Length checkkkk

12/20/2010

Jordan Miles : police brutality/racism in 2010 we need to pay attention!

my reply:

I'm glad you shared that with us because the way the news works, its easy to forget people and their stories as time passes.  Yes, people were outraged when this story came out but when the coverage stopped we assumed it was over but the victim is obviously still suffering and the family has to live with it forever. I still cannot believe that the police officers haven't been punished at all and we all just forgot about it. 

email from my teacher :

PITTSBURGH (FinalCall.com) - Over eight months later no officer has been held accountable for the attack on Jordan Trent Miles, who is still suffering from the physical and psychological pain allegedly caused by three White officers smashing his face into an unrecognizable state, according to supporters, family and the reported victim.

“Initially I thought I was being robbed because they (officers) jumped out of an unmarked car in plain clothes. Next thing I know I was being handcuffed, kicked, beat, and had my face bloodied,” Mr. Miles, who is Black, told The Final Call.

On Aug. 30, a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and three Pittsburgh police officers was filed by the Miles family. According to their attorney, the suit seeks compensation for damages and to have officers Michael Saldutte, David Sisak and Richard Ewing removed from the police force.

“I want these officers to lose their jobs. I want them taken off of the streets because if this can happen to me—an honor student with no prior criminal record—this can happen to anyone else. These types of officers should not be free on the streets of Pittsburgh,” said Mr. Miles, 18.

On Jan. 12, 2010, at approximately 11 p.m., Mr. Miles said he was headed to his grandmother's home around the corner from his mother's home when he was suddenly ambushed by White plainclothes police officers.

According to Mr. Miles, all three men jumped out of the car without identifying themselves and shouted “Where's the gun, where's the money, where's the drugs?” According to the teenager, he ran because he thought he was about to be robbed.

“I took off running and slipped on the icy ground. That was the last time I was on my feet. I never fought back because I thought I was going to be killed. At this point I still didn't know these were officers but they started beating me while smashing my face into the snow. One of the hits came from a metal object and that's when blood gushed from my head into the snow,” said Mr. Miles, who was a senior high school honor roll student at that time.

Mr. Miles says he was eventually handcuffed, arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, loitering and prowling at nighttime, escape and resisting arrest. District Judge Oscar Petite dismissed the charges March 4.

“While on the ground I was saying the Lord's prayer silently and they would say ‘shut up' and beat me more. I thought I was going to be abducted but when a marked cop car came on the scene that's when I found out these were undercover cops,” he said.

Mr. Miles was taken into the county jail, where he spent nearly 24 hours before finally being released to his worried mother. The police took him to the hospital—not for treatment—but to have his urine tested for drugs, he said.

“I was bleeding unceasingly and they didn't treat me at all. I have never used drugs but they tested me for being under the influence,” said Mr. Miles.

“When I called over to my mother's home to see if Jordan had made it safely she told me he had not. We got worried and my mother eventually called around and found out Jordan had been arrested,” Terez Miles, his mother, told The Final Call.

When her son was finally released from jail she did not even recognize him because of his distorted face caused by the beatings.

“This person started walking towards me and I said to myself this person looks like the elephant man. Then he came closer to me and said ‘Mama.' I went completely hysterical. I started shouting. I couldn't believe this was my son,” said Ms. Miles.

“I could tell she didn't know who I was but when she recognized my voice tears just swelled up in her eyes. She started yelling, ‘Look at what they did to my baby,' ” said Mr. Miles, who also had his dreadlocks ripped from his scalp leaving patches in his head.

Ms. Miles immediately took action by stopping at the nearest store to purchase a camera to get shots of her son before taking him to the emergency room. Those photos circulated on the internet and caused a national stir.

According to the family, the police crafted a completely dishonest criminal complaint, designed to explain Mr. Miles' gruesome injuries and justify their own corrupt actions.

Community support helps

The city of Pittsburgh put the officers on paid leave within weeks of investigating Mr. Miles' charges of brutality. But what is seen as inaction against the White officers has sparked cries of racism by community activists who have continued to pressure the Justice Department to bring charges against them.

A letter writing campaign to the D.A.'s office and several protests have been organized by the Alliance for Police Accountability. Another strongly attended march and rally was held on Sept. 18 in the Homewood area.

“Leadership is put above us—not to forward our initiatives or agendas—but to pacify us when things like this happen. We will not accept this beating. We, the Nation of Islam, will not allow any intimidation to take place with the Miles family,” said Jasiri X, the local student minister, at the rally.

“I can't stop thinking about what happened to Jordan. The type of injustice that was dealt to my brother is anti-God and inhuman,” said Kieland Miles, 16-year-old sister of the victim.

Mr. Miles did graduate from high school while attending multiple counseling sessions and having to wear a hat to cover his patches. He enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh this fall but was unable to cope with being away from home and is back with his mother. He plans to enroll in a school closer to home but still thinks about that incident.

“I took a lot of pride in my dreadlocks. I never wanted to get them cut. I still think about what happened to me. For the longest time I didn't want to go outside especially at night. I still have physical pain,” said Mr. Miles, who wants to major in business administration.

“I think he needs more counseling because I believe this has impacted him more than he says. The community report has helped us tremendously and we appreciate them bringing attention to this. We want these three officers in prison,” said Ms. Miles.

(For more information about The Justice for Jordan Miles campaign visit http://www.justiceforjordanmiles.com.)

how to survive a college party part 1

Lesson one :Crazy things happen on college nights out. Here is how to deal J

Exhibit A: On campus sponsored party. (I.e. not a house party)

This party may be some sort of welcome back to campus type deal. It may be an annual bash. It could be thrown by a frat, campus orgs, or student unions. No matter what it’s probably going to be packed and live.

This is how you will survive

        I.                              

1. ALWAYS have a fully charged battery on your cell phone!!!!
2. Get a ticket. You may have to stand in line, you may feel like such a freshman being all brand new but you are going to want to be there so just suck it up.
3.  Get a group. As a female, you don’t want to approach a campus wide event alone you need support, you need a circle of friends to dance in, and you need people on your side to pull you away from the creepers and uglies.     
4. For males, its okay for you to be in a group, but you may want to disperse. And sharp female can sense a pack of dudes coming and will gather her girls and relocate. For guys I recommend no more than two or three travel together.
5. Get dressed. This will depend on the fashion atmosphere of your school. If you go to a “fashion show everyday” type school you are going to want to amp it up, think heels. For my school it’s pretty much a tee and sweats type place, flats all the way. For the party I went to there was everything to tank and shorts to dresses and heels so I felt a happy medium. (I was kind of overdressed for my group. But hey, what’s wrong with standing out J)
6.  Males please shower, that’s all we ask.
7.  Makeup? I love makeup so I put some on, but for an on campus party, it’s not needed at all.
8.  Meet up in a friend’s room near the party location. Here comes the real question: To pregame or not to pregame? I would say no, or at least do so minimally. There is more security involved with parties like this and you don’t want to be caught. Be smart. Don’t be sloppy. But I would never tell you to drink what kind of person would I be! So you are all gathered in so and so’s room…
9. PHOTOSHOOT
10. Get there. If it’s on campus then it’s not far away. Aim to leave your room thirty minutes after the party start time. This way you definitely won’t be first and the party will really be getting started when you walk in. 
11. Dancing. Do it…Dance alone, dance with your friends, dance with the opposite sex and enjoy yourself. You don’t have to dance with every guy who asks. Snatch your friends if they are dancing with someone who is not respecting them. (in appropriate hand placement, her giving you the help me look, etc)
12. Males please note: we don’t like to be grabbed and fondled or bent over by strangers. We don’t have to dance with you if we don’t want to. Maybe we are tired or don’t like the song, don’t be so sensitive and stop calling us bitches for it.
13. Take breaks! Go to the bathroom, freshen up, you’re going to be sweaty and get some water because you’re going to be tired out. Especially after the reggae mix.
14. Hold hands! Physically connect to each other so no one gets lost in the crowd.
15. Party’s over! Don’t just go back to your room. Ride the high of a good party and partake in McDonalds, Taco Bell whatever you got, take after pictures, and build memories. You made it.  

party hard loves, jessica 

Fotd going to the theatre with naked palette

Naked on lid

Buck in crease

Prestige red lip liner

Elf gloss, which I highly recommend!

(life) night out bowbowbow

walmart top, random boutique belt, borrowed liquid leggings, rugged warehouse flats 

these pics are really just a teaser of the "how to survive" post on partying that is coming soon!

love ya 

jess

(hair) my transition

Transitioning process:

I transitioned through My senior pictures, My senior class trip, my 18^th birthday, prom, senior showcase, and my graduation. (feb 2009- june 2009)

I did have a short transition, but it was also difficult because I had so many events to attend. I mainly lived in twisted bantu know-outs for the first month in a half. I got it straightened in April for my pictures (My stylist who I had been going to since I was 14 complained the whole time!) After that I got my mom to cornrow my hair every night for braid-outs. (I didn’t know about second day hair lol.) Then I got micros in the front with a sew-in in the back (My first time having weave like that!)  After I took that out, I only had another week until my big chop.

I used a lot of Cantu Shea Butter Leave-In and Hello Hydration during my transition. I had a lot of breakage because I didn’t know what I was doing but I was cutting my hair so short I really did not care. 

(fashion) bestie ootd :)

 Last Wednesday my friend and I were late for class. Okay that doesn't sound so bad. but the fact that we had a field trip and were supposed to meet in DC kinda made it worse. LOL heres some metro pics :-)

jasmine is probably wearing mostly charlotte russe 

this is our life lol

 h&m top 9.50

sisters skirt - free

flats H&M 15 ish

 isnt she cute 

ok bye

jessica

(hair) why i went natural

September 2008 

Why did I go natural?

It all started very simply. I wanted curls. I saw a celebrity (I think It was Kelly Rowland or someone) with shoulder length wavy curls and I wanted to mimic that look. I had done the short angular Rihanna cut that was so popular in 2008 and my hair was growing back so I wanted a different look. As I researched online I found that the black girls who I saw wearing a straight or wavy looks were wearing sew-ins. That was out of the question for me because I had seen too many bad weaves in my life to go there. So I kept searching curly hair, African American hair and I eventually stumbled upon afrobella.com and blackgirllonghair.com. I saw the incredible curly fros, fro-hawks, twistouts and I wished I could have that, I wondered how all these amazingly fly women got their hair like that. My hair never did anything cool like that. So I actually started reading the posts, instead of just looking at the pictures (lol) and started to catch on. I didn’t have to get relaxers. There are some people that don’t get relaxers. Lots of them. And they look cute. I wanna look cute!! And it finally clicked that if I didn’t get relaxers my hair would be all awesome  like the girls on the blogs.

September 2010

I know it sounds remedial, but in real life I had never seen anyone who looked like me with naturally curly hair. The mixed girls either got relaxers too or they straightened. And  the maybe (MAYbe)  two girls who were actually natural didn’t wear their hair out, only in braids or buns. I had never witnessed “the dopeness of natural hair” in person.

September 2010
excuse the blown face lol i was working on a paper 

So of course I lived vicariously though the girls on the computer screen. I read their stories, about self love and strife. How society doesn’t always embrace us, so we have to love ourselves that much more. I started to live and breathe it. I fell in love with the community, the natural mindset and the emphasis on health. I started transitioning right away in February 2009 and never looked back :)

more to come. 

love. jess. 

some time last week...

omghhke i look so skinty lol! 

shirt: tarjay $5

skirt: rainbow $15ish cant remember

belt: F21 $4.80

HEY! Things have been crazy and I haven't been feeling up to writing so I resorted to a little prompt to go along with my OOTD and FOTD.

thats my roomies dresser i never use hairspray

i look like a blogger lol

For me the sound of childhood is how the “good” dishes rattled in the old metal cabinet when you jumped or even walked too hard on the sky blue and white “marbled” tiles. When it rained really hard the basement would flood and a thin film of water would start to form over the linoleum like dew drops. My aunt would dare me to jump as high and fall as hard as I could so I could crash through and take a swim. That’s just how she was. She burned fire ants, knocked out my baby teeth, and reddened our knuckles during card games.   

I originally wanted to combine creative writing with beauty blogging so heres my first attempt. It will get more fluid eventually and maybe the sample will go along with my OOTD theme.

                                                                     winged liner with stila smudgepot. purple lip nyx african queen.          
                                                                                       prestige baked bronzer as highlight :)

Yay for dabbling in new things! I never used a highlight before and it looked pretty good.

This was good for me, how was it for you? Lets do it again sometime.

jessicamaelee

(fashion) first day back to school...and the day after

hey everyone 

this is just going to be a quickie. what i wore monday and tuesday, my first two days back to class this semester. 

laughing at my "photographer"

im about to get some sleep but i should have time tomorrow to properly update, and hopefully make a video for you guys. 


love jess

(life) get out. leave! right now.

Hey y’all

This is actually my first “life” post! I'm actually surprised that it has taken me this long. At first I thought the blog would be mostly these little journalings. Yes I made up a word.

I'm currently packing up my room at home in preparation for the big move Thursday. I'm toooooooooo excited to get the bloop outta here. I will miss my big sis though!

Last year I had a grand plan for decorating and organizing my dorm room. The colors were going to be orange (my fave), purple, and pink. However, that got derailed when my bedding arrived and it was lime green and turquoise. Womp.

Since I still want my orange and purple room, I’m going to stop neong cheap and get new bedding. I want this amazing Zebra print thick blanket for 20 dollars on overstock, purple silk pillow cases (silk is better for hair), and a short orange shelve unit which may double as a night stand.

It sucks because I actually won’t be able to go dorm shopping ahead of time because I have to work and everyone else is too lazy to take me places. I'm actually thinking of ordering my toiletries and necessities online. Did you know walmart dot com sells products in super saver packs? They have everything from body wash to tampons buy one get one.     

I guess we will see. But I cannot wait to get these couple days I have left here over with. I probably won’t be making any videos or anything until I actually get there. Three days and three hours (drive). Woot woot.

Waiting patiently

-jessica 

Animated Confessions: Daniel Footwear Giveaway!

Hey guys, check this girl out! Her blog is cute and she has a great give away running until aug. 31! I know I'm entering!

Animated Confessions: Daniel Footwear Giveaway!

(fashion) wishlist: gladiator wedges

Hi 

Question: Has anyone ever had this dilemma?

You are looking around the internet blogs, YouTube, LookBook, Chictopia, etc...and you come across some impossibly interesting item. Being the skillful online shopper you are, you track down reasonably priced dupes for said awesome item. 

But should you buy it? Would you really wear it more than once? I have so many pairs of shoes that get little live, but these are so unique and are only like 30 dollaaaaars! (lol whine)

what say you?

this is photo is not my property, i found it on chictopia and did not save it properly. 

gladiator boots by iwasjess on Polyvore.com

Alley Gladiator Bootie Wedge, $36
Bamboo Holt-24 Strappy Gladiator Wedge, $16

I'm confused,

-jess

(fashion) wishlist: delias skirt

Hey everyone :)So, this is an installment in my adventures in styling/fashion upgrade adventure!I really love this skirt I found on the delia's website. If i get it, these are some items that I would pair it with. My favorite fall look right now is the feminine skirt paired with a tougher boot. Maybe my style is that girl-meets-boy  trend with the Annie Hall feel? I guess we will see. now, I don't already own all of this stuff, or even similar items in some cases but I'll improvise...and I still haven't bought fall clothes for this year so you never know!

Fall floral skirt by iwasjess featuring Wet Seal tops

Short Sleeve Pocket Bestbum Tee, $19
Women's Aerie V-Neck Cardigan (Purple Climb), $35
Lace Racer Rib Tank - Teen Clothing by Wet Seal, $20
Forever21.com - Tops - Camis & Tanks - 2076463341, $7.80
Forever21.com - Tops - Camis & Tanks - 2076463341, $7.80
Ribbed Modal Over-the-Knee Sock, $13
dELiAs > Isadora Multi Floral-Print Skirt > apparel > skirts, $15
Microfiber Tights, $7.99
dELiAs > Camilla Boot > shoes > best sellers, $20
Old Navy Mens Oxford Shirts, $17
Bamboo Capella-41 Buckles Ankle Boot, $26
Bamboo Holt-24 Strappy Gladiator Wedge, $16

thank you, come again!
-jess

(beauty) night out makeup look : grayed mermaid

I was inspired by my very first OOTD.

This look was quite simple and I basically  freestyled

You will need

-a gray base (black, white green, or blue can be substituted)

            I used Stila smudge pot in gray

-medium dark royal blue eye shadow for crease/outer v

(I used NYX Atlantic e/s i have 2 that look different lol)

- a light (blue toned) shimmery green (you can use a teal or aqua also)

            I used NYX Jungle Fever

-a medium charcoal matte or shimmer

            I used Urban Decay Gunmetal which is blue toned.(right there on the end)

-black eyeliner and mascara

-green eyeliner for under eye

For me this look ended up cute but was kind of a fail because the blue overtook the look. I was hoping for something more subdued (and wearable for day) but my dramatic makeup style always takes over. le sigh. But I like it and I wore it happily around the house. I would definitely wear this out at night.

I less than 3 you,

jessimae mua (wink wink)

(fashion) OOTD

Hey y'all!

Ok, so I admit I fail because I actually wore this Tuesday…but what can ya do, ya know?

So here it goes…

It’s a shirt I bought last year from forever 21 and I had previously worn it buttoned and belted over a cami with leggings or jeans. It was under 15…I don’t really remember. As you can see it has a pleat effect at the waist so it flows away from the body when buttoned up.

The tank top is from a small sort in a strip mall. I don’t remember L but it was 9.49 on sale. It’s a thick material and feels sturdy, probably to help the print last.

The shorts are from Forever 21 also. They were I think 10ish dollars on the fabulous finds section at the beginning of summer.

The shoes are from Charlotte Russe. My bff Jasmine gave them to me. They are hightops but I rolled them down. They look good both ways.

Lol so yea, I actually love this outfit. I think I'm on the right track with, my fashion mission to think outside the box, create more interesting outfits and so on and so forth. I really liked this because it showed off my body but I still felt relaxed and a bit punky with the shoes and everything I realize that this may be so, so, basic but I'm completely new to this layering thing. In the beginning of summer (before my fashion blog obsession) I would have never thought to wear these items this way. I know crazy, huh?  

Check out  My Youtube Channel for live footage soon J

Luv ya babes,

Jessica 

(fashion) freshman year of highschool

So here is the first installment in my little makeshift series on my style history. I can't improve if I don't look back and see mistakes right?

There I am in the middle with my bff Tyshanda and my friend Wendell from high school. I think I got that graphic tee from Wal-mart. I think I wore this stinkin shirt every week. lol sad.

2005 or 2006 

I remember feeling self conscious in my jeans-and-a-tee combo because my shirts were sometimes too short (this is a chronic problem for me actually, I guess I'm a crack addict!). I felt (and looked) lumpy due to ill fitting bras and my tum. 

Le sigh, I was cute though and look how young we look. I'm going onto my sophomore year in college and high school already seems like a distant memory. {cliché alert haha :P}

so that's it babes, stay tuned for more

xoxo jess 

(fashion) Mission Impossible?

(just so you know it’s like my goal to always have the corniest post titles)

Hello lovely people!

It is officially T minus 13 days until I get by butt back in Maryland. I am so excited to leave my boring house and my ridiculous job at McDonalds. I’m not complaining or anything I appreciate what I have I’m just ready for school to start back up.

I have tons and tons of goals for this upcoming semester! I don’t even want to get into them all because I am going to try and focus on one topic per post as to not confuse the 3 people that may read thisJ.

This post is about fashion {sexy transition! whatthebuck!}

I look kind of like this from day to day.

My formula (est. 2005) is simple.

Jeans+ long cami + fitted shirt+ flats = everyday look

I have mixed it up with colored jeans, long sleeves layered under, hoodies, boots, polos layered under (shudder), ect.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the look and usually think I'm presentably cute, I just don’t want to dress like I'm 15 anymore. I’m going to be 20 in like 9 months! So one of my goals is to change up my style J

It will excite and amaze (hopefully)!

love you much!

jessica

College Tips

Hello People!

I'm making a series of videos for incoming college freshmen. You know,  just giving any  tips and advice I can think of that may be helpful.

here are the first two

In case you don’t feel like sitting through 20 minutes of video here are some of the things I talk about and some I don’t.

-stay focused and keep the faith. No matter what happens, you always have to remember that you are at school to get an education and your work needs to be you r number one priority. It’s easy to get caught up in your social life, parties, or even groups and organizations, but in the end if you don’t have the grades, you can lose it all.  If you do catch yourself slipping, don’t beat yourself up either! GO out find an advisor/teacher/upperclassmen and get yourself some help.

-don’t be too proud to ask for help. Remember you aren’t the only one! College is a lot harder than high school not only academically, you now have to deal with a whole new way of life in a new place, that’s a lot on a 18-year-old.

-plan plan plan You are in charge of your own school work/life so you cannot take a passive role. Get out your planner, your syllabi, and your facebook event page and take control