Riverview-Douglass Community Responding to Arrest

IN SHOWCASING THE GOOD NEWS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.. THE COMMUNITY IS RESPONDING TO, AND COMING TO THE DEFENSE OF ONE OF OUR OWN. THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE FROM THE PAPER IS BELOW, FOLLOWED BY "LETTERS TO THE EDITOR"
--Calvin


NFL star Sensabaugh arrested in Kingsport

Police said Sensabaugh had three guns in his vehicle, including an AK-47, but was not charged with a weapons offense because he had a carry permit.

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS FROM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2009

By KACIE DINGUS BREEDING kdingus@timesnews.net



KINGSPORT — Jacksonville Jaguars safety Gerald Sensabaugh Jr., a Kingsport native, was arrested for driving on a suspended license Friday.
About 1:40 p.m., Kingsport Police Department Officer Amanda Lunsford said she saw a black Bentley drive west on Center Street, turn onto Dale Street and circle the block.

Suspicious of a Bentley in the vicinity of Kingsport’s public housing, the officer said she ran the tag and found the car was registered to Sensabaugh. The Bentley pulled up outside Crew Cut Barber Shop, 806 E. Center St., and Sensabaugh went inside.
Lunsford then checked Sensabaugh’s driver’s license and discovered it had been suspended for “multiple violations” and failure to satisfy a citation.
Sensabaugh has a history of speeding, Lunsford said, which could have resulted in a suspension due to the points accumulated on his license — although she added that his failure to satisfy a citation alone could have been what led to the suspension.
Lunsford then went into the shop and arrested Sensabaugh on a charge of driving on a suspended license.
Sensabaugh was allowed to finish getting a haircut before he was taken into custody.
This marks the second time in less than two years that Sensabaugh has been arrested by Kingsport police.
In March 2007, Kingsport police stopped Sensabaugh after radar clocked his 2006 BMW doing 84 mph in a 55 mph zone on East Stone Drive. During that stop, Sensabaugh was arrested after an officer recovered a loaded Springfield 9mm pistol from the car’s console. He was charged with failure to obtain a carry permit for the weapon — a misdemeanor.
Police said guns were found in Sensabaugh’s possession during Friday’s arrest as well. According to police, he had a Bersa 380, an International Arms AK-47 and a Glock 22 in the car. Jail officials said Sensabaugh was not charged for having guns in his car this time.
Lunsford said he had a carry permit this time.
Sensabaugh was selected in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft and is coming off the best season of his career. He started 13 games in 2008, tallying 70 tackles, eight passes defended, and four interceptions.
His initial contract with the Jaguars is set to expire, and it’s suspected Jacksonville may let Sensabaugh test his worth to other teams.


SUBSEQUENT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES-NEWS:


Sensabaugh incident embarrasses city

The initial traffic stop of Gerald Sensabaugh, based on what I read, was unwarranted. I wonder why we’re trying so hard to give a national-level football talent such a bad rap here in his hometown. Why are we not celebrating his achievements instead of harassing him with a woefully unfounded traffic stop? Who wants to live in a town where you have to keep up with the “correct” neighborhoods in which to drive your car? Since when did we consider Kingsport’s downtown “the wrong side of the tracks”? And here I thought we were working so hard to improve it, too.
Are we saying our downtown area is too trashy for a nice car like a Bentley to fit in? Let’s be sure to warn all the NASCAR dignitaries: when you come to town for the big Bristol race, be sure to leave your nice ride at home. Mr. Sensabaugh could have chosen Johnson City or any number of our outlying towns for his home base when he wants to spend time with family in the off-season. Instead, he chose Kingsport, and we should be proud of this local boy who made good instead of looking for ways to make him feel unwelcome here. His neighbors on Buckingham Court are glad to have him live nearby and that this young man behaves like a true gentleman every time you meet him. A story like this should be an embarrassment to a city that ostensibly wants to attract and retain its post-graduate talent. This kind of outdated thinking on the police force is not conducive to the progressive goals our community has prescribed for our downtown area. If the national media were to get wind of this gaffe, it will give our city a black eye and send a profound message to our young people: if you do well for yourself, don’t come back home.
Misty Slemp
Kingsport

Sensabaugh a victim of profiling

I look forward to the day when every resident of South Central Kingsport can afford to drive a Bentley. Maybe then it won’ be a crime. Yes, Gerald Sensabaugh should not have been driving on a suspended driver’s license. But racial profiling is also wrong, and the reason given for stopping his car was textbook profiling. Maybe the KPD needs another diversity training class.
Joseph Comage
Mount Carmel

Seven Steps to Good Heath

FROM DON HICKMAN:
This is a article I received from Dr. Waine Kong,Ph.d, J.D. Waine is a Jamacian golfing buddy of mine who served as the CEO of the Association of Black Cardiologists when he lived in Atlanta. He has retired and moved back to Jamaica. His article below is worth sharing with our readers. Waine's blogspot is on the email info below if you want more info:


SEVEN STEPS TO GOOD HEATH

1. Be spiritually active. An important study from the University of Texas tells us that people who attend church regularly, live seven to fourteen years longer than those who do not go to church. Apparently, the fellowship, good will, meditation, inspirational words and singing together increase our ability to cope. According to Dr. Malcolm Taylor: “If you have God, family and friends, you may stumble, but you will never hit the ground.”

2. Take charge of your blood pressure. Despite steady progress over the past thirty three years, uncontrolled high blood pressure is projected to increase by 60% over the next twenty years. Tell your doctor you want to keep your blood pressure as close to goal (120/80 mm Hg) as possible.

3. Control your cholesterol. Keep your HDL high (>1.0 mmol/L), and your LDL low (<3.4 mmol/l), and total cholesterol low (< 5.0 mmol/L). High cholesterol leads to plaque, which restricts the flow of blood. Diet, exercise, and statin therapy are the keys to maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.

4. Track your blood sugar and maintain ideal weight. Obesity and diabetes track each other. As the rate of obesity goes up, so does diabetes. If you are overweight, you run a high risk of developing diabetes which increases your risk of heart attacks, strokes, blindness, amputations and impotence. Why must sugar and fats accompany every expression of love and every celebration? By reducing obesity, we are taking a swing at diabetes. Three out of four diabetics will die from heart disease and stroke. If you have the following symptoms, you should consult a doctor: Fatigue, blurred vision, excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss and non-healing wounds and sores. These may indicate that you have diabetes.

5. Enjoy regular exercise (30 minutes per day-every day), follow a sensible diet and get a good night’s sleep! Move those muscles. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, reduce fats and sugars, but most of all, eat less. Every little bit you do can ether help or hurt your health a little bit. Twenty years ago, 50% of children walked to school. Don’t be a fat maker by insisting that others eat more of what they do not need and resist being a victim of a fat maker also. Let’s be more creative about demonstrating love for each other than to force feed the ones you most care about. If you don’t sleep well, get a sleep study and then follow your doctor’s advice. Sleep apnea, a significant contributor to hypertension and heart disease, is more common among those who are obese.

6. Don’t smoke. Nobody argues with this any more: not even smokers. Smoking constricts the arteries, increases carbon monoxide in the body, lowers the good cholesterol, makes a chimney of your nose and is the primary cause of lung cancer. Smoking is our most preventable cause of premature death.

7. Access better health care, get a check up and faithfully take your medication as prescribed. It is no longer acceptable for the most vulnerable among us to receive the worst care. Just because some of us are poor does not mean that we should be relegated to poor care. All members of society deserve to receive respectful health care. If you are dissatisfied with the care that you are receiving, then seek care elsewhere. More importantly, it does no good for you to be evaluated by a physician, have your condition diagnosed and medication prescribed if you do not then fill the prescription and take it as directed.

www.Jamaicachapter.blogspot.com


B. Waine Kong Ph.D., JD
President
Heart Institute of the Caribbean Foundation
23 Balmoral Avenue
Kingston 10, Jamaica
Telephone: 876-906-2105 Ext 276
Jamaica Cell: (876) 291-1506
Fax: 876-906-4413
EMAIL: wkong@caribbeanheart.com

Times-News Black History Month: Fit 2 A T accepted ‘not as a black business but as just a business’

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By SHARON CASKEY HAYES
shayes@timesnews.net


KINGSPORT — Delbert “Donny” Wade always wanted to own a business. So when he began preparing to retire from Eastman Chemical Co. after 30 years of service, he and his wife Linda decided to explore their options.
They narrowed their choices to two business concepts: opening a hot dog stand or an alterations storefront.


“I’m a good-sized man and it’s hard for me to get good alterations,” Donny said. “We did some research and found there wasn’t a lot of alterations businesses available. So after praying about it, we decided to open one up.”
Donny and Linda opened Fit 2 A T in April 2008 at 124 Commerce St. The shop offers all types of alterations, as well as embroidery and monogramming services.
The business features a large dressing area complete with a mirrored platform, along with a large room equipped with various machines that perform specific sewing functions.
The Wades opened the shop during prom season last year, which helped get business off to a good start.
“There was an avalanche. And then after prom season came wedding season. So we stayed busy,” Donny said.
The shop has a partnership with Annie’s Room, which sends its customers with alterations needs to Fit 2 A T.
Linda said the shop has attracted customers from across the region.
“We had a lady coming from Big Stone Gap — and she used to take her garments to Abingdon,” Linda said.
“I love the joy of getting to talk with people. This has actually been like a ministry for us. It’s not just a job or a business, it’s an adventure.”
The Wades themselves don’t perform alterations. Donny manages the business, while the actual sewing work is performed by professional seamstress Karen Housewright. Receptionist Rita Batman oversees the front office.
Meanwhile, Linda Wade helps out at the business when she’s not working with at-risk youth at Dobyns-Bennett High School.
Donny also does consulting work and serves as an associate minister and Sunday School teacher at Mount Zion Baptist Church.
As African American business owners, Donny and Linda said they’ve encountered no racism at the shop. But Donny, 53, grew up in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and remembers when his parents would go through a local fast-food restaurant’s drive-through because the family wasn’t welcome inside the e a t e r y.
“They wouldn’t let us come in,” Donny said.
In 1967, the Murfreesboro school system was integrated, and black and white children landed in the same schools, the same classrooms.
Donny remembers being called by a racial slur.
“Now, for us to open our own business in 2008 and for people to accept us — not as a black business but as just a business — that’s something,” Donny said.
Because of that, he said he’s not surprised that the country elected its first African-American president. On election day, he recalled Martin Luther King Jr.,’s words.
“He said, ‘I may not get to the promised land with you, but we’ll make it.’ I just felt a sense of peace. What God means to happen, will happen,” he said.
Linda said she accompanied her 83-year-old mother to the polls on election day to vote for the first time in her long life.
“That’s when reality hit home. It just brought hope,” she said.
For more information on the business, contact Fit 2 A T at (423) 288-9494.

Times-News Black History Month: Maxwell at the wheel of his own coach business

THIS STORY COURTESY THE KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS

By SHARON CASKEY HAYES
shayes@timesnews.net



KINGSPORT — A few years ago, Charles Maxwell was working as a driver of a coach company when his employer went out of business, and he found himself out of a job.
“So I just decided to go out on my own,” Maxwell said.
He took his future into his own hands, and in May 2005, Maxwell launched his business, Maxwell Coach Co., offering coach services throughout the region and beyond.


Maxwell operates two large capacity coaches — one equipped with 50 seats and the other with 49 seats.
Business has slowed in recent months, so last October, Maxwell purchased a 37-seat coach to handle in-town trips and day excursions. The new coach helped him land a contract with the Boys & Girls Club to transport passengers around town.
“With the schools and churches not traveling as much as they usually do, it kind of kept my bigger coaches sitting. So I needed to do something to bring in some income,” he said.
Maxwell does much of the driving himself. He also has four drivers who help out part-time when needed.
Just recently, Maxwell’s two large coaches were contracted to transport passengers to Washington, D.C., to witness the inauguration of President Obama.
Maxwell said he never dreamed of seeing an African American in the White House during his lifetime.
“It’s historical, moving,” Maxwell said. “I’m a person who believes in change.”
Maxwell, 41, was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Kingsport, graduating from Dobyns-Bennett High School in 1986. He said he didn’t experience blatant racism growing up here, and says the way you’re treated all comes down to your own attitude.
“You shouldn’t judge a person just because of the way they look. They may be the one who sticks their hand out to help you,” Maxwell said.
As for his business, Maxwell credited the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce and the Kingsport Office of Small Business Development & Entrepreneurship for their help. He also thanked the Kingsport Convention & Visitors Bureau for sending business his way.
And Maxwell thanked area schools, churches and other organizations for their support over the last several years. He especially cited the wrestling club of Grundy, Va.
“My biggest contract is in Grundy with the wrestling club. They’ve really stuck by me and been there for me,” he said.
Maxwell has four children — one attending East Tennessee State University, one in the U.S. Air Force, and two attending Dobyns-Bennett High School.
For more information, visit www.maxwellcoachco.com or contact Maxwell at maxwellcoachco@yahoo.com or (423) 276-3677.