Thursday, December 17, 2015

We Took A Chance / Christmas at the Ship / Police Officers' PressConference / Q & A......




Building Generational Leaders POLITICAL POINT OF VIEW We Took A Chance..... Special Correspondent: Delmarie Cobb It’s interesting to see black pol
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delmarie cobb
Delmarie Cobb
POLITICAL POINT OF VIEWWe Took A Chance.....
Special Correspondent: Delmarie Cobb
It’s interesting to see black politicians, pastors, nationalists and activists who were clinging to Rahm Emanuel like a cheap suit, during the mayoral campaign, suddenly find their voices.
I commend the clergy who supported Emanuel for re-election in April for admitting they have no faith in him now after the successive release of videos showing three young black men--Laquan McDonald, Ronald Johnson and Philip Coleman--being shot or beaten to death by Chicago Police officers. These pastors are vowing to circulate petitions to collect signatures pushing Chicago aldermen to take a vote of “no confidence” on the City Council floor.
Yet, while they have seen the light there are still others who remain “doubting Thomases.” They refuse to believe their buddy on the fifth floor betrayed voters, lied to voters or withheld pertinent information from voters about the shooting death of 17-year-old McDonald. Unlike the ApostleThomas, these pastors have seen the video of McDonald being gunned down, but refuse to believe it was a part of any orchestrated cover-up. Instead, they believe a contrite Emanuel who acknowledged in a 40-minute speech that police misconduct is nothing new.
"Nothing, nothing can excuse what happened to Laquan McDonald," the mayor said. "Our city has been down this road before. We have seen fatal police shootings and other forms of abuse and corruption. We took corrective measures, but those measures never measured up to the challenge."
Emanuel was all too familiar with serial torturer Jon Burge. A week after winning re-election, he announced the creation of a $5.5 million“reparation fund” to compensate victims tortured by the rogue police officer, and the code of silence that allowed him to operate with impunity for years. The mayor apologized then too. Ironically, the city’s corporation counsel asked the Finance Committee to approve a $5 million settlement for the police-involved killing of McDonald a day later.
Leading up to the dashcam video release showing the teenager walking away from police, Emanuel held a series of hastily called meetings with ministers, activists and aldermen. According to two ministers, the mayor was his usual smug and arrogant self. "Basically he was trying to ask us to use our influence to call for calm," explained Rev. Ira Acree on Chicago Tonight. "That's what the meeting was all about. In one instance it got very contentious, because he even suggested that if we allow this city to blow up, that there'll be hell to pay."
Rev. Marshall Hatch said those in the meeting were offended by the mayor’s bluster. “That somehow we are charged with keeping the peace. We're not peace officers. We can't take responsibility for a set of circumstances–and even an atmosphere–that we didn't create.”
"I was there for one purpose yesterday," said Acree. "My people feel betrayed; my people feel violated by three entities of government. I wanted to make sure that someone speaks for them. That's my role. I'll be speaking up for my community. That's who I represent."
Instead of the mayor humbling himself before these ministers, he resorted to his default strong-arm tactics, which is just another in a long list of examples of what Emanuel really thinks of black people. Knowing Chicago is on the financial brink and knowing the city has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars for police misconduct, Rahm had many opportunities to get in front of this issue. He chose, however, to vilify schoolteachers, to invest in tourist attractions at the expense of neighborhoods in need, to continue the practice of using TIF dollars for vanity projects and to protect a police superintendent whose actions and policies were contemptuous.
Once again, we’re in campaign season. Politicians will ask to come to black churches to seek votes. Before any—black or white--are allowed to speak, we must demand they sign onto an urban agenda that addresses education, job training, jobs creation, community development, infrastructure improvements and affordable housing. It’s not enough to say they’ll be with us. They must have a history of supporting issues that advance black people and acknowledge the racism and obstacles that continue to stand in our way.
Black politicians, pastors, nationalists and activists are at the fork in the road. We have one of three choices to make: we may either go right, or go left, or go back. Mayor Emanuel has given us the road map; the rest is up to us. “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”
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Q & A: Prophetic Thought Leader Answers Readers Questions
Question: What is the primary mission of TBTNews and its editorial direction? - Hyde Park/Chicago
Answer: TBTNews is a disruptive technology company that was designed to interrupt the status quo. So far we have done just that. And by taking this approach and building the business model on this premise, it has contributed to our early success. And you can believe that we're determined to remain laser focused and committed to delivering real and relevant content for years to come. The news service, which is considered an Accelerator company in tech terms, has met most of its five-year objective. And with plans for continued growth, there are multiple additions and adjustments being made to ensure that we progress at a nominal rate - satisfactory to our goals. - CDW
Question: What are the emerging leaders doing wrong in their rejection of Rev Jackson and other elder leaders during these early protest? - South Shore/Chicago
Answer: I think that Rev. Jesse Jackson, and others, like FatherMichael Pfleger, should always be invited to lend their hand at attempting to bring about change. They've seen and accomplished more than any of the emerging protesters could ever hope to accomplish. Yes, Jesse and Pfleger may 'not' have always been on the right side over the last ten years or so, and the emerging new voices have every right to question their decisions and current platform, but it's my wish that all parties come together to keep our eyes on the prize. The city of Chicago and its racist practices are the enemy! And everyone who's fighting for equality and inclusion should stay the course.
Mainly, this is not about Jesse, Pfleger, or even some of the not-so-older protesters, particular the ones in my my generation - this is about building a viable road map for not only 'US' to immediately follow, but for our children's children to travel down for progress and success, long after we've left the building. - CDW
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charles jenkins
Charles Jenkins
TBTNEWS REPORTCHRISTMAS AT "THE SHIP"
Chicago's historic Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, affectionately known as "The Ship", and Pastor Charles Jenkins host their annual holiday community outreach, Christmas at the Ship on Saturday Dec. 19th. Registration begins at 6 am and distribution of food and toys begins at 9 am.
Throughout the year, teams of supporters work to secure monetary donations which are used to purchase food and toys for distribution in the community the Saturday before Christmas. These items are packed and distributed by church members, donors, local politicians and other nonprofit organizations. The community gets involved by attending and engaging with the outreach at Fellowship MBC, and by registering to receive food and toys.
This annual event was started in 1997 by Fellowship MB Church founder and Pastor, Reverend Clay Evans with 100 recipients. To this day, this outreach continues to grow and this year Fellowship MBC is expecting to serve 2,000 guests. For more information, visit fellowshipchicago.com or contact Karen Goodar,GoldStar Communications at 312-943-3330 or kgoodar@goldstarc.com.
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Richard Wooten
TBTNEWS HEADLINERetired Police Officers to Hold Press Conference
A group of retired police officers will hold a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 10:30 a.m., outside the Chicago Police Department headquarters, 3510 S. Michigan Ave.
The press conference will call on Mayor Rahm Emanuel to halt all actions and activities surrounding the department until he receives widespread input from the community. The officers, some of whom worked decades in the department and were highly ranked before retiring, said the actions by Mayor Emanuel to appoint a six-member task force, to start a search for a new superintendent and to make new appointments within the department’s leadership, have been taken prematurely and will not bring about true reform inside the department.
During the press event, the officers will share their recommendations for changing the culture inside the department and improving relations between the CPD and the community. The actions they are recommending were developed during a meeting Monday evening convened by Richard Wooten, a former police officer, who is the founder and executive director of the Gathering Point Community Council.
“As retired police officers, we are ready to consult with Mayor Emanuel and Interim Superintendent John Escalante to present them with some recommendations and strategies, which are derived from our collective experience working within the system and on the front lines in the community,” said Wooten, who served on the force for 23 years before retiring in August.
He added, “We know what it takes to transform the unacceptable culture within the department, which has been existing and tolerated for decades, but is no longer acceptable to us and the public. Because we not only worked in predominantly African American communities, many of us live on the same streets we patrolled, so we know what it takes to improve the relations between the police and the community.”
Gathering Point Community Council is a 501 c (3) non-for-profit organization, established in 1998 as a mentoring organization for at risk youth, dedicated to restoring values in at risk communities through the philosophy of for the people, by the people. For additional information, contact Bethany Hexom atBethany@jerrythomaspr.com or 319.750.5601.

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