Volume 95 Number 50 | AUGUST 1-7, 2018 | MiamiTimesOnline.com | Ninety-Three Cents Can Florida elect a Black governor? Zero is the number of gubernatorial candidates who look like Andrew Gillum K. BARRETT BALALI Miami Times Contributor It was 1918. Lynching ran rampant throughout the South. Gov. Sidney Johnston Catts took office after a campaign promising to rid Florida of People of color make Jews and Catholics. Blacks were too numer- up the majority of ous to rid of, so he stopped funding their schools. Democratic voters in Fast-forward 100 years. Today, most cam- Florida. We have the paigns are about inclusion. numbers,”“ writes Andrea Among the Democratic contenders in the Mercado, director of the Florida primary for governor are two Jews, a New Florida Vision PAC few millionaires, one billionaire and a wom- in an open letter to the an. And among the ranks stands Andrew Gil- community. “Too often lum, the sole Black candidate. The 38-year- candidates like Gillum old charismatic mayor of Tallahassee is run- get lost in the pack of ning for the governorship on a progressive millionaire self-funded platform. campaigns.” The road to the state House has been paved for Gillum by civil rights activists and those who shattered political barriers before him, and it’s not lost on him. “On August 28, 1963, Dr. [Martin Luther] King gave his ‘I Have a Dream, speech, tweeted Gillum. “On August 28, 2008, Pres- ident Obama accepted his nomination for President. On August 28, 2018, I’m going to win the Democratic primary for Governor of Florida.” With less than a month to the Aug. 28 pri- mary, Gillum has work to do to accomplish this weighty goal. He is running in a field SEE GILLUM 10A Andrew Gillum leads a gun regulation rally. Photo courtesy of the Gillum campaign Miami Times forums to feature candidates Previous attendees say events are to represent Miami-Dade ed voters with an up close and host two nonpartisan political County Public Schools’ Dis- personal look at the candi- forums, to allow candidates a invaluable to election campaigns trict I. Gallon was caught in dates in their efforts to make chance to speak to attendees, some controversy in a school better, informed decisions be- with less than a month to the CAROLYN GUNISS Times political forum to wit- district in New Jersey, which fore casting their vote. It truly Aug. 28 primary election. [email protected] ness school administrator had his campaign in clean- helped me get my ideas out The first forum, which will Steve Gallon III share the up mode. Gallon would go there to the people.” be moderated by WPLG Lo- It was after 8 p.m., and the stage with incumbent Wilbert on and win the seat with 55 Candidates who want to cal 10 reporter Glenna Mil- crowd had thinned out a bit "Tee" Holloway. percent of votes. He said the Milberg Pearson be elected Nov. 6, during the berg, starts at 6 p.m. Aug. in the meeting room at the While it wasn’t a debate, the forum made all the difference. me to present ideas, discuss midterm election have the 8 at the Little Haiti Cultur- Betty T. Ferguson Recreation- candidates squared off, vol- “The Miami Times’ polit- issues and defend my posi- political platform available al Center. Candidates for al Complex. Several people leying the moderator’s ques- ical forum provided a great tion and record,” Gallon said. again. Florida governor, attorney had attended the 2016 Miami tions about why they deserve opportunity and platform for “More importantly, it provid- The Miami Times plans to SEE FORUM 6A Today BUSINESS ................................................. 13B YOU & YOURS ............................................ 9D 86° CLASSIFIED ............................................. 17B FAITH CALENDAR ................................... 10D POLITICAL FORUM IN GOOD TASTE ......................................... 1C HEALTH & WELLNESS ............................. 11D #1 INSIDE LIFESTYLE HAPPENINGS ....................... 5C OBITUARIES ............................................. 14D WED. AUG. 8 • 6 PM 7A 8 90158 00100 0 Editorials Cartoons Opinions Letters VIEWPOINT BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY | AUGUST 1-7, 2018 | MiamiTimesOnline.com Credo Of The Black Press MEMBER: National Newspaper Periodicals Postage EDITORIAL The Black Press believes that America Publisher Association paid at Miami, Florida (ISSN 0739-0319) can best lead the world from racial and MEMBER: The Newspaper POSTMASTER: Published Weekly at 900 NW 54th Street, Association of America Send address changes to national antagonism when it accords Miami, Florida 33127-1818 Subscription Rates: One Year THE MIAMI TIMES, The foundation for to every person, regardless of race, Post Office Box 270200 $52.99 – Two Year $99.99 P.O. Box 270200 creed or color, his or her human and Buena Vista Station, Miami, Florida 33127 Foreign $75.00 Buena Vista Station, Miami, FL Phone 305-694-6210 legal rights. Hating no person, fearing 7 percent sales tax for Florida residents 33127-0200 • 305-694-6210 ‘stand your ground’ no person, the Black Press strives to H.E. SIGISMUND REEVES, Founder, 1923-1968 help every person in the firm belief that GARTH C. REEVES, JR., Editor, 1972-1982 all persons are hurt as long as anyone is shaky GARTH C. REEVES, SR., Publisher Emeritus is held back. RACHEL J. REEVES, Publisher and Chairman Florida may be starting to see what last year’s change to the “stand your ground” law has brought. In 2017, lawmak- ers moved the burden of proof for stand-your-ground de- fense from the person who claims it, to the prosecutors to Donald Trump's lies keep building up disprove its use. With that shift, law enforcement may feel like their hands CHARLES BLOW, The New York Times are tied in when to arrest, as is in the case of Markeis Mc- Facts don’t matter to mil- Every day there is no ca- month of May, the president Glockton. lions of Americans anymore. tastrophe, every day yet an- made about eight claims a day The argument started with Michael Drejka that July 19 That is just the truth. Repub- other never-before-seen, — including an astonishing 35 afternoon. McGlockton had to run into a described cantan- licans bewitched by Donald outrageous scandal emerges claims in his rally in Nashville kerous man with a concealed weapons permit. McGlockton Trump have devalued the im- from this administration and on May 29.” tries to defend his girlfriend from Drejka, who is shouting at port of truth. Trump is not destroyed by it, Trump has gone from mak- her, so he shoves the man. When Drejka, a white man, fell to It is a sad truth and a dan- it strengthens him and numbs Trump has gone from ing 4.9 false claims a day to his knees at the hands of a Black man, so did his pride. He gerous one. What is the oper- us and steels his supporters. making 4.9 false now making 6.5 a day. had to teach McGlockton a lesson. ational framework of a society The more he lies without claims a day to now It’s not that this behavior is “In a recent episode of the docudrama, “Rest in Power,” when the truth ceases to be paying a price for it, the more being normalized as much as which follows the incidents that would lead to death of Mi- accepted as true? he weakens the power of the making 6.5 a day. it is becoming ritualized. ami Gardens teenager Trayvon Martin, it was intimated that There may be precedents truth to defend right and con- “ Furthermore, Trump plays stand your ground makes prosecutors decide guilt or inno- in other countries, but one demn wrong. And he expands to a duality, a contradiction cence when there is a loss of life in an altercation. would be hard pressed to find his latitude to lie more. within his supporters: tough Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri coldly said he wasn’t a precedent here. It is becom- Trump is experiencing Trump is increasing the fre- guy with a tender ego. He going to arrest Drejka because the shooting was legal under ing cliché now to say that we something of a Superman quency of his lying. As The boasts about being strong stand your ground. Cops used to have to go to prosecutors are in uncharted territory with Syndrome: Having survived Washington Post’s Fact Check- while simultaneously whining with air-tight cases with compelling evidence for warrants Trump and his regime, but so many episodes that would er reported last month: about being assailed. to be issued and arrests made. In that moment, when Gualt- that is precisely where we are. have destroyed another pres- “When we first started this His griping, in a weird way, ieri declined to arrest, he became judge and jury in this case. There is tremendous possi- idency, he has become ever project for the president’s is what fuels his gasconade. And that’s what’s really flawed about stand your ground. bility for peril, but luckily for more emboldened in his of- first 100 days, he averaged He insists to his supporters Prosecutors have abdicated their responsibilities. Where Trump and the country, we fenses because he comes to 4.9 claims a day. But the av- that he is being treated unfair- is the outcry from them as they are circumvented? Perhaps have so far avoided all-out ca- see himself as invincible. erage number of claims per ly and their reflexive defense prosecutors are heaving a sign of relief that they don’t have tastrophe. There is no guaran- What doesn’t kill him makes day keeps climbing as the of him prevents them from to deal with this hot potato with real racial overtones.