Arkebia Albury, 25,  of Macon, Georgia, faces two counts of cruelty to children, reckless conduct and theft by shoplifting, after she ran over her 4-year-old son in a desperate attempt to avoid getting busted for shoplifting, reports the Macon Telegraph.

The child is in critical condition with injuries to his head and vital organs.

“The child is in bad shape,” Centerville Police Chief Sidney Andrews said. “It wasn’t looking too good.”

According to the Telegraph, a security officer followed Albury and her two children, the other being a 2-year-old, to her vehicle after leaving the department store, Belk.

Once she realized that she was about to be busted, she jumped into her, not realizing that only her 2-year-old child had made it inside before pulling off. According to police, Albury got out of the car, picked the child up, threw him into the vehicle and drove away. Police stopped the car on a near-by street and medical workers were called to care for the child.

“I believe [she was stealing] a couple of T-shirts. I do know it was clothing. It was a misdemeanor amount,” Andrews said. “This certainly was not worth it.”

In addition to the charges brought by the police department, the Georgia State Patrol charged Albury with “serious injury by motor vehicle, failing to stop at an accident with injuries, driving with a suspended license and two counts of child seat belt violation.”

Southside Jamaica, Queens, New York came out in full force Friday morning to say final farewells to D’aja “Asia” Robinson, 14, the young girl killed when someone fired 9 rounds into the Q6 city bus she was riding home after a friend’s Sweet Sixteen birthday party, Saturday, May 18th,  reports NY Daily News.

As previously reported by NewsOne, of the shots fired, one bullet hit D’aja in the temple. She was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital.

At the same time that thousands were paying their respects to the young girl and her family, Nathaniel Parker, 16, was questioned at the 113th Precinct in Jamaica, and subsequently released with no charges filed against him in relation to her death.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Thursday that he believes the shooting to be turf or gang related. The intended target was an unidentified girl associated with the EBK crew who was threatened after making “derogatory” comments on social media about members of the Snow Gang.

 ”The 14-year-old girl had nothing to with this,” Kelly said. “It’s a terrible tragedy, but it’s indicative of the fact that we just have too many guns and too many young people with access to these guns.”

White horse and carriage carrying D’aja’s body away from Greater Allen AME Church.

Over 2,500 people attended D’aja’s funeral at the Greater Allen AME Church. According to the Daily News, her mother, Shadia Sands, was too overcome with grief to speak at the service. Her grandmother, Cheryl Sands, repeatedly kissed her casket.

D’aja was lovingly dressed in a lavender dress and laid in a white coffin. A beautiful white horse and carriage, reportedly paid for by Southside Jamaica, Queens rapper 50 Cent, carried her body to the cemetery.

According to Nathanial Parker’s attorney, Tim Rountree, he and his mother are living in fear after hearing that there is a bounty on the head of whomever killed D’aja.

Rev. Alfonso Wyatt, who delivered the eulogy at D’aja’s funeral, warned the mournful teens who packed the church not to seek vengeance:

“God made you in his image, not to be a corner warmer or a sneaker pimp. Not to die for a piece of concrete, a street that will never know your name. You ain’t Sutphin Blvd.,” preached Wyatt.

At this time, there are no other suspects in custody.

Queens MC, QueenzFlip, and his mother, Marie Deluse, a community activist involved with the grassroots organization Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, have a set up a fund to help D’aja’s family.

The information below is provided by the Queens Chronicle:

***The fund for Robinson that is administered by QueenzFlip and his mother through their corporation T “Flip” R, LLC can be found at facebook.com/dajarobinsonfund. This Facebook page includes the link to the PayPal information needed to send a donation. Sentiments to the family can also be sent by email to dajarobinsonfund@gmail.com.

Claude Alexander Allen III, 20, the son of former President George W. Bush’s senior domestic policy adviser, Claude A. Allen, was arrested Friday in Maryland for allegedly killing a man with a hatchet, reports Raw Story.

Allen called police to report a break-in, but once authorities began to question him, his story did not “add up.”

Read the Montgomery County Police report below:

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police-Major Crimes Division are investigating a homicide that occurred shortly after midnight in Gaithersburg.

This morning at approximately 12:09 a.m., patrol units responded to a reported burglary that had just occurred at a residence in the 7200 block of Cliff Pine Drive in Gaithersburg.  The caller, an adult male, reported that a subject had tried to break in to the residence and that he had killed him.

Officers arrived to the scene and located the caller and a deceased male. Preliminary investigation determined that this was not a burglary and that the caller and the deceased individual were known to each other.  Detectives have determined that a hatchet was used in this crime.  The victim’s body was located in a wooded area behind the residence.

The victim was Michael Phillip Harvey, 25.

According to police, an altercation began in the garage and they could not determine if Harvey was killed in the woods or in the garage and then dragged there, reports the Washington Post.com.

“When we arrived he was waiting for us,” said Capt. Jim Daly, a spokesman for the Montgomery police department.

The house where the crime occurred belonged to Allen’s father, Claude A. Allen, who was the senior domestic policy adviser for the Bush administration from 2005 to 2006. He stepped down after he was arrested for shoplifting over $5,000 worth of merchandise and attempting to return them for cash refunds. The younger Allen lived at the home with his father and mother, Jannese Allen.

Allen pleaded guilty to the charges August 4, 2006.

George W. Bush is pictured with deputy chief of staff Karl Rove (center) and domestic policy adviser Claude Allen (right), in July 2005. (PHOTO CREDIT: Daily Mail)

Watch the WJLA report on the younger Allen’s arrest below:

Noreen Freeman, the school nurse at pre-k school The Baker Center in Punta Gorda, Florida, was arrested for DUI in the school’s parking lot Tuesday morning after driving to the school drunk, reports NBC-2.com.

According to police, Freeman, a community health advocate who has been employed with the school since January of 2008, was slurring her words and her blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.

“To show up at school and expect to do your job under the influence of alcohol is not acceptable in our district,” explains Charlotte County Public Schools Community Liaison Mike Riley.

Freeman, who admitted to drinking the night before, was not fired. Instead, the school district has given her the week off and offered substance abuse counseling.

After experiencing a drop of approximately 10 million viewers, American Idol has secured Grammy and Oscar winning, season 3 alum Jennifer Hudson as a judge for season 13, reports E! Online.

Multiple reports confirmed to E! News that season 1 winner, Kelly Clarkston, is also on board to help the flailing show which has dipped in popularity since The Voice has experienced such success.

Hudson placed 7th during her season 3 run on Idol, and Fantasia Barrino was the winner.

There are reports that season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert, who lost to Kris Allen, and season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken, who lost to Ruben Studdard, are also being considered as judges.

Current judgesNicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson and Keith Urban will reportedly not be returning.

The “superstar-alum” theme is an attempt to reclaim the show’s popularity after a dismal season that focused more on Minaj and Carey fighting than the actual talent on the show. Candice Glover went on to win season twelve.

As previously reported by NewsOne, Carey called in to The View to speak with her friend Barbara Walters, telling her that Minaj threatened her by saying, “if [I] had a gun, [I] would shoot the bi*ch.”

See The View clip below:

But this new formula has FOX hopeful that the show can get back on track.

“It’s Idol alums bringing in the next generation,” says one Fox source to E! about the shift in direction.

Jackson is the only remaining Idol judge who has been with the show since it premiered in 2002. The original team of judges also included Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.

Sandy Springs resident Michael Parson (pictured) was sentenced to 35 years in prison Friday on aggravated assault and attempted murder charges for shooting his wife eight times, according to WSBTV.

SEE ALSO: Life Coach Helps Entrepreneurs Take Their Businesses To Next Level

In April 2012, Parson approached then-wife Adina Broome outside their apartment and fired repeatedly at her. Broome is now confined to a wheelchair, partially blind, and barely able to speak as a result of her wounds.

Officials say Parson, 40, shot Broome because he was secretly engaged to a a Petland co-worker at the time. He allegedly lied to the co-worker that Broome was his aunt.

At the time of the shooting, Parson provided a false alibi, telling police he was at a hospital in Decatur when his wife was shot. However, phone records indicate that he was in fact at his apartment complex. Still, his mother spoke out in court, saying her son is innocent.

Watch Parson’s sentencing here:

Despite her injuries, Broome apparently has no hard feelings. “After all this, she still forgives,” a friend of hers said. The judge who sentenced him wasn’t so nice with her words, telling Parson he deserves more than the 35-year maximum sentence for his crime.

SEE ALSO: Chief Keef Threatens To ‘Slap The Sh*t’ Out Of Katy Perry

Katherine Jackson (pictured lower right) reportedly left a courtroom in tears Thursday, when lawyers analyzed an e-mail from a “This Is It” tour director about her son’s health.

RELATED: Katherine Jackson Civil Suit To Focus On M.J.’s Health, Finances

In the message, John Houghdahl, the stage manager for “This Is It,” Michael Jackson’s (pictured center) comeback tour, worries about Jackson’s failing condition. The message was addressed to Randy Phillips, the head of AEG Live, the concert giant promoting the tour:

My laymen’s degree tells me [Michael] needs a shrink to get him mentally prepared to get on stage and then a trainer to get him in physical shape.”

I have watched him deteriorate in front of my eyes over the last eight weeks. He was able to do multiple 360 [-degree] spins back in April. He’d fall on his a– if he tried it now.

“It was pretty upsetting for her [Katherine]. She hadn’t seen a lot of that stuff,” lawyer Brian Panish told the Daily News.

Jackson’s condition was noted on June 19, 2009, six days before his death. Panish questioned AEG General Counsel Shawn Trell about the e-mail, implying that the eight-week deterioration coincided with Dr. Conrad Murray’s employment on the tour.

Murray is currently serving four years in prison for giving Jackson a fatal overdose of propofol to help him sleep. AEG lawyer Jessica Stebbins Bina later asked Trell if any e-mails raised concerns about anesthesia or medications. Trell noted he didn’t know of any.

When asked what Houghdahl’s suggestions for Jackson were, Trell said, “Something about him [getting help to be] mentally prepared and getting a trainer to get him physically in shape.”

Trell also denied that Jackson died from being sick.

Katherine Jackson is currently suing AEG, alleging they failed to supervise Murray while he cared for her son. AEG denies any wrongdoing, saying Jackson hired Murray and hid his propofol use.

RELATED: Katherine Jackson: I Was Kept From Communicating With ‘Outsiders’

http://newsone.com/2394262/michael-jackson-paternity-wrongful-death-lawsuit/

When we were putting together this post on yet another Judge Wade McCree story out of Detroit, we considered checking the “entertainment” category.

But the video we have of his ex-lover, Geniene La’ Shay Mott, describing her four-month affair with the married judge is straight out of the Kingdom of Ratchet.

SEE ALSO: Detroit Sex Judge Fights For His Job During Disciplinary Hearing

As NewsOne previously reported, McCree is currently in the middle of misconduct proceedings over his relationship with Mott. Last year, she dragged her boyfriend before McCree’s court over child support payments. After the hearing, McCree asked Mott out and she accepted. From there, they had a steamy, sex-crazed relationship that lasted much of the summer of 2012. The Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission, which filed a complaint against McCree in March, may deem his actions acts of misconduct and strip him of his job.

SEE ALSO: Ratchet Judge Who Sexed Up Witness Suspended Without Pay

Meanwhile, Mott feels she’s been given a raw deal, believing her character has been damaged because of McCree’s testimony. Watch her “defend” her honor in the video clip below. Get ready to crack up laughing and drop your jaw in disbelief.

The 2012 slaying of Florida teen Trayvon Martin has been one of the most-explosive cases in recent history. With respective evidence mounting from both prosecutors and the lead attorney for former night watchman George Zimmerman, the defense is making a bold attempt to alter the image of Martin by linking him to a series of controversial images and texts.

RELATED: NewsOne’s Coverage of Trayvon Martin Case

Lawyer Mark O’Mara appeared on Fox News Thursday afternoon to present new evidence depicting a more violent side of the teenager. Photos allegedly lifted from Martin’s cell phone show a Black person’s hand holding a firearm (pictured below), images of marijuana plants, and texts that suggest the teen was in a fight.

“If Trayvon Martin’s propensity for violence becomes relevant, then I think the jury can consider the fact that he has several pictures of a gun,” said O’Mara who wants the courts to consider the photograph as evidence.

Eric L. Welch Guster, managing attorney of the Guster Law Firm, spoke with NewsOne regarding the unfolding scenario.  Guster says O’Mara’s tactic is an expected salvo in a high-profile case such as this.

It is very common for defense attorneys to strike back via media before and during a trial. The prosecution has released its version of evidence in their case and the defense is doing the same. Unless the judge issues a gag order, the defense will continue to “put their case out there” for the public to view and I am sure it is their hope for potential jurors to see the information. They are aware that potential jurors have heard evidence via news reports in this case and they are working to offset the damage done by those reports.

They want to show that Trayvon has a propensity for violence. That is admissible in court because it can show how Trayvon typically would act in certain situations and show that Zimmerman may have acted in self-defense against someone who was typically known for violence. In self-defense cases this is a common theme “He/she was typically violent and was violent in this situation too, therefore I have to shoot/hurt/kill that person”

Unfortunately, Guster believes this move from O’Mara certainly helps the defense’s case, because it may sway potential jurors and shatter the idea that Martin was an innocent high school student.

Watch the O’Mara interview here:

While Trayvon Martin allegedly wasn’t perfect, much like any other 18-year-old, attempts have been made to slander him before. That doesn’t discount the murky circumstances that led to his death, nor does it take Zimmerman off the hook for ignoring authorities and taking justice in to his own hands.

As this case continues to unveil itself further, it will be interesting to witness what evidence jurors will be presented with ahead of their deliberation.

Sound off!

Sisters Takia (pictured right) and Tasha Clark were kicked out from a King of Prussia, Pa., mall after reportedly refusing to remove their hats, which read “FU*K CANCER,” with the letter ‘C’ replaced by the breast cancer awareness pink ribbon symbol. The young women sported the profanity-laden hats in support of their mother, Jackie Underwood (pictured), 51, who lost her battle with the disease on May 14th, reports Philly.com.

SEE ALSO: Old-School Tips For Better Finances

As the sisters were shopping at the mall, along with another sister, Makia Underwood (pictured left); friends; and relatives for a funeral dress for Zakia’s 9-year-old daughter, they were approached by a security guard.

The security guard ordered the women to remove their hats. Zakia, 29, obliged the guard but her stubborn sister told the officer she needed to see proof in writing as to why she could not sport her hat. Zakia, who says she became suddenly fueled by her sister’s strong spirit which was so reminiscent of their mom, decided to put her hat back on.

The security guard, who allegedly appeared combative toward the women, said, according to Zakia, “‘Since you don’t want to take your hat off, you can leave my mall.’  He stood there while we ate, and [he] threatened to call the cops.”

Zakia then went on to tell Philly.com that seven security guards descended upon them as they ate their meals. “I was very embarrassed,” she said. “My daughter was so scared; she was crying.”

According to the sisters, they were all escorted to the mall’s administrative office, where they were met by police who had been summoned by the security guards. Sister Makia also joined the women in the office soon after. According to Zakia, “The [police] officer said, ‘I find it offensive that you even have that hat that says ‘F— CANCER.’   It’s their mall, they want you out, you have to get out.’”

The women were escorted out to their vehicles to ensure that they would leave the property.

About the incident, Makia said, “I just wanted to tell them [the guards] the whole story. I wanted to tell them a monster came in to our house, got in to my mother, and we had to watch that until the day it took her, so don’t tell me it’s offensive to say, ‘F— CANCER,’” she told Philly.com.

Watch the Clark sisters discuss their experience here:

In 2004, Jackie was diagnosed with breast cancer, and while she had one breast removed, she refused chemo and radiation therapy.  She was fine for seven years, but then in 2011, the cancer returned. This time, Jackie gave in to chemo treatments, but a year later, the cancer spread to her brain, with doctors giving her three months to live. Instead of placing their mother in a hospice, the sisters decided to care for their mother themselves in her home.

Makia, who owned a salon, closed its doors and instead had customers come to her house so that she could be there for her mother at every given moment. Zakia and Tasha would relieve their sister when they got home from work, and the women cared for their mother in shifts, bathing, changing diapers, and feeding her just as she had done for them.

But soon the cancer spread all over their mother’s body.

Tiffany Wade, one of Makia’s clients and a nurse, actually came up with the “FU*K CANCER” clothing idea. She thought that the sale of the line could help the family offset the cost of related expenses.  Wade told Philly.com, “When you watch your mother turn from a super-strong woman to a woman who can’t walk, can’t talk, can’t breathe, you get so frustrated,” Wade said. “You really feel like, ‘F— CANCER.’ That’s how you feel in your heart.”

After the Daily News heard about what happened to the sisters and began delving in to the situation,  Les Morris, spokesman for Simon Property Group in Indianapolis, which owns King of Prussia Mall, called Zakia Wednesday to apologize for the incident.  “Certainly this could have been handled in a much more empathic and sensitive manner,” Morris told the newspaper.

“We’re very sorry about her loss and wanted to apologize for the way her party was treated. It’s important for the mall to be flexible.  I do think this is an entirely different situation than a 16-year-old kid with a swear word on his T-shirt cruising the mall,” he said. “We need to be empathic, sympathetic, and listen and make sure that we’re approaching each situation as it comes up.”

Meanwhile, the women have planned a rally on Friday at 7 p.m. at the mall’s entrance near Nordstrom.  The event was originally supposed go be a protest for the women were treated but has now turned into an awareness rally against the dreaded disease.

The women buried their mom on Thursday morning and Makia laments, “I’m not mad at God.  But the picture of my mother I was left with is beyond ‘F— CANCER.’”

SEE ALSO: Teens Flock To Twitter

Whether it’s caused by a fleeting crisis in confidence or a brief lack of focus, even the most-prosperous entrepreneurs can find themselves taking a stutter-step on the way up the ladder of success. That’s where Alena Edmondson, founder of the Atlanta-based Abundant Life Coaching, comes to the rescue for the struggling business owner.

SEE ALSO: Attorney Finds Lucrative Niche In Atlanta

In addition to helping the novice business owner plan, launch, run, and expand their businesses, Edmondson, a certified life coach, sees much of her clients coming from established business owners who have for one reason or another find themselves struggling to find success.

“I help business people identify anything they feel is missing and that may be holding them back,” Edmondson, 51, said. “Sometimes it’s working with very successful people who just want to get to next level.

“The process of thinking that I develop for clients starts with the question of are you where you want your life and business to be,” she said.

Though she worked as an entrepreneur trainer for more than a decade with her husband, Jerome Edmondson, in their company, the Entrepreneur Development Network (EDN), Alena took her life/business coaching enterprise separate in July 2011.

Edmondson said Abundant Life Coaching was developed as an outgrowth of a 12-week business planning course taught at EDN. She discovered that even though many of the course participants would have the tools to launch their own business, they often needed a boost to help them actually start.

“Many would put their business plans on the shelf allowing fear of the unknown to paralyze them from moving forward,” she said. I help clients out of the proverbial tree, to remove the obstruction of doubt, fear, etc., so the business owner can work strategically on their business goals of starting or growing their businesses.”

With the many minority-owned businesses in Atlanta, Edmondson said she finds common grown with many of the entrepreneurs she counsels.

In fact, it was Atlanta’s well-earned reputation as a home to Black commerce that attracted the Edmondsons to leave Detroit and establish their business in Atlanta 10 years ago.

“This city has the reputation as the Black mecca, and we found that to be true, especially when it came to people looking to start their own businesses,” Edmondson said. “So this was the perfect place for us to settle. In Detroit, we found that many people worked for the auto companies and then would retire. Here you have many people who strike out and start their own businesses.”

Aside from the business-building essence of the city, Edmondson said its pivotal role in the 1960′s civil rights struggles is an inspiration for her efforts.

“The whole Civil Rights Movement helped to awaken the African-American spirit for business ownership,” Edmondson said. “We know other nationalities come to this country and do it. We just needed to raise the awareness we could do it as well and the 1960s helped spark that.”

Edmondson said that even with the supportive surroundings Atlanta provides, challenges quickly presented themselves when she found she wasn’t getting as many clients as she hoped for back in 2011.

“I wondered what I was doing wrong, was it my message or my marketing that wasn’t working,” Edmondson said. “I wondered if the people I had worked with really got it. Did I really reach the person.”

At times, it seemed the life/business coach needed a life/business coach of her own, she said.

But as clients began coming though the door and revenues began to grow, Edmondson said she began to find herself on more solid footing financially and emotionally.

Attracting business primarily on a referral basis, Edmondson said she now has about 15 clients per month and nets between $5,000 to $6,000 monthly. Edmondson claims a 75 percent success rate among her clients.

By next year, Edmondson hopes to bring on a small staff of life/business coaches under her to expand her services that she describes as “almost at capacity” now.

“When thoughts of not making it would come to mind, I would immediately focus on why I wanted to become a life coach and that would remove the doubt and fear of not being successful,” she said. “Do those thoughts still come, absolutely? But when I see success with a person it tells me these processes really work and it makes me push even harder for success.”

 SEE ALSO: Entrepreneur Takes Hair Salon, Industry To New Heights

A family friend was visiting the grave of Michael Clarke Duncan when she noticed a figure of a cartoonish black face attached to the center of his tome, TMZ reports.

SEE ALSO: Chicago Approves Largest School Shutdown In U.S. History

The unidentified friend says she stopped by Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, Calif., to deliver flowers where his body was interred in September of 2012 when she noticed a Sambo-looking figure.

SEE ALSO: Yes, Fried-Chicken Jokes Are Racist

When Duncan’s family notified the cemetery, the offensive “Sambo” figure was immediately remove. The family also contacted the Los Angeles Police Department; the incident could be considered a hate crime, law enforcement sources told TMZ. The case is currently under investigation. The family says it were shocked that someone would stoop so low as to deface the actor’s grave and want the perpetrator prosecuted.

SEE ALSO: Teens Flock To Twitter


The term Sambo was popularized in 1899 with the publication of “The Story of Little Black Sambo.” It is the tale of “a South Indian boy who encounters four hungry tigers, and surrenders his colourful new clothes, shoes, and umbrella so they will not eat him. The tigers are vain and each thinks he is better dressed than the others,” according to Wikipedia.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Commerce made an announcement that will change the fortunes of a number of minority business owners: Through a grant competition, minority business will get to run one of six Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) centers in major metropolitan hubs nationwide in order to grow their jobs and businesses.

SEE ALSO: REPORT: NewsOne Breaks Down President’s Plans For Black Community In Second Term

Thirty of these centers are already in existence across the United States and Puerto Rico. With this new competition, though, grant winners will be able to operate MBDA Business Centers in New York, Houston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Washington, which, according to David A. Hinson, MBDA national director, “is critical to furthering the Agency’s mission in assisting minority-owned businesses in gaining access to contracts, access to capital, and access to markets.” Hinson adds, “It is our goal to ensure the continued success of minority-owned firms who, in turn, strengthen the economy and create American jobs.”

The grant amounts will range between $300,000 to $500,000 annually over the course of a three-year cycle, and awardees will be connected to the other already established 30 MBDA Business Centers nationwide.

Fiscal Year 2012 was noteworthy for MBDA as it helped to create and maintain more than 16,000 jobs, making it the most-successful run in the agency’s 44-year existence. In addition to the jobs, the MBDA also helped clients gain $3.6 billion in capital awards and contracts.

In 2011, the MBDA was instrumental in providing services and assistance to 7, 219 Black-owned businesses. Those firms were able to obtain contracts and investments valued at $5.5 billion.

The MBDA business centers’ aim is to provide consulting services to minority-owned businesses in order to spark job development and to also keep those currently employed in their positions. Additionally, the centers help increase contracts and investments obtained by the businesses and firms. For those applicants who are selected for this expanded round of grants, it is the MBDA’s expectation that those individuals will focus attention on global business interests as well.

On June 4, 2012, MBDA will host a pre-application conference call in order to provide a background of the agency’s Business Center program.

Learn more about the MBDA program, here.

SEE ALSO: Expert: Black Unemployment Compounded By White Favoritism During Hiring

Just heard a new song on the radio called "I hate being sober" I now have serious doubt for the world.—
Katy Perry (@katyperry) May 21, 2013

The Chicago-bred high school drop-out, turned criminal, turned corporate rapper, turned (unofficial) murder suspect, responded as he typically does — with misogyny and violence:

Dat bitch Katy Perry Can Suck Skin Off Of my Dick—
AlmightySo (@ChiefKeef) May 23, 2013

Ill Smack The Shit out her ✋—
AlmightySo (@ChiefKeef) May 23, 2013

New Song Katy Perry Coming Soon—
AlmightySo (@ChiefKeef) May 23, 2013

As previously reported by NewsOne, Chief Keef is no stranger to controversy.

RELATED:

Chicago PD Investigate Link Between Teen Rapper’s Murder, Several Slayings Throughout City

The Beat Bang Theory: How Corporate Hip-Hop Profits From Rape Culture

The mother of slain Chicago teen rapper, Lil JoJo, Robin Russell, and his brother, John Coleman, made an appearance on BET’s Don’t Sleep with T.J. Holmes and accused Keef, born Keith Cozart, of playing a role in her son’s death. While Russell says that she doesn’t believe he pulled the trigger, she does believe that he hired a hitman and she also fears for her life.

Keef is currently being sued for child support by a Chicago 8th grader.

Surprisingly, when Katy Perry heard that she had offended the Chicago clown rapper, she apologized for offending him.

Mr. Keef! I'm sorry if I offended you. I heard a lot of people guesting on the song & didn't even know it was you in particular. Actually…—
Katy Perry (@katyperry) May 24, 2013

I'm a fan of your "Don't Like" video tbh. I was really just having a general opinion on our generations desire to be constantly intoxicated.—
Katy Perry (@katyperry) May 24, 2013

No word on if Keef accepts her apology, but he probably won’t. After all, the more violent, derogatory and misogynistic his words, the more his peers seem to love it and the more corporate America pays him.

Read more from USA Today:

As anchors Kaci Aitchison and Bill Wixey discussed magic tricks with Caine to promote Now You See Me, Freeman showed he was in serious need of a nap. His eyes closed at times. And when the camera came back from showing a clip, his head was drooping way down on his chest.

It didn’t prevent Caine from merrily explaining the tricks in the film. Freeman woke to nod now and then. And when he asked the question: “What is the key to being a great narrator?,” Freeman responded with, “Uh, probably just being a good reader.”

Freeman later released a statement explaining his impromptu nap: “I wasn’t actually sleeping. I’m a beta tester for Google Eyelids. I was merely updating my Facebook page.”

Well, at least he’s a good sport!

See Freeman’s “beta-test” below:

Gabrielle Molina

The pre-teen was found hanging by a belt from a ceiling fan, according to police. She left a heartbreaking note detailing the emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of her classmates at IS 109.

Read more from the Post:

The aunt said Gabrielle’s sister, Georgia, 15, broke into a locked bedroom to reach her sibling when she didn’t answer the door.

Gabrielle lived with her parents, sister and older brother, Geonel.

Her mom works as a nurse’s aide, while her father, George, is employed at a recycling plant.

“They’re just a wonderful family,” said a neighbor. “The girls were very sweet. They would always say hello. It’s just so sad. I don’t know how they are going to get by.”

Another neighbor said she was shocked that the little girl who frolicked with her sister chose to end her life.

The Department of Education has declined to comment.

As previously reported by NewsOne, in April, Justice Williams, 9-year-old, of Bronx, New York, used a white cloth to hang herself from the shower because she was jealous of her new baby brother.

Wilnery Polanco-Uben, 11, committed suicide last May by hanging herself from a bedroom door.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that fewer than one in 100,000 children ages 10 to 14 years old commit suicide each year.

Philadelphia police are looking for a 21-year-old man who fired into a local strip club after getting into an argument with club management, WPVI-TV/DT Philadelphia reports.

On May 11, Henry Pettigrew (pictured) and another man were escorted out of the Purple Orchid Gentleman’s Club after arguing with club management over the DJ’s refusal to play a song they had requested.

As Pettigrew and the man were being escorted out of the establishment, they mistook a customer who was walking inside the club as a bouncer and assaulted him. As that man tried to escape in his SUV, Pettigrew allegedly emerged with an AK-47 and shot at the fleeing vehicle. The driver was hit above his right hip.

“Fortunately where it hit him, it hit the flesh of his body and it didn’t hit any vital organs,” Lt. Johnny Walker of the Philadelphia Police Department said.

Here is more from WPVI-TV/DT Philadelphia:

Surveillance video then shows the suspect running into the club while brandishing the rifle. He moves to open a door but slips and falls, due to being very intoxicated, police say.

The man then gets up, opens the door, brings up the gun and opens fire.

The video shows multiple muzzle flashes and debris flying as round after round are fired.

“Just wildly, obviously with an AK-47 with a banana clip, it can fire multiple rounds at a high rate of speed very quickly,” Walker said.

He then went into the bar area. The DJ dove for cover as Pettigrew fired indiscriminately.

“You see one of the bullets actually strike the mirror right where [the DJ's] head would have been, so we’re very fortunate the person did not get struck by the gunfire,” Walker said.

The camera then shows the gunman turning around and running out of the club.

Police say Pettigrew and his getaway driver whose identity is unknown to them got away in a light colored sedan, possibly a Hyundai or Mitsubishi.

With the gunman and getaway driver still on the loose, a number of workers at the Purple Orchid quit their jobs.

Henry Pettigrew is described as a black male standing 5’11″ tall, weighing 180 pounds. He also has a thin beard.

Anyone with information is urged to call Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS (8477), text a tip to PPD TIP (773847) or through PhillyPolice.com.

Watch strip club shooting below:

The “Get-That-N*gger” sect of the GOP is not bending on their talk of impeaching President Barack Obama. Yes, despite many Republican leaders urging their sillier members to slow down, lunatics, such as Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah, pictured) can’t stop, won’t stop. In an interview with the National Journal, Chaffetz claims, ”This is an administration embroiled in a scandal that they created. It’s a cover-up. I’m not saying impeachment is the end game, but it’s a possibility, especially if they keep doing little to help us learn more.”

SEE ALSO: Check Out Barack ‘Barry’ Obama’s Prom Pics!

If only “Grey’s Anatomy” writer and producer Shonda Rhimes were able to write the end result of this spectacle.

In her world, Chaffetz would either be transported to the afterlife or either some hole in the ground meant for suckers who don’t do as they’re told. And before you ask, no, I don’t really want Chaffetz to meet Jesus, Buddha, and Xenu. I just want him to shut the hell up.

Case in point, Chaffetz went on to declare: ”Now, the speaker has more patience than I do. He has told me to be patient, that the truth will eventually surface, but I’m not a patient person, and if this administration makes us do this the hard way, that’s what we’ll do.”

So because Chaffetz, whose current job is a career in patience, doesn’t feel up to the task, everything must stop and President Obama must go — despite growing evidence that there is no “cover-up” to speak of. In spite of more pressing matters, like say, unemployment. Nope, because Chaffetz heard something about a scandal, he’d like to shoo everyone’s thoughts and feelings away in favor of his own.

Even Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, no fan of facts or reasonable thinking by any means, suggested that Republicans not “call for impeachment until you have evidence.”

Here’s the gotcha-gotcha part of this entire ordeal courtesy of The Huffington Post:

Chaffetz suggested that the administration, which last week released 100 pages of internal emails regarding Benghazi, was still withholding a trove of information on the lead-up to and handling of the attack. He also said that his fact-finding visit to the U.S. compound in Benghazi this past October, after the attack, had shown him that the facility was poorly prepared for such an attack.

House Republicans have taken their share of criticism for repeatedly voting to reduce State Department funds allocated for embassy security since winning control of the chamber in 2010. In an interview last October, Chaffetz spoke about his caucus’s moves.

“Look, we have to make priorities and choices in this country,” he said. “We have … 15,000 contractors in Iraq. We have more than 6,000 contractors, a private army there for President Obama, in Baghdad. And we’re talking about, can we get two dozen or so people into Libya to help protect our forces. When you’re in tough economic times, you have to make difficult choices. You have to prioritize things.”

In other words, part of the reason why the Benghazi embassy didn’t have enough funds to properly secure itself in the wake of mounting threats is due to the likes of Chaffetz not handing over the money. Yet, this is Obama’s fault. And not only is it Obama’s fault, but because he hasn’t “released enough information,” he’s got to go. If you’re head is beginning to hurt trying to grasp this logic, congratulations, you’re not an idiot.

Meanwhile, might I share that I loathe every single person responsible for giving Chaffetz a congressional seat. Boo, hiss. Boo, hiss and boo.

Sound off!

Michael Arceneaux is a Houston-bred, Howard-educated writer and blogger. You can read more of his work on his site, The Cynical Ones. Follow him on Twitter: @youngsinick

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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The body of Ivanice Harris, the Portland woman who went missing in Hawaii while celebrating her birthday, was found nude on a beach Monday.

RELATED: Portland Woman Goes Missing in Hawaii While Celebrating Birthday

Harris, who was in Waikiki celebrating her 29th birthday, was last seen by her friends last Thursday outside of a bar speaking with a man. Harris worked as a traveling escort and advertised in various online publications, reports The Oregonian. Jillian Gibides, one of the women Harris was traveling with, also reportedly told a local Hawaii newspaper that Harris worked as a prostitute.

The Oregonian reports:

Harris has a criminal record in Oregon for theft and tampering with evidence but no prostitution convictions. But both Harris and Gibides have an extensive footprint on escort websites. While early reports about her disappearance indicated that Harris was simply vacationing in Hawaii, she and Gibides appeared in a joint ad on May 11th marketing their services together in Waikiki Beach. Both women had posted previous escort ads in Hawaii over the last year, including one in April 2012 in which Harris explicitly stated money “exchanged is strictly for my quality time.”

Police in Hawaii declined to confirm whether Harris was working as an escort. Harris’ family confirmed her death on a Facebook page they set up to help find her. They are also seeking financial help to bring Harris’ body home.

Ivanice’s body was the body found in Hawaii yesterday. Ivanice’s family would like to THANK everyone for their support throughout these last five days and would also like time to be in peace alone w/ no calls, texts, emails, or visits at this moment. They truly are appreciative of everyones outpouring of support NATIONWIDE.

Harris’ remains were found in a brushy area on a beach in Wai’anae, which is a 50-minute drive from the bar where she was last seen alive. Honolulu homicide detectives are investigating the case. No cause of death has been determined and police have not named any suspects.

Natalie Wilson, co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, said Harris had family and friends who loved her.

“Our thoughts and our prayers go out to her family. She did not deserve this. She has a mother and sister who were looking for her. Whatever her profession does not negate the fact that she was missing,” said Wilson. “Sex trafficking is a big issue here in the United States.”

According to a study from Shared Hope International, the average age that minor children in America enter the sex trade is 12 to 14 years old. Many of the victims are runaway girls who have suffered sexual abuse as a child.

“So by the time that they’re Ivy’s age, they really feel that they lack any choices to do anything else. They don’t have any job skills; they don’t have any formal education or training,” Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery Executive Director Kathryn Xian told KHON 2.

Pimps lead the women to believe that they will protect them and that they will be safe but nothing could be further from the truth.

“It’s highly violent. It places the girl and woman at risk on a daily basis for sex assault, physical violence and emotional, spiritual, and mental trauma,” Xian said.

Wilson said Harris’ case should serve as a warning. More and more, Wilson said, the Black and Missing Foundation is dealing with young girls who run away from home only to end up being sex trafficked.

“If Ms. Harris was an escort, we want this to be an example to our young girls and women that this is a dangerous occupation,” said Wilson.

Believe it or not, before Barack Obama (pictured second from right) became the president of these United States, he actually had a life. He was once a teen with not only studies on his mind but playing hoops, goofing with his boys and trying to perfect his “rap” so that he could approach the ladies. When Barack or Barry — as he was commonly referred to back then — was 17 years old, he attended his high school senior prom at the Punahou School in Hawaii. Previously unpublished pictures from the President’s momentous night in 1979 have been unearthed by his then-classmate and friend, Kelli Allman (née McCormack, pictured left). TIME exclusively obtained the photographs and NewsOne is sharing them with you.

SEE ALSO: Homeless Teen Graduates At Top Of Her High School Class

Back in high school, Obama’s best bud was Greg Orme (pictured) who also played on the school’s varsity basketball team. Allman told TIME, “They were like brothers.”

When prom night rolled around, Obama escorted Megan Hughes (pictured right), who attended the Hawaii School for Girls at La Pietra, while Orme chose Allman as his prom date. The couples met at Orme’s house, where they sipped on champagne before heading out to a dance and then an after-party. According to Allman, “It was a really fun, happy time. We were all cracking up, and everyone was smiling,” says Allman. “It was pretty typical from there out as far as what happens at prom: the dinner and the dancing and the photos.”

Who could have ever imagined that one of the kids pictured in the prom photo would one day be the leader of this country, and little did Allman know that she would have in her possession, a note in her yearbook written by a U.S. president.

SEE ALSO: Cleveland Eateries Promise Charles Ramsey Free Burgers For Life

LONDON  — A brave scout leader who may have prevented further violence has emerged as an unlikely hero in the apparent terror attack that left one man dead on the streets of London.

Ingrid Loyau-Kennett got off a bus and tried to reason with the two attackers after she tried to help the man lying on the street but found he had no pulse and was already dead.

The 48-year-old mother kept talking to the two bloody attackers before police came, trying to keep them calm.

Loyau-Kennett, who lives in Cornwall in southwest England, told several British media outlets Wednesday night and Thursday morning that she was returning from a trip to France and was visiting her children in London when the bus she was on stopped because of the melee.

She said she saw a crashed car and the victim lying on the street and tried to help him since she had been trained in first aid. She had determined the man was dead by the time the attackers confronted her.

SEE ALSO: Michael Adebolajo Named As Suspect In London Terrorist Attack

She said a man “with a black hat and a revolver in one hand and a cleaver in the other came over” and excitedly warned her to stay away from the body.

“I asked him why he had done what he had done,” The Guardian quoted her as saying. “He said he had killed the man because he (the victim) was a British soldier who killed Muslim women and children in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was furious about the British Army being over there.”

When the man told her he was going to kill police when they arrived, she asked him if that was reasonable and tried to keep him engaged.

Then she spoke to the other attacker, who she described as quiet and shy.

SEE ALSO: Man Brutally Murdered In London, Possible Terror Attack

“I asked him if he wanted to give me what he was holding in his hand, which was a knife, but I didn’t want to say that,” she said. “He didn’t agree and I asked him: `Do you want to carry on?’ He said: `No, no, no.’ I didn’t want to upset him,” she is quoted as saying in The Guardian.

Prime Minister David Cameron Thursday praised Loyau-Kennett’s performance in the tense situation and said she “spoke for all of us” when she told the first attacker that he could not win the war he said he was hoping to start on the streets of London.

Cameron said the presence of mind she and others in the vicinity showed despite the danger was an indication of how Britain would triumph over terrorism by standing together.

Loyau-Kennett said she was not scared and that the armed men did not seem to be drunk or on drugs. She said she was trying to keep them occupied so they didn’t get more agitated.

She re-boarded her bus shortly before police arrived, watching from the bus as police shot the two suspects, who are both receiving treatment in hospital.

“The officers shot them in the legs, I think” she says in The Guardian.

A Detroit judge who famously said “ain’t no shame in my game” after sexting a half-naked photo of himself to a city employee is in court fighting to hold on to his job, Fox 2 News Detroit reports.

RELATED: Freak Judge On His Shirtless Texts: “Ain’t No Shame In My Game”

Judge Wade McCree is currently in misconduct proceedings where prosecutors are questioning the once-rising star over his numerous sexual transgressions they suspect amount to abuse of power. As NewsOne previously reported, his sordid behavior became so outrageous that the Michigan Supreme Court censured him last summer.

RELATED: Detroit Judge Accused Of Impregnating Witness

Chief among McCree’s transgressions is the sexual relationship he had with a plaintiff who brought a case before his court last year. Geniene Mott, 30, was suing the father of her child for back child support.

“I met him as a litigant, a complaining witness in his courtroom, and he stayed around after the case was over and that’s when the second half of the flirting started and we went from there and our relationship picked up,” she told Fox 2 News in an interview. “It went from being a summer fling and just something to do to falling in love, promises of marriage, me getting pregnant, us buying a house together, name it.”

Watch Judge McCree’s strange testimony below: 

On the witness stand this week, Mott revealed more details on their relationship:

Between May and November of 2012, did you engage in sexual conduct with Judge McCree?” Geniene Mott was asked.

“Yes, I did,” she answered.

“Numerous times?” she was asked.

“Yes,” Mott said.

“At least twice at the Westin hotel?” she was asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“How about Judge McCree’s marital home?” she was asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“How about your house?” she was asked.

“Yes,” she said.

Watch Geniene Mott’s testimony below:

Mott also said the two had sex in his chambers. The allegation lead to Judge McCree’s suspension in February. Robert King, Mott’s ex-boyfriend, is suing Judge McCree in federal court in connection to the allegation.

In court Tuesday, McCree did not deny his relationship with Mott. In a rather strange testimony, he actually blamed her for his misconduct.

“Miss Mott is passionate. She would be at the apex of euphoria. She’d be at the abyss of near homicidal anger,” McCree said. “I had to do a lot of things just to pacify her. I had to tell her things she needed to hear.”

“So why not end it?” the judge was asked.

“I tried. I tried a couple, three, four times,” McCree said. “We’d break up, and then the next day, she would contact me, and she would sweet talk me back into it.”

One of the “things” he said he told Mott was that he would leave his wife to be with her. But, as Laverne McCree , the judge’s wife of 25 years testified in court, she and her husband never seriously planned on divorcing. They believed Mott would get an abortion if McCree provided a proof that he was getting divorced, she testified.

Indeed the case is a huge mess. McCree could be removed from the bench, if he is found guilty of misconduct. The hearing is set to resume May 28.

Watch video of the case above for more details on this remarkably ratchet story.

SEE ALSO: Bill Cosby Becomes 1st Black Emmy Award Winner On This Day In 1966

Carney was born a slave with just the first name William on February 29, 1840, in Norfolk, Va. Escaping via the help of the Underground Railroad, Sgt. Carney traveled north and found his father in Massachusetts.

Later, the pair paid for the freedom of the rest of his enslaved family members.

As a free young man in the North, Sgt. Carney enlisted with the Massachusetts Regiment – gaining his last name from a White man so that he could join the service.

Serving on the front lines of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Sgt. Carney was part of an assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, S.C.  That day, Sgt. Carney saved the American Flag and placed it atop a trench, despite enduring heavy wounds from Southern forces.

As a “color sergeant,” it was Carney’s duty to keep the flag upright and displayed. After Union forces were led to retreat, Sgt. Carney carried the flag across the battlefield and was wounded again but never let the flag touch the ground.

According to historic documents, Sgt. Carney was humble regarding his actions, reportedly saying, “Boys, I only did my duty; the old flag never touched the ground.”

On this day in 1900, nearly 37 years after his heroic act, Sgt. Carney would receive the Medal of Honor with not much in the way of recorded fanfare. Nevertheless, his valorous act has been recognized by both the United States Army and historic texts.

Below is the citation for Sgt. Carney’s Medal Of Honor:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant William Harvey Carney, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 18 July 1863, while serving with Company C, 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry, in action at Fort Wagner, South Carolina. When the color sergeant was shot down, Sergeant Carney grasped the flag, led the way to the parapet, and planted the colors thereon. When the troops fell back he brought off the flag, under a fierce fire in which he was twice severely wounded.

In the twilight of his years, Sgt. Carney was employed as a postal worker and public speaker. He lived in Boston until his passing in 1908. The Academy Award-winning film “Glory,” starring Oscar recipient Denzel Washington, depicts part of the Fort Wagner battle.

Although Sgt. Carney’s remarkable story is not full of pomp and the like, his achievement is beyond noteworthy considering the incredible arc of his life. We salute you, Sgt. Carney, for inspiring future soldiers to follow their duty.

SEE ALSO: Haitian Revolution Leader Toussaint L’Ouverture Was Born On This Day In 1743

Porsha and Kordell Stewart’s (pictured) divorce apparently gets uglier by the day. Earlier this week, Porsha, the reality show starlet of the Bravo hit “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” claimed that Kordell changed the locks of their 12,500-sq.-ft. mansion and locked her out. Now Kordell is firing back at Porsha’s accusations, stating that he did indeed change the locks of their home because his wife “abandoned the marital home on April 2, 2013,” according to HipHollywood.

RELATED: Porsha Stewart Locked Out By Husband Kordell?

In the filed court document, which was obtained by HipHollywood, the former NFL Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback reportedly contends:

“[Porsha] established a routine of leaving (the) pre-marital residence without explanation and without consideration of the detrimental effects such behavior would have on the parties’ marriage and [Kordell’s] 9-year-old son.”

Kordell also claims, that he did in fact forewarn his soon-to-be-ex missus via a text message that he had made the move to change the locks of their home. The following text was also included in the court filing:

Hey reaching out not knowing who may or may not have keys to the house at this point, I was concerned for our safety so I changed the locks on the house. If and when you need to get in give me a heads up so you can get in.

The 40-year-old former gridiron-star-turned-sports-analyst even goes in on Porsha with regards to her claims of having to move in with her mother after she was locked out of the marital property. Kordell states that his wife, whom he says is now a “celebrity,” has managed to generate more than enough lucrative income via endorsements, public appearances, and her Bravo hit reality series.

Watch Kordell and Porsha Stewart get married here:

Kordell also say that Porsha is more than able to put a roof over her own head without a problem, and if she can’t, it would be the “result of her own financial negligence.”

SEE ALSO: Parent Locked Out Of Spelman Graduation Vows To Stop Supporting School

One of the proudest moments of Melvin Cox’s (pictured right) life would have been to see his daughter graduate with honors from the prestigious Spelman College in Atlanta. Yet, the potential memory of his daughter’s cap and gown moment was allegedly robbed from him, when he — and other parents — reportedly arrived at the school’s graduation ceremony late and were therefore locked out of the event, according to WSBTV.

SEE ALSO: Cleveland Eateries Promise Charles Ramsey Free Burgers For Life

Talking with WSBTV about missing his daughter’s graduation, which took place on Sunday at 3 p.m. sharp, Cox said, “It is unacceptable, and it’s something that needs to be addressed today.” According to the disturbed Dad, the event’s doors were locked by security guards at 2:30 p.m.

Cox flew in from Oakland, Calif., and spent more than $1,400 in airfare and accommodations to attend the event. When he and other parents of the graduating class asked to be allowed entry in to the ceremony, security guards reportedly refused — allegedly using verbal threats.

Cox, along with the other parents who were locked out, are incensed about the school’s seemingly unreasonable policy and are demanding that the college reassess it, “To simply turn us away, to at one point call the Sheriff’s Department, and to threaten us with arrests, I mean it’s just not right,” Cox told WSBTV.

Watch Cox discuss missing his daughter’s graduation at Spelman College here:

Cox, who admits that he and his daughter cannot even bring up the graduation without becoming emotional, added, “One of the memories of the day would be a Mother from New York, I believe, with tears welled up in her eyes just standing there in the rain, not believing this was happening to her and her family.”

Spelman responded to the accusations by the miffed parents, saying:

There are guidelines and protocols in place as safety measures, including no access to the facility after a certain time, and no exit and re-entry. These guidelines and protocols are conveyed in a series of communications, beginning in the fall semester of the academic year and throughout the spring semester, leading up to Commencement.

According to Cox, he has received letters from the academic institution but no specific info was relayed to him with regards to the graduation ceremony and any conditions that he should have been mindful of.  “There is no excuse because something very precious, very near to me has been stolen from me,” he laments.

Cox is so upset with the school that he has vowed to not give them another red cent in financial support.

Meanwhile, Cox says that he will write Spelman a “stern letter” to discuss his dismay with regards to the unfortunate turn-of events that occurred during his daughter’s graduation ceremony that he was forced to miss.

Sound off!

Kiera Wilmot was arrested for felony charges involving a science experiment gone wrong at school. Despite her impeccable school record, she was arrested and released pending charges from the prosecutor’s office. After immense pressure from some national media, including NewsOne, the public, and concerned citizens, the prosecutors decided to drop the charges against her. Finally a small taste of justice.

Unfortunately, that dismissal is far from enough.

RELATED: Victory: Kiera Wilmot Will Not Be Prosecuted For Exploding Science Experiment!

In today’s digital age, once something is in a database or on the Internet, it is there for eternity.

In other words, FOREVER.

It is hard to erase or delete information if that database has been sold or disseminated to someone else; it is almost impossible to retract once the information has been created.

That is the long-term damage that Kiera may face in her future.

Her criminal arrests can follow her everywhere whether it has to do with filling out college applications, applying for an apartment, or any other instance where a background check is warranted.

In other words, Kiera will  have some serious explaining to do: Why were you arrested? What was the outcome? Should we believe your version of events?  Are you a terrorist threat? Are you dangerous? Why would we want a person who was arrested at our school?

These are real-life questions she may face unless all records of her arrest are expunged from EVERY database. But remember, in our digital age, once something is out there, it is hard to take back.

How does this translate to other youth across the country?

Unfortunately, for most Black youth whose cases surely do not get national media attention, they are stuck with a criminal history even when they are innocent of the crime.

This happens all too often with our young people who get labeled as criminals, and that label stays with them until they die.

So there are many Kieras out there. Many children get arrested and charged for alleged crimes. They are arrested, booked, mugshots and fingerprints are taken, and then they are placed in the system. A disproportionate number of these children are Black and/or poor.

The statistics don’t lie.

In my criminal law practice, I’ve witnessed White teens’ parents being called to pick them up when they are caught shoplifting, drinking, or smoking marijuana. For those teens, they are considered to be “a typical teenager,” or instead of being called a “thief,” it is said that they “were just pulling a prank.”

These youths are rarely arrested.

Unfortunately, for Black youths, the very same officers will arrest them, and now they are criminals and convicts — that is a long way from the teenage pranksters title of their White counterparts.

An example of disparities in prosecution are found in statistics for drug arrests. According to recent statistics, Blacks account for only 14 percent of drug users; however, 37 percent of the people arrested for drugs are Black!

Yes, really.

That, in and of itself, shows you the disparity in arrests and why there is a higher number of Blacks in prison, on probation, or parole and “in the system”: Blacks are not doing more crimes but are arrested and convicted almost three times as much as the other races.

That is why you should care.

Kiera’s story is the same story of countless others but those others did not get the media attention, legal assistance, and help like she did.

When we see an injustice, it is our duty to stand up and fight for justice and fairness. There is power in numbers. Your voice alone may not be heard, but when you stand with 10, 50, or 100 others, your voice is multiplied and cannot be ignored.

Let your voice be heard.  Stand, shout, and fight against any injustice. Not only for Kiera, but for those like her in your community.

Eric L. Welch Guster is founder and managing attorney of Guster Law Firm in Birmingham, Ala., handling criminal and civil matters, catastrophic injuries, criminal defense, and civil rights litigation. Mr. Guster has become a go-to lawyer for the New York Times, NewsOne, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, Black  America Web, and various radio programs about various court issues and high-profile cases.

Follow Guster on Twitter @ericguster.

CLEVELAND — The man who famously put down his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive for a decade in an Ohio house will never have to pay for another burger in his hometown.

Charles Ramsey has been promised free burgers for life at more than a dozen Cleveland-area restaurants.

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reports that the restaurant where Ramsey worked as a dishwasher initially created a special burger in his honor, but eateries in the city decided a larger tribute was due.

Ramsey was called a hero after helping Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight break out of the house May 6. Ariel Castro is now facing charges.

The newspaper says Ramsey was traveling and would get his “Chuck Card” when he returns.

PHOTO CREDIT: Facebook

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that four American citizens have been killed in drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen since 2009. The disclosure to Congress comes on the eve of a major national security speech by President Barack Obama in which he plans to pledge more transparency to Congress in his counterterrorism policy.

It was already known that three Americans had been killed in U.S. drones strikes in counterterrorism operations overseas, but Attorney General Eric Holder disclosed details that had remained secret and also that a fourth American had been killed.

In a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, Holder said that the government targeted and killed U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki and that the U.S. “is aware” of the killing of three others who were not targets of counterterror operations.

Al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric, was killed in a drone strike in September 2011 in Yemen. The other two known cases are Samir Khan, who was killed in the same drone strike as al-Awlaki and al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman, a Denver native, who also was killed in Yemen.

The newly revealed case is that of Jude Kenan Mohammed, one of eight men indicted by federal authorities in 2009, accused of being part of a plot to attack the U.S. Marine Corps base at Quantico, Va. Before he could be arrested, Mohammad fled the country to join jihadi fighters in the tribal areas of Pakistan, where he was among those killed by a U.S. drone.

“Since entering office, the president has made clear his commitment to providing Congress and the American people with as much information as possible about our sensitive counterterrorism operations,” Holder said in his letter to Leahy, D-Vt. “To this end, the president has directed me to disclose certain information that until now has been properly classified.”

“The administration is determined to continue these extensive outreach efforts to communicate with the American people,” Holder wrote.

A move to gradually shift responsibility for the bulk of U.S. drone strikes from the CIA to the military has already begun. And, according to an administration official speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, the move would largely divide the strikes on a geographical basis, with the CIA continuing to conduct operations in Pakistan, while the military takes on the operations in other parts of the world.

The White House said Obama’s national security speech Thursday coincides with the signing of new “presidential policy guidance” on when the U.S. can use drone strikes, though it was unclear what that guidance entailed and whether Obama would outline its specifics in his remarks.

Obama “believes that we need to be as transparent about a matter like this as we can, understanding that there are national security implications to this issue and to the broader issues involved in counterterrorism policy,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Wednesday.

“He thinks (this) is an absolutely valid and legitimate and important area of discussion and debate and conversation, and that it is his belief that there need to be structures in place that remain in place for successive administrations,” Carney said. “So that in the carrying out of counterterrorism policy, procedures are followed that allow it to be conducted in a way that ensures that we’re keeping with our traditions and our laws.”

Obama’s speech Thursday at the National Defense University is expected to reaffirm his national security priorities – from homegrown terrorists to killer drones to the enemy combatants imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay – but make no new sweeping policy pronouncements. The White House has offered few specifics on what the president will say to address long-standing questions that have dogged his administration for years and, critics say, given foreign allies mixed signals about U.S. intentions in some of the world’s most volatile areas.

Obama will try to refocus an increasingly apathetic and controversy-weary U.S. public on security issues. His message will also be carefully analyzed by an international audience that has had to adapt to what counterterror expert Peter Singer described as the administration’s “disjointed” and often “shortsighted” security policies.

Obama is also expected to say the U.S. will make a renewed effort to transfer detainees out of the Navy-run detention center for terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to other countries. Obama recently restated his desire to close Guantanamo, a pledge he made shortly after his inauguration in January 2009.

That effort, however, has been stymied because many countries don’t want the detainees or are unwilling or unable to guarantee that once transferred detainees who may continue to be a threat will not be released.

There are currently about 166 prisoners at Guantanamo, and 86 have been approved for transfer as long as security restrictions are met.

Obama is also expected to make the case that the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan has decimated al-Qaida’s core, even as new threats emerge elsewhere.

In his letter, the attorney general said the decision to target Anwar al-Awlaki was subjected to extensive policy review at the highest levels of the government. Senior U.S. officials briefed the appropriate committees of Congress on the possibility of using lethal force against Anwar al-Awlaki.

The administration informed the relevant congressional oversight committees that it had approved the use of lethal forces against Anwar al-Awlaki in February 2010, well over a year before the operation, Holder said.

Officials suggest that the CIA strikes into Pakistan have been successful, and point to the agency’s ability to gather intelligence there. So, there is less of an inclination to change that now.

In other countries, such as Yemen, Somalia or portions of North Africa, the Defense Department will handle the drone strikes as regular military operations.

In March, the Senate confirmed John Brennan to be CIA director after the Obama administration agreed to demands from Republicans and stated explicitly there are limits on the president’s power to use drones against U.S. terror suspects on American soil.

Laura Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington legislative office, said the administration should “produce the legal rationale that allows him to unilaterally decide when drones can be used … and we would like him to clarify why he feels he has the authority to use drones outside of the battlefield and how he’s going to constrain that authority.”

Frank Cilluffo, White House domestic security adviser to President George W. Bush, said Wednesday that the fact that the U.S. targeted al-Awlaki and killed three other U.S. citizens in drone strikes should have been part of the public discourse all along.

He said there had been a lingering narrative that Awlaki was an inspirational leader, while in reality he had a key role in multiple operations targeting Americans. “The fact that they are making this public provides justification for the actions they took,” said Cilluffo, now director of a homeland security studies program at George Washington University.