Steph & Ayesha Curry Kneel At Oakland Protest Warriors Teammates Join

Stephen Curry and his wife, Ayesha, hit the streets of Oakland to show support for the George Floyd protests ... walking with the crowd and kneeling in solidarity.

The Currys were joined by Warriors teammates, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney, at Juan Toscano-Anderson's march for unity on Wednesday ... and the pictures are powerful.

"Today was a movement in Oakland!" Steph said, "Thank you @juanonjuan10 for the leadership. Everybody play your role and be consistent with it."

"This is a real moment of change. Keep each other accountable."

Ayesha also spoke on the movement ... saying she wished as many people showed up to protest as Dubs fans do to celebrate championships.

"I began to come to the realization that we were walking the same streets, the same path and course that we’ve taken time and time again for the championship parades."

"While I was appreciative and proud of the crowd that showed to march for justice today, I couldn’t help but wonder where all of these people were now, that just a few years before lined and covered the streets to celebrate in these black men’s successes."

"Now when black men, when black people need an assist, defense, a team... where is everyone? Where is everyone?"

George Floyd Protests Car Speeds Through Peaceful Protesters ... Driver Caught, Arrested

CAUSING CHAOS
Fox 11

A peaceful protest in Newport Beach over George Floyd's killing was interrupted by a reckless driver in a Mini Cooper rushing through the crowd.

Local news captured the crazy moment as the car sped through the SoCal beach town Wednesday and appeared to come close to plowing into several protesters. The driver did strike a bicyclist, according to reports.

SUSPECT APPREHENDED
Fox 11

Fortunately, nobody was injured in the incident, and Newport Beach PD caught up with the driver -- a resident of Newport -- and took him into custody. He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He's reportedly cooperating with the investigation, and a police rep says they don't believe this was a deliberate action.

Doesn't make it less scary, though ... and vehicles plowing through crowds during the period of unrest over Floyd's death has become an all-too-common sight.

Two NYPD police cruisers rammed into protesters last weekend, and there have been multiple cases of vehicles hitting cops, as well.

Shannon Sharpe Drew Brees Needs to Retire 'I'll Never Respect Him'

UNFORGIVEN
FS1

Shannon Sharpe has heard enough from Drew Brees -- and he's sick of it -- calling for the QB to retire and walk away already.

The NFL Hall of Famer went off on Drew on FS1's 'Undisputed' -- calling Drew's apology "meaningless" and explaining why he'll never respect Brees again.

"He issued an apology, Skip, but it's meaningless because the guys know he spoke his heart the very first time around."

"I don't know what Drew's going to do, but he probably should just go ahead and retire now. He will never be the same."

Sharpe -- who played 14 seasons in the NFL -- continued, "Take it from a guy that has been a leader in the locker room for a number of years. What he said, they will never look at him the same because he spoke his heart."

"It wasn't what he said, it was how he said it. He was defiant. I will NEVER respect the man."

Of course, Brees came under heavy fire for saying Wednesday that NFL kneeling protests are disrespectful to the flag ... seemingly missing the point behind Colin Kaepernick's demonstration.

Brees has since apologized -- admitting he "missed the mark" and insisting he's not the enemy.

But clearly, not everyone is buying what Drew is selling.

George Floyd Ahmaud Arbery's Mom to Attend Houston Funeral

George Floyd's funeral will feature a guest who knows all too well the pain of losing a son to racial violence -- because Ahmaud Arbery's mom, Wanda Cooper, will be in attendance.

Wanda's attorney, Lee Merritt, tells TMZ ... she will be among those there in person next week for George's funeral procession in his hometown of Houston. She'll be attending with Lee, although it doesn't sound like she's set to speak at this point in time.

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EXCESSIVE FORCE
Facebook/ Darnella Frazier

We're told the program is still being worked out, so it's possible she may share a few words -- but for now ... she's simply attending and paying her respects. Merritt tells us Wanda got connected to George's fam through their own family attorney, Ben Crump.

Of course, Wanda herself is in her own battle for justice over the killing of her 25-year-old son, Ahmaud, who was chased and gunned down by Travis McMichael, with the help of his father, Gregory. Both have been arrested and charged with murder/aggravated assault.

FEBRUARY 2020
IN COLD BLOOD

We already knew Wanda had recently sought to connect with Trayvon Martin's family -- now, it looks like she's connected with a family who's dealing with an even more recent tragedy.

No doubt ... Wanda's appearance Monday should prove to be a powerful moment in what's been an historic past few months on the issue of police brutality against African-Americans.

Central Park 'Karen' Gets Her Dog Back ... 10 Days After Calling Cops on Black Man

May 25, 2020
HE'S "THREATENING" MY LIFE!!!
Facebook/Christian Cooper

Amy Cooper -- infamously dubbed Central Park "Karen" after calling the police to lie and say a black man was attacking her -- now has her dog back ... just 10 days after her phony call.

The animal rescue, Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue Inc., announced a vet determined the dog was perfectly healthy and -- after law enforcement refused to take the dog in their custody -- decided to return the dog at the owner's request.

You'll recall, action was swift back on Memorial Day after Amy retaliated against a black man in the harshest way possible after the man, a bird watcher, complained her dog was off-leash despite a law requiring dogs to be on-leash in Central Park from 9 AM to 9 PM.

As we reported ... what happened next is one of the most disgusting acts you'll see after she asks the man to stop recording her. He didn't. She then threatened to call NYPD and "tell them there's an African-American man threatening my life."

The video spread like fire ... and it wasn't long before she was shamed into returning the dog to the animal rescue. She also issued an apology before the financial firm where she worked at firing her saying, "We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton."

George Floyd County Autopsy Report Released Reveals Positive COVID-19 Test in April

The full autopsy report for George Floyd has been completed by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and it reveals he tested positive for COVID-19 in early April ... though he was likely asymptomatic at the time of his death.

The 20-page analysis details most of what we already know, Floyd became unresponsive and died while pinned to the ground by 3 police officers. However, a section of the report says George tested positive for COVID-19 on April 3.

The coroner says, "positivity for 2019-nCoV can persist for weeks after the onset and resolution of clinical disease, the autopsy result most likely reflects asymptomatic but persistent PCR positivity from previous infection." Meaning George was likely walking around without issues or active symptoms, but the virus was still in his body.

As we reported, George's family hired Dr. Michael Baden to complete a private autopsy. Baden's report found Floyd's cause of death to be "death from asphyxia" after the Hennepin County concluded he had a heart attack while being restrained by cops, with underlying medical conditions including hypertension and possible drugs or alcohol.

The final report from Hennepin on Wednesday says Floyd had, “no injuries of anterior muscles of neck or laryngeal structures.”

On Wednesday, ex-cop Derek Chauvin was hit with an additional charge of 2nd-degree murder. The other 3 officers involved, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, were all charged with felonies -- aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

'Gown and Out In Beverly Hills' Famed Dress Shop Destroyed in Riots ... $500k in Damages!!!

The stars of 'Gown and Out' are feeling down and out after the riots and looting in Bev Hills destroyed their high-end dress shop ... and the damage couldn't have come at a worse time.

Patrik Simpson, who stars in the reality show "Gown and Out in Beverly Hills" on Amazon Prime Video tells TMZ ... he and his husband's dress store, Pol' Atteu Couture, was completely destroyed during Saturday night's riots, and they're estimating they suffered more than half a mil in damages.

Patrik tells us he and his hubby, Pol Atteu, had just restocked the entire store before Saturday night's violence, as they geared up for a big reopening. The store had been shuttered for months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As you can see, it looks like a bomb went off in the store ... and Patrik says looters stole over 100 dresses, including custom wedding dresses waiting to be shipped to brides and some gowns intended for the Daytime Emmys.

It's pretty sad ... Patrik says his husband sews all the dresses by hand, so Pol has hours of work ahead of him as he tries to recreate the custom gowns the rioters stole.

And, in the wake of the damage and destruction, Patrik says he and Pol are wondering what they did to deserve such a mess. They've had the store for over 25 years, and have seen their decades of hard work gone in a flash. They even started a GoFundMe account to help with the costs.

'Tiger King' Star Joe Exotic Band Behind the Tunes New Deal & Song, 'Killer Carole'

The band that provided the magic for Joe Exotic's unique set of songs on 'Tiger King' has good news for everyone itching for more of their good musical vibes.

Vince Johnson of The Vince Johnson Band -- who made up one half of the music duo who wrote and performed Joe's tracks featured on the Netflix series -- just inked an exclusive licensing and distribution deal with BMG Rights Management and Create Music Group.

As part of the agreement, all those Joe tunes (which are actually Vince's) will be compiled onto an album for the first time and be released on streaming services everywhere in the coming months. There'll also be some new tunes, including a cut called 'Killer Carole.' Probably won't be a big hit in Carole Baskin's crib.

We got a little taste of this gem before it officially drops Friday -- we're thinking you can add this one to your back road country playlist. No sign of Joe, though, in the pseudo-music video -- he's a little tied up right now, unfortunately.

In any case, it's great news for Vince and co. ... whom, as we previously told you, were gunning for a record deal of some sort in the wake of the show's massive popularity. Unclear if they've gotten signed to a label yet, but a licensing deal is kinda like getting halfway there.

Of course, Vince lost his longtime music collaborator -- Daniel Clinton -- who helped him pen a lot of the songs on 'Tiger King,' after he passed away from a heart attack late last year. Here's hoping Vince does him proud with this streak of good luck going forward.

As for their latest earworm ... play it again, boys!!! Earmuffs, Carole.

George Floyd Beautiful Murals All Over the World

George Floyd's death has been a catalyst for a movement to end racism and police brutality, and though the unrest has been ugly at times ... it's also produced some incredibly powerful works of art.

All over the world -- from U.S. cities like Minneapolis, where George was killed in police custody, and L.A. ... to Manchester, England and Berlin and all the way in Syria and Kenya -- murals are popping up to honor Floyd and contribute to the peaceful demonstrations for change.

Many of the amazing displays include the words "I can't breathe," George's last words to the officers who were applying force to his neck and back for nearly 9 minutes ... serving as a reminder of the unjust, inexcusable and inhumane way in which he died.

Some murals also shout out the Black Lives Matter movement or include the names of other black people who died at the hands of police officers ... and never got justice.

As we reported, the 4 officers involved in George's killing have now been arrested and charged in his murder. However ... justice is far from being served.

Dennis Rodman Black People Must Vote ... Launches Fundraiser

Dennis Rodman is still very pissed off at the looting taking place all over the country ... but he's now channeling his anger into action.

The NBA Hall of Famer says he feels compelled to raise money for the Black Voters Matter fund ... an organization "dedicated to expanding Black voter engagement & increasing progressive power."

And, how's he going to raise the cash?! DINNER AUCTION, BABY!

"Dennis Rodman is so disappointed at all the rioting and looting in light of the tragic death of George Floyd that he's auctioning off himself for dinner for two lucky guests with all the proceeds going to benefit the Black Voters Matter Fund," his rep Darren Prince tells TMZ Sports.

The auction, going down on Charitybuzz.com, says Dennis, the winner and a guest will dine with The Worm -- and notes, "The winning bidder is responsible for the cost of the meal."

The winner will also receive 2 signed jerseys provided by Rodman's memorabilia partners at Fiterman Sports Group.

And, if you know Dennis ... who the hell knows what could happen at dinner? Quick trip to Vegas?!? Carmen Electra cameo?!

Happy bidding!

Guess Who This Cute Kid Turned Into!

Before this tiny toddler traded in his baby talk for one of the most powerful voices in rap music he was just another cute kid with a New York state of mind growing up in Brooklyn, New York.

You may not recognize him by his birth name (Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones) ... he only shortened the Arabic name once he started his career as an MC and nasty lyricist.

Although he's god's son ... many say it was written in this young man's fate for the rapper to rule the world and now his life is good.

Can you guess who he is?

Barack Obama Inspired by Young People Mobilizing ... to Protest Floyd's Death

YOUR LIVES MATTER
Obama Foundation
UPDATE

2:48 PM PT -- Obama invoked the names of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez and Malcolm X when discussing young people and the inspiration they've become during this movement. He said what's happening right now "reminds people of the 1960s and the chaos, the discord and distrust throughout the country." But he added, "I have to tell you, I know enough about that history to say there is something different here. You look at these protesters, and that is far more representative across America, peacefully protesting; who felt moved to do something because of the injustices they have seen."

UPDATE

Obama said the mobilization in peaceful protesting across America -- and frankly, across the world -- didn't exist back in the day. He said, despite the riots, the majority of Americans agree these protests are justified. And, that's the change he's seen so far in these protests.

UPDATE

The Prez said he wanted to talk directly to people of color and say "I want you to know that you matter; that your lives matter. Your dreams matter." He also challenged local officials on how to bring about real change, while urging young people to vote in local elections.

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THE OBAMA RULES
Obama Foundation
UPDATE

It should be noted ... Obama acknowledged law enforcement and the "vast majority who protect and serve. I've been heartened to see those in law enforcement who recognize, 'Let me march along with these protesters.' Those who recognize they want to be part of the solution. Those who listen. Change will require everyone’s participation."

Former President Barack Obama is making his first on-camera remarks about the death of George Floyd ... and TMZ is streaming live.

Obama is set to speak Wednesday during a virtual town hall sponsored by My Brother's Keeper Alliance -- an org that partners with his Obama Foundation. Barack is expected to address Floyd's killing, police practices ... and the racial bias still ingrained in the justice system.

Organizers have dubbed the event, "Reimagining policing in the wake of continued police violence" ... and it's supposed to kick off at 2 PM PT. This will be Obama's first time publicly discussing George Floyd's case on camera -- he's already addressed his death on social media and in a Medium essay.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

44 tackled issues surrounding police brutality while in office -- he rolled out a number of policies intending to curb those incidents, such as creating a task force with guidelines on 21st century policing, as well as limiting the transfer of military equipment to police departments.

Donald Trump's administration has rolled back some of those reforms, so ya gotta wonder if BO will directly call out the President during the town hall.

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IT'S IN YOUR HANDS

Obama also addressed the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery a few weeks ago during a speech to the graduating class of 2020 -- HBCU students, specifically.

Originally Published -- 1:43 PM PT

George Floyd MN Atty Gen. Says 'Conviction Will Be Hard' ... Chauvin Gets 2nd-Degree Murder Charge, 3 Others Charged with Aiding & Abetting

CHARGES FILED
Fox 9
UPDATE

4:08 PM PT -- We've obtained the mugshots of officers Thao, Kueng and Lane ... all 3 are now in custody and have bail set at $1 million.

UPDATE
UPDATE

1:29 PM PT -- Attorney General Keith Ellison says the evidence now supports the stronger charge for Chauvin along with the arrests and charges of the other 3 officers.

UPDATE

Ellison asked the public for more patience as they continue to thoroughly investigate and gather evidence, and issued ominous words of caution — winning a conviction "will be hard."

UPDATE

He says history has shown there will be clear challenges in getting guilty verdicts for the cops but pointed out that his partner on the case, Hennepin Co. Atty Mike Freeman is the right man for the job ... he’s the only lawyer in Minnesota to convict a cop of murder.

UPDATE

The AG also asked anyone who has information about Floyd’s death to come forward, and made it clear he will not rush the case to trial ... because he wants everything to be completely ready to go and as strong as possible when they go to court.

The 3 officers who stood by as Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd have all been arrested and charged with crimes, and Chauvin now faces a 2nd-degree murder charge.

As for the 3 officers -- Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao -- they've all been charged with felonies -- aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

It's interesting ... the complaint calls the 2nd-degree murder charge "unintentional while committing a felony." So, they're charging Chauvin on felony murder for the excessive force that led to Floyd's death.  The underlying felony is excessive force and an assault against Floyd.

It's extremely significant because the 3 officers who stood by will be noticed by every other cop in the country. Now, when a cop crosses the line and another cop observes it, that second cop will presumably think twice before just watching and doing nothing.

Chauvin now faces 40 years in prison -- that's the maximum penalty for 2nd-degree murder.

As for the other 3 ... they face 40 years each -- the same punishment for 2nd-degree murder.

Attorney Lee Merritt, who reps the Floyd family along with attorney Ben Crump, tells us the reason he and others have been pushing so hard for the officers involved in Floyd’s death to be held accountable ... is to encourage all cops to start becoming part of the solution to police brutality.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!!!
TMZ.com

Lee hopes George’s murder case sends a message -- cops need to oppose bad cops in order to be good cops. He says this can be a positive step toward changing a system that’s enabled mistreatment of black people for so long ... and there’s already signs it’s happening.

Meanwhile, Ben Crump calls the upgraded charge for Chauvin and the arrest of the 3 other former officers a "bittersweet moment" for the Floyd family. He says ... "This is a significant step forward on the road to justice" and is providing some peace for George's family in this painful time.

You can clearly see it was more than just Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's body ... with 3 ex-officers total on him at one time.

The independent autopsy at the behest of Floyd's family revealed he died from asphyxia as a result of neck and back compression.

Originally published -- 10:34 AM PT

Colin Kaepernick Twitter CEO Jack Donates $3 Million To Legal Defense Initiative

Twitter's CEO is making a massive contribution to Colin Kaepernick's cause -- dedicating millions to the QB's fund to pay legal costs for protesters who get arrested while fighting for justice for George Floyd.

Jack Dorsey announced the donation Wednesday on his own platform, saying he's putting up $3 million of his own money into a new fund he calls Start Small, LLC ... aimed at Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp.

JD says the dough will "advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization to elevate the next generation of change leaders."

As we reported ... just last week, Kap's Know Your Rights Camp started a "legal defense initiative" to cover mounting legal bills for the "freedom fighters" on the ground in Minnesota, where George was killed, and it's since expanded nationally.

Colin said he's already amassed a top-notch team of defense attorneys to help out, but they've been asking for donations from supporters on the outside.

Well, Jack has answered the call with a HUGE 7-figure donation ... and you know Team Kap is happy.

As we previously reported ... The Weeknd has also donated $200,000 to Kaepernick's initiative.

Jack's pledge continues a string of donations to noble causes ... he previously donated $1 BILLION to COVID-19 relief, and joined forces with Rihanna for a $4.2 million grant for domestic abuse victims in Los Angeles.

Atlanta Cops 6 Charged with Excessive Force For Tasing Black Students in Their Car

EXCESSIVE FORCE
UPDATE

5:09 PM PT -- 6/3 -- We've obtained the mugshots of officers Gardner, Streeter, Hood, Sauls, Jones and Claud.

UPDATE

All 6 officers were booked into jail Wednesday.

The Atlanta police officers involved in the violent arrest and tasing of 2 black college students who were in their vehicle during protests this weekend are now facing charges ... on the heels of 2 of them losing their jobs.

The Fulton County DA has charged 6 cops for using excessive force during the incident with Messiah Young and Taniyah Pilgrim Saturday night.

Four of the cops have been charged with aggravated assault -- Mark Gardner, for tasing Pilgrim; Ivory Streeter, for tasing Young and pointing a gun at him; Lonnie Hood for using a Taser on Pilgrim and Young; and Willie Sauls for pointing a Taser.

Another officer, Armond Jones, has been charged with aggravated battery for forcefully throwing Young down on the street and pointing a gun at him. The sixth officer, Roland Claud, is charged with criminal damage to property ... the couples' car.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms fired both Gardner and Streeter almost immediately after learning of the incident, and the other 4 were placed on desk duty.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
WSB-TV

The students claim they were out getting food when they got caught in traffic and the chaos around them. They later spoke about the scary ordeal, saying they felt lucky to be alive ... and demanded change so similar incidents stop happening.

Originally Published -- 6/2 9:22 AM PT

Saints' Malcolm Jenkins Blasts Drew Brees In Emotional Vid ... 'Shut The F**k Up'

EDUCATE YOURSELF
@malcomjenkins27 / Instagram

"I considered you a friend. I looked up to you. You're somebody I had a great deal of respect for. But sometimes, you should shut the f**k up."

Malcolm Jenkins just went HARD after Drew Brees in a now-deleted video ... calling his Saints teammate everything from "self-centered" to "unaware" -- and it's pretty emotional.

Jenkins -- who took down the vid and posted a second version of it to his Instagram on Wednesday -- fired at Brees for calling kneeling protests during NFL national anthems "disrespectful."

"To assume that you have a perspective about the flag and what it means to you or the national anthem, and that everybody else should have the same mentality," Jenkins said, "it is just completely unaware that my grandfather's experience is way different from yours."

The NFL star continued, "To stay silent when your peers are screaming from the mountain top that, 'We need help, our communities are under siege and we need help,' and what you're telling us is, 'Don't ask for help that way. Ask for it a different way. I can't listen to it when you ask that way.'"

"We're done asking, Drew. And, people who share your sentiments, who express those and push them throughout the world and airways, are the problem."

In his second video, Jenkins echoed the same sentiment as his first ... even saying in the clip, "if you don't understand that other people experience something totally different than you, then when you talk about the brotherhood and all this other bullsh*t, it's just lip service."

YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM
@malcolmjenkins27 / Instagram

In the written caption of the second clip, Malcolm said Drew had reached out to him to give his side of the story prior to posting the vids ... but the DB explained why he felt the need to go forward with the emotional messages anyway.

"As I was trying to muster up the energy and find the words to address Drew Brees’s comments I recorded this video," Jenkins said. "Before I could post it, Drew reached out to me to discuss his point of view."

Malcolm continued, "All in all, I’m still posting this video because it’s important for anyone who wants to consider themself an ally to know how these words and actions affect those who you want to help. Drew’s words during his interview were extremely painful to hear and I hope he rectifies them with real action."

Drew -- who's faced backlash for his comments from just about every notable athlete in the country -- has yet to comment publicly on the criticism.

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