By Kathy Wray Coleman, Editor-n-Chief, Cleveland Urban News.Com

CLEVELAND, Ohio- The Imperial Women and other community activists groups have voted to picket the offices of the Cleveland NAACP On April 25 at its headquarters at 2131 Stokes Blvd. in Cleveland if an open legal redress committee meeting to address deadly shootings by Cleveland police, Cuyahoga County foreclosure fraud, judicial impropriety and a host of other community issues that NAACP officials promised to hold for the past nine weeks is not scheduled by next week.

"We have been patient enough," said Kathy Wray Coleman, who leads The Imperial Women and said the protest will occur at 5 pm on Thursday, April 25 outside the Cleveland NAACP building near John Hay High School on Stokes Blvd.. "If  the Cleveland NAACP president and these people holding the realm on these committees still want to preclude meetings to protect the establishment against the interests of the Black community they should either step down or we shall call for their resignations through free speech pickets at the local headquarters." (For more information call The Imperial Women at 216-659-0473. Bring protest signs, please).

Some 80 community activists met with Cleveland NAACP Legal Redress Committee Chairman Una Keenon, a retired East Cleveland Municipal Court judge, and Ohio ACLU Legal Director James Hardiman at a community forum on Feb 4 and then  attended the regular Cleveland NAACP meeting held in March. Activist groups represented at both meetings include The Imperial Women, Stop Targeting Ohio's Poor, The Cleveland African American Museum, The Oppressed People's Nation, Organize Ohio, The Northeast Ohio Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, The Cleveland Chapter of the New Black Panther Party, The Cleveland Black Contractors Group, The People's Forum, The Greater Cleveland Immigrant Support Network, Peace in the Hood, Ohio Family Rights, The National Organization for Parental Equality, The Carl Stokes Brigade and Black on Black Crime Inc.

At the March regular Cleveland  meeting activists again sought help on issues ranging from documented foreclosure fraud by judges and since fired county sheriff Bob Reid, jobs, and deadly shootings by Cleveland police of unarmed people including 137 bullets victims Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell, Daniel Ficker, 27 and Kenneth Smith, 20.

Attorney Terry Gilbert, who represents the families of Russell, Ficker and Smith, attended the March meeting with community activists and so did family members of Williams, Ficker and Smith, among others.

Since the meetings the FEDS have come to Cleveland to investigate malfeasance and systemic problems in the Cleveland Police Department

Cleveland NAACP President the Rev Hilton Smith, a vice president for the corporate entity of Turner Construction Company, promised to help and told  community activists and shootings victims families at the March meeting that assistance was coming. But since then, said Coleman, he has allegedly directed Keenon not to hold any legal redress committee meetings that might offend Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Tim McGinty, Cleveland police, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, corrupt judges and the White establishment. And, added Coleman, he now refuses to return telephone calls made to him by community activists but does allegedly call back people like McGinty, a former common pleas Irish judge whom community activists want to step down from addressing the Williams-Russell 137 bullets shooting because he took campaign monies and was endorsed by The Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association for his win in 2012 for the county prosecutor seat.

Below is an archived article of Cleveland Urban News.Com of April 14 2011 on the fight  by Cleveland Black state legislators for gun control and against Senate Bill 17, which became state law in June 2011 and permits guns in Ohio restaurants through valid concealed handgun licenses.  Since the Connecticut shootings, Americas's debate on gun control has been strengthened. Cleveland Urban News.Com, Ohio's online Black news leader,  continues its support of constitutional gun control and recognizes Black legislators for fighting against irresponsible gun legislation in Ohio. We reprint the below article on that fight for your reading enjoyment.

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, Cleveland Urban News.Com Blog, Ohio's Most Read Online Black Newspaper (www.clevelandurbannews.com)

Atlanta GA-Under the leadership of Head Coach Rick Pitino (pictured), the Louisville Cardinal's won the NCAA Championship Monday night, defeating the Michigan Wolverines 82 to 76 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta GA. It was the third all-time championship win in the school's history and former University of Louisville coach Denny Crum, who took his teams to victory in 1980 and 1986, was there for support.

Pitino told reporters after the game that his players were the reason for the victory.

"Players put coaches in the  hall of fame," said Pitino, who is among seven inductees to be inducted this year to the Basketball Hall of Fame, its officials announced hours before the game.

Spike Albrecht went four-for-four and scored 17 points in assisting in giving the Wolverines a comfortable head start, but at half time the Cardinals were behind by only one point after erasing  a 12 point Wolverines lead. It was neck and neck afterwards in a fast moving game with high energy and high spirit.

As the clock begin ticking toward the end of the fourth quarter Louisville could brag of  an 8 point lead.

Luke Hancock, who brought the Louisville, Ky. team back to life  as half time approached and scored a team high of 22 points, was named the Final Four's most valuable player.

Point Guard Peyton Siva, who finished with 18 points, seem to also make the difference between a win and loss for the number one seed. But it was obvious that teamwork and brilliant coaching by Pitino help the Cardinals down the Wolverines, a young team led by consensus national player of the year Trey Burke, and coached by Joe Beilein, who said at half time that he believed that game could go to either team.