Sen. Jill Carter aims to increase scrutiny of tax incentives for developersBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham, Special to the AFRO For decades, Baltimore has doled out tax breaks to spur development, but the increasing use of incentives has not been matched with the requisite scrutiny of how much they cost the city and who is… Feb 27 24February 27, 2024Article at afro.com
NAACP, ACLU file lawsuit alleging suppression of Black political power in Wicomico CountyBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham, Special to the AFRO The historic practice of suppressing Black voting power on Maryland’s Eastern Shore is facing yet another legal challenge in the form of a federal civil rights lawsuit. The ACLU of Maryland and… Dec 10 23December 10, 2023Article at afro.com
Newberg sentence casts doubt on Baltimore’s commitment to less aggressive policingBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham, Special to the AFRO From the onset of the Nov. 14 sentencing hearing for former Baltimore police sergeant Ethan Newberg, the city’s criminal justice system seemed poised to close the book on what the judge had termed… Nov 19 23November 19, 2023Article at afro.com
Black leaders on Eastern Shore celebrate political progressBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham, Special to the AFRO On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the landscape is replete with reminders of the peninsula’s racist past. The Harriet Tubman center sits astride the pathways she navigated to guide slaves to freedom.… Oct 21 23October 21, 2023Article at afro.com
After years of racial political struggle, Pocomoke City, Md. elects first Black mayorBy Taya Graham and Stephen Janis The Real News Network Days before Todd Nock would become the first Black mayor of Pocomoke City, a small town on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore, he paused as he tried to express what the historic achievement meant—not… Apr 12 23April 12, 2023Article at afro.com
AFRO reporters reveal ongoing racism in documentarySean Yoes By Sean Yoes AFRO Senior Reporter syoes@afro.com In the summer of 1963, the idyllic town of Cambridge on Maryland’s Eastern Shore became a war zone in Black America’s struggle for civil rights. In the heat of one of those harrowing… Feb 04 21February 04, 2021Article at afro.com
Police Reform Pioneer Seeks Breakthrough LegislationState Senator Jill P. Carter will continue her fight to repeal laws that grand Maryland police officers special protections. (Courtesy photo) By Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO During a break from a round of intense hearings in 2015… Sep 17 20September 17, 2020Article at afro.com
Talbot County Votes to Cling to ConfederacyBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO In a move decried by activists as a step backwards, the Talbot County Council voted against a resolution that would have removed a controversial confederate monument from the courthouse lawn. The… Aug 17 20August 17, 2020Article at afro.com
Talbot Council Debates Removal of Confederate StatueBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO The Talbot County Council held a public debate over a resolution to remove a confederate statue from the courthouse lawn Tuesday but deferred a final vote on the proposal until August. The… Jul 31 20July 31, 2020Article at afro.com
Black’s Death on Eastern Shore, Similar to Floyd’sBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO His death at the hands of police was captured on body camera. His last words as a cop laid across his 160-pound frame were “I can’t breathe.” The officer who escalated his arrest had previously… Jun 19 20June 19, 2020Article at afro.com
Calls to Defund BPD Grow LouderBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO For the past two decades the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) has garnered a growing share of the city’s discretionary spending. Even after a Department of Justice investigation determined the BPD… Jun 11 20June 11, 2020Article at afro.com
High Court Says City Liable for GTTFBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO Maryland’s highest court has ruled Baltimore must pay judgments involving several members of the corrupt Gun Trace Task Force. The Maryland Court of Appeals released the decision this week ordering… Apr 27 20April 27, 2020Article at afro.com
AFRO Exclusive: `…A Death Sentence, and I Haven’t Even Had a Trial’By Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO Baltimore resident Sean Weston has been in the District of Columbia Central Detention Facility for 10 months, even though he’s not been convicted of a crime. But, as inmates have tested positive… Apr 14 20April 14, 2020Article at afro.com
Fight For Sewell’s Exoneration ContinuesBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO The Maryland State Prosecutor has pursued Kelvin Sewell, the first Black police chief of Pocomoke City on Maryland’s Eastern Shore for four years over allegations he interfered in a 2014 accident… Apr 02 20April 02, 2020Article at afro.com
Baltimore Mayor’s Race: Candidates Shift Strategies in CrisisBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO The novel coronavirus pandemic may have shut down the city and postponed the mayoral primary, but inevitably Baltimore will have to choose a new mayor. Gov. Larry Hogan has moved the primary to… Mar 27 20March 27, 2020Article at afro.com
Coronavirus Pandemic: Prison Population Vulnerable During CrisisBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced on March 18, that her office would drop all pending criminal charges against anyone arrested for drug possession, attempted drug… Mar 21 20March 21, 2020Article at afro.com
‘There Are No Second Chances Here’By Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO Stewart Jones is decades removed from his minor encounter with Maryland’s criminal justice system; but the consequences for his life outside of prison continues to linger. “I wanted to do the right… Mar 12 20March 12, 2020Article at afro.com
Pocomoke City Manager ResignsBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO A controversial city manager, who’s hiring roiled a small town on Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore has resigned. Pocomoke City Manager Jennifer Delude withdrew her acceptance of an offer from the… Feb 06 20February 06, 2020Article at afro.com
Black Community Protests Delude HiringBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO The hiring of a controversial city manager continues to roil Pocomoke City on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore, after Black residents raised new concerns over her tenure in a nearby city where a… Jan 30 20January 30, 2020Article at afro.com
Pocomoke City Council Under Fire AgainBy Stephen Janis and Taya Graham Special to the AFRO A small Eastern Shore town that fired its first Black police chief amid allegations of racism is under fire again after hiring a new city manager from a nearby community, who was also embroiled in… Jan 16 20January 16, 2020Article at afro.com
