Monday, December 31, 2007

2008

Dallas is a city that struggles to get it together and 2007 was not different from the previous years. There have been some interesting factors in Dallas this year and they will truly be something to watch in 2008.

1. Downtown: While millions of TIF (Tax Increment Financing) dollars have been poured into downtown, there is still little life in the heart of the city (Main Street,Commerce St. and Elm Street). All you find are non-affordable apartments and townhouses being constructed and virtually no retail. There are restaurants, but as soon as the TIF money goes, they go out of business or move. It will be interesting to see how Mayor Leppert will make a difference in Retail Downtown.
2. DART: The fact that DART is 1 billion over budget on the Orange Line and nobody understands why DART is in this mess is amazing. Let's see if Mayor Leppert,Dwaine (Dwayne,Dewayne) Caraway, Tennell Adkins and Jerry Allen will make a public statement since there is the possibility of rail lines in Dallas being delayed to keep Irving quiet.
3. DISD: As I wrote a month ago, DISD is not deserving of the publics trust for a new bond program. There are too many holes in the system and they are not being plugged. Where is Mayor Leppert on this? Do you suggest that we have a new superintendent?
4. Trinity: Mayor Leppert made the public many promises on the Trinity vote and we are going to hold him accountable along with all of the council members who supported the Trinity Toll Road.
5. Southern Dallas Development: I have noticed that some people are not using southern sector as much as they have in the past and are now talking about southern Dallas development, and that is where I have an interest. I want to see southern Dallas developed so that jobs will be in the are and so that Dallas can grow its tax base.
6. Dallas Housing Authority: Mayor Leppert made it public that his intent was to do something different with Ann Lott if she could not fix the accounting problems at Dallas Housing Authority. Why? His pension for the camera showed itself during this time.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Thought of the Week

The truth about injustice always sounds outrageous.

James H. Cove

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

My Dear Aunt Freda

The old saying. "You have to get it right everyday" is most prevalent in my mind today. Yesterday was as usual as it could be for Christmas, I was about the business of sharing in the joy of the birth of Jesus with my family and friends and started the day out with a friend of over 30 years who has found himself in a state of depression and can not seem to work his way out. We talked for over two hours, which delayed me from my Christmas ritual,about his current state of mind and how I wanted to assure him that I am here for him. We ended the conversation with a God bless you and keep you and I will talk with you later.

I loaded my car with the presents that I would be delivering from house to house and started on my journey of celebration. My first stop was at Aunt Freda's house where she and her daughter had prepared the meal. This was unusual because for the last few years, I have been the one who cooked for Aunt Freda. Her daughter was here visiting from Kansas City for the holidays and wanted to help her mother prepare a meal. All went very well, the meal was good and God knows there was a lot of laughter and fellowship.

It was time to open the presents, and I had purchased a pair of Christmas Pajamas for Aunt Freda. She could not wait to put them on. After she put the Pajamas on, we starting taking pictures for our memories and that was a hoot because Aunt Freda was styling and posing for the camera. Then I had to leave to continue on my journey, Aunt Freda was not happy because she wanted me to stay longer. I hugged and kissed her and went on my way.

This morning around 10:00 a.m. Aunt Freda's daughter called to tell me that the paramedics were there and could not revive Aunt Freda and they were headed to Methodist Hospital. I left in a flash to meet them , and when I got there the family was in a room and she could not be revived. She is now at peace.

"YOU HAVE TO GET IT RIGHT EVERYDAY!"

Friday, December 21, 2007

Black Santa Claus wishes you a MERRY CHRISTMAS

I would like to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAN and a HAPPY NEW YEAR

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

The Montgomery Bus Boycott worked because Blacks were unified, organized and they kept their hard earned wages in the black community. It worked because the whites took a hard hit when blacks took their dollars away from them. It worked then and it can work today. Just like back then, you had a few scary, uncle Tom Negroes, who tried to discouraged it, but, the overwhelming majority of brave, strong, God-fearing, intelligent Blacks, said, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” When will the divided, scary Negroes of today declare the same thing? As you can see, every generation has their token Negro that the whites use to discourage progress. It did not work then, and we should not allow a few Uncle Toms who are trying to line their own pockets in the name of the Black community (Southern Dallas)to deter us from doing what is right. We should stand up and move aside brainwashed, ignorant Negroes like them,and keep on pushing forward for the ultimate goal of helping our people and getting respect BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!!!!!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Mayor Tom Leppert's Begging Ban

My business has been located in downtown Dallas since 1981 and I personally know some of the homeless people who have been on and off the streets for years. As most people know, there are many different reasons that people are homeless. Some of the reasons can be drug addiction, alcoholics, working poor, mental illness and recently moved to town. All of the people that are homeless do not panhandle.

While I do not believe in being an enabler for bad behavior,I will continue to do what I have been doing over the past 25 years to help where I want to help. I want to directly help the people that I choose to help by buying them meals, bottle water, soda and personal hygiene items. I have no interest in giving an organization money to go to administrative staff and other operational cost. No one, that includes Mayor Leppert, can tell me that I can not spend my money on who I want to spend it on. This is America.

Mayor Leppert/DART 900 Million Dollar Fiasco

Mayor Leppert is a person who seems to be out looking for the camera for any photo opportunity that he can find and it strikes me as curious that we have not heard a word from him on the DART situation. He was all over the camera's making sure that Ann Lott, President of DHA, understood his position about management of the public's money, and if she did not get her act together, she would be history. DHA, after being audited, was found to have not adequately accounted for about 3.5 million dollars.

We now have a situation where DART is trying to figure out how the current buildout schedule can be meet with the cost that have been allocated to projects. DART has declared that the agency will not have all of the funds that will be needed to stay on current schedule with the Orange Line (Irving) and the extension to Rowlett. DART says that the projections for construction has gone up and that is why the 900 million dollar shortage is shown. Remember the Orange Line is only 20% designed and therefore you can not have a true cost.

I say baloney. If you really want to see where the problem started, look at the contracts that were let in the last 2 years in Project Management. Consider the fact that one contractor has over 1 billion dollars in contacts for construction with little competition. Consider that the chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee was Councilman Jerry Allen and there were numerous changes to the financial plan under his leadership and those adjustment affect the the 20 year financial plan. The 20 year Financial Plan was not sent out to the member cities this year with the Budget as has been done in previous years. There are many 3rd tier relationships that are not being bid by DART. A million hear and a million there, and you soon will have some real money in question.

The public has not heard a peep out of Mayor Leppert, Dwaine(Dwayne,Dewayne) Caraway or Tennell Adkins about this matter which could ultimately affect downtown Dallas,West Dallas,The Cotton Belt, and all of the southern sector extensions that were worked on to ensure that DART did not only relegate Buses to our neighborhoods (Southern Dallas). Mayor Leppert, Dwaine(Dwayne,Dewayne)Caraway and Tennell Adkins seem to be calling the shots with the Dallas appointees on the DART board and I would expect them to be the first on the Dallas City Council to ensure that Dallas will get all that has been promised to Dallas in the same timeframe that was projected by DART. Dallas pays in 55% of all the sales tax revenue to DART and that means if you put the other 12 member cities sales tax revenue together, they do not equal what Dallas is paying to DART. Where are the mayors Negroes on this issue? I can't hear you!!!!!!

DISD/Magnet School Principals

Thanks to the current administration for not changing the title of principal to dean at the magnet schools and also for raising the slaries. Sometimes I think it is hard to get this administration to move in the right direction.

I am concerned that the salary range and title was not apart of the recruitment for the new principals. Seems like current principals would have been more attracted to the position if they had known that the pay was more. Why would DISD settle for assistant principals from other districts to fill these most important positions? Makes no sense to me.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

DISD-Bond Program

More bad news from DISD regarding the audit. The preliminary indication is that 100
million dollars will have to be reallocated and that the district's end of the year balance in its general operating fund would have to be reduced to $117.7 million from 135.8 million. A million here and a million there soon adds up to real money.

This district wants to go to the public for more bond money to improve schools, but the public should be asking many questions about the previous bond and how it benefited the district overall. How many new schools were built in traditional African American neighborhoods? How many new schools have low enrollments of students? Why was the schools not included in the previous bond not put at the top of the list for the new bond?

Voters should be leery of what is about to come out of DISD for more bond money and probably higher taxes.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Sheriff Lupe Valdez

The idea of having a Christmas diner for all of the employees in the Sheriff's department was good, but spending taxpayer money to fund it is not. What was the sheriff thinking about? To make matters even worse, one of the commissioners would have to vote on a contact for her family's firm to cater the food. Now that's really a bad idea. Thank God Commissioner Dickey had the good sense not to be involved in such an obvious wrong way to spend taxpayer money.

Sheriff Valdez, good jester, wrong funding source.

Ann Lott/Dallas Housing Authority

Months ago when Laura Miller was attempting to oust Dallas Housing Authority President Ann Lott, many citizens rushed to her defense at a board meeting and spoke openly about what they believed was an attempt by then Mayor Laura Miller to take Ms. Lott out of her position as president. I believe that Willis Johnson spent a great deal of time on his talk show allowing people to speak of the situation and he also encouraged the listening audience to attend the board meeting.

When then Mayor Laura Miller began to meddle in the DHA's affairs, she not only was called into question, but her board chairman appointee resigned. Mayor Miller then appointed Betty Culbreath as chairman to get the situation under control. What's the difference between Mayor Miller and Mayor Tom Leppert? Maybe its the Negroes that are with Mayor Leppert.

It was very interesting to watch new Mayor Tom Leppert Perform for the camera and talk about the accounting errors of approximately 3.5 million that must be accounted for in the voucher program or returned to HUD. Ms. Lott indicated that there are computer problems and that they will be fixed. There was not any indication that any money was taken. Mayor Leppert, who does not have a vote, said that if there were not changes within six months that something would change. He virtually implied that Ms. Lott would loose her position.

I believe that Ann Lott will do just as she said and will make sure that all of the problems will be fixed,but my questions is what's with this mayor?

Monday, December 17, 2007

Dallas iMedia Spotlight on "Best of 2007" Programming and First Pledge Drive

Dallas iMedia Network celebrates its "Best of 2007" programming December 17 to December 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on iMedia's anchor cable channel 95. In conjunction with the special programming, Dallas iMedia will spotlight iMedia services made available to the public, showcase 'I am iMedia" promos by individuals in the community, and present its first pledge drive encouraging year-end giving to support the nonprofit community media organization. iMedia promotes local issues, people and events through information and entertainment programming important to area residents.

Tune in and call in during pledge drive week. Enjoy great programming on Dallas iMedia channels 95, 96 and 99, and give your tax-deductible gift to help iMedia continue to serve our community. Any and all donations are appreciated. Call 214-631-5571 to make your support donation Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Information is also available at www.dallasimedia.net with an on-line giving link.


The "Best of 2007" program line-up will include:



Monday, 12-17 7:00 pm "Booker TV, " Booker T. Washington Arts Magnet student production, and other youth programming

Tuesday, 12-18 6:00 pm "Hoy en America"

Wednesday, 12-19 7:00 pm "100 Years of Thanksgiving Together"

Thursday, 12-20 7:00 pm "Nonprofit Notes: SPCA of Texas"

Friday, 12-21 7:00 pm "Carter Albrecht Memorial Concert"



Complete daily schedules are available at www.dallasimedia.net.



Dallas iMedia Network is the public access television system and interactive voice for the people and businesses of greater Dallas.

Texan of the Year Nominations




Thanks to State Rep. Helen Giddings for her nomination of Everson Walls for Texan of the year. He would be my choice because of the unselfishness of his action to donate a kidney to his longtime friend and former Dallas Cowboys teammate Ron Springs. While this act was recent, Everson has been known to be active in the community for years.

State Senator Royce West was also nominated for his work in the Senate, and that should be applauded, but my heart goes out to someone who gives up an organ to save another humans life. This is really important because of the race. Many African Americans do not understand the value of organ donations and this act has helped the community to have a better understanding.

Thought of the Week

It is better to attempt great things and fail than to attempt small things and win.

Friday, December 14, 2007

I Am So Proud




For the last ten years I have been a judge for the EWI (Executive Women's International)scholarships. The most rewarding experience is to meet young people who are talented and gifted. Tania Foster is one that I can not forget. In her interview, she talked about the charity that she had started,Dallas is Love, and how she worked to send gift cards to soldiers.

This week Tania and her charity, Dallas is Love, were spotlighted in Jet magazine.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

DISD Trustee Carla Ranger

Once again Trustee Ranger stands up for what she believes and is not pushed into making a decision that she is not ready to make. The extension of the contract for superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa until 2012 was a real questionable move. After making all of the hoopla about Dr. Hinojosa's admission last week that he would not meet all the reform goals he set for 2010 to improve student performance the school board voted 5 to 1 to extend his contract. It was revealed that students met just 35 percent of targets for improving Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills passing rates and measures of college readiness such as SAT scores. To my amazement, that is down 50% from what they met last year.

The Road to Broad seems to be the road to nowhere and the students will be the ones who will suffer the most. Have most of the thinking people moved out of Dallas? We are having a difficult time getting the right people elected to office.

Thank you Carla Ranger.

State President SCLC/Peter Johnson

James Ragland's article today in the Dallas Morning News "Agree with his policies or not, mayor's been effective so far" really got my attention. The first thing that I thought was successful at what? The Trinity River vote was not an overwhelming demand from the public. Some citizens took a good look at who was voted in as mayor and began to wish for Ed Oakley and his politcial allies on the council are basically Dwaine(Dewayne,Dwayne) Caraway, Tennell Adkins, Jerry Allen and Dave Neumann. All of those council members are freshmen and could be tossed out of office in 2 years (we hope).

Dwaine (Dwayne,Dewayne) Caraway is just pitiful, he was sucking up with every word. I miss Dr. Thornton-Reese, atleast she was independent.

What I loved the most was the comments from Peter Johnson about Mayor Leppert. He started out with "In the civil rights movement, we had what we called SWAB-smart -ass white boys who know more about black people than we know." "In the best sense of the word, that's what he is." Mr. Johnson went on to say that "He is new." "He's a typical rich, North Dallas white man who has lots of money. He's been successful, and he thinks he knows what we need." But Mr. Ragland went on to say that what Mr. Johnson is most concerned with, as he explained it to him, is Dallas patronizing history of accommodation. "We have seen in the past where a mayor... surrounds himself with a chosen few black gatekeepers, and everyone else has to go through them."

I would like to thank Peter Johnson for standing up for our community.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

DISD Bond/Willis Johnson

Word is surfacing that Dr. Michael Hinojosa is going to hire Willis Johnson to run the Southern Sector campaign for the new bond program for DISD. Watch out black people, you will will be sold out again for a few dollars.

As a former member of the Bond committee, I will not be advocating for new bond money for DISD. In the last bond program the new schools were not built in predominately African American communities and schools like Kimball, Carter, T.L. Marsalis,Atwell, Adell Turner,etc. did not get the full attention that should have been afforded them. Our children deserve the same facilities, access to technology and all amenities as all children in the district.

Texas Southern University/Richard Knight,Jr.

Former Dallas city manager Richard Knight Jr. has been tapped by Gov. Rick Perry to serve on the Texas Southern University governing board. Knight served as the city manager from 1986 to 1990 and now is the managing partner of Pegasus Texas Holdings LLC,

The appointment completes TSU's nine-member board, which was remade after a series of management and financial missteps at the state's largest historically black university. The previous board resigned.

Knight will join state NAACP President Gary Bledsoe, investment manager Sam Bryant, management consultant Richard Holland, former state Rep. Glenn Lewis, Choice Energy president Javier Loya, former Dell Computer Corp. executive Richard Salwen, former Dallas school board member Curtistene Smith McCowan and Tracye McDaniel, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Greater Houston Partnership, on the board.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Magnet schools in DISD

Student and teachers have every right to question DISD in regards to any changes at the magnet schools. It has gotten to the point that trusting what the superintendent says is very difficult, because Dallas Achieves is making the calls not the school board.

We have two of the nations top schools in our magnet program and it would make absolutely no sense to tamper with something that has been very successful for DISD and the community. If its not broke, why fix it?

We wonder why students are leaving the district, maybe because the changes are so radical that it easier to not fight the system, but to to leave. Please do not tinker with success!!!!!

DART's Bus Purchase

The thought of DART's board of directors considering the purchase of 525 new buses at this time should tell the public that something is going wrong at DART. The purchase of new buses could be over 150 million dollars and I am not sure that purchase would include spare parts, additional tires, etc.

With last weeks news of the capitol budget being at least 900 million short, and that there could be delays to the LRT (Light Rail) buildout (Irving, Rowlett and the 2030 Long Range Plan), there should be a serious look at all capital expenditures to ensure that there is not an additional cost to the agency that could push the LRT Buildout further out. The bus purchase and light rail buildout is all part of the 20 year financial plan for DART and should be looked at overall, not as individual items of the budget.

Thought of the Week

A sense of shame is not a bad moral compass.

Colin Powell

Friday, December 7, 2007

I am a Christian by Maya Angelou

"A woman ' s heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find he r. "

When I say... "I am a Christian" I ' m not shouting "I ' m clean livin ' "
I ' m whispering "I was lost, Now I ' m found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I don ' t speak of this with pride.
I ' m confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I ' m not trying to be strong.
I ' m professing that I ' m weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I ' m not bragging of success.
I ' m admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I ' m not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain..
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I ' m not holier than thou,
I ' m just a simple sinner Who received God ' s good grace, somehow!

May God continue bless you so abundantly that you look for others to bless as well...

Don't Move DISD Goal Posts/Small minds can't hamper a worthy quest

If I remember correctly, more than one DISD Board member questioned the ability to reach the goals that were set for the students in the "Road to Broad" process. Of course the trend line is not positive because the goal post was set beyond the 100yard line.

Surely the Dallas Morning News editorial board understands the concept of setting realistic goals so that the students,teachers, parents and community can buy into to the overall mission of achievement for the students. If the goal post is set too far away, the students soon get tired of trying to score and leave school. That's called a dropout.

It is irresponsible of the Dallas Morning News editorial board to declare that Trustee Dr. Lew Blackburn does not believe that the children of DISD can reach higher goals because he did not agree with Dr. Hinojosa and Dallas Achieves unrealistic goals. There is nothing in his long record of serving as a Trustee of DISD that indicates he does not believe in growth and development of children.

If I had to put my money on the editorial board's or Dr. Lew Blackburn's knowledge and understanding of educating urban children, it would be a hands down choice of Dr. Lew Blackburn.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

More Bad News From DART

As I mentioned to many people that called me about the DART over budget, this is just the beginning. The City of Dallas,Mayor Leppert, Dwaine (Dewayne,Dwayne)Caraway, Tennell Adkins had better wake up and get involved in the process of reprogramming the projects and the budget at DART. When you know and understand how much of the additional Rail was to be in the city of Dallas,who pays into DART approimately 55% of the sales tax revenue, and now that service can be lost or moved out to a point where it is irrelevant. The extensions to the Univ. of North Texas, Inland Port,Westmoreland and Redbird Lane, West Dallas and the Cotton Belt all may be moved out for years or taken off the project list completely.

This short fall did not just happen, and while the agency is putting a spin on the reason for the short fall,the most inexperienced person should be able to see that designing the Orange line to Irving is not where the shortfall started. It is only
20% designed. Look at the current lines under construction and see if they are over budget and how that impacted the current budget. All of the current expenditures have been sanctioned by the Project Management Committee and then by the board. If one would just listen to the committee tapes you would hear the explanations that were given to the board for the higher cost,and you would have an idea of why the agency is where it is today.

Mayor Leppert,Dwaine (Dewayne,Dwayne) Caraway, Tennell Adkins, Willis Johnson, Jerry Allen, Ron Natinsky, Sheffie Kadane, Elba Garcia and Dave Newman need to tell the citizens of Dallas how they plan to handle what is about to happen to Dallas citizens with the Light rail buildout, BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)and HOV lanes. I think that it is going to ultimately be devastating to Dallas, Irving, Rowlett, Addison and Farmers Branch.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Everson Walls

A good man. What can we say about a man who was a class act when he donated a kidney to a former Dallas Cowboy teammate, Ron Springs. He deserves all of the accolades that are bestowed upon him. While this is not his only contribution to mankind, this is truly one of his most unselfish gifts.

The tribute to honor Mr. Walls is at 7 p.m. Friday at the Belo Mansion, 3200 Ross Avenue.

DART's Shortfall

How can the Orange Line to Irving be the 900 million shortfall? That line is not under construction. Irving has every right to be concerned and the other 12 member cities should take a good look at the cost overruns on the current construction which comes out of the Project Management Committee.

Dallas Transportation committee should be wondering about the second alignment to Downtown and also the connection to Love Field and the trolley system for downtown. The real story was not told today in the Dallas Morning News. The spin doctors are at work, but the public should insist on more information. DART is a public agency getting public dollars for operation.

Mayor's Party at Perot pad

Thank you James Ragland for getting it. Some people do not understand that we are suppose to have "Open Government". Maybe the like of understanding is the limited involvement in the community and being appointed or serving on boards and commissions. It is easy to say that there was nothing to the meeting, but one should understand that Perot Jr. will be coming back again asking for taxpayers money and what will the mayor say when Perot Jr. says " I worked with you, so now you should work with me." As we all know, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

I do not believe calling it a Christmas party removed the responsibilities of the council persons or the mayor, and they did not leave their titles or duties behind for the event. You are an elected official 24/7.

Some people need to get more experience under their belts before thinking that they have all of the answers. When I was younger, I use to think that I had all the answers and could not understand why some of the older people would act the way that they did. I now know that it comes from experience.

Government should be transparent, and the "Christmas party" at Perot Jr's condominium that was closed to the media was not transparent.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Leppert/Perot

Councilman Mitchel Rasansky better be careful that he doses not get on the bad side of Mayor Tom Leppert by speaking out about the mayor's party that was thrown at Ross Perot Jr.'s condominium in W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residence. Who is he to question Tom Leppert?

There is no way that you could have all of the council members invited and "no business talk" would take place. Remember this is the mayor who played wild and loose with the truth on the Trinity vote.

Most may not recall that Eddie Reaves, who work for Perot,Jr., was nominated to replace me on the DART board. The spin doctors had him removed from Perot Systems website and said he no longer worked for Perot Systems so that he could get on the DART board. When the city council found out, they rejected the notion of putting Eddie Reaves on the DART board and that is how the city has the unfortunate experience of Jerry Christian serving on the DART board. It should also be noted that Willis Johnson, the mayors head Negro, was the one who bought the name of Eddie Reaves to Dwaine (Dewayne/Dwayne) Caraway for nomination to the DART board, and that Willis Johnson's son works for Perot, Jr.

Councilwoman Pauline Medrano is being cautious, as she should be about this new administration. She too had better be careful because these are bad people who go after you with meanness.

The Allen Group,Dallas Logistics Hub,should watch what is going to happen with their investment in the Southern Sector and make sure that the Dallas Mayor is not to cozy with to Perot, Jr. who has openly stated that the Dallas Logistics Hub is a threat to the development at the Alliance Airport. Southern Dallas needs the 60,000 jobs that have been projected by The Allen Group.

Monday, December 3, 2007

R.C. Hickman

Mr. R.C. Hickman was seen around town with his camera taking pictures at most events. He was always a kind man with a nice smile and conversation about his work. To many of us, he was a historian and did the work through his camera lens.


See some of his work: http://www.cah.utexas.edu/exhibits/hickman/home/hickman_home.htm

We will miss you Mr. Hickman

Bank Loans in Southern Dallas

What is new about banks not lending money in Souhtern Dallas? Maybe there are some new people on the scene who can not remember 15 to 20 years ago when Robert Pitre posted banners outside of his car lot on Harwood and Grand that indicated that banks were not making loans in Southern Dallas. Maybe they cannot remember when banks were protested for not lending in South Dallas. Forgive me, these Negroes do not protest. Maybe some of the people who are writing and talking about the disparity now were not here when others made the same claims or just maybe they think they have a better handle on things and the bankers will listen to them.

Clearly there must be an investment in Southern Dallas for the city of Dallas to grow, because the city can not grow North. There will be investors in Southern Dallas, but they will not all be African Americans. Southern Dallas is racially diverse and the expectation is that all will participate in the growth.

Thought of the Week

Man cannot live by profit alone.


James Bladwin

5 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for surv ival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST: Emergency The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobiles is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND: Have you locked your keys in the car? Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to dr ive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk). Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"

THIRD: Hidden Battery Power Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH: How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone? To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 #. A 15- digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones. And...

FIFTH: Free Directory Service for Cells Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial:
(800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

Pass it on to your family and friends.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Negro Politics

Peter Johnson went on Wednesday November 28, 2007 to speak to the city council about lead in toys. Peter and Ronald Wright went to California to visit with manufacturers on this issue. He was approached by Willis Johnson before speaking and asked what did he need? He simply stated what his reason was for coming before the council. Peter then was called by Dwaine (Dewayne,Dwayne) Caraway to come up front before he spoke (private conversation) and Caraway assured him that he was going to say nice things about his work.

These Negroes are trying to keep African American citizens from coming to city hall to express themselves on issues of concern. I think the name for that is gatekeeper. Our community is in trouble!!!!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Holiday Shopping At Southwest Center Mall

Friday after Thanksgiving, I joined many Americans and began my holiday shopping. My nephew and I started at Toy's R Us where I had to stand around as he looked at almost every item in the store, and then we went to Southwest Center Mall (Red Bird Mall), the place where I have made a conscious decision to spend my money for gifts this holiday.

For the last five years,I have done my Christmas shopping at this mall because there is a need to see stores remain in this area of town. Many people have opted to do their shopping at other malls because they believe that they can not find what they are looking for at this mall, but I am determined to make my purchases where it will make a difference for the community.

Southwest Center Mall (Red Bird Mall)is needed in this area of town. I do not want to have to take my dollars to Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Lancaster or DeSoto. It is my desire to spend money in Dallas so that the taxes will stay in Dallas.

SHOP AT SOUTHWEST CENTER MALL (RED BIRD MALL)

Politics

Politics is like driving...if you want to go backwards, choose R.

If you want to move forward, choose D.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

African American Women: Where They Stand

This week NBC Nightly News is beginning a five part series called, "African American Women: Where They Stand."

The stories will cover a wide range of issues affecting African American women.
The statistics show that more than 60 percent of African American undergraduates are women. As they are being applauded for their educational success, more of their male counterparts are going to jail. What's causing the disparity and what can be done to curb this trend?

Monday, November 19, 2007

Thank You

Thank You to the people who have been reading Rufus Shaw's comments on Dallas Blog about me and responding with a positive message about me. I find it curious that after Willis Johnson,Dwaine (Dewayne,Dwayne)Caraway, Tennell Adkins, Mayor Tom Leppert and others worked so hard to get me off the DART board (8/7 vote) they can not let it rest. I am sure that I can not be that much of a threat to them or their desire to play a shell game with the community.

There is a mean spirit in these people and Southern Dallas will continue to be stagnant because of it. It is impossible for Southern Dallas development to take place with a few elected and appointed officials asking for their share at the expense of development in the community. If you do not believe me, then just read what is written about Southern Sector Development by Rufus Shaw, Michael Davis, and others. You should also listen to what is being said by people who say they are representatives of the Southern Sector.

Thought of the Week

The best things in life aren't things.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Front Line Issues in Education by Gehrig Saldana

11/09/07 JUSTICE IN EDUCATION SYMPOSIUM:

FRONT-LINE ISSUES IN EDUCATION
Gehrig Saldaña

On Tuesday, November 6, the Dallas Bar Association and Greater Dallas Chamber brought local and state education leaders together for a half-day program to discuss front-line issues in education. Speakers included Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, DISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Texas Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes and Interim Commissioner of Public Education Robert Scott.

___________________________________________________________

A lawyer friend who helped with this symposium had some interesting observations on DISD Supt Hinojosa's presentation. According to this lawyer, there is buzz about some remarks the superintendent made. Dr. Hinojosa stated he had to take a lot of community pressure because of the reorganization and he even had to stand up to some of his "compas."

I've written before about the shoddy manner in which this superintendent and his top tier team carried out the recent reorganization. Many in the community were in an uproar over how badly this reorganization was carried out. and because his shuffling of chairs on the deck negatively affected individuals who are highly respected in the Latino community. They are highly respected because of their long history of advocacy on behalf of our community and track record of success. The way many of us see it, you disrespect them, you disrespect our community. Word is the African American community is also in an uproar.

Which Compas? I'm curious which "compas" he was talking about.
Steve Flores? Could it be Steve Flores, the one who did such a poor job in testifying regarding the principal that was fired (and then rehired) over use of the p-card?
Meet DISD's "Number Two": Steve Flores (Dallas.org, 4/26/07). Or, who ignored illegal behavior by the No. 2 cop at DISD? He was allegedly informed in 2006 by departing DISD Police Chief Charles Caddo about misdeeds by Donovan Collins. What did Hinojosa's compa, Steve Flores do? Nothing. This top cop got busted when someone went to the media about his misdeeds. Word is there will be some finality to the Donovan Collins saga soon. DISD's No. 2 officer could face charges, Degree from online college listed on résumé raises questions by KENT FISCHER, DallasNews.com, 7/22/07. So, no, I don't think this was the compa Hinojosa was referring to. It doesn't look like Hinojosa stood up to him because Flores still has a top level position.

Arnold Viramontes? Could it be Arnold Viramontes, another top level administrator? You remember him. He's the one who is in charge of the transformation at DISD, i.e., reorganization. Do you think maybe Hinojosa stood up to him for the sloppy, shoddy, callous, disrespectful manner in which the reorganization unfolded? No, don't think so because Hinojosa was involved in the decisions about how the reorganization would unfold, so it wasn't just Viramontes making those decisions. Or maybe he stood up to him because of Viramontes' nepotism -- having one of his direct reports hire his wife and, in essence, Viramontes serving as her second-level supervisor -- in violation of the DISD Board's nepotism policy? (DISD couple's positions raise nepotism questions, DallasNews.com, 8/22/07). Maybe he stood up to him for that...no, don't think so... Viramontes still holds his top position.

Jose Luis Torres? Jose Luis Torres is another top administrator. He has been living illegally out of DISD boundaries since he was elevated to top administration almost 3 years ago. Word is he's Hinojosa's fair-haired boy (although Torres has hair that is really, really black, but you get my drift). Word is also Hinojosa's failed attempt to change the DISD Board's residency policy was in part, so that poor Jose Luis, who makes in the six-figures of DISD taxpayer dollars, wouldn't have to move into Dallas. (DISD schools chief stands by residency rule, DallasNews.com, 2/13/07). Remember the DISD Board gave a strong NO! to Hinojosa's recommendation. So, guess this isn't the compa Hinojosa was talking about either. Does Torres continue to live illegally outside Dallas? It will be interesting to see where he's at come July 1, 2008. If he's still got his DISD job, will he have a bona fide DISD address?
And, oh, speaking of those who are highly respected in our community, how often do you see Flores, Viramontes or Torres at the forefront of community issues, fighting on our behalf? Or even Hinojosa, for that matter? Looks like they're take the money and run type of guys who don't worry about giving back or contributing to community efforts. If I'm wrong on this one, point it out, but I've never seen these guys out and about at community events. Word is Hinojosa shows up mas pronto que quick, hat in hand, when the downtown business establishment calls, but that doesn't seem to be the case for other communities for him or his three compas.

Also, there's a lot of concern in the community because instead of finally bringing equity in hiring at DISD, Hinojosa has turned back the clock on Latino hiring. He's not doing the African American community any favors in this area either. I guess Hinojosa lives in a 1950s world because what predominated in leadership back then is predominating once again. There is no real attention to diversity and equity at the top tier of leadership nor in the principal hires he has made. Many in the Latino community are of the opinion Hinojosa seems to feel as long as he has the downtown business establishment in his back pocket, everyone else can be ignored -- parents and community that make up the majority of the DISD constituency.

Loss of Support?
Hinojosa's already lost lots of support in the Latino community. I doubt he has much support in the African-American community. He lost the Board's support on one issue. Word is he's lost support of some trustees for good, to the extent he may not have the votes he needs for longevity. Hinojosa seems to be oblivious to the fact he has to deliver if he is going to keep the only support he has left, that of the downtown business establishment. You can get by on smoke screens only so long before the day of reckoning comes. You do have to produce results. Results have not been produced so far, especially in regard to test scores. I've detailed his additional failures more than once.

A Judas Compa?
Also, it's evident Hinojosa is out of touch with his cultural heritage. Compa is Tex-Mex slang for compadre. As you know, the compadre system in our culture holds a very special place of high regard. Your compadres are your family. By Hinojosa making this remark, it is evident he's no real compadre to anyone. If I were Flores, Viramontes or Torres, I would be worried. If he betrayed some who he calls compas, then he's certainly capable of that type of betrayal again. Maybe he should also remember that oft-repeated passage, "you reap what you sow." You treat people callously, with indifference, in a cold and uncaring manner, and maybe that's exactly how you will be shown to the door before you're thrown out of it. Time will tell for this compa.

Gehrig Saldaña

P.S. Someone might want to ask the superintendent about a conversation he had with some of his compas where he lamented that "Our own are airing our dirty laundry." Looks like that laundry isn't going to get clean any time soon, especially not when derisive remarks are made about compas. Looks like some of his compas are sharing insider conversations. You think maybe his compas are cut from the same cloth, you know, birds of a feather?

Ron Price -DISD Trustee

Something finally got Ron Price's attention at DISD. Thank God. Many people that work in the community have tried to talk with Ron Price about the direction that Dallas public schools are going in. We have said to him that it might be in the best interest of our children to be like San Antonio and have the school district divided into 3 or 4 districts.

When we were no longer the largest minority group, the emphasis changed. We have lost many of the good educators (African American) to suburban school districts and have gotten in educators that are new to teaching, and many are of foreign origin and do not speak English well enough for our children to understand what they are saying. These are not bad people, but our children need special attention too.

Looking at the money that has been dedicated to learning centers was just another move to take dollars from areas that have traditionally helped African
American students and to move the dollars into bi-lingual programs. This board has no interest in keeping to the commitments that were made in the Covenant after convincing a judge to release the DISD from court oversight.

I personally want to thank Trustee Price for speaking the thoughts of many of us in the community that have been working with DISD for decades. I also want to thank him for not buying into the city council Negro philosophy that we are not going to make these people mad by asking questions and asking for accountability.

Thank You Trustee Ron Price.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Mayor Tom Leppert meets with NAACP on Black Agenda

Mayor Tom Leppert signed the Black Agenda agreement with the NAACP while running for mayor. He agreed to work with the black community on many issues to strengthen the community through avenues that have been neglected over the years.

Mayor Leppert told the audience that the Trinity River vote was over and we needed to work together, but they have to remember that it was only a plan. That sounded to familiar. Just trust us.

He also said that he wanted to address two issues regarding the Black Agenda, and they were economic development and education. From the economic development area,he said that there must be three aspects(1)progressive philosophy(2)integrity and (3) communication. He also said that none of the initiative were going to be easy to do and(1) we must make investments (buy,subsidize)(2)general investments,(3) economic development that touch people (Starbucks,grocery store) and (4) Dallas more business friendly.

In my mind, this is such a limited view of what is needed in our community, but the mayor did not feel like he really had to answer the tough questions, so he just got up close and friendly.

The mayor also believes that it will take money & willingness to change southern Dallas, and that the Inland Port will only be 25% in Dallas. He talked about the SM Wright Freeway being a parkway and how the value of land would increase. I could not understand how that could happen. While working on The Trinity Vote campaign,I was told that the S M Wright Freeway would be a parkway so that the Toll Road would be able to go over it. I am fully aware of what happened to portions of Park Row and South Blvd. when I45 was put in. Those sections of the streets literally died.

On education, Mayor Leppert talked about his ability to work with the DISD because of his position as mayor, and he thinks that the "Road to Broad" is a good idea. It was no surprise to me that he would be supportive of that initiative because The Broad program advocates that the mayor of the city should control the schools. Mayor Leppert also talked about (1) early childhood reading program,(2) scholarship program for freshmen and sophomores to address the dropout rate,(3) summer jobs program and (4) Paul Quinn and UNT schools.

My biggest surprise of the night was that the mayor came to talk about the signed Black Agenda but did not go into detail about what he has done with each initiative. I did not see him with a copy of the signed document nor did it appear that the NAACP had a copy either. There were no real specific questions of the mayor, it was just like some friendly chat.

That is not what the community need. We need to hold these elected officials accountable. They come into the community when they want a vote and when they win, they just give us any kind of answer. Signing a document means nothing if you do not hold them accountable.

Vern's Reopened

Ms. Suvern Freeman has reopened Vern's Place at 2807 Elm Street with the same home cooked menu. "People are finding me,We need more", she said. Please visit Vern's Place.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

New Black Panther Party protest at DART

Outside of DART headquarters on Akard Street, The New Black Panther Party had a protest with 15 members. The protest was in response to the killing of 15-year-old Bobby Walker, Jr. on May 6, 2007. Party members were calling for DART police officer Niksha Owens to be fired and brought up on criminal charges.

According to protectors, Walker, who was unarmed, was unnecessarily gunned down by Owens at the Ledbetter DART light-rail station. Currently, Owens is on paid administrative leave.

Party members said they were upset because DART officers had given no official apology to the Walker family.

Where are the three African American DART board members from Dallas (Lynn Flint Shaw, Jerry Christian and Pamela Gates)? They are there for the community? Looks like we are in trouble again......

Monday, November 12, 2007

We Were Not Really for The Trinity Project

Why is Rufus Shaw saying that the Black council members were really not sold on the Trinity Project. Tennell Adkins had several meetings in his District and only presented the views of Vote No. Dwaine (Dewayne/Dwayne) Caraway was a public spokesman for the effort and Carolyn Davis had several meetings in her district. All four Black council members sent out messages to their district to Vote No.

Rev. Freddie Haynes and Friendship West published a brochure that had VOTE NO INFORMATION that was passed out to its membership (I have a copy), and The Friendship West Church sent out workers to work at polling locations for VOTE NO. Rev. Haynes could have privately said he had reservations, but there is absolutely no question of his church's involvement with the VOTE NO campaign.

With all of the forces against the Vote Yes effort, the best the Vote No could do was 53/47 percent win. I think some politicians could be nervous and should be nervous.

If black council members are going to get someone to speak for them, they should get someone with credibility. Rufus Shaw is not the guy.

Dallas City Plan Commission/Deep Ellum Bar

As reported in the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas City Plan Commission has preliminarily approved permits for several Deep Ellum bars, including the Red Blood Club. " They gave us a green light basically , and it's a slam dunk when they gave us the approval because we had no problems there", Mr.Garrett (co-owner) said of the Plan Commission.

There was a fight early Sunday morning and three men were stabbed. The fight, which police said was gang-related, started shortly after 1 a.m. at the Red Blood Club. A man who had just been kicked out of the bar came back with a second man, and they started fighting the employee working the floor.

Plan Commission Did you do the right thing?

Thought of the Week

No person is a friend who demand your silence.

Alice Walker

Veterans Day

Today is set aside for honoring veterans of all wars. These men and women risk their lives so that we can be free in this country. To me this is one of the greatest honors that can be bestowed upon a person.

Lets treat them with the respect that they deserve, give them good medical coverage, make sure they are not homeless, treat them for alcohol and drug abuse, and for mental illness. We should not just honor them on this day, but every day.

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY

Friday, November 9, 2007

Black Community Joke

Please give me a break, the people that are writing on Blogs like Michael Davis are a joke. He seems to think that he is the only one that can speak of what has been done in our community. Some of us were working in this community before he was born and others before he got here. I just think that people like him hurt our community. Yes, Sleazy Dwaine Caraway appointed him to the Plan Commission but we better watch what happens. Someone told me that Michael is in the Real Estate business.

UT Southwestern's A List

The Dallas Morning News reports that "UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas keeps a detailed list of wealthy, high-profile and influential people and their family members to ensure that they get favored treatment if they become patients", but Dr. John Mc Connell, executive vice president for health system affairs at the medical center, said people on the list only get a personal greeting when they arrive at the medical center, might get a special escort to their appointment, and sometimes get free parking.

Some of the people on the list are: U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and her husband, State Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway, State Rep. Tom Craddick and his wife, State Rep. Helen Giddings, Former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost, U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Former State Rep. Steve Wolen, Former Mayor Laura Miller,State Sen. Royce West, Roger Stauback, Tom Hicks, Norm Sonju, Chef Dean Fearing, Jim Moroney, Publisher of the Dallas Morning News and family, Bob Mong, editor of The Dallas Morning News, Robert Miller, columnist The Dallas Morning News, Robert Deckard and family, chief executive of The Dallas Morning News,Former Mayor Ron Kirk, Comer Cottrell, founder of Proline, Lonnie Pilgrim, chairman of Pilgram's Pride, Timothy Wallace, chief executive of Trinity Industries, Trammell Crow, developer and Ron Anderson, chief executive Parkland Hospital.

I would think that organizations like UT Southwestern Medical Center would keep list of large donors and influential people for such amenities as free parking, but the question is are they getting preferential treatment on medical appointments. I do not think that would be in the best interest of the community. To me, it is just like people needing organ transplants and the wealthy getting theirs first. Not right. This should not happen and if U.T. Southwestern is giving special consideration for appointments, they should stop the practice immediately.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Southern Sector

What does southern sector mean? What area's are covered? Is it South Dallas, Oak Cliff, Pleasant Grove, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Duncanville and Lancaster is it just South Dallas, Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove? Where does it start and where does it stop?

We need to start calling the sections of Dallas what they are known as because I think the people in south Dallas and Oak Cliff will be shortchanged in this southern sector terminology. I think it means anything south of the Trinity and that includes the southern suburbs. If that is the case, then maybe those 30,000 jobs that Mayor Leppert talked about will be in the suburban cities.

Let's bury the term Southern Sector.

Rufus Shaw/Dwaine Caraway/Michael Davis

Rufus Shaw writes on Dallas Blog that my actions in the TrinityVote campaign is the reason that Dwaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway helped to remove me from the DART Board. He says that I was lying to the people about having to pay a toll to come out of Oak Cliff. Well, Tennell Adkins made the statement in a meeting that the traffic would be diverted to the toll road to redo 35N in the mixmaster (about 40 people were in the meeting including Dwaine's right hand person Ms. Margaret). Michael Morris from COG said that to do the Pegasus Project in the mixmaster, there would have to be a road for traffic to be diverted to while the work on the mixmaster was taking place and that was the reason that the Trinity Toll Road was important. If the people from Oak Cliff is using that road do you think they will pay a toll? It's a TOLL ROAD and there will be a charge.

Just for Michael Davis's information, I do not live in Glen Oaks. My precinct totals were 168 For and 191 Against. The percentage was about 53 to 47, the same as the outcome of the race. I do not think that we did so bad since we had Congresswoman Johnson, State Senator Royce West, County Commissioner John Wiley Price,the Negro preachers, and all of the Dallas City Council members against us but Angela Hunt. When you speak of something being a joke, you should have something to back that up. I can not ever think of you managing a campaign anywhere, therefore you have no record and are being used as a mouth piece for Dwaine Caraway. I think one of the other bloggers got it right, Kiss Ass.

There was a reason that it took Dwaine Caraway so many runs at the council office to be elected and many people are asking how in the world did it happen this time? They are basing their comments on his reputation, and those of us who have been in Dallas longer than a minute surely know what has been said about him. As as far as him being the Michael Jordan of the South Dallas, that is an absolute insult to Mr. Jordan.

Rufus Shaw has no clout in the black community. He has always attacked people, and that is why no black paper will let him write for them. I hope DallasBlog will catch on to his tricks. He is in with the Leppert (Negro) gatekeepers and his job is to attack.

They do not have to do it to us, We do it to eachother.

Sam Merten at Dallas Blog

Sam,
I just want to take this opportunity to say that you did a really good job covering the Trinity Project. You gave us the information that the Dallas Morning New and other bloggers would never have shared. What I really liked about your reporting is that you were at some of the debates and could give us firsthand knowledge.

I am also very greatful to Angela Hunt for being a public servant not a politician. She represented the concerns of the people against almost all of the elected officials in the southern sector and ended up with 47% of the vote and I think that is remarkable. One of the things that I most admire about her is she was truthful with the people, unlike Mayor Leppert who would look you in the face and lie.

I joined TrinityVote in September and my job was to help get out the African American vote in Dallas (not just the southern sector), and when you look at the numbers, we prevailed in traditional African American neighborhoods like Arlington Park, Hamilton Park, Lovefield,South Dallas and West Dallas. Some of the people that are reporting that I did such a bad job probably do not know how to get to these areas of town or their history . Some of these so called political consultants speak of the African American community only as Oak Cliff (the Red Bird Area). Now mind you in the Red Bird Area of town, I was told that, you had the preachers at Friendship West, Concord and IBOC who let Tom Leppert come and speak to their congregations and Leppert told them to vote no. Friendship West even had a flyer produced that said why you should vote no and also had vans carrying people to different polling places to push No cards on election day.

I think TrinityVote overall did an excellent job against the odds that were against us and my hope is that this coalition of people will somehow stay together so that we can change Dallas politics to politics of the people.

I do not know the aspirations of Angela Hunt, but I would vote for her as mayor because I trust her.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Thought for the Week

"You can't hold a man down without staying down with him"

Booker T. Washington

Dallas Morning News Editorial on Trinity Toll Road

"Additional, the movement led by City Council member Angela Hunt exposed legitimate concerns about the challenges of building a road within the river levees. While her group, TrinityVote, came up just short Tuesday, Ms. Hunt and her allies should not be excluded from this process going forward." " Here's how to get started: Give Ms. Hunt a seat at the table. Mayor Tom Leppert excluded the organizer of the toll-road group from council leadership positions and, pointedly, from the Trinity River Committee. Ms. Hunt, however, has immersed herself in the intricate details of this project. And while this newspaper's editorial board disagreed with her position, she's no doubt one of the most knowledgeable city leaders on all things Trinity."

Trinity Vote

TrinityVoteYes lost the election 53 percent to 47 percent. But Gene Rice the engineer leading the US Army Corps of Engineer's flood control project within the Trinity River Corridor, says that his agency has yet to issue any final OK for the road.

I find it really hard to believe that people who call themselves political consultants can talk about how bad the campaign in the south was. Now you know that has to be some uninformed Negro who would do that. Taking a quick look at some key precincts, the vote was about 50/50. Now how could it be a campaign in the south ran so badly when almost every large Negro church Pastor and every Negro elected official except one was on the side of the Toll Road? Are these so called young political consultants our future? If so, Black people we are in trouble!!!!!!

I personally have no apology to the Negro's who would sellout the community for any crumbs they can get, and I do mean crumbs. I am glad that nothing or any decision that I make is based on these so called leaders.

Yes,the DART board position was snatched from me by Dewaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway and others, but thank God for so many people that understand who did it and why.


They do not have to do it to us, we do it to each other.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Pastor Zan Wesley Holmes

Pastor Emeritus Zan Holmes is moving his church membership to St. Luke Community United Methodist Church. Thanks be to God.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Thought for the Week

Kind Hearts are the gardens
Kind thoughts are the roots
Kind words are the blossoms
Kind deeds are the fruits.

Author Unknown

Trinity Vote Campaign and Laura Miller

I am amazed at the people who are so horrified that Laura Miller is being used in the Vote Yes campaign. They all start out with "I have had my problem with Laura Miller, but I do not think that she should be used in the campaign." It is amazing to me that many of these people say they have been involved in politics all of their lives, but do not have the real grasp of what was voted on in 1998 for the trinity river project. I am now beginning to wonder if they were here in 1998, and if they were, did they vote.

In 1998, Mayor Ron Kirk pushed the Trinity River idea to the community with a promise of economic development in the southern sector (whatever that means). At that time, then council member Laura Miller was against The Trinity River plan and made that known to everyone. In 2003 Mayor Laura Miller worked with consultants and developed the "Balanced Vision Plan for The Trinity River", and that is what we are voting on. This is Laura Miller's Plan. This is Laura Miller's Plan.

I have probably spoken out against Laura Miller more or as many times as most people, but I do not hate Laura Miller, and she knows that. She was the very first person to call me after Mayor Leppert, Dwaine (Dwayne,Dewayne) Caraway, Tennell Adkins,Willis Johnson and Jerry Allen worked to get me thrown off the DART Board so that Lynn Flint Shaw could become the chairman. That call was very special to me, and I told Laura how much her call meant to me. I went on to tell her, that whatever our differences were, I always had her phone number and could meet with her (unlike Tom Leppert) to discuss my concerns.

I was not involved in The TrinityVote campaign early on because as an appointed official you can not be, but I made it clear that I was supportive of the efforts of Councilwoman Hunt, and that the community needed more Public Servants rather than politicians. For those who have dropped out of the campaign, I say thank you.

Remember: They do not have to do it to us, we do it to each other

Friday, October 26, 2007

Carla Ranger

My hero and my school board representative. I respect Carla's willingness to be on the outside with fellow school board members to stand up for what she believes is right for the school district.

The fight over the superintendent wanting to get rid of the residency policy so that he can hire people in the top positions that have no vested interest in the city can work for the school district is one that should have never taken place. There is no question that we should have our school district's top level people living in Dallas.

While Carla did not vote for the revised plan because she thought it should b e stronger, I just want to thank her for standing up for us.

DART Board Chairman

I spent 5 long years working to be the Chairman of the DART Board, and it is known that the members of the DART Board were ready to make me the chairman if I returned to the Board. My ouster was lead by Dwaine Caraway, Tennell Adkins,Willis Johnson and Mayor Tom Leppert. They all wanted to take me off so that Lynn Flint Shaw could run for Chairman.

Lynn Flint Shaw won the Chairmanship by a 9 to 6 vote. It is well known that the day of the election Mayor Tom Leppert made calls and lobbied for her( Rufus Shaw's Blog). It has been said that some of the Dallas DART board members did not appreciate the lobbying.

My question is, if she was the best person, then why would anybody have to lobby? If she was the best, her fellow DART Board members should have overwhelmingly voted for her without any intervention. That is the way that it has worked in the past.

Time will tell if she was the best selection.

Wake up Michael Davis

You just have to ask yourself why this young man is so adamant about defending Dwaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway. Does he know anything about Dwaine Caraway's history? Dwaine's reputation is the question.

I would strongly urge Michael Davis to ask people outside of his small circle about Dwaine. The joke that I have heard is,when you shake his hand make sure that you get all five fingers back.

Wake up Michael. Do not spend all of your time on the Blogs defending the actions of someone that you personally have no control over.

It's About Time

Finally the media is getting past all of the hype that is going on in the Black community. I have heard things like, this is a new council and the things that went on before will not happen on our watch or we are going to all be together on issues. Some of the new city council persons (Dwaine Caraway and Tennell Adkins) are acting like they are the Overseers of the Negro people. They are telling their Master (Mayor Tom Leppert) that they will keep all Negroes in line and will not let them come to city hall and voice their opinions.

Did they forget that city hall belongs to the taxpayers, no matter if they live in North,South,East or West Dallas? In some cases, the people who want to speak are those who spoke up to make the system more friendly to people of color. Some Negroes still amaze me. When they think they have arrived, they want to forget everybody else. My beautiful mother use to say "Be careful who you step on going up, because you will have to meet those same people on your way down."

Thank you Marvin Crenshaw and Roy Williams for speaking out on any issue that you believe is important to our community.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Weekly Thought

If you get it, but do not earn it, you will not keep it.

Dallas Blog: Caraway and Williams Go at It

The real Dwaine Caraway. Roy Williams never called his name, but he had an outburst that disrupted the council meeting. My mother use to say " A hit dog will holler."

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Justice in Jena

The Justice Department tells the House panel it may investigate racial bias in Jena, Louisiana. Donald Washington (African American), U.S. attorney for western Lousiana said that the hanging of nooses from a tree at Jena High School last year by three white students constituted a federal hate crime but that authorities opted not to prosecute the case because of the age of those involved.

At a congressional hearing on the situation,he was ripped by Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee. She wanted to know why nothing had been done.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Weekly Thought

They do not have to do it to us, we do it to eachother.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Bogus Pamplets Irk Mayor Leppert

The booklet entitled "The Way to Happiness" features the writings of Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. On the front cover "Presented by the Office of the Mayor" it states, and on the back cover is a smiling portrait of the mayor"I am happy to be able to offer this book as a helpful guide for every member of this community." Written by Rudolph Bush in The Dallas Morning News

"Clearly we were not very comfortable and did not think it was appropriate to use the seal of the city of Dallas, the mayor's logo or my name on something we were not aware of" Mayor Leppert said in a phone interview as reported by The Dallas Morning News.

What happened? Did the mayor know?

DISD Residency Policy

Who is in charge at DISD? I ask that question when I spoke yesterday at DISD. I continue to wonder if the persons that we elected to the school board is in charge or the outside organizations that do not have accountability to anyone. Are they telling the superintendent how to march? I thought that the elected officials were the ones to set policy, but maybe I am just a taxpayer, and I should not have any say through my representative (elected official).

Why would people who work for our district not want to live in Dallas? What message would the school board send if they do not have requirements that our top level officials live in Dallas?

While growing up and attending schools in Dallas, one of the important factors was that the teachers, administrators and employees lived in the neighborhood and we saw them at church, the grocery store, cleaners, and so on. It is very important that these administrators are role models to the students that are in their charge.

Several speakers, including Beatrice Martinez, Diana Flores and myself spoke to either keeping the current residency policy are strengthening it. There is no question that the board did listen and we hope that they will act in the best interest of the students and taxpayers of Dallas.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Michael Davis

As I read the electronic media, I continue to find comments about me from Michael Davis, the newly appointed Planning Commissioner by Dwaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway. I have not been in his presence many times, so I do not know why he has this desire to keep making negative comments about me. I would assume that this is his first appointment and hope that he will learn and help the community as much as possible, but I am not sure the has the right frame of mind. You can not spend your time hating on someone that you do not know just to be in with people who you think that you know.

My record of service on the DART Board speaks for itself. It is known that I would have been the Chairman of the Board if I had been reappointed. I have no shame in the way that I represented myself and the community. I spent five years working and learning transportation issues, and I will say that there is not another African American in the southern sector who knows more about the issue than me. The reason that my removal is a topic of concern is the people who voted for me and one's who did not. Dwaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway and Tennell Adkins (African American males) lead the charge for my removal. We all know that it was an 8-7 vote. Many people in the African American community did not like what happened(excluding Michael Davis)and have given me support. I will also say that there are some council members who are regretting their vote against me and they are saying that.

The appointment that Michael Davis received is one of a personal appointment by a council member and those appointments are not challenged by other council members. The appointment to the DART Board is a full council appointment. The appointments are different and I hope that Michael Davis understands the difference.

My suggestion to Michael Davis is to spend the time he is using on trying to defend the actions of Dwaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway and Tennell Adkins on making sure he learns all that he can about the commission that he is on and then delivery for the community.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Willie Mae Coleman

Mrs. Coleman continues to fight the good community fight. She refuses to let her community completely die. Her visit to The Dallas City Council on October 3, 2007 to say that there is not enough being done is what she has been doing for years.

The work in declining neighborhoods is continuous, and it takes strong willed people who will not take no for an answer. The same problems, and new ones are always there for discussion and a resolution.

General Motors appoints first black female plant manager

On October 1st, the General Motors Corporation will get its first black female manager of a vehicle assembly plant. Alicia Boler-Davis, 38, will take over leadership of 2,400 workers at the plant in Arlington, Texas, which assembles the Chevrolet Tahoe and other large SUVs. The 13-year GM veteran says her primary goal is to“lead the plant to become the industry leader in safety.” as reported by The Dallas Weekly.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Newbies to Dallas

I laugh at the new people in Dallas who think they have all of the answers to the problem in the black community. They make themselves look like foolish individuals . No one person can solve all of the problems that are present in the black community. If that were the case, then why haven't some of the smarter and more involved people been able to make the great changes that the "Newbies" are talking about?

One big mistake of "Newbies" is to talk about what others have not done. How would you know? If you have not been involved in the community for a long period of time, you have no frame of reference as to who did what. There are many people working on a daily basis that none of us know what good work they are doing for the community and we just can not say because we do not know what they have done.

Getting appointed to a committee does not mean that you are the best person for the job, it could mean that you have sucked up so much that you have earned the spot. Does that mean the community will benefit? Maybe or Maybe not. If you have the smarts to learn the position they can, if not they won't.

When "Newbies" get more experience under their belt then they should speak out. Sometimes it is good to just shut up and learn.

Tennell Adkins and Southwest Center Mall

Dillard's is closing in Southwest Center Mall. What is councilman Tennell Adkins going to do about the decline of this mall in the southern sector? There are only two anchor stores left. Who is thinking about how this mall should be revitalized? Are we just going to wait on Cedar Hill to get all of the stores and then our tax dollars will be spent in another city (NOT GOOD DALLAS).

I would like to see some creative ideas on luring and keeping businesses in the southern sector like TIF (Tax Increment Finance) Districts as we see all over the city and specifically downtown. There are two(2) TIF Districts in the center of downtown. If you can recall we gave incentives of over 75 million to developers for the Mercantile Building that is located downtown.

Since the new council and the Mayor are doing such a good job of getting along (that's what is in the Dallas Managed News), and the Mayor believes the southern sector should be developed, the citizens of Dallas expect them to get busy on working for the people that elected them and keeping their campaign promise of redevelopment in the southern sector.

ALL DALLAS TAXPAYERS WILL BE WINNERS WITH BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR.

Weekly Thought

Kind hearts are the gardens. Kind thoughts are the roots. Kind words are the blossoms. Kind deeds are the fruits.
Author Unknown

Saturday, October 6, 2007

FBI Investigation

Some of you I know, and I want you to know that my prayers are with you and your families. Those who I do not know, I am praying for you also. Put your trust in God.

Dwaine Caraway and Saggy-Pants

Dave Levinthal of the Dallas Morning News ask the question "Was Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway caught with his own pants down?" There has been much dialogue about young men wearing saggy-pants both nationally and locally and the universal position is that we do not want to see their underwear. Councilman Caraway went public making statements about how he had the votes for a very stiff ordinance that would be passed by years end, but he retreated and said that he is working on a non-binding council resolution. That is a long ways from an ordinance. To help him save face, some council persons appeared with him at a press conference, but none were willing to support a binding law criminalizing wearing sagging-pants.

School Board member Ron Price is the one who raised this issue last year to the Dallas City Council and they considered an ordinance but nothing happened. I believe that there are two school of thoughts as far as an ordinance is concerned,and they are:
1. The constitutional freedom of speech issue.
2. The use of already stretched police officers for enforcement.

I hate sagging. I think it is all the bad things that others like Ron Price have said, but we have to find more productive ways of getting to our young men about the way that they dress. A good example is the President of Paul Quinn College who took it upon himself to address issues about the dress code at the college and with its implementation it is having a positive affect on all students. He did not take it to the media, he just acted on something he believed.

Dwaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway forget the hype!

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Weekly Thought

There is nothing permanent except change.

Friday, September 28, 2007

DART Police

Today at 3:45 p.m. I was opening the door to my office and noticed a DART police car(#2916) at the corner of Ervay and Commerce by Neiman Marcus. I was curious because there are NO DART bus stops at that corner. Upon further investigation, I saw the officer talking to a homeless man who appeared to have some problems. Then a second DART police car (#2771) pulled up and another (#2775) pulled up. In each car was one officer. It appeared that they were arresting the homeless person.

My question and concern is why was the DART police arresting a homeless person and he was not on their property. The people that ride DART would love to see 3 officers at the transit center, on the train, or patrolling DART parking lots. When will DART get it. DART police should be protecting DART property,safety and security would bring more riders to DART. They should not be harassing the homeless.

Mychal Bell - Jena Teen

Some say that protest are relics of the 1950's an 1960's, and they do not work anymore. Thank God that there are some who rebuke that notion and found their way to Jena Louisiana to rally on behalf of the the Jena 6. For that reason I believe that Mychal Bell was released from jail and will not be on trial as an adult.

The blessing about this protest, the young people got involved. Mothers and Fathers were taking their sons and daughters to Jena to participate and that was a blessing. The churches also got involved. If the ministry is only inside the church walls and on Sunday, we loose. Thank God for waking his people up. Remember we can not tolerate injustice anywhere.

Now Mychal Bell will be tried in juvenile court - he was 16 at the time of the incident- where the offense should have been handled in the first place.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Trinity River Project

The debate over a Toll Road in the middle of the Trinity River between the levee is raising a great deal of concern in the Southern Sector of Dallas. The majority of the elected officials have all gotten behind the idea of this Toll Road in the middle of the Park to be used as a reliever road from HWY 183 to HWY 175. The majority of the people using the Toll Road will not be people who live and pay taxes in Dallas, they will be people who live in the suburbs. The Dallas Voters signed a petition to have this referendum put on the ballot on November 6, 2007 so they can decide if they want a Toll Road in the middle of the Trinity Park.

While the debate has continued to heat up, there are several issues that have not been answered by Mayor Leppert and the elected officials that support the Toll Road:

1. Where will the water that usually fill the Trinity go?
2. What is economic development for ethnic minorities?
3. How will bringing 100,000 more cars to the area affect the air quality?
4. Why not invest more in mass transit?
5. Will there be waivers from the post Katrina standards from the Army Corp?
6. How will the Toll Road affect neighborhood flooding (creeks)?
7. Why give away 1/2 billion in land to NTTA?
8. Who will pay for all of the parks amenities that are not funded?
10. If you double deck Industrial, what property would you buy?

Monday, September 24, 2007

State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

Tell Congress: Stand Up to Bush

At a recent press conference, President Bush said he would veto expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and accused SCHIP supporters of trying to "score political points."

The fight over children's health isn't about chalking up political points. It's about making sure millions of children have access to secure, quality health care.

The House will vote Tuesday on legislation to insure 4 million more children by expanding SCHIP. We need a strong bipartisan show of support for the bill to demonstrate to Bush just how isolated he is on this issue.

The bill's opponents argue that the current program should merely be extended--but not expanded.

But because of a big increase in uninsured children in the United States, a simple extension of SCHIP would mean more children than ever would go without doctor visits and medications. With nearly 9 million uninsured children in this country now, we should be doing more to reach them, not less.

It's time Bush's allies stood up to him.

As Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) said of a "yes" vote on SCHIP: "It shows that, if [members of Congress] feel strongly about something, they are willing to stand up to the president and tell him."

LaHood is onto something--the American people want Congress to defy Bush. In a recent poll, 64 percent of voters disagreed with the president's decision to veto SCHIP expansion.

They must know something Bush doesn't--the SCHIP program works and is worth expanding.

Thanks to the program, the number of uninsured children of low-income families has dropped by nearly one-third in a decade. But those gains are in peril as the number of uninsured children jumped to 8.7 million in 2006-an increase of 1 million in just two years.

We need SCHIP expansion more than ever before.

Tell your representative today to deny political cover to Bush, and instead cover 4 million uninsured children:

SCHIP--House Vote - Take Action Page

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Your Congressperson


Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Fight for Children, Not Bush

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

The time is now for Congress to deliver legislation to the president to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

I urge you to support the final SCHIP reauthorization bill to bring coverage to at least 4 million more uninsured children. The legislation needs strong, bipartisan support to bypass the Bush veto threat.

A mere extension of the program is insufficient--it will leave millions of eligible children without coverage.

Congress must stand with children, not the president, and support a strong SCHIP bill that gets children the health care they need.

Sincerely,

JOYCE FOREMAN

Weekly Thought

It is amazing what can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Jena Louisiana

I am sorry that I could not be in Jena Louisiana for the march that took place on yesterday, but I am glad there was such a strong showing from Dallas and that Pastor Tyrone Gordon journeyed to Jena with four buses from St. Luke. It was especially good to see so many young people taking the trip with their parents or other people who experienced racial segregation. Too often our young people think that they have all of the answers and haven't even begun to understand the problems that permeates throughout our community and this country.

I did attend the service at my church, St. Luke "Community" United Methodist on Wednesday evening and had the opportunity to pray for the Jena 6, all of the people of Jena Louisiana and the people making the trip. One person that I spoke with was Alva Baker who had her two children with her at the rally and she informed me that that would be taking the trip with her.

Many are asking what did this march accomplish? What will happen now? If they will only stop and think about their questions and understand the significance of bringing black people together from all over this country to say that we are not going to take the unfair justice system anymore. We are putting this country on notice that "Injustice anywhere,is injustice everywhere".

Be clear that I do not believe that just black people believe that the incident in Jena Louisiana was wrong, I believe that people of good will, no matter their race, can clearly understand the unfair justice system and the negative light that has been place on the "Jena 6".

This was a good start to raising the awareness.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Weekly Thought

If no one heeds your call, go forth alone.

Recommended fine for TXU

The PUC (Public Utility Commission) staff has decided that the original fine of $210 million for allegedly manipulating the wholesale power market should be cut to $172 million. No matter which amount, it still represent the highest penalty that the commission has ever levied against a company.

TXU denies any wrongdoing,but the customer has to bear the brunt of this move (higher prices). It is believed that TXU abused its position by offering its energy into the market at prices well in excess of its marginal cost.


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O.J. Simpson

Why does the media spend so much valuable time and so many resources on this one individual? It appears that the media just can't forget that he was found not guilty of murder.

I personally do not care what strange twist his life takes. I am more concerned about what is happening to the poor people in this country like the homeless,
the children,the downtrodden and the elderly. The government(federal,
state and local)are completely missing the boat on many of the issues that affect our lives on a daily basis.

Media please focus on the issues that can make positive change in the lives of all Americans.

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Monday, September 17, 2007

The Black Community

Who makes up the black community? Are only elected or appointed officials the representatives of the black community? Who's on the outside looking in? Who holds the elected and appointed officials accountable? Does someone under 30 have the answer to all the problems in our community? Who decides the black leadership?

All questions that are not answered in the community today. While it is clear that we have new leadership, only time will tell if it is in the best interest of our community.


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Dallas Achieves

There are 9 board members that are elected by the citizens of Dallas to be on The Dallas Independent School District's board. They are the only body that has a vote on the school district's budget and to make policy decisions for the school district. Why is it that we are to believe that the elected officials should give over their authority to a group who are not accountable to the citizens? Trustee's keep asking questions because you will be held accountable.


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Friday, September 14, 2007

Dwaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway Takes Credit For Oak Cliff Drug Houses BeingTorn Down

There is no possible way a person that has been elected only 3 months to the city council can be responsible for the drug houses coming down. If that was the case, we would have drug houses being destroyed daily in all of the council districts. It's all one big show. Don't be misled.

Race Does Matter

Jena case reminds us that there are still remnants of the racial struggles for blacks in America.

Dwaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway

It is so good to know that Dallas citizens are not falling for the hype that is being written on different blogs about Dwaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway. There are some that would try to make you believe that he is doing good work for the community with his short tenure in office (since June). They would also like for you to believe that the entire black community is 100% behind him (not true). Just check out some of these blogs and you will see where some of the problems are in our community, "It is not about the money, but it is all about the money."

Sharon Boyd seems to believe that she has to have a positive comment about Dwaine/Dwayne/Dewayne Caraway when ever Rufus Shaw or Michael Davis writes something about him on the blogs. While I respect her right to comment, it can not sway the black community's thoughts and ideas about this person. For years I was not a supporter of Sharon Boyd's, but I have found her to be more open than before.

The community is watching this new council and the jury is still out on who is good or bad.


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Thursday, September 13, 2007

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert Urges Citizen to Wrap it Up

When citizens come to speak at the City Council, Mayor Leppert should allow them to speak within the timeframe that is allowed.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Six accused of torture

In Big Creek,West Virginia a young black woman was held captive in a mobile home, forced to eat animal waste, stabbed, choked and repeatedly sexually abuses - all while being peppered with racial slur.

Deputies acting on an anonymous tip in the rural hills found the woman who limped toward the door and uttered "Help me." Six people, all white, including a mother and son and a mother and daughter, have been arrested and could face federal hate crime charges.

Some say race is not a factor!!!!!

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The first five inductees of Abolition Hall of Fame

The first five people to be inducted into the National Abolition Hall of Fame, chosen by a panel of 33 abolition scholars and historians.

-Frederick Douglass, born a slave in Maryland, became internationally known as a respected speaker and writer, owned The North Star newspaper in Rochester, N.Y.

-William Lloyd Garrison, led the moral crusade for abolition of slavery, published The Liberator, an abolition newspaper from 1831 to 1866, established the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833.

-Lucretia Mott, a Quaker who organized anti-slavery groups, and was a tireless reformer for women’s rights.

-Gerrit Smith, led the political crusade for abolition of slavery, sent agents South to purchase freedom for families, established manual labor schools for young black males, gave away 130,000 acres to black male Americans.

-Harriet Tubman, called “the Moses of her people,’’ led more than 300 slaves to freedom on the
Underground Railroad during the Civil War.

SOURCE: Abolition Hall of Fame Committee

Dallas City Council Committees

The Dallas City Council Committees were announced yesterday. The committees are where most of the work gets done, since the new ideas are often introduced via committee and then moved for discussion and vote amongst the entire City Council. What happened to senior council member Angela Hunt being the chair of a committee? At looks like the new mayor is showing us what to expect for the next four years. If you do not agree with him, you will be punished.

Councilwoman Vonciel Jones Hill is a member of Finance and Audit, Transportation and Environmental and Housing committees. She is the Vice Chair of the Quality of Life Committee and she will serve the community well on these committees..

Finance, Audit & Accounting Committee:Mitchell Rasansky (chair), Jerry Allen (vice-chair), Dr. Elba Garcia, Vonciel Hill, Angela Hunt, Ron Natinsky, Dave Neumann

Public Safety Committee:Dr. Elba Garcia (chair), Dwaine Caraway (vice-chair), Jerry Allen, Tennell Atkins, Sheffie Kadane, Ron Natinsky, Dave Neumann, Mitchell Rasansky

Transportation and Environment Committee:Linda Koop (chair), Sheffie Kadane (vice-chair), Jerry Allen, Carolyn Davis, Vonciel Hill, Angela Hunt, Pauline Medrano, Ron Natinsky

Economic Development Committee:Ron Natinsky (chair), Tennell Atkins (vice-chair), Jerry Allen, Dwaine Caraway, Sheffie Kadane, Linda Koop, Mitchell Rasansky, Steve Salazar

Housing Committee:Steve Salazar (chair), Carolyn Davis (vice-chair), Tennell Atkins, Dr. Elba Garcia, Vonciel Hill, Angela Hunt, Linda Koop, Pauline Medrano

Quality of Life and Government Services Committee:Pauline Medrano (chair), Vonciel Hill (vice-chair), Carolyn Davis, Angela Hunt, Sheffie Kadane, Dave Neumann, Steve Salazar

Trinity River Project Committee:Dave Neumann (chair), Dr. Elba Garcia (vice-chair), Dwaine Caraway, Carolyn Davis, Linda Koop, Pauline Medrano, Mitchell Rasansky, Steve Salazar

Mayor’s Task Force on Southern Sector Economic Opportunities:Tennell Atkins (chair), Ron Natinsky (vice-chair), additional members from other governmental entities and the private sector

Marketing Task Force:Dwaine Caraway (chair), additional members from the council and the community.