A judge says it’s ‘inappropriate’ to grant bond to Jacob Gordon Thompson, given the facts of the case
SYLVANIA, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia judge has denied bond for a former Georgia State Patrol trooper accused of murder in the August shooting death of a 60-year-old Black man who refused to stop for a broken tail light.
Screven County Judge F. Gates Peed on Friday ruled that it “would be inappropriate” to grant bond at the moment for Jacob Gordon Thompson, given the facts of the case.
Thompson, who is white, briefly chased Julian Lewis on Aug. 7 before forcing Lewis’ car into a ditch and fatally shooting Lewis in the head.
Thompson wrote in his incident report that he feared for his life and fired one shot when Lewis revved his engine and turned his steering wheel as if he wanted to ram the trooper.
Thompson was arrested a week later on a charge of felony murder and aggravated assault by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He remains in custody at the Screven County Jail, near the state’s South Carolina border.
Attorney Francys Johnson, who is representing the Lewis family, said that Peed’s denial of bond for Thompson is a positive sign for the current movement for racial equality in American policing.
“The unprecedented pace of the investigation is a direct result of years of activism on these issues along with a sea-change in law enforcement leadership at the top of the GBI,” Johnson said in a statement Friday. “This case is not proceeding as business as usual.”
This jail booking photo from the Screven County Sheriff’s Office show former Georgia state trooper Jacob Thompson, who was charged with felony murder for fatally shooting a driver who refused to pull over for a broken tail light Aug. 7, 2020. (Screven County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
The incident report Thompson filed says he spotted a Nissan Sentra driving with a broken tail light at about 9 p.m. and turned on his lights to initiate a traffic stop in rural Screven County. He said the driver flashed both his turn signals and motioned with a hand outside his window but made no effort to stop.
Thomspon wrote that he followed the car at speeds up to 65 mph until the vehicle rolled through a stop sign. The trooper then performed a maneuver that forced the car into a ditch. Thompson said he pulled alongside the vehicle and drew his gun as he got out of his cruiser.
Motorist Julian Lewis was fatally shot by a Georgia State trooper who has been charged with his murder. (Photo: Lewis family lawyer)
“At some point, I heard the engine on the violator’s vehicle revving at a high rate of speed,” Thompson wrote in his report. “I activated the light on my weapon and observed the violator with both hands on the steering wheel. I saw him wrenching the steering wheel in an aggressive back and forth manner towards me and my patrol vehicle.”
He continued: “It appeared to me that the violator was trying to use his vehicle to injure me. Being in fear for my life and safety, I discharged my weapon once.”
The trooper’s bullet hit Lewis in the forehead. Thompson wrote that he tried to render first aid until paramedics arrived.
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The unnamed 15-year-old suspect is accused of shooting a total of three people in as many weeks
A teen suspected of a deadly shooting in Atlanta earlier this summer has now been charged for a separate killing.
The 15-year-old suspect, who last month was charged with murder for the July shooting, has been linked to the murder of a homeless man just weeks after the first incident, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The first shooting happened in southwest Atlanta late July 13. Police responded to a call that someone had been shot and found two victims of multiple gunshot wounds at the scene.
One 29-year-old man, Donte Oneal Billingsley, died from the gunshots and another, Cedarius Johnson, 28, was expected to survive from his injuries after both were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, according to Atlanta police spokesman, Sgt. John Chafee.
The second shooting occurred on August 2 in the city’s downtown. Police once again responded to a call that a person had been shot in Woodruff Park that evening. The victim was identified as Sergio Rowell, 35, and was also taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and died there.
(Photo by Larry W. Smith/Getty Images)
According to the incident report, Rowell fought with his assailant before being shot in the upper torso by a handgun.
The teen suspect was apprehended 10 days after the Rowell shooting, but was initially only charged in Billingsley’s death. Investigators eventually linked him to Rowell’s death more than two weeks after his first arrest.
Chafee stated that as of Aug. 31, the 15-year-old had been in custody at the Metro Regional Youth Detention Center.
He has been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of cocaine.
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An observant photograph snapped a photo of Rihanna leaving a Los Angeles restaurant, posted to TMZ Saturday
Rihanna is said to be recovering from a mobile accident after she was captured leaving a Los Angeles restaurant with bruises on her face.
People Magazine reports that the Grammy Award-winning artist was injured in a scooter crash, as told by a representative for the singer.
“Rihanna is completely fine now, but flipped over on an electric scooter last week and bruised her forehead and face,” the spokesperson said in the statement. “Luckily, there were no major injuries and she is healing quickly.”
Photos of Rihanna’s bruised face and black eye had first surfaced on TMZ early Saturday morning.
While fans have been salivating for a new album, Rihanna, 32, has been less focused on music and more focused on social issues and her beauty and fashion empire.
She even went as far as to send a video message to fans that she had more important matters than new music to tend to, as previously reported by theGrio.
Rihanna (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
“If one of y’all motherf—–s ask me about the album one more time when I’m trying to save the world, unlike y’all President… [chuckles] on sight!” she said with tongue in cheek.
Rihanna’s world-saving efforts include her $4.2 million donation with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles for domestic abuse victims during COVID-19 and an undisclosed donation of PPE to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The superstar has also built an inclusive conglomerate with her Fenty Beauty cosmetics products and her Savage X Fenty lingerie company. She regularly uses women of all colors, complexions and body types to showcase her fashion line and make-up products.
She recently spoke with rapper A$AP Rocky in a video for GQ about the importance of representation.
“I wish the leaders of the beauty industry were a more diverse set of pioneers who have not just experienced the culture but have experienced a negligence in the industry whether it comes to their skin tone or skin type,” Rihanna said. “I feel like there’s so many voids to be filled and we will only know that by the pioneers that have experienced those voids, and the lack of their representation in the industry.”
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Donald Trumps former ‘fixer’ Michael Cohen is set to release a tell-all book about his experiences working with the businessman-turned-president
President Donald Trump‘s disgraced former lawyer Michael Cohen is the latest Trump ex-insider to craft a book detailing their experiences in the Trump orbit, and the forthcoming tell-all goes into detail about Trump’s hatred for his predecessor, according to CNN.
In the book, which CNN says it obtained a copy prior to its Tuesday release, Cohen wrote that Trump, years before he jumped onto the campaign trail, went so far as to hire a lookalike of then-President Barack Obama to ridicule and fire what he called a “Faux-Bama.”
Cohen, who was Trump’s personal lawyer, writes in his book “Disloyal: A Memoir” that Trump was enamored with contempt for Obama, something that Trump has put on display as a notorious sounding board of the “birther” movement that questioned if Obama was born in America.
In the book, Cohen, a self-described “fixer,” writes that Trump felt Obama only received his education at Columbia University and Harvard Law School due to “f—ing affirmative action,” as stated by Business Insider. He even called Obama a “Manchurian candidate,” meaning that he was a puppet to enemy powers.
Cohen, who was convicted of campaign finance violations and tax fraud in 2018 for his part in Trump’s 2016 campaign, said that he once hired, what he called, a “Faux-Bama,” to come to his office so he could ridicule him.
Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump testifies before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill February 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The book states that Trump intended to use the actor in a video in which he “ritualistically belittled the first black president and then fired him,” according to the CNN report.
According to Deadline, the video was intended to play at the 2012 Republican National Convention, when Mitt Romney was running against Obama for his second term. The video didn’t air due to the RNC being canceled for a day due to Hurricane Isaac.
The video has since resurfaced on the internet. Trump is seen interrogating the “Faux-Obama” in a performance review-style set-up of his first term, holding an Obama resume, grilling him about how “the private sector is dying,” and how to improve his golf swing.
In the end, Trump tells the lookalike “You’re fired,” mimicking his catchphrase from his popular ABC reality show, “The Apprentice.“
Trump has worn his contempt for former Obama on his sleeve ever since he took office in 2009.
Aside from the birther movement and attempting to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, Trump constantly tweeted disparaging critiques about Obama during his two terms in the White House and continues to this day.
One of those tweets, “President Obama will go down as perhaps the worst president in the history of the United States,” was humorously read by Obama on NBC‘s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” weeks before the election in 2016.
“Well, @realdonaldtrump, At least I will go down as a president,” Obama quipped in reaction, simultaneously dropping the phone like dropping the mic.
We all know how that turned out.
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Brian Argrett, chief executive of City First Bank, talks merging with Broadway Financial and the importance of minority-led banks
NEW YORK (AP) — Last month majority Black-owned banks City First Bank of Washington DC and Broadway Financial of Los Angeles said they would merge to create the U.S.’s largest minority deposit institution, or MDI.
MDIs are banks and financial service companies majority owned by racial and ethnic minorities. They often function as conduits to poverty-stricken neighborhoods, providing low cost loans and access to capital that wouldn’t typically be available.
City First CEO Brian Argrett will be CEO of the new bank once the merger is completed in early 2021. The combined bank will have roughly $850 million in deposits and $1 billion in assets. He spoke to The Associated Press about the merger and why minority-led institutions are important for racial and ethnic minorities to get a leg up.
Q: How did you start working at City First?
A: I like to call myself an accidental banker. I ran a small business investment company for many years. We were focused on providing financing to women and minority entrepreneurs. I joined City in 2011, after the financial crisis. City First was a lot smaller when I joined, so we worked to grow on that foundation.
A: Minority communities have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. More deaths. More wealth destruction. We saw this as an opportunity to help our communities even more. We did $30 million in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, most of that going to minority-led businesses, non-profits and advocacy groups. We also did 1,300 loans through a program started by the Washington, D.C. mayor’s office.
CFBanc CEO Brian Argrett (CFBanc Corporation via AP)
Q: Why does the country need minority deposit institutions?
A: We have all seen the compounding impacts from centuries of racial inequities in this country – social unrest, higher unemployment, poverty. Economic injustice is at the root of racial injustice. That’s why the work of MDIs and community deposit financial institutions are more important than ever – they are squarely focused on these inequities like getting capital to those who truly need it.
Q: Why did City First and Broadway pursue this merger?
A: This merger was in discussion for over a year, well before COVID. We focus on housing, non-profit finance and small business financing. Broadway also focuses on commercial lending and has a very strong affordable housing practice in Southern California. We’ll be able to increase the amounts of capital we can offer and offer more systemic solutions for the issues we talked about earlier. This is about creating a national platform where we can scale our solutions to help with these problems impacting these communities.
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It’s not over.Power Book II: Ghost picks up shortly after the earth-shattering events of the original series’ finale as Tariq St. Patrick grapples with a new world order: his father dead and his mother, Tasha, facing charges for the murder her son committed.
Tariq is front and center. We may be tired of Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) and his antics but he’s leading the charge this time around. He’ll be struggling to do what he needs to do to get his inheritance at the Ivy League university he’s attending while he works to get his mom out of jail.
Famous faces. Truly on his own for the first time in his life, Tariq is forced to split his time between school and hustling to pay for Davis MacLean (Method Man), the fame-hungry defense lawyer who is Tasha’s only hope of getting out of jail and escaping prosecution by newly minted U.S. Attorney Cooper Saxe.
Method Man stars as defense attorney Davis Maclean in Power Book II: Ghost. (Photo: Starz)
With no better options, Tariq turns to the familiar drug game, entangling himself with a cutthroat family headed by Monet Stewart Tejada (Mary J. Blige), that’s been at it for far longer than him. As Tariq tries to balance his drug operation with his grades, love life, and family, he figures out that the only way to avoid the same fate his father met is to become him — only better.
New faces. The Tejada family is bringing brand new drama and several new faces to the franchise. Expect new characters Lauren Baldwin (Paige Hurd), Dru Tejada (Lovell Adams-Gray), and Diana Tejada (LaToya Tonodeo), and Cane Tejada (Woody McClain) to breathe new life into the series.
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Meet the four Black women entrepreneurs who have launched a much-needed masterclass called The Collective Movement, a platform that educates others about investing in real estate & stocks, structuring a business, branding, and digital product creation.
They are Sierra Nicole, founder of Financially Lit in Dallas, TX; Neko Cheri, founder of Excell University in Atlanta, GA; Derricka Harwell, founder of BeautifyCredit in Southhaven, MS; and Natalie Birdsong, founder of Hair By Natalie B. in Chicago, IL.
Starting out as four complete strangers who met online and came together in the middle of a pandemic, they have since created a multi-million dollar business network that addresses the nationwide economic disparity.
In fact, in just over a month, The Collective Movement has earned well over six-figures and has created income-earning opportunities for many others within their “Inner Circle”. They have changed many lives by helping to improve financial literacy through business education and collaboration in a way that creates a lasting impact. They stand on the principles of economic growth, financial independence, entrepreneurship, and community.
Through the ashes of a country that is burning, they have been a beacon of hope for change. Right now, the world needs leaders and these ladies have risen to the occasion. Their philanthropic efforts include donations to needy families during COVID-19 and for the untimely death of Ahmaud Arbery.
Neko comments, “The only way to change the narrative is to change the narrator.”
Owners Kara Sax and Tamara Keller of The Sax Agency have been making major noise in the areas of branding, collaborative marketing, project management, advertising, and media as a whole. As a certified Black, woman-owned marketing and consulting agency, their portfolio spans a large and diverse client base. From dealing with Fortune 100 companies, athletes and entertainers, to startup brands and nonprofit organizations, these women make things happen for their clients.
Tell us how your partnership came about.
About 12 or 13 years ago we were introduced by mutual friends. As women we tend to have that instinct when we meet people, whether or not they will be for a moment or for life. We both knew we were “lifers” from the moment we met.
What made you start The Sax Agency?
We moved to Los Angeles around the same time both dealing with significant shifts in our personal lives, which led to us both leaving our corporate jobs and stepping out on faith to tap into our creative sides.
When we decided to move to L.A., Kara was speaking with a friend who happened to work in VH1’s unscripted division about a show concept we had and they got us an opening to come in and pitch the show! It was a whirlwind experience, as we ended up pitching our show to many major networks—BET, WeTV, etc. In the process, we researched and hired who was supposed to be “the best” marketing firm. We were sorely disappointed in their marketing presentation, work, strategy, and just overall execution. We immediately thought since we saw all these glitches in the matrix, and all of those skills came naturally to us, that this might be our calling … and here we are nine years later.
How does The Sax Agency plan on finishing the year strong in the midst of a pandemic?
Doubling down on investing in ourselves, continuing to be students of our craft, and plain old hard work. When the pandemic happened, we recognized this moment in time as the “Great Equalizer” and in many ways, businesses across the globe were starting over. We confidently took our position and took off. Our ability to be proactive and focused on moving forward was critical. We are now walking in our season of abundance and chance-taking and have refused to look back. We have kicked the roof off the self-imposed glass ceiling over our heads and realized that we in fact can go confidently toe-to-toe with the best firms in the industry. We are prouder than ever to not only lead with our talents, but also with the fact that we are a proud, strong, Black women-led agency. Our clients continue to “word of mouth” us to new heights.
What advice would you give to the aspiring female entrepreneur who is feeling discouraged in the environment that the world is in today?
Both of us are very spiritual people, prayer is how we start, get through, and end our day. Our advice is to focus on aligning your goals and objectives and making sure that your work ethic matches. Prioritize personal development work daily, show yourself compassion, and embrace a growth mindset. Be ready to take a risk, stay agile and connected with what feels right in your soul. We also have tried to practice more of a work/life balance than we had pre-pandemic—meaning we make sure we set aside time for family, working out, and reading. Making time to clear your mind is as important as any other appointment we fill our calendars with, especially in times like these.
From a monetary perspective, one of the keys to our success has always been “never be afraid to pivot.” We started out as production firm and are now a marketing agency for some of the most well-known brands in the country. In the process, we’ve also invested in restaurants, subscription boxes, and many other industries. They say the average millionaire has seven streams of income—so we are always looking for opportunities to dabble in industries that interest us.
What’s next for Kara Sax and Tamara Keller?
We are focused more than ever on contributing our time and money to cause-related projects and also expanding our agency’s reach—really aiming to not only exponentially grow revenue but maximizing our footprint in the industry. We want to sit on more boards and lend our voices to contribute to impactful D&I work. We want to leave a legacy. We are serial entrepreneurs and always have other irons in the fire. Out of everything, however, we are most excited about the book we are releasing later this year on self-sabotage. The book will provide both personal and professional testimonies from us both about how decisions we’ve made or have seen others make have impeded growth in many areas. This book is essential reading for all young professionals.
Dr. Jessica Mosley is a serial entrepreneur who loves teaching fellow CEO women how to show up in their truth & power. As Steward Owner of MizCEO Entrepreneurial Media Brand, Sovereign Care Home Care, Sovereign Care Medical Training Center, and Deborah’s Place for Battered Women, Jessica is busy making moves that impact her community & those connected to her.
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A jury will investigate the death of Prude after video shows Rochester police placed a hood over his head and held him down.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s attorney general on Saturday moved to form a grand jury to investigate the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died earlier this year after Rochester police placed a hood over his head and held him down.
“The Prude family and the Rochester community have been through great pain and anguish,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement about Prude’s death, which has sparked nightly protests and calls for reform. She said the grand jury would be part of an “exhaustive investigation.”
State Attorney General Letitia James announces a lawsuit against e-cigarette giant Juul on November 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Prude’s death after his brother called for help for his erratic behavior in March has roiled New York’s third-largest city since video of the encounter was made public earlier this week, with protesters demanding more accountability for how it happened and legislation to change how authorities respond to mental health emergencies.
“This is just the beginning,” Ashley Gantt, a protest organizer, said by email after James’ announcement. “We will not be stopped in our quest for truth and justice.”
Hundreds of protesters gathered Saturday for a fourth night on the street where Prude, naked and handcuffed, was held face-down as snow fell. Policy body camera video shows officers covering Prude’s head with a “spit hood,” designed to protect police from bodily fluids, then pressing his face into the pavement for two minutes.
Prude died a week later after he was taken off life support.
The Monroe County medical examiner listed the manner of death as homicide caused by “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint.” Excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP, were contributing factors, the report said.
A police internal affairs investigation cleared the officers involved of any wrongdoing, concluding in April that their “actions and conduct displayed when dealing with Prude appear to be appropriate and consistent with their training.”
James’ office opened its investigation the same month. Under New York law, deaths of unarmed people in police custody are often turned over to the attorney general’s office, rather than handled by local officials.
Police union officials have said the officers were strictly following department training and protocols.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this week called on James to expedite the probe.
“Today, I applaud Attorney General Tish James for taking swift, decisive action in empaneling a grand jury,” Cuomo said in a statement Saturday. “Justice delayed is justice denied and the people of New York deserve the truth.”
Mayor Lovely Warren, who is under pressure to resign over how long it took for Prude’s death to become public, thanked James for taking the action in what she called “a trying time in Rochester.”
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren. (Photo: Spectrum News)
Protesters on Saturday continued to criticize Warren and Police Chief La’Ron Singletary, walking and bicycling from the site of Prude’s detention to City Hall, where they again called for them to step down.
Also Saturday, the attorney for several people struck by a car as they protested Prude’s death in New York City said police have opened a criminal investigation now that victims have come forward to file a police report. Sanford Rubenstein said two of those struck Thursday when the Ford Taurus drove through the crowd in Times Square have been interviewed by police and three others will meet with investigators next week.
The group wants the driver charged with reckless endangerment and assault with a deadly weapon.
Advocates say Prude’s death and the actions of the seven now-suspended Rochester police officers demonstrate how police are ill-equipped to deal with people suffering mental problems.
Activists have marched nightly in the city of 210,000 on Lake Ontario since the police body camera footage of the encounter with Prude was released by his family Wednesday.
Friday night’s protest resulted in 11 arrests, police said. As they had the night before, officers doused activists at police headquarters with a chemical spray and fired what appeared to be pepper balls to drive them from barricades around the building.
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Meet Ebony Robert, founder and CEO of Ebony’s Beauty Hair and Skin Care, whose handcrafted all-natural hair and skincare products are now available in Walmart stores nationwide. Ebony, a mother of five boys, launched the business two years ago, but says that her love for the beauty industry started at a very young age.
Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Ebony built her business from the ground up and continues to fulfill her dream of being a woman entrepreneur. Last year, she grossed almost six figures while working as a full-time teacher.
As a wife, mom, and a boss, Ebony has positioned her company to become a very popular household brand on the rise. In addition to her distribution deal with Walmart (in both the U.S. and Canada), she has also established a partnership with Amazon.
Her motivation to launch the company was to give consumers safer alternatives without the use of harmful chemicals when it comes to hair and skin care products. Ebony comments, “My products are safer, effective, and free of harsh chemicals. They provide relief of dandruff, dry itchy scalp, weak and falling hair as they promote hair growth.”
She says her company is committed and passionate about helping her customers achieve great results for their hair and skin care goals.
Starting at a corner, could you walk around the surface of this Platonic solid without crossing other corners? To get the answer, you need an 81-holed doughnut.
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Wanda Cooper-Jones publicly criticized people using Arbery’s name for non-profits and trademarks.
Ahmaud Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said she has not endorsed an organization called the 2:23 Foundation. The foundation started an, “I Run With Maud” Labor Day campaign.
Cooper-Jones said she feels disrespected because her late son’s name is being used without her approval.
“This foundation did not have my blessings,” Cooper-Jones said, according to Newsweek .
However, the 2:23 Foundation founders told WSB-TV, an ABC-affiliated television station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia, that “[Cooper-Jones] said it was fine.”
In response to the founders, Cooper-Jones publicly criticized people using her son’s name for non-profits and trademarks, saying she felt people were exploiting her situation.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, mother of Ahmaud Arbery, listens as attorneys speak outside the Glynn County Courthouse on July 17, 2020 in Brunswick, Georgia. Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William ‘Roddie’ Bryan appeared before a judge for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
“The ideas for the foundation likely started after national attention began to spread due to our advocacy efforts,” Cooper-Jones wrote, according to Newsweek. “Within seven days of the foundation’s launch, its organizers had already planned a large fundraiser.”
“The I RUN FOR MAUD committee (all five members who I do not know well),” she continued, “have known for months I did not want my child’s death to be exploited or used for monetary gain for anyone. I was disrespected and ignored.”
Newsweek reached out to the foundation’s head of PR and communications. They pointed the publication to a Facebook post made by the foundation.
“We have attempted countless times to reach out to [Cooper-Jones] and counsel to discuss this privately,” the post said.
“Our intention from the beginning was simple: Pursue justice for Ahmaud. Our team has not benefited financially from any of the work we have done to do just that. In fact, we have spent our own money to help pursue justice. And we have gotten the support from Maud’s family in the process.”
#AhmaudArbery’s mother, #WandaCooper, has a message for anyone profiting off of her son’s name.
Ahmaud Arbery’s tragic death made headlines after a video of him getting fatally shot after two white men, a father, and son, chased him down. The men, along … https://t.co/3JvepNNcK0pic.twitter.com/eWkR43By4o
As theGrio previously reported, supporters of Ahmaud Arbery, who was ambushed and fatally shot in Georgia by two white men, organized a multi-mile run to raise awareness about his murder and honor him on what would’ve been his 26th birthday.
Many activists are still promoting the call for justice in Arbery’s case and the cases of the many other unarmed Black men and women have been killed.
Yesterday, tennis star Naomi Osaka wore an Ahmaud Arbery mask. Osaka also wore masks with the names of Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain, CNN reported.
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The entrance to the parking lot was blocked by a Postal Service police car and caution tape.
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was stopped by USPS police and told she could not go inside of two mail sorting facilities, according to MSNBC.
At 4 a.m., Wasserman Schultz was supposed to be on a tour of the Royal Palm Processing and Distribution Center in Opa-Locka, Florida, but the entrance to the parking lot was blocked by a Postal Service police car and caution tape.
She was blocked again at the Miami Processing and Distribution Center a few hours later. Wasserman Schultz was met in the lobby by two Postal Service police officers.
Wasserman is responsible for the House Oversight Committee and was unable to do her job. She was informed by union members, who shared pictures with her, that mail was received on July 23, and was still undelivered.
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) speaks about her experiences during a trip to Israel and Auschwitz-Birkenau as part of a bipartisan delegation from the House of Representatives on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
The pictures have not been verified, NBC News reported.
As theGrio previously reported, Postmaster General Louis Dejoy, a Republican donor and ally of President Donald Trump, has been under fire for the sudden changes in the USPS.
These changes come as the nation relys on mail-in ballots for its upcoming election.
“If DeJoy thinks he can just throw a bed sheet [sic] over what’s going on behind these doors, he is sadly mistaken. It looked like the post master [sic] had something to hide,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement.
“Without access to these public facilities, the public is blindfolded to the problems or fixes taking place there. DeJoy cannot delay the mail and delay oversight of these facilities.”
For anyone wondering how @USPS is doing… after 9 days sitting at a distribution facility (~8.5 miles from my house), my package left the facility yesterday, and is now delayed in transit. Good thing it's just new eyeglasses… People get meds by mail! This is all fine, right?!? pic.twitter.com/WX9XeKjvIW
She also said DeJoy has already “obstructed the committee” by not providing documents and data as requested, NBC News reported.
Kim Fuller, a spokeswoman of the USPS, said the reason Wasserman Schultz was denied was because the facilities were not aware of her visit. Fuller advised her camp to set an appointment.
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The bill passed the House, but now it needs to pass the Utah state senate in order to be on the ballot.
House Rep. Sandra Hollins of Salt Lake City sponsored a bill, Amendment C, that includes the removal of slavery references from Utah’s founding documents. The bill passed in the state legislature.
“This language in our constitution, it was written 32 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It should never have been placed in our constitution,” Hollins told FOX 13. “It no longer reflects Utah values. It’s not who we are as a state.”
The bill, which is backed by a coalition of community groups, including the NAACP, the Utah Black Roundtable, Action Utah, the Alliance for a Better Utah, and the Greater Salt Lake Alumnae of Delta Sigma Teta, will need to be passed by voters in the community.
On the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, Aug. 18, hundreds were reported to have marched through Salt Lake City, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Local residents wearing Black Lives Matter shirts rallied for racial equality and police reform.
Utah State Capitol Building (via Google Maps Street View)
“Register to vote! You can do it on your phone. Go vote!” longtime community activist Darlene McDonald told the crowd, according to The Tribune. “The 13th Amendment did get rid of slavery but not in its entirety,” she said.
“Slavery should not be a part of the Utah constitution or any constitution in this country, especially in 2020,” she continued.
“I do anticipate some pushback, yes, because of the criminal justice system. And prison labor and corporations using prison labor for cheap labor. That’s the reason why we anticipate some pushback.”
The bill has to go through the state senate, which is controlled by Utah Republicans.
Luckily for Black activists, Sen. Jake Anderegg, a Republican, sponsored her bill in the state Senate, hoping it would encourage his colleagues to vote for the amendment on Election Day.
“Removing this outdated provision sends a strong, bipartisan statement about our values as citizens of Utah,” Anderegg said.
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Opportunities have been scarce for Black players across a wide range of sports, despite the end of Apartheid.
The Black Lives Matter movement has forced South African sports to take a hard look at its post-apartheid history and the dissension between former teammates in a county still trying to heal from its racist past.
BLM has shined a light on how people of color are treated around the world, and in South Africa the focal point is the sports world.
— Vanguard Newspapers (@vanguardngrnews) June 4, 2020
The debate has led to the acknowledgement that opportunities have been scarce for Black players across a wide range of sports, despite the end of Apartheid, a system of racial segregation that existed in South African from 1948 until the earl 1990s.
The inequities between white and Black players has been a heated discussion that jeopardizes amicable relationships between current teammates as well as former teammates from an older generation, according to Reuters.
Showing support of BLM, South Africa’s World Cup-winning former rugby captain, Francois Pienaar took a knee before a cricket match in July, and was criticized by his former teammates who felt his position linked them to being in support of BLM as well.
According to a report in news24.com, one of Pienaar’s former teammates, Ollie Le Roux, retweeted a post that compared BLM to devil worshipping.
Francois Pienaar, who took a knee in support of Black people, and Fikile Mbalula during the Memorial service of Joost van der Westhuizen at Loftus Versfeld on February 10, 2017 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Johan Rynners/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Public backlash against Pienaar’s decision to support BLM has included death threats. Pienaar, however, defended his position, stating that he was showing solidarity against “any form of racism and suppression.”
“I think a discussion must be held to fully understand the Black pain, but the other side of the coin is the farm murders, which has caused a lot of white pain,” Le Roux told Rapport, referring to the ongoing violent attacks against usually white-owned farms in South Africa.
When eight South African members of the premiere rugby team, the Sale Sharks wore ‘Rugby Against Racism’ t-shirts, but refused to take a knee before a game in England, the country’s minister of sport, Nathi Mthethwa called for action against those players.
“Racism is no longer in the statues books but some are practicing it covertly and we are saying that we will hunt them down because we know the pain that is caused by this pain called racism,” Mthethwa said in a statement.
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A family, driving to get a laptop from an elementary school, was struck by a car fleeing a traffic stop
A girl is dead and her brother in critical condition after the car their father was driving, on their way to get home supplies for the school year, was struck by a driver in a police chase in Chicago on Wednesday.
The family was on its way to retrieve a laptop from Foster Park Elementary School in the city’s South Side for the girl’s remote learning when their car collided with a Black sedan. The sedan, which was fleeing police from a traffic stop, had first hit a 57-year-old woman driver prior to hitting the family, according to Chicago police.
Da’Karia Spicer, 10, was pronounced dead at Comer Children’s Hospital, where Dhaamir Spicer, 5, is being treated for his injuries. Their father Kevin Amir Spicer, 43, was reported to be in good condition after checking in at the University of Chicago Hospital, according to WLS-TV in the Midwestern metropolis.
Three suspects vacated the sedan and fled on foot, and one is in custody with charges pending.
Kevin Spicer suffered broken ribs in the crash. Darnesha Johnson, his fiance and the children’s mother, says Spicer was “hysterical” when he called her about the crash.
“We’ve been together for almost 15 years and I’ve never heard him like that. He was saying, ‘Mama’s not responding,'” Johnson told the news outlet.
Johnson said this was the “worst day of my life,” with her firstborn killed and son in critical condition.
“Never thought I’d get a call that my son is fighting for his life and my daughter is just gone.”
Johnson stated that Da’Karia was a straight-A student and a “good big sister.” She wants justice for those responsible for the tragedy.
“I just want who was ever responsible for this to pay for what they done, ’cause my daughter — to know her is to love her. I can’t even speak in past tense.”
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A Trump administration official has instructed agencies to compile a list on racial sensitivity trainings on critical race theory, white privilege and other topics
President Donald Trump is looking to revamp the federal government’s racial sensitivity training curriculum, deeming some sessions to be “un-American” and “divisive,” according to an unearthed White House memorandum.
The memo, issued by White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, says Trump wants to pull funding for the training sessions, labeling them “propaganda” and suggesting that the workplace programs “undercut our core values as Americans and drive division within our workforce.”
The Washington Post obtained the memo delivered to federal agencies on Friday that spells out the president’s stance on the matter and instructs federal agencies to expect more guidance in the near future.
“The President has directed me to ensure that Federal agencies cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions,” the notice read.
The two-page memo states that federal agency should compile a list of contracts and spending on training that involves topics like critical race theory, white privilege and others that paint the country and people as “inherently racist or evil.”
Vought wrote that the Federal government was a pillar of racial unity as it employs people of all races, and states that the Trump administration feels that the training sessions will undermine unity and the president’s “proven track record of standing for those whose voice has long been ignored.”
“We can be proud of our continued efforts to welcome all individuals who seek to serve their fellow Americans as Federal employees,” Vought wrote.
The memo said that the OMB will instructor these agencies and departments to “cancel any such contracts” and take away the money used for the sessions.
“The divisive, false, and demeaning propaganda of the critical race theory movement is contrary to all we stand for as Americans and should have no place in the Federal government,” the memo ended.
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Lawmakers are concerned that racial tensions will be exploited again in a redux of a 2016 misinformation campaign led by Russians
WASHINGTON (AP) — The tensions coursing through the United States over racism and policing are likely targets for adversaries seeking to influence the November election, lawmakers and experts warn — and there are signs that Russia is again seeking to exploit the divide.
Earlier this year, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pulled down dozens of accounts with names like “Blacks Facts Untold” that had been followed or liked by hundreds of thousands of people. The accounts were fake, created by an organization in Africa with links to Russia’s Internet Research Agency.
Similarly, this past week Facebook announced it had removed a network of accounts linked to that “troll factory” that had pushed out stories about race and other issues. The network had tricked unwitting American writers to post content to the pages.
It’s a troubling but familiar pattern from Russia, as the Internet Research Agency overwhelmingly focused on race and the Black Lives Matter Movement when targeting the U.S. in 2016. The goal, part of the Russian playbook for decades, was to sow chaos by posting content on both sides of the racial divide. Indeed, “no single group of Americans was targeted by IRA information operatives more than African-Americans,” concluded a report from the Senate Intelligence Committee.
With the election just two months away, some lawmakers are worried that the Russian efforts, now evolved and more sophisticated than four years ago, could again take hold. They fear the Trump administration’s decision to limit what it tells Congress — and by extension the American people — about election threats will allow the propaganda to spread.
“Race was a big piece of what they did in 2016, and given heightened racial tensions this year, there’s no reason they wouldn’t be doing the same thing again,” says Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who is on the Senate Intelligence Committee. He says the information that is now being limited “belongs to the American people.”
Senate Intelligence Committee member Sen. Angus King (I-ME) (L) listens to fellow committee memebrs question witnesses during a hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill March 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Democrats were furious last weekend after Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, a close Trump ally, informed Congress that the office would supply written information to the intelligence committees about election threats but would no longer be doing in-person briefings, denying lawmakers the chance to ask questions.
The cancellation came a few weeks after U.S. intelligence officials publicly stated that Russia is using a variety of measures to denigrate Trump’s opponent, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, ahead of the election. Trump responded to that assessment by saying that “nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have.”
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden greets Tim Mahone, chair of Mahone Foundation, with an elbow bump as he arrives at a meeting with members of the community at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Election interference has always been a sensitive subject for Trump. The president has often dismissed the idea that Russia interfered at all in 2016, and has replaced many long-serving intelligence officials with his own appointees.
The intelligence statement did not offer specifics about what tactics Russia is using, but the past provides important clues.
In 2016 the Internet Research Agency had an “overwhelming operational emphasis on race” that was apparent in the online ads it purchased — more than two-thirds contained a term related to race. The company targeted that content to “African-Americans in key metropolitan areas with well-established black communities and flashpoints in the Black Lives Matter movement,” according to a Senate Intelligence Committee report. One of its top performing pages, “Blactivist,” generated 11.2 million engagements with Facebook users.
Bret Schafer, an expert on foreign disinformation with the bipartisan group Alliance for Securing Democracy, said stoking racial animosity is a Kremlin strategy that goes back decades. His group tracked a major uptick in social media activity on racial issues from Russian state-sponsored media and political figures this summer, especially after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
“We have seen a constant messaging theme being race and racism in the U.S.,” Schafer said. “They’re very good at it.”
There is evidence that the recent police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the resulting protests — the focus of political sparring between Trump and Biden this week — have fueled a new round of social media activity from foreign governments.
English-language media outlets linked to the Russian government have published stories supporting the protests, and “Cop Injustice in Kenosha” is the headline on a video posted by an online news organization with ties to Russia. Another video from the Kremlin-backed outlet Redfish shows Trump supporters driving aggressively through protesters in Portland, Oregon, where there have been protests for weeks.
The stories are precisely the kind of content lawmakers are trying to keep tabs on.
The acting chairman of the Senate intelligence panel, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, told a local news outlet this week that has spoken to Ratcliffe and expects the in-person briefings to continue. But it is unclear if they will. The top Democrat on the panel, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, says he has been working with Rubio to urge Ratcliffe to reverse the decision.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) questions witnesses during a hearing about Venezuela in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill August 04, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Ninety percent of the information I’ve ever gained from any briefing is not from the briefing, it’s from the questions,” Warner said.
The briefings are less likely to be reinstated in the House intelligence committee, which is led by Democrats. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said cancelling the briefings is a “shocking abdication of its lawful responsibility.” He has urged vigilance on the Russian meddling, noting that the tactics have evolved but “the underlying malign goals remain the same.”
The intelligence committees are receiving some information from the social media companies themselves, notably Facebook and Twitter. The companies were slow to respond in 2016, but are now waging sophisticated efforts to root out foreign interference. Twitter stopped accepting political ads, while Facebook began verifying the identity of ad buyers in 2018 and this week said it will restrict new political ads in the 7 days before the election.
Nina Jankowicz, disinformation fellow at the nonpartisan Wilson Center, says there has been an improvement in tracking, but because the issue of interference has been so politicized, Congress and the public aren’t getting enough information.
“What people need to be looking for is stuff that is seemingly trying to get a rise out of them,” Jankowicz said. “Don’t think you are going to find a troll. It’s about guarding yourself from emotional manipulation.”
___
Associated Press writers David Klepper in Providence, Rhode Island, Amanda Seitz in Chicago and Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, California, contributed to this report.
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Tiffany Haddish hosted immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci for a coronavirus discussion on her YouTube channel
Tiffany Haddish landed an exclusive interview with esteemed immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci for her YouTube channel.
In the video posted late August, the comedienne went one-on-one with Fauci, the White House’s leading expert on coronavirus, discussing the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on the Black community and vaccine development, and revealing her own bout with the contagion.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, took the time to clear up what Haddish saw as “a lot of misinformation” circulating regarding the fast-spreading virus.
“From my community, we see things going on, we see stuff on the internet and I try to use my discernment,” Haddish said as she prepped to ask several questions.
During the 34-minute interview, Fauci addressed numerous issues about COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, including the origin of the virus, the pros and cons of taking herbal supplements to fight off and prevent contraction, as well as the government-backed race to find a preventative.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies before a House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing on July 31, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)
Although vaccines must go through extensive trials before being distributed to the general public in a process that typically takes years and years to complete, Fauci said he understands why many in the Black community may not be inclined to be inoculated.
“It’s understandable that people can have some hesitancy about getting vaccines,” Fauci said.
“You can’t expect the people who aren’t trustworthy about vaccines to just believe everybody,” he continued. “I think particularly in the African-American community, which, over decades, historically, have suffered from being taken advantage of by medical community and testing. I mean the infamous Tuskegee [Experiment] is something we will never, and should never forget.”
Over the course of the conversation, Haddish revealed that she tested positive for COVID-19 three months ago. The Carmichael Show actress said she tested twice for the disease, once after being potentially exposed on a film set, which came back negative, and again after someone she knows contracted the virus.
“Get the tests the second time. I’m not feeling any symptoms or anything, and it comes back like two days later, and they said I did have the coronavirus,” said Haddish, who has been dating and quarantining during the pandemic with rapper Common.
Common and Tiffany Haddish attend Toast To The Arts Presented by Remy Martin on March 2, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Remy Martin)
“Then I went and tested again, didn’t have the virus, and then I got tested for antibodies, they said I had antibodies,” she explained. “Then I get tested again, no virus, and then I had them test me for antibodies again, and then they said I don’t have any antibodies.”
“So I think I’m superhuman.”
In total, Haddish disclosed she’s taken 12 coronavirus tests as she returned to work.
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