Vol. 48 No. 45
March 1, 2018 - March 7, 2018
This publication is a Certified DBE/ SBE / MBE in the State of California CUCP #43264 Metro File #7074 & State of Texas File #802505971 “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you -President Lyndon B. Johnson
Editor in Chief’s Corner Email: sbamericannews@gmail.com Clifton Harris Publisher of The San Bernardino AMERICAN News
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High School Students Across Nation March for Gun Control
50 Years After Fair Housing Act, We Still Have a Long Way to Go By Jeffrey W. Hicks
By Amiyah King Howard University News Service
WASHINGTON—Tens of thousands of high school students across America were marked with an unexcused absence Wednesday, but everyone knew where they were. In the Washington area, high school students from DC. Public Schools and from public schools in Maryland marched to the Capitol and then to the White House to demand Congress and the president institute gun control legislation that will keep them safe. The march was organized by students from Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md., and Bethesda-Chevy Chase in Montgomery County, Md., in response to the recent shooting in Parkland, Fla. It was exactly one week ago Wednesday that 19-year-olf Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 students and wounding dozens more. Cruz, who had been expelled from the school, was charged with 17 accounts of murder of his classmates, teachers and other school officials. The shooting was the 18th school
High School students, from left, Sally Egan, Emma McMillian and Avery Brooks hold up the signs they made as part of a nationwide student walk-out to urge legislators in Washington and in states across the nation to institute tighter gun control laws following the latest school shooting. Photo by Amiyah King, HUNS
Tens of thousands of students across the country -- in Florida, Illinois, Texas and the nation's capital -- left school Wednesday to urge lawmakers to find solutions to the mas murders that take place almost routinely at public schools. So far, there have been 18 in 2018. Photos by Amiyah King, HUNS shooting in the first two months of this year. Student survivors at the school have launched a nationwide effort to focus attention on gun control in the wake of the shooting. Other student demonstrations were reported in Illinois, Florida and Texas. Washington-area students walked out of their classes today at 9:30 a.m. where they followed each other in procession to Union Station where they joined other protestors who took public transportation from Maryland. From Union Station, thousands of high schoolers marched to Capitol Hill and later participated in a sit-in demonstration outside the White House. During the sit-in, students gathered in a semi-circle to hear leaders talk about why they were there. “No more thoughts and prayers,” said student leader
Daniel Shepard. “If this isn’t the last school shooting, we’ll be out here every opportunity we get.” In response to the speakers, students shouted, “No more silence and gun violence. Hey, hey. Ho, ho. the NRA (National Rifle Association) has got to go.” Teachers and parents were mixed with the crowd of demonstrations either as chaperones or to provide support for their children and their cause. “I don’t think they need my help,” said Mandi Mader, mother of three who attended the march in support of her children. “I’m just one more body to represent them here.” Most students said they were advocating for the implementation of gun control laws in Congress as a solution to the crisis. Talia Fleischer, a sophomore
at her high school, said she hopes to see “a sign that something will be done in Congress.” “Countries like Australia and England have great gun control laws, and they have no mass shootings,” she said. In 1996, Australia passed the National Firearms Agreement after a mass shooting in Tasmania in April of that year. In that incident, a 28-year-old man, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, shot and killed 35 people, and injured 18 others, in what was known as the Port Arthur Massacre. Under the 1996 law, Australia banned certain semi-automatic, self-loading rifles and shotguns, and imposed stricter licensing and registration requirements. Paul DeVries and his daughter, Brechje DeVries, were among the demonstrators.
Brechje DeVries, 17, moved from the Netherlands to the United States a year ago and attends high school in Maine. Her father was in the U.S. for one of her sports activities in the Washington, and the two decided to attend the demonstration. Brechje DeVries said mass shootings are almost unheard of in her country. Her country has experienced only one mass shooting in its history. She said she is stunned and frightened by their frequency in the United States. “It’s scary,” she said. “There have been threats at schools near me, so it definitely comes close to me.” Her father said he is worried for his daughter. “I feel the frustration,” he said. “There are a lot of teenagers here. and I think that speaks for itself.” Joseph Byler, a senior at his school, said the Florida shooting is what sparked him to attend. “[I hope] the inability of Congress to pass gun control policies disappears,” Byler said. “I hope after today, we get universal background checks on gun purchases.” Since the shooting in Florida, President Trump has flirted with the idea of proposing restrictions to purchasing guns, from more intense background checks for gun purchasers to the elimination of bump stocks, the tool the Las Vegas shooter used to kill more than 50 people. Via Twitter, Trump said, “Whether we are Republican or Democrat, we must now focus on strengthening Background Checks!” Trump, who received millions of dollars in support from the National Rifle Association in his run for presidency, until now has consistently backed away from any restrictions on guns. Student protestor Steven Vasquez said his school has armed security and students feel relatively safe. “ But not right now,” Vasquez said. “Hopefully our kids dying will help the government see that they need to do something.” Some school districts were not supportive of their students’ activism. In the Houston area, Needville Independent School District officials said Tuesday they would suspend students if they walked out of class or otherwise disrupted school in protest. “Needville ISD will not allow a student demonstration during school hours for any type of protest or awareness!!” Superintendent Curtis Rhodes wrote in a note sent to parents. “Should students choose to do so, they will be suspended from school for 3 days and face all the consequences that come along with an out of school suspension.”
Jeffrey W. Hicks We have come a long way toward building Black homeownership since the Fair Housing Act was signed into federal law 50 years ago. In commemorating that milestone, we recognize and emphasize that, with fewer than half of Black Americans owning their homes, we still have a long way to go to reach economic parity through Black homeownership. The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) has advocated for Black American homeownership since it was founded on the principle of "Democracy in Housing" in 1947. We were at the forefront and in the trenches of this movement prior to April 11, 1968, when this act signaled a new level of commitment to self-determination and empowerment for Black people. NAREB was there, active in ensuring that the law passed. Today we continue working to ensure that fair and equitable treatment for Black Americans under the law remains intact as we work to increase homeownership in Black communities, nationwide. The importance of the Fair Housing Act cannot be over-emphasized as vital to the journey to full fair housing for all Americans. Recognizing this history helps to fortify us for the next stage of this ongoing movement. The obstacles to achieving fair housing may have changed over the past 50 years, but NAREB remains vigilant and ready to challenge any institutional and systemic barriers to increasing the rates of affordable and sustainable homeownership for Black Americans. We recognize the challenges. Today, Black Homeownership is at a very low 42 percent. At its peak in 2004, Black homeownership stood 49 percent. We're working to return toand then surpass-that level.
Democracy in Housing represents something far different today-the systemic obstacles of increasingly economically-segregated communities. We fully understand that de jure segregation and institutional racism remain pervasive problems throughout the United States. We will continue to use all available tools in 2018 and in the future to increase Black homeownership as a pillar of the American Dream. We will keep advocating for supportive policies and educate our community about the inter-generational wealth-building power of homeownership. NAREB will host a series of events and activities throughout 2018 to educate and inspire the public about the never-ending struggle for equality and true Democracy in Housing. Our continuing movement to increase Black Homeownership signals our unshakable conviction that this pillar of the American Dream is still achievable, desirable and affordable for African Americans. The National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. (NAREB) was founded in Tampa, Florida, in 1947 as an equal opportunity and civil rights advocacy organization for Black American real estate professionals, consumers, and communities in America. The purpose of NAREB is to enhance the economic improvement of its members, the community-at-large, and the minority community which it serves. Although composed primarily of Black Americans, the REALTIST association embraces all qualified real estate practitioners who are committed to achieving our vision of "Democracy in Housing." For more information, visit www.nareb.com. Jeffrey W. Hicks is the 30th president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers.
Our Values, Mission, & Vision Statement Our Values: Treat all people with care, respect, honor, and dignity. Tell it as it is with love, truth and integrity. Promote the interests of advertisers and sponsors along their strategic interest for the betterment of the community and beyond. Speak truth to power. Our Mission: To continuously improve communication between all people of the world. Our Vision: To be the best community newspaper in our region and the nation. Provider of: A voice for the poor, the underserved, those that are marginalized, Positive and edifying news about people, places and businesses. Keep San Bernardino, Riverside, and Los Angeles Counties informed about global trends while retaining the consciousness of local events and processes. Memberships and Associations: The San Bernardino American Newspaper is a member of the California Newspaper Publishers Association, National Newspaper Association and addociated with California Black Media.
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PAGE 2
March 1, 2018
COMMUNITY/EDUCATION/ADVERTISING
NNPA Publishers Address Equity In Aguilar Announces 2018 Congressional Art Competition for Inland Empire High School Education In Their Newspapers
Torres Meets with Local Superintendents to Discuss Gun Violence Prevention in Schools...continued
NNPA Publishers Raise Awareness about the Every Student Succeeds Act in the Black Community
ings with our local superintendents were an important opportunity to ensure that children throughout the district have the support and encouragement they need to take action in their own communities,” said Torres. “Our kids should feel empowered to make their voices heard and engage with their elected officials. This is a powerful moment to work alongside our superintendents and teachers as they proactively forge a path forward to enact
Students...continued
By: Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
(Left-right) Brandon Brooks, the managing editor of the Los Angeles Sentinel; Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the NNPA, Dr. Elizabeth Primas, the program manager of the NNPA ESSA awareness campaign; and Dorothy Leavell, the chairman of the NNPA, celebrate the Los Angeles Sentinel for the newspaper's engagement with the NNPA ESSA awareness campaign during the 2018 NNPA Mid-Winter Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Today, more than ever before, parents, educators and stakeholders around the country are learning about the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the opportunities it presents for school districts to innovate learning in their classrooms and to address academic achievement gaps—through the pages and websites of the Black Press. “It’s critical for [Black] parents to be involved and the Black Press is strategically embedded in our communities, so that we have more opportunities to get the word out about ESSA,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., the president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). “The NNPA is pleased to partner with and applauds the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for working to raise public awareness throughout the United States about equity in education.” Chavis continued: “Bridging the academic gap in education, in particular for African American students and others from disadvantaged communities, is of critical importance.” The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation partnered with the National Newspaper Publishers Association to create a threeyear, multi-media public awareness campaign focusing on the unique opportunities and challenges of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Dr. Elizabeth V. Primas, the project manager for the NNPA ESSA awareness campaign and a life-long educator, said that ESSA was established to help increase the effectiveness of public education in every state. ESSA, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary School Act (ESEA) and replaces the No Child Left Behind Act, received bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Obama on December 10, 2015. Under ESSA, states have more flexibility to craft elementary and secondary education programs designed to improve educational outcomes in the nation’s public schools. The law also ensures that every child, regardless of race, income, background, or where they live, has the opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. “Education is the pathway out of poverty,” Primas said. Since receiving the Gates Foundation grant, the NNPA has engaged its 211-member publications in more than 60 markets across the country in a campaign designed to heighten public awareness about ESSA, and to focus on efforts and policies aimed at closing the achievement gaps for students of color and low-income students. Due to the importance of edu-
cation in the Black community, NNPA members have paid particular attention on the NNPA ESSA awareness campaign; three NNPA members were rewarded for that engagement at the Mid-Winter Conference for their relentless reporting on ESSA. “I do believe that the last chance anybody has to hold anybody down is education,” said Bobby Henry, the publisher of the Westside Gazette in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who was one of those publishers that received an award for his engagement with the awareness campaign. “The state of Florida is not doing too well in educating our children, so I thought it was out of duty and respect that we do our due diligence to bring awareness to our readers.” Henry added that the ESSA law and reporting on it helps to hold school districts accountable and he said that it’s also important that more teachers of color are recruited and hired. Brandon Brooks, the managing editor of the Los Angeles Sentinel, said that education is the key to helping to end poverty in the Black community and all NNPA members are a testament to that. Danny Bakewell, the publisher of the Los Angeles Sentinel was also rewarded for his newspaper’s engagement with the NNPA ESSA awareness campaign, and Brooks accepted the reward on behalf of the Sentinel. For numerous reasons, Brooks said he didn’t hesitate to run articles about ESSA and educational equality in the Los Angeles Sentinel—in print and online. “The content [produced by NNPA Newswire] was there and it was rich and educational and informative. Running the articles has never been too much of a directive, especially when I got the green light,” Brooks said. Brooks continued: “The goal of the Black Press has always been to advocate for justice for Black people. ESSA is a campaign for social justice and equality in education. It’s our duty to reach out to our students, our kids and to make sure that they have the information to succeed. If I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be doing my job. Freddie Allen, the Editor-InChief of the NNPA Newswire, called NNPA publishers “MVPs” of the NNPA team for their work in publishing stories about ESSA. “Education is a civil rights issue and we must be engaged,” said Allen. “Imagine the Civil Rights Movement without the Black Press. Where would we be today? So, imagine the future of education without the Black Press. That’s why we have to get involved and stay involved with this issue.”
Aguilar Announces 2018 Congressional Art Competition for Inland Empire High School Students Community Education News San Bernardino, CA— Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-San Bernardino) announced that his office will once again participate in the Congressional Art Competition, an annual showcase of art from high school students from across the country. The competition allows high school students in every congressional district to submit works of art to their local Con-
gressional offices. The chosen winner in each district is then displayed in the US Capitol for a year. “The Congressional Art Competition is a great platform for Inland Empire students to show off their unique talents and express themselves through creativity,” said Rep. Aguilar. He continued, “Seeing art from back home hang(continued in next 2 columns)
ing in the Capitol building always brings a smile to my face, so I look forward to this competition every year.” To participate in the Congressional Art Competition, students must be in high school and live in California’s 31st Congressional District, a map of which is available here. Submissions may be up to 26 inches by 26 inches, 4 inches in depth and no more than 15 pounds, including the frame. Original paintings, drawings, collages and prints are all accepted. Students should also adhere to the “My Future” theme, with submissions focused on their visions for their own futures or the future
of the Inland Empire region. The winning submission will be displayed in the United States Capitol for one year, along with the winning submissions from Congressional districts around the country. In addition, the winner will have the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. for a reception with winners from other districts around the nation. Submissions must be delivered to Rep. Aguilar’s office at 685 East Carnegie Drive, Suite 100 in San Bernardino no later than 5:00PM on March 23rd, 2018. For additional information, please call 909890-4445, or visit Rep. Aguilar’s website.
HBCU Announces Closure After Nearly A Century Defender News Service- ALABAMA After nearly a century of educating Black students, Concordia College in Selma, Alabama announced on Wednesday that it will cease operations at the end of the spring semester. “It was the toughest thing I’ve had to do in my 50 years of higher education,” Dr. James Lyons, the interim president of Concordia, told the Selma Times Journal, adding that the students “were quite shocked” by the news. Like Concordia, many of the more than 100 HBCUs across the nation have dire financial problems, partly because operating costs are increasing while enrollment and financial aid decrease. Students at HBCUs are disproportionately low-income. About 70 percent of all HBCU students rely on federal grants and workstudy programs to finance their education at a time when the Trump administration seeks ways to cut higher education funding. Concordia, which opened in 1922, needed a minimum of $8 million to pay its debts and keep the
doors open for at least one year— just enough money to buy time to find major investors. “It’s very difficult to operate an institution with the lowest possible tuition and fees when you are faced with escalating costs,” Lyons stated. HBCUs are worth fighting for because, despite the challenges, they educate scores of Black students who would otherwise not attend college. These institutions accept scores of “at risk” students who need remedial academic work after graduating from public school systems that failed to educate them. Although they represent just 3 percent of all colleges and universities, HBCUs graduate more than 20 percent of Black college students and a disproportionately higher percentage of students who earn STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degrees, compared to majority White institutions. The post HBCU announces closure after nearly a century appeared first on DefenderNetwork.com.
Torres Meets with Local Superintendents to Discuss Gun Violence Prevention in Schools Educational News
U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres discusses gun violence prevention efforts with Dr. Mat Holton, Superintendent of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District.
U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres meets with Randal S. Bassett, Superintendent of the Fontana Unified School District.
change.” Torres represents California’s 35th congressional district and is a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. Last year, she introduced the Multiple Firearm Sales Reporting Modernization Act to require a federal firearms licensee to report the sale of two or more long guns, including semi-automatic rifles such as the AR-15 and the AK-47, within a five-day period.
CSUSB president encourages early preparation for students in ‘Super Sunday’ message promoting college education Educational News RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – Cal State San Bernadino President Tomás D. Morales spoke to churchgoers in Rancho Cucamonga on the importance of preparing young African-Americans for college starting at preschool and continuing through elementary school, middle school and high school. “Parents and grandparents, you need to be paying attention to your child as you negotiate the K-12 arena,” said Morales to members of the Immanuel Praise Fellowship church during a Sunday morning service. Morales was part of the California State University’s Super Sunday higher education initiative, which encourages students to pursue college as CSU leaders, trustees, campus presidents and alumni visited 100 African-American churches across the state to talk about preparing for college. College preparation was especially crucial in the inland region in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, Morales said. “We have the lowest baccalaureate degree attainment rate of any metropolitan area in the United States with over one million people,” Morales said. “There are 4.6 million people in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, and I mention both counties because that’s what Cal State San Bernardino, that’s what we serve; 85 percent of our students come from either San Bernardino or Riverside County.” Morales urged the congregants to get their children into preschool programs similar to the ones at Immanuel Praise Fellowship. Along with preschool, Morales mentioned several other grades that are especially important, such as the third grade where children “start to learn by reading, and so you need as a parent to make sure your child is reading at the thirdgrade reading level.” Sixth grade is crucial for the importance of taking sixth-grade math, and as they enter high school, Morales urged parents to make sure their children are taking classes that fulfill the A-G requirements. The A-G requirements are a sequence of high school courses in the subjects of history, English, mathematics, laboratory science, language other than English, visual and performing arts, and college-prep electives. “You want to tell school officials that you want your child in the A-G curriculum because in the state of California, in order to be admitted, in order to even qualify, in order to even apply to the California State University system or University of California system — which your taxes pay for by the way — your child will have to have completed that curriculum,”
Morales said. The president also encouraged high school students and college students who had not taken the A-G courses. “Cal State San Bernardino is working very, very closely with (San Bernardino) Valley College, Chaffey, and the Riverside Community College District to develop these 2+2 pathways. So if in fact if you’re a (high school) junior and you find yourself needing the A through G, life is not over for you,” Morales said. “Go on to a community college. We have wonderful community colleges and get into the ADT Associates Degree Transfer program. You can still move on and earn your baccalaureate degree even if you graduate from high school without the A-G.” After the service, students and parents at Immanuel Praise Fellowship had the opportunity to meet CSUSB staff in admissions and financial aid. More than one million people have received this message through Super Sunday outreach efforts over the last 13 years with more than 100,000 congregants, students and families slated to do so again this year. Participants also received information about Graduation Initiative 2025, CSU’s initiative to increase graduation rates while eliminating achievement and equity gaps. CSU resources will be provided to help students and families foster a college-going culture at home, including information about preparing for college, applying to a CSU campus and applying for financial aid. CSU Super Sunday began more than a decade ago as a collaboration between the CSU, its campuses and predominantly African-American churches throughout California. To strengthen the collaboration between Super Sunday churches and CSU campuses, the CSU launched a tool mapping college readiness at high schools near Super Sunday churches throughout California. The CSU also created a grant opportunity to support campuses in developing yearlong programming with Super Sunday churches and other faith-based organizations to strengthen college readiness. CSU Super Sunday is one of many events supported by the CSU community to increase the preparation, retention and graduation of African-American students. The year-round partnership between the CSU and African-American community leaders throughout the state provides additional outreach, support and preparation events such as college and career fairs, financial aid completion workshops, Cal State Apply clinics and more.
The San Bernardino AMERICAN News Staff Samuel Martin Sr.-Founder
U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres joins with James Hammond, Superintendent of the Ontario-Montclair School District, and his board of administrators. ONTARIO, CA – U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres met with superintendents from the Fontana Unified School District, Chaffey Joint Union High School District, Ontario-Montclair School District, Pomona Unified School District, and the Chino Valley Unified School District to discuss strategies to prevent gun violence in schools. In light of the tragic high school shooting in Parkland,
Florida last week, Torres and the superintendents focused on the importance of providing students with support and encouraging community involvement. “As the nation continues to grapple with yet another tragic school shooting, we are struck by the courage and activism of the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The meet(continued in next 2 columns)
Clifton Harris/Editor in Chief/Investigative Reporter Mary Martin-Harris/Editor Clifton B. Harris/Audio Engineering Editor Legal /Display Advertising & Sales (909) 889-7677 The San Bernardino American News was established May 8,1969. A legally adjudicated newspaper of general circulation on September 30, 1971, case number 153913 by the Superior Court, of San Bernardino County. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News, a division of Don Roberto Group, Inc. is published every Thursday by Mary Martin-Harris and Clifton Harris P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393, Telephone (909)889-7677, Emails: msbamericannews@gmail.com sbamericannews@gmail.com The San Bernardino AMERICAN News subscription rate is $58.00 per year. The San Bernardino AMERICAN New is committed to serving its readers by presenting news, unbiased and objective, trusting in the mature judgment of the readers and, in so doing strive to achieve a united community. News releases appearing in the San Bernardino AMERICAN News do not necessarily express the policy nor the opinion of the publishers. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News reserves the right to edit or rewrite all news releases.
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PAGE 3
March 1, 2018
GOVERNMENT/BUSINESS/ADVERTISING
Government spying on immigrants in America is now fair game. What next? Internet activity of all visa applicants, visa holders and green card holders is now tracked. And Sunni Muslim immigrants could face long-term surveillance Azadeh Shahshahani The Guardian
'We immigrants should not self-censor or hold back on freely expressing our political opinions.' Photograph: Cultura RM Exclusive/yellowdog/Getty Images/Cultura Exclusive Earlier last week, the existence of a draft Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report came to light, which calls for long-term surveillance of Sunni Muslim immigrants. Internal documents obtained from the FBI and DHS last year also showed how the agencies are surveilling the Movement for Black Lives, bringing into mind tactics of Cointelpro, an FBI program which secretly and illegally conducted surveillance on the civil rights movement in order to disrupt Americans' ability to organize politically. But these are not the only types of surveillance this administration is engaged in. On 18 October, DHS implemented a new rule to track the internet activity of all visa applicants, visa holders and legal permanent residents. The rule would also apply to naturalized US citizens. The new rule would track and store social media account information and other highly sensitive data as part of individuals' immigration files. The policy would allow DHS to collect and track immigrants' social media accounts handles as well as aliases, and search results from both public search engines as well as commercial databases. This kind of mass surveillance overwhelmingly impacts the dignity and fairness extended to American immigrants, more so than other Americans. As an outspoken naturalized citizen who routinely takes public positions on government policy, I find the rule highly problematic. To me, it seems like it was designed with the specific purpose of hampering our freedom of speech, in line with the Trump administration's other chilling tactics of attacks on the press and crackdowns on protesters who do not fall in line with the policies of this administration. Do I now, every time I want to post to social media, have to cen-
sor myself with the full knowledge that Big Brother is watching? This rule is in clear violation of the constitution, specifically running afoul of the first amendment, negatively impacting our free speech and free association rights. This means that as immigrants, we are forced to have second thoughts before freely posting our political views to social media, especially if they are in opposition to government policies. In a country that values its democracy, how can we allow for programs like this to exist? This rule also violates the Equal Protection Clause of the fifth amendment as it targets naturalized citizens specifically, not the native-born or those with a US citizen parent. We do not have two-tiered citizenship in this country. Naturalized citizens are to be afforded all the rights and privileges of citizenship, aside from becoming US president. This rule treats naturalized citizens as a potential threat and is clearly meant to force us to limit our political activities and expressions. This is not the first time that immigrants, Muslim Americans and communities of color have been subjected to government spying. Surveillance of our communities has been going on for a very long time, impacting us more than other Americans. After 9/11, much of the surveillance became focused on Muslim communities. The Patriot Act made it easier for the US government to obtain personal information without checks and balances. FBI agents can obtain personal information such as phone records, computer records, credit history and banking information on the basis of National Security Letters (NSLs), which are similar to subpoenas. The NSLs do not require judicial approval; therefore no check is in place on how the FBI gathers and uses personal information. From 2003 until 2005, the FBI (continued on page 5 )
U.S. House Passes Bill Supporting Triple-Digit Predatory Lending By Charlene Crowell
The U.S. House of Representatives broke the hearts of a broad and diverse coalition of advocates after Members of Congress passed predatory lending legislation on February 14. A bill passed the lower chamber that would render useless state laws in the majority of states, including the 15 states and the District of Columbia where state interest rate limits prevent payday lending. HR 3299, titled the Protecting Consumers’ Access to Credit Act, passed the House on a 245-171 floor vote. If passed in the Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump, the measure will preempt state interest rate caps that now limit the annual percentage rates (APRs) on loans to no more than 36 percent. These respective rate caps now save consumers an estimated $2.2 billion in fees every year. If HR 3229 is enacted, these significant savings will be lost. Additionally, the bill would also allow high-cost installment loans. Currently 34 states, now limit interest rates on a $2,000, 2-year in-
stallment loan to no more than 36 percent, and once again, consumers would wind up paying the higher cost. For Congressman Patrick McHenry, who co-sponsored the bill with New York Congressman Greg Meeks, the measure “marks an important step towards modernizing our financial system and ensuring financial inclusion for all Americans." That’s one lawmaker’s opinion. But a California Congresswoman had a vastly different take. Minutes before the floor vote, Congressman Maxine Waters, the Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee spoke. “H.R. 3299 would go much further to allow other third-parties, including payday lenders, to evade or outright disregard statelevel laws, and collect debt from borrowers at unreasonably high rates of interest if they purchase loans from a national bank,” said Ms. Waters. “These arrangements are called “rent-a-bank” or “rent-a-charter” agreements, and they allow payday lenders to use banks as a front for predatory behavior and the evasion of state interest rate caps.” More than 150 organizations spanning consumer advocates, civil rights and faith organiza(continued in next 2 columns)
U.S. House Passes Bill Supporting Triple-Digit Predatory Lending...continued tions across the country as well as 20 state attorneys general agree with Congresswoman Waters. Together these state officials and advocates remain determined to preserve the ability of their respective jurisdictions to protect consumers by enforcing existing rate caps that were either enacted by voter referendum or state legislation. Another claim by the bill’s proponents argued that the legislation would expand lending opportunities for consumers who are now underserved by financial institutions. That claim was also refuted. “The claim that this bill will help underserved urban and rural areas by expanding access to credit is false”, said Scott Astrada, the Center for Responsible Lending’s Federal Advocacy Director. “The reality is that it will expand unchecked predatory lending and allow lenders to make high-cost loans, such as short-term and long-term payday loans and car title loans, at rates that exceed existing state interest rate limits.” As the measure now moves to the U.S. Senate for further consideration, perhaps the upper chamber would be wise to remember that this nation was founded as a democracy – and that its actions would be by, for, and of the people. Any loan that charges triple-digit interest rates costing far more than the actual principal borrowed is predatory and could not be construed to be somehow helping anyone.
Similarly, just as mortgage rules require lenders to determine a borrower’s ability-to-repay a loan before approving an application, so should small-dollar loans. Access to credit is one thing; but triple-digit debt traps are something else. The sad truth is that predatory lending preys upon people with the fewest financial resources and options. Across the country, many Black and Latino neighborhoods may lack full-service grocery stores and banks; but a profusion of predatory lenders always seem to be nearby. Even more disturbing, an updated report by the Center for Responsible Lending on payday lending in Colorado found that even in affluent communities of color, the likelihood of a nearby payday store is greater than in low-income, predominantly White areas. In 2016, high cost Colorado payday loans took nearly $50 million in fees alone from customers. In some cases, borrowers took out two or more loans simultaneously from two or more lenders. “There is good reason over 200 civil rights, consumer, faithbased, housing, labor and veterans’ advocacy organizations oppose this bill,” noted Congresswoman Waters. “The type of credit that this bill helps consumers access is the kind that makes it easier for vulnerable consumers to sink into insurmountable debt – like payday and other highcost loans.”
Black Workers Are Workers...continued cause African Americans played a major role in organizing unions to negotiate pay, benefits and working conditions. We joined together collectively and bargained for our rightful share of the pie. As a result, jobs that were once dangerous, undervalued, and low-paying became a decent and honest way to make a living. Black workers’ history, includes a legacy of fighting for economic justice, civil rights and the dignity of every hard work. In 1968, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, he was in Memphis supporting striking sanitation workers fighting against dangerous working conditions and to win a union. Echol Cole and Robert Walker were crushed to death on the job by a malfunctioning trash truck that February. Twelve days later, on February 24, workers went on strike, carrying the signs declaring I AM A MAN. We built these unions, including AFSCME Local 1733, which represents sanitation workers in Memphis today. In contrast, institutions like the Supreme Court, racially biased corporations, the federal and lo-
Public
Sector
cal governments have a long history of supporting white supremacy and fueling anti-labor sentiment. The connection between poisonous, racists ideology and the systematic dismantling of public sector unions is that they are both aimed at stifling people’s ability to build power. In the same way, it sets a callous course for the economic ruin African American workers. Join us on the Working People’s Day of Action to commemorate the Memphis sanitation workers strike and as we follow Janus v. AFSCME. Together we will defend the freedoms that Black workers fought and died for, including the freedom from hate, the freedom to vote, and the freedom to join together in strong unions. Let’s never forget the struggles of our past. Let’s help move America forward. Let’s continue to stand together with Black workers and our communities to demand better jobs, better lives and secure futures. We all deserve that, and we are only going to get it by fighting together.
African-American employees play a major role in freeing Detained Immigrants—And Saves Lives, Too By Curtis Bunn, Urban News Service
Black Workers Are Public Sector Workers by Tanya Wallace-Gobern, Executive Director of the National Black Worker Center Project (NBWCP).
Racism and white supremacy are powerful, shapeshifting forces. They have persisted in our culture, politics and economy across time and space. Even as our nation makes progress, the power of white supremacy changes shape, creating new ways to limit it. It has different names and uses different tools, but leads to the same outcomes. It’s how slavery mutated into mass incarceration, the war on drugs, police brutality, workplace discrimination, and persistent low wages?—?recreations of the chokeholds of slavery. Now white supremacy is evolving to attack unions and suffocate economic freedom and security. For these reasons advocates for fair wages are watching Janus v. AFSCME, a case currently before the Supreme Court that may effectively spell the end for public sector unions, which created the single largest pathway into the middle class for African American families. It’s also the reason why Black workers across the country will join a national Working People’s Day of Action, on February 24, and demand an end to a racialized, rigged economy that puts workers last. The plaintiff in the case is challenging the way AFSCME collects dues, recruits and maintains membership. If the plaintiff prevails, all public employee unions will have fewer resources and spend more time trying to stay afloat and less time and staff to build the power we need to win at the bargaining table. That means smaller paychecks and less family time. African Americans have as much at stake in maintaining strong unions as anyone with regards to economic security, affordable healthcare and retirement benefits. Department of Labor data shows that almost 20 percent of African Americans work in public sector jobs. An African American union member
makes 16.4 percent more than the same person in the same job without a union. African American union members are also much more likely to have health insurance and retirement benefits than African Americans working without a union. Unions negotiate the terms of our employment and provide tools to address racial discrimination on the job. They ensure pay equity and the right to due process when issues arise. And at their best, unions fight for the issues our communities hold dear. For example, the AFL-CIO has an official position vowing to oppose and end mass incarceration. The public sector has provided a ladder for Black workers to climb into the middle class. For example, in the 40’s, the Urban League pushed private and public sector companies to hire Black workers in clerk and manager positions. These jobs were later supported by unions, which helped expand the Black middle class. Furthermore, both before and after the onset of the Great Recession, African Americans were 30 percent more likely than other workers to be employed in the public sector. Public sector jobs are one of the main ways our community has had an opportunity to get a fair paycheck and middle class security that anchored us and help us provide for our families. We became teachers, cafeteria staff and school bus drivers. We drive the snowplows, fix potholes and maintain the sidewalks. We are the construction workers who keep libraries and public buildings operating safely. We are social workers that make sure people access the public benefits they need. We keep parks open, provide security for public spaces and pick up your trash. You don’t have to look outside our treasured civil rights history to know that some of these jobs weren’t always good jobs. They became good jobs, in part be(continued in next 2 columns)
Orlando—T-Ann Johnson saved a client’s life. That’s when she knew the job was more than just a job. It was a calling. Saving lives was not in the job description. But, as Director of Empower and Serve by Nexus, it came naturally as one would drink water when thirsty, an intricate part of the established work culture. The former co-founder of On The Wings of Angels Ministry, which helped women offenders reenter society, Johnson functions as much as a social worker as an administrator, and, often as a blessed angel. “We give people hope where there is none,” she said when asked to explain her job. That simple sentence defines the nature—and reward—of what she does. Johnson is one of more than 200 employees in 20 cities that work under the umbrella of Libre by Nexus, the controversial but wildly successful bonding company that has revolutionized the trade by using ankle bracelet GPS tracking devices to keep up with clients. The company – which has bonded out more than 20,000 people, many of them undocumented immigrants – charges $120 a week, which critics have deemed too much. While their use of innovative technology has received wide attention, Libre by Nexus’s employees insist their more important contribution to the bail bond business is their human touch. Through hiring practices focused on developing a diverse and caring workforce and programs aimed at helping clients once they are back on the streets, Libre by Nexus claims it is not just interested in getting clients out but helping them move on and up. Johnson cited the case of a client named “Michael” that she met over the phone and grew to be close enough that she calls him friend. He had a $1,000 bond for an offense Johnson could not identify. In minutes, she contacted a bails bondsman to get him released. “Now, that’s not how we ordinarily work. But there was
something in my heart about Michael,” she said. “I just decided we’d do all the paperwork on the back end.” Johnson said she appreciates that empathy is part of her job description. Sometime later, Michael’s father died; his emotional state led him to commit another crime, Johnson said. “He called me and said, ‘T-Ann, I’m in trouble.’ “ Johnson said she went with the client to turn himself in. And when he appeared in court, she testified as a character witness. She explained to the judge that Michael would be in the Nexus program, which helps offenders regroup and reenter society through counseling and services, which would be better for him than prison. “The judge agreed,” she said, “that working with me, with us [was a solid option]. Instead of getting up to 20 years in prison, he served 90 days. And now he’s made extraordinary leaps in his life.” Stories similar to Johnson’s are plentiful at Libre by Nexus. “We build relationships with clients,” Johnson said. Co-founder Michael Donovan has intentionally created this culture. First, his national staff is very diverse, an all-American mix of whites, like him as well as African-Americans, like Johnson, Mexicans, Africans, Hondurans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and others. At their 2017 company retreat in Orlando resembled a United Nations session. Many staffers are immigrants or the children of immigrants, so they, too, have an up-close-and-personal perspective on the challenges that come with being detained. His staff also include exoffenders, the idea being they will have the deep empathy required to extend themselves to help clients, having been incarcerated. “If they have been to jail, they are more likely to get an interview than not,” said Donovan, who founded the company after spending seven months in jail for writing bad checks. He could not afford bail and was freed only when, in a deal, he pleaded guilty to several felony counts after (continued on page 8)
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March 1, 2018
HEALTH/FITNESS NEWS
Researchers Use a Molecular Trojan Horse to Deliver Chemotherapeutic Drug to Cancer Cells UC Riverside-led research offers valuable insights into halting metastasis By Iqbal Pittalwala On FEBRUARY 23, 2018
Schematic illustration of the developed cancer targeting agent – 123B9 in this study. The compound (right panel) has a scorpion-like shape with two arms grabbing EphA2-expressing cancer cells, and a tail (brown) constituted by a cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agent (paclitaxel used in this work). The agent would recognize the surface of cancer cells rich in EphA2 (labeled in red in the left panel which shows cancer cells) and deliver the cytotoxic agent. IMAGE CREDIT: PELLECCHIA LAB, UC RIVERSIDE. RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A research team at the University of California, Riverside has discovered a way for chemotherapy drug paclitaxel to target migrating, or circulating, cancer cells, which are responsible for the development of tumor metastases. Until now, paclitaxel has only been used to target rapidly dividing cancer cells. The team was successful in getting the drug to piggyback on 123B9, an agent they devised to target an oncogene called EphA2 (ephrin typeA receptor 2). EphA2 spreads cancer by allowing malignant cells to migrate from the primary tumor into circulation and eventually to adhere to other tissues. “Once this novel tumor-homing agent binds to the EphA2 receptor, the oncogene functions as a cancer-specific molecular Trojan horse for paclitaxel, carrying the drug inside the cancel cell, killing the cell, and thwarting metastasis,” said Maurizio Pellecchia, a professor of biomedical sciences at UCR’s School of Medicine
who led the research. “Without the targeting agent, paclitaxel cannot hitch a ride on EphA2.” Study results appear in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Maurizio Pellecchia is a professor of biomedical sciences and the Daniel Hays Endowed Chair in Cancer Research in the School of Medicine at UC Riverside. Tumor metastasis is a leading cause of patient morbidity and mortality, and no treatments are currently available that specifically target metastasis formation. Cancer cells depend on a number of oncogenes, like EphA2, to form metastasis, the medical term for cancer spreading from the primary site to other regions in the body, accomplished when cancer cells break away from the primary site, travel through the blood or lymph system, and form new tumors elsewhere in the body. Pellecchia and his colleagues found that when 123B9 binds to the extracellular region of the EphA2 receptor expressed in cancer cells, it causes
Maurizio Pellecchia is a professor of biomedical sciences and the Daniel Hays Endowed Chair in Cancer Research in the School of Medicine at UC Riverside. PHOTO CREDIT: UCR SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
the oncogene to internalize and degrade inside the cell, thus preventing cancer cells from entering circulation and metastasizing. “Because this binding causes EphA2 internalization, we also sought to conjugate 123B9 with paclitaxel and thus direct the drug to migrating cancer cells,” said Pellecchia, who holds the Daniel Hays Chair in Cancer Research at UCR. Recent collaborative work between UCR and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles demonstrated that in animal models of human breast cancer, mice treated with 123B9 that was conjugated with paclitaxel had significantly fewer circulating cancer cells in the blood compared to mice that were not treated or even treated with paclitaxel alone. “Our work predicts that reducing the number of circulating cancer cells produces less metastasis,” Pellecchia said. “Indeed, in a second tumor model of metastatic breast cancer, we demonstrated that mice treated with the EphA2-
targeting paclitaxel conjugate presented nearly no lung metastases, while a large numbers of lesions were observed in both untreated mice and in mice treated with just paclitaxel.” Pellecchia said the road to a therapeutic for human trials is still long and includes the iterative design and synthesis of more potent and selective agents. “Nonetheless, the proof of concept studies we have obtained thus far are extremely encouraging, and we are confident that with proper support and efforts we could translate our findings into experimental therapeutics for a variety of solid tumors that are driven by EphA2 overexpression, including breast, lung, prostate, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers,” said Pellecchia, who serves as the founding director of the Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine at UCR. He noted that while these studies solidify UCR’s partnership with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the research team moving forward is expanding. Already, it includes UCR’s Jikui Song, an assistant professor of biochemistry, and Dr. Samar Nahas, an assistant clinical professor of gynecology and oncology in the School of Medicine. The study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Pellecchia was joined in the research by Ahmed F. Salem (first author), Parima Udompholkul, Luca Gambini, and Carlo Baggio at UCR; Si Wang at the Sanford-Burnham-Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, Calif.; Sandrine Billet, Jie-Fu Chen, Edwin M. Posadas, and Neil A. Bhowmick at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and Hsian-Rong Tseng at the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA. Salem, Wang, and Billet made equal contributions to the research.
A Series of Rare Heart Surgeries Saved Angelique Garcia; Now She Can Sing, Dance and Visit the Aquarium Health News
Angelique with her parents and Dr. Pruetz, Photo by CHLA LOS ANGELES (February 27, 2018) -- Even before Angelique Garcia was born, doctors at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) knew she had a severe form of congenital heart disease called complete atrioventricular canal defect (CAVC), thanks to a prenatal echocardiogram by CHLA cardiologist Jay Pruetz, MD. In a normal heart, there are four distinct walled chambers with valves that act as one-way doors to keep blood flowing in one direction: Right heart ==> Lungs ==> Left Heart ==> Body ==> Right Heart, etc. But in Angelique's heart, those walls and valves had formed abnormally, in essence leaving multiple open doors where blood from all four chambers was mixing and heading the wrong directions: Lungs <==> Heart <==> Body “The large holes in her heart were causing oxygen-rich blood from the left side of her heart to cross over to the right side, flooding the lungs with excessive blood flow,” Dr. Pruetz explains. Not only was her oxygen-rich blood diluted with oxygen-poor blood, it was moving very inefficiently, like multiple cars trying to simultaneously pass through an unprotected intersection with no traffic signs. In addition, Angelique was found to have a complicating condition – dysplastic left side valve leaflet with a severe leakage (mitral regurgitation) – where blood heading to her lungs was leaking backwards into her heart, further hindering blood from reaching her body effec-
tively. As a result, Angelique's heart was overworking itself and would fail if left untreated. Initially after birth, Angelique was monitored by CHLA cardiologists and she weathered the heart condition with help from medication, but within weeks, her mother Maria noticed her newborn was struggling to eat and not growing well. “When she was a baby, she would have trouble finishing her bottle,” recalls Maria. Because of the excessive blood flow to the lungs, they could not function properly due to this extra fluid called pulmonary edema. Her heart was also working extra hard, causing damage. Medications were started to help clear her lungs so that she could breathe easier, but Angelique’s heart failure continued to advance rapidly despite maximal medical therapy. At three months, she was hospitalized and the condition causing her blood to leak backwards into her heart was getting worse. To save her, CHLA cardiothoracic surgeons performed open heart surgery several times that week, employing several different procedures. “Had we had her 10 years ago, she probably wouldn’t have had a chance,” says Luis Garcia, Angelique’s father.” Her unusual heart condition accounts for about 5 percent of children born with congenital heart defects, but CHLA’s Heart Institute was uniquely staffed to perform the surgery that would ultimately save her life - a unique hybrid heart procedure that required the skills of both a cardiothoracic surgeon and a pediatric interventional cardiologist. Initially, on Feb. 16, 2016, CHLA physicians attempted complete AV Ca-
nal repair on 3-month old Angelique’s failing heart, which was saddled with three separate holes, according to her dad. The complications persisted after the surgery, as Angelique continued to suffer severe mitral regurgitation, a condition so critical Angelique could not be weaned off the ventilator. Again and again, surgeons went back to the operating table to stabilize Angelique but they failed to stop the leakage, and her life hung in the balance. It was a traumatic time for the Garcia's, who stayed at Angelique’s bedside in the hospital’s cardiothoracic intensive care unit, which like most rooms at the hospital, is outfitted with a convertible bed for family members. “I appreciated having access to a chaplain and Child Life services, and Angelique enjoyed the therapy dogs to help with the stressful situation,” Maria said. Luis and Maria felt the care and surgical teams included them in every step of the process. “They would invite us to join the morning walkthroughs as the doctors would invite us to come in and listen to them and hear what they had to say, and they also took our opinions into consideration,” says Luis. Maria also appreciated the staff allowing the family to participate in postop care. “They involved us in her healing process as well… having us give her a bath as opposed to just sitting back and letting them do everything, they were really teaching us how to continue the healing process at home.” Getting there would be a challenge. Nearly out of options, CHLA’s surgeons proposed a rare operation to the Garcia’s which the hospital had never tried before - a Melody valve or Bio prosthetic valve replacement on Angelique’s heart. Although it is normally used to replace the pulmonary valve, the Melody valve was used by doctors in this instance as an off label mitral valve replacement. The procedure had several benefits, explained Pruetz, director of CHLA’s Fetal Cardiology Program and Angelique’s physician: It allowed the mechanical valve to grow with the child without surgery, due to the ability of the Melody valve to expand. Previously, the mechani-
cal valves they used would need to be replaced with larger ones as children aged It avoided the necessity of putting her on blood thinners, which can cause dangerous reactions in young children. It permitted doctors to help children who were smaller and younger than before by enabling them to implant a 12 millimeters (mm) mechanical valve that could be expanded to 16 mm without open heart surgery. The team decided on using a Melody valve because despite not knowing how long the valve would last, they felt that its ability to be expanded as the child grew was worth the risk if the operation was successful. Children whose atrioventricular canal is not amenable to surgical repair need valve replacement. And Up until now, this was near impossible for younger or smaller children. “Seeing your child with their heart open for the whole week, her chest splayed open… it’s heartbreaking to just watch her like that, wishing you would be going through that instead of her,” Luis recalled “You just want to take all the pain away,” Maria said. “It was very stressful and at times, we did break down. We just continued communicating with each other and having faith in God and having faith in our doctors and nurses, medical team, everyone.” This 2-hour surgery on 3-month old Angelique took place on Feb. 19, 2016, four days after the initial open heart surgery and required both a heart surgeon and an interventional cardiologist to deploy the Melody valve, which came from a pig. After the child was placed on a heart-lung bypass machine, CHLA cardiothoracic surgeon Richard Kim opened the child’s chest and pediatric interventional cardiologist Frank Ing implanted the valve through a catheter inserted through the baby’s thigh. Once in place, the valve was open expanded using a balloon to 12 mm, with a capability of expanding to 16 mm. Kim then sewed the valve to the heart canal. This unique Melody valve replacement procedure was a first for CHLA and likely for the entire western U.S. The only other hospital that had performed (continued in next 2 columns)
A Series of Rare Heart Surgeries Saved Angelique Garcia; Now She Can Sing, Dance and Visit the Aquarium...continued the surgery was Boston Children’s. The valve proved its worth immediately as Angelique started to grow (she is now in the 4th percentile compared to 0 percentile a year before) within months of the procedure. Almost, instantly Luis and Maria noticed a change in Angelique’s appetite. “She took to her bottle,” Maria said. “I’m very grateful for it, the technology, the advances, and the doctors, everything, it helped save her life. It helped improve the quality of her life and continues to do so.” Almost a year later in January 2017, Dr. Ing and his team were able to perform a minimally invasive catheter procedure that expanded the valve from 12 to 14 millimeters. This was done
without having to open the child’s chest back up. “Yeah, having three holes in your heart, it’s kind of, like, crazy to think about it now,” says Luis. “Now that that’s been repaired, it’s kind of easing to know that she has something in place and not have to worry as much about that.” Today, Angelique is an active 2year-old who enjoys singing and visits to the aquarium. Luis says more surgeries lie ahead for his daughter. She will eventually need a replacement Melody valve, but they are hopeful she will be bigger and stronger to withstand additional operations, including eventual mitral valve replacement surgery. “We’ll be in good hands here,” Maria said.
High-Tech Healthcare seminar to educate nearly 100 students about the future of medicine Health/Fitness News
San Bernardino, CA-On Saturday, March 3rd nearly 100 high school and college students will head to the Business Building on San Bernardino Valley College’s campus to participate in the High-Tech Healthcare seminar. This innovative event will feature 12 presenters and industry speakers from the Inland Empire who will speak to students about careers in the areas of Genomics, Telemedicine, Robotics, and Wearable Devices. This event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and is organizes by the Inland Health Professions Coalition and San Bernardino Valley College. “We are excited to introduce students to some of the careers of the future and feature partners who are pioneers in the field of genomics, telemedicine, and robotics.” Carol Allbaugh, Director, Inland Health Professions Coalition This advanced seminar will allow students to hear directly from professionals who currently work in the hightech healthcare field. Genomics, Robotics, Telemedicine, and Wearable Devices are just some of the areas
where the future of medicine is heading. the future is now, and the healthcare industry has technologies that years ago we could only imagine. Students will also get to participate in exciting hands-on activities, that will help further their interest in these fields. The goal of this seminar is to show students where the healthcare and medicine industry is headed. With leaders of high-tech healthcare right here in the Inland Empire we are excited to introduce students to careers that they may not know exist. About Us: Inland Health Professions Coalition (IHPC) helps address the need for health professionals in the Inland Empire by helping students identify healthrelated careers and providing workbased learning experiences. IHPC is part of Reach Out, a non-profit organization which addresses the regions toughest issues through counseling, education, prevention, and advocacy. For more information, visit www.inlandcoalition.org and www.facebook.com/inlandcoalition
CQC Urges Governors to Prioritize Consumer Care When Considering Waivers Health care advocates provide a waiver checklist for states to achieve the best outcome for their residents Health/Fitness News
WASHINGTON – As the nation’s governors descend on Washington, D.C. for the National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting, Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) today issued an open letter urging them to keep consumers top-of-mind when considering state waivers. In the letter, CQC points out that many states are considering harmful Section 1332 State Innovation and Section 1115 Medicaid waiver requests that, despite CMS claims they “give states additional flexibility to design and improve their programs,” actually pose a serious threat to quality health care by weakening access and decreasing coverage for many Americans. In an effort to ensure states keep the focus on consumer care when navigating the waiver process, CQC, an organization led by health care advocates and former policy makers, created a checklist for state officials to consider as they craft waiver requests. Some of the checklist’s consumer-focused considerations include: Would this waiver preserve quality care by offering adequate provider networks, emergency care and essential health benefits? Would this waiver put patients at the center by ensuring benefits for special populations, providing adequate exemptions for those with chronic conditions and engaging health care advocates in providing input on the waiver’s provisions? Would this waiver cut costs to consumers by preventing cost shifts or cost increases and capping Medicaid out-ofpocket costs? Would this waiver preserve access by ensuring no barriers to coverage, an accessible network of doctors and options for
prescription drugs? Would this waiver ensure transparency so that the public understands its potential implications – both to their health care and their state’s fiscal health? “The answers to these questions are critical,” the CQC board wrote. “Higher costs, cuts in coverage and reduced access to quality care will harm consumers in every state, across the country.” The checklist also highlights a number of ways already implemented waivers are harming consumers across the country, including through cuts to transportation benefits, increased out-of-pocket costs, restricted access to medications and unreasonable barriers to coverage. “We know that every state’s top priority is preserving quality health care for their constituents. As such, we urge you review and consider our waiver checklist when submitting your waiver requests. The risks to consumer health care quality and access are high when waivers are not implemented with consumers at their core,” the letter reads. CQC is led by a board of directors that includes the Honorable Donna Christensen, physician and former Member of Congress; Jim Manley, former senior advisor to Senators Harry Reid and Edward Kennedy; Scott Mulhauser, visiting fellow at Georgetown University and former Chief of Staff at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to Ambassador Max Baucus; and Jason Resendez, Executive Director of the LatinosAgainstAlzheimer's Network and Coalition. The full checklist can be accessed at www.consumers4qualitycare.org/ statewaiverchecklist
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PAGE 5 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN Number: 20180000541 Filing Type: FBN Filing Date Filed: 1/16/2018 Began Transacting Business: N/A Filing Expires On: 1/16/2023 Business is Conducted By: An Individual Fictitious Business Name(s): DREW RIDES Business Address: 12453 DEL AMO WAY VICTORVILLE, CA 92392 County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Registrant(s)Address: ANDRES A. MARTINEZ CARBAJAL 12453 DEL AMO WAY VICTORVILLE, CA 92392 Signature/Officer Title: Andres A. Martinez Carbajal BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).) NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published In The San Bernardino American Newspaper February 15, 22, March 1, 8, 2018. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN Number: 20180001694 Filing Type: FBN Filing Date Filed: 2/12/2018 Began Transacting Business: 2/12/2017 Filing Expires On: 2/12/2023 Business is Conducted By: A Limited Liability Company Fictitious Business Name(s): M H SOHAL EXPRESS Business Address: 12891 COMET DRIVE VICTORVILLE, CA 92392 County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO A1#: 201306710501 State: CA Registrant(s)Address: M H SOHAL LLC 12891 COMET DR. VICTORVILLE, CA 92392 Signature/Officer Title: Maninder Singh, Managing Member BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).) NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published In The San Bernardino American Newspaper February 15, 22, March 1, 8, 2018. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN Number: 20180001151 Filing Type: FBN ABANDONMENT Date Filed: 1/30/2018 Related FBN Number: 20170000228 County Where Filed: SAN BERNARDINO Date Filed: 1/06/2017 Began Transacting Business: N/A Filing Expires On: 1/30/2018 Business is Conducted By: An Individual Fictitious Business Name(s): TECHIE LOVING COMPUTERS Business Address: 13306 NOBLE PLACE CHINO, CA 91710 County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Registrant(s)Address: JONATHAN VASQUEZ 13306 NOBLE PLACE CHINO, CA 91710 Signature/Officer Title: Jonathan Vasquez BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).) NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published In The San Bernardino American Newspaper February 8, 15, 22, March 1, 2018.
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CIVDS 1803272 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: ELIVIA M. CERVANTES filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: a. ELIZABETH COS to Proposed name: LIZZY CERVANTES THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 3/23/18 Time:8:30 a.m. Dept: S17 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, 247 W. THIRD ST. SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92415 SAN BERNARDINO JUDICIAL DISTRICT A Copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The San Bernardino American Newspaper P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393 Date: February 9, 2018 Michael A. Sachs Judge Of The Superior Court Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper March 1, 8, 15, 22, 2018. ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CIVDS 1801413 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: HOLLIE MORTENSEN filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: a. PAUL RAYDEN ORTEGA to Proposed name: RAYDEN JOSEPH MORTENSEN THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show
cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 3/05/18 Time: 8:30 a.m. Dept:S17 Superior Court of California, County Of San Bernardino, 247 W. 3rd Street San Bernardino, CA 92415 San Bernardino District A Copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The San Bernardino American Newspaper P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393 Date: January 19, 2018 Michael A. Sachs Judge Of The Superior Court Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper February 8, 15, 22, March 1, 2018.
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CIVVS 1800053 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: MICHELLE ELIZABETH COX filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: a. MICHELLE ELIZABETH COX to Proposed name: MICHELLE ELIZABETH MILAN b. AALIYAH MICHELLE JOHNSON to AALIYAH MICHELLE MILAN THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 3/21/18 Time:8:30 a.m. Dept: V15 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, 14455 Civic Center Drive Victorville, CA 92392 Victorville District A Copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The San Bernardino American Newspaper P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393 Date: January 22,2 018 Judge Lisa Rogan Judge Of The Superior Court Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper March 1, 8, 15, 22, 2018. ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CIVVS 1800050 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: CALEB JONES & KAREN MEANS filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: a.SARAH ANN JONES to Proposed name: SARAH ANN MEANS THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 3/07/18 Time: 8:30 a.m. Dept: V15 Superior Court of California, County Of San Bernardino, 14455 Civic Drive Victorville, CA 92392 Victorville Courthouse A Copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The San Bernardino American Newspaper P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393 Date: January 25, 2018 Susan Slater Judge Of The Superior Court Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper February 8, 15, 22, March 1, 2018.
ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CIVDS 1801412 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: JENNIFER PARISI filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: a. ALEXCIA MARIE REATIGA to Proposed name: ALEXCIA MARIE PARISI b. AVIANA BIANCA NIETO to AVIANA BIANCA PARISI NIETO c. JORDAN JAX NIETO to JORDAN JAX PARISI NIETO THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 3/01/18 Time: 8:30 a.m. Dept: S17 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, 247 W. THIRD ST. SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92415 SAN BERNARDINO JUDICIAL DISTRICT A Copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The San Bernardino American Newspaper P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393 Date: January 19, 2018 Michael A. Sachs Judge Of The Superior Court Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper February 15, 22, March 1, 8, 2018.
SUMMONS SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) NOTICE TO DEFENDANT (AVISO AL. DEMANDADO): EDWARD A. KOTWICA YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTA DEMANDADO EL DEMANDANTE): WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without you being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory
March 1, 2018
LEGALS/CLASSIFIEDS/NEWS lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 dias, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su version. Lea la informacion a continuacion. Tiene 30 DIAS CALENDARIO despues de que le entreguen esta citacion y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefonica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y mas informacion en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/ espanol/), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede mas cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentacion, pida al secretario de la corte que le de un formulario de exencion de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podra quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia. Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remision a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte.ca.gov) o poniendose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley la corte tiene derecho a reclamar los coutas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperacion de $10,000 o mas de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesion de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso. CASE NUMBER: CIVDS 1716296 (Numero del Caso) The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y direccion de la corte es): SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO 247 WEST THIRD ST. SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92415-0210 The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): REESE LAW GROUP, Harlan M. Reese 118226, Joseph M. Pleasant, 179571, James E. Delaney, 292600, Dana N. Meyers, 272640, Jenny R. Louro, 306535, 3168 Lionshead Avenue, Carlsbad, CA 92010 760/842-5850 (File No. 562764 ) Date: August 18, 2017 (Fecha) (Secretario)Clerk, by Ashlee Bayless , Deputy (Adjunto) Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper February 8, 15, 22, March 1, 2018. SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) NOTICE TO DEFENDANT (AVISO AL. DEMANDADO): ROBBIE CLARK, AND DOES 1 TO 10 YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF: (LO ESTA DEMANDADO EL DEMANDANTE): WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without you being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below. You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court. There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away. If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service. If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 dias, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su version. Lea la informacion a continuacion. Tiene 30 DIAS CALENDARIO despues de que le entreguen esta citacion y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefonica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y mas informacion en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/ espanol/), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede mas cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentacion, pida al secretario de la corte que le de un formulario de exencion de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podra quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin mas advertencia. Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remision a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte.ca.gov) o poniendose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley la corte tiene derecho a reclamar los coutas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperacion de $10,000 o mas de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesion de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso. CASE NUMBER: CIVDS 1701476 (Numero del Caso) The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y direccion de la corte es): SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO 247 WEST THIRD ST. SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92415-0210 The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff’s attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is: (El nombre, la direccion y el numero de telefono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): REESE LAW GROUP, Harlan M. Reese 118226, Joseph M. Pleasant, 179571, James E. Delaney, 292600, Dana N. Meyers, 272640, 3168 Lionshead Avenue, Carlsbad, CA 92010 760/842-5850 (File No. 551903 ) Date: January 25, 2018 (Fecha) (Secretario)Clerk, by James Mejia , Deputy (Adjunto) Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper February 15, 22, March 1,8, 2018.
PETITION/PROBATE NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE (Probate-Decedents’ Estates)
PUBLISH YOUR LEGAL OR CLASSIFIED ADS WITH
NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: GERALD L. RUDENICK Case Number: PROPS 1800135 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: GERALD L. RUDENICK aka GERALD LUVERNE RUDENICK aka GERALD RUDENICK A Petition for Probate has been filed by: JERRI M. WHITTAKER in the Superior Court of California, County of: SAN BERNARDINO The Petition for Probate requests that: JERRI M. WHITTAKER be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: Date: March 19, 2018 Time: 8:30 a.m. Dept: S-36 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, 247 WEST THIRD STREET SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92415-0212 SAN BERNARDINO JUSTICE CENTERPROBATE DIVISION MAIN/CENTRAL If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner: Bryan C. Hartnell Hartnell Law Group, APC 25757 Redlands Boulevard Redlands, CA 92373-8453 Telephone: (909)796-6881 Published in The San Bernardino American Newspaper March 1, 8, 15, 2018.
THE SAN BERNARDINO AMERICAN NEWS CALL TODAY! 909-889-7677 OR EMAIL: msbamericannews@gmail.com
Submission deadline: Mondays by 5 pm Website: SB-American.com
Sports Officials Wanted The City of San Bernardino Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department are now looking for sports officials for its Adult Sports Leagues and Tournaments. Sports include Adult Basketball, Adult Baseball, Adult Flag Football, and Adult Volleyball. Southern California Municipal Athletic Federation (S.C.M.A.F.) and/or California Interscholastic Federation (C.I.F.) certifications are desired. Volleyball officials will use the rules of the U.S. Volleyball Association. The basketball league will meet Tuesday evenings, men’s flag football will meet on Saturday afternoons, and the coed volleyball league will meet Thursday evenings. For more information, please contact the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department Main Office at 909-384-5233 or visit our website at w w w. S B C i t y. o r g / AdultSports.
FBN PUBLICATION (1 BUSINESS) ONLY $40 CALL TODAY! (909) 889-7677 OR EMAIL: msbamericannews@gmail.com
ACLU Comment on Supreme Court Immigration Detention Ruling Government News
WASHINGTON – In a 5-to-3 decision in Jennings v. Rodriguez, the Supreme Court overturned a ruling requiring that immigrants subjected to prolonged detention must be given a custody hearing. Two lower federal courts had interpreted federal immigration detention statutes to require hearings after six months of detention. Today’s ruling sent the case back to the federal appeals court to consider whether the statutes violate the Constitution. At issue is the government’s practice of locking up immigrants indefinitely as they defend their right to remain in the U.S., without holding a hearing before a judge to determine whether they must be detained. The government detains thousands of immigrants without custody hearings each day, including lawful permanent residents, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture. Many of these people will ultimately win their deportation cases, but are forced to unjustly suffer prolonged detention. ACLU attorney Ahilan Arulanantham, who argued the Supreme Court case, had this reaction: “The Trump administration is trying to expand immigration detention to record-breaking levels as part of its crackdown on immigrant communities. We have shown through this case that when immigrants get a fair hearing, judges often release them based on their individual circumstances. We look forward to going back to the lower courts to show that these statutes, now interpreted by the Supreme Court to require detention without any hearing, violate the Due Process Clause.” The ruling is at: https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/jennings-v-rodriguez-opinion
Government spying on immigrants in America is now fair game. What next?...continued from page 3 issued 143,074 NSLs, from which there were only 53 reported criminal referrals to prosecutors. The act also allows for "Sneak and Peek" searches in peoples' homes or offices. These broad surveillance tactics have a direct impact on our communities. Multiple social justice organizations have expressed concern that the government could be using the Patriot Act to target their members for investigation, and have stated that this has inhibited the religious and political expression of their members. The attorney general guidelines in 2008 also authorized "domain management assessments" which allow the FBI to map out communities across America by race and ethnicity, using crude stereotypes to hypothesize about
the crimes they are believed to be likely to commit. This covert surveillance, now culminating in overt spying on immigrants, is designed as a tactic to control and fracture dissent. It is meant to keep immigrants' political activity in check and to keep us from feeling like full members of society. The message this new rule sends to American immigrants, and specifically naturalized citizens, is that we are not entitled to the full exercise of our first amendment rights as nativeborn citizens are. The government will be watching us closely and if it determines that we have crossed the line in any way, it will find some way of coming after us. For many of us, this is eerily reminiscent of what we were facing in countries where we immigrated from: systematic surveil-
lance, retribution for political speech, self-censorship. These tactics of repression are what we may have thought we left behind when we arrived in the US. In response to such egregious spying and regulations meant to chill our freedom of speech, we immigrants should not self-censor or hold back on freely expressing our political opinions. If we were to do that, we would hand this administration which is intent on violating our rights a clear victory, dealing a huge blow to the first amendment and other constitutional protections. Azadeh Shahshahani is a human rights attorney based in Atlanta. She is Legal & Advocacy Director with Project South and a past president of the National Lawyers Guild.
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March 1 , 2018
LIFESTYLE NEWS/ENTERTAINMENT/RELIGION
The 50th annual Black History Parade in Fontana was a million-dollar parade, in fact it was a 60 million dollar parade Black History News
Elaine Jones, Ellen Turner, Mr. and Mrs. Rhan Mayo
FONTANA, CA-One of the purpose of the North Fontana Black Awareness Parade Committee Black History Month events, is
to bring awareness of the accomplishments made by AfricanAmericans to the Americas, not just to have a procession going
Under Siege By The CBC: The Political Betrayal Of Black America Again Religious News
Members of the Coalition of African American Pastors (CAAP) at a recent pressconference Nationwide (BlackNews.com) - "Our Black politicians did it to us again," Rev. William Owens, the president of the Coalition of African American Pastors (CAAP), said passionately during a press conference February 13, 2018 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He was referencing what he and 20 other national black leaders felt was the worst representation by the CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) demonstrated during the televised State of the Union Address. The tone set by the CBC angered numerous national black leaders, prompting many groups to convene in Washington, D.C. to address what they considered was a severe misrepresentation and a disservice to the achievements of blacks in this country. Rev. William Owens, the president of CAAP joined by over 20 national leaders such as Stephen Broden: Senior Pastor Fair Park Bible Fellowship, President Protect Life and Marriage, Dr. Alveda King: Civil Rights For The UnBorn, Bishop Leon Benjamin: Coalition Of Leaders United, Shirley Husar: CEO Urban Game Changers, Rev Dean Nelson: Frederick Douglas Foundation, Rev Derek McCoy: Urban Cure, Dr. Randy Short: International Human Rights Association For American Minorities, Dr. Johnny Hunter: Life Education and Resource Network, Jonathan Alexander: Liberty Counsel Action, Suzzanne Monk: Political Pundit from Chicago, Johnny Rice for Congress (D.C.), Kenneth McClenton: President of Exceptional Conservative Show, joined forces to expressed their disappointment and mismanagement of the People’s power entrusted to the Congressional Black Caucus. "The disgrace before the global community by the CBC (Con-
gressional Black Caucus) during the State of the Union Address was the worst I have ever witnessed in my life as a black father, educator, civil rights activist, and man of faith. Our elected officials’ demonstration of childish behavior; sulking in their seats, texting, pretending to be disinterested, was distasteful. We did not elect children, we thought we had leaders," indicated William Owens. Collectively the leaders called to question what they characterized as "foul demeanor" and demanded either the CBC start "REPRESENTING or GO AWAY." Also, CAAP launched an online petition "CROSSROAD" that will be hand-delivered to CBC members’ offices to demonstrate the will of the people. Individuals are encouraged to sign by visiting www.caapusa.org. In addition, the multifaceted group rolled out its new 2018 Black Agenda to counter the fallout among younger blacks who have lost interest in political engagement in hopes of inspiring civic engagement. To attract a younger demographic, the group is utilizing social media platforms to promote the hashtag #representorgoaway. Many of the speakers at the press conference extensively expounded on what numerous officials don’t want known about the current effectiveness of the CBC. Rev. Owens and others indicated “What began 46 years ago in March 1971 has morphed into the greatest breach of trust in the black community since Reconstruction. Our precious black children are not on the minds of the Congressional Black Caucus, they care more about the rights of undocumented immigrants and football players who don’t stand for the (continued in next 2 columns)
down the street. 90 year old Mr. Hank Williams who is a one of the first African American men to be a race car drivers, lead the parade in his six million dollar cobra. Cruisin Brothers unCar Club, vehicles valued on a average of two 2 million dollars each, graciously drove dignitaries, Grand Marshal Rahn Mayo an accomplished man in his own rights, former member of the House of Representatives, following in his Father's Footsteps Whitman Mayo (Grady)co-starred on
Sanford and Son who was Grand Marshal in the first Black History Parade in North. Fontana. Hometown Marshall Elaine Jones making history by being a living donor and saving lives. Honorable Mayor Acquanetta Warren the first black female mayor of Fontana, who is making history everyday. Mayor protem John Roberts, City Treasurer Janet Koehler Brooks and City Clerk Tony Lewis, Fontana Community Services commissioner's, and Congressman Joe Baca.
Under Siege By The CBC: The Political Betrayal Of Black America Again...continued national anthem than they do about our families and precious children.” Various group leaders made strong pleas to the black community to embrace this position with openness and to hear the total message citing, "We, meaning Black Americans, have been sidelined by traitors in Washington." CAAP's president, Rev. Owens, also mentioned that last year his media relations office contacted Congressman John Lewis, Rev. Al Sharpton (who purports himself as a civil rights advocate for the voiceless), and Attorney General Jeff Session pertaining to the documented research conducted by prestigious Yale University researchers published in USA Today in 2016. The article detailed racial bias and poor treatment of preschool-age black children, with special emphasis on black boys. CAAP requested several meetings to initiate a national dialogue, but was met with resistance. "Not one elected official or civil rights leader has responded to date or called for an inquiry. This is a shame. If our children are not protected at this tender age, what kind of future will exist for them when lawmakers don’t care enough to take up the just cause
to fight and utilize the power of their office? My office sent copies of the Yale research to many and to this very day, no serving black politician in Washington, black news reporters (and we reached out to many) and sadly, even the black clergy, have responded. This is really tragic," said Owens. Unfortunately, this issue is very personal to Rev. Owens and his wife, Dr. Deborah Owens, whose then 4-year old son experienced racial discrimination in his preschool. The Owens, after documenting many instances which they cited were deeply troubling, immediately removed their son after school officials failed to correct the problems in a timely manner. Rev. Owens said he thought his son’s troubles at his preschool were isolated until he discovered the article published in USA Today in 2016 written by Yale University Researchers citing this was a national problem. He also said it was alarming to read that black teachers were worse than Whites. To date, over 50 online groups have attached their support to this cause. Join the conversation and sign the CROSSROAD petition. Visit www.caapusa.org.
District 16th Senate Race Support For Pastor Gregory Tatum Pastor of Change Community Church, Bakersfield, CA By Pastor Gregory Tatum
Pastor Gregory Tatum Pastor Tatum is a Baptist Minister who has been preaching the Gospel for over thirty years. In his early years, Pastor Tatum hosted and produced his own local Christian cable television program called Christian Experience Ministries. This television outreach ministry stayed on the air in Southern California for more than twenty years and reached more than 250,000 local homes each week.
In early 2004, Pastor Tatum relocated to Northern California settling in the city of Sacramento, the state’s capital. While in Sacramento, Pastor Tatum worked as a Youth Minister with a new ministry called Faith Fellowship. During his tenure with Faith Fellowship, Pastor Tatum was able to train a group of youth in how to use video and studio equipment (continued in next 2 columns)
District 16th Senate Race Support For Pastor Gregory Tatum Pastor of Change Community Church, Bakersfield, CA...continued to make their own local television program in Sacramento and use their videography skills to reach their peers. Thousands of youth were reached each week with this local television program. In early 2007, Pastor Tatum relocated back to Southern California. While there, God was preparing Pastor Tatum and his wife to become Pastors. In 2009, Pastor Tatum was invited by the Southern Baptist’s to start a new church in Bakersfield, California. For over nine years Pastor Tatum, his wife Annette, their daughter and sonin-law have been building a church in one of the most challenging areas of Bakersfield. In September 2013, God commissioned Pastor Tatum to have a National Gang Summit on the Southside of Chicago, Illinois. This event brought national coverage to Chicago. Media from different parts of the world came out to cover the summit. The next summit was scheduled for Los Angeles, California from September 26-27, 2014. Also in 2013, Pastor Tatum traveled to India and listened intently
as God revealed to him during that trip, how to help many AtRisk-youth in the nation. In 2016, Pastor Tatum ran for Mayor in the city of Bakersfield, California where he placed 6th out of 25 total candidates. This was the first time Pastor Tatum had ever run for any public office. Pastor Tatum confidently ran with a was chest under $1,500.00. In May 2017, Dr. Tatum along with his team, Unity Matters Movement, organized and conducted a Unity Matters Conference in San Diego, California on the 20th of May. Currently, the team is planning the same conference to take place in the fall of 2018 in the city of Chicago at Wrigley Field Stadium to bring a divided nation together with God’s power and love. In 2018, Pastor Tatum will be running for California State Senate in the 16th district. There are currently twenty senate seats available in the state of California Senate race. One of those seats has Dr. Tatum’s name on it. Thank you in abundance for your continued prayers and support.
“There You Go Again…!” By: Lou Yeboah
Lou Yeboah We ain’t even three months into the New Year, and you doing the same thing that God delivered you from last year. Why? After all the pleading you did¯ “Lord, please, if you get me out of this mess, I promise I want do it again!” “Lord, please, please forgive me Lord, I’m sorry!”¯ “Please Lord, help me, I promise I’ll serve you for the rest of my days!”¯ “Please Lord!” [Psalms 107:18-19] Miss Me with that! You come weeping buckets of tears, and then you go and do the same thing you did before. You kept repenting and repenting, but somehow, you can’t get beyond, the repenting stage. Let me tell you something. Repentance is not you asking God to forgive you of your sins while you continue to live in your sins. Repentance carries with it the idea of changing¯changing your mind, changing your heart, changing your attitude, changing your ways; a complete change of direction. You remind me of King Saul. Poor Saul never learned. He apologized and was sorry many times, but he never really repented, he never turned and went the other way. Saul would break down and weep before the prophet Samuel, but he didn’t weep because he was repentant; he wept because he was sorry he was about to lose the kingdom. He didn’t really confess and forsake his sin, the evil root beneath the outer show. Now King David, although he also committed great sins, after God forgave him, he became a man after God’s own heart. He deeply loved God, and he really wanted to glorify God and please Him. Exemplary of true repentance¯not just being sorry, but having a complete change of mind and heart and direction—a whole new man, a new personality, a new creature in Christ Jesus—born again! Only God can do it, but we must put forth the effort of a believing will. I tell you, you can’t keep on living the same way. You can’t travel the same path anymore. You can’t go back and be a slave of mammon and serve God. It’s impossible; Jesus said, “You’ll either “love the one and hate the other, or hold to the one and despise the other.” Just as the Lord issued a call through Joshua, all those centuries ago, for His people to make of their minds as to whom they would serve, so He issues the same call to you on this day. Choose Whom this day you are going to serve. It’s time to make up your mind! And, it is! You need to contemplate all the Lord has done
for you! Remember where He found you. What He did for you. How He has blessed you. How He has worked on your behalf time and again. How He has answered prayer and met needs. Remember His power in your life. In everything you faced, He was there to help you and to see you through. You need to contemplate the fact that you have much today that you simply DO NOT deserve! God has been so good to you. In light of these truths, I wonder why you seem to have a hard time just simply loving and serving Him as you should. Of course, this is nothing new! Israel was guilty of walking out on God even when He had been so good to them [Jeremiah 2:5-19]. Listen, Joshua’s command to the people was three-fold. They were commanded to “fear” God; clean up their lives, and to serve the Lord. This would put them in a position to put God back in the forefront of their lives. If they serve Him, He will bless them, but if they renege on their end of the agreement, there will be a high price to pay. While God is a God of love, grace and mercy; He is also still a holy and righteous God. He will not tolerate sin in the lives of His children! There is a terribly high price to pay for disobedience and you better understand today that you will reap exactly what you sow [Galatians. 6:7]. If the Lord be God then serve Him. If He isn’t, then go ahead and serve whatever has your heart. Whatever you do, stop trying to have the best of both worlds! I tell you, it’s time to make up your mind! Today may be the last time you hear God’s voice. After today, God may give you over to sexual impurity, to shameful desires, or to a depraved mind. After today, God may take away His hand and let you find what it is that you think you want. “If you go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment” [Hebrews 10:26-27]. “I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you, but if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live” [Deuteronomy 30:15-20].
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LOCAL/NATIONAL NEWS/ADVERTISING
The Unchecked Influence of NRA Lobbyist Marion Hammer Florida Republicans have allowed the relentless pro-gun operator to become a de facto member of government. BY MIKE SPIES Jared Moskowitz, a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, was debating tax policy on the chamber oor, in Tallahassee, last week, when he received a call from his wife, Leah. He was surprised to hear her crying. She was trying to pick up their 4-year-old son, Sam, who attends a preschool in Moskowitz’s district, which encompasses two affluent communities about an hour north of Miami — Parkland and Coral Springs. Leah had seen a number of police officers outside the building. Moskowitz called the local Sheriff’s office and learned that the preschool was on lockdown, because there was an active shooter at the nearby Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Moskowitz, who graduated from Douglas in 1999, called Leah back, then walked over to Richard Corcoran, the speaker of the House, and explained that he had to leave. “I think people were still getting killed while we were talking,” Moskowitz told me. Parkland is almost 500 miles south of Tallahassee; by the time Moskowitz’s flight landed, he knew that 19-yearold Nikolas Cruz, who had been expelled from Douglas, had used a legally purchased AR-15 semiautomatic rifle to kill 17 students and staff members and seriously wound more than a dozen others. Moskowitz drove to the Marriott Hotel in Coral Springs, a few minutes from Douglas. Law-enforcement officials had directed parents and family members of missing children to a ballroom there. Some mothers and fathers were praying; others grew exasperated. “Just tell me!” one parent yelled at the F.B.I. agents and the police officers who stood among them. “Is he in the school?” After midnight, officials began to take families to an adjoining room, one at a time, where they were told whether their child was dead or in the hospital. “You could hear them screaming through the wall,” Moskowitz recalled.
fact of daily life in the state. Daley was referring to a law that Hammer worked to enact in 2011, during Governor Rick Scott’s first year in office. The statute punishes local officials who attempt to establish gun regulations stricter than those imposed at the state level. Officials can be fined thousands of dollars and removed from office. Legal papers filed by the NRA assert that the organization was “deeply involved in advocating” for the legislation. Hammer oversaw its development. When government policy analysts suggested even minor adjustments to the bill’s language, they made sure to receive Hammer’s approval. In an e-mail to Hammer about three draft amendments, an analyst wrote, “Marion, I’ve spoken with you about the first one,” and went on to note that a different staffer “said she’d spoken with you about the others.” The e-mail concluded, “Let me know what you think.” The amendments addressed matters like where fines should be deposited. The sponsor of the bill was Matt Gaetz, at the time a 28-year-old Republican state representative. “That’s the sequence of how each piece is done,” Representative Dennis Baxley, a close ally of Hammer, told me. On bills that he sponsors, he said, “she works on it with the analyst. Then I look it over and file it. I’m not picky on the details.” (Gaetz acknowledges that Hammer was a “significant contributor” to his bill but denies that she oversaw its drafting.) Hammer is not an elected offcial, but she can create policy, see it through to passage, and use government resources to achieve her aims. These days, Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature almost never allows any bill that appears to hinder gun owners to come up for a vote. According to Mac Stipanovich, a longtime Florida Republican strategist and lobbyist, Hammer is “in a class by herself. When you approach a certain level, where
Mourners gather at a makeshift memorial outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. (Matt McClain/Washington Post via Getty) Two days later, I joined Moskowitz on Coral Springs Drive, which runs alongside Douglas. The area was closed to traffic, and cordoned off by a length of police tape. TV-news reporters had camped out there, and Douglas students walked among them, placing flowers on an improvised memorial and demanding that lawmakers pass new gun-safety laws. One student, a solemn 17-year-old named Demitri Hoth, shared footage on his phone of his classmates just after the shooting. They were walking single file down Coral Springs Drive, with their hands over their heads. “I wanted to show the American public the true failure of our politicians,” Hoth said. “We all lost something — our friends, our loved ones, our security, our innocence.” On the other side of the tape, public officials congregated. Normally, Moskowitz moves with the jumpy energy of a Hollywood agent, but now he was subdued. He wore a charcoal suit, and his hazel eyes were raw and red-rimmed. He had come from the funeral of Meadow Pollack, a senior at Douglas. Moskowitz shook hands with Dan Daley, a young city commissioner in Coral Springs. “I was talking to one of the Douglas students,” Daley said. “His only words to me were ‘Do something.’ I had to tell him that I legally can’t do anything, because the governor could take away my job if I tried.” Moskowitz turned to me. “That’s the legacy of Marion Hammer,” he said. Hammer is the National Rifle Association’s Florida lobbyist. At 78eight years old, she is nearing four decades as the most influential gun lobbyist in the United States. Her policies have elevated Florida’s gun owners to a uniquely privileged status, and made the public carrying of firearms a
the legislator is basically a fig leaf, well, that’s not the rule.” Hammer is less than five feet tall and wears her hair in a pageboy style. She carries a handgun in her purse, and, when she conducts business, she usually dresses in a red or teal blazer. She once told an interviewer at The Orlando Sentinel, “If you came at me, and I felt that my life was in danger or that I was going to be injured, I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot you.” Hammer works in Tallahassee, on a quiet downtown strip a few blocks from the Capitol. Don Gaetz, Matt Gaetz’s father, who was a Republican state senator between 2006 and 2016, said that Hammer rejects the upscale trappings of other lobbyists’ offices. “There’s no fancy reception area, leather-covered chairs, or brandy decanters,” he said. “Just two or three rooms filled with paper, files, magazines, and a couple of older ladies clipping newspaper stories.” From this office, Hammer has shepherded laws into existence that have dramatically altered long-held American norms and legal principles. In the 1980s, in Florida, she crafted a statute that allows anyone who can legally purchase a firearm to carry a concealed handgun in public, as long as that person pays a small fee for a state-issued permit and completes a rudimentary training course. The law has been duplicated, in some form, in almost every state, and more than 16 million Americans now have licenses to carry a concealed handgun. In the early 2000s, Hammer created the country’s first Stand Your Ground self-defense law, authorizing the use of lethal force in response to a perceived threat. Some two dozen states have adopted a version of Stand Your Ground, giving concealed-carry permit holders wide discretion over when
Hammer lobbying a committee of the Florida state house in 2007. (Phil Coale/AP) they can shoot another person. In a recent book, “Engines of Liberty,” David Cole, the national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, devoted an admiring chapter to Hammer and the NRA. As recently as 1988, Cole notes, a federal court maintained that “for at least 100 years [courts] have analyzed the second amendment purely in terms of protecting state militias, rather than individual rights.” The subsequent shift toward individual rights can be traced back to Hammer. “Florida is often the first place the NRA pursues specific gun rights protections,” Cole explains, “relying on Hammer and her supporters to set a precedent that can then be exported to other states.” This strategy is far more effective than trying to overhaul federal laws, a complicated process that draws the scrutiny of the national media. Since 1998, Republicans have had total control over Florida’s Legislature. In that time, the state has enacted some 30 of Hammer’s bills. “Democrats don’t have anything close to combat her,” Moskowitz told me. In the executive and legislative branches, Republicans have been eager to work with her. Steve Crisafulli, a Republican who, between 2014 and 2016, served as House speaker, said, “Members will go to Marion. They’ll say, ‘I want to carry a bill for the NRA this year. What are you working on? What are your priorities?’ Moskowitz hoped that the shooting at Douglas might be a turning point. During an interview with CNN, Governor Scott, a Republican who has never taken a position contrary to that of the NRA, said, “Everything’s on the table.” Still, Moskowitz was keeping his expectations within reason. “They’re not going to ban assault weapons,” he said. “But I have to bring these parents something. I have to show them we didn’t ignore what happened.” Survivors of the shooting, along with thousands of others protesters, have travelled to Tallahassee to urge the governor and other elected officials to pass gun-control legislation. At a town hall convened by CNN, Senator Marco Rubio, who has received a grade of A-plus from the NRA, refused to stop accepting donations from the organization. He was loudly jeered. Some lawmakers questioned whether Florida was beginning to change, and if Hammer’s dominance might be threatened. According to court documents filed by the NRA in 2016, the group has roughly 300,000 members in Florida. They are a politically active voting bloc with whom Hammer frequently communicates through e-mail. Using supercharged, provocative language, she keeps her followers apprised of who has been “loyal” to the Second Amendment and who has committed unforgivable “betrayals.” “If you’re with Marion 95 percent of the time, you’re a damn traitor,” Matt Gaetz said. Gaetz said that one of her e-mails “packs more political punch than a hundred thousand TV buys from any other special interest in the state.” Hammer demonstrates a keen understanding of group identity. She and her followers are defending a way of life that is under threat. When a public official breaks ranks, Hammer exposes his “treacherous actions” and “traitorous nature.” She then invites her supporters to contact the official. “Tell him how you feel,” she advises. “PLEASE DO IT TODAY—time is short!!!” Greg Evers, a former Republican state senator who, before he died last August, worked closely with Hammer, estimated that her e-mails reach “two or three million” people. Florida has issued around 1.8 million concealedcarry permits, by far the most in the country, and there are 4.6 million registered Republican voters in the state. “The number of fanatical supporters who will take her word for anything and can be deployed almost at will is
unique,” Stipanovich, the strategist and lobbyist, told me. For many Republicans, her support tends to be perceived as the difference between winning and losing. Governor Scott is in the final year of his second term, and is expected to run for the Senate in November. Polls have him in a virtual tie with the Democratic incumbent, Bill Nelson. In order to win, Scott will need ample monetary and grassroots support from the NRA. In October, 2014, he trailed in the polls for his re-election, running behind the former governor Charlie Crist. According to a Web site with connections to the governor’s office, Hammer steered $2 million toward the contest. The organization helped in less public ways as well. Curt Anderson, Scott’s chief political strategist, runs a consulting firm that exclusively services the NRA; in the past two election cycles, campaignfinance records show, the NRA paid Anderson’s company more than $35 million to produce ads in support of Republican candidates. Scott eventually won re-election by a single percentage point. “If you’re the governor, and you’ve won by a handful of votes, and you’ve got great political ambitions, you’re going to take Marion’s call in the middle of the night,” Don Gaetz said. “And, if she needs something, you do it, and if you don’t think you can do it you try anyway.” In the course of a year, in addition to interviewing dozens of Hammer’s allies and opponents, I obtained, through public-records requests, thousands of pages of e-mail correspondence and other documents that detail her relationships with officials in the highest levels of the state’s government. The breadth of Hammer’s power in Florida can be seen in the ways that state employees, legislators, and the governor defer to her—she gives orders, and they follow them. (Hammer refused to be interviewed for this story, but in response to queries she stated that “facts are being misrepresented and false stuff is being presented as fact.”) “Elected officials have allowed her to own the process,” Ben Wilcox, the research director of Integrity Florida, a nonpartisan watchdog group, said after reviewing the documents. “It’s an egregious example of the influence that a lobbyist can wield.” When Marion Hammer was 5 years old, her father was killed in Okinawa, while fighting in the Second World War. Her mother sent her to live on her grandparents’ farm, in South Carolina, where she milked cows and fed the other animals. Within a year, Hammer’s grandfather decided that she was old enough to shoot a gun. He set up a tomato can on a fence post about 25 feet away and then handed her a .22calibre rifle. Hammer has said that she hit the can on her first try. According to The Miami Herald, Hammer attended college for a year but dropped out after she met a man she later married. After he got out of the Coast Guard, they moved to Gainesville, where they had three daughters. Her husband got a degree in building construction, and for a while the family bounced around the country, following jobs to Atlanta and Chicago, among other cities. Hammer became a life member of the NRA in 1968, and the family settled in Tallahassee in the mid-1970s. In 1974, Florida lawmakers introduced a bill that sought to ban the possession of black powder, which is used in muzzle-loading firearms. Hammer joined a local NRA volunteer in his successful fight against the legislation. The campaign occurred just before the launch of the Institute for Legislative Action, the NRA’s lobbying arm, which transformed the organization from one primarily concerned with sporting and hunting into one that advocated for gun rights. In 1978, Hammer became the executive director of the Unied Sports-
men of Florida, and the NRA’s top lobbyist in the state. Robert Baer, a former NRA board member, compared her tactics to those of Lyndon Johnson. “She’s the same sort of operator,” he said. “She was a pro at political infighting — she understood how to get power.” In the 1980s, Hammer began to tell a story that she would repeat frequently in the years to come. One night, after leaving her office, she walked into a parking garage, where she was trailed by a carload of men. “They were yelling some of the most disgusting things you can imagine,” Hammer told The Houston Chronicle. “One man had a long-necked beer bottle, and he told me what he was going to do with it.” In those days, Hammer carried a Colt Detective Special six-shot revolver. “I pulled the gun out, brought it slowly up into the headlights of the car so they could see it, and I heard one of them scream, ‘The bitch got a gun!’” She added, “I could have been killed or raped, but I had a gun so I wasn’t. If the government takes away my gun, what’s going to happen to me next time?” NRA members elected Hammer to the organization’s board of directors in 1982. Five years later, Florida enacted her pioneering concealed-carry law, turning Hammer into a gun-rights star. In the early 1990s, the board made her vice president, and, between 1995 and 1998, Hammer served as the NRA’s president, the rst woman to head the organization. According to a former colleague at the Institute for Legislative Action, Hammer, who still sits on the NRA’s board, has a “direct line” to Wayne LaPierre, the organization’s rebrand C.E.O. “Marion could do anything she wanted, and whatever she wanted she got,” the former colleague told me. “She would more or less single-handedly make legislation and push it.” In 2016, the NRA paid Hammer $206,000, on top of the $110,000 she earned from the Unied Sportsmen of Florida. In Florida, when a gun-rights measure is introduced, it is often Hammer, and not a lawmaker, who negotiates with committee policy chiefs, the staffers who guide legislation through the House and the Senate. Chiefs assess whether the language of a bill is constitutional, and how it might affect the state economy. If there is a problem with the text, chiefs will judge whether it can be remedied, and they are supposed to work with lawmakers to make necessary adjustments. Chiefs are the right hand of committee chairs, helping to decide which bills are brought up for a vote and allowed to progress to the floor. Katie Cunningham was the policy chief of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee during Scott’s first term in office, and she spoke with Hammer often. When Cunningham discussed revisions to gun legislation with other government staffers, she would send e-mails that said things like “Would you like to call Marion and let her know you’ve got another change to her bill?” Other lobbyists communicate with staffers, too. But Hammer consistently has the most powerful voice in the room. In 2012, the subcommittee received a bill establishing that a concealed-carry permit does not allow a person to bring a gun into a range of government buildings or a child-care center. Within days, Hammer had sent an e-mail to Cunningham, informing her that the “NRA is opposed” to the bill. She continued, “Hope that it will not even be heard.” The legislation was left off the voting calendar, and died two months later. In March, 2011, shortly after Scott took office, Hammer e-mailed Cunningham about a bill called the Firearm Owners’ Privacy Act, one of Hammer’s top legislative priorities for the year. Later dubbed Docs vs. Glocks, it prohibited doctors from asking patients if they owned guns. The question is one that some physicians pose, especially to parents of small children, when assessing potential health hazards. On an NRA talk show, Hammer said that doctors were “carrying out a gun-ban campaign.” Hammer reprimanded Cunningham for making a change to the legislation. “We NEED the bill to continue to say that asking the question is a violation of privacy rights,” Hammer wrote. “You are changing the whole thrust of the bill by gratuitously removing language that is important to purpose of the bill. Please, put the first section back as it was and amend it as I suggested.”
Hammer did not copy any lawmakers on the e-mail—not even the chair of the subcommittee or the bill’s lead sponsor, Representative Jason Brodeur, a 35-year-old Republican in his first term. Cunningham was contrite. “Believe me — I had no intent to change the thrust of anything,” she replied, adding, “See attached and let me know if that’ll work.” Ray Pilon was one of the Republicans on the Criminal Justice Subcommittee. He called the interactions between Hammer and Cunningham “improper.” (Cunningham could not be reached for comment.) “I had no idea they were working together,” he told me. “When we discuss a bill in committee, what the staffer says to members — what Katie would have said — winds up looking like a recommendation. In a vote, the analysis weighs heavily.” Within weeks, the bill had cleared the subcommittee and the Legislature and was headed to the desk of Governor Scott. On May 1st, Hammer prepared to celebrate. She e-mailed Diane Moulton, the director of Scott’s executive staff. “Please ask Governor Scott if we can have bill signing ceremonies for the following bills with the invitees listed,” Hammer wrote. The next day, Hammer wrote a follow-up e-mail about the event. “Please remember that since we use these photos in NRA’s magazines, only the best quality photo can be used,” she wrote. “That’s why we ALWAYS request E.T.” — a local photographer named Eric Tourney. Tourney was hired. In photographs from the event, Hammer, dressed in one of her signature blazers, stands over Governor Scott’s right shoulder as he signs her bill into law. Since then, at least 10 states have introduced their own version of Hammer’s Docs legislation. In 2017, a federal court ruled Florida’s law unconstitutional. Stand Your Ground was introduced in the Florida Legislature in December, 2004. Though no one realized it at the time, it would become the NRA’s most controversial law. “Marion was the ringmaster,” Dan Gelber, then the House Democratic minority leader, said. “It was her circus. She was telling everyone where to go and what hoops to jump through.” Before Stand Your Ground, Americans were forbidden to use force in potentially dangerous public situations if they had the option of fleeing. The new law removed any duty to retreat, justifying force so long as a shooter “reasonably” believed that physical harm was imminent. It was a radical break with legal tradition. Now a person’s subjective feelings of fear were grounds to shoot someone even if there were other options available. The statute was supposed to be a bulwark against overzealous state attorneys, but Hammer and the Republican sponsors of Stand Your Ground could not point to a single instance in which a person had been wrongfully charged, tried, or convicted after invoking Florida’s traditional self-defense law. “There was no problem,” Mary Anne Franks, a law professor at the University of Miami, who has extensively studied Stand Your Ground, said. “There wasn’t a terrible epidemic of people getting prosecuted or harassed.” Gelber said: “There were Republicans who, throughout the process, were expressing reservations to me about the bill. But their entire rationalization was that the legislation won’t have any impact, so we might as well just please the NRA.” In April, 2005, Stand Your Ground passed easily; only 20 lawmakers voted against it, all of them House Democrats. Later that month, Jeb Bush, then the governor of Florida, signed Hammer’s proposal into law. He called the bill “common sense.” On February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, George Zimmerman, a 28year-old neighborhood-watch volunteer, confronted Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old. After a scuffle, Zimmerman, who had a concealed-carry permit, pulled out a 9millimeter pistol and fatally shot Martin. In April, after Governor Scott appointed a special prosecutor, Zimmerman was charged in Martin’s death. Scott faced public pressure to reevaluate Stand Your Ground, and two (continued on page 8)
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NEWS/ AD VER TISING ADVER VERTISING
The Unchecked Influence of NRA Lobbyist Marion Hammer...continuued from page 7
Marion Hammer and Rick Scott pose at the bill signing of “Docs vs. Glocks.” (Florida Governor’s Office) months later he unveiled the Task Force on Citizen Safety and Protection, which would hold public hearings across the state and publish an analysis of its findings. Its 19 members included Dennis Baxley, the Hammer ally, who was one of Stand Your Ground’s primary sponsors, and four other legislators who had voted in favor of the law, including Jason Brodeur, who sponsored the Docs bill. During the first week of June, just before public hearings got under way, The Tampa Bay Times published the results of its own investigation into Stand Your Ground. The paper found that, since the law had taken effect, nearly 70 percent of those who invoked it as a defense had gone free. There was a racial imbalance: a person was more likely to be found innocent if the victim was black. Four days later, Hammer e-mailed John Konkus, the chief of staff for Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll, who was the chair of the task force. Hammer sent him contact information for seven pro-gun academics who she thought would make good expert witnesses. (She says she did this at his request.) She pointed out that two of the professors “are black.” Governor Scott’s office told me that it “took input from a variety of stakeholders” when selecting witnesses. Though none of the people whom Hammer suggested appeared before the task force, Konkus did invite her to make a presentation of her own. On October 16th, in Jacksonville, Hammer delivered a long, vigorous defense of Stand Your Ground. She claimed that, before the law was enacted, innocent people were “being arrested, prosecuted, and punished for exercising self-defense that was lawful under the Constitution and Florida law.” Later, Hammer addressed the statute’s critics. “There have been claims that some guilty people have or may go free because of the law,” she said. “That may be an unintended consequence of the law, but history accepts that fault.” In an e-mail, I asked Hammer if she could provide examples of people who had been wrongfully dragged through the legal system before Stand Your Ground. “Not relevant,” she responded. “And no.” Still, Hammer maintains that “there was a list of victims of overzealous prosecutors.” In February, 2013, the task force released its report. It made some minor suggestions for improving Stand Your Ground, but it unequivocally reaffirmed the statute’s core principle: “All persons who are conducting themselves in a lawful manner have a fundamental right to stand their ground and defend themselves from attack with proportionate force in every place they have a lawful right to be.” Matt Gaetz told me that the task force “was largely window dressing. It was just an open-mike night for people’s views relating to gun laws.” Less than five months after the report was published, George Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Governor Scott’s office maintains that it regards Marion Hammer no differently from any other lobbyist or citizen in Florida. “Every governor’s office in the country hears from stakeholders and advocates on issues,” Lauren Schenone, Scott’s press secretary, told me. But the efforts to satisfy Hammer’s demands can be seriously disruptive to the business of government. In 2014, when Scott was running for re-election, Hammer was pushing a bill that would allow people without permits to carry concealed handguns during a mandatory evacuation. On the morning of March 19th, Captain Terrence Gorman, the general counsel for the Florida Department of Military Affairs (D.M.A.), testified at a Senate committee hearing about the legislation. Like everyone who speaks at a hearing, Gorman was required to fill out an appearance card. His said that he was there to provide “information” — neutral input — as opposed to lobbying for or against the legislation. “We are first responders to a lot of emergency-
management situations,” Gorman explained to committee members early in his testimony. Gorman was 38, a Bronze Star-winning combat veteran who had served multiple tours in Afghanistan. Throughout his career, he had received glowing performance reviews. Gorman testified that Hammer’s bill conflicted with “existing law.” He said that gun owners without concealed-carry permits would likely be ignorant of the state’s self-defense statutes; they wouldn’t know when they could and could not fire their weapons. And he asked the legislators to “weigh out the publicsafety concerns for military and police as they respond and as they have to engage people in a somewhat chaotic environment.” After Gorman concluded his testimony, Senator Evers, the most pro-gun lawmaker on the committee, told his colleagues, “I think he did a wonderful job.” Hammer did not. In the gallery, she turned to Mike Prendergast, the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, who she incorrectly assumed was Gorman’s supervisor. “You’re on my shit list,” she said. In Florida, the D.M.A. falls under the aegis of the governor’s office. A few hours after the hearing, Hammer emailed Pete Antonacci, Scott’s general counsel. She wrote that Gorman had lied on his appearance card and was “clearly there to kill” the legislation. She demanded to know “who, specifically, asked him to lobby against the bill,” and what was “being done to undo the harm he has caused with his actions.” Later that day, Hammer met with Antonacci and Adam Hollingsworth, Scott’s chief of staff. “Because it was an election year, there was heightened sensitivity in the office,” a former administration staffer said. “The campaign team wanted this resolved as soon as possible.” On March 20th, Antonacci informed Hammer that the governor’s director of legislative affairs had been “dispatched to Senate to express Scott administration support for the bill.” The governor’s office had also directed the office of Emmett Titshaw, then Florida’s adjutant general, to write a letter to Thad Altman, the chair of the Senate committee that oversaw the D.M.A. The letter was terse. “Captain Terrence Gorman is not authorized to speak for the Department of Military Affairs on legislative issues,” it said. “Department of Military Affairs supports Senate Bill 296,” a reference to the numeric title of Hammer’s legislation. Titshaw, who was on vacation with his family in British Columbia, notified a staffer that he had “approved” the letter’s language but was still “trying to [find] out why CPT Gorman appeared before the committee.” Hammer was unhappy with Titshaw’s letter. In an e-mail to Diane Moulton, Scott’s executive staff director, and Melinda Miguel, his chief inspector general, she called it “woefully inadequate,” adding, “I do not accept this as part of the remedy to the damage done by Capt. Gorman.” Hammer wanted the letter to go further, and “apologize for any misrepresentations or inconvenience.” “There weren’t negotiations going back and forth,” the former Scott staffer said. “It was one-sided. It was Marion saying, ‘Here’s what I want you to do to fix this problem. You’re going to do this, this, and this, and if you don’t do any of these things it’s going to be an issue.’ “ The staffer went on, “It speaks to the worst of the process — it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” On March 23rd, Hammer sent Titshaw’s letter to her followers. The subject line announced that the e-mail contained a letter from Florida’s adjutant general in “support” of the bill. But the process of atonement was not yet complete. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee. On March 24th, after Titshaw returned early from his vacation, he sent a letter to the committee’s chair, Dennis Baxley. “Every member of the Florida National Guard takes an oath of allegiance to the Constitutions of the United States
and the State of Florida to defend the constitutional rights of our citizens,” it said, before stating that the D.M.A. “supports” Hammer’s legislation. E-mails show that Hammer wanted Gorman fired. (“When rogue staffers deceive legislators, they should be fired,” she told me.) According to a former D.M.A. official, Titshaw had a meeting in Tallahassee with Hollingsworth and Antonacci. The official said that the two Scott administrators pushed Titshaw to remove the captain from his position. They delivered the instruction “without the input of the governor,” the official said, “in order to keep the governor’s hands clean.” Hollingsworth told Titshaw that “a head has to roll” and that Gorman had done “irreparable damage,” the
den of proof was on the person claiming the statute’s protections. To shift the onus in the other direction, the court said, would essentially require prosecutors to prove a case twice. Later that year, Hammer began to push a bill that would place the burden on the state, making Stand Your Ground defenses nearly impregnable. In September, the legislation was referred to the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, where Representative Dave Kerner, a Democrat, proposed two amendments that would gut the bill. Hammer knew that the committee’s chair, Representative Carlos Trujillo, a Miami Republican, was against the measure; he felt that it would make the jobs of prosecutors excessively difficult. When the committee voted on the
Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks at the NRA’s 2017 annual meeting in Atlanta. (Scott Olson/Getty) official recalled. Titshaw said that he would resign rather than carry out such an order. Hollingsworth backed off, the official said, but Antonacci kept “pressing the issue.” Hollingsworth did not reply to a request for comment for this story. Antonacci told me, “I didn’t ask that Captain Gorman be fired. That’s my recollection.” But, he said, Gorman “did not have permission from his chain of command” to testify. Antonacci’s statement is contradicted by an internal D.M.A. memo, written by Gorman. According to the document, Glenn Sutphin, then serving as the director of the D.M.A.’s legislativeaffairs office, had planned to represent the agency at the Senate committee meeting. The day before the hearing, he asked Gorman to analyze Hammer’s bill, flag any issues that he found, and report back to him. The morning of the hearing, Sutphin determined that, owing to a scheduling conflict, he would not be able to attend the Senate meeting. “It’s standard operating procedure for the D.M.A. to attend all military subcommittees in the House and Senate,” he told me recently. “Since I was gone, I asked Gorman to attend the meeting. That’s it.” The governor’s office told me that it was not influenced by Hammer or by Scott’s election campaign. But the former Scott staffer said, “This incident will go down as the worst I’ve ever witnessed by way of government. This is how important the NRA is in an election year for statewide office. The administration got prostituted to keep Marion Hammer happy.” Six months later, the governor signed into law the bill allowing people without permits to carry concealed weapons during emergencies. Unlike elected officials, who are limited to eight years in office, Hammer takes a long view of the legislative process. In the past few years, the Senate Judiciary Committee has been a persistent nuisance to Hammer. Several of its legislators are Republicans from Miami, where an NRA endorsement does not mean much, and may even harm a candidate. These lawmakers have blocked legislation that would sanction the open carrying of firearms in public and require state universities and colleges to allow guns on campus. Hammer sees such developments as temporary setbacks. “Eventually, everything passes,” she has said. “That’s why, when folks keep asking, ‘What if these bills don’t pass?’ Well, they’ll be back. If we file a bill, it will be back and back and back until it passes.” Oscar Braynon, the Democratic minority leader in the Florida Senate, said, “Marion’s just waiting us out. When the committees change, she’ll be there to pass that bill.” Hammer often shepherds legislation over several sessions. In the summer of 2015, the Florida Supreme Court addressed one of Stand Your Ground’s core provisions, which provides a path to immunity from the legal proceedings that typically follow a charge of murder or assault. Under the law, a defendant is entitled to a special pretrial hearing, during which a judge can dismiss the case. The court ruled that in these hearings the bur-
amendments, two Republicans were missing. Hammer believes that Trujillo had sent them out of the room to insure that the amendments would pass. She e-mailed her network to share her theory. “It is important to recognize and remember the committee members who were loyal to the Constitution and your right to self-defense — as well as it is the betrayers,” Hammer wrote. One of the absent lawmakers was Ray Pilon, who was in his third term in the House. During his previous reelection campaign, in 2014, he had received the NRA’s endorsement and a grade of A-plus. He supported Hammer’s Stand Your Ground expansion but missed the vote on Kerner’s amendments because he had to attend a different committee meeting, where a health-care-related bill that he was sponsoring was coming up for a vote. According to Ben Wilcox, the Florida ethics watchdog, it would have been “really strange” for Pilon not to present his bill. “That’s part of the essential work of government that has to get done,” Wilcox said. “It’s standard.” Pilon tried to explain the situation to Hammer, but she wouldn’t hear it. “Marion crucified me,” he told me. “I said I would have voted against the amendments, but she didn’t believe me. She called me a liar. She said I did it on purpose, and that I had a choice. But I didn’t, unless I wanted to let my own bill go down in flames.” The following winter, Hammer revived the enhanced Stand Your Ground legislation. The bill cleared the Senate and went back to the House, where it was assigned to the Judiciary Committee. The chair was Representative Charles McBurney, a Republican, who had been a loyal ally to Hammer and, like Pilon, had received an A-plus during his most recent re-election campaign. A lawyer by trade, he had reservations about the bill. In November, two months before the bill was resurrected in the Senate, Hammer had written to him that she was “distressed” to hear that he’d been working to undermine her efforts. McBurney told Hammer that the “rumors are untrue,” and that, while he had “concerns about aspects of that bill,” he had “too much respect” for her not to discuss them with her. But, in late February, 2016, with the bill back in the House, McBurney told the press that he did not plan to call it up for a vote. “I was concerned about the policy,” he explained to reporters, and thought it best to press “the pause button.” McBurney, who was in his final term, was seeking an appointment to a circuit-court judgeship in the Jacksonville area. In the spring, just a few months after McBurney killed Hammer’s bill, a nominating commission placed him on a list of six finalists for the job. The list was forwarded to Governor Scott, who would decide which candidate should fill the vacancy. Shortly thereafter, Hammer warned her supporters that McBurney had “proved himself to be summarily unfit to serve on the bench of any Court anywhere.” She accused him of trying to “gain favor with prosecutors,” and claimed that he “traded your rights for his own personal gain.” Hammer ended her missive with a set of directions. “E-mail Governor Rick Scott RIGHT AWAY,”
Student survivors mark the one-week anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas school shooting with a protest at the Florida state capitol in Tallahassee. (Gerald Herbert/AP) she wrote. “Tell him PLEASE DO NOT APPOINT Charles McBurney to a judgeship.” Thousands of people complied with Hammer’s request, and, in early summer, Scott gave the job to one of the other candidates. (Scott’s office told me that he appointed the best candidate: “Any inference that he was influenced is false.”) Don Gaetz told me, “When Marion launched her campaign to pay McBurney back, whatever chances he had for that judgeship melted immediately.” Meanwhile, Pilon was engaged in a highly competitive primary for an open seat in the state Senate. Hammer dropped his grade to a C and supported one of his House colleagues, a young, ardently conservative Republican named Greg Steube. In August, Steube won the primary. “She sent out thousands of cards telling people to vote for him,” Pilon, who is now retired, said. “She did for him what she once did for me.” In January, 2017, Hammer returned to the business of legislating. The new session would not begin until March, but her Stand Your Ground bill had already been refiled. She sent out blast texts and e-mails to Republican lawmakers, urging them to co-sponsor it. One legislator who received a text was Representative Randy Fine, a Republican in his first year of office. “OK,” he answered. “Let me read the bill and talk to Bobby” — Bobby Payne, the primary sponsor in the House. He went on, “I’ve barely been able to figure out how to file my first bill,” adding, “Haven’t cosponsored anything yet.” Eventually, he joined 46 of his House colleagues in co-sponsoring the bill. When the Legislature reconvened, the Stand Your Ground bill passed, despite vehement objections from prosecutors across the state. In early June, Scott signed it into law. Last fall, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that, in Stand Your Ground’s first decade, the number of homicides ruled legally justifiable had increased in Florida by 75 percent. In one notable instance, two boat owners got into a fight and fell in the water; as one attempted to climb out, the other fatally shot him in the back of the head. A jury found the killer not guilty. Mary Anne Franks, the law professor from the University of Miami, told me that the number of justifiable homicides is likely to continue to rise. “The new amendment makes it even easier for killers who provide zero evidence of self-defense to avoid not only being convicted but being prosecuted at all,” she said. After Charles McBurney learned that he’d been passed over for the judgeship, he published an op-ed on Jacksonville.com, arguing that Hammer’s bill had nothing to do with gun rights, and decrying her tactics. “It’s the message being sent to our legislators and elected officials that ‘you can be with me on virtually everything, but if you cross me once, even if the issue doesn’t involve the Second Amendment, I will take you out,’” he wrote. “It’s frightening for our republic.” In June, 2016, when a shooting occurred at the Pulse night club, in Orlando, in which 49 people were killed and another 50 wounded, the Florida Legislature was out of session. Using a long-shot procedural maneuver, Democrats tried to convene a special session but were rebuffed by Republicans. At the time, Hammer told The Tallahassee Democrat, “I have not heard a single Republican say that they were interested in spending the taxpayer’s money for a special session that would achieve nothing but more publicity for Democrats.” Months later, Representative Carlos Smith, a Democrat from East Orlando, introduced a bill that would have banned assault weapons. It never got a hearing. “The power of Marion Hammer dictated whether we could even
have a conversation about what I was proposing,” he told me. “I lost constituents at Pulse. I lost a friend.” This legislative session, he reintroduced the bill. On Tuesday, February 20th, as students from Douglas High School sat in the gallery, every House Republican voted against bringing the legislation to the floor. Smith said, “It was devastating to watch that happen, but the students aren’t kids anymore, and it’s important that we don’t shield them from harsh political realities.” The next day, students and other protesters descended upon the Capitol. They congregated outside the office of Governor Scott, chanting, “You work for us!” But Scott was not there. He was attending a funeral for one of the students.
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African-American employees play a major role in freeing Detained Immigrants—And Saves Lives, Too...continued from page 3 seven months. “We are all governed by systems,” Donovan said at the retreat. “But we are in a system built by people who think far differently from us. It’s a system based on racism, segregation and genocide ... . We’re here to change the system.” Libre by Nexus has vaulted to the top of criminal bonding business in part because of its innovative GPS tracking system for clients. Detractors have complained about the cost of the ankle bracelets ($120) and their size. But Donovan co-founder Richard Moore announced the company was using new, lighter ankle bracelet and wrist GPS devices that resemble a FitBit. All that aside, what makes the company work are the people who work there. “I never heard of the U.S. as a place of incarceration, but I was detained as soon as I set foot here at the airport in Newark (N.J.),” said Fernando Manu, from the Congo in Africa, a former United Nations worker. “After three months, Libre bailed me out, ending my torture.” Soon after, Manu was hired by Libre by Nexus as a new client case worker. “The best thing that could happen to me,” he said, “because I care about the people who call us. People need people who treat them like humans and who understand what it’s like to be in jail. I’m able to give them the hope they need to keep going. I spend as much time on the phone with them as possible, to offer them comfort. “I go home after work with peace in my mind because I know what if feels like to be helped when you had no hope.”