Home Blog Page 237

Florida Decides to Teach That Our Ancestors Benefitted From Being Enslaved

Maria
-
0
Florida Decides to Teach That Our Ancestors Benefitted From Being Enslaved

By Aziah Siid, Word in Black 

Florida has taken yet another stride against teaching the full scope of Black history in statewide public schools — and it’s sparking criticism from advocates and families both state and nationwide.

The new standards, posted on July 19 to the Florida Department of Education website, approved require public schools to teach that enslaved people “developed skills that could be applied for their personal benefit” and more.

“The notion that enslaved people benefitted from being enslaved is inaccurate and a scary standard for us to establish in our education system.” Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani said.

“I am very concerned by these standards,” Eskamani said. “Especially some of the notions that you know, enslaved people benefitted from being enslaved is inaccurate and a scary standard for us to establish in our educational curriculum.”

As Harvard Law School professor Cornell William Brooks wrote on Twitter, “Florida‘s new educational standards will assault the emotional health of Black children. If the Supreme Court found segregated education hurt Black children in 1954, THIS segregated white supremacist version of  Black history will do the same in 2023.”

Indeed, the new standards come with clarifications — for middle school students, teachers must educate students on “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

High school students will learn about events such as the 1920 Ocoee Massacre, the Tulsa Race Massacre, and the Rosewood Race Massacre, all egregious acts against Black bodies in history.

However, the new rules require that instruction of the Ocoee massacre include “acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans.” The massacre is considered the deadliest Election Day violence in the nation’s history, and, according to several historical accounts of the incident, it began when Moses Norman, a prominent Black landowner in the Ocoee, Florida, community, attempted to cast his ballot and was turned away by white poll workers.

The decision is just the latest move by Florida politicians — led by Republican governor Ron DeSantis to prevent the accurate teaching of Black history. In January, Florida’s education officials department rejected a proposed pilot version of an Advanced Placement African American Studies course for high school students after it claimed the course lacked educational value.  In addition, the DeSantis-led “Stop WOKE” movement has sparked numerous book bans nationwide.

“Today’s actions by the Florida state government are an attempt to bring our country back to a 19th century America where Black life was not valued, nor our rights protected,” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement. “It is imperative that we understand that the horrors of slavery and Jim Crow were a violation of human rights and represent the darkest period in American history. We refuse to go back.”

Stellar Awards Return to Las Vegas Nevada

Maria
-
0
Stellar Awards Return to Las Vegas Nevada

By Dr. Michelle R. Thompson, M.A.N.D.A.T.E. Records Inc

Stellar Awards return to Las Vegas Nevada and the GODRADIO1.COM team was on location to cover the three-day festivities. This year’s Gospel Music Awards introduced the Stellar + Experience (Stellar + EXP) which provided a full event schedule.

Three full days of interactive activities featuring concerts, panel discussions, master classes, and much more affording fans the opportunity to engage with their favorite artists and producers in the Gospel music industry. More than twenty-five events were happening Stellar Week leading up to the awards ceremony that attracted creatives from near and far.

The 38th Annual Stellar Awards will premiere on the newly-launched Stellar TV. Airdates will range between Monday, July 24 and August 6, 2023, as well as national broadcast syndication from August 7 through September 10, 2023. Follow Stellar Gospel Music Awards on all social media platforms for updates or changes to airtimes in your area.

DA Community Grant Funds Unique Art Program

Maria
-
0
DA Community Grant Funds Unique Art Program

A unique art program for students in the Juvenile Court and Community Schools is getting support from the DA’s Office through a community grant.

Watch more in this video:

New York City Settles Civil Rights Lawsuit for $13 Million Stemming from 2020 BLM Protests

Maria
-
0
New York City Settles Civil Rights Lawsuit for $13 Million Stemming from 2020 BLM Protests

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

New York City has agreed to pay over $13 million to resolve a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of approximately 1,300 individuals who endured arrests or violence at the hands of the police during the racial injustice demonstrations that gripped the city in the summer of 2020.

The settlement, submitted to the Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, July 19, could potentially become one of the largest payouts in history for a lawsuit involving mass arrests, according to legal experts closely monitoring the case.
The lawsuit focused on 18 specific protests that erupted in the city during the week following the tragic killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.

According to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, everyone who encountered arrests or police force during those demonstrations can receive compensation totaling $9,950.
The agreement, one of several that emerged from the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, enables the city to avert a costly and politically sensitive trial.

Cities across the United States reportedly are currently negotiating settlements for similar claims brought by protesters who took to the streets to denounce racist police brutality following Floyd’s death, during which police arrested about 10,000 people across just a few days.

The National Lawyers Guild, representing the plaintiffs in New York, accused the leadership of the New York Police Department of violating the protesters’ First Amendment rights through a systematic and indiscriminate campaign of brutality and unlawful arrests.
Throughout more than two years of legal proceedings, the city’s attorneys maintained that the police responded to an unprecedented and chaotic situation, highlighting unruly protests where police vehicles were set on fire and officers were pelted with rocks and plastic bottles.

Florida Board of Education Approves Anti-Black History Curriculum

Maria
-
0
Florida Board of Education Approves Anti-Black History Curriculum

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Florida’s Board of Education voted to approve several new rules this week, including teaching that African Americans benefited from their enslavement.
The new curriculum has sparked outrage and accusations of racism, setting up a new school year unlike any other because of these changes and other laws passed by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

One of the most controversial rules drawing significant pushback is the alteration of the standards of instruction for African American history.
Critics argue that the new standards attempt to rewrite Black history in a deeply concerning manner.

Democratic state lawmakers made their objections known at the board’s meeting on July 19, expressing particular concern over one instructional change implying enslaved individuals benefited from their enslavement.
“Any kind of standards that indicate that slavery benefited Black people is such an insult,” said State Rep. Rita Harris.
Added Rep. Anna Eskamani, “The notion that enslaved people benefited from being enslaved is inaccurate and a scary standard for us to establish in our education system.”

The new rule faced additional opposition from a coalition of Black leaders and community groups, who wrote a letter to the school board asserting that the standards intentionally omitted or distorted crucial historical facts about the Black experience.
Despite the widespread criticism, the board plans to implement the new rule on African American history instruction, along with several others, in classrooms across the state during the upcoming school year.

The move adds to the state’s ongoing debate over African American history in education, further exacerbated by the education department’s rejection of a preliminary pilot version of an Advanced Placement African American Studies course for high school students, citing an alleged lack of educational value.

Under the new standards imposed by the board and DeSantis, teachers will instruct middle school students about how enslaved people developed skills they could use to benefit themselves.

The curriculum omits the brutal horrors of slavery, the inhumane treatment of African Americans, including the rape and torture of enslaved people, selling and separating families, and even the brutal mistreatment of children and babies.

The new curriculum will teach high school students about events like the 1920 Ocoee massacre, the deadliest Election Day violence in US history that began when white poll workers prevented Moses Norman, a Black landowner, from voting.
The rule stipulates that instructions also must include details about the Atlanta race massacre, the Tulsa race massacre, and the Rosewood race massacre.

“Our children deserve nothing less than truth, justice, and the equity our ancestors shed blood, sweat, and tears for,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson stated.
“It is imperative that we understand that the horrors of slavery and Jim Crow were a violation of human rights and represent the darkest period in American history.”

Illinois is First State to Eliminate Cash Bail, a Penalty Affecting Low-Income Communities Most

Maria
-
0
Illinois is First State to Eliminate Cash Bail, a Penalty Affecting Low-Income Communities Most

By JOHN O’CONNOR, AP Political Writer

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail as a condition of pretrial release from jail on Tuesday when the state Supreme Court upheld the constitutionally of the law abolishing it.

The 5-2 ruling overturns a Kankakee County judge’s opinion in December that the law violated the constitution’s provision that “all persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties.” Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis, writing for the majority, decreed that the law honors the constitution’s balance between the rights of victims and defendants.

Proponents of eliminating cash bail describe it as a penalty on poverty, suggesting that the wealthy can pay their way out of jail to await trial while those in economic distress — particularly people of color — have to sit it out behind bars. A pandemic-era increase in crime spurred debates on bail reforms.

While other states and municipalities have enacted changes to cash bail, notably New Jersey, Illinois is the first to abolish it. Instead, judges can decide that a defendant poses too much of a threat to the community to allow release, or that defendant can be released with conditions such as avoiding contact with a particular person or not visiting a certain place, according to the Bail Project.

Critics have argued that bail is a time-honored way to ensure defendants released from jail show up for court proceedings. They warn that violent criminals will be released pending trial, giving them license to commit other crimes.

Abolishing bail was part of an expansive criminal justice overhaul adopted in 2021 known as the SAFE-T Act. It was a piece of the groundbreaking “four pillars” agenda of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, approved with the aim of improving the lives of marginalized communities following the police killings of George Floyd and others in the previous year.

A Kankakee County judge, ruling on a lawsuit brought by county state’s attorneys and sheriffs, found that because the constitution mentions “bail,” it would take a constitutional amendment approved by voters to make such a change.

Theis countered in her opinion of the case, known as Rowe v. Raoul, that the constitution “does not mandate that monetary bail is the only means to ensure criminal defendants appear for trials or the only means to protect the public.”

Theis said that the charter “creates a balance” between the rights of defendants and victims and the law abolishing bail “sets forth procedures commensurate with that balance.”

When the Supreme Court received the direct appeal from the local court, it stopped the scheduled Jan. 1, 2023 implementation of the law. Theis ordered that it take effect in 60 days, on Sept. 18.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, on a trade mission to the United Kingdom, hailed a “transition to a more equitable and just Illinois.”

“We can now move forward with historic reform to ensure pre-trial detainment is determined by the danger an individual poses to the community instead of by their ability to pay their way out of jail,” the Democrat said in a statement.

Justice David K. Overstreet dissented, arguing that the law violates the constitution’s Crime Victims Bill of Rights, which voters added in 2014. He said it gives victims the right “to have their safety and the safety of their family, considered in denying or fixing the amount of bail.” Changing that requires voter approval, not just legislative fiat.

Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, calling the ruling “terribly detrimental to public safety” but pledged to abide by it. Another plaintiff, Kankakee County Sheriff Michael Downey, noted the decision was divided along party lines.

“This opinion will embolden criminals even more which is what our governor seems to want,” Downey said.

New Jersey essentially eliminated cash bail in 2014, replacing it with a risk assessment process which gauged the potential danger to the community a defendant posed if released. But there are instances where cash bail is still allowed, as is the case in other states which have curtailed the practice, such as New York and Alaska.

In spring 2020, the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices strongly endorsed bail reform, noting that found that a defendant who can’t afford bail sees his or her life unravel within days — loss of a job, loss of child custody, health problems without access to medication.

What’s more, the commission found that it tends to generate spurious plea deals. Defendants reason that pleading to a lower-level offense gets them out of jail sooner.

Joining Theis in her opinion were Justices P. Scott Neville Jr., Joy V. Cunningham and Elizabeth M. Rochford. Justice Mary K. O’Brien specially concurred with her own opinion.

Justice Lisa Holder White joined Overstreet in his dissent.

President Biden’s Epic Marjorie Taylor Greene Troll: 40 Million Views and Counting

Maria
-
0
President Biden’s Epic Marjorie Taylor Greene Troll: 40 Million Views and Counting

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

In a stunning display of political finesse, President Joe Biden trolled his Republican nemesis, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, with a masterful campaign ad that has taken the internet by storm.

The 30-second clip, originally from Greene’s passionate speech to young conservatives, has garnered over 40 million views on social media and has left even Democrats amazed at its gangster-level savviness.

During her speech, Greene compared President Biden’s policy accomplishments to those of former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” social programs.
Biden endorsed the comparison and decided to take things up a notch by turning the spotlight on the controversial congresswoman.

Biden’s team promptly snatched the moment and posted the clip on the President’s Twitter account, accompanied by the classic caption: “I approve this message.”
And that was just the beginning of the ad’s meteoric rise.
The ad ingeniously used Greene’s own words to showcase Biden signing groundbreaking legislation and making enthusiastic stops across the country to promote his ambitious “Investing in America” agenda.

The video was slick, fun, and aggressively highlighted Biden’s significant public investments in social infrastructure and environmental programs, echoing the legacies of presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lydon Baines Johnson.

“Joe Biden had the largest public investment in social infrastructure and environmental programs that is actually finishing what FDR started, that LBJ expanded on, and Joe Biden is attempting to complete,” Greene’s voice boomed in the ad.
The clip continued with Greene mentioning the vast range of programs Biden is working on, from education and medical care to urban problems, rural poverty, transportation, Medicare, Medicaid, and labor unions.

Greene may have intended to criticize the government led by Biden, describing it as “one big fat, bloated machine,” but the ad cleverly flipped her narrative on its head.
Biden’s team seized on them as opportunities for the American dream to thrive.
Historically, Democrats have received criticism for stumbling in their messaging and failing to hit back at their opponents effectively.

But Biden’s ad demonstrated a fresh, assertive approach, showcasing the President’s team’s prowess in leveraging social media to their advantage.
Within days, the ad went viral, drawing attention from all corners of the political spectrum.
It resonated with the public, particularly young voters, who appreciated the ad’s humor and cleverness.

Even some Republicans begrudgingly acknowledged the brilliance of the maneuver.
With its massive success on social media, the ad achieved something extraordinary: it sparked honest conversations about policy accomplishments and the potential for building a brighter future through public investments.

It proved that a well-crafted ad using the words of a staunch political opponent could not only score points but also inspire positive discussions about the nation’s direction.
In an era where social media shapes political conversations, Biden’s epic troll demonstrates that humor and cunning can go a long way toward captivating hearts and minds.

Northwestern Hazing Scandal Included Multiple Sports, Men and Women, Attorneys Say

Maria
-
0
Northwestern Hazing Scandal Included Multiple Sports, Men and Women, Attorneys Say

By JOHN O’CONNOR, AP Political Writer

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail as a condition of pretrial release from jail on Tuesday when the state Supreme Court upheld the constitutionally of the law abolishing it.

The 5-2 ruling overturns a Kankakee County judge’s opinion in December that the law violated the constitution’s provision that “all persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties.” Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis, writing for the majority, decreed that the law honors the constitution’s balance between the rights of victims and defendants.

Proponents of eliminating cash bail describe it as a penalty on poverty, suggesting that the wealthy can pay their way out of jail to await trial while those in economic distress — particularly people of color — have to sit it out behind bars. A pandemic-era increase in crime spurred debates on bail reforms.

While other states and municipalities have enacted changes to cash bail, notably New Jersey, Illinois is the first to abolish it. Instead, judges can decide that a defendant poses too much of a threat to the community to allow release, or that defendant can be released with conditions such as avoiding contact with a particular person or not visiting a certain place, according to the Bail Project.

Critics have argued that bail is a time-honored way to ensure defendants released from jail show up for court proceedings. They warn that violent criminals will be released pending trial, giving them license to commit other crimes.

Abolishing bail was part of an expansive criminal justice overhaul adopted in 2021 known as the SAFE-T Act. It was a piece of the groundbreaking “four pillars” agenda of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, approved with the aim of improving the lives of marginalized communities following the police killings of George Floyd and others in the previous year.

A Kankakee County judge, ruling on a lawsuit brought by county state’s attorneys and sheriffs, found that because the constitution mentions “bail,” it would take a constitutional amendment approved by voters to make such a change.

Theis countered in her opinion of the case, known as Rowe v. Raoul, that the constitution “does not mandate that monetary bail is the only means to ensure criminal defendants appear for trials or the only means to protect the public.”

Theis said that the charter “creates a balance” between the rights of defendants and victims and the law abolishing bail “sets forth procedures commensurate with that balance.”

When the Supreme Court received the direct appeal from the local court, it stopped the scheduled Jan. 1, 2023 implementation of the law. Theis ordered that it take effect in 60 days, on Sept. 18.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, on a trade mission to the United Kingdom, hailed a “transition to a more equitable and just Illinois.”

“We can now move forward with historic reform to ensure pre-trial detainment is determined by the danger an individual poses to the community instead of by their ability to pay their way out of jail,” the Democrat said in a statement.

Justice David K. Overstreet dissented, arguing that the law violates the constitution’s Crime Victims Bill of Rights, which voters added in 2014. He said it gives victims the right “to have their safety and the safety of their family, considered in denying or fixing the amount of bail.” Changing that requires voter approval, not just legislative fiat.

Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, calling the ruling “terribly detrimental to public safety” but pledged to abide by it. Another plaintiff, Kankakee County Sheriff Michael Downey, noted the decision was divided along party lines.

“This opinion will embolden criminals even more which is what our governor seems to want,” Downey said.

New Jersey essentially eliminated cash bail in 2014, replacing it with a risk assessment process which gauged the potential danger to the community a defendant posed if released. But there are instances where cash bail is still allowed, as is the case in other states which have curtailed the practice, such as New York and Alaska.

In spring 2020, the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices strongly endorsed bail reform, noting that found that a defendant who can’t afford bail sees his or her life unravel within days — loss of a job, loss of child custody, health problems without access to medication.

What’s more, the commission found that it tends to generate spurious plea deals. Defendants reason that pleading to a lower-level offense gets them out of jail sooner.

Joining Theis in her opinion were Justices P. Scott Neville Jr., Joy V. Cunningham and Elizabeth M. Rochford. Justice Mary K. O’Brien specially concurred with her own opinion.

Justice Lisa Holder White joined Overstreet in his dissent.

Extreme Heat: Humanity’s Greatest Climate Killer

Maria
-
0
Extreme Heat: Humanity’s Greatest Climate Killer

By Amara N. Beaty, Voice and Viewpoint Staff Writer

Heat is the deadliest and most threatening weather hazard to human health. With heat temperatures rising in the state of California and across the globe, it’s important to understand the dangers of extreme heat and how to stay cool in its midst. Ethnic Media Services and the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC) held the first of three special news briefings on July 13, 2023, to highlight what extreme heat is, its dangers and what resources the state of California is implementing in response to the hazardous weather.

The briefing, just one week after Planet Earth recorded the four hottest consecutive days on earth thus far, included five guest speakers to highlight the various ways heat affects California residents: Professor V. Kelly Turner, Assoc. Director of Urban Environmental Research at UCLA; Dr. Lucía Abascal, MD, PhD, MS of CA Dept. of Public Health (CDPH); Marta Segura, City of Los Angeles’ Chief Heat Officer and Director of Climate Emergency Mobilization; Sandra Young, Founder of Mixteco Indigenous Community Organizing Project (MICOP); and Dr. Kimberly Chang, MD, MPH, Asian Health Services Family Physician.

Prof. Turner, brought to the conversation her expertise on the science of extreme heat and how that applies to policy change in California. Already noted is the fact that heat poses the greatest weather-related risk to human health. Extreme heat, such as heat waves, have an even greater effect on urban cities as opposed to more rural ones due to buildings, roads, and parking structures made from heat-absorbing materials — known as the “Urban Heat Island Effect”. Turner explained one way to combat this effect is through “shade infrastructure,” like trees and awnings, which can reduce heat by around 30 to 40 degrees celsius.

The state is mobilizing resources to help beat the heat as well through the implementation of cooling spaces like the aforementioned shade infrastructure as well as cool zones like malls, libraries and shaded parks. Plans for planting more trees and the placement of “bus shelters” are also in the works. Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a $20 million multi-ethnic education campaign, Heat Ready California, July 11, 2023, to help mitigate the health risks caused by heat exposure in California. Planning information, resources and strategies for staying safe and cool in the heat can be found at HeatReadyCA.com. 

According to Segura, California cities, such as Los Angeles, are working on implementing more cooling centers, as the state is experiencing longer heat seasons, with high-heat lasting from about mid-June to mid-November, and more heat waves, with waves frequenting five times more than they were 10 years ago. 

Dr. Abascal offered some tips on behalf of CDPH to stay cool at home and on a daily basis. Utilize the cool zones and to keep the air conditioning on at home if possible. Staying hydrated and checking in on friends, family, and neighbors is also important during these times of harsh weather. This is especially vital for vulnerable CA residents including pregnant women, older adults aged 65+, small children, people with disabilities and chronic conditions, residents of urban communities, and the homeless population.

Healthcare providers also hold a key role in the prevention of heat-related illness, as symptoms of heat stroke and other health issues due to heat exposure can often be ignored or misunderstood. This is especially true for vulnerable residents.

“It’s important as providers to recognize [headaches, fatigue, rashes, dizziness, and fevers as symptoms] being tied to heat exposure,” said FNP Young. “I think we don’t do that good a job [of] recognizing those connections many times.”

Be sure to stay informed, cool and hydrated during these record-high temperatures.

New York City Agrees to Pay $13 Million to 2020 Racial Injustice Protesters in Historic Class Action

Maria
-
0
New York City Agrees to Pay $13 Million to 2020 Racial Injustice Protesters in Historic Class Action

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City has agreed to pay more than $13 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought on behalf of roughly 1,300 people who were arrested or beaten by police during racial injustice demonstrations that swept through the city during the summer of 2020.

If approved by a judge, the settlement, which was filed in Manhattan federal court Wednesday, would be among the most expensive payouts ever awarded in a lawsuit over mass arrests, experts said.

The lawsuit focused on 18 of the many protests that erupted in New York City in the week following the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. With certain exceptions, people arrested or subjected to force by NYPD officers at those events will each be eligible for $9,950 in compensation, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs.

The agreement, one of several stemming from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, allows the city to avoid a trial that could be both expensive and politically fraught.

It comes as many other cities across the U.S. are negotiating their own settlements with protesters who spilled into the streets to decry racist police brutality after Floyd’s death, a period of unrest that saw 10,000 people arrested in the span of a few days.

Attorneys with the National Lawyers Guild, which represented the plaintiffs in New York, accused NYPD leaders of depriving protesters of their 1st Amendment rights through a “coordinated” campaign of indiscriminate brutality and unlawful arrests.

Through more than two years of litigation, attorneys for the city maintained that police were responding to a chaotic and unprecedented situation, pointing to some unruly protests in which police vehicles were set on fire and officers pelted with rocks and plastic bottles.

A spokesperson for the NYPD deferred questions to the city’s Law Department, which did not respond to a request for comment.

During some of the 2020 protest marches, officers deployed a crowd control tactic known as kettling against peaceful protesters, corralling them in tight spaces and attacking them with batons and pepper spray before making mass arrests.

Adama Sow, one of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said their group of marchers were trapped by police without warning. Sow and the other arrestees were placed in zip ties until their hands turned purple, then held in a sweltering correctional bus for several hours.

“It was so disorganized, but so intentional,” Sow said. “They seemed set on traumatizing everyone.”

The city invoked qualified immunity, which protects police officers from lawsuits stemming from lawful work performed in the line of duty, and defended the decision to arrest medics and legal observers as within the rights of the department.

While attorneys for the plaintiffs cited past crackdowns on large demonstrations, including during the 2004 Republican National Convention, as evidence of longstanding “systemic violations” by the NYPD, attorneys for the city said there was no systematic effort to deprive people of their right to protest.

“There is no history — or present or future — of unconstitutional policing,” Georgia Pestana, an attorney for the city, wrote in a memo. “There is no frequent deprivation of constitutional rights.”

The lawsuit named former Mayor Bill de Blasio and retired NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea as well as other police leaders as defendants. Under the settlement agreement, neither the city nor the NYPD is required to admit any wrongdoing.

Protesters who were arrested on certain charges — including trespassing, property destruction, assaulting an officer, arson or weapons possession — will be excluded from the settlement. Those who were seen on video blocking police from making arrests may also be ineligible.

Unlike some other lawsuits related to the 2020 protests, the class action was not meant to force the NYPD to change its practices. There are several other lawsuits aimed at injunctive relief that are ongoing, including one brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James that calls for a federal monitor to oversee the NYPD’s policing of protests.

Another class action settlement announced earlier this year would award $21,500 to those arrested by police during one demonstration in the Bronx, a payout that could total around $10 million including legal fees.

Separately, more than 600 people have brought individual claims against New York City related to police action during the 2020 protests, according to the city’s comptroller, Brad Lander. Roughly half of them have resulted in settlements and resolutions, costing the city nearly $12 million to date.

Wylie Stecklow, an attorney for the protesters in the class action lawsuit, said the growing cost to taxpayers should serve as a “red flag” for city leaders about the NYPD’s inability to correct its “decades old problem with constitutionally compliant protest policing.”

“While the arc of the moral universe is indeed long, sometimes it needs reform to bend towards justice” he said.

From the Desk of the Editor GOD Latest Episode

Maria
-
0
From the Desk of the Editor GOD Latest Episode

Watch GOD Radio latest episode and hear all of what Dr. Warren, Dr. Richmond  and host Dr. Thompson have to say.

Watch full episode bellow:

Home Depot Faces a Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination Against Disabled African American Veterans

Maria
-
0
Home Depot Faces a Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination Against Disabled African American Veterans

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Home improvement retailer Home Depot is facing a civil rights lawsuit filed by Larry and Denise Boggs, disabled African American veterans, who claim the company purposefully discriminated against them and denied them services based on their race and disabilities.

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, accuses Home Depot of violating various laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the New York State Human Rights Law, and federal civil rights statutes.
According to the complaint, the Boggs sought assistance from Home Depot to make their home more accessible for Denise, who uses a wheelchair due to a below-the-knee amputation.

The Home Depot Foundation, a nonprofit organization affiliated with Home Depot, had entered into a contract in October 2017 to perform construction improvements on the Boggs’ home, ensuring ADA compliance and meeting Denise’s needs.

However, the Boggs allege that Home Depot and its affiliates breached the contract and discriminated against them based on their race and disabilities.

The lawsuit claims that the company failed to complete the agreed-upon improvements, withheld necessary building supplies, and performed faulty work that violated local building codes.
Additionally, Home Depot allegedly misused grant funds for building materials to purchase unrelated tools.

The Boggs also claim that Home Depot employees informed them that work on their home would be delayed due to the return of Hasidic Jewish residents for the summer.
When the couple contacted Home Depot to address the ongoing issues, they said company officials told them to complete the work themselves, with Home Depot employees providing only minimal assistance.

The lawsuit asserts violations of the ADA, breach of contract, violations of the New York State Human Rights Law, and federal civil rights statutes.
The couple seeks compensatory and punitive damages, declaratory relief, attorney’s fees, and other appropriate relief.

Home Depot, which operates over 2,200 stores across the United States, including numerous locations in New York State, has yet to issue a public statement regarding the lawsuit.

Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern rejected Home Depot’s motion to dismiss the race and disability discrimination suit filed by the Boggs.
Judge Halpern ruled that the couple sufficiently proved that Home Depot employees had prioritized work for white, Hasidic Jewish residents, causing the abandonment of the Boggs’ home renovation.

Halpern dismissed Home Depot’s argument that the Boggs’ did not have the right to enforce the renovation grant provided by the nonprofit Action Towards Independence Inc.
The judge also found that the Boggs’ had a recognizable property interest in using their own home and that Home Depot’s alleged racial discrimination impacted their ability to utilize their property.

Halpern further ruled that Home Depot must face the couple’s breach of contract claim due to the terms of the grant contract and the Boggs being third-party beneficiaries.
Additionally, Halpern rejected Home Depot’s argument that the disability discrimination claim under the New York Human Rights Law should be dismissed, stating that the law applies when a place of public accommodation discriminates at a private residence.

“This is an elderly Black family in a predominately white and Hasidic Jewish neighborhood,” said the couple’s attorney, Onyuwoma W. Igbokwe.
“They obviously didn’t have the financial capability to take care of their home. Home Depot was supposed to step in there and help them out.”

1...236237238...1,035Page 237 of 1,035

Unlike many news organizations, Voice & Viewpoint delivers content that matters to you. Help us keep it that way by making a generous donation for as low as $2. Your support will fund local, investigate journalism for the community, by the community.

Accessibility Toolbar

Unlike many news organizations, Voice & Viewpoint delivers content that matters to you. Help us keep it that way by making a generous donation for as low as $2. Your support will fund local, investigative journalism for the community, by the community.

Contribute Today

© The San Diego Voice and Viewpoint

Submit Community News Advertise Contact Us Subscribe Our Team Privacy Policy