Apollo Celebrating it's 75th: Has a great history*

January 27, 2009...11:19 p01
Apollo’s 75th Anniversary Kick-off it 75th!!




THE RESURGENCE OF THE 125TH STREET STRIP HAS BEEN
PEGGED TO THE RE-OPENING OF THE APOLLO THEATER -- A
HARLEM INSTITUTION THAT CAME TO SYMBOLIZE THE HEYDAY
OF JAZZ AND RELATED AFRICAN AMERICAN ART FORMS FROM
THE MID-1920S THROUGH THE 1950S.

PERCY SUTTON IS THE BIG CITY POLITICIAN, MEDIA MOGUL
AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST WHO BOUGHT THE SHUTTERED
APOLLO IN 1980 AND REFURBISHED IT IN THE OLD STYLE.
ACCORDING TO HIM, THE APOLLO'S INITIAL POPULARITY
AMONG BLACKS WAS DUE TO THE RACISM OF NEW YORK'S
ENTERTAINMENT WORLD DURING THE 1930S AND 40S.

"THE APOLLO THEATER HAS A GREAT HISTORY.
HISTORICALLY, IT WAS THE RESULT OF DISCRIMINATION. IT
WAS, TOGETHER WITH THEATERS IN SEVEN OTHER CITIES,
THE PLACE WHERE BLACK ENTERTAINERS COULD GO AND HONE
THEIR TALENTS AND WHERE BLACK PEOPLE COULD COME.
BLACKS COULDN'T GO INTO WHITE THEATERS. THEY HAD TO
GO INTO BLACK THEATERS. ** BLACK PERFORMERS COULDN'T
GO INTO WHITE THEATERS. THEY HAD TO GO IN BLACK
THEATERS."

ALL THE BLACK JAZZ GREATS, FROM BILLIE HOLIDAY TO
LOUIS ARMSTRONG, AND FROM DUKE ELLINGTON AND COUNT
BASIE TO THE GREAT LIONEL HAMPTON REGULARLY "PLAYED
THE APOLLO" AND CONTRIBUTED TO ITS FAME.

"IT WAS SO POWERFUL. IT WAS LIKE A BOMBSHELL! IT WAS
SO POWERFUL, THE WHOLE WORLD KNEW ABOUT IT... IT WAS
JUST SOMETHING THAT HAD TO HAPPEN. GOD WANTED IT
THAT WAY!"

THAT'S LIONEL HAMPTON HIMSELF. THE LEGENDARY "SWING
ERA" MUSICIAN WHO FIRST MADE THE VIBRAPHONE FAMOUS AS
A JAZZ INSTRUMENT IS NOW 89 YEARS OLD. STILL, HE
EASILY RECALLS WHEN THE APOLLO THEATER WAS GROUND
ZERO FOR HARLEM AND HARLEM WAS "GROUND ZERO" FOR
JAZZ.

"... WE HAD TO DO TEN SHOWS A DAY. BOY, I'M TELLING
YOU PEOPLE LINING UP AROUND SEVENTH AVENUE ONE WAY,
AROUND EIGHTH AVENUE THE OTHER [WAY]. AND THE CROWD
WOULD MEET ON 126TH STREET BEHIND THE APOLLO THEATER
AT THE BACK DOOR. THE CROWD WAS SO TREMENDOUS! IT WAS
JUST JOY ALL THE WAY."

THESE DAYS, IT IS RAP AND HIP-HOP, NOT JAZZ THAT
YOU HEAR ON THE STREET AND IN THE CONCERT HALLS OF
HARLEM. RAP AND HIP-HOP MUSIC LIKE THIS ARE CERTAINLY
THE MAINSTAY FEATURES OF ANOTHER VENERABLE APOLLO
TRADITION: "AMATEUR NIGHT" CONTESTS.

EVERY WEDNESDAY AT SEVEN SHARP, UNKNOWN LOCALS -- AND
THE OCCASIONAL FOREIGNER -- TAKE TO THE STAGE TO TRY
TO PLEASE THE FAMOUSLY TOUGH CROWD, HOPING FOR A
BREAK. *** MS. GRACE BLAKE OF THE APOLLO THEATER
FOUNDATION, SAYS THAT THE PERFORMERS LOVE TO STRUT
THEIR STUFF BEFORE THEIR PEERS.

"THEY ALL THINK THEY ARE GOING TO BE THE NEXT STAR OF
TOMORROW. LIKE MICHAEL JACKSON, HE PLAYED THE APOLLO
AT ONE TIME. AND LUTHER VAN DROSS. HE WAS BOOED OFF
OF HERE ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE TIMES. SO THERE IS HOPE.
THERE ARE KIDS FROM GERMANY AND JAPAN AND ALL OVER
THE WORLD WHO FEEL THAT IF THEY CAN MAKE IT ON THE
APOLLO STAGE, THEY CAN MAKE IT ANYWHERE. "

DURING AMATEUR NIGHT, THE AUDIENCE IS THE JUDGE, AND
CONTESTANTS ARE RANKED ACCORDING TO THE APPLAUSE AT
THE END OF THE SHOW. UNLIKE THE ETIQUETTE AT THE MORE
STAID VENUES DOWNTOWN, THE MOSTLY TEENAGE APOLLO
AUDIENCE IS ENCOURAGED TO CHEER OR BOO AS LOUD AS IT
LIKES. STILL, MS. BLAKE SAYS SHE SOMETIMES FEELS FOR
THE HOPEFULS WHO COME ONSTAGE TO SING ONLY TO BE
SUMMARILY USHERED OFF IN A PANDEMONIUM OF LIGHTS AND
SOUND BY THE APOLLO'S RESIDENT CLOWN, C-P -- FOR
"CROWD-PLEASER" -- LACEY.

"BECAUSE IT'S TOUGH! YOU COME AND YOU PREPARE AND YOU
PREPARE AND AFTER ABOUT THE THIRD NOTE IT'S
'ZOOOMMMM!' HERE COMES THE C-P LACEY TO TAKE YOU OFF
THE STAGE. C-P LACEY HE'S THE EXECUTIONER."

FOR AUDIENCE MEMBERS LIKE MERLINE AND HER PALS FROM
QUEENS, THE CLOWN IN THE MUTLI-COLORED WIG IS AN
ESSENTIAL PART OF THE DRAMA. BUT THERE ARE OTHER
REASONS FOR GOING TOO.

"Q: WHY'D YOU COME HERE TONIGHT? A: TO SEE AMATEURS.
Q: WHAT'S THE DRAW? A: BOOING PEOPLE. AND TO SEE WHO
GOT TALENT... GIVES PEOPLE A CHANCE TO START A
CAREER. Q: DID YOU EVER BOO ANYONE THAT EVERYONE ELSE
LIKED OR VICE VERSA? A: YEAH. YEAH YEAH. YEAH!"

NOT EVERYONE LOSES OF COURSE. ON THIS WEDNESDAY,
AMATEUR NIGHT FIRST PRIZE WENT TO A TEENAGE GIRL IN
RADIANT WHITE WHO SANG A SOULFUL SONG THAT PLEASED
THE CROWD. PERHAPS SHE WILL WIN THE SEMI-FINALS AND
GO ON TO FAME AS NINA SIMONE, ELLA FITZGERALD, GLADYS
KNIGHT, THE INK SPOTS AND NUMEROUS OTHER AMATEUR
NIGHT WINNERS HAVE DONE BEFORE HER.

BUT WINNING IS NOT THE MAIN POINT FOR BILLY MITCHELL,
AN ENTERTAINER WHO DOES DOUBLE DUTY GIVING TOURS TO
THE MANY VISITORS WHO COME TO THE THEATER HOPING FOR
A PIECE OF HARLEM HISTORY. FOR HIM, THE APOLLO'S
ILLUSTRIOUS PAST IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THIS YEAR'S
AMATEURS -- OR NEXT YEAR'S SUPERSTARS.

"... THERE IS A LOT OF TIMES AFTER THE CONCERTS, I
WILL GO INTO THE THEATER, THERE IS NO ONE HERE AND I
WILL SIT THERE AND I CLOSE MY EYES AND TAKE IN THE SPIRITS
OF ALL OUR ANCESTORS WHO HAVE PERFORMED HERE. ** I FEEL
THEIR PRESENCE. SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SAY 'BILLY! WHAT
ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?' BUT I AM TAKING IT IN. WHEN
YOU HAVE A LOVE FOR A PLACE.... THERE IS NO OTHER
PLACE I WANT TO WORK EXCEPT FOR THE APOLLO THEATER. I
REALLY, REALLY LOVE IT HERE."




SPECIAL EDITION: 75th ANNIVERSARY AMATEUR NIGHT BIRTH DAY PARTY


To kick off its 75th Anniversary Season, the world famous Apollo Theater will present a special anniversary edition of its popular signature show, Apollo Amateur Night, on Wednesday January 28, 2009 at 7:30pm. In a salute to the community who has kept the Theater going for the last 75 years, tickets will be only $7.50 for the first 750 people who purchase tickets for the January 28 performance. Considering this Amateur Night, “the official birthday party” for the iconic Theater, producers have pulled out all the stops for this show. Hosted by KISS-FM Morning Show personality Talent, the evening will include a very special performance from Harlem native and super producer/rapper Ron Browz performing his monster hit “Pop Champagne” and his latest single “Jumpin’ Out the Window.” There will also be a cake and cupcakes, (provided by Harlem bakery Make My Cake), prizes, giveaways, a very unique rendition of Happy Birthday, and a chance for people to write messages to the Apollo. Tickets are available at The Apollo Theater Box Office- (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street. Ticketmaster at (212) 307-7171 or www.ticketmaster.com/venue/6 .


About Amateur Night
From its notoriously tough audience to the magic of the Tree of Hope, the Apollo Amateur Night story is the stuff that legends are made of–literally. Amateur Night has been the launching pad for countless world-class artists across generations and genres, including Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five and Lauryn Hill. Long before Ted Mack and the Amateur Hour and American Idol, the Apollo’s Amateur Night was, and continues to be, a primary source for discovering new talent and spotlighting up-and-coming artists, all hoping that the hallowed stage and the approval of the infamous audience will launch their careers in the entertainment world.

Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has played a major role in the emergence of innovative musical genres including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul and hip-hop. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, D’Angelo, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollo’s stage. Based on its cultural significance and architecture, the Apollo Theater received state and city landmark designation in 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

About the Apollo Theater
Celebrating its 75th Anniversary Season in 2009-10, the Apollo Theater is one of Harlem’s, New York City’s, and America’s most iconic and enduring cultural institutions. The Apollo was one of the first theaters in New York—and the country—to integrate, welcoming traditionally African-American, Hispanic, and local immigrant populations, and headlining uniquely talented entertainers who found it difficult to gain entrance to other venues of similar size and resources. For that reason, the Apollo has been a pioneer in presenting the cultural contributions of black and Latino communities and has played a central role in the development of American music into the 21st century.

The Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., was established as a nonprofit, charitable organization in 1991 and is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Apollo Theater. The Foundation brought stability to the Theater’s operations and focused its efforts on reinvigorating the Apollo legend. Recently, the Apollo has roughly tripled its operating budget, full-time staff, annual audience, and weekly programs. In January 2008 the Apollo announced a series of initiatives leading up to its 75th Anniversary Season in 2009-10, including an archive of historic documents, photographs, audio and video recordings, artifacts, and other memorabilia and ephemera as part of its ongoing mission of preserving and making available its legacy.

The Apollo’s mission is to honor the influence and advance the contributions of African-American artists and advance emerging creative voices across cultures and artistic media through the Apollo experience of world-class live performances and educational programs. The Apollo reigns as one of New York City’s premiere uptown attractions and is the cultural anchor of the current reinvigoration of the 125th Street corridor.

For more information, visit www.apollotheater.org.

http://harlemworldblog.wordpress.com/2009/01/27/apollo%E2%80%99s-75th-anniversary-kick-off/

Black Mayor step down over racism*

Charles Tyson, two-term mayor of South Harrison Twp.
S. Harrison mayor steps down over racism
By Jan Hefler
Inquirer Staff Writer:

Charles Tyson has decided not to serve a third term as mayor of South Harrison Township, saying he and his family have endured death threats and racist vandalism since he became the town's first black mayor two years ago.
At a township reorganization meeting on Monday, the 66-year-old Tyson declined a nomination to continue serving as mayor but agreed to be deputy mayor. The five committee members in the Gloucester County community fill the leadership positions each year from within their ranks.
Tyson said he stepped aside "because of the threats and the personal attacks, and the fact that I don't want to put my family, my wife, and my wife's family through this."
"It's time. I'll continue to serve the residents, but not as mayor," he said.
Soon after Tyson, a retired computer technician, was elected mayor in this rural community of 2,700, he said he received a dozen phone calls and several e-mails warning he was being watched and labeling him a dead man, using a racist epithet.
No arrests were made, and investigators said the caller or callers in 2007 used untraceable disposable phones. His tires were also slashed and his lawn sign was defaced with "KKK."
Last month, a member of a neo-Nazi organization from Virginia was indicted on charges he made several threatening calls last year to Tyson and other African Americans. Tyson, a lifelong resident and a grandfather, said he had never experienced racism in the town before he held the top job.
"It's not that the whole town is racist. It's just that a certain group of people in the town were trying to get to me," Tyson said.
In recent months, the town has been embarrassed by nasty political fights and racial tensions that spilled into meetings attended by nearly 100 people. Charges and counter-charges have been filed in municipal court against several officials and a police officer.
In two separate incidents, Tyson has accused Patrolman Nicholas Barbetta and newly elected Committeeman Bob Diaz, the lone Republican on the committee, of harassing him.
Diaz and Barbetta have denied the charges.
At Monday's meeting, the committee elected Robert Campbell as mayor and Tyson as deputy mayor. Campbell, who is white, last month expressed concerns about racism in the town and said that he and other officials were committed to stopping it.
Some residents said he was wrong. They said the real problem in the town is political, not racial, and that Campbell was playing the race card to advance an agenda and deflect criticism.
"Everything that's gone wrong has been racially motivated?" Michelle McCall asked at a Dec. 10 meeting after Campbell said many of the recent controversies have racial overtones.
McCall, the wife of former Mayor Jim McCall, said the accusation was unfounded. "You have a lot of people very upset," she said.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20090107_S__Harrison_mayor_steps_down_over_racism.html?imageId=14030749

First Black President... John Hanson In 1781

First Black President, John Hanson 3rd President of the United States in Congress Assembled email: info@PresidentJohnHanson.com

I am Alex'ander Wilson founder of The Investigations Unit (PH: 1-813-398-2790). Chat Live With Alexander
Congrats to our new President-Elect Barack H. Obama the first biracial African-American to reach this status under the United States Constitution. We should all be proud of his/our accomplishment. For those unwilling to accept his achievement please do the following...- Return the reduction in your taxes during his term.- Refuse the funds to send your children to college every six months.- Protest the return of troops from Iraq.- Demand higher premiums on your health care.- Invite Osama Bin Laden to your home. For those of you that are gracious for this turn of events and welcome his leadership... Pray for his safety, leadership quality, wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Although there are those that do not believe what is before them and available to them on the Library of Congress website and would have you believe that John Hanson was a Swedish gentleman. The Library of Congress will inform you otherwise. He Was a Moor. You may visit his portrait, letters to General Washington (prior to George Washington becoming a U.S. President) and letters to the French on http://www.loc.gov/.In life we have options to believe, disbelieve or investigate. I've personally chose the latter thereof, in regards to John Hanson. Throughout my quest for political awareness that far surpasses the limited knowledge to which the media and government agencies afford me, I've found astonishing information. My source for these discoveries begin with the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/). We've been conditioned to believe the presidents of the United States of America began with George Washington, right? Well, here are a few queries for you..
1) Who made Washington President?
2) Who promoted General Washington into political office?
3) What was the governing authority prior to the U.S. Constitution?
4) What type of unifying government was in place during the revolutionary war?
All these queries will be resolved within the confines of these pages. But first allow me to address the obvious... The Moor. This black gentleman is actually John Hanson of Maryland, the portrait was painted of him in honor of his newly appointed office as President of the United States of America under the Articles of Confederation (not the United States Constitution). Furthermore, the photo was taken directly from the Library of Congress website at loc.gov. Contray to poplular belief there were three governments here within the United States.
First: Continential Congress
Second: Articles of Confederation
Third: United States Constitution John Hanson can be found on the rear of your two dollar bill and he also had several famous quotes such as: 1) "No doubt" 2) "Already my knowledge of your Character leads me to anticipate infinite satisfaction." 3) "Any intelligence worth communicating, which first reaches me, shall be related with unreserved freedom, candor & punctuality." 4) "May Heaven still continue to smile on our efforts! "Disbelievers: Geneology experts indicate regardless of the pictures depicted both John Hansons were related. The John Hanson depicted at the bottom of this page is the son of the proud parents listed just above this text, flush left. A Swedish father and Moloto mother.Our Rivals: There are those that would like to believe that the first president was a caucasian John Hanson. Could we be in error regarding the first president? Unlikely. Since both were related one a Moor and the other having a caucasian father and caucasian/black mother, John Hanson was still a black minority. The heated discussion between http://www.presidentjohnhanson.com/ and http://www.johnhanson.net/ is very interesting to say the least. Will the other side yeild to the knowledge of John Hanson? Will the other side produce geneological proof that John Hanson was Swedish? Unlikely. Why place the picture of a black man on our two dollar bill if the black gentleman never existed? Why is it that over 95% of researchers agree that John Hanson was black?
If you are interested in additional government coverups please click here. Accomplishments: Visit http://www.biography.com/. ________________________________________________________________________________________________Additional Research Conducted By Dr. Romeo L. Taylor Sr., P.M., D.D., B.B.A.
John Hanson,'The Moor'--First President of theUS
Cover-up--VS--Common Sense
I knew the article about John Hanson, 'The Moor' would be challenged. During the days of enslavement, there were over 30 strong black families in the north. They all had white and black slaves.
"The Hanson family had a habit of repeating names. This John Hanson had a grandfather, an uncle, a nephew and two sons also named John."
This John Hanson was the most powerful and clever politician at that time.
Most websites state, 'John Hanson's great-grandfather died at Lutzen beside the Great King Gustavus Aldolphus I, of Sweden. Researching the history of Sweden, there is no mention of a John Hanson with King Gustavus Aldolphus I.
When you think of Swedish people with their blond hair and blue eyes, you think they are pure blooded Caucaians. This is not true, they have omitted the truth from their history. Gustavus Adolphus IV was a mulatto (see pages 92-93) and called himself a 'Moor'. John Baptiste Bernadottle, a 'colored man' ascended to the throne of Sweden after Gustavus IV as King Charles XIV in 1818.
Cover Up
1. They called John Hanson "the hidden man."
2. His family was one the richest and most powerful families at that time.
3. The State of Maryland wanted to build a memorial to him, but they cannot find his body.

Common Sense
1. Why was he called "the hidden man", a man of such power and whose family was involved with politics?
2. Once again, why can't they find his body or is it a part of a cover-up?
3. Looking at the list of signers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States, you will not see a Hanson listed as a signer. Should we believe that a family as infulential as the Hansons would not be named as a signer oneither of those documents? See www.marshallhall.org/hanson.html .
4. The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. In 1781, John Hanson became the President of the United States, five years after the signing.
My question is who is the black man on the back of the $2.00 bill which is a picture of the signing of the Declaration of Independence? There is a black person in the picture. Someone from the Hanson family was reported as a signer. However, no Hanson is listed among the reported signers. Could this be the Black Hanson? Something is not adding up right.
"Exposed" is dedicated to exposing the truth. If we find facts that disprove what we have previously written, it is our obligation to make corrections. On page 66, we show a picture and we ask the question, "Is this John Hanson?" It has been proven to use that it is not a picture of John Hanson, President of the United States. This is a picture of John Hanson, Senator of Liberia, West Africa.
After the discovery of a Black Man being the first President of the United States, the reporter in his haste to put a picture with the name, used the wrong picture. He was unaware that the process used to make that picture was not invented until the mid 1800's and it had a name of John Hanson, Senator of Liberia on the back.

YES: John Hanson was the 1st Black President. YES: John Hanson was A Moor, AKA Black.YES: John Hanson is located on the back of the $2 Bill. YES: John Hanson paid troops coming out of the Revolutionary War.YES: John Hanson was related to Senator John Hanson. YES: John Hanson as a Moor was exempt from slavery.YES: John Hanson is a debatable subject, in itself. YES: John Hanson is an American Hero. No: John Hanson was not caucasian. No: John Hanson was not John Hancock.No: John Hanson was not a rebel. No: John Hanson was not a slave.No: John Hanson was not simply Swedish. No: John Hanson was not a myth.___________________________________________________________________________________________MOOR MEN WERE EXEMPT FROM SLAVERY... BUT EXACTLY HOW MANY SLAVES WERE THERE?Population of the Original Thirteen Colonies, selected years by type

The World wants Obama as president: poll

Posted Tue Sep 9, 2008 10:50pm AEST

US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama may be struggling to nudge ahead of his Republican rival in polls at home, but people across the world want him in the White House, a BBC poll said.

All 22 countries covered in the poll would prefer to see Senator Obama elected US president ahead of Republican John McCain.

In 17 of the 22 nations, people expect relations between the US and the rest of the world to improve if Senator Obama wins.

More than 22,000 people were questioned by pollster GlobeScan in countries ranging from Australia to India and across Africa, Europe and South America.

The margin in favour of Senator Obama ranged from 9 per cent in India to 82 per cent in Kenya, while an average of 49 per cent across the 22 countries preferred Senator Obama compared with 12 per cent preferring Senator McCain. Some four in 10 did not take a view.

"Large numbers of people around the world clearly like what Barack Obama represents," GlobeScan chairman Doug Miller said.

"Given how negative America's international image is at present, it is quite striking that only one in five think a McCain presidency would improve on the Bush administration's relations with the world."

In the United States, three polls taken since the Republican party convention ended on Thursday (local time) show Senator McCain with a lead of 1 to 4 percentage points - within the margin of error - and two others show the two neck-and-neck.

The countries most optimistic that an Obama presidency would improve relations were America's NATO allies, including Australia (62 per cent).

A similar BBC/Globescan poll conducted ahead of the 2004 U.S presidential election found that, of 35 countries polled, 30 would have preferred to see Democratic nominee John Kerry, rather than the incumbent George Bush, who was elected.

A total of 23,531 people in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, the UAE, Britain and the United States were interviewed face-to-face or by telephone in July and August 2008 for the poll.

Black police 'are spied on' claim

September 22, 2008 -
Senior members of the Met's Black Police Association (BPA) say they are concerned they are being spied on by fellow officers.
Senior members of the Met's Black Police Association (BPA) say they are concerned they are being spied on by fellow officers, the BBC has learnt.

Some are so worried that they are taking counter-surveillance measures, such as having rooms "swept" for bugs.

It is the latest twist in a bitter dispute between the Met and its prominent ethnic minority staff.

A source said the BPA was fighting against attempts by the Met to "crush any challenge" to its authority.

BBC correspondent Barnie Choudhury said the revelation the BPA suspected conversations were being monitored "shows the level of mistrust of the Metropolitan Police by some black and Asian officers."

An unnamed BPA source told the BBC: "There is a constant battle and it's the systematic failure within the organisation. It's an attempt to crush any challenge, any dissent, by black and Asian officers."

Unnecessary comment is not helpful and we have taken the view that less said in public is better

Metropolitan Police spokesman


Civil war within the Met Police

The revelations follow the suspension last week of the president of the National Black Police Association, Commander Ali Dizaei, on allegations of misconduct.

BBC News has been told some prominent members of the Met BPA are now holding secret meetings in undisclosed locations. They have also bought pay-as-you go phones to prevent conversations being tapped and are having their offices swept daily for electronic bugs.

They say it is because of fears following a two-year investigation into Dr Dizaei, the current President of the National Black Police Association.

Surveillance

In 1999 Dr Dizaei was put under surveillance in an investigation codenamed Operation Helios. He was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing in 2003.

Earlier this week, the Met BPA chairman, Alfred John, said: "Dr Dizaei has been the victim of what we believe to be the culmination of a sustained witch hunt."

The Met has responded by re-issuing a previous statement, which said: "We have seen a number of comments over recent weeks from Mr John and we do not recognise his description of what is happening in the Metropolitan Police Service and Metropolitan Police Authority.

"Unnecessary comment is not helpful and we have taken the view that less said in public is better."


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7628044.stm

UF Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of Its Desegregation

George Starke, the first black student to enroll and attend classes at the University of Florida, speaks Wednesday to a crowd of at least 150 people from the steps of Tigert Hall in Gainesville.


The Associated Press

Published: September 17, 2008

Updated: 09/17/2008 03:14 pm

Related Links

Levin College Of Law
GAINESVILLE - Virgil Hawkins never reached the promised land in his attempt to gain admission to the University of Florida law school, but he was honored Wednesday as a trailblazer in the fight to open the school's doors to minority students.

UF's Levin College of Law celebrated the work of Hawkins and other pioneers in its Constitution Day observance Wednesday as it marked the 50th anniversary of integration at Florida's flagship university, where more than 12,000 blacks have graduated as part of his legacy.

Hawkins waged a nine-year legal battle to attend Florida's law school and included five trips to the Florida Supreme Court and four trips through the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hawkins, who died in 1988 at the age of 81, never was able to attend the University of Florida. As part of an agreement to desegregate the state's universities in 1958, Hawkins agreed to withdraw his application to attend the UF Law School.

"Mr. Hawkins fought a battle he never planned to fight," said Harley Herman, a UF law graduate and founder of the Virgil Hawkins Foundation. "Virgil Hawkins never expected to be the Rosa Parks of the state of Florida, nor did he expect his quest for admission to become Fort Sumter in a second civil war."

Hawkins' niece, Harriet Livingston, said her uncle was a trailblazer who suffered so that others could attend public universities.

"We began to see impossibilities turn into possibilities and possibilities turn into realities," she said.

As a result of Hawkins' fight, George Starke became the first black student admitted to the University of Florida's law school on Sept. 15, 1958. A plaque noting his accomplishments was unveiled Wednesday.

Starke discussed being shadowed by two state troopers while attending class, receiving angry phone calls and letters, and being told to be careful because of Ku Klux Klan activities.

U.S. District Judge Stephan Mickle, the first black student to graduate as an undergraduate, and the second to graduate from the law school, noted that his successes were the result of Hawkins and other pioneers who paved the way.

This year, 25.4 percent of the law school students were minority students, with 5.9 percent black; 8.6 percent Asian; 10.6 percent Hispanic, and half of one percent Native Americans. Since Starke was admitted, 850 black students have graduated from the law school.

Hawkins, a teacher at Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, first applied to the UF Law School in 1949. He met all the requirements, except one: He wasn't white.

Even after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 1954 Brown v. Topeka Board of Education that the nation's public schools should be integrated, the Florida Supreme Court still refused to admit Hawkins.

Eventually, the court relented and allowed the state's schools to be integrated with the caveat that Hawkins not be admitted to the UF Law School.

Hawkins, although disappointed, agreed. He moved to Boston, where he obtained a law degree from the New England College of Law.

Hawkins returned to Florida, but his efforts to practice law were thwarted by The Florida Bar, which refused to allow him to take the bar exam, since his degree was from an unaccredited university.

He never gave up his dream of practicing law and in 1976, the state Supreme Court ruled that Hawkins should be admitted to the Bar. He opened his practice at age 70 in Leesburg in Lake County.

Hawkins resigned from the bar in 1985 after a complaint was filed against him alleging incompetence and misuse of client moneys.

"When I get to heaven, I want to be a member of the Florida Bar," he told the Supreme Court.

Hawkins was reinstated to the Bar in 1988 shortly after his death.

R.I.P. Stephanie Tubbs Jones-1st A.A. elected to House Rep. Ohio

By DENNIS HEVESI
Published: August 20, 2008
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first African-American woman elected to the House of Representatives from Ohio and a leader in the fight against predatory lending practices, died Wednesday. She was 58.


Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio in 2005.
Related
The Caucus: Ohio Congresswoman Dies (August 20, 2008)
The cause was a ruptured brain aneurysm that Ms. Tubbs Jones suffered Tuesday, Eileen Sheil, a spokeswoman for the Cleveland Clinic, which owns the Huron Hospital in East Cleveland where the congresswoman died, told The Associated Press.
Ms. Tubbs Jones, a Democrat, was in her fifth term as representative of the 11th Congressional District, which includes most of the east side of Cleveland. Two years ago, she was re-elected with 83 percent of the vote. Before her first election to Congress, in 1998, she had been the chief prosecutor for Cuyahoga County in Ohio.
Considered a liberal, Ms. Tubbs Jones was a co-sponsor of legislative efforts to broaden health care coverage for low- and middle-income people and of programs supporting the re-entry of convicts into their communities. She was also the author of legislation requiring certification for mortgage brokers and stiffer penalties for predatory loans.
In June, Ms. Tubbs Jones voted against emergency supplemental financing for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I feel it important that we have a plan for a timely redeployment of our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan before we continue funding what has become a seemingly endless war,” she said at the time.
When Congress officially ratified President Bush’s re-election in January 2005, Ms. Tubbs Jones joined Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, in initiating a rare challenge to what has historically been a polite formal ceremony. They were objecting to accepting Ohio’s 20 electoral votes for Mr. Bush, citing voting irregularities in the state.
Instead of holding a courteous joint session to certify the election, lawmakers were forced to retreat to their separate chambers for two hours of debate. In the end, the House voted 267 to 31 against the challenge; in the Senate, the vote was 74 to 1.
Stephanie Tubbs was born in Cleveland on Sept. 10, 1949. She graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 1971 and received her law degree there three years later.
From 1976 to 1979, she was an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor. In 1981, she won election as a Cleveland Municipal Court judge, and 10 years later she was appointed chief prosecutor.
As chief prosecutor, Ms. Tubbs Jones was at the center of a controversy in 1998 when she refused to reopen an investigation into the 1954 murder of the wife of Dr. Sam Sheppard, dismissing new DNA evidence that Dr. Sheppard’s supporters said would have exonerated him.
The case had received nationwide coverage in the 1950s. Dr. Sheppard spent 10 years in prison before the Supreme Court ruled that his trial had been prejudiced by publicity. He was acquitted at a second trial, in 1966, and died in 1970. With the new evidence, Dr. Sheppard’s son was seeking to collect damages on behalf of his father. Ms. Tubbs Jones argued that the new DNA results would be inadmissible because the samples were too old.
Ms. Tubbs Jones’s husband of 27 years, Mervyn L. Jones Sr., died in 2003. She is survived by her son, Mervyn II.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/washington/21jones.html?ex=1235016000&en=5fe09d19dd0cf6f0&ei=5087&excamp=GGGNtubbsjones&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_id=GN-S-E-GG-NA-S-tubbs_jones

Obama Promotes Plan for Urban Developement

Obama Promotes Plan For Urban Development
By COREY DADEAugust 25, 2008; Page A4

Barack Obama's campaign plans to relaunch his "urban agenda" Monday in what people close to the strategy say is an effort to assure urban leaders and voters of the Democratic nominee's commitment to cities and minorities without alienating skeptical white voters.
The plan features an increase in the minimum hourly wage, a new White House office focused on metropolitan areas and $60 billion to establish a national bank to finance public-works projects.

The campaign didn't give a total cost for the plan, but the 32-page blueprint that will be released during a meeting of the Democratic Party's African-American caucus includes tens of billions of dollars in annual spending on antipoverty programs, the new federal bank, education efforts and other new initiatives. Obama aides say much of the funding would come from an estimated $200 billion saved from reducing government waste and ending the Iraq war.