California Teacher, Racist, Ableist Image, Black Child

by Mary Spiller

October 27, 2024

Florida State University NAACP Chapter Calls For Action Against Student Who Called Black Students ‘Chimps’

Student Owen Howard has since apologized for his actions and called it a "joke."

The Florida State University chapter of the NAACP has stepped in and gotten involved in pushing the university to investigate a social media post including hate speech from a student on Oct. 23. The FSU junior and honors student named Owen Howard posted on Snapchat, the “Chimps are going to chimp out” ahead of a photo of a Fraternity and Sorority Life table weekly event where vendors were selling products from student groups, including Black Greek-letter organizations.

The Tallahassee Democrat reports that the NAACP FSU chapter said in an official statement, “This type of rhetoric, disguised as casual language, is profoundly damaging to the well-being of Black students at FSU. It contributes to a hostile environment where students feel unsafe, unwelcome, and devalued.”

In the statement, the NAACP FSU chapter continued to explain how the term “chimp” is offensive when it’s used toward people of color. They explained that there’s a “long history of being used to equate Black people to apes or other primates,” and they linked the word back to being used to justify slavery by defining Black people as inferior to their white counterparts. Florida State University issued a statement addressing the social media post after the NAACP got involved.

The school stressed it doesn’t approve of racism and hate, despite the NAACP claiming that the school hasn’t done enough to address the student who made the offensive post. “It is especially disturbing when students express beliefs that are reprehensible and contrary to the values of our university,” the university responded.

“Together, as members of our campus community, we must recognize that the views of one person do not reflect our collective values, nor do they reflect the values of Florida State University. We must continue to strive for an environment where individuals from all backgrounds are accepted, valued, and respected.” The NAACP called for the FSU to show the commitment they claimed to have by taking action against Owen Howard. They said that they “must protect its Black students and uphold the values of equity and justice.”

Howard has responded to the backlash against his Snapchat post, as well as the screenshots of some previous racist posts he made before his X account was deleted on Oct. 24.

The honors student majoring in computational biology apologized for his behavior online. He said he meant the Snapchat post “as a joke” and added, “I’m sorry y’all didn’t get it.”

“I meant the post as a joke to raise awareness for the decay of society with trashy music and behavior,” Howard stated.

“I posted something there in horrible taste that does not in any way reflect what I believe. I am deeply sorry to all those whom I have hurt, and I wish to learn from this mistake,” he expressed. Despite his apology, students still demand retaliation against Howard in the form of an investigation and disciplinary measures being taken against the student by FSU’s Code of Conduct.

Groundbreaking Study , Structural Racism

by Daniel Johnson

October 27, 2024

Groundbreaking Study To Examine Structural Racism In America

Researchers at Michigan State University and Rutgers University will lead a nationally funded study that will examine the effects of structural racism on housing, aging, and health.

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at Michigan State University and Rutgers University will lead a nationally funded study that will inspect the effects of structural racism on housing, aging, and health.

According to ABC News, the funding for the project will come from an expected $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Aging. It will look into the impact of “racist and discriminatory” policies of the past 100 years and their effects on 800 Black and white adults in Baltimore.

As Dick Sadler, a Michigan State University College of Human Medicine associate professor and a researcher on the project, told the outlet, the project differs from past research. According to Sadler, most previous research has had an “almost singular focus” on residential segregation or redlining.

Sadler indicated that the report would examine how redlining, gentrification, predatory lending, urban renewal, freeway construction, and segregation, among other things, have had an impact on the neighborhoods, homes, schools, and stores that Black people have had the most contact with and how those markers have resulted in racial inequality.

Sadler and Danielle Beaty Moody, an associate professor at Rutgers University School of Social Work, indicated in the announcement that a need exists to catalog how Black Americans consistently receive the short end of the stick in American life.

“Collectively, our work seeks to call out and disentangle the vast array of tools used to entrench structural racism in the neighborhood environment –- past, present, and future. One drum we have been beating is that ‘it’s not just redlining, and it’s not just segregation.’ The patterns of racist discriminatory practices in the landscape go far deeper and are more insidious than these singular practices,” the pair stated.

The professors continued, “We need to comprehensively document what the full constellation of tools, tactics, and strategies look like in our urban landscapes to better contextualize why racial inequities emerge and persist across numerous health endpoints, for which all Americans ultimately suffer but for which Black Americans consistently take the largest hits.”

Per the Rutgers University School of Social Health, the individuals participating in the study have been tracked by a larger, ongoing study, Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity, across the lifespan.

The study will access this dataset, allowing for a detailed analysis of “cumulative lifetime exposure to historical, enduring, and contemporary markers of structural racism across Baltimore neighborhoods through the development of lifetime residential histories and contemporary activity spaces.”

According to a 2022 study examining the structural racism in historical and modern United States healthcare policy, “Lack of equitable access to high-quality healthcare is in large part a result of structural racism in U.S. healthcare policy, which structures the healthcare system to advantage the white population and (to) disadvantage racial and ethnic minority populations.”

The study continued, “Although there are other aspects of U.S. healthcare policy that contribute to an inequitable system of care, in this article we provide a comprehensive review of how structural racism, embedded in healthcare policy, results in inequitable access to high-quality care. We first examine how racism shaped early policy decisions that allowed local governments and private employers to provide inequitable access to healthcare and health insurance. We then discuss structural racism’s continued impact on modern healthcare policy in the areas of healthcare coverage, finance, and quality.”

shark tank, Black Entrepreneurs Day, Daymond, John, deal, stalker, grants, Black entrepreneurs

by Mary Spiller

October 27, 2024

Shark Tank’s Daymond John Launches $100K Grant Program To Empower Black Entrepreneurs

Grant awardees will be announced at this year's Black Entrepreneurs Day.

Shark Tank investor Daymond John is leading the fifth annual Black Entrepreneurs Day this year and has committed to supporting small businesses with $100,000 in grants.

John first began running Black Entrepreneurs Day at the height of the racial justice movement following George Floyd’s death. This year, the grants will be awarded to Black-owned businesses, and they will not require any sacrifice in equity. Inc. reports that the grants will focus on giving financial support with “no strings attached. “

The application for the grants will be open through Nov. 1, and John opened up to Inc. about what they’re looking for in an ideal applicant. He specified that the biggest thing they’re looking for is someone who has a clear vision of what they want.

“If you can articulate that vision,” he told the outlet, “whom you’re solving a problem for, why you’re the one to solve the problem, and why you, if you get these funds, they will be put to good use and help you, I think that’s all you need.”

Black Entrepreneurs Day will be held on Nov. 22 in Atlanta at the Fox Theater. The event, a celebration of Black businesses, will be free. Big names are expected to make an appearance, such as Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, media personality Charlamagne tha God, and rappers Flavor Flav and 2Chainz.

John explained, “We don’t come from legacy wealth. We’re not getting as much education as I think we need … We pay more interest on various things. We are always the last to hire and the first to fire. I think it puts us behind, in a very bad position—and being an entrepreneur is hard enough as it is.”

He continued, “With social media and technology, things are getting democratized. There is information out there on what works and what doesn’t work. … You add that with funding, with inspiration, [and] I think we have a better shot now than ever before.”

The Shark Tank investor started working to shift the public business mentality “from watching communities ‘burn businesses’ to empowering them to build.”

John spent some time giving praise to the organizations and businesses that support their cause.

John said, “A lot of the large corporations and organizations that felt that it was the thing to do back then no longer believe it’s the thing to do now. And I’m not slighting them for it. I love to talk about the organizations that are supporting us, that feel that it still is a very positive thing to do, and well-needed, even when the spotlight is down.”

by Daniel Johnson

October 27, 2024

Project 2025 Expected To Upend The Lives Of Black People

Project 2025 is predicted to have an outsized impact on Black Americans, found an analysis from the Legal Defense Fund

Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s handbook that Republican Party candidate Donald Trump is expected to implement if elected, is predicted to have an outsized impact on Black Americans per legal analysis from the Legal Defense Fund.

As Karla McKanders, the director of the Legal Defense Fund’s Thurgood Marshall Institute, told The Guardian, the report was produced because the LDF wanted to bring attention to the “larger impact that Project 2025 will have on our democracy and undermining our democracy.”

McKanders continued, “The most important part of the report is how Project 2025 will have an impact on individual lives and how those individual lives will be upended through the policy proposals. We look at the proposals for dismantling the Department of Education, [which] might be an abstract concept that people hear, but we bring it to a more concrete level in terms of how it will impact individual lives.”

McKanders added, “If we look at pre-K, Project 2025 proposes to dismantle the Head Start program for pre-K. In the report, we have statistics that show that 28% of the enrollees in Head Start are Black children. While it will undermine education efforts for all children, in particular, it will disproportionately impact and widen achievement gaps for Black and Latinx students.”

According to LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson, “Our democracy stands at a crossroads: a path of infinite promise towards a more inclusive, equitable, and durable democracy on the one hand, and one of immeasurable and, potentially, irretrievable demise on the other. The assault on Black communities envisioned by Project 2025 will almost certainly condemn us to demise.”

According to the report, Project 2025 is considered a threat to Black communities across multiple areas. It presents risks to civil rights protections and equal opportunity, Black students and their rights to a safe, inclusive, and quality education, voting rights, democracy and Black political power, public safety, equal access to housing, healthcare, and access to safe climates.

by Daniel Johnson

October 26, 2024

Washington Post, LA Times Kill Endorsements Of Kamala Harris, Stoking Staff Resignations

Their decisions rankled not only the public, but their own employees.

In recent developments, billionaire media owners Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong reportedly halted planned endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris at their respective newspapers, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.

Their decisions rankled not only the public but their own employees.

According to The Washington Post, Robert Kagan, a longtime columnist and editor-at-large of the paper’s opinion department, resigned in protest, and 11 other columnists wrote a letter critical of the paper’s decision.

Meanwhile, the Post’s publisher and CEO, William Lewis, said in his column published on Oct. 25 that the choice not to endorse Harris is a return to the paper’s roots of not endorsing a particular candidate.

“We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility,” Lewis wrote. “That is inevitable. We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for.”

Indeed, according to Jarvis DeBerry, the Opinion Editor at MSNBC, the choices made by Lewis, Bezos, and Soon-Shiong stand as “an argument against billionaires buying newspapers.”

Like Kagan at the Post, Mariel Garza, the editorials editor at The Los Angeles Times, resigned in protest. Garza later told the Colombia Journalism Review, “I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not OK with us being silenced. In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I’m standing up.”

In addition to Garza, two more opinion editors at The LA Times resigned over the decision to kill Harris’s endorsement.

Marty Baron, a former executive editor at The Washington Post, issued a scathing response to Lewis’ statement on Twitter. “This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty,” Baron wrote.

Baron indicated that Trump “will see this as an invitation to further intimidate” Bezos and characterized the choice to pull the endorsement as “Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”

DeBerry closed his commentary by indicting the ultra-wealthy owners of both papers.

“Yes, there may have been hell to pay if the paper had endorsed Harris and Trump won and then turned against the press as he has promised to do,” DeBerry wrote.

He continued, “But hell will be visited on more vulnerable people to a much greater degree. It is unforgivable that the ultra-wealthy who have purchased these huge and influential platforms appear to be more concerned with their own interests than the interests of the readers they serve.”

On political endorsement https://t.co/e5OTZhylIE

This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty. @realdonaldtrump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner @jeffbezos (and others). Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.
— Marty Baron (@PostBaron) October 25, 2024

A statement from Post Guild leadership on the Washington Post's decision to not endorse a presidential candidate pic.twitter.com/fYU7hkr79K
— Washington Post Guild (@PostGuild) October 25, 2024

In addition to Baron, the Washington Post Guild, the union representing Post journalists, issued a press release concerning Lewis’ comments.

“We are deeply concerned that The Washington Post—an American news institution in the nation’s capital—would make the decision to no longer endorse presidential candidates, especially a mere 11 days ahead of an immensely consequential election. The role of an Editorial Board is to do just this: to share opinions on the news impacting our society and culture and endorse candidates to help guide readers,” the guild wrote.

“The message from our chief executive, Will Lewis, not from the Editorial Board itself — makes us concerned that management interfered with the work of our members in Editorial. According to our own reporters and Guild members, an endorsement for Harris was already drafted, and the decision to not to publish was made by The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos. We are already seeing cancellations from once loyal readers. This decision undercuts the work of our members at a time when we should be building our readers’ trust, not losing it.”

X, Black Insurrectionist, white Man, Upstate New York

by Mary Spiller

October 26, 2024

X’s ‘Black Insurrectionist’ Actually A White Man From Upstate New York, Report

The Black Insurrectionist's i a white man whose real name is Jason Palmer, according to an Associated Press investigation.

An investigation by the Associated Press has revealed that the individual behind the “Black Insurrectionist” account on X—which has been spreading baseless conspiracy theories targeting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz ahead of the November election—is Jason Palmer, a white man from upstate New York with a long history of fraud.

The “Black Insurrectionist” account has a profile picture of a Black army soldier, and the tagline reads, “I FOLLOW BACK TRUE PATRIOTS.” Before the account was deleted last week, it had over 300,000 followers -— built from making shocking and disparaging allegations about Harris and Walz. Some accusations were even endorsed by Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance.

Just last month, the account posted a document claiming Harris was given the questions ahead of her ABC-hosted debate against Donald Trump. ABC News employees condemned the claims as false, but Trump stated of the Black Insurrectionist, “I love the person,” AP reported.

The Associated Press used public records to identify the owner of the “Black Insurrectionist” X account as Jason G. Palmer, a white man from upstate New York. Interviews with people who know Palmer revealed a history of fraud accusations involving business partners, struggles with drug addiction, and nearly $7 million in unpaid taxes. According to Kathleen Albano, widow of one of Palmer’s former business partners, the 53-year-old man behind the account is “far from African American.”

She continued to tell AP, “He owes me a ton of money. He has a way of roping people in. I always had his number. I knew exactly who he was. But unfortunately, my husband got caught up in a lot of those dealings.”

A Wells Fargo attorney named Maureen Bass stated that she is not surprised that Palmer would run an account like the Black Insurrectionist. When her client was engaged in a foreclosure case against Palmer, she recalled that he once emailed her law firm what she describes as a “rambling” manifesto. In it, he claimed that government officials were conspiring against him, that he had been a victim of the “Axis of Evil,” and that politicians had taken his assets.

So this [X account] doesn’t surprise me,” Bass said. When the Associated Press reached out to Palmer about his account, Palmer initially said he was involved with running it but did not create it. He continued to claim that he later sold the account in May.

Palmer wrote in an email to AP, “I do not know what is going on with this account.” However, later, he stated that he was involved in making the posts about Tim Walz, which contradicted his previous statement.

Ultimately, he claimed that his Black friend mostly ran the account.

by Daniel Johnson

October 26, 2024

Bronny James Expected To Split Time Between G League And Lakers

Bronny is expected to spend time in the Lakers' G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, next month.

LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. is expected to split time between the Los Angeles Lakers and the club’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, after the team’s road trip concludes on Nov. 6.

According to ESPN, although Lakers head coach JJ Redick said those plans are subject to change, the team plans to use James as a two-way contract player, meaning he can be sent between the two clubs as needed.

As Redick told ESPN on Oct. 25, “Our plans are always fluid based on real time. I believe we have two guys dressing today that as of yesterday we’re not dressing out.”

Redick continued, “The plan for Bronny to move between the Lakers and South Bay has always been the plan since day one. [General manager] Rob [Pelinka] and I have talked about that. LeBron’s talked about that.”

To Redick’s point, at the Lakers media day in September, LeBron, who made history with Bronny on Oct. 22 as the first father-son duo to play in a regular season NBA game together, discussed his hopes for his son’s rookie season.

“Just [looking forward to] seeing him continue to grow as a basketball player no matter if it’s here with us or if it’s down with the G League team and him continuing to get better and better and better,” LeBron told reporters. “His job is to put the work in and get better and better, just like the rest of us. And we want to hold him accountable, and he’s going to hold us accountable. And if we all do that, we all get better, because we’re all one team. We’re a reflection of South Bay; South Bay is a reflection of us.”

As a second-round pick, it would have been unreasonable to expect Bronny to come in and have any real impact on the Lakers NBA squad; most second-round picks have to spend time developing their game in the G League.

According to ESPN, 23 of the 28 players selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft spent some time in the G League.

As Redick said in July, the G League is a key part of the team’s player development program.

“For us, prioritizing player development, we view Bronny as like, case study one, because his base level of feel, athleticism, point-of-attack defender, shooting, passing, there’s a lot to like about his game,” Redick said. “And as we sort of build out our player development program holistically, he’s going to have a great opportunity to become an excellent NBA player.”

James also has an important voice and believes in the Lakers’ coaching staff’s ability to get the most out of Bronny. Lakers legend Magic Johnson said earlier in October during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live that he believes James could thrive under the tutelage of the South Bay Lakers coaching staff.

“If I’m Bronny, I would tell my dad, ‘Just let me play in the G League all season so that I can develop,'” Johnson told Kimmel. “He needs playing time. He doesn’t need to be sitting on the Laker bench and not playing. That’s not a knock against him, he’s just not ready. He needs to develop more, and then he will be ready because he has some great talent and skills.”

Swishahouse , Michael '5000' Watts, Dies, Houston Hip-Hop

by Daniel Johnson

October 26, 2024

DJ Clark Kent Dies At 58 After Battle With Colon Cancer

DJ Clark Kent, a superproducer who helped create hits for artists like Mariah Carey and The Notorious B.I.G., fought a three-year battle with colon cancer.

DJ Clark Kent, a superproducer who helped create hits for artists like Mariah Carey and The Notorious B.I.G., has died at the age of 58 following a three-year battle with colon cancer.

According to Deadline, Kent’s family said in a statement released on social media that Kent, whose real name is Rodolfo Franklin, died surrounded by his family members and loved ones on Oct. 24.

https://twitter.com/vinnie_paz/status/1850038591121944683?s=19

https://twitter.com/LilAioli/status/1849917379582873813?s=19

Today, we honor the life and legacy of DJ Clark Kent, a true luminary in the world of Hip Hop. With a career spanning over five decades, Clark Kent was not just a DJ, but a visionary, a producer, and a cultural ambassador who played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of Hip Hop pic.twitter.com/SM5XknMghF
— The Hip Hop Museum (@thhmuseum) October 25, 2024

Per the statement, “It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of the beloved Rodolfo A. Franklin, known to the world as DJ Clark Kent.”

The statement continued, “Clark passed away Thursday evening surrounded by his devoted wife Kesha, daughter Kabriah and son Antonio. Clark quietly and valiantly fought a three year battle with Colon Cancer, while continuing to share his gifts with the world. The family is grateful for everyone’s love, support and prayers during this time and ask for privacy as they process this immense loss.”

Kent began his career in the 1980s and was introduced to the world as a DJ for Dana Dane on Dane’s 1987 debut album, “Dana Dane With Fame.”

Kent produced records for Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Slick Rick, and Rakim, among others.

Kent is also the cousin of the iconic 90s-era rapper Foxy Brown, who left a comment to the family on Clark’s Instagram account underneath the post.

“LOVE YOU KESH! MY BIG COUSIN WHO STARTED ALL THIS SH– FOR US! WE LOVE YOU TONY!” Brown wrote.

Kent is the subject of the forthcoming documentary God’s Favorite DJ: The Story Of DJ Clark Kent, directed by radio personality Angie Martinez, a close friend of Kent.

Before Kent passed, Martinez told Modern Luxury, “It’s my genuine belief that his story deserves to be told with love and care. And the thing that I love about him so much is that he’s such a purist. The man has operated through four decades, four different eras of the culture, and at a high level. But he’s always operated with so much authenticity and purpose. Our culture has become this very transactional experience for people.”

Martinez continued, “Sure, he’s a great businessman, but he’s really driven by art and culture. And there’s not that many stories that are rooted in that anymore. His DNA is splattered throughout the culture in a way that deserves to be explored, not just for the purpose of telling his story, but for the purpose of learning and making sure that we are all operating in a way that preserves the culture so honorably.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project met Kent’s approval.

“I’m honored to have Angie Martinez directing. Her entire career has been rooted in telling stories in a beautiful & meaningful way. Angie is a true icon of Hip Hop and we are very lucky to have her guiding this project,” Kent said in a statement.

Kent is survived by his wife, Kesha; his daughter, Kabriah; and his son, Antonio, as well as a host of family members and the larger hip-hop community.

by Mary Spiller

October 26, 2024

Josh Reynolds, Denver Broncos Wide Receiver, Recovering From Strip Club Shooting

Reynolds was struck in the back of the head and in the arm, but only sustained minor injuries.

According to a statement released by the NFL Denver Broncos, wide receiver Josh Reynolds is recovering from minor injuries after being shot in the back of the head and the arm when leaving a local strip club on Oct. 18.

The NFL team said in a statement, “Josh Reynolds was a victim of a shooting on Friday in Denver and received treatment for minor injuries. Out of respect for the legal process, we will defer further comment on this matter to the authorities.”

The veteran player was back in the Bronco’s practice facility shortly after the shooting, and his recovery is going so well that he is not slated to miss any additional playing time this season.

According to the Denver Post, Reynolds and another man at the strip club were followed from the location as they were leaving around 3 A.M.

Reynolds and the other victims told police that the two men began following them in vehicles after they drove off from Shotgun Willie’s and started shooting at them. The vehicle followed them as they got onto Interstate 25 until they got out of their car and ran from it.

Soon after, police received a 911 call detailing that the driver of Reynolds’ vehicle had been shot. During the phone call, the caller stopped responding to dispatchers, and emergency services described that it sounded like he was “running.”

The Denver Police Department responded to the scene and found three victims, one of which was Reynolds, who sustained a gunshot wound to the back of his head and his arm. The second victim was shot in the back, and another victim was injured by broken glass and also on scene.

The police statement detailed, “The two adult male victims were traveling in a vehicle at the time of the shooting, and they eventually stopped on the shoulder of southbound Interstate 25 north of Belleview Avenue. Both victims were transported to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.”

Police have since confirmed that two men have been arrested in connection with the shooting. Denver authorities identified 42-year-old Burr Charlesworth and 35-year-old Luis Mendoza as being under investigation for attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault related to the incident.

Fortunately, although the incident was traumatic for the wide receiver, Reynolds will soon return to the football field.

by Mary Spiller

October 26, 2024

Rapper Lil Durk Arrested On Murder-For-Hire Charges

Lil Durk is being held without bail in the Broward County jail.

“All My Life” rapper and Only the Family collective and record label founder Lil Durk was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Oct. 24 while in Florida on charges related to murder for hire.

According to arrest records, the Chicago artist, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, is being held without bail in the Broward County jail. Along with the 32-year-old rapper, five other men related to his hip-hop collective “Only the Family” were indicted for alleged their involvement in conspiring to murder for hire.

Although the details of Durk’s charges have not been made public yet, he was arrested just following the arrests of the members of his affiliated group — who have also been charged with murder for hire for allegedly targeting the rapper Quando Rondo as retaliation for the murder of rapper King Von in 2020.

The indictment for the five men includes a long list of charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, “use of interstate facilities to murder for hire resulting in death, use carry and discharge of firearms and machine-gun, possession of such firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death, possession of a machine gun and criminal forfeiture.”

The arrest records state that in revenge for the death of their fellow group member, three OTF members — Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, and Asa Houston — and two fellow Chicago gang members — Keith Jones, and David Brian — retaliated and allegedly targeted Quando Rondo.

As reported in the charging document, an OTF member described as “D.B” — which is assumed to represent King Von’s real name, Dayvon Daquan Bennett — entered into a physical altercation with Tyquian Terrel Bowman — known as Quando Rondo — which resulted in D.B being fatally shot in an Atlanta nightclub back in 2020.

Following the murder of D.B., an unnamed member of OTF reportedly “made clear, in coded language, that [they would pay] a bounty or monetary reward to anyone who took part in killing T.B. for his role in D.B.’s murder.”

The filing continues to allege that on Aug. 18, 2022, the five indicted members of OTF learned that T.B. was staying in an LA hotel and traveled from out of state to California “to murder T.B…..”

The next day, Grant, Wilson, Jones, Lindsey, and Houston used two different vehicles in California to “track, stalk and attempt to kill T.B. by gunfire — including with a fully automatic firearm — resulting in the death of S.R” who was just a passenger in T.B.’s vehicle at the time of the shooting.

The filing continued, “[the five OTF members and co-conspirators] used facilities of interstate and foreign commerce with intent for the murder of T.B. to be committed.”