U.S.
Kim Kardashian Helped Free 17 Inmates in 90 Days
Published
4 years agoon

- Kim Kardashian West has helped release over 17 inmates by funding a prison reform campaign.
- The 90 days of Freedom campaign is working to release prisoners under the First Step Act, the 2018 law that allows nonviolent offenders to be considered for early release if they display good behavior, among other requirements.
- The move is one of several others that the reality star turned criminal justice reform advocate has made in recent months.
90 Days of Freedom
Kim Kardashian West has carried on with her commitment to fighting for prison reform. In the last three months, she has been quietly working with a nonprofit law firm to help commute the life sentences of 17 first-time nonviolent drug offenders.
Kardashian West helped fund the 90 Days of Freedom Campaign, which was launched after President Donald Trump signed the First Step Act. The sweeping criminal justice reform bill was signed into law in December and eased mandatory minimum drug sentences, among other things.
The 90 Days of Freedom campaign was started by Kardashian West’s lawyer, Brittany K. Barnett who heads the Buried Alive Project, in partnership with lawyer MiAngel Cody of The Decarceration Collective. Barnett and Cody are utilizing the newly signed First Step Act as grounds for the releases of low-level drug offenders serving life sentences who have displayed good behavior.
“Kim Kardashian has been instrumental in funding the legal fees for vital attorney representation, transportation for newly freed prisoners so they have a ride home to their families and reentry costs related to our clients’ smooth transition back into society,” Cody told CBS News.
Inmates Released
Those freed with help from the campaign include Terrence Byrd. Byrd was convicted in 1995 for possession with intent to sell less than a kilo of crack cocaine, or as the Buried Alive Project puts it in its profile of Byrd, “about enough to fill a small sandwich bag.”
This is what freedom looks like! Won immediate release for Terrence yesterday! He was arrested at 25 and sentenced to life – he turns 50 in August and is FREE to celebrate LIFE AFTER LIFE. Pure joy being able to give these life sentences back! 🖤@BuriedAliveProj @DecarcerateNow pic.twitter.com/AXntRKoTpM
— Brittany K. Barnett (@MsBKB) April 6, 2019
According to a report from TMZ, others who were freed include Jamelle Carraway, who served 11 years of a life sentence for cocaine possession, and Eric Balcom, who is now back with his family in Florida after 16 years behind bars on a drug charge.
As part of our #90daysoffreedom campaign, we are #winning! Yesterday – the same day our recently released clients @AliceMarieFree & Edward Douglas attended the #StateoftheUnion – our client Jamelle was granted IMMEDIATE RELEASE after serving 11 years of an unjust life sentence! pic.twitter.com/euTF7HDS8Y
— Buried Alive Project (@BuriedAliveProj) February 6, 2019
Last month, we had the unbelievable privilege of telling Eric that he would not be spending his life in prison. With @DecarcerateNow, we solidified immediate release for him––and now he's FREE, reunited w his family.#womenwarriors #womenlawyers #90daysoffreedom #firststepact pic.twitter.com/ZwJhHFdDDx
— Buried Alive Project (@BuriedAliveProj) March 29, 2019
Barnett praised Kardashian West for her help, telling CNN, “(Kim) has been on the phone as we’ve told clients they are coming home.”
“I think one, she really wants to be taken seriously, so she is really focused on learning the system and the people who are directly impacted,” she added.
Kim’s Focus on Criminal Justice
Kardashian West made headlines last year when she visited President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss criminal justice reform and the case of Alice Marie Johnson. The 63-year-old was a first-time non-violent drug offender who had already served 21 years of a life sentence. About a week after the meeting, the President commuted her sentence.
Great meeting with @KimKardashian today, talked about prison reform and sentencing. pic.twitter.com/uOy4UJ41JF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018
But Kardashian West’s efforts didn’t stop there, the reality star turned criminal justice reform advocate continued helping others impacted by the prison system like Matthew Charles. Charles was one of the first inmates released under the First Step Act and is widely recognized as one of the faces of criminal justice reform.
Charles was struggling to find a place that would rent to him after his release. Kardashian West stepped in offering to pay his rent for five years, but his application was still denied. Even so, the two hoped his story would shine a light on the obstacles former inmates face after their release.
Matthew Charles’s lease application was rejected again bc of his criminal record (even w me paying his rent in advance). If there are any landlords w a 2 bedroom in Nashville willing to give Mr Charles a 2nd chance, contact mocapt615@gmail.com Serious inquiries only, thank you 🙏🏼
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 15, 2019
She has spent many months immersing herself in law, meeting with fellow advocates, inmates, and politicians to learn more about the prison system.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on
In April Kardashian West revealed that she is studying to become a lawyer and plans to take the bar exam as early as 2022. She began a four-year apprenticeship with a law firm in San Francisco last summer.
“I just felt like I wanted to be able to fight for people who have paid their dues to society,” Kardashian West told Vogue. “I just felt like the system could be so different, and I wanted to fight to fix it, and if I knew more, I could do more.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on
Her efforts to help those struggling in the prison system will surely continue. Just law week, Kardashian West celebrated the release of a Miami man who spent over two decades behind bars.
We did it again! Had the best call w/this lovely family & my attorney @msbkb who just won release for their loved one Jeffrey in Miami – he served 22 years of life sentence for low level drug case. He served too much time but it gives me so much joy to fund this life saving work. pic.twitter.com/pbYicKmFpJ
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 3, 2019
Oxygen Media also recently greenlighted a two-hour documentary that will capture her efforts to free prisoners she believes were unfairly sentenced The project currently has the working title: “Kim Kardashian: The Justice Project.”
See what others are saying: (CNN) (CBS News) (TMZ)
U.S.
Disney Renders DeSantis-Appointed Oversight Board Powerless
Published
2 days agoon
March 30, 2023
The board is looking into avenues for potential legal retaliation, but Disney maintains its actions were “appropriate and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums.”
The Fight For Disney’s Special District
Disney has stripped powers from the board Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) installed to oversee its theme parks, board members claimed.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, board member Brian Aungst Jr. said Disney’s action “completely circumvents the authority of this board to govern.”
DeSantis has been waging a war against the House of Mouse ever since the company condemned his controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, which heavily restricts the discussion of sexuality in classrooms. To retaliate against the company, he took control of Disney’s special status that allowed it to operate as a self-governing district with autonomy over the land encompassing and surrounding Walt Disney World.
Disney operated under that special status for decades under the Reedy Creek Improvement District, but after DeSantis took over, it was changed to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. DeSantis appointed all members of the board, prompting concerns that it could be used to silence and sway Disney on social and cultural issues, including its content.
The oversight board gets control over infrastructure, property taxes, issue bonds, road and fire services, and other regulations. When DeSantis seized it, it was considered a big loss for the entertainment giant, but now, board members say the company may have lost little to no power at all.
As first reported by the Sentinel, Disney and the previous board signed an agreement allowing Disney to retain control over much of its land on Feb. 8, the day before Florida’s House signed the bill that gave DeSantis power to stack the board. Disney now holds veto powers over changes to the park, and any changes must be subject to the company’s “prior review and comment” to ensure thematic consistency.
The agreement also bars the board from using Disney’s name or trademarked characters like Mickey Mouse.
The Board’s Plan to Fight Back
Board members reportedly did not become aware of this until recently and discussed the issue at a Wednesday meeting.
“This essentially makes Disney the government,” board member Ron Peri said, via Click Orlando. “This board loses, for practical purposes, the majority of its ability to do anything beyond maintain the roads and maintain basic infrastructure.”
The subject of the agreement that has perhaps caught the most public attention is its staying power. The declaration says it will remain “in effect until 21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of King Charles III, King of England living as of the date of this Declaration.” That means that so long as direct members of the royal family are alive, so is this deal.
According to BBC News, this is known as a “royal lives” clause and its use dates back to the 17th century, though it is rarely used in the U.S.
The board, however, already has plans to push back against Disney and has voted to hire outside legal counsel to evaluate their options.
“We’re going to have to deal with it and correct it,” Aungst said. “It’s a subversion of the will of the voters and the Legislature and the governor. It completely circumvents the authority of this board to govern.”
A spokesperson for DeSantis released a statement claiming that “these agreements may have significant legal infirmities that would render the contracts void as a matter of law.”
Disney maintains everything was above board.
“All agreements signed between Disney and the district were appropriate and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law,” the company said.
See what others are saying: (Orlando Sentinel) (Click Orlando) (The Washington Post)
U.S.
White Supremacist Propaganda Reached Record High in 2022, ADL Finds
Published
3 weeks agoon
March 9, 2023
“We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.
White supremacist propaganda in the U.S. reached record levels in 2022, according to a report published Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center of Extremism.
The ADL found over 6,700 cases of white supremacist propaganda in 2022, which marks a 38% jump from the nearly 4,900 cases the group found in 2021. It also represents the highest number of incidents ever recorded by the ADL.
The propaganda tallied by the anti-hate organization includes the distribution of racist, antisemitic, and homophobic flyers, banners, graffiti, and more. This propaganda has spread substantially since 2018, when the ADL found just over 1,200 incidents.
“There’s no question that white supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans with their propaganda,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash.”
There’s no question that white supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans with their propaganda. We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash. More from @ADL experts. https://t.co/5E1ViE7H18
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) March 9, 2023
The report found that there were at least 50 white supremacist groups behind the spread of propaganda in 2022, but 93% of it came from just three groups. One of those groups was also responsible for 43% of the white supremacist events that took place last year.
White supremacist events saw a startling uptick of their own, with the ADL documenting at least 167, a 55% jump from 2021.
Propaganda was found in every U.S. state except for Hawaii, and events were documented in 33 states, most heavily in Massachusetts, California, Ohio, and Florida.
“The sheer volume of white supremacist propaganda distributions we are documenting around the country is alarming and dangerous,” Oren Segal, Vice President of the ADL’s Center on Extremism said in a statement. “Hardly a day goes by without communities being targeted by these coordinated, hateful actions, which are designed to sow anxiety and create fear.”
“We need a whole-of-society approach to combat this activity, including elected officials, community leaders, and people of good faith coming together and condemning this activity forcefully,” Segal continued.
See what others are saying: (Axios) (The Hill) (The New York Times)
Business
Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades
Published
3 weeks agoon
March 8, 2023By
Star Pralle
Adidas has labeled 2023 a “transition year” for the company.
Yeezy Surplus
Adidas’ split with musician Kanye West has left the company with financial problems due to surplus Yeezy products, putting the sportswear giant in the position to potentially suffer its first annual loss in over 30 years.
Adidas dropped West last year after he made a series of antisemitic remarks on social media and other broadcasts. His Yeezy line was a staple for Adidas, and the surplus product is due, in part, to the brand’s own decision to continue production during the split.
According to CEO Bjorn Gulden, Adidas continued production of only the items already in the pipeline to prevent thousands of people from losing their jobs. However, that has led to the unfortunate overabundance of Yeezy sneakers and clothes.
On Wednesday, Gulden said that selling the shoes and donating the proceeds makes more sense than giving them away due to the Yeezy resale market — which has reportedly shot up 30% since October.
“If we sell it, I promise that the people who have been hurt by this will also get something good out of this,” Gulden said in a statement to the press.
However, Gulden also said that West is entitled to a portion of the proceeds of the sale of Yeezys per his royalty agreement.
The Numbers
Adidas announced in February that, following its divergence from West, it is facing potential sales losses totaling around $1.2 billion and profit losses of around $500 million.
If it decides to not sell any more Yeezy products, Adidas is facing a projected annual loss of over $700 million.
Outside of West, Adidas has taken several heavy profit blows recently. Its operating profit reportedly fell by 66% last year, a total of more than $700 million. It also pulled out of Russia after the country’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which cost Adidas nearly $60 million dollars. Additionally, China’s “Zero Covid” lockdowns last year caused in part a 36% drop in revenue for Adidas compared to years prior.
As a step towards a solution, Gulden announced that the company is slashing its dividends from 3.30 euros to 0.70 euro cents per share pending shareholder approval.
Adidas has labeled 2023 a “transition year” for the company.
“Adidas has all the ingredients to be successful. But we need to put our focus back on our core: product, consumers, retail partners, and athletes,” Gulden said. “I am convinced that over time we will make Adidas shine again. But we need some time.”
See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (The New York Times) (CNN)

Disney Renders DeSantis-Appointed Oversight Board Powerless

Dutch Man Who Fathered Over 500 Kids Is Being Sued to Stop Donating Sperm Over Incest Concerns

Swifties Rally Outside Los Angeles Courthouse Amid Ticketmaster Lawsuit Hearing

TikTok to Require Labels on Manipulated Media, Ban Deepfakes of Children

White Supremacist Propaganda Reached Record High in 2022, ADL Finds

Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades

U.S. Intel Suggests Pro-Ukraine Group Sabotaged Nord Stream Pipeline

White House Endorses Bipartisan Senate Bill That Could Ban TikTok

Twitch Tightens Policies on Explicit Deepfakes

Elon Musk Bashes Disabled Ex-Twitter Employee, Gets Blowback

Immigration Could Be A Solution to Nursing Home Labor Shortages

Influencer Coconut Kitty Accused of Editing Nude and Suggestive Photos To Make Herself Look Underage

Dixie D’Amelio Responds to Rumors That She Faked Seizures to Get Out of Class

Joe Rogan Denies Spotify Censorship Rumors, According to Alex Jones

Netflix Apologizes and Changes Marketing Materials for “Cuties” After Backlash

Conservatives Slam Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Over “WAP” Lyrics

Corinna Kopf Accused of Scamming Fans With OnlyFans Launch

Lil Nas X and Bella Poarch May Have Abandoned Plans To Participate In TikTok NFT Program

Influencers Exposed for Posting Fake Private Jet Photos

Belle Delphine Calls Out YouTube for Double Standards After It Terminated Her Channel

Tana Mongeau’s “Booty for Biden” Promotion Sparks Legal Concerns

Instagram Head Says Scammer, Not Facebook Employee, May Have Asked Julia Rose for $65K To Restore Her Accounts

Why The Internet Is Freaking Out About The Cringiest Man On The Internet & Today’s News

“She Is Evil!” What Addison Rae Religious Backlash Reveals, Joe Rogan, Jake Paul, Teacher Shortage

Alex Jones Was Just Exposed BY HIS OWN LAWYERS! lol WOW! Beyonce Backlash, GenZ Debt, & Today’s News

These Ninja Scamming Accusations Expose A Growing Problem & How Spiders Are Causing Massive Fires

The Problem With Will Smith’s Apology Video & Taylor Swift Climate Backlash, Taiwan, & Today’s News

PewDiePie Backlash Grows After Mocking Deaf TikToker, Jon Stewart Unloads on Cruel Cowards, & More

Leave Shawn Mendes Alone You Weirdos! He’s Not The One You Should Be Angry At… (And Today’s News)

The Logan Paul, Nope, Pink Sauce Backlash Really Exposed 4 Key Things…

Why Dave Chappelle Can’t Get Cancelled…Even After He Gets Cancelled & What FaZe Clan’s Flop Exposes

Get These People Off TV If They’re Going To Be This Dumb! Plus AOC Arrested, Student Loans, & More

HE IS A DRUGGED-OUT MAN BABY! Why People Are Talking About Joe Rogan, Zack Snyder, Climate Change, &

Immigration Could Be A Solution to Nursing Home Labor Shortages

Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades

Elon Musk Bashes Disabled Ex-Twitter Employee, Gets Blowback

U.S. Intel Suggests Pro-Ukraine Group Sabotaged Nord Stream Pipeline

Dutch Man Who Fathered Over 500 Kids Is Being Sued to Stop Donating Sperm Over Incest Concerns

Fans Defend Pedro Pascal After Actor Refused to Read Thirst Tweets: “It’s Sexual Harassment”

Another Norfolk Southern Train Derailed in Ohio, Reportedly Without Hazardous Chemicals

White House Endorses Bipartisan Senate Bill That Could Ban TikTok

White Supremacist Propaganda Reached Record High in 2022, ADL Finds

Twitch Tightens Policies on Explicit Deepfakes

Disney Renders DeSantis-Appointed Oversight Board Powerless

Disney Renders DeSantis-Appointed Oversight Board Powerless

Dutch Man Who Fathered Over 500 Kids Is Being Sued to Stop Donating Sperm Over Incest Concerns

Swifties Rally Outside Los Angeles Courthouse Amid Ticketmaster Lawsuit Hearing

TikTok to Require Labels on Manipulated Media, Ban Deepfakes of Children

White Supremacist Propaganda Reached Record High in 2022, ADL Finds

Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades

U.S. Intel Suggests Pro-Ukraine Group Sabotaged Nord Stream Pipeline

White House Endorses Bipartisan Senate Bill That Could Ban TikTok

Twitch Tightens Policies on Explicit Deepfakes

Elon Musk Bashes Disabled Ex-Twitter Employee, Gets Blowback

Immigration Could Be A Solution to Nursing Home Labor Shortages

Why The Internet Is Freaking Out About The Cringiest Man On The Internet & Today’s News

“She Is Evil!” What Addison Rae Religious Backlash Reveals, Joe Rogan, Jake Paul, Teacher Shortage

Alex Jones Was Just Exposed BY HIS OWN LAWYERS! lol WOW! Beyonce Backlash, GenZ Debt, & Today’s News

These Ninja Scamming Accusations Expose A Growing Problem & How Spiders Are Causing Massive Fires

The Problem With Will Smith’s Apology Video & Taylor Swift Climate Backlash, Taiwan, & Today’s News

PewDiePie Backlash Grows After Mocking Deaf TikToker, Jon Stewart Unloads on Cruel Cowards, & More

Leave Shawn Mendes Alone You Weirdos! He’s Not The One You Should Be Angry At… (And Today’s News)

The Logan Paul, Nope, Pink Sauce Backlash Really Exposed 4 Key Things…

Why Dave Chappelle Can’t Get Cancelled…Even After He Gets Cancelled & What FaZe Clan’s Flop Exposes

Get These People Off TV If They’re Going To Be This Dumb! Plus AOC Arrested, Student Loans, & More
