Black Dunkin’ Worker Gets Two Years House Arrest for Fatally Punching 77-Year-Old Racist White Customer
A Black Dunkin’ employee in Florida was sentenced to two years of house arrest after pleading guilty to killing a white customer who used racial epithets toward him last May.
According to NBC News, Corey Pujols, 27, punched a 77-year-old white man in the jaw after having an altercation with him. Pujols was initially charged with aggravated manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to guilt for a lesser charge of felony battery.
Along with having the punishment of house arrest, a judge sentenced Pujols to 200 hours of community service and ordered him to take an anger management course.
The incident took place in Tampa last May when customer Vonelle Cookdied after the heated exchange with Pujols. With one punch, Pujols inadvertently killed the man, WTVT, a local Fox affiliate in Tampa reported.
Pujols was first charged with battery on May 5. It was elevated to aggravated manslaughter when Cook, who hit his head on the store’s concrete floor, died three days later.
Police said Cook was disappointed in the lack of service he was receiving and got out of the drive-thru and confronted Pujols. In the heated exchange, Cook used a racial slur. Pujols dared him to say the word again. Cook obliged and was rushed to Tampa General Hospital, where he died two days later from a skull fracture and brain contusions.
A spokesman for Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren told the Tampa Bay Times that the prosecutors considered the “totality of the circumstances.” That included Pujols’ age and clean criminal history. Tey also considered Cook’s behavior on the day of the incident.
“Two of the primary factors were the aggressive approach the victim took toward the defendant and everyone working with the defendant, and that the victim repeatedly used possibly the most aggressive and offensive term in the English language,” Kamm stated.
Rapper Boosie Shuts Down DJ Vlad’s Criticism of Rihanna Getting Pregnant Out of Wedlock
Rapper Boosie Badazz was not here for YouTube personality DJ Vlad criticizing Rihanna and A$AP Rocky for getting pregnant out of wedlock.
Boosie recently appeared on DJ Vlad’s VladTV, where he was asked his thoughts about Rihanna’s pregnancy. While praising Rihanna and Rocky’s new journey into parenthood, Vlad expressed his opposing views to the celebrity couple’s relationship status going into the pregnancy.
“I was a little bit disappointed that Rihanna did not get married before having that baby,” Vlad told Boosie. “When I look at her peers, [like] JAY-Z and Beyonce ….”
But Boosie, a proud father of seven, was quick to interject and shut down Vlad’s seemingly outdated views on pregnancy and marriage.
“Your peers. F**k all that. It’s what makes you happy,” Boosie shouted. “Nobody don’t give a f**k about peers. She’s a billionaire.”
Boosie hasn’t shied away from expressing his admiration for Rihanna in the past. The “Wipe Me Down” rapper even admitted to sending her multiple DMs attempting to get her attention. But he was able to put his crush aside and come to A$AP Rocky’s defense when it comes to impregnating Rihanna before proposing to her.
“Why she gotta follow somebody else drip for? She know what she f**king doing,” Boosie quipped. “Everybody ain’t gotta be motherf**kers that jump in marriages and still motherf**king sneak and geek.”
Vlad went on to note reports that Rocky and Rihanna are “talking about getting married after the baby.” But Boosie continued badgering the host for his initial criticism.
“You can’t judge her for not being married. Like bro, people f**king, if a baby’s coming, a baby’s coming,” Boosie declared.
Vlad continued to drive his point about proposing to Rihanna if you had the chance.
“If you and Rihanna are dating and she told you she’s pregnant and she’s like, ‘Listen, but I wanna get married before announcing this to the world,’ are you gonna say ‘no?” he asked.
“No, it’s Rihanna. They have a mutual understanding,” Boosie replied. “Everybody ain’t for no fake -a** marriages.”
Boosie continued. “Everybody’s not for it. If they want to do it, they can do it. But they don’t have to do it when the world says,” he said.
“That’s where people go wrong at, letting the world make [their] decisions. I don’t let the world make my decisions. I let my heart make my decisions.”
Report: Miami Police Rules Miss Alabama Zoe Sozo Bethel’s Death A Suicide
The family of beauty queen and budding conservative commentator, Zoe Sozo Bethel, announced her death in late February after she sustained severe brain damage from a fall.
Now, recent reports reveal details confirming that the 27-year-old committed suicide.
According to the Daily Mail, the 2021 winner of Miss Alabama for America Strong plunged to her death after running at full speed toward the third-floor balcony railing of a Miami condo building. Miami Police said witnesses, including Bethel’s five-year-old daughter, overheard her praying, acting strange, and pacing nervously before she landed in the first-floor parking lot.
But Bethel’s brother, Santiago Roman, noted in a police interview that his sister accidentally tumbled over the railing as a result of not seeing it. He said Bethel was on the phone with another one of her brothers, Zion Lemuel Bethel, and sounded “distressed and at one point started to pray before she jumped.”
The media personality, who was also a spokesperson for Students For Life, was hospitalized in a coma after she was found unresponsive by responding police. The details leading up to her death were revealed in a police report, obtained by the news outlet.
According to the report, Bethel ingested an “unknown amount of unknown suspected narcotics” while dining out with her brother on Feb. 10. Another report claimed that “16.9 grams of an unknown type” of drug were recovered from the scene.
“The victim ingested a small amount of the substance. Mr. Roman asked what’s that substance and she replied that it was a form of cannabis that helps her relax given to her by a friend,” the report read.
A female bystander dialed 911 after witnessing Bethel’s fall, adding that Bethel was having a breakdown from possibly taking too many narcotics, according to the police report.
Witness accounts coupled with the discovery of the narcotics led to the ruling of Bethel’s suicide. However, her family has weighed in, implying that as a devout believer in Jesus Christ, she wouldn’t have killed herself. In fact, her family said in a statement that “if she had a choice, she would still be here with us today.”
As of March 9, a GoFundMe campaign to support Bethel’s family with medical and funeral expenses had only raised $50,000 of its $500,000 goal.
It seems as if this is Kanye West’s world, and we all just live in it.
The latest tale has Ye posting his latest “work” to his Instagram account and causing quite a stir, as expected. The billionaire hip-hop artist wrote a poem that memorialized his death as he claims that “No one wanted to tell me I was DEAD.”
Ye took to his social media account to share his latest creation with his 15+ million Instagram followers. He begins with a long intro describing the latest work he produced. Instead of a song, a video, or even a new fashion design, it was a poem Ye had written. The epistle is a follow-up to a previously shared piece titled DIVORCE that he posted over the weekend.
“I feel already compromised that I have to justify my expression after over 20 years of art that I’ve contributed to the planet but I also see the need to make sure we as a species are allowed to still feel anything Men not allowed to cry celebrities not allowed to cry I will not explain this new piece for the explanation destroys the mystery and magic of true love and puts it in a box that can be counted Art is subjective Art only works when it is the artist absolute truth Someone’s truth can be another persons lie We don’t all have to feel the same because we are not the same With out further ado I present to you my latest creation it is called DEAD”
This latest work comes on the heels of the rapper releasing his latest project, Donda 2, and after he caused quite a controversy when he released his newest video featuring The Game called Eazy last week. In that video, there were disturbing images in claymation figures depicting Ye kidnapping and burying alive Kim Kardashian’s new boyfriend, Pete Davidson.
Will Smith Jokes About ‘White Audiences’ After Scuffle at Festival Appearance
Will Smith tapped into his comedic roots after a scuffle broke out during his appearance at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Smith and his King Richard co-star Aunjanue Ellis appeared at the festival Sunday to accept the outstanding performer of the year award, Peoplereported. While discussing their film, a fight broke out in the audience after someone had a drink poured on them.
Smith and Ellis broke the ice and made sure that their guests were OK.
“Is she OK?” Smith asked while shielding his eyes from the stage lights and looking into the crowd.
One of the people who had the drink poured on them shouted out an explanation on what caused the melee, saying someone “totally just poured a drink on us because we said, ‘This is f—–g amazing.’ Apparently, we’re being too loud. But we love you, Will.”
That’s when the Men In Black star attempted to make light of the heated exchange by cracking a joke about race. The moment starts around the 7-minute mark.
“That’s why it’s really important to have white audiences, ’cause that would have gone very differently at either place where we grew up,” Smith jokingly said.
“So I wanna commend the white people for how y’all handled that. You wanna act out the scene, how it would’ve been if someone poured a drink on you?”
Ellis then pretended to take off her earrings and heels as if preparing to engage in a fight. Smith turned his attention back to the moderator Scott Feinberg, saying, “You’re not gonna make it back from that, Scott! You can try.”
Smith and Ellis are riding high off the success of King Richard. Smith recently won his first Golden Globe for best actor for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ father Richard Williams. Ellis played their mother, Oracene Williams.
The journey to the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC) National Championship Tournament is underway for more than 60 teams from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Now in its 33rd year, HCASC is America’s premier academic competition among HBCUs, annually bringing together more than 300 HBCU students, coaches, presidents and institutional representatives for a tournament that uniquely combines educational and personal development experiences beyond the classroom. Students also form bonds with their fellow HBCU student competitors, creating “friends for life.”
In this year’s virtual HCASC National Championship Series, the Mar. 13 preliminary rounds will narrow the field to the top 16 teams who will advance to the Playoffs Mar. 20. From there, the remaining eight teams will vie for the national championship title, April 10-12, with the opportunity to bring home the grand prize — a $75,000 institutional grant from Honda, according to a press release.
“Honda has been supporting the success and dreams of HBCU students for over three decades, and it all started with the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge,” said Yvette Hunsicker, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility and Inclusion & Diversity at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
“We applaud the students for their incredible dedication to preparing for HCASC and are excited to crown the 2022 HCASC national champion.”
Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is a year-round program celebrating Black excellence and showcasing the academic talents of top HBCU students from across the country. Four-student teams face off in head-to-head competition and must quickly answer questions about history, science, literature, religion, math, the arts, pop culture and sports. HCASC challenges students to expand their scope of knowledge on a wide range of topics while also helping to develop their leadership and collaboration skills. With the opportunity to compete against students from other HBCUs, participants network, build camaraderie and gain mentorship opportunities with HCASC alumni. Beyond the competition, Honda provides development seminars to help prepare students for success after graduation.
“Having coached HCASC teams at four HBCUs over the last two decades, I know first-hand the incredible impact Honda has on individual students and HBCUs alike,” said Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, president of Voorhees College.
“Participation in HCASC heightens an HBCU’s scholastic profile, advances student engagement and leadership development, and truly cultivates relationships whereby students, faculty and staff within the HBCU community and beyond become ‘friends for life.'”
The HCASC National Championship Series will stream live at HCASC.com. Tune in for the action on Mar. 13 at 10 a.m. EST for the preliminary rounds. Sixteen teams will compete on Mar. 20, setting the field of teams for the championship rounds, April 10-12.
Honda hosts virtual seminars to enhance career readiness
In addition to the tournament experience, HCASC participants are invited to join virtual development seminars aimed at increasing career readiness and student empowerment. Students will learn interview tips, resume writing best practices and ways to prepare for post-graduation success. These seminars are being conducted in partnership with Honda Talent Acquisition and the African American Resource Collaborative (AARCH) Business Resource Group.
Did You Know?
– North Carolina A&T State University will seek to defend its 2021 HCASC National Championship title.
– Morehouse College is the only school to qualify for all 32 HCASC National Championship Tournaments.
– Florida A&M Universityhas won more national championships (8) than any other HBCU.
– Over 90% of student participants say that lifelong friendships are an important benefit of their HCASC participation.
– There are 89 eligible HBCUs that can participate in HCASC, representing 20 states and the District of Columbia.
– HCASC alumni are found across the globe, pursuing careers in science, engineering, medicine, media, aeronautics, education, industry, and government.
This year, Honda will provide nearly $400,000 in institutional grants to the participating HBCUs with many of the schools utilizing the grants to fund student scholarships. More than 145,000 scholars have competed in HCASC since the academic tournament was established in 1989.
Two Black Congresswomen Ask IRS To Investigate Tax-Exempt Status Of Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Two Black female members of Congress sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) calling for an investigation regarding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and its tax-exempt status.
Reps. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) sent the letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig asking it to probe the HFPA, citing the group’s “seemingly corrupt and unacceptable deal-making,” and the “longstanding and questionable business practices” by the group, which manages the Golden Globe Awards.
“As members of Congress with oversight of our federal laws and statutes, we believe the well documented and credible criticism of the HFPA and its current leadership is worthy of an investigation by the IRS of their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status” Beatty and Lawrence wrote according toThe Wrap.
“For more than a year, entertainment and national media outlets have detailed the seemingly corrupt and unacceptable deal-making patterns of HFPA, raising questions whether the organization solely responsible for awarding the once-coveted Golden Globe Award is meeting its IRS section 501(C)(3) demands.”
Beatty and Lawrence added at the minimum the HFPA’s current leadership colluded to benefit themselves, violating IRS statute.
The group said Tuesday it was “extremely disappointed” to learn about the letter the Congressional Black Caucus members sent to the IRS. A spokesperson for the HFPA told Yahoo News they have not been contacted by the two Congresswomen but have reached out to their offices to discuss their concerns.
The HFPA has been under fire for a little more than a year due to several issues, including the group’s stunning lack of diversity.
Last year, an investigation by the LA Times found the group regularly issues substantial payments to its own members in ways that some experts believe violate IRS guidelines. Additionally, the investigation found the group has zero Black members.
In response, the HFPA pledged to adopt significant reforms, including hiring a chief of diversity officer and outreach to diverse groups such as the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
Despite the moves, a publicist boycott of the group is still ongoing, and NBC, which canceled this year’s Golden Globe Awards, has not indicated it will bring the award show back.
Project Heal: Travis Scott Announces $5 Million Community Initiatives
Artist and performer Travis Scott announced Project HEAL, a multi-tier, long-term series of community-focused philanthropy and investment efforts.
Kicking the effort off, $1 million in pledged scholarships for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will be available to give a leg up to students in need. With Scott’s support, the Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund will grant $10,000 scholarships to seniors who have reached academic excellence (averaging 3.5 or higher GPA) but who are facing the last-minute challenge of financial adversity in their second semester senior year – and risk not graduating. The scholarships will help bring 100 students over the finish line, diploma in hand. This is the second year that Scott has supported HBCUs and represents a tenfold increase.
Past recipients include students at Howard University, Morehouse College, Texas Southern University, Grambling State University and Prairie View A&M University – Scott’s grandfather’s alma mater where he also served as an educator. The scholarship is named after Waymon Webster to honor his lifetime of dedication to academic excellence. Applications are now open online.
“My grandfather was an educator who made a difference in thousands of young lives throughout his life. He is a major influence on me and countless others, whose dreams he believed in, whose hopes he invested in, and whose futures he made big. It’s in his spirit that we are creating projects and programs that will look to the future of our communities and create hope and excellence in as many lives as possible” Scott said.
Jordan Webster, project manager at the Cactus Jack Foundation’s HBCU Program, Howard University student and sister to Travis Scott, said, “I know personally how deeply important my grandfather’s academic legacy at HBCUs is to Travis and to my entire family – my twin brother Josh also attends an HBCU, at Prairie View A&M University. Travis creates hope and makes a real difference to 100 of our HBCU peers who will be able to graduate without going into crushing debt. As a third generation HBCU student, I cannot be prouder to partner with Travis on the second year of this exceptional initiative.”
“When I announced that I planned to attend Morehouse College, a lot of people told me I was making the wrong decision and that I’d be putting myself in too much debt. Thanks to the Cactus Jack Foundation’s support, I am one step closer to accomplishing my dreams of being not only the first in my family to attend an HBCU but the first to graduate with a four-year degree,” shared Nasire Branch, a recipient of the first annual Waymon Webster Scholarship and current Morehouse College student.
The second pillar of HEAL addresses the country’s skyrocketing mental health crisis – and focuses much-needed resources to support services for young people in lower-income communities of color, many of whom have few available, accessible, affordable mental health options.
With seven figures in pledges to fund digital counseling and telephone hotlines, Scott will provide free programs with licensed professional counselors and social workers. Houston-based behavioral health expert, Dr. Janice Beal, will lead the effort with Scott’s support. Beal is the programing director of “Well Being in Color,” a peer mental health education program for students of color in addition to her private practice. Most recently, Dr. Beal developed mental health pipelines for the Houston Independent School District durin the COVID-19 pandemic. She serves as a member of the Mayor of Houston’s task force for special needs and advises United States Congress members on youth mental health issues.
Dr. Janice Beal stated, “Mental health has traditionally been a taboo subject. As life begins to return to normal, many young people are still suffering and need help to re-adjust after serious disruptions to their experiences at home, in school and within their community. With Travis Scott’s help, HEAL’s programs will help empower young people to overcome mental health issues and become the best they can be.
The third pillar, in conjunction with Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation, is a seven-figure expansion of the CACT.US Youth Design Center at TXRX Labs in Houston, a nonprofit maker-space for young artists, designers, tech innovators, including free studio space, workspace, tool spaces, job and apprenticeship training, youth education and events. HEAL will fund a new comprehensive creative design education program for the Center – existing where fashion, art, technology, and music intersect – through a strategic online partnership with a historically black college or university.
The fourth and final pillar is to address safety challenges for large-scale live events through funding the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Event Safety and a tech-driven device currently in development. This solution is a culmination of stakeholder inputs from key experts from the tech sector, government, emergency response, event management, health and public safety experts.
This will be the first time all these stakeholders will work together to most effectively address the safety challenges faced by future large-scale events, which will culminate in a comprehensive report of recommendations. HEAL will work towards advocating that this report serves as the new safety and security blueprint for all festivals and large-scale events.
“Travis Scott’s generosity will directly help Black youth and families in need. From providing academic scholarships to critical mental resources and inspiring educational programs, Travis Scott is standing up for the Black community by providing the support needed to ensure that our God-given potential is recognized and realized, and soon. We need more leaders who are willing to step up in times of need like this, and I commend Travis and his team,” said Rev. Dr. Johnnie Greene, president of Mobilizing Preachers and Communities (“MPAC”) and senior pastor at the Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem, N.Y.
Rev. Dr. D.Z. Cofield, MPAC member and pastor of the Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Houston, said, “At a time when the Black community is still struggling to overcome the twin crises of the pandemic and racial injustice, and all their negative impacts on our physical, financial, mental and spiritual health, Travis is providing unmatched assistance with HEAL. I applaud him for doing what his community needs at such a critical time.”
LeBron James Invests In New Livestreaming Platform, Kittch, For Chefs And Creators To Connect
NBA star LeBron James, a known food lover, has just joined on as an investor of Kittch, a new live streaming platform for food-obsessed creators to connect and learn from star chefs all over the world, Page Six reports.
Last month, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported that the NBA champion expanded his foundation’s partnership with Tex-Mex-style food brand Old El Paso to open its first-ever fast-casual dining establishment in 2023— The Taco Shop by Old El Paso.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, Kittch’s co-founders birthed an idea to help chefs add important revenue outside the restaurant and in the digital space. Following a four-month beta run, the application was officially released on March 8.
Kittch positions itself as the Twitch and TikTok of the culinary world and promises free access to 24/7 live streams as James Beard Award-winning, Michelin Star, and up-and-coming chefs prepare meals from their homes or their restaurants. According to Fast Company, chefs can also opt to charge viewers for more extensive cooking classes and workshops, and users can directly tip them.
The star lineup slated to share their expertise includes Marcus Samuelsson, Amanda Freitag, and Amanda Schulman, as per Page Six.
“The goal is to be a diverse, democratic place whereas you build a following, you build the ability to monetize, and you’re able to really take advantage of the platform as a place of discovery, and a place of community,” Kittch CEO Brian Bedol told Fast Company.
“In two years, we would love to see 10,000 or 20,000 chefs on the platform. We don’t envision it as a place that is trying to be exclusive and exclusionary. We envision it sort of like Twitch, where you’re able to see who the most popular creators are.”
In honor of its release on International Women’s Day, every new registration will prompt Kittch to donate to a women’s hospitality initiative.
Deion Sanders Reveals Having Two Toes Amputated After Foot Surgery
Former NFL player and current college coach Deion Sanders is currently on an amazing run at Jackson State University, but he announced that he recently had two toes amputated.
According to USA Today, Coach Prime, in a recent interview on the Barstool Sports YouTube page, revealed that he recently had surgery on his injured foot. Doctors had to amputate two toes on his left foot during that procedure. The series details his experience as he stayed at a Mississippi hospital for three weeks.
The 54-year-old Jackson State University football coach had his big toe and the second toe on his left foot amputated, and he lost 35 pounds in the process of his hospital stay. Doctors informed him that he was diagnosed with three femoral arterial blood clots, which they determined were life-threatening.
Doctors informed him that the blood clots started at his calf and ran down the length of his leg. He developed compartment syndrome, which involves muscle pressure reaching levels that can restrict the flow of blood and oxygen in the leg.
When doctors gave him the diagnosis and told him he needed surgery, Sanders reached out to tell his mother. She informed him they had family members, herself included, who had been diagnosed or had died from blood clots.
Sanders had surgery in September for a dislocated toe and an inflamed nerve. He eventually returned to the university to coach while he stood on the sidelines with crutches and sometimes used a golf cart and a push scooter to move around. Sanders had to use a wheelchair to get around for the latter part of the football season.
“They were first talking about the amputation of toes, then the amputation of my leg from knee down, and then they were trying to ensure that I had life,” Sanders said.
“It’s been a long journey. I am on the road back. But I am here, and I am thankful.”
