BLACK WOMEN LEAVING CHURCHES TO PRACTICE WITCHCRAFT (CHURCH ABUSE):
IS CHURCH ABUSE OR BEING HURT & USED BY CHURCH LEADERSHIP TO BLAME??
OR IS RAMPANT ADULTERY & SEXUAL ABUSE WITHIN MANY BLACK CHURCHES TO BLAME??
ISAIAH 54:17
GALATIAN 3:13, 14
REVELATION 12:11
Post Sources: CBS News, CNN, Leah Gordone, The Atlantic, WJZ-TV, Youtube
****** Growing Number Of Black Women Leaving Churches For Witchcraft
For most, worship is a tradition that predates all of us.
There is another, more ancient art of worshiping, but it’s not to God, The Father, The Son or The Holy Ghost but to spirits and deities that span the oceans and dates back to pre-slavery days in Africa.
A growing number of black women in Maryland are leaving traditional churches for witchcraft.
WJZ’s Vic Carter looks into the trend and discovers its about more than spells and rituals.
When asked if they were, in fact, witches he got this response.
“That depends on how you look at it,” said High Priestness Iyanifa Oyadele Ogunsina, a Coppin State graduate.
“I am whatever the situation calls for. If you come at me with respect, you get Glenda the Good Witch from the suburbs, but if you come at me with negativity, meanness, and disrespect, then you get Evilene, your worst nightmare.”
They have many names, titles, and ranks within their belief system.
The women are college-educated professionals who have chosen to believe that witchcraft is a truer example of worship inclusive of the genders and connecting them to their ancestors.
It fills a need not found in traditional worship.
Most of them, like realtor Shango Yemi, grew up in the church.
“I was Christian, I was raised Christian,” said the Morgan State graduate.
“There are Christians in my family. In fact, my grandfather was a preacher in the south. I also grew up Christian. I grew up Anglican, in the Episcopal Church.
The older I got, the more disconnected I felt with the church and not being moved by anything, Like it just felt like words, like really empty.”
Herbalist Iyawo Orisa Efunyale came from similar beginnings.
“I was raised Baptist,” she said. “My father is a deacon, my mother is a deaconess. I was in church all the time, three times a week.”
These women are part of a sect, ILE Ola Afefe Osa Meji Spiritual Temple, where they worship and offer prayers to Osun, a predominate deity.
She is the deity, or the Orisha, of aesthetics, beauty, sex, and sensuality.
There are growing numbers of African-American women who have chosen for themselves a new life, leaving the church in search of more meaning in their lives.
At a recent convention in Baltimore, more than 200 witches gathered. They see it as a sisterhood.
But their spells are for good, not evil.
In one ritual, the women prepared an offering to Osun on behalf of a woman in California who is looking for a mate.
The offering, an omelette-type dish, is sweetened with honey and believed to be a favorite of Osun. Prayers are said over the offering for the woman in need.
A portion is even offered to Eshew, the male counterpart of Osun, and placed in a secret place beneath the stairs of the Odenton home.
Using shells, they ask the spirit if she is pleased.
Four shells are tossed to the floor. Two land up, two land down, a balance. The gift is accepted.
The traditions may seem odd to most, and a mystery to some, complex and multi-layered but these Dawtas of the Moon, followers of Osun, women who are powerful, determined, and understanding.
They said that there is nothing to fear. They are here and they will be here for the foreseeable future.
“This is not a new-age type of thing, this is something our ancestors did,” said doula Iyawo Orisa Omitola. “and we are tapping back into it so that we can become our best selves individually and collectively.”
CHARLAMANGE THE GOD TAGS KEVIN HUNTER AS DONKEY OF THE DAY (“DO DO BROWN” FROM BROWNSVILLE”):
CHARLAMANGE SAYS KEVIN USED WENDY’S MONEY TO BUY SHARINA HUDSON A PUSH PRESENT (GOLD FERRARI)....WENDY HAD IT TOWED.
CHARLAMANGE REVEALED IT WAS KEVIN HUNTER WHO FED LIES TO THE MEDIA ABOUT CHARLAMANGE BEING A RAPIST.
CHARLAMANGE WRAPPED UP HIS “DONKEY OF THE DAY” SEGMENT BY STATING THAT KEVIN SHOULD HAVE BEEN KISSING WENDY’S FEET INSTEAD OF KISSING SHARINA HUDSON’S BUTT.
I CONCUR.
HATS OFF TO WENDY & CHARLAMANGE & ARMON WIGGINS :-)
BE CAREFUL HOW YOU DISRESPECT PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY YOUR LEGAL WIFE.
KARMA IS A B___TCH.
ALIENATION OF AFFECTION
Post Sources: THE BREAKFAST CLUB, Daily Mail, Youtube
***** Charlamagne Slams Kevin Hunter Amid Wendy Williams Divorce Scandal
Donkey of The Day For April 17th, 2019 goes to none other than Kevin Hunter the soon to be ex husband of Wendy Williams.
While there are many reports going around, it has been confirmed that Wendy Williams served up a whole plate of divorce papers to Kevin Hunter the other day in their apartment, it was then soon after this that he issued an apology to Williams breaking his silence for the first time saying: "28 years ago I met an amazing woman: Wendy Williams. At the time, I didn't realize that she would not only become my wife, but would also change the face of entertainment and the world," the statement began. "I have dedicated most of our lives to the business empire that is Wendy Williams Hunter, a person that I truly love and respect unconditionally".
Adding on to the drama it was also reported that Hunter was fired from her his executive producer roll on The Wendy Williams Show. However these reports are false but a statement from TMZ revealed his time may be up soon, "Reports that Kevin Hunter has been fired are not accurate. He has not been fired, but as we reported, it's just a matter of time. He WILL be gone from the show ... but it hasn't happened yet".
In today's Donkey of The Day Charlamagne Tha God revealed why he dislikes Kevin including reports that Hunter raped his own artist, stopping him from getting bags as well as telling DJ Envy & Angela Yee false statements about him before the BREAKFAST CLUB was formed.
WENDY WILLIAMS TOWS SHARINA HUDSON’S GOLD FERRARI KEVIN BOUGHT W/ HER MONEY:
HOW YOU DOING SHARINA THE ADULTRESS??
WIVES WHO HAVE BEEN CHEATED ON ARE CELEBRATING.
FORGIVENESS DOES NOT ELIMINATE CONSEQUENCES.
ALIENATION OF AFFECTION
KARMA IS A B__TCH.
I LOVE YOU WENDY & I’M PRAYING FOR YOUR SUCCESS.
YOU ARE MY SHERO.
Post Sources: Daily Mail, Armon Wiggins Show, ET Canada, Youtube
***** EXCLUSIVE: Wendy Williams' estranged husband Kevin Hunter apologizes in vain as he is FIRED from her show and has been given 48 hours to clear out from their marital home while the $215K Ferrari he bought for his baby mama is towed away
* Kevin Hunter was fired as executive producer on Wendy Williams' show after she served her philandering husband divorce papers last week
* The 47-year-old was also fired as Wendy's manager and he was given 48 hours to remove his belongings from their New Jersey home, a source told DailyMail.com
* The TV show host decided she had enough after Hunter's baby mama Sharina Hudson was photographed by DailyMail.com driving around a brand new Ferrari
* Hunter and Hudson had been living the high life at a hideaway in New Jersey, going for dinner dates, dressing in designer gear and driving flashy new cars
* 'Wendy saw the photos of him and Sharina on the Daily Mail... she was furious. That's what tipped her over the edge, she was like, he's gotta go', a source said
* Hunter publicly apologized in vain on Tuesday, admitting he was not 'proud of his recent actions' and was 'trying to right some wrongs'
* Hunter's statement came as the $215,000-plus gold Ferrari Portofino he gifted Hudson was seen being towed away - a day after he was hit with the papers
* Wendy was seen apartment hunting in NYC on Tuesday as she revealed Monday she was moving out of her sober living home and was ready to start a new life
*
Kevin Hunter has been fired as an executive producer on his estranged wife Wendy Williams' show, as the $215K Ferrari he bought for his baby mama is towed away, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Williams decided she finally had enough of her philandering husband of nearly 22 years and served him divorce papers at her TV studio in Manhattan last Thursday.
The 47-year-old was fired from the show and as Wendy's manager, a source on the show confirmed to DailyMail.com.
The source also said Hunter had been given 48 hours to remove his belongings from their marital home in Livingston, New Jersey as she was seen apartment hunting in New York City on Tuesday.
Wendy reached her tipping point after learning Hunter had been living the high life with his decade-long mistress Sharina Hudson, who gave birth last month, splurging on Rolls-Royces, Ferraris and gifting her with diamonds.
Hunter released an apology on Tuesday admitting he was not 'proud of his recent actions' and was 'trying to right some wrongs' while taking 'full accountability' for what he had done.
His groveling statement came after the flashy $215,000-plus gold Ferrari Portofino he gifted Hudson was seen being towed away - a day after Wendy hit him with the divorce papers.
The source said: 'Kevin had expected to stay on at the show and as Wendy's manager. He ran the show with an iron fist, he was the guy who kept the vultures away.
'But when Wendy saw the photos of him and Sharina last week on the Daily Mail going out for dinner and her driving around in a Ferrari she was furious.
'That's what tipped her over the edge, she was like, "he's gotta go". She now wants him out of her life completely, she's given him 48 hours to clear his office and clear his belongings out of the house.
'Wendy's sister Wanda came up from Florida over the weekend and she's helping get everything in order. Wendy means business, she's cleaning house.'
A day after DailyMail.com published photos of the new Ferrari that Hunter gifted Hudson, it was loaded onto a truck and taken away.
A Ferrari dealership from Greenwich, Connecticut, picked the golden car up, as two men who appear to be helpers for Hunter looked on.
Hunter's statement on Tuesday read: '28 years ago I met an amazing woman: Wendy Williams. At the time, I didn't realize that she would not only become my wife, but would also change the face of entertainment and the world.
'I have dedicated most of our lives to the business empire that is Wendy Williams Hunter, a person that I truly love and respect unconditionally.
I am not proud of my recent actions and take full accountability and apologize to my wife, my family and her amazing fans. I am going through a time of self-reflection and am trying to right some wrongs.
'No matter what the outcome is or what the future holds, we are still The Hunter Family and I will continue to work with and fully support my wife in this business and through any and all obstacles she may face living her new life of sobriety, while I also work on mine.
'I ask that you please give me and my family privacy as we heal. Thank you.'
On Monday, Wendy kicked off her Hot Topics segment by revealing she was just a few days away from moving out the sober living facility she has called home for the past few weeks, and is ready to start a new life for herself and her son Kevin Jr. - the son she shares with Hunter.
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed in early March the TV host had been living in the sober home in Queens, New York, to battle an addiction to alcohol and prescription pills, her downward spiral sparked by learning Hunter was still seeing Hudson.
Meanwhile, Hunter has been spending time with Hudson, who recently gave birth, at a hideaway in Edgewater, New Jersey.
The two seem to be living the high life, going out for dinner dates and driving new luxury vehicles.
Hunter was seen driving a new maroon convertible Rolls-Royce last Saturday to pick up Hudson and take her out to dinner, with the massage therapist proudly showing off her post baby pooch.
The 33-year-old, whose hair was freshly curled, carried a $5,200 quilted Chanel purse while wearing a chunky diamond chain necklace and diamond studs.
While Hunter treated his baby mama to a Ferrari, he seems to have also treated himself to new cars, including the luxury Rolls-Royce.
Hudson was seen driving her new sports car last Monday, exiting the flashy vehicle in a $1,260 Thom Browne tracksuit that showed off her post-baby body.
And Kevin has spared no expense on his own duds as well, seen one day in a $1,500 Fendi vest, $490 Fendi hat, $770 Fendi pants and $515 Fendi sunglasses.
The couple have been hiding out in New Jersey weeks after Hudson was secreted away to Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia to give birth in order to avoid media attention.
Hunter has been seen at the secret hideaway chauffeuring Sharina around.
Kevin was served with divorce papers from Wendy last Thursday morning at the TV studio, according to TMZ.
Extra security was hired in case Kevin, known to have a temper, got enraged on set. But there were apparently no outbursts.
The split will most likely be contested as Hunter is an executive producer on Williams' TV show and told Hudson that he couldn't afford to split from Wendy because she paid all the bills, a source previously told DailyMailTV.
In New Jersey, parties can file fault or no-fault. Fault allows a judge to dock alimony based on the seriousness of the offense. Proving will not be hard for either side in this case.
Reasons for fault include adultery, abandonment, physical or emotional abuse, and alcohol or drug abuse.
The Wendy Williams Show said in a statement: 'Wendy and her family have been a part of Debmar-Mercury for over 10 years. We respect their privacy regarding personal matters. As always, we remain committed to bringing an entertaining and topical show to our viewers.'
A personal representative for Williams said: 'Thank you to everyone for respecting the family's privacy during this time. Kevin is supportive of Wendy and they are working through this process together. No additional comment will be provided at this time.'
WENDY BRILLIANTLY ALLOWED HERSELF TO APPEAR AS AN UNDERDOG TO GAIN FREEDOM FROM ABUSE, ADULTERY, DISRESPECT, EMOTIONAL TRAUMA & BEING USED MONETARILY.
WENDY YOU ARE NOW ONE OF MY “SHEROES”.
I DON’T ADVOCATE DIVORCE EXCEPT IN EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES.
WENDY’S CIRCUMSTANCES WERE INDEED VERY EXTREME.
GOD BLESS YOU WENDY.
Post Sources: ET Canada, Fox News, Page Six, Youtube
***Wendy Williams addresses her divorce in 'Hot Topics' segment
Wendy Williams confirmed her divorce from husband Kevin Hunter on her eponymous talk show on Monday.
The 54-year-old talk show host recognized the irony of being a gossip queen while being the subject of "Hot Topics" herself.
“It’s crazy ’cause now my business is your business,” Williams said. “It’s kind of funny. Turnabouts a fair game, I get it,” she added with a chuckle.
She began by discussing her stay in a sober house, noting that she was moving out "in just a few days, you know. It'll be Wendy on her own."
“I have to tell you, you know, I’ve been dealing with issues with addiction, alcoholism, and I have a whole new life that I planned for myself and my son,” she revealed. “Believe me you, when you lay in a room with no TV and four gray walls all day … This is my life in the sober house, it’s one of the best things, honestly, that could have ever happened to me.”
Everybody has things in their life that they're embarrassed to share with the world, or they're frightened to share with the world, or they're not ready to share with the world," she said. "Addressing my sobriety, my addiction, head on has really helped me sort out every single compartment of my life. That's all. i have a committment to me and my son to come out of here better, stronger and faster than ever."
Williams and Hunter, 46, married in November 1997. They share son Kevin Jr., 19.
Last month, it was reported that Hunter fathered a love child with alleged mistress Sharina Hudson, with whom he's reportedly been linked for nearly a decade. Williams previously denied any marital discord.
The former radio host seemes to be enjoying the single life.
She batted her eyelashes and licked her lips at a photo of Cardi B's hunky security guard during her "Hot Topics" segment Monday.
"Back it up now," she told her producers when he appeared on screen. "I'm on the loose!"
WENDY WILLIAMS PROMOTES OPEN MARRIAGES; CRUSH KEVIN HUNTER & SUE SHARINA HUDSON:
ALIENATION OF AFFECTION
KEVIN HUNTER’S BRAZEN, UNASHAMED, ADULTEROUS MISTRESS SHARINA HUDSON GIVES BIRTH TO BABY GIRL:
SHARINA HAD THE BABY IN A PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL MARCH 22, 2019......KEVIN PAID CASH.
KEVIN HUNTER HOW COULD YOU DO THIS AFTER WENDY MADE YOU SUPER WEALTHY??
SHARINA OBVIOUSLY WAS POORLY REARED TO THINK IT’S ACCEPTABLE TO STEAL WENDY’S HUSBAND.
PLEASE PRAY FOR WENDY WILLIAMS.
I WOULD NOT WISH ADULTERY ON MY WORST ENEMY.
IT’S NOT OK TO BE A MISTRESS.
KARMA IS A B__TCH SHARINA.
Post Sources: Unwine With Tasha K, Instagram, Perez Hilton, Hot New Hip Hop.com, Shade Room, Twitter, Youtube
Media Mogul and Talk Show Extraordinarie Wendy Williams needs to stop promoting OPEN MARRIAGES by defending her Adulterous Husband Kevin Hunter.
Wendy needs to allow Kevin to Divorce her and she needs to Sue Kevin’s Mistress SHARINA HUDSON for Alienation of Affection.
Wendy Williams is a New Yorker who needs to Fight back!
I’m praying for Wendy to make it and not give up.
ISAIAH 54:17
_____________________________________
#WendyWilliams’ husband, #KevinHunter’s mistress, Sharina Hudson, has allegedly given birth to a baby girl. According to @iamunwinewithtashak, Kevin and Sharina’s child was reportedly born on Wednesday, March 22nd.
_____________________________________
Sharina and Kevin allegedly paid cash for their hospital proceedings. In addition, Kevin allegedly used a different name while he was at the hospital, and he’s allegedly not on the baby's birth certificate.
_____________________________________
As you all know, Wendy and Kevin’s alleged marital issues have been on the forefront lately. When Wendy returned from her hiatus from #TheWendyWilliams show, she addressed some of the rumors about her marriage, saying she and Kevin are goodT! We will keep y’all posted on this story
Paige Patterson, a prominent Southern Baptist leader, has been removed from his position as president of a Texas seminary following allegations that he made abusive and demeaning comments to women.
Patterson, 75, has been heavily criticized over his past comments about women. According to The Washington Post, he encouraged abused women to stay with their husbands, implored female seminarians to look more attractive and commented on an “attractive” teenage girl’s appearance.
Patterson, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, also allegedly told a rape victim to forgive her assailant and not report the assault to police, a woman told The Washington Post earlier this week.
Patterson was removed from his position as president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) in Fort Worth, Texas, by its board of trustees, according to an online statement.
The SWBTS board of trustees said it has appointed Patterson to the position of president emeritus, which includes compensation, after a 14-hour meeting. He and his wife will still be allowed to live on campus at the Baptist Heritage Center as “theologians-in-residence,” the statement added.
The move comes after more than 3,200 Southern Baptist women signed a public letter to the SWBTS, saying they were “grieved by the dangerous and unwise counsel given by Dr. Patterson to women in abusive situations.”
“This pattern of discourse is unbefitting the sober, wise and sound character required of an elder, pastor and leader,” the letter read. “It fails in the call to protect the helpless, the call of Christ to love our neighbor as ourselves and the biblical standard of sexual purity.”
“We cannot defend or support Dr. Patterson’s past remarks. No one should,” the women continued. “The fact that he has not fully repudiated his earlier counsel or apologized for his inappropriate words indicates that he continues to maintain positions that are at odds with Southern Baptists and, more importantly, the Bible’s elevated view of womanhood.”
Others, too, called for Patterson’s removal.
“I don’t have an axe to grind or an agenda to push,” tweeted Clint Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Regrettably I don’t think there is any other way to start healing, outside of Paige Patterson’s departure. It’s a dark day for us.”
Earlier this month, Patterson issued an apology to “every woman who has been wounded by anything I have said that was inappropriate or that lacked clarity.” He added that he denounces “any form of abuse,” from physical violence to sexual misconduct to threats.
“Please forgive the failure to be as thoughtful and careful in my extemporaneous expression as I should have been,” Patterson said.
Another online petition, which defends Patterson against the “malicious attacks,” has nearly 600 signatures.
Patterson rose to prominence in the 1970s while leading a conservative takeover of the Baptist Convention. He helped pass resolutions banning women as pastors and taught that women should be submissive to their husbands.
Bill Cosby has been convicted of drugging and molesting a woman in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.
A jury outside Philadelphia convicted the "Cosby Show" star of three counts of aggravated indecent assault on Thursday. The guilty verdict came less than a year after another jury deadlocked on the charges.
Cosby was charged with violating Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. His lawyer called Constand a "con artist" who leveled false accusations against Cosby so she could sue him.
Cosby could get up to 10 years in prison on each of the counts.
Dozens of women have come forward in recent years to say he drugged and assaulted them. Five of the other accusers testified against him at the retrial.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission. Constand has done so.
___
1:25 p.m.
The jury is heading back to the courtroom and Bill Cosby's defense team is saying there's a verdict in his sexual assault retrial.
The panel of seven men and five women have been deliberating about 14 hours.
The 80-year-old comedian is accused of drugging and violating a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.
He's charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault. A conviction could put him in prison for up to 10 years on each count.
Prosecutors used Cosby's past admissions about drugs and sex as well as the testimony of five other women to help bolster accuser Andrea Constand's allegations. Cosby's lawyers argued Constand leveled false accusations against Cosby so she could sue him and extract a huge civil settlement.
It's the only criminal case to arise from allegations from more than 60 women.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission. Constand has done so.
___
10:50 a.m.
The judge in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial says the six alternate jurors will get an hour with the courthouse comfort dog before being sent back to their hotel.
Judge Steven O'Neill said Thursday he planned to meet with the alternates to "let them know they're still important." After O'Neill mentioned the dog, Cosby stood up at the defense table and made a comical, barking-like motion with his mouth.
The alternate jurors are being kept away from the main panel of seven men and five women deliberating Cosby's fate.
The jury spent an hour listening to a court stenographer read back the testimony of defense witness Marguerite Jackson before they resumed talks.
Cosby is charged with drugging and molesting a woman in 2004. He says the woman consented.
___
10:15 a.m.
Jurors at Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial are having the testimony of the star defense witness read back to them.
The jury is back for Day 2 of deliberations. The panel of seven men and five women started its day Thursday by reviewing the testimony of Marguerite Jackson, who says Cosby's chief accuser spoke of framing a celebrity for the money.
Jackson is an academic adviser at Temple University, where Constand worked as a women's basketball administrator. Jackson testified that Constand told her she could fabricate sexual assault allegations and "get that money" from a lawsuit. Jackson's testimony bolstered Cosby's efforts to show Constand made up the allegations against him to extort a big civil settlement.
Cosby is accused of drugging and molesting Constand in 2004. He says it was consensual.
The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.
___
8:45 a.m.
Bill Cosby has arrived at a suburban Philadelphia courthouse where jurors are deliberating in the comedian's sexual assault retrial.
The 80-year-old Cosby arrived on Thursday and said "good morning" twice as he entered the courthouse.
The jury of seven men and five women will start their second day of weighing charges by revisiting the testimony of a star defense witness who cast doubt on accuser Andrea Constand's credibility.
Marguerite Jackson's testimony that Constand once spoke of framing a prominent person to score a big payday will be read back to the jury when court resumes.
The jurors completed a marathon, 10-hour session on Wednesday that failed to produce a verdict.
___
12:25 a.m.
Jurors in Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial are kicking off a second day of deliberations by revisiting the testimony of a star defense witness who cast doubt on accuser Andrea Constand's credibility.
Marguerite Jackson's testimony that Constand once spoke of framing a prominent person to score a big payday will be read back to the jury when court resumes outside Philadelphia on Thursday.
A marathon, 10-hour first day of deliberations failed to yield a verdict in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era.
The exhausted panel called it a night after rehearing excerpts from Cosby's old deposition testimony, including his admission he gave quaaludes to women he wanted to have sex with in the 1970s.
The Associated Press doesn't typically identify people who say they're victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done.
NATIONAL EXPRESS ACQUIRES DIAMOND TRANSPORTATION PARATRANSIT (METRO REFORM BILL):
INCLUDES TEMPLE HILLS, MD LOCATION.
REP BARBARA COMSTOCK HAS INTRODUCED THE METRO REFORM BILL.
DID NATIONAL EXPRESS ACQUISITION FIX DIAMOND’S MANY PROBLEMS, SAFETY & SEXUAL HARASSMENT ISSUES?
SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING AT DIAMOND TRANSPORTATION & NATIONAL EXPRESS IS A JOKE.
OLDER MARRIED MALE BUS OPERATORS HAVING AFFAIRS WITH MUCH YOUNGER SINGLE FEMALE DISPATCHERS AT WORK ON COMPANY TIME.
THEN THOSE MUCH YOUNGER FEMALE DISPATCHERS TRY TO BLACKMAIL THE OLDER MARRIED MEN.
DISABLED & SENIOR PASSENGERS ARE LEFT HOLDING THE BAG DUE TO COMPANY’S UNPROFESSIONALISM.
Sources: Metro Magazine, NLRB, Fox News, WJLA, Youtube
****** National Express acquires Diamond
Transportation Services In Temple Hills, MD
National Express Transit, provider of transit services in North America, announced the acquisition of Diamond Transportation Services (DTS) in October, 2016.
Diamond Transportation Services (DTS) is located in Alexandria, Va. Established in 1984, DTS has approximately 270 employees and 151 vehicles providing paratransit and shuttle service to the Greater Washington, D.C. area.
“The addition of Diamond Transportation Services complements our assembly of transit providers,” said Judith Crawford, CEO of Nation Express Transit. “Their values of providing ‘reliable and safe transport services’ align with our mission of providing the safest, highest quality transportation services for our customers and the communities we serve — on time, every time.”
Diamond Transportation Services is the second location for National Express Transit in the Washington D.C. area. National Express also operates ART - Arlington Transit located in Arlington County, Va.
****** Rep. Barbara Comstock Introduces METRO Accountability and Reform Act
Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Metro Reform Coalition Support The Bill
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA) released the following statement after she introduced The METRO Accountability and Reform Act, the largest reform to Metro since its inception:
“This Metro reform legislation represents a culmination of over a year of working together with a wide array of experts with an incredible combined experience in transportation,” said Congresswoman Barbara Comstock. “It provides substantial new funding for Metro, but only on the condition of making fundamental changes necessary to meet reasonable benchmarks of a functional mass transit system. Metro is a system in crisis and we need serious reforms to move our region forward and provide the public with a safe and efficient transit system. My office has collaborated with former Mayor Anthony Williams, and Federal City Council, as well as former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, former Virginia Transportation Secretary Jim Dyke, current Transportation Department officials including those with current Secretary Chao, General Manager Paul Wiedefeld along with others at WMATA, whistleblowers, and those affiliated with the successful efforts to turn the Boston transit system around and others.
“Years of deferred maintenance, increasing budget deficits and decreasing ridership on Metro threatens the safety and reliability of the system. Without significant reforms, the system will continue to decline and lose ridership and fail the nation’s capital which needs this vital system for the vitality of our local and national economy. The riders who use the system and the taxpayers who help support it deserve much better.
“This reform legislation reduces the use of overtime, shifts employees from a pension system to a 401k system (as recommended by the current manager), controls contract increases and promotes Metro ridership by improving reliability
“This bill will create a Metro Reform Board, which will serve as an interim control entity to govern Metro in order to achieve the necessary changes in the near-term. It will also establish a Metro Reform Commission, which will be an advisory commission whose purpose is to keep Congress and other relevant stakeholders informed of the progress of the efforts by the Signatories to increase efficiencies at the Authority, amend the interstate compact, and other relevant actions. Whistleblower protections are also included in the bill for WMATA employees who fear retaliation from management.
“I would like to thank the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Greater Washington Board of Trade, and Federal City Council, all of whom have also contributed to this final product and expressed their support along with leaders of business and Capital regional groups. It is critical that our region has a top-tier public transportation system on which the riding public can rely. Commuters need a system that can get them to work quickly and safely so they can do their jobs. Every day we see delays and incidents that affect our entire region, and this bill will put Metro on a path to fixing the systemic issues that plague riders every day.”
Harry Klaff, Chair, Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce said of the The METRO Accountability and Reform Act:
“Metro is critical to the future of Northern Virginia and Greater Washington, and is an invaluable asset to the federal government and the regional workforce. Implementing meaningful operational and governance reforms along with committing dedicated, sustainable funding is the most important challenge facing our region. The Metro Accountability and Reform Act, introduced by Congresswoman Comstock, is a significant step forward in addressing this challenge. This bill combines new federal investment with common sense reforms that are consistent with the recommendations of the business community and experts in the transportation field, including those of Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
“The development of this legislation has been a thoughtful, collaborative process inclusive of many regional stakeholders and experts in transit operations. The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce is grateful to Congresswoman Comstock for her leadership on this vital issue and is appreciative of her inclusion of the business community in the development of this legislation from the beginning.”
Metro Reform Coalition Reaction to Introduction of METRO Accountability and Reform ACT:
“We applaud Representative Barbara Comstock for taking the initiative to introduce federal legislation to reform WMATA, a vital component of Greater Washington’s transportation infrastructure that impacts the region’s economic security, quality of life, and global competitiveness. Representative Comstock’s legislation calls for significant changes to the governance structure of WMATA’s Board of Directors, including requiring the establishment of a smaller and more effective reform board, which we support. The bill also requests the commitment of federal funding, which is urgently needed. We strongly believe that comprehensive reform to Metro’s governance and funding will lead to operational improvement across the system.
“Both proposals align with the recommendations we made in June to Governors McAuliffe and Hogan, Mayor Bowser and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Chao calling for comprehensive reform. Specifically, we believe the legislation’s call for a temporary reform board will allow for more sound decision-making and establish the framework necessary for long-term structural improvements for the system. Further, we see the commitment of federal funding as a key component of a sustainable funding structure. Federal funding, combined with at least $500 million in dedicated and bondable funding per year from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, is required to provide the level of funding necessary to sustain the system.
“We look forward to working with Representative Comstock, other members of Congress and our state and local elected officials to ensure the necessary reforms to Metro are made this fiscal year. The three jurisdictions – the District, Maryland and Virginia – must act immediately in their upcoming legislative sessions to advance comprehensive reform and sustainable funding. At the same time, given the importance of this issue, we must also work urgently through Congress. We call upon our elected leadership and all stakeholders to work together to ensure the economic stability and livability of our region by reforming and funding Metro now."
Members of the Metro Reform Coalition include:
The 2030 Group
The Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA)
Arlington County Chamber of Commerce
Associated Builders and Contractors – Virginia Chapter
Committee for Dulles
The DC Building Industry Association
DC Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Community Partners
Federal City Council
The Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce
Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce
Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce
Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce
Greater Washington Board of Trade
Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Washington Partnership
The Housing Association of Non-profit Developers (HAND)
About a quarter of the city’s 84 homicide victims so far in 2017 have died through domestic violence, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
The victims have included a UNC-Charlotte professor, at least one pregnant woman and, on Saturday, a recent immigrant and her mother-in-law. Police said her husband shot and killed both women, and then himself, in an east Charlotte apartment.
In the next few years, city leaders hope to save lives and reduce Charlotte’s domestic violence overall by opening a family justice center, based on a model that has worked well in other cities, CMPD Sgt. Craig Varnum said.
“Instead of the victim having to go across the street to talk to a Safe Alliance advocate, down the road to talk to someone at Community Support Services to get counseling for their child, coming here to talk to a police officer and across the street to get a 50B (protective order), they go to one place,” where representatives from all those agencies will be available, he said.
The center is only in planning stages, but Varnum said he expects it will open within three years. He said it’s too early to estimate how much the center will cost.
Communities around the state and country have seen big reductions in domestic violence after opening family justice centers, Varnum said. In San Diego, where the country’s first family justice center opened in 2002, he said domestic violence calls dropped 50 percent during a six-year period. Domestic violence homicides declined, too, he said.
Beyond the key goal of improving victims’ lives, reducing domestic violence will help the city overall, Varnum said. Nearly 40 percent of the 52 homicide suspects identified so far this year have criminal histories including domestic violence, he said.
“We spend more time investigating crimes of domestic violence than any other crime that we respond to,” he said. “We average about 35,000 calls per service per year that are related to domestic violence.” Varnum said about 9,000 of those calls turn into criminal reports every year.
The Buncombe County Family Justice Center opened in Asheville in 2016, and Varnum cited research about what victims in Buncombe County dealt with before the center opened.
In the first three days after a victim asked for help – a request often sparked by a violent, traumatic incident, Varnum said – Buncombe County found that, on average, victims went to eight different locations, spoke with 12 people about their cases and filled out 61 pages of paperwork.
The traveling and bureaucracy are a particular challenge for victims who have come to an unfamiliar place without transportation and who may be accompanied by children, Varnum said. In contrast, the family justice center is meant to be a safe place where victims can get all the help they need.
Laura Lawrence, chief legal officer for Safe Alliance, which helps survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Mecklenburg County, will work with Varnum to lead the creation of the new center, she said Wednesday.
So far, the steering committee includes representatives from Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center, the district attorney’s office, Child and Family Services Center and the county’s Community Support Services, along with Safe Alliance and the police, Lawrence said.
In the new center, Lawrence said victims will meet first with a Safe Alliance representative, who will help them file a protective order and decide what to do next.
Filing protective orders sometimes involves waiting in court for hours, Lawrence said, which can be intimidating and stressful for victims, especially when they have children. As early as March – long before the new center opens – Safe Alliance clients will be able to stay in a safe place and make video calls into the courtroom instead of going in person, Lawrence said.
PELOSI vs CONYERS - SEXUAL HARASSMENT AGAINST WOMEN WHEN MEN ARE IN POWER:
DENIAL OF GUILT DOESN'T MAKE SOMEONE INNOCENT........JUST VERY CUNNING.
IN MOST INSTANCES I DISAGREE WITH NANCY PELOSI BUT THIS TIME I DO AGREE WITH HER DECISION TO INVESTIGATE CONYERS.
IF CONYERS IS 100% INNOCENT WHY DID HE AGREE TO PAY HIS COMPLAINANTS $$$??
OPRAH DIDN'T SETTLE WHEN SHE WAS SUED BY WEALTHY CATTLE RANCHERS.
WATCH OUT DEMOCRATS; TRUMP IS FIGHTING BACK.
"HE WHO COMMITS ADULTERY IS SENSELESS. DOING SO, HE DESTROYS HIMSELF"
PROVERBS 6:32
"FOR WHAT PROFITS A MAN TO GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD YET LOSE HIS SOUL?"
MATTHEW 8:36
Sources: Washington Post, The Hill, YouTube
***** Pelosi calls for ethics investigation into alleged Conyers sexual harassment
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for a formal ethics investigation into Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) following allegations he sexually harassed female staff and reached a settlement with an aide who claimed she was fired for rejecting his advances.
"As Members of Congress, we each have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of the House of Representatives and to ensure a climate of dignity and respect, with zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination, bullying or abuse," Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday.
"As I have said before, any credible allegation of sexual harassment must be investigated by the Ethics Committee," she said.
Pelosi is the most senior lawmaker yet to call for an ethics probe into Conyers's behavior. She did not address whether Conyers, the ranking member of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, should step down from that position.
"I expressly and vehemently denied the allegations made against me, and continue to do so," Conyers stated Tuesday.
"My office resolved the allegations — with an express denial of liability — to save all involved from the rigors of protracted litigation. That should not be lost in the narrative," he stated.
A growing chorus of Democrats has called for an ethics investigation into the matter.
"The allegations against Ranking Member Conyers are extremely serious and deeply troubling," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Judiciary's second most senior Democrat, in a statement.
"Obviously, these allegations must be investigated promptly by the Ethics Committee. There can be no tolerance for behavior that subjects women to the kind of conduct alleged," Nadler stated.
A growing chorus of Democrats has called for an ethics investigation into the matter.
"The allegations against Ranking Member Conyers are extremely serious and deeply troubling," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Judiciary's second most senior Democrat, in a statement.
"Obviously, these allegations must be investigated promptly by the Ethics Committee. There can be no tolerance for behavior that subjects women to the kind of conduct alleged," Nadler stated.
"Beyond the sexual harassment allegations are allegations that call into question the amount of money that is used to settle sexual harassment cases, and whether some Members are using their tax payer-funded office budgets to make settlements under the guise of severance payments," Speier said in a statement, also calling for an ethics investigation.
Citing documents from the case, BuzzFeed News reported late Monday that Conyers settled a wrongful dismissal complaint in 2015 with an unidentified woman who alleged that he "repeatedly made sexual advances to female staff that included requests for sex acts." The report included other allegations of harassment by Conyers.
Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) called the report "extremely troubling" in a statement. He noted a recent rules change requiring members and staff to undergo anti-harassment training and said the House Administration Committee is reviewing congressional workplace policies.
"Additional reforms to the system are under consideration as the committee continues its review," Ryan stated Tuesday. "People who work in the House deserve and are entitled to a workplace without harassment or discrimination."
Pelosi denied knowledge of the alleged settlement in a statement first shared with BuzzFeed, citing the requirement that the parties keep their agreement confidential.
CHARLIE ROSE - LATEST MALE CELEBRITY IN POWER TO FALL HARD FROM CLAIMS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT:
PREYING UPON WOMEN.
KARMA IS A B&TCH WHEN SHE FINALLY STOPS BEING A VICTIM AND DECIDES TO BITE BACK.
WATCH OUT DEMOCRATS; TRUMP IS FIGHTING BACK.
"HE WHO COMMITS ADULTERY IS SENSELESS. DOING SO, HE DESTROYS HIMSELF"
PROVERBS 6:32
Sources: Washington Post, CBS News, PBS, Youtube
****** CBS and PBS drop Charlie Rose following allegations of unwanted sexual advances
PBS said Tuesday it was parting ways with Charlie Rose, and CBS announced it fired the 75-year-old broadcaster for “extremely disturbing and intolerable behavior” following an extensive Washington Post report that detailed his alleged unwanted sexual advances toward women.
Hours later, CBS Evening News reported three other women alleged they were subjected to “unwanted sexual contact” from Rose while working at CBS News.
His firing was announced by CBS News President David Rhodes, who wrote in a midday memo to the network’s staff that it was “effective immediately.”
“Despite Charlie’s important journalistic contribution to our news division, there is absolutely nothing more important, in this or any organization, than ensuring a safe, professional workplace — a supportive environment where people feel they can do their best work,” Rhodes wrote. “We need to be such a place.”
PBS terminated its relationship with Rose and canceled distribution of his programs “in light of yesterday’s revelations,” spokeswoman Jennifer Rankin Byrne said in a statement. Rose’s namesake interview program is produced by Charlie Rose Inc., an independent television production company.
“PBS expects all the producers we work with to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect,” Byrne said.
Rose — best known for his award-winning interview program on PBS — had co-hosted “CBS This Morning” since the show’s launch in 2012 and was a contributing correspondent for the network’s Sunday night news magazine, “60 Minutes.”
CBS News suspended Rose on Monday, shortly after The Post’s story published. Bloomberg TV terminated its rebroadcast agreement with Charlie Rose.
Eight women, who were either employees or aspired to work for Rose at the “Charlie Rose” show, told The Post he made unwanted sexual advances to them between the late 1990s and 2011.
Those advances included lewd phone calls, walking around naked in their presence, or groping their breasts, buttocks or genital areas, the women said.
In a statement provided to The Post on Monday — and later posted on social media — Rose said: “I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.”
In the nearly two months since the New York Times published an expose on Harvey Weinstein and his history of alleged sexual misconduct, the country has been going through a national reckoning with such behavior. Powerful men from across industries — media, Hollywood, and politics among them — have been implicated, including household names such as Louis CK, Kevin Spacey and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn).
It has become almost a daily occurrence to see a powerful man in the headlines facing accusations of misconduct. On the very same day Rose’s scandal broke, the New York Times suspended star journalist Glenn Thrush for allegedly crossing the line with young female colleagues, and BuzzFeed News reported Rep. John Conyers Jr., the Democratic dean of the House of Representatives, had settled a wrongful termination suit with a woman who claimed to have been fired for rebuffing his advances.
In less than 24 hours since The Post reported on allegations against Rose, the situation was acknowledged on “CBS Evening News,” where interim anchor Anthony Mason said Monday “the wave of sexual abuse allegations we’ve been reporting from Hollywood to Washington have now touched CBS News.”
On Tuesday morning, in a remarkable segment, Rose’s broadcast partners on “CBS This Morning” slipped out of their newswoman roles to speak as people, full of anger and bewilderment and betrayal.
“This is a moment that demands a frank and honest assessment about where we stand and more generally the safety of women,” Norah O’Donnell said. “Let me be very clear: There is no excuse for this alleged behavior. It is systematic and pervasive. . . . This has to end. This behavior is wrong. Period.”
Her co-host, Gayle King, said she had barely slept. The Post article, King said, “was deeply disturbing, troubling and painful for me to read.”
She added: “I am deeply rocked by this.”
Rhodes, the CBS News president, wrote in his staff memo that the network’s news operation “has reported on extraordinary revelations at other media companies this year and last. Our credibility in that reporting requires credibility managing basic standards of behavior. That is why we have taken these actions.
“Let’s please remember our obligations to each other as colleagues. We will have human resources support today and every day, and we are organizing more personal and direct training which you will hear about from senior management shortly.”
He added: “I’m deeply disappointed and angry that people were victimized — and that even people not connected with these events could see their hard work undermined. If all of us commit to the best behavior and the best work — that is what we can be known for.”
Rose was one of the best-regarded names in TV news. His 2013 interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won him both an Emmy and a Peabody Award, and in 2015 he received the Walter Cronkite Excellence in Journalism Award.
But why would Rubio, with nothing left at stake, sponsor a smear campaign against the one GOPer who can stop Trump?
Maybe Donald Trump isn’t behind the Ted Cruz “sex scandal” story leak to the National Enquirer after all.
According to The Daily Beast, “for months and months, anti-Cruz operatives have pitched a variety of #CruzSexScandal stories to a host of prominent national publications.”
One such outlet was Breitbart News, which was shown “a compilation video of Cruz and a woman other than his wife coming out of the Capitol Grille restaurant and a hotel on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” a source inside the publication told The Daily Beast. (Leave it to a politician to keep a standardized booty call schedule.)
The Breibart source confirmed that they’d received the video from “a Rubio ally,” but ultimately decided against running the story because, “There was no way to verify the claims.”
Cruz today issued a statement more or less implying Trump and “his political henchmen” planted the Enquirer expose.
ATLANTA'S DIRTY SOUTH "SECRET" IN BLACK COMMUNITIES - FREEMASONS (POWER, MONEY & SEX):
MIND CONTROL, ADULTERY, CHILD EXPLOITATION & CHILD PROSTITUTION.
Atlanta is known as "the City too busy to hate" and "the BLACK Mecca".
However aside from the Southern Hip Hop music, Successful BLACK-owned businesses and Peach-flavored ice tea, is something much more Sinister.
Atlanta's BLACK FREEMASONS and Child Exploitation!
Learn how the BLACK Freemason organization controls BLACK Men and destroys Marriages for MONEY, POWER & Illicit SEX. (see video above)
How "Dirty" is the City of ATLANTA?
Look no further than the region's BLACK FREEMASONS and their Sister organization the EASTERN STARS.
The majority of Atlanta’s BLACK male leaders, including BLACK Men who work in Corporate America, are indeed FREEMASON members. (i.e. Prince Hall Masonic lodge)
Each FREEMASON member is assigned to a Masonic lodge.
Each member pays mandatory DUES to their lodges.
The more DUES a lodge collects, the more Powerful those lodge members are.
Thus it is imperative for Atlanta’s BLACK FREEMASONS to attract new members by any means necessary.
This includes breaking up MARRIAGES by encouraging Men to commit ADULTERY with much Younger Women or Girls.
Many of these men are Cold-hearted Married BLACK men, long known for Worshipping a False GOD......Engaging in frequent Adulterous acts......doing absolutely anything for MONEY and POWER.
Atlanta’s BLACK FREEMASONS use DECEPTION……POWER……MONEY…..INFLUENCE to Control Poor BLACK people and POLITICS.
CHILD PROSTITUTION is also linked to Atlanta's BLACK FREEMASONS.
** Related Topics: (VIDEO)
Secret society
14th century
Illuminati - Egypt
33 degrees
Blood oaths; must Denounce GOD Almighty
Secret Ceremonies and Masonic Lodges
Prince hall Masonic lodge - sweet auburn street in ATLANTA
Mind Control
Very Strong Suggestions
Adultery is strongly encouraged & Multiple Divorces are common
Child Prostitution
Child Exploitation
No Women allowed *(Sinister Sister organization - EASTERN STARS)
A female defendant is escorted into the courtroom with shackles around her ankles, making it difficult to walk.
Dressed in a jail-issued jumpsuit and flip-flops, she takes a seat at the appointed table up front, until the judge is gaveled in and we all rise.
As a newspaper reporter for more than 20 years in Atlanta, I'd observed this scene before. But this time, something was different.
This defendant was chewing on her finger, had her hair pulled back in a tiny pigtail, and spoke in a high-pitched voice.
She was 10.
She had been in and out of an Atlanta jail for months, as had her sister, because she was an alleged prostitute, a chronic runaway and no one knew what to do with her.
When her probation officer asked whether the defendant could address the court, the judge nodded yes, and the little girl rose from the defense table.
Her head bowed, she quietly told the judge she wanted to go home. Then, as she rubbed her eyes with balled up fists, she began to cry.
Nearly 15 years ago, I wrote a series of stories called "Selling Atlanta's Children" about child prostitution for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and I started it with that courtroom scene.
That little girl was a metaphor for everything I had learned through my reporting.
By meeting and interviewing her, her 11-year-old sister and other girls, I realized: There's something wrong with this picture.
In 2000, I got a call in the newsroom from Stephanie Davis, a woman I'd never met, who identified herself as director of the Atlanta Women's Foundation.
She told me there was a problem with childhood prostitution in Atlanta, that she knew I'd written about children's issues before, and that she wanted me to meet with some people who could describe in detail what was happening.
I was working on another series of stories, but I agreed to the meeting.
A week or so later, I met with a group of women that included a Fulton County Juvenile Court probation officer and some child advocates.
They told me that a growing number of young girls -- early to late teens -- were coming into juvenile court charged with shoplifting or, more commonly, running away -- an offense that applies only to minors.
Upon questioning by the judge, they learned that the girls were surviving on the streets as prostitutes under the tutelage of men who housed, fed and clothed them and, in exchange, sold them to other men for sex. I asked for numbers, but they couldn't provide them.
I asked for access to the girls.
They said that because of confidentiality, that could not happen.
I told them I wouldn't use their names, but I wouldn't do the story without meeting some of the girls involved.
I also said I needed some way of determining how big a problem this was.
Back then, when people spoke of sex trafficking, I assumed they were referring to an international trade -- the phenomenon of young women from China or Thailand or some other country being brought to the United States, then forced to pay back their transportation fees through sexual slavery.
But these women I'd just met were telling me it was a homegrown problem. I wanted them to prove it.
When I searched for articles about child prostitution as a homegrown industry in other cities, I found only one story about an American-based prostitution ring that had exploited local minors somewhere in the Midwest.
One of the first people I met was Fulton County Juvenile Judge Nina Hickson.
Through her, I began to see what was wrong with this picture -- what was wrong that day I sat in her courtroom and watched that little girl with the pigtail cry.
In Georgia in 2000, while children were being arrested, put in jail, and chained like the worst of criminals, the men selling them and having sex with them were rarely arrested.
Back then, there were no reliable statistics on the number of prostituted children.
While the number of 300,000 nationwide was bandied about, I researched the genesis of that number and learned it was wildly speculative and had no basis in fact.
The best I could do was pull the numbers of adults who had gone to prison for prostitution in Georgia versus the number who had gone to prison for pimping.
From 1972 to 1999, I found that 401 adults -- almost all women -- had been incarcerated for prostitution.
Not one person had gone to prison for the crime of pimping. That told me something.
I remember the explanation given to me at the time by Mike Light, then the Department of Corrections spokesman and a former parole officer. "I think there was an unwitting bias that the woman was the perpetrator," he said. "She was the one out having sex.
...The pimp was just collecting the money."
Because the numbers were so unreliable, my newspaper agreed to do a national survey of juvenile judges. We enlisted the help of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, who urged enough judges to respond that we were able to get a reliable sample.
A hidden problem
Child prostitution is a hidden problem that was -- and still is -- difficult to count.
Unlike adult women, these children -- such as that 10-year-old girl -- rarely came into the criminal justice system charged with prostitution.
Rather they came in under a host of other charges, such as running away. Juvenile judges were often the first to identify them as sexually exploited minors who were working as prostitutes.
And according to our survey, their numbers were growing.
Almost one in three of the juvenile judges surveyed said they had seen an increase in the past five years in the number of child prostitutes coming into their courtrooms.
Rural judges participating in the survey reported the sharpest increase, with the typical rural judge seeing an average of three youths a month involved in prostitution.
Our survey suggested, however, that even judges viewed the problem differently, depending on their gender.
Among female juvenile justices, 85% estimated they saw one or more child prostitutes a month, compared with 68% of male judges.
The female judges were also more likely than male judges to complain that police weren't aggressive enough in going after pimps and customers.
Many judges participating in our survey said they believed the laws should be changed, mandating harsher penalties for pimps and "johns."
One judge said the adults got away with exploiting children because "people don't believe children, particularly if they're a naughty, bad, unpleasant child."
A majority of the judges said their communities lacked services for child prostitutes in need of being "deprogrammed," with 10 times as many judges saying they should be treated as victims rather than criminals.
Atlanta police said at the time it was a lot harder to arrest pimps than prostitutes.
As undercover officers, they could pluck the prostitutes off the streets as the girls or women worked the "track," such as Metropolitan Parkway, or turned tricks at strip clubs, where underaged girls illegally danced.
The PIMPS were more hidden.
Even if police were able to make an arrest, prosecutors said it was difficult to build a case against the men.
They needed witnesses, but the general rule was that prostitutes didn't testify against their boss, the PIMP, out of reluctance or fear.
The problem, Judge Hickson said at the time, was that police and prosecutors often failed to distinguish between prostitutes who were adults and those who were children.
The children who were coming into her courtroom weren't seen as victims by law enforcement, she said. "They're seen as consenting participants."
Partly in response to that perception, I told her I needed to find a girl 12 or younger who was allegedly being prostituted.
I felt if I could paint a picture of a child who was being prostituted, as opposed to a teenager, the exploitative nature of this problem would become more real to our readers.
I told her I would not use any names without her approval, as I understood the dangerous lives these young people were leading.
Eventually, after she contacted other judges familiar with stories I'd done involving child victims, I think she decided it was worth the risk.
She called me one day and said, "What about a 10-year-old?" Soon after, I was in her courtroom when they brought in the little girl.
The judge explained that the last thing she wanted to do with this child was to keep her behind bars, which is where her 11-year-old sister had been waiting for three weeks. "But I've got to make sure she's safe," the judge said.
There was just nowhere to put children like these because of a lack of children's programs in Georgia.
There were plenty of beds for bad children needing punishment, but practically none for young exploited victims needing help.
At the court hearing, Hickson was clearly frustrated.
She accused child welfare officials of not doing enough to find some place to put the two sisters other than jail. The probation officer complained they had done nothing to get the girls' mother into drug treatment.
Hickson said she had never intended to keep them locked up more than a few days, and she was angry she had had to schedule this hearing to force the child welfare officials to act.
They told the judge they worried about sending the girls home to their mother, whose life was controlled by drugs.
When the child told the judge she wanted to go home, Hickson said to her, "I don't want you locked up either. But I'm also concerned about your safety and whether you're going to stay with your mom. Are you going to stay at your mother's?"
"Yes, ma'am," the child said.
After the hearing, the judge took me back to her chambers where she allowed me to interview the little girl. Her eyes red from crying, the child said she was sorry for what she had done.
She said if she could, she would "change back the hand of time."
She said a relative's boyfriend had led the sisters into prostitution. At first he "was buying us stuff." She said she realized something was wrong "because of what he wanted in return." He wanted money "by my prostituting."
"He forced me. He wouldn't let me go." She said he took her sister and her to a hotel on Fulton Industrial Boulevard in Atlanta.
As she sat hunched over with her hands partly hiding her face, she said softly that he threatened to kill her if she left. "He'd pull my hair, and he punched me." She was very frightened of him.
She said she would like to tell other girls her age, "Stay in school.
Don't waste your life on something like this. Some people have caught HIV and AIDS."
She said she wanted to go back to school.
Her elementary school had a mentoring program.
And then this 10-year-old little girl -- with no hope and no one in her life who loved and cared for her -- said that more than anything, she wanted a mentor. "It would help me be better off in life," she said. "Much better than I am."
That day, Hickson ordered that both girls be returned home and without electronic monitors, as child welfare officials had requested.
Three weeks later, the 10-year-old ran away again.
Eventually police picked her up and returned her to the youth jail, where she remained while officials tried to figure out what to do with her.
"It's not the judge's fault," Alesia Adams said at the time. Adams was head of Victims of Prostitution, a newly formed program to help children like the 10-year-old. "It's not anybody's fault.
There's just no place for these kids to go."
In the past 15 years, I've thought of that child, as well as the other girls I met and profiled for the newspaper series. I've wondered what happened to them. The 10-year-old would be 25 today. If she's alive.
Changing industry, changing laws
Since I wrote that series, a lot has changed. And a lot hasn't.
Soon after my stories ran in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, people such as Hickson, Stephanie Davis and Alesia Adams convinced the Georgia Legislature to change state law so that pimping minors was no longer a misdemeanor but a felony, with prison sentences of up to 20 years, depending on the child's age.
It was a start.
Prosecutors such as Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard called child prostitution possibly "one of the largest problems facing our young people today." He said more than a new law was needed, and he began more aggressively prosecuting men who were exploiting minors while calling on police to more aggressively identify and arrest them.
The Atlanta Women's Foundation set up "Angela's Fund" to raise money to help children exploited as prostitutes. Soon Angela's House was born as a residential safe house for a small number of children victimized by commercial sexual exploitation.
While Angela's House no longer exists, eventually two other safe houses have taken its place, thanks in part to a growing number of individuals and organizations concerned about the problem, such as youthSpark, Street Grace and Wellspring Living.
Each year, these organizations promote a "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Lobby Day" to continue calling attention to the problem.
In 2011, they succeeded in winning passage of House Bill 200:
Georgia's Human Trafficking Law, which again increased penalties for trafficking, required training for the proper response by law enforcement and emphasized the need to treat those who were being commercially exploited as victims rather than criminals.
This year, Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia signed two new measures, both sponsored by Sen. Renee Unterman, a Republican from Buford.
Senate Resolution 7 would permit an annual $5,000 fee paid by strip clubs to go toward housing, counseling and other services for victims of child prostitution, if voters approve.
The resolution sets up a statewide referendum that will be on the ballot in November 2016.
Senate Bill 8, known as Rachel's Law and the Safe Harbor Law, lays out how the money would be collected and spent.
It also ensures that sexually exploited youths are treated as victims, not criminals, specifically stating that children who have been sexually exploited may no longer be charged with prostitution.
Hickson, today an ethics officer for the city of Atlanta, was there for the bills' signing.
"The level of awareness certainly has increased," she said in a recent interview.
She believes the perception of human trafficking has also changed and is no longer viewed exclusively as a problem among immigrants from other countries.
"I think people today understand it is a homegrown problem," she said. "You have people acknowledging that the problem exists in our metro area, and the children need to be treated as children with problems as opposed to problem children."
But, she said, it remains critical to keep the public glare on the problem.
From the streets to the INTERNET
And that's not easy, because if this societal problem was hidden before, it's gone underground today.
INTERNET and cell phones have changed everything, according to Hickson and law enforcement officers.
While young girls can still be seen walking the "track" in some well-known areas of Fulton and DeKalb counties, in the core of the Atlanta metro area, they are as likely to be advertised on the INTERNET.
A number of girls and women have set up their own ads that are prominently displayed on a plethora of websites, one of the biggest being "Backpage.com," which filled the gap after Craigslist was sued and in 2010 shut down its money-making adult services section.
Backpage's escort and body-rubs section brings in millions in revenue each month, according to a 2013 report by an advertising consultant company, the AIM Group.
Backpage "has succeeded Craigslist as the nation's leading publisher of online prostitution advertising," the report said.
(Earlier this summer, Visa, American Express and MasterCard all cut their ties with the website.) Calls and emails to representatives of Backpage were not returned.
To understand how endemic the Internet is to the world of prostitution, consider the website "The Erotic Review," or TER.
It has been around so long, there are johns who make it their business to go see escort after escort, then review them on TER.
They call themselves "hobbyists," and they post explicit descriptions of the services others can expect from a girl, whether the girl has a bad attitude or whether she's posted a picture that makes her look better than she does in person. Attempts to reach TER have been unsuccessful.
Pimps who once exploited girls by making them walk the track can now troll the Internet for girls who are going it alone, sometimes luring them into escort services with an offer of higher salaries, payment to cover the cost of their ads and an apartment where they can rendezvous with their clients.
That means that for the 14-year-old girl from an impoverished area who is just getting started and doesn't understand what she's getting into, "a pimp will come along and say, 'Instead of you staying out there in the wind or the cold, I'll put you in a warm apartment and you'll make a lot,' " says a seasoned law enforcement officer and former vice and narcotics detective.
"Anyone who runs an escort agency and gets a cut from your profit prostituting, they're pimping."
As prostitution has moved indoors and underground, the community is less likely to see it on the streets and complain to police. So there's less involvement by police, who are driven to respond by the community's complaints.
That's bad for the young victims, the officer says, as well as for the community because the sexual exploitation of underage youth remains a booming business.
He worries that while demand remains strong, too many young girls -- and some boys -- are lured into prostitution out of view of the public and police and without understanding the consequences.
"The biggest impact is on the girls themselves," he says. "It has a psychological, moral impact on a girl, and she doesn't realize what she's sacrificing. A lot of these girls become drug addicts.
This is happening all over Atlanta.
After 10 years, if you survive the diseases, a potential criminal record, and the psychological toil, you suddenly realize you have no education or marketable skills.
"Once you lose your looks, you're back in the same place you started in. Any time you take a productive young person out of the mainstream of society and point her toward a criminal enterprise, which prostitution is, that's never good."
Hickson agrees.
She said that while she is hopeful about the new laws, the growing awareness and the numbers of people and organizations fighting against child prostitution, she worries there's a "flavor of the month" aspect; that child prostitution is a "topic that's in style."
"If this is a shallow issue for people, it will dissipate when the next issue comes along," she said. Fifteen years ago, I wrote that Hickson "looks into the eyes of children who have been prostituted and she sees nothing. No hope. No dreams. No more childhood."
Like that 10-year-old girl.
Some years after that child had stood before Hickson, the former judge got word about what had happened to her and her older sister.
For a while, they were in the care of the Department of Family and Children Services because of their mother's ongoing drug addiction.
But at some point, their mother got into a drug treatment program and eventually the girls went home.
"It was touch and go," Hickson said. "But last I heard, they were in school."
In the meantime, Hickson and a number of others remain committed to rescuing young girls and boys from the destruction of sexual exploitation.
Top of their agenda now is to ensure that voters support the $5,000 annual fee on strip clubs in next year's referendum.
"We have to remain vigilant because the adult entertainment industry has deep pockets," Hickson said.
"This is long-term work. There has to be a level of commitment."
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