THE APPEAL PODCAST EPISODE 11: PROSECUTORS TEAM UP WITH WALMART TO CRACK DOWN ON PETTY CRIME
Shoplifting has traditionally been seen as a petty crime unworthy of serious punishment, much less long prison sentences. But under an increasingly popular theory of crime deterrence, prosecutors—with the help of retail lobbyists—are throwing the book at people for stealing as little as $39 worth of goods, claiming that they’ve committed burglary. Our guest, Appeal contributor Jessica Pishko, discusses this punitive trend and what public defenders are doing to push back.
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Trump calls Omarosa a ‘lowlife’
President Donald Trump on Saturday called his former aide and “Apprentice’’ contestant Omarosa Manigault Newman a “lowlife.’’
At his golf club in Bedminster, NJ, Trump said Newman is a “lowlife, she’s a lowlife,” according to clips of the exchange, including on CNN.com.
Elfen’s Saturday Music Video Through the wire Kanye West
Looking at Kanye’s music videos all day and this one is my favorites.Through the wire shows hungry and humble Kanye was at one time. As I said we all evolve And grow. It seems like after his mama died he sold his soul to the devil .
Spike Lee talks about his movie BlackKansman with real life detective Ron Stallman
A SPIKE LEE JOINT BlackKlansman in theaters now!
Watch this indepth trailer
Michael Brown’s mother is running for office in Ferguson, Missouri
Standing near the spot where her son was gunned down, Michael Brown’s mother, Lezley McSpadden, announced she is running for city council in Ferguson, Missouri.
Read more via: Michael Brown’s mother is running for office in Ferguson, Missouri
Watch Lovelyti’s videos:
WATCH: Ex-Georgia teacher grabbed student by throat, slammed him onto table
What is going on in our schools?
Surveillance video of a Lumpkin County high school teacher allegedly grabbing a student by his throat, throwing him onto a cafeteria table and dragging him along the table was obtained by Channel 2 Action News on Friday.
The incident happened in April 2017 and involved former teacher and coach Tim Michael Garner at the Lumpkin Mountain Education Charter High School in Dahlonega, Channel 2 reported. The school is an alternative school for students who have gotten into trouble at other schools in the district.
Watch the video via: WATCH: Ex-Georgia teacher grabbed student by throat, slammed him onto table
Florida day care worker sentenced to 11 months in death of toddler who was left in hot van
A day care employee who had a part in leaving a toddler in a hot van last summer was sentenced Friday.
Louvenia Johnson, 29, pleaded no contest in June to aggravated manslaughter of a child by culpable negligence, only days before her co-defendant, Cornel McGee, went to trial and was acquitted.
Judge Joel Boles sentenced Johnson on Friday to 11 months in jail, followed by 10 years of probation, a departure from the recommended minimum sentence of 13 years in prison.
The two defendants — McGee, who was a driver at In His Arms Christian Academy in Pensacola, and Johnson, a teacher at the day care — left 3-year-old Jai’Nier Barnes in the day care center’s van the morning of Aug. 18.
Read more via: Florida day care worker sentenced to 11 months in death of toddler who was left in hot van
Brock Turner loses appeal in sexual assault case
A California appeals court rejected the appeal of Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer who sought to overturn his convictions stemming from a 2015 sexual assault of an unconscious woman.
Read more via: Brock Turner loses appeal in sexual assault case
Another ‘Kiki Challenge’ Video From India Earns 2 Million Views — And 3 Arrests
Earlier this week, we reported on the video from India that, according to Trevor Noah, “won” the Kiki Challenge. It was 39 seconds of two farmers dancing in the mud with their oxen.
Now there’s another Kiki challenge video making headlines in India — but also raising concerns from the police.
It was made by three men in their 20s from Mumbai: Shyam Sharma, a television actor, and his friends Dhruv Shah and Nishant Shah, who run a YouTube channel. Like many people around the world, they responded to the Instagram comic Shiggy, who asked his followers to dance to the lyrics of the Drake song “In My Feelings,” which is addressed to a woman named Kiki.
On August 3, they uploaded their video on Funcho Entertainment, their YouTube channel. Their intention, they wrote in the descriptor for the video, was to show how people from the different states of India would attempt the Kiki challenge.
They say they were trying to poke fun at local stereotypes — although some might say they went too far.
In the first scene, one of them gives his phone to a fellow on a train so he can film him dancing on the station platform. But the guy ends up pocketing the phone. Later in the video, a dead body on a stretcher momentarily comes to life to do the jig. And a policeman uses his stick to beat a young man who attempts the Kiki challenge in the middle of the road, but the young man convinces him that he’s looking for a lost “key” and is not really doing the challenge.
The video makers also translate the song into Gujarati, an Indian language, and mimic a local dance.
So you can debate the merits of their video. But you can’t deny its popularity — over 2.4 million views so far.
The blaze of publicity attracted some unexpected interest. On August 7, the Railway Protection Force, a police force stationed in railways, arrested the three Kiki challengers.
It’s not the first time the police of India have been upset by interpretations of the Kiki challenge. Across the country, they’ve been increasingly alarmed with the stunts of people jumping out of cars and buses in their “Kiki” videos (inspired by the line in the song, “Are you riding?”).
On July 26, the Mumbai police tweeted:
Mumbai Police✔@MumbaiPolice
Not just a risk for you but your act can put life of others at risk too. Desist from public nuisance or face the music ! #DanceYourWayToSafety #InMySafetyFeelingsChallenge
They issued a similar warning on August 4:
Mumbai Police✔@MumbaiPolice
We love your safety and can’t leave it to be decided by Kiki! #GetInToTheCar #kikiChallenge #InMySafetyFeelings
According to reports, the three apologized and promised not to try such stunts again.
And on Twitter, people were deeply amused by the verdict.
Manjinder S Sirsa✔@mssirsa
I like this –#KikiChallenge undertaken by 3 Mumbai youth on local trains has resulted in Mumbai Vasai court sentencing them to clean the station for three days!
We need more such exemplary & unique punishments
Article via: Another ‘Kiki Challenge’ Video From India Earns 2 Million Views — And 3 Arrests
Steph Curry Raises $20,000 For Family Of Nia Wilson During Basketball Showcase And Tribute To The Slain Teen
Last month Nia Wilson was brutally stabbed on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). On Tuesday, August 7, Curry used his SC30 Select Showcase as a platform to bring awareness and offer financial assistance to the victim’s family.
According to KPIX, the basketball event became more than a game as Curry took to center court to pay homage to Wilson.
“I’m sure everybody is aware of the tragedy, the loss we’ve had in the Bay Area recently, the life of Nia Wilson,” he said.
On July 22, 27-year-old John Lee Cowell attacked both Wilson and her 26-year-old sister, Letifah, at the BART station. The two young ladies were stabbed in their necks, which led to Letifah being hospitalized.
While no amount of money or time could heal the scar left by Wilson’s absence, the NBA star offered a gesture of kindness and light to the family. With both Nia’s father, Ansar Mohammed, and Letifah sitting courtside, Curry raised over $20,000 in donations for the family via his Facebook livestream.
“Everybody who’s watching at home on the livestream on Facebook, please hit the ‘Donate’ button,” Curry asked fans. “Everything that is donated today, all the proceeds, 100 percent, will go to Nia Wilson’s family.”
Stephen Curry
✔@StephenCurry30
I’m happy to be able to livestream the All Star Game from the SC30 Select Camp, coached by myself and @sdotcurry, in honor of Nia Wilson. All donations will benefit Nia’s family via the National Basketball Player’s Association Foundation.https://bit.ly/2M8GrWy
Curry’s gesture seemed to send a message to not only the family but to Golden State fans, as well. Citizens praised the “Splash Bro” for his work.
“People need to know that she mattered. She really mattered,” Warriors fan LaWanda Travis told KPIX. “And for him to do this, I love him even more.”
Article via: Steph Curry Raises $20,000 For Family Of Nia Wilson During Basketball Showcase And Tribute To The Slain Teen