Leid Stories—‘Teachable Moments’ for Racist Whites That Come At Their Victims’ Expense; Did Bill Cosby Get A Fair Trial? (Part 4)—05.03.18

Two African American men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, both 23, were arrested April 12 at a Starbucks in Philadelphia after the store’s manager said they were not paying customers and were not entitled to any of the cafe’s amenities. After protests urging a national boycott of Starbucks, the men have reached undisclosed settlements with the parent company, and each has agreed to a $1 symbolic settlement with the city in exchange for $200,000 to support a program in minority entrepreneurship.

Two Native American men were part of an organized tour of Colorado State University on Monday when campus police showed up and detained them for questioning. A white woman who was on the tour with her daughter had called in a report that the Native American men on the tour were “making her nervous," The Denver Post reported yesterday. After campus security questioned the men, they left the tour and the campus and returned home to New Mexico. CSU officials reached out to the men to apologize, but it appears the damage is done.

Leid Stories notes that “teachable moments” like these almost always come at the expense of victims of racism and not the ones inflicting it.

Entertainer Bill Cosby, convicted April 26 in a Pennsylvania court on three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault, is to learn the length of his prison sentence in June. The maximum for each count is 10 years.

Leid Stories continues with listeners’ observations on the fairness of the trial of Bill Cosby, which ended April 26 with guilty verdicts on three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault—charges that could cost him up to 10 years on each count when he is sentenced next month.