Our Time PressThe Local Paper with the Global View

A hero is a person who is admired by many.  He has the qualities of a good human being. He is someone who goes beyond expectations and works against all odds. Newspapers are filled with their names, streets are named after them.
The actions of heroes bring them recognition, but no hero you know comes close to the guy I admire.  He can be found in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
My hero made a difference in my life.  People used to tell him that he would never make it.  Whenever he heard this he would respond with these words, AThanks for the challenge.@ 
When I read what he had said for the first time I felt confident in myself.  From that moment on I knew I had a chance to make it.  Heroes are known for making a difference in other people=s lives.  My hero is the highest scorer in the league.  His name is Tracy McGrady.
Like many heroes, my role model faced many hardships along the way.  The biggest obstacle he faced was hiding in the shadow of his cousin, Vince Carter. Both men were ballplayers, but all the attention and fame went to Carter.  One day this, too, changed.  It was Tracy=s time to shine.  He made the decision to leave the Toronto Raptors.  Tracey=s choice hurt Vince.  He was not aware of the feelings his cousin had towards him. Their relationship suffered when this happened.  The cousins didn=t speak for years.
Tracy signed with the Orlando Magic and everything changed in his favor:  he became a famous star.  McGrady went to play with the Magic while Carter signed with the Raptors.  Something had to be done.  The two cousins needed to be brought together; there is no room for enemies within a family.
The time came and both teams were scheduled to play each other.  This situation forced the two cousins to speak for the first time in a long time.  The reunion made them both realize that they didn=t need to fight each other because each made a different choice.
Tracy is now scoring an average of twenty points per game.  As for Carter, he is still one of the best dunkers in the League.  Now that they have learned to give each other room, they both have time to shine with their own light.  The audience can expect that when the cousins play, these will be great games.
The lesson here is that heroes are human.  They have limitations and weaknesses.  They sometimes suffer from a low self-esteem and sometimes have to learn important lessons from their mistakes.
JERMAINE AICE@ PRESTER: FAMILY HERO
by Shathora Tinsley, Class 804
February 19, 1984, was the day my hero Jermaine Prester was born.  September 13, 2002 was the night he was killed.
Jermaine=s street name was AIce@ (meaning: I Control Everything).  He grew up in the Fort Greene Projects along with his older brother Mark and T.J., his younger brother. 
In charge of the boys were Jermaine=s abusive foster parents.  The situation at home was so difficult that one day Mark made the decision to run away from home.  He escaped, leaving behind his two brothers.
Ice attended Middle School 265 until the day he was transferred to 117, another Middle School in District 13.  He was kicked out of that school due to his behavior.  After leaving school, Jermaine=s name was added to the list of drop outs. The streets received him with open arms and they became his playground B maybe because he was well-respected there. Everyone in Athe hood@ adored Jermaine. 
Don=t get me wrong: it=s not that the streets were the only thing that mattered to him.  He had a higher love for his family. He had a great deal of respect for them.  He was willing to do anything in the world in their defense.

Years passed and one day Jermaine=s older brother Mark returned.  Mark told him that his biological mother wanted to see him.  As a result of this meeting, the boys moved in with their natural mother and settled in Crown Heights.  His mother and his two sisters shared a special bond. Perhaps moving in with his family was the best thing that happened to Jermaine.  Finally, he had a chance to (get close to) those he loved and to make up for lost years.
Jermaine and I shared a special bond.  He also showed a great deal of love towards my mother, Patricia Lee. Aunt Pat as he called her held a very special place in his heart. She was behind him every step of the way and supported him even when he was wrong.  Jermaine was so attached to his family that he would do anything on their behalf.
To show the type of person that Jermaine was I will describe some of the ways in which he showed his affection.  His younger cousin Shathora was facing problems B an older guy was giving her too much attention. All she had to do was confide in Jermaine.  As soon as he heard her plea he found a solution and solved her problem.
On June 25, 2002 Jermaine (interceded) when he saw a 17-year-old boy touching his ten-year-old cousin..  He became furious and came to her defense. 
Hours passed and the 17 year old boy recruited other boys.  They went looking for revenge.  Four gunshots were heard going towards the direction where Jermiane was.  The boys shot at Jermaine but luckily they missed and he wasn=t hurt.
Later that day, Jermiane was arrested and charged with assault on a boy under eighteen.  The arrest, in fact was the sacrifice Jermaine had to pay for protecting the welfare, honor and safety of a family member.  For his actions, courage and loyalty to his family, I feel that Jermaine qualifies to be called a hero.
My love for Jermaine is strong that today I celebrate his life because he was my shield, also..  He protected his loved ones from danger and the harm that came their way.  He was outspoken and expressed his opinion freely. 
The last time anyone saw Jermaine was the night he was killed, September 13, 2002.  He was playing outside with his little sisters and cousins.  After he finished playing with them, he walked up to me and gave me a hug and a kiss.   He said, AI=ll see you later, cuz.@  When I heard his words I didn=t realize that those same words would one day mean, AI=ll see you in eternity.@
After the goodbyes, my little sister and I went upstairs.  We heard three gunshots but those were not the shots that actually killed him.  A second set of shots were heard in the early morning of the next day.
Later during that morning, I heard my Aunt Pat run up the stairs, screaming.  AOpen the door,@ she yelled.  AThey=ve killed Jermaine.@  I jumped out of my sleep and ran towards my mother=s room.  I told her the bad news.  I can still remember that hysteria-filled morning..  All I could think about and see were the good times we both shared.  I don=t know the number of times I pictured him running up the block and laughing.  The pain I felt caused me to cry uncontrollably as I replayed his life over and over again. 
The day of the wake was the worst day of my life.  How could I have ever imagined that one day I would see my favorite cousin lying in a casket?  The next day was worse.  During the funeral I had to go through the pain of seeing him being buried.  It was the worst time in my life.  My hero gave up his life to shield his family from dishonor. 
Unfortunately, at the end, my popular cousin, ICE, lost control.

*    *     *
MICHAEL JORDAN: AN AMAZING HERO
By Murray DeRamus, Class 802

A hero is a person who has a kind heart.
He can be smart and talented.  He shows by his actions that he cares for the well being of others.  Heroes do not care if the person they end up helping comes from one place or another.  One can learn about important heroes in books, movies or on the Internet.
We can also learn about them from storytellers.  People like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. Malcolm X,  Michael Jordan are some good examples of heroes.  Many heroes are so well known that anyone can be questioned about them and they will tell you something about who they are and why they are so well known.
My hero, Michael, Jordan, is a man that has overcome many obstacles throughout. his life. He has been challenged by his career and by life.  He got where he is because of his hard work and talent.  He did what he had to do to accomplish his goals.  He has made a difference in our lies because of his accomplishments.

During his early years, Michael went through a lot.  His love for basketball went so deep that he played everyday after school.  As he grew older he played for his college team.  As time went by Michael became an exceptional player,  dunking over people=s heads like it was the most natural thing.  While Michael was in college he did  his best to make it to the top.  He dream was to get to the NBA to play professional basketball. He achieved his dream and became the best ball player there is.
Michael=s career in the NBA took a turn for the worse when tragedy struck his family. Michael=s father was killed. This tragedy marked a new direction in Michael=s life at a time when his professional career had been at its best.  He played  for the Chicago Bulls and took them to the Finals, winning six NBA championships.  His father=s death forced Michael to make one of the toughest decisions of his life.  He stopped playing ball for a while.  After two years, Michael returned to the NBA.  He played for the same team but under a different number.
Michael is an extraordinary hero.  He overcame many obstacles by doing something people thought was impossible to do. He resigned as an NBA star then returned to six help score six championships.  He then retired from the NBA, and made a come back in 2001, dropping a season high 66 points.
Michael Jordan is a star and his life and career are unbelievable.

*    *    *
WHO ARE OUR HEROES?
By Valencia Todd, Class 503
 A hero is someone who does his part in making this world a better p[lace in which to live.  Heroes are attracted to actions that are good and just.  To be a hero one does not have to be a member of a special rave or be physically strong.  A hero is a person that has an open mid and heart.  Role models like Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr. and Al Sharpton have the character traits heroes are made of.  They became heroes because of the choices they made when they were faced with difficult challenges.  Heroes voice their opinion on important issues and take difficult and unpopular stands on these issues.  When they speak they do it to communicate how they feel even if they end up paying prices such as fines, jail sentence or the loss of their lives.  To put across their ideas, believes and opinions heroes make use of writing and language.  They also make use of the legal systems and the lases to bring about needed changes.
Most [people live among anonymous heroes.  These are ordinary citizens who make heroic acts but few people notice or acknowledge them..  Their actions do not make the headlines of any newspaper.  One person that did make the headlines and became a hero to millions was rap star Tupac Shakur.  His mother, Afina Shakur, was an important influence in his life.  Afina was a well-known member of the Black Panthers, one of the most confrontational groups of the 1960=s founded by Huey Newton, Bobby Seale and Eldridge Cleaver.  The group pushed for African Americas to arm themselves and confront white society in order to force whites to give them equal rights.
In my opinion, Tupac is a hero because he brought about changes his own way.  The lyrics he wrote were used to attack different kinds of situations in society.  The words to his songs had their own definitions and interpretations of things. Tupac, like his mother, tried to make African Americans aware of the issues of the time.  Issues like AIDS, racism and discrimination.
Tupac=s love for learning and reading was another one of his traits.  During his High School years, Tupac participated I campaigns to raise public awareness. He felt that kids should be give the change ot take part in subjects that could help them become aware of their Civil Rights.  This way they could learn about issues such as police brutality.  Many kids my age need training on survival skills, self=-protection, and in something as simple as filling out a job application.  Tupac thought, for example hat subjects like Gym were a waste of time.  I disagree with him on that.
Friendship was something very important to Tupac.  One of his friends was Biggie Smalls (Christopher).  His friendship with Biggie came to an end the day he was shot.  Biggie Smalls became the prime suspect because of his song,@ Who Shot Ya.@  After that incident his friendship with Biggie ended.  Tupac then signed a contract with Death Row Records.
Another of Tupac=s qualities was compassion.  One time he heard a news report about a boy who was attacked by a dog.  He felt compassion for the boy and went to visit
him at the hospital.  This is one more example of how caring he was.
In the music industry many people though Tupac was a thug, but once learn about his actions outside of the industry one realizes that he was a very special kind of guy.  He was compassionate and caring, Tupac Shakur died in 1995 in a drive-by shooting.  To this day, police have not charged anyone with the crime.  They don=t know who actually killed him.  To a fan like me he lives on and is remembered as an extraordinary hero.

There is a difference between talking the talk and walking the walk.  This was clear in the presentation of the 21st Century Partnership BusinessLink 2000 Roundtable.   This was a group we had heard about only fleetingly from three small businesses in the neighborhood (none of it good) before receiving an extensive fax explaining their purposes, and inviting us to their meeting at the Pfizer building in midtown Manhattan.  
From the cover letter signed be the Rev. James H. Daniel, Jr. Chairman /C.E.O., this group, purportedly is looking at “…identifying impediment (sic) and barriers to the growth, expansion and diversification of African-American and other minority businesses in the 21st Century and more particularily (sic) strategies for growth of these businesses as determined by the identified impediments and barriers.”  This group, looking for what’s wrong with Black Businesses, has held three of it’s last 4 meetings at venues not owned or catered by African-Americans.  During a question and answer period, we brought this up:
“It seems to me that one of the impediments to African-American businesses, can be found in organizations such as this one,  with a history of holding its meetings in White-owned venues.  You’ve held two meetings at a White-owned business on Dekalb Avenue in Brooklyn, and at least the first one was catered by Junior’s.  I’ve already spoken with Rev. Daniels about this.  One of my advertisers said it was like, ‘Holding the planning meeting for the escape up at the Big House.’  There are any number of places in Brooklyn that could hold meetings such as the one we have here and you can’t say they’re unqualified because you have to walk a few blocks.  When you use venues like this, well these are dollars being taken out of Black pockets and being put into White pockets….We have to first tend to our own knitting.  Physician heal thyself.”
In response, Reverend Daniels said,  “I would respond to what you have said, and I say this with due respect, and I don’t say this flippantly, everything you said, ‘been there, done that’, and we’ll do it again.  All those things, we’ve been in the community, we’ve done it over time, we’ve grown regional in our thinking, and we have to get the best that we can to be able to bring it back to that very community that you’re talking about.  That is why these forums, in the subsequent venues, will be held in our own communities.  So again, I say we’ve been there, done that and we’ll do it again.  I’ve been doing it for fourteen years.”
Woman: “Something that he said, if we perceive African-Americans as not being trustworthy , or to do business with each other, then why would somebody want to go into business?   So maybe it’s that perception that we have to start to change so that it has a positive connotation, and people will then say, ‘well I’m going into business because I know I have a market of people who will want to buy from me.”
It is a shame that these conferences have been held in white-owned venues.    When the small business person on the front-lines sees that, they are so upset by the insensitivity, and the conflict between the stated goals of the conference and the actions they take and the money they spend, that it is virtually impossible for them to take the conveners seriously.  Reverend Williams says that future meetings will be held in the community.  We can only hope that these community venues are owned and catered by African-Americans, because a lot of the information given at the conference is critical for small businesses to have.   The need for a business plan, the need to be self-critical and open to suggestions, the need to be educated across a wide range of areas, and the need for an appreciation of the business successes of the past.  We expect the conveners will do better as time goes on.

 ” I hereby lodge the strongest possible protest against cops in our children’s public schools!  The police of NYC are no longer role models:
* In 1989 they rioted; (egged on by Giuliani)
*The police are already invasively using the kids’ pictures with their mug books.
*Most of the schools that already have cops, over 130 of them, are  Black schools!
*Our children understand the fearsome certainty that cops don’t shoot white males in the back!
*The Black community fights the cop intimidation on the streets – our kids do not need to face oppressive psychological and physical intimidation in their schools! 
 *We taxpayers have already paid out over Ninety-Eight Million Dollars in jury award or settlements for police brutality during “Giuliani Time”.
*The majority of brutality/terrorism by cops involves Black Africans-mostly Black African males!
*If Chancellor Crew had incorporated our Racism Quotient Test Program – we asked him to four years ago, and as we repeatedly ask the NYPD to use on its racist/colorist cops before they’re let loose on our citizenry – we wouldn’t need this Hearing on cops in our schools! The following incomplete list of cop-murdered Black males is the best reason for no cops in our schools:

 Nicholas Heyward*, Peter Bailey*, Kevin Cedeno*, William Whitfield, Timothy Hudson, Joseph Stevens, Nathaniel Gaines, Jr.*, Steve Excell*, Anthony Rosario*, Hilton Vega*, Johnny Cromartie, Jonnie Gammage, Malice Green, John Afrika, Abdul Mateen, Ed Perry, Antwar Sedgwick, Christopher Wade, Ernest Sayon, Eric Thomas, Eric Pitt, Reginald Bannerman, Rudy Buchanan, Malik Jones, Shawn Montague, Richard Austin, Joseph Stevens, Arthur Miller, Arthur McDuffie, Don Taylor, Michael Taylor, Michael Stewart, Michael Donald, Michael Clark, Michael Phillips-Phillip, Pannell, Douglas Fischer, Sean Bennett, Nicholas Bartlett, Anthony Baez, Allan Blanchard, Keshawn Watson, Keith Richardson, Charles Campbell, Jason Nichols, Dario Diodonet Mohammad Assassa, Stoney Huggee, Abe Richardson, Juan Rodriquez, Steven Kelly, Kathurima Mwaria, Dennis Gross, Shu’Aib Latif, Laurence Meyers, John Jordan, Thomas Branch, James Baker-Paul Trotman, Bobby Rodriguez, Morris Duncan, Annibal Carasquillo, Bernard Gardner, Julio Tar-quino, Joseph Gould, Julio Nunez, Joseph Orlando, Robin Williams, Owen Williams, William Leonard, Robert Tyler, Loyal Garner, Kevin Thorpe, Ronald Stokes, Warren Battle, Randy Evans, Clifford Glover, Jimmie Lee Bruce, Clement Lloyd, Cornell Warren, Jose Reyes, Winston Hood, William Green-Louis Baez, Arthur Slade, Dane Kemp, Andre London, Alfred Sanders, Demont Lawson, Casey Merchant, William Smith, John Kelly, Andel Amos, Roy Lee Jones, Richard Deem, Edmund Powell, Claude Reese, Hector Jones, Alfonso Fernandez, Jose LeBrun, Howard Caesar, Jay Parker, Abdul Salaam, Terrence Kean, Kenneth Simpson, Timothy Howell, Neville Johnson, Richard Luke, Richard Borden, Jesse Davis, Lester Yarbrough, Charles Stamper, Timothy Bolden, Tycel Nelson, Clarence Smith, Charles Burnett, Ricky McCargo, Joseph Robertson….(*Shot in the back.)

  In an effort to stimulate much needed growth in our community, I want to take up the challenge of turning this Bedford Stuyvesant community around. I grew up in this neighborhood and have not seen the type of progress that I believe should have taken place. I want to do my utmost to evoke aggressive change and a dynamic in this neighborhood that will galvanize the black community and have all of us in a productive mindset. Our positive entities and people are limited and we do an excessive amount of lip service and neglect real service to ourselves and to our brothers and sisters. I am personally tired of talking about what we are going to do. We need to take action Massive economic growth for black people is a top priority for me and I am willing to work hard and long to see that our financial base and knowledge of finances is exponentially increased.
We as a people have to be ruthless and obsessive about our own self-interest. Do not let music and sports be our only areas of exceptional development. We have obligations to ourselves and to those that made our position in this country more livable, pray that we can meet on some common ground and really start forging a better future. We have come a very long way and yet, we must still keep going.
Wayne M. Devonish

Some of the answers to the question: “Where are the African-American venues?”, can be found at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration.   At Restoration Plaza, you have a choice of venues, including the Billie Holiday Theatre, an outdoor arena, the Skylight Gallery, Fort Greene Senior Center, and traditional community rooms.  With on-site parking and 24 hr. security, Restoration is an excellent choice for affairs up to 200 people indoors, and more under a tent on the outdoor arena.  Call Ms. Kendra Day at (718) 636-6953.
Other venues include The Lab, Sapodilla Restaurant, Two Steps Down, Sugarhill, Henry House, Akbar Hall,  and the Akwaaba House. 
Our Time Press would like to list the commercial venues, as well as churches or community rooms that are suitable and available for affairs.  If you have such a facility, or know of one or more that give excellent service, give OTP a call at (718) 622-8093.

Caterers, Caterers, Caterers!
Our community has a number of excellent caterers who have track records of excellent service at a variety of venues.  If you’re planning an affair, give some of these folks a call and ask for their references.  King George Caterers was formerly known as Citiwide One-Stop and has catered countless affairs ranging from intimate parties to lavish banquets.  Crystal George renamed the business in memory of her grandfather and founder, Timothy George.  Crystal has vowed to carry on the family business, and has moved the business to new storefront facilities and will be offering a takeout menu in the near future.  Call Crystal at: (718) 774-8368.
On Myrtle Avenue, Doris and Shimroy Johnson of Sapodilla offer  a wonderfully intimate space for  small parties, and offer white-glove off-site catering with their menu or yours.  Call Doris at (718) 797-1213.
Also on Myrtle, you’ll find the Five Spot Soul Food Restaurant (718) 852-0202 and Sprinkles Caribbean Takeout (718) 399-3085.  Both of these establishments have provided platters and trays of food on short notice for family gatherings at the writers home, and we’ve never received anything but compliments.