Man arrested for possession of firearm in FAMU residence hall
By Karl Etters, Editor. Photo provided by Leon County Sheriff's Department.
A man was arrested Tuesday at Florida A&M University after a firearm was discovered in a dorm room.
Housing staff at Sampson Hall notified the FAMU Police Department of a possible weapon after a health and safety inspection allegedly revealed a .380 caliber weapon, which had a round in the chamber and a full magazine, in a room in the residence hall according to the police report.
FAMU spokesperson Sharon Saunders said the discovery was part of weekly routine inspections in on-campus residences. "This was part of a proactive safety measure," she said.
FAMU spokesperson Sharon Saunders said the discovery was part of weekly routine inspections in on-campus residences. "This was part of a proactive safety measure," she said.
 |
| Nathan G. Rivner |
Nathan G. Rivner was charged with possession of a firearm on school grounds and was released following first appearance before a judge Wednesday morning on pretrial release.
The police report states that Rivner, 20, is a FAMU student, but FAMU spokesperson Pamela Tolson was still trying to confirm that at press time.
A call to the Sampson Hall resident director was not immediately returned.
Arresting officer Derrick Folson wrote in the report that Rivner admitted the weapon was his, which he said he possessed “to protect himself and the woman he loves.”
Rivner also told Folson he had “seen first- hand the violence of the streets,” but had no intent of harming anyone and possessed the weapon for self defense.
According to the Campus Security Annual Report for the 2012- 2013 school year, only five arrests related to possession of weapons on campus have been made in on-campus residential facilities since 2009.
It does not indicate what types of weapons were connected to those arrests.
The FAMU student handbook states that possession of a firearm on campus can result in punishment as small as a letter of reprimand up to suspension.
Friday, a booklet designed by the Department of Homeland Security, "Active Shooter: How to Respond" was distributed across FAMU's campus. It promotes enhanced preparedness, identifying potential shooters and training tips for employees.
Check back with Ink and Fangs for updates on this story.
Writer and educator Nikki Giovanni talks school controversy, Obama and Martin Luther King Jr.'s cadence
By Donovan Harrell, writer. Photo by Zachary Goldstein, FSView. January 18, 2012. Video by albertsiegel
 |
| Nikki Giovanni speaks to Leon and Gadsden County students at Florida State University |
The “Princess of Black Poetry” Nikki Giovanni visited Florida State University Wednesday to speak at its 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative celebration.
Giovanni gave an outspoken, no-holds-barred speech to a room of college and high school students where she shared her views on gun control, sex and relationships, economics, politics, drug addictions and hip-hop in addition to honoring King’s legacy.
She described King as a poet with “beautiful words” but said his actions were what really made him so influential.
“He didn’t send just people to war,” she said. “He went to war.”
The event featured student performances by FSU’s Gospel Choir and school of dance choreography. Seven recipients of MLK Book Stipend scholarships and the recipient of 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King Distinguished Service Award were also announced at the Commemorative Celebration. The book stipend awardees received $300 a piece while the distinguished service award recipient earned a $1,000 dollar stipend.
 |
| A high school student participates in a march with the FSU NAACP chapter. Writer Nikki Giovanni spoke after the march. |
“If we didn’t have Rosa Parks, we wouldn’t have Martin,” she said.
Giovanni has a “great fondness” for college-aged students and said it was the “smartest generation.” She is a major advocate for study abroad programs, urging people to take advantage of it while young. It brings “truth” to the minds of college students she said.
Giovanni, however, reminded the crowd that the election of President Barack Obama does not necessarily mean that all of King’s visions have become reality.
“I want to remind the kids there’s still something to be done,” she said. “I don’t know what it’s done for poor people. I don’t know what it’s done for people who are in need. It clearly hasn’t done anything for inner-city people because the inner cities are in really bad shape.”
Giovanni, who has experience with school controversies, said a few words about Floirda A&M University's hazing situation.
“FAMU isn’t the only place where hazing occurs. You can’t beat a dead horse like that,” she said.
The poet was a professor of the Virginia Tech shooter before removing him from her class in 2007 because she felt that something wasn’t quite right with him.
“Right now you’re the whipping boy for hazing, she said. “Virginia tech is the whipping boy for guns.”
She also advises FAMU to apply what they’ve learned from the tragedy.
Derrick Showers, a second-year FSU graduate student majoring in food science from Ft. Lauderdale, attended the event and was captivated by Giovanni’s speech.
“It’s great to have the opportunity see her in person and have the opportunity to speak to a legend like her. I’ll probably never get to see her again,” he said.
Breauna Roach, a senior FAMU English student from Detroit, had a copy of one of Giovanni’s books signed.
“She said everything she needed to say including the things people may have not wanted her to say,” Roach said. “I always admire her for her fearlessness and bravery while speaking.”
Speaking on a lighter note about King’s legacy near the end, she described what she thought King would be like if he were alive today.
“I’m sure he’d be a rapper,” she said. “He had a great cadence.”
Giovanni talks about Condolezza Rice
EDUKATE YOSELF
Perry plants the seed of leadership, education at FAMU's MLK Convocation
By Evan Miles, Editor. Photos by Karl Etters. Video by SearcyLawVideo. January 15, 2013
 |
| Keynote speaker Florida Supreme Court Justice James E.C. Perry receives a standing ovation from Florida A&M University Interim President Larry Robinson and FAMU faculty Tuesday at the university's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation |
In remembrance of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of leadership, Florida Supreme Court Justice James E.C. Perry encouraged Florida A&M University students Tuesday to become leaders themselves, despite the odds.
“I’m trying to plant the seed to let you know that you don’t have to have a fabulous pedigree to achieve things,” Perry said.
Perry recalled the announcement of King’s assassination in 1968 while he was a lieutenant in the army.
 |
| Florida Supreme Court Justice James E.C. Perry |
“King is dead. Whitney Young is dead. Malcolm is dead,” the news anchor he was watching said. He continued to ask the rhetorical question, “Who will lead them now (African-Americans)?”
That was the moment Perry knew he wanted to become a lawyer.
The former attorney was the first African-American appointed to Florida’s 18th Judicial Circuit. A man of many accolades and achievements, Perry said he owes his success to taking leaps of faith and not being afraid of greatness.
“I never expected to be on the Supreme Court Judge,” he said. “Life has a way of doors opening, but you have to be able to recognize it when it happens.”
Perry also briefly referenced FAMU’s recent public controversy in his speech.
“Bad thing are going to happen to you,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean that has to define this institution. It means that you have to work a little harder.”
The speech resonated with students such as Diliesha Bryant, a fourth-year occupational therapy student and president of the FAMU chapter of NAACP.
“You first have to follow to be a leader,” Bryant said. “ I've been with NAACP since I was a freshman, and I followed before I got the opportunity to lead. “
Other students, including Ciera Reed, a fourth-year social work and psychology student, were motivated by Perry’s urge for leadership among African-Americans.
“His speech was very uplifting and encouraging for a lot of people and made us rethink the significance of us coming to college,“ the 24-year-old from Marietta, Ga., said.
EDUKATE YOSELF
Tallahassee City Commission, university leaders discuss economic, educational development
By Karl Etters, Editor. Photo by Karl Etters Jan. 14, 2013
 |
| (From left) Tallahassee Community College President Jim Murdaugh, Florida A&M University Interim President Larry Robinson and Florida State University President Eric J. Barron talk about collaboration between their educational institutions. They all agree that they can aid in economic development in Tallahassee |
Collaboration was the goal in
pulling together the Tallahassee City Commission and the presidents of Florida
A&M University, Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College
Monday.
Commissioner Andrew Gillum said
Tallahassee was unique in that “there are very few communities that can do that
(collaborate among three different educational outlets.)”
The main focus of the
Commission? How they can help FAMU, FSU and TCC achieve the goals they have set
forth.
In addition to talks of
expanding FSU’s campus and moving the Dedman School of Hospitality to a
proposed hotel near the Leon County Civic Center to offer a hands-on work
environment, FAMU Interim President Larry Robinson said he “strongly advocated
a balanced approach geographically, when it comes to economic development in
the Tallahassee community.
Robinson assured the Commission
and the twenty or so in attendance that FAMU was open for business and
committed to that goal.
In economic development, all
three university leaders showed that their combined efforts can provide
education and training, as an example, for nearly every profession in the
medical field.
City Commissioner Gil Ziffer
said the collective education within an entire field is “substancial. That the
three of them (university presidents) are talking, the three of them are
sitting down, the three of them are working together, that changes the dynamic
when it comes to potential businesses coming to our town when we can show that
we as a community are working out of the same playing field and will do
whatever we can to make it work for them.”
TCC president Jim Murdaugh said
the primary goal of all three institutions was to provide degrees and
credentials that translate not only economically, but also into socially aware
individuals.
Robinson, FSU President Eric
Barron and Murdaugh all had concerns about using land near their institutions
for the betterment of their students.
Barron, president of FSU said
the collaborative effort is the starting factor in producing “something successful
for the community.”
This is just the initial phase
of what the educational institutions and Tallahassee have in store for the
future. “We have it on the table it’s in front of us,” Ziffer said. “This
retreat is about what we do over the next twelve months. This is going to start
happening now.”
Supreme Court Justice James E.C. Perry to keynote FAMU Martin Luther King Convocation.
By Karl Etters, Editor. Video by Pakesepatu. Jan 13, 2013
Florida Supreme Court Justice James E.C.
Perry will be the keynote speaker at Florida A&M’s Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation
on Tuesday.
Perry, who saw King speak many
times and demonstrated with the civil rights leader in Raleigh, N.C., while in
college, said he looked forward to sharing his experience with students.
“I was raised and lived through the
civil rights movement,” the 69-year-old added.
 |
| Supreme Court Justice James E.C. Perry. Convocation starts at 10:10 a.m. in Gaither Gym. |
A North Carolina native, Perry
decided to become a public servant so he could have a better hand in seeing
that justice was doled out equally.
Although Perry is not an alumnus of
FAMU, his common interest in young people leads him “to make sure they
understand from which they come.”
Perry took office in 2009 after
being appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist. Before that, he had served as circuit
judge and then chief judge of the 18th District of Florida. He was the first
African-American appointed to the 18th Judicial Circuit.
Perry also founded a baseball
league, the Jackie Robinson Sports Association, which aimed at aiding at-risk
youths, the largest of its kind in the U.S., and was captain of the Heart of
Florida United Way campaign. In addition, his former firm, Perry and Hicks,
P.A., served as the general counsel for the Florida chapters of the NAACP.
Perry attended St. Augustine
College and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts in business
administration and accounting. He would later become a board of trustees member
there.
Perry later served in the U.S. Army
as a first lieutenant and earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Columbia Law
School in 1972.
He has one thing on his mind for
his trip to FAMU.
“The whole purpose of me coming is
to inspire students,” Perry said. “And to give them a picture of who I am.”
The convocation will be held in
Gaither Gym on Tuesday at 10:10.
EDUKATE YOSELF
Witnessing Progress - Columbia Law School Magazine
Florida Supreme Court
EDUKATE YOSELF
Witnessing Progress - Columbia Law School Magazine
Florida Supreme Court
Olean's. New Year, new hours
By Paige Moore, Correspondent Jan. 13, 2013
Olean’s Café, next door to
Florida A&M University, has begun catering to students and others who may
want a late-night bite of soul food.
Owner Olean McCaskill said
she looked forward to starting the new year with new hours.
 |
| Olean's Home Cookin' will be open on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. |
“It’s always exciting to
start something new,” she said. “It was all because a blessing from the Lord it
all came about.”
McCaskill said she and
others had been considering longer hours for five or six years, although the
restaurant is heading into its 17th year of operation.
From 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on
Fridays and Saturdays, students desiring southern-style cooking while taking a
study break or leaving late-night events such as parties and clubs can find a
meal and eat in Olean’s comfortable environment.
The proximity to campus of
Olean’s, which is located on South Adams Street near the Foote-Hilyer Administration
Center, has made it popular among students. But now they can get their favorite
dishes, even in the early morning hours.
“I love Olean’s,” said
Tiffany McLeod, a fourth-year English student from Tallahassee. “I think it’s
great that she is starting the after-dark hours. It gives students the
opportunity to have a good meal while taking a study break.”
In addition to food and
catering, McCaskill offers spiritual guidance at her praying table, which she
uses to engage with the students at FAMU and other customers who need someone
to talk to.
“Everyone has been so
awesome to me,” McCaskill said. “It’s a blessing. I want them to know I’m here
for them, and I will always have quality food.”
The café is open Monday
through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in addition to the after-dark hours.
Olean’s offers southern-style breakfast and lunch.
Breakfast, which ends at
noon, attracts the most customers throughout the day.
“The most popular is the
Obama breakfast,” McCaskill said. “The Obama breakfast consists of grits, eggs,
bacon and sausage patties for $5.
“It’s a taste like when you
get it, you have to come back,” McCaskill said.
Olean’s has grown dear to
the hearts of many Rattlers.
“My first time going to
Olean’s was with my mother for new student orientation,” said Raven Moore, a
fourth-year religious studies student from Alabama. “I had the Obama breakfast.
It was really good.”
Some students find comfort
in the food at Olean’s that they cannot get in their own hometowns.
“I enjoy Olean’s country
soul food cooking,” said Joanna Anorue, a fourth-year nursing student from
Jacksonville. “You don’t find many places like Olean’s in big cities like
Jacksonville.”
EDUKATE YOSELF
Olean's Cafe Facebook
Olean's Cafe on Urbanspoon
Brief History About Soul Food
EDUKATE YOSELF
Olean's Cafe Facebook
Olean's Cafe on Urbanspoon
Brief History About Soul Food
Occupy movement is over in Tallahassee, but the spirit lives on
 |
| Occupy Tallahassee members awake from their tents. The group stayed in an encampment in downtown Tallahassee until September. |
What started as a Facebook event grew into a movement,
attracting a wide range of people from students to small-business owners. While
the campground may have been the most visible aspect of Occupy Tallahassee, it
was merely a small part of an effort to bring the city into a worldwide
phenomenon.
In October 2011, tents and signs with brightly painted
slogans appeared at the Gaines Street Commons, a small campground downtown. Early-morning commuters might have wondered about the people
groggily stepping out of those tents.
Occupy Tallahassee may have ended, but the Occupy spirit is
still ongoing in movements such as Occupy Sandy, which is providing relief
effort for victims of Hurricane Sandy, and Rolling Jubilee, an effort to
purchase and dissolve debt.
 |
| A Tallahassee Occupy protestor waves a "99 Percent" sign at the Florida Capitol |
“After
Occupies dissolved, those people didn't just disappear,” said Aaron Ellis, who
was involved with Occupy Tallahassee. “Their energies got channeled toward
other progressive and radical sites for organizing and political advocacy.”
Earlier, on
Sept. 17, 2011, protesters filled Manhattan's Zuccotti Park in response to a
call to action from Canadian magazine Adbusters. Signs declaring, “we are the
99 percent” expressed disaffection with America's wealth disparity.
Soon, the
Occupy movement spread to cities such as Chicago, Boston, Oakland, Calif., and
even became global, reaching countries such as Denmark.
The impact of the movement was something that people and
cities took seriously. “In my own personal perspective, Occupy Tallahassee had
a tremendous impact on this city, just like Occupy Wall Street did in this
country,” Bill Davis, a local lawyer involved with Occupy Tallahassee said. “It
elevated and broadened the political perceptions and discussion in this country
like nothing in my lifetime.”
Shortly before Oct. 6, 2011, Alexis Durgee and Ashley Phelps created
different Occupy Tallahassee Facebook pages. Neither had planned an event like
this before.
“They had never done any organizing, which is beautiful that
they would feel the call and take it up,” said Ralph Wilson IV, who helped with
planning.
 |
| Occupy Tallahassee members stand next to the rules of the camp that were established |
Durgee said
her first motivation in starting the Facebook page was to bring people together
and raise awareness of large-scale social injustices.
Both Durgee
and Phelps consolidated their efforts and involved activists from Florida
A&M University and Florida State University. They held the first general
assembly at The Farside, a small music venue on the south side of Tallahassee.
Turnout was greater than expected. When more people arrived than could fit into
the building, everyone moved outside, where they discussed their goals and
methods.
“I was so
overwhelmed by the large number of diverse persons gathered there, all of whom
were on board with really progressive politics,” said Aaron Ellis, who was
involved with Occupy Tallahassee. “Right then, I was sold. I cried.”
One
decision was how to approach the occupation itself. Some felt it important to
challenge local authorities by occupying public land without consent. But
eventually, the group decided to get city approval.
 |
| Protestors gather outside the Florida Capitol |
“We had
collectively decided that our efforts might be better spent not fighting the
police but trying to actually put something productive together,” Wilson said.
“But there was a lot of conflict on that point.”
After a
legal team approached the city about using public property, city officials
proposed Gaines Street Commons.
“They were
actually really impressed because we'd already kind of figured out how we were
gonna do food and bathrooms and things like that, so they made us that offer,”
Wilson said.
Davis said staying
in the camp was like camping out.
“The weather was really good,”
Davis said. “It was like fall – cool, clear days and nights. And the energy
level was palpable. Good. Very good.”
The first
Occupy protest took place that November, when hundreds of protesters gathered
outside the state capitol.
Life for
those involved quickly turned into an endless stream of meetings, often
occurring daily. Whitney Sigall, a local teacher, was carrying a full-time
schedule in college while working with Occupy Tallahassee.
 |
| Ralph Wilson IV getting protestor's attention at an Occupy rally at the Capitol |
“Because I
was involved in so many groups in Occupy, I was going to meetings five times a
week in addition to school, so I decided that I would sleep in my bed,” Sigall
said. “I tried to sleep there, and it was extremely difficult.”
Sigall said
there were many different groups working on issues ranging from education and
media to medical and food. But enthusiasm waned.
“There was
a high burnout rate,” Sigall said.
The Occupy
camp also served an unintended purpose. The homeless in
Tallahassee came in the winter months for food, shelter and a place to sleep.
Some felt they were directed there by Tallahassee police to
disrupt the camp.
“It's very
effective because, obviously, there are people who are disenfranchised
institutionally, and so, by the sheer nature of what we were doing there, it's
sort of hypocritical to turn them away,” Wilson said. “So we just had a bunch
of, quite often, substance-abusing, mentally ill people. Very disruptive. A
very effective tactic used by the authorities.”
Others felt
this was a good aspect of the camp. Davis said that when weather permitted, the
camp provided a more comfortable, safer alternative for some homeless people.
Officer
David Northrop of the Tallahassee Police Department denied any knowledge of
attempts to disrupt the camp. He pointed out that Tallahassee helped Occupy by
providing the campground.
“The City
of Tallahassee supported Occupy Tallahassee and supports free speech so long as
it's safe,” Northrop said.
Eventually,
presence at the camp dwindled. Some were tired while others grew disillusioned.
Some also felt uncomfortable with strangers in the camp.
“When there
were people there who were unfamiliar to me, who didn't participate in things
so I never had an opportunity to know them, I felt really uncomfortable
sleeping in a tent by myself close by them,” Sigall said. “There were a lot of
people who weren't involved who started staying there that made it
uncomfortable.”
Eventually,
everyone packed up the tents, cleaned up and left without ceremony. The
occupation ended Sept. 1, just shy of lasting a full year. Those involved,
however, feel that the effects of the Occupy movement are long lasting.
Sigall also
saw a positive change.
“People started saying things
like '99 percent,' so people are much more class-conscious now than they were
before the Occupy movement, which I think is phenomenal,” Sigall said.
EDUKATE YOSELF
Occupy Tallahassee Facebook
Women Raped at Occupy Baltimore
Occupy Tallahassee Twitter
Occupy Wall Street
Congrats to Famuan staff for keeping the light of press freedom glowing. Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteSonny Albarado
President, SPJ 2012-13