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'Miscarriage of Justice': Judge Overturns Death Sentence
In a scathing 40-page opinion, a federal judge on Wednesday overturned a 1992 conviction of a Philadelphia man, James Dennis, who she said had been unjustly sentenced to die for a murder he probably did not commit, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Judge Anita B. Brody said city police and prosecutors ignored, lost, or “covered up”…
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Watch This: Atlanta School Hero Recalls Ordeal
In an interview with ABC in Atlanta, Antoinette Tuff, a bookkeeper at Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, near Decatur, Ga., recalled the harrowing ordeal on Aug. 20 during which she was held hostage by a 20-year-old man, Michael Brandon Hill. Hill entered the building during school hours with an AK-47. No one was injured.…
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December Retrial for Detroit Cop Who Shot 7-Year-Old
A judge on Wednesday set a Dec. 4 retrial date for the Detroit police officer accused in the death of 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones, the Detroit Free Press reports. The date for Officer Joseph Weekley’s trial was set during a hearing Wednesday before Wayne County Circuit Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway. Weekley, whose gun went off killing…
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Kevin Hart: 'Black Women Assume They Know Your Life'
Kevin Hart, responding to criticism of his relationships, expressed frustration with black women, saying they “assume they know your life,” MadameNoire reports. Kevin Hart stays in trouble with black women[,] doesn’t he? At least that’s what we gathered from the controversy, or better yet criticisms, that have seemed to follow his career since he entered the…
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Lee Daniels Says People Are Angry That Obama Is President
Following the No. 1 weekend opening of Lee Daniels’ The Butler, the Hollywood filmmaker Lee Daniels, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz sat down Monday with CNN‘s Piers Morgan. Responding to a question from Morgan about postracial America in the age of Obama, Daniels said, “I think that people are angry that he’s president, and…
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What Is Wrong With Mayor Michael Bloomberg?
In a bruising profile of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New Yorker tackles his 12 years in office, describing him as “a plutocrat” who used his sizable wealth to remain in power. The article paints him as being out of touch, especially regarding minorities and low-income residents. His remarks on the subject of stop-and-frisk have sometimes…
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Former Intern Sues Diddy's Bad Boy for Back Pay
A 26-year-old former intern filed a class action lawsuit on Tuesday in a federal court in New York City, saying that Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment and its parent company violated minimum wage laws, the Daily News reports. Rashida Salaam, 26, filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday in Manhattan Federal Court, accusing Bad Boy and…
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How School Closings Ruin Communities
(The Root) — One way to exact structural change in America is through schools and their curricula, The Root’s editor-in-chief, professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., said recently about creating a national dialogue about race that could help prevent tragedies like that shooting death of the unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Professor Gates was discussing his PBS…
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5th Football Player Added to Vanderbilt Rape Case
A grand jury has indicted a fifth Vanderbilt University football player, Chris Boyd, for his alleged role in the rape of an unconscious student on campus in June, CBS News reports. Metro Nashville Police say the 21-year-old reported to police headquarters Saturday morning after being indicted on Friday and turned himself in. Vanderbilt released a…
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Watch This: Spike Lee Meets Kickstarter Goal, Thanks Fans and Jesus
Calling it a “historic moment,” Spike Lee took to YouTube to thank fans and Jesus after reaching his goal of $1.25 million on Kickstarter, which was met Friday with five days remaining in the month-long campaign. Mashable reports. The distinguished filmmaker even dropped a few f-bombs out of excitement while thanking fans and Jesus. He…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
