Last week was a big one for Democrats, mosquitos, and the police/#BlackLivesMatter issue. So grab your coffee and catch up with us in this week’s gist.
Democratic Convention:
Contrary to what you might have been expecting, the Democratic Convention is not, in fact, held at the Renaissance Inn over a weekend in the middle of nowhere with an open bar. It is a MF productionnnn.
Since it was an entire week long, We’ll highlight reel you:
The week hosted speakers and performers alike, from Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Michael Bloomeberg (former NYC mayor), scary af retired marines, Michelle Obama (and her beautiful arms), Obama (and his beautiful ears), 9/11 survivors, physically-impaired badasses, Bernie Sanders, immigrants, Lena Dunham, Bill Clinton, and Hill- dog’s daughter, Chelsea Clinton.
Every speech was another step closer to Hilary accepting the democratic party’s nomination. And then she, herself, said a few lines. JK her speech was like, an hour.
What did she talk about?
Bernie Sanders– getting limitations on how much one party/ individual can donate to a politician (getting money out of politics), and that she’s “heard you” if you’re his supporter.
Climate Change– she believes in science and thinks people who don’t are dumb.
Foreign Policy– that generals in the military know more about fighting ISIS than any GOP candidate does (cough cough Trump.)
Gun Control– she does not want to take away Americans’ guns, but rather make sure they don’t get shot by someone who shouldn’t be allowed to have one in the first place.
Two Police Officers Shot in San Diego:
Thursday night, two police officers were shot in San Diego.
There is one suspect in custody. The officers’ conditions are unknown, and tension is high.
This comes after the shooting of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
Some are scrutinizing the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and some are scrutinizing the scrutinizers, saying they’re not getting it… welcome to feminism.
Speaking of:
Michael Jordan donated $2 million to improving the relationships between black citizens and the police force.
How? By donating $1 million to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and $1 million to the Institute for Community-Police Relations.
Ballin’.
Charges Dropped on Remaining Officers in Freddie Gray Case:
Last Tuesday, Baltimore prosecutors dropped all charges against the remaining police officers lined up for trail on the Freddie Gray case.
Who’s that? Freddie Gray was a 25-year-old black man who was arrested and passed away after suffering major spinal cord injuries on his way to the station. Cue raised eyebrows and protesting.
Four major parties in the case (the officers who had contact with him) were not charged with anything. So this week, charges were dropped against the remaining two.
What does this mean? Well, Gray’s case was a huge catalyst in the Black Lives Matter movement, ensuing protests, anger, and calls for change.
The dropped charges could ignite a whole new anger towards the judicial system.
#PrayForTheWorld: ISIS Attacks Priest and Holds Hostages
The world has, yet again, been tragically targeted by ISIS.
Last week, two men broke into a Church in Normandy where a Mass was being held for a smaller group of people.
The men slit the priest’s throat and held the others hostage.
They were eventually shot and killed by police and the hostages were rescued.
This comes after two major attacks on France: Paris and Nice. All within the last year.
France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, and tensions are now rising as attacks continue.
Hide Yo Kids…Well, Don’t Have Kids:
Two counties in Florda have been restricted from donating blood due to confirmed cases of the Zika Virus.
There has been at least 4 cases of Florida-born Zika viruses in the last several months.
Officials are warning women especially not to get pregnant because of known birth complications, while women are like “lol, maybe if you gave us cheaper birth control we wouldn’t have such a problem here, boys.”
Flint, Michigan Water Issues Continue:
Friday, six current and former Michigan state employees were charged in a criminal investigation into the water crisis in Flint.
Three people have been arrested, and one has already taken a plea deal (aka they guilty af).
What happened again? Children were dying/getting v sick because of lead poisoning from Flint’s water.
The public filed complaints for months before anything was done to fix it. And skeptics think that officials knew about what was going on and didn’t do anything about it.
According to the charges, skeptics are indeed correct, and officials are saying, “this is only the beginning.”