Reporthighlightsdiscriminationin
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WWeeeekk ooff MMaayy 11 -- MMaayy 77,, 22001177 Providing ‘News that matters’ for years VVOOLL.. XXCCII NNOO.. 3333 Since 1925 9w1 ww.louisianaweekly.com 50 cents The many RBy Deellpa Hoasserllte highlights discrimination in hwoouldu latser ibne pg rovenp tor bae cdistcrimcinaetors y Contributing Writer against African Americans. challenges of Landlords Brion, Jappy and John Ebey, Jr. When former North Shore resident Denise refused to even give her and her husband an charter schools Thornton decided to look for a new place to application after a face-to-face meeting, even live near New Orleans, she figured it would - though she had previously been told the apart - n’t be too hard. She had a budget in mind, and ment was available. Later, it would come out in N.O. exposed was ready to downsize as her daughter shock. Her first introduction to the housing during a lawsuit that racial slurs had been writ - Bethany prepared to leave for college. market in the Metairie area was by landlords Continued on Pg. 6 Thornton, it ends up, would be in for a and owners of an investment company who at hearing By Bill Quigley Contributing Writer New Orleans is the nation’s largest and most complete experiment in charter schools. After Hurricane Katrina, the State of Louisiana took control of public schools in City begins New Orleans and launched a nearly complete transformation of a public school system into a system of charter schools. Though there taking down are spots of improvement in the New Orleans charter system, major problems remain. Many of these problems were on display in New Orleans when the NAACP, which last mWitho sevneral ulegismlators setill nwaititngs fo r a year called for a moratorium on charter chance to block the removal of four schools until issues of accountability and Confederate-era monuments in New Orleans, transparency were addressed, held a commu - the lieutenant governor hoping that President nity forum in New Orleans on charters. The Donald Trump could keep the monuments in New Orleans hearing, featured outraged stu - place and a steeper-than-anticipated cost for dents, outraged parents, and dismayed com - removal of the statues, the City of New Orleans munity members reciting a litany of the prob - began the task of relocating the monuments and lems created by the massive change to a char - storing them in a city-owned warehouse until a ter school system. The single most powerful permanent home for them can be found. moment came when a group of students from Just days after the City of New Orleans denied Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools took the crafting a plan to take down the statues podium and detailed the many ways the sys - overnight on April 13 until the media caught tem has failed and excluded them from par - wind of it, the Landrieu administration moved ticipating in its transformation. to take down the Battle of Liberty Place monu - “We really wanted to share what happens ment about 2:30 a.m. on April 24. in our schools,” writes 18-year-old Big NNNEEE In the wake of threats from monument support - Sister Love Rush in an article on the chal - OOO ers, workers who took down the Battle of Liberty lenges the students face. “How the few per - Place monument last Monday donned helmets, manent teachers we have work so hard for flapjacks and bandanas covering their faces to us, how so many classes are ran by short- conceal their identities and covered up the names term substitutes, how food runs out at meal and license plates on the vehicles used to trans - times, and how we worry if our school’s port the obelisk to a city-owned warehouse near reputation is good enough to support us in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. getting into the college or careers we want. Questions were raised last week about what We shared how we face two-hour com - OOOWWWNNN role firefighters played in the removal of the mutes to and from school, are forced to DDD Liberty Place monument. After meeting with experiment with digital learning with sys - tems like Odyssey, are punished for having the wrong color sweater, or how we worry The Battle of Liberty Place monument is taken down in early morning hours of April 24. Continued on Pg. 6 about being able to attend a school that will give us the education we need.” In summary, the NAACP heard that the charter system remains: • highly segregated by race and econom - Lt. Gov calls for state to display Confederate Monuments ic status. By Christopher Tidmore though, in an exclusive to The a plea to the city to give them to the Nungesser saw their display to • Students have significantly longer com - Contributing Writer Louisiana Weekly, that if the statues state, and then we can decide where the public as critical to telling the mutes to and from school. of Lee, Davis, and Beauregard is the best place to put them,” story of Louisiana. • The percentage of African-American Just days prior to the removal of should come down, that he would Nungesser told this newspaper. In an interview with the daily teachers has declined dramatically leaving the Liberty Place obelisk, Lt. advocate placing the Confederate The Lt. Governor oversees the paper on Friday, Mayor Mitch less experienced teachers who are less Governor Billy Nungesser doubled monuments on state property. Department of Culture, Landrieu appeared open to this likely to be accredited and less likely to down on his calls for President “I think if we lose this battle, and Recreation, and Tourism, and approach. “[T]he state has a much remain in the system. Donald Trump to designate the I’m not ready to give up as of yet, hence nearly every state park and bigger budget and a much bigger • The costs of administration have gone up Confederate statues in New Orleans but I think when and if they do museum. In this context, noting as National Monuments. He added, come down, I personally will make the monuments’ historic nature, Continued on Pg. 6 Continued on Pg. 8 NNPA Exclusive: Bill Cosby, who was known as ‘America’s dad’ finally breaks his silence By Stacy M. Brown revealed that he’s lost his sight. rehearse the walk, hours before the Cosby has shunned most media Contributing Writer Waking one morning about two show,” said Andrew Wyatt of the inquiries, since allegations of sexual years ago, he nervously called out to Purpose PR firm, a public relations misconduct surfaced in late 2014; (NNPA Newswire) — Bill Cosby is Camille, his wife. agency in Birmingham, Ala. Wyatt has some of those accusations dated back blind. “I can’t see,” he said. Doctors later worked with Cosby for years. It’s been more than two years since confirmed the worst: that there was Wyatt said that his star client has Continued on Pg. 2 the embattled, television and film nothing that could be done to repair decided that it’s time to talk. legend, who was once known as his vision. Together, Wyatt and Cosby said they “America’s Dad,” has spoken out “When he would perform, we’d draw grew comfortable that the NNPA publicly. During a recent interview a wide straight yellow line from back - Newswire would be more interested BILL COSBY with the NNPA Newswire, Cosby stage to the chair on the stage and he’d in “facts over sensationalism.” THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY - Page 2 YOUR MULTICULTURAL MEDIUM May 1 - May 7, 2017 powerful committees, seniority and other factors. By Chris Kromm the U.S. Senate, with Southerners tary budget, including a vote in General mate science and immigration The sheer size of Florida and Contributing Writer taking leadership of influential posts 2013 with Democrats to trim By far one of the most bitterly- that align him with many of Texas puts them in the top five of including attorney general, secre - $3.5 billion from a defense contested of the new administra - Trump’s controversial state - Roll Call ’s rankings. The report (Special from Facing South) — tary of state and Trump’s top budg - appropriations bill. But in tion’s cabinet picks, former U.S. ments; the Southern Poverty notes that while Texas has only In the 2016 elections, Southern et official at the Office of Trump’s cabinet, Mulvaney Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama Law Center called Sessions a about two-thirds of California’s states delivered 160 Electoral Management and Budget. appears to have made peace with was an early endorser of “champion of anti-Muslim and population, the Lone Star state is College votes to Donald Trump, generous military spending: The Trumps’ candidacy, famously anti-immigrant extremists.” threatening to overtake its West more than half of the 306 total that NIKKI HALEY, Ambassador budget proposal Mulvaney donning a “Make America Great Sessions has also found him - Coast rival for the top spot. This is propelled him to the White House. to the United Nations unveiled in March included a Again” hat at an August 2015 self ensnared in the scandal over due largely to powerful Texas Now, 100 days into Trump’s In a cabinet that The New York $54 billion increase in the rally. Sessions’ long-time com - ties to Russia that have plagued leaders like Senate Majority Whip presidency, Southern Times describes as “more white defense budget. munications director Stephen the Trump administration. John Cornyn and 21 committee Republicans have emerged as key and male than any cabinet since Miller was an early hire of the During his nomination hearing, chairs in the House, including the figures in the new administration Ronald Reagan’s,” former South RICK PERRY, Secretary of Trump campaign.