Apple Is Tracking iPhones Stolen From Stores During Protests
Apple is tracking anyone who stole a phone from one of its locations during the George Floyd protests.
According to CNN, Apple is disabling iPhones that were stolen from the displays of its retail stores, leaving them inoperable. Apple stores in New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia have reported vandalism and theft in recent days as some people have used the protests occurring across the country as a cover to break into stores and steal property.
The effort, however, isn’t new. For years, Apple has installed special software on its stores’ iPhones to track the whereabouts of stolen items. The software, which is not installed on purchased phones, has a kill switch function which disables the phone while allowing Apple to track its location.
Despite the recent break-ins, the technology giant is supportive of the protests. Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a letter to all its employees supporting the protests and denouncing racism and police brutality.
“Right now, there is a pain deeply etched in the soul of our nation and in the hearts of millions,” the letter stated. “To stand together, we must stand up for one another, and recognize the fear, hurt, and outrage rightly provoked by the senseless killing of George Floyd and a much longer history of racism.”
Cook went on to call Floyd’s killing “senseless” and pledged to donate to human rights groups, including the Equal Justice Initiative and in honor of the Juneteenth holiday, Apple will match all employee donations via Benevity.
“To create change, we have to reexamine our own views and actions in light of a pain that is deeply felt but too often ignored. Issues of human dignity will not abide standing on the sidelines,” Cook wrote. “To our colleagues in the Black community—we see you. You matter, your lives matter, and you are valued here at Apple.”
As George Floyd Is Laid to Rest, There Is No Peace in Sight
The first of at least three services honoring the life of George Floyd, the father of two daughters whose brutal videotaped death in police custody has sparked worldwide unrest, will take place this afternoon at North Central University in Minneapolis.
Memorial services generally celebrate lives. This one will also no doubt condemn a death that has inspired people throughout the world to risk their own lives by marching for justice for Floyd and too many other black men and women unjustly killed, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Millions have now watched with horror as Floyd—trapped and immobilized, hands cuffed behind his waist, his anguished face pushed into the filthy pavement as the life is crushed out of him—pleaded for the officers to stop.
“Please, please, please, I can’t breathe,” we have all heard Floyd cry out.
Even when Floyd goes suddenly silent and still, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, dispassionate and unrelenting, keeps his uniformed knee pressed into the soft fold of Floyd’s neck.
Even when Floyd’s entire six-foot-four-inch body goes slack, the expression on Chauvin’s face is unmoved and, seemingly, unconcerned.
Not one of the officers present shows any interest in preserving Floyd’s rights, his dignity, or his life. In fact, the only aid seen given is to Chauvin, whose fellow officers are recorded assisting him as he physically dominates the man suspected of trying to pass a possibly counterfeit $20 in a Cups Foods grocery store.
Not one officer is seen questioning Chauvin’s force or attempting to help Floyd. His final cry of “Mama!” broke me.
Breathless, Drained, and Raw
I have been the daughter, wife, and mother of black men and I have found myself in the last week nearly gasping for air myself as Floyd’s last words echo in my head.
I am breathless with fury at the white teacher who told my already shaken 13-year-old cousin that while Floyd’s killing was unjustifiable, “most black people still die because of black-on-black crime.” (Yes, the teacher and school are now on notice, as if her mother needed THAT on top of everything else.)
I am breathless with worry (laced with pride) when my son insists upon participating in protests and when he’s forced to rush home after a curfew is suddenly announced giving him less time than he needs to get there.
I am breathless with despair when my daughter calls on any of her unwoke followers to unfriend her: “The news is draining,” she posted after a weekend of riots. “This country is draining. Your (because he certainly isn’t my) president is draining. I don’t know why we have to continuously remind ya’ll that black lives matter. Why do I, a black woman, have to remind you that I deserve to be alive as much as anybody else?”
While this nation has become more rigidly divided in recent years, not merely over politics, but over race, the details recorded of the last minutes of Floyd’s life are virtually undebatable. And so, the fact that it took more than a week for criminal charges against Chauvin to be right-sized from third- to second-degree murder, adds insult to injury.
That thousands had to take to the streets of this country before Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (who is black) arrested and charged the other three fired officers who were videotaped being actively complicit in allowing—arguably even causing—Floyd to die, rankles the nerves of a nation that has already borne more than any civilized citizens in a democracy in 2020 should have to. This is, of course, especially true of black people—and is intensified by the heightened racial disparities in healthcare, education, housing, employment, and, yes, policing, inflicted on our community during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Yet, here we are. And there’s no turning back now.
Black Lives Matter Goes Global
In a June 3 written statement released on social media, Floyd family lawyer Ben Crump called the new charges “a significant step forward on the road to justice.” He added that the timing—on the eve of Floyd’s memorial service—was a “source of peace” for the family in the midst of its pain.
But, to be clear, the pain continues. It is raw and ragged and widespread. It is exhausting and enraging and it has served as a wake-up call to many beyond the black community in ways that, despite an unbroken chain of black killings at the hands of police and vigilantes, little to this point in history has.
My son’s first protest followed the murder of Trayvon Martin. He was around Martin’s age and displayed similar taste in clothes and snacks. My son is 23 today and, like many of his generation, has been non-stop marching for the same cause since.
The world—from Canada to Mexico, Nigeria to South Africa, London and Germany to Sydney and New Zealand—is protesting in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. And neither the pain nor the protests will stop until justice is served and we succeed in not only transforming race relations but in dismantling structural, systemic racism in this country.
These are difficult days. They have also been inevitable. Such is the course of history when a nation steadfastly refuses to honor the promises it makes to its people, and when all one needs to understand the devastating depths of the hypocrisy and its costs is to make like a sports commentator and go to the videotape.
No doubt, many more cameras will be present at Floyd’s memorial service today, as Reverend Al Sharpton eulogizes another black man who should be alive and well, and an enrapt world watches to see what happens next.
I pray that what it sees is real progress in the weeks and months ahead. I pray we bear witness to justice served because, as we know too well, charges and convictions are not one and the same. I pray most of all that not another black life is snuffed out by a white person who brazenly believes that one’s right to live is dictated by the color of their skin. Sadly, that’s an old prayer, passed now to another generation that includes Floyd’s youngest daughter, Gianna, who is just 6 years old.
The ideas and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author’s and not necessarily the opinion of Black Enterprise.
Marquette University Revokes Admission Due to Racist Social Media Post About George Floyd’s Death
An incoming freshman student at Marquette University has had her admission and scholarship offers revoked after she posted on Snapchat that the police killing of George Floyd was acceptable because of Colin Kaepernick’s protests during the national anthem according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The unnamed lacrosse player remarked, “Some ppl think it’s ok to (expletive) kneel during the national anthem so it’s ok to kneel on someone’s head,” the incoming freshman’s post read. “come at me. y’all brainwashed.”
Officials at Marquette University had learned of the Snapchat post last week and that the student had also used racially offensive language in other posts.
Marquette spokeswoman Lynn Griffith confirmed the incoming freshman’s offer to attend the university had been rescinded.
“Following an internal review involving the Division of Student Affairs, Undergraduate Admissions, Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, and Intercollegiate Athletics, and in alignment with our Guiding Values, Marquette University has made the decision to rescind the incoming student’s offer of admission and athletics scholarship, effective immediately,” Griffith said in a written statement.
“As a Catholic, Jesuit institution, we are called to build a nurturing, inclusive community where all people feel safe, supported, welcomed, and celebrated.”
Marquette students Breanna Flowers and Lazabia Jackson, who are, respectively, president and vice president of the university’s Black Student Council, issued a joint statement supporting the university’s decision.
But they also mentioned that the university has a long way to go in making Marquette a place where black students truly feel they belong, calling the campus a “mini-suburbia.”
“The university sits in the middle of a predominantly black city, with only having 4% of black students at the university, who they are direly struggling to maintain,” Flowers and Jackson said. “This is not because black students are not as intelligent …The issue is they are not recruiting in an equitable manner.
“It’s time for Marquette to wake up and abide by their Jesuit values and treat their black students like they matter,” the students said.
Fashion Designer Aurora James Creates The 15% Pledge To Help Black-Owned Businesses
The call for justice sparked by a viral video of an unarmed black man named George Floyd has now led thousands around the country and the world to come out and protest racial violence at the hands of police officers. The movement has mobilized many in the community not only stand in solidarity with protesters but also empower others within the black community in other fields. Now, a prominent black designer within the fashion industry is stepping forward to create a new pledge aimed to bring millions in revenue to the black-owned business.
Aurora James is the designer behind the luxury fashion brand, Brother Vellies, and has made a name for herself in the world of high-end fashion as one of the few black designers in the space. The Toronto-born New York City transplant recently unveiled on Instagram her new initiative called the 15% pledge, a call for major corporations to commit 15% of funds to black-owned businesses. James names companies like Whole Foods, Target, Sephora, Net-A-Porter, and others to take in the call to action.
All those I tagged specifically should be able to come to the table with what they’re willing to contribute. Just doing an IG post and saying your heart is breaking is not enough,” James said to Fast Company. “I know how to do this. I started my business from scratch. I know how to be a vendor with one of their companies. Every roadblock, I’m willing to sit down and figure out. And there are a whole slew of people that will also help make this happen.”
“So many of your businesses are built on black spending power,” James wrote in her Instagram caption. “So many of your stores are set up in black communities. So many of your sponsored posts are seen on black feeds. This is the least you can do for us. We represent 15% of the population and we need to represent 15% of your shelf space.”
Eric Garner’s Mother on Her Son’s and George Floyd’s Last Words: ‘It was Déjà Vu All Over Again’
Nearly six years after Eric Garner uttered his last words, “I can’t breathe,” after being choked to death by New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo, his words have come back to stun America after George Floyd died saying the same three words. Hearing those words all over again for Gwen Carr, Eric Garner’s mother, was daunting.
In a recent interview with NBC News, Carr said, “It was déjà vu all over again. It’s like a reoccurring nightmare.”
In response to the video of Floyd, “I don’t see any justification,” she said. “To put your knee on someone’s neck, you are obstructing their breathing. That is completely a no-no.”
In July of 2014, Garner was recorded on the cell phone video camera of a bystander who documented his encounter with NYPD. During his last moments, he said, “I can’t breathe” 11 times as he was in a chokehold. Garner’s death sparked national unrest and outrage as protestors took to the streets. His last words went on to become chants at rallies around the world and the sentiments of how black people feel living under oppression in America.
Garner’s death was a part of what some considered to be a Red Summer.
Right after he lost his life, John Crawford was killed in Beavercreek, Ohio on August 5. Michael Brown Jr was killed in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. Ezell Ford was gunned down in Los Angeles on August 11. And, Dante Parker was slain in Victorville, California, on Aug.12.
As history repeats itself and people take to the streets, it is the hope of many that Floyd’s death and the civil unrest will prompt the justice system and the nation to change.
Carr’s hope is that Floyd’s family receives justice more expeditiously than she and her family did for Garner.
10 Ways Employers Can Support Their Staff’s Mental Health Remotely
For businesses that now work remotely, it can be even more challenging to become a champion for employees’ mental health. But it doesn’t take much effort to do so. All employers need to do is follow these 10 tips to support your remote employees’ mental health.
10 Tips to Support Mental Health of Remote Employees
Do regular face-to-face check-ins
In this 2020 State Remote Work report, loneliness is still ranked as one of the biggest challenges that a remote worker faces in their everyday life. In the United States, loneliness is considered an epidemic– and the risks are heightened when people are discouraged from going outside amidst a global pandemic.
So one way to show remote workers you’re there for them? Doing regular non-work-related check-ins.
Use your online collaboration tools to schedule a time to meet, either one-on-one or as a group. Strike a balance between checking in with employees individually and as a team.
If you’ve never done this regularly, it may be a little awkward at first. So, ease everyone in with some virtual icebreakers to lighten the mood and get everyone out of work mode.
Offer added benefits and perks
Can you perhaps offer additional benefits or perks for employees during these trying times? Some employers are now considering health plans that include mental health services for employees to enjoy– and it can be a good benefit to add if you can’t hand out raises as often as before.
If changing your company health plan isn’t an option, you can give smaller, one-time perks instead. For example, help your remote team build their dream productive workspace at home by subsidizing expenses for certain office supplies or equipment.
Send a mental health survey
Sometimes employees can’t open up about their mental health concerns in a virtual meeting. Some might find it easier to evaluate their wellbeing if they’re sent a guided survey or form to express where they’re struggling.
A mental health survey tells you as the employer where you can support your employees more in a very specific way. Encourage employees to be very honest when answering this survey, especially if it means it will help you support them emotionally and mentally in and out of work.
Encourage employees to take leaves from work
Sometimes remote employees may feel they aren’t entitled to take leaves because they already work from home and have greater flexibility. But everyone needs to take a break from work, even for a few days. Encourage employees to take their paid leaves or apply for unpaid leave whenever needed.
An effective way to encourage employees to do this? Model the behavior yourself: take leaves from work and show employees that rest is an essential part of their work lives.
Share mental health resources in a dedicated newsletter or channel
Sometimes sharing resources like articles or videos about mental health are enough to show employees you’re thinking about their wellbeing. Regularly send new resources to help them manage stress, reduce anxiety, or get over relatable work issues like being “always on” or being afraid of taking breaks from work.
Share these in a dedicated Slack channel for mental health, so everyone knows where to find them. Or send them in a company newsletter each week.
Create a company exercise calendar
There are strong links that support physical exercise being one of the most effective ways to alleviate stress and boost the spirit. As a business owner, try to find ways to get everyone to stay active, even if they’re stuck at home.
One fun way to do this is creating a company exercise calendar, or scheduling different physical activities anyone can do. For example, you can schedule a weekly dance party or invite instructors for a fun company yoga session online.
Express gratitude often
Gratitude is one of the only things you can give away without losing anything in return. And when it comes to your employees, expressing gratitude can help boost morale and make them feel appreciated.
Work gets stressful for everybody, but you should still reward good work and employee presence with praise. Thank everyone individually for their contributions and even praise teams for jobs well done in public Slack channels or company newsletters.
Put up extracurriculars and team-building activities
Give employees something to look forward to each week or month with extracurriculars they can join outside work. Encourage teams to start book or film clubs, get everyone together for a team talent show, or just have a good time playing virtual games with each other.
You can even encourage ownership of these tasks by getting volunteers to manage these activities. It can be a great way to empower employees to contribute in ways outside work and really highlight their personal strengths.
Host or sponsor mental health seminars
Try inviting mental health coaches to come aboard one day and give intimate seminars to the company. This can be a space for your remote employees to talk to real professionals in the mental health industry about actual issues and concerns that may be bothering them.
These seminars may also benefit you, since you can see areas to support employees in more intimate or much-needed ways. The mental health industry constantly sees changes and improvements in their research and studies, and it doesn’t hurt to stay informed.
Empower employees to help their communities
Sometimes we can uplift ourselves when we uplift others. Inspire a sense of community and contribution within your company by starting a volunteer program or fundraising campaign, especially in causes that matter most to your employees.
For example, Diishan Imira of Mayvenn, an online platform that helps hair stylists connect and gain new clients and customers, started a #SaveTheSalon fundraising campaign.
She and her company sought to help displaced hair stylists whose incomes were severely cut because of the recent COVID-19 measures that closed down several industries, including salons, out of safety risks.
Put employees’ well-being first
When you take care of employees, your employees take care of business. This maxim is especially true in a remote workforce that eliminates in-person interactions.
Follow these 10 tips to help you become champions of your remote employees’ mental health, and you’ll see a happier, healthier workforce who’ll stay with you for the long haul.
Retired African American Police Captain Killed Trying To Stop Looting
A retired St. Louis police captain was reportedly shot and killed outside of a pawn shop that was being looted during a protest on Monday night.
According toThe Western Journal, police found former captain David Dorn, 77, outside Lee’s Pawn and Jewelry store around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. Local reporter Laura Hettiger tweeted Dorn was at the pawnshop trying to stop the looting happening at the store.
Dorn spent more than three decades with the St. Louis Police Department before he was hired as the Moline Acres Police Chief in 2008. Dorn began his career as a rookie patrol officer in 1969.
The St. Louis Police said Dorn was pronounced dead at the scene with a gunshot wound to the torso. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Police Chief John Hayden said Dorn died in the line of duty since he was using his training and the department is wearing mourning bands.
The Ethical Society of Police tweeted a statement on Dorn’s passing saying “He was the type of brother that would’ve given his life to save them if he had to.”
Dorn, who retired in 2007, applied to be the chief because he missed the job.
“I missed the camaraderie,” Dorn said at the time. “I didn’t particularly miss the job. I had retired and I wasn’t doing anything. I was contemplating my next move when the job opportunity came up.”
Dorn originally wanted to work part-time, but said the chief position was too good to pass up. The St. Louis Police have not made any arrests but the investigation is ongoing.
The protests began after the death of George Floyd, who was killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin last month. Floyd’s death has sparked nationwide and worldwide protests as millions have called for an end to police brutality and racism in the U.S.
Republicans and President Donald Trump have tried to stop the protests, saying they incite violence and looting.
Philadelphia Police Allow 100 White Men Armed With Bats And Shovels to Roam the Streets in Anticipation of Protesters
Approximately 100 white men armed with baseball bats, hammers, and shovels were roaming the streets of a Philadelphia neighborhood in the name of vigilantism. They were allegedly ‘protecting’ local businesses from people protesting about police killing black people, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
On Tuesday, local city officials pledged to crack down on what they called simmering vigilantism after seeing as many as 100 white men armed with baseball bats and hammers roaming in the Fishtown section for hours on Monday
night.
The Fishtown group was making claims that they were organized to act as a defense against activists or looters. The New York Post reported that WHYY radio producer Jon Ehrens posted the results of him being attacked by the vigilante group on his Twitter. He was attacked by the men while filming them to cover the incident.
I got called out for recording them and they beat the shit out of me and pushed my girlfriend pic.twitter.com/JMeR4SJ7y9
At around 8 p.m., the police lined up in the street to keep the two groups separated and asked them to disperse.
Mayor Jim Kenney on Tuesday criticized how the police officers handled the vigilante group, saying: “We tolerated it last night for too long, and that was a mistake.”
The mayor said the group’s actions were “antagonistic” and the city doesn’t condone “armed vigilantism.” He said he was “disturbed” by reports of officers high-fiving members of the group, and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the force does not condone “any form of vigilante justice or taking the law into one’s own hands.”
Tika Sumpter & Thai Randolph Celebrate the Joy of Black Motherhood with New Lifestyle Brand
Motherhood for black and brown moms is something that should be “enjoyed not just endured.” That’s the founding principle of Sugaberry, a new lifestyle brand created by Tika Sumpter, the actress-producer who stars on ABC’s mixed-ish, and Thai Randolph, the executive vice president and general manager of Kevin Hart’s company, Laugh Out Loud.
The idea for Sugaberry came out Sumpter’s experiences during her pregnancy with her daughter, Ella, Sumpter and Randolph shared during an exclusive video interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE.
“When I was pregnant, I was just searching for community. I was searching for people who look like me, people who were going through things that I was going through,” Sumpter says. “And I felt like there was a disparity within the joy of motherhood. It felt like it was only queued up for a certain group of people.”
Sumpter wanted to combat the prevailing narrative of “death, doom, and destruction” for black moms with something that gives black women a space to celebrate the full range of motherhood.
A mutual friend introduced her to Randolph—one of BLACK ENTERPRISE‘s past honorees as a leading woman in marketing and advertising—because of her expertise in the digital media space.
“I went with my exec hat on ready to tell her be careful. I thought I was going to give her some cautionary tales,” Randolph says. “But I ended up just completely wrapped up in what she was describing. I thought ‘Oh my God, I would be your first customer.'”
Randolph had experienced a similar longing for community during her journey to motherhood, which included challenges with fertility.
“When I was in fertility clinics, I remember it feeling like such a lonely space because they were packed, but just not packed with people who looked like me,” she says.
Even after she was able to conceive her son, Niles, Randolph still struggled to find resources that felt relevant to her and instead found herself “mining other people’s spaces” for information and content.
“As we connected on not just the business of the idea but the heart of the idea, we thought we aren’t the only women having this experience,” Randolph says. “We also deserve joy and light and happiness.”
The two women decided to partner on Sugaberry, self-funding the company and building a team. Launched in late March, the site offers editorial, audio, and video content; a newsletter; and a podcast called The Suga, where guests like Vivica A. Fox, Kelly Rowland, and Tia Mowry, discuss “a broader spectrum” of topics around black motherhood, including the decision not to become a mother.
“Tika often talks about how this is also for the undecideds, and the tryings, and the expectings. And I always say we don’t want this to feel like an exclusive club that you have to have a baby to get into,” Randolph says. “The feedback from the community has just been so much about the sisterhood.”
But media is just the beginning. Eventually Sugaberry will offer live events, product recommendations, and e-commerce.
“Sugaberry isn’t just a passion point, there’s a real business opportunity here,” Randolph says. “It’s shocking how undervalued the black consumer mom segment is in the marketplace. By next year, the aggregate black consumer buying power is estimated to top $1.2 trillion. The black consumer mom is the gatekeeper to that.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Takes Lead in George Floyd Case
Earlier this week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stated that state Attorney General Keith Ellison will take the lead in the George Floyd case with assistance from the Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office, according to CNN.
Ellison, who was elected in 2018 after representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional district for 12 years in Congress, is the first African American to be elected to statewide office in Minnesota.
“This decision is one that I feel takes us in that direction and the step to start getting the justice for George Floyd,” Walz told The Star Tribuneon Sunday. “When I spoke to the Floyd family they were very clear: They wanted the system to work for them. They wanted to believe that there was trust and they wanted to feel like the facts would be heard and justice would be served.”
Ellison has said he intends to “bring to bear all the resources necessary” to prosecute the case. “I just want to let the public know we are pursuing justice, we are pursuing truth, we are doing it vigorously,” Ellison said.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said that he sought Ellison’s help and that the state attorney general agreed to be a full partner in the proceedings.
“There have been recent developments in the facts of the case where the help and expertise of the Attorney General would be valuable,” Freeman said in a statement.
Ellison told CNN on Monday night that he will “hold everyone accountable.”
“I can assure you we are taking a fresh look,” Ellison told Chris Cuomo. “We plan to hold everyone accountable who is legally culpable,” he said.
“We are looking very carefully at holding everybody accountable who failed to do their duty and fell below the legal requirements of their position, or did something affirmatively that would be in violation of the law,” Ellison said.
“When we are ready, and that won’t be long from now, we plan on taking the proper and deliberate action,” he said.
“I need to protect this prosecution,” he told CNN. “I am not going to create a situation where people can say this was a rush to judgment.”
