Top 5 Live-WURD Monday May 5
1. Group behind SEPTA ads hosted Texas event where shooting occurred
The group that hosted the provocative cartoon contest where two gunmen were slain after opening fire on a security guard was also behind the controversial anti-Islam advertisements displayed on SEPTA buses this spring.
The American Freedom Defensive Initiative both sponsored the contest, which offered a $10,000 prize for the best depiction of the Prophet Muhammad, and paid for the SEPTA ads, which read “Islamic Jew-hatred: It’s in the Quran.”
The organization, led by Jewish activist Pamela Geller, was hosting the Garland, Texas, cartoon contest where the shooting occurred Sunday.
City officials said two men drove up to the center where the contest was being held as the event was ending and began shooting at a security guard. Police returned fire, fatally shooting both gunmen.
2. Ben Carson announces, brings his celebrity to 2016 race
Ben Carson wants to convince voters that a doctor is best positioned to fix what’s ailing America.
“I’m Ben Carson, and I’m a candidate for president of the United States,” he told a crowd in his hometown of Detroit on Monday, making his presidential bid official to wild applause.
In a speech to a crowd that his campaign estimated at thousands, the retired neurosurgeon and unlikely conservative star introduced his wife and family and called for “the people to rise up and take the government back.” Carson told the story of his rise from poverty, where he lived in homes infested with roaches — “in the more upscale areas, they called ’em waterbugs, but we knew what they were” he joked.
He promised that he wouldn’t change his signature style, framing himself as an outsider up against the political elite.
“I’m probably never going to be politically correct because I’m not a politician,” he said. “I don’t want to be a politician. Because politicians do what is politically expedient — I want to do what’s right.”
3. ‘It’s degrading,’ says Ethiopian-Israeli soldier beaten by police
The Ethiopian Jewish soldier at the center of a viral beating video that has sparked protests across Israel says he supports the anti-racism demonstrations, but condemns the violence that erupted.
Cpl. Demas Fikadey, 21, told CNN he was a block away from his house in a suburb of Tel Aviv when a police officer stopped him from crossing the street, then grabbed his bike and cell phone. Another officer soon joined in.
The video shows the two officers push Fikadey to the ground and hold him down for approximately one minute before allowing him to stand up. The entire incident is caught on a nearby security camera, but the video has no sound.
“Only God and I know how I felt,” Fikadey said. “First of all, it’s degrading because you’re a soldier — a soldier who is serving the country. You’re giving all of yourself, and it’s degrading.”
4. Obama to tap Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs
President Barack Obama plans to name a trusted military adviser with ties to his drawdown of troops in Afghanistan as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, officials confirmed to CNN.
Obama plans to name Gen. Joseph F. Dunford to the post at the White House on Tuesday.
Dunford currently serves as the commandant of the Marine Corps. He’ll replace Gen. Martin Dempsey, who served in the top military role since 2011.
Dunford must be confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate before assuming the new post.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain offered praise for the presumed pick on Monday.
“I’ve known him very well for many years and he’s an outstanding leader,” said McCain, a Vietnam war veteran. “I’m very, extremely enthusiastic about his selection. He’s a combat veteran. He’s a warrior.”
5. NYPD Cop Brian Moore Dies After Saturday Shooting in Queens
New York Police Department officer Brian Moore has died at Jamaica Hospital after he was shot Saturday in Queens, police said today. Moore, 25, was a five-year veteran.
Moore was on duty Saturday with his partner Eric Jansen, 30, as part of an anti-crime unit in Queens Village when he was shot at 6:15 p.m., police said.
Moore and Jansen were in an unmarked patrol car when they saw a man on the street adjusting something in the waistband of his pants that appeared to be a gun, Bratton said Saturday night.
When the officers told the man to stop, he turned, pulled out a gun and began shooting into the car, Bratton said.
Moore was shot in the face. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition and underwent surgery.
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Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com and morning host on 900 am WURD radio. Click here to learn more about Solomon
