news
-
Son of Charleston Church Victim Says, ‘We Forgive the Shooter’
Chris Singleton—a college student who lost his mother, the Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, in the Charleston, S.C., church massacre Wednesday—admitted that his knees were a little weak during a press conference Thursday, but he vowed to push on because his mom “was a God-fearing woman.” “We are mourning right now, but I know we’ll get through…
-
NRA Board Member Blames Slain Emanuel AME Pastor for Congregants’ Deaths
National Rifle Association board member Charles L. Cotton opined on an online gun-rights forum that if deceased Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal pastor Clementa Pinckney had allowed congregants to carry weapons into the Charleston, S.C., church, innocent people might not have died, the Washington Post reports. According to the news site, Cotton, who also runs the…
-
NC Lawmakers Agree to Allow Exceptions to State’s Controversial Voter-ID Requirement
North Carolina lawmakers passed legislation June 18 that would allow voters without photo identification to cast provisional ballots, the News & Observer reports. The General Assembly sent the measure to Gov. Pat McCrory for his signature. The proposed change would allow voters to declare a “reasonable impediment” to explain not having a photo ID. It…
-
White Topeka, Kan., Residents Find KKK Fliers on Their Property
The Rev. Ben Scott, president of the Topeka, Kan., chapter of the NAACP, says that his organization is concerned about Ku Klux Klan activity in the city, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. That concern stems from the news that residents in several neighborhoods woke up June 15 to find fliers on their property, apparently from the…
-
Man Who Allegedly Shot at George Zimmerman in Road Rage Incident Charged With Attempted Murder
The man accused of shooting at George Zimmerman during a traffic confrontation in Florida is now being charged with attempted murder, the Associated Press reports. On Thursday a prosecutor upgraded the charges of Matthew Apperson—who was initially charged with aggravated assault and battery—to attempted second-degree murder. Zimmerman escaped the alleged scuffle in May with minor…
-
Va. Man Threatens Richmond Churchgoers: ‘I’m Gonna Kill All You and All You Are Gonna Get Killed Tonight’
A raging Virginia man threatened churchgoers at a Richmond church, banging on the door and threatening to kill the people within while yelling racial slurs during a regular Thursday-night service, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. The man reportedly had something resembling a weapon in his hand, which a police officer, who was working security at the…
-
Former Ole Miss Student Admits to Role in Draping Noose on Statue of 1st Black Student
A former University of Mississippi student took a plea deal from prosecutors, pleading guilty Thursday to a federal civil rights charge in the racially charged vandalism of a statue of the school’s first black student, Reuters reports. Graeme Phillip Harris, who was 19 at the time of the vandalism, could get up to a year…
-
Dylann Storm Roof Confesses to Fatal Mass Shooting in SC: Report
Updated Friday, June 19, 10:10 a.m. EDT: Dylan Storm Roof told authorities that he “almost didn’t go through” with the horrific shooting spree at a South Carolina church Wednesday night “because everyone was so nice to him,” sources told NBC News. Despite the welcome he received at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Roof concluded that he…
-
Let’s Call Charleston Shooting What It Was: A Terrorist Attack
It’s become quite the national pastime (centuries in the making, in fact) that when violent, racially motivated and genocidal-like tragedies befall African Americans, the reflex is to avoid calling it what it is: domestic terrorism. State, local and federal authorities, however, will want us all to find comfort in the “hate crime” stamp after Wednesday…
-
Canadian Province Addresses Racial Profiling
Racial profiling is a concern beyond our northern border. To address the issue, Community Safety Minister Yasir Naqvi announced June 16 that the province of Ontario will standardize its controversial carding policy, the Canadian Broadcast Corp. reports. The safety minister said that in too many cases, police conduct identity checks without having probable cause. He…