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Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LEONARD GREENE: From reckoning to rewind, little change since George Floyd's murder 5 years ago
When I look back on the aftermath of the George Floyd murder five years ago, I recall the weeks after the 9/11 attacks and how New Yorkers responded. Gone was the discord and rudeness that is often synonymous with the Big Apple. In its place was a spirit of unity and kindness, a solidarity born out of unspeakable tragedy. That didn't last long. Before you could say Freedom Tower or Homeland Security, New Yorkers were back to minding their own business and fighting each other over parking spaces. So, too, it is with George Floyd. We were promised a reckoning. What we got was a rewind. 'George Floyd's murder shook the world — but shaking the world is not enough,' Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said in a statement. 'Did we seize the moment to build a lasting movement, or did we squander the chance for transformative change?' Morial's venerable organization, as old and important as any civil rights organization, is behind a new report that examines the years since Floyd's murder, a study that asks the haunting question: 'Was it a movement or a moment?' It certainly started off as a movement. Floyd, an unarmed Black man, died May 25, 2020 on Memorial Day, when cops in Minneapolis were arresting him for allegedly passing a counterfeit bill at a grocery store. Cellphone video showed one of the white cops, Derek Chauvin, pressing his knee into Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes while the other officers looked on. Floyd suffocated after telling his tormentors he could not breathe. Yet it took four days before Chauvin was finally arrested. He was later convicted of murder. In the weeks and months after the murder, there were protests across the country, and promises of police reform. But instead of real change, we settled for superficial handouts. We got statues of Confederate generals removed. We got Netflix to show more Black movies. We got Amazon to sell more books about the African American experience. We got Aunt Jemima's portrait off the pancake box. We got Uncle Ben's picture off the boxes of rice. We got 'Gone With the Wind' off HBO. We got newspapers to capitalize the B in Black. What we didn't get was the cops in Memphis convicted for beating Tyre Nichols to death. Among the highlights of the Urban League report is how how initial outrage over Floyd's death sparked corporate pledges of more than $66 billion for racial justice programs. Corporations, higher education institutions and non-profits all chipped in to fund the fight against systemic racism. But those same programs, especially in the months since President Trump returned to the White House, have faced increasing backlash, underlined by recent executive orders eliminating federal diversity programs. According to the National Urban League, DEI job postings declined 44% from 2022 to 2023, and major companies like Google and Meta scaled back programs supporting Black talent. Morial, a former mayor of New Orleans, said the report is a 'sobering reflection on America's racial justice journey.' 'Five steps forward, three steps back,' Morial told NBC News after his organization's report came out. 'I'm disappointed, and somewhat shaken by the idea that commitments so significant and so powerful were made and now, too many are backing off.' And the change from reckoning to rewind seems to have happened overnight. One day we're saying that Black Lives Matter, and the next day we're fighting for diversity, equity and inclusion. Translation: It might get worse before it gets better. 'That is the risk,' Morial said, 'that it's five steps forward and eight, nine, 10 steps back.'
CBS News
05-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Demonstrators participate in "Hands Off" protests in South Florida, expressing frustrations with Trump administration
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across the U.S. and right here in South Florida on Saturday to rally against President Trump's administration . The so-called "Hands Off" protests are calling for an end to federal cuts, attacks on immigrants and an end to what organizers are calling a " billionaire takeover ." In Miami, protestors walked from the Freedom Tower down Biscayne Boulevard and the Torch of Friendship to express their frustrations not just with Mr. Trump but his entire administration . As drivers traveled north on Biscayne, people held signs in the sky that read things such as "Hands off democracy," "Love not chaos," and "Dump your Republican boyfriend." CBS News Miami saw the same type of signs at a protest in Hollywood as people filled the streets there with similar messages. Each person who spoke to CBS News Miami, no matter their beliefs, had a specific reason why they were out to protest Mr. Trump. "We're here trying to protect education because we know that public education is the cornerstone of democracy in our communities," said Karla Hernandez-Mats, the president of the United Teachers of Dade. "And, so we're fighting for our kids and people need to know that Congress needs to step up." "I feel that our country is held by one tiny piece of paper called the Constitution and it's being trampled on," added Miami resident Grisell Gajano. Others told CBS News Miami that they have faith in the decisions made by Mr. Trump and his administration, saying things like tariffs are in the best interest of the economy.
Miami Herald
22-03-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Seven urgent challenges that Miami condos and owners have faced the past year
Real Estate News Seven urgent challenges that Miami condos and owners have faced the past year Miami condo living faces mounting financial and safety challenges, underscored by escalating repair costs, lawsuits and market instability. New structural integrity mandates, enacted after the Surfside collapse, have led to financial strains for condo owners, including special assessments and association fees. Legal disputes, such as those involving luxury towers in Bal Harbour, highlight issues of deferred maintenance, structural risks and misallocated funds. While some properties struggle with plummeting prices, others face buyer hesitancy due to rising insurance costs and repair fees, leaving both sellers and buyers in precarious positions. With legislative relief delayed until at least 2025, residents are left grappling with financial uncertainty in a tightening market. The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists. Miami skyline, including Bayside Market Place, Freedom Tower and the Miami Heat arena. By Pedro Portal NO. 1: WHY HOMEBUYERS ARE POURING INTO SOUTH FLORIDA DESPITE RECORD-BREAKING HIGH PRICES Miami-Dade County has a new historically high median sales price for single-family homes. | Published May 25, 2024 | Read Full Story by Rebecca San Juan Single-family home and condo prices continue to climb in South Florida, despite a slowdown in sales activity. Above: A photo of the FTX Arena and several residential high-rises, including Zaha Hadid's One Thousand Museum. By Pedro Portal NO. 2: HOME PRICES ARE UP AGAIN IN MIAMI, BUT WHERE ARE THE BUYERS? CONDOS ARE AN ISSUE What to know about changes in the real estate market. | Published June 22, 2024 | Read Full Story by Raisa Habersham Real estate properties sits off Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach, Florida on Monday, April 26, 2021. By MATIAS J. OCNER NO. 3: CONDO SELLERS IN MIAMI-DADE FACE A BITTER REALITY — PRICES KEEP FALLING. HERE'S WHY What to know about the number of deals and the median prices in South Florida. | Published July 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Rebecca San Juan The Miami-Dade Marine Patrol Unit navigates as search and rescue personnel search for survivors through the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside, Florida, Sunday, June 27, 2021. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday, June 24. By David Santiago NO. 4: DESANTIS WON'T CALL LAWMAKERS TO TALLAHASSEE TO ADDRESS CONDO CRISIS. AT LEAST NOT YET 'Things need to be kind of teed up so that we're going to be successful,' DeSantis said. | Published September 19, 2024 | Read Full Story by Rebecca Liebson An exterior shot from Collins Avenue of people walking past the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, in Bal Harbour, Florida, Tuesday, November 21, 2020. By Daniel A. Varela NO. 5: MIAMI CONDO OWNERS IN LUXURY TOWERS ON THE BEACH SUE COMPANIES OVER SAFETY CONCERNS What to know about the case at the Bal Harbour complex near Surfside. | Published November 14, 2024 | Read Full Story by Vinod Sreeharsha The Miami-Dade Marine Patrol Unit navigates as search and rescue personnel search for survivors through the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside, Florida, Sunday, June 27, 2021. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday, June 24. By David Santiago NO. 6: NO DELAY ON LOOMING DEADLINE FOR CONDO REPAIR FEES, FLORIDA GOP LEADERS DECIDE But condominium associations that don't comply with impending reserves budgeting will not be penalized by the state. | Published November 20, 2024 | Read Full Story by Ana Ceballos Alexandra Glorioso Rebecca San Juan The partial collapse of the Surfside condo tower, Champlain Towers South, above, on June 24, 2021, has led to a Dec. 31, 2024, deadline for condo associations to file a structural integrity report on condo buildings three stories or higher. By Matias J. Ocner NO. 7: FLORIDA CONDO CRISIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY LAWMAKERS. HERE'S A STARTING POINT | OPINION While the Legislature won't convene a special session before a key Dec. 31 deadline for condo owners, here's what lawmakers should address next year. | Published December 4, 2024 | Read Full Story by Gary M. Mars This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.
