CONGRESSWOMAN JOHNSON’S STATEMENT ON ECONOMIC STIMULUS DEAL

Posted on January 26, 2008 by Shawn Williams

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson issued the following statement today in response to the economic stimulus package announced yesterday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and House Republican Leader John Boehner:

“The most effective thing Congress can do is to create jobs and give the middle class a boost by putting money in the pockets of North Texans and families across America. I am pleased that, under this package, 35 million working families, who would not otherwise have been helped, will receive tax relief this spring, and that 117 million families will receive a stimulus check. I am disappointed, however, that there was no aggressive plan for job training programs such as adult education and literacy, welfare-to-work, vocational education and vocational rehabilitation.”

"The stimulus package will seek to alleviate some fiscal hardships at least in a short term and begin the process of moving our stagnant economy in a stable direction.”

This comprehensive stimulus package will provide the following benefits:

· Grant tax relief this spring of up to $600 for an individual and up to $1,200 for a married couple, plus $300 per child. A total of 117 million families will receive a check.

· Include $28 billion in checks to 35 million working families who would not have otherwise been helped. More than 19 million of these are families with children.

· Double the amount small businesses can write off their taxes for new investments, and provide immediate tax relief for all businesses to invest in new plants and equipment.

· Provide mortgage lending reforms—including a one-year increase in Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s conforming loan limits (from $417,000 to a maximum of $729,750), and a permanent increase in the FHA loan limit from the current $367,000 up to a maximum of $729,750. The legislation will also include other changes that immediately help families facing foreclosure refinance their loans and get the housing counseling they may need.

Friendship-West to host screening of PBS Documenatry “Banished” February 8

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Shawn Williams

For Immediate Release

January 24, 2008

Contacts:

* Lewis “Ski” Elliott: (972)228-5391

* Danielle Ayers: (972) 228-5226

* Shawn Williams: shawn@dallassouthblog.com

Friendship-West to host Community Cinema Screening of documentary “Banished”

On February 8, 2008, Friendship-West Baptist Church will host a free screening of the PBS documentary BANISHED @ 7:00 p.m. BANISHED is part of PBS’ weekly Independent Lens series which is hosted by Terrence Howard.

One hundred years ago in communities across the U.S., white residents forced thousands of black families to flee their homes. Even a century later, these towns remain almost entirely white. BANISHED tells the story of three of these communities and their black descendants, who return to learn their shocking histories. Through conversations with current residents and the descendants of those who were driven out, the film contemplates questions of privilege, responsibility, denial, healing, reparations and identity.

Filmmaker Marco Williams said he wanted to make a film that explored prospective solutions to the racial divide. “I do hope that the film will be part of the material for building bridges across the forces that divide Americans and people throughout the world,” Marco Williams said.

After the screening of the documentary, there will be a group discussion for those in attendance. “We hope to accomplish three things with this screening and discussion,” says Lewis “Ski” Elliott, L.I.F.E Matters Facilitator and Mentor at Friendship-West. “We want to increase social consciousness, educate and empower our guests, as well as bridge the gap between the past and present and into the future.”

“The events recounted in Banished are not as distant as we would like to think,” said Shawn Williams. Shawn Williams publishes the blog Dallas South and will facilitate the discussion after the screening. “Even today historical African-Americans neighborhoods are slowing fading away. We need to take a closer look at why that is,” he said.

Danielle Ayers, Minister of Justice at Friendship-West, says that this will not be the last film screening for the benefit of the community. “We plan to show films that highlight the realities of our community and offer solutions to the troubles we face,” says Ayers.

BANISHED will air on PBS stations throughout the country on February 19th. The documentary will air in the Dallas area that evening on KERA Channel 13 at 10:00 p.m.

Friendship-West Baptist Church is located at 2020 Wheatland Road in Dallas just north of Interstate 20. Dr. Frederick Douglas Haynes III serves as Senior Pastor of the church whose motto is "Equipping Changed People to Change the World." Those planning to attend the screening are asked to RSVP at www.friendshipwest.org, shawn@dallassouthblog.com, or (972)228-5391.

Who: Friendship-West Baptist Church

What: Free Screening of BANISHED – PBS documentary

Where: 2020 Wheatland RD, Dallas

When: February 8, 2008 @ 7:00 p.m.

American Journal Review gives an academic assesment of race and media – Dallas South, AfroSpear bloggers featured

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Shawn Williams

The America Jouralism Review recently published an article by Raquel Christie that takes an extensive look at how the mainstream media covered the Jena 6 story. Raquel spent a lot of time pulling this story together and examines it from a number of different angles.

There are a few AfroSpear blogs, including Dallas South, that were featured in this report. Click here to see AJR's entire story titled Double Whammy.

All this awful bait, but the national media didn't bite. The story, instead, was the property of black bloggers and radio hosts, two local papers and activists. Only after they had interpreted it, only after they had dissected it, only after they had decided the right and the wrong of it – and dedicated a movement, the Afrospear, to it – only after big names like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson stepped into the fray last summer did the news media give it to us.

Soon, the blogs were afire with cries for justice in Jena – and for media respect.

"I make a final plea to the American media," wrote black blogger Shawn Williams on the day of Blogging for Justice, created by dozens of black bloggers who latched on to the Jena movement. "I'd ask that you raise your right hand and admit under oath that you just don't give a damn about black people. Your non-coverage of missing black women and children, your demonization of hip hop culture, your initial labeling of Katrina survivors as 'refugees' and your daily lynching of black athletes called sports talk radio is evidence of this fact. The Jena Six deserve justice." ( dallassouthblog.com/2007/08/30/jena-six-deserve-justice/)

(Did I write that? Yeah I guess I did)

Wrote D. Yobachi Boswell on The Black Perspective: "The Afrosphere Jena 6 Coalition 'ask that the mainstream traditional media step forward and discharge their duty to provide coverage of this vitally important event to their viewers and readers and act as "the fourth institution" of governmental "checks and balance" that constitutional framers intended the press to be.'"

Says Wayne Bennett, who wrote about the lack of national media coverage on his blog The Field Negro: "I don't think it was a sexy story. Stuff like that happens all the time, especially in Southern towns. That's not something the mainstream media would chase… They got on the story because Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton got involved, then the big march, then it became sexier." ( field-negro.blogspot.com/)

"I think it goes back to the difference of how the general media feels about an issue and how African Americans might feel," says Williams, author of Dallas South Blog. "It's because the media is made up of non-African Americans in general, and because of that they cover the stories from their personal point of view and that point of view is not shared by everyone. That's why I've really enjoyed what's happened lately with the blooming of bloggers. People can use their own spin to report what happens and how they feel about it."

At a "Covering Immigration and Race" discussion at the Poynter Institute, dean of faculty Keith Woods wanted to focus on Jena. So he spoke to the Town Talk's Carty and Williams from Dallas South Blog. What he found was a serious disconnect – two very different perceptions of the Jena story.

"The most profound realization coming out of those two conversations was how utterly differently two people could see the same story," Woods says. "To essentially paint it as the participants did, in the case of Paul [Carty], a story about overblown and incorrect media coverage, as much as it was about Jena, and to Shawn [Williams], it was a story about injustice."

Which is it about? The media should tell us, he says.
(Woods) "But here is the thing: If we are a nation of paranoid people, we need to know that. And so if it is pure paranoia that's driving the busloads of people that drive down to Jena, some of us need to report that, and if we believe it's paranoia, our belief needs to be taken to the journalistic test of reporting, and not simply dismissed, while we go off and cover O.J. And if it's not paranoia, who but journalists to help us understand it and see the injustice? Either argument deserves national attention before [the first story appeared] May 20."

Dallas Morning News column – Convention hotel should shift south

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Shawn Williams

This is a column that I wrote which appeared in the Dallas Morning News on Thursday. Dallas South readers saw most of this last week. There are however a couple of points that I didn't make in last week's post.

Plans for a Dallas Convention Center hotel are moving forward, and Mayor Tom Leppert would like to see it built before the Super Bowl comes to town in 2011. While the city looks into financing the project, the discussion will soon move to where the hotel should be located.

For those who have dared to dream of a hotel constructed near the convention center, the vision usually includes a structure on the "front," or downtown side, of the building. I've always thought the same thing.

But over the weeks since I wrote my first Viewpoints column on the hotel, another potential site has emerged. Imagine, if you will, a hotel erected on the southern side of the convention center. Use Eddie Deen's Ranch as a reference point.

In that initial Viewpoints column, I made the following argument:

Convention visitors judge a host city by what goes on each day after the meetings are over. Where do we eat? Is there anywhere to shop? How long does it take to get to the hottest night spot?

A hotel built on the north side of the convention center would have to start from scratch to create a place for conventioneers to go after hours. The alternative is to find a way to connect with revitalization efforts on Main Street downtown.

But an entertainment district already exists just south of the convention center, and that area continues to blossom. Anchored by the South Side on Lamar lofts, Lamar Street offers plenty to do for visitors in search of post-meeting fare.

Hotel occupants leaving a southern location would spill across Interstate 30 into Gilley's Dallas and The Palladium Ballroom. Brooklyn Jazz Cafe is about a quarter-mile from this proposed site.

Couple these businesses and others in the area with the diverse residency of the South Side lofts and The Beat condos, currently under construction, and you have the makings of a round-the-clock destination. There is plenty of space along Lamar to add to the mix of retail, residential, office and entertainment that are already in place.

The City Council and city staff have a strong desire to connect the convention center with Dallas' downtown core. But urban planners have long encouraged the city to expand its definition of downtown. Woodall Rogers is scheduled to be decked in order to bridge the Arts District with Uptown. Why not do the same with I-30 and connect the convention center with the Cedars?

A hotel on the convention center's south side would have convenient highway access and sit only yards away from the DART's Convention Center station. Another advantage is that the site is near the middle of the convention center, so visitors would never have to trek the full length of the building to get to and from their rooms.

The cost for climate-controlled connectivity between the hotel and the center would likely be less than other proposed locations because of the site's proximity to the main building.

Speaking of cost, land acquisition on the south side of the center should carry a lower price tag than the leading sites on the north side.

It makes perfect business and logistical sense.

But there is another benefit that is unique to this location. When developers in the area look at a map, they draw a line at I-30, and many still refuse to look at anything south of that point. Progress on South Lamar shows us that this school of thought is changing.

Here is an opportunity for the city to continue to push development toward South Dallas with more than an auto parts store or a fast-food stand. The taxpayer-funded American Airlines Center has created a vibrant new entertainment district at Victory Park. Money that the city invested in redeveloping the Mercantile Building will pay big dividends for Main Street and Dallas' downtown core.

Now it's time for the Cedars – with a little help from City Hall – to realize its full potential.

The convention center hotel should be built on the southern side of the Dallas Convention Center. Politicians who have pledged to support economic development in southern Dallas have a chance to prove that their words are more than hollow campaign-season promises.

Howard Witt recaps last year’s internet movement with the Maynard Institute

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Shawn Williams

The Maynard Institute has a comprehensive interview with Howard Witt, Southwest Bureau Chief of the Chicago Tribune. Anyone who has visited this site for any length of time is familiar with Mr. Witt's work on the ShaQuanda Cotton case and in the Jena 6 story. He was the first person in the national media to report on either issue.

The interview conducted by Reggie Royston is titled Black Blogosphere Proves Potent Force In Story of Race in the New South. Click here to see the interview in its entirety. Here are just a few excerpts, please visit Maynard to get the entire picture.

Were you encouraged or intrigued by the blogger reaction to your stories?

I was. The whole experience was kind of an awakening for me as to the even existence this black blogosphere. I didn't really pay much attention to blogs until early this year. I think I shared the stereotype of bloggers that most mainstream journalists have, which is [that] they were this bunch of lunatics sitting in front of the computer screen at midnight in their underwear expostulating on things. I thought it was a bunch of navel-gazing and a waste of time, but I changed my opinion pretty dramatically after the Shaquanda Cotton story.

I was discovering the bloggers I think as they were beginning to discover themselves. What I came to discover later, and what the bloggers themselves started to talk about, [was that] prior to the Shaquanda case they were kind of isolated. While they had a few interconnected links to each other, they were mostly a bunch of individuals kind of giving their thoughts on issues of the day.

What role do you think race played in raising the profile of these bloggers? Are black bloggers more influential than white bloggers or leftist bloggers, per se?

Certainly the black bloggers have defined for themselves a particular area of interest and broadly we're talking about civil rights-type issues. I think the difference is, if we're talking about "white blogs," if we're talking about the liberal political blogs like Daily Kos and the Huffington Post, those blogs to me, they're much less interesting. They are basically just regurgitating what they read in the mainstream media, particularly the big-name columnists, Paul Krugman and the rest. It's kind of a hall of mirrors to me, and I find none of it interesting.

But what I find in the black blogosphere you have people who don't profess to be political professionals. They're just ordinary folks coming from a range of interests and professions but they have these very thoughtful takes on the civil rights issues of the day. They bring to bear their own experience and they give voice to a lot of stuff that just doesn't get aired either in the mainstream media or in the kind of liberal blogs. Plus the black blogosphere is not distinguished by a particular political orthodoxy.

What about the Associated Press story saying the truth in this matter (Jena 6) is a lot murkier?

I can only be responsible for what I wrote. I think that was the [AP] story that tried to make a big deal about the fact that there [were] only two nooses, not three……

The AP story [that] somehow tried to debunk this followed another AP story done by a different reporter, which talked about the local barbershop. There's a barbershop called Doughty's Westside Barbershop, where it's an all-white barbershop, and they proudly refuse to cut black people's hair. I went in there a few weeks ago and couldn't believe these guys were willing to say this, and sure enough, the proprietor says, "I'm not cutting n-people's hair. They're not coming in this place. If I were to cut their hair then that would just dirty up my instruments." Just the most vile stuff. So, the same AP did a story about that, but then they decided a month later that they were going to raise questions.

You are white, correct?

I actually find it entertaining. A lot of the bloggers think I am black, and they give props to brother Howard Witt. And you know, I'll take that as an honor. But, no, I am Caucasian.

State Senator Royce West to open 2nd District Office

Posted on January 24, 2008 by Shawn Williams

On Thursday January 31, State Senator Royce West will host the Grand Opening of his 2nd District Office. The Deep Ellum office is located at 2612 Main Street in Dallas.

The public is invited to come out an meet Sen. West and his staff, share in food and fun, as well as discuss ideas and concerns regarding the district. The grand opening is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. For more information call 214-741-0123.

SOC to forfeit 2nd second title

Posted on January 23, 2008 by Shawn Williams

South Oak Cliff was found to have used an ineligible player on the way to their 2nd state basketball title. I continue to support Coach James Mays II and his program, and I continue to disagree with Brett Shipp's choice to sensationalize the story when he reported it on Channel 8 during sweeps week.

Bill Clinton goes off on CNN’s Jessica Yellin, part of divide an conquer strategy

Posted on January 23, 2008 by Shawn Williams

Is Bill Clinton running for President or is Hillary? Today we see more evidence that it's the former.

After a town hall meeting held by the former President he went on a tirade after being asked a question by CNN's Jessica Yellin. Clinton is accusing the media of doing what he is actually doing.

Clinton is also ascribing Clinton campaign tactics to Obama. Will American buy it? "We fought hard and we won," said President Clinton of Senator Clinton popular vote win in Nevada. That's what this is, a fight. A fight for the Clinton legacy, a fight to get back into the White House, a fight to prove they are right and everyone else is wrong.

At a time when the country needs to come together, the Clinton's are tearing their own party apart. All this and then flipping it around on everyone else.

Click here for video of President Clinton going off on Jessica Yellin.

"He put out a hit job on me," said (Bill) Clinton referring to Sen. Obama's campaign tactics. Then he tries to get Mrs. Clinton a posthumous endorsement from Dr. King. Here are some more of Pres. Clinton's words.

This is crazy…this rhetoric is getting a little carried away here. My ultimate answer is this, there are still two people around that marched with Martin Luther King, and risked their lives, John Lewis and Rev. Andrew Young. They both said that Hillary was right and the people who attacked her were wrong and that she did not play the race card, but they did.

It looks impromptu but this was a totally calculated move on the part of President Clinton. Obama is fighting a two front war as John Edwards continues to fade.

I went into this seeing two good candidates, actually three, that the Democrats had to offer. Now that a fourth, Bill Clinton has entered, its looking like Obama, Edwards, or nothing for me.

Forbes ranks Atlanta as nation’s most wired city, Dallas remains 19th

Posted on January 22, 2008 by Shawn Williams

Thanks to Yobachi at BlackPerspective.net for the heads up on a recent article in Forbes magazine. For the second year in a row the magazine has named Atlanta the most wired city in the U.S.

Forbes used three factors to determine its rankings:

Broadband Adoption: The percentage of home Internet users with high-speed connections.

Access Options: The number of companies providing high-speed Internet access.

Wi-Fi: Public wireless Internet hot spots per capita.

Dallas ranked 19th for the 2nd consecutive year. While the city ranked well in Broadband Adoption (6th), Dallas was 21st in Access Options and 26th in WiFi hotspots.

You can read Elizabeth Woyke's full article by clicking here.

Shawn Williams and Dallas South in this week’s North Dallas Gazette

Posted on January 21, 2008 by Shawn Williams

Thanks to the North Dallas Gazette for selecting me as one of their three People in the News this week. I was surprised when they told me I would be in the paper, but to see that I was featured with Elder Cathy Moffitt was extremely humbling.

Click here to see a PDF of NDG's January 17th Edition

Make sure to visit North Dallas Gazette's website and pick up a copy of the paper if you are out and about.