SHAUN KING REVEALS THAT HE HAS BEEN RECEIVING DEATH THREATS: Activist Shaun King has revealed that he recently found out that several people in a private Facebook group of cops have been plotting to kill him. He wrote via Instagram, "A private Facebook group of law enforcement officers is literally plotting to kill me. For my own safety, and the safety of my family, I had to expose this today." He continued, "Here I include their names, their death threats and plans, and more. Who are you supposed to turn to in a moment like this? Police? The NYPD? The FBI? We felt like exposing them publicly was our best tool today. Tell me everything you can about the people who made these threats in the comments below." (Instagram)
COLORADO GOVERNOR REOPENS THE INVESTIGATION INTO ELIJAH MCCLAIN'S DEATH: According to TMZ, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has reopened the investigation into the death of Elijah McClain. This comes after almost 3 million people signed a petition to get the case reopened. Governor Polis has appointed a special prosecutor to reopen the case. As previously reported, McClain died in August 2019 after a brutal arrest by cops. McClain was stopped on the street after cops received a call about a suspicious person who was wearing a mask. His family says that McClain often wore masks because he was always cold due to anemia. He was placed into a chokehold and given a sedative. He suffered cardiac arrested on the way to the hospital and was declared brain dead on August 27th. Mari Newman, the attorney for McClain's family told the site, "It shouldn't take a petition signed by millions to hold police accountable when they kill an innocent black man." Governor Polis said, "Elijah McClain should be alive today, and we owe it to his family to take this step and elevate the pursuit of justice in his name to a statewide concern." (TMZ)
THREE NORTH CAROLINA POLICE OFFICERS FIRED AFTER SAYING BLACK PEOPLE SHOULD BE KILLED: Three Wilmington, North Carolina police officers have been fired after a department audit of a video recording revealed that one officers suggested that a civil war was necessary to wipe Black people off of the map and that he is getting ready for it. According to The AP, all three cops, officer James Gilmore, Corporal Jesse Moore, II, and Officer Kevin Piner were all said to have made inappropriate jokes and used racial slurs. They were also in violation of the department’s standards of conduct. During the conversation, Piner told Moore that he believes a civil war is on the horizon and he’s planning to get a new assault rifle so he can “go out and start slaughtering them (expletive) Blacks.” When Moore questioned his statement, he told him a civil war was necessary to “wipe them off the (expletive) map.” He added that it would push black community back “about four of five generations.” When confronted about the recordings, the officers did not deny that it was them but did deny that they were racists, saying that they are just reacting to the pressure they've faced in light of police brutality protests. (Essence)
'KAREN' IN SACRAMENTO GETS KNOCKED OUT FOR CALLING BLACK WOMAN THE 'N WORD': A "Karen" in Sacramento got knocked out after she decided to call a black woman the n word at a convenience store. In the viral video, the two women are seen arguing and then the white woman calls her the n word. The black woman told "Karen" that she would beat her up if she said the word again… and Karen said it again. The black woman punched Karen until she ended up on the floor. Meanwhile, the black woman's husband has claimed that SHE was arrested for assault. According to TMZ, the Sacramento Sheriff's Department says that "Karen" initially didn't file a police report but decided to the day after the incident. They also said that no one has been identified, charged or arrested. No word on what exactly started the argument. The white woman has claimed that she only said "excuse me" but the black woman heard something different and then things went left. (TMZ)
NASA ANNOUNCES WASHINGTON D.C. HEADQUARTERS WILL BE NAMED AFTER MARY W. JACKSON: NASA has announced plans to rename their Washington DC headquarters after the first Black female aerospace engineer and and mathematician Mary W. Jackson. Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement to CBS News, “Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space. Mary never accepted the status quo, she helped break barriers and open opportunities for African Americans and women in the field of engineering and technology. Today, we proudly announce the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building.” NASA also announced the news on social media, saying, “Our headquarters building in Washington, D.C., will be named after Mary W. Jackson, the first African-American female engineer at NASA. She started in research and later moved into the personnel field, working to ensure equal opportunity in hiring and promotion.” (Hip Hop Wired)