BARBER WINS RIGHT TO TAKE
PART IN MAY 1 TEACHER’S RALLY
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
When thousands of public school teachers from across North Carolina come back to Raleigh on May 1stto protest poor working conditions at the NC legislature, the Rev. Dr. William Barber will be there with them.
Thanks to a district court ruling last week, Rev. Barber, former president of the NC NAACP, and currently co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival, once again legally has the right, as any North Carolina citizen, to walk into the NC General Assembly Building, and exercise his First Amendment right of Freedom of Speech, something Republican legislative leaders attempted to prohibit when they banned him from the property in recent years.
“It was a great victory for the people,” Dr. Barber said by phone Saturday from Chicago. “My lawyers have been fighting …and the judge said [to the legislature], ‘You can’t do that. You can’t profile somebody, keep them out of a place when they haven’t done anything violent and have the presumption of innocence.’ And the state admitted that they were doing this specifically to me, which is unconstitutional.”
So why is Dr. Barber participating in the May 1stteachers’ rally?
“The same people who vote against teachers, are the same who block health care, living wages, labor rights and voting rights.”
But most people may not realize that Dr. Barber’s parents were also educators who came back to North Carolina in the 1960’s to help desegregate public schools.
“It’s a shame and a disgrace to see the level of high poverty, re-segregated schools today in our state,” Dr. Barber continued. “It’s a shame and a disgrace the way we underpay teachers, but we overpay everyone else. We still accept high poverty schools; we’re still not abiding by court decisions that said that North Carolina was in violation of its own Constitution by not properly funding all of our schools.”
“So we have a lot of work to do,” Dr. Barber continued. “We have a legislature that, since they’ve been in office, has cut over a billion dollars in public education, lowering, North Carolina’s standing in the whole country as it relates to high poverty schools and per pupil spending. “If we’re not there, we’re almost below Mississippi, and that is shameful in a state with so much potential and possibilities.”
“So I’m going there to stand with teachers who are demanding, not only raises, but demanding investment in public education, because to invest in a public education is to invest in a better economy, the growth of our people, human capital, and literally invest in our future.”
Dr. Barber continued, “So we’re fighting for education, fairness and justice – some of the critical issues we’re fighting for today.”
Indeed, the agenda of the North Carolina Association of Educators sponsored march and rally on May 1stis broader than just education issues, public reports say. Living wages, Medicaid expansion, and school voucher spending.
State Senate pro tem president Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) has issued a statement.
“This strike is not about education,” Berger stated. “It is a strike organized by partisan activists with the express intent of eliminating Republicans from the North Carolina General Assembly, and it is at the expense of children who should be in the classroom learning.”
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JAMES ALLEN VERONBECK
TYRIQUE HUDSON
THOUSANDS SIGN PETITION TO OUST JUDGE
AFTER MURDER OF NC A&T GRADUATE
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
As of Monday evening, over 11,000 people signed a Change.org petition (https://www.change.org/p/state-of-maryland-removal-of-arundel-county-judge-who-denied-the-restraining-order-for-tyrique-tj-hudson) calling for the removal of an Arundel County judge some say is responsible for the death of a N.C. A&T graduate.
That grad, Tyrique Hudson, 22 of Wilson, was fatally shot on the morning of Monday, April 15th, just outside of his apartment in Glen Burnie, Maryland, allegedly by a white, and authorities say, “deranged” downstairs male neighbor identified as James Allen Veronbeck, 53.
According to published reports, Hudson had felt so threatened by Veronbeck that in February, Hudson went to court petitioning for an order of protection after Veronbeck allegedly threatened his life with a slit-throat “death gesture” with his thumb, adding verbally, “…you knew this day was coming.”
The young man also considered moving, his parents say.
According to Maryland court documents, that order of protection was denied by District Court Judge Devy Patterson Russell, saying that Hudson ‘…could not meet the burden of proof” needed.
After allegedly killing Hudson, the suspect reportedly ran back into his apartment, and barricaded himself inside for ten hours as authorities tried to take Veronbeck into custody. During the course of the standoff, Hudson laid lifeless on the outside stairwell because police could not reach him before securing his alleged murderer.
Veronbeck has been charged with first and second-degree murder, and first and second degree assault, using a firearm in a violent felony and reckless endangerment.
Veronbeck reportedly has a long history of violence-and-gun-associated arrests dating back to 1996, according to court records.
“The family and friends of Tyrique Hudson are calling for the removal, permanent suspension, or forced retirement of District Court Judge Devy Patterson Russell.,” the Change.org petition states. ”She failed to complete her duties of a district court judge and failed to protect the innocent, leaving a man dead. “
The petition later continues, ‘The courts should not trust that she has the citizens’ best interest at heart. We question if this had been the other way around would a request for protection have been granted. If Hudson was a white man requesting protection, would he still be alive.”
The petition goes on to call for an investigation into Judge Russell’s record to determine if there is a pattern of order of protection denials based on race.
Hudson (or “T.J.” as he was better known), graduated N.C. A&T University in May 2018, and as a quiet, well-mannered young man, and talented software engineer with a very promising future, his friends and family say. He had moved to Maryland after graduation to work for a technology company there, and was doing very well.
His parents – Tyrone Hudson and Tonya Burch – remember their son as loving, caring and committed to church.
“This is a different kind of hurt no parent wants,” Ms Burch told The Wilson Times.“He is my one and only child. He has always been my heart and joy.”
“He was just overall a very gifted, unique child."
Hudson’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday, April 27thin Wilson.
Judge Russell is reportedly on “temporary assignment” as the Maryland Court of Appeals considers an unrelated complaint seeking her suspension from the bench.
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COMMUNITY OUTRAGE OVER AG’S
BRANDON WEBSTER KILLING DECISION
By Cash Michaels
Staff writer
There is outrage in Brunswick County and beyond, after state Attorney General Josh Stein announced on April 12ththat excessive force was not used by a state trooper who fatally shot Brandon Webster, an unarmed African-American man, in front of the Civietown Mini-Mart in Shalotte on New Year’s Day.
Webster, 28, was killed by state Trooper Scott Collins as the black man drove his truck out of the parking lot of the mini-mart. Seriously wounded, Webster later ended up at Norvant Health Brunswick Medical Center, where he died.
“Based on the video, audio, and witness statements, we have determined that a reasonable officer in this situation would have reasonably believed that the truck, rapidly accelerating toward him, posed an imminent threat of deadly physical force,” state Attorney General Josh Stein said in the statement after a State Bureau of Investigation probe. “As a result, Trooper Collins’ use of force was not excessive under the circumstances.”
But none of Webster’s family or friends, or local community leaders, are buying that, and say the killing of unarmed black men, women and children by law enforcement officers must end.
“I’m not sure what [surveillance] tape [investigators] were watching,” quipped Carl Parker, president of the Brunswick County Chapter of the NAACP, saying that he saw no reason for Trooper Collins to have drawn his weapon and fire.
“Brandon was not trying to run over the state trooper. The trooper was never in any danger, but the trooper got out of his car with his gun in his hand with the intent…to kill!”
Parker, who told The Journalthat he will be issuing an official statement about the AG’s decision shortly, charged that Trooper Collins “…put Brandon in a state of fear.”
Other community leaders, like Rhonda Sekhmet Ra, Congressional District 7 Chair for the National Black Leadership Caucus, called AG Stein’s decision “Extremely disappointing…,” adding that even though the caucus was well aware of the many unpunished police shootings of unarmed African-American men across the country, “…we did hope for a different response in this case.”
“But it just motivates us to continue seeking other options for what we can do to make sure [Brandon] gets justice,” she said.
One of those options may be for Webster’s family, who were not available for comment at press time, to file a civil suit against the trooper, the NC Highway Patrol, and the state of North Carolina.
The family’s attorney, Ira Braswell, did not return a call for comment by press time, but Sonya Patrick, New Hanover County Representative for the National Black Leadership Caucus agrees that justice should not end with AG Stein’s pronouncement, and further legal options should be pursued.
“We need to hold them accountable,” Ms. Patrick insisted, adding that AG Stein will be up for re-election in 2020, and the African-American community should remember his decision in the Webster case.
There will be a community “Rally for Brandon” Friday, 5 p.m., Mulberry Park, 123 Mulberry Street in Shalotte, sponsored by the National Black Leadership Caucus, to continue to seek justice for Brandon Webster.
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 04-25-19
EXPECT MORE BIG HURRICANES, NEW INSRANCE REPORT SAYS
[RALEIGH] In the coming years, North Carolina can expect more “huge, wet, slow” major storms like hurricanes Floyd, Matthew and Florence, thanks to climate change, and the state can expect them more frequently, and for them to be even more damaging. That’s the future projection of a new report, out this week, from Zurich North America, a risk management and insurance company. The report goes on to state that state and local governments are ill-prepared to deal with future large storms, because they’re not devoting the resources needed to study the impact of past hurricanes for better preparation.
EARLY VOTING BEGINS IN 9THDISTRICT PRIMARY FOR REPUBLICANS
[BLADEN COUNTY] As of Wednesday, primary voters in the controversial Ninth Congressional District began casting early voting ballots for the ten Republican candidates vying to face Democrat Dan McCready Nov. 5 in the followup race to the controversial 2018 midterm contest that was marred by what the state Board of Elections later ruled were absentee ballot irregularities in Bladen County. The Ninth District stretches from Charlotte to Bladen County. Republican Mark Harris originally unofficially won the 2018 contest, until the SBOE overturned his tainted victory, based on absentee ballot fraud. The primary is May 14th. The winner must garner at least 30 percent of the vote, to stave off Sept. 5thrunoff.
NEW BIPARTISAN HOUSE BILL WOULD ADDRESS ABSENTEE BALLOT FRAUD
[RALEIGH] A new bipartisan measure introduced in the state House would, if passed, allow the State Board of Elections to hire hew investigators and data analysts, and also make it illegal to pay people for completed absentee ballot request forms. State Rep. Cynthia Ball [D-Wake] is the primary cosponsor of HB 944, along with Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett), Rep. Harry Warren (R-Rowan) and Rep. Alison Dahle (D-Wake). The bill is one of several addressing problems associated with the Ninth District absentee ballot scam.
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