Police detained an unidentified man on Sunday after he used his car as a weapon outside of the department’s East Precinct in Capitol Hill. After he exited the vehicle, he shot a protestor in the arm. He is now in police custody and there are no other victims.
“Suspect in custody, gun recovered after man drove vehicle into crowd at 11th and Pine. Seattle Fire transported victim to hospital. Officers searched, but do not believe there are any additional victims. Will provide updates when available,” the Seattle police department tweeted.
The Seattle Fire Department would only state that a 27-year-old was taken to the hospital but former University of Maryland basketball player Dino Gregory confirmed on social media that it was his brother, Dan. He described him as a “hero” who tried to stop the alleged gunman.
“My brother the Hero. A crazy dude tried to run into a HUGE group of protestors Dan ran after the car made him stop and got shot in the process. He is fine he has surgery in the morning but he saved 100s of lives. MY GUY,” he posted Monday.
The video of the incident was captured on video and has since gone viral. It occurred a half-hour before Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best and Mayor Jenny Durkan held a press conference to discuss the protests that have erupted since Floyd’s death in Minneapolis after now-former officer Derek Chauvin placed a knee on his neck.
Best pledged vowed to create an environment in which the protestors could air out their grievances and that the goal of his department was to “meet peace with peace.” However, he cited “bad actors” in the crowd and claimed their efforts were part of “an organized effort to incite violence.”
Best and Durkan are working with leaders from the Black Lives Movement to find solutions and to address systemic racism in the police force. On Monday, there was also an emergency order to the City Council that would mandate officers have their body cameras on during demonstrations.
“I believe we can make that step now instead of waiting for final recommendations,” Durkan said.
Durkan also took to social media to outline changes she wants to see in the department from asking for civilian independent police accountability partners, DOJ and federal monitors to examine all of the current Seattle Police policies for crowd management and de-escalation techniques. Police officers will also be required to make their badges visible.
This has been an incredibly painful week for our City and our country. One that is shining a light on hundreds of years of racism and systemic injustice that haunts our past and our present. It is a moment that summons all of us – including me – to do more and to do better.
Candace Owens started a GoFundMe for a Birmingham bar owner that raised over 200K. But it won’t raise any more as the campaign was suspended after comments by both Owens and the business owner.
According to Variety, the 200K was raised for Birmingham’s Parkside Cafe, a popular Birmingham bar that had just opened after shutting down due to the pandemic. But after co-owner Michael Dykes sent a text to his partner about charging a “protest tax” because his bar couldn’t remain open past a 7 p.m. curfew, imposed by the city after protests turned violent, the campaign was suspended.
Candace Owens. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
He also said employees who participated in the protests should quit. The full text read:
“We should go up one or two dollars on everything until June 10th. Call it a protest tax because all the idiots that went to the protests are responsible for us not being able to open normal hours. Any employees that went or are going should resign. Mr. Floyd was a thug, didn’t deserve to die but honoring a thug is irresponsible.”
AL.com reports that that the text was shared among the bar’s employees and one of them, Lacey King, posted it in on Friday in a now-deleted Facebook post.
“This is the owner of Parkside, this is the man I work for, Michael Dykes. Please someone give me a new job bc this man is the most hateful person I have ever met in my life. The evil texts I’ve received from him over the years are astonishing. This is just one example.”
Three employees quit after the text was made public and the backlash on social media was swift.
When reached by AL.com, Dykes said he wanted to apologize “100%.” He said he was upset about the damage some protesters had done and was “inspired” by Owens’ take on the situation when she referenced Floyd’s past.
“I feel like I’ve been raked over the coals” he said. “It was a heat-of-the-moment thing. I’m very frustrated, because it was way misconstrued. I was just mad. I didn’t get the chance to explain myself. … I think this has gotten blown way out of control.”
Dykes has owned the bar since 2010 in an area of Birmingham some consider to be gentrifying.
“I’m not a racist. I have many black friends. I have friends from Gambia and other places,” Dykes added. “Yes, I made a mistake and called Mr. Floyd a thug. I regret that. I really do regret that. … I am sorry for what I said. I did not mean disrespect to Mr. Floyd, ever.”
GoFundMe flagged the campaign, sponsored by Owens, as one that was in violation of their terms of service for “user content that we deem, in our sole discretion, to be in support of hate, violence, harassment, bullying, discrimination, terrorism or intolerance of any kind.”
After raising $205,000 in a few hours @gofundme decided to halt my campaign for the Parkside Cafe in Alabama. At their discretion, they deemed that funds raised for a conservative business constitutes “intolerance”
They WILL however give the funds raised thus far to the cafe… pic.twitter.com/Mfw88iDKRi
Parkside Cafe will get to keep the money already raised, although their Facebook and Instagram pages are now filled with angry posts and people saying they will no longer patronize the bar.
Owens herself has come under fire for an exchange with conservative radio host Glenn Beck, by saying that while she doesn’t believe Floyd deserved to die, holding him up as a martyr is ill-advised.
“The fact that he has been held up as a martyr sickens me. George Floyd was not a good person, I don’t care who wants to spin that. I don’t care how CNN wants to make you think he changed his life around,” she told Beck.
I don’t care WHAT George Floyd did. The officer should have never treated him like that and killed him! But we still must ask: Is he a HERO? BLEXIT founder @RealCandaceO gave her thoughts: “The fact that he has been held up as a martyr sickens me.” pic.twitter.com/0Tm47x5Cc8
The four officers who were present at Floyd’s arrest for allegedly trying to spend a $20 counterfeit bill are now under arrest for crimes including second-degree murder for Derek Chauvin. The now-former policeman held his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. The other officers who were also fired have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
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A Virginia man who drove his car into protesters is an admitted leader of the KKK.
The Richmond Times-Dispatchreported that Harry H. Rogers, 36, has been charged with attempted malicious wounding, felony vandalism, and assault and battery. He is accused of driving his truck into a crowd of about 100 protestors in the Lakeside Avenue in Virginia on June 7. One person was injured.
Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor made the announcement Monday and said she will determine whether or not Rogers can be charged with a hate crime.
“While I am grateful that the victim’s injuries do not appear to be serious, an attack on peaceful protesters is heinous and despicable and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” Taylor said.
“The accused, by his own admission and by a cursory glance at social media, is an admitted leader of the Ku Klux Klan and a propagandist for Confederate ideology.”
Rogers is being held without bond.
Roger’s girlfriend, who declined to give her full name because of death threats, tried to defend him. She insisted that he’d only gone to the A.P. Hill statue to “observe” after learning there would be protests because he did not want any of the monuments to be destroyed.
Across the country, various Confederate statues have been vandalized or destroyed. Ambrose Powell Hill, the Confederate general, is buried underneath the statue that was previously defaced in 2018.
“He did not go there with violent tendencies,” Rogers’ girlfriend said.
The unidentified woman shares a 14-year-old son with Rogers. She claimes that a protestor hit her son while they were in the truck with him and that’s what instigated the incident.
“Someone reaches in the truck window and popped my son in the side of the face,” she said.
She added that Rogers was simply trying to get their son to safety.
“He tried to drive over a median to get my son out of danger,” she said.
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While running the Free World and dealing with dual pandemics from the coronavirus to systemic racism, it appears that President Donald Trump also has time to watch TV. HBO, in fact. And while you might think he’s watching some historical or sports documentary, you’d be wrong.
We have no idea if it was Trump himself who liked the tweet, or maybe one of his kids who had the idea it might be funny or if Trump’s hand just slipped. Or if it was a Russian bot that got off track when they were trying to like something else.
It’s a mystery, sure but certainly doesn’t require a Congressional hearing to find the truth. It’s more of a weird anomaly that in these times of stress and uncertainty is just intriguing enough to invite some conversation.
Is it possible that Trump is a secret fan of the show watches it and is also saddened by the (SPOILER ALERT) continuing rift between former BFF’s Issa and Molly? Or is it possible that he’s a fan of the (SPOILER ALERT) reunion between Issa and a newly successful and confident Lawrence? Is he, too hoping that Molly and Asian Bae continue one of the best relationships Molly has ever had on the show yet?
Did he enjoy the Vince Staples episode because he’s a fan of the Compton-based rapper? Naaaah, that’s too much of a stretch. But if Trump’s truly a fan of the show, it’s just another example of whites who love our culture but don’t love our people.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats proposed a sweeping overhaul of police oversight and procedures Monday, an ambitious legislative response to the mass protests denouncing the deaths of black Americans at the hands of law enforcement.
Before unveiling the package, House and Senate Democrats held a moment of silence at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall, reading the names of George Floyd and others killed during police interactions. They knelt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — now a symbol of police brutality and violence — the length of time prosecutors say Floyd was pinned under a white police officer’s knee before he died.
“We cannot settle for anything less than transformative structural change,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, drawing on the nation’s history of slavery.
The Justice in Policing Act would limit legal protections for police, create a national database of excessive-force incidents and ban police choke holds, among other changes, according to an early draft. It is the most ambitious change to law enforcement sought by Congress in years.
Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is leading the effort, said called it “bold” and “transformative.”
“The world is witnessing the birth of a new movement in this country,” Bass said.
Protesters hold signs as they gather to protest police brutality and racism in the US, with the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 29, 2020. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
Tens of thousands of demonstrators nationwide have been protesting in the streets since Floyd was killed May 25 for an end to police violence.
“A profession where you have the power to kill should be a profession where you have highly trained officers that are accountable to the public,” Bass said.
The package confronts several aspects of law enforcement accountability and practices that have come under criticism, especially as more and more police violence is captured on cell phone video and shared widely across the nation, and the world.
The proposed legislation would revise the federal criminal police misconduct statute to make it easier to prosecute officers who are involved in misconduct “knowingly or with reckless disregard.”
The package would also change “qualified immunity” protections for police “to enable individuals to recover damages when law enforcement officers violate their constitutional rights,” it says.
The legislation would seek to provide greater oversight and transparency of police behavior in several ways. For one, it would grant subpoena power to the Justice Department to conduct “pattern and practice” investigations of potential misconduct and help states conduct independent investigations. It would ban racial profiling and boost requirements for police body cameras.
And it would create a “National Police Misconduct Registry,” a database to try to prevent officers from transferring from one department to another with past misconduct undetected, the draft said.
A long-sought federal anti-lynching bill stalled in Congress is included in the package.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 02: NYPD officers block the entrance of the Manhattan Bridge as hundreds protesting police brutality and systemic racism attempt to cross into the borough of Manhattan from Brooklyn after a citywide curfew went into effect in New York City. Days of protest, sometimes violent, have followed in many cities across the country in response to the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25th. (Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images)
However, the package stops short calls by leading activists to “defund the police,” a push to dismantle or reduce financial resources to police departments that has struck new intensity in the weeks of protests since Floyd’s death.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., a co-author with Bass and the Democratic senators, will convene a hearing on the legislation Wednesday.
It is unclear if law enforcement and the powerful police unions will back any of the proposed changes or if congressional Republicans will join the effort.
At least one Republican, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who has long pushed for a criminal justice overhaul, has said he’d like to review the package coming from Democrats.
And Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said his panel intends to hold a hearing to review use of force issues and police practices.
The presumed Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, has backed a ban on chokeholds and other elements of the package.
“I can’t breathe” has become a rallying cry by protesters. Floyd pleaded with police that he couldn’t breathe, echoing the same phrase Eric Garner said while in police custody in 2014 before his death.
“All we’ve ever wanted is to be treated equally — not better, not worse,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “Equal protection under the law.”
Senators vowed to pressure Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to consider the legislation.
Sen. Cory Booker, a Democratic rival who had been critical of Biden during the presidential primary campaign, said Sunday he “fully” put his faith in Biden now “to be the person who could preside over this transformative change.”
Booker and fellow one-time presidential hopeful, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, are co-authors of the package in the Senate.
Terry Crews is being dragged for filth on Twitter following a Sunday tweet in which he warned about the rise of “Black supremacy.”
In the post, Crews said the best way to defeat white supremacy is for both Black and white people to unite, otherwise society risks creating “Black supremacy.”
“Defeating White supremacy without White people creates Black supremacy. Equality is the truth,” the actor wrote.But many of his fans, followers, and colleagues disagree, USA Today reports.
The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star is catching heat over a message meant to be inspiring, but instead, it has turned controversial.
“Black supremacy?”tweetedactorOrlando Jonesin response. “We represent 13% of US population, hold no institutional power & gaslight our coworkers. We got 99 problems and your math isn’t the only 1. #StrongerTogether.”
Black supremacy? We represent 13% of US population, hold no institutional power & gaslight our coworkers. We got 99 problems and your math isn’t the only 1. #StrongerTogetherhttps://t.co/cprFHDQMVJ
Twitter user@TheRickyDavilawrote, “Terry Crews is bizarrely talking about Black Supremacy, something that doesn’t exist, whilst Mitt Romney protests against racism. Today is giving me a massive headache.”
Terry Crews is bizarrely talking about Black Supremacy, something that doesn’t exist, whilst Mitt Romney protests against racism. Today is giving me a massive headache.
Writer-directorDarryl Wharton-Rigbywas also offended by Crews’ confusing terminology,writing, “We have officially entered The Twilight Zone on a day when Mitt Romney marches for #BlackLivesMatter and Terry Crews does the thing he does….”
— Darryl Wharton-Rigby (@whartonrigby) June 8, 2020
As previously reported by theGrio.com,Sen.Mitt Romneyjoined demonstrators in the nation’s capital on Sunday in a protest against police brutality on Black Americans.
Romney is said to be the first Republican senator to take to the streets in Washington D.C. to support the voices decrying race relations in the U.S.
Romney, who represents Utah,shared a photo on Twittershowing him wearing a mask as he walked with a group of nearly 1,000 Christian protesters in Washington. He captioned the image: Black Lives Matter.
“Like it or not, we are all in this together,” theAmerica’s Got Talenthost stated in his Twitter message in response to the public decrying race relations in America.
Do you agree with Crews’ stance on the issue? Sound off in the comments below.
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HOUSTON (AP) — The body of George Floyd arrived at a church Monday in Houston for a final public memorial for the man whose death at the hands of police in Minneapolis sparked protests around the world and calls to reform policing in America.
His body arrived in a gold-colored casket that was escorted to The Fountain of Praise church by Houston police. A six-hour viewing that is open to the public was scheduled to begin in the afternoon.
Before the casket arrived, workers outside the church assembled a large floral arrangement with white roses on one side in the shape of a heart and with the initials “BLM” for Black Lives Matter created from blue roses and placed on top of the heart. The other side of the floral arrangement was made up of red roses and appeared to be in the shape of a raised fist.
Mourners will be required to wear a mask and gloves to comply with coronavirus-related guidelines.
Floyd’s funeral will be Tuesday, followed by burial at the Houston Memorial Gardens cemetery in suburban Pearland, where he will be laid to rest next to his mother, Larcenia Floyd.
Flowers are prepared and delivered to a public memorial for George Floyd at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston, Monday, June 8, 2020, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
George Floyd died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped responding. His death has inspired international protests and drawn new attention to the treatment of African Americans by police and the criminal justice system.
Former Vice President Joe Biden plans to travel to Houston to meet with Floyd’s family and will provide a video message for Floyd’s funeral service. A Biden aide on Sunday described the plans of the Democratic presidential candidate. They did not include attending the service.
Biden expects to give the family his condolences, said the aide, who discussed Biden’s plans on condition of anonymity.
Media prepare to cover the arrival of George Floyd’s casket to a public memorial at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston, Monday, June 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Previous memorials have taken place in Minneapolis and Raeford, North Carolina, near where Floyd was born. At the Minneapolis tribute Thursday, those in attendance stood in silence for 8 minutes, 46 seconds, the length of time prosecutors say Floyd was pinned to the ground under the officer’s knee.
Floyd was raised in Houston’s Third Ward and was a well-known former high school football player who rapped with local legend DJ Screw. He moved to Minneapolis several years ago to seek work and a fresh start. His face now appears on a mural in his old neighborhood, and his name was chanted by tens of thousands last week at a protest and march in downtown Houston.
___
Associated Press reporter Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.
Nine members of the Minneapolis City Council pledged to defund and dismantle the city’s police department Sunday.
According to CNN, if the nine members stay committed, it will create a veto-proof supermajority of the council’s 13 members.
“We committed to dismantling policing as we know it in the city of Minneapolis and to rebuild with our community a new model of public safety that actually keeps our community safe,” Council President Lisa Bender told CNN.
Bender added that Sunday’s pledge is a sign that the current system of policing in the city is not working and new ideas need to be implemented. Bender said she and other city council members committed to the idea after analyzing the nature of 911 calls and discovering the majority of them are related to mental health services, health and EMT, and fire services.
Council members Alondra Cano, Philippe Cunningham, Jeremiah Ellison, Steve Fletcher, Cam Gordon, Andrew Johnson, and Jeremy Schroeder joined Andrea Jenkins on stage at a protest Saturday to announce their intention.
“We have a paradigm for safety that is rooted in community and justice. We have seen it the last two weeks, Cunningham said to the crowd. “The reality is that people have been doing this work for decades and not being paid. We have poured that money into the police department and where has it gotten us?”
Calls to defund or abolish police departments across the country have recently grown in popularity due to the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
Jeremiah Ellison, city councilman for Ward 5 tweeted Thursday, “We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together. We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was asked at a protest Saturday if he would commit to defunding the police. When he declined to do so, he was booed relentlessly and told by protesters to go home.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder in George Floyd’s death was scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday.
Derek Chauvin, 44, is also charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death. Floyd, a handcuffed black man, died after the white police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after Floyd stopped moving and pleading for air.
Floyd’s death set off protests, some violent, in Minneapolis that swiftly spread to cities around the U.S. and the globe. Chauvin and three other officers on the scene were fired the day after Floyd’s death.
Chauvin is being held at a state prison in Oakdale. The other three officers — J. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — are charged with aiding and abetting.They remain in the Hennepin County jail on $750,000 bond.
Left to right: Former Minneapolis officers Tou Thao, Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane. (Photo: Katie Couric/Instagram | Hennepin County Sheriff)
Lane’s family has set up a website seeking donations to help him post bond. The site highlights Lane’s relative lack of experience — he had only recently completed his probationary period — and his questions to Chauvin about whether Floyd should be rolled onto his side. It also noted his volunteer work.
Floyd’s death has ignited calls to reform the Minneapolis Police Department, which community activists have long accused of entrenched racial discrimination and brutality. A majority of Minneapolis City Council members said Sunday that they favor disbanding the department entirely, though they have yet to offer concrete plans for what would replace it.
“Nobody is saying we want to abolish health or safety,” Council Member Alondra Cano told WCCO-AM on Monday. “What we are saying is we have a broken system that is not producing the outcomes we want.”
The state last week launched a civil rights investigation of the department. On Friday, the council approved a stipulated agreement that immediately banned the use of chokeholds and neck restraints and included several other changes. That investigation is ongoing.
___
Associated Press writer Todd Richmond contributed from Madison, Wisconsin.
Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is among the names being considered for potential VP candidates to join Joe Biden on the 2020 presidential ticket.
Colleagues, residents, and general Twitter users have shrouded the mayor with praise for her leadership during the ongoing protests over the killing of George Floyd by a former Minneapolis police officer.
As many continue to call out President Donald Trump for failing to offer words of hope to calm the civil unrest over the last week,News and Gutspublished a part of what Mayor Bottoms had to say about it:
“This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. This is chaos. A protest has purpose. When Dr. King was assassinated, we didn’t do this to our city… If you want change in America, go and register to vote… You are disgracing our city. You are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country. We are better than this… We are better than this as a city. We are better than this as a country.”
The outlet also noted MSNBC’sJoe Scarboroughresponse to her remarks.
“I have to say as an Atlantan, I don’t know if I’ve been any more proud then I was… watching the mayor talking about being the mother of four black men, that was extraordinary. That was an extraordinary moment… the mayor was balancing so many different things. I have not seen that type of leadership in crisis in quite some time,” he said.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, standing next to Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, announces Thursday, March 21, 2019 that officials will take a fresh look at the Atlanta child murders. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
The mayor’s fearless crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the protests in her city over Floyd’s killing, has not gone unnoticed. As such, her name has been added to the list of potential vice presidential picks for Biden.
“Bottoms’ leadership during the pandemic, and her unwavering support for the Democratic nominee, make her stand out,”Rev. Al Sharpton told CBS Atlanta.
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Lawrence and Issa are falling back into their old habits of being a couple. They’re hanging out constantly, talking, having sex (on that couch), ordering take out, they’re basically together again. When Issa asked Lawrence what they were doing, he answered with a question, “What do you want it to be?” There goes Lawrence being Lawrence. And we have no answers.
But Issa’s not sure what she wants with Lawrence anyway. She just knows she wants him to be done with Condola and she believes him when he says that they talked and are done. Something makes me not believe him. These twoseemto be carrying on their new tradition of complete honesty with each other, so in the spirit of that, Issa told Lawrence about Nathan, but not really. She only explained that she was helping him move. Things go unsaid so easily, don’t they?
It’s great to see Molly back in Dr. Rhonda’s office because good Lordt, Molly has needed some sessions. Sis was out here snapping on any and everyone, even in paradise. And with all that’s been going on with Molly, it was still her flailing relationship with Issa that gave her the most anxiety and the most talking points in her therapy session. You can’t help but be dragged when Dr. Rhonda hit Molly with,“Do you want to be right or do you want to be in a relationship?” That is the major question that for some reason, when it comes to Issa, Molly does not want to confront. Then Dr. Rhonda asked, “Does the relationship still serve you?” Molly feels like it doesn’t. That’s probably why she can’t be real with that. Maybe she doesn’t want to cut it off with Issa for fear of missing their friendship, especially since they share a circle of friends.
Issa Rae and Jay Ellis are pictured in season 4, episode 9 of Insecure. (Credit: HBO)
But perhaps Dr. Rhonda’s most stick-to-your-rib question was, “Do you want to do the work to repair it?” If only she could also ask Issa that same question. Issa realizes that she does miss Molly, but maybe just for the selfish reasons of having someone she’s able to share her issues with. So when she reaches out to Molly, we all hope it’s to make that move back towards a friendship with Molly. Plus, Kelli’s unavailable, Issa’s brother is dismissive and completely unhelpful, Issa doesn’t even try and call Tiffany. And so she calls Molly, leaves a voicemail and asks her to meet up. Enter: brunch. Aww, remember brunch? We all hope Issa and Molly would use this brunch to confront their issues, but they end up laughing over light skin mimosas (light on the orange juice) at Molly’s new stranger nephew and old times.
But the thing is, Molly tries her best to keep things light and doesn’t give Issa much reception. Molly’s chill demeanor makes Issa think that she doesn’t want to address their real issues, so they don’t. The wall that Dr. Rhonda told Molly about is being built up and it’s sturdy.
Molly refuses to take any peace offerings offered up to her. Between Issa and Andrew’s brother Victor, both of whom tried to offer Molly an olive branch, both were rejected as Molly took those branches, cracked them in half and threw them out. “Maybe meet her half way?” Andrew suggests when Molly comes home claiming that she allowed herself to be open to what Issa had to say, even though IRL, she was not really giving Issa much energy. And the same could be said with how she rejected Victor’s Clippers tickets. It was a nice gesture from him to squash what went down in Mexico and Molly mollied all over it and thought just because Andrew didn’t fight her on it, that there was no issue with her declining the tickets.
Alexander Hodge and Issa Rae are pictured in season 4, episode 9 of Insecure. (Credit: HBO)
Molly is committed to being right. Dr. Rhonda would be disappointed. It’s almost like Molly needs someone to come out and be like: I AM SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO DID WRONG. YOU ARE RIGHT in order for her to forgive them.
Not for nothing, Lawrence is acting a little bittoo rightand I’m wondering if he’s got some bones in his closet? Where is Condola? And wherever she is, she better not be pregnant! He’s probably going to get this job in San Francisco and slowly stop messing with Issa. I don’t know, something is afoot!
And now that Issa’s all back in lovey dovey land with Lawrence, here comes Nathan ready to be light-eyed and consistent. Helping a man move or unpack is girlfriend energy, so Issa should be careful. Issa did a great job at fighting off Nathan’s bae vibes, but he was serving them hard, sharing with Issa that he’s going in on buying out the shop he cuts hair in and that she inspired him. Bae all day.
But when she finally and awkwardly told Nathan about her dealing with Lawrence again, he ended up opening up about the reason he “ghosted” and shared with Issa his bipolar disorder diagnosis. “When I went back to Houston, I found out fo’ sho’,” Nathan said to Issa sounding like he swallowed molasses.
Kendrick Sampson are pictured in season 4, episode 9 of Insecure. (Credit: HBO)
That country thang he got going on gets me every time. Issa’s putting all her eggs into Lawrence’s basket and to Nathan’s point, Lawrence is “sometimey.” He is not a consistent person and right now, he’s all Issa, but does he have what it takes to be consistent with Issa? One thing’s for sure, Nathan has made it clear that he’s not going anywhere. We’ll put a bookmark here just in case.
Back in the land of Molly and Andrew, Molly comes home with food that she and Andrew didn’t agree on becauseshewanted something else. That may seem minor, but Andrew seems to be making mental notes of all the times Molly chooses the selfish route. Andrew tries to be gentle with Molly, but she doesn’t latch on to the hints, but if he was straight up with her about how she needs to give Issa and his brother a chance or at leasttry, she would flip.
When Issa, Nathan, Andrew and Molly ended up in an awkward hangout, Molly did that horrific thing that we’ve all done before; she text the person she was talking about.CringeMolly was trying to let Andew know, “See? I’m trying with her!”
Yvonne Orji and Issa Rae are pictured in season 4, episode 9 of Insecure. (Credit: HBO)
To know that your best friend feels like she has totryto be your friend, all of a sudden, it makes the friendship feel over. Molly really messed this one up and instead of working towards rebuilding her friendship with Issa, she says, “Maybe who you are now and who I am now just don’t fit anymore.” And when Issa says ok, she’s offended. That ok was like an “ok” that you get after you text someone a paragraph about your feelings. That is hurtful. They are both hurt and can’t get over the hurt enough to rebuild what they’ve torn down. You hate to see it.
Issa and Molly’s relationship is not giving the same energy that Lawrence and Issa’s is giving with the honesty. But it is however giving the same energy Molly and Andrew’s relationships is giving. He’s trying and Molly is trying to be right. Word to Dr. Rhonda.
Last week’s episode gave us the gift of Lawrence and Issa finally saying things to each other that went unsaid in their relationship (Shout out to Natasah Rothwell!) But in this episode, we’re seeing how easily things can go unsaid in relationships between Issa and Molly; Andrew and Molly and honestly, Issa and Lawrence.
Nothing hurts quite like breaking up with a friend, especially when at least one of you felt like the friendship was worth having and the other felt like it was forced. Damn Issa. Damn Molly. I guess there’s no such thing as trying. Do or do not.
A group of white police officers in North Carolina attended the Black Lives Matters demonstrations on Saturday, where they washed the feet of Black men and women to show solidarity.
The officers came together with Black religious leaders to also ask for forgiveness for the nation’s history (and their part in) the oppression of Black people,TMZreports.
Organized by pastors Faith Wokoma and Soboma Wokoma in Cary, North Carolina, rt.com reports that several white community members joined the officers in the washing of the feet ceremony. The ritual was part of a prayer walk for George Floyd and sparked immediate criticism across social media.
The image of a group of white police officers kneeling before Black clergy, washing their feet in buckets, almost broke the Internet.
“washing the feet of the organizers and asking for forgiveness.”
Many took to social media to express their outrage over a moment intended to invoke the biblical story of Jesus cleansing the feet of his disciples. In one of the final acts of Jesus, he taught his followers a lesson of humility by the social role reversal and offered that act as an example of great love.
This is real. White people bowed and washed the feet of two black pastors at a march in NC. While washing the feet they apologized on behalf of the white race.
Let me be the first to say: you don’t apologize on my behalf. I don’t owe one and don’t offer one. This is lunacy. pic.twitter.com/ASEQaRKyWN
Photos and videos shared on social media show the pastors sitting on a bench with white folks kneeling in prayer and ready to wash their feet. While the scene touched a nerve with several online users, it also garnered much praise for what one Facebook user described as a “powerful display of what reconciliation looks like,” perDaily Mail.
Saturday’s event also included a silent commemoration, during which demonstrators observed the eight minutes and 46 seconds that a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck, allegedly crushing the life out of him on Memorial Day.
In related news, during a Black Visions Collective and Reclaim the Block rally at Powderhorn Park on Sunday, Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender announced that she and a group of her colleagues were proposing to disband the city’s police force,theGrio.compreviously reported.
Their decision comes in response to the tragic death of George Floyd, also known as rapper Big Floyd, who died while in police custody. Bender shared that the council’s goal is to “end our city’s toxic relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department.”
“It’s our commitment to end policing as we know it,” she continued, “and recreate systems of public safety that actually keep us safe.”
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Beyonce encouraged the class of 2020 to be leaders and voices of change during her inspiring virtual commencement address as part of YouTube’s“Dear Class of 2020” eventon Sunday.
The GRAMMY Award-winning singer touched on racial injustice, thecoronavirus pandemic, and the death of George Floyd by a former Minneapolis police officer.
“You have arrived here in the middle of a global crisis, a racial pandemic and worldwide expression of outrage at the senseless killing of yet another unarmed Black human being. And you still made it. We’re so proud of you.”
Early in her commencement speech, she encouraged graduates to “take a little bit of time to give thanks to your family members and the community who’s been such a big support system for you,” she said. “You are achieving things your parents and grandparents never could imagine for themselves. You are the answer to a generation of prayers.”
The music icon also discussed the importance of believing in yourself enough to take risks and recalled her decision to build her own management and entertainment company a decade ago.
“I had to trust that I was ready and that my parents and mentors provided me with the tools I needed to be successful,” she explained “… But that was terrifying. The entertainment business is still very sexist, it’s still very male-dominated, and as a woman, I did not see enough female role models given the opportunity to do what I knew I had to do.”
Adding “ To run my label and management company, to direct my films and produce my tours, that meant ownership — owning my masters, owning my art, owning my future and writing my own story. Not enough Black women had a seat at the table, so I had to go and chop down that wood and build my own table.”
And when it comes to the nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd, Bey noted, “Look what you’ve been able to do in the last 14 days. We’ve seen the power of the collective. We’ve seen what happens when we join for the same cause. Please, continue to be the voice for the voiceless.”
YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” also featured messages from President and Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, and over 70 influencers from the worlds of acting, sports, music, and politics.
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Romney, who represents Utah,shared a photo on Twittershowing him wearing a mask as he walked with a group of nearly 1,000 Christian protesters in Washington. He captioned the image: Black Lives Matter.
Outraged conservatives lit up the comments to slam the senator for taking a stance against racism, with some writing “All Lives Matter.”
Oneuser wrote, “This is Mitt Romney scratching & clawing in his attempt to be relevant.”
“We need a voice against racism, we need many voices against racism and against brutality,” Romney toldNBC News. “We need to stand up and say, ‘Black Lives Matter.’ ”
He shared the same thing with theWashington Post, saying he marched “to make sure that people understand that Black Lives Matter.”
On Saturday, Romney shared his support for the movement in an emotional tweet about his father.
This is my father, George Romney, participating in a Civil Rights march in the Detroit suburbs during the late 1960s—“Force alone will not eliminate riots,” he said. “We must eliminate the problems from which they stem.” pic.twitter.com/SzrcAyfPD8
“This is my father, George Romney, participating in a Civil Rights march in the Detroit suburbs during the late 1960s,”Romney wrote.“Force alone will not eliminate riots. We must eliminate the problems from which they stem.”
Like most people in America, George Floyd has been on his mind since Memorial Day. On March 28th, he posted to Twitter:
No Americans should fear enmity and harm from those sworn to protect us. The death of George Floyd must not be in vain: Our shock and outrage must grow into collective determination to extinguish forever such racist abuse.
He also called Floyd’s death“abhorrent” on the social media platform.
The George Floyd murder is abhorrent. Peaceful protests underscore the urgency of addressing injustices. But violence drowns the message of the protestors and mocks the principles of justice.
Amid the ongoing civil unrest over the death of George Floyd, Minneapolis officials announced on Sunday plans to disband the police after former officer Derrek Chauvin and three other cops were charged in relation to Floyd’s death.
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