The Black Cop 1969 documentary
To know why we are where we are now is to know what came before us
Madonna Claims She Was Fined $1 Million For Supporting Russia LGBTQ Rights
Madonna is boasting about not paying a $1 million fine allegedly slapped on her for supporting Russia’s LGBTQ community at a 2012 show in St. Petersburg.
But a Russian court threw out the lawsuit filed by a group of conservative activists, and the singer was never fined a single ruble.
The debacle centers around a show Madonna played on Aug. 9, 2012, in St. Petersburg, during which she voiced her support for the local gay community. At the entrance to the Peterburgsky arena, audience members were handed pink wristbands and asked to wear them during the concert to show “tolerance for the gay community.”
In a tweet and Instagram post on Monday, Madonna linked to a video showing part of her speech that night. “I was fined 1 million dollars by The government for supporting the Gay community,” she wrote. “I never paid.”
In the video she addresses the audience, many of whom were waving rainbow flags.
“I feel that people are becoming more and more afraid of people who are different,” Madonna says on the video. “People are becoming more and more intolerant. It’s a very scary time. But we can make a difference. We can change this. We have the power.”
In the same speech, she told the audience: “I am here to say that the gay community and gay people here and all around the world have the same rights — to be treated with dignity, with respect, with tolerance, with compassion, with love.”
After the 2012 show, a group of conservative activists filed a class-action lawsuit against Madonna, the venue and the promoter, Planeta Plus, demanding 333 million rubles ($10.7 million at the time) in damages, claiming they were insulted by the American singer’s statements and actions in support of the gay community.
But that November, St. Petersburg’s Moskovsky district court threw out the lawsuit, a spokesperson for the court confirmed to Billboard on Wednesday. No fine was ever imposed on the artist, venue or promoter, the spokesperson said.
“There was no gay propaganda during the show,” Yevgeny Filkenshtein, head of PMI Group, which promoted the show, tells Billboard. “Madonna just called on the audiences to be tolerant towards people of other sexual orientation and religious persuasions,” he says. “We protected Madonna from all that in any possible way and dealt with the lawsuit by ourselves. The court eventually sided with us and the artist, and no fine was imposed.”
Several months after the 2012 show, Vitaly Milonov, a conservative St. Petersburg legislator who was behind an anti-gay propaganda law first introduced in the city and then nationwide in Russia, claimed that Madonna had violated Russia’s tax and migration legislation by performing the show on the wrong type of visa and should be punished for that. But he never produced any evidence to back his claims.
Several Russian media outlets have reported on Madonna’s tweet, expressing surprise about the non-existing $1 million fine. Russia has traditionally been hostile towards homosexuality, and intolerance has been on the rise. Same-sex couples are not allowed to marry or form civil unions in Russia.
Madonna did not respond to requests for comment.
She is hardly alone in the music community for her criticism of Russia’s increasingly anti-gay laws. Lady Gaga and Elton John are among the pop stars who have spoken out about local and national laws impacting the LGBTQ community. Citing an administrative law, a St Petersburg court fined the organizers of a 2013 Lady Gaga show for “propaganda of alcohol consumption and homosexuality,” after a 13-year-old girl was exposed to simulated sexual intercourse between women. Russian President Vladimir Putin last year pushed back against John’s criticisms, saying Russia was “very neutral” toward the LGBTQ community.
Article via MSN
Whatever happened to the boondocks? Pt 1 Long Version and Pt2 Short Version
With the passing of John Witherspoon it was up in the air as to who would fill John’s Witherspoon shoes as granddad on the boondocks reboot. Until at John’s son J.D Witherspoon. Let him tell it….
Pt 1 Long Version
Pt 2 Short Version
Ice Cube calls Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a Judas for taking ’30 pieces of silver’ after the NBA legend criticized him and Nick Cannon for anti-Semitism which will damage BLM
- Nick Cannon will continue to host Fox’s The Mask Singer, the network confirmed
- Ice Cube slammed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar over his recent column in which the basketball star criticized black celebrities for anti-Semitic tweets
- In a column for The Hollywood Reporter, Jabbar called out the rapper, NFL star DeSean Jackson and NBA player Stephen Jackson for their offensive posts
- Jabbar called the recent wave of public anti-Semitism was ‘a ‘troubling omen’ for the Black Lives Matter movement
- Ice Cube responded in a tweet accusing The Hollywood Reporter of giving Jabbar ’30 pieces of silver to cut us down’
- It came amid as outrage grew over Nick Cannon’s anti-Semitic remarks on his recent podcast that led to his firing from ViacomCBS
Article via DailyMail
Ice Cube has hit back at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, accusing the NBA star of being a Judas after he criticized the rapper and several other black celebrities for their anti-Semitic tweets that he called a ‘troubling omen’ for the Black Lives Matter movement.
In a scathing column published in The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday, Jabbar called out Ice Cube, NFL star DeSean Jackson and fellow NBA player Stephen Jackson for recent social media posts containing anti-Semitic messages, some of which promoted the controversial views of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Jabbar referred to a series of tweets by Ice Cube last month that contained ‘creepy symbols and images’ implying Jews were responsible for the oppression of blacks.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson also drew backlash earlier this month for sharing quotes attributed to Adolph Hitler and voicing support for Farrakhan.
Jabbar criticized the ‘lack of massive indignation’ over the posts, saying he was shocked to see little public outrage despite the ‘new Woke-fulness in Hollywood.’
‘It’s so disheartening to see people from groups that have been violently marginalized do the same thing to others without realizing that perpetuating this kind of bad logic is what perpetuates racism,’ Jabbar wrote.
Ice Cube later fired back at Jabbar accusing him of selling out to write the take-down piece.
‘Shame on the Hollywood Reporter who obviously gave my brother Kareem 30 pieces of silver to cut us down without even a phone call,’ he tweeted on Wednesday.
The phrase is in reference to the biblical story of Judas who was given 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus.
Jabbar is yet to publicly respond to Ice Cube’s comments.
The athlete’s column was published as backlash grew over an episode of Nick Cannon podcast in which the actor made anti-Semitic remarks and called white people ‘barbaric’, ‘evil’ and ‘savages’.
Cannon was fired by ViacomCBS on Tuesday for promoting ‘hateful speech’ in the widely circulated episode where he spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories claiming black people were robbed of their birthright by Jews.
The actor drew further backlash on Wednesday after he refused to say he was sorry and issued a statement accusing the media giant of being on the wrong side of history.
Jabbar did not mention Cannon in his piece but criticized Ice Cube and others of continuing ‘to defiantly marinate in their own prejudice’ even after they are called out.
‘Their arrogant and irrational response to accusations of anti-Semitism, rather than dissuade us, actually confirmed people’s worst opinions,’ Jabbar wrote.
‘Ice Cube’s response was remorseless: ‘What if I was just pro-Black? This is the truth brother. I didn’t lie on anyone. I didn’t say I was anti anybody. DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE. I’ve been telling my truth.”
Jabbar’s column was praised by a number of Jewish celebrities including Sarah Silverman and CNN presenter Jake Tapper.
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PROJECT POWER Trailer (2020) Jamie Foxx Superhero Netflix Movie
PLOT: On the streets of New Orleans, word begins to spread about a mysterious new pill that unlocks superpowers unique to each user. The catch: You don’t know what will happen until you take it. While some develop bulletproof skin, invisibility, and super strength, others exhibit a deadlier reaction. But when the pill escalates crime within the city to dangerous levels, a local cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teams with a teenage dealer (Dominique Fishback) and a former soldier fueled by a secret vendetta (Jamie Foxx) to fight power with power and risk taking the pill in order to track down and stop the group responsible for creating it.
JD Witherspoon and The Boondocks voice casting
With the death of John Witherspoon; many fans of The Boondocks series were wondering what they were going to do with his character. Witherspoon’s son JD Witherspoon sought out to audition for his late fathers role. Though through his own words, he will unfortunately not be voicing the character for number of reasons.
JD Witherspoon went through the casting audition for Robert Freeman’s voice and from what he said; at first things were going smoothly but then things started to go south. The casting director started doing very unususl
things from taking too long to respond to his emails to saying that he’s a shoe in, only to give the role to someone else.
Also according to him the casting people are planning to trying to artificially emulate John Witherspoon’s voice. This is all very unfortunate because as a huge Boondocks fan I was looking forward to this remake. I personally believe that having JD do his father’s character would’ve been the best decision they made surrounding this situation. Do I still look forward to the reboot? Now, not so much after hearing about what JD was put through. We will more than likely get news about who will do his voice in the near future. How about y’all? Are you still looking forward to the remake or has this killed your hype as well, let me know! Link to his video down below!
Teen dies after staff at youth center restrained him for throwing a sandwich
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Three staff members of a Michigan youth center have been charged in the death of a teenager who died while being restrained after throwing a sandwich, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting announced Wednesday.
Cornelius Fredericks, 16, died May 1, two days after he lost consciousness while being restrained by staff at Lakeside Academy. The Kalamazoo County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed Fredericks’ manner and cause of death was a homicide.
Michael Mosley of Battle Creek, Zachary Solis of Lansing and Heather McLogan of Kalamazoo are charged with involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse.
Mosley and Solis are also accused of restraining Fredericks in a “grossly negligent manner,” Getting said. McLogan is accused of gross negligence for allegedly failing to seek medical care for the teen in a timely manner.
Getting, who called Fredericks’ death a “tragedy beyond description,” said the accused employees are expected to turn themselves in for arraignment but didn’t say when that would happen.
Dr. Ted Brown, who performed the autopsy, said Fredericks had been restrained on the ground, resulting in asphyxia.
“In my opinion, the complications of him being restrained, on the ground in a supine position by multiple people, is ultimately what led to his death,” Brown said.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, Lakeside Academy operator Sequel Youth and Family Services said company officials support the decision to bring charges against their former employees, calling Fredericks’ death “tragic and senseless.”
“We will continue to fully cooperate throughout this process to ensure justice is served,” the company said in the statement. “Additionally, we are committed to making the necessary changes to ensure something like this never happens again within our organization.”
Efforts to contact Mosley, Solis and McLogan for comments on the charges filed against them were unsuccessful Wednesday because telephone numbers for the three couldn’t immediately be found.
Sequel said it fired the three workers involved in Fredericks’ death and relieved the executive director of Lakeside Academy of his duties.
Earlier Wednesday, attorney Geoffrey Fieger, who represents Fredericks’ family, called for charges to be filed in the teen’s death. He said the attorney for the Sequel Youth Services of Michigan has refused to provide the Fredericks family the video of the incident that resulted in the teen’s death.
“It is time for the perpetrators to come clean,” Fieger said in a statement.
In a civil lawsuit filed Monday against Lakeside Academy and Sequel Youth and Family Services, the family said the teen screamed “I can’t breathe” as staff members placed their weight on his chest for nearly 10 minutes.
Fredericks went into cardiac arrest April 29. At the time, authorities said he was being restrained by staff after throwing a sandwich.
“The excessive use of restraints and the lack of concern for Cornelius’ life draw an eerily similar comparison to that of George Floyd’s death,” according to the lawsuit, which alleges negligence and says Lakeside staff improperly and wrongfully used restraints on Fredericks.
The lawsuit seeks damages allowed under the Michigan Wrongful Death Act. No financial amount was specified.
Lakeside Academy, a facility for teenagers with behavioral problems, last week lost its contract with the state of Michigan to care for youth in the state’s foster care and juvenile justice systems and its license to operate.
Photo Credit: Jon Marko
Tina Fey requests “30 Rock” episodes with blackface be removed from streaming platforms
Tina Fey asked streaming platforms to remove episodes of “30 Rock” that included blackface and her request is being honored, according to Vulture. Four episodes of the hit NBC show are being removed from Hulu and Amazon Prime and are no longer available for purchase on iTunes and Google Plus.
The change comes after Fey, the show’s star and executive producer, sent a note to distribution partners asking them to remove episodes that include the offensive “race-changing,” makeup, Vulture reported. The episodes will also no longer air on TV.
“As we strive to do the work and do better in regards to race in America, we believe that these episodes featuring actors in race-changing makeup are best taken out of circulation,” Fey wrote. “I understand now that ‘intent’ is not a free pass for white people to use these images. I apologize for pain they have caused. Going forward, no comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness. I thank NBCUniversal for honoring this request.”
“30 Rock” aired from 2006 to 2013. The historically racist blackface makeup was worn by Jane Krakowski’s character, Jenna, in two episodes, Vulture reports. Reddit users noticed that these episodes, which were part of seasons three and five, were removed at least a week ago.
Two additional episodes will also be removed, according to Vulture. The show’s live episode from season six, which features guest star Jon Hamm in blackface, will no longer be available. Another live episode from season five will also be removed. However, only the East Coast version is being pulled. The West Coast version will remain, says Vulture.
The decisions come after HBO Max temporarily removed “Gone with the Wind” amid outcries over the film’s dated depictions of slavery and racism, according to multiple reports. That decision followed the publication of an op-ed by “12 Years a Slave” screenwriter John Ridley in the Los Angeles Times. Ridley said “Gone with the Wind” not only falls short with regard to representation. “It is a film that glorifies the Antebellum South,” he said.
A spokesperson for HBO Max said the film will eventually return to their streaming catalog, along with additional content that would contextualize the controversial historical depictions and elements of the story.
Article via CBS
Atlanta police chief resigns after fatal police shooting
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta’s police chief resigned Saturday hours after a black man was fatally shot by officers in a struggle following a field sobriety test. Authorities said the slain man had grabbed an officer’s Taser, but was running away when he was shot.
Police Chief Erika Shields stepped down as the killing of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks sparked a new wave of protests in Atlanta after turbulent demonstrations that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis had simmered down.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the police chief’s resignation at a Saturday news conference as roughly 150 people marched outside the Wendy’s restaurant where Brooks was fatally shot late Friday. The mayor also called for the immediate firing of the unidentified officer who opened fire at Brooks.
“I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force and have called for the immediate termination of the officer,” Bottoms said.
She said it was Shields’ own decision to step aside as police chief and that she would remain with the city in an undetermined role. Interim Corrections Chief Rodney Bryant would serve as interim police chief until a permanent replacement is found.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating the shooting, said the deadly confrontation started with officers responding to a complaint that a man was sleeping in a car blocking the restaurant’s drive-thru lane. The GBI said Brooks failed a field sobriety test and then resisted officers’ attempts to arrest him.
The GBI released security camera video of the shooting Saturday. The footage shows a man running from two police officers as he raises a hand, which is holding some type of object, toward an officer a few steps behind him. The officer draws his gun and fires as the man keeps running, then falls to the ground in the parking lot.
GBI Director Vic Reynolds said Brooks had grabbed a Taser from one of the officers and appeared to point it at the officer as he fled, prompting the officer to reach for his gun.
The security camera video does not show Brooks’ initial struggle with police.
L. Chris Stewart, an attorney for Brooks’ family, said the officer who shot him should be charged for “an unjustified use of deadly force, which equals murder.”
“You can’t have it both ways in law enforcement,” Stewart said. “You can’t say a Taser is a nonlethal weapon … but when an African American grabs it and runs with it, now it’s some kind of deadly, lethal weapon that calls for you to unload on somebody.”
He said Brooks was a father of four and had celebrated a daughter’s eighth birthday Friday before he was killed.
The shooting came at a time of heightened tension over police brutality and calls for reforms across the U.S. following the May 25 death of Floyd in Minneapolis. Atlanta was among U.S. cities where large crowds of protesters took to the streets.
Demonstrators, including members of Brooks’ family, gathered Saturday outside the restaurant where he was shot. There was a short, tense standoff with Georgia state troopers who lined up to block protesters as they tried to march onto a nearby highway. The demonstrators eventually turned away.
Among those protesting was Crystal Brooks, who said she is Rayshard Brooks’ sister-in-law.
“He wasn’t causing anyone any harm,” she said. “The police went up to the car and even though the car was parked they pulled him out of the car and started tussling with him.”
She added: “He did grab the Taser, but he just grabbed the Taser and ran.”
Shields, Atlanta’s police chief for less than four years, was initially praised in the days following Floyd’s death last month. She said the Minnesota officers involved should go to prison and walked into crowds of protesters in downtown Atlanta, telling demonstrators she understood their frustrations and fears. She appeared at Bottoms’ side as the mayor made an impassioned plea for protesters to go home when things turned violent with smashed storefronts and police cruisers set ablaze.
Days later, Shields fired two officers and benched three others caught on video May 30 in a hostile confrontation with two college students whose car was stuck in traffic caused by the protests. The officers fired Tasers at the pair and dragged them from the vehicle. When prosecutors later charged six of the officers involved, however, Shields openly questioned the charges.
The shooting of Brooks two weeks later raised further questions about the Atlanta department. In a statement, Shields said she chose to resign “out of a deep and abiding love for this city and this department.”
“It is time for the city to move forward and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” Shields said.
Reynolds said his agents worked through the night interviewing witnesses and reviewing video. He said their findings show that Brooks tried to fight off two officers when they tried to arrest him and managed to take a Taser away from one of them.
A security camera recorded Brooks “running or fleeing from Atlanta police officers,” Reynolds said. “It appears that he has in his hand a Taser.”
During a short foot chase Brooks “turns around and it appears at that time he points a Taser at an Atlanta officer,” Reynolds said. That’s when the officer drew his gun and shot Brooks, he said, estimating the officer fired three times.
Reynolds said his agents will turn over results of their investigation to Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, whose office will decide whether criminal charges are warranted against either of the unidentified officers.
Howard said Saturday his office “has already launched an intense, independent investigation of the incident” without waiting for the GBI’s results.
Brooks died after being taken to an Atlanta hospital. One of the officers was treated and released for unspecified injuries.
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Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press writer Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/authorities-man-killed-atlanta-police-123407438.html
Photo Credit: currently.att.yahoo.com