Obama heads to Denver for convention
ASKIAMSenior Correspondent Daily Final Call Coverage from the DNC Convention WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - As the Democratic Party heads into its presidential nominating convention in Denver Aug. 25 under the banner of party unity–“One Nation: Americans Coming Together for Change”–the campaign of presumptive nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), appears “flawed” and “weak” in the view of some political scientists because of concessions...
Hip hop pushes a political agenda
CHARLENEM LAS VEGAS (FinalCall.com) - Hundreds of hip hop activists, artists, youth, educators and journalists recently convened the Third Bi-Annual National Hip Hop Political Convention at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada where they presented a 2008 agenda filled with issues they say are glossed over in mainstream politics. The organization formed in 2003 when members of the hip hop generation...
New York ‘Cops gone wild’
Special prosecutor needed to curb NYPD abuses, community leaders argue NEW YORK (FinalCall.com) - Two days after activists and politicians held a press conference to protest “aggressive behavior” by members of the New York City Police Department, a 25-year-old Black man was shot by a police lieutenant while being questioned about an alleged stolen car. The incident happened during the early...
AIDS crisis plagues Blacks, gov’t aid missing
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - When AIDS first hit America in the ’80s as a White, gay disease, there was a massive media campaign to educate and prevent future transmissions. Now that it’s a Black disease, with this community leading in new infections, the Black AIDS Institute believes Blacks have been almost abandoned. In “Left Behind: Black America: a Neglected Priority in...
The census is coming
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - The census is coming, that once every decade event that requires America to count her citizens. Dubbed “Census 2010: A New Portrait of America,” the event approaches amid increased fears, distrust and anxiety in many communities toward government. “We did a better job counting the majority population in 2000 than we did counting minorities,” said Arnold...
After apology, will America repent?
ASKIAM-Senior Correspondent- Words aren’t enough, actions to correct Black America’s condition needed, say reparations advocates WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - A mere 143 years, one month and 10 days after the last official day of slavery in the United States, the U.S. House of Representatives issued an apology to Blacks in this country for the wrongs they and their ancestors suffered under 310...
Realtors to confront mortgage meltdown
(FinalCall.com) - At a time when one in five Black homeowners is projected to lose a residence due to foreclosure, Black realtors will try to help straighten out the U.S. mortgage mess when their trade association convenes for its 61st Annual Convention in Memphis. “The passage of the new housing bill was supposed to help. A lot of...
Policy change gives LAPD chief more power
CHARLENEM LOS ANGELES (FinalCall.com) - The Los Angeles Police Department Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a new policy July 22 that mandates more training for officers involved in deadly use of force incidents and grants the police chief more oversight of when, why and how to discipline officers involved in shootings. LAPD Commander Richard Webb explained during a Commissioner’s Special Meeting...
Respect My Vote goes after out-of-college youth
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - The Hip Hop Caucus brought its message of voter empowerment to the youth of the nation’s capital July 28, with the Respect My Vote campaign targeting 18-to-29-year-olds. “Ninety three percent of young voters outside of college didn’t vote on Super Tuesday. That’s a huge amount of people who didn’t vote,” explained Hip Hop Caucus president Rev....
Will stiff sentences stop body parts sales?
NEW YORK (FinalCall.com) - The mastermind behind a multi-million dollar illegal body parts scheme, Michael Mastromarino, was finally sentenced in late July. He received 54 years behind bars on June 27. His two partners in crime will go to jail for 27 and 20 years, but there is a question on whether these stiff sentences will deter others. Shawn Stradford,...