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Mary J. Blige, Dwyane Wade & More Speak to "REVOLT Black News Weekly" at The Times 100 Gala
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“REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weekly” aired on Friday (June 10) to discuss the uptick in mass shootings across the nation and the case of Leonna Hale in Kansas City, Missouri.
Neima Abdulahi hosted the episode, titled “What’s Behind the Mass Shootings in Philly?” She was joined by journalist Lisa Durden, author Tariq Nasheed, recruiting coordinator for Blexit America Jasmine Woodson, and President of the Legacy Republican Alliance Corrin Rankin. REVOLT Special Correspondent Rochelle Ritchie also hosted a discussion about mass shootings around the United States and REVOLT Entertainment Correspondent Kennedy Rue McCullough brought viewers the latest in celebrity news.
Ritchie opened the show by discussing a shooting that took place in a wealthy neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 4, where a physical altercation ended in gunfire and left three dead and 12 others injured.
She hosted a panel discussion with Ernest Owens (editor-at-large at Philadelphia Magazine) and Jenea Robinson Dean (owner of Marsh + Mane), during which they talked about why this tragedy is gaining national attention.
“This has been going on for a while … I think this particular incident is getting the attention because of the location. It’s a tourist location. The residential neighborhoods that sandwich this street are two of the wealthiest zip codes in the city of Philadelphia,” Dean noted.
Ritchie asked Owens how Black people can be better protected since they are 12 times more likely to die in a mass shooting than their white counterparts?
“I think for starters it’s going to really take a more nuanced approach that can’t be put in the hands of only elected officials [and] can’t only be put in the hands of the community,” he explained. “I think too often Black people are treated as if these are problems that only we have to wrestle with without looking at the people that our tax payer dollars go to. And so I think there needs to be a situation where government is not talking at us and we are not only in a position of vulnerability.”
Next, Abdulahi turned to Kansas City, Missouri where the community is demanding answers after law enforcement shot 26-year-old Leonna Hale several times during an encounter last month.
On May 27, authorities spotted a vehicle that matched the description of a stolen car. When they approached the vehicle, the driver reportedly fled the scene and 26-year-old Hale, who was a passenger in said car, remained. The events that follow are being disputed and community members are demanding transparency from the Kansas City Police Department.
In one version of events, Hale allegedly told police there was a gun in the vehicle as she stepped out with her hands up. Police instructed her to get on the ground, at which point she informed them she was pregnant. As she tried to flee the scene, she was shot several times. On the contrary, police allege Hale exited the vehicle while waiving a firearm before discharging it toward them. That is when authorities shot her, police say.
Hale survived the ordeal and now faces several charges — one count of unlawful firearm possession, one count of exhibiting a firearm and resisting arrest, and one count of resisting a lawful detention.
Abdulahi held a round table discussion with Woodson and Durden to discuss the case further. Durden believes Kansas City police officers’ response to the ordeal was “disgusting.”
“No matter what a person’s background is it has absolutely nothing to do with how they should be treated by the police,” voiced Durden. “This case about this woman Leonna was disgusting. First of all, this young lady, as she was trying to run from the cop, screamed that she was pregnant. This woman could have been lying about her pregnancy or not. They don’t know … The white police had no sensitivity to it and what was more disgusting is the cops shot her. She was bleeding out on the ground and they never immediately called any medical attention for her. Why? Because her Black life does not matter.”
Woodson believes the release of the body camera footage will quell the tension between the Black community and the Kansas City Police Department.
She stated, “I feel like that should stop a lot of the anger that Black people have” before being interrupted by Durden who declared police “never once released the body cam footage.” “They released a screenshot of an image of Leonna supposedly wielding a gun and all of that … The first order of business is if you’re not lying release the body cam footage,” Durden added.
Later in the show, McCullough hosted her segment titled “Entertainment Remix” and showed viewers highlights from Time Magazine’s Time100 red carpet event. Mary J. Blige and several others were honored as the most influential people of 2022.
The “Just Fine” singer expressed, “I never envisioned Time Magazine.”
She added “When I was younger you see the president and all these gigantic moguls on the cover of Time Magazine … That’s not something I ever thought of, but I know I worked hard enough to have it. I’m so grateful.”
Watch a quick clip from this week’s episode up top. Plus, be sure to catch the next installment of “REVOLT BLACK NEWS Weekly” on Friday, June 17, 2022 at 5 p.m. ET on REVOLT’s app.