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Story of the
Assimilation
of Africans
in Mexico
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GLOBAL AFRICAN DIASPORA
THE BOOK OF RABBINICALS
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ON FRONT STREET
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There will be no second civil war. No blood in the streets if Donald Trump is convicted. Those of you jaw-yakking this stuff should self-muzzle.
Just cut the crud.
Will you be the first to pick up arms? You, who are fear mongering and stoking virulent behavior with your rhetoric. There will be no coming civil war!
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That's a fear tactic. This criminal Trump must be found guilty. In the least, he must never be permitted to get close to political power again. What will come, will come. Justice is moral and right. Justice will prevail. And America must not cower in fear.
Because evil will always yearn to breathe free.
Key drug cartel trafficker slain in Willowbrook
'El Mago' one of two men gunned down
LOS ANGELES (CNS)—An investigation is contin- uing into a shooting in the Willowbrook area that killed two men—one of whom reportedly was a
convicted drug trafficker known as "El Mago," who had ties to the son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, which occurred around 8:20 a.m. Nov. 23 in the 14200 block of Towne Avenue,
according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Eduardo Escobedo, 39, and Guillermo De Los Angeles Jr., 47, died at the scene, according to the LA County Department of Medical Examiner and
published reports.
A third man suffered unspecified injuries and was
Eduardo Escobedo aka "El Mago." Instagram
taken to a hospital for treatment, the sheriff's department reported.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Escobedo, whose nickname "El Mago" translates to "The Magician," served nearly five years in the federal pen for conspiring to distribute more than 10,000 kilos of marijuana and laundering drug proceeds. He was released in 2018.
Raised in East Los Angeles, Escobedo rose to become the primary distributor of marijuana in Los Angeles for Guzman's oldest son, The Times reported.
Escobedo was also alleged to have ordered the death of a rival trafficker who was gunned down in his Bentley on the 101 Freeway in 2008. Although Escobedo was never charged in the murder, his brother and another man were convicted and are serving life sentences, according to the Times.
After eluding capture for more than a dozen years, Guzman was arrested in 2014 in Mazatlan. Five years later, he was convicted of being a principal leader of a continuing criminal enterprise through his leader- ship of the Mexican organized crime syndicate, the Sinaloa Cartel.
George Floyd killer stabbed
multiple times
Assaulted by inmate
at FCI Tucson
TUCSON, AZ — Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, was stabbed by another inmate and critically wounded Friday, Nov. 24 at a federal prison in Arizona, according to The Associated Press.
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The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an incarcer- ated person was assaulted at FCI Tucson around 12:30 local time Friday.
In a statement, the agency said responding employees contained the incident and took "life-saving measures" before the inmate, whose name was not mentioned, was taken to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
No employees were injured and the FBI was notified.
FCI Tucson is a correctional facility where the security is rated average as it has been plagued by security lapses and staff shortages.
Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, captured here on May 25, 2020, leaning on George Floyd's neck/carotid artery for nearly 10 minutes causing death from asphyxiation
Chauvin's stabbing is the second "high-profile" attack on a federal prisoner in the past five months.
In July, former sports doctor Larry Nassar was stabbed by a fellow inmate at a federal penitentiary in Florida. It is also the second major incident at the Tucson fed- eral prison in just over a year.
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In November 2022, an inmate at the facility's low-security prison camp pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot a visitor in the head.
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Chauvin was sent to FCI Tucson from a maximum-security state prison in Minnesota in August 2022 to serve concurrently a 22-and-a-half-year federal sentence for second-degree murder and another more than 20 years for violating Floyd's civil rights by pressing his knee against his neck for more than nine minutes, choking him to death.
10 Freeway re-opened
LOS ANGELES (MNS)—Caltrans personnel worked diligently following the devastating Nov. 11 arson blaze beneath a portion of Interstate10 near downtown Los Angeles, that rendered it too weak and precarious to support vehicular traffic.
An elevated section of the freeway opened weeks ahead of an original estimate, prompting Mayor Karen Bass to post, "Welcome back, Los Angeles!" late Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Arson is believed to have caused the fire, fed by flammable materials stored under the roadway in crimi- nal violation of a company’s lease. The inferno shutdown a mile-long stretch of the 10 freeway, snarling traffic as repair crews worked around the clock.
Following extensive tests conducted by Caltrans, the concrete and temporary supports have undergone testing to ensure that the bridge can bear weight safely while construction continues.
Tests include:
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Core sample tests of the concrete for strength certified by an independent testing lab.
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Steel rebar tests to make sure safety requirements are certified by an independent testing lab.
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Chemical tests of the concrete columns to check for any long-term deterioration.
The results met or exceeded standards for each category and showed the 10 freeway was safe for drivers. In addition to repairing the columns, engineers will fortify the bridge with additional steel reinforcements to make it stronger than it was prior to the fire.
According to Bass, the freeway will be monitored continuously to ensure it remains safe for commuters
by installing devices to monitor any structural shifts or movements by the freeway during use. Manual daily surveys will also be conducted to verify the accuracy of the electronic measurements, Bass said.
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While all five lanes are now fully open, Caltrans officials said some street closures remain in effect: For I-10 Westbound:
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The Alameda exit will remain closed in the westbound direction.
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8th Street on-ramp to 10-West will remain closed.
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Through traffic allowed on the I-10 West.
All I-10 Eastbound on and off ramps will be open and through traffic allowed.
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'Jewel of the South Bay?'; Maybe, Tombstone Territory
By JARRETTE FELLOWS, JR., Editor-in-Chief
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Fifty years ago Inglewood was known by the moniker, "Jewel of the South Bay." It had transformed from a sleepy rural agrarian community in the previous years.
The luster would soon fade. But first, some brief history.
During the 1960s and '70s, Inglewood grew, developed and became racially integrated in both its residential and business communities; it was now the home of two major hospitals—Centinela and Daniel Freeman; it was dubbed the "City of Champions" showcasing World Champion Lakers basketball, Kings hockey at the Forum, as well as the Hollywood Park Racetrack featuring championship horse racing.
Then came the modern City Hall and Civic Center complex, constructed as a joint effort by the City and County of Los Angeles and dedicated in 1973, containing police and fire headquarters, the main library, County courts and health facilities. High rise office buildings began to sprout with the "jewel" among them being the 14-story $50 million Trizec building in the proximity of La Cienega and Century Boulevards.
Then came a period of economic despair.
Inglewood's pro sports teams left the Forum in 1999, which cost the city at least $800,000 annually in lost taxes and visitor spending, according to the Los Angeles Times. The economic downturn at the end of the 2000s wasn't just Inglewood's to suffer, it was a nationwide malady.
Then came an economic sunburst when Mayor James Butts negotiated a $100-million deal to refurbish the Forum in 2012, which in all fairness was first set in motion by Butts' predecessor Mayor Roosevelt F. Dorn. The business insight revived the region as one of Southern Cal's sports and entertainment hubs.
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The turnaround has been astounding. "Jewel" is again an appropriate nickname for Inglewood with a "rose bloom" of grandeur—a new $5 billion SoFi Stadium, home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, an opulent mixed-use development of expensive 3- and 4-bedroom homes, Hollywood Park Casino, and Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Inglewood IMAX on the site of the old Hollywood Park Racetrack, and a soon-to-come $1.8-billion Intuit Dome basketball arena, which will be the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA franchise.
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Inglewood's new splendor is undeniable. But astonishingly, among the rose bloom, virile weeds have established an ugly presence. I'm referring to the awful, tenacious mayhem on the streets of Inglewood threatening to smother the bloom and any other opulence earmarked for the city and the region.
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Jewel of the South Bay? Tombstone Territory may be a more apt description with the spatter of blood marring the jewels as one recent altercation attests—two men shot to death and three wounded in broad day light in a brazen show of lawless bravado.
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The cacophony of violence will blunt the potential for success of Inglewood's new entertainment venues if local law enforcement cannot snuff it out as local gang factions continue to ply their roguery with impunity
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The latest bloodletting in Inglewood occurred on Oct. 7, 2023. Perhaps Inglewood Park Cemetery should be renamed "Tombstone Cemetery" given deceased local street gang outlaws who may be interred there. It's not known for sure.
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According to neighborhoodscout.com, Inglewood has one of the highest crime rates in the US compared to all communities of all sizes—from the smallest towns to the largest cities, with a crime rate of 32 per 1,000 residents. A person's risk of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 31.
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Scott Hunter, regional director and partner at HKS, the architecture firm that designed SoFi Stadium, was quoted saying, Stanley Kroenke (SoFi owner) "wanted us to do something that had never been done before—to create a world-class entertainment venue that would bring cachet to Inglewood. He wanted to do something that was extraordinary."
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It's safe to say Kroenke's vision was realized. And it's also true that Intuit arena visionary Steve Balmer will add still more prestige to Inglewood with the grand display of what will be the newest NBA hoops arena, increasing Inglewood's total real estate value still more from its current $17+ billion.
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But if the senseless blood lust from rival gangs, mayhem from illicit street drugs, and other violent crimes are not brought to complete eradication by government and law enforcement resources, Inglewood's true sheen will never reflect its civic and entertainment jewelesque.
Ex-Sheriff Villanueva vies for Janice Hahn's county board seat
LOS ANGELES (CNS)—Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is expected to formally announce he will run against Supervisor Janice Hahn in the March primary.
Villanueva said in an interview Sept. 12 on Fox 11 that he would run.
"County government is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of all the county residents. In that regard the board has failed miserably," Villanueva told Fox 11. "All you have to do is look at the news every day. You're assaulted by images of violent crime, smash and grab robberies,
senseless wanton violence."
When asked how he can defeat Hahn, whose late father Kenneth was a supervisor from 1952-92 and who the Hall of Administration is named in his honor, Villanueva responded, "One thing for sure is she is no Kenneth Hahn. When he was serving as supervisor, there was a time of civility in county government, balance. Today, they're so far to the left of center that no one can even recognize them. They do not represent the will of anyone, much less the residents of the Fourth District, so we're going to bring this back to the middle."
In response, Hahn's campaign consultant Dave Jacobson called Villanueva "the Donald Trump of Los Angeles County," pointing out "L.A. County voters—including District 4—resoundingly rejected" his bid to be re-elected as sheriff in November "for his incompetence and corruption."
"L.A. County became less safe under Villanueva's reign," Jacobson said. "He is a fraud and a failure and L.A. County voters won't be fooled again."
Janice Hahn was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020 to represent the Fourth District, which now stretches from the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Long Beach and north to the southeastern Los Angeles County and the eastern San Gabriel Valley, including Huntington Park, Bell, Com- merce, Pico Rivera, Whittier and La Habra Heights.
Villanueva was elected sheriff in 2018, upsetting then-Sheriff Jim McDonnell, but lost his bid for re-election in November to former Long Beach Police Department Chief Robert Luna, 61.3 per- cent to 38.7 percent.
Hahn and Villanueva are both Democrats. The Board of Supervisors, like all local government positions in California, is nonpartisan.
No Los Angeles County supervisor has been defeated for re-election since 1980 when Baxter Ward was denied a third term by Michael D. Antonovich and Yvonne Braithwaite Burke lost her bid for a full term to Deane Dana after being appointed to fill the vacancy caused by James A. Hayes' resignation.
Villanueva is seeking to be the first man on the board since 2020 when Mark Ridley-Thomas was unable to seek re-election because of term limits.
Federal probe underway into LAPD Gang Unit
LOS ANGELES (CNS)—A federal investigation was underway today into allegations that members of a Los Angeles Police Department gang unit failed to properly document traffic stops or activate their body-worn cameras as required.
"The department's expectations are that all traffic stops
or detentions will be fully documented, and body-worn video devices will be used as required,'' LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a statement issued Thursday evening.
"Consequences for any member who would purposely avoid our requirements will be certain and severe. Such misconduct undermines the public's trust and tarnishes
the badge of the vast majority of officers who conduct
themselves with integrity and reverence for the law."
The Los Angeles Times first reported on the depart- ment's probe of the Mission Area Gang Enforcement Detail. According to the Times, internal affairs detectives took the rare step of searching officers' lockers last week.
In the Aug. 4 statement, the LAPD said the internal inves-
tigation began earlier this year when a resident filed a complaint that "they were stopped by two uniformed LAPD officers and his vehicle searched without consent." The resident was released following the search, accord- ing to the LAPD.
The department identified the officers as members of the Mission gang detail.
"A review of their reports and other material determined the officers had not properly documented the detention or their other actions in violation of department policy," according to the LAPD.
Internal investigators subsequently "identified additional instances of the involved officers not properly documenting traffic stops or activating their body-worn video camera as required," according to the department. "The investigation identified similar undocumented incidents and suspected failures to activate their body-worn video cameras involving other members of the same unit."
LAPD officials are continuing the internal investigation, in
consultation with the District Attorney's Office, according to the agency. The probe was also referred to the Public Corruption Civil Rights Section of the United States Attorney's Office. The FBI Civil Rights Division has also begun an investigation, according to the department.
"The Los Angeles Police Department will fully cooperate with all investigations surrounding this incident(s)," according to the department.
Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement night saying shehad been briefed on the situation and "what I've been told is very disturbing.
"Instances like this can erode confidence and trust in our police department," she said. "Under my administration, transparency and accountability is required. I am encouraged by the leadership of LAPD taking an aggressive posture towards this investigation to ensure Angelinos are being served with fairness and integrity.
"I will await the results of any and all investigations including those conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department, the United States Attorney's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Bass said. News of the investigation came just days after the Los Angeles City Council approved a new labor contract with the union representing LAPD officers providing bumps in pay and incentives aimed at improving recruitment and retention of officers.
Youth Rights Groups: LA County foster care a 'Pipeline to Homelessness'
LOS ANGELES (CNS)—Los Angeles County and state agencies tasked with providing welfare and mental health services to older youth in foster care have created a "pipeline to homelessness" in violation of the plaintiffs' constitutional rights, a federal lawsuit obtained today alleges.
Youth advocacy organizations contend that state and local agencies have shown a "persistent failure to ensure that 'transition age foster youth' (between the ages of 16 and 21) have meaningful access to the crucial housing, mental health, and other services to which they are legally entitled."
The proposed class-action suit was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court by attorneys on behalf of six young people in foster care.
The suit alleges that the county's Children and Family Services and Mental Health departments and the state's Health and Human Services Agency, Department of Health Care Services and Department of SocialServices are failing in their mandate to provide dependents in the foster care system with "safe,
stable and appropriate placements at all times, free from physical, psychological, and emotional harm,'' as well as health and mental welfare services.
The county departments said in a joint statement that they are committed to ensuring the well-being of young people as they enter adulthood and to providing services to assist with that transition.
"Young people exiting the child welfare system face significant stressors including food, housing and income insecurity, often without the guidance or support of family," according to the statement. "DCFS and DMH
help transition-age youth navigate these and other challenges by providing assistance with education and housing plans, job preparedness, transportation and mental health services."
DCFS and DMH added that they "continue to explore partnerships with public, private and nonprofit organizations with the goals of enhancing housing stability and creating living-wage job opportunities for young people exiting care."
The state agencies said they do not comment on pending litigation.
According to the suit, eligible youths can choose to remain in foster care until they turn 21. Last year, the county was responsible for more than 4,200 young people between the ages of 16 and 21, the suit says.
"By denying transition age youth in foster care the housing and crucial services they are legally entitled to, state and county defendants send the unmistakable message that these youth are disposable, that their care is a responsibility for which the government would rather just wash its hands," said Tara Ford, senior counsel at Public Counsel, one of the firms that helped prepare the 108-page lawsuit.
"Today our young clients, who are all transition age youth in foster care, take the bold step of protecting their rights, they send another unmistakable message: 'We do matter. We deserve care. We deserve better.' We are committed to defending the rights of transition age youth in foster care to safe, stable, appropriate housing and needed supportive services."
The plaintiffs contend that the foster care system exacerbates pre-existing trauma "as they are cycled through multiple unsuitable placements, lose contact with siblings and other loved ones, and experience abuse and neglect in foster placements."
The suit states that "a disproportionately high percentage of these youth have mental health conditions and other disabilities related to complex trauma, i.e., chronic, ongoing interpersonal trauma. Some are also young
parents who, as they transition to adulthood, seek health, stability, and safety not only for themselves, but also for their families."
"The overwhelming majority of foster youth in Los Angeles County come from low-income Black and Latino communities," the suit says.
The state and county agencies' alleged "failures to meet their legal duties have created a pipeline from the foster care system to homelessness, heaping trauma on top of trauma and funneling these youth to the margins of society. Transition age foster youth are forced into couch surfing, tents on city streets, dangerous adult temporary shelters, and vehicular homelessness.
With no reliable places to sleep, shower, or keep their belongings, it is virtually impossible for these youth to pursue higher education or hold down a job."
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Peace
On
Earth
Should
Begin
Now,
Not
Only
in the
Month
of
December.
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Weather Forecast by the numbers
Santa Ana winds prompt 'Red Flag' warnings
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Metropolis News Service
LOS ANGELES (CNC)—Santa Ana winds ARE again lashing parts of the Southland, combining with low humidity levels to create critical wildfire conditions.
The National Weather Service issued a "Red
Flag" warning, which will be in effect until 6 p.m. for the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, the San Gabriel Mountains, the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) freeway corridors, the Malibu Coast, Calabasas and the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.
Forecasters said mountain areas could see winds of 20 to 30 mph, gusting up to 45 mph, with isolated gusts up to 60 mph possible. Other areas will likely experience winds of 15 to 25 mph, gusting to 40 mph, with isolated gusts up to 50 mph.
Humidity levels in all areas are expected to fall to between 8% to 15 percent during the warning period, forecasters said. Winds were expected to have peaked by midday Thursday, followed by a gradual decrease that will continue through Friday. Forecasters noted, however, there was a slight chance that red flag condi- tions could linger in some of the most wind-prone areas until Friday.
"A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly," forecasters said. "Use extreme caution with anything that can spark a wildfire. Residents near wildland interfaces should be prepared to evacuate if a wildfire breaks out."
Most areas of the Southland will have above-normal temperatures Thursday, and while the winds are expected to die down, the warmer conditions are anticipated to last through Sunday thanks to continued offshore flow, according to the NWS. Coastal and valley areas should see high temperatures in the mid-70s to lower 80s over the weekend.
A "dramatic shift'" in the weather is expected by early next week, with a possibility of rain in the area by mid-week, according to the NWS.
Meanwhile, the dry and windy conditions prompted reminders from Southern California Edison that it may employee Public Safety Power Shutoffs in some areas—cutting power in areas being impacted by winds that could damage power lines and potential spark wildfires.
As of midday Thursday, 230 SCE customers in Los Angeles County were without power due to the precau- tionary program—most believed to be primarily in the Malibu/Topanga Canyon area, where an early morning fire destroyed a home and burned about five acres of brush.
SILVERLAKE
REPLENISHED. Sprawling Silverlake, in the shadow of downtown Los Angeles, which had been reduced to a literal dust- bowl in wake of the worst drought in California history, has been replenished to near capacity doe to the recent heavy rains throughout the state.
12
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