Gunfire Erupts During Live Broadcast of Breonna Taylor Protest in Louisville: WATCH
Seven people were shot, with one critically wounded, when gunfire erupted Thursday night during a protest in Louisville over the death of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was fatally shot by police after they broke down her door in March.
The Associated Press reports: Thursday night’s demonstration came as protesters across the country, in cities including Los Angeles, Denver, New York and Memphis, turned out in alliance with demonstrators in Minneapolis, where George Floyd became the latest black man to die in police custody. It also came hours after the release of a 911 call Taylor’s boyfriend made on March 13, moments after the 26-year-old emergency medical technician was shot eight times by narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door. No drugs were found in the home. Around 500 to 600 demonstrators marched through the Kentucky city’s downtown streets, the Courier Journal reported. The protests continued for more than six hours, ending in the early hours of Friday as rain poured down. At one point, protesters took turns hoisting the stone hand of King Louis XVI after it was broken off his statue outside City Hall. Shots were later heard, prompting some of the protesters to scramble for safety.
WDRB-TV was broadcasting live when the shots rang out. “Shots fired. We have shots fired,” the station’s reporter can be heard saying in a video (above).
WDRB reports: One person who was shot is in “critical” condition, police said. According to a statement from Mayor Greg Fischer early Friday morning, two victims were sent to surgery. All of the shooting victims are civilians, according to LMPD, which said none of the victims were shot by officers and that it is “too early to comment on suspects.” … Shots were fired around 11:30 p.m. Thursday as hundreds of people gathered on Jefferson Street, near Metro Hall and the Hall of Justice. Before the shots were fired, protesters tried to flip an LMPD prison transport vehicle. LMPD has not said who fired the shots.
Here is a video of what things look like in downtown Louisville. Hundreds of protesters have the intersection between City Hall and Metro Hall blocked off. @WDRBNewspic.twitter.com/8olkKTYDaP
GLAAD to support MOBIfest, a virtual Pride celebration for queer communities of color
MOBI
While Pride events around the globe have either been cancelled or postponed, Mobilizing Our Brothers Initiative (MOBI) has announced that MOBIfest, its annual free wellness festival for queer communities of color, will gather audiences virtually on Thursday, June 4th at 6pm EST to celebrate in the age of social distancing at mobifest.live.
In its third year of programming, MOBI remains committed to producing one of the only free festivals focused on seeing its attendees as their holistic selves. The festival is funded with support from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) and Gilead with support from community partners such as GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), The New Group, Out in Tech, The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), New York Blood Center, SOULE, Bisi Alimi Foundation, and more. Additionally, many Black Pride organizers from across the country have joined the virtual festival, including Nashville Black Pride Birmingham Black Pride, Austin Black Pride, DC Black Pride, Jacksonville Black Pride, Harlem Pride, and NYC Black Pride.
“Since MOBIfest went virtual, we felt it was important to have Black Pride organizers be a part of the festival experience. They provide much needed space and visibility locally and continue to be staples in their communities. MOBI is providing a virtual space for those communities,” said Julian Walker, MOBI’s Celebrity Ambassador.
On Thursday, June 4th from 6 PM to 11 PM EST, MOBIfest will entertain viewers with live DJ sets, comedy segments, and performances from dancers, musicians, and the house and ballroom community. MOBI has previously curated MOBIfest over three days in New York City. The festival typically launches with an opening cocktail event followed by a community art exhibition and reception showcasing artwork submitted by queer artists of color. This all culminates to the main show with a full day of entertainment and performances. Previous headliners have included R&B heroines Dawn Richard and Sevyn Streeter. This year, MOBI has opted to curate a lineup of queer-only talent, including trans pop artist and activist Mila Jam; POSE choreographer and Ballroom icon Twiggy Pucci Garçon; Miami sensation Saucy Santana; Chicago’s rising 17-year old rapper Kidd Kenn, and NAACP Image Award-nominated artist Mykal Kilgore. Additional talent includes DJBMAJR; drag legendary performer and queen of comedy, Harmonica Sunbeam; DJ Oscar Nuñez from Papi Juice; comedian, Paris Sashay; and dancer Shantoni Xavier, with more talent to be announced. Additional surprise guests will appear during the live event.
Due to COVID-19, MOBIfest will be live streamed on the MOBI website at mobifest.live. Despite the challenges faced by organizers, a few things remain the same: MOBI is peer-led and powered by a team of Black gay and queer men eager to carve out spaces for their community, and all the festival programming is free for viewers. This year, viewers can register in advance for access to the virtual festival online to get live updates and announcements. Additionally, people can join the MOBIfest Facebook event to share with their friends and networks. The day of MOBIfest, the main site will feature a live chatroom hosted by Virtual Watch Party Hosts like Kenni Javon, Ian Haddock, B. Hawk Snipes, Christopher “Maria” Natal, D’Ontace Keys and more to be announced.
#Community is needed now more than ever and #MOBIfest, our free wellness #Pride festival celebrating queer contributions to the arts, wellness, community and culture is going digital! ⠀ ⠀ Expect our same commitment to showcasing the best in queer talent and entertainment, while providing access to much needed wellness resources and care. ⠀ ⠀ Programming kicks off Thursday, June 4th! Register at the link in our bio + ‘mobi-NYC.com/MOBIfest’ to stay in the know and be the first to receive announcements and our livestream!
“The goal for MOBI has always been to link our community with various health and wellness activities while celebrating contributions to the arts, entertainment, and culture. We’ve hosted pre-festival events like a virtual fitness class with Jarad Lotts of Lit Fit, a lean and quarantine nutrition meal prep class with Moe Felican of Prep Your Game Up Meals, and will conclude the pre-festival on Saturday, May 30th with a self-care Saturday focused on professional development with Daton Ferguson-Haywood of Momentum Education,” said MOBI Founder and GLAAD’s Program Officer, Communities of Color, DaShawn Usher. “The pandemic has negatively impacted the world, especially queer people of color, so it was even more important for us to be resilient and continue to build community because there just aren’t that many options for us. Many pride events already exclude Black and Brown people. MOBIfest seeks to center the most marginalized, while showcasing and celebrating our continued resilience.”
Additionally, for the first time, MOBIfest will curate MOBIflix, a queer film festival curating creators of color on Saturday, June 6th featuring works from known directors and upcoming creators from public submissions. The program will run from 6 PM – Midnight EST and will stream films and shorts for queer communities of color to enjoy while quarantined. Ahead of the festival and in partnership with Director, Producer, and Writer Patrik-Ian Polk, MOBI will stream season one of Noah’s Arc for free on the site from June 1st – 3rd.
GLAAD is joining in supporting MOBIfest, in addition to over 30 national and international organizations. The full list of MOBIfest community partners include:
Austin Black Pride Birmingham Black Pride Bisi Alimi Foundation Black Gifted & Whole Counter Narrative Project DBQ Magazine DC Black Pride Gilead GLAAD Global Black Gay Men Connect Harlem Pride Housing Works Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) Impulse Group Houston Jacksonville Black Pride Meak Productions, Inc. Men of D.I.S.T.I.N.C., Incorporated Mount Sinai’s Young Adult Sexual Services (YASS) Nashville Black Pride National Black Justice Coalition New York Blood Center’s Project ACHIEVE New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) NYC Center for Black Pride Out In Tech SOULE The Bros in Convo Initiative The Brown Boys The Center The Each Other Project The Gentlemen’s Foundation The New Group
ABOUT MOBILIZING OUR BROTHERS INITIATIVE (MOBI)
Mobilizing Our Brothers Initiative (MOBI) curates experiences that celebrate the diversity of queer people of color while building community, wellness and personal development. The MOBI network features signature programming: MOBItalks, a personal and professional development series and MOBIfest, a citywide interactive wellness festival that celebrates queer voices in fashion, music, visual arts and media. With a focus on wellness, MOBI connects individuals to opportunities to better themselves before and during events.
Gay Rep. Brian Sims Says GOP Lawmaker Heckled Him With ‘Little Girl’ Slur on House Floor: VIDEO
Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims says a GOP lawmaker yelled “little girl” from the House floor on Thursday while the openly gay Democrat was addressing the chamber.
Sims made news this week for a viral, profanity-laced video in which he accused GOP leadership of covering up a Republican lawmaker’s COVID-19 diagnosis, potentially exposing him and others to the virus.
Sims was speaking about the same subject on the House floor Thursday when he said GOP Rep. Jerry Knowles yelled “little girl.”
My colleague @repknowles just yelled from the Floor while I was speaking to the House to call me a “little girl!” The irony of a guy from a Party scared to death of women, who himself spent years ensuring pedophile priests couldn’t be prosecuted, thinking that’s a slur is thick.
“My colleague @repknowles just yelled from the Floor while I was speaking to the House to call me a ‘little girl!’ The irony of a guy from a Party scared to death of women, who himself spent years ensuring pedophile priests couldn’t be prosecuted, thinking that’s a slur is thick.” Sims wrote.
Tonight on the floor of the PA House, state Rep. Jerry Knowles (R-Caveman) yelled “little girl” at Rep. Brian Sims, a vocal LGBTQ activist. In the process of raising a tough-as-nails little girl, I can tell you that his attempt at an insult failed miserably.
— Jon ……… (six feet) ………. Fassnacht (@JonFassnachtRE) May 29, 2020
Hey @BrianSimsPA I’ve got your six! So does the amazing team of talented women helping me to run against @repknowles. Rachel, Heather, Jess, Allyssa, my badass Army wife Carrie, and many more! No more running unopposed and consequence free for Rep. Knowles. #LeadershipMatters
(@OnlineKentucky) May 29, 2020
