Former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe (via Atlanta Police Dept) From the New York Times:
A former Atlanta police officer was charged on Wednesday with murder and aggravated assault in the killing last week of a black motorist outside a fast-food restaurant, and prosecutors revealed chilling new details of the late-night encounter, including that the officer kicked the dying man after shooting him twice in the back.
The former officer, Garrett Rolfe, faces a total of 11 charges in connection with the death of the motorist, Rayshard Brooks. The shooting, which was captured on a widely circulated video, has prompted the resignation of Atlanta’s police chief and further inflamed the tensions over race and policing that are roiling the nation.
At a news conference on Wednesday to announce the charges, prosecutors said that Mr. Rolfe declared, “I got him,” after firing the fatal shots at Mr. Brooks. Mr. Rolfe kicked the victim, prosecutors said, while his partner stood on the fatally wounded man’s shoulder.
Mr. Rolfe and his partner, Devin Brosnan, both of whom are white, then failed to render aid for more than two minutes, said Paul L. Howard Jr., the Fulton County district attorney.
Brosnan was charged with three counts, including aggravated assault and violations of oath, although he is said to be cooperating with prosecutors in the case.
Joel Green (via Instagram) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Wise words of the day from fitness guy Joel Green (above) – “It’s not about your reflection, it’s what you see beyond it.” #DreamBigger • Washington Blade: Sara Hegazy, 30, an LGBTQ rights activist from Egypt who was arrested for raising a rainbow flag during a 2017 concert in Cairo died by suicide on Sunday at her home in Canada. She was reportedly tortured for months in prison before an Egyptian court ordered her release on bail in January 2018. • KIT212: Kenneth’s weekly ‘Wrestle Wednesday’ (below) is really worth the click 🙂 (via kenneth-in-the-212) • CNN: Martin Gugino, the 75-year-old protester who was pushed to the ground by two Buffalo, New York police officers earlier this month, has a fractured skull and is still unable to walk, his lawyer said in a statement provided to CNN. Gugino’s attorney passed along a message from the senior protester: “I think it’s very unnecessary to focus on me. There are plenty of other things to think about besides me.” • NY Daily News: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has issued an order requiring all lawmakers to wear masks in committee hearings after Rep. Tom Rice (R-South Carolina) announced he and several family members have contracted the COVID-19 virus. Rice has refused to wear a mask at House meetings. Pelosi has ordered the Sargeant at Arms to deny entry by any violators. • OMG Blog: RuPaul is so good at ‘Family Feud’ he doesn’t even need to hear the question! Watch below.
Brandon Straka (screen captures) Gay right-winger Brandon Straka attempted to board a flight to Tulsa today, where coronavirus diagnoses are rising and expected to really surge after Donald Trump’s upcoming campaign rally. The homocon refused to wear a face mask and caused a ruckus delaying the flight until he was escorted off. Straka founded the so-called “Walk Away” movement which urges Democrats to become Trump cultists. JoeMyGod reports Straka sued the New York City LGBT Center last year when it canceled one of his events. In his tweets, Straka says he told the attendant he has a ‘condition’ that prevents him from wearing a mask – ‘sanity.’ The fact is airlines have the ability to do several things in terms of health policy. Anyone notice you can’t smoke on a plane anymore? Anyone ever heard of ‘no shirt, no shoes, no service?’ How would anyone have felt if Straka attempted to board the plane sans shirt and shoes? Additionally, federal law requires passenger compliance with a crew member’s instructions. Straka, of course, tweeted the episode himself:
I was just removed from my flight for not wearing a mask. 1st time this has happened. Not a federal law. @AmericanAir staff standing over me telling me it’s THE LAW. So much for “please respect those who can not wear a mask”. When I pointed out this wasn’t a law I was removed.
News anchor Thomas Roberts (via Facebook) America’s first openly gay national news anchor, Thomas Roberts, has launched a new digital series focusing on upbeat stories for the LGBTQ community. Titled ‘Gay Good News,’ the series streams on Thomas’ new Facebook page, Thomas Roberts LIVE at 5. Thomas told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently that with so many Pride Month celebrations canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic he wanted to provide upbeat content to help fill the gap. Roberts says the streaming series is inspired by The Office star John Krasinski’s YouTube video series ‘Some Good News.’ “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” Roberts shared with the Journal-Constitution. “There are so many good things happening in the world and it’s easy to lose sight of that. We need more good news!” The plan is three Facebook Live shows a week for the month of June, although he has left the door open to continuing past Pride Month. “We can take this platform and celebrate things,” Thomas shared during his first episode on June 8. “We want your voice to be amplified… We hope to do something really fun and really special because we’ve been through a weird moment with isolation. For me, it’s deeply personal.”
That first episode streamed from Thomas’ home in Atlanta, Georgia, featured a chat with Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordan of Will & Grace fame. During the pandemic, the actor has seen his Instagram account swell from 80k followers to over 4.7 million thanks to his hysterical daily observations of life while sheltering at home. Celebrating Jordan’s success, Roberts declared, “He is the best thing to come out of COVID!” Part of the charm of the series has been Roberts coping with his lack of tech skills. That first show opened with the veteran newsman holding his iPad up to the camera of his laptop to play the intro sequence. And for his interview with Jordan, he sat next to his laptop computer on a plexiglass stand with the actor streaming through. In the second episode, Roberts moved to Zoom technology but still struggled a bit to play his intro. But all done with a sense of humor. His most recent installment covered the landmark ruling on LGBTQ protections in the workplace by the U.S. Supreme Court and a chat with comedienne Kathy Griffin.
After ending his seven-year run as anchor of MSNBC Live, Thomas relocated to Atlanta where he became the evening anchor of the local CBS News affiliate WGCL.
Bruno, the wonder dog, at one-year-old Some news items you might have missed: • Birthdays: Today would have been the 18th birthday of my forever bestie, Bruno. Although he crossed the rainbow bridge two years ago, I think of him constantly. No sadness here, just joy at my awesome memories. I used to refer to the photo above as his headshot, as he was clearly star-material. #LoveTheBrun • Gay Star News: The Republican Party is retaining its 2016 platform for this November’s elections – including its condemnation of marriage equality, wording against same-sex families with children, a section that indicates parents should be able to send their LGBT+ children for dangerous and futile ‘conversion therapy.’ • Towleroad: Houston gay bars Buddy’s (in Montrose) and Blur Bar (in Midtown) have closed after employees and owners tested positive for COVID-19. Since Memorial Day weekend, hospitalizations in Houston’s Texas Medical Center are growing by an average of 3 percent every day. • Alabama Reporter: Alabama has recorded record numbers of new coronavirus cases for four straight days amid a worsening outbreak in the state. • Instinct Magazine: Timothy de Iturriaga, the owner of the male strip club Adonis Lounge, shares how the COVID-19 health threat has affected gay nightlife in NYC. • NewNowNext: In a press conference today, Donald Trump took a moment to praise medical researchers developing a vaccine for COVID-19 amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. According to Trump, they’re “the best, the smartest, the most brilliant [people] anywhere”—and the same people who’ve “come up with the AIDS vaccine.” Ahem, there is NO AIDS vaccine.
L-R Lisa Alexander, Jamie Juanillo (screen capture) Another ‘Karen’ found her time in the spotlight last week when a woman named Lisa Alexander approached Jaime Juanillo in front of his home in San Francisco. Juanillo was stenciling the words ‘Black Lives Matter’ in chalk on the retaining wall of his home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood when Ms. Alexander and her husband stopped to ask him “Is this your property?” When Juanillo inquired as to the nature of their questions, they told him “it’s private property.” “Respectfully,” Alexander says to Juanillo, “absolutely your [Black Lives Matter] signs and everything, that’s good, but this is not the way to do it. It’s private property.” “But if I did live here and it was my property, this would be absolutely fine,” Juanillo responded. “ And you don’t know if I live here or if this is my property.” With the tone of an elementary school teacher, Alexander raises her finger gently to her chin and says, “Yes, we do know. Because we know the person that does live here.” Juanillo told the couple if they believe he was committing a crime, they should call the police because “I’d be more than happy to talk to them.” The couple continued to ask Juanillo’s name and he refused to give them that information saying, “You’re the ones asking me questions.” Alexander – “But we’re not doing anything illegal.” Juanillo – “Neither am I.” Alexander – “Actually, you are.” And so, Lisa Alexander and her husband, who shared his name is Robert, walked off and called the police. https://twitter.com/jaimetoons/status/1271300265170186240 They would later be mortified when the police pulled up to the residence and it became clear the officers knew Jaime Juanillo, and he did indeed live in that home.
In fact, as Juanillo recently shared with local station KQED, he married his husband in the backyard of the home and had lived there for 18 years. Juanillo, who is of Filipino descent, told KQED,“It’s not unusual at all for me to get a look like, ‘Do you belong here?’” He says he held his composure during the incident because one, he knew he had a right to be there, and two, he realized the couple’s intentions were more about race and less about chalk. “Lisa and Robert knew it was chalk art, and that it was going to be washed away in the first rain,” Juanillo said. So, the issue wasn’t ‘destroying property’ but the Black Lives Message itself. “And once I knew that,” he said, “I can act how I needed to act. It was simple after that.” “They’re wrong,” he added. “And they rode that racial bias all the way off a cliff.” Juanillo says in hindsight, he’s struck by how far Alexander was taking the issue. “You can presume that she knew by calling the police that I could possibly die,” said Juanillo. “She was OK with that. Even knowing that I was just working with chalk, she’s willing to call men with guns.” Juanillo considered not posting the video of the encounter for a short while. But later in the day, while standing in his living room, he saw the couple pass by again. He knocked on the window hoping to grab their attention. “If they had come up to my door and they had apologized, I would have accepted it, not posted this. And they could have kept their businesses and lives intact,” Juanillo told KQED. “It was all up to them: Action after action after action.” But instead of admitting they’d been wrong, Juanillo says, “The look on their faces was total mortification” as they kept walking by the home. He says he shared the video because he wanted people to see the more subtle racist conflicts that happen in an effort to help educate white people that they even exist. “If enough people see incidents like this, then maybe people will actually think about it and change their behavior,” Juanillo said. He also addressed those on social media who said he should have argued or engaged in the conflict. “Do you really think they’re going to believe me if I point out a $10 million house and say I live there?” Juanillo said. https://twitter.com/birchbox/status/1271846464268972032 In the aftermath of the viral video, Lisa Alexander was informed the beauty subscription company Birchbox severed ties with her skincare company LAFACE. She also issued a public apology for “being disrespectful” to Juanillo stating, “I should have minded my own business.” https://twitter.com/LuzPenaABC7/status/1272258758207397888 She goes on to write, “When I watch the video I am shocked and sad that I behaved the way I did. It was disrespectful to Mr. Juanillo and I am deeply sorry for that.” Additionally, her husband, identified as Robert Larkins, was dismissed from his position at the financial firm Raymond James on Monday. https://twitter.com/RaymondJames/status/1272479037642899457
Some news items you might have missed: • SCOTUS: I’m still on cloud nine over today’s landmark ruling by the Supreme Court that current civil rights laws prohibit discriminating against LGBTQ people in the workplace. Read my post on the momentous ruling here. • Instinct Magazine: The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri now officially has a gay Black man in charge. The Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson, who is not only Black and gay but also a married Barbadian-immigrant and father of two children, was elected in a landslide of 115 votes out of 164. As the 11th bishop for the diocese, he represents 42 parishes in the Eastern half of Missouri. • Quibi: The new streaming app premieres its new program from ’60 Minutes’ titled, ‘60 in 6.’ Stories include features, investigations, and profiles in 6-10 minutes. In this episode, Wesley Lowery takes you to Minneapolis to go in-depth, in minutes. Download Quibi here and try it out for two weeks for free.
• Out Music: Heather Mae and Crys Matthews’s new single “6 Feet Apart” showcases the phenomenal talent of the award-winning Mae (who has been described as Stevie Nicks meets Sara Bareilles) and the unique fusion of Matthews’ Americana folk/jazz sound. In addition to the new single, the duo has announced their LGBTQ+ virtual Pride concert tour, “The Singing OUT Tour,” with dates scheduled throughout the month of June. The concerts will feature not only music but games and giveaways as well.
• CBS News: Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on policing Tuesday that aims to accomplish three things — to incentivize police departments to use modernized best practices, to increase information sharing by tracking people who have “excessive” use-of-force complaints, and to address mental health, homelessness, and addiction. • Philadelphia Inquirer: A Philadelphia court supervisor has been fired after a video surfaced on Monday of him tearing down Black Lives Matter protest signs made by children at a South Philadelphia park.
According to reports, this is a Philadelphia city court supervisor tearing down childrens’ signs saying black lives matter. When the person recording says ‘black lives matter,’ the man responds, ‘Not to me.’ He’s apparently been fired by the city. pic.twitter.com/x3udrMbHNQ
Donald Trump loves to mock former Vice President Joe Biden saying Joe is ‘not well,’ or frail or some such nonsense. Which is why Trump’s slow, awkward exit from giving a commencement speech at West Point yesterday is getting attention. #RampGate is currently trending on the Twitterverse. #TrumpIsUnwell and #TRUMPstroke were also among the hashtags trending on Twitter.
There are more important things going on right now than this video clip but worth noting that it was sunny throughout Trump's appearance at West Point. If the ramp was indeed "slippery" it wasn't because of rain. And it certainly didn't appear to be steep. https://t.co/ZNtO8XyyFA
Lisa Alexander (screen capture via Boy Culture) Oh, lord, another ‘Karen’ telling a Black American what he should or shouldn’t do. Twitter user Jaimetoons shared this video of a woman reportedly named Lisa Alexander, who apparently owns LaFace Laboratories – a makeup company – who politely asserts (as politely as a white person can assert) that he is committing a crime ‘defacing’ his own private property. And she tells him she knows the owner – which is him – so, there’s that. What is wrong with these people? Her Twitter and Instagram accounts were filled with Candace Owens and anti-CNN messaging – until she deleted them.
A white couple call the police on me, a person of color, for stencilling a #BLM chalk message on my own front retaining wall. “Karen” lies and says she knows that I don’t live in my own house, because she knows the person who lives here. #blacklivesmatterpic.twitter.com/rOpHvKVwgP
(image via Unsplash/Spenser) Democratic lawmakers, Republican lawmakers, and the White House are all preparing proposals to address reforms in policing amid the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. According to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Thursday, large majorities of Americans support the Democratic proposals released this week: • 82% of Americans want to ban police from using chokeholds (including 7 in 10 Republicans) • 83% want to ban racial profiling (including 7 in 10 Republicans) • 92% want federal police to be required to wear body cameras (including 9 in 10 Republicans) • 89% of Americans want to require police to give the people they stop their name, badge number and reason for the stop • 91% support allowing independent investigations of police departments that show patterns of misconduct (including 9 in 10 Republicans) • 75% support allowing victims of police misconduct to sue police departments for damages. (including 6 in 10 Republicans) • 76% support reallocating police budgets into better officer training, local programs for homelessness, mental health assistance and domestic violence Read more at Reuters.
