BlackPerspective.net

Nashville Local

May 25th, 2008

[The Original Nashville Local page had some kind of glitch and wouldn't let me post anymore; which is why I hadn't posted on it in awhile; so we're starting over]

Downtown Weekend Parking Meters Will No Longe Be Free In Nashville

According to WKRN.com:

It will no longer be free to park at meters in downtown Nashville on Saturdays beginning next year.

The Metro Public Works’ Parking Board voted Monday to enforce parking meters in the area bordered by Broadway, Rosa Parks, Second Avenue and Charlotte on Saturdays.

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Not my event, nor am I necessarily endorsing it; just posting it for your information - Sept. 08, 2009 email:

Organizing for America
Yobachi –

On Wednesday night, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, President Obama is delivering a major address on health insurance reform to a special joint session of Congress. It’ll be a historic event — and a turning point in our push for real reform.

So we’ve organized special watch parties that night for all Organizing for America supporters, their friends, neighbors, and families — and a local volunteer has decided to host one in your area.

We’ll gather together to hear directly from the President. And after the speech, everyone at these parties will be able to take part in an important conference call with former Obama for America campaign manager David Plouffe about the work we’ll still need to do to help pass real reform this year.

Will you come to a watch party during the President’s address on Wednesday evening?

Obama Image

This is a great opportunity to interact with other supporters who share your passion for reform at this critical moment. And it’s an even better time to bring along that friend or co-worker who has had questions about reform or has heard a lot of the misinformation — on Wednesday night, they’ll be able to hear the facts straight from the President.

With Congress back in session, we’re ready to kick off the final sprint toward passing real reform. There’s no better way to do it than coming together as a community. Hope you can make it.

Find a watch party near you:

http://my.barackobama.com/WatchParties

Thanks,

Jeremy

Jeremy Bird
Deputy Director
Organizing for America

P.S. — If you can’t find a party that works for you, just click below to host your own, then invite your friends and neighbors:

http://my.barackobama.com/HostSept9

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Dean says Nashville taxpayers won’t foot convention center bill
After weeks of hearing speculation that Nashville might need to use property taxes to help pay off the debt on a proposed convention center, Mayor Karl Dean moved Tuesday to eliminate that possibility.

Dean’s administration had an amendment filed in the state General Assembly that would “expressly prohibit” the use of property taxes for debt service on the $595 million facility, Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling told the Metro Council.

Read more at the Tennessean.

BET’s Jeff Daniel’s In Nashville

MTSU professor Sekou Franklin notified me that Jeff Daniels will be speaking at the school tonight at 7:30 pm.

Dnj.com reports that:

Jeff Johnson, host and producer for Black Entertainment Television’s “The Truth with Jeff Johnson,” will speak on “The Quest for Black Citizenship” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Tucker Theatre in MTSU’s Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building. This event is free and open to the public…

This event is sponsored by the MTSU Black History Month Committee, the Distinguished Lecture Fund, the African-American Student Association, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc., and Women in Action. For more information, contact Dr. Sekou Franklin, chairman of the MTSU Black History Month Committee, at 615-904-8232 or franklin@mtsu.edu.

February Tennessee Unemployment Numbers
Posted 2/19/09

And I’m sure these are the most up to date numbers as of this date because I asked the person at the Dept of Labor who’s responsible for releasing them.

From the TN Dept of Labor:

County Unemployment Rates
Released on Thu, Jan 29, 2009 - 1:22 pm under Labor and Workforce Development Rates Increase in 95 Counties

NASHVILLE – Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2008 was released last week at 7.9 percent, 0.9 percentage point higher than the November rate of 7.0 percent. The United States unemployment rate for the month of December was 7.2 percent.

County non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for December 2008, released today, show that the rate increased in all 95 counties. All counties also recorded over-the-year unemployment rate increases.

Williamson County registered the state’s lowest county unemployment rate at 5.0 percent,
up 0.5 percentage point from the November rate. Perry County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 20.1 percent, up from 17.8 in November, followed by Lauderdale County at 15.3 percent, up from 13.9 percent in November.

Knox County had the state’s lowest major metropolitan rate at 5.7 percent, up 0.5 percentage point from the November rate. Davidson County was 6.0 percent, up 0.6 from the previous month. Hamilton County was at 6.5 percent, up 0.5 percentage point from the November rate, and Shelby County was 7.5 percent, up from the November rate of 6.9 percent.

NOTE: Information will be available on the Internet; enter http://www.tennessee.gov/labor-wfd/labor_figures/december2008county.pdf.

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Happy Slip, aka Christine is a sketch comedy performer and singer/musician who has one of the all time most popular channels on youtube.

Check her out at: http://www.youtube.com/happyslip
and http://www.youtube.com/christinegambito

If you like, then vote for her to come perform in Nashville at: http://eventful.com/performers/happyslip-/P0-001-000137198-6/demands?sort_order=city_name&page_number=41

View all Nashville events at Eventful

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Juicy Campus Banned at Tennessee State
Posted November 19th 2008

My Alma Mater, according to the local CBS affiliate in Nashville, is the first college to band this website from it’s network. The anonymity of the site that doesn’t require registration has made people anonymously brave, and apparently caused problems on campus.

According to Black College Wire:

The latest online sensation to hit TSU’s campus is Juicy Campus. Unlike typical community Web sites, Juicy Campus has garnered negative attention from students as well as university administration.

In response to several complaints and posts published on the site, Juicy Campus is now banned on the university Internet network.

Vice president of Student Affairs Michael Freeman said he returned a call at approximately 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 12 from an outraged parent of a student who was the subject of allegations on the site.

“I looked through the site and the level of conversation on the site,” Freeman said. “The students have the right to get to it, but there is no right that says we must host (Juicy Campus).”

After receiving this phone call, Freeman placed a call to Denis Gendron, vice president of technology and administrative services with the request to block the site from the TSU network.

In addition, SGA President Patrick Walker-Reese made the same request on behalf of the students.

“I was personally outraged,” said Walker-Reese, a senior history major from Nashville. “It wasn’t so much what was said, but how fast it grew.”

The site was blocked from the TSU network Nov.12 at about 12:20 p.m.

Juicy Campus operates under a forum set up where viewers can introduce topics and comment on them.

While most forum and message board sites require a registered membership before posting, Juicy Campus allows posting anonymously. The allowed anonymity is where many of the problems originated.

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Barack Obama Is Cited In Memphis, Has A Court Date For December
Posted November 19th 2008

Obama missed a court date Monday in Memphis for codes violations due to campaign posters being illegally posted.

Knoxville’s NBC affiliate reports that:

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC-TV) - While he prepares for his January inauguration, President-elect Barack Obama has a problem to deal with: he’s been cited by Shelby County Code Enforcement, after a supporter put a campaign sign too close to a street.

Local Memphis lawyer Jay Bailey was in court on another matter when he heard Barack Obama’s name called on the doctet and stepped in on his behalf.

Attorney Jay Bailey said he thought it was a joke as he was sitting in Environmental Court on an unrelated case, when he heard the judge call out Barack Obama’s name. When he realized it wasn’t a joke, he agreed to take the case on behalf of Obama, to keep the judge from putting out a bench warrant on the President-elect.

Bailey signed the docket on Obama’s behalf, and immediately contacted the Secret Service for their guidance.

A new date has been scheduled for December for him to appear.

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Tennessee Early Voting Video From CNN
Posted Oct 17, 2008

The talk to Ohio’s Secretary of State first, and then Tennessee’s election coordinator.

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State Officials Keep Watch On Fuel Situation

Office of the Governor
Phil Bredesen

Office of the Attorney General
Robert E. Cooper, Jr.

Department of Commerce and Insurance
Commissioner Leslie A. Newman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
Sept. 15, 2008 Sharon Curtis-Flair
#08-38 (615) 741-5860 or Lydia Lenker (615) 741- 3763
GOVERNOR, ATTORNEY GENERAL AND DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND INSURANCE KEEPING WATCH ON FUEL SITUATION

Following reports of high gas prices in East Tennessee and throughout the state, Attorney General Bob Cooper and Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Leslie Newman today announced the launch of a joint effort to examine whether certain businesses are engaging in gas price gouging.

Governor Bredesen is urging Tennesseans to exercise vigilance in their use of fuel during the temporary supply shortage caused by recent storms in the Gulf of Mexico.

“I encourage Tennesseans to be conscientious in their use of gasoline in the coming days as the nation’s fuel infrastructure recovers from the recent storms,” Bredesen said. “If you need gas, buy it, but if you don’t need to refuel now, there’s no reason to rush to the gas station to fill up. If you can wait to refuel, it’s best to wait until supplies are replenished.”

State officials continue to monitor the fuel situation in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. The pipelines that supply much of the state’s fuel are coming back on line with a limited flow of fuel.

As part of this effort, the Attorney General, and the Commissioners of the Department of Commerce and Insurance and the Department of Agriculture are requesting information from retailers who have generated complaints and are sending investigators out into the field.

“We are analyzing whether the spike in gasoline prices across Tennessee is the result of price gouging or a reasonable reaction to supply disruptions in the wake of Hurricane Ike,” Attorney General Cooper said. “We are concerned with the spike in gasoline prices in the state, and Knoxville, in particular, where gasoline prices are reported to be among the highest in the nation. There is a difference between profits and profiteering.”

Under Tennessee law, unreasonably raising the price of essential goods, commodities or services in direct response to a natural disaster here or in another state is price gouging. Under Tennessee law, price gougers can be subject to a $1,000 civil penalty for each violation. Price gouging is also a criminal offense in Tennessee.

Consumers who believe they may have been charged unreasonably for a good, commodity or service should complete the online complaint form at http://www.state.tn.us/consumer/consCompFrm.html or call 1-800-342-8385 to report price gouging activities. Consumers are asked to provide as many details as possible including the station, location of the station, the price of the gas, and grade of the gas.

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Estelle Richardson Justice Coalition

Phone: (615)573-6408 or (615)720-5468
e-mail: dkschimming@comcast.net or powertonashvillepeople@gmail.com

For Immediate Release
August 29, 2008

Contact:
Denver K. Schimming
(615)573-6408

JoNina M. Abron
(615)720-5468

Sept. 6 Protest to Demand:
Stop Cover-up of Inmate’s Murder
At CCA-Run Jail

(Nashville, Tenn.) - The cover-up of the 2004 murder of Estelle Richardson, an inmate at a local jail run by the Corrections Corporation of America, must end and her killers brought to justice, say the organizers of a protest to be held here Sept. 6.

The protest will begin at noon at Legislative Plaza, 6th Ave. North and Deaderick St., where participants will assemble and march to a rally at the Metro Courthouse, 3rd Ave. North and Union St.

Richardson, 34, was declared dead at a local hospital on July 5, 2004, the same day she was found unresponsive in a solitary confinement cell at the Metro-Davidson County Detention Center. She had a fractured skull, four broken ribs and a damaged liver, according to an autopsy conducted by the State Medical Examiner’s office, which ruled her death a homicide.

“Estelle Richardson’s murder has not been fully investigated because she was a poor black woman who suffered from mental illness,” said Denver K. Schimming, an organizer of the protest. “Someone knows how she sustained the multiple injuries to her body. Someone knows who’s been getting away with murder for four years.”

Richardson was forcibly removed from her cell by four CCA officers the day before she died. The officers were indicted in 2005 on charges of reckless homicide and aggravated assault. The charges were dropped in 2007 because authorities claimed the time Richardson sustained her injuries could not be substantiated.

Correctional facilities are required to videotape cell extractions. CCA staff told investigators that the video camera had “malfunctioned,” and no video of Richardson’s extraction was available. However, an investigator who inspected the camera said it seemed to be working properly.

CCA is an influential, multi-million dollar international company. As a result, state and federal authorities were pressured to drop the charges against the officers and stop the investigation of Richardson’s murder, Schimming said.

“Estelle’s children deserve to know the truth. The cover-up must end,” Schimming said.

Information regarding the $10,000 reward for the videotape of Richardson’s cell extraction and the $25,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of her killer(s) may be found at www.whokilledestelle.org.

For more information about the protest, call (615)573-6408 or (615)720-5468.

END

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Phil Bredesen and Other Tenn Super Delegates Endorse Barack Obama

Well, it’s nice to have them on board after the fact, but I guess laters better than never. These super delegates add to the rallying behind the presumptive nominee to unite the party.

Democratic Leaders Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid released a joint letter last night pretty much demanding that all remaining super delegates make their choice known by Friday.

The WSMV story on the endoresments:

Bredesen, Sasser, Crutchfield Endorse Obama
Al Gore Yet To Voice Support For Presidential Candidate
POSTED: 6:21 pm CDT June 3, 2008
UPDATED: 10:53 am CDT June 4, 2008

“In the months ahead we’re going to pull together and we’re going to make a difference in the state of Tennessee,” Gov. Phil Bredesen told a crowd at a Nashville’s Swett’s Restaurant on Wednesday.

Bredesen, state Democratic Party Chairman Gray Sasser and Inez Crutchfield, all Tennessee superdelegates, officially endorsed Obama’s candidacy at the event.

“I’m just so enthusiastic,” said Crutchfield. “I’m 83 years old, but I’m going to work!”

Hillary Rodham Clinton won Tennessee’s Democratic primary in February, but several superdelegates declined to make an endorsement until the result of the national primary fight became clear.

Bredesen said Obama’s chances in Tennessee would be improved by selecting Clinton as his running mate, but added that it will be up the Illinois Senator to make the decision that best fits his national strategy.

Still undeclared is Tennessee’s most prominent superdelegate, former Vice President Al Gore. Democratic Reps. Lincoln Davis and Bart Gordon also have not yet endorsed.

Rep. John Tanner was the only one of Tennessee’s five Democratic congressmen to endorse Clinton.

“He is disappointed Sen. Clinton will not be the nominee, but feels a Democratic president will best work with Congress … and face the challenges we face after seven years of the Bush-Cheney administration,” spokesman Randy Ford said in an e-mail.

Rep. Rob Briley threatens and blames the media
by Christian Grantham on May 20, 2008 - 5:46pm.

Rep. Rob Briley (D-Nashville) used his farewell speech in the Tennessee House of Representatives today to lash out at the media and local blogs. Briley was charged with DUI, evading arrest and violation of the implied consent law in September 2007. The incident was caught on a dashcam video and posted online by News2.

“We used to talk about the politics of personal destruction. Well that’s no longer what’s going on. It’s the publishing of personal destruction, and we owe it to ourselves to do better than that. We owe it to the rest of our society to do better than that.”

Late last year, Briley was the center of the Nashville media’s attention after he was arrested and later convicted of DUI and charged with felony evading arrest for leading police on a 100-mph plus high-speed chase. The felony charge was suspended.

A police video was released chronicling the traffic stop, in which Briley made suicidal threats, and the incident occurred at roughly the same time Briley was going through a divorce and allegations of marital infidelity.

Briley, a self-acknowledged alcoholic, later went to rehab and is not seeking reelection to his House District 52 seat.

Briley said that government needs to be “as open as possible.”

“But the press needs to understand that if they’re not responsible with that information, that they’re not going to have access to it anymore,” Briley said.

In addition to the mainstream press, Briley criticized bloggers, remarking that “just because you say it, doesn’t make it true.”

Rep. Briley is in no position to lecture the media about irresponsibility. Over 500 families lost loved ones on Tennessee roads last year due to impaired drivers. The kind of irresponsibility Briley was arrested for kills people and robs families of far more than Briley’s choices have cost him.

On behalf of the media Rep. Briley threatened from the floor of the General Assembly, here’s a warning and a reality check of another kind. Politicians who find themselves at odds with the laws of our great state and the citizens they are meant to protect should no longer expect a lazy media willing to keep quiet in exchange for access.

Threatening to illegally withhold public records from a discerning media and a demanding public is a cowardly act and a shameful threat unworthy of a member of the Tennessee General Assembly. Politicians who are bold enough to threaten the lives of Tennesseans with their selfish, criminal behavior can expect an equally bold media focusing the public’s attention on their bad choices.

About The Blog

Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.

I created this site to give new voice to socio-political issues that are in need of thoughtful consideration and redress.

Click the "More About The Blog" link for rest of this statement.

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