• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 5, 2020

Black Tacoma Man Died From Lack Of Oxygen, While Restrained In Police Custody, Mayor Calls for Firing of Cops Involved

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The mayor of Tacoma, Washington, is calling for the firing of the police officers involved in the killing of Manuel Ellis, in another case of police killing an unarmed black man who cried out, “I can’t breathe,” according to CNN.

“In the face of longstanding racism and recent national events, we are devastated to have the death of Manuel Ellis become a part of this national conversation,” Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards said at a news conference.

Woodards has called for the firing of the police officers who were involved in the death of Ellis. He was a 33-year-old black man who died on March 3 while in handcuffs and restrained on the ground by police.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office has determined that Ellis died of respiratory arrest due to hypoxia due to physical restraint, The News Tribune reported. The office said that contributing factors included methamphetamine intoxication and dilated cardiomyopathy, commonly known as an enlarged heart. The medical examiner ruled Ellis’ death a homicide.

“I am demanding tonight that the Pierce County Sheriff review and confirm every action taken by each officer. I demand that the sheriff provide details of the actions of each officer on the scene and I am directing the city manager to fire each officer involved,” Woodards said at a news conference late Thursday night, adding: “The officer who committed this crime should be fired and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Police Chief Don Ramsdell issued a statement Thursday expressing his “sincere condolences” to Ellis’ friends and family.

“I would also like to recognize the compassion and empathy our community has shown during this difficult time. We hear your anger, frustrations, and hopes. I want you to know we continue to be committed to engaging with you on topics of safety, community policing, and race so that all people feel safe in Tacoma,” Ramsdell said.

“The harshest of realities is George Floyd is right here in Tacoma, and his name is Manny,” attorney James Bible, who is representing Ellis’ family, said about the man’s death.

• News

by Derek Major

June 5, 2020

Black Lives Matter, ACLU Sue Trump for Tear Gassing Protesters

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The American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of Black Lives Matter, filed a lawsuit Thursday against President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr.

According to Forbes, the lawsuit claims the White House infringed on the First Amendment right to peaceful assembly of a group of protesters in Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Square. Police used rubber bullets and tear gas to clear space so Trump could take a photo outside of St. John’s Episcopal Church unimpeded.

The lawsuit adds the protesters were being peaceful when police “attacked” them without warning. The action drew criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. On Thursday, Barr said protesters were asked three times to move. Barr also admitted he personally ordered police officers to extended their perimeter but denied he did so for Trump’s now-infamous “Bible photo.”

“I did not know that he was going to do that until later in the day after our plans were well underway to move the perimeter,” Barr told reporters.

“What happened to our members Monday evening, here in the nation’s capital, was an affront to all our rights,” April Goggans, core organizer of Black Lives Matter D.C. and the lead plaintiff in the case, told Forbes. “The death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers has reignited the rage, pain, and deep sadness our community has suffered for generations. We won’t be silenced by tear gas and rubber bullets. Now is our time to be heard.”

Former high-ranking military officials, including former Defense Secretary James Mattis and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, both condemned the move. Mattis went a step further calling Trump “a threat to the Constitution.”

The protests, which are still happening in more than 50 cities nationwide, are in response to the killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Floyd.

• Arts and Culture

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 5, 2020

Kanye West Donates $2 Million to the Families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor

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On the same day it was announced that Kanye West is the world’s highest paid musician, the entertainer used some of those funds to donate $2 million to the families of recent police killing victims George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery according to CNN.

West, who is no stranger to speaking out on issues affecting black people, has also set up a college fund to cover tuition for Floyd’s daughter, Gianna. Reps for West said that he had established a 529 education plan that will fully cover the college tuition costs for the 6-year-old.

West has also made a $2 million donation to establish a fund that will help assist black-owned businesses that have been suffering in his Chicago hometown and elsewhere.

Attorney Lonita Baker, one of the lawyers representing Taylor’s family, said that West offered to pay the litigation costs to pursue the civil case.

“Typically, the costs would be deducted from any recovery that the family may receive at the conclusion of the case,” Baker told USA Today. “Kanye wanted to ensure that the family would not have to bear the brunt of those costs.”

Taylor, an EMT worker,  was killed by police officers who stormed into her home on March 13 in Louisville, KY. The police officers reportedly shot at her multiple times while in the process of executing a search warrant by crashing into her apartment with a battering ram. She was shot at least eight times by Louisville police officers who were looking for a man who did not live in her apartment complex.

Floyd, who was already in handcuffs and fully contained by police officers, died in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. He was filmed pleading for air, after yelling out that he couldn’t breathe, as a white police officer ignored Floyd’s please and knelt on his neck. The officer kept the knee there for more than eight minutes.

In Georgia, Arbery died after being pursued by a white father and his son as he went jogging through the duo’s neighborhood in Brunswick on Feb. 23.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 5, 2020

Michigan Woman Charged With Inciting Riots After Broadcasting on Facebook Live

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A Michigan woman has been placed under arrest after she showcased herself destroying property and encouraging other people to riot while streaming on Facebook Live, according to MLive.

The woman, 22-year-old Alexandria “Ally” Lyons, 22, of Grand Rapids, livestreamed herself on social media, and authorities say the footage will help them prove their case.

Lyons was arraigned on Tuesday, June 2, in Grand Rapids District Court on charges of inciting a riot, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison if convicted. She was also charged with malicious destruction of property, which is a 5-year felony.

The Facebook Live post was taken down.

She was taken to police headquarters for questioning after police received multiple tips that she was involved from people who saw her on social media. Lyons refused to talk to investigators and requested an attorney.

But while she was at the police station, investigators received a text of a video that allegedly shows her kicking a window out. 

Police said Lyons was with a large group when she posted a Facebook Live video.

“She is heard multiple times encouraging her friends and others to throw bricks or other objects at windows of multiple businesses downtown and at one point picks up a brick herself and mentions heading ‘back to the courthouse,’” the arrest affidavit says.

It also states that she and her friends allegedly encouraged others who were trying to break into an automated teller machine (ATM) and allegedly helped themselves to jewelry in a smashed display case on the sidewalk.

“Defendant could be heard telling her friends to get her a gold bracelet because she already has silver ones,” police said in the affidavit.

She and her friends were also suspected of taking beers from Mojo’s Dueling Piano Bar and Restaurant after she encouraged others to break windows,” police said.

Allegedly, Lyons later posted a video of a party that took place at her house after the riots. Clothing that was stolen from F. David Barney Clothiers, located at 125 Ottawa Ave. NW was seen in the video, police said.

Police also found a shirt from the store when they went to Lyons’ home.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 5, 2020

A Black Nashville Man, Afraid to Walk in His Gentrified Neighborhood, Got 75 Neighbors to Walk With Him

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A black Nashville man, who has lived in his neighborhood his entire life, got 75 people from his community to walk with him as he had become afraid to walk in his gentrified neighborhood, according to MSN.

Shawn Dromgoole, 29, has watched the complexion of his neighborhood change drastically over the years. His family has lived there for more than 54 years. But he said that since childhood, he has always felt uneasy in his hometown; he was sharply aware that very few people looked like him.

Dromgoole would watch from his window as his neighborhood gradually gentrified right before his eyes. While black families were moving out, white families took their place. As each year passed, he started to feel more unwelcome in the neighborhood he called home.

“Growing up in my neighborhood, I could always feel the eyes, the looks, and the cars slowing down as they passed by me,” Dromgoole, who was recently furloughed from his job at Nordstrom as a logistics processor, told The Washington Post. 

After reports of the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, the latter which has spurred protests nationwide, Dromgoole knew that he too could become a victim. He posted about his real fear on his Facebook page.

He then posted an ad online on Nextdoor, asking for others in his neighborhood to take a walk with him and he was flabbergasted with the number of people who agreed to take a walk with him.

On the day of the walk, he livestreamed the walk showing that his neighbors came out to join him.

Dromgoole thanked his neighbors for coming out to quell his fears.

“You haven’t just impacted me, you have also impacted others who look like me, talk like me, and feel like me,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “You’ve impacted the world!”

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 5, 2020

George Floyd’s 6-year-old Daughter Says Her ‘Daddy Changed the World’

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In a world of so much grief, George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter found time to make a statement while smiling and remarked that her “Daddy changed the world” according to Today.

Former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was friends with police killing victim, George Floyd, shared an Instagram post of Floyd’s daughter resting atop his shoulders. As Gianna Floyd smiles, she is shown raising her arms and saying, “Daddy changed the world.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

“My Daddy Changed The World!!!” When You Remember #GeorgeFloyd Make Sure You Remember This Beautiful Soul That He Left Behind 💔😔😥 #BLM #Blacklivesmatter 🎥Captured by @skrptz

A post shared by Skrptz (@skrptz) on Jun 2, 2020 at 5:30pm PDT

The video clip looks like it may have been taken either before or after a press conference earlier this week at Minneapolis’ City Hall, where Gianna’s mother, Roxie Washington, pleaded for justice for Gianna’s father.

“I wanted everybody to know that this is what those officers took from me,” Washington said with her daughter Gianna alongside her. “At the end of the day, they get to go home and be with their families. Gianna does not have a father.

“He will never see her grow up, graduate, he will never walk her down the aisle,” she continued. “If there’s a problem she’s having and she needs her dad, she does not have that anymore.

“I’m here for my baby and I’m here for George because I want justice for him. I want justice for him because he was good. No matter what anybody thinks, he was good,” she said, later adding that Floyd was a good father. “He loved her, he loved her so much.”

Jackson told Washington that he intends to be there for her and Gianna.

• News

by Derek Major

June 5, 2020

Goldman Sachs Establishes Fund for Racial Equity

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Goldman Sachs, a multinational investment bank and financial services company, announced it has created a fund to assist minority organizations.

According to a released statement by the company, the effort will support the vital work of leading organizations addressing racial injustice, structural inequity, and economic disparity.

“We must stand up and support organizations dedicated to the fight for a more just and equitable society,” said David M. Solomon, chairman and CEO. “To honor the legacies of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, we must all commit to help address the damage of generations of racism.”

The fund will be launched with $10 million from Goldman Sachs Gives, a donor-advised fund that allows the firm and its current and retired senior employees to direct grants to support underserved communities around the world.

Company employees donating to Fund for Racial Equity recipient organizations will have their contributions matched by the firm dollar for dollar. Donations of $25 and under will be matched 3 to 1.

Earlier this year the company created the Launch with GS Black and Latinx Entrepreneur Cohort and put a call out to company founders. After receiving 400 applications from founders in 37 states, Goldman Sachs selected 14 black and Latinx founders to participate in the inaugural cohort.

Margaret Anadu, head of the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group and Launch With GS lead investor, said in April, “The volume and quality of applications confirms our view that there is a strong pipeline of companies led by black and Latinx founders in the U.S. We’re thrilled to share the knowledge and convening power of Goldman Sachs with these founders as they take their businesses to the next level.”

Goldman Sachs has also committed funds to COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts, including its $30 million COVID-19 Relief Fund and $525 million commitment to small businesses across the country.

• Criminal Justice Reform

by Selena Hill

June 5, 2020

New Report: 90% of America’s Sheriffs Are White Men

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Racial tensions between police and communities of color have reached a tipping point following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police officers last week. The incident, which was captured on video, has incited a string of ongoing protests around the country and revived national discourse about police brutality and racial disparities in law enforcement. Amid growing calls for justice for Floyd and an overhaul of our criminal justice system, a new report published by the Reflective Democracy Campaign reveals that 90% of sheriffs across America are white men.

Titled Confronting the Demographics of Power: America’s Sheriffs, the report explores the racial and gender demographics of sheriffs as well as their impact on public health and safety. The report also highlights current and historical abuses of power by sheriffs along with the position’s unique lack of oversight and accountability. The most glaring finding, perhaps, is that 92% of elected sheriffs are white while 90% are white men even though 50% of people in jails are people of color. Meanwhile, just 5% of sheriffs are African American and 2% are women.

Sheriffs, who manage county jails and a wide range of law enforcement activities, operate with less oversight than local police chiefs or commissioners, according to the report. The nation’s 3,000 county sheriffs are elected into office in 46 states and often run unopposed.

“Sheriffs in America are singularly troubling. They have unparalleled autonomy and tremendous power, and that power is concentrated overwhelmingly in the hands of white men, who are 90 percent of sheriffs nationwide,” said Reflective Democracy Campaign Director Brenda Choresi Carter in a statement.

The report’s findings also include:

• With white men comprising just 30% of the U.S. population, the overrepresentation of white male in sheriff’s offices surpasses even that of legislators (62%) and elected prosecutors (73%)

• African Americans are confined to jail at over three times the rate of white Americans

• Deep disparities in representation persist even in states with high percentages of people of color. For example, while California is 63% people of color, only 9% of the state’s sheriffs are of color

“As the primary law-enforcement officers for large parts of the country, they routinely make life-or-death decisions for their communities—especially communities of color, who are disproportionately affected, and too often abused, by law enforcement,” said Carter. “As policing in America faces a long-overdue reckoning, it’s time that we grapple with the role of sheriffs and make them far more accountable to voters and reflective of their communities.”

Since the spread of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, pandemic, many small businesses have been struggling to stay afloat amid mandatory closures with state-issued stay-at-home orders. Now many nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups have been pushing for relief initiatives designated for African American business owners who have been among some of the hardest hit by the economic loss caused by the public health crisis. Another group that has been stepping up has been black-owned institutions in the financial world.

OneUnited Bank is the largest black-owned bank in the country and it has been working extra hard to provide its customers and other black-owned businesses with the resources they need to weather the viral outbreak. BLACK ENTERPRISE was able to talk with Teri Williams, president and chief operating officer of OneUnited Bank about the new initiatives it has for COVID-19 relief and advice on how black business owners can navigate this public health crisis.

In addition to PPP funding, Williams explains how the banking institution has been given additional funds as a minority depository institution to be used for black-owned businesses. Many of its new customers have been previously denied assistance at larger banks.

“The first round [ended up] turning out exactly as we [suspected]…they gave the larger banks, it’s sort of a heads up to offer the program quickly and the funds were taken by their large customers quickly…so we were glad to see that this second round, they actually did put some funds aside for us,” said Williams. She also says she sees an increase in older customers asking about online resources like mobile banking as they shelter in place.

“Customers are becoming more comfortable with online and mobile banking as we’ve been forced as a community to stay home,” said Williams. “We’ve had a lot of older customers come in to have us help them get set up on mobile banking so that they can do their banking from home as opposed to taking the health risks of coming into the branch.”

One of her biggest pieces of advice is for customers to get more comfortable utilizing more online resources to make working remotely easier and more efficient. “[A] recommendation is to definitely view online and social media as your friend to try to figure out ways to take advantage of online offerings and social media because people are becoming much more comfortable with doing business online.”