The Grio has launched a special series called #BlackonBlue to examine the relationship between law enforcement and African-Americans. Their reporters and videographers will investigate police brutality and corruption while also exploring local and national efforts to improve policing in our communities. Join the conversation, or share your own story, using the hashtag #BlackonBlue. A dramatic video that went viral showing proof that an NYPD cop planted drugs in a Black teen’s car still somehow wasn’t enough evidence to hold the crooked cop accountable, the New York Times reports. The Times secured the video footage an interaction with New York Police Department cops who stopped several State
WASHINGTON (CIRCA) – A library that was created in honor of Michelle Obama was vandalized with Trump’s name. The Little Free Library based in Washington, D.C. is located in Dupont Circle, according to Bustle.com. The Library included a plaque which read, “In Honor of Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, Lawyer, writer and First Lady of the United States.” According to The Washington Post, this is not the first time the Library dedicated to Mrs. Obama has been targeted. The plaque was removed, a window was broken, decorations placed for Election Day were removed, a picture of Obama was taken off and recently Obama’s name was crossed off the Library and Trump’s name was written with black marker
Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid believes he has been unfairly targeted by the league's drug-testing protocol. The 26-year-old was asked to take his sixth drug test since signing with the team at the end of September after Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. He has now taken five random tests in eight games played, per Marcel Louis-Jacques of the Charlotte Observer. "This is supposed to be a random system," Reid said Sunday. "It doesn't feel very random." The player's previous test came on Nov. 8, although he noted that he wasn't worried about the results. "They're not going to catch me on anything," he said at the time, per Louis-Jacques. Reid has an active collusion grievance aga
The model's new product, in partnership with a brand called Whitenicious, was announced on Instagram. The Whitenicious x Blac Chyna Collection is described as an "illuminating and brightening cream" that "lightens without bleaching skin out". Some skin lightening products are banned in the UK. The founder of Whitenicious, which is not banned in the UK, is Cameroonian pop star Denecia. There has been controversy around her brand since it launched in 2014. In an interview with Ebony at the time, she was quoted as saying: "Will Whitenicious bleach your skin if you use it on all your skin? Yes, it will. Are we selling Whitenicous for that purpose? No, we're not." The company says its cream is me
A proposed bill in the New York State Senate could mean that anyone wanting to buy a pistol or renew their permit will be subject to a review of their internet history and social media accounts going back up to three years. The bill, referred to as S9191, was drafted by State Senator Kevin Parker from New York’s 21st Congressional District with the intention of keeping firearms out of the hands of potentially violent people, ABC-affiliate WHAM reports. S9191 “requires a person applying for a license to carry or possess a pistol or revolver or a renewal of such license to consent to having his or her social media accounts and search engine history reviewed and investigated for certain posts a
Four white women seem to be wearing hoodies without an issue in a Memphis mall that booted young black men for wearing similar attire. in Memphis, Wolfchase Galleria mall. (Fox 13 screenshot) Four white women from the Memphis suburb of Cordova, Tennessee, conducted a social experiment after a group of Black teenagers were targeted by Wolfchase Galleria’s alleged “No Hoodie” policy last week. Sherry Ennis and her three friends saw the viral video captured by former Journalist Kevin McKenzie, of four young Black men being thrown out of the Memphis mall on Nov. 3 for supposedly violating its code of conduct policy by wearing hoodies in the mall. One of the young men was even arrested within mom
Results from a third autopsy conducted on the body of Kendrick Johnson — the second performed at the behest of Johnson’s parents — have been released, contradicting an earlier conclusion that the 17-year-old’s death was accidental. But the new autopsy’s impact is likely to be minimal, as a lengthy federal investigation already concluded there was no evidence of foul play. Johnson, the Lowndes High School sophomore whose body was found in a rolled-up gym mat nearly six years ago, died from non-accidental blunt force trauma between his neck and abdomen, the third autopsy concludes. That mirrors the findings from the first autopsy, paid for by Kendrick’s parents, Kenneth and Jackie Johnson, who
Sean “Diddy” Combs is heartbroken over the death of Kim Porter, his ex-girlfriend and the mother of their four children. “Diddy is devastated and shocked. He and Kim were still very close friends and co-parents even though their romantic relationship didn’t work,” a source tells PEOPLE. “They were still a family,” the source adds. On Thursday, Porter, who was a model and actress, was found dead in her home on Thursday. She was 47. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Porter’s death in a statement explaining that officers responded to a death investigation at 11:40 a.m. in Toluca Lake, California, where they found a female unresponsive at the residence. Porter was pronounced dead
California is currently suffering from several devastating and deadly fires. The Camp Fire in Butte County, California, has killed at least 29 people and left more than 200 people unaccounted for, making it the deadliest wildfire in the state's history. The Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles County and Ventura County has killed at least two people, consumed over 85,000 acres and, as of the latest official report, is only 15 percent contained. In August, the Mendocino Complex Fire scorched approximately 350,000 acres of northern California and destroyed over 146 homes. At the time, the blaze was the largest fire in the state's history. Roughly 14,000 firefighters battled the Mendocino fires. Among t
A jury acquitted a man accused of raping a teenage girl after his lawyer instructed jurors to consider the type of underwear the teen was wearing when the alleged assault took place in Cork, Ireland. The issue of consent was at the center of the case involving a 27-year-old man and his 17-year-old accuser. Senior counsel Elizabeth O’Connell told the jury to consider that the girl was wearing a lacy thong at the time of the encounter, The Irish Examiner reported. “Does the evidence out-rule the possibility that she was attracted to the defendant and was open to meeting someone and being with someone? You have to look at the way she was dressed. She was wearing a thong with a lace front,” she
New York (CNN)CNN has filed a lawsuit against President Trump and several of his aides, seeking the immediate restoration of chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta's access to the White House. The lawsuit is a response to the White House's suspension of Acosta's press pass, known as a Secret Service "hard pass," last week. The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN's First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning. It was docketed and assigned to Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee. CNN is seeking a preliminary hearing as soon as possible. Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Th
The Florida governor contest that captivated the nation as a referendum on President Donald J. Trump isn't over. Thursday afternoon shortly after 2, the unofficial count gave Republican nominee Ron DeSantis a 38,000-vote lead on Democrat Andrew Gillum. That appeared to be within the 0.5 percent margin that requires an automatic machine recount once the count is certified. More than 8 million votes were cast in the contest to replace the term-limited Gov. Rick Scott. DeSantis, embracing the mantle of governor-elect, expressed confidence that his lead will hold. "The results of the election were clear. I am now focused on the transition effort and will allow the legal efforts regarding the el
BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ) — A federal grand jury has indicted three local men after authorities seized 20 kilograms of fentanyl, which is enough to kill more than one and a half times the population of Maryland. According to the indictment unsealed on Oct. 30, Nevone McCrimmon, 47, William Elijah, 51, and Terrance Mobley, 50, are all said to be high-ranking members of a Baltimore-based drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa and Tijuana Mexican drug cartels. Starting in fall 2017, McCrimmon, Elijah, and Mobley were said to have regularly met with a courier from Miami to deliver large sums of cash in exchange for kilograms of drugs. Court documents show that the narcotics would be
NEW YORK (AP) — Missy Elliott, one of rap's greatest voices and also a songwriter and producer who has crafted songs for Beyonce and Whitney Houston, is one of the nominees for the 2019 Songwriters Hall of Fame. Elliott is the first female rapper nominated for the prestigious prize and could also become the third rapper to enter the organization following recent inductees Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri. The Songwriters Hall gave The Associated Press the list of nominees Wednesday, a day ahead of its official announcement. Joining Elliott as performing nominees are Mariah Carey, Chrissie Hynde, Vince Gill, Mike Love, Jimmy Cliff, Jeff Lynne, Cat Stevens, John Prine, Lloyd Price, Tommy James and the
8Ball and MJG can add another monumental milestone to their list of accomplishments. Last Thursday (Nov. 1), the On Top of the World duo were inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. In addition to getting inducted into the Hall of Fame, 8Ball and MJG lit up the stage to perform tracks from their legendary catalog. The duo spoke on the moment an Instagram post from the event. "Classic Pimpin at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony with @8ballandmjg @duprano @chickenwangsup @push1k_ @cominouthardmovie #8ballmjg," the pair wrote in a caption of a photo from the event. Other members of the Memphis Music Hall of Fame include folks like Justin Timberlake, The Bar-Kays, Johnny Ca
Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump on Wednesday fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions. "At your request I am submitting my resignation," Sessions wrote in a letter to White House chief of staff John Kelly. Matthew Whitaker will take over as acting attorney general, the President said. Whitaker is expected to take charge of the the Russia investigation and special counsel Robert Mueller from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. "We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States. He will serve our Country well ...We thank Attorney General Jef
Hey Everybody! TAKE A DEEP BREATH! Last night (it appears) we narrowly lost a few elections that we really wanted to win, but we actually won hundreds that we desperately needed. I hope my coverage on Instagram and elsewhere gave you some hope. Our victories yesterday were many. Next year and all throughout the 2020 elections, The North Star will be broadcasting live throughout special moments like this in our own studio, with our own experts, telling our own stories, with our own style, culture, focus, clarity, and intensity. Tens of thousands of you have told me that that's exactly what you want. And we're going to build it together. As you know, 6 days ago we set out to build ou
Democrats won the House, which means one of President Donald Trump’s biggest targets, California Democrat Maxine Waters, is slated to become the chair of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. In the days leading up to the election, Trump warned that Waters — a frequent target of criticism — would be “put in charge of our Country’s finances” if the Democrats won. But while the committee does not have jurisdiction over budgeting (the Office of Management and Budget does) or tax reform (House Ways and Means does), the House panel on financial services does have control over financial regulation and housing finance reform. Trump has more to worry about; Waters could use the committee
Florida voters during Tuesday’s midterm elections approved Amendment 4, automatically restoring voting rights in the state for people previously convicted of felonies. Florida’s Amendment 4 restores voting rights for people in the state convicted of felonies as long as they have completed their sentences, although anyone convicted of murder or felony sex offenses would be excluded. Based on the Sentencing Project’s 2016 estimates, this benefits more than a million people. The organization estimated in 2016 that nearly 1.5 million people in Florida have completed felony sentences but can’t vote — about 9.2 percent of the voting-age population in Florida. The total, though, includes some peopl
A white theater director who was given a job intended for artists of color has found himself at the centre of a debate around racial identity. Anthony Ekundayo Lennon, who has worked on all-black productions, is among four people who won a paid traineeship as a “theater practitioner of color” last year. The opportunity was funded by a £406,500 grant from Arts Council England to "deliver a comprehensive programmer of talent development for future Bame leaders". The actor reportedly applied on the basis of his “mixed heritage”, having previously claimed he had “gone through the struggles of a black man” despite being born to white Irish parents. Growing up, Mr Lennon’s high cheekbones and curl
