Financial Settlement, StarBucks

Set for Life? Starbucks CEO to Personally Mentor 2 Men Who Were Arrested at Philly Shop

The ReadyWriter

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson will personally mentor two entrepreneurs who were famously arrested while waiting for a friend at a downtown Philadelphia Starbucks last month.

Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were guests on ABC’s Good Morning America on Thursday.

Speaking on behalf of his clients, attorney Stewart Cohen tells GMA, “The CEO of Starbucks is going to personally mentor these two young men going forward.”

The news comes a day after Nelson and Robinson settled with the city of Philadelphia for a “symbolic” $1 each. They also settled with Starbucks for an undisclosed, but similar amount.

Cohen added: “Not only do they have a seat at the table and not only do we have this settlement, but we have the beginning of a relationship” with the Starbucks CEO.

The two friends say the city also committed $200,000 to a young entrepreneur program.

But not everyone was satisfied with the settlement.

Many Black Twitter members expressed disappointment that they wasted their time and energy protesting outside Starbucks, only for the men to settle for $1 each.

Twitter activist Tariq Nasheed tweeted: “The Black men who were arrested at Philadelphia Starbucks “settled” for Starbucks to donate money to “young entrepreneurs”. Will these entrepreneurs be Black? These vague terms sound fishy”.

Conversations Of A Sistah, Guilty Verdict, Tracy L. Bell - Blog Talk Radio, Tracy L. Bell Host Conversations Of A Sistah

The Cosby Verdict, Witch Hunt or Justice Served? Tonight on “Conversations of A Sistah”

The ReadyWriter

Bill Cosby was found guilty of drugging and molesting former Temple University staffer Andrea Constand in his home in 2004, paid the alleged victim an undisclosed sum of $3.4 million in 2006 to settle a civil suit alleging he sexually assaulted her.

How is it that a case which was closed 12 years ago, could go to trial after being sealed? The proposal of the lawsuit called for depositions and other documents produced during the pretrial discovery phase to remain confidential for 14 days. Due to the confidentiality between all parties involved, certain documents from the case had been under seal until the Associated Press filed to unseal them following a flood of new allegations against the entertainer.

U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno decided to unseal the documents although the court rule state, that unless there is an objection, documents filed in the court will be unsealed automatically two years after the conclusion of litigation. Cosby’s lawyers objected of course but the judged unsealed the deposition anyway.

Was this a witch hunt or was justice served for the alleged victims?

Tune into “Conversations Of A Sistah” at 6:30 p.m. EST on Blog Talk Radio for the discussions on “The Bill Cosby Verdict, Witch Hunt or Justice Served?”

I will be taking calls in the studio tonight at 1-917-889-7872, just press “1” for the host.

Follow all links in this post to access the show.

Can’t wait to see you on the air!!!  

Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby Found Guilty on all three counts

The ReadyWriter

The jury in Bill Cosby’s retrial found the TV icon guilty of all three counts of aggravated indecent assault on Thursday for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in a Philadelphia suburb in 2004.

The 80-year-old comedian faces up to 10 years in prison on each count, but would likely serve them concurrently.

After the trial concluded, Constand left through a side door in the courtroom, walking into a hallway with her arms around two women and a huge smile on her face. Cosby shouted at the prosecutor in court when his bail was discussed, observers said. 

The case against Cosby centered on testimony from Constand, a former employee with Temple University women’s basketball team. She testified that Cosby, a powerful trustee at Temple, drugged her and sexually assaulted her when she visited his home to ask for career advice.

Cosby’s defense team argued that their interaction was consensual. Constand is a con artist, they argued, who wanted a piece of Cosby’s fortune.

The case is the first celebrity sexual assault trial since the #MeToo movement began last fall, and as such, represents a test of how the cultural movement will translate into a courtroom arena.

Conversations Of A Sistah, Tracy L. Bell - Blog Talk Radio, Tracy L. Bell Host Conversations Of A Sistah

White Privilege in America Tonight on “Conversations Of A Sistah”

The ReadyWriter

What is white privilege? It’s a term used for associating societal privileges that benefit white people in this country and beyond what is commonly experienced by non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances. The concept is to analyze how racism and racialized societies affect the lives of white or white-skinned people verses people of color.

Whites in society enjoy advantages that non-whites do not experience, as “an invisible package of unearned assets”. White privilege denotes both obvious and less obvious passive advantages that white people may not recognize they have, which distinguishes them from overt bias or prejudice.

Join our host Ms. Tracy Bell on “Conversations Of A Sistah” via Blog Talk Radio at 6:30 p.m. EST for her commentary on “White Privilege in America“.

Follow ‘the links‘ in this post to access the show.

Racism in America

Celebrities & The Public Raise $106K for James Shaw; Call Out Trump for Ignoring His Heroism

The ReadyWriter

Snoop Dogg and other celebrities are calling out President Donald Trump for ignoring Waffle House hero James Shaw, Jr. who disarmed Travis Reinking after he shot and killed 4 people and wounded 4 more with an AR-15.

Reinking, 29, who wore only a green coat during the attack on April 22, was captured alive on Monday while walking in the woods in Antioch, Tennessee.

Shaw, a 29-year-old father of one, charged Reinking and snatched away his AR-15. His actions saved others from being killed in the restaurant.

Rapper Snoop Dogg and other celebs wonder why Trump hasn’t recognized Shaw for his bravery.

“If a Muslim shot up a restaurant full of white people, the ‘president’ would be tweeting up a storm, driving his dumb racist base into a frenzy.” Snoop Dogg’ posted on Instagram.com.

Snoop added: “The NRA would use it as fodder for propaganda to scare dumb racists into buying more guns.”

A GoFundMe page created by Shaw, Jr. for the shooting victims has raised over $106,000 of its stated $15,000 goal.