Grand Rapids, Settlement, Girl, 11, Handcuffed, police

by Mary Spiller

July 28, 2024

Family Sues Uber After Two Young Girls Were Trafficked

The Uber drivers transporting the two girls are accused of not canceling the rides after learning of the girls' ages.

South Carolina families say two daughters, from two seperate households and both under 14, were trafficked using Uber. And now, both of the families have filed a lawsuit against the ride-share company.

Attorney Tracey Cowan describes the case as a nightmare of child sex trafficking from York County, South Carolina. The lawsuit alleges that Fayvion Jarrod Williams paid for an Uber to transport the girls across state lines to his North Carolina home, WYFF 4 reports. The driver allegedly did not stop the ride or deny service due to the girls’ ages.

Cowan said, “The girls were given drugs, and the 12-year-old was raped, struck, repeatedly, spit on, and the whole thing was filmed on the rapist’s phone, which he later sent around.”

She claimed that Uber drivers played a large role in the circumstances of the crime, adding, “Part of the reason that we’re seeing such a surge in these types of crimes is that it’s easier than ever for traffickers to transport and to essentially get their trafficking victim from one place to another.”

Williams was arrested in November 2023, charged, and pleaded guilty to all charges related to the incident. He was sentenced to 6 to 8 years.

The incident occurred in North Carolina after the two girls were allegedly brought across state lines from South Carolina via Uber. The victims’ family has sued Uber for their involvement in the transport.

According to Kris Ballew, a member of Switch, a sex trafficking advocacy group, “In South Carolina, as in all states, it is growing by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, the victims are getting younger and younger. The typical age of entering sex trafficking is between the ages of 12 years old to 16. It used to be more like 14 to 16.”

Ballew explained that it was important for families to be aware that victims of sex trafficking are often targeted through social media interactions and transported via ride shares.

“Check up, see who they’re talking to, make sure that they have access to their social media accounts because that’s where we are seeing the greatest threat,” she told the outlet.

by Daniel Johnson

July 28, 2024

3 White Supremacists Sentenced Over Plot To Destroy Power Grid

According to the government, the men 'prepared, and trained to attack America’s power grid in order to advance their violent white supremacist ideology.'

The three men who plotted a white supremacist attack on an energy facility in Idaho and its surrounding states were sentenced on July 25, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

According to United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, “As part of a self-described ‘modern-day SS,’ these defendants conspired, prepared, and trained to attack America’s power grid in order to advance their violent white supremacist ideology. These sentences reflect both the depravity of their plot and the Justice Department’s commitment to holding accountable those who seek to use violence to undermine our democracy.”

Paul James Kryscuk, a 38-year-old from Boise, Idaho; Liam Collins, a 25-year-old from Johnston, Rhode Island; and Justin Wade Hermanson, a 25-year-old from Swansboro, North Carolina, were all sentenced in connection to their roles in the plot.

Kryscuk was sentenced to six years and six months in prison for a charge of conspiracy to destroy an energy facility, Collins received 10 years for aiding and abetting the interstate transportation of unregistered firearms, and Hermanson received one year and nine months sentence for conspiracy to manufacture firearms and ship interstate.

According to USA Today, federal officials did not specify where the targeted facility was located, but court documents indicated that agents seized a list consisting of approximately a dozen locations in Idaho and surrounding states that held “a transformer, substation, or other component of the power grid for the Northwest United States.”

According to Attorney General Garland, the men met on a now-closed neo-Nazi forum called the “Iron March,” where they discussed and researched previous attacks on power grids. The Justice Department contends in a 2021 indictment of five defendants that the group spent time between 2017 and 2020 amassing supplies for the attack, including stealing military equipment, manufacturing firearms, and getting informed about toxins and explosives in preparation for the attack.

Collins and another co-defendant in the indictment, Jordan Duncan, also from North Carolina, used their status as Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune to Illegally obtain military equipment and information. They also wanted to use 50 pounds of explosives to destroy transformers.

According to a DOJ memo, “In October 2020, a handwritten list of approximately one dozen intersections and places in Idaho and surrounding states was discovered in Kryscuk’s possession, including intersections and places containing a transformer, substation, or other component of the power grid for the northwest United States.”

Attacks such as the ones plotted by these three men have become an area of elevated concern for the DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security. According to a 2019 paper by scholars from the University of Chicago and the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, “Most energy infrastructure is extensive, relatively easy to attack, and difficult to protect, which reduces the cost of attacking.”

This reduced cost is likely attractive to white supremacist groups, who, according to High Country News, have been historically active in the Western United States. These groups have increasingly been implicated in plots or attacks on energy substations in the United States, including three men arrested at a Las Vegas Black Lives Matter protest with Molotov cocktails in their car.

According to Bennett Clifford, an extremism researcher who is the co-author of a 2022 report on extremism for George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, “Extremists are seizing on the fact that other individuals are conducting successful attacks and perceived successful attacks on the energy grid.” He told High Country News, “They see all of these things as putting one more grain of sand in a big bucket, and to mix my analogies here, one of those things, in their view, will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

brooklyn, state trooper, girl's death, murder charges

by Mary Spiller

July 27, 2024

Alabama Lawmaker Facing Federal Prison Time After Allegedly Breaking Plea Agreement

John Rogers served as an Alabama lawmaker in the House for 40 years prior to his arrest.

John Rogers, one of the longest-serving Alabama House lawmakers, faces federal prison. According to court records, Rogers has breached his long-standing plea agreement for misusing Jefferson County tax dollars during his last term.

Rogers’ term ended after he pleaded guilty to participating in a federal kickback scheme. The case involved the Jefferson County Community Action Fund, which used increased taxes in 2017 to support local students by funding new school construction. Rogers and fellow state lawmakers Fred Plump and Varrie Johnson Kindall exploited the action fund for personal gain.

The state senators directed some of the grant money to Plump’s youth baseball league, Piper Davis, over several years. Plump would then “kick back” nearly half of the grant proceeds to Rogers and Kindall. Kindall would go on to cash the money in the form of checks.

For his involvement, Rogers agreed to a plea agreement to serve a 14-month sentence with house arrest.

However, according to court records, Rogers allegedly breached his plea agreement, and now prosecutors are pushing for him to finish out his sentenced time in a federal prison.

In Rogers’ sentencing memorandum, involved prosecutors said, “Rather than ensuring the fund’s money was used to help inner city kids learn to play baseball, as he promised would be done, Rogers stole $200,000 to support himself and his lover. Rogers helped destroy Piper Davis and deprived other worthy charities to satiate his greed.”

Rogers’ plea agreement included home confinement and a guilty plea for his role in the kickback scheme. According to court records, Rogers convinced Kindall to “accept full responsibility for the kickback scheme and tell investigators that he was not involved.” In exchange, he promised to pay her mortgage and care for her children while she was imprisoned.

Despite signing the plea agreement, Rogers’ defense attorney later filed an objection and stated, “Defendant does [sic] have any memory of making this promise. However, the defendant does acknowledge that said information is contained in the factual basis of his plea agreement and that he signed the factual basis and admitted in open court that the factual basis was substantially correct.”

Prosecutors pointed out that this objective filing breaches the plea agreement and that Rogers should serve his 14-month sentence in prison instead of at home.

Rogers’ next sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 30, and the federal government has already requested Rogers pay nearly “$400,000 in restitution and forfeiture fees.”

by Daniel Johnson

July 27, 2024

New York State Reparations Committee Sets First Meeting

The New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies will have approximately a year and a half to produce a final report.

Following New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signing of a bill in December 2023 to establish a commission to study reparations for the descendants of enslaved people and New York’s broader role in the slave trade, the commission will hold its first meeting.

According to Spectrum News, the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies is set to meet on July 30 at the Capitol in Albany to create an outline for their work, which will go on for approximately a year and a half.

After such time, the commission is expected to produce a report directly to the legislature by the close of 2025. The process is similar to California‘s progress with its reparations study earlier this year.

In New York’s case, although slavery was officially abolished in New York in 1827, there were insurance companies based in New York that would insure enslaved people.

The appointed commissioners range from experts at HBCUs to civil rights and poverty experts to faith leaders and more, all appointed by Gov. Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages told Spectrum she is excited by the group’s diversity.

“They all have a unique expertise, which is very exciting to see, that they come from different lenses, whether it’s public, private [or] academia, they all have a unique perspective to bring to the table.”

Solages is the sponsor of the bill that Gov. Hochul signed into law in December 2023, and the New York State budget for 2024 included $5 million for the study, which includes examinations of the impacts of original enslavement, segregation and Jim Crow, and present-day or ongoing racism.

Solages continued, emphasizing her belief in the commission’s ability to produce a report that can provide a starting point to redress the problems created by America’s original sin and its progeny.

“I believe they’re going to come up with a report that really highlights what we can do to really begin this healing process and to talk about how we can take apart these systems that were really created to suppress individuals in New York state,” Solages told Spectrum. “Whether it’s redlining, unfair housing policies, you know, economic practices, there are systems that exist today that we need to dismantle to ensure that we have an equitable and just New York.”

Solages, meanwhile, is hopeful about what the commission can accomplish.

“We’ve been talking about centuries upon centuries of disenfranchisement of Black Americans and so when we convene, it’s going to be historical,” Solages explained to Spectrum. “This is actually a reflection point to say that we are not our past, but our future, and that we can have a better future for all.”

Clarksdale, Ryan Coogler, 'Sinners,' Food Apartheid, Fresh Produce, Black-Owned Grocery, financing, grroceries

by Mary Spiller

July 27, 2024

Trader Joe’s Brings Its Goodies To New Harlem Store

The store said it is looking to hire more Harlem residents.

Trader Joe’s has opened its first store ever in Harlem, New York. On July 25, the store at 123 West 125th St. started serving the historic neighborhood.

Harlem, long considered New York City’s Black mecca, has seen a demographic shift over the last decade. In 2022, according to New York University’s Furman Center, there were an estimated 138,953 people in Central Harlem, of which 45.8% identified as Black, 28.2% identified as Hispanic, and 14.4% identified as white.

The brick-and-mortar store is a 17,800-square-foot building selling all of the favorite Trader Joe’s products that customers have come to know and love. The decor for the building features local landmarks in the greater Harlem community, such as the iconic Apollo Theater and the well-known strip of 125th Street.

According to a spokesperson via PIX II, the new location of the Trader Joe’s chain is seeking to hire around 100 new crew members from the area and offers a plethora of different employee benefits.

Its website reads, “We [Trader Joe’s] pay well. To keep the Crew developing and incentivize exceptional performance, we provide a performance review for each Crew twice a year. On average, Crew has the potential to receive a 7% annual increase.”

In addition to competitive pay, the company also offers a 401(k) retirement plan to invest in the future of its employees. Worker benefits also include “exceptional medical, dental, and vision plans” and accessible paid time off.

Not only does Harlem Trader Joe’s offer leadership training, scholarship programs, disaster recovery, and employee assistance programs to its employees, but the food donation program has also been able to donate over 104 million pounds of food to those in need.

A spokesperson for the Harlem location of Trader Joe’s said, “We’re honored and excited to be part of this community. We genuinely look forward to providing our customers with the best food and beverage values and a great customer experience.”

The company intends to back up its values by donating 100% of its unsold products to local profits and community-based organizations in the area. Through all of its locations, the company has donated more than $469 million worth of products to its extensive network of non-profit partners in the United States. The spokesperson said the Harlem site will continue the company’s tradition of donations to the community.

The Harlem Trader Joe’s is open daily from 8 A.M. to 9 P.M.

by Daniel Johnson

July 27, 2024

VP Harris Erases Trump’s Gain With Black Voters In New Polls

Many Black Trump voters have jumped to Harris, according to new polls.

Whatever gains former President Donald Trump has made with Black voters appears to have been erased in the aftermath of Vice President Kamala Harris announcing her run for the Oval Office, found newly released polls from several sources.

According to Newsweek, a CNN poll of 1,631 registered voters from July 22 to July 23 indicated that Black voters who may have soured on President Joe Biden are more energized by Harris’s campaign. A whopping 78% of Black voters indicated their support for Harris, and 15% indicated support for Trump, down from previous CNN polls that saw him capture 23% of support of Black voters.

Meanwhile, an ActiVote survey conducted between July 21 and July 23 showed an even bigger margin of support for Harris. In that poll, she captured 90% of the support from Black Americans compared to just 10% for Trump.

The Trump campaign, meanwhile, is trying to paint these early returns as the “Harris honeymoon.” According to a memo issued by the campaign’s pollster, Tony Fabrizio, “The honeymoon will be a manifestation of the wall-to-wall coverage Harris receives from the MSM.” Fabrizio admitted that the coverage would be “largely positive” and “energize Democrats” before the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19.

Fabrizio continued in the memo, “Before long, Harris’ ‘honeymoon’ will end and voters will refocus on her role as Biden’s partner and co-pilot. The Democrats deposing one Nominee for another does NOT change voters discontent over the economy, inflation, crime, the open border, housing costs not to mention concern over two foreign wars.”

According to a New York Times/Siena College poll, Harris and Trump are effectively tied. However, the Times’s Chief Political Analyst Nate Cohn argued in his discussion of Harris’s chances at winning the White House that including a third-party candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could help Harris overtake Trump’s razor-thin lead in the general election.

Summer Nesbitt, a 27-year-old Black school tutor from the Detroit-area, and a Harris supporter, told the New York Times that while Harris’s run is historic, she believes the Vice President is better served being herself than trying to sell the public what she thinks it wants.

“Her being president or even being in the running is very important just for history,” Nesbitt said before continuing, “I don’t think that you have to try to pretend to be more down or be more Black just so you can get the Black vote. Just be yourself.”

The Democratic Party has largely been coalesced by Harris’s campaign announcement, reflected by nearly 80% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning voters indicating that they would want Harris as the party nominee. This feeling was encapsulated by Michael Newman, a 59-year-old contractor living in Arlington, Texas, who is supporting Vice President Harris. “It would be a larger setback for the Democrats if they try to find someone else to try to fill in. She has a pretty good insight on the goals that Biden was working on,” Newman told the outlet.

Michael Kearney Jr., a 41-year-old community activist from Charleston, South Carolina, perhaps has the quote that most directly addresses the concerns of Black voters about a Kamala Harris campaign as Kearney told the Times, “My fears or any concerns I have are not about her ability to campaign,” before adding that his concerns were “not about her ability to raise money, not about her ability to handle Donald Trump in a debate. My concerns are with white people.”

by Shanique Yates

July 27, 2024

Netflix’s Co-Founder Donates $7M To Kamala Harris’ Campaign

Hastings previously expressed concern about the Democratic Party following the first presidential debate in June.

The rush of support for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign continues. One of the most recent donations comes from Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings. Hastings donated $7 million to Harris’ campaign.

It has been a little under a week since President Joe Biden announced that he was stepping out of the upcoming November election, and the support for his Madame Vice President, as she looks ahead to joining the presidential race, continues to roll in.

Hastings, who is also Netflix’s executive chairman, previously expressed concern about the Democratic Party following the first presidential debate in June. “After the depressing debate, we are in the game again,” said Hastings at the time. He was also among the notable Hollywood big names calling for Biden to depart from the 2024 Presidential Election.

“Congrats to Kamala Harris – now it’s time to win,” said Hastings in a post on X on July 22.

Support for Harris’ campaign continues to roll in from all fronts. From Beyoncé to former Democratic presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, people continue to chime in to endorse her as she looks ahead to becoming the Democratic nominee for the November election.

“We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” former President Obama told Harris in a phone call posted in an online video on Friday (July 26) by her campaign.

It means so much to have your endorsements, @MichelleObama and @BarackObama.

Let’s get to work. pic.twitter.com/rAuTyIlCai
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 26, 2024

“I am proud of you,” former first lady Michelle Obama added. “This is going to be historic.”

It is also important to note that in less than 24 hours of Biden’s exit from the race, Harris’ nascent campaign fundraised a record-breaking $81 million. Earlier this week, the Washington Post revealed that Harris smashed more records with a whopping $250 million raised for her campaign in just two days.

As the nation’s first Black woman and Asian American vice president, Harris would make history yet again if she were elected into office in the upcoming November election.

The official nominee will be announced during the Democratic National Convention, set to take place in Chicago from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22.

by Sharelle B. McNair

July 27, 2024

WNBA Star Angel Reese Takes Her Shot With Women-Owned 3-On-3 Basketball League For A Game-Changing Off Season

Reese will be playing in the Unrivaled women’s basketball league, founded by fellow WNBA pros Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.

WNBA All-Star Angel Reese will be keeping busy during the off season by playing in the Unrivaled three-on-three women’s basketball league.

WNBA pros Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart co-founded the league. Reese announced her participation officially on Instagram with a post dubbed “305 Barbie,” as the tip-off will occur in Miami in January 2025.

The league has promised “historic contract opportunities, offering the highest average salary in women’s professional sports history.” With the support of other women’s sports leaders like soccer greats Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, Stewart says the new league will prioritize the needs of their stars. “For years, women have relied heavily on off-court sponsorships for a majority of their income,” Stewart said in a statement, the Daily Mail reports.

“With Unrivaled, we’re revolutionizing the game by prioritizing investments in our stars and ensuring their on-court performance is reflected in their pay.”

The impressive roster includes 30 of the professional league’s rising stars, including Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Rhyne Howard, Kahleah Copper, and Jackie Young. Collier said since the WNBA’s popularity has increased, Reese’s presence will surely bring new opportunities for the Chicago Sky forward and others. “With the growing popularity of women’s basketball and the WNBA, this is an opportunity for us to extend our visibility into the traditional basketball season,” Collier said.

Reese has become a household name since she helped lead LSU to a national title during the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Reese has starred in hip-hop music videos and secured massive NIL deals from leading brands, including Mercedes-Benz, Mielle Hair Products, and Goldman Sachs.

After becoming the No. 7 draft pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Bayou Barbie has had an impressive rookie season, according to Bleacher Report, averaging 13.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. She also set the league record with double-doubles in 15 straight games and assisted her team in potential placement.

Basketball fans will see more of Reese after the 3-on-3 season ends. The WNBA recently secured a massive $2.2 billion media rights deal with the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC and ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, and NBC Universal. The agreement starts in 2026 and, if successful, could be extended further.

RELATED CONTENT: Angel Reese Named WNBA Player Of The Week

DNC, Black-owned, Kamala Harris, Chicago

by Sharelle B. McNair

July 27, 2024

Atlanta Will Host Kamala Harris’ First Campaign Stop After Becoming Presumptive Democratic Nominee

ATL...you ready for the VP?

Vice President Kamala Harris will make Atlanta her first campaign visit since becoming the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee.

Harris is scheduled to visit the Georgia state capital on July 30 as her first official campaign appearance since being endorsed by President Joe Biden following his decision to end his reelection campaign. While there are very few details surrounding where she will be speaking, the vice president will be welcomed with open arms as she has made several trips to the Peach State this year.

However, this will be her first visit as a candidate for President of the United States.

Harris has hit the ground running since her campaign announcement on July 22, making numerous appearances across state lines. She spoke to a large crowd of supporters in Milwaukee just days later and then talked to Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. members during its convention in Indianapolis.

After being in the Midwest, Harris traveled to Houston to make remarks at the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Convention.

Her traveling seems to be paying off. According to The Hill, a poll by The New York Times and Siena College revealed Harris and her GOP opponent, Donald Trump, are close to being tied amongst voters. In a one-on-one match-up, the former President leads the VP by just one point at 48% to Harris’ 47%.

The new poll numbers are a promising sign to Democratic voters who are excited about the party’s new direction. Black Voters Matter, based in Atlanta, says it has watched a shift in the energy embedded in the race, especially amongst young voters. In the past, a host of younger voters were not too enthusiastic about voting for Biden again in November 2024, but now, they are ready to get more involved. “I tell you, the chat group for our college organizers has been lit,” Black Voters Matter co-founder Cliff Albright said.

“You’ve got new people looking to vote and knock on doors.”

The state of Georgia held the turning key that helped Biden secure the White House in 2020. As one of eight battleground states determining the election’s outcome, even bi-partisan voters feel rejuvenated. “Being an independent voter, I don’t normally give to a particular party,” voter Brian Weaver said.

“This was the first time I’ve actually donated to a particular party, and I did so the day after Biden dropped out.”

Poll results also found an increase in registered voters after Biden dropped out. Between July 22 and July 24 and 1,142 registered voters across the country, the margin of sampling error stopped at 3.3%.

JAY-Z, Alicia Keys, Empire State of Mind

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

July 27, 2024

Jay-Z And Alicia Keys’ Ode To New York City, ‘Empire State of Mind’ Certified Diamond

The record sold more than 10 million units.

A milestone has been reached by Brooklyn-bred rapper Jay-Z and Manhattan native songstress Alicia Keys for their ode to New York, “Empire State of Mind.”

According to Billboard, the New York-centric song recorded by the artists who grew up in the “Big Apple” has reached diamond status (meaning the record sold more than 10 million units). The record made the achievement on July 24 as certified by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). This is JAY-Z’s second diamond certification and Keys’ first entry into the club. Originally released in October 2009, the song was the third single from the rapper’s “The Blueprint 3” album.

Keys reposted the news from the Roc Nation X page and wrote, “Empire is diamond!!!!!!!!”

Empire is diamond!!!!!!!!💎 💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎 https://t.co/Fkh1kWGJnU

— Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) July 24, 2024

“Empire Stated of Mind” was a No. 1 record on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on top for five weeks. The song also hit the top spot on several other charts, including the Rhythmic Airplay, Hot Rap Songs, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

Jay-Z received his first diamond single a little over a year ago on June 12, 2023, with Kanye West for their song, “N**gas in Paris,” off the joint album “Watch the Throne.”

There’s a chance that Keys will have her second entry into the diamond club as her song, “No One,” off her 2007 album, “As I Am,” passed the nine million mark last year on Feb. 14, 2023.

Speaking of diamonds, it was reported earlier this year that Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners (MVP) was close to finalizing a billion-dollar merger with the investment arm of Pendulum Holdings. Bloomberg reported that the two investment companies were in advanced talks to collaborate on a deal combining more than $1 billion in assets.

Marcy Ventures launched in 2018 when Jay-Z co-founded the San Francisco and Los Angeles-based company with former Roc Nation CEO Jay Brown and former Walden VC General Partner Larry Marcus. The investment firm was named after Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects, where he grew up.