Florida man injured after paying for ‘full contact’ with leopard is now suing its owner

The man paid $150 to play with the exotic animal

A Florida man is severely injured and taking legal action after paying to play with a black leopard.

When Dwight Turner paid Michael Poggi $150 on Aug. 31^st to play with, take pictures of and rub the belly of a leopard he had no idea he would come away from the encounter bruised and bloody, according to Local 10 News.

Read More: Trump, Biden appeal to Florida voters to turn out in person

Poggi, who owns the leopard advertised on his Facebook page that folks could rent time with the animal for a “full-contact experience.” Turner took Poggi up on his offer and went to the Earnest Boulevard home in Davie, Florida to play with the fully-grown animal but when he entered the makeshift backyard cage where the animal was, it mauled him.

Now Turner, 50, has to undergo multiple surgeries after his time at the home Poggi calls an “animal sanctuary for rare and endangered animals,” per the source. They say the injuries were so severe his scalp was, “hanging from his head and his right ear was torn in half.” Turner had to spend a week in the hospital due to his injuries.

Turner’s attorney says the waiver he signed to play with the leopard was invalid because even though the animal legally belonged to Poggi he was not licensed to provide those services.

Poggi knew he should have not been offering the experience and was cited for holding wildlife in an unsafe condition and was also charged with “allowing full contact with an extremely dangerous animal.”

Poggi also has a YouTube page that features him playing with exotic animals and advertising monkeys for sale.

On the description page it says:

Read More: Florida teen sentenced to 25 years for crimes including fatally shooting K-9 dog

“This channel is dedicated to the care, feeding, breeding and sale of exotic animals found throughout the world that are no longer wanted, injured or giving sanctuary (sic) in South Florida.”

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!

The post Florida man injured after paying for ‘full contact’ with leopard is now suing its owner appeared first on TheGrio.

from TheGrio https://ift.tt/2HGlpOh

Lil Wayne reveals ‘great’ meeting with Trump, praises his Platinum Plan

The hip-hop star shares photo with the president and applauds his record on criminal justice reform.

Lil Wayne is the latest rapper to signal support for President Donald Trump, revealing that he met with the Republican presidential incumbent just days before the 2020 general election on Nov. 3.

In a tweet on Thursday night, the New Orleans hip-hop star shared a photo of he and Trump standing side by side as they smile with their thumbs up.

“Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump @potus,” wrote Wayne, real name Dwayne Carter Jr. He continued, “…besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership.”

“He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done.”

Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump @potus besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership. He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done. 🤙🏾 pic.twitter.com/Q9c5k1yMWf

— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) October 29, 2020

Read More: Ice Cube explains why he blew off Zoom call with Kamala Harris: ‘I want to get things done’

Trump’s Platinum Plan, his campaign’s offering of policy plans for Black Americans if he is reelected, made headlines in recent weeks after the campaign revealed another fellow hip-hop giant, Ice Cube, had played a role in its execution.

Many were incensed over Ice Cube’s involvement, so much so that the rapper turned Hollywood actor and producer was compelled to publicly denounce Trump, tweeting “I will never support a motha***** like Donald Trump EVER!!!”

Still, Cube — who penned a “Contract for Black America” back in August — defended his working with the Trump campaign as a nonpartisan effort to get things done for Black America, claiming both Democrats and Republicans contacted him and he made the decision to speak with the Trump administration, which he said ultimately altered the plan.

Ice Cube speaks onstage. (Credit: Getty Images)

Ice Cube also claimed that Democrats told him to wait until after the election to make demands on behalf of the Black community. Biden surrogate Rep. Cedric Richmond, however, denied that ever happened. Richmond added that Biden’s plan for Black Americans was more comprehensive.

Read More: Rep. Cedric Richmond denies Ice Cube was told to hold off demands until after election: ‘That did not happen’

“It’s not as comprehensive as our plan. And so that’s what we told him, and the offer to stay engaged was not, ‘we’ll talk to you after the election.’ It went like this: ‘Here’s my cell number, anything else you want to talk about on this plan or anything you think, you know, we need to talk about further, just pick up the phone and call,” Richmond said.

Lil Wayne makes at least the third hip-hop star to curry favor with Trump — Kanye West also infamously showed his support for the president, going as far as to done Trump’s red MAGA hat. 50 Cent also told his followers to vote for Trump in a tweet complaining about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden‘s tax plan.

50 Cent later backtracked saying “F**k Donald Trump,” and according to ex-girlfriend Chelsea Handler, the Queens rapper wasn’t serious about his previous support for the president.

Read More: Chelsea Handler offers to pay ex-boyfriend 50 Cent’s taxes if he drops Trump support

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for EA Sports Bowl at Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest )

Lil Wayne’s support for Trump is likely to cause outrage, as most Black Americans are solidly against Trump, who has a long history of racism. This wouldn’t be the first time, however, that Wayne has ruffled feathers for his political comments.

In 2016, he said he didn’t “feel connected” to the Black Lives Matter movement and went as far as to say that there’s “no such thing as racism.” The rapper used an example of a white cop saving his life at 12 as proof of his claim.

“I don’t know what racism is,” he said.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!

The post Lil Wayne reveals ‘great’ meeting with Trump, praises his Platinum Plan appeared first on TheGrio.

from TheGrio https://ift.tt/3kHoV9F

Men charged with intimidating Black voters ordered to call back victims, admit messages were false

Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman were charged in more than one state for allegedly trying to deter Black voters

Two men are in big trouble for allegedly trying to suppress the Black vote.

Jacob Wohl, 22, and Jack Burkman, 54, were ordered on Wednesday to call back all the recipients of their robocalls whom they spread misinformation to by 5 p.m. on Thursday or they will be in contempt of court. The men are out of jail on a bond of $100,000 according to Metro Times.

They came together to allegedly spread false information to folks in places like Detroit and Ohio to stop them from voting.

Read More: Shaq explains why he never voted before: ‘I didn’t have time’

Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman were arraigned in 36th District Court. (credit: screenshot/36th District Court)

“Mail-in voting sounds great, but did you know that if you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to track down old warrants and be used by credit card companies to collect outstanding debts? The CDC is even pushing to use records for mail-in voting to track people for mandatory vaccines. Don’t be finessed into giving your private information to the man, stay safe and beware of vote by mail,” the call said.

They made about 12,000 calls that were false and illegal in Detroit and U.S. District Court Judge Victor Marrero called it “electoral terror.” 

In the order he wrote, “The means Defendants use to intimidate voters, though born of fear and similarly powered by hate, are not guns, torches, burning crosses, and other dire methods perpetrated under the cover of white hoods,” said Marrero. “Rather, Defendants carry out electoral terror using telephones, computers, and modern technology adapted to serve the same deleterious ends.”

Read More: Lizzo stumps for Biden and Harris in digital ad targeting Michigan’s young voters

They were arraigned at the 36th District Court on October 8 and charged with conspiracy to commit an election law violation, intimidating voters, and using a computer to commit the crime of conspiracy and election law.

The Attorney General of Michigan Dana Nessel says the men were clearly trying to deter voters. In a statement, Nessel said, “Voting is a cornerstone of our democracy and all voters should be able to cast their ballot without confusion or fear.”

The pair were also charged in Ohio on Tuesday for supposedly making similar calls in Cleveland and East Cleveland. In addition to that the The National Coalition on Black Civil Participation sued both men under the  Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 claiming they made calls to over 85,000 people in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

Marrero ordered the alleged liars to call back victims and say the following:

“At the direction of a United States district court, this call is intended to inform you that a federal court has found that the message you previously received regarding mail-in voting from Project 1599, a political organization founded by Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, contained false information that has had the effect of intimidating voters, and thus interfering with the upcoming presidential election, in violation of federal voting-rights laws.”

Burkman’s attorney, Scott Grabel told the judge, “The charges are an absolute atrocity” and that “It did not deter voters.”

Assistant Attorney General Richard Cunningham barked back and said, “We have a very strong case.”

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!

The post Men charged with intimidating Black voters ordered to call back victims, admit messages were false appeared first on TheGrio.

from TheGrio https://ift.tt/37PIDN3