Black Leaders AWOL on Top Social Issue

Black Leaders AWOL on Top Social Issue

 

Facts:  There are 21 legal medical marijuana states and DC and 5 states pending medical marijuana legalization in 2014.  By 2015 over half the states our the Union, could be  allowed the produce, distributed, sell and use of medical marijuana legally.  Meanwhile, President Obama during his White House Correspondence Diner on  May 3rd, 2014, he jokingly said referring Legalized Recreational Use of Marijuana in the States of Colorado and Washington as a social experiment they are allowing, he said to this effect that, “We are not eavesdropping on people in Washington and Colorado, having stupid conversations over the phone, as a part of our social experiment taking place that we are allowing.”

 

How did he know the conversations were stupid?  The NSA? What do you think is really happening?

 

Facts and opinion based on trends: With 2 States allowing recreational marijuana and 25 States allowing medical marijuana to be sold in their States and a Federal Government not enforcing the marijuana drug laws, with the understanding that marijuana is listed as a schedule one drug (one of the most dangerous drugs on the streets) by the DEA.  Compounded by the Attorney General Eric Holder’s position to ease up on the sentencing guidelines for non violent drug offenses, what do you really think will be the natural transition or future plans?  We predict that one of President Obama last acts aside from his presidential pardons, will be the signing of legislation to end the prohibition of marijuana in the whole United States. He leaves office in only 970 days on 20 January 2017.  The countdown has begun!

 

My argument is there are no nationally recognized black leaders or investors on the forefront of this serious social issue that is also a serious economic issue.  Our focus as black people seems to be as consumers only, focusing on who will be able to use the drugs to get high, for medical purposes or our plans to never use such a drug as good Christian of sorts. Yet already we have a $40 billion marijuana crop in the United States, which is our most valued crop by far and Gov. Scott of Florida just agreed to sign a bill into law SB 1023 that will allow the State of Florida to grow a marijuana crop worth about $7.5 Billion easy or about 20% of our current total product.

 

Yet from first glace, his plan doesn’t even include black people as potential distributors.  We will not even be able to bid in the State of Florida for a medical marijuana dispensary. Unless we have black owned plant nurseries that was in business for 30 continuous years and can produce at least 240,000 plants, even Oprah Winfrey money is not good in the State Florida as far as marijuana goes, unless she wants to smoke some, under Gov. Scott’s watch. So I wonder how many black owned marijuana farms or dispensaries are there in the United States of America. This is something we must start paying attention to. And something wealthy black should concern themselves with. These unfair business practices is a clear cut blackout.

 

Another concern is how they have been deciding on where to place medical marijuana dispensaries and how many can operate in a given State. And the way they are doing it is racially biased, yet I heard not one black voice raise the question as to why and how do they justify this distribution system laws and restrictions.

 

Fact: There are about 1 marijuana dispensaries for every 10 pharmacies in each state.  First of all pharmacies are located were there are people who have health insurance.

 

Fact: 30.4% of Hispanics, 17% of blacks, and 9.9% of whites do not have health insurance. While Hispanics are 17% of the population, black 12% and white about 65%, then when we consider the poverty level of each group, we will be able to determine how many people have private insurance.  Marijuana as a medication is not recognized by any government insurance such as Medicaid, Medicare or Veterans Benefits.  So what is the correlation between how many Pharmacies exist in a given State as a determining factor as to how many medical marijuana dispensaries will be able to open and where they will be placed?

 

While our black leadership is AWOL on these social and economic issues, they are designing a distribution system that will exclude black people as investors other than as a consumer of these drugs. And the tend is gaining momentum from State to State and will become the nationwide policy, if we do not quickly become a part of the process of the legislative creation on marijuana sales and distribution.

 

While they are in all reality addressing a serious social problem, which is that they really cannot afford to continue to fund the enforcement of the prohibition of marijuana anymore, they pitched us a curveball to create a blackout in the legislative intent. They devised a plan to distribute medical marijuana first as a way to determine who can distribute it on these basis, so when it becomes legal by federal law as a recreational drug, the distribution system of marijuana will not include many black people and will be setup.

 

Fact:  Black are about 4 times more likely to get busted for marijuana than whites,  and in proportion to the population the disparity is about 15 times more likely for blacks to get arrested.

 

This is the proper indicator as to where marijuana is being sold to the consumers  and who is selling it to them and how much.  It is not being sold near our neighborhood Walgreen’s Pharmacy.  It is being sold by black people in black ghetto communities and little of the money stays in our community and that is the problem.  But somehow the location of pharmacies and not black communities has become the determining factor as to how many and where the legal market will take place. There is something very wrong with this picture. It is clearly a hypocrisy!

 

Marijuana is the biggest and its most valued crop in the United States estimated at about $40 billion and it is about to hit Wall Street as a major commodity, after they divide the distribution licenses among themselves. Its value will at least double in 5 to 10 years upwards and above $80 Billion annually. While blacks are a major influence in this legislative change, it clearly doesn’t address the black disposition in the policy decisions. Illegal drugs have destroy our community, so now you legalize it and exclude of in the legal process to determine how it will be controlled and regulated?

 

So I say to our black leadership and investors, wake up and become involved in this nation changing event.  Black leaders with nationwide appeal must open up to these issues creating nationwide social and economic dialog.  People like Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev, Jesse Jackson, Magic Johnson, Min. Louis Farrakhan, Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Sean Combs, Mr. & Mrs. Carter and the many influential black people, must put their money and influence behind this issue to become allowed by law to invest in its distribution.

 

If we do not act soon, we will be once again left behind tomorrow, while owning an urban basketball team for $1,000,000,000. We will be excluded from a multi-billion dollar industry with world wide prospects and future growth. Therefore as the consumers we are, we will be able to smoke our weed and watch basketball, music videos, and comedies, while we  merely dream about making it big pros one day. But merely surviving in America. Because we are not really included the real economic community controlling issues.

 

Conjecture: Aside from someone on a white horse coming out of the sky, black’s in America only real hope for black community redevelopment nationwide; as a means of recovery from the many years of this war on drugs, whose frontline was in our communities, is the reinvestment of the profits from marijuana production, distribution and sales made in our State and community. And this can and will only happen if we are involved in the legislative process, while securitizing every decision made, will this happen.

 

Rev. Frank Paul Jones aka Apostle Paul Caste

Frank Paul Jones Expresses Regret over CRA Dispute

Frank Paul Jones Expresses Regret over CRA Dispute

First of all, I want to thank Maria Sutherland our Administrative Services Director for the City of Avon Park, for taking time out of her busy schedule to clarify things for me concerning the CRA and their operations. Secondly, I want to apologize to Arnold Davis an advisory board member of the CRA, for even thinking he was involved in wrong doings and thirdly I want to apologize to Gerald Snell the chairman of the advisory board for saying “the honorable thing is to resign,” this is not required.

 

I wrote letters to the CRA and City Council whom are one and the same people wearing different hats at different meetings.  And I posted them on the internet as open letters to be transparent about my dispute with City Hall, so people could weigh in on the argument. So it is only proper that I finish this argument in the public eye, with an article about my findings

 

I still believe that the CRA misappropriated our tax dollars, by sponsoring the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parades and events.  Though Maria Sutherland explained a lot to me, this wasn’t explained to my satisfaction. Still nobody showed me where in the Florida Statue that these spending practices are authorized for a community redevelopment agency. However, I realize if I pursue this argument and the CRA stands behind these spending practices, it would require a complaint to the Florida Commission on Ethics and if I lose I will have to pay for their legal fees.  And a good lawyer can get anyone out of anything that isn’t cut and dry.  This has layers and is a matter of interpretation.  I only expressed my opinion, which I still believe to some degree is on point.

 

My strategy was to bring this to their attention in a public forum, hoping they would stop these spending practices, so that they can do much more for our local businesses, who really need help and soon.  Too many businesses in the Southside District are closed down here and have been demolished and I believe this could have been prevented if we worked much harder on the plan on the books that the CRA agreed upon to expand businesses.

 

As for the CRA Advisory Board, which is not the CRA, being there is one CRA and three Advisory Boards. There purpose is to advise the CRA.  But when going to their meetings you would think they make the decisions, but they can only advise the CRA, who appointed themselves from the City Council. Only the CRA can make decisions concerning our redevelopment plan. So if you have any problems in the future with the CRA, target your compliant towards the City Council who are the same people and not the advisory boards whom are actually powerless, unless the CRA agrees with their decisions, they can only advise the CRA.

 

I mentioned Arnold Davis might have engaged a conflict of interest between his non profit organization and the CRA, by running the Dr. King parade with CRA money while being on the board and president of the non profit on the other end, but Arnold Davis didn’t fund himself, the CRA funded him.  This is unclear and it would be a matter of interpretation to determine this as a conflict of interest, which would take many hours of research to prove.

 

As far as CRA term limits go, they do exists, but the way they handle this is after each elections the City Council reappoints themselves to the CRA board, which is legal and maybe even ethical, being many cities in Florida do this. But like I said I still didn’t see a clause for spending redevelopment money on parades based on marketing, which is how I was told it was done. I do not know if funding marketing is authorized in the CRA budget.  So still I think it is a conflict of interest somewhere, but Arnold Davis played the pawn, he wasn’t the decision maker, but maybe weighed in with his advise, because he support Dr. King. And I understand he didn’t get paid anyway. So we need to leave this alone.

 

Though I do not totally agree with what was explained to me, I do understand and do not think there is any criminal behavior or criminal intent, I just think we have different priorities and I am not the shot caller and the best I can do is argue in public to gain attention in hopes of changes being made by the CRA.

 

So overall, I regret my having this public dispute, because it will probably change nothing. Because I think they plan to stand behind their policies as they are, I do not see anything being accomplished by this. I think it will take someone with more juice than I to really bring about any changes in the directions we are traveling with our CRA.  And do not get me wrong our CRA has done some wonderful things in Avon Park, but they simply didn’t do enough and most of my supporters got burned by them. But give credit where it is due.  So I grade the CRA 3 stars.

 

Frank Paul Jones

Avon Park Projected Cost of Production and Sales of Marijuana

To: Maria Sutherland – Administrative Services Director

From: Rev. Frank Paul Jones – President and CEO – The NCNCHINC

RE: Avon Park Projected Cost of Production and Sales of Marijuana

Date: 13 March 2014

Florida Medical Marijuana is Almost Complete Legalization:

http://frankpaulgambino.com/2014/02/24/florida-medical-marijuana-is-almost-complete-legalization/

If you read the law you will see that a lot of people for a lot of reasons will be able to get medical marijuana. As long as a doctor feels you will benefit more by using marijuana than by not using it, he/she can give you a prescription. It is the last clause of debilitating medical conditions.

1) “Debilitating Medical Condition” means cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or other conditions for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.

My argument isn’t about why what will happen on November 4th will happen, but about the government being fiscally responsible with this new tax revenue that will only continue to grow with time as Federal law changes as well.

The City Avon Park should control both production and distribution of medical marijuana here in the city limits of Avon Park, FL.

1: We should have a farm located in the Southside Redevelopment Area.

2: We should have a dispensary located in the Southside Redevelopment Area, that will act as the main artery for the legal distribution of medical marijuana with its associated tax stickers from State, County and City Governments.

Here is my breakdown for the production and sales of medical marijuana. I think everything is negotiable.  A quarter ounce should go for about $25 and one ounce for about $75 of quality marijuana. Because we will grow it the cost of production isn’t that high and we must beat out the street dealers by having high quality marijuana at low costs to the consumers.  And prices can be adjusted in the future once the farm is in full swing.

1,000 patients times $25 or one quarter once per month = $25,000 per month gross sale. The money would be divided as follows. But we figure on doing $100,000 worth of business within one year, so multiply these figures by 4, to get a realistic and honest projection.

Labor: $6,250 per month – per year = $75,000 for the payroll

Security: $5,000 Cameras and stuff connected to the police department

Taxes: $120,000

(a) State $5,000 per month – per year $60,000

(b) County $2,500 per month – Per year $30,000

(c) City $2,500 per month – per year $30,000

Equipment and Supplies: $3,750

Labor: 25% of cost

(a) Farm labor:

(b) Dispensary Labor:

Security: 20% of cost

(a) Special Unit from the Avon Park Police Department

(b) Support from the Highlands County Sheriff Department

Taxes: 40% of cost

(a) State: 20%

(b) County 10%

(c) City 10%

Equipment and Supplies 15%:

(a) Equipment

(b) Breeding Supplies for special products

I think if we take a proactive response to the legislation on the ballot for November 4th, 2014, we would start planning now for what is an inevitable future in the United States and soon to be reality in the State Florida. We must be fiscally responsible and fair about the distribution of this new tax revenue.

I think with the CDBG Grant coming to South Delaney Avenue, the only other wise thing to do that is just needing immediately attention, is to redevelop the Southside Business District. I for one need a parking lot so we can offer instructional services at our location and some AC units. The Rib Shack needs much more help than I do and they and Catlin Lounge are historical building, which you already have new grants for. We simply want to get up the other half of that money to make these grants real options to those who need them most.

Sincerely;

Rev. Frank Paul Jones

Florida Must Tax Medical Marijuana

Florida Must Tax Medical Marijuana

The fiscal note states:

“Increased costs from this amendment to state and local governments cannot be determined. There will be additional regulatory and enforcement activities associated with the production and sale of medical marijuana. Fees will offset at least a portion of the regulatory costs. While sales tax may apply to purchases, changes in revenue cannot reasonably be determined since the extent to which medical marijuana will be exempt from taxation is unclear without legislative or state administrative action.”

It has not been determined if it will be taxed, partially exempt or totally exempt from taxes. I think if taxed it will be a win/win solution to many problems associated with marijuana in the State of Florida. And I think the legislative intent speaks for itself. Florida will be one step from complete legalization.

(1) “Debilitating Medical Condition” means cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or other conditions for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.

Therefore any strategy presented by the State of Florida that must have assurances that the State of Florida does profit by large margins and anything short of this is naïve legislation not consistent with the legal intent.

Therefore I think it is imperative that the State of Florida tax marijuana at an exceptionally high rate of about 40% or more of its production costs. The production cost of marijuana will be exceptionally inexpensive in the Heartland of Florida which is now being used for agricultural farming and therefore Florida can offer marijuana at a savings to the consumers old options of which was purchasing street drugs.

Marijuana farming in the Heartland of Florida, will help the local economy and these areas are already very rich farmland, some of the best farmland in the world. Therefore the marijuana crop will be some of the best and most natural in the world, it will be comparable to Cuba being known for their cigars because of the location they are grown in .  Mass production will have to be controlled, to limit and regulate the supply. Farmers who grow marijuana should be able to offset some of the labor costs of other crops, because marijuana is a more valuable crop and easier to produce than most other crops, provided you use experienced growers.

The dilemma here is that the experienced grower, most likely was a career criminal based under the old statute.  For this reason there should be a question of amnesty associated with the legalization of medical marijuana. These pardons should be retroactive to the date a criminal offense was committed, fully expunging the records of many felons of non violent crimes and given them at least a chance in life.  I believe such a measure could revive our economy if done nationwide and not just done in Florida. Such an event could further increase the profitability of marijuana farming, simply because Florida’s crop will the preferred crop in the US, because it is often grown naturally.  It would also reintroduce our economy to many people who were literally blackballed from economically productive lives in America, due to these old repressive laws that were always senseless.

However their must be legal protections for the State Government and Businesses. These legal protections will and must be a measure against future lawsuits associated with marijuana prohibition. There can be no legal grounds for a tort associated with the criminal conviction of marijuana or its associated discrimination practices.  Therefore this clemency must be used to give both sides a clean slate. If this is not done there is a chance that someone may create a precedent to allow class action lawsuits that could be very damaging to businesses and government institutions in the State Florida.

In summary the strategy that must be discussed by our legislators should not be biased.  The government shouldn’t take a position of something that is going on the ballot. However, the government should prepare for either outcome. Either way their will be problems associated with these outcomes. The government has to prepare to adapt to either outcomes to maintain order and stability in the State.

It would be a civil disservice if our legislators and government do not prepare for the outcome, especially if medical marijuana is legalized in Florida. The State of Florida has to profit from the legalization of marijuana and in a big way due to our location. If the State of Florida makes marijuana tax exempt, I think it would only be due to corruption in government to maximize the farmers profits. This could be interpreted as pure stupidity, but they have plenty of time to think and about this and discuss a compromise.

 

Frank Paul Jones

 

I Formally Apologize to the Avon Park Leadership

I Formally Apologize to the Avon Park Leadership

First of all, I want to say I am sorry for the bad things I recently said about a lot of people here in Avon Park, FL.  I feel I was out of character by stooping down to their level.  I am just tired of people picking at me and saying whatever comes to their mind about me, yet really do not know much about me to make these judgment calls concerning my mental state. In other words, I know a lot of people around here called me crazy behind my back, based on opinions from rumors they heard.

 

People around here judged me, yet they themselves live in a glass houses. For example they called me crazy, while they get a check for PTSD from the VA. So to say PTSD is a heroic illness, because it supports them and they wear this like a badge of honor. Yet PTSD is a code for shellshock.  During WWII, they often called shell-shocked people cowards.  But today they get counseling for it, which is a good thing.  But understand two of the major symptoms of PTSD is nervousness and confusion, code for crazy as hell, which is what they called me.  So people need to look in the mirror.

 

People talked bad about me, but just recently took the crack pipe out of their mouth. They say an addict tries the same thing looking for different results and they call this insanity when they get into recovery, which is code for crazy, which is what they called me. Smoking crack everyday is not sane, it is insane. So what if your addiction was a long time ago, so was my incident in California, it was over 23 years ago, yet people are still judging me based on this incident and cannot live it down and it  was actually about a lot of money, a lot of money I must say, which I felt was owed to me.  So wanting to get paid is crazy now? I do not agree!

 

Just because a lot of people are claiming PTSD today doesn’t make it heroic or make them mentally stable. People with PTSD cannot own a gun, because the government thinks they are insane and is capable of hurting themselves or others.  And just because a lot of people got hooked on crack, doesn’t make it socially acceptable behavior, because it is not and possessing this drug is often a felony.  And just because you never got caught with the drug on you, doesn’t mean you didn’t commit felonies on a regular basis, so who are you to judge me and my mental state or my criminal history, if the shoe fits you were both criminal and insane as well.

 

Still I apologize, because I am the bigger person this time. But to those who talk about my mental state, while they were hooked on crack before, but no longer are or get a check from the VA for being shell-shocked, I think you need to look into the mirror, because mentally you are no better off then I ever was or was not.  Of course you could be doing a doctor for a check which makes you a common thief, which is nothing to be proud of.  Faking PTSD is nothing to be proud of, nor is having it and saying I lost my damn mind, because I went to a war. Yet people seem to proudly say I am a nutcase.  Yet half of this town is crying PTSD and have smoked crack on a regular basis in the past.

 

Frank Paul Jones

Highlands Today Clarified False Statement Against Frank Paul Jones

Highlands Today Clarified False Statement Against Frank Paul Jones

 

In a libelous article written by Paul Catala of the Highlands Today Newspaper located in Highlands   County, Florida, they made false statements about me. They said I was charged with stalking Janet Jackson and went to prison for threatening President George H. W. Bush, Michael J. Jackson and John J. Gotti. These statements was false and the news journalist Paul Catala found this misinformation on the world wide web, instead of doing investigative reporting. The internet is full of lies about me.

 

They (The Highlands Today) did a clarification on February 11th about 12 days later saying to the effect that the charges were dropped and because of this I was never charged, but the fact of the matter is that there were never any charges to be dropped. They stood behind their story about me going to prison for those other threats, but clarified why I actually was convicted. So I guess people who read this article in the future will know the truth if you read between the lines, so they did enough to make themselves happy I guess, but libel was still committed against me in my humble opinion.

 

Highlands Today is operated under the Tampa Tribune, who is owned by Revolution Capital Group who is a $1.1 Trillion investment firm, who probably have lawyers out of this world. So a lawsuit isn’t really an option, because finding a lawyer to take this case is probably not going to happen, because the damages would not satisfy the expenses to go up against them.   So I guess I just have to be happy with what I got out of them and settle for this clarification, which I feel is short of a full retraction and apology on the front page, like the article was placed.

 

I guess in a way this is the beginning of the truth being told about me, because for many years people picked at me calling me a stalker and claiming I went to Janet Jackson’s house harassing her. This was a lie from the beginning told by her brother Jermaine Jackson to destroy my creditability and character. If people believed these lies and now know they are lies from the clarification by Highlands Today, they should now wonder why these lies were told to begin with.  And I just told you why. And if you believe me or not, you should now wonder why he wanted to destroy my name if I was just a nutcase.

 

Head of Avon Park Outreach Group Tries to Move Forward

In the Highlands Today Newspaper

http://highlandstoday.com/hi/local-news/head-of-avon-park-outreach-group-tries-to-move-forward-from-criminal-past-20140131/

Hyperlinks to News Article Above

Frank Paul Jones

President and CEO – The NCNCHINC

Avon Park Leaders Are Petty Thieves Who Breeds On Fears & Lies

Avon Park Leaders Are Petty Thieves Who Breeds On Fears & Lies

Sometimes community leaders have ill intent, but this is not always the case. But those who have not righteousness in their hearts, tend to want to control the people in the community for their own selfish ends. They persuade people to think along their lines of reasoning that is often wrong in order to control the resources that comes into the community to help the people, such as government grants, foundation and private grants so forth.  They do this with the intent of shaving some of the money off of the top to line their pockets, meanwhile the people believe due to their popularity, power and influence outside of the community (among whites) that they are doing something good for the community, when often in reality they are just robbing the people and selling information to keep other people down and repressed.

Philanthropic (charitable) giving is already set aside to help the poor and needy and community leaders are often like unelected politicians, though they do not run for office to get elected, their popularity plays an important role in public opinion, which allows them to operate openly and freely.  Fears within the community are very significant, because the main purpose of many non profits to include mine’s, is to find problems and then come up with solutions to these problems and seek financial help to put the solution into action.

But sometimes people who have things going in their favor tend to attempt to tarnish the names of other people who they see as a threat to their positions and see them as competition.  Often unethical community leaders will attempt to destroy other people, so that they become the sole candidates for Philanthropic (charitable) giving, so that they can control all the resources that comes into the community to solve problems that are apparent and needs attention. But the problem with this is that good leaders have good vision and can see things that not all people will see.  And therefore they can layout relevant agendas to solve community problems and build a better community.  And another problem with this is when you are doing community work, it should be about the results of building a better community and not your positioning in the community as a result of this progress.  “It should never be about you, it should be about the community.” Your reverence (admiration) is a byproduct of your work and not the product itself.

But many people in the community are often followers and not leaders and seek good leadership and they are often easily persuaded to show favoritism to a foolish builder, for no other reason than their acquaintance of them and their popularity and not because of the vision of the potential community leader. And these unscrupulous  pretenders, will resort to stealing ideas and present them as their own work, while discrediting the source they received the ideas from, only because they meant no good from the beginning and had selfish ends from the start. I tell you the truth when  I say, there are some evil people here in AvonPark, FL. who will smile in your face and backstab you at the same time.

Now I am here to tell you that there is a God who has all the power in his hands, who can not be fooled by fake smiles mixed with treachery.  My God is an all knowing God and his will prevail.  And I was sent here by God, whether you believe this or not.  People laughed at me down here, because of lies told on me in the media, not even knowing why the lies originated or ever talking to me about it.  And as a result false leaders here in Avon Park, FL tried to tarnish my name with the republication of falsehoods, because they fear me because my intent is righteous and theirs is evil. They do not want people to gravitate towards us, because if they do come to our support, they (the false leaders) might become obsolete or have to come under our umbrella and do right and not steal from the people and they want to remain head negroes in charge around here. They see me as their local competition, only because they have small minds, when I see our organization not as a local network, but with a nationwide movement with a nationwide agenda, our headquarters just happens to be here in Avon Park, FL. Where I currently live, but our goal is to reach far beyond HighlandsCounty.

My connections reach far beyond AvonPark. The people who are going to help me accomplish my mission in life sees Highlands County as a potential investment, so I plan to bring money to Highlands County and not suck up the money already here, like some of these false leaders. All to say that those who chose to pick me as an enemy, chose the wrong enemy, because if anything they only showed me they cannot not be trusted and therefore cannot hold custody to what I plan to bring here because I know they will steal from it, because they are unrighteous. Therefore they have to be replaced.  And there evil and dastardly deeds will come to a halt soon. And when things begin to happen here, they will be left out of the agenda to come to pass, because they mean no good to the people of HighlandsCounty they are supposed to be serving. They are mere pity thieves.  They

failed the test. They cannot be trusted.

I am not trying to put any particular person(s) in the spotlight.  But I know what is going on here in AvonPark is not one size fits all. So if the shoes fits, it because you are probably still wearing them.  My mother did not raise a fool, nor am I deranged.  In fact, I am one of the most forgiving people on the planet. I rarely hold grudges against anyone, but the problem with this is my friends who love me dearly and support me are not so forgiving. It is not me you will have to answer to. So the best bet is to leave me alone, because I do not bother you or interfere in your affairs. The problem with this is evil is arrogant.

Frank Paul Jones

The Martin Luther King BLVD Catch 22

The Martin Luther King BLVD Catch 22

Mayor Edgar Azell Delaney Sr. was mayor of Avon Park, FL for 28 years according the News Sun, And for this reason some feel that the street should not necessarily be taken out of his name. He was born in 1891 and died in 1979. The segregated South ended in 1965, at which time Edgar Azell Delaney Sr. was about 74 years old. The history of Mayor E. A. Delaney is not clear, because there is not much information on the world wide web about him. But I have to wonder when was he mayor of Avon Park, it would seem it was during the segregated South.

Then I have to ask exactly what was is contributions to Avon Park and especially the black community of Avon Park, FL. While the consensus of some white folks here in Avon Park to include our current Mayor Sharon Schuler is that Dr. King does deserve a street named after him, but so does E. A. Delaney Sr. So why rename Delaney Avenue, why not Verona Avenue or even Hal McRae BLVD? We ask why should a historical mayoral figure from the segregated South hold the name of a street with reverence in the heart of the black community South Delaney Avenue? Is that far to us?

The renaming of South Delaney Avenue is strategic to the black community, its about black pride, community development and reducing crime by giving people a reason to care and come together on something relevant and we are not even sure if Edgar Azell Delaney Sr. was actually our (the black peoples) mayor. Was he the mayor of all the people? I mean did our votes even matter during his tenure, because the voting rights act wasn’t until 1965, because the black vote was ignored. And we do not want to stripe our local hero Hal McRae of his BLVD nor do we want Verona Avenue, we even think Verona Avenue would be fine place for E. A. Delaney Sr., because the Post Office is located on it (name the post office after him), but we want South Delaney Avenue because it is the center our black business district and black community, which is now a troubled area in Avon Park, which is high in crime and failing businesses and we feel if we can improve this street and take it back from the thugs, we can improve our whole community. And the name change to Martin Luther King BLVD would support these efforts.

Another issue is the changing on identification cards for the people who now live in Delaney Avenue. Many of the residents in the Southside Redevelopment Area are poor. Mayor Sharon Schuler at the City Council meeting on 13 Jan 2014 throw a monkey wrench into the mix. She suggested that if the people most effected by this change are against it, meaning the people who are living Delaney Avenue who would have to legally change their ID cards at their perhaps at their own expenses, do not want to incur these expenses, they the city council should vote it down. There has to be money in the system to solve this, but if not.

We in the black community and especially our community heroes, churches, non profit organizations, community leaders and even outside organizations and philanthropist who support community development and the Dr. King legacy must step up the plate. Because we need sponsors to insure this movement to change the name of Delaney Avenue to Martin Luther King BLVD is not struck down by the City Council. And we do not really want all of Delaney Avenue, what we really want is South Delaney Avenue. But to insure this name change we need money to help poor people in our community exchange their identification cards and perhaps update their mailboxes, we are talking about perhaps at most $5,000 to $10,000.

Therefore the right strategy to approaching the City Council when these special meetings occur would be to first find out by going door to door, not only do the people want it, but can they afford the address change and let them know that we plan to find the money to help them exchange their ID cards and will not push forward with this agenda until funding is found. And I think a good compromise would be to simply change the name of South Delaney Avenue only, leaving North Delaney Avenue as is. I strongly feel that we have time on our side, because Dr. King died over 40 years ago. I prefer to do this a year from now when we have the money for the proper transition if it takes that long, than to strike it down next week. I think this is something that should be planned thoroughly.

Frank Paul Jones

The Delaney Avenue Renaissance

The Delaney   Avenue Renaissance

The City of Avon Park, FL came up with $125,000 and is submitting a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grant for $500,000 in matching funds for the year 2014. The CDBG grant is under the umbrella of HUD and is federal money.  The $625,000 will be spent to revitalize South Delaney Avenue in the Southside Redevelopment Area of Avon Park to attract business back into the area by redeveloping the streets.  This project will include but not be limited to adding street lights, burying the utilities and power lines, fixing the sewage problem to prevent flooding in the area and they are trying to get funding to enhance the security in the area with security cameras, to reduce crime.  And there is a good change we might get this funding this year.

 

There was also a consensus by the CRA Community Redevelopment Agency, Southside District and Maria Sutherland the Administrative Services Director of Avon Park that fixing the streets without rehabilitating the buildings on the streets, would not solve the problems of this business district.  And we need to find money to help these business owners rehabilitate their buildings.  Therefore the job of the CRA and City Council of Avon Park will not be completed without finding grants and low interest loans to help these struggling businesses get back on their feet.  Grants are imperative to the redevelopment the businesses physical structure (buildings) and low interest loans will be needed to stock up these businesses with inventory and equipment necessary to function properly. And with the proper business models, promotions and advertisement there is hope for South Delaney   Avenue.

 

This area is a redlining district and the old business model has collapsed into insignificance due to the changes in our demographics. Back in the old days of the 1970’s and 1980’s most of these business were jug joints, whereby the cliental were the local agricultural workers. They supported these businesses because of their mentality of working hard and playing hard. But now most the agricultural workers in Avon Park are migrants out of Mexico and many of the African American population are chronically unemployed and due to our poor education system in Highlands County whereby Avon Park High School is one of the worst performing High Schools in Highlands County and because it was never designed to create an educated population because of the work that was available here, many are without high school diplomas and/or job skills and therefore cannot benefit from many of the retail establishments now in Highlands County.  For this reason the local businesses on the Southside are struggling due to the high crime rate which is byproduct of high unemployment,  which prevents outside cliental from patronizing these establishments.  Therefore the high crime rate must be address, which means job training has to also be considered to truly revitalized South Delaney Avenue as well as perhaps light industry to employ the whole population of Avon Park. There is simply not enough jobs to go around and the jobs we do have people in the Southside are not qualified to get now. Job growth in Highlands County is in the negative digits.

 

Not many white people come to South Delaney Avenue because of the fear of the criminal behavior in the area. The only white people we attract are prostitutes and drug addicts looking for a fast dollar and a dope fix. And this does not help the businesses in the area prosper.

 

Something that I think is significant that is  on the table is the renaming of Delaney Avenue to Martin Luther King BLVD.  Members of the CRA and the people of our community wants this badly. The voices of the people is to relinquish the name Delaney for Dr. King. But there is a growing feeling it will not happen because the Delaney Family has political power in Avon   Park, FL. And I do not think their political clout is a good enough reason to prevent this name change, which could enhance our Renaissance.

 

They say Mr. Delaney who the street is currently named after was the Mayor in Avon Park, FL. But I cannot even Goggle his name and get results, so exactly what was his great contribution to Avon Park, was he a mayor during the segregated south?  Tell me!  Is he an old time owner of the once segregated Southside Redevelopment Area?  Who was he, to get in the way of real progress in Avon Park, FL?  It is the consensus of the people of the Southside Redevelopment Area that the changing of the name to Martin   Luther King BLVD, could bring back black pride to our community.

 

Today we at the Southside Redevelopment Area are filled with of many symbolically castrated black men (disenfranchised) and disgraced black women (lost to the streets) and the Delaney Family doesn’t have any community ties with us at all or with the problems we face such as the high crime rate, drug infestation, the AIDS pandemic and the economic disaster or local depression, so why are we being forced to bear his name on our streets today?  Where is the Delaney Family when it comes to us?  Therefore we need to know the procedure required for this name change and do this by the books. The City Attorney must explain to us why we are forced to bear this name under our current conditions.  Just because they (The Delaney Family) know people in City Hall is not a good enough reason to force us to carry his name on our streets anymore, this street needs to identify with the residents and people of our local community if this community is to come out of our sense of lack of ownership of community and the lack of dignity within the people who live here.

 

The people of Avon Park must become active and concerned about what is going on here in  Avon Park now and in the present.  I especially call on the business owners, the churches and its leadership and other non profit organizations, because with us the people will follow.  There is just too much crime and too much drugs and killing to not get involved with what is going on now. People find it easy to speak out against our City officials, but do nothing to make a change in our legislation processes and decisions. Now I am giving people $625,000 reasons to get involved in the Southside Redevelopment Area. While the CRA meetings are almost always empty, we find it convenient to simply complain, while the City Council meetings are almost always empty, we simply complain and do not voice our opinions.  Wake up people, wake up!

 

Now I am going to tell you something you may not want to hear, but it is real. A drug epidemic like nothing since the 1960’s is about to hit us hard. With the troops returning from the Middle East and Afghanistan where the poppy plants has been harvested for several years undisturbed under the protection of the United States Government. South Delaney Avenue is an  incubator for this disaster in the making.  If we do not solve the crime on these streets now, with better education, job development and new business models to reduce crime here, we will not be able to handle it later.  Opiates is now the drug of choice in America, but a good and cheep supply of dope is simply not available, so people shoot up stuff like Oxycontin. But this is about to change soon. And with a new heroin epidemic comes more AIDS infections, in an already town filled with sexual immorality. And unlike crack,  heroin addicts need their fixes every morning and daily. This will lead to crime unlike we ever experience in Highlands County, especially coupled with these bad economic times unlike the 1960’s and 1970’s.  Heroin on the streets of South Delaney Avenue must be averted.  A heroin epidemic in Avon Park on South Delaney Avenue may well be the price paid for our silence  now. So I warn the good citizens of Avon Park to wake up, because under these conditions  nobody in Avon Park or Highlands County will be safe. Not any community not any people in our town will be safe.

 

Frank Paul Jones

 

Man Arrested for Tampering with Evidence in Dwayne Council Murder Case

Man Arrested for Tampering with Evidence in Dwayne Council Murder Case

Javon Moses aka Mojo was arrested Friday 12/13/2013 for tampering with evidence in the Dwayne Terrence Council Jr. murder investigation according to the Highlands Today local newspaper. The charges was based on reports that he burned some clothing soon after the murder was committed and was seen with Dwayne Council Jr. going into the direction where he was later found killed. Also according to reports Dwayne Council Jr. was seen giving a pistol to Javon Moses “Mojo” only minutes before some shots were heard being fired by witnesses. It is not clear if Javon Moses or Dwayne Council Jr. had a permit to carry a concealed firearm, but it is doubtful.

 

The Sheriff Department have not charged Javon Moses for murder or released information as to the possibility of him being charged for murder, so it is not clear if he is a murder suspect or simply is believed by law enforcement to know something about what happened to Dwayne Council Jr. And they still have not come up with the motive behind why Dwayne Council Jr. was murdered in cold blood execution style.

 

When Dwayne Council was first killed a lot of reports spoke highly of him, to include me. He was a High School celebrity football player here in Avon Park, FL., and was working for the Avon Park Youth Academy with intentions of becoming a law enforcement officer, prior to being killed. Everyone spoke highly of him and though I personally didn’t know him from what people said (reports) about him, I also assumed he was an upright kid.

 

Now I do not know what to think anymore, if these allegations are proved to be factual. Because the illegal possession of a firearm could be a felony in Florida, if you are a convicted felon, under 16 years old, have mental problems, or committed domestic abuse related crimes and what gets most people is you cannot conceal a firearm regardless without a permit to carry it and for doing this you can get up to 5 years in prison for a third degree felony.  And not only that but firearms is the leading cause of death for our youth.

 

As we all know there is a lot of gun violence in the United States. There is about 300 million guns in the U.S. today and about 30,000 people are killed by gun violence each year or about 30 people a day. Homicide is the second leading killer for people between the ages of 15 to 24 and ranks first among African Americans at this age group.  So I take gun possession serious, even more serious than the possession of crack cocaine

 

For this reason I think when Avon Park gets this grant to beautify the Southside Redevelopment Area for about $900,000, which includes where this murder body was found as well as other murders happened here recently.  We should not invest in more palm tree which is only cosmetic, but should consider added electronic surveillance devices on our light poles and streets to detect guns being fired (a new technology being used in urban areas) and watch our community with cameras to reduce this a high rate of crime. And this development should be added to South Delaney Avenue where most of the chaos originates and perpetuates. Meanwhile at the City Council of Avon Park, it is being considered and discussed to rename South Delaney Avenue to Martin Luther King BLVD, which I think would bring back community pride in the African American Community of Avon Park, whereby Delaney Avenue is the core area of black businesses, our churches and residential community, which is becoming a slum area being overrun by young thugs committing petty crimes, because there are simply no jobs here in Highlands County for most of them. Which makes me wonder about Dwayne Terrence Council Jr., because he had a job and a promising future here in Avon Park, yet he probably illegally possessed and transferred a firearm.

 

Frank Paul Jones