Fresh Loaf

On Sept. 3, Spelman College sophomore Jasmine Lynn was struck and killed by a stray bullet while walking with friends through Clark Atlanta University’s campus. The 3.8-GPA student was the first person in her family to attend college.

“She was very fun and bubbly, always making a lot jokes. … Anybody that you ask would say the same thing about her. She didn’t come here for this.”
— Sydney Robinson, a Spelman senior, in the Sept. 3 AJC

“Jasmine was a conqueror. A mover and a shaker, a jetsetter and a go-getter. This is heartbreaking … to find a lady who cared so much about life … to leave so early.”
— Sgt. Herman Brown, Lynn’s ROTC instructor at Lincoln Prep in Kansas City, Mo., to WDAF-TV/Channel 4

“Comical, loving, nurturing … I’m numb. … For me, as a low-income single mother, [Lynn going to college] was an honor. That was an honor.”
— Constance Franklin, Lynn’s mother, to KCTV-TV/Channel 5

“We love you Spelman Sister. I may have crossed your path and never even knew. I may have never seen your face. But, you are my little Spelman Sister and you will forever be in my heart.”
— Commenter “glj” on the Speak Up, Spelman! blog

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Tom Baxter of the Southern Political Report attended a Tuesday morning press conference held by Dr. Keith Jennings and Dr. William Boone of Clark Atlanta University, the authors of the well-publicized memo that some say suggests black voters needed to rally around one African-American candidate in the upcoming mayoral election.

All the mayoral candidates and Mayor Shirley Franklin have repudiated the memo, which has generated nationwide attention. (Jesus, even Drudge linked to an Associated Press story about it.)

But the academics say the media’s pulled snippets from the memo — which was not meant to be publicized or endorse a candidate — and that people have missed the point.

Baxter writes on Insider Advantage:

“We’re being called racist, when in fact if you read the entire document and the conclusions that we draw, it is very clear that we’re being accused of the exact opposite of what we did. We presented an analysis that says you should look at and evaluate all these candidates very carefully,” said Dr. Keith Jennings, who authored the memo with Dr. William Boone, dean of graduate studies at Clark Atlanta University.

The two professors said they were asked to make a presentation to the Black Leadership Forum, but the memo doesn’t represent the views of that group. They said they weren’t advocating that black voters coalesce around City Council president Lisa Borders, the African-American candidate who is closest to Norwood in recent polls.

Lots more at IA. Check out Baxter’s piece before it disappears behind the site’s paywall o’ death.

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Question 1: Where do accused killers go when they escape police custody?

18 year-old Matthew Wells went to his girlfriend’s house after he escaped Atlanta Police custody on July 8. You may recall, Wells gave a tender on-camera shout-out to his girlfriend after he was captured.

Still no word on why it took approximately 20 hours for the Atlanta Police Department to notify the public of Wells’ escape. I suspect there never will be.

Question 2: Where do designer jeans go after they’re stolen in-bulk from Atlanta area clothing stores?

They cover the asses of amoral people who turn a blind eye to blatant theft.

In the past, I’ve predicted the mass theft of flat-screen TVs will revive the market for large, difficult-to-steal tube televisions. Now, I’m starting to wonder if Toughskins are poised for a comeback.

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The Perception of Crime in Atlanta ran circles around the Atlanta Police Department last week.

On Friday, the department called a press conference to brag it arrested many of the perceived criminals responsible for the epidemic of perceived smash-and-grab robberies at local boutiques.

Less than 24 hours later, four more perceived criminals smashed the window at Wish boutique in Little Five Points and looted the merchandise. Doh!

This latest high-profile perceived crime took place just three days after the mysterious escape from police headquarters of Matthew Wells.

Wells was arrested for participating in a perceived shoot-out with police on Clark Atlanta University’s campus.

Shortly after his arrest Wednesday, Wells removed a leg iron and strolled out of police headquarters. He was on the loose for nearly 20 hours before the AJC and WSB-TV found out and informed the public. APD never directly warned the public.

The escaped perceived shooting suspect was arrested Thursday afternoon, just five blocks from Clark Atlanta’s campus.

Asked Thursday by Fox 5’s Morse Diggs how he escaped, Wells replied “I picked the lock.” As he was being loaded into an APD prisoner transport van, Wells requested that someone tell his girlfriend that he loves hers. Very sweet.

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The AJC reports one of the two suspects arrested after yesterday’s shoot-out with police at Clark Atlanta University escaped shortly after being taken into custody.

I would tell you his name, give you a description, or post a photo, but the APD hasn’t made any of that information available. The department’s media advisory web page hasn’t been updated in more than a month.

UPDATE 5: WSB reports the escaped suspect was caught today on Magnolia Way in Northwest Atlanta; Magnolia Way is only five blocks from Clark Atlanta University’s campus.

UPDATE 4: WSB reports the suspect escaped police headquarters YESTERDAY. I corrected the description above to reflect that.

So the guy escapes yesterday and police wait at least 14 hours to tell the public? And still no photo or name?

UPDATE 3: Atlanta Police has a Twitter account. It contains no information about the escaped suspect. In fact, the page is completely blank.

UPDATE 2: WSB has video footage of the escape, but still no name or mug shot.

UPDATE: Atlanta police say the escaped suspect is wearing a red t-shirt and jeans with a large rip on the left leg. Why police aren’t sharing the suspect’s name or circulating a photograph is a mystery.

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STAR POWER Former president stumps for U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Martin

In the quickening cold on Wednesday evening, Augustine Smith, a wide-grinning middle-aged man from Duluth by way of West Africa, leaned against a railing in the crowded Arnett Quadrangle at Clark Atlanta University, Barack Obama hat perched atop his head, and waited for the man many of these people came out to see.

Not U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin, although the event was in his honor and Smith said he’d vote for the former state lawmaker again, but former President Bill Clinton. The president had visited Atlanta to stump for Martin in his runoff race against incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss before zipping off to a local fundraiser.

“This country does not need to build a firewall,” Clinton told the energetic crowd of 1,500 people, referring to how Chambliss has described his role in a Democrat-controlled Senate under Pres.-elect Barack Obama. “It needs to build a bridge to the future. Martin’s the bridge, Chambliss is the firewall.”

Clinton repeated this mantra over and over as he attempted to enthuse supporters to do what Republicans know best and Democrats have historically proven unable — the tricky task of getting the voters back to the polls in a runoff.

(more…)

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Huffington Post reported this afternoon that former Veep Al Gore will campaign here Sunday for Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin. I’m sure Young Thomas will be getting us more details later.

Meanwhile, here are details on former President Bill Clinton’s visit tomorrow (or today by the time you read this) at Clark Atlanta University on behalf of Martin. For those keeping score, John McCain and Mike Huckabee have campaigned for Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss, while this gun-totin’ man joins him Wednesday and investment banker Mitt Romney stumps for him Friday.

The AJC’s reporting that both candidates aren’t planning to participate in a debate the Atlanta Press Club was to tape on Sunday — Martin because he’ll be campaigning with Gore, Chambliss apparently just because he’s a big ol’ scared-y-pants.

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