Andre Young Jr. Died Of Heroin Overdose

Andre Young Jr., son of legendary hip-hop producer died n August of a overdose of heroine and morphine according to the Los Angeles Coroner's office. Young Jr. was only 20 years old and was found by his mother after spending an evening out with friends.

Continued prayers go out to the family.

Def Jam Executive VP Dead At 34

Shakir Stewart, Executive V.P. of Def Jam Recordings, was found dead in his Marietta, GA home yesterday according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Shakir, who was 34, died of a self inflicted gunshot wound.

Stewart, who had succeeded Jay-Z as Executive V.P. at Def Jam, had A&R'd some of label's biggest artists, including Young Jeezy.

Derrick Brown Deserves A Chance To Fulfill His Promise

The New York Daily News profiles young Derrick Brown, who has overcome family tragedy to land a basketball scholarship to a prestigious Connecticut prep school. The only problem is that the scholarship is worth $30,000, and doesn't cover the full $40,000 annual tuition for the school.

Derrick, who is 13 and an A student is in jeopardy of returning back to his crime plagued Brooklyn neighborhood unless financial assistance can be obtained to cover the remaining $10,000. The Daily News profile will hopefully spur the generosity of readers to give Derrick the assistance that he needs to continue working towards fulfilling his vast potential.

Bush Confirms Worst Fears Of Economy Collapse

In a speech to the nation last night President Bush warned of an economic catastrophe if the $700 billion bail out package isn't passed soon.

This was Bush's first address to the nation in over a year, so I guess this economic crisis is pretty serious.

Chicago Poor Neighborhoods Could See Tax Bills Rise By As Much As 71%

The Chicago Sun Times also reports that Chicago's poorer neighborhoods could see property tax increases as high as 71% when the new tax bills arrive in mailboxes soon. The tax increases are part of an overall 8% increase citywide.

I'm sure the affected residents are already struggling to stay afloat, the expected increased tax bills will only add to their woes.

R.I.P. Imam W. Deen Mohammed

Iman W. Deen Mohammed, son of Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad has died. He was 74. The Chicago Tribune profiles the life of Mohammed, who eventually broke from his father's teachings and embraced more mainstream Islam.

Gustav Spares New Orleans

Thankfully Hurricane Gustav was not the second coming of Katrina for the residents of New Orleans. Mayor Ray Nagin, however, remains cautious by recommending to residents that they wait a few days before retuning home.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones Laid To Rest Over Weekend

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones was laid to rest over the weekend in Cleveland, Ohio. Sen. Barack Obama, attended the services held on Saturday, as did Bill and Hillary Clinton.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer provides complete details on Tubbs Jones' funeral and great career.

16 Year Old Former Football Star Returns To School After Losing Right Leg In Shooting

While school begins anew for students today all around the country. Former high school football star, Christoper Williams has even more reason to smile. Christopher is returning to school for the first time since losing his right leg in a shooting while attempting to protect his younger sister, one year ago.

The New York Daily News profiles the courageous youngster's journey back to normalcy.

San Francisco Black Population Dropping Faster Than In Any U.S. City

According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, blacks are exiting the city of San Franciso at an alarming rate, and as of 2005 comprised only 6.5% of the population in the city. According to the article, blacks are leaving the city due to the lack of quality schools, affordable housing, jobs, and a quality black culture.

R.I.P. "Black Moses"

First we lost Bernie Mac, now we've lost one of the true innovators of music as we know it today, Isaac Hayes. Hayes was simply a genius. Prayers go out to his family in their time of grieving.

Rev. Timothy Wright Update

The New York Daily News is providing an update on the condition of the Rev. Timothy Wright. Wright is considered "the Godfather of Gospel", and was severely injured in a car accident last month that killed his wife and grandson. Rev. Wright is still in serious condition, and can't eat or breathe on his own. Presently his medical expenses are over $4,000 a day, and his Veterans health insurance does not cover the expense.

The Rev. Al Sharpton is leading a fund raising drive, and hopes to raise $100,000 by the end of this week to assist with Rev. Wright's medical care. Sharpton estimates that total medical expenses could approach $500,000. Wright is expected to be taken off the respirator within 6 weeks.

Obama Being Criticized For Opposing Reparations

Barack Obama is at odds with many prominent black organizations due to his opposition to slavery reparations. This is one issue that Obama hasn't flipped on, since as recently as 2004, he stated in an NAACP Questionnaire, ''I fear that reparations would be an excuse for some to say, 'We've paid our debt,' and to avoid the much harder work.''

One of Obama's preferences is to impact the lives of poor blacks by improving educational systems, and thus giving blacks a better opportunity at higher education.

I've really never given much thought to reparations, because I've never believed it would ever come to fruition. I tend to agree with Obama on this issue, instead of spending time on a symbolic gesture, let's work to improve the inner city educational systems, which were bad 30 years ago, but are far worse today. Thanks to the Chicago Sun Times for the article.

Philadelphia's Department of Human Services In Ruins

Danieal Kelly who suffered from cerebral palsy, weighed only 42 pounds when she was found dead on August 4, 2006 in Philadelphia, PA, covered with bed sores. Danieal had been blatantly neglected by her mother in her last days and died from starvation. She was 14 years old.

In probably one of the most scathing examples of negligence by a City Department of Human Services, the top official for Philadelphia's department resigned, and 9 people have been indicted in the case of Danieal's death which occurred nearly 2 years ago. Danieal's mother has been charged with murder, and her father with child endangerment. Other social workers and officials received charges ranging from reckless endangerment to involuntary manslaughter for throwing away files, falsifying reports, and just simple neglect for failing to act promptly in an obviously dire situation for young Danieal. Obviously the Philadelphia newspapers are all over this story, and this article from the Philadelphia Inquirer summarizes the grisly details.

A sad story that needs to be told so that preventive measures can be put in place by city agencies.

Black Family Tragedy

The Los Angeles Times reports a very sad story about little 8 year old Jasmine Sanders who was killed on July 23rd, allegedly by her 13 year old cousin. Within a 2 week period 2 of Jasmine's cousins have also been shot and killed. Jasmine was described as an intelligent young girl who was a "go getter."

Black family tragedy in the Los Angeles area is an a familiar refrain throughout our country. Young lives dying much to soon.

Young Blacks Males At Risk In Metro Atlanta

The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that young black males are at a higher risk for homicide than at anytime in recent memory in DeKalb County, part of Metro Atlanta, Georgia. The article cites a report from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, which references this phenomenon as part of "the hidden homicide increase."

Atlanta, is widely considered to be the "Black Mecca", but obviously it can't escape the alarming trends that are taking place nationally regarding young black males dying from homicide. While studies are great, solutions are needed. I wonder why the Rev. Jesse Jackson didn't focus on the plight of the black male instead of Barack Obama a few weeks ago. If he had, perhaps he would still be relevant instead of forced into retirement.

Sacramento Gang Tax Fails By One Vote

In an effort to increase police patrols and curb gang violence, the Sacramento City Council failed to pass a .25 percent tax increase by 1 vote yesterday. Opponents of the proposal stated that it didn't go far enough to address the shrinking police force and other areas of need for the city. If passed, voters would've had the opportunity to decide on the measure in November, and a $16 million cash infusion would've been used to increase the number of police and community service officers. Interestingly, Mayoral candidate, Kevin Johnson (pictured at left) opposed the measure.

Didn't the voters of Sacramento deserve a chance to vote on the proposal? This is a perfect example of why the trust of elected officials is so low. Thanks to the Sacramento Bee for supplying the link to the article.

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Fast Food Restaurants Banned In South Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council approved a one year moratorium on the opening of fast food restaurants in South Los Angeles today despite protests from major fast food restaurant chains. The law was initiated in an effort to curb obesity in the area, and affects a 32 mile radius including the LA suburb of Baldwin Hills while affecting at least 500,000 residents.

The other intent of the moratorium is to attract restaurants that serve healthier foods. The reality is that in these economic times, fast food is the cheaper option, although not the healthiest in terms of nutrition. This is still a noble gesture by the City Council of Los Angeles.

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AIDS Officially "A Black Disease"

According to a report from the Black AIDS Institute, blacks make up 47% of the total HIV cases in America, while comprising only 13% of the total population. The statistics become even more dire when segmented by specific geographical areas: 80% of the total HIV cases in Washington, D.C., and 84% of the total cases in Jackson, MS.

While the founder of the Institute, Phill Wilson, laments about the lack of government spending in AIDS prevention compared to the money spent abroad, the high incidence of the disease really comes downs to personal choice and responsibility. Can we really blame the government for this epidemic? There's more than enough information available concerning the behaviors that cause the disease, and yet we continue to ignore the risk factors. We're failing ourselves and future generations because of our ignorance to a disease that's the leading killer amongst black women age 25-34.

It's time to look in the mirror, see the reflection and act with pride and responsibility.

East Baltimore Neighborhood Undergoes Renovation

The Oliver neighborhood of East Baltimore had the first series of homes built in an effort to renovate the blighted neighborhood. Mayor Sheila Dixon was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony yesterday.

The project was initiated and assisted by local churches, the Jewish Fund for Justice along with city and state funds. This is a great blueprint for renovating blighted inner city neighborhoods throughout the country. Neighborhoods that have been abandoned as a result of crime , drug infestation and neglect.

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