Week of January 8 - January 14, 2018 92nd year of providing ‘News that matters’ VVOOLL.. XCIIII NO.. 17 Since 1925 www.louisianaweekly.com 50 cents VBy Jeossicta HeusremaFn raud EClectioon Inmtegrity,m whichi hse’d sseti uop ln egal biats tles”g thato bedneviled t,he cbom -uutp ins flacmesr, Iu dont’t iknnow y that DwHS ijulmpl onc a liove gnrenatdei.” nue ProPublica after alleging with no evidence that he mission in its brief existence. But personnel would be eager to follow Echoing Trump, commission co- lost the popular vote because of mil - experts say the scrutiny and resistance their lead,” said Justin Levitt, a profes - chair and Kansas Secretary of State In an unexpected executive order on lions of illegal votes. In a statement, that the commission faced will persist. sor at Loyola University School of Kris Kobach told multiple news out - Wednesday night, President Donald he said the Department of Homeland They are skeptical the DHS will Law and former Department of Justice lets on Wednesday night that Trump abruptly dissolved the Security will take up the commission’s achieve the results Trump claims. civil rights official. “You don’t nor - Presidential Advisory Commission on mantle while avoiding the “endless “Having watched the commission go mally want to be the second person to Continued on Pg. 13 EMANCIPATION DAY WAS JANUARY 1 Irvin Mayfield We must pleads not guilty to 19 federal charges never forget New Orleans trumpeter and cultural icon Irvin Mayfield, co-founder of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, entered the sacrifice U.S. District Court Thursday and entered a not guilty plea to 19 counts stemming from his tenure as a board member of a charity associated with the and the triumph New Orleans Public Library. News Analysis : A trial date for the Grammy Award- winning musician and NOCCA alum By Jesse Jackson Sr. was set for March 12. Guest Contributor MAYFIELD Although Mayfield did not speak with reporters Thursday, his attorney spoke with the media (TriceEdneyWire.com) — One hundred forty-five after the arraignment. years ago on Jan. 1, Abraham Lincoln issued the “He did it because he is not guilty,” Claude Kelly, Emancipation Proclamation, helping to transform Mayfield’s attorney, told reporters. “No New Orleanian has this country from a union of states into a nation, from a country stained by slavery into one moving at great cost closer to “liberty and justice for all.” Continued on Pg. 8 On Jan. 1, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, the Republican president, issued the proclamation on his own authority as command - er-in-chief “in time of actual armed rebellion” against the United States. The emancipation was grounded on his wartime powers, as a “fit and neces - will set the negroes free, where he retains power we will con - sary war measure for suppressing said rebellion.” sider them as slaves,” declared the London Times . The emancipation did not end slavery in the United States. It But the doubters did not understand the significance of the applied only to the states still in rebellion, exempting the slave proclamation and its words. The president announced, “all per - owning border states such as Maryland, Missouri and sons held as slaves” in the states “in rebellion against the United Kentucky that still had slaves. Lincoln was desperate to keep States” are “forever free.” He called on the newly freed people to the border states from joining the South. Some abolitionists ridiculed him for this. “Where he has no power, Mr. Lincoln Continued on Pg. 13 Photos from St. James Parish Sheriff GIEGER RECOTTA Kay Coles James becomes first Black woman to lead the Conservative Heritage Foundation Two additional By Stacy M. Brown to have a positive impact in the partisan differences and political Contributing Writer Black community and America. debate that devolve into name-call - “I’ve seen the rhetoric heighten ing and character assassination. arrests made in (NNPA Newswire) –– Kay [since President Donald Trump took “If I can turn that just a little bit, I Coles James, the newest president office] on all sides,” said James, 68. would declare a success,” James said. of the conservative Heritage “And, when you’re a conservative, James who describes herself as a Foundation and the first African- Black Republican, you know what “happy warrior,” said big challenges beating of teens American woman to lead the the rhetoric is like on the ‘Left’ and, come with the job, but as the first The St. James Parish Sheriff’s Office announced late organization, said that she plans to trust me, it’s not good.” African-American woman to lead last month that a second and third suspect have been set an example for engaging with James added that we all have to arrested in connection with an altercation involving two COLE JAMES people of different political stripes bear responsibility to get beyond Continued on Pg. 2 Black teenagers who were beaten at a Christmas Eve bonfire event in Gramercy. The mothers of the two teenagers told authorities, at least one newspaper and people on social media that the incident might have been racially motivated since the altercation occurred after a white teenage girl was seen Daughter of BLM key figure Eric Garner dies interacting with the Black males. By Stacy M. Brown humanity. CNN reported that her family is Garner famously and fiercely sought jus - WAFB News reported that Grady Gieger, 25, of Contributing Writer controlling the account. tice for her father, Eric Garner, who died Prairieville, was arrested Friday, Dec. 29. He is charged with “When you report this you remember from a police chokehold in Staten Island, second-degree battery. Dylan Recotta, 19, was also arrested (NNPA Newswire) — Erica Garner, who she was human: mother, daughter, sister, New York on July 17, 2014. became an activist for all who were aunt,” Garner’s account tweeted. “Her She led marches and demonstrations in Continued on Pg. 8 wronged by the American justice system, heart was bigger than the world. It real - New York City and other places, and even died on Saturday, December 30. ly, really was. She cared when most peo - appeared on national television imploring She was 27. ple wouldn’t have. She was good. She the Department of Justice to review the cir - A Twitter account associated with Erica only pursued right, no matter what. No Garner spoke of her compassion for one gave her justice.” Continued on Pg. 3 THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY - Page 2 YOUR MULTICULTURAL MEDIUM January 8 - January 14, 2018 Trump Justice Department pushes for citizenship question on Census By Justin Elliott try to where hundreds of billions confirmed the agency received the carefully field-tested, a process sex, race, Hispanic origin, house - compared to now because of the ProPublica of federal dollars are spent. letter and said the “request will go that can take years. hold relationship and owner/renter government changes … and trust The DOJ made the request in a through the well-established “This is a recipe for sabotaging status — but not citizenship. factors. … Three years ago I didn’t The Justice Department is previously unreported letter, process that any potential question the census,” said Arturo Vargas, a “People are not going to come have problems with the immigra - pushing for a question on citizen - dated Dec. 12 and obtained by would go through.” The DOJ member of the National Advisory out to be counted because they’re tion questions,” said another cen - ship to be added to the 2020 cen - ProPublica , from DOJ official declined to comment and the Committee of the Census and the going to be fearful the information sus interviewer. sus, a move that observers say Arthur Gary to the top official at White House did not respond to a executive director of NALEO would be used for negative purpos - The Justice Department letter could depress participation by the Census Bureau, which is part request for comment. Educational Fund, a Latino advo - es,” said Steve Jost, a former top argues that including a citizenship immigrants who fear that the of the Commerce Department. Observers said they feared cacy group. “When you start bureau official during the 2010 question on the once-a-decade cen - government could use the infor - The letter argues that the DOJ adding a citizenship question adding last-minute questions that census. “This line about enforcing sus would allow the agency to better mation against them. That, in needs better citizenship data to would not only lower response are not tested — how will the voting rights is a new and scary enforce Section 2 of the Voting turn, could have potentially large better enforce the Voting Rights rates, but also make the census public understand the question? twist.” He noted that since the first Rights Act, which bars the dilution of ripple effects for everything the Act “and its important protec - more expensive and throw a How much will it suppress census in 1790, the goal has been voting power of a minority group once-a-decade census determines tions against racial discrimina - wrench into the system with just response rates?” to count everyone in the country, through redistricting. — from how congressional seats tion in voting.” two years to go before the 2020 The 2010 census included a not just citizens. “To fully enforce those require - are distributed around the coun - A Census Bureau spokesperson count. Questions are usually handful of questions covering age, There have been rumblings since ments, the Department needs a reli - the beginning of the year that the able calculation of the citizen vot - Trump administration wanted to ing-age population in localities add a citizenship question to the where voting rights violations are Trump’s first year in office marked by controversy, protests census.