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Indianapolis Star
10-07-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Ex-WISH-TV meteorologist suing Circle City Broadcasting to break non-compete disclosure
Former WISH TV meteorologist Ashley Elliot Brown is suing Circle City Broadcasting to break a non-compete clause in her contract that would prevent her from getting a new opportunity in the Indianapolis news market. Brown, WISH-TV's chief meteorologist for more than six years, announced earlier this year that she was fired after questioning the TV station's treatment of Black women employees. In her lawsuit, Brown argues that the non-compete on her employment contract with Circle City Broadcasting should be unenforceable under Indiana law. Many broadcast stations require their on-air talent to sign agreements that they will wait a specified amount of time before taking a position at a competitor should they leave their employer. Brown, who was terminated Feb. 20, 2025, had renewed her contract three years earlier at Circle City Broadcasting's request, which is standard for working TV news talent. The agreement stated that for one year after leaving the station for any reason, she would not accept employment in the media industry. After Brown's termination, on June 27, 2025, her lawyer wrote a letter to Circle City Broadcasting owner DuJuan McCoy requesting she be released from her non-compete agreement. Ashley Brown: WISH-TV meteorologist says she was fired after questioning how station treats Black women The lawsuit states that moments after receiving the letter, McCoy sent an email in which he expressed his personal grievances regarding Brown. He also refused to release her from the non-compete, which Circle City Broadcasting claimed is "a standard industry non-compete." McCoy later apologized that day in a separate email for the spelling and grammatical errors in his response, saying he wrote the initial response on a golf course. The lawsuit states that Brown's non-compete is unenforceable under Indiana law because it is overly broad. An Indiana court recently denied the company's motion for a temporary restraining order against a different former employee relating to the same "standard" non-compete. In that case, the court held that Circle City Broadcasting did not prove a likelihood of success at trial, finding that similar 'broad restrictions' like the one in that employee's contract and Brown's go too far. Brown now has an opportunity in the industry to begin new employment in the Indianapolis area, according to her lawsuit, meaning that "time is of the essence" in the matter. The lawsuit is seeking a declaratory judgment, which essentially would clarify the legality of the non-compete clause. That would mean that if Brown takes the new opportunity, Circle City Broadcasting couldn't sue her.
Indianapolis Star
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis church doubles down on Pride sermon advocating for harm to LGBTQ people
An independent fundamentalist church in Indianapolis is doubling down on a sermon in which a lay preacher encouraged congregants to pray for the deaths of those who identify as LGBTQ+. The sermon — a mashup of Bible verses dotted with homophobic slurs and tied to Pride Month — was delivered June 29 at Sure Foundation Baptist Church, located in a small storefront near Lafayette Road and West 30th Street. More: Antisemitic incidents spiking in Indiana. North Central student tells her story "Why do I hate sodomites, why do I hate (slur)? Because they attack children, they're coming after your children, they are attacking them in schools today, and not only schools in public places, and they're proud about it!" church member Stephen Falco said during a Men's Preaching Night service. Falco called people who identify as LGBTQ+ "evil" and "disgusting." "There's nothing good to be proud about being a (slur). You ought to blow yourself in the head in the back of the head. You're so disgusting," he said in the sermon the church posted on YouTube. The video-sharing platform has since removed the video for violating its terms of service. Advocates for LGBTQ+ Hoosiers and other religious leaders were quick to denounce what they saw as harmful rhetoric in the sermon first reported by WISH-TV. "Such messages are not only theologically irresponsible but pastorally dangerous," the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, a faith-based civil rights organization, said in a statement. "The pulpit must never be used as a weapon to dehumanize, isolate, or incite fear." But the church, in a statement shared July 3 on its Facebook page, leaned into the criticism and proclaimed it would not apologize for the sermon. Instead, the message celebrated the attention the controversy has generated for the church. "The Bible is crystal clear that sodomites — homosexuals — deserve the death penalty carried out by a government that actually cares about the law of God," said the message signed by Evangelist Justin Zhong. G. David Caudill, founder and executive director of Equality Indiana, called the message inflammatory and extremist, saying it could inspire violence against the community. Sure Foundation Baptist Church, in response to questions from IndyStar, said it has about 35 people attend services on an average Sunday. Followers are called "soulwinners" and urged to spread the Gospel. The church website asserts its beliefs are based exclusively on the King James Bible. The Lafayette Road congregation is a branch of the Sure Foundation Baptist Church in Vancouver, Washington, which grew out of Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, California. The Indy church is the only branch in the Midwest, according to the website, and had its first service Feb. 3, 2024. Zhong is identified as the local leader and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. Beyond its doors, the church has a presence on YouTube, Facebook, X and Rumble, a video-sharing platform that has become a right-wing alternative to YouTube because of its opposition to so-called cancel culture. More: As Trump support merges with Christian nationalism, experts warn of extremist risks "My job as a preacher is to preach the Word of God without compromise. If that means people would be pushed away, then so be it," said the response to IndyStar attributed to Zhong, Falco and the church. "My job is not to please men, but to please God. So many churches tone down the Bible in order to gain a crowd and that is wrong." The church statement said Falco's sermon was delivered as part of a Men's Preaching Night hosted every three months. Any man who is a faithful member can preach, but women are not allowed in the pulpit or any other type of leadership position, the statement said "because it's simply not biblical." Falco's comments on LGBTQ+ Hoosiers weren't his only extreme comments. Nor is he the only one from the men's programs to espouse hateful rhetoric and call for violence against people they see as an abomination or evil — including immigrants, protestors, graffiti taggers, and even those accused of minor crimes such as loitering. In the June sermon, Falco also attacked former President Joe Biden. "I have prayed for death of former President Biden many times for the wickedness he has done when he was in office, you know?" Falco said, mentioning Biden's recent cancer diagnosis. "And I believe many other Christians were also praying for his death, because he's a wicked reprobate." Another man identified in the video as "Brother Wayne" followed Falco at the pulpit that evening with a message titled "Worthy of Being Beaten." He blamed many societal problems on a lack of discipline and physical punishment, calling beatings a deterrent that has been lost in American culture. "I mean, is it really justice to put someone in jail and just let them sit there and get out with a fine or get a slap on the wrist, just to watch them turn around and do it all over again, become a repeat offender. ... If we had public beatings, it'd be much more swift," he said in a video posted on YouTube. His list of those "worthy" of a beating included protesters and those who commit even minor crimes. Some of his harshest words were aimed at immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community. "I don't even understand why we're deporting these illegal criminals who are murderers, who are doing drug trafficking, sex trafficking, human trafficking. They're putting them on a plane, and they're sending them over to a prison in another country," he said. "I say we put them to death right here. I say we beat them right here." As for those who identify as LGBTQ+, he said: "I think they should be put to death. You know what, I'll go further. I think they should be beaten in public first for all their sick and demented, just (slur) and the things they're doing to our schools, to our government, to our institutions, to our churches. These people should be beaten and stomped in the mud, and then they should take a gun and blow the back of their heads off." In another Men's Preaching Night sermon from March, titled "Donald Trump: A Modern Herod," Falco again took the pulpit and called the president a pervert, and accused him of appearing religious to secure political support while having a life of pride, perversion, blasphemy and mockery of Jesus Christ. "This is what Donald Trump, our president of the United States of America, has said about his own flesh-and-blood daughter, and it is disgusting ... 'If Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her,'" Falco said in the sermon. "It's sick. You know, at least Herod had the decency to say that about his stepdaughter." Falco concluded: "Unless Donald Trump gets saved, which I hope he does ... God will judge him for it and he will go to hell." The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis countered Sure Foundation Baptist Church's message with a Bible verse, saying in its statement the Gospel is for everyone and should not be used a tool of condemnation. The clergy group said the Black Church, born in the crucible of oppression, must never mimic the very spirit of exclusion that once rejected its community. "We are called to be a sanctuary for the marginalized, not a platform for prejudice," the statement said. In standing for the dignity, inclusion and justice for all people, the group said it rejects the notion LGBTQ+ individuals are outside of God's reach, grace or redemption. "True holiness is not about who we hate; it is about how we love," the statement said. "We affirm that sin exists in all of us, we also affirm that God's grace extends to all of us. Our mission is not to decide who is beyond salvation, but to embody the inclusive love of Christ." Caudill, of Equality Indiana, said he is encouraged to see other Indianapolis faith leaders condemn the church's sermon. He's heard similar rhetoric at Pride festivals across the state — it's usually from small groups carrying signs and staging protests near festivities. "It does put my radar up to let those people who are supporters and followers of our organization, on social media and even those that are donors, to let them know we have to be more vigilant and protect ourselves," he said. "When you have that type of hateful and violent language, it could lead to someone taking those words and feeling protected to be able to go and commit violent acts against our community."
Black America Web
20-06-2025
- Black America Web
Black Man Found Hanging From A Tree In New York, Police Call It Suicide
Source: WISH-TV / WISH-TV On June 11, a Black man was found hanging dead from a tree in Albany, New York. While police have labeled it a suicide, locals and people identifying themselves as family members of the man are skeptical. According to the Times Union, a call was made at around 8 a.m. last Wednesday, and officers found a body hanging from a tree on Westerlo Street. Videos circulated on social media showing the body, but were quickly taken down. When a Black man is hanging from a tree, the first thought is lynching, given America's sordid history with the practice, but local police were quick to push back against that narrative 'At this time, based upon preliminary investigation, the circumstances appear to be consistent with suicide and no evidence to suggest that the incident is criminal in nature,' a statement from Albany police reads. Locals have taken to social media and TikTok to express their disbelief at how little coverage the hanging has received in the local media. There's been skepticism over it being a cut-and-dry suicide given how little information has been released about the incident. In fact, most reporting on the case has come from locals doing their own digging into what happened. While police have not released the name of the man, social media posts and a GoFundMe page seem to point to the deceased being one Earl Smith. There are few confirmed, concrete details about the case, and we don't want to get into baseless speculation, but the lack of coverage and the alleged refusal to review camera footage is a bit suspect. Committing a crime in 2025 is somewhat foolish because there are cameras all over every city. I learned this during the Jonathan Majors trial when footage was released showing the assault and chase from several different camera angles throughout the city. It shouldn't be hard to see exactly what led to this man's death. Looking at comments on TikTok's show that several Albany residents have expressed disbelief that the story hasn't received more coverage. 'I work in Albany and live in the area and haven't heard a single thing about this until now. How is nobody saying anything about it?,' wrote one commenter. America loves to espouse how racism doesn't exist anymore and that lynchings are a thing of the past, yet Sundown Towns still exist. Whether it's literally hanging or alleged extrajudicial killings by the police, lynching hasn't gone away. The attitudes that encourage this violence against Black people have only become more and more normalized. In fact, they run rampant within the current presidential administration. From the ongoing attacks on DEI, Stephen Miller's entire existence, to the Pentagon's Chief Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson making several social media posts parroting the 'Great Replacement theory,' the most dangerous and insidious ideas of white supremacy are currently influencing the laws and policy that govern the country. Hate groups have gone down in America because the ideas they espouse have gone mainstream. In recent years, there have been several suspicious hangings of Black people that police label suicide, but have left family members questioning whether or not they were lynchings. Last year, Javion Magee was found hanging from a tree in North Carolina, and his deathwas labeled a suicide by police after video footage showed him buying a utility rope in a local Walmart. His family hired a private investigator and an independent medical examiner to see if their findings match the official police report. In 2020, a video went viral showing four white men attempting to lynch Vauhxx Booker during a July 4 celebration in Lake Monroe. Charges would be filed against the men, as well as Booker himself. The charges against all involved were dropped in 2022 after Booker and the two white men also charged in the case went through a restorative justice process. While we still don't know for certain what exactly led to this man's hanging in Albany, recent events have shown it's more than understandable why residents and the alleged family members are questioning whether or not it was a lynching. SEE ALSO: What Happened To Javion Magee? Dennoriss Richardson's Wife Says 'He Didn't Kill Himself' SEE ALSO Black Man Found Hanging From A Tree In New York, Police Call It Suicide was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Black America Web
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Black America Web
DOJ Withdrawing Consent Decrees in Major Blow to Police Reform
Source: WISH-TV / WISH-TV In news that can only be described as disappointing but unsurprising, the Trump administration has announced it will dismiss consent decrees designed to spur police reform in several cities around the country. According to AP, the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Department announced on Wednesday that it has initiated court filings asking judges to dismiss the consent decrees for several police departments, including in Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis. Additionally, the department will retract the findings of the investigations that led to decrees being issued in the first place. The DOJ is also ending ongoing investigations into police departments in Phoenix, Memphis, New Jersey, and several other cities The fact that this announcement comes just days before the five-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder should not be lost on anyone. 'It's our view at the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division under the Trump administration that federal micromanagement of local police should be a rare exception, and not the norm,' Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, the current leader of the division, said on Wednesday. Consent decrees are approved by a federal judge and have often been used to spur police reform in cities where misconduct, bias, and poor policing have proven to be endemic. Once a consent decree is reached and approved by a judge, it allows for federal oversight to ensure that the affected police departments are following through on the reforms agreed upon in the decree. It should be noted that federal judges still have to approve the dismissals, and the DOJ has to make a case for why the consent decrees should be thrown out. The thing that gets me is that it takes a substantial amount of time and investigation for a consent decree to be issued in the first place. While a consent decree was issued in Louisville after the police-related death of Breonna Taylor, it came four years after her death and had yet to be approved by a judge before the DOJ's announcement. Similarly, George Floyd's murder triggered an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, which also entered a consent decree three years after his death. So it's not like consent decrees were just being handed out left and right without a degree of process, evidence, or rigor. These investigations didn't occur for no reason. At best, people had their rights violated, and at worst, people actually died. These reforms were designed to improve both community safety and hopefully, police relations in the affected cities. Of course, this is the Trump administration we're talking about. They don't want to solve problems; they simply want to pretend they don't exist. If Black people get screwed in the process, even better. Source: KEREM YUCEL / Getty Kristen Clarke, the former head of the Civil Rights Division under the Biden administration, sent a statement to AP critical of the move. She defended the quality of the investigations, saying they were 'led by career attorneys, based on data, body camera footage and information provided by officers themselves.' 'To wholesale ignore and disregard these systemic violations, laid bare in well-documented and detailed public reports, shows patent disregard for our federal civil rights and the Constitution,' Clarke added. This move is consistent with steps the Trump administration took in its first term when it restricted the department's ability to investigate police killings and potential civil rights violations. It wasn't until 2021 when former Attorney General Merrick Garland lifted those restrictions that these more recent consent decrees could be reached. While the federal government is doing its damndest to turn back the clocks, leaders in several cities currently under consent decrees have stated that this move doesn't change their commitment to police reform. In a press conference on Wednesday addressing the DOJ's move, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara reaffirmed their commitment to the reforms established in the consent decree. 'We will comply with every sentence of every paragraph of the 169-page consent decree that we signed this year,' Frey said. 'We will make sure that we are moving forward with every sentence of every paragraph of both the settlement around the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, as well as the consent decree.' Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg made a similar statement at a news conference on Wednesday. 'We are moving ahead rapidly to continue implementing police reform that ensures constitutional policing while providing transparency and accountability to the public. I made a promise to our community, and we are keeping that promise,' Greenberg told reporters. It's a nice sentiment, but actions speak louder than words. While the Louisville Mayor issued the statement, court documents show that the Louisville Metro Government didn't oppose the DOJ's motion to dismiss the consent decree, which could actually help the DOJ's case. Only time will tell if these cities will actually continue to honor their commitments or simply slide back into their old ways. SEE ALSO: Concerns Grow Over Removed Exhibits At NMAAHC Google Settles Lawsuit Alleging Anti-Black Bias For $50 Million SEE ALSO DOJ Withdrawing Consent Decrees in Major Blow to Police Reform was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
