In the early morning hours of June 22, a three day social gathering on Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte erupted into violence that took the lives of four people: Kelly Miller (29), Christopher Gleaton (28), Jamaa Cassell (39) and Dairyon Stevenson (31). Gleaton, Cassell, and Stevenson were killed when 181 shots were fired into the social gathering, while Miller was run over by a car fleeing the scene. A dozen others were injured by either gunfire or fleeing cars.
Several media outlets and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police (CMPD) linked the mass shooting to celebrations of Juneteenth which began on June 19. The mass-shooting had nothing more to do with Juneteenth than it had to do with Father’s Day. Rather than continuing to slander Juneteenth, CMPD should be explaining why they allowed 3 days of reckless driving on Beatties Ford Road. They essentially allowed drivers to turn Beatties Ford Road into a version of zMax Dragway, most often while normal traffic was trying to pass. The muscle car show, which started on the night of June 19 became the feature attraction as crowds grew each night to watch cars doing burnouts and doughnuts. CMPD even blocked off Beatties Ford on Saturday night to allow reckless driving. If CMPD had shut down that aspect of the gathering would it have prevented the mass shooting? I don't know. We do know that they failed to enforce safe driving laws and one person was killed while others were injured, possibly by the muscle cars fleeing the scene.
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Seeks Accreditation
Dr. Royal B. Fisher, DPR
Since Dr. Melvin Isadore Douglass, 24th President of Barber Scotia College, arrived 14 months ago, he has displayed a dynamic personality that not only helps to lead the iconic Barber-Scotia College effectively, but does so with a certain amount of panache, charisma and vigor that energizes the alumni, faculty, staff, students and community at large.
Recently, Dr. Douglass has excited stakeholders with an announcement that Barber-Scotia College is pursuing accreditation. He stated: "The Trustees and I agreed to seek accreditation from The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), which is recognized by the United States Department of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation." To help accomplish this goal, Dr. Douglass sought the assistance of Dr. Larry J. McKinney.
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interspersed with periods of incremental reforms.
The dynamics of the George Floyd Rebellion
The filmed lynching of George Floyd on May, 25 ,2020, by Minneapolis police officers, generated an enormous outburst of protests, demanding justice for Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other victims of police and racial violence, along with demands for police and criminal justice reforms. Many protesters have called for defunding, dismantling, and restructuring America’s police forces. America’s police forces were formed to protect specific people and their property. They were never designed to provide the human right to public safety for Afrikan Americans.
Governor Roy Cooper signed the long-awaited bill into law last week, giving many nonviolent offenders who have paid their penance, indeed, a fresh start and second chance at rebuilding their troubled lives.
The new law automatically expunges criminal charges that are dismissed or disposed “not guilty” after Dec 1, 2021 and allows individuals to petition for expungement of all nonviolent misdemeanor convictions after 7 years of good behavior after Dec 1, 2020.
Ex-offenders who also committed low-level, nonviolent crimes between the ages of 16 and 18 years of age qualify for expungement.
“We can give people who make amends for past mistakes the opportunity to clear their records. This bill offers that opportunity and a path to good jobs and a brighter future,” said Gov. Cooper.
The bill was supported by both the NC NAACP and conservative groups like Americans for Prosperity.
One of the law’s strongest proponents was Dennis Gaddy, executive director of Community Success Initiative (CSI), a nonprofit re-entry program for ex-offenders who have served their time and are looking to start their lives over again crime-free and more productively.
Gaddy, once a successful businessman who made some bad choices years ago, and served time in prison, More ↠
