(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Black Kos, Week In Review ~ “My heart is disconnected & my soul aches.” Mr. Cure deserved better [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-27 Commentary by Black Kos editor JoanMar It’s about 1:AM in the morning and I’m traveling south on Interstate 91. It’s been a long day and I need to get home, to be in my bed like in the next 5 minutes rather than the almost hour-long drive I’m looking at. As usual, my music is blasting and with only a few vehicles on the road at that hour of the morning, my foot is heavy on the accelerator. Suddenly I became aware that a car was barreling down the middle lane; my heart rate quickened and my competitive juices started flowing. “It’s on,” I thought. Stupid and dangerous, I know. As fast as I was going, this car easily caught up to me… and, instead of passing, it kept pace with me. “What the heck,” I thought. We drove like that for about a minute or two until I noticed that his lights were flashing! Lights?! “Oh shit!” I looked across at him and his window was down and he had a bullhorn. Seems like he’d had it for a while but with my music blasting and going as fast as I was, I hadn’t heard a thing. With my heart beating out of my chest now, I turned the music way down, and rolled down my window. “Slow down,” he said. “You are going way too fast. You want to get home, don’t you.” I nodded emphatically (so he could see) and offered a nervous smile. He grinned, put away his bullhorn and sped off. “Phew!” Leonard Cure was not that lucky. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a Camden County deputy pulled over Cure as he drove along Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida line. He got out of the car at the deputy’s request and cooperated at first but became violent after he was told he was being arrested, a GBI news release said. The agency said preliminary information shows the deputy shocked Cure with a stun gun when he failed to obey commands, and Cure began assaulting the deputy. The GBI said the deputy again tried using the stun gun and a baton to subdue him, then drew his gun and shot Cure when he continued to resist. The agency didn’t say what prompted the deputy to pull over Cure’s vehicle. “The agency didn’t say what prompted the deputy to pull over” Mr. Cure’s vehicle, but the video told the whole maddening tale of aggression, disrespect, and arrogance. The murderer kept yelling that Cure had passed him at 100 mph (didn’t look anywhere near that speed to me). Seems he felt personally insulted that a Black man would have the temerity to ignore his exalted personage and go about his business… in a nice-looking vehicle to boot. “You drove past me at 100 mph!” Mr. Cure disputed the claim and then, in a calm reasonable voice said, “Then that’s a ticket, right?” The response was more escalatory, demeaning threats and then the cop tased him. Repeatedly. Bears noting again that the taser is not a toy; it’s a weapon. Leonard Cure wasn’t just any old driver. He had a history with the criminal (in)justice system that would have made him wary of dealing with any police officer, let alone one who approached him with such open, unbridled hostility. Leonard Allan Cure spent more than 16 years imprisoned in Florida on a wrongful conviction, fighting relentlessly for his release before he was finally freed three years ago. On Monday, he was killed by a Georgia sheriff during a traffic stop on his way home from visiting his mother. "It is god awful that he would escape that injustice to have his life claimed by more bias," civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Cure's family, said at a Wednesday news conference. Had he lived, Mr. Cure, in my humble non-lawyer opinion, would have had a valid claim to self-defense in fighting back against the unjust abuse of power and cruelty of Sergeant Buck Aldridge. As it happens, the man who was in prison for 16 long years for a crime he did not commit will not get to have another day in court. He was reduced to just another hashtag, just one of the 708 people killed by cops so far this year. And that’s data from the most conservative of the sites tracking murders and brutality committed by our police force. Year-to-date, American law enforcement officers have killed 708 people. I’m sure that it will come as no surprise to you, dear readers, that apologists, enablers, and racists are out in full force celebrating the murder of yet another Black man. It’s worth noting that Mr. Cure complied with the commands of the out-of-control cop—even after he’d tazed him—up to the point where the murderer informed him that he was going to jail. Then and only then did the triggered, now-dead man lose control and begin to fight for his life. x DO WHAT YOU ARE TOLD❓ Police expect people to be compliant during arrest. After doing 16 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit—and knowing Black men are routinely killed by the police—how compliant would #LeonardCure, you, or anyone else be❓ https://t.co/xDc7yl1M8F — Rev. & Prof. Cornell William Brooks🟧 (@CornellWBrooks) October 18, 2023 x For the record, this is the kind of cop we need more around. If Leonard Cure would've gotten someone like this maybe he'd be alive. Communication and patience, must have prerequisites for law enforcement officers. pic.twitter.com/7TCCNGffpL — Gabriel DiLaurentis (@GabeDiLaurentis) October 19, 2023 This cop sounds more like the (white) cop I encountered some 20 years ago. We need more like them. Leonard Cure, we call your name. You deserved so much better. May you RIP. Condolences to all his loved ones, especially to his poor mother. “My heart is disconnected and my soul aches,” Mary Cure said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ News round up by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A survey from Goldman Sachs' One Million Black Women initiative reveals Black women earn less than the general U.S. population and owe more in student and medical debt. The Grio: New election data reveals key findings about Black women and the economy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since the historic election of America’s first Black president, Barack Obama, Black women have been lifted up as the backbone of the Democratic Party. The high turnout rate among Black female voters led to many critical victories for Democrats over the years, most notably the election of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as America’s first Black female vice president. Despite their outsized political power at the ballot box, however, a new national survey conducted by Goldman Sachs’ One Million Black Women public policy initiative reveals Black women suffer the most in the U.S. economy. The survey results — exclusively reported by theGrio — provide insight into the stark economic realities for Black women, who earn less than the general U.S. population and owe more in student and medical debt. The findings come from the first-ever Money Matters: One Million Black Women Economic Mobility Survey, which surveyed 2,500 U.S. adults. Among the many findings, the survey revealed that Black women, who are often the heads of households, are more likely to earn less than $50,000 before taxes, have fewer full-time salaried jobs and are seeking gig work at higher rates than the broader population. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Businesses and patients are in limbo due to numerous lawsuits challenging the licensing process. Politico: A legal morass is thwarting Alabama’s medical marijuana program ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For months, Oliver Washington has been experiencing a kind of bureaucratic whiplash unique to entrepreneurs in nascent marijuana markets. After learning that he had won one of Alabama’s five coveted medical marijuana licenses in June, the fourth generation nursery owner was excited to finally plant some cannabis in the heart of Dixie. But since Washington celebrated his win, he’s seen his license voided, re-awarded and then put on hold due to numerous lawsuits challenging the state’s licensing process. Now, Washington’s unsure if or when he’ll be able to do what he does best: cultivate plants. “It’s deflating and costly for a farmer like myself,” he said. Across the country, companies that lost out on cannabis licenses have filed lawsuits challenging those decisions, often stalling market rollouts for months or even years. Legal disputes have proven particularly messy in states like Alabama with a cap on the number of cannabis businesses and a merit-based application process. In response to the initial lawsuits, the Alabama Medical Marijuana Commission promptly voided its original licensing decisions and then re-awarded them in August, to the same group of winners except one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bettersten Wade’s search for her adult son ended when she discovered that an officer had run him over — and without telling her, authorities buried him in a pauper’s field. NBC: A mother reported her son missing in March. Police kept the truth from her for months. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seven months of searching for her lost son brought Bettersten Wade to a dirt road leading into the woods, past an empty horse stable and a scrapyard. The last time she’d seen her middle child, Dexter Wade, 37, was on the night of March 5, as he left home with a friend. She reported him missing, and Jackson police told her they’d been unable to find him, she said. It wasn’t until 172 excruciating days after his disappearance that Bettersten learned the truth: Dexter had been killed less than an hour after he’d left home, struck by a Jackson police car as he crossed a nearby interstate highway. Police had known Dexter’s name, and hers, but failed to contact her, instead letting his body go unclaimed for months in the county morgue. Now it was early October, and Bettersten had finally been told where she could find her son. She pulled up to the gates of the Hinds County penal farm, her sister in the passenger seat. A sheriff’s deputy and two jumpsuited inmates in a pickup told her to follow them. They bounced down the road and curved into the woods, crawling past clearings where rows of small signs jutted from the earth, each marked with a number. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A federal court on Thursday found that Georgia’s congressional map violates the Voting Rights Act, the latest Southern state to have its map struck down for discriminating against Black voters. A judge ordered the state legislature to redraw the lines by early December. The ruling will likely be appealed by Georgia Republicans. It could lead to the creation of an additional majority-Black district in the state — although the immediate partisan effects aren’t clear. “Georgia has made great strides since 1965 towards equality in voting,” district court Judge Steve C. Jones, a Barack Obama appointee, said in his decision. “However, the evidence before this Court shows that Georgia has not reached the point where the political process has equal openness and equal opportunity for everyone.” Jones’ lengthy opinion said Black voters’ power had been diluted following extensive population growth in the state that has been disproportionately powered by Black resi dents. The remedy, he ordered, should involve the creation of “an additional majority-Black congressional district in west-metro Atlanta.” He gave the GOP-controlled state legislature until Dec. 8 to enact a new map that complies with the Voting Rights Act by giving more power to Black voters there. If the state “is unable or unwilling to” do so, the court will draw the lines. Hypothetical Georgia nonpartisan congressional map with additional majority-minority districts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shanice Stewart said her son, Brandon, is traumatized after police pulled them over at gunpoint, mistaking him for a felony suspect. NBC: Sacramento police stop mother and 8-year-old son at gunpoint over mistaken identity ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Black mother is demanding an apology after Sacramento police officers pulled her and her 8-year-old son over at gunpoint, mistaking the child for a teen wanted for two felonies. Shanice Stewart, who is nine months pregnant, said she was driving her son, Brandon, to football practice around 5 p.m. on Oct. 17 when police officers pulled them over, with more officers later surrounding the car and a helicopter hovering in the sky, according to KCRA. Authorities were not after Stewart but her young son, who the officers thought fit the description of a suspect. “Really? My 8-year-old baby fits the description of the suspect you’re looking for?” Stewart told KCRA. “It just didn’t make sense to me.” Stewart has not responded to a request for comment, but she did share her account of the incident in a Facebook post, writing that police ordered her to toss her keys out of the window and slowly exit the car with her hands in the air. Brandon had gotten out of the car as well, and was screaming and begging the police not to take his mother away. She recalled the boy trying to tell the officers, “My mom was just taking me to practice.” Shortly after, police ended the ordeal and told Stewart that they had made a mistake. The officers thought the third-grader may have been a juvenile suspect wanted for a pair of felony warrants, including one for gun possession, according to a statement from the Sacramento Police Department. Stewart was shocked. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The legendary star of Shaft passed away on Tuesday at the age of 81. The Root: Black Hollywood Honors Richard Roundtree’s Influence, Impact on the Culture ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Richard Roundtree was more than a legendary actor. He was an indelible part of Black culture. As John Shaft, he really was our first big screen Black superhero. He had a badass costume, unforgettable theme song and bad guys trembled at the mention of his name. Roundtree had a long and distinguished career that included more than just Shaft, but his influence on the Black experience made him a giant to the community. Sadly, on Tuesday, the actor lost his battle with pancreatic cancer and died at the age of 81. When an icon like Roundtree passes away, his impact is immediately recognized by those he paved the way for. His groundbreaking, trailblazing life is being celebrated by Black Hollywood, with many of his co-stars noting how working with him changed their lives. Samuel L. Jackson, who memorably took on the role of Shaft in the 2000 remake, remembered his idol with an Instagram photo featuring the two men dressed in their Shaft gear, ready to kick ass. “Richard Roundtree, The Prototype, The Best To Ever Do It!! SHAFT, as we know it is [and] will always be His Creation!! His passing leaves a deep hole not only in my heart, but I’m sure a lotta y’all’s, too,” Jackson wrote. “Love you Brother, I see you walking down the Middle of Main Street in Heaven [and] Issac’s Conducting your song, coat blowin’ in wind!! Angels whispering, That Cat SHAFT Is A Bad Mutha, Shutcho Mouth!! But I’m Talkin’ Bout SHAFT!! THEN WE CAN DIGIT‼️‼️‼️‼️” Richard Roundtree as “Shaft” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Researchers are at last revealing how slavery and the slave trade shaped the country’s institutions. The Guardian: Brazil slave trafficker’s links to top bank spark debate over reparations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On 27 July 1825, a brig called Espadarte (Swordfish) docked in Rio de Janeiro and unloaded its expensive cargo: 422 Africans forcibly shipped across the Atlantic from Angola. It was the first slave shipment known to have been organised by José Bernardino de Sá, then a clerk at a Rio trading house. Over the following 25 years, undeterred by a law that theoretically made the slave trade illegal in 1831, Sá would be responsible for trafficking at least 19,000 Africans to Brazil – and become one of the empire’s richest men in the process. By the time of his death in 1855, Sá was a viscount who owned countless buildings in Rio, a handful of rural properties on the south-eastern coast, three ships and more shares in the Banco do Brasil than any other individual. For a long time, the connection between Sá’s fortune, the illegal and lucrative sale of enslaved Africans, and one of Brazil’s biggest and oldest banks was not widely known even among economic historians, because of a normalisation of the 19th-century slave trade, said Thiago Campos Pessoa, whose work helped shed light on Sá’s trafficking activities. The historian is part of a group of scholars who have extensively researched how slavery shaped Brazil and its institutions, and who are now striving to bring their findings out of academic circles and into the public debate. Their research prompted prosecutors to launch an unprecedented inquiry into historical links between the slave trade and the Banco do Brasil, which is being asked to propose ways to make reparations. “This is not an investigation about the past, but about Brazil’s present and future,” said prosecutor Júlio Araújo, who is hoping to spark a society-wide conversation about slavery reparations as part of the fight against racial inequality. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Included on the collection of separated titles were books about the civil rights activist Ruby Bridges and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. NBC: Scholastic backtracks on policy that separated books about race and gender ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scholastic has reversed a decision to allow school districts running book fairs to opt in or out of selling a grouping of books with diverse titles about race and gender after facing widespread criticism, including from those in the publishing industry, educators and parents. The children’s book publisher had grouped 64 titles, which feature Black and brown community themes and LGBTQ+ characters, as optional, citing legislation in more than 30 states restricting what content students can access. “I want to apologize on behalf of Scholastic,” Ellie Berger, president of Scholastic Trade Publishing, said in a letter addressed to authors and illustrators. “Even if the decision was made with good intention, we understand now that it was a mistake to segregate diverse books in an elective case.” It continued: “We sincerely apologize to every author, illustrator, licensor, educator, librarian, parent, and reader who was hurt by our action.” Local book fair organizers select from a catalog of different Scholastic “cases,” or groupings of books, that are shipped as units to the schools for their events. This year’s offering included 13 modules of books, such as “Fun Facts and Favorite Characters” and “Picture Book Combo.” New this year was the diversity grouping labeled “Share Every Story/Celebrate Every Voice Case.” Among the books included in the collection of separated titles were titles about the civil rights activist Ruby Bridges and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/27/2201651/-Black-Kos-Week-In-Review-My-heart-is-disconnected-amp-my-soul-aches-Mr-Cure-deserved-better?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/