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The NBA has taken a hit in recent years as the number of Black coaches has alarmingly decreased, but theres been slight improvement in this offseason cycle with a twist.

The numbers havent gone up in a traditional sense, but the tandems of Black coaches and general managers have increased exponentially. Just two seasons ago, it was applauded when the New York Knicks had a Black president of basketball operations in Steve Mills and Black head coach in David Fizdale.

Now, there are five teams that can boast such a claim the one caveat being the Philadelphia 76ers, who hired Doc Rivers as coach to go along with Elton Brand as general manager but will hire Daryl Morey to run basketball operations.

The Detroit Pistons have Troy Weaver as general manager and Dwane Casey as head coach, the Phoenix Suns have the combo of GM James Jones and Monty Williams, the Cleveland Cavaliers have GM Koby Altman and J.B. Bickerstaff, and the Houston Rockets have GM Rafael Stone and the recently hired Stephen Silas as head coach.

As a whole, there are just seven Black coaches in a 30-team league with Tyronn Lue and Lloyd Pierce rounding out the group, a far reach from the high-water mark of the 2012-13 season, which started with 14 Black head coaches.

The recent cycle was necessary after the firings of Alvin Gentry in New Orleans and Nate McMillan in Indiana. And with the NBAs focus on racial justice in the Disney bubble in Orlando, it would look mighty hypocritical if so many qualified coaches were not getting opportunities to advance to the top seat.

There isnt a lack of Black representation on the floor, in the locker room or even in scouting, but one could rightfully claim theres a glass ceiling on positions of leadership. The NBA placed the phrase Black Lives Matter on playing courts in Orlando, but theres at least some recognition that those values have to be reflected in its business practices.

Rivers had the social currency to lay the vulnerabilities of Black people on the worlds stage during the playoffs with a message that was actually quoted recently by presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Were the ones getting killed. Were the ones getting shot. Weve been hung. Its amazing we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back, Rivers said.

That doesnt happen if Rivers isnt respected, a champion who endured on and off the floor, and hes long spoken about not wanting to be the exception but the rule. The NBA has positioned itself as a moral leader of sorts, and even if the visual messaging wont carry into next season, having Black leaders who have the publics trust could be beneficial.

The Biden-Rivers connection seems to contradict the billionaire statuses of most NBA owners, who tend to donate heavily to one side of the political aisle. But that doesnt mean Black employees cant progress in spite of it.

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta wouldnt be considered a blue-state guy by any stretch, but he doesnt appear to be in a rush to tear down a James Harden-Russell Westbrook-led team, hoping Stone and Silas can keep them in contention and compete for championships.

Fertittas political views didnt get in the way of him rewarding two Black men who came up through the ranks, especially in the case of Silas. Silas interviewed with the Rockets during their last opening and impressed, but they ultimately chose Mike DAntoni in 2016. Silas helped engineer the Dallas Mavericks record-breaking offensive efficiency, unlocking Luka Doncic and maximizing supporting players Tim Hardaway Jr., Seth Curry and Trey Burke.

Silas has been highly regarded for quite a while and shouldve been a head coach before now, but it should be noted Fertitta saw fit to take the leap with a Black coach who isnt a former player an unfortunate unicorn of sorts.

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The coach-general manager combo doesnt guarantee anything, but if connectivity and synergy mean something, the commonality could present better chances for Black coaches to reverse the trend of being last hired, first fired.

There isnt much connective tissue between either of the hires aside from persistence and dedication, which actually shows the number of roads many future coaches and executives can travel to attain their goals. Assuming Brand stays onboard with Morey and has some level of say, only he and Rivers were high-level NBA players.

Jones and Williams were role players but widely respected in the locker room. Weaver, hired in Detroit over the summer, was a grinder before rising to second in command in Oklahoma City. Casey was a head coach in Toronto and Minnesota before landing in Detroit.

Casey, like Weaver, isnt a former NBA player.

The NBA has yet to mandate a Rooney Rule of sorts, and commissioner Adam Silver has been hesitant on it, although all parties recognize the need for the numbers and quality of opportunities to increase.

The current situation is nowhere near where the league wants it to be, but it should be noted that in some ways, its actions have mirrored its sentiments.

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NBA isnt where it needs to be, but it's making strides in elevating Black coaches and executives - Yahoo Sports

Controversy over the Black Lives Matter movement continues to brew in an unsuspected place Selah.

This city of about 8,000 mostly white residents has been a battleground over the BLM movement the past four months.

Differing political perspectives over the matter have led to harsh comments, confrontations and City Council discussions.

BLM advocates say the city at the direction of City Administrator Don Wayman is taking every opportunity to quiet them and their anti-racism message.

The group Selah Alliance for Equality, or SAFE wants Wayman fired.

City workers washed chalk art promoting BLM from the streets. Signs promoting BLM and calling for Waymans firing have been removed from city rights-of-way while other signs are left undisturbed.

For us its really a First Amendment fight, said SAFE organizer Anna Whitlock. There are political signs all up and down Selah and they pluck our signs and leave the others alone.

Wayman said the city isnt taking any political stance in the matter its just enforcing its ordinances.

He said chalk art in the streets violates the citys graffiti ordinance and only signs supporting political candidates or ballot measures are allowed in city right-of-way.

First off, the city staff is nonpartisan we dont get involved in politics, Wayman said. What I can tell you is the people that have the liberal BLM perspective, they are very few.

Confrontations

Most pronounced is the incident involving Zillah police Officer Matt Steadman, who lives in Selah.

On July 25, he called Selah police to report people writing Black Lives Matter messages in the street in front of his home. When police arrived, Steadman with a holstered gun on his hip walked over and confronted the people writing in chalk. He used obscenities.

Steadman then got into a heated discussion with the responding officer, again using obscenities. He became upset when learning there wouldnt be an arrest and slammed the squad cars door on the officer.

The officer felt pain in his arm where the door had stuck him, according to a report.

Yakima County Prosecutor Joe Brusic didnt pursue assault charges, saying he wouldnt be able to convince a jury that Steadman intended to hurt the officer.

Then on Aug. 30, Ron Gamache, owner of the Red Rooster bar and grill, confronted SAFE members placing signs along First Street supporting Black Lives Matter and calling for Waymans firing.

Gamache and his wife, Randi, were literally taking them down as we were putting them up, said group member Bill Callahan.

The group video recorded Gamache yelling at a teen girl who was helping place the signs, asking who gave her permission to do so. The group also took photos of Gamache and his wife taking the signs.

Gamache said the video was misleading, that he was talking to the entire group and that the girl was pushed into his face.

Then what happened was videos of me appearing to yell at the girl and thats not the case, he said.

Gamache said he was familiar with the citys sign ordinance and takes particular offense to the ones calling for Waymans firing.

This was hate-speech toward an individual, he said.

Gamache said Wayman helped him get his business going when he took it over about a year ago.

And I thank him for that, Gamache said.

Gamache said the city told him he wouldnt be charged for removing the sign.

Theyre considered litter because they are not backing a political candidate, he said the city told him.

Wayman said anyone who removes the signs will not be punished.

Its not a crime to pick these things up, he said. Theyre considered abandoned.

Political sentiment

I know what Marxism is and thats what it looked like, a neo-Marxist indoctrination, he said.

The attack echoes one made by conservative pundits this summer. One of Black Lives Matters three co-founders said in 2015 that she was Marxist.

But Black Lives Matter grew into a broad, national anti-racism movement, with few supporters likely to identify themselves as Marxist, according to PolitiFact. The New York Times estimated that 15 million to 26 million people participated in protests this summer, making it one of the biggest movements in U.S. history.

Wayman, a retired Marine Corps colonel, said he bases his observations on his experience serving oversees in places like Afghanistan, where he said hes dealt with sinister leaders and insurgency.

I can smell it, he said.

Wayman said he was asked the night of the June protest if he thought thered be any trouble.

I said no, he said. Selah has the highest concealed carry rate in the county, I dont think its going to be problem.

Those statements are what prompted SAFE to call for his firing, Whitlock said.

Hes running the city like its the military, she said. So we feel like if we get him out of there, we can really begin to work on improving the community.

Whitlock said the Black Lives Matter movement isnt Marxist its an effort to end racial injustice across the country.

She accuses Wayman and his supporters of attempting to quiet any voice that challenges racism.

Theres a reason the population of the city of Selah is as white as it is, she said. We really are trying to change that so it is safer for people of color, women or anyone who may be marginalized.

Waymans comments did prompt discussion among the City Council, and a closed-door meeting was held to discuss whether he should be reprimanded.

There wasnt a damn thing I did that was wrong, he said. I was pretty damn frustrated by it.

Back the Blue

On Aug. 29, several hundred people gathered in downtown Selah in a Back the Blue rally supporting law enforcement officers.

Wayman said the rally boasted a much larger crowd than reported he says more than 800 people attended and that it displayed Selahs true colors.

There was Trump supporters and there was a flag raising and it was a fun time and they were supporting police and emergency responders, he said. They were having fun, buying hamburgers and hanging out at restaurants it was a good time.

Wayman says most of the Black Lives Matter supporters are from outside the city.

He said he received calls from people who have never stepped foot in Washington state after the New York Times published a story about the street chalk incident.

I had oblique threats to my physical being, he said.

Whitlock said her group is composed of about 600 supporters with about half living in Selah. Others live nearby but most grew up in Selah and still have family ties here, she said.

No middle ground

Since the sign incident, Gamache said hes been dubbed a racist.

He said he supports Trump, law enforcement and Black Lives Matter even though he and his wife pulled up the signs.

I support people doing the right things and those signs are not the right thing and they are not the right way of going about doing things, he said. I look at it as extremism. It seems that nobody can discuss an issue anymore, it just becomes hate over the board, no matter which side it is.

Whitlock said the political divide is wide over the Black Lives Matter movement in Selah.

I would say its very extreme, she said. People are really, really against it or they are wholeheartedly supportive. Theres really no middle ground.

The citys response

Whitlock said about 200 signs which cost about $1,200 have been taken. She believes Wayman has taken more than 60.

She has a video of him taking some signs.

Whitlock said city staff removed her signs twice, but that she was able to retrieve them from the citys public works office.

She said police and public works staff including the code enforcement officer direct her to Wayman when she has questions about her stolen signs or the citys sign ordinance.

Of course Im not going to talk to Don Wayman, she said. All the signs say to fire Don Wayman.

Wayman said the sign policy is clear and there was no need to have the code enforcement officer involved in discussions.

If they dont even want to talk to me, theyre not going to get anywhere, Im afraid, he said.

SAFE threatened to file a lawsuit against the city over the sign removal, giving the city until Tuesday, Oct. 20, to stop. On Wednesday, City Attorney Rob Case said the public works department was told several weeks ago not to touch the signs, and the order was expanded last week to all city staff, including Wayman. Case said he is still reviewing SAFEs demand that the city revise its sign ordinance.

Disagreements

Wayman said it boils down to the group not agreeing with his political views.

The mayor has got her team and theyre going to have to live with that team and Im part of it, he said. The signs theyre not wildly popular and Im not surprised they got plucked up.

Whitlock said Wayman is using city staff to quiet political expressions he doesnt agree with.

Theyre trying really hard to just push us aside, she said.

Former police Chief Rick Hayes said he retired early because he was tired of being micromanaged by Wayman and didnt agree with Waymans response to the street chalk.

Wayman and Mayor Sherry Raymond directed Hayes to identify and document everyone who wrote in the street in chalk.

I told you that he micromanages to the point I no longer felt like I was an effective leader within the police department and that I felt he was using the police department as a tool in this conflict over chalk art, Hayes said in the letter.

Raymond agreed to talk to the Yakima Herald-Republic, but couldnt be reached before deadline.

City Councilwoman Suzanne Vargas doesnt agree with the way the city has responded.

I dont think the question is does BLM have support have in Selah. I think the question is do peoples First Amendment rights have support, she said. I think the only person who can change how we are reacting or responding is the mayor.

Continue reading here:
Unrest continues over Black Lives Matter in Selah, and city officials' response to it - Yakima Herald-Republic

The Pearson family is set to face some difficult topics and conversations in the new season of This Is Us, which returns with new episodes Tuesday, October 27. Its been seven months since the Season 4 finale aired, and there are still many questions left unanswered. Ahead of the new season, the showrunners have promised that the series will soon find its characters confronted with some of the issues our country faces in real life, including both the coronavirus pandemic as well as social justice movements like Black Lives Matter.

Dan Fogelman, the creator of the show, said in a This Is Us panel that incorporating these current events, especially COVID-19, into the narrative was not a simple matter. It was a big decision that we made for the show this season. Ive been working on the first two episodes of the season, which air next week, since late February. I think its the longest Ive ever worked on anything in my life, said Fogelman.

In the end, he believed these issues needed to be projected on TV in a different way. Considering where our show lives with this American family that has a lot of different pockets it felt almost irresponsible not to kind of take on the moment, he said. Its really what these characters, if they were real human beings, would be dealing with in the world right now.

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When it comes to talking about Black Live Matter movement, characters Beth and Randall will be dealing with having to explain what is going on to their kids, while also trying to grasp what is happening themselves.

As Black as Randall and Beth are, theyre not experts on, you know, how to metabolize all of that tragedy, said Susan Kelechi Watson, who plays Beth Pearson on the show. So I think theres a way that they deal with it with their kids that is sort of honest and they get to see their parents kind of grapple with it as theyre grappling with it, and they try to create a space where theyre in it together, she said. The show will also approach Randalls unique perspective on racial injustice, as a Black man raised by white parents.

Despite those two major story changes to the show, This Is Us will continue to address what unfolded last season, one of the major events being the dissolution of Kevin and Randalls relationship.

Fogelman said this is not a fight that will be able to be resolved in a few episodes. Thats a fight thats been building for 40 years between these two boys and now men who grew up in the same house, he said. Its in the front and center in our premiere, and it will be in the front and center of our show for quite a bit.

Fans are also curious to find out if they should be expecting more seasons in the coming years since it is rumored the show will be ending at the end of Season 6. Fogelman couldnt give many details about the future of This Is Us, but he did say that his overall plan has not changed for the show.

Read more:
This Is Us Will Tackle COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter in Season 5 - Observer

WAUKEGAN, Ill. In Waukegan Thursday, Black Lives Matter activists held a march and rally demanding justice as officials investigate the killing of a Black man by police.

Rev. Jesse Jackson is demanding that the case be turned over to a special prosecutor, joining many in the community who say they have no confidence in local authorities to find the truth.

Nearly 100 protesters marched through Waukegan Thursday demanding justice after a Waukegan police officer shot and killed 19-year-old Marcellis Stinnette during a traffic stop.

What do we want? Justice!, protesters chanted. What is his name? Marcellis Stinnette.

Stinnette was sitting in a car with his 20-year-old girlfriend Tafarra Williams, who was driving, on Tuesday night.

Police said it was a suspicious vehicle and they stopped the car near Liberty and Oak Street. Police said Williams and Stinnette drove away and another officer found them nearby at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and South avenues.

Police said when an officer approached them, Williams reversed the car toward the officer and then the officer opened fire.

Stinnette was shot and killed and Williams survived.

From her hospital bed, Williams told her mother what happened.

My foot got heavy and I reversed it, Williams said. The whole squad pulled up together, but only one start shooting at me because they blazed my car up.

Williams mother spoke at a rally outside the Waukegan Police Department saying her daughter was shot in the stomach.

Justice will be served because they left you to speak for the ones that can speak, Clifftina Johnson said. Black lives do matter.

No weapon was found in the car. The officer who fired the shots was placed on administrative leave.

Illinois State Police are now investigating, but Black Lives Matter activists said thats not acceptable.

We dont trust the Illinois State Police to investigate the case, said activist Zakee Darr. We prefer to have the DOJ, process, weve seen how this process works we seen how the process plays all across the country.

In the meantime, the grieving grandmother of Marcellis Stinnette said this a time for justice and mercy.

My grandson died with a smile on his face, and the police officer, hes forgiven. Thats what God would want me to do, said Sherrellis Sheria Stinnette. Hes forgiven.

State police investigators are reviewing body camera and dashboard camera video.

The investigation will likely take several weeks. When its finishing, the Lake County States Attorneys Office will determine if the office who fired the shots will face any charges.

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Black Lives Matter activists rally in Waukegan after man shot to death by police - WGN TV Chicago

FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) The Black Lives Matter mural painted in Florence will be removed, Mayor Wukela said Thursday.

Mayor Wukela said the city authorized a temporary mural that was to be painted with biodegradable paint that would wash away after a normal rain cycle. Wukela said despite agreeing to the terms, the organization responsible for the painting used permanent paint instead.

It was bliss. The Black community was feeling heard, understood, respected and now you want to slap them in the face and remove this, said Suzanne La Rochelle, leader of Action Together Pee Dee.

It was approved by our city council, Christopher McCray with Next is Now said. Not only was it approved but it was supported as we had council members out here who painted on this pavement themselves.

I love that mural, Pat Gibson-Hye Moore said. It tells a story. There was a lot of work and time put into because I went out there that Saturday and I went out there that Monday. Its just regrettable that theres so much hate in this city, this state, this country, that this has to be an issue.

The mural was defaced with racist messages and due to the organizer using permanent paint, the mural will be removed, Wukela said.

I am deeply disturbed by the racially motivated vandalism of this piece of art, Wukela said. I am also disappointed in the organizers failure to comply with the terms of the authorization for which they applied.

The city will no longer authorize permits for temporary or permanent painting on city streets.

Read the full statement from Mayor Wukela below:

Some weeks ago, Mr. C. Wyleek Cummings, a representative of a community organization, contacted the City with a request to be permitted to use biodegradable painting materials on a section of a street within the City limits to paint the words Black Lives Matter on the pavement. The intent expressed by Mr. Cummings understood by the City was that this would be a community project and temporary in nature, with the use of biodegradable materials. In the request, Mr. Cummings wrote, Materials used to complete project are biodegradable and are not meant to be a permanent fixture.

The City authorized the temporary mural to be painted with biodegradable paint that would wash away within a normal rain cycle. The organization applied for, and accepted, permission on these terms.

The organization subsequently painted a well-done and attractive mural on Barnes Street in front of the Pearl Moore Basketball Center. Unfortunately, and in violation of the terms of the Citys permission, the organizer used permanent paint.

Later, the mural was defaced by bigots who painted racial epitaphs on the face of the mural.

I am deeply disturbed by the racially motivated vandalism of this piece of art. I am also disappointed in the organizers failure to comply with the terms of the authorization for which they applied.

In any event, given that the mural has been defaced and that it is in violation of the City authorization, the City will be forced to remove the mural.

Suffice it to say, going forward, no permits will be authorized for painting on City streets whether permanent or temporary.

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City of Florence to remove Black Lives Matter mural - WBTW