Sacramento Mass Shooting Suspect Had History of Violence Across State Lines

Sacramento Mass Shooting Suspect Had History of Violence Across State Lines


The first two suspects to face charges in last weekend’s mass shooting in Sacramento are brothers Dandrae Martin, 26, and Smiley Allen Martin, 27, Fox 40 reported.

Smiley is hospitalized after being injured in the gunfire that erupted just blocks from the California Capitol, which killed six people. Once Smiley has recovered, he will be booked and charged with being a prohibited person with a firearm and being in possession of a machine gun, according to reports.

While neither brother was charged with homicide, there is a criminal history. Back in 2018, Smiley was sentenced to 10 years for assaulting his girlfriend, The Sacramento Bee reported.

“Inmate Martin forcibly entered his girlfriend’s residence. He located her hiding in her bedroom closet and hit her repeatedly with a closed fist on the face, head, and body, causing visible injuries,” a letter from Deputy District Attorney Abildgaard read.

“He then dragged her out of the home by her hair to an awaiting car. After he put her in the car, he assaulted her with a belt.”

In April 2020, Abildgaard wrote a letter arguing against Martin’s release saying, “Inmate Martin has, for his entire adult life, displayed a pattern of criminal behavior.”

Martin’s past criminal offenses include a gun possession as a prohibited person charge in January 2013 stemming from a juvenile case, as well as obstruction of justice. The then 18-year-old was sentenced to jail and probation.

Three months later, Martin pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor marijuana charge in Phoenix, where the court ordered him to be extradited back to Sacramento.

In November 2013, Smiley Martin and three others pushed past a Walmart store clerk and ransacked the store, stealing $2,800 in Galaxy Notebooks. He was sentenced to two years in prison. Then, in November 2016, Martin was stopped in a vehicle with three other individuals. He gave officers a phony name and tried to flee on foot when officers realized the lie.

“After a foot pursuit Inmate Martin was eventually incapacitated with a Taser and ultimately taken into custody,” the letter reads. “Officers were able to identify him and learned he was a parolee at large.”

A few months after that incident, Smiley Martin brutally assaulted his girlfriend and was sentenced to 10 years. After his parole was denied in May 2021, he ended up being released in February 2022.

Jackson State Incorporating New Defensive Technique Named ‘The Will Smith’


There seems to be no end to the Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscar incident.

A football coach at Jackson State University is teaching his defensive players a new scheme in the playbook for the upcoming season. In a video clip posted by head coach Deion Sanders to his Instagram account, the coach demonstrates what he labels “The Will Smith Technique.”

Jackson State’s linebackers coach, Andre Hart, is seen on video instructing his defensive players on a new move that incorporates the now-infamous palm slap popularized by the former rapper turned actor.

In the clip below, Hart is heard saying to the athletes,

“We got a new technique, we gotta give them the Will Smith. What’s the Will Smith? Smack, right. Technique Will Smith. He hit them with the palm of his hand, not the fingers. He hit him with that palm right there.”

Coach Prime posted the video with an apology for the language used by Hart.

“We truly apologize for the profanity from Coach ahart49, but God uses the foolish things to confound the wise. That’s what my Bible says. Again I apologize But Lord this is some good Coaching!! Me and my brother have been together for over 20 years coaching Youth, Highschool and now @gojsutigersfb (video produced by @deionsandersjr)”.

 

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A post shared by COACH PRIME (@deionsanders)

Earlier this week, a top-seeded tennis player was caught on video giving a face slap to his opponent after the match was over, bringing the memory of the recent Will Smith/Chris Rock altercation from last week to mind.

According to Essentially Sports, after a recent tennis match between two players in Ghana, top-seeded French tennis player Michael Kouame, in a similar fashion to Smith, slapped his opponent, Raphael Nii Ankrah, after losing a match to him.

It looks like this controversy will live on a lot longer than we thought it would!

Prominent National Black Women Leaders Congratulate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Her Historic Confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court

Prominent National Black Women Leaders Congratulate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Her Historic Confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court


The Black Women’s Leadership Collective, a coalition of 12 national Black women’s organizations, networks and leaders, issued the following statement on the bipartisan Senate confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a press release:

“Today America took a glorious leap forward on the road to becoming a more just nation with the historic confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Jackson is unquestionably one of the most qualified people ever nominated to serve on the Supreme Court in all of American history. All Americans will benefit by her presence on our nation’s highest court and her strong commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law.”

“Our joy and pride as Black women has deepened throughout this process as Judge Jackson displayed her character, integrity, deep knowledge, and respect for the Constitution. The American people recognize her talents as well. Polling shows strong public support for her nomination, exceeding support for the three justices nominated by former President Trump. Indeed her nomination has unified our country and the more Americans learned about her the more support for her has grown. In addition, the endorsement Judge Jackson received from the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police proved beyond question that she is a strong supporter of law enforcement and public safety. She received the highest possible rating from the American Bar Association and the endorsement of many other groups as well, including key faith leaders and judges appointed by Republican presidents.”

President Biden and Vice President Harris wisely recognized Judge Jackson’s enormous talents by nominating her, and recognized the grave injustice of never opening the doors of our nation’s highest court to a highly qualified Black woman. Just as Vice President Harris broke a barrier, Judge Jackson has shattered another glass ceiling, showing Black girls that there should be no limit to their hopes and dreams and affirming that we are all created equal.”

Even before President Biden announced his pick to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, members of the BWLC began mobilizing to support the eventual nominee Representing over 10 million Black women across the nation, members of the BWLC worked to support Judge Jackson’s nomination by lifting up her outstanding qualifications, inspirational life story and shape the national conversation with Black women front and center. Throughout the nomination members of the BWLC have held in-person and virtual events, social media activations, organized call-ins to Congress, Instagram Live events, as well as television, print and digital advertising, to support Judge Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We congratulate incoming Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on her confirmation and thank her for her dedication and love of country that motivated her to serve the American people on the Supreme Court.”

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 07: U.S. President Joe Biden congratulates Ketanji Brown Jackson moments after the U.S. Senate confirmed her to be the first Black woman to be a justice on the Supreme Court in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on April 07, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
North Carolina Couple Set To Buy Historic Black High School Files Lawsuit, Claiming Racial Discrimination

North Carolina Couple Set To Buy Historic Black High School Files Lawsuit, Claiming Racial Discrimination


A North Carolina couple looking to purchase a historic Black high school in Huntersville has filed a lawsuit accusing the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission of racial discrimination.

In the lawsuit, filed last month, Tyson and Regina Bates claim the commission is deliberately blocking their chances of buying Torrence-Lytle School by “offering white buyers lower prices and not requiring them to provide an architectural plan, make significant down payments or show extensive financial statements,” CNN reported.

The couple says the commission hasn’t refunded any of their two deposits of $5,000.

“Being told you can have the property for nearly $500,000 when it’s being sold to a white person for $246,000,” said the Bates’ lawyer, Faith Fox of the Cochran Firm, according to Fox 46.

It’s been a long road for the Bates family. In 2016, the pair was initially offered to buy the property. They were planning to restore the school from its deteriorating condition and establish it for underserved Black students. The former educators also had dreams of sending their now 18-year-old son to a school that once represented the first opportunity for African-Americans to attend public high school in the region.

Torrence-Lytle School, once known as Huntersville Colored School, was established in 1937 in the historically Black neighborhood of Huntersville. The town’s racial demographics are about 80% white and 12% Black.

“As Black consumers looking to purchase, we were made to meet certain contingencies that no other buyer has had to meet,” Regina Bates told CNN. “We’re convinced that they are not looking to have a Black school in a gentrified area, so they’re doing everything in their power to try to stop this particular piece of history. They want to wash it away.”

The lawsuit also accuses the commission of “discriminatory real estate practices, breach of duties of good faith and fair dealing, negligence in care of historic property, and the use of unfair and deceptive trade practices,” according to CNN.

The Bates seek compensation of $25,000 and the return of the $10,000 deposit. The lawsuit demands the Torrence-Lytle School be sold to them for the cost of a dollar.

The area school where the school resides is white and affluent as a result of gentrification so having an “underprivileged school right there and smack dab in the middle of it is going to be problematic,” Fox said.

Russell Wilson Reveals His Speech On ‘Consistency’ That Won Ciara Over

Russell Wilson Reveals His Speech On ‘Consistency’ That Won Ciara Over


Amid debates about whether or not Russell Wilson is a swag daddy or not, the NFL champion is opening up about the suave speech he gave Ciara that led to their first date.

During a recent appearance on Laugh Out Loud Radio, Wilson recalled his first time meeting Ciara and how he turned the awkward encounter around in his favor.

“First day we met—and we had been talking for two-and-a-half hours, hanging out—she saw the wallet sitting on the table. She said, ‘What the hell is that? You’re losing with that,’” he recalled.

“I put my finger [up] and said, ‘First of all, with me, you’re never losing. Second of all, that wallet, that shows consistency.”

“That’s what you’re going to get from me. You’re going to get somebody who is consistent for you every day. Inside that wallet, there’s something that’s real in there.’”

Wilson’s revelation comes after former Miami Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder faced backlash for questioning why Ciara would leave Future for a “square” like Wilson.

“If Russell didn’t have that bread, Ciara wouldn’t be with him; Ciara, she has a good situation,” Crowder said on The Pivot podcast.

“You don’t leave Future and get with Russell Wilson. It’s a type. Everybody has a type … and I love him on the field but he’s fu*king square.”

https://twitter.com/Pluggedsoundz_/status/1510313904852901889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1510313904852901889%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.complex.com%2Fsports%2Fchanning-crowder-ripped-questioning-ciara-leave-future-russell-wilson%2F

Many have blasted Crowder for trying to downplay Wilson for being a man who values his woman.

“Great Man, Great Father, Great Husband,” Wilson’s former teammate DK Metcalf tweeted in response to a photo that said, “Sign me up for ‘corny.’”

https://twitter.com/dkm14/status/1511208491028865026

Ciara and Russell’s relationship has been a topic of discussion since they started dating in 2015 after she ended her engagement with Future in 2014 following his infidelity. By 2016, Ciara and Russell were married and welcomed their first child together the following year.

Social Media Questions Why CROWN Act Didn’t Save Black Girl From Having To Remove Her Hair Beads Before A Powerlifting Competition

Social Media Questions Why CROWN Act Didn’t Save Black Girl From Having To Remove Her Hair Beads Before A Powerlifting Competition


A video making its rounds on social media has sparked questions amid the passing of the CROWN Act that protects people of color from discrimination against natural hairstyles.

Film director Tariq Nasheed shared the video clip on Instagram showing a team of young female powerlifters scrambling to remove the beads from a Black girl’s braids.

“A #Black girl in a powerlifting competition was told by one of the judges she could not continue to compete with beads in her hair,” Nasheed captioned the post. “So other girls in the competition helped her remove her #beads so she wouldn’t be disqualified.”

“Wasn’t that “Crown Act” law that was just passed supposed to prevent this?” he asked.

 

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A post shared by Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqelite)

Many took to his comments to share their thoughts on the viral clip.

“I Know you already know by now but it was only passed in some states and it won’t make it to Biden’s desk to sign which we know he will—until the raggedy azz senate passes it,” Fox Soul host Claudia Jordan wrote.

“How’d she make it ALLLLLL the way to the competition without somebody making an issue of it to that point?” asked someone else.

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump shared the video on Twitter, calling out how “awful” and “embarrassing” the incident must have been for the young athlete.

“We must continue the fight to BAN biased hair discrimination everywhere!” Crump wrote.

https://twitter.com/AttorneyCrump/status/1511881779652739079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1511881779652739079%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Femilycottontop.com%2Fsocial-media-is-questioning-if-a-viral-video-of-a-team-of-women-removing-hair-beads-from-their-teammates-hair-should-be-covered-under-the-crown-act%2F

After one Twitter user attempted to defend the judge’s ruling saying the beads could be deemed “jewelry,” which typically isn’t allowed when competing, another user shot back in defense of the Black athlete.

“I’m equally sure this was misogynistic racism,” the user wrote. “Hair beads are not “jewellery.” Necklaces etc., are removed in school sports because of the risk of entanglement—how can hair beads pose a risk in powerlifting?”

Black Man Stabbed to Death Allegedly By White Girlfriend Who Reportedly Posted to OnlyFans Hours Later

Black Man Stabbed to Death Allegedly By White Girlfriend Who Reportedly Posted to OnlyFans Hours Later


Police have arrested Courtney Tailor, an Instagram influencer, after being accused of fatally stabbing her Black boyfriend to death inside his Miami apartment.

Christian Toby Obumseli, 27, was identified as the victim who was murdered inside One Paraiso in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood on Sunday, CBS Miami reported. Obumseli was attacked inside his home and died after being transported by Miami Fire Rescue to JMH’s Ryder Trauma Center.

Tailor has since been arrested and held under the Baker Act because she reportedly threatened suicide, Sportskeeda.com reports. The Baker Act requires anyone threatening self-harm to be held at a psychiatric facility for at least 72 hours.

Miami police department detained Tailor at the scene and took her in for a mental health evaluation.

Friends of Obumseli said he lived at the apartment with his girlfriend, Tailor. The two moved to South Florida from Texas in the past couple of years.

Those with information claim the couple was constantly in domestic disputes. Some who say they know the couple say Obumseli’s girlfriend was very active on OnlyFans and posted content after his death.

A tweet from Dallas TV reportedly identified Obumseli and his girlfriend saying she is the one who stabbed him to death before posting content to her OnlyFans just hours later.

https://twitter.com/dallastexastv/status/1511888734333153283?s=21&t=aUmo8D4D8S4q_-nWTcVckg

Friends and family describe Obumseli as someone who was very caring and full of life.

“He was just really high-energy, bright, intelligent, would bring a smile to anyone,” Obumseli’s friend Josh Ramsey said.

Now his loved ones are mourning his loss.

“These are our two friends we’ve gone on vacation with, we go to dinners with, we go out on the town with them, and it seems like it’s straight out of a crime documentary,” Ramsey said. “We would have never guessed it would have escalated to this point. I think I speak for our whole friend group, we are just shocked. Very distraught about this.”

Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin Reach Divorce Settlement


Meagan Good and DeVon Franklin have settled their divorce amicably.

According to Radar Online, the Harlem star, and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Franklin are one step closer to being divorced. The settlement between the two former lovebirds states that neither will pay spousal support.

Based on the court documents obtained by Radar, Franklin made a request to the judge who is presiding over the divorce case to grant him a default judgment as Good has not shown up to court.

The preacher told the judge that his former wife agreed to let him take care of the paperwork. In the paperwork filed, he states the two of them negotiated a deal regarding the division of their property and assets.

They both agreed that they terminated the right to request spousal support and Meagan’s former name will be restored.

After filing for divorce, Franklin handed over all his financial information to Good. The actress never bothered hiring an attorney nor has she filed anything on her behalf regarding the separation.

Franklin is asking the judge to finalize the divorce without Good appearing before the court. He also states that “the issues subject to disposition by the court in this proceeding are the subject of a written agreement.”

In his filings, he also states there are no issues of child, spousal, or partner support and he is not asking for any money, property, costs, or attorney fees from the Prodigal Son actress.

The judge has yet to sign off on the dissolution.

The couple who met on the set of the 2011 film Jumping the Broom, took their relationship to another level when they got engaged in May 2012 and then eventually got married in June 2012.

In a joint statement that was shared on Franklin’s Instagram page, the couple didn’t blame each other and stated that “there’s no one at fault” for the decision to divorce.

“After much prayer and consideration, we have decided to go into our futures separately but forever connected,” said Good and Franklin in a written statement.

“We celebrate almost a decade of marriage together and a love that is eternal. There’s no one at fault, we believe this is the next best chapter in the evolution of our love. We are incredibly grateful for the life-changing years we’ve spent together as husband and wife. We are also extremely thankful to God for the testimony being created inside us both and for blessing our lives with each other.”

Create Your Own Website With This WordPress Expert Course

Create Your Own Website With This WordPress Expert Course


The value of a personal or business is priceless. Whether building a personal brand or looking to launch an online store or boutique, there’s no better platform than the internet to spread your message. Website creation has transformed a lot over the years to that point where virtually anyone with a computer and an internet creation can create one.

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More than 300 lessons spanning 26 hours of content are included with your purchase. Through this course, you’ll learn to use WordPress, develop different types of websites with ease without coding or any previous experience and save tons of money on your marketing budget.

This course is taught by instructors with the Technavel education team. Go from beginner to an advanced WordPress developer through step-by-step hands-on experience videos that show how to create various types of WordPress websites. Courses are routinely updated, ensuring users will the latest up-to-date training videos.

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Additionally, your purchase comes with three free courses: Facebook Ad Secrets, WordPress Affiliate System, and Online Home Business Playbook Hands-On courses.

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Successful websites have led to positive gains for people looking to boost their online or personal brands. That vehicle is now accessible to many through hosting platforms such as WordPress. Purchase this bundle today while it’s still available.

Prices subject to change.

Report: The Weeknd Threatens to Pull Out of Coachella, Gets Kanye’s $8 Million Payday


After Kanye West pulled out of the upcoming Coachella festival, organizers immediately went and found a suitable replacement in The Weekndwho wanted Kanye’s salary—and got it.

According to PageSix, to combat any fallout from Ye not being at next week’s Coachella Festival, organizers of the popular annual showcase announced that The Weeknd would perform in his place.

Coachella organizers announced early Wednesday that The Weeknd and house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia would take over for West on Sunday, April 17, and Sunday, April 24.

Yet, the deal wasn’t written in stone yet, according to a music source who told Page Six.

The source said, “The Weeknd came in at short notice to take Kanye’s top spot. But Phil Anschutz [who owns the Coachella Festival through AEG Live] wanted to hold on to Kanye’s money and pay The Weeknd far less, just a few million. The festival would pocket the rest.”

With The Weeknd placing his line in the sand, negotiations between his management and Anschutz’s company Goldenvoice, which produces the festival, had gotten tense.

According to the same source, “Even after Coachella announced the new lineup on Wednesday, a deal wasn’t in place for The Weeknd, who threatened to pull out at an hour’s notice if he didn’t get the same deal as Kanye. Finally, on Wednesday—faced with the prospect of a second headline act pulling out of Coachella at the last minute—Anschutz’s company caved and agreed to pay The Weeknd the same money.”

Ye’s departure from Coachella could be related to his stormy personal life. Over the weekend, according to Page Six, Ye shared with his former wife, Kim Kardashian, that “he’s going away to get help” following his months-long harassment on Instagram targeting the reality star and her boyfriend, Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson.

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