Phila. Front Page News Brief - International Longshoremen Association Major Possible Call On A Strike On The Rise by Janis Barksdale And Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (610) 803-1624

Phila. Front Page News Brief - International Longshoremen Association Major Possible Strike On The Rise by Janis Barksdale And Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (610) 803-1624 

According to CNBC if ILA (INTERNATIONAL LONGSHOREMEN 

ASSOCIATION) doesn't reach an agreement with the port's ownership there will be a major strike on October 1. 

 

The union is looking for more in wages and, the union also opposes port automation and exclusive port contracts. 

The union has not called on a strike since 1977 and Harold Daggett, president of ILA and the union's chief negotiator has said "a strike is only 1 of a few weapons in our arsenal...so if backed in a corner, we're not going to hesitate to strike back". 

 

His plan is motivated by the threat of job losses from terminal automation. 

 

If a strike takes place, it will disrupt the national economy from New England to Texas weeks before the presidential election.

 

Penn Suspends Amy Wax, Law Professor Accused of Making Racist Statements Reported By Van Stone, Phila. Front Page News/Westside Weekly frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Penn Suspends Amy Wax, Law Professor Accused of Making Racist Statements Reported By Van Stone, Phila. Front Page News/Westside Weekly frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Above: Amy Wax, Law Professor U. Penn The accusations against the professor,  who had invited a white nationalist to her class and said that Black people and women were less intelligent, led students and others to call for her to be fired.

 

The University of Pennsylvania is suspending Amy Wax, a tenured law professor accused of making racist, sexist and homophobic remarks, for a year with half pay. It is a significant sanction but one that falls short of the firing that some students wanted.

 

The university issued a “public letter of reprimand” to Dr. Wax describing the terms of her suspension, which will begin in the fall of 2025 and which also includes the loss of her named chair and the loss of summer pay in perpetuity.

 

Disciplinary proceedings against Dr. Wax tested the tenure protections of professors and whether such protections allow them to voice opinions that might be seen as inappropriate or downright insulting. Many students said that they could not trust Dr. Wax to grade students without bias. But many professors — even those who found her comments profoundly racist — objected to disciplining her, on the grounds of academic freedom.

 

Among allegations against her were that she had described some non-Western countries as “shitholes” and had said that “women, on average, are less knowledgeable than men.” She has said that Black people from the United States and people from non-Western countries feel shame for the “outsized achievements and contributions” of Western people, and has derided as unrealistic television ads depicting “Black men married to white women in an upper-class picket-fence house.”

 

Dr. Wax denied making some of the comments and said that others were taken out of context.

 

She has also invited a white nationalist, Jared Taylor, to class.

 

In a 12-page complaint filed in 2023, Theodore Ruger, the law school dean at the time, wrote that Dr. Wax had demonstrated “callous and flagrant disregard” for students, faculty and staff, subjecting them to “intentional and incessant racist, sexist, xenophobic and homophobic actions and statements.”

 

Her statements, the complaint added, “have led students and faculty to reasonably believe they will be subjected to discriminatory animus if they come into contact with her.” Mr. Ruger declined to comment on Monday.

 

Dr. Wax declined to comment on the decision. She has previously warned that she will sue the university if she is disciplined. A lawyer for Dr. Wax, David J. Shapiro, also declined to comment. 

 

For several free speech groups, the case represented a threat to one of the key tenets of academic tenure — the right of faculty members to speak freely, without fear of punishment, whether in public or in the classroom.

 

Reacting to the suspension, Alex Morey, an official with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech group, said that Penn’s decision “should send a chill down the spine of every faculty member, not just at Penn but at every private institution around the country.”

 

Ms. Morey, the group’s director of campus rights advocacy, argued that Penn had altered its customary disciplinary procedure to prosecute Dr. Wax. She added that she was gratified that Penn had not revoked Dr. Wax’s tenure — an indication, she said, of how flimsy the accusations were.

 

Peter Wood, president of the conservative-leaning National Association of Scholars, where Dr. Wax serves on the board, accused the university of a “serious error of judgment.”

 

“Professor Wax’s various statements on race, gender, ethnicity, immigration, inculturation and other matters were entirely within the zone of academic freedom,” he said, predicting that Dr. Wax would not “back down.”

 

A former assistant to the U.S. solicitor general, Dr. Wax argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court. Though Dr. Wax’s outspoken viewpoints have been a subject of debate for years, student demands for sanctions began in earnest in 2017, after she co-wrote an opinion article arguing that “all cultures are not equal.”

 

The long-running disciplinary case had gone before a faculty hearing committee. The university’s hearing board has said it does not dispute that academic freedom protects Dr. Wax’s speech, but said that she had violated “behavioral professional norms” in the way she presented her views.

 

The reprimand letter to Dr. Wax, dated Sept. 24 and signed by the university’s provost, John L. Jackson Jr., said that while academic freedom should be “very broad,” professors must conduct themselves “in a manner that conveys a willingness to assess all students fairly.”

 

It said Dr. Wax’s conduct had included making “sweeping generalizations about groups by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and immigration status. It also said that she had breached “the requirement that student grades be kept private by publicly speaking about the grades of law students by race, and continuing to do so even after being cautioned by the dean that it was a violation of university policy.”

 

The letter said that the university’s interim president, J. Larry Jameson, had confirmed the decision to suspend Dr. Wax. Because the academic year has already started, the suspension, which was first disclosed by The Philadelphia Inquirer, will not begin until next fall.

 

The letter also said that, in future public appearances, Dr. Wax must say that she was speaking for herself and not on behalf of the university.

 

Martha Richards Conley, Black Female Lawyers/Attorneys Made Visits To Robert "Sugar Bear" Lark, By Janis Barksdale and Van Stone, Phila. Front Page News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (610) 803-1624

Martha Richards Conley, Black Female Lawyers/Attorneys Made Visits To Robert "Sugar Bear" Lark, By Janis Barksdale and Van Stone, Phila. Front Page News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com (610) 803-1624 

                                   Above: Martha Richards Conley

To Whom It May Concern:

I began visiting Robert Lark approximately 15 years ago as an Official Visitor for the Pennsylvania Prison Society.  We were introduced by my good friend David Demarest, a Carnegie Mellon University Professor who is now deceased, but who had been visiting him for many years before I started visiting.  During this time I have come to love and respect Robert.  He is a unique individual and has seen it as his mission to connect me with various people around the country who share my interest in prison reform.

I always enjoyed my visits with Robert which were alway positive and even uplifting.  He has maintained a positive mind set in spite of almost thirty years in solitary confinement.  He would often send me greeting cards and news clippings that he thought I might like or would interest me.

Robert is a product of American Society and the circumstances he was born into.  He is not the same person he was in 1986.  He deserves a second chance at life outside the prison walls.

Martha R. Conley

Attorney at Law

6439 Navarro Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15206

PA ID 15099

 

Nominated 2022 CNN Heroes, Robert "Sugar Bear" Lark - Nominated By Janis Barksdale, Founder/Pres Of Robert ("Sugar Bear") Lark Advisory Council Story By Van Stone Phila. Front Page News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Nominated 2022 CNN Heroes, Robert "Sugar Bear" Lark - Nominated By Janis Barksdale, Founder/Pres Of Robert ("Sugar Bear") Lark Advisory Council Story By Van Stone Phila. Front Page News frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

On Mon, Dec 12, 2022, at 10:54 AM, Janis Barksdale wrote:

 

In February 2014, I nominated Sugar Bear for the CNN Hero award. I knew it was a long shot but as you know nothing beats a failure but a TRY. 

 

In 2014, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and due to my treatments I lost my focus on this. 

As is his forte,  he encouraged me to watch the CNN Hero awards last night. There was a Hero by the name of Tyrique Glasgow from South Philly.  Due to the efforts he has put in place for the youth in South Philly the murder rate has gone down. I hope to put him in touch with our brother in Pittsburgh to help in that area. Below is a sample of what I submitted in 2014. I did receive confirmation from CNN that they received my application.  

 

Name of Nominee: Robert Lark AM4192

Phone Number : 724-852-2902

Q In your own words, why does your nominee deserve recognition as a CNN Hero?

A I'm not even sure this nomination will be accepted but I must try. Robert Lark is on death row in PA but even on the row he spends most of his time trying to help others. He has helped people get money to pay rent get food, cars, jobs,medical care,computers and get released from prison. For over 30 yrs while fighting for his release as an innocent he continues to help others and never ask for anything for himself. His motto is when someone is released even if its not him that means God is in the neighborhood. Sugar Bear as he is known to his friends has helped people all over the world and has done it all from death row.

Q How have your nominee's efforts made a difference for the better?

A As a death row inmate he reads more than 7 papers a day and misses nothing. He sends people information regarding their illness that will help them, he gives other prisoners information that has helped them obtain their freedom He has done so without the use of a computer. He was granted a new trial in 2007 but has not been tried. He is a hero to all who know him and he continues to encourage others through cards, letters and materials.

Q Is there a specific incident or turning point that motivated your nominee to take action?

A Life and the injustices that occur on a daily bases motivates him to help people. No matter the race, religion or beliefs. Almost every day I am commissioned by him to take information to someone he may not know that will help them during a foreclosure; a job fair is in the neighborhood or its sweeps month let this reporter know this is happening. A business is failing let them know that this organization gives money to those doing that kind of work.

Q Is there anything else that makes your nominee exceptional or unique?

A I have letters from all sorts of people he has helped and encouraged over the years. Inmates, ex-inmates, politicians, lawyers, doctors, authors, pastors, literacy agents and friends. In all of their correspondence they all say he is compassionate, encouraging, intelligent, always optimistic, full of life and never bitter. Sugar Bear is a person that does good for without any hope of getting anything in return he does it because it’s the right thing to do. He is a true Hero.

Q How will being recognized as a CNN Hero further your nominee's cause?

A Sugar Bear is a different Hero. As a young boy he was considered a modern day Robin Hood, taking care of 8 siblings and everyone in the neighborhood that needed help. This nomination would not be about him but about all those in prison unjustly.

Van Stone Phila: Know Your Rights - Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark Official Website/Exhibit - Join The Fight To Solve A Murder Mystery Case Since 1979

Van Stone Phila: Know Your Rights - Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark Official Website - Join The Fight To Solve A Murder Mystery Case Since 1979

Welcome to the Exhibit:

The Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark Advisory Council.

Readers will find news about the Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark Advisory Council here at this news feed site. 

Advisory councils provide specific guidance and oversight for boards of directors. 

The advisory council provides tailored advice that focuses on specific areas, such as technology, marketing, etc. Experienced advisory council members provide technical advice and critical thinking in areas beyond the board members’ typical fields of expertise.

Advisory councils - as officers - provide the members with the latest solutions, trending techniques, and knowledge so the organization stays competitive in its industry. 

In other words, the council gives the members a fresh perspective on programmatic issues. 

An advisory council can help an organization execute a project from launch to completion. It might include drafting project designs, developing competent teams, creating budgets, and establishing the roles of a project’s stakeholders. 

Additionally, an advisory council can help the board evaluate risks and plan proactively to enhance preparedness and resilience in the project. If risks do occur, the organization will be well-positioned to tackle them accordingly. 

The council also helps the members manage projects to ensure progress and key deadlines are met. That way, the organization can make informed decisions and ensure the project remains on track with predetermined goals. 

An advisory council can act as the organization’s advocate in the community it serves. Leveraging their expertise and industry network, council members can help an organization connect to a greater constituency. 

For example, organizations may appoint a county-specific advisory council to provide in-market expertise and shed light on the local industry and political culture. 

Alternatively, some advisory councils support industry development by making new introductions and acting on the organization’s behalf at social functions and industry events.

Advisory councils conduct their own meetings, which should be effective for maximum productivity.

We begin with a real life once  upon a time story. But this is only the beginning of a 'last death-penalty case' in the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Oh, and please join the membership if you like. You may register at the top right of this website by filing out the register info and then hit submit.

In Philly's 'last death-penalty case,' killer gets a life sentence instead: Story from Philly.com Thu, November 9, 2017 at 5:09 AM EST

Above left: Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark, 26 yrs-old. Above Right: Philadelphia Police Dept. detaining Robert (Sugar Bear) Lark. Asked whether to impose the death penalty, the jurors, who had already found Robert Lark guilty of the 1979 murder, sent a note: "We are at a deadlock."

On Nov. 7, Philadelphia elected a district attorney who pledged to take the death penalty off the table.

But two days later, prosecutors asked a jury of Philadelphians to impose it one last time — in the case of Robert Lark, a 63-year-old man who has already spent more than three decades on death row for the 1979 murder of 36-year-old Tae Bong Cho, at a  take-out restaurant Cho owned in North Philadelphia.

The jurors, who had already found Lark guilty of the murder, sent a note out to Judge Steven Geroff after just an hour of deliberations: “We are at a deadlock. Nobody is budging, and there won’t be a unanimous decision.”

That meant Geroff would have to sentence Lark instead — to the mandatory term of life in prison with no possibility of parole.

“It’s obvious to me that you are quite a villain,” Geroff told Lark. Then, he tacked 22½ to 45 more years in prison on to the life sentence, for a series of related convictions on charges including terroristic threats and kidnapping.

Lark was first convicted of the crime in 1985. But that verdict was overturned in federal court based on Lark’s claim that the prosecutor in his trial had used race-based practices in jury selection. At an evidentiary hearing, the prosecutor could not provide an explanation other than race for striking three African-American jurors in the case.

Jury selection for Lark’s new trial, which began Oct. 2, took more than a week. In a death-penalty case, lawyers must select a pool of jurors who state they’re willing and able to impose the harshest punishment the law provides.

“Each of you,” Assistant District Attorney Gail Fairman told the jury, “looked inside of yourselves, and each of you stated, ‘Yes, we can do this.’”

A majority of Pennsylvanians no longer support capital punishment, according to a 2015 York College of Pennsylvania poll. One complaint is that so-called death-qualified juries are inherently biased, and that studies have shown such juries inherently are more likely to convict.

No one has been executed in Pennsylvania since 1999. Since 2015, Gov. Wolf has maintained a moratorium on executions.

The standard penalty for first-degree murder in Pennsylvania is life in prison, but aggravating factors can trigger the death sentence. The prosecutors described two such factors. The first, they said, was that Lark had murdered a witness. They said he killed Cho on Feb. 22, 1979, because Cho was scheduled to testify in court the next morning that Lark had robbed him at gunpoint two months earlier. Second, they said, Lark qualified to be executed because of his significant criminal history, which included the gunpoint robberies of a Strawbridge & Clothier store clerk, of Cho, and of his own landlord.

“The crime was an affront to the justice system,” Fairman said.

Lark’s lawyers presented mitigating factors: a childhood destroyed by his mother’s drug addiction and neglect, and his stepfather’s violent abuse.

His birth was a surprise to his 15-year-old mother, defense lawyer Regina Coyne said. “In his first year of school, when he was 5 or 6, he went to five different schools,” she said. “He was in survival mode.”

She described rats and a leaking roof, vomit on the floor. She spoke of foster homes where he was taken away from his siblings, and described how he ran away from those placements and slept in cars, until he could find his siblings and reunite them.

The jury’s decision means Lark will move from death row — where for 32 years he has been kept in his cell for 23 hours a day, according to his lawyer — into the general prison population.

Nonetheless, Lark will appeal the verdict, according to his other lawyer James Berardinelli, who said he had been prevented by the judge from presenting key evidence, including a pattern of questionable behavior by the police who investigated the case.

That, prosecutors noted, means prolonging the pain for Cho’s family as well.

Seeing the case return to court, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Notaristefano said, “brought back everything. They thought this was over with, and then they had to relive it all over again.”