The Pri nce Ge orge’s Pos t A C ommuniTy newsPAPer for PrinCe GeorGe ’s CounTy Since 1932 Vol. 80, No. 25 June 21 — June 27 , 2012 Prince George’s County, Maryland Newspaper of Record Phone: 301-627-0900 25 cents Hunger strikers protest Celebrating postal closures and cuts the Legacy By TIM EBNER close and consolidate" states the of Tommy Capital News Service Community-Labor United for Postal Jobs and Services web - Broadwater Six protesters will be staging site, a coalition based in New a hunger strike at D.C. postal York’s Black community." This By Suite Media headquarters and in the halls of affects the most oppressed: per - Congress, beginning June 25. sons who are unemployed, Postmaster General Patrick homeless, vets and immi - State and Local Leaders Join Donahoe has announced that he grants." to Celebrate the 70th Birthday will begin closure of half the Mack Julion, president of the mail sorting plants in the coun - Chicago letter carriers union, of the "Godfather of try, cut hours from 25 to 75 per - recently mobilized his members Maryland’s Black Politics" cent in half the nation’s post to protest announced post office When you are of legend sta - offices, and downgrade delivery closures in local black neigh - tus, a birthday party is more like standards. Beginning July 1, borhoods. "The national empha - a national holiday than just a overnight single piece first class sis on stopping post office clo - gathering of friends. mail delivery will end. sures in rural areas leaves out That’s how it is with Tommie Al Sharpton’s National the devastating impact that post PHOTO BY lT. GOverNOr.s OFFiCe Broadwater, known to most Action Network Youth Move office closures will have on There was a huge turnout for the Trayvon Martin Protest Student Rally at the Criminal across Maryland as the pioneer has endorsed the hunger strike inner city neighborhoods, which Justice Building in Sanford. of African American – and sub - protest. "They need to stop are predominantly Black and sequently minority – politics in starving the postal service and brown people who are financial - the state. stop playing with people’s ly disadvantaged," said Julion. Lt. Governor Brown Receives So when guests came to his lives," stated Victoria Panell, "These people don't have access 70th birthday celebration (June youth leader of NAN. 9) that was organized by a team "The Postmaster General Public Health Hero Award chaired by Margarett Baltimore, Betty Richardson and Joyce conspired with the 1% to cut, See STRIKERS, Page A 5 Honored by Health Care for All! Coalition for Butler, they included regional and national figures such as con - Leadership in Improving Health of Maryland’s Citizens gressman Steny Hoyer (D-5th District), Sen. Ben Cardin, Lt. By MARIKO HEWER Greenbelt's Affordable working every day to make made progress, we won’t be Gov Anthony G. Brown, Capital News Service Maryland the healthiest state in satisfied until every Secretary of Aging Gloria Housing Weathers the nation. Thank you to the Marylander has the opportuni - Lawlah, Congresswoman Donna ANNAPOLIS, Md. (June, Maryland Health Care for All! ty to live a healthy, productive Edwards (D-4th District), State 2012) – Lt. Governor Anthony Coalition for being such a ded - life.” Senator JoAnn Benson (D-24), Market's Collapse G. Brown was honored as icated partner in our efforts to “First as a Delegate and Rushern BakerIII, Del. Aisha Maryland’s Public Health reduce smoking and improve now as Lt. Governor, Anthony By DANA AMIHERE closure filings nationwide. Braveboy, former County Hero by the Maryland Health the health and wellbeing of our Brown has played a big role in Special to Capital News Service As one of every 25 homes in Executive Wayne Curry and Care for All! Coalition during communities,” said Lt. putting Maryland among the surrounding Prince George's many other regional officials. a luncheon at the Annapolis Governor Brown. “Governor top states in the nation in County faced foreclosure at the County council members such as GREENBELT - Built by the Maritime Museum. The event O’Malley and I are committed expanding health care access peak of the crisis in 2008 and Andrea Harris and Karen Toles federal government during the recognized the Lt. Governor’s to expanding access, reducing and improving public health by 2009, the rate in Greenbelt was Great Depression as a suburban leadership in improving the costs, and improving the quali - reducing smoking and alcohol just one in 57. sanctuary for low-income fami - health of Maryland’s citizens ty of health care for all abuse,” said Vincent DeMarco, Historians and economists say See LEGACY, Page A 3 lies, Greenbelt once again has and celebrated the health care Marylanders because we President of the Maryland Greenbelt had many defenses proven a refuge through an eco - and public health successes of understand health care isn’t Health Care For All! Coalition. against the turmoil. It's a co-oper - nomic crisis of historic propor - the 2012 Legislative Session just about curing disease. It’s “That is why we are proud to ative, which imposes many rules tions. and the previous five years about creating conditions name Lt. Governor Brown on how houses are bought and The walkable community of under the O'Malley-Brown where Marylanders can live Maryland’s Public Health sold. It forbids rentals, so rolling green spaces and quaint Administration. healthier lives, where they can Hero.” investors never destabilized homes marks its 75th anniversary “I am honored to accept this be more productive, where As Chair of the Maryland this year, having glided through recognition on behalf of the they can take advantage of all PHOTO BY CaPiTal News serviCe the housing boom and bust that entire O’Malley-Brown the opportunities we have in Terrence Taylor (left) with led to a record number of fore - See GREENBELT, Page A 7 Administration and all those our great State. While we have See BROWN, Page A 7 Tommie Broadwater (right) Government Assistance, Education Help Obama Administration Single Mom Rebound From Addiction Releases Report on By SOPHIE PETIT But she'll keep working and studying Agricultural Economy Special to Capital News Service and applying for all the assistance she can. "I don't want to go back," she said. Commitment to Invest Over $2 Billion BALTIMORE - Michelle Andrea Two years ago, Church was addicted to Church, 41, stacks quarters into neat piles drugs, jobless and then homeless after in Rural Small Businesses Announced eviction from a public-housing unit in on the living-room table in her two-bed - rewards hard work and respon - room apartment in Glen Burnie. Annapolis. She and her children landed in By SARAH HOGUE a single room at Sarah's House, a home - Capital News Service sibility—not outsourcing, It's 1 in the afternoon, and after an loopholes, and risky financial eight-hour night shift and a three-hour less shelter in Fort Meade. For the first time, Church didn't have WASHINGTON— deals. While the security of the nursing class, she should be sleeping. But middle class has been threat - it's laundry day. She needs a lot of quarters anywhere to live. "I had let myself and my President Obama announced children down," she said. At 40 years old, investments to help rural small ened by the irresponsible to wash a lot of clothes. She's a single financial collapse and the mother of a 15-year-old son and an 8- she knew she had to change her life. businesses expand and hire. PHOTO BY SOPHIE PETIT Home to some of the most dili - worst economic downturn year-old daughter. Michelle Andrea Church, 41, in her With the help of a caseworker at the shelter, she stopped using drugs, got a gent and self-reliant since the Great Depression, "It's hard," Church said. Even though apartment in Glen Burnie. rural Americans continue to she spends up to 12 hours a day, not full-time job, earned her high school Americans, rural communities and our nation’s agriculture come together to buckle down including studying, at work and school, she's sleeping. diploma, enrolled at Sojourner-Douglass industry are vital contributors and make ends meet. The val - she can't make enough to support her fam - If she wants to see them or cook dinner College and saved enough money to move to employment and exports ues that have helped hard- ily without government or community on a weekday, she must sacrifice sleep. into the apartment in Glen Burnie off Tall from the United States. Strong working, responsible families help. She tries to cook three times a week. Last Pines Court Road. and secure rural communities weather the storm continue to She gets to spend only two to three night she made spare ribs. She's a good are essential to creating an hours during the work week with her chil - cook, like her mother who raised six economy built to last that dren. When they get out of school at 3, daughters on her own. See CHURCH, Page A 3 See REPORT, Page A 5 INSIDE Baker Goes to Washington Voter Suppression Credit Union Merger Movie Review Earth Talk County executive rushern l. Baker, recent attempts to prevent voters of SECU, Maryland’s largest state- Thirty-three years after his "Alien" Dear EarthTalk: iii, spent a day in washington con - color in Florida from fully exercis - chartered financial cooperative, and introduced moviegoers to the terrors Diesel exhaust from trucks, buses, ducting meetings with Members of ing their constitutional right to vote Anne Arundel County Employees of extra-terrestrial life and the hor - large ships and farm equipment is Congress and federal officials.