Upon shutting down Angels for Action’s identification card program on January 31, Mayor Adrian Mapp explained to Plainfield View that a group of people had been “exploited through false hope and deception.” Mapp added, “the City has an obligation to protect it’s residents, especially the most vulnerable, from organized exploitation.” Perhaps, at that point, the…

Unfortunately, we learned this morning of the passing of Jackson, Mississippi mayor, longtime activist and civil rights attorney Chokwe Lumumba. He was just elected last June, sworn in on July 1. Right after his election he held an informative interview with Democracy Now where you can learn more about who he was. Even during Chokwe…

Members of the Plainfield blogosphere don’t go after each other every day – it’s more like every few weeks, and it’s usually Dan Damon. It was brought to my attention that it has happened once again – this time Harold “Old Doc” Yood coming at me for my brief write-up about a Rutgers report (see…

Last month I wrote a piece about Plainfield Community Television where I mentioned that the next Right Here in Plainfield would feature Frank Pascale of Cafe Vivace, and that the first episode of Conversations would be between filmmaker Alrick Brown and artist Alonzo Adams. The latter came out a month ago, and Right Here in Plainfield was released just…

It’s no secret. I’m quite fond of the City of Brotherly Love. From its low cost of living, to its long cultural history, to its proximity to both New York and DC, to its small town but still big city feel, to its wonderful food, I grew to love Philadelphia through my six years there.…

As covered previously by Plainfield View, you can see artist Indira Bailey’s exhibit at the Drake House as part of their Black History Month Celebration every Sunday until March 9. However, this coming Sunday starting at 2pm you are invited to see a documentary of her travels entitled East Meets West: Islamic, Judaic, & Western Influences…

Until the wee hours of this morning, I was in my living room with Plainfield’s hip hop duo Negros Americanos as they filmed a few portions of a soon to be released documentary, most likely to be called Lost in the Wilderness. The documentary, which you can expect to see in March, will feature a lot…

I will be working from home today – but I couldn’t resist going on a short walk to take pictures during the height of the snow at around 9:00 this morning.

Last weekend, I wrote about the uptick in traffic stops for speeding violations in Plainfield. In speaking to Police Director Carl Riley, Plainfield View learned that these actions are a response to citizens’ complaints about speeding. We also learned that controversial automated license plate readers are used to better enforce the law. Automated license plate…

Upon the death of Nelson Mandela, the New York Times ran no less than four full pages about his life in one day. There was not a single mention of Cuba, the Caribbean nation just to our south. That’s paramount to mentioning the Civil Rights Act of 1964 without mentioning Selma, or Montgomery, or Birmingham.…