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Thursday, June 4, 2020

Klobuchar draws ire of social media for appearance at George Floyd’s memorial

Democratic Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar’s presence at George Floyd‘s memorial service was not welcomed by those on social media.

Klobuchar has widely been seen as one of the women on the shortlist for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s VP. It’s expected that he will choose a woman and several names have been speculated upon including former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and California Senator Kamala Harris.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar/Getty Images

READ MORE: Sharpton eulogizes George Floyd, demands America ‘get your knee off our necks’

But her appearance at Floyd’s memorial in Minneapolis today wasn’t appreciated by observers online. They argued that the former Hennepin County prosecutor shouldn’t be there given her record on police brutality cases.

Klobuchar, who dropped out of the presidential race, was looking good for the VP nod until Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. He died during an arrest while now-former police officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on his neck when he was prone and handcuffed in the street.

Video of the arrest drew worldwide outrage and has led to protests in all 50 states, some of which turned violent. All four officers involved have now been arrested and charged with crimes including murder and aiding and abetting.

Klobuchar’s record as Hennepin County prosecutor has come under fire after it was determined that she let over a dozen police officers evade prosecution in fatal shootings, during her tenure from 1999 – 2007, reports The Guardian.

In a 2006 shooting that involved Chauvin, Kloubachar, who had left the prosecutor’s office to run for Senate, was not involved in prosecuting the case. It went to the grand jury who declined to prosecute, but Klobuchar admits that allowing the cases to go to a grand jury wasn’t the best option.

Her appearance at Floyd’s memorial, one of several planned including in his hometown of Houston, Texas led to an angry response on social media regardless.

 

Needless to say, Klobuchar’s VP candidacy should be over, but she hasn’t conceded it and Biden hasn’t confirmed or denied that she’s even on his shortlist. Biden is expected to announce his pick later this summer.

READ MORE: Minneapolis police rendered 44 people unconscious with neck restraints since 2015

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The post Klobuchar draws ire of social media for appearance at George Floyd’s memorial appeared first on TheGrio.



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Host Amanda Seales Leaves ‘The Real’ After 6 Months Citing Lack of Black Executives

Amanda Seales

Amanda Seales is a multitalented comedian and an actress. Last year she became the new host on The Real with Loni Love, Jeannie Mai, Adrienne Hougton, and Tamera Mowry-Housley. However, in a recent Instagram Live video this week, she revealed that she would be leaving the daytime television show after only six months.

Seales revealed the news this week in an interview with actor Brandon Victor Dixon in an hourlong conversation where she brings up why she decided to leave the Emmy Award-winning show. Deadline reported that Seales was offered a new deal, but declined to stay.

“My contract is up … and I didn’t renew it because it doesn’t feel good to my soul to be at a place where I cannot speak to my people the way they need to be spoken to,” Seales said during her interview. “And where the people who are speaking to me in disparaging ways are not being handled,” she added.

Seales continues to say that one of her motivations was due to the lack of diversity among senior-level executives that were making decisions she didn’t always agree with.

“I’m not in a space where I can, as a full black woman, have my voice and my co-workers also have their voices and where the people at the top are not respecting the necessity for black voices to be at the top too,” Seales said.

Seales also went on Instagram in another video to clarify that her exit had nothing to do with any of her co-hosts. Loni Love reposted her video thanking her for her statement.

“Do not try to create some false dissension between me and the co-hosts of The Real. Y’all so fucking corny,” she said. “There is a whole pandemic and an uprising going on, and you still can’t find s*** else to do but try and create some kind of conflict that doesn’t exist? … What I gotta do with my business ain’t got nothing to do with them sisters.”



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SoftBank Announces $100 Investment Fund For Minority-Owned Businesses

Softbank

SoftBank announced Wednesday it will start a $100 million Opportunity Fund that will invest only in companies led by people of color.

According to CNBC, the fund is the first created in response to nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others.

SoftBank Group International CEO Marcelo Claure told CNBC’s Squawk Box Wednesday the company put the effort together in the past 24 hours after speaking to SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.

“We spoke to Masa Son about the privilege that we see at SoftBank, being one of the largest tech investors in the world, and we needed to do something big about it,” Claure told CNBC. “The whole thing is to do something about it. I see a lot of people have good intentions, but I think each one of us needs to contribute to make change in America.”

The fund will start with $100 million of its own capital and will not take a traditional management fee, the company said in a statement. The company added 50% of gains made will be reinvested into subsequent Growth Opportunity Funds.

SoftBank will also donate a portion of its gains to organizations that create opportunities for people of color. Claure sent a letter to all employees, writing it’s also creating a dedicated diversity and inclusion program to examine hiring biases.

SoftBank’s current management is overwhelmingly male, with the company planning to nominate its first female board director at a shareholder meeting later this month. Additionally, the company added it will match all personal donations, up to $1,000, to support nonprofit organizations that fight racism and discrimination and promote unity.

Citi and JPMorgan Chase also made commitments to helping minority businesses and owners through investment funds earlier this year.



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Audio Released in the Police Shooting of Dion Johnson

Protests have raged across the country in righteous outrage at the police killing of George Floyd. In Phoenix, protests have been held not only in honor of Floyd but also for Dion Johnson, the 28-year-old black man who was shot and killed by an Arizona Department of Safety Trooper the same day Floyd died at the hands…

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These Are the Cruelty-Free Beauty Brands to Support Right Now

Who here cares about animals? They’re super fluffy, and whatever your choice make great companions. My love for pets made me realize that maybe I should make a list of some of my favorite cruelty-free beauty brands and highlight one product from each, just to support the movement. I’m not vegan or anything, but I do…

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