NAACP Accuses Musk Of Endangering Black Communities With Supercomputer Fumes
'Doesn't give you the right to pollute black communities'
Male, 45, accused of putting newborn in dumpster hit with new charges; 16-year-old mother claims 3-year relationship with him
A 45-year-old male who was accused of putting an infant in a Memphis dumpster now is facing five new charges, including promoting prostitution of a minor and aggravated statutory rape, WREG-TV reported.
What's more, the 16-year-old mother of the deceased infant told police she was in a three-year relationship with the male in question, the station said.
His bond on the new charges is $1 million.
James Boothe originally was charged with abuse of a corpse, the station said in a previous report. But WREG said that charge was dismissed on Friday morning due to lack of prosecution.
However, the station noted that Boothe has been newly charged with two counts of trafficking for a commercial sex act, promoting prostitution of a minor, continuous sexual abuse of a child, and aggravated statutory rape.
What is the background?
Police said in January a 16-year-old gave birth while she was on her way to a hospital, WREG reported, and that's when Boothe is said to have placed the newborn in a dumpster behind a Shell gas station.
After searching the area, officers said they found the baby dead, the station reported, adding that the newborn's body was in a bag.
Boothe was arrested the next day and held in jail on a $250,000 bond, WREG reported, adding that on Jan. 30 he appeared in court, where a judge told him he could spend up to six years in prison if convicted.
The station added that court records indicate that the 16-year-old admitted to having been in a relationship with Boothe for three years at the time of his arrest.
The Shelby County District Attorney's Office told WREG in a statement that it is continuing to "review the abuse of a corpse allegation for potential indictment along with the additional charges. Keep in mind that when charges are dismissed in general sessions, it does not preclude us from still pursuing an indictment and moving forward as more evidence becomes available."
Boothe on Tuesday remained in jail. His bond on the new charges is $1 million. There is no court date listed.
You can view a video report here about the case.
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Video: Axe-wielding motorist repeatedly whacks another car after traffic accident
Cellphone video caught the scary, surreal moment when an axe-wielding motorist repeatedly whacked another car after a traffic accident in Memphis recently.
Memphis police said officers responded to an aggravated assault report at Poplar Avenue and South Goodlett Street just before noon last Saturday.
'Then he came to the driver’s side and started whacking at the door with the axe ...'
Officers were told the victim and his girlfriend were in their vehicle and struck the back of a Chevrolet Impala, police said. After the crash, the Impala driver exited the car armed with an axe, then struck the victim’s vehicle with the axe several times before getting back into the Impala and driving away.
Police said investigators took 51-year-old Brent Fong into custody Thursday and charged him with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of reckless endangerment, and vandalism.
Blaze News confirmed with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office that Fong was still incarcerated as of Friday afternoon. Jail records show his bond is set at $100,000.
You can view a video report here about the incident; it includes cellphone video of the axe attack.
What else?
WHBQ-TV said Fong has been arrested in connection with other violent crimes.
The station, citing records, reported that Fong was arrested last year for throwing a brick into an ambulance's windshield. Five years ago Fong pleaded guilty to throwing a brick into someone's front window; the victim in that incident was hit in the head with the brick; Fong served one day behind bars, WHBQ said,
What's more, Fong 25 years ago was charged in a Memphis shooting but released after pleading guilty by reason of insanity, the station added, citing records.
From the victims' angle
WREG-TV spoke to a 76-year-old man who said he and his girlfriend — who didn't want to reveal their names to the station — were the victims of the crime and have been afraid for their lives ever since.
“It seemed more menacing as he got closer,” the man told the station. “He took a huge swing and knocked out the back window with one or two swings. Then he came to the driver’s side and started whacking at the door with the axe and put a hole in the driver’s side door.”
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Quick-thinking robbery victim turns the tables on 2 gun-toting crooks — a male and female — behind Memphis hotel
A quick-thinking robbery victim turned the tables on a male and female who pulled guns on him early Friday morning behind a Memphis hotel.
Officers responded to a report of a shooting at 6:15 a.m. at the Classic Inn on American Way, WMC-TV reported, citing the Memphis Police Department.
But when the gun-toting male and female turned around at the sound of a loud noise in the distance, the victim grabbed the female’s gun ...
Police found a male shot multiple times and a female shot in her upper arm, WMC said, adding that both were hospitalized — the male in critical condition and the female in non-critical condition.
The station said another call came in from behind the hotel on Fairbrook Avenue, where police met a man who told officers he was the one who fired at the male and female — but that they tried to rob him.
The man said he arrived at the hotel earlier that morning to meet with the female who eventually was shot and hospitalized, WMC said.
The man said the female — wrapped in a blanket — approached him and asked if he was armed, the station reported.
After he said he wasn't armed, she reportedly lured him to the back of the building and gave him the impression that they were going to her car, WMC noted.
But just as he noticed there was no vehicle, the female pulled a gun on him, demanding that he turn over his property, the station said, adding that he said a male then appeared, also pointing a gun at him.
The victim said he complied and threw his wallet on the ground, WMC reported.
Script suddenly is flipped
But when the gun-toting male and female turned around at the sound of a loud noise in the distance, the victim grabbed the female’s gun, after which her accomplice opened fire at the victim, the station said.
But her accomplice missed, and the victim returned fire, hitting both of them, WMC reported.
The victim took off running but wasn't physically injured, WREG-TV reported, adding that a police report indicated one of the suspects was connected to another report police already had taken.
According to WMC, police said all three individuals were detained.
Gene Perry was charged with aggravated robbery and convicted felon in possession of a handgun, WREG said, adding that he was being held on a $360,000 bond.
Alexius Deberry was charged with aggravated robbery, and she was being held on a $100,000 bond, WREG said, adding that her mug shot was not available.
Those with information about the incident are asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH, WHBQ-TV reported.
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Violent Venezuelan gang infiltrates every major city in Tennessee
The vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has infiltrated every major city in Tennessee, according to state officials.
TDA has been tied to criminal activity across the United States, including apartment takeovers in Aurora, Colorado, and violent crimes in New York City and Dallas, Texas. Thus far, the gang has primarily, but not exclusively, focused on expanding its presence in sanctuary jurisdictions, where local law enforcement agencies are forbidden to cooperate with federal immigration officials.
'They will not hesitate to attack their opponents in public and in broad daylight.'
During a budget meeting this week, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director David Rausch warned Governor Bill Lee (R) that TDA has recently become a growing threat in the state.
According to Rausch, the gang started to appear in Tennessee two years ago, but its influence has substantially expanded over the past few months. He noted that TDA is active in Memphis and Nashville.
"We first saw them a couple years ago where we uncovered a group here in a human trafficking operation," Rausch explained. "We recognized a number of the members here trafficking females that they had abducted from Venezuela and brought them here."
The bureau successfully captured several individuals involved in the illicit operation, but "many of them fled" out of Tennessee, Rausch said.
"Now what we are seeing is they are back. They are back in all of our major cities," he declared.
When TDA arrives in a new area, it starts by running trafficking operations, then expands into other criminal activities, including organized retail theft and drug trafficking, Rausch told Lee.
He expressed concerns about TDA's brazenness and its targeting of cartel members.
"They will, and they have taken on the cartel head-on, and they're very violent in their efforts," Rausch continued. "They will not hesitate to attack their opponents in public and in broad daylight."
"Recently, there was a video that they shot where they shot an individual, a cartel member, 31 times. Broad daylight, on video, and posted it to social media," he stated.
Rausch did not share how many TDA gang members he believes are in the state but noted that "they're in numbers here."
According to Straight Arrow News, the Knoxville Police Department is unaware of any TDA activity in the area.
The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly identified more than 600 individuals in the U.S. with ties to TDA, Blaze News previously reported. The federal government has confirmed the gang's activity in at least 15 states, and it may have expanded to another eight.
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Memphis pastor shot in face unlikely to see proper justice thanks to leftist DA's office
Rev. Clemmie Livingston Jr. is the 71-year-old pastor of New Zionfield Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. On Feb. 25, Livingston attempted to stop thugs from stealing a car just feet away from the doors of his church. One of the thugs shot him in the face while driving away, leaving the pastor for dead.
After multiple surgeries, Livingston told WREG-TV, "Laying there, I kept saying to myself that I'll be dead in a little while. Well, what would a person say when they bleeding in the manner that I was bleeding?"
"While I was down on my knees, let me tell you what [God] said. He said to me, 'Stop trying to die and start back living,'" said the pastor. "In my spirit and in my heart, I know that Jesus brought me through this."
Gwendoline Livingston, the pastor's wife, indicated Friday that Livingston is still wearing a face brace and may have to either undergo a bone graft or have a metal plate inserted in his jaw.
"I am still not able to eat like normal people, and, of course, my bone is still shattered down there," he told WHBQ-TV.
The Shelby County District Attorney's Office has given the pastor one more thing to be sore about.
R'Shunio Greer, 18, was arrested in May in connection to unrelated car theft and aggravated assault cases. WHBQ reported that investigators found photos of Greer in the victim's 2019 Corvette. He allegedly admitted to being at the scene of the robbery when the pastor was shot and driving one of two Camaros spotted at the scene by witnesses. The same Camaro was later wrecked during a police chase.
Greer was slapped with various charges including aggravated robbery and theft of property.
However, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office — helmed by Steve Mulroy, a Democrat with a reputation for being soft on criminals who has reportedly received donations from Soros-linked organizations — dropped all but the theft charge against Greer in Livingston's case.
'I don't let things disappoint me such as this.'
Mulroy's office tried to blame the dismissal of the charges on witnesses failing to show up in court, but the pastor insisted that was simply not true, reported WHBQ.
"I was stunned when they said there were not any witnesses there, knowing that we were there," said the pastor. "That was the thing that shocked me."
"I don't let things disappoint me such as this," said Livingston. "I feel like the judicial system, they do what they want to do anyway."
After the pastor refuted the claim about witnesses showing up in the press, Mulroy's office effectively confirmed it had misled the public, indicating the aggravated robbery charge had been dropped despite witnesses having been present for the hearing.
Livingston indicated he will continue to pray about the situation, holding out hope that the accomplices referenced in Greer's statement will be brought in. The pastor expressed an interest in the rehabilitation of his attackers while in custody.
Livingston's case is far from the only one in Shelby County in which Mulroy's office has sought to let off criminals lightly. Mulroy recently indicated he would lean toward rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration for felons caught with illegal firearms, citing the need to address racial disparities.
Tennessee state Sen. Brent Taylor (R) told WMC-TV in a statement, "In a city plagued by gun violence, the thought that our DA will not aggressively prosecute felons in possession of a firearm is not only nonsensical, but it is dangerous. Our county is being targeted by restorative justice scheming groups because they know our DA is weak, compliant, and acquiescent. Not only is it harming our community, but it's harming law enforcement across the state."
Taylor notified Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R) last month of his intent to remove Mulroy.
"Public welfare demanding it, causes for such removal will be set forth in the Senate Joint Resolution, but shall include 'dereliction of duty' for failing to properly prosecute convicted felons in possession of a firearm," Taylor said in his letter.
McNally responded with words of encouragement, indicating he "wholeheartedly" supports the removal effort, reported the Tennessee Lookout.
"DA Mulroy's record of refusal to prosecute laws he does not personally care for is long-standing and clear. I believe it is time for him to go," said McNally.
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'He picked the wrong place to try and break into': 70-year-old, gun-toting homeowner sends lead-powered message to intruder
Steve Huntley, 70, was asleep early Thursday morning when the noises commenced.
Huntley — who lives in the Memphis neighborhood of Nutbush — told WREG-TV the sound was a "bump, bump, bump."
"That’s what got my dogs stirred up,” he added to the station.
Sure enough, Huntley said an intruder was trying to get into his home through a back door — and the elderly homeowner told WREG he stood face-to-face with the intruder.
“I shoved him,” Huntley recounted to the station. “He hit the ground down there. I slammed the door and went in to get my pistol.”
With that, Huntley added to WREG that upon returning to the face-off spot, he fired a single shot — and the intruder took off running.
“That’s the reason a lot of people are moving out of this neighborhood because of what’s going on,” Huntley added to the station.
WREG said that a search through Memphis data revealed that police have been called 170 times within the past year about breaking and entering, property crimes, and thefts — all within a half-mile radius of Huntley’s home.
Huntley has a more personal reason to be on guard, the station said, after his son was shot to death in 2016.
Therefore, Huntley told WREG, he's ready to throw down to the death if necessary when others threaten the safety of his loved ones.
“He picked the wrong place to try and break into,” he said of the hapless intruder. “Because my motto is, ‘If you come in here, you are going to meet your maker.'”
Police found the accused intruder a few blocks from Huntley's residence, WREG added, noting that charges against him are still pending.
MPD: Homeowner shoots at would-be burglar youtu.be
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Fanatical leftists descend on Memphis conservative event, mob Kyle Rittenhouse
Kyle Rittenhouse has survived yet another mobbing by rabid leftists, this time in America's most dangerous city: Democrat-run Memphis.
The 21-year-old Second Amendment advocate spoke Wednesday at an event hosted by the University of Memphis student chapter of Turning Point USA. An event listing indicated that Rittenhouse was planing to "share his side of the story that caught the media's eye in 2020."
Rittenhouse has long been vilified over his fateful 2020 encounter with leftist guerillas in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Rittenhouse, then 17 years old, shot three radicals in self-defense during a BLM riot, sending two of his attackers — a domestic abuser with multiple convictions and a convicted, violent child molester — to the morgue and disarming a third who had advanced on him with a loaded weapon.
While Rittenhouse was initially charged with homicide, attempted homicide, and reckless endangerment, he was ultimately acquitted in November 2021. The jury understood that Kyle was not guilty, but the media successfully cast him in the minds of many as a villain.
The TPUSA event and others like it thus afford Rittenhouse an opportunity to set the record straight.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside, screaming at guests and hindering the flow of traffic in and out of the UC Theatre.
BLM protesters at the University of Memphis surged towards the entrance to the Kyle Rittenhouse event chanting \u201cKyle is a killer!\u201d \n\n@TPUSA | @Julio_Rosas11— (@)
Signs hoisted above the angry mob said, "No killers on my campus," "Say their names," "You're in denial Kyle," "Murderers don't belong here," and "No one should be open to: Racism, Christo-Fascism, Murderous Little S***s," reported the Commercial Appeal.
It is apparent that some of the student protesters latched onto the suggestion, disseminated by Democrats and the liberal media around the time of Rittenhouse's trial, that Rittenhouse is racist.
Richard Massey, a sophomore at the university, evidenced this misunderstanding, telling WMC-TV, "We're also a city that is predominately Black and we’re also a city that is grappling with gun violence. ... We are actively giving a platform to a white nationalist."
A spokesman for the university indicated ahead of the event that the institution was legally required to permit the survivor to speak, noting in a statement obtained by the Commercial Appeal, "The upcoming event at the University of Memphis featuring Kyle Rittenhouse is not sponsored by the University. A registered student organization, University of Memphis TPUSA, is hosting the event. Under the First Amendment and Tennessee's Campus Free Speech Act, the University of Memphis cannot legally prohibit such events from being hosted by a registered student organization."
Despite this understanding, it appears there was nevertheless resistance to an alternative opinion on campus.
TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet claimed that ahead of the student event at the University of Memphis, school administrators leaked "ticketing information to protester groups so they can reserve large numbers of newly issued tickets and sabotage the events. We know this because some of our students are in the protester group chats."
Footage circulating online indicates protesters had a presence inside the theater. The extent of their disruptions is unclear.
UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS: Protesters walk out of the @tpusastudents event \n\n@TPUSA— (@)
The TPUSA student chapter president was also allegedly doxxed prior to the event. The conservative outfit indicated that "his full name, phone number, and even his exact address were posted online with the comment, 'Let him know how you feel about this decision to provoke black students by inviting a racist murderer on campus.'"
Lauren Shelley, the director of conferences and event services at the university, allegedly laughed off the student's concern, suggesting the student "probably shouldn't stay there tonight."
TPUSA indicated it has reached out to the university for comment but has yet to receive a response.
When the event drew to a close, the mob swarmed attendees attempting to leave the venue and tried to bar Rittenhouse's exit. Police ultimately had to escort TPUSA through the throng of radicals.
The angry BLM crowd then tried to prevent @TPUSA from leaving the parking garage at the University of Memphis. Campus and state police had to push the crowd back to allow the cars to leave. Some protesters spat on the vehicles.\n\n@FrontlinesTPUSA— (@)
Rittenhouse managed to safely arrive at his destination, where he laughed off his critics' alternate histories.
"Great event. Interesting people to say the least," said Rittenhouse.
— (@)
The event prompted Rittenhouse to conclude that "Memphis is an interesting city."
One of the Second Amendment advocate's staunchest critics in the lead-up to the event, former Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer — a Democrat now running to become the county's general sessions court clerk — wrote on X that she was "proud of the Univeristy [sic] of Memphis students who organized resistance tonight, as well as the Black Student Association, the U of M NAACP, alums, and faculty who spoke out."
Despite Rittenhouse's acquittal by a jury of his peers, Sawyer also continues to smear him, claiming, "Rittenhouse murdered people."
Supporters countered some of the vitriol Rittenhouse encountered on the ground and online.
For instance, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote Thursday, "At age 17, Kyle Rittenhouse had a greater sense of civic duty than most people exhibit in a lifetime. While trying to help during riots, he was attacked by convicts and exercised his right to self defense, killing a child molester & a domestic abuser convicted of strangulation."
Massie underscored, "He was found innocent in a court of law."
Mike Davis of the Article III Project tweeted, "Kyle Rittenhouse is a hero for protecting his community from violent leftwing lunatics. We have a God-given right to self-defense. Violent leftwing activists should live in healthy fear they will meet their maker if they threaten the lives of law-abiding Americans."
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Democratic state senator doesn't get her way, so she threatens riots: 'Gloves out'
Democratic politicians frequently concern-monger about supposed threats to democracy. However, when democratic processes produce results they don't like, they're often the first to make threats or champion violence.
Tennessee state Sen. Charlane Oliver (D) recently expressed outrage over the passage of a bill that would prevent local officials from introducing policies or ordinances that limit the ability of police to properly fulfill their duties. Since voters elected not to empower a sufficient number of lawmakers with Oliver's leftist worldview to kill the bill, the cofounder of the identitarian activist group Equity Alliance suggested an alternative means of getting her way.
"Yeah, we gonna fight," said Oliver. "Dr. King said that the riots are the language of the unheard. You ain't see nothing yet. If you keep silencing us like this, what you think our district's gonna do?"
"We have had it up here," added Oliver. "Gloves out."
Background
Facing pressure from activists over the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by five black police officers last year, Memphis City Council passed an ordinance in April 2023 preventing police from conducting pretextual traffic stops.
Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas, the sponsor of the traffic-stop ordinance, suggested the idea was to limit interactions between the police and the public, and to have officers focus on serious crimes, not "poverty crimes," reported the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Republicans and community members recognized that the ordinance might ultimately make things a whole lot worse in the country's most dangerous city.
State Sen. Brent Taylor filed a bill in January that would effectively override the Memphis ordinance by barring "a local governmental entity or official from adopting or enacting a resolution, ordinance, or policy that prohibits or limits the ability of a law enforcement agency to conduct traffic stops based on observation of or reasonable suspicion that the operator or a passenger in a vehicle has violated a local ordinance of state or federal law."
"Crime is on the rise across the country," said Taylor. "Violent crime has reached a crisis level in Memphis. Police officers and sheriffs need to have more tools available to combat rising crime, not fewer. This proposed law will prohibit cities and counties from restricting routine traffic stops and other crime-fighting tactics."
The Republican state senator further noted in a Jan. 31 statement, "Routine traffic stops have resulted in major arrests and the apprehension of violent criminals for years. Whether it's the random drug trafficker pulled over for running a stop sign or the most well-known case — Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh — routine traffic stops are a proven means of catching violent offenders, drug traffickers, and other dangerous criminals."
Taylor elsewhere indicated that it was clear to him that community members were growing "tired of crime and bad policies that don't allow police to do their jobs."
Democratic lawmakers denounced the legislation.
Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D) suggested that the legislature was "spitting" on the efforts by local leftists to seize upon Nichols' death as an opportunity to limit policing powers.
State Sen. London Lamar (D) said Thursday, "I pleaded with the sponsor to not run this bill because it's a slap on the face, not only our city councils, but all the local governing bodies in this state because we're telling them, 'You are not smart enough to decide policies that help govern your own city.'"
Memphis has a 0-rating on Neighborhood Scout's crime index where 100 is safest. The likelihoods of falling victim to a violent crime and a property crime in the Democrat-run city are 1 in 41 and 1 in 14, respectively.
Despite Democratic opposition, the state House approved HB 1931 in a 68 to 24 vote on March 7. The state Senate passed Sen. Brent Taylor's corresponding SB 2572 Thursday in a 26 to 6 vote along partisan lines.
Upon the bill's passage in the Senate, Taylor tweeted, "It's time to take handcuffs off police and put them on criminals where they belong."
The bill is headed to Republican Gov. Bill Lee's desk for ratification.
Democratic rage
Democrats and other leftists characterized the bill as both racist and government overreach.
State Sen. Lamar likened Republicans' attempts to execute the will of voters to slavery at a press conference.
"What we see here is drunk on power. 'I don't like that you take this position on this bill so I'm [going to] silence you.' That's a form of slavery," shouted Lamar. "I feel like a slave sometimes in this building. I'm over it. And all the members standing here are over it."
"I am tired of the Republican Party expecting us as minorities to do what they want to do but treat us disrespectfully," continued Lamar. "Nah, we're not doing that no more. ... We're at the time of the session where gloves [are] off."
— (@)
State Sen. Charlane Oliver went further than Lamar in her embrace of pugilistic rhetoric.
"It is a slap in the face and you might as well stomp on the grave of Tyre Nichols for bringing this bill," said Oliver. "Yes, we are emotionally charged. Why? Because it's personal for us. Tyler made this personal the minute he introduced this legislation to target one family and one life that was lost. So yeah, we gonna fight."
After invoking Martin Luther King Jr. in an apparent effort to legitimize rioting, Oliver added, "We gonna fight like hell. You don't expect us to respond when you gaslight us every single day with these bills?"
"Don't tell me this stuff ain't racist," continued Oliver. "Don't tell me it's not. It is rooted in racism. This was a Jim Crow bill that Taylor brought and all of his confederates voted for it today."
Taylor responded to Oliver's suggestion of reactionary riots, writing, "Despite [voters] overwhelming support for my bill that prohibits local governments from banning legal routine traffic stops, leftist opposition has been insane and totally out of touch with reality and our community's demands."
— (@)
Leftist activist groups such as the anti-prison outfit Decarcerate Memphis are hoping to pressure Gov. Lee to veto SB 2752, threatening "no justice, no peace."
Nichols parents have also asked to meet with Lee before he signs the bill in hopes that they might dissuade him.
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