Latest news with #Black
Chicago Tribune
27 minutes ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Cook County Democrats hold off endorsement decision for county assessor, don't back Board of Review incumbent
Cook County Democrats punted Thursday on endorsing anyone for Cook County assessor, putting two-term incumbent Fritz Kaegi at risk of an open primary fight as he vies for a third term. The lack of an endorsement is the latest twist in the complex relationship between Kaegi and county Democrats. Eight years ago, Kaegi defeated incumbent Assessor and then-Cook County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Berrios in the Democratic primary race for assessor. Kaegi went on to win the 2018 general election and was subsequently endorsed by the party four years ago. But during a closed-door executive session of party higher-ups Thursday at the IBEW Local 134 meeting hall in Bronzeville, Black members of a party committee united to oppose a recommendation that the full county party organization endorse Kaegi when it convenes Friday. Caucus members were split on which of Kaegi's two primary challengers to support. Several other committee members voted 'present' on a Kaegi endorsement recommendation, bringing him short of the threshold needed to win the endorsement of the countywide slating committee. Instead, the full party will vote on that endorsement Friday. The Kaegi drama highlighted the first day of the party's slating sessions. The Democratic Party's endorsement carries less heft than in decades past, but still gives lesser-known candidates a leg up, providing help with petition signing, campaigning, and inclusion on countywide mailers heading into the March 17, 2026 primary. Candidates at slating make a brief presentation and take questions from fellow committee members from the city's wards and suburban townships. During the first session day, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle — who now chairs the party — avoided a direct faceoff with potential challengers 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly and former state Sen. Rickey 'Hollywood' Hendon. Reilly hasn't formally announced a run against Preckwinkle for County Board president as he is also considering a mayoral run. But Reilly attended the event as the party committeeman for his downtown ward. He planned to appeal to fellow Democrats for an open primary, but told the Tribune he was not allowed to speak during the early morning presentations or during a closed session because he was not a member of the countywide slating committee. Hendon said he was not allowed to present because he did not submit his resume early enough. That left Preckwinkle as the sole candidate and resulted in her winning the committee's endorsement. That decision must also be affirmed Friday. First elected board president in 2010, Preckwinkle, 78, sought to tamp down rumors she planned to end what would be her fifth term early and hand over the reins to a political ally. 'I look forward to being reelected and I will serve the entire term,' she pledged. During a brief presentation, she said she would defend the county's ordinance welcoming immigrants and fight for continued access to health care for county residents despite federal attacks on immigrant issues and health care funding. She won praise from allies such as state Sen. Rob Martwick, who credited Preckwinkle for her work in stabilizing the county's pensions and budget. 'All these issues we care about don't matter if we can't afford to pay for them,' he said. During his pitch to party leaders, Kaegi of Oak Park highlighted his advocacy for creating new incentives for affordable housing construction, his work to automatically renew a program that freezes property values for some seniors, and his 'circuit breaker' legislation designed to help low-income homeowners pay for big hikes in their property tax bills. 'When we work together, we can solve big problems,' he told committee members. 'Let's keep going.' Kaegi's personal wealth and ability to self-fund his candidacy represent a major challenge for his opponents, who are largely political unknowns. Kaegi ended the most recent quarter with $1.3 million in the bank. Since 2017, he has loaned himself roughly $5.4 million, including $750,000 earlier this year, according to the State Board of Elections. Any eventual challenger, however, is likely to attract contributions from the business community and commercial real estate interests, both of which have disagreed with Kaegi's methods in running the office. Two Democratic challengers who work at the Cook County Board of Review — which hears appeals to Kaegi's assessments — are so far trailing behind on fundraising and have yet to rally enough committeemen to win an endorsement, either. Timnetra Burruss, the Board of Review's main administrator, ended the quarter with $51,610 on hand, according to campaign records, $50,000 of which came from state Sen. Napoleon Harris, who represents voter-heavy Thornton Township. Dana Pointer, who serves as an outreach coordinator for Board of Review commissioner and constant Kaegi critic Larry Rogers, received a $50,000 loan from Rogers. Burruss, who previously worked for Rogers, told committee members she entered the race after becoming 'frustrated' by rising assessments that did not mirror market values, plus 'thousands upon thousands of errors and general disregard about impact on property owners.' She said she would support creating a new exemption for historically disinvested communities in federal opportunity zones and make it easier for property owners to sign up for other exemptions. Pointer blasted Kaegi's 'mismanagement and lack of transparency,' which she said contributed to this year's late property tax bills, as well as property assessment adjustments Kaegi's office made following the COVID-19 pandemic. The 'apartment loophole' Kaegi's office closed last year, which hiked assessments for certain business properties, wiped out 'some families' generational wealth,' she added. His 'continued use of propaganda to pit homeowners against business owners needs to stop,' Pointer said. Patrick Hynes, the current Lyons Township assessor, said he had 'fought tenaciously for fairness' in his corner of the suburbs after auditing current records and finding several properties missing from the property tax rolls. The Tribune and the Illinois Answers Project detailed some of those problems last year, finding the assessor's office had missed at least $444 million of assessed property value by misclassifying and undervaluing properties, primarily due to its failure to account for new construction and significant property improvements. 'I restored fairness and I will do the same for Cook County,' Hynes said, pledging to begin capturing more data to better reflect homes' true value. First-term Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele also failed to earn the party's endorsement as she runs for a second term. County Democrats opted not to back any candidates in her race for one of the seats on the three-member panel. County Democrats did endorse the other Board of Review commissioner running next year, George Cardenas. Steele, who until recently served on Lake County, Indiana's, property tax appeals board and runs a property valuation consulting business with government clients in Indiana, has been dogged by several controversies in recent months. On Monday, the county's inspector general cited an unnamed Board of Review commissioner for not properly disclosing outside work. The details of the case match Steele, whose annual economic reports did not disclose details about government contracts through her private business, the Leonor Group. Her annual economic interest statements mentioned she owned the firm but not which units of government she worked for, a failing the IG's office said equated to a breach of her fiduciary duty to the county. She's also been fined by the county's ethics board, and she's still fighting a DUI charge from last year. Steele has called the ethics fines 'unfair.' In a statement to the Tribune, she said she was 'singled out' for releasing confidential information about the valuation battle for the Arlington Heights property now owned by the Chicago Bears, arguing it was 'the public's right to know' about information that was already discussed aloud in a public hearing. Steele, who raised just $26,375 last quarter and has only $27,000 on hand in her campaign fund, had publicly considered running against Kaegi for assessor. But last week she dropped out of the race and said she wanted to focus on her board work. One of her opponents, Liz Nicholson, has a background in public relations, fundraising and advising nonprofits. Northfield Township Trustee Vincent Pace, who has worked in real estate investment and finance, also presented to the Democrats seeking the endorsement. Steele gave a brief presentation Thursday, but no committee members asked questions — a troubling sign given that the question period typically features supporters singing the praises of their candidates. No one presented to challenge incumbents Maria Pappas for another term as county treasurer, Monica Gordon for county clerk or Tom Dart for sheriff. All received the committee's recommendations for endorsement. Clad in a pink sweater that read 'All this and brains too,' Pappas highlighted successful efforts to sign up taxpayers for exemptions they were owed and her office's studies of major property tax issues. 'I don't think anybody's running against me, but if they are, I love a good fight,' she said. The party reconvenes Friday morning to hear from statewide candidates, including for U.S. Senate and comptroller, an opening that arose following incumbent Susana Mendoza's announcement that she would not run for reelection. A new name surfaced for the comptroller's post Thursday: State Sen. Karina Villa, a Latina who was born and raised in West Chicago. A former vice president of the local school board who has a master's degree in social work from Aurora University, Villa was elected to the Illinois House in 2018 and to the state Senate two years later. Villa is scheduled to present her credentials for comptroller to slatemakers Friday, along with state Rep. Margaret Croke of Chicago and Lake County Treasurer Holly Kim.
New York Post
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Shane Gillis' hilarious ESPYs set was a litmus test for our uptight culture
Shane Gillis took a bite out of sports' biggest names during his opening monologue at Wednesday night's ESPY Awards. And it was a real sign of cultural health. The performance felt like an infusion of wheatgrass — cleansing out the residual crud left over from more than a decade of hyper-political correctness. The comedian went after everyone, slaughtering sacred cows on both sides of the political aisle and from all sensibilities. He mocked Shedeur Sanders' nepotism, Simone Biles' height, Aaron Rodgers' vaccine resistance, Shohei Ohtani's gambling scandal, the WNBA and professional girlfriend Jordon Hudson. Even Caitlin Clark made it into some zesty one-liners. 6 Comedian Shane Gillis roasted the sports world as host of the 2025 ESPY Awards. Getty Images And then there was Donald Trump, whose Hall of Fame-worthy way of inserting himself into nearly every big sports moment made him a prime target. Gillis' line about an Epstein joke getting deleted from his script was aimed at the current administration. 'Probably never existed actually, let's move on as a country and ignore that,' Gillis said. Right out of the gate, the comedian made clear that there would be no genuflecting when he name-dropped one of the most insufferable athletes of our time. 'Megan Rapinoe could not make it tonight,' he said before adding: 'Nice.' When only a few chuckled, he quipped, 'No? We're going to pretend she's a good time? All right.' 6 Matt McCusker and his wife Brittany Hicks laughed after Gillis told the crowd she was a WNBA All-Star — and they erupted into applause. @KFCBarstool/X This night of irreverence felt especially poignant because the sports world, judging from its stony-faced reactions, seems to have not made it through our country's so-called vibe shift without serious PTSD. As Gillis dropped gem after gem, the audience offered restrained feedback — lest they were caught giggling at anyone's expense. And for the viewers at home, it was also a litmus test: If you were offended by the jokes about the WNBA or Trump, perhaps you're too entrenched in your chosen echo chamber. 6 Gillis joked that both he and Caitlin Clark are 'whites from the Midwest who have nailed a bunch of 3s.' NBAE via Getty Images Remove the stick from your bottom. That goes for former ESPN personality Sarah Spain, who whinged on behalf of the more-progressive-than-thou set, writing on X: 'In a year of crazy growth for women's sports choosing an ESPYs host who doesn't even try to make clever jokes about women athletes (he at least *attempted* for the men) he goes with hacky 'no one knows the WNBA' bits, 'Pinoe is a bad time' & repeatedly insults Black women. COOL.' A piece in New York Magazine's The Cut read, 'Who Let Shane Gillis Talk about the WNBA?' — as if it's a precious entity that should be bubble-wrapped. Admittedly, I'm a massive fan of most anything Gillis Pennsylvania native is wildly funny because of his relatability and everyman humor. There's a lightness to his barbs; he is laughing along with you and critiquing himself in real time. He even kept a running commentary about the finicky reception. 6 Donald Trump, who regularly inserts himself into every big sports moment, was roasted by Gillis. AP 'This is not serious,' he quipped during a particularly stingy moment from the audience. Gillis has never shied away from third-rail subjects like race in sports (see his Alabama football desegregation bit) and joked that he and Clark have a lot in common. 'We're both whites from the Midwest who have nailed a bunch of 3s,' he said. 'When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she's going to work at a Waffle House so she can continue doing what she loves most — fist-fighting black women.' Then he went in on Trump, saying the president knows nothing about sports. 'Every time a team comes to visit the White House, he's like, 'And you must be the guy who catches. Look at these guys, big guys, black guys.' 'And that's just when the New York Liberty visited. 6 Gillis made jokes about Simone Biles' petite stature. AP 'They didn't visit. That's just a joke.' Then came the finest moment of the night, when the audience told on themselves. 'Four-time WNBA All-Star Brittany Hicks is here. Everybody, give it up for Brittany,' Gillis said as the camera panned to an attractive black woman in a pink dress. And cheers erupted — pandering cheers, it turns out. 'I'm joking around, that's my friend's wife,' Gillis revealed. 'I knew none of you knew WNBA players. That's crazy you clapped for that.' 6 Shane Gillis and girlfriend Grace Brassel walked the red carpet before he carpet-bombed the sports world with insults. WireImage Hicks was clearly the best sport of the night. The show wasn't a convention of accountants. It was a gathering of the top athletes and other figures in sports. If anyone should know a four-time WNBA All-Star, it's the people in this room. But they've been conditioned to reflexively celebrate women just because they're women. It makes them feel like good people. Gillis finished with a nod to the late Norm Macdonald, whose brilliant hosting job at the 1998 ESPYs left us all so uncomfortable in the best way — an auspicious sign that the good guys are winning.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Can Rihanna save the Smurfs?
Papa Smurf has been mysteriously captured by evil wizards Gargamel and his brother, Razamel. As the only female in her village of male Smurfs, Smurfette is taking the lead in the new adventure of the little blue humanoids. Smurfs, an animated musical film released on July 18, stars Rihanna as Smurfette. The megastar also co-produced the film and released an original song for the film's soundtrack in May, reports DW. Since it was Rihanna's first new track in three years — following rumours that the pop star was retiring from music — it was big news for her fans. But reactions were mixed: Even though many of them celebrate Friend Of Mine as "a club banger," others were disappointed to see her return with a song for a kids movie. The Grammy-winning artist-turned-entrepreneur, who's also pregnant with her third child, is generally seen as a symbol of Black female empowerment. Yet even though the new Smurfs film gives Smurfette an empowering role, the character's name is nevertheless synonymous with an entire sexist pop culture trope: the Smurfette principle. The concept, which was coined in 1991 by feminist critic Katha Pollitt in a New York Times article, refers to a pattern that can still be widely observed in films, TV series or video games: a single female character is surrounded by an otherwise all-male ensemble of heroes. Beyond the Smurfs, the trope can be observed in many other popular universes, from Princess Leia in Star Wars to Miss Piggy in The Muppets, from Kanga in Winnie the Pooh to Peach in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Reversing the Smurfette principle Reflecting Hollywood's endless cycle of reboots, spin-offs and sequels, the 2025 Smurfs film follows three other US-produced features in the franchise, all based on the series first developed in 1958 by Belgian comic artist Peyo. The live-action animated film from 2011, The Smurfs, reflects on the problematic gender imbalance of the Smurf universe when Gargamel plays with puppets representing the creatures he's obsessed with: "I'm Papa Smurf," he sneers, using a ventriloquist voice as he waves around a blue puppet with a red cap. "I have 99 sons and one daughter — nothing weird about that!" Smurfette's original sexist backstory is also revisited in The Smurfs 2 (2013): She was not initially part of the village, but rather created out of clay by Gargamel, who devised her as an evil spy to infiltrate the Smurf community. But once Smurfette gets to know the Smurfs and discovers how open and friendly they are, she disowns her master, and Papa Smurf transforms her into a real Smurf. The spell also metamorphoses her into a more stereotypically feminine character: Her unkept black hair is turned into lush blonde locks; her generic Smurf slippers and simple elongated tank top are also magically restyled as high heels and a frilly dress. The Smurfette principle is most directly tackled in Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017). Smurfette searches for her purpose, seeing that the other Smurfs around her all have a name describing their identity: Brainy, Clumsy or Sleepy. In her self-discovery journey, she lands in a village of all-female Smurfs. But that attempt to reverse gender roles also drew criticism: "I'm all for empowering girls, but not at the detriment of boys. I did not like the way the boy Smurfs were portrayed as bumbling idiots," wrote one parent reviewing Smurfs: The Lost Village on Common Sense Media. Film critic Maryann Johanson saw things similarly. The film "seems to believe it is feminist, but only doubles down on Smurfily regressive notions of gender," she wrote, by "embracing the gentler form of misogyny that puts women on a pedestal." Others pointed out that introducing the new female characters feels more driven by profit than by feminist values by merely expanding options for Smurf merchandising: "It's extremely obvious that Smurfs: The Lost Village exists to create a base for a new Smurfs universe that's more or less the same as the old one, except with more girls — and, presumably, more little girls in the audience too," correctly predicted a Vox critic reviewing the film at the time. An animated TV series with the female characters followed the film and is still running. Co-opted by far-right? Meanwhile, the Smurf brand is also facing other challenges beyond gender issues. In Germany, the creatures have been co-opted by content creators promoting far-right populist views. AI-generated videos set in the Smurf universe started circulating on social media platforms last year that computer-manipulated the original narrator's voice to criticise, for instance, a supposed "woke dictatorship." Collectible Smurf figurines were also spotted at election campaign events for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose party colour is also light blue. "We take this brand misuse very seriously," stated IMPS, the rights holder of the Smurfs, in a press release reacting to the videos created without permission. "In particular, we clearly distance ourselves from the content of these postings and their right-wing populist context;" he added. "The Smurfs are a symbol of childhood and innocence. They stand for values such as tolerance, respect and friendship and must not be misused in any way for purposes that are contrary to their values and history." French political commentator Antoine Bueno also sparked controversy with his 2011 book analysing the symbolism of the Smurf universe. The author argued that the Smurf society contains overtones of Stalinism and Nazism, and that the evil figures could be read as antisemitic caricatures. However, Bueno clarified that he didn't believe that the creator of the Smurfs had deliberately added the racist overtones to his stories, he told The Guardian at the time: "Peyo was not at all politicised; all this was unconscious."
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
DOJ seeks one-day sentence for officer in raid that killed Breonna Taylor
In November, a federal jury found Brett Hankison, the Louisville police officer, guilty of violating Taylor's civil rights during a March 2020 police raid in which she was fatally shot, becoming the first officer directly involved in the case to be convicted on criminal charges. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Hankison faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The judge overseeing the case — US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, who was appointed by President Trump during his first administration — will consider the government's request. A sentencing hearing is set for July 22, according to court documents. Advertisement The memo requests that Hankison receive credit for time already served — the day he was arrested and made his initial court appearance — and that he not serve any time in prison. Taylor, who is Black, was fatally shot weeks before the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. The deaths helped ignite nationwide protests seeking greater police accountability over the use of excessive force against Black people. Advertisement Dhillon's memo says the Justice Department respects the jury's verdict and that the conviction means Hankison, who is white, will probably never be able to serve as a police officer or own a firearm. The memo explains why the Justice Department believes that Hankison deserves a punishment that is far less than what federal sentencing guidelines recommend. 'Although he was part of the team executing the warrant, Defendant Hankison did not shoot Ms. Taylor and is not otherwise responsible for her death,' the memo says. 'Defendant Hankison did not wound her or anyone else at the scene that day, although he did discharge his duty weapon ten times blindly into Ms. Taylor's home.' Attorneys representing Tamika Palmer, Taylor's mother, issued a scathing statement Thursday, denouncing the Justice Department's move and describing Palmer as 'once again, heartbroken and angry.' 'This recommendation is an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor and a blatant betrayal of the jury's decision,' attorneys Ben Crump, Lonita Baker, and Sam Aguiar said in the statement. 'When a police officer is found guilty of violating someone's constitutional rights, there must be real accountability and justice.' The jury found that Hankison used excessive force by firing 10 shots through Taylor's apartment's window and door, both covered with shades and curtains. The jury, which deliberated for three days, found Hankison not guilty on a second charge of violating the rights of three neighbors. None of the bullets fired from Hankison's gun struck anyone, but several penetrated the apartment walls and entered an adjoining unit. Taylor was fatally shot by another officer after Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired a warning shot from a legally owned handgun and police returned fire, investigators said. Advertisement The Justice Department's sentencing request 'is not just an insult - it's a painful reminder that the violence of bad decision-making continues to be overlooked and excused,' Louisville Metro Council Representative Shameka Parrish-Wright, a Democrat, said. The Justice Department prosecuted Hankison after he was acquitted in 2022 on state charges of wanton endangerment of Taylor's neighbors. Hankison's first trial on federal charges ended in a mistrial in November 2023 when the jury deadlocked, prompting federal prosecutors to announce they would retry him. 'After a recent review … counsel is unaware of another prosecution in which a police officer has been charged with depriving the rights of another person under the Fourth Amendment for returning fire and not injuring anyone,' the Justice Department memo states. 'Perhaps coincidentally, in this case, two federal trials were ultimately necessary to obtain a unanimous verdict of guilt. But even then, the jury convicted on only one count, despite the fact that the elements of the charge and underlying conduct are essentially the same.' Samantha Trepel — a former Justice Department civil rights attorney who prosecuted officers who were found guilty of violating Floyd's civil rights in Minneapolis — reacted to the sentencing memo in a LinkedIn post, saying it sets a dangerous precedent and sends a sign that the Justice Department will not hold officers accountable who violate the law. Before Hankison's conviction, the only person convicted in connection with the raid was Kelly Goodlett, a former detective who pleaded guilty to federal charges that she helped falsify the police search warrant that allowed officers to enter the apartment. 'The court will recognize this for what it is - transparent, last minute political interference into a case that was tried by nonpolitical, longtime career prosecutors who obtained this conviction in front of an all-white jury of Kentucky citizens before a Trump-appointed judge,' Trepel wrote. 'It is a betrayal of the jury's verdict, which included a special finding that the officers' conduct amounted to attempted murder. It is a betrayal of the brave officers who took the witness stand and testified that this officer's conduct endangered lives and violated basic, fundamental policies and training.' Advertisement Keenan, one of the attorneys who signed the memo, was involved in the Justice Department's attempts to walk back another Biden-era police conviction this year — a case involving a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy found guilty on civil rights charges after he assaulted and pepper-sprayed a woman outside a supermarket in 2023. A federal jury convicted Deputy Trevor Kirk in February of one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law, a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. After Bill Essayli, the Trump-appointed acting US attorney in Los Angeles, took office, Kirk received an unusual plea offer that called for dismissing the felony charge if the deputy agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor with a recommended sentence of one year of probation. Keenan was the only federal prosecutor to sign the plea agreement. Several federal prosecutors in Los Angeles who had been involved in the case resigned. A judge rejected the government's sentencing recommendation of probation and sentenced Kirk to four months in prison last month. The sentencing memo in the Hankison case and the Kirk case are the latest signs that the Justice Department under the Trump administration is abandoning Biden-era efforts to reform police conduct across the country. Advertisement Nearly two months ago, the Justice Department moved to drop police reform agreements it had negotiated with Louisville and Minneapolis during the Biden administration. Those consent decrees came after sweeping, years-long federal investigations in both cities found their respective police departments had engaged in the systemic use of excessive force and racial discrimination.
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Alabama governor backs withholding video of officer fatally shooting Black student
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is supporting a state agency's refusal to release body camera footage in the fatal police shooting of an 18-year-old Black college freshman, saying the case must first be thoroughly investigated. Ivey said she was confident 'the facts will prevail' when the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency completes its investigation into the June 23 shooting of Jabari Peoples by an officer with the Homewood Police Department. 'This case [is] a top priority, and I am confident they are working to efficiently get this done,' Ivey said in a statement Wednesday to NBC affiliate WVTM 13 in Birmingham. Peoples, an aspiring police detective, was killed at a soccer complex where he was sitting in his parked car with his girlfriend. An officer approached his car around 9:30 p.m. because he said he smelled what seemed like marijuana. Peoples' girlfriend, whose name has not been released, has denied he had a gun, said family attorney Ben Crump. The officer, who has not been publicly identified, shot Peoples after he said Peoples reached for a gun in the pocket of his car door, according to the police department. Peoples was shot in the back but there was no exit wound on his body and the bullet was not found inside him, according to an autopsy conducted by an independent medical examiner hired by his family. An autopsy conducted by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office has not been released at the request of the state law enforcement agency. The officer's body camera video documenting the shooting has become a crucial piece of evidence as Peoples' family and girlfriend dispute the department's version of events. The family, local leaders and many Homewood residents are demanding that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency release it. State Rep. Kelvin Datcher, a Democrat who represents Homewood, said withholding the video undermines public confidence in law enforcement and tarnishes the integrity of the case. 'The point of having body camera footage is to ensure transparency for the community,' he said Thursday. 'There's an urgency for the family to get a look at that video.' Protesters showed up to the Homewood City Council meeting this week calling for the video's release and threatening to boycott local businesses, with the idea that economic pressure might force leaders to change their position. 'We will host sit-ins, we will hold dine-ins and vigils through downtown at the doorstep of your businesses,' the Rev. Wayne Harris told the council, according to WVTM. 'Your commerce will feel our grief, and we will shut Homewood down for justice.'
