NYC leaders call for investigation into fight between cops and teens

A melee in a NYC subway has prompted city officials to call for a probe to investigate what actually sparked a brawl between a crowd of teens and several NYPD cops.

READ MORE: Teen girls who started violent brawl at California McDonald’s sought by police

On Friday, multiple videos surfaced on social media sites featuring teens getting into fisticuffs with cops at the Jay Street-MetroTech Station in Brooklyn around 2:20 p.m.

In one particular video, an NYPD cops gets into a very physical confrontation with a teenager, which has upset many on social media and community leaders, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, NBC NY reports.

“The officer who punched the two teens should immediately be placed on modified assignment until a complete investigation can be carried out. At best, his actions were off base and reflect poorly on the men and women of the NYPD,” Adams said.

“I am also concerned about what led up to this melee. Reports indicate a group of teens were assaulting a young lady, which led to a teen spraying mace throughout the station. We can’t have innocent people placed in harm’s way from police or civilians,” Adams concluded.

According to reports, the officers were on hand to disperse a gathering of youths who were reportedly fighting at the station. A 15-year-old was said to have hit an officer, which reportedly ignited the fight.

READ MORE: Video of special needs girl brutally beat by bullies goes viral with #JusticeforJanise

In the end, five teens ages 15 to 18 were arrested and face multiple charges including resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer, the NYPD said.

“Officers responded to a fight between two large groups, during which individuals began to interfere with police action and the situation escalated. Publicly available video does not show the entirety of the incident, and the department is conducting a review,” the NYPD said in a statement late Sunday.

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Michigan Rep. John Conyers dies at age 90

Former Michigan Representative John Conyers passed away on Sunday at aged 90, his family announced.

According to the Huffington Post, the Democratic congressman served in the House from 1965 until December 2017, becoming the longest serving Black congressman until when he resigned following allegations that he sexually harassed several female staffers.

READ MORE: John Conyers will reportedly retire, grandson expected to run for seat

Born in Highland Park, Michigan in 1929, Conyers saw himself thrusted into the political arena during a tumultuous time during the Civil Rights Movement. During his first year in office, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, an important piece of legislation that guaranteed voting rights to Black Americans, which the new congressman helped to introduce.

Conyers would go on to be one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The Huffington Post noted that during his final three years in office, he was the “dean” of the House, a title given to the longest continuously serving member.

Yet Conyers’ longevity and legacy was not without its controversy, as the congressman was accused of giving female employees unwanted sexual advances and mistreating them, according to the Washington Post. Eighty years old at the time of his resignation, Conyers was hospitalized shortly after his resignation for what his attorney described as a stress-related illness.

READ MORE: House leaders Nancy Pelosi, Paul Ryan call for John Conyers’ resignation

“My legacy can’t be compromised or diminished in any way by what we’re going through now,” Conyers told a radio station, according to the New York Times.

It was later found that Conyers reached a $27,000 settlement with a former female staffer, which the Washington Post noted intensified scrutiny of Congress for its secretive system of settling harassment complaints. Yet, he still had many supporters.

It has not yet been revealed what caused Conyers’ death.

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Kamala Harris’ boycott threats got group that gave Trump criminal justice award the boot

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ scheduled appearance for a forum at Benedict College took a turn when she found out that the event’s sponsor, the 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center, celebrated Donald Trump for his “criminal justice reform.”

A criminal justice forum slated Harris and nine other Democratic presidential candidates to speak, but Harris on Friday threatened to boycott the event after learning that the sponsor gave Trump an award, according to the Washington Post. Trump made a controversial appearance at the historically Black college that same day, which was marred by even more controversy when news got out that most of Benedict’s students were not allowed to attend the event, TIME reported.

READ MORE: Kamala Harris and Cory Booker blast Comcast in $20B Byron Allen civil rights lawsuit

During his speech at the event, Trump claimed that he has been an ally to the Black community without forgetting to acknowledge his disdain for the investigation into his competency as a president.

“All my life, I’ve been committed to advancing fairness and opportunity for the African American community,” Trump said. “You know that, you see what’s going on with the witch hunt. It’s a terrible thing that’s going on in our country. No crimes there; it’s an investigation in search of a crime. But in America, you’re innocent until proven guilty, and we don’t have investigations in search of that crime.”

Harris released a statement about her thoughts on Trump being honored.

“Donald Trump is a lawless President. Not only does he circumvent the laws of our country and the principles of our Constitution, but there is nothing in his career that is about justice, for justice, or in celebration of justice,” Harris said.

According to the Washington Post, Harris said on Saturday afternoon that the college dropped 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center and opened the event to the larger student body. Although it is unclear in what way the organization was dropped, the Washington Post also reported that a banner with its name was still displayed and members of the organization were present at the event, some even shared pictures on social media.

READ MORE: Sen. Kamala Harris home state poll numbers see significant dip

Harris did not hold her tongue about her confusion on why Trump had been honored with an award regarding criminal justice reform at the event.

“I just couldn’t believe that Donald Trump would be given an award as it related to criminal justice reform,” she said. “This is somebody that has disrespected the voices that have been present for decades for criminal justice reform. The people that have sacrificed to create justice in this system.”

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Bernie Sanders tells Black student ‘respect’ police to avoid being shot

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has been a popular option among Black voters, but that may change after a video surfaced of him making controversial comments to a Black student about policing.

During an appearance at the Second Step Presidential Justice Forum at HBCU Benedict College, a Black student asked Sanders what advice he would offer him on encounters with police, if he was Sanders’ son. According to CBS News, the presidential candidate struggled to answer. Sanders began his answer by advising the student to be polite and things got worse from there.

READ MORE: Bernie Sanders: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would be part of his White House

“I would respect what they are doing so that you don’t get shot in the back of the head, but I would also be very mindful of the fact that as a nation, we have got to hold police officers accountable for the actions that they commit,” he continued. “I would be very cautious if you were my son in terms of dealing with that police officer, but I would also defend my rights and know my rights and make sure if possible that police officer’s camera is on what goes on.”

He was not met with much crowd approval.

Democratic presidential front runner, former Vice President Joe Biden was asked the same question and seemed to be more confident as a Black female student asked him what she should do when pulled over by police, if she was his daughter.

READ MORE: New book ‘Barack and Joe’ reveals the awkward beginnings of a now infamous White House ‘bromance’

“If you were my daughter, you’d be a Caucasian girl and you wouldn’t be pulled over,” Biden said. “That’s what’s wrong.”

Biden went on to post a clip of his answer to Twitter. Sanders did not post his answer, but instead tried to clean up the mess by posting a clip of his take on the criminal justice system. Social media users were not having it.

In 2015 Bernie said black people were locked up more often than whites for drug crimes because “most drug dealers are African American”https://t.co/TcWnx1FL8n

— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) October 26, 2019

POLICE WILL SHOOT YOU WHETHER OR NOT YOU MAKE SUDDEN MOVEMENTS WTF do you know how ignorant you have to be about race relations not to understand that

— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) October 27, 2019

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Second-time SNL host Chance the Rapper brings awareness to Chicago teachers

It is no secret that Chance the Rapper is passionate about contributing to his hometown of Chicago, so it came as no surprise that he used his platform on this week’s Saturday Night Live to bring awareness to the struggles faced by Chicago teachers.

The second-time SNL host came out during his opening monologue wearing a red Chicago’s Teachers Union sweatshirt. He also began by reminding the audience of his $1 million contribution to Chicago Public Schools in 2017.

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“I’m happy to say it completely fixed everything,” he said ironically, which USA Today noted was his way of acknowledging that his contribution hasn’t solved all the school system’s problems.

He also gave a shoutout to the Chicago teachers that were on strike and said to the camera that he “fully” supports them.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the strike has been ongoing for seven school days. Teachers are looking to address class size and daily access to nurses, social workers and librarians.

READ MORE: Will Smith, Chance the Rapper and Childish Gambino nominated for 2019 Webby Awards

In addition to the SNL episode’s social awareness plug, Chance is being praised for his solid performance in the sketches and as a host.

Chance did a rap honoring Chicago, also known as the Second City, paying homage to things and places considered to be second best. USA Today noted that the rapper went on to recite his favorites — Bing over Google; Burger King’s French fries over McDonald’s; Pepsi over Coke; Adam Carolla over Jimmy Kimmel and so on — as cast members Heidi Gardner and Melissa Villaseñor flipped picture cards detailing each example.

He was showed his comedy chops in several sketches where he played an array of characters that ranged from being a judge to a dance student.

 

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