US Tortures Blacks
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sfltimes.com “Elevating the Dialogue” SERVING MIAMI-DADE, BROWARD, PALM BEACH AND MONROE COUNTIES DECEMBER 11 — 17, 2014 | 50¢ IN THIS ISSUE REGION BUSINESS/7A Xavier Suarez Decent wage PHOTO COURTESY OF MCCLATCHYDC.COM UNITED NATIONS: Chicago rights activists protest during review of U.S. torture policies before the U.N. in Geneva. PRAYERFUL United Nations concludes: US tortures blacks LIVING/4B By JOSÉ PÉREZ Shockingly, for South Florida, the United Special to South Florida Times Nations included in its report a scathing Walter Richardson indictment of a police killing that occurred “I can’t breathe ... ” SOUTH FLORIDA — The United States in Miami barely a year ago. Included in its continues to reel from the social and political concluding observations, the Committee on fallout of decisions not to prosecute white police Torture wrote that it was “appalled at the officers in the cold-blooded deaths of two number of reported deaths after the use of African-American men in separate incidents in electrical discharge weapons, including Ferguson and Staten Island. A recently adopted the recent cases of Israel ‘Reefa’ Hernández United Nations report concludes there is grave Llach in Miami Beach.” Electrical discharge concern that police interactions with U.S. blacks weapons are commonly known as tasers. and other communities of color are systemically Miami attorney Meena Jagannath brought deadly. Hernandez’ case to Geneva last month to The UN’s Committee against Torture found give testimony in front of the United Nation’s that the United States is guilty of many instances Committee on Torture on behalf of Hernan- M of what amounts to human rights abuses in dez’ family and Dream Defenders. Jagannath O C . S particular when it comes to torture at the testified along with activists from Ferguson, E IM T hands of the military, inhumane incarceration Missouri and Chicago. H C E of immigrants seeking asylum, juveniles, and Hernandez was an upcoming contempo- T SOFLO LIVE/4C F O women, and – not coincidentally – what the rary artist who was, according to the brief SY TE UR report calls “the frequent and recurrent police submitted to the United Nations by Jagannath, CO Jennifer Holliday TO shootings or fatal pursuits of unarmed black PHO Christmas concert individuals.” PLEASE TURN TO TORTURE/6A REGION PALM BEACH Soul of Basel brings black professionals to Overtown PHOTO COURTESY OF THE REALDEAL.COM Redemptive Life Fellowship Church and its Bishop Harold Ray. Redemptive Life Fellowship possibly facing foreclosure XXXXX By KYOTO WALKER zip codes other than the western Glades Special to South Florida Times population in all of Palm Beach County,” he said. “The demand continues to in- WEST PALM BEACH — The nation's crease (for services) to which Redemp- economic downturn and its impact on tive Life has attempted to respond out of DAVID I. MUIR/ FOR SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES Redemptive Life Fellowship has led to its internal support base and member- SOUL BASEL: Shernette Muhammad discusses her portrait of Purvis Young with patron. the church defaulting on its mortgage ship constituency.” and being on the verge of a foreclosure According to Ray, Redemptive Life By MICHELLE HOLLINGER black fine art, the event would also be an action, senior pastor Bishop Harold C. has cut some programs, downsized its Special to South Florida Times introduction of sorts to many venturing Ray said. Ray, who is also the founder of staff significantly and has put a portion of into Overtown for the first time. Redemptive Life, said the church is in a the church's land on the market but finan- OVERTOWN, FL. — What do you get “With this being Art Basel and this default scenario owing $230,000 in back cial difficulties still persist. He said the when you have a historical black venue year having a huge black presence at Art mortgage payments, which has in turn church has raised about $40,000 but the filled with acclaimed black art being Basel, [Ed and I] thought that it would be led to an accelerated balance request monthly mortgage payments alone are viewed by a predominantly black crowd, a great idea to host our First Wednesday from the mortgagers of $3.3 million. $29,000. The mortgagers are very much many of whom are graduates of Historically here along with Soul Basel to give Redemptive Life Fellowship is located on the verge of filing a foreclosure action, Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)? younger people an opportunity to come at 2101 N. Australian Ave. in West Palm Ray said. “If we raised roughly $250,000 For Fabiola Fleuranvil, a dream come true. into Overtown, which we usually don’t do, Beach. Established in 1991, the 46,200 right now, then we would probably be Six years ago, Fleuranvil, a marketing and to come to the Lyric Theater, which sq. ft. church complex was designed current,” he said. “And even then, if they executive, was on the verge of returning most of us have never been here before. to be a multipurpose center provid- want to accelerate (the balance due), it to Atlanta due to what she saw as a dearth It exposed us to a part of Miami that we’ve ing space for community meetings and would be a little difficult because there of blackness, especially among her peers never been in,” said Fleuranvil. conferences, as well as other uses and (would be) no debt. We would have a - young, African-American professionals. Jennelle Griffiths, 29, and Genetta which housed an elementary school for balance but no deficit.” A conversation with Edwin Sylvain, a Watts, 30, are first time visitors to the many years (1994 - 2011), according to Redemptive Life has a roll member- friend and fellow Florida A&M University Lyric Theater and they plan to return. Ray. The building was constructed for ship of about 1,500 and an active congre- (FAMU) Rattler, about her inability to Both women are pharmacists and FAMU $5.8 million, he said. gation of about 300 - 350 members who connect with others who looked like her graduates. Griffiths said she came to the Ray says programs may have to be basically support the church financially, became what is now ‘First Wednesdays event to “look at some beautiful art work, suspended and the church will most like- Ray said. He added that the church has South Florida HBCU Alumni Social.’ [and to do some] networking.” ly face foreclosure proceedings without never received any state or federal fund- For Fleuranvil, linking her popular Watts’ motivation for attending contributions from the community be- ing but some community service pro- monthly gathering of young HBCU was to experience art from a black cause the internal support from its con- grams that the church supports were graduates with The Black Archives’ perspective. “We’re so used to what we gregation is insufficient to meet the de- funded by local grants. opening reception for ‘A Man Among see commercially, nationally that’s not mands of the community, operational The church has tried to underwrite its the People: A Purvis Homecoming,’ was really representative of us,” she said. Both expenses and the mortgage. “The finan- community service programs internally a marriage made in heaven. In addition cial difficulties are simply because we're to introducing many of her peers to PLEASE TURN TO PURVIS/6A located in the two largest below poverty PLEASE TURN TO REDEMPTIVE/2A SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL 2A HEALTH | 3A NATION | 4A/5A OPINION | 8A SOUL BASEL | 2B AROUND SOUTH FLORIDA | 3B CLASSIFIEDS/OBITUARIES | 4B PRAYERFUL LIVING | 1C SOFLO LIVE SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES ©2014 • VOL. 24 ISSUE NO. 50 • A BEATTY MEDIA, LLC PUBLICATION 2A | DECEMBER 11 — 17, 2014 | SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES | SFLTIMES.COM Health Redemptive Church Your pet and why you should members too few care about our changing world REDEMPTIVE, FROM 1A but the economic downturn has made that more difficult By PIERRE B. BLAND, DVM in recent years, Ray said. “We feed over 2,000 families a month through our food bank,” he said. “We have numerous No matter if you choose to believe it or not, our requests for assistance each month relative to anything from world is changing. This is not an attempt to sway your light bills to persons who have been victims of domestic opinion of why or if change is occurring, but a discus- assault, things of that nature.” sion of a specific change that should be of concern to The Urban League of Palm Beach County has supported us all. various programs in conjunction with Redemptive Life as Ebola is still in the news and unfortunately will well, according to Ray and Urban League president and probably continue to be so for the foreseeable future. CEO Patrick Franklin. Franklin's organization routinely But think back and you will probably remember other provides foreclosure counseling to its clients. He said deadly diseases that seemingly appeared out of no- that exploring all alternatives is paramount to maintain where, bursting on to the news cycle. Remember SARS, the church because the foreclosure process usually takes Hanti Virus, and HIV? All these are zoonotic diseases: time. “It all depends upon your lending institution and the originating in animal populations and making the jump terms of your mortgage, and your agreement how flexible to a human host. In a review of 1,415 pathogens know the bank will be with you,” Franklin said. “Sometimes it's just to infect humans, 61% (863 pathogens) of them are zoo- a matter of refinancing the interest rate, but every situation is notic. The occurrence of zoonotic diseases is not a new totally different.