News

Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign

Justice For George Floyd Timeline: Derek Chauvin’s Lawyers Get New Chance To Deflect Blame For Ruthless Killing

Source: Mario Tama / Getty UPDATED: 1:00 P.M. ET, Dec. 17, 2024 White privilege exists even behind bars, apparently. The former Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd with a kneeling restraint to the neck for nearly nine straight minutes has inexplicably been granted an opportunity to challenge his federal conviction by playing into a conspiracy theory that deflects blame for the ruthless killing. Lawyers for Derek Chauvin, who is currently in prison, will be allowed “to examine heart tissue and fluid samples taken from George Floyd’s autopsy for an appeal of the former Minneapolis officer’s federal civil rights conviction based on a medical theory that Chauvin did not cause Floyd’s death,” the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson issued the ruling on Monday. Chauvin’s lawyers have maintained that Floyd, who was handcuffed at the time of his death, died from a pre-existing heart condition and not steady pressure from Chauvin’s knee on his neck. They claim that Chauvin’s previous lawyer, Eric Nelson, never properly explored the possibility of Floyd having a heart condition. More from the Star Tribune: Chauvin, who is serving state and federal prison sentences in excess of 20 years, is seeking to overturn his 2022 federal civil rights conviction over “ineffective assistance of counsel.” Chauvin is arguing that his original defense attorney, Eric Nelson, failed to inform him that a forensic pathologist based in Topeka, Kan., told Nelson he did not think Chauvin caused Floyd’s death. Chauvin added that Nelson failed to seek testing of heart tissue samples that Dr. William Schaetzel believed would show evidence of a heart condition called takotsubo cardiomyopathy. “Given the significant nature of the criminal case that Mr. Chauvin was convicted of, and given that the discovery that Mr. Chauvin seeks could support Dr. Schaetzel’s opinion of how Mr. Floyd died, the Court finds that there is good cause to allow Mr. Chauvin to take the discovery that he seeks,” Magnuson wrote in Monday’s order. Source: Stephen Maturen / Getty UPDATED: 9:30 a.m. ET, May 24, 2024 Policing Changes ‘Will Never Be Enough,’ Uncle Says George Floyd‘s uncle has spoken out ahead of the fourth anniversary of his nephew being murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. Selwyn Jones, co-founder of the Hope929 Foundation, a nonprofit group that aims to honor Floyd by helping marginalized communities along the civil rights front, recently reflected on what the past four years have been like since his nephew was brutally killed. “There has been change but it will never be enough as long as innocent people of all colors and races continue to die at the hands of police and from gun violence,” Jones said in a statement sent to NewsOne this week. George Floyd’s uncle Selwyn Jones pictured on June 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. | Source: KEREM YUCEL / Getty Jones spoke out during the same week when longtime Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee announced intentions to reintroduce the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, a sweeping criminal justice reform bill that has languished in Congress after Senate Republicans repeatedly filibustered it into legislative limbo. My sincerest thanks to the family of George Floyd, family members of other victims of police violence, my fellow members of Congress, representatives of advocacy organizations, and others who came out today for the reintroduction of the George Floyd #JusticeInPolicingAct of 2024. pic.twitter.com/9CyWLh8wlD — Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) May 24, 2024 The George Floyd Justice In Policing Act ambitiously aims to end police brutality, hold police accountable, improve transparency in policing and create meaningful, structural change when it comes to how law enforcement does their jobs. Witness who tried to stop Floyd’s murder wins $150K settlement An eyewitness who tried to help prevent George Floyd’s murder has settled a lawsuit with the city of Minneapolis after police assaulted him during the 2020 incident. On April 26, the Minneapolis City Council agreed to pay Donald Williams a $150,000 settlement, approving the money without much discussion, according to AP. Williams, who sued the city last year, alleged his encounter with police caused post-traumatic stress disorder. In his lawsuit, the mixed martial arts fighter claimed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin used a chemical spray on him and other bystanders concerned for George Floyd. Williams stated in the lawsuit that he feared for his safety and also endured pain throughout the incident. Source: Stephen Maturen / Getty Williams also testified against Chauvin during his murder trial and described the chokehold the former officer used on Floyd as what MMA fighters call a “blood choke.” Donald Williams, who witnessed George Floyd’s death, said he made a 911 call “because I believe I witnessed a murder.” pic.twitter.com/TgkQbxpfwZ — Jaylin aka Mr.President (@JaylinJSD) March 30, 2021 Williams also testified against Chauvin during his murder trial and described the chokehold the former officer used on Floyd as what MMA fighters call a “blood choke.”   As the wheels of justice have spun slowly but surely, 2024 is the first time the anniversary of the brazen police killing has come and all of the officers involved have been fully held accountable for their roles on May 25, 2020. Keep reading to find a complete and detailed timeline of the ongoing quest to bring justice for George Floyd. Source: Mario Tama / Getty The fallout continues Chauvin and the three officers who failed to intervene in the murder of Floyd — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao — were all behind bars and expected to stay there for years to come following their convictions in federal and state courts. Chauvin continues to file desperate motions requesting a new trial, but thus far those efforts have been unsuccessful as he serves a sentence of more than 20 years in prison. Last summer, Thao and Kueng rejected their plea deals from the state and decided to stand trial instead. They both were also convicted on federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights. Thao was sentenced to serve 42 months in prison and Kueng was

Justice For George Floyd Timeline: Derek Chauvin’s Lawyers Get New Chance To Deflect Blame For Ruthless Killing Read More »

HBCU Football Flirts With Getting Its Latest High-Profile Head Coach

Source: Ryan Hunt / Getty According to reports, Michael Vick, a former NFL and Virginia Tech standout quarterback, said Monday that he has interviewed for the head coaching position at Norfolk State. Vick confirmed the news from his Florida home to the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press that he has spoken with university president Javaune Adams-Gaston and Spartans sports director Melody Webb and anticipates a resolution “soon.” MORE: Here’s Every Black Heisman Trophy Winner In NCAA History Also See: Here Are The Most Notorious Criminals In NFL History Vick stated that Norfolk State officials approached him and that he is fascinated by the potential opportunity to give back to the Hampton Roads community, which has always supported him. Although Vick has no formal coaching experience, he expressed his confidence in knowing how to lead and what it takes. He says his plan would be to hire seasonal coaches to help him with the transition. This news comes after a lengthy search that began with no longer having Dawson Odums present. During Odums’ four years, his teams went 15-31, with each of his last three seasons ending in a loss. Vick is from Newport News and used to play in the NFL. He was an intern with the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp and was supposed to be the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football, a now-defunct spring league, but ended up becoming an assistant instead. Vick has been an NFL analyst for Fox Sports since 2017. He has been a studio expert for Fox NFL Kickoff and Fox NFL pregame show that airs every Sunday during the NFL season. He also helps with FS1’s NFL coverage. Monday afternoon, Adam Schefter took to social media to report that Sacramento State is also in talks to hire Vick as its new head coach. If Vick is hired by Norfolk State, he would be the latest high-profile head coach to join the HBCU football ranks, including but not limited to Deion Sanders at Jackson State University from 2020 to 2022 and Eddie George, who has been leading the Tennessee State University Tigers since 2021. Like Vick, both Sanders and George were also NFL standouts who enjoyed long professional careers. In 2022, Super Bowl champion, NFL Hall of Famer, three-time interceptions leader and loyal decade-long safety for the Baltimore Ravens, Ed Reed, was hired as the head football coach at Bethune-Cookman University, an HBCU in Daytona, Florida. However, the hiring was short-lived and rescinded following controversy from Reed criticizing not only Bethune-Cookman but other HBCUs. SEE ALSO: Jackson State Paid $800K To End Decades-Long HBCU Football Tradition, Documents Show ’60 Minutes’ Accuses Deion Sanders Of ‘Abandoning The Mission At Jackson State’

HBCU Football Flirts With Getting Its Latest High-Profile Head Coach Read More »

10 Timeless Reminders For Racial Equity Leaders Who Are In Civil Service

Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice speaks during the daily press briefing at the White House on January 26, 2021, in Washington, D.C. | Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Changes in administration and political shifts are a common occurrence. Some changes signify an end to a policy or practice, and some are a momentary bump in the road. In recent years, many civil servants were given the political cover to lead with and center racial equity at the federal level. Following the November election, these leaders may feel their actions are out of step. If history has taught us anything, it has taught us that racial equity is not a seasonal priority. In a nation of 335 million people, there will always be a need for civil servants who are willing to ask: Are there deficits; Who is bearing the burden of deficits; and how do we ensure well-intentioned efforts don’t make deficits worse? During my tenure as a federal employee, I occasionally reminded myself that George Patton stated, “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” Now is not the time to pack away or retire good ideas. A few years ago, Anthony Fauci, M.D., didn’t subscribe to the pressures of groupthink, and his actions saved lives. In a like manner, racial equity leaders can be equally shrewd and tenacious. The following reminders may be useful for anyone working on racial equity inside public institutions, especially at the federal level. Remember your oath as well as the ethics that serve as your North Star. Take a moment to assess your changing landscape. Don’t abandon what you have learned. Continue to invest in the development of your racial equity “hard skills.” Identify your legal anchor. The law is sacrosanct, and the law is still the law until it is repealed. What law gives you the flexibility and discretion to advance equity with confidence? Have accountability partners. Seek out peers who support your vision. Work with peer groups and role models. Join a professional association that shares your values and works in the interest of your community. Take a “calculated” risk. Then take another one. Don’t seek permission. Either public service is a public trust, or it isn’t. When you can’t change the institution, change how you managed your projects. Write. Your narrative matters. Track lessons for sharing with others. Public policy isn’t based on a static model. Instead, it is constantly being informed by new trends, opportunities and challenges. Encouraging racial equity is the unfinished business of public administration. Although naming it at the federal level is new, the topic has been the focus of professional sectors, civil society organizations, and academic scholars for decades. The electoral results underscore the fact that the fight for racial justice continues. It is imperative that we view these results as one chapter in a long struggle to advance a multi-racial democracy. This is not the end. Instead, it is a continuation of our work. Occasionally, leaders wrestle with the question of “being out of place” versus being in work environments that are “out of touch.” Take comfort in knowing that professional trailblazers are never out of place. Instead, you may be in a work environment that needs to catch up. Carlton Eley, MSURP, is the senior director of federal strategies for Race Forward. SEE ALSO: Op-Ed: It’s Time For The Federal Government To Lead On Racial Equity Restricting Racial Equality, LGBTQ Lessons In Schools Is Only Popular With Republicans, Research Shows

10 Timeless Reminders For Racial Equity Leaders Who Are In Civil Service Read More »

Five Star QB Prospect Julian Lewis Flips Commitment To Coach Prime

Five Star High School prospect Julian Lewis decommits from USC announces he will join Coach Prime in Boulder Colorado. Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes are officially eligible for a College Football Bowl game to end the season. Surprisingly if they win out they could find themselves in the college football playoffs competing for a National Champion. When Deion Sanders took over at Colorado he promised longtime fan Peggy he would lead them to a bowl game and kept his promise. Even with weeks left on the season, Sanders is delivering good news for the future. Carrollton, Georgia five-star prospect Julian Lewis joined “The Pat McAfee Show” to reveal his future as a college quarterback. Lewis was originally committed to Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans. After decommitting from USC experts alleged he could take his talents to Colorado or the Georgia Bulldogs. However, today Lewis cleared and committed to Coach Prime and the Buffs. “Coach Prime always says that the best players are gonna play and I wanna come in and compete..I wouldn’t have much fun sitting on the bench and I wanted to come somewhere that I have a chance to play” Lewis told McAfee. Coach Prime’s post-Shedeur Era has found the proper replacement at the quarterback position. Despite rumors of Prime heading to the NFL the addition of Lewis is another reason to stay in Boulder. If the Buffaloes reach the College Football Playoffs Prime’s turnaround will be nearly complete in under two years. In 2022 Colorado only won a single game but is now the hottest team in college sports and the place to be.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by JULIAN “Ju Ju” LEWIS (@julianlewis10) The post SkoBuffs: Five Star QB Prospect Julian Lewis Flips Commitment To Coach Prime & The Colorado Buffaloes appeared first on Bossip.

Five Star QB Prospect Julian Lewis Flips Commitment To Coach Prime Read More »

donalds_trump

Donald Trump So Far Fails To Appoint Black Person To Cabinet

Donald Trump‘s cabinet appointees have been the talk of the political news cycle over the past few weeks, as announcements about newly filled positions have been released almost daily. Many of these appointees are head-scratching to say the very least, those who have been empowered are devout bootlickers and it appears that they are being rewarded for their embarrassing idolatry. WWE executive Linda McMahon has been named Secretary of Education, Marco Rubio will become the Secretary of State, Tulsi Gabbard has been named Director of national intelligence, and failed presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr. is soon to be in charge of Health and Human Services for the United States. What one might find even more interesting than those who Trump picked is those he didn’t pick. Here’s a photograph of all the people who have shiny new gigs inside of Trump’s remixed administration. Notice anything in particular about this group? That’s right! Every single person that Trump wants to run this country, except “Please make me caucasian” Vivek Ramaswamy, is as white as the driven snow. Even after Black a** Candace Owens, Black a** Ben Carson, “Black Nazi” Mark Robinson, and Black a** Bryon Donalds licked boots like their Black a** lives depended on it, none of them were offered a Black a** job under their führer zaddy. Hell, the Trump campaign went out of their way to put on the charade that he cares about the future of the Black community by…going to Chick-fil-A with Black employees actors. Donalds recently appeared on CNN and played it nonchalant when he was questioned about not being selected to serve his massah after all the hard work he did in the field to help him get re-elected. You can tell by his tone that he’s saltier than an Auntie Annie’s pretzel about being snubbed. We bet the white MAGAs are having a good ol’ guffaw at the clout-chasing Black folks who prostrated themselves before Trump in hopes of getting a taste of the scraps from his dinner table Surprise, surprise. Donald Trump doesn’t want Byron’s Black a** hanging around the White House trying to feel important. What a bunch of losers. The sad part is that they still won’t learn their lesson. The sunken place is real. The post Black Jobs? Donald Trump Fails To Appoint Black Person To Cabinet, Bryon Daniels Sheepishly Responds ‘I’m Not Surprised’ appeared first on Bossip.

Donald Trump So Far Fails To Appoint Black Person To Cabinet Read More »

jasmine-crockett

Rep. Jasmine Crockett Teaches White People The Definition Of ‘Oppression’ At Anti-DEI Bill Meeting

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a meeting on the House floor to debate the GOP’s Dismantle DEI Act of 2024, which, of course, is essentially a “White People Want To Be Oppressed So Bad” bill aimed at ending any and all diversity, equity and inclusion practices throughout the federal government. As we previously reported, the bill was introduced by Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas), and an identical bill was introduced earlier this year by Vice President-elect and passionate Haitian hater JD Vance, both of whom have convinced themselves and the rest of MAGA America that “the DEI agenda is a destructive ideology that breeds hatred and racial division.” Well, there was one congresswoman who we could all count on to keep it real while ruffling delicate Caucasian feathers, and it was none other than Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), who gave GOP lawmakers a “vocabulary lesson,” because if they truly believe DEI “oppresses white men,” then they simply misunderstand the definition of oppression.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@repjasmine) “Let me tell you that the reason that my colleagues wanted to make sure you understood the same Black history that your side of the aisle wants to delete out of classrooms is because you can then misuse words like ‘oppression’ — there has been no oppression for the white man in this country,” Crockett began. “You tell me which white men were dragged out of their homes. You tell me which one of them got dragged all the way across an ocean and told that ‘you are going to go and work. We are going to steal your wives, we are going to rape your wives’ — that didn’t happen [to white people]. That is oppression,” she continued. “We didn’t ask to be here. We [are] not the same migrants that y’all constantly come up against. We didn’t run away from home, we were stolen.” If you listen closely, you can hear the faint sounds of white conservatives rolling their eyes into the back of their heads because whenever they have to hear references to Black history that they didn’t have a chance to run through their whitewashing fragility filter first, their one and only instinct is to get their Confederate-clad drawers all in a bunch. Crockett likely knew that Republicans only want to hear about slavery when it’s time for them to remind America that Democrats were largely responsible for it — as if they’re not the ones currently the Confederacy, its leaders, its monuments and its flag as a legacy that should be celebrated. But Crockett was far from done. “So yeah, we are going to sit here and be offended when you want to sit here and act like — and don’t let it escape you that it is white men on this side of the aisle telling us, people of color on this side of the aisle that y’all are the ones being oppressed — that y’all are the ones being harmed,” she said. “That’s not the definition of oppression. You tell me the prolonged, cruel or unjust treatment that you’ve had, and we can have a conversation.” “The final thing that I will say: diversity works, and until you can show me data that says otherwise, I think that we need to go back to being a country that listens to experts and gets out of our feelings and recognizes again that racism is real in this country. And until we stop pretending that it’s not, we will not solve the problems that we are consistently facing. And that will bring real unity we seek when we’re looking for a more perfect union.” Now, we all know that when it comes to the MAGA world, everything Crockett said, no matter how truthful, fell on deaf ears. These are, after all, the same people who went to war against critical race theory without ever being able to demonstrate that they had a clue what CRT is. They also went to war against “wokeness,” a term they have all struggled to define. Conservatives don’t really want to get into the nitty-gritty of DEI and why the practice ever became necessary, because they can’t rely on hollow, self-serving platitudes during an in-depth discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion. They would have to show substantial evidence — not anecdotal nonsense and absurd white grievance pontificating — that DEI actively hurts white people, and, as Crockett indicated, that data simply doesn’t exist while statistical evidence of systemic racism exists in abundance. As I’ve written plenty of times in the past, white men only dominate every major industry and entity in America, including the federal government, because they are the only demographic that has not been excluded from full access to the “American dream” for the overwhelming majority of American history. That’s why DEI exists, and it’s also why the only discussion white-and-fragile America wants to have about diversity is a discussion about dismantling it. White supremacy is America’s default, and the current GOP, especially under Donald Trump’s chokehold, is dedicated to making that aspect of America great again. SEE ALSO: Marjorie Taylor Greene Responds To Jasmine Crockett With Weightlifting Video ‘White Privilege’: Jasmine Crockett Rips Nancy Mace, House Republicans At Hunter Biden Hearing  

Rep. Jasmine Crockett Teaches White People The Definition Of ‘Oppression’ At Anti-DEI Bill Meeting Read More »

John Lapinski. | Source: Broward County Sheriff’s Office

Suspected White Supremacist Arrested With Weapons Was Targeting Black, Jewish People, Florida Cops Say

  Last month, on Halloween, a Florida man with a criminal history was arrested on suspicion of weapons violations after he was caught with several unregistered firearms and ammunition he couldn’t legally own. More disturbing than the weapons that were discovered in his home was a list that could potentially be of his Black and Jewish targets, according to prosecutors. According to NBC News, 41-year-old John Lapinski was arrested last month in Margate, Florida, which is about 40 miles north of Miami, and is currently being held without bail under a U.S. Marshals Service hold on federal charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing an unregistered gun suppressor. On Tuesday, a factual proffer in support of keeping Lapinski in lockup was filed and included new details about what was discovered among his belongings at his and his sister’s home. Those belongings included an AR-15 platform rifle described as a Palmetto State Armory Liberty-15, a Black Aces Tactical FD 12 shotgun, two semiautomatic handguns, a shotgun, body armor, smoke grenades, suspected silencers, an array of ammunition, spent shell casings and a homemade target, according to the proffer, which was signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton. Lapinski’s alleged list of weapons, ammo and accessories alone makes him a domestic terrorist attack waiting to happen, but it gets worse once you find out why he was taken into custody in the first place as well as that aforementioned list. According to Anton, Margate police officers received a report of shots fired about 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 31, and they arrived at the home of a woman who said she and her brother, ultimately identified as Lapinski, were the only residents. Officers determined Lapinski was the shooter and they took him into custody and transported him to a medical facility for a mental evaluation. No injuries were reported. Now, about that list. From NBC: The alleged list of targets includes Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., as well as locations the writer of the list characterized as draws for Jewish and Black people — a synagogue, a Jewish cemetery, a Jewish sandwich shop and parks and schools that were described using a derogatory term for Black people, according to Anton’s filing. One entry on the list said, “Stalk Jewish parks,” the proffer said. Moskowitz, who was re-elected Nov. 5, thanked law enforcement for its work on the case. “Regardless of our political affiliation or differences, we all have families we want to keep safe,” he said in a statement Nov. 8. Then there’s Lapinksi’s past run-ins with the law. Officers discovered that Lapinski was convicted twice in 2005 for resisting an officer with violence, a felony, and that he was under an ongoing restraining order in a 2017 domestic violence case, Anton said. In both matters, Lapinski was prohibited by a judge from possessing firearms and ammunition. A detention hearing for Lapinski is scheduled for Nov. 27. Be safe out there, folks. SEE ALSO: Beyond Texts: Suspected Racist Hate Crimes Surge After Trump’s Election Black Voters Terrified A Trump’s Presidency Will Bring Hate And Violence, Poll Finds  

Suspected White Supremacist Arrested With Weapons Was Targeting Black, Jewish People, Florida Cops Say Read More »

dei_photo

House Oversight Committee Meets To Discuss GOP’s ‘Dismantle DEI Act Of 2024’

We are two months out from Donald Trump being sworn in as the 47th president and already it’s beyond evident that a vote for Trump was a vote for the preservation of white supremacy — but we already knew that. On Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability will hold a markup to discuss what’s called the Dismantle DEI Act of 2024, a self-explanatory measure introduced by Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) and coupled with an identical bill introduced earlier this year by Vice President-elect JD Vance.  “The DEI agenda is a destructive ideology that breeds hatred and racial division. It has no place in our federal government or anywhere else in our society,” Vance wrote in a press release promoting the white fragility bill (because that’s really all this is). “I’m proud to introduce this legislation, which would root out DEI from our federal bureaucracy by eliminating such programs and stripping funding for DEI policies anywhere it exists. Americans’ tax dollars should not be co-opted to spread this radical and divisive ideology – this bill would ensure they are not.” Cloud essentially wrote the same platitude-ridden statement with a few more white-and-whiny words, which refuse to address the systemic racism that made DEI necessary in the first place. “DEI practices have zero place in our federal government,” Cloud wrote. “These initiatives, presented as promoting fairness, have instead fostered division and racial bias within our institutions and culture – which is not conducive to serving taxpayers well. This bill is a necessary step to restore merit and equality, not equity, in America’s government institutions, and eliminate the DEI bureaucracy that sows division and wastes taxpayer money. It’s absurd to fund these divisive policies, especially using American’s tax dollars, and it’s time for Congress to put an end to them once and for all. I want to thank my friend Senator Vance for his work on this issue and look forward to taking our message to the American people – a message that offers opportunity to ALL Americans rather than a select few.” *sigh* Is it irony, hypocrisy, delusion or all three wrapped up in one big noose knot of flagrant caucasity? Don’t answer that; we already know. White America spent months convincing itself that Vice President Kamala Harris was unqualified to be president despite her being a district attorney, state attorney general, U.S. Senator and the current president’s VP. If she had been elected, she would have been the first president in U.S. History to serve in all three branches of government. She was unqualified, and so was Barack Obama, according to white conservatives and their POC diversity mascots. Trump, on the other hand, was elected into office in 2016 despite having zero experience in governing or legislating or judiciary work. He bankrupted business, hosted a reality game show, led the birther movement against Obama, and consistently indicated that he had no factual understanding of the political process — and that was the totality of his “merit.” So far, Trump’s cabinet picks have all been white people, some of whom are clearly underqualified for the positions they’ve been appointed to or nominated for. (He literally nominated a Fox News host with zero experience in national defense to serve as Secretary of Defense.) To be fair, during Trump’s first presidency, he added a diversity hire or two to his own administration — unless Ben Carson had some extensive experience in housing and urban development that we just didn’t know anything about. There’s a reason the anti-DEI narrative never includes any substance or even a real argument outside of, “It’s unfair to white people,” particularly white men, who have dominated every major industry and government entity in America throughout all of the nation’s history. If they really dug their heels into the subject, they would have to whitesplain why there shouldn’t be any diversity initiatives in a country where white men and only white men had full access to the “American dream” for the overwhelming majority of America’s existence. They would have to whitesplain why the qualifications of white men are never placed under as much scrutiny as that of people of color, and why even elected officials of color are being called “DEI hires” if it’s truly about “merit.” They would have to whitesplain their belief that white people are the most discriminated against demographic in a country that is more than 70% white and where white people, again, overwhelmingly dominate the government and all of the most powerful industries in the nation. Perhaps some of this will be up for discussion during the House Committee hearing, which will include Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.). Crockett, AOC, and Bush should make it an interesting conversation as they have never shied away from calling American racism exactly what it is, while Donalds will certainly serve as MAGA Republicans’ Black friend who will certainly hold the water of white nationalism. It’s likely to be a frustrating debate that will be all the more frustrating if the discussion is more political than it is substantial. Ahead of today’s hearing, Demetria McCain, Director of Policy at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. shares the following statement: “The markup of the Dismantle DEI Act is a window into the deceptive tactics and harmful policies some congressional members will deploy next year and beyond. While supporters of this bill argue that they are working toward a colorblind society, the bill is actually a thinly-veiled attempt to turn the federal government into an engine of social and economic segregation–one that will leave Black communities and other communities of color, women, LGBTQ+ communities, and other marginalized and underrepresented groups on the sidelines looking in.” “True prosperity in America will only come if everyone has a seat at the table. It will not come from denying veterans and people with disabilities the resources needed to start a business or by keeping people in rural communities from accessing reliable internet

House Oversight Committee Meets To Discuss GOP’s ‘Dismantle DEI Act Of 2024’ Read More »

Brandon Durham

Cops Kill People: 43-Brandon Durham Gunned Down After Calling 911 For Knife-Wielding Girlfriend

Over the years BOSSIP has reported on far more police shootings than we care for. There is no ranking which of them are the most tragic because almost every single one resulted in an unnecessary loss of life. That said, some of the most disheartening cases are ones in which someone has dialed 911 for help and end up dead at the hands of an inept or overly aggressive officer. Such is the case for Brandon Durham. According to CNN reports, Durham, along with several others, made multiple calls to 911 to report a shooting on November 12, 2024. Durham was at home with his teenage daughter when people opened fire on his residence and broke in. Las Vegas police officer Alexander Bookman and two other officers responded to the scene and witnessed multiple damaged vehicles, broken glass, and heard screaming coming from inside the house. Bookman and co. then witnesses Durham and his 31-year-old girlfriend Alejandra Boudreaux wrestling over a knife. Body camera footage shows Bookman yelling “drop the knife” before firing a single round that struck Durham. Bookman then fired 5 more rounds as Durham lay on the ground bleed. According to the official police report, after the shooting stopped, Boudreaux told Bookman that he had “shot the wrong person”. Yes, you read that correctly. Upon further questioning, Boudreaux readily admitted that she had been suicidal for several days and told officers that she went to Durham’s house because “she was going to die” “I wanted the cops to shoot me dead. And I wanted (Durham) to live the wreckage that I caused in his house,” she told police in an interview after the incident. Boudreaux went on to tell officers that despite the fact that she had two knives, she did not plan to stab or harm Durham but intended to die via “suicide by cop”. “I feel like I’m responsible for what (led) up to everything,” Boudreaux told police. Uh, ya think?? She is now facing multiple charges including assault with a deadly weapon, home invasion with a deadly weapon, domestic violence and child abuse. According to KTNV, both Durham’s “domestic partner” Rachel Gore and family legal counsel Lee Merritt are calling for officer Bookman to be arrested and charged as well. “To know that an arrest warrant hasn’t been issued for a man who is on video. The evidence is available to the public. There’s more than enough probable cause so that Alexander Bookman can be indicted on the crime of homicide,” Merritt said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he should be in jail for murder. He took a good guy, a really good guy,” Gore said. This case sounds like it is going to be a complete cluster-f and BOSSIP will be tracking it very closely over the next several months. The post Cops Kill People: 43-Brandon Durham Gunned Down After Calling 911 For Knife-Wielding Girlfriend appeared first on Bossip.

Cops Kill People: 43-Brandon Durham Gunned Down After Calling 911 For Knife-Wielding Girlfriend Read More »

Laura Ingraham Tells Hulk Hogan That Donald Trump Can ‘End Racism’ In America

  White conservatives are clearly overjoyed that their orangey-white nationalist messiah is back in the Oval Office, which is to be expected. However, the way they’re just out here saying any old thing while painting their optimistic view of Donald Trump’s America after spending four years lamenting their doom-and-gloom perception of the state of the nation is not just delusional, it’s a shameless and absurd display of gaslighting. And there is no better example of this than Fox News host Laura Ingraham telling disgraced wrestler Hulk Hogan that Trump is going to end racism in America. A racist telling a racist that a racist is going to end racism is just plain wild. Ingraham has spent years denying the existence of racism and telling “woke” athletes to “shut up and dribble” the second they dare even utter a word about systemic racism, police brutality or anything related to the word beginning with what they believe is the true meaning of the “hard R.” But during a recent episode of her show — while speaking with an admitted racist whose use of the N-word destroyed his public image — the woman who has defended white supremacists seemed to admit that racism is real and that they just didn’t like to talk about it. But the only reason she has seemingly done a 180 on her opinion is because she believes athletes will look to Trump to usher in a new post-racial America. (Don’t laugh, guys, she appears to be serious.) “I think impulse before was to kind of keep it hidden,” Ingraham said of racism, indicating that she is only talking about the collective “impulse” of the white and perpetually fragile. “And I’m not a big fan of like sports and politics and entertainment, but I like kind of keeping them separate. “But if you’re going to embrace Kaepernick and the end racism and the end zone, I think a lot of these football players are like, if anyone can end racism or at least make progress to it, it’s probably Trump,” she continued. Yeah — they’re just having fun playing around in our faces now.  No one should believe even for a second that either Ingraham or Hogan actually thinks the president-elect who ran on a campaign of outright bigotry is going to bring about an end to racism in America. Trump repeatedly compared South American migrants to Hannibal Lecter, and called them “animals” who are “not human.” He dabbled in eugenics-style scientific racism by suggesting migrants have “bad genes” that predispose them to commit violent crimes. He lied about migrants bringing “tremendous infectious disease” to the U.S. and said they are “poisoning the blood” of the country. He and his minions made Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity more of an issue than she ever did. They claimed Black voters would flock to Trump (which they didn’t) just because he’s a felon with a mugshot. Meanwhile, he has reinstituted his war against DEI and has essentially promised reparations to white people. He led the transparently racist “birther” movement when Barack Obama was in office, and he hinted towards the same narrative in reference to Harris. Speaking of Obama… Ingraham is celebrating the reelection of Trump by claiming, “We got America back” as if the state of the country and its populace is directly tied to who’s in the White House. She doesn’t seem to be acknowledging that half the country is about to spend the next four years calling Trump a fascist, misogynistic Nazi-whisperer the same way the other half called Obama a Muslim, socialist, radical, terrorist sympathizer who wasn’t born in the country for eight years — before erroneously claiming his election proved racism in America was a thing of the past. Trump is, for all intents and purposes, a white supremacist, as is Hogan, and based on her indifference to racism alone — Ingraham is too.  SEE ALSO: Reefer Madness: Laura Ingraham Blames Marijuana For Mass Shootings In America Twitter Calls Out Laura Ingraham’s Nazi Salute During RNC Speech  

Laura Ingraham Tells Hulk Hogan That Donald Trump Can ‘End Racism’ In America Read More »