When people say Black Lives Matter, they mean all Black Lives. Male Black Lives Matter. Female Black Lives Matter. Straight Black Lives Matter. Gay Black Lives Matter. Trans Black Lives also Matter.
The attack of Iyanna Dior, a black trans woman, is appalling to watch and it speaks to the exact reason why we are protesting. She was brutally attacked inside of a convenience store by a mob of 20-to-30 cisgender men calling her transphobic slurs and throwing punches. Dior was able to escape behind the shop counter before eventually finding safety through the back door.
As noted by Vox, details about the attack are still unclear but it appears to have happened after a fender bender car accident.
In a video posted to her Facebook page, Dior shows her injuries, which are minor, and gives her Cash App to people who would like to donate money. She says that she has slight damage to her forehead and teeth.
The incident caught the attention of many, including Megan Thee Stallion, who offered to help.
"The video of lyanna Dior really broke my heart," she wrote on Instagram. "Please help her out any way you can if you know her real cash app put it in the comments #blacklivesmatter #blacktranslivesmatter."
Thankfully, Iyanna Dior is still alive to tell her story.
Cop Who Killed Philando Castille Charged With Manslaughter
Jeronimo Yanez, the cop who killed Philando Castille has been charged with manslaughter.
Some good news has befallen a tragic situation. St. Anthony police Officer Jeronimo Yanez, the cop who killed Philando Castile in July, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter. This is reportedly the first time a police officer has been charged in Minnesota in more than 35 years. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi had this to say about the decision:
“Philando Castile was not resisting or fleeing … There was absolutely no criminal intent exhibited by him throughout this encounter. …He was respectful and compliant. … He volunteered in good faith that he had a firearm beyond what the law requires.”
Castile’s altercation with Yanez was live streamed on Facebook by Castile’s girlfriend, a move which undoubtedly has led to this groundbreaking decision to press charges. Following the shooting, protests erupted across America and beyond. Philando Castile was 37 at the time of his death.
Truck Drives At Full Speed Into Minnesota Protestors
A truck drove at full speed into protestors as they blocked a Minneapolis highway before being surrounded.
A terrifying moment took place during the protests this weekend in Minneapolis as a tanker truck drove at full-speed on the highway, which was being blocked by hundreds of protestors.
The truck attempted to drive through large crowds of protestors and it is unclear what his intention was. According to The Star Tribune, a demonstration was being held on Interstate 35W as the driver went full-speed ahead with dozens of protestors taking a knee for a moment of silence on the highway. The truck continued moving forward, forcing people to run to the sides of the road.
"He wasn’t stopping. He was beeping loudly and driving into a crowd of people," said Minneapolis Washburn High School special education teacher Drew Valle. "That's the same kind of malice that brought us here. It’s a callous disregard for someone’s humanity."
Once the driver stopped, his truck was surrounded by protestors who hopped on top of the vehicle and blocked his windows, pulling him out from his door. In one video, a witness says that he ran over several people.
The driver is under arrest and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The bridge was closed in the afternoon for the demonstration.
Jay-Z Calls Minnesota Governor Demanding Justice For George Floyd
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said Jay-Z "the dad" called him to address the ongoing protests.
As people rally on the streets protesting the injustices that have gone on across America for too long, there have been numerous people pointing out that the biggest celebrities have been silent. However, many others have also been using their platforms to raise awareness of the bigger issues at hand. Though Jay-Z, one of the most powerful celebrities, hasn't made some statement on Instagram or Twitter, it appears that he's putting in work behind the scenes.
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz held a press conference this weekend revealing that he received a call from Jay-Z. "Receiving a call last night realizing how big this was. From Jay-Z -- not international perform but dad -- stressing to me that justice needs to be served," Governor Walz stated.
Fox News reports that it was Van Jones that connected Jay-Z and Govenor Walz. "It was so incredibly human," Walz said of his conversation with Jay. "It was a dad - and I think quite honestly a black man whose visceral pain of this that he knew. His words summarized that justice needs to be served here."
Adding, "He knows the world is watching, and how Minnesota handles this is going to have an impact across the country. It's a positive sign that someone of a stature, that has a presence like that, is focused in the moment of what Minnesotas are focused on."
Disturbing New Clip Shows 3 Officers Pinning Down George Floyd
In the clip, George Floyd can be heard calling for his family and fearing for his life.
George Floyd’s story is one that we have heard all too often in the United States of America. This past week, Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota after a cop pinned him to the ground and kept his knee on him for just shy of nine minutes. Derek Chauvin, the cop responsible for Floyd’s death, has been arrested and charged with third-degree and manslaughter. As it stands, the other officers involved are also expected to be charged and many are waiting for justice to be served.
Today, a new video emerged which shows another angle of Floyd’s killing although this one is much more chilling. As you can see in the clip below, the person is filming the incident from behind. Floyd is being pinned to the ground by three officers while another one is watching from in front of the cop car. It even seems like the cops are intentionally keeping Floyd behind the police cruiser so that others can’t see what’s happening.
What makes the video that much more disturbing are Floyd’s pleas for help. Floyd can be heard asking the officers to let him stand up although they won’t listen and continue to apply pressure despite Floyd’s troubled breathing.
The video displays a truly egregious act of police brutality and we can only hope that justice is served moving forward.
Tomi Lahren Parrots Trump "Thug" Remarks And Disparages Protesters
Birds of a feather flock together.
Many people throughout the United States are hurting right now due to the police killing of George Floyd in broad daylight. Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin used excessive force on Floyd and ultimately killed him. The entire act was caught on camera and the images of the tragedy have been embedded in the psyche of the American people. Justifiably, many are angry at what has transpired and protests are now going on all throughout the nation.
After peaceful protests were not getting the job done, riots and acts of looting were committed. Some believe these acts are completely justified while conservative-leaning people such as the President and Tomi Lahren, are upset at what they are seeing. Today, Trump called the protesters "thugs" which is a word he never seems to use for white protesters. Not surprisingly, Lahren also used it while speaking on those who were voicing their displeasure with America's institutions.
As one can imagine, Lahren caught quite a bit of flack for these tweets and justifiably so. At a time like this, you don't want to be parroting the President, yet, here we are.
Meanwhile, some good news had come out today as it was revealed that the officer who killed Floyd, Derek Chauvin, has been arrested.
Officer Who Murdered George Floyd Arrested In Minneapolis
Derek Chauvin was caught on camera killing George Floyd.
People across the United States are justifiably upset right now following the death of George Floyd. Floyd was killed by a police officer in broad daylight and the entire incident was caught on camera. Floyd was not resisting arrest although the cop continued to apply pressure to his neck regardless, which ultimately led to his tragic passing. Since Floyd's death, there have been numerous and protests happening in Minneapolis, with citizens urging the officer, Derek Chauvin to be arrested.
Well, there is some good news coming out of Minnesota today as it has been revealed that Chauvin has been arrested and placed in custody where he could potentially be slapped with very serious charges.
Chauvin had been locked in his home for the last three days where he was being guarded by an army of police officers. There were various videos being posted from his residence in which protesters were blocking food from being delivered to his home.
As far as justice is concerned, this is only the first step forward. There is still a lot that needs to be done before Floyd's death gets any sort of justice although many remain hopeful that the process will work this time around.
Stay tuned for updates on this developing story as we will be sure to bring them to you.
Donald Trump’s Violent Tweet Leads To Widespread Outrage
President Donald Trump has people up in arms after suggesting that looters should be shot.
President Donald Trump has done and said a lot of outrage-inducing things throughout his presidency and recently, he did it again, this time on his favorite platform, Twitter. As many of you know, there are mass protests happening throughout the country against police brutality. Specifically, these protests are happening in Minnesota where George Floyd was murdered on camera by a police officer. Trump has been made fully aware of these protests and he is clearly not a fan of the citizens exercising their democratic right.
In light of this, he took to Twitter with some chilling commentary, saying that the military could be called into Minnesota and said "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."
These words sent shockwaves throughout social media as it became apparent what the President was trying to say. Essentially, Trump has no issue with killing his own people if they are caught looting and protesting. It's a statement that you simply wouldn't expect from an acting President and social media had quite a bit to say about it all.
In the tweets you will see below, many are comparing Trump to other fascist leaders while many are scared about what this could mean for our future. Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden had a lot to say about this too and it's clear he is upset by what is going on.
If there is one thing for sure, we are living in dark times right now.
CNN Reporting Crew Arrested On Live TV During Protests In Minneapolis
A CNN reporting crew was arrested by Minnesota state police on live television during the protests against police brutality in Minneapolis.
A CNN reporter and camera crew who were covering the protests against George Floyd's murder by police in Minneapolis were arrested by Minnesota state officers on live television. On Friday (May 29th) morning, reporter Omar Jimenez was taken into police custody along with members of his crew, and was held there for over an hour before they were released.
The Minnesota State Patrol made a statement indicating that, "in the course of clearing the streets and restoring order at Lake Street and Snelling Avenue, four people were arrested by State Patrol troopers, including three members of a CNN crew. The three were released once they were confirmed to be members of the media." However, footage shows that this account is simply untrue. "This is not accurate," CNN responded. "Our CNN crew identified themselves, on live television, immediately as journalists."
"A CNN reporter & his production team were arrested this morning in Minneapolis for doing their jobs, despite identifying themselves — a clear violation of their First Amendment rights," the network said in another statement shortly after the arrest. "The authorities in Minnesota, including the Governor, must release the 3 CNN employees immediately." Gov. Tim Walz later apologized and indicated that the arrests should not have happened in the first place.
Following his release, Omar Jimenez told his CNN colleagues that he and his crew, producer Bill Kirkos and photojournalist Leonel Mendez, were trying to move out of the officers way while they were conducting arrests. However, a protestor had run by them and was arrested, which somehow led to their arrests as well, despite identifying themselves as media. "There was no animosity there; they weren't violent with me," Omar said of the arresting officers. He indicated that one officer told him, "I'm just following orders." Another CNN reporter, Josh Campbell, was also approached by police while covering the protests, but was not arrested. "I identified myself," Josh, who is a white man, recalled. "They said, 'OK, you're permitted to be in the area.' I was treated much differently than (Jimenez) was."
On Friday morning around 8:45am CT, Omar tweeted a photo of himself reporting to the camera, while police guarded the Target store that was looted by protestors late Wednesday (May 27th) night in the background. "And we’re back," he captioned the photo.
Bronny James Jr & Sierra Canyon Outsell T-Wolves At Their Own Arena
Bronny is box office.
Bronny James Jr is only a freshman in high school yet he is still the most popular high school basketball player on the planet. The reason for this is quite simple: his dad is LeBron James. Bronny is currently playing for Sierra Canyon and has been making waves as a future top tier talent. While he isn't racking up stats, or playing at the level of some of his teammates, Bronny has been able to showcase some flashed of brilliance that bode well for him in the future.
This past weekend, Bronny and company took on Minnehaha Academy at the Target Center in Minnesota. Fans came out in droves to watch Sierra Canyon play as 17,000 people packed the Timberwolves arena. What makes this so incredible is that, according to Bleacher Report, the T-Wolves average under 15,000 fans per game. Despite the crowd, Sierra Canyon lost by 20 as Bronny scored five points in 18 minutes of action.
To be fair to the Timberwolves, it's not every day you have Bronny James roll into town for a high school basketball game. Not to mention, getting into these basketball games costs very little and in most instances are free which makes them a lot more accessible than NBA games. Regardless, if Bronny ever makes the NBA, his team can sleep easier knowing they'll always have a sold-out crowd.
