Page 18 - Florida Sentinel 4-3-18

National
Houston Megachurch
Autopsy: Stephon Clark Was Shot 8 Times; 7 Times From Behind
Stephon Clark was fatally shot by police on March 18th. Protesters have blocked the entrance to the Sacramento Kings basketball games since the shooting.
Pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell
Indicted For Wire Fraud
Houston megachurch pastor and longtime spiritual adviser to President George W. Bush, Kirbyjon Caldwell was indicted in federal court Thursday on claims that he sold more than $1 million in worthless Chinese bonds to vulnerable and elderly in- vestors, some of whom lost their life savings to the alleged scheme.
A federal grand jury in Shreveport, La., returned a 13- count indictment accusing Rev. Caldwell and financial planner Gregory Alan Smith of wire fraud, money launder- ing and conspiracy, prosecu- tors said in a news release.
The two men were also sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the same fed- eral court on allegations that they violated financial laws.
The bonds from the Chinese government were sold back in the 40’s when they were worth something. However, by the year 2013 communists seized control of China and the bonds became worthless.
Knowing this, the duo sold investors, “pre-revolutionary Chinese bonds,” since 2013.
Houston megachurch pas- tor, Kirbyjon Caldwell will have to turn himself in in 10 days.
Over those 5 years, the two sold $3.5 million of bonds that court papers say are worthless.
The two are looking at hard time in a federal prison and could be forced to pay the money back. Caldwell’s home can get caught in the crossfire as he allegedly used the dirty money to pay for his mortgage. Caldwell is in now in talks with authorities in Louisiana discussing his surrender in 10 days.
SACRAMENTO, CA — More than 500 people packed into the church to celebrate Stephon Clark’s life, remem- bering his dance moves, smarts and love for his two young sons on Thursday.
Clark was fatally shot by Sacramento police, who fired 20 shots at him, hitting him seven times from behind, ac- cording to autopsy results re- leased Friday by a pathologist hired by Clark’s family. Ac- cording to reports the findings call into question the depart- ment’s assertion that the 22- year-old Black man was facing officers and walked toward them when he was killed.
Police officers, waited about five minutes to approach him after the shooting in his grand- mother’s backyard. Clark was not armed; police apparently mistook a cellphone in his hand for a gun.
Six bullets hit Clark in the back and one in the neck. An eighth bullet went into Clark’s thigh.
The shooting occurred March 18, after 2 officers re- sponded to a call of someone breaking car windows and shouted that Clark had a gun.
On Thursday, hours after creating an emotional inter- ruption at his brother’s fu- neral, Stevante Clark helped defuse tension by asking pro- testers not to block thousands of fans from entering a down- town NBA arena for a third night. On two previous nights since the shooting, protesters have blocked fans from enter- ing the stadium.
Clark interrupted the mu- sical and scriptural celebration by hugging and kissing the cas- ket, leading the crowd in chanting his brother’s name, pounding his chest and shout-
ing.
Rev. Al Sharpton who at-
tended the funeral, hugged and consoled him and told the crowd not to judge how fami- lies grieve.
“This brother could be any one of us, so let them express and grieve,” Sharpton said. “We are proud of them for standing up for justice.”
The Sacramento Kings and their owner have been sup- portive of the Clark family.
This week, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huck- abee Sanders said the shoot- ing was a "local matter" when asked about it by a reporter.
"No, this is not a local mat- ter," Sharpton said at Clark's service. "They've been killing young black men all over the country, and we are here to say that we're going to stand with Stephon Clark and the leaders of this family.
Black And Brown Parkland Students Want Their Voices To Be Heard, Too
Black and brown students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are speaking out.
Baton Rouge Cop That Killed Alton Sterling Is Fired From Dept.
Alton Sterling was fatally shot 5 times by Blane Salamoni in 2016, Salamoni was fired on Friday. His partner was suspended for 3 days.
PARKLAND, FL —- Black and brown students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are speaking out and demanding that their voices be heard too.
Black students reportedly gathered in Parkland on Wednesday (Mar. 29), to dis- cuss their sentiments about gun control and the media’s coverage of the shooting. Many said thy felt underrepre- sented and overlooked, ac- cording to The Miami Herald.
The school’s student body is reportedly 11% black.
Kai Koerber, a 17-year- old student who witnessed his classmates being slain on that dreadful day, says Black stu- dents have to deal with the enormous burden of being cautious of mass shoot-
ers and police. Koerber claims he fears that police will racially profile students and treat them as “potential crimi- nals.” “It’s bad enough we have to return with clear back- packs,” he said. “Should we also return with our hands up?”
Rev. Rosalind Osgood, a Broward County school board member, explained how Ko- erber’s fears are valid and why they should lead to a larger, intersectional conver- sation about school shootings and gun control.
“I don’t want the minority kids to be angry and feel that they’re being ignored,” she said. “I don’t think anybody’s intentionally excluding them, but nobody’s intentionally in- cluding them either.”
A white police officer from Louisiana who fatally shot a Black man in 2016 outside a convenience store was fired Friday — less than a week after the state attorney gen- eral ruled out criminal charges.
Baton Rouge cop Blane Salamoni was dismissed after “an exhaustive, year-long
federal criminal civil rights in- vestigation” into the death of Alton Sterling, Police Chief Murphy Paul said at a press conference Friday.
Salamoni shot Sterling six times on July 5, 2016, out- side the Triple S Food Mart, after the cop’s partner, Howie Lake II, helped wres- tle the 37-year-old to the
ground while trying to arrest him for selling homemade CDs.
Lake, who is also white, was suspended for three days without pay, Paul said. The disciplinary decisions were announced as the department released long-awaited footage from the officers’ body cam- eras Friday.
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