Week of October 16 - October 22, 2017 92nd year of providing ‘News that matters’ VVOOLL.. XCIIII NO.. 5 Since 1925 www.louisianaweekly.com 50 cents Airport bomb suspect vowed Officer slain in N.O. East to ‘fight war on U.S. soil’ wanted to make a difference (AP) — A man planted a Mason jar filled with explosive The New Orleans Police Department lost one of its own dur - chemicals and nails at a western North Carolina airport earli - ing an early-morning shooting Friday, October 13, that er this month and vowed to “fight a war on U.S. soil,” accord - claimed of life of three-year veteran Marcus McNeil, a 29- ing to court documents on Tuesday, October 10. year-old husband and father of two. The criminal complaint written by an FBI agent said investiga - The fatal shooting occurred shortly after midnight near the tors found the improvised explosive device on Friday, October 6, intersection of Tara Lane and Lake Forest Boulevard in east - at the Asheville airport near a terminal entrance. Asheville police ern New Orleans. bomb technicians then rendered it safe. News spread quickly about the death of the popular officer The complaint accuses Michael Christopher Estes of attempted as his colleagues gathered to honor a fallen comrade Friday malicious use of explosive materials and unlawful possession of morning. “This hurts,” NOPD Supt. Michael Harrison later said out - Continued on Pg. 8 ESTES McNEIL Continued on Pg. 2 NAACP calls out FBI’s NOPD pay hike gets backing of latest report City’s Civil Service Commission The New Orleans Civil Service on ‘Black Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure that will mean pay raises for most NOPD officers and will likely help extremists’ the undermanned police department to attract (NNPA Newswire) – According to a jour - a larger number of recruits. nalistic investigation by the news outlet NOPD Supt. Michael Harrison said Tuesday Foreign Policy (FP) the FBI’s counterterror - that in addition to aiding the department’s ism division has identified a new threat— recruitment efforts the pay hike would also Black identity extremists (BIE). The FBI’s likely improve veteran retention numbers. assessment is that BIE’s “perception of police “We’re putting our attention on the peo - brutality against African Americans have ple in the middle with the most experi - spurred retaliatory lethal violence against law ence,” Harrison explained. enforcement.” In response to this report, the Under the proposed plan, inexperienced interim NAACP President and CEO Derrick NOPD officers would receive a 10.45 percent Johnson has released the following statement: boost in pay, raising their annual salaries to “In a time when white supremacists are almost $46,000. Three classifications of more marching down city streets with loaded experienced officers would be lumped togeth - weapons and tiki torches—organizing rallies er into a single “senior police officer” catego - of terror around the country—it comes as a ry that would boost their pay to $51,800, a great shock that the FBI would decide to tar - boost between five and 16 percent depending on those officers’ current rank. Continued on Pg. 2 A new rank of corporal would be created Circa 2014, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Michael Harrison with membAeP rFsil eo pfh tohto e NOPD brass. Continued on Pg. 8 Access to videos surrounding Alton Residents weigh in on performances of D.A ., police chief Although Orleans Parish District position, the recent WWL-TV/New problem,” Ron Faucheux, pollster and in the midst of a federally man - Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, U.S. Orleans Advocate poll asked local and president of Clarus Research dated consent decree aimed at bring - Sterling’s death Rep. Cedric Richmond and NOPD residents to assess their perform - Group, told WWL News . “But on ing it up to federal standards for con - Superintendent Michael Harrison ances. the other hand, I think voters, stitutional policing. were not on last week’s ballot, According to the poll, 60 percent because they’re so concerned Twenty-seven percent of sought by his their performances in office sig - of respondents said they approve about crime and what is and isn’t respondents said they were dis - nificantly impact the city and its of NOPD Supt. Michael Harrison’s being done, they are looking for satisfied with the performance of residents in many ways. job performance while 21 percent change at the same time.” the NOPD. family’s lawyers Despite the fact that Cannizzaro said they disapproved. The survey found that 63 percent However, when asked, many say Attorneys representing the children of Alton and Richmond were not up for “I think what this shows is that of those polled approved of the job crime in the city is one of their Sterling, the 37-year-old father of five slain by reelection this year and police the voters in the city are not blam - the NOPD is doing, despite the fact Baton Rouge police on July 5, 2016, have for - superintendent is an appointed ing Chief Harrison for the crime that the department is undermanned Continued on Pg. 3 mally asked the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office to grant them access to the video and audio recordings of the incident, The New Orleans Advocate recently reported. In a Sept. 22, 2017 letter sent to La. Attorney General Jeff Landry, whose deci - sion it will be whether to file state charges Tulane professor wins MacArthur fellowship against Sterling’s killer after East Baton By Janet McConnaughey tant gifts you can give to an artist,” Ward was the 2011 recipient of the Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore AP Writer Jesmyn Ward said in a video National Book Award for her second recused himself from the case, lawyers repre - Wednesday from Tulane University, novel, Salvage the Bones , about the senting the family requested a private view - (AP) — An African-American novel - where she’s a professor. “So I am struggles of a poor African-American ist praised for her raw and powerful deeply humbled and also overjoyed.” family in her native Mississippi, set Continued on Pg. 2 depictions of poor African Americans Hours earlier, the Chicago-based John against the backdrop of Hurricane confronting racial and economic D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Katrina’s strike on the Gulf Coast. inequalities in the rural South said Foundation announced she was among The author grew up in DeLisle, Wednesday that winning a MacArthur 24 recipients of the so-called genius Mississippi, a community of about fellowship gives her time and freedom. grants, which bestow $625,000 on each WARD “I think those are the two most impor - winner over five years. Continued on Pg. 2 THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY - Page 2 YOUR MULTICULTURAL MEDIUM October 16 - October 22, 2017 Access to videos surrounding Alton Sterling’s death sought Continued from Page 1 would not file federal criminal public. Shortly after the incident, show Salamoni getting out and and the other lawyers retained by representing Sterling’s five chil - charges against BRPD Officer police confiscated the Triple S putting his gun to Sterling’s head the family to move forward with dren and their mothers. Andricka ing of the videos, which include Blane Salamoni, who fired six Store’s video surveillance of the for no reason.” a civil lawsuit. Williams is the mother of three footage from police body cam - shots into Sterling, and Officer incident and has not released it, “We need this information for “In many cases family and of Sterling’s children and eras, and a surveillance video Howie Lake II, who tasered prompting a lawsuit by the our civil lawsuit,” Stewart their legal representatives are Quinyetta McMillon and from the Triple S Store that cap - Sterling and helped to wrestle store’s owner who was reported - added. “It’s hampering our allowed to review footage in Kimberly Pierson are each the tures the moments before and him to the ground but did not ly detained in a hot police car investigation, and you have the person while being investigated, mother of one of his two remain - after Sterling was fatally shot by fire his handgun. after the shooting and was forced lawsuit proceeding especially yet this has not happened in the ing children. police. The La. Attorney General’s to relieve himself on the side of because the city of Baton Rouge Sterling case,” the attorneys tell After a 10-month DOJ probe, Sterling was selling mix tape Office is now investigating the his store. has done nothing to resolve this the Attorney General’s Office in the Louisiana Attorney General’s CDs and DVDs outside the store incident. Although it announced it would civil case.” the letter. “This in no way inter - Office is in the fifth month of its when he was approached by two Atlanta-based attorney L. Chris not prosecute the officers While Stewart said that feres with your investigation. investigation. Baton Rouge police. Shortly Stewart, one of several lawyers involved in the incident, the DOJ Sterling’s children would not There is no legal basis to not “It’s taking a long time, but if the after their arrival, Sterling was representing the family, told The officials held a closed-door watch the video footage, he said allow a private review of the end result is justice for the Sterling wrestled to the ground and shot New Orleans Advocate in early meeting with lawyers and family that adult family members could requested footage.” family then that’s fine,” Stewart by one of the officers at point- October that the Attorney members in May during which view it if granted permission by The other four lawyers repre - said.