Page 130 – Chattanooga News Chronicle

Trump ‘Chose Not to Act’ as U.S. Capitol Underwent Attack, Jan. 6 Panel Says

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July 22, 2022

Trump ‘Chose Not to Act’ as U.S. Capitol Underwent Attack, Jan. 6 Panel Says

By Jacob Fischler, Tennessee Lookout

Donald Trump ignored White House staff, family members and outside advisers who urged the president to call off the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, according to testimony before the U.S. House panel investigating the insurrection at its eighth and final hearing of the summer Thursday night.

Instead, Trump sat in the White House dining room for hours watching the Fox News coverage of the assault, committee leaders said as they laid out new details of the 187 minutes between the end of Trump’s speech on the White House ellipse and his tweet telling rioters to “go home with love and peace.”

Despite the pleas of those closest to him, and despite seeing the violence unfold live on Fox, Trump was unmoved. Trump didn’t fail to act, committee member Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who co-led Thursday’s hearing, said: “He chose not to act.”

Vice Chair Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, underscored that Trump’s refusal to condemn the riot was described by dozens of Republican witnesses, “those who served Donald Trump loyally for years,” she said.

“The case against Donald Trump in these hearings is not made by witnesses who were his political enemies. It is instead a series of confessions by Donald Trump’s own appointees, his own friends, his own campaign officials.”

Here are some details that emerged Thursday night:

Trump clung until the last minute to the idea that the election wasn’t over

The panel showed outtakes from Trump’s video message to supporters telling them to leave the Capitol, and from a address the next day. Even as he prepared for those statements, he refused to concede he lost the election.

“I don’t want to say the election is over,” he said in a Jan. 7 outtake, reacting to a line speechwriters included. “I just want to say, ‘Now Congress has certified the results,’ without saying.”

The unsubstantiated claim that Trump’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden was illegitimate — and that somehow the result could be overturned — was the concept that motivated the attack.

Trump heard from many people who wanted him to call off the attack

People identified as telling Trump or Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, a former North Carolina congressman, that he must condemn the violence included Trump’s children Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., Fox News host Sean Hannity, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and others.

Sarah Matthews, a former communications official for Trump’s reelection campaign who was in the White House on Jan. 6, said she had seen at rallies the power Trump had over his supporters.

“He was the only person in the world who could call off the mob he sent to the Capitol,” Thompson said.

Pence’s security detail

A White House official with national security responsibilities relayed a harrowing account of Vice President Mike Pence’s Secret Service detail. Pence was at the Capitol to conduct his ceremonial role to certify the election results, which Trump was strongly pressuring him not to do.

The official, whose identity the committee did not disclose because the official feared retribution, heard chaos at the Capitol over a radio.

“There were a lot of there was a lot of yelling a lot of a lot of very personal calls over the radio,” the official said. “I don’t like talking about it, but they were calling to say goodbye to family members.”

The rioters’ anger was focused on Pence, U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat who co-led Thursday’s hearing, said, after Trump tweeted at 2:24 p.m. that Pence didn’t have “the courage” to overturn the vote. “He put a target on his own vice president’s back,” Luria said.

The panel showed video of Secret Service agents hustling Pence and his team to a secure location.

Hawley’s jog.

Hours after pumping his fist in solidarity with Trump supporters, the committee showed video of Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley jogging away from the Senate chamber as the mob approached.

Hawley later voted not to certify the election results.

Cipollone considered resigning on Jan. 6

The top White House lawyer decided against stepping down because he was worried about who would replace him, he told the panel in taped testimony.

Records don’t exist

The White House phone log does not include any entries from 11:06 a.m. to 6:54 p.m., though the president was making and taking calls during those hours, the committee said.

Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a taped deposition that she gave Trump a list of senators and that the president called them to urge them not to certify the election results.

Alabama Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said on a local television news station in February that Trump called him as he prepared to evacuate the Capitol.

The committee also has phone records of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, which show the two spoke twice in that timeframe.

The White House daily diary is also blank from 1:21 p.m. to 4:03 p.m. on Jan. 6, Luria said.

And the official White House photographer was told not to take photographs as Trump went into the Rose Garden to record a video message to supporters.

See you in September

The panel will not hold another public hearing until September, Chairman Bennie G. Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said. Thompson, who has tested positive for COVID-19, appeared virtually.

The panel will continue its work over Congress’ August recess, Cheney said.

President Biden Tests Positive for COVID-19

CNC Staff

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July 21, 2022

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President Biden Tests Positive for COVID-19

By Jennifer Shutt and Ariana Figueroa, Tennessee Lookout

WASHINGTON–President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House announced Thursday morning.
Biden, 79, is fully vaccinated against the virus and has twice received booster doses, according to the statement. He is taking Paxlovid, an antiviral prescription medication that is meant to reduce the severity of symptoms and the duration of illness.
“Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in the statement.
“He has been in contact with members of the White House staff by phone this morning, and will participate in his planned meetings at the White House this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence,” she continued.
The White House plans to provide daily updates on Biden’s condition. He will return to work in person when he tests negative.
He tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday, the White House said.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was last with Biden Tuesday, has tested negative, according to a White House official. The White House did not specify when that test was conducted.
Harris is meeting with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, Thursday, and will later meet with North Carolina state legislators to hold a roundtable discussion about reproductive rights, according to the White House.
Harris spoke with Biden by phone Thursday morning and plans to continue her schedule as planned, according to the official.

“The vice president will remain masked following the advice of the White House medical team,” the official said.

Biden was in Massachusetts on Wednesday to announce action on climate change. Several of Biden’s top staffers traveled with him on Marine One, the helicopter that transports the president and aides from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where Air Force One takes off and lands.

Those aides included Bruce Reed, deputy chief of staff; Gina McCarthy, national climate adviser; Annie Tomasini, director of Oval Office operations; Jean-Pierre; and Stephen Goepfert, special assistant and personal aide to the president.

U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren as well as U.S. Reps. Jake Auchincloss and Bill Keating, all of Massachusetts, traveled with Biden from Andrews to the outdoor event in Somerset.

White House staff traveling on Air Force One included Vinay Reddy, director of speech writing; Curtis Reid, senior director for multilateral affairs; and Travis Dredd, trip director.

Biden is also coming off an international trip from last week, along with his first one to the Middle East, where from June 9-16 he traveled to the United Kingdom, Brussels, Geneva, Israel, the West Bank and then Saudi Arabia.

During that trip, he met with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while he attended the G7 summit. He had another meeting with the president of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Biden also met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who ordered the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

He was scheduled to travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Thursday to give a speech at the Marts Center at Wilkes University about the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which is the president’s funding request to Congress to help fund programs aimed at reducing gun violence.

Later on, the president was scheduled to travel to Philadelphia to “participate in a fundraising reception for the Democratic National Committee,” according to the White House’s schedule.

After his visit, he was scheduled to go back to his home in Wilmington, Delaware, for the weekend.

It’s unclear if the president will still be able to attend an event scheduled in Orlando and Tampa, Florida, on Monday. Biden was scheduled to give a speech at the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives Annual Conference in Orlando and another speech at a DNC rally in Tampa.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that someone who tests positive for COVID-19 should stay home for at least five days and isolate from others. The CDC advises against all travel.

Camp REACH Ends for 2022

Camm Ashford

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July 21, 2022

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By Camm Ashford and Yolanda Putman

The Mary Walker Historical and Educational Foundation’s Christian and work-based Camp REACH ended last Thursday at a ceremony held at Hope City Church, 7 North Tuxedo Ave.

REACH is an acronym for Respect, Earn, Achieve, Citizenship, and Hard Work.

The enrichment summer camp offered nearly 40 rising 9th-12th graders instruction in leadership, basic life and work skills, vocational skills (house painting), music and art, journalism, and transportation logistics through a partnership with Network Transport in East Brainerd.

Students were paid a weekly stipend every week for six weeks if they successfully completed all assignments.

“You are witnessing greatness here, and it’s a blessing to be a part of these young people’s lives,” Camp REACH Executive Director Lurone “Coach” Jennings told the 100 or so people attending the noon event.

“You all may have been hearing a lot lately about youth gun violence. Well, this is how we prevent that kind of involvement. We give our children positive, encouraging things to do. We reward them and recognize their gifts and talents to help them see that you don’t have to go down the wrong road to be successful and to earn money and those kinds of things, and to take people along with you. So this is our reaction and answer.”

Student Timothy Rice, who attended Camp REACH last summer as well as this year, offered his fellow campers’ words of encouragement.

“During the last six weeks, we learned a lot,” he said. “Not just about reading and writing, but about life. Now comes the big question of how do we apply all that we’ve learned. That’s a question you must answer for yourself. But I believe in you, and I know that you all are capable. Each and every one of you has a chance to be special and to do something great in life. So go on and be great, and put God first.”

Also on program were Jamison Malone who led the Lord’s Prayer and Aaron Tarver who provided the Bible verse Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”

Journalist instructor Yolanda Putman noted that on Day One of the camp, 52% of the students participating in the Lexia Reading program performed at a foundational level, 45% at an intermediate level and only 3% at an advanced level. However, by the end of camp, students reading at an intermediate level had risen from 45% to 68%, and those reading at an advanced level had nearly tripled from 3% to 11%.

Students receiving Chattanooga Legends Awards: Willie Kitchens Music Award, James Myers; Reggie White Award, Timothy Rice; Mary Walker Award, Ariel Kelly (Camp REACH Spelling Bee Winner); John P. Franklin Sr. Top Earner Award, Amare Starling; The Rev. J. Lloyd Edwards Jr. Hard Work Award, Aaron Tarver; and the John L. Edwards III Citizenship Award, Jamison Malone.

Published Writers for the Chattanooga News Chronicle recognized were: JaMichael Brown; Ashely Hampton; Pierre Kelly; Jaelyn Moon; JaMaya Rogan; and Aaron Tarver.

Art awards: 1st place Butterfly, LaToria Battle; and 2nd place Butterfly, Pierre Kelly. First place Lion, Destiny Richardson; and 2nd place Lion, Aaron Tarver.

Gold Medal Winners who exemplified cooperation and a good attitude were: J’vyon Bonds; TayVeon Bonds; Jason Burns; Jameel Colvin; Sierra Crawford; Alan Duckett; Nyla Halfacre; Elijah Jones; Brie McGlone; Michael McKibben; Arion Ray; Ta’Nia Simpson; Meziah Warren; and KenZhia Whitaker.

Timiethea Delaney, renowned vocalist, songwriter and entertainer and Willie Kitchens, former lead vocalist for the Grammy award-winning Impressions, established and coached the Mary Walker Foundation Camp REACH 2022 Choir. The choir sang “Thank you” and “See You Again” during last Thursday’s program.

Coach Jennings recognized his camp staff: Gary Cogar, Timiethea Delaney, Willie Kitchens, Michael Long, Latonya Pinkard, Yolanda Putman, Elizabeth Tallman, Gabby Thomas and Porshe Thompson.

Jennings also thanked the many parents, friends, guest speakers, sponsors, and donors for supporting Camp REACH and acknowledged the Mary Walker Historical and Educational Foundation Board of Directors: Nancy Cogar; Adrian Edwards; John L. Edwards III; Kemberly Edwards Williams; Regina Enochs; Sheryl Fletcher; Bruce Morgan; Nea Paris; and Darrell Walsh.

The ceremony ended with music by Willie Kitchens and band, followed by lunch.

Also participating in Camp REACH were students Tory Battle; Javontae Doyle; Avery Ford; Tyteyounna Hilt; Jakari Odom; Ethaniel Perkins; Jaziah Pinkerton; Zion Pinkerton; and Grayson Strickland.

The Mary Walker Historical and Educational Foundation was established in 1970 by the late Rev. J. Lloyd Edwards Jr., and named for Mary Walker, a tenant of what is now Mary Walker Towers in South Chattanooga. The foundation was created to honor Walker, a former slave who learned to read and write at age 117.

Its mission is “to help alleviate poverty for all Chattanooga citizens and help create economic stability through literacy training and educational activities.”

Camp REACH, a work-based six weeks summer camp, exposes high school teens to careers in media, painting, cosmetology and logistics. It teaches students chess, financial literacy, and citizenship and it pays up to $150 a week while they learn. The camp would not be possible without the following sponsors and partners: Maclellan Foundation, Benwood Foundation, Network Transport, Holston Foundation, Chattanooga Area McDonald’s, Papa Johns Pizza, Little Debbie, and Briley & Baxter Publication.

You can find out more about the Mary Walker Historical and Educational Foundation, or donate at www.MaryWalkerFoundation.org.

Tennessee Federal Judge Blocks Enforcement of Biden Administration LGBTQ Protections

Camm Ashford

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July 21, 2022

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Tennessee Federal Judge Blocks Enforcement of Biden Administration LGBTQ Protections

By Camm Ashford

A Tennessee federal judge is blocking the Biden administration from enforcing an executive order designed to protect directives that extended civil rights protections to LGBTQ students and workers.

LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.

U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley Jr. on last Friday issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily bars the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from enforcing the anti-discrimination executive order issued by the Biden administration in January 2021.

The Education Department, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Justice Department, along with their leaders, were listed as defendants in a lawsuit filed by Herbert H. Slatery III, the attorney general of Tennessee.

The federal agencies had urged the court to dismiss the lawsuit, which Atchley denied, citing a violation of states’ rights to govern, an usurping of the authority of Congress and state Legislatures, and a failure to give lawmakers and the public a say on the issue–among others.

Atchley, of Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, is a Republican appointee of former President Donald J. Trump.

The Biden administration’s directives were part of a widespread effort by the White House to rescind or revise many polices of the Trump administration that restricted transgender rights.

In a landmark 2020 Supreme Court ruling, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, writing for the majority, said that “it is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex.”

Before that decision, it was legal in more than half of the states to fire workers for being gay, bisexual or transgender.

The lawsuit filed by Slatery contended that the government infringed on states’ powers to regulate their publics and schools. It also said the Biden administration violated federal law because it did not follow proper processes in implementing those mandates.

The states that joined Tennessee as plaintiffs in the lawsuit were Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.

In siding with the states, Judge Atchley wrote that their “sovereign power to enforce their own legal code is hampered” by the government’s guidance on civil rights law and that the states faced “substantial pressure to change their state laws as a result.”

The judge also wrote that the Biden administration’s directives went beyond what the Supreme Court ruling mandated.

“An injunction will ensure that the agencies are not exceeding their express authority delegated by Congress,” he wrote.

Last year, the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, following guidance from President Biden and citing the high court’s decision, said the protections afforded under Title IX (which prohibits sex–including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity–discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance) and Title VII (which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin)

extended to gay and transgender individuals and would be enforced in employment situations and in schools.

In those directives, the federal agencies said that companies and schools could not deny a transgender person access to a bathroom that corresponded to that individual’s gender identity. They also said that students should be allowed to participate on a sports team consistent with their gender identity, and that federally funded schools have a responsibility to investigate sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, against students because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Judge Atchley’s ruling last week drew anger from LGBTQ advocates, with one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights groups saying they’re “disappointed and outraged by this ruling from the Eastern District of Tennessee,” and calling it “yet another example of far-right judges legislating from the bench.”

“Nothing in this decision can stop schools from treating students consistent with their gender identity. And nothing in this decision eliminates schools’ obligations under Title IX or students’ or parents’ abilities to bring lawsuits in federal court,” Joni Madison, the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) interim president, said last Saturday in a statement denouncing Atchley’s ruling. “HRC will continue to fight these anti-transgender rulings with every tool in our toolbox.”

With more than 3 million members and supporters, the Human Rights Campaign is the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization. Based in Washington, DC, it was established in 1980 by Steve Endean and originally known as the Human Rights Campaign Fund.

It is unclear what President Biden’s next step will be. The administration could seek to appeal Atchley’s ruling to the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. But there’s no guarantee the judge will grant an appeal or that the appellate court will agree to hear one. In the meantime, the injunction will remain in place pending further proceedings.

School Choice in Tennessee – Only for Memphis and Nashville Students and Parents

CNC Staff

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July 21, 2022

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School Choice in Tennessee – Only for Memphis and Nashville Students and Parents

Why are families in Davidson and Shelby Counties able to choose the best school for their children, while parents in the other 93 counties in Tennessee continue to go to zoned schools?

On July 13, the Tennessee Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling which blocked legislation passed in 2019 giving parents in these two counties the ability to access Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), the per-pupil funding from the state budget, to select a school.

The ESA program was the signature legislation of Governor Bill Lee in his first year in office after campaigning successfully on the issue. As early as August 2017, over a year before first elected in November 2018, Lee supported parents’ decision-making in an Associated Press article: “Parents need choices, and they need options. So, I would be a strong advocate for school choice in every area of the state.”

Failure to pass school choice legislation by Gov. Bill Haslam due to opposition of the Tennessee General Assembly did not deter candidate-turned-Governor Bill Lee declaring, “Those decisions are best made at home” advocating for parents and students choices.

Lee’s proposal in 2019 was set to be a 3-year pilot for 5,000 students in the state’s worst-performing schools in year one, increasing by 2,500 each year, thereafter. Each student would receive about $7,300 in an Educational Savings Account to follow them to the school of the parent’s choice. Despite months of meetings, bargaining and haggling with the members of the Tennessee General Assembly failed. In May 2019, legislation passed permitting only parents in the Shelby County (Memphis area) and Davidson County (Nashville area) to make the best decisions for their students.

Governor Bill Lee’s Administration announced the relaunch of the ESA, or the Education Savings Account Program, website for July 19, less than a week following the Tennessee Supreme Court’s ruling.

Follow the news and process about Tennessee’s Education Savings Account Program. Your voice and interest expressed to your elected leadership will be the key to expansion for all children, not just those living in the two most populous counties in our state.

Tennesseans would benefit, just as Denisha Merriweather did as a child, from school choice. Denisha failed third grade twice and had a troubled reputation. Ms. Merriweather has given interviews to the Wall Street Journal and Forbes sharing that she had expected to be a school dropout. Instead. Florida’s school choice program saved her through an educational selection that fit her needs.

After college graduation with her Master’s in social work, Ms. Merriweather worked for the US Department of Education and then founded Black Minds Matter, a nonprofit organization devoted to promote excellence and “the development of high-quality school options for Black students,” citing data that only about 15 of 100 black students are proficient in reading. Ms. Merriweather describes her role as an education reformer.

Denisha Merriweather is part of the 75% of the Black community who supports school choice, as polled by Public Opinion Strategies last year. Speak up. Tennessee reforms are underway.

Steve Bannon Willing to Testify at Capitol Riot Hearing

National

CNC Staff

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July 21, 2022

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Steve Bannon Willing to Testify at Capitol Riot Hearing

National (BBC News)–Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon has told the House select committee investigating the 6 January Capitol riots that he is willing to testify, according to US media.

Until now, he had refused to cooperate with the hearing.

In a letter seen by CBS News, his lawyer told the committee that Mr Bannon “is willing to, indeed prefers, to testify at your public hearing”.

Mr Trump said the testimony would be “in the best interests” of Americans.

The select committee has conducted a nearly year-long investigation into how Trump supporters invaded Congress on 6 January 2021 to disrupt lawmakers as they certified Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.

Mr Bannon was summoned to testify on what he knew about the events leading up to the riot, but until now he had refused to comply.

He claims he was covered by “executive privilege”, a legal principle that protects many White House communications.

However, at the time of the Capitol riots, Mr Bannon was not an official advisor to the president, which the committee says means that executive privilege does not apply.

What happened on 6 January at the Capitol riot?

Mr Bannon’s testimony, if it goes ahead, could offer new insights into Trump’s inner circle in the hours leading up to and during the riots.

According to the committee, the former Trump strategist had specific knowledge about the events planned for 6 January before they took place.

Trump himself has become frustrated at the committee hearings, describing them as a “one-sided witch-hunt”, and has given his support for Mr Bannon’s testimony.

In a letter seen by the AP news agency, the former president said he was “waiving executive privilege for you, which allows for you to go in and testify truthfully and fairly, as per the request of the unselect committee of political thugs and hacks”.

However, the exact circumstances under which Mr Bannon will testify have not been agreed.

According to his lawyer Robert Costello, he wishes to appear before the committee in a public hearing, but standard procedure so far has been for testimony to be heard first in private interviews.

“We want to get all our questions answered, and you can’t do that in a live format,” committee member Zoe Lofgren – a Democrat – told CNN.

Mr Bannon is due to appear in court on 18 July on two charges of criminal contempt of Congress for previously refusing to testify and failing to submit documents.

This story was first reported by BBC News

Breaking News: Vernon Winfrey Father of Oprah Winfrey Passes

Regional

CNC Staff

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July 21, 2022

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Breaking News: Vernon Winfrey Father of Oprah Winfrey Passes

Nashville, Tenn.–Vernon Winfrey, Oprah Winfrey’s father, died late Friday after battling cancer, Oprah announced in a statement. He was 89.

“Yesterday with family surrounding his bedside I had the sacred honor of witnessing the man responsible for my life, take his last breath,” Oprah said in a tribute to her father shared on Instagram. “We could feel Peace enter the room at his passing.”

During his final weeks, Oprah was able to spend time with him, saying in her Father’s Day intention video that she was in Nashville to see him. Then, just last week, Oprah shared that Mr. Winfrey was battling cancer.

In a video on her Instagram, Oprah shared that she was spending the Fourth of July with him—but what Vernon thought was just an Independence Day party was actually a celebration dedicated to honoring his life. Oprah called it the “Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Celebration” and surprised him with flowers, balloons, a giant sign, and some of his favorite people including his older sister, Christine, who he greeted with a tearful embrace. “Thank you for being the kind of father who has brought honor to your life and honor to my life,” Oprah told him during the celebration.

In a message of remembrance released today, Oprah writes:

“Less than a week ago we honored my father in his own backyard. My friend and gospel singer Wintley Phipps saluted him with song. He FELT the love and reveled in it until he could no longer speak. Yesterday with family surrounding his bedside I had the sacred honor of witnessing the man responsible for my life, take his last breath. We could feel Peace enter the room at his passing.

That Peace still abides. All is well. Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts.”

Letter to the Editor: Assisting the Homeless & Changing Our Streets

Local

CNC Staff

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July 21, 2022

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$20 to Save a Life Plan

$20 a month is all it takes to save and change a life and get our homeless people of Chattanooga of the streets. I was watching TV and saw a commercial about giving $19 a month to save dogs and give them a better life. I thought why we do not see commercials about saving homeless people from the street. We sometimes see commercials about feeding homeless around the holidays or giving them some food, clothes, or a tent to keep them warm. I am just as guilty as others who think that the city (the Mayor and the Council Men) should do something about the homeless when it is in our power to make the change. When the tornadoes hit area and surrounding areas we didn’t depend on the mayor or anyone else for us to pitch in to help those in need. I have notice about myself and others that when there something in our lives that we don’t like or need fixing such as when the washing machine, oven, heat, or other object in our homes, we rush to get them fix. Many of us ride by the homeless, feel for them but do nothing for them and sometimes we do to make our shelves feel good about ourselves because we must tell everyone what we did. I am not talking about everyone because there are people out there every day helping the homeless and I thank the Lord for you. The population of Hamilton County is 367,804 people if half of the people would give $20/month that would be $3,678,040 enough to get our homeless people of the streets and that is not including the churches and companies. I know that I spend more than $20 a month on just junk food and things that I don’t really need and so do some of you. I don’t think that this plan may work I know that is well because God told me it would. Think about this the next time you see that homeless person on the street as you ride by with that coke and chips in your hand. Love is an action word so Chattanooga let us love our homeless people to get them off the streets and into a nice place to live. May God Bless You!

The Plan

We needed two or three locations depending on the level of the people on the streets, there are three groups. One group are the mental that need special help, many of these people will not be able to enter the work force or function on their own. The location will be designed for permanent living. The second group are those who just need a helping hand to get them back on track, they are willing and able to work. These are the people who may have one misfortune to happen, like the loss of a job due to something out of their control or sickness. This location needs to be individual living space because there are some families on the street also. These individuals are already equipped to work they just need a job and a place to stay until they can move out on their own. These are the individuals that can be used to fill many of the opening around the city, we will also provide transportation to work and back. They must agree that since they do not have to pay anything to stay in the facility, they must save half of their paycheck in an account that is set aside for them. This is for the second and third group, when they are ready to live on their own and have enough in their account for them to move into an apartment. Third group are the one who do not have the work or life skills to work a steady job or take care of themselves for lack of knowledge, but they are physically able to work. Their locations will be set in home environment way. That they can be trained how to get alone with and work with others. They will spend eight hours a day learning the skills they are lacking in that will help to be able to live on their own. Everyone in buildings 2 and 3 must agree to the rules that will be determine for the program.

Things that will be needed:

Three Building that the city has. We must start to realize that we are the city and that the city belongs to the people that pay taxes. The ones we put in office are elected by us to work for us, so the buildings are ours and we have a say to what is to be done with them and our tax dollars, time to speak up.

Volunteers:

Companies and individuals that have the resources to remold the building. Plumbers, Carpenters, Electricians, Painters, and people who know how to paint, Designers, and laborers. We have enough people in our city with willing hearts to help get this done.

Employees

From the money taken in we will hire professional individuals who are really qualified and have a heart for people to work with the people in each location. These will be good paying jobs with good benefits, this is one of the main reasons for the twenty dollars a month to pay these people.

Now the hard part.

For Chattanooga to become an extraordinary city in this area it will take us doing something that is extraordinary, work together as a city. We must form an administration that is trustworthy and have the skills to develop the financial structure for the program. This group will be made up of an equal number of members from the four main racial group in the city Spanish, Others, Black, and White. We have qualified individuals in each of these ethnic groups that works in finance every day. An administration group over each location will be needed, they will be paid. These individuals need to be chosen by the people of the city so a group will be formed to decide how these people are to be chosen, I don’t know how to do everything. A report will be given every month every month informing the community of how well the program is do. Some of the things that the report will give will be how much money is taken in and from where, this is important because it lets the community know that the commitment is being kept. The three areas it will report are community, churches, and companies. How much is going out and where is it is going. The general maintenance and cleaning of each location will be done by group two and three.

The Benefits For This Program

The first thing it will do is to eliminate the homeless problem, sanitary problems with all the trash that accumulates at these sites.
Clean up the appearance of our downtown and other areas of the city.
Create a healthier environment for all.
People that are mental and need additional attention, it will bring them out of the cold and off the streets.
Get the treatment that is badly needed. This will increase and better their lives. This will give the a since of belonging and knowing some care.
Those that have limited skill, it will allow them to gain the skills they need to become productive citizens.
Those that are homeless because of unforeseen circumstances and willing to receive help that will give them confidence to return to the workforce along with a normal life.

The Benefits For The City

Homeless arrest will go down.
Homeless hospital visits will go down.
Homeless crimes will go down.
The Homeless will have housing land jobs.
This will save the city money.
The citizen of the city will fell gracious for taking a part in, taking the homeless off the streets.
Jobs will be created.
People of the city will be involved.

Finance Group needed, consisting of:

Law team
Accounting team
Top Administrator to manage over 3 building administrators

Action Plan

Make a call to all pastors and Community Leaders.
What will be needed from the pastors and community leaders?
Take plan to their church and community.

Take plan and explain to their parishioners and community leaders, community leaders will take it to their community.
Meet again to get feedback.
Each church will need to make request for construction crews.
Start organizing with individuals for remodeling of buildings.
Administration moving forward.

Submitted by Mr. William Thomas and Pastor Alonzo NobleContact: noblealonzo86@gmail.com and williamthomas1961@gmail.com

THIS WEEK IN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

African American History

CNC Staff

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July 21, 2022

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Pleasant Ridge: A Community of Black Farmers in Wisconsin

In 1850 Charles Shepard, a formerly enslaved man from Virginia, and his family moved to rural southwestern Wisconsin near present-day Beetown in Grant County. The others in the party included his wife Caroline (nee Brent); their three children Harriet, John, and Mary; Charles’ brother, Isaac Shepard; and Sarah Brown, who would marry Isaac. They settled into the area and eventually established a community of African American farmers called Pleasant Ridge in the years before the Civil War, which began in 1861. Today, a historical marker commemorates the community’s location and nearby the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery remains as the resting place of many of the community’s residents.

In 1848 the Shepard’s enslaver, Sarah Edmonds, of Fauquier County, Virginia, died and freed them in her will. They traveled to Wisconsin with William Horner, her nephew, who hoped to prosper at lead mining. Horner soon discovered that profitable lead mining was diminishing, but he had the means to purchase over 1,000 acres of farmland in Grant County. The Shepards initially worked for Horner on the newly acquired land. After a few years, Charles and Isaac saved enough wages to purchase 200 acres from Horner and establish homesteads of their own. Soon after, the Shepards were joined in Pleasant Ridge by others escaping enslavement in Tennessee, Missouri, and Arkansas including the Grimes Family and the Greene Family.

The Civil War and After

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Pleasant Ridge contributed its share of soldiers. Black recruits were initially prohibited by federal law, but when that restriction was lifted in 1863, Charles Shepard and his son, John, both walked to Prairie du Chien to enlist in the Union Army. Charles served with the 50th U.S. Infantry Regiment and died at Vicksburg. John, a private in Company K, 42nd Regiment, died of disease at the end of the war in Cairo, Illinois on his way home to Pleasant Ridge.

At least eight Black veterans returned to Pleasant Ridge after their service and some became farm owners. During this time, the Greene, Grimes, and Shepard families comprised the core of the community. If not already married, those veterans married women from those three families and started families of their own growing the population. White farmers and families also moved into the area in the years after the war.

Pleasant Ridge Schoolhouse, ca. 1890

Schoolhouse of District #5 in Pleasant Ridge built on land donated by Isaac Shepard. Both Black and White residents built, attended, and taught at the school. People pictured include: F.J. Webb (teacher), Rina Gadlin, Bessie Hoffman, Nettie Gadlin, Cora Sheppard, Jennie Hoffman, May Hoffman, Emma Green, Oscar Grimes, and Lester Green.

Courtesy of Grant County Historical Society, Cunningham Museum

Over the next several decades, Pleasant Ridge grew in population and size. In 1873 Pleasant Ridge residents built one of the first integrated schools in the nation. Black and White students studied together at District School #5, and they learned from Black and White teachers. Some pupils grew up to graduate from college and become teachers themselves.

The population of Pleasant Ridge peaked at around 100 residents about evenly split between Black and White families. These residents established a community cemetery in 1883. Prior to that, the Shepards maintained a cemetery on their property from 1858-1896. Residents also built the United Brethren Church in 1884. Thomas Greene built a community hall on his property in 1898, which became the site for gatherings and celebrations including an annual barbecue each August.

The Peak and Decline

Black residents of Pleasant Ridge owned nearly 700 acres of farmland in 1895. Isaac Shepard became one of the most prosperous farmers in the region. In 1906 the women of the community formed the Autumn Leaf Society. Modeled after popular social clubs and literary circles of the day, the Society was responsible for organizing dances and dinners, as well as supporting the care of the Pleasant Ridge Community Cemetery. They were the major sponsor of the annual reunion barbecue for decades in the 1900s.

Lily Richmond (b.1862), right, with Ollie Greene Lewis at Pleasant Ridge, 1946 View the original source document:

The children and grandchildren of the original families faced very limited economic and marriage opportunities given the community’s small size and rural setting. Most moved away to cities or other states to continue their schooling and seek careers. Four descendants achieved success in the fields of education, architecture, dentistry, and law respectively. Ollie Green Lewis, a descendant of the Greene and Shepard families and the last Black resident, died at Pleasant Ridge in 1959.

Local Youth to Get Hands-on Experience in Music Production through New Partnership with the City, Dynamo Studios, and Chattanooga Hip-hop Collective TheHouse

Local

CNC Staff

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July 21, 2022

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Local Youth to Get Hands-on Experience in Music Production through New Partnership with the City, Dynamo Studios, and Chattanooga Hip-hop Collective TheHouse

Middle- and high school- students will participate in a two-day master class with renowned Chattanooga artists and producers, including YGTUT

Chattanooga, Tenn. (July 20, 2022) — Thanks to a new partnership between the city, Dynamo Studios, and the professional hip-hop collective TheHouse, select local middle- and high- school students will have the opportunity to work with and learn from some of Chattanooga’s most talented hip hop artists and producers during a two-day master class.

Scheduled for July 25 and July 26, at the Chattanooga library’s world-class recording studio, the master class will allow young musicians to work alongside high-level artists to create and record their own music in a truly hands-on experience.

“I want to thank Dynamo Studios and all of the talented artists at TheHouse who have come together to create such a unique, motivational opportunity for young and upcoming musicians in our community,” said Mayor Tim Kelly. “Partnerships like these are critical to reaching youth where they are to help them develop the healthy skills, relationships, and values they need for long-term success.”

Composed of Chattanooga artists and producers YGTUT, Isaiah Rashad, Michael Da Vinci, Chris P, and Shoey Russell, TheHouse is a leader in the local and national hip-hop community, landing contracts for their artists with some of the most acclaimed record labels in the world. Under their leadership and direction, master class participants will receive instruction in music production, audio engineering, songwriting, and musicianship, ultimately leaving with new skills and original recorded music they can bring to the community.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be able to work with the youth in Chattanooga,” said YGTUT. “Coming up, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for us to meet the people that we looked up to or work with the people we aspire to be like. I just want to be able to give the kids something we never had. My goal for this program is to leave a positive impact on our youth, and show them that if I can do it, then you can do it too.”

Dynamo Studios, a local non-profit organization that empowers students through innovative and educational experiences in music production and the arts, selected the 10 students who are participating in the master class based on their distinct passion and talent for creating music.

Earlier this month, Mayor Tim Kelly announced his intention to invest $200,000 in American Rescue Plan funds in a complementary initiative led by Dynamo Studios, which would create a mobile music production lab to provide quality music and media production programming for multiple community centers and trusted community spaces. Funding is contingent upon City Council approval.

“We’re thrilled to be able to help invest in our city’s young people by teaching them creative skills that they will carry with them through their lives,” said Kessler Cuffman, executive director of Dynamo Studios. “I’m humbled to be given the privilege of activating the love of learning in our community’s students, and I’m thankful to Mayor Kelly, our supporters, and our board for their steadfast support.”