 |
Bill of Rights:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Declaration of Independence:
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people
to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate
and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind
requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit
of Happiness...”
No Woman Left Behind Photos
As you know Baton Rouge is in the heart of the petrochemical corrador known as Cancer Alley. Now that the United
States sits as the brink of war we have to consider that we might be a torrorist target. LDP is posting the following
U.S. governments suggestion below posted 2/19/03 ...
Ready.gov - From The U.S. Department of Homeland Security
OVERVIEW
A biological attack is the deliberate release of germs or
other biological substances that can make you sick. Many agents must be inhaled, enter through a cut in the skin or be eaten
to make you sick. Some biological agents, such as anthrax, do not cause contagious diseases. Others, like the smallpox virus,
can result in diseases you can catch from other people.
If there is a Biological Threat
Unlike an explosion, a biological attack may or may not be immediately obvious. While it is possible
that you will see signs of a biological attack, as was sometimes the case with the anthrax mailings, it is perhaps more likely
that local health care workers will report a pattern of unusual illness or there will be a wave of sick people seeking emergency
medical attention. You will probably learn of the danger through an emergency radio or TV broadcast, or some other signal
used in your community. You might get a telephone call or emergency response workers may come to your door.
In the
event of a biological attack, public health officials may not immediately be able to provide information on what you should
do. It will take time to determine exactly what the illness is, how it should be treated, and who is in danger. However, you
should watch TV, listen to the radio, or check the Internet for official news including the following:
- Are you in the group or area authorities consider in danger?
- What are the signs and symptoms of the disease?
- Are medications or vaccines being distributed?
- Where?
- Who should get them?
- Where should you seek emergency medical care if you become sick?
Protect Yourself
If you become aware of an unusual and suspicious release of an unknown substance
nearby, it doesn't hurt to protect yourself. Quickly get away. Cover your mouth and nose with layers of fabric that can filter
the air but still allow breathing. Examples include two to three layers of cotton such as a t-shirt, handkerchief or towel.
Otherwise, several layers of tissue or paper towels may help. Wash with soap and water and contact authorities.
Symptoms and Hygiene
At the time of a declared biological emergency, if a family member
becomes sick, it is important to be suspicious. Do not automatically assume, however, that you should go to a hospital emergency
room or that any illness is the result of the biological attack. Symptoms of many common illnesses may overlap. Use common
sense, practice good hygiene and cleanliness to avoid spreading germs, and seek medical advice.
July Events
Louisiana Democracy Project, Inc. will begin its July activities with
a Grant Writing Workshop, to be held July 5, 2001 for 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. This information filled workshop will include
step by step instruction in grant writing with follow-up help. If you have wonderful project ideas in need of funding this
is the workshop for you.
Grant writing teachers will use simple everyday language to explain the process of grant writing.
We will cover the major components of grant writing from creating a workable budget to inside tips on getting the money. This
July 5th workshop will be held at Ramada Inn on Nicholson Drive. The fee of $50 includes lunch and materials of instructions.
Register by phone 357- 7425 or by fax 387-4395.
Limited Scholarships available.
.
Louisiana Democracy Project
will help to man the Fanny Lou Hammer Project Booth at the National NAACP Convention in New Orleans, La.. We need volunteers
July 6 July 12 please call Stephanie Anthony at 355=7816 to help out.
..
Monday, July 9, 2001 Louisiana Democracy
Project will host an evening of Relaxation and Revitalization from 6:30 pm to 9 pm Ramada Inn Garden Room- Nicholson Drive.
Activities will include stress elimination, foot massage, head massage, aroma therapy, soothing music and words of encouragement.
Fee $10.00
Our World
A Voting Rights Act Chronology
© 1995 N.Y. Times News Service
1965
The Voting Rights Act becomes law. It has two principle provisions. Section 2 provides that "no voting qualification
or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any state or political subdivision
to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race of color.'' Section 5 prohibits
states and portions of states, in the South and elsewhere, from putting any new voting procedures, including new districts,
into effect without first giving the attorney general a chance to object or getting a ruling from U.S. District Court in Washington
that the change "does not have the purpose and will not have the effect of denying or abridging the right to vote on account
of race or color.''
1966
The Supreme Court finds the law constitutional against a states' rights challenge in
South Carolina vs. Katzenbach. "This may have been an uncommon exercise of Congressional power, as South Carolina contends,
but the Court has recognized that exceptional conditions can justify legislative measures not otherwise appropriate,'' Chief
Justice Earl Warren writes for the 8-1 majority.
1976
The court applies Section 5 to a redistricting plan for
the first time in Beer vs. United States, finding that plans that improve representation for minorities generally cannot be
found to violate the law, even if greater improvements might have been made. The 5-to-3 decision essentially makes the legal
test whether a challenged plan leads to a "retrogression in the position of racial minorities.''
1977
Without
a majority opinion, a deeply split court in United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburgh vs. Carey suggests that using race
to create districts with majorities of minority voters can withstand constitutional attack and that white voters generally
cannot challenge such plans.
1980
In City of Mobile vs. Bolden, the court rules that Section 2 of the Voting Rights
Act invalidates only those voting practices that were adopted for the purpose of discriminating. Practices that have only
a discriminatory effect, as the at-large city commission challenged in that case, are beyond the section's intent, the 6-to-3
decision held.
1982
Congress amends Section 2 to overturn the Mobile decision, providing that a voting practice
that "results in a denial or abridgement'' of the right to vote can violate the law without proof of discriminatory intent.
As part of a compromise, Congress also declares that the amended law gives no right to proportional representation on the
basis of race.
1986
The court interprets the new Section 2 for the first time in Thornburg vs. Gingles, a deeply
split decision without a majority opinion, demonstrating that the justices are troubled by the amended section's contradictions.
"There is an inherent tension between what Congress wished to do and what it wished to avoid,'' Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
says in a concurring opinion.
1993
The court rules in Shaw vs. Reno, a 5-4 decision by Justice O'Connor, that
districts drawn with such "bizarre'' shapes that they are unexplainable on grounds other than race are unconstitutional unless
they can be shown to be "narrowly tailored'' to serve a "compelling state interest''.
1994
Shaw vs. Reno brings
political turmoil across the South, where two dozen majority-black districts were drawn in the early 1990s, mostly after prodding
from the Justice Department. U.S. District Courts declare some districts unconstitutional in Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia;
the North Carolina districts the Supreme Court found presumptively unconstitutional in Shaw vs. Reno are upheld on reexamination
by the District Court there.
1995
In Miller vs. Johnson, a 5--4 decision by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the Supreme
Court affirms the lower court's finding that Georgia's 11th Congressional District is unconstitutional; dismisses the Louisiana
case on technical grounds; and agrees to hear the Texas and North Carolina cases in its new term that begins in October.
|
|
|
Fighting & School Testing
Three fights reported at Valley Park
By CHARLES LUSSIER
Advocate staff writer
Published: Mar 20, 2007
East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies Monday responded to three fights involving seven students at Valley Park
Alternative School, with one student going to the hospital.
The fights, which broke out on the first of four days of standardized testing for public school students across Louisiana,
are the latest in a series of incidents at the Baton Rouge disciplinary school. The fights also come three days after Superintendent
Charlotte Placide gave a news conference announcing that the school is safe and that some news reports of the school’s
problems have been overstated.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Fred Raiford said the first fight started about 7:45 a.m. while students were waiting
in the auditorium. Two girls, one 16 and another 13, began fighting another 13-year-old girl as they headed to class. Deputies
arrested the two girls who started the fight on counts of simple battery and disturbing the peace and transported them to
juvenile detention, Raiford said.
In the second fight, two 13-year-old boys were leaving the lunchroom about 12:15 p.m. and started fighting, Raiford said.
Both were cited with disturbing the peace and released to their parents’ custody, he said.
In the third fight, two 13-year-old boys, one originally from New Orleans and one from Baton Rouge, were fighting in a
time-out room about 1:30 p.m. when an administrator broke it up, Raiford said.
The New Orleans boy struck the other boy in the face, sending him to a local hospital. The New Orleans boy was arrested
on counts of second-degree battery and disturbing the peace and sent to juvenile detention, Raiford said.
Last week, Placide outlined measures to address the problems at Valley Park, including rescinding bus privileges
for students who misbehave on school buses, more staff to help complete disciplinary paperwork for students with disabilities,
training in reward-based disciplinary management, and the development of an “action plan” for the school.
On Monday, a key new staff member, Assistant Principal Ronnie Knox, started working at the school. He will lead disciplinary
measures, said school system spokesman Chris Trahan. |
| |
Find this article at:
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/suburban/6586222.html?showAll=y&c=y
| Listening Symposium on the Hurricane Impact Thursday, November 3, 2005 12:00 noon 3808
Winnebago Street Istrouma Area Bethel AME Church Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70805 (Lunch will be served) Louisiana
Democracy Project, Inc. will host a Listening Symposium on the impact of the 2005 Hurricane’s Thursday,
November 3, 2005 at noon lunch will be served. Our Special guest will be the Southern Partner’s Fund, a
social justice organization based in Atlanta. Please pass the word to people or families impacted by the
storms. If your provide or provided hurricane services please come or send a representative to talk about the impact of
the storm and resulting needs. The Southern Partners Fund tour is stopping in Baton Rouge for this one session November
3, 2005 at noon. Southern Partners Fund is a granting foundation, created to serve Southern Communities and organizations
seeking social, economic, and environmental justice by providing them with financial resources, technical assistance
and training, and access to systems of information and power. If you are unable to attend the November 3rd meeting, you
may send written comments to ldpnews@yahoo.comcare of Stephanie Anthony.
|
|
|
|
Members Site
The mission of Louisiana Democracy Project, Inc. is to educate, promote, encourage and increase citizen involvement in the
democratic process through active involvement in the community. We facilitate interaction which will promote and protect
the long term interest of the community.
We educate and enhance understanding of the democratic process.
Contact Me
Stephanie Anthony
La. Democracy President
4070 Fairwoods Drive
Baton Rouge, La. 70805
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
