Florida Sentinel Bulletin

     South Shore Democratic Board Member and 913 Precinct Captain, Donald Hampton and 933 Precinct Captain, Joyce Hamilton attend Seniors for Biden-Harris Launch in Wimauma, FL.

     Hillsborough County Democrats, State Representatives Dianne Hart and Susan Valdés, and South Shore Democratic Club President Fran Bodman, held a phone banking, postcard writing, and voter engagement event to kickoff Seniors for Biden-Harris in Florida — a national organizing coalition to mobilize key communities around what’s at stake for American seniors in the 2024 election.

     The speakers highlighted the contrast between the Biden-Harris administration’s work to protect American seniors — including reducing the cost of prescription drugs, capping the price of insulin at $35 for seniors and strengthening Social Security and Medicare — with Donald Trump’s plans to raise costs for seniors.

     Trump recently said he’d cut Social Security and Medicare, floated cutting retirement benefits, would repeal President Biden’scaps on the price of prescription drugs, and wants to terminate the ACA, which would raise costs for countless Florida seniors. In Florida, over 4 million seniors rely on Medicare and Social Security for their health and financial security.  Following Trump’s lead, state-level Republican initiatives have sought to weaken health care coverage and promote junk insurance plans, further endangering the wellbeing of Floridians.

TAYLEN MOSLEY

PACHUN JEFFERY

THOMAS MOSLEY

 …Accused of their deaths

     Thomas Mosley is accused of stabbing Pashun Jeffery more than 100 times in March 2023 in St. Pete. She was found in her apartment and her son, two-year-old, Taylen was found a day later in a lake close to Mosley’s mother’s home. Police said evidence puts Mosley at both scenes.

     Thomas was in court last Friday (June 14) for an update on his second competency hearing. He was sent away to a State hospital in late 2023 to be evaluated. Jeffery and Taylen’s family was in the courtroom Friday wearing shirts with pictures of the mother and son.

      Dr. Theresa L. Ascheman Jones who evaluated Mosley at the facility, testified that she found Mosley competent to proceed in January.

       There will be more testimony from doctors at the second half of the competency hearing next Friday (June 21^st). That’s when the judge is expected to decide if Mosley is competent to stand trial.

     Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Mosley has pleaded not guilty.

      Johnny Watson was joined by several of his family members, co-workers and friends when he was ordained a Deacon at Friendly Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday, May 26, 2024.

      Johnny Watson was joined by several of his family members, co-workers and friends when he was ordained a Deacon at Friendly Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday, May 26, 2024.

     In attendance with Deacon Watson are his daughter and granddaughters, Cierra Davis, Arianna Addison and Khloe Garrett (toddler).

ARIAN SIMONE

…CEO, Fearless Fund, FAMU Grad

     A panel on the U. S. Court of Appeals in Georgia ruled last Monday that an Atlanta-based venture capital firm should be temporarily blocked from issuing $20,000 business start-up grants to businesses owned by Black women, saying that doing so would probably discriminate against business owners of other races.

     The panel was composed of three judges including two Trump appointees.

     The Fearless Fund, a VC firm dedicated to funding businesses founded by women of color, led by CEO and founding partner Arian Simone, a FAMU graduate, had established the Fearless Strivers Grant Contest to provide financial support to underrepresented entrepreneurs. However, in an opinion released on Monday, the appellate court ruled that the program is “substantially likely to violate” Title 42 of the US Code, which ensures equal rights under the law and prohibits the use of race when awarding and enforcing contracts.

     The court ordered a federal court in Georgia to enter a preliminary injunction, effectively halting the fund’s grant application process while the case continues to be litigated. The ruling also stated that the fund’s program is unlikely to be protected by the First Amendment.

     Simone expressed her disappointment with the court’s decision, calling it “devastating” and emphasizing the impact on young women of color. She also criticized the ruling as sending a message that diversity in corporate America and education should not exist.

     The decision is seen as a victory for Edward Blum, an anti-affirmative action legal strategist who filed a lawsuit against the fund last August on behalf of his group, the American Alliance for Equal Rights. Blum, who was instrumental in the Supreme Court case that dismantled affirmative action in college admissions, expressed gratitude for the court’s ruling.

      However, Eleventh Circuit Judge Robin Rosenbaum dissented, arguing that Blum’s lawsuit is akin to an athlete “flopping” on the field to draw a foul. She criticized the portrayal of the members’ alleged injuries as nothing more than a legal ploy without genuine interest in participating in the contest.

     The Fearless Fund’s initiative was designed to address the underrepresentation of Black women in the business world, where there are few Black and women CEOs on the Fortune 500 list.

BY MONIQUE STAMPS

Sentinel Staff Writer

    This summer, Hillsborough County Public Schools is offering programs in multiple areas, including reading camps, outdoor water adventure camps, algebra boosters, STEM, cyber security and performing arts, among many others to the students of Hillsborough county.

     Although the summer school session has started, students can still enroll this week from June 10, 2024, until June 14, 2024, according to Ross Anderson, Community & Educational Advocate for the Hillsborough County School District.

     “We have the facilities and bandwidth to help many, many children this summer. This is crucial to ensure that our kids have any chance for success.”

         In addition to the above opportunities, there is also an opportunity for students who completed high school but did not receive a diploma.

      Anderson says that students that received a certificate of completion (COC) will have the opportunity to take the tests that prevented them from getting their diploma.

    COC is awarded to students who have completed all requirements for the standard high school diploma, including a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, except for passage of the state approved graduation test or concordant and/or comparative score.

    Because COCs aren’t official diplomas, they don’t carry the same credentials that a regular diploma or GED does.

     “They can call their school counselor or Hillsborough School’s Adult education department. There are offerings for test prep and opportunities for those students to take the test again, and get their diplomas,” Anderson emphasized.

   “We are all working hard for the young people of Hillsborough County, and we want them to be successful,” Anderson stated.

BERNARD LAFAYETTE, JR.

June 24 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – FREE

     The Black History Book Club invites Tampa Bay residents to join its sessions, emphasizing an inclusive approach to learning and discussion. Participation is free, and the initiative serves as a platform for individuals to deepen their understanding of Black history and culture through literature.

     The club will explore significant works reflecting the African American journey, from historical accounts to personal memoirs and critical essays.

     Upcoming readings include:

• June 24:“In Peace and Freedom: My Journey in Selma,” by Tampa native, Bernard LaFayette, Jr.
• 26:“Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People” by Atty. Ben Crump

AMIR WILLIAMS

      A St. Petersburg teen, 14 years old, has been charged with manslaughter after he accidentally shot his 11-year-old brother while playing with a gun in their home. The child, identified as Amir Williams, was found with a gunshot wound. He later died from his injuries while inside the home.

In addition to second-degree manslaughter, the teen is also charged with second-degree delinquent in possession of a firearm, after an earlier offense of grand theft motor vehicle.

     According to reports, the child’s two siblings, his sister, 13, and brother, 14, were present in the house when the 14-year-old, who was playing with the gun, accidentally shot the boy, on April 26, 2024.

     The weapon, which the teen found in an alley, had been reported stolen on April 24^th. However, the parents had no knowledge of the weapon being in the home.

     About 100 people gathered outside Lakeland Police headquarters on Saturday to protest the beating of 16-year-old Jahmal Hudson. | Kimberly C. Moore, LkldNow

About 100 protestors gathered in front of Lakeland Police Department headquarters Saturday evening to demand that two officers seen punching and tasing a Black teenager in a widely shared bystander video be arrested and that Police Chief Sam Taylor resign.

      The speakers were angry that two Lakeland Police officers — Christopher McKee and Jose Diaz-Acosta — repeatedly punched, pulled the hair of and tased 16-year-old Jahmal Hudson during a videotaped arrest. The video also shows Hudson fighting back against the officers.

     According to published reports, the incident began when Hudson and three friends met a resident of The Caroline Apartments to swim in the complex’s pool on Memorial Day. One of the teens posted to social media that they had been playing volleyball and relaxing, but also admittedly using profanity in the pool.

     According to the report, a woman arrived with her children and asked the group to tone down their language.  Chief Taylor said the teens cursed at her, so she called 9-1-1. The arrest affidavit says an apartment manager asked arriving officers to trespass the teens from the pool.

     McKee wrote in the affidavit that Hudson repeatedly refused to cooperate, would not give his name or address and said he didn’t have to talk to McKee.

      A social media post said the 6-foot-1, 347-pound teenager was gathering his belongings, but became angry and defiant when McKeetold him he should go to the gym instead of the pool.

     The incident escalated when McKee, who had repeatedly told Hudson to leave, moved to arrest him.

     State Rep. Dianne Hart, D-Tampa, attended Saturday’s protest and vowed to make sure police are held accountable.

     Rev. Clayton Cowart of the Poor And Minority Justice Association, and Carlos Sotos of Black Lives Matter Restoration Polk organized Saturday’s event. The men have fought for the Civil Rights of several local Black men and women who have been arrested.

      The protesters plan to come back the first Saturday of every month to protest the Lakeland Police Department, saying the department is full of racists.

      NAACP Lakeland Branch President Terry Coney told LkldNow on Thursday that he had already been in talks with Lakeland Police about hosting an event to teach area teenagers how to interact with police. Coney did not attend the protest.

     Hudson’s mother, Ja’Tae Lewis, was pleased with the support her son received.