China and India have a huge problem with racism toward black people

Just minutes before his birthday, Masonda Ketanda Olivier was beaten to death. The Congolese national was confronted by a mob of men late at night last Friday in New Delhi and killed. Police said the incident was a dispute over the hiring of an autorickshaw; Olivier’s friend, an Ivorian national, said it was a clear hate crime, with racial epithets repeatedly invoked.

This week, irate African diplomats in the Indian capital pointed to Olivier’s murder as evidence of wider discrimination and bigotry against black people who visit and live in India. Olivier, who reports indicate was about to turn 24, was teaching French.

“The Indian government is strongly enjoined to take urgent steps to guarantee the safety of Africans in India including appropriate programmes of public awareness that will address the problem of racism and Afro-phobia in India,” Alem Tsehage, the Eritrean ambassador and the diplomat representing other African envoys in New Delhi, said in a statement. They also warned against new batches of African students enrolling in Indian universities.

[Chinese schoolkids climb a 2,625-foot cliffside ladder to get home. Soon, they’ll have stairs.]

A number of African diplomats chose to boycott a planned event celebrating the history of India-Africa ties on Thursday.

On the same day, on the other side of the Himalayas, an ad for a Chinese laundry detergent went viral.

Are you still under the impression that racism is a western issue inexistent in India? Watch these African nationals speak about their experiences in India. It will open your eyes.

>>> Read more

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Happy Memorial Day AMERICA!

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.” John Stuart Mill

Freedom is never free. We honor all that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. May they rest in peace.

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PGCPS Task Force to Release Findings About Deonte Carraway Case Tuesday

Deonte Carraway, 22,

A Prince George’s County Public Schools task force created to assess how to keep students safe from sexual abuse and other threats will release its findings and recommendations regarding the Deonte Carraway case Tuesday afternoon.

PGCPS created the Student Safety Task Force after Carraway, a school aide, was accused in February of victimizing 19 elementary school students inside a school in Glenarden, Maryland.

• Lawyers for Accused Teacher’s Aide Say He Has IQ of 63

Some citizens expressed concerns because they were allowed to participate in task force meetings.

PGCPS said in a statement that members of the public can help review the district’s work to keep students safe by completing a survey, but not by attending the meetings.

• Public Barred From PGCPS Meetings on Sex Abuse

“It is important to note that the task force has a lot of work to complete in a short amount of time,” the district said in a statement. “The community’s input is critical to the work of the task force, which is why the task force is seeking confidential input via a survey.”

Carraway made videos of children having sex with him and each other at the school, at a church and at other locations in Maryland, according to the criminal indictment.

• Lawsuit: MD Child Porn Suspect Threatened to Kill Girl

He was arrested Feb. 5 after the uncle of a 9-year-old boy saw a nude image on the child’s phone, according to police.

Carraway pleaded not guilty to numerous counts of sexually exploiting children.

• Ex-School Aide Pleads Not Guilty in Child Porn Case

>>> Via NBC4

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PGCPS teacher arrested for alleged sexual abuse of student

FORESTVILLE –
A Forestville High School teacher was arrested Thursday in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of a student.

The female student, who was 17 at the time of the alleged abuse, said Vincent McDuffie engaged in sexual contact with her multiple times between the months of March and April on school grounds detectives said. McDuffie, 45, is the English department head at Forestville, according to the school’s website.

McDuffie was arrested Thursday after which, police say, he admitted to his involvement with the student. He has been charged with sexual abuse of a minor and put on leave without pay, according to Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS).

PGCPS is aware of the arrest of McDuffie and said the school system will cooperate with law enforcement’s investigation. They are also seeking McDuffie’s immediate terminiation.

“Any behavior that brings harm to a student will not be tolerated in any way in PGCPS.  We remain keenly focused on our commitment to ensuring a quality education in a safe environment for the children of PGCPS,” the system said in a statement.

This is the second case of alleged sexual abuse of a minor within the school system. Earlier this year, a former school aid was accused of creating and distributing child pornography at Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School. It is also alleged that Deonte Carraway sexually abused minors at the school.

Carraway was indicted by a federal jury and faces multiple federal charges including sexually exploiting 11 children.

In the wake of the allegations and subsequent lawsuits filed against the school system, PGCPS enacted a Student Safety Task Force to conduct an independent study of the system’s policies and procedures concerning student safety. The task force was convened at the request of Kevin Maxwell, the chief executive officer of PGCPS. However, there was no output by teachers and other staff members in the county concerning the issues. Dr. Charlene Dukes who chairs the committee engaged in a conflict of interest on several levels and covered up the issues.

“It is our absolute duty to do everything we can to be sure that such heinous crimes against children should not and will not happen in our school district again. I have formed this Task Force to carefully scrutinize every single policy and procedure we have in place. We will leave no stone unturned, but we will also act quickly,” Maxwell said in February.

The task force is expected to release its findings on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 late than it was expected to be released.

“In response to the ongoing criminal investigation of child sex abuse at Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School, the Task Force conducted a thorough review of the school district’s current policies, procedures, processes, and practices and made recommendations to ensure student safety,” the school system said in a press release.

Originally, the task force was supposed to release findings in April 2016 but they extended the release date to the end of May to ensure that “due diligence is given to the community’s input.”

“We have an obligation to get this right and we owe it to students, parents and the community to properly complete our work,” Charlene Dukes, the chair of the task force said in a statement earlier this month.

After the findings are released the school system will use them to enhance current policies, procedures, processes, and practices to “further safeguard children from harm.”

Reform sasscer Movement continues to question the secrecy and the hiring of politically connected friends to run the county. For as along as highly connected personnel interested in bilking the county of money continues to run the school system, nothing is going to change for the better in this county.

>>>FOX 5, Washington Post 

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MD names former Eastern Shore schools chief as state superintendent

Karen B. Salmon was named Maryland’s state superintendent of schools on May 24. (Maryland State Department of Education)

Maryland officials tapped a former schools chief on the Eastern Shore for the state’s top education post Tuesday, ending a national search that started in January.

Karen B. Salmon, who joined state government in August and is acting deputy state superintendent for school effectiveness in Maryland, is expected to take over as state superintendent of schools on July 1.

The Maryland State Board of Education unanimously approved the selection at its meeting Tuesday. Salmon was chosen from among several dozen candidates, officials said.

“Dr. Salmon knows our State, understands our challenges, and has a track record of developing effective solutions to educational issues through collaboration,” Guffrie M. Smith Jr., the board’s president, said in a statement.

The appointment comes four months after the state launched a search to replace its previous state superintendent, Lillian M. Lowery, who left Maryland in September to lead FutureReady Columbus, an education nonprofit in Ohio.

 Lowery was hired during the administration of Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, and her exit followed Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s election. State officials have said Lowery did not leave because of political pressure.

Jack Smith, previously the state’s chief academic officer, stepped into the top job on an interim basis following Lowery’s departure. Smith was selected as the next superintendent in Montgomery County, Maryland’s largest school system, in February. He starts there on July 1.

Though Salmon began her state-level job less than a year ago, she was superintendent in Talbot County, on the Eastern Shore, for a decade, and has worked as a Maryland educator for more than 30 years. She also was superintendent for two years in Bay Shore, N.Y.

“I am committed to collaborating with all of our stakeholders to ensure a world-class education for every Maryland public school student,” Salmon said in a statement. “I want to build on Maryland’s past accomplishments, streamline programs at the Maryland State Department of Education, and articulate a shared vision for educational excellence.”

 The Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to solve our biggest global challenges and bring people everywhere a better quality of life.

Responding to the choice, Betty Weller, president of the Maryland State Education Association, said teachers look forward to working with Salmon to improve resource equity, close opportunity gaps and reduce standardized testing.

“We hope that Dr. Salmon will serve as an independent, apolitical voice for research-based solutions that help all students,” Weller said in a statement.

Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George’s) said that he knows little about Salmon’s tenure in Talbot or about her philosophy but that Salmon was “informed and clear in her answers” when she appeared before the Senate education committee this year.

Salmon takes the helm during a difficult stretch that includes the loss of a number of key staffers, he said. “It’s a very transitional time,” Pinsky said. “I think she will have some rebuilding to do of the department, and she has to build a relationship with the new current board.”

As the Maryland board began its search for a new schools leader, several state lawmakers led a failed effort to allow the legislature to have a say in the choice of Maryland’s schools chief.

Pinsky, lead sponsor of the bill, said at the time that the state superintendent has a “trickle effect” on local school policy.

He said he worried about the direction the state education system could take under Hogan, who has appointed six members to the state board, several of whom embrace nontraditional education policies.

The Democratic-controlled legislature has raised some concerns about several education proposals Hogan has pushed, including a bill last year that would have given charter schools greater authority and allowed the state board to authorize charters in local school districts.

Via Washington Post 

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Edwards blasts Democrats: ‘We are neither post-racial nor post-gender’

By Fenit Nirappil

Rep. Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) has declined interview requests since losing a heated Senate primary to Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) last month.

But she made her views known Tuesday in a first-person essay published on Cosmopolitan magazine’s website, in which she described her 15-point loss as her hitting a “glass ceiling for black women with a concussion-worthy crash.”

Her essay largely mirrors her fiery election-night speech, in which Edwards accused the state Democratic Party of sidelining women and people of color, and dismissing candidates such as her who raise it as an issue.

“I believe the real divide that we must come to terms with in American politics is the shocking extent to which America’s elected bodies, from governor’s mansions, to state legislatures, to the U.S. Senate, do not resemble the American electorate in income, race, or gender,” Edwards wrote, citing data from the Campaign for Reflective Democracy showing that white men make up 31 percent of the population but hold 65 percent of elective offices.

 The Prince George’s County congresswoman, who gave up her House seat to run for the Senate, hinted that a shake-up could be necessary if Maryland ends up with its first all-male congressional delegation in 43 years.

The retirement of Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), the longest-serving woman in Congress, and the departure of Edwards in January, mean there will be no female incumbents on the November ballot. Female Democrats who ran to succeed Edwards and Van Hollen in Congress were defeated in the April 26 primary. And although women won the GOP nominations for the Senate and for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District seat, both of those candidates — state Del. Kathy Szeliga and Amie Hoeber — are considered underdogs in a state where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans more than 2 to 1.

“We must be honest about the depth of the problem in order to unloose the structural barriers that contribute to it — the money, the process, the lineage,” Edwards wrote. “It may require some to simply step aside.”

Edwards, whose candidacy received major support from the Democratic pro-choice group Emily’s List, also talked about race, arguing that the Democratic Party cannot survive in the 21st century “without the real leadership of people of color, especially black women, at every level.”

She said Democrats should not be complacent about female representation even if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, so long as men continue to hold a disproportionate share of elective offices. “We are neither post-racial nor post-gender,” she wrote.

Edwards relied on national female-oriented news media during her campaign. She did an interview with Lena Dunham’s newsletter Lenny and a live show of the podcast “Call Your Girlfriend,” and she penned an op-ed in Glamour.

 Rachel Weiner contributed to this report.

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Insurance Scam in Maryland involves union members for car coverage.

THIS IS A CALL FOR ACTION 

The company above is involved in a malicious scam involving the illegal termination of costumer’s car insurances, mostly affecting union members in Maryland and other states. They usually undergo these terminations without warning the customer but more so, it is done in a discriminatory manner. The company recently failed to reimburse car rental fees as agreed after an accident was caused by another driver from another insurance company who was at fault.

The California casualty indemnity exchange (“California casualty”) uses false advertising to lure unsuspecting union members in their corner. Once they sign up, the company finds a way to entrap their customers into paying high fees. Most customers affected by these illegal activities involve union members (mostly teachers and other staff members associated with education) who end up paying high fees to their detriment. Something needs to be done to stop their illegal behavior throughout the country involving thousands of employees.

In a recent incident, California casualty and it’s agents were caught being involved in a bribery situation wherein they had documents filed within the court altered on several occasions so that they could win a case. The company works closely with the collection agency (Marsden & Seledee LLC) which only got their collection license after they got sued in Federal court. All this while, Marsden & Seledee LLC never obtained a license which is considered illegal in Maryland. Therefore, both companies are engaged in malicious activities including interference with public officials in Maryland in order to get a favorable outcome of any issue they have to the detriment of many.  These violations  are still ongoing.

Unionizing significantly changes the workplace in addition to its effects on wages or jobs. Employers are prohibited from negotiating directly with unionized employees. Certified unions become employees’ exclusive collective bargaining representatives. All discussions about pay, performance, promotions, or any other working conditions must occur between the union and the employer. An employer may not change working conditions–including raising salaries–without negotiations.

As we have seen in the last few years, Unionized employers must pay thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees and spend months negotiating before making any changes in the workplace. Unionized counties as such Prince George’s County often avoid making changes because the benefits are not worth the time and cost of negotiations. Both of these effects make unionized businesses less flexible and less competitive and affects the union members.

If you know of anyone or someone who is a victim of their illegal behavior mentioned here, please email us at reformpgcps@gmail.com. Any teacher or staff member enrolled with them is asked to think of their membership and enroll with much cheaper insurance companies for the same services or even better. After switching to Gaico for example, expect to save money on your premium or any other reliable insurance company which is more affordable.

Stay tuned with this exposé, as we highlight their illegal activities involving white collar issues and an illegal agenda in Maryland and elsewhere around the United States.

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More charges for PGCPS aide accused of sex abuse

Deonte Carraway, 22,

A former Prince George’s County elementary school aide is already facing a host of state and federal charges related to child sex abuse, but even more charges could be on the way.

Deonte Carraway, 22, a former aide at Judge Sylvania Woods Elementary School in Glenarden, Maryland, who also had access to children at several other locations in Prince George’s County, is currently facing state-level charges over his alleged actions with just one individual.

“We’re still investigating the remainder of the victims,” John Erzen, with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, said Friday. “All of those cases are in front of the grand jury right now and hopefully within the coming 30 days or so we’ll have some additional announcements.”

Officials previously said Carraway made videos of children having sex with him and each other.

 “There’s certainly more than one victim in this case, and since the state is handling all of the charges related to the various sex offenses, he could certainly be looking at many more charges for many more victims,” Erzen said.

Prince George’s County police have said there are at least 17 victims.

 While the state is working on prosecuting alleged sex acts by Carraway, federal prosecutors are set to try him on child pornography charges. Erzen said the offices are working closely together, and that the case against Carraway was separated because federal agencies have more resources to analyze the numerous photos and videos that have been collected.

 Federal mandatory minimum sentences on child pornography charges also would leave Carraway with significant jail time if convicted, Erzen said.

Federal prosecutors have charged Carraway with making sexually explicit videos of 11 children ranging in age from 9 to 12. He could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted on those charges.

 In the federal case, Carraway’s lawyers have argued that a confession and evidence taken from two cellphones should be thrown out. They said Carraway has an IQ of 63 and didn’t have the capacity to understand the circumstances when he waived his rights and made his confession. Also, they said videos and photos were improperly taken from the phones.

The cases have led to lawsuits by parents, who say the school’s principal was warned about Carraway’s conduct and did nothing.

 Carraway’s next hearing is scheduled for July 18, 2016 at Prince George’s County Circuit Court.

Via WTOP

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County valedictorians, salutatorians celebrated at dinner

KETTERING – Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) graduations started Wednesday, but for the highest-ranking students in the school system, the celebrations started Monday night.

At the annual valedictorian and salutatorian celebration, Top of the Class, more than 50 students from all the high schools, vocational schools and evening schools were celebrated for their outstanding academic achievements and personal victories.

Two students who accomplished great achievements and personal victories were Marlen Cruz and Meybelin Alarcon, who are the salutatorians at the Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George’s Community College and Evening School at Crossland High School, respectively.

Cruz credits her strong work ethic and support of her family and school for helping her reach her goals. As a graduate of the academy, Cruz has earned both a high school diploma and an associate degree from the community college, where she held a 4.0.

“It was four years like any regular high school, but it was tedious. You’re taking college courses along with high school classes and you’re taking classes with other college students. Your educators are also college professors,” Cruz said.

She will study public health at the University of Maryland, wants to eventually work for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and possibly teach as a college professor.

At 21 years old, Alarcon has overcome great adversity in her high school career and said the honor of salutatorian is a great personal victory, a victory she dedicates to her two children.

“Being at this point and getting my high school diploma, it’s meant a lot to me because I’m a mother of two kids. My son is two years old and my daughter is five months and working, being a mom and a part-time student, it’s meant a lot. It’s worth it,” she said.

Alarcon dropped out of high school in Montgomery County two years ago and moved in with the father of her children, who later went to prison. But Alarcon refused to let anything get in the way of her earning her diploma.

“I thought I was going to quit because it was too much pressure. It was only me and my mom lived back in Montgomery County and I didn’t want to move over there. So, it was really hard,” she said. “I’m really proud. I never thought I would be in this position right now. I’m the first child of my mother’s to graduate.”

Among the accolades of the high achieving students honored Monday night are millions of dollars in scholarships, acceptances to Harvard, Stanford, the University of Maryland, Georgetown and even the University of Southern California.

Dave Zahren, host of The Science Bowl and master of ceremonies for the event, introduced each student to the room and bragged about each of their accomplishments made during their time with PGCPS.

“We’re celebrating the very best students in all of Prince George’s County,” Zahren said to the crowd. “You are the valedictorians and salutatorians. The biggest, the brightest, the baddest kids on campuses from Bladensburg to Surrattsville.”

He called the students the “pride and joy of Prince George’s County,” and Prince George’s County Board of Education Chair Segun Eubanks and PGCPS Chief Executive Officer Kevin Maxwell agreed.

Eubanks lauded the students for their work during the year and thanked and acknowledged the parents behind each student. He said he was amazed by the students and their accomplishments.

“The folks in this room are among the most talented in the state of Maryland, among the most talented and capable and high achieving students in the United States of America and, in fact, the most talented and capable and high achieving students in the world,” Eubanks said. “You are the world’s best, but remember this my young folks: with that achievement comes a tremendous amount of responsibility.”

Eubanks said the school system, the county and the world expect a lot out of their leaders and high achievers. He said the world “is a mess” and he’s counting on the students to help sort it out.

Maxwell also had a request for the valedictorians and salutatorians of PGCPS. He said he saw many shining examples of great leaders who want to work in medicine and become doctors or explore artificial intelligence and become scientists, but said he wished more were pursing the field of education.

“If you who represent the best and brightest, if none of you go into education, then when you start your families and have your children, who will teach your children? And the answer to that of course is – not the best and brightest,” Maxwell said. “So as you ponder your future and you face those choices in school, think about your children and our grandchildren and the opportunities they deserve to interact with the best and brightest.”

Maxwell said even if the students chose to not pursue education, they can give back to their community school systems.

He also had a final request of the graduates: to bring their knowledge back to Prince George’s County.

via sentinel 

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2 PGCPS Students Arrested for the May 8 homicide

LARGO – Detectives from the Prince George’s County Police Department’s homicide unit have made arrests in the fatal shooting of an Upper Marlboro man that occurred near Prince George’s Community College earlier this month and it involves two students in Prince George’s County Public schools (PGCPS).

Homicide detectives have arrested 17-year-old Christopher Pineda of the 800 block of Narrowleaf Drive in Largo, and 19-year-old Erik Parham Jr. of the 5900 block of H Street in Fairmount Heights, in relation to the homicide.

Around 9:30 p.m. on May 8 2016, police responded to the 500 block of Harry S. Truman Drive for the report of a person shot. Upon arriving, they found 22-year-old Alim Rahim in a car suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Preliminarily, police said the motive appears to be a marijuana-related robbery. The two suspects have admitted to their involvement in the homicide and are charged with first-degree murder. They are in custody of the department of corrections on a no-bond status.

Court records show that Rahim was arrested in April 2012 for several counts of burglary, destroying property and theft. He was also arrested in Charles and Calvert County on a number of other charges.

Court records also show that in June 2015, Parham was arrested and charged with over a dozen traffic violations, ranging from failure to stop after an accident to leaving the scene of an accident.

The Reform Sasscer Movement argues the county Executive and the school board to commit resources on social services to avert these social problems which are on the rise within the Prince George’s county.

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