[VIDEO] AWESOME: BEN CARSON TELLS STORIES OF HOW BLACK INVENTORS CAN INSPIRE TODAY’S YOUTH TO GREATNESS

We haven’t heard much from Ben Carson lately, but I ran across this clip from last month where he’s speaking in the south side of Chicago on how young people think that they can be the next big time player in professional sports when that’s just not the reality. Rather, Carson says stories of black inventors, who really made a difference in this world, can inspire today’s youth if they are simply told their stories.

Watch This:

Via: Red State

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Confederate Flag Kills Ten in Chicago... OH WAIT!!!!

If President Obama had a son, he might look like Amari Brown, the little boy killed by a bullet intended for his gang-banger father on the streets of President Obama’s Chicago in yet another bloody Windy City weekend. As the Chicago Tribune reported, over the Fourth of July weekend, Amari Brown was one of the ten that were killed among 55 that were shot, none attributed to Confederate flag loyalists:

Among those killed was 7-year-old Amari Brown, shot in the chest as he watched fireworks near his father's home in Humboldt Park late Saturday night.  Police say they believe the attack was aimed at the father, whom they described as a ranking gang member.

Also gunned down was 17-year-old Vonzell Banks, who was shot as he played basketball Friday at a park named for Hadiya Pendleton, a high school student fatally shot in 2013 near President Barack Obama's Chicago home.

The wounded included a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl shot shortly after midnight Sunday as they walked in Old Town, and a 19-year-old man shot around 10 p.m. Saturday as two groups fought near Navy Pier after the fireworks display there.

We are told that black lives matter, but apparently only those that can be blamed on rogue white cops or the occasional loony tune inspired by admirers of the Confederate flag. Trayon Martin matters, President Obama’s first imaginary son, who turned to confront neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman instead of just continuing on home. 

Michael Brown matters, the thug who committed a strong-armed robbery of a convenience store and then assaulted a police officer, trying to kill him with his own gun. The rush to judgment false narrative inspired the “hands up, don’t shoot” false mantra endlessly repeated by those determined to perpetuate black victimhood and white guilt.

Chicago Police Commissioner Gary McCarthy got it right when he observed that Amari Brown was another victim, , not of racism, but of gang violence and a revolving door justice system:

Antonio Brown, who police say is a ranking member of the Four Corner Hustlers street gang, has been arrested 45 times on charges ranging from gun possession to burglary, and is not cooperating with detectives in their investigation into the slaying of his son, Amari Brown, police said.

McCarthy said that the elder Brown's last arrest was in April for gun possession after leading police on a vehicle pursuit. Brown was later released on bail in that case, Cook County court records show.

"If Mr. Brown is in custody, his son is alive," McCarthy, flanked by several police officials and other officers, told a room full of reporters at the Harrison District police station on the West Side on Sunday afternoon. "That's not the case. Quite frankly, he shouldn't have been on the street."

Via: American Thinker

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L.A. Is Not Designed to Work

The City of Los Angeles is a sprawling enterprise with 32,000 employees and an annual budget of $8.6 billion. But according to Rick Cole, the City’s former Deputy Mayor for Budget and Innovation, “LA is not designed to work.”

Our City’s operations are relatively simple compared to Los Angeles County and other large cities such as New York and Chicago.  City Hall is not responsible for education, healthcare and hospitals, social services and welfare, and criminal justice and jails, all open ended services that are burdened by rivers of red ink, adverse court decisions, and controversial political and social issues that do not have simple solutions.

City Hall is responsible for every day services such as public safety (police and fire); our streets and sidewalks; our parks and libraries; and trash collection, wastewater, sewers, and stormwater.  It is also responsible for planning, zoning, building and safety, and the enforcement of the related rules and regulations.

But Angelenos are not happy campers.

Our streets are a mess, but there is no well thought out plan to repair and maintain our roadways.  Our sidewalks are subject to a $1.4 billion consent decree, but residential sidewalks are last in line to receive funds.  Recreation and Parks’ programs for our youth and seniors have been eviscerated while its putrid public restrooms are a constant source of ridicule.  And our neighborhoods are under siege by real estate developers and traffic congestion.

The City’s finances are also in shambles.  This year, the budget was balanced by diverting $150 million from the Reserve Fund despite the fact that revenues increased by $150 million more than projected.  The City has long term obligations of over $25 billion for its unfunded pension liabilities, deferred maintenance on its infrastructure, and existing long term debt.  But there is no long term plan to balance the budget, fund our pension plans, and repair our streets and sidewalks.

Underlying the chaos at City Hall is the reality that it is impossible to hold any of our elected officials accountable for the failure of City Hall to balance its books and provide adequate services to its constituents.  According to the well respected and occasionally controversial Cole (photo right), the City charter was designed to prevent corruption and the abuse of power.  But today, this has resulted in an inefficient government because we are unable to hold our individual elected officials accountable for their collective failures.

Unfortunately, our City is dominated by special interests, whether they are the campaign funding union leaders that represent our City’s workers or the generous real estate developers who have complete disregard for our residential neighborhoods.

If Los Angeles wants to be a “world class” city, it cannot continue with the status quo.  It cannot continue to kick the budget can down the road and ignore the Structural Deficit, inefficient operations, our infrastructure, and the underfunded pension plans.  It can no longer afford to thumb its nose at investors and employers if it wants its economy to flourish through the creation of good jobs.  It can no longer allow unfettered development that impinges on our quality of life.

Change and reform that are designed to make our City work are politically risky with the real possibility of failure.  It may also alienate the special interests who finance political campaigns.  But this is the challenge that our leaders must face if they want to win the hearts, minds, and wallets of the voters.

Is Back to Basics Mayor Eric Garcetti willing to be that leader?

 Originally posted on CityWatch LA.

Via: California Political Review

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12 SHOT, 5 FATALLY, IN CHICAGO AS JULY 4TH HOLIDAY WEEKEND BEGINS

CHICAGO (WLS) --

The Fourth of July holiday weekend is already shaping up to be a violent one. Twelve people were shot, five fatally, across Chicago in the last 24 hours. Thelatest shooting took place Friday evening at a park in Bronzeville, wounding a 17-year-old and 19-year-old. The 17-year-old was taken to Stroger Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The violence started Thursday morning when a 22-year-old man was killed during a drive-by in the 13200-block of South Greenwood. He was taken to Christ Medical Center, where he later was pronounced dead.

Later than night, a 20-year-old man was killed while he was riding his bike in the 2700-block of South Karlov, where police say a gunman shot him several times. He died after being taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Two deadly shootings happened overnight; one of them in the Back of the Yards neighborhood near 49th and Justine. Police say just after midnight, a 26-year-old man was sitting on his porch when a man walked up and fatally shot him.

About an hour later near 92nd and Ashland, a man and woman were walking in an alley when someone in a white van shot both of them. The 46-year-old man was shot in the head and died. The 43-year-old woman is recovering in the hospital.

Chicago police will be visible this weekend, and are working 12-hour shifts to try and combat the violence over the long holiday weekend.

That rule was put into effect after last year's deadly Fourth of July weekend, when 82 people were shot. Fourteen of those people died.

But there are also everyday people like the "Moms on Patrol" who are trying to help keep the peace.

The Moms on Patrol are encouraging other mothers to get involved. While the volunteer effort is based in Englewood, not all the moms are; there is a mom from Bronzeville and another from south suburban Hazel Crest.

"I think it is absolutely heartbreaking, but I know that it's preventable," says Tamar Manasseh about the violence.

"They love us," says Katina Neely about the communities they're protecting. "They want us here, they want our help."

"These kids that are shooting each other known each other," says Lasondra Essex. "They grew up together. There are ways it can be solved, but it's going to take the community."

So the moms gather across the street from a memorial to a woman who was buried today after being shot. They realize it's a pivotal time, a time to be pro-active and volunteer in hopes of changing the statistics.

Via: ABC7 Chicago

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Chicago Fires 1400 Teachers To Fund Extravagant Pensions

About 1,400 Chicago public school teachers and staff are expected to lose their jobs in order to finance a pension debt of $634 million, the city announced Wednesday.

The layoffs are part of an aggressive $200 million budget cut to help finance the pension payment, which is required of Chicago Public Schools by Illinois law. The rest of the pension payment is coming from heavy borrowing, as the district already has a massive $1.1 billion budget deficit.

In announcing the layoffs, Mayor Rahm Emanuel blamed the rest of the state for not picking up the slack, saying the rest of Illinois doesn’t pay its fair share for pensions.

“You negotiate with your teachers in Aurora… Then we get to pay for it,”Emanuel said at a press conference. He said the state should change its funding formula so “You… come to the table and start paying your share for what you negotiated.”

But lawmakers in Springfield failed to act, leaving “unconscionable” cuts as the only option, he said.

Chicago’s public schools have seen repeated mass layoffs in recent years thanks to a budget situation that is in perpetual crisis. In 2014, about 1,100 employees were laid off, and over 3,000 lost their jobs in 2013. (RELATED: Chicago Public Schools Whack 1000 Employees)

Still, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) released a statement saying it was totally “blindsided” by the mass firing, and accusing city officials of trying to “retaliate” against them for a recent breakdown in contract negotiations.

“These layoffs prove that the Board never intended to make the pension payment in good faith and that they are using this to justify more attacks on our classrooms,” said CTU president Karen Lewis. “Putting 1,400 people out of work is no way to balance a budget and resource our schools. This is going to hurt our students and the most vulnerable children in our district.”

Via: Daily Caller

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Chicago Weekend Update: 3 killed, 18 wounded in Chicago weekend shootings

The aftermath of a shooting and crash in Gage Park that left a man in serious condition early Saturday. | Network Video Productions

Shootings since Friday night have left three men dead and at least 18 people wounded across the city.

A 22-year-old man was shot to death Sunday afternoon in the Roseland neighborhood on the Far South Side.

Martell L. Smith was walking in the 9900 block of South State Street at 2:10 p.m. when a vehicle drove up, and someone inside fired shots, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Smith, of the 300 block of West 104th Street, was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, police said. A source said the victim was believed to be a gang member.

Saturday evening, a 21-year-old man was shot to death in the South Side Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood.

Eric Turner was standing outside near a home in the 7300 block of South Dorchester at 7 p.m. when someone walked out of a gangway and fired shots before running off, according to police and the medical examiner’s office.

Turner, who lived on the block where he was shot, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died at 7:43 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

A 32-year-old man was shot and killed early Saturday in a Back of the Yards neighborhood drive-by.

About 3:40 a.m., Joaquin Rocha was a passenger in a car in the 4500 block of South Hermitage when an SUV pulled alongside and someone inside opened fire, striking him in the torso, police and the medical examiner’s office said.

Rocha, of the 4700 block of South Springfield, was driven to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was later pronounced dead, authorities said.

The most recent nonfatal shooting happened late Sunday in the West Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side.

A 19-year-old man was walking in the 12200 block of South Wallace at 10:30 p.m. when a dark vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots, police said.

The man was shot in his right side and friends drove him to Little Company of Mary Hospital, where he is listed in fair condition.

Police believe the victim is a gang member.

At least 15 other people were injured—two critically—in shootings since 9:30 p.m. Friday.

At least 15 other people have been injured—two of them critically—in shootings since 9:30 p.m. Friday.

Via: Chicago Sun-Times

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Feds: West Side drug dealer had customers lined up around the corner

James Triplett had his customers lined up around the corner in broad daylight, the feds say.

Not for concert tickets. Not for iPhones.

For heroin.

Now 42 people are facing state or federal drug charges for their alleged roles in supplying and distributing heroin around West Grenshaw and Independence in the North Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side. Among them is the 33-year-old Triplett, also known as “Trell,” who authorities said controlled the drug market in the area.

Investigators even included a photo in a federal criminal complaint spanning more than 200 pages. They said the photo depicts a line of people waiting June 16 to get their hands on heroin supplied by Triplett’s organization in the 3700 block of West Grenshaw.

The photo was taken just south of the Eisenhower Expressway, which has come to be known as “Heroin Highway.”

The feds said Triplett’s suppliers sometimes put the heroin in bags with logos that included green Playboy bunnies, Hershey kisses, basketballs, Batman, black pandas or “purple ladies.”

Chicago Police and Drug Enforcement Administration agents assigned to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force led the investigation. Sixteen people face federal charges. They include Triplett, who is charged with drug conspiracy and faces a minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted. Another 26 face state charges.

Authorities said they arrested 32 people in all Wednesday morning, confiscating 12 guns, $50,000 in cash, nearly half a kilogram of heroin and more than half a kilogram of cocaine. They also searched several homes, three alleged stash houses and seized two cars, including a 2014 Maserati GranTurismo.

The federal defendants, all of who were in custody Wednesday, began appearing in the afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez.

Via: Chicago Sun Times

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Chicago shooting victims

Last updated June 21, 2015

The map below shows where people were shot in Chicago, broken down by community area. Darker shades of blue indicate greater numbers of victims in those community areas.

This data is compiled from reporting done by the Chicago Tribune Breaking News staff and is updated approximately once per month. Therefore, the most recent shootings may not be displayed immediately.

WHERE SHOOTINGS OCCUR IN CHICAGO   SINCE JAN. 1, 2014