White Wisconsin Attorney Arrested Twice for Spitting on Black Protester and Later Assaulting Police Officer
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 10, 2020

White Wisconsin Attorney Arrested Twice for Spitting on Black Protester and Later Assaulting Police Officer

A 64-year-old white, Shorewood, Wisconsin, attorney, was arrested twice over the weekend for spitting and pushing protesters as well as kneeing an officer in the groin, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Stephanie Rapkin was arrested Saturday for spitting on a 17-year-old black teenage protester and then was arrested again on Sunday after being accused of shoving a 21-year-old college student. The student was writing protest messages in chalk on the sidewalk in front of her home.

Shorewood police officials said Rapkin resisted arrest and kneed a police officer in the groin when they came to arrest her on Sunday on battery and disorderly conduct charges. Rapkin was kept overnight and booked into the Milwaukee County Jail on Sunday. Her bail was set at $950.

Shorewood police stated that on Saturday, Rapkin was initially taken into police custody at 10:12 p.m. after spitting on a black teenager during a confrontation that took place earlier that day in the 4000 block of N. Oakland Avenue.

Caress Gonzalez Ramirez posted a video of the Saturday incident on her Facebook page.

“Racism DOES EXIST!!!

This woman put her car to BLOCK our protest then SPIT on this young BLACK MAN!!! One of the speakers at that.

SHARE so her employer and friends and family can see her TRUE COLOR

But BLACKS and BROWN cause “Violent Protest” this woman showed up to a VERY PEACEFUL Protest

#MKEPROTEST”

Debra Brehmer posted a video of the confrontation Rapkin had with her son, a senior at Ithaca College in New York, on Sunday on her Facebook page.

“This is the video of Stephanie Rapkin hitting my son, Joe Friedman. She was arrested, again. He was in front of her house making a chalk sign on sidewalk. She is not the least bit remorseful for spitting on a 17 year old kid at the protest.”

According to a press release from Shorewood police Sunday night: “The victim in today’s incident reported he was peacefully protesting on the sidewalk in front of suspect’s home, when the suspect came out and engaged in a verbal altercation with the protesters. The victim reported the suspect then slapped both of her hands on the victim’s chest and physically pushed him.”

Upon being informed that she was under arrest for battery and disorderly conduct, she resisted arrest and during the struggle, police said, Rapkin struck one of the officers in the groin.

Shorewood Police are now seeking charges of battery, disorderly conduct, battery to a law enforcement officer, and resisting/obstructing an officer.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 10, 2020

Bubba Wallace is Calling for NASCAR to Remove Confederate Flags From Tracks

The confederate flag is still visible at NASCAR races and the sports first full-time black driver on NASCAR’s top circuit in more than 45 years, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, is on a mission to get rid of them, according to ESPN.

Earlier this week, Wallace told CNN’s Don Lemon that all Confederate flags should be removed from NASCAR race tracks.

“No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. It starts with Confederate flags,” Wallace said. “Get them out of here. They have no place for them.”

Wallace, who drives for Richard Petty Motorsports, already realizes that his stance won’t resonate with some fans of the sport.

“There’s going to be a lot of angry people that carry those flags proudly, but it’s time for change,” he said. “We have to change that, and I encourage NASCAR—we will have those conversations to remove those flags.”

Wallace also told race car legend, Dale Earnhardt Jr., earlier this week on his podcast, that he has been speaking to other drivers trying to encourage them to speak out on the hot topic discussion, racial injustice.

“I said a few drivers—a very few—have given their opinion on the day’s matter and I appreciate that. But the silence from the top drivers in our sport is beyond frustrating. All of our drivers—our sport has always had somewhat of a racist label to it. NASCAR, everybody thinks redneck, Confederate flag, racists. And I hate it. I hate that because I know NASCAR is so much more. I said, ‘do you all not care about what’s going on in the world? That’s not the right way to go about it.’ Our voices carry so much more weight than Joe Schmo from down the street. I mentioned we’ve got to do better, we’ve got to step up for everybody to say what they feel.

“At the end of the day, this is way more important than any race win, any championship that you’d ever accomplish. This is something that can change on a global impact. So imagine that. I wouldn’t want to be the guy who went out and won a championship in a horrible year but never made a comment on the issues that we are dealing with within our society. And maybe being the only guy. I wouldn’t want to carry that burden.”

Wallace plans on racing a car with a Black Lives Matter paint scheme for his next race.

“I think by running this branding on our car, putting the hashtag out there, bringing more awareness to it, it lines up with the videos that we had put out as NASCAR,” Wallace, the first full-time African American driver in the Cup Series since 1971, said. “Listening and learning. Educating ourselves. So people will look up what this hashtag means. And hopefully, get a better understanding.”

Adidas and Reebok Commit to Hiring Black and Latinx People for 30% of New US Jobs
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 10, 2020

Adidas and Reebok Commit to Hiring Black and Latinx People for 30% of New US Jobs

Adidas announced an initiative that will increase the number of black and Latinx employees to a minimum of 30% of all new positions at both adidas and Reebok.

“The events of the past two weeks have caused all of us to reflect on what we can do to confront the cultural and systemic forces that sustain racism. We have had to look inward to ourselves as individuals and our organization and reflect on systems that disadvantage and silence black individuals and communities,” said adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted in a written statement. “While we have talked about the importance of inclusion, we must do more to create an environment in which all of our employees feel safe, heard, and have equal opportunity to advance their careers. As adidas, we will create a lasting change and we will do it now.”

The company has also stated:

We will invest $20 million in our Black communities. We will increase the funding for our programs that support, empower and elevate the Black community to $20 million dollars over the next four years in the US. Initiatives we’ll invest in include: adidas Legacy, a grassroots basketball platform built for underserved communities; the adidas School for Experiential Education in Design that creates career paths in footwear design; Honoring Black Excellence, an initiative honoring and supporting the Black community through sport.

We will invest in university scholarships for Black employees. Over the next five years, we will finance 50 scholarships each year for Black students at partner schools.

We will increase the number of Black employees. A minimum of 30% of all new positions in the US at adidas and Reebok will be filled with Black and Latinx people. We will also be announcing a target aimed at increasing representation of Black and Latinx people within our workforce in North America.

Over the last two weeks, our leaders in North America Zion Armstrong and Matt O’Toole have worked in close partnership with our Black employees at adidas and Reebok to identify the actions we will take. They will provide more details and share additional actions at town hall meetings tomorrow in Portland and Boston. They have our full support.

Black Lives Matter

We recognize the immense contribution of the Black community to our success and that of others. We promise to improve our company culture to ensure equity, diversity and opportunity. We understand that the fight against racism is one that must be fought continually and actively. We must and will do better.

The Guggenheim’s First Black Curator Calls Out the Museum for Mistreatment
by Dana Givens

June 10, 2020

The Guggenheim’s First Black Curator Calls Out the Museum for Mistreatment

The recent protests calling for an end for racial injustice due to the recent deaths of black civilians at the hands of law enforcement officials have influenced many to speak out about the racial discrimination and misconduct they have experienced within their industry.

In 2019, Chaédria LaBouvier became the first black curator and the first black woman to curate an exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City with her show, “Basquiat’s ‘Defacement’: The Untold Story,” explores the iconic artist’s aesthetic engagement with the hostility of law enforcement. At the time, the museum had come under heavy criticism about the lack of visibility given black artists.

As part of the #BlackoutTuesday initiative to stand in solidarity with the protesters, the museum issued a statement of support. Chaédria fired back at the tweet, citing the fact that she is the first black curator in the museum’s 80-year history.

She went on to talk about her relationship with the art institution in tweets calling out its racist behavior during her time there. “This is the same museum that made up an IMAGINARY designation of ‘first solo Black curator’ b/c they were too afraid to admit that they had not hired a Black curator to lead a show in 80 years and erased me and history in the process,” she tweeted. “They are full of s–t.”

 

28-Year-Old Black Man Fatally Shot By NJ Trooper During Routine Traffic Stop
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 10, 2020

28-Year-Old Black Man Fatally Shot By NJ Trooper During Routine Traffic Stop

Maurice Gordon, who lived in Poughkeepsie, NY, was shot and killed by a white police officer on the side of the Garden State Parkway during a routine traffic stop late last month, according to NJ.com.

According to the Gordon’s family’s attorney, William O. Wagstaff III, Gordon was pulled over for speeding by Sgt. Randall Wetzel of Troop “D” of the New Jersey State Police. On the morning of May 23, the officer asked the 28-year-old chemistry student to move his car to another spot on the roadway but Gordon’s car would not restart. After Wetzel reportedly called a tow company, the trooper invited Gordon to wait inside his police car.

While in the police vehicle, Gordon unbuckled his seat belt and was asked by the trooper to remain buckled, Wagstaff said. After waiting inside the police car for 30 minutes, Gordon attempted to exit the vehicle. An altercation took place and Wetzel roughed up Gordon and ended up fatally shooting him.

“I’m not going to hear his voice anymore,” his mother, Racquel Barrett, told NJ.om. Barrett and her daughter, who both live in England, have been staying in a hotel in Poughkeepsie since Gordon’s death.

“It really hurts. I don’t know if I’m ever going to get over this. And I’m really, really angry and upset with the police here,” she said. “I don’t know how the law works here, but it feels like I’m fighting through a no man’s land. I’m just sitting here in a hotel room, crying.”

A press release from the state’s attorney general’s office stated:

“The shooting remains under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office. However, the audio and video recordings are being released pursuant to Attorney General Directive 2019-4, the ‘Independent Prosecutor Directive’ which governs use-of-force investigations in New Jersey and requires that such records, if requested, be released to the public once the initial phase of the investigation is substantially complete, generally within 20 days.

“The recordings depict five episodes involving Mr. Gordon over an approximately 30-hour period: a 911 call placed by one of Mr. Gordon’s friends on the morning of May 22, 2020, followed by interactions between Mr. Gordon and law enforcement officers in Brick, Waretown, Stafford, and Bass River, New Jersey, on the morning of May 23, 2020.”

by Derek Major

June 10, 2020

Kentucky’s Youngest Black State Lawmaker is Making a Run to Unseat the Most Powerful Republican Senator in Congress

Charles Booker, Kentucky’s youngest black state lawmaker, is making a big push to beat retired Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath in the state’s Democratic Senate primary race.

According to the Huffington Post, Booker has been active at protests in Louisville in support of Breonna Taylor. His campaign also debuted his first TV advertisement on television in the Kentucky area.

Booker, a progressive, supports the Green New Deal, “Medicare for All,” and universal basic income. Booker has been struggling to pull in cash for months. However, the Black Lives Matter protests and focus on African American issues in the U.S. has gained Booker much-needed attention.

“A couple weeks ago [Booker] couldn’t afford an ad buy. A couple weeks ago he couldn’t afford a poll,” Matt Erwin, a Kentucky Democratic strategist told the Huffington Post. “But the last couple weeks have changed everything.”

Until recently, Booker has been fighting an uphill battle against McGrath, who Democratic leaders have endorsed to take on Mitch McConnell. McGrath’s profile as a veteran and former pilot has helped her raised more money than McConnell this year.

However, McGrath has pushed herself as more of a central candidate to the chagrin of some voters and has even been labeled as pro-Trump. Additionally, McGrath told a Kentucky newspaper in July 2019 that she would have supported the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh before changing her decision a day later.

Booker has jumped on those missteps, saying McGrath cannot be trusted. Booker has also received some major endorsements in the last few weeks. Three members of the state Democratic Party’s legislative leadership as well as popular Kentucky sports radio host Matt Jones have endorsed Booker.

It’s unclear whether Booker’s momentum will extend to the ballot box. There are currently 10 candidates fighting for the Democratic nomination and there’s been no public polling for the Democratic primary. National and state political observers all see an impossible contest to predict, saying the coronavirus pandemic has only made it harder.

“He’s got to raise his name ID to win,” Jessica Taylor, with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, told The Huffington Post. “The primary could be engaging late because other things have been on voters’ minds with COVID and what happened in Louisville.”

Ava DuVernay Launches Initiative To Hold Police Officers Accountable For Racial Violence
by Dana Givens

June 10, 2020

Ava DuVernay Launches Initiative To Hold Police Officers Accountable For Racial Violence

Protesters have taken to the streets around the world, calling for justice over the murders of unarmed black people at the hands of police officers. Meanwhile, many celebrities have been using their platforms to amplify the voices of the victims’ families and work on different efforts toward police reform.

Golden Globe-nominated director Ava DuVernay (Selma) is the latest star to step forward with a new initiative aimed to hold police officers accountable for their actions.

Through her media company, Array, DuVernay will launch the Law Enforcement Accountability Project, or LEAP, a fund to commission projects around police violence across multiple platforms including films, theater, music, and literature. DuVernay made the announcement Monday on  The Ellen DeGeneres Show

“I’ve been thinking a lot about my own rage. My own emotions,” she said to DeGeneres. “When I look at George Floyd’s tape, I see my uncles. Not just in a general sense, but he looks like people in my family, like literally the facial features. Every time that that video plays on CNN or anything else, I see people that I love on the ground begging for their life…We’re asking for narrative change and we’re creating narrative change around police abuse, misconduct and murder of black people. We’re changing the lens of the story.”

In addition to Selma, DuVernay directed the acclaimed documentary, The 13, which explores the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom. The Oscar-nominated film is now free to watch on Netflix.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 10, 2020

NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell Responds to President Trump’s Tweet: ‘You Are Divisive and a Coward’

Retired basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell has responded to President Donald Trump’s social media post over the weekend by stating directly to the president, ‘You Are Divisive and a Coward,’ according to The Hill.

Trump has once again taken the stance that people kneeling during the national anthem are disrespecting the flag even though they are protesting racial injustice and police brutality toward black people.

Late last week, Trump took to Twitter to state, “…We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag – NO KNEELING!”

Russell, who became the first black man to become an NBA coach, had this to say to the president.

“#Trump you projected your narrative that #TakingAKnee is disrespectful & #UnAmerican it was never about that! You are divisive & a coward. It takes true courage 2 stand 4 what is right & risk your life in the midst of a #pandemic #Proud2kneel #BlackLivesMatter

”

Russell is wearing the Presidential Medal Freedom given to him by former President Obama back in 2010. Obama had stated at the time that Russell is “an impassioned advocate of human rights” who “marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and has been a consistent advocate of equality.”

Russell has won the NBA championship 11 times in 13 years while playing for the Boston Celtics. He was a five-time MVP (Most Valuable Player) and 12-time NBA All-Star. He also coached the Celtics, Seattle Supersonics, and the Sacramento Kings.

 

White Landlord Evicts Black Business Owner In Iowa For Joining Protesters
by Dana Givens

June 10, 2020

White Landlord Evicts Black Business Owner In Iowa For Joining Protesters

For the past week, social media has been flooded with images of protesters marching in the streets in protest across the country and around the world. Even though many have come out in support of these people who are calling for an end to racial violence and police brutality, others have been experiencing push back from locals in their communities on the opposing end.

In a report by TMZ, a Des Moines business owner named Jeremiah Johnson shared a video on his social media platforms of his white landlord coming to his fashion retail store, Stylent Brands where he also rents out office space, to say his lease had been terminated because he saw a video with business partners of Johnson attending a peaceful protest under the assumption that he was there looting.

In the clip, Johnson tries to get a reason for why he was being evicted to which the landlord responded that it had to do with Johnson being around “illegal activity.” TMZ also reported that Johnson says the landlord sent his attorney an email, allegedly saying they were out there protesting for rights “they hadn’t yet earned or deserved.”
Johnson spoke out on his Twitter that he plans to take the landlord to court.

Over A Million People Are Calling for the Investigation Into Kendrick Johnson’s Death to be Reopened
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 10, 2020

Over A Million People Are Calling for the Investigation Into Kendrick Johnson’s Death to be Reopened

The massive protests taking place worldwide in wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis have led to a petition calling for an investigation into the death of Kendrick Johnson to be reopened, according to The Grio.

Johnson, who was a 17-year-old high school sophomore, was found rolled up in a gym mat at Lowndes High School gymnasium on Jan. 11, 2013. State and local officials ruled that Johnson suffocated after purportedly reaching for a pair of sneakers inside the mat and getting stuck.


The petition, titled Reopen Kendrick Johnson’s Case #J4Kendrick, has garnered more than 1.2 million signatures. It states that Johnson’s popularity made him a target of envy among his peers and that the son of a retired FBI agent admitted to killing Johnson over a girl that they both liked.

“Johnson was an honor roll student and well-known athletic all around the school, which had caused him to gain a lot of attention, especially from females. However, one day Kendrick Johnson’s popularity began to make people jealous, which was when he had got into an argument with Brian Bell, who was a student at Valdosta High School along with KJ. Both Kendrick Johnson and Brian Bell constantly argued with each other over Brian Bell found out that his girlfriend, who was Taylor Eakin, was having a sexual affair with Kendrick Johnson. There were two confession statements floating around, which made national news,” reads the petition.

It continues: “Both Brian Bell and Ryan Hall, who is Brian Bell’s friend, had met Kendrick Johnson in the gym and then Brian Bell killed Kendrick Johnson. Brian Bell has also stated that he killed Kendrick Johnson multiple times over the phone. Brandon Bell, who is both a student at Valdosta High School and the brother of Brian Bell, had got drunk at a party on July 4 of 2013 and told people that Brian Bell killed Kendrick Johnson. The second statement was about Ryan Anthony Domek-Hernandez, who is a friend of Branden Bell, side of the story, which said that when he went to Branden Bell’s apartment in Florida, Branden Bell had told him that Brian Bell killed Kendrick Johnson by striking his neck with a 45 pound weight/dumbbell after they began arguing over Taylon Eakin.”

The attorney representing the family of Floyd, Benjamin Crump, brought attention to the petition.

“What happened to #KendrickJohnson in 2012 is HORRIFIC, yet his killer was never held accountable. Please sign this petition & spread the word that federal authorities need to reopen this case, so Kendrick & his family can get the justice they deserve!”

Kim Kardashian West was also supportive of the petition and asked her 65.5 million Twitter followers to sign the petition.

 

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