Hello, Everyone!
Tou Thao, a former Minneapolis police officer involved in the fatal arrest of George Floyd in May 2020, was sentenced to four years and nine months for aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
During his sentencing, Thao discussed his rediscovery of Christianity and gave a religious sermon. Hennepin County Judge Peter A. Cahill expressed his expectation of more remorse from Thao.
All four officers, including Thao, Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng, have now been sentenced for their roles in George Floyd's death. Floyd’s demise instigated major changes in Minneapolis, including a $27 million settlement to Floyd’s estate and police department reorganization to address racial bias.
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Facebook/Darnella Frazier
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Spotlight 💡
- Indian American graduate student, Shiv Bhakta, at MIT, alongside his teammate Richard Swartout, won $100,000 in an entrepreneurship competition for their venture, Active Surfaces, which produces ultra-thin solar panels. Bhakta emphasizes that these flexible panels, as thin as paper, can be applied to any surface while maintaining the efficiency of traditional panels. He is not only an entrepreneur but also a dedicated sustainability advocate, having previously won MIT's Student Sustainability Leader Award and the Harvard Climate Symposium Startup Pitch in 2022. Bhakta is driven by the vision of making any surface an energy source, aiming to greatly reduce global CO2 emissions.
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MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition
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Race in America 🌎
- An 8-year-old boy, Asa Luo, was paralyzed from the neck down after being hit by a stray bullet on Interstate-580 in Oakland. The incident occurred when two vehicles opened fire on each other, and Asa's family car was caught in the crossfire. Asa's parents have initiated a GoFundMe campaign to cover his extensive medical expenses, raising over $347,000 so far. This tragic event marks the third child hit by stray bullets on Bay Area freeways in recent times, with two prior incidents resulting in fatalities.
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GoFundMe
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In Other Asian News 🗞
- A U.N. working group has backed claims of "several hundred" sexual assault victims allegedly abused by the late Japanese boy band producer, Johnny Kitagawa, and has called on the Japanese government to seek justice. Kitagawa, known for launching major Japanese male acts, faced abuse allegations for years, which were revisited after a detailed BBC documentary. The U.N. Working Group on Business and Human Rights recently investigated these claims in Japan. They will present their full findings next June, and it's uncertain if the victims will receive justice, though Kitagawa's agency has already issued an apology.
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Sports 📺
- Japan advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup after defeating Norway. The match featured a Norwegian own goal, a tie from Norway, and two goals from Japan scored by Risa Shimizu and Hinata Miyazawa. Dominating with 61% possession, Japan now awaits the winner of the Sweden vs. United States match.
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What else is on our minds? 🧠
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