This week, we discuss the nationwide shortage of ventilators and protective equipment, and how we’re going to deal with it amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Friday, April 3, 2020
Tekashi 6ix9ine granted early release from prison due to coronavirus fears
Tekashi 6ix9ine has been released from prison.
The controversial rapper (Daniel Hernandez) who was serving a two-year sentence for racketeering convictions while under protective custody at a private prison in Queens, NY was released because his asthma puts him at high risk for contracting COVID-19.
“The judge granted the motion basically because of the virus that’s ravaging our nation,” an attorney for the Brooklyn-born emcee told the LA Times. “In prison, you can’t practice isolation or containment; it’s just not feasible.”
READ MORE: Tekashi 6ix9ine, sullen and sorry in court, handed two-year sentence on multiple charges
The 23-year-old will serve the remaining four months of his sentence from home and will wear an ankle monitoring device.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is extraordinary and unprecedented in modern times in this nation. It presents a clear and present danger to free society for reasons that need no elaboration. COVID-19 presents a heightened risk for incarcerated defendants like Mr. Hernandez with respiratory ailments such as asthma,” Judge Engelmayer wrote of his decision.
READ MORE: Tekashi 6ix9ine to stay locked up, judge denies home confinement request
“The Centers for Disease Control warns that persons with asthma are at high risk of serious illness if they contract the disease. Further, the crowded nature of municipal jails such as the facility in which Mr. Hernandez is housed present an outsize risk that the COVID-19 contagion, once it gains entry, will spread. And, realistically, a high-risk inmate who contracts the virus while in prison will face challenges in caring for himself.”
In January, the same judge denied the Tekashi’s request for home confinement and ruled that it is “necessary in this case” for the rapper to remain behind bars to “reflect the seriousness of his crimes.”
At the time, attorneys fro Tekashi 6ix9ine insisted he was in danger and feared for his life after testifying against several known gang members.
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Thursday, April 2, 2020
Spike Lee releases script of scrapped Jackie Robinson biopic
With Hollywood completely shut down amid the coronavirus crisis, celebrities are finding new ways to entertain the masses while quarantined and Spike Lee is no exception.
The prolific writer/director decided to release the full script for an unproduced biopic on the first Black pro baseball player, Jackie Robinson. Lee took to Instagram over the weekend to drop the script to the project based on the 1972 autobiography titled, I Never Had It Made.
READ MORE: Spike Lee’s classic film, ‘Do The Right Thing’ makes its return to theaters
“Good Sunday Afternoon From Da Corona Epicenter Of The USA-NYC
I Dug Deep Into Da 40 Acres Vault And Pulled Out This Script From One Of My EPIC Dream (Never Got Made) Projects-JACKIE ROBINSON. You Do Not Have To Be A Baseball Fan To Enjoy. This Script Is A Great American Story. Be Safe. Peace,Light And Love. And Dat’s Da “Brooklyn Dodger”Truth, Ruth. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF [click the link in the bio],” he posted along with a video of himself.
READ MORE: Spike Lee and the Obamas to drop projects on Netflix in 2020
“Hope you enjoy it,” he said. “If not, that’s alright, too. It’s never getting made, but I wanted to share this script with you. Be safe! Be safe! Social distancing! Peace.”
The award-winning director revealed that he originally had Denzel Washington in mind to play the iconic athlete, but worried he was too old to play the part by the time the script was finished in 1996.
According to AV Club, the script appears to cover Robinson’s life in full including his college career at UCLA, military service, his legendary baseball career and life after.
The 155-page script can be found via a dropbox link on Lee’s Instagram page. If you’re in the mood for a lesson from a master, check it out.
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Facebook diversity recruiter files $100M discrimination suit against company
A former Facebook diversity recruiter has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the social media platform, alleging she was discriminated against based on her race and disability.
Anastasia Boone Talton, a senior talent acquisition specialist who was reportedly hired to diversify Facebook, filed the lawsuit on March 17 in California’s San Mateo Superior Court. She’s suing her former employer for discrimination and harassment, failure to accommodate her disability, retaliation, wrongful termination and breach of contract. She is also requesting a jury trial.
READ MORE: People of color at Facebook pen open letter about racial discrimination at company
In a video posted on Facebook, Boone Talton appears beside her attorney as her lawyer details some alleged issues Talton had while working as a diversity recruiter for Facebook. The lawyer says Facebook talks a good game about diversity but in reality, it’s just “lip service.”
The Daily Mail obtained the court filings submitted by Boone Talton.
“(Facebook) would simply fly out a candidate just to make the quota of saying that they interviewed at least one diverse candidate, but nine times out of ten, that person was not hired,” her lawyer said, according to The Daily Mail.
$100 Million Lawsuit Against Facebook, Inc. pic.twitter.com/JhdV2EtATq
— Anastasia Boone Talton (@ABooneRecruit) March 30, 2020
When Boone Talton complained to Facebook about what she was seeing, the company began treating her differently, the lawsuit alleges. She was left out of company events and was also allegedly told she was not a ‘cultural fit’ when she asked for medical accommodations to help support her medical issues.
READ MORE: Lebron James sued for $150K over Facebook post
“When Ms. Boone Talton complained to management, she was shunned, she was kept out of diversity planning meetings, she wasn’t given her Facebook anniversary balloon, and she was kept away from extracurricular activities that other employers were able to do, such as go to happy hours and outings as a team,” her lawyer said in the video.
The last straw for Boone Talton was when she watched a male co-worker, who was hired at the same time she was, be given preferential treatment and climb the managerial ladder while Facebook failed to promote her. She said she was doing the same work but earning less money.
Posted by Anastasia Boone Talton on Monday, March 30, 2020
READ MORE: Facebook to nominate first African-American woman to its board of directors
Facebook denied these claims in a statement to Business Insider.
“We don’t tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind at Facebook and absolutely disagree with the account presented in this claim,” Facebook spokesperson Bertie Thomson said in the statement.
“We are proud of our efforts to find, grow and keep diverse talent, and of the support we provide to our employees with disabilities.”
Facebook has come under increased scrutiny in recent years for its culture. A gender and discrimination and racial discrimination was filed by Chia Hong in 2015 and eventually settled. Employees also detailed racist incidents of minorities being sabotaged in an open letter.
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Alicia Keys claims she was ‘manipulated’ into posing topless
Alicia Keys is sharing her story in her book “More Myself,” and in it, she reveals that she found herself in some pretty precarious situations early on in her career.
The Grammy-winning singer and songwriter detailed an uncomfortable incident with a photographer who insisted on having total privacy while he took her picture in 2000 when she was just 19.
READ MORE: Alicia Keys and Boys II Men deliver touching tributes to Kobe Bryant
“When I emerge from the dressing room, there’s just the two of us on set. ‘Open up your shirt a little,’ he directs while firing off a flurry of camera snaps. My spirit is screaming that something is wrong, that this feels sleazy. But my protests, lodged in the back of my throat, can’t make their way out,” she writes in the memoir, according to the Daily Mail.
Alicia Keys on the infamous Dazed Magazine cover back in 2001 pic.twitter.com/KC1MJjSOB6
— 🗝 (@DiaryOfKeysus) March 25, 2020
“‘Pull the top of your jeans down a bit in the front,’ he urges. If I say no, what doors will be closed to me? I swallow my misgivings, tuck my thumb between the denim and my skin, and obey.”
READ MORE: Alicia Keys opens up about absent father in new book: ‘It left a hole in me’
The mother of two didn’t name the photographer she described but admitted she was humiliated by the experience.
“This isn’t about me showing some skin, which I’ll do on my own terms, for my own purposes, in the coming years. It’s about feeling manipulated. It’s about being objectified,” she writes.
“I am beyond embarrassed, ashamed that I’ve sold part of myself … Had Jeff [Keys’ manager] been in there, he would’ve voiced what I couldn’t at the time: ‘Hell no. Close that shirt. Take your hand off your tit. And you’re not going to yank down your jeans’.”
Alicia Keys continues to inspire fans across the country through her work and her candor and “More Myself” is sure to give us a glimpse of what her journey has been like.
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Netflix drops trailer for crime docuseries, ‘The Innocence Files’
Netflix is taking a deep dive into the criminal justice system in its upcoming docuseries, The Innocence Files.
The streamer just dropped the first official trailer for the project directed by Liz Garbus, Alex Gibney, Roger Ross Williams, Jed Rothstein, Andy Grieve, and Sarah Dowland.
The nine-episode documentary series examines the work of The Innocence Project, the nonprofit legal organization that is committed to exonerating wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
READ MORE: Netflix’s Madam C.J. Walker series isn’t a bad story — just widely inaccurate
The series will focus on eight actual cases the organization worked to overturn. Subjects include Chester Hollman III, Kenneth Wyniemko, Alfred Dewayne Brown, Thomas Haynesworth, Franky Carrillo, Levon Brooks, Kennedy Brewer, and Keith Harward.
Here’s the official description:
The Innocence Files shines a light on the untold personal stories behind eight cases of wrongful conviction that the nonprofit organization the Innocence Project and organizations within the Innocence Network have uncovered and worked tirelessly to overturn.
The nine-episode series is composed of three compelling parts – The Evidence, The Witness and The Prosecution. These stories expose difficult truths about the state of America’s deeply flawed criminal justice system, while showing when the innocent are convicted, it is not just one life that is irreparably damaged forever: families, victims of crime and trust in the system are also broken in the process.
The Innocence Files is executive produced and directed by Academy Award® nominee Liz Garbus, Academy Award® winner Alex Gibney, Academy Award® winner Roger Ross Williams; with episodes also directed by Academy Award® nominee Jed Rothstein, Emmy Award® winner Andy Grieve and Sarah Dowland.
READ MORE: O.J. Simpson believes ‘Tiger King’ rival Carole Baskin murdered her husband
Watch the official trailer:
The Innocence Files hits Netflix on April 15.
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Luenell’s daughter gets backlash after comedian bans her from home over COVID-19
Luenell is sticking up for her daughter, Da’Nelle, who is on the receiving end of backlash after being put out the house because the 20-something wouldn’t take the coronavirus pandemic seriously.
Last month, Luenell let her fans know that she had made the difficult choice to ban her daughter from her home.
“I have to make the best decision for me and my husband who is already suffering from COPD,” she wrote in the Instagram caption at the time.
“I’m sure most of the millennials think we are dramatic and overreacting because they’re not as ‘woke’ as they think they are … Why am I sharing this publicly? Because maybe some of You might want to think of the activities of Your children outside of your house these days as well. The millennials are not listening and not taking proper precautions. This is our LIVES we are talking about people especially if you are in a certain age category. I’m bummed but it is what it is.”
The funny lady is now speaking on the matter again.
READ MORE: Lizzo thanks ER staff nationwide with lunch for hard work amid coronavirus
“I had no idea that the sh-t was going to go viral. I don’t do things to go viral,” the 61-year-old recently explained while appearing on Claudia Jordan’s Fox Soul show, which is now airing via Instagram Live.
“Then my daughter called me, because I guess when she woke up, people were all over tagging her,” she said. “What had happened was, she got drug really, really badly on social media. ‘How could you do this?’ ‘Tramp a–.’ Yeah, and she didn’t have a problem with the quarantine. She had a problem with the posting.”
READ MORE: Samuel L. Jackson reads his new book ‘Stay the F**k at Home’
Part of my convo with my girl @Luenell who I just adore about how she's dealing with #coronavirus https://t.co/dkM8CkUnVU
— Claudia Jordan (@claudiajordan) April 2, 2020
“She was like, why do you want to always put stuff on there? What do you want likes and stuff?” the outspoken actress continued. “I said ‘Hunty, mommy has half a million followers. I don’t need no likes, I don’t buy no — I don’t need no clicks, likes, I don’t give a f–k about that sh-t.”
Luenell clarified that she posted the message to get through to other stubborn – and perhaps sheltered – young people who were unwittingly making light of the global pandemic because they’d never experienced that sort of hardship before.
“[Nipsey Hussle] was like the biggest thing they’ve been through,” she opined. “Tragedy is not new to our generation.”
READ MORE: Black people who have died from COVID-19
She also points out that the fear of asymptomatic people putting their more immunocompromised loved ones at risk also played a factor.
“I did it so maybe granny might say, ‘You need to get somewhere and sit your a– down,’” she concluded. “I see that, even though NeNe [Leakes] and I are not fans of each other, we agree on one thing. She has decided that maybe she needs to tell her son to sit down somewhere, too.”
The comedian pulled down her Instagram post to protect her daughter, but maintained that her mindset hasn’t changed.
“For it to go to Shaderoom, BallerAlert, JasmineBrand, my daughter ain’t never had nothing like that happen to her, and for that, I’m sorry,” she said. “But she still can’t come here. Sh-t.”
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Upgrade your financial standing with brick and mortar
If adulting still feels as simple as it seemed when you were a kid, money is likely a big part of the equation — and in a good way.
All millennials aren’t broke. A recent study conducted by Coldwell Banker revealed that 618,000 millennials have another “m” in their stat box — and it’s for millionaire. These high earners have different career paths (from entrepreneurs to tech executives), come from varied ethnic and racial backgrounds and are from different parts of the country.
READ MORE: 5 savvy money moves to make when cash is flowing
In fact, there is really only one thing millennial millionaires have in common: all of these “rich” young adults own real estate. On average, 7-figure earning 20-30 somethings own three properties and have a real estate portfolio valued at $1.4 million.
Sounds nice, but this type of investing isn’t limited to those who are already rich.
You don’t have to be a cash money millionaire to be living really well, or to consider investing in real estate — thousandaires (those earning high five to six figures) are perfectly poised to invest.
Financial institutions such as City National Bank offer an array of services, including investment management, mortgage loans, and lines of credit that create the opportunity for high earners the opportunity to jump into any market.
READ MORE: 5 ways to protect your finances during the coronavirus recession
Don’t overthink the move. If your income significantly exceeds your bills and you’re ready to start building your financial stability — meaning you’ve checked off a lot of the debt boxes that can be a financial noose (think student loans and credit cards), and have established a stock investment portfolio, it’s time to start looking at real estate as a means of diversifying your streams of income.
Despite countless studies and articles that tout real estate as a wealth building must, many people with the credit and cash to invest don’t take the leap.
One reason some well-to-do young African Americans are hesitant to invest is the tales and childhood experiences from the foreclosure crisis of the early 2000s, a period when many Black households, well, just lost out. Back then, the market permitted excessive lending on primary residences and investment properties, where mortgages exceeded income and potential rent rolls.
Middle-class Black folks overextended on loans and without the historical financial stability of other communities (read: parents with money to bail you out) many families lost their homes and wealth. Luckily, a lot has changed in a decade, the most important being our community’s access to information and resources.
Savvy, real estate investment moves have long been a staple in building financial stability, and wealth. Looking to join, or solidify your standing in, the millionaires club? There are many ways to get into the real estate investment game.
Single Family Residence. Location is everything when you’re investing in a single residence because your stream of income is dependent on securing a property that leaves renters clamoring. Nowadays, single residences aren’t relegated to one-tenant and a flat rate. Resources such as AirBnB and Craig’s List allow owners to test the market to determine how to maximize their investment.
Multi-Unit Residence. The great thing about having more than one unit is you’re reducing your risk since you’ll have two or more tenants paying monthly. The flip side is that more money means more duties. For example, you have to set up systems to collect rent and handle grievances fairly.
Commercial Property. That strip mall you order your favorite sushi from, someone owns that—ditto on your favorite bar, movie theater and gas station. That someone can be you. Commercial spaces are great investments because the tenant, which will be a business entity v. an individual, is typically responsible for much of the upkeep in their unit and generally signs on for longer-term leases (five years or more).
REITs. If “landlording” is simply not in the cards for you real estate investment trusts give you the benefit of ownership without any of the responsibility. REITs pool your money with other investors to finance property acquisitions. There is a team in place to handle all of the duties: property management, rent collection, etc. Each month investors are paid dividends based on their shares from rental income.
RESOURCES:
618,00 Millennial Millionaires
https://money.com/rich-millennials-how-many-millionaires/
Foreclosure crisis
https://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/10/19/inam.housing.foreclosure.money/index.html
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Texas Gov. Freezes Abortions, Allows Church Services To Continue Amid Coronavirus
Texas governor Greg Abbott has banned all abortion procedures, but will allow church services to be held during the coronavirus outbreak.
According to Forbes, Abbott banned all abortions last week. However, a Federal District Court blocked the ban Monday, after Planned Parenthood and other organizations filed a lawsuit. An appeals court reversed the district court decision Tuesday, allowing the ban to remain in place until the case made its way through the courts.
Hours later, Abbott issued an order limiting social gatherings and in-person contact with the exception of services deemed essential by the federal government and “religious services conducted in churches, congregations, and houses of worship.”
The original executive order outlining healthcare services issued by Abbott on March 22 did not mention abortion at all. The order was designed to preserve the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hospital capacity during the coronavirus outbreak.
The next day, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement saying he believed the order included “any type of abortion that is not medically necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.”
Abortion services in the state ceased all surgical abortions but continued providing medical ones, until providers learned Friday those must be suspended as well. Paxton is well known for challenging abortion rights in the state.
“Abortion is an essential component of comprehensive health care,” the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a March 18 statement cosigned by seven other medical organizations. Delaying abortion weeks or even days can “increase the risks or potentially make it completely inaccessible,” and the “consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person’s life, health, and well-being.”
Pregnancy carries greater health risks to the mother than terminating a pregnancy, particularly in Texas, which ranks sixth in the nation in maternal deaths. Additionally, Dr. Daniel Grossman, professor at the University of California San Francisco, said “a lot more gloves, gowns, and masks” are used for pelvic exams, ultrasounds, and delivery if a woman continues her pregnancy.
For African American women, the inability to get an abortion can have devastating effects. Especially during the coronavirus outbreak where medical care outside of the virus is at a standstill and unemployment is skyrocketing.
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Self-Grooming Inventor Joshua Esnard Meets A Key Need During The COVID-19 Crisis
Self-grooming has become an unavoidable necessity for millions of Americans across several states as governors and mayors shut down barbershops and salons in an effort to enforce social distancing mandates aimed at limiting the spread of the deadly and highly contagious COVID-19 virus. As a result, self-grooming products for those forced to take a DIY approach to haircare, mani/pedis, and other personal care needs are among the areas of entrepreneurial opportunity emerging from the coronavirus crisis.
St. Lucian immigrant and Shark Tank winner Joshua Esnard is one of those with a self-grooming product to meet a key demand in the current environment. His invention, The Cut Buddy, is a DIY-barbering tool created to help people do their own haircuts and beard trimming.
“I created this when I was a kid,” says Esnard, who was recognized as a 2018 BE Modern Man of Distinction. “I couldn’t go to the barber. Either it was too far away, or I couldn’t afford to. Now, with this pandemic, hopefully, my invention can help people feel a little bit better about their haircuts and themselves every day.”
The Cut Buddy is a stencil that, when held against one’s head, allows anyone to give themselves (or someone else) a barber-quality line-up, edge-up, or shape-up to their haircut or beard. Esnard was just 13-years-old when he created the self-grooming product as a solution to the same struggle many people are now challenged with during the current pandemic: “How can I cut my own hair?” After numerous failed attempts and mangled hairlines, Esnard traced out a stencil that would prevent him from making errors and give him crisp, barber-quality results.
Patented in 2015 and released in 2016, a YouTube influencer campaign helped The Cut Buddy go viral, with 4,000 units sold in just one hour. Esnard says that PayPal’s fraud system automatically froze his account because the large and sudden increase in cash flow triggered a shut-down designed to prevent suspected money laundering.
Since its viral release, The Cut Buddy self-grooming tool has been featured in GQ, Forbes, NBC’s The Today Show, NPR, and Black Enterprise. Esnard went on the ABC hit television show Shark Tank and struck a deal with Daymond John, giving up 20% of the company for $300,000. The Cut Buddy has since partnered with Andis Co. Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of electric clippers and other tools for professional barbers and hairstylists. Esnard says that as of the end of 2019, over 500,000 Cut Buddy haircut stencils have been sold worldwide.
In response to the current crisis, The Cut Buddy and The Cut Buddy PLUS are available at a 15% discount at checkout at TheCutBuddy.com with the promo code: DIY2020. The self-grooming products are also sold on Amazon. Esnard, now 33, looks back on his self-grooming invention of two decades ago and how it might be more helpful now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, than ever before. “It’s only a haircut tool, but I’ve seen how much it means to people to feel good about how they look every day,” he asserts. “I hope this can help people’s lives feel a bit more normal.”
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