Woman berates Florida teen with racial slurs for dropping gum wrapper
A white woman in Florida went absolutely berserk after catching a black teen littering, berating him and his family with a racial slur, video shows.
The unidentified woman went off Saturday on 14-year-old Barry Henry outside a FedEx store in St. Petersburg, where the teen was dropping off some documents with his grandmother, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Inside the store, the ninth-grader bought a pack of Extra gum and later dropped a wrapper outside, a piece of trash he intended to pick up, he told the newspaper.
That prompted a nearby “middle-aged” woman to erupt immediately, according to footage of the encounter posted by Henry’s sister.
“Nuh uh, don’t even act like that!” the woman screamed. “Pick it up! Pick it up! Find it! Get down on your knees and find it!”
Henry then turns away from the woman and laughs nervously toward the camera as the woman escalated her verbal assault, footage shows.
“No account little n—-r,” she continued. “That’s how you are. All y’all, no account f–king n—–s! Walk around here acting like something!”
The woman then directed her ire toward Henry’s cousin, who recorded a portion of the encounter, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
“Film me, f–ker!” she said. “Film me!”
Tykeshia Henry-Burch, the teen’s mother, said it was the first time he had been called the N-word in his life.
“It was so unbelievable to me,” she told the newspaper of the footage. “I was so hurt and just couldn’t believe she had said those things to my son. He’s only 14.”
Henry-Burch said her daughter posted the video on Facebook against her will, but acknowledged her reasoning to “heighten awareness” that racism still flourishes in the United States.
“Almost 2020 and we still are dealing with being spoken to in this manner over what exactly?” the post read. “A gum wrapper. Tasteless.”
The woman – dubbed online as “Pick It Up Peggy” – desperately needs counseling, Henry-Burch told WFLA.
“I would tell her she needs to seek help, she has serious issues,” she told the station. “She needs to watch what she says to people.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/10/10/woman-berates-florida-teen-with-racial-slurs-for-dropping-gum-wrapper/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
St. Paul cop offers alleged shoplifter a break – she stabs him in return
A Saint Paul, Minnesota, cop was stabbed by a homeless woman Monday evening after he had offered to give her a break for allegedly shoplifting from a grocery store, according to a report.
Officer Joe Ryan approached the woman around 8 p.m. after store employees told him that a woman had hidden items in her clothing without paying for them, the Star Tribune reported. He offered to let her return the stolen items without punishment, according to the paper.
The woman – later identified as 23-year-old Articia L. Moore – denied having stolen anything, even though Ryan could allegedly see the concealed items. She then returned a single item. Ryan told her to return the rest.
The woman explained she was homeless and became uncooperative, The Tribune reported. Ryan grabbed her arm after allegedly seeing a knife handle in her pocket.
A scuffle ensued, and the woman allegedly struck Ryan in the chest with a screwdriver and in the arm with a knife, according to a criminal complaint. Ryan brought her under control and arrested her.
Ryan’s vest protected him against the screwdriver, while his left bicep had a minor cut, according to the charges.
Moore was charged Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court with second-degree assault and assaulting a police officer.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/10/09/st-paul-cop-offers-alleged-shoplifter-a-break-gets-stabbed/
Photo Credit: Ramsey County jail
Inspector general report shows at least 16 officers involved in cover-up of Laquan McDonald shooting
Several false statements served to “mischaracterize the events leading up to the McDonald shooting, and to thereby bolster a false narrative which might offer justification for the shooting,” the report said.
CHICAGO — An internal report investigating 16 police personnel involved in covering up the 2014 fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald by a former Chicago police officer was released Wednesday after being kept secret for almost three years.
The formerly confidential report, written in 2016 by the city of Chicago’s inspector general, Joseph Ferguson, revealed that several officers committed numerous ethical and internal violations in order to cover up former officer Jason Van Dyke’s shooting of the 17-year-old, including giving false statements “to exaggerate the threat McDonald posed.”
According to the report, Anthony Wojcik, a former Chicago Police Department lieutenant who was at the scene, improperly disposed of three original general progress reports containing detectives’ handwritten notes of the statements three civilian witnesses made the night of the shooting. He then “personally recreated the reports,” before disposing of the original notes, the investigation showed.
The report also revealed that at least two officers, who were not fired after the inspector general’s investigation, untruthfully claimed they heard Van Dyke tell McDonald to drop a small weapon he was holding, and that the teen repeatedly ignored the officers’ calls to stay down.
The false statements served to “mischaracterize the events leading up to the McDonald shooting, and to thereby bolster a false narrative which might offer justification for the shooting,” the report said.
The report found that the officers not only fabricated the details, but that they would also not have been able to hear any interaction between Van Dyke and McDonald from where they were standing during the encounter.
At least four officers who were present the night of the shooting failed to “visually and audibly record events” with in-car video systems, and were found to withhold and shield video evidence establishing what actually transpired between Van Dyke and McDonald, according to the report.
The inspector general recommended the firing of 11 individuals, but only four were let go, according to the NBC affiliate WMAQ.
None of the four officers fired by the police board were charged criminally. However, they were stripped of police powers and assigned to desk duty as their case proceeded, The Associated Press reported.
Former Sgt. Stephen Franko, who was fired for his role in the cover-up, was found to have reviewed and approved false reports submitted by Van Dyke and his partner regarding the night of the shooting.
Franko’s endorsement of those false statements “served to establish the false narrative that McDonald initiated an attack on Van Dyke,” the report stated.
The report also detailed how Van Dyke tried to cover facts and did not openly comply with an investigation by the inspector general.
“Van Dyke made numerous false statements and material omissions in his interviews with CPD and [the Independent Police Review Authority] regarding the McDonald shooting,” the report said. In addition,Van Dyke made “false reports, false statements, and material omissions” to exaggerate the danger he faced with McDonald.
Article via NBCNews
$3G ‘Jesus Shoes’ filled with holy water sell out within minutes
A limited-edition sneaker, which is filled with holy water in the soles and blessed by a priest, sold out within minutes of its debut, despite each pair costing a whopping $3,000.
Brooklyn-based creative label MSCHF is responsible for releasing the shoe, which is a pair of all-white Nike Air Max 97s — though the design is in no way affiliated with Nike — that have been injected with holy water sourced from the Jordan River. The water, which is visible in the see-through sole, has some coloring added to enhance visibility, the shoe’s creator told Fox News.
The kicks, succinctly called “Jesus Shoes,” also feature the Bible verse Matthew 14:25 — the passage describing Jesus walking on water — and a single blood drop to represent the blood of Christ.
Among the other religious details are the frankincense-scented insoles, a crucifix threaded through the laces, and a red sole, which references the red shoes traditionally worn by past Popes.
The shoebox itself also displays an angel and a seal that resembles the official papal seal.
The shoes, which were bought at Nike retail value by MSCHF designers before being re-designed, were part of a desire for the MSCHF brand to poke fun at collaboration culture.
“We thought of that Arizona Iced Tea and Adidas collab, where they were selling shoes that [advertised] a beverage company that sells iced tea at bodegas,” head of commerce Daniel Greenberg tells the New York Post. “So we wanted to make a statement about how absurd collab culture has gotten.”
“We were wondering, what would a collab with Jesus Christ look like?” he added. Among the other religious details is a red sole, which references the traditional red shoes worn by the Pope, frankincense-scented insoles, and a crucifix threaded through the laces.
Less than two dozen of the Jesus Shoes were made with no plans to create more, according to MSCHF. Although, Gabriel Whaley, founder of the brand, hinted there may be a “second coming” in the future.
The MSCHF label releases new items every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month.
Article via FoxNews
Kim Kardashian Praises Greta Thunberg
While at the World Congress on Information Technology summit in Armenia, Kim Kardashian praises Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, calling her “brave and an amazing young woman.” The reality star also discusses her concerns about climate change, the effects of social media, and her journey through law school.
Check out some Lovelyti videos:
Kim Kardashian West helped FREE 17 inmates in 90 days!
Kim Kardashian gets Trump to commute Alice Johnson’s life sentence+ #IStandWithKalief
Simone Biles just became the most decorated female gymnast in history
Simone Biles just doesn’t stop. The Best Gymnast Ever just officially became the most decorated female gymnast in history, after she won her 21st World Championship medal in Stuttgart, Germany. (The win Tuesday beats the record of retired gymnast Svetlana Khorkina, who had 20.)
Did we mention Biles is only 22? Wow.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, 15 of those medals are gold. That’s the most World Championship gold medals ever in gymnastics history, too.
And her count could grow before the week is up.
Tuesday’s gold medal was awarded for the Women’s Team Final event, where Team USA competes against other countries.
The winner is decided by tallying the total scores from the participating gymnasts. In addition to being Biles’ 21st medal, it was Team USA’s fifth consecutive world team title.
But Biles’ week isn’t quite finished.
On Thursday, she’ll be competing in the Women’s All-Around Final, before spending the weekend competing in all four individual event finals — vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
She’s not guaranteed to medal in all of them, of course. But it does mean that her total count of World Championship medals could get up to 26 by the end of the week.
Last year, at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Biles brought home six medals — including four golds in team, all-around, vault and floor exercise. And yes, for those of you keeping count, that does mean she brought home a medal in every single event possible.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
Woman allegedly steals garage, tries to sell it on Facebook Marketplace
An Oklahoma woman was busted for allegedly stealing an entire building and trying to hawk it online, according to a report.
Vicki Treaster, 36, is accused of swiping a metal garage near Oklahoma City then posting an ad on Facebook Marketplace trying to offload it for $1,500, according to koco.com.
The owner of the structure told cops he was browsing the Craigslist-style local ad space, when he spotted a photo of his own building for sale.
The ad featured two people disassembling the garage, which he said was actually worth $6,000, according to the local outlet.
When questioned by cops, Treaster allegedly first lied about where she got the structure, and later claimed a friend gave it to her, the outlet reported.
But the “friend” — who turned out to be the victim’s brother — said he didn’t give her permission to take it.
Treaster was charged with one count of grand larceny and one count of unlawfully using a computer network to make money.
The report didn’t note when the structure was stolen, nor how big it was.
The ad no longer appeared on Facebook Marketplace Wednesday.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Johnson & Johnson to Pay $8 Billion in Damages After Man Says He Developed Breasts After Taking Antipsychotic Drug
Johnson & Johnson will have to pay $8 billion in punitive damages after a man claims the company didn’t warn young men that the drug Risperdal could grow breasts, a jury said Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Nicholas Murray, 26, previously won $680,000 in the case over the antipsychotic drug Risperdal in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
Murray says he developed breasts after he began taking Risperdal in 2003 when a psychologist diagnosed him with autism spectrum disorder, according to Reuters.
Murray’s lawyers, Tom Kline and Jason Itkin said in a statement the “jury told Johnson & Johnson that its actions were deliberate and malicious.”
“The conduct that the jury saw in the courtroom, was clear and convincing that J&J disregarded the safety of the most vulnerable of children. This is an important moment, not only for this litigation, but for J&J, which is a company that has lost its way.”
In a statement to CNN, Johnson & Johnson called the award “grossly disproportionate with the initial compensatory award in this case, and the Company is confident it will be overturned.”
The company added, “the jury did not hear evidence as to how the label for RISPERDAL® clearly and appropriately outlined the risks associated with the medicine, or the benefits RISPERDAL® provides to patients with serious mental illness.”
The case is the first of thousands in Pennsylvania where a jury could award punitive damages, Reuters reported.
Previously, a Pennsylvania judge ruled New Jersey law, which prohibits punitive damages and is Johnson & Johnson’s home state, should be applied to all cases.
In 2018, a Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled punitive damages were permitted, noting the state where each plaintiff lives should be the determining factor, according to Reuters.
An ‘essential medicine’
The World Health Organization includes risperidone, the chemical name for Risperdal, on its list of “essential medicines,” meaning the drug is “one of the minimum medicines needed for a basic healthcare system.”
But since 1994, when J&J put Risperdal on the market, the drug has drawn a significant amount of attention and controversy, beyond undisclosed side effects.
In 2013, in one of the largest health care fraud settlements in US history, the Department of Justice said Risperdal and two other drugs manufactured by Johnson & Johnson were promoted for dementia patients, even though Risperdal was approved only to treat schizophrenia. This use was not approved as safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration.
The drug was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1993.
“The conduct at issue in this case jeopardized the health and safety of patients and damaged the public trust,” then-Attorney General Eric Holder said at the time.
The department also alleged that Janssen promoted the drug for use in children and people with mental disabilities, despite knowing the health risks.
The agency also alleged that Janssen’s sales representatives told doctors that they needed to increase their Risperdal prescriptions in order to receive speaking fees for speeches set up by Janssen. Janssen agreed to the settlement and fines.
In a statement at the time, the company blamed the sales representatives.
Responding at the time to accusations that it inappropriately marketed the drug to children, J&J said Janssen “did not direct sales representatives to promote Risperdal for use in children or adolescents, and it did not approve sales materials aimed at treating children or adolescents.”
J&J insisted, “Risperdal is a safe and effective medication that has helped millions of people live better lives for more than two decades.”
Photo Credit: Credit: JB Reed/Bloomberg via Getty
$2.2 Million Worth of Fake Nike Shoes Seized at L.A., Long Beach Seaports
Thousands of fake Nike sneakers worth $2.2 million were seized at the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports, authorities said Wednesday.
Almost 15,000 pairs were found in a shipment from China, hidden in containers labelled “napkins,” according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release.
The containers were carrying Nike’s Air Jordans and Air Max shoes, including models that are special edition and typically cost up to $2,000 online.
“These special edition Nike and retro designs are highly coveted by collectors and sport shoes enthusiasts,” CBP said. “Consumers shopping online are eventually likely to encounter fraudulent sellers.
Authorities said the trade of fake sneakers often funds criminal enterprises that smuggle the shoes across borders.
“Counterfeit brand-name shoes is a multi-million dollar criminal industry,” CBP Port Director LaFonda Sutton-Burke said in a written statement. “The trafficking of these items is extremely lucrative and becomes more profitable in markets involving successful and popular products.”
China has been the leading manufacturer of both legitimate and fake sneakers for decades, with the country producing about 86% of the world’s counterfeit goods, according to 2016 report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The fake sneaker industry has proliferated through online marketplaces and social media platforms, the Los Angeles Times reported. Many buyers contact sellers through chatrooms and e-commerce sites.
“Transnational criminal organizations continue to profit from American intellectual property by selling their counterfeit and piratical goods not only in the U.S. but around the world,” L.A.’s Homeland Security Investigations chief, Joseph Macias, said.
via: https://ktla.com/2019/10/09/2-2-million-worth-of-fake-nike-shoes-seized-at-l-a-long-beach-seaports/
Photo Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection