South Africa is trying to balance dealing with the virus and supporting a damaged economy.
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Thursday, June 18, 2020
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Joe Jackson’s granddaughter Yasmine stabbed in racist attack
The granddaughter of Joe Jackson — and niece of Michael Jackson — was the victim of a vicious hate crime last month in Las Vegas.
In a May 31 post on her Instagram page, Yasmine Jackson described her harrowing encounter with a deranged young woman who stabbed her multiple times while calling her the N-word, News 3 Las Vegas reports.
“I was stabbed 7 times right by my house because ‘I’m a n—–.’ This woman chased me down and started stabbing me,” wrote Jackson, sharing a series of photos showing her injuries.
“She said it’s because I was a n—– and that’s all I could hear while I was being stabbed,” she added.
READ MORE: Fulton County DA announces charges in shooting death of Rayshard Brooks
Jackson noted that she “asked people to help me and nobody helped,” she wrote.
“Actually a few people did & I am thankful for you,” she added. “I pray to God that if you have any kind of hatred in your heart towards black people that you heal it. I didn’t deserve this, nobody does.”
The fearless witnesses who came to Jackson’s aid were able to subdue 22-year-old Angela Bonell, a Mexican woman, until police arrived to take her into custody,
Jackson was treated for multiple cuts at a nearby hospital.
Bonell was charged with attempted murder with a deadly weapon with hate crime enhancement.
Jackson’s mother, Joh’Vonnie Jackson (youngest daughter of Joe,), also posted her daughter’s injuries to her Instagram account.
“My daughter has a good heart and has dedicated her time as a nurse to help others. She did not deserve this!” Joh’Vonnie wrote.
“The incident has left me extremely traumatized, and I plan on breaking my lease and moving out of those apartments until I’m mentally prepared enough to move on my own again,” Jasmine Jackson wrote on her Go Fund Me page.
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New photos released of white woman accused of starting Wendy’s fire
New images have been released of one of the suspects in the Wendy’s fire in Atlanta that was sparked by the police killing of Rayshard Brooks.
An earlier report on theGrio noted that authorities are offering a $10,000 reward leading to the arrest of anyone who participated in the riotous melee that led to the fast-food eatery being torched.
Atlanta police previously released photos of two women connected to the fire. Both appear to be white and many social media users suspect that they are race soldiers for a Neo-Nazi group or agitators with the anti-fascist political movement ANTIFA.
READ MORE: Fulton County DA announces charges in shooting death of Rayshard Brooks
I had to get this footage cause the media will make it seem like we burned this shit down #AtlantaProtest pic.twitter.com/mGi8kAYqUw
— Fola 🇳🇬👑✊🏿 (@ImKingFola) June 14, 2020
On Wednesday, June 16, clearer images of one of the women were released by fire officials.
“Solving this arson crime has become a top priority for me,” said Atlanta Fire Chief Randall Slaughter, WSBTV Atlanta reports. “The setting of fires is a distraction from the message that the demonstrators and protesters are trying to put forward.”
The culprits reportedly used everything from homemade blow torches to fireworks to set fire to the University Avenue establishment, according to Chief Fire Investigator James Oliver.
Police shared a video on Twitter showing a white woman attempting to light up the Wendy’s. One of the protesters at the scene can be heard saying “this wasn’t us.”
READ MORE: White cop cries in McDonald’s drive-thru fearing her food was poisoned
#BreakingNews@ATLFireRescue Investigators release new & clearer photos of the woman suspected of starting the fire at the Wendy's where #RayshardBrooks was killed by police Friday night. Investigators will give an update soon. Follow @aungeliquefox5 proctor for details.#Fox5Atl pic.twitter.com/OL7U1EISOC
— Portia Bruner (@PortiaFOX5) June 16, 2020
In the clip that was widely shared across social media, he said, ”Look at this white girl. Look at the white girl trying to set s**t on fire. Look at the white girl trying to burn down the Wendy’s. This wasn’t us.”
Brooks, 27, was shot and killed by now-former Atlanta Police Officer Garrett Rolfe on June 12 in the Wendy’s parking lot. Officer Devin Brosnan was present during the shooting and was placed on administrative leave. Both will now face charges due to their actions, theGrio previously reported.
Fulton County DA Paul L. Howard, Jr. held a press conference Wednesday and stated that Rolfe is being charged with 11 counts including felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage to property, violation of oath and aggravated assault for kicking Brooks as he lay on the ground. Rolfe faces the possibility of the death penalty.
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Publix bans employees from wearing BLM gear, masks
Supermarket chain Publix has banned employees from wearing face masks and gear that boast support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
The company’s stance is in response to 18-year-old Quinton Desamours, who quit his job at Publix in Lehigh Acres, Florida, after he was sent home earlier this month for writing BLM on his surgical mask, NBC affiliate WBBH in Fort Myers reported.
Desamours explained in a June 6 tweet that “Today @Publix sent me, a Publix employee, home for having ‘BLM’ written on my mask. The assistant store manager told me he doesn’t know if the company is ‘Pro or Con.’ I will no longer be working for publix,” he wrote.
Adding, “Stand for something or you’ll fall for anything! #blacklivesmatterFL.”
READ MORE: NC Republican calls Black Lives Matters protesters ‘thugs’ and ‘vermin’
Today @Publix sent me, a publix employee home for having “BLM” written on my mask. The assistant store manager told me he doesn’t know if the company is “Pro or Con”. I will no longer be working for publix. Stand for something or you’ll fall for anything! #blacklivesmatterFL ✊🏾
— Q Desamours (@QDesamours) June 6, 2020
Desamours told WBBH that the assistant manager explained to him that he is “endangering myself and everyone who worked there,” by wearing the BLM mask in the store.
So he quit.
Publix has more than 1,200 locations, mainly located in the Southeast. The company’s uniform policy prohibits political statements or messages not associated with the chain’s brand. According to Desamours, the policy is not enforced equally.
“Many, many employees have different designs on their masks,” he said. “There is an employee that has a comic strip on his mask. So, it seems like they just didn’t like the message I was trying to portray.”
READ MORE: Black Lives Matter network establishes $12M grant fund
Got a call from the @Publix District Manager apologizing. They also said they don’t want to be apart of political views. #BlackLivesMatter is not political! The movement is all about Equality. There will be no change until EVERYBODY is 100% IN. Let’s keep fighting. They hear us!
— Q Desamours (@QDesamours) June 9, 2020
In a statement to NBC News, Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous rejected racism but defended the uniform policy.
“At Publix, we reject racism and believe diversity makes our company — and our community — better,” Brous said. “Our focus remains on ensuring a welcoming work and shopping environment for all associates and customers. Our uniform policy does not permit non-Publix messaging on clothing or accessories.”
Three days after the incident, Desamours said he received a call from a Publix district manager who apologized but made clear that “they don’t want to be apart of political views,” the teen wrote on Twitter.
“#Black Lives Matter is not political,” he added. “The movement is all about Equality”
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Gilbert Arenas apologizes to Lupita Nyong’o for colorist remarks about her beauty
On more than one occasion, Gilbert Arenas has made headlines for making derogatory remarks about actress Lupita Nyong’o‘s appearance. But this week, the NBA player shocked fans when he seemingly recognized the error of his ways and issued an apology to the Oscar-winning actress for his remarks which many feel were steeped in colorism.
“We can’t come together as a race until the idiots of the race right their wrongs,” he wrote Tuesday in an unexpected Instagram story. “My name is Gilbert and I was an idiot for attacking one of our queens for no reason. @Lupita Nyong’o, I am truly sorry for my coon behavior. #blacklivesmatterdeadandalive #blackexcellence.”
READ MORE: Gilbert Arenas says Lupita Nyong’o ‘ain’t cute’ in tirade about dark-skinned women
Back in 2017, the athlete has found himself under fire for his comments about dark-skinned women on Instagram in which he claimed that very few dark-skinned women are beautiful. He specifically addressed Nyong’o, pointing out that she was not “cute.”
In response to an Instagram post from ProBlkThought that read, “Dear Black Girl: You don’t have to be mixed to be beautiful,” Arenas went on a rant writing,
“How black are we talking??? Not to be funny can u name a beautiful black women on the outside … not brown skin … like tyrese black … top 50 most beautiful women off [sic] all time … the darkest women they have is (Keshia Knight Pulliam aka Rudy) (gab)) union) (taral hicks) (Serena Williams),” he wrote at the time.
READ MORE: Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas claims homeless man helped him win $300K
READ MORE: Lupita Nyong’o sounds off on colorism: ‘Lighter skin preference is alive and well’
He then added, “When u say African features black then u have (#1 lupita nyong’o) and she’s cute when the lights are off second is (Ajuma nasenyana) sorry but ewww so the black beautiful women u try to boost up is technically light skinned or brown skinned.”
“I fucked this up so I deserved the hatred that comes,” he later wrote when the backlash became too great.
But many questioned his sincerity because when a fan tagged him under a picture of the Black Panther actress, teasing, “hey looks it’s the black girl you said that looks better in the dar[k],” – Arenas responded by doubling down with, “Everybody saying her(skin) looks beautiful how about her face tho?? Lights off.”
Hopefully this time, the apology is sincere.
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L.A. Chargers say they are open to workout with Colin Kaepernick
Despite the NFL belatedly embracing the Black Lives Matter movement, Colin Kaepernick has not been a part of the league’s future plans thus far. The former NFL quarterback, who took the 49’ers to a Super Bowl in 2013 in a losing effort, generated controversy when he began to kneel at NFL games in 2016 during the playing of the national anthem.
READ MORE: Malcolm Jenkins says NFL needs to apologize to Kaepernick
In the wake of the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Micheal Brown, Kaepernick wanted to highlight the plight of African Americans dealing with racism and police brutality. But that narrative was quickly changed as some NFL fans saw it as a sign on disrespect to members of the armed services.
After that season, Kaepernick was believed to have been blackballed from the NFL due to the controversy generated by the anthem protests that reverberated around the league. He settled a collusion lawsuit against the NFL in February of 2019 but the terms were not disclosed.
Later that year, Kaepernick was offered a “workout” attended by more than 20 teams but he and the NFL disagreed on who had agreed to what. In the end, he only worked out for four teams.
Fast forward to this year, when the killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd kicked off protests in all 50 states, prompting a reckoning in the nation on racism. Part of that reckoning was a video from top football players, including Super Bowl champion and MVP, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, asking the NFL to clearly repudiate racism.
League commissioner Roger Goodell did so in his own response video, declaring that Black lives matter and that the league couldn’t exist without its Black players.
We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter. #InspireChange pic.twitter.com/ENWQP8A0sv
— NFL (@NFL) June 5, 2020
Yet there were no overtures made to Kaepernick, who nevertheless was the catalyst for change, including the NFL’s commitment to social justice, Inspire Change, and its entertainment partnership with Jay Z.
However, maybe relations are thawing around the league as today, Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said he’s open to working Kaepernick out.
READ MORE: Goodell says he ‘encourages’ NFL teams to sign Kaepernick
“That’s something that’s probably on the list,” Lynn said in an interview with ESPN. “I haven’t talked to him and don’t know where he’s at or what he wants to do with his career. “He definitely fits the style of quarterback for the kind of offense we’re running. I’m very happy with the three quarterbacks that we have but you can never have too many people sitting on the runway.”
Though it wasn’t a firm commitment, Lynn is one of only three African-American head coaches in the league this season. Lynn already has Tyrod Taylor as his starter but Taylor hasn’t helmed a game since 2018. The team drafted Justin Herbert from Oregon and also has Easton Stick, a fifth-round pick from 2019.
But things can rapidly change in the NFL.
READ MORE: Ex- NFL exec admits Colin Kaepernick’s career ended because of activism
Kaepernick has not publicly commented on any possible future with the NFL in the wake of the recent police killings. He recently committed to paying bail for protesters through his Know Your Rights camp Legal Justice Initiative.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the topic Wednesday and said he’d support Kaepernick playing in the NFL if he “deserves it.”
"Absolutely I would," support @Kaepernick7 getting a 2nd shot in the @NFL — @POTUS in my interview today on racism, policing, statues & yes–sports. #ColinKaepernick pic.twitter.com/0B83cNbesW
— Scott Thuman (@ScottThuman) June 17, 2020
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NC Republican calls Black Lives Matters protesters ‘thugs’ and ‘vermin’
During a moment in history when a need for political correctness seems to be at an all-time high, one North Carolina lawmaker has decided to throw caution to wind by publically slamming people the “gutless wonders in public office who are bowing down to Black Lives Matter.”
According to the Charlotte Observer, Republican Rep. Larry Pittman of Cabarrus County is sick of the nationwide protests, and believes the Black people and their allies who have been demonstrating for the past four weeks are “ignorant thugs,” “criminals,” “domestic terrorists” and “vermin.”
READ MORE: Tennessee Republicans vote to keep KKK leader bust in Capitol
“This is war,” he wrote on Monday during a Facebook post that has since received backlash in his area. “Our people have a right to expect our leaders to be on our side, not surrender to the lawless, godless mob.”
Pittman also believes that anyone who resists the police should be shot.
The 65-year-old who will be running for his fifth term against Democrat Gail Young in November wrote the scathing message in response to the droves of protestors who have taken to the streets in his community following the police killing of George Floyd of Minneapolis.
READ MORE: Republican candidate denies saying Blacks are ‘political slaves’ to Dems
“These vermin don’t care about George Floyd or any other individual, except maybe their financial sponsor, George Soros,” Pittman wrote. “They are bent on destroying our country and our way of life, and they will use any tragedy, any slogan, any excuse to convince clueless people that their radical injustice is justice.”
While he is currently refusing to take any interviews to clarify his stance, this isn’t his first time making headlines for controversial opinions. In 2017 he made waves after he compared Abraham Lincoln to Adolf Hitler, opining, “Lincoln was the same sort if [sic] tyrant, and personally responsible for the deaths of over 800,000 Americans in a war that was unnecessary and unconstitutional,” he wrote.
He later attempted to elaborate on those statements by explaining, “While both Lincoln and Hitler were obviously bad guys, what Hitler did was worse and I apologize if people thought I was putting them in the same league.”
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Florida health officials walk back report that more than 260 Orlando airport workers tested positive for COVID-19
Even though it’s been reported that a whopping 260 workers at the Orlando International Airport have tested positive for the coronavirus, airport officials are pushing back to say that’s necessarily the case.
READ MORE: Scams on the rise during coronavirus pandemic
Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that after nearly 500 employees were tested for the virus, over half of them had tested positive.
“[An]airport in Central Florida had a couple of cases, they did the contact tracing,” DeSantis said during a news conference. “They looked [at] almost 500 workers [and] 260 people working close together were positive, 52 percent positivity rate on that one.”
But following that announcement, on Wednesday, Orlando airport executives clarified those numbers, pointing out that not all of those 260 people were workers and some of them weren’t even part of the testing group being referenced by the governor.
To address any further confusion the Florida Department of Health also provided further explanation on Wednesday afternoon, posting on social media, “The number of cases at Orlando International Airport is cumulative from March 2020 and includes household close contacts as determined through the extensive epidemiological investigations conducted by the Department of Health.
— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) June 17, 2020
In light of this new information, the governor’s office has also since walked back on their initial claims.
“Governor DeSantis has emphasized the benefit of testing for COVID-19 and contact tracing throughout the state,” communications director Helen Ferre said Wednesday afternoon.
READ MORE: My student died from coronavirus in prison. He didn’t deserve it.
“MCO had 132 employees test positive for COVID-19. Through contact tracing of those employees, an additional 128 individuals not associated with the airport tested positive for COVID-19 resulting in 260 total positive cases. We appreciate MCO’s commitment to working with the Orange County Health Department, the Florida Department of Health and for ensuring best practices are followed for the health and safety of all employees and visitors to the airport.”
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