Eight years ago, a man became paralyzed after an encounter with police in New Jersey.

Now, Camden County has agreed to pay him a $10 million settlement. This came after Xavier Ingram filed a lawsuit against Camden County, its police department, and certain officers.

A trial was held in March but no decision was made as jurors weren’t able to come up with a unanimous agreement.

Ingram, who’s Black, is a paraplegic, living in a nursing home. He spoke during the court hearing from his hospital bed.

Before a new trial was about to start, a settlement in the case was reached. It still requires a federal judge’s approval.

“Mr. Ingram requires better medical care and quality of life that he no longer wishes to delay. It’s in his best interest to bring this litigation to a close…,” said Beth Baldinger, his lawyer.

In June 2014, Ingram, who was 20 at the time, was confronted by officers who walked up to him outside of a store in Camden. As he was fleeing from officers, Ingram fell and officers handcuffed him and held him down on the ground.

One officer stepped on his neck, pushing him down aggressively. Ingram noted that none of the officers gave him the proper medical care. This was needed after he yelled that he couldn’t feel his arms or legs.

Ingram’s attorney says that he ran because he had an outstanding warrant for a motor vehicle violation and didn’t want to be arrested.

Police claim that Ingram was injured when he ran and fell. They say he fled because he had a stolen gun and drugs on him. Ingram has stated that he wasn’t in possession of a gun.

A Camden County spokesperson released a statement on the matter.

“Based on the settlement, the county maintains, and continues to maintain, that no wrongdoing took place and is not liable for any of the actions and circumstances of the aforementioned incident.”

Post Views:
9

Aisha “Pinky” Cole is a restaurant owner in Atlanta, Georgia. On Saturday, she gifted 800 graduates, from her alma mater, Clark Atlanta University, with a jumpstart to opening their own business.

The Slutty Vegan CEO addressed the Class of 2022 during their commencement exercises. She then gave the whole class a limited liability company, or LLC.

“I partnered with Varo Bank to provide every single graduate in this audience with a new LLC and a path to entrepreneurship. Every single graduate in this audience will leave this stadium as a business owner,” she declared.

In 2009, Cole graduated from CAU after studying mass communication/media. She was also previously named Miss Clark Atlanta and was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

“Pinky Cole had a business and lost everything. My car got repo’d, got kicked out of my house, went flat broke, almost lost my mind. Almost four years later, she now owns and operates a $100 million vegan brand. She found aspirations in those losses. You think I was gonna give up because of some failure? Hell no! And neither will you,” Cole said as she spoke to the graduates.

“…the class of 2022. I want you to fail…fail so hard you become an expert in failure and you get a PhD in failology. I want you to fail because failing is not failing at all. It is finding aspiration in the losses.”

It is reported that the LLCs that were purchased costs about $400,000.

Cole has a nonprofit, the Pinky Cole Foundation, which strives to empower future generations by providing financial literacy support and entrepreneurship training.

Post Views:
3

On Saturday afternoon, a gunman, fueled by hate and wearing military-style clothing, shot many people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. 10 people died.

55-year-old Aaron Salter Jr. was a security guard at Tops Friendly Market. He was also an ex-Buffalo police officer. He used his prior training and exchanged gunfire with the gunman, Payton Gendron, 18.

Because of the body armor that Gendron was wearing, Salter’s bullets didn’t penetrate him. However, Salter was fatally hit by bullets.

“I don’t think that anybody could ever anticipate something like this happening. Everybody’s hurting right now. Everybody’s upset,” said Adam Bennefield, Salter’s cousin.

Prior to his death, Salter Jr. had operated a dry cleaning company with his wife before she died. She had also been employed at t he grocery store for 15 years.

“I’m a jack of all trades,” Salter once stated, as he worked on automobiles for fun.

In 2019, his son, Salter III, expressed how he felt about gun violence. “…we can’t even do everyday s–t without having to watch our backs. That’s scary af! The sad thing is I feel like a crazy close to home is gonna do something soon. I’m not ready for that.”

Salter leaves behind three children to cherish his memory.

Post Views:
17