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Daunte Wright’s funeral sets up another emotional day in Minneapolis

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Just days after a Minneapolis police officer was convicted for the murder of George Floyd, the city gathered for another emotional day as family, friends and community members gather for the funeral of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was killed during a traffic stop by police.

Wright’s casket arrived Thursday afternoon at the Shiloh Temple International Ministries In Minneapolis, Minnesota, where civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton delivered his eulogy. Body-camera footage released by Brooklyn Center police of an officer shooting Wright awakened renewed protest against police brutality in the area amid the trial of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd.

Floyd’s family was in attendance for Wright’s funeral, along with their attorney Ben Crump, who is also representing Wright’s family.

Jazz artist Keyon Harrold helped to open the funeral service with a trumpet performance, as an artist painted a portrait of Wright in black and white on the stage. Harrold made headlines last year after a woman falsely accused his teenage son of stealing her iPhone at a hotel in New York City. The family filed a lawsuit against the woman, Miya Ponsetto, the hotel and the hotel manager earlier this year.

Crump took the stage after Harrold’s performance, leading mourners in a chant that “Daunte Wright’s life mattered” before he offered a speech that he described as a “plea for justice.”

He spoke to the crowd about a lack of de-escalation in the video released in Wright’s case and how too often traffic stops end up as death sentences for Black people.

“We can expect nobody else to fight for children like us,” Crump said. “We have to fight for our children…because our children need to know how much we believe in them, how much we believe in their future, because they do have a right to life and liberty and their American dream, and that is the plea for justice.”

Wright’s parents, Katie and Aubrey Wright, took the stage to offer reflections on their son as a person. His mother spoke through tears, explaining how much her son loved his own child, Daunte, Jr., and how she never expected to be in the position of burying him.

“My son had a smile that was worth a million dollars,” she said. “When he walked in the room, you lit up. He was a brother, a jokester. He was loved by so many.”

Dallas Bryant, 23, is one of Wright’s older siblings and characterized his relationship with Wright as the closest of the siblings.

“I am going to miss this man so much, because he was literally my best friend,” Bryant said. “Through thick and thin, through all the late night conversations we had about him trying to better himself as a man and the man he wanted to be for [Daunte, Jr.]. We talked for hours on it and he was doing just that. I was just so proud of the man he was becoming.”

Image: Daunte Wright funeral

The casket of Daunte Wright rests in place before funeral services at Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis, on April 22, 2021.John Minchillo / Pool via AP

Sharpton gave the eulogy for Wright on Thursday, reflecting on decades of racial injustice and the fight for civil rights. He equated the chant of “no justice, no peace” with the quote of “the way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths” in the Bible’s Book of Isaiah.

“You can’t go to church on Sunday and read this book that we call the Bible and not fight against oppression,” Sharpton said. “God is not on the side of the oppressor, God is on the side of the oppressed…we must come into the tradition of what God’s plans was and when you oppress us, we must stand up.”

Daunte Wright is the “Prince of Brooklyn Center,” Sharpton said, referencing a person who compared the funeral procession to that of famed Minneapolis musician Prince.

“I read that he was the center when he played basketball,” Sharpton said. “Now he’s the center of a movement of God.”

Rev. Sharpton at Daunte Wright funeral: ‘We came to bury the prince of Brooklyn Center’  APRIL 22, 202104:26

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, read a portion of the resolution of congressional condolences for Wright. She also presented his parents with the flag that was flown at the Capitol in their son’s honor.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar spoke to mourners in the pews about the urgent need to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. She offered a proclamation to Wright’s mother that she will not rest until “true justice” is done for her son by uprooting the “status quo.”

“Racism in this country is not isolated, it’s systemic,” Klobuchar said. “And so, when we ask ourselves why Daunte, Jr. has to grow up without a dad, when we think about what could possibly fill this hole Daunte left in the world, we come up empty. Instead, we find a much bigger hole where justice should be.”

Rep. Ilham Omar presents Wright family with flag flown over U.S. Capitol for Daunte

Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter and the department’s police chief resigned in the wake of Wright’s death. Former Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon alleged after the shooting that Potter mistakenly grabbed her firearm instead of her department-issued Taser, a claim that drew skepticism from protesters and the Wright family.

“After 26 years, you would think that you know what side your gun is on and what side your Taser is on,” Crump said. “You know the weight of your gun, and you know the weight of the Taser.”

Potter, a 26-year veteran officer, was charged with second-degree manslaughter and has not yet entered a plea. Bryant said following the charge announcement that his family had been hoping for a more serious charge.

“I’m not too happy about it, but I’ll take every win I can get at the moment,” said Bryant, 23. “My family wants peace. Me and our family are going to try and do it the right way.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz asked residents to join him in a two-minute moment of silence to honor Wright at 12 p.m. CST, the same time Wright’s funeral began.

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Breakforth Summit Houston 2024 “Worship & Healing Encounter” debuts in Houston

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In two weeks, citizens from across the city of Houston will spring into the new season with the official launching of a transformational faith-based praise, worship, and healing experience that guarantees to bring full restoration, excitement, and joy into the lives of many!

Pastors Dr. Andy Osakwe and Ndidi Osakwe (who recently arrived in the city to meet with fellow faith-based leaders) will host the inaugural Breakforth Summit Houston 2024 “Worship & Healing Encounter” (Presented by AOMI and Mission USA) on Sunday, April 7th at The Power Center’s ‘Community Collective for Houston’ (12401 South Post Oak). The on-site event will be located inside the Jesse H. Jones Ballroom and event doors will open promptly at 5 PM.

Join pastors Dr. Andy Osakwe and Ndidi Oaskwe as they host this transformative healing encounter infused with soul-lifting worship from gospel music’s finest, led by international gospel star recording artist Pastor Nathaniel Bassey, Lakewood Church worship leader, Pastor Fiona Mellett, popular Houston-based worship leader and Pastor Dr. Ronke Adekosan, and recording artist, social media faith influencer Minister Melissa Bethea.

The Sunday evening celebration will feature a variety of well-known and emerging faith leaders and musical performances that will usher the audiences through prayer declarations, reading of scripture, praise and worship sessions, laying of hands, deliverance, and testimonials. Over fifty faith-based practitioners worldwide will be present to help orchestrate an experience that will deeply transform the lives of many from within. The event will present an opportunity for individuals from all walks of life and faith to join together in an environment that will spread love, encouragement, and support for all of mankind. Complimentary child care is available for children between the ages of 4 and 10.

Additionally, the Breakforth Summit Houston 2024 “Worship & Healing Encounter” will serve as an official launch pad and countdown for Pastors Andy and Ndidi’s official Houston church and ministry planting in continuation of their successful global ministry work. It is the hope and desire of the pastors to support communities to overcome adversities faced in life regularly. Dr. Andy Osakwe is the founder and overseer of the Summit Bible Church and president of Andrew Osakwe Ministries International.

Ultimately, Dr. Andy’s hope and desire to establish a worship and healing experience speaks for itself. “It will be a phenomenal and highly impactful spiritual encounter that will result in restorative liberty and transformation, which will usher in a new season of fruitfulness and personal advancement for each person in attendance.”

For Press & Media Inquiries (832) 941-8952 evomahcomm@gmail.com

To learn more about the Breakforth Summit 2024 registration and volunteer opportunities, please visit the official event website online at  www.breakforthsummit.com/htx or to keep up with the latest updates from Dr. Andy and Ndidi Osakwe, please visit www.andrewosakweministries.org.

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Fani Willis Judge Rules that Trump Cannot Hire Co-Defendant – He’s Black

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Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over the sweeping election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies, is not allowing co-defendant Harrison Floyd to work for Trump’s 2024 campaign.

McAfee denied Floyd’s request to revise his bond agreement in a short order on Thursday. Floyd, who led Black Voices for Trump four years ago, asked the judge last month to loosen the conditions of his bond so that he could work on Trump’s presidential campaign and speak about Trump on social media. McAfee had said, at the time, that he’d be open to modifications so that Floyd could speak about current events.

Floyd, who was indicted on three felony counts stemming from his efforts to help Trump overturn his loss in Georgia, is currently prohibited from having contact with the witnesses and other co-defendants in the case. He was also banned from speaking about them on social media after he posted comments that some witnesses interpreted as threatening.

Floyd, a senior campaign staffer for Trump’s 2020 campaign, was indicted alongside the former president and 17 others for violating Georgia’s racketeering laws in August. Floyd was also charged with influencing a witness and conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements. Trump and Floyd have both pleaded not guilty.

According to the indictment, Floyd allegedly harassed Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman after she refused to change the results of the county’s vote in the 2020 election.

He was the only one of the 19 defendants in the case to spend time behind bars at the Fulton County Jail. Floyd, unlike the other defendants, turned himself in without a lawyer or bond agreement on August 24. He was not released until August 30 after his lawyer negotiated a $100,000 bond.

Floyd is also facing federal charges for allegedly assaulting two FBI agents who were sent to serve him with a grand jury subpoena.

In November, McAfee had rejected a call from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis‘ office to revoke Floyd’s bond and jail him, citing recent social media posts that prosecutors said “demonstrate that he poses a significant threat of intimidating witnesses.” McAfee found no intimidation in any of those posts but found a technical violation because Floyd tagged witnesses in the posts. As a result, he banned Floyd from making any posts about those involved in the Georgia case.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last month that Floyd attorney Christopher Kachouroff told McAfee his client wanted to resume his role as a paid Trump campaign operative, which would involve communications with the former president or other co-defendants in the case.

Kachouroff also said Floyd wanted to speak about his case over social media to help raise money for his legal defense. Many of the other co-defendants have started crowdsourcing donations for their legal fees.

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Houston’s Urban South Brewery Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

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Urban South Brewery Houston will host its upcoming Anniversary Party from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, in the HTX Taproom, starting at 11 AM, celebrating four years of crafting exceptional brews and fostering community culture. This milestone event will be an exciting day featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market.

Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive anniversary specialty beers. Highlights include “Press Start,” a crafted Czech Pale Lager brewed in collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab. Additionally, beer fans can indulge in “Level Up,” an Old-Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale infused with orange peel, Luxardo cherry syrup, and subtle bourbon barrel notes. The offerings continue with “High Score,” a robust Double IPA bursting with flavors of Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, and “Game Over,” a decadent Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout layered with strawberry fruit, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.

To make the celebration even more memorable, fans can pre-order an Exclusive 8-Bit Beer Box featuring the four-anniversary specialty beers (Press Start, Level Up, High Score, Game Over), a 16oz can-shaped Silipint with discounted refills, and 2 tokens redeemable for draft beer.

The Anniversary Party is open to the public, welcoming families and furry friends. Urban South Brewery invites everyone to join in the festivities and toast to four years of brewing excellence.

For more information on Urban South’s Anniversary Celebration, follow the Houston taproom on Instagram and Facebook.

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