Mayor to Release Report on “African American Out-Migration

ACE on the CASE

Many people in the community are anticipating with interest a soon-to-be-released report from Gavin Newsome’s Task Force on African American Out-Migration from San Francisco.
The report, which is expected to come out by the middle of May, focuses on key issues that face African Americans in this city and proposes some comprehensive solutions.
We are hearing that the report will contain some of the following shocking findings: the percentage of very low-income households increased from over one-half of African American households in 1990 to over two-thirds in 2005; one-fourth of African Americans lived in poverty in 2000, over twice the rate of other groups; Black-owned business declined form 1997 to 2002 by one-fourth and business receipts declined by 60.7 percent.
In this era of federal stimulus spending, there exists opportunities for new and innovative programs to address the needs of the community in the areas of jobs, housing, education and training, health and business development.
We look forward to seeing the solutions proposed by the Mayor’s task force.

Jordyn Lucas Wins The Miss Jr. Pre- Teen San Francisco

Jordyn Lucas Wins The Miss Jr. Pre- Teen San Francisco

By Kevin Jefferson

Eight-year-old Jordyn Lucas of San Francisco was recently crowned 2009 Miss Jr. Pre-Teen San Francisco. She also won division titles of Miss Congeniality, Miss Photogenic and Miss Photogenic Overall.
Jordyn competed against young ladies between the ages of 7-9 for her share of thousands of dollars in prizes and specialty gifts for winners in her division. She participated in modeling routines that included casual and formal wear and displayed her personality and interviewing skills before a panel of judges.
As winner, Jordyn will enjoy an expense paid six-day trip to Orlando, Florida, where she will represent the San Francisco Bay Area in the Cities of America National Competition. This was her very first pageant, and community businesses, organization and private individuals funded her by becoming official sponsors.
Jordyn trained under Mario Benton and Pharaoh Brand of Mario B Productions Theatrical Modeling Program on runway and print technique. She was photographed by well-known photographer Eddie Cotillon.
Jordyn’s hobbies include modeling, singing, acting, dancing, basketball and creative writing. An avid reader, she especially enjoys reading mystery novels. Her favorite academic subjects are language arts and spelling.
She won the 2008 Gold Award for her literary work in her school’s annual Young Authors Project in which each student writes and illustrates his or her own book.
A member of the drama club, Jordyn wrote a one-act play that was recently submitted to the B Street Children’s Theatre playwriting contest for ages 7-14.  She also loves reading to smaller children and would love to volunteer her services as a reading tutor.
Jordyn is the child of Marvellus and Janeen Lucas and has two brothers and two sisters. Asked who is the inspiration in her life, “My dad,” she responded with a big smile.

Celebrating Malcolm X

In honor of the 84th birthday of Malcolm X, May 19, Sylvie Bayeaux and The Malcolm X Theater Project present Michael Lange in a one-man performance re-enacting Malcolm’s “The Ballot or the Bullet” speech.
Michael Lange has made hundreds of appearances nationwide performing speeches of Malcolm X over the last two decades. Lange, an Oakland native, teaches at San Jose State.  He is an accomplished actor, playwright, director, and musician. He is also the son of author and former television personality, Jerri Lange, and brother of actor Ted Lange.
An Oakland performance will take place on Sunday, May 24, 2 p.m., at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St.  The cost is $15 or $10 for students and seniors at the door.  Advance tickets are available for $10 at brownpapertickets.com.
A San Francisco performance will take place on Saturday, May 30, 2 p.m., at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) at 685 Mission St.  The cost is included in the $10 general or $5 student and senior admission to the museum.
For information contact (510) 485-6338.

INDICTED

Grand Jury Charges Yusuf Bey IV and Antoine Mackey in Chauncey Bailey’s Murder

By Thomas Peele,
Bob Butler and Mary
Fricker, The Chauncey
Bailey Project

A grand jury on Wednesday indicted Yusuf Bey IV, the scion of the defunct Your Black Muslim Bakery, on three counts of murder for ordering the killings of journalist Chauncey Bailey and two other men in 2007, an Alameda County deputy district attorney announced.
The indictment of Bey IV, 23, includes charges with special circumstances — allowing prosecutors to seek the death penalty against him. He allegedly told two of his followers that in exchange for killing Bailey, he would teach them how to file fraudulent loan applications that could reap hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Another man, Antoine Mackey, 23, was indicted on three counts of murder with special circumstances, including Bailey’s killing.
The grand jury also indicted Devaughndre Broussard, 21, in the killings Bailey and another man, Odell Roberson. His charges also carry special circumstances.
But Broussard, until Wednesday the only person charged in Bailey’s death, cut a deal with prosecutors in which he is expected to plead guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter in exchange for key testimony against Bey IV and Mackey.
In a statement to prosecutors last month, Broussard said Bey IV ordered him and Mackey to follow Bailey, learn his routine and then “take him out” before he could publish an article in the Oakland Post about the bakery’s troubled finances. Broussard said Bey IV promised the two help in securing loans worth hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraudulent applications.
Wednesday’s indictments came just hours after a judge for the second time ordered Bey IV to stand trial in an unrelated kidnapping and torture case from 2007 for which he faces a life sentence if convicted. The attorney representing him in that case, Anne Beles, declined to comment on the indictment.
Broussard will receive a sentence of about 25 years in exchange for his admissions and testimony, his attorney, LaRue Grim, has said. Grim said his client is prepared to plead guilty next week.
Bailey’s sister, Lorelei Waqia, said she grudgingly approves of the plea agreement with Broussard because it strengthens the chances of convicting Bey IV and Mackey in her brother’s slaying.
Bey IV “and Mackey are more dangerous than Broussard. In the perfect world, he (Broussard) would get life but that’s how a plea bargain is: You have to give a little to get a lot. It’s worth it to get the other guys,” Waqia said.
Still, Waqia said, the charges will bring little solace.
“Anything that happened from the day he passed until now is not going to bring him back. So, for me, there’ll never be closure because I’ve lost a brother; my father has lost his namesake; his son, my nephew, has lost a father who was a mentor to him,” she said.
Bey IV and Mackey are scheduled for arrangement next week. Bey IV is in Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail on unrelated charges, but Mackey is in San Quentin State Prison on a burglary sentence.
The indictments of Bey IV and Mackey come after a lengthy re-investigation of Bailey’s killing by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
The Oakland police homicide investigator first assigned to the Bailey case, Sgt. Derwin Longmire, is suspended and the department is moving to fire him after he was found to have compromised the investigation and had undocumented contact with Bey IV against orders.

Riding a Wave of Support and Good Will

By Post Staff

President Barack Obama continues to ride a wave of support and good will as he faces daunting challenges to revive a shattered global economy, restore the country’s foreign relations and initiate domestic reforms on issues as wide-ranging as police surveillance, universal health insurance and funding for public schools.
At the same time Michelle Obama has achieved superstar star status as a role model for fashion, food and family.
From day one, President Obama has been on the move. In his first week in office, he announced new restrictions on lobbying, met with Iraq war commanders, called foreign leaders to discuss Middle East peace and signed an order to close Guantanamo Bay Prison.
On the economic front, he is working to revive the auto industry, save the banks, stem home foreclosures and has pushed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund his economic stimulus plan.
His foreign relations initiatives include a timeline to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq and attending the G-20 Summit in London and the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.  He has reduced restrictions on travel to Cuba and has met already with the leaders of Russia, France, Germany, China, Venezuela and Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
Domestically, Obama lifted the ban on stem cell research and is putting together his plan to establish universal health coverage in 2009.  He is also advocating green energy and is backing legislation to protect credit card users.

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