We Give You Our New Florida Correspondent * PRgirlangel *

We Give You Our New Florida Correspondent * PRgirlangel *

VYBZ KARTEL CHARGED WITH MURDER

Adijah Palmer, popularly known as Vybz Kartel has a new look, and could possibly have a new life. The deejay was arrested September 29, and has been held and questioned in Kingston since then. Initially, he was to be charged with marijuana possession, which was found in the hotel room where he was arrested in New Kingston. After an ongoing investigation, which included seizing of property, random homes being search, some of which Kartel owned, some of which he frequented, Charges have since been upgraded to murder, conspiracy to murder, and illegal possession of a firearm. One report stated a body was found in one of these homes, half burned, and partially decomposed.

A preliminary hearing will take place today at the Half-Way-Tree Resident Magistrate's Court, the police said.

A SAD DAY IN REGGAE MUSIC, BUJU BANTON CONVICTED ON 3 COCAINE RELATED CHARGES

Tuesday Feb. 22, 2011, 2:30pm, as Tweets and Facebook updates from various artist and fans of Buju Banton fills time lines, it's clear this has to be the saddest day in reggae music in some time.
Mr. Vegas tweets, "Sad day in music!!!!!!!! Buju guilty",
Macka Diamond tweets, "Sad"
Babyface of King Addies tweets, "DEM BATTTTTTTTTTTTTYBWOY DEM STARRRRRRRRRRRR, TIL SHILOH WE CHANT RASTAFARI'S NAME.....",
Dancehall.mobi tweets, simply "wow".

It's been a long road for Buju in this drug conspiracy trial. The first trial ended in a hung jury, this second one seals Buju's fate.

Jamaica's reggae superstar Buju Banton, real name Mark Myrie, has been found guilty of three cocaine related charges.
A 12 member jury a short while ago delivered the verdict in the Sam M Gibbons building in Tampa which houses the United States Middle District Court, Florida Division.
Buju was tried last week on four charges.
Buju throughout the maintained he is innocent of the charges saying he play no part in any conspiracy to possess cocaine.
In denying the claims against him, Buju, though his attorney David Oscar Markus, argued that the artiste never became a willing participant of the cocaine conspiracy charged in the superseding indictment.
The defence said tasting the cocaine, talking about cocaine and simply being present at the warehouse is not sufficient to find Buju guilty of the crimes charged.
This trial, which began on February 14, was the second attempt of the US government to convict the Jamaican artiste. A first trial last year was declared a mistrial after jurors failed to arrive at a unanimous position.
Buju was arrested on December 10, 2009.
His long-time friend Ian Thomas and a James Mack were arrested the same day when they attempted to by cocaine from undercover detectives in a Florida warehouse. Thomas and Mack pleaded guilty but Buju denied the charges. He said he decided to fight in federal court because he knows he is innocent.
Source:http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=26680

ATTORNEY representing Reggae star Buju Banton, David Oscar Markus, has signalled his intention to appeal the guilty verdict that was handed down in the United States Sam Gibbons Federal Court today.Banton was declared guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offence and using the wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offence by a 12-member panel of jurors. However he was found not guilty of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. The artiste hugged Markus when the verdict was read while many of his supporters left the courtroom crying. He has been detained and has had his bail revoked. Banton was arrested at his Tamarac home in South Florida in December 2009, a day after his co-defendants Ian Thomas and James Mack were arrested in a government controlled warehouse in Tampa, Florida attempting to buy cocaine from Drug Enforcement Agents. He was jailed for almost 11 months in the Pinellas County Jail and his first trial in September last year ended in a hung jury forcing US Judge Tom Moody to order a retrial.
The artiste has consistently pleaded his innocence and claims he was entrapped by the US government.
Source: jamaicansmusic.com

Updates as they become available.

DEVA BRATT EXONERATED ON ALL CHARGES!

Dancehall deejay Deva Bratt, was previously facing carnal abuse charges in two separates cases. Deva Bratt was arrested and imprisoned back in 2008 for several months for these cases, and always declared his innocence. At that time him and one time friend and musical partner Vybz Kartel began an all out war. Kartel released a song "I coulda neva tun a raper" dissing Deva Bratt. Upon Deva Bratts release he released a song "Judas" describing how Vybz Kartel had betrayed him in his time of despair. Since, Deva Bratt has separated himself from the Portmore Empire, and formed Krucial Konflict. He is no stranger to building solid musical foundations such as Portmore Empire, and with these charges finally dismissed, he can soar to the heights of no limit. Lyrically, Deva Bratt is one of the BEST artist in Jamaica hands down. He's known as the war personnel, so we'll have to look out for what's next.. Check him out at;
www.facebook.com/devabratt
www.myspace.com/devabratt
www.twitter.com/devabratt

BUJU GRANTED BAIL!

United States Judge Anthony Porcelli has offered bail to Buju Banton at $250,000. Buju is said to be placed under 24-hour surveillance with the costs being paid by the defense.

The Gleaner has stated that Buju will have to receive an immigration bond to prevent deportation. The US authorities, however, would want to keep Buju in the US to face his new trial set to begin in December.

Buju’s lawyer filed the motion for a bail hearing on September 27, after federal judge, James Moody declared a mistrial in the drug case against Buju.

The judge says a new trial is to be held in December on a date to be announced in the near future.

Welcome home Buju, and you will continue to remain in the prayers of your family, friends, and fans!

TODAY WE PRAY FOR BUJU

Monday September 27, 2010
Buju Bantons case has been declared a mistrial. His lawyer is requesting bail at this time, the new trial could start as early as December, 2010.

THE PRETTY FACE OF MENTAL HEALTH

Actress Maia Campbell, once thought to be one of the most beautiful and promising young African-American entertainers, is now (allegedly) addicted to crack, and meth, and also prostituting herself. Maia found fame alongside singer Tyrese, as leading lady in the video "Sweet Lady". She also co-starred along with LL Cool J in the 90's sitcom "In The House". Maia was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Bi-polar disorder in her late teens. She like many others could not commit to daily pharmaceutical medication. It's said that she began treatment, and did well for a while with the assistance of her mother (reminding her to take her medicine, keeping track of her progress..). Unfortunately when her mother died in 2006, it began a downward spiral for Maia. She was no longer taking her medication, she began to abuse drugs and alcohol to self medicate. Maia soon found herself completely out of control. The people around her began exploiting her by recording videos of her, in what appears to be a drug induced state, taking pictures of her nude and under the influence, and publishing them on the Internet. While her current condition is unknown, there are several conflicting reports. Some reports state that since her arrest in July 2010 she had a stay in rehab and is doing better with the help of her father and grandmother, other reports state that she is back to prostituting and drug use on the streets of LA.
It saddens me not only that she is suffering from a number of mental illnesses and has gone untreated for some time, but the fact that she is surrounded by people whom either don't understand or don't care about her illness.


American Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino is the most recent victim of an alleged suicide attempt. It is alleged that she overdosed on pills, and was found in the closet of her home by her manager. She was then rushed to the hospital and was treated for an overdose. This incident came after reports that Fantasia was being sued by her long time boyfriend Antwaun Cooks' wife. His wife had also reported that she was in possession of sex tapes with Fantasia and her husband. Fantasia is no stranger to media drama. Back in 2008 Fantasia made media headlines when her house was allegedly up for foreclosure for back taxes owed. Fantasia is the mother of 1, and I wish her a speedy recovery and hope she gets the medical attention needed for issues she may be facing.


Phyllis Hyman, a talented singer and actress, whose career spanned for more than 20 years became the face of suicide amongst black women in 1995. While we may have looked at her as a success story, she felt differently about her life. Phyllis took her life in her New York City apartment in 1995. She was found hours before she was scheduled to appear at The Apollo Theater. She left behind a suicide note starting by saying "I'm tired, I'm tired...". Many speculated her death was due to feelings of loneliness and her inability to find a "good man". However, it goes much deeper than that.

Phyllis had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder ten year prior to her suicide. She like many others suffering from mental health diseases, was not diagnosed until adulthood, and declined pharmaceutical medication. In her choosing to self medicate, she ultimately made her disease worse, and suffered the grave consequence that many do, thinking they can fight mental health diseases alone.
Check out some of the statistics.
• An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year
• In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada.3 Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. Nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental disorder meet criteria for 2 or more disorders, with severity strongly related to co morbidity
• More than 90 percent of people who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental disorder, most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder.
• Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million American adults, or about 2.6 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.

Mental health and addiction are often tolerated and go untreated within the Black and Caribbean community. This disease affects millions each year including entertainers, mothers, children, men, teens, anyone. We have somehow made addiction and mental health diseases a "normal" part of our life, and sometimes don't know how to recognize signs of a potentially fatal problem. Ignorance is the biggest killer when it comes to these diseases. It is important to educate yourself about the signs and symptoms if you think a loved one may be mentally ill or have a dependency issue with drugs or alcohol. Not seeking medical attention leads to "self-medication" which can range from alcoholism and drug abuse to suicide. If you think you or a loved one may be suffering from a mental illness contact your local health care facility.