This week director Quentin Tarantino got himself into hot water with police unions around the country for having the nerve to state that maybe, just maybe they should stop killing unarmed black people. He went on to declare that instead of picking fights with celebrities they should focus on the issue at hand.
In response to his candidness police unions are calling for a boycott to his upcoming film and have declared that they “have a surprise for him”. Ummm, was that a threat?
Police brutality and the criminalization of the black community continues to make headlines and yet many police departments who get caught in these tragic scenarios continue to make excuses—like “crime is now on the rise because cops are too scared”.
Are they too scared of unarmed people? Are they too scared to do their jobs by the books?
I wish the stream of bad cops that have made us all question the authority given to police officers were the point of concern for these unions as opposed to those people bold enough to call foul. Instead of pointing fingers they may want to start looking within.
Pop Off of the Week: President Barack Obama vs. GOP Presidential Candidates
President Obama has totally redefined what it means to be a “lame duck president”. He is acting more like Michael Jordan in the 4th quarter than anyone’s duck. This week in one joke the president managed to put the entire GOP presidential field in their place—and put the rest of us in stitches.
Poliwood Round-Up: Trending Topics in the #BlackTwitterverse This Week
Trend of the Week: #DanielHoltzclaw
Former Oklahoma Police officer Daniel Holtzclaw is on trial for the sexual assault of over a dozen black women in the neighborhood he patrolled. What’s fascinating in this case is that Holtzclaw is facing an all white jury—which is absolutely absurd.
It’s also clear that while the prosecution plans to paint the pattern of abuse the defense seeks to destroy the character of the women that were sexually assaulted by him. What’s worse is that the media doesn’t see it fit to cover the sexual assault of black women at the hands of a white officer of the law. We have so much more work to do.
THREE: The Most Influential
What do Amandla Stenberg, Malia Obama and Zendaya have in common? They were all named to Time Magazine’s Most Influential Teen list. Both Amandla and Zendaya have been outspoken about racism, cultural appropriation and misogyny in Hollywood and the media at-large.
These are young women that are using their platforms to spread education and question the status quo. While the First Lady may joke that her daughters are haven’t “done anything yet”, we think that just by handling the pressures of the White House with such immense grace and style makes them worthy of being influencers. Congrats ladies!
TWO: Chi-Raq
Either director Spike Lee is a genius or he is a raving lunatic out of touch with reality.
These are the two split reactions to the release of the trailer to his latest film "Chiraq". The film, which is a play on the Greek comedy Lysistrata, depicts women in modern day Chicago that withhold sex in order to stop the unabashed gang violence that has plagued the city.
The film boasts a star-studded cast from Samuel Jackson to Angela Basset, Teyonah Pariss and Nick Cannon. Many critics have already voiced their dismay over using the violence in Chicago to sell movie tickets.
Let’s be clear, Spike Lee’s films have always been of the in-your-face-variety, at times forcing people to think and be uncomfortable. So, why did anyone think this film would be any different? The film will be in limited theater release December 4th and then stream on Amazon.
ONE: Keystone Pipeline is DEAD
President Obama has announced the Keystone Pipeline deal is over. He laid out several reasons as to why this deal made no sense. This bill was not going to bring in new jobs; the jobless rate is down to 5 percent. This bill would not have lowered gas prices; gas prices are currently at an all time low.
As the president remarked, if the GOP is so concerned with job creation as their main reason for supporting Keystone, then why not put their energy towards creating an infrastructure bill that would actually help America grow? I guess there is just too much logic in that question.
Congrats Mr. President this is a huge step towards action against climate change!
