WSSN Stories

Meagan Good

LOS ANGELES, CA- Krazy Actress Productions, co-founded by actress Meagan Good  (“Minority Report,” “Think Like a Man”) and actress-writer Tamara Bass (“Baby Boy,” “All That Matters”) has launched an Indiegogo campaign to help finance its next project, “If Not Now, When.” 

The feature film was written by Bass and will star both women. Sway Calloway (VH1, “MTV News”) has signed on as executive producer. 

The Indiegogo campaign launches on the heels of the landmark success of Krazy Actress Productions’ web series, “All That Matters” which debuted on World Star Hip Hop and earned over 25 million views. 

“As young women, we remember watching films that molded and shaped our perspectives on womanhood and friendship,” said Good. “I wanted to be a part of making films that inspire others the way that I was inspired…to make movies that take people on a journey, and tell a story that ultimately makes us love ourselves a little bit more.”

“If Not Now, When?” is reminiscent of popular female bonding movies prevalent in the ’90s. The film tells the story of Suzanne (Good), Patrice (Bass), Tyra and Deidre, friends since the age of 14. Over the course of their lives, fights, disagreements and love have created distance between them, particularly Suzanne and Patrice who haven’t spoken in almost 15 years. When Tyra experiences a crisis, the women reunite and rediscover the importance of sisterhood, as they band together to look after Tyra’s 14-year-old daughter.

“I wrote this movie because we are committed to telling stories that showcase diversity, and to doing our part to create more leading roles for women of color,” said Bass. “Leveraging a crowdfunding campaign to raise capital for our film not only allows us to maintain creative control, but also gives the fans a chance to weigh in on what types of movies they want to see and support.”

The Indiegogo campaign goal is $750,000. Donors will receive a variety of perks ranging from autographed scripts to producer credits.

For more information and to contribute to the campaign, visit www.krazyactressproductions.com or the Indiegogo campaign page.

By Lue Dowdy

LUE Productions, Drac Entertainment, and 4ETE’s -ROCK & RAP MIDDAY MIXER is WHAT IT DO!

Rock and Rap have been around for a very long time going back to the 20th Century. When Run-D.M.C. hooked up with Rock band Aerosmith and remade the band’s hit song “Walk This Way,” it was the wrap. Rock and Rap went mainstream in the 1990’s. Other artists began to collaborate such as The Beastie Boys and Public Enemy with “Bring the Noise,” it kept going and going.

With that being said please come to the mixer starring recording artists Mack Pepperboy, Dirdy Birdy and Chase Enriquez. The show features several talented artists such as Anthony Stone, Nya BanXXX, Valencia Staxx, Cali G, The 8th Street Band, Sirr Jones, D’zyl, Cash Flow, Mac Stardo, and many more. The event will be hosted by Comedian Brett As Is. Admission is only $5 and its 18 and up. I hope to see all my rap and rockers.

Until next week L’z! The time is at 6 p.m., Saturday, August 6 at Brew Rebellion located at 195 N. Del Rosa Drive in San Bernardino.

Loe Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Warning comes before destruction. And you had been warned, but you wouldn’t listen. I tell you it is a dangerous thing to be hardheaded. And it is even a more dangerous thing to a Christian and to be hardheaded. To know God and to choose to think, act, or behave outside of the Word, Will, and Way of God is very dangerous. Whenever you chose to disobey the Lord, He won’t stop you. When you chose to disregard the “way of escape” when temptations arise, God will not stop you. But know that to rebel against the will of God is sin! And in the end, who pays for it? You do!

It was a situation that you could have avoided altogether because it was a situation that you had no business involved in the first place. It was a situation that had all the warning signs and all the red flags waving before your very eyes, but you chose to ignore them. But I bet at the end of the situation you found yourself saying: “If I had just listened to momma and daddy…..” “If I had just paid attention to what momma and daddy was trying to tell me back then……” “If I had just done what momma and daddy had told me to do…..” “If only….!

Let me tell you about a man that if he had just listen to his momma and daddy; if he had just paid attention to what his momma and daddy was trying to tell him to do; if he had just did what his momma and daddy had told him to do, he would have had a happy ending to his life story. But instead he had a sad ending to his life story. And this man that I am talking about is Samson. Now, most of us know who Samson is. Samson was known to be one of the Judges of Israel and was known to be the strongest man to have ever lived. He was a man who was anointed with extra ordinary strength. The reason why Samson had extra ordinary strength and he was so strong was because of the covenant that he had with the Lord. You see, when Samson was born, he was born as a Nazarite. And as a Nazarite, Samson was not to touch or drink wine, nor was he to have his hair cut because God supplied Samson’s extra ordinary strength through his hair. And through his hair, God gave Samson strength to kill a lion with is bare hands. Through his hair God gave Samson strength to kill 30 Philistine men all at once. Through his hair, God gave Samson strength to tie the tails of 300 foxes and set them on fire to burn up the cornfields  of the Philistines. Through his hair, God gave Samson strength to kill a thousand of Philistines men with just a jawbone of a donkey. Yes, God blessed Samson with extra ordinary strength through his hair to defeat the Philistines. But in [Judges 16:21], we see Samson’s hair has been cut. His eyes have been gouged out. We see Samson bound up in chains and in prison, and we see him walking the grind mill all day long in the prison house. In other words, we see the strongest man who had ever lived defeated and incapacitated. Now the question is, how did the strongest man to have ever lived find himself in a defeated and incapacitated position?

Now, for a long time, I blamed Delilah for Samson demise because I said that if he had not got involved with Delilah, he would not have gotten his hair cut, he would not have lost his strength, and he would not have been apprehended by the Philistines. But as I gave a close look at Samson’s situation, I came to realize that it was Samson’s fault to find his eyes being gouged out. It was Samson’s fault to find himself in prison. It was Samson’s fault to find himself bound up in chain. It was Samson’s fault that he now finds himself grinding the grind mill walking in circles all the day long. And the reason it was his fault because if Samson had just listen to his momma and daddy in [Judges 14] I believe he would not have found himself in that situation, but Samson was hardheaded and rebellious, and a hardhead makes a soft-behind!

But understand that even though Samson messed up by getting involved in the wrong kind of relationships, God still loved and cared for him. God still used him for his glory. God still used him to defeat the Philistines. Likewise, God still loves us, and cares for us when we are in the wrong. He will still use us for his glory. But remember this, we still have to face the consequences of our actions when we do wrong. But God is a forgiving God, and a merciful God who will forgive us our sins if we just repent and ask God for forgiveness. He will give us a second chance to do it right because He is plenteous in mercy and his love is everlasting.

[Proverbs 6:20-23] says, “My son, keep thy father’s commandment and forsake not the law of thy mother. Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee, and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life;

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to thy word” [Psalms 119:9].

By Ronda Racha Penrice, Urban News Service

Young people in Dr. King’s native Atlanta responded to the recent police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile with consecutive nights of marches. Celebrities spotted in the protests included rapper T.I. and actress Zendaya Coleman.

Other stars have spoken up about these and similar incidents, mainly through social media. The New York Knicks’s Carmelo Anthony issued a one-page challenge in the July 9 New York Daily News for his “fellow athletes to step up and take charge.” He took an even higher-profile stance on July 13. “The urgency for change is definitely at an all-time high,” Anthony said, as he, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James opened the ESPYs, the Oscars of sports.

These pleas for social justice are not unique to today’s celebrities. Former collegiate athlete, singer and actor Paul Robeson became politically active in the 1930s. He paid a heavy price for such activism in the ’40s and ’50s, as he largely lost his livelihood. Robeson’s difficulties didn’t deter other performers. In Stars for Freedom: Hollywood, Black Celebrities, and the Civil Rights Movement, author Emilie E. Raymond focuses on six celebrities — Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dick Gregory — who struggled for social change. Gregory was an early and leading critic of police brutality.

“He was the one that was in the South,” says the Virginia Commonwealth University professor. “He was arrested in Greenwood, Mississippi; Pine Bluff, Arkansas and in Birmingham and, in those places, he talked about the horrible conditions of the jails and how he was beaten by the police.”

Gil Scott-Heron blasted the police killings of popular Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in Chicago and the more obscure Michael Harris on “No Knock” from his 1972 Free Will album. Langston Hughes’s 1949 poem, “Third Degree,” about a policeman coercing a confession, begins “Hit Me! Jab Me!/Make me say I did it.” Audre Lorde’s “Power” — a 1978 poem about the police killing of a 10-year-old boy and the cop’s subsequent acquittal — minces few words. “Today the 37 year old white man/with 13 years of police forcing/was set free,” it reads.

Hip-hop artists have long addressed police brutality and killings. “In the ’80s and ’90s, you had artists who were political or conscious,” says Bakari Kitwana, formerly an editor with The Source and author of Hip-Hop Activism in the Obama Era. Although many cite N.W.A.’s aggressively-titled 1988 hit “F*** Tha Police” as the prime example of this activism, the West Coast group also stood alongside more politically grounded hip-hop artists such as Public Enemy (“Fight the Power,” 1989).

“[Young people] are finding out about some of these cases because of social media,” says Kitwana. “Hip hop was that communicator before social media.”

Hip-hop artists, even some unexpected ones, still get political about police misconduct. In her verse on rapper French Montana’s “New York Minute” (2010), Nicki Minaj cites the 2006 killing of Sean Bell, whom NYPD officers shot on his wedding day. Other artists, like relative newcomer Vic Mensa, opt to be more overtly political. His “16 Shots” focuses on a Chicago cop’s fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.

Mainstream artists perceived as anti-police have faced genuine backlash. Following Beyoncé’s Super Bowl performance paying homage to the Black Panthers, a previously unknown group, Proud of the Blues, called a protest in New York that reportedly no one attended. Also, the Coalition for Police and Sheriffs (C.O.P.S.) staged a small demonstration when Beyoncé’s tour stopped in her native Houston. Opposition on social media, however, has been more pronounced. Jesse Williams’ passionate, anti-racism BET Awards speech, which also touched on police killings, sparked a petition to boot him from the cast of Grey’s Anatomy.

Potential backlash has not silenced some stars.

Compton rapper The Game used social media to report a secret meeting he organized with 100 black celebrities. Comedian Rickey Smiley hosted a more traditional town hall on July 12 — dubbed #StrategyForChange — at the House of Hope Church near Atlanta. Hundreds attended a passionate discussion that included rappers/singers 2 Chainz, Jeezy, David Banner, Lyfe Jennings and Tyrese, Dr. King’s daughter Bernice King, and his comrade Rev. C.T. Vivian.

Speaking out is deeply personal for Smiley. As a young man, the Birmingham native marched to protest white police officer George Sand’s killing of Benita Carter. Sand fatally shot Carter, a friend of Smiley’s mother, in her back as she sat in her car. Carter is one reason why Smiley sees risking his fame as an obligation.

“I can’t sit here and live off of folks, live off of my people, who listen to The Rickey Smiley Morning Show and watch Rickey Smiley For Real and come out and see me perform every weekend and not stand for them when they need something.”

NATIONWIDE- Reacting to the most recent wave of shootings of Black men by police officers, thousands of African-American consumers across America are directing their dollars by opening checking and savings accounts in Black-owned banks.

A grassroots effort being called a “Spend Movement” found the nation’s Black banks receiving calls and on-line requests to open accounts.

According to National Bankers Association President Michael Grant, “This is a movement that began over 100 years ago but had become dormant as a consequence of racial integration.  Thousands have been mobilized to protest with their spending power.  Many African-American consumers are linking the shootings with a sense of powerlessness, feeling undervalued and disrespected.”  

Many African-American bankers are hearing that Black lives do not seem to matter because less value is placed on the lives of Black people as a group in America.

Since Friday, July 8, literally thousands of checking and savings accounts have been opened at Black-owned banks.

“The Black lives matter movement is a complement to an emerging economic empowerment movement that is engulfing Black communities all over America,” stated Preston Pinkett, NBA Chairman and CEO of City National Bank, headquartered in Newark, N.J.

Hoping to manage the expectations of its expanding customer base, Black bankers are encouraging some of their prospective customers who have lost their check-writing privileges to work with bank employees to correct the situation. But the banks are also cautioning customers not to become frustrated if the bank is unable to immediately extend check- writing privileges because of past mistakes by customers.

Grant also cautioned Black consumers to be mindful of the voluminous requests that the banks are receiving on-line, in person and by telephone.  He stated: “This is a very positive development for Black banks.  They have always provided a disproportionate share of the small business loans and consumer loans to African-Americans.  Ironically, it seems that we have gone full circle back to where we were before desegregation.  The Black community is turning inward and seeking to provide security for itself.  And few would argue against the notion that nearly every major social issue plaguing Black people in America can find its roots in economic deprivation.

The National Bankers Association, founded in 1927, is a consortium of African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American and women-owned banks.  The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The following is a listing of all NBA banks:
ALABAMA
Commonwealth National Bank
P. O. Box 2326
Mobile, AL 36652
(251) 476-5938, X105
(251) 476-9488 Fax
REGION I – African-American

Neill W. Wright
President 
Liberty Bank and Trust
660 Adams Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 262- 0800
(334) 262- 0838 Fax
nwright@libertybank.net
REGION I – African-American

CALIFORNIA
William Lu
President & CEO
Saigon National Bank
15606 Brookhurst Street
Westminster, CA 92262
(714) 338-8700
(714) 338-8730 Fax
blu@SaigonNational.com

REGION V-Asian-Vietnamese

Kevin Cohee
President / CEO
OneUnited Bank
3863 Crenshaw Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
kcohee@oneunited.com
REGION V – African-American

Robert Lussier
President & CEO
Trans Pacific National Bank
55 Second Street, Suite 100
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 543-1052
(415) 543-3377 Fax
rlussier@tpnb.com

REGION V – WOB

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
B. Doyle Mitchell, Jr.
President & CEO
Industrial Bank
4812 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20011
(202) 722-2014
(202) 722-2040 Fax
dmitchell@industrial-bank.com
REGION II – African-American

FLORIDA
Kevin Cohee
President / CEO
OneUnited Bank
3275 NW 79th St.
Miami, FL 33147
kcohee@oneunited.com

REGION I – African-American

GEORGIA 
Cynthia Day
President & CEO
Citizens Trust Bank
75 Piedmont Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 575-8300
(404) 575-8311 Fax
Cynthia.Day@CTBATL.com

REGION I – African-American

Robert E. James
President
Carver State Bank
P. O. Box 2769
Savannah, GA 31402
(912) 233-9971
(912) 232-8666 Fax
RJames@carverstatebank.com
REGION I – African-American

KANSAS
Sachitra Padamabhan
Chairman & President
CBW Bank
P. O. Box 287
Weir, KS 66781
(620) 396-8221
(620) 396-8402 FAX
suchitra@cbwbank.com

REGION III-Asian
Alden J. McDonald
President & CEO
Liberty Bank & Trust
1314 N. 5th
Kansas City, KS 66101
913-321-7200
ajmcdonald@libertybank.net

REGION III – African-American

KENTUCKY
Pedro A. Bryant
Chairman, President & CEO
Metro Bank
900 S. 12th St.
Louisville, KY 40210
(502) 775-4553
(502) 775-5323 FAX
pedrob@metrobankky.com
REGION III – African-American

ILLINOIS
Alden J. McDonald, Jr.
President
Liberty Bank & Trust Co.
1111 S. Homan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60624
(773) 533-6900, X239
(773) 533-8512 Fax
ajmcdonald@libertybank.net
REGION III – African-American

Seaway Bank & Trust Company
645 East 87th Street
Chicago, IL 60619
(773) 487-4800
(773) 487-0452 Fax
execdesk@seawaybank.us
REGION III – African-American

Frank Wang
President
International Bank of Chicago
1860 North Mannheim Road
Stone Park, IL 60165
(708) 410-2899
(708) 410-2696 Fax
Robert.Klamp@INBK.com

REGION III – Asian

LOUISIANA
Alden J. McDonald, Jr.
President & CEO
Liberty Bank & Trust Company
P. O. Box 60131
New Orleans, LA 70160
(504) 240-5161
(504) 240-5166 Fax
ajmcdonald@libertybank.net
REGION I – African-American

MARYLAND
Joseph Haskins
Chairman & CEO
The Harbor Bank of Maryland
25 West Fayette Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 528-1882
(410) 951-1858 Fax
jhaskins@theharborbank.com
REGION II – African-American

MASSACHUSETTS
Kevin Cohee
Chairman & CEO
OneUnited Bank
100 Franklin Street, Suite 600
Boston, MA 02110
(617) 457-4400
(617) 457-4435 Fax
kcohee@oneunited.com
REGION II – African-American

MICHIGAN
Barry Clay
President & CEO
First Independence Bank
44 Michigan Avenue
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 256-8466
(313) 256-8811 Fax
bclay@firstindependence.com
REGION III – African-American

Alden J. McDonald
President & CEO
Liberty Bank & Trust
9108 Woodward Ave.
Detroit, MI 48202
313-873-3310
ajmcdonald@libertybank.net
REGION III – African-American

MISSISSIPPI
Alden J. McDonald
President & CEO
Liberty Bank & Trust
2325 Livingston Rd.
Jackson, MS 39201
(601) 987-6730
ajmcdonald@libertybank.net
REGION I – African-American

MISSOURI
Alden J. McDonald
President & CEO
Liberty Bank & Trust
1670 E. 63rd St.
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 822-8560
ajmcdonald@libertybank.net
REGION I – African-American

NEW JERSEY
Preston Pinkett III
President & CEO
City National Bank of New Jersey
900 Broad Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 624-0865
(973) 624-1879 Fax
ppinkett@citynatbank.com
REGION II – African-American

NEW YORK
Preston Pinkett III
President & CEO
City National Bank of New Jersey
382 W. 125th St.
New York, NY 10027
(212) 865-4763
ppinkett@citynatbank.com
REGION II – African-American

NORTH CAROLINA
James H. Sills III President & CEO
Mechanics & Farmers Bank
P. O. Box 1932
Durham, N. C. 27702
(919) 687-7800,X-816
(910) 687-7821 FAX
Jim.Sills@mfbonline.com
REGION I – African-American

OKLAHOMA
Steve Riff
President & CEO
First State Bank of Porter
P. O. Box 250
Locust Grove, OK 74352
(918) 479-5001
(918) 483-3362 Fax
steveriff@valornet.com
REGION I – Native American

PENNSYLVANIA
Evelyn F. Smalls
President & CEO
United Bank of Philadelphia
30 S. 15th Street, 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 351-4600 X105
(215) 231-3673 Fax
esmalls@unitedbankofphiladelphia.com

REGION II – African-American

SOUTH CAROLINA
John Kreighbaum
President and CEO
South Carolina Community Bank
P. O. Box 425
1545 Sumter Street
Columbia, S.C. 29202
(803) 733-8100, X1104
(803) 254-0150 Fax
REGION I – African-American

TENNESSEE 
Deborah A. Cole
President & CEO
Citizens Bank
1917 Heiman Street
Nashville, TN 37208
(615) 327-9787 
(615) 329-4843 Fax
dcole@bankcbn.com
REGION I – African-American

Jesse Turner, Jr.
President & CEO
Tri-State Bank of Memphis
180 S. Main
P. O. Box 2007
Memphis, TN 38101
(901) 525-0384
(901) 526-8608 Fax
lshaw@tristatebank.com
REGION I – African-American

TEXAS 
Ignacio Urrabazo, Jr.
President
Commerce Bank
5800 San Dario Street
Laredo, TX 78041
(956) 724-2424
(956) 728-8247
iurrabazo@ibc.com
REGION IV – Hispanic
John Scroggins
President & CEO
Unity National Bank
2602 Blodgett Street
Houston, TX 77004
(713) 387-7401
(713) 387-5040 Fax
jscroggins@unitybanktexas.com
REGION IV – African-American

Nativido Lozano III
Vice President
International Bank of Commerce
P. O. Drawer 1359
1200 San Bernardo Avenue
Laredo, TX 78040
(956) 722-7611
(956) 726-6692 Fax
nlozano@ibc.com
REGION IV – Hispanic

Lee Reed
Sr. Vice President
International Bank of Commerce
1600 Ruben Torres Blvd.
Brownsville, TX 78526
(956) 547-1019
(956) 547-1029 Fax
lreed@ibc.com
REGION IV – Hispanic

VIRGINIA 
Kelvin G. Perry
President
First State Bank
PO Box 6400,201 N. Union Street
Danville, VA 24541
(434) 792-0198
(434) 792-4978 Fax
Kperry@efirststatebank.com
REGION II – African-American

WISCONSIN
Seaway Bank & Trust Company
645 East 87th Street
Chicago, IL 60619
(773) 487-4800
(773) 487-0452 Fax
execdesk@seawaybank.us
REGION III – African-American

Cool Cass

By Lue Dowdy

Smile! Take Three! Quiet on the set! Let’s Go! Just a few call out words that are used when on a live set. This week Cool Cass, the videographer, is WHAT IT DO.

In the entertainment industry you have to make so many connections in order to get your music out there. Artists must add visual which leads to what they call a music video. It’s a beautiful relationship that comes alive on film between the artist and the videographer. Here is more on the Cool Cass the Videographer!

Despite accessibility to technology, capturing today’s short attention spanned audience has proven to be much more challenging than film makers (enthusiast and pro’s alike) anticipated. These challenges ultimately force the requirement of storyteller purist Cool Cass and he has flourished under the new-leveled playing field. His robust background stems from a sports oriented family which undoubtedly led to playing college football in California; however, added ingredients like his service in the military and 2-year stay overseas further push the boundaries of storytelling that one is just not accustomed to seeing.

Ever since cutting ties with network marketing venture that proved semi-successful, Cool Cass has been applying knowledge gained from these experiences to the art of storytelling through music and video. He continuously showcases his ability to translate visions over a multitude of genres delivering smash hit videos such as, “Talk 2 You” and “Girl With The Tattoo” for Oakland, CA superstar Young Gully and “Wutz The Name” for Queen of Rock and Flow, Shirlee Temper.

Cool Cass takes pride in furthering the journey of self-development and enjoys the company of individuals with comparable traits. Need some video work done at an affordable rate? Contact COOL CASS now!

Until next week L’zzzz!

Loe Coleman

By Lou Coleman

I tell you it is amazing what some people will do to run away from God knowing darn well one cannot run away from God. God is Omnipresent. The tragedy of this and all methods of running away from God is that you really can’t run away from Him and at some point you will run into Him for [Romans 14:11] tells us that, “Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess…” So forget about it, there is no where you can go and God not know.

I tell you doing the right thing in life take guts and priority.  But many people will not do the right thing because they think they have much more to gain by doing the wrong thing. Jonah thought the same way. God had given him an assignment to go to Nineveh. He was to go to this city and proclaim, “Thus saith the Lord,” because God was ready to bring down His judgment to the city, but Jonah decided that he wasn’t going to do it, just like so many of us, we decide that we will not obey God’s command so Jonah made up his mind that he would run away.  Jonah felt that God should just wipe out the entire population in Nineveh. His feelings were that they did not deserve to live. Jonah was determined that he was not going to the city of Nineveh so he ran away to Joppa for passage on a ship and found one that was headed for the city of Tarshish. He was running from God. But little did Jonah know that you can run, but you can’t hide.

I tell you just like Jonah we find all sorts of excuses not to obey God’s voice. But I want you to know that to God there is no excuse that you can give Him for not fulfilling the call that He has placed on your life. So stop with the excuses and stop running from God!  Change your excuses by doing what God has called you to do and run to Him.  Make up your mind to love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul and to serve him.  Jesus said the only kind of love acceptable to Him is obedience to His every command – obeying His Word in all things and at all times! With that said…. Well Boo-Boo, it seems that you are out of options… You cannot run from God so you might as well run to Him! Fear God and keep His commandments for this is “the whole duty of man.”  This is man’s reason for being, his “prime directive” for his existence. And this is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. The basis by which we know that we know and love God. Having taken “everything” into consideration not just from what may be observed in life “under the sun” but from wisdom given by revelation as well the conclusion of the “whole” matter!  In view of the coming Judgment – in which every work will be judged – Whether it is good or evil…  You can run but you cannot hide!

Scripture Reading:  [Ecclesiastes 12:13] [John 14:15; John 15:10; 1 John 5:3] [1 John 2:3-4; 5:3] [Proverbs 1:7; 9:10] [John 14:15]  [Ecclesiastes 2:3,9] [1 King 4:29] [Ecclesiastes 3:17; 11:9] [Acts 17:30-31] [Romans 2:16]  [2 Corinthians 5:10]

By Lue Dowdy

“Runnin’ Threw Hunnits” with Tipse SmashGang is WHAT IT DO Inland Empire! OMG! When it comes to having high energetic performances, mixed with a dope beat, and fire lyrics, Tipse SmashGang got it.

JayQuan is his name but he goes by Tipse SmashGang in the music field. Born in Los Angeles, Tipse discovered that rapping was his talent during his childhood and coming up in age. He started pursuing music during his junior high school days and ended up falling in love with it.        This talented recording artist is so focused. Tipse is currently working on a new project titled, “Coming from the Westside.” Tipse SmashGang knows the importance of teamwork and how it makes the dream work. He formed his own crew called “SmashGang.”

“No it is not a gang it is just the name of our team,” Tipse explains. “SmashGang stands for Stacking Money And Swagging Hard Getting Any Necessary Gwap.”

Some of Tipse’s musical influences include legends such as, Notorious B.I.G, Snoop Dogg, T.I., and Ice Cube. He feels their music was real music and would love to bring it back. With his fan base of all ages and all over growing like wild fire, he’s bringing attention to his hit single. “Runnin Threw Hunnits” and “Go.” Performing through Southern California and with artist’s like Yg, Snoop Dogg, and Bone Thugs n Harmony, Tyga, Problem, Nipsey Hussle, Joe Moses and many more it won’t be long before he gets that big DEAL.

Overall, Tipse SmashGang has worked very hard to get to where he is now and he’s not going to give up until he makes it to the top. The love of his three beautiful children motivate him every day. This artist has his eye on the prize. Check out his music on websites such as Soundcloud, World Star Hip-hop, YouTube and several other websites under “Tipse SmashGang.” 

Until next week L’zzz waaaaay up cause I FEEL BLESSED!

Guest Commentary by Manny Otiko, Special to California Black Media

I have several friends in various parts of the world. Sometimes when I talk to them, the first words that come out of their mouths are, “What the hell is going on in America?”

On many occasions, I’m too embarrassed to even answer. Last week was one such occasion. Two African-American men killed in Baton Rouge and Minnesota were the latest casualties in a string of troubling police brutality cases – too many of them fatal.

The situation has gotten so bad that at least three countries — the Bahamas, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — have issued travel advisories warning their citizens about coming to the United States. Can you blame them? If you’re a citizen of these countries and you’re considering sending your son or daughter to college here, there is a very real fear that he or she could be killed in a random encounter with the police.

The United States of America views itself as the most powerful nation on the planet and the standard bearer of global human rights.  However, there are some major problems in American society, especially the way it treats racial minorities. This fact is pretty glaring when you look at the statistics.

More than half of the people with wrongful convictions who have been freed from death row are Black, according to The Innocence Project. The organization is a national legal advocacy group whose mission is to free innocent people who are imprisoned.

Results from a close look at New York Police Department (NYPD) data is similarly troubling. Those statistics reveal that even though the New York Police Department (NYPD) stopped and frisked Black and Latino men at a higher rate, White people in America are statistically  more likely to be found in possession of drugs and firearms. That is a problem.

America’s treatment of racial minorities, especially Black men, is increasingly becoming an international embarrassment. How can the United States in good conscience criticize treatment of citizens in countries notorious for human rights abuses around the world when police murdering African-American men are becoming so commonplace at home?

These cases are also compromising America’s status as a moral leader in the world. They have the potential to hurt the country’s tourism industry and may significantly impact the United States being regarded as the most-desired destination on earth for international students seeking  higher education degrees.

China, often called out for ill treatment of its citizens by the international community, cited America in a 2013 report on human rights abuses. The report stated, “If the United States wants to be the self-proclaimed human rights judge of the world, though China and most countries do not agree, it first needs to sweep its own doorsteps.”

Some international critics are even calling on the United Nations to investigate human rights abuses in the Unite States. They usually point to the mass incarceration of Black men; the flawed death penalty system, which has likely killed hundreds of innocent people; the American prison system, which is rife with rape, torture and exploitation; and extra-judicial killings by the police.

Historically, the legal and law enforcement systems have not been the greatest defenders of Black human rights. This has lead to a widespread  lack of trust and frustration among African Americans when it comes to  police officers and the courts.

Although cities seem pretty happy to pay millions of dollars to the families of victims of police abuse, those payments do not compensate for the lives lost. And they do nothing to repair the damage to America’s image in the world.

Baltimore, for example,  has paid almost $6 million to the victims of police abuse since 2011.

According to the New York Post, the city of New York paid more than $185 million to settle claims against the NYPD in 2011. Last year, the city paid the family of Eric Garner, the Staten Island man choked to death by local police, $5.9 million.

As famed NYPD whistleblower Frank Serpico said in a 2014 Politico article,”the police are out of control.” And they don’t take too kindly to anyone who has the temerity to point out their crimes. Ramsey Orta, the man who videotaped Eric Garner’s fatal encounter with the NYPD, was recently sentenced to four years in jail after being followed, singled out and investigated by the police. Feidin Santana, the man who videotaped a South Carolina cop shooting a black man in the back, initially feared coming forward. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has been called the “worst cop in America,” runs his county like a corrupt, third-world despot. Arpaio had former District Attorney Andrew Thomas target anyone who spoke out against him. And when The Phoenix New Times ran stories critical of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department, Arpaio had the paper’s founders, Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin, thrown in jail on minor charges. The charges were dropped five days later and Maricopa County settled the case for $3.75 million.

Additionally, police officers rarely face harsh punishment for their crimes. For example, former Bay Area Rapid Transport officer Johannes Mehserle served less than two years in jail for killing 22-year-old Oscar Grant in 2009.  

The legal system continues to turn a blind eye to the widespread human rights abuses of Black people in America. Until it does, America will continue to lose its standing as a moral leader in the world and diminish its authority to challenge human rights abuses in other nations.

 About the Author

 Manny Otiko is Southern California-based journalist who was born in Nigeria and raised in the United Kingdom.