News

Black Man Killed By Police in Minnesota

Published

4 years ago

June 3, 2020

“I can’t breathe.”

The words of 46-year-old George Floyd as he lay on the street in Minneapolis after he was arrested on suspicion of passing a counterfeit bill are eerily reminiscent of the police killing of Eric Garner in New York.

Monday, just as it happened on Staten Island in 2014, cellphone cameras by witnesses recorded the event where a policeman knelt on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes as Floyd pleaded for his life.

Onlookers urged the police to stop, including one nurse who warned that Floyd was close to dying. Floyd was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

Unlike the Garner case that took five years before the policeman who killed him in a chokehold was removed from the New York Police Dept., Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo immediately fired Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and Alexander Kueng and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey made the announcement Tuesday.

The grief-stricken family believes the firing of the police is a good start. What they really want is for them to be charged with murder and Frey agrees that Chauvin should face charges.

“They could have tased him, maced him,” said Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd. “Instead, they put their knee in his neck and just sat on him and didn’t care at all.”

Floyd’s cousin, Tera Brown, also weighed in on the arresting officers’ actions, saying, “We want to see them charged with murder and we want them to be convicted. They need to pay for what they did.”

While Floyd’s family has retained lawyer Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights lawyer who has represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and Ahmaud Arbery, the people of Minneapolis took to the streets to protest, marching to the police station.

Hundreds were out Tuesday carrying signs and protesting peacefully in the area where Floyd, who had worked as a security guard, was arrested.

But riot police tear-gassed and shot protesters with rubber bullets after the rally shifted to surround a nearby police station. Windows were broken and some police cars were vandalized.

On Wednesday, protesters returned to the area to continue showing their outrage.

State and federal agencies are investigating Floyd’s death and Frey has asked the County attorney to consider filing charges against Chauvin.

“We are not talking about a split-second decision that was made incorrectly,” Frey said. “There’s somewhere around 300 seconds in those five minutes, every one of which the officer could have turned back … and removed his knee from George Floyd’s neck.”

Yahoo News, USA Today, CNN and NewsOne contributed to this report. (Previously published May 28, 2020)

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

6 days ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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California Black Media

Yahushua’s Law: Senate Advances Bill to Protect Students from Extreme Weather

In a significant move towards student safety, the California Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 1248, also known as Yahushua’s Law, on April 3. The bill is named in memory of Yahushua Robinson, a 12-year-old student from Lake Elsinore, who tragically died due to a heat-related illness during a physical education class in 2023. It is a pioneering effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Nyerere Robinson (Courtesy Photo)

By California Black Media

In a significant move towards student safety, the California Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 1248, also known as Yahushua’s Law, on April 3.

The bill is named in memory of Yahushua Robinson, a 12-year-old student from Lake Elsinore, who tragically died due to a heat-related illness during a physical education class in 2023. It is a pioneering effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) and co-authored by Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. (D-La Mesa), SB 1248 directs the California Department of Education to develop comprehensive guidelines for schools regarding student activity during all extreme weather conditions.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Hurtado said after introducing SB 1248.

The bill stipulates that schools must implement safety measures which include monitoring weather forecasts, postponing or relocating outdoor activities during hazardous conditions, and ensuring students have proper hydration and access to shade. It also requires schools to establish clear communication plans to keep parents, teachers, and students informed about potential weather hazards.

Supporters of the bill include the Robinson family, advocate Christina Laster, Bold Enterprises LLC, California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, Familias Empoderadas del Valle Central National Action Network, The Black Student Advocate, and the Ventura County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Thanking Hurtado for introducing this crucial legislation, Weber said, “The story of Yahushua Robinson last year was heartbreaking. We have protections for farm workers and other industries in the case of extreme weather, now climate change is forcing us to also extend similar protections to students at school.”

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.