Malcolm Brogdon was among the many NBA players that participated in peaceful protests over the weekend against police brutality and racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. It was the latest instance of an unarmed black person being killed by police, captured on tape, and following the killings of Breonna Taylor in Louisville and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia in recent weeks, people spilled into the streets around the country to protest police violence.

Brogdon joined a protest organized by Jaylen Brown in their hometown of Atlanta, Georgia over the weekend and both spoke forcefully and eloquently to the gathered crowd about why they were there and what needed to change. On Monday, Brogdon joined Rachel Nichols on The Jump to further elaborate on the message he hoped to get to the masses, and why it was important to keep the focus on the issue at hand — police brutality towards the black community — rather than let it be shifted to rioting and looting.

“I want people to hear that this is something that has been going on for over 400 years for people of color. We are at a stage now where people are desperate, people are losing hope and people of color, black and brown people, we’re at our wits end, and at this point we need help. At this point we need other people, people of different races, to step up with us, to step in front of us and beside us and support us. Speak up, because I think so much of the focus is being put on the violence that’s going on and the looting, and in no way do I condone the violence but at the same time I don’t think that should be our focus. Our focus should be on the oppressors, not the oppressed. So there are ways, we need to vote. We have to get out and vote, on the local level, on the state level, on the federal level, we have to get out and vote as a whole. But also those that are, specifically white people, have to help. We have to find people in high enough positions that have notoriety that can speak up for us and help. So there are multiple conversations going on, but at some point action has to be put to the test and there’s only so much African-Americans can do. There’s only so much weight our voices do hold, and that’s why it’s so important for people of other races to step in and use the weight of their voice to impact change.”

Brogdon’s statement on keeping the focus on the oppressors, not the oppressed and how they are protesting injustice is reminiscent of Colin Kaepernick, who regularly had to remind people why he was kneeling in protest of the same issues of police brutality, while discussion devolved into arguments over the method of his protest. Connecting those two offers a reminder that there is no method of protest that those in power that are being protested will be accepting of, and when they insist there’s a proper way to go about this they’re simply moving goalposts that can never be reached.

Protests are meant to be uncomfortable, because without putting the issue directly in our faces, those of us in the majority who don’t face racial injustice daily can easily compartmentalize it and believe it’s not a significant and dire issue. It must be, in some way, confrontational, whether that’s masses in the streets or athletes refusing to let sports be the “distraction” and bringing the message to the field or court. It’s us that Brogdon is speaking to, those that aren’t faced with it every day, as we are the ones that can elevate the problem and help to actually affect change by showing empathy to people that face very different challenges than us and believing them when they tell us this is happening.

Never one to shy away from tackling injustice, George Clooney is using his celebrity status to push for lasting changes in political leadership and law enforcement after the murder of George Floyd has led to nationwide protests.

In a powerful essay published by The Daily Beast on Monday, Clooney laments that America watched this situation play out before with the murders of Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, and Laquan McDonald, and sadly, very little has changed. As Clooney writes, racism is our country’s original sin, and we’ve done very little to move away from it despite superficial attempts. In fact, we’ve moved in the opposite direction.

The fact that we aren’t actually buying and selling other human beings anymore is not a badge of honor. We need systemic change in our law enforcement and in our criminal justice system. We need policymakers and politicians that reflect basic fairness to all of their citizens equally. Not leaders that stoke hatred and violence as if the idea of shooting looters could ever be anything less than a racial dog whistle. Bull Connor was more subtle.

While Clooney is deliberately avoiding name-calling the president, the actor is clearly referencing Donald Trump’s controversial tweet where he uses the words “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” which is a historical quote from a 1976 Miami police chief who had a long history of bigotry against the black community. Just to put the situation in context, Trump’s tweet was so bad, that for the first time, Twitter took steps to place a warning on the president’s words in an effort to avoid inciting violence.

As for Clooney’s solution for bringing about lasting change, he offers one very simple instruction: “Vote.” Granted, he doesn’t say who to vote for, but it’s certainly evident from Clooney’s words that he thinks the current occupant of the White House isn’t interested in addressing systemic racism that’s been allowed to fester for far too long.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Off-White label head and Louis Vuitton menswear artistic director Virgil Abloh is facing criticism on Twitter and other platforms after his response to the BLM protests over the death of George Floyd has left many of his supporters disheartened. Over the weekend, while protestors in multiple cities across the country took to the streets to protest police brutality, Abloh shared some musings on his Instagram over the state of streetwear with footage of fellow designer Sean Wotherspoon’s Round Two Vintage store in Los Angeles, which was broken into by looters over the weekend.

“Case & point #81 why I said ‘streetwear’ is dead,” begins Abloh’s Instagram story, referring to previous comments he’s made late last year, “‘Streetwear’ is a detachment to the above. ‘Streetwear’ is yelling and shop staff, starting fights at lineups, defaming us cause we didn’t get enough pairs of shoes cause everyone can’t get a pair. Streetwear is a group of friends that I’m surely was like, ‘C’mon guys, this is Sean’s store, we can’t treat him, like this, we know Sean…”

According to Complex, Abloh later wrote, “If me and my friends tried to loot Alife, Supreme, aNYthing, Prohibit, Union, etc. I would foresee a 40 oz bottle hurling at my head along with it.”

Those critical of Abloh on Twitter were quick to point out that while the luxury designer was lamenting the death of streetwear over the remains of a clothing store, Sean Wotherspoon, the owner of Round Two Vintage shared this message on this Instagram,

“Nothing happening right now is okay. George Floyd should never have been killed, along with other thousands and more of innocent people killed every year because of police brutality, and above all racist behavior. I’m absolutely disgusted with our system, and to be honest, I have trouble finding words for my anger and sadness about the inequality I see in our world. I’m nothing short of sad. I will always stand with the black & brown community and continue to do my best to offer a platform for EVERYONE. We are in this together. I’m here if you need me. We need change and we need it now. BLACK LIVES MATTER!”

Abloh later posted a screenshot to his Instagram story showing a $50 contribution he donated to Fempower, an organization that is helping to pay for the legal expenses of arrested protestors, which many have noted, isn’t enough to buy anything sold by Off-White, including keychains and paperclips. Since Sunday night, #Virgil has been trending in Twitter’s top 10 worldwide. Some of the reactions can be found below:

If you’d like to support the protests and protestors across the country, donate to BLM, Dream Defenders, or the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

After a brief hiatus at the end of last year, Cupcakke has remerged with new music. Following “Lawd Jesus,” her first new track of 2020, Cupcakke returns with a philanthropic effort. Cupcakke shared the track “Lemon Pepper” as her way of raising funds to support those protesting George Floyd’s death and police brutality.

“Lemon Pepper” continues Cucpakke’s signature NSFW flow accompanied by a revved-up beat. “I need some lemon pepper and mild sauce on that d*ck / Lemon pepper and mild sauce on that d*ck,” Cupcakke raps.

Upon sharing the track, the Chicago rapper announced that half of the proceeds will be directly donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides bail to low-income individuals and immigrants. The charity organization has been at the focal point of recent protests, as they are providing bail for those arrested while protesting police brutality. Along with committing proceeds from “Lemon Pepper” to the organization, Cupcakke matched fellow Chicago rapper Noname’s $1,000 donation to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

Cupcakke is the latest musician to offer support to protestors. This weekend, musicians like Halsey and Tyler The Creator joined in on protests while many others in the hip-hop community have addressed police brutality and are calling for change.

Listen to “Lemon Pepper” below and find more information on the Minnesota Freedom Fund here.

Over the weekend, Don Lemon commented upon the strangely quiet overall response of Hollywood to the George Floyd protests. Many organizations spoke out in the aftermath of Lemon’s comments, but DC Comics and Warner Bros. have moved beyond offering mere words of support to sprinkle in iconic quotes. In the case of the comic-book publisher, it recruited a quote from one of its most beloved superheroes, whose chest insignia was long presumed to simply be an “S” for Superman, but who declared fairly recently (within the past two decades) that the “letter” is actually a Kryptonian symbol of hope.

As a precursor to that declaration, a 2001 Action Comics issue (written by Joe Kelly), titled itself, “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, & the American Way?” A Superman quote from that issue — “Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear… until my dream of a world where dignity, honor and justice becomes the reality we all share — I’ll never stop fighting. Ever.” — has continued to resonate.

Even though Henry Cavill’s Superman has been, well, tweaked by Zack Snyder in recent movies (we’ll leave the specifics of that discussion for another time), the spirit of Superman is still intact. That spirit remains so powerful, in fact, that DC Comics’ Twitter account saw fit to highlight the 2001 quote to stand against the racial injustices that persist today.

On the Warner Bros.’ side of things, their Twitter account pointed towards the importance of standing up “when others are sitting” (and speaking up “when others are quiet”) with a quote from Bryan Stevenson, founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative.

And in response to DC Comics’ tweet, fans swiftly noted that Superman has indeed stood up on behalf of protesters in the comics, and he’s done so in opposition to police brutality. This went down in a 2015 Action Comics issue (penned by Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder) titled “Hard Truth, Part Two,” in which Superman intervened between police and peaceful protesters. It’s an incredible sight to revisit in light of certain parties’ fretting over whether Superman is viewed as relatable.

Wouldn’t it be something to see Cavill’s return as Superman (in a future project) take on this type of theme? That’s pure speculation on my part, but it would be a welcome sight to see this Superman arc in cinemas, even as a breakaway in a larger project. That’d certainly be a bold way to stand up and speak out when others choose not to do so.

The NBA Coaches Association became the latest to issue a forceful statement regarding the nationwide protests of police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, calling police brutality “shameful, inhumane and intolerable” while promising its members will use their power and platform to affect change in their communities.

This came on the heels of an NBA internal memo from Adam Silver calling for team leadership and ownership to listen to players on the issue and praised players for speaking out over the past few days. A number of current and former players have organized or participated in protests, with even more speaking out on social media, along with teams issuing statements as well as a few owners speaking out and using their platform, like Michael Jordan.

Doc Rivers and some other coaches have likewise issued their own statements outside the NBCA statement, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chose to do the same late Sunday night when he called Dave Zirin of The Nation to deliver a lengthy and scathing critique of the response of Donald Trump to the protests.

“He’s not just divisive. He’s a destroyer. To be in his presence makes you die. He will eat you alive for his own purposes. I’m appalled that we have a leader who can’t say ‘Black Lives Matter.’ That’s why he hides in the White House basement. He is a coward. He creates a situation and runs away like a grade-schooler. Actually, I think it’s best to ignore him. There is nothing he can do to make this better because of who he is: a deranged idiot.”

This is just one example of Popovich’s fury towards the president in the piece, as he also goes after Mitch McConnell and calls for better organization of protests to have more effectiveness (and to have better known start and end times to, as he hopes, lead to better control and less rioting). As Zirin notes at the end, he was not able to ask how Popovich felt they could achieve that goal when police have often been the ones escalating the violence in the protests, as Popovich got what he wanted to get off his chest, ending the call saying, “The system has to change. I’m willing to do my part. That’s all I’ve got. Bye, Dave.”

That Popovich would take such sharp aim at Trump is unsurprising given he’s been an outspoken critic of Trump for the last four years and has been consistent with his anger towards the White House’s response to issues of racial injustice, gun violence, and more. Pop has never been one to pull punches on his beliefs, and certainly doesn’t here.

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You know, gifts that *won’t* end up buried somewhere in the garage, never to be used or seen again.

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Roses are red, violets are blue…

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When Sally Met Sally.

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