Hate, Hate crime, Prejudice

Dylan Roof Sentenced to DEATH!!!

The ReadyWriter

aabttlvA U.S. jury on Tuesday condemned white supremacist Dylan Roof to death for the hate-fueled killings of nine black parishioners at a Bible study meeting in a Charleston, South Carolina, church in 2015.

The same jury last month found Roof, 22, guilty of 33 federal charges, including hate crimes resulting in death, for the shootings at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Jurors deliberated for less than three hours. Roof stared straight ahead as the judge read through the jury’s verdict findings before announcing his death sentence.

Roof, who represented himself for the penalty phase, was unrepentant during his closing argument earlier in the day. He told jurors he still felt the massacre was something he had to do and did not ask that his life be spared.

Roof’s hate was apparent as he was unremorseful during testimony of the entire trial.

Roof still faces a trial on murder charges in state court, where prosecutors also are seeking the death penalty.

Crime, President Obama, Violence

President Obama Denies High Murder Rate During His Presidency

The ReadyWriter

obama-days-550x377“There is no growing crime wave” is what he said.

But the president appears to be in denial over the unprecedented spike in violent crimes during his two terms as president. In an op-ed published in the Harvard Law Review, Obama refused to take credit for a 10.8 percent increase in murders from 2014 to 2015 — the largest increase in a single year since 1971.

In his Harvard Law Review op-ed, Obama claimed crime “remains near historic lows,” and he was adamant that there “is no growing crime wave”.

The president, who has 11 days left in office, took pride in using his “clemency power” to pardon hundreds of hardened criminals back onto the streets — more than any president in history.

Obama bragged that he will be “the first President in decades to leave office with a federal prison population lower than when I took office.”

In an interview with a Chicago CBS News affiliate, the president blamed social media for providing a platform to broadcast high profile crimes, such as the one involving a white man who was tortured for hours by 4 young black people.

Obama called the senseless hate crime in Chicago “terrible” and “despicable”.

A Gofundme page set up for the victim, who is autistic, has collected over $129,000.

Shooting death

5 Dead, Multiple Wounded in Shooting at Ft. Lauderdale Airport

The ReadyWriter

shooting-550x338A suspect is in custody following a shooting at Fort Lauderdale airport, near Hollywood, Fla., that left 3 dead and 9 wounded on Friday. The death toll is expected to rise.

The shooting occurred in terminal 2 around 12:55 pm on Friday. The Broward County mayor confirms that 5 people have died and at least 9 are wounded. The shooter is reportedly in custody.

Ft. Lauderdale airport is located about 25 miles north of Miami International Airport in South Florida.

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to conflicting reports of an active shooter outside the airport and inside the baggage claim area. Officials later confirmed the shooter was a lone gunman.

As the sounds of gunshots rang out, hundreds of people rushed the doors and ran out onto the tarmac where they were quickly rounded up by airport security. Buses were brought in to ferry the people back to the terminals.

Fox News reports airport personnel are working to resume normal operations and allow planes to land in a few hours.

30 airlines are serviced at the Ft. Lauderdale airport which is among the 25 busiest airports in the country.

Controversy, Homosexuality

Kim Burrell’s radio show canceled after homophobic sermon

The ReadyWriter

burrell_kimKim Burrell’s disgrace tour made another stop today and this time her radio show suffered the consequences.

The gospel singer has now lost her radio show, called “Bridging the Gap,” at Texas Southern University, according to the local ABC affiliate.

Burrell debuted the show in June, announced as “a mix of encouragement of entertainment” that would “feature her unique take on music, life and society.”

Her canceled radio show is the latest hit for the 44-year-old gospel singer after a sermon at the Love & Liberty Fellowship Church in Houston in which she decried the “perverted homosexual spirit.”

Burrell was uninvited from Thursday’s episode of “The Ellen Show,” when she was supposed to perform a duet with Pharrell from the “Hidden Figures” soundtrack.

Controversy, Homosexuality

Ellen Cancells Kim Burrell’s Appearance Following Anti-Gay Sermon

The ReadyWriter

bbxr6isKim Burrell’s scheduled appearance on Thursday’s “Ellen DeGeneres Show” has been cancelled in the wake of an anti-gay sermon she delivered emerging online last week. The gospel singer was slated to perform alongside Pharrell on the daytime talk show, but he’ll now appear solo.

As reported online and by the Gossip Cop, Burrell called gays “perverted” during a homophobic sermon she gave at the Love & Liberty Fellowship Church in Houston, which she founded in 2010. Also during her speech, the singer said that “the perverted homosexual spirit, and the spirit of delusion and confusion, it has deceived many men and women.” She then went on to describe specific homosexual acts as sinful.

Ellen will address the controversy on Tuesday’s episode. Burrell was supposed to sing “I See A Victory,” her duet with Pharrell from the soundtrack of the new movie Hidden Figures.