NFL owner reportedly says cops 'prejudiced' against him for being a 'rich, white billionaire' led to his 2014 DWI arrest

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Jim Irsay, owner of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, said police who were "prejudiced" against him for being a "rich, white billionaire" led to his 2014 arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, ESPN reported.

What are the details?

The sports network said Irsay discussed his arrest during an interview with HBO Sports that aired Tuesday night. Irsay pleaded guilty in September 2014 to one misdemeanor count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, ESPN said.

According to the sports network, when Irsay was asked why he pleaded guilty, the Colts owner replied, "Just to get it over with."

"I am prejudiced against because I'm a rich, white billionaire," Irsay added during the interview, according to ESPN. "If I'm just the average guy down the block, they're not pulling me in, of course not."

The sports network added that when Irsay was asked how he imagined others would react to his assertion of prejudice, he replied, "I don't care what it sounds like. It's the truth. ... I could give a damn what people think how anything sounds or sounds like. The truth is the truth, and I know the truth."

More from ESPN:

Police in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel pulled Irsay over in March 2014 after he was spotted driving slowly, stopping in the roadway and failing to use a turn signal. Officers said he had trouble reciting the alphabet and failed other field sobriety tests.

Irsay, when asked whether the arrest was a "low point" for him, told HBO Sports that he failed the field sobriety tests because he was just coming off hip surgery.

"The arrest was wrong," Irsay added, according to the sports network. "I had just had hip surgery and had been in the car for 45 minutes. And what — they asked me to walk the line? Are you kidding me? I can barely walk at all."

HBO Sports asked Irsay to clarify his assertion that he failed the sobriety tests because of the hip surgery, not because he was under the influence, ESPN said, adding that the Colts owner replied, "Yes, I mean I'm not saying that — it's a fact."

More from the sports network:

Police discovered various prescription drugs in Irsay's vehicle along with more than $29,000 in cash. A toxicology report showed Irsay had the painkillers oxycodone and hydrocodone as well as alprazolam, which is used to treat anxiety, in his system at the time of his arrest.

The Carmel Police Department said in a statement Tuesday to The Indianapolis Star that it was "very sorry to hear" Irsay's accusation of police prejudice against him.

"We have a very professional agency consisting of officers that strive to protect our community with integrity and professionalism," Carmel Police Lt. D.J. Schoeff wrote in an email to the Indianapolis Star, according to ESPN.

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School board member suggests it isn't 'safe' to hire Christian teachers due to their support for monogamy, family, and sexual morality

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A member of a woke school board responsible for Arizona's largest elementary district suggested last week that she wouldn't feel safe bringing in "biblically minded" teachers from a Christian university who hadn't ideologically conformed to the satisfaction of LGBT activists.

Previously, degree students from Arizona Christian University could perform their student teaching and practical coursework at the Washington Elementary School District's campuses, reported AZ Free News.

Recognizing that the student teachers' assistance would continue to prove hugely beneficial amid a national teaching shortage and related recruitment difficulties, district staff had requested that the board renew the arrangement with the university for another year.

However, at their Feb. 23 meeting, board members joined Tamillia Valenzuela in expressing their opposition to having pro-family Christian teachers in the WESD, which serves students across 32 schools in the Phoenix and Glendale areas, and voted to dissolve the district's partnership with ACU.

Christians need not apply

Valenzuela has been an at-large member of the district's governing board since Jan. 1.

This self-described "bilingual, disabled, neurodivergent Queer Black Latina… who loves a good hot wing (but only with the right ranch) and things that sparkle," managed to eke out a win in the board's general election with a margin of 465 votes and the endorsements of Planned Parenthood, the pro-abortion group Arizona List, and a gun-control group.

During her campaign, she stated that she wanted to "promote fair representation ... that reflects the diversity of our community."

Evidently "fair representation" does not extend to Christians in her community.

In a Feb. 23 board meeting, during which Valenzuela wore fake cat ears, the board discussed the district's ongoing contract with ACU.

Valenzuela underscored her concern over the university's admission that it is "'committed to Jesus Christ, accomplishing his will and advancements on earth as in Heaven.'"

"While I full-heartedly believe in the religious freedom and people being able to practice whatever faith that they have, I had some concerns regarding looking at this particular institution," she said. "And I think it's a really good time for us to take a moment and really pause about where our values lie."

Despite admitting that recruitment was "really difficult" in light of the nation's teacher shortage, Valenzuela intimated that it'd be better to suffer the absence of teachers than the presence of Christians.

"Part of their values is ... ‘transform the culture with truth by promoting the Biblically-informed values that are foundational to Western civilization, including the centrality of family, traditional sexual morality, and lifelong marriage between one man and one woman,'" said the purported proponent of inclusivity. "I want to know how bringing [teachers] from an institution that is ingrained in their values so directly brings impact to three of your board members who are a part of the LGBT community."

Valenzuela indicated that those in the WESD who insist that everyone around them similarly be LGBT-minded would not be well served by having persons who may alternatively influence people to be "biblically minded."

"At some point, we need get real with ourselves and take a look at who we're making legal contracts with and the message that is sending to our community. Because that makes me feel like I could not be safe in this school district," she added.

Valenzuela previously condemned the involvement of students from another Christian college, Grand Canyon University, at a Jan. 12 board meeting.

All of one mind

Gay school board member Kyle Clayton concurred, noting that "proselytizing is embedded into how they teach. And I just don't believe that that belongs in schools."

Clayton further intimated that the continued presence of Christian student teachers — with whom AZ Free News noted there had been no prior incident — might put his son at risk of being shamed for talking about "his two dads."

"For me, this is not a concern about Christianity. There are plenty of Christian denominations who are LGBTQ friendly," said board president and LGBT activist Nikkie Gomez-Whaley.

"My pause is not that they're Christians so much as this particular institution's strong anti-LGBTQ stance and their strong belief that you believe this to your core and you take it out into the world," added the board president. "Even though they may not do anything illegal, where they are preaching or using Bible verses, how do you shut off an essential part of your being?"

Gomez-Whaley emphasized, "We owe it to, um, especially all of our students when we are working in equity, but especially our LGBTQ students and staff who are under fire, who are not protected, and who we have already pledged to support. We cannot continue to align ourselves with organizations that starkly contrast our values and say that we legitimately care about diversity, equity, and inclusion."

Gomez-Whaley, Valenzuela, and Clayton, along with board vice president Jenni Abbott-Bayardi and Lindsey Peterson, all voted to dissolve the arrangement at the completion of this school year.

There are presently 16 ACU students helping the talent-deprived district.

One parent told AZ Free News on the condition of anonymity, "Clearly Ms. Valenzuela believes having Christians involved at Washington Elementary’s schools is unacceptable, whether those people are from Arizona Christian University or simply Christians in general."

Another parent said, "Ms. Valenzuela actually said she has personal concerns with feeling 'safe' within WESD due to the presence of devout believers in Jesus Christ. What’s next? A religious litmus test for public school employees and teachers?"

Student Recognition and Regular Meeting - February 23, 2023, 6:30 p.m. youtu.be

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Man who faces 95 years in jail for hate crime robberies targeted Asian women daily, held prejudiced belief that they don't have bank accounts: Court documents



San Jose police recently made six arrests for related hate crime robberies and attacks against Asian American women — but what the primary suspect admitted stunned prosecutors, KGO-TV reported.

What are the details?

Anthony Robinson — who faces up to 95 years in jail — targeted multiple Asian women daily, the station said, and court documents show he deliberately targeted Asian victims based on his prejudiced assumption that they don't believe in bank accounts.

I was told by the SCC DA\u2019s office Anthony Robinson targeted multiple Asian women DAILY. \n\nHe\u2019s wake up, find someone to help target Asians b/c he believed \u201cthey did not believe in bank accounts\u2026.& they were easy victims.\u201d #StopAsianHate #StopAAPIHate \n\nhttps://abc7ne.ws/30y46bY\u00a0pic.twitter.com/CX1eD4xLn4
— Dion Lim (@Dion Lim) 1639710336

"The callousness of these crimes we could not get past ... you can dehumanize the population literally by treating them as storefronts instead of people," Supervising Deputy District Attorney of Santa Clara County Marisa McKeown told KGO.

Authorities said Robinson, 24, and the other five suspects worked together on more than 70 incidents of robbery, theft, and burglary from October 2020 to September 2021, the San Jose Mercury News said.

The Mercury News reported that, along with Robinson who hails from Stockton, the police released the names of the other suspects: 27-year-old Cameron Alonzo Moody of East Palo Alto, 23-year-old Derje Damond Blanks of San Jose, 24-year-old Hassani Burleson Ramsey of Oakland, 21-year-old Clarence Jackson of East Palo Alto, and 21-year-old Malik Short of Tracy.

All six men were also charged with hate crime enhancements by the county D.A.'s office, the paper added.

McKeown also explained to KGO why three of the men — Short, Ramsey, and Blanks — were released from custody: "Not every member of this criminal group had an equal role. So Anthony Robinson quite clearly was engaged in a voluminous number of incidents, but some other individuals who were involved may have participated in only one or a few incidents, and therefore they stand in very different shoes in terms of the charging decision."

Anything else?

The station said that additional charges for all six men will soon be announced, and McKeown said the investigation is far from complete, noting dozens more unsolved incidents.

Study claims working from home can lead to increase in racism and prejudice



As the coronavirus spreads throughout the world and many have been forced to transition from working in offices to working from home, a new study claims that working from home actually can lead to an increase in racism and prejudice, BBC News reported.

What are the details?

The study — conducted by polling company Survation for the Woolf Institute, which researches interfaith relations — surveyed 11,701 people in England and Wales last year, the outlet said.

Institute founder Ed Kessler told BBC News that as more people work from home, they risk going "back into isolated silos," and he added that offices and workplaces are "vital" for improving community relations.

The study suggests that of those who work in shared offices, three-quarters (76%) — regardless of ethnicity — were in an ethnically diverse setting, the outlet said, adding that unemployed people are 37% more likely to only have friends from their own ethnic group.

In addition, the study warns that without the establishment of alternative settings to offices, opportunities for social mixing between different religious and ethnic groups will be greatly reduced, BBC News said.

The study also examined opinions on diversity, the outlet said:

  • While nearly three-quarters of non-black or non-Asian respondents were comfortable with a close relative marrying a black or Asian person (74% and 70%), fewer than half (44%) said they were comfortable with the idea of a close relative marrying a Muslim person, BBC News noted.
  • The report also indicates a majority of Muslims were uncomfortable with a close relative marrying a Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, or Sikh person — or someone of no religion. Around a third of Muslim respondents (38%) said they were uncomfortable with a close relative marrying a Christian person, the outlet said.

"Muslims were both the primary target for 'uncomfortable' responses, but also the primary source," the report said, BBC News noted. In other words, the study indicated Muslims are the most likely group to hold negative attitudes towards people of other religions as well as the most likely target of such attitudes, the outlet added.

Is there hope?

Hadiya Masieh, who is Muslim, became close friends with Samuel Rosengard, an Orthodox Jew, after working together, BBC News said.

Rosengard told the outlet that while he'd never held racist or Islamophobic views, he may have had "misconceptions" about Muslim communities.

"Meeting Hadiya has really helped clarify where my thinking can be askew," he noted to BBC News.

Masieh agreed, telling the outlet that for her "it was more of a political thing about Israel and Palestine,"

But working together has led to a close friendship, BBC News noted.

"It was just a very natural relationship that we formed because we had the exact same agenda and passions," she told the outlet. "We were both from very different backgrounds, and the idea of Israel and Palestine was a hot topic. But we were able to discuss that in a way that was understanding of each other."

Rosengard added to BBC News, "Before COVID we would have regular discussions about these kinds of issues. And also identifying common cultural traits between Jewish and Muslim communities and areas of agreement and disagreement. Hadiya and I would often start off conversations just bumping into each other in the open plan office and then head off for a coffee. But that just doesn't happen. So that is a loss."

Senate confirms judge despite Dems' 'unadulterated anti-Catholic bigotry'

In a 51-40 party-line vote Wednesday afternoon, the Senate voted to confirm Brian Buescher as a federal district judge for the district of Nebraska after he faced scrutiny from Judiciary Committee Democrats late last year for his membership in a Catholic fraternal organization.

Buescher found himself at the middle of a national debate about religious intolerance late last year after he was questioned by Democratic Sens. Mazie Hirono, Hawaii, and Kamala Harris, Calif., about his involvement with the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization dedicated to the principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism.

"The Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions," Hirono said in December, noting the group's adherence to Catholic teaching on same-sex marriage. "If confirmed, do you intend to end your membership with this organization to avoid any appearance of bias?"

Before the vote, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska took to the Senate floor to defend Buescher and urge colleagues to vote in favor of confirmation.

"Brian's confirmation process has been an occasion for one of the most baffling displays of constitutional confusion and for prejudice I've seen in my time here," Sasse told the chamber.

"Brian is a Catholic, and he's a member of the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world," Sasse pointed out. "This is not a scandal."

"But according to some of my colleagues," Sasse continued, "the Knights of Columbus is an extremist outfit. One of my colleagues suggested that Brian needs to resign his membership in the Knights if he were confirmed to the federal bench to 'avoid the appearance of conflict and bias.' Really bizarre stuff."

Sasse also called the questions about Buescher's membership in the organization "plain, unadulterated anti-Catholic bigotry."

Buescher is not the only judicial nominee to be questioned about his involvement in the Knights of Columbus. Sasse also came to the defense of then-nominee Peter Phipps after he was asked similar questions during his confirmation last month. Phipps was confirmed by a 56-40 vote earlier this month.

Full video of Sasse's speech is available below:

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