During an era when many youth are often unfairly labeled as feeling “entitled” or “spoiled” – it is refreshing to encounter a young person that is involved in giving back to their community. 13 year-old, Cierra Crump, of Louisville, KY has embarked down a road of academic excellence – which now includes community service. Crump is an 8th grade student who maintains a 4.0 GPA at Highland Middle School where she is a member of the school’s International Baccalaureate program. According to the school’s website, the mission statement for the program is:

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programs of interactional education and rigorous assessment. These programs encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

Crump’s particular curriculum is a college prep program and her greatest enjoyment has been learning French and Spanish. As a requirement for the Baccalaureate program, students must complete a “Service Project”, which is essentially 15 hours of community service at a local place of business. Crump and her mom, Deanna Coles, have previously volunteered at local homeless shelters – providing Thanksgiving meals – but this would be her first time volunteering on her own.

“I volunteer at the Genesis Nursing Home on Klondike Lane and I basically do work around the nursing home and help them with the residents… I help the activities director set out games for the residents and prepare their lunch.” – Cierra Crump

Crump currently spends her Saturday’s from 10am – 2:30pm at Genesis Nursing Home assisting the staff with the residents. Being that the majority of the residents are Senior Citizens – they seem to really enjoy the youthful energy that the 13 year-old brings to the facility. Her duties include: helping serve meals to the residents, helping plan and prepare the recreational activities for the residents, and transporting wheelchair patients throughout the facility. But the most important duty that Crump performs is putting a smile on the faces of Senior Citizens, who enjoy the interaction with a young person who genuinely cares about their well-being. An elderly resident who asked not to have her identity revealed said,

“It’s so nice to have this sweet child spent the day with us. She is about the same age as my granddaughter so it reminds me of being at home. Somebody has taught her a good lesson in manners.”

In hopes of continuing her enrollment in a Baccalaureate program during high school – Crump planned ahead early and applied to local schools that included the program in their curriculum. She has realized that planning, discipline and preparation are necessities while navigating the course to success.

“She (Cierra Crump) actually just received her acceptance letter to Atherton High School and Atherton actually has the same program as Highland Middle School.” – Deanna Coles

When she’s not focusing on her education or community service projects – Crump enjoys drawing and art technology. Her mother has set a myriad of positive examples by pursuing her Master’s degree while being a small business owner at the same time. Deanna Coles owns Melodic Elements which is a cosmetic company that produces “All-Natural” deodorants in a variety of scents. Thanks to the guidance and hands-on involvement from her mother and mentors from the Louisville community – Cierra Cump has the potential to become one of our country’s future leaders.

Interview with No-Malice (formerly of the rap group Clipse) at Cinemark Mall St. Mathews in Louisville, KY, February 16, 2016. Videographer Remone Wilkerson of B-Nu Films.

On Tuesday, February 16, 2016, platinum selling Virginia rapper “No Malice” premiered his new film, The End of Malice, at Cinemark Mall St. Mathews in Louisville, KY. The 7:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. screening featured a meet-and-greet with the rapper as well as a Q&A discussion following the viewing of the film.

The film screening was a collaboration between Second Films and Louisville’s St. Stephen Church. The youth group of St. Stephen Church, headed by Langston Gaither would also host the event alongside “No Malice”.

No-Malice was once half of the super rap group “Clipse” and is known for his drug dealing inspired raps – but the famed lyricist has walked away from secular hip-hop and now only records music with positive themes.Watch Full Movie Online Streaming Online and Download

43 year-old Gene Elliott Thornton Jr. aka “Malice” and his brother, 38 year-old Terrance Thornton aka “Pusha-T”, exploded on the rap scene in 2002, with their smash hits “Grindin” and “When Was The Last Time”. These singles helped push their debut album, Lord Willin’, to platinum status.

The album featured production from their childhood friends the Neptunes (Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo) and laid the foundation for a catalog that many hip-hop connoisseurs consider to be legendary.

Based on the elaborate tales of drug dealing throughout their music – the group is credited with ushering in a sub-genre of hip-hop, labeled “coke-rap”.

“No Malice” was originally born in the Bronx but his family relocated to Virginia Beach, VA while he was still a youth. It wasn’t long before he found himself caught up in the fast life of hustling and selling drugs.

In 1994, the Thornton brothers formed the rap group “Clipse” and with the help of Pharrell Williams – were signed to Elektra Records in 1996.

Coming from the gritty streets of Virginia Beach, their music heavily focused on the drug trade, fast cars and fast women.

The duo released the album Exclusive Audio Footage in 1996, which would create a huge local buzz but didn’t gain the national attention anticipated. Clipse was released from its Elektra recording contract shortly after the album’s debut.

Never possessing the characters of quitters, the brothers continued creating music and eventually honed their skills. In 2001, Pharrell Williams signed the Clipse to Arista Records via his Star Trak Entertainment record label and from that point, there was no turning back.

The Clipse would release the platinum selling album Lord Willing in 2002, the popular mixtape series The Re-up Gang:We Got It 4 Cheap (2004-2008), and the gold selling album Hell Hath No Fury in 2006. The brothers would later release an official self-entitled Re-Up Gang album in 2008, and the final Clipse album in 2009.

Although their mainstream success was fairly limited – Clipse gained a cult-like following of core fans that specifically patronized underground hip-hop.

Their intricate wordplay, masterful gift of storytelling and extensive knowledge of the streetlife – placed them in the category of “lyricists” rather than just rappers.

Based on the heavy drug dealing content in their music, many hip-hop fans assumed that the rap group had ties to major drug trafficking organizations.

In 2009, those assumptions were confirmed when the ex-manager of the Clipse, Anthony “Geezy” Gonzalez, was charged with leading a $10 Million drug organization.

Although records show that Clipse hadn’t been managed by Gonzalez since 2006, rumors circulated that Malice and Pusha-T would soon be federally indicted.

Fortunately, when the smoke cleared, the brothers were never implicated in the vast drug trafficking conspiracy. Gonzalez, however, was sentenced to 32 years in federal prison in 2010, and that moment would change the life of Malice forever.

In 2010, the brothers announced that they were working on solo projects but in 2011, Malice shocked the hip-hop world when he released the book Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind & Naked. 

The book is essentially a memoir of his life and revealed the fact that he had become a Christian back in 2008. He changed his name from “Malice” to “No-Malice” and confessed that he mentally struggled with committing right and wrong acts throughout his entire life.

He proudly proclaimed to have finally surrendered his life over to Christ, allowing God to assist with fighting his daily temptations.

“The desire to change… When I had done all the checks and balances and just took inventory of my own life, I had already come to that conclusion and then when that happened [Anthony Gonzalez being arrested], I really looked at it as a personal, spiritual attack… Like so now everybody thinks this is why I’m changing my life around, when really that was just something added to what I was already thinking.” – No Malice

Many have questioned whether there will be a Clipse reunion in the future but No-Malice emphatically dismisses the possibility. He insists that he will never make music again that advocates harming another individual.

However, No-Malice does have plans on releasing new music for his devoted fans and assures the hip-hop community that it will be something very reminiscent of his previous work, just without the negative connotations.

He has also produced a film entitled “The End of Malice”. The 40 minute documentary featuring No Malice, Pusha-T, and Pharrell Williams details his upbringing, the rise of the rap group “Clipse”, and his conversion to Christianity.

“The film is the ‘End of Malice’ and it basically chronicles my life in the industry, family life, a lot of personal scenarios and my transition to where I am now.” – No Malice

No-Malice is currently on a 16 city tour in which he hosts screenings for the film at local movie theatres. No-Malice views the film with the audience and holds a Q&A discussion session with movie-goers after the viewing.

Concluding the film screening tour, “The End of Malice” will air on Revolt TV on Sunday March 27, 2016.

Tickets for future End of Malice screenings can be purchased at http://www.endofmalice.com/screenings.

The End of Malice movie trailer shown below.

 

According to Gallaudet University, in 2012, the Bureau of Census estimated that there are 4,022,334 people living in America that are either deaf or have a hearing disability. Of that estimate – 82,461 are thought to live in Kentucky. Of those deaf Kentucky residents – 25 year-old Ciera Carter of Louisville is striving to prove to the rest of the world that being deaf doesn’t hinder one’s ability to succeed. Being the middle child of three, Carter is the only sibling to suffer from a hearing disability. In fact, she says that there is no history of anyone else in her family ever being deaf. Carter is classified as legally deaf although; she can hear a small amount of sound when she wears her high-powered hearing aid – but without it she is totally deaf. She has been wearing a hearing aid since the age of three however; she still needs an interpreter when she engages with the public because the sounds that it picks up are extremely faint. One of the benefits that she gains from being deaf is that many of her other senses are heightened. For example, she says that her ability to feel vibrations is probably greater than non-deaf people and her sense of sight in enhanced.

 “FOR ME BECAUSE I’M DEAF, MY VISUALS ARE ENHANCED. I CAN SEE THINGS THAT MOST HEARING PEOPLE TAKE FOR GRANTED. FOR EXAMPLE, I CAN READ PEOPLE’S BODY LANGUAGE REALLY REALLY WELL.” -CIERA CARTER

As a young child Carter began to read lips and decided that being deaf wasn’t going to deter her from reaching her goals. She attended the public school system and functioned like a normal child. The only difference from her and every other student was that she had an interpreter in class with her at all times.

“THE MAINSTREAM SETTING WAS A BETTER FIT FOR ME BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO MOVE BETWEEN THE DEAF WORLD AND THE HEARING WORLD AT SCHOOL. BEING IN MAINSTREAM, I LEARNED HOW TO SPEAK PROPER ENGLISH, I WAS ABLE TO LEARN WHAT THE HEARING KIDS WERE LEARNING AS WELL AS DEAF KIDS. SO I DECIDED EARLY ON THAT THE MAINSTREAM SETTING WAS A LOT BETTER FOR ME.” -CIERA CARTER

Her strength and determination led to her becoming a member of her middle and high school step-teams. She says that initially the coaches and other students wondered how she would be able to dance and step being that she was deaf and couldn’t hear the music. However; once she demonstrated that her ability to dance was guided by the vibrations and beat of the music – she was welcomed to the team. Life seemed to be going well for Carter. However; tragedy struck once she became pregnant at age 20. She began having complications during her delivery due to her daughter being turned the wrong way inside the womb. Doctors would order her to have an emergency cesarean delivery (C-Section). What happened next would devastate Carter for years to come. She claims that during the emergency C-Section, the physicians would use unsterile surgery utensils resulting in her developing a life-threatening infection. During the procedure she said that she flatlined five times and before she left the hospital – doctors removed her ovaries and uterus because they were so severely damaged by the infection. Carter claims that her interpreter overheard the doctor telling the nurses that the infection may have come from the use of unsterile equipment.

 “THE DOCTOR SAID IT… BUT BECAUSE I HAD A SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER, IT’S THEIR JOB TO INTERPRET EVERYTHING THAT’S GOING ON IN THE ROOM. THEY [DOCTORS AND NURSES] WERE OVERHEARD SAYING, ‘OH MY GOODNESS, I THINK WE USED A DIRTY KNIFE AND SUPPLIES’ – AND THE INTERPRETER INTERPRETED ALL THAT.” – CIERA CARTER

After being released from the hospital, Carter says she followed up with an attorney and attempted to file a lawsuit against the hospital but was ultimately unsuccessful. She is elated that her daughter was born healthy however she’s frustrated that she can no longer birth children.

“UNDERSTAND THAT I BASICALLY HAD A HYSTERECTOMY AT THE AGE OF 20 SO I’M UNABLE TO HAVE ANYMORE CHILDREN… AND SO THEY TRIED TO ACT LIKE IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS REALLY WRONG WITH ME. I STARTED HAVING SEIZURES IN THE SHOWER AFTER THE THIRD DAY I WAS THERE… I HAD TO HAVE THREE MRI’S AND ALL OF THIS STEMMED FROM JUST HAVING A BABY.” – Ciera Carter

The entire ordeal gave Carter a new perspective on life. Her successes and tragedies inspired her to become a role model for the deaf community. She created a brand called “Rip Curves” which will produce books, clothing and a perfume line. The name of her company is derived from her personal experiences. Rip essentially means that although life can often “rip” you apart – you can still survive. The “curves” is just a description of Carter’s curvy figure. In  February 2016, Carter will release her book entitled, “Can You Hear Me Now: Let My Heart Speak”. The book is based on her life and focuses on empowering women in the deaf and hearing community.

“I DON’T SEE MANY BLACK DEAF WOMEN THAT ARE ENTREPRENEURS.” – CIERA CARTER

She is also in the process of putting the finishing touches on her “Rip Curves” clothing and perfume lines. Follow Ciera Carter on Facebook and at Rip Curves on Instagram. Interview interpreted by Kenya McPheeters. She has 12 years experience as an interpreter.  

By now the entire nation is familiar with the death of Gynnya McMillen. The 16 year-old was found unresponsive in a KY juvenile detention center on January 11, 2016. She was transported there after being involved in a domestic disturbance at her mother’s home – the day before – which resulted in a “misdemeanor” assault charge. To give you a brief background: McMillen became a ward of the state after her father passed away in his sleep in November 2014, according to Dana McDuffie, who is the fiance of McMillen’s brother – Greg Mitchell. The teen was estranged from her mother for unclear reasons and as a result, was placed in the custody of the Maryhurst residential home for teens in Louisville, KY. Maryhurst’s website states:

 Maryhurst provides residential, in-home and community-based treatment programs to children with severe emotional disabilities, most often caused by traumatic experiences of abuse and neglect.

Maryhurst President and CEO, Judy Lambeth, confirmed that on the Friday prior to her death, McMillen was transported by Maryhurst officials to her mother’s home in Shelbyville, KY on a weekend pass. While visiting her mother, an altercation occurred and police were called – who in turn contacted a juvenile caseworker for the state to receive instructions on where to transport McMillen. It is unclear at this time what other parties were involved in the altercation.

Instead of having officers return McMillen to the Maryhurst facility, the caseworker suggested that the teen be charged with assault and transported 60 miles away to the Lincoln Village Regional Detention Center in Elizabethtown, KY.

“If we would have known that there were problems in the home, we would have gone and picked her up. That’s usually what we try to do because we would want to avoid a detention situation unless it was a big thing that happened. If we would have gotten a call in the night, saying there was something going on with one of our kids then we would have come and picked them up.” – Judy Lambeth

According to McDuffie, this is the first time that McMillen had been in a criminal correctional facility and she says that teen didn’t have any known health conditions. She wishes that authorities would have simply returned her to Maryhurst instead of transporting her to Lincoln Village. Within 24 hours of her arrival – McMillen would be found dead in her cell.

Initially, the facility refused to release any information concerning her death. After ten days a statement was finally released stating that a preliminary autopsy was performed and the cause of death could not be determined at the time. The statement did however say that it is believed that the child died in her sleep and no foul play was expected.

“There were no broken bones or physical signs of trauma on the body at the time of the autopsy.” – Shana Norton of the Hardin County Coroner’s Office.

A few days later another statement was released from the Lincoln Village Regional Detention Center stating than 10 year employee, Reginald Windham, was suspended with pay after failing to perform “cell checks” every 15 minutes, which is standard procedure for detainees that are placed in isolation cells.

A week later a spokesperson from the Lincoln Village Regional Detention Center, Stacy Floden, tells CBS via email that staff members used a martial arts move called an “Aikido restraint” on McMillin the day before she died.

“The staff performed an Aikido restraint hold to safely conduct a pat-down search and remove the youth’s hoodie. The purpose of having multiple staff involved in a controlled restraint is to ensure the safety of the youth and staff. The teen’s ‘repeated’ refusal to cooperate with staff and remove her outer garment prompted the restraint.” – Stacy Floden

DEMONSTRATION OF AIKIDO THE RESTRAINT TECHNIQUE Floden says that a female officer removed the sweatshirt and conducted the pat down before processing McMillen and placing her in a cell.

“From what it sounds like they [staff] were saying is that she was quiet and pretty much ignoring them. I haven’t heard or read that she was rowdy or physical. It sounds like she was just in non-compliance by ignoring them and refusing to take off her sweatshirt.” -Dana McDuffie.

Attorney and juvenile justice expert, Michele Deitch, who lectures at the University of Texas at Austin, tells CBS 48 Hours Crimesider that she doesn’t approve of using the Aikido technique on a child that refuses to remove their sweatshirt.

“I’ve never heard that phrase used in the context of a corrections setting. As far as I’m concerned that is a completely inappropriate use of a restraint. “This goes back to not being so punitive with kids. That’s just not how you interact if you want to achieve a positive social response. Situations in which there is not active violence, but a youth simply refuses to comply with an order or is passively resisting do not constitute an immediate necessity of force; policy should clarify this. The continuum of force must offer options for staff–including separation of the youth from peers, verbal de-escalation, or the involvement of mental health staff–that do not involve hands-on measures.” – Michele Deitch

The course of events that take place next is what has infuriated McMillen’s family members most. McMillen was placed in her cell sometime during the evening on January 10, 2016.

Officers were required to check on her every 15 minutes – which didn’t happen. At 6:30 a.m., on Monday January 11, officers came to McMillen’s cell to offer her food – she did not respond. No physical interaction would be made and officers decide to leave the cell door without entering. At 8:30 a.m., officers would return to her cell door because the teen’s mother was on the phone – still no response. Officers would say they assumed she was sleeping and left the cell door again. At 9:55 a.m., a sheriff deputy arrives to take McMillen to court for the misdemeanor assault charge from the night before and jail officials finally open her cell. They find the child not breathing and “ICE COLD”. It would take nine more minutes before the first call was placed to 911 at 10:04 a.m., and at least another minute-and-a-half before CPR would be begin. The nurse on duty at the Lincoln Village Regional Detention Center is heard telling the 911 dispatcher that she is new and does not know what protocols are in place to treat or perform CPR on residents found unresponsive. TRANSCRIPTS FROM THE 911 CALL BELOW NURSE – “They want us to start CPR.” 911 DISPATCHER – “Do y’all have a CPR protocol or do y’all need it?” NURSE – “I’m new, I can find out, I don’t know.” At 10:07 a.m., the 911 dispatcher confirmed that CPR had begun. The nurse relayed the information that McMillen was “cold to the touch” to the 911 dispatcher. At 10:15 a.m., an EMS supervisor advised dispatch via radio that McMillen was deceased. At 11:33 a.m., McMillen was transported to the county coroner’s office. McDuffie says that the lack of transparency is extremely stressful on family. She says that they have repeatedly attempted to contact authorities at the Lincoln Village Regional Detention Center, as well as the officers handling the investigation, and have been given very little information concerning McMillen’s death. She says that often times the family is updated about new information involving the investigation by the media instead of police.

“We’re asking for answers but it’s hard to hear the trickled information.” – Dana McDuffie

The family has hired attorney Ron Hillerich of Louisville to independently investigate Gynnya McMillen’s death. We reached out to Hillerich’s office but have not yet received a response.

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Responding to the water crisis in Flint Michigan – John Cole (“Mr. Cole”) – owner of Cole’s Place nightclub in Louisville, KY hosted a week-long #WaterForFlint campaign. Cole has partnered with the West Louisville Urban Coalition which plans to continue providing fresh water to the residents of Flint throughout this crisis. Cole said that “Compassion” is what made him become a part of the humanitarian effort. Beginning Sunday January 27, 2016, Cole’s Place transitioned from a nightclub to a drop off location for residents of Louisville that wanted to donate cases of bottled water to Flint, Michigan. The goal of the organizers was to raise enough water to fill up a single tractor-trailer. However; the residents of Louisville would quickly surpass that goal within the first few days. In fact, Cole’s Place would become so consumed with water donations that on the final day of the campaign, Saturday January 30th, the collection location was moved to the parking lot of Lyles Mall on 26th and Broadway. From 6am-1pm on Saturday alone, Louisville residents dropped off enough water to fill up the tractor-trailer headed to Flint. This didn’t include the approximate truck-and-a-half of water that was collected over the week that still remains at Cole’s Place. In addition to Mr. Cole, the collection efforts were also organized by Neal Robertson and James Baker. The local steel manufacturing company Eagle Steel, who is Baker’s employer, provided a semi trailer truck and driver – free of charge – to transport the collected water to Flint. Baker commends his employer for stepping up to the plate and offering their services during this time of need. He said, “I reached out to the company I work for – Eagle Steel – and asked them if they’d be willing to provide transportation for the water to get to Flint and they came wholeheartedly and said, yes they wanted to be a part of it.” Community Leader Neal Robertson tackled the duty of finding volunteers for the event and organized the advertising and public relations aspects of the water drive. He is now in the process of arranging another semi truck to haul the additional water that was collected to Flint as well. “We have probably a truck-and-a-half over at Cole’s Place waiting to go out,” Robertson said. The semi truck provided by Eagle Steel was loaded by dozens of Louisville residents who volunteered their Saturday morning to help make the campaign a success. Among those volunteers were Staff Sergeant Steve Lonix and Tony Mazita of Louisville’s US Army Recruiting Office. The pair were amazed at the amount of water that was donated in the few hours that they spent at Lyles Mall. Even after the semi departed at 1pm – several cars and SUV’s continued pulling up, filled to capacity, with cases of bottled water. “Actually we have too much water,” said Lonix. “The intent was to fill one truck – they actually have enough for about three trucks.” The “Flint Water Crisis” describes the drinking water contamination that exists in Flint, Michigan. The crisis began in 2014, when Flint changed its water source from the Detroit Water and Sewage Department to an alternative source which was thought to save revenue. The new water supply was sourced from the Flint River. The salt water from the river corroded the metal pipes which resulted in lead contamination in the drinking water.

The newly sourced water failed safety tests several times but city and state officials continued to supply the water to residents for the next nine months before notifying them of the potential dangers. Residents had complained to city officials that their drinking water was “yellow-looking” for over a year but received no relief. Their total time of possible lead exposure is approximately 632 days.

In early January 2016, videos of Flint residents running tap water that appeared to be the color of urine began going viral on social media sites. The public outcry resulted in celebrities and residents nationwide sending millions of fresh bottled waters to Flint as well as President Obama declaring a federal state of emergency in the city. To date between 6,000-12,000 children in Flint have severely high levels of lead in their blood and are suffering from a multitude of health problems as a result. There has also been an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease (Legion Fever) in the area which has killed 10 and affected another 77. Legionnaires’ is an atypical pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. Health officials haven’t officially linked the disease to bacteria in the Flint’s unsafe drinking water but haven’t ruled it out as a cause. Due to the contaminated pipes throughout the city of Flint, it will most likely take years for residents to start receiving safe drinking water, even after the city switches to a safe water source, so donations are critical. VIDEO BELOW OF YELLOW DRINKING WATER IN FLINT MICHIGAN  

On Wednesday January 20, 2015, 16-year-old Gynnya McMillen was laid to rest after being found unresponsive at Lincoln Village Regional Juvenile Center in Elizabethtown, Kentucky on January 11, 2016. Initially, the family was frustrated with authorities for the lack of information released surrounding McMillen’s death but today officials say that it appears the teen passed away while sleeping in her cell. On Thursday, January 22, 2016, Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary, John Tilley, released an official statement that said:

“The youth appears to have passed away while sleeping and the preliminary autopsy report shows no cause or manner of death.”

Tilley also asked for an expedited investigation surrounding McMillen’s death. Earlier this week, Hardin County Coroner William Lee, Jr. said that an autopsy was performed on January 12, 2016, and showed no outward signs, such as “visual bruising,” which could conclusively predetermine a cause of death. The coroner also stated that it was unlikely that McMillen suffered from any heart conditions. According to the statement, a full autopsy, which typically can take from 4-12 weeks, will now be expedited. State officials are currently awaiting toxicology tests, electrolyte analysis and a histology report. Authorities have not said if McMillen was in her cell alone or how often she was checked on during the night. Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet’s interim spokesperson, Lisa Lamb, acknowledged that “standard operating procedure” at the Lincoln Village Juvenile Detention Center requires that detainees are checked upon every 15 minutes while they are locked in their cells.

“Policy further provides that residents will not be left in a room unattended when staff is absent unless that room has a camera in it.” – Lisa Lamb

Lamb revealed that there was a working camera in McMillen’s cell and that footage has been turned over to investigators. The community activist group Stand Up Louisville has monitored this situation very closely and would like to keep the public updated on any and all circumstances surrounding this investigation. What has been discovered is that Gynnya McMillen of Louisville, was a ward of the state at the time of her arrest. Her family situation is complicated and somewhat estranged but those close to her say that she was definitely loved. McMillen was arrested on January 10, 2016, and charged with misdemeanor assault after an altercation took place at her mother’s home in Shelbyville, KY. The details of the altercation have not been provided at this time and police only describe it as a “domestic incident.” Since she was a ward of the state, police say they called a court assigned caseworker who makes legal decisions regarding juveniles in these types of situations. That caseworker contacted a judge, recommending that McMillen be placed into custody according to the Shelbyville Police Department. She was detained and transferred 66 miles to the Lincoln Village Juvenile Detention Center in Elizabethtown, KY. McMillen had no preexisting medical conditions that are known at this time. Within 24 hours of being arrested, she was discovered unresponsive in her cell and pronounced deceased. Stand Up Louisville representative Chanelle Helm says that losing a loved one is always traumatic but this is an extremely difficult time for the family, given that Gynnya lost her father less than a year ago. Stand Up Louisville would also like to focus the attention on the lack of resources available to prevent teens in Kentucky from becoming wards of the state or part of the juvenile justice system to begin with. Less than a month ago, an incident involving teens occurred at Mall of St. Mathew’s in Louisville, KY. The mainstream media outlets initially called the incident “a riot” involving up to 2,000 teens but that number, as well as the incident, was quickly downsized by the St. Mathew’s Mayor’s office.

“When you were 14, 15, or 16 years of age and had nothing to do on a Saturday, you’d look for something to do. It was not a riot. There were no rocks thrown or cars overturned or looting… It was not a riot it was just a large disturbance… I don’t want to paint with a broad brush and paint all these kids as being bad. There may have been a few that were rowdy and noisy…The number of kids was the real problem here.” – St. Mathews Mayor Richard Tonini.

Although, no arrests were made in the St. Mathew’s mall incident, many youth aren’t always that lucky when they encounter law enforcement in Jefferson County. Activists say it has become extremely difficult for many teens in Louisville to stay out of trouble with community youth programs being practically non-existent. Louisville Metro Government ended its 2015, fiscal year with an $18.9 million budget surplus and many residents would like to see part of those funds be dedicated to community programs and facilities for the youth. Helm urges the community to remain resilient in the awareness and fight to discover the actual cause of Gyannya McMillen’s death. She says the community has now become the family and voice of Gynnya and must fight for justice. Stand Up Louisville would like the community to know that #GynnyaMcMillen and her family need every prayer, blessing, and energy as they go through this difficult time. Gynnya (pronounced Ge-ni-ya) was laid to rest Tuesday. Helm reiterates that burying a child is a task that the family and friends of any young person should never have to perform. She asks that you please remember that Gynnya was a child, she was a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece and a wonderful friend to some beautiful young women and men. A Go Fund Me account has been setup in Gynnya’s name but Standup Louisville has yet to determine the operators of that account. Once that information is discovered, it will be relayed to the public.

“As we search and demand for answers, we need to remember: -Gynnya was loved. -Gynnya was beautiful. -Gynnya deserved more. We are asking for more!” – Chanelle Helm

Stand Up Louisville is demanding answers and for the person(s) to be held accountable if negligence or foul play is determined.

8 year-old Brooklyn Davis of Louisville is organizing her 2nd annual “B’s Pretty Easter Dress Drive”. The event originated last year after Davis discovered that she could no longer fit an Easter dress that was hanging in her closet.

“I was digging through the closet and I found a dress and I asked my momma if I could wear it and she said it was too little and so we just thought of it.” – Brooklyn Davis

Instead of throwing the dress away – Davis and her mom, Robin G, decided to organize a Dress Drive to provide young girls that may be less fortunate with beautiful dresses for the Easter holiday.

“She wanted to give that dress to somebody, and since I’ve volunteered a lot in the neighborhood, I asked her about getting some dresses to give to other little girls and she said o.k.” – Robin G

Davis’s mother says that last year’s event was very successful and her daughter learned a lot about giving. The mother and daughter team put the word out on social media about their event and asked the public to donate any new or gently used dresses, shoes and accessories.

 

They were surprised by the overwhelming support from the community which resulted in the pair receiving more dresses than they could give away at the event.

“Last year we collected almost 300 dresses and since we didn’t give them all away, we took the leftovers to a huge Easter egg hunt out in the Newburg community. The organizer set us a table up and within minutes, they all were gone.” – Robin G

What makes the event unique is that all the dresses and accessories are set up in a venue that is made to look and feel like a boutique.The girls are able to essentially “shop” through the inventory and choose the items of their liking.

Each child will be able to choose a dress, a pair of shoes and an accessory. In addition there will be games, refreshments and DJ Nerdboi will provide the musical entertainment.

Davis’s mom wants to stress that attending church services or Easter celebrations IS NOT a requirement to receive a dress. Her goal is to provide every young girl with a dress that desires one. Davis’s aspirations are a little different.

“I’m trying to make little girls feel like princesses… We went to church last year and I saw three girls wearing a dress from the Easter Dress Drive. They looked like princesses and it made me feel happy.” – Brooklyn Davis

In preparation for the event, Davis and her mother are asking the public to donate any new or gently used dresses, shoes, socks, stockings, clothing and accessories sizes: Newborn-16 in Juniors or Young Adults.

There are several donation drop-off locations equipped with donation bins throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana. The drop-off locations are listed below. Donations will be accepted until the day of the event.

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN

• Opensided MRI– 120 West Court Avenue
  Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130

LOUISVILLE

• Gantts Barber Shop – 4632 Dixie Hwy, Louisville, KY, 40216
• Established Premium Goods – 226 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd, Louisville, KY, 40202
• Greater Louisville Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Associates – 3101 Breckenridge LN suite 2D, Louisville, KY, 40220
• Coco’s Cakes –  501 West Oak Street, Louisville, KY, 40203

“B’s Pretty Easter Dress Drive” will take place on Sunday March 6 (2pm-5pm) at Coco’s Cakes located at 510 W. Oak Street, Louisville, KY 40203. All children must be accompanied by an adult and dresses/accessories are given away on a first come – first serve basis.

Volunteers are greatly needed and any food, supplies or cash donations can be given by messaging Robin G on Facebook.

“I want a lot of people to come and for everybody to get whatever dress they want and have fun.” – Brooklyn Davis

For more information access the Pretty Dress Drive website at http://prettydressdrive.weebly.com/

 

When 10 year-old Olivia Allen isn’t focused on academics, she spends her free time looking for ways to give back to her Louisville community. Over the past 12 months she has organized a Toy Drive, a Food Drive, a Girl’s Confidence Conference and has an upcoming Mommy- Daughter Brunch scheduled around Valentine’s Day.
, More details at 192.168.l.l

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Louisville’s newest shining star, Zach Lindsey, is sewing his way to the top of the fashion world – stitch by stitch.  The 16 year-old YPAS (Youth Performing Arts School) student is currently competing on the first season of Lifetime’s “Project Runway: Junior”. In addition to being the first contestant on the show to represent the Bluegrass state of Kentucky – Lindsey also has the honor of being the first African-American male to compete on the program as well. “Project Runway: Junior” is a spinoff of the successful Lifetime series “Project Runway”. Runway Junior is a hour-long weekly program which features twelve teenage fashion designers – ages 13-17 – from all over the country. The program premiered on November 12, 2015 and airs every Thursday at 9pm ET on the Lifetime Network. The show will feature 12 episodes – with the finale airing on Thursday February 4, 2016. “Project Runway: Junior” is hosted by Emmy Award winner Tim Gunn and its celebrity cast of judges include supermodel Hannah Davis, Kelly Osbourne, designer Christian Siriano and executive fashion editor at Cosmopolitan and Seventeen Magazine – Aya Kanai. The show’s format is based upon contestants designing and creating women’s clothing which will then be critiqued and judged. Each contestant will be given a fashion challenge at the beginning of each episode. The challenge usually involves designing a custom piece of clothing based on the instructions and specifications provided. There will be a winner and loser of each challenge. The loser of the challenge is immediately eliminated from the competition/show. The winner of the final challenge will win “Project Runway: Junior”. FLOTUS – Michelle Obama – issued the fashion challenge via video during the December 10th episode and actress Bella Thorne will serve as a guest judge for the final challenge. The winner of “Project Runway: Junior” will receive a full scholarship to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FDIM) in California, a complete home sewing and crafting studio provided by Brother, a feature in Seventeen Magazine and a $25,000 cash prize, to help launch their design line. Lindsey is a high school junior who is majoring in Design and Production. That field of study focuses on costume design, set design, and lighting & sound design. His excellence in fashion design, mirrors his academic excellence – as he maintains a 3.7 gpa. Lindsey’s mother – Ramona Lindsey – is a textile artist and is currently the director of education at KMAC (Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft). Lindsey’s mother taught him to sew at an early age however; he didn’t begin designing clothing until he was much older.

“I taught him how to use a basic sewing machine and how to do a straight stitch in about the 5th or 6th grade and he wanted to learn more. He started deconstructing clothes and looking at how clothes were made and then went from making pillows to actually creating garments.” – Ramona Lindsey

Initially, Lindsey would use his sewing skills to design pillows but around the winter of 2013, he began to venture into the world of fashion design. He created his first ensemble which was a white two-piece halter top and a long coordinating skirt. He considers it to be the worst piece he’s ever designed but admits that it sparked the fire inside him to take fashion design seriously. After becoming confident with his designing abilities, Lindsey participated in the KMAC Couture fashion show in April 2014. The response to his garments from fashion onlookers was overwhelmingly positive and sent him soaring on an all-time high. Over the next few weeks he began performing random Google searches looking for different fashion industry events that he could possibly attend. During one of those searches he discovered the application for “Project Runway: Junior”. Since the application was free – he decided to apply. Lindsey would have to move quickly. The application deadline for submission was within four days – and photos, videos and a biography were required. Being short of time and cash, Lindsey solicited his friends and family to help him compile enough useful material to submit with his application. His female friends from school modeled the clothing he created and his sister filmed the videos for him. He quickly scripted a personal and professional biography and submitted them all before the deadline.   Surprisingly, executives from the show contacted him within a few weeks and invited him to New York City for an interview. Lindsey was ecstatic but his family lacked the funds necessary to make the trip. Wanting to make his dreams come true – the Louisville community came together and assisted with the funds needed.

“We drove 12 hours from Louisville to New York… So we made a family road trip out of it. I did my interview there and then I was called later on to tell me that I was casted for Project Runway Junior.” – Zach Lindsey

Filming began during the summer of 2015, and although Lindsey already knows the outcome of the show – he’s keeping that information to himself – as the show requires. However; he would reveal that his creative style is geared towards women’s luxury; high-end designs. He also disclosed that he was the winner of the week 6 challenge (which has already aired) and feels as though the judges are impressed with his work.

“I’ve been told by the judges plenty of times about how sophisticated my pieces were and their craftsmanship and sensibility to a woman’s body. They seem to really like me.” – Zach Lindsey

In addition to “Project Runway: Junior”, Lindsey has recently started his own fashion line labeled Zach Lindsey. On Saturday February 6, 2016 – two days following the “Project Runway: Junior” finale – Lindsey is hosting the Zach Lindsey SS16 Opulence Trunk Show which is a fashion expedition featuring his garments. Information and tickets can be obtained at www.zachlindsey.com

“I recently started my fashion company, ‘Zach Lindsey’, so the goal for me is to have my fashion house based around high-end women’s clothing and branch out to do men’s wear and kid’s wear and then also do home accessories.”

Be sure to catch Zach Lindsey on “Project Runway: Junior” each Thursday evening at 9pm ET.

A group of 10 Louisville youth football players were selected to play in the 2nd annual Diamond Sports Group All American Bowl Games in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium, during New Years Day weekend. Diamond Sports Group is a sports marketing company that also provides testing combines for youth football and baseball athletes to display their talent on a national level. According to the Diamond Sports Group website, the company specializes in highlighting athletes, grades 3-12, who may not be afforded the opportunity to participate in national camp combines. The purpose is to connect talented student athletes with collegiate programs willing to offer student athletes full or partial scholarships. Diamond Sports Group offers training and assessment football combines for youth and high school athletes to display their skills and potential through speed, agility and strength testing. The football combines are currently available in 19 states and according to the website, the program is rapidly expanding. The price for each athlete to attend a combine is $75 and each participant will have 9 Drills to complete to obtain a Diamond Certification Rating and Assessment. Athletes that obtain a Diamond Certification at the state combines are eligible to compete in the annual Diamond Sports Group All American Bowl Games, which are comprised of athletes from all over the United States and Canada. Athletes can also become eligible to compete in the All American Bowl Games by having an application submitted to the Diamond Sports Group by their athletic coach or parent. Applications submitted by coaches and parents often must include the athlete’s stats and a highlight video.

This season the Diamond Sports Group Youth All American Bowl is being played in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina during the New Years Day weekend. Technically there will be a total of 7 All American Bowl games played throughout the weekend to cover the various divisions which are: 3&4 grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, and 12th grade. Each division will have a roster of 70 players that will be divided into a 35 player Red team and a 35 player White team. The Red team and the White team of each division will then face each other in the All American game. The Diamond Sports Groups states that the matchup isn’t the typical East vs West format but rather a Best vs the Best format. Being selected for the All American Bowl is very exclusive and this season only ten athletes from Louisville, KY were invited to compete out of a total of 490 athletes selected from the U.S. and Canada.

3rd & 4th Grade Division 

#60 RB – Deion Winstead #4 RB – Anthony Barbee IV #28 DB – Micheal Curry Jr.  #57 DB – Keith Hadley Jr.

5th Grade Division 

#59 OL/DL – Travis Brown  #61 OL/DL – William Richardson IV #31 TE – Khrystian Washington #3 RB – Xavier Brown

6th Grade Division

#6 RB – Amir Roberts

7th Grade Division

#11 DB – Darius Brown

In addition to the players, the head coach for the 3&4 grade team was also selected from Louisville, KY. Keith Hadley (27) is a graduate of Morehead University, is currently the Metro Louisville Youth Association (MLYA) coach for Cougar Youth and has been coaching youth football for the past six years. Michael Curry (Head Coach of the Cougar Youth – Pee Wees) and Travis Brown (Head Coach for the Doss Dragons – Pee Wees) will also accompany Hadley as coaches of the 3&4 grade division.

“My first year as head coach, I took my team (Cougars) to the championship and fell a little short. I stepped back to actually get a bigger picture and try to get to the AYFL [American Youth Football League] and do tournaments outside of it. I’ve won Kentuckiana Classic’s, I’ve won Collision of the Counties, and numerous other tournaments.” – Keith Hadley

Hadley submitted an application to coach in the Diamond Sports Group All American Bowl Games early in 2015 and also accompanied several players at the Diamond Sports Group football combines in Lexington, KY. Diamond Sports Group personnel were impressed with his resume and coaching at particular tournaments and selected him as the All American Bowl Game head coach for the 3&4 grade division. In preparation for the All American Bowl Game, coaches Hadley, Curry and Brown would meet with several players selected from Louisville at a local park on numerous evenings to help the players sharpen their skills. Team parent, Anthony Barbee Jr was also very instrumental in helping the youth from Louisville organize their practices and plan for the trip to Myrtle Beach. I met with the coaches and six of the players selected from Louisville on a rainy evening at Shively Park on December 21, 2016 following one of their practices. All of the players seemed to be very excited about making the trip to Myrtle Beach and they all said that their biggest goal was to “Represent Louisville” in the All American Bowl Game. The players will travel to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on December 29, 2015 and the 3&4 grade division All American Bowl Game will be played on January 1, 2016. The games for divisions 5-12 grade will be played on January 2, 2016.