Tyler Perry Turns Fort McPherson Into A Media Empire!

Tyler Perry becomes the first African American to own a movie studio. He owns a studio that surpasses Warner Bros., NBC Universal, Paramount and Walt Disney Studios.

Entertainer Tyler Perry has broke ground. He is the owner and CEO of Tyler Perry Studios, the first ever fully Black-owned studio lot. He bought the former Army base Fort McPherson and turned it into a fully operation movie and television studio.

He purchased 330 acres of the decommissioned military base. He is the first African American to outright own a major film production studio.

Through 34th Street Films, a production arm of Tyler Perry Studios, Perry will guide the work of other filmmakers.

Perry has full ownership of his movies, and Lions Gate Entertainment serves as a distributor of his films. Some of his films are distributed through other companies.

Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry, Jr) is an American actor, playwright, filmmaker and comedian.

He is one of the highest paid man in entertainment, earning $130 million between May 2010 and May 2011.

He was an abused child. He grew up in New Orleans as the son of Willie Maxine Perry (nee Campbell) and Emmitt Perry, Sr. He was beaten constantly and almost contemplate suicide due to the abuse. He also was molested by a family friend and found out his father Emmitt wasn't his true father.

He also learned his father molested children. He also changed his name to Tyler to distance himself from his family.

Perry learned from Oprah Winfrey on how to be a successful entrepreneur. He began a career in writing after watching an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Tyler Perry has a lot of real estate. He bought a former military base and turned it into a movie and television studio.

In the 1990s, Perry moved to Atlanta started writing essays and screenplays. He turned it into a profitable enterprise with the release of his movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Even though many panned the movie, it did financially well at the box office and gave Perry a name in Black cinema.

He took on the character of Madea Simmons, a wise, tough and vindictive African American woman.

The Madea movies have done reasonable well and has been a trademark of Perry's successful career.

He retired Madea in 2019.

In an interview with CBS This Morning host Gayle King, Perry said that he's done with Hollywood.

He said that he was ignored.

"I clearly believe that I'm ignored in Hollywood, for sure. And that's fine. I get it."

Gayle asks, "Is that fine?"

Perry responded, "It is. My audience and the stories that I tell are African-American stories specific to a certain audience, specific to a certain group of people that I know, that I grew up, and we speak a language. Hollywood doesn't necessarily speak the language. A lot of critics don't speak that language. So, to them, it's like, 'What is this?'"

He added, "But I do know what I do is important. I know what I do touches millions of people around the world. I know how important ever word, every joke, ever laugh [is]. I know what that does for people where I come from the people that I'm writing for. So, yeah, I get that."

Rip Taylor Passed Away!

Comedian Rip Taylor passed away.

Best known for his flamboyant antics, Rip Taylor passed away at the age of 84.

Known as the "King of Confetti" and "The Crying Comedian," Taylor made thousands of outlandish appearances on television and in nightclubs.

He was a zany witty and over the top comedian who became a mainstay for six decades.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that Taylor became a comedy legend through pure exhilaration. Believing that the more exaggerated the gag, the bigger the laugh, he overemphasized everything, from his shaggy blonde toupee and his bushy mustache to the campy props that were the basis of his bits. His jokes were far from cutting edge, but he would deliver them with such shrieking gusto, it was hard not to howl.

He was born Charles Elmer Taylor, Jr. in 1935 in Washington, DC. His father was a musician, his mother was a waitress. As a teen, he attended the Capitol Page School and served as a congressional page.

After enlisting in the U.S. Army, he was assigned to the Signal Corps but ended up in special services where he entertained the troops in Tokyo and Korea.

After leaving the military, he went into a civilian life. He performed at nightclubs. His early acts consisted of pantomiming records (his favorites were Yiddish folk songs and Spike Jones tunes).

Taylor played strip clubs up and down the East Coast in the mid-1950s before coming up with his first signature bit: crying. He found that if he'd hold a handkerchief to his face and pretend to bawl, he'd get a bigger laugh. More upscale bookings followed, and he played all over Miami Beach.

He was briefly married to Rusty Rowe, a Las Vegas showgirl, before they divorced. At his death he was survived by his partner Robert Fortney.

Taylor appeared in numerous movies The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington, Things Are Tough All Over, Chatterbox and Wayne's World 2. He also appeared in comedies like Jackass and its movie.

What Happened To Joshua Brown?

The young man who witnessed the shooting of Botham Jean was killed.

The death of a man who was the key witness in the murder trial of a dirty former Dallas cop.

Joshua Brown testified tearfully ten days ago in the murder trial of that dirty cop. He was gunned down around the same complex that Botham Jean died.

Brown lived across the hall from Jean's Dallas' South Side Flats apartments last year when that dirty cop walked into his apartment mistaken it for her own. She killed Jean in cold blood.

Brown's testimony during the trial was key because he was able to describe the actions of this dirty cop and why she failed to render aid to a dying man.

The young man was killed on Friday. He was living at the Atera Apartments, about five miles from his former complex. Witnesses flagged down Dallas police around 10:30pm and directed them to a man lying on the ground with multiple gun wounds to his lower body.

Brown was taken to a local hospital but died from his injuries.

Witnesses told police they heard multiple gunshots and saw a silver, four-door sedan speed away from the parking lot.

Some are calling the death a tragedy.

However, there are conspiracies going around. Many are claiming that the law put him down.

Brown, originally born in Jacksonville, Florida appeared to be a fan of anime. Many people were surprised to see his Dragon Ball Z t-shirt, believing he was a fan of the Japanese anime TV show.

The death of Joshua Brown brings light to the murder of Botham Jean.

Brown said that he used to be a host for Airbnb and previously worked as a roofer. He graduated from college and had no criminal history.

Brown remained "visibly shaken" because of that. Somehow he should have watched his back on this. Unfortunately, they got the drop on him.

Thoughts and prayers, thoughts and prayers. Thoughts and prayers won't heal the wounded or bring back the dead. It's just meaningless platitudes and I am getting sick and tired of folks posting on social media saying they have their condolences for those killed by gun violence.

THERE IS NO GOD.

GOD IS NOT FIXING THIS.

GUN VIOLENCE IS THE NUMBER ONE THREAT IN THE UNITED STATES.

The website Officer Down is a memorial to those who were killed in the line of duty. Those who don't get their names mentioned in the junk food media. Also the website the National Gun Violence Memorial also keeps record of the many individuals killed by gun violence.

Night Massacre: Mass Shooting In Kansas City!

Kansas City area bar the latest place where a mass shooting happened.

As expected, Donald J. Trump, Mike Pence, Gov. Laura Kelly, the four U.S. Representatives, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) will be notified. They will offer nothing more than platitudes.

Every town in the United States had a mass shooting. I am being too broad in saying that. Let me rephrase that. Expect gun violence in every community in every state, every U.S. territory and the District of Columbia. Don't believe me?

Wait til it happens in your community!

Don't you just want to scream!

Scream in the faces of these damn lawmakers whenever they offer their "thoughts and prayers" to every fucking mass shooting in the United States. They will offer their condolences and say a word vomit how they sympathize with the deceased. Some here will tell us that "now isn't the time to talk." Others will say that "the NRA has too much influence on gun laws."

We will talk about this for a few days and then we're off to another controversy. The next controversy would either be something done by Donald J. Trump, a politician, an entertainer or another mass shooting. The next mass shooting will be even worse than the last one.

I repeat myself over and over again! I am getting really tired of dealing with mass shootings.

People should not ever live like this.

If the terrorist was Black, Hispanic, Muslim or an immigrant, you would expect Donald J. Trump to tweet something offensive and call for more restrictions.

Now another city becomes a marker in history.

How many more will suffer at the hands of gun violence?

Do you believe thoughts and prayers save lives? (Expect the dumbest answers and responses from trolls)

Yes. The power of prayer will heal the wounded and help folks cope with the tragedy. If we offer "thoughts and prayers" to those who were murdered, then it shows we care.

No. This a worthless platitude. This is a man-made crisis and our lawmakers are inept. They will not solve gun violence with "thoughts and prayers."

Other

Please Specify:

Thoughts and prayers, thoughts and prayers. Thoughts and prayers won't heal the wounded or bring back the dead. It's just meaningless platitudes and I am getting sick and tired of folks posting on social media saying they have their condolences for those killed by gun violence.

THERE IS NO GOD.

GOD IS NOT FIXING THIS.

GUN VIOLENCE IS THE NUMBER ONE THREAT IN THE UNITED STATES.

Police responded to reports of shots fired at the Tequila KC bar around 1:30am on Sunday.

Four victims were found dead at the scene when officers arrived. Five people were transported to the hospital in non lethal conditions. The terrorist is still on the loose according to the Kansas City, Kansas Police.

The gunfire erupted at the Tequlia KC Bar.

The victims have not been identified.

The terrorist has not yet been detained, police said.

Four people lost their lives in a senseless murder.

"We do not have a good enough description yet, to put anything out for a suspect, or suspects, we don’t even know how many," Tomasic said.

Detectives are now on scene looking for surveillance video of the area. Officers have cleared the bar and are waiting on a search warrant to re-enter it.

I will offer the same old "copy and paste" response and then repeat my call for the Americans to vote in the 2020 presidential election. If you're getting tired of the status quo. It would be nice to register to vote.

Because Americans shouldn't live like this.

The old troupe of a "good guy with a gun" is bogus. It's basically a "guy with a gun" and that guy is more dangerous than the actual bad guy. If the "good guy" shoots the wrong person, it's murder too.

Trump, Congress, the National Rifle Association and agitators in the junk food media are lily livered cowards. They are numb to this.

They'll offer nothing more than thoughts and prayers, moments of silences, lowering of flags, naming of streets, candlelight vigils, dedications of parks and memorials, letters of sympathy and no initiatives to stop the next mass shooting. We do benefit concerts and sympathy fundraising and there's not even enough to bury bodies or take care of families who lost loved ones.

The terrorist doesn't have enough money to compensate victims of gun violence.

The killings are the latest in a string of many other mass shootings where no one is safe. It happens in schools, places of worship, movie theaters, shopping malls, banks, convenience stores, workplaces, government facilities, festivals, clubs and the home.

Stay tuned for the Blame Game.

Essence Magazine: The Essence Of Beauty!

Essence Magazine has the cover of Miss America, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.

This is a historical feat.

Essence Magazine releases the cover featuring Cheslie Kryst, Kaleigh Garris and Nia Imani Franklin on its digital cover.

The cover shoot is "Culture Crowns," and it celebrates 2019's Miss USA (Kryst), Miss Teen USA (Garris) and Miss America (Franklin). Their wins are monumental. Three Black women are the current holders of the titles respectfully.

Essences shares the cover on social media.

Welcome to the era where Black women reign supreme! For the first time in history Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss America are all Black women. Tap the link in bio for more on our digital cover with @CheslieKryst, @Niathenote, and @Kalieghgarris. https://t.co/nDnv7q963m pic.twitter.com/v9KuaLZzOA

— ESSENCE (@Essence) October 3, 2019

You girls rock.

This is a moment in history for African American women.

Trump: Mitt Romney Is A Pompous Ass!

Trump calls Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) an ass.

An ass calling another one an ass. Ironic.

Donald J. Trump was always an ass. At least, Mitt Romney has more class than our current occupier of the White House.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) is a vote for Trump. However, he is a harsh critic of Trump. He supports Trump about 94% of the time. That 6% of the time is criticism of his handling of a controversy that could have him impeached.

As many of you know, Trump is facing an impeachment inquiry involving him asking Ukraine to dig up dirt on Democratic candidate Joe Biden. His blatant admission of asking for foreign help in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election has many within the Republican Party nervous.

They want to defend him. How can you defend the indefensible?

Enter Romney.

When the only American citizen President Trump singles out for China’s investigation is his political opponent in the midst of the Democratic nomination process, it strains credulity to suggest that it is anything other than politically motivated.

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) October 4, 2019

By all appearances, the President’s brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling.

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) October 4, 2019

Most Republicans, who are currently scattered across the country for a two-week recess, have remained silent on Trump publicly suggesting that foreign governments investigate a potential 2020 rival.

But Romney is part of a small group of Republicans who have spoken out this week, though none have backed the impeachment inquiry against Trump.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), in a statement on Thursday night, said "Americans don’t look to Chinese commies for the truth," while also knocking House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) for running a "partisan clown show in the House."

Retiring Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) told CNN's "New Day" that he thought Trump's comments were "terrible."

Romney's comments on Trump asking for the Chinese government to investigate the Bidens come as he also voiced concerns about the phone call where Trump asked the Ukrainian government to help his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, look into the issue. There's been no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden.

"I did read the transcript. It remains troubling in the extreme. It's deeply troubling," Romney told reporters last week. "Clearly what we've seen from the transcript itself is deeply troubling."

Romney became one of the first GOP senators to raise concerns about the phone call. The public questioning earned him mockery from the president, who tweeted out a video comparing Romney's failed 2012 presidential bid with his own victory four years later.

Enter Trump.

Somebody please wake up Mitt Romney and tell him that my conversation with the Ukrainian President was a congenial and very appropriate one, and my statement on China pertained to corruption, not politics. If Mitt worked this hard on Obama, he could have won. Sadly, he choked!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2019

Mitt Romney never knew how to win. He is a pompous “ass” who has been fighting me from the beginning, except when he begged me for my endorsement for his Senate run (I gave it to him), and when he begged me to be Secretary of State (I didn’t give it to him). He is so bad for R’s!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2019

Trump today launched an attack on Romney by calling the senator a "pompous ass" and acknowledged his failure to defeat his 2012 rival, Barack Obama. He also hinted the fact that Romney is a carpetbagger.

Trump and Romney have feuded with regularity in recent years, with Trump regularly referring to Romney's 2012 defeat to President Barack Obama. Romney, earlier this year, penned an op-ed in which he attacked Trump’s conduct and said, "he has not risen to the mantle of the office."

Matthew Knowles: Breast Cancer Affects Men!

Beyonce's father Matthew Knowles has breast cancer.

The former manager of Destiny's Child and father of Queen Bey (Beyonce Knowles-Carter) reveals he has breast cancer. The media mogul revealed he is being treated for breast cancer.

He said it all started with a few drops of blood on his shirt and pillow.

I noticed because I wear white T-shirts. I had a dot of blood on my T-shirt.

The first day I was like "Oh, OK, no big deal ... maybe it’s something that just got on my T-shirt." Second day I looked and the same thing and I was like, "Eh ... interesting."

Then on the third day I was like, "What is this? I wonder what this is."

A couple of days passed, and I didn’t have any type of discharge. Then on the fifth day, another, just a tiny drop of blood. I told my wife, I said, "Look at this," And she says, "You know, when I cleaned the sheets the other day I saw a drop of blood on it, and I didn’t pay any attention to it -- but this is kind of weird." I immediately went to my doctor.

The Knowles family. 

When I had the blood on my T-shirt initially I didn’t think it was breast cancer. My mind went a lot of places. My mind went to what medication I was on, because different medications might have caused some sort of discharge ... and then I thought, just because of the risk factor, that it could be breast cancer and I would go get a mammogram.

For context, in 1980 I worked in the medical division of Xerox. I worked there for eight years, selling Xeroradiography, which was at that point the leading modality for breast cancer.

Knowles went to the doctor and got a mammogram and confirmed he did, in fact, have breast cancer. He immediately got surgery and a BRCA test, a genetic test which shows if a person has a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

"I am going to get the second breast removed in January, because I want to do anything I can to reduce the risk," Knowles said.

He also revealed a family history of the disease: his maternal aunt died of breast cancer, as did two cousins. "My kids have a 50- to 70-percent chance of getting the BRCA mutation and breast cancer. That's male or female," he said. "We used to think this was only an issue for women, but this is male or female."

'The Cleveland Strangler': The Story of a Brutal Serial Killer & His For...

At least 11 black women were raped and killed on Cleveland's East side between 2007 and 2009 by a man named Anthony Sowell. It's one of the worst cases of serial murder in recent history and has been largely left untold.



For Wilbert L. Cooper, who was born and raised in Cleveland, the real story lies in how Sowell was able to get away with these heinous acts for two years. These crimes say as much about the depraved killer as they do about race, class, and law enforcement in the City of Cleveland.



Wilbert goes home to dive back into the case that's haunted the city, meeting with some of Sowell's surviving victims, family members of the deceased, and the police officers who put Sowell on death row.



May the victims rest in peace and may the families of the victims, living and dead, find help and solace. 



Never again.  Never again.

Diahann Carroll Passed Away!

Diahann Carroll passes away.

American actress Diahann Carroll has passed away at the age of 84. According to her daughter, the actress had died after battling cancer. Carroll is best known for her roles in screen and television.

Born in The Bronx, Diahann (born Carol Diahann Johnson) was an American actress, singer, and model. She rose to stardom in performances in some of the earliest major studio films to feature black casts, including Carmen Jones in 1954 and Porgy and Bess in 1959. In 1962, Carroll won a Tony Award for best actress, a first for a black woman, for her role in the Broadway musical No Strings.

Her 1968 debut in Julia, the first series on American television to star a black woman in a nonstereotypical role, was a milestone both in her career and the medium. In the 1980s she played the role of a mixed-race diva in the primetime soap opera Dynasty.

Carroll would work steadily in TV throughout the 1970s and returned to the stage in 1983 to become the first black actress to replace a white actress in a dramatic role with Agnes of God, but it would be the role of Dominique Deveraux on Dynasty that would cement Carroll as a legend.

Deveraux was the jet-setting and glamorous rival half-sister to Blake Carrington, putting her toe-to-toe with Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington Colby. The starring role just so happened to also be the first time a primetime soap had a black lead.

Carroll was the recipient of numerous stage and screen nominations and awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress In A Television Series in 1968. She received an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination for the 1974 film Claudine.

The 1990s would see Carroll star in projects of particular importance to the black audiences and entertainers she inspired, starring as Whitley Gilbert’s mother on A Different World, and appearing in Robert Townsend projects like The Five Heartbeats and Jackie’s Back.

In more recent years, Carroll was one of the select actresses to play Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of Sunset Boulevard, and gained a new generation of fans as Jane Burke, mother of Dr. Preston Burke on Grey’s Anatomy, as well as savvy landlord June on the USA series White Collar.

Carroll wrote two memoirs, Diahann! in 1986 and The Legs Are the Last to Go in 2008.

She was also a breast cancer survivor and activist.

Carroll was married four times, first to record producer Monte Kay in 1956. Her father boycotted the wedding ceremony which was presided over by Adam Clayton Powell Jr. at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. The marriage ended in 1962. The union produced a daughter, Suzanne Kay Bamford (born September 9, 1960), who became a freelance media journalist. In 1959, Carroll began a nine-year affair with married actor Sidney Poitier. She claimed that Poitier persuaded her to divorce her husband and he would leave his wife to be with her. When Carroll got her divorce, Poitier did not keep up his end of the bargain, yet the relationship continued until 1968. Carroll dated and was engaged to British television host and producer David Frost from 1970 until 1973.

In 1973, Carroll surprised the press by marrying Las Vegas boutique owner Fred Glusman. Several weeks later, she filed for divorce, charging Glusman with physical abuse.

In 1975, Carroll married Robert DeLeon, a managing editor of Jet. She was widowed two years later when DeLeon was killed in a car crash.

Carroll's fourth marriage was to singer Vic Damone in 1987. The union, which Carroll admitted was turbulent, had a legal separation in 1991, reconciliation, and divorce in 1996.

Carroll was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. She said the diagnosis "stunned" her because there was no family history of breast cancer and she had always had a healthy lifestyle. She underwent nine weeks of radiation therapy, and was clear since. She frequently spoke on the need for early detection and prevention of the disease.

Carroll was among the trailblazing black women Halle Berry paid tribute in her historic 2002 Oscar acceptance speech, and will long be remembered for her enormous contributions not only to entertainment but to the country.

Pumpkin Seeds!

Another weak jobs report.

The jobs report is out once again and it shows that 136,000 jobs were added for the month of September. The expected gains were 145,000 but it was offset for issues involving the weather. There are other factors as well. The tariffs also put a dent in the economy.

Donald J. Trump and Republicans aren't touting the jobs report because they know the writing is on the wall. It's not good.

You're telling me that for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories, those 136,000 jobs were spread across. A population of 335.6 million.

Right.

Jobs are on the line: The service industry. Kmart, Sears, Forever 21, Kroger, Walmart are laying people off and closing up locations.

Kroger and Walmart will survive.

Also the strike with GM is affecting the global impact of vehicle sales.

Many companies are filing for bankruptcy and closing up locations.

Unemployment drops to its lowest since 1969. Do you believe it?

Unemployment rate heads to 3.5 percent.

The weak jobs reports has forecasters predicting a recession is coming.

There got to be at least 164 million Americans not working a current time. So that means the jobs are either not paying well enough, folks are retiring or folks are dead.

We have over a lot of candidates running for the Democratic nomination. No candidate has emerged as a viable candidate to take on Trump. Impeachment talk is on the table. Trump's presidency is on the line.

Those die-hard Trump supporters will say that his leadership is successful. All the while, they find that their average wages are stalling. Many of these Trump supporters probably lost their jobs. Some are probably losing their homes due to flooding, wildfires and foreclosure.

Food prices, energy prices, rent, city services and college education have risen.

Real Reason To Why Unemployment Rate Stays The Way It Is!

1. DEAD

2. BORN

3. IN PRISON

4. IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

5. IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

6. IN HIGH SCHOOL

7. IN COLLEGE NOT LOOKING

8. VOLUNTEER

9. DISABLED 

10. STAY AT HOME PARENT

11. RETIRED

12. QUIT ON THEIR OWN

13. NOT HIRING QUALIFIED

14. NATURAL DISASTERS

15. ACTIVE MILITARY 

16. NOT HIRING TOO QUALIFIED

17. LAID OFF

18. FIRED FROM THE JOB

19. DESTRUCTION TO FACILITY

20. OUTSOURCING

21. IMMIGRANTS TOO AFRAID OF BEING DETAINED BY I.C.E.

22. SHAMED BY SOCIAL MEDIA

Let me remind you, that Trump and Republicans believe austerity is the key to a strong economy and job market. The Republicans are not in control of the House of Representatives. The Democrats now control the House and will push for an agenda that Trump will likely oppose. Republicans in the Senate will continue to pass ridiculous laws that hurt the working class and middle class. They are already streamlining federal judges that could rollback years of progress.

The inept Senate leadership of Mitch McConnell is slowly getting covered. He is leading our country into the abyss. The Senate is delaying legislation on sensible gun reform. McConnell and many Republicans are fearful of the NRA and white gun owners. They clearly are ignoring the rest of America being fed up with these constant mass shootings.

Trump and Republicans believe that trickle down economics (i.e. free market capitalism) is helping Americans. Really, it's making people work harder and we're not seeing the benefits of it. So far private equity firms are buying corporations and piling on debt. These corporations can't sustain the debt and are forced to declare bankruptcy and eventually liquidation. Many of our nation's largest companies and start-ups have equity firms investing in them. When the firms want their money, they're going to get their money.

With Republicans trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, many of Trump's die hard supporters are going to get a culture shock when they find out their health coverage from their employer is terminated it because they are no longer forced to provide it. Or they'll keep hours lower to keep people from obtaining health insurance.

The Jobs and Tax Cut Act has added trillions of dollars of debt to the economy. The results of the tax cuts haven't produced the stability. It's still considered a very unpopular law.

Trump is destroying the economy. I won't say anything positive about him. Regardless of what happens, this is short-term success.

Forever 21 Begins The Slow Bleed!

Forever 21 begins its demise.

On Monday, Forever 21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. That means to stop the company from completely going out out business (Chapter 7 liquidation), the company will shave off about nearly 1/2 of their stores. Foot traffic, weak sales and leasing space are some of the reasons to why companies go out of business.

Of course, my community was affected.

Dayton, Ohio has a population of 135,000 residents. Montgomery County, Ohio has a residency population of 832,000 residents. The Dayton metro region has a population of 1.1 million residents.

Cincinnati has a population of 302,000 residents. Hamilton County, Ohio has a residency population of 959,000 residents. The Cincinnati metro region has a population of 2.6 million residents.

Four stores that are affected are in Dayton and Cincinnati area.

The Dayton Mall, Kenwood Mall, Liberty Center and Tanger Outlet Jeffersonville are on the list of closures. The struggling apparel company announced they were filing for bankruptcy and issued a statement that the company is shutting down 300 stores.

The company describes itself as the authority on fashion and the go-to retailer for the latest trends, styles and hottest deals. What got them was the equity firm that purchased them and piled them with enormous debt.

The planned closures represent a third of the Forever 21's fleet of stores in the U.S.

Stores are affected in 32 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

So of the 300 stores, there will 249 stores remaining (for the time being).

Donald J. Trump's economy is tanking. He's too dumb to realize that Americans are losing their jobs.

Glady's Wade Encounter With Serial Killer Anthony Sowell back in 2008

Gladys Wade is the one who survived.

This month, it will be a decade since ​Anthony Sowell was arrested for raping and strangling 11 women in Cleveland. He committed six of those murders after police botched an investigation into Gladys Wade’s 2008 allegation that Sowell had attacked her.

The detective in that case failed to tell prosecutors that Sowell was a convicted rapist. She later admitted that she had failed even to review evidence gathered by patrol officers.

Sowell walked out of jail two days after his arrest. Just under a year later, police searched his home on Imperial Avenue and found ten bodies and one human skull. Had Wade’s case been seriously investigated, many of those women presumably would be alive today.

Even before the Sowell murders, The Plain Dealer had reported for decades on persistent problems within the city’s sex crimes unit, mostly concerning inadequate staffing. Afterward, The Plain Dealer discovered that detectives had failed to send thousands of rape kits in for DNA testing, leaving hundreds of serial rapists free to attack again.

This is a story of Gladys Wade and how Cleveland Police botched up her case back in 2008.  This is sad that women, especially Black women, have their rape case dismissed as unfounded, their reputations attacked by the very same law enforcement people who were sworn to protect.



Gladys Wade, like all of the other victims, is a recovering drug addict. She testified today that Sowell attacked her at his home in December 2008. She said Sowell punched her in the face and choked her.

According to court documents, Gladys Wade had never seen Anthony Sowell before he wished her a Merry Christmas and asked her to share a beer nearly 10 years ago. She said no thank you. He wouldn't let her pass.

When she tried to push by him, he punched her in the face and dragged her toward the back of his house. He choked her and she blacked out. She awoke on the third floor.

"B****, take off your clothes," he demanded. Wade clawed at his eyes. She kicked and screamed. At some point, she reached between his legs, grabbed and twisted. She careered down some steps, smashing her hand through glass in a door.

Shivering in a thermal shirt and jeans and bleeding from a gash in her thumb, Wade flagged down a police cruiser.

Officers called EMS - she would need stitches - and noted the red marks on her throat. They arrested Sowell and took shots of the blood on the walls and stairs of his house, and of Wade's black and white sweater, shoved into a trash can.


Detective Georgia Hussein caught the case but never talked to the arresting officers in an investigation which a defense expert said was best described "as shoddy, incomplete, and biased."

When asked at that same deposition if police brass ever questioned her work in the Wade investigation, Hussein said that then police chief Michael McGrath assured her that "he felt I had done my job," she said . . . "Basically commending me, saying the mayor's office felt I did my job."


Under Ohio law, cities and their employees are not responsible for harm they cause because of negligence. However, they are liable if their employees were reckless, defined as "a perverse disregard of a known risk."

Based on a review of the evidence, a three-judge panel in the Eighth District Court of Appeals found that "reasonable minds" could conclude that "Det. Hussein acted in a reckless manner."

Now it's up to a jury to decide. Also under Ohio law, the city has to cover any damages Hussein is assessed.

Hussein retired in 2010. And Moore? She and the other women have hung together through years of motions and setbacks and settlement conferences that go nowhere.

She can't help but feel the city is trying to wear them down. Tire them out. But they won't give up.

For that they deserve our thanks.

A big verdict against the city might motivate change, says Wade's lawyer Blake Dickson.

If city officials are having such a hard time admitting the Wade investigation was so deficient that it could hardly be called an investigation at all, how can any of us expect current and future rape cases to be handled any better?


The city owes us something too - a place to feel safe.