Press Releases
National Action Network Across America
—NAN has been active around the country with our chapters all across America expanding initiatives and fighting civil rights issues that impact all people. Among the key issues that the organization is championing include anti-violence, immigration, education, decency, criminal justice, and much more. We invite you to become involved and find out what is happening in your region. Our website is updated regularly to share new developments with you about cases in your City.
WEEK OF OCTOBER 1, 2010
National Field Office Be on the look out for upcoming chapters in various cities across the country. Please feel free to call our National office @ (212) 690-3070 or the National field office @ (646)981-5972 for information on how you can join one of the following upcoming chapters:
Buffalo, NY; Cincinnati, OH; Akron, OH; Daytona Beach, FL; Charlotte, NC; and Raleigh, NC Atlanta, GA Chapter
Please join NAN Atlanta at their Open House Event on October 30, 2010, 2pm-6pm at NAN’s Southeast Regional Office, 632 Peeples St., Atlanta, GA 30310. Please contact the Southeast Regional Office at 678-732-0405 for more information.
Atlantic City, NJ Chapter
Outraged at the violence, we participated in several rallies and vigils from the shootings in Atlantic City and we are in the process of co-sponsoring a gun buy back program in October.
We remain active in the Franklin Township incident involving several black students and their parents being attacked at school by the police. We are also active in the Pennsgrove Township where Mr. Leach was strangled to death by police officers who have not been charged. Also, in Winslow Township where chapter member Gordon Sunkett’s family member was strangled to death while in police custody at a WaWa no charges to date.
We have a victory in reference to the firehouse in Atlantic City where several white firemen sexually assaulted several black female youths in the firehouse in May of 2009. No one has been charged to date. We protested in the rain and shine in 2009 every morning for 43 days in front of the firehouse which is located across the street from two schools. On September 2010 one of the firemen involved was terminated from his employment as a Fireman in Atlantic City.
Click on the below link to read the article posted December 24, 2009, in regards to the judge throwing out the internal charges with the firehouse case.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/atlantic_city/article_ab78a6e0-f0a1-11de-969b-001cc4c03286.html
Bay City, TX Chapter
Chapter President Joyce Black has been dealing with an alarming rate of employment discrimination cases throughout the state of Texas. Ms. Black says that the chapter is receiving an approximate average of 40 cases per month and most claims appear to be valid.
Chicago, IL Chapter
Chapter President Maureen Forte has conducted trainings that have provided Deputy Registrars in all 50 Wards in Chicago and its surrounding suburban areas. They have also recently registered voters in Chicago’s 3rd Ward which was recently reported about in the South Street Journal Newspaper. Ms. Forte and members are also collaborating efforts with members of clergy and others to develop community patrols to assist them in decreasing some of the violence in their immediate surroundings. Chapter Chairman Lou Myers, stated just recently that their were 53 people shot in a 48 hour time period over a weekend of which nine of those people were killed. Chapter members from the chapter also participated Saturday, September 25th in a “Stop the Violence” event at the Regal Theatre along with Radio Host Steve Harvey and motivational speaker Les Brown. Chapter President Maureen Forte said that members and other concerned community residents are currently coordinating their own anti-violence forums to deal with the alarming rate of people being killed daily, particularly on the South Side of Chicago, IL.
Detroit, MI Chapter
Chapter President Rev. Horace Sheffield and members have been working very diligently around the electoral politics in their vicinity. They have been working to not only voter educate, but to register people for their most recent and elections in the Detroit area.
Eunice, LA Chapter
The chapter is traveling to Shreveport, Louisiana in the upcoming week to investigate alleged unfair treatment of students in the local school system. We are also in the process of assisting the organization of the Lake Charles NAN chapter. This chapter is working with families of the Jennings, Louisiana murders. Families allege police harassment as they search for the murderer. The killings began in spring 2005. Bodies of seven other women, ranging from 17-29 have been found since then. Police have yet to say the deaths are those of a serial killer.
Florence, SC Chapter
Supporting Antoine James, 24, who was shot by Officer Alex Ussery three times. Police say Ussery tried to pull over James for speeding on Oakland Avenue. Police say James didn’t comply and took off toward Ussery and that’s when the officer fired three shots at the car, hitting Chapter President says they have evidence to the contrary. A rally is planned for the 1st Saturday in October.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office found Officer Alex Ussery did not act improperly when he shot Antoine James during an incident in January. NAN Chapter President, Councilman Ed Robinson alleges that policeman was reckless. Forest, VA Chapter Chapter President Rev. James Coleman and Field Director Garnelle Stamps have been dealing with a large number of employment discrimination cases within their area and particularly the Lynchburg, VA area. In Lynchburg, there is an oriental restaurant chain that has had several complaints lodged against it by employees stating that they have been verbally abused and berated by some of the management and store owners of this establishment. The chapter is currently investigating these claims and considering whether or not these complaints are a common practice of this business throughout the nation.
Harlem, NY Chapter
The Chapter’s Employment Committee Chair, Chris Peoples and members will be participating in the One Nation March and Rally Saturday, October 2nd in Washington, DC. Ms. Peoples says that the primary focus of this event will be to “Put America Back To Work” and it is in this spirit, that she will be organizing members of the committee that are unemployed and underemployed to support One Nation’s efforts. She will also be hosting NAN’s Job Fair on Thursday, October 21st from 12-4pm at the “House of Justice Headquarters” 106 W. 145th St. & Lenox Ave. in NYC. For further information or if you are an employer and would like to participate as a provider of employment, please feel free to contact NAN at 877-626-4651.
Jackson, MS Chapter
This chapter is organizing a protest against Jackson, Mississippi’s Clarion Ledger Newspaper for making negative remarks regarding City Council Member Kenneth Stokes. The Clarion Ledger wrote a story saying that he misappropriated funds. The chapter is working on organizing a rally in support of the Scott Sister’s case in Mississippi. Two sisters, Gladys and Jamie Scott, have served 15 years of two life sentences for participating in a robbery that netted $11.00 dollars. In 1998, one of the sentenced men signed an affidavit along with two others explaining the Scott sisters were not involved with the crime. Their attorney at the time submitted a request for commutation of sentence and/or pardon to the governor. It was denied. For more information on these two women, go to http://freethescottsisters.blogspot.com/.
Jersey City, NJ Chapter
The Chapter President Carolyn Oliver-Fair is handling a number of serious police brutality cases in the New Brunswick, Rahway, and particularly one case in the E. Orange vicinity, involving the brutal beating of a 17-yr old girl. The chapter is also hosting membership drives in their surrounding areas.
Milford, DE Chapter
Chapter President Rev. Greg Nelson will be conducting a number of community membership drives within their surrounding areas. A lot of the members were truly inspired by their participation in the “Reclaim the Dream Rally and March” on August 28th in Washington, DC and feel the need to come back to their areas as follow-up and build a solid movement. If you live in Delaware and are interested in getting involved in their efforts feel free to make contact with President Nelson through the National Action Networks website.
Philadelphia, PA Chapter
Chapter President Greg Brinkley and members participated in a support rally Monday, September 27th for the family of two and eight year old victims of gun violence. These two brothers were shot simultaneously by stray bullets last week as they sat on the steps of their home in Southwest Philadelphia.
The eight year old was shot in the buttocks and has to use a walker to walk but has been released from the hospital. However, his two year old brother that is still hospitalized and was shot near his groin area remains in a great deal of pain. Members also are currently conducting neighborhood chapter membership drives and their Political Director Gerald Pilgrim has been meeting with various political groups in their immediate area and surrounding Center City and King of Prussia areas in order to fulfill their mission of increasing voter’s participation in the upcoming elections.
Shreveport, LA Chapter
The chapter is holding voter registration drives in area churches every Sunday through the first Sunday in October. The chapter has registered approximately 30 people. In the process of organizing a debate on race to address the racial divide in the 4th congressional district of Louisiana. No date has been set as of yet.
Slidell, LA Chapter
The Slidell chapter is working on the following cases:
Ms. Javery Mark was fired from a beauty salon and feels civil rights have been violated. The chapter referred her to Attorney’s EECO to the U.S. Department of Justice and several other agencies to file a formal complaint.
Tron Miller was stopped and charged for Marijuana possession is being assisted by the Chapter. He was referred to an attorney and chapter has accompanied him to court as well as testified under oath on his behalf.
Springfield, MO Chapter
Chapter President Arthur Hodge is dealing with an alarming number of cases where he feels African Americans that are poor and underprivileged are not being treated fairly in or outside of the Missouri court systems. Mr. Hodge says, “Often times the courts appear to be biased against people of color and that too many Blacks are being used and abused by a system the was supposed to be set up to help them.” He states, “His chapter will continue to advocate and fight on behalf of these victims and that he has received little or no assistance at all from the African American politicians in his vicinity on these matters.”
Syracuse, NY Chapter
Chapter President Walt Dixie and his members are currently working on trying to help solve the unemployment issues in their area by hosting a series of forums and networking with a variety of organizations that support these efforts. They will also be hosting membership drives within the Syracuse area and particularly in the Jubilee Park. The Chapter President, chapter members and the surrounding community residents are developing a Supermarket Initiative. The initiative will be to continue their efforts to build economically in their community black-owned businesses.
The Syracuse chapter along with the local Syracuse chapter of the NAACP and their members are also investigating the mysterious and recent deaths of inmates in custody at some of their local county jails. Their have been a total of four deaths reported this year and the prisoners families are concerned that perhaps some foul play or negligence has occurred. He and the members along with the “Every Street,” Not Wall Street organization and the One Nation Working Together coalition will be conducting a community feast and voter registration drive Thursday, September 30th at 6:00pm. President Dixie says that it will be very important to make sure that we get people as excited about turning out to vote in upcoming elections as they were when President Obama was elected.
Washington, DC Chapter
Chapter President Ronald Bethea and members will be advocating on behalf of independently owned and operated taxicab driver issues and concerns. President Bethea says that the D.C. City Council and the Fenty administration have put illegal meters in cabs and as a result of this, 2200 cab drivers have lost their cars. They will begin hosting a series of town hall meetings soon to bring these issues to the public’s awareness.
The chapter will be conducting membership drives in the surrounding DC areas. To join them in their chapter efforts please contact Mr. Bethea via [email protected].
Waukegan, IL Chapter
Chapter President Christopher Blanks and members continue their efforts to actively campaign against youth violence within their communities. They are working closely with youth to provide alternative activities for them to participate in such as hosting a variety of cultural, poetry and rap sessions to give youth something productive to participate in.
Western Region
The Western Regional Director Tony Wafford met with Mr. Danny Bakewell, Sr. President of NNPA and owner of the Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper to secure support from both NNPA and the Sentinel to run a number of stories, articles and op-ed on and about HIV/AIDS in Black America. The targeted audience for this event is African American men and women 19-75. They also plan to begin working on community forums and conventions for the 2010-2011 fiscal year of the AAALI project. The targeted audience is also African American men and women ages 18-75. Mr. Wafford also met with a number of partners to plan a community town hall meeting on October 12th to address the National Strategy on HIV/AIDS.