Florida Sentinel Bulletin

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

The Tampa Police Department held their first gun buy back in several years on December 10th. The event was in response to the violent deaths of several young men that took place in November.

The deaths of ten individuals were investigated by police as murders during a 14-day period in November. Some of those homicides involved teenagers. In addition to the deaths, several other victims hit by gunfire survived.

The Gun Buy Back was part of the “Stop The Violence” Initiative that came into existence as a result of the rash of violent crimes took place in Hillsborough County.

During the event, citizens were encouraged to turn in unwanted, operable firearms, no questions asked. In exchange, they received $50 per weapon surrendered.

Now, a month after police collected more than 1,000 guns, they are crediting the event with the reduction of crime from the previous year. Police were anticipating collecting about 500 weapons, but the response was overwhelming.

Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said, “The community can take comfort in knowing the guns we recovered will never be used against an innocent victim.

This includes more than two dozen sawed-off shotguns or short-barreled rifles  that are most often found in the hands of criminals.”

Chief Castor further stated that during the period of December 10, 2010 through January 10, 2011, 50 crimes were committed with guns. During the same period of December 10, 2011 through January 10, 2012, guns were involved in 38 crimes committed for a reduction of 24%.

The buy back was funded by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Mrs. Kelly Curtis, (the widow of Officer David Curtis), and money seized from drugs.
The weapons collected will be destroyed.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

Last Thursday, a 41-year-old Tampa man was charged with torturing his girlfriend over a 6-day period. The arrest followed a public appeal for information leading to his whereabouts.

According to a spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department, Leon Jorge Washington was arrested after someone saw the 6 p.m. news and called in a tip. Washington was arrested without incident.

The tip led seven U. S. Marshals, six Tampa Police Officers, and four task force officers from the Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Polk County Sheriff’s Offices responded to 7155 Fairview Park Drive. Information received revealed that Washington was inside the trailer park.

Upon arriving at the scene, police found Washington hiding in a back room and ordered him out of the room. He initially faced charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and kidnapping. Washington was placed under a $200,000 bond.

However, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office jail records, the judge presiding over his first appearance in court revoked the bond Saturday. Washington now faces additional charges of kidnapping committed on a child under 13; battery second or subsequent offense; and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is being held without bond.

According to police, the ordeal that a 31-year-old Tampa woman and her 6-year-old daughter endured began on December 23rd. The woman had lived with Washington at the 3419 E. Deluil Avenue address for about 9 months.

However, police said Washington suspected her of being unfaithful and attacked her with an ice pick, clothes iron, and a knife causing serious abrasions, burns and lacerations. He forced her to perform sexual acts, and cut her braids out with pruning shears, cutting her scalp in places.

“He hit her so hard that she has to see a specialist for bone damage in her eye area. She has burns and lacerations all over her body. And after he cut off her hair, he kept it in a bag,” a spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said.

She also stated that while the little girl was not injured physically, Washington, who stands 6 feet tall and weighs 300 pounds, did spit on her.

Police said the woman was prevented from leaving because all of the windows were equipped with burglar bars and the doors had deadbolt locks.

On December 29th, the victim’s sister went to the home and found her sister going in and out of consciousness. She was able to convince Washington to allow the woman to get medical attention. He reportedly agreed that they could go to the pharmacy, but them he would kill them both if they called police or went to a hospital.

The two women took the little girl and called police after they were safely away. Washington fled the scene before police arrived.

Although the victim was provided with a police escort, it still took a day to convince her she would be safe while seeking medical treatment, police said.

Police explained that because she is self-employed and works from home, she was not reported missing. Her sister went to the residence to check on her after not hearing from her during the holidays.

The first half of the 12th Annual Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival (Keeping the Dream Alive – something for “everyone”) will take place Thursday, January 12, 2012 to Sunday, January 15, 2012 with a simmering line up of events, performances and showcases.

The first week will feature several signature events including the Heritage Movie Night, Heritage Gala, and Heritage Street Festival.  Special guests include civil rights leader Dr. Benjamin Chavis, dynamic duo Black Violin, legendary group Rose Royce, jazz sensation Paul Taylor and a colorful array of educational, social, cultural and artistic presentations, lectures, and workshops.

The entire festival will take place from Thursday, January 12 to Sunday, January 21, 2012. For a detail list of events visit www.tampablackheritage.org.

The signature Heritage Movie Night will kick-off the festival on Thursday, January 12, 2012 with Dr. Benjamin Chavis, civil rights leader and hip hop political pioneer at the Tampa Theatre (711 Franklin Street, Tampa), located in downtown Tampa, with doors opening at 6 p. m.

In his youth, Dr. Benjamin Chavis was an assistant to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who inspired him to work in the civil rights movement. Dr. Chavis rose to international prominence as the leader of the Wilmington Ten and served as the National Director of the Million Man March.  The biopic film “Blood Done Signed My Name” will debut in Tampa followed by a Q&A with Dr. Benjamin Chavis.

The Heritage Gala will take place the following day on Friday, January 13, 2012 at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts (1010 N W. C. MacInnes Place, Tampa) featuring the gifted duo Black Violin.

The South Florida natives, whose daunting array of musical styles and influences produce a signature sound, have broken down walls and defused stereotypes by their style of music.  The two classically trained violinists and their DJ redefines the music world with influences ranging from Shostakovich and Bach to Nas and Jay-Z. Black Violin blends the classical with the modern creating a style that has swept the country and is a global phenomenon in the industry.  Doors open at 6:30 p. m.

The very popular 2-day Heritage Street Festival, will take place at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park on Saturday and Sunday, January 14-15, 2012. The Street Festival draws in thousands of patrons from across the globe and will feature Grammy Award Winning multi platinum selling group, Rose Royce and the phenomenon of saxophonist, Paul Taylor.

The Heritage Street Festival celebrates Tampa’s history, cultural beauty, promotes proactive health and wellness, all while keeping the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. alive. Villages at the festival help promote these initiatives and this year’s Children’s Village is in partnership with the Glazer Children’s Museum, tickets for the museum and all other street festival activities are FREE of charge to everyone who registers at  www.tampablackheritage.org.

For more information, to register for FREE Festival tickets, and for a complete list of Heritage Festival Events visit www.tampablackheritage.org or call 813-972-3409.  Like us on Facebook.com/TBBHF and Follow us on Twitter.com/TBBHF.

BY LEON B. CREWS
Sentinel Staff Writer

Bernard and Willie Mae Rawls have lived in South Tampa for most of their lies. Over the years, they’ve seen the area experience its share of ups and down, but for the most part, it remained a quiet area.

Their daughter, Tonya Widemann, said at least that was the case until about 10 years ago.

“Violent crimes in the area have gone up, and the drug dealers have taken over the park and other areas.”

What has Ms. Widemann concerned is an incident that occurred just before New Year’s Day at the Kwane Doster Park. The incident involved a park ranger being shot at by a young man. The bullet missed the ranger, but entered the Rawls’s home, coming to a stop inside a wall just above the headboard in their bedroom.

“My father is in his 90s, and if he had been sitting up in bed, he’d be dead right now,” said Ms. Widemann. “What’s even worse is they’ve grown so accustomed to hearing gunshots coming from the park. That bullet came through their living room window, through the wall in the living room and ended only inches above the headboard in my father’s bedroom. That’s a very scary thing, and I fear for their safety.”

Ms. Widemann said she feel Tampa Police have done a great job in the area, but would like to see the city put more lights around the park.

“The park is isolated, and there are only a couple of streets that enter the park. It’s pitch black dark back there after the park lights are turned off, and that’s when all the drug dealing, gambling and other things start happening at the park.

“What hurts me the most, is all of t his is being done by young people who were born and raised out here. The outsiders that do come in are the guests of the young people that live here.”

Ms. Widemann said South Tampa is a place where a lot of Black former military personnel moved to when they retired, and many are still there.

“This is not what they want to see happen to their community. All they want is a quiet and peaceful place they can be proud off, and feel safe walking around or just sitting outside.”

Last week, the attorney representing a convicted former County Commissioner requested that the conviction be overturned or a new trial granted. The judge rejected both requests.

Court appointed Attorney Grady Irvin, Jr., appeared before U. S. Judge James D. Whittemore and made the motion on Friday. His client, former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White, was convicted in November of six charges pertaining to bribery and corruption. He was also convicted of making false statement to federal agents. Attorney Irvin argued that the case should never have been in federal court because it does not receive federal funding.

Judge Whittemore wrote in his opinion that the Public Transportation Commission, of which White served as the Chairman, is a county agency and that the county does receive federal funding.

White’s sentencing is planned for February 27, 2012.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor

The first news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office focused on a child being injured by gunfire. A projectile, later identified as a bullet, struck 12-year-old Diego Duran in the head.

According to police, the child was hit by random gunfire while standing in his front yard watching fireworks. Ms. Sandra Duran was outside of her Ruskin home when she saw Diego fall to the ground bleeding from his nose. He was transported to South Bay Hospital, in Sun City Center, where x-rays revealed the child had been hit in the head by a bullet. His condition has been upgraded since the shooting.

One Tampa man knows what Diego is experiencing. He knows what possibly lies ahead. And, since he is the father of a 12-year-old son, he could relate as a parent as well.

Robbie White said, “I went through the same thing, it touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes when I saw it on the news.”

White said he felt compelled to reach out to the youngster and his family. “The family was ecstatic and surprised that I came out to talk to the boy. He’s in good spirits,” he said.

White was 17 and at the Moses White Estates on New Year’s Eve 1987. He was only 3 miles from home, he recalls.

“People were shooting and I felt a sensation on my neck. I didn’t remember anything else until I woke up in the hospital,” White said.

After being in a coma for two weeks, he spent the next five months in the hospital. The bullet entered the top right side of his head and resulted in paralysis of the left side of his body.

He had to learn how to feed himself, how to walk, how to do everything all over again. “It’s a blessing that I survived,” he said.

At the time of the shooting, White was a senior at Armwood High School and on track for graduation. The injury prevented him from completing the school year.

However, it did not cause him to give up. White attended a summer school session at Chamberlain High School. White then returned to Armwood High School and repeated his senior year, graduating with the class of 1989.

At 42, White holds no grudges. “I forgave the person that shot me a long time ago. You can’t hold grudges. I know God is real,” he said.

However, he has strong feelings about guns. “Through the years, several of my friends have been killed by guns. It’s useless violence.”

White currently works in his family’s auto glass tinting business.

Tampa Police were asking for help in locating Rosalind Carswell, 52, and her daughter, Eddyssia Livingston, 32.

Police said the mother and daughter were last seen December 16, 2011 between 8 p. m. and midnight.

On Tuesday night, the mother and daughter were found in Polk County, where they had been arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest without violence. Both are still in the custody of Polk County detectives.

Eddyssia’s aunt, Sandra, said Carswell seemed agitated the last time she saw her and Eddyssia.

“The last time I actually saw them was in church about 6 weeks ago. Over the past 3 to 4 months, I had lost contact with Roz. I used to get an occasional call or text message from her and I’d text her, but she wouldn’t text back.”

Sandra said she knows they both have been stressed lately, and she may have been trying to prevent her daughter from being arrested.

“Roz may have been trying to shield her daughter from an incident that occurred a few months ago. We feel it may have been the legal issues regarding Eddyssia that caused them to flee. Regarding Roz, as long as there is someone there to anchor her, she’s alright. I have no idea what’s going to happen to them now.

“I think the media coverage was important in getting them located. We’re still trying to find out what happened. So much has been going on lately, and we were afraid for their safety.”

Sandra said Carswell and Eddyssia had been staying with a friend of Carswell’s in Tampa overnight, and that was the last time they were seen. When they didn’t returned calls, that’s when law enforcement was contacted.”

BY LEON B. CREWS
Sentinel Staff Writer

In Raheem Morris’s first season as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team finished with a 3-13 record. During his second year, the team surprised everyone by finishing 10-6 and just missed the playoffs.

This season, the Bucs started off with a surge, piling up a 4-2 record. A trip to England to play the Chicago Bears left them with a 4-3 record, and the team would continue that slide by not winning another regular season game, finishing the season 4-12

During the course of the season, there were rumblings that Morris would be fired at the end of the season. As it turned out, those rumblings were right when the organization announced that Morris and his entire coaching staff were getting pink slips.

A few sports enthusiasts in the area gave their opinions on the head coach’s firing.

High school football coach, Charles McDonald: “I think Raheem is a good coach, but he was thrown into a position he wasn’t ready for. He didn’t have any power as far as personnel is concerned, and that hurt him. The Bucs were the youngest team in the league, and it showed.

“I was hoping they wouldn’t fire him, but from the team’s performance, you could see Raheem had lost the motivation of his players, and there were no veterans on the team to bring stability. Whoever takes Raheem’s place will get more veterans on the team, and a lot of the young guys will find themselves without a job.”

Former Boys And Girls Club Director, Bobby Wilds: “I saw this coming. It’s all part of being a professional coach. Even when the team finished 10-6, they thought he was too close to his players. They were waiting for him to stumble, and that affected his coaching on the field.

“This is a w hat have you done for me lately league. Because Raheem is still under contract, they will probably buy him out, and mandate he not coach for a year. There’s no longevity as a head coach in the NFL. You really have to do well to stay.”[private]

Fred Hearns: “It’s unfortunate he had to take the blame for what happened, especially when there was a lot of blame to go around. I hope he lands another job with a better group of players than what he had here. I think the players stopped listening to Raheem and there was no respect in the locker room. Because Raheem is so young, I’m sure he’ll get another chance to be a head coach in the NFL.”

Season ticket holder, Bobby Scott: “I think the general manager (Mark Dominik) should have been fired along with Raheem. I know he did the best he could, but his hands were tied with all the kids on the team. I think a lot of the young guys weren’t mentally into it. They were just counting their money. I’m still a season ticket holder, and I want to see some veteran players on the team. The owners have got to start spending more money to get quality coaches.”

James Ransom: “I think the Bucs were being conservative with the payroll in not hiring a high profile coach. I think they were just biding their time while saving a lot of money. Raheem was paid far below the normal rate for an NFL head coach. I’m not sure if it’s right to fire the entire staff, but I do believe they already have someone in mind for the job.

“I also think the payments they were making to Jon Gruden caused them to hold back on the payroll. Raheem was never given everything he needed to create a great team. Now, I think the Bucs are rebuilding, and the foundation is there.”

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback, Super Bowl MVP, Buc executive, and Grambling State head coach, Doug Williams: “I think it was hard not to terminate Raheem. Unfortunately, the talent he was working with was overrated. I also feel the entire administrative section should have been terminated, not just the coaching staff.

“The Bucs tried to make it look like Mark Dominik did a great job of selecting the talent and Raheem did a poor job of coaching. At the end of the day, he had a great opportunity. From an economical standpoint, Dominik was hired on a certain level. Raheem was hoping to improve on last year’s 10-6 record, and get a new contract. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.”

Williams said longevity isn’t a given in this sport.

“I had to let a couple of people go from my staff at the end of the season. It just comes with the territory.” [/private]

A Tampa woman was held against her will for nearly a week. She was able to escape her captor, but not before she was tortured and scalped.

Now, the Tampa Police Department is asking the public to help them locate 41-year-old Leon Washington, the man accused of committing the crimes.

According to police, the woman and her 6-year-old daughter lived with Washington at 3419 E. Deleuil Avenue. Her nightmare began on December 23rd. Washington is alleged to have attacked the woman with an ice pick, clothes iron, and a knife causing serious abrasions, burns and lacerations.

A spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department stated that the victim had her hair braided and Washington allegedly cut the braids out of her hair, cutting portions of her scalp as well.

He is also alleged to have hit the 6-year-old and spit on her, but did not seriously injure her, police said.

On December 29th, the victim’s sister went to the home and was able to convince Washington to allow the woman to get medical attention. He reportedly agreed, but instructed them not to go to a hospital.

They went to the home of a relative and called police. The victim was treated and released at a local hospital. Police are not releasing her name to protect her identity.

The Tampa Police Department and the U. S. Marshal’s Task Force are currently seeking Washington. He is described as a Black male with gray eyes, he weighs about 260 pounds and stands 6 feet tall. There is an active warrant for his arrest on charges of aggravated battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping.

Police further stated that Washington has a violent criminal history and should be considered armed and dangerous.

There is also a reward of $1,500 being offered for information leading to Washington’s arrest. Callers can remain anonymous. Anyone with information pertaining to his whereabouts is asked to contact the Tampa Police Department at (813) 231-6130.