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Trump Frees Detroit’s Kwame Kilpatrick

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Free Press Stories Sent Him to Prison
Former Prison Journalist on Pardon List
Vogue Retreats; Prints New Kamala Harris Cover
New Ebony CEO Is ‘Little Black Girl from Oakland’
Vega Joins 6 Women Leading Biden Coverage

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In this Jan. 29, 2013, file photo, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick waits in line to enter federal court in Detroit. (Credit: David Coates/Detroit News)

Free Press Stories Sent Him to Prison

President Trump commuted the sentence of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick “as part of a flurry of clemency action in the final hours of his White House term that benefited more than 140 people, including rap performers, ex-members of Congress and other allies of him and his family,” as Jonathan Lemire, Eric Tucker and Jill Colvin reported Wednesday for the Associated Press.

“The commutation of the sentence knocks about 20 years off his 28-year sentence,” Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK-TV reported. “Kilpatrick served seven years for corruption and racketeering in office. He served as mayor of Detroit from 2001 to 2008. He was sentenced in 2013 and has since lost his appeals.”

The news led the overnight home pages of the major Detroit media (with the exceptions of the Michigan Chronicle, which caught up later with a bylined story) and CBS affiliate WWJ-TV (which also caught up), giving the Detroit Free Press an opportunity to remind readers:

“The Free Press spent years investigating Kilpatrick and won the Pulitzer Prize in [2009] for exposing many of his wrongdoings in office, including publishing text messages that showed he lied about an affair with an aide and covered up the firing of a deputy police chief during a police whistleblower trial.“

Caesar Andrews, a Black journalist now teaching at the University of Nevada-Reno, was executive editor at the time.

In undated photo, Kilpatrick officially welcomes the press into the mayor’s office. (Credit: Hugh Grannum/Detroit Free Press)

As a mayor with a national following, thanks in part to the network of fellow graduates of Florida A&M University, a historically black institution, Kilpatrick was viewed as a rising political figure in the early 2000s, just as Barack Obama was. But in 2015, when Obama, as president, visited the Oklahoma prison where Kilpatrick was being held, Robert Snell of the Detroit News wrote, it was “a reminder of how far their careers and fortunes have diverged. . . .”

The announcement from the Trump White House, issued just before 1 a.m., said, “This commutation is strongly supported by prominent members of the Detroit community, Alveda King, Alice Johnson, Diamond and Silk, Pastor Paula White, Peter Karmanos, Representative Sherry Gay-Dagnogo of the Michigan House of Representatives, Representative Karen Whitsett of the Michigan House of Representatives, and more than 30 faith leaders.

“Mr. Kilpatrick has served approximately 7 years in prison for his role in a racketeering and bribery scheme while he held public office. During his incarceration, Mr. Kilpatrick has taught public speaking classes and has led Bible Study groups with his fellow inmates.”

Allan Lengel wrote for Deadline Detroit, “Kilpatrick, 50, served as mayor from 2002-08 and was sentenced in 2013. He’s at a federal prison in Oakdale, La. . . .

“After losing all his appeals in court, Kilpatrick tried through surrogates, both Republicans and Democrats, to convince Trump in the past four years to set him free. He even sent Trump a gushing letter in 2019.

” ‘I first want to congratulate you for the overwhelming and stunning victories of your Presidential campaign, and also the unprecedented success of your first two-years in office,’ Kilpatrick, a lifelong Democrat, wrote. ‘You have shaken up the entire world … and that is a great thing to behold.’

“It’s unclear exactly when Kilpatrick will be freed, and whether he’ll have to quarantine when he gets out. Covid has been widespread in U.S. prisons and jails.

“Many in the legal community had argued that Kilpatrick’s sentence was far too harsh. Others thought the sentence was appropriate considering the scope of his crimes.  . . .”

Investigative reporter Ross Jones of WXYZ-TV was one of the dissenters. He tweeted shortly after midnight, “Plenty will debate whether Kilpatrick’s 28 year sentence was too much. That debate is warranted.

“What can’t be debated is the depth of his corruption. He stole from needy children. He stole from senior citizens. He drove a broken city further into ruin and never apologized.”

Tresa Baldas wrote for the Free Press, “There were several false alarms about an early release from Kilpatrick’s supporters over the last year as rumors got out that he was going to be freed early and allowed to live with his mother in home confinement in Georgia, though that never happened. Then word got out that he would be freed due to COVID-19 concerns, though that never materialized, either.

“While prison officials shot down Kilpatrick, the persistent prisoner held on, clinging to one final hope: that Trump would set him free.”

Involvement with the Kilpatrick case helped lead to the firing of Willard Jackson Jr., chairman and CEO of Ebony Media Holdings.

A May 22 news release from Ebony declared in an “exclusive,” “Kwame Kilpatrick, former Detroit Mayor, has been granted home confinement after spending 7 years of a 28-year sentence in prison. . . . EBONY will receive an exclusive first interview with Kilpatrick, and he will hold a press conference shortly after.”

That proved not to be the case, and in July, the company announced Jackson’s ouster.

“We weren’t getting the level of transparency that we were accustomed to,” Jacob Walthour Jr., then-newly elected board chairman and a Black-owned asset manager, told Journal-isms by telephone at the time. “And it raised a set of red flags.”

San Quentin News staff in 2010, from left: Richard Bonaru Richardson, Julian Glenn Padgett, Drew Piazza, Fernando Lemus, Kevin O’Donnell, Michael Harris, Arnulfo Garcia (Credit: San Quentin News)

. . . Former Prison Journalist on Pardon List

. . . Also pardoned was Michael  “Harry-O” Harris, former editor-in-chef of San Quentin News, the prison newspaper at San Quentin State Prison in California. Harris, along with Suge Knight, founded Death Row Records.

The pardon was facilitated by was facilitated by Snoop Dogg and friends, Sha Be Allah wrote for The Source.

The Source reported, “ ‘Harry-O had another 10 years and he may not have made it’ said Weldon Angelos, one of the activists who assisted Snoop in releasing Harris. ‘There’s COVID…it’s rampant, there’s 40,000 people infected in the federal prison system and 190 deaths and it’s rising every day.’ ”

The White House notice said, “Mr. Harris is a 59 year old who has served 30 years of a 25 year to life sentence for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Mr. Harris has had an exemplary prison record for three decades. He is a former entrepreneur and has mentored and taught fellow prisoners how to start and run businesses. He has completed courses towards business and journalism degrees. Upon his release, Mr. Harris will have a meaningful place of employment and housing with the support of his family.”

In a 2018 story on the San Quentin News, Harris said, “The human beings that are encapsulated inside these prison walls have the power to change themselves, as well as influence others in positive ways. Some of us will never get out and others will. What has become obvious is that we can learn from our mistakes, and so can others, if we, as a community, are brave enough to share in this undertaking.”

William J. Drummond, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley who in 2012 joined those advising the prison journalists, wrote on Facebook Wednesday:

“Free at last! Trump pardoned Michael (Harry O) Harris, co-founder of Death Row Records and former editor-in-chief of the San Quentin News.

After San Quentin closed the print shop in 2008, the newspaper was about to fold. Harris [paid] for printing the San Quentin News out of his own pocket. He served as editor-in-chief for a couple of months until he finished his sentence.

“When he walked out of SQ, the US marshals were waiting for him. They took him up the highway to a federal prison, where he has been ever sense.

“Meanwhile, the other co-founder of Death Row Records, Marion Hugh (Suge) Knight Jr. is serving a life sentence for murder.

“Hope I can get Harry O to be a guest speaker for my San Quentin News class.”

Vogue’s new cover photo features Kamala Harris in a powder blue Michael Kors suit in front of a gold background.

Vogue Retreats; Prints New Kamala Harris Cover

“Vogue will publish a limited print edition of its February issue, featuring Kamala Harris, with a new photo following widespread backlash against an original cover image widely held to lack respect for the vice-president-elect,” Priya Elan reported Tuesday for The Guardian.

“The limited edition, with a cover image previously used online, will be published after inauguration ceremonies on Wednesday, when Harris will become the first person of Black and south Asian descent sworn in as vice-president.

“The original cover image, showing Harris wearing Converse sneakers and casual clothes, sparked ire on social media, users questioning why Vogue would choose the image over the more formal online cover featuring Harris in a powder blue Michael Kors suit in front of a gold background.

“The Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan wrote: ‘Vogue robbed Harris of her roses. A bit of awe would have served the magazine well in its cover decisions. Nothing about the cover said, “Wow.” And sometimes, that’s all Black women want, an admiring and celebratory “wow” over what they have accomplished.’

“There were also questions over lighting, considering Harris’s skin tone. Vogue was previously criticised for its lighting of the gymnast Simone Biles, its August cover star.

“A Vogue spokesperson said: ‘In recognition of the enormous interest in the digital cover and in celebration of this historic moment, we will be publishing a limited number of special edition inauguration issues.’ . . . “

New Ebony CEO Is ‘Little Black Girl from Oakland’

Owners of Ebony and Jet magazines have chosen Michele Ghee (pictured) as CEO, saying she “has generated billions of dollars in revenue while working for some of the most powerful companies in the world including WME [the talent agency William Morris Endeavor], CNN, A&E, The History Channel and BET Networks,” the company announced Tuesday.

Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman, an entrepreneur and former NBA player, won approval last month from  U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston to buy the magazine company. Ebony was forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy in July by its creditors after defaulting on more than $10 million in loans.

“Bridgeman said he expects Ebony to remain a digital publication, with occasional special print issues,” Robert Channick reported last month in the Chicago Tribune.  

A news release said, “While at BET, Michele created and ran the first and only network for black women: BETHer. . . . She is charged with creating the vision and activating the strategy for these iconic brands as she steers them into the 21st century.”

Ghee is quoted as saying, “Everything we say will come through the lens of Black journalists. We will ensure there is a safe space for Black journalism to thrive. I’m a little Black girl from Oakland, CA. I’m not apologizing for any of it. Our voices matter. We are History in the making!”  

At a news conference on Oct. 1, 2018, President Trump called on Cecilia Vega to ask a question. Trump said, “She’s shocked that I picked her. She’s, like, in a state of shock.” Vega calmly responded, “I’m not. Thank you for that, Mr. President.” Then, Trump said out of nowhere, “That’s OK. I know you’re not thinking. You never do.”

Vega Joins 6 Women Leading Biden Coverage

“ABC News is shuffling its Washington correspondents, tapping Cecilia Vega to be its new chief White House correspondent,” Alex Weprin reported Tuesday for the Hollywood Reporter.

“At least six major news networks have assigned women to lead White House coverage of the Biden administration, raising the profile of female journalists in an institution long dominated by men,” added Alexis Benveniste for CNN.

“CNN named Kaitlan Collins its chief White House correspondent, replacing Jim Acosta, who will be the anchor and chief domestic correspondent for the network.

“ABC said Cecilia Vega will be its White House correspondent; The Washington Post named Ashley Parker as the newspaper’s White House bureau chief; Nancy Cordes will be CBS News’ chief White House correspondent; and Kristen Welker will be a co-chief White House correspondent for NBC with Peter Alexander.

Like other female journalists of color, Vega had her share of insults from President Trump.

“When Cecilia Vega accepted a job covering President Donald Trump, her mother questioned the decision,” Christian Galeno wrote for the student-written Latino Reporter during the 2018 convention of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

 ‘“My mom told me — ‘why would you do this to yourself? You’re literally all three things he hates: a woman, a Mexican and a journalist and it is dangerous for you,’ said Vega, who is the White House correspondent for ABC News.

“Her reply: ‘Mom, what better person to sit in the front row of that briefing room then?’ ”

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Richard Prince’s Journal-isms originates from Washington. It began in print before most of us knew what the internet was, and it would like to be referred to as a “column.” Any views expressed in the column are those of the person or organization quoted and not those of any other entity. Send tips, comments and concerns to Richard Prince at journal-isms+owner@groups.io

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