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A Community Reels After the Police Killing of 16-Year-Old Anthony ‘A.J.’ Weber in Los Angeles
There is a familiar grief ritual when a young person dies, especially from violence, especially in poor, black communities. It is communal, emotive and performative, as black people are wont to be, and much the same the world over. After news of the death spreads, people pour out of their homes to a common area—a…
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An Open Letter to the Mainstream Media Covering the Death of Black People by the Police
The presence of news media at Wednesday night’s Town Hall in South Los Angeles to address the deputy-involved killing of unarmed 16-year-old Anthony “A.J.” Weber could’ve been a blessing. The grieving family and community had an opportunity to be heard on a national level. An opportunity to say or do what they needed in front…
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Yet Another Black Transgender Woman Killed; Friends Up in Arms Because She Was Misgendered
Another transgender woman was killed this month, this time in Jacksonville, Fla., making it the second trans killing within a week. According to The Advocate, on Feb. 4, 36-year-old Celine Walker was found shot to death in an Extended Stay America hotel at about 8 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene. The Advocate reports…
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Baltimore Cops May Soon Be Liable for Payouts to Victims of Police Brutality
In a move that may finally break up the stronghold of protection that blankets police officers when accused of brutality or death, the city of Baltimore has instated a new policy that may make officers liable for payouts to victims. The Forward Observer reports that the Baltimore police union recently sent an email to members…
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Makers of OxyContin Say They Will No Longer Market to Doctors in Stunning Reversal
One would like to think that the reason the company that makes the powerful painkiller OxyContin says it will stop marketing the opioid to doctors is that the county is in the midst of a serious opioid epidemic—a big part of which involves prescription painkillers. More likely, though, it’s because many cities, states and municipalities…
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The Value of Michael Jordan’s Investment in the Charlotte Hornets Quadruples in 8 Years
Michael Jordan proves that it’s possible to strike gold twice in a lifetime. Not only is the former basketball god superrich from his Nike Air Jordan shoe brand, but it looks as if his investment in the Charlotte Hornets has paid off, too. According to Forbes’ annual NBA-franchise valuations, Jordan, the Charlotte Hornets’ majority owner,…
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World of Wakanda! Marvel Releases the Black Panther’s Family Tree (and There’s a White Bro in It!)
Just days before the film opens wide to all of black America, Marvel released the family tree of T’Challa, also known as the Black Panther, for all the world to see. And like many of us who do our own DNA test or family tree, there’s a surprise or two (oh, hello, white brother) dangling…
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Trump Shows That in His Mind, Only White Men Deserve the Benefit of the Doubt
In President Donald Trump’s latest edition of “White Men Are Soooo Persecuted,” more than a few folks clapped back against his seeming raison d’être (protecting the feelings and asses of said white men). On Saturday the president tweeted that “[p]eoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation,” referring to the resignations of…
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Idris Elba Is Off the Market—He Popped the Question to Sabrina Dhowre in London Town
There are going to be more than a few tears shed today around the world (What? There’s nothing in my eye!) because Idris Elba is officially off the market. The 45-year-old actor popped the question to 29-year-old Sabrina Dhowre, the 2014 Miss Vancouver, on Saturday before a screening of his directorial debut, Yardie, a film…
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Tiffany Brown, Head of the 1-Woman Company That Delivered Only 50,000 of 30 Million Meals to Puerto Rico, Blames FEMA
An Atlanta woman whose one-person company was contracted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide millions of meals to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, but delivered only a fraction of that, says that FEMA is to blame. Tiffany Brown, who is listed as the only employee of Tribute Contracting LLC, last…
