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Attempted child abduction in N.E. Atlanta

Police put out an alert Thursday for a man driving a black pickup truck who allegedly tried to kidnap a 7-year-old girl from a street corner in northeast Atlanta.

The incident happened about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Parkway Drive N.E. and Angier Avenue N.E., police said.

The girl was walking on Parkway with two friends, ages 9 and 12, when a man in a pickup slowed down and asked the girls where they were going, police said. They ignored him and continued walking.

“The man exited his truck, grabbed the 7-year-old girl, covered her mouth so that she couldn’t scream and began dragging her toward his truck,” Atlanta police Officer John Chafee said in a news release.

“The other two girls grabbed the victim and attempted to pull her away from the suspect, who then released the girl and fled the scene in his vehicle,” Chafee said.

The girls described the assailant as a black man, about 50 years old, bald, about 6 feet 1 inch tall and 200 pounds, police said. He was wearing a blue shirt, baggy shorts and red Converse All-Star shoes.

Police said the youngsters described the truck as a black full-sized pickup with silver rims, possibly spinners. The rear windows had decals of red and orange flames or lightning bolts.

Anyone with information should contact Atlanta Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477. Tips can be made anonymously, and callers could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.

Story by David Ibata, Atlanta Journal Constitution

Read story here.

Divas in Defense Partners with Budget Car and Truck Rental of Atlanta to Teach Self-Defense and Cyberbullying Prevention at the Allstate/Tom Joyner Family Reunion

With children returning to school, it is imperative to educate children and their parents on social media etiquette, internet safety and cyberbullying prevention. In an effort to provide awareness and training, Divas in Defense has teamed with Budget Car and Truck Rental of Atlanta to provide self-defense training at the Allstate/Tom Joyner Family Reunion in Orlando Florida. This campaign consists of a series of self-defense presentations and classes. These classes include training on how to protect your identity against theft, warning signs of a child being bullied, proper “netiquette” when utilizing social media platforms.

Budget Car and Truck Rental of Atlanta has been locally owned and operated since 1977. Budget has 14 convenient metro Atlanta locations open 7 days a week to provide the best value in car rental while democratizing travel. Budget Atlanta offers a wide variety of rental vehicles from sedans to luxury cars, specialty and premium vehicles, SUVs, minivans, passenger vans, and trucks. Reservations and more information is available through their local website: BudgetATL.com. Budget Car and Truck Rental of Atlanta is to be commended for taking a stand against violence towards women and cyberbullying by providing transportation for Divas In Defense trainers to provide self-defense educational services. These are a set of classes FREE and OPEN to the public at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando from August 30, 2012 through September 3, 2012. The classes target women and children with specific focus on teens and the issues they face.

Divas in Defense’s mission is to empower women of all ages with the training and tools imperative to their personal safety and the safety of their families. Through fun, instinctive learning; women gain the knowledge to protect and arm themselves while gaining confidence not to be the victims.

About Divas in Defense

Currently located in six states and Mexico, Divas in Defense provides self-defense for the “everyday” woman. From the athlete to the not-so- active, the businesswoman to the student, and the shy to the confident, our courses are intended to educate, promote awareness, build self-esteem and give women the physical and mental tools they need to detect, avoid and escape potentially violent situations. We also provide on-site corporate and private training programs, including specialty training seminars and presentations.

To bring Divas in Defense to your next event for a presentation or for a training session, please contact Divas in Defense at (877) 713-4343 or via email at

in**@di************.com

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88 Year Old Woman Attacked and Robbed in Atlanta Home Invasion

“I thought probably he was going to kill me… and I’m thankful he didn’t,” Mary Jackson told Channel 2. “I asked the Lord to take care of me through the night. So far he has, and I’m thankful for that and I trust Him.”

The incident started about 4 p.m. Thursday when Jackson heard a knock on the front door of her home in rural western Paulding County, authorities said.

“I come to the door, and there wasn’t anybody there,” she said. “By the time I turned around, he was knocking at the back door. That should have told me something.”

Jackson did not know the man. Speaking to her through a screen door, the man told her he was having car trouble and asked to use her telephone.

But as they were talking, the man suddenly forced his way inside, roughed up the woman and took her alert call button so she couldn’t summon help. She sat on the floor helpless as the man rifled through her belongings.

“I looked right in his eyes and I saw meanness in there,” Jackson said. But, she added, she also thought of the man, “He’s lost.”

Read the complete story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution here.

What To Do Before You Open Your Door…

If anyone comes to your door and requests assistance, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR! Offer to call the police or a family member of the individual.

A police officer comes without you calling, call 911 and verify the badge number of the officer prior to opening the door.

Should a technician from the cable, electric, gas, etc. knock on your door, contact the company and verify the employee.

Domestic violence shooting at Cracker Barrel results in 3 dead, 1 injured

Domestic violence cases between spouses are becoming the leading causes of death in many U.S. states, as evidenced by a domestic dispute which left three dead and one injured. The tragic incident took place at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store restaurant in Brooklyn (Cleveland), Ohio, when a woman from inside the restaurant called police to report that she was feeling threatened by her husband. The same woman had just informed her husband that she was leaving him.

According to Cleveland.com:

Police arrived just as a man was exiting the restaurant with a “long gun,” the police chief said. Officers ordered the man to drop his weapon, then fatally shot him when he didn’t comply.

One woman and a girl were discovered to be already deceased inside. Another girl was transported to a local hospital with unknown injuries. The police chief stated that he believed all of the victims were from the same family.

For more on this tragic story, see the fox8 videoaccompanying this article.

Visit: http://www.examiner.com/article/domestic-violence-shooting-at-cracker-barrel-results-3-dead-1-injured

irate man guns down wife and 10-year-old daughter.

Trafficked women experience violence and poor health

Women who have been trafficked for sexual exploitation experience violence and poor physical and mental health but there is little evidence available about the health consequences experienced by trafficked children, men or people trafficked for other forms of exploitation according to a study by UK researchers.

So a team of researchers from London, UK, examined all relevant published studies in order to gather evidence and information on the frequency of all forms of violence relating to people who have been trafficked and the frequency of physical, mental, and sexual health problems.

The authors found studies consistently reported that women and girls who had been trafficked for sexual exploitation experienced high levels of physical and sexual violence. In addition, they experienced high levels of physical, sexual, and mental health problems: headache, back pain, stomach pain and memory problems were common as were anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, the authors found that a longer duration of exploitation may be linked to higher levels of mental distress.

To read more on this article, please visit, http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/plos-twe052412.php

My Inspiration Comes From L.I.F.E.

This past Memorial Day weekend, groups of people came out to celebrate the joys of a three-day weekend, show reverence to our service men and women, spend time with family, enjoy good barbequed food, and attend a plethora of cultural festivals that Memorial Day brings. In NYC there was rain and sunshine, breeze and sweltering heat, but most importantly, there was laughter and love. Sure, one weekend does not eradicate the needs people have and the daily struggles that exist, but this weekend added perspective that I didn’t realize until I was on a trail along the Harlem River completing an ambitious walk-run combination from 145^th Street to the George Washington Bridge and back. My inspiration comes from L.I.F.E.: Love Inspires Fulfilling Efforts.

My cousin Fareedah, an avid runner, drove up from the Washington, DC area to hang out with my sisters and me. We went to a barbeque, attended the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Dance Africa, ate some good and interesting food, partied a bit on Sunday night, and finished the weekend off with that ambitious walk-run combination I mentioned earlier (my cousin didn’t walk at all—she ran the entire journey and even came back and motivated me to run the last quarter mile—pushing my body to its limit.). While I was running, I was thinking to myself how badly I wanted to quit. It was hot, my feet and legs were burning and I just wanted to be relaxing or watching people as I sat along the water’s edge. The last thing I wanted to do was to go running. I had given myself a pass not to have to work out by making excuses; and, I knew the run I was about to take would be brutal. For a little while, I almost allowed my mind to believe the ease of not running would be the best decision, but with resolve, I snapped out of that self-defeating attitude and sprang into one that encouraged me to keep going, thinking of how much I love myself and how much I love looking good in my clothes even more (I’m hardly vain though)! I thought about every bulge and roll on my body and how I could stand to lose some pounds and gain better quality time on this Earth. I also thought about how much effort our First Lady, Michelle Obama, had put into creating the Let’s Move campaign. That’s when I told myself to move it!

So, I invested in my inner health in the same way that I always invest in my outward appearance—by making the best, most advantageous, and feasible decision. As I ran along the trail, other runners and bikers were extremely supportive—they gave the thumbs up, made eye contact and erupted into smiles of approval while we were on our journey of health, and ultimately, a physical declaration of love. I had first begun this journey running on 145^th street, traversing up a steep hill with my cousin and my friend, Jenisha. While running, men cleared the sidewalks that had turned into their soap boxes and convention centers and we heard people say things like, “Keep up the good work girls,” or “Look at that…Black women running.” People loved seeing us exercise, they wanted to encourage us to do what they were not doing, and they shared LOVE completely. When the run was over, my body felt like wet noodles, but my spirit felt like water’s relief—I had been quenched.

Sitting in traffic on the FDR Drive in NYC gave me plenty of time to think so I called friends that had been on my mind, but that four-lettered ‘B’ word kept getting in the way. Two of them didn’t answer—perhaps busy had gotten the best of them also, but two of them answered. When they answered the phone, I sensed a similar emotion. Joy. They were happy to talk, but even happier to have been thought about. In that moment in time they mattered to someone else. I was now the cheerleader. Ironically, they both used the same statement, “I appreciate you.” My phone call (and of course a verbal reciprocation) had sent the same message. Those moments are what L.I.F.E. is really all about.

Love is a powerful weapon that can manifest in myriad ways; it inspires, encourages, motivates and transcends negative thoughts. Love is demonstrated in the way we treat and speak to one another and most importantly, how we treat ourselves. You may still be intending to fulfill your New Years’ Resolution. And, you still have time. Fulfill the best resolution by loving yourself and rejecting any elements that attempt to take you from your course. There will be plenty of cheerleaders on the sideline. It’s time to start living the good L.I.F.E.

For more information about Let’s Move go to www.letsmove.gov

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Follow my blog: www.ThePoliDayReport.com

Florida Family Massacre: Tonya Thomas shot her kids 18 times before killing herself, reports say

New reports reveal that Tonya Thomas, a Florida mother, shot her four children 18 times before killing herself. She was also a victim of domestic abuse. Authorities said she fired the fatal rounds, smoked a cigarette and later killed herself.

But hundreds of documents released by state officials Friday detailed the family’s history and revealed that Thomas was a woman trapped in a cycle of domestic violence and was also abused or neglected as a child.

In 2000, children watched as their father Joe Johnson yelled at Thomas for not making dinner, then punched and kicked her, knocking her into a wall. The children were removed from their parent’s home for a month but were returned despite DCF’s objections.

The documents also said Thomas was not verbally or mentally abusive to the children. Investigators spoke with neighbors and school officials and watched the children at home and said they “appear bonded to their parents.” A supervisor signed off on the case on May 13.

To read more on this article, please visit;

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57438291-504083/florida-family-massacre-tonya-thomas-shot-her-kids-18-times-before-killing-herself-reports-say/

Congressional Violence toward Women: Stop it Now!

In 1994, Former President Bill Clinton signed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), implementing pivotal legislation for victims of rape, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. When President Clinton signed this act into law, he was working with a partisan legislature that was able to effectively serve the needs of the people in a bi-partisan way. Today, President Obama faces a similar political dilemma, but there is no bi-partisan camaraderie to quell this issue. Specifically, women’s issues have entered the sparring ring as the latest issue of debate used to assumedly prevent President Obama’s reelection. This is perhaps why most people are turned off by politics; but, it is all the more reason why people should be tuned in. In September of 2012, this act will expire (did you ever think an expiration date applied to the protection of any citizens?) and is up for renewal. Women’s issues have been a fundamental component in the debate to extend state’s rights, amend our healthcare system, and now, the women who need legal protection the most—vulnerable, esteem-destroyed, and fearful women—have to contend with the fact that this past week, the majority of the Republicans recently voted to weaken the Violence Against Women Act considerably. Activist groups like NOW (The National Organization for Women) have condemned the House version of the bill due its lack of specificity and its exclusion of the very people it is intended to protect.

Women are not the enemy of the Republican Party, but then again, I guess we are, but so are the elderly, the poor, the young, the gays, and anyone else that had a hand in getting President Obama elected in the first place. Partisan politics is hurting the people and our nation! We are at war with ourselves in a losing battle. And, women have been one of heaviest and most affected groups under attack as the nation inches one step closer to the November 6^th election. Congress needs to stop this reckless display of assault and the citizens have to hold them accountable. The Violence Against Women Act is just as important as having access to clean air and water. And, there is no negotiating it! We need to talk about it, but more importantly we need to talk to our legislators about it.

Every link included in this blog is important to your knowledge on how you can be a better, more informed voter and citizen. America is will only be as good as we make it. Stevie Wonder, receiving the Billboard Icon Award on Sunday May 20^th, 2012 said it best, “We are at a place [in society] where we have to commit ourselves to love.” Women, as much as we claim to love ourselves, we have to really take the time to show it so that others can reciprocate that love.

Click on the following link to find out who your Congressmen / women are: http://www.whitehouse.gov

Click on this link provided by another read-worthy blog, The Root, to find out how the Violence Against Women Act is being stripped as reported by professor and MSNBC political commentator, Melissa Harris-Perry: http://www.theroot.com/buzz/mhp-violence-against-women-act-stripped

Zakiyyah

Follow my blog: www.thepolidayreport.com

Follow me on twitter: DoItGurl

The Journey to Happy: Getting There Now!

This past Sunday we celebrated the lives of the women that have nurtured and cultivated the hearts and minds and spirits of a nation—Mothers! Happy Mother’s Day! In as much as Mother’s Day is a celebration of the role, it is also a celebration of the woman, mind, body and soul. Since the beginning of time, women have been trying to carve out a special niche in a world too consumed with trying to orchestrate our every move and our inner-most thoughts. Too often, it appears as if women are subjects learning how to do the simple, everyday, human things to meet demands that have been structured by men—and it feels weird.

Out of this awkwardly contrived existence come frustration, panic, and ultimately, the unhappiness of how to fit beautifully shaped creatures into jagged and uncomfortable spaces that compliment none of us. When we reach a certain age, most of us are bombarded with getting married and having children. The bludgeoning gong of our biological clocks keeps us in an unnatural perspiring pace to fit into a world that many of us are okay with never championing, but society wouldn’t dare allow us to traverse the path of being unmarried, childless, career women without the chagrin of being told of the regrets this decision would bring as we become seasoned women—and so we jump into the race for the ring [wedding], the babies, and the life that keeps most of us away from the journey to happy into the journey of obligation.

In time for Mother’s Day, Jada Pinkett-Smith, joined by her mother Adrienne and her daughter Willow, released the ‘Red Table Talks’ in which they discussed love, life and regrets. One of the most poignant moments in the series premier is when Pinkett-Smith is asked by her daughter about the challenges of being a wife and mother. In Jada’s lofty but reflective response, the takeaways were:

* The more balance we have, the happier we are.
* We are responsible for our own happiness.
* Women have to create new message-ing. We have a right to be happy.
* Meditation helps women to get focused.
* Women have to learn to take care of ourselves first and foremost.
* Communication creates partnership.

As women, we have so much responsibility but our first responsibility must be to ourselves. There is an African proverb that says, “We begin by being foolish and we become wise by experience.” ~Maasai Proverb (@africanproverbs). The hope is that the longer we’re on this journey of life, the wiser and the happier we become.

To view the entire ‘Red Table Talks’ video, click on the link below:

http://www.5min.com/Video/Red-Table-Talks-Jada-Pinkett-Smith-Willow-Smith-Talk-Love-Family-517362771

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Ex-detective accused of rape to blame antidepressant for attack

According to the Los Angeles Times, a former Westminster, CA, police detective accused of kidnapping a woman from Ontario Mills mall in 2010 and raping her at gunpoint will try to convince a jury Monday that he was under the influence of an antidepressant and therefore not responsible for his actions. Anthony Nicholas Orban faces kidnapping and rape charges in the attack on a 25-year-old-waitress who was abducted while leaving work. Prosecutors and investigators believe, Orban kidnapped the woman in the parking lot and then forced her to drive to a commercial location in Fontana, CA, where he raped her. Thankfully, the woman managed to escape during the attack and alert authorities.

To continue reading, please visit:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/