In Houston, the Tigers faced a problem they almost solved. Next: AAC Tournament, third seed. Sports, Page 11
As Ghana turns 64, a nextlevel kinship with Memphis looms large. Perspective, Page 4
March 11 - 17, 2021
VOL. 70, No. 10
www.tsdmemphis.com
Let’s eat together!
$1.00
Stimulus checks! Beware of scammers! Tips to help you avoid trouble by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
A customer at Bala’s Bistro, having made his choice from wings, burgers, fish, seafood, meal prep and African cuisine, conveys his selections during Black Restaurant Week. (Photo: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises)
Black Restaurant Week 6 rolls out to customer-pleasing start
TSD Newsroom
Anchored in five years of momentum, Black Restaurant Week No. 6 unfolded amid the ongoing pandemic, delivering strong evidence that an understanding of the concept and need is well rooted. “This year we are supporting 21 restaurants,” Cynthia Daniels, the founder of Black Restaurant Week (BRW), said while dropping in on one of the participating restaurants on Tuesday. “We are making sure that we are safe. “You can delivery app and curbside service. “So far the first two days have been amazing. The restaurants have doubled and tripled their sales on Sunday and Monday. A lot of
the restaurants ran out of food. It has been nothing but support.” Raquel Brown of Meals For You Catering noted the “great reduction in sales due to the pandemic, especially our catering” and said, “Black Restaurant Week has already helped us out Cynthia Daniels tremendously.” The restaurant’s menu changes daily and lunch is served “all day, every day,” she said. With customers in mind, Menté, owner of Smooth Living Health Food Restaurant, said,
“Thank yall for coming out (to) patronize our business. It’s really helpful to us. It helps get our name out there, get my brand out. I appreciate the love, the service and the people.” Felicia Farr stopped in to Smooth Living to get “my Purple Rain Smoothie … which I come and get often because I love the way it (the restaurant) smells, I love the atmosphere,” se said. “And I’m here celebrating Black Restaurant Week.” At Uncle Lou’s Fried chicken, owner Fred Martin, heaped praise on Daniels. “We’ve really seen a positive increase in sales. We’ve seen positivity in people in general that have come out to support Black-owned businesses.
SEE EAT ON PAGE 6
COVID-19 UPDATE
Disparity is an ongoing vaccination challenge by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell
Special to The New Tri-State Defender
Overall, good progress is being made in Shelby County as COVID-19 vaccination becomes more widely available, Dr. Bruce Randolph, the Shelby County Health Department medical director, told the Shelby County Board of Commissioners this week. Shelby County is in phase 1C of vaccination distribution, according to the Tennessee Department of Health’s Vaccination Plan. In this
stage, a more inclusive list of chronic conditions and pre-existing conditions are covered. Individuals now eligible for the vaccine are: household members age 16 and older living with a pregnant female, persons 16 and older with Down Syndrome, and persons 16 and older with progressive neuromuscular diseases, such as ALS, multiple sclerosis, or muscular dystrophy. Those fitting into Phase 1c are coming in for vaccination, but there
SEE VACCINE ON PAGE 2
Tax refunds and the upcoming release of a new round of federal stimulus checks are expected to fuel another increase in scam phone calls aimed at stealing people’s money. That’s the message from Sgt. Kevin Barrett with the Memphis Police Department’s Economic Crimes Bureau. “In our department, we deal with bad checks, identity theft, embezzlement, and all types of fraud,” said Barrett. “There are Congress three comOKs $1.9T mon phone scams that virus relief we are seebill in win ing right now. for Biden, They can be convincing, Dems very convincPage 6 ing. The caller creates a sense of urgency, and says a bill or some other obligation has to be paid ‘now.’” The BBB of the Mid-South also is issuing a scam warning about fraudulent calls claiming to be from or on behalf of a doctor’s office. Scammers have your cell phone number. They want your money, and they are getting more sophisticated in tricking victims out of their money. There are three major fraudulent phone calls, ranging anywhere from $300 to $2,000 from each person – calls that claim to be from the Sheriff’s Department, Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division and Social Security. “Anyone can call from any number and spoof the call,” said Barrett. “That means the caller can disguise the number to look like a 901(from the Memphis area) call, when actually they are calling from overseas or anywhere. Sometimes, the number will look pretty similar to your number.” With the Sheriff’s Department scam, the caller’s number will look like a real department number, except it is made up. They will claim to have a warrant out for your arrest, but due to COVID-19 or some other excuse, the warrant is not being served in person. They will ask for a payment, using a gift card or prepaid debit card. They will ask for the card number over the phone and say they can help you resolve the matter.
SEE SCAM ON PAGE 6
After getting a vaccine shot at the Walmart at 5255 Elvis Presley Blvd., the next step was a recommended 15-minute wait period. (Photo: Karanja A. Ajanaku)