FORUM
POLICE SHOOTINGS
How many
more will
we mourn?
Cornell W.
Brooks
I Guest
Columnist
Freddie
Gray wasn't
the only per
son to die at
the hands of
the police in
April. Before
. Mr. Grav suf
fered three
broken vertebrae during the course of his
arrest by Baltimore police. 17-year-old
Justus Howell was fatally shot by an
unidentified officer in Zion, 111. Like the
death of Mr. Gray, Mr. Howell's death was
ruled a homicide.
On the day that Mr. Gray was laid to
rest protests and demonstrations against
police brutality rung out in Baltimore,
Agroup of local and federal law enforce
ment officers arrived at the home of 20
year-old Terrance Kellom, who was a sus
pect in a robbery case. Less than 10 min
utes after police entered Terrance Kellom's
home he was dead, shot several times by
an Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) officer who was part of an inter
agency fugitive task force for reasons that
remain unclear.
Then there was 37-year-old Natasha
Mckenna. This 130-pound woman died
after she was Taser-shocked four times by
the Fairfax, Virginia, police Feb. 3 with her
hands cuffed behind her back, shackled
around her legs, with a hobble strap con
necting both of the restraints. Police say
they are still investigating.
More than 400 people have died while
in police custody this year and the list
keeps growing, according to an online
database that compiles news reports of
instances of use of deadly force. While
there is no comprehensive national data
base compiled by law enforcement agen
cies of police's use of excessive or deadly
force in the United States, the number of
people both severely and fatally injured
while in police custody underscores a dis
tressing symptom of the untested and over
aggressive policing culture that has
become commonplace in communities of
color all across the country.
How many more lives of unarmed
Black men and women, tragically and
senselessly killed by police, will our nation
have to mourn before our country moves to
fix its unjust and ineffective criminal jus
tice system?
The NAACP says no more.
The fight for better policing and greater
accountability has been at the forefront of
the NAACP's work since its inception, and
it's a fight that we know how to win. One
of our most recent achievements: the
NAACP alongside its valiant coalition
partners helping to dismantle the practice
of stop-and-risk in New York and leverag
ing a successful collaborative campaign to
pass anti-racial profiling and police
accountability measures. And we have no
intention of slowing down.
Now the NAACP is doubling down on
advocating for body-worn cameras, car
cameras and gun and Taser cameras. The
availability of video evidence of police
interactions with civilians can lead to sig
nificant improvements in police accounta
bility and trust among a community.
Additionally, we must deploy the use
of independent investigation bodies and
the use of civilian review boards. But we
cannot do it alone. Join us in our fight.
Here are three simple ways that you
can help.
?Join the NAACP: Become a part of
the largest civil rights organization in the
nation. When you become a member of the
NAACP, you are doing more than joining
an organization; you are becoming a part
of a community. Our membership commu
nity is the reason we've been able to pro
tect, defend, and fight for our civil rights
and human rights for over a century.
?Help us pass the End Racial Profiling
Act: The End Racial Profiling Act has been
re-introduced in both the U.S. Senate the
U.S. House of Representatives. The End
Racial Profiling Act comprehensively
addresses the insidious practice of biased
treatment by law enforcement because of
who you are, or who you are perceived to
be, by law enforcement. Call your U.S.
senators and representative in Washington
and tell them to pass the End Racial
Profiling Act. The switchboard phone
number is 202-224-3121.
?Support America's Journey for
Gray
Kellom
McKenna
"More than 400
people have died
while in police cus
tody this year and
the list keeps
growing."
- Cornell W. Brooks
Justice; Last year, our
"Journey for Justice" campaign began with
a 134-mile, seven-day march from
Ferguson to Jefferson City, Missouri, to
join members of the Ferguson community
in protesting the death of Michael Brown
at the hands of the police, and to provide
leadership to the predominantly young
activists, participants in democracy.
This year, we are continuing our work
with America's Journey for Justice, with a
trek along the 850-mile route from Selma,
Alabama, to Washington, D.C. ? through
Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina
and Virginia ? to highlight the need for
criminal justice and voting reforms
because our lives matter and our children
deserve to live.
Every American deserves the opportu
nity to grow and thrive and reach their full
potential. And every American child has
the potential to become our nation's lead
ing scientists, entrepreneurs, scholars, law
makers and law enforcement officials. It is
us who must protect them.
The NAACP remains committed to
this promise ? fighting to ensure that
communities of color, our children espe
cially, are judged by the content of their
character and not by the color of their skin
in the eyes of the law. For 106 years, this is
what we have stood for and we will not
waver.
Cornell William Brooks is
president/CEO of the Baltimore-based
NAACP.
This column is part of an op-ed series
on behalf of the Civil Rights Coalition on
Police Reform. The coalition, convened
and led by the national Lawyers'
Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, is
comprised of over 30 national civil and
human rights organizations, faith and
community leaders who are working to
address the nationwide epidemic of police
brutality and lethal shootings, which are
claiming the lives of Black men, women
and youth. The series is intended to pro
vide insight on necessary reforms to
change the culture of policing in America.
For more information, please visit
www.lawyerscomm i ttee .org.
Solutions to problems
can bring for students and parents
James
Haitians
Guest
Columnist
Here are some of the
problems that can be
solved with summer educa
tional plans for students
and parents:
?Many students never
open a book during the
summer.
?They sleep until
around 1 p.m. and only get
up to raid the refrigerator
when their stomachs start
to growl from hunger
pains.
?They hang out in the
mall, a friend's house and
on a few comers or other
places that the parents are
not aware of.
?The majority of their
time is spent talking/tex
ting on the phone, listening
to music, using social
media/playing computer
games and watching televi
sion.
?The parents failed to
assign them chores or plan
their summer educational
activities.
SOLUTIONS:
Here are some of the
solutions to the problems
that summer brings for stu
dents and parents:
?To help your child
succeed, all parents,
guardians and concerned
relatives must,write out a
plan for the students under
their care for the summer.
It will be easier to carry out
if the student is willing,
help write it, but if they are
not you must do it anyway.
You must step up and be
loving, but firm. If you do
not put your foot down,
who will?
NOTE: My wife and I
developed this plan for our
newborn son. It helped
make him the successful
and enthusiastic social
studies teacher he is today.
This is his sixth year and he
loves his job. It will work
for your children and
grandchildren!!!
?You must keep a good
supply of quality reading
material in your home. The
only cost to your family
will be around $40 a year
for a subscription to your
local Black newspaper. All
of the other necessary read
ing materials can be
checked out free from your
local library.
?Newborn up to
Kindergarten: Read to your
children sometime during
each day and at bedtime.
Teach them by using pic
tures, letters, numbers,
words, sounds, shapes, col
ors and everything they see
during the course of a day.
Never forget, you are their
first and most important
teacher. This is the forma
tive time in their life and
they think you are the
smartest person in the
world. Use this time to
teach them that learning is -
fun. Use the 75 /25 rule.
Spend 75 percent of their
time reading, writing, col
oring. drawing and singing.
The other 25 percent can be
used on games, free play
ing and a little television
viewing.
?Elementary to Middle
School. Most public
libraries offer a summer
reading program for chil
dren. Have them pick five
or more books from the
recommended reading list
to prepare them for their
next grade level.
Encourage first, then
demand if necessary they
read something every day.
?High School: Do not
allow your children to have
any grade below a C+
unless they have a learning
problem. Do not allow the
school system psychologist
to place your
child in special educa
tion class until you receive
direct proof of a problem. It
is a fact that Black students
are far too often placed
based on attitude rather
than aptitude. Hire a rep
utable educational special
ist not connected with your
school system to test your
child.
?First ask your church,
outreach organizations and
family members for help. If
they refuse, then borrow
the money from a loan
company if that is your last
result. It is that important
because this placement will
help determine your chil
dren and grandchildren
future.
?Guide the precious
gifts GOD gave you, your
beautiful children, through
two hours each day of read
ing something educational,
writing summaries and
meditating. Teach them
how to analyze their prob
lems and research the solu
tions. Strengthen your fam
ily unit by having frequent
family discussions.
Parents as their leaders
must also abide by the two
hour shut down rule. Read
something that will help
you reach the next step in
your occupation, prepare
you for another career and
help you become a better
educated voter. The elec
tion year of 2016 is just
around the corner.
Proverbs 22:6?Train
up a child in the way he
should go and when he is
old he will not turn from it.
James J. Hankins is a
graduate of Williston
Senior High School. mili
tary veteran. N.C. AA7
State University alumni,
retired vocational teacher;
past president of the New
Hanover County Branch of
the NAACP. member of
Friends of Abraham
Galloway and author of the
book "What We Blacks
Need To Do:" To comment
or order a copy of his book,
please e-mail him at
jhan606? gmail.com