• News

by Sharelle Burt

November 16, 2023

Israeli-Hamas War Protests Turn Violent Outside DNC Headquarters

Some politicians had to be escorted to safety.

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Law enforcement officers got into a violent scuffle with Israel-Hamas protestors outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C. Nov. 15.

Lawmakers had to be evacuated as police worked to push back 150 protestors who were on the property illegally. According to someone nearby, Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, were inside during the clash.

In a statement posted on Twitter, U.S. Capitol Police said six officers were treated for injuries. “Tonight 6 officers were treated for injuries – ranging from minor cuts to being pepper sprayed to being punched,” the statement read. “One person has been arrested for assault on an officer. We appreciate our officers who kept these illegal & violent protesters back & protected everyone in the area.”

Other elected officials were evacuated, including Reps Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Sean Casten (D-IL). Casten remembered seeing protesters surrounding the building and blocking all exits and entrances. Sherman spoke about the scary experience on Twitter.

“Was just evacuated from the #DNC after pro-terrorist, anti-#Israel protestors grew violent, pepper spraying police officers and attempting to break into the building,” he said. “Thankful to the police officers who stopped them and for helping me and my colleagues get out safely.”

This protest is just the latest in raging Israeli-Hamas war demonstrations around the world. in early November 2023, organizers at a pro-Palestine rally addressed President Biden directly with chants saying, “Biden, Biden, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide” and “No ceasefire, no votes.” The division among the House Democratic Caucus has become more apparent as Democratic voters have voiced their disapproval over Biden’s handling of the crisis and his support of Israel.

Videos posted on Twitter showed more protestors shutting down the Bay Bridge in California on Nov. 16.

Cars weren’t able to get to San Francisco for hours as protesters were seen lying down with white sheets over their bodies that said, “Stop the genocide.”

• Sports

by Derek Major

November 16, 2023

Former Knicks Point Guard Mark Jackson Out As Commentator After Team Bans Him From Plane

Former New York Knicks guard Mark Jackson will not be calling games on MSG Network after the team banned him from its chartered jet

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Former New York Knicks point guard Mark Jackson will not be calling games on MSG Network after the team objected to him being on the team’s chartered jet.

The NY Post reports Jackson was slated to occasionally fill in for longtime commentator Clyde Frazier this season, putting him back together with Mike Breen, who worked with Jackson for years on ESPN. However, Knicks’ upper management, led by Team President Leon Rose, blocked the arrangement due to a dispute between the former player and a current Knicks assistant coach.

Neither Jackson nor the Knicks have commented on the situation. An MSG Networks spokesperson told The Post, “We weren’t able to work something out this season.” 

The assistant coach with a history with Jackson is Darren Erman, who in 2014 was an assistant with the Golden State Warriors when Jackson was the Warriors head coach. That year, Jackson fired Erman for allegedly violating company policy after discovering he secretly recorded conversations between the team’s coaches and players.

Jackson was fired as the Warriors coach the next year and moved to the sidelines next to Breen, calling national NBA games for ESPN. Jackson was released by the network this summer as it revamped its broadcasting team. 

Before this season began, MSG allegedly targeted Jacskon to call Knicks games on road trips that Frazier would be absent for as he relaxed his schedule due to his age. TV and radio broadcasters are permitted to travel with the team and stay in the same hotel, according to the outlet. However, Rose, who had the final say, wouldn’t allow Jackson on the team charter, in its hotel, or on the team bus.

Jackson was not expected to make extra money as he was being paid an offset of the money that ESPN still owed him and was slated to call all five games on the Knicks’ current road trip. Instead, Gus Johnson has called the games, including Thursday night’s 116-114 win against the Atlanta Hawks.

Jackson responded to the news in a social media post, saying he turned the job down.

“Over a week ago, I turned that job down. You heard what I said: “More than a week ago, I turned the job down due to the fact that it wasn’t the ideal conditions, and it wasn’t the ideal time for me.”

• Travel and Leisure

by Jeffrey McKinney

November 16, 2023

Thanksgiving Travelers In For A Treat: Lower Gas Prices Expected As Millions Hit The Road

Lower gas prices could save Americans almost $1.2 billion during holiday travel season

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“More Americans are planning on hitting the road for the Thanksgiving holiday this year, and it’s no wonder why,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “Average gas prices have plummeted in all 50 states in the weeks ahead of Thanksgiving, with $2.99 prices spreading like wildfire just in time for the start of the holiday season.”

• Sports

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 16, 2023

Police State Surveillance Video Doesn’t Show Hit-and-Run Incident Involving 76ers Kelly Oubre Jr.

“The Police Department currently does not have any video or photographic evidence that depicts this collision.”

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Philadelphia 76ers player Kelly Oubre Jr. is currently not playing after allegedly being involved in a hit-and-run accident on Nov. 11 near his home. Yet, police officials say there doesn’t appear to be video surveillance footage of the incident, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Oubre told police officers that the accident occurred at an intersection in Center City, the popular Philadelphia neighborhood.

“The Police Department currently does not have any video or photographic evidence that depicts this collision,” Sgt. Eric Gripp, a department spokesperson, said Wednesday. “We continue to work in hopes of gathering evidence, and we encourage anyone who has information to reach out to our crash investigation unit.”

Gripp said the police isn’t saying that Oubre is lying but there is a possibility that based on what has been viewed, he could have given incorrect information. Footage was provided by two employees of businesses near where he claimed the accident took place. Investigators have confirmed that the crash supposedly happened on a well-trafficked downtown street.

Oubre, who just joined the team and is new to the area, was shaken up when giving the information to police officers. A source told the Inquirer that Oubre was only certain about walking back to his home after the incident.

“Listen, I don’t think it’s very fair to him to say that he’s made up some story,” 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said. “He’s one of our players, and we’re going to stand behind him. So am I. If some more evidence or anything else comes to light, we’ll handle it when it comes to light.”

On Wednesday, Oubre was at the practice facility doing a light workout. There is no word on when he is expected to return.

Ourbe has played for five teams, including the Washington Wizards, since entering the NBA in 2015.

• News

by Sharelle Burt

November 16, 2023

New Policy Bans Chicago Police Officers From Joining Hate or Extremist Groups

It's been a long time coming.

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Chicago’s civilian police oversight agency recently approved a new policy that prohibits police officers from joining hate or extremist groups.

On Nov. 13, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) unanimously approved the policy, giving the Chicago Police Department 60 days to respond before it would officially take effect. The department’s general orders already prohibit officers from having “membership in or affiliation with criminal organizations and from association with known members of criminal organizations.”

According to a WBEZ Chicago investigative report, dozens of current and former Chicago cops are members or once participated in right-wing extremist groups, including the Oath Keepers. The policy would expand the reach for members of criminal groups from becoming Chicago police officers, something Commissioner Remel Terry says he is taking seriously.

“Given the seriousness and urgency of this issue, we feel it’s important we vote on this policy today,” Terry explained. “We will continue our work to ensure that the Chicago Police Department effectively implements this policy, monitors the implementation and provides regular reporting on the outcome.”

This change in CPD policy was inspired by Robert Bakker, who was accused by the city’s inspector general of being associated with leaders of the Proud Boys, labeled by the FBI as an antisemitic white supremacy organization. While he was given a 120-day suspension, Bakker is still a member of the police force. With the new policy, the change would have likely ended his career.

The new policy also includes “bias” groups, described as organizations that “advocate for systematic illegal prejudice, oppression, or discrimination, including disparate treatment, against an individual or group based on any protected class under federal, state, and local law, including race, color, sex, gender identity, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, military status, source of income, credit history, criminal record, or criminal history.”

To expand on monitoring their officers, Bureau of Internal Affairs Chief Yolanda Talley said CPD is conducting its internal investigation, which she said would be finished “in less than six months.”

Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new police superintendent, Larry Snelling, has promised City Council members there will be more “stringent” efforts to rid the department of extremists and “remove those members from our ranks.”

CCPSA said it will monitor how the policy is implemented as Johnson has the power to veto. However, that’s unlikely, as he has promised to fire officers associated with extremist hate groups.

• Celebrity News

by Iman Milner

November 16, 2023

Amber Rose Shares Her Thoughts On Parenting, Says Oldest Son ‘Doesn’t Care’ About Her OnlyFans Page

The 'Slut Walk' creator and mother of two says she hides nothing from her children.

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Amber Rose has spent much of her time in the spotlight being unapologetic about her body, sexual expression, and belief that women should have complete autonomy over their self expression. Now, the “Slut Walk” creator and mother of two says she hides nothing from her children, but instead chooses appropriate times to reveal the more mature parts of her life and career, People reported.

Rose, who has reportedly brought in $23 million via her OnlyFans account since 2020, revealed during an episode of the No Jumper podcast that her 10-year-old son, Sebastian, whom she shares with rapper Wiz Khalifa, knows about her adults-only page.

“He has the Internet, and I got to say he’s a really smart, funny kid, so he’ll be like, ‘Mom, I have an OnlyFans too,'” she said. “He doesn’t. But if Bash was sitting right here, you’d think you’re talking to an 18-year-old kid. He cracks jokes because he’s just a smart, funny kid.”

The 34-year-old model believes it’s her job to introduce her children to things before their own curiosity or the internet does the job on her behalf.

“Listen, you can’t hide anything. You can’t hide anything from your children nowadays. If you do try to do that, they will go somewhere else and get misinformed,” she continued. “At the end of the day, sex is natural. It’s a natural thing and people do it.”

Rose has spent the better part of the last decade advocating for sex-positivity via her annual Amber Rose Slut Walk, started in 2015 to empower women alongside the LGBTQ community and to put an end to sexual injustice, derogatory labeling, and gender inequality. The model believes her clear mission has made both of her sons “feminists already.”

“He doesn’t care. I taught him from a very early age that you cannot tell women what to do with their bodies. That’s it,” she said of her eldest son’s feelings about the explicit nature of her content. “So, if a girl is on OnlyFans and she’s making money off her feet pictures or if guys are stupid enough to buy pictures and videos of girls, let the girl make the money.”

Rose is not the only celebrity to rake in big bucks through their OnlyFans content. In 2021, Angela White, more famously known as Blac Chyna, reportedly earned $20 million per month, according to iHeart, while rappers Cardi B and Tyga brought in $9.3 and $7.6 million per month, respectively.

RELATED CONTENT: Saweetie Promises ‘Spicy Content’ On OnlyFans Competitor Fansly

• News

by Atiya Jordan

November 16, 2023

This BIPOC Farmer’s Collective Sows More Seeds With California State Grant

Black farmers are still fighting for equal access.

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A collective of Black farmers in West Sacramento, California, is sowing seeds for a sustainable tomorrow with its a recent $1.25 million grant.

Black farmers and co-founders Nelson Hawkins, Nathaniel Brown and Keith Hudson introduced the collective in 2021. Thanks to a state grant, Ujamaa Farmer Collective is expanding its mission to ensure secure land tenure and equitable access to resources for historically underserved farmers of color.

But they got help from a family of farming, racial justice and environmental groups that have come together for the love of growing food and maintaining relationships in the Sacramento area and Yolo County specifically. The family of local farms includes We Grow Farms and Brown Sugar Farm, two Black-led farms.

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In response to the community rally, the California legislature allotted the funds 2022 for Ujamaa to purchase a medium-sized plot of land in Yolo County. Civil Eats reported that “the deed secures the tenure for multiple farms to operate on individual plots ranging in size from half an acre to 5 acres, each with a voice in collective governance and access to shared resources.”

“It’s also us facilitating that dynamic where we can really reduce the burden of entry,” Hawkins told Spectrum News. “And really help each other out because farming in and of itself, taking land out of the situation, is not easy.”

Today, the movement continues to shed light on the stark reality that the number of Black farmers has sharply declined. In 1910, African Americans owned more than 16 million acres of land. Today, they comprise just 1.3% of all farmers and own fewer than 5 million acres. The Golden State has witnessed even worse declines. The 2017 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) census counted just 429 African Americans out of approximately 124,000 growers.

According to a report by NPR, farmers of color face high rejection and withdrawal rates from the USDA’s lending process. Even though “direct loans are supposed to be among the easiest to get at USDA,” in 2022, the department granted direct loans to only 36% of farmers who identified as Black.

Hawkins, recently elected to California’s Land Equity Task Force, aims to provide security from the pitfalls of exclusion and discriminatory systems. “The more we can work together, nudge each other, and educate each other—we’re stronger together.”

In recent news, Ujamaa is teaming up with pepper farmer Nathaniel Brown, owner of Brown Sugar Farm. Thanks to the grant, Brown will gain access to agricultural land and financial stability for the legacy inspired by his grandmother. He is cultivating a half-acre parcel behind his family home in Citrus Heights. It is where residents and market goers can get a taste of the farm’s unconventional crops, such as Caribbean red, striped, and fish peppers, stinging nettles, and flowers. They are all grown using a home-brewed, brown sugar-based fertilizer.

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The collective envisions a future where the BIPOC farming business can flourish without the burdens of land insecurities and financial strain. “We’re trying to get away from the more colonial, extractive, and destructive systems that have shaped farming over the last 100 years,” Brown told Civil Eats.

• News

by Rafael Pena

November 16, 2023

Haitian Gang Traps People Inside Hospital In Port-au-Prince

A dire situation unfolded in Haiti on Nov. 15 as a heavily armed gang besieged Fontaine Hospital Center in Port-au-Prince.

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According to the Associated Press, on Nov. 15 a heavily armed gang besieged Fontaine Hospital Center in Port-au-Prince, trapping vulnerable individuals, including women, children, and newborns.

Jose Ulysse, the hospital’s founder and director, urgently sought assistance through social media, highlighting the perilous conditions in a community overwhelmed by escalating gang violence.

Situated amid the Cité Soleil slum is the Fontaine Hospital Center, which has long served as a vital refuge from rampant gang activity. Residents of the area routinely suffer atrocities including rape, assault, and homicide.

Ulysse recounted that the gang members surrounded the hospital, setting homes ablaze in the vicinity and obstructing the exit of those inside. While he initially reported that some gang members had entered the hospital, he later clarified that they did not breach its confines.

Responding to Ulysse’s call, Haiti’s National Police force arrived with three armored trucks to facilitate the evacuation of 40 children and 70 patients to a secure location within the city. The delicate operation included transporting children reliant on oxygen.

“Gangs are in total control of the area,” Ulysse emphasized to the Associated Press, underscoring the security challenges faced by the community. A spokesperson for the National Police was unavailable for immediate comment.

Ulysse attributed the incident to the Brooklyn gang led by Gabriel Jean-Pierre, known as “Ti Gabriel,” who also heads G-Pep, one of two rival coalitions in Haiti. With approximately 200 members, the Brooklyn gang exercises control over specific communities within Cité Soleil, engaging in extortion, goods hijacking, and pervasive violence.

“The G-Pep coalition and its allies strongly reinforced cooperation and diversified their revenues, in particular by committing kidnapping for ransom, which has enabled them to strengthen their fighting capacity,” per a UN report.

The distressing event adds to the mounting challenges faced by Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, with gangs wielding increasing influence and a surge in kidnappings and killings.

Earlier this year, armed gang members infiltrated a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders, forcibly seizing a patient from an operating room by fabricating a life-threatening emergency.

• News

by Rafael Pena

November 16, 2023

6-year-old Dies From Baseball Bat Attack 60 Days After Incident

Six-year-old Jeremy Diaz, who battled for his life after a vicious attack by a neighbor in September, died Nov. 14.

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Six-year-old Jeremy Diaz, who has battled for his life since he was allegedly attacked with a baseball bat by a neighbor, has died.

On Jeremy’s GoFundMe page, his father, Arturo Diaz, said the boy died November 14 after the September 11 attack, The Huffington Post reported.

Jeremy was allegedly assaulted by his adult neighbor, Daniel Logan, who, armed with a baseball bat, forcibly entered the Diaz family’s Texas home. According to the Austin-American Statesman, Logan’s mother, attempting to intervene, also suffered injuries.

Logan’s wife, HuffPo reported, told police she called 911 when she saw her mother-in-law come back home covered in blood and “frantically screamed that Daniel was killing everyone inside.”

Following the assault, the community rallied, launching a GoFundMe to assist Jeremy’s parents with medical expenses. Jeremy’s father regularly updated well-wishers on the platform, sharing his son’s ups and downs.

According to court records, Logan was deemed incompetent to stand trial in October; a mental health evaluation is scheduled for Nov. 28. His attorney, Marc Chavez, emphasized the involvement of mental illness in the case.

“While the allegations sound troubling, we ask everyone to reserve judgment until all the facts come to light, especially while we investigate issues related to serious mental illness,” Chavez told USA Today.

Despite signs of improvement in Jeremy’s vital signs, a sudden and severe “neural storm” occurred Monday night, according to his father’s GoFundMe update. Neurostorming, often seen after traumatic brain injuries, can manifest in heightened heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature regulation issues.

“It was the worst storm we had seen, and it came out of nowhere. It was almost 6 hours of hell on earth―I can only imagine the torture he went through,” Arturo Diaz wrote on the GoFundMe page.

In a heart-wrenching farewell, Diaz expressed the profound pain of covering his son’s face for the last time, witnessing the bookends of Jeremy’s life. No parent, he wrote, should endure the agony of burying their child.

• Education

by Derek Major

November 16, 2023

Senate Republicans Fall Short In Bid To Stop Biden’s SAVE Student Loan Repayment Plan

Senate Republicans have fallen short in their bid to pass a resolution overturning President Joe Biden’s SAVE student loan plan.

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Senate Republicans fell short in their bid to pass a resolution to overturn President Joe Biden’s income-driven plan for addressing student loans, Saving on Valuable Education (SAVE).

The Hill reported all Republicans and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (W.V.) voted in support of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would have discontinued the SAVE plan that went into effect this fall.

However, the 49 votes weren’t enough, as all Democrats except Manchin voted to fight off the latest challenge to the repayment plan, a 50-49 vote. 

Senate Republicans saw the loss coming and did not take it well.

“This is irresponsible. This is deeply unfair,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said before the vote, according to The Hill.

The SAVE Plan is a two-part plan. This fall, borrowers will see a rise in their income exemption for student loan payments from 150% to 225% above the federal poverty guidelines. Borrowers will also not see their unpaid interest grow. Next year, monthly payments from discretionary income will be cut from 10% to 5%, according to the outlet.

In their bid to derail the SAVE plan, Republicans noted the plan will cost taxpayers more than $550 billion, adding that individuals who never attended college and those who have paid off their loans would be picking up the tab for others. 

According to Business Insider, student loan debt is Americans’ fourth-highest debt after mortgages, auto loans, and credit card debt, totaling $1.57 trillion. Millions of Americans with student loan debt were given a break during the COVID-19 pandemic as loan payments were paused and interest rates were set to 0% between March 13, 2020, and Sept. 1, 2023. Additionally, Biden has canceled the student loan debt of nearly 3.6 million Americans, totaling more than $127 billion.