NAACP asks DOJ to investigate Bridgeport police handling of the Lauren Smith-Fields case

A Bridgeport, Connecticut, chapter of the NAACP is demanding the Department of Justice investigate the Bridgeport Police Department over the cases of two Black women, Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls, who were both found dead in their homes.

The demand comes after two Bridgeport police detectives assigned to both cases, were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the police department's internal affairs office.

Rawls was found dead and alone in her home on Dec. 12, 2021. The cause and manner of death are still undetermined, according to the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Smith-Fields was found dead in her apartment that same day, shortly after being with a man she had met on a dating app.

The families of Smith-Fields, 23, and Rawls, 53, claim Bridgeport police failed to notify them of the deaths and say they learned of the deaths from others.

During a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Bridgeport NAACP president Rev. D. Stanley Lord recommended new training, revised hiring practices, community input and oversight, and more in order to address criticisms of "insensitivity" and "prejudicial" treatment toward "Blacks and other citizens of color" from the department.

"The operation within the Bridgeport Police Department seems to be a constant disarray and dysfunction," Lord said.

Texas parent demands a Michelle Obama biography be pulled from schools

A parent in Texas called for a children's biography about former first lady Michelle Obama to be pulled from school libraries because they viewed it as unfair to former President Donald Trump.

The Katy, Texas, parent took issue with a book titled "Michelle Obama: Political Icon" by Heather E. Schwartz, saying it "unfairly" depicted Trump "as a bully," according to NBC News, which on Wednesday published a list of 50 books that parents in Texas have asked schools to remove.

The parent in Katy, who was not named in NBC's report, said the book about Obama gave the impression that "if you sound like a white girl you should be ashamed of yourself," NBC News reported.

Maria Corrales DiPetta, a spokesperson for the Katy Independent School District, told Insider the district reviewed the book after the complaint and determined it would not be removed. Any book that is challenged is reviewed by the district, even if only one parent submits a complaint, she said.

Check out the book here

Watch Brian Flores’ full ESPN interview on suing the NFL, Dolphins, Giants & Broncos

Watch Brian Flores’ full interview on ESPN about filing a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams (Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos and New York Giants) that alleges racism in hiring practices.

As an African American I can no longer root for the NY Giants

By George L. Cook Iii

As an African American fan of the NY Giants who has supported the team since 1982 right now it’s tough to do so. I can’t ignore the giants actions pertaining to Brian Flores.

The reason why I cant is because when it comes to issues of race and diversity the NYG are always last to step up or get involved. In other words, they're always a day late and a dollar short.

The Giants are one of seven teams to never hire a Black head coach.

They were the last team in the NFL to put a Black QB on the field, and that was in 2017 when Geno Smith started a game in december of that year.

The way Odell Beckham was treated is another example. Can anyone tell me exactly what he did wrong. Yeah he had some on the field antics but by all accounts he was a good team mate and played hard. And yet he's no longer on the team.

When the Giants hired Joe Judge over Eric Bieniemy, I felt like a Black republican trying to cover for my team/party when I know they were dead wrong. My Black friends are looking at me like I have two heads and asking me how can I defend that nonsense.

When Jerry Reese was fired after helping win two Super Bowls he was unceremoniously shown the door, while Dave Gettleman who had once of the worst tenures as a Giants GM was allowed to resign with dignity.

I just can’t keep making excuses for the New York Giants anymore, I am no longer a fan and will not be coming back.

The Giants have continuously shown me who they are and I ignored it. I will no longer do that and I now believe what they have shown me.

George L Cook Iii

Former New York Giants fan.

Vandalized Jackie Robinson marker heads to Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

A plaque honoring baseball legend Jackie Robinson that was vandalized in Georgia is coming to Kansas City’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to be put on display.

The sign was erected in 2001 outside the birthplace of Robinson near Cairo, Ga. Community members there discovered last year that someone had shot the plaque multiple times.

Curator and museum vice president Ray Doswell told the Kansas City Star that displaying the defaced marker is an opportunity to teach the public about Robinson’s story and combat hate. Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947 when he became the league’s first Black player.

Robinson’s hometown replaced the damaged marker, with help from the league, and added another marker at a library last week.

The vandalized marker is slated to go on display around mid-April, after a display case is built and spot secured in the museum, to coincide with the museum’s celebration of the 75th anniversary of Robinson’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The plaque is expected to be permanently loaned to the Kansas City museum for regular display.

Museum community engagement manager Kiona Sinks said in a tweet that the vandalized marker will “serve as a reminder that the ugliness of America’s past persists to this day.”