INSIDE

RAPPIN’Tommy Wyatt

TPATPATPATPATPATEXASPUBLISHERSASSOCIATION

www.TheAustinVillager.com This paper canbe recycled

Vol. 47 No. 20 Phone: 512-476-0082 Email: vil3202@aol.com December 6, 2019

Double minorityno longer

contender for WHSee HARRIS

Page 5

Preeminent awardshow partners

with BET Network.See NAACP

Page 2

Happy 74thAnniversary Mr.

and Mrs. Douglas.See LOVE

Page 3

Report: Racial divide shrinks in US criminal justice system

BY DON THOMPSON | ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2013, file photo, inmates walk through the exercise yard at CaliforniaState Prison Sacramento, near Folsom, Calif. Racial disparities have narrowed across the UnitedStates criminal justice system since 2000, though blacks remain significantly more likely tobe impacted than whites, according to a study released Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, by thenonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice. RICH PEDRONCELLI, FILE AP PHOTO

(SACRAMENTO, CA.) - Racial disparities havenarrowed across the U.S. criminal justice systemover 16 years, though black people are still signifi-cantly more likely to be behind bars than whitepeople, new federal figures show.

Racial gaps broadly declined in local jails, stateprisons, and among people on probation and pa-role, according to the study released Tuesday bythe nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice.

The divide in state imprisonment ratesdropped for all major crimes but was most pro-nounced for drug offenses — a key driving factorfor the racial shift. Black people were 15 times morelikely than white people to be in state prisons fordrug crimes in 2000, but that dropped to five timesas likely by 2016, the most recent year available.

Many don’t realize how much the racial gaphas narrowed, not only in incarceration but in pa-role and probation, said Adam Gelb, president andchief executive of the politically diverse council thatlaunched in July to seek solutions to problems inthe criminal justice system.

“Most people think this is a bad problem that’sgetting worse,” said Gelb, whose group has broughttogether governors of both parties, police officialsand Black Lives Matter organizers. “It turns out it’sa bad problem that’s getting a little better, and forvery complex reasons that we need to understandat a much deeper level.”

Critics contend minorities’ disproportionate in-volvement in the U.S. criminal justice system reflectssystemic racial bias. Researchers have blamed preju-dice by police, prosecutors, judges and juries; racialdifferences in crimes; and get-tough sentencing lawsduring the high crime era of the 1980s and ’90s.

While racial inequity in arrests and incarcera-tions narrowed, the length of prison sentences in-creased across all crime types for black people andpartially offset the benefits, according to the reportco-authored by Georgia State University professorWilliam Sabol, former director of the federal Bu-reau of Justice Statistics.

Among the other findings of the report, whichis based on numbers from the bureau, the FBI andother national statistics:

— African American men were in state pris-

ons at nine times the rate of white inmates in 2000,which dropped to a still disparate six-to-one by2016. The change mostly stemmed from a 30% de-cline in the black male imprisonment rate, largelydriven by falling drug crimes.

— Black women were imprisoned at a rate ofsix for every white inmate in 2000, which fell to two-to-one by 2016. Fewer black women were being in-carcerated for drug crimes, while more whitewomen were imprisoned for violent, property anddrug crimes.

— The disparities between Hispanic peopleand white people also shrank across all categoriessince 2000.

While falling drug crimes had a big impact onracial disparity the shift raises questions the study’sauthors couldn’t answer.

For instance, the start of the study periodcomes after the crack cocaine epidemic waned andafter crime rates dropped from their peak in theearly 1990s.

“Something was going on here well before(marijuana) legalization started to happen in statesand also before the opioid epidemic, which is muchmore recent,” Gelb said. “Drug enforcement pat-terns started to change before both of those things.It’s clear that somewhere along the way, societalattitudes toward drugs and drug enforcementstarted to change.”

The nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of Cali-fornia reported a similar marked drop in the racialdivide in arrest trends since the 1980s in the nation’smost populous state but also found that blackpeople are still far more likely to be arrested thanwhite people.

That’s partly because “there was such stark andeye-catching and disturbing disparity” in the firstplace, said institute researcher Magnus Lofstrom,who was not involved in the national study.

He said the disparity could be influenced bybias, economic factors or police concentrating onhigh crime areas that also have high minority popu-lations. There has been a marked decrease in crimerates and a recent reduction in the severity of pen-alties, particularly for drug and property crimes, instates like California.

Texaslawmaker

endscampaign

over‘Asian’

candidateremarks

By Associated Press(AUSTIN, TX) - A

white Texas Republicanlawmaker who sug-gested his political rivalson the ballot were moti-vated to run against himbecause they’re Asian,dropped his reelectionbid Tuesday following abacklash that includedlosing the endorsementof the state’s GOP gover-nor.

State Rep. RickMiller since 2013 hasrepresented a suburbanHouston district in FortBend County, one of themost diverse counites inthe U.S. He told theHouston Chronicle thatone of his primary oppo-nents, Jacey Jetton, wasrunning against him in2020 “because he is anAsian” and decided“that my district might

need an Asian to win.”“And that’s kind of

racist in my mind, butanyway, that’s not nec-essary, at least not yet,”Miller told the newspa-per.

He went on to sug-gest that a second chal-lenger, Leonard Chan,had similar motivations.

“I don’t know, Inever met the guy. I haveno idea who he is,”

Miller said of Chan. “Hehas not been around Re-publican channels at all,but he’s an Asian.”

Gov. Greg Abbottwithdrew his endorse-ment of Miller after theinterview was published.Hours later, Miller re-leased a statement tothe newspaper andother outlets saying hewould abandon his re-election bid and de-scribed his remarks as“insensitive and inexcus-able.”

“My commentswere not made withmalice nor do they re-flect who I am or who Istrive to be,” he said.

Chan and Jettontold the newspaper thatthe remarks show whythe suburban Houstondistrict needs a change.

“It has nothing todo with whether I’m partKorean or anything else,it’s just the fact that I’mshowing up and theother communities areexcited about that. Ithink it’s unfortunatehe’s trying to make it arace thing when it’s re-ally just being willing tocommunicate with any-one in the district,”Jetton said.

Miller is from SugarLand, the home offormer Republican U.S.House Majority LeaderTom DeLay. The popula-tion of Fort Bend Countyis split almost evenly,with 35% Anglo resi-dents, 24% Hispanic,21% Asian or other, and20% black, according toa 2018 survey by theKinder Institute for Ur-ban Research.

Problem inthe Austin

PoliceDepartment!

At press time, AustinCouncil member NatashaHarper-Madison (Place 1)was preparing for a pressconference that she hadcalled for Thursdaymorning, prior to theCity Council Meeting. “My proposedresolution would initiatea broad investigation ofracism within the AustinPolice Department,”Harper-Madison said. She stated that shebelieved that the investi-gation is especiallynecessary in light of lastmonth’s credible alle-gations that a formerassistant Police Chiefopenly used the mosthateful word in theenglish language, notonly against electedofficials, but also againsta colleague and hissubordinates. This is inreference to an alle-gation that a highranking officer had useda racial slure against afellow officer. While this pressconference will be heldafter we go to press, weshould have completeinformation about thecouncil’s decision on thisresolution. The residents of Place1 have had someconcerns about how toget their issues beforeHarper-Madison. Theycharge that she is notalways available. Wecan now see how muchsupport she has on thisimportant resolution. It is very easy tocriticize our electedofficials. However, it isvery important that weshow up and supportthem. None of thecouncil members canmake much neededchanges for ourcommunity when theyare needed. But, we mustalso remember that wehave 10-councilmembers and 1-mayoron the council. Each oneof them must have thesupport of others in orderto make much neededchanges. They also needyour support. Show up!

Page 2 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 6, 2019 THE COMMUNIQUÉ www.theaustinvillager.com

NAACP PARTNERSWITH BET

NETWORKS TOBROADCAST THE

51st NAACP IMAGEAWARDS LIVE ON

FEBRUARY 22, 2020by Naomi Richard

VILLAGER Entertainment Editor(VILLAGER) - The

NAACP and BET Net-works announced abroadcast partnership toair the 51st NAACP ImageAwards. The telecast willtake place from Pasa-dena, California and willair on BET Networks forthe first time ever. The

announcement wasmade by NAACP NationalBoard of Directors Chair-man Leon W. Russell,NAACP President andCEO Derrick Johnson,President of BET Net-works Scott Mills and Ex-ecutive Vice-President,Specials, Music Program-ming & Music StrategyConnie Orlando. TheNAACP Image Awards isthe preeminent eventcelebrating the accom-plishments of people ofcolor in the fields of tele-vision, music, literature,and film and also honorsindividuals or groupswho promote social jus-tice through creative en-deavors.

“We’re proud topartner with BET Net-works to showcase theincredible breadth ofBlack excellence in tele-

vision, film, music, andliterature, and to bringawareness to the socialjustice and economicempowerment work ofthe NAACP,” saidJohnson. “Through itsdiverse platforms, BETdelivers culturally en-riching and entertainingcontent to a wide andmultigenerational audi-ence. As we head into acritical 2020 electionand Census, the collabo-ration with BET will becritical to reaching ourshared communities.”

“The NAACP is vi-tally important, and BETNetworks shares theorganization’s commit-ment to our communityand social impact,”added Mills. “With theNAACP’s half-century ofhistory acknowledgingthe achievements of Af-

rican Americans acrossentertainment and ac-tivism, this partnershipallows BET to further ourmission to entertain, en-gage and empower ourviewers by deliveringthis cultural pillar to thecommunities we serve.We’re thrilled to wel-come the NAACP ImageAwards home to BET.”

Karen Boykin-Towns, NAACP NationalBoard of Directors Vice-Chairman is the newlyappointed Chairman ofthe NAACP ImageAwards Planning Com-mittee and will providestrategic guidance andleadership. Eris Sims,Chief of Staff will over-see all NAACP ImageAwards events and ac-tivities.

One of the mosticonic annual celebra-

tions of black excellence,the NAACP ImageAwards draws a crowdof the biggest andbrightest stars in Holly-wood. Previous years at-tendees include OprahW infrey, Will Smith,Taraji P. Henson, ViolaDavis, Gabrielle Union,Kerry Washington, An-thony Anderson, SterlingK. Brown, MandyMoore, Halle Berry,Common, DwayneJohnson, Steve Harvey,Audra Day, John Legendand many more.

Nominations forthe “51st NAACP ImageAwards” will be an-nounced on January 9,2020. For more informa-tion and the latest news,please visit the officialNAACP Image Awardswebsite at www.naacpimageawards.net.

2019 'Black Panther' cast (Photo/Liliane Lathan/Getty Images for NAACP)

www.theaustinvillager.com THE BULLETIN THE VILLAGER/December 6, 2019 ~ Page 3

Felix Bamirin, PastorGRACEWAY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Experience Grace For LifeCall: 682.472.9073 l Email: gracewayaustin@aol.com l

Visit: www.gracewaycca.org

JOIN US This SUNDAY / THURSDAY@ 12424 Scofield Farms Drive, Austin, TX 78758

SUNDAYS 10:30 A.M., THURSDAYS 7:30 P.M.

New Lincoln Missionary Baptist Church2215 E. 8th St.,

Austin, TX 78702Going to Higher Heights,

Trusting God along the way.Sunday School 9:00am

BTU: 10:00amMorning Worship - 11:00 amChurch Phone (512) 477-2714

Cell Phont (512) 585-0744Email: newlincolnmbc@att.net

www.newlincolnmbc.orgRev. Darron E. Patterson

Pastor

(By Parmer Lane Baptist Church building,behind Wells Fargo)

Romans 5:1 Therefore, having beenjustified by faith, we have peace

with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

“This life, therefore, is notrighteousness, but growth in righteousness;not health, but healing; not being, butbecoming; not rest, but exercise. We are notyet what we shall be, but we are growingtoward it. The process is not yet finished,but it is going on. This is not the end, but itis the road. All does not yet gleam in glory,but all is being purified.” --- Martin Luther

Olive Branch Fellowship of Austin / All Faith Chapel4110 Guadalupe St. Bldg #639 Austin, TX 78751

Sunday MorningWorship @ 11: am

Kenneth Hill,Pastor

Imani Community ChurchDavis Elementray Auditorium

5214 West Duval Road

Sunday School - 9:00 A.M.Worship Service - 10:00 A.M.

Power Hour Bible Life Group - 6:00 P.M.

Imani Complex & Office,11800 Mustang at Duval

Austin, Texas 78727

Visit:imanichurch.comOffice: 512-343-9300

Rev. Dr. JacquelynDonald-Mims

Globalizing the Gospel

A Ministry That Ministers

Edward M. Fleming,Sr. Pastor

OLIVET BAPTISTCHURCH

WORSHIP SERVICESSunday Worship - 7:45 a.m. & 11 a.m.Church School - 9:45 a.m.Bible Studies - Mon, 6:30 p.m. & Wed., 12 noonWednesday Night Worship - 7 p.m.

“Ministries For Mankind” Luke 4:18 A.W.. Anthony Mays, Senior Pastor

DOUBLE

GROCERY“R”

450l East Martin Luther King Blvd.*We cash ALL Tax Refund*Checks *Check Out

Country Boyz Fixin’s4140 E. 12th Street, Austin, TX 78721

Featuring Fish, Poboys, Hot Wings, Pork Chops,Homemade Gumbo, Shrimp and Alligator

DINE IN ORORDER TO GO

Mon - Fri: 11 am - 8 p.m.Saturday: 12 noon - 5 p.m.

Closed SundayCall (512) 928-5555

DAVID CHAPEL Missionary Baptist ChurchSUNDAY

Christian Education 9:15a.m. | Worship 10:30 a.m.Nursery Available

WEDNESDAY |Worship 1st Wed. monthly 7:00p.m. | Bible Study 7:30p.m.

Dr. Joseph C.Parker, Jr.

Senior Pastor

2211 East Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.Austin, TX 78702

Office: 512-472-9748 Fax: 512-472-5399Website: www.davidchapel.orgEmail: info@davidchapel.org“A Church with a Heart

for The Community”

Pastor J. R. Roberson& First lady

Lillian Robertson

BETHEL-ST. PAUL UNITED BAPTIST CHURCH877 W. Hempstead, Giddings, Texas 78942

Weekly ScheduleSunday School 9:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship 10:45 a.m.Wednesday Night Bible

Study 6:00p.m.(979) 542-2784 Church(979) 540-6352 Home

1179 San Bernard Street,Austin, TX 78702, 512-478-7023

Sunday Morning Bible Study, 9:00 A.M.Sunday Morning Worship, 10:15 A.M.Visit our website @ www.obcaus.org

Do you have church news?Would you like to purchase

a monthly ad for yourchurch?

Inquire TODAY!Send your information to vil3202@aol.com

or call 512-476-0082

Hopewell Primitive Baptist Church690 TX-21 West, Cedar Creek, TX 78612

Sunday School9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship10:30 a.m.

Elder Carl E SheltonPastor Ph: (512) 626-3660

Hope thou in God -Psalm 42:11

Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church 8500 Cameron Road - Austin, Texas 78754

(512) 451-0808 (512) 302-4575 Fax Web Site - www.themount.net

WEBBERVILLEEBENEZER MISSIONARY

BAPTIST CHURCH

Give thanks to the Lord for heis good. -Psalms 136:1

Sunday Morning Worship11 AM

Sunday School 10 AM

1314 Weber St,Webberville, Tx 78653

(512) 276-7917

Pastor W. B. Routt, Jr.Cell # (512) 694-1877

MUSICIAN WANTEDDecember 1 through December 31, First Baptist Church at4805 Heflin Lane will be accepting resumes for a church pianist/organist.

Resumes can be mailed to:FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 4805 HEFLIN LANE

AUSTIN, TX 78721ATTN: Deacon Johnnie Eppright

OREmailed to:

firstbaptistchurchheflin@gmail.comAttn: Deacon Johnnie Eppright

We Want YOU!Advertise With

TheVILLAGER

74th Wedding AnniversaryDecember 3, 2019

Marvin & MoreneDouglas

A Love StoryMarvin and Morene’s introduction

started in the 40’s at Tillotson College(Huston Tillotson University)

They became friends first thenprogressed to a close couple

relationship.Their “Love” was sealed when

they developed their commitmentto each other and became

Husband and Wife.They learned to work together to

have successful outcomes.There were good times and many

challenges along the way.This “Love” story however, shows

that as they progressedthe key factor “Love” has kept their

marriage bond permanent for

74 Years.Colossians 3:13,14

Congratulations!

An Evening with SusanRice at the LBJ

Presidential Libraryby Melissa Fontenette-Mitchell

Susan RicePhoto/Melissa Fontenette-Mitchell

(AUSTIN, TX) - Former National Security Advi-sor and United Nations Ambassador Susan Ricespoke at the LBJ Presidential Library on Wednes-day, November 20th. Mrs. Rice served as the Assis-tant Secretary of State for African Affairs duringPresident Bill Clinton’s second term. She also servedas the National Security Advisor to President BarackObama.

Mrs. Rice spoke about key moments during hercareer about American diplomacy and foreign policyin her new book “Tough Love: My Story of the ThingsWorth Fighting For”. Mrs. Rice provided her inter-pretation of some of the most intricate issues dur-ing the late 1990’s bombings, to Libya and Syria tothe opening of traveling to Cuba.

Rice was appointed on the board of Netflix andseveral organizations. Rice was inducted intoStanford’s Black Alumni Hall of Fame in 2002.

ListenLive

)))

Every Friday | 8AM - 9AM

www.KAZIFM.orgKAZI 88.7 FM

The Breakfast Club

T. L. Wyatt Damita Shanklin

Page 4 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 6, 2019 YOUTH BRIGADE www.theaustinvillager.com

Youth of TodayHope of Tomorrow

SaNaya WhiteAnn Richards

Lacee JohnsonConally High School

Chuy’s Parade

The annual Chuy’s,Children Giving to Chil-dren Parade, took placeSaturday, November30th. Donated toysbrought by children,families, and various or-ganizations that attendthe parade contribute toproviding a gift for achild who is not as privi-leged as others duringthe holidays. During theparade, there is a desig-nated session where allunits stop to collect thetoys that were brought.Each toy collected, islater taken and distrib-uted by the OperationBlue Santa Programamongst a family tobrighten their Christ-mas. The Chuy’s Paradecontains festive floats,extremely large inflat-able balloons of famouschildren’s characters,appealing classic cars,and even Santa. Last butnot least, the parade in-cludes marching bands,such as the Ann RichardsMarching Stars! As amiddle schooler I wouldattend the parade with

my family with my toydonation and watchfrom the side. As theAnn Richards MarchingStars passed and playedin the parade, I onlyhoped that that wouldbe me in the future,playing with them. I at-tended the parade everyear, since I was veryyoung, and still to thisday.

My hopes cametrue and I have been areoccurring proud AnnRichards Marching Star.This is not the first timewe have participated inthe Chuy’s parade, butevery time that we do,it ’s an amazing andunique experience. As Imarch and play, I see thejoy and excitement inthe smiles of others.Children dance andcheer as we march pastand it couldn’t make meprouder. As I played, Iheard shouts such as“Girls rock!” and “Yeahpercussion!” I love beingable to bring happinessto others and I truly en-joyed being apart of theparade. We sadly won’tbe able to return nextyear, we will instead bein New York for the 2020Macy’s Parade! We areextremely grateful tohave had this opportu-nity and we continue toask for your support!Through it all, we send abig thanks to the Chuy’sParade for supporting usand allowing us to returneach year. I know thatwe will definitely returnafter Macy’s. I hope ev-eryone had a blessedThanksgiving.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving isover and during thisseason of being thank-ful it was a time for meto reflect on what I amthankful for. I wasnever really ready forthe question when Iwas younger. This yearI think I can actuallyfully understand themeaning of beingthankful and to em-brace gratitude to-wards both people andthings. This year I re-ally opened my eyes tothe many blessings Iwas born into. I lookaround and notice thedifferences that mightseem simple, l ike abed, housing, clothesand lunch money. I

Switching to Apple

Quinn LangfordCedar Ridge H. S.

After only usingSamsung phones for sixyears, I recently decidedto switch to an iPhone. Ihave enjoyed mySamsung phones be-cause they have moreadvanced technologyand more opportunityfor customization. Withmy old Samsung GalaxyS8, I was able to split thescreen and look at twoapps at once, and therewas an LED light on thefront that would changecolors based on the typeof notifications I had.Furthermore, Samsungphones were the first tohave wireless chargingand OLED displays(screens showing highercontrast). However,iPhones have featureslike iMessage (a messag-ing app that makesgroup conversationseasier), FaceTime (avideo call app), andAirDrop (a way to sendlarge fi les quicklythrough Bluetooth).

Apple has tight se-curity over these fea-tures, so Android (theoperating system onSamsung devices)phones can’t interactwith iPhones in the waysmentioned above. This isthe main reason Iswitched to Apple, andnow that I have aniPhone, I see there iseven more I was missing

out on. Apps on Androiddevices are coded usingthe programming lan-guage Java, while appson iOS (Apple) devicescan only be pro-grammed with the lan-guage Swift. So, thesame exact app on bothoperating systems looksdifferent because theapp developers had touse different languages.Since Swift was createdby Apple, the apps oniPhones are smootherand able to supportmore features, whereasJava is not specific toAndroid, so it’s harderfor developers to makethe apps as good. I domiss some of the fea-tures that Samsung had,but I think switching toApple was a good choicefor me.

Using Apple’s Moveto iOS app, I was able tomove my text messagehistory, contacts, andpictures over to my newphone. It took three orfour hours and I onlymoved eight gigabytesof my pictures instead ofall of them, so the pro-cess could take 20 hoursor more depending onhow much data youmove over. But after thatpainstaking process, therest was easy. Android isharder to navigate thanApple, so there is nolearning curve at allwhen you switch to aniPhone. Having had bothSamsung and Apple, Iwouldn’t recommendone over the other.Apple is easier to use forthe less tech-savvy, andit’s easier to connectwith other friends whohave iPhones, whileSamsung has bettertechnology and morecustomization. It reallyjust depends on whatyou want out of yourphone.

Motown Visit Pictures

5 Months Down

This school yearhas gone by extremelyquick! Thank God. No,truly my school yearhas been pretty good.Although, I’m sti llcounting down forsummer break.

I’m passing themajority of my classeswith ‘A’s and one B. Ihave a 103 average inFrench. None of myclasses are too hard,but I’d never mind aclass that’s too easy.

I’ve made manyfriends this year. All ofthem are highly inter-esting and unique. Ilook forward to theconversations I havewith them!

Also, I’ve done lotsof volunteering thesepast five months. Everyevent I’ve gone to hasbeen an exciting, won-derful experience. Thehighlight of these fivemonths is their close-ness to summer!! Fivemonths down and fivemore to go. For now,there’s always Christ-mas break.

Rebekah McNealRound Rock H. S.

have learned that it iseasy to grow unappre-ciative. It was not un-til I watched an inter-view with one of myfavorite artist whostated that “the imageof yourself comes a lotless blurry when youappreciate and em-brace what you own toyourself. That causedme to take a step backand realize and thinkhow much I should bethankful for. This yearI think I actually fullyunderstand the mean-ing to be thankful andto embrace gratitudetowards both thingsand people.

During this seasonof being thankful Iwant to share that Ihave much to be thank-ful for, I see everythingas a blessing. for thisdear I see everything asa blessing, everythingthat most of us onearth take for granted,food water, air. I amgrateful for family,friends, being able towalk home from schooland feeling safe, havingtransportation and theopportunity to work asa reporter. I amblessed.

www.TheAustinVillager.com

@TheVillagerATX

TheVillagerAndBlackRegistryCompany

VOLUNTEER TO CLEAN LADY BIRD LAKESaturday, Decem-

ber 14, 2019 - 9:00am to11:00am

The Clean Lady BirdLake program invites vol-unteers to cleanups ofthe lake every othermonth. Each event of-fers a variety of locationsto clean, including sitesalong the shoreline or onthe water. Kayaks andstandup paddleboards

are provided at someon-the-water sites,while other sites allowyou to bring your ownboat. Shoreline sites areperfect for young volun-

teers or folks who wouldlike to stay dry.

Register at https://keepaustinbeautiful.org/volunteer-opportuni-ties/

www.theaustinvillager.com THE REVEALER THE VILLAGER/December 6, 2019 ~ Page 5

Hunger in America

For ThanksgivingDay the Youth Brigadehelp serve dinner againthis year. I look forwardeach year to participat-ing in this event. Thisyear was not as bust astears before. We sentout quite a few dinners.Normally I think aboutfeeding the homelessaround this time of year.I thought that just abouteverybody would get agood meal this day. Butthat was not the case Iwas told.

So I started gatherinformation about hun-ger in America. Thenews always tell storiesof people all over theworld dealing with hun-ger but not much aboutin the United States.While most familiesacross the country gath-

ered together aroundthe diner table this holi-day season many familiesdid not. These are theones who go hungry andfor whom food andenough of it is a dailystruggle. According to thegroup Feeing Americamore than 42 million nowsuffer from hungerthroughout America.

Even with theeconomy doing greatAmericans go to bedhungry each night. Ac-cording to the U.S De-partment of Agriculture15.8 million householdsor 12.1% of that total didnot have enough food toeat at some time of lastyear. Hunger it said iscaused by poverty andinjustice.

Our global food sys-tem is structured tovalue profit over people.Yet many businesses aretrying to meet the chal-lenge of feeding the dis-advantage. This seemsso unusual. BecauseAmerica is the wealthi-est country in the world.To get listed in the to 100wealthiest American youmust be worth 3 billiondollars. Then I read thatsome states are cuttingback on how long youcan receive food stamp.Other are cutting backon some Snap funding.

Tyler AllenGus Garcia YMLA

Kamala Harrisends White Housebid, citing lack of

fundingBy KATHLEEN RONAYNEand NICHOLAS RICCARDI

Associated Press

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2019 file photo,Democratic presidential candidate Sen.Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks during aDemocratic presidential primary debate inAtlanta. Harris, was once considered a front-runner in the crowded Democratic field, isexpected to end her campaign for theDemocratic presidential nomination,according to a campaign official.. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Sen. Kamala Har-ris told supporters on Tuesday that she was endingher bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomi-nation, an abrupt close to a candidacy that held his-toric potential.

“I’ve taken stock and looked at this from everyangle, and over the last few days have come to oneof the hardest decisions of my life,” the CaliforniaDemocrat said. “My campaign for president simplydoesn’t have the financial resources we need tocontinue.”

A senior campaign aide said Harris made thedecision Monday after discussing the path forwardwith family and other top officials over the Thanks-giving holiday.

Her withdrawal marked a dramatic fall for acandidate who showed extraordinary promise in herbid to become the first black female president. Har-ris launched her campaign in front of 20,000 peopleon a chilly January day in Oakland, California. Thefirst woman and first black attorney general and U.S.senator in California’s history, she was widelyviewed as a candidate poised to excite the multira-cial coalition of voters that sent Barack Obama tothe White House.

Her departure erodes the diversity of theDemocratic field, which is dominated at the mo-ment by a top tier that is white and mostly male.

“She was an important voice in the race, outbefore others who raised less and were less elect-able. It’s a loss not to have her voice in the race,”said Aimee Allison, who leads She the People, agroup that promotes women of color.

Harris ultimately could not craft a message thatresonated with voters or secure the money to con-tinue her run.

She raised an impressive $12 million in the firstthree months of her campaign and quickly lockeddown major endorsements meant to show herdominance in her home state, which offers the big-gest delegate haul in the Democratic primary con-test.

But as the field grew, Harris’ fundraising re-mained flat; she was unable to attract the type ofattention being showered on Pete Buttigieg by tra-ditional donors or the grassroots firepower thatdrove tens of millions of dollars to Elizabeth War-ren and Bernie Sanders.

In her note to supporters, Harris lamented therole of money in politics and, without naming them,took a shot at billionaires Tom Steyer and MichaelBloomberg, who are funding their own presiden-tial bids.

“I’m not a billionaire,” she said. “I can’t fundmy own campaign. And as the campaign has goneon, it’s become harder and harder to raise themoney we need to compete.”

Harris suffered from what allies and criticsviewed as an inconsistent pitch to voters. Her slo-gan “For the people” referenced her career as aprosecutor, a record that was viewed skeptically bythe party’s most progressive voters.

Her message was regularly overshadowed bycampaign aides and allies sharing grievances withthe news media. Several top aides decamped forother campaigns, one leaving a blistering resigna-tion letter.

“Because we have refused to confront our mis-takes, foster an environment of critical thinking andhonest feedback, or trust the expertise of talentedstaff, we find ourselves making the same unforcederrors over and over,” Kelly Mehlenbacher wrote inher letter, obtained by The New York T imes.Mehlenbacher now works for businessmanBloomberg’s campaign.

Brandt Jean to receive courage awardfor forgiving Amber Guygerby Rebecca Lopez and Tasha Tsiaperas | WFAA Dallas

(WFAA) - Brandt Jean, the brother of BothamJean, received an award Tuesday from a law enforce-ment organization for his “display of empathy andforgiveness” toward ex-cop Amber Guyger.

Guyger, the former Dallas police officer who killedBotham Jean, was sentenced to 10 years in prison inOctober after she was convicted of murder.

In an emotional and stunning moment in thecourtroom, Brandt Jean asked State District JudgeTammy Kemp if he could hug Guyger. The two em-braced and whispered to each other after Guygerwas sentenced.

“If you truly are sorry, I know I can speak formyself, I forgive you. I know if you go to God andask him, he will forgive you,” Brandt Jean toldGuyger during victim impact statements followingthe sentencing.

The Institute of Law Enforcement Administra-tion selected 18-year-old Brandt Jean to receive the2019 Ethical Courage Award. The presentation tookplace at the organization’s Plano office.

Botham Jean, 26, was sitting in his apartmentwhen Guyger walked in and shot him. She said shethought she was entering her own apartment and

believed Jean was an intruder.The September 2018 shooting sparked protests

in Dallas and across the country, with many activ-ists saying Jean’s death was another example ofpolice brutality against people of color.

Botham Jean was black and Guyger is white.After the conviction and sentencing, Brandt

Jean’s act of forgiveness helped the communityheal, said Gregory Smith, the director of the Insti-tute of Law Enforcement Administration.

“Despite an unimaginable loss, he saw thehumanity in the person responsible for his brother’sdeath,” Smith said in a written statement. “He sawher pain and regret, and had the ability to show em-pathy, caring and forgiveness.”

The Jean family attended the award ceremonyTuesday. The family has said they want to seechanges in policing.

“There’s much more that needs to be done bythe city of Dallas,” said Botham Jean’s motherAllison Jean after sentencing. “The corruption thatwe saw during this process must stop.”

Guyger, 31, has filed paperwork indicating sheplans to appeal her murder conviction.

Brandt Jean hugsconvicted murderer andformer Dallas PoliceOfficer Amber Guygerafter delivering hisimpact statement to herafter she was sentencedto 10 years in jail. (TomFox/The Dallas MorningNews via AP, Pool)

Reports shed new light onChicago police chief’s firing

BY Associated Press

(AP) - Chicago’s fired police chief was havingdrinks with a woman for hours the mid-Octobernight officers found him sleeping behind the wheelof his SUV, according to two newspapers citing uni-dentified sources.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot fired SuperintendentEddie Johnson on Monday for “ethical lapses,” justweeks before he was set to retire. She said an in-spector general’s report, which hasn’t been releasedto the public, revealed he misled her and the publicabout the circumstances of that evening andshowed “flawed decision-making.” She declinedspecifics, citing an ongoing investigation, adding thather decision not to share details was out of defer-ence to his family.

“While at some point, the inspector general’sreport may become public and those details maybe revealed, I don’t feel like it is appropriate or fairto Mr. Johnson’s wife or children to do so at thistime,” Lightfoot said at a City Hall news conference.

Johnson, 59, publicly blamed an issue with hismedication, saying he felt lightheaded while driv-ing home and pulled over and fell asleep. He alsotold Lightfoot he’d had “ä couple of drinks with din-ner” earlier that night. Johnson has been hospital-ized during his three-year superintendent tenure fora blood clot and a kidney transplant.

However, the reports by two Chicago newspa-pers shed a different light.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported he was drink-ing for hours with a female member of his securitydetail at a downtown restaurant. The Chicago Tri-bune reported that the inspector general’s investi-gation includes video showing Johnson drinking forhours with a woman at a Chicago Board of Tradebuilding restaurant.

Messages left Tuesday with city and policespokesmen weren’t immediately returned.

Johnson was found in his car by officers earlyOct. 17. The officers did not conduct any sobrietytests and let their boss drive home. It was unclear ifthey would be disciplined. The Tribune reports thatJohnson partially rolled down the window on hispolice vehicle, showed his superintendent’s badgeand drove away.

Johnson, who has not spoken publicly since hewas fired, was set to retire at the end of the monthafter three decades with the Chicago Police Depart-ment. Former Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck,who was named as an interim replacement, tookover Monday and spent the day meeting with de-partment officials.

Page 6 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 6, 2019 DIASPORA www.theaustinvillager.com

Copperfield Youth Group of Central Texas

VILLAGER NEWS -Copperfield YouthGroup (CYG) was formedin January 2011 onCopperfield Street. Overthe years, this CYG hasworked with teens toshowcase their talents.According to CopperfieldYouth Group, they seekto, "share, care, educate,

African Bazaar

VILLAGER NEWS - On December 1, 2019,the African Diaspora association held an Afri-can Bazaar in Pflugerville, Texas. According tothe organizers, "the Bazaar was an opportunityto bring the community together while support-ing local merchants, and inform the commu-nity on various key information." At the event,business owners like Darrel Houston, owner ofa CPA firm, spoke about the upcoming new taxlaw and how it will affect entrepreneurs.

The African Bazaar also brought out localmusicians to perform and showcase their skills.DJ Sayboo, well known in the African Diasporascene, performed and the public enjoyed. Fur-thermore, the event was a platform for youngand talented among the youth of CopperfieldEntertaining.

The fest was well attended, and organiz-ers were very pleased with the turnout. In ad-dition to the vendors, performances, some can-didates came out to the celebration. Attendeeswere gratified to see candidates SelenaAlverange and Deke Pierce engage with thecommunity.

Pictured (left to right): Mrs. Okorocha,Pinky, Darell, and DJ Sayboo.

Photo by Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

listen, and change the be-havior of youth todaypositively, through theirtalents to grow into pro-ductive leaders in oursociety." The organiza-tion also raises self-es-teem and encourage asense of community."

Recently, KyaMonee and other mem-bers of CYG performedat the African Bazaar. Ac-cording to founder Mrs.Okorocha, "We wel-

come all youth regard-less of age, to performtheir talents througharts and sciences, danc-ing, debating, singing,acting, and keepingthem productive andpositive in the commu-nity. We work to form apartnership with localschool districts, religiousorganizations, foster acommitment to youththat will promote pro-social friendships, strong

interpersonal skills, andreassert a sense of hopein the future."

According to Mrs.Okorocha, "The only re-quirement of having aDREAM is, believing in it,as we empower allyouth to stay true tothemselves." Also, CYG isseeking to find a venue,in which their youth canexpress their gifts, andalways welcomes volun-teers and donors.

Copperfield Youth Group: Mrs. Okorocha, Cindy, Acelia, Tia, and Takiyah.Photo: Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

Black Pflugerville Supports AfroBeauty and Braids Storefront

Picture left to right: Sophie and Sheldon.Photo/Tsoke (Chuch) Adjavon

by Tsoke (Chuch) AdjavonVILLAGER Columnist

by Tsoke (Chuch) AdjavonVILLAGER Columnist

by Tsoke (Chuch)Adjavon

VILLAGERColumnist

VILLAGER NEWS - Over the years,Pflugerville has seen a drastic growth in its Af-rican-American population and business. Con-sequently, associations like African Pflugerville(AP) and the Pflugerville Black Business Build-ers (PBBB) formed. PBBB is a group of like-minded small business owners who work to-gether to promote, build, and grow each other'smarkets through relationships, networking,and education.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, PBBBand AP supported the only Black-ownedbeauty supply store in the Pflugerville area.According to Kossi with the AfricanPflugerville, "it was important for us to comeand support Afro Beauty & Braids because theygive back to the Black community. Since it isthe only minority-owned beauty store, weshould play a part in keeping the shop aliveand going strong."

Also, Sheldon, a founder of PBBB, attended

the Afro Beauty and Braids Thanksgiving spe-cial event. "This was an opportunity for thecommunity to purchase products and supportone another," stated Sheldon.

AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTHURGES FLU VACCINATIONSAS AUSTIN/TRAVIS COUNTYSEES HIGH FLU ACTIVITYEARLIER IN THE SEASON

Austin, Texas – Fluseason has just begun,but given the early risein local cases and recordseason in Australia, APHexperts are anticipatinga severe wave of flu ill-nesses if residents donot get vaccinated.Texas has already con-firmed one child deathand Austin/TravisCounty has had oneschool flu outbreak. Thenumber of flu cases havesurpassed the count thistime last year.

You still have timeto get a flu vaccine.

This National Influ-enza Vaccination Weektake the time to get yourflu shot. While flu activ-ity is already high, it typi-cally won’t peak untilJanuary or February, andsignificant activity canoccur as late as May.People who get the fluvaccine and still get sickcan expect a milder ill-ness – and a lower riskof pneumonia, hospital-ization or death.

Insured: VisitVaccineFinder.org to finda location near you toget your flu shot. Unin-sured: Austin PublicHealth offers flu vaccina-

tions for uninsuredadults and children whoare uninsured or Medic-aid recipients. You cancall the Shots for Tots/Big Shots appointmentline at 512-972-5520.

“The ability to vac-cinate against disease isone of the greatestachievements in humanhistory,” interim healthauthority Dr. MarkEscott said. “Pleasedon’t take vaccinationsfor granted. Protectyourself, protect yourloved ones and protectthose around you whoare at increased risk fordisease.”

Along with gettingyour flu shot, it is impor-tant to: Wash yourhands often and avoidtouching your face;Cough and sneeze into abent elbow; Do not go towork or school if youhave symptoms of flu;Get treated within thefirst 48 hours of symp-tom onset; Ask yourmedical provider fortreatment for people inyour household whohave also been exposedto the virus and may beat increased risk to con-tract influenza

EAST AUSTINNURSING SERVICES

Monday, December 9, 2019 - 8:30am to11:30am

Need a nurse? Visit the East Austin Neighbor-hood Center every Monday, 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM tonavigate your health concerns such as diabetes. Ournurses offer everything from free health checks,nutrition education, and managing your blood sugarlevels to finding affordable health insurance cover-age.

Austin Public Health's Neighborhood Centershelp low and moderate-income families in needwith free services.

Location InformationEast Austin Neighborhood Center211 Comal StAustin, TX 78702

NEIGHBORHOODSERVICES AT NORTH

AUSTIN YMCA

Monday, December 9, 2019 - 8:30am to12:30pm

The Austin Public Health Neighborhood Ser-vices Unit has launched a pilot of a new satelittelocation for services. Services provided at this newlocation include:

Bus passesRent and utility assistanceSocial work servicesNursing servicesFor more information or to schedule an ap-

pointment please contact the St. John CommunityCenter at 512-972-5159 and press option 4.

Location InformationNorth Austin YMCA1000 W Rundberg LaneAustin, TX 78758

EMPLOYMENT | PROPOSALS | PUBLIC INFORMATIONFOR SALE | FOR RENT | BIDS | MISCELLANEOUS

www.theaustinvillager.com CLASSIFIEDS THE VILLAGER/December 6, 2019 ~ Page 7

Are you interested in doingbusiness with the City of Austin?

We are here for you!City of Austin

Purchasing OfficeVendor Registration

512-974-2018VendorReg@austintexas.gov

www.austintexas.gov/department/purchasingFor information on the City of Austin’s Minority/

Women-Owned Procurement Program please contact theSmall & Minority Business Resources at 512-974-7600or visit www.austintexas.gov/smbr.

Brooks providing morethan enough horsepower

for MustangsBy John Harris Jr. | VILLAGER Sports Columnist

Tahj Brooks rushed for 132 yards againstCedar Park last week

(VILLAGER) - Lastyear, Manor High Schoolculminated a successfulfootball campaign as anarea finalist. This year,the Mustangs took onemore big step in theirquest for postseason ex-cellence.

Following a huge17-14 upset over District11-5A champion CedarPark in the Region IIIsemifinal last week,Manor (8-5) faces unde-feated Shadow Creek(13-0) for the regionalchampionship Saturdayat the Alamodome inSan Antonio.

Don’t underesti-mate the Mustangs, whorebounded to play theirbest football in thepostseason after losingtheir final three regularseason games againstdistrict rivals Cedar Park,Hutto and Georgetown,who all qualified for theplayoffs. Manor was thefourth and final playoffteam in 11-5A.

After all, with starrunning back Tahj Brooks

and defensive disruptorPrincely Umanmielen inthe lineup, anything ispossible. Manor upendedCedar Park on a last-sea-son field goal by YaelSanchez.

Brooks, whorushed for 1,200 yardsand 25 touchdowns lastseason, has been evenbetter this year with 1,652rushing yards and 24touchdowns. A Texas Techpledge, Brooks rushed for132 yards and a touch-down in the Cedar Parkwin, including 113 yardsafter halftime as Manordominated time of pos-session and kept CedarPark’s explosive offense

off the field.When Cedar Park

did have the ball in thesecond half, Umanmielenand Co. held theTimberwolves to 72 yardsand two first downs.They’ll need to do moreof the same against a po-tent Shadow Creek of-fense averaging 49.3points in the postseason.

Umanmielen (6-4,249 pounds and timed at4.7 in the 40-yard dash)is the one to watch. Hedecommitted from theTexas Longhorns in Octo-ber and is said to be con-sidering Oklahoma,Texas A&M, Auburn andBaylor.

Alabama unveils statue ofcivil rights icon Rosa Parks

By Associated Press

Mary Louise Smith, a plaintiff in the Browder vs. Gayle case thatdesegregated buses in Montgomery, stands beside the Rosa Parksstatue after its unveiling event in downtown Montgomery, Ala.,Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, the anniversary of her arrest for not giving upher seat on a city bus. (Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

(AP) - A new statueof civil rights pioneerRosa Parks was dedi-cated in Alabama’s capi-tal city on Sunday, the64th anniversary of herhistoric refusal to give upher seat on a public busto a white man.

Montgomery MayorSteven Reed and Ala-bama Gov. Kay Ivey pulledback a cloth to unveil thestatue before a crowd ofabout 400 spectators.

The ceremony coin-cided with the anniver-sary of Parks’ Dec. 1, 1955arrest that sparked theMontgomery Bus Boy-cott, a pivotal part of thecivil rights movement.

“This depiction willinspire future genera-tions to make the pil-grimage to our city, topush toward the path ofrighteousness, strength,courage and equality,”Reed, who recently be-came the first AfricanAmerican mayor ofMontgomery, said at theceremony, according toal.com.

Four granite mark-ers near the statuehonor plaintiffs inBrowder v. Gayle, thecourt case that deter-mined segregation onMontgomery buses wasunconstitutional. One ofthe plaintiffs, MaryLouise Smith, took partin the ceremony Sunday.

Parks was 92 whenshe died in 2005.

Fred Gray, the at-torney who defendedParks, the Browder v.Gayle plaintiffs andmany other civil rightsactivists, sat in the sec-ond row at the unveiling.

“For the city offi-cials, from the city andthe county, to be able tohonor Mrs. Parks andhonor those plaintiffs,and even more impor-tantly to honor the40,000 African Americanmen and women whostayed off of the busesfor 382 days, it is indeeda step in the right direc-tion,” Gray told theMontgomery Advertiser.

FILE - In this Feb. 22, 1956, photo,Rosa Parks is fingerprinted bypolice Lt. D.H. Lackey inMontgomery, Alabama, afterrefusing to give up her seat on abus for a white passenger Dec. 1,1955. (AP)

THE REMATCHBIG XII CHAMPIONSHIP | SAT, DEC 7 | 11:00 AM CST | TV: ABC

(11-1) #9 BAYLOR VS. (11-1) #7 OKLAHOMA

Page 8 ~ THE VILLAGER/December 6, 2019 THE DISPATCH www.theaustinvillager.com

Three Baltimore MenExonerated After NearlyFour Decades in Prison

By Stacy M. Brown | NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

(From L to R) Andrew Stewart, Ransom Watkins and Alfred Chestnut,were released and exonerated after spending 36 years in prison for acrime they didn’t commit. (Photo: CBS News/YouTube)

(BALTIMORE, MD)- Alfred Chestnut, Ran-som Watkins and An-drew Stewart were re-leased and exoneratedafter spending 36 yearsin prison for a crime theydidn’t commit.

The men wereteenagers when they re-ceived a life sentence in1984 after being con-victed of murdering 14-year-old DeWitt Duckettin Baltimore.

“Everyone involvedin this case — school of-ficials, police, prosecu-tors, jurors, the media,and the community —rushed to judgment andallowed their tunnel vi-sion to obscure obviousproblems with the evi-dence,” said ShawnArmbrust, executive di-rector of the Mid-Atlan-tic Innocence Project,which representsWatkins.

“This case shouldbe a lesson to everyonethat the search for quickanswers can lead totragic results,” Armbrust

stated.DeWitt reportedly

was shot in the neck fol-lowing a dispute over ajacket as he walked toclass at Harlem Park Jun-ior High School in Balti-more.

Marilyn Mosby, theBaltimore City State’sAttorney, reopened thecase earlier this year be-cause of lingering ques-tions and recent revela-tions of corruption in thecity’s police departmentthat allegedly stretchedback for decades.

Chestnut also senta query to the city’s Con-viction Integrity Unit,which the WashingtonPost said included excul-patory evidence that heuncovered in 2018.

An assistant pros-ecutor who worked onthe case in 1984 report-edly said that prosecu-tors had no reports atthe time that wouldhave cast doubt on theguilt of the three men.

Following theirconviction, court records

were sealed, and itwasn’t until a year ago,that Chestnut had suc-cessfully obtained therelated documentsthrough a freedom ofinformation request.

According to theDistrict Attorney’s office,the police records re-vealed that several wit-nesses told authoritiesthat the person respon-sible was an 18-year-oldwho immediately fledthe scene and dumpedhis weapon.

Instead, the Balti-more police focusedtheir investigation onChestnut, Watkins, andStewart. The allegedshooter was fatally shotin 2002.

“On behalf of thecriminal justice system,and I’m sure this meansvery little to you, gentle-men, I’m going to apolo-gize,” Circuit Court JudgeCharles Peters told themen at a hearing onMonday, November 25.

Peters said the menare entirely exonerated.

A Fight-for-Life:The case for Rodney Reed

By Barrington M. Salmon | Contributing Writer | The Final Call

(AUSTIN, TX) - Acrowd some of RodneyReed’s family membersestimated was about1,000 people, recentlygathered at theGovernor’s Mansion inAustin, Texas demandingthat Gov. Greg Abbottact to halt the executionof Mr. Reed in a contro-versial murder case.

In the past severalmonths, there has beena groundswell of sup-port for Mr. Reed, 51,who has been on deathrow for 20 years. In1996, he was chargedwith and convicted ofthe rape and murder of19-year-old Stacey Stitesby an all-White jury.

Rodney Reed andhis family have alwaysmaintained his inno-cence and his brotherand family spokesmanRoderick Reed said thefamily wants a stay ofexecution and a newtrial.

Rodney Reed wasscheduled for executionNov. 20 when an appealscourt stepped in Novem-ber 15th to suspend hisdeath sentence indefi-nitely. The decision alsoordered the court wherehe was originally tried toconsider new evidencein the case.

The uncovering ofnew evidence and re-cent affidavits from wit-nesses point to then po-lice officer and Ms.Stites’ fiancée, JimmyFennell’s involvement inMs. Stites’ death.

Staff at The Inno-cence Project, which ishandling Mr. Reed’scase, and the Reed fam-ily have raised a numberof troubling questionsand highlighted a seriesof discrepancies whichthey say all add up to Mr.Reed being an innocent

Rodney Reed was sentenced to death for the abduction, rape, andstrangulation of Stacey Stites in the town of Bastrop, Texas on April23, 1996. He has been on Texas's death row since May 1998. PhotoCourtesy KXAN

man railroaded by thecriminal justice system.It includes discrepanciesabout the time of Ms.Stites’ death as well as,the fact that the murderweapon, a belt, hasnever been tested forDNA evidence; and thestate’s three forensic ex-perts’ admission on therecord to errors in theirtestimony, which led toRodney Reed’s convic-tion and death sentence.They have submitted af-fidavits that the originaltime of death is inaccu-rate, charging thetimeline for Mr. Reedkilling Stites implausible.

Further, renown fo-rensic pathologists in-cluding Dr. MichaelBaden, Dr. Werner Spitz,Dr. LeRoy Riddick, M.D.,and Dr. Cyril Wecht, haveall concluded thatRodney Reed’s guilt ismedically and scientifi-cally impossible; Mr.Reed and Ms. Stiteswere having a consen-sual sexual relationshipalthough at the time ofthe trial, no one cameforward to corroboratetheir relationship. Today,new witnesses includingStites’s cousin and a co-worker, Alicia Slater,have corroboratedRodney Reed’s claimthat they knew thatReed and Stites were ro-mantically involved formonths after the mur-der, and Jimmy Fennellwas the prime suspect inthe case. Mr. Fennell’sbest friend at the time ofthe crime, BastropSheriff’s Officer CurtisDavis, has now revealedthat Mr. Fennell gave aninconsistent account ofwhere he was on thenight of the murder.

Two witnesseshave come forward inrecent weeks and sub-mitted signed affidavits

that add to the mount-ing evidence against Mr.Fennell. These affidavitsinclude testimony froman insurance salesper-son who stated that Mr.Fennell threatened tokill Ms. Stites while ap-plying for life insurance.The second witness wasa deputy in the LeeCounty Sheriff’s Office atthe time of the murder,who alleges Mr. Fennellmade an alarming andincriminating statementat Ms. Stites’s funeralregarding her body.Then there is an allegeda confession by Mr.Fennell that came tolight Oct. 29. Mr. Fennellserved 10 years and wasreleased from prison in2018 after being con-victed of assaulting awoman who was in hiscustody as a police of-ficer. Arthur Snow, aformer member of theAryan Brotherhood andprison mate of Mr.Fennell, disclosed a con-versation in which Mr.Fennell allegedly con-fessed to murderingStacey Stites stating, “Ihad to kill my nigg**-lov-ing fiancée.”

The prosecution’sonly forensic evidencelinking Rodney Reed tothe crime was sementaken from Ms. Stites’sbody, which was attrib-uted to the consensualrelationship betweenthem. The prosecutionused this to connect himto the murder and refutea consensual romanticrelationship, but sometestimony has been re-canted and discreditsthe state’s case, The In-nocence Project said.

The InnocenceProject and RodneyReed are seeking DNAtesting of evidence thatthey say will exoneratehim.

Stacey Stites and Jimmy Fennell

White House tightens foodstamp work requirements

by JULIET LINDERMAN | ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is tight-ening work requirements for the federal food stamp program in amove that will slash benefits for hundreds of thousands of people.

The finalized rule, announced Wednesday, will restrict statesfrom exempting work-eligible adults from having to obtain steadyemployment in order to receive benefits through the SupplementalNutrition Assistance Program, which helps feed more than 36million Americans.

Brandon Lipps, deputy under secretary for the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture's Food Nutrition and Consumer Services, saidthe change would save roughly $5.5 billion over five years.

Under current rules, work-eligible able-bodied adults with-out dependents and between the ages of 18 and 49 can cur-rently receive only three months of SNAP benefits in a three-year period if they don’t meet the 20-hour per week work re-quirement. States with high unemployment rates or a demon-strable lack of sufficient jobs can waive those time limits.

The new rule imposes new, stricter criteria states must meetin order to issue waivers.