Hate It or Love It Most Popular Posts
-
The more than 11 FAQ about Black Greek Organizations (No holds barred) 1: What's the history behind the rivalry between the ladies of ...
-
Is it the legs...the thighs...the skin color...the calve muscles??? This why I love African-American women!!! Bootilicous The TRUE definitio... -
The BET Network continues to diversify its programming with a new channel geared towards adults called Centric, which debuts this October. J...
December 16, 2011
December 15, 2011
December 14, 2011
December 13, 2011
HOW TO KEEP POOR PEOPLE POOR...(MUST READ)
Back in the late '80s, I had an opportunity to travel inside the Eastern European nation of Romania, which at that time was in its fifth decade of communism. It was a country that was crumbling. I witnessed empty store shelves, food lines, and the dreary faces of people in survival mode. Meanwhile, their megalomaniac ruler, Nicolae Ceauşescu, pampered himself in mansions scattered about the country that were filled with marble, art, antiques and gold-fixtured bathrooms.
About the only happy person I met in Romania was an elderly Seventh Day Adventist pastor who lived in a weathered little house in a small Romanian village. He was, in fact, bubbling with joy, and he told me that the reason he was so blessed was because he loved God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength. Visiting with him was a delight.
Pastors were considered societal parasites in Eastern Europe during those years, and so he, like all pastors, was required to work at a daily job that was thought to be of some economic value. He had been assigned to work with a crew of loggers. He told me that each day his crew would hike out into the forest, cut down trees for three hours, and then lie down and sleep on the forest floor for the remainder of their shift.
I asked him the reason for such an extended daily work break. He explained that if his crew cut down more than their required quota of trees on any given day, their daily quota would be increased. And they would not receive any increase in pay since the government set all wages, and everyone in Romania was supposedly equal. So that joyful, blessed pastor who loved God with all his heart spent his afternoons sleeping in the woods!
His story illustrates a universal human trait: Unless we are motivated by some noble cause, we will always choose the easiest option. That Romanian pastor did not consider lining the pockets of communist leaders to be a noble cause. If he, however, would have had a guarantee of earning more money in exchange for more work, he would have worked harder, as he would have been motivated by love for his wife and children to be a better provider. He may have also been motivated by love for the poor with whom he could share a portion of his earnings. Communism utterly kills people's motivation to work harder, because the harder-working laborer receives no benefit. Socialism has the same effect, just to a lesser degree. Why should I work harder if most of my increase is taken by the government and given to someone else who is unwilling to work?
What would you have done had you been that Romanian pastor? Imagine for a moment that you were looking for a job and were offered two identical opportunities, but one job paid more than the other. Which would you choose? You would, of course, choose the higher-paying opportunity simply because it offers you more money for the same amount of work. That Romanian pastor was similarly motivated, except there was a ceiling set on his earnings. So he chose the "higher paying job"---the one that required less work for the same amount of earnings. If you or I had been that Romanian pastor, we would have been sleeping in the woods every afternoon, too.
Let me take this one step further. What if you were offered two opportunities to gain $1,000, one that required one week's labor, and one that required no labor? I suspect you'd take the second offer, the gift of $1,000. Again, unless we're motivated by some noble cause, we naturally choose the easiest option.
Understanding this helps us realize what we don't want to do for the poor if we truly want to help them, and that is, give them something for nothing. A flow of well-intentioned charity can ensure perpetual poverty. We should not wonder why the poor have no motivation to work when we feed, clothe and house them without requiring any work from them. They will choose the easiest option. Like the former communist government of Romania, we've effectively killed any motivation they may have had before we arrived with all our good intentions.
Government charity is of course no different than private charity. If by working, people are not able to make significantly more money than they can gain from collecting welfare checks, they will have absolutely no motivation to get "off the dole" (as they say in Britain).
When it comes to dealing with the truly poor in less-developed nations---those whose poverty is appalling by comparison to what is labeled as poverty in the more-developed world---we have a natural tendency to compassionately empty our wallets to instantly meet the glaring needs. But the recipient has been taught a lesson that he will not soon forget: The easiest means to money is to be friends with rich people from other countries. That is the breeding ground for all sorts of evil that aid-organizations, western missionaries, and practically any Christian with an email address frequently find themselves facing, evils such as deception, flattery, and bad reports about other "less-worthy" beneficiaries. Beyond that, expectations and dependencies are slowly created, and as benefactors slowly grow weary of feeding the ever-increasing appetites of the monsters they've created, they ultimately stop their flow of charity. In the bitter end, benefactors find themselves accused of "betrayal" and "cold-heartedness" by their former beneficiaries---who have already begun their search for the next benefactor.
Before I go any further, let me quickly affirm that needy people who are unable to earn a living for themselves, such as orphaned children, elderly widows, those who are significantly handicapped or oppressed, and those with no earning opportunities, are in a different category. They need a flow of charity, at least temporarily. Those who suddenly find themselves in desperate situations, such as victims of natural disasters or war refugees, need immediate hand-outs in the form of food and shelter; but even in those cases, relief needs to transition to development as soon as possible. And although I hoped to avoid using in this article the worn-out cliché about the comparative benefits of giving a man a fish versus teaching him to fish, there is no better illustration of what I'm talking about. Development is better than relief.
It is not always quite so simple in the real world, however, because chances are the man already knows how to fish, he is already fishing, but he is only catching enough fish to barely feed himself and his family. What he needs is a boat and a net so he can catch more fish, and he needs a nearby market where people would be willing to buy his fish.
So how do we get that man the boat and net he needs? We have two good options. We can either give or lend him money to purchase the tools a fisherman needs. If we give him money, from the outset the profits from his new venture don't have to be split between meeting his own needs and making loan payments. He may not, however, be as careful to take care of the tools that cost him nothing, and he may not work as hard to ensure his success. What costs nothing is often valued accordingly. If he fails, he hasn't lost anything, and is only back to where he was before he started. He may assume that if he fails his benefactor will be there to bail him out again.
If, however, we lend him money at interest to purchase a boat and net---and even require some collateral---he is then motivated to carefully consider his business plan, weigh his risk of loss, and work very hard to succeed. He is personally invested from the start. Moreover, if he repays his loan, we can help another needy fisherman to buy a boat and net, and then another, and another and another. If he refuses to take a loan (at a reasonable interest rate), it might be a good indication that he doesn't believe he can succeed in a proposed business. The willingness of people to take loans and put up collateral can be an excellent litmus test of their chances of success.
Learning these things from our experiences and the experiences of others, Heaven's Family is focusing more and more on establishing micro-banks. These banks not only provide start-up capital via loans for enterprising believers, but they also provide income for micro-bankers via the interest that their little banks earn.
So this is the first principle of helping the poor: We should never do for the poor what they can do for themselves. Years ago I can remember traveling with my church's youth group to Appalachia to repair run-down houses of the poorest people I had ever met up until that point in my life. I can remember that the people spoke English, but we were barely able to understand them because of their thick mountain accents. And I can remember how we marveled that the residents would just sit and watch us repair their leaky roofs and sagging porches. We never required them to join us in our work, and they were happy to drink our lemonade and not get in our way.
If I had to do it all over again, I would start by asking homeowners if they had any roof leaks. If they said "yes," I'd hand them a few shingles, some roofing nails and a can of tar, and tell them, "Go fix a leak on your neighbor's roof. I'll be back in an hour. If I see you've used what I've given you to fix a neighbor's leak, I'll pay you with a few shingles, some nails and a little tar that you can use to fix one of the leaks on your own roof."
Scripture says, "If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either" (2 Thes. 3:10). That is plain and simple, and it is just as much a biblical commandment as are all the commandments to give to the poor. The apostle Paul believed in that commandment so much that he worked just to set a good example, even when he had the right to be sustained by the offerings:
For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either (2 Thes. 3:7-10).
Under the old covenant, field-owners were forbidden to gather the gleanings from their fields during the harvest, but to leave what remained for the poor (see Deut. 24:19-21; Lev. 19:9-10). Notice, however, that if the poor were to benefit, they had to work to gather the gleanings. Field-owners didn't deliver gleanings to their doorsteps. God set the example Himself in that regard, freely pouring manna from heaven six days a week for the needy people of Israel as they journeyed to the Promised Land, but He required that they gather it. Those who didn't work didn't eat. There was no such thing as a free lunch from God.
We read in Acts 6 of the early church's efforts to take care of widows by means of a daily feeding. It didn't take long before the apostles were plagued by the universal dilemma that always stalks the generous: More needy people start showing up for their handouts. Those widows in Jerusalem who were being overlooked started complaining, and their representatives accused the apostles of ethnic favoritism. That is no doubt why the apostles, as they decided to delegate their responsibilities to others, required men who were "full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (Acts 6:3, emphasis added). Effective benevolence demands great wisdom, lest more harm than good be done.
Paul later wisely laid out very detailed instructions to Timothy regarding which widows should and should not be supported by the church (see 1 Tim. 5:3-16). Only a limited number would qualify, and those who did would hardly be receiving something for nothing, as they were required to work full-time in serving others, doing good works, and praying.
We have found that in some cases, impoverished Christians in other countries have been so conditioned by the thoughtless charity of Western Christians that they seem to have no concept of working to earn money, but expect to be sustained by hand-outs. If offered a loan to start a business, they refuse it, as it requires work to succeed and repay the loan. Those folks should be left alone until their stomachs educate their heads:
A worker's appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on (Prov. 16:26).
I once heard about a pastor who, during the Great Depression, frequently had beggars come to his church office to ask him for money. He would first ask them if they had looked for a job. They would respond that they had, but explained that they had simply not been able to find one. He then asked them if they would work if they could find a job. They always replied in the affirmative. Finally, he would say to them, "Good! I have a pile of wood in back of the church that needs split. There's an axe beside the woodshed. Go out and split as many of those logs as you can, and then come back and I'll pay you."
The majority of the time, those freeloaders politely thanked him, walked out his door, and he never saw them again. And that pastor kept a clear conscience in the process.
Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest"—Your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man (Prov. 6:6-11).
About the only happy person I met in Romania was an elderly Seventh Day Adventist pastor who lived in a weathered little house in a small Romanian village. He was, in fact, bubbling with joy, and he told me that the reason he was so blessed was because he loved God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength. Visiting with him was a delight.
Pastors were considered societal parasites in Eastern Europe during those years, and so he, like all pastors, was required to work at a daily job that was thought to be of some economic value. He had been assigned to work with a crew of loggers. He told me that each day his crew would hike out into the forest, cut down trees for three hours, and then lie down and sleep on the forest floor for the remainder of their shift.
I asked him the reason for such an extended daily work break. He explained that if his crew cut down more than their required quota of trees on any given day, their daily quota would be increased. And they would not receive any increase in pay since the government set all wages, and everyone in Romania was supposedly equal. So that joyful, blessed pastor who loved God with all his heart spent his afternoons sleeping in the woods!
His story illustrates a universal human trait: Unless we are motivated by some noble cause, we will always choose the easiest option. That Romanian pastor did not consider lining the pockets of communist leaders to be a noble cause. If he, however, would have had a guarantee of earning more money in exchange for more work, he would have worked harder, as he would have been motivated by love for his wife and children to be a better provider. He may have also been motivated by love for the poor with whom he could share a portion of his earnings. Communism utterly kills people's motivation to work harder, because the harder-working laborer receives no benefit. Socialism has the same effect, just to a lesser degree. Why should I work harder if most of my increase is taken by the government and given to someone else who is unwilling to work?
What would you have done had you been that Romanian pastor? Imagine for a moment that you were looking for a job and were offered two identical opportunities, but one job paid more than the other. Which would you choose? You would, of course, choose the higher-paying opportunity simply because it offers you more money for the same amount of work. That Romanian pastor was similarly motivated, except there was a ceiling set on his earnings. So he chose the "higher paying job"---the one that required less work for the same amount of earnings. If you or I had been that Romanian pastor, we would have been sleeping in the woods every afternoon, too.
Let me take this one step further. What if you were offered two opportunities to gain $1,000, one that required one week's labor, and one that required no labor? I suspect you'd take the second offer, the gift of $1,000. Again, unless we're motivated by some noble cause, we naturally choose the easiest option.
Understanding this helps us realize what we don't want to do for the poor if we truly want to help them, and that is, give them something for nothing. A flow of well-intentioned charity can ensure perpetual poverty. We should not wonder why the poor have no motivation to work when we feed, clothe and house them without requiring any work from them. They will choose the easiest option. Like the former communist government of Romania, we've effectively killed any motivation they may have had before we arrived with all our good intentions.
Government charity is of course no different than private charity. If by working, people are not able to make significantly more money than they can gain from collecting welfare checks, they will have absolutely no motivation to get "off the dole" (as they say in Britain).
When it comes to dealing with the truly poor in less-developed nations---those whose poverty is appalling by comparison to what is labeled as poverty in the more-developed world---we have a natural tendency to compassionately empty our wallets to instantly meet the glaring needs. But the recipient has been taught a lesson that he will not soon forget: The easiest means to money is to be friends with rich people from other countries. That is the breeding ground for all sorts of evil that aid-organizations, western missionaries, and practically any Christian with an email address frequently find themselves facing, evils such as deception, flattery, and bad reports about other "less-worthy" beneficiaries. Beyond that, expectations and dependencies are slowly created, and as benefactors slowly grow weary of feeding the ever-increasing appetites of the monsters they've created, they ultimately stop their flow of charity. In the bitter end, benefactors find themselves accused of "betrayal" and "cold-heartedness" by their former beneficiaries---who have already begun their search for the next benefactor.
Before I go any further, let me quickly affirm that needy people who are unable to earn a living for themselves, such as orphaned children, elderly widows, those who are significantly handicapped or oppressed, and those with no earning opportunities, are in a different category. They need a flow of charity, at least temporarily. Those who suddenly find themselves in desperate situations, such as victims of natural disasters or war refugees, need immediate hand-outs in the form of food and shelter; but even in those cases, relief needs to transition to development as soon as possible. And although I hoped to avoid using in this article the worn-out cliché about the comparative benefits of giving a man a fish versus teaching him to fish, there is no better illustration of what I'm talking about. Development is better than relief.
It is not always quite so simple in the real world, however, because chances are the man already knows how to fish, he is already fishing, but he is only catching enough fish to barely feed himself and his family. What he needs is a boat and a net so he can catch more fish, and he needs a nearby market where people would be willing to buy his fish.
So how do we get that man the boat and net he needs? We have two good options. We can either give or lend him money to purchase the tools a fisherman needs. If we give him money, from the outset the profits from his new venture don't have to be split between meeting his own needs and making loan payments. He may not, however, be as careful to take care of the tools that cost him nothing, and he may not work as hard to ensure his success. What costs nothing is often valued accordingly. If he fails, he hasn't lost anything, and is only back to where he was before he started. He may assume that if he fails his benefactor will be there to bail him out again.
If, however, we lend him money at interest to purchase a boat and net---and even require some collateral---he is then motivated to carefully consider his business plan, weigh his risk of loss, and work very hard to succeed. He is personally invested from the start. Moreover, if he repays his loan, we can help another needy fisherman to buy a boat and net, and then another, and another and another. If he refuses to take a loan (at a reasonable interest rate), it might be a good indication that he doesn't believe he can succeed in a proposed business. The willingness of people to take loans and put up collateral can be an excellent litmus test of their chances of success.
Learning these things from our experiences and the experiences of others, Heaven's Family is focusing more and more on establishing micro-banks. These banks not only provide start-up capital via loans for enterprising believers, but they also provide income for micro-bankers via the interest that their little banks earn.
So this is the first principle of helping the poor: We should never do for the poor what they can do for themselves. Years ago I can remember traveling with my church's youth group to Appalachia to repair run-down houses of the poorest people I had ever met up until that point in my life. I can remember that the people spoke English, but we were barely able to understand them because of their thick mountain accents. And I can remember how we marveled that the residents would just sit and watch us repair their leaky roofs and sagging porches. We never required them to join us in our work, and they were happy to drink our lemonade and not get in our way.
If I had to do it all over again, I would start by asking homeowners if they had any roof leaks. If they said "yes," I'd hand them a few shingles, some roofing nails and a can of tar, and tell them, "Go fix a leak on your neighbor's roof. I'll be back in an hour. If I see you've used what I've given you to fix a neighbor's leak, I'll pay you with a few shingles, some nails and a little tar that you can use to fix one of the leaks on your own roof."
Scripture says, "If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either" (2 Thes. 3:10). That is plain and simple, and it is just as much a biblical commandment as are all the commandments to give to the poor. The apostle Paul believed in that commandment so much that he worked just to set a good example, even when he had the right to be sustained by the offerings:
For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either (2 Thes. 3:7-10).
Under the old covenant, field-owners were forbidden to gather the gleanings from their fields during the harvest, but to leave what remained for the poor (see Deut. 24:19-21; Lev. 19:9-10). Notice, however, that if the poor were to benefit, they had to work to gather the gleanings. Field-owners didn't deliver gleanings to their doorsteps. God set the example Himself in that regard, freely pouring manna from heaven six days a week for the needy people of Israel as they journeyed to the Promised Land, but He required that they gather it. Those who didn't work didn't eat. There was no such thing as a free lunch from God.
We read in Acts 6 of the early church's efforts to take care of widows by means of a daily feeding. It didn't take long before the apostles were plagued by the universal dilemma that always stalks the generous: More needy people start showing up for their handouts. Those widows in Jerusalem who were being overlooked started complaining, and their representatives accused the apostles of ethnic favoritism. That is no doubt why the apostles, as they decided to delegate their responsibilities to others, required men who were "full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (Acts 6:3, emphasis added). Effective benevolence demands great wisdom, lest more harm than good be done.
Paul later wisely laid out very detailed instructions to Timothy regarding which widows should and should not be supported by the church (see 1 Tim. 5:3-16). Only a limited number would qualify, and those who did would hardly be receiving something for nothing, as they were required to work full-time in serving others, doing good works, and praying.
We have found that in some cases, impoverished Christians in other countries have been so conditioned by the thoughtless charity of Western Christians that they seem to have no concept of working to earn money, but expect to be sustained by hand-outs. If offered a loan to start a business, they refuse it, as it requires work to succeed and repay the loan. Those folks should be left alone until their stomachs educate their heads:
A worker's appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on (Prov. 16:26).
I once heard about a pastor who, during the Great Depression, frequently had beggars come to his church office to ask him for money. He would first ask them if they had looked for a job. They would respond that they had, but explained that they had simply not been able to find one. He then asked them if they would work if they could find a job. They always replied in the affirmative. Finally, he would say to them, "Good! I have a pile of wood in back of the church that needs split. There's an axe beside the woodshed. Go out and split as many of those logs as you can, and then come back and I'll pay you."
The majority of the time, those freeloaders politely thanked him, walked out his door, and he never saw them again. And that pastor kept a clear conscience in the process.
Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest"—Your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man (Prov. 6:6-11).
December 12, 2011
December 11, 2011
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMM,,,,
Ever wondered how when a white man dates or marries a black woman they get the BEST OF THE BEST, IE, Beauty Queens, Lawyers, Actresses, Doctors.......But when a BLACK MAN marries or dates a white woman....he can be a MILLIONAIRE GOLFER, CEO, or ATHLETES AND SHE can be a nanny, waitress or store clerk....
No hate...Just saying....
No hate...Just saying....
December 8, 2011
R.I.P. LITTLE JORELYS RIVERA....SAD
A 20-year-old maintenance worker was arrested Wednesday in the beating death of a 7-year-old north Georgia girl who was abducted and killed at an apartment complex and her body left in a trash bin.
Ryan Brunn, who lived and worked at the apartment complex, was jailed on a murder warrant, said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan.
Jorelys Rivera was last seen Friday evening leaving the playground to walk back home to get drinks for her friends. Authorities said they believe she was taken to an empty apartment in the complex, where she was sexually assaulted, stabbed and beaten to death. Her body was found Monday.
Keenan said Brunn, who has no known criminal record, had keys to the empty apartment and the trash compactor bin where Rivera's body was placed.
"We are confident that Brunn is the killer and that is why he is in custody," Keenan said, declining to detail what evidence investigators have against him.
The mother of 7-year-old Jorelys Rivera had one wish Wednesday for the man accused of sexually assaulting and killing the child and then dumping her body in a trash bin.
.“What I want is the death penalty. He’s an animal. He killed my little angel,” Jocelyn Rivera said in Spanish to Channel 2 Action News.
Authorities say the man charged Wednesday with Jorelys' killing lived and worked at the same Canton apartment complex where the girl disappeared, and neighbors said the suspect even helped search for the missing girl.
Ryan McCabe Brunn was taken into custody around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said. The 20-year-old suspect has been assigned two public defenders and has a first court appearance at 1:30 p.m. Thursday before Superior Court Judge Frank Mills at the Cherokee County Justice Center in Canton.
GBI Director Vernon Keenan said Brunn lived at the River Ridge apartment complex where Jorelys lived and was killed, and had been a maintenance worker there. Tips from the public led investigators to Brunn, who was interviewed Monday and Tuesday, Keenan said.
Neighbor David Lott told the AJC Brunn was among those searching for Jorelys late Friday, just hours after she disappeared.
"Usually if someone's done something bad, they'd be nervous," Lott said Wednesday afternoon, just steps away from the playground. "He was just calm and collected."
Another neighbor confirmed that Brunn assisted in the search, even handing out flyers with the girl's picture.
Lindsey Hale, who lives in the first-floor apartment next door to the Rivera family, said after Jorelys' body was found Monday, she called a tip line twice to tell police about her suspicions about Brunn. She said she also was interviewed by the GBI.
Hale said that in recent weeks, she saw Brunn in his car driving slowly around the playground, looking at children. "I just got creeped out by him," she said.
Calling the killing "planned and calculated," Keenan declined to discuss evidence leading to the arrest. But he said the investigation is not over, noting, "This is a mammoth case."
Brunn, who has no known criminal record, had been under police surveillance since Tuesday evening, Keenan said. He had been employed at the complex since Nov. 7, John Bankhead, GBI spokesman, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Investigators will now re-trace Brunn's history at previous addresses, including Lumpkin County and in another state, Keenan said.
Brunn has been charged with homicide and making false statements, according to the affidavit for his arrest warrant, and additional charges may be filed by the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office.
"We are confidant that Brunn is the killer, that's why he's in custody," Keenan said when asked if there are any other suspects.
At Brunn's mother's house on Sleepy Hollow Road in Dahlonega, a man who identified himself as Brunn's brother emerged holding a pit bull on a short leash and chased news media off his property.
Later, he agreed to speak with Channel 2.
“They’re making my brother seem like he’s a monster,” Steven Brunn said. “My brother is kind-hearted. He’ll give to you if he’s got it. He’s great with kids. And there’s never been any signs of violence.
“The whole thing doesn’t seem possible. It’s not his nature. He’s not a violent person,” the 26-year-old brother said. “The only thing we can do is just hope and pray and cross our fingers that this ain’t true. If it is, there are no words to say. He’s a done deal.”
One Dahlonega neighbor, Josh Ellington, said he called police on the Brunn brothers when they allegedly were fighting.
"They’re out there at all hours of the night," Ellington said.
Another neighbor, Brittany Partin, 21, also noted that the brothers would often linger outside. She said that she once watched one of two boys in the home punch a dog in the nose, and that she had to call police a few times.
"They were very strange," she said.
Robert Whiteley, the suspect’s stepfather who lives in Cleveland, refused to comment except to say, “These are just allegations.”
Brunn, wearing a navy blue shirt, a blue Hollister hoodie and jeans, was taken into custody at the Canton apartment complex. He was booked into the Cherokee County jail about 20 minutes later.
Investigators said they believe Brunn abducted Jorelys within the vicinity of the playground, where she was last seen around 5 p.m. Friday. From there, Brunn allegedly took the girl to a vacant unit at the apartment complex, where it is believed he sexually assaulted her, beat and stabbed her, police said.
Brunn allegedly then put the girl's body into a trash bin at the complex, which was later compacted. The body was discovered Monday. Because of his employment at the complex, Brunn had access to the compactor on the trash bin, Keenan said.
Rosa Soto-Torres, Jorelys' aunt, said a viewing for Jorelys will begin at 4 p.m. Friday in Darby Funeral Home, with the funeral at 2 p.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church, both in Canton, Soto-Torres said. The child’s body will be flown to Puerto Rico for burial.
"It could have been anybody. And anybody could have been next," Soto-Torres told the AJC. "He's not going to do it to another child."
McCormack Baron, the management company for River Ridge, in a statement Wednesday evening said that it was “providing all possible assistance to investigators” and was also offering assistance to residents and its employees, including professional counseling and related support.
"Anyone applying for an apartment of for employment at River Ridge is screened for criminal background including any sex offenses,” the property manager said.
“Specifically no one is allowed to reside or be employed at River Ridge if the background check indicates any record of any felony conviction, including but not limited to murder, attempted murder, rape or attempted rap, involuntary deviant sexual acts, aggravated assault, child abuse, domestic violence, arson or theft."
Neighbors in the complex told the AJC they were relieved at news of an arrest. Lorenza Wright said he heard the news, along with his mother and brother, when he went home for a lunch break.
"We all burst into tears," Wright said. "We were ecstatic."
The girl's body was discovered Monday after countless hours of searching. She died of blunt force trauma to the head and stab wounds, the GBI said Tuesday. Jorelys had also been sexually assaulted, Keenan said at a news conference in Canton.
Keenan also said investigators found what they believe to be blood in a vacant apartment unit, and that substance is being tested at the State Crime Lab to determine if it is linked to Jorelys. Keenan said investigators believe Jorelys was killed within two hours of her disappearance Friday.
Sixty-five local, state and federal investigators are working on the case, Baker said Tuesday.
"Several search warrants have been executed thus far, and hundreds of interviews have been conducted," he said.
Several registered sex offenders live in the vicinity of the apartment complex, and investigators have extensively interviewed all of them, Keenan said.
"We don't have any reason to believe any of them were involved," he said.
Hours after Jorelys' body was found at the apartment complex where she lived, her Cherokee County neighbors and friends held a candlelight vigil Monday night in her memory at the same playground where she was last seen.
River Ridge neighbors were shocked and saddened about the fate of the girl, a friendly child often seen playing outside with other children. The playground where Jorelys often played is across the street from the apartment where she lived. And Monday night, it was at the playground where the community mourned the girl.
On the fourth day of the search for Jorelys, a team made up of GBI agents, Georgia State Patrol troopers, Department of Natural Resources rangers and other state officers specially trained in child abductions was brought in Monday to assist local police and firefighters.
Searchers combed the apartment complex, checking every vehicle and some apartments for any clues to the girl's whereabouts. The parking lot of a nearby movie theater served as the command center for search efforts, which included a state patrol helicopter Monday.
But just hours after state and national search crews began to look for the girl, the massive effort ended with Keenan's announcement. The girl's body was found around 12:30 p.m., he said.
Jorelys, who turned 7 on Aug. 20, disappeared when she took a break from playing at the apartment complex on River Ridge Drive, police said. She reportedly told other children at the playground that she was going inside to get drinks, but never returned.
The girl's mother was inside while the child played outside, but a teenager was supposed to have been watching Jorelys, Lt. Jeff Hall with the Canton police department said.
The girl's two younger siblings were taken from their mother and placed in protective custody because of a lack of supervision, Det. Candy Worthy with Canton police said Sunday morning.
The children were still in protective custody Tuesday, according to Lt. Howard J. Baker, spokesman for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
Canton police launched a search for the girl late Friday, releasing pictures and a description of the Canton Elementary School first-grader. Police officers knocked on doors at the complex and interviewed registered sex offenders in the area Saturday, Worthy said.
"Everybody came together in the cold, at all hours of the night to look for her," David Lott, a resident of the complex, told the AJC Monday night.
The girl's family cooperated with the investigation, police have said. Her mother, who police have said is not a suspect, was told the horrific news before Keenan's announcement to reporters.
Maria Rodriguez, a friend and co-worker of the girl's mother, said news of the girl's death was a devastating blow after having the other two children removed from the home. Rodriguez said there are always children and adults at the park.
"There's no way that someone didn't see anything," Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said she and Joselinne Rivera, the girl's mother, worked the overnight shift at the Pilgrim's Pride chicken processing plant, also in Canton.
Police had been searching the apartment complex throughout the weekend, but the trash bin where the body was found was not searched until Monday due to the amount of items it contained, Keenan said. The search area was about a 1-mile radius from the complex and included another nearby complex, police said.
Investigators moved the compacted trash bin across Reinhardt Parkway and to an open area, where they removed the contents and found the girl's body.
"I'm scared to death to walk into my apartment right now," Mary Johnston told AM 750 and 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB. "I'm packing my stuff tonight. I'm moving."
Johnston's 11-year-old son was playing with Jorelys on Friday and she said she helped search for the girl. Now, she fears for her family's safety.
Law enforcement officials asked anyone with any information to call 770-721-7852.
A Facebook page called "Light Up Canton for Jorelys" was created Monday and encouraged those in the community to leave porch lights on to honor the slain girl
December 7, 2011
SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE NEEDS THIS RIGHT NOW....
Yes, yes, yes, yes, Lord, yes
Oh, yes, my soul, my soul says yes
If I were you, I would say yes, speak, Lord. Speak to me.
Oh, Speak, Lord. Won't you speak to me?
I was so blind, I was so lost until you spoke to me
Oh, speak, Lord. Speak, Lord. And hear my mind,
Oh, with your word, heal my soul
Oh, speak, Lord. Speak to me. Speak, my Lord.
I love you, Lord. Save my soul
Can't sleep at night and you wonder why
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Crying all night long, something's gone wrong
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Oh, you can't sleep at night and you sure wonder why
Maybe god is trying to tell you something
Lyrics www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/mississippi_mass_choir/
Trying, trying, trying, trying, I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Lord, He's got to tell you something
Lord, He's got to tell you something. I hear you, Lord
Maybe God is trying to tell you right now, right now
I'm gonna praise your name
I praise your name
Speak to me, Lord
Maybe God is trying to tell you something right now, right now,
Right now
Thank you, Lord
Maybe God is trying to tell you something right now
Right now, right now. Thank you, Lord
If I were you I would say yes,
Speak Lord,
Speak to me
Well you can't sleep at night
And you sure wonder why
Well maybe God is trying to tell you something
You cry all night long
Something has gone wrong
Well maybe God is trying to tell you something
God is trying to tell you something
God is trying to tell you something
Maybe God is trying to tell you something right
now
Oh, yes, my soul, my soul says yes
If I were you, I would say yes, speak, Lord. Speak to me.
Oh, Speak, Lord. Won't you speak to me?
I was so blind, I was so lost until you spoke to me
Oh, speak, Lord. Speak, Lord. And hear my mind,
Oh, with your word, heal my soul
Oh, speak, Lord. Speak to me. Speak, my Lord.
I love you, Lord. Save my soul
Can't sleep at night and you wonder why
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Crying all night long, something's gone wrong
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Oh, you can't sleep at night and you sure wonder why
Maybe god is trying to tell you something
Lyrics www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/mississippi_mass_choir/
Trying, trying, trying, trying, I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Maybe God is trying to tell you something
Lord, He's got to tell you something
Lord, He's got to tell you something. I hear you, Lord
Maybe God is trying to tell you right now, right now
I'm gonna praise your name
I praise your name
Speak to me, Lord
Maybe God is trying to tell you something right now, right now,
Right now
Thank you, Lord
Maybe God is trying to tell you something right now
Right now, right now. Thank you, Lord
If I were you I would say yes,
Speak Lord,
Speak to me
Well you can't sleep at night
And you sure wonder why
Well maybe God is trying to tell you something
You cry all night long
Something has gone wrong
Well maybe God is trying to tell you something
God is trying to tell you something
God is trying to tell you something
Maybe God is trying to tell you something right
now
December 6, 2011
NO WORDS NEEDED....GET INTO THE LYRICS....
Make me crazy, don't speak no sound
I want you to prove it to me in the nude
Addicted to the way you move
Honey, if anything ever should change in you
Don't worry I'm standing still
I'll move in with the right of will
This is the highest cost, take you and make you off
Love you and leave you lost, will you forgive me?
Asked out all over town, drags you and keeps you down
Two times in a day around, will you forgive me?
I can't control the feeling girl 'cause I know you're here
I feel you from the floor to the ceiling
Girl, I feel you when you comb your hair
Lady when we lock it low we get together, it's an overdose
I'm slipping, I'm here, I'm on my knees
I feel my heart's about to explode
This is the highest cost, take you and make you off
Love you and leave you lost, will you forgive me?
Asked out all over town, drags you and keeps you down
Two times in a day around, will you forgive me?
Baby to tell the truth when I'm sober I jones for you
When it's over I'm overdue
Girl there's no one as bad, no one as bad as you
You got me, you got me
You got me slippin' around with it, around with it, oh why?
You got me sick with this love baby
I'm so, I'm so in love, I can't come down
This is the highest cost, take you and make you off
Love you and leave you lost, will you forgive me?
Asked out all over town, drags you and keeps you down
Two times in a day around, will you forgive me?
You're my bad habit baby, you're my
You're takin' my soul down to the letter O
Can't escape the way you got me locked out baby
I gotta break from you, break from you, break from you
This is the highest cost, take you and make you off
Love you and leave you lost, will you forgive me?
Asked out all over town, drags you and keeps you down
Two times in a day around, will you forgive me?
Will you forgive me? Will you forgive me?
Will you forgive me? Will you forgive me?
Asked out all over town, drags you and keeps you down
Two times in a day around, will you forgive me?
I can't control the feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling
I can't control the feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling
I can't control the feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling
I can't control the feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling
You're my soul, soul
You're my soul, soul
I want you to prove it to me in the nude
Addicted to the way you move
Honey, if anything ever should change in you
Don't worry I'm standing still
I'll move in with the right of will
This is the highest cost, take you and make you off
Love you and leave you lost, will you forgive me?
Asked out all over town, drags you and keeps you down
Two times in a day around, will you forgive me?
I can't control the feeling girl 'cause I know you're here
I feel you from the floor to the ceiling
Girl, I feel you when you comb your hair
Lady when we lock it low we get together, it's an overdose
I'm slipping, I'm here, I'm on my knees
I feel my heart's about to explode
This is the highest cost, take you and make you off
Love you and leave you lost, will you forgive me?
Asked out all over town, drags you and keeps you down
Two times in a day around, will you forgive me?
Baby to tell the truth when I'm sober I jones for you
When it's over I'm overdue
Girl there's no one as bad, no one as bad as you
You got me, you got me
You got me slippin' around with it, around with it, oh why?
You got me sick with this love baby
I'm so, I'm so in love, I can't come down
This is the highest cost, take you and make you off
Love you and leave you lost, will you forgive me?
Asked out all over town, drags you and keeps you down
Two times in a day around, will you forgive me?
You're my bad habit baby, you're my
You're takin' my soul down to the letter O
Can't escape the way you got me locked out baby
I gotta break from you, break from you, break from you
This is the highest cost, take you and make you off
Love you and leave you lost, will you forgive me?
Asked out all over town, drags you and keeps you down
Two times in a day around, will you forgive me?
Will you forgive me? Will you forgive me?
Will you forgive me? Will you forgive me?
Asked out all over town, drags you and keeps you down
Two times in a day around, will you forgive me?
I can't control the feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling
I can't control the feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling
I can't control the feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling
I can't control the feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling
You're my soul, soul
You're my soul, soul
WHEN THEY WALK AWAY...
“When people walk away from you… Let them go…. Your destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you, and it doesn’t mean they are bad people. It just means their part in your story is over.”
December 5, 2011
ABOUT DAMN TIME....
Vanessa Long (Bishop Eddie Long’s wife) released a statement saying that she was seeking a divorce.
And then there was a retraction because she said that she loved her husband and wanted to see if they could work it out.
And NOW she’s going through with the divorce.
Mrs. Long continues to hope that this matter may be resolved expeditiously, harmoniously and fairly; however, she has determined that dismissal of her divorce petition is not appropriate at this time. To avoid any undue confusion, Mrs. Long’s future statements, if any, will be issued through her attorneys.
In her defense, the second press release (where she announced that she would stick by her man) was released through New Birth’s PR representation; it could’ve easily been a case of the Bishop taking over.
And then there was a retraction because she said that she loved her husband and wanted to see if they could work it out.
And NOW she’s going through with the divorce.
Mrs. Long continues to hope that this matter may be resolved expeditiously, harmoniously and fairly; however, she has determined that dismissal of her divorce petition is not appropriate at this time. To avoid any undue confusion, Mrs. Long’s future statements, if any, will be issued through her attorneys.
In her defense, the second press release (where she announced that she would stick by her man) was released through New Birth’s PR representation; it could’ve easily been a case of the Bishop taking over.
December 1, 2011
ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE BLESSED...
If you allow God to bless you, he will. Sometimes we block our own blessings by holding onto things that are just not for us. -Monica Arnold Brown
HUNDREDS GATHER AT FUNERAL OF DEAD FAMU BAND MEMBER WHO DIED FROM HAZING RELATED CAUSES....R.I.P.
DECATUR, Ga. — The funeral for a Florida A&M University drum major turned into a call for action Wednesday as speakers called for an end to the hazing linked to the death of Robert Champion.
Hundreds of friends and family crowded the pews at a church near Atlanta, and Champion's drum major uniform was on display next to his open casket. Members of the marching band from Southwest DeKalb High School, where Champion attended, performed in full regalia at the beginning and end of the service.
Beulah Missionary Baptist Church pastor John Tatum urged the crowd to stop the "foolish" hazing in college fraternities and marching bands.
"If there's anything about this man's legacy we need to put a stop to, it's hazing," he said to a chorus of amens. "I call upon every parent, every mother, every father … do what is necessary now to stop this tragedy from ever happening again."
The 26-year-old junior was found dead Nov. 19 on a bus parked outside an Orlando hotel after the school's football team lost to a rival. Police said Champion, a clarinet player, had been vomiting and complained he couldn't breathe shortly before he collapsed, but they have not released any other details.
Since Champion's death, Julian White, the band director at the historically black university in Tallahassee, has been fired. The school has announced an independent investigation, and the university president said he will work to end the long practice of hazing in the marching band.
Speaking at the service, White said Champion was like a son to him. He said he saw Champion shortly after he was found unconscious and he "looked in peace."
"This is a difficult time for me. You may see me smile, and you probably won't see me cry," he said. "I'm happy that I knew Robert."
The group that oversees Florida's public universities announced Tuesday it wanted to investigate whether the school did enough to respond to hazing.
Champion fell in love with music when he was about 6. He started in bands in middle school and his mother said he was so enthusiastic about performances she called him "Mr. Band."
University president James Ammons pledged to "stamp out hazing at FAMU."
"I vow that Robert's death will not be in vain," he said.
Hundreds of friends and family crowded the pews at a church near Atlanta, and Champion's drum major uniform was on display next to his open casket. Members of the marching band from Southwest DeKalb High School, where Champion attended, performed in full regalia at the beginning and end of the service.
Beulah Missionary Baptist Church pastor John Tatum urged the crowd to stop the "foolish" hazing in college fraternities and marching bands.
"If there's anything about this man's legacy we need to put a stop to, it's hazing," he said to a chorus of amens. "I call upon every parent, every mother, every father … do what is necessary now to stop this tragedy from ever happening again."
The 26-year-old junior was found dead Nov. 19 on a bus parked outside an Orlando hotel after the school's football team lost to a rival. Police said Champion, a clarinet player, had been vomiting and complained he couldn't breathe shortly before he collapsed, but they have not released any other details.
Since Champion's death, Julian White, the band director at the historically black university in Tallahassee, has been fired. The school has announced an independent investigation, and the university president said he will work to end the long practice of hazing in the marching band.
Speaking at the service, White said Champion was like a son to him. He said he saw Champion shortly after he was found unconscious and he "looked in peace."
"This is a difficult time for me. You may see me smile, and you probably won't see me cry," he said. "I'm happy that I knew Robert."
The group that oversees Florida's public universities announced Tuesday it wanted to investigate whether the school did enough to respond to hazing.
Champion fell in love with music when he was about 6. He started in bands in middle school and his mother said he was so enthusiastic about performances she called him "Mr. Band."
University president James Ammons pledged to "stamp out hazing at FAMU."
"I vow that Robert's death will not be in vain," he said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)