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JANUARY 25 - JANUARY 31, 2020 V O L U M E 6 9 , N U M B E R 4 1 $1.00 Florida House Committee Approves $2.15 Million for Man Exonerated After 43 Years in Prison By Zac Anderson and Andrew Pantazi
TALLAHASSEE — Clifford Williams appeared Wednes- day in the Florida Capitol in a blue suit, yellow shirt and blue paisley tie, leaning on a cane while he smiled and thanked God for delivering him from prison after being wrongly incarcerated for nearly 43 years. After convincing authorities of his innocence, the Jack- sonville man is now trying to convince the Florida Legis- lature that he should be compensated for all those years
FEA President Fedrick Ingram and the Reverend Al Sharpton, joined by union leaders march Please see Williams, page 6 to the capitol in the Take on Tallahassee Rally. Education Rally Rocks Capitol 2020 Kingsley Legislature Makes Pay Raises a Priority Heritage Celebration On February 15 and By Teri Yonder 22, Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, a TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —A unit of the National Park new conversation between the Service, will host Kings- Legislature and public schools ley Heritage Celebration began in earnest after a his- at Kingsley Plantation. toric march and rally on the This special event is held steps of the Florida Capitol. every year to celebrate They came from around the African heritage and re- state. Fifteen-thousand teach- member the enslaved ers, support staff, and educa- that lived here. This year, tion advocates chanted as they Kingsley Heritage Cele- waved signs in the milelong bration is part of a year trek to The Take on Tallahas- of programming mark- Dr. Johnnetta Cole see Rally. Florida Education ing the 400th anniversary Association, President Fedrick of when the first enslaved Ingram, said the rally showed Africans were forcibly brought to English-occupied North lawmakers that Floridians are On the steps of the Old Capitol, the Reverend Al Sharpton and America. serious about quality public FEA President Federick Ingram rally thousands for teacher On February 15, Kingsley Plantation will be joined by and staff pay raises. (Provided photos) schools. “Floridians want ex- speaker Dr. Johnnetta Cole, a Kingsley descendant, and cellence in public education. the Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters. Dr. Cole has been an And to get us from the bottom Powerful messages rang out commentator, and activist, to the top, all of our teach- from the Old Capitol to the talked about the lack of sun- Please see Celebration, page 6 ers and support staff deserve campuses of Florida A&M shine in the Sunshine State raises. We have a shortage of University, Florida State Uni- regarding public education. teachers because we do not versity, and down the land- “It is a moral outrage that you Jacksonville Honoring Dr. King Jr. pay them what they are worth. mark Apalachee Parkway that do not give equal pay to those Right now, the system is set up ends at the Capitol steps. Key- who work in public education to fail our children. That’s not note speaker, the Reverend Al an option, “Ingram said. Sharpton, national television Please see Rally, page 6
Six Georgia State Lawmakers Introduce New Bill to Hold Police Officers Accountable For Shootings ATLANTA, Ga. — Six female Georgia victims include Jimmy Atchison, Veltavious lawmakers have taken historic action by filing Griggs, JaMarion Robinson, Caine Rogers, Photo by Frank M. Powell a bill that requires all state and local law DeAundre Phillips, Nicholas Thomas, Anthony enforcement departments to create a ‘use of Hill, Alexia Christian, Kevin Davis, and many See Inside for photos from force’ database that is accessible by the public. others. The cases of Atchison and Griggs were the Dr. Martin The Use of Force Act (House Bill 636) was both heavily featured on BET’s Copwatch Luther King, filed by State Representatives Renitta Shannon, America docuseries. Jr. Parade held Sandra Scott, Erica Thomas, Pam Stephenson, After the show premiered, former Atlanta in Jacksonville, Park Cannon, and Bee Nguyen. police officer Sung Kim was forced to resign Florida on The Bill comes on the heels of a considerably for the shooting of Jimmy Atchison. Witnesses Monday. large number of high profiled officer-involved shooting cases in Georgia. The names of the Please see Georgia, page 6 Photo by Carmen Davenport
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County and District Offi ces are in line at the offi cially closing of the polls to be Enterprise Center allowed to vote, to vote free of coercion or intimation 1225 W. Beaver Street, State Representative (Districts 11-16) , vote on a voting system that is in working condition, naacpjax.org Suite 112 Judicial Retention (Nonpartisan) Jacksonville, FL 32204 Justices, Supreme Court of Florida (only those use written instructions and upon request receive oral Isaiah Rumlin (904) 265-4702 whose terms expire January 2021) instructions, receive up to three replacement ballots President Judges, District Courts of Appeal (only those should you make a mistake, to receive an explanation whose terms expire January 2021) should your registration of ID become questionable Circuit Judges (Nonpartisan) and if requested cast a provisional ballot, plus you The Church Directory have the right to ask for assistance. “Come and Worship With Us” Groups 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 21, 26, 27, 28, 30 County Court Judges (Nonpartisan) Voters also have responsibilities bring proper ID Groups 1, 6, 13, 14, 16 , report any problems or violation of elections laws , Greater El-Bethel Divine Holiness Church vote a completed ballot or for the issues and candidates “The Church Where Everybody Is Somebody” County Offi ces School Board (Districts 1, 3, 5, 7) of your choice, know the location of your Supervisor Church Address: Mailing Address: Soil & Water Conservation District (Groups 2, 4) of Elections Offi ces ,should you not vote early know 723 W. 4th St. P.O. Box 3575 Special Districts the location of the precinct on your voter registration Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Community Development Districts card., familiarize yourself with the candidates and Florida 32209 Florida 32206 issues and know where the Offi ce of the Supervisor Telephone: Home: Atlantic Beach (904) 359-0661 (904) 683-5919 Atlantic Beach Mayor of Elections is located. th Cell: 710-1586 Atlantic Beach Commissioner Seat 2 The fi rst election day is March 17 , The PPP Bishop Lorenzo Hall, Pastor Atlantic Beach Commissioner Seat 3 Election, Presidential, Preference Primary, this can Baldwin be tricky only democrats and republics can vote, Sunday School...... 9:30 a.m. Baldwin Mayor however a change in the process for election allow Morning Worship...... 11:00 a.m. NPA’S and others to change parties in the precinct Tuesday...Prayer Meeting & Bible Study, 7:00 p.m. Baldwin Town Council Group 3 Thursday...... Joy Night, 7:00 p.m. Jacksonville Beach Council, Seat 2 but you must remember to change back to remain an th Jacksonville Beach Council, Seat 3 NPA or Other. The registration deadline is Feb. 18 , Email: [email protected] early voting begins March 2nd and ends March 15th. Website: Greaterelbethel.org Neptune Beach Come join Bishop Dr. Lorenzo Hall, Sr. every Wednesday Neptune Beach Mayor Seat 1 Your request for a vote-by-mail ballot must be made th and Thursday from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM for Prayer Neptune Beach Councilor Seat 2 by March 7 however it can be picked up by March 8 Meeting and Bible Study Neptune Beach Councilor Seat 3 at 5pm. Champagning has began, information about vote- ARE YOU REGRISTRAED TO VOTE? You New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church by-mail ballots has been sent out registration deadlines can address any question concerning this election process or operation of the Supervisor of Elections 1824 Prospect St * Jacksonville, FL 32208 have been set, early voting beginning and ending times are on the books, nursing homes and senior citizen to The Florida Star Newspaper, attention Dan Evans “The Church Where God Provides Hope, Help & Healing” residences are being contacted and poll workers are or email [email protected]. The Florida Star in training, plus community organizations are gearing Editorial Board want to provide you with information up to register new voters and help felons fi le for their and knowledge. th right to vote. Quoting Duval County Supervisor of The Primary Election is August 18 and the General rd Elections Mike Hogan... {“... It is imperative that Election is November 3 2020.
Public Service Announcement important,more fulfi lling than seeing the smiling faces of children,youth,babies,adults young and old The Dr.Martin Luther King ,Jr.Memorial Rev. Dr. Marion A. Wise, Senior Pastor enjoying what was assembled on that day. H.O.P. Hour of Power (Sunday School) …………9:30 a.m. Foundation Inc.,on behalf of their president Gary It was clearly a refl ection that would have made New Members Class: Sunday Morning ………….…9:30 a.m. Thomas want to thank all of Duval County's citizens Dr.King proud of the way for that moment in time Sunday Morning Worship: ……………………………11:00 a.m. for their support of the 49th Grand Parade and T.N.T. Tuesday Night Teaching (Bible Study)…..7:00 p.m. people had come together to assemble in his name for a Church: (904) 764-5727 - Fax (904) 764-5901 Celebration.In spite of the cold,gusty weather you cause that is much bigger than all of us ,our UNITY.So Email: [email protected] came to downtown Jacksonville from surrounding thank you citizens of Jacksonville for doing Dr.King Web: newbethlehemmb.com area on Monday,January 20 ,2020 to support them. Proud.The Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.Memorial The groundswell of people was nothing short of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church amazing at the parade and after celebration at the Foundation Inc.and their supporters,volunteers and of the Northside historical Ritz Theater.They want to personally thank friends look forward with anticipation to the 40th each parade entry that participated ,every sponsor Grand Parade and Celebration in the year 2021. small and large,each vendor,each volunteer,school You can begin registering to be an active participant public and private,band,r.o.t.c unit,kindergarten that or volunteer performer in that grand event today at gave of themselves to help in this most noteworthy www.mlkfdnorg.com,[email protected] or annual event.However! nothing was more 904.240.1523 Dr. Landon L. Williams, Sr. th Senior Pastor 44 Anniversary Dr. Landon L. Williams, Sr. Greater Macedonia Baptist Church of Northside located at 1880 West Edgewood Avenue will celebrate the Senior Pastor, Dr. Sunday Services Landon L. Williams, Sr. 44th Anniversary. Schedule of Services 8:00 AM - Early Morning Worship The congregation of Macedonia invites the 9:30 AM - Sunday School greater Jacksonville community to come 11:00 AM - Morning Worship share with us in our special celebration of our Senior Pastor’s anniversary. Celebration Mid-Week Services Tuesday dates are February 9th and February 16th, 7:00 PM - Prayer Service 2020 at 4:00 P.M. each Sunday. 7:00 PM - Mass Choir Rehearsal Event: Pastor - Dr. Landon L. Williams, Wednesday 6:30 PM - Bible Study Sr. 44th Anniversary 7:00 Mid -Week Worship Saint Paul Baptist Church - Bishop John E. Address: Place: Greater Macedonia Baptist Church Guns 1880 W. Edgewood Ave., Jacksonvile, FL 32208 1880 West Edgewood Avenue Phone: (904) 764-9257 Fax: (904) 768-1736 Mount Bethel Baptist Church - Dr. Robert E. Email: [email protected] Herring Website: www.gmbc.net Sunday, February 9, 2020
Guest Churches; Time: 4:00 PM Philippian Community Church - Bishop Free and everyone is invited to attend. PLACE YOUR Virgil Jones, Sr. If you have any questions, please call me. AD HERE Mt. Vernon Baptist Church - Dr. Kelly Wish to give us a News Story? Brown Thanks, Need to place an Ad? Sunday, February 16, 2020 Debbie Gardner Call The Florida/ Georgia Star at (904) 764-9257 904-766-8834 or Send it to: info@thefl oridastar.com Guest Churches: JANUARY 25, 2020 THE STAR PAGE 3 Op-Ed: The Gantt Report Op-Ed: What’s on Miles’ Mind? Political Friends and Enemies Power XVIII - “POTENTIAL 2” By Lucius Gantt while the despicable political devil has By Miles Jaye taken a step up. would imagine that every I always try to keep Gantt Report “You can rise up from anything. newspaper you read and every readers aware of the facts. I don’t care You can completely recreate yourself. internet news site you visit will about the spin and I don’t care about the Nothing is permanent. You’re not stuck. I be permeated with speculations narrative. I have never set out to write You have choices. You can think new and predictions about the “impeachment about what people like. I try to pen the thoughts. You can learn something new. trial” of the Liar in Chief, President truth, whether people like it or not. You can create new habits. All that Donald J. Trump. The truth about what’s happening in matters, is that you decide today and Well, The Gantt Report is not like the 2020 election cycle is one group never look back.” Carmelo Anthony other editorials, opinions, columns or of politicians are united hand-in-hand The magical key to each of these potential; belief news reports. in asking Black voters, Black media affi rmations is in the possibility, confi dence in yourself, The President should be removed outlets and Black political professionals vision of the new reality, and faith from offi ce, forthwith! I’ll leave that to volunteer their political goods and right there. in God, the Creator. You have the services while they keep it a secret potential to rise up from anything, to completely recreate yourself and because I want to opine today about friends from you that their political opponents you have potential, you have choices, you can think new thoughts, you can learn and enemies. are doing more than they are. something new… you can create new habits. If you live long enough you will Believe it or not, the campaign to John 3:16 is says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten ultimately realize that some of your reelect President Donald Trump has Son…” now notice the potential element, “that whosoever believeth in Him shall enemies will become friendly and some been buying full page ads in a number not perish but have everlasting life.” The power of potential combined with the of your friends will become users, of highly circulated Black newspapers. power of choice can alter our lives and transform our realities. Perhaps therein abusers, haters and enemies! I’m not jumping with joy about the lies our very salvation. Believe! As Carmelo said, “We’re not stuck!” In the 40 or more years that The Gantt advertising message which talks about Potential is your personal path to emancipation. Potential is your path to Report has been distributed and read in low unemployment, funding HBCUs independence. You have the power to proclaim your own emancipation, declare publications and internet posts all over and stuff like that. your own independence. You need only declare that you are changing course, the world, some people have liked the But I do believe that all politicians and heading in a new direction, and headed for a new destination… then do it! column and some folk have disliked all political parties should respect Black Keep in mind that the course adjustment may require a new altitude! Pilots The Gantt Report. voters, patronize Black businesses and may refer to that as a turn in an ascent or a climbing turn. Think about your last I, the editor of The Gantt Report, have they should demonstrate diversity in all fl ight. Taking off, the pilot banked into a turn as he was ascending. Climbing or ascent also requires more throttle, or more power. A take-off calls for full been called mean, radical, provocative, phases of their campaigns, especially Get ready! controversial, militant, angry and a lot throttle. diversity in campaign purchasing Also, keep in mind that course adjustment requires a new attitude. As of right of other things. transactions and expenditures. now, see yourself through a new lens-- a lens of love. Through that lens you However, Lucius Gantt has never Don’t take my word for it. Ask your must forgive yourself, and any shortcomings you perceive. You must accept that been described as a liar. I, or my community Black newspaper. If a full while you may not be all you had hoped to be by now, the best is yet to come. column, has never been sued for libel page ad is sold for $4000 that money Smile, that’s good news! Now begin to see others through that new lens and or slander. could easily pay the monthly salary discover what it’s like to live without judgment-- to see everyone as God’s work. There has been typos but The Gantt of one, or more, full time or part-time Smile, He’s working on them, just as He’s working on you. Report has never had a “Bulletin Kill”, employees. Remember the essence of the egg from last week? Within the egg lies the yolk, a print media term that basically means When money is generated for you or and within the yolk lies the potential, but the egg must crack fi rst. Martin Luther an editorial, or news story, should be your business the money doesn’t care King, Jr. may have referenced it as “an idea whose time has come”. That’s the retracted immediately, removed from where it came from. new you inside that egg, waiting to breach the comfort and confi nes of the shell, the news source and followed by an Why don’t the political pundits, springing into life and into your new reality! Everyone has that potential. Your explanatory apology. political staffers and the so called children have that potential-- remind them as often as you can. I said all of that to say this, there is “political hacks” that you love that are My laptop dictionary defi nes potential as: having or showing the good and bad in all of us, including the involved in 2020 races demand that capacity to become or develop into something in the future. Or, latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or political devil! candidates in your political party spend usefulness. If I had to choose three key words in these defi nitions they would be, Many of the politicians that you love money to encourage and infl uence capacity, latent, and develop. and the political party that you love are Black voters to vote the right way on Capacity suggests something or someone can do something. A horse can pull current spending millions of dollars on Election Day? a certain weight, which is where we derive the term horsepower. A fi fty-gallon media buys to infl uence voters in 2020 TV, radio stations, social media container has the capacity to hold up to fi fty gallons, not sixty or seventy, but primary and general elections. companies and other media outlets fi fty, so, capacity also suggests limits. Latent, means the potential lies dormant, Al Sharpton, Joy Reid, Craig Melvin, make as much or more money off of it’s asleep, it’s not in use, as of yet, but it is available. Potential has to be Michael Eric Dyson, Rashad Richey, political advertising than they do off of awakened. Third is develop. Latent potential has to awaken, and if it hasn’t been Stacey Abrams, Andrew Gillum and Christmas advertising. utilized, if it’s new to you… never been used, it has to be developed. It may others are not talking about political I just wanted you to know what’s take time to learn something new, in order to do something new, so that you can activities that are very important for happening. become something new. Black voters to compare and contrast. And, by the way, both major political From the time Moses said to Pharaoh, “Let my people go.”, Martin said, “I To me, they are parroting what they are parties have a story to advertise, so to have a dream.”, Malcolm said “by any means necessary” to today’s shouts of told to say, told to believe and told to speak, and I know the stories that both Black Lives Matter, people have hoped for, believed in, and envisioned a better convey. should tell but I won’t “volunteer” to world. Every protest march, sit-in, and revolution-- French, Russian, Chinese, The great First Lady, Michelle write it in a column. Haitian and American Revolutions were sparked by people who believed. If they Obama once said, “When they go low, Like Tone Loc said some people could only rise and stand against tyranny, inequality and injustice, life could be better. They were willing to risk their lives in the name of potential. we go high!” need to get paid to say or do “The Wild As the days go by and we watch exhaustive coverage of a Presidential So far, in the 2020 election cycle, Thing”! Impeachment, I can’t help wondering, what are we willing to do, to give, or the people that you have historically Vote for the candidates that you feel risk for a better America, a better North Florida, a better Jacksonville, a better considered to be your benefactors, your are best for you but don’t ever be shy or North side, a better West side? That’s what’s on my mind! supporters, your allies, your comforters, afraid to ask your candidate or political www.milesjaye.net your comrades and your confi dants has party to spend political dollars in your [email protected] gone as low as a poor man’s bankroll community.