White Florida man threatens black teen in gated community telling them they didn’t “deserve” to be in his gated community
Viral video shows a white Florida man threatening three girls — including a black teen — with arrest, telling them they didn’t “deserve” to be in his gated community.
The confrontation between the teens and the unidentified man happened Sunday in the Grand Isles complex in Wellington, a village in Palm Beach County.
“You don’t belong in this development,” the man tells the girls as one of them records him in a video that’s been viewed on Twitter more than 282,000 times as of Thursday morning.
The girls and two boys were riding through the community in a golf cart when they say the man began to tailgate them in his Toyota, according to the Palm Beach Post.
The boys hopped off and the girls — Breonna Nelson-Hicks, who is black, and her two white friends — began walking to Breonna’s home in the community.
The roughly 90-second recording begins just before Breonna rushes inside to get her grandfather, Tony Nelson.
“What’s your name?” the man asks the girls. “OK, where do you live?”
One of the girls answers, “Why would we tell you any of this?”
The man responds, “OK, not a problem. I’m going to call the gate and have you all arrested. You do not deserve to be in here.”
“What did we even do wrong?” one of the girls wonders off camera.
Breonna then asks the man, “Do you have a problem? Because I can get my grandfather.”
“Bring him out right now!” he replies.
As Breonna grabs her grandfather, a woman can be heard telling the girls not to argue because “It’s not worth it.”
But the man interrupts, “It is because you’re driving illegally.”
“OK but you’re coming at a 15-year-old,” one of the girls shoots back.
He answers, “Because you’re 15 years old? You could marry in Mississippi or Alabama.”
That’s when Nelson comes out, telling the man, “Don’t stick your hand out. Did you threaten a child?”
Both Nelson and the man filed reports with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The report obtained by the Palm Beach Post doesn’t include the man’s name due to an exemption for 911 callers or people requesting emergency services.
“We received two calls and when the deputies arrived, the male had already gone home,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Teri Barbera told the publication. “Deputies did speak to the juveniles and made contact with the male the next day. Based on both accounts no crime was committed.”
Nelson, who’s lived in Wellington for 33 years and is part of the village’s first black families, said he grew “more and more angry” after watching the video 15 or 20 times.
“It’s not going away,” he said. “I can’t let it die. … People aren’t understanding what’s going on.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/06/18/white-florida-man-threatens-black-teens-in-gated-community/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Michigan police probing whether Macy’s beatdown was racially motivated
Police in Flint, Michigan, are investigating a viral video on social media of a black man pummeling a white shopper after he allegedly used the N-word, according to a report.
The incident, posted on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, shows an unidentified white man wearing a mask and speaking on a cell phone inside a Macy’s department store at the Genesee Valley Center mall when a black man approaches him and punches him.
The white man, who is knocked to the ground by the punch, turns and asks, “what are you doing that for?”
“I didn’t touch you… I’m sorry,” he said, as he attempts to crawl away but is instead punched two more times.
Flint Township Police Lt. Brad Wangler said Thursday that the department is now involved, mlive.com reported Thursday.
“Yes, we are investigating and at this point no one is in custody,” Wangler told the outlet.
A spokeswoman for Macy’s said the store has now added security officers in the wake of the incident.
“We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place on Monday at Macy’s Genesee Valley as the safety of Macy’s customers and colleagues is our top priority,” Andrea Schwartz, senior director of media relations for the chain, told mlive.com.
“We take these situations very seriously and are working closely with local authorities on this investigation, deferring all comments about the case to them per policy,” she said.
A portion of the video was posted on Facebook Monday by rapper FT Quay, who said the white man was overheard referring to a black man a “n—er.”
Film producer and activist Tariq Nasheed posted a clip on Twitter Tuesday.
“A man at a store in #Flint allegedly referred to a black man in the store as a ‘n***er’ while talking on the #phone,” Nasheed said. “The black man overheard hi, then things went left.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/06/18/michigan-police-probing-video-of-racially-motivated-beat-down/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Four Confederate portraits are removed from US Capitol
Washington (AFP) – Four portraits of senior 19th century lawmakers who served in the Confederacy were removed from the US Capitol on Thursday in the latest manifestation of efforts to confront systemic racism and injustice in America.
The paintings of the men, all former speakers of the House of Representatives, were taken down at the order of current Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“There is no room in the hallowed halls of Congress or in any place of honor for memorializing men who embody the violent bigotry and grotesque racism of the Confederacy,” the top Democrat wrote to the US House clerk Thursday requesting their removal.
The symbolic action preceded Friday’s observance of Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
Pelosi said her order coincided with Juneteenth and the current “moment of extraordinary national anguish, as we grieve for the hundreds of Black Americans killed by racial injustice and police brutality.”
Protests swept the nation following the May 25 killing of African American George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Several Confederate statues have since been toppled or ordered removed in several states as Americans grapple with the legacy of racism.
In a rare Capitol Hill scene, staffers wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus stepped onto ladders and removed the first two gold-framed paintings from a wall at the entrance to the Speaker’s Lobby, an ornate room adjacent to the House chamber.
It is believed to be the first time such a portrait has been removed from the Speaker’s Lobby since that of Dennis Hastert was taken down in 2015 after he pleaded guilty to charges related to hiding hush money payments.
The four outgoing portraits depict Robert Hunter of Virginia, Howell Cobb of Georgia, Charles Crisp of Georgia, and South Carolina’s James Orr, who Pelosi noted once swore on the House floor to “preserve and perpetuate” slavery in order to “enjoy our property in peace, quiet and security.”
Pelosi has also sought removal of 11 Confederate statues from the Capitol, including a bronze figure of Confederacy president Jefferson Davis, who was charged with treason against the United States.
A bipartisan committee is reviewing the statue request.
Photo Credit: currently.att.yahoo.com
20-Year-Old Robinhood Customer Dies By Suicide After Seeing A $730,000 Negative Balance
Article via Forbes
The note found on his computer by his parents on June 12, 2020, asked a simple question. “How was a 20 year old with no income able to get assigned almost a million dollars worth of leverage?” The tragic message was written by Alexander E. Kearns, a 20-year-old student at the University of Nebraska, home from college and living with his parents in Naperville, Illinois. Earlier that day, Kearns took his own life.
Like so many others, Kearns took up stock investing during the pandemic, signing up with Millennial-focused brokerage firm Robinhood, which offers commission-free trading, a fun and easy-to-use mobile app and even awards new customers free shares of stock. During the first quarter of 2020, Robinhood added a record 3 million new accounts to its platform. As the Covid-19 stock market swung wildly, Kearns had begun experimenting, trading options. His final note, filled with anger toward Robinhood, says that he had “no clue” what he was doing.
In fact, a screenshot from Kearns’ mobile phone reveals that while his account had a negative $730,165 cash balance displayed in red, it may not have represented uncollateralized indebtedness at all, but rather his temporary balance until the stocks underlying his assigned options actually settled into his account.
Silicon Valley-based Robinhood is not sharing details of Kearns’ account, citing privacy concerns: “All of us at Robinhood are deeply saddened to hear this terrible news and we reached out to share our condolences with the family over the weekend.”
It’s impossible to know all of the factors contributing to suicide, especially in young people. Still, the tragic demise of Alexander Kearns is a cautionary tale of the serious risks associated with the race to the bottom in the brokerage business. Robinhood, E-Trade, TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, Interactive Brokers, Fidelity and even Merrill Lynch have all embraced commission-free trading and zero-minimum balances in an effort to attract younger customers, many of whom have little understanding of the securities and markets they are dabbling in.
“I thought everything was going fine,” says Bill Brewster, Kearns’ cousin-in-law and a research analyst at Chicago-based Sullimar Capital Group. His father said he was loving the markets and really enjoying investing, Brewster told Forbes, “and then on Friday night, we got this call from his mom, and he had died.”
Kearns apparently fell into despair late Thursday night after looking at his Robinhood account, which appeared to have $16,000 in it but also showed a cash balance of negative $730,165. In his final note, seen by Forbes, Kearns insisted that he never authorized margin trading and was shocked to find his small account could rack up such an apparent loss.
“When he saw that $730,000 number as a negative, he thought that he had blown up his entire future,” says Brewster. “I mean this is a kid that when he was younger was so conscious about savings.”
Although Robinhood won’t release the details of his account, it‘s possible that Kearns was trading what’s known as a “bull put spread.” Put options give buyers the right to sell the stock at the strike price anytime until expiration, while put-sellers are on the hook to buy the underlying stock at the strike price, if assigned. This happens automatically at expiration if the price of the underlying stock closes that day at a price one penny or more below the strike price.
In Kearns’ note, he says that the puts he bought and sold “should have cancelled out,” because normally a bull put spread involves selling put options at a higher strike price, and buying puts at a lower strike price, both with the same expiration. The trade generates a net credit, which the options trader keeps if the stock price stays above the higher strike price through expiration. It’s generally considered a limited risk strategy because the simultaneous purchase and sale of put options means the maximum loss on a per-share basis is the difference between the strike prices, less the amount earned when the puts are sold initiating the trade.
There can be wrinkles, however, when the price of the underlying stock at expiration is between the two strike prices, or in the case of early assignment, which may have occurred in Kearns’ account.
Here’s an example of how a bull put spread could produce an unexpectedly large stock position in your portfolio. On June 16, Amazon (AMZN) trades at $2,615 per share. If you’re neutral to bullish on Amazon, you could sell put options that expire on July 17 with a $2,615 strike price for $28 per option. To limit your risk, the other leg of the trade is to purchase puts at a lower strike price, $2,610, for a cost of $26. That two-dollar differential (multiplied by 100) generates $200 for every contract you sell. Do three contracts and you generate $600. If Amazon closes on July 17 above $2,615, you’re in the clear and keep all of the proceeds, as both puts expire worthless. If the stock closes below $2610, you will encounter your maximum loss of $900: $5.00 (difference between strike prices) minus $2.00 (proceeds earned up front) times three contracts.
When the stock closes between the two strike prices, the put you bought at the lower strike price expires worthless, but the one you sold is in the money and legally binds you to buy the stock at the strike price. In the case of three contracts of $2,615 Amazon puts, that would be $784,500 to purchase 300 shares. Over a weekend, say, you may see a –$784,500 debit to buy the stock, but you would not see the stock among your holdings until Monday.
Kearns may not have realized that his negative cash balance displaying on his Robinhood home screen was only temporary and would be corrected once the underlying stock was credited to his account. Indeed it’s not uncommon for cash and buying power to display negative after the first half of options are processed but before the second options are exercised—even if the portfolio remains positive.
“Tragically, I don’t even think he made that big of a mistake. This is an interface issue, they have slick interfaces. Confetti popping everywhere,” says Brewster referring to the shower of colorful confetti Robinhood routinely deploys after customers make trades. “They try to gamify trading and couch it as investment.”
Says Robinhood: “We are committed to continuously improving our platform and are reviewing our options offering to determine if any changes may be appropriate.”
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741.
‘Drive ‘N Drag’ brings 3-day ‘Drag Race’ extravaganza to N.J. mall
Add this to your calendar of drive-in concerts and events this summer: “Drive ‘N Drag.”
It’s a three-day concert series starring favorites from the long-running VH1 reality competition “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
The outdoor show will premiere from July 17 to 19 in the parking lot of Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus before coming to Los Angeles and other cities.
“Drag Race” stars taking the stage will be Monet X’Change, Kim Chi, Vanessa Vanjie, Acid Betty, Violet Chachki, Gigi Goode, Asia O’Hara, Kameron Michaels, Naomi Smalls, Plastique, Yvie Oddly and Aquaria.
The show’s producer, Brandon Voss of Voss Events, says “Drive ‘N Drag” is a way of adapting the drag stars’ Werq the World Tour as theaters and arenas remain closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve moved the show outside to continue providing much needed entertainment during these crazy times,” Voss said in a statement. “A pandemic won’t keep our queens from ruling the stage. The drag show must go on!”
Audience members will be able to hear the concert from inside (or while sitting on top of) their cars, with the live show available on FM transmitters.
There will be multiple shows running each day from noon to 11 p.m. as well as food trucks. Early shows will also feature a menu from Voss’ Drag Brunch.
Tickets are $50 per car for two people, $10 per person for additional passengers. VIP spots are $100. Tickets available at vossevents.com.
Article via NJ
Jay Pharoah says “sorry” from LAPD cops who forcibly detained him with guns drawn is “not enough”
Former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Jay Pharoah said he was scared and confused when the Los Angeles police stopped him in April. Earlier this week, Pharoah shared a video of the encounter on Instagram.
Surveillance video shows LAPD officers running toward him with guns drawn. They ordered him to the ground and handcuffed him. Pharoah said one officer placed a knee on his neck.
The police reportedly told him he matched the description of a suspect. Pharoah, who was released a short time later, told “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King he was a victim of racism.
In a statement to CBS News, the LAPD said, “We are aware of the video and it’s under investigation.”
Pharoah: I’m walking across the street, and then all of a sudden I hear, “Get on the ground.” … The cop from the left of me, he’s just, he’s coming, he’s got his gun out. I don’t know what’s happening.
King: But you didn’t think they were talking to you at first, or did you?
Pharoah: I didn’t because Gayle, like I said, I don’t have any run-ins with the law. I’ve never even had a ticket. … I’ve never had guns pointed at me, Gayle. … I’ve never had handcuffs put on me.
King: So they tell you to get on the ground. Do you immediately comply?
Pharoah: They said lay on the ground and spread your arms out like an airplane. The officer comes. He gets on top of me, he puts his knee on me, he puts my hands, my arms are back here, he puts on the cuffs. … I’m shocked. I’m scared. I don’t know why I’m being detained. I’m just totally confused right now. … So they pull me up, telling me that I fit the description.
King: What was the description?
Pharoah: Description was a black man in gray sweatpants and a gray shirt.
King: Did you have on gray sweatpants and a gray T-shirt.
Pharoah: Oh yeah, I did. I did.
King: So what should they have done?
Pharoah: I think the right way to handle this situation would have been for the cops to calmly come up to me since they see I don’t have anything on me. … It should have been like, “Hey man, we’re having a problem right now. We ask you if you have your I.D. because there’s somebody who just ran, fled a scene from police officers and we’re looking for him.”
King: The officer kneeled. Where did he kneel on you?
Pharoah: The cop put his — he put his pressure, he put all of this, this is his — his knee, his leg, right here.
King: Is on your neck?
Pharoah: It was right here on the bottom of my neck.
King: This is before the George Floyd case, so in that moment, what were you thinking when he had his knee on your neck?
Pharoah: I just thought why? … Now, I do not have 8 minutes and 46 seconds of an officer being on top of me like that, obstructing my airway and choking me. I don’t have that. … Luckily, they pulled me up and I got out of it. But it’s like, why does it have to go to that extremity? … When I’m an innocent bystander. … We should never have to feel like our lives are in danger when we’re doing regular human activities. I don’t want to have to fear for my life when I’m going to Whole Foods and getting some chips and guac, or picking up a kombucha.
King: It’s the assumption that bothers you. It doesn’t seem like you were given the benefit of the doubt, does it?
Pharoah: That’s the thing, Gayle. Black people in America in general. Why do we have to feel like we’re guilty until proven innocent? Where the other side gets innocent until proven guilty? … I saw a video yesterday where there was a gentleman and the cop was trying to apprehend him. … The guy ran at him. The cop starts running. … He’s running. The suspect then gets in the car, backs out and almost hits the police officer.
King: Any shots fired?
Pharoah: No shots fired whatsoever.
King: When you said that you were scared, did you worry that you could lose your life?
Pharoah: Yes. When I see guns coming towards me, my natural instinct is, oh, snap. I could — I could die.
King: You said you were complying. Did you say, my name is?
Pharoah: I said, I don’t have my I.D. on me, but if you Google Jay Pharaoh, you will see that you’re making a serious mistake. A couple of minutes later, they came back and they said, “Oh, we got a call that you’re not the guy. Sorry, my bad.” “My bad” isn’t good enough.
King: Jay, did they say “my bad”? Did they say that?
Pharoah: They said, “I’m — oh, sorry, sorry.” That’s not enough. … There needs to be some practice with these policing, reforms. … I don’t want to see another 20 black people be martyrs for no reason.
King: Who was the first person you called after this happened to you?
Pharoah: I called my mom and I told her what happened. My dad was on the phone too and it just, you know, my mom started crying.
King: And that affects you too to see your family crying too.
Pharoah: It’s a terrible feeling that the aftermath of such a terrible situation can cause that much impact on people around you. … I hit up Steve Harvey when it happened. He said, “You got a ‘being black in America sandwich.'” And I said that’s exactly it. I’ve eaten it and I know how it tastes.
King: Being black in America sandwich. Yeah, and it don’t taste good.
Pharoah: You know what tastes good? Just being a beautiful black person.
King: Yes, that feels good, too.
Article via CBSNews
Florida bars and restaurants close just a week after reopening
Businesses on Jacksonville Beach shutdown as state’s second coronavirus wave hits
Three months after the Covid-19 pandemic forced bars and restaurants to close in Florida, some businesses have shut within one week of reopening as coronavirus cases spike in the state.
At least six bars in northern and central Florida have now announced their closures amid new Covid-19 cases, which peaked on Sunday.
The state’s health department has since confirmed two consecutive days with more than 2,000 new cases, breaking records set when the pandemic began in March.
That announcement came almost one week on from Florida’s second reopening phase permitting bars, cinemas and tattoo shops to welcome customers with some restrictions, as mandated under governor Ron DeSantis’ reopening plan.
Still, increased Covid-19 transmission in Florida has forced some businesses to shut down.
One bar on Jacksonville Beach said on Sunday that it needed to close because customers had been who were Covid-19 positive.
“Our establishment has become aware of positive tests for COVID-19 and have visited our business,” wrote Wreck Tiki Lounge owner Fernando Meza on Facebook, local reports said. “We will be closed the next few days to sanitize the bar and send our staff to get tested.”
Another business in the area, Lynch’s Irish Pub, also announced its closure this weekend after 15 people contracted Covid-19 there.
A woman among those infected told Action News Jax on Monday that all 15, who were friends, had tested positive following a 6 June gathering at the pub.
Lynch’s Irish Pub also told the local news outlet that among 49 employees, seven had tested positive for Covid-19 since the bar reopened on June 5. It is now closed to sanitise the premises.
Action News Jax reported at least six Jacksonville Beach businesses to be closed on Monday, including Tavern, The Wreck, Lynch’s Irish Pub, The Wine Bar, Mellow Mushroom and Graffiti Burger.
Another bar, in Florida’s Altamonte Springs, also said on Friday that it needed to close due to Covid-19 cases.
On Facebook, said Newsweek, the Kiwi’s Pub & Grill wrote: “It saddens me to say that Kiwi’s will be closing temporarily effective immediately. We have been informed by 6 different people today that they have been infected with the coronavirus and they have been inside Kiwis’s within the last week”
The bar added: “This may seem like an extravagant step, however we are taking no chances with the health of our staff and our customers”.
Florida has now seen almost 76,000 Covid-19 infections since March, which include Saturday’s highest daily increase, at 2,587 new cases.
Governor deSantis denounced new coronavirus concerns on Sunday, as Donald Trump plans on staging this summer’s Republican convention in the state.
“I think it’s important for people to understand who is being tested now compared to who was being tested in March and early April when we had kind of our peaks then,” said deSantis.
Article via Independent
Disneyland reopening: Resort will require mandatory face coverings for cast members, guests
When the Disneyland Resort plans to reopen in July, there will be some new health and safety measures in place including mandatory face coverings and temperature checks for guests and cast members.
When Disneyland Resort plans to reopen in July, there will be some measures in place to ensure the health and safety of guests and cast members.
According to Disneyland’s website, these enhanced health and safety measures include:
- Mandatory face coverings for both cast members and guests
- The addition of hand-washing stations and physical barriers throughout the resort, where appropriate
- Reduced theme park capacity to ensure physical distancing
- Appropriate signs added to help guests move throughout the resort
- Temperature checks for guests prior to entering the theme parks, Downtown Disney District
- Daily health screenings and temperature checks for cast members
- Expansion of Mobile Order through the Disneyland app, Apple pay and more
- Enhanced cleaning and sanitation throughout the resort
The resort’s decision to make face coverings mandatory comes after Orange County announced it would no longer require the public to wear face masks.
“I want to be clear. This does not diminish the importance of face coverings. I stand with the public health experts and believe wearing cloth face coverings help to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community and save lives,” said Dr. Clayton Chau, the interim health officer and recently appointed Health Care Agency director.
To promote physical distancing, the resort also announced that Disneyland and California Adventure Park will track attendance through a reservation system, that will require all guests to obtain an advanced reservation for park entry.
Additionally, new ticket sales and Annual Passport sales and renewals have been temporarily paused.
“We are purposefully taking baby steps during this very intentional phased approach,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. “As one of the first major theme parks to close our operations and the last to reopen, we have been deliberate about keeping the health and safety of our cast, guests and local communities top of mind.”
Disneyland and California Adventure were temporarily shut down in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Disneyland resort announced a proposal to begin a phased reopening of the popular tourist destination in Anaheim on July 9, followed by a reopening of the location’s theme parks on July 17. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Paradise Pier Hotel plan to reopen on July 23, the news release said. The Downtown Disney district will begin reopening July 9.
The planned July reopenings are pending local and state government approvals, according to a statement on the Disney Park’s blog.
Shanghai Disneyland, Florida’s Disney Springs and several Disney stores have reopened in recent weeks. A proposed reopening of Walt Disney World in Orlando was announced last month for July 11 and Hong Kong Disneyland will reopen on June 18.
Article via ABC7
Christopher Columbus statue removed from Saint Louis park
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – The statue of Christopher Columbus was taken down in Tower Grove Park Tuesday after years of controversy.
Officials with the Tower Grove Park board posted the following statement to their Facebook page Tuesday morning as the statue was being removed:
“Tower Grove Park celebrates the diversity of our community every day and serves as the centerpiece of the region’s most vibrant neighborhoods. When a statue of Christopher Columbus was placed in the park 140 years ago, its purpose was to celebrate the contributions of immigrants in this region. But now, for many, it symbolizes a historical disregard for indigenous peoples and cultures and destruction of their communities.
In order to ensure a safe, inclusive and pleasant environment for park visitors and team members alike, the Park’s Board of Commissioners has authorized the removal of the Columbus statue to begin the week of June 15. By taking this action, Tower Grove Park reaffirms its commitment to being a place of welcome, and to caring for the people’s park in the best way possible.”
The statue’s removal comes during a growing push across the country to take down controversial statues, including Christopher Columbus. In some states, statues of the European explorer have been torn down, beheaded and dumped into water.
Historical records reveal Columbus forced many natives to be slaves. According to History.com, Columbus treated them with ‘extreme violence and brutality,’ a far cry from the story many learned growing up of the Italian explorer who became a hero after discovering America in 1492.
“He’s not the person that we thought he was or that we were taught he was. Maybe the history has been out there all along but our educational system prioritizes the stories that benefit those in charge,” said Mary Schum, who supports removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Tower Grover Park.
Last week, a petition had over 1,000 signatures to remove the statue that sat at the entrance of Tower Grove Park near Grand Avenue.
There have been calls to remove the statue for years. Last year, the park’s board announced the statue would stay and said it would post signs “with important historical context about Columbus and the history of the park’s land.”
“When you have very few statues in this particular park I just think there are so many other people that represent freedom, that represent creation, that represent inclusiveness and knowing the history of Christopher Columbus is definitely different than what I learned growing up. I would certainly like to see someone that better represents the neighborhood,” said Randazzo.
One person at the park, who asked to not be identified, said he thinks the statue represents our country’s history and supports leaving it in Tower Grove Park.
Before the statue’s removal, the park’s executive director told News 4:
“Tower Grove Park is a place of inclusion and diversity. All three statues in the park were placed there approximately 140 years ago to celebrate the contributions of immigrants to this region.”
“He wasn’t even the first person to land here so I don’t really understand putting him on a statue in the first place so if it offends people, yeah, just get rid of it,” said Josey Rodrigquez, who signed the petition to remove the statue.
A protest was planned for June 23rd at Piper Palm House where the Tower Grove Park Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet.
The statue has been a controversial one for years in St. Louis and was vandalized in 2016 on Columbus Day. The same thing happened in 2017 when someone spray-painted “murder” and “Black Lives Matter” on the statue.
“We Italians are just tired of it,” a protester said at the time. “There’s no reason to be rude, disgraceful, or even just … Horrible. There”s just no reason for it.”
People gathered around the statue in 2018 on Columbus Day and demanded its removal because of his treatment to indigenous people. In October, 2019, Tower Grove Park’s board decided to keep the statue until the decision was reversed on June 16, 2020.
Photo Credit: kmov.com/News 4
Woman smashes car with hammer, tells neighbor to ‘go back to Mexico’
(KCAL/CNN) – A viral video shows a California woman repeatedly hitting her neighbor’s car with a hammer and shouting, “Go back to Mexico.”
Natalie Mason witnessed the bizarre incident outside her home in Chatsworth on Wednesday.
“I was trying to calm her down, but she didn’t respond,” Mason said.
Mason is the roommate of the man who owns the car. He was in Florida for work when it happened, but Mason and the man’s sister were home at the time. They said they came outside after they heard the banging.
“I really thought it was an ex-girlfriend, an angry ex-girlfriend,” Mason said.
It turned out that the woman damaging the car was their neighbor, a woman Mason said they have had run-ins with in the past and who has repeatedly told them to go back to Mexico.
“It’s kind of hard to explain to the kids, because they witnessed it,” Mason said. “It’s kind of hard to explain, you know, what racism is.”
Another neighbor who heard the commotion came out and restrained the woman.
The victims said the police told them the woman was upset with where the car was parked — even though it was on a public street — because she felt it was too close to where she parked her car.
“There’s more than 50 dents on that car,” Mason said.
The owner of the car said he only has liability insurance for the vehicle and set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of the damage. As of Monday afternoon, more than $12,000 had been raised.
Mason said she hopes people take the video seriously.
“It’s not funny,” she said. “It’s really sad to see somebody at that age act that way, but I think at the same time it brings awareness to what can really happen.”
The Los Angeles Police Department said the woman was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism, but her bail was set at zero due to the COVID-19 pandemic and she was released the following morning.
Photo Credit: kmov.com