• Sports

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 17, 2022

Victim Who Says He Was Stomped and Disfigured By New Orleans Saints Player Is Suing for $10M

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An NFL player is being sued for an alleged assault that took place during Pro Bowl weekend earlier this year.

According to ESPN, Darnell Greene Jr. is suing New Orleans Saints player Alvin Kamara for $10 million. The lawsuit was filed in a Louisiana court Friday. Green claims he wasinvolved in an altercation with Kamara,  Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Christopher Lammons, and two other men.

The lawsuit is requesting compensatory and punitive damages of $10 million. Green wants $5 million in actual damages for “pecuniary losses, pain and suffering, disfigurement, mental anguish, and past, present, and future medical expenses” and $5 million in exemplary damages.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Orleans Parish, accuses Kamara and company of beating Greene and stomping on him after he was unconscious on the floor outside of a Las Vegas nightclub on the morning of Feb. 5. The legal paperwork filed alleges that the New Orleans running back pushed shoved Greene into a wall, while continuously punching him in the face. He also stated that Kamara bragged about the attack to someone he was with as they left the club.

Greene said he suffered severe injuries across his body including his neck, back, head, shoulder, knees, and face. Medical testing “confirmed a disfiguring facial fracture to Greene’s right orbital bone, blunt force trauma to his head, multiple disc protrusions, and structural tears in his shoulder.” Greene claims he will need multiple surgeries as a result.

The victim also has accused NFL commissioner Roger Goodell of not taking any action, despite seeing footage of the assault.

“Kamara currently faces criminal charges for the occurrence described herein. However, these proceedings have seemingly been put on pause to allow Kamara to play an entire season for the Saints without being suspended,” the lawsuit reads.

“Further, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has failed to fully investigate the incident at hand, and is ostensibly waiting for the criminal proceedings to play out before issuing a suspension. It is highly suspected that Goodell has seen the violent security footage of the assault–just as Plaintiff has—but is choosing not to take corrective action. Darnell Greene refuses to allow the Commissioner, the authorities, or Kamara himself to sweep this matter under the rug.”

According to NFL.com, Kamara was arrested and accused of beating someone up the night before the Pro Bowl in a Las Vegas nightclub. Kamara was arrested and charged with battery resulting in substantial bodily harm, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The LVMPD said in a written statement on Feb. 5 at around 5:50 p.m., police officers were called to a local hospital where the victim was reporting an assault. The victim said it took place at a nightclub located in the 3500 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard.

An investigation into the matter by LVMPD detectives determined he was battered by the Saints running back Kamara, who was taken into custody without incident following the Pro Bowl on Feb. 6. Kamara was hauled to the Clark County Detention Center and booked for battery resulting in substantial bodily harm.

Kamara’s case has been postponed several times. His next scheduled hearing is scheduled for November 9.

• News

by Atiya Jordan

October 17, 2022

Black Woman Dies In Restroom Stall of Maryland Restaurant That Continues Serving Diners After Her Death

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A Maryland restaurant remained open to diners for over two hours last Wednesday while a Black woman’s body laid unconscious in its restroom, Fox 5 DC reported.

Craig Winn and his wife, identified as Verna, were wrapping up at Jasper’s Restaurant in Largo when the unthinkable occurred to his “soul mate, my life partner, my best friend, my lover” of 40 years, per the news outlet.

“Once we finished, we all got our check and everyone decided to go to the restroom,” Winn recalled.

However, Verna didn’t return, so he asked her cousin to check in on her. Verna’s cousin discovered her unconscious in the restroom stall, and rushed back to deliver heartbreaking news.

“I just immediately jumped up and ran into the restroom and saw my wife lying on the floor and that was the last image of my wife. Lying on the stall floor in the lady’s restroom,” Winn continued.

According to Winn, his wife received CPR until officers with the Prince George’s County Police Department and EMS arrived. She was pronounced dead from a heart attack. They waited nearly three hours for the coroner’s office to collect the body. Meanwhile, the restaurant continued to seat people.

A curtain barrier blocked the women’s restroom where the family gathered, and the men’s restroom was offered for men and women. The restaurant continued to stay open until midnight, sparking a backlash on a social media.

“Hindsight is 20/20, we didn’t know it was going to take the coroner two hours to collect the body,” one of the owners, Fred Rosenthal, told NBC News. “If we did, we would’ve stopped seating people. We were trying to keep it as respectful as possible and not cause a scene.”

Rosenthal confirmed that the coroner’s office arrived at Jasper’s around 9 p.m. to retrieve the body, more than two hours after police responded to the scene. The body was removed quietly through a side entrance so as not to not disturb customers.

“The only thing that would’ve made me feel better is if somebody, a management person who was working that night, would’ve come over and asked what they could do to make the situation better,” Winn told told Fox 5 DC.

• Politics

by Jasmine Jackson

October 17, 2022

Obama to Stump for Democrats in Three States Ahead of High-Stakes Nov. 8 Election

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Former U.S. President Barack Obama will campaign for Democratic Party candidates in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin later this month ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections that will determine control of the U.S. Congress.

Obama will stump for candidates for federal and state offices, appearing in Atlanta on Oct. 28 before traveling to Detroit and Milwaukee on Oct. 29, his office said on Saturday.

Republicans are seen winning control of the U.S. House of Representatives and possibly the U.S. Senate as well. Several Republicans who want to upend the way votes are cast and counted are also running for top election administrator offices in their states.

Obama will tell voters that Democrats are the party for protecting abortion rights but a main theme in his appearances will also be that Democrats can be better trusted to keep elections fair, with the next presidential contest slated for 2024.

“He looks forward to stumping for candidates up and down the ballot, especially in races and states that will have consequences for the administration of 2024 elections,” Obama‘s office said in a statement, which was issued as President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, was set to appear at a rally in Portland supporting the party’s candidates.

Former President Donald Trump, a Republican, is also holding campaign events to support Republicans, with the rallies featuring speeches in which he has repeatedly hinted he might run for president again in 2024.

Trump has falsely claimed fraud marred the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Biden won.

Republicans who back Trump’s false claim have become their party’s nominees for top election officials in states that could play decisive roles in the 2024 contest.

Republicans Jim Marchant of Nevada and Mark Finchem of Arizona, for example, want to curtail or abolish early voting, mail-in voting and ballot drop-boxes, claiming without evidence that they breed fraud.

Voting groups are concerned that the election of some far right candidates could threaten the integrity of the next presidential election. There are fears some might help Trump — if he decides to run again — or another like-minded Republican to overturn election results in 2024.

In an interview on a podcast released on Saturday, Obama said Democrats might not be able to trust that U.S. courts will keep elections fair. That means Democrats must hold offices in closely-contested states to ensure the results of elections will be respected, he said.

“Because it may turn out that in a close presidential election at some point, certification of an election in a key swing state may be at issue. And, it’s going to be really important that we have people there who play it straight.”

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani and Jason Lange; editing by Grant McCool)

Recently, while on the Jennifer Hudson Show, the newly formed Fisk University women’s gymnastics team was surprised with a $25,000 check from Aunt Jackie’s Curls & Coils.

The donation will cover the 16-member team’s travel expenses enabling these talented student-athletes to attend national competitions. This team is the first intercollegiate gymnastics team in HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) history and will compete against colleges across the country. The women, prior to going on the show, were also treated to a full Aunt Jackie’s glam makeover and the studio audience all went home with $100 Aunt Jackie’s gift cards.

“Having the first HBCU gymnastics team means making history,” said Coach Corrinne Tarver. “We are paving the way for future gymnasts to be able to attend a HBCU and continue their gymnastics career; this donation means the world to us!” The university’s athletic programs are on the rise. The men’s basketball team, for example, is coached by former NBA star Kenny Anderson.

“Aunt Jackie’s is dedicated to the ongoing support of HBCU students, and we’re thrilled Fisk has launched the first-ever women’s gymnastics team,” said HBCU graduate Kendria Strong, chief marketing offficer at House of Cheatham, parent company to Aunt Jackie’s. “These students are the best and the brightest and it’s our honor to help lay the groundwork for their future success.”

In 2021, House of Cheatham gifted three million dollars to Clark Atlanta University to fund The Robert H. “Bob” Bell/House of Cheatham Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development to support the education and growth of Black entrepreneurs. Bell, a representative and senator in the Georgia General Assembly from 1969-1982, built House of Cheatham’s brands into household names.

Aunt Jackie’s continues to grow with the latest launch of the Elixir Essentials, a hair and scalp oil trio formulated with natural ingredients including biotin, rosemary, collagen, tea tree oil, and Jamaican Black Castor Oil to provide moisture while supporting thicker fuller strands and protective styles.

The Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the preeminent global membership organization for Black current and former CEOs, senior executives, and board members of Fortune 1000 and equivalent companies, top-tier entrepreneurs, and global thought leaders, announced that it has awarded over $1.5 million in scholarships to 132 undergraduate and graduate students during its annual recognition gala and fundraising event on October 6, 2022 in Washington D.C.

Black executives, philanthropists and influential leaders came together in person, after a two-year hiatus, to celebrate The ELC’s larger mission of providing programmatic pillars which work to increase opportunities for Black scholars and professionals to succeed on their path to becoming high-powered business executives.

“It is our mission as members of The ELC to support these young people in their pursuit of higher education, leadership roles and future careers,” said ELC President and CEO Michael C. Hyter. “Philanthropic endeavors like these ensure that students know they are being supported in their journey and that we are growing, maintaining, and securing the talent pipeline that is needed for corporations to fulfill their DEI commitments to our community.”

This year’s scholars represent a diverse number of fields with 73 percent pursuing either a STEM or business-related degree. Approximately 61% of this year’s scholars are women and 61% hail from a long list of HBCUs and other prominent universities from across the country including: Columbia University, Emory University, Florida A&M University, Florida State University, Howard University, Loyola University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Texas A&M University, University of Miami, University of Notre Dame, University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, Virginia State University, and many more.

“We are grateful to have the opportunity to come back in person to celebrate with our scholars their academic achievements and through these contributions, their future success,” said ELC Board Chairman & CitiGroup CRA Regulatory Group Managing Director and Head Lloyd W. Brown, II. “Our partners’ commitment to the next generation of Black professionals through an intentional investment of their professional development will exponentially help facilitate The ELC’s ongoing efforts to expand the pipeline of future Black executive leaders. We truly value their support.”

As an ELC scholar, students are welcomed into a large network of opportunities, are given internship opportunities through the companies that help support The ELC Scholarship Program, and attend a four-day Scholars Symposium where they participate in virtual developmental workshops.

“The access to Black professionals across numerous fields, academic enrichment, and the ability to relieve part of my financial burden are the reasons why The ELC scholarship program is important to me. Knowing that I will have a network of executives and peers, who look like me, and with whom I can network and learn, encourages me to pursue my passions. I am excited to embark on this journey as an ELC Scholar,” said University of Miami Brunswick Scholar, Jaida Headley.

This year’s scholarships were made possible by: Bank of America, Bristol Myers Squibb, Brunswick Corporation, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HSBC USA, Johnson & Johnson, Linde, Lowe’s, Moody’s, Nationwide, Otsuka, Synchrony, The Coca Cola Foundation, and The Executive Leadership Council.

In addition to the scholars, The ELC presented honors to Marvin Ellison, chairman and CEO of Lowe’s, Brenda J. Lauderback; chair of the board of Denny’s board of directors and a member of the Sleep Number and Wolverine Worldwide corporate boards; Target Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell on behalf of Target; and the Honorable Ambassador Andrew Young, Jr., who received the prestigious 2022 Global Game Changer Award.

The 2022 ELC Annual Recognition Gala, presented by returning lead sponsor Johnson & Johnson, also recognizes notable business achievements for corporate organizations and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding efforts to pave the way to a successful enterprise that benefits and sheds light on their communities.

The Executive Leadership Council opens channels of opportunity for the development of Black executives to positively impact business and our communities. An independent non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 1986, The ELC is the pre-eminent membership organization committed to increasing the number of global Black executives in C-suites, on corporate boards, and in global enterprises. Comprising more than 800 current and former Black CEOs, senior executives and board directors at Fortune 1000 and Global 500 companies and entrepreneurs at top-tier firms, its members work to build an inclusive business leadership pipeline that empowers global Black leaders to make impactful contributions to the marketplace and the global communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.elcinfo.com. Engage during the event on social media: #ELCGALA on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.