ABC & ESPN to air President Obama Town Hall on Race and Policing

With the recent tragic events in Minneapolis, Baton Rouge and Dallas still fresh on the minds of Americans, President Obama is expected to participate in a Disney Media Networks town hall this week titled "The President and the People: A National Conversation."

The town hall will be moderated by "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir and held in Washington D.C. It will focus on candid discussions on race relations, justice, policing and equality by the members of the community. ESPN's Jemele Hill will join Muir.

The one-hour event will come just days after President Obama attended a Dallas memorial for five police officers shot dead last week by a sniper. It also comes after two black men were killed by officers in Louisiana and Minnesota -- controversial shootings that sparked a wave of protests.

"We turn on the TV or surf the internet, and we can watch positions harden and lines drawn and people retreat to their respective corners," Obama said today during the memorial. "We see all this, and it's hard not to think sometimes that the center won't hold. And that things might get worse. I understand. I understand how Americans are feeling. ... I'm here to say we must reject such despair. I'm here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. And I know that because I know America."

The town hall is set to air Thursday at 8 p.m. ET and will be simulcast commercial-free on ABC, ESPN, Freeform, ABCNews.com, Freeform Digital, Watch ABC, Watch ESPN, Yahoo, ABC News’ Facebook page and YouTube channel as well as ABC Radio.

Trump denies offer to address the NAACP

NOTE: It should be important to note that both John McCain(2008) and Mitt Romney(2012) made time to attend the NAACP Convention. AfricanAmericanReports.com.

The NAACP says Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has declined an invitation to address the group's upcoming convention, flouting established precedent and highlighting anew the GOP standard-bearer's struggle to attract support from nonwhite voters.

NAACP president Cornell William Brooks told CNN Tuesday that Trump had declined the group's invitation to speak at the Cincinnati gathering, scheduled from Saturday through Wednesday. Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is slated to speak there next Monday, which is also opening day of the Republican National Convention across the state in Cleveland.

Brooks said the Trump campaign cited scheduling conflicts with the GOP convention, where Trump will formally accept the party's nomination. Brooks argued Trump should have made the time amid the racially charged fallout of videotaped killings of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota, followed by the killings of five Dallas police officers by a black sniper.

"We represent an occasion for those running for president to speak to the nation's most critical issues at a critical hour in this country," Brooks said on CNN. "You can't run for president and not talk about police misconduct and police brutality. You can't run for president and not talk about the nation's civil rights agenda."

He called the gathering an opportunity for Clinton and Trump to give civil rights leaders "a window into not only their policies, but into their heart and character as a candidate."

[SOURCE]

Black Yale worker destroys stained-glass window depicting slaves

Corey Menafee, who is black with two children and an undergraduate degree in mass communications, was working at the college as a dishwasher. Saying he knew he shouldn't have smashed the window, Menafee explained he was tired of looking at the "racist, very degrading" image. He told reporters, "It's 2016, I shouldn't have to come to work and see things like that."

The window was inside Calhoun College, named for former Vice President John C. Calhoun, an ardent defender of slavery during the 19th century. The college's name has been the subject of protests by students who want it changed. Yale has already said it planned to remove several images related to Calhoun and slavery from school grounds.

The 38-year-old was in court Tuesday facing a felony charge of criminal mischief and a misdemeanor reckless endangerment charge.

Yale University has asked the state not to pursue criminal charges against a former worker who destroyed a stained-glass window depicting slaves in a cotton field.

Yale University has acknowledged that it decided to remove several stained-glass windows at Calhoun College. The windows are to be "conserved for future study and possible contextual exhibition."

Yale says it artist specializing in stained glass will be commissioned to design new windows, with input from the Yale community, including students, on what they should depict.

President Obama Speaks at a Memorial Service in Dallas

Today, President Obama addressed the families of the fallen and the Dallas community to honor the five police officers who died in the line of service last Thursday. Watch his remarks:

New Black Panther Party says to carry arms at GOP Convention

The New Black Panther Party, a "black power" movement, will carry firearms for self-defense during demonstrations in Cleveland ahead of next week's Republican convention if allowed under Ohio law, the group's chairman said.

The plan by the group could add to security headaches for the Ohio city after last week's killing of five police officers in Dallas by a U.S. army veteran who had been drawn to black separatist ideology, including on Facebook, before hatching his plan to target white police officers.

Several other groups, including some supporters of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, have said they will carry weapons in Cleveland, leading to concerns about rival groups being armed in close proximity.

"If it is an open state to carry, we will exercise our second amendment rights because there are other groups threatening to be there that are threatening to do harm to us," Hashim Nzinga, chairman of the New Black Panther Party, told Reuters in an interview.

"If that state allows us to bear arms, the Panthers and the others who can legally bear arms will bear arms."

Read more: New Black Panther Party says to carry arms in Cleveland if legal

Rep. Keith Ellison: Arrest the Officer Who Killed Philando Castile

Rep. Keith Ellison has joined the call for the arrest of the officer who killed Philando Castile during an interview with Democracy Now. Watch that interview segment below.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Bible belongs to estate, judge says

The Bible that Martin Luther King Jr. carried during the civil rights movement in the 1960s belongs to his estate which voted in 2014 to sell the heirloom against the wishes of his daughter, said a court ruling that could now lead to its sale.

A trial was still scheduled to begin on August 15 to settle the question of who owns the slain civil rights leader's 1964 Nobel Peace Prize medal, which the estate also voted to sell, according to court records.

The estate is controlled by King's three surviving children, Bernice and her two brothers, Dexter and Martin Luther King III.

Read more: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Bible belongs to estate, judge says

Black doctor who treated Dallas cops: Violence 'has to stop'

Dr. Brian Williams, A black trauma surgeon who treated some of the Dallas police officers shot last week says he is struggling to come to terms with the killings as a member of the African-American community. Watch his remarks below.

Melissa Harris-Perry joins BET News as special correspondent

Former MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry has found her new gig.

Harris-Perry will join BET News as a special correspondent, the network confirmed in a tweet on Monday. First up on her schedule is co-anchoring the network's coverage of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions this month, alongside BET News correspondent Marc Lamont Hill. The network will air a wrap special after the GOP convention on Sunday, July 24.

[SOURCE]

To black police officers: Keep Your Head Up

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports EMAIL
I dedicate this to the brave black men and women who serve as police officers. I know that right know your jobs and to a certain extent just living your life is not an easy thing to do right now.

I am not a police officer, but as a black man elected to my local school board, I know how it can feel when it seems like your own people are against you. What I had to learn is that it wasn't that they were necessarily against me but that they were passionately advocating for their children and because I look like them they RIGHTFULLY expected more from me. Sometimes that can seem unfair, but we have to keep in mind that when we are in positions of authority and responsibility that we have to walk that delicate balance between treating all fairly and at the same time trying to fix the social ills that befall many in the black community. At times your won may not understand why you have to walk that fine line, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY DON'T LOVE AND RESPECT YOU.

I know I and many others respect the work you do and love the reason many of our black brothers and sisters became cops. You did it to give back and to make your communities better. You bravely chose to do a job that few can and that even fewer including myself would want to do. Some joined to help changed a flawed system from the inside. I know that you at times have to face the worst in humanity to protect us all, I love and respect you for that. And trust me it's not only me but millions of others feel the same.

I know that you walk a fine line between working to change the culture of many police departments while at the same time working to change that culture. I know that it's not easy and can make you feel like you are just slamming your head into a wall. But no fight for systemic change is easy, and it takes strong people like you to take up that fight.

In many ways you exemplify the best in humanity especially when it comes to bravery and compassion and are to be commended. But with that come being held to a higher standard that may at times seem unfair but one you will have to and will deal with because you are more than capable of doing that to make things better for both cops and minority communities.

So to my black police officers, Keep ya Head Up!

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Cop fired after Facebook post threatening life of black child

Rodney Lee Wilson, an Overland Park (KS) Police Department has fired an officer following an investigation into a Facebook post he made from his personal social media account threatening the life of a black child. The post was made after the Dallas police shootings to a black woman who lived in Dallas and had no connection to the officer. The post read:

"We'll see how much her life matters soon.. better be careful leaving your info open where she can be found :) hold her close tonight, it'll be the last time"

Watch the story below.

KCTV5

Pres. Obama defends Black Lives Matter movement right to protest

While on a trip to Spain, President Obama made the following statement concerning the right of the Black Lives Matter movement to protest.

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Deray McKesson arrested by Baton Rouge police

Deray McKesson, one of the most prominent activists associated with the police reform protest movement, is in police custody in Baton Rouge, where he traveled earlier Saturday to demonstrate in solidarity with residents angered by the recent death of Alton Sterling after an officer-involved shooting that was captured on video.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/07/10/black-lives-matter-activist-deray-mckesson-taken-into-custody-by-baton-rouge-police/#

Black Lives Matter Statement On Dallas Police Shootings

The Black Lives Matter Movement released this statement on the tragic police shootings in Dallas.

The Black Lives Matter Network advocates for dignity, justice, and respect.

In the last few days, this country witnessed the recorded murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police, the latest victims in this country’s failed policing system. As we have done for decades, we marched and protested to highlight the urgent need to transform policing in America, to call for justice, transparency and accountability, and to demand that Black Lives Matter.

In Dallas, many gathered to do the same, joining in a day of action with friends, family, and co-workers. Their efforts were cut short when a lone gunman targeted and attacked 11 police officers, killing five. This is a tragedy–both for those who have been impacted by yesterday’s attack and for our democracy. There are some who would use these events to stifle a movement for change and quicken the demise of a vibrant discourse on the human rights of Black Americans. We should reject all of this.

Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it. Yesterday’s attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman. To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible. We continue our efforts to bring about a better world for all of us.

US Rep. Corrine Brown indicted after fraud investigation

U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida and her chief of staff pleaded not guilty Friday to multiple fraud charges and other federal offenses in a grand jury indictment unsealed after an investigation into what prosecutors call a phony charity turned into a personal slush fund.

Brown, a 69-year-old Democrat, and Chief of Staff Elias "Ronnie" Simmons, 50, entered pleas in Jacksonville federal court on charges of mail and wire fraud, conspiracy, obstruction and filing of false tax returns.

She has represented a Jacksonville-based congressional district since 1993 — one of the first three African-Americans elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction— and is seeking re-election in a newly redrawn district. Later Friday, Brown released a statement saying she was temporarily stepping down as ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, in accordance with House rules.

Read more: US Rep. Corrine Brown indicted after fraud investigation

Carmelo Anthony ask athletes to speak and demand change

In the wake of the tragic shooting in Dallas that left five law enforcement officers dead, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony took to social media Friday morning to ask athletes to "step up" and "demand change" without resorting to violence. Read his post below.

First off let me start off by saying " All Praise Due To The Most High." Secondly, I'm all about rallying, protesting, fighting for OUR people. Look I'll even lead the charge, By Any Means Necessary. We have to be smart about what we are doing though. We need to steer our anger in the right direction. The system is Broken. Point blank period. It has been this way forever. Martin Luther King marched. Malcolm X rebelled. Muhammad Ali literally fought for US. Our anger should be towards the system. If the system doesn't change we will continue to turn on the TVs and see the same thing. We have to put the pressure on the people in charge in order to get this thing we call JUSTICE right. A march doesn't work. We tried that. I've tried that. A couple social media post/tweet doesn't work. We've all tried that. That didn't work. Shooting 11 cops and killing 5 WILL NOT work. While I don't have a solution, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people don't have a solution, we need to come together more than anything at this time. We need each other. These politicians have to step up and fight for change. I'm calling for all my fellow ATHLETES to step up and take charge. Go to your local officials, leaders, congressman, assemblymen/assemblywoman and demand change. There's NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore. Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge. We can't worry about what endorsements we gonna lose or whose going to look at us crazy. I need your voices to be heard. We can demand change. We just have to be willing to. THE TIME IS NOW. IM all in. Take Charge. Take Action. DEMAND CHANGE. Peace7 #StayMe7o

A photo posted by @carmeloanthony on Jul 8, 2016 at 8:02am PDT

Black Lives Matter doesn't make black people dislike cops, bad cops do.

By George L. Cook III [EMAIL]

After the tragic shooting in Dallas of 11 police officers, 5 of whom dead there were those who jumped at the chance to blame BLM (Black Lives Matter). Some going as far as to say the shooters were BLM members which we now know is false.

But even those who didn't go that far keep pushing the idea that it's BLM's anti-police rhetoric that leads to the hate of police in minority communities. Now President Obama and the likes of Al Sharpton have also been blamed for ginning up anti-police feelings.

If you subscribe to that theory, then you must believe that millions of black men enjoyed their mistreatment, harassment, and belittling, at the hands of police and didn't think to be upset until someone told them to do so. Cause you know, black people never think of anything on their own.

Newsflash!

Black men and their communities don't need any group or individual to tell them to mistrust or dislike the police, bad cops are doing a great job of making sure that happens. Decades of abusive police patrolling black and brown neighborhoods leads to decades more of hate and mistrust toward the police, even the good ones. Many young black boys grow up wanting to be cops until they are mistreated themselves or see an older family member harassed by the police. They now view people they once saw as heroes as a threat and not someone to run to for help. That's not the fault of BLM at all.

Almost every black man can tell you of a police encounter where they feared they might die or get arrested for doing nothing wrong. I remember one of the times I was stopped for no reason. I was home on leave from the US Army and a cop pulling me over because he thought I didn't belong in "his"town. He, of course, used the old tried and true excuse of there being a B&E and my car matching the description as a reason for the stop. He went off on a tangent about how I should get a job and do something with my life without knowing who I was at all as three more police cars pulled up around me. How do you think I felt seeing that? After running my license (for 30 minutes, LOL) and seeing I was clean, the officer was obviously upset and told me he was letting me go although I hadn't done anything, to begin with for him to have to let me go. No apology, no I'm sorry for the inconvenience or anything, he just handing me back my papers and walked off. My distrust of the police is no fault of BLM.

All black men know that whether in a sweat suit or a business suit any mundane encounter with the police can be their last. How do you think that makes a black man feel toward police. That again is not the fault of BLM.

Trust and respect are earned not given. When ALL police treat everyone with dignity, politeness, and respect that they afford white Americans, then they will be viewed and treated differently. Police have to remember that you get back what you put out. So if you want to act as an occupying force, you will be handed like one.

To be clear I am talking about bad cops here who abuse the right to wear a badge, not those that truly act like all lives matter. If all police behaved that way groups like Black Lives Matter would not exist.

George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

Elijah Cummings Ask FBI Director To Do Something About Police Killings

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) made a surprisingly personal plea to FBI director James Comey to do more to break the pattern of police officers killing black men. Watch his plea below.

Pres. Obama Statement On Shootings Of Alton Sterling And Philando Castile

President Obama has released a statement on the shooting deaths of both Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of police officers. Read President Obama's statement below.

Hillary Clinton statement on Alton Sterling shooting

Presumptive democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has released the following statement on the shooting death of Alton Sterling:

"The death of Alton Sterling is a tragedy, and my prayers are with his family, including his five children. From Staten Island to Baltimore, Ferguson to Baton Rouge, too many African American families mourn the loss of a loved one from a police-involved incident. Something is profoundly wrong when so many Americans have reason to believe that our country doesn’t consider them as precious as others because of the color of their skin. "I am glad the Department of Justice has agreed to a full and thorough review of this shooting. Incidents like this one have undermined the trust between police departments and the communities they serve. We need to rebuild that trust. We need to ensure justice is served. That begins with common sense reforms like ending racial profiling, providing better training on de-escalation and implicit bias, and supporting municipalities that refer the investigation and prosecution of police-involved deaths to independent bodies. All over America, there are police officers demonstrating how to protect the public without resorting to unnecessary force. We need to learn from and build on those examples. "Progress is possible if we stand together and never waver in our fight to secure the future that every American deserves."

[SOURCE]