

nities,” said Emanuel.

Officers begin to be

transferred in February,

and all 200 will be

moved from depart-

ment headquarters and

district offices into

patrol position by

March 31.

Addressing crime

with pray, more than

100 Chicago-area

churches and their pastors are asking

congregants and residents to pray

simultaneously citywide in neighbor-

hoods and on street corners where

2012 homicide victims were gunned

down on. Friday, April 5, 2013 start-

ing at 7 p.m.

At various locations across Chi-

cago, among them the most violent

communities of 2012: Austin, Rose-

land, Englewood and Douglas Park.

Lead organizer Rev. James Meeks,

pastor, Salem Baptist Church, will

lead a prayer group at 111th and

Michigan in the Roseland commu-

nity, where 24 people were killed last

year.

On the State level fed up with the

rising violence in Chicago, Rep.

Mary Flowers (D-31st) is introducing

a bill that would include a GPS track-

ing device in all guns.

“This would work the same way as

our cell phones that way we will

know where the guns are coming

from and who has it,” said Flowers.

“We will then know the good vs. the

bad,” she said.

Flowers made her

remarks a week after the

funeral of 15-year-old

Hadiya Pendleton.

“Where are these guns

coming from,” asked

Flowers. Until we cut

off the gun supply, this

violence will con-

tinue.“The only way this

violence will end is for

these youth to get a job,

and get a better educa-

tional system,” said

Flowers who explained she is having

the bill drafted.

“We know all of the good people

who are law abiding citizens, but we

don’t know the bad guys.”Referring

to her bill, Flowers said, “All guns

would have a tracking mechanism,”

Flowers stated

addition, the Mayor announced a

coalition from Chicago’s business

and philanthropy sectors will aim to

raise $50 million to pay

for community-based

programs that serve at-

risk youth. The initiative

also includes stacks of

committees.

Emanuel’s business and

philanthropic “action

committee” will include

an “advisory committee”

of community leaders,

researchers and criminal

justice practitioners who

will draw “input” from residents in

neighborhoods.

Specifically, the business commu-

nity challenge will support mentor-

ing, intervention and conflict resolu-

tion programs, provide seed funding

for new programs, and work to re-

build community supports in

neighborhoods most impacted by

violence.

The committee will measure pro-

gram success in terms of its impact

on individual behavior and school

achievement levels, as well as cost-

effectiveness and reduction in violent

crime across the city.

The strategic saturation initiative

focuses on 10 areas in the City with

the most violent crime. While the

areas represent 1.6 percent of the

City’s landmass, they account for 10

percent of the violence. Each night

there are 200 more officers on the

streets in these areas, made possible

through an overtime initiative.

“Strategic saturation is another

method of protecting public safety,

and to date it’s been effective,” said

Superintendent McCarthy. “There

have been no shootings and no mur-

ders in these areas during the times

they’ve been covered through strate-

gic saturation.”


to my people the wall is back on.

In “Panther” as the FBI was

not able to stop the growth of the

Black Panther Party, they went to

the drug dealers. The mod said, ‘let

us have freedom to sell in the

black community, and it will not

only stop the Panthers but any

o t h e r m a j o r

movement of the

Black commu-

nity. as well as

many reports as

recent as The

most serious of-

fense for 237,000

sentenced prison-

ers in state facili-

ties at the end of 2010 was a con-

viction involving illegal drugs. Of

this total: 69,500 (29.3%) were

non-Hispanic white, 105,600

(44.6%) were non-Hispanic black

and 47,800 (20.2%) were His-

panic.

The custody incarceration rate

for black males was 4,618 per

100,000. Hispanic males were

incarcerated at a rate of 1,747 per

100,000. Compared to the esti-

mated numbers of black, white,

and Hispanic males in the U.S.

resident population, black males (6

times) and Hispanic males (a little

more than 2 times) were more

likely to be held in custody than

white males. At midyear 2007 the

estimated incarceration rate of

white males was 773 per 100,000.

Fictional as the Godfather movie

is, the Panther movie is based on

facts in the works of the FBI to

dismantle the Black Panther Party

and the movement it started inter-

national.

“Back in the 1920’s and 1930’s

when they had all of the other gangs,

what did they do? It was a federal

offense. The feds came in and got all

of those gang members who were

white at that time. They rid the city

of all of the Al Capone’s of that

day.”

Kelley said, “As long as the gangs

were killing each other, nobody

cared, but they killed the little news

boys, then they leaned on the presi-

dent and said you have to do some-

thing….”

Glover said gangs are terrorists

against the community. “We have to

change the law that allows us to go

after them in a different fashion that

brings in the necessary help that the

city needs” to prevent them from

killing innocent youth like Hadiya

Pendleton.

“If this were happening to white

people, it would have been done

with and over with years ago. It

never would have gotten to the place

where it is now because they never

would have stood for it,” said

Glover. “This is something that we

have allowed and because of that it

has festered.”

Accompanying Glover was Rev.

Donald Smith, pastor of the Holy

Jerusalem Church who just released

a record called, “Speak Up” in hopes

of breaking the code of silence, said,

“To fix this problem is really not

that complicated. Who is going to

stand up? These are our children. “

Glover said he will be playing

“Speak Up” on WYCA and said,

“It’s a wake up call to action… I

must be a part of the solution of

what is going on in my city.”

Rev. Smith is hoping that the city

of Chicago will work with them in

stemming crime and that the admini-

stration will embrace his song,

“Speak Up.” “We reached out and

spoke to some people, but they have-

n’t responded.”

He is also working to set up a hot

line number so people will feel com-

fortable in calling in tips when

crimes are committed. Part of the

proceeds from his record will go

towards setting up a reward fund.

“God can do anything, but Fall”.

Leon Daniels, Pastor 821 West 69th Street Bible Study Tuesday 7 pm

Wed 6 pm

Fri. Service 7 pm

Sunday School 9:30 am

Sunday Service 11 am

773-487-9062 [email protected]

No Matter What The Test May Be God Will Take Care of You Join

Bishop Lucius Hall, Pastor

First Church Of Love

and Faith Schedule of Services: Sunday Morning Worship - 11:00 a.m. Sun-

day Evening Live Taping and Broadcast on

WGCI -AM 1390 - 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday Worship Service - 7:30 p.m.

Saturday Channel 25 (Comcast) 7:00 p.m.

(Photo by Chinta Strausberg)

The Black

Women’s Expo

to Host Town

Hall Meeting on

Violence The Black Women’s Expo

(TBWE), presented by State Farm,

will tackle one of the most serious

and persistent issues facing Chi-

cago today during the event at

McCormick Place on Saturday,

April 6. Merry Mitchell, columnist

for the Chicago Sun Times, will

moderate a panel entitled

“Violence in Chicago, the Diagno-

sis and Prognosis”. Mitchell will

lead her panel through a no-holds

barred discussion of the issues

facing the city that have led to

Chicago being a focus of national

attention as it relates to violence

and gun control.

The Town Hall Meeting will be

held from 1:00pm - 3:30pm on

Saturday and features the Honor-

able Dorothy Brown, Cook County

Clerk of the Circuit Court; Brother

Enoch “N.O.C.”, Director and Co-

Creator of Hip-Hop DetoxX; Tio

Hardiman, Director of Cease Fire

Illinois and Creator of the Vio-

lence Interrupter Initiative; Ka-

reem Pender, Senior Director of

Human Capital and Education

Programs; Rev. Dr. Michael Louis

Pfleger, Senior Pastor, The Faith

Community of St. Sabina; Juliana

Stratton, JD, Executive Director of

the Cook County Judicial Advi-

sory Council; Alphonza Wysinger,

1st Deputy Superintendent, Chi-

cago Police Department. The

panelists will touch on why Chi-

cago is losing its children to vio-

lence at an alarming rate and some

strategies for change. Expo atten-

dees are invited to take part in this

critical discussion of the possible

causes and most importantly, the

solutions to saving our children,

families and communities. The

session is free to all Expo atten-

dees.

Dewayne Glover a member of the Concerned of the Faith Com-munity and the Salvation Church of God Church, during an interview late Thursday night on WVON’s Ciff Kelley show.

Rep. Mary Flowers

Police on the streets and gun control

Rev. James Meeks

Utility Bills and

the Boot Dear Editor;

I llinois State Senator Ira Silverstein is

trying to pass a bill that says if you

have an unpaid utility bill in the City

of Chicago, they can boot your car.

If your car is booted, you have 24 hours to

pay the unpaid utility bill and boot fee—

otherwise your car will be towed and im-

pounded. Once that happens you have 21

days to pay the entire utility bill, the boot

fee, the tow fee, and storage fee otherwise

your car will be auctioned off.

Click here to sign my petition opposing

this terrible legislation.

As you can imagine I am pretty livid

about this. How dare a state senator intro-

duce a bill that (right now) only affects the

City of Chicago (most of his district is the

northern suburbs, Skokie, Wilmette, etc.)

and targets the least of us, our seniors liv-

ing off social security, those with low in-

come, unemployed and underemployed?!

No one wants to be in the dark, cold, or

without water—that's why the utility bill is

the first thing people pay when they have

the money. But with the new increase in

city water, this could affect more people

that we realize.

It doesn't matter if you live in a house or

an apartment—if you have a utility bill,

you are affected. Again, this only affects

the City of Chicago, but I'm certain this is

just the testing ground. If we allow this,

it will expand statewide and possibly na-

tionwide, so you don't need to live in the

city to fight against this bill. That's why I

created a petition on SignOn.org to the

Illinois State Senate, which says: Say no

to SB0036, sponsored by Senator Ira

Silverstein, which says that if you fail to

pay your utility bills, your vehicle will be

booted, towed, and sold.

Add your name to this peti-

tion, and then pass it along to

your friends.

Thanks!

–Anthony W. Williams

Accion Business

Loans Dear Editor;

A t Accion we close 35 loans in Feb-

ruary -- almost 2 loans per work-

ing day in this shortest month of

the year. In January we disbursed more

than $200,000 to 31 small business owners

throughout Illinois and Northwest Indiana,

nearly tripling what the team closed in the

same month in 2012.

Our numbers demonstrate that Accion

has seen tremendous growth over the last

few years. We've expanded our staff, sig-

nificantly increased our lending capacity,

and we've established our Core Values.

Our Core Values are more than just

words on a screen. They are meant to de-

RC: This is the

week we are in

memory of your

life on this day of

your assignation.

You left at the

young age of 39,

half of Ameri-

cans under 45

years of age were

not born when

you walked this

earth, yet you

are still maybe

the most noted

American of all

times. Would you

have did any-

thing different to

extend your life?

King: “Like anybody, I would like to live a

long life. Longevity has its place.” I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered

something that he will die for, he isn't fit to

live.

If physical death is the price that I must pay to

free my white brothers and sisters from a per-

manent death of the spirit, then nothing can be

more redemptive.

I just want to do God's will. And he's

allowed me to go to the mountain. And

I've looked over, and I've seen the prom-

ised land! I may not get there with you,

but I want you to know tonight that we as

a people will get to the promised land.

RC: FBI chief Edgar Hoover had some

private files on you. Can you speak on

your private conversation with him

about those files? KING: We must use time creatively.

RC: Okkkkk.

RC: As you know we are now celebrat-

ing the re-election of the first African

American President of

the United States Barack

Obama. In the words of

the late James Brown

noted for “Say it Loud’ I

am Black and Proud” a

reinforcement of Black

Power. Should Black

Power be acknowledged

with President Obama?

King: All men are caught

in an inescapable

network of mutual-

ity.......

….In the final

analysis the weak-

ness of Black Power

is its failure to see

that the black man

needs the white man

and the white man

needs the black

man. However much

we may try to ro-

manticize the slo-

gan, there is no

separate black path

to power and fulfill-

ment that does not

intersect white

paths, and there is no separate white path

to power and fulfillment, short of social

disaster, that does not share that power

with black aspirations for freedom and

human dignity. We are bound together in a

single garment of destiny.

We must stand up and say, "I'm black and

I'm beautiful," and this self-affirmation is

the black man's need, made compelling by

the white man's crimes against him.

RC: But politically speaking isn't it a

major victory as the Democrats has

made such a victory?

King: "I feel someone must remain in the

position of non-alignment, so that he can

look objectively at both parties and be the

conscience of both—not the servant or

master of either."

"I don't think the Republican party is a

party full of the almighty God nor is the

Democratic party. They both have weak-

nesses... And I'm not inextricably bound to

either party."

RC: Religion has been a

very substance of your life,

how was this developed?

King : It is quite easy for me

to think of a God of love

mainly because I grew up in

a family where love was cen-

tral and where lovely rela-

tionships were ever present.

My parents would always tell

me that I should not hate the

white man, but that it was my duty as a

Christian to love him.

Even though I have never had an abrupt

conversion experience, religion has been

real to me and closely knitted to life. In

fact the two cannot be separated; religion

for me is life. RC: Here in Chicago we have more

churches than businesses, and more social

ills in communities where most of the

churches are such as Englewood. There is a

negative taste in the minds of many with the

church leadership. How do you address this?

King : ..There was a time when the church

was very powerful. It was during that period

when the early Christians rejoiced when they

were deemed worthy to suffer for what they

believed. In those days the church was not

merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas

and principles of popular opinion; it was a

thermostat that transformed the mores of soci-

ety. Whenever the early Christians entered a

town the power structure got disturbed and

immediately sought to convict them for being

"disturbers of the peace" and "outside agita-

tors." But they went on with the conviction that

they were "a colony of heaven," and had to

obey God rather than man. They were small in

number but big in commitment. They were too

God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimi-

dated." They brought an end to such ancient

evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest.

We will win our freedom because the sacred

heritage of our nation and the eternal will of

God are embodied in our echoing demands.

RC: During your life you were known as an

extremist. Not like Malcolm X, but

still an extremist even among some Black

people. There is a group of activist in Chi-

cago by the name of VOTE (Voice of The

ExOffenders). Their leaders are Paul

McKinley Republican candidate for congress),

Mark and Joseph. So happens, names repre-

sented in the Bible. Some would call them

radicals and others say its courage.

How do you assess them?

King :. When you are right you cannot be too

radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too

conservative....

...Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of

Jesus Christ -- "I bear in my body the marks of

the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an

extremist -- "Here I stand; I can do none other

so help me God." Was not John Bunyan an

extremist -- "I will stay in jail to the end of my

days before I make a butchery of my con-

science."

Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist

-- Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist --

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all

men are created equal." So the question is not

whether we will be extremist but what kind of

extremist will we be. Will we be extremists for

hate or will we be extremists for love? Will we

be extremists for the preservation of injustice--

or will we be extremists for the cause of jus-

tice? In that

dramatic scene on Calvary's hill, three men

were crucified. We must not forget that all

three were crucified for the same crime--the

crime of extremism. Two were extremists for

immorality, and thusly fell below their environ-

ment.

The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for

love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose

above his environment.

RC: So is going to jail in your case an exam-

ple of that?

King: Never forget that everything Hitler

did in Germany was legal…. I submit that

an individual who breaks a law that conscience

tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts

the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse

the conscience of the community over its injus-

tice, is in reality expressing the highest respect

for the law.


w ithout warning, at 6:01 p.m. on April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

was hit by a sniper's bullet. King had been standing on the balcony in front of his room at

the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, when, he was shot. The .30-caliber rifle bullet entered

King's right cheek, traveled through his neck, and finally stopped at his shoulder blade. King was im-

mediately taken to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m.

Violence and controversy followed. In outrage of the murder, many blacks took to the streets across the

United States in a massive wave of riots. The FBI investigated the crime, but many believed them par-

tially or fully responsible for the assassination. An escaped convict by the name of James Earl Ray was

arrested, but many people, including some of Martin Luther King Jr.'s own family, believe he was inno-

cent.

W here is American today that can be in the words of Dr. W here is American today that can be in the words of Dr.

King? This mock Q&A from President Obama to the spirit King? This mock Q&A from President Obama to the spirit

of Black Wall Street, America viewed by Dr. King today of Black Wall Street, America viewed by Dr. King today

in his own words.in his own words.

King Jr. lying in state in Memphis, Ten-nessee, as his colleagues pay their re-spects to him. Right to left: Andrew Young, Bernard Lee, and Reverend Ralph Abernathy. (Photo by Keystone/

Getty Images)


Letters to the Editor

fine us as a team and to help us focus on

who we want to be as individuals and as an

organization.

At the heart of our Core Values is our

commitment to helping small business

owners. This means ensuring the success

of our current clients, and also expanding

our reach to help many more small busi-

ness owners.

To that end, the presence of Accion loan

officers are in several new locations. Nic

Baria will be at Hanover Park Community

Bank the second Thursday of each month

and, began on March 6, loan officer,

Priscilla Cordero, will hold monthly office

hours in Gary, Indiana.

At Accion, we bring affordable microfi-

nance solutions to small business owners

who need them. We're proud of the work

we've done as we strive to serve our cli-

ents, build our neighborhoods, and help

small businesses throughout Illinois and

Northwest Indiana.

Thank you for your commitment to sup-

porting small business. Thank you for your

commitment to Accion.

Best regards,

Jonathan Brereton

Chief Executive Officer

Chicago Mayor

wrong again on city’s

violence Dear Editor;

W ith the focus on BAM or Becoming

A Man, from our city’s top execu-

tive, it simply underscores the no-

tion that this leader doesn’t understand or is too

isolated to comprehend that the struggles of

young Black males are deeper than any pro-

gram or organization.

Mayor Emanuel talks about his success of

longer school days and doubling the summer

job opportunities, and the largest ever invest-

ment into after school programs, serving 13,000

young people in 2013, but fails to mention that

he may not know, what to do to stop the car-

nage. Not knowing is not as bad as not being

humble enough to ask for help. According to

the U.S. Census, there are over 29,000 youth in

zip code 60629 alone. So the Mayor’s excite-

ment about the largest investment ever into

after school programs only has the capacity

serve Gage Park, Marquette Park and Chicago

Lawn.

National Block Club University was founded

by Syron Smith. This former military man has

created a process in which urban America can

effectively addresses the violence, but the

Mayor will not listen. Anchored in 20 Chicago

zip codes, with leadership in each, Syron has

strategically assigned 20 career clubs to each

zip code, 20 U.S. cities to each zip code, 20

countries in Africa to each zip code and 20

suburbs to each zip code for strategic alliances

and layers of support.

In 2011, Syron as 5 people from each of the

20 neighborhoods to write the Mayor and ask

him to meet with Syron to discuss this military

style structure- it fell on deaf ears. Three of the

Mayor’s people met with Syron and thought

they could broker a meeting between the two

and nothing every happened.

The slaying of Chicagoans, one every 86,400

seconds last year is a shame but the Mayor is

either being shielded from the grass root com-

munity or may be too arrogant to admit he may

not know how to address this epidemic.

http://www.nationalblockclubuniversity.com/

www.youtube.com/syronsmith

Dennis Hood, Chair, Section 3/Resident-

Owned Business Interest Section,

7th Congressional District Small Business

Group,

Cell (773) 567-2216 Blog

www.residentbusiness.wordpress.com

RC: On the point of Malcolm X. What was

the relationship of you two if any?

King: You know, right before he was killed he

came down to Selma and said some pretty pas-

sionate things against me. And that surprised

me because after all it was my territory

there. But afterwards he took my wife aside,

and said he thought he could hip me more by

attacking me than praising me. He thought it

would make it easier for me in the long run.

RC: People still question your stance on

‘love thy neighbor’, turn the other cheek.

King : ... And I'm going to talk about it every-

where I go. I know it isn't popular to talk about

it in some circles today. I'm not talking about

emotional bosh when I talk about love, I'm

talking about a strong, demanding love.

And I have seen too much hate. I've seen too

much hate on the faces of sheriffs in the South.

I've seen hate on the faces of too many Klans-

men and too many White Citizens Councilors

in the South to want to hate myself, because

every time I see it, I know that it does some-

thing to their faces and their personalities and I

say to myself that hate is too great a burden to

bear.

... And the beautiful thing is that we are moving

against wrong when we do it, because John was

right, God is love. He who hates does not know

God, but he who has love has the key that

unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate

reality.

RC: That point is for those outside of the

community, what about those are in and

part of the Black community such as Cla-

rence Thomas and even for the most part

Black Aldermen that have not address the

Parity Legislation for contracts where Black

receive only 6% of city contracts as the al-

dermen being silent on the new Mayor. How

do you address issues such as this in leader-

ship?

King : ., Speech in Memphis, April 3,

1968, the day before King was assassinated

In the end, we will remember not the words of

our enemies, but the silence of our friends.....

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent

about things that matter. …..

"Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?

Expediency asks the question - is it politic?

Vanity asks the question - is it popular? But

conscience asks the question - is it right? And

there comes a time when one must take a posi-

tion that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular

but one must take it because it is right."….

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than

sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity…

The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those

who remain neutral in times of great moral

conflict …..We may have all come on different

ships, but we're in the same boat now.

RC: I have to remind people about the “N”

word. There is store in African and Taiwan

using the name. How do you address the

word that once was considered

a hatred word among black people and now

it is developing a new meaning of accep-

tance. What is the physic of the word?

King: Like an unchecked cancer, hate cor-

rodes the personality and eats away its vital

unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values

and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the

beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and

to confuse the true with the false and the false

with the true.

As long as the mind is enslaved, the body

can never be free. Psychological freedom, a

firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful

weapon against the long night of physical slav-

ery. …… And, with a spirit straining toward

true self-esteem, the Negro must boldly throw

off the manacles of self-abnegation and say to

himself and

to the

world, "I

am some-

body. I am

a person. I

am a man

with dignity

and honor. I

have a rich

and noble

history.

RC:

American is still presently in two

wars, which the President is close to ending.

He will be known for taking down Bin Lin-

den

and Gaddafi filling President Bush mandate

to “Get Even” with a growing hatred of what

happen on the 911 day.

RC: What is your take on war?

King: As I have walked among the desperate,

rejected and angry young men I have told them

that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not

solve their problems. I have tried to offer them

my deepest compassion while maintaining my

conviction that social change comes most

meaningfully through nonviolent action. But

they asked — and rightly so — what about

Vietnam (Iraq)? They asked if our own nation

wasn't using massive doses of violence to solve

its problems, to bring about the changes it

wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew

that I could never again raise my voice against

the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos

without having first spoken clearly to the great-

est purveyor of violence in the world today —

my own government. …

Returning violence for violence multiplies vio-

lence, adding deeper darkness to a night already

devoid of stars... Nonviolence is the answer to

the crucial political and moral questions of our

time; ... Mankind must evolve for all human

conflict a method which rejects revenge, ag-

gression, and retaliation.

.... Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual

power. We have guided missiles and misguided

men.

RC: . Let us talk about some domestic is-

sues. Former Presidential candidate Mitt

Romney said he do not care about the rich

nor the poor. There are those of us that can

not see a future, men from young to old sell-

ing loose squares to make ends meet. Chi-

cago has transformed over 40,000 black

families from Public Housing over the last 10

years as it has build the “White Wall Street

around the Loop, as the poor were an eye

soar to the city; With that publicist activist

Stephanie Gathin said, what the city has

done to Black people here in Chicago is a

total shame of the leadership.

How do we address the issue of the poor and

leadership?

King : The hottest place in Hell is reserved for

those who remain neutral in times of great

moral con-

flict. In the

End, we will

remember

not the words

of our ene-

mies, but the

silence of our

friends.

Today the

poor are less

often dis-

missed, I

hope, from our consciences by being branded

as inferior or incompetent. We also know that

no matter how dynamically the economy devel-

ops and expands, it does not eliminate all pov-

erty.

The problem indicates that our emphasis

must be twofold. We must create full employ-

ment or we must create incomes.

People must be made consumers by one

method or the other. Once they are placed in

this position we need to be concerned that the

potential of the individual is not wasted.

New forms of work that enhance the social

good will have to be devised for those for

whom traditional jobs are not avail-able.

If a man is called to be a streets-weeper, he

should sweep streets even as Michel Angelo

painted or Beethoven composed music or

Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep

streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and

earth will pause and say, ‘Here lived a great

street sweeper who did his job well.’

RC: So as you say there will always be the

poor, meaning we should accept beggars on

the street and move on?

King: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will

happen to me?’ But then the Good Samaritan

came by. And he reversed the question: ‘If I do

not stop to help this man, what will happen to

him?’

RC: This newspaper has founded the cam-

paign known as the Black Wall Street here is

Chicago. It is in line with the Neilson study

of the Black consumer spending over $1.1

Trillion by 2015 (page 1). How do you view

this campaign?

King: After you leave the United States, So-

viet Russia, Great Britain, West Germany,

France, and I could name the others, the Negro

collectively is richer than most nations of the

world. We have an annual in-come of more

than thirty billion dollars a year (1967), which

is more than all of the exports of the United

States, and more than the national budget of

Canada. Did you know that?

RC: I yes I do

King: That's power right there, if we know how

to pool it... Never stop and forget that collec-

tively, that means all of us

together, collectively we

are richer than all the

nation in the world, with

the exception of nine. Did

you ever

think about

that?

RC: Yes I

have.

RC: The

Black com-

munity is

concerned

about other

people controlling most

of the businesses in their communities, as

well as churches such as Trinity United

Church of Christ having a bad taste about

Walmart. How should we address these con-

cerns?

King: We don't have to argue with anybody.

We don't have to curse and go around acting

bad with our words. We don't need any bricks

and bottles, we don't need any Molotov cock-

tails, we just need to go around to these stores,

and to these massive industries in our country,

and say, ‘God sent us by here, to say to you that

you're not treating his children right. And we've

come by here to ask you to make the first item

on your agenda — fair treatment, where God's

children are concerned. Now, if you are not

prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that

we must follow. And our agenda calls for with-

drawing economic support from you.’

RC: There are at least four persons in Chicago you have worked with still active; Jesse Jackson, Al Sampson, Dorothy Tillman and Tim Black. Still

in your course in life, should it be an exam-

ple of many to follow?

King: As June approaches, with its graduation

ceremonies and speeches, a thought suggests it-

self...Whatever career you may choose for

yourself--doctor, lawyer, teacher--let me pro-

pose an avocation to be pursued along with it.

Become a dedicated fighter for civil rights.

Make it a central (Continued on page 14)



Contributing Correspondent: Carl D. West

T his hurt me to write. This really hurt me

to even create the copy title above. I was

extremely sad when the news program I

was watching broke in with an exclusive news

item. Then after seeing the civil rights leaders'

first son walk out of e court room in the nation's

capital, it sadden me even more. But the final

nail in my coffin, was when this dude from the

government read the charges and outlined the

alleged scheme, it floored me.

This mess is absolutely amazing and shock-

ing! I always said that the rise of President

Barack Obama somehow destroyed the dreams

of Jesse Jackson, Jr as the Negro golden child

who could lead this nation. And I've stated many

times in past Works of Words, that former Con-

gressman Jackson was normally always the

smartest person in the room wherever he ap-

peared and he once had a remarkable upside with

unlimited potential. I admired his intellect and

knowledge of politics.

As former U.S. Rep. Jackson and his wife,

former Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson, pleaded

guilty in what prosecutors said was a conspiracy

to siphon about $750,000 in federal campaign

funds for their personal use. Jackson Jr. entered a

negotiated plea of guilty on one felony count of

conspiracy to commit false statements, mail and

wire fraud.

Prosecutors say the couple enjoyed a life of

luxury with campaign cash. About 3,100 per-

sonal purchases were made on campaign credit

cards, totaling $582,772.58, prosecutors said.

Pressed by the judge on whether he was freely

entering the plea, the former congressman ac-

knowledged he had been under psychiatric care

but said he had not been treated for addiction to

alcohol or narcotics. Asked whether he under-

stood what was happening, he answered, "Sir,

I've never been more clear in my life."

Sandi pleaded guilty to one charge of will-

ingly filing a false tax return, tied to the same

allegations. Both Jacksons appearing in dark

suits, and had the opportunity to make personal

statements. But only Jesse replied with a brief

reply. Sandi chose to just answer the judge's

questions with "Yes, sirs" and "Guilty." Jackson

Jr. spoke softly during his hearing and momen-

tarily dried his eyes. When asked by Judge Wil-

kins how he would plead, Jackson answered: “I

am guilty your honor.”

Jackson Jr. was present for his wife's hearing

proceedings as well. They left the courtroom

holding hands. When leaving the courtroom,

Jackson Jr. told a reporter, "Tell everybody back

home I'm sorry I let 'em down, OK?" At a press

conference following the hearing, Jackson Jr.

attorney Reid Weingarten said Jackson's health

problems contributed to his crimes.

As part of Jackson Jr.'s plea deal, the parties

have agreed that sentencing guidelines call for a

term of between 46 and 57 months in prison. He

will be sentenced June 28. And after his release

from an expected prison term, he might face

additional years of supervised probation. Sandi

Jackson's sentencing is scheduled for July 1. She

could face a possible prison term of 18 to 24

months and $4,000 to $40,000 in fines.

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., and other family

members walked through the courthouse, arms

linked together showing solidarity. Married for

more than 20 years, Jesse and Sandi have a 12-

year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son and this

could have an adverse affect on them for years to

come.

ago, Elizabeth “Liz” Pahlke entered the

race with days left, Pahlke says, “I not stop-

ping now, because the voters of this district

deserve much more.”

As a Chicago native and an Independent

Candidate, she says that, “The 2nd Congres-

sional District deserve someone with new

ideas and who is not backed and currently

entrenched in the machine politics of the

State and City

of Chicago.”

Phalike be-

gan her career

in the transpor-

tation and lo-

gistics indus-

try. In addition

she has the role

as an Opera-

tions Analyst

for commercial

rea l es tate

properties and her top level performance,

as one of the country’s top real estate pro-

ducers gives her an unprecedented insight

on the current state of the mortgage and

banking industry.

She indicates that, “The people in these

communities never benefit from the many

capitol development projects targeted for

their areas.”

A position the Chicago Tribune told

endorsing Kelly, citing her lack of eco-

nomic agendas.

The debates on the issues will not have

the full ream of the democrat candidate as

Kelly told FOX 32 Political Editor Mike

Flannery that she won't participate in any

more campaign debates.

"My schedule is actually very booked,"

Kelly said when asked if she plans to make

it to any more forums before Election Day.

Kelly did not show for a forum spon-

sored by the Chicago Defender and the

NAACP and a debate at FOX 32 News.

Other top candidates suggested Kelly is

counting on a final push by the billionaire

mayor of New York's independent super

PAC.

"She's allowing Mayor Bloomberg to

speak for her," Lewis says. "He has spent

almost $2.5 million in this race. He continued

to say, “This is what a sellout looks like ex-

posed. She has no shame in here game and is

following orders from her handlers to lay low

till after April 9.

Kelly, a member of the Democratic Party,

served in the Illinois House of Representa-

tives from 2003 to 2007. She then served as

chief of staff for then

-Illinois State Treas-

urer Alexi Giannou-

lias until 2010. She

was the 2010 Democ-

ratic nominee for

State Treasurer, but

was defeated in the

general election.

Kelly serves as the

Cook County Chief

Administrative Offi-

cer.

Jones, a journalist who lives in Chicago's

South Shore, His radio documentaries has

received critical acclaim and numerous

awards. Jones was the Green Party's 2010

nominee for United States Senate from Illi-

nois. He ran against Republican Mark Kirk,

Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, and Libertarian

Mike Labno in the general election.

McKinley is an ex-offender, active with

the organization VOTE (Voices of the Ex-

Offender), a grassroots activist fighting the

Chicago Machine for accountability and fair-

ness.

McKinley has fought to put ex-offenders to

work believing it is vital to our communities

to allow young men and women opportunities

to seek gainful employment and turn their

lives around.

He has been endorsed by Operation Black

Storm, a project of Alan Keyes’s Patriot PAC and by

the Gun Owners of American Political

Victory Fund

On the endorsement McKinley said “I am

proud to announce I have been endorsed -- I

am dedicated to supporting the 2nd Amend-

ment, and appreciate their support.” The party

has recently nominated African American

candidates for senator or governor in Illinois,

Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, though

none were successful. However, no major

support from the GOP has been given to

McKinley. Currently, most of the Republi-

can voter base in the district is Caucasian.

The Republican Party, frequently called

the GOP (for "Grand Old Party") usually

seen as the traditionally pro-business party.

“Frederick Douglass once said, ‘I am a

Republican, a black, dyed in the wool Republican, and

I never intend to belong to any other party

than the party of freedom and progress.’ I believe

this is true today, and we are in the midst of a

reawakening of the Black community to

the promise conservative principles hold

for all Americans,” said McKinley.

The GOP has been winning under 15%

of the black vote in recent national elec-

tions (1980 to 2008). “You can’t blame Repub-

licans for what’s going on in my district; it has been

ruled by the tyranny of the Left’s Democratic

Machine for 60 years,” he said. “It is time

to stand up to those that would keep us

down —and that includes the left’s media attack

dogs, which serve to protect the Machine’s prop-

erty—us.”

Despite McKinley's seemingly narrow

odds, ABC reports Kelly has said, "I take

nothing for granted, and I respect whoever

my opponents are."

Lewis

Pahlke


By Francine Jeffries

W e have just witnessed

one of the most impor-

tant pieces of history

in the United States. On January

21, 2013, the inauguration of the

44th President, Barack Hussein

Obama was sworn into office.

The United States continues to

make historical decisions. De-

regulation, one such historical

event, gained momentum in the

1970’s. Originating from the

Nixon administration, the deregu-

lation of transportation came in

1971. Can you remember when

AT & T controlled telecommuni-

cations? That changed when AT

& T was forced to split in 1984

and President Clinton signed into

law the telecom industry deregu-

lations in 1996. The last deregula-

tion to come is energy which

came about in the Bush era. The

United States is currently transi-

tioning away from local energy

monopolies. Energy deregulation

will be the largest transfer of

wealth in history.

In the past, one utility provided

the three components of your

energy service: 1) the genera-

tion; 2) the transmission; and 3)

the distribution. Legislatures and

the public utility commissions of

forty one states to date, including

Illinois, have deregulated this

process. You ask, “What does

this mean to me”? Freedom of

choice, wealth, and conservation

to name a few things.

With the deregulation of en-

ergy, you are now able to go di-

rect and choose the company that

produces energy, or the company

who buys it on your behalf to sell to

you – the generation. The actual

transmission of electricity across

poles and wires and natural gas

through pipe lines will still be the

responsibility of your local utility

company, Com-Ed and Ameren in

Illinois. Don’t get too excited, Com

-Ed and Ameren will still respond

to emergencies, power outages,

meter readings as well as generate

your bill. Whatever service you

received then, you will receive

now. The public utility commission

regulates the transmission and dis-

tribution to ensure the safety and

reliability of your services. What is

important to understand is that you

can choose who to buy the exact

same gas and energy from, but at

different prices. How do you know

who to choose?

Many electric and gas suppliers

have surfaced in Illinois. These

suppliers are authorized to negoti-

ate power prices on behalf of cus-

tomers. So let the competitions

begin. These suppliers have cre-

ated opportunities for consumers

to become contractors and sell on

their behalf. As a contractor, you

can sign up people with the chosen

provider and develop an economic

opportunity for each person signed

up. By simply educating customers

for a product that they already use

can create a meaningful income.

For example, one company that has

made headway as a supplier is Am-

bit Energy. Ambit offers a number

of incentives to the contractor as

well as the consumer even to the

option of FREE energy! For the

same energy and gas, their prices

have historically been cheaper.

With energy being close to a $300

billion dollar industry, opportunity

to share in the wealth is vast. Each

state is governed independently.

Illinois law has created Munici-

pal Aggregation. This allows mu-

nicipalities and counties to pur-

chase electricity on behalf of its

residents and commercial custom-

ers. Currently IPA (Illinois Power

Agency) negotiates prices on behalf

of the residential customer state-

wide. Now, the municipalities can

negotiate for your community. In

some communities, you will have

to opt out to switch to the provider

you choose. Whatever the case,

you can now choose. This choice

allows you to conserve on your

energy as well.

Some suppliers offer incentives

when you conserve on the amount

of energy you use. By simply de-

termining which is most important

to you, you can choose a provider

that will shift economic wealth and

opportunity to you and conserve. A

consultant can assist you with a

price comparison so that you can

choose the supplier that best fit

your needs. The same energy at

potentially lower prices as well as

an opportunity to financially bene-

fit? Well, that’s a no brainer for

me. For more information con-

tact me at francine-

[email protected].

Does our electric

company

pay your electric bill?

Our

Does! Up to

For More Information Contact Energy Consultants Diane@ 312 513-5647 or Janice @ 312/513-5647

$ Consultants Position

Whether you need something Built, Installed or Maintained from Handyman to New Construction, you can find it to be done with Black Contractors in the Neighborhood

A subsidiary of Black Wall Street of Chicago

With the first stage of the Pull-

man Park Development well

underway, the City of Chicago

introduced an ordinance on be-

half of 9th Ward Ald. Anthony

Beale that would authorize up to

$11 million in TIF money to help

finance the site work and infra-

structure in preparation for

67,000 sq. ft. of more retail

space.

The long-dormant 180-acre

former Ryerson Steel site

stretches along the Bishop Ford

Expressway between 104th and

111th Streets. It now boasts a

nearly completed Walmart. The

first Ross Dress For Less on the

South Side and Planet Fitness

Health Club will anchor the

north end being funded through

the TIF.

“When they elected me 14

years ago, I promised my con-

stituents we would one day have

again grocery stores, shops and

businesses where they live,” said

Beale. “They wouldn’t have to

leave their communities to find

fresh food or work. It’s been a

long time coming, but our pa-

tience and perseverance are pay-

ing off, especially the unprece-

dented job creation.”

As envisioned, Pullman Park

will include 400,000 sq. ft. of big

box retail; 50,000-75,000 sq. ft.

of neighborhood retail; 1,100

new residential units, as well as

an indoor and outdoor recrea-

tional space. It promises to sig-

nificantly increase the tax base

of 52 acres of previously vacant

industrial land.

David Doig heads the not-for-

profit Chicago Neighborhood

Initiatives, which is developing

Pullman Park in partnership with

U.S. Bank, the city and state. “I

watched from my office window

a helicopter moving air-

conditioning equipment to the

roof of Walmart,” says Doig, a

shepherd of the project for many

years. “It was pretty exciting

to see the progress that’s been

made, knowing what it will mean

to the community.”

Beale, who saw the helicopter

as well, noted, “You don’t often

see that over here, not for good

reasons any way. It makes me

feel like a kid again with all this

positive activity going on – peo-

ple doing construction, gearing

up to open, prepping for the next

phase. We’ve finally turned the

corner.”

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Contractor, Laborer or Handyman Lets team up earning your business today!

Before You Hire ONE Contractor Black Contractors in the Neighborhood

Call One of our associates today and

Let us know what we can do for you!

The Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce and members

from around the state willat 10:00

AM, April 10, 2013theCapitol in

Springfield.Meeting with our vari-

ous legislators and other business

people to share perspectives of

how to help improve the business

climate in Illinois. For more infor-

mation or to RSVP your atten-

dance, call Chama St. Louis at-740

-4430.

28 West Side Entrepreneurs. Rebuilding Main Street and mak-

ing a brighter future for Chicago’s

West Side. Bethel’s to celebrate

with the first 28 entrepreneurs in

Bethel’s Entrepreneurship Train-

ing Program. These graduates will

soon launch businesses on Chi-

cago’s West Side, ranging from

janitorial services and home re-

modeling to childcare centers and

yoga studios. Graduation Cere-

mony, Tuesday, April 9, 6:00 –

7:30 p.m. 1140 N. Lamon Ave.,

Chicago, IL 60651. Enjoy deli-

cious cake supplied by entrepre-

neur/graduate Derrick Washing-

ton. Please RSVP to Curt at

[email protected] or

773-473-7870 x113 by Friday,

April 5th.

LEARN HOW TO DO

A COMPLETE

BUSINESS PLAN! Satur-

day, April 20, 2013. Did you do

one 5 years ago and its obsolete

now? You still need help finding

demographical completing projec-

tions? This is the workshop for

you! Join SSA #47 and at the Ball-

room 4455 S. King Dr. Thursday

April 4th, Doors open at 6pm,

Event Starts at 6:30pm. Savor the

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area, The area's great food offer-

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part of your life. It will make you a better doc-

tor, a better lawyer, a better teacher. It will

enrich your spirit as nothing else possibly can.

It will give you that rare sense of nobility that

can only spring from love and selflessly helping

your fellow man . Make a career of humanity.

Commit your-self to the noble struggle for hu-

man rights. You will make a greater person of

yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a

finer world to live in. Excerpted from ‘The

Drum Major Instinct’, a sermon by Rev. Martin

Luther King, Jr., 1968.

RC: There is the case everyone cannot be a

Dr. King and people just do not know what

to do.

King: Everybody can be great, because every-

body can serve. You don't have to have a col-

lege degree to serve. You don't have to make

your subject and your verb agree to serve. You

don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to

serve. You don't have to know Einstein's

‘Theory of Relativity’ to serve. You don't have

to know the Second Theory of Thermal Dy-

namics in Physics to serve. You only need a

heart full of grace, a soul generated by love,

and you can be that servant.’

. RC: Well, Travis Smiley and Cornell West

do hold the Black Agenda meetings around

the country.

King: This is no time for romantic illusions

and empty philosophical debates about free-

dom. This is a time for action. What is needed

is a strategy for change, a tactical program that

will bring the Negro into the mainstream of

American life as quickly as possible.

RC: Where Do We Go From Here?

King : Address to the Southern Christian

Leadership Conference (1967-08-16) Now, in

order to answer the question, ‘Where do we go

from here?’ which is our theme, we must first

honestly recognize where we are now. When

the Constitution was written, a strange formula

to deter- mine taxes and representation declared that the

Negro was sixty percent of a person. Today

another curious formula seems to declare that

he is fifty percent of a person. Of the good

things in life, the Negro has approximately one

half those of whites. of the bad things of life, he

has twice those of whites. ...Where do we go

from here? First, we must massively assert our

dignity and worth. We must stand up amidst a

system that still oppresses us and develop an

unassailable and majestic sense of values.

RC: This may be an unfair question but, do

you regret you died at a young age of 39, or

maybe would you have taken a different

route in your ministry?

King:, Speech in Detroit, June 23, 1963. I

decided early to give my life to something eter-

nal and absolute. Not to these little gods that are

here today and gone tomorrow, but to God who

is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Speech at Civil Rights March on Washington,

August 28, 1963. I submit to you that if a man

hasn't discovered something he will die for, he

isn't fit to live.... If physical death is the price

that I must pay to free my white brothers and

sisters from a permanent death of the spirit,

then nothing can be more re-

demptive.

Sermon at Ebenezer Baptist If

any of you are around when I

have to meet my day, I don't

want a long funeral. And if you

get some-body to deliver the

eulogy, tell them not to talk too

long. Every now and then I won-

der what I want them to say.

Tell them not to mention that I

have a Nobel Peace Prize, that

isn't important. Tell I'd like

somebody to mention that day,

that Martin Luther King, Jr.,

tried to give his life serving

others. I'd like for somebody to

say that day, that Mar-tin Luther King, Jr., tried

to Church in Atlanta. (1968-02-04) Every now

and then I guess we all think realistically about

that day when we will be victimized with what

is life's final common denominator — that

something we call death. We all think about it.

And every now and then I think about my own

death, and I think about my own funeral. And I

don't think of it in a morbid sense. Every now

and then I ask myself, ‘What is it that I would

want said?’ And I leave the word to you this

morning. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four

hundred other awards, that's not important. Tell

him not to men-tion where I went to school. RC: Thank you Dr. King for giving us

this time once again.

King: And I want to thank God once

more, for allowing me to be here.


“How to produce your very own

30 second radio commercial.” Saturday, April 6, 2013

from Noon to 2:00 pm (CST)

(ONLINE WORKSHHOP PRESENTATION)

Sponsored by WJPC FM CHICAGO, The Soul of Chicago.

Understand what it takes to complete a “polished” 30

second audio commercial.

Acquire a basic understanding of one form of software

that can use to record your commercials from your

office or home.

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ETA will honor four long-

time board members during its

30th annual Spring Board

Benefit, Sunday, April

21, 2013. Civic leaders

Lucille Burrus, Mary

Ann Davis and Juanita

Passmore and play-

wright, poet and youth

worker Useni Eugene

Perkins will be recog-

nized for their decades-

long commitment to the

growth and development

of eta by being elected

inaugural Life Trustees and re-

cipients of the 2013 Milton

Davis Magic Award.

eta Creative Arts Foundation,

Inc. was incorporated in April,

1971 as a non-profit tax exempt

organization to provide

professional training and

work in the performing

and technical arts for

youth and adults. In the

past 42 years, eta has

become widely recog-

nized as Chicago’s lead-

ing performing and cul-

tural arts complex in the

African American com-

munity as well as the only Afri-

can American owned and man-

aged facility of its kind

in the city.

The Spring Board

Benefit takes place

from 3-7pm April 21 at

eta Square, 7558 S.

South Chicago Avenue.

Benefit chair is Lisa

Montgomery Allen, Sr.

Vice President and

Chief, Human Re-

sources, American Hos-

pital Association. It is

sponsored by Denise Gardner

and James D. Montgomery &

Associates. .

“This year’s honorees are

board members who have been

the bedrock of this institution,”

s a i d N a n c y C .

McKeever, chairman of

the board. “We are

delighted to accord

them the special recog-

nition of Life Trustees

as well as the Milton

Davis Magic Award.”

Named for eta’s first

and long term chairman

the late Milton Davis,

the award is presented

to individuals who un-

derstand and appreciate the need

to develop institutions which

nurture individual and commu-

nity development.

The board benefit will fea-

ture delicious hors d’oeuvres,

complimentary champagne, the

awards presentation and musical

excerpts from the Family Mati-

nee Series production presented

by eta’s Youth Performance

Ensemble. Comprised of eta

performing arts students, the

youth are featured on the

Mainstage every Saturday from

January through May.

The Honorees:

L u c i l l e

B u r r u s has volun-

teered with

a number

of the city’s

l e a d i n g

c u l t u r a l ,

civic and

social or-

ganizations.

The self-

proclaimed

‘behind the scenes supportive

individual’ had a successful 32

year career in corporate America

Mary Ann Davis is a re-

tired educator

who taught kin-

dergarten for 28

years. She is vice

president of the

Jazz’N Fan Club,

a group that sup-

ports jazz and

other musical

programming at

eta and elsewhere

Juanita Passmore is a

retired cor-

porate ex-

e c u t i v e ,

community

activist and

philanthro-

pist. She

has served

in a number

of leader-

ship posi-

tions and

c u r r e n t l y

serves as VP of the board of

the Timeless Gifts Mentoring

program

Useni Eugene Perkins is a

distinguished poet, playwright,

and an im-

p o r t a n t

force in

C h i c a g o

culture. As

a sociolo-

gist and

youth ac-

tivist, he

has written

s e v e r a l

impor tant

books on

A f r i c a n

American youth

Tickets are $60 which in-

cludes three sweepstakes tickets

and a chance to win two round

trip tickets on Southwest Air-

lines, a $500 BP gas card, an

ipad Mini from Apple, 20 sub-

scriptions to eta and more. Raf-

fle Tickets may also be pur-

chased (3/$25) separately. Win-

ners need not be present. For

tickets and information, call 773

- 7 5 2 - 3 9 5 5 o r v i s i t

www.etacreativearts.org. All

contributions are tax deductible

WVON celebrates its

50dth Anniversary WVON celebrates 50 powerful

years of IMPACT in broadcast

history. The station will observe

the day by temporarily suspend-

ing its regular talk format and

airing vintage recordings from

legendary personalities that made

them the number #1 station in

Chicago in the 1960’s. You will

hear classic shows from Herb

Kent, ‘The Kool Gent’; E. Rod-

ney ‘Mad Lad’ Jones; Pervis

Spann ‘The Blues Man’, Ed

‘Nassau Daddy’ Cook; Bill ‘Butterball’ Crane, and ‘The Barron of

Bounce’ Lucky Cordell to name a few. WVON’s Retro Day will air

from 6am until midnight on April 1st. The station will run regularly

scheduled news, traffic and weather segments. All content will be

reflective of WVON’s early days. WVON’s program manager,

Todd Ronczkowski stated, “Over the past year we searched high

and low to deliver WVON’s classic sound and personality by reach-

ing out to collectors across the country. I was amazed how excited

people were to share their WVON recordings. It speaks to how well

respected WVON is as an institution.”

Retro Day is one of many features that will be part of the station’s

50th Anniversary festivities. The celebration culminates Saturday

April 6th, 2013 at the Chicago Theatre with a star-studded gala fea-

turing local and national personalities, including past WVON talent

and a performance by Grammy- award winner Toni Braxton. Tick-

ets for the Grand Gala are on sale at Ticketmaster, The Chicago

Theater Box Office, and www.wvon.com

Blaq Ice

Productions as well as the

Chatham Theater, pulled off a full

house for the poets nite there, as they

will be doing it again Saturday April

20, live at the ICE Theater. For tick-

ets call 312.719.7310.

Brown Derby Jazz

Revue presents Sene-

bella "The Bronzeville Diva. For

an evening of great music and fun. Make a point to come out to the

Brown Derby Jazz Revue at the Great Lakes Elks Lodge, 5110 S.

Prairie Thursday, March 14, 2013.First show starts at 7:30 pm. and

you don't want to miss the all out jam session at 9:30 pm with guest

musicians and vocalist. Our jam sessions will remind you of the

days when musicians came together and just played. $5 Donation at

door.Fun and Family at the Brown Derby! Be There!

LUCILLE BURRUS, MARY ANN DAVIS,

JUANITA PASSMORE AND

USENI EUGENE PERKINS

To be Honored at ETA’S

30TH

Annual Spring

Board Benefit

The Black Women’s Expo (TBWE),

presented by State Farm, host a star-

studded line-up of performers, speak-

ers and authors during its run, April 5

- 7, at McCormick Place. This year’s

Expo, sponsored in part by Wal-

greens, marks the 19th year of the

popular women focused event.

TBWE kicks off on Friday with a

very special couple’ conversation and

book signing with award winning

R&B singer and author, Keith Sweat.

Sweat’s new book “Make It Last

Forever”, offers tips on how to fix,

mend, and reinvigorate troubled rela-

tionships. Rounding out Friday will

be a performance by the multi-faceted

performer-actress, NAACP Image

Award nominee and Dove Award-

winning vocalist Tamela Mann.

Saturday’s jam-packed schedule in-

cludes a plenary session with author

and inspirational speaker Susan Tay-

lor. Dr. Ian Smith will take atten-

dees through his revolutionary “Shred

Diet Challenge” and Saturday after-

noon will also feature an “Intimate

Conversation” with The View’s

Sherri Shepherd. The “first lady”

of R&B”, Faith Evans, will be live

in-concert to finish out the day.

Sunday’s line-up will be just as im-

pactful, featuring a conversation with

the always-insightful Dick Gregory.

Comedian Kim Coles with her ses-

sion entitled “Gratitude and Forgive-

ness”.

Inspirational music on Sunday with

performances by the Verizon “How

Sweet the Sound” competition win-

ning Acme Choir and Rev. Charles

Jenkins and the Fellowship Mission-

ary Baptist Church Choir who took

home five prestigious Stellar

Awards earlier this year.

The three-day exposition is a partner-

ship with MGPG Events and Real

Times Media and is designed to em-

power, enlighten and educate women

and girls of all ages.

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n

www.theblackwomensexpo.com,

follow them on Facebook at http://

w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m /

blackwomensexpo or connect on

Twitter using the hash tag #TBWE.


http://www.wvon.com

http://www.theblackwomensexpo.com

http://www.sttefarm.com

http://www.walgreens.com

http://www.walgreens.com

http://www.theblackwomensexpo.com

http://www.facebook.com/blackwomensexpo




Soledad O‘Brien is off the dawn patrol at

CNN. The new head of the cable news net-

work, Jeff Zucker, is removing her from the

morning show Starting Point. Published reports

say Chris Cuomo and Erin Burnett will both

replace her. O'Brien says it's not such a bad

thing. She's established a production company

and for the time being will produce documenta-

ries as an independent supplier for CNN and

others. In more CNN news, word is Commenta-

tors Roland Martin and Donna Brazile may not

get their contracts renewed by the network, and

that's bringing up CNN's usual problem of the

lack of diversity in their newsroom

Tyler Perry's TBS sitcom For Better Or

Worse is moving to Oprah Winfrey's OWN

cable network. The show, which stars Tasha

Smith and Michael Jai White reprising their

roles from the Why Did I Get Married movie

franchise will debut its third season on OWN

this fall. This is a new addition to the deal Tyler

Perry already has with The Mighty O to pro-

duce original programming for OWN. There

were already two other series, The Haves And

The Have Nots and Love Thy Neighbor, Perry

will debut on OWN later this year. Actress Tika

Sumpter (Sparkle; The Game) is set to co-star

in one of the series, and tweeted out pictures on

the set with Oprah.

How hot is Actor Craig Robinson? Well,

there is life after the sitcom The Office. The

show ends this year, but Robinson is filming a

pilot for a new NBC show where he will play a

musician who takes a job as a middle school

teacher. Actor Larenz Tate( Why Do Fools Fall

In Love; Love Jones) will co-star. Robinson

also has a new Tyler Perry produced-movie

coming out May called Peeples. It hits theaters

May 10th, and also stars Kerry Washington,

Diahann Carroll, David Alan Grier (In Living

Color), Craig Robinson (The Office), S. Epatha

Merkerson (Law & Order), Melvin Van Peebles

and Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates

Chris, Go On). Tina Gordon Chism wrote and

directed while Perry is producer. Kerry Wash-

ington is also the cover girl for the latest edition

of Ebony magazine..

Janet Jackson has done it again! Miss. The

third time may be the charm for Jackson as she

revealed she secretly married her Qatari Bil-

lionaire Wissam Al Mana last year. Jackson has

also converted to Islam like her brother Jer-

maine who converted to Islam in the 80’s,

whose friends are worried about. He has

changed the spelling of his last name to Jack-

sun. He says he did it for artistic purposes. At

58, friends say Jermaine wants to become his

late brother Michael Jackson. He has started

dressing like The King Of Pop with tight jeans

and sequined military-style jackets. Jermaine is

dependent on his rich, Afghan wife Halima

Rashid. Sources say he is running through her

money and is urging her to let him take another

wife. He has numerous children including kids

with his brother Randy's babymomma Alejan-

dra. Jermaine feels guilty over Michael's death

because various interventions failed. Jermaine

has always felt he should have been the family's

biggest star.

Bobby Brown is headed to jail. He must

serve 55 days after his third D.U.I. conviction

started March 20th. Brown, 44, was arrested

last October after being stopped by police in

California. Brown was also hit with four years

probation. He will have to attend an 18-month

alcohol program and attend AA meetings three

times a week.

The VH1 network has renewed T.I. and

Tiny's reality show The Family Hustle. VH1

is also doing a movie based on the popular girl

group TLC. TLC topped the charts in the 90’s

with the hits Waterfalls, No Scrubs, and Baby,

Baby, Baby, but at the same time, they hit the

bottom of showbiz declaring bankruptcy de-

spite record-breaking sales. Drew Sidora (The

Game) will play Tionne T-Boz Watkins. Rap-

per Lil' Mama has been cast as Lisa Left Eye

Lopes, and Keke Palmer will be play Rozonda

Chilli Thomas. T-Boz and Chilli are among the

executive producers and are also planning a

tour and remix album. Left Eye died in 2002 in

a Honduras car accident. These projects are all

set for January 2014 for TLC's

20th anniversary.

The new season of Dancing With The Stars

kicks off March 18th. This season's contest-

ants in Jacoby Jones of the Baltimore Ravens,

Country Superstar Wynona Judd, and Comedi-

ans Andy Dick and DL Hughley.

Prince will be performing on Late Night

With Jimmy Fallon this Friday night on

NBC. Prince is also going to be the big honoree

at this year's 2013 Billboard Music Awards

airing May 19th on ABC. Now speaking of

Jimmy Fallon, a member of his famous house-

band for Late Night is coming out with a book.

Ahmir Questlove Thompson, the drummer for

The Roots, has a memoir coming out June

18th called Mo' Meta Blues: The World Ac-

cording To Questlove.

Fantasia is on the cover of this week’s Jet

magazine, but she is not happy with the

cover photo.

Fantasia is

upset that the

magazine is

using a photo

of her from ten

years ago.

the Black Panther Party is producing a biographical motion

picture which will dramatize his life and the tumultuous 1960's

and 70's, the era in which the Black Panthers emerged as the

prominent revolutionary civil rights movement of it's time.

Bobby Seal, Chair of the BPP and his partner Stephen Edwards,

a filmmaker and former member of the Panthers, have written a

screenplay with the title, Seize the Time, The Eighth Defendant.


All-ward candidate debate

in Country Club Hills. Most candidates

has accepted the opportunity to be present at the debate

running for Alderman in Country Club Hills. Saturday,

April 6th, 2013, 1:00 - 4:00PM, Papa's Pizza (Event

Room), 16040 Cicero Avenue, Oak Forest, IL. Be re-

minded that early voting has started and runs through

April 6th, at Matteson Village Hall (4900 Village Com-

mons). Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm, Markham Court-

house (16501 S. Kedzie) Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.

Election Day is on Tuesday, April 9th, 2013.

The Rich Township Coalition For

Better Schools will meet on Saturday (Exact

Dates to be announced) from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.

at the Old Village Hall at 207th and Governors High-

way in Olympia Fields, IL, 60461. RICH TOWNSHIP

227 BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE: April, 2012,

Rich East, Thursday, 4/5 – 7:30 p.m. Working Ses-sion. Tuesday, 4/17 – 7:00 p.m. Special Meeting for,

Public Comment. Tuesday,

4/17 – 7:30 p.m. Business Meeting

Employment and Resource Fair. The Lighthouse Church of All Nations is hosting this Employment and Resource Fair. The FBI, Chicago Police, CEDA, and several other public and private organizations will be on hand to accept your re-sumes. Attendees are asked to wear business cas-ual attire. Raffle and door prizes will be awarded. April 10, Lighthouse Church of All Nations (4501 W. 127th St., Alsip, IL.),: 2013, 10am to 2pm. For more information, please contact Theresa Hub-bard at (708) 527-0937.

T he Futures of our students and community are being devastated and doomed by those who have served for eight or twelve years or more on school board 227 I am especially disappointed in any individual whether a politician or a private citizen

who would endorse a member of a board of education who is the main architect of the failure of students. Futures of students are being devastated and doomed because of those who served for 8 and 12 years or more on the Board of Education of Rich Township High School District 227.

Even if a person is your friend, your better judgment comes into question when you endorse a person who is responsible for the failure of two thirds of the school population. I urge all taxpayers who are voters in that failed school sys-tem to do their due diligence and study the record of those who have served multiple times with declining test scores as their legacy. Wake up people, don't be bamboozled by attending lavish parties and being swayed by unscrupulous tactics.

Wake up voters in Olympia Fields, Matteson, Richton Park, Park For-est, Country Club Hills and a small portion of Tinley Park, University Park and Chicago Heights. Vote for people who will fight for quality education for your children: Bass, Morgan, Mnyofu and Woods.

Helen Burleson Doctor of Public Administration

Former Member, The Illinois State Board of Education

Robin Kelly Endorses Betty Owens For President, as she

gets the U.S. President endorsement

Current Rich Township High School District

227 School Board President Betty Owens received

a big boost in her re-

election campaign from

former state Representative

Robin Kelly. Kelly is the

current Democratic nominee

in the upcoming special

election on April 9th to

replace Jesse Jackson Jr. in

Congress. This endorsement

is very pivotal for Owens,

as District 227 is in the 2nd

congressional district, and

Kelly was the former State

Rep of this same district

show she knows the candi-

date Betty Owens well.

Owens has an over 30

year career in education

that includes serving as the

principal of 3 different

schools for 17 years and 7

years as assistant superin-

tendent.

Owens was elected to the Board of Education in

Rich Township High School District 227, where

she has served for 8 years.

President Barack Obama endorsed Kelly in the

race to replace Jesse Jackson Jr., who resigned

under a federal investigation and later pleaded

guilty to misspending hundreds of thousands of

dollars in campaign funds.

“I share Robin’s passionate advocacy to end gun

violence with common sense solutions because

like her, I believe families impacted by gun vio-

lence – especially in my home city of Chicago –

deserve a vote,” Obama said in a statement. “I urge

you to elect Robin Kelly as your representative in

the United State Congress.”

Jeremiah James Cotton

For

bringing

the

Curse! *** A Dramatic Comedy Stage Play by Audrey Kenner.

April 6, 2013 6:00 p.m. Prairie State College Theater, 202

S. Halsted. Chicago Heights, IL

Owens

Kelly


April 5—17, 2012

Volume 19 No. 2 $FREE$ $1 Donations Requested

Continue on page 8

Burbs Transportation Study Many of the towns comprising Chicago’s south

suburbs have suffered years of economic hardship

and diminishing revenues necessary to attract and

retain businesses and adequately serve residents.

However, these communities possess abundant rail

assets and a resilient industrial base that can be lever-

aged to attract new

industrial busi-

nesses, remediate

environmental ly

contaminated prop-

erties, and improve

connections be-

tween housing and

jobs.

C e n t e r f o r

N e i g h b o r h o o d

Technology (CNT)

has published, Chi-

cago’s South Sub-

urbs: Smart Growth in Older Communities, a case

study describing a pilot project identifying redevelop-

ment opportunities around freight and passenger rail

lines in Harvey and Blue Island. The project provided

a foundation for a 42-city redevelopment strategy

known as the Chicago Southland Green Transit, Inter-

modal, Manufacturing, and Environment (TIME)

Zone. CNT, the South Suburban Mayors and Manag-

ers Association and other regional partners are col-

laboratively implementing the strategy to improve

freight and passenger rail operation, create green

manufacturing jobs, and stabilize foreclosed or at-risk

properties. CNT works across disciplines and issues, including

transportation and community development, energy,

water, and climate change

Gambling still on the

Agenda for South Burbs CHICAGO (AP) — Gambling expansion is getting closer

in Illinois which could also include Illinois the fourth state

to allow Internet gaming where games like black jack on

their computers or smart phones.

The biggest obstacle to adding more casinos and slot

machines in Illinois has been Gov. Pat Quinn, who has

twice rejected proposals sent to his desk, citing a lack of

ethical safeguards, regulation and oversight.

Lately, the Chicago Democrat has signaled that he’s open

to the idea, even mentioning it in his March budget speech.

And the new bill addresses some of Quinn’s concerns by

including a ban on political contributions from the gam-

bling industry, appointing an inspector general to monitor

gaming and giving the state gaming board more authority

over a Chicago casino.

“The stars are probably lining up better than they’ve ever

lined up,” said Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat

who’s a lead sponsor of the legislation. “We’re doing a lot

of the things that the governor wanted.”

But the new proposals still could be held up because of

the state’s focus on fixing its nearly $100 billion pension

problem — which Quinn has said must be the higher prior-

ity. There’s also the governor’s skepticism of so-called

“Gaming,” which the bill’s supporters say might be an op-

tion to help fix the state’s financial problems.

“There hasn’t been much review on that at all,” Quinn

told reporters last week. “Any time you have something

brand new, it shouldn’t just be thrown into a bill at the last

minute.”

The casinos — including in Chicago, Rockford, Dan-

ville, Chicago’s south suburbs and Lake County — are

estimated to generate between $400 million and $1 billion,

and the bulk of the money would be allocated to the state’s

Education Assistance Fund, after the local communities

receive a share of the profits.

South Street Journal April 4 - 17, 2013

Documents

chicago police

chicago man

city of chicago

reported chicago

community leaders

chicago public school

black community

yearold chicago honor