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VOLUME 97 - NUMBER 36 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2018 TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 PRICE: 50 CENTS
Court: Cooper, NAACP can’t
fast-track amendment challenges
By Gary Robertson
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina’s highest court rejected Aug. 29 requests by Democratic Gov.
Roy Cooper and a civil rights group to hear immediately challenges to a pair of constitutional amend
ments that Republicans rewrote earlier this week.
The state Supreme Court issued a flurry of one-sentence orders that basically prevent Cooper and the
state NAACP from fast-tracking challenges of the two new amendments by tacking them on to their cur
rent lawsuits against previous versions of the amendments.
A three-judge panel last week prevented those earlier versions from going on the November ballot,
ruling their associated questions for voters didn’t adequately explain the potential changes to the state
Constitution. But the Republican-dominated General Assembly held a special session to approve two
new amendments somewhat similar to the previous ones, and rewrote their questions.
The amendments, if approved by a majority of voters, would shift power from the governor to the
legislative branch by giving the General Assembly control over Cooper’s choices to fill judicial vacancies
and in picking members of the state elections board.
With time dwindling before November ballots must be finalized and printed, Cooper and the NAACP
asked the justices if they could use their old lawsuits to challenge the new questions. The court said no.
The governor and NAACP now may have to decide between filing new lawsuits in Wake County
court that specifically challenge the updated amendments or give up and let the referendums go on the
fall ballot.
A Cooper spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a text seeking comment. Kym Hunter, an attorney
representing the NAACP and an environmental group that sued, said Aug. 29 she was still talking to her
clients about their next steps.
The justices may have opened the door for Cooper and the groups to resume their legal fight by issu
ing a separate order Wednesday night (Aug. 29) blocking the state elections board from preparing ballots
until ordered by the court. Otherwise, the state Attorney General’s Office told the justices in a brief that
elections officials needed a resolution by Saturday, Sept. 1 to get ballots printed on time to comply with
federal law.
Republican Rep. David Lewis of Harnett County, the sponsor of the bills containing the updated
Criticism of Rev. Jasper Williams Follow His
Remarks at Aretha Franklin’s Funeral
Saying his subject was “Aretha the Queen of Soul,” Rev. Jasper Williams of the Salem Bible Church
in Atlanta gave the audience gathered for Aretha Franklin’s funeral a few unexpected memories laced
with political commentary.
Though he began simply, referring to the history of soul music and gospel, his talk became political as
he Williams appeared towards the end of the ten-hour service. Rev. Williams was one of over three dozen
speakers at Franklin’s lengthy Detroit home going ceremony.
Rev. Williams referenced.black-on-black crime, said single mothers are incapable of raising sons
alone and proclaimed that black America has lost its soul and it’s “now time for black America to come
back home.”
“Where is your soul, black man?” he asked the audience at one point. “As I look in your house, there
are no fathers in the home no more. Where is your soul?"
“Seventy percent of our households are led by our precious, proud, fine black women. But as proud,
beautiful and fine as our black women are, one thing a black woman cannot do. A black woman cannot
raise a black boy to be a man. She can’t do that. She can’t do that,” Rev. Williams said.
“ft amazes me how it is that when the police kills one of us, we're ready to protest march, destroy
innocent property,” he said. “We’re ready to loot, steal whatever we want. ...But when we kill 100 of us,
nobody says anything. Nobody does anything,” he went on.
"There was a time when we as a race had a thriving economy. I remember we had bur own little
grocery stores. We had our own little hotels. They weren't big and fancy, but they were ours. As bad as the
days as Jim Crow and segregation were ... it forced us to each other instead of forcing us on each other.
We quickly come to realize that as a people, all we really have is one another,” Rev. Williams said during
his 40-minute eulogy to Franklin.
Social media quickly blew up after Rev. Williams spoke in response. Legendary singer Stevie Wonder
proclaimed the phrase “black lives do matter,” as he turned in the direction of Rev. Williams after the
minister left the stage. Singer Gladys Knight’s performance was also viewed as a moment that brought
the ceremony back from Williams’ political speech.
“Black Mothers been raising Black boys for years!! We're Still are raising proud, accomplished and
aware Black man!! I should have known! Rest of this eulogy has been a conservative Black confusion
rant!” wrote attorney Barbara Arwine from her twitter feed during the speech.
“Folks, he can’t see, but Stevie Wonder can hear. And he is offering a rebuke to the eulogy. Don’t think
for a second, he isn’t! And the folks in the room heard it,” wrote journalist Roland Martin, who attended
the service.'
“Reverend Jasper Williams plantation style speech at #ArethaFranklinFuneral is a prime example
why there is a total disconnect between young Black people and the older Black church crowd. All
that cowardly "you's gots to do better" talk ain't fooling these kids,” offered anti-racism strategist Tariq
Nasheed on twitter.
Before Rev. Williams spoke, Smokey Robinson, Shirley Ceasar, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan,
Jennifer Lewis and Ron Isley performed among many others. Rev. William Barbour and Rev. Jesse
Jackson also delivered remarks.
“Aretha was in her very own special category,” said founder of Arista Records Clive Davis. “Her voice
will be impacting others literally for centuries to come,” Davis added. A second tribute to Franklin and
her music is planned at Madison Square Garden this fall.
Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for NNPA as well as a political analyst
and communications strategist. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @
LVBurke.
Rev. Williams referenced black-on-black crime, said single mothers are incapable of raising sons
alone and proclaimed that black America has lost its soul and it’s “now time for black America to
come back home.”
ANDREWGILLUM
Andrew Gillum Shocks the Political World and
Sets Stage for Three Black U.S Governors
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Columnist
Wildly outspent by a billionaire challenger and the daughter of a former Florida Governor, Tallahas
see Mayor Andrew Gillum, 39, shocked the political establishment to win the gubernatorial primary ir
Florida on August 28.
Gillum defeated former Congresswoman Gwen Graham 34-31 percent to win the Democratic contam
ination. He will now face pro-Trump Congressman Ron DeSantis in the general election on Novembei
6. Gillum’s victory caught many political observers by surprise. The 39-year old Mayor was polling ir
fourth place less than a month ago. But recent polls showed an upward movement to second place. Gillurr
and his supporters completed that upward movement by coming in first on election night.
Gillum’s victory sets up a historic opportunity for there to be three sitting African American Governors
in the U.S. for the first time in history. Former Georgia lawmaker Stacey Abrarhs is the Democratic nomi
nee or Governor of Georgia after a decisive July 24 primary victory; Abrams would be the first Africar
American woman to be a Governor from any state should she win. Former NAACP President Ben Jealous
is running for Governor in Maryland against moderate incumbent Republican Larry Hogan. There are
also four Black candidates for Lt. Governor running this year for the first time in history.
Retired
Judges:
Cosby
Should
Get
Probation
Bill Cosby faces up to 30 years in prison when he’s sentenced
this month (Photo: Wiki Commons)
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor
Comedian Bill Cosby faces as much as 30 years in prison - 10 years for each of the three counts of
aggravated indecent assault a jury convicted him of.
The comedian and his legal teams have all been critical of Montgomery County Judge Steven T,
O’Neill, but if O’Neill follows the guidelines that two retired judges have laid out to NNPA Newswire,
Cosby might never see the inside of a prison cell.
“There’s a term called aged-out when you believe a person is much older, a senior citizen in his 80’s
and handicapped and he’s basically aged-out in the sense that he probably won’t commit this crime
again,” said retired Delaware Judge Robert Young.
“Of course, if the guy is 85, in a wheelchair and shoots people, the wheelchair won’t stop him from
shooting folks again,” Young said.
Cosby turned 81 over the summer and is legally blind. He required the regular assistance of handlers
and often during court proceedings when he wasn’t aware that no one was near him, Cosby was seen
mistakenly conversing with a lawyer or assistant who had departed.
Young’s theory on aging out is not new.
Recently, a 76-year-old Lewiston man was reportedly charged with stabbing a woman to death. Albert
Flick had a murder conviction and nearly 40-year pattern of attacking women, but Portland Superior
Court Justice Robert E. Crowley disregarded arguments by Flick’s probation officer and a prosecutor who
said Flick should serve an additional four to five years because his extremely violent behavior showed no
signs of abating, court records show.
“At some point Mr. Flick is going to age out of his capacity to engage in this conduct and incarcerating
him beyond the time that he ages out doesn’t seem to me to make good sense from a criminological or
fiscal perspective,” Crowley said.
Further, a study published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B in 2000 found that in Pennsylvania
courts, offenders in their 60s were 25 percent less likely to be sentenced to prison than those who were in
their 20s, and their sentences were eight months shorter on average.
Those who were in their 70s got an even sweeter deal — they were 30 percent less likely to end up
behind bars than 20-somethings, and those who were incarcerated served 13 months less on average.