Month: June 2020

CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman made an insensitive remark about George Floyd on Twitter, Reebok and several affiliates announced they were ending their partnerships. Since then, Glassman has offered an apology on the social media platform.” data-reactid=”20″ type=”text”>After CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman made an insensitive remark about George Floyd on Twitter, Reebok and several affiliates announced they were ending their partnerships. Now Glassman has offered an apology on Twitter via the @CrossFit handle. “I, CrossFit HQ, and the CrossFit community will not stand for racism. I made a mistake by the words I chose yesterday. My heart is deeply saddened by the pain it has caused. It was a mistake, not racist but a mistake. Floyd is a hero in the black community and not just a victim. I should have been sensitive to that and wasn’t. I apologize for that. I was trying to stick it to the @IHME_UW for their invalidated models resulting in needless, economy-wrecking, life-wrecking lockdown, and when I saw they were announcing modeling a solution to our racial crisis, I was incredulous, angry, and overly emotional. Involving George Floyd’s name in that effort was wrong.”

On June 4, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation posted a tweet stating, “Racism and discrimination are critical public health issues that demand an urgent response, wherever they occur.” Glassman responded to the tweet: “It’s FLOYD-19. 

Reebok responded to Glassman’s remark by ending its partnership with CrossFit, saying in a statement: “Our partnership with CrossFit HQ comes to an end later this year. Recently, we have been in discussions regarding a new agreement, however, in light of recent events, we have made the decision to end our partnership with CrossFit HQ. We will fulfill our remaining contractual obligations in 2020. We owe this to the CrossFit Games competitors, fans and the community.”

Reebok cuts ties with CrossFit after CEO’s George Floyd tweets

Via www.msn.com

CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman has apologized for his controversial tweets, in which he criticized…

06/08/2020 3:56 PM

 

On Monday, President Donald Trump pledged to maintain funding for police departments in the United States, despite growing calls for cuts to law enforcement budgets.  

“There won’t be defunding, there won’t be dismantling of our police,” Trump told a roundtable of state, federal, and local law enforcement officials at the White House on Monday. “We want to make sure we don’t have any bad actors in there … but 99 percent … of them are great great people and have done jobs that are record setting.”

Demonstrations over the May 25 death of George Floyd is giving way to a growing movement to make his case a turning point in race relations and policing, with some protesters and some liberal Democrats calling for police budgets to be slashed. Moderate Democrats have distanced themselves from the proposal, including presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was jeered by protesters over the weekend after telling them he opposed their demands for cuts in the city’s police department.

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump “is appalled by the defund the police movement.” She noted that the President is “taking a look at various” proposals in response to Floyd’s death, but offered no specifics as to what measures he was considering.

Trump says no defunding, dismantling or disbanding of police

Via abcnews.go.com

President Donald Trump in a roundtable event with White House and law enforcement…

06/08/2020 4:59 PM

 

A majority of the Minneapolis City Council agreed Sunday to dismantle the city’s police department after the in-custody killing of George Floyd. Councilman Jeremiah Ellison said the council would work to disband the department in its “current iteration. The plan has to start somewhere. We are not going to hit the eject button without a plan so today was the announcement of the formulation of that plan.” Ellison said that eight or nine of the council members have agreed to the move.

During a community meeting earlier on Sunday, council President Lisa Bender called the city’s relationship with the department “toxic” and vowed to “recreate systems of public safety that actually keep us safe. Our efforts at incremental reform have failed — period. Our commitment is to do what’s necessary to keep every single member of our community safe and to tell the truth that Minneapolis police are not doing that.”

Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement that he would work “relentlessly” with city’s police chief, Medaria Arradondo, toward “deep, structural reform” and to address “systemic racism in police culture. We’re ready to dig in and enact more community-led public safety strategies on behalf of our city. But I do not support abolishing the Minneapolis Police Department.”

The announcement comes nearly two weeks after the killing of Floyd, who died when a police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. The killing was captured on video by a bystander and sparked massive protests across the United States.

Majority of Minneapolis City Council Backs Dismantling Police Department in Wake of George Floyd’s Alleged Murder

Via time.com

It is clear that our system of policing is not keeping our communities safe,” Lisa Bender,…

06/07/2020 9:23 PM

 

Editorial credit: Marcello Sgarlato / Shutterstock.com

Facebook has begun labeling content produced by media outlets it says are under state control, enacting a policy the social network first announced in October. Posts from at least 18 outlets including Russia Today, China’s People’s Daily and Iran’s Press TV now carry notices to users that they are “state-controlled media.” Ads from state-controlled publishers will also be labeled starting later this year. The labels will initially be shown to U.S. Facebook users and roll out to other countries over time.

In a blog post, Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, wrote:  “We’re providing greater transparency into these publishers because they combine the influence of a media organization with the strategic backing of a state, and we believe people should know if the news they read is coming from a publication that may be under the influence of a government.”

Facebook will also begin barring state-controlled outlets from buying advertising in the U.S. later this summer. Gleicher said that decision was to provide an extra layer of protection against various types of foreign influence ahead of the 2020 presidential election. 

Facebook’s decision to flag state-controlled media is part of the company’s broader effort to avoid a repeat of 2016, when the company failed to curb misinformation and foreign interference in the U.S. presidential election.

Facebook adds labels identifying state-controlled media

Via news.yahoo.com

Facebook will soon add labels to news outlets owned or otherwise controlled by a government,…

06/04/2020 8:15 PM

 

Editorial credit: AlexandraPopova / Shutterstock.com

A memorial was held Thursday for George Floyd, the black man who died last week after a police officer pressed a knee into his neck while detaining him in Minneapolis, triggering protests across the country.

Artwork depicting Floyd saying, “I can breathe now” was placed in front of a golden casket and flower bouquets. Floyd’s brother Philonise shared memories of growing up together, saying, “All these people came to see my brother. And that’s amazing to me that he touched so many people’s hearts. Because he’s been touching our hearts. Everybody wants justice,” he continued, referring to those who have been protesting in the streets. “We want justice for George. He’s gonna get it!”

Mourners inside the North Central University sanctuary wore masks, some with pictures of Floyd on them. In a statement, the university said it took steps “to ensure appropriate measures will be in place for health and safety related to COVID-19.”

Floyd, 46, died May 25 after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pinned him to the ground. Video filmed by bystanders shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes. Floyd’s death set off nationwide protests against police brutality that have continued since the encounter.

Memorial service honors life of George Floyd

Via www.cbsnews.com

Friends, family and people worldwide paid tribute to George Floyd who died in the custody of…

06/04/2020 9:28 PM

 

Editorial credit: MUNSHOTS / Shutterstock.com