January 1, Another Black Police Chief Resigns

This Day in History | 1956

The future “King of Rock and Roll” Elvis Presley appears on “The Ed Sullivan Show” program, for the first time.

Good morning Middle Americans, 

Are we reaching the beginning of the end of the Black Lives Matter Movement? That’s hard for us to say.  Perhaps a better question, at this point, is –  do the ends justify the means? Rochester’s Police Chief has decided to hang up his badge after that city’s mayor became the latest to sell out her chief of police and the officers under his watch following the release of body cam video from a complicated arrest that went bad and turned deadly for the suspect.  It’s not that the police officers actions are justified, we still don’t know at this point. What we do know is that the mayor is playing up alleged police brutality and bowing to the Black Lives Matter Movement for her own political interests, or maybe it’s just about survival. We’ve seen other mayors and even some prosecutors do this too. Chicago. Seattle. Portland. New York City. Atlanta. And there are consequences. Right now it’s cost the city of Rochester it’s police chief. La’Ron Singletary has just decided to join Dallas’s Outgoing Police Chief Reneé Hall and former Seattle Police Chief Carmen best in retirement. It’s a sad surrender to the reality of municipal government. You can’t fight city hall. Especially when city hall is anti-police. 

Also today, Another Facebook employee outraged at the company’s policies has quit, accusing the social media platform of being “on the wrong side of history.” A fundraiser for the San Francisco-based hair salon whose owner says she needs to relocate her business after releasing video of a maskless House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reached its goal of $300,000, the salon owner announced.  The folks who create the video game that enjoys the exclusive license from the NFL not only has welcomed quarterback Colin Kaepernick back to the game but also has given him an 81 overall rating.

Read all about it.

-Fraser Dixon

Rochester Police chief retiring following death of Daniel Prude

(ABC 13 Rochester) – Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary and his entire command staff announced their retirement Tuesday, stunning leadership in City Hall and giving new urgency to the calls for justice after the death of Daniel Prude in March.

Mayor Warren announced the news to Rochester City Council during a scheduled briefing Tuesday.

“As you all know, this has been very challenging times for the city of Rochester,” Warren said, “and the chief was not asked to give his resignation because I do believe that he’s given his very best, and with some information that was brought to light today that I had not previously seen before, and that the chief has felt that his career and integrity has been challenged. He has dedicated 20 years to this city and the citizens of Rochester and feels that the events that have happened were not done in a way that, you know, could’ve been handled differently, but he didn’t, in any way, try to cover this up.”

Read more here

Related: Dallas Police Chief Resigns, Seattle Police Chief Resigns. 

‘Profiting Off Hate’: Facebook Employee Resigns in Disgust

(The Washington Post) – Another Facebook employee outraged at the company’s policies has quit, accusing the social media platform of being “on the wrong side of history.” In a 1,300-word letter posted onto Facebook’s internal employee network, and published by The Washington Post, Ashok Chandwaney said that they “can no longer stomach contributing to an organization that is profiting off hate in the US and globally.” The software engineer accused Facebook of prioritizing profit over promoting social good and using civil rights as a public relations campaign. Chandwaney isn’t the only one upset at the social media platform: More and more employees have expressed discontent with policies on hate speech, racism, and misinformation, particularly concerning President Donald Trump. However, Facebook spokeswoman Liz Bourgeois said that the company doesn’t benefit from hate. “We invest billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe,” she said.

Find out more here

Salon Owner Who Busted Pelosi For Blowout Raises $300,000+ on GoFundme

(NY Post) – A fundraiser for the San Francisco-based hair salon whose owner says she needs to relocate her business after releasing video of a maskless House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reached its goal of $300,000, the salon owner announced.

Speaking to Fox News Monday, a tearful Erica Kious thanked those who donated to a GoFundMe page for her amid her feud with Pelosi (D-Calif.).

“I wish I could personally thank every person who sent me their prayers, words of encouragement and support, especially at a time when so many are struggling to make ends meet in their own lives,” Kious said before adding thanks to her family and friends for supporting her.

Read more here

Colin Kaepernick Makes the Cut for Madden ‘21

(NBC Sports) – The folks who create the video game that enjoys the exclusive license from the NFL not only has welcomed quarterback Colin Kaepernick back to the game but also has given him an 81 overall rating.

That number is higher than the initial rating for more than half of the league’s starting quarterbacks.

Kaepernick’s 81 is higher than 17 other Week One starters.

And while this is only the opinion of the people who set the ratings for the Madden game not actual NFL scouts, this is the company in which the NFL has entrusted its official video game. And, right or wrong, that company has pegged Kaepernick at any 81. Which even if it’s a little off represents an indictment of a league of teams that have collectively shunned Kaepernick since he became a free agent in March 2017.

See the entire list of starting NFL QBs ranked lower than Kaepernick here