1,500 Rikers Island Inmates Have Been Behind Bars More Than A Year Without Being Convicted

 New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a sweeping plan Tuesday to modernize the city’s criminal justice system and improve conditions in the Rikers Island jail complex, which for years has been plagued by violence and corruption.
The plan, which the mayor’s office calls “Justice Reboot,” aims to reduce the Rikers inmate population by 25 percent over 10 years.
About 1,500 of the 10,000 inmates on Rikers have been there for more than a year without being convicted of a crime, and 400 have languished behind bars for more than two years without trials, according to the mayor’s office. Such lengthy pretrial stays are caused by court backlogs, high bail for poor defendants, bad legal representation, and sometimes intentional defense tactics.

De Blasio, along with New York state Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, said on Tuesday that all 1,500 Rikers inmates awaiting trial for more than a year will have a court date within 45 days, with the aim of resolving their cases within six months. The mayor’s office said a new online tool will allow anyone to track the status of these cases in real time.
“Today’s changes are part of my long-term commitment to bring the criminal justice system into the 21st century, safely drive down the number of people behind bars, and make the system fairer,” de Blasio said in a statement.
Joseph Ponte, the reform-minded city Department of Corrections commissioner appointed by de Blasio last year, said in a statement that “by moving long-term detainees out of our jails, we can reduce the burden on our staff, increase staff and inmate safety and more efficiently serve the inmates who remain in our custody.”
The plight of long-term inmates on Rikers was highlighted last year in a New Yorker profile of 18-year-old Kalief Browder, who spent three years in the jail awaiting trial on robbery charges that were ultimately dismissed. Browder told The Huffington Post that guards “starved” him during his incarceration as punishment for repeated suicide attempts.
The mayor told The New Yorker that Browder’s “tragic story put a human face on Rikers Island’s culture of delay -- a culture with profound human and fiscal costs for defendants and our city.”
Browder told the magazine Monday night that the mayor’s plan was “great.”
Another significant part of de Blasio’s plan is to overhaul the city's handling of summonses for minor offenses, like having an open container of alcohol in public, disorderly conduct, littering, and bicycling on the sidewalk. These types of offenses make up half the cases in city criminal courts, and 38 percent of those given summons failed to come to court last year, resulting in warrants for their arrest.
Beginning this summer, the mayor’s plan will permit people convicted of summons offenses to pay fines online. There will be "a wider window within which to satisfy the summons," according to a press release, and a revamped summons form will more clearly point out the time, date and location for court appearances. The city will also test a reminder system of text messages and robocalls for those wishing to challenge a summons in court.
Police issued nearly 360,000 summonses last year, according to the mayor’s office. While that’s 35 percent less than in 2009, it’s still a lot of cases for the clogged summons court.
The summons court workload may be driven back up by de Blasio’s order last year that those caught with small amounts of marijuana would be issued a court summons instead of being arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. Although many cheered the mayor’s decision, groups like the Drug Policy Alliance warned that the plan would add roughly 30,000 people a year to the docket of the overburdened summons court.
In a statement Tuesday, Kassandra Frederique, policy manager of the Drug Policy Alliance, said her organization “applauds the de Blasio administration for listening to advocates and tackling the inescapable maze that is the NYC summons system.”
Other organizations also cheered the plan.
"When over 1 million New Yorkers have outstanding warrants for low-level violations, something is amiss,” said Alyssa Aguilera, political director of Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders New York, which opposes mass incarceration. “A summons should be used to avoid unnecessary arrests, not to perpetuate them.
“These changes will most benefit low-income people of color, many of whom are unable to adjust their work schedules and family responsibilities to make a court appearance,” Aguilera added.
Donna Lieberman, executive director at the New York Civil Liberties Union, praised the Justice Reboot provision requiring the city to issue regular reports on the race of people receiving summonses.
“Only with tracking and regular public reporting on who is getting tickets and for what can New Yorkers start to understand the consequences of broken windows policing,” Lieberman said.
NYPD Commissioner William Bratton, often at odds with civil liberties groups, praised Justice Reboot.
“We support the efforts to increase transparency by posting summons data and we applaud testing methods to ensure a higher court appearance rate,” Bratton said in a statement. “Police resources are too often wasted returning defendants to court on warrants that could have been avoided.”

This story is credited to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/14/rikers-island-de-blasio-justice-reboot_n_7065438.html?utm_hp_ref=black-voices&ir=Black%20Voices

R.I.P R&B Legend Percy Sledge "When A Man Loves A Woman" Dies at 74

Percy Sledge, the R&B singer whose soulful ballad of eternal love and rejection, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” topped the charts in 1966, died on Tuesday in Baton Rouge, La. He was 74.

His death was confirmed by Artists International Management, which represented him. Mr. Sledge had liver cancer, for which he underwent surgery in 2014, Mark Lyman, his agent and manager, said.

Mr. Sledge, sometimes called the King of Slow Soul, was a sentimental crooner and one of the South’s first soul stars, having risen to fame from jobs picking cotton and working as a hospital orderly while performing at colleges and clubs on the weekends.

“I was singing every style of music: the Beatles, Elvis Presley, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Motown, Sam Cooke, the Platters,” Mr. Sledge said.

“When a Man Loves a Woman” was his first recording for Atlantic Records, after a patient at the hospital introduced him to the record producer Quin Ivy. It went on to become the label’s first gold record in 1966. (The Recording Industry Association of America began certifying records as gold, for 500,000 copies sold, in 1958.) Raw and lovelorn, the song was a response to a woman who had left him for another man, Mr. Sledge said. He called its composition a “miracle.”

An album of the same name was released that year, and three more studio records for Atlantic followed during the 1960s: “Warm and Tender Soul,” “The Percy Sledge Way” and “Take Time to Know Her.”

While Mr. Sledge never again reached the heights of his first hit, “When a Man Loves a Woman” had many lives: as an early highlight of the Muscle Shoals, Ala., music scene; as a movie soundtrack staple in the 1980s, heard in “The Big Chill” and “Platoon”; and in a 1991 cover version by Michael Bolton, which also topped the Billboard chart and earned Mr. Bolton a Grammy.

Exclusive Interview with Brave Williams from R&B Divas

BRAVE WILLIAMS
"STILL BRAVE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS"
By Lenell King

Brave Williams has come along way since  working under the guidance of P Diddy during  her "Making the Band" audition.   She successfully started a girl group, and found herself opening up for the "Queen B" herself, Beyonce.   She is now an official "Diva in Training" taking on accomplished Divas in the world of reality TV where most would run and  hide, she is truly holding her own and showing just how "Brave " she really is.  Ladies and gentleman today's special guest for http://www.whosthatladyent.com Brave  Williams. 

Lenell: How did you get your name?  Was it given at birth or did you come up with that as an artistic creation:

Brave:   I had the name for a long time since the age of 13 or 14.   It started from when I was doing spoken word at an open mic in Baltimore, MD.  I was doing a piece at such a young age that the audience was like, "WOW, you are so brave for that." Every time I went back they would call me brave. From there the name kind of stuck.

Lenell:  While growing up in Baltimore, what were some of your influences and how did you get involved on the music scene?

Brave:  I started writing,  which is my first love... poetry.   I fell in love with the art of words.   It wasn't until I actually heard TuPac while driving in my car. From that point,  that's when the whole love of rap ignited in me.  When I was 16, I started to pay attention to Mary J's, "What's the 411", that's when I realized that I could sing. I started to turn rap into a song and then it became a marriage of hip hop and R&B.

Lenell:  Typically during an interview we here the musical influences normally come from a parent; was that true with your family? If not, were they supportive of your career?

Brave:   I was very young, when I realized that I wanted to take this seriously.  At first my parents were a little skeptical as most parents would be if their child says I 'm leaving home to pursue a career in music.  When I traveled, they were very protective. However, as time went on it got easier and they became more supportive.   I was 17, when I wanted to go audition for "Making the Band" in New York.  I was still in high school and they let me go.  They took me up and we stayed together in a small hotel room.  My entire family came, but now that I look back on it , it was really a beautiful moment.  It got easier as the journey went on.

Lenell: Tell us about your experience on "Making the Band".

Brave:  It was overwhelming; that was my first encounter with cameras and being around vocalists. I didn't know that I could sing until 16; by the time I was 17 I was in New York around other vocalists.  For me it was just a growing process.  I know a type of situation like that has helped expedite my learning and development as a vocalist. Overall it was an overwhelming experience yet an awesome one. I was able to learn a lot from that. 

Lenell:  A few months ago, we interviewed Sara Stokes from Making the Band....

Brave:  Really, we were on the same season.  How is she?

Lenell:  Fantastic. She is currently in the studio working on new material as well.

Brave: Awesome.

Lenell:   One thing Sara took from the show is seeing Diddy in action and his ambition. She stated how motivating he is. Did you witness those same characteristics?

Brave:  Absolutely. No one can be as ambitious about your career than you.  One thing he is very strong about when you first meet him is his ambition and his drive.  That type of energy if you allow it, will rub off on you in a good way.  I can definitely take that from him. How he speaks, what he expects of you, his level of expectations from each artist... he exudes greatness.

Lenell: You left the show because of an illness in the family, correct?

Brave: Yes.

Lenell:  I know that you lost your father to prostate cancer, my condolences. I too lost my father to the same illness, so I definitely understand what you went through.    After "Making the Band", you started a group called "Rich Girl" and you had an amazing run as far as touring.  You opened up for Beyonce.  What was that like?

 Brave:  That was an amazing experience. That was surreal; it was a highlight of my music career so far.  You go from performing in front of 100 people to 60,000 literally overnight.  One day we're in DC performing in lounges next we're in Madison Square Garden. It was a very surreal and exciting time.

 Lenell:  How did you land the opportunity with the Queen B?

 Brave:  From "Making the Band" I knew that I wanted to be around vocalists.   From that, I started a girl group . I sought after the girls, I had auditions, and everything fell into place.  I decided to name the group "Rich Girl" and represent that .   That meant we are rich in spirit, rich in our faith, rich in our talent.

From there we landed a deal with Jive.  They helped to push two singles, one of which went international.    They were playing our videos and singles internationally. Beyonce was on an international tour at the time.   She thought we were a European group.  She had no idea that we were from the US.  She saw the video in Europe and was looking for us over there, but later had her Father (Matthew Knowles) reach out to our label once the tour was over.   That's how it all got started.

 

Lenell:  The stars are lining up for you. So, it's 2015, the world is reintroduced to you on the set of R&B Divas LA, how did you land that opportunity .

Brave:  After the group disbanded, I took some time with the money I was able to make inside of the group and invest it back into myself.   I created my label "Brave New World".  I was also able to assemble together a great management team , Bishop and Mike Mark. From there we were able to put together our street team, promo team, and producers.  We know that we wanted to independently attack the music scene again.

I went to radio with my song "Ooh Luv Ya". It started to get legs on its own. It caught the attention of producers over at TV One who came to us and asked if I wanted to be apart of this amazing cast to showcase my music to a broad audience and I thought it was an awesome opportunity . So  I jumped on it.

 

Lenell: You are surrounded by powerhouse vocalists, and you really hold your own. Did they embrace you, and give you advice. How were you received?

Brave:  I was very humbled being around artists like that who are accomplished like that, I was just humbled to be in that arena.  My resume  isn't nearly as extensive as theirs.   I was just excited, and just want to let them know that hey I'm here. I'm here to learn, I'm here doing the same thing that you are, trying to develop my brand and further my career. I'm like a diva in training.  When they say that, my rapping and singing , they gave me advice and the dynamic really changed.  They were like , "Oh Brave, she really is something."

Lenell:  Is there one Diva in particular that really took you under their wing like a big sister?

Brave:   I have a very special relationship with each Diva. It's very unique and so different.  Each one to me represents something different. I would have to say Leela, Chrisette, and Michelle have been very instrumental in sharing advice.  Chrisette is working on her own label, so when I was looking for distribution for my single, she was very helpful in sharing what she had to go through in terms of partnering with the label versus a bigger machine.  I was able to implement some things that I learned from her.

Lenell: Would you say that you enjoy rapping more than doing R&B or is it a combination of both?

Brave:  I can't have one without the other. For me it starts and stops with the love of words. Being able to tell a story.  I would have to say poetry first because I would say I can't rap or have a song without raps.  In terms of delivery whether its hip hop or R&B, that's a tough draw.

Lenell:  My hats off to you. When I first heard you, it was refreshing.   You have a rawness that we haven't seen in a while.  I see really good things coming for you in the future.

Brave:  Thank  you.  I really appreciate that.  You go into this situation and you just really never know how things can be edited.  You can only pray and give it up  to God.  I stay true to my purpose . I just hope to that people will see that to

 

Lenell:   What's next, we've seen the show. Are you anticipating a second season?  

Brave:  I'm getting ready to release my EP, "Fearless".  Right now, we're putting on the finishing touches with the launch of our website "It's a Brave New World".  I'm working on a tour, we're getting ready to hit the stage in different cities. Getting on a tour bus to start pushing "Fearless" and pushing my other single "Road Trippin", which I also just released a video too.

I also just did  a partnership with Music Choice. They are an amazing network that has been showcasing my music on their channels.  They have me doing the  "Take Back The Music" campaign which I am honored to be apart of. "Take back the music" is a campaign that recognizes talent that they think are really taking responsibility of their careers so artists like Jason Derulo, Asap Rocky, Robin Thicke, Estelle, were all "Take Back Your Music" faces.  Now, I am their new artist.  There's definitely some things that we have going on in the works that we will continue pushing out and giving to the fans.

Lenell:  Tell us about your team, who are you working with?

Brave:   I have some amazing writers. One is named Candy Shields. She is out of Arizona. There is another writer named "Typewriter". She has done some work for Danity Kane. She is out of Philly.  We have some producers out of Atlanta. We also have J Phoenix, Fusion, a lot of people from Philly that have come together and are working with me strong to kind of finish this album and get this EP together.

Lenell:  Thanks again for taking the time out for http://www.Whosthatladyent.com Tell us how your fans can reach you!

Brave: Thanks for having me.   I can be reached at

http://www.twitter.com/Bmorebrave  and instagram.com/bmorebrave  

Visit her website http://www.bravewilliamsworld.com

  All rights reserved -- no part of this website may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission from Who's That Lady Entertainment.

Exclusive Interview With Amber Nicole Scott (Season #5 The Voice)

AMBER NICOLE SCOTT

The Voice of the Triple Threat

By Belinda Trotter-James

In season 5 of NBC’s The Voice Triple threat Amber Nicole Scott bursts on the scene and explodes with her sensation voice which lands her in the top 20 out of thousands that auditioned to be on the popular show. 

Not only can Amber sing, but she is also a songwriter, dancer and actress.  As a matter of fact her body of work leans more towards acting.  She was just out of high school and participated in various school musicals which explain her vocal talent lending her outstanding acting ability to the stage.

“The singing is definitely the number one priority,” says Amber.  “Acting is also a passion of mine, but I’m really concentrating on singing right now.  I love acting, but I guess it seems that way because in my high school years I was always cast in the school’s musicals so my bio has all my musicals in it.  That’s probably why I got most of the roles in school because I am a singer.”

It’s funny how some people get sick to their stomachs before performing or even speaking on stage.  However, to Amber it’s where she is most comfortable.  “I think what I enjoy the most is the simple fact of entertaining others and seeing the smiles on their faces or even seeing tears fall down”, says Amber.  “I like the affect I have on people and I just like to be in front of a crowd.  I really love entertaining, performing and hearing the words… lights, camera, action!”  Amber does not mind all eyes on her.  She adds, “It’s actually weird because I’m more nervous with a smaller crowd than a bigger crowd. I feel in a smaller crowd it’s more intimate and I’m able to see the faces to see if they do or don’t like what I’m singing or doing.”

 Growing up Amber was surrounded by a musical family and that would definitely explain the infusion of the emotional connection with her voice to the songs.  “My father is a musician; he’s a bass player and sings in his band called the Scott Free band.  I would sing with him from time to time,” remembers Amber.  “Ever since I was little I would sing with him at different venues, parks, bars and restaurants.  He would bring me onstage and that’s how I got introduced…. Actually I got introduced to the stage as a dancer.  I was a competitive dancer and that introduced me to big crowds, but as for singing, I was with my father a lot.  My older sister Crystal is a producer and vocal coach.  She produced some things with Mary J Blige and Usher.  She was Usher’s vocal coach.”

As fate would have its way with Amber, she landed on The Voice in the top 20 out of thousands of hopeful singers who applied to be on the show.  “I was actually at school when my sister called me about auditioning for The Voice,” recalls Amber.  “I did audition for other TV shows before like America’s Got Talent, but I did not make it to the TV part.  So her text to me asked if I wanted to audition for The Voice and I said, ‘Sure.’  She told me the auditions would be in Houston.  We went and waited in this long, cold line.  It was very cold. My mom, dad and sister waited with me on the long line full of thousands of people. I wanted to audition because I always wanted to be on the TV show.  It was just fun to try.  I said, ‘Let’s go for it!’”

When you’re on that stage in front of millions of viewers and audience members, it is not only about your talent, but the fashion police are also looking at your presentation from head to toe.  Who in the Amber camp decided what she should wear or how to look on national television?  “They had stylist and we went to wardrobe almost everyday to put together our individual look,” says Amber.  “Everyday we would pick out things that we liked and if they [the producers] did not like it or if something didn’t blend together well, they would fix it.  We went to wardrobe everyday for a couple of minutes to enhance our style with things we already had.”

 It has to be a highlight in any singer’s career to work with major entertainers who have achieved star status.  The two who worked with Amber were A-list recording artists Christina Aguilera and Ceelo Green.  Amber did not make it through to the #1 spot, but she had to have left with an amazing amount of information to take her to the next level.  “Both Christina and Ceelo turned their chairs,” remembers Amber.  “I picked Christina to work with first and she was definitely hands on.  I learned a lot about stage presence; she really broke it down to me.  When we went to rehearsal, she would actually get up and show me what to do.  She showed me how to entertain a crowd and strike a pose.  She even told me that she gets nervous and that stuck out to me the most.  Wow, that’s Christina Aguilera…  Who knew that she still gets nervous and she said that’s okay and not worry about what the crowd is thinking. Just do you and if they like you, they like you and most likely they will like you.  So I learned a lot from her.”

“With Ceelo… when we were in rehearsals, he was very uplifting at all times,” recalls Amber.  “I didn’t even get any negative critiques from him and I would not have mind if he did.  I asked him before he could say anything… I asked, ‘Was I sharp, was I flat’ and he just said, ‘You’re good.  I don’t want you to think too much.’  Basically both of them told me not to worry about what the crowd thinks.  That’s my fear sometimes… worrying about what the crowd thinks.  I really liked that a lot… to hear that from them.  That’s my fear and it can sometimes hinder a performance.  I was just glad they gave me that type of information coming from stars like them who have been there and know what they’re talking about.”

 Someone once broke down the word F.E.A.R to mean False Evidence Appearing Real.  Therefore, if you fear what the crowd will think of you and it looks as if they don’t like your performance, you have just manifested your fear becoming real.  That is the job of ‘fear’ and once you know that the job of ‘fear’ is to make you doubt, quit or worry, you must take that word out of your thoughts and vocabulary.  Now that you have this bit of information the next time you see the word ‘FEAR’ trying to invite itself into your life you will know what it is, shut the door and never invite that word into your world ever.

When future stars participate in television singing competitions where the audience gets to vote, sometimes it becomes a popularity competition instead of a singing competition.  Those who don’t make it to the top start to question their talent, lose focus, confidence and will allow their old friend ‘FEAR’ to creep back in their world again.  No one can really say why they did not make it all the way to the number one spot.  Amber had to think a moment to put into words why she did not go further in the competition.  “The music that the other team had was the fan favorite.  They liked their song choices,” explains Amber.    “I’m not saying that my team had poopoo song choices; we had nice songs but …” Amber went on to explain the process with the rounds and teams and the fan favorite to the point that I felt it was about who had the most fans or the right songs an audience could sing along with and enjoy instead of looking at raw vocal talent. 

In the life of an entertainer it does come down to who can make an audience feel good and be pleasing to the eyes.  At the end of the day no one can really say this one was better than that one.  All you can say is that it was not my time to be number one yet.

“I’m still grateful for the whole experience and I’m glad I went as far as I did because I didn’t think I could have gone as far as I did,” says Amber.  She still keeps in touch with Ceelo and wishes Christina well and congratulations with her new baby.

Amber is starting to really get her feet wet as a professional singer and because of her experiences with her dad, having a sister as a music producer and being in the top 20 on The Voice she had some pretty good advice to those following in her footsteps.  “The advice that I have is that it will get discouraging at times just being in this industry,” advises Amber.  “Sometimes you may not find the connections that you need, the manager, the agent you need or the producer and it gets discouraging to the point where you feel you’re by yourself.  So my advice would be to never give up.  I don’t know everyone’s faith, but you must go within and have faith and everything will fall in place.  If you want it that bad, work for it.  Don’t lose site of the big picture. Keep working at it, don’t get discouraged and do whatever you have to do to maintain your grove.  Just don’t give up because that’s not cool.  A lot of times I feel that way. I would start to feel discouraged and I would catch myself and say, ‘Uh-uh Amber get back’”.

Amber Nicole has a brilliant career ahead.  She is working on some original music as a songwriter.  Her next move is to make sure fans don’t forget why they voted for her on the show.  She really relies on her social media outlets to keep in touch with her fans and her website should be up soon at Ambernicolemusic  In the meantime you can stay in touch with Amber Nicole on twitter http://www.twitter.com/theamberscott and subscribe to her You Tube channel at AMBER NICOLE where she is uploading new things each week.  She will also take requests.  So if there is a song you want Amber to sing, just give her your requests.

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VIDEOS- TYRESE BEST MOTIVATIONAL SPEECHES (MUST WATCH)

Finally a Celebrity with a heart! Tyrese has been making Motivational Speeches on Youtube and many need to listen! Very POSITIVE!! Follow Tyrese on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/tyrese

VIDEO MURDER! COP SHOOT UNARMED BLACK MAN 8 TIMES IN THE BACK

A white South Carolina police officer was arrested and charged with murder Tuesday after video showed him fatally shooting a fleeing, unarmed black man in the back.
North Charleston Police Officer Michael T. Slager, 33, can be seen shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott after a confrontation on Saturday, according to The Post and Courier. Slager chases Scott and shoots at him eight times in the video recorded by a passerby and obtained by The New York Times.
Scott died there, though it wasn't clear if he died immediately.
The graphic video raises questions about Slager's original assertion that he used his gun because he felt endangered.

TO VIEW VIDEO  http://ktla.com/2015/04/07/114788/

N.Y 4/11 FASHION FOR JUSTICE Hosted by MONIFAH AND TARA WALLACE (See Flyer)

Join Singer Monifah and Reality Star Tara Wallace  with the Rev Al Sharpton and his National Action Network FASHION FOR JUSTICE SATURDAY APRIL 11th 2015 At the Shearton New York Times Square Hotel.
For more info visit http://www.nationalactionnetwork.net