Philadelphia boutique owner speaks out after store looted during protests

‘We are now in danger of losing everything we worked so hard for.’

A Philadelphia businesswoman says it took looters about a minute to snatch up everything inside her boutique Tuesday during the city’s unrest over the police killing of 27-year-old Walter Wallace Jr..

Jameelah Scurry’s La’Vanter Boutique was reportedly among the nearly 200 small businesses targeted by vandals. The destruction occurred just as her company celebrated its two-year anniversary in the community. 

“We were also celebrating that and our two-year mark in business,” Scurry shared with local reporters, per 6ABC.com.

Read More: Black toddler taken, mother beaten by police during Philadelphia protests

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Entrepreneur and Peirce College alum Jameelah Scurry was left in shock Tuesday when her boutique store (@lavanter_boutique_) was destroyed following the city's recent looting and unrest. @emoodyofficial reports: Read more with link in our bio.

A post shared by 6abc (@6abcactionnews) on Oct 28, 2020 at 2:01pm PDT

The Pierce College graduate quit her job, sold her home, maxed out her credit cards and invested her entire savings into her boutique. She even survived the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. This latest setback could force her to close the doors to La’Vanter for good. 

“Me graduating from Peirce, that was a long journey too,” Scurry said. “I was actually very proud of myself, graduating in a pandemic. It was extremely hard with all of the George Floyd riots and all of that going on.”

Community members are supporting Scurry with her rebuilding efforts via a campaign on GoFundMe.

“I quit my job and decided to invest in my dreams and community. I emptied my savings and checking account. Maxed out credit cards and sold my house to open my business,” the campaign page states.  

Scurry’s boutique was previously burglarized in August, “which set us back Significantly,” she noted on the campaign page. “On 10-27-20 we were again burglarized and cleaned out. We are now in danger of losing everything we worked so hard for.”

Read More: Couple gets engaged during Philadelphia protests for Walter Wallace Jr.

Entrepreneur and Pierce College alum Jameelah Scurry was left in shock Tuesday when her boutique store was destroyed following the city's recent looting and unrest amid the death of 27-year-old Walter Wallace Jr. @6abc https://t.co/US4RRQjtsT pic.twitter.com/DqPcMSnwZI

— Eric Moody (@EMoodyOfficial) October 28, 2020

The campaign has raised over $35,000 at the time of this post, surpassing its original goal of $15,000.

“It’s been a real blessing,” said Scurry. “I appreciate everybody that reached out to even give us encouraging words and that are praying for us.”

Scurry is hopeful La’Vanter can bounce back from this massive financial loss. 

“We as Black people, really need to reunite and come together,” she said. “Destroying and tearing down our own people is not the answer.”

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Spike Lee calls Jared Kushner ‘punka–‘ for comments on Black people

The acclaimed director has made clear that he is ‘so tired of white folks telling us what we need to do.’

Spike Lee has clapped back at Jared Kushner for his comments on the success of Black Americans. 

The filmmaker joined SiriusXM’s “The Joe Madison Show” on Friday and called Kushner a “punk a**” for saying Black people must not “want to be successful.”

Lee made clear that he is “so tired of white folks telling us what we need to do.”

Read More: Jared Kushner implies Black people don’t want to be successful as he defends Trump

Jared Kushner speaks as if Black people are lazy complainers who don't want to be successful. This blatant DISRESPECT shows he has NO understanding of the Black community and its challenges that have spanned centuries. You can't "fix" these problems from this level of ego. pic.twitter.com/fmILMVbrzY

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) October 26, 2020

“How could this guy, how could this punk-a** say what Black folks need to do? You know, it’s like there wasn’t 400 years of slavery, systematic racism, go on, list, list list list…this guy to say to Black people, that we don’t wanna succeed? Hey, let him come to Brooklyn talking that. Let him come to Harlem talking that mess,” said the Oscar-winning acclaimed director. 

Trump’s son-in-law caught major heat earlier this week after an appearance on Fox News where he made a controversial statement about the Black community.

“The thing we’ve seen in the Black community, which is mostly Democratic,” said Kushner, “is that President Trump’s policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems that they’re complaining about, but he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.”

Read More: Barack Obama slams Jared Kushner’s comments on Black success: ‘Who are these people?’

Spike Lee at Samuel Goldwyn Theater on August 8, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California.

Lee responded to his remarks on “The Joe Madison Show,” calling Kushner a “punk” and implying that the Trump administration is trying to “take our eyes off the prize.”

“First of all, that guy’s a punk. Second of all, our ancestors with — here’s how America was built, the United States of America was built by the stealing of the land from the Native Americans and the genocide Americans coupled with slavery,” Lee continued. “So we built this country! So what the hell is he talking about? We don’t want to succeed!? He’s nuts!”

Lee also reacted to Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) saying she doesn’t believe systemic racism is a problem in Maine. 

“Are we seeing another epidemic of crack? Did crack come back, or did I miss it? Because these people, these folks are smoking crack..didn’t they hear crack is whack, but they want to bring it back,” said Lee. 

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Washington cops fatally shoot Black man, leave body in street for 12 hours

Police were reprotedly more concered about ‘prioritising getting his car out of there before his body.’

Yet another Black man has been fatally shot by police this week, and this time the tragedy occurred near Vancouver, Washington, about 12 miles north of Portland.

Kevin Peterson Jr. was shot dead by Clark County sheriff’s deputies on Thursday evening (Oct. 29) in the parking lot at a US Bank branch in Hazel Dell. Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters wasted no time converging on the area, chanting the victim’s name and demanding answers. 

“They left his body out there for almost exactly 12 hours,” one protestor, who asked not to be identified, told Newsweek. “His mom just broke down. I’ve never heard a sound like that.”

Several witnesses have shared videos on social media showing the response from BLM activists on the scene. Check out a few of the clips below.

Read More: Philadelphia police to release body cam footage of Wallace shooting amid unrest

Protestors are gathered in Vancouver, Washington

The Columbian is reporting “An investigation into a shooting that involved Clark County sheriff’s deputies”https://t.co/25ANUeA0sI pic.twitter.com/99BFwpiYC0

— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) October 30, 2020

Peterson’s parents were not allowed to see/identify his body until almost 12 hours after the shooting. According to witnesses, police were more pressed about “prioritising getting his car out of there before his body.”

Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins said at a press conference on Friday that the shooting occurred as narcotics detectives were conducting an investigation in the area, per columbian.com. 

“A foot pursuit ensued where deputies from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office were chasing a man with a firearm,” Atkins said. “The information I have is that upon entering the parking lot of a bank, the man reportedly fired his weapon at the deputies. The deputies returned fire and the subject was tragically killed. It is my understanding that the man’s firearm was observed at the scene.”

Three deputies reprotedly fired their weapons and all have have been placed on administrative leave, according to the report.

Read More: Louisville police union president says cops ‘were justified’ in Breonna Taylor shooting

“Say his name” pic.twitter.com/a0wXg929Oq

— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) October 30, 2020

Peterson’s girlfriend and the mother of his child, Olivia Selto, told The Columbian that she was on the phone with him prior to the shooting, and remained on the line for nine minutes “until the police finally came over and hung up the phone.” 

Selto added, “I heard his last words and everything. I’m devastated, and we will get justice for his wrongful death.”

“Kevin did everything for me.. doesn’t matter what it was or what time he always came when i asked. I regret every argument please come back,” she wrote in a Twitter post. 

I took this photo of KP a couple years ago at his parents wedding that I was lucky enough to photograph. I thought I’d share. Rest in paradise @_splashkp 🕊 pic.twitter.com/324hvaiQpM

— Jake Thompson (@__27K) October 30, 2020

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to cover funeral costs for the victim.

“Kevin (KP) Peterson Jr. is an unarmed black man who was murdered by police in Vancouver, WA tonight,” the page reads.

“He has a daughter. He was only 21. He was a beautiful young man and the police have murdered him. Remember these things when the police tried to soil his name and reputation.”

Peterson Jr.’s death comes three days after the killing of Walter Wallace Jr. by Philadelphia police officers.

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Walter Wallace Jr. received mental health care days before shooting

Three calls were made to 911 about the victim’s concerning behavior on Monday, but his crisis team was never alerted

Walter Wallace Jr. received mental health care at a crisis center three days before he was fatally shot by Philadelphia police officers. 

Wallace Jr. regularly used the outpatient services at the West Philadelphia Consortium, a mental health crisis response center, and had recently resumed treatment, according to executive director John White, per Inquirer.com. 

“His mother told me that when he came home Friday and she asked him how it went, he told her that he was doing much better and that we had gotten him ready to start looking for a job,” said White of Wallace Jr.’s last visit to the center. 

Read More: Walter Wallace Jr.’s family does not want officers charged, lawyer says

But for whatever reason, Wallace became triggered and began to spiral out of control on that fateful night.

theGRIO previously reported, Wallace Jr. was having a mental health crisis when his mother called 911 for an ambulance. Two police officers responded. After he advanced toward them holding a knife, the officers shot the 27-year-old at least a dozen times.

White believes if the family or the police had called a crisis team from the center to the scene, Wallace Jr. might still be alive.

“We knew him and he knew us,” said White. “He trusted us and was appreciative of the help we provided. No one else on the scene could claim that credibility. … He didn’t know the police, he didn’t trust them.”

Three calls were reportedly made to 911 about Wallace’s concerning behavior on Monday, but his crisis team was never alerted.

“Do you realize how egregious this is?” said White, who previously served as a state representative, Pennsylvania’s secretary of welfare, and a city councilman.

“[The dispatchers] should have alerted us immediately,” he added. “You’re telling me they had three bites at the apple?”

Read More: Walter Wallace Jr.’s mother says she pleaded for son’s life: ‘Don’t shoot my son’

Walter Wallace Jr. should be alive.

Congress must pass our bill. Mental health providers should be the first responders when someone is in the midst of a mental health crisis. @katieporteroc https://t.co/ySWnEaGlZR

— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) October 27, 2020

It’s unclear why the family called 911 instead of the Consortium, but they have made clear that they do not want the officers who killed their loved one to be charged for his death.

“Here’s why: They were improperly trained,” family attorney Shaka Johnson told reporters at a press conference Thursday, “and did not have the proper equipment by which to effectuate their job.”

The comments came after the Wallace family watched police officers’ body camera footage of Monday’s shooting.The officers, who remain unidentified, were not carrying tasers. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw has said that not all officers do, and says she has previously requested them.

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Beyoncé lands December cover of ‘British Vogue’

The ‘Black is King’ singer talks about what 2020’s challenges have meant to her

Today it was revealed that international superstar Beyoncé is gracing the cover of not just one – but three – versions of British Vogue for the magazine’s December issue.

Read More: The cast of ‘His House’ talks Black horror and community

In her interview with British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, the mother of three talks about her family, her artistry, and how the Black Lives Matter movement has helped her evolve her perspective on life and her purpose.

For the three steamy covers, King Bey can be seen rocking a black Mugler sheer bodysuit in one, a neon yellow organza coat in another, and in the thirds, she promotes her own line in a catsuit and custom-made hat by Adidas x We Are Ivy Park.

“[I’ve] absolutely changed [this year],” Beyoncé told Enninful. “It would be difficult to experience life in a pandemic and the current social unrest and not be changed,” she expresses. “I have learnt that my voice is clearer when I am still. I truly cherish this time with my family, and my new goal is to slow down and shed stressful things from my life.”

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“Something cracked open inside of me right after giving birth to my first daughter. From that point on, I truly understood my power, and motherhood has been my biggest inspiration.” In the December 2020 issue of #BritishVogue, mother and megastar @Beyonce speaks to British Vogue Editor-in-Chief @Edward_Enninful. See the full story in the new issue, on newsstands and available for digital download Friday 6 November. #Beyonce wears an organza coat, catsuit, and custom-made hat all @Adidas x @WeAreIvyPark, with @JimmyChoo shoes and @LorraineSchwartz jewellery. Photographed by @InternetBby and styled by @Edward_Enninful with hair by @JawaraW and colourists @Rachel_Bodt and @ShirleyGHauteHair, make-up by @FrancescaTolot, nails by @OhMyNailsNYC, set design by @StefanBeckman and lighting direction by @_Wordie. With thanks to Beyoncé’s personal stylist @ZerinaAkers, @MarnixMarni, her tailor #TimWhite and publicist @YvetteNoelSchure; Parkwood Entertainment creative director @KwasiFordjour and creative producer @LaurenLaLaBaker; Satellite414 founder @CarlitoF8; @TravisKiewel and @RobFamous for @ThatOneProduction; and Vogue entertainment director-at-large @JillDemling.

A post shared by British Vogue (@britishvogue) on Oct 30, 2020 at 10:15am PDT

The philanthropist, mother, wife and artist says that the pandemic has given her some much-needed down time to reflect on her accomplishments and future goals.

“I came into the music industry at 15 years old and grew up with the world watching, and I have put out projects non-stop. I released “Lemonade” during the Formation World Tour, gave birth to twins, performed at Coachella, directed Homecoming, went on another world tour with Jay, then Black is King all back to back,” she continues. “It’s been heavy and hectic. I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on building my legacy and representing my culture the best way I know how. Now, I’ve decided to give myself permission to focus on my joy.”

The entertainer also opens up about the idea of creating a better world for daughters Blue Ivy, 8, and Rumi, 3, and son Sir, 3, who have become a driving force in her work.

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“It would be difficult to experience life in a pandemic and the current social unrest and not be changed. I have learnt that my voice is clearer when I am still.” For the December 2020 issue of #BritishVogue, the powerhouse that is @Beyonce talks family, fashion and philanthropy with @Edward_Enninful and gives a rare and rounded glimpse into her world. See the full story in the new issue, on newsstands and available for digital download Friday 6 November. #Beyonce wears an @AlexanderMcQueen jacket, @AtsukoKudoLatex hotpants and @LouboutinWorld shoes. Photographed by @InternetBby and styled by @Edward_Enninful with hair by @JawaraW and colourists @Rachel_Bodt and @ShirleyGHauteHair, make-up by @FrancescaTolot, nails by @OhMyNailsNYC, set design by @StefanBeckman and lighting direction by @_Wordie. With thanks to Beyoncé’s personal stylist @ZerinaAkers, her tailor #TimWhite and publicist @YvetteNoelSchure; Parkwood Entertainment creative director @KwasiFordjour and creative producer @LaurenLaLaBaker; Satellite414 founder @CarlitoF8; @TravisKiewel and @RobFamous for @ThatOneProduction; and Vogue entertainment director-at-large @JillDemling.

A post shared by British Vogue (@britishvogue) on Oct 30, 2020 at 10:17am PDT

“Something cracked open inside of me right after giving birth to my first daughter. From that point on, I truly understood my power, and motherhood has been my biggest inspiration,” she recalls. “It became my mission to make sure she lived in a world where she feels truly seen and valued. I was also deeply inspired by my trip to South Africa with my family. And, after having my son, Sir Carter, I felt it was important to uplift and praise our boys and to assure that they grow up with enough films, children’s books and music that promote emotional intelligence, self-value and our rich history. That’s why [Black is King] is dedicated to him.”

Read More: TLC documentary to air on A&E in 2021

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@Beyonce stars on three special covers for the December 2020 issue of #BritishVogue. She speaks to Editor-In-Chief @Edward_Enninful about everything from the recent racial and social justice movements, to her personal legacy and why she has finally decided to “give myself permission to focus on my joy”. Read the full interview and see the 20-page fashion extravaganza photographed by Kennedi Carter in the new issue, on newsstands and available for digital download Friday 6 November. #Beyonce wears all @MuglerOfficial. Photographed by @InternetBby and styled by @Edward_Enninful with hair by @JawaraW and colourists @Rachel_Bodt and @ShirleyGHauteHair, make-up by @FrancescaTolot, nails by @OhMyNailsNYC, set design by @StefanBeckman and lighting direction by @_Wordie. With thanks to Beyoncé’s personal stylist @ZerinaAkers, her tailor #TimWhite and publicist @YvetteNoelSchure; Parkwood Entertainment creative director @KwasiFordjour and creative producer @LaurenLaLaBaker; Satellite414 founder @CarlitoF8; @TravisKiewel and @RobFamous for @ThatOneProduction; and Vogue entertainment director-at-large @JillDemling.

A post shared by British Vogue (@britishvogue) on Oct 30, 2020 at 9:59am PDT

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The December issue of British Vogue is available for downloads and on newsstands on Friday, Nov. 6.

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