Author: Danita Gibbs

A viewing of the fireworks on Monday turned deadly as a 3-year-old lost his life, and three others were injured. What We Know: Shaquelle Walker Jr. was watching fireworks with his family in Buffalo, NY, when shots were fired, and a bullet hit him in the head. The 3-year-old was taken to Oishei Children’s Hospital and was in critical condition until his passing on Friday. Three men were also shot at the gathering; a 27-year-old and 28-year-old were taken to Erie County Medical Center and are said to be in stable condition. The third male, another 28-year-old, was treated for…

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Three people were arrested by the Spanish police over the killing of a 24-year-old gay male. What We Know: Samuel Luiz, a nursing assistant, was beaten to death outside of a club in A Coruña on Saturday. Two of Luiz’s friends, Lina and Vanesa, told reporters that Luiz was outside on a video call when two men and one woman attacked him. The three individuals thought Luiz was taking a video of them, and though he and his friends told them he was on a call, one of the individuals began to shout homophobic slurs towards him. Vanesa, who was…

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Gwen Levi, a grandmother, sent back to prison after not answering her phone, can hug her love ones again as she was ordered immediate release from prison. What We Know: Levi, 76, was sent back to prison after missing a phone call from her supervisor while she was in a computer processing class. Officials noticed her ankle monitor wasn’t at her home in Baltimore, MD, and proceeded to call her multiple times. They then arrested her days later and called the incident an “escape.” Levi is serving a 24-year prison sentence for conspiracy to sell at least a kilogram of…

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An Ohio Police Chief is out of a job after surveillance footage showed him putting a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) note on a Black officer’s raincoat. What We Know: Sheffield Lake Police Chief Anthony Campo placed a sheet of paper that read “Ku Klux Klan” over the word “Police” on a Black officer’s raincoat. The entire incident was captured on the office’s surveillance camera. The Black officer, who remains anonymous, is seen on camera laughing uncomfortably with the other officers. The KKK, established in 1865, was a group of white southerners who were in opposition of the old Republican Party’s…

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Alvin Bragg is well on his way to becoming Manhattan’s first Black district attorney after his opponent concedes her spot in the Democratic primary race. What We Know: Bragg, 47, is a former federal prosecutor and most recently the New York State Chief Deputy Attorney General. While in this position, Bragg supervised both the criminal and social justice divisions. He was a part of the lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein and his company for creating a hostile work environment and sued former President Donald Trump’s administration over 100 times. Bragg’s lawsuit towards the Donald J. Trump Foundation ended up with the…

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Looking for a Black-owned business on Instagram to support has just become a little bit easier, as the app launched its new “Black-owned” label. What We Know: Instagram dropped their “Black-owned” label on Wednesday, allowing those with Black-owned businesses in the U.S. to add the label to their social media page. Their goal, with the label, is to make it easier for people to find the brands and individuals they want to support and to help promote Black-owned businesses on the app. Users will click on “Edit Profile,” choose “Business Diversity Info,” tap on “Get Started,” and then end up…

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Allison Mack, best known for her role as Chloe Sullivan in the CW series ‘Smallville,’ gets sentenced to three years in prison for her involvement in the NXIVM sex-slave cult. What We Know: Mack, 38, was arrested in 2018 on charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy. In 2012, she became fully involved in NXIVM (pronounced NEX-ium), a “self-help” group that became a pyramid scheme and secret sex society. The group was founded by Keith Raniere, 60, in 1998, along with Nancy Salzman, who was a nurse and hypnotist. They would recruit mostly celebrities and wealthy…

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Miya Ponsetto, also known as “SoHo Karen,” has pled not guilty to felony hate crime charges surrounding an incident involving her attacking a Black teen at a SoHo hotel. What We Know: Ponsetto, 22, attacked the 14-year-old son of Grammy-winning trumpet player Keyon Harrold at the Arlo SoHo Hotel in New York, NY. She falsely accused the teen of stealing her cellphone while in the hotel lobby. The teen repeated multiple times that he did not have Ponsetto’s phone; however, the hotel manager forced the teen to turn over his phone. Ponsetto then physically attacked the 14-year-old, and they both…

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Protest from Black students emerges as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill board of trustees prepares to vote on Nikole Hannah-Jones’ tenure position. What We Know: Hannah-Jones was set to start her position as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at UNC on July 1st. This position is typically a tenured one and she received full support for the position from the Hussman School of Journalism and Media dean, Susan King, the provost, the chancellor, and many of her new colleagues. The board of trustees decided not to give Hannah-Jones the position at a tenured level…

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Gwen Levi is headed back to prison and not for a major crime, but for missing a phone call. What We Know: Levi, 76, was arrested for conspiracy to sell at least a kilogram of heroin and was sentenced to 24 years in prison. She was sent to various facilities in Maryland, Alabama, and Texas. Last year, she was released after serving 16 years as a part of former President Donald Trump’s administration’s attempt to prevent prisoners from getting COVID-19. Trump released close to 4,500 inmates who qualified for early dismissal. Levi returned home to her 94-year-old mother in Baltimore,…

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