It’s Premiere week in TWIB Nation with shows from Dr. Blair Kelley, Dr. Anthea Butler, and the We Nerd Hard crew. And the week starts off with some big news from TWIB Prime.
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Eton James White wrote at Balloon Juice from 2013-16.
Church Fires Continue Unrest In Ferguson
Unrest continues in Ferguson, Missouri, and the surrounding area. Seven fires have been set at predominantly black churches in the area since October 8. The question is whether the fires are connected and the motive in setting them off:
The possibility that the fires — set since Oct. 8 — were motivated by hate is being considered as part of the investigation, St. Louis Fire Capt. Garon Mosby told the Associated Press. “We believe that this fire-setting activity is meant to send a message,” Mosby said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.
The St.Louis Fire Department has set up a reward for any information that would lead to the arrest of those responsible for the fires.
Team Blackness also discussed a San Jose cop fired for combative tweets surrounding Black Lives Matter, a Maryland cop arrests a man and threatens his girlfriend over a nonexistent “breast feeding violation” and Sesame Street introduces its first autistic character.
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Wanna To Talk To Someone in Prison? It’s Really Gonna Cost You.
Prison is not only hard on inmates but their families–the long trip for family members to travel to the prison to visit, the money to make sure an inmate’s commissary is stocked, and even phone calls are expensive. So expensive, in fact, that the FCC is voting today to limit the price of prison phone calls:
For roughly 20 years, Miguel Saucedo and his family have been setting aside money to talk to Luis on the phone — money that could have gone to those necessities. Saucedo doesn’t know exactly how much his family has paid over the years. But he estimates “it would have to be” over $10,000 or $20,000. For most of us, those phone calls would cost just a few cents per minute. But for inmates and their families, phone rates and fees can be many times higher. It’s common for them to pay $13 for a 15-minute call.
The prison phone industry, of course, is poised to fight back.
Team Blackness also discussed Jim Webb dropping out of the presidential race, Joe Biden’s decision to not enter at all, and a RushCard glitch that has left thousands of people unable to get to their own money.
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Wanna To Talk To Someone in Prison? It’s Really Gonna Cost You.Post + Comments (1)
Wanna To Talk To Someone in Prison? It’s Really Gonna Cost You.
Prison is not only hard on inmates but their families–the long trip for family members to travel to the prison to visit, the money to make sure an inmate’s commissary is stocked, and even phone calls are expensive. So expensive, in fact, that the FCC is voting today to limit the price of prison phone calls:
For roughly 20 years, Miguel Saucedo and his family have been setting aside money to talk to Luis on the phone — money that could have gone to those necessities. Saucedo doesn’t know exactly how much his family has paid over the years. But he estimates “it would have to be” over $10,000 or $20,000. For most of us, those phone calls would cost just a few cents per minute. But for inmates and their families, phone rates and fees can be many times higher. It’s common for them to pay $13 for a 15-minute call.
The prison phone industry, of course, is poised to fight back.
Team Blackness also discussed Jim Webb dropping out of the presidential race, Joe Biden’s decision to not enter at all, and a RushCard glitch that has left thousands of people unable to get to their own money.
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Wanna To Talk To Someone in Prison? It’s Really Gonna Cost You.Post + Comments (6)
This Is What Gentrification Looks Like
As San Francisco real estate prices continue to soar, a surge of gentrification is overtaking Oakland. And these new residents, who are majority white, are not making it easy for those who already live in the area:
According to reports by East Bay Express, Whites are calling the police on innocent Blacks in Oakland at an alarming rate. Taking data from the website Nextdoor.com, Whites have called the police on Blacks for walking down the street, knocking on a door, and not picking up dog poop. The White residents have also called the police on Black salesmen and postal workers who were delivering items. … Police currently get over 700 calls per month on suspicious vehicles and people every month. The response by White residents proves how racist attitudes are an essential part of the gentrification of Black neighborhoods. Along with the racial profiling, the gentrification has allowed some property owners to increase rent by as much as 120 percent due to a rise in value.
Team Blackness also discussed Jordan Davis’s mother speaking out on new Stand Your Ground laws, Mike Huckabee’s ridiculous comments, and the #BoycottStarWarsVII outcry over the movie’s black character.
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California Makes Registering To Vote Just A Little Bit Easier
California continues to make trendsetting strides. Earlier this week Governor Jerry Brown outlawed the use of the team name “Redskins” as a team name or a mascot (we wish the NFL would follow his lead) and recently Brown also signed legislation to automatically register people to vote when they obtain or renew their driver’s license.
The measure, which would also allow Californians to opt out of registering, was introduced in response to the dismal 42% turnout in the November 2014 statewide election. That bill and 13 others the governor signed Saturday, will “help improve elections and expand voter rights and access in California,” Brown’s office said in a statement.
Let’s hope the rest of the country pays attention.
Team Blackness also discussed Keisha Knight Pulliam’s response to Raven-Symone’s black name comments, the fact that black workers need to be twice as good as their coworkers, and Huffington Post is crowdfunding to keep their Ferguson staff writer.
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A Win For Humankind, A Loss For the Gun Industry
The gun industry lost a major court battle on Tuesday that could have a lasting effect. Police officers Bryan Norberg and Graham Kunisch were gravely injured after being shot in 2009, so they filed a civil suit against the store that sold the gun. The jury ordered Badger Guns to pay $6 million and said the store was negligent in making the gun sale, as it was clear from video footage that the person who bought the gun intended it for the shooter.
Tuesday’s verdict may offer a tiny glimmer of hope for some who advocate gun control. A 2005 law backed by the National Rifle Association gave gun manufacturers and dealers broad immunity from being sued — a unique protection for the industry. That law, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), has been long condemned by gun control advocates who say that it should be easier to hold manufacturers and stores liable for crimes that involve their weapons.
That’s one point for humankind, zero for the NRA.
Team Blackness also discussed developments in the Tamir Rice case, the repercussions of jogging while black, and ignorant comments by Quentin Tarantino.
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