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COMMENTARY: Collision Course (Part 2)

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “Although I have no personal knowledge of when Dr. King died, I fully support the research of Dr. William Pepper, who has established that King’s life was terminated at the hospital. His research came through a credible witness, Johnton Shelby, whose mother personally witnessed the event. According to these sources, King did not die immediately, but shortly after being shot and transported to the hospital, when he was smothered to death with a pillow by the head surgeon, Dr. Breen Bland.” — Phillip F. Nelson, author of “Who REALLY Killed Martin Luther King,” in an interview with Our Weekly.
The post COMMENTARY: Collision Course (Part 2) first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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October 12, 2022

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By Gregg Reese, Contributor | Our Weekly News

“I have always believed that the government was part of a conspiracy, either directly or indirectly, to assassinate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” — Jesse L. Jackson in the foreword to James Earl Ray’s 1997 autobiography “Who Killed Martin Luther King Jr.?”

Right up to his demise, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been in a jovial mood as he anticipated the evening meal “…of prime rib roast and soul food such as chitterlings, greens, pig’s feet and black-eyed peas…,” prepared by the Rev. Billy Kyles’ wife.

A creature of habit, he believed in dressing for dinner, and like many Black men, he used a sulfur-based depilatory cream as a daily shaving ritual. The good-humor continued with a mock pillow fight with Andrew Young and others, right up to the moment he put on his coat and stepped outside to be driven to his last supper.

A 20th century crucifixion

“Jones stated while he was still looking at Dr. King he heard a sound which he thought was a firecracker. Dr. King fell to the floor of the walkway in front of Room 306. At this point, Jones could see blood coming from Dr. King, and realized the sound was actually a shot rather than a firecracker.” — from the FBI report on the assassination.

In the aftermath of King’s shooting, Ralph Abernathy, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young and others rushed to his side, some of them pointing to where they believed the shot came from, a rooming house on the second floor of Jim’s Grill, some 200 feet away.

King’s Memphis chauffeur, one Solomon Jones, maintains that the shot came from a large overgrowth of bushes between the rooming house and the motel. This brushy area was cut down the day after the assassination, along with a tree branch, which obstructed the line of sight between where the shooter allegedly was and the balcony where King stood. Jones was in the motel parking lot below King when the shot rang out and reported seeing a man running away from the area. In Jones’ words “…he could not tell whether the person was Negro or white.”

By this point, Jones was in a state of shock, and was placed in a motel room to recover.

King was rushed to Memphis’ St. Joseph’s hospital accompanied by Abernathy and close associate Bernard Lee, where he was pronounced dead an hour later (at 7:05 PM). The consensus was that he died instantly from the 30.06 cartridge (nicknamed the “thirty-aught-six”), a mainstay of the U.S. Army for much of the 20th century, and a favorite of deer hunters to this day.

The chief of surgery at St. Joseph’s was one Breen Bland, who was also the family physician for the family of Russell Adkins, who in turn headed up the Memphis faction of the Dixie Mafia. Years later, a story emerged about events that transpired upon Dr. King’s arrival at the hospital by activist/attorney/journalist William F. Pepper.

Pepper became close to King in the last year of his life, when the latter was galvanized by Pepper’s photo essay “The Children of Vietnam,” in the January 1967 issue of the radical magazine Ramparts. Pepper had been prone to believe the official conclusion until he was swayed by King’s closest associate, Abernathy, who urged him to meet with the assassin of record, James Earl Ray. Over the next 40 years and through the publication of three books, Pepper sought to exonerate Ray.

“Stop working on the n****r and let him die!”

“If a conspiracy exists, and I believe it does, it must be fully exposed.” — Ralph Abernathy

In 2003, Pepper arranged for a video deposition by Johnton Shelby, whose mother had been a surgical nurse on duty the evening that King was wheeled into the St. Joseph’s emergency room. She and all those present were held over until the next day (a common procedure in hospitals under extenuating circumstances). Upon arriving home, she claimed that “…King was indeed alive…” when he reached the hospital.

Also, in the area were a contingent of military personnel and law enforcement officials. The following is an excerpt of the deposition from Pepper’s 2016 book, “The Plot to Kill King.”

A.: Well, they had brought him in. There was this gurney, I guess a gurney, and she said there was blood all over. She was talking about how the side of his face from here, his chin, bottom chin and part of his neck and shoulder, part of that was just blowed away.

Q.: Then what did she say they did? What happened?
A.: She said they went to working on him.

Q.: They were working on him in the emergency room?
A.: They was working on him, yeah.

Q.: Did she say how many doctors were there or just that they —
A.: She didn’t say.

Q.: Then what happened?
A.: Somebody was saying — I think she said somebody said they found a slight pulse, and that’s when the man walked in the door and said, “Everybody stop working, I mean you all stop, let that n****r die.”

“The man” was Dr. Breen Bland (the head of surgery). He and others left in the room ritualistically began to cough up phlegm and expectorate sputum (spit) onto the unfortunate on the gurney. Bland then proceeded to remove a tracheal tube (which enables trauma victims to breath) and then place a pillow over the patient’s head to extinguish his life.

This deposition was withheld until after Mr. Shelby’s death.

Legacy of a martyr

“Although I have no personal knowledge of when Dr. King died, I fully support the research of Dr. William Pepper, who has established that King’s life was terminated at the hospital. His research came through a credible witness, Johnton Shelby, whose mother personally witnessed the event. According to these sources, King did not die immediately, but shortly after being shot and transported to the hospital, when he was smothered to death with a pillow by the head surgeon, Dr. Breen Bland.” — Phillip F. Nelson, author of “Who REALLY Killed Martin Luther King,” in an interview with Our Weekly.

Another scholar who disagreed with the official verdict on King’s demise, was Harold Weisberg, a veteran of the Office of Strategic Services during World War II and an intelligence analyst for the State Department, who presented his conclusions in 1969’s “Frame-Up” (later re-titled “Martin Luther King: The Assassination”).

Naysayers include the fallen martyr’s family. His widow Coretta Scott King insisted there was a conspiracy until her death in 2006. His children, publically at odds about the execution of his estate, remain unanimous that James Earl Ray did not kill their father.

Pepper, by now a family friend, successfully defended Ray in a televised mock trial on HBO circa 1993, (Ray was found not guilty), then filed the 1999 civil suit that found the government liable for King’s death, awarding the family $100 in damages.

More recently, African Americans Steve Cokely, a political researcher, and comedian Dick Gregory (both deceased) openly questioned the official verdict. Gregory published his findings with attorney Mark Lane (who briefly represented Ray) in 1978’s “Code Name Zorro.”

Judge Joe Brown, who presided over Ray’s last appeal, believes the fatal shot came from a different source: Fire Station No.2, a contention that put him at odds with former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. He further states that the murder weapon fired a 7.62 NATO round consistent with ammunition for the M-16 rifle, a staple of the American military.

Others cling to the official story. Clayborne Carson, director of the Martin Luther King Papers Project at Stanford University, entrusted with the minister’s papers by Mrs. King, is one.

“As far as I’m concerned, he did it,” he told Our Weekly.

While he respects Pepper’s scholarship, he points out their different perspectives.

“I’m a historian, he’s (Pepper) a lawyer,” he notes.

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The post COMMENTARY: Collision Course (Part 2) first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

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The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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