Family members of Andres Guardado gathered in Gardena, California on Sunday to call for justice in the police killing of the 18-year-old man. The family was joined by residents who walked over three-and-a-half miles to Compton where they were met with force by police officers.
During the protest, Compton police fired rubber bullets and deployed tear gas against protesters.
According to reports, police told the crowd to get back. However, as they drew back from the steps of the sheriffs’ office, police fired upon them. Multiple people were also arrested.
According to a report from KSBY, the shooting was possibly captured by neighboring security cameras.
Wegener says that investigators have taken six or seven exterior cameras from the scene. Activists and social media users are asking for that footage to be released. One Twitter user questioned what is being done to ensure that the footage is not corrupted or deleted, and demanded that an outside party have the opportunity to review it.
Guardado was shot and killed on Thursday, June 18 by a Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputy. According to a CNN report, the man was approached by deputies while standing outside of a business. LA County Sheriff Homicide captain, Kent Wegener, said in a news conference that Guardado “reportedly looked toward the deputies” and “produced a handgun.”
Wegener said that Guardado then ran from deputies toward the rear of the business. It was there that one deputy fired six shots. The man was struck in the upper torso and pronounced dead at the scene.
Congresswomen Nanette Diaz Barragan and Maxine Waters issued a joint statement regarding the incident, “Andres Guardado is the latest young man of color killed by police gunfire. He was shot in the back. The officers involved did not wear body cameras,” the statement reads. “We demand answers and call for an independent investigation into this tragic death. There must be full transparency so the public can trust the investigation and we know we are getting the truth.”
Protesters have insisted that Guardado was working as a security guard at the business where he was killed. However, police investigators found that he did not have a license through the California Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Further, at only 18-years-old, he was under the legal age to be an armed security guard in the state of California.
An autopsy of Guardado’s body is being conducted by LA County. On Sunday, his cousin Celina Abarca told CNN that he was just “a baby,” she said that the death doesn’t feel real to her, “I close my eyes and I hope and I pray that it’s not really happening.”
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Vice President Mike Pence refused to acknowledge the value of black lives during a recent interview about George Floyd, police brutality, and Juneteenth.
According to CNN, when Pence was pressed to say the term during an interview with an ABC affiliate in Pennsylvania on Friday, he refused, instead saying, “All Lives Matter.”
“Let me just say that what happened to George Floyd was a tragedy,” Pence told 6ABC Action News in Philadelphia. “And in this nation, especially on Juneteenth, we celebrate the fact that from the founding of this nation we’ve cherished the ideal that all, all of us are created equal, and endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. And so all lives matter in a very real sense.”
The term All Lives Matter is a rebuttal to Black Lives Matter meant to downplay or ignore the health, economic, and racial issues African Americans face every day.
Anchor Brian Taft continued to push Pence on the situation.
“Forgive me for pressing you on this, sir,” Taff said to Pence, “but I will note you did not say those words, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ and there is an important distinction. People are saying, of course all lives matter, but to say the words is an acknowledgment that Black lives also matter at a time in this country when it appears that there’s a segment of our society that doesn’t agree. So why will you not say those words?”
Again, Pence danced around the question.
“Well, I don’t accept the fact, Brian, that there’s a segment of American society that disagrees, in the preciousness and importance of every human life,” Pence said. “And it’s one of the reasons why as we advance important reforms in law enforcement, as we look for ways to strengthen and improve our public safety in our cities, that we’re not going to stop there.”
Pence went on to tout the Black unemployment rate pre-pandemic and said the Trump the administration is “absolutely determined to improve” the lives of African Americans.
“And yet, one final time, you won’t say the words and we understand your explanation,” Taff responded.
Former Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre says he believes NFL free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick will eventually be viewed as a hero in the same vein as the late NFL player Pat Tillman.
Favre, speaking to TMZ Sports, was asked if he thinks Kaepernick had reached the status of Jackie Robinson or Muhammad Ali by taking a stand against racial injustice and police brutality when he took a knee during the singing of the national anthem.
“I can only think of, right off the top of my head, Pat Tillman, another guy who did something similar, and we regard him as a hero,” Favre said. “So I’d assume that hero status will be stamped with Kaepernick as well.”
Tillman, who was a 25-year-old safety for the Arizona Cardinals, enlisted in the Army after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Tillman was offered and turned down a $3.6 million contract offer from the Cardinals. After the 2001 season, he left his NFL career to fight for his country and after serving combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, he was killed in 2004 as the result of friendly fire in Afghanistan. Tillman was awarded both the Silver Star and Purple Heart posthumously.
“It’s not easy for a guy his age—black or white, Hispanic, whatever—to stop something that you’ve always dreamed of doing and put it on hold, maybe forever, for something that you believe in,” Favre said of the still unsigned Kaepernick.
“I think from a football sense, I can’t imagine him being that far out of shape or that far out of touch with football that he doesn’t deserve a shot. He’s still young and hasn’t been hit in several years, so there’s no reason to think that he’s lost that much of a step.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently admitted that the NFL was wrong for not allowing players to take a knee on the field. “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 ”
But, according to a recent poll, a majority of Americans believe NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell owes former quarterback Colin Kaepernick an apology.
Rapper Fabolous and his girlfriend, Emily Bustamante, have announced that they are expecting their third child together.
The rapper made the announcement via Instagram by sharing a sonogram photo accompanied by the words, “Girl Dad,” a phrase made popular by the late Kobe Bryant. In the caption, Fabolous wrote, “Got the best gift ever for Father’s Day!” Bustamante shared the same image in her IG Story with a pink heart.
In 2018, the couple had a domestic violence incident that was captured on film. Reportedly, the GRAMMY-nominated rapper hit Bustamante in the face multiple times knocking out her two front teeth. He was later charged with one count of domestic violence with significant bodily injury, two counts of threatening to kill, and one count of possession of a weapon.
Fabolous, born John Jackson, was ultimately placed in a pre-trial intervention program which required him to check in with courts on a monthly basis. He completed the program without further incident.
After the domestic violence charge, the couple separated for a while but ultimately reunited.
In addition to their new baby girl, they have two sons together, and Bustamante has an older daughter from a previous relationship.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Fabolous has continued to have a thriving rap career. Earlier this year, his hit single “Cold Summer” prompted fans to submit their own verses over the instrumental produced by araabMUZIK & Motif Alumni.
The #ColdSummerChallenge had fans sending in their versions of the song which was featured on his Summertime Shootout 3 Coldest Summer Ever project. Multiple fans submitted verses, including comedian Kevin Hart.
Fabolous told fans he wanted to see them share their “quarantine creativity,” since he was unable to tour to support the project due to the coronavirus pandemic. To participate in the challenge, fans could drop a freestyle, dance, create artwork/graphic, or fashion piece inspired by the song.
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A New York City police officer has been suspended without pay for using a chokehold on an unarmed man in Queens.
The incident began on a Sunday morning when a group of young men who were hanging out on the boardwalk in Rockaway Beach. In the bodycam footage, the men are seen taunting police, sometimes calling them names.
According to CNN, a law enforcement official said that the man who was arrested threatened police saying, “touch any of my boys and you’ll be dead.” One of his friends then is heard saying, “stop,” while another is heard saying, “you’re giving them a reason to beat our a**es.”
Eventually, the man makes what police perceived as a threatening gesture by reaching into a plastic bag and a scuffle begins. Officers force the man to the ground. It is at this point when one unnamed officer uses the chokehold before another officer taps his back and he releases it.
A bystander captured the incident on camera.
NYPD officer used an illegal chokehold on a black man this morning in Far Rockaway, NY — and only stopped because another cop realized they were being filme.
Lori Zeno, executive director of the Queens Defenders is defending the young man. She says that the officer should be fired and prosecuted. Zeno says that the confrontation began because the young men were kicking cans on the beach and kicked one toward the officers. She says that her client has been charged with disorderly conduct, obstructing governmental justice, and resisting arrest.
The officers’ body camera footage was released according to new directives set by NYC mayor, Bill de Blasio, in response to protests for police reform. The mandate says that body camera footage must be first shown to the family of the victim, then released within 30 days anytime an officer fires his weapon, causes death or injury with a taser, or kills or injures a person through the use of force.
A spokesperson for de Blasio’s office said Sunday that “The video is very concerning. We’re glad the NYPD is immediately launching an investigation to get to the bottom of what happened.”
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There have been over 8.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world. The virus has killed nearly half a million people around the globe. Here in the United States, the virus has taken the lives of over 120,000 Americans.
Some states are seeing increases including Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, and Oklahoma. While other states which were once hotspots are seeing declines. Michigan, New York, and New Jersey are all “on track” to contain the virus.
National Geographic maintains a running tally organized by the state which is updated daily. They note that new cases are beginning to decline in hard-hit areas such as New York City. But the steady overall tally for the nation means spikes are occurring elsewhere.
In Chicago, researchers have identified a unique strain of coronavirus.
A nurse administers a coronavirus test. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
According to NBCChicago, researchers at Northwestern University have identified a strain of the virus that appears to be directly linked from the early outbreak in China.
In a statement, the university explains that genetic differences in the virus could impact the way that vaccines are created and deployed. Dr. Egon Ozer explained that these differences in strains could also account for the differences in symptoms. “This is the first clear evidence that genetic differences in the viruses are associated with differences in the characteristics of the infections that they cause.”
Dr. Ozer said that the fact that Chicago is an international hub could account for the type of strain that struck the city. The state of Illinois has suffered more than 6,000 deaths.
Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota told NBC’s Meet the Press that the virus may not ease over the summer and fall. “Right now, I don’t see this slowing down through the summer or into the fall,” Osterholm said, “I don’t think we’re going to see one, two, and three waves. I think we’re just going to see one very, very difficult forest fire of cases.”
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When you are a Grammy-award winning producer/songwriter/keyboardist/remixer and your credits include the likes of Michael Jackson, TLC, Monica, Madonna, Will Smith, Brandy, Rihanna, Kanye West, Gwen Stefani, and many others, you might be satisfied with these accomplishments. Not so. Dallas Austin wants more and has recently relaunched the label that allowed him to be successful within the music industry. Rowdy Records is making a return that will have past and current industry heads watching.
BLACK ENTERPRISE was able to speak to the Atlanta legend about his foray into education and how he aims to continue adding to the legacy of Rowdy Records.
You’re relaunching Rowdy Records after so many years, what motivated you to do so and what can we anticipate this time around?
I wanted to be back in control of my brand and the music and after going inside and being a senior VP at Island Def Jam a few years ago, I could see where the footprint of Atlanta music was heading from a corporate standpoint and how disconnected it was to what was really happening in the culture of music from the start. This time you can expect the brand to be the difference in music and in culture.
We are in a totally different era due to advances in technology and with the capacity of artists to reach out directly to their audience. How do these changes alter the way you do business?
It changed the way we do business drastically, but it still boils down to having a gut feeling about the music and the artist. As a producer, the advancements have been amazing because you have way more options. From a songwriter’s side, it hasn’t been so amazing because of the way digital deals are structured. As a label owner and having a new distribution company, I am excited to combine the knowledge of before with the digital platform, as this will be the first time I have had a digital distribution company.
You’re doing a collaboration with Georgia State University. What are the specifics of the partnership and how did it come about?
One day I was speaking to a marketing class at Georgia State and they were using imitation projects instead of real ones for their class assignments. Georgia State had just opened the new media center and through Dr. Kay Beck and Linda Cannon, a business partner of mine, we all came up with a program that allowed the students to work on projects that were really coming out into the marketplace and get credited on their resumes for their work whether it be in marketing, digital, promotions, etc. This is all a spinoff of the Dallas Austin Foundation for music in schools where we put recording studios in inner-city schools and give kids the opportunity to develop that trade. So far, we have done 10 schools and we are looking to expand into the curriculum next school year. We have been working with the Urban League Atlanta and the Entertainment Caucus in developing these programs.
You’ve been involved in the industry for over 30 years, how do you separate the artistic side of Dallas Austin and the business aspect? How has your approach changed over the years?
When I was younger it was more difficult because the creativity always overrode the business decisions and that can be detrimental to your bottom line. As we have grown, we have learned that we are still dealing with a product. Even though you should have an emotional attachment to it, it still has to be sold, marketed, and promoted in the hopes of it being successful not just creatively, but also financially.
To what do you attribute your longevity in the game and what advice would you give someone who wants to to have an extensive and purposeful career like you have?
I attribute it to my ability to always admire and find inspiration in things and people around me. My dream was to always be as great as Quincy Jones. If you want longevity, it is not about the sprint. You always [have to] ask yourself “Where do you want to be five years from now?’ and stay focused working on that goal. If you are excited and passionate about it, you will work on it 24/7; the day never ends until you feel the feeling of accomplishment.
A noose was found in the garage stall of Black NASCAR driver, Bubba Wallace on Sunday prompting an investigation. The incident occurred on the first day that racing was set to resume since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 5,000 fans came out to attend. However, the race was moved to Monday due to inclement weather.
The racist incident occurs just weeks after Wallace successfully advocated for the removal of Confederate symbols from the sport. NASCAR banned the symbols on their tracks and cars. However, according to reports, vehicles waving and flying the Confederate flag lined the boulevard outside the track, and a plane above pulled a banner of the flag proclaiming, “Defund NASCAR.”
In a statement, NASCAR said they are “angry and outraged,” by the incident saying, “we cannot state strongly enough how seriously we take this heinous act.” They said that they will investigate and identify the person involved and “eliminate” them from the sport.
Fans are not allowed near the garage areas, therefore the organization feels that someone with credentials must have placed the noose in Wallace’s garage stall.
Wallace is the highest-level African American race car driver in NASCAR. He drives a No. 43 Chevrolet for Richard Petty. In a lengthy statement on Twitter, Wallace wrote, “Today’s despicable act of racism and hatred leaves me incredibly saddened and serves as a painful reminder of how much further we have to go as a society and how persistent we must be in the fight against racism.”
He continued, “I have been overwhelmed by the support from people across the NASCAR industry, including other drivers and team members in the garage. Together, our sport has made a commitment to driving real change and championing a community that is accepting and welcoming of everyone.”
Wallace has received an outpouring of support from celebrities on Twitter including LeBron James who said the incident was “sickening.”
Sickening! @BubbaWallace my brother! Know you don’t stand alone! I’m right here with you as well as every other athlete. I just want to continue to say how proud I am of you for continuing to take a stand for change here in America and sports! @NASCAR I salute you as well! 🙏🏾✊🏾👑 https://t.co/1TwkjVHai5
Fellow NASCAR drivers said the incident was “enraging and heartbreaking at the same time.”
God help us. The level of evil it takes to do something like this is disgusting. This is enraging and heartbreaking all at the same time. pic.twitter.com/FovpeTwINu
Working remotely isn’t an entirely new concept. According to astudy by the International Workplace Group, 70% of professionals around the globe work flexibly at least one day each week. It’s also no surprise to hear of someone who’s doing this full time.
So if your company is one of those that have adopted remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, you might be wondering how you can ask for more remote work days when things begin to shift back to normal.
Keep reading to see the current state of remote work, then how you can use this information to help you ask your boss for more remote work days even after social distancing and quarantine becomes a thing of the past.
The Current Remote Work Situation
Employers have to be agile in responding to this pandemic, and one of the solutions to keep their employees working and help their companies stay afloat is by enforcing work from home policies.
Gallup Panel dataclaims that in just three weeks during the lockdown, the percentage of employees working from home doubled from 31% to 62%.
We can now see the work from home trends take off in a number of companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Square, and Shopify among others.
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of both Twitter and Square, even allowed his employees towork from home “forever.”If anything, this shows us how top executives are preparing for the future of work.Could working from home be a permanent setup for many professionals in the years to come?
We also know how employees themselves feel about working remotely. In a recentstudy, three in five U.S. workers prefer to continue to work remotely as much as possible once restrictions on business and school closures are lifted.
However, even if remote work is increasingly becoming more common nowadays, sometimes it’s still up to the employees to advocate for it. How can you make sure you’re part of that 25% to 30%?
We recommend bringing it up to your employer, so make sure to follow these helpful tips below to make a good case.
5 Tips to Ask for More Remote Work Days after COVID-19 Restrictions are Lifted
Arm yourself with the facts
The most effective thing to help you in your goal to work more remote days are the facts to prove that working remotely is actually good for you as the employee and for the company as a whole. Help build your case to your boss by understanding the landscape of remote work in your industry.
Luckily, there are already a number of sources online that show the benefits of working from home.GallupandFlexjobsare two resources you could read up on in preparing a negotiation with your employer.
Here are some of the positive outcomes of working remotely:
Increases employee engagement: Engagement is key in driving performance. Astudyshows that an optimal engagement boost occurs when employees spend 60% to 80% of their time working off-site, which is about three to four days in a five-day workweek.
Positive environmental impact: When more people work from home, fewer greenhouse gases are emitted in the environment and they are more likely to make environmentally sound choices—opting to use less paper and monitoring their air conditioning.
Better work-life balance: When remote work comes with flexible schedules, employees have more control of their time which usually leads to stronger outcomes. With this, they are able to attend to the needs of their personal life.
Less commute stress: According to the United States Census Bureau, people spend about100 hours commuting and 41 hours stuck in trafficevery year. The amount of time wasted on the road is amplified by theincreased level of stress and anxietythat comes with spending more than 30 minutes in one-way commuting. Thus, not having to commute when you work remotely has positive impacts on both your physical and mental health.
Increased money savings for the employee and the company: Employees who work from home can save$2,000 up to $6,500 a year. This is because expenses like commute fares, gas, parking fees, lunch outs, and others that are usually required when you have to report to work every single day are eliminated. On the other hand,companies can save around $11,000 per year for every employeeas overhead costs, operational costs, transit subsidies, and the like are minimized.
Happier and healthier work life: Overall, working from home has proven to promote a happier and healthier work life as employees are able to control their time according to how they want it.
Having information like this can help show your employer that working remotely has had documented, research-based positive impacts on companies, employees, and even to the environment.
Use yourself as a case study
After showing the facts, you can actually use yourself as an example. How was your performance during the remote work period?
Global Workplace Analyticsmentions that one of the biggest holdbacks of remote work is trust—it’s hard for managers to trust their people to work untethered. If your employer doesn’t trust you now, then it could be very difficult to build your case.
You can help build that trust by being a top performer, especially while working remotely. It’s best that you analyze your work performance first before you negotiate with your employer.
Some questions you should consider are the following:
Have you had any remarkable work accomplishments during the remote work period?
Have you received positive feedback from your co-workers?
How productive were you at home/working remotely compared to when you’re in the office?
How were you able to build or sustain your rapport with your co-workers and clients?
If your answers to these questions put you in a good light, then make sure you take note of these when you talk to your boss. However, if you think you still need to improve on your performance, then use this time as an opportunity for the future.
Get colleagues involved
The testimonies of your fellow colleagues can support your request.
If they, too, think that working remotely can both help themselves and the company, then invite them to pitch in to the plan. They might have positive experiences of their own while working from home that could help strengthen your case.
Put together a plan
Ultimately, your goal should be to address any potential challenges of working from home. Given this, it’s best to anticipate any questions or concerns your employer might have.
Put yourself in your employer’s shoes and ask yourself: how can I assure my boss that I could work just as well—if not, better—working remotely?
Here are things to help you flesh out your plan:
1. Proposed remote work schedule
Detail the remote work schedule you prefer. Also, talk about how you’ll be able to attend regular meetings remotely. However, make sure to assure your employer that you’ll be present in-house when needed.
2. Your digital tools for project management and security
Since your boss won’t be there to closely monitor you, assure them that you have the tools to remain in constant communication with your team. Aside from this, you can build up your case by mentioning all the tools you intend to use to support your remote workdays.
Project Management Tools
Slack:Slack is a business communication platform that allows you to chat with your colleagues in channels that you can organize per topic.
Zoom:Zoom is a cloud-based, peer-to-peer software platform that’s used for telecommuting, teleconferencing, distance education, and social relations.
G Suite:G Suite is composed of a variety of collaborative cloud-based tools such as Gmail, Hangouts, Calendar, Drive, and other essentials you need for remote productivity.
Security Tools
Norton: Norton provides individuals and companies with firewalls, which helps keep you and your company safe while working from home. It essentially works by filtering traffic and blocking out external parties or websites from accessing information and data from your work computers.
Surfshark:Surfshark is a secure VPN service that helps protect your online data. To assure your boss that you intend to take remote work seriously and with great caution, you may propose an affordable company VPN plan to make sure you’re accessing even sensitive company data securely.
Customer Service
ZenDesk: ZenDesk is an omnichannel customer experience software that helps you provide more streamlined support for your customers without adding more stress to your team. Especially when you’re unable to solve in-person customer or client concerns, software like this can help your company manage customer support from anywhere.
Weave: Come extra prepared by proposing business texting tools like Weave to ease your employer’s mind about how to manage customer service remotely. Business texting tools allow you to talk to your clients or customers as long as you have your phone with you.
3. Schedule of remote work rotation with colleagues
What’s an effective work rotation that’s best for everyone? Make sure to detail the reasons how and why this schedule can help you and your colleagues be more productive at home.
4. How you can contribute to your company’s culture even remotely.
Discuss plans on how you can still contribute to your company’s culture while working away from the office. How will you apply the core values of your company while working remotely? Give concrete examples of how you can showcase these values even when communicating with colleagues and clients or customers online.
5. Offer a trial run
If working remotely is a new territory for your company, you could offer a trial period to help your employer ease into the idea. A moderate schedule such as working remotely one or two days a week could be a great way to start.
Have a conversation
Once you’ve prepared everything, now’s the time to have that conversation with your employer.
When the time comes, make sure you bring up your request face to face or via video call. Armed with your research and prep work, try to lead the conversation to show your boss that you came equipped.
Begin by sharing your desire to work remotely, which should heavily be supported by the benefits it could give to the company and to yourself.
Talk about successful projects you’ve completed or led during the remote work period. Make sure you state concrete examples that are backed up by numbers, facts, or testimonies from your colleagues.
Lastly, make your request as specific and as clear as possible. Make it a conversation, not a demand.
Key Takeaways
Working remotely can be a permanent or more-frequent reality for you post-pandemic. Don’t be discouraged if your employer denies your requests for more remote work days at first, but be sure to make these requests with as much information and preparation as you can.
For decades, many in the Black community have felt Black people should not pay taxes. Over the years, some have pushed the so-called “Black Tax Credit.” Some tried it. Of course, the IRS wasn’t in agreement. It was reported as a tax scam. But now hip-hop mogul Ice Cube, 50, wants the IRS to exempt Black people from paying taxes.
“THE HIGH COST OF RACISM: BLACKS in America should be exempt from paying any taxes for 462 years. This would help to start repairing the damage done to us by America. OUR BILL IS PAID BY NOW. No more”, Ice Cube tweeted.
In another tweet, he wrote, “We will ask for board seats, hefty shares of the company and you will pay a heavy-heavy fine for what you’ve done. Or we will ask the believers in justice. To not support your business for 40 days & 40 nights … WE DONT REALLY GIVE A F–K IF WE WE’RE BEING FAIR OR NOT. Hos-style is my style!”
Additionally, Cube shared a video of Michael O’Meara, the president of New York state’s group of Police Benevolent Associations. During a recent news conference, O’Meara said that the media, legislators, and others have been trying to “shame” police officers since Floyd died, and officers are being treated like “animals and thugs,” Atlanta Black Star reported.
Contradicting O’Meara’s claims, Cube added footage of officers assaulting people.
“YOUR TAX PAYER DOLLARS PAY FOR THIS TYPE OF TREATMENT,” he posted. “But the whistle blowers are the bad guys? How? Truth is anti-police?”
Cube has been very vocal on Twitter since George Floyd’s death on May 25 at the hands of Minnesota police. So upset was Cube that he recently opted out of an appearance on “Good Morning America” to promote his new music business comedy, “The High Note.”
He tweeted at 5:37 a.m. the morning of the interview, “I apologize to everyone expecting to see me on Good Morning America today. But after the events in Minnesota with George Floyd I’m in no mood to tell America, good morning.”
Speaking out against police brutality and racism isn’t new for Cube.
“Early records like ‘Straight Outta Compton’, ‘AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted’ and ‘The Predator’ are the sound of a man wrestling for control of the narrative about his own community,” NME reported.
Ice Cube started his acting career with the John Singleton breakthrough film, “Boyz n the Hood.”
“In the early work, it was important to try to convey a message in movies,” Cube told NME. “Then I got to a point where I felt, you know, my music is hardcore. I’m talking about a lot of shit that’s real depressing. People want to laugh, man!”
Cube started screenwriting with the1995 stoner hit comedy “Friday.” Sequels followed. Hollywood seemed to love Cube — and vice versa. In fact, he is the “only actor to have at least five highly-successful movie franchises (‘Friday,’ ‘Barbershop,’ ‘Are We There Yet?,’ ‘Ride Along,’ and ‘21 Jump Street’),” Pride Publishing Group reported.
Cube said he started to lean towards comedies “because people want to escape when they go to the movies.”
In recent years, Cube has become best known as an actor in big-budget “popcorn comedies” such as “21 Jump Street” (2012), “Ride Along” (2014), and “Fist Fight”(2017), but he remained vocal about the issues that plague the Black community.
Prior to the death of Floyd, Ice Cube tweeted about the candidates in the upcoming presidential election. “Hold the Black vote hostage until one of ’em comes with A Black Agenda that we’re satisfied with. It’s not our job to fix the country’s mess until we fix our mess…#fuckyoupayme.”
That tweet was in response to Joe Biden’s comment on The Breakfast Club, when he told Charlamagne tha God, “if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.”
Following the tragic death of Floyd, Cube again turned to Twitter on May 28 to call out the police. He wrote: “How long will we go for Blue on Black Crime before we strike back???”
“Ice Cube continues to represent the best of the genius of hip-hop that transforms the world into a better place for (those) who cry out for freedom and justice,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, Pride Publishing reported.
THE HIGH COST OF RACISM: BLACKS in America should be exempt from paying any taxes for 462 years. This would help to start repairing the damage done to us by America. OUR BILL IS PAID BY NOW. No more.
What scary RACIST don’t know. Treat us fairly and you might not see us to much. Our neighbors will be nice and livable full of excellence and opportunity. The country owes us 400 years of backpay.
Later this year, astronauts on the American module of the ISS will be able to test out the toilet before NASA puts it on crewed vehicles for deep-space missions.
When people go back to work, they won't want to return to the office wear of the Before Times. So sporty clothing brands are pivoting to productive comfort.
Black Lives Matter chapter in Lansing, Michigan is demanding a 20% police defunding estimated to be around $10 million, according to its calculation.
Angela Waters Austin, the group’s leader wants Mayor Andy Schor to resign if he refuses to defund the local police department and reinvest it into the Black community.
More than 100 arms-bearing people rallied in front of City Hall with demands for social change. In addition to the $9.6 million to be withdrawn from the Lansing Police Department and funneled into the Black community, they asked for a commitment to defeat President Donald Trump in the November election. Should the mayor not agree to the request, they wanted him to resign.
When Austin she told them that she asked Schor to resign, one of the protesters chimed in, “We don’t ask. We demand!”
The armed group’s confidence began to show.
“We demand the police be defunded because they have never protected Black people,” Austin said.
Protestors try to enter the Michigan House of Representative chamber and are being kept out by the Michigan State Police after the American Patriot Rally organized by Michigan United for Liberty protest for the reopening of businesses on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan on April 30, 2020. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
Austin stated law enforcement tear-gassed protesters in downtown Lansing, but white, armed protesters who confronted Governor Gretchen Whitmer during an anti-shutdown at the Capitol were protected.
Other speakers had their opportunity to express themselves, including a former Black employee in the mayor’s office, Natasha Atkinson.
“When they don’t value our neighborhoods that we put our hard-earned money into … now is the time, Lansing, to decide where you stand,” Atkinson said, according to theLansing City Pulse.
Atkinson got fired in February, claiming it was due to bias, Lansing City Pulse reported.
Austin plans on scheduling another protest at the Capitol with the intent it will be a statewide event.This particular chapter is one Austin co-founded, though she admitted that the group never protested like this until now.
She cited her inspiration from Paul Birdsong, a prominent new BLM leader in the Lansing area who has led daily protests since June 1, according to theLansing State Journal.
“Paul has been holding things down night after night after night under the threat of white supremacists in spite of the lack of protection of the police of the city of Lansing and the mayor,” Austin said.
“You deserve the right to be protected,” she said. “You own the city.”
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When a new HBO billboard popped up in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles recently it caused quite the stir because it covered a Kobe Bryant tribute mural. Fortunately, the network moved quickly to take it down and avoided major backlash.
According to TheWrap, they reached out to WarnerMedia about the questionable placement and the company got the vendor responsible to take it down in a hurry.
TheWrap also contacted Great Outdoor, which owns the space and commissioned the mural by Gustavo Zermeño Jr.
“We actually commissioned the artist to paint this mural up there because we had a couple open months on it. This idea was all approved by the artist and we preserved the mural so in between ad campaigns the mural will be back. The artist told us that he will reach out to anyone that says anything to let them know that he approved this idea and he was trying to find a creative way to support Kobe’s foundation. This mural is owned by us and we are protecting it,” they said in a statement.
Vanessa Bryant has been photographed in front of one of the murals in Los Angeles that have been painted in tribute to her late husband and daughter, but she’s had to block fan pages on social media that are dedicated to them.
(Photo: Vanessa Bryant Instagram)
She explained why recently.
“Thx so much for all the love…@nataliabryant and I have unfortunately had to block fan pages because it’s been really hard to go online and constantly see pics of our beloved Gigi and Kobe under every single square of our explore pages,” she posted on her Instagram page.
“Blocking the fan pages has helped change the algorithm…We love you all but please understand that we had to do this for our own healing not because we don’t appreciate your love.”
Bryant’s page has also now been set to private.
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NEW YORK (AP) — In law enforcement, they’re referred to as “nonlethal” tools for dealing with demonstrations that turn unruly: rubber bullets, pepper spray, batons, flash-bangs.
But the now-familiar scenes of U.S. police officers in riot gear clashing with protesters at Lafayette Park across from the White House and in other cities have police critics charging that the weaponry too often escalates tensions and hurts innocent people.
“When you see riot gear, it absolutely changes the mood,” said Ron Moten, a longtime community organizer in the nation’s capital who was out demonstrating this weekend. He said it takes away any perception the officers could be empathetic.
“If I went up to speak with a police officer and I’m covered in armor and holding a shield and a stick, don’t you think they would regard me as a threat?”
“When we see riot gear, as black people it takes us back 400 years,” he said.
Protesters in Denver arrived at the hospital with injuries from police projectiles that caused one person to lose an eye and left three other people with permanent eye damage, said Prem Subramanian, a physician who operated on some victims following demonstrations late last month.
“They weren’t accused of any crime, and they came in with devastating eye injuries,” Subramanian said, adding that he was so upset about it that he complained to city officials, who promised to investigate any abuses. “We’re learning the consequences of using these weapons.”
Protesters hold signs as they gather to protest police brutality and racism in the US, with the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 29, 2020. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
He said the injuries rivaled what he saw treating shrapnel damage to eyes of soldiers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center who were injured by explosives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rubber bullets and similar projectiles have damaged eyes or blinded at least 20 individuals from ages 16 to 59, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, since protests began over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Other tactics were on display at Lafayette Park, where police used chemical agents to break up a peaceful protest minutes before President Donald Trump posed for pictures outside a nearby church this month. In Buffalo, an officer used a baton to shove a 75-year-old man to the ground before that officer and others marched past as blood collected beneath the man’s head.
Amnesty International, a global human rights group, has questioned whether equipping officers “in a manner more appropriate for a battlefield may put them in the mindset that confrontation and conflict are inevitable.”
The growing use of less-lethal weapons is “cause for grave concern” and may sometimes violate international law, said Agnes Callamard, director of Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University and a United Nations adviser.
She said the “basic rationale for less-lethal weaponry is legitimate” after courts called for law enforcement agents to be given equipment enabling them to respond proportionately when necessary. In 1990, the U.N. issued basic principles on their use.
Projectiles caused 53 deaths and 300 permanent disabilities among 1,984 serious injuries recorded by medical workers in over a dozen countries from 1990 to 2015, said Rohini Haar, an emergency room doctor in Oakland, California, and primary author of the 2016 Physicians for Human Rightsreport assembled with civil rights groups.
A protester takes a knee in front of San Jose Police officers during a protest on East Santa Clara Street in San Jose, Calif., on May 29, 2020, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Photo by Dai Sugano/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)
She said there “are so many cases of misuse, it seems almost impossible to use them correctly.”
Whether rubber, foam or bean bags, they exit guns with the force of a bullet and should not be used against protesters because they can maim and bounce or ricochet unpredictably, Haar said.
Police, private security forces and military units seek to cause pain or incapacitate individuals with more than 75 types of rubber or plastic bullets from manufacturers in countries including the U.S., Brazil, China, Israel, South Africa and South Korea, according to the report, “Lethal in Disguise.”
Wade Carpenter, police chief in Park City, Utah, said the tools are necessary when peaceful rallies are “hijacked by individuals that have come in with a nefarious purpose to create the riots, the looting, those type of things.”
Many police forces “are very stringent on their training,” said Carpenter, an official with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which has 32,000 police official members in 167 countries. “They’re very accountable, and others, you know, it’s kind of all over the board.”
Officers target lawbreakers who attack police with bricks or baseball bats, but sometimes less-than-lethal options are “not perfectly accurate, so, that’s always a risk and those are calculated risks,” Carpenter said.
It’s not just projectiles. Chemical irritants, banned in warfare by international law since 1925, are also criticized.
Police officers hold their line during protests on September 21, 2016 in Charlotte, NC. The North Carolina governor has declared a state of emergency in the city (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Chemical agents sometimes cause violent coughing, a worry during a pandemic. A 2012 study of more than 6,700 U.S. Army soldiers concluded that a common riot control chemical agent more than doubled the chance of contracting an acute respiratory illness such as pneumonia.
Seattle’s mayor and police chief early this month banned tear gas for 30 days before a federal judge ordered the city to stop using pepper spray, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets. A Dallas judge made a similar ruling.
Acting on a federal lawsuit, a judge in Denver temporarily limited the use of projectiles and tear gas by the police, finding a strong likelihood that the police department violated constitutional rights.
In early June, the police chief in Austin, Texas, said his department would no longer fire beanbag projectiles at crowds after two demonstrators were hospitalized after being hit in the head, including a 16-year-old boy.
In New York City, the nation’s largest police department has not used rubber bullets or tear gas during protests. At a City Council hearing, police officials were pressed on whether officers should even be armed with batons after the city’s mayor promised “minimum force.”
First Deputy Police Commissioner Benjamin Tucker told council members that helmets and batons, necessary to protect officers, “are not window dressing.”
Carpenter, the Utah chief, said Floyd’s death left all officers feeling it “tarnished all of their badges” and do not relish the violence that’s come with some of the protests.
“We live, many of us, in the communities we police,” Carpenter said. “Unfortunately, there are instances like this that have happened that have really created a wedge between officers and the communities they serve and love.”
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Associated Press writer Ashraf Khalil in Washington contributed to this report.
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