Los Angeles News Observer 2.2.23

71 Conflicting Commands

and 13 Minutes of Impossible Orders from Police to Tyre Nichols

White Supremacists Who Attacked Black DJ at Bar Sentenced

SEATTLE (AP) – Four white men with white supremacist ties were sentenced in federal court in Seattle Friday for a 2018 assault on a Black DJ at a bar in the suburb of Lynnwood.

Judge Richard Jones sentenced the men to varying prison terms, the Daily Herald reported.

Jason DeSimas, of Tacoma, will serve four years. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors and the defense recommended just over three years. Jason Stanley, of Boise, Idaho, had the same plea deal. Jones sentenced him to four years, as well.

Randy Smith, of Eugene, Oregon, got 31/2 years in prison. And Daniel Dorson, of Corvallis Oregon, got 2? years.

All four were previously convicted of committing a hate crime and making false statements. The man they attacked, Tyrone Smith, said outside the courthouse Friday that his life is forever changed.

The judge also ordered the defendants to pay nearly $171,000 in restitution to cover lost wages and medical bills. He called the attack that of a “modern day unhooded KKK.''

Smith said the defendants' actions changed him from an outgoing person who DJ'ed for his friends for fun, to someone who struggles with anxiety and uses a cane.

“As we can all see, it's been a long road for me,'' Smith said. “But I had enough courage to come down and make sure this process was handled and justice was actually served.''

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA

Newswire Senior

National Correspondent

Footage from Tyre Nichols’ fatal traffic stop found that police officers issued a barrage of confusing, conflicting, and sometimes impossible to obey commands.

If Nichols did not comply, or even if he did, the police would respond with increasing force.

According to the footage analyze by the New York Times, police officers shouted a total of at least 71 orders in the roughly 13 minutes before they radioed in that Nichols was in custody.

The orders were given in two separate places: one near Nichols’ vehicle, and another where he had run to avoid being beaten severely.

The video revealed that often the officers shouted conflicting orders, making it difficult for Nichols to understand and obey.

Nichols was ordered by officers to display his hand, even as officers held the young man’s hands.

At one point, they shouted for him to get down on the ground while he was already on the ground.

And when they had his body under their control, the officers still made him change positions.

The experts agree that the actions of the Memphis police officers were a blatant illustration of a widespread problem in policing, in which officers physically punish civilians for perceived disrespect or disobedience, a phenomenon known as “contempt of cop,” the Times reported.

Professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina Geoffrey Alpert said, “It was far more rampant in the ‘80s when I started doing police work than in the ‘90s or 2000s.”

Before body cameras, police officers were becoming more professional and less likely to take things personally, as appeared to have happened with Nichols, Alpert stated.

Because of the potential for escalation and confusion during police encounters, modern police training typically calls for a single officer to be present at the scene to issue clear and specific commands.

It also necessitates that police officers respond professionally and proportionally to any perceived act of defiance.

The review by the Times, however, shows that the Memphis officers consistently did the opposite.

There is no evidence in the footage that the present officers did anything to prevent the excessive use of force. Actually, it seems to prove the opposite.

After Nichols attempted to flee the scene, an officer can be heard on camera saying, “I hope they stomp his ass.”

The Times noted four “crucial instances” in which police officers reprimanded Nichols for disobeying incorrect orders.

An officer is seen pulling up to the intersection where

Nichols’ car was trapped between two unmarked police cars at the start of the footage.

The cop springs out of the car, gun drawn, to join two others who are racing toward Nichols.

When one of the officers pulls Nichols out of the car, the other two immediately begin shouting, “On the ground!”These are the initial instructions in a series of contradictory directives that throw Nichols off.

Nichols notes that the police officers have ordered him to sit on the ground.

However, several officers can be heard yelling the same order with growing anger and threats of violence.

One shouts, “Get down on the ground! I am going to tase your ass.”

It appears that the officers’ tension rises when Nichols repositions himself, yet still assures the officers that he’s no threat.

“You guys are really doing a lot right now,” Nichols says. “I’m just trying to go home.”

Nichols then protests, “I am on the ground!” as officers pinned his arms down, pressed a Taser against his leg, and barked increasingly threatening words at him.

Now one of the officers gives more detailed instructions: ‘On your stomach.’

Nichols is hit in the face with pepper spray three seconds later by one of the officers.

Nichols is now surrounded by officers who demand to see his hands.

However, one of them has a hold on his left arm, while another cop has a hold on his right. The police still hadn’t made it clear how they wanted Nichols to behave.

A third officer rushes up with pepper spray.

Then he warns, “You’re about to get sprayed good.”

The other officers began punching Nichols in the face.

Nichols reacts by pulling his hands back to cover his

face. As the punching gets more intense, the pepper spray is released.

Nichols again tries to reassure the officers that he is attempting to cooperate, all the while he attempts to wipe the pepper spray from his eyes.

“OK,” Nichols pleads. “All right. All right.”

While one of the officers has a firm grip on Nichols, a second officer arrives and makes the same demand: that he show his hands.

Once again, Nichols appears confused by the competing instructions. As he flails about, the police officers issue even more conflicting commands and apply more physical punishment. Again, he is hit with pepper spray.

After being pepper-sprayed three more times, Nichols is lying on his side and rubbing his eyes as two officers stand over him.

An officer then kicks Nichols in the face.

At this point, Nichols is barely conscious or coherent, but the police are treating him as though he is actively resisting them.

“Lay flat, goddamn it,” one officer yells.

As he lies there, Nichols groans and writhes in pain, having repeatedly been tased, kicked in the head, punched, and pepper sprayed. When another officer yells, “Lay flat!” they behave as if Nichols is refusing to comply.

One officer lifts Nichols off the ground and forces him to kneel by grabbing his handcuffed arm. Another officer then repeatedly hits him with a baton while demanding, “Give us your hands!” He tries to avoid being hit with the baton as he is surrounded by four police officers.

“Give me your [bleeping] hands!” another officer demands.

But Nichols, because of having an officer pin his arms behind his back, another grip his handcuffed wrist, and a third punch him in the face, simply cannot comply.

He collapses to the ground and cries for his mom, but the brutality continued.

In total, six officers have been dismissed and five stand accused of second-degree murder. In a press conference last week, attorneys for two of them said their clients would be entering not guilty pleas.

On Dec. 7, 2018, DeSimas and others traveled to Lynnwood on the way to visiting the site of a Whidbey Island cabin where Robert Jay Mathews, the neo-Nazi leader of the violent hate group The Order, died in a gunfight with federal agents on Dec. 8, 1984. It has become a far-right holiday, known as Martyr's Day.

That night, DeSimas attended a gathering with other white supremacist sympathizers, prosecutors said. Shortly after midnight, about a dozen of them went to the Rec Room Bar and Grill. Some wore jackets with patches indicating their white supremacist beliefs and some had similar tattoos, including some depicting swastikas, prosecutors said.

At some point, Stanley messed with Smith's DJ equipment. Smith pushed him away. In response, DeSimas and others surrounded Smith, using racist slurs while kicking, punching and stomping on Smith, prosecutors said. Witnesses who tried to intervene were also attacked.

The men then left the bar and went to Whidbey Island, where they attended the Martyr's Day event.

Federal prosecutors indicted the men in December 2020. Citing insufficient evidence, Snohomish County prosecutors declined to charge six other men who were at the tavern the night of the attack.

DeSimas wrote in a letter to the judge that he was “ashamed'' of his actions, saying he no longer shared the views he previously held.

Dorson wrote in a similar letter that he was “disgusted by the fear I took part in creating.''

Nick Brown, the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington, said seeking consequences for the attack was a high priority for the Justice Department and the FBI.

Rick Collodi, the FBI's special agent in charge of Seattle's field office, said the defendants tried to conceal their actions, but the truth came out.

“The four defendants admitted to being members of a white supremacist group,'' Collodi said. “While they have the right to believe what they want, they do not have the right to commit a crime.''

An

Unflinching Advocate for Black Children: An Unflinching Advocate for Black Children:

Honoring the Life and Work of Educator Dr. Rex Fortune

By Max Elramsisy California Black Media

Dr. Rex Fortune, who was a husband and father, an educator, author and advocate passed away on January 29, 2023 at the age of 81. He devoted his life to lifting up the most vulnerable students and closing the academic achievement gap and in doing so made a lasting impact on the lives of countless students and faculty members during his extensive career.

Born in 1942, Fortune earned his B.S. degree in biology and US Army Commission from North Carolina A&T State University and then completed a MA in educational administration from the University of California, Berkeley and a PhD in educational administration from Stanford University. He worked as a teacher and administrator for many years, including as superintendent of the Inglewood Unified School District and the Center Unified School District and associate superintendent of Public Instruction for the California Department of Education under his mentor, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Wilson Riles. Fortune also co-founded the California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators (CAAASA).

Fortune founded the Fortune School of Education

where he served as chairman of the board. He had several public schools named for him in the Sacramento region including Rex and Margaret Fortune Early College High School and most recently, Rex Fortune Elementary School in the Center Unified School District, opening in 2023. Fortune was known for his unwavering commitment to his students and staff, and his passion for education inspired many. He was a mentor to many young educators and a friend to all. He was dedicated to making sure every student had access to quality education and the support they needed to succeed. He also created the Parenting Practices Academy, a resource empowering parents to become more involved in creating an environment that results in children being prepared for college.

Fortune published several books on education including “Bridging the Achievement Gap: What Successful Educators and Parents Do,” and “Leadership on Purpose: Promising Practices for African American and Hispanic Students.” He is survived by his wife, three children and two grandchildren. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, and his legacy will continue to live on through the countless lives he touched.

Smokey Robinson, ‘King of Motown,’ to Release New Solo Album

NEW YORK (AP) – It’s been nearly a decade since Smokey Robinson’s last album, but new music from the King of Motown is on the horizon.

Robinson will release the nine-track album “Gasms’’ on April 28, the music legend behind hits like “My Girl’’ and “The Way You Do the Things You Do’’ announced Friday.

“Gasms’’ features new songs produced and written by Robinson himself. The former vice president of Motown Records released his last collaborative album nine years ago, “Smokey & Friends,’’ which featured musicians like Elton John, John Legend, Steven Tyler and Mary J. Blige.

The upcoming album’s first single, “If We Don’t Have Each Other,’’ is now available on streaming services.

Robinson is a legendary music producer, songwriter, record label executive and solo musician who’s penned over 4,000 songs and been inducted into the the Rock `n’ Roll and Songwriters’ halls of fame.

The musician has worked with other historic Motown artists like the Temptations, Mary Wells, Brenda Holloway and Marvin Gaye. Robinson will soon be honored alongside fellow Motown musician Berry Gordy as the 2023 “Persons Of The Year’’ at the Recording Academy’s annual MusiCares event on Feb. 3 in Los Angeles.

Memphis Police officers who were terminated after their involvement in a traffic stop that ended with the death of Tyre Nichols, pose in a combination of undated photographs in Memphis, Tenn., From left: Officers Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean. (Photo: Memphis Police Department/Handout via Reuters)

World & Nation

Nichols Video Shows Policing in America Cannot Be Reformed

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The devastating video of Memphis police officers rehearsing their excuse for their deadly use of force even as Tyre Nichols’ lifeless body lay just steps away painted a horrifying, if not entirely clear, portrait of five cops who murdered a man for no apparent reason and then conspired to destroy his reputation.

The actions of Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith have left many convinced that policing in America cannot be reformed.

“One of the most devastating things to occur in this earthly existence is for one’s life to end in such a brutal and helpless way and to have the world watch, share, and analyze the video of you taking your last breath,” officials at the nonprofit The Black Girl’s Guide To Healing Emotional Wounds wrote in a statement.

They pleaded, “please, my friends, don’t share it or watch it. Let’s keep the family in our prayers and work to identify solutions to this nonsense.”

On Friday, January 27, over an hour of footage was extracted from the officers’ body cameras and an overhead surveillance video that the men in blue were apparently unaware existed.

Each officer was arrested and terminated. They have been charged with second-degree murder, kidnapping, and other crimes in connection with Nichols’ death.

Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement that two additional Shelby County sheriff’s deputies were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

A body camera worn by an officer revealed that Tyre was initially confronted on January 7 at 8:24 p.m. During

what appeared to be a standard traffic stop, several officers approached with their weapons drawn.

Immediate hostility ensued, with one officer threatening Tyre, “You’re going to get your [expletive] blown off.”

Nichols is heard saying, “I’m just trying to go home.

I’m not doing anything.”

He is then sprayed with pepper spray and repeatedly attacked.

One of the officers can be heard struggling to catch his breath while cursing Nichols due to the severity of the beating. Nichols begins yelling for his mother in a manner eerily similar to that of George Floyd, a Black man killed by police in 2020 in Minneapolis.

One of the officers, displaying no compassion, pulls out a baton and yells, “I’m going to baton the [bleep] out of you!”

As the young man struggles to regain his balance, the officer strikes Nichols multiple times with the baton, while other officers can be seen punching him in the face and head.

Officers eventually drag Nichols and toss him against a patrol car. More than 21 minutes pass before emergency medical personnel arrive, during which time the officers celebrate their victory by fist-bumping and laughing about their crime.

The release of the video sparked protests across the country, including in the District of Columbia, New York, Los Angeles, and Memphis, where the crime took place.

In addition to civil rights organizations, federal lawmakers flooded journalists’ email inboxes with statements condemning the officers.

As is their custom, lawmakers promised legislation to

Kenyan Lawmakers Move to Let

reform American policing. Similar promises were made after the murders of Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, Tamir Rice in Ohio, and Eric Garner in New York, among numerous others.

In contrast, the Memphis officers were immediately fired and arrested, and the police unions did not offer them any support. “What I witnessed in that video was horrific. It was a barbaric assault on another human being and is sickening,” Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police President Clyde

Boatwright said.

“This does not represent policing or the men and women who wear a badge and dutifully protect their communities. I hesitate to even call these men police officers, because what I saw on that video is not policing. They deserve the strongest punishment allowed by Tennessee law.”

Boatwright added that in his state, “we have had historic police reform in our state over the last 5 years to ensure these types of actions don’t occur in Maryland. We will continue to be a partner with our communities as we work to protect those we serve.”

Patrick Gaspard, the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, called driving while Black “one of the most dangerous acts in America.”

“As we all just witnessed in the searing video of the brutal slaughter of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police who are paid by us to protect all of us. The evidence here is startling and indisputable. These officers need to be tried, convicted, and imprisoned to satisfy justice and to send a message to police in all of our cities that this culture of violence in their ranks will no longer be sanctioned,” Gaspard stated.

President Joe Biden said he spoke with Nichols’ family and expressed his outrage.

“Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols’ death,” the president stated.

“It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.”

Workers ‘Disconnect’ from Employers

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Kenya’s senate is considering a new bill that would make it illegal for employers to call, text, email, or give assignments to their workers outside of work hours, on weekends, or on public holidays.

The Employment (Amendment) Bill, which is sponsored by Nandi senator Samson Cherarkey, wants to give Kenyan workers “the right to disconnect in the digital age” and protect them from employers who make them do extra work without paying them.

The bill states that, “If an employer contacts an employee when there are no mutually agreed-upon offwork hours, the employee is not required to respond and has the right to disconnect, and if the employee chooses to respond, the employee is entitled to be paid for doing so.”

Quartz Africa Weekly says that Kenya’s future of work is moving online because internet and devices are getting cheaper.

The bill asserts that employees’ constant digital connectivity is cutting into their free time, which affects

their work-life balance.

To correct that, the news source said that the bill’s goal is to create a “balance between work and private life” so that digital technology can improve the quality of life for workers.

When making their out-of-work policies, firms with more than 10 workers will have to talk to their workers or trade unions.

Employers who don’t follow the law will have to pay a $4,000 fine.

Quartz said that the bill can’t be sent to the senate until Feb. 13, when lawmakers get back to work after a break.

Kenya’s law-making process says that it will take 90 days for the senate to read it all and vote on it.

If it passes, it will be sent to the national assembly for another 90 days before the president signs it.

If the bill becomes law, Kenya would be the first country in Africa to protect workers from burnout, fatigue, and long hours of unpaid work.

This would give workers more time with their families.

hours a day in pursuit of profits.

Meanwhile, the executive director of the Federation of Kenyan Employers, Jacqueline Mugo, disagreed with the tenets of the right to switch-off from work.

Mugo said the bill would create indiscipline among employees, hurt the country’s micro-economy, and prevent

the creation of new job opportunities in the public and private sectors.

“[It will] introduce new stringent measures that will curtail the prerogative to manage enterprises by the owners. This will automatically pose a challenge to industrial relations in Kenya,” she told Quartz.

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“On Fridays, I carry files home to work on during the weekend. I’m not paid for it, but I know my diligence will earn me better pay in future,” Susan Gituku, a credit officer at a Nairobi-based microfinance told Quartz. Kenyan law allows a maximum of 40 working hours for a five-day week (eight per day) but some companies extend that to 12

The White House stated that the project would address the Northeast Corridor’s largest rail bottleneck between Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, as well as create “good-paying union jobs,” improve reliability, reduce commuting times, and improve safety and resilience.

President Biden Unveils Massive Rail Project, and ‘Good Jobs,’ in Baltimore

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA

Newswire Senior National Correspondent

During a trip to Baltimore on Monday, Jan. 30, President Joe Biden announced plans to replace the 150-year-old Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel, which is a major component of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The White House stated that the project would address the Northeast Corridor’s largest rail bottleneck between Washington, D.C., and New Jersey, as well as create “goodpaying union jobs,” improve reliability, reduce commuting times, and improve safety and resilience.

The program is expected to create 30,000 jobs, including 20,000 direct construction jobs, the majority of which do not require a college degree.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Act invests $66 billion in passenger rail, the largest investment in

passenger rail since Amtrak’s inception. Amtrak has also agreed to invest more than $50 million in local workforce development and community investments, including apprenticeship programs, to ensure that West Baltimore residents have access to those jobs.

Furthermore, the White House announced that Maryland and Amtrak have signed a project kickoff agreement, which includes a $450 million commitment from the state’s transportation agency for the tunnel replacement project.

It also includes a project labor agreement signed by Amtrak and the Baltimore-DC Building and Construction Trades Council, a local affiliate of the Building Trades Unions of North America (NABTU). This is expected to cover the first phase of the project, ensuring that good-paying union jobs are created.

Furthermore, an agreement exists between Amtrak and NABTU that ensures Amtrak’s large civil engineering construction projects will be performed under union agreements. Wages, benefits, working conditions, avoiding work disruption, and promoting diversity and veteran hiring in the construction trades will all be addressed in these agreements. According to the White House, with the agreement, Amtrak and NABTU will not face labor-related delays in major project planning and contracting; contractors and subcontractors will share Amtrak’s commitment to paying fair wages and benefits; and Amtrak and NABTU will be able to move forward with Bipartisan Infrastructure Lawfunded projects with efficient labor-management relations.

The actions of Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith have left many convinced that policing in America cannot be reformed.

The Employment (Amendment) Bill, which is sponsored by Nandi senator Samson Cherarkey, wants to give Kenyan workers “the right to disconnect in the digital age” and protect them from employers who make them do extra work without paying them.

Chicago Prosecutor Dropping R. Kelly Sex-Abuse Charges

By CLAIRE SAVAGE and MICHAEL TARM

Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) – A Chicago prosecutor said Monday that she's dropping sex-abuse charges against singer R. Kelly following federal convictions in two courts that should guarantee the disgraced R&B star will be locked up for decades.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx announced the decision a day ahead of a hearing related to state charges accusing him of sexually abusing four people, three of whom were minors. She said she would ask a judge to dismiss the indictments Tuesday.

Foxx, who in 2019 had pleaded with women and girls to come forward so she could pursue charges against Kelly, acknowledged that the decision “may be disappointing'' to his accusers.

“Mr. Kelly is potentially looking at the possibility of never walking out of prison again for the crimes that he's committed,” the prosecutor said, referring to his federal convictions. “While today's cases are no longer being pursued, we believe justice has been served.''

Since Kelly was indicted in Cook County in 2019, federal juries in Chicago and New York have convicted him of a raft of crimes, including child pornography,

enticement, racketeering and sex trafficking related to allegations that he victimized women and girls.

Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, is serving a 30-year prison sentence in the New York case and awaits sentencing on Feb. 23 in Chicago federal court. He is appealing those convictions. Based on the New York sentence alone, the 56-year-old won't be eligible for release until he is around 80.

Foxx said she reached out to Kelly's lawyer two weeks ago to indicate that charges might be dropped. She also spoke to the women whose allegations were at the heart of the case.

Foxx expressed praise for the “courage it took for them to come forward.”

Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, said she was “pleased'' with the prosecution's decision to drop charges.

“He only has one life to give. So I don't know how many sentences upon sentences would satisfy people,'' Bonjean said.

Lanita Carter, who said she was sexually assaulted by R. Kelly in February 2003, said she was “extremely disappointed” with the news.

“I have spent nearly 20 years hoping that my abuser would be brought to justice for what he did to me. With

today's announcement, all hope of justice for my case is gone,” Carter said, adding that she trusted Foxx and her office with her story and has spent four years steeling herself to face Kelly to no avail.

“Justice has been denied for me,” she said.

Prosecutors sometimes choose to go ahead with more trials out of a concern that convictions elsewhere could be reversed during appeals. They see an opportunity for additional convictions as insurance.

“We didn't do a monetary cost-benefit analysis,'' Foxx said, adding, however, that resources spent on a trial now could instead be used “in advocacy for other survivors of sexual abuse.''

Another sexual-misconduct case is pending in Hennepin County, Minnesota, where the Grammy Awardwinner faces solicitation charges. That case, too, has been on hold while the federal cases played out. Minnesota prosecutors haven't said whether they still intend to take Kelly to trial.

Known for his smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly'' and for sex-infused songs such as “Bump n' Grind,'' Kelly sold millions of albums even after allegations about his abuse of young girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s. He beat child pornography charges in Chicago in 2008, when

a jury acquitted him. Widespread outrage over Kelly's sexual misconduct didn't emerge until the (hash)MeToo reckoning and the release of the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” in early 2019.

Foxx announced the Cook County charges months before the federal cases in New York and Chicago. Foxx's office alleged he repeatedly sought out girls for sex, including one he encountered at her 16th birthday party and another who met Kelly while he was on trial in 2008.

Federal prosecutors in New York told jurors at his 2021 trial that Kelly used his entourage of managers and aides to meet girls and keep them obedient, an operation that prosecutors said amounted to a criminal enterprise.

Last year, prosecutors at Kelly's federal trial in Chicago portrayed him as a master manipulator who used his fame and wealth to reel in star-struck fans, some of them minors, to sexually abuse then discard them. Four accusers testified. While prosecutors in that case won convictions on six of the 13 counts against him in that case, the government lost the marquee count _ that Kelly and his then-business manager successfully rigged his 2008 child pornography trial.

‘Everything Everywhere’ Tops Oscar Nominations with 11

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer

NEW YORK (AP) – The multiverse-skipping scifi indie hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once'' led nominations to the 95th Academy Awards as Hollywood heaped honors on big-screen spectacles like “Top Gun: Maverick'' and “Avatar: The Way of Water'' a year after a streaming service won best picture for the first time.

Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan's “Everything Everywhere All at Once'' landed a leading 11 nominations on Tuesday, including nods for Michelle Yeoh and comeback kid Ke Huy Quan, the former child star of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.'' Released back in March, the A24 film has proved an unlikely Oscar heavyweight against the expectations of even its makers. Yeoh became the first Asian actor nominated for best actress.

“Even just to be nominated means validation, love, from your peers,” said an “overwhelmed'' Yeoh speaking by phone from London. “What it means for the rest of the Asians around the world, not just in America but globally, is to say we have a seat at the table. We finally have a seat at the table. We are being recognized and being seen.”

The 10 movies up for best picture are: “Everything Everywhere All at Once,''”The Banshees of Inisherin,'' “The Fabelmans,'' “Tar,'' “Top Gun: Maverick,'' “Avatar: The Way of Water,'' “Elvis,'' “All Quiet on the Western Front,'' “Women Talking'' and “Triangle of Sadness.''

Nominations were announced Tuesday from the academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams. If last year's Oscars were dominated by streaming _ Apple TV+'s “CODA'' won best picture and Netflix landed a leading 27 nominations _ movies that drew moviegoers to multiplexes after two years of pandemic make up many of this year's top contenders.

For the first time, two sequels _ “Top Gun: Maverick'' and “Avatar: The Way of Water'' _ were nominated for best picture. The two films together account for some $3.5

billion in box office. Tom Cruise missed out on an acting nomination, but “Top Gun: Maverick'' _ often credited with bringing many moviegoers back to theaters _ walked away with seven nominations, including best sound, best visual effects and best song for Lada Gaga's “Hold My Hand.'' Ryan Coogler's “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,'' made in the wake of Chadwick Boseman's death, also scored five nominations, including the first acting nod for a performance in a Marvel movie: Angela Bassett, the likely favorite to win best supporting actress.

Going by earlier guild nominations, Martin McDonagh's Ireland-set dark comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin” may be the stiffest competition for “Everything Everywhere All at Once'' at the Oscars. The Searchlight Pictures film landed nine nominations Tuesday, including nods for McDonagh's directing and screenplay, and a quartet of acting nominations: Colin Farrell for best actor, Kerry Condon for best supporting actress and both Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan for best supporting actor.

Baz Luhrmann's bedazzled biopic “Elvis'' _ another summer box-office hit _ came away with eight nominations, including a best actor nod for star Austin Butler and nominations for its costumes, sound and production design.

Though Steven Spielberg's “The Fabelmans'' struggled to catch on with audiences, the director's autobiographical coming-of-age tale landed Spielberg his 20th Oscar nomination and eighth nod for best-director. John Williams, his longtime composer, extended his record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person. Williams' 53rd nominations trails only Walt Disney's 59. “The Fabelmans'' marks Spielberg's 12th nomination as a producer for best picture. In the ultra-competitive best actress race, “Fabelmans'' star Michelle Williams was nominated after being passed over by the Screen Actors Guild. The other nominees for best actress are: Ana de Armas, “Blonde''; Cate Blanchett,

“Tar'' and Andrea Riseborough, who emerged as a late contender after celebrities rallied around her performance as an alcoholic West Texas mother in the little-seen “To Leslie.'' Notably left out of the category were Viola Davis (“Woman King”) and Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”).

Only one streaming title broke into the best picture field: The German WWI film “All Quiet on the Western Front.'' Though Netflix for the first time in years lacks a possible best picture frontrunner, “All Quiet on the Western Front'' landed a better-than-expected nine nominations. The streaming service also has the top animated film contender in “Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio,” which was nominated for best animated feature.

Along with Butler and Farrell, the best actor nominees are: Brendan Fraser, hailed for his comeback performance as an overweight shut-in in “The Whale,” Bill Nighy for “Living'' and, in a surprise for one of the most critically lauded films of the year, Paul Mescal, for Charlotte Wells' father-daughter tale “Aftersun.''

Brian Tyree Henry landed his first Oscar nomination for his supporting turn in “Causeway,'' in which he starred opposite Jennifer Lawrence. In the supporting actress category, two “Everything Everywhere All at Once'' actors _ Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu _ were nominated along with Hong Chau (“The Whale”), Condon and Bassett.

After the best director category saw back-to-back landmark wins for female filmmakers _ Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland'') in 2021, Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog'') last year _ no women were nominated for best director. But in the best picture group, one of the up-forgrabs final slots went to Sarah Polley's “Women Talking,'' a parable of sexual assault and justice.

The nominees for international film are: “All Quiet on the Western Front'' (Germany); “Argentina, 1985'' (Argentina); “Close'' (Belgium); “EO'' (Poland); “The Quiet Girl'' (Ireland). The nominees for best animated film are: “Guillermo

del Toro's Pinocchio''; “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On''; “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish''; “The Sea Beast''; “Turning Red.''

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences will surely celebrate a best picture field populated with blockbusters; according to data firm Comscore, their collective domestic box office of $1.574 billion is the most at the time of nominations ever. Ratings for the telecast have typically been higher in years with much-watched films as favorites. Last year's awards had been looking like a comeback edition for the Oscars before “the slap'' came to define the ceremony. In the aftermath, the academy banned Will Smith from attending for the next 10 years. Though he could have still been nominated, Smith's performance as a runaway slave in “Emancipation'' didn't catch on.

But larger concerns are swirling around the movie business. Last year saw flashes of triumphant resurrection for theaters, like the success of “Top Gun: Maverick,'' after two years of pandemic. But partially due to a less steady stream of major releases, ticket sales for the year recovered only about 70% of pre-pandemic business. Regal Cinemas, the nation's second-largest chain, announced the closure of 39 cinemas this month.

At the same time, storm clouds swept into the streaming world after years of once-seemingly boundless growth. Stocks plunged as Wall Street looked to streaming services to earn profits, not just add subscribers. A retrenchment has followed, as the industry again enters a new uncertain chapter.

Last year's Oscar broadcast drew 16.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen, up from the record-low audience of 10.5 million for the pandemic-marred 2021 telecast. This year, ABC is bringing back Jimmy Kimmel to host the March 12 ceremony, one that will surely be seen as a return to the site of the slap.

¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 días, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la información a continuación. Tiene 30 DÍAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte. ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le dé un formulario de exención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más advertencia. Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifor-

nia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte. ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 ó más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene

California Reparations Task Force Agrees to Extend Its Work to 2024

Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media

The California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans decided at the two-day meeting on the campus of San Diego State University that it would support legislation that extends the panel until July 1, 2024.

After an 8-0 vote with one abstention, the task force agreed that it would support legislation that extends the panel, so that it has ample time to satisfactorily implement an action plan based on the findings of its final report, which is due in five months.

The decision, enacted in SDSU’s Grand Ballroom of the Parma Goodall Alumni Center on Jan. 28, was made four months after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation asking for a 12-month extension.

The first day of the meeting was held on Jan. 27 at the Alumni Center.

“The task force supports, in spirit, the extension of the life of the task force, by another year, July 1, 2024, for implementation purpose only,” task force chairperson Kamilah V. Moore told California Black Media (CBM).

“We do not authorize or write legislation, but all agreed as a task force the idea of continuing this work to ensure that reparations become a reality in California.” After a passionate debate -- carried over from the first day of the meeting -- clarified the need for the extension, the task force members supported the notion that more time was necessary.  The nine-member panel has until June 30 to submit a final form of recommendations to the California Legislature. The group agreed that the necessity of the action is based on having to manage the implementation of the task force recommendations and not a continuation of the study. The task force is on schedule to release its final report and recommendations by July 1, Moore said.

On Sept. 29, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill (AB) 2296 authored by Assemblymember Reggie JonesSawyer (D-Los Angeles). AB 2296 proposed extending the Task Force’s mission until July 1, 2024. Newsom vetoed the bill at the request of California Secretary of State Shirley Weber who authored AB 3121 – the legislation establishing the task force in 2020 – while serving in the Assembly. Task Force vice chair Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown said at the SDSU meeting that Jones had not been transparent about his intentions for proposing the bill. Brown thought the bill was designed to remove members from the panel. He said Jones-Sawyer has since “apologized” to him about not providing pertinent details about AB 2296.

Jones-Sawyer was the only task force member who abstained from voting at SDSU. As stated in the language, AB 2296 would’ve removed “the specified term of office for appointees and, instead, subject the appointees to removal at the pleasure of their appointing authority.”

The action alone would authorize the Task Force, by majority vote, to elect officers and create advisory bodies and subcommittees to accomplish its duties.

Friday Jones, co-chair of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants and co-host of Politics in Black Podcast, opposed JonesSawyer’s Legislation. She now agrees with the current proposed extension.

“First of all, I think the way it was brought up now in front of the commission is the way that is supposed to happen. That did not happen the first time Reggie Jones-

Sawyer asserted legislation without forming this body,” Jones told CBM. “That part they did get right today.”

Jones continued, “But the part of the conversation to me that was missing is the argument that we are going to extend so we can ‘socialize’ all of these recommendations to build support from different communities and ethnicities to put marketing money on the table (to bring about awareness of California reparations).”

Overall, the meeting covered many issues, topics, and recommendations for the final report. Potential remedies, remedial programs, laws and apologies attached to harms pertaining to the wealth gap, and a comprehensive

presentation of tax law considerations presented by Ray Odom and Sarah Moore Johnson were featured on the first day of the meeting.

California’s AB 3121, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, into law in 2020, created the nine-member task force to investigate the history and costs of slavery in California and around the United States.

Weber spoke briefly at the meeting. She started her academic career as one of SDSU’s youngest professors and established the Africana Studies department in 1972.

San Diego’s 37th Mayor Todd Gloria also spoke at the meeting. Gloria served in the state Assembly from 2016

to 202o.

Chris Ward, Assembly Speaker pro Tempore of the California State Assembly, who serves the 78th Assembly District in central San Diego, made remarks to the panel on opening day of the meeting.

“Your work is going to be pivotal to help so many Californians that have been affected by the injustices and inequalities we have seen in our education system, in our housing system, and economic opportunities,” Ward said. “This is going to be groundbreaking, and I am grateful for the work that you are doing.”

The fourth in-person, California Reparations Task Force meeting was held on the campus of San Diego State University on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey. Jan. 27, 2023.

Stars Come Out for Busch Light Clash

By Earl Heath

Contributing Sports Writer Rob Lowe only has one line to deliver this Sunday, The world-renowned actor, author and podcaster will be the Grand Marshal for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. He’ll say, “DRIVER’S START YOUR ENGINES!” before the first race of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season and set the stage for an evening to remember at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams amassed a highlight reel of amazing plays inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022. The Walter Camp Player of the Year and Heisman winner will be the Honorary Starter. He’s the latest addition to a star-studded event that includes racing from the top drivers and cars of the NASCAR Cup Series, and performances by hip hop icons Cypress Hill. and Wiz Khalifa

In December, Williams became the eighth player in USC’s storied history to win the Heisman Trophy.

Khalifa is the multi-platinum selling, Grammy and Golden Globe nominated recording artist that will perform during the race break. The performance will air live on FOX as part of NASCAR’s season-opening celebration inside the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

“Wiz Khalifa is a gifted and talented performer with a worldwide following,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president for racing development and strategy. “I know the fans will be on their feet during his performance at the Busch Light Clash as we celebrate the beginning of our 75th Anniversary season together.”

Khalifa burst onto the scene with the release of his first major label debut album, ‘Rolling Papers’‎ in 2011. Since then Wiz has been nominated for two GRAMMY Awards and a Golden Globe Award, won “Best New Artist” at the BET Awards and “Top New Artist” at the Billboard Music Awards

The main event begins shortly after 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and all the action will be shown live on FOX, where Lowe currently stars in and produces the highly acclaimed 911: Lone Star. It has been consistently one of the top-rated shows in all of television, and Season 4 premieres this month.

“This is shaping up to be another incredible event in the heart of Los Angeles,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president for racing development and strategy. “Rob Lowe’s body of work is nothing short of remarkable, and we can’t wait for him to begin the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season in style.”

Chargers Hiring Kellen Moore as Their New OC

By

Earl Heath

Contributing Sports Writer

Kellen Moore was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers. He is replacing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who was fired after a 10-7 season that ended in a historic loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in this seasons wild-card round.  Moore, 33, will take over an offense led by quarterback Justin Herbert, who last season passed Andrew Luck

to tally the most passing yards through a player’s first three NFL seasons. Moore also inherits receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and running back Austin Ekeler, who last season led the NFL with 18 touchdowns.  Moore goes from coaching Dak Prescott, who led the league in interception rate (3.8%) this season, to Herbert, who had the seventh-lowest interception rate (1.4%) in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

By

Earl

Heath

Texans Hire Ryans For Head Coach Rams

By Earl Heath

Contributing Sports Writer The Houston Texans have hired San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as their new head coach, the team announced Tuesday.

The deal is for six years, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.  Ryans was officially introduced as the franchise’s sixth full-time coach last week. The Texans, meanwhile, become the first team in NFL history to have hired three consecutive Black coaches.

“DeMeco is a proven coach with a track record of success who has an innate ability to lead people,” said Texans GM Nick Caserio  in a statement.” We are working

to build a sustainable program that has long-term success and DeMeco is the coach we feel is the best fit to help us achieve our goals. We know how important it is to get results now and we have a lot of work to do, but I’m excited to partner with DeMeco to build our football team together.”  The 38- year-old led the In his first season, the 49ers allowed the third-fewest yards per game (310), and in 2022, San Francisco allowed the fewest points (16.8) and yards (300.6) per game. Ryans’ unit also tied for the second-most takeaways (30).  Ryans’ defense helped lift the 49ers to a 13-4 record in the regular season before they fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 31-7 in the NFC championship game.

Contributing Sports Writer  Los Angeles Rams hired Mike LaFleur as offensive coordinator LaFleur replaces Liam Coen, who departed at seasons end  to return to the University of Kentucky as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

LaFleur is coming to L.A. after spending the previous two seasons as offensive coordinator for the New York Jets.

Prior to his time with the Jets, he spent four seasons on the 49ers coaching staff. LaFleur served as passing game specialist and wide receivers coach his first year in San Francisco (2017), then passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach his second year (2018). He then handled passing game coordinator duties exclusively the next two years (2019 and 2020) after the 49ers hired Wes Welker as their wide receivers coach in 2019.  LaFleur and Rams head coach Sean McVay worked under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan at different points

in their careers.

LaFleur worked with Shanahan with the Browns in 2014 when Shanahan became Cleveland’s offensive coordinator, then followed Shanahan to Atlanta to take an offensive assistant job with the Falcons in 2015 when Sha- nahan became the Falcons offensive coordinator that same year.  The Rams (5-12) recently finished the worst season in NFL history by a defending Super Bowl champion. McVay’s offense has been one of the NFL’s best and most influential during his tenure, but Los Angeles finished last in the league in total yards and 27th in scoring after losing several significant players to injury, including Matthew Stafford, Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, No. 2 receiver Allen Robinson and most of the offensive line.  It just a start of changes to help the Rams turn-it- around for 2023.

Sacramento Leaders Express Horror, Outrage Over Murder Of Native Son

Civic Leaders Condemn Graphic Beating Of 29-Year-Old At The Hands Of Memphis Police Officers; Urge Caution When Watching Video

By Verbal Adam OBSERVER Correspondent

As protests erupted Friday in cities across America over the brutal killing of former Sacramento resident Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis police officers, local leaders across the racial and political spectrum joined together to condemn the horrific beating.

The Greater Sacramento NAACP held a press conference at City Hall where local political, community, and religious leaders gathered with members of Tyre Nichols’ family.

“On behalf of the people of our city, I am filled with anger, sorrow and revulsion about what happened to Tyre Nichols,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “We all should be furious that public servants trusted to protect life and the community would treat a fellow human being so cruelly.”

Nichols was born in Sacramento, on June 15, 1993. According to loved ones, it was here that he developed his love of skateboarding and photography. At the start of the pandemic, he moved to Memphis to be closer to his mother. He also worked alongside his stepfather at the FedEx Hub. Coworkers recalled how he would jokingly call himself the box manager. Those close to him said he found real happiness in Memphis, often watching and photographing the sunset. He had no criminal record, no history of substance abuse, and by all accounts he was respectful and always filled with joy.

Around 8:30 pm on the evening of Jan. 7, Nichols, 29, was stopped by Memphis police officers. The Memphis PD initially maintained that Nichols had been stopped for reckless driving, fled the vehicle on foot, was pursued by officers and taken into custody. Once in custody they maintained that Nichols complained of shortness of breath and was transported to the hospital in critical condition. He died three days later on Jan 10. Within 10 days the U.S. Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation and all five officers involved were fired on the grounds of excessive force, failure to intervene, and failure to render aid. Additionally, the Police Department says it has no evidence that Nichols committed any traffic violation.

Local activist Stevante Clark called for a national “duty to intervene law” which would hold police accountable for failing to act when witnessing another officer commit a crime.

“Their silence is compliance,” Clark said. “If you have 1,300 good cops, and 12 bad cops and the 1,300 good cops don’t say anything about those 12 bad cops, they’re just as guilty.” Clark’s older brother Stephon was killed in 2018 by Sacramento Police who mistook his cell phone for a handgun. The officers responsible were cleared by the Police Department and returned to duty in 2019.

Mayor Steinberg,  who was hesitant to criticize the Sacramento Police Department following the killing of Stephon Clark until he saw the body camera footage first hand, told Nichols’ family Friday: “To Tyre Nichols’ parents and family, our society has failed you. I am so sorry for your loss.”

Sacramento NAACP President Betty Williams expressed the feelings of many in the Black community after seeing the inhumanity displayed in the video: “One. If just one officer would have said ‘Let’s stop’ if just one would have said ‘We’ve done too much’ if just one officer had a heart, that’s all [Tyre Nichols] needed to be alive.”

Stevante Clark held a protest at the Capitol at the moment the video was released. He fought back tears as he watched the brutality. Deterring from his original plan to march around the Capitol building, Clark led a crowd through the streets of downtown Sacramento calling for justice. Police moved fast to block traffic in the blocks surrounding the protest but did not intervene even as

traffic was blocked. Clark directed the marchers not to be disruptive but to bring awareness.

By 3:59 p.m. PST, the California Highway Patrol had stationed dozens of officers in the areas surrounding the State Capitol building. Meanwhile, city leaders across the country understood that the video that would be released in minutes, showing what five Memphis police officers did to Nichols, could incite mass outrage.

The Graphic Video (EDITOR’S NOTE: The OBSERVER has chosen not to provide links to the video beating)

All five former officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith — were members of the Memphis Police’s SCORPION unit. SCORPION is an acronym for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods. SCORPION is a 40-officer group that deploys in neighborhoods, with a focus on crime hot spots. The officers often operate in unmarked vehicles, make traffic stops, seize weapons and conduct hundreds of arrests.

Photos released by the family showed Nichols in a hospital bed severely wounded, eyes swollen shut and breathing through tubes. Ben Crump — the attorney who represented the families of George Floyd, Breona Taylor and Stephon Clark — has been retained for the Nichols family. A preliminary autopsy ordered by Crump has revealed Nichols suffered a heart attack, kidney failure and

extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.

The former officers, all of whom are Black, each face several charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

The video, which begins with footage from the original stop, shows officers behaving in a hyper aggressive

manner threatening to break Nichols’ bones and ordering him to be tased less than 10 seconds into the altercation while a confused Nichols complies with their orders to get out of the vehicle and lie down on the ground. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Momma help me!” Nichols can be heard saying as officers prepare to tase him.  Nichols attempts to flee only to be tackled to the ground, tased again, have a can of mace emptied directly into his eyes, is beaten unconscious, held up by officers while unconscious and beaten with a baton, kicked, stomped, and tased again before being left to bleed out on a cold Tennessee street for 20 minutes until an ambulance arrived. The video is so graphic that Nichols’ mother was unable to watch more than a minute.

Blacks Face ‘Secondary Trauma’

Black mental health professionals have urged African Americans for several years to use caution when viewing such graphic images of Blacks being brutally abused or murdered.

“This is our story. This is our narrative,” Sacramento psychologist Dr. Lenora Tate told The OBSERVER in 2021 following the killing of George Floyd. “Not only have we been traumatized, but even if we haven’t and we see those that either look like us, or we always see an event in which we have survived, but that other person has been mistreated, it causes what we call secondary trauma.

“It’s secondary trauma because it didn’t happen to you. You weren’t getting beat up or they didn’t have their knee on your neck…but you witnessed it, or you heard about it second hand. It’s secondary, but we still have those feelings of low energy, being tired, nightmares, feeling numb, feeling hopeless, feeling overwhelmed. Some people have difficulty coping. They hit the bar or they hit that weed or do self-harm. They turn those things inward. Some people have flashbacks, some people just get really nauseated. Some people have intrusive thoughts,” she told The OBSERVER.

When speaking about watching the Derek Chauvin trial of the killing of George Floyd, Dr. Kristee Haggins, a psychologist, professor and the creator of Sacramento’s Safe Black Space healing circles, told The OBSERVER in 2021 that while she pays attention to what is happening, she has to use self-care to protect herself. “…I can’t (watch) it for too long or on a regular basis, because it is overwhelming.”

“Angry” and “Heartbroken,”

California Leaders Want to See Action After String of Mass Shootings

Tanu Henry  California Black Media

“Faith and prayer without action is meaningless,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), the longest serving -- and the highest ranking -- African American member of California’s delegation to United States House of Representatives.

“House Democrats have met the moment and passed critical gun reform in the 117th Congress,” she added in a statement her office released last week. Lee was reacting to back-to-back mass shootings in three California cities: Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay and Oakland.

The mass shootings left 19 people dead and at least 15 more people injured.

About a week before the Monterey Park shooting, six members of a family, including an infant, were shot and killed at their home in Goshen, a small town in Central California with a population of about 5,000 people.

“It is now on Republicans in both the House and Senate to stand up to the gun lobby and prevent the next tragedy,” Lee emphasized.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Californians should “stand united against all attempts to divide us.”

“The reports coming out of Monterey Park are absolutely devastating. Families deserve to celebrate the holidays in peace — mass shootings and gun violence are a plague on our communities,” she said.

The frustration expressed in Lee’s and Bass’ remarks about the unending occurrences of gun violence in the United States (there have been 44 deaths by guns across the country in January alone) is not isolated. That sentiment was echoed in statements made by civic and political leaders across California.

Last Monday, Gov. Newsom was consoling victims of the Monterey Park killing when his visit was interrupted with news about another incident of gun violence.

“Tragedy upon tragedy,” the Governor took to Twitter, expressing his disappointment.

“At the hospital meeting with victims of a mass shooting when I get pulled away to be briefed about another shooting. This time in Half Moon Bay,” he wrote.

Responding to Newsom, some Twitter users pointed out what seems like an irony to them: the series of horrific killings that happened despite California’s forceful firearm laws, the strongest regulations of their kind in the nation.

“Funny how your strict gun laws in CA aren’t working,” Twitter user S.D. Dank replied to Newsom.

But proponents of gun restrictions point out that California has a lower gun mortality rate per capita than states with more permissive gun policies like Mississippi,

Louisiana and Texas. All three states are among areas with the highest recorded rates of gun deaths in the country.

“Only Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, and Connecticut have lower firearm mortality rates,” a statement released by the California Department of Justice reports. While visiting Half Moon Bay the next day, the Governor’s irritation was clear.

“I’m damn sick and tired of this stuff. I’m sick and tired of this. I don’t ever want to see this again,” he told reporters. The Saturday night before, authorities say, a 72-yearold Asian American gunman, Huu Can Tran, walked into a Monterey Park dance studio where the local Asian

community was celebrating the Lunar New Year. Tran shot 42 rounds from a semiautomatic gun into the crowd of partygoers assembled there. Eleven people died.

Then on Monday, San Mateo police accused another elderly Asian American man, Chunli Zhao, 66, of shooting and killing four people at a mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay and three others at a location nearby.

A few hours later the same day in Oakland, authorities say multiple shooters fired rounds into a crowd of about 50 people shooting a music video. One person died and about seven more were injured. At press time, the shooters involved in that Bay Area shooting were still at-large.

Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) is a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC)

and one of the most outspoken supporters of strong gun laws serving in the State Legislature.

Last year, Newsom signed into law a bill Gipson authored, AB 1621, that tightened existing restrictions on “ghost guns,” firearms that are privately manufactured or assembled.

“Another senseless mass shooting in our community in this state, the family and friends need more than prayers, they need/we need more federal sensible gun legislation signed into law in hopes that these things will not happen again in any community in this country,” he tweeted.

Across the aisle, Gipson’s Republican colleagues in the Assembly acknowledged the seriousness of the mass shootings but insisted that more gun laws are not the solution.

“Another gun safety law won’t stop these mass shootings … we have to go deeper…policies that deter and prevent the individual behavior,” Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) tweeted.

State officials from both parties, gun safety advocates and other concerned citizens assembled for a vigil on the Capitol steps in Sacramento last Monday During the event, attendees began to receive news about the Half Moon Bay shooting.

“There’s still a lot that we are learning about these particular cases. We won’t jump to conclusions,” said Sen. Alex Padilla. “But we do take it as a reminder of the urgency with which we need to strengthen our gun safety laws across the country.”

CLBC Vice Chair, Sen. Steven Bradford, said the mass shootings left him “heartbroken and angry.”

“This shooting, again, points out that we must do more to protect everyone from gun violence,” he added.

Justin Zhu is the co-founder of Stand with Asian Americans, a coalition seeking justice and equity for Asian Americans that was started by businesspeople and activists in response to an increasing number of hate crimes perpetrated against people of Asian descent.

Zhou said the shootings left him feeling hopeless amid a social climate that feels chaotic to him.

“After these horrific crimes, the vast number of lives lost, and the years of heightened racism, hate and fear, Asian Americans are experiencing immense and complex pain. For thousands of years, Lunar New Year has been a celebration of not only happiness and luck, but also for coming together, and the Year of the Rabbit can symbolize healing,” he said. “To feel our communities wrenched apart at this moment, repeatedly, we are angry, blindsided and shattered.”

Jkai Lord expresses outrage at the murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis Police Department. Lord and others marched through the streets of downtown Sacramento Friday evening. (Photo: Verbal Adam/ Sacramento Observer)

Sacramento activist Stevante Clark watches the video of the police beating of Tyre Nichols for the first time on the west side of the State Capitol Friday. (Photo: Verbal Adam/Sacramento Observer)

Betty Williams, president of the Greater Sacramento NAACP, and other local leaders call for peaceful protests prior to the release of the video of Memphis police beating Tyre Nichols. Nichols was a former resident of Sacramento. (Photo: Verbal Adam/Sacramento Observer)

Half Moon Bay, CA - Jan 24, 2023: California Governor Gavin Newsom speaking at a Press Conference in the aftermath of  mass shootings.