Praise Philly Has Demands For New D.A.
By: Solomon Jones
There was a celebratory feel to Larry Krasner’s inauguration as Philadelphia’s new District Attorney, because, as Krasner phrased it, his ascension to the office was the culmination of a movement.
It was a movement led by the disenfranchised, a movement stoked by activists, a movement that succeeded thanks to votes cast by people of color who have long been unequally treated by the criminal justice system.
Krasner was elected, not only because billionaire donor George Soros spent millions in support of his campaign, but also because of Krasner’s history of suing police and representing groups like Black Lives Matter. The black community believed in that history, and now we have some demands.
That was evident in the moments after the inauguration, when Black Lives Matter activists confronted Krasner over the latest police shooting of an unarmed African American. But beyond the shooting of Dennis Plowden Jr., at the hands of police, there are demands that are not about a moment, but are instead about the movement that helped to elect Krasner.
In the hours after Krasner placed his hand on a bible and pledged to serve with honor I asked my guests and audience to list those demands on Praise 107.9 FM. The answers I received were varied, but they were grounded in healthy skepticism.
Doug Jones Picks African American Chief Of Staff
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty
Alabama Sen.-elect Doug Jones has picked former member of the Obama administration Dana Gresham to serve as his chief of staff. Jones has also tapped former Senate staffer Sonceria Ann Bishop-Berry to advise him in a smooth transition.
A graduate of Georgetown University, Gresham spent more than a decade as a White House staffer. After working as a legislative director for Rep. Bud Cramer and chief of staff to Rep. Artur Davis, he transitioned from that office to the DOT in 2009, spending eight years as an assistant secretary.
Gresham will be the only African American chief of staff for a Senate Democrat, a point that groups like the NAACP made last month when urging Jones to make diverse hires.
YouTube Star Logan Paul Apologizes For Video Of Apparent Suicide Victim
Source: SAMANTHA SIN / Getty
Yahoo.com- Logan Paul, a brash 22-year-old with over 15 million subscribers and a clothing line in his name, posted then removed a video that included footage of an apparent suicide victim.
The video was taken at a forest in Japan that is known for suicides. Titled “We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest” with a thumbnail image of Paul standing in front of a blurred out body, the video got more than a million views before being removed within 24 hours.
In the video, Paul, a number of other YouTubers and a guide who accompanied them found the body of a man who had apparently hung himself. Paul zoomed his video camera to show the body and later took close-up footage with only the face blurred out while the guide phoned the police.
The YouTuber said in the video that he originally intended to focus on the haunted aspect of the forest. When one of his group said he didn’t feel good after seeing the hanging body, Paul said “You never stand next to a dead guy?” and laughed.
