Latest news with #GreatReplacementtheory
Black America Web
a day ago
- Black America Web
Black Man Found Hanging From A Tree In New York, Police Call It Suicide
Source: WISH-TV / WISH-TV On June 11, a Black man was found hanging dead from a tree in Albany, New York. While police have labeled it a suicide, locals and people identifying themselves as family members of the man are skeptical. According to the Times Union, a call was made at around 8 a.m. last Wednesday, and officers found a body hanging from a tree on Westerlo Street. Videos circulated on social media showing the body, but were quickly taken down. When a Black man is hanging from a tree, the first thought is lynching, given America's sordid history with the practice, but local police were quick to push back against that narrative 'At this time, based upon preliminary investigation, the circumstances appear to be consistent with suicide and no evidence to suggest that the incident is criminal in nature,' a statement from Albany police reads. Locals have taken to social media and TikTok to express their disbelief at how little coverage the hanging has received in the local media. There's been skepticism over it being a cut-and-dry suicide given how little information has been released about the incident. In fact, most reporting on the case has come from locals doing their own digging into what happened. While police have not released the name of the man, social media posts and a GoFundMe page seem to point to the deceased being one Earl Smith. There are few confirmed, concrete details about the case, and we don't want to get into baseless speculation, but the lack of coverage and the alleged refusal to review camera footage is a bit suspect. Committing a crime in 2025 is somewhat foolish because there are cameras all over every city. I learned this during the Jonathan Majors trial when footage was released showing the assault and chase from several different camera angles throughout the city. It shouldn't be hard to see exactly what led to this man's death. Looking at comments on TikTok's show that several Albany residents have expressed disbelief that the story hasn't received more coverage. 'I work in Albany and live in the area and haven't heard a single thing about this until now. How is nobody saying anything about it?,' wrote one commenter. America loves to espouse how racism doesn't exist anymore and that lynchings are a thing of the past, yet Sundown Towns still exist. Whether it's literally hanging or alleged extrajudicial killings by the police, lynching hasn't gone away. The attitudes that encourage this violence against Black people have only become more and more normalized. In fact, they run rampant within the current presidential administration. From the ongoing attacks on DEI, Stephen Miller's entire existence, to the Pentagon's Chief Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson making several social media posts parroting the 'Great Replacement theory,' the most dangerous and insidious ideas of white supremacy are currently influencing the laws and policy that govern the country. Hate groups have gone down in America because the ideas they espouse have gone mainstream. In recent years, there have been several suspicious hangings of Black people that police label suicide, but have left family members questioning whether or not they were lynchings. Last year, Javion Magee was found hanging from a tree in North Carolina, and his deathwas labeled a suicide by police after video footage showed him buying a utility rope in a local Walmart. His family hired a private investigator and an independent medical examiner to see if their findings match the official police report. In 2020, a video went viral showing four white men attempting to lynch Vauhxx Booker during a July 4 celebration in Lake Monroe. Charges would be filed against the men, as well as Booker himself. The charges against all involved were dropped in 2022 after Booker and the two white men also charged in the case went through a restorative justice process. While we still don't know for certain what exactly led to this man's hanging in Albany, recent events have shown it's more than understandable why residents and the alleged family members are questioning whether or not it was a lynching. SEE ALSO: What Happened To Javion Magee? Dennoriss Richardson's Wife Says 'He Didn't Kill Himself' SEE ALSO Black Man Found Hanging From A Tree In New York, Police Call It Suicide was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pentagon press secretary has a ‘long history' of bigoted social media posts and now faces calls to resign
A Pentagon press secretary with a 'long history' of bigoted and antisemitic social media posts faces calls to resign. Jewish organizations have blasted the appointment of Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson, who compared the murders of Israeli infants during the October 7 Hamas attacks to abortion. She has also peddled the antisemitic conspiracy theory about Leo Frank, a Jewish businessman who was wrongly convicted and hanged for the murder of a 13-year-old Georgia girl in 1951. The 26-year-old MAGA supporter, whose father is longtime Trump advisor and right-wing commentator Steve Cortes, joined the Pentagon's press office in January. A review of her social media activity by the outlet Mother Jones revealed 'a long history of bigoted, xenophobic, and deliberately provocative' posts. In one post, Wilson supports the racist, xenophobic and long-debunked Great Replacement theory — the idea that there is a plot to replace white Americans with non-white immigrants, Mother Jones reported. A post falsely claiming that Frank, 'raped & murdered a 13-year-old girl' and 'tried to frame a Black man for his crime' remained on Wilson's personal X account. Wilson was responding to a post last year by the Anti-Defamation League that marked the anniversary of Frank's lynching 'by a hate-filled mob in Georgia after being falsely accused & unjustly convicted of murder in a trial marred by antisemitism.' 'Anyone who posts antisemitic conspiracy theories lifted right out of the neo-Nazi playbook should not be in public office,' Jewish civil rights group the American Jewish Committee, posted in a statement Wednesday. 'Kingsley Wilson, newly appointed @DepPressSecDOD, is clearly unfit for her role.' The Independent has contacted Wilson and the Department of Defense for comment. Republican and Democratic lawmakers also rebuked Wilson's posts. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wilson was 'completely off-script' with President Donald Trump. 'I'm not gonna tell them who to hire, but I do know that Trump doesn't believe any of the things she's talking about, and I'll leave it up to them to determine if they think she's the right spokesperson,' Graham told Politico. Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska told the outlet that Wilson's remarks were 'horrible' and 'just not appropriate.' 'Sometimes people think they're anonymous when they're on social media, that they can comment or post on whatever may be their attitude at the time, and then they later regret it,' the Republican said. Democratic congressman Ritchie Torres called Wilson out for a post she wrote about Kosovo at the end of February, signaling her support for Russia. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. 'Kingsley Wilson, the Deputy Press Secretary for the Department of Defense, is shamefully attempting to delegitimize Kosovo, which has been the single greatest American ally in the Western Balkans,' the congressman wrote on X. 'No amount of historical revisionism can change the fundamental fact that Kosovo is and will always be an independent democracy.' Unvetted appointments such as Wilson's at the Pentagon have raised red flags for some GOP members. 'We've got enough real, serious challenges from outside without having to worry about Pentagon staff who like to spread antisemitism or Russian propaganda,' a senior Republican congressional aide told Politico on the condition of anonymity. 'I'm amazed at who this administration has been willing to trust with national security responsibilities.'
The Independent
06-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Pentagon press secretary has a ‘long history' of bigoted social media posts and now faces calls to resign
A Pentagon press secretary with a 'long history' of bigoted and antisemitic social media posts faces calls to resign. Jewish organizations have blasted the appointment of Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson, who compared the murders of Israeli infants during the October 7 Hamas attacks to abortion. She has also peddled the antisemitic conspiracy theory about Leo Frank, a Jewish businessman who was wrongly convicted and hanged for the murder of a 13-year-old Georgia girl in 1951. The 26-year-old MAGA supporter, whose father is longtime Trump advisor and right-wing commentator Steve Cortes, joined the Pentagon's press office in January. A review of her social media activity by the outlet Mother Jones revealed 'a long history of bigoted, xenophobic, and deliberately provocative' posts. In one post, Wilson supports the racist, xenophobic and long-debunked Great Replacement theory — the idea that there is a plot to replace white Americans with non-white immigrants, Mother Jones reported. A post falsely claiming that Frank, 'raped & murdered a 13-year-old girl' and 'tried to frame a Black man for his crime' remained on Wilson's personal X account. Wilson was responding to a post last year by the Anti-Defamation League that marked the anniversary of Frank's lynching 'by a hate-filled mob in Georgia after being falsely accused & unjustly convicted of murder in a trial marred by antisemitism.' 'Anyone who posts antisemitic conspiracy theories lifted right out of the neo-Nazi playbook should not be in public office,' Jewish civil rights group the American Jewish Committee, posted in a statement Wednesday. 'Kingsley Wilson, newly appointed @DepPressSecDOD, is clearly unfit for her role.' The Independent has contacted Wilson and the Department of Defense for comment. Republican and Democratic lawmakers also rebuked Wilson's posts. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wilson was 'completely off-script' with President Donald Trump. 'I'm not gonna tell them who to hire, but I do know that Trump doesn't believe any of the things she's talking about, and I'll leave it up to them to determine if they think she's the right spokesperson,' Graham told Politico. Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska told the outlet that Wilson's remarks were 'horrible' and 'just not appropriate.' 'Sometimes people think they're anonymous when they're on social media, that they can comment or post on whatever may be their attitude at the time, and then they later regret it,' the Republican said. Democratic congressman Ritchie Torres called Wilson out for a post she wrote about Kosovo at the end of February, signaling her support for Russia. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. 'Kingsley Wilson, the Deputy Press Secretary for the Department of Defense, is shamefully attempting to delegitimize Kosovo, which has been the single greatest American ally in the Western Balkans,' the congressman wrote on X. 'No amount of historical revisionism can change the fundamental fact that Kosovo is and will always be an independent democracy.' Unvetted appointments such as Wilson's at the Pentagon have raised red flags for some GOP members. 'We've got enough real, serious challenges from outside without having to worry about Pentagon staff who like to spread antisemitism or Russian propaganda,' a senior Republican congressional aide told Politico on the condition of anonymity. 'I'm amazed at who this administration has been willing to trust with national security responsibilities.'
