Controversial S#!T

This back-to-school pic didn't just alarm parents worried about their kids and coronavirus ... it also got at least 2 teenagers suspended.

Georgia's North Paulding High School hit the student, 15-year-old Hannah Watters, with a 5-day suspension for posting that photo -- a shot she took out of concern for her safety ... as well as her classmates'.

Hannah had captioned the pic, "Day two at North Paulding High School. It is just as bad. We were stopped because it was jammed." She added that she was pushed multiple times, and defiantly posted, "This is not ok. Not to mention the 10% mask rate."

The school's stance is that Hannah, and another student who posted the crowded hallway image, violated school policy about social media and posting images of minors without consent.

That's the letter of the school's law, obviously, but one could easily argue ... the safety of students and faculty should be getting some consideration here. Hannah clearly posted the photo because she was alarmed at the inability to social distance.

Hannah told BuzzFeed News she feels her suspension is excessive.

The photo went viral Tuesday as it highlighted the fears of parents, and for that matter ... teachers, as students return to schools for the first time since the pandemic began.

A Black cheerleader in Alabama is so LIVID over seeing her white H.S. teammates posing with a confederate flag ... she quit the squad and is now demanding school action ASAP.

Reagan Coleman says back in early July ... one of her cheerleading teammates at Daphne High School posted a picture on Instagram that deeply disturbed her.

In the photo, six girls -- all of whom are white -- held up a T-shirt that read, "I Heart Redneck Boys" ... with a confederate flag placed inside of the heart's image.

Coleman told WKRG-TV in Alabama when she first viewed the picture, she immediately saw "hate." Reagan's mother, Latitiah, said she had a similar reaction.

"There’s no two sides to that flag," Reagan's mom said. "That means hatred, That’s what it stands for for us."

Reagan and her mom say even though the photo was eventually taken down after backlash ... they still wanted to see action from school officials over it all.

But, Latitiah says when she went to complain ... she claims she got the runaround at every level.

"I went from the coach to the principal, from the principal to the superintendent. And I kept getting vague answers. It was almost like everybody was reading a script," Latitiah said.

Reagan, who's one of just two Black members of the cheer team, says when she showed up to practice about two weeks after the picture was posted ... nothing was done, so she quit.

Now, she's created a change.org petition to implore school officials to punish the girls for the photo.

"They have faced remotely no consequences and are still on Daphne’s Cheer Team," Reagan said. "As 1/2 black girls on the cheer team, I knew I needed to speak up about this matter and Daphne’s negligence."

Baldwin County Public Schools released a statement on the matter saying, "We are aware of the situation and it has been handled at the local school level. As with any student issue, federal law prohibits us from discussing disciplinary actions, if any, involving our students."

"Our system has implemented sensitivity programs and Superintendent Tyler has stressed that we have a zero-tolerance for racism and bullying in our system."

Reagan, though, insists little-to-nothing has been done.

"I am not trying to ignite hate on these girls, I just simply want everyone to see what Daphne High School allows," she said in the petition. "Daphne’s Administration team has failed to release any statements or contact anyone back concerning this matter. Daphne is known for keeping things like this hidden and swept under the rug."

Texas Tech's women's basketball head coach, Marlene Stollings, was fired Thursday ... after multiple former players claimed she created a toxic culture and was straight-up "evil and manipulative."

More than 10 ex-Red Raiders made the allegations in a USA TODAY report this week ... with some saying Stollings was so abusive, they described some of her acts as "torture."

Several of the women claim Stollings (who took the head coaching job in 2018) and her staff berated them constantly, calling players things like "trash," "disgusting" and "fat pig."

Other former players say Stollings forced them to play through injuries ... and even developed a heart rate monitoring system for games in which players were punished if they dipped below a certain level for just a few minutes.

Things were allegedly so bad, 12 of 21 players had left the program over the past 2 years -- including 7 recruited under Stollings.

One ex-Red Raider, Emma Merriweather, says during a meeting with Stollings' strength and conditioning coach ... she was forced to step on a scale and then berated over her weight.

"I was just so embarrassed," Merriweather said of the incident. "I think that might have been the most embarrassing moment of my life."

Merriweather claims she went on to have a panic attack later in the day over it all.

"A lot of these girls had never experienced depression or extreme anxiety before they came to Tech and they experienced it with Marlene,” Merriweather said. “Coach Marlene was evil and manipulative and vindictive in a quiet watered-down manner, so you can’t outwardly say, 'This person is evil.'"

"That woman is a millionaire off being evil."

Other players say Stollings' strength and conditioning coach made sexual comments toward them ... and one former Red Raider accused the man of touching her inappropriately under the guise of a recovery exercise.

Earlier this week, Stollings had released a statement defending her team's culture, saying, "Our administration and my staff believe in the way we are building and turning this program around here. Our student athletes are developing a disciplined approach both on and off the court."

Initially, school athletic director Kirby Hocutt defended Stollings' program as well ... but in a statement Thursday night, he said he was firing the 45-year-old coach, and promised to reveal more details in a news conference Friday.

Kanye West insists he's out to become America's 46th President, not just play spoiler for Joe Biden in the upcoming election -- that is, if you buy into his vision boards and ALL CAPS tweets.

The rapper's presidential campaign is facing increased scrutiny and skepticism lately, as various reports suggest it's being fueled by Republican political operatives working for President Trump to get Kanye on certain states' ballots ... in order to steal votes from Biden in November.

Kanye even seemed to indicate this is the case in his latest interview with Forbes when he didn't deny the spoiler accusation, but later he tweeted ... "THE GOAL IS TO WIN."

So ... he's sticking to being serious about winning, even if all signs point to him having no chance.

Kanye also shared his "2020 Vision" board, but it doesn't do much to clarify things.

As we reported ... a Wisconsin official is outraged over what he calls a "shameful, pitiful" ploy by the GOP to use Kanye -- despite his mental health issues -- for what he believes is a trick to lure black voters away from Biden in his state.

Kanye has enlisted the help of a third-party organization in order to acquire enough signatures needed to get him on the presidential ballot, especially in major swing states like Wisconsin and Ohio.

Someone on President Trump's campaign team is painfully tone-deaf, opting to crank "Live and Let Die" before his Ohio event ... as about 1,000 Americans are killed daily by COVID-19.

Ya probably wouldn't believe it, if there wasn't video, but a reporter covering Trump's speech at a Whirlpool factory posted it -- and Guns N' Roses version of the Paul McCartney classic was, sure enough, blaring on the live feed.

The reporter, Robert Mackey, points out the obviously disturbing nature of the track blaring at a time like this. Not to mention, Ohio's Governor, Mike DeWine, couldn't attend the event because he just came down with COVID-19.

And, of course, the virus is on the rise in a majority of states and killed more than 1,400 Americans just Wednesday.

Bottom line: It's either the worst timing ever or someone's idea of a sick twisted joke. BTW, Mackey says it played twice!

For the record, GnR frontman Axl Rose is no fan of Trump or his handling of the coronavirus, and actually used the song title to mock the President back in May.

The band released a bunch of shirts reading ... "Live N’ Let Die With COVID 45."

A Milwaukee Councilman is slamming Republicans for what he believes is a trick to lure black voters in Wisconsin to cast their ballots for Kanye West and steal votes from Joe Biden ... but he predicts it will backfire.

Cavalier Johnson has been the Alderman for Milwaukee's 2nd district, and he's sounding the alarm for what he calls a "shameful, pitiful" ploy attempting to take advantage of a man struggling with mental illness.

There have been reports Republican operatives are behind Kanye's efforts to get on the Wisconsin ballot. As you know, Wisconsin was a swing state in 2016 and if it's close again, a spoiler like Kanye could make all the difference.

Johnson says ... "It’s hard to imagine how this president and the GOP could top the racism, xenophobia, white supremacy, COVID failures, apologies for Russia, pocketing millions in taxpayer dollars with visits to Trump-branded golf courses, etc.," but he accuses them of doing exactly that in Wisconsin.

Despite his outrage and disgust, the councilman doesn't think the plan will work, saying when the word gets out it will further unite the black community in support of Biden.

As we reported ... Kanye has enlisted the help of a third-party organization in order to acquire enough signatures needed to get him on the presidential ballot, especially in major swing states like Wisconsin and Ohio.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is fed up with the NFL's lack of diversity on the sidelines ... calling out the league and saying "it's a joke" more minority coaches aren't getting gigs.

"We just have to be better," Tomlin said Thursday on "Good Morning Football."

"Why sugar coat it? There's less than half the minority coaches in the NFL today than there was in 2007 when I got my job."

FYI -- there are currently only 4 minority coaches in the league in 2020, while there were as many as 8 in 2011 and 2017.

"From that perspective, it is a joke. It needs to be addressed," he added.

Of course, the NFL has made attempts to provide more opportunities for minority coaches in the past ... most notably the "Rooney Rule," which was implemented in 2007.

The league has also tossed around the idea of giving teams an incentive via draft picks if they hire minority coaches or execs ... which was widely criticized.

Tomlin acknowledges the league's efforts ... but trying isn't enough -- he wants results.

"I know that we're working diligently to address it, but the bottom line is it has to be reflected in the hiring."

President Trump says his threat to ban TikTok is about China stealing data, but that's just a cover story ... at least according to TikTokers who think he can't take a joke, and simply wants revenge.

TMZ spoke with Mary Jo Laupp -- AKA TikTok Grandma -- and DeJuan Booker, a couple of proud TikTok trolls who've been on a mission to derail Trump's presidency along with his businesses ... and they think he's striking back with the potential ban.

Mary Jo made the original TikTok encouraging people to register for Trump's Tulsa rally and then not show up -- a battle cry that spread like wildfire among teens and K-pop fans. She thinks believes he's still miffed about how it affected his rally, and all his vigor toward banning TikTok is just a grudge.

Laupp says even if he does go through with the ban, it was worth it to show how Gen Z'ers can impact politics -- and hopes it motivates them to hit the polls in November.

Meanwhile, DeJuan -- the leader of "Gen Savage" and creator of multiple Trump pranks -- says Trump's revenge plot won't work, because his community will simply move to other platforms if the Prez bans TikTok.

And, he adds ... you better believe they'll keep speaking out against 45.

DeJuan acknowledges his Trump pranks may be seen as petty, but tells us the whole purpose is to let Gen Z know their voice matters and when they come together ... they can make a difference.

Rep. Jim Clyburn's adamant that President Trump is dead serious about remaining in office -- whether or not he wins the election -- and says it's not out of the question that military leaders will have to remove him from The White House.

The South Carolina congressman and third-ranking Democrat in the House made headlines this week when he responded to Trump's call to delay the November election by saying ... "I feel very strongly that he is Mussolini. Putin is Hitler."

Clyburn's sticking to that, and in our "TMZ Live" interview he compared Trump's tactics to those of a fascist leader ... who wants to remain that way for life. He says there have been talks about Trump refusing to leave, and there will be more as the election gets closer.

He points out Trump has already stated this in the past "jokingly," but Clyburn believes he means it ... and history has shown what can happen if it's not taken seriously. Coincidentally, Trump just tweeted a campaign video suggesting he's not joking either.

So, what happens if Trump loses, but refuses to accept it? Rep. Clyburn admits he doesn't have the answer yet -- it would be unprecedented after all -- but it's clear ... lots of people on the Hill are plenty worried.

Clyburn tells us he believes government officials and military leaders have already seen how Trump has misused and abused his power -- with his use of force to dispel peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park for a photo op coming to mind -- so they'll be ready.

Garrett Rolfe, the ex-Atlanta cop who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks during his arrest in a Wendy's parking lot, thinks he never should've been canned ... he's suing to get his job back.

Rolfe is suing Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the city's interim police chief Rodney Bryant, claiming his June 13 firing -- which came the day after Rayshard was killed -- violates city policy and his constitutional right to due process.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Rolfe points out Rayshard violently resisted arrest before the fatal shooting -- and explains, "within the scope and course of his duties" he used force.

The ex-cop says his firing, which was announced by the mayor and then-Atlanta police chief Erika Shields, violated a law that he claims required proper investigation, notice, and a hearing before firing him.

Rolfe, who is charged with felony murder and is currently out on bond, is gunning to be reinstated to the police force and wants back pay and benefits.

Meanwhile, Rayshard's widow, Tomika Miller, is supporting a motion from the Fulton County District Attorney asking a judge to revoke Rolfe's bond.

A Georgia school's reopening may very well be exhibit A on the lack of COVID-19 safety precautions in place for students ... just look at this hallway, which looks like a superspreader's dream.

The photo shows the first day back for kids in Paulding County, where -- with the support of the Georgia Department of Education in partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health -- schools are opening up their doors with "guidelines, not mandates" on how to deal with the pandemic ... and judging from the pic it's an absolute failure.

Students are crammed in a narrow hallway, and at least half of them are walking side by side without face coverings.

Georgia's "Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools" lists "prioritizing safety" as its top concern for the reopenings ... but it sure doesn't look like that's being followed.

This school photo is not the only one to raise eyebrows this week in Georgia. Another from Etowah High School in Woodstock shows a large group of seniors bunched together for a color-coordinated clothing pic ... ALL without masks.

The troubling photos come on the heels of coronavirus cases being reported at other recently reopened schools across the country ... which has led to protests over the unsafe nature of doing so.

As everyone knows, kids can infect their parents and grandparents, but also the teachers are at risk when students are in situations that make transmission almost inevitable.

President Trump, of course, has been a vocal proponent of reopening schools ... while ignoring the inherent risks.

The Navy SEALs will no longer support the National Navy SEALs Museum in Florida ... this, after the organization used a man in a Colin Kaepernick jersey as a target for a dog training demonstration.

The videos went viral over the weekend ... showing the man in pads and a Kap 49ers jersey being attacked by 4 trained dogs during a fundraiser for the museum nearly 2 years ago.

A second vid shows the man in the Kap jersey saying, "Oh, man, I will stand," after being bit ... as a joke to the QB's national anthem demonstration.

While the museum is not operated by the military, the Navy quickly launched an investigation into the video ... saying "The inherent message of this video is completely inconsistent with the values and ethos of Naval Special Warfare and the U.S. Navy."

Now, the AP is reporting SEALs commander Rear Admiral Collin Green addressed the topic in an email to his forces ... denouncing the videos and temporarily cutting ties with the org.

“Each and every one of us serves to protect our fellow Americans - ALL Americans," the email said. "Even the perception that our commitment to serving the men and women of this nation is applied unevenly is destructive."

Green added ... "We will revisit our relationship with the Museum when I am convinced that they have made the necessary changes to ensure this type of behavior does not happen again."

"We may not have contributed to the misperception in this case, but we suffer from it and will not allow it to continue."

Racism ... it ain't just an American problem, as this pissed off white Canadian guy proves with a wildly racist and unhinged rant against a liquor store employee.

As happens these days, it all started because the white guy was asked to wear a face mask while inside the store. That ticked him off, and his racial bias against the clerk -- a person of color -- came pouring out.

He launched into this tirade, accusing the worker of being stupid and brainwashed, apparently by his religion ... in the racist's eyes. The best part is as he's screaming racist crap, he says his country of Canada was great before "you people" showed up, and "Canadians are the nicest f**king people in the world!!!"

All evidence to the contrary.

Legendary college football coach Gary Patterson is apologizing for using the n-word ... saying Tuesday his use of the slur was "unacceptable."

TCU's head coach didn't elaborate on when and why he muttered the word ... only adding, "I have always encouraged our players to do better and be better and I must live by the same standards."

Gary was accused on Monday of saying the word during a dispute with a Horned Frogs linebacker at a team workout this past Sunday.

In the accusation, redshirt freshman Dylan Jordan claims he was quarreling with Patterson during practice, when the coach told him, "You're a f**king brat I'll send you back to pitt," referring to DJ's hometown of Pittsburgh, Kansas.

"I said, 'for what I ain't did nothin'," Jordan said. "He followed with 'you've been saying n***as in the meeting room.'"

Jordan said he and other TCU players refused to show up to practice on Monday over the coach's use of the word ... adding, "[Patterson] came to the locker room & said 'I wasn't calling him a n*****."

Jordan continued, "This behavior is not okay now or ever and there needs to be repercussions to these actions."

Another TCU player, senior tight end Artayvious Lynn, said Patterson did, in fact, say the slur ... but added Patterson never directed it at Jordan or anyone else.

"'You n***** or n***a' was never stated to anyone or never said," Lynn said. "Coach P was trying to get Dylan to stop saying the word period."

Patterson said in his statement Tuesday, "I met with our Seniors and Leadership Council last night about how we move forward as team, together."

The Aurora Police Department in Colorado has issued an apology after its officers pulled guns on a Black family and placed a woman and 2 minors in cuffs, because cops thought they were in a stolen vehicle ... which they weren't, and it's even worse than that.

Video of the Sunday incident shows Brittney Gilliam being led away from the car in handcuffs, while other members of her family -- her 6-year-old daughter, 12-year-old sister and 14 and 17-year-old nieces -- are lying on their stomachs in the parking lot.

Clearly, they are terrified and some can be heard screaming and crying ... and Gilliam says her sister and 17-year-old niece were also placed in cuffs while cops verified the vehicle was not stolen.

Gilliam told CNN she had taken the girls to get their nails done, and they were sitting in the parking lot with the car turned off when cops approached from behind. She says the officers had their weapons drawn and told them to put their hands out of the window and exit the vehicle.

Gilliam and the 2 others were placed in cuffs as cops accused her of being in a stolen car. She says she explained to them it WAS stolen in February but returned to her, and she had all the documentation for the vehicle. Cops then realized their mistake.

Interim Chief of Police Vanessa Wilson says she's called Gilliam's family "to apologize and to offer any help we can provide, especially for the children who may have been traumatized" by the ordeal.

She adds ... "I have reached out to our victim advocates so we can offer age-appropriate therapy that the city will cover."

According to the Aurora PD ... cops received a call of a possible stolen vehicle and Gilliam's had a matching plate and description, but turns out -- the plate info was for a motorcycle registered in another state.

The department adds ... "The confusion may have been due, in part, to the fact that the stopped car was reported stolen earlier in the year. After realizing the mistake, officers immediately unhandcuffed everyone involved, explained what happened and apologized."

This incident comes as the Aurora PD is already under scrutiny, and facing a reopened investigation, for the death of Elijah McClain. As we reported ... the unarmed 23-year-old was walking home from a convenience store in August 2019 when he was stopped by 3 white cops.

During his arrest, he was placed in a chokehold and briefly lost consciousness. When paramedics arrived, McClain was given ketamine to sedate him, but he then suffered a heart attack in the ambulance and was declared dead 3 days later.

Tyler Seguin -- one of the NHL's biggest stars -- knelt for the national anthem before Dallas' game against Las Vegas on Monday ... joining three others on the ice for the protest.

It all went down at Rogers Place in Edmonton ... where Seguin, his Star teammate Jason Dickinson, and Golden Knights players Ryan Reaves and Robin Lehner all dropped to one knee in the pregame ceremony.

The two Dallas players were flanked by the two Golden Knights at one of the ice's blue lines -- and the quartet stayed kneeling for the Canadian national anthem as well.

After the game, all four players said they did it for one reason -- to raise awareness for social injustice.

"Everyone should have the same chance in society. Everyone should be treated the same," Lehner said. "At the end of the day, I love America. But, there are a bunch of things that need to be corrected, and it's just about willingness to do something about it."

Added Seguin, "It's a big issue that needs to be addressed."

Players and coaches from both sides said after the demonstration they supported the four players' decisions.

The kneeling protest came just 2 days after Minnesota Wild defenseman Matthew Dumba became the first NHL player to kneel for the anthem.

The kneeling Stars and Golden Knights said Dumba's actions opened the door for their protest on Monday.

"We still were going to come together and talk about it, but Dums leading the way, you don't want to leave him out to dry," Reaves said. "That's the whole point of this."