Monthly Archives: August 2018

Drama! Maryland Democrats engages major base after expose on public corruption goes viral as Craig Wolf moves to score. Oh Lord!

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Democratic party officials in Maryland called a meeting at Largo and invited Mr. Brian Frosh and Congressman Brown as part of regrouping in order to hide their shenanigans and save face. (See video below)

Prince George’s County Democratic party officials are in uncharted territories after the Maryland Republican candidates have moved in with speed to save groups which they have neglected in the midst of the county and other parts of Maryland.

Even with the prospect of a contested June 26th primary which saw a number of questionable candidates elected into public office fraudulently, the Democratic party’s problems in the county are far from over. Never before has a political amateur and outsider grabbed a party’s nomination exercise against the wishes of pretty much the entire party leadership as seen now.

After this blog made an expose on the role Africans in diaspora plans to play this year, democratic party officials in Maryland hurriedly called a press conference at Largo and invited Mr. Brian Frosh and Congressman Brown as part of a regrouping in order to hide their shenanigans and save face. (See video below) Mr. Frosh  together with other officials in Maryland had refused previously to endorse Mr. Ben Jealous for Maryland Governor due to conflicts of interests as exposed by Washington Post.

A new political group with ties to Africa and global audience plans to spend thousands  of dollars in the upcoming election to support Craig Wolf for Maryland Attorney General and other candidates to help fight racism. The group also intends to help pass policies that will help create wealth for Africans, African Americans and other groups globally.

Craig Wolf for Maryland Attorney General is the most feared candidate at the moment by the Democratic party wing of Maryland Politics.  After his name is mentioned, several officials engaged in public corruption are running scared to the “hills”.  “He is the right candidate for the job and has integrity,”said Krystal Williams in Upper Marlboro.  She further added that, “Brian Frosh might have have the money for the campaign but who cares if  he is a racist and corrupt, no right thinking person is going to elect him with those qualities” she added.

A new poll on voters’ attitudes in the nation’s most competitive races around the country and also in Maryland showed that when it comes to perceptions of racism, there are two Americas — one in which people of color are distressed by rhetoric and policies and another in which white Americans are far less convinced that there’s a problem.

Conflicting perceptions of racism have always existed and should be expected, but this year, the divide may shape the outcome of the midterm elections in all positions across the country.

Mr. Wolf is expected to fight corruption heads on once elected to the Public office in November and a lot is expected of him to restore trust within the State government agencies.

Even though majority of Africans have traditionally supported Democrats in Maryland, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General led by Mr. Brian Frosh is accused of advancing corruption within the judiciary,  discriminatory and racist tendencies within state agencies in addition to failing to protect Marylanders first before going to confront the federal government. “It’s Misplaced Priority”.

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Craig Wolf for Maryland Attorney General is the most feared candidate at the moment by the Democratic party wing of Maryland Politics.  After his name is mentioned, several officials engaged in public corruption are running scared to the “hills”.  “He is the right candidate for the job,” said Krystal Williams in Upper Marlboro.  Mr. Wolf is expected to fight corruption heads on once elected to the Public office and a lot is expected of him to restore trust within the State government agencies.

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Mr. Brian Frosh is seen here is accused of advancing corruption within the judiciary,  discriminatory and racist tendencies within state agencies  in addition to failing to protect Marylanders first before going to confront the federal government. “It’s Misplaced Priority”.

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democratic party officials in Maryland called a meeting at Largo and invited Mr. Brian Frosh and Congressman Brown as part of regrouping in order to hide their shenanigans and save face. (See video below)

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Sean Suiter’s widow: His death is a ‘murder . . . being covered up’ – Maryland Corruption in plain sight.

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Det. Sean Suiter’s widow, Nicole Suiter, speaks about her husband’s death. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)

By Justin Fenton

The widow of Baltimore Police Detective Sean Suiter is rejecting the findings of an independent review panel that determined her husband took his own life.

“I have the same views and thoughts as the majority of the community, and that is, my husband did not commit suicide,” Nicole Suiter said in her first public comments since his November death. “I will not accept the untimely death of Sean as nothing other than a murder, which is being covered up for reasons unbeknownst to me or my family.”

“Sean did not deserve to die in this manner, and no one deserves to get away with this.”

The review panel released its report Tuesday, concluding that Sean Suiter staged a suicide to appear like a murder. They said the scenario was the only option supported by the evidence, which they detailed in a 200-plus-page report.

“The totality of the evidence builds a compelling case that the conclusion is very well supported,” board chair James “Chips” Stewart said at a news conference Wednesday.

Key to the board’s findings is its conclusion that Suiter likely felt he was a target of the Gun Trace Task Force corruption investigation. His death occurred the day before he was set to appear with limited immunity as a witness before a federal grand jury. The father of five reportedly had asked FBI agents whether he was going to lose his job.

Defense attorney Jeremy Eldridge, whom Sean Suiter had retained, said he would not reveal his interactions with the detective, citing attorney-client privilege. But he blasted the review board, saying members had “selectively chosen” partial information that they were able to glean from Sean Suiter’s cellphone and other sources to paint a picture of a detective worried about his legal future.

“Sean’s last moments are being painted without any facts or evidence, and only assumption, without ever taking care to even attempt to interview his attorney, his wife, any of his [police department] partners, or anybody who was close to him in those moments,” Eldridge said.

Nicole Suiter revealed Wednesday that her husband had not informed her of the grand jury proceedings.

“I feel like he didn’t have nothing to worry about — wasn’t nothing to tell me,” she said.

The review board’s narrative of the day leading up to Suiter’s death includes him communicating with Eldridge about a planned meeting at 5 p.m. to go over his testimony. He was fatally shot just after 4:30 p.m., after telling his partner he believed he saw someone in a vacant lot and wanted to investigate.

“Time was running out,” the board wrote in its report. “Suiter’s futile searches may have signaled a quiet desperation before a final, tragic decision.”

The board said it believes that Suiter picked a junior detective to accompany him to the 900 block of Bennett Place, sent the detective out of view and darted into the lot. There, they say, he fired two shots into the air before shooting himself behind the ear. The partner said he saw Suiter’s body either fall or just after it had fallen, with gun smoke in the air and no shooter in sight. Suiter’s gun, which the board said has been conclusively determined to have fired the fatal shot, was found under his body.

Stewart, a law enforcement consultant who has worked on two previous reviews of Baltimore Police cases since 2011, said that the board’s findings were unanimous among its seven members, which included two retired Baltimore Police homicide detectives and law enforcement officials from out of state.

James “Chip” Coldren Jr., the board’s co-chair, said that despite the report’s conclusions, the board did not try to ascertain Sean Suiter’s psychological state.

“Lord knows what was going on in his mind,” Coldren said. “We can try as hard as we want. We’ll never know everything. The facts we found and we discovered brought us to this conclusion.”

Nicole Suiter said she had talked to her husband less than an hour before his death. She said he was in a “great mood, happy spirit,” and that they joked about a video she had recorded of him dancing.

“Sean asked me what time I got off — I said 10,” she said. “He said, okay, I’ll wait up for you, since I fell asleep on you last night.”

Eldridge maintained that he couldn’t reveal his deliberations with Sean Suiter, but said the board was putting too much emphasis on their 5 p.m. meeting the day of his death.

“Saying there was a ‘final decision’ that needed to be made at 5 p.m. — that creates this exigency that support this notion that he would commit suicide — is a farce,” Eldridge said. “Because there simply was no decision to be made.”

Eldridge, a former prosecutor, said some of the findings used “junk science” that wouldn’t pass muster in a courtroom.

“This is a ruse to give the city closure, and to pull the wool over the city’s eyes about what happened so they’re not worried there’s a killer on the loose,” Eldridge said of the report.

Nicole Suiter met her husband 17 years ago on a blind date. She said he is “deeply missed in my home.”

“We look out the window, see his car out there, thinking he’s coming through the door,” she said.

She has tried to shield their youngest child from the controversy around the case. “But she’s on social media,” she said.

The medical examiner’s office has said it may revisit its official determination that Suiter’s death was a homicide. And that could affect benefits paid out to his family. Duane Stone, an estate attorney from York, Pa., retained by Nicole Suiter, said “some benefits have been received, some benefits have not.”

“This is so outside the realm of normalcy,” Stone said. “I hope there’s honor in Baltimore City, and I hope they . . . will still take care of the widow and be done.”

Nicole Suiter said she was speaking out not as a “heartbroken widow,” but as “an aware individual who has evaluated every piece of evidence that has been shown to me, and with the knowledge that much evidence has not been presented as well as inconsistencies as I have been told.”

“I do not condone violence or war, but I will openly stand with protesters from Baltimore City, around the world, to fight for justice,” she said.

Baltimore Sun

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Mr. Brian Frosh is seen here is accused of advancing corruption within the judiciary,  discriminatory and racist tendencies within state agencies  in addition to failing to protect Marylanders first before going to confront the federal government. “It’s Misplaced Priority”.

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Craig Wolf for Maryland Attorney General is expected to fight corruption heads on once elected to the Public office and restore trust within the State government agencies.

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African community in Maryland set to support Craig Wolf for Attorney General

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Craig Wolf for Maryland Attorney General (in white polo shirt) is expected to fight corruption heads on once elected to the Public office in November and restore trust within the State government agencies.

Africans in diaspora have created a new political group with plans to spend thousands  of dollars in the upcoming election to support Craig Wolf for Maryland Attorney General and other candidates. In doing so, they are committed to helping pass policies that will help create wealth for Africans and other groups globally.

The group, called the African Community Service, has already raised money for awards and hope to raise much more in the coming months. In its first set of endorsements Saturday September 1st, 2018, the group said it was supporting Mr. Craig Wolf , who is running for the Office of the Maryland Attorney General in November General Election against incumbent Mr. Brian Frosh. The African Community Service Awards(ACSA) event is held annually to recognize individuals, or groups who have sacrificed their time and resources for the benefit of Africans globally.

Craig Wolf is listed as Keynote Speaker for the 2018 Award ceremony which will be held at Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, 5000 Seminary Rd, Alexandria, VA 22311. Wolf is the Republican Candidate for Attorney General (State of Maryland) in the November elections.

Mr. Wolf said, “Honored to have the support of Sylvester Okere – and look forward to speaking at the African Community Service Awards on September 1.

Maryland needs the Attorney General who is capable to protect Marylanders first before going to confront the federal government. “It’s Misplaced Priority”   #BrianFroshPutPoliticsAside #ProtectMarylanders #IamForCraig Wolf#4AG”

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Craig Wolf for Maryland Attorney General is expected to fight corruption heads on once elected to the Public office and restore trust within the State government agencies.

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Mr. Brian Frosh is seen here is accused of advancing corruption within the judiciary,  discriminatory and racist tendencies within state agencies  in addition to failing to protect Marylanders first before going to confront the federal government. “It’s Misplaced Priority”.

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According to Mr. Ben Jealous (a candidate for Governor of Maryland in November general Election) said, “Violent crime is up 10 percent and murders have increased by 50 percent across Maryland. A key component for making our state safer has to be reducing recidivism by ensuring the formerly incarcerated are able to get the skills they need to find employment.” 

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PGCPS to Close District Heights Elementary – students to move to new building for renovations after mold found

Still0403_00010_1491278119549_3070557_ver1.0_640_360By: Lindsay WattsMelanie Martinez

 – Less than two weeks before the first day of school, a Prince George’s County elementary school will be shut down due to mold.

The plan to close District Heights for the entire school year was made public at a school board meeting Thursday night as the building will undergo renovations.

In the meantime, students will be sent to nearby Forestville High School, which has been vacant since it closed two years ago.

Last year, parents and staff at District Heights Elementary School claimed that the building was unsafe and mold was causing students and staff to get sick.

Despite some disturbing images provided to FOX 5 from inside the school that appeared to show mold on ceiling tiles along with water damage, Prince George’s County Public Schools maintained last year that there was no dangerous mold and the school was safe based on air quality tests that were conducted.

Interim Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Monica Goldson said after all the rain recently, mold was discovered on furniture inside the school and she received the results from an internal evaluation last week.

However, Dr. Goldson said she believes the school was safe for students to attend last year.

“When I looked at the report and compared the air quality in this year’s report that I requested and last year’s, the air quality was fine,” Goldson said. “It wasn’t that it was any worse than before.”

“I’m angry, I’m frustrated, I’m mad, but then I’m happy too because those babies are now removed from that building,” said Phyllis Wright, a mother who pulled her children from the school. “That building needs to be torn down.

“While it may be two weeks before school starts and it’s probably going to be very disruptive, I would recommend that people at least take heart in the fact that the school is being closed and action is being taken,” said parent Angela Washington.

Dr. Goldson said the school will be getting a new $2.5 million air conditioning system and the hope is that will eliminate the mold issue and allow the school to reopen.

Via Fox5DC  Read more >>> WJLA, NBC4

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Prosecutors move to drop assault charge against PGCPS Chairman in Questionable lot.

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Segun C. Eubanks, chairman of the Prince George’s County school board, right, in 2015. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)

By Donna St. George, Reporter

Prosecutors have moved to dismiss an assault case against a school board chairman in Prince George’s County who was accused of pushing and threatening a fellow board member after a contentious meeting in July.

The decision this week appears to end an unsettling episode, where board chairman Segun C. Eubanks faces a second-degree assault charge. Online records have shown a trial date in October.

“The matter will be dismissed based on our screening of the case because of insufficient evidence,” said Ramon Korionoff, spokesman for the state’s attorney’s office in Montgomery County, which was handling the matter for its neighboring suburb.

Prosecutors in Prince George’s County steered the complaint to Montgomery County to avoid the potential appearance of a conflict of interest, said John Erzen, spokesman for Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The assault charge was filed by school board member Edward Burroughs III, who alleged that Eubanks shoved him against a bookcase — in a room outside of public view — and yelled, “I will f— you up” several times while pointing a finger in his face.

The incident followed a heated board discussion about a payout of nearly $800,000 to the school system’s outgoing chief executive, Kevin M. Maxwell, who was stepping down from the role amid a string of scandals, as well as a call for Eubanks’s resignation.

Eubanks, chairman of the board since 2013, was appointed by County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) after Baker persuaded state lawmakers to give him greater control of the low-performing system. Burroughs is an elected member, in his 10th year of service, and part of a vocal board minority bloc.

In a statement Wednesday night, Eubanks said he was pleased but not surprised by the result and called the allegations false and reckless, asserting that prosecutors found them “baseless and without merit.”

Eubanks said he was “evaluating options to seek redress and reparations for this wholly unnecessary ordeal.”

“Now that these irresponsible allegations have been put to rest, it is my hope that all board members can put other agendas aside and join me in focusing on serving the school children of Prince George’s County,” Eubanks said.

Bruce Marcus, an attorney for Eubanks, echoed many of the same points, saying it was regrettable that “irresponsible and undisciplined individuals would attempt to manipulate our judicial system in order to promote their own interests.”

But Burroughs stood by his account of the incident, providing a written statement penned by a witness in the room. Burroughs said he was told Tuesday by the Montgomery County official screening his case that she did not have a working phone number for that person — and had not talked to the person.

“It really is disappointing to think that something like that could occur and there not be any consequences,” Burroughs said. “It’s like middle school bullying.

Burroughs said most people in the room that night were members of the board majority and that one person in the room called him the next day to say the board members would not back up his allegations.

“I proceeded anyway,” he said. “But I knew the reality.”

Prosecutors had no comment on details of their decision-making, Korionoff said.

Following the July 12 incident, Burroughs also filed for a temporary restraining order against Eubanks. But he dropped it after a phone call that included Eubanks and lawyers for both sides. Burroughs said at the time a resolution had been reached and his fear of being attacked for disagreeing with Eubanks was alleviated.

But he did not withdraw his assault complaint.

How the episode may affect the school board is an open question. Both Eubanks and Burroughs said they do not expect problems. The school board was scheduled to meet Thursday night.

“We are professionals, and I look forward to a productive meeting tonight and moving forward,” Eubanks said.

via Washington Post 

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After assaulting Mr. Edward Burroughs in a widely circulated reports, Mr.  Eubanks has now said that, he was “evaluating options to seek redress and reparations for this wholly unnecessary ordeal.”

 

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Seven PGCPS schools in Bowie test high for lead in water

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Three water sources at Bowie High School’s Belair Annex had elevated levels of lead, according to data from February tests. (John McNamara / Capital Gazette)

By Jack Chavez

At least seven of the 14 Bowie-area public schools tested for high concentrations of lead in their drinking water since 2017, according to an internal report from the county school system. The county has taken remediation steps since elevated lead levels surfaced.

While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends water be shut off at any faucet where lead exceeds 20 parts per billion, the county takes action at 10 ppb, because schools are open longer than the six-hour day the EPA used to determine their threshold. Water sources tested include fountains and food preparation areas. They don’t include showers or bathroom sinks.

Letters concerning the findings will be sent to parents this school year.

At the Belair Annex, where the freshman class of Bowie High School takes classes, at least three outlets tested high in February. One drinking source tested at 377 ppb, then tested at 84.2, while another tested at 203 and 24.5 ppb. Another source nearly tripled on its second test.

Other results for tests taken in 2017, were the main campus of Bowie High where two water sources were found with high concentrations of lead and shut down, Heather Hills Elementary (two sources), High Bridge Elementary (two sources), Pointer Ridge Elementary (two sources), Yorktown Elementary (one source) and Chapel Forge Early Childhood Center (one source).

Nearly every outlet that tested high was tested again to ensure accuracy and determine if replacing the fixture solved the problem. Schools that tested high at first, but passed subsequent tests, were Tall Oaks Vocational (four sources), Whitehall Elementary (one source) and Rockledge Elementary (one source).

“A lot of the fixtures in old buildings have lead in them,” schools spokesman John White said. “So we replaced fixtures where the water might test high, then we retest the water.”

Sources that remained high after testing were shut off and capped, White said. Only drinking water sources were tested. Signs are posted to not drink non-potable water.

The latest round of tests satisfies the requirements laid out under a new law that states all public and nonpublic schools be tested by July 1, if they were built before 1988. Schools built after 1988 have until July 2019 to submit test results.

Northview Elementary School, which is a little more than a decade old, tested nearly perfectly, with just three of 128 sources testing for trace amounts of lead, which was under the county’s threshold.

The county is taking additional steps by installing multiple filtered water fountains in every school. Installations began at the end of the 2017-18 school year.

“We want to provide that additional layer with the filtered water fountains because we know students and staff will often want to refill bottles,” White said.

A timetable for all Bowie schools to be outfitted with filtered water fountains was not immediately available.

School board member Raaheela Ahmed, who represents each of the affected schools, could not be reached for comment.

Via Capial Gazette 

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Mom says daughter was touched inappropriately by classmate, furious PGCPS didn’t tell her

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PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, MD — A Prince George’s County mother said her daughter was touched inappropriately by a classmate and administrators never notified her.

She only found out when her 7-year-old daughter told her about the incident. She then began asking questions.

The school system confirmed the incident happened back on May 7th at Andrew Jackson Academy in Prince George’s County.

“I want answers. I am not even suing. I just want answers,” said the mother, who has asked for her identity to be concealed.

The child’s mother said the night after the incident happened, her daughter was clingy, restless, and was having nightmares.

After asking her daughter what was wrong, her daughter finally told her what happened in school.

“My daughter said ‘mommy, he touched me on the butt. I told him to stop but he didn’t,'” said Mom.

According to a district spokesperson, the touch was believed to have been “accidental”, and therefore the child’s mother was not notified.

“They completely failed my daughter,” said the mother.

According to school spokesperson, the boy was transferred to another class and was disciplined.

“Schools normally do not contact police to press charges or contact Child Protective Services when children are so young (7 years old). Schools counsel and teach the children about inappropriate touching. The school made sure the students were no longer in the same class. The school also provided the parent with information and assistance on homeschooling,” said John White, a school spokesperson.

White added that the school’s principal did have “a lengthy conversation” with the child’s mother. She said that was only after she went to the school furious and demanded to speak to the principal because she was never notified.

“I had to go to them on everything,” said the mother.

She said she is speaking out now, because she wants the school district’s policies changed so another mother is never again left in the dark.

“It’s not like I am just fighting for my own child. I am fighting for all the other children who have been through this and maybe some adults too and didn’t have no one to fight for them ,” she said.

WUSA9 requested data from the district, to determine if more students were touched inappropriately and parents were not notified.

According to a spokesperson, the school doesn’t keep track of that type of data and is not required to report it to the state.

If your child has been touched inappropriately, here are some resources to help determine what to do next:

https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline

https://www.stopitnow.org/ohc-content/what-should-i-do-after-a-child-tells

Via  WUSA9  >>>See video

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Prince George’s Board sets salary for interim schools chief

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The interim schools chief in Prince George’s County Monica Goldson “Goldson”.

The interim schools chief in Prince George’s County Monica Goldson “Goldson” who was appointment in July this year will earn $265,000 for the coming year under a contract the Prince George’s County school board approved last Thursday.

Last month, Monica E. Goldson was named interim chief executive of Maryland’s second-largest school system for the coming year, filling the vacancy left when Kevin Maxwell resigned under the cloud of an ethics scandal and under pressure from Elected officials. Before his departure, Maxwell earned $299,937 a year and other benefits.

“I am honored and humbled to be called to serve,” Goldson said after the county board of education unanimously voted for the contract. Goldson said she and her team were “working feverishly” to prepare for the opening of school on Sept. 4. However, many county residents and staff who know her well have a negative opinion based on her close association and cover ups involving union executives.

Segun Eubanks, the board chairman who has a pending case after he assaulted Board Member Edward Burroughs, congratulated Goldson. “We look forward to a very successful and engaging partnership,” he said according to the Washington Post.

A 27-year veteran of the school system, Goldson, 50, started as a math teacher at Suitland High School, before transferring to Forestville High School were she worked under James Smallwoods who is considered “the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg” and elevated Monica Goldson. Forestville High School was a public magnet high school located in Forestville before it was closed permanently in 2016 under suspicious circumstances due to numerous conflicts of interests. On March 8, 2016 former CEO Dr. Kevin Maxwell sent a letter to parents that Forestville would be closed after the end of the 2015-2016 school year despite weeks of protests against closing the school. Students were reassigned to neighboring Suitland High School for the 2016-2017 school year.

The school had a comprehensive program with a specialized Military Academy magnet program. Mr. Smallwoods who was engaged in a major scandal while at Forestville terrorized some school staff members before being reassigned to Largo High School where he unleashed more scandals like a Wildebeest on heat. His shenanigans were covered up Dr. William Hite Jr who fled to Philadelphia School District under pressure from elected officials and the public in Prince George’s County.

There is no doubt Monica Goldson has worked her way up the ranks. However, her appointment without any input from the public should have many county residents and others who love Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) worried. The worry is based on genuine concerns after cover ups and her close association with corrupt union executives in Washington DC metro area starting within PGCPS under an organized scheme which is ongoing.

Organized “scheme to defraud” is defined as a systematic, ongoing course of conduct with intent to defraud one or more persons, or with intent to obtain property from one or more persons by false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises or willful misrepresentations of a future act etc.

Goldson was most recently deputy superintendent for teaching and learning. Under her watch, the school District saw a number of fake grades facilitated in order to retain power. She is a homegrown educator, having graduated from the county’s Potomac High School in 1986.

County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D), whose term ends this year, named Goldson interim chief July 23. Her contract runs through June 30, 2019. The next county executive will be empowered to make a longer-term appointment for the schools chief position.

Goldson has said she hopes to be considered for that appointment. But she said she is focused on opening day.

“Job one right now is making sure we have a smooth opening of school,” she said. The school system expects to have about 132,000 students.

So far teachers and other staff have complained on the internet of her unchecked habit of sending emails at night or in the evening “spoiling dinner” or vacation for staff.

Teachers have also complained of the Human Resources refusing to let teachers transfer under a different Principal because the system is outside the transfer window. Unless it is a promotion the principals have refused to release them.

Montgomery County, with the state’s largest system, has about 163,000 students. Its superintendent, Jack R. Smith, is paid an annual salary of $290,000.

In July, the Prince George’s school board agreed to a contract settlement of nearly $800,000 with Maxwell. He departed the superintendent’s post about three years before the end of his four-year contract due to public corruption in PGCPS.

Deputy Superintendent Monique Davis who oversaw employee performance an evaluation returned to the Anne Arundel County School system as a regional superintendent after major fiasco in the county.

Davis was second-in-command in Prince George’s County when a state audit found improperly documented grade changes allowing unqualified students to graduate.

She was also accused by at least 21 employees of workplace bullying and harassment during her tenure.

The results of an internal investigation into the complaints have not been made public.

In the meantime,  the trial on criminal assault charges filed against Board Chairman Segun Eubanks by Board member Edward Burroughs is set for September 4th,  2018 at 10:30 AM in Room: 261. (See Case Number: 4E00634806 Tracking No:181001423945).

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Board Chairman Segun Eubanks faces criminal assault charges with a trial set for September 4th,  2018 at 10:30 AM in Room: 261

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Board member Edward Burroughs filed a criminal complaint after he was assaulted at Sasscer administrative building to shut him down.

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After Outcry- NEA Provides Educators with Guidance on Preventing Workplace Bullying

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The new directive to teachers in the United States by National Education Association (NEA) which for the first time Provided Educators with Guidance on how to Prevent Workplace harassment following widespread bullying as reported here is a reminder that violent and illegal tactics used by unions are not just remnants of the past. More often than we can prove, unions or their rogue representatives intimidate, threaten, and resort to violence when organizing employees, seeking contract concessions from employers, or “persuading’ companies to use overpriced union contractors and subcontractors in their development projects.

Companies often capitulate to illegally intimidating union demands rather than suffer the costs, inevitable project delays, and unwanted distractions associated with fighting the unions. But employers interested in defending their rights and independence, and who want to send a message that they will not surrender to union violence and intimidation, should consider one or more of the following steps:

  • Notify Law Enforcement. Local police is typically the best option for immediate response and protection. Companies should report broader conspiracies and illegal union corporate campaigns to state and federal agencies.
  • Seek Injunctive Relief. While many states have laws prohibiting courts from issuing injunctions in labor disputes, these anti-injunction laws are inapplicable to illegal conduct such as violence, and blocking entrances and exits.
  • File a Charge with the NLRB. Under the NLRA, EEOC or U.S Department of labor,  it is an unfair labor practice for unions, among other things, to intimidate and cause employees of a subcontractor to refuse to go to work at a third jobsite; to commit acts of force or violence on the picket line, or in connection with a strike; or threaten bodily injury to nonstriking employees.
  • Refuse to Reinstate Violent Strikers. Employers may legally refuse to reinstate strikers who engage in serious misconduct during the strike, including acts of violence and threats of violence.

Employers should not wait for violence or intimidating tactics to occur to develop a response plan. Take the time NOW to update law enforcement contact information, prepare skeleton injunction papers for nonunion development projects in high-union activity areas, and educate supervisors and managers on how to properly respond to illegal union bullying.

After many years of silence on these issues by NEA, Cindy Long reports on the way forward for teachers in the United States on behalf of NEA below.

She writes:

workplacebullying-e1371562286492-300x201BY CINDY LONG

Kim Werner’s former principal was identified by her union as the most abusive principal in the district.

“He has been targeting educators for fifteen years,” she says. “He lies. He coerces.  He intimidates.  He screams and uses profanities.”

And he’s still a principal, while Werner is now an Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Trainer.

After a year and a half of constant abuse, Werner took medical leave and reported her principal. She was covered by the district’s Bullying and Harassment policy, and while on leave, requested public records about complaints filed by other educators at her school.

“I soon discovered the horror other educators had experienced under his leadership,” Werner says. “I was shocked and sick inside.  These were simply people who spoke up and addressed his intimidation tactics. They suffered greatly–both professionally and emotionally.”

Bullying leadership is often based upon fear, Werner says, and because bullying principals are scared they “disperse that fear throughout their schools.”

“They are afraid that some piece of bad news will ‘get out’ about their schools and so they manipulate people and data to meet their needs,” she says. “It’s happening throughout the nation.”

She says that when she was bullied, she felt very scared and alone, but ultimately decided to take action. What others do in response to bullying, however, can vary greatly.

“Some align with the bullying brute.  That feels safe,” she says. “Most hide.  A few stand up and say, ‘That’s not right,’ but very few of the ‘hiders’ will support those who stand up because they think it’s not safe, and they’re right.”

To help local NEA affiliates support members who are being targeted by administrators, delegates to the 2012 NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly passed a resolution to “Defend the Rights and Dignity of Educators.”

It calls for NEA to inform its members on ways to challenge administrator abuse of teachers and education support professsionals, and to support local NEA affiliate efforts to defend the rights and dignity of teachers and education support professionals.

“There is no way children will ever be safe from bullying if adults in schools aren’t safe from the same.  Until we assure safety for ALL–children and adults in schools– we will continue to lose the battle,” says Werner.  “It’s treating others with respect and kindness and patience and love.  That’s the real work.”

Workplace Bullying – A Silent Crisis: A Resource for Educators

NEA’s guidance for affiliates to ensure members a workplace free of bullying and harassment

Read more >>>👇👇👇

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Uncontrolled Maryland Corruption Under Scrutiny — From Academics This Time

ANNAPOLISBy Bruce DePuyt

Maryland is one of the more corrupt states in the nation, according to a survey of journalists who cover statehouses across the country.

The General Assembly pulled in the worst score possible, a 5 (“extremely common”) on the Corruption in America survey’s scale of 1-5. The executive branch wasn’t far behind, rating a 4 (“very common”).

Before going any further, it needs to be clarified that the Institute for Corruption Studies, located at Illinois State University, issues six ratings for each state — two for the executive branch, two for the legislative and two for the judicial. In each case, the researchers distinguish between “illegal corruption” and “legal corruption.”

The researchers behind the work define illegal corruption as “the private gains in the form of cash or gifts by a government official, in exchange for providing specific benefits to private individuals or groups.” Your basic politician-in-handcuffs type of thing.

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Governor’s Mansion in Annapolis, Maryland

They define legal corruption as “the political gains in the form of campaign contributions or endorsements by a government official, in exchange for providing specific benefits to private individuals or groups, be it by explicit or implicit understanding.” Your basic you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours deal-making that everyone assumes is pretty much an everyday occurrence.

The numbers cited above are Maryland’s legal corruption scores. The state’s judiciary rated a 2 (“slightly common”).

As for illegal corruption, Maryland’s legislature rated a 3 (“moderately common”), the executive branch was deemed to be a 2 and the judiciary rated the highest score possible, a 1 (“not at all common”).

When the data are aggregated and compared with other states, Maryland’s political climate ranks among the 14 worst in the nation, according to a chart on the institute’s website.

Oguzhan Dincer, associate professor of economics at Illinois State and the director of the Institute for Corruption Studies, said he relies on journalists’ impressions because they are close to the action.

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Prof. Oguzhan Dincer

“Political reporters and investigative reporters, you guys are the watchdogs. You guys are dealing with the politicians and the state politics on a 24/7 basis,” he said in an interview this week.

“Instead of asking people on the street, [we decided] why don’t we get a more informed opinion?”

He conceded there are “weakness” to this approach. “Reporters are human beings, too.”

Dincer said he reaches out to about 1,000 journalists a year, typically receiving responses from approximately 270.

Often, he finds, journalists are hesitant to click on a link and enter their impressions.

“A lot of reporters don’t want to respond at all,” he acknowledged. “It’s kind of a touchy subject. I understand these are the people you’re interviewing every day.”

The U.S. Department of Justice has been publishing corruption-related convictions by state since 1976, one of the reforms spawned by Watergate. “That data has a lot of problems,” Dincer said. Chief among them: “It only covers convictions, not plea bargains.”

Maryland is no stranger to political corruption.

Former state Sen. Nathaniel T. Oaks (D-Baltimore City) was sentenced in July to 3½ years in federal prison after pleading guilty to corruption charges.

Former Del. William A. Campos (D-Prince George’s) was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison in May, in a bribery case that prosecutors said involved “the use of taxpayer money as if it were a literal slush fund.”

Former Del. Michael L. Vaughn (D-Prince George’s) was convicted this year of conspiracy and bribery after accepting cash in exchange for votes to expand liquor sales. The cash-strapped lawmaker argued, unsuccessfully, that the bundles of cash he received were mere donations from grateful constituents.

In addition, two relatively recent Maryland governors landed in big-time hot water.

Former Vice President Spiro Agnew (R) pled no contest to a single federal count of tax evasion for failing to report income that he received in 1967, during his tenure as governor. He resigned and was fined $10,000 and sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation. Prosecutors suggested he had been taking bribes from highway contractors from the time he was Baltimore County executive straight through to his years as vice president.

Former Gov. Marvin Mandel (D) was found guilty on 17 counts of mail fraud and two counts of racketeering for accepting gifts and bribes from his co-defendants to influence legislation that helped them get extra racing dates from the state for Marlboro Racetrack in Prince George’s County. Two decades later, a federal judge overturned the conviction and the state Court of Appeals reinstated his law license.

Even lobbyists have found themselves in legal trouble.

Two of the state capital’s most high-profile and best-paid lobbyists, Bruce C. Bereano and Gerard Evans, both did time, only to resurrect their careers after their release from prison.

The data that Dincer and his associate, Colgate University Professor of Political Science Michael Johnson, release this fall will be their fifth set. They plan to issue a report on the conclusions they’ve drawn since beginning their work at Harvard in 2014.

The professors hope the ratings will serve as a wake-up call to the electorate.

“The easiest way to get rid of a corrupt politician is to vote ‘em out, because convicting is very difficult,” Dincer said.

“Why is Illinois more corrupt than Minnesota or Iowa? We should ask ourselves this question instead of getting used to it. People in Illinois, everybody is kind of used to corruption here. It’s like a lifestyle. The same thing in Louisiana. The same thing in New Jersey.”

“We should do something about it,” he said.

Like many people, Dincer laments the cutbacks that have hit U.S. newsrooms.

“One of the most frequent comments I get from the reporters is — yeah, we’re covering the [statehouse] but they’re getting away with murder at the county and city level, and nobody’s covering them.”

Even when there are reporters on the beat, it’s not always enough to keep elected leaders honest.

“When I first conducted the survey, I got ‘thank you’ emails from reporters in [one state capital] saying, ‘this state is so messed up and nobody knows about it!’”

He declined to name the state, but he said it’s not Maryland.

The next round of rankings will be published this fall. “I want to do it before the November elections,” he said.

Via Maryland matters

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