Zemir Begic came to the U.S. from Bosnia in 1996, moving first to Utica, NY, before settling in Waterloo, Iowa, then moving to St. Louis where he married Arijana Mujkanovic, six months ago. Begic died early Sunday morning in St. Louis after four kids walked up and began beating on his car using hammers. Mujkanovic was…

Dear National Media types: Every evening, while watching ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and FOX news, I see your field correspondence having trouble figuring out where they are reporting from within the ‘Golden State.’ Please allow me to help. This is Northern California. This is NOT Northern California. Thank you. You can go back now, to your regular self-appointed…

The Obama administration plans to spend $263 million for police body cameras and training in the wake of the shooting death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown.  The program would offer a total of $75 million over three years to match state funding for the cameras by 50 percent, helping to pay for more than 50,000…

Here We Go Again. A Staten Island grand jury cleared an NYPD cop in the chokehold death of Eric Garner during his caught-on-video arrest for peddling loose cigarettes. The panel voted a “no-bill” and dismissed all charges against Officer Daniel Pantaleo, capping weeks of investigation by the special grand jury, set up in September specifically…

It reminds me of when Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood atop the medal podium at the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City, bowed their heads and raised black-gloved fists during the playing of the national anthem.  They ended up being kicked off the U.S. Track Team for their actions. It was neither the time…

There was a time when the Democratic Party was respectable. But on Monday, four members of the Congressional Black Caucus did the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” gesture during remarks from the House Floor, to show solidarity with protesters in Ferguson, Missouri. Congressional folks Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) and Al…

There is a meme making the rounds on Facebook about a young man named DeAndre Joshua, the only person killed during the riots, looting and arson-fires in Ferguson, Missouri. His death has become fodder for online speculation, as people continue to claim Joshua was one of the unnamed witnesses, who testified before the Michael Brown…

After the president’s meeting with leaders on race, the Congressional Black Caucus took to the House floor to discuss the events in Ferguson, Missouri. “The Ferguson grand jury’s decision not to indict former officer Darren Wilson was yet another slap in our face,” said Representative Marcia Fudge of Ohio. “It was another painful reminder that…

There hasn’t been a day since October 9th, that I haven’t failed to think of my dog, Harley. In fact, I have time and again embarrassingly called each of the other three dogs by his name. So it was a pleasant surprise when this arrived: Thank you to both Baring Boulevard Veterinary Hospital and to…

An off-duty Akron, Ohio White police officer was fatally shot while confronting an armed Black man November 16th. Justin Winebrenner and several friends were at a pub when a man became disorderly and kicked out of the pub. The man returned a short time later and brandished a handgun. A staff member, who was aware Winebrenner…