Why The 'Race Card' Is Played

Guns, emojis a volatile mix as gangs embrace social media Gangs' embrace of social media to goad foes or conceal drug dealing in emoji-laden text is the biggest change in how gangs operate compared with 10 years ago, according to new law enforcement data provided exclusively to The Associated Press ahead of its release Tuesday by the Chicago Crime Commission. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other sites have radically altered gang culture in Chicago. They are having a similar influence on gangs nationwide. These days, there's nearly always a link between an outbreak of gang violence and something online, said Rodney Phillips, a gang-conflict mediator working in the low-income Englewood neighborhood where Reese lived and died. When he learns simmering tensions have spilled into violence, he no longer goes first to the streets.

Black defendants get longer sentences from Republican-appointed judges, study finds WASHINGTON — Judges appointed by Republican presidents gave longer sentences to black defendants and shorter ones to women than judges appointed by Democrats, according to a new study that analyzed data on more than half a million defendants.  “Republican-appointed judges sentence black defendants to three more months than similar non-blacks and female defendants to two fewer months than similar males compared to Democratic-appointed judges,” the study found, adding, “These differences cannot be explained by other judge characteristics and grow substantially larger when judges are granted more discretion.”  The study was conducted by two professors at Harvard Law School, Alma Cohen and Crystal S. Yang. They examined the sentencing practices of about 1,400 federal trial judges over more than 15 years, relying on information from the Federal Judicial Center, the U.S. Sentencing Commission a

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Double Standard: Adidas Keeps Kanye, Snubs Colin Kaepernick?

Report: Trump seeks summit with Colin Kaepernick, Kanye West President Trump is  “enthusiastic” about a potential series of racial summits with Colin Kaepernick and Kanye West, among others . At least, that’s the interpretation of Rev. Darrell Scott, an outside presidential advisor who met with Trump on Thursday during the National Day of Prayer. Let’s break this down.

President Donald Trump wants Colin Kaepernick to attend race summit, report says President Donald Trump will invite Colin Kaepernick, along with other athletes and musicians, to a summer summit to discuss race, Cleveland-based pastor and presidential adviser Darrell Scott  told People.com . "He is 100 percent for it. He was very enthusiastic about it,” Scott said of Trump following a 20-minute meeting Thursday in the Oval Office after a White House ceremony for the National Day of Prayer.

Miami Cop Suspended After Kicking Man in Head on Video Earlier today, the City of Miami Police Department issued an ominous statement: Chief Jorge Colina said he'd received a video of an officer clearly violating departmental policy. That cop had been relieved of duty, he reported, adding the department had sent the clip to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. Now the video has surfaced. It shows  an Miami  Police officer taking a running start and then kicking a defenseless, handcuffed suspect in the head. A police department spokesperson confirmed this was the video in question.

African-American students with disabilities suspended at disproportionately high rates The  report , “Disabling Punishment: The Need for Remedies to the Disparate Loss of Instruction Experienced by Black Students with Disabilities,” extrapolated its findings from federal data from 2014-15 and 2015-16, the last year for which it is available. Released last month, it examined only white and black students, in part because research has found that black students overall are suspended at the highest rates of all student groups. The report found that nationwide, for every 100 students with special needs in 2015-16, white students lost 43 days to suspension, while black students lost 121 days. The findings showed a slight increase in disparity between the two groups over the previous year.

Michelle Obama Just Called Herself Our ‘Forever First Lady.’ No Other First Ladies Need Apply During a stirring speech delivered to rising college students in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Michelle Obama embraced the moniker “Forever First Lady,” sending the crowd of 8,000 high school students into thunderous cheers. Because, duh. At the 2018 College Signing Day at Temple University,  HuffPost reports , Obama delivered a message of encouragement to the high schoolers, telling them: “I know you have everything it takes to succeed. I know that you are me. “And if I can be standing here as your ‘forever first lady,’” she added, pausing as the crowd cheered, “then you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Chicago Activist Group Promotes Manhood to Protect, Make Neighborhoods Safe from Gun Violence New Era Chicago  was inspired to patrol the city’s streets in an effort to address the ongoing gun epidemic. In a profile with  CBS Chicago , leader  Taji Gaines says his group is calling on volunteers to spread peace, protection and unity . “Men are supposed to be protectors and providers. So along with protecting for your own, you have to provide for your village as well.”

Police officer faces charges for ‘racist’ Facebook posts A police officer is in hot water and facing a case of crimen injuria for his alleged racist post on social media. ANCYL Provincial Executive Committee member Percy Sithole has opened a case at the Heidelberg police department after one of its officers began posting allegedly racist remarks on his Facebook profile. The officer, Riaan van Rensburg, shared a series of Facebook posts that later sparked outrage on social media.

Iraqi who threw shoes at President Bush runs for Iraqi parliament Almost a decade after sparking an international diplomatic incident by throwing his shoes at former US President George W. Bush in Baghdad, Muntadhar al-Zaidi is planning a political career of his own. The Iraqi journalist, now 39, is to stand for parliament in the forthcoming elections in Iraq -- and has ambitions to become the country's leader. Al-Zaidi became a worldwide celebrity after throwing his shoes at Bush in protest at the US invasion during a news conference held in the Iraqi capital in December 2008. Bush, who was making a farewell visit to the country at the time, avoided being hit by the shoes, but al-Zaidi was bundled to the ground and hustled out of the room by security officials.

Leaked Meeting Audio Proves NFL Owners Worried About Appeasing White Fans, While Players Worried About Kaepernick, Black Lives An October meeting between National Football League owners, players and league executives to discuss player protests and President Donald Trump’s bashing of the league because of players protests was supposed to be confidential. If Colin Kaepernick’s heavenly Afro didn’t already prove that God was OK with players protesting, the leaking of audio from said meeting at league headquarters on Park Avenue proves which side the heavenly father has taken.

Find Local Black-Owned Businesses to Support Using This App In 2015, Mandy Bowman founded  Official Black Wall Street , a website that features a global directory of black-owned businesses.  Blavity  reports , this week the site made it even easier to find black-owned businesses near you through a new app. Also called Black Wall Street,  the iOS and Android  app helps you find black-owned businesses near you. Each entry offers directions to the business, images of what you can buy there, and reviews from others that have been there previously. You can set up alerts to get a notification when you pass by a black-owned store so you can make a point to pop in (or visit later on), and get special offers that you can redeem while shopping.

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‘Shark Tank’s Daymond John Latest Star To Join Michelle Obama’s College Initiative Shark Tank star Daymond John is joining Robert De Niro , Bradley Cooper , Nick Cannon, Rebel Wilson and Zendaya in former first lady Michelle Obama ’s college initiative at Temple University on May 2. About 8,000 students are expected to attend during what is National Signing Day.

Jeanne Beker vs. Jully Black on the finale of Canada Reads 2018 Jeanne Beker and Jully Black have a heated moment on the finale of Canada Reads.

Joy Reid Shuts Down Killer Mike After Rapper Attempts To Drag Her On Instagram  Joy-Ann Reid and Killer Mike might have beef after the rapper stepped out of line over the weekend. Over the weekend, Reid shared a photo of herself all glammed up and thanked her hair and makeup team, writing, "And not to be outdone... @glamluxxe and @savvychicz, who rocked the  H&M  for our Elgin Baylor shoot!"

‘Cosby Show’ Actress Details Why She Went Topless for Bill Cosby Protest Former Cosby Show actress Nicolle Rochelle was recently arrested after protesting topless outside of the courthouse where Bill Cosby is currently being re-tried for sexual assault. In a new interview, she breaks down her line of thinking, saying she very purposefully wanted to make Cosby “uncomfortable.” “He’s a man who’s dis-empowered women’s bodies for decades. It doesn’t seem to be recognized,” Rochelle, 39, told PEOPLE . “The case is being publicized with this narrative of race. He’s being painted as the victim. I wanted to emphasize that this is about rape. I wanted to make him uncomfortable and to make people think about women’s bodies.”