Oct. 12, 2014

Howard University Student Becomes Youngest Elected Official in D.C. History
By Daniel White

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Howard University News Service

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - In the sixth grade, Allyson Carpenter, then 10 and the youngest student in her middle school, rallied her classmates to sign a petition to get their teacher fired for what Carpenter deemed mistreatment of students.

By the time the principal called Carpenter’s mother in to discuss her daughter’s activity, young Allyson had collected 800 signatures from the entire middle school’s student body, not just the 300 sixth graders in her class.

“I’ve always assumed the role of advocate,” recalled Carpenter, now a second-year student at Howard University.  “When I realized that my classmates were suffering at the hands of an incompetent teacher, I began circulating a petition calling for the teacher to be removed.”

With that same fearlessness and passion, Carpenter this summer won election as the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for the community surrounding Howard University, and thus, at 18, became the youngest person ever to be elected to a position in the District of Columbia.

Carpenter’s mother, Alaina Carpenter, said she is really not that surprised with her daughter’s new position.

“She was always fighting for the cause when people couldn’t stick up for themselves,” her mother said.

Carpenter, a Cleveland native, is many things - deputy chief of staff to Howard’s student body president, former intern to Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown in his Cleveland and Washington offices and currently an intern with Washington’s Office of the City Administrator.

Yet, none of these roles, Carpenter said, defines her. Carpenter said she is of her own making, constantly molding herself into different forms, all with a single core - she wants to help others.

Carpenter represents Ward 1B10, which stretches from Hobart Place NW to Bryant Street NW on the north and south and from 6^th St NW to 1^st St NW on the east and west.   It includes most of Howard University’s  main campus.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC) are elected positions created in 1974 to represent residents’ concerns and wishes on a more local level. ANCs consider a wide range of policies and programs affecting their neighborhoods, including traffic, parking, recreation, street improvements, liquor licenses, zoning, economic development, police protection, sanitation and trash collection.  They communicate those concerns to City Council members and other city officials.

Commissioners like Carpenter serve two-year terms and receive no salary, but do receive grant money for the general purpose of improving their area and hiring staff.

“If you think about the ANC, it’s different from any other elected office in the District, because it really is completely a service position,” said Carpenter, who is one of more than 200 ANC commissioners.

“We don’t get paid.  We don’t get to make laws.  Our power is very limited. My job duties completely require me to work with my constituents.  They vote for me so I can work for them.”

Carpenter said she wants to bridge the gap between the needs and concerns of students at Howard and the surrounding community.

This past summer, Carpenter met with elected officials and candidates in the District, looking to get an idea of where Howard students fit into their plans. Allyson left disappointed.

“The only place they see Howard students fitting in is in their actual campaigning process,” Carpenter said.  “They want students to hand out flyers.  They want students to knock on doors.  They want students to get people to register to vote, but no where in their platforms is anything that addresses the issues that concern students.”

Leighton Watson, president of the Howard University Student Association (HUSA), met Carpenter on the Metro over the summer while they were both interning on Capitol Hill, striking up a conversation on how to help other students at Howard.

Watson said he was impressed by Carpenter’s desire to help others.

“She has an insatiable drive to make a difference wherever she is,” said Watson, who named Carpenter to his HUSA staff.  “She does not care really about positions or titles. She really cares about making a difference for every Howard University student, which is why we get along so well.”

Carpenter took action over the summer.  She and HUSA members and volunteers went door-to-door surveying residents, getting a bearing on problems in the neighborhood. They collected data, which many of this year’s HUSA initiatives are centered around.

“If we present ourselves as better neighbors, I think a lot of the complaints that you get about Howard students they’ll start to go away,” Carpenter said. “We want to bridge the gap. We will bridge the gap.”

Keith D. Miles, chief of staff for the Howard University Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, met Carpenter when she was accepted to the freshman leadership academy, a program for first year students seeking to challenge themselves in leadership and service.

“I think her leadership skillset was developed prior to coming to Howard,” Miles said. “She is inclusive of those she serves and always aware of the situation occurring before her, he said.

Carpenter said a pre-college summer program at Harvard University taught her that she had to be active when advocating for her interests. This meant no sitting on the sidelines.

Miles described Carpenter’s leadership style as “beyond her years.”

“She’s very determined,” he said.  “I think that says a lot.  She’s not one to throw a bunch of ideas out to see what sticks. Before she makes a statement, it’s thought out.

Carpenter’s mother said while she is proud of her daughter, it is less about her accomplishment than who she is as a person.

“I’m more proud of her as the woman she has become,” she said.  “Your gift can take you to the top, but it’s your character that’s going to keep you there. I’m more proud of her as the young lady of character and integrity she is.”

Oct. 5, 2014

Blackonomics
Black political dilemma
By James Clingman     

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - I know you political junkies are on the edge of your seats now that Dr. Ben Carson has said he will likely run for President.  I have been waiting to see what Black folks will do when President Obama leaves office.  Well, we are about to find out now, aren’t we?  Can you imagine a race between Carson and Hillary?  Black voters won’t know whether they are pitching or catching if that happens.  I can’t wait!

What will the commentators say?  What will the current political insiders talk about?  If the prospect of having the “first” Black President was great in 2008, I would think the prospect of having the “second” will be just as fantastic, right?  “Not so fast,” some of you are saying.

“Carson is Black, but he is a staunch conservative; we can’t vote for him.”  That would be the hue and cry from so-called liberal Black folks.  On the other hand, to vote for a White woman over a Black man, for some Black voters would also be a big dilemma.

The possibilities are endless with this one, folks.  To which candidate do you think Black people would give the majority of their votes?  Can you envision Obama supporters, who thought it was so important to elect a Black person to the highest office in the world, saying in 2015-2016 that it’s a bad idea this time around?  The debates will be very interesting.  All of a sudden politics is getting my attention.  I am stocking up on popcorn now.

Carson dissed Obama at that prayer breakfast, you know.  He is also the darling of Fox News commentators, who eventually said, “nein, nein, nein” to Herman Cain.  Carson also rails against Obamacare and initiatives put forth by the President and, if Carson is nominated, there will be a pit-bull fight in 2016.  How will Black people justify their votes this time?  Hillary and Wall Street or Carson and Wall Street?  Hillary and no reparations or Carson and no reparations?

How will Black folks fare economically under a Ben Carson administration as opposed to a Hillary Clinton administration?  Carson is a free market guy, and Hillary has no problem with free market either.  Carson made his millions after pulling himself up from nothing, and Hillary says she and Bill were dead broke when they left the White House.  As a matter of fact, during their time in Arkansas they had no home other than the Governor’s Mansion.  Talk about Horatio Alger stories; this is really going to be good.  They can debate on whose situation was worse, and we can cast our votes for the winner.

Black people have been so ensconced in having the first Black President that for many it’s really going to be sad to see Barack Obama leave.  Politically, he is all they have.  What will Peggy Joseph do about putting gas in her car and paying her mortgage, as she said when he was elected? (See YouTube.com) What will Al Sharpton do?  I guess he could get close to Hillary if she wins, but you know Carson will have nothing to do with him.

If Carson wins MSNBC and Fox News will trade places by changing their conversations about the President.  MSNBC will constantly rail against Carson, and Fox will simply celebrate Carson as their messiah this time.  Ain’t politics great!?

On a more serious note, elections have consequences.  After six years of President Obama in office, Black people are assessing our progress under his leadership.  Some say he has done well, and others say he has done very little on behalf of Black people.  The fact remains that he will exit his position in two years.  What are we going to do, after reaching the ultimate symbolic high and staying there for two terms?  As Peter said to Jesus, “To whom shall we go?”

Have we invested too much emotion in Obama’s presidency and not enough substantive content?  Whether it’s Ben Carson or another Republican, or whether Hillary, the odds-on favorite, moves into the White House in two years, we must decide where we will go and how we will get there.  In my opinion, we have wasted six years of political positioning by not carrying our demands to Obama the way other groups did when he was elected.

Our political dilemma has never been the lack of a “Black” President.  It has been and continues to be our lack of political involvement beyond voting, our failure to build political power based on an economic power base, and our reliance of political symbolism over political substance.  Our political dilemma should move us to appropriate action; we must plan now for whoever moves into the White House in 2016.

Oct. 5, 2014

Ebola in America: CDC, White House Fighting Fears with Information
By Hazel Trice Edney

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Dr. Tom Frieden,
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the
Oval Office, Sept. 30, 2014. Dr. Frieden updated the President on the
recently-diagnosed Ebola case in Dallas, Texas.  PHOTO: Pete Souza/The White House.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - As the first death from the deadly Ebola virus has occurred in the U. S. this week, the Centers for Disease Control and the White House are pressing to thwart fears with information. 

Thomas Eric Duncan, a native Liberian, who had traveled to Dallas, Texas from West Africa,  died Wednesday, Oct 8, after he was diagnosed Sept. 30. Duncan had shown no symptoms until a few days after he arrived in the U. S. Sept. 20. He had been isolated at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas since Sept. 28 where he has died.

The CDC says officials are desperately trying to prevent spread of the virus by monitoring at least 50 people who came in contact with Duncan; with nine being at higher risk. As of Sunday, none had shown any symptoms.

News of America now dealing with its first death from Ebola has sparked worry across the U. S. because the disease has killed more than 3,400 people in West Africa. Two American aid workers, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, were diagnosed in Africa, but successfully treated in America with experimental drugs. A 33-year-old NBC freelance cameraman Ashoka Mukpo was being transported from Liberia to the U.S. on Monday also with the deadly virus.

There is no known cure or vaccine. But, the CDC also reports that half of the people who have contracted the virus in Africa have survived it. 

President Obama has announced he will send 3,000 troops to help keep order, build hospitals, labs and other medical facilities. He said this week that an additional 1,000 might be sent. Meanwhile, Americans are on edge with questions about how the virus spreads, what the symptoms are and how to avoid contracting the disease. The following is information that has been posted by the CDC and the White House in attempt to answer questions, dispel myths and educate about the disease:

Ebola History and Background

Ebola was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, outbreaks of Ebola among humans have appeared sporadically in Africa. Ebola viruses are found in several African countries, including Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

Symptoms of Ebola

Fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, lack of appetite, and abnormal bleeding are the common symptoms. Symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola virus though 8-10 days is most common.

How Ebola is Transmitted

It is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected symptomatic person or through exposure to objects (such as needles) that have been contaminated with infected secretions. Ebola is not a respiratory disease like the flu, so it is not transmitted through the air. Neither is Ebola transmitted through food or water in the United States. Individuals who are not symptomatic are not contagious. In order for the virus to be transmitted, an individual would have to have direct contact with an individual who is experiencing symptoms or has died of the disease. Individuals who are not symptomatic are not contagious.

In order for the virus to be transmitted, an individual would have to have direct contact with an individual who is experiencing symptoms or has died of the disease. Ebola is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth) with blood or body fluids (including but not limited to urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola; objects (like needles and syringes) that have been contaminated with the virus; infected animals.

Though Ebola is not spread through the air , water, or generally by food,  Ebola may be spread as a result of handling bushmeat (wild animals hunted for food) and contact with infected bats. There is no evidence that mosquitos or other insects can transmit the Ebola virus. Only mammals (like  humans, bats, monkeys, and apes) have shown the ability to become infected with and spread Ebola virus.

Treatment

CDC Director Tom Frieden said the medical response for anyone who has contracted the disease is threefold:

Prevention

To protect yourself from Ebola, wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer; Medical personnel must wear protective gear; Do not touch the blood or body fluids (like urine, feces,saliva, vomit, sweat, and semen) of people who are sick; Do not handle items that may have come in contact with a sick person’s blood or body fluids, like clothes, bedding, needles, or medical equipment. Do not touch the body of someone who has died of Ebola.

"I have no doubt," Dr. Frieden said, "that we will control this case of Ebola, so that it does not spread widely in this country."

Oct. 5, 2014

First Family in Danger
Secret Service Head Resigns Amid White House Security Breaches

President Barack Obama watches as Vice President Joe Biden administers the oath of office to then incoming U.S.
Secret Service Director Julia Pierson March 27, 2013. Nineteen months later Pierson has resigned amidst major security breaches at the White House.

PHOTO: Pete Souza/The White House

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Richmond Free Press

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The director of the U.S. Secret Service, who faced blistering criticism for her agency’s string of breakdowns jeopardizing the security of President Obama and his family, resigned Wednesday, Oct. 1.

Julia Pierson, 55, stepped down amid mounting pressure from Democrats and Republicans. She had led the agency for the last 16 months.

“I think this lady needs to go,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md.

The ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said he had trouble sleeping Tuesday night after hearing Ms. Pierson’s testimony before the committee.

The criticism of the Secret Service came to a head after revelations that the man who breached security at the White House on Sept. 19 penetrated much farther into the building than previously disclosed.

“How on earth did it happen?” asked committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif. He stressed the fact that Omar Gonzalez, an Army veteran of the Iraq War, had breached at least five rings of security at the White House.

Gonzalez, 42, was charged with unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. Officials said he was carrying a knife when he jumped the White House fence, sprinted across the lawn and entered the Executive Mansion.

A prosecutor said in court last week that officers found more than 800 rounds of ammunition, two hatchets and a machete in Gonzalez’s car.

A Secret Service official who spoke on condition of anonymity said an alarm box near the front entrance of the White House had been muted when Mr. Gonzalez entered the Executive Mansion, according to The Washington Post.

Mr. Gonzalez was previously arrested in July with a sniper rifle and a map on which the Executive Mansion was marked, the prosecutor said.

The Post reported that Mr. Gonzalez ran past a sentry immediately inside the door, past the stairway leading up to the first family’s living quarters and through the East Room, before an off-duty Secret Service agent tackled him.

An initial statement from the Secret Service, approved by Ms. Pierson, claimed that Mr. Gonzalez was apprehended just inside the doors to the North Portico.

The alarm box near the entrance, designed to alert guards to an intruder, had been muted at what officers believe was the request of the usher’s office, the Post reported, citing the Secret Service official.

The officer posted inside the door appeared to be delayed in learning the intruder was about to come through, the Post reported. Officers are trained to lock the front door immediately if they learn of an intruder on the grounds.

Also revealed this week is the fact that a gun-carrying felon rode an elevator with President Obama and his protective detail — just three days before the fence-jumping incident.

That security breach occurred while the president was in Atlanta to discuss the Ebola outbreak with officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A private security contractor, working with the Secret Service advance team for the president’s trip, entered the elevator and began acting strangely, refusing to stop using a cellphone to record President Obama when ordered to do so.

A supervisor from the contractor’s firm fired him immediately upon learning of his behavior — and then confiscated his firearm.

Prior to the supervisor’s action, the president’s protective detail was unaware that the contractor was carrying a gun.

It was later revealed that the man had three convictions for assault and battery.

“Words aren’t strong enough for the outrage I feel for the safety of the president and his family,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security.

“His life was in danger. This country would be a different world today if (the contractor) had pulled out his gun.”

Testifying Tuesday, Ms. Pierson called the breakdown in White House security “unacceptable,” but called for most of the hearing to be closed to the public.

After the public hearing Tuesday, the committee held a classified hearing on the issue.

Ms. Pierson joined the Secret Service in 1984. President Obama named her the agency’s first female director last year.

After Ms. Pierson’s resignation, Joseph Clancy was appointed interim director.

Mr. Clancy was special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Presidential Protective Division before retiring from the agency three years ago. He was one of the agents who famously jogged with President Bill Clinton.