Kanye West's giving a huge assist to the families and legal teams fighting for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd ... and helping in other ways too.
Kanye's donated $2 million, so far, to the cause and set up a 529 college savings fund to fully cover tuition for Floyd's 6-year-old daughter, Gianna. He's also made a separate donation to cover the legal costs for the Arbery and Taylor families.
Along with that, a rep confirms Kanye's donating to several black-owned businesses in his hometown of Chicago and nationwide that have been in crisis and impacted by the unrest in the U.S.
As you know ... widespread protests and riots have broken out since Floyd was killed in police custody on May 25. The demonstrations are a demand for an end to systematic racism and police brutality ... of which the killings of Arbery and Taylor are also prime examples.
Arbery was shot and killed in Georgia in February after being chased by 3 men who allegedly believed he fit the description of a burglary suspect in the area.
Taylor -- who was an emergency medical worker -- was shot and killed by Louisville cops in her own home in a "no-knock warrant" case, in which cops allegedly busted in without warning.
A shut-down city reminds Amanda Nunes and her wife of their early days in MMA. Felicia Spencer sees herself on a billboard. Teammates Cory Sandhagen and Neil Magny step into the UFC Apex Octagon. Nunes and Aljamain Sterling do interviews from their rooms.
At UFC 250, the GOAT of women’s MMA, Amanda Nunes, defends her featherweight title against Felicia Spencer. Plus, Raphael Assuncao and Cody Garbrandt look to get back to their winning ways. See these athletes train and prepare ahead of their bouts.
The NBA's board of governors has voted to approve the league's 22-team format to restart the 2019-20 season in Orlando, Florida, a source told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Under the plan from commissioner Adam Silver and the league's advisory/finance committee, 13 Western Conference teams and nine Eastern Conference teams would play eight regular-season games, a possible play-in tournament for the eighth seed and playoffs at the Walt Disney World Resort, sources previously said.
The source said the plan was approved by a 29-1 vote.
Sources told Wojnarowski that the NBA has set the draft for Oct. 15, with the draft lottery to be held Aug. 25.
TACOMA -- Three months after Manuel "Manny" Ellis died on the streets of Tacoma during an encounter with police, the case of George Floyd and the worldwide fury that followed is raising questions about his death.
Ellis, 33, was walking in the intersection of 96th Street and South Ainsworth Avenue about 11:30 p.m. on March 3, when four officers noticed him "struggling" in the intersection, Pierce County Sheriff's detective Ed Troyer said.
“He was having distress in the intersection, they asked him if he was alright and needed help," Troyer told Q13 News. "He walked up to the Tacoma Police Officers and said, 'I have warrants, I need to talk.' As soon as the police officer got out of the car, he assaulted one of them and slam dunked him into the ground.”
There were four officers at the scene who handcuffed and restrained him. They said paramedics arrived minutes later. Ellis, however, died while handcuffed on the ground.
As The Tacoma News-Tribune first reported, the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office noted intoxication from methamphetamine and an existing heart condition as contributing factors, but Ellis' death was ultimately ruled a homicide - respiratory arrest due to hypoxia caused by physical restraint.
Ellis' family is calling for justice. They've been open about Ellis' struggle with drugs, but argue that's no reason he had to die at the hands of police and leave behind two children.
"What they heard was a man on the radio saying, 'I can't breathe. I can't breathe,'" James Bible, the Ellis family's attorney, said. "He ended up dead, and that was at the hands of officers."
Investigators with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, the agency tasked with conducting an independent investigation into Ellis' death, insist it was not like the death of Floyd. They said officers did not pin him down with a knee on his neck for minutes on end.
“There was no heads on knees. There was no cutting off of circulation, none of that," Troyer said. "He was handcuffed. He was talking. He was breathing. Then throughout the process, he had trouble breathing and he told people, 'I can’t breathe.' They put him on his side and called for medical aid.”
Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards, speaking at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, said she learned about the autopsy report Tuesday, three months after Ellis died. The four officers involved have since been placed on administrative leave. Two are white, one is black and one is Asian.
"I cannot imagine the pain that continues with the Ellis family's loss," a visibly emotional Woodards said. "I do know that the community wants both answers and justice. So do I, so does this entire council and administration. We are devastated to have the death of Manuel Ellis become part of the national conversation."
Troyer said the only video investigators have found is from a nearby home security camera. It's dark and offers little clarity on the confrontation. On the police radio you can hear Ellis saying "I can't breathe."
The next step will be for the sheriff's office to complete its investigation, which will then be turned over to the prosecutor's office for a decision on whether to pursue criminal charges.
A vigil for Ellis took place at 8 p.m. at the intersection where he died.
Woodards said she feels the family's and community's pain, but implored Tacoma residents to remain peaceful if they continued to protest.
"We protest, but we protest peacefully," she said. "We want to keep our city safe and peaceful so the voices can be heard and not overshadowed. We want to prevent further loss of life."
(CNN) Before Ahmaud Arbery was fatally shot, the three men charged in his murder engaged in an elaborate chase, hitting the unarmed black man with a truck before the killing, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified Thursday during preliminary hearings.
As Travis and Greg McMichael attempted to head him off, Arbery turned and ran past the truck of William Bryan, who filmed the killing, and Bryan struck Arbery with the side of his truck, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Richard Dial said.
Investigators found a swipe from a palm print on the rear door of Bryan's truck, cotton fibers near the truck bed that "we attribute to contact with Mr. Arbery" and a dent below the fibers, he said.
Though Bryan's attorney has contested allegations his client took part in the killing, Dial said Bryan first became involved by yelling to the McMichaels, "Do you got him?" when he saw them chasing the 25-year-old jogger. The McMichaels and Bryan have not entered pleas, but lawyers for all three men have proclaimed their innocence.
The new details of the final moments of Arbery's life emerged amid a week of nationwide protests over another killing -- that of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis -- and demonstrators have also called for justice in Arbery's case.
After yelling out to the McMichaels about Arbery, Bryan joined the chase, and at this point, none of the three had called 911, Dial said.
The McMichaels had already tried to head off Arbery once when Bryan joined the pursuit, the GBI agent said. Bryan tried to block in Arbery as Travis McMichael drove around the block with his father in the bed of the truck.
Bryan "made several statements about trying to block him in and using his vehicle to try to stop him," Dial said. "His statement was that Mr. Arbery kept jumping out of the way and moving around the bumper and actually running down into the ditch in an attempt to avoid his truck."
At one point, Arbery was heading out of the Satilla Shores neighborhood where the defendants live, but the McMichaels forced him to turn back into the neighborhood and run past Bryan, the agent said. That is when he struck Arbery, Dial said, and Arbery kept running with the McMichaels in pursuit.
Bryan turned around, and that is where the widely disseminated video of Arbery's killing begins, he said.
Here it is.
The GBI agent testified that William Roddie Bryan admitted under oath, that after shooting and killing Ahmaud Arbery, that Travis McMichael stood over Ahmaud and said “fucking nigger.”
We are calling for immediate hate crime charges to be filed.
(CNN) A Florida police department has launched an internal investigation after a video surfaced on social media showing a Sarasota police officer kneeling on a black man's neck during an arrest.
In the nearly 90-second cellphone video taken by a bystander during the May 18 incident, three officers can be seen attempting to take a male individual into custody. One of the two officers is then seen kneeling on the head and neck of the man.
The man, who was arrested on a domestic violence/battery charge, is heard yelling, "Why am I being arrested?" as the officer kneels on him.
"As I'm yelling, and asking, 'Why am I being detained,' he started putting his knee on my neck," Patrick Carroll said in an interview with CNN affiliate WFTS.
The video surfaced as protests are underway across the nation seeking justice and reform in the wake of George Floyd's death, which an independent autopsy attributed to officers kneeling on him during his arrest. Video showed an officer with a knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.
In the police incident report obtained by CNN, one of the officers involved says that after they placed Carroll in handcuffs, the "defendant attempted to pull away from officers and refused to get into the rear of the patrol vehicle. Minor force was used to escort subject to the ground and secure him long enough for him to calm down."
The Sarasota Police Department said in a statement released Tuesday it didn't learn about the video until Monday when the department was tagged in a social media post showing a portion of the arrest. After a review of several videos, Chief Bernadette DiPino immediately initiated a formal internal affairs investigation, the department said.
The officer, who had not been identified, has been placed on administrative leave.
SPD did not address whether the other two officers on scene, and shown in the video, would face any disciplinary action.
George Floyd's funeral will feature a guest who knows all too well the pain of losing a son to racial violence -- because Ahmaud Arbery's mom, Wanda Cooper, will be in attendance.
Wanda's attorney, Lee Merritt, tells TMZ ... she will be among those there in person Monday for George's funeral procession in his hometown of Houston. She'll be attending with Lee, although it doesn't sound like she's set to speak at this point in time.
We're told the program is still being worked out, so it's possible she may share a few words -- but for now ... she's simply attending and paying her respects. Merritt tells us Wanda got connected to George's fam through their own family attorney, Ben Crump.
Of course, Wanda herself is in her own battle for justice over the killing of her 25-year-old son, Ahmaud, who was chased and gunned down by Travis McMichael, with the help of his father, Gregory. Both have been arrested and charged with murder/aggravated assault.
We already knew Wanda had recently sought to connect with Trayvon Martin's family -- now, it looks like she's connected with a family who's dealing with an even more recent tragedy.
No doubt ... Wanda's appearance Monday should prove to be a powerful moment in what's been an historic past few months on the issue of police brutality against African-Americans.
The Musalini and G4 Jag have teamed up for a new album titled "Scriptures in the Sky." It features Planet Asia, Izzy Hott, Q Stilla, Blass 89 and Emilio Craig.
The Musalini and G4 Jag have teamed up for a new album titled "Scriptures in the Sky." It features Planet Asia, Izzy Hott, Q Stilla, Blass 89 and Emilio Craig.
(CNN) Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is increasing charges against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to second-degree murder in George Floyd's killing and also charging the other three officers involved in the incident, according to a tweet from US Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Ellison's official announcement is expected to come Wednesday afternoon, more than a week after Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis, sparking nationwide protests that call for the end to police violence against black citizens.
Derek Chauvin, who had his knee pressed into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, had previously been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Officers Thomas Lane and J.A. Keung, who helped restrain Floyd, and a fourth officer, Tou Thao, who stood near the others, were not initially charged.
Two autopsies on Floyd determined that he died by homicide. Minneapolis Police chief Medaria Arradondo fired the four officers and said they were "complicit" in Floyd's death, and Floyd's family and protesters nationwide have called for them to be arrested and convicted for the killing.
A rapper who gained nationwide fame for his ability to think up rhymes on the spot has been in Contra Costa County jail for months facing human trafficking and pimping charges, this newspaper has learned.
Saleem Bligen, 39, who uses the stage name “Serius Jones,” was charged in January with human trafficking, pimping, assault, robbery, and other felonies as part of an eight-count criminal complaint. Bligen was arrested by Walnut Creek, CA police on Feb. 6, according to public records.
The charging records list one alleged victim, a woman known in court records only by the pseudonym “Jane Doe” to protect her identity. Prosecutors allege that between July 31 and October 15 of last year, Bligen, “did willfully and unlawfully deprive and/or violate the personal liberty” of Doe by forcing her into prostitution.
It is also alleged that on Oct. 15, Bligen assaulted the woman “by means likely to produce great bodily injury,” and that he stole a 2007 Lexus from her. That same day, Bligen allegedly threatened the woman and attempted to dissuade her from cooperating with police, according to court records.
After his arrest, a GoFundMe page was started to support Bligen’s legal fees. The page said he was arrested for “a false accusation of a stolen vehicle” but makes no mention of the other charges. It raised $110.
Bligen’s rap career has spanned nearly 20 years. He gained nationwide fame in the mid-2000s when he appeared on MTV’s Fight Klub, a show that pitted freestyle rappers against one another, and challenged them to make up rhymes about each other on the spot.
Just three days after he allegedly assaulted Doe and stole the Lexus, Bligen released a music video for the song “For the Love of Money,” which contains the chorus, “I fell in love with money/that was my first mistake.” The video features scenes in Contra Costa, including Bligen rapping under the Carquinez Bridge in Crockett.
Bligen has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and remains in custody in the West Contra Costa Detention Facility, in Richmond, where he is held without bail. His next court date has been set for mid-August, according to public records.
The stars of two exciting bantamweight brawls – Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen plus Cody Garbrand and Raphael Assuncao - arrive in an eerily quiet Las Vegas. UFC 250 headliners Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer check in for fight week.
Cops pulled a drive-by on some black kids in Los Angeles. Seriously, and it's all on video.
To be fair to cops, the video doesn't show how this interaction started, but the conclusion is suspicious. The group of about 5 to 6 apparent teens -- many with backpacks and skateboards -- were walking on a sidewalk, and not in the middle of a protest.
Suddenly, an L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. cruiser pulled up on the street corner and unleashed a hail of rubber bullets on the group of kids ... who were already running away from the cops.
Again, we don't yet know what sparked this confrontation, but here's what's clear from the video -- at the moment the shooting started, the kids were calmly walking together down the street. The video caught the attention of Lil Nas X who tweeted, "This is why we need to push as hard as ever this time."
To Lil Nas' point ... this appears to be exactly the kind of police behavior against which millions are protesting right now.
We've reached out to the Sheriff's Dept for more information.
A couple of Chicago PD officers allegedly chose to let a gang shootout play out amid the unrest over George Floyd's death ... at least that's what it sounds like on the citywide police scanner.
As violence and riots continued Monday night in Chicago, word came over the scanner at 9:27 PM of a shooting at Cermak and Spaulding. Cops were told ... "There's gangbangers vs. gangbangers. They're shooting across at each other."
The response ... one officer says, "Let 'em do it," and another follows up with "Let it be!"
Another call over the scanner immediately follows, confirming the gang members were shooting at each other at the same location. It's unclear if cops ever responded to the shooting.
We reached out to Chicago PD ... they tell us they're looking into the audio and its authenticity.
However, we've confirmed the audio went over the police scanner ... it's just a matter of who made the comments.
As we reported ... law enforcement sources have told us police radios have gone missing during the recent civil unrest and chaos, so it's possible the voices heard over the scanner are not cops.
In a similar case, an NYPD scanner broadcast a call to shoot and run over protesters ... which sounds like it came from officers but could have been someone else. NYPD is looking into it, as well.
Danielle Bregoli -- otherwise known as Bhad Bhabie -- is getting professional help for a couple very serious issues ... she's made the decision to enter rehab.
Sources connected to the rapper tell us Danielle, who's just 17 years old, recently checked herself into a facility at an undisclosed location, and has been held up a few weeks now. We're told she's receiving treatment for a combination of things ... childhood trauma, but also substance abuse in the form of prescription pills.
Our sources tell us Danielle, as well as people around her, were aware of the severity of the issue ... which is why she decided to seek assistance. We're being told she's doing well so far and is optimistic about her progress. She could be in there from 30-90 days.
BB's been kinda off the radar lately, which caught the attention of fellow femcee CHIKA ... who recently called her out for her silence on George Floyd. She wrote, "bad bhabie lil chickenhead ass been silent, too. we really ain’t caught her outside not once. hmm."
Welp, Danielle broke that silence Tuesday with a black square on IG -- following suit with tons of others who went in on a social media blackout this week to honor George and the BLM movement. But, as for not "being outside," well ... she's been busy getting herself right.
Her management team tells us ... "We are very proud of Danielle for recognizing that she needed help and seeking it out."
Here's hoping she comes out the other side new and improved. Get well, kid.
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