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Flint City Councilman Eric Mays has retired following a legal dispute

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Eric Mays, a longtime alderman in Flint, Michigan, was finally laid to rest on March 23. His funeral was held almost a month after his death as a consequence of a legal dispute over the handling of his body.

His son, also Eric, filed a lawsuit v. Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, regardless that his older relatives contacted the corporate, the younger Mays lost the legal battle, in response to him. The judge found that he had did not contact the funeral home inside the statutory 72-hour period. By failing to achieve this, he lost the rights to make use of the corpse.

Ultimately, nonetheless, the funeral home waived the rights to the body of the deceased councilor in favor of his son. The funeral took place despite a week’s delay.

Elder Mays was first elected to the town council in 2013 and served until his death on February 24. According to M Live, he was a “strong-willed, polarizing man” member Advice.

“Mays was not afraid to tell the truth,” said Flint Councilwoman Tonya Burns. “He informed everyone that he was a black man from north Flint…Councilman Mays brought attention to local government courts, especially in urban areas with a black population. Councilman Mays fought for unions, the Flint water crisis, Esther House and more.”

Mays emerged as one in every of the primary elected officials in Flint to acknowledge the water crisis, using his platform to spread awareness in regards to the issue with local supporters. Before his death, he was serving a 90-day suspended sentence for misconduct and using “racist rhetoric” during a special meeting in December 2023. He died fighting the order.

Throughout his term, clashes with other Flint lawmakers led to his lawsuits against current Mayor Sheldon Neely, in addition to the police chief and other council members. He has tried to run for mayor in three different election cycles, most recently in 2022. Mays’ “Point of Order” slogan has made him popular on social media outside of Flint.

While his controversies often made headlines, his commitment to the town and community was undeniable. He died on the age of 65 and was buried at Sunset Hills Cemetery in Flint.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Politics and Current

Missouri cop stole woman’s phone during traffic stop, then allegedly stole intimate photos for his own use until FBI uncovers disturbing pattern

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Two lawsuits have been filed against a Missouri police officer accused of stealing nude photos of ladies he stopped for alleged traffic violations.

In the most recent lawsuit, filed Friday, a pair identified as Jane and John Doe are looking for $25,000 for invasion of privacy and emotional distress after a Florissant, Missouri, police officer allegedly forcibly took her phone after a traffic stop in February 2024 for a broken tail light. The woman said she complied with the request when the officer told her she had to offer proof of insurance for the phone, in keeping with Law & Crime.com.

'Don't lie': Houston police believe drunk driving of black ex-cop who reported crash and chased fleeing driver, sends him to jail instead
Emergency lights on an American police automobile – stock photo (Photo: Getty Images)

After unlocking the device, the officer, identified in court documents by the pseudonym “Joe Smith,” “suddenly” grabbed it without her consent and retreated to his patrol automobile, the lawsuit alleges. He stayed within the automobile for 10 minutes before returning the phone. She was not charged with the broken light.

In July, the girl was visited by FBI agents who asked her to discover a printed, enlarged photograph of a nude woman. She was “shocked” to search out that the photo was of herself and was intended for her husband’s eyes only. Agents told her that the Florissant officer had kept other nude photos of the girl.

The officer, who has since been fired, “peeked at nude photos of her and her husband,” the criticism alleges, then used his own phone to take photos of Doe.

The victims are likely a married couple and a minor. separate suit making similar accusations against the officer. The criticism alleges that “Florissant had received complaints of inappropriate conduct by Officer Smith in the past and decided to retain him.”

In an announcement, the Florissant Police Department said it was “deeply troubled by these allegations and wants to assure the community that we take all claims of officer misconduct very seriously. The safety of all members of our community remains our highest priority. We hold our employees to a high standard of integrity and expect them to treat every member of our community with dignity and respect.”

The FBI and the St. Louis County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the officer’s actions. Police say he’s the one Florissant officer involved within the alleged crimes.

“Nobody expects this to happen. Nobody should have to go through this, to suffer this humiliation,” said attorney Rick Voytas, in keeping with First Alert 4. “It was important for Jane to take the matter to court because she felt very intimidated.”

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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CNN’s Ashley Allison Talks New Venture and Need to Protect Kamala Harris

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Ashley Allison, Watering Hole Media, theGrio.com

For Ashley Allison, community is all the pieces. The CNN political analyst and former Obama alum had Black and brown communities in mind when conceptualizing her recent media company, Watering Hole Media.

Much just like the hundreds of campaign employees and volunteers who worked together to elect America’s first black president, Barack Obama — knocking on countless doors and talking to neighbors — her recent effort, outreach to black, brown and indigenous people, goals to unite everyone for the common good.

The political pundit initially launched Watering Hole as a news and opinion blog when President Obama took office in 2009. However, due to his law school background and lack of entrepreneurial experience on the time, the enterprise didn’t pan out. But after recording a live segment on CNN in August 2023 in regards to the Montgomery Riverboat Brawl, Allison decided to revisit her desire to create a media company for marginalized voices.

In an incident in Alabama last summer, a bunch of white men physically attacked a black boat crewman who informed them their dinghy was docked improperly. A gaggle of black men stepped in to defend the employee, leading to a viral brawl that reignited a national conversation in regards to the South’s dark history of racism.

CNN panelist Allison described the Montgomery brawl as a case of lynching. But Allison understood the incident to be far more visceral and cultural — as any scroll through black Twitter on the time showed.

“This isn’t a lynching issue. This is a protection issue,” Allison explained to her friend, sharing the reactions of black people on social media platforms. “The conversation on CNN that night was different because people were using the microphones that they had on social media.”

Now, Allison takes the conversations happening on Timelines and amplifies them with Watering Hole Media, an organization that gives curated digital content led by voices that higher reflect the various voices of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

“Wait a Minute” hosted by Ashley Allison, political strategist Alencia Johnson, and comedian and actress Joyelle Nicole Johnson. Produced by Watering Hole Media. (Photo: Watering Hole Media/YouTube)

“We wanted to create something that was rooted in the community so that people would feel comfortable bringing it to their communities,” said Allison, who worked for Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign, the Obama White House and the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign.

“You don’t take things with you to your community that you don’t think are rich, that don’t have integrity, that aren’t helpful,” she added. Allison said it’s about “getting the information and then taking that information and… talking to your neighbors.”

To date, Watering Hole Media has launched three programmes, each aimed toward a unique audience.

Hosted by Allison, political strategist Alencia Johnson, and comedian and actress Joyelle Nicole Johnson, “Wait a Minute” is a living room-style conversation from the angle of a Black woman.

“Tap In” contains a panel of black men gathered around a poker table to discuss politics and social issues, like mental health, which can be often under-talked about amongst black men.

“Everything’s Fine,” a series aimed toward Gen Z, brings together a various range of cultures, including attorney and activist Preston Mitchum, journalists Sylvia Obell and Josie Duffy Rice, and communications expert Annie Wu Henry.

Tap In, Watering Hole Media, Ashley Allison, theGrio.com
“Tap In” contains a group of black men gathered around a poker table to discuss politics and social issues, similar to mental health, which can be rarely discussed amongst black men. (Photo: Watering Hole Media/YouTube)

“We built our programming around specific types of audiences and people and their practices,” said Allison, who added that she and her team relied on research to determine “audience segmentation to really make sure we were creating content that would resonate with people.”

It was necessary to create an area where participants could freely express their opinions and “counter” one another when needed.

Allison has also been known to occasionally resist appearances on CNN.

“When people say things on TV, sometimes they say it like it’s a fact, and it’s not always a fact,” she said. “I say, ‘Wait a minute, this is what you think. I’ll tell you what I think. And so do 15 of my friends.”

Allison recognizes it’s her privilege to sit on CNN as a Black woman, but she makes it clear she doesn’t speak for all Black people.

“I think I am part of the representation of black people on TV and I have a responsibility to be part of the representation, but not as a representative,” she explained.

While she doesn’t speak for all black people, she has repeatedly defended Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, from racist and misogynist attacks by her political opponents.

Kamala Harris, theGriio.com
Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris answers questions during a moderated conversation with members of the National Association of Black Journalists hosted by WHYY on September 17, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Since Harris became a presidential candidate, her opponents, former President Donald Trump, and his Republican allies have called her a “DEI worker,” “stupid” and even questioned her identity as a Black woman.

“I think it’s the media’s responsibility. I think it’s the elected officials’ responsibility. I think it’s the responsibility of anyone who wants to consider themselves a leader to not allow for bad behavior, bad faith attacks, and just unequal standards to be applied to her,” Allison said.

“Telling someone to go to hell” and wanting to lead the country is “inappropriate,” she said. “We shouldn’t tolerate that.”

Allison said she was “completely leaning” toward having a Black woman at the highest of the presidential ticket.

“As a country, we should have had a woman president a long time ago,” she said. “I pinch myself every day that this is happening.”

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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North Carolina deputy suspended after telling black woman seeking help she ‘don’t want to listen to this nigger crap!’ in shocking outburst caught on video

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A North Carolina sheriff’s office confirmed it placed a captain on administrative leave after he was videotaped earlier this month criticizing a harassment criticism filed by a black woman at a county fair.

A woman who goes by the name Veleria Levy on TikTok posted a video of her interaction with Cabarrus County Capt. Chris Measimer at a good in Concord, North Carolina, after filing a criticism a few verbal altercation with 4 people.

A Cabarrus County sheriff’s deputy talks to a woman who’s recording him at a good in North Carolina. (Photo: TikTok/Veleria Levy)

Levy said she was on the fair, where she was campaigning for the Democratic Party, when three men and a woman approached her and commenced talking about former President Donald Trump. The conversation become a heated argument, and Levy reported it to the fair manager, who directed her to a booth where the sheriff’s office was monitoring the event.

After each parties spoke with the sheriff’s office, officers ordered Levy and the 4 people she had argued with to leave the fairgrounds for disrupting the event.

Levy released a recording of her conversation with Measimer, who condemned her allegation that his reason for not taking her criticism seriously was racially motivated.

“You give them attitude. I understand why they probably didn’t get along with you,” Measimer says.

“No, because I stand up for myself. I’m black, so I stand up for myself,” Levy replies.

“I don’t want to listen to this black nonsense,” replies Measimer.

The Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office in Concord, North Carolina, told Atlanta Black Star on Monday that an internal affairs investigation was launched after Levy turned the footage over to officers for review.

“Videos relating to Captain Measimer’s response to a citizen’s question at the county fair were brought to our attention and we took immediate action by placing him on administrative leave,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release. “Following an Internal Affairs investigation, disciplinary action was taken.”

The office also said officers spoke with Levy several times in regards to the incident and the interior investigation and located she was “satisfied with the actions taken.”

“We hold all members of our department to the highest standards of respect and professionalism, and any behavior that undermines these values ​​is not tolerated,” the statement read. “We hope to continue to cultivate a community built on trust and respect, and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn from our mistakes.”

In continuation videoLevy said the Department of Internal Affairs, with the sheriff’s office, called her to apologize and confirmed that Measimer had been placed on leave. She said she also gave them suggestions on the choice and hiring processes, in addition to DEI training.

According to the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office website, Measimer is the captain of the Harrisburg division. Harrisburg is considered one of five cities in Cabarrus County. The others are Concord, Kannapolis, Mount Pleasant and Midland.

Measimer’s duties include overseeing law enforcement in town, organizing security for major city events and acting as a liaison for all incidents in Harrisburg. He joined the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office in 2001 as a patrol officer and have become the primary captain of the Harrisburg Division in 2022. He has been a member of law enforcement for nearly 30 years.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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