Michael Jackson’s Mother Accuses Nephew of Elder Abuse
The Jackson family matriarch is accusing her nephew of abusing her.
Katherine Jackson has been granted a temporary restraining order against her nephew, Trent Lamar Jackson, alleging ongoing elder abuse.
The younger Jackson has been employed as the driver for Mrs. Jackson, who is described as “the beloved, 86-year-old mother of nine children, her most famous son was the late Michael Jackson,” in court documents obtained by CNN.
Since the pop star’s death in 2009, Mrs. Jackson alleges, her nephew has “manipulated’ her and “preyed on her kindness.”
“Trent was supposed to be her driver, but over time has infiltrated Mrs. Jackson’s business and personal affairs, even referring to himself as her ‘House Manager,’” a statement included in the restraining order reads. “Trent has made it his business to regulate Mrs. Jackson’s interactions with her children — screening phone calls, not relaying messages, not allowing privacy during visits or phone calls.”
The document states that Trent Jackson “conned employees at Mrs. Jackson’s bank” to obtain access to her accounts.
Mr. Jackson has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.
It’s not the first time Katherine Jackson has been at the center of family drama.
In 2012, a missing-person report was filed — and her guardianship of Michael Jackson’s children, Prince, Paris and Blanket suspended — after she was out of touch with her family for 10 days.
She later said she had been secluded at an Arizona spa — unaware of the uproar surrounding her “disappearance.”
The order states that Mrs. Jackson has fired her nephew.
A hearing in the case has been set for March 1.
via: http://ktla.com/2017/02/10/michael-jacksons-mother-accuses-nephew-of-elder-abuse/
Black History Day 6: Melvin B. Tolson
As we scratch a little more of the surface of Black History Month I present to you Melvin B. Tolson. Tolson was a modernist poet, educator, columnist and politician. His work concentrated of the experiences of African American which includes several long historical poems.
One of his thesis projects was “The Harlem Group of Negro Writers”, which was based on his extensive interviews with members of the Harlem Renaissance. His poetry was strongly influenced by his time in New York. When he completed his work he was awarded the master’s degree in 1940.
After he graduated, Tolson and his wife moved to Marshall, Texas, where he taught speech and English at Wiley College. The small,Methodist Episcopal college had a high reputation among blacks in the south.
In addition to teaching English, he used his energy in several directions at the school. He built an award-winning debate team, the Wiley Forensic Society. During their tour in 1935, they broke through the color barrier and competed against U.S.C., and won. He also co-founded the black intercollegiate Southern Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts, and directed the theater club. He also coached the junior varsity football team.
Tolson mentored students such as James L. Farmer Jr. and Heman Sweatt , who later became civil rights activists. He encouraged his students to be well-rounded and to also to stand up for their rights which was a controversial position in the segregated southof the early and mid-20th century.
Tolson went on to accomplish many great things such as becoming the Poem Laureate of Liberia and becoming mayor of Langston, Michigan from 1954-1960.
Melvin Tolson was definitely a man of great intellect and had a strong influence on his students to where they eventually became part of the Civil Rights Movement. For those who may be unfamiliar with this man, check out the movie The Great Debaters starring Denzel Washington as Melvin B. Tolson
Black History Day 5: Robert Tanner Freeman And Ida Grey Nelson
As the celebration of black history month continues, it’s important to celebrate the lesser known figures that you don’t hear much about.
Today I present to you the first African American dentist and first African American female dentist, Robert Tanner Freeman and Ida Grey Nelson.
Freeman was born into slavery in 1846, as a child he became friends with Henry Bliss a local dentist in Washington D.C. He became his apprentice and continued up until his adulthood. Dr. Noble who had connections to Harvard Medical School encouraged Freeman to apply the school and by 1867 was accepted in. With his graduation in 1869 Freeman and another African American student George Franklin Grant became the first became the first black dentists .
Freeman made his way back to D.C. and opened his own practice. He became a pillar of the black community of D.C. because of his devotion to helping the African american youth. Unfortunately it was short lived when he contracted a water-borne disease in 1873 and died soon after. He was honored by the National Dental Association, an all black dental group which was founded in 1913.
Ida Gray Nelson was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, on March 4, 1867. She was orphaned when her mother died in her early teens. Nelson’s white father played no role in her childhood or education. After her mother’s death, Nelson was raised by her aunt.
Nelson’s aunt was 35, uneducated, and unable to read or write when she moved from Clarksville, Tennessee to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1867, with her four children. Gray supported the family by working as a seamstress and housing foster children. When she was in high school, she worked as a seamstress and dressmaker and in the dental office of Jonathan and William Taft. Ida Gray graduated from Gaines Public High School in 1887 when she was 20 years old.
With the mentorship provided by William Taft, Nelson became the first African American woman to graduate from a dental school. Her ability to pass the entrance exam into the University of Michigan was aided by the experience she gained working in his dental office. Gray enrolled in October 1887 and, three years later, she became the first African American woman to graduate with a Doctorate of Dental Surgery in the United States.
After graduation in 1890, she returned to Ohio and opened a private dental practice. She remained in this practice until 1895 when she married Sanford Nelson. The couple then moved to Chicago where she where she set up a practice serving men and women of all races. She also became the first African American, male or female, to practice dentistry in Chicago.
Nelson participated in a number of women’s organization and served as president of the Professional Women’s Club of Chicago. She later retired from her dentistry practice sometime in the mid-1930s.
For any young black men and women who are looking to dentistry as their goal these are great examples to follow by because no matter what obstacles they had to face they always pulled through and reach their goals.
Black History Day 4: Rosa Parks
In the continuation of Black History Month we will discuss one of the major catalysts of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks. Born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama it was this woman’s action that snowballed the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
On December 1, 1955 after a long day at work, Ms. Parks boarded a bus home while on the bus the driver ordered her to give up her seat for a white man. She refused and with that the driver call the police and Parks was arrested. Overall she was charged with a $14 fine. It was with this action that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It was also with this incident that Rosa Parks is called the mother of the Civil Rights Movement.
One fact about Rosa Parks is that prior to her arrest, she was already a member of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP as a secretary. It also wasn’t her first encounter with that particular bus driver. Had she paid attention to who was driving the bus she would’ve never gotten on that particular bus in the first place.
With the Montgomery Boycott underway Parks eventually lost her job and she and her husband relocated to Detroit, Michigan where she stayed for the rest of her life. It was there where she founded Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development for youth and seniors.
On this day I chose her as the subject she show respect and honor for her birthday, Happy Birthday Rosa Parks.
Woman Records Herself Performing Oral Sex At Courthouse
A woman from Duval county Florida posted herself giving oral sex in a courthouse on January 31st. The woman identified as 26 year old Brittney Jones, recorded the incident and posted it to her Facebook and Twitter. The man believed to be in the video with her may have been a security guard.
Jones is not facing charges for the sex act but Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Integrity Unit is investigating the incident. Jones was originally in court for an arraignment from possession of drug paraphernalia. She pleaded no contest and was sentenced to time served. Her video has since been deleted.
I view this as an example of another thot who has no shame. No shame and no self respect, i hope she enjoys this 15 minutes of fame while it lasts.
12 Year Old Boy Charged With Capital Murder
A 12 year old boy from Arkansas has been charged with capital murder for the death of a 21 year old store clerk. Christa Shockley’s body was found Thursday at a gas station in Fouke, 140 miles southwest of Little Rock. The boy was arrested later on that day when police discovered the gun that they believed was part of the crime.
The boy is being held in a juvenile detention center facing charges of capital murder and aggravated robbery. Because of state law he cannot be charged as an adult. However he can be held at the detention center until his 21st birthday where he will either be released or sent to an adult prison.
Two lives has been lost in this situation, one an innocent store clerk and the other a young boy who pretty much threw his life away. I hope this young boy thinks this was worth it because he will be living with this choice for the rest of his life.
Brooklyn day care worker beats her 4-year-old son to death with stick for dropping egg on floor
Strangers trust Zarah Coombs to care for their children — never suspecting that the Brooklyn day care worker could be capable of savagely killing her own son.
An enraged Coombs beat her 4-year-old son Zamair to death with a broomstick after the preschooler accidentally broke an egg on the floor of their Brooklyn basement apartment, sources said.
Coombs — who worked in a family-owned Bushwick day care center — waited 20 minutes with the dying boy stashed inside a water-filled plastic storage bin before finally calling 911 for help, according to a source. The 26-year-old Coombs confessed to the Wednesday night beating and was charged with murder. She was led away in handcuffs as tears rolled down her face.But neighbor Ray Moore, 18, said the cold-blooded Coombs showed no such remorse as medics tried to save her son’s life
“She was just standing there like she just don’t care,” said Moore, who lives one floor up from the murder suspect in Brownsville. “I know if it was me, my mother would’ve been in the ambulance.
“That’s when you know something wasn’t right.”
Coombs was later placed on suicide watch. The brutal killing occurred while Coombs was home alone with Zamair and two younger kids, waiting for her boyfriend to return from buying marijuana, sources said.
When the egg slipped from the small child’s hands, the mom lost her mind, grabbed the broomstick and beat the helpless little boy until he fell silent, sources said.
She then put the unconscious Zamair in the large bin inside the apartment bathroom, according to sources.
Coombs — raised in a family of 15 kids and the mother of four children — only summoned help when her live-in boyfriend, Jamari Richardson, returned home shortly before 9 p.m., cops said.
When cops arrived, they found the battered Zamair unable to breathe and foaming at the mouth, according to police and a relative. He was pronounced dead about five hours later at Brookdale University Hospital.
Cops said the boy had cuts, bruises and abrasions on his neck and body. The medical examiner, in ruling the case a homicide, found the cause of death was multiple blunt-impact injuries.
The city Department of Investigation immediately announced plans for a probe into the little boy’s death and whether the city Administration for Children’s Services played any role.
Hours after Zamair died, an Investigation Department summary report ripped ACS for botching the case of another Brooklyn boy, 3-year-old Jaden Jordan, who was beaten to death last month.
Coombs’ brother said ACS officials had stopped by the apartment several times before the death.
Police remove evidence from the Brooklyn home where Zamair Coombs was beaten to death.
According to sources, ACS investigated a pair of allegations against the mom in 2015: Failure to provide medical care in March and inadequate supervision three months later. Both were deemed unfounded. Details of the beleaguered agency’s investigations were not revealed.
Police sources said there were also three prior domestic incident reports involving the mother — in 2002, 2006 and 2011.
Coombs’ family ran four day care centers, and state officials confirmed Zarah Coombs had been employed by their Leading Star Academy since February 2014.
A source indicated Coombs told investigators the fatal assault began because she was stressed out while caring for the victim’s two younger siblings — ages 1 year and 1 month.
Coombs’ brother said ACS officials had stopped by the apartment several times before the death According to sources, ACS investigated a pair of allegations against the mom in 2015: Failure to provide medical care in March and inadequate supervision three months later. Both were deemed unfounded. Details of the beleaguered agency’s investigations were not revealed.
Police sources said there were also three prior domestic incident reports involving the mother — in 2002, 2006 and 2011.
Coombs’ family ran four day care centers, and state officials confirmed Zarah Coombs had been employed by their Leading Star Academy since February 2014.
A source indicated Coombs told investigators the fatal assault began because she was stressed out while caring for the victim’s two younger siblings — ages 1 year and 1 month.In a series of 2014 Facebook posts, the murder suspect wrote about her doomed son Zamair — in one case, adding a now-chilling photo in which he ate a breakfast of egg whites, toast and blueberries.
Coombs initially claimed Zamair died after she left him unattended inside the storage bin where her boyfriend found the child’s limp body, the sources said. She claimed she was tending to one of the smaller kids when he was injured.
Richardson tried unsuccessfully to perform CPR on the boy before police and EMTs arrived. Coombs was arrested after coming clean with detectives about what really happened, the sources said.
“I don’t even know how I feel, part of me is like, Zamair is going to come from around the corner and say, ‘Daddy.’ ” Richardson told The News. “Since I’ve been in the picture, there has been no foul play with these kids and if I had seen something that I didn’t think was right, I would of said something about it.”
Coombs’ brother Michael Thomas offered little support after the arrest.
“This is unacceptable, intolerable for you to kill a 4-year-old,” said Thomas. “A sister or not, she has to be held accountable.”
Thomas described the grim scene outside the apartment when he arrived amid the flashing lights and howling sirens of police cars and medical personnel.
“They were pumping on his chest,” Thomas, 53, said of his nephew. “When I saw them inserting the breathing tube, you know that’s bad. He was foaming at the mouth.”Thomas said he was initially told the little boy took a spill and cracked his head after stepping on some loose towels in the bathroom.
Coombs, who tried to hide her face behind her dredlocks at her arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court late Thursday, was also charged with manslaughter, acting in a manner injurious to a child and criminal possession of a weapon. She was granted emergency psychiatric care and placed on suicide watch. She must undergo a 30-day mental health observation.
The mom’s two youngest kids were both fathered by her current boyfriend, while Zamair and a 9-year-old child have different dads, sources said. Both dads are in jail.
The boy’s grandfather said he was kept away from Zamair by Coombs and Richardson. Asked if the couple were good parents, the grandfather demurred.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t want to get into that.”
via: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/mom-admits-fatally-beating-4-year-old-boy-brooklyn-home-article-1.2956011
Black History Day 2: Bessie Coleman
In honor of the second day of Black History Month, I present to you, Bessie Coleman.
Bessie Coleman was the first black woman to receive her pilot license in 1922. Because flight schools denied her entry during this time period she taught herself french and moved to France. It was there that she earned her license from the Cauldron Brother’s School of Aviation in just a short seven months.
She specialized in stunt performing and parachuting, which earned her a living doing barnstorming and performing aerial tricks. Though tragically, on April 30, 1926, Bessie Coleman was killed in an accident during a rehearsal for an aerial show which sent her plummeting to her death.Coleman remains a pioneer of women in the field of aviation.
Missouri Man Accused of Shooting Thief Over iPhone Thought “Stand Your Ground” Protected Him
A Missouri man told police he thought the state’s new “stand your ground” gun law would protect him after allegedly shooting another man Monday, according to KTLA sister station KTVI in St. Louis.
Karl O. Henson, 23, admitted he opened fire while running after a man whose back was turned, he later told officers in a probable cause statement.
Henson, who faces charges of armed criminal action and first-degree assault, told police, “the only reason I thought it was OK to shoot at him while he was running away was because of what happened with the new year with the gun law change,” officer Spirit Stevens wrote.
Missouri instituted the “stand your ground” law in January 2017, after the state legislature guaranteed the passage of Senate Bill 650 in September, despite Governor Jay Nixon’s earlier veto. The law allows people to use deadly force instead of running away, as long as they believe deadly force will be used upon them.
On Monday afternoon, Henson met up with a 20-year-old man who wanted to buy an iPhone 7 from him, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune. While examining the phone, the 20-year-old allegedly took off with the device, running behind a duplex in a cul-de-sac on Riva Ridge Court in northern Columbia.
Henson told police he chased the man into a field, firing six shots and dropping one unspent round as he ran, according to the statement.
The shooting victim was wounded in the heel, and a private vehicle took him to University Hospital, police said.
Henson was arrested at the scene and taken to Boone County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
via: http://ktla.com/2017/01/26/missouri-man-accused-in-shooting-thought-new-gun-law-protected-him/
North Carolina Mother Charged After Toddler Tests Positive for Cocaine
A North Carolina mother has been charged after her 2-year-old daughter tested positive for cocaine, according to the Burlington Times-News.
Tammara Gail Overman, 32, of Burlington, faces a charge of felony intentional child abuse causing serious physical injury after being arrested Wednesday
The toddler was also suffering from a severe, untreated rash on her groin, according to the paper.
The arrest comes after a monthlong investigation by the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities have not said how the child consumed the drug.
Overman was jailed in Alamance County under a $25,000 bond and had a court date on Thursday.
Two other suspects who shared the same house were charged with misdemeanor child neglect in connection to the investigation, the paper reported.
via: http://ktla.com/2017/01/27/north-carolina-mother-charged-after-toddler-tests-positive-for-cocaine/