Chicago Mother Decides to Turn Son in After Robbery – Would You?

A Chicago mother had to find some serious courage, as she had to turn in her own son for a robbery in Chicago recently.

According to CWBChicago.com, Zion Brown is accused of robbing a commuter train conductor at gunpoint. His attorney claims he needed money for lunch.

But the night of the crime, Brown’s mother saw the report of the robbery on television and recognized her son as the robber. She took him to the Calumet City police department to surrender.

Brown allegedly got $110 from the Metra Electric Line conductor, after holding him at gunpoint, with what he claimed was a BB gun.

“On Tuesday Feb. 15, at 2:07 p.m. a Metra Electric Line train pulled into the Van Buren Street Station in downtown Chicago,” Metra Police said in a statement. “At this time, the pictured offender, who was a passenger on the train, produced a black semi-automatic handgun and announced a robbery. He then proceeded to steal the conductor’s cash and fled on foot into the station. The second photo shows the offender on the platform with the weapon.”

Brown is currently a student at Loyola University of Chicago, and according to his attorney, he was on his way to class when he held up the conductor. He had no previous criminal background.

“With the public’s assistance, Metra Police arrested a suspect overnight in the robbery of a Metra conductor Tuesday afternoon at Van Buren Street Station.”

Brown attempted to appeal to the bond judge’s understanding of being a broke college student to avoid bond, but Cook County Judge Maryam Ahmad didn’t buy it and granted no bail for Brown.

Fayetteville Has Most Black-Owned Businesses in the Country

• 1. Fayetteville, North Carolina

  5,210 businesses, 585 Black-owned businesses, 11.2%

  Population: 33% Black

• 2. Washington, D.C.

  111,872 businesses, 8,649 Black-owned businesses, 7.7%

  Population: 25% Black

• 3. Richmond, Virginia (tie)

  25,617 businesses, 1,721 Black-owned businesses, 6.7%

  Population: 30% Black

• 3. Atlanta, Georgia (tie)

  113,110 businesses, 7,539 Black-owned businesses, 6.7%

  Population: 35% Black

• 5. Memphis, Tennessee

  17,132 businesses, 1,123 Black-owned businesses, 6.6%

  Population: 48% Black

• 6. St. Louis, Missouri

  51,852 businesses, 3,112 Black-owned businesses, 6.0%

  Population: 18% Black

• 7. Augusta, Georgia

  8,197 businesses, 480 Black-owned businesses, 5.9%

  Population: 36% Black

• 8. Baltimore, Maryland

  51,461 businesses, 2,755 Black-owned businesses, 5.4%

  Population: 30% Black

• 9. Jackson, Mississippi

  8,889 businesses, 446 Black-owned businesses, 5.0%

  Population: 31% Black

• 10. Virginia Beach, Virginia

  26,741 businesses, 1,260 Black-owned businesses, 4.7%

  Population: 31% Black

• Other Cities of Note

  11 – Greensboro, NC

  12 – Columbia, SC

  15 – Raleigh, NC

  20 – Greenville, SC

   

• Tips to Start a Minority-Owned Business

  The following tips are courtesy of lendingtree.com.

• Write A Business Plan

  A strong business plan is the first step in starting a business because it outlines the good or service you plan to sell and the customers you want to serve. A business plan also provides market analysis, financial projections and staffing needs.

• Decide on A Business Entity

  A business entity is your company’s legal structure. Depending on which form you select, the decision will affect how you file taxes, the degree to which you’re personally liable for your business debts and whether you can sell stock in the company.

• Keep Clear Records

  Once your business is in operation and legally incorporated, you’ll need to be diligent about keeping clear and consistent records. This will include a balance sheet tracking assets and liabilities, cash flow analysis and reports of accounts payable and accounts receivable. Not only will these reports help you monitor your business’s profitability, but they may also be requirements to apply for a small business loan.

• Build Strong Business Credit

  When you start a business, lenders will pay more attention to your personal credit score, but you’ll also want to build a strong business credit score over time. Similar to a personal credit score, a business credit score is a number that represents a business’s creditworthiness. To build yours, use your business’ employer identification number (EIN) or Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to open a credit account with a vendor and pay your invoices in full when due.

• Qualify as a minority-owned business with the Small Business Administration (SBA)

  Qualifying or certification as a minority-owned business opens opportunities to participate in the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program, which offers training, mentorship and the ability to compete for federal contracts. To qualify, you’ll need to be a for-profit business, meet the SBA’s size standards and income standards and be at least 51% owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged U.S. citizens. You’ll apply at certify.sba.gov.