January 4th Marked with Tributes, Actions and Care Package Drive for Homeless People and Pets
PHOENIX, AZ — Today on Monday, January 4, the Muhaymin family and advocates from national and Phoenix-based organizations will mark four years since Phoenix police brutally killed Muhammad Muhaymin—an unarmed, Black, Muslim, disabled man—while mocking his faith. To date, none of the officers involved in this killing have faced any criminal or disciplinary consequences; all are still actively policing in Phoenix.
Muhaymin was killed by Phoenix police in 2017 after attempting to bring his service dog into a public restroom. In August of 2020, new body camera footage was made public showing officers using their knees to pin Muhaymin’s head, neck and body into an asphalt parking lot. Before he is killed, Muhaymin can be heard yelling “I can’t breathe” and “Please Allah,” with an officer responding “Allah? He’s not going to help you right now.”
Muhammad’s sister Zarinah Tavares and advocates will deliver national and Phoenix-area tributes to her brother while urging the public to join efforts to hold the officers accountable for this killing and for all victims of similar violence. The day will be marked with:
A video tribute to Muhammad narrated by Ms. Tavares alongside national advocates Rep. André Carson, Muslim Advocates, the National Disability Rights Network and Phoenix-area advocates from Poder in Action, Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro and the Black Mother’s Forum. Click here to watch the video.
Tribute radio ads narrated by Ms. Tavares running all day on Phoenix radio station Power 98.3 KKFR. Click here to listen to the ad.
An action urging the public to contribute to a living tribute card to Muhammad designed by Black Muslim artist Amir Khadar. Click here to sign the card.
A care package drive for homeless people and pets in the metro Phoenix-area. Click here to learn more.
In the video, Tavares shares details about her brother, saying “he was a proud man who loved to dance, to take his daughter on walks in the park, and beatbox with me and my sisters. He always made us laugh. Muhammad was stolen from us by Phoenix police officers who brutally killed him, just for using the restroom.” She ends the video with a call to action “The system keeps pretending like we don’t matter. But we do.”
Lawmaker’s Provisions will Streamline Supply Chains, Encourage Collaboration
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today announced multiple provisions in the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that will help Inland Empire manufacturers streamline supply chains and better collaborate with Manufacturing USA Institutes and Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers.
Preventing Supply Chain Disruptions for Small and Medium Manufacturers: Rep. Torres passed a provision requiring the federal government to take first steps towards a National Supply Chain Database that would connect small and medium manufacturers, like those in CA-35, across state lines to prevent supply chain disruptions. The provision would require the federal government to conduct a detailed feasibility study for the database. The need for this collaboration became clear when local manufacturers struggled to retool and get the supplies they needed to produce needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when the coronavirus pandemic broke out.
Streamlining Collaboration Between Manufacturers: Rep. Torres passed a provision to help small and mid-size manufacturers with the Manufacturing Extension Partnership have access to and influence the technologies developed by the Manufacturing USA Institutes, which create technological tools to help manufacturers of all sizes improve their businesses.
Torres, who recently held a listening session to hear directly from local businesses, trades, and workforce leaders, represents a district where MEP Centers work with 79 aerospace and defense manufacturers, creating over 3,000 jobs.
Rep. Torres released the following statement:
“Manufacturing is at the heart of economic activity in communities across this country, and the Inland Empire is no exception,” Rep. Torres said. “The provisions I’m announcing today will help local manufacturers secure their supply chain and streamline their business operation. What this means for our region is simple: more jobs, better wages, new opportunities, and more money flowing through our local economy.”
Congresswoman Torres is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which allocates all federal spending. She also sits on the House Rules Committee, where she has influence over the amendment process for every bill considered in the House of Representatives.
The holiday gift that keeps teenagers on the sofa with game controllers in their hands may help parents pay their college tuition. For some, training to compete in cyberspace contests like Fortnite and NBA2K could soon replace training for team sports — and create a new scholarship pipeline and professional opportunities after graduation.
Gaming and esports are becoming sources of camaraderie and competition for students at HBCUs. Three of the four HBCU athletic conferences have corporate partnerships with developers of gaming platforms that allow students to compete against on-campus peers as well as students at schools in their conferences. And this popular form of social entertainment is quickly becoming more than just a pastime.
“Having an esports presence is very important to our institutions in the future,” Southwestern Athletic Conference Associate Commissioner Jason Cable said.
Fortnite is a wildly popular videogame whose best players can compete for college scholarship money. (Epic Games)
Esports teams and individuals compete head-to-head in live online competitions. The industry has grown rapidly worldwide, with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion and global audiences of more than 443 million, according to research by Green Man Gaming.
Most conventional sports franchises took financial losses last spring as American sports leagues postponed events and slashed their schedules to avoid exposing players and fans to the coronavirus. Esports tournaments picked up the slack through sports network TV. College and high school students looking for new ways to live, work, learn and play turned to competitive video gaming more than ever, making esports a cultural force.
Total enrollment at America’s 101 black colleges and universities dropped by 6,000 in the 2018-19 school year. School administrators see a new way to help recover.
“Our institutions are looking to increase enrollment and retain students, and esports gives them a chance to do both,” Cable said. “It’s the next big thing.”
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams said gaming and esports, which are grounded in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, benefit students academically.
“The move into esports aligns with the educational experience in STEM and overall strategic plan that remains consistent with efforts to continuously grow our brand and advance our students,” McWilliams said.
McWilliams’ athletic conference is one of three dedicated HBCU sports leagues that have attracted corporate sponsorships for competitive gaming platforms and tournaments while athletic sports remain on partial hiatus.
Gamers can compete in tournaments for scholarship money and for the attention of professional sports franchises that may hire the esports movement’s most talented competitors. There were 500 known esports franchises that earned between $95,000 and $36 million in tournaments by the end of 2019, according to Esports Earnings, which tracks the flow of money in the nascent industry. Some socially distant tournaments award as much as $750,000 in prize money.
Educators are more excited about the impact on black students’ professional opportunities when they embrace STEM fields as part of their immersive gaming experience. Programming, software development and cybersecurity can give them the inside track on lucrative career paths. Some are groomed through academic programs as early as high school, preparing them for athletic esports scholarships.
More than 100 U.S. and Canadian schools offer esports scholarships, following the lead of Robert Morris University Illinois, an institution that has since merged into Roosevelt University. Robert Morris Illinois offered subsidies for members of its first varsity-level Sports League of Legends team in 2014. Some packages today can be worth as much as $76,000 over four years of competitive eligibility. The most talented gamers can defray half of their tuition, room and board.
HBCUs aren’t offering scholarships but want students to think outside their Xbox. HBCU Heroes, a nonprofit launched by former NCAA and NBA champion George Lynch and business partner Tracey Pennywell, raises money to help those schools level the playing field with competitive scholarship offers to student athletes. Now that platform includes esports.
The most talented gamers in America can earn college scholarships that cover half of their tuition, room and board expenses. (campuspartymexico/CC)
Larger universities have vastly more support from sponsors and alumni than most HBCUs.
“My experience at [the University of] North Carolina was on a whole other level,” Lynch said. “We played in the ACC [Atlantic Coast Conference], who had the big TV deal, then went to the Final Four and brought back millions of dollars to subsidize the Olympic sports. But most of the traditional HBCUs that we played when I was coaching didn’t have the funding in the athletic department to support the student-athlete’s needs.”
Lynch saw how tight budgets held back athletes at small black colleges while he was head men’s basketball coach at Clark Atlanta University.
“We learned that STEM and cybersecurity is part of gaming,” Lynch said. “Our goal is to fund 12 labs at HBCUs where students can have a curriculum in STEM and develop their skills that give them options other than [major universities] to learn about them.”
Texas Southern University in Houston has extended its sports management program to include an esports curriculum. The interdisciplinary approach is focused on the management side of staging events, designing games and developing sound systems.
Dr. Kenyatta Cavil, interim associate dean of academic affairs in TSU’s College of Education, said he oversaw development of the program to empower students.
“We want the students to get out of the mindset of just being on the couch. We want them to know what’s on the other side of the games,” Cavil said. “We’re trying to be intentional about getting HBCU students into the business segment of the [esports] marketplace.”
Back when street hustlers and killers called him “Glaze,” the crack cocaine king of New York was among the most feared men walking the streets of new York. But in 1990 the enforcer for a drug kingpin from Queens pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges that put him in the middle of five murders and two attempted murders between 1985 and 1988. Brian Gibbs was 26 and had spent most of the 1980s fueling the city’s addictions and getting his hands dirty in Brooklyn.
Glaze terrorized both the weak and the strong as the leader of what was known as the M&M Crew — the “M” initials stood for money and murder — and part of the notorious “Round Table” headed by Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols and Howard “Pappy” Mason. His reputation was well-earned, and crossing him could be a deadly mistake. Today he admits that he personally killed six people.
But the boy from the Cypress Hills housing projects found himself locked away, helpless, and unable to be with his mother when she died in 1992. His own pain opened his eyes to what he had put his victims’ families through. Gibbs parlayed his cooperation with federal prosecutors into a lenient sentence and served just eight years and eight months in prison. After 18 months in federal witness protection with a new identity, he re-emerged as himself, trying to tell loved ones of the people he killed that he’s changed.
Gibbs spends his time reliving stories from his past in YouTube, hoping to steer the new generation of would-be gangsters in a different direction. Zenger News caught up with him to talk about his past, his present and his future.
Percy Crawford interviewed Brian Gibbs for Zenger News.
Zenger News: Congratulations on the success of your YouTube page. It’s been a pleasure watching your page grow and you personally grow. How are you, brother?
Brian Gibbs: Everything’s going well, man. When you speak about the YouTube Channel, you’re right. It’s like another way to express yourself. And to me, my YouTube Channel is my ministry. I’m not your typical minister. How do I minister my life experiences to the younger generation to get them to understand, man, that is not the way — that street life is not the way?
Zenger: We’re seeing that more and more, Glaze, with these young rappers being murdered at an alarming rate trying to live that lifestyle. Everything you say is coming to fruition, and the deaths and life sentences say it all.
Gibbs: You see these kids, these rappers and the lifestyle that they want. I just did a piece in regard to Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols. Christmas Day was his 62nd birthday. He did 32 consecutive birthdays, 32 consecutive Christmases behind the wall. The question I asked on the piece that I put up on my channel is, “Will Lorenzo Nichols die in jail?” Once again, you sit back and think about it: He had all the ghetto riches. He had all the money. Millions! He had cars, homes, jewelry, all the girls that he could possibly afford at that time. But was it all worth it?
Brian “Glaze” Gibbs (left) is pictured during the 1980s with (then) fellow Cypress Hills housing projects drug dealer Lannie “LD” Dillard. (Brian Gibbs)
Zenger: I watched that episode, and they took everyone around “Fat Cat” down, including you. Do you feel like at some point he deserves to live out his days as a free man?
Gibbs: You know what, honestly speaking, I hope he does. I think sometimes when you’re expressing yourself sometimes people take it the wrong way. I think everybody deserves a second or third chance. I can honestly say, and I believe it, he has changed. And I think right now he regrets everything he has done. If he had the opportunity to do it over again, that dude could’ve been a doctor or lawyer. He could’ve been a politician. The difference is when you’re out there you get caught up. You lose yourself to the street at a very early age.
At one point in time he wanted to stay in Alabama. He never wanted to come to New York. But the fact that his mother and her new family was up there, he had to migrate. He left his grandmother. He didn’t want to go. When he got up there, they were teasing him about being chubby and the way he spoke being a country bumpkin. Even me, I get teased for the way I pronounce certain things. I don’t add an “s,” that don’t make me no different. … You think I’m worried about what people have to say? But once again, he definitely deserves a second chance.
Zenger: When I look at cats like Pappy [Mason], Brian “Glaze” Gibbs, “Fat Cat,” it seems like it was so hard to relinquish that lifestyle. Was the hardest thing to let go the power, the respect, the fast money or a combination of it all?
Percy Crawford interviewed Brian Gibbs for Zenger News (Percy Crawford)
Gibbs: You say was it hard to give it up? Sit back and think about it. Do you want the lesser of two evils? Because if you seek to hold on to everything, guess what, man: At the end of the day you know what you’re going to have. Even right now, I wanted something. I wanted the power structure. I remember the first time when I was like nine years old and my late mother took me to see the “Godfather” movie. I must have fell asleep during that movie three or four times. But when I went away from the age of 17 to 20 [for robbery], I read that book when I was in the hole in a box. I read the book “The Godfather” by Mario Puzo, and understanding what they wanted and what they were talking about, building a power structure so strong.
So to answer your question, is it hard to give up? You know what, between the ages 14 to 24 I became “Glaze.” And I got caught up into that wrong thing. You’re right. You got power, with power comes money, with money comes responsibility. But that responsibility is the wrong kind of responsibility because you have to constantly look over your shoulder and watch your back, and constantly worry about when your door is going to get kicked in by law enforcement. You gotta constantly be worried about the wolves and all the people that you have to attack that violated you and your organization. So the difference right now to me, all the money I had, being ghetto rich, I was never happy. So once I hit that road and my mother died, I was able to put things together and see, what’s the sense of you having it all if you really have nothing?
Because you can have all the money in the world. If you don’t have health, what the heck do you have? If you got a billion and one years, you can be a billionaire, if you got a billion and one years in jail, you’re dead anyway, so it doesn’t matter. I have been happier now in my latter years of life than I’ve ever been. When I used to make $40,000 a day, guess what? How can you be happy when you’re constantly watching your back? You don’t have a comfort zone.
Zenger: Do you remember the moment, the incident, the situation where Brian Gibbs turned to “Glaze”?
Gibbs: It’s a double-sword question and I’m going to not give you a double-sword answer. When I became “Glaze” I became “Glaze.” Because by the age of 14 I wanted to be down. I wanted to be cool. As time went on, growing up in New York City or growing up anywhere, it’s a stage. And I call it Broadway: “Lights, camera, action!” So when you’re out there and you graduate, you start off with petty crimes. And then you start elevating to other crimes. You start developing a habit and that reputation and that name starts to increase.
In the criminal world, all of us that didn’t know each other from the five boroughs — Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island — we all met in Riker’s Island or the prison system. Now everybody starts learning from one another. We used to use this word called “frontin’.” You ever heard of that terminology before?
Zenger: Absolutely!
Gibbs: We used to tell people, “Stop frontin’.” I’m not frontin’, that’s me. People don’t understand, frontin’ back then meant acting like something other than yourself. Sometimes you can front into that predicament, that situation, and [it’s] who you become because you pretend so much that it becomes you. It’s no different than Jack Nicholson playing The Joker. No different than Charlton Heston playing Moses. After awhile you played it so much, you start believing that’s who you really are, or that’s who fans see you as.
Zenger: Something used to set you off. Stress, bad temper, arrogance. I don’t know what it was, but you hurt a lot of people. Have you found a coping mechanism that calms you or are you just a completely different person now, and that side of you is long gone?
Gibbs: I’m not that person anymore. But then again, I had to sit back, think about a lot of things and analyze things, because when I first went through the judicial system, the federal, they wanted me to sit down and talk to psychiatrist. I wouldn’t do that. But sometimes we have to admit where we went wrong at. I had to admit where I was wrong. I was wrong about a lot of different things.
It took the death of my mother to help me reevaluate and do some real serious soul-searching. Because the fact that everything you went through, and having my mother die, I was in the hole under investigation. Not that I did anything, but the fact is a few guys dropped a slip on me and said what they thought I was going to do to them. In the feds they lock you down, start an investigation and move you from here to there.
Brian Gibbs is promoting a book about his experiences and his 180-degree turn from a life of crime. (Brian Gibbs)
Gibbs wrote a book in 2015 called “Beyond Lucky,” explaining what he learned while in prison after his life of crime fell apart and he made a deal with federal prosecutors to lessen his sentence. So I’m in the hole under investigation when my mother died. You got plenty of time to think, you got plenty of time to reflect, you got plenty of time to do some real serious soul-searching. It took the death of her, and the pain that I felt from losing her, to help me to understand the suffering and the pain that I inflicted upon my victims and the victim’s families. That type of pain you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.
Sometimes in life when things happen to you, it all depends on how you look at the situation and the lesson you learned from the situation. I looked at all the shit I did before in the past, [and it] came back to haunt me and bit me on my behind. Now I gotta feel the same pain that I inflicted on many others. That was reality. That was a wakeup call. Don’t dish it out if you can’t take it.
Zenger: I read your book, “The Brian ‘Glaze’ Gibbs Story: Beyond Lucky,” I watch the YouTube Channel faithfully. Let me ask you this: Whether you were trying to “behave” or not, what was it like to live a life that no matter who got hurt, murdered or anything bad that happened around that time, you were a suspect?
Gibbs: It became the norm. To me, I knew what I was responsible for and what I wasn’t responsible for, but yet you’re right. Anytime something used to happen, because of my reputation, I got blamed. I didn’t have anybody to blame but myself. Even when the rookie police [officer] Edward Byrne got murdered, the 113th Precinct in Queens, the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn, all of them based upon their information and all the data that they had, all of them betted that I was the man — I was the man that pulled the trigger on that police officer — not knowing I didn’t have anything to do with it. When you get accused of so many things, especially back then, like for example, when these folks told me that they believed that I averaged one murder a week for almost a year and a half. Guess what, that was a wake-up call, man.
How I’m looking at it, I am not the smartest person in the world and I’m not the dumbest person. Hold up, wait a minute. Y’all not gonna give me all of y’all unsolved cases just to close the cases. I know what I did and what I didn’t do. But based upon the name keep coming up and ringing out there, guess what? He did it. During that period of time, it was like, “He did that, he did this, and that, he could have done this.” They were just throwing everything at me. Even when I went to jail — I was incarcerated, caught a fed case, and there was a DEA agent, his name was Eric Hatchett. He was murdered. I was incarcerated. And I remember one of the last few conversations I had with my mom. My mother said, “You know what, I am so glad that you are in there, because there is no way in the world they can accuse you of killing this DEA agent.”
And like I told you, brother, that has happened in the past also. Where, as I told you, even though I came clean and made a deal, once they told me I had a murder a week for a year and a half, when I sat down with my lawyer and the homicide department from Brooklyn and Queens and we started going through different things, these guys tried to put a double homicide on me. Mainly, they’re telling me I killed two people in the [Community District] 14-section of Brooklyn. They gave me the date, and I believe the date was June 17, 1987. During that whole time, it’s different homicide detectives from different precincts. We’re all there. And I’m saying, “Okay cool. You’re saying I killed these two people on June 17, 1987,” I went to this other detective and said, “Let me ask you a question, Richard: When did I turn myself into you for the Sybil Mims murder?” So, he looks at his notes, “You turned yourself in to me on May 5, 1986.”
“Okay, did I have a bail?” “No, you didn’t have a bail.” “I went to trial, June of ’87?” “Yeah!” “So, when did I get acquitted?”
So they are looking on the record. “You got acquitted. June 22, 1987.” “So, sir, y’all claim that I killed two people on this date, June 17, 1987? So the warden of Riker’s Island, Brooklyn House, wherever I was at, let me out? I killed two people and they let me come back?”
Brian “Glaze” Gibbs (right) is pictured during the 1980s with notorious drug lord Lorenzo “Fat Cat” Nichols
Zenger: So like your mother said, that was one of the rare instances where being locked up actually helped you out and was a good thing to a degree.
Gibbs: Yes! Me and “Tut,” Walter Johnson, we got picked up. We got picked up on attempted murder charges and it never happened. This guy claimed that me and Tut chased him across this busy intersection on Atlantic Avenue and chased him into a crowded White Castle restaurant. Here is it. He said I tried to drag him out and I pulled out my gun and said, “I’m going to kill you the same way I killed your sister.” So no witnesses, nobody there. You’re telling me a crowded White Castle with armed security in there, and nobody saw nothing, nobody reported anything? But me and Tut got arrested and got charged for that. The difference is I went to trial and I was innocent on the attempted murder charge, but I was guilty of the murder charge. Tut was innocent all the way around the board, but he pled guilty to it because when he caught another case they convinced him, “We’ll run this together.” So, he pled guilty to that despite that it never even happened.
Zenger: It’s a gift and a curse. When you see prominent figures like Mike Tyson mention you in interviews and recall your reputation. Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan shout you out and recall your past. It’s cool to have those shout-outs, although it was under the premise of who you used to be and not the man you are today.
Gibbs: Don’t get me wrong, you appreciate the shout-out or whatever, but I feel like this: You can shout me out, but now let’s get together and see what we can work on to become part of the solution. Mike Tyson, Tracy Morgan, they are prominent, they are out there and got a bigger platform. I’m trying to get there. So the difference is right now, they mentioned my name or whatever and I appreciate that. But now let’s take it a step further. Let’s get together and figure out a way to get the word out to the youth. Don’t be the crab pulling me back down in the barrel, be that crab pulling me up out of the barrel.
If you can go on a national platform and mention the fact that you know me, okay. Reach out. Let’s get out in the community and get this message out there. Get these kids to stop making that multi-billion-dollar prison system their permanent address. Get them to put the guns down. Get them to understand why and how you know me, and what we need to do to make sure there are no more “Glaze.”
Zenger: Thank you for your time. It’s great to call you a brother and a friend and it’s amazing to see your transition. Continued success to you. Is there anything else you want to add?
Gibbs: I appreciate that, brother. It’s definitely about seeing the growth and not glorifying my past. Just let them know they can get a signed copy of my book by just emailing me at briangibbs1201@yahoo.com, and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
By Antonio? ?Ray? ?Harvey? ?|? ?California? ?Black? ?Media?
The California Association of Black Lawyers (CABL) submitted the names of three accomplished African American attorneys to the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) as possible candidates for the state’s soon-to-be open Attorney General position.
In a 46-page document that includes biographical data of the organization’s recommendations, CABL called on Black members of the state legislature to support attorneys Diane Becton, Paul Henderson or Terry Wiley to become the next AG. The group also forwarded the proposal listing the candidates they are supporting – all public servants with significant experience —? to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“We are in a unique position to know, understand, and recommend one of our own members to serve as the next California Attorney General. We strongly urge the Legislative Black Caucus to consider the above three candidates and to interview them for recommendation to Governor Newsom,” Melinda Murray, president of CABL, stated in the letter dated December 23.
Earlier this month, President-elect Joe Biden nominated current California AG Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services in his administration. Since then, various candidates have emerged as possible replacements for the state’s top lawyer and law enforcement official.
CABL’s decision to focus on who replaces Becerra as AG rests not only on finding a candidate who can ably prioritize and address the broad and complex range of legal issues all Californians face. The group says it is also motivated by the need to address the persisting concerns of criminal justice reform and police use of force in Black communities.
In the wake of George Floyd’s violent death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer and the continued unlawful killings of unarmed Black men and women by law enforcement around the country, the AG’s office and the California Department of Justice “need someone dedicated to criminal justice reform,” the Black lawyer organization stated.
“Californians need and deserve someone who can successfully implement the mandates of Assembly Bill 1506, which authorized the California Attorney General’s Office to investigate and prosecute cases of police use of force resulting in death and officer-involved shootings resulting in injury or death,” Murray stated.
The organization believes, Becton, Henderson and Wiley are all candidates with the experience and chops to carry out those tasks. Gov. Newsom signed AB 1506 into law in September. Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) authored the legislation.
“Americans across the country took to the streets this summer rightfully demanding more and better of our criminal justice system – and of ourselves,” Newsom said. “We heard those calls for action loud and clear and today are advancing reforms to improve policing practices by ending the carotid hold and requiring independent investigations in officer-involved shootings.”
Becton has spent most of her professional career as a judge, lawyer, and manager. In 2017, she was sworn in as the 25th District Attorney for Contra Costa County. Following her appointment by the county’s Board of Supervisors, she was elected to the position in June 2018.
For 22 years, Becton served as a judge in Contra Costa County. She is a former president of the National Association of Women Judges, the nation’s leading organization for women in the judiciary, and past chair of the State Bar Council on Access and Fairness.
Becton leads a prosecutorial office of approximately 222 lawyers, investigators, and staff. She is the first woman, the first African American, and the first person of color to serve as Contra Costa District Attorney since the office was established in 1850.
Henderson has spent his entire professional career working in public service for the city of San Francisco. He was recently appointed director of the Department of Police Accountability, where he and his legal team are tasked with investigating all complaints regarding police use of force and misconduct.
Prior to this appointment, Henderson, openly Gay, spent seven years as the deputy chief of staff and public safety director to the former Mayor of the City of San Francisco, Edwin M. Lee.
He served as Chief of Administration and prosecutor for former District Attorney of San Francisco Kamala Harris from 1995-2010. Handling all types of cases, ranging from nonviolent misdemeanors to serious felonies, Henderson became known as an expert in interpreting complex criminal justice public policy issues.
Henderson, who served under four elected district attorneys, was both the highest-ranking Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender (LGBT) attorney and African American male attorney in the history of the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.
Terry Wiley is an Assistant II District Attorney and the third ranking prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, located in Oakland. Wiley joined Oakland’s DA Office in 1990. He has supervised the felony trial team, the Juvenile Division and the Oakland Branch Courthouse.
Wiley has served in most assignments on the criminal side of the office and has prosecuted difficult and challenging felony cases, including the case against three Oakland police officers who called themselves “the Riders.”
In that case, the officers were accused of kidnapping, planting false evidence and assaulting citizens. Three of the four officers, eventually fired, were acquitted for criminal charges while the fourth cop fled the country. Civil lawsuits settled in the case totaled $10.9 million and led to police reform within the Oakland police department.
Wiley is currently a member of the American Bar Association Criminal Standards Committee, a past vice president of the National Bar Association, and a past member of the State Bar of California Board of Trustees.
CABL represents approximately 6000 Black attorneys, judges, law professors and law students. According to its website, the organization was founded in 1977 to eradicate the root causes of racism and to defend the legal and human rights of African Americans.
SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The NAACP San Bernardino is poised to lead the Branch under newly elected Officers and Executive Board members: The membership elected, Chache Wright, President; Che Wright, First Vice President; Joette Campbell, Second Vice-President; Selam Petros, Secretary; Jea Reese, Assistant Secretary; Russell Ward, Treasurer; Tasha Gary, Assistant Treasurer and Richard Blacksher, Executive Director.
The newly elected Executive Committee Members are Jessica Bruny, Hardy Brown, Lisha Blacksher, Cheryl Brown, Wallace Allen and Connie Lexion.
The new officers will take their oath of office on January 7, 2021 during a regular schedule Virtual Executive Board Meeting with them officially taking over their leadership duties in February.
President Wright said after the local election; “There is much work for the Branch to do in the County on the issues of Equity in health care and COVID19, business investment, in education, employment discrimination, police reform, investment in youth programs, voter registration and education”. It is our duty and responsibility to execute the mission of the NAACP, which is to ensure the political, education, social and economic equality of rights for all persons, and to eradicate racial injustice”, stated President Wright.
Offices remain open. Customers encouraged to go online first
SACRAMENTO, CA— – The California Department of Motor Vehicles will continue its temporary suspension of behind-the-wheel driving tests until at least January 4. The DMV previously announced a two-week suspension through at least December 28. The DMV is taking this step for the health and safety of customers and employees during the current statewide surge in COVID-19 cases.
Customers with scheduled appointments through January 4 will be notified their tests are canceled. The DMV will automatically reschedule the tests at a later date. DMV drive test examiners will be redirected to assist with other customer transactions.
In-vehicle testing is a requirement for first-time driver’s license holders and commercial license applicants. The temporary suspension includes commercial and noncommercial tests, but does not apply to motorcycle drive tests, which can be conducted at a safe distance.
To protect customers and employees, the DMV requires everyone who enters the DMV to wear a face covering, physically distance and have their temperature checked. To best serve customers and maintain appropriate distance, the number of people allowed in the office is limited, chairs are appropriately spaced, and plexiglass has been installed.
Safety measures in place for behind-the-wheel tests include required face coverings, temperature checks, cracked windows for increased air circulation and seat covers.
While DMV offices remain open to serve the public, the DMV continues to encourage all customers to use its online services, expanded virtual services and other service channels to complete transactions, including eligible driver’s license and vehicle registration renewals. Nearly all Californians can now renew their driver’s license online – even if the renewal notice states an office visit is required. Customers can also use the Service Advisor on the DMV website to learn their options to complete DMV tasks.
California recently announced a $500 million Small Business Covid-19 Relief Grant program for eligible small business owners and nonprofits who have been impacted by COVID-19 and the health and safety restrictions. Grants up to $25,000 will be given to eligible small businesses and nonprofits to help cover expenses during the pandemic.
The new website, https://erc.mylendistry.com/login , is now live! Visit to review your eligibility, prepare your business documents and apply.
HIGH DESERT, CA—-While 2020 was a hard year for all of us in one way or another due to COVID-19, recording artist Justified Smith and his organization Fathers In Hip Hop set out to make a difference and became a source of hope and inspiration for many fathers and families across the country with their BLESSED IN THE MESS Campaign.
In March 2020, after the devastation of COVID-19 hit the world, Fathers In Hip Hop wanted to bring some relief to fathers and families that had been affected financially by the pandemic. With so many out of work and small business owners being forced to shut down Justified decided to be a blessing to his social media following by disbursing $100 daily to random fathers through Cash App, a popular app used to transfer money.
Everyday Justified would have various Hip Hop Influencers join him on Instagram Live to share insights and opinions evolving around the subject of Fatherhood. Among those influences were the likes of Freeway Ricky Ross, Bizzy Bone (Bone-Thugs-In-Harmony), Spider Loc (G-Unit) Kokane, Terminologyst (Good Daddy Gang) and many other. During the IG LIVE viewers were prompted to post their Cash App handles in the comments, and random men were selected and received cash app payments from Fathers In Hip Hop.
While the cash app disbursements were small amounts ranging from $25 to $100, the heart behind the campaign was huge, and the feeling of being blessed randomly by complete strangers was priceless. Fathers In Hip Hop continued to Bless The Mess on IG LIVE all the way through Father’s Day 2020 with a minimum of $100 disbursed daily with money that was raised through donations from Fathers In Hip Hop’s Supporters.
In July 2020, the giving shifted to a more up close and personal approach. Justified would go to Walmart and purchase $25 Gift Cards and hand them out to random fathers and families shopping for essentials. By September this random act of kindness grew into the BLESSED IN THE MESS WALMART GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY. With the support of DANIEL RAMOS, who at the time was campaigning for Adelanto City Council, Fathers In Hip Hop were able to raise $2,000 in which they purchased gift cards from the Walmart Adelanto in the amounts of $50 and $100 and distributed them all to fathers and families inside the Walmart shopping.
In October, Fathers In Hip Hop took the giving back to Justified’s hometown of Compton Ca. and raised $3,000 including a $1,000 Donation from Aftermath Recording Artist Slim The Mobster and repeated the process of giving away the Walmart gift cards to random fathers and their families. In November 2020, the spirit of giving stayed alive and $2,200 was raised and given away in the same fashion at the Walmart in Victorville off of Armargosa Rd.
For the Christmas season Fathers In Hip Hop decided to do something different with the money they raised and launched the BLESSED IN THE MESS CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY where they raised $2,700 and instead of taking the money to Walmart for gift cards, they took the money to the local Toy Store “Toys Of Eden” and purchased toys and electronics to give away to random fathers and families in the High Desert. Not only were the families that received the toys blessed, but “TOYS OF EDEN” was also blessed with the toy sales which brought much needed income to the store that had lost business during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Fathers In Hip Hop plan to bring the blessings into 2021 with a full calendar of events to bless fathers and their families during a time when everyone can use a blessings.
COLTON, CA— San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca Jr., released the following statement after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved COVID-19 vaccination began at San Bernardino County Arrowhead Medical Center.
“Today is a momentous occasion for San Bernardino County in its fight against COVID-19. San Bernardino County’s brave and resilient front line workers will receive the first 15, 600 doses of the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine. These five high-risk workers represent the best of our county and embody the true meaning of public service.
As the representative of the Fifth District, I know how critical it is for the County to start vaccinations because my community is one of the most impacted by the scourge of COVID-19. This disease has disproportionately impacted the elderly, poor, and communities of color. This vaccine and the others that will soon follow, give me and our community hope, that we can overcome this pandemic.
Our goal should be to continue to keep ourselves and loved ones safe until widespread access to the vaccine becomes available. Believe me, I can’t wait until we can get back to normal. Until then, we all must continue to do our part by wearing a mask, practicing social distance, and following CDC guidelines.
Although it is not over yet, I know together we will conquer COVID-19.”
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