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2-Year-Old Black Scientist Knows Physics And Chemistry

News One — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:09:33 +0000

Two-year-old Romanieo Golphin Jr. of Washington D.C. is an amazing scientist with knowledge of chemistry and physics. Romanieo’s father, Romanieo Sr., is a composer who has developed a series of learning programs he uses for his son called BabytechiOS and Novus.

Romanieo Sr. believes his son’s advanced knowledge of science is simply a process of cultivating talent that everybody is born with. Romaneo Sr. has already met with African American astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson and has produced videos showcasing his son’s knowledge of chemistry, physics and astronomy.

Romanieo Jr. Shows Chemistry Knowledge

Romanieo Jr. Aces Astronomy Test

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Washington D.C. Has Lowest Homicide Rate In Almost 50 Years

Al Sharpton — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:49:35 +0000

WASHINGTON — District of Columbia officials say the city is on course to record the lowest homicide rate in nearly half a century.

The decline mirrors a nationwide trend of falling rates in major American cities. But it’s startling in a city that was ravaged by the crack epidemic two decades ago and where homicides totaled 479 in 1991. There were 108 homicides as of Thursday. He says the number hasn’t been that low since the early 1960s.

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray told The Associated Press on Thursday that people feel safer in the city. He attributes the continued declines in part to community policing and to strong leadership in the traditionally more violent neighborhoods of southeast Washington.

Gray and Police Chief Cathy Lanier plan to announce the progress at a news conference Friday.

ATF Poses As Hip-Hop Label To Catch Drug Dealers

Al Sharpton — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:19:42 +0000

WASHINGTON-The ATF and the Washington D.C. police had an operation in which officers posed as hip-hop music industry insiders and pretended to be a fake hip-hop label that confiscated $7.2 million in drugs and 161 weapons.

The ATF and D.C. police created a fictional rapper “Richie Valdez” and used a studio they called “Manic Enterprises” and reached out to the criminal underworld to catch criminals.

AllHipHop reports:

Over the course of the year, agents confiscated 161 firearms (including a rocket launcher), 29 assault weapons, 80 pounds of methamphetamine, 21 pounds of cocaine, 1.25 gallons of PCP, 24 pounds of marijuana, heroin and Ecstasy.

In addition to the seizures of drugs and weapons, police said many of the 70 suspects detained bragged about other crimes and reportedly stated they would kill police officers or other innocent people if necessary.

Breastfeeding Mother Accused Of Indecent Exposure

Al Sharpton — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:19:16 +0000

A D.C. woman says she was unlawfully accused of indecent exposure after breastfeeding her infant in a public building.

Simone dos Santos was breastfeeding her infant in a government building in Washington when she was asked to stop by security guards.

VIDEO:

‘I was shocked, upset and angry that by providing food for my son I was being treated like a criminal,’ Ms dos Santos wrote following for the Washington Post’s The Root DC.

Ms dos Santos, an attorney, says she was covering her 4-month old with a jacket in the Henry J. Daley building when she was approached by the two security guards asking her to stop.

SWAT Team Raids Home Of Prominent Civil Rights Lawyer

Al Sharpton — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:35:33 +0000

WASHINGTON-Barbara Arnwine, the Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, claims that her house in Prince George’s County in Maryland was raided by a SWAT Team for no apparent reason.

Arnwine is a well known Civil Rights lawyer who fights against voter suppression and voter I.D. laws.

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The Huffington Post reports:

The SWAT team arrived at her home at 5:30 a.m., disturbing the attorney and her family members, including an 80-year-old relative, Arnwine said. They also did not seem to have a warrant and asked for the name of the homeowner and how to spell that name.

“If they had a warrant and were targeting any of us then how could they not know our names and know how to spell them,” Arnwine said to D.C radio station’s WPFW news anchor Askia Muhammad. “It looks like they were randomly looking, like they were on a fishing expedition. I honestly think they were looking for someone else. I honestly think they had the wrong address. I don’t think they had the right house but I’ll never know because I never saw a warrant.”

Washington D.C. Soul Food Queen “Mama Cole” Dies At 58

Al Sharpton — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:56:32 +0000

WASHINGTON-Evangeline Cole-Thompson, also known as “Mama Cole” has died at age 58 after struggling with pancreatic cancer.

Cole opened Cole’s Cafe in 2002, which served as one of the few sit down soul food eateries in South East D.C. and her dishes were popular with the community and critics alike.

The Washington Post reports:

In 2007, Cole-Thompson’s husband, William Thompson, suffered a paralyzing stroke, and she fell behind on her bills for the restaurant. Her customers rallied to her support, and she got advice from a fellow restaurateur: “Stop giving so much away. You can’t make it like that.”

But she found it hard to tamp down her generosity, and Cole’s closed in 2008. Cole-Thompson continued to cater community events until stricken with cancer, Motley said.

D.C. Ranks First Among Cities Best Suited For Black Business

Al Sharpton — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:07:08 +0000

Washington D.C. ranks atop a newly released National Urban League Policy Institute study that lists the top metropolitan areas for Black-owned businesses.

Los Angeles and Chicago came in at number two and three respectively when it comes to cities best suited for Black business.

“We found that cities with strong diversity supplier policies and which allow easy access to business-to-business and government contracts were the best environments for black-owned businesses,” Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said in a prepared statement.

D.C. Stands Up To Feds On Immigration Checks

Al Sharpton — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:39:55 +0000

By Matt E. Stevens

City officials in the District of Columbia are holding firm on immigration, daring the federal government to make them enforce what’s perceived as invasive immigration practices. Thumbing his nose at federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Mayor Vincent Gray signed an executive order instructing police officers and public service officials not to question the immigration status of persons with whom they have contact. The move makes the District stand out on the increasingly conservative national landscape over illegal immigration.

Washington, D.C.’s stance on illegal immigration is vastly different than that of some states including Georgia, Alabama, and Arizona. That’s not so surprising given the city’s dominant Democratic political machine and extremely liberal voting base, underscoring a local belief that they shouldn’t be conducting what they see as “witch-hunts” on immigrants. And the District rightfully lets federal officials handle the task that falls under their jurisdiction.

In the executive order, Gray promises that the city will not enforce ICE detainers or warrants stemming specifically from immigration violations. They are leaving those processes up to the FBI.

“In the spirit of ‘One City,’ and assuring the equal treatment of citizens and non-citizens alike, I am delighted to sign this,” the mayor said.

Recent arguments to crack down on illegal immigration have come primarily from conservatives seeking to slow or completely stop the flow of undocumented workers into the U.S. Politicians have played into voter fears, many of whom are struggling in the down economy, suggesting illegals are a primary reason for their problems.

Wireless Service Taxes Hit D.C., Maryland The Hardest

Al Sharpton — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:22:02 +0000

By DeVan Hankerson

Did you know: Maryland (11^th) and the District of Columbia (15^th) are among the top 20 states with the most expensive wireless services?

A special report released by Tax Analysts, a non-profit provider of tax news and analysis, offers a detailed picture of the problem. If you live in Maryland, the combined federal-state local tax rate on your wireless services is 17.28% – and in D.C. the combined rate is 16.63% (as of July 2010). Wireless taxes in Maryland are about 6.3% higher than the national average and in D.C. about 2.3% higher.

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Low-Income Americans Disproportionately Hurt by Wireless Services Taxes

According to the most recent CTIA report, the average U.S. mobile subscriber bill is $47.23 (2011). Someone living in the state of Maryland, spending the U.S. average on wireless service, pays about $8.16 in taxes, fees, and government surcharges; and in DC about $7.85 per month. The issue of wireless services taxation is important to everyone, not only because of its influence on individual cell phone bills, but also because of its impact on the economy and the most vulnerable members of our society.

Maryland is a strong case in point because of it’s massive African American population. The largest county in the state, Prince George, is over 70% Black. It’s also ground zero for the state’s foreclosure explosion.

Wireless service taxes are discriminatory against the socio-economically disadvantaged in the U.S. since low-income Americans rely more heavily on wireless technology. While state-local governments like Maryland are using the wireless sector to shore-up state and city deficits…

Violent Halloween In D.C. As 6 Are Shot Across City

Al Sharpton — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:27:48 +0000

A series of shootings occurred last night in Washington D.C. as the city celebrated Halloween.

Various confrontations between area youth sparked the gunfire which started in the Georgetown neighborhood.

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According to WJLA-TV/ABC7, a confrontation started between two groups of people at Wisconsin Avenue and M Street NW then spilled eastwardtoward 28th Street NW, where “[a] witness says a man across the street started firing shots at the group and one victim fell to the ground.”

The shooting occurred shortly before 11 p.m., and the victim’s injuries, WJLA reports, are life threatening.