CVS apologizes after manager calls cops on black customer
CHICAGO — CVS Health is apologizing after a black customer says a white store manager in Chicago accused her of trying to use a phony coupon.
Camilla Hudson posted cellphone video of manager Morry Matson calling police Friday night. Matson, who apparently plans to run for City Council and was a state delegate for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, appears very nervous and his left hand shakes as he talks to police.
Hudson says on Facebook that Matson challenged her when she tried to use a manufacturer’s coupon for a free product. While Matson was talking to police on the phone, Hudson said she would wait for officers to come to the store. No action was taken by police.
“Of course, I had ZERO concerns about the police being called. Apparently, they’d hung up on him the first time he called, so he had to call them back a second time, telling the 911 dispatcher that I was harassing them (which I have on video). Three tactical unit officers arrived and, after some conversation and documenting their names, badge numbers, etc., I eventually left the store,” Hudson posted to Facebook. “Needless to say, this is far from over. Life in these United States. Aargh.”
CVS told the Chicago Sun-Times that it apologized to Hudson. The company says it doesn’t tolerate discrimination against customers and that it is investigating the matter.
via: https://pix11.com/2018/07/15/cvs-apologizes-after-manager-calls-cops-on-black-customer/
Mom accused of killing her infant through drugs in breast milk
A Philadelphia-area woman who described herself as a drug addict is being held on a homicide charge after she allegedly transmitted drugs to her 11-week-old baby through her breast milk, officials said.
Samantha Jones, 30, of New Britain Township, was charged Friday with criminal homicide in the April 2 death of the infant, named R.J. in court papers.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s office said the autopsy showed the baby died after being fed breast milk containing methadone, amphetamine and methamphetamine, Fox 29 Philadelphia reported.
According to the affidavit, Jones told police she had been prescribed methadone because of an addiction to painkillers, that she had taken it during her pregnancy and that she was taking it at the time of the baby’s death, the station added.
Police found the baby in cardiac arrest after responding to a 911 call. Jones’ mother called the cops and reportedly tried CPR.
The affidavit stated that Jones said she primarily had been breastfeeding the baby, but had switched to formula three days earlier, saying the infant wasn’t getting enough milk from breastfeeding, the station reported.
Jones said that on the morning the child died, the baby was crying at 3 a.m. and she tried to breastfeed him because she was too tired to go downstairs and prepare a bottle of formula, Fox 29 added citing investigators.
She also said, according to the station, that she fed the infant formula at 6 a.m., fell asleep and then woke up to find her son pale, with bloody mucus coming from his nose.
Jones was held in lieu of $3 million cash bail.
Her 2-year-old son is in the custody of his father, the station reported.
The D.A.’s office said in a news release that Jones’ defense attorney argued for minimal bail saying R.J.’s death was not intentional.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/07/15/mom-accused-of-killing-her-infant-through-drugs-in-breast-milk/
Haiti’s Prime Minister Resigns After Riots Over Fuel Price Hike
Haiti’s Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned Saturday after days of riots sparked by a plan to raise prices on fuel.
Haitian President President Jovenel Moïse said on Twitter that he had accepted Lafontant’s resignation as well as members of his cabinet. Moïse said he would work to choose a new prime minister.
Lafontant, a doctor who only took up the job of prime minister in early 2017, resigned shortly before a no-confidence vote was to be called in Haiti’s parliament, which could have led to his removal from office.
Reports differ on how many people have been killed in riots — at least two,three or seven — that happened over the last weekend. Demonstrators reportedly blocked roads, burned tires and vandalized shops.
The government announced on Friday, July 6 that prices would go up the following day by 38 percent for gasoline, 47 percent for diesel and 51 percent for kerosene.
By the following day, Lafontant said the price rises would be suspended, and said the government “strongly condemns the acts of violence and vandalism” that happened after the initial announcement was made.
The price increases were part of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which often requires countries to implement economic reforms in exchange for access to funds. The Haitian government signed an agreement earlier this year with the IMF to gain access to $96 million in loans and grants, according to the Miami Herald.
The Herald reports that for the past week, Lafontant “had refused calls to step down from business and opposition groups, which accused the government of mishandling the double-digit fuel increase that its ministers announced with little notice.”
Haiti’s government subsidizes the cost of fuel in the country. The World Bank said in a report last year that the richest 20 percent of Haitians were receiving 93 percent of the subsidies and that the country was spending 2.2 percent of its GDP on subsidies in 2014.
But the price hikes were too much to bear for many in one of the world’s poorest countries. The World Bank says the majority of Haitians, about 59 percent, make less than the equivalent of $2.41 per day.
The IMF said Thursday that it still supports removing subsidies as a way to give the government funding for social services, but advised doing so more gradually.
The U.S. State Department issued a “do not travel” warning for U.S. citizens on July 9 over what it called “widespread civil unrest and violent demonstrations in Haiti. Protests, tire burning, and road blockages are frequent and unpredictable.”
Article via: Haiti’s Prime Minister Resigns After Riots Over Fuel Price Hike
State abortion ballots prepare for post-Roe world
Many states have turned to both ballot measures and legislation to enact abortion policy in the event of a dramatic Supreme Court decision.
Anti-abortion initiatives on the ballot in West Virginia and Alabama this November could lay the foundation for the states to ban or sharply limit legal abortion as change comes to the Supreme Court.
Both ballot measures were in the works before President Donald Trump nominated conservative Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace the more moderate Justice Anthony Kennedy on the high court. But they take on greater import — and will likely draw far more national attention — given the shifting ideological balance on the court.
“They’re setting the stage for if and when Roe falls,” West Virginia abortion rights activist Margaret Chapman Pomponio said. “The criminal code will immediately be triggered.”
No ballot initiative can outright ban abortion as long as Roe v. Wade remains the law of the land. But the West Virginia and Alabama measures would amend their respective state constitutions to declare that abortion rights are not protected. That would pave the way for conservative state legislatures to ban or restrict abortion if the Supreme Court acts.
It’s too late to get similar measures on the ballot in other states this November, but another burst of activity could happen by 2020, according to Elizabeth Nash, senior state issues manager at the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.
Read more via: State abortion ballots prepare for post-Roe world
Behind bars for 2 murders, he’s running for US Senate seat in Minnesota
A Minnesota man serving a life sentence without parole after being convicted of two murders is now vying for a U.S. Senate seat.
Leonard Richards, 75, has found a loophole that has allowed him to legally run for federal office, despite his criminal record.
Minnesota law bars felons from running for state-level offices but does not prevent them from seeking federal positions.
New York Post✔@nypost
Convicted murderer serving life in prison running for Senate seat https://nyp.st/2unrAgH
Richards was found guilty of killing his half-sister, May Wilson, in 1982 and of fatally shooting his lawyer, Robert Stratton, five years later.
He is now seeking the nomination of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, which will hold its primary Aug. 14. Richards is looking to upset U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has held the seat since 2007.
His candidacy, while legal, has angered Stratton’s sister, who told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that she hopes voters take the time to learn about Richards’ crimes before they cast a vote.
“I know he won’t win against Amy Klobuchar, but even one vote for this murderer is too many,” she told the newspaper.
She added that she hopes the state’s laws can be changed to prevent felons from seeking federal office.
But Bert Black, a legal adviser for the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, said in an email to the Associated Press that courts have ruled that felons – even those currently incarcerated – cannot be prohibited from filing an affidavit of candidacy.
Richards has taken advantage of the loophole in the past.
In 1992 he ran in the Democratic primary for a congressional seat and earned more than 14,500 votes. He ran again in 1994, winning 4,000 votes.
Because Richards is behind bars without parole, there’s no chance that he would be able to serve if elected, the Star Tribune reported.
Article via: Behind bars for 2 murders, he’s running for US Senate seat in Minnesota
Nick Cannon Responds To Azealia Banks’ Accusation Of Mistreatment On “Wild’n Out”
Nick Cannon questions Azealia Banks’ karmic merit.
Banks first made her feelings known in the above post, then resorted to the Instagram Story feature for additional commentary, adding: “If I were to make fun of Nick Cannon for having lupus and being weak and sickly….If I made a joke that said he’d be dead by the end of the year….Then Azealia Banks is the bad guy…. right?”
Inevitably word got around to Nick Cannon that she’d referenced him by name. He then chose to enliven her post on his own page with a not so well intended message, in which he referenced a familiar proverb: “creating storms without an umbrella.” Nick Cannon closed his message by mocking her mental illness and by offering prayers for a “speedy recovery.”
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Article via: Nick Cannon Responds To Azealia Banks’ Accusation Of Mistreatment On “Wild’n Out”
Cops caught using coin-flip app to decide whether to arrest woman
A flip of a coin by Georgia cops determined a woman’s fate during a traffic stop in April, body camera footage showed.
The video showed Roswell police officers laughing as they used a coin-flip app to decide whether to detain Sarah Webb during a traffic stop, 11 Alive reported.
Officer Courtney Brown was heard asking Webb whether she knew how fast she was going. Webb apologized and said she was late for work, and Brown asked her to turn off the car and hand over her keys.
“The ground is wet and it’s been raining you’re going over 80 miles an hour on this type of a road. That’s reckless driving,” Brown said.
“I’m so sorry,” Webb replied.
Brown returned to her police cruiser to talk with fellow officers about whether to arrest Webb or just give her ticket.
“What do you think?” Kristee Wilson, a responding officer, was heard saying.
Brown said she “didn’t have speed detection,” but the other officer pointed out that the body camera recorded her cruiser’s speed, which would have shown how fast she was going to catch up to Webb.
Brown was then heard saying, “Hold on,” as she opens a coin-flip app on her phone. Wilson suggested that heads should mean arrest and tails should mean release. Brown agreee and flipped the coin in the app.
“A [arrest] head, R[release] tail,” Wilson said.
“OK,” Brown replied.
“This is tails, right?” Wilson asked.
“Yeah, so release?” Brown responded.
“23 [the police code for arrest],” Wilson replied.
“Michael Jordan?” Brown said while laughing. “All right, so I’ve got too fast for conditions, reckless…”
The officers decided to charge Webb with going too fast for conditions and reckless driving. Brown then arrested Webb, handcuffing her and putting her in the back of a patrol car. Webb was crying as she walked into the police cruiser. She called her employer to let her know of her arrest. Webb was not aware of the coin flip until 11 Alive obtained the video and informed her of the footage.
“Wow, these people put my freedom in the hands of a coin flip,” Webb told 11 Alive. “And that’s disgusting.”
The charges were dropped against Webb on Monday, and the case was dismissed.
Roswell Police Chief Rusty Grant told FOX 5 Atlanta that as he soon as he found out about the incident he started an internal investigation and put Brown and Wilson on paid administrative leave. He said he could not discuss details as the investigation was ongoing.
“I have much higher expectations of our police officers and I am appalled that any law enforcement officer would trivialize the decision-making process of something as important as the arrest of a person,” Grant said.
Webb said she would like to see the officers fired.
“I think they should be fired. I don’t think at all that they should be getting a paid vacation,” she said.
Article via: Cops caught using coin-flip app to decide whether to arrest woman
‘Coupon Carl’ Calls Cops on Black Woman at CVS for Allegedly Using a Forged Coupon, But Was Busted Himself for … Forgery Less Than 2 Years Ago
Yes, this is yet another story of a sorry white person calling the police on a black person for something trivial and not criminal—his moniker? “Coupon Carl”—but it’s also a cautionary tale of the blowback of such actions; or, as my mama says, “When you point a finger, there are three pointing back at you.”
Morry Matson, a white Chicago CVS manager who called the police on a black woman who tried to use a manufacturer’s coupon at the pharmacy (yes, you read that correctly), was captured on video in the absurd interaction.
The woman, Camilla Hudson, told Block Club Chicago that she initially tried to use the self-checkout, but it lacked a mechanism for taking coupons. It reports:
The store’s manager, Matson, offered to assist her on a register, but the situation escalated when he called for another manager, she said. That manager, whose name was not known, told Hudson they couldn’t accept the voucher because he’d never seen one like it before and accused her of possibly handwriting it, she said.
The situation escalated as Hudson was rightfully offended at being called a liar and a thief. She was asked to leave but stood her ground as Matson called police.
A screenshot of the Facebook post telling of her side of the story (taken down by the social media platform) is below:
In 2016, DNA Info Chicago (now in archives), reported that “A vote on extending the lakefront path from Edgewater to Rogers Park was yanked from the November ballot after city officials ruled that five pages of signatures on the petitions calling for the vote were forged.”
Guess who the forger was?
Yep, old Coupon Carl (aka Morry Matson).
Raw Story reports that Morry was leading an effort to build an expensive waterfront bike path to a beach near his own home, saying that improving the beachfront would not mean they saw an influx of “people from the South Side” (and we know who he means).
Yet apparently, an opponent of the bike path discovered that in at least five of the 13 pages of his ballot measure contained signatures written by Matson.
33 passengers hospitalized after Ryanair flight plummets almost 30,000 feet
Over 30 passengers were hospitalized, with some complaining about bleeding from their ears, after a Ryanair flight plummeted 28,000 feet in less than 10 minutes on Friday, according to authorities and flight tracking software.
“I can safely say it was the most terrifying thing I ever experienced,” passenger Roxanne Brownlee told ABC News.
A spokesperson from Ryanair said an “inflight depressurization” on the plane, which was carrying 189 people, from Dublin, Ireland, to Zadar, Croatia, caused oxygen masks to deploy. The plane made an emergency landing at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport in Germany.
Minerva Galvan@MaingdAmazing video from Mr. Kevin Burke. You can see how terrified we were. No-one speaking, no-one moving. Silence and just silence.#Ryanair #nightmare
“The oxygen masks just fell down in front of us — we were given no context, there was no announcement,” said Brownlee. “We were all kind of scrambling trying to put the oxygen masks on and people were screaming, crying and shouting.”
When the plane began to plummet, Brownlee and another passenger, Sara Sihelnik, said they had no updates from the hostesses or captain.
“It was that moment we were plummeting that we were thinking, ‘This is it, we’re going to die,’” said Brownlee.
Once the plane arrived at the airport, 33 people were taken to the hospital “to be treated for headaches and earaches and nausea,” according to authorities. Sky News reported that some people complained they were bleeding from their ears.
Minerva Galvan@MaingdA picture from one of the passengers of the flight FR7312, from Dublin to Zadar. She cannot fly due her injuries. We are still in the Frankfurt-Hahn. No information, no alternatives, no place to rest.#Ryanair#nightmare @Ryanair
“They brought in about 100 burgers, for 189 of us there. They said elderly and families with small children can sleep on cots in the basement, the rest of us was just sort of left floating around,” said Brownlee. “So we were all awake upwards of 36 hours of the entire ordeal — just completely exhausted, shattered and I would just say shocked with the treatment that we received from Ryanair.”
Courtesy of FlightRadar24.comAccording to a Ryanair spokesperson, “Customers were provided with refreshment vouchers and hotel accommodation was authorised, however there was a shortage of available accommodation.”
On Saturday, another Ryanair flight took a majority of the passengers to their destination in Croatia. Out of the 33 people admitted to the hospital, 22 were released and bused to Croatia because they were told not to fly.