Part 2 of 2

MSR: Where do some of the lyrics to your songs come from?

LRD: A lot of them come from personal experience. When I created this album [Love Child], I wanted to speak to myself. I wanted to tell myself how to get out of my situation. Because like everybody else, we all have issues. We all have things that we deal with. I wanted to write something in the midst of it all. And look over it and say, okay, this is what you need to do. Sometimes we have the answers, but we just don’t follow through.

MSR: Did you write all the lyrics to your songs?

LRD: Yes, I wrote all my lyrics. All my songs, I wrote them. Butler composed the music. He gave me the tracks and I listened to them and then I just wrote on top.

MSR: Spiritually and musically speaking, who are you trying to reach with your music?

LRD: Myself (laughing). That was the number one goal. But then I wanted to touch everybody — anybody — that I can touch, whether it be a male or female, old or young. I want my boundaries to be limitless, so that when I get older I can sing these songs for generations. I don’t have to just sing these songs when I’m twenty. I want longevity.

MSR: Do you believe music to be a healing force?

LRD: I definitely believe that music is a healing force. I believe it is a reinforcement as well of emotion, and feelings. It can be a positive or a negative, but it does influence your mindset. Therefore I believe it does contain healing power as well. Just as much as it can hurt people, it can help people. I’m looking to help people. I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m looking to help people for generations.

MSR: Have you performed with any local artists recently? And if so, who?

LRD: No, but I look forward to it. I really want to do something with Margo Davis. She’s a singer locally. Definitely Ashley DuBose. And Breasha. Those are people I would love to collaborate with.

MSR: Where do you draw musical inspiration from?

LRD: Life lessons. Like things that I learn about me. When I start to evolve that’s when I write the best. With my last album, what really influenced me was the Lauryn Hill Unplugged album. That really brought a new me out. So I started living that out. Then when I started seeing all these flaws about my life, then I started writing things to help me come out of those flaws, really questions about humanity. When I draw a question that’s when I know I can write something, when I become more curious about a situation.

MSR: What other adventurous steps are you taking creatively these days?

LRD: Lately, I’ve been just really writing poetry, because that’s where I start. That’s where I started with Love Child, writing poetry and writing how I feel, and really getting in tune with my emotions because Love Child was more about loving myself and taking steps.

Now I’m working on a new project. I won’t tell you the title of it yet. It’ll be a surprise. It’s definitely going to be more expanding with everything, with my vocals, as well as my music, as well as the content. Everything is going to change. Not necessarily change as in a theoretical sense. The content is going to be the same but heavier, more in-depth. That’s what I’m looking forward to. That’s what you can look forward to on the next album. That’s what I’m working on now.

Robin James welcomes reader responses to jamesonjazz@spokesman-recorder.com.

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Dior.43

Entertainment

Taye

The district aims for more consistent discipline among schools, teachers

By Charles Hallman

Staff Writer

According to Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) data from the last two school years, the suspension rates of Black students in Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) are twice that of Black students suspended statewide. Additionally, more Black students were suspended in 2011-12 (4,336) than in 2010-11 (4,305).

However, a Minneapolis teacher who spoke on the condition of anonymity believes that the district suspension numbers at some schools are “deliberately manipulated.

“They will have an all-out bloody fight between a first grader and a third grader, and [school officials] don’t want the kids suspended,” observed the teacher. “What I’m seeing is there is no black-or-white spelled-out policy for infractions that leads to suspensions. It really is up to the discretion of the [school administrator] that day — they may have seen the kid too many times for the same reasons, or [they] get really tired of having the same kid [referred for discipline].

“What I see is the real problem [is that] a student could run down the hall toward a staff member, call that staff member names and be defiant, and not be suspended if they are White. However, if a Black student does that, he [or she] will be suspended,” stated the MPS teacher. “I’ve seen an attitude of less tolerance for Black students.”

MPS Superintendent Dr. Bernadia Johnson last week told the MSR, “We’ve seen in some schools where they reduced their suspensions significantly, but what we are seeing [is] that there is this inconsistency within schools and inconsistency across schools that we have to work on. But we still have a disproprotionally higher number of suspensions for our students of color, especially our boys.”

A case in point: eight-year-old arrested

“My son was labeled by the Minneapolis Public Schools (in 2010-11) as [having] emotional behavior disorder,” says Minneapolis parent Susan Montgomery, but his medical diagnosis is autism.” She believes her young son has now been labeled a “bad kid,” having been suspended over 20 times in three years.

Now a second grader, Taye has been at home since mid-April after being suspended. “My son is a good kid,” she insists, adding that his school file, however, “is as big as the New York City phone book.”

She believes the district special education program is not helping him educationally either: “The kids are beating each other up or playing violent video games. The teachers aren’t doing anything. The kids are secluded and segregated.”

After her son once came home bruised, Montgomery sought answers. She said in response to her complaint, school officials told her, “‘You signed the paperwork for him to be in there [special ed class].’ I thought he was going to school. Then the teacher strangled him one day, and he came home with marks on both sides of his neck. Nobody called and told me my son was hurt.”

The only official explanation she later received is that something happened in her son’s kindergarten class, says Montgomery. “My son was standing on the table and somebody was doing something to him, so he threw a magnet. The teacher manhandled him right off the table,” she said. “I pulled him from that school two years ago and demanded change.”

As a first grader, her son “was suspended almost every single day for the first three weeks, and then arrested at six years old,” recalls Montgomery. “He didn’t have a gun, but he was protecting himself” with a pair of scissors he found in the classroom.

“Nobody wants to say that the teachers threw him on top of the desk face down and illegally restrained him for several minutes. The principal was calling a ‘code yellow,’ and the entire school had to be locked down. The police report says a knife; [school officials] say a scissors.”

The mother has since talked to several school officials since, advocating on her son’s behalf. “I filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Education. The police say there is a problem, but not enough to charge him. The [MPS] equity and diversity office claims that I didn’t have enough to file a complaint.” She also copied others in the district: “I even CC’d the school board members. Nobody ever gets back to me,” she says.

A top district official told the MSR that Montgomery’s case is being reviewed by their legal department, but they couldn’t comment further on the matter.

“I’ve had plenty of IEP (individualized education plan) meetings — we had one a couple of weeks ago,” continues Montgomery. “Not only I had his therapist for four and a half years on speakerphone, [but also] his doctor who diagnosed him with autism was there. I felt like [the outcome] was determined before I got there — that because of the previous incident, my son goes to one of those [special education] programs. I told them that I am not going back to that program. He doesn’t learn when he’s in there.

“No, I’m not taking him there,” states Montgomery. “The district makes a mistake, and [it] comes back on me.”

St. Thomas Law Professor Nekima Levy-Pounds spoke on Montgomery’s behalf at last week’s Minneapolis School Board meeting. “She [Levy-Pounds] points out that even if the mom is White and we have kids of color, we still deserve and demand respect,” noted the mother, who also spoke to board members.

Levy-Pounds reiterated, “I specifically brought up the issue of Susan Montgomery and her son and how they are being treated within the system. In Minnesota, you are supposed to be at least 10 [years old] before they charge you with a crime. [Montgomery’s son] was arrested on school grounds in 2011. Even though he is only eight years old, he is being tracked and put on this pathway to the criminal justice system.”

“It feels like he’s going to jail,” says Montgomery on her son’s latest suspension, originally for 10 days but extended to 45 days and reassigned to a Level 5 school. “He’s a little kid. He wants to be in school. He’s not dumb. He has special needs.”

New MPS policy in development

Superintendent Johnson said the district is reviewing its current discipline policy and must “move from suspensions to restorative practices so that every behavior is not a suspendable behavior.”

MPS Family and Community Engagement Director Ruben Vazquez says that his department will soon complete a series of meetings seeking input to develop a district-wide “behavior standards policy,” which they hope to present to the Minneapolis board this summer for final approval.

“We are talking to as many groups as possible — teachers, principals, bus drivers, [other] school staff, and we also are talking to students, both student leaders and students who have had experience with suspensions, and parents,” explains Vazquez. “What we are hearing from parents is that each school, and even within each school…it seems like every teacher has their own way of interpreting what the policy is. They were doing their own thing.”

If approved, however, the new policy is not expected to be in place at the start of the 2013-14 school year, Vazquez points out. “When it will be implemented still is in discussion.”

“Every time something happens and goes out of proportion, says Montgomery, “you instantly want to look at what the kid did wrong; but no one goes and sees what the staff did wrong. I can understand that they have policies and procedures they have to follow, but if things aren’t working for our child and you are seeing his parent involved, they don’t listen and respect that.”

Next: A look at St. Paul Public Schools’ Black suspension rates

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

Some see ‘bold leadership’ in her proposals prior to union negotiations

By Charles Hallman

Staff Writer

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Superintendent Dr. Bernadeia Johnson is asking the community to support her new district priorities that “will be a significant, real and challenging shift for our schools and students.”

MPS Superintendent
Dr. Bernadeia Johnson
Photo by Charles Hallman

A key component of this shift that Johnson impassionedly unveiled May 13 at Hennepin Country Central Library in downtown Minneapolis is establishing “an innovative partnership zone.”

“Schools will own critical decisions, like hiring the people that best match the needs of students,” explained Johnson, who noted that separate contracts will be arranged with the teachers at these schools, which the district will identify during the 2013-14 school year and begin implementing in 2014-15.

Other key components include:

• Recruiting and hiring more Black teachers and other teachers of color: “Our youth must see themselves reflected in the adults who are working with them on a daily basis,” Johnson said. “We need more quality teachers and staff members who look like the students they serve.”

• Extending the school day, and partnering with local businesses and community groups “for extended and wrap-around services… We want our schools to become community hubs that are open to learners of all ages and whose lives call for educational opportunities beyond the school day…” stated Johnson.

Northside Achievement Zone head Sondra Samuels and Harvest Prep School President Eric Mahmoud were among the estimated 250 persons who attended the May 13 invitation-only meeting. Both spoke approvingly of Johnson’s plans after the presentation.

Asked how different the superintendent’s plans are from previous ones, Samuels said, “We never heard it put out boldly for the whole community to hear. This is the district position going into negotiations [with the teachers union].”

Samuels especially liked the partnership zone proposal. “This is the type of bold leadership we have been looking for from the district. We as a community can now come out and support these things that we know will make a difference in moving forward.”

Added Mahmoud, “It demonstrates [Johnson’s] bold leadership… The ability to give the principals the opportunity to hire their own teachers, this whole idea of a partnership zone, longer school days and longer school year is much needed. She is very serious about this work.”

In an interview with the MSR last week, Johnson further explained perhaps her most ambitious plan since becoming MPS superintendent in July 2010.

“Most of our diversity is in the EA [educational assistant] ranks and not in the teaching ranks,” admitted Johnson on improving staff diversity in the schools. “We are talking about working with the union in identifying people who work in our schools and also live in our community and send their kids to our schools to help them figure out a pathway to [teacher] licensure.” She added that the district diversity plan also includes MPS officials attending job fairs and recruiting at colleges out of state.

“The point I was trying to make on [May 13] is we can do a better job on bringing in diverse people,” she continued, “but we have to retain them. I [also] believe one of the things we have to do earlier is working with high school students to let them know that teaching is a good and noble profession to go into.”

When asked if she’d had any preliminary talks with Minneapolis teachers union officials about her plan, she replied, “I haven’t talked recently with [them] about this, but this has been part of our strategy over the years. Most of the union agrees with recruitment — it is not a union issue but a district issue. But most of them are still concerned about the seniority system.”

It is this system, she stressed, that has been problematic with hiring and keeping new Black teachers and other teachers of color. “If we hire a bunch of new teachers and we have to downsize, I don’t want to lose those teachers of color when that happens.”

The MPS superintendent also wants to involved more community members in district plans and decisions. “Schools can’t do everything,” Johnson said. “I think one thing we have to start doing a better job [in] is not waiting until there is a problem [before] going to the community, but having these frank, straight conversations with the whole community about what our needs are and what they need to do. And when they come to help, we don’t push them off.”

Recently meeting with Hennepin County officials, Johnson said she advised them that MPS, the County, and other local organizations must get rid “of our own little territory. How do we work together and remove barriers? Sometimes we think there [are] some things we cannot do…”

Finally, “We haven’t involved the community previously” in past contract negotiations, said Johnson. “I want [the public] to know that probably for the first time, they don’t have to try and figure out what I am thinking about in negotiations. I want to be really clear and transparent on what I believe will change the outcomes for students, and I want them to support what I am saying works.

“I just want to make sure that people understand we are trying to change things on behalf of their children.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

After a year-long journey fighting her wrongful foreclosure, Rose McGee has won a settlement with CitiMortgage and Fannie Mae. “We are working on final details for a settlement resolution, and I will be staying in my home,” said McGee.

Seventy community members gathered to support McGee in a prayer vigil circling the Hennepin County Government Center water fountain Tuesday afternoon before she went into settlement court, where she finally reached a deal with her mortgage holders.

McGee, a community leader known for her storytelling and sweet potato pie business, fell into foreclosure after losing her job at a nonprofit. Immediately after, she contacted CitiMortgage to let them know. They assured her they were working on a modification, but then sold her home at a sheriff’s sale May 18, 2012. This process, in which banks foreclose on their customers during the modification process, is known as “dual tracking.”

With the help of Occupy Homes MN, Northside Community Reinvestment Coalition, Jewish Community Action, and MN Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, McGee began organizing a public campaign to save her home, with protests at Citibank branches, a letter delivery to Fannie Mae headquarters in D.C., and a “Housing is a Human Right” bus tour.

Information provided by Occupy Homes MN 

Photo at top: Rose McGee

Photo courtesy markbrownphoto.com

By Paige Elliott

Contributing Writer 

The boxing ring has a way of revealing character and teaching lessons. Those who enter unprepared or unfocused are often exposed. For amateur boxing referee Sierra Leone Samuels, the boxing ring has provided a test of nerves, judgment and reason. So far she’s passing with flying colors.

Samuels wasn’t the biggest fan of boxing when her sister talked her into visiting a boxing class years ago. But as she brought her young son Jamal around the Circle of Discipline, she couldn’t help but notice how he lit up inside. He seemed entranced by the energy and dancing in the ring and the focused aggression.

Jamal James (l) and Sierra Leone Samuels with dog, JizzyBella
Photo by Henry Hendricks for Dreamery Studios

Samuels, a young single mother at the time, sensed the programs at the Circle of Discipline could provide Jamal with the structure and positive male role models he would need to develop and thrive as a man. She was right.

The Circle of Discipline, located on Lake Street in the heart of South Minneapolis, became something of a refuge for Samuels. The programs at the gym are designed to create what they call “360 degrees of balance,” harmonizing the needs of body, mind and spirit. In addition to boxing, participants at the gym learn the values of giving back to the community and how to use hard work, discipline, personal responsibility and healthy lifestyle choices to reach for a higher sense of self.

The gym not only provided guidance for her son — today Jamal James is a professional boxer and mentor at the Circle of Discipline — but it also helped to broaden Samuels’ outlook on life. She began to push herself and took steps to improve the quality of life for herself and her son.

“When I started coming down to the gym, I was on welfare and I wasn’t doing anything with my life,” said Samuels. “So when I started bringing him [Jamal] down, they started working with me… They helped me get a job and be able to provide for myself and my son. They helped me evolve and mature so I could be a good mom and stop partying. I started exercising through martial arts and began giving back to the community.”

Samuels volunteered at the gym and got more involved in the world of boxing as she watched her son train and compete in boxing matches. Slowly but surely, she inched closer to the fire, from serving as a judge to eventually stepping into the ring herself as a referee.

“I definitely prefer refereeing to judging,” said Samuels. “You get to be right there near the action! Sometimes in the ring I have to guard my facial expressions from showing what I’m thinking: ‘Wow, that was a good punch!’”

Samuels studied the sport of boxing. “There are some officials out there that don’t know the art of boxing, the science of it,” she said. “They think it’s just two athletes in there throwing punches…but it’s not.

“It’s all about strategy and being able to think ahead of time. If I throw this, what will he or she throw? How will I block it or slip it?”

Today Samuels is a third-level USA Amateur Boxing Official, which includes judging, refereeing, timekeeping and clerking. She is the chief of officials in Minnesota and also one of the few female boxing referees in the state. Samuels has hopes of obtaining an Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) credential, which would allow her to referee international competitions and possibly the Olympics.

What Samuels has come to love most about boxing is the way the sport teaches life lessons in humility and fortitude. At some point, a boxer is bound to lose a match, and he or she will have to dig deeper, train harder, and get right back in the ring.

Referees also learn many lessons in the ring as they constantly weigh the fear of a boxer getting injured or dying on their watch while at the same time not wanting to underestimate a boxer’s ability to make a great comeback story. It’s a delicate dance.

Samuels learned a lesson in perseverance recently after being shaken by an incident at the USA National Tournament in Spokane, WA. A young boxer got knocked out cold and took longer than usual to regain consciousness. “I was really, really, scared for the young man,” recalled Samuels. “It was one good punch! I was told I did everything right, but I had to take a moment to myself to recuperate.”

Samuels took the incident in stride, however, willing herself to return to the ring the very next match. “What are you going to do? Are you going to let that one incident hold you back? Or are you going overcome it and keep moving forward?”

Samuels cited the knockout at the USA National Tournament as her scariest moment as a referee to date. The highlight so far was winning the “Outstanding Referee” award at the same tournament. The honor caught her by surprise. She was one of only two female referees working at the tournament, and it was her first time working final championship bouts. Samuels also found encouragement at the tournament when a female judge told her that seeing her in the ring made her want to try refereeing.

Samuels has a contagious laugh, a quick wit, and an unassuming demeanor. She speaks in a measured and laid-back style. But don’t let the easygoing nature fool you. She can deftly take command of a situation when needed.

Branden Pedersen, a fellow student of Samuels at the Takoda Institute of Higher Learning, bore witness to this and wanted to share the memory when I told him I was writing this feature. Branden recalled a time when he and Samuels were taking a placement test at a workforce center to gain entry into the public relations program at Takoda Institute. During the test, a woman interrupted the proceedings and became belligerent when asked to leave.

Before security was called, Samuels was able to defuse the situation by speaking to her calmly but firmly. “Just like that, the woman’s affect changed, she calmed down, and walked out of the room,” remembered Branden. “I think she even apologized to everyone before she left.

“I was just looking at Sierra in awe,” he said. “This seemingly reserved bookworm just totally took control of a highly charged situation and resolved it… The fact that she can get in the ring and command respect from boxers…it makes perfect sense when you know Sierra.”

The boxing ring is no place for the weak of heart. The action is fast and runs hot. As an amateur boxing referee, Sierra Leone Samuels stepped inside the ropes and discovered she was cool enough to withstand the heat.

For more information on Circle of Discipline, contact them at 612-721-1549 or go to www.circleofdis cipline.org. 

Thanks to Paige Elliott and the TC Daily Planet for sharing this story with us. 

Photo at top:

Samuels officiating the Elite Men division semifinals match at 2013 USA Boxing National Championships

Photo courtesy of USA Boxing

Have you heard Lia Renee Dior sing? If you’ve listened to KMOJ 89.9 lately, chances are you’ve heard the beautiful voice of the Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter singing her songs “Beautiful,” or “Good Morning,” that speak to self-love and self-awareness.

Dior has performed at a number of community events around the Twin Cities — including Sister Spokesman, and the Midwest Black History Expo — and you may have even caught her music video featured on the Black Music America (BMA) Network. If this sort of exposure continues, she could be well on her way to becoming an international artist in no time.

At 23, she describes herself as a neo-soul/R&B artist, who’s inspired by artists like Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, India Arie, and Lauryn Hill. Take one listen to her music and you can definitely get that vibe.

Having worked with previous artists like Major the General, Vafa Kaamil, Ethio Boy, and many others, Dior feels that she’s found her place among musical genres.

With the release of her first independent release, Love Child, she is hoping to inspire people to go deep within themselves and define and question societal views and definitions making them more personal to their beliefs while giving out love and getting love in return.

At Dior’s (LRD) website, www.liareneedior.com, she refers to the quote, “I believe that the love of yourself should always be the highest form of love before loving any [other] human. This album is all about me, everything that I continue to learn every day. That is why I named this album Love Child, because this is the beginning, and the discovery continues.”

The MSR talked to the singer/songwriter about her background, her new album Love Child, and where she’s headed in the future.

MSR: You’re based in Minneapolis, but where were you born?

LRD: I was born in Minneapolis.

MSR: Do you play any instruments?

LRD: I play the drums and the violin.

MSR: Are you a formally trained singer or self-taught?

LRD: Formally trained.

MSR: Who are three of your earliest musical influences?

LRD: Lauryn Hill, she’s number one on my list, and CeCe Winans; and Erykah Badu.

MSR: What inspired you to record Love Child? It’s your first solo recording, right?

LRD: It’s my first solo album; my first as a solo artist. I was part of groups before, like [in] rap groups. A month before I started working on my own project, Love Child, I started recording with a group called the Mogolz. We were like an underground group.

MSR: Who are some of the musicians on your album?

LRD: Steve Butler is the composer of almost all of my music, except for one, which is “Love Child,” the song. That song was produced by Major the General — he is a rapper in the Mogolz. He is the one who created the Mogolz…four guys, and I was the only lady in the group. We did music underground. Butler produced the tracks along with DJ Cooley.

MSR: One theme of Love Child is higher consciousness, being conscious about life choices, love, relationships, and society as a whole, which are themes very much in the wheelhouse of singer/songwriters like Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and India Arie, among others. What’s good about today’s Black music?

LRD: What’s good about it is the fact that we focus a lot on receiving love from other people in today’s Black music. We focus on the external love. A lot of the songs that we listen to or that we talk about, it’s either the lack thereof of that eros love or the establishment of that eros love.

There’s four types of love: love that you have for self, the love that you have for family, the love you have for your lover, and the love you have for humanity. Those are the four types of love. Most of the music that I can say in general, especially in Black music, is that we focus a lot on the love that we have for each other, our manhood, humanity, the love that we have for someone else. Very seldomly, especially I think more so in soul music, [do] we focus on the love we have for our self and decision making. That’s the reason why I chose the genre that I chose.

MSR: The musical landscape seems to be dominated by young women. Why do you think that is?

LRD: I think it’s because we are taught to be in tune with our emotions. Not a lot of men are taught to be in tune with their emotions. So we can portray emotion a lot more, which is why it’s being dominated [by women] because a lot of women are moved by that emotion. And that’s the thing that drives music, not just your emotions, but logically dealing with your emotions.

For extended interview, go to www.spokesman-recorder.com

Robin James welcomes reader responses to jameson jazz@spokesman-recorder.com.

The Music

Soundset 2013

Sun., May 26, 11 am — 8:30 pm • Canterbury Park, 1100 Canterbury Rd. Shakopee, MN, 952-445-7223 or www.soundsetfestival.com/ • This years Soundset Festival features nine hours of hip hop music all in one day – rain or shine. Performers include Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion, Busta Rhymes, Atmosphere, P.O.S., Greg Grease, A$AP Ferg, Tech N9ne, Joey Bada$$, Dizzy Wright, Sean Price, The ReMINDers, and many more.

Memorial Day Blowout Soundset After-Party

Sun., May 26, (doors open at) 9 pm • Insert Coins, 315 1st Ave. N., Mpls., 651-564-4016 or www.insertcoinsmpls.com • Hosted by Snoop Dogg and featuring a live performance by MN Fats and music by DJ D Mil.

CED LINUS Album Release Party

Tues., May 28, 7 pm • First Avenue & 7th St. Entry, 701 N. 1st Ave.,  Mpls., 612-338-8388 or http://first-avenue.com • Also featuring Sti-Lo Reel, Absent, Ken-C, Aquafresh, Lifted Mindz, Nick Travae (Flood the Basement), DJ Grizzley, and hosted by Cooly.

Kings of the Mic Tour 

Thurs., May 30, 7:30 pm • Target Center, 600 First Ave. N., Mpls., 612-673-1600 • Two-time Grammy winning recording artist, LL COOL J featuring DJ Z-Trip, will headline the “Kings of the Mic” Tour, which will prove to be this summer’s ultimate Hip-Hop music experience. Joined by legendary artists Ice Cube, Public Enemy and De La Soul.

Coolio

Sat., June 1, 9 pm • Cabooze, 917 Cedar Ave., Mpls., 612-338-6425 or www.cabooze.com • W/ Level Heads, The Anchormen, and DJ Applejews.

The Screen

After Earth

Various theaters • A crash landing leaves Kitai Raige and his father Cypher stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help • Starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith.

Peeples

Various theaters • Sparks fly when Wade Walker crashes the Peeples annual reunion in the Hamptons to ask for their precious daughter Grace’s hand in marriage • Produced by Tyler Perry and starring Craig Robinson, Kerry Washington, and David Alan Grier.

The Stage

A Streetcar Named Desire

Thurs-Sat., 8pm — Sun., 4pm, May 23-26 • Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave. S., 612-203-9502 or www.tenthousandthings.org • An all-new take on this universal story of family dysfunction, delusion and desire. Guest directed by Randy Reyes, in consultation with Lear deBessonet. Featuring Elizabeth Grullon, Kurt Kwan, Kris Nelson, and Austene Van.

TU Dance

Fri., May 31 — June 2, various times • The O’Shaughnessy, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul, 651-690-6700 or http://oshaughnessy.stkate.edu • A nationally-acclaimed company with St. Paul roots, TU Dance has become renowned for its diverse repertory, versatile artists, and engaging, dynamic, generous performances. Join TU Dance at The O’Shaughnessy as the company closes out its ninth performance season with a spring dance concert of world premiere works by Uri Sands and Camille A. Brown.

WITS w/ Hannibal Buress w/ Open Mike Eagle

Fri., June 7, 8 pm • Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul, 651-290-1200 or http://fitzgeraldtheater.publicradio.org • Hannibal Buress has worked as a writer for 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live. Chris Rock says Hannibal is “the funniest young comic [he’s] seen in years.” Hannibal released his debut comedy album, My Name Is Hannibal, in 2010 • The LA Times calls Open Mike Eagle “one of LA’s smartest young voices.” He has released three albums and has collaborated with P.O.S and MC Paul Barman. Mike has also bridged rap and comedy, rapping at shows by some of our favorite comedians, including Paul F. Tompkins and Hannibal Buress • The June 7 live recording will also feature a special two-song appearance by P.O.S

The Arts

 

 

Arts on Chicago Celebration

Sat., June 8, 11 am-2 pm, 3700 block of Chicago Avenue • Almost forty artists involved with the 20 art projects of Arts on Chicago will come together to celebrate the year-long initiative on Saturday, June 8, 2013. Residents from Powderhorn, Bancroft, Bryant and Central neighborhoods encourage Minnesotans from across the metro area to take part in activities that knit together the creative assets of this historic corridor in S. Minneapolis • Music, specialty food trucks, children’s activities, and free snow cones will be available.

 

 

Realism Reconsidered

Through July 26 • Gordon Parks Gallery, Metro State Univ. Library and Learning Center, 645 E. 7th St., St. Paul, 651-793-1631 • Featuring Minneapolis-based artists Raina Belleau and Howard Quednau, who turn to folklore and the narrative to explore a different sense of truth. Belleau’s manipulated animal sculptures and Quednau’s skillful tiny model dioramas become playful, and sometimes dark, representations of altered realities and fictitious spaces • Mon.–Thurs., 11 am — 7 pm, Fri.–Sat., 11 am — 4 pm. No Fri. hours during summer months.

 

 

 

Contemporary Arts Studio: Spring 2013

“King”(Cover Art)
 by Cameron
, age 15

Through June 6 • Juxtaposition Arts (JXTA), 1108 W. Broadway Ave., Mpls., 612-588-1148 • Visit their renewed gallery and see the ideas, issues, and techniques used in artwork by Cameron (age 15), Kayla (age 14), and Namir (age 14), who were employed as contemporary artists at JXTA this winter • Young artists in JXTA’s Contemporary Art Studio produce commission works for clients like Minnesota Alliance with Youth and Youthprise, in addition to developing, showing and selling their own work • All of the work on exhibit is reasonably priced, with items starting as low as $100 • Gallery hours: Tues., Wed., and Thurs., 10 am — 5 pm,  other hours by appointment.

 

Send all Entertainment Spot briefs to abuchanan@spokesman-recorder.com, or call 612-827-4021.

 

 

 

 

Lola’s pad truly was tripped out. Not surprising, since she, herself, was a trip without luggage. In a warehouse district, tiny joint, studio-like apartment decked out in retro-activist aesthetic — posters of Angela Davis, H. Rap Brown, Malcolm X.

In all corners loomed some of the strangest sculpture he’d ever seen, concrete renderings of melted wax faces and figures. The place was black as night. Day-glo lit. Keith right away had experienced a ‘60s flashback.

She’d hustled him, Luis and Gerry in with a brusque, “Find something to sit on,” then, disappeared into the kitchen area. Made a whole lot of noise with the blender. Returned with a tray of tall Margueritas. She clearly planned to get everyone unquestionably drunk. Nobody objected.

Nor was anyone averse to a crooked cigarette or two. Which Lola began rolling on the kitchenette counter. Things then had almost went south. Her lady, Fel, staggered into the living room in a robe and p.j.’s wearing none-too-friendly a look. Like Lola, she was easy on the eyes, pretty, shapely, and thick as a brick. When those two women walked down a street, necks turned and more than a few men got smacked upside the head.

Fel had glared around like she wanted to smack someone herself and wasn’t real particular about who. Then she’d spotted Luis and melted: “Mi hermano.” Keith breathed a sigh of relief. You did not know catching hell until you caught it from Fel.

She had more ways of cussing someone out, in both Spanish and English, than anyone wanted to be cussed out in. And, having just been rousted from sleep, she was in exactly the mood to do some telling off.  Fel had vanished back into the bedroom with Lola right behind, tossing over her shoulder, “Guys, help yourself.”

Keith couldn’t wait to see what kind of clothes they were changing into. Smiling to himself, he’d gone to find himself a drink. And think about Lesli.

After about a half-hour of sitting around holding down the sofa with Luis and Gerry, he’d been ready to leave. And about to deliver his apologies. When this apparition walked in. The spitting image of Eva Mendes, except wider in the hip and an inch or two taller.

One thing he had to say about his line of work: You couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting a model, dancer, actor, or some other lady whose profession it was to look drop-dead gorgeous. Behind her, a pair of couples had come in. The place began filling up. It had been, after all, a Friday evening, and folk had to have somewhere to go late at night. What hotter spot than here?

Lola, those days a highly sought percussionist, had no problem drawing party guests. When she picked up the telephone, folk had flocked at a moment’s notice.

Keith and Gerry had relaxed in a corner, looking for all the world like wallflowers, nursing their drinks. People watching, occasionally commenting. He’d found oddly fascinating the ones who, sheathed in professional, social-climbing armor, were in fact lonely, vulnerable as a peeled grape, pretending to be confident. Fooling themselves more than anyone else. Except, of course, their victims.

“Ready for a refill?” Gerry had asked and, without waiting, took their glasses over to the bar. Which couldn’t’ve been more on cue.

The apparition crossed the carpet toward Keith with a brisk, hip-swinging strut. About halfway, she’d given him a wolfish grin. I am, he thought, toast.

Then he’d thought again about Lesli. He’d found himself doing that a lot lately. Kind of scary. Sweet, but still scary. Women come and women go. “Scarifying,” he’d said aloud, to himself.

Hi!” she fairly exclaimed, thrusting out her hand. “Spend a lot of time talking to yourself?” The apparition stood maybe a foot away. And had a name — “I’m…” — but somehow he missed it.

A bit sluggish, both from having downed a few and being dumbstruck by her beauty, Keith had sat there stupidly trying to figure out how to respond. Habit inclined him to do one thing. Something about Lesli had him inclined to do something else.

He politely chatted and, when Gerry came back, spread it into a three-way conversation. At which point, the apparition grew irritated. “Doesn’t look like I brought back enough drinks,” Gerry said. She screwed her face into a knot, stood and glided away, making sure as many eyes as possible were on her. Gerry watched her go. “What the hell is her problem?”

“Beats me with a baseball bat,” Keith had blithely answered. Not feeling nearly self-assured. He had, however, known damned good and well what her problem was. Men throw themselves at gorgeous women, not vice versa. She probably couldn’t remember outside of Daddy telling her “No” the last time she couldn’t control a man at first sight. Much less when she made the first move.

He knew the type. He also knew he was beginning to get afraid. Type or no type, there was a time, not that long ago, when, whatever-the-hell-her-name-was would’ve got lucky just by walking up to him and breathing.

Not now. Not since Lesli.

Next week:  Post-Lion King, Keith gets cozy with Lesli in L.A.

Dwight Hobbes welcomes reader responses to P.O. Box 50357, Mpls., 55403. 

To read more Black & Single Blues by Dwight Hobbes click HERE

Terrance Terrell Franklin died at the hands of the Minneapolis police in the basement of a home at 2717 Bryant Avenue South, Minneapolis at approximately 3:30 pm, Friday, May 10. Questions are being asked about the circumstances of his death and the pitched battle alleged in different police versions, including hand-to-hand combat with a K-9 and then with five highly trained officers of a SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team.

We raise these questions on May 13 — four days after the shooting — that we hope will eventually be raised by other media:

• What were the real reasons that Mr. Franklin was stopped and questioned after he hit the rear of Squad Car #520?

• What really happened during the foot chase after the stop?

• What happened when police entered the home at 2717 Bryant Avenue South after being told by the owner that a man was breaking in, had broken in, or was burglarizing his home?

• How long did it take to remove the cat from the house in order not to impede the K-9 search of the house?

• Why did the K-9 officer order the dog to release Mr. Franklin before he was handcuffed?

• As SWAT teams are highly trained, why wasn’t Mr. Franklin tasered?

• As of this writing, why hasn’t the Star Tribune reported that Mr. Franklin was shot in the head six times?

• Were the six shots to the head to cover up his being beaten senseless, first by a fist hard to his head followed by raining blows on him with flashlights, suggesting he was shot in the head as he lay unconscious on the floor?

• Had he been standing up, in such a small space as the laundry room, wouldn’t one or more of the other five officers have been hit?

• Why wasn’t it reported until Sunday that the shooting took place in the basement? (I first reported that on my Saturday blog radio show.)

• Why, as late as Sunday, was it not possible to determine how many shots were fired when crime scene protocol is to gather and catalog all shell casings, not to mention counting bullet wounds revealed by the autopsy?

• Why did the story change with new sets of explanation talking points, as seen in this series of Star Tribune stories?

• “Uptown Mayhem, two dead, two officers shot.”

• “Crash 35 minutes after cops shot.”

• “Questions swirl after shots (fatal crash)”

• “Questions remain in Minneapolis fatal shooting, collision”

• “Man who died in struggle with Minneapolis police shot multiple times”

The most recent version, as of this writing, is that after being released from the jaws of the dog, Mr. Franklin charged the five officers (who had guns drawn); and although an officer had punched him hard in the face, the claim is that the punch didn’t stop him, nor did beating him with flashlights, so that, as he reached for an officer’s gun, they “had” to shoot him.

One person, five cops: really?

The police report Mr. Franklin wounded one officer in the leg. At that point, according to what will be the police version, one of the five officers fired six shots into Mr. Franklin’s head, who then fell. The scenario will say a second officer fell when the officer shot in the leg fell into him, pinning both on the floor with Mr. Franklin falling on top of them. This suggests the police continued firing, resulting in a second officer being hit in the leg.

As the medical examiner eventually said, the 22-year-old Mr. Franklin had been shot multiple times. His family would be well advised to have an independent autopsy in order to verify the number of times Mr. Franklin was shot and the number of bites and tears on his body during the course of the attack by the K-9 before the shooting.

Consider this scenario: Mr. Franklin was dazed by a fist to his head and then rendered unconscious from a beating with flashlights; and then, in the animal frenzy, he was summarily executed. Although difficult to think about, we recall that several months ago, another African American, a little older, was killed in exactly the same manner in another incident, in a St. Paul basement, in which a K-9 was also involved. Are we looking at a larger pattern and practice?

Will there be a Grand Jury investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of Mr. Franklin or into the death of the Mexican motorcyclist killed by a speeding police squad car heading to the scene 30 minutes later?

Terrance Terrill Franklin’s death should be a chilling reminder to those of us in the African American community that we are targets of opportunity and fair game in an ongoing war against the African American community, not only here but across the country. In a word: business as usual. Worse: no outcry from our community leadership.

May Mr. Franklin’s family be provided with the forensic evidence that will allow a better understanding of events leading to the death of their loved one. Hopefully, somewhere between the police description of that struggle and Mr. Franklin’s death lies the truth.

Stay tuned.

Ron Edwards hosts “Black Focus” on Channel 17, MTN-TV, Sundays, 5-6 pm, and hosts Blog Talk Radio’s “Black Focus V” on Sundays, 3-3:30 pm and Thursdays, 7-8:30 pm, providing coverage about Black Minnesota. Order his books at www.BeaconOnTheHill.com. Hear his readings and read his columns, blog, and solution papers for community planning and development, at www.TheMinneapolisStory.com. Columns are archived at www.theminneapolisstory.com/tocarchives.htm.