Latest news with #CaliforniaLegislativeBlackCaucus
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Girl knocked unconscious during fight in Inland Empire middle school classroom
Public outrage is growing after a fight in a middle school classroom in Colton left a girl unconscious, an incident captured on video that has sparked accusations of racial bias. According to the Colton Police Department, the fight occurred Monday morning at Jehue Middle School, 1500 N. Eucalyptus Ave. In the video, a much larger Latino boy is grappling with a smaller Black girl when she grabs a laptop off a desk and slings it at his head. The boy then slams the girl's head into the desk, knocking her unconscious and drawing gasps from the other students. Police said both students are 14 years old, and they were issued citations and released to their parents. Many, however, say that's not enough. The California Legislative Black Caucus issued a statement describing the incident as a 'brutal assault of a young Black student' and demanding a 'full investigation' and 'accountability.' The unedited video included several audible racial slurs. 'All students, especially our young Black girls, deserve to be safe, valued, and protected while they are on our school campuses,' the statement said. While some, including activist Najee Ali, believe the boy should be expelled and the girl cleared of any wrongdoing, police reportedly believe the girl instigated the incident. 'The Colton Police Department stated that the girl was cited for assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly hitting the boy multiple times in the head with a metal hydro flask before the recorded video began,' news radio station KFI reports. 'The boy, on the other hand, was cited for battery, not for the incident in the video, but for earlier horseplay with a water pistol.' Colton Police Sgt. Mike Sandoval told the San Bernardino Sun that the girl faces a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon, and the boy was charged with misdemeanor battery. Both also were suspended from school and face possible expulsion. As for the motivation behind the fight, Sandoval said it does not appear to be racial in nature. 'There's no indication of that at all,' Sandoval told the Sun. It's unclear what actions, if any, were taken by adults during the leadup to and immediately after the incident. School officials say a substitute teacher was in charge of that classroom, and a call was made to school safety officers. Investigations into the incident are ongoing, the Rialto Unified School District said in a statement. 'The District does not condone the violent actions of the students and does not tolerate hate speech on any of its campuses,' the statement said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Black lawmakers continue push to assist descendants of slaves in California
The California Legislative Black Caucus on Thursday proposed a package of reparations for the descendants of African Americans who were enslaved in the United States, proposals that include preferences for public university admissions and financial assistance for first-time home buyers. The package contains 15 bills in what caucus members said will be a multiyear effort to repair the generational harms and discrimination suffered by the descendants of slaves in California. In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom and California lawmakers formed a 'first in the nation' state task force to study and propose remedies for the legacy of slavery. During the end of the legislative session last year, reform advocates were frustrated that the legislature, which was limited by a tight state budget and a high-stakes election year, passed only 10 of the 14 bills prioritized by the Legislative Black Caucus. 'We are picking up where we left off last year,' said Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) at a press conference Thursday morning. 'We are challenging not only members of the Legislature but all of Californians to operate in a repair mindset.' Wilson reintroduced a proposed constitutional amendment that would change the language in the state Constitution by banning forced labor in any form. California voters last year rejected a ballot measure that would have banned forced prison labor. Wilson's renewed effort proposes a constitutional change that, if passed by the Legislature, could appear before voters on the 2026 ballot. The state Constitution currently bans slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime. But Wilson said this time around they are 'more prepared' and 'more informed.' Read more: Nevada just banned 'slavery and involuntary servitude' in prisons. Why didn't California? Wilson also introduced a bill to implement a voluntary work program for prisoners, intending to allow inmates to request work assignments, which, in turn, would make time for classes and other rehabilitative activities. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), vice chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, authored Assembly Bill 7 which would allow all California universities to consider preferential admissions for descendants of slaves. 'We talk about legacy all the time and legacies of privilege have been rewarded … if you're the relative of a donor or someone previously admitted to one of these universities you often have an admissions advantage,' Bryan said. 'But we never talk about legacies of harm, the legacy of slavery, the legacy of exclusion.' Other bills in the package include one from Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Hawthorne) who seeks to allocate a portion of the Home Purchase Assistance Program funds to first-time home buyers who are descendants of slavery; and AB 785, authored by Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins (D-San Diego), which would create a grant program and fund community-driven solutions to decrease violence in neighborhoods and schools. Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-La Mesa) seeks to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare facilities through Senate Bill 503, which would limit racial biases and encourage "non-discriminatory decisions" made by healthcare providers. "It is critical," Weber said, "that the biases and stereotypes that Black Americans have faced are not perpetuated in future innovations." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
