Feb. 1 Black/Latino Police sue Boston Police Department

BLACKSTONIAN EXCLUSIVE

Feb. 1 Black/Latino Police sue Boston Police Department

Below contains information from the Boston Globe article:
"Ex-Menino driver gets new job, stirring dispute"
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/01/29/ex_menino_driver_gets_new_job_stirring_dispute/

The organization representing the department’s minority officers, MAMLEO, for years have been calling for more women and minorities to be given supervisory roles.

“If the Police Department is going to be serious about community policing, it must reflect the community in which it operates and right now it does not,’’ said Willie H. Bradley, information officer for the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers. “Once again the Police Department makes the selections, unfortunately, to its command position based on politics, not on knowledge.’’

Of the 19 deputy superintendents and superintendents on the command staff, 10 are white men. There are four black men, one Asian man, one white woman, two Hispanic men, and one black woman. All of the captains in command of the city’s 11 districts are white men.

Currently, MAMLEO has a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging the state’s promotional exam winding its way through federal court. On Tuesday Feb. 1, closing arguments are scheduled to be heard in the case, which was brought by minority officers from several cities, including Boston. The officers contend that the exam for sergeant is discriminatory.

PACK THE COURT
Tuesday, Feb. 1 2011
Federal Court House
1 Courthouse Way Boston, Massachusetts 02210

READ MORE - Feb. 1 Black/Latino Police sue Boston Police Department

CANCELLED Legendary Rapper Chuck D to Speak at UMass Boston on February 1 3pm

CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW EMERGENCY

Legendary Rapper Chuck D to Speak at UMass Boston on February 1

January 26, 2011
by Office of Communications

Legendary hip hop artist Chuck D, who cofounded the rap group Public Enemy, will visit the University of Massachusetts Boston to talk about “Race, Rap, and Reality” on Tuesday, February 1 as part of the campus’s kick-off for Black History Month.

This free lecture takes place in the Campus Center Ballroom from 3 to 5 p.m.

“Whether you agree or disagree with his words, Chuck D commands attention,” said Chancellor J. Keith Motley. “I’m proud of our Office of Student Activities & Leadership and our Student Arts and Events Council for bringing Chuck D to our campus, and I am truly looking forward to hearing his remarks.”

Best known as leader and cofounder of one of hip hop’s most influential groups of all time, Chuck D redefined rap music and hip hop culture with the release of Public Enemy’s explosive debut album, Yo Bum Rush the Show, in 1987.

He is the author of two critically acclaimed books, a political activist, publisher, radio host, and producer. His messages address weighty issues about race, rage, and inequality. Chuck D and Public Enemy were celebrated in the May 2004 issue of Rolling Stone magazine as one of the "50 most important performers in rock & roll history." In 2007, he was named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans by Ebony magazine.

Chuck D is also a national spokesperson for Rock the Vote, the National Urban League, and the National Alliance for African American Athletes. He has appeared in numerous public service announcements for national peace and the Partnership for a Drug Free America. As he continues to work on commentary, music, and writing on diversity, politics, rap, and technology, it is clear that there are few who have transcended music and have made an impact as loud as hip hop speaker Chuck D.

The event is sponsored by UMass Boston’s Student Arts and Events Council.

READ MORE - CANCELLED Legendary Rapper Chuck D to Speak at UMass Boston on February 1 3pm

New Bedford unveiling gunfire detection system

New Bedford unveiling gunfire detection system

By Associated Press  |   Sunday, January 30, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

NEW BEDFORD -- Authorities in New Bedford hope to curb firearm offenses by installing a gunshot-locator system that uses sensitive microphones attached to buildings to remotely pinpoint shootings.

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank is set to join New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang, Police Chief Ron Teachman and elected officials Monday to formally launch the ShotSpotter system.

ShotSpotter is a system of strategically placed acoustic sensors linked to a computer designed to help police locate gunfire in high-crime areas.

In Massachusetts, the system is already in use in parts of Boston, Brockton and Springfield.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1313055

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Hard times at Dartmouth jail Officers struggle with gang violence, even behind bars

Hard times at Dartmouth jail
Officers struggle with gang violence, even behind bars

Photo by Peter Pereira/The Standard-Times (File)
By Brian Fraga / The Standard-Times  |   Sunday, January 30, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

DARTMOUTH — There is one place where rival gang members find themselves under the same roof, living a tenuous coexistence.

Jail.

"You have your Bloods, your Crips, Latin Kings, Gangster Disciples, your Asian gangs, all in here," said Steven Souza, assistant superintendent of security, jail and detention at the Dartmouth House of Correction.

Gangs are a reality in just about any detention facility in the United States.

The Mass. Department of Corrections has identified 52 different gangs — also known as security threat groups — within the state prison system.

In Dartmouth, there are 203 confirmed gang members, representing about 14 percent of the overall population of 1,465 inmates, said Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson.

Since the facility instituted its Gang Intelligence Unit almost two years, more than 800 confirmed gang members have been processed at the Dartmouth House of Correction, Hodgson said.

"The gang issues we see in the streets, especially in urban areas, we see in our prisons," Hodgson said.

The security staff screens all inmates and pre-trial detainees for gang affiliations. Correctional officers monitor gang members, but officials said those efforts are hindered by a manpower shortage and the fact that most of the facility’s cells are unlocked.

"The facility, with its modular units that don’t have toilets and sinks in the units, was designed by the state in the 1960. It’s not our decision to have non-locking cells," Souza said.

Despite the security staff’s efforts, gang-related violence is inevitable. A week ago, at least two members of the Asian Boyz, a gang affiliated with the Crips, armed with a shank, stormed into an unlocked cell and tried to cut off a tattoo from a Blood gang member’s arm, officials said.

To read the rest of this story, go to www.southcoasttoday.com

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1313031

READ MORE - Hard times at Dartmouth jail Officers struggle with gang violence, even behind bars

MassBay Community College African-American Professor Honored by President Obama for Outstanding Mentoring

MassBay Community College African-American Professor Honored by President Obama for Outstanding Mentoring

January 27, 2011
from:  http://urbanmecca.net/news/?p=16224

African-American MassBay Community College Professor Dr. Bruce A. Jackson will travel to Washington, D.C. this week to receive a prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentor from President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday January 27th.  Dr. Jackson was one of 11 individuals and four organizations that were named, and the only representative of a community college to earn the Award.

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, awarded by the White House each year to individuals or organizations, recognizes the crucial role that mentoring plays in the academic and personal development of students studying science or engineering—particularly those who belong to groups that are underrepresented in those fields.  By offering their expertise and encouragement, mentors help prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers while ensuring that tomorrow’s innovators reflect the full diversity of the United States.

“These individuals and organizations have gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that the United States remains on the cutting edge of science and engineering for years to come,” President Obama said.  ”Their devotion to the educational enrichment and personal growth of their students is remarkable, and these awards represent just a small token of our enormous gratitude.”

Dr. Jackson has long been a standout of MassBay’s accomplished Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) academic division.  Through his visionary Forensic DNA Science program, the only associate degree of its kind in the world, Dr. Jackson has reached unparalleled success.  Due in large part to his leadership, MassBay has produced 17 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars, the most prestigious undergraduate honor in math, science and engineering.  No other community college in America has produced more than two.  He has also been honored as a Fulbright Scholar in Residence, a highly prestigious and competitive award which has allowed him to replicate his Forensic DNA program at the Catholic University of Portugal.

Dr. Carole Berotte Joseph, president of MassBay, said, “MassBay showcases the potential of two-year colleges. Here at a community college level, we are able to offer the superb faculty, state-of-the-art laboratories and cutting-edge equipment equivalent to a four-year college at a fraction of the price. We are proud to be a steppingstone for some of our nation’s distinguished scholars and productive citizens.”

Just last year, MassBay announced the discovery of a new bacteria made possible by another brilliant professor, Interim STEM Division Dean Dr. Sarmad Saman, in conjunction with the work of a student utilizing MassBay’s high tech equipment and laboratory.  The bacteria, submitted to the Gene Bank at the National Institutes of Health is named Bacillus samanii in honor of Dr. Saman, who said, “Although bacteria are discovered every year, the fact that the discovery was made at a community college without a cadre of graduate research students makes this discovery all the more meaningful.”

Dr. Saman acknowledged how fortunate MassBay is to have its own DNA Sequencer, Gas Chromatography and other sophisticated equipment, purchased with Dr. Joseph’s blessing. “Normally students would have to go to Harvard or MIT to have this equipment available to them.”

With Dr. Saman and Dr. Jackson as part of its faculty, and state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment, MassBay boasts as strong a STEM education as any community college in the nation.

Candidates for the Presidential Mentoring Awards are nominated by colleagues, administrators, and students in their home institutions.  The mentoring can involve students at any grade level from elementary through graduate school. In addition to being honored at the White House, recipients receive awards of $10,000 to advance their mentoring efforts.

READ MORE - MassBay Community College African-American Professor Honored by President Obama for Outstanding Mentoring

Pols, friends saddened by Chuck Turner’s fate

Pols, friends saddened by Chuck Turner’s fate

By Margery Eagan  |   Thursday, January 27, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Columnists

Much of official black Boston did not want to talk about Chuck Turner yesterday. Not state Reps. Bryon Rushing or Linda Dorcena Forry. Not City Councilors Ayanna Pressley or Charles Yancey. Not leaders of the Bay State Banner, which serves the black community. Not even Michael Curry, president of Boston’s NAACP.

Callie Crossley, who does a daily talk show on WGBH radio and is black, said she went through a long list of prospective guests for her Turner discussion yesterday and “nobody wanted to talk.”

The notion of a convicted Turner as a much-abused Rosa Parks figure may be unique to Turner and those who packed the courtroom for him Tuesday: mostly graying, white, uber-liberals from Fort Hill still stuck in their Peter, Paul and Mary salad days. Black leaders who were willing to talk about Turner yesterday weren’t buying that line.

“But everyone I’ve spoken to is pretty upset that the only two individuals who get slapped with a show-them-a-lesson sentence happen to be black,” said political activist Joyce Ferriabough, referring to Turner and ex-state Sen.Dianne Wilkerson. Then she cited the glaring inequity here. “(Turner’s) offenses pale in contrast to the other folks I won’t mention who’ve had felonious convictions.”

Among the many: ex-House Speakers Charles Flaherty (now a lobbyist) and Tom Finneran (now a talk show host).

Said longtime activist Mel King, “It’s outrageous. And when you look at the amount of money, there seems something vindictive about it.”

The Rev. Bruce Wall blamed both Turner for baiting the judge and Boston’s black community for failing to unite, convincing Turner to step down and the feds to give him a deal. “The white system does it all the time,” Wall said. “I feel so ashamed that the leadership of the black community is so impotent we can’t even get somebody’s (parking) ticket turned around.”

When Turner called the bribe “a preacher’s handshake,” said veteran defense lawyer Henry Owens, “that insulted the black community and the clergy. Then he kept talking and talking, proving the government’s case. If you’re going to take the witness stand, you have to come up with something plausible to say.”

Said longtime broadcaster Jimmy Myers, “The community of course feels the inadequacy in the justice system. We deal with it every day, and many feel he didn’t do anything wrong. God forbid that could be me.

“But when Chuck decided to take the Cesar Chavez approach, he infuriated the judge, so now here’s a 70-year old spending three years behind bars. . . . It’s a very sad day.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1312278

READ MORE - Pols, friends saddened by Chuck Turner’s fate

Speak up, Sal Dimasi— or it’ll be a long time in jail

Blackstonian Editor's Note: You know something is awry when even Howie Carr, The Archie Bunker of Boston Journalism, can see a racial disparity in prosecution and sentncing.

Speak up, Sal Dimasi— or it’ll be a long time in jail

By Howie Carr  |   Friday, January 28, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Columnists

Time to plead guilty, Sal DiMasi.

It’s payback time, Sal. You have been selected as the makeup call for Chuck “Superfly” Turner. The streak ends with you, Mistah Speakah.

No, not the streak of legislative leaders being indicted. That streak will never end. I’m talking about the streak of corrupt white politicians in Boston getting caught committing the most heinous sorts of crimes and then walking away without even spending a day in stir.

It’s the good old boys network. Generations of Hibernian highwaymen, and their faithful Italian companions, have gotten away with everything — and after they plead out, they’re handed fat pensions and their own rotten, no-ratings talk shows.

But the whole racket has gotten a little too obvious. Sal, it’s time to jail a white guy.

Think about this, Sal. Chuck took a grand, and he gets three years. You’re accused of pocketing $57K. If, God forbid, you’re found guilty, and Judge Mark Wolf uses the “Superfly” sentencing guidelines, you are looking at . . . 171 years.

On the bright side, you’ll be eligible for parole in 144 years and 4 months — in the year 2155.

Repeat after me, Sal: “Guilty, your Honor.” The best you can hope for at this point is to keep your bit to a bare minimum. I don’t care what Tom Kiley is telling you as he chauffeurs you down Northern Avenue to the courthouse in that green Jaguar of his.

Of course, the old phenomenon of rewarding crooked pols went far beyond Felon Finneran and Good Time Charlie Flaherty and Mrs. Johnny Pockets.

Remember the late Rep. Kevin Fitzgerald, also known as Money Fitz? Relieved a bag lady of $200,000, which he was ordered to repay . . . to her estate. So his fellow hacks made him the State House sergeant at arms — the guy with the top hat and the stick whose only real task every year is to lead the governor into the House chambers for the State of the State address.

How about the Boston city councilor Brian McLaughlin, better known as Cryin’ Brian after he broke down and began weeping when he explained how terrible it was to have to hide the cash he grabbed from a developer in the bedroom in his parents’ house, where he still lived at the age of 30?

Cryin’ Brian didn’t get life — he got a lifetime sinecure at City Hall. Who says crime doesn’t pay? It damn sure does if you’re a white hack from Boston.

I know Chuck talked his way into Club Fed all by himself. But still, just to prove the system isn’t as corrupt as it so obviously is, the cops are going to have to lock up a white guy.

Paging Sal DiMasi . . .

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1312540

READ MORE - Speak up, Sal Dimasi— or it’ll be a long time in jail

Cops arrest Shawn Drumgold on drug charges

Blackstonian Editor's Note: Shawn Drumgold is a friend of the Blackstonian. He and His Family remain in our prayers and we wish Shawn the best after suffering a life altering tragedy of his wrongful imprisonment.

Cops arrest Shawn Drumgold on drug charges

By Laurel J. Sweet  |   Friday, January 28, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

A man awarded — but not yet paid — $14 million by a jury for the 14 years he languished in prison after a wrongful murder conviction was busted by Boston cops Wednesday for allegedly peddling heroin and crack cocaine.

Shawn Drumgold, 45, of Fall River was rounded up from an apartment on Cardington Street in Roxbury with more than a half-dozen other individuals and what police executing a search warrant reported was seven bags of heroin and 12 bags of crack cocaine on the kitchen floor, five bags of crack inside a pill bottle and an open bag of crack with a straw sticking out on a bedroom table. Police said they found cut-off baggies on Drumgold.

“I can’t imagine he was intending to distribute anything. It certainly seems he’s made some poor choices. I talked to him at Christmas and he was doing great,” said Drumgold’s longtime defender, attorney Rosemary Scapicchio.

Drumgold, who is married and a father, pleaded not guilty yesterday in Roxbury District Court to possession with intent to distribute heroin and crack and two counts of violating the state’s drug laws. Judge David Weingarten released Drumgold on $500 cash bail.

In 1989, Drumgold was convicted of the notorious 1988 murder of 12-year-old Darlene Tiffany Moore. In a crime that shocked the city, Moore — who was perched on a mailbox — was gunned down on a summer night by two masked individuals who fired into a crowd. The case remains unsolved.

Drumgold’s conviction was overturned in 2003, and a U.S. District Court jury awarded him $14 million in October 2009 for the freedom he lost while behind bars. That money has not yet been paid.

“The city is awaiting the (federal) court’s entry of a final judgment on the verdict,” said Bill Sinnott, the city’s corporation counsel. “It will then consider its options for the filing of post-trial motions.”

Drumgold “walks the streets, and people think he’s a rich man. He doesn’t have $2 in his wallet,” Scapicchio said. “He wants to go to school. He’s struggling to get a job. I feel bad for him.”

Meanwhile, Moore’s “case remains open,” said Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office. He declined to comment on Drumgold’s arrest.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1312509

READ MORE - Cops arrest Shawn Drumgold on drug charges

Can One Man Make A Difference?!?! ROXBURIED: The Big Snow Job... pt. II

BLACKSTONIAN EXCLUSIVE

Within hours of the report from the Blackstonian on the horrendous condition on our streets

Our work was featured in the Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/blogs/the_angle/2011/01/shoveling_at_ci.html

AND



as we are reporting to you now at approx. 6pm crews from the BRA are cleaning up the lot that they have not visited for almost a year....

One Man Can Make A Difference!!!!
Especially if that man is a
BLACKSTONIAN

READ MORE - Can One Man Make A Difference?!?! ROXBURIED: The Big Snow Job... pt. II

TONITE!!! 1/27 Kick-Off Fundraiser to Elect Cornell Mills - City Council - District 7

Kick-Off Fundraiser to Elect Cornell Mills
City Council - District 7

TONIGHT!!!!
Thursday, January 27th

Time : 6:00pm - 9:00pm


Location:

Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen
604 Columbus Avenue Boston, MA

Host Committee:
Stephanie Soriano-Mills, Esq.
Ardrena Parkman-Lyles, Esq.
Tiffanie Ellis-Niles, Esq.

RSVP to Facebook Event HERE

DONATE HERE via PAYPAL

VOLUNTEER for CORNELL HERE

Committee to Elect Cornell Mills
Candidate for District 7 City Council
email: cornell4district7@gmail.com
phone: 617-800-9414
www.cornellmills.com

For Campaign Updates & Info: TEXT CORNELL to 41411
For Twitter Updates: TEXT FOLLOW CORNELLMILLS to 40404

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

JOIN US ON TWITTER

READ MORE - TONITE!!! 1/27 Kick-Off Fundraiser to Elect Cornell Mills - City Council - District 7

BLACKSTONIAN EXCLUSIVE: The Big Snow Job... ROXBURIED

BLACKSTONIAN EXCLUSIVE

The Big Snow Job
ROXBURIED

The City of Boston consistently fails its residents in both its own removal and selective enforcement which is heavy handed on tax payers and home owners but lax on others.

The Worst offenders in the City of Boston is often the City of Boston.
Properties seized by Project Pride
BRA - Boston Redevelopment Authority
DND - Department of Neighborhood Development
MBTA
NSTAR

City of Boston Officials have confirmed that all property owners are responsible for snow removal on their property. This means all above entities, including the City of Boston are responsible and accountable.

The Blackstonian did a brief neighborhood walkthrough at 10 am this morning and what I witnessed was atrocious. Much of what I saw was clearly not at all touched from the first storm weeks ago.


BRA owned property on Ruthven St. at Humboldt Ave. I haven't seen them back since the day last summer when they put the locks on the gate to ensure the church couldn't drive to the back of their building.

Unplowed Ruthven St. (Many of the streets along Humboldt Avenue remained unplowed including Crawford, Ruthven, Homestead, Hutchings, Brookledge, Harold

MBTA Bustop buried at Harold and Seaver any Eldery, Disabled, Parents with Stroller, Person with groceries/laundry and you are forced to wait in streets which are also unplowed and it creates a mass public safety issue.

Plows clearing the main thoroughfares this along Columbus on the left of the photo is Franklin Park. All along Franklin Park from Walnut Ave. going up Seaver taking a right on Blue Hill Ave NO SIDEWALK IS SHOVELED all the way to the main entrance of Franklin Park Zoo.

MBTA Bustop buried across from Harold at Seaver any Eldery, Disableb, Parents with Stroller, Person with groceries/laundry and you are forced to wait in streets which are also unplowed and it creates a mass public safety issue.

 Columbus on the left of the photo is Franklin Park. All along Franklin Park from Walnut Ave. going up Seaver taking a right on Blue Hill Ave NO SIDEWALK IS SHOVELED all the way to the main entrance of Franklin Park Zoo.

 Top of Humboldt Ave and Seaver. The Plows in many cases create a huge cliff of snow and slush which makes it almost impossible to get to the sidewalk even if you wanted to.

Buried MBTA stop Top of Humboldt Ave and Seaver.

 Buried MBTA stop Top of Humboldt Ave and Seaver.

 Buried MBTA stop Top of Humboldt Ave and Seaver.

 This is the ONLY spot I found dug out at all... also at the top of Humboldt and Seaver this appears to be have done by a Good Samaritan.

At Seaver and Humboldt in front of the Stores/Restaurant

 Fire Hydrants buried in snow cause a great hazard! as told to the Blackstonian by the Boston Vulcans, Boston's Black and Latino Firefighters Association. (see their link on the main page)

 Many of these bus stops have clearly not been dug out since the original storm several weeks ago.

 In front of 7th Day Adventist church at Humboldt/Seaver

HERE IS A GREAT Example
A Tale of Two Properties

One Property in a adjoining building is citizen owned and they had a path shoveled and the steps cleared.

 The second property right next door... as in attached 257 Humboldt ave is City Owned.

This property has clearly not been shoveled at all since the very first storm!!

The remnants of a path you see here is from the neighbors shoveling and this is where they stopped.

 This property is also a corner property and extends around the corner... which has also never been shoveled!

More MBTA buried bus stops this at Humboldt/Hutchings

Humboldt/Homestead

 

Further down Homestead St. looking at City Properties. Some of the Apartment Building Maintenance Men were plowing/shoveling the streets as well as the City had not come through at all.

Unplowed Homestead St.

NSTAR Owned property at Homestead and Humboldt 

 multiple offenses... Fire Hydrant!

 multiple offense... Mail Boxes...

 Mailboxes and Bus Stop

This was just a basic 15 min walk around a few blocks in the Blackstonian Neighborhood!!!

If you have an issue... report it to the Mayor's Hotline at 617-635-4500

Don't let them snow you!

If you are or know some elderly who need help getting dug out, call the Blackstonian at
617-297-7721.... must be in Roxbury Area

If you are a Brother or Youth who is willing to lend your back to digging out our people in surrounding neighborhoods throughout Boston call the Blackstonian 617-297-7721

READ MORE - BLACKSTONIAN EXCLUSIVE: The Big Snow Job... ROXBURIED