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N ll d te ti ie t ta y ec A o n st o te m n ab ti is if g te r s p fi io at ad u ab Target is temporarily closing 105 stores st er c en y se n o o in o ci ev in o rs d ti n ng states le u to g g id o u t sc h ro , n se co th en struckafter im k al en ad in South binei10 centers. In a mental h d to nail Co eep raising Californ e methods low an mes early ce. into during ce living in bofy a polic o th at several were broken protests over the death ea er er ta 1 an in ia o 9 n ck lt p d G se 8 ro th er h C 2 , st o v . Three wea u , Cooper es e L facility in P al eral and in swo v o n er ag if ri te d California. n o es u rm rn o o n h in r f a ia av w o v Beach Police . f the pro estie high expec ho pons were u cap from three attack rn testimon ennsylvania Floyd last week. the Ora gressinivMinneapolis tati ns. se supporters on George Oand se er ffice33 y, before moed e Couinnty e is closing Duri r Thomas the pThe 46ngstores California so oliticompany R ving to could have bees who were White. HJoshua Ryen said dhin the so “DNA testing osh m eg ca eo is l n te gued that nCg his murder trial, L e’ r s petiswbased he the t Fthe lve the Ry e saw initially th e later testifi Hispan .

Minnesota, ef where and hen th eb.company Further con eclosing en case anould immediately tain 19. Target cawhere ed that they Ryen, their ooper killed husbanprosecutors succes t darsome Chiang said ted in fron mplicatinic protests over Floyd’s death began. is also d k an e fi sf n p 1 d n al 0 la u am -y an ll ly ce g y t d ea d M th ed D ensure just uring the ca to re- Pennsylvania, arr-o w e rosecuti cG ire saysNew York, Georgia, neighbor C that DNA stores Colorado, ice isin se ons’ claims, mpaign. “N hristopherld daughter Jessica ifane Doug and Peggy belonging toiana Roper came foprw when he go the animaluIllinois, ev id rv en ed ce ,” b a h o Hughes. Po ca d an 11-yea was bigg ut testing in t out to chec w mand Texas. er former b t nOregon, ar n h p law ly is it Michigan than r-old inal. She turned lice found oyfriend wd with bloody clothoin prowho en rcemoen nimhandcuffed, is case woel ven was blackAand a hobeing al Controlerdied Floyd, while use ca the eviden the bloodie Even thoth t uld come fo so to lv o an e ffi cr ce ugh Newso an ce over toho was a violent crimg is bold im d destroyed it. imalforhosuspicion es, tr police rusheda tht.e arrested

by Minneapolis of rspassing sp the police, , he is tread m’s decisioat no cost to it al th au African Am , w e m h st bill ere it that e.”on May 25.a.Cellphone video showed n counterfeit but they issue that was adiagnbole ericans, His e Cooper at Californiaing carefully on a poin thwhite se D panics and r. ca officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee into Floyd’s K se w ri v te atching. H sti Krause, oters across ntially pola other mino she expwhile a vetfor e is keepin the politica ects th zing minutes neck for riseveral Floyd pleaded and erinairaria rities liv- C e g 1 n l 1 h , sp -p is tells th back intoChauvin ec ofaces ontinued focus on fa eventually und (5 moving. murder are -kilogand the wilnow on page A irness andtrumstopped ram) cat to dofficers after itwho 2 McG justicecharges. The manslaughter other three took part re g u ai ir n e s visitbeen thatbut ed thcharged. in the arrest were fired, if hthey e bobcat storength. e seeshaven’t it ag n Friday. ainhow , he’itllchose Minneapolis-based Target didn’t say issu which stores to shutter or how long they will remain closed. e a ticket for ja “We are heartbroken by the death of George Floyd and the pain it is causing communities across the country,’’ Target said in a statement. “Our focus will remain on our team members’ safety and helping our community heal.’’

Target said employees at stores that are closed will be paid for up to 14 days, including premiums they are earning due to the coronavirus pandemic. They will also be able to work at Target locations that remain open.

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Bobcat Re Target Temporarily After Beincove g Hi Closing P Stores olice CDue ar to Protest Dangers

Federal Officer Shot and Killed Near Protest

Black Youth Are Central Force in California George Floyd Protests Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media There are many aspects to the protests occurring in cities and towns up and down the state of California. One that stands out is the participation of young, Black people.

Outspoken, courageous, and committed, these young African Americans have become, by default, the anchors in a mass movement sparked by the brutal murder of George Floyd in Minnesota. Although they are diverse group of Black youth – by political identification, education, where they are from in the state, and more – they are all uniquely equipped to articulate and bear witness to the racial and economic injustices that a multiracial coalition of Californians have now made their cause.

“At the end of the day everybody here is united, and we all want justice for George Floyd. Period,” said Jamier Sale, 28, co-founder of Cell Block By Cell Block, a community-based organization in Sacramento that focuses on criminal justice reform.

Across California, Latinos, Asians, Arab Americans, and Whites — Christian, Jewish, Muslim, et al — have jumped into action with passion. But the presence of Black youth, millennials between the ages of 25 and 39 and the Generation Z crowd born in the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, has become central to holding down the coalition of people raising their voices and fists in unified condemnation of police violence and discrimination.

Sale, who is also a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), a progressive political action organization, attended a demonstration at the State Capitol in Sacramento this past weekend. Thousands of people gathered at the rally to protest Floyd’s murder. Sale and other members of the youth-led movement met officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) at the steps on the east side of the state building adjacent to California State Capitol Park.

“You can name the names (of all the people who experienced police brutality) because everybody comes with their own history, but this is about George Floyd,” Sale told California Black Media (CBM).

On Memorial Day, Floyd, 46, died in police custody after a White Minneapolis Police Deparment officer pinned him down and pressed his knee into the African American man’s neck for nearly eight minutes. A cellphone video showed Floyd telling the cops, “I can’t breathe.”

Like Sacramento, at demonstrations in Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach, Modesto and more Golden State cities, youthful Black faces have become conspicuous in the crowds of activists and citizens calling for justice as well as peace.

The Floyd tragedy shifted the country’s consciousness from the COVID-19 pandemic to the fraught and distrustful relationship, rooted in a well-documented history of violence, that persists between African Americans and law enforcement.

Most of the demonstrations across the country started as peaceful marches, but, for days now, they have escalated into violent rioting and rebellions that have rocked every major city in the United States as well as in California. The riots have resulted in several deaths, mass looting, arson, vandalism, and billions of dollars in property loss.

For instance, in Sacramento the movement began peacefully in the city’s oldest suburban neighborhood Oak Park on the night of May 29. Thousands of protesters, the majority of them young people, gathered to kick off the protests organized by Black Lives Sacramento (BLMS).

The CHP officers expected the crowd to attempt a march down one of the nearby Highway 99 off-ramps. The north-south interstate is a major California intra-state freeway that runs through the San Joaquin valley.

But, according to Tanya Faison, founder of BLMS, that was not a part of the group’s protest plan.

“Just to let you know, CHP is deep on the other side of that bridge. They are not going to let us get on that freeway,” Faison said, speaking into a bullhorn to the large crowd. “But one of the police stations is right around the corner.”

The protestors marched a little more than a mile to the Joseph E. Rooney Police facility of the Sacramento Police Department, a substation in South Sacramento. When they arrived, a few Sacramento Police officers emerged from the

Stevante Clark speaks with Tanya Faison, founder of Black Lives Matter Sacramento during the protest.

(Photo’s by Antonio Ray Harvey)

facility in riot gear toting rifles that shoot rubber bullets.

The confrontation between the young people and the police was contentious, but it did not get physical. Stevante Clark, the older brother of Stephon Clark, who was killed by two Sacramento police officers in March 2018, described how he felt about the march.

“This all brought me back to my brother and Eric Garner,” said Clark, 27. “We’re hurt and we all feel the same way, though a cop has been charged. As for George Floyd, justice is still being denied. There are still killer cops on the streets.”

Garner, the man who Clark was referring to, died after New York City cops held him in a chokehold in 2014. The incident happened on Staten Island, one of the city’s five boroughs. He was also African American.

The next day, Clark participated in a demonstration at the State Capitol where he and other activists met CHP officers who had formed a perimeter around the building where California’s laws are made.

Grace Swint, 29, from the San Francisco Bay Area, was one of the young protesters that helped lead the rally that went on for hours. Swint told CBM that she appreciated non-Black people participating in the movement, but she had to ask them what they would do once the rallies subsided.

“Personally, I’m just out here to make sure they are focusing that energy in the right place and that they know what to do when they go home,” Swint said. “This is good but it is not enough. I know for a fact that media and propaganda … they feed off of our emotions. It’s a good outlet to let those emotions and opinions out. But what are you going to do when you leave here? I need to make sure that Continued on page A2

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – A federal law enforcement officer who was shot and killed while providing security at the U.S. courthouse in Oakland during a protest has been identified.

Dave Patrick Underwood, 53, died from gunshot wounds sustained after someone fired shots from an unidentified vehicle Friday night, the FBI said Sunday.

Another officer was critically injured in the drive-by shooting outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building.

An update on the officer’s condition has not been released.

No one has been arrested and a motive for the shooting has not been determined.

The FBI, Oakland police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were investigating the shooting.

The contract security officers worked for the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service and were monitoring a nearby protest over the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, according to DHS officials.

Underwood was the brother of Angela Underwood Jacobs, recently Dave Patrick Underwood a Republican candidate to fill a vacant U.S. district north of Los Angeles.

“My brother, Dave Patrick Underwood, a federal officer, was murdered 5/29/20 in Oakland California, while on duty during the riots,’’ she posted on Facebook Saturday. “This Violence Must Stop.’’

Underwood graduated from high school in Pinole, a working-class suburb north of Oakland. Friends told the Richmond Standard that he participated in Soulful Softball Sunday, a community group centered on softball games and charity.

“He was a good man, everybody in the community loved him,” his friend Antwon Cloird said.

The protest in downtown Oakland began peacefully Friday but sank into chaos late into the night. City officials said at least 70 businesses were damaged or destroyed. Police said 13 officers were injured.

It wasn’t immediately known if the killing was related to the protest.

The federal building’s glass doors were smashed and the front entrance was sprayed with anti-police graffiti.

Federal officials said they’re seeing more threats and assaults against law enforcement officers at protests and warned that an attack against officers or police stations is considered an act of domestic terrorism.

Students, Staff Racist Remarks

CARY, N.C. (AP) – A public school system in North Carolina suspended a school bus driver for comments, and said it plans to take disciplinary actions against students who made “racist, vile, and thoughtless statements’’ on social media about the national protests over the death of George Floyd.

The statements by some students and employees “aggravated and trivialized the emotions felt by many across the nation, particularly members of the African American community,’’ Wake County Public School Superintendent Cathy Moore and Keith Sutton, the school system’s board chairman, said in a joint statement on Monday.

Lisa Luten, the school system spokeswoman, told The News & Observer the school decided to discipline the students after learning about the statements posted on social media over the weekend and on Monday. She did not provide details on what the statements said, who the students were, or what disciplinary actions will be taken citing student confidentiality policies.

The move comes as a school bus driver was suspended with pay while the school reviews a complaint about a statement she made on Facebook, Luten said.

The Facebook comment by the bus driver said police should “Have the fire department turn on the water.

Watch them run.’’ It was unclear what Facebook post she was commenting on. She did not respond to a request for comment by The News & Observer, and her Facebook page has since been taken down.

“To be sure, the racist actions of a few do not define our school system,’’ the joint statement said. “However, we cannot be silent in the face of racism in our community or beyond.’’

Protests over the death of George Floyd in Raleigh, the county seat of Wake County, led to street fires, store break-ins, and fireworks thrown at officers over the weekend. Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin imposed a curfew in the city on Monday that will run each night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

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World & Nation

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Black COVID-19 Patients in California Hospitalized 2.7 More Times Than Whites

Dr. Stephen Lockhart, the African American chief medical officer at Sutter Health, a non-profit healthcare network. (Courtesy Photo)

Tanu Henry California Black Media The cost of unequal healthcare is measured in human life, says Dr. Stephen Lockhart, the African American chief medical officer at Sutter Health, a non-profit healthcare network with 24 hospitals located across Northern California.

Lockhart made this chilling observation while talking about the growing body of evidence that is confirming that more minorities and disadvantaged people are getting infected, being hospitalized and dying from COVID-19 than White, middle class and wealthier Americans.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has ripped a Band-Aid off of the structural inequities that exist within our society. We must address these disparities right away,” Lockhart explains, adding “We have a moral obligation to do so.”

Last month, Sutter Health’s Advancing Equity Team released a report in the journal Health Affairs, a publication that focuses on health policy. The study found that Black COVID-19 patients in California are 2.7 times more likely to be hospitalized than their Non-Hispanic, White counterparts. It also reported that they “tend to arrive at Sutter healthcare facilities sicker and with more severe symptoms.”

Based in Sacramento, Sutter Health serves more than 3 million people across 22 California counties.

Even when Blacks in California have health insurance, the study revealed that African Americans may not seek testing and care until their illnesses become emergencies — when the likelihood of dying is highest. The report focused its research on areas in Northern California — including neighborhoods with historical African American enclaves like Hunters Point Bay View

in San Francisco and East Oakland in Alameda County.

Lockhart and the researchers at Sutter say the study points to how socioeconomic variables can factor into the high rates of African American infection, hospitalizations and death. For example, African Americans tend to go farther away to seek care hospital through emergency rooms than to visit health care centers located closer to their homes. And because a large number of Blacks work in “essential” jobs, they may not be able to get excused from work to get testing when they first start to experience COVID-19 symptoms.

For the study, Sutter collected data from patients ages 18 or older who had visited or been treated at Sutter Health facilities.

Then, using its electronic health record (EHR) system, Sutter scientists broke the study’s subjects into two groups – suspected cases and confirmed cases. The researchers also applied the data to its Health Equity Index, a metric Sutter Health has used in a similar study on Asthma, to come up with the findings of the COVID-19 report. The asthma study, much like this one, crystallizes the stubborn racial health gap that persists in California and around the country.

Across the United States, there have been a total of 1.7 confirmed million COVID-19 cases and over 100,000 deaths.

Black Americans represent nearly 13% of the total population. Yet, African Americans living in counties across the United States where the Black population ranges between 13% and 85%, account for more than half of all COVID-19 infections, and they make up almost 60% of deaths. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, the University of Mississippi, and Emory University released those numbers earlier this month.

So far, in California, there have been 110,583 confirmed cases and 4,213 deaths as of May 31. Blacks make up about 6 percent of the state population but account for more than 10 percent of all deaths. The majority of the deaths have been in Los Angeles County, where there have been 53,627 cases and 2,338 deaths. The Black death rate in Los Angeles county hovers around 12 percent.

“The real value of the study lies not in the disparities it reveals but in its utility to inform our work to develop solutions that will address the equity gaps we are seeing with programs such as community outreach and engagement in atrisk neighborhoods,” said Kristen M.J. Azar, a registered nurse, public health professional, lead author of the study and a research scientist at the Sutter Health Center for Health Systems Research.

According to Sutter, expanding health care coverage alone is not enough to close the health gaps in California between Blacks and Whites and between the people at the bottom and at the top of our economic spectrum.

Health care institutions, the organization’s leadership believes, would have to rely on “community-based outreach and access to culturally competent care within the African American community” to arrest the problem.

“Additional research is needed to understand where healthcare disparities exist, what drives them, and what targeted interventions work best to address them. Sutter remains committed to continued advancement and leadership in this field,” the organization said in a statement.

“This pandemic underscores the need to develop innovative solutions that are specifically tailored to address the unmet needs of those at highest risk,” Azar concluded.

Gov. Newsom Extends Statewide Freeze on Evictions California Black Media Staff On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order halting evictions for renters across California until July 28.

The order, according to the governor’s office, authorizes local governments in California to extend moratoriums on evictions to protect their residents who can’t afford to pay rents because of the coronavirus crisis.

The initial order Newsom issued in March a couple of weeks after declaring a State of Emergency in California early March, was scheduled to expire on May 31.

“People shouldn’t lose or be forced out of their home because of the spread of COVID-19,” said Gov. Newsom on March 16 when he first issued the order. “Over the next few weeks, everyone will have to make sacrifices – but a place to live shouldn’t be one of them. I strongly encourage cities and counties take up this authority to protect Californians.”

Then on March 16, the governor strengthened the order by issued a ban on enforcement of eviction orders by local authorities or courts for renters affected by the global pandemic.

Once the moratorium is lifted, though, tenants could still be liable to pay back rent to their landlords.

On May 27, the Senate Housing Committee voted yes on SB 1410, a bill, introduced by Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach). If passed and signed into law, SB 1410 would provide temporary financial assistance to California renters. The state would make direct payments to landlords for as much as 80% of unpaid rent for tenants across the state, Tenants would only qualify if their nonpayment due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Gov. Newsom’s executive order Friday included other provisions, too. Among them were a directive to the Deparment of Motor Vehicles to extend mail-in renewals for driver’s licenses and identification cards. It also lifted restrictions that prevented afterschool and childcare programs from serving children of essential workers, and dropped the requirement to take an assessment test for Californians enrolled in the teacher preparation program during the 2019-20 school year.

On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order halting evictions for renters across California until July 28.

Oprah Donates $12M for COVID-19 Relief

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

During a recent virtual address to the class of 2020 college graduates, Oprah Winfrey spoke of the need to provide for those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“What this pandemic has done is made me think about giving differently. How I give and who’s on the receiving end of that, and how do you do that in such a way that sustains people?

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I’ve ultimately always believed that you teach people to fish. But sometimes people just need fish and a piece of bread,” the media mogul stated. “Sometimes you need some fish, OK? Sometimes you don’t have time to learn to fish. I just need some fish today!”

Winfrey made sure that there was plenty of “fish” in the places she’s called home. Through the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation, the OWN Network boss announced she was donating $12 million to organizations dedicated to helping underserved communities in Chicago, Baltimore, Nashville, Milwaukee and Kosciusko, Mississippi.

Born in Kosciusko, Winfrey has lived in each of the cities where she’s donating money.

“This thing is not going away. Even when the virus is gone, the devastation left by people not being able to work for months who were holding on paycheck to paycheck, who have used up their savings — people are going to be in need,” Winfrey told the Associated Press.

“So, my thing is, look in your own neighborhood, in your own backyard to see how you can serve and where your service is most essential. That is the real essential work, I think, for people of means.”

Of the $12 million donations, Winfrey gave $5 million to Live Healthy Chicago, which provides immediate support to seniors and high-risk residents affected by the coronavirus.

She gave $2 million to Nashville Nurtures, a collaboration with Mount Zion Baptist Church and Tennessee State University (TSU). Winfrey graduated from TSU and began her career in Nashville. She later lived in Milwaukee, where she announced a $100,000 gift to SaintA and the Nia Imani Family, Inc., which assists those in need of housing and mental health care.

In Baltimore, where she once worked, Winfrey is donating money to Living Classrooms Foundation and Center for Urban Families. Winfrey also said she’s giving $115,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi.

“I want to be able to reach people who have been incarcerated and are coming out of prison,” Winfrey noted.

“I want to reach mothers of domestic violence. I want to reach people. I want to feed people. I want to help people get access to testing.

Born in Kosciusko, Oprah has lived in each of the cities where she’s donating money.

Black Youth Are Central Force in California George Floyd Protests Continued from page A1

they understand that.”

Since the demonstrations began in the state capital, there have been some non-fatal casualties. Late night on May 30, two protestors, one female the other male, were hit by rubber bullets when a deputy from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department shot them in downtown Sacramento, according to several local news reports.

The female, struck in the face during the peaceful protest, is 18 years old and the male is 19. The Sheriff’s office had a different take on the situation and released a state-

ment telling its version of the events.

‘The initial investigation indicates the subject was throwing objects at the offices and deputies prior to being struck by a less than lethal weapon that was utilized by a few of the officers to stop the assault,” the Sheriff’s office said in a written statement.

The protests continued through Sunday in Sacramento with the youth still leading the way. There were reports of store break-ins and property damage around the city that increased after nightfall.

Sale said that society must begin to understand how people between the ages of 13 and 39 think. It’s a generation that must be reckoned with and they “bounce their energy off of each other’s energy,” Sale said.

“Between each other, they have so many forms of communications that older people don’t know about. (If society) doesn’t absorb the energy of the youth, the youth are going to create their own organizations to replace the current organizations.”

Thursday, June 4, 2020

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A3

Entertainment

Disney Has a Problem with Star Wars THE BLERDBINDER:

This is not a “hit piece” or a cheap shot at Disney or “Lucasfilm”, but a critique and observation on how things are and seemingly look. Everybody knows that with a massive franchise like Star Wars that you are never going to make everybody 100% happy, especially in the age of the internet where fan films and theories exist.

Disney doesn’t understand that just because we liked something the first time we saw it, it doesn’t mean we want to see the same thing again. It’s commonly known that Star Wars: The Force Awakens repeated a lot of the same beats as Star Wars: A New Hope. but it only took away from the film, which led to a disappointing trilogy of films.

Disney needs to re-evaluate how it approaches “Star Wars.”

By Noah Washington The BlerdBinder covers nerdy news for the Black nerds of the world. We welcome all as we talk about subjects ranging from Movies to Music and Tech to Toys.

Do you want the “Star Wars” films at Disney to change?

To say that the reception to the new “Star Wars” trilogy being disappointing would be an understatement. The original trilogy took a triumph in filmmaking and that Disney then turned it into a wet fart. Disney has a big problem on their hands, one that has seemingly led to an ambiguous fate for Rian Johnson’s new trilogy and the complete exit of David Benioff and DB Weiss’ (showrunners for HBO’s “Game of Thrones) own Star Wars films.

This is not a “hit piece” or a cheap shot at Disney or “Lucasfilm”, but a critique and observation on how things are and seemingly look. Everybody knows that with a massive franchise like Star Wars that you are never going to make everybody 100% happy, especially in the age of the internet where fan films and theories exist.

Disney seems to be capitalizing on childhood nostalgia for when the older properties were brand new. This includes all their attempts to make live-action remakes of their old cartoons, and as much as tremendous box office success stories as they are; they often get mixed reviews. It’s scary to see a Lion singing, but this problem also includes Star Wars as critically they have been received “ok” they still bring fan debate. Why is that?

It’s because Disney doesn’t understand that just because we liked something the first time we saw, it doesn’t mean we want to see the same thing again. It’s commonly known that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” repeated a lot of the same beats as “Star Wars: A New Hope.” but it only took away from the film, which led to a disappointing trilogy of films.

Disney seems to think that whenever a new piece of technology is developed that it warrants them remaking their old classics, but with any film, it is always about the story. It comes before anything else. That’s why “JOKER” went to make over a billion dollars, not because of the visual spectacle or eye candy that is provided, but because it told a story that people were interested in seeing.

The next part of Disney’s pronged attack is the independence they give their filmmakers as well as lack of cohesion with said filmmakers.

There seems to be no meeting where the J.J Abrams, Rian Johnson, and Colin Trevorrow (who was replaced with J.J Abrahams after the massive fan debacle that was “The Last Jedi”) got together and discussed the overall trilogy. As for any saga of films, the goal is to create great independent films in their own right that feed into a larger story. As a race, it simply was one director handing off the baton to another instead of helping each other race to the finish line together.

Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, is excellent at this practice of connecting his films, and that is one of the reasons Marvel films succeed and that is probably why he is producing his own Star Wars film.

Marvel, though, does have an exciting paradigm that Star Wars does not. There was nothing like the Marvel Cinematic Universe before it came to be with the start of Iron Man in 2008.

So, there was no blueprint they had to follow for success, so Marvel films don’t have the expectations that the new wave of Star Wars films that Disney bankrolls do. We loved the old trilogy because it was something we never saw before, but the new wave of movies has to be able to create something new while still reminding us that “Yes, this is still the Star Wars that you know and love.”

It seems though that the only Disney Era Star Wars content that is succeeding is the material that does not copy the same beats as the original trilogy, but the stories that invoke it such as The Mandalorian or Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Even the way that the The Mandalorian is made is invoking the original George Lucas saga. They use practical effects as well as CGI, so it feels and looks a lot more like the original trilogy than the new trilogy.

So, Disney, please remember that story comes before anything else and that just because you get a new toy (technology), that does not mean you throw out all of your old ones.

Retired Deputy Sheriff and Life Coach/Educator Launch New Podcast Retired Decorated Deputy Sheriff Danny McFarland and Author, Speaker, Life Coach & Educator Dr. See Love, launched their new podcast show, “Conversations with Friends”. The weekly one-hour podcast will focus on inspirational real-life stories of everyday people overcoming adversities, including special guests who are experts, entertainers, entrepreneurs, and

personal development leaders. The show will air every Monday at 6:00 p.m./PST. McFarland and See Love became great friends at the University of Santa Monica where they both received their Master’s in Spiritual Psychology.

McFarland is a Retired Decorated Deputy Sheriff for the

Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, who was nearly killed and permanently disabled in the line of duty. Danny was dragged halfway hanging out of a suspect’s car for 115 yards and slammed into a light pole going approximately 70 MPH. Danny broke his neck, ruptured and herniated several disks in his neck and back, tore ligaments and tendons, obstructed his right vertebral artery, severe nerve damage throughout his body, as well as many other injuries. Danny was awarded the Bronze Star for Bravery & the Purple Heart. After healing himself holistically, Danny has catapulted into a professional career in acting.

See Love is an Author, Speaker, Life Coach & Educator with more than 20 plus years in the field of Spiritual Psychology and Social Services. She learned to live beyond grief from the unexpected death of her twin brother. Thirty-one years ago,

on a turn-around at the end of her brother’s freshman year at Morehouse College, their older sister fell asleep behind the wheel of the car losing control of the vehicle. The twin brother was hospitalized and after three weeks on Memorial Day 1989, he died from his injuries. Dr. See Love’s extensive experience with loss and grief recovery makes her knowledgeable and engaging support for those who have lost love ones.

“Conversations with Friends” podcast is available now and can be heard on Apple Podcast, iTunes, and all podcast platforms.

Listeners can easily access the episodes here: https://podcasts. apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-with-friends/id1509082012 Follow “Conversations with Friends” podcast on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ConversationsWithFriendsPodcast For more information, visit www.CWFTalk.com

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Thursday, June 4, 2020

Mayor Pleads for Protests to ‘Take a Step Back Over 300 Arrested for Violent Acts

George Floyd Protest. Vandalism May 30th at the Fairfax area in L.A. (Photo Credit: Quran Shaheed)

George Floyd Protest. May 30th at the Fairfax area in L.A. (Photo Credit: Quran Shaheed)

By Betti Halsell Contributing Writer, Los Angeles Sentinel Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti discussed the efforts of public safety in retaliation to recent violent stirrings happening across the city. Saturday, May 30, thousands came together in protest, closing the L.A. streets from Fairfax all the way through 3rd street, is the aftermath from the current murder of George Floyd by police hand in Minneapolis. Garcetti reiterated what he said yesterday, acknowledging the injustice of police brutality within the Black Community and pleaded with all residents to keep a level head while fighting for peace.

Yesterday Mayor Garcetti responded to the devastating news of George Floyd by stating, “…He was far from the first, the end of his life, was another page in the worst chapter of our nation’s history of what it means to be black in America. 244 years into our attempts to define a more perfect union and each time this happens we have to speak clearly. We have to say the truth. We

have to stop in these moments as painful as they are, to right the wrongs that aren’t just part of our history but exist here in our presence.”

The mayor reflected on the Rodney King case, considering the riots and fires that came from the rage of a man being captured on film being horrendously beaten by policemen in Los Angeles.

Garcetti stated today he wanted to speak very personally to all Angelenos, “My first responsibility to you is to protect life and liberty, and to speak the truth so when we see a horrific murder like what we seen on the streets of Minneapolis, which joined too many murders,” Garcetti continued, “We know all of us cry out, if you have truth and justice in your heart if you love anywhere in your soul, that this wrong and we all want to make it right.” The mayor went on to discuss the meaning of liberty is a shared responsibility, to ensure safety for all those who are fighting for justice. Garcetti emphasized that the fight should be peacefully protested, to adjust the world with organized structure.

Council Member of the 9th District Curren Price.

(Screen Shot)

The mayor stressed the fears of changing the world for the better will slip away due to the more violent side of protesting.

Looting, setting fires, and uncontrollable chaos will regress any progress made in COVID-19 recovery, testing sites had to close down today for safety measures. It endangers the emergency first responders, who are already stretched thin due to the viral pandemic. The mayor asked everyone to take a step back for a moment, to let the fire fighters put out the fires and allow “peace officers” to restore order. Garcetti agreed there needs to be a reckoning for the murder committed, he declared that there should be a demand for justice, but one that does not put people’s lives in danger. Garcetti declared that violence within protest is a disservice to the cause of the fight.

Council Member Curren Price joined the mayor and stated, “ We are all leaders, in times like this we all have a chance and responsibility to step up to the plate, do what we can to move forward in a positive way.” Price acknowledge the need for protest

Reverend Dr. Najuma Smith Pollard. (Screen Shot) Reverend Dr. Najuma Smith Pollard who remembers the terror of the riots during the Rodney King protest shared her wisdom on the matter of protesting peacefully. She quoted a word she heard while wrestling with conflict during the Rodney King moment, “…We don’t wait a minute, a minute is too long in times like these.” Smith continued, “It is the right thing to stand up, it is the right thing to speak up, it should not be nearly 30 years later we are still facing this issue.” Referencing Pentecost Sunday, Reverend Pollard declared that it is right to speak truth to power. She expressed to exhaustion in reposting, retweeting, hash-tagging lost lives within the community, Pollard connected the lost of her son, with the families who lost their loved ones to a system that is unjust. She stressed that the community needs to live in power, but with power comes the shared responsibility for safety.

and to express concerns in times of injustice, but he shared that it comes with a level of responsibility. The council member explained the destruction of property and threatening life does not translate the reason for the call of justice.

The mayor went on to highlight other unjust murders prior to Floyd’s death to emphasize the point of action that needs to take place. He called for the help of “Non-African Americans” to rally behind the fight for equality and justice, to end police brutality. He spoke “all” owning this moment and “all” must join this movement. Later that night a protest rose to violent levels with over 300 people arrested and a number of policemen injured. Looting and miscellaneous crimes were committed amid downtown Los Angeles. Garcetti announced a curfew across Los Angeles that’s starts at 8pm to 5:30 am, and there is talk of the mayor putting the National Guard on alert.

Obama’s Popularity Continues to Rise Amid Trump’s Rhetoric

“The inepter Trump becomes; the more people will forget what they didn’t like about Obama. And for those of us who loved Obama, seeing Trump mess up ten times a day really drives our appreciation for 44 home even further,” New York resident Alicia Butler stated. (Photo: President Barack Obama delivers a statement in the East Room of the White House on the mission against Osama bin Laden, May 1, 2011.

By Pete Souza, Official White House Photographer, derivative work.)

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent With unrestrained vitriol and the stunning lack of leadership emanating from the White House on an almost daily basis, the ever-rising popularity of former President Barack Obama is unmistakable.

The media and most of the American public hang on every word and watch every move Obama makes – many openly pining for the 44th president to “do something,” “do anything,” to provide some sense of normalcy and a renewed dignity to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

“Overall, most liberals I know loved President Obama because he was eloquent and thoughtful. I think he’s extremely popular right now because Trump has pretty much failed in every way possible – especially on the points where he said he could and would do things better than Obama did,” New York resident

Alicia Butler told NNPA Newswire.

“The inepter Trump becomes; the more people will forget what they didn’t like about Obama. And for those of us who loved Obama, seeing Trump mess up ten times a day really drives our appreciation for 44 home even further,” Butler stated.

Many others expressed similar sentiments.

In Obama’s first four years, he bailed out the auto industry saving several thousands of jobs, and the auto industry repaid the loan.

He tightened up credit requirements to curtail predatory lending practices, which was the main reason the country went into the Great Recession, stated Kevin Darné, an author whose books have included “My Cat Won’t Bark! (A Relationship Epiphany).”

“Obama got the Affordable Care Act passed which brought the number of 46.5 million un-insureds down to 27 million by 2016, and the stock market rebounded, and job growth increased monthly, and he also won the Nobel Peace Prize,” Darné stated, adding that Obama repealed “Don’t ask don’t tell” in the military, supported federal recognition of same-sex marriage, and protected Dreamers from deportation.

“His quick response to Hurricane Sandy drew praise from Republican governors, Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bob McDonnell of Virginia, who killed Osama Bin Laden, the person responsible for the 9-11 attacks in 2001.”

Darné also pointed out that Obama effectively managed the Ebola crisis. At the same time, Trump has only repeated his mantra of building a wall, gutting Obamacare, and handling the COVID-19 crisis less than stellar, he said.

“He routinely lies and blames the Obama administration for every issue that arises. The main goal of Donald Trump appears to be to dismantle every signature achievement Barack Obama had,” Darné said of the impeached Trump.

Obama’s popularity led his being named history’s most popular American president.

Presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee and former Obama Vice President Joe Biden have publicly stated that he would love to have former First Lady Michelle Obama as his running mate.

The “Committee to Draft Michelle Obama for VP” is working to build “substantial grassroots support for a potential Michelle Obama candidacy and help garner media attention for a vice-presidential nominee who has the power to beat Donald Trump,” according to the group’s press release.

“Ms. Obama, the most admired woman in America, will be a vital asset this November when Vice President Biden will face an uphill battle to combat the lies and deceit emanating from the White House,” said the statement released Monday.

“Her credibility as a trusted leader and a strong symbol of unity within the Democratic Party would certainly help Democrats defeat Republicans up and down the ballot.”

Tina Willis, a personal injury attorney at Tina Willis Law, said she cried when Obama left office. She said she didn’t agree with every decision Obama made while in office, but she never doubted that he held the best of intentions for all Americans.

“He was smart and empathetic, surrounded himself with the best advisors and team members, and always did his absolute best to both bring people together and do the right thing for everyone in the country,” Willis stated.

“I would say that Trump is so awful, on every level, increased my appreciation for Obama. But my feelings toward Trump

didn’t increase my admiration of Obama. I always thought he was the best president that I’ve seen during my lifetime. I really wish Michelle Obama would become the vice president, although I definitely don’t blame her for not wanting to face all of the bad that comes with a high political office in this country.”

Attorney General Takes over George Floyd Murder Case

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has taken over the prosecution of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed and handcuffed African American who died because of the actions of Chauvin and other officers.

“It is with a large degree of humility and great seriousness, I accept for my office, the responsibility for leadership in this critical case involving the killing of George Floyd,” Ellison said during a news conference in Minneapolis.

“We are going to bring to bear all the resources necessary to achieve justice in this case,” he pronounced.

Ellison’s appointment came following a telephone meeting between hip-hop icon Jay-Z and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

JAY-Z described the conversation as “very earnest” and thanked Governor Walz.

“Earlier today, Governor Walz mentioned having a human conversation with me – a dad and a black man in pain,” Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, wrote in a statement.

“Yes, I am human, a father and a black man in pain, and I am not the only one. This is just a first step. I am more determined to fight for justice than any fight my would-be oppressors may have.”

Walz noted that the icon came to him “not as an international performer, but dad, stressing to me that justice needs to be served.”

This week, Jay-Z’s superstar wife, Beyonce, also spoke out on Floyd’s death on a social media post.

“We need justice for George Floyd,” she uttered. “We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken, and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalize this pain.”

Walz’s selection of Ellison comes as uprisings are taking place around the country and abroad. It also comes as Floyd’s family and their attorney, Ben Crump, have demanded that the other three officers involved face charges.

The family remains outraged that Chauvin is the only officer arrested so far, and prosecutors have leveled just the relatively

minor third-degree murder charge against the cop.

Ellison, a former congressman from Minnesota who ran for chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017, noted that he was accepting the lead on the case with “a large degree of humility and great seriousness.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s appointment came following a telephone meeting between hip-hop icon Jay-Z and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

LOS ANGELES NEWS OBSERVER A5

Sports Former Pro Athlete Trades NFL Games for Story Time

Football made Darnerien McCants’ dream of educating children possible.

By Mark Gray

(May 30, 2020) - From the moment he stepped on the yard at Delaware State University, Darnerien McCants was a gamechanger. He wanted to play basketball at the only historically black college and university in America’s first state, but it was football that came easily and gave him the platform achieve in education.

“Playing in the NFL was never a dream of mine,” said McCants. “I don’t really watch sports that much on TV. I’ve met legends of the game and didn’t know who they were.”

McCants, a fifth-round draft pick in 2001 by the National Football League’s Washington Redskins, has taken reading time into the world of distance learning to help young children develop a passion for the fundamental necessity that is a key to personal and social success during the pandemic. As he finally launched his nonprofit Finding Me Foundation, schools around the country were forced into distance learning and stay-at-home measures.

Through mobile devices and video conferencing, he made the adjustment to the new normal of teaching for those who are used to working in a classroom while capitulating to social distancing policies.

“Every week has been a learning experience for me,” McCants said. “I’ve had to learn to teach a whole different way while getting better at using technology. This is the future of education we’re living now.”

The foundation’s mission is to combat juvenile delinquency by introducing kids to reading. Each Thursday, McCants keeps his date with elementary-aged students who join him through the organization’s website as he reads some of his favorite children’s books. Unlike most pro athletes, who saw heroes from the game as professional role models, McCants’ drive to stress the importance of reading began during his elementary years, when he was introduced to actor LeVar Burton’s “Reading Rainbow” series as a part of the curriculum.

“I wasn’t born when he acted in ‘Roots,’ but I do remember him a little bit from ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation,’” said McCants. who is an alternative education instructor in the Howard County, Maryland school system. “But when I saw him on ‘Reading Rainbow’ as a child, it really stressed just how important reading is and the message was coming from someone who looks like me.”

“It was like my son living the first eight years of his life and seeing a black president,” said McCants. “That lets him know he could aspire to hold that office one day. When I grew up, all I saw were pictures of presidents who were white men with wigs on and that was never going to be me.”

That McCants played pro football gives him credibility with his students. Most of the youngsters—primarily boys—he regularly teaches are consumed by media-hyped role models who create unrealistic expectations for professional success.

As a teacher, it can be harder for him to stress reading as the

Darnerien McCants and his family. (Courtesy Photo)

most important life skill they will learn while the children are bombarded with images of athletes and rappers flashing jewelry and promoting lifestyles of the rich and gangster.

McCants finds his former career helps him guide students to create reasonable goals and aspirations while laying a solid foundation for achievable outcomes away from sports and entertainment livelihoods. Implementing his teaching strategy is easier, especially with minority kids, particularly boys.

“Boys are visual and kinetic learners and it has been statistically proven that if you engage them by 8 or 9 years old it will promote learning and cut down on delinquency,” said McCants.

McCants said generational factors dating to slavery have inhibited the passion for reading in low-income communities.

He believes that it is critical for parents to help kids develop an appreciation for reading by spending 40 minutes per day sharing literature.

The theory is 20 minutes spent in the morning and evening reading gives them a head start on achieving in school and may also offset behavioral problems for children between three and eight years old. Moreover, it lays the foundation for success in business.

“We have to overcome the slave tradition of dumbing down our kids because if they were too smart, they would be taken away from us,” McCants said.

McCants’s raw athleticism remains legendary at Delaware State. He was a better basketball player than he was at football.

But basketball coach Greg Jackson wouldn’t allow him to play for the Hornets, despite his routine domination of team members in offseason pickup games.

“It was like watching a man against boys playing those games,” said Omarr Bashir, president and CEO of Heritage Sports Radio Network and former assistant sports information director at the university. “The guys he was playing against were on scholarship and they couldn’t stop him.”

Football came so easily to him to play at the college level he was drafted despite not being invited to the NFL combine.

During his senior year, McCants played tight end and led NCAA Division I-AA with 18 touchdowns, a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference record.

He played 41 games in the NFL for Washington and Philadelphia during a career that lasted four seasons. McCants caught 58 passes while averaging 13.3 yards and scored eight touchdowns. He also played with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League before he was released by his hometown Baltimore Ravens.

“Football was just the platform,” said McCants, whose degrees are in art and education. “Educating was always my dream. I’ve always known there was something greater than me since I was 13 years old.”

(Edited by Michelle Adelufosi and Allison Elyse Gualtieri)

The World of Sports Respond to the Killing of George Floyd

By Cameron Buford whatsgoodinsports.com This past week was yet another reminder of how our country fails to live up to being the United States of America. Just in this short year alone, there have been countless incidents that have proven there is a different way in which black people have been treated this country. As this country is trying to recover from the Coronavirus pandemic, the shock, the hurt, and sadness of another senseless murder of a black person, at the hands of the police has bubbled over once again.

We can refer back to the sixties when police dogs were unleashed upon helpless black men and women. Or the early eighties when New York police officers strangled Graffiti Artist Michael Stewart to death just as they did Eric Garner a few short years ago, which neither have yet to serve any jail time. There has also been the absurd shooting of Breonna Taylor, an EMT in Louisville, KY, after barging into her home around 1 am, and then shooting her 8 times.

The boiling point came last week, after all of America was shown the viral video of the Minnesota officer resting his knee on the neck of George Floyd for nearly 9 minutes until he became unresponsive. He was pronounced dead by the time the ambulance arrived on the scene. After there was no arrest of either of the 4 officers on the scene, Minneapolis began to protest and the protests were followed by riots. By Saturday residents of Washington DC, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, and several other cities engaged in protests of their own against the current inequality to justice in this country.

It’s hard to find any silver lining in the looting and burning of buildings which has caused the POTUS to invoke an executive decision to send in the “national guard” and “heavily armed military personnel” into our Nation’s capital to push around peaceful protesters behind the cloak of halting the rioting and looting. However, the best thing to come of this past weekend for America is the understanding that white America has gained from these horrific incidents. From sea to shining sea we have seen and will highlight, how Sheriffs have shown leadership amidst chaos along with various leaders within the world of sports.

While in the middle of protesters Houston Chief of Police Art Acevedo had this passionate message for America, “… so if you have hate in your heart, for people of color get over it!” He wasn’t the only leader of officers to engage with protesters. Flint Michigan Sheriff Chris Swanson emphatically told a bunch of protesters in his town, “I took my helmet off and laid the batons down… I want to make this a parade rather than a protest!” He then encouraged the crowd by saying, “you tell us what you need” and as the crowds chanted walk with us, Swanson began to march with the crowd in a show of solidarity.

Several sports figureheads, both black and white, shared

their thoughts and opinions from the murder of George Lloyd by the knee of Minnesota police officer last week. Nick Wright, host of FS1’s First Things First passionately spoke directly to the white people in this country in his speech. He opened up by saying, “To my fellow white people,” he then continued to befittingly point out the restraint law enforcers use with white crowds vs black crowds.

NBA Analyst and former member of Michigan’s Fab 5, Jalen Rose had some strong words for those willing to listen, when he said, “I wish America loved black people as much as they loved the black culture.” Which makes a lot of sense considering how the “black culture” has been revered around the world in recent years.

Though he was not the most recognizable name from the NBA to speak out on this subject. In an article recently posted by The Nation, NBA Champion and Head Coach of the San Antonio Spurs, Greg Popovich told Dave Zirin what was on his mind in regards to how our country’s leader is handling this current situation. “The thing that strikes me is that we all see this police violence and racism, and we’ve seen it all before, but nothing changes. That’s why these protests have been so explosive,” he said. “But without leadership and an understanding of what the problem is, there will never be change. And white Americans have avoided reckoning with this problem forever because it’s been our privilege to be able to avoid it. That also has to change.”

Popovich went on to say, “It’s unbelievable. If Trump had a brain, even if it was 99 percent cynical, he would come out and say something to unify people. But he doesn’t care about bringing people together. Even now. That’s how deranged he is. It’s all about him. It’s all about what benefits him personally. It’s never about the greater good. And that’s all he’s ever been.”

Even more impressively, Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Frank Reich share this with us during his zoom call on Monday morning with Adam Shefter, “It’s easy to be silent and do nothing when it doesn’t impact you… our black community has bore the brunt of this for far too long! I believe that I, we, all have a personal responsibility to speak up and to act in a way that builds each other up, not tear each other down.” No wonder this guy has been a favorite teammate to many NFL players, these are the words of a passionate player, coach, and teammate.

Each of these examples underscores what togetherness, teamwork, and leadership should look like in this country, kindly share your thoughts on who’s words touched you most by reaching out to me on Twitter @whatsgoodnsport or forward your thoughts to info@whatsgoodinsports.com. Additionally, be sure to subscribe to our weekly “Voice of the Fans Podcast” which is available for you on most podcasting platforms, Apple and Google Podcasts including Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeart Radio. As always, Thank You for making our voice, your choice!

People gather on Friday at a memorial mural painted outside the Cup Foods store on Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis where George Floyd died at the hands of police. (Photograph: Brian Peterson/AP)

Several Speak out on George Floyd and Racism

San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Greg Popovich says, “We’ve all seen this before.” (Courtesy Photo)

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer It been a tough week nationwide since many of us viewed the murder of George Floyd with their own eyes.

For some it set off memories of Rodney King who was beaten severely after a traffic stop here in Los Angeles.

Eric Gardner was chocked to death before our very eyes by police. Ahmaud Arbery was executed while jogging in Georgia.

It’s been a lot that’s happen over the years and a lot recently with COVID-19 helping send the unemployment rate over thirty percent, also keeping people with a ‘stay at home order.’ There was so much pent-up inside all of us. With the George Floyd killing being shown during the same week as many cities reopening not only led to protest, but protest with amenities in Los Angeles, New York, and Minneapolis. Other cities nights were filled with looting, rock throwing, and the tagging of business’s and cars. It was lawlessness at its highest level.

Many minorities have died in terrible ways but to watch George Floyd have a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes seemed to be the cruelest.

An independent autopsy done by GeorgeFloyd’s family says it was a homicide and the 46 year-old died of asphyxiation from sustained pressure when his neck and back were compressed by police officers after being in custody. It was found that at least two knees put pressure on his back that effecting his lungs. It was determined the pressure cut off blood flow to his brain. “He was essentially dead on the scene,” said Floyd family attorney Ben Crump. “That ambulance was really a hearse.”

Many have raised their displeasure with what they saw on cell phone video. One dramatic moment took place in Minneapolis when CNN reporter Sarah Sidnar was at a

protest attended by Police Chief Medaria Arradondo with George Floyds brother doing an interview with Don Lemon live on the air. They asked the Chief on behalf of the family, “The Floyd family wants to know if you think the other officers should be arrested in your mind?” Arradondo removed his hat then looked in to the eyes of Sidnar and answered, “Being silent and not intervening to me your complicit. I don’t see a level of anything different so those charges have to come for someone else. Mr. Floyd died in our hands so I see that as being complicit.”

It was an emotion moment for the Floyd family who appeared to have gotten the answer the were seeking.

The issue has created input from many around the country.

“The thing that strikes me is that we all see this police violence and racism and we’ve seen it all before, but nothing changes,” said San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Greg Popovich. “That’s why these protests have been so explosive. But without the leadership and understanding of what the problem is, there will never be change. And white Americans have avoided reckoning with this problem forever, because it’s been our privilege to be able to avoid it.

That all has to change.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has seen many injustice throughout his life especially during the sixties. He wrote an Op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, here is in part what he stated. “Even though we do all the conventional things to raise public and political awareness -write articulate and insightful pieces in the Atlantic, explain the continued devastation on CNN support candidates who promise changethe needle hardly budges.”

The protests were better as days went on. There has been minimal looting and crowds have gotten their point across.

NBA Hall of Famer and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speaks onstage during the 2016 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Courtesy Photo)

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Thursday, June 4, 2020