Prominent civil rights lawyer represents slain US airman's family. A look at Ben Crump's past cases
Read full article: Prominent civil rights lawyer represents slain US airman's family. A look at Ben Crump's past casesThe family of a young Black U.S. Air Force airman gunned down by a Florida sheriff’s deputy is represented by a prominent civil rights lawyer.
Chiefs parade shooting could be a new test of expanded 'stand your ground' protections
Read full article: Chiefs parade shooting could be a new test of expanded 'stand your ground' protectionsCourt documents say the man accused of firing the first shots at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally told authorities he felt threatened, while a second man said he pulled the trigger because someone was shooting at him.
Black Lives Matter movement to mark 10 years of activism, renews call to defund the police
Read full article: Black Lives Matter movement to mark 10 years of activism, renews call to defund the policeThe Black Lives Matter movement turns 10 years old on Thursday, marking the day in 2013 that the man who fatally shot Trayvon Martin was acquitted in his death.
Protesters call for arrest of white woman who fatally shot Black neighbor
Read full article: Protesters call for arrest of white woman who fatally shot Black neighborA Florida sheriff says detectives must investigate self-defense claims before any criminal charges can be brought against a white woman who fatally shot her neighbor last week in the violent culmination of what the sheriff described as a 2½-year feud.
AP Exclusive: Black Lives Matter has $42 million in assets
Read full article: AP Exclusive: Black Lives Matter has $42 million in assetsA new, 63-page IRS tax filing shared exclusively with The Associated Press shows the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation Inc. ended its last fiscal year with nearly $42 million in net assets.
The AP Interview: BLM's Patrisse Cullors denies wrongdoing
Read full article: The AP Interview: BLM's Patrisse Cullors denies wrongdoingIn an exclusive interview, Patrisse Cullors, the former leader of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, tells The Associated Press that neither she nor anyone else in leadership has misused millions of dollars in donations.
Trayvon Martin’s mother: ‘Don’t give up’ fight for justice
Read full article: Trayvon Martin’s mother: ‘Don’t give up’ fight for justiceThe mother of Trayvon Martin is marking the 10th anniversary of her son’s death by thanking those who sought justice for her family and urging them to continue to fight.
After Trayvon Martin, Crump became civil rights go-to lawyer
Read full article: After Trayvon Martin, Crump became civil rights go-to lawyerBefore Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor and other Black people died at the hands of white police officers or self-appointed vigilantes, there was Martin Lee Anderson.
'Stand your ground' laws proliferate after Trayvon spotlight
Read full article: 'Stand your ground' laws proliferate after Trayvon spotlightTen years ago when Trayvon Martin was fatally shot, Florida was one of the few states with “stand your ground” laws that eased use of deadly force in the face of danger.
Trayvon Martin, 10 years later: Teen's death changes nation
Read full article: Trayvon Martin, 10 years later: Teen's death changes nationThe killing of Trayvon Martin at the hands of a stranger still reverberates 10 years later -- in protest, in partisanship, in racial reckoning and reactionary response, in social justice and social media.
Chauvin's trial leaves many Black viewers emotionally taxed
Read full article: Chauvin's trial leaves many Black viewers emotionally taxedMany Black men and women in the U.S. are keeping tabs on what’s unfolding in the televised murder trial of white former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, taking in what they can before turning away to allow their anger and hurt to subside.
Ample opportunities for viewers to follow Chauvin trial
Read full article: Ample opportunities for viewers to follow Chauvin trialIn this image from Minneapolis city surveillance video, Minneapolis police are seen attempting to take George Floyd into custody May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minn. Floyd’s name is more widely known than Chauvin's, but calling it the “Floyd trial” would wrongly imply that the victim was the one on trial. Most called it the Chauvin trial. CourtTV called it “The Death of George Floyd Murder Trial.” ABC said it was the “Derek Chauvin Trial, 10 Months After George Floyd’s Death.”For some of the specialty networks, the trial offers a rare opportunity to increase viewership, both on the air and online. CBS' website will carry its own coverage, along with that of the network's Minneapolis affiliate, he said.
AP Exclusive: Black Lives Matter opens up about its finances
Read full article: AP Exclusive: Black Lives Matter opens up about its financesThis marks the first time in the movement’s nearly eight-year history that BLM leaders have revealed a detailed look at their finances. The foundation said it committed $21.7 million in grant funding to official and unofficial BLM chapters, as well as 30 Black-led local organizations. In its report, the BLM foundation said individual donations via its main fundraising platform averaged $30.76. “Because the BLM movement was larger than life — and it is larger than life — people made very huge assumptions about what our actual finances looked like,” Cullors said. Leaders at the BLM foundation admit that they have not been clear about the movement’s finances and governance over the years.
Officials name new road in Florida after Trayvon Martin
Read full article: Officials name new road in Florida after Trayvon MartinMIAMI – A section of road that leads to the South Florida high school that Trayvon Martin attended now bears the name of the Black teenager whose 2012 death sparked a movement for social justice. The road became Trayvon Martin Avenue during a brief ceremony on Thursday morning near Dr. Michael K. Krop Senior High, where the teen was in 11th grade when he was killed. “Our students every morning will come out here and see the road that bears Trayvon’s name. Martin, 17, was shot dead while visiting his father in Sanford, in Central Florida, in 2012. Zimmerman’s acquittal under Florida’s self-defense law in July 2013 sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.
Black Lives Matter faces test of its influence in election
Read full article: Black Lives Matter faces test of its influence in election“Black Lives Matter saved us, because we had nobody,” said Jones. Now, BLM’s influence faces a test, as voters in Tuesday’s election consider candidates who endorsed or denounced the BLM movement amid a national reckoning on race. Enter Black Lives Matter. Across social media platforms, the Black Lives Matter movement boasts a following of millions. “Black Lives Matter,” as a slogan, elicited “All Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter” responses from foes.
Black Lives Matter network debunks Trump Twitter post
Read full article: Black Lives Matter network debunks Trump Twitter postBlack Lives Matter leader states, If U.S. doesnt give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it. Hawk Newsome has no relation to the Black Lives Matter Global Network, Scales said. Reached by phone Thursday night, Newsome said Black Lives Matter Greater New York is now under the leadership of Black women. He also said Black Lives Matter is not a movement over which anyone can claim ownership. In Washington, D.C., the mayor ordered the words Black Lives Matter painted across a street near the White House, which also has been renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza.
Antebellum brings racial justice call to reopened theaters
Read full article: Antebellum brings racial justice call to reopened theatersThis image released by Lionsgate shows co-writer/directors Christopher Renz, left, and Gerard Bush on the set of "Antebellum." Filmmakers Bush and Renz planned to release their feature-length debut film, Antebellum, in the spring of 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic exploded internationally. In Antebellum, Mone gives moviegoers a modern Black heroine who takes charge of her own liberation without a male-dominated cavalry. Their path to feature-length films with a racial justice message has been a long time coming, Bush and Renz said. Even as they anticipate finding box office success with Antebellum, Bush and Renz are already at work on their second feature-length script, under a newly formed production company, Gloaming Pictures.
Black Lives Matter network establishes $12M grant fund
Read full article: Black Lives Matter network establishes $12M grant fundBlack Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, the group behind the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, has established a more than $12 million fund to aid organizations fighting institutional racism in the wake of the George Floyd protests. On Wednesday, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation said it was setting aside $6 million from money it received in donations to support black-led grassroots organizing groups. Although there are many groups that use Black Lives Matter or BLM in their names, only 16 are considered affiliates of the global network. The Black Lives Matter movement emerged in 2013 amid anger over the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the Florida man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012. Im really proud of the work weve been able to do in the last seven years, Patrisse Cullors, co-founder and chairwoman of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, said in a statement.
Long seen as radical, Black Lives Matter goes mainstream
Read full article: Long seen as radical, Black Lives Matter goes mainstreamBlack Lives Matter has gone mainstream and black activists are carefully assessing how they should respond. Its very name enraged its foes, who countered with the slogans Blue Lives Matter and All Lives Matter." Black Lives Matter has gone mainstream and black activists are carefully assessing how they should respond. When we started Black Lives Matter, it was really to have a larger conversation around this country about its relationship to black people, said Patrisse Cullors, one of three black women who founded the Black Lives Matter Global Network, with chapters throughout the U.S. and in Britain and Canada. Last week, longtime Sacramento Kings TV broadcaster Grant Napear resigned after tweeting ALL LIVES MATTER when asked his opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement.
Girlfriend of Man Killed in Parking Spot Dispute Says She Feared for Her Family
Read full article: Girlfriend of Man Killed in Parking Spot Dispute Says She Feared for Her FamilyThe manslaughter trial of a Florida man who claims self-defense under the state's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law began Wednesday in Pinellas County. Michael Drejka, 49, told authorities he was defending himself when he fatally shot a man who had pushed him to the ground in a handicapped parking spot dispute. Drejka approached Jacobs and the two argued over the car being parked in a handicapped spot without a visible permit, authorities said. McGlockton emerged from the store, saw Drejka arguing with his girlfriend, and shoved the man, who hit the ground, officials said. The statute was also claimed by George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the fatal shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012.