Philadelphia Paying $2M To Rickia Young Who Was Brutally Beaten, Dragged By Police In Front of Her Child
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 14, 2021

Philadelphia Paying $2M To Rickia Young Who Was Brutally Beaten, Dragged By Police In Front of Her Child

The city of Philadelphia is issuing a million-dollar-plus payout to a mother who was brutally beaten by police in front of her child.

Rickia Young will receive $2 million after the 29-year-old was dragged out of the car she was driving with two young children passengers during civil unrest and beaten by police, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Young was unjustly beaten up by the cops and separated from her toddler.

Video of the shocking incident was shared online, and it took months before action was taken. In May, a police officer and a sergeant were fired due to the incident, and 15 additional officers are awaiting disciplinary proceedings, department officials said.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney called Young’s treatment “absolutely appalling.”

“This terrible incident, which should have never happened to anyone, only further strained the relationship between the Police Department and our communities,” Kenney said.

Young, who works as a home health aide, was trying to drive through a swarm of protestors on Oct. 27, 2020, when police responded by smashing her car windows and attacking her. At the time, she was driving with her 2-year-old son and 16-year-old nephew. Young said she was battered and separated from her child and nephew for hours, NPR reports. Young did not file a lawsuit.

“Instead of fighting crime and the fear of crime, some of the officers on the scene created an environment that terrorized Rickia Young, her family, and other members of the public,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement.

Young’s lawyers, Mincey Fitzpatrick Ross, said this is the first time the city has paid such a large settlement for a non-fatal incident, CBS Philly reports.

“Our physical injuries may heal but the pain of seeing those images of my son in the arms of an officer and the horrible caption written to describe that picture may never heal,” Young said. “They need to be held responsible.”

by Seimond London

September 14, 2021

The Ultimate Road Trip: The Andersons’ Travel Journal – Bad Weather, No Problem

The Ultimate Road Trip

“Inspired by Nissan Pathfinder, writer Chris Atwell has written a series about the fictional Anderson Family and imagined the adventures they might have on a summer road trip with Pathfinder. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this article are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, or entities is intended or should be inferred.”

 

The first lesson of our family road trip is that not everything goes according to plan. Darryl and Denise Anderson have special plans for tomorrow and a long drive ahead if they’re going to pull them off. If only the weather will cooperate. It won’t be the last time on this road trip that the rugged all-new Pathfinder faces a weather challenge and rescues the Andersons’ best-laid plans. Darryl explains:   

It rained today. All. Day. Long!

The forecast said we might get a little precipitation later in the afternoon, but Mother Nature had her own ideas. A half-hour after we hit the road this morning, it started to pour. That’s the thing about long road trips. You can plan routes and stops, but you can never count on the weather to cooperate. You simply must roll on, which is what we did. We had a schedule to keep and some serious ground to cover today—more than 250 miles from Rockville, Maryland, to Virginia Beach.

Despite the rain and challenging road conditions along the way, we made the drive in just over five hours. Denise and I split driving duties, and I can say without a doubt that we both truly appreciated the Pathfinder today.

What made the difference was the Pathfinder’s rugged design and safety technology. We’ve been driving only during the day so far on this trip, so I hadn’t used the High Beam Assist before today’s downpour. The feature provided excellent visibility. The Pathfinder’s Blind Spot Warning system can help see what the driver can’t see in the blind spot area, perfect for tricky lane changes. When I heard that first burst of rain this morning, I braced myself for a difficult day. As it turned out, the Pathfinder delivered us to our destination safe and dry and with hardly any time lost.

Keeping to the schedule was particularly important for this leg of the trip because I made special plans.

Years ago, Denise and I visited a spot on the Virginia coast when we first got married. We’re heading back there for a couple of hours on horseback, just the two of us riding along a gorgeous stretch of beach. I figured it’s only fair that we get to have a little romance time for ourselves.

The family will be back on the road soon enough!

Next up: Heading off-road to honor the ancestors…

 

  • Blind Spot Warning:  Blind Spot Warning cannot prevent collisions and may not detect every object or warn in all situations. Driver should always turn and look before changing lanes. See Owner’s Manual for safety information.

Nearly 100 Massachusetts National Guard Members to Become Bus Drivers
by Derek Major

September 14, 2021

Nearly 100 Massachusetts National Guard Members to Become Bus Drivers

Nearly 100 members of the Massachusetts National Guard will begin training sessions this week to serve as bus drivers for school districts in the state.

According to CBS 4 Boston, the state currently has a school bus driver shortage and up to 250 troops will be trained to drive school transport vans known as 7D vehicles. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker wasted no time in addressing the problem.

“Once it became pretty clear that there were going to be some communities shorthanded—it wasn’t going to be a vehicle issue, it was going to be people with CDLs—we started talking to the Guard,” Baker told CBS 4.

Baker added since this is a COVID-19 related issue, the cost will be reimbursed by the federal government. The initial troops who pass the training will be deployed to help the Chelsea, Lowell, Lynn, and Lawrence communities.

Massachusetts isn’t alone. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas and Ohio are all dealing with a lack of bus drivers. The reasons for the shortages vary from many former bus driver finding better work as truck drivers to protecting themselves from COVID-19.

Curt Macysyn, executive director for the National School Transportation Association, which represents private school bus contractors, told ABC News last month the COVID-19 pandemic has played a critical role in bus driver shortages across the country.

“During COVID, people chose their health over a position,” Macysyn said. “With the delta variant, I think some folks who might have considered a return are probably gonna stay on the sidelines a bit longer.”

Employers have offered signing bonuses of up to $1,000, offered to pay for applicants to get their commercial driver’s license, and raised hourly pay, but still cannot find new drivers. In order to adjust, some schools have begun to start classes later or have teachers driving.

Other school districts have been forced to postpone classes or entire days to deal with the shortages.

After Celebrity Support, Death Row Inmate Julius Jones Gets Sentence Commuted
by Alexa Imani Spencer

September 14, 2021

After Celebrity Support, Death Row Inmate Julius Jones Gets Sentence Commuted

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recommended commuting the sentence of death row inmate Julius Jones in a 3-1 vote Monday.

The board’s vote comes after several celebrities, including Kim Kardashian and Baker Mayfield, rallied to support Jones’ case. He’s also gathered support from other celebrities, including NBA players Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, and Trae Young.

A final decision on his sentence will made by Gov. Kevin Stitt, Insider reported.

“The governor takes his role in this process seriously and will carefully consider the Pardon and Parole Board’s recommendation as he does in all cases. We will not have any further comment until the governor has made a decision,” Stitt’s office said in a statement, according to KOCO-TV.

According to the news station, the office for Oklahoma District Attorney David Prater filed a motion Monday to have board member Scott Williams recused and “self-disqualified” from the vote due to bias and conflict of interest.

Williams recused himself Monday morning, stating he is “in complete compliance of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.”

Jones has spent the last 19 years on death row after being sentenced to death for the killing of Paul Howell, a businessman from Edmond, OK, who was fatally shot  in 1999.

The shooting took place in Howell’s parents’ driveway in front of his two young daughters. Prosecutors said Jones shot Howell in his head twice while carjacking his SUV.

At the time, Jones was a student at the University of Oklahoma and has declared his innocence since his conviction.

Jones’ family doesn’t support the conviction either. They said he was eating dinner at home at the time of the murder, the City Sentinel reported.

Jones’ lawyers said, based on legal standards, DNA found on a bandana at the crime scene didn’t match their client’s DNA.

Maya Rudolph Makes History As Third Black Woman to Win Back-to-Back Emmys
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 14, 2021

Maya Rudolph Makes History As Third Black Woman to Win Back-to-Back Emmys

History was made over the weekend when a Black actress won her second Emmy Award of the night, becoming the first person in 20 years to win twice consecutively in the same category.

According to Deadline, that honor was bestowed to Maya Rudoph, this past Sunday.

The Saturday Night Live alum won her second consecutive Emmy this year for her voice role in Big Mouth. She also received a second consecutive Emmy when she was a guest host on Saturday Night Live. Rudolph has also achieved another feat. She also became the third Black woman ever to win back-to-back Emmys.

After receiving her honor, she was told of the accomplishment she had just achieved.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” she said during a press conference.

“I feel honored to be part of something like that. I feel like this Emmy is very fitting in that it’s for something that feels like such a personal achievement. It’s for hosting my childhood love and dream, and at a place in my life, I finally realized it’s what I do best and what makes me happiest when I perform. I feel really honored that I’m part of a legacy as the third woman of color to achieve that.”

According to Variety, Rudolph, who is biracial, became the fourth person of color overall to pick up back-to-back acting wins in the same category from the Television Academy.

Comedian and disgraced TV actor Bill Cosby was the first person of color to achieve this feat when he won three consecutive lead drama actor wins for I Spy back in 1966, 1967, and 1968.

In 2002, actor Charles S. Dutton became the second person when he won an Emmy Award as a guest drama actor for his appearance in the drama The Practice, and then he won in the same category in 2003 for Without A Trace. Regina King became the first woman of color to do this, winning the supporting limited series/TV movie actress category in 2015 and 2016, both times for American Crime.

R. Kelly Accuser Says She Walked in On Him Sexually Abusing A 13-Year-Old Aaliyah
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 14, 2021

R. Kelly Accuser Says She Walked in On Him Sexually Abusing A 13-Year-Old Aaliyah

The details on R. Kelly’s past relations with the late singer, Aaliyah, while she was underage, continue to be revealed as more accusers take the stand.

A woman who goes by Angela recently testified against the disgraced singer and claimed R. Kelly sexually abused her when she was a minor. She also testified about witnessing Kelly perform oral sex on Aaliyah in 1992 or 1993 when the late singer was 13 or 14 years old, The New York Times Vulture reports.

“He told her that we were going to be her background [singers] as well,” Angela recalled. “He told her that we were going to be her street vibe and that we were going to be there to be her friends as well.”

The latest accuser’s revelations are the earliest known encounters of R. Kelly and Aaliyah, who later wed when Aaliyah was 15 and Kelly was 27.

“I saw Robert and Aaliyah in a sexual situation,” she said. “It appeared that he had his head in between her legs and was giving her oral sex.” Aaliyah was reportedly sitting on a seat while Kelly was on his knees.

“I closed the door abruptly and pushed the girl behind me away from the door,” Angela said. She noted how she never spoke to Kelly about what she saw and stopped working for him in the mid-1990s, Rolling Stone reports.

Angela says she met Kelly in 1991 when she was 14 or 15. She attended a party at Kelly’s Chicago apartment with other young girls. They were all hanging out in a common area before Kelly went off into a private room.

“He asked me to climb on top of him,” Angela said after she entered the room. “I paused for a moment. I was a little startled.” But she decided to do “as he asked me to do.”

She admitted to having multiple sexual encounters with Kelly while she was a minor. Angela is one of many who have testified in R. Kelly’s racketeering and sex crimes case. He is accused of abusing women, girls, and boys in what the Feds believe was a criminal enterprise.

Senate Democrats Seek Quick Passage Of Revised Election Reform Plan
by Derek Major

September 14, 2021

Senate Democrats Seek Quick Passage Of Revised Election Reform Plan

Reuters – U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a new version of an election reform bill that is a top priority of President Joe Biden, amid a wave of Republican state legislatures imposing restrictions on voting.

Senator Amy Klobuchar and seven fellow Democrats, including moderates such as Joe Manchin, introduced the bill, which would set national standards for states to follow as they administer elections.

The Democratic senators said their bill, dubbed the “Freedom to Vote Act,” would ensure that all qualified voters can request mail-in ballots and have at least 15 days of early voting. The legislation also would allow people to register to vote as late as Election Day, which would become a public holiday.

“Following the 2020 elections in which more Americans voted than ever before, we have seen unprecedented attacks on our democracy in states across the country,” the senators said in a statement.

Michael Waldman, president of the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, said the new legislation “gives powerful new momentum to the fight to protect democracy.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said he would schedule a vote on it soon and opened the door to Republican input in the meantime.

Noting that Democrats won the White House and control of the Senate in the last elections, Schumer said Republicans in several state legislatures were now “trying to stop the people who didn’t vote for them from voting.”

But with Republicans in Congress accusing Democrats of a “power grab” that would rob states of their ability to fashion voting rules, the legislation faces a tough battle in the Senate, which is divided 50-50 between the two parties.

In June, all 50 Senate Republicans banded together to block a more ambitious bill, leaving Democrats 10 votes short of the minimum needed for it to advance. Under the Senate’s “filibuster” rule, at least 60 votes in the 100-member chamber are needed for most legislation to advance.

The bill also would reduce the ability of states to fashion congressional districts in a partisan way and would aim to lift a veil of secrecy over some campaign contributions.

Democrats accused Republican-controlled states of imposing new voting rules to suppress Election Day turnout, especially among Black, Hispanic and young voters, many of whom lean Democratic.

Those Republican efforts expanded significantly after November’s U.S. presidential election in which defeated ex-President Donald Trump falsely claimed he was the victim of widespread voter fraud – an allegation that was rejected multiple times by courts and by his own Justice Department.

In mid-term elections set for Nov. 8, 2022, voters will decide whether control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives should remain in Democratic hands or be turned over to Republicans.

Democrats hold the narrowest of majorities in Congress.

Last week, Texas joined the list of states enacting new election restrictions, which Biden called an “all-out assault” on American democracy.

The state’s new rules would make it harder for Texans to cast mail-in ballots and would add identification requirements for such voting.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the law would make it “harder for people to cheat at the ballot box.”

If Republicans again refuse to provide the support needed in the Senate for the bill to clear the 60-vote threshold, some Democrats are expected to urge Schumer to carve out an exception to the filibuster rule so that only a simple majority of the 100-seat Senate is required for passage.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Dan Grebler)

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 14, 2021

Jay-Z Reportedly Eyeing $4 Billion Deal to Become 1st Black NFL Owner of Denver Broncos

It appears that Jay-Z wants to get back into the sports world as a team owner, but he may have to battle a friend who happens to be the richest man in the world.

According to Front Office Sports, the hip-hop billionaire is a potential buyer of an NFL (National Football League) team, the Denver Broncos. (Pat Bowlen, who purchased the franchise in 1984, died in June 2019.) The former part-owner of National Basketball Association’s Brooklyn Nets, Jay-Z will no doubt have to compete with other suitors, including, sources say, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.

The Denver Broncos may hit the market in 2022 after what the team says will be an “orderly determination of ownership” which could include the Bowlen family selling the team. The franchise could sell for as much as $4 billion.

Denver Broncos President and CEO Joe Ellis released a written statement earlier this summer in July:

“Our goal is a timely, responsible, and orderly determination of ownership,” Ellis said. “What that will entail for us—there’s some things that we still need to work through—but our goal is to be able to lay out, when the season is over—and [head coach] Vic [Fangio] has promised that will be in the middle of February—that we lay out for everybody a timeline to a transition of ownership that will take place next year prior to the start of the season. That’s important. It’s important to the organization. It’s important to the beneficiaries—Pat [Bowlen]’s children—to get it resolved and we’re moving forward on that.”

Bowlen purchased the Broncos for $78 million in 1984. Reportedly, there is uncertainty among some of his seven daughters over the ownership. A lawsuit brought by two of them that was dismissed back in July.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren Says Fed Reserve Must Break Up ‘Repeat Offender’ Wells Fargo
by Derek Major

September 14, 2021

Sen. Elizabeth Warren Says Fed Reserve Must Break Up ‘Repeat Offender’ Wells Fargo

Reuters – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday called on the Federal Reserve to break apart Wells Fargo & Co, arguing the latest fine against the bank shows it to be an “irredeemable repeat offender.”

In a letter sent to the Fed, Warren urged the central bank to revoke Wells Fargo’s status as a financial holding company and order it to sell off its investment banking and nonbanking activities, citing the bank’s years-long struggle to address regulatory shortcomings.

“Wells Fargo is simply ungovernable,” she said in the letter, the latest in her lengthy campaign against the bank, which has been penalized repeatedly by regulators for a range of issues.

Warren, an unsuccessful candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, serves on the Senate Banking Committee.

The bank has paid over $5 billion in fines and has been placed under an unprecedented asset cap by the Fed for selling potentially millions of fake accounts to customers, among other issues, in a series of long running scandals that led to the ousters of two separate chief executives.

A spokesman for the Fed said the central bank had received the letter and planned to respond. In a statement, Wells Fargo said meeting regulatory expectations on risk management and control “remains Wells Fargo’s top priority” and said “significant progress” had been made.

Warren’s letter comes days after Wells was fined $250 million by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which chastised the bank for failing to adequately repay customers who had been charged improper or excessive fees.

In a separate letter to the bank’s board, Warren pressed for specifics on current CEO Charles Scharf’s compensation, including how much of it was based on the bank’s ability to address regulatory shortcomings. She also called for details on the bank’s timeline for addressing issues, noting that Scharf has been with the bank for nearly two years.

“You owe your customers, your investors, and your regulators an explanation for Wells Fargo’s ongoing inability to meet legal and regulatory requirements,” she wrote.

(Reporting by Pete Schroeder in Washington Additional reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in BengaluruEditing by Matthew Lewis)

‘Colin in Black & White’: Netflix Releases Trailer For Upcoming Kaepernick Drama Series
by Alexa Imani Spencer

September 14, 2021

‘Colin in Black & White’: Netflix Releases Trailer For Upcoming Kaepernick Drama Series

Netflix released the trailer for its upcoming drama series on the life of Colin Kaepernick, Colin in Black & White. The coming-of-age series, produced by Ava DuVernay and narrated by Kaepernick, premieres Oct. 29.

In the series, Jaden Michael stars as Kaepernick in his formative years. Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) and Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) are also featured in the project as Kaepernick’s adoptive parents, Rick and Teresa.

“When we’re young, we’re told that the world is ours, that we should figure out our path and take our shot,” Kaepernick said in the trailer. “Then one day we realize the game we’re playing is someone else’s.”

The series is described as “a bold new limited series that chronicles Kaepernick’s coming-of-age story, tackling the obstacles of race, class and culture as the Black adopted child of a white family,” according to Shadow and Act. Kaepernick also appears to provide historical and cultural context to what’s on screen.

Kaepernick said he’s eager for the project to be released to the public.

“I’m excited to share this first peek into a project I co-created with the incomparable Ava DuVernay over the past couple of years,” said Kaepernick in a previous statement received by Shadow and Act. “I look forward to the world meeting the incredible Jaden Michael,  a young actor who plays me during my high school years, just a kid growing up in Turlock, California, who wanted to play ball.”

DuVernay and Kaepernick are joined on the production team by Michael Starrbury, who scripted the series and serves as executive producer, according to Hollywood Reporter.com. Directors include DuVernay, Sheldon Candis, Robert Townsend, Angel Kristi Williams, and Kenny Leon.

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