U.S.
Florida Deputy on Restrictive Duty After Video of Him Slamming Teen’s Head Goes Viral
Published
4 years agoon

- Video went viral over the weekend showing two Florida sheriff’s deputies pepper-spraying a teenager, tackling him to the ground, slamming his head against the concrete, and punching him.
- Social media users, celebrities, and Broward County’s Mayor were outraged by the incident, calling for an investigation, firings, and potential prosecution of the deputies involved.
Viral Video
A Florida police deputy has been placed on restrictive duty after cellphone video went viral showing him and another officer using excessive force on a black teenager.
The incident happened Thursday afternoon near J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs, Florida. Social media users shared clips of the incident online over the weekend using #justiceforlucca.
The footage shows two Broward County sheriff’s deputies jumping on a teen to hold him down. One officer slams his head against the pavement and punches him while another teen in handcuffs lays nearby.
One post that gathered over 8 million views was shared on Twitter by activist and Church of God in Christ Bishop Talbert Swan. In the post, Swan wrote that the teen, identified only as Lucca, “picked up a cell phone that fell out of the pocket of a Black boy who was being arrested.”
“In response @browardsheriff officers Christopher Krickovich & Greg LaCerra pepper sprayed, brutally beat, and arrested him,” the post continued.
15 yr old Black boy, Lucca picked up a cell phone that fell out of the pocket of a Black boy who was being arrested. In response @browardsheriff officers Christopher Krickovich & Greg LaCerra pepper sprayed, brutally beat, and arrested him.
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) April 20, 2019
He broke no laws.#JusticeForLucca pic.twitter.com/RQLj38GYGN
In another angle of the incident, one deputy is seen pepper-spraying Lucca in the face before slamming him to the ground.
Here’s another angle that shows @browardsheriff’s deputy pepper spraying unarmed Black boy, Lucca, who posed no threat. He then slammed his head into the concrete, arrested him & charged him with ASSAULTING the cops.
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) April 20, 2019
This is brutality.#JusticeForLucca pic.twitter.com/SYMjfdkNKZ
Deputy Says Teen Had “Aggressive Stance”
In an arrest report, officer Christopher Krickovich said that he and his partner Sgt. Greg LaCerra responded to a call from a McDonald’s in Tamarac at 3 p.m. on Thursday. They were called to the scene by employees who reported a large group of teenagers gathering for a fight outside the restaurant.
Krickovich said the McDonald’s is a popular after-school gathering place for students from the school nearby, which is also known for frequent fights. In fact, a fight at the location occurred just a day before and caused damage to a bystander’s car.
According to the arrest report, Krickovich and LaCerra arrived and ordered the crowd of teens to disperse. During this time, they identified one of the perpetrators from Wednesday’s fight who had been warned not to trespass in the area again and took him into custody.
“While I was dealing with the male on the ground, I observed his phone slide to the right of me and then behind me. I observed a male wearing a red tank top reach down and attempt to grab the male student’s phone,” Krickovich wrote.
He went on to say that LaCerra ordered the teen to stay back, but he “took an aggressive stance” toward the officer and “bladed his body and began clenching his fists.”
LaCerra then pepper-sprayed the teen in the face and forced him to the ground, Krickovich wrote. The affidavit goes on to say that the officers feared for their safety during the arrests because they were surrounded by around 200 students.
Krickovich said he worried someone would try to grab one of the weapons off his belt or vest after he had pushed the boy to the ground.
“At one point, his left arm was free and next to him, while he placed his arm under his face,” Krickovich said. “I struck the male in the right side of his head with a closed fist as a distractionary technique to free his right hand.”
“This technique was successful and I was able to place him into handcuffs without further incident.”
Public Responds
The video sparked massive outrage, with many calling this another instance of police brutality against a black teen.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr called the incident “demoralizing,” while NBA star LeBron James said, “to think that could be my sons.”
What the hell is wrong with our country? This is insane yet routine. So demoralizing. https://t.co/bXxFoKrXY9
— Steve Kerr (@SteveKerr) April 20, 2019
So wrong!! Hurts me to my soul!! To think that could be my sons. 🤦🏾♂️😢. Scary times man https://t.co/tRxk6sV7sb
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 20, 2019
Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen also released a statement calling the incident “outrageous and unacceptable.” He suggested that the deputy who initially made contact with the teen be fired and potentially prosecuted.
The behavior of these BSO deputies is outrageous & unacceptable The officer who jumped the student, punched & banged his head should be fired. I have a problem with the deputy who threw him to the ground after he pepper sprayed him He could’ve easily arrested him after the spray. https://t.co/NaZKeDaymi
— Mayor Mark Bogen (@mark_bogen) April 19, 2019
Therefore, the officer had no justification to smash his head into the cement and punch him in the head or face. The State Attorney should investigate this to determine whether this officer should be prosecuted for battery.
— Mayor Mark Bogen (@mark_bogen) April 22, 2019
Investigation Announced
Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement Friday that the department would conduct a “thorough investigation” into the matter. He added that Deputy Christopher Krickovich had been placed on restrictive administrative duty. The status of LaCerra is unclear.
Sheriff Gregory Tony is committed to accountability in every case and at all times. We vow to conduct an open, transparent and thorough investigation into the incident that occurred April 18 in Tamarac. The deputy has been placed on restrictive administrative assignment. pic.twitter.com/9i4LPY4aGl
— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) April 19, 2019
In a pre-scheduled meeting with black leaders Saturday, Tony said that he was taking the investigation into the incident seriously. However, he also emphasized the importance of following the appropriate procedures.
“There’s been a large cry of ‘just go out and fire them and get rid of them,’ and all these other things. Folks it don’t work that way. You all understand that. There has to be an investigative process and due process elements and so it’s going to be done the right way. “
Sheriff Gregory Tony holds open discussions with Broward's Black Elected Officials at a prescheduled meeting today and emphasizes his commitment to transparency and accountability. pic.twitter.com/r3Lz1QDd8C
— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) April 20, 2019
The police report indicated that the teen at the center of the viral video didn’t suffer any serious injuries. However, the 15-year-old appeared in court Friday morning, where he was formally charged with assault, resisting arrest, and trespassing.
See what others are saying:(CBS Miami) (Sun-Sentinel) (Complex)
U.S.
College Board Changes AP African American Studies After Backlash From DeSantis Amid Education Culture War
Published
5 days agoon
February 1, 2023By
Lili Stenn
As requested by DeSantis, the College Board removed lessons on contemporary topics including Black Lives Matter, queer studies, and reparations.
College Board Rolls Out Curriculum
The College Board, which oversees Advanced Placement high school courses, announced an official curriculum framework for its new, landmark Advanced Placement African American studies on Wednesday.
The announcement, made on the first day of Black History Month, has faced scrutiny for seeming to scale back a number of relevant subjects that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and other state education officials had criticized.
In January, DeSantis said that the new course would be banned in Florida unless changes were made, arguing that a draft version of the course was “woke.”
Education officials claimed that the class, which had been in the making for nearly a decade, violated a recent state law dubbed the Stop WOKE Act. The legislation regulates public school instruction on race by banning critical race theory and any education that describes some groups as oppressed and others as privileged based on race or sex.
Democrats denounced DeSantis’ action as a political stunt and urged the College Board to maintain its principles.
According to reports, many historical topics like slavery largely remain intact from the previous draft. However, important contemporary issues like Black Lives Matter, affirmative action, queer studies, reparations, and intersectionality — all of which Florida leaders objected to — were removed from curriculum requirements and are no longer part of the AP exam.
Instead, those areas of study have been downgraded to be part of a list of options students can pursue for a mandatory research project. The College Board also added a new research project idea to that list that will certainly please the right: “Black conservatism.”
It has additionally been reported that the organization pulled names of multiple Black authors the state education officials had flagged as problematic, including many famous and pioneering Black scholars who wrote about critical race theory, the queer experience, and Black feminism.
The College Board defended itself against criticism in a press release announcing the changes, claiming that the process of developing the framework “has operated independently from political pressure.”
DeSantis’ Ongoing Culture War
DeSantis’ attempts to influence the national curriculum of an AP course are just his latest in a much broader effort to control what is and is not taught in public schools.
Just one day before the College Board announced the revised course, the governor outlined what The New York Times described as “his most aggressive swing yet at the education establishment.”
Specifically, he proposed a massive overhaul to higher education in the state that would defund and eliminate diversity and equity programs, mandate courses on Western civilization, and reduce tenure protections that are essential to ensure professors have freedom of expression.
Furthermore, the effects of another law DeSantis signed last year are now just beginning to materialize. The policy, which went into effect this July, requires every school book to be age-appropriate, “free of pornography,” and “suited to student needs.”
To follow those guidelines, school books have to be approved by a certified media specialist who has undergone specific training.
Notably, the law also states that teachers can be charged with third-degree felonies if they “knowingly or unknowingly” give students access to a book that the specialists say is harmful — meaning that they could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Last month, the state education department clarified that the rule does not just apply to school libraries, but also to any books a teacher keeps in their classroom too.
Multiple outlets reported this week that records they obtained show at least two school districts have now directed teachers to either remove their books or hide them until review to avoid the possibility of going to jail.
See what others are saying: (The New York Times) (The Washington Post) (The Associated Press)
U.S.
Biden Announces Plan to End COVID Emergency in May
Published
6 days agoon
January 31, 2023By
Lili Stenn
The decision would drastically change the government’s long-standing pandemic response and shift Americans’ access to COVID-related services.
Emergency Declarations at an End
In a statement Monday, The White House announced that it would be ending the COVID national emergency and public health emergency declarations on May 11.
The move will entirely restructure the federal government’s response to the pandemic to treat it as endemic and upend policies that have been in place for the last three years. Although more than 500 people in the U.S. are still dying from COVID on average each day — which is around two times the number of daily deaths during a bad flu season — life has largely returned to normal.
Most Americans are vaccinated, and even President Joe Biden himself said the pandemic was “over” back in September. The new announcement comes in part as a response to resolutions Republicans brought to the House floor last week that would end the declarations immediately.
“An abrupt end to the emergency declarations would create wide-ranging chaos and uncertainty throughout the health care system — for states, for hospitals and doctors’ offices, and, most importantly, for tens of millions of Americans,” the White House argued.
Lapses in Coverage and Care
Federal officials decided that a phase-out would make more sense because the U.S. has come to rely on several systems and benefits under the emergencies.
One of the most significant changes that will have the biggest impact on Americans in their day-to-day lives is access to COVID tests, treatments, and vaccines that have been free throughout the pandemic.
Once the emergencies end, a very complex wave of changes will take place that differs from person to person depending on their insurance — or lack thereof — and even possibly what state they live in.
Currently, people with private health insurance or Medicare coverage have been allowed eight free COVID tests a month and insurers had to cover those tests, even if they were administered out of network.
Once the emergency ends, some Americans will have to pay out of pocket, as well as for antiviral COVID treatments like Paxlovid.
Notably, it has been reported that vaccines will still be included for all those people covered by both private and public insurance. That, however, may not be the case for those without insurance — a group that is also more likely to be the most affected by rising costs for tests and treatments.
Jen Kates, a senior vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told The Washington Post that when the emergency declarations end, states that opted to provide Medicaid coverage for tests, treatments, and shots will lose the federal funds that matched costs at 100%.
“To me, that’s the biggest issue for the general public to think about,” she said. “The uninsured and underinsured have no guaranteed access to covid vaccines, tests or treatments.”
When it comes to vaccines, those costs could be significant. Moderna and Pfizer have both said they might charge as much as $130 per dose of vaccine once the federal government stops paying and the shots are transitioned to the private market. That figure is nearly quadruple what federal offices have paid for the doses.
The shift to the private market could happen fairly soon, especially because Republicans have refused Biden’s request that they put billions of dollars towards additional free COVID testing and shots to extend those efforts.
There could also be a spike in the number of uninsured or underinsured Americans because the $1.7 trillion spending bill passed last year ends a rule that banned states from kicking people off Medicaid, leaving millions at risk of losing coverage.
Other Possible Outcomes
Ending the declarations could also set up a battle around immigration because the Biden administration has said the move will bring an end to Title 42 — the Trump-era public health measure that placed restrictions on border crossings and other migrant policies.
Biden has previously tried to cut the program, but the Supreme Court kept it in place. House Republicans rejected the White House’s claim that the program would be terminated, arguing it is not tied to the public health emergency.
Beyond that, the termination of the declarations would require health providers to make numerous adjustments because many of the flexibilities they were allowed in a number of areas would be cut.
As a result, the administration says a phase-out of those policies over the next few months is necessary, arguing that hospitals and nursing homes “will be plunged into chaos” if they are cut immediately. House Republicans, however, are insistent on moving forward their legislation that would do just that, though the Democratic-controlled Senate could block their proposals.
See what others are saying: (The New York Times) (The Washington Post) (The Associated Press)
U.S.
Conservatives are Mad at “Woke” Xbox for Minor Climate-Related Updates
Published
2 weeks agoon
January 25, 2023By
Lili Stenn
The fury comes after Xbox announced it was slightly altering existing consoles to better utilize and save energy.
Same War, New Battlefield
Mere days after M&M canceled their “spokescandies” due to backlash from the right, led largely by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, conservatives have found a new front for their ongoing culture war: Xbox.
Carlson spent months complaining that small character redesigns were “woke” because they made the animated anthropomorphized M&M’s — in his own words — “less sexy.” His campaign finally proved successful on Monday when the company announced it would be doing away with the spokescandies and replacing them with actress Maya Rudolph.
A message from M&M'S. pic.twitter.com/EMucEBTd9o
— M&M'S (@mmschocolate) January 23, 2023
Conservatives, now facing a sudden dearth of non-issues to complain about, quickly found a new issue to rage against. Xbox announced in a blog post earlier this month that it is making minor updates to lower its environmental impact as part of an effort to reach Microsoft’s goal of being carbon-negative by 2030.
Now, instead of having an Xbox wake up to update games, apps, and software during random times of the night, it will do that at a time of night when a user’s local energy grid is generating the most power it can from renewable sources.
Xbox also said it would automatically update some older consoles to a power-saving mode that aims to reduce electricity consumption when it is turned off — a feature that is already the default on newer consoles.
According to The Verge, the only difference for users is that an Xbox in power-saving mode takes around 15 seconds to boot up instead of doing so immediately as the console does in “sleep” mode. The change is a small price to pay for what the outlet described as “significant” energy savings.
Xbox Under Fire
To many leading conservative voices, the minimal shifts were just another example of “woke” culture.
While discussing M&M’s spokescandies Tuesday morning, “Fox and Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt brought up Xbox’s new changes with Fox radio host Jimmy Failla.
“So Xbox has also announced that they’re going woke too, you know, because of climate change,” Earhardt said.
“I mean, it’s crazy what they’re doing, but we understand what this is. It’s not that it’s actually going to offset emissions, okay — the level of reduction is infinitesimal,” Failla claimed, without evidence. “But they’re trying to recruit your kids into climate politics at an earlier age; make them climate conscious now.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think of that — you’re right, they’re going after the children,” Earhardt agreed, despite the fact that internal data from Microsoft shows just around 10% of Xbox owners are under the age of 18.
Other prominent conservatives also did their part to bait Americans into anger on social media, including America’s Foundation, which posted a tweet stating that “the woke brigade is after video games.”
Lol now the woke brigade is after video games all in the name of climate change.
— YAF (@yaf) January 24, 2023
Xbox will force gamers to power down to fight climate change, touting the first 'carbon aware console' https://t.co/wIwbCTh2Zy
The post linked an article from the right-wing website TheBlaze, which asserted that “Xbox will force gamers to power down to fight climate change.” That, however, is false — Xbox has said users can switch back and change the settings any time they want
Still, top lawmakers continued to share the article and spread its false claims, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.).
“First gas stoves, then your coffee, now they’re gunning for your Xbox,” he wrote in the post, which was flagged by Twitter and given an “added context” warning.
First gas stoves, then your coffee, now they're gunning for your Xbox. https://t.co/MpaH2ntWAz
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 23, 2023
The same warning, however, was not placed in a very similar post by Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Tx.), who also shared the article.
“They want to take your guns. They want to take your gas stoves. And now they want to take your Xbox. What’s next?” he wrote.
— Congressman Troy Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) January 23, 2023
See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (The Daily Beast) (VICE)

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