CHINO, CA— Family members and advocates will gather at a “Car Caravan Protest” on Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 12:00 pm at the California Institution for Men (CIM), then drive to nearby California Institution for Women (CIW), to highlight ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks at both prisons and to call for the compassionate release of incarcerated people in response to the deadly epidemic.

WHO: Families and supporters of incarcerated people, F.U.E.L. (Families United to End LWOP), Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, Families Against Solitary Confinement, California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP).

WHAT: COVID-19 Car Caravan Protest against prison failures to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths. This event will respect social distancing measures, with participants either staying in their cars or keeping six feet away from each other with masks on at all times.

WHERE: Outside of CIM Prison in Chino, CA (14901 Central Avenue, Chino, CA 91710)

WHEN: Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 12 noon PST

Over the past week, CDCR has reported an explosion of cases at both overcrowded prisons: 398 new infections and five preventable COVID-19 deaths at CIM (112% population capacity) and a developing crisis at nearby CIW (110% capacity), where more than 60 people have been informed of their positive statuses and hundreds more await their results.

Advocates and family members who organized the car caravan are calling for the expedited release of incarcerated people vulnerable to COVID-19, beginning with those age 50 or older and people with underlying medical issues, regardless of conviction type; testing for all incarcerated people that want one, as well as mandatory, daily testing for all staff entering the facilities; better protective equipment for all people in the facilities; better sanitation practices, through means other than compelling people in prison to work grueling cleaning shifts; and enforced but non-punitive social distancing protocols for all incarcerated people and staff.

A source at CIM who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation said, “In early May, when we asked why guards were not wearing masks, the captain responded by saying it was not mandatory. As of now, it is mandatory and still some guards are not wearing them.”

CIM has been the most severely affected by COVID-19 of all the prisons in the state, with an outbreak raging inside since early April. 

Since mid-March, community organizers have warned federal, state and local officials that if they failed to urgently act to reduce prison populations, an outbreak of the coronavirus in both CIM and CIW would be inevitable. Now, people in both prisons –– especially the aging and medically vulnerable –– face the possibility of severe illness and death as a direct result of the inaction by Governor Newsom and CDCR. 

REDLANDS, CA—- As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, the City of Redlands Senior Services Division has teamed with the Redlands Community Foundation to establish a “Meals for Seniors Fund.”

To date more than $3,000 has been raised, which has provided 500 meals to Redlands low-income seniors who are at high risk and are unable to leave their homes.

Additional financial support is still needed to continue to provide support for the senior meals program.  Donations collected are used to provide a Meals on Wheels service with Senior Services Division employees and volunteers delivering lunch and providing a daily welfare check-in Monday through Friday.

Every $30 donation provides meals for one senior citizen for a week. A separate supplemental package including food and sanitation supplies is also available for pickup at the senior center.

Donations to the Meals for Seniors fund may be made on line at: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/meals-for-seniors1/redlandscommunityfou.

Donations may also be made payable to the Redlands Community Foundation and mailed to:   PO Box 8908, Redlands, CA 92375.

Contact your tax professional to determine if your donation is tax deductible.

Congratulations to the Hon. Cheryl Brown on graduating from USC class of 2020.

“She is the story of resilience!” Hardy Brown, son of Cheryl Brown, said.

Over the last few years she has been quietly taking graduate classes one at a time and has earned a Certificate in Gerontology. Gerontology is the study of aging and older adults. Researchers in this field are diverse and are trained in areas such as physiology, social science, psychology, public health, and policy.

“Our family is super proud of her to accomplish this all while caring for our father and making a difference in California for Senior Citizens. Way to go mom!!” Hardy Brown states.

RIVERSIDE, CA—- COVID19 has taken a toll on our World in several different ways; from economics to families not able to say their final and proper good-byes to loved ones lost during this time due to the limit of how many people can attend funeral services. Speaking of funeral services, how prepared are you for when that times comes? Will your family be able to bury with a peace of mind knowing that everything for a suitable memorial is covered?

Some will say, “Yes, of course!”, many will say no, and some will say that they have life insurance, so doesn’t that cover funeral expenses? While Life insurance is great, it is different from pre-need insurance. Life insurance is for the living, while pre-need is for those who have passed. Life insurance seeks to give a degree of coverage and peace of mind for survivors of the insured; it is perpetual meaning that as long as you are alive you pay life insurance.

FEP Consultants helps clients to understand the difference between the two. Once clients know how life insurance and pre-need differs, FEP Consultants guides them in setting and locking in their desires on how they would like their life to be celebrated. For example, pre-need identifies cremation and burial. All that determines the casket, flowers, hearse, mortuary, embalming and more. The purpose of pre-need is to create peace knowing that all of your wishes are accounted for.

“I sleep much better knowing that Porsha will be available to present my heirs with my final wishes for less than what I used to spend daily on Starbucks,” Veronica Lawrence, FEP client, explains. “No car wash or selling dinners for loved ones. They can mourn and celebrate my life without having to experience additional or unnecessary financial or emotional stress or hardship. Best decision I made.”

FEP Consultants is the premier pre-need provider for memorial and burial services. They help families to keep their dignity. One of the most loving gifts you can give your loved ones is making arrangements in advanced. There is no need for car washes, selling dinner plates, creating GoFund Me accounts or just flat out begging. FEP Consultants can meet anyone’s budget; with them “no detail is too small”.

“What encouraged me to get a policy was seeing people holding signs asking for donations to bury a family member that had passed away,” Darryl Gross, FEP client, stated. “I couldn’t allow my family to go through such heartache and stress.”

Pre-need is completely transferrable, it goes whenever you go. Pre-need protects you from the negative effects of inflation by locking in the price of your service. It is customizable, allowing you to make changes according to the individual. Most importantly, you pay pre-need off; life insurance you can’t pay off.

For more information about Pre-need services and how you can set yours up, please contact Porsha Harris at (951) 269-3556 or visit www.fepconsultants.org.

LONG BEACH, CA—- In an effort to assist the many Californians affected by the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, Molina Healthcare of California (“Molina”) has donated a total of more than $100,000 to dozens of local organizations across the state, supporting grassroots efforts in communities. The grants and supply donations will help the nonprofits provide hygiene essentials, food, financial support, and other resources to help vulnerable communities during the pandemic.

“We are extremely grateful, especially during these trying times, to have dedicated partners that are committed to alleviating some of the barriers that many families are experiencing,” said John Kotal, plan president of Molina Healthcare of California. “We understand that many people are feeling increased uncertainty at this time. It’s comforting to provide donations to nonprofits that are working tirelessly to ensure supplies and support are provided directly to those in need.”

Molina is providing necessities and financial donations to more than 75 organizations throughout the six state counties it serves (Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Orange County and Imperial). The organizations Molina has identified serve a wide range of populations such as seniors, children, people experiencing homelessness, individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues, people with disabilities and more.

Molina Healthcare continues to seek opportunities to supplement the resources of its community partners throughout this crisis. The leadership team is working closely with its executive task force, along with following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and departments of health, to regularly evaluate and communicate information to its members, network providers, employees, government and community partners.

For members seeking information about COVID-19 risk factors, this week Molina launched its Coronavirus Chatbot, an enhanced digital tool available on the Molina website, member portal, and mobile app.

Edited By Naomi K. Bonman via CAIR-Greater Los Angeles

On Monday, May 18, 2020, the community lost one of its pivotal leaders, Dr. E. Abdulmu’min. He was also a was a pillar of the American Muslim community in the Inland Empire.

“My father Dr. Abdulmumin was something to everyone. He was a pillar to his community, always giving to others, a mentor and a father figure to many,” Rabyya Abdulmumin, daughter of the late Dr. Abdulmumin stated. “He always had a smile on his face, he laughed and made others laugh. He more than anything loved Ramadan. For as far my memory goes back my dad spent every Ramadan feeding others. He spent every Ramadan night at the front row praying taraweh prayer. May Allah reward him for his good deeds and give him the highest level of Jannah.”

In 2000, Dr. Abdulmumin established the DuBois Institute which specialized in nurturing and empowering youth and families, especially within the underserved African American community in Riverside’s Eastside community.

Dr. Abdulmumin was a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and professor with more than 35 years of university teaching experience and working with youth and adults in the community, educational, mental health and juvenile/criminal justice settings.

He was a compassionate, respected, and loved servant leader within the African American, Muslim, and larger communities.

“Imam/Dr. E.M. Abdulmumin is the man that found me Wayward and full of Rage and introduced me to Islam. When I wasn’t even allowed to attend school along with general population, he encouraged me to attend college where I would later earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Laverne in behavior science,” Keasuc Hill explained. “He saw in me a leader of people when I had forgotten that I was even a person. He flipped the prison industrial complex by doing the undoable; he transformed a population of juvenile delinquents into grown men. He was my Mentor.”

We are saddened by his loss. We pray Allah has mercy on him for he has returned to his Lord during the blessed month of Ramadan. We also pray that Allah makes these difficult times easy on his family and we offer our sincere condolences to them and to the many people who loved Dr. Abdulmumin.

Verily, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.

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We must honor them with clear political action vs. the impatience of a microwave movement

As outrage, fear and angst bubble up in Georgia and, now, Kentucky over the grisly murders of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, one question fails to appear in the broader dialogue: How will these tragedies impact the 2020 elections?

We can’t do anything for “the culture” about either case if we’re not engaged in a targeted political strike on three Senate seats, helping Democrats retake the Senate and (just maybe), grabbing 24 electoral college votes that flip two Southern states from reliably red to blue in an end to the current White House madness.

To the novice political observer or those folks who detest politics altogether, the question seems irrelevant. To some, it may seem off-putting, if not disrespectful: “WTF you mean politics?”

But, it’s very relevant.

In fact, it absolutely determines the path and outcome of these cases, and where the rest of us end up in the meantime. Whether we accept it or not, the political dimensions are there, the very raw emotional elements in these conversations are already tipping off a general outcry for justice and retribution.  We can’t arrive at either with just hashtags, protest tears or fist pumps in the lockdown confines of our homes. Achieving both will be the result of pressures applied from an aligned mix of strategically calibrated protest, mass voter mobilization, and decisive election wins that lead to the dramatic policy (and personnel) changes needed for redress.

Sacramento – In just over eight weeks the state of California went from a $6 billion projected budget surplus to an over $50 billion budget deficit.  The Governor’s May revise reflects the harsh realities of the impact of Covid-19 on our state’s finances and the financial stability of each and every Californian. 

Over the past several budget years the California Legislature led the nation by building up the largest budget reserve of any state in the nation to mitigate a potential recession.  However, even with our prudent planning the scope and size of this Covid-19 caused deficit means that California still needs federal assistance to prevent devastating budget cuts that would have long term implications for education and our social safety net programs.

In the coming weeks the Assembly, along with the Senate will work to meet our Constitutional budget deadline of June 15^th to fine tune the budget proposal so that we can minimize cuts and began the process of building a strong future.

By Brian Robin via The San Bernardino Sun

SAN BERNARDINO – DeJuan Moon came back for seconds, heaping his foam clamshell container with chicken thighs, beef ribs, macaroni and cheese and baked beans. It would disappear into Moon’s 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame as quick as it appeared.

And as soon as any of the items disappeared off the foil containers, more reappeared. Because no containers and no trays were allowed to stay empty for long. And no San Bernardino Valley College football players were allowed to leave hungry.

“Take more. We’ve got plenty,” boomed a familiar voice from behind a large barbecue trailer.

The voice, along with the barbecue trailer attached to a pickup, belonged to rapper Warren Griffin III — better known as Warren G — who spent his Saturday afternoon feeding SBVC football players the best meal most of them had since the coronavirus pandemic shut the world down.

For at least one day, one of the architects behind the hip-hop masterpiece “Regulate” was going to eliminate the hunger of college students – some of whom were marooned thousands of miles away from home.

Griffin heard about the situation from SBVC assistant coach Merle Cole Jr., the former Long Beach Poly mainstay and mentor to the likes of former Jackrabbits football standouts Leonard Russell, Hershel Dennis, Chris Lewis, DeSean Jackson and Darrell Rideaux, among hundreds of others. Griffin and Cole go back more than 30 years and talk every week.

When Cole told Griffin that coaches were buying their players groceries -– when they weren’t standing in food-bank lines -– Cole said the next words out of Griffin’s mouth were, “Hell, no. I’ve got to do something for these guys. Can you make it happen?”

Cole, along with SBVC head coach Daniel Algattis, made it happen. Algattis said Cole called him and texted him at 6:02 a.m. on a recent morning to explain his plan. Algattis said after calling SBVC athletic director Dave Rubio and explaining how this could happen “in a responsible way,” Rubio signed on. Within an hour, Algattis had the approval of SBVC president Diana Rodriguez.

“We have a food bank on campus that does a great job helping out our students in general, and thank goodness we have that,” Algattis said. “Warren said he has this barbecue rig and some food and let’s get some things together and help some families in the area. Let’s start with your team and your boys.”

Along with the barbecue trailer, Griffin came with 50 pounds of chicken, 40 pounds of beef flank and short ribs and mountains of beans and mac-and-cheese. He also came armed with a foodie’s nature instilled by his father, a former Navy cook who spent his off time creating dishes.

Enough of the spices rubbed off on Griffin, because he created his own barbecue business, Sniffin’ Griffin’s BBQ, that keeps him occupied when he’s not touring or in the studio. Cole said Griffin was so eager to help that he volunteered to drive his barbecue rig to individual homes.

“These kids are out here from out of state and they can’t get home because of the current situation with this pandemic. They can’t get to their families and eat good meals,” said Griffin, who lives in Lake Elsinore. “Coach Cole hit me up and we were talking about how the kids have to go to food banks and the like. I said ‘Let me come over here and feed them. I want to cook for them and feed them, fill their tummies up and let them know they have support here.’

“This is very important to me. I’ve been in positions where I couldn’t eat like I wanted to or do things like I wanted to because I didn’t have help. Just to be able to help people going through that same situation is very important to me. Just to show them you have support and it’s out of love.”

Freshman defensive back Tre Williams, who is from Apopka, Fla., felt the love with every bite.

“I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in so long,” he said. “I’ve been eating out, McDonald’s, Burger King, using my food-stamp card. This is a really nice meal.

Via The Guardian

The singer and songwriter Betty Wright, who has died of cancer aged 66, occupied a significant position in African-American music across six decades, beginning with powerhouse gospel in the 1950s and settling on an R&B, soul and funk groove from the 60s onwards that eventually led to work with superstar rappers of the 2000s.

Wright’s career began as a young child in a gospel group in Florida, and her signature song, Clean Up Woman (1971), was recorded when she was only 17, epitomising what became known as “the Miami sound” – Floridian soul music shaped by the many facets of her home city’s cultural melange.

After years of solid achievement in the US as a singer and songwriter, in the mid-80s she set up her own record label and, although she continued to record her own material, began to make a new name for herself as a producer and songwriter, collaborating with the likes of Gloria Estefan and Joss Stone. Later still her material was much sampled – including by Beyoncé – and she was able to undertake projects with rappers such as Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne.

She was born in Miami, to Rosa (nee Braddy-Wright) and McArthur Norris. The infant Bessie – as Betty was christened – was co-opted into the family gospel group, the Echoes of Joy, at the age of two. The Echoes worked the Southern US gospel circuit and Bessie proved to be a vocal prodigy – so much so that by the time the group split in 1965, she was confident enough to start singing on her own, in a new R&B vein, and with a new name – Betty Wright.

Willie Clarke and Clarence Reid, two Miami-based musicians, were so impressed by the young girl that they signed her to Deep City, the only African-American record label in Florida. Wright’s debut 45, Paralysed, was released in 1965, and it sold well locally. However, Deep City lacked the resources to promote records properly, and so Reid and Clarke eventually passed Wright on to Henry Stone, a distributor with experience and contacts who was launching Alston Records in Miami.

Aged 14, Wright recorded her debut album for Alston, My First Time Around (1968), which not only revealed her to be a formidable soul singer but generated a single, Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do, that reached the Top 40s of the US and Canadian pop charts.

Although subsequent singles failed to make much of an impression, Wright continued to sing in the Miami clubs on the weekends, building up valuable contacts in the music business. Then chart success returned in 1971 with Clean Up Woman, written by Clarke and Reid, which got to No 6 in the US. Based around a distinctive guitar lick played by Willie Hale, Clean Up Woman’s breezy, danceable funk ensured that Wright would be one of the few school pupils ever to have turned 18 with a million-selling hit record behind her.

The song also helped to launch the Miami sound, whose origins Wright associated firmly with the city’s vibrant and fluctuating cultural scene. “You’ve got a little Cuba, a little Jamaica, and a little Haiti; you’ve got a large Jewish culture and you’ve got calypso,” she told Billboard magazine. “Then you’ve got people who were born here or came from South Carolina, where they’ve got a heavy African culture too. It’s a very rhythmic roots music. Even the white acts that come out of Miami tend to be very soulful. We’ve got that serious, serious conga rhythm.”

Wright continued to produce popular songs across the 1970s – Baby Sitter, Let Me Be Your Lovemaker, Secretary, Where is the Love?, Tonight is the Night – although none quite matched the success of Clean Up Woman and generally made more of an impact on the US R&B charts than in the pop sphere. A prolific songwriter, she won a Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1976 for Where is the Love?, a song she had co-written.

Signing to Epic Records in 1981, Wright quickly grew disillusioned with the restrictions of being with a major company, and so launched her own Ms B record label in 1985. With her 1987 album Mother Wit she became the first African American woman to achieve a gold album on her own label.

From that point onwards, however, Wright began to achieve greater success by working with other artists. Estefan’s US No 1 single Coming Out of the Dark (1991) featured Wright’s vocal arrangements, and Wright co-produced and co-wrote every track on Stone’s 2004 album Mind, Body & Soul, which reached No 1 in the UK.

In 2006 she appeared as a mentor on the US reality TV talent show Making the Band, and in 2008 produced two songs on Tom Jones’s album 24 Hours. Her 2011 album, Betty Wright: The Movie, featured Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne, and was praised by reviewers as her best effort in 30 years.

Wright continued to tour almost up to her death – she sold out the Barbican Centre in London in July 2019 – and earned considerable amounts from her back catalogue. Clean Up Woman has often been sampled, while Beyoncé used a section of Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do for her 2006 single Upgrade U.

In 1985 Wright married Noel “King Sporty” Williams, a Jamaican musician who had co-written the song Buffalo Soldier with Bob Marley. Noel died in 2015; Wright is survived by three daughters and a son. Another son, Patrick Parker, was murdered in 2005.

Betty Wright (Bessie Regina Norris), singer and songwriter, born 21 December 1953; died 10 May 2020