Diddy Plays the Race Card, But Black Folks Have Bigger Fish To Fry
Sean 'Diddy' Combs would like nothing more than for Black Americans to show up outside the New York courthouse where jury selection is currently underway for his sex trafficking trial. The music mogul would probably delight in hearing chants of 'No Justice, No Peace!' outside as his lawyers make the argument inside that he's being prosecuted because he's a rich and powerful Black man.
'Mr. Combs has been singled out because he is a powerful Black man, and he is being prosecuted for conduct that regularly goes unpunished,' one of Diddy's lawyers wrote in a legal filing.
Such a statement in the past might have spurred Black Americans to lock arms with the accused, as many did with O.J. Simpson during his murder trial in 1995 and even with Diddy a few years later when he was initially charged with two felonies after a nightclub shooting.
But the Cassie video, where Diddy is seen viciously brutalizing the young singer in the hallway of a hotel, has removed any doubt about his venality. And Black folks have bigger fish to fry, anyway.
Forgive Black folks if they save the chanting and the marching for the unknown and often poor Black men and women who are mistreated by the criminal justice system. Most of them won't have a 'team' of lawyers fighting on their behalf. They will be denied bail, overcharged, and tempted to take a plea to avoid an excessive prison term.
How bad is the criminal justice system's mistreatment of Black men and women who aren't Diddy-famous and Diddy-rich? Very, very bad.
A few years ago, The Pew Charitable Trusts teamed up with the Jail Data Initiative to examine racial disparities in jails across the country. Pew reported that, in 2022, 'Black people made up 12% of the local populations but 26% of the jail populations on average across the 595 jails from the JDI sample for which race data was available for the entire year. Of these jails, in almost 71% (421), the share of the jail population that was Black was at least twice that of the locality as a whole.'
The racial disparities aren't limited to local jails. They are just as bad or, in some instances, worse in state prisons.
In Florida, for example, the most recent figures available show that 47.5% of the state inmate population is Black, compared to a state resident population that is only about 17% Black. Put more simply, nearly half of Florida's prison inmates are Black but not even one in five of its residents are Black.
Those disparities don't come with a shocking, stomach-turning video of Diddy brutalizing Cassie Ventura that lights up social media and gets gums flapping. And 'End Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System Now!' isn't a chant that rolls off the tongue. But they are far more worthy of a Black protest than Diddy's troubles.
Some jurisdictions are aware of racial disparities in the criminal justice system and are trying to make sure that Black defendants are not treated more harshly because of their race.
In Hennepin County, Minnesota, which includes Minneapolis, the County Attorney's Office issued a directive in April aimed at making sure race is considered when prosecutors make recommendations for plea deals.
'Proposed resolutions should consider the person charged as a whole person, including their racial identity and age,' the directive states. A spokesperson for the office said the directive is aimed at addressing long-standing racial disparities. 'We would neglect our duty of pursuing fair and just outcomes if we pretended these didn't exist,' the spokesperson said.
The sentencing directive has drawn the attention of Trump's Justice Department, which recently announced that it will be launching an investigation of the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. Let that sink in. DOJ isn't investigating the racial disparities; it's investigating a directive aimed at addressing them.
Diddy, you had some hits back in the day. And you absolutely deserve a fair trial. But Black folks have much bigger fish to fry than worrying about you and your case.
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Yahoo
31 minutes ago
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Woman Kicked out of Courtroom for What She Yelled at Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial took an unexpected turn on June 3 when the proceedings were disrupted. A female heckler yelled out his nickname in the Manhattan courtroom, along with "several profanities," according to People. "These motherf—ers are laughing at you," she screamed and then added, "You're laughing at a Black man's legacy" and "Pull your gun out, ninja, I dare you." Judge Arun Subramanian had her removed from the courtroom while Combs reportedly did not react to the disruption. The disturbance came on a crucial day of testimony from Eddy Garcia, a security guard at InterContinental Hotel in Century City, CA where Combs was spotted by surveillance cameras beating former girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. The CCTV video was leaked by CNN in 2024. Garcia said on the stand that the music producer asked him for the footage because it would otherwise "ruin him," per The Independent. Garcia testified that his boss offered it to Combs for $50,000. Per Garcia, the video was delivered to the performer in exchange for $100,00 via a paper bag. Garcia's boss reportedly had "to sign an NDA with a $1 million penalty." Combs is facing two charges of sex trafficking, two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution, and a racketeering conspiracy charge after federal investigators accused him of "kidnapping, drugging, and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes using firearms or threats of violence" between 2004 and 2024, per the BBC. His trial, which began on May 12, is expected to last eight to 10 weeks. He faces life in prison for the racketeering charge alone. Combs has continued to maintain his innocence to the charges, but he apologized for his behavior after the Ventura clip surfaced. "I take full responsibility for my actions in that video," Combs said in a now-deleted Instagram statement in May 2024. "I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now."Woman Kicked out of Courtroom for What She Yelled at Sean 'Diddy' Combs first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 3, 2025
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Recap of ‘Diddy' trial: Hotel security guard says Sean Combs paid $100k in cash for video of assault
People in entertainment Sean 'Diddy' CombsFacebookTweetLink Follow A former hotel security officer and a financial executive for Bad Boy Entertainment took the stand Tuesday in Sean 'Diddy' Combs federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial. The money-focused testimony came as the prosecution sought to prove that Combs created a criminal enterprise using his business empire that aided him in coercing women into 'Freak Offs' and to protect his image. Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. His defense has acknowledged Combs was violent but has questioned the motives of those testifying and has said the accusations fall short of a racketeering conspiracy. The prosecution has said its coming witnesses will be Frank Piazza, a forensic video expert, and Bryana Bongolan, who has accused Combs of dangling her from a balcony. An accuser who will testify under the pseudonym 'Jane,' and who has been referred to as 'Victim-2' in the indictment, is set to testify afterward. Prosecutors indicated she will likely be on the stand for several days. Here's what we learned in testimony Tuesday. Eddy Garcia, who worked as a security officer at the InterContinental Hotel in March 2016, testified that Combs gave him $100,000 in cash to obtain surveillance video of Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. The video of the hotel assault has played a key role in the trial so far. CNN first published surveillance video of the incident last year. Garcia testified under an immunity order after he invoked his fifth amendment right not to incriminate himself. He is the second witness in the trial to testify under an immunity order. Garcia testified that shortly after the assault, Kristina Khorram – who identified herself to Garcia as Combs' personal assistant – called hotel security and visited the hotel, asking to view or obtain a copy of the video. Combs also asked for the video in calls with Garcia on the security desk phone line and on Garcia's personal cell phone, Garcia said. 'He stated that I sounded like a good guy, that I sounded like I wanted to help, that something like this could ruin him,' Garcia testified. 'He was concerned that this video would get out and that it would ruin his career.' Garcia testified that Combs also said he 'would take care of me' if Garcia helped him. Garcia said he believed at the time Combs was making a reference to money. Garcia said he initially told Combs and Khorram to contact hotel management or obtain a subpoena for the video, but after the call from Combs to his personal cell, he called his boss, Bill Madrano, to tell him Combs was willing to pay for the video. Madrano said he would do it for $50,000, according to Garcia. 'Eddy, my angel, I knew you could help,' Combs said after learning the news, Garcia testified. The next day, Madrano downloaded the video onto a USB thumb drive and gave it to Garcia, who then delivered it to Combs, he testified. Garcia said Combs asked if it was the only copy of the video. Garcia then called Madrano, who confirmed it was the only copy and he had removed it from the server, he testified. Garcia expressed to Combs that he was concerned about what would happen if Ventura filed a police report about the incident later. Combs then called who Garcia said was Ventura on FaceTime and directed her, 'Let him know that you want this to go away, too,' according to Garcia. Ventura said on the FaceTime call that 'it wasn't a good time for this to come out and she wanted this to go away,' Garcia testified. Garcia testified it looked like Ventura but the woman was wearing a hoodie and the lighting was bad. He said Combs asked for IDs for Garcia, Madrano and the security officer who responded to the incident, Israel Florez. 'This only works if we're all on the same page,' Combs said, according to Garcia. Garcia said that he believed Florez wouldn't agree to cooperate, so he and Madrano gave Combs the ID of a different security officer, Henry Elias. Combs then had Garcia sign paperwork, including a declaration that it was the only existing copy of the video and a non-disclosure agreement, according to Garcia. The jury saw photos of the documents, which were printed on Combs' company letterhead and referenced the company and its New York office address. After Garcia signed the papers, Combs left with the documents and returned with a brown bag and a money counter, he said. Combs put a total of $100,000 through the money counter in stacks of $10,000 at a time, Garcia said. Garcia testified he assumed the extra $50,000 was for himself and the other security officer. Garcia said he gave $50,000 to Madrano and $20,000 to Elias. With the remaining $30,000, he bought a used car and did not deposit any of the money into a bank account or report it on his taxes, he said. Garcia said that about a week or two afterward, he noticed the incident report and attached security footage were no longer on the security computer. He said he did not report it to anyone because that would 'draw more attention to the situation.' Combs reached out to Garcia a few weeks later to ask if anyone had asked about the incident or video, Garcia testified. He said he hadn't heard anything. Garcia testified he was contacted by law enforcement in June 2024 about the incident and said he wasn't honest about his own involvement in the situation at the time. He also testified that he deleted his messages with Florez and Elias about it. Garcia said he later met with the government again and disclosed that Combs had paid him for the video. He said he was truthful in that meeting and all his subsequent meetings with prosecutors. On cross-examination, defense attorney Brian Steel reviewed sections of the non-disclosure agreement and noted that it included provisions for when Garcia could discuss the information with law enforcement or other government bodies, but it also specified he had to tell notify Combs' company if he did. Derek Ferguson – the former chief financial officer at Bad Boy Entertainment, the company that included the record label founded by Combs – testified Tuesday about the overlap of Combs' personal and business finances. Ferguson worked for Combs and his companies from 1998 to 2017, including as the CFO at Bad Boy from 1998 to 2012. He said his responsibilities included setting budgets, accounting and record-keeping, as well as some joint ventures and strategic partnerships. Combs' personal finances were also sometimes part of Ferguson's responsibilities, he said, but there were periods during his tenure when third parties were assigned to handle them. Ferguson said Combs would charge business and personal expenses on his corporate card 'from time to time.' Ferguson said members of his team would determine which business or entity a charge pertained to, and then they'd use that business's account to pay that charge. Ferguson testified that the finance department managed the finances for Combs' properties that he owned in Miami, the Hamptons and New York City. Ferguson also confirmed he knew Combs would provide financial support to family and friends through his personal salaries and distributions. The jury saw December 2011 bank statements for Combs' bank account for his home in Alpine, New Jersey. On December 14, the records showed the account transferred $20,000 to his ex-girlfriend and key trial witness Cassie Ventura. 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After pausing for several seconds, Ferguson shook his head and said, 'I don't know how to respond to that.'
New York Post
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Olympic track and field gold medalist Gabby Thomas put a male spectator on blast after she said he yelled personal insults at her and followed her around at the Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia on Sunday. Thomas explained that she publicly called out the man because she saw him 'bragging' about heckling her on social media. 'I made Gabby lose by heckling her. And it made my parlay win,' the man wrote under the username 'Mr 100K a day' in response to a recap post by Thomas, who finished fourth in the 100-meter race at the Grand Slam Track meet, and second place in the 200-meter sprint on Sunday. 3 Gabby Thomas of the United States competes in the women's 200m on Day 1 of Grand Slam Track at Franklin Field in on May 31, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Getty Images The man included an image of a bet he supposedly made online and a snapshot of Thomas and the other runners at the starting line at Franklin Field. 'This grown man followed me around the track as I took pictures and signed autographs for fans (mostly children) shouting personal insults,' Thomas, 28, wrote in response. 'Anybody who enables him online is gross.' Thomas called the man 'a weirdo' while replying to fans. Thomas added that she 'wasn't even going to tweet about it but since he's bragging.' 'Honestly the heckling is tolerable, it's following me around the stadium that's wild,' she wrote in another post. The man denied Thomas' claims and called her a liar in a YouTube video posted Monday under the same username — adding that she tweeted about him 'for sympathy.' He also said he does not like Thomas and called her 'a Karen.' 3 Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA), left, defeats Gabby Thomas (USA) to win the women's 200m, 21.99 to 22.10, during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field on May 31, 2025. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images In the 11-minute video, he showed clips of him heckling Thomas and saying he wanted Melissa Jefferson-Wooden to win the 200m race. 'Gabby Thomas is scared I see it in her eyes,' the man yelled, before calling her a 'choke artist.' The man was also heard yelling, 'Melissa got married this year, got a Black husband, Gabby got a white guy,' referring to Thomas' fiancé, Spencer McManes, who is white. 3 Olympian Gabby Thomas and Spencer McManes are seen arriving to the Carolina Herrera fashion show during New York Fashion Week on September 9, 2024 in New York City. GC Images At one point, he said Thomas 'walked past me and she spoke to me and she said, 'Hey what're you doing here? You're just a heckler… She laughed, smiled and kept walking. That was the last time I saw Gabby.' Earlier this year, Thomas shared a PSA on TikTok and explained that she feared she was being stalked by a group of middle-aged men, who allegedly followed her to and from multiple cities in the United States recently. The U.S. sprinter made her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut in the magazine's 2025 issue in May.
