Derek Chauvin Is Broke, Can’t Afford a Paid Lawyer To Appeal His Murder Case
Derek Chauvin, disgraced Minneapolis police officer, fired and convicted for the murder of George Floyd, can’t afford his lawyer defending him in his civil rights case.
In his first time in court Tuesday since his guilty verdict, it was determined that Chauvin is experiencing financial woes as a federal judge deemed him “financially unable” to hire a lawyer, Insider reported.
Magistrate Judge Becky Thorson appointed Eric Nelson, the same defense lawyer who represented and lost Chauvin’s murder trial, to the case.
Chauvin is charged with willfully violating Floyd’s constitutional rights. In May 2020, the former officer restrained Floyd, 46, facedown in a prone position on the pavement for more than nine minutes. He and three fellow officers arrested Floyd, who was accused of using a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a grocery store.
According to a document from the Department of Justice: “Chauvin held his left knee across George Floyd’s neck, and his right knee on Floyd’s back and arm as Mr. Floyd lay on the ground, handcuffed, and unremitting, and kept his knees on Mr. Floyd’s neck and body even after Mr. Floyd became unresponsive.”
Chauvin was also charged with allegedly using excessive force on a 14-year-old boy in 2017, Revolt TV reported. Chauvin had pressed his knee on the teen’s upper back and neck for more than 17 minutes while the boy was handcuffed in a prone position.
As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, Chauvin was convicted in April of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the deadly arrest of Floyd, a milestone in the fraught racial history of the United States and a rebuke of law enforcement’s treatment of Black Americans.
The Popular Obama Portraits are Going on Tour, Kicks Off in Chi-Town
The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery announced that The Obama Portraits Tour will travel to five cities across the U.S. from June 2021 through May 2022. Audio-visual elements, educational workshops, curatorial presentations, and select merchandise will be featured along with the official paintings of former President Barack Obama, and former first lady Michelle Obama.
“This special presentation will exchange the conversations surrounding the power of portraiture and its potential to engage communities,” The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery said.
Tour locations include:
The Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago—June 18, 2021–Aug. 15, 2021
Brooklyn Museum; Brooklyn, New York—Aug. 27, 2021–Oct. 24, 2021
Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Los Angeles—Nov. 7, 2021–Jan. 2, 2022
High Museum of Art; Atlanta—Jan. 14, 2022–March 13, 2022
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Houston—March 27, 2022–May 3
Photo credit- Twitter
“It was particularly exciting that Chicago was chosen to be the very first stop and it’s something that we really want to honor, because the Obamas and Chicago are inextricably linked,” The Art Institute of Chicago’s Director of Interpretation Emily Fry toldPeople. “This is the location that has shaped the arc of their professional lives, and it’s where they started their family. It’s a homecoming.”
Additionally, The Art Institute of Chicago added that Chicago is the Obama family’s longtime home.
“Chicago has a unique connection to the Obamas, as does the Art Institute. Michelle Obama recalls visiting frequently with her family when she was growing up on the South Side, and the museum was also the site of the couple’s first date,” The Art Institute of Chicago said online.
President Barack Obama chose artist Kehinde Wiley, who is from New York City, to paint his official portrait. Baltimore-based artist Amy Sherald was selected to paint Michelle Obama’s portrait. Back in 2018, both popular paintings drew strong reactions about how the artists interpreted the famous couple.
Sherald toldThe Baltimore Sun that she tells American stories through the paintings she creates.
“Once my paintings are complete, the models no longer live in the paintings as themselves. I see something bigger in them, something more symbolic, an archetype. I paint things I want to see. I paint as a way of looking for myself in the world,” Sherald said in the interview.
The tour was organized by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
Grand Slam Authorities Will Address Naomi Osaka’s Mental Health Concerns
The saga of the mental health of tennis champion Naomi Osaka will further the conversation of how the major tennis organizations will handle future ramifications of forcing the players to adhere to speaking to the press.
According to ESPN, after punishing Osaka for not talking to the media after her first and only match at the French Open and then threatening to disqualify her from future matches, the people who are in charge of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments have promised to address concerns surrounding the mental health of its players.
After being fined $15,000 for not attending her post-match news conference on Sunday after her victory against Patricia Maria Tig, the tennis champion has decided to take a break from the sport as she withdrew from the French Open.
In a joint statement from those in charge of the French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, and Australian Open stated, “On behalf of the Grand Slams, we wish to offer Naomi Osaka our support and assistance in any way possible as she takes time away from the court. She is an exceptional athlete and we look forward to her return as soon as she deems appropriate. Mental health is a very challenging issue, which deserves our utmost attention. It is both complex and personal, as what affects one individual does not necessarily affect another. We commend Naomi for sharing in her own words the pressures and anxieties she is feeling and we empathize with the unique pressures tennis players may face.”
Osaka took to social media earlier this week to announce her withdrawal from the tournament as she has decided to focus on her mental health.
“Hey everyone, this isn’t a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris. I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly.”
David Shands Wants You To Know Sleep is For Suckers, The Entrepreneur Helps Clients Transition From Their Day Job to Their Dream Job
David Shands is one of the hardest working people you will meet. The podcaster, author, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and one-on-one business coach has a simple motto: sleep is for suckers.
“The motto isn’t necessarily about sleeping, but watching tv, playing video games or spending all day on social media, we consider that sleep,” Shands told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “If you have the ability to accomplish something and you waste that talent, that god-given ability, we consider that sleep, you’re a sucker, so don’t ever get caught sleeping on yourself or your ability.”
Shands’ Youtube channel David Never Sleeps and his podcast Social Proof with co-host Donni Wiggins provides a world of insight and knowledge for entrepreneurs looking to expand their business and ideas. Social Proof is the #7 entrepreneurship `podcast in the country and #43 business podcasts among all podcasts.
“We introduce people who have social proof, who have built something and have a story to tell,” Shands said. “How did you accomplish the things that you’ve accomplished but another important part is the story behind the person. Because the how to is one thing but if you can get the story of somebody you realize the thing that many people used as an excuse, they used as a reason.”
Although Shands grew up in New Jersey, before moving to Georgia in high school, his story begins at a Cheesecake Factory Sands worked at for six year. Like many low-wage employees, Shands wasn’t happy working tables for tips but three years into the job, he received some sage advice from a co-worker that changed his entire experience the last three years he was there.
“Those last three were very interesting because a mentor of mine said ‘this job is going to pay you to be a better person, this job is going to pay you to be better at customer service.'”
It was at that moment Shands realized the Cheesecake Factory was his top investor, and was providing the training opportunity of a lifetime. He spent the next three sharpening his speaking and customer service skills, while at the same time preparing for the day he left.
The biggest project for Shands’ is his Morning Meetup. From 8am to 9am eastern Monday through Friday hosts a one hour meeting for people trying to break into the entrepreneur world, looking to network with other entrepreneurs or trying to take their business to the next level.
“Monday through Friday I jump on a call and I’m coaching entrepreneurship all across the country to between 350 and 500 people,” Shands said. “We have a theme for the month such as financial literacy and every call will support that theme for the month. We also have a book club every day we read a chapter and the next day we discuss it. So far this year we’ve read seven books.”
Shands said he’s driven by constantly staying in the middle and making sure he has the right people around him to keep him motivated to work harder and do more.
“What motivates me most is always staying stuck in the middle,” Shands said. “I always have a mentor and always have a mentee. My mentor is someone that’s further ahead and not just money, they’ve accomplished some things, they have some game that I wish I had but don’t have right now, but I also keep a mentee or clients that I need to be an example for, so I can get the information from my mentor and give it to my mentees and that’s what keeps me sharp.”
Even when Shands is having fun, business and entrepreneurship is on his mind. The former waiter said Monopoly is his favorite game and he can spend hours playing with his friends and family. The one piece of advice Shands has for those who are trying to do anything outside of a nine to five position, but who are still working a nine to five, is to bridge the gap between your reality and your dreams.
“It’s how to create a bridge between your day job and your day dream,” Shands said. “Like there’s a job you go to everyday, but there’s this dream you think about all day at work. So how do we take that reality of the job you have and transition it into a dream, so that dream becomes a reality? That’s the first step”
Venus Williams Takes Up for Naomi Osaka With a Few Choice Words
Naomi Osaka said that she has been suffering from long bouts of depression, since participating in the US Open back in 2018. Social anxiety surrounding speaking to the world’s media and self-care were mentioned on her Twitter feed. The tennis champion said that she needed to take a break to tend to her mental health.
Photo credit – @naomiosaka
Inside Editionreported that Venus Williams supports Naomi Osaka’s decision to leave the French Open. In another video, Serena Williams remarked that she wished she could give Osaka a hug.
“For me personally, how I cope, how I deal with it, was that I know every single person asking me a question can’t play as well as I can and never will. So, no matter what you say or what you write, you’ll never light a candle to me,” Williams also said, during a press conference at the French Open.
ET Canada showed the video of Williams’ calm response. Some athletes and individuals like Williams supported Osaka’s decision to walk away, while others remarked that engaging in postgame news conferences is a part of her job as a professional tennis player, even if public scrutiny makes her feel uncomfortable.
NBC Newssaid that the day after tennis officials threatened to suspend Osaka and fine her $15,000 over her decision not to do media interviews during the tournament to prioritize her mental health, Osaka opted to withdraw from the French Open and face the fine. She added that she hoped the fined amount would go to a mental health charity.
Twitter photo credit- @naomiosaka
“First and foremost, we are sorry and sad for Naomi Osaka. The outcome of Naomi withdrawing from Roland-Garros is unfortunate. We wish her the best and the quickest possible recovery, and we look forward to having Naomi at our Tournament next year,” Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation, said in a statement.
The plan comes less than a month after public health practitioners and researchers joined together with 10 Maryland-area salons and barbershops to create health and wellness hubs to fight the pandemic and dispel rumors and myths about the vaccine.
Stephen Thomas, the director for the Center of Health Equity, told USA Todaythe effort is a blessing.
“This big push to recognize the barbershops and beauty salons in Black and brown communities as assets to be mobilized is just a blessing,” Thomas said. “I could not be more excited and ecstatic.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced as of May 25 that 56% of people have received at least one dose of the vaccine. In that group, 62% of recipients are White Americans, 14% are Hispanic, 9% are Black, 6% are Asian, 1% are American Indian or Alaska Native.
Black Americans were the most likely to get sick and die from COVID-19 early in the pandemic due to decades of institutional racism in the health and food industries. Environmental factors such as where Black Americans’ live and the amount of pollution and lack of air quality in their neighborhoods also contributed.
In the announcement, Biden said this summer will be one of enjoying the weather and the outdoors. Getting vaccinated is a way to ensure Americans are being safe while enjoying eating and drinking outside, camping, hiking, beach-going, and participating in other activities.
“America is heading into the summer dramatically different from last year’s summer,” Biden said in a statement. “A summer of freedom, a summer of joy, a summer of get-togethers and celebrations, an all-American summer that this country deserves after a long, long. dark winter that we’ve all endured.”
La La Anthony and McDonald’s Help HBCU Students Obtain $500,000 in Scholarships
McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden Movement continues to enhance the education of Black students seeking higher education, recently partnering with Alani “La La” Anthony (Power) on its latest installment of the popular program.
The fast-food giant and actress, producer, and New York Times best-selling author are helping HBCU students secure money for college through its Black & Positively Golden Scholarship Program. The program is being distributed in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF).
“I am honored to work alongside McDonald’s in our shared mission to help HBCU students receive the necessary funds to help achieve their dreams of going to college,” said La La in a written statement. “It’s so important to encourage our youth to dream big and, above all, believe in themselves. I look forward to watching these future leaders of our world and communities shine, achieve their goals, and reach their highest potential.”
Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements (FAFSA not required):
1. Be enrolled full-time as a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior attending an HBCU during the 2021-2022 academic school year.
2. Have a current cumulative grade point average of 2.7 or higher.
3. Demonstrate leadership abilities and financial need.
4. Be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident with a valid permanent resident card or passport stamped I-551.
You can head over to www.tmcf.org to apply by June 7 at 11:59 pm EST.
“As a person who went to an HBCU, I know the importance of education. I know the importance of HBCUs, where we can go to a college and experience things that are all for us, that represent who we are, and are representative of our culture. It’s so important,” Anthony told Blavity.
Anthony attended the famed HBCU Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she had hands-on experience working at the on-campus radio and television stations.
“I’m forever grateful for that and just wish that more people can have that same opportunity to experience what college does for you and how it changes you and prepares you for the real world,” she said.
The First Black Woman-owned Art Gallery Opens in New York’s Chelsea Neighborhood
As the world begins to slowly reopen for business and pleasure, an art dealer and curator opened an art gallery in New York. According to its website, the Nicola Vassell Gallery is committed to discourse that widens the lens of the history and future of art. The New York Times reported that Vassell opened her own exhibition space on Tenth Avenue in the heart of Chelsea. The rare contemporary art gallery represents a bold business move, especially in light of doom-filled predictions about the future of brick-and-mortar galleries and pandemic-enforced efforts to build online sales, according to The New York Times.
“While there is proof of robust life in the digital sphere, artists still want to show,” Vassell told The New York Times. “They want their work to hang on walls, they want response.”
Instagram credit- @nicolavassellgallery
According to The New York Times, Vassel previously held directorial posts at Pace and Deitch galleries and is optimistic about her eponymous gallery’s prospects despite its unicorn status as a Black woman-owned gallery.
Vassell’s website also said that she has organized sexhibitions, including, Dreamweavers, Edge of Chaos, Black Eye, Substraction and No Commission: London, Berlin, Bronx, Shanghai and Miami. Additionally, she is a visiting lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. It also stated that in 2015 Vassell was appointed curatorial director of The Dean Collection and No Commission, the contemporary family art collection and cultural platform developed by Kasseem “Swizz Beatz ” Dean and Alicia Keys.
Artnetstated that Vassell has been a leader in New York’s art world for over a decade. Shows with artists such as Alvaro Barrington, Fred Eversley, Frida Orupabo, and Wangari Mathenge are in the works, according to Artnet. However, a show of work by Ming Smith, who is the first female African American photographer to have work in the collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, will inaugurate the space.
“Ming epitomizes so much of the arc of all our stories—as a woman, as a black woman, as a creative person, as a human being,” Vassell told Artnet. “I felt the way that she has told the story of life over a five-decade career would almost have a sense of summarizing the life plot at the inception of the new gallery.”
Joe Collins Ordered to Pay Maxine Waters’ Legal Fees After Losing Lawsuit
Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters scored a legal victory one year after being sued by Republican Joe Collins. Not only did he lose the 2020 election to Waters, but now he has to pay up for wasting her time and money.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yolanda Orozco dismissed Collin’s libel and slander suit last month and ordered him to pay more than $53,000 in Waters’ attorneys’ fees, The Grio reports. The ruling came after Collin’s sued his political opponent during the 2020 election and accused her of releasing campaign materials and radio commercials falsely stating that the Navy veteran was dishonorably discharged, as noted by the Daily Breeze.
But on April 5, Judge Orozco found no evidence that Waters acted with malice against Collins. Waters responded by demanding more than $50,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs from the foe she defeated in the election.
“In the simplest of terms, Joe Collins has, once again, done what he does best — lose,” Waters said in a statement released on Tuesday. “After filing a baseless and frivolous lawsuit against me that went nowhere, it became even more clear that Joe Collins is not in this for the people of the 43rd Congressional District, but is instead in it for one person, and that person is himself.”
She continued.
“It has come to my attention that Joe Collins, the loser and serial lawsuit filer, has filed yet another lawsuit — this time naming myself, Los Angeles County and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan as defendants and challenging the election results,” Waters said. “Doesn’t that sound like something we have heard before? Joe Collins is nothing more than a serial filer of lawsuits looking to attract media attention at any cost — in this case, that cost is $53,589.”
The California state rep, who has been in office since 1991, further blasted Collins for questioning the city of LA’s loyalty to the longtime politician.
“The fact is that the community is on my side because they know me and they understand that I am fighting for their best interest every single day,” Waters wrote. “The court is also on my side because the law is the law and I am on the right side of it.”
Nonprofit Promotes ‘Buy From a Black Woman’ Tour With H&M Sponsorship
Nikki Porcher — who is based in Atlanta — remains on a mission to uplift and promote Black women entrepreneurs through a nonprofit she founded called Buy From A Black Woman. A business directory she developed is regarded as a trusted one-stop-shop resource for people looking to patronize over 500 Black women-owned businesses. Porcher even landed a yearlong partnership with H&M USA to promote Black women-owned businesses. For example, Black women will have an opportunity to sell their products through pop-ups in H&M USA stores this summer, as a part of a 15-city tour. Additionally, Porcher’s nonprofit received a Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women initiative grant.
Photo courtesy of Buy From A Black Woman
Porcher told BLACK ENTERPRISE that her nonprofit idea was sparked in 2016, after attending an event where local goods were sold. Representation was lacking. She was the only Black woman in attendance.
“There was one woman there and she had sold out of some Chapstick, and she was selling it for $20,” Porcher said. “So I wanted to…figure out how can I bring awareness to Black women business owners, so people can buy from them as well.”
Photo courtesy of Buy From A Black Woman
After blogging about Black women-owned businesses, and readers sharing her findings on social media, Porcher began promoting lesser-known small businesses full-time, and even hitting the road to do it. The advocate works to ensure that Black women have tools and resources needed to succeed. The whole month of July, Porcher will travel to U.S. cities through H&M USA’s national sponsorship.
“To start, H&M USA introduced Buy From a Black Woman to its 16 million members during its annual Member Days activation with a portion of the sales being donated to the nonprofit,” the press release said. “Beginning in summer, H&M USA will sponsor their Black Women Inspire Tour, leveraging H&M USA’s channels to highlight their Black women businesses across the country. Moving into fall, H&M USA will continue its focus on sustainability in business by sponsoring the nonprofit’s Black Woman Business Accelerator Program.”
Porcher told BLACK ENTERPRISE that Buy From A Black Woman marketplaces will be set up inside of H&M USA’s stores. Customers can meet business owners who are from the tour city stops. Diverse items will be sold at the pop-ups by business owners who are featured in the Buy From a Black Woman directory.
Goldman Sachs — a leading global financial institution — also joined forces with Porcher. In May, the company announced the first round of capital investments and philanthropic grants for the One Million Black Women initiative. A press release stated that Porcher’s nonprofit will receive a grant which is inclusive of technical assistance and grant funding to small Black women-owned businesses.
“This is what I do for a living. I advocate for Black women business owners,” Porcher told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “ I wake up every day and I get to do this work. It’s just such an honor to be chosen to be the person who can help in this.”
