Mediaboss Marketing

Rev. Al Sharpton leads prayer for justice for George Floyd

Rev. Al Sharpton led the family of George Floyd in a prayer for justice outside the Hennepin County Courthouse Tuesday, where the trial for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in Floyd's death, is taking place.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Rev. Al Sharpton led the family of George Floyd and others in a prayer Tuesday outside the Hennepin County Courthouse, where the trial of Derek Chauvin is taking place. Chauvin is the former Minneapolis police officer charged in Floyds death.

"We wept through many cases from Rodney King to Eric Garner to Michael Brownsome never reached the courthouse," Sharpton said. "But here we are now, in the shadows of a courthouse, praying for justice."

Among the attendees at the prayer were Floyd family attorney Benjamin Crump, Eric Garners mother Gwen Carr and former New York Governor David Paterson.

Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, said Tuesday that after his family and others get the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, which he believes will be a conviction, they will be able to breathe. Philonise spoke following a group prayer led by Rev. Al Sharpton outside the Hennepin County Courthouse, where the Chauvin trial is taking place.

Philonise Floyd, George Floyds brother, spoke following the prayer, saying, "After we get the verdict andwe get this conviction, well be able to breathe."

Sharpton, Crump and Carr were all seen inside the courthouse Tuesday morning with some members of the Floyd family, according to the pool reporter.Only one member of the Floyd family is allowed in the courtroom at a time, due to COVID-19 restrictions. Family members have been rotating who takes the seat in the courtroom each day.

Terrance Floyd, another one of George Floyd's brother was in the courtroom for the morning session on Monday. He told pool reporters listening to the testimony is difficult, but his family is staying strong through the trial.

Rev. Al Sharpton and the Floyd family kneeled for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to honor George Floyd ahead of the Chauvin trial.

Last Monday, on the first official day of the trial, Sharpton, the Floyd family and others kneeled for eight minutes and 49 seconds in remembrance of George Floyd. Eight minutes and 46 seconds is symbolic of the amount of time Chauvin kneeled on Floyds neck during his deadly arrest on May 25, 2020, although prosecutors say it was actually nine minutes and 29 seconds.

Go here to see the original:
George Floyd's brother: 'After we get this verdict and we get this conviction, well be able to breathe' - FOX 9

Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner Robert Manfred decided to move the All-Star Game on his own after holding extensive discussions with voting rights groups associated with Lebron James, Stacey Abrams and Rev. Al Sharpton, sources familiar with the move tell Fox News.

Abrams told a senior league official that she wanted him to denounce the Georgiavoting rights law, according to people with directknowledge of the matter. People associated with Sharpton's civil rightsorganization, and James's voting right group, "More than a Vote" also pressured league officials, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.

After these conversations, Manfred believed the All Star game would be turned into a political event and players would boycott the game, these people say. Baseball sources say that Abrams current stance, that she is disappointed about the Georgia boycott, is suspect because she was among the most prominentpolitical operatives to pressure theleague to denounce thenew law. James has publicly supported the Georgia boycott.

People close to Manfred believe Abrams group and Sharpton also wanted theleague to support other issues, including voter drives and H.R. 1, the For the People Act sweeping election reform that recently passed the House.

"They wanted us to do more than just a pre-game ceremony...Baseball would have to be in the market for doing stuff involving voting rights," a senior MLB executive with direct knowledge of the matter tells Fox News.

Manfred decided the easiest way to deal with the matter was to leave Georgia, according to a source.

After Manfred made the decision, he told the eight-member executive committee before making the announcement, which surprised the 22 other teams. Manfred said the decision was made after discussions with the MLB Players Association and its Players Alliance.

GEORGIA VOTING LAW: READ FULL TEXT

The game will now be held in Colorado.

In a statement to Fox New, Abrams spokesman Seth Bringman downplayed her role in the entire matter. "In a single, 1-on-1 conversation with an MLB senior advisor, sheurged the league to keep the All-Star game in Georgia and to speak out against the law when they do,"Bringman said.

Abrams wrote on Twitter last week after the move was announced that she was "Disappointed @MLB will move the All-Star Game, but proud of their stance on voting rights. GA GOP traded economic opportunity for suppression. On behalf of PoC targeted by #SB202 to lose votes + now wages, I urge events & productions to come & speak out or stay & fight. #gapol"

She later released another statement. "Like many Georgians, I am disappointed that the MLB is moving its All-Star Game; however, I commend the players, owners and League Commissioner for speaking out," she wrote. "As I have stated, I respect boycotts, although I dont want to see Georgia families hurt by lost events and jobs. Georgians targeted by voter suppression will be hurt as opportunities go to other states."

Representativesfor James and Sharpton did not respond to requests for comment.

Read more:
MLB commissioner decided to move All-Star Game after pressure from Stacey Abrams on voting issues: sources - Fox News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. After years of debate, the Kansas City Parks Board is set to vote on a resolution that would rename a street after Martin Luther King Jr.

The resolution would rename parts of Blue Parkway from Elmwood Avenue to Swope Parkway, Swope Parkway from Blue Parkway to Volker and Volker from Swope Parkway to Brookside Boulevard as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

If the board votes in favor of the resolution, it would be the latest chapter in a years-long back and forth between city leaders and residents on how to honor the late civil rights leader. Kansas City is one of the largest cities in the U.S. without a street to honor MLK Jr.

KC Parks Commissioner Chris Goode is behind the citys most recent push to dedicate a street in Kings honor. He said the time is right, especially in the wake of police killings of unarmed Black men and women and social unrest.

Dr. King is somebody who stood against behavior, this type of oppression, this type of racism, this type of hatred. And so to be able to honor Dr. King in one of the few remaining cities in this country, Im very hopeful that this will take place, Goode said.

In 2018, then-Mayor Sly James formed a committee that would explore renaming a street in honor of MLK. Then, in 2019, the Kansas City Council voted to rename The Paseo Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The new street signs went up in February 2019, but they wouldnt stay for long. The issue was put on the November ballot and voters handily voted to change the name back to The Paseo.

The effort to change the name back was spearheaded by a group called Save The Paseo.

The groups organizer, Diane Euston, said people felt they didnt get a say in the process.

The whole idea is to give everyone in the city a chance to decide, Euston said. Thats how it should be especially when you are changing something that has so many memories and tangible history attached to it. Thats how it should be done.

The decision wasnt without criticism. After the vote, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver criticized the tactics of the Save The Paseo group and their silent protest at Paseo Baptist Church.

Even the Klan never marched into a church where the (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), which I was involved with, was holding a rally, Cleaver told PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton on MSNBC.

After the vote, Mayor Quinton Lucas announced that the KC Parks Board would hold a series of public meetings and come up with a recommendation for how to best honor Dr. King.

I learned from my mistakes, Lucas said in 2019. The process was one that was less than ideal. It didnt reflect enough public engagement. I have regret, I know a lot of people did. I recall some of my friends who supported the MLK name said they would meet with people up and down the street, that never happened what we make sure happens is that we have that level of engagement instead of just saying itll be this or that.

The parks board is set to consider the resolution at 2 p.m. Tuesday at theKansas City Parks Administration building, 4600 East 63rd Street Trafficway.

View original post here:
After years of debate, KC Parks board to vote on naming street after MLK Jr. - WDAF FOX4 Kansas City

Joe Biden went on ESPN to endorse the demand of the Major League Baseball Players Union that MLBs All-Star game be relocated from Atlanta to protest Georgias new voting law. MLB Commissioner Bob Manfred then promptly announced he would, in fact, relocate the All-Star Game because that was the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport. He was evidently responding not only to Bidens criticisms of the new law but to demands from Stacey Abrams, Al Sharpton, and others that MLB denounce it. He apparently believed that keeping the All-Star Game in Atlanta would elicit disruptive political protests and player protests. So how restrictive is the law? Is Biden right to say its Jim Crow on steroids? And how does it compare with election laws in other states with MLB teams, or in other countries where Manfred wants to establish MLB teams and operations?

A section of the law which prohibits people from supplying voters with food and water within 150 feet of a polling place does seem harsh. Its intent is to prevent representatives from candidates and interest groups from electioneering on behalf of their causes by distributing food and water to voters. But election officials can make water available, and voters can always bring their own water with them anyway, so whats the problem?

The Washington Post, whose liberal editorial page has regularly endorsed Democratic presidential nominees, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden, further claims that Georgias new law makes it harder to cast absentee ballots, reducing drop boxes for mail ballots, barring mobile voting places and for making significant procedural changes that potentially give more power to the GOP-controlled legislature in the election process. But the Post also admits that Bidens most harsh and frequent criticism of the law is flat-out false.

Biden said that the law will limit the hours during which Georgians can vote. At his March 25 press conference, Biden said, What Im worried about is how un-American this whole initiative is. Its sick. Its sick deciding that youre going to end voting at five oclock when working people are just getting off work. The next day he said, Among the outrageous parts of this new state law, it ends voting hours early so working people cant cast their vote after their shift is over.

As the Post and other outlets have said, Bidens remarks are simply false. The new law provides for the polls on Election Day to remain open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, not 5:00 pm, as Biden keeps saying. Moreover, the new law mandates that counties permit early voting for a minimum of eight hours a day, an expansion over what the previous law required. The Post concluded that One could understand a flub in a news conference. But then this same claim popped up in an official presidential statement. Not a single expert we consulted who has studied the law understood why Biden made this claim, as this was the section of law that expanded early voting for many Georgians. Somehow Biden managed to turn that expansion into a restriction aimed at working people, calling it among the outrageous parts of the law. Theres no evidence that is the case. The president earns Four Pinocchios.

Theres no evidence in Manfreds statements to indicate he has actually read the law, or news analyses of the law, or really has any idea of whats in it. This becomes especially clear when one compares Georgia with places to which Manfred actually wants to maintain or even expand MLB operations.

Karl Rove has compared Georgias laws to those of other states which have more restrictive voting laws yet which also have MLB teams or operations undisturbed by Manfred and free of criticism from Biden. Rove writes, for example:

Georgia has a robust early-voting period, expanded by the new law to 17 days, with two optional Sundays. New York has only eight days of early voting, while neighboring Connecticut and New Jersey have none. Youd think the woke commissioner would speak out against these restrictions to the ballot box, but youd be wrong.

If Mr. Manfreds concerns were authentic, hed condemn states such as Missouri, which has two major-league teamsthe Royals and the Cardinalsbut doesnt allow no-excuse absentee voting or early voting. But he wont.

Theres no early voting in Michigan, so youd think hed work to ensure every Tiger fan participates in shaping the United States, which he said he wants for everyone. But again, he wont.

Ohio and Pennsylvania each have two pro baseball teams, yet neither state has early voting. Minnesota has the Twins and Wisconsin the Brewers, yet no early voting. While Massachusetts allowed no-excuse vote by mail in 2020 because of the pandemic, it expires June 30. And Red Sox fans across the border in New Hampshire must have an excuse to vote by mail and theres no early voting. When will Mr. Manfred speak out against all this voter suppression? Or is Georgia the only state worthy of his condemnation?

And theres Cuba and China. He wants an MLB team in Cuba, and more broadcasts of MLB games in China. Both Cuba and especially China are brutal Communist dictatorships. China in particular keeps threatening the freedom of Taiwan, has destroyed the freedom of Hong Kong, and, according to Joe Bidens Justice Department, is committing genocide against the Uighurs. So how can Manfred possibly claim that either Cuba or China has less restrictive voting laws than Georgia?

In deciding to move the MLB All-Star Game from Atlanta at Bidens behest, Manfred has only deepened the political controversy in which he finds himself. And to make matters worse, Biden and Abrams have begun to question the wisdom of relocations and boycotts since whatever else they do, they cause job losses and other damage to the local economy. That leaves Manfred increasingly alone in his decision, facing criticisms as best he can. Tough.

Malcolm L. Cross has lived in Stephenville and taught politics and government at Tarleton since 1987. His political and civic activities include service on the Stephenville City Council (2000-2014) and on the Erath County Republican Executive Committee (1990 to the present). He was Mayor Pro Tem of Stephenville from 2008 to 2014. He is a member of St. Lukes Episcopal Church and the Stephenville Rotary Club, and does volunteer work for the Boy Scouts of America.Views expressed in this column are his and do not reflect those of The Flash as a whole.

Like Loading...

Related

Read the original post:
Joe and Bob Strike Out The Flash Today || Erath County - The Flash Today

Here in Western Province inPNG, a stone's throw from the Australian mainland, things are looking alarming.

Cases and deaths from coronavirusare skyrocketing, and we are facing amisinformation pandemic on top of a COVID one.

Most Papua New Guineans get their information from Facebook, and much of it is incorrect.

Our social media has been overwhelmed with half-truths, misinformation, and outright lies. False statements are dressed up in intellectual language.

A seemingly harmless like or share doesn't stay online:it filters down to village and family levels where misinformation is retold as fact, or at the very least, speculation.

I live with six others inPort Moresby, which is at the centre of PNG's COVID-19 outbreak. If one of us tests positive to this deadly virus,I am unsure how wewillbe able to isolate ourselves.

When I walk on the streets, twoout of 10 people are wearing masks and no social distancing is practiced.

We know from our community engagement that people are not keen on the idea of accepting the vaccine, and the reason why is they don't know what it is. They are afraid it might have side effects. There is a serious lack of clear information.

Getting rid of the fake news is half the battle. Getting the correct information to people is the other half.

The politicians in Papua New Guinea and the Department of Health have tried their best to use social media to spread facts about COVID-19, but it has not stopped the skepticism and conspiracy theories.

We at Save the Children arepreparing to run radio bulletins to inform people of the facts, including sharing an original song about COVID-19. But without action from social media companies, it's useless.

For many years, experts have warned about the dangers of unfiltered social media.

We have seen religious extremists, white supremacistsand alt-right groups use misinformation to spread conspiracies and fake news with real and tragic consequences.

ButCOVID misinformationhas the potential to be worse than the damage done by all those groups combined.

Without intervention from these social platforms, more people will get sick, and more people will die.

Supplied: Matt Cannon, CEO ofSt John's Ambulance in PNG

The situation in PNG is bad. How bad, we just don't know.

We don't know what the community transmission rates are because many people are not getting tested.

There is a lack of knowledge and awareness of what to do. Some people just don't care and others are afraid to find out their status.

Papua New Guineans are resilient people, but this is something different altogether.

Schools started as usual at the beginning of this year, but the recent spikes in COVID-19 cases caused schools nationwide to suspend classes three weeks early.

I have a six-year-old daughter in grade one, an 11-year-old son in grade six and my oldest daughter Bridgette is 13 and in grade 8, the final stage of primary education.

Bridgette is interested in forensic science. She is concerned right now, but thinks that we can get through this if we work together.

She wants adults to do the right thing. She doesn't understand how teachers and children can get it right while adults get it so wrong.

My husband is on field break, so he is looking after the children while I am at work. He tries to create a timetable for the children to do some school work, but half the time they are running around outside.

If it's a short lockdown, my children will be fine. But if it goes on longer, every single student in PNG will be impacted.

Over 86 per centof people in PNG live in rural and remote areas, wheresuccessful sustained home learning is virtually impossible.

Most students in Papua New Guinea do not have access to home learning materials.

My organisation, Save the Children, is working alongside the National Department of Education to bring physical home learning materials to children in the most vulnerable communities.

Save the Children works in over 1,450 schools across PNG.

Grade eight, 10 and 12have been hit the hardest as they have examinations in October and November this year.

In each of these grades, you must pass an external exam to reach the next level of education.

In normal times, around half the students pass the final exams. This year it might be half that again and many students may have to repeat the year.

I'm really worried about Bridgette and all the other children in PNG.

They are doing their bit, it's now time for the adults that run some of the biggest social media companies to do something to tackle the pandemic, too.

Bernadette Yakopa is the Western Province Area Manager for Save the Children PNG.

See more here:
Papua New Guinea's COVID cases are driven by misinformation we need tech companies to help - ABC News