Blog Archives - 2 BLACK Girls

Say Bye-Bye To L.A.'s Iconic Sports Arena

5/20/2015

(Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer Daily News)

Although the first “S” in its rooftop marquee seen from Figueroa Street is missing and the lot seems bare of trees or much else, the L.A. Sports Arena is an iconic structure. It was the first home for the Lakers, Clippers, Kings, USC and UCLA basketball. High schools have even held championship games there.

On Monday afternoon the Major League Soccer expansion Los Angeles Football Club announced in Exposition Park plans to bulldoze the 56-year-old monument and create a new outdoor stadium.

As of late, it is looked at as a meet-up spot for outdoor swap-meets. It has hosted indoor soccer, arena football, lingerie football, Wrestlemania, and a few more events. It has acted as a backup location when events' first-choice venues were booked.

It has been stated that the transformation will take about two years.

WRITTEN BY: VIOLA CONSTANCE | @Voila_its_Viola

CA Democratic Senate Candidate, Loretta Sanchez, Apologizes for Offensive Native American Gesture

5/19/2015

In 2016, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California will vacate her Senate seat. The race has begun among all political parties on who is set to fill the seat. U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a democratic candidate, made a gesture deemed offensive by Native Americans at a Indian American event.

Sanchez tapped her had over her mouth and made a whopping sound to imitate a "War Cry". She used the gesture as a joke for an anecdotal story in order to differentiate between Native Americans and Indian Americans.

Sanchez has since apologized for the gesture. She had this to say to The Los Angeles Times:

Sanchez said she was proud of her record defending the rights of Native Americans.

“They know my record,” she said. “They know how much I have spent, the time that I have spent with them at their tribal councils, listening to them, advocating for them. They know that I have always had their backs.

“And they know what many of you don’t know — that like so many Mexican Americans, I am proudly Native American on my mother’s side.”

Written By: Lauren B. I @laurenbeal

Rival Bikers Gang Shoot-Out Leave 9 Dead and Over 170 Arrested

5/18/2015

#whiteonwhitecrime #aretheythugs #wacothugs

On Sunday afternoon, a shoot-out that left 9 dead began in Waco, Texas. The biker gangs beat, stabbed, and shot at each other outside of a Texas restaurant called Twin Peaks. Some bikers even turned their weapons on the police that were outside.

Police and local business owners had long been scared of the violence and threats between the gangs. Police were outside in full uniform patrolling the areas as the violence began. After the mass violence ended over 100 weapons were confiscated.

Rod Aydelotte / Waco Tribune-Herald via AP

"We wanted our presence to be known," Swanton told reporters. "They knew we were seconds away and going to respond. That mattered not to them." Swanton called it "the most violent and gruesome scene that I have dealt with" in three and a half decades of law enforcement.

After news about this story broke, social media was set ablaze for the discrepancies in reporting mass crimes by white and black people. Trending topics such as #whiteonwhitecrime #aretheythugs #wacothugs, left many disillusioned in the media's treatment of black and white violence as the subjects and headlines.

Let's chat do you think the media treat criminal activity differently based on race?How about the police and public response to these violent crimes? Let's begin the conversation!

Written By: Lauren B. I @laurenbeal

Man Arrested After George Zimmerman Shooting

5/16/2015

A Florida man, Matthew Apperson, was arrested Friday on charges of attacking George Zimmerman. Zimmerman, the man acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the 2012 shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, has been in the news ever since.

Apperson was charged with aggravated assault, battery with a deadly weapon, and firing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle, the Lake Mary Police Department said in a statement, Reuters reports.

The shooting happened Monday on a busy road in an Orlando suburb. The incident left Zimmerman slightly injured from shards of flying glass after he was shot at through his car window, police say.

via TheRoot

“After conducting numerous interviews throughout the week, detectives determined that Mr. Apperson did intentionally fire his weapon into the vehicle occupied by George Zimmerman without provocation,” the police said in a statement, Reuters reports.

But lawyers for Zimmerman and Apperson have provided different accounts of what happened, the report says.

Apperson’s lawyer, Mark NeJame, told Reuters that Zimmerman brandished a gun, provoking Apperson to fire his weapon. Zimmerman’s attorney, Don West, said the shooting was unprovoked.

It was Zimmerman’s latest brush with law enforcement since his acquittal in Martin’s shooting, which Zimmerman argued was self-defense.

WRITTEN BY: VIOLA CONSTANCE | @Voila_its_Viola

At Least 6 Dead In Philadelphia Amtrak Crash

5/13/2015

Photo courtesy of: (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA)

No Tuesday night an Amtrak train headed to New York City derailed and tipped over, disfiguring the front of it, killing six people and injuring over 200. Some passengers climbed out of windows and the backs of cars to escape.

Mayor Michael Nutter, who confirmed the deaths, said the scene was horrific.

"It is an absolute disastrous mess. Never seen anything like this in my life." - Mayor Nutter

Via AP on Yahoo! News

Mayor Michael Nutter said some people remained unaccounted for, raising fears the death toll could rise, though he cautioned that some passengers listed on the Amtrak manifest might not have boarded the train, while others might not have checked in with authorities.

Train 188, a Northeast Regional, had left Washington, D.C. The front of the train was going into a turn when it started to shake before coming to a sudden stop.

An Associated Press manager, Paul Cheung, was on the train and said he was watching Netflix when "the train started to decelerate, like someone had slammed the brake."

"Then suddenly you could see everything starting to shake," he said. "You could see people's stuff flying over me."

Cheung said another passenger urged him to escape from the back of his car, which he did. He said he saw passengers trying to escape through the windows of cars tipped on their side.

Nepal Hit By Another Huge 7.3 Earthquake

5/12/2015

Credit: Navesh Chitrakar / Reuters

On May 12, 2015, Nepal was hit by another huge earthquake measuring at 7.3 magnitude. This quake comes just a few weeks the devastating 7.8 earthquake the hit on April 26th. The April quake left a death toll of over 8,000 people, destruction too great, and aid needed from around the world in order to deal with it's aftermath.

The May 12th earthquake added another 42 people to Nepal's rising death toll. This only further impacted Nepal's ability to start the clean-up and healing process.

Meanwhile, the U.N’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported about $415 million in humanitarian relief was needed for the region.

The Nepalese government has appealed for international aid, and relief workers said they are in need of supplies, food, and water.

Written by Lauren B. I @Laurenbeal

George Zimmerman Injured in FL Shooting

5/11/2015

Getty Images

George Zimmerman is a high profile name because he was acquitted in the shooting death of a 17-year old Trayvon Martin. Since the acquittal of George Zimmerman has had numerous run-ins with the law including:
a warning for speeding in northern Texas in July 2013, taken into custody at his FL home after a domestic altercation, and he was arrested on aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of domestic violence battery and criminal mischief. He was also arrested for allegedly throwing a bottle at his girlfriend in another domestic violence complaint.

George Zimmerman was injured in a shooting incident in Lake Mary on Monday afternoon. Matthew Apperson, who identified himself as the other party in the shooting has had a history with Zimmerman. Apperson reported that Zimmerman said "said he was going to shoot me dead," according to The Orlando Sentinal.

Police have yet to interview either Zimmerman or Apperson for their version of what transpired Monday afternoon.

Story Developing...

Written By: Lauren B. I @laurenbeal

Basketball Players Griner and Johnson Wed

5/9/2015

WNBA's Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson recently married in a ceremony in a Phoenix resort on Friday.

According to People magazine 75 people attended the wedding at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort.

Less than a month ago the two were arrested on domestic violence-related charges.

Griner entered into a diversion agreement and all charges will be dismissed if she completes 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling according to AP news.

''It is never OK for an argument to turn physical. This will never happen again, and I take my relationship and my responsibility as a role model seriously. I am committed to making positive changes and I plan to use what I have learned to set a good example and help make a difference in the world around me.'' - Griner

Griner plays for the WNBA defending champion Phoenix Mercury, and Johnson plays for the Tulsa Shock.

Johnson wore a gown she selected on TLC's ''Say Yes to the Dress.''

To see a wedding photo click here.

WRITTEN BY: VIOLA CONSTANCE | @Voila_its_Viola

A Michigan Mom Goes to Prom 24 Years Later

5/7/2015

(ABC News)

Belinda Smith was completely shocked when her 18-year-old son Danotiss asked her to his senior prom.

Smith, of Pontiac Michigan, said she was flattered, but she asked him if this was really what he wanted to do. Danotiss, who asked his mother to prom about a month ago, was sure of his decision especially after learning why she missed her own 24 prom years ago.

Smith told ABC News that she missed her senior prom in 1991 after her mother died, which left her siblings and her siblings in a grave financial state.

"I wasn’t able to attend. It goes back to when my mother passed in '85 and our whole life basically changed overnight. I remember my sister going to prom and I couldn’t wait to go. I was asked to the prom but we didn’t have the money. I didn’t want my friends to know I didn’t have the funds, so I just acted like I didn't want to go. Every day after school leading up to prom I cried. I just wanted to go so bad. From there, I said 'When I have kids, my kids are going to prom.' I wanted them to have what I didn’t have." - Smith to ABC News

Before asking his mom to prom, Danotiss spoke to his principal Jeffrey Frankowiak for the okay. Frankowiak approved.

Danotiss is standing by his decision for his mother to experience what she once missed out on.

"I just felt like it was right to ask her cause she couldn’t go to her prom. She couldn’t afford it back then so I thought it would be pretty sweet to ask her. Some of my friends thought it was pretty cool that I'm taking my mom. Some said it's kind of weird. I just want her to enjoy it. I want her to get that experience and have some fun." - Danotiss to ABC News

The Waterford Kettering High School senior prom will be held on Friday at a local catering hall.

Smith has chosen to wear an orange dress to the event and Danotiss said he will present his mom with a white corsage.

WRITTEN BY: VIOLA CONSTANCE | @Voila_its_Viola

Whole Foods To Bring Affordable Chain

5/6/2015

Whole Foods is planning to start up a new chain of lower-priced stores for those who can’t afford to buy its premium and organic food.

On Wednesday the company said that the new stores would offer a "curated" selection and simpler design for people who want Whole Foods quality but not Whole Foods prices. This new format is geared toward customers in their 20s and 30s.

According to Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb, the company is building a team that will solely be dedicated to this project and is already negotiating leases to build a chain.

“It will deliver a convenient, transparent, and values-oriented experience geared toward millennial shoppers, while appealing to anyone looking for high-quality fresh food at great price,” Robb said in a statement. “We believe the growth potential for this new and complementary brand to be as great as it is for our highly successful Whole Foods Market brand.” Executives on a call with Wall Street analysts spoke of increasing the “accessibility” of organic food.

The new chain's name has yet to be disclosed. More details later this year. The new chain is set to be up sometime next year.

WRITTEN BY: VIOLA CONSTANCE | @Voila_its_Viola