Calls for solving rap murder mount
NEW YORK - An arrest may be forthcoming, possibly as early as this week, in the Oct. 30 shooting death of popular rapper Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, 37, who was gunned down in a recording studio in Queens, New York, according to a source close to the investigation. Police officials said Mr. Mizell, one third of the rap team...
100th innocent death row inmate speaks
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com)–As the world watches America play tug-of-war with the alleged sniper suspects over who has the toughest laws and which state is more likely to execute, death penalty opponents remind the country that the number of men who finally walk free from death row after being wrongfully convicted are adding up. Ray Krone is the 100th innocent...
U.S. dollars bought UN vote on Iraq
UNITED NATIONS (IPS)–The unanimous vote in the UN Security Council supporting the U.S. resolution on weapons inspections in Iraq was a demonstration of Washington’s ability to wield its vast political and economic power, say observers. "Only a superpower like the United States could have pulled off a coup like this,’’ said an Asian diplomat. News Analysis The unanimous...
Protestors rally for 911 health protection
NEW YORK (FinalCall.com)–Simultaneous protests Oct. 30 at Gov. George Pataki’s mansion in Albany and at his Manhattan office called for a massive expansion of the New York state- sponsored Family Health Plus Program and for a medical program to study and treat victims of September 11, 2001, who were affected by the toxic air that occurred in the wake...
Changing the face of hip hop
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com)–From music to fashion to voter registration, hip hop has become the major means for influencing youth worldwide. Community organizers now want to use the music culture to guide youth to better behavior. "It makes perfect sense that hip hop serve as a contextual backdrop to encourage healthy lifestyles and academic excellence among America’s youth, especially when we...
Haiti crisis erupts on U.S. shores
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com)–Racial discrimination against Haitian refugees who reach this country and political resentment of that country’s president may be the reason 200 Haitians, including women and children, will remain in detention as long as a year, until deportation hearings can be held for them. The arrival of the latest influx of Haitians was broadcast live on national television Oct....
D.C. seeks to slam door on prison recidivism
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com)–For most of the more than 600,000 men and women who were released from prison last year, transitioning back into the community is a losing battle against drugs, unemployment, homelessness and returning to a life of crime. The nation’s capital is offering their ex-offenders’ weapons to win that war. The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) Re-entry...
Activist Sonny Carson celebrated
NEW YORK (FinalCall.com)–Hundreds of friends and associates gathered Oct. 24 in the basement of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration business complex to celebrate the life of activist Sonny Carson. A native of Brooklyn, he was honored by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz with a proclamation naming the day "Sonny Carson Day." The who’s who of New York City’s political and activist...
Business of war benefits private firms
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com)– "Amid the global military downsizing and increasing number of small conflicts that followed the end of the Cold War, governments have turned increasingly to private military companies–a recently coined euphemism for mercenaries–to intervene on their behalf around the globe. These companies provide services traditionally carried out by a national military force—such as military training, logistics and combat–but...
Michelle Y. Muhammad, Final Call entertainment writer
CHICAGO–Final Call entertainment writer Michelle Y. Muhammad returned to Allah Oct. 31 after a bout of pneumonia. She was 33. Sis. Michelle was blossoming as an up-and-coming writer and photographer of the entertainment industry at the time of her death. Her weekly contributions to The Final Call newspaper under the titles "The Queen’s Scene," "Spotlight" and "Rewind to a Moment...