By Cecilia Smith -March 10, 2018

Entangled in controversy, you would think the infamous New York Police Department would have enough things to worry about, including a recent leaked file that revealed hundreds of officers had been allowed to remain on the job following a string of fireable offenses. According to a new report however, research indicates that there’s something else on the minds of some officers, namely, a fear of tall African-American men.

Yes, you read that right.

Published by the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, the study — conducted by University of North Carolina psychology professor Kurt Gray and social psychology graduate student Neil Hester — concluded that being a tall Black man increases the likelihood of being profiled by white New York Police officers.

According to the study, “Young Black men are stereotyped as threatening, which can have grave consequences for interactions with police. We show that these threat stereotypes are even greater for tall Black men, who face greater discrimination from police officers and elicit stronger judgments of threat. We challenge the assumption that height is intrinsically good for men. White men may benefit from height, but Black men may not.”

It also found that, “Height seems beneficial for men in terms of salaries and success; however, past research on height examines only White men. For Black men, height may be more costly than beneficial, primarily signaling threat rather than competence. Three studies reveal the downsides of height in Black men.”

http://atlantablackstar.com/2018/03/10/study-proves-race-height-plays-factor-police-discrimination/

By Tanasia Kenney -April 18, 2018

A Kansas City firefighter charged after an incident where he spat on a 3-year-old child and called him the n-word is back at work this week.

Terrence Jeremy Skeen, 42, was reinstated at the Kansas City Fire Department ahead of his trial next month after his attorneys argued he was “suspended incorrectly,” the Kansas City Star reported. Skeen faces battery, assault, and disorderly conduct charges stemming from a Feb. 26 altercation at a local Hooters.

The firefighter is accused of threatening to shoot a Black customer, calling him a racial slur and then spitting on his 3-year-old grandson inside the restaurant. The victim, Raymond L. Harris, stayed behind after the Hooter’s manager called the police to report Harris and his family, not Skeen. Harris’ family was ultimately asked to leave the restaurant, despite having done nothing wrong, according to the newspaper.

Harris said he was still inside with his grandson when the child briefly wandered away. Moments later, another patron said she saw Skeen spit on the child.

“You need to get that f—ing girl and take her back to the other side where you came from,” Skeen shouted at the man from across the bar.

After correcting him on the tot’s gender, Harris said he asked Skeen if he had spit on his grandchild.

“F–k you, you (n-word),” Skeen allegedly replied. “I will spit on you. F–k you! I will shoot you!”

http://atlantablackstar.com/2018/04/18/kansas-firefighter-reinstated-hurling-racial-slurs-spitting-3-year-old-hooters/

BRAD REED
18 APR 2018 AT 08:09 ET

A series of videos posted on Facebook this week shows that employees at an LA Fitness gym in Secaucus, New Jersey called the cops on a black member because they assumed he didn’t pay to get in — and refused to back down even after learning he was a member.

The videos were posted by a New Jersey man named Tshyrad Oates but were originally filmed by Oates’ friend, who is a member of the gym.

The first video shows Oates’ friend fuming as he walks from the main gym area toward the lobby after he’s been asked to leave the gym because he didn’t pay an entrance fee — despite the fact that he’s a paid member.

He approaches the woman at the front desk and asks her to scan his membership tag, which she does. After the scan shows that he is a member of the gym, the woman simply stands up and doesn’t say anything as she walks away.

The second video shows him being confronted by the gym’s manager, who tells him that he can’t shoot video in the gym. When he refuses to stop, the manager tries to implore police officers in the lobby to make him stop, but they tell him they can’t legally do that.

“I understand, you don’t like cell phones,” one officer says to him. “But it’s not criminal activity.”

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/04/watch-black-man-blocked-entering-nj-gym-hes-paid-member-even-cops-confused/?comments=disqus

You don’t know me. I know that for sure now. It’s not that I would expect you to know me, although many people in the Bay Area do, because of the work I’ve done as a stand-up comedian locally and on television. I’m known for something that The New Yorker called “intersectional progressivism.” That basically means I use jokes to fight for the people who don’t get a fair shake in the world. For the last several years, I have tried to learn as much as I can about oppression in all forms so that I can help make the world slightly more bearable with a few jokes. But that’s just my career.

In my life, I am a person who loves The Bay Area. LOVE IT! I lived in San Francisco for 13 years and in Oakland for two. And even though I lived in SF mostly, I spent A LOT of time in The East Bay. I have done my own headlining shows at The New Parish, La Pena, The East Bay JCC, and Marga Gomez’s comedy nights at The Marsh. I love these audiences. The Bay Area is a place where all sorts of different people live together, explore new ideas and strive to uphold the idea made famous by children singer Raffi, “The more we get together the happier we’ll be!”

To be honest though, my most fervent love is for Oakland. Which is why I was so excited recently when the people at Oaklandish gave me a hoodie. They just GAVE IT TO ME! I was walking past their pop-up shop at The Oakland Airport and one of their employees saw me, recognized me (I told you that people around here know me), and she awesomely and very generously gave me a hoodie. I love it. I wear it a lot. I was wearing it this past Monday, January 26, when I went to the Elmwood Cafe.

https://www.wkamaubell.com/blog/2015/01/happy-birthday-have-some-racism-from-elmwood-cafe