New York drug laws repealed
(FinalCall.com) - The New York State Rockefeller Drug Laws, which for the past 36 years required mandatory long prison terms of up to 15 years to life for possession or sale of small amounts of drugs, are history. “I have been fighting to overhaul the drug laws and restore judicial discretion in narcotics cases since I began my career...
Poor communities combat military pollutants
CHARLENEM Activists charge environmental racism, and genocide (FinalCall.com) - Dorothy Bradshaw knows devastation. Her father passed away from cancer in late March. Her grandmother passed away after just six months of being diagnosed with an aggressive, rare form of bladder cancer in 1995 and when her grandfather died of the cancer a year later, she recalled a letter sent by a...
Obama appeals for joint action to heal global economic ills
ASKIAMSenior Correspondent WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - Despite being greeted at the G-20 Summit in London by thousands of protestors–some carrying signs reading “Capitalism isn't working,” and calling for world action to eradicate homelessness–President Barack Obama declared the meeting of the leaders of the world's largest economies a success. “Earlier today, we finished a very productive summit that will be, I believe,...
No more money for the bankers say marchers
No more money for the bankers, more help for people, say marchers NEW YORK (FinalCall.com) - For two days protesters representing youth groups, immigrants' rights advocates, anti-war activists, unions, health care workers and the homeless marched around Wall Street, the symbol of America's financial power, to demand a “bail out for the people not the banks.” There was no civil disturbance...
Payday loans squeeze millions in fees
Payday loans squeeze millions in fees from Blacks, Latinos (FinalCall.com) - New research from the Center for Responsible Lending has found payday lenders are nearly eight times more concentrated in California's Black and Latino neighborhoods as compared to White neighborhoods, draining these communities of $247 million in payday loan fees. “Payday lenders contend that they provide access to credit for...
Rights group urges reversal of Patriot Act laws
NEW YORK (FinalCall.com) - One of the nation's leading legal rights groups is calling on Congress to make major changes in the USA Patriot Act to reverse parts of the hurriedly passed law that have been found unconstitutional or have been abused to collect information on innocent people. On Dec. 31, 2009, three provisions of the Patriot Act will...
FBI infiltrates southern California mosques
CHARLENEM LOS ANGELES (FinalCall.com) - The Southern California Muslim community's complaints of harassment and intimidation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations have increased since an informant admitted recently that he infiltrated at least six mosques and tried to incite members to violence against the United States. “People are scared now. They're afraid to go to mosques, afraid to make donations ......
‘Best of times, worst of times’
ASKIAMSenior Correspondent Respected report calls for targeted focus on problems of Black America WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - As the euphoria over the inauguration of the first Black President of the United States has begun to wear off, the National Urban League released its annual report on the overall Black condition March 25. To achieve Black equality in White America “still needs work,” according...
Urban League offers solutions to problems
By Richard MuhammadContributing Editor (FinalCall.com) - The National Urban League's watershed annual report, “The State of Black America 2009: Message to the President,” calls on the president and the society to deal with negative indicators and the continued problem of racial inequality in American life. The March 25 report also offers answers in 12 essays that cover education, health, jobs, and...
Consumers cry ‘foul’ regarding bank fees
(FinalCall.com) - Carolyn Williams was unsure about the exact amount in her bank account when she went shopping. She wasn't really worried because she knew her debit card would only cover costs for the amount of money she had in the bank. Mrs. Williams learned an expensive lesson when she checked her account and discovered that not only...