Goonew, a successful rapper in the DMV area, was shot and killed in Prince George’s County. He was 24-years-old.
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md.— Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) is investigating a shooting that happened Friday in District Heights that left a rap artist from the DMV area dead.
Police identified the person killed in a statement as 24-year-old Markelle Morrow. The press confirmed with Morrow’s family, that the District Heights native, known to fans as “Goonew,” is a talented rap artist.
Less than an hour later, gunfire erupted again in the 3400 block of Walters Lane in District Heights. That’s about a 4-mile drive from the first shooting scene.
Officers responded about 5:40 p.m. and found a man suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound, police said.
He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m., police said.
He was identified as 24-year-old Markelle Morrow of Washington, D.C.
Police didn’t immediately say whether the shootings could be related.
WUSA9 spoke to Goonew’s family Saturday about the impact the artist had on his family and the community.
“I don’t believe this,” his mother, Patrice Parker Morrow said, looking at images of her late son. “I really don’t. My baby’s gone.”
Parker Morrow was surrounded by her daughters, all of whom were grief-stricken.
“All he wanted to do is try to get his family out the hood,” Parker Morrow said. “He had a heart bigger than his body, when they took him, they took me.”
Goonew was killed blocks away from the neighborhood where he was born. His mother says he was killed when he was on his way to give his sister a birthday gift, but never made it.
“I heard … screaming that Markelle got shot down the street and my daughter ran straight out and I couldn’t move I this was shaking really bad my mouth starts shivering really bad,” Parker Morrow said. “I just couldn’t move for a long long time.”
In the parking lot where he was shot, a memorial sits. Goonew’s mother says it was ultimately a bullet to the back that killed him.
“They wanted my son dead because he gave it up. They took his chain. They took his watch. He gave it up and they still shot him in his back,” Parker Morrow said.
The Washington Post described Goonew’s artistry, saying the rapper “seemed to understand that time is not uniform, and he proved it with astonishing style, his nuanced flows becoming closely associated with the DMV, influencing rappers in neighboring Zip codes and overseas.”
Goonew told Vice News in an interview he started rapping in 2017. He has an average of 35,500 monthly Spotify listeners, more than 158,000 Instagram followers, and three of his music videos respectively have about 1 million views on YouTube.
PGPD is still looking for anyone connected to Goonew’s death and is offering a $25,000 reward for information that can possibly lead to an arrest or conviction.
Anyone with information about the shooting should call detectives at 301-516-2512. People can also call the Prince George’s County Crime Solvers with anonymous tips at 1-866-411-8477.
Goonew’s mother has a message for her son’s killed.
“I forgive you,” she said. They took my son, hope they got what they wanted.”
According to Alsobrooks, for example, there have been 162 carjackings in Prince George’s County. She acknowledged on or around January 11th that, juveniles are responsible for 96 of them.
“And so this tells us a lot about where we’re headed. And we must do something right now to disrupt it,” Alsobrooks said.
Dr. Monica Goldson a CEO for PGCPS who was selected through public corruption has never spoken publicly about the out of control fights and public corruption sweeping quietly through the school system. These willful violations include closing down schools ready for real estate option, paying off lawyers, siphoning money off to friends and family etc. Prince George’s county citizens must raise up and demand answers without delay. These out of control fights and other purposeful disregard are not fair to county residents, their families and United States.
More and more violent behavior from students these days, the students need help and they are NOT getting it! More needs to be done to safe lives. To be effective, violence prevention programs require community-wide collaborative efforts led by school system leader that include students, families, teachers, administrators, staff, social and mental health professionals, law enforcement, emergency response personnel, security professionals, school board members, parents and the businesses. The school system leader takes an active role to effect change and not hide in the closet and wish these problems away. Dr. Monica Goldson “Goldson” has failed to provide proper leadership style for sometime! It’s time to advance changes without fear.
PROTECTING INVESTIMENTS
“All the investments we make in education become irrelevant if children aren’t safe at school,” stressed Jaime Saavedra, Global Director for Education, World Bank. “Preventing violence is not an easy public policy. It requires the complex interweaving of actions at the school, community, and national levels. To underpin this undertaking, it is essential that countries, the states and counties have the political will to drive change. The evidence from the Investment Case and collective action from partners will be key in driving this change.”
Violence in schools is pervasive, but rigorous evaluations of a range of interventions show that it can be reduced through innovative programs not coverups and retaliations. Many tested programs have high benefits-to-cost ratios.
Ending violence in schools is possible, a smart investment, and there are proven interventions to do it. The court system must do what is right and not cover up the issues. When the court system fails, people take issues to the streets. We need to create a movement to make change happen, and Safe to Learn is there to catalyze and support action at scale.
It is about time that long-term and ongoing public corruption involving judges in Prince George’s county is ferreted out and exterminated from our judicial system. Every judge who has interfered with by the Executives and lawmakers and placed on the bench should be immediately impeached and barred from serving/practicing in the judicial system for life. This would apply from the PG Court house on upwards.
Prince George’s county Public School (PGCPS) teenager 19-year-old Keith Aaron Wade of Suitland who attended Dr. Henry wise High School in Upper Marlboro
Detectives with Prince George’s county Homicide Unit are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Friday in Camp Springs. The victim is a Prince George’s county Public School (PGCPS) teenager 19-year-old Keith Aaron Wade of Suitland who attended Dr. Henry wise High School in Upper Marlboro. He was killed yesterday according to Facebook postings and was also a promising local musician.
There has been outpouring of grief in the community after his death. In what appears as a never ending violence affecting the Prince George’s county schools. Reactions on social media about Wade’s death have been swift. Here is a sample….
“When will we stop killing each other if Black Lives Matter do they matter to Black people this is so sad,” wrote Phyllis Wright
“So sad to hear this!! He had a special place in my heart!”, Shannon Fulmer
Sending my thoughts and prayers to the family and all who knew him. May The Lord comfort you all, wrote Shawanda Luvs JadenandJaniyah
“Another one of our babies taken too soon! Prayers to his family “said Nikki Stevens on facebook.
“Condolences to all who knew him. God give his family, friends and school family strength. ” Sistah Nubia wrote.
“…………Maybe the crisis team should remind the school staff how they should respond after a crisis such as this. I know for a fact that there has been no ongoing support since Quincy’s death…it just seems it’s just business as usual. You’re absolutely right, everyone grieves differently and it seems that the school systems response to a child who is grieving is suspension or sending them to an alternative school. A lot of these children were already grieving before these two tragedies. We seem to forget that they basically were in the house for almost two years, some children probably lost parents and family members. Some children had to go get jobs because their parents lost jobs during the pandemic. Some children may be facing homelessness soon now that the moratorium has ended. However, the school seems to not care about any of this. These children are facing and dealing with things that a child should never have to face or deal with and instead of the school system teaching them how deal with their emotions and allowing them to grieve…they punish them when it comes out the wrong way. Now, two young lives are lost from the same school; within months of each other. If this is not handled properly…these children are going to start shutting down”, said Veronica L. Myles
“Also keep in mind that the crisis team is comprised of specialists from all over the county who specialize in crisis management. They have to return to their respective locations once they’ve provided support to the school in need,” said Roshanda Shon Sandy a pgcps staff member at Wise.
“Roshanda Shon Sandy no, that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is these kids are clearly in crisis and the schools are handling it wrong. I will send you a message directly because I do not want to turn this post into my personal rant,” Veronica L. Myles responded.
A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.
On March 18, 2022, at approximately 4:50 pm, patrol officers were called to the 6300 block of Maxwell Drive for a report of a shooting. They discovered the victim in a parking lot suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Detectives are actively working to identify a suspect(s) and a motive.
If anyone has information relevant to this investigation, they are asked to please call detectives at 301-516-2512. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device.) Please refer to case number 22-0013225.
At least 10 juveniles were killed last year in Prince George’s County, Maryland which was the worst year for teen violence in the county since 2008.
According to Alsobrooks, for example, there have been 162 carjackings in Prince George’s County. She acknowledged on or around January 11th that, juveniles are responsible for 96 of them.
“And so this tells us a lot about where we’re headed. And we must do something right now to disrupt it,” Alsobrooks said.
Dr. Monica Goldson a CEO for PGCPS who was selected through public corruption has never spoken publicly about the out of control fights and public corruption sweeping quietly through the school system. These willful violations include closing down schools ready for real estate option, paying off lawyers, siphoning money off to friends and family etc. Prince George’s county citizens must raise up and demand answers without delay. These out of control fights and other purposeful disregard are not fair to county residents, their families and United States.
More and more violent behavior from students these days, the students need help and they are NOT getting it! More needs to be done to safe lives. To be effective, violence prevention programs require community-wide collaborative efforts led by school system leader that include students, families, teachers, administrators, staff, social and mental health professionals, law enforcement, emergency response personnel, security professionals, school board members, parents and the businesses. The school system leader takes an active role to effect change and not hide in the closet and wish these problems away. Dr. Monica Goldson “Goldson” has failed to provide proper leadership style for sometime! It’s time to advance changes without fear.
PROTECTING INVESTIMENTS
“All the investments we make in education become irrelevant if children aren’t safe at school,” stressed Jaime Saavedra, Global Director for Education, World Bank. “Preventing violence is not an easy public policy. It requires the complex interweaving of actions at the school, community, and national levels. To underpin this undertaking, it is essential that countries have the political will to drive change. The evidence from the Investment Case and collective action from partners will be key in driving this change.”
Violence in schools is pervasive, but rigorous evaluations of a range of interventions show that it can be reduced through innovative programs. Many tested programs have high benefits-to-cost ratios.
“Ending violence in schools is possible, a smart investment, and there are proven interventions to do it. We need to create a movement to make change happen, and Safe to Learn is there to catalyze and support action at scale,” emphasized Howard Taylor.
Our courts also have a big corruption problem starting with prince George’s County court House in Upper Marlboro. For years, County Executives use it to deny justice to people they do not like by interfering with the state court system willfully.
Court-watchers in PG County have a musical advocate who is amplifying the need for advocates to see what’s going on inside courtrooms.
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Fiona Apple came to prominence during the 90’s era of empowered women demanding to take center stage with their voices and concerns. And she’s now urging others to raise their own voices and join her as a PG County court watcher.
The legislation Apple is advocating for Marylanders to pass is Senate Bill 0469 and House Bill 0647, which guarantees public audio-visual virtual access to all criminal & civil proceedings. Maintaining remote access to courtrooms, according to the folks using the slogan Keep Courts Virtual say it just makes sense to keep the same rules that already allowed remote put in place for the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group that sparked Apple’s activism is Court Watch PG, an organization founded by two Black women who have experienced incarceration. The organization offers training for people who will monitor court proceedings. It isn’t a requirement to live in PG County.
OPINION
It is about time that this long-term and ongoing public corruption is ferreted out and exterminated from our judicial system. Bravo!! Every judge interfered with by the Executives and lawmakers and placed on the bench should be immediately impeached and barred from serving/practicing in the judicial system for life. This would apply from the PG Court house on upwards.
Alaiya Robinson and Jeniah Clayton-Bowman, 13, have been found and are safe, according to Prince George’s County Police.
DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. — UPDATE: Prince George’s County Police say two 13-year-old girls who had been missing for more than a week were found and are safe Friday. Prince George’s County Police shared the news in a tweet early Friday morning.
UPDATE: Alaiya Robinson & Jeniah Clayton Bowman have been safely located. Thanks for sharing. https://t.co/cxQE8FFjdw
The families of Alaiya Robinson and Jeniah Clayton Bowman had been begging the community for help to find two teen girls since last week.
The girls were found after a citizen saw them walking around after midnight and called the parents and guardian, Reform Sasscer Movement secretariat has learned.
They had been last seen by their families on March 7 when they went to middle school in Forestville that morning.
Police said the two girls spent three nights at a friend’s house and were spotted at other locations after that.
But the fact that they hadn’t come home had police and their families worried.
“I’m concerned; I have had some not-so-good days, you know,” Jeniah’s aunt Jalesa Clayton said while the girls were missing. “Sitting by the phone, by the door; she has her own key, and I have been leaving the latch off so she can walk right in.”
Clayton has full custody of her niece. She said the 13-year-old got into some trouble at school and was suspended. She thinks Jeniah might think she’s in more trouble than she is.
“I think they made a dumb decision, but I do feel that they need us right now to come get them from wherever they are,” she said.
Police had classified their disappearance as a critical missing case due to the length of time they were away from home.
At least 10 juveniles were killed last year in Prince George’s County, Maryland which was the worst year for teen violence in the county since 2008.
According to Alsobrooks, for example, there have been 162 carjackings in Prince George’s County. She acknowledged on or around January 11th that, juveniles are responsible for 96 of them.
(PGCPS) Drew Freeman Middle School (courtesy photo)
There are two missing 13-year-olds in Prince George’s County Public schools (PGCPS) Drew Freeman Middle School.
Prince George’s County Police are looking for Jeniah Chi’Ann-Bowman and Alaiya Maria Robinson, both are students at PGCPS – Drew Freeman Middle School.
Jeniah was last seen getting off a school bus stop Penn Southern Apartments walking to Ashton heights Apartments.
Alaiya Maria Robinson was last seen at Drew Freeman Middle School around 3:00pm on March 7th, 2022.
Police describe Jeniah as a 5’5 and 145 pounds, she was last seen wearing black polo shirt, oversized “Tan” hoodie with khaki pants and grew boots.
Police describe Alaiya as a 5’3 and 140 pounds, she was last seen wearing black polo shirt, khaki pants, grey sneakers and grey “Nike” zip up hoodie.
Leonard Pitts Jr., a columnist for the Miami Herald, opines that conservatives have always been on the wrong side of history. They fought the civil rights movement. They fought women’s rights. Now they’re fighting gay rights.
He writes:
They have never once been right.
Did you ever notice that? Do you ever think about it? Never once.
Oh, in matters of, say, foreign affairs or military strategy, one might contend that conservatives have had their moments, made arguments that, arguably, made sense. But on matters of social evolution, they’ve compiled a remarkable record: They’ve never been vindicated by history. Rather, they’ve always been repudiated by it, always been wrong…
Barry Goldwater once saying that he had nothing against a woman running for vice president, “just so she can cook and get home on time…”
Nor are the right’s wrongs limited to matters of human freedom. Every art form that ever dared deviate from status quo — music, film, books, comic books — has had to run a gauntlet of conservative opprobrium. As far back as the 1920s, they were up in arms over a new music called jazz.
It’s a history that provides a jaundiced context for the latest right wing crusade. Meaning the one against LGBTQ kids. Florida’s Legislature passed its obnoxious “Don’t Say Gay” bill last week. Gov. Ron DeSantis, evidently determined to leave no principle untrampled in his hoped-for march to the White House, is expected to sign it….
Which brings them into conflict with conservatism’s reflexive terror of anything that does not fit inside the white picket fence of its imagination. That tendency to look ever backward toward an imagined better past, that timorous inability to face the future — heck, to face the present — and the challenges of change, is what had conservatives at odds with everyone from Louis Armstrong to Martin Luther King to Gloria Steinem.
Now it has them standing between children and their teachers and doctors. It is cold comfort to know that these acts of invasive cruelty will one day stand condemned by history, but they will. We’ve seen this movie too many times to doubt it. You’d think that would matter to conservatives; you’d think they’d think about it. Then you remember that fear and thought are incompatible; it’s almost impossible for them to exist in the same space.
So LGBTQ kids and their allies can only put their heads down, work for change and take such satisfaction as they may find in the fact that, where social evolution is concerned, conservatives lost the 20th century.
Suitland, Maryland (Reform Sasscer) — Many parents throughout Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) District are “disheartened” at their student’s complaints about the food after returning to schools. Most parents are upset and frustrated with the food on their kids’ lunch trays, or lack thereof.. They say their kids’ school breakfast and lunch include bad foods, spoiled produce and chips too spicy to eat.
Lately, however, some parents say lunch items are so bad that, they are inedible.
Photographs posted to the various Facebook group pages showed a school lunch with what appears like a rotten cheese stuck on the plate and another with tangerine that had begun to rot and mold around the stem.
“And this is why I still have to complain and call my congressman. They provide my kids with bad breakfast and lunch…. this is what the school is packing and delivering,” Michelle Thompson wrote. “Yeah ok and I’m not supposed to say anything with this messed food. Parents if you’re home, please talk to your kids and check what foods they are getting in schools and if you’re not please tell your kids to check their food for anything that’s opened or rotten. This was the last fodder for me.”
Other parents chimed in, saying they have had other problems with PGCPS-provided meals. In particular, many complained about messed up food not fit for consumption which their kids could not eat.
“I did complain to the nutrition office about the bad food,” Jeff Gorsuch wrote. “It takes parents calling, emailing, etc., to get it changed. Not sure how much control they have on what is sent to them, though, but I have not seen quite as many since school started back in January (but maybe they just pack his bag with a different flavor since I complained). I just want them to put in 2 days’ worth of milk in the 2-day bags since that is the one thing my special needs kiddo drinks every morning and it definitely helps the grocery budget.”
“Everyone needs to consider two things with looking at this photo. 1. This young man is holding a plate upside down and the FOOD is NOT moving. 2. Would you eat this? It doesn’t matter if this was all that was offered. It doesn’t matter if his mother had the option to pack a lunch or not. What matters is…what we are looking is clearly not fit for human consumption or the consumption of any animal“, wrote Veronica L. Myles.
PGCPS MESS
“I need the ppl making decisions to eat the mess. Then we’ll see soMe changes. Our children deserve better,” wrote Relle Thomas.
“My son says the lunches are absolutely horrible. Lots of mold or rotten food. Such a shame,” wrote Suzanne P Voelker.
“My son won’t eat the HS lunch and my daughter just asked me to buy a bento box so she can take real food to school”, said a pg parent on facebook.
“My son attends Bowie High and hates the school lunch. I was scolded by the front office secretary for bringing him chik fila one day because I was in the area running errands. I had to put her in her place and tell her this wouldn’t be an everyday occurrence, but he was getting that meal that day,” said Stacey Mac
“I have written countless complaints. We must demand more for our students,” said Ama Keisha Trotter Nelson.
Tiffanie Dickerson wrote, “It’s pretty sad what we have received- more than half of it is not even edible. I’m so sick of these bad foods shenanigans.”
“My high school kid doesn’t eat at school either. He takes snacks and buys from the vending machine. That food is free at school but it’s so bad, no one is eating it. I feel for anyone where school lunch is their only meal opportunity,” wrote Jennifer Thorne Whitaker.
PGCPS employee Lucy Mina Roster wrote that, “I work for the school system. Your school itself has no control over what they serve. YOU as the parent are complaining to the wrong people. Talk to Human resources and food and nutrition office. I strongly advise it”.
“This may be an unpopular opinion…but parents have every right to complain. Everyone on this post is a taxpayer, and a portion of your taxes go to the school system. Also, when you pay Federal taxes…that includes things like USDA who set the “nutrition” standards. Without taxes…the government would have NO MONEY. So, as a parent who pays into this system…I and every other concerned parent should be able to voice their opinion. The cost of groceries has increased tremendously. A pound of ground beef is now $10 to $11.00 per lb; lunch meat has increased to $5.00 and $6.00 a pack. Some parents literally can not afford to pack lunch every day of the week. The cost to order Uber eats, Doordash, etc…is astronomical. After paying delivery fees, tips and service fees…a meal that was supposed to cost $6.00 now cost you $20.00. Students aren’t even allowed to receive deliveries at the school. A lot of schools only have maybe two microwaves; so by the time you get a chance to heat up your food…lunch is over. My daughter’s school even had a problem with me dropping off lunch to her because of “safety” concerns,” said Veronica L. Myles, whose grader attends PGCPS system.
“You should be able to be comfortable with where they’re going to school and are they being fed properly,” said Dortson Watson Jr, whose 7th grader attends Martin Luther King Middle School. At the beginning of the school year, Watson’s son wanted to eat the meals supplied in the cafeteria at school, but eventually changed his mind.
“He approached me in the kitchen and said, ‘Can I pack my lunch today?’ and I said, ‘Well yeah, did you not like what you had yesterday?’… And he said ‘No, I had the bread and the chips were stale and it was gross, then I got two bites into my salad and lunch was over.”
Another parent Cheri A. Tyner who recently relocated to Atlanta from PGCPS District but has a home locally responded “yes, parents have a right to complain, but they don’t have a right to demand gourmet meals to their children for school lunch. The price of groceries is not a school issue, that issue should be taken up with the proper authority. Someone mentioned Monica Goldson saying she should be ashamed of what she’s providing students for lunch. Monica does not make the decision about meal prep for school lunches. We’ve spoiled our children into believing that lunch isn’t lunch unless it is hot…public education didn’t just start with the invent of UberEats and DoorDash, parent’s shouldn’t have to deliver lunch to their child, when did bag lunches become a thing of the past?.
Veronica L. Myles who has kids in the PGCPS system responded to Cheri Tyner that, .”...actually you do…that’s what you pay taxes for. If that’s the case, let me forgo paying the portion of my taxes that goes towards the free lunch program and I will take that extra money and do as I please. That’s like when you go to a restaurant…you expect a certain quality of food…because you’re paying for it. Furthermore, it doesn’t have to be gourmet; however it should fit for human consumption and what I’m looking at certainly is not. My dog eats better than this.”
Another parent responded, “that’s the problem. Parents believe that school lunches are supposed to be restaurant quality. It’s not supposed to be. The kids come through the line feeling entitled because mommy said that the food is nasty. You have to understand that we as food service assistant and managers have to follow protocol and procedures. We have to follow recipes to the exact step. If the food requires to seasoned then we use seasoning. If it requires us to not loosen up the Mac and cheese with milk or water then we don’t. Everything is premade upon arrival, we only heat/cool to required temperature. Y’all have to understand that PG county itself don’t have control many times with things like this. It’s Maryland as a state that make the rules”
Jessie Vitale told the other parents “Yup. Take it up with congress. They set the standards and seriously bare minimum standards at that. That’s what I was told. It’s disgusting though to me. It’s not nutritious or filling.”
In many Title 1 schools, several parents on Facebook claim that, due to the effects of the pandemic, they cannot afford to pack their child’s lunch every day. School meals are all free for the time being due to COVID-19 in some places.
Another parent Mkesia Milton Smith shared a photo that his child took at lunch, alarmed at what they were served, “Look at this my son said it was hard too.”
pgcps parent Mkesia Milton Smith said, “Look at this my son said it was hard too“
“Are we really gonna act like school lunches have ever really been nutrious? When has nutrition ever been a priority in this country enough that it would be pushed from govt to the cafeteria table. We spend time being appalled like history isn’t evident. And our current congress isnt going to care either…pack their lunch and adress things that are truly actionable. Outrage can be fruitless…this is an example”, wrote K.D. Myles.
“There’s room for error in a lot of things, but when it comes to taking care of children I don’t believe there is room for error,” said Mastina who reached out outraged by the lack of response.
“My son orders Uber eats for lunch. Has it delivered to his teacher, so they won’t say anything,” says the community has made her aware of their concerns.
“It hurts my heart, cause… We don’t want anyone to have a bad experience right off the bat because it’s hard to get those kids back if they have had a bad taste in their mouths,” said Monica Gales.
When seeing the photos, Monica Gales says the meals are “not her expectation” and encourages parents to reach out to CEO Monica Goldson directly with any concerns since she controls the money.
However, Mkesia Milton Smith who started a major public thread about bad cafeteria school foods added that, “well we had a meeting yesterday and was told our kids are not supposed to do that nor staff is suppose to support Uber eats, door dash for the students.”
Another parent raised issues of gang activity at Bowie High school, “how do you like Bowie HS? Specifically for STEM and math? Distractions? Gang activity? ….. that was a loaded question but I don’t know anyone who’s kid goes there and I live in Fairwood,” asked Lohan Leigh.
“I don’t like Bowie. My son started 9th grade in 2020. The administration staff unorganized we need another high school built. My son was in tag 2-8th grade. I haven’t seen or heard of any gang activity, but fights do occur. My son states the teachers don’t really teach they give them busy work on there chrome books. He wishes the taught more. His math teacher he hasnt had any issues. He didn’t get a chemistry teacher until December. I only found out that he had a long term sub because my son told me. No notification from school. I can’t speak on Stem. Just be proactive with the guidance counselor, teachers and you’re kid.
9th graders at the annex, 10-12th in main building,” Stacey Mac said.
Quality Food Evaluation of all foods
Another parent PGCPS parent Arthur Jackson wrote, ….” Who is the Bowie School Board Member ? My cousin is a Former School Board Member in District 6, Belinda Queen she is running for PGC Council in District 6 but she could be helpful in launching a Quality Food Evaluation of all foods in all PGC Schools by establishing a Task force in each school district which must include parents, students and school officials. Our Children deserve healthy, tasty and safe meals.”
“That’s nothing compared to what they serve at ECCs…and they are in the most need for everything in this county and no one ever mentions them. They are babies!!“, wrote Smiley Bell
“Was this all that was offered or just what he selected? I don’t have a kid in highschool but in elementary and they have a lot to choose from. I also went to Bowie and we always had a lot to choose from then but that was 20 years ago,” wrote Nicole Law
“ok so that was my question and the kids are telling me that’s all they are getting …I used to work with pg county schools and the lunches were not bad I use get salad, sandwiches they are telling me there are no choices…”, wrote Mkesia Milton Smith.
“ABC7 Has this non nutritional and questionable Bowie High School luch been reported to ABC7 News Channel? They have been covered issues in the classroom for a while,“wrote Allmondeemomma Brown.
Throughout the back-and-forth with in the various discussions, parents raised a grab bag of issues about their schools, including site-based budgets, parking-lot safety, bullying, gang activity, even dress codes and more.
But towards the end, one mom brought up her teenage daughter’s school lunches, and almost everyone in the room piled on. From schools around the district, they shared complaints about ingredient quality and dietary restrictions. Many said they’d resorted to making lunches for their kids.
PGCPS School Board Chairperson Dr. Juanita Miller had not responded by the time of going to the press. However, Parents should contact their Principal or Director of Nutrition and CEO Dr. Monica Goldson. We will follow up in several weeks to see if there any changes.
Jerrard Bazemore, 36, an inmate at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup, admitted he conspired with other inmates, people outside the prison and a prison employee to smuggle in drugs, such as fentanyl and heroin.
The employee, Patricia McDaniel, worked in the kitchen, where Bazemore had a prison job.
After arranging for outside people to get Bazemore the drugs, he sent McDaniel a message that said, “I love you. Don’t forget it.”
McDaniel successfully made the drugs-in-the-shoes delivery in August 2017, according to the news release.
A few weeks later, in September, Bazemore, who is also known as Tic, asked McDaniel to bring him more drugs in exchange for $300. But things didn’t go as smoothly.
McDaniel was stopped in the prison parking lot before she could enter the building. She had a purple balloon filled with heroin, fentanyl, Suboxone, which is a drug used to treat opioid addiction, and K2, a synthetic cannabinoid drug.
The plan was foiled because investigators had been listening in on calls Bazemore had been making with a cellphone he wasn’t supposed to have.
Bazemore pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge. He was sentenced Friday to more than four years in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
McDaniel, 29, of Baltimore, also pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, and is awaiting sentencing.
When six members of the Prince George’s County Council surprised their colleagues and the public with an 11th hour redistricting plan in November, residents voiced immediate objection.
They held rallies, flooded the council with calls and emails, turned out en masse at a public hearing, and they vowed to pursue every available remedy. They also hired an attorney.
On Monday, their efforts to kill the controversial map prevailed.
In a two-page order, the Maryland Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision striking down the council’s map and ordering Prince George’s to use boundaries drawn by an independent three-member commission instead.
Although residents accused the six-member block of gerrymandering — using their power to draw lines to protect incumbents and disadvantage potential challengers — their Prince George’s-based attorney, Matthew G. Sawyer, fought the county on procedural grounds.
He argued that the council flouted the law by passing its alternative map as a resolution. To be valid, Sawyer said, lawmakers needed to approve a bill. The Court of Appeals agreed.
“I think this is the right decision,” Sawyer said. “The system eventually worked.”
While the resolution-versus-bill distinction may seem small, approving a redistricting plan the way the council did had a significant impact on the ability of citizens to press elected officials for a course correction, plaintiffs’ attorneys insisted.
“By using a resolution, it removed the county executive’s ability to veto (the map), and it removed the people’s opportunity to lobby the county executive to veto it,” Sawyer said.
The Court of Appeals held a hearing on the case, Prince George’s County vs. Robert E. Thurston et al, on Friday. Plaintiffs were represented by former state delegate Timothy F. Maloney, a politically well-connected attorney hired by former Councilmember Eric Olson’s campaign.
Olson (D) was one of several potential 2022 candidates impacted by the council alternative, as he was drawn in with an incumbent who intends to seek re-election. He has been running since last summer for a seat that is coming open due to term limits.
He called the ruling “terrific news.”
“The council acted improperly in gerrymandering and rigging the districts, and they acted improperly in the manner in which they attempted to pass it,” Olson said.
“The public has been following this and the public does not like the nonsense, the political games being played,” he added. “This sends a message.”
On top of their gerrymandering accusations, residents said they didn’t like the way lawmakers divided communities that had worked together.
Councilmember Jolene Ivey (D), one of three members to vote against the map offered by colleague Derrick Leon Davis (D), said she was pleased that “current” districts, including her own, will remain largely intact.
“The voters let us know what map they wanted, and the courts’ rulings have the effect of giving them the Commission’s map,” she said. “That’s a big win for the voters.”
The Court of Appeals ruling did not lay out the legal rationale for upholding the lower court’s order. Those reasons will be “stated later” in a written opinion, Chief Judge Joseph M. Getty wrote.
The map rejected by the courts was supported by Davis, Council President Calvin S. Hawkins II (D), Deni Taveras (D), Mel Franklin (D), Sydney J. Harrison (D) and Todd Turner (D).
Ivey, Thomas E. Dernoga (D) and Dannielle M. Glaros (D) opposed it.
The council was in an all-day retreat on Monday and Hawkins and Davis could not immediately be reached for comment.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeals said that costs for the appeal are to be paid by the county.
Tantallon Community (Reform Sasscer) – The proposed Prince George’s county public schools (PGCPS) Preparatory K-8 public school which has faced major push back from southern community remains on course. “The new school is essentially a leech on the resources of the community, it exist totally out of any public control,” Samuel Dodges said.
Several civic associations led by Tantallon Square Area Civic Association (TSACA) continues to oppose a forest being cleared for new school construction at Swan Creek Road and Fort Washington Road where flooding is a major concern for many residents. Standing flood waters can also spread infectious diseases, contain chemical hazards, and cause injuries. Each year, flooding causes more problems than any other hazard related to thunderstorms. The most common flood issue occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood waters which causes death in many cases.
“It’s been determined that the land that they are planning to build the school is on wetland and there are better option at Potomac Landing elementary school with enough space just like the way they are building the other 5 schools. This should not be an exception as the area will see a rise in various problems starting with congestion, destruction of wet lands and ecological systems, pollution and many other issues. There are a lot of wild animals in the forest including deers which go in there. The flooding is major issue and the current sewage system is not adequate to accommodate an additional population of 2,000. The way this project was rushed raises a lot of suspicion because the people who live here where not consulted over their objection. We only found out when they were having a press conference,” said Tantallon Square Area Civic Association President Hazel Robinson.
The kindergarten through eighth grade school would hold 2,000. It’s part of the county’s more than $1 billion public-private partnership plan to build six news schools.
A sign of protest across the street from the new site.
“We have been in the dark. Just weren’t included, and our input wasn’t asked for on what we felt about having a school here, there is something very fishy going on even the way the trees are being uprooted right in the middle of the night. Something smell like a dead rat” said Mike Johnson of the Tantallon Square Area Civic Association (TSACA).
Details of the rapidly moving construction plan are spawning protests, especially after parents were told some schools would be temporarily relocated during construction.
Protests started last August and are ongoing. There have been protesters and a prominent person in the community associated with TSACA was arrested last year and taken to the police station. Their presence have been felt along the Swan Creek Road beginning of August last year. The protestors successfully halted tree clearing for the planned school before the construction continued. At the moment the contractors are proceeding on again — a 234,000-square-foot kindergarten through eighth grade school on wetland. Many residents said they’re in favor of the new school but not the current location.
According to the Tantallon Square Area Civic Association (TSACA) The Swan Creek Forest Is a Bad Place to Build the K-8 School
Potomac Landing elementary school
“PGCPS should have renovated Potomac Landing elementary school which is less than a mile away instead of building a brand new school on a wetland and destroying the environment,” Rose Lowdon, said of the new school proposal. “While many people think renovating existing facilities is more expensive and time-consuming than building new ones, that’s not always the case. In fact, renovation can often be accomplished for less than the cost of a new building. It just requires careful planning and conscientious effort. Improvements do not happen by chance. They happen because district administrators, parents, teachers and community leaders actively participate in a planning process aimed at making the area a better place to live, learn, work and play. In this case, none happened like that here. There is bad will from the community towards this new school due to the due process violations and public corruption involved,” Lowdon said.
In a meeting with the Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks in August last year, residents were told construction will continue. However, there are questionable activities especially with some developers donating huge junks of money to her political campaign.
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks role with the developers in this case are being questioned. Some of the developers involved in the projects have contributed heavily to her campaign. parents are frustrated, and they are coming out of the district as we speak today, because they feel this was done undemocratically and don’t have choices.
“We had real high hopes from Angela but it appears she is being used by developers to make money from the entire project at the expense of this community. I voted for her last election, I’m so disappointed with her that our meeting was a joke and nothing came out of it,” resident Jennifer Thompson said.
According to the press briefings from last year, “[Alsobrooks] said firmly that she does not intend to change the site, although she’ll make every attempt to try to address concerns. The neighborhoods in the area floods heavily after a hard rain.
“This is unacceptable,” said Marvis, a Prince George’s county native and former Brooklyn school educator who moved to the Prince George’s County thirty five years ago as part of fellowship to go to school in the region and decided to stay. “We shouldn’t be losing trees and damaging the environment without proper checks and balances because there are alternatives, free options available.”
“As we speak today, there are parents that are frustrated, and they are coming out of the district as we speak today, because they feel this was done undemocratically and don’t have choices,” Lane said.
PGCPS CEO, Dr. Monica Goldson had court cases touching on public corruption involving her when she was selected CEO. which she failed to disclose. Whatever is driving this school system it is not being driven to serve the students. Whoever got the Covid relief money is celebrating, because it certainly was not the students, teachers or support staff. The disfunction is so pervasive that even veteran teachers can’t gather the fortitude to care anymore! added a veteran educator.
“Whatever is driving this school system it is not being driven to serve the students. Whoever got the Covid relief money is celebrating, because it certainly was not the students, teachers or support staff. The disfunction is so pervasive that even veteran teachers can’t gather the fortitude to care anymore!”, said another staff members who cares.
School renovation is cost effective
School renovation is cost effective, and cheaper than new construction. With aging school facilities, shrinking budgets and declining school enrollments, many school districts are choosing to renovate rather than building new because it’s cheaper.
School enrollment is declining. Budgets are shrinking. Faced with these realities, more and more school districts are choosing to renovate rather than replace existing schools. There are many people in the community questioning what will happen to the current elementary schools which will combine once the new bigger school is finalized at Tantallon. Most elected official in Prince George’s county who might be benefiting from this corruption are reluctant to revert back to an all elected board.
The current board, chaired by Juanita D. Miller, an Alsobrooks appointee, has been criticized for a spasm of personality-fueled disagreements that led to the filing of ethics charges and attempts to remove several members of the panel after the questioned how public funds where being utilized through developers only known to the CEO, County Executive and others tied to them.
Grand corruption
Grand corruption is the abuse of high-level power that benefits the few at the expense of the many. It typically has three main features:
A systematic or well-organised plan of action involving high-level public officials that causes serious harm, such as gross human rights violations.
Oftentimes, these public officials even give the contract to a company of which they themselves are the beneficial owner; the majority of grand corruption cases include the use of anonymous shell companies to secretly move financial assets, according to the World Bank.
Through grand corruption, vast amounts of public money are systematically siphoned off to the accounts of a few powerful individuals, at the expense of citizens who should actually benefit. Financial institutions and other enablers assist those involved in laundering the proceeds.
When grand corruption and state capture happen, high-level officials may also use control over legislative and regulatory powers to legalise their activities and to weaken oversight and enforcement functions.
Typically, those involved in grand corruption benefit from impunity by interfering directly with the justice system and stymieing enforcement in order to thwart being held to account. Using the levers of state control, they may also suppress independent efforts by civil society and the media to investigate and expose corruption.
How does it affect you?
If you live in a country with political leaders enriching themselves on public funds, this will affect your life on countless levels. Infrastructure, health care, education – all of these vital necessities, and many more, will be massively underfunded, depriving you of basic rights and services. It may even put lives at risk through products of inferior quality and poorly constructed facilities.
Grand corruption is a huge barrier to sustainable development as seen here in PGCPS. Even if you live in a country or county where grand corruption is not an issue, you should care – because sustainable development affects all of us. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global effort towards a better future and the impact of grand corruption on them is far more destructive than from other forms of corruption. At the same time, less is being done about it.
On March 23, 2021, former board member Edward Burroughs wrote a letter to CEO Dr. Monica Goldson concerning the proposed construction. A month after the construction and protest begun, then, Edward Burroughs III made a video to educate the public what was going on.
On or around September 7, 2021, a month after the questionable construction and prince George’s county parents protest begun, then, Board Member Edward Burroughs III made a video to educate the public what was going on. It’s around this time when county Executive initiated a process to remove several Board members using the state machinery. This development would have a great impact on the environmentally peaceful area by adding increased flooding, traffic, light and noise pollution to the surrounding neighborhoods a petition signed by more than 2151 citizens says.
Nancy Bhargava organized marches throughout the neighborhood nearly six weeks before the construction begun to protest the proposed school.
“We’re concerned that we have been ignored. Our community, the residents here have been dismissed,” said Bhargava.
“I’m concerned because we are going to be losing a lot of tree canopy. The tree canopy absorbs the water and prevents the water from flowing out into the road and into my house, my backyard and my neighbor’s yard and causing serious issues,” said Bhargava to the press.
Ed Burroughs, a former member of the Prince George’s County Board of Education representing District 8 and now a councilman for the same District, was at a previous march talking with homeowners before and after he became a councilman. His problems at the Board with other Board members begun after they started questioning the secrecy and the public corruption surrounding the construction of the school and others.
In a letter sent to the Chief Executive Officer of the Prince George’s County Public Schools on March 23, 2021, board member Edward Burroughs wrote “I am writing to convey concerns that I have received from members of the community regarding the proposed site for the new Southern Area K-8 School. These members raised a variety of concerns in over an hour-long exchange between constituents and some of their elected officials.”
The letter went on to say, “Members of the community have expressed a strong desire to temporarily suspend construction activity surrounding the Southern Area K-8 School in order to allow the Board Chair to convene the proposed stakeholder meeting and discuss alternative locations for the school. I support the community in their request and I hope that the request for a pause in the development of this site can be granted. I look forward to continuing to work with you to successfully build a new Southern Area K-8 middle school while also addressing the flooding and traffic concerns raised by members of the community.”
former board member Edward Burroughs wrote a letter to CEO Dr. Monica Goldson concerning the proposed construction and was engaged in a protest with the parents. They want him to use his new role to stop the project from going forward.
As stated above, some homeowners worry that the tearing down acres of the wooded area which has been going will increase flooding in a neighborhood already prone to floods. They worry the problem will get significantly worse when construction begins which has been ongoing.
Other homeowners worry about the impact on traffic. The proposed location is near Indian Head Highway, a roadway known to be dangerous.
“Being here on Swan Creek Road, if you are here at any time of the day, cars come down here at least 50 miles per hour so it is not safe for our residents nor is it safe for any of the children,” said Anthony Mitchell, a homeowner.
Now some homeowners are trying to delay construction until they can work out these issues.
“They need to stop and they need to go through a comprehensive independent assessment of where we are as a community and what needs to be done,” said homeowner Brian Woolfolk.
then District 8 Councilmember Monique Anderson-Walker asked for a comprehensive study to be done before construction begun and she was ignored.
In a statement posted online, the then District 8 Councilmember Monique Anderson-Walker now running to be a deputy governor asked for a comprehensive study to be done before construction begun.
“Flooding in South County is a historical and resource-draining scourge throughout District 8. My concerns with this project have always been directed at the flooding impact on the residents who live in closest proximity to the school on Swan Creek Road, as well as the potential for increased flooding in surrounding neighborhoods,” said Anderson-Walker. “Ensuring the project planners are giving EVERY consideration to environmental, traffic, and flood mitigation strategies and solutions through engagement with the community, independent third-parties, and an objective analysis of the school’s master plan and proposed stormwater management plan, is paramount,” Councilmember Monique Anderson-Walker wrote on March 28th, 2021.
Through the Blueprint Schools Program and without proper transparency such as in the case of Tantallon school construction project, PGCPS is accelerating the delivery of six new state-of-the-art schools in Prince George’s County, MD. One of the six is a new K-8 Academy, currently under construction in Fort Washington, MD, within the Tantallon community. Many parents in this area are opposed to the construction of the school due to the historical public corruption going back to former county Executive Jack Johnson. The big ties to developers are at play currently and the grand corruption which begun years ago.
more to come!
A questionable construction of a new school under construction in Fort Washington, MD, within the Tantallon community.
Potomac Landing elementary school with enough space just like the way they are building the other 5 schools currently under construction.
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