Page 33 - Florida Sentinel 12-24-21

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Ben Crump Says Glenn Foster, Jr.’s Death Might’ve Involved Strangulation,
Citing Independent Autopsy
An independent autopsy reportedly shows evidence of “strangulation” in the death of Glenn Foster Jr., the former NFL player who died while in police custody earlier this month.
Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump made the claim in a statement on Friday, saying he and medical experts aren’t convinced the 31- year-old athlete died of natural causes. Crump says the preliminary findings of autopsy suggest Foster was choked prior to his in-custody death on Dec. 6—just two days after he was arrested for a speeding violation in Pickens County.
The autopsy was conducted by Dr. Michael Baden, a well-known forensic pathologist who has been involved with multiple high-profile cases, including the deaths of Jeffrey Epstein, George Floyd, and Michale Brown.
“Glenn Foster Jr.’s death, while in the Pickens County Sheriff’s custody and care, was not from natural causes as the independent au- topsy suggests there was some evidence of neck compressions and strangulation,” wrote Crump, who represents the Foster family. “As we continue to investigate the case, we are learn-
BEN CRUMP
GLENN FOSTER JR.
ing that Mr. Foster’s death in Pickens County appears to be part of a disturbing trend of Black men dying while in the custody of the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office. Keeping people in your custody alive is literally the lowest bar we can set for a law enforcement agency, and is something that the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office failed to do.”
Former Police Officer Kim Potter Testifies In Daunte Wright Manslaughter Trial
Kim Potter—the former Minnesota police officer who fa- tally shot Daunte Wright on April 11 during a traffic stop and claims she mistook her gun for a taser—took the stand during her manslaughter trial on Friday.
The 49-year-old testified that she was “sorry it happened,” per ABC 6, and explained that she doesn’t remember much of what she said following the shooting in Brooklyn Center, claiming some of her memory from that day “is missing.”
“We are struggling,” she re- called. “We’re trying to keep him from driving away. It just went chaotic. I remember yelling – ‘Taser, Taser, Taser’ – and noth- ing happened. And then he told me I shot him.”
Potter faces first and second degree manslaughter charges over the shooting of the 20-year- old Black male who was pulled over for expired license plate tags and an air freshener in his rearview mirror. Potter was training another officer at the time and said she likely wouldn’t have pulled Wright over if she weren’t. She then told the jury that the stop reportedly “just went chaotic” as officers tried to arrest Wright over an outstand- ing warrant over a weapons vio- lation.
KIM POTTER
During the trial Friday, pros- ecutor Erin Eldridge showed an image of the yellow-and-black taser and black gun side-by-side to question the police vet. And when showing the video of Pot- ter shooting Wright, the 20- year-old’s mother reportedly cried, per CNN.
While Potter said she didn’t intend to use deadly force, she reportedly did not mention mak- ing a mistake in court Friday, and as ABC 6 shares, she spoke in a seemingly chronological order of events from the day of the shooting. Potter also claimed her department’s offi- cers were not trained on “weapons confusion,” adding she never used her taser on duty, or her gun until she shot and killed Wright.
McDonald's To Pay $33.5 Million To Settle Racial Discrimination Suit
McDonald’s is settling a law- suit with Herb Washington, a former MLB player and fran- chisee who accused the company of racial discrimination, by buy- ing the remainder of his shops for $33.5 million.
The owner of over a dozen resturuants in Ohio and Pennsyl- vania claims that the company had him operate restaurants in “urban neighborhoods,” Cleve- land.com reports, and that the company graded his stores un- fairly and forced him to down- size. The suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Youngstown, claimed that “Black owners average around $700,000 less in annual sales per store than white owners.”
Washington, who once owned 23 restaurants in 2017 be- fore downsizing to 14 at the time of the suit, is welcoming the $33.5 million to purchase his re- maining 13 restaurants as part of the settlement agreement.
Washington said at the time of the filing that when he “stood up for myself and other Black franchisees, McDonald’s began dismantling my life’s work, forcing me to sell one store after another to white opera- tors.”
The company settled a suit in Tennessee filed by two Black op- erators, James and Darrell Byrd, last week, purchasing four restaurants for $6.5 million after the men claimed McDonald’s treated white operators better, per CNBC.
On another note, the fast food giant also announced that it will be recruiting more diverse franchisee operators globally and investing $250 million over five years to assist with loans.
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