Jack Johnson puts property tax proposal on ‘hold’

I was reading the Gazette this morning and  read an article that County Executive Jack Johnson is now putting his property tax increase proposal on ‘hold’  Proposed Prince George’s tax increase put on hold.  According to Johnson’s Chief of Staff, they want to research and explore other options of generating revenue.   You would think  that Johnson would have explored all possible options before bringing up an increase of property taxes.  I did not vote for Johnson in the last county election (I wrote in Rushern Baker’s name) and I can not wait fo his term to be over.

Jack Johnson considering running for state office

It appears that Jack Johnson may try his luck running for state office; Governor of Maryland to be exact (Johnson mulls run for state office).  I will let the readers discuss this one…..

 

 

Will change ever come?

This story was in the Baltimore Examiner.  How do we combat this sub-culture of ignorance and lack of self-respect that some of our youth have?  This young girls are laughing at someone getting robbed at gun point as if they were watching a sitcom on TV.  We are weeks away from the first President of the United States who is of African American decent and we have to deal with ignorant stuff like this?  We need change right now, and Obama can’t do it alone. 

Read the story here

Prince George’s County in the news again

Suspect in Md. Officer’s Death Was Strangled

My fears were confirmed when the news broke that Ronnie White died of asphyxiation.  Now we have a police officer who was dragged to death by criminals who have no respect for the law, and now the main suspect was killed while in jail.  Ronnie White will never have his day in court because he is dead.  Has it even been confirmed that Ronnie was the one who was driving the car?

Who strangled Ronnie White while he was in his jail cell?  Was it a correctional officer?  Was it a Prince George’s County Officer?  Ronnie White could not have strangled himself. 

I am not defending Ronnie White, he had prior run-ins with the law and was accused of killing Cpl. Findley, but Ronnie White deserved his day in court; you are innocent until proved guilty.  And no matter what White was accused of, no one has the right to be the judge and jury.  

At a time when the community should be mourning the fallen officer Cpl. Findley, the county now has to split attention to the killing of suspect Ronnie White. 

This morning I heard a lot of black people voice their concerns that incidents like this is the reason why black people don’t trust the police.  Some argued that this is the reason why “don’t snitch” exist in a lot of urban communities because police officers have the same policy. 

The Prince George’s County chapter of the NAACP has weighed in on the situation with some of the same concerns.  I am not ready to assume that this incident happened because of race.  I think we had a guy who was accused of killing a cop and someone from the law enforcement community got even. 

Here are some questions I have for everyone to answer/discuss:

1. Do you think race played apart in the murder of Ronnie White?
2. If the MD State Police investigation finds a suspect in Ronnie White’s murder, should State’s Attorney Glen Ivey request the death penalty

Whatever the outcome, we have a dead police officer and a dead suspect.  This is not good for Prince George’s County and it will be interesting to see how County Executive Jack Johnson  handles this embarrassing crises.

Get it Together Prince George’s County Parents!!!!!

This really makes me mad.  Over 900 Prince George’s County Public School students  are still being barred from school because they do not have their shots!! It is time for County officials to stop threatening parents and actually punish them!! 

The RZA misses the mark

The latest hip-hop artist to make statements out of ignorance is the RZA.  On Good Morning America Weekend Edition, they were discussing the increase of noose hangings across the country and The RZA had this to say:

But hip-hop star RZA told “Good Morning America Weekend Edition” that the latest generations are more open-minded and steering away from divisive racial clichés.

“We’re erasing all those old-school stereotypes,” he said. “People are really respecting each others’ cultures.”

What he said doesn’t even make sense.  He is stating that my generation is trying to erase old-school stereotypes.  If it was old school why are people hanging nooses out of hate still in 2007?  You can not erase history or behaviors of ignorant people that continue to engage in that activity.  That is why you have some white people who think that the that hanging of nooses as funny or innocent. 

Have you ever heard of Jewish people trying to rationalize the swastika? Have you ever heard the Jewish community embrace the swastika?  Of course not, because they know what that symbol means; it hasn’t changed and it never will.  It is still used today as a symbol of hate and terrorism.  The noose is equivalent to the swastika; you can not change that; it is not an old-school stereotype and some of us in the black community are so damn ignorant.  Some of us just don’t get it.

More than 2,000 county students still without mandatory shots

Why aren’t parents being penalized for not getting their children their appropriate shots?  There is no excuse for this.  I can’t believe the parent in this article gave the excuse that he lost the paper!!  Prince George’s County needs to get it together.  2,000 young children, 2,000!!!

Do we let students slide when they say that their dog ate their homework?  Then why are parents not being held accountable for not getting their kids immunized??

19 y/o arrested for shooting his 14 girlfriend in the face

There are so many things wrong with this story.  1st there is the obvious; a domestic dispute.  You can not solve your problems with violence.  But there is another problem that politicians don’t like to touch and the media never addresses when these types of things happen to our youth; the role of the parents.

What is a 19 y/o doing dating a 15 y/o?  It does not make since to me.  Whose house were they at?  Where was this child’s parental unit?  Not only should the 19 y/o boyfriend be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but the parents of this 14 y/o girl need to be fined and forced to attend parenting classes. 

Eight arrested, two injured in Forestville academy fight

All I can ask myself is why?  You have 8 people arrested for a school brawl and allegedly over a neighborhood beef.  These young people are fighting over territory that most of them don’t even own because they live in apartments.  And Forestiville is supposed to be a military academy?  Where is the discipline? 

Every resident and parent in this county should be outraged and voice concern about implementing change.  It does not matter if your child doesn’t attend Forestville Military Academy, until every person in the County takes a stand and reclaim self respect in the name of our youth, they will be a lost cause; and stupid territory beefs will continue.

Prince George’s County News

UM men’s basketball grad rate falls again– This has always been a concern with me, especially when it comes to black athletes.  Recruiters tell these prospects that this a way for them to attend college for free, though true means nothing if they don’t stay and get their degrees in my opinion.

More Maryland Students Are Getting Vaccinated
Pr. George’s Still Leads in Noncompliance– What will it take to get us together in Prince George’s County?

School Budget Shortfall of $60 Million Is Forecast

Swastikas, `KKK’ Written on Deaf Student

In our Nation’s Capitol, in 2007….. A group of students at a Washington high school for the deaf scrawled “KKK” and swastikas on a black student’s body with a marker while holding him against his will. 

7 of the students who attacked this black student were white and 1 was black.  All of them (including the black student) should be charged with hate crimes.  Yes I said it, the black student as well.  These are children and this is a learned behavior; did it come from their parents or peers?  Only they know the answer.