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Court asked to void Verdict Against ex-cop in Floyd’s Murder

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Jan 18, 2023

Court asked to void Verdict Against ex-cop in Floyd’s Murder

By STEVE KARNOWSKI, Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An attorney for Derek Chauvin asked an appeals court Wednesday to throw out the former Minneapolis police officer’s convictions in the murder of George Floyd, arguing that legal and procedural errors deprived him of a fair trial.

Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pinned the Black man to the ground with his knee on his neck for 9 1/2 minutes. A bystander video captured Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death touched off protests around the world and forced a national reckoning with police brutality and racism.

Chauvin’s attorney, William Mohrman, told a three-judge panel of the Minnesota Court of Appeals that the trial judge should have moved the case out of Minneapolis because of extensive pretrial publicity and unprecedented security precautions due to protest fears.

“The primary issue on this appeal is whether a criminal defendant can get a fair trial consistent with constitutional requirements in a courthouse surrounded by concrete block, barbed wire, two armored personnel carriers, and a squad of National Guard troops, all of which or whom are there for one purpose: in the event that the jury acquits the defendant,” Mohrman said.

But Neal Katyal, a special attorney for the state, said Chauvin got “one of the most transparent and thorough trials in our nation’s history. … Chauvin’s many arguments before this court do not come close to justifying reversal.”

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 1/2 years after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin later pleaded guilty to a separate federal civil rights charge and was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, which is he is now serving in Arizona concurrent with his state sentence.

“Judge Cahill managed this trial with enormous care, and even if Chauvin could identify some minor fault, any error is harmless,” Katyal said. “The evidence of Chauvin’s guilt was captured on video for the world to see.”

Appeals Judge Peter Reyes said Wednesday that the court would rule within 90 days. Chauvin did not attend the oral arguments, but Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who assembled the prosecution team, sat in the front row.

Even if Chauvin wins his appeal, his federal sentence will keep him in prison longer than his state sentence likely would because he would qualify for parole earlier in the state system.

Mike Brandt, a Minneapolis defense attorney who has been following the cases arising from Floyd’s murder, said a victory at appeal “would be functionally meaningless” and that Chauvin’s time in prison is “pretty well locked in stone” given his federal sentence.

Mohrman often pursues conservative causes, including challenges to President Joe Biden’s election victory and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Mohrman argued in his brief that the pretrial publicity was more extensive that any other trial in Minnesota history, and that the judge should have moved the trial and sequestered the jury. Mohrman wrote that the publicity and the riots, the city’s $27 million settlement with Floyd’s family announced during jury selection, the unrest over a police killing in a Minneapolis suburb during jury selection, and the sealing off of the courthouse, were just some of the factors prejudicing Chauvin’s chance of a fair trial.

Much of the questioning Wednesday centered on one juror who participated in a civil rights event commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s March on Washington a few months after Floyd’s death. Only after the trial did the juror reveal that he had been there.

He was questioned during jury selection about whether he had participated in any demonstrations or marches “in Minneapolis” against police brutality after Floyd’s death. But Chauvin’s original attorney, Eric Nelson, did not ask whether he had participated in any marches elsewhere.

Mohrman argued that Cahill should have held a hearing after the revelation to determine whether the juror’s nondisclosure constituted misconduct. He said the appeals court should send the case back to Cahill for a hearing on that issue — a request that Cahill had denied.

Reyes said judges have “fairly broad discretion” in conducting trials, and that Nelson questioned the juror and could have struck him but did not. Reyes said case law puts the burden for asking the right questions on the defense.

Katyal told the judges that the juror accurately answered the questions and insisted repeatedly that he could render an impartial verdict. He said the defense didn’t use three of its peremptory strikes, which he called an indication of satisfaction with the jury.

In their brief, prosecutors said pretrial publicity had blanketed the state making a change of venue for the trial pointless. They also said Cahill took sufficient steps to shield the jurors from outside influences so there was no need to sequester them before deliberations.

Other disputes in the appeal include whether it was legally permissible to convict Chauvin of third-degree murder, and whether Cahill was justified in exceeding the 12 1/2 years recommended under the state’s sentencing guidelines.

Spotlight on Black Excellence: Six Organizations With a Social Justice Mission

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Jan 18, 2023

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Spotlight on Black Excellence: Six Organizations With a Social Justice Mission

By Megan Sayles, The Afro, Word in Black

The age-old adage tells us to put our money where our mouth is. Rather than spend money with businesses that are just looking to turn a profit, civil rights activists and other social change agents say it’s critical that consumers look to fund nonprofits and companies that are tackling modern civil rights issues, like mass incarceration, the racial wealth divide, and equitable education.

Here’s a look at some business and community leaders who are using their ventures to create social change.

CLLCTIVLY

Yes, the spelling is nontraditional, but CLLCTIVLY’s vital services are unusual, too. This Baltimore-based organization was founded in 2019 by Jamye Wooten to prevent the fragmentation and duplication of nonprofit programs.

CLLCTIVLY created a virtual asset directory of organizations in the Greater Baltimore area and organized them by neighborhood and focus area, so community leaders do not waste their time, talent and resources establishing programs or nonprofits that already exist. It also dedicates itself to funding Black futures with various initiatives, including: CLLCTIVGIVE, a two-day crowdfunding campaign for Black social change organizations; Adaptive Village Small Grants Program, a program that supports community members who are creating healthy spaces for children; and the Black Futures Micro-Grant, which awards unrestricted funding to Black woman-led organizations in Greater Baltimore.

Parity Homes

After witnessing how gentrification led to the unjust displacement of Black and Brown communities across New York City, Bree Jones committed herself to being a housing activist. Following her move to Charm City, Jones in 2020 founded Parity, an equitable development company in West Baltimore. The business purchases and rehabilitates abandoned properties by the block and sells them to community members at affordable prices. For Parity, homeownership is an avenue for Black communities to create generational wealth.

Helping Ourselves Transform

A Black- and woman-led nonprofit, Helping Ourselves Transform provides citizens returning from incarceration with the tools they need to rebuild their lives.

The organization was founded by Carmen Johnson, who served three years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and making false statements on loan accounts. Johnson maintains that she was wrongfully convicted and has dedicated herself to promoting mass liberation.

Helping Ourselves Transform provides returning citizens with various one-on-one services, including employment training, job placement, financial literacy, parole preparation and peer-to-peer counseling. It has also partnered with schools in Maryland and D.C. on a youth diversion program to help young people transition from adolescence to adulthood and avoid incarceration.

Health in Her Hue

This digital platform was created to address the health disparities that Black women face. Founded in 2018 by Ashlee Wisdom and Eddwina Bright, Health in Her Hue connects Black women and other women of color with culturally competent healthcare providers. Users can enter information, such as their zip code and health insurance, and pick from a list of specialties and care proficiencies to locate the doctor they need. Health in Her Hue also offers a variety of resources on topics geared toward women of color, ranging from breast health, chronic diseases and pregnancy.

Expedition Sahara

Founded in 2018 by Senegal-native Sofi Seck, Expedition Sahara provides colorful, handmade home goods. Each design celebrates the tradition and history of Africa’s craftsmanship, and the products are made with cultural techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. Expedition Sahara also dedicates 20 percent of its annual profits to an education fund that will be used to build a science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) school for girls in Senegal.

Beauty Bakerie

Cashmere Nicole founded Beauty Bakerie in 2011, and since then the brand has illustrated how makeup and activism can unite. Every Beauty Bakerie product is cruelty-free and vegan-friendly, and they are available in big makeup stores, including Ulta Beauty and Sephora. A portion of the company’s sales supports Nicole’s nonprofit, Sugar Homes, which s orphaned children across the world. One home is located in Kasese, Uganda and serves 24 children. Recently, Beauty Bakerie pinpointed another location in Zanzibar, Tanzania, which is set to better the lives of 200 children.

The post AFRO spotlight on Black excellence: six organizations with a social justice mission appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.

Here’s Why Depression in Black Women Might Be Overlooked by Doctors

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Jan 18, 2023

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Here’s Why Depression in Black Women Might Be Overlooked by Doctors

By Alexa Spencer, Word in Black

Exposure to racism and other stressors increase the risk for depression in Black folks and other people of color. But for Black women — who are impacted by racism, sexism, and other forms oppression — their depressive symptoms appear differently than other groups and may go overlooked by doctors.

A Dec. 2022 paper published in Nursing Research revealed that Black women are less likely to report stereotypical symptoms of depression such as sadness or hopelessness. Instead, they’re noting trouble sleeping, self-criticism, irritability, and an inability to experience pleasure.

This discovery — made by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and Columbia University School of Nursing — could mean Black women aren’t getting the mental health care they need.

“Based on our findings, it’s possible that health care providers may miss depression symptoms in Black women, resulting in underdiagnosis and undertreatment,” Nicole Perez, Ph.D., RN, a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner and postdoctoral associate at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and the lead author of the study, said in a statement.

Black women are particularly at risk for major depressive disorder — or clinical depression — due to them bearing societal burdens of poverty, single parenthood, and racial and gender discrimination.

Depression is a serious mental illness that can impact how a person feels, thinks, or acts. It can also lead to emotional and physical problems that make it difficult to function at work or at home.

The illness is diagnosed by providers based on symptoms reported by patients during an evaluation. Some other symptoms that are considered common include low mood, loss of interest in activities, and changes in appetite or sleep.

While there are “common” symptoms, the reality is that depression appears uniquely for everyone.

With over 1,500 possible combinations of symptoms that meet the criteria for a depressive disorder, it’s not unusual for it to be undertreated.

But with most research on symptom variation having been conducted on white people, it makes it even more likely that depression will be missed among Black women and other people of color.

Black women are particularly at risk for major depressive disorder — or clinical depression — due to them bearing societal burdens of poverty, single parenthood, and racial and gender discrimination.

My hope is that these findings contribute to the growing dialogue of how depression can look different from person to person, and raise awareness of the need for more research in historically understudied and minoritized populations.

NICOLE PEREZ, PH.D., RN, LEAD AUTHOR

The researchers examined data from 227 Black women who were screened for depression as part of the Intergenerational Impact of Pscycholgical and Genetic Factors on Blood Pressure (InterGen) study — a study that sought to understand the genetics, psychological, and environmental factors that contribute to high blood pressure in Black mothers and children.

While the study results could be considered groundbreaking due to the lack of representation of Black women in previous research, the researchers caution people from generalizing their findings to all Black women. This is due to the fact that the study participants were younger and had “relatively low levels of depression.”

Nonetheless, the results further the conversation about the need for inclusive screening tools that account for all types of depression symptoms, including somatic — relating to the body — and self-critical.

“My hope is that these findings contribute to the growing dialogue of how depression can look different from person to person, and raise awareness of the need for more research in historically understudied and minoritized populations, so that we can better identify symptoms and reduce missed care and health disparities,” Perez said.

For more information on free mental health services near you, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org.

LA Council Again Struggles with Fallout from Racism Scandal

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Jan 18, 2023

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LA Council Again Struggles with Fallout from Racism Scandal

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, AP Political Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles City Council struggled again Wednesday with a still-unfolding racism scandal that led to the resignation of its former president and left behind a quandary about how to deal with a disgraced member who has resisted calls from President Joe Biden to step down.

On a 12-2 vote, the council agreed to explore possible additional, punitive steps against censured Councilman Kevin de León, including restricting his use of certain office funds and collaring publicly funded mailers he sends to constituents.

He is the only council member involved in the scandal still in office, allowing him to continue to collect his annual salary of nearly $229,000 — among the most lucrative paydays for city council members in the nation.

The scandal has strained racial tensions and become a national embarrassment for the nation’s second most populous city, which also has been contending with an unchecked homeless crisis and rising crime rates. Meanwhile, three current or former council members have been indicted or pleaded guilty to corruption charges.

The turmoil was triggered in October by a leaked recording of crude, racist comments from a year-old meeting involving de León, then-council President Nury Martinez, labor leader Ron Herrera and then-Councilman Gil Cedillo — all Latino Democrats — in which they plotted to expand their political power at the expense of Black voters during a realignment of council district boundaries. Herrera resigned and Cedillo’s term ended in December.

The California Legislative Black Caucus has said the recording “reveals an appalling effort to decentralize Black voices during the critical redistricting process.”

Who leaked the recording on the website Reddit just weeks before the November midterm elections – and why – remains unknown. State and local law enforcement investigations are underway.

The move to potentially further restrict de León’s activities followed the council’s vote in October to censure him, Martinez and Cedillo, the strongest step the council can take to publicly reprimand them for their participation in the private meeting. The council cannot expel members — it can only suspend a member when criminal charges are pending. De León also was stripped of his committee assignments.

He’s also facing a possible recall election that could remove him from office. De León has apologized repeatedly but said he will not resign.

The latest proposal appeared to reflect growing frustration by colleagues who consider de León a political pariah and say they are not willing to work with him, while pressuring the former state Senate leader to reconsider his decision to stay in office.

Council President Paul Krekorian said city law was “lacking in clarity” when a council member falls short of ethical conduct standards but doesn’t commit a crime. He said the proposal approved Wednesday asked city officials, including the city attorney, to assess other possible steps against de León “so this council can decide what options are available.”

Those also could include limiting his ability to introduce certain types of motions, and limiting his ability to authorize contracts.

“The council cannot legally take any action to remove Councilmember de León from the Council — only the people of District 14 can do that,” Krekorian said in an earlier statement, referring to a possible recall election. “But the council cannot appear to tolerate racist sentiments like those heard on the … recording.”

He said none of the possible steps would affect funding or services for the district.

After an absence from council, De León has been maneuvering to return to the public sphere, despite being reviled by colleagues who have openly rebuked him in the chamber. His appearances at council meetings have set off raucous protests, and last month he scuffled with an activist who heckled him at a holiday toy giveaway.

In remarks in council, De León called the proposal “deeply troubling,” saying it would reduce residents in his district to “second-class status.”

De León called the provisions outlined in the motion a “slippery slope,” which if approved, would undermine “the rights of my constituents to be equally served.”

As at meetings in recent weeks, a series of residents who spoke called de León a disgrace who should resign, but others urged him to continue his work in his heavily Latino district, which includes downtown Los Angeles.

Biden-Harris Tout Record Small Business Growth; President Says ‘Best Days Ahead’

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Jan 17, 2023

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Biden-Harris Tout Record Small Business Growth; President Says ‘Best Days Ahead’

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Recent Census numbers show that the Biden-Harris administration set a new high for the number of new small businesses created.

The U.S. SBA administrator, Isabella Guzman, stated that the rate of new business applications in 2022 was slightly lower than in 2021, but still showed excellent growth under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

According to Guzman, “Small business applications hit a high of 10.5 million since the start of this administration, the largest in any two years in our nation’s history.”
The report’s authors state, “Steady and consistent growth, as well as unprecedented investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, and R&D, present enormous prospects for America’s entrepreneurs.”

Small businesses, Biden said in a statement, are “the engines of our economy and the heartbeat of our communities.”
According to data released on Jan. 17, “we learned that my first two years in office have been the two greatest years for new small company applications, with more than 10 million total new businesses created,” Biden noted.

The president added that the news provides more evidence that his economic plan is helping to strengthen the middle class and the economy as a whole.
Guzman said that tens of thousands of businesses were struggling to stay operational when Biden was elected.

According to her, Americans have been creating businesses and employment at unprecedented rates since the economic recovery began.

Guzman claimed that “the SBA and the Biden-Harris Administration continue to retool vital federal small business support programs and services to expand access to capital, provide much-needed trusted networks for technical assistance and training, and help America’s entrepreneurs seek new revenue opportunities from transformational legislation,” such as the president’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Biden said there are reasons for economic confidence all around the country because of the historically low unemployment rate and the two strongest years of job growth in history.
He stated that revitalizing America’s infrastructure and supply networks would be essential in the long-term success of the country’s small companies.

The president called House Republicans “sad” because they have made defending affluent tax cheats their main legislative goal.
He argued that his plan to crack down on corporations that cheat on their taxes will also help level the playing field for small businesses.

“I will continue to work with anybody from either party, in Congress or in the states, to implement my economic agenda and build our economy from the bottom up and middle out. And I am convinced America’s best days are ahead,” Biden said.

San Francisco Committee Recommends Massive Reparations Payout for Black Residents

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Jan 17, 2023

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San Francisco Committee Recommends Massive Reparations Payout for Black Residents

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Each Black inhabitant of San Francisco, including those arrested during the racist war on drugs, should receive a one-time, lump-sum payment of $5 million from the African American Reparations Advisory Committee.

Assuming the city council approves the proposal, it would be the largest payment of reparations in American history.

In a study released this week, members of the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee noted, “We have ultimately established that the repercussions of numerous programmatic and policy actions by San Francisco’s administration have been generational and overlapping.”

Committee members asserted that most prominent period that illustrates how the city and county of San Francisco as an institution contributed to the depletion of Black wealth and the forced relocation of its Black inhabitants was the period of urban renewal.

Further, the committee concluded that “public and private entities facilitated and coddled the conditions that created near-exclusive Black communities within the city, limited political participation and representation, disinvested from academic and cultural institutions, and intentionally displaced Black communities from San Francisco through targeted, sometimes violent actions”

(San Francisco’s African American population grew rapidly between 1940 and 1963).
To address what the San Francisco Chronicle calls “a national racial reckoning,” the Board of Supervisors established the AARAC committee in December 2020.

According to the Chronicle, what happens next “will demonstrate whether San Francisco lawmakers are serious about tackling the city’s checkered past or are merely pretending to be.”

The committee’s investigation determined that segregation, structural oppression, and racial prejudice developed from the institution of slavery had a tremendous impact on the development of the city, even though California was never formally a slave state.

Throughout the 20th century, the Chronicle reported, “San Francisco was a Ku Klux Klan stronghold, prohibited Black people from residing in particular districts, kept them out of city employment, and bulldozed the Fillmore,” a historically Black neighborhood and commercial center.

AARAC chair Eric McDonnell told the newspaper, “Centuries of devastation and destruction of Black lives, Black bodies, and Black communities should be met with centuries of restoration.”

A tale of two cities emerges when one examines San Francisco, as one observer put it.
This committee’s actions are consistent with those of other jurisdictions, where similar bodies have advocated for reparations for African Americans.

Residents must have self-identified as Black or African American on public documents for a minimum of ten years and be at least 18 years old when the committee’s plan is approved to receive the compensation.

Additionally, individuals may be required to show that they were born in San Francisco between 1940 and 1996, have been residents of the city for at least 13 years, and are either a former inmate themselves or a direct descendant of a former inmate who served time during the war on drugs.

The Chronicle said that “to put that in context,” the state reparations task panel believes Black Californians may be awarded $569 billion for housing discrimination alone between 1933 and 1977.

Evanston, Illinois, voted to pay $400,000 to select African Americans as part of the city’s vow to spend $10 million over a decade on reparations payments shortly after the San Francisco committee was founded.

The government of St. Paul, Minnesota, has apologized for its role in institutional and structural racism and formed a committee to investigate reparations.
A report detailing the committee’s proposed financial compensation for African Americans was subsequently made public.

A reparations task committee was established by the state of California last year, and its report from that year detailed the incalculable harm that slavery had caused to African Americans.

After George Floyd was murdered, the District of Columbia City Council announced it would create a task team to investigate compensation.
Legislators in both Maryland and Virginia have expressed an interest in researching reparations.

Meanwhile, there has been no movement on a federal level on a bill by Texas Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee to establish a committee to investigate reparations.
The San Francisco committee recommended that low-income African Americans get an annual payment equivalent to the region median for at least 250 years, on top of the $5 million payout.

As an added measure, the city would establish a public bank framework and provide citizens with extensive financial education to ensure that those without bank accounts have access to equal opportunities, including increased access to credit, loans, financing, and other means of managing their money.

The committee also seeks to pay for a broad debt cancellation plan that wipes out all types of debt including student loans, personal loans, credit card debt, and payday loans.
“Given the history of financial institutions preying on underbanked communities — and especially given the vulnerability of subsets of this population such as seniors and youth — this body recommends putting legal parameters and structures in place to ensure access to funds and to mitigate speculative harm done by others,” the committee concluded.

Man Tried 4 Times for Killing set Free after Charges Dropped

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Jan 17, 2023

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Man Tried 4 Times for Killing set Free after Charges Dropped

By LEA SKENE, Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore’s new top prosecutor dropped all charges Friday against a Black man who stood trial four times for the same killing, freeing him from behind bars and ending a controversial case that repeatedly raised questions about police and prosecutorial conduct.

Keith Davis Jr. was accused of fatally shooting Pimlico Race Course security guard Kevin Jones in 2015, after police claimed his gun matched casings from the shooting scene. Before arresting Davis, officers shot him multiple times, leaving him badly wounded. He survived and has maintained his innocence ever since.

Newly elected Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, who took office Jan. 3, announced Friday that charges were being dropped.

“Today’s dismissal is about the prosecutorial missteps of my predecessor in her pursuit of a conviction at all costs,” Bates said in a news release. “I have a duty to ensure justice for all, not just the victim but also the accused.”

Bates had pledged on the campaign trail to reconsider the case, which his predecessor Marilyn Mosby repeatedly brought to trial. Mosby was defeated in a Democratic primary last year while facing federal perjury charges.

When contacted Friday, Mosby told The Associated Press the case “has always been about the pursuit of justice for Kevin Jones and his family.” She declined to comment further.

Jones’ grandmother, Earlene Neals, said she felt blindsided and heartbroken by the news.

“Our family is destroyed,” she told AP by phone. “Kevin is getting no justice whatsoever — none.”

She accused Bates of using the case for political gain, saying she’s skeptical police will ever identify another suspect now that Davis is free.

Davis was the first person shot by Baltimore police after the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, a Black man severely injured in police custody whose case triggered protests and civil unrest in Maryland’s largest city amid calls for police reform.

A recent confluence of factors helped Davis regain his freedom after seven years behind bars, including growing support from activists and Bates’ 2022 election. Then a defense attorney, Bates beat Mosby in the Democratic primary, which assured him election in November in the heavily Democratic city.

Davis requested privacy Friday and made no public appearance, though he was photographed smiling widely from inside a vehicle after his release. He celebrated with supporters, including his wife, Kelly Davis, who led a yearslong grassroots movement seeking to clear his name.

“I hope people realize, we have watched a wrongful conviction in real time — and we did not look away,” she told The Associated Press. “Keith survived the bullets because that was not the end of his story. It was meant to be so much bigger.”

She called the case “an indictment of the entire system.”

“Keith is not an anomaly,” Kelly Davis added, saying many other defendants with credible innocence claims remain behind bars. He’s home now, she said, but “we cannot get these years back that were stolen from us.”

Attorneys with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, which represented Keith Davis throughout, said Friday’s decision helps restore confidence in Baltimore’s justice system.

Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue said Mosby’s handling of the case ran “counter to any concept of justice.”

Davis, 31, faced his fourth murder trial in 2019, when the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder — an outcome that was later overturned on appeal in 2021. Two previous trials ended in mistrials. A third trial led to a second-degree murder conviction that was also overturned.

At the time of his release Friday, Davis was awaiting a potential fifth trial.

In 2021, after his latest conviction was overturned, prosecutors filed additional charges against Davis, accusing him of attempted murder in a stabbing nearly a year earlier while he was behind bars. When those charges were filed, a Baltimore judge found a “presumption of vindictiveness” behind the prosecution. The same judge also held Mosby in contempt of court after finding she willfully violated a gag order by commenting about the high-profile case on Instagram.

The attempted murder case also was dismissed Friday.

Jones was shot on June 7, 2015, at the Pimlico track in northeast Baltimore.

Hours after the shooting, a Baltimore police officer was flagged down by an unlicensed cab driver in a nearby neighborhood who said someone tried to rob him at gunpoint. Police identified Davis as the suspect, chased him through the streets and cornered him in a mechanic’s garage. Police then fired at least 33 rounds at Davis, striking him three times, including once in the face.

Authorities said Davis had placed a gun on top of the refrigerator he was hiding behind inside the garage. But Davis said the weapon was planted on him after the police shooting.

Davis initially went to trial in 2016 for armed robbery. The jury found him not guilty of all charges except illegal possession of a handgun. About a week later, prosecutors charged him with murder in the Pimlico shooting, citing ballistics testing.

In his announcement Friday, Bates stopped short of declaring Davis innocent. Because he made comments about the case on the campaign trail, Bates said, he requested one of his deputies conduct the formal review.

“It is clear that a blatant disregard for the rules of professional responsibility and the law has permeated throughout the attempted prosecutions of Mr. Davis,” Deputy State’s Attorney Thomas Donnelly said in a statement.

Baltimore activist DeRay Mckesson, who celebrated with Kelly Davis and others Friday, said he became hopeful after Bates won the primary election, but “it’s not real until it’s real.”

He said many of Davis’ supporters were excited to finally meet him in person.

“Today is a reminder that when you organize, you win,” he told AP. “It wasn’t easy, but we did it.”

Leslie Jones Promises to be Herself Hosting ‘The Daily Show’

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Jan 17, 2023

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Leslie Jones Promises to be Herself Hosting ‘The Daily Show’

By MARK KENNEDY, AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Comedian Leslie Jones will be taking a temporary whirl as host of “The Daily Show” this week, and she says viewers can expect her trademark — some blunt, edgy humor.

“I’m not Jon Stewart. I’m not Trevor Noah, I’m Leslie Jones. So I’ll be bringing that vulnerable honesty,” the “Saturday Night Live” alum joked in an interview on the eve of her new gig.

Jones’ stand-in as host on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on the Comedy Central topical show yields to four more upcoming weekly gigs by comedians: Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughley, Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman.

While this week marks the first time Jones has appeared on “The Daily Show,” she’s no stranger to MC-ing, having guest-hosted “The Ellen Show” and taking charge of ABC’s game show revival “Supermarket Sweep.”

“No assignment to me is ever different. It’s always them asking for me. Pretty much what I come to deliver is me. So it’s not really too much different than when I used to do — updates at ‘SNL’ or doing standup, you know?” she said. “It’s all talking.”

Over the years, “The Daily Show” — first hosted by Craig Kilborn, then Jon Stewart and more recently Trevor Noah — has skewered the left and right by looking at the day’s headlines with a jaundiced view. Noah stepped down late last year, and no permanent successor has yet been named.

On “SNL,” three-time Emmy Award nominee Jones did impressions of Whoopi Goldberg, Serena Williams, Michelle Obama, Omarosa Manigault Newman and, most memorably, Donald Trump.

During her run from 2014 to 2019, she routinely hit on Colin Jost while appearing on his “Weekend Update” desk, calling him things like a “little salty oyster cracker,” and showing off her complicated and fictional relationship with fellow cast member Kyle Mooney.

Her viral tweets earned her an NBC correspondent job at the 2016 and 2018 Olympics. She hosted the BET Awards in 2017 and starred in the 2016 “Ghostbusters” remake.

Jones said she has been keeping up with daily events and personalities to ensure “The Daily Show” is still topical under her watch, but she’s also got stuff planned.

“We got already a lot of ideas wrapped up and what we want to do and what we want the show to look like,” she said. “Of course that changes with daily events. If something big happened, of course, we would have to change it for that. But, yeah, we got a lot of stuff that we already want to do.”

Asked if she’d be interested in inheriting the host’s chair on a permanent basis, Jones was non-committal. “I don’t really want to answer that,” she said.

Rev. Rhett H. James Honored During Dr. King Program

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Jan 17, 2023

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Rev. Rhett H. James Honored During Dr. King Program

By Joseph Green-Bishop, Texas Metro News Contributor

One of the most crucial figures in the American civil and human rights movements, Rev. Rhett H. James, who also helped to pioneer significant desegregation efforts in Texas, was honored posthumously at the 41^st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gala, Saturday, January 14, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dallas.

Rev. James, who included among his confidants, notables such as Dr. King and President Lyndon B. Johnson, invited the civil rights leader to speak in Dallas in January of 1963, to an audience of nearly 3,000. It was the first time that Dr King spoke in the city.

The “Trail Blazer Award” will be presented to his four children, Pamela James Jones, Cedric James, Steven James, and Gregory James.

“Reverend Jones was one of the most brilliant minds that this community has ever known,” said Candace Wicks, a Dallas native who serves as vice chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center’s advisory board.

The center is supported by the city of Dallas.

“The legacy of Reverend James is important, and proper recognition of him is long overdue,” Ms. Wicks said. “There are people in our city who do not know the significance of Reverend James. He is one of the most important citizens in the history of Dallas. He is more than worthy of being honored.”

Rev. James, who died in 2004, became the pastor of the New Hope Baptist Church in Dallas in 1958. Three years later he became the first African American awarded a Master of Theology degree from Texas Christian University. Twenty years later he earned a doctorate degree from the University of Texas in Arlington, where he later became the first Black professor on the school’s teaching staff.

He was president of the Dallas Chapter of the NAACP and frequented the White House for policy exchanges while his friend, President Johnson, was president.

An ardent proponent of education, Rev. James received his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Union University in Richmond. He worked with others to relocate Bishop College from Marshall, Texas to Dallas. He also served as a teaching recruiter, and administrator for the Dallas Independent School District.

“Reverend James was a brilliant civic leader and pastor,” said Rev. Ronald E. Jones, a former Garland, Texas mayor who, like Rev. James, pastored at New Hope. “He was a giant as a pastor and a giant as a leader and human being.”

Rev. James retired from New Hope in 1986. Rev. Jones was among the younger members of the clergy who learned principles of faith and responsibility from Rev. James while he pastored at the church.

Ms. Wicks said Saturday’s event would be the first in-person gala in two years.

“We were halted by COVID-19,” she said, adding that proceeds from the event will help seed academic scholarships for college students and will contribute towards the operating budget of the King Center. “The work that we do in the areas of housing, education, healthcare, financial assistance and so many others is consistent with the life and work of Dr. James. Like him, The King Center is committed to assisting others.”

Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee Introduces Anti-White Supremacy Bill, then Schools Republican Boebert on Hate

Digital Editor

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Jan 17, 2023

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Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee Introduces Anti-White Supremacy Bill, then Schools Republican Boebert on Hate

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

That’s enough of racism and bigotry, says Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
The Democratic representative from Texas has introduced House Resolution 61, which would amend Title 18 of the United States Code to broaden the definition of hate crimes, with the goal of preventing and prosecuting hate crimes motivated by white supremacy and conspiracy to commit such crimes.

The text of the bill reads as follows: “A person commits a white supremacy inspired hate crime when white supremacist ideology has motivated the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of actions that constituted a crime or were undertaken in furtherance of activity that, if effectuated, would have constituted a crime.”

With respect to any information or evidence obtained by the Department of Justice of any unlawful action specified in Jackson-Lee’s bill, the DOJ shall have the authority to conduct operations and activities pursuant to such crimes.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) would also be authorized to conduct investigations, intervene, and take any other measures it deems necessary and appropriate to prevent, mitigate, or stop any potentially violent action.

The Department of Justice’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program would keep track of white supremacist-inspired hate crimes and other related actions, and Justice Department officials would have the authority to prosecute those responsible for them.
Jackson Lee has requested that the DOJ report its findings annually to the relevant Congressional committees.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, claimed the legislation “makes a mockery of the First Amendment.”
While Boebert, a right-wing leader, misrepresented the legislation after reading a misleading news article, Jackson Lee schooled her on Twitter.

“First of all, it took me about 32 seconds of reading the article you cited to understand that none of you know what you are talking about,” Jackson Lee scolded.
To be convicted of a hate crime in some jurisdictions, “H.R. 61 simply deals with adding white supremacy to a list of reasons,” the Texas Democrat explained.

She elaborated:
“So, when the article states that ‘only white people can be charged with’ this crime, that’s flagrantly false.

“Your argument assumes that only white people can hold white supremacist views and that only certain groups of people can perpetrate violence motivated by white supremacy.

“I would hope now that your argument would not shift to ‘why is white supremacy being added to this law?’ That would be egregious.

“Yes, white supremacy should be added to this law. Why? Because as Director Wray testified, it’s a major domestic terrorist threat.”

While Black Newspapers Reveal Serial Rapists, Mainstream Turns to Comedy

Maria

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Jan 16, 2023

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While Black Newspapers Reveal Serial Rapists, Mainstream Turns to Comedy

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

In a news story that likely will leave some head-scratching along with palpable outrage, Kansas City police dismissed a Black News report of missing women.
Then one showed up.

“The story shows why it’s absolutely essential to have radical Black media outlets that are unapologetic and unafraid to report on issues that white news outlets don’t want to talk about or that they will water down or whitewash,” Ryan Sorrell, the 27-year-old founder of the Kansas City Defender, told the independent Capital B News.
The Black Press has been the primary voice of the Black community for 196 years. It informs those who are frequently forgotten or ignored by the mainstream media.
The Black Press of America has always spoken truth to power.

Despite the horrors of slavery, the disgust and inhumanity of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Era, and the global Black Lives Matter Movement, the Black Press has marched on.
And the community has continued to depend on the Black Press without being let down.
Reports that mainstream outlets quickly have dropped news and information further underscores the importance of the Black Press of America.

The latest news is that CNN, which once held itself as the leader in cable news, is looking for a comedian to fill its crucial 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. time slot.
Media folks are talking about Bill Maher, Arsenio Hall, and Trevor Noah as possible replacements for the spot that Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon once occupied.

“The ‘news entertainment’ personality could fill the prime time hours of 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. with a nontraditional version of the news,” Semafor, the global news platform, reported.
The outlet cited five people familiar with the planning.
Reportedly, CNN executives have looked at other comedic news-focused talk shows for inspiration.

Executives have also discussed turning the 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. hours into a series of shows modeled like a variety program, with “shows within shows” for different journalists, one network official told Semafor.

The discussions are aimed at turning away from the competition with MSNBC for liberal news junkies and toward pulling viewers from HGTV, ESPN, and Netflix, Semafor reported further.

The potential move at CNN comes even as critical news about people of color is only found in the Black Press, like the story the Kansas City Defender broke.
Excelsior Springs authorities arrested Timothy Haslett Jr., 39, after a Black woman claimed she escaped from a basement and sought help from his neighbors, alleging Haslett raped, whipped, and detained her against her will for weeks.

The woman reportedly escaped while Haslett was dropping his son off at school. The Defender reported that police searched his home and discovered a “dungeonlike cell” in his basement, painted black and equipped with several “devices” to restrain the woman.
Authorities charged Haslett with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree assault.

The Defender reported that Haslett was known to post racist content on Facebook. He also had problems with Black soldiers when he was in the military.
More than 230 African American-owned newspapers and media companies are represented by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

These newspapers and media companies, which comprise the Black Press of America, provide news and information to people all over the world.
Meanwhile, the Semafor report noted that CNN “is also reckoning with its need to have talent on hand to cover major breaking news events, such as the House Speaker’s race, which ran late into the evening and boosted CNN’s ratings.”
Further, the report noted that other outlets have already started looking at comedy to replace news.

“Fox has found success with Gutfeld!, a conservative alternative to late-night TV shows dominated by liberal hosts that tries very hard to be funny and regularly beats its traditional late-night competitors,” Semafor reported.

“NBCU executives have considered moving Seth Meyers’ show to MSNBC.”
Semafor also offered that such an experiment could also deliver a programming disaster for the mainstream news outlet.

Quoting the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple, Semafor observed, “Consider a scenario in which said entertainer was on air at the moment that an overseas war broke out, or an earthquake struck, or some states person died. Watching the network scramble to switch back into hard-news mode — well, that would surely be entertaining.”

Barbara Lee, Other House Dems Prepare to Enter California Senate Race

Maria

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Jan 16, 2023

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Barbara Lee, Other House Dems Prepare to Enter California Senate Race

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Rep. Barbara Lee plans to run for the Senate, a decision that comes despite fellow Democrat and incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein having yet to announce her intentions.
According to Politico, the 76-year-old Lee has told her colleagues in a closed-door Congressional Black Caucus meeting.

Asked later about her plans, Lee said in a brief interview she’d officially announce, “when it’s appropriate.”

“Right now, in respect to [Sen.] Dianne Feinstein and the floods and what I’m doing, I’m doing my work. And we’ll let them know when I intend to go to the next step. But now’s the time not to talk about that,” she said, according to Politico.
Lee’s office didn’t return messages from the Black Press.

However, Politico reported that Lee declined to say whether she’d run against 89-year-old Feinstein if the California senator chose to run again rather than retire.
“I’m not really doing anything except letting colleagues know that there’ll be a time to talk about the Senate race,” she said.

Lee’s decision to run comes a day after Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) also announced a bid for the seat currently held by Feinstein (D-Calif.).

Politico further noted that Lee was widely seen as leading the list of potential Feinstein replacements if she were to retire early and Gov. Gavin Newsom were to choose a successor, though there’s no indication Feinstein would do so.

The outlet reported that the governor vetted Lee when then-Sen. Kamala Harris departed for the vice presidency, and he publicly committed to choosing a Black woman if he had the chance to make another appointment.

Some other House members had emerged as potential contenders, but Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) isn’t expected to seek the seat. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has said he would defer a decision for a few months.