Rosewood, Florida, David Allen Emanuel, hate crime
by Atiya Jordan

October 20, 2023

Florida Man To Serve Jail Time For Hate Crime Against Black Men

David Allen Emanuel, a white Rosewood, Florida, resident, will serve jail time for his racially motivated attack on a group of Black men in 2022.

In July 2022, a jury in Gainesville, Florida, convicted 62-year-old Emanuel on all counts for committing hate crimes on Sept. 6, 2022. He was facing up to 10 years in prison. More than a year later, Emanuel will serve a year and a day for each count simultaneously, the New Miami Times reported.

As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, a professor emeritus in psychology from Florida International University was with his son and a small group surveying a property he co-owns in Rosewood when Emanuel questioned him.

Dr. Marvin Dunn, his son, Doug Dunn, and six others were called the N-word and other expletives, including” ‘[racial slur] get out of these woods’ before Emanuel drove a pickup truck directly at the group, nearly striking one of them,” according to a press release, from the Department of Justice. The attack took place at the site of the 1923 Rosewood Massacre.

“My neighbor comes out in a pickup and says, ‘What’s going on here?’ Then he makes a U-turn out of his driveway, comes back at us, and almost kills my son,” Dr. Dunn previously told the Miami Herald. “I was afraid to be on the property, so I came back to Miami.” 

A week later, Emanuel was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Emanuel’s final judgment comes after Dunn asked Judge Allen Winsor for a lighter sentence. During sentencing on Thursday, Oct. 19, Dunn said that race is “America’s most indigestible problem” and “for America to become whole, the lumps, thorns, and rocks must be removed.”

“For me, my faith requires forgiveness, and so I must,” Dunn’s statement read. “It requires me to love my neighbor as well, but I have more work to do on that. I am not asking my neighbor to love me or even to apologize to us. I only ask that he assures the court that we can live in peace as neighbors.”

RELATED CONTENT: ILLINOIS LANDLORD ACCUSED OF MURDERING PALESTINIAN CHILD IN HATE CRIME

dj mark the 45 king
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 20, 2023

Mark The 45 King, Who Produced Jay-Z’s ‘Hard Knock Life,’ Is Dead At 62

Legendary music producer Mark Howard James, known to hip-hop heads as DJ Mark the 45 King, died Thursday, Oct. 19, days after his 62nd birthday, according to an Instagram post by DJ Premier.

The world was introduced to Queen Latifah and The Flavor Unit in part because of the production skills of DJ Mark the 45 King.

“Mark is responsible for so many classics and was a member of the Iconic Crew FLAVOR UNIT (Queen Latifah, Latee, Chill Rob G., Lakim Shabazz, Double J, Lord Alibaski, DJ Cee Justice, Apache, Naughty By Nature, Freddie Foxxx, Markey Fresh, Rowdy Rahz, Storm P, Shakim and so many more members beyond whom I’ve mentioned please pardon me if I didn’t post your name),” DJ Premier wrote.

“His sound was unlike any other from his heavy drums and his horns were so distinct on every production.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @djpremier

Latifah’s debut album, All Hail the Queen, was produced almost entirely by DJ Mark the 45 King and included the hit songs that made the rapper a household name, including “Ladies First,” “Wrath of My Madness,” and “Dance For Me.”

The Queen acknowledged him on her Facebook page.

“I love you, Mark❤️ thank you for everything!!! thank you for teaching me taking me under your wing, teaching me about this thing called hip-hop, and so much more!”

DJ Mark the 45 King provided the sound of the Jay-Z hit that catapulted his career: “Hard Knock Life.” Another pop classic that Mark was responsible for was the Eminem hit, “Stan.”

Eminem also thanked the producer on his X account.

The cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

RELATED CONTENT: TOP MUSIC PRODUCER TALKS CAREER PATH, LONGEVITY, AND BUSINESS 101

Issa Rae, Black Tech Week, Tech, STEM, Women In Tech, Keynote, Speaker
by Stacy Jackson

October 20, 2023

Issa Rae Nearly Boosted 5-Year-Old Nephew’s Rival To First Place In Hilarious Fundraiser Mishap

Issa Rae recently shared a humorous yet panic-inducing incident involving her 5-year-old nephew and a school fundraiser during her appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The actress, writer, and producer, who recently appeared in Barbie, said she had been asked by her sister to help her nephew secure a win in his school’s online fundraiser. Rae said she waited until the last second — literally at 4:59:59 p.m.— to donate what was likely a large amount of money to her nephew for his school’s online fundraiser. Except, she selected the wrong child’s name, inadvertently boosting her nephew’s opponent, who she referred to “Zulu” to protect the anonymity of the young child, to the first-place spot, Entertainment Weekly reported.

She said to Fallon, “He [Rae’s nephew] gets to No. 1 and then, at the deadline, it’s 4:50 and I’m like, ‘I know one of these parents, they’re going to try and get their kid up. So, at 4:59, on the dot, I’m going to just boost [her nephew’s profits] a little bit… I set it all up, I put a little extra money on there, and I hit the purchase button right at 4:59:59. And then I realized… I gave it to Zulu.”

The Awkward Black Girl creator no doubt found herself in an awkward position. Her family members were competitive about her nephew winning the fundraiser but had no clue Rae was the reason Zulu was boosted again to first place.

Rae said, “The family group chat is going crazy. They’re just like, ‘How could this happen? Parents are so greedy! People take this too seriously!’ And I’m dead silent.”

Rae, who played “President Barbie” in the Barbie film, said she tried to right her wrong immediately by calling her bank. The Insecure star shared with Fallon, “I was calling American Express like, ‘Please, can we cancel? This is fraud!'”

She added, “And so it wasn’t until the next day where they were like, ‘Oh, you can cancel it’ that I decided… He got second place. Sorry to Zulu. He dropped down in the numbers.”

Apparently, Fallon didn’t agree with Rae’s decision to contact her bank, which resulted in Zulu dropping in rank the next day. “This is a terrible lesson to teach your nephew!” Fallon said to Rae.

After all the hassle, according to Rae, her 5-year-old nephew didn’t care where he placed in the fundraiser, Entertainment Weekly reported.

RELATED CONTENT: Issa Rae Taps Into Wine Industry With New Viarae Prosecco

Kevin Porter Jr.
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 20, 2023

Houston Rockets Trade Kevin Porter Jr. To Oklahoma Thunder, Who Promptly Release Him

After the Houston Rockets banned Kevin Porter Jr. from the team following his arrest on Sept. 11 for allegedly attacking his former girlfriend, he was traded to another NBA team on Oct. 17.

The Oklahoma Thunder acquired the troubled player and immediately released him after receiving two future second-round picks and sending the Rockets Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

ABC 7 reported that the shooting guard was taken into custody by the New York Police Department, where he was initially charged with assault and strangulation. Porter was arrested for an alleged domestic violence assault on Kysre Gondrezick at the Millennium Hilton Hotel in September. Prosecutors said the attack on the former WNBA player left Gondrezick with a fractured neck vertebra and a deep cut above her right eye.

Porter Jr. was originally thought to have fractured Gondrezick’s vertebra, but Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Mirah Curzer stated the charge of second-degree assault was thrown out because there was “insufficient evidence” after it was shown that he did not break Gondrezick’s neck.

The 23-year-old baller pleaded not guilty and is expected back in court in Manhattan on Nov. 27.

Porter was also arrested in Nov. 2020 after being involved in a car crash when police found a loaded handgun and marijuana in his car. Porter claimed he didn’t know the gun was there, and the charges against him were dismissed.

He was traded to the Rockets on Jan. 21, 2021. In March 2022, the NBA fined him $50,000 for violating the league’s COVID-19 health and safety rules when he went to a Miami strip club. Last January, he was suspended by the Rockets for a game after then-head coach Stephen Silas said Porter had a “spirited debate” and “lost his temper” at halftime.

RELATED CONTENT: Kysre Gondrezick Denies Assault By Rising NBA Star Kevin Porter Jr.

Leonard Cure’s Mother Speaks Out After He Was Fatally Shot During Traffic Stop In Georgia
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 20, 2023

Leonard Cure’s Mother Speaks Out After He Was Fatally Shot During Traffic Stop In Georgia

Leonard Cure’s mother is speaking out in the wake of his fatal shooting during a traffic stop with a Georgia deputy.

Mary Cure spoke at a news conference Oct. 18, two days after her son was killed on Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida border during an altercation with a Camden County sheriff’s deputy, NBC News reports.

“My heart is disconnected and my soul aches,” she said.

Leonard, 53, had visited his mother in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and was returning to Atlanta when the deputy stopped him. Dashcam video showed Cure complying with the officer until he was told he was being arrested for speeding and reckless driving.

A scuffle ensued after the deputy fired a stun gun. Cure grabbed the deputy by the neck and pushed his head backward, knocking him to the ground, the video revealed. Once the deputy got free of Cure’s hold, he allegedly shot the stun gun twice and hit Cure with a baton before seemingly shooting the man at point-blank range.

You can read the report from the George Bureau of Investigation here.

Cure’s family believed his 16 years in prison for an armed robbery conviction he was exonerated from in 2020 likely played a role in his aggression toward the deputy.

“I believe there were possibly some issues going on, some mental issues with my brother,” his brother Michael Cure told The Associated Press.

“I know him quite well. The officer just triggered him, undoubtedly triggered him. It was excitement met with excitement.”

Mary Cure recalled her last conversation with her son early Monday morning.

“He said, ‘I love you and I’ll see you soon,’ that’s the last I heard from him,” she said.

“I was uneasy every time he left because I was like, ‘Will he get a traffic stop? Is he going to be a victim of that?'” Mary said.

“From the time that he was released, he was never set free,” she continued. “Lived in constant fear … is this going to be the day that they’re gonna lock him up, beat him up, or kill him? I lived with that. That is torture.”

The Georgia deputy who allegedly shot Cure hasn’t had his name released and remains on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Suspect Arrested In Connection to Random Shoving In New York City Subway
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 20, 2023

Suspect Arrested In Connection to Random Shoving In New York City Subway

A man who is suspected of pushing a woman into a moving subway train in New York City has been apprehended and may have shoved another passenger before that attack.

According to The New York Post, 39-year-old Sabir Jones is suspected of being the man who shoved a 30-year-old woman onto the path of a train at the Fifth Avenue/53rd Street station in Manhattan. The woman was pushed in front of an F train on the downtown side around noon on Oct. 18. She hit her head on the train and then fell onto the tracks, the injuries she suffered required brain surgery.

Jones was caught in Newark, NJ, about a day after he allegedly committed the crime. Police officers detained him after he was seen at McCarter Highway and Raymond Boulevard in Newark, according to Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé.

Law enforcement officials believe the suspect may have attacked someone else at the same subway station. Jones allegedly hit a 26-year-old male passenger who was leaving a southbound E train in a random attack. That victim reported the crime nearly eight hours later, after he saw video footage of Jones on the news.

They also believe that he has at least two dozen prior arrests dating back over ten years.

The suspect appears to be the same Sabir Jones who had at least 40 criminal cases in Essex County, NJ. Some of those cases included charges of weapons possession, drug, assault, and sex crime charges that took place between 2012 and 2020, according to Robert Florida, spokesperson for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Police sources stated that Jones was previously arrested in New York City in December 2022. He was allegedly riding between subway cars on a J train at Norwood Avenue in Brooklyn and refused to leave the station. Officers charged him with obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, violation of local law, and disorderly conduct.

RELATED CONTENT: New York Subway Shooting Suspect Arrested On Mass Transit Violence Charge

DuVernay, Ava DuVernay, Orgin, 16
by Stacy Jackson

October 20, 2023

Ava DuVernay Sponsors Free Tickets For 16-Year-Olds To Watch New Film ‘Origin’

If you’re a 16-year-old in America, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay wants you to see her new movie, Origin, Seat16.com reported.

In an effort to make this happen, the director is working to give 10,000 teens across the U.S. free access to see the movie when it premieres in theaters in December. DuVernay launched Seat16.com, a website where supporters can gift $16 to sponsor a teen’s ticket.

Origin, written and directed by the 2018 NAACP Image Award recipient, is inspired by Isabel Wilkerson’s New York Times best-seller Caste. The narrative film follows the storyline of the journalist as she experiences loss and love while exploring the origins of injustice in America.

“I need to make sure [the film] gets to the audience, that it reaches folks, that it’s understood, that it’s interrogated, that it’s shared,” the Emmy-winner said during TEDWomen 2023, according to Good Good Good. “So, I have this crazy idea that I want every 16-year-old in the country to see the film for free if they want.”

DuVernay clung to the storyline of Wilkerson’s book. “I read it three times, and I started to feel really connected to some of the stories and some of the characters the author uses to bring us into this idea she has; this thesis that so much of our oppression is linked,” she shared. “And if we embrace some of the commonalities of our challenges, that there was a way forward. A blueprint to combat some of our social ills.”

According to the donation page, DuVernay has already raised over $50,000 out of her $160,000 starting goal. Good Good Good reported that the donations will be distributed upon the release of the film through DuVernay’s Array Alliance, Inc. As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, the filmmaker made history with Origin on Sept. 6 and became the first African American woman to be selected in the lineup to compete for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

On Sept. 5, NEON released an official teaser for the film, which stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nick Offerman and Blair Underwood.

RELATED CONTENT: AVA DUVERNAY MAKES HISTORY AT VENICE FILM FESTIVAL; RECALLS BEING TOLD ‘YOU WON’T GET IN’

Mark Robinson, abortion, North Carolina
by Iman Milner

October 20, 2023

Opinion: North Carolina GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Robinson Continues To Disrespect Notable Women

North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has captured the attention of the party’s supporters for his stance on issues ranging from LGBTQ+ rights to gun laws. The current lieutenant governor has garnered scrutiny and support for his ideas about the role of women in both the workplace and at home. However, it seems his feelings extend much further than just traditional gender roles, the Huffington Post reports.

Robinson has spent the last few years openly ridiculing, disrespecting, and demeaning public figures, many of whom are women, the outlet reports.

“The Obamas continue to linger, like the stench of human waste that fouls the air and assaults the nostrils,” he said in a Facebook post where he also referred to former first lady Michelle Obama as “an angry, anti-American communist Black lady.”

Robinson spouted common GOP talking points regarding reproductive rights in a post about Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Kamala Harris is a leftist idiot who is fearful that the “right” to MURDER the unborn will be threatened if Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed,” he said. “She’s part of the unhinged and out-of-touch wing that dominates the Democratic Party. She should quit trying to kill the unborn and go home to California and clean up the mess there.”

His ire extends from the realm of politics to the larger world of celebrities but remains pointed in his criticism of successful women.

“I can assure you, the stench of indecency Americans are smelling is NOT coming from Pepe Le Pew,” Robinson said. “It’s coming from the garbage like filth displayed by Cardi B.” The “Bodak Yellow” rapper is not the only successful woman caught in Robinson’s crossfire as he’s gone after everyone from Issa Rae to Oprah via posts with equally aggressive language.

Still Robinson remains a frontrunner in the crowded North Carolina governor race due partly to his controversial stances on core issues, per The Huffington Post. In post-Trump America, GOP supporters rally behind candidates they feel are fearless in their talking points about liberal agendas.

“He represents the culture war id of the Republican Party,” said Steven Greene, a political science professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

 

RELATED CONTENT: REPUBLICAN MARK ROBINSON IMPLIES SLAVE DESCENDANTS OWE REPARATIONS TO THEIR ANCESTORS

Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, comedy, special, Netflix
by Iman Milner

October 20, 2023

Kevin Hart And Chris Rock Chronicle Rise To Stardom In Netflix Documentary ‘Headliners Only’

Comedic heavyweights Kevin Hart and Chris Rock will deliver a one-of-a-kind knockout to Netflix on Dec. 12. The special, titled Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only, will give fans of the two megastars a glimpse into what it takes to remain comedy gold.

A trailer for the documentary film features moments from the week-long collaboration between Hart and Rock during a host of shows in New York and New Jersey in July 2022.

“This is a story about two separate journeys [that] somehow align and end up at the same intersection at the top,” Hart says in the preview.

Later in the 60-second teaser, the Laugh At My Pain comedian tells Rock, “I’m excited about this week not just because of the arena factor…” before the Everybody Hates Chris creator cuts in with his own feelings.

“I’m just excited to hang out with you! That’s it,” Rock said.

Netflix released a description of the project that promised an in-depth look at the lives of both comedians.

“In a first-of-its-kind documentary, Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only will give audiences a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of two comedy titans,” the streaming giant stated. “This exclusive film follows Hart and Rock as they give first-hand accounts of their early lives, struggles, triumphs and their unbreakable brotherhood.”

The comedic duo announced plans to collaborate on a string of performances in March 2022.

“When Chris and I realized we were both going to be on tour this year, we immediately knew we needed to do something special,” the Philadelphia native said at the time. “We have been friends and mentors to each other for 20 years, but we have never shared a headlining stage together — until now!”

The sold-out tour chronicled in the upcoming documentary commenced four months after the infamous incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars and featured appearances by Dave Chappelle and others.

RELATED CONTENT: Kirk Franklin Details Finding His Birth Father In New Documentary

digital divide, internet, uture of Black Communities Summit
by Derek Major

October 20, 2023

Future Of Black Communities Summit Talks Digital Equity

Four Black tech executives took part in a panel Oct. 19 at the 2023 Future of Black Communities Summit discussing advancing digital equity for Black people and communities.

The panel, which took place at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, featured the Director of the Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives, Dr. Jon Gant; Director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, Dr. Nicol Turner Lee; Comcast NBCUniversal Associate Vice President, Sean Mickens; and Google Manager and Senior Analyst, Justice Ukadike. The panel was moderated by Anthony Green, the co-creator of the SHIFT podcast.

Green began the panel discussion by asking Lee what have been some of the most exciting developments when it comes to advancing digital equity since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“It’s been no secret that Black and Brown people have been connected to this internet that has evolved into artificial intelligence and so this conversation around the intersection between race, place, and space has been real and what the pandemic presented as an opportunity was that more people were paying attention,” Lee said. “We actually have coming out of the pandemic and with the infrastructure bill, probably quadruple the amount of money that we had since President Obama when it comes to addressing connectivity. We started the digital divide with President Clinton and here we are today still talking about it, but this time we’ve got resources around it.”

Mickens added that Comcast’s Internet Essentials program has been providing internet services for low-income households for more than a decade.

“The program helps low-income communities be able to gain access to the internet, but also to teach them some of the digital skills that are necessary for them to grow in that space and as we’ve seen the investments come in from the government the past two years we’ve been doubling down on those efforts of increasing the ways in which people talk about not just having affordable access to the internet but also understanding how to utilize it once you’re on there,” Mickens said.

The panel continued with Green asking Ukadike what challenges government, industry, and the nonprofit sector should come together to address in closing the digital divide.

“I think it’s critical that we identify, invest in, and coalesce around those key and critical high leverage point opportunities to accelerate this work and everybody is implicated here, industry to third parties to society on to and including government as well, we all must understand the comparative advantage and lean into it,” Ukadike told the panel. “I would say from my advantage that we should also work to scale up these efforts and understand how to ensure training efforts into the space we know that works and then ensuring that we’re investing in bringing capacity as well.”

The panel also discussed the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), an FCC benefit program that is part of the infrastructure bill providing a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households, and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Mickens told the panel that the program is paramount, which is why so many are working on extending the program.

“This was originally put in as an emergency measure in the infrastructure bill but right now people are trying to extend it,” Mickens said. “Currently there’s a little over 21 million Americans enrolled in the ACP program, so continuing to fund that program and getting Congress to reauthorize funding for this program is something in the short term that can be immediately impactful for everyday people as we work to get more people signed up.”

RELATED CONTENT: This Black-Owned Company Wants to Close the Digital Divide in Rural Virginia

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