1 www.cnyvision.

com | march 14 - 20 | 2013

www.cnyvision.com
Without a Vision The People Perish
vision
cny
syracuse ny vol. 3 no. 51 march 14 - 20 2013
cover P6
also inside P7
Women Seeking Accountability
in Military Justice System
Rhameek Tuitt leaves a memory of grace
2 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
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CALENDAR
march
{COVER P 6 - 7
Military sexual assault victims detail
humiliation
{local P 4
Miner: Reductions would have a
devestating impact to the safety of
aircraft, personnel, putting thousands of
lives at risk
Indian nations and neighbors
commemorate 400th Anniversary of two
Row Wampum Treaty
Syracuse Mayor calls on FAA to keep
overnight shift at Hancock Airport
NYS breaks monthly job growth record
in January but unemployment rates still
increase
{STATE P 5
Report: $17M of $50M available NY
ED grants awarded
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo not opposed
to legalizing mixed martial arts
NYC soda decision just temporary
setback
NYS breaks monthly job growth record
in January
{NATIONAL P 8
NAACP-LDF leader calls for civil rights
focus on new economy
{OPINIONS/EDITORIAL P 10-11
Was integration a good thing for black
people? Probably not

By Dr. Boyce Watkins
The african-american search for a new
identity
By Kof Quaye
In This Issue:
1 www.cnyvision.com| march 14 - 20 | 2013
www.cnyvision.com
Without a Vision The People Perish
vision
cny
syracuse ny vol. 3 no. 51 march 14 - 20 2013
cover P6
also inside P7
Military sexual assault victims
detail humiliation
Rhameek Tuitt leaves a memory of grace
vision
cny
without a vision
THE PEOPLE PERISH
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Board of Educaton Meetng
Time: 5:30pm
Locaton: School District Central Ofce,
725 Harrison St
Meetngs of the Board of Educaton are
generally held on the 2nd Wednesday of
every month. All business meetngs are
open to the public and a porton of the
agenda is set aside for speakers. For more
informaton, please contact the Board
Ofce at (315) 435-4691. Board Agendas
and Minutes are posted here.
13
Hickok Ave 200 Neighborhood Watch
Time: 6:30pm
Locaton: TBA
The Neighborhood Watch Groups of
Syracuse meetng schedule is subject
to change. Updated schedules are
posted throughout the month on the
Neighborhood Watch website at www.
SyracuseNeighborhoodWatch.org. For
more informaton, please contact Tony
Borelli at (315) 448-8762 or email nwgs@
syracuseneighborhoodwatch.org.
14
Southside Quadrant Neighborhood Watch
Meetng
Time: 7:00pm
Locaton: St. Pauls United Methodist
Church, 2200 Valley Dr.
Rear Entrance. Meets in conjuncton with
Webster Pond Neighborhood Watch.
Open to all Southside Neighborhood
Watch groups.
Neighborhood Watch Groups of Syracuse
has implemented Neighborhood Watch
Quadrant Meetngs on the Northside,
Southside, Eastside, and Westside.
These meetngs ofer Neighborhood
Watch Groups and their members the
opportunity to come together to learn
about new programs and initatves.
Quadrant Meetngs will be convened
as needed as an efcient way for crime
related informaton to be delivered to
neighborhood watch members, providing
a valuable resource for the growing
number of actve watch groups.
The Neighborhood Watch Groups of
Syracuse meetng schedule is subject
to change. Updated schedules are
posted throughout the month on the
Neighborhood Watch website at www.
SyracuseNeighborhoodWatch.org. For
more informaton, please contact Tony
Borelli at (315) 448-8762 or email nwgs@
syracuseneighborhoodwatch.org.
16
Farmers Market at the CNY Regional
Market
Time: 7:00am 2:00pm
Locaton: 2100 Park St
Open year round. Also open Thursdays
10-6 from May to November. For more
informaton: cnyrma.com.
3 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
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Assemblymember Sam Roberts, D
Syracuse, announced this week that his
sponsored legislaton for both a two-
year moratorium on hydrofracking,
and an increase of minimum wage to
$9 an hour passed the Assembly.
As a result, the issuance of
hydrofracking permits in New York will
now be delayed untl May 15, 2015. In
additon, the later bill will index the
minimum wage to infaton beginning
in 2015, refectng annual changes in
the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and
set wages for food service workers
who receive tps to $6.21 per hour,
Roberts said.
In April of 2011 he held a hydrofracking forum to gauge public opinion on
the issue. Members of the community noted that while there could be great
economic benefts associated with hydrofracking, damage to Central New Yorks
natural resources like Skaneateles and Otsco lakes, and its efects on the citys
drinking water, were a concern, he said.
Ultmately, With the informaton currently available, we just dont know if
hydrofracking could afect our drinking water, Roberts said. There is simply
too much at stake to not give this issue the tme it needs to be fully explored.
Additonally, he said he fought to raise minimum wage because central New York
families needed a boost.
The bump in wages would directly beneft nearly 1 million New Yorkers
currently earning below $9.00 an hour, Roberts stated. Overall, 36.7 percent
of Syracuse residents live below the poverty line. In fact, in Syracuse alone, 53
percent of children live in poverty, the second-highest rate among New Yorks
largest cites.
New Yorks minimum wage has increased just 10 cents per hour in the last six
years and was last raised when the federal minimum wage increased from $7.15
to $7.25 an hour in 2009, according to ofcials. In the past decade, the percent
increase in CPI ranged from 1.6 percent to 3.8 percent annually. Over that tme,
gasoline prices rose 169 percent; educaton 72 percent; household energy
costs 49 percent; medical care 45 percent; groceries 32 percent; and clothing 2
percent.
LOCAL
Roberts Passes Legislation to
Delay Hydrofracking, Increase
Minimum Wage
YouownorrentapropertyinOnondagaCounty
builtbefore1978,and
Yourfamilyorthefamilylivingintherental
propertymeetsincomeguidelines,and
Hasachildundertheageofsixlivingthereor
visitingoften.
435-3558
Community Development
Call Onondaga County
You may be eligible for a grant to remove lead
from your property if:
windows, doors, siding & porch repair
Grants available for new
Joanne M. Mahoney
County Executive
Bob DeMore
Director
EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNI TY
www.ongov.net/cd
Assemblymember Sam Roberts
4 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
LOCAL
SYRACUSE, N.Y. Mayor Stephanie
Miner has sent a leter to Michael
Huerta, head of the Federal Aviaton
Administraton, calling on the agency
to preserve the overnight shif at
the Syracuse Hancock Internatonal
Airport. In the leter, Mayor Miner
cites the extreme weather conditons
the airport ofen receives in additon
to its status as a prime divert airport
for several of the natons largest
airports as reasons to preserve the
overnight shif.
These represent some of the safety
concerns that could become reality
with the eliminaton of the midnight
shif, said Mayor Miner in her leter.
Other detrimental impacts to an
already distressed industry will follow,
which is why we are urging you to
reconsider eliminatng the overnight
shif at the SYR Air Trafc Control
Tower. To do so would compromise
the safety and security of Syracuse
Hancock Internatonal Airport.
The airport is a natonal leader in snow
removal. It has been recognized by the
Northeast Chapter of the American
Associaton of Airport Executves. They
have received the top award for snow
removal on ten separate occasions.
Air trafc control is critcal to the
ongoing maintenance operatons of
the airport. Airport staf has access
to actve taxiways for the purposes of
snow removal and air trafc control
is critcal in preserving the safety of
planes and personnel.
Additonally, Syracuse Hancock
Internatonal Airport has the
designaton of being a prime divert
airport for the New York Metroplex,
Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington
D.C. area airports. Emergency
diversions are a common occurrence
for the Syracuse airport given the
strategic locaton and importance in
the FAA Northeast Trafc Management
Plan.
Miner: Reductions Would Have a Devastating Impact to
the Safety of Aircraft, Personnel, Putting Thousands of Lives at Risk
Indian Nations and Neighbors
Commemoratate 400th Anniversary of Two Row Wampum Treaty
Leaders of the Onondaga Naton, part
of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy,
and Neighbors of the Onondaga
Naton have announced the
beginning of a state-wide educatonal
campaign, commemoratng the 400th
anniversary of the Two Row Wampum
treaty signed with the Dutch.
The Two Row Wampum treaty is
the frst treaty signed between the
Haudenosaunee and Europeans who
were just beginning to setle in what
they called the New World.
The treaty established diplomatc
protocols that have lasted 400 years.
The Two Row is the oldest and is the
grandfather of all Subsequent treates,
said Oren Lyons, faith keeper of the
Onondaga Natons Turtle Clan who
has represented the Haudenosaunee
(Iroquois) Confederacy in world
councils at the United Natons and
elsewhere. This campaign is to
remind people of the importance of
the agreements.
A two-week canoe trip from Albany to
New York City is scheduled to push of
on July 28 to symbolize the separate
but cooperatve paths represented in
the two rows of purple beads used
in the wampum belt that records the
treaty.
Syracuse Mayor Calls on FAA to Keep Overnight Shift at Hancock Airport
Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner has
warned the FAA of a drastc impact
on regional air carriers if the agency
ends overnight operatons at Hancock
Internatonal Airports air trafc
control tower.
In a leter sent to Michael Huerta, head
of the Federal Aviaton Administraton,
Minor is calling on the agency to
preserve the overnight shif because
Hancock is a prime divert airport for
several of the natons largest airports.
The FAA took comments from airport
executves and others concerned about
the proposal through Wednesday,
March 13. A fnal ruling is expected on
Monday, March 18.
Furloughs for air trafc controllers and
TSA workers will begin about April 7,
unless Congress comes up with an
alternatve opton.
In arguing against the proposed cuts
Minor also cites extreme weather
conditons in Syracuse as a reason to
preserve the overnight shif.
These represent some of the safety
concerns that could become reality
with the eliminaton of the midnight
shif, wrote Miner. Other detrimental
impacts to an already distressed
industry will follow.
Miner emphasizes that Hancock
Internatonal Airport is a prime divert
airport for New York City, Philadelphia,
Boston, and Washington D.C. area
airports. Emergency diversions are a
common occurrence for the Syracuse
airport given the strategic locaton
and importance in the FAA Northeast
Trafc Management Plan
The airport is a natonal leader in snow
removal. It has been recognized by the
Northeast Chapter of the American
Associaton of Airport Executves. They
have received the top award for snow
removal on ten separate occasions.
Air trafc control is critcal to the
ongoing maintenance operatons of
the airport. Airport staf has access
to actve taxiways for the purposes of
snow removal and air trafc control
is critcal in preserving the safety of
planes and personnel.
NYS Breaks Monthly Job Growth Record
in January But Unemployment Rates Still Increase
New York States economy has added
29,600 jobs in January, breaking a
record with 17 consecutve months of
private sector jobs.
Januarys job count, as compared to
the natonal fgure of 166,000 jobs
added for the same month, means
that nearly one out of every fve jobs
added in the naton were created in
New York.
New York States strong economy
contnues to grow in 2013 and is
setng records for consecutve job
growth. In January, the states private
sector job count increased by 29,600,
accountng for nearly one in fve jobs
created in the naton, said Boyden M.
Winy, deputy director of the Division
of Research and Statstcs.
The private sector job count is based
on a payroll survey of 18,000 New
York employers conducted by the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statstcs.
Despite record job growth
unemployment also rose. Between
December 2012 and January 2013, the
states unemployment rate rose from
8.2 to 8.4 percent.
The rate in New York City increased
from 8.8 to 9.1 percent, and the rate in
the balance of state region (New York
State outside of New York City) rose
from 7.8 to 7.9 percent.
Due to the sample size, this survey
is considered a reliable gauge of the
states economy for any given month.
In contrast, the unemployment rate
as determined by BLS is calculated
primarily on the results of a telephone
survey of 3,100 households in New
York State. Due to the small sample
size, this survey is not comprehensive.

Monthly labor force data, including
unemployment rates, are also revised
at the end of each year, using methods
established by the BLS. The revised
data show that New Yorks labor force
climbed by 59,000 between 2011
and 2012 as more state residents had
renewed confdence about fnding a
job in the state.
Refectng New Yorks growing labor
force, the states annual average
unemployment rate rose from 8.3
percent in 2011 to 8.5 percent in 2012.
Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner
5 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
STATE
Report:$17M of $50M available NY ed grants awarded
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- New York states
use of compettve grants for certain
educaton initatves benefted only a
relatve handful of students during the
initatves frst year.
Thats the conclusion of a new report
that says Gov. Andrew Cuomos plans
to expand the practce might be
premature.
The Citzens Budget Commission found
only about 10 percent of the states
nearly 700 school districts applied for
$25 million Cuomo made available for
performance improvement grants for
the current school year. Even fewer
districts went afer $25 million in
management efciency grants and
fewer stll received money.
About $17 million was awarded.
The Cuomo administraton expects
more competton for the expanded
grant opportunites contained in next
years budget, now that most districts
have adopted a teacher evaluaton
system. That was a requirement that
eliminated many districts from the
frst round of awards.
NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo not opposed to legalizing mixed martial arts
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) Gov. Andrew
Cuomo says hes not personally
opposed to mixed martal arts and is
invitng its promoters to make the case
that New York will get an economic
boost from legalizing it.
By a 47-15 vote, the state Senate last
week again approved a bill to legalize
and regulate the combat sport that
includes boxing, judo, wrestling and
kickboxing. Most states allow it,
with bouts sometmes broadcast on
natonal television.
Sen. Joseph Grifo, R-Rome, was the
bills sponsor. Every senator from
Central New York voted to legalize
mixed martal arts.
The Assembly has blocked the
legislaton for seven years. Opponents
critcizing the sports violence and
calling it a bad example for children.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said
last week he now expects it to be
legalized, though hes unsure when.
Cuomo says today he wants to discuss
its economics during the current
legislatve session.
He says its something that should be
pursued, defnitely.
NYC soda decision just temporary setback
NEW YORK (AP) Eateries from corner
delis to movie concession stands have
goten a last-minute reprieve from
the natons frst ban on big sugary
drinks. But Mayor Michael Bloomberg
is urging them to shrink their cups and
botles anyway.
Afer a judge struck down the
16-ounce size limit for sodas and some
other sweet drinks as arbitrary and
outside city health regulators purview,
Bloomberg defended it Tuesday as a
groundbreaking ant-obesity efort
that would prevail on appeal and is
already beginning to change attudes
and actual practces.
Despite yesterdays temporary
setback, I dont think theres any
doubt that momentum is moving in
our directon, Bloomberg said during
a visit to a Manhatan diner that is now
voluntarily complying with the policy,
ditching 20-ounce botles of soda and
reserving 24-ounce to-go cups for iced
cofee.
We are confdent that we will win
that (appeal), but while the legal case
plays out, the conversaton we started
about the dangers of the porton sizes
of sugary drinks has prompted many
people ... to take acton, he said. A
few hours later, the city fled formal
notce of its plan to appeal.
It was a sign of how aggressively
Bloomberg, an independent, sees
the citys role in pushing New Yorkers
to improve their health habits and
nudging other cites to do likewise.
But it remains to be seen whether
the city that was frst to compel chain
restaurants to post calorie counts and
bar artfcial trans fats in restaurant
food will ultmately prevail in capping
soda portons.
For now, though, the ruling means the
ax wont fall Tuesday on supersized
sodas, sweetened teas and other
high-sugar beverages in restaurants,
hot dog carts, arenas and even cofee
shops.
The rule has sparked reacton from
pizzeria counters to late-night talk
shows, celebrated by some as a bold
atempt to improve peoples health
and derided by others as another
nanny state law from Bloomberg
during his 11 years in ofce.
On the Late Show with David
Leterman Monday night, Bloomberg
defended the ban, but he also joked
about his own addicton.
As long as you dont ban Cheez-Its,
he said. Cheez-Its are OK. Thats my
addicton.
Jose Perez, a special educaton teacher,
said Monday as he got a can of soda
and a hot dog from a street vendor,
Really, I think its just big government
getng in the way of peoples rights.
I think its up to the person, he said.
If they want to have a giant soda,
thats their business.
Mondays ruling came just hours
before the restricton was to take
efect, handing a victory to the
beverage industry, restaurants and
other business groups that called the
rule unfair and wrong-headed.
The court ruling provides a sigh of
relief to New Yorkers and thousands
of small businesses in New York City
that would have been harmed by this
arbitrary and unpopular ban, the
American Beverage Associaton and
other opponents said.
State Supreme Court Justce Milton
Tingling said the restricton was
arbitrary because it applies to only
some sugary beverages and some
places that sell them. It doesnt cover
alcoholic drinks or many lates and
other milk-based concoctons. Nor
does it doesnt apply at supermarkets
or many convenience stores
including 7-Eleven, home of the Big
Gulp.
The loopholes in this rule efectvely
defeat the stated purpose, Tingling
wrote.
Tingling, a Democrat elected to the
trial court bench in 2001, said the
Bloomberg-appointed Board of Health
intruded on the elected City Councils
authority when it imposed the rule.
The appeal likely will turn on whether
a higher court feels that the mayor
has gone too far in ruling by decree in
bypassing City Council, said Rick Hills,
a New York University law professor
who has been following the case.
In defending the rule, city ofcials
point to the citys rising obesity rate
about 24 percent of adults, up from 18
percent in 2002 and to studies tying
sugary drinks to weight gain.
The judge acknowledged obesitys
efects on residents and noted that
those suing didnt dispute that obesity
is a signifcant health issue, but he
questoned how much sugary drinks
can be blamed for it. Ultmately,
Tingling said, the key issue is not
whether obesity is an epidemic but
whether the board of health has the
jurisdicton to decide that obesity is
such an issue that it could issue a cap
on consumpton of sugary drinks.
The judge found that the regulaton
was laden with exceptons based on
economic and politcal concern.
Critcs said the measure was too
limited to have a meaningful efect on
New Yorkers waistlines. And they said
it would take a bite out of business for
the establishments that had to comply,
while others stll could sell sugary
drinks in 2-liter botles and supersized
cups.
While some eateries held of making
changes because of the court
challenge, some restaurants had
begun using smaller glasses for full-
sugar soda. Dunkin Donuts shops
have been telling customers they will
have to sweeten and favor their own
cofee. Coca-Cola has printed posters
explaining the rules.
Frames Bowling Lounge, a bowling
alley and upscale bar in Manhatan,
developed and is keeping a
slate of fresh-squeezed juices as an
alternatve to pitchers of sodas for
family partes. That entailed investng
staf tme, buying new glasses and
changing menus, executve general
manager Ayman Kamel said.
All that cost a lot of money, but you
have to go with the fow, he said, and
customers have started calling about
the new juices.
Were all very excited about it, he
said.
6 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
COVER
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WASHINGTON (AP) Victms of sexual
assault and violence in the military
told Congress Wednesday theyre
aficted with a slow and uncaring
system of justce that too ofen fails to
hold perpetrators accountable and is
fraught with insttutonal bias.
They testfed to a Senate panel
examining the militarys handling of
sexual assault cases that the military
justce system is broken and urged
Congress to make changes in the
law that would stem the rape, sexual
assault and sexual harassment that
they said are pervasive in the service
branches.
Defense Department ofcials said
they have taken aggressive steps to
combat sexual assault in the ranks.
In writen testmony to be delivered
later Wednesday, Robert Taylor, the
Pentagons actng general counsel,
called sexual assault an abhorrent
crime that does enormous harm to
the victm and undermines the good
order and discipline that is essental in
military units.
Rebekah Havrilla, a former Army
sergeant, told the panel that she
encountered a broken military
criminal justce system afer she was
raped by another service member
while serving in Afghanistan. Havrilla
described sufering from post-
traumatc stress disorder and described
how her case was eventually closed
afer senior commanders decided not
to pursue charges.
What we need is a military with a fair
and impartal criminal justce system,
one that is run by professional and
legal experts, not unit commanders,
Havrilla said.
BriGete McCoy, a former Army
specialist and a Persian Gulf war
veteran, said she was raped when she
was 18 and at her frst duty staton. But
she did not report it. Three years later,
she reported being sexually harassed
and asked for an apology and to be
removed from working directly with
the ofender.
They did remove me from his team
and his formal apology consisted of
him driving by me on base and saying
sorry out of his open car door window,
McCoy told the Senate Armed Services
personnel subcommitee.
The subcommitees hearing comes as
members of Congress are expressing
outrage over an Air Force generals
decision to reverse a guilty verdict in
a sexual assault case that is spurring
support for legislaton that would
prevent commanding ofcers from
overturning rulings made by judges and
juries at courts-martal proceedings.
Anu Bhagwat of the Service Womens
Acton Network told the panel that
commanders are unable to make
impartal decisions because they
usually have a professional relatonship
with the accused and, ofen tmes,
with the victm as well. Bhagwat, a
former Marine Corps captain, said
court-martal cases should be lef in
the hands of trained, professional,
disinterested prosecutors.
Under military law, a commander who
convenes a court-martal is known as
the convening authority and has the
sole discreton to reduce or set aside
guilty verdicts and sentences or to
reverse a jurys verdict.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has
ordered a review of Air Force Lt. Gen.
Craig Franklins decision to overturn
the sexual assault convicton against
Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, a former
inspector general at Aviano Air Base in
Italy.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the
chairwoman of the military personnel
subcommitee, called the Wilkerson
case shocking and promised to
take a hard look at the military justce
system. Nearly 2,500 sexual violence
cases in the military services were
reported in 2011, but only 240 made it
to trial, Gillibrand said.
Wilkerson, a former inspector general
at Aviano Air Base in Italy, was found
guilty on Nov. 2 by a jury of military
ofcers on charges of abusive sexual
contact, aggravated sexual assault
and three instances of conduct
unbecoming of an ofcer and a
gentleman. The victm was a civilian
employee. Wilkerson was sentenced
to a year in prison and dismissal from
the service.
Wilkerson was at the U.S. Naval
Consolidated Brig in Charleston, S.C.,
untl Feb. 26, when Franklin exercised
his discreton as the convening
authority. Franklin reviewed the
case over a three-week period and
concluded that the entre body of
evidence was insufcient to meet the
burden of proof beyond a reasonable
doubt, Hagel wrote in a March 7 leter
to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.
But Hagel told Boxer neither he nor
the Air Force secretary is empowered
to overrule Franklin, who is the
commander of the 3rd Air Force at
Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Boxer said during testmony before
the subcommitee that immediate
steps must be taken to prevent senior
commanders from having the ability
to unilaterally overturn a decision or
sentence by a military court.
Taylor, the actng general counsel, said
in his writen testmony the Defense
Department is examining the role the
convening authority plays, including
a commanders power to set aside a
court-martals fndings. But Taylor also
stressed that commanders have long
held this authority and it is directly
ted to the need for the portability
of military justce throughout the
world and the need for senior ofcers
to maintain discipline in the ranks.
In the wake of Franklins decision,
Reps. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., Bruce
Braley, D-Iowa, and Patrick Meehan,
R-Pa., introduced legislaton Tuesday
in the House of Representatves that
would strip military commanders of
the power to overturn legal decisions
or lessen sentences. Their bill would
amend the Uniform Code of Military
Justce to take away the power of
a convening authority to dismiss,
commute, lessen, or order a rehearing
afer a panel or judge has found
the accused guilty and rendered a
Military sexual assault victims detail humiliation
ABOVE, LEFT: Rebekah Havrilla, a former Army sergeant with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
7 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
punishment.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., a member
of the personnel subcommitee,
plans to introduce legislaton soon
that would change the Uniform Code
of Military Justce by preventng a
convening authority from overturning
a decision reached by a jury. The
legislaton also would require the
convening authority to issue a writen
justfcaton for any acton.
This is not a crime that were going
to train our way out of, said McCaskill,
who emphasized the need for the
strong and efectve prosecuton of
ofenders.
Brian Lewis, a former Navy pety
ofcer, told the subcommitee not
to forget that many victms of sexual
assault and harassment in the military
are male. Lewis said he was raped in
2000 by a non-commissioned ofcer
who outranked him. His commanders
ordered him not to report the crime
to Naval Criminal Investgatve Service.
Lewis said he was later misdiagnosed
with having a personality disorder and
he was discharged from the service in
2001.
I carry my discharge as an ofcial and
permanent symbol of shame, on top
of the trauma of the physical atack,
the retaliaton and its afermath,
Lewis said.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, asked
whether the culture would change
if the laws were overhauled. Lewis
described the limitatons of military
law, arguing that it was unconscionable
that punishment is solely at the
discreton of a single individual and
the ofense of sexual assault is merely
a year in prison.
The military does not value what
happened to the victm, Lewis said.
- - Brian Lewis, a former navy Petty officer
COVER
The sudden death of 14-year-old
Syracuse boy Rhameek Tuit has
saddened and shocked many who
know him.
Rhameek, an eighth-grader at Percy
Hughes Academic Magnet School,
died unexpectedly March 13, of an
undiagnosed medical conditon, his
father Roberto Tuit believes may have
been an enlarged heart.
Tuit was received a concussion last
October, afer being jumped by a
group of boys said his father.
And as was his twice-weekly norm,
Rhameek played basketball the night
before he died with no apparent
problem, his father said.
An autopsy to investgate Rhameeks
cause of death has yet to be released.
He died suddenly
Rhameek, dressed in a shirt and te,
was up early on the morning of March
13. He was eager to atend a weekly
character-building program at Percy
Hughes Pre-K-8 School.
Because his mom was out-of-town
and his father was at work, his uncle
dropped him of for school that
morning.
While at school Rhameek sat down on
a small couch in the back of a resource
classroom to wait for lunch.
But, classmates notced something
was wrong when Rhameek didnt line
up for lunch a few minutes later.
Rhameek was unconscious and
slumped over on the couch.
A teacher performed CPR. The school
nurse and 911 were called.
Emergency responders came in
minutes; and an aunt said Rhameek
was stll breathing in the classroom,
But Rhameek stopped breathing by the
tme he was placed in an ambulance.
He was pronounced dead at Upstate
University Hospital.
Loved and respected
Autopsy results for Rhameek Tuit
have yet to be released.
But whats certain is Rhameek was
a friendly, intelligent, and respectul
young man, who was liked and loved
by many.
He was just an all around good kid,
his aunt Kisha Tuit said. He was full
of life.
Pages of condolences and tributes to
Rhameek and his family appear on the
Farone Funeral Home website.
I had the pleasure of spending tme
with Rhameek during our mentoring
programs at 100 Black Men of
Syracuse. I will always remember
him as a thoughtul and gentle soul,
wrote, wrote Robert Sykes.
Rhameeks classmates and teachers at
Hughes Magnet School have carried
pictures, made signs and worn shirts
mourning and honoring his loss.
I had the pleasure to work with
Rhameek over the past 9 years, wrote
Trista Kogut. He was such a kind
boy with a smile that would light up a
room. He was always eager to learn
and such a hard worker. I will cherish
the short tme I had with him.
Rhameek is survived by his parents,
Roberto Tuit and Regina Love; sisters,
Zalika, Asya, Nevaeh, Qahrizma and
Kimora Tuit; brothers, Martaze, Nas
and Juelz Tuit; his grandmothers,
Catherine Tuit and Joyce Love; his
nephew, Dereon Tuit, and a host of
aunts, uncles and cousins.
Funeral Services were held at Tucker
Missionary Baptst Church, on
Oakwood Avenue. He was laid to rest
at Oakwood Cemetery, 940 Comstock
Ave., in Syracuse
Rhameek Tuitt leaves a memory of grace
FEATURE
The military
does not
value what
happened to
the victim
8 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
NATIONAL
NAACP-LDF Leader Calls for Civil Rights Focus on New Economy
By Hazel Trice Edney
(TriceEdneyWire.com) Americas
contnuous struggle with economic
woes that have disparately impacted
African-Americans and other people
of color must signal to the civil rights
community a need to not only expand
its focus but change its strategy.
This according to Sherrilyn Ifll, the
new director-counsel of the NAACP
Legal Defense and Educatonal Fund,
who received rousing applause during
a welcoming recepton late last month.
And so we have to fgure out how
were going to deal with this issue of
the new economy. Where do we fall
in that? Where do the people that we
represent fall in the new credit realm,
in the new mortgage lending realm?
How are we going to deal with the
loss of African-American wealth by
the foreclosure crisis that has really
decimated the Black middle class?
Ifll grilled an audience of hundreds
of lawyers, civil rights actvists and
leaders of non-profts. So, weve got
to step out and begin to take on those
issues for our future and thats my
desire as I take up this positon at the
Legal Defense Fund.
Ifll started at the New York ofce
of the LDF in 1988 as a votng rights
lawyer before leaving to teach at the
University of Maryland School of Law
fve years later. Afer more than 20
years of teaching, legal consultng
and contnuing to litgate, the veteran
lawyer has returned to her frst love.
As her civil rights colleagues listened
intently during the Downtown D.C.
recepton, she reminded them of the
Educatonal Fund part of the LDF,
which too ofen gets lost in the name.
That is one part that strategically must
now become a priority, she said.
Part of our charge is to engage in
a conversaton with the American
public about whats really happening
to African-Americans. We love that
theyre able to see a president and his
wife get of Marine One with their kids.
Without queston, thats a tremendous
success, due in some part to LDF. But
there is another America - another
African-America, she stressed. And
our job is to make sure that the picture
of that African-America stays at the
forefront of the vision of people in
this country. And we only do that by
commitng to show them that African-
America and that Latno America and
that Asian America and that elderly
America and that poor America and
all of the people who are living under
the margin and behind the veil of
American success and prosperity.
Reacton to her 20-minute talk ranged
from energetc applause to hearty
chuckles. Perhaps the most humorous
line was her use of the Super Bowl to
make her point about the need for a
greater ofense.
Im from Baltmore, home of the
Super Bowl champions and were
known for our defense I had to get
that in, she said to laughter from
the audience. But the lessons of the
Ravens is that although were known
for a great defense we did recognize
that we had to lif our ofenseWe
recognized that we had to have a
quarter back who could throw, that
we had to have people who could
block, that we needed a runner that
we needed what we call depth on our
ofenseAnd Ive come back to the
Legal Defense Fund in pursuit of depth
on our ofense.
Though she encouraged her colleagues
to defend the wins that have been
made, such as the then pending
arguments in the Shelby vs. Holder
votng rights case, she stressed that
there must now come a shif in the
strategy.
Im not interested in just defending
what we have already been able to
establish. Im really interested in our
pushing ourselves forward to try and
realize an America that does not yet
exist, she said, contnuing the football
analogy. Its the perfect tme for me
because I feel so powerfully and so
passionately about the issue of votng
rights; because I believe that we really
have to be on the ofense on this
issueWe have to contnue to advance
the ball.
The wins have been many, she pointed
out. As the seventh in a line of NAACP-
LDF director-counsels, she praised
the work of her predecessors. In
the audience were former director-
counsels Ted Shaw and Elaine Jones.
Ifll succeeds John Payton who died
suddenly last year. Preceding them
were founder Thurgood Marshall
in 1940, Jack Greenberg and Julius
Chambers consecutvely.
They created this world in which
we have statutes that theoretcally
protect us from employment
discriminaton and protect us in the
votng realm and protect us from
educatonal segregaton and so forth.
And we have to defend those winds
and the Supreme Court now has put
us in the positon where we are prety
regularly defending them. Even afer
theyve been upheld, were back
defending them again. But we cannot
allow ourselves to only play a defense
game, she said.
She named a string of economics-
related issues plaguing Black America
that must be studied and must be
documented in order to educate
America. Those issues include the
school to prison pipeline, the impact
of the new economy on people
of color, the housing crisis and safe
quality educaton.
Though she described herself as
energetc, she stressed the need for
the civil rights community to pull
together as a united front because no
one person can do it alone.
The job is enormous, the work is
huge and I am mortal, she said. It
only happens when we are linked
together and when were working
in partnership. All of the gains of the
civil rights legal community have
been rendered by us standing close
together, communicatng with each
other, determining what we want and
going for it with tenacity. And thats
why Im happy to see so many of you
here tonight because its an expression
of your commitment to contnue doing
that.
Sherrilyn Ifll
New York States economy has added
29,600 jobs in January, breaking a
record with 17 consecutve months of
private sector jobs.
Januarys job count, as compared to
the natonal fgure of 166,000 jobs
added for the same month, means
that nearly one out of every fve jobs
added in the naton were created in
New York.
New York States strong economy
contnues to grow in 2013 and is
setng records for consecutve job
growth. In January, the states private
sector job count increased by 29,600,
accountng for nearly one in fve jobs
created in the naton, said Boyden M.
Winy, deputy director of the Division
of Research and Statstcs.
The private sector job count is based
on a payroll survey of 18,000 New
York employers conducted by the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statstcs.
Despite record job growth
unemployment also rose. Between
December 2012 and January 2013, the
states unemployment rate rose from
8.2 to 8.4 percent.
The rate in New York City increased
from 8.8 to 9.1 percent, and the rate in
the balance of state region (New York
State outside of New York City) rose
from 7.8 to 7.9 percent.
Due to the sample size, this survey
is considered a reliable gauge of the
states economy for any given month.
In contrast, the unemployment rate
as determined by BLS is calculated
primarily on the results of a telephone
survey of 3,100 households in New
York State. Due to the small sample
size, this survey is not comprehensive.

Monthly labor force data, including
unemployment rates, are also revised
at the end of each year, using methods
established by the BLS. The revised
data show that New Yorks labor force
climbed by 59,000 between 2011
and 2012 as more state residents had
renewed confdence about fnding a
job in the state.
Refectng New Yorks growing labor
force, the states annual average
unemployment rate rose from 8.3
percent in 2011 to 8.5 percent in 2012.
NYS Breaks Monthly Job Growth Record
in January But Unemployment Rates Still Increase
STATE
9 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
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The Central New York Regional Transportaton Authority (CNYRTA)
is requestng Proposals from qualifed Energy Service Companies for the reducton of
energy consumpton and costs at the Centro of Oneida Utca facility. Individuals or frms
who desire to submit a Proposal may request a Request for Proposal Package from
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risk. There is not an express or implied obligaton on the part of the CNYRTA to reimburse
responding frms for any expenses incurred in preparing and submitng Bids in response
to this request. The CNYRTA reserves the right to reject any and all Bids for any reason.
Bids received within the confnes of the due date will remain in efect sixty (60) days from
the due date. All Bidders will be required to certfy that they are not on the Comptroller
Generals List of Ineligible Contractors.Each Bidder will be required to comply with all
Equal Employment Opportunity Rules and Regulatons. The CNYRTA hereby notfes
all Bidders that it will afrmatvely insure that in regard to any contract entered into
pursuant to this advertsement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be aforded full
opportunity to submit bids to this invitaton and will not be discriminated against on the
grounds of sex, race, color, or natonal origin in consideraton for an award.
10 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
FROM THE BoYce BLOG
OPINION/EDITORIAL
The views expressed on our opinion pages are those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the position or viewpoint of MRMG or CNY Vision
DR. BOYCE WATKINS
This week, I took
a visit to Atlanta
and once again
stopped by the
birth home of
Dr. Martn Luther
King Jr. I reached
back into the
life of Dr. King
to understand
what made him
great, and what
we must do
to contnue the extraordinary work
that he and his colleagues began
so many years ago. As I sat on his
porch, I closed my eyes and imagined
his mother carrying him to the front
door. I wondered how many Sundays
the family sat on that same porch
afer dinner, and how many days Dr.
King spent wondering if it might be
possible for him to fulfll his dreams
and personal ambitons.
I also thought about integraton. I
carefully studied the old pictures of
Auburn Street, where Dr. King was
born. I saw images of proud black
business owners, in their fnest
clothes, driving fancy cars. Of course
not everyone was doing well, but we
were certainly beter at making our
own money. I read about how Martn
Luther King Sr., Dr. Kings father,
maintained a disciplined household,
where educaton was the highest
priority and protectng the family unit
was paramount.
Most importantly, I walked away
convinced that one of the most
valuable things that Dr. Kings father
gave him was pride. Martn Luther King
Sr. taught his son at an early age that
inequality was entrely unacceptable,
and that the terms of integraton
should be such that you are able to
engage in fair trade without allowing
yourself to be subjugated.
So, years later, we have achieved
at least half of Dr. Kings dream of
integraton: We can shop where
we want, eat where we want and
get almost any job at the big fancy
corporaton down the street. Many
of us earn more money than we could
have in a segregated society and are
given opportunites that are more
consistent with our chosen skill sets.
The problem for our community, I
humbly submit, is that we did not
properly negotate the terms of our
integraton. The pride that Dr. Kings
father instlled in him is lost for millions
of youth who are being educated by
people who dont care about them.
Integraton, for the most part, was
simply prolonged assimilaton, like
moving into someone elses home and
giving up the keys to your own. You
are happy to be moving into a bigger
house, but soon realize that you cant
go into someone elses house and
move around the furniture. Also, while
youre rentng a room, they are paying
the mortgage, which means that their
kids (not yours) are going to own the
house when all the hard work is done.
Many of us see the golden carrot of a
higher salary without understanding
the risk that is inherent in allowing your
family to depend on the descendants
of your historical oppressors. Even the
most educated among us are raised to
sell our services to bidders who extract
our best and brightest like oil being
lifed from the soil of Nigeria. People
with six fgure jobs are living paycheck-
to-paycheck, further heightening the
economic dependency that makes
you impotent when its tme to stand
up for your rights. Like an intelligent
woman who marries a wealthy man,
you must ensure that you stll have
something to hold onto in the event
that your relatonship turns into an
abusive one. Sadly, however, many of
us have thrown economic cauton to
the wind.
I argue that integraton didnt work in
our favor because there is a diference
between giving up a porton of your
economic sovereignty in exchange for
a true partnership vs giving up nearly
everything to allow yourself to become
an occupied state. For example, if I were
to give up my business and integrate
myself into the management of a large
company, I would probably be a very
diferent (and more highly paid) man
from the one you are hearing from
right now. In fact, Id probably be
speaking a diferent politcal language
altogether because few majority white
insttutons would allow me to speak
the way I do in public (just ask Syracuse
University, where I put my academic
freedom to the test).
So, the conclusion is not that
integraton is always a bad thing.
Integraton can be a wonderful thing,
since white Americans have hoarded
most of the natons resources (due to
our oppression), and integratng gives
us an opportunity to have a piece of
the American pie. But integratng in
such a way that makes you dependent
on others can put your socio-economic
security at risk.
Years afer achieving the dream of
integraton, we have seen our poisoned
and misguided fnancial chickens
coming home to roost. When the 2008
economic crisis hit America, whites
took a small hit and soon recovered,
but black wealth dropped by over half.
Also, black unemployment hit levels
that we havent seen in over 30 years.
The young men who should be heading
our families are flling up the jails and
prisons, and our public schools have
become prisons with training wheels.
There is nothing prety about this
form of integraton, where even our
best, brightest and strongest are in no
positon to help those of us who are
struggling.
The fact is that we must critcally
assess the extraordinary work
of Dr. Martn Luther King while
simultaneously realizing that his work
was not complete. He died at the
young age of 39 years old, and was
speaking boldly about the importance
of economic sustainability as a critcal
component to achieving true equality
in a capitalist society. As a fnance
professor myself, I am hopeful that
we realize that this was probably
the most signifcant part of Dr. Kings
vision, and that it is the conscientous
and intelligent allocaton of economic
resources that ultmately serves as the
key to many of your most fundamental
rights as an American.
As a community, each of us has a
responsibility to teach our children
entrepreneurship as an important part
of their long-term economic survival.
Learning to run your own business is
as important as knowing how to grow
your own food. We must embrace
educatonal excellence as if our lives
depended on it, but ensure that our
children are taught black history
and family values that they are not
getng in class. We must target our
spending to black-owned businesses
whenever we can, and embrace the
importance of saving, investng and
ownership. Finally, since many of us
spent $200 last month at Walmart
without blinking, this means that we
can certainly aford to give $15 to our
favorite black-owned organizaton.
Its tme for a new way of thinking as
it pertains to money and educaton.
Ownership, wealth-building and self-
sufciency should be part of the
consistent black natonal discourse. By
re-inventng ourselves in a productve
way, we can turn our darkest hour into
one of the greatest periods in black
American history. The tme for us to
do this is NOW.
------------------------------
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the
Your Black World Coaliton and author
of the book, Black American Money.
Was Integration a Good Thing for Black People? Probably Not
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11 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
Lately, my interest has focused
on a kind of contemporary
cultural trend, which has as
one of its hallmarks, African
and African-sounding names.
It is most evident on Facebook,
that there are a growing
number of African-Americans
who seem to take great pride
in identfying themselves by
names that refect a conscious
atempt to connect with other
cultures, and that have litle or nothing to do with
America.
African-Americans with such names as Ajua Martey,
Abeena Afreeka, Afrika Ford, Awo Yaa Asantewaa
Ankomah, Azzizah Rahim Roots, Funali Yira, Imam
Abdul Aziz, Queenrighteoulsyrefned, Nubian Queen,
Earthly Expressions, Ebonynubia, Akua Ausara Agusi,
Akua Gray, Naja Raja, Fulani Yira, Kemba Shakur,
Shaka Senghor, and Ament Sekhmet, are an example
of this trend.
Simply stated, they have one thing in common; they
are unapologetcally proud of their African heritage.
Those familiar with the history, origin and evoluton
of African names will recognize that a few of them
are West African.
Akua and Afa are popular frst names in Ghana.
The Akan tribe, which consists of the Fants,
Ashants, the Akwapims, the Twis, and others give
most females born on Wednesdays and Fridays
those names at birth.
Others have a strong ancient Egyptan, Ethiopian
favor. Stll others seem to be a combinaton of the
traditonal African, the Arabic, and American.
The point I am making is this: African-Americans
who chose such names seem to be making a public
statement that refects a conscious efort on their
part at re-inventng themselves in a way that sets
them apart as a distnct cultural entty.
Not only do they have names that are decidedly
un-American; they wear outits, create and faunt
hairstyles, footwear, jewelry and other fashion styles
and accessories that have a distnct African ethnic
favor.
Even their culinary and dietary tastes refect the
search for the pure, untainted, unpolluted and
holistc approach to healthy eats.
They present themselves as diferent, focused,
and commited to making an impact. They seek
the essence of their femaleness/womanhood and
maleness/manhood using the age old model that
begins with names that have signifcance in terms of
statng who they are, what they stand for, and where
they are going.
It was not just the names that struck me as unique.
What they say about themselves and the role they
intend to play in making things happen for and on
behalf of people of African origin in the Diaspora are
just as striking.
They have ideas and experiences they want to share,
and they dont shy away from expressing them
even if the sentments they express run the risk of
being interpreted as contrary to what most would
like to believe or hear.
Most importantly, they have succeeded in giving a
new dimension to the concept of black beauty by
Africanizing it. And they have done so by glamorizing
African hairstyles, natve traditonal costumes, even
footwear in ways that are not only trend-setng, but
revolutonary.
Most of the things they say and do refect a conscious
commitment to living a lifestyle which Western
culture and naturalists would describe as holistc,
spiritual, or close to nature.
They search for the essence of blackness or
Afrikanness, they seek what makes her/him powerful,
intelligent, resilient and warm and embracing, and
all the other qualites atributed to her/him in song,
poetry, and literature that have not been recognized
by popular literature and media.
It wasnt long ago when it was the norm for most
African-Americans to choose non-American names
for our children and for ourselves when we deemed
it necessary to make that change.
For those who had converted to the Islamic religion,
it was a no-brainer fnding Islamic and Arabic names.
Those with no religious inclinatons setled for exotc
names or in most cases just non-American sounding
names, even if it meant creatng new ones.
As long as the names we chose for our kids and
sometmes for ourselves sounded diferent, to the
African-American community in America, that was
one way of reinforcing that sense of diferentness
that we sought.
When I named my daughter, Ayesha, it didnt raise
any eyebrows. It was the norm back in the day,
when African-Americans made a conscious decision
to provide their ofspring with names that refected
an African, or at the very least, an un-American
sensibility.
Our kids, have taken the signifcance of names to
another level and have found a perfect medium in
Facebook and other social media to do it. And social
media provides both the context and atmosphere
for them to state what they seek.
Its not just about a search for partners and friends;
it is similar in many ways to a spiritual journey that
does include a possible connecton with a brotha
or a sista whose cultural sensibilites, ideological
orientaton, and politcal leanings establish a basis
for compatbility.
I know a number of African-American men and
women who have included in their future plans the
idea of relocatng to Africa.
They know what is involved in terms of the impact
it would have and the potental problems of such a
momentous and life changing move.
It is the ultmate act, the culminaton of the process
of re-connectng with their heritage. The problem is
the economics of the move doesnt make it easy for
most.
Overall, this conscious efort on the part of many
African-Americans to identfy, reconnect with Africa
has to be applauded; if nothing else, it shows that
Africa stll means a lot to many African-Americans.
--------------------------
Kof Quaye has been a Syracuse resident for more than
30 years. He is a writer, author and publisher. Over
the years, he has been involved with the publication
of several African American focused newspapers in
Syracuse.
KOFI qUAYE
OPINION/EDITORIAL
The views expressed on our opinion pages are those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the position or viewpoint of MRMG or CNY Vision
The African-American Search for a New Identity
golden years
12 www.cnyvision.com | march 14 - 20 | 2013
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