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"Wire" Actress 'Snoop' Pearson Denied Bail After Bmore Drug Raid

Actress Felicia "Snoop" Pearson of the hit HBO series The Wire is behind bars and without bail after dozens of people were arrested for allegedly conspiring to sell and distribute heroin in Baltimore.

The 30-year-old Pearson was taken into custody on a state warranton conspiring to distribute heroin and aiding and abetting, according to the Baltimore Sun. During the arraignment, Pearson argued the judge and claimed she would not be a flight risk.

Prosecutor[s] accused her of helping to bankroll the suspected drug organization. "I have no money," she told Judge John Addison Howard. "Check my bank account. I have no money." When the prosecutor argued that Pearson travels frequently for her job, the 30-year-old actress angrily shot back, "How can I go anywhere? Everybody knows my name."

Howard answered that is the precise reason for holding her without bail. "You are a good actress. … Everybody knows your name. People change names. They  …"

Pearson interrupted: "I can’t change my face."

"Well, you can change your appearance," the judge responded. "I’ve seen the episodes of The Wire in which you appear. You look very different than you do here today, and I’m not talking about the jumpsuit, I’m talking about your general appearance."

The Associated Press adds: "The judge mentioned that the state has audio of Pearson putting in a large amount of money to fund the drug operation."

Pearson has a very troubled history with the law. At 14-years-old, she was convicted of second degree murder and released from prison after serving a six-and-a-half year sentence. She also was arrested recently for  refusing to testify in a murder trial, reports the Washington Post.

The Wire ran from 2002 to 2008 and was filmed in Baltimore, putting a spotlight on the city's struggle with drug violence. Pearson's character—also named "Snoop"—was hardcore killer for a drug gang. "Snoop" was one of several Black gay characters in the series—homothug and stickup artist Omar Little became a pop culture icon—and Pearson attracted a cult following for playing television's first unapologetic Black, butch lesbian. "Snoop" was famously killed off by actor Tristan Wilds, who played a reluctant young assassin.

Pearson was described as "one of [the] rare openly gay Black actress in Hollywood." In a 2008 interview with Jasmyne Cannick, Pearson said she "really wouldn’t know" anything about homophobia or discrimination in Hollywood. And on the deeply-entrenched homophobia in the Black community, Pearson said she had "no thoughts. It doesn’t come around me."

WATCH: Mitrice Richardson Remembered at Vigil in L.A.

On Friday, family, friends and supporters attended a candlelight vigil in Inglewood, California and paid their final respects to Mitrice Richardson—who had been missing for nearly a year before her remains were discovered August 9 in a Malibu ravine. "Even though we are here to say goodbye to her," said Richardson's mother Latice Sutton, seen above left in blue. "We are asking the community to help us seek justice for her. .. I want to find out what happened to my baby, do it doesn't happen to anyone else."

In September 2009, the former beauty queen, who was a lesbian, was arrested for not paying her $89 tab at a Malibu-area restaurant. Richardson vanished after she was released from a Malibu sheriff's station without car, purse or car. The incident has triggered public outrage and launched two negligence lawsuits. Richardson would have turned 25 in April.

Via Marquita Thomas, watch the vigil AFTER THE JUMP ...

Restaurant Owner Speaks Out in Mitrice Richardson Investigation

More developments in the death investigation of Mitrice Richardson, the now-25-year-old lesbian Los Angeles woman who disappeared ten months ago and whose skeletal remains were discovered last week. In September 2009, the former beauty queen was arrested for not paying her $89 tab at a Malibu-area restaurant and vanished after she was released from a Malibu sheriff's station without car, purse or car.

The restaurant owner claims his side of the story is not being told, reports the Malibu Times.

Richardson was dining alone on Sept. 16 in Malibu at Geoffrey's Restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway. Restaurant management contacted Lost Hills after she could not pay her $89 bill and she exhibited signs of acting strange, restaurant owner Jeff Peterson said. Sheriff's deputies who arrived on the scene conducted field sobriety test but found that she was sober. It has since been revealed that Richardson suffered from bipolar disorder, and at the time might have been exhibiting signs of this illness. Peterson signed a citizen's arrest form, and Richardson was taken into custody for possession of marijuana in her car and defrauding an innkeeper.

The independent review stated, “Once Ms. Richardson, a misdemeanor arrestee, cleared a check of criminal history and station personnel determined that she was not a present danger to herself or others, or gravely disabled, Malibu/Lost Hills Station personnel could no longer legally detain her involuntarily.” During [last week's] press conference, [Sheriff Lee] Baca said the "soul searching" will involve determining whether it is appropriate to have somebody arrested under the circumstances of Richardson's arrest. Peterson said he was bothered Baca did not tell the full story. "He left out the whole part of why we did it [call deputies], and that was because of her state of mind,” Peterson said. "If we wouldn't have arrested her, she would have gotten in her car and gotten away. Who knows what could have happened. Our issue was to get her to safety."

And that worked out so well ...

Peterson confirms Richardson's grandmother offered to pay the bill by credit card over the phone, but he refused for liability issues. The restaurant owner adds that he can "only think of one occasion in the past four years" when an arrest was made under similar circumstances.

In related news: Tonight there is a reception and candlelight vigil in honor of Mitrice. Richardson's father is demanding an independent investigation into her death. There are questions about the Sheriff's Department's audio recordings. Rev. Al Sharpton has sent a formal request to  Attorney General Eric Holder "to ask for an official inquiry in the death of Mitrice Richardson." Much more at Jasmyne Cannick ...

Rod 2.0's complete coverage HERE ...

WATCH: Mitrice Richardson's Remains Found in Malibu Canyon

Skeletal remains found in a Malibu ravine have been positively identified as those of Mitrice Richardson,  the now-25-year-old lesbian Los Angeles woman who disappeared ten months ago, reports the Los Angeles Times. The former beauty queen vanished after she was released from a Malibu sheriff's station and her remains were discovered less than two miles away.

The skull and bones were discovered Monday by park rangers. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said the cause of death is under further investigation but there was nothing "obvious" to "indicate foul play." "Winter said an anthropologist and dental expert examined the remains and they had been in the mountains six months to a year," adds KCBS. "Winter said it's unclear if the cause of Richardson's death will ever be determined."

On September 17 2009, the California State-Fullerton graduate was arrested for not paying her $89 tab at a Malibu-area restaurant. At 12:30am, she was released from a Los Angeles County Sheriff's station without her purse, cellphone or automobile, which was impounded. It was later revealed that Richardson was troubled and bi-polar.

The identification ends a nearly yearlong search for the Los Angeles woman that spanned from the Malibu mountains to Las Vegas, where authorities recently said people reported spotting Richardson in various casinos. 

Nothing "obvious" to "indicate foul play" ... besides the authorities extreme indifference to a young woman "obviously" in distress. Earlier last month, Richardson's mother filed a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit against Los Angeles County and Sheriff's Department officials.  And now, some members of Los Angeles' Black community are demanding a criminal investigation into the Sheriff's Department's conduct. 

A young life lost over $89. Watch KABC's report WHEN YOU JUMP ...

Mitrice Richardson's Family Sues LA County and Sheriff for Negligence

There's an update to the case of Mitrice Richardson, the 25-year-old lesbian Los Angeles woman who disappeared ten months ago. The former beauty queen has been missing since she was released from a Malibu sheriff's station in the early morning of September 17, 2009. This week Richardson's mother has filed a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit against Los Angeles County and Sheriff's Department officials.

The Los Angeles Times:

Citing video footage of Richardson in a holding cell that shows her behaving in an infantile manner, Latice Sutton blamed the Sheriff's Department for failing to give her daughter a medical or psychiatric evaluation. Instead, Sutton said authorities released Richardson into the remote Calabasas area without her car, which had been impounded, cellphone or purse.  Her disappearance prompted several massive searches and an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Police investigators later concluded that she was probably suffering from a severe form of bipolar disorder.

Staff at Geoffrey's restaurant in Malibu, where she was arrested for not paying her bill, said she was acting "crazy."  [Attorney Leo] Terrell said the lawsuit was also alleging unlawful arrest. 'There was an offer to pay the bill. Mitrice Richardson should not have been arrested,' he said. Richardson's great-grandmother had offered to give restaurant staffers a credit card number over the phone but she was told that she would have to also fax a signature. Although the suit seeks unspecified monetary damages, both Sutton and Terrell said the primary reason for filing it is to give them the right to demand information about the night Richardson was arrested.

According to the lawsuit,  Richardson's breakdown was "blatantly evident to the deputies and employees of the Lost Hills Malibu Sheriff Station, yet no one attempted to call for a medical or psychiatric evaluation or attempted to hold Ms. Richardson for an extended period of time until it was evident she had a safe place to go upon release."

In May, Rep. Maxine Waters asked the Justice Department to investigate the disappearance. That was Waters' second request for federal intervention. Waters' original letter to the FBI can be found HERE.

Los Angeles-based Jasmyne Cannick has extensively covered Richardson's disappearance and asks the very obvious question: What if Mitrice Richardson were white and from an affluent family or community? "Would unmanned drones have been sent in to look her right away instead of seven months later? Would Mitrice’s congressional representative have demanded the FBI get involved in finding her? Probably not."

Waters and Latice Sutton appeared on HLN's "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell" recently to discuss the case. Watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...

Waters Asks for DOJ Probe Into Mitrice Richardson Disappearance

Rep. Maxine Waters has asked the Justice Department to investigate the disappearance of Mitrice Richardson, a 25-year-old lesbian missing since September. The letter (pdf) is HERE.

On September 17, the California State-Fullerton graduate was arrested for not paying her $89 tab at a Malibu-area restaurant. At 12:30, she was released from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's station in Calabasas without her purse, cellphone or automobile, which was impounded. It was later revealed that Richardson was troubled and bi-polar.

Waters' letter reads in part:

"Mitrice’s civil rights were violated when she was arrested and then let go in the middle of the night without money, a phone, or transportation.The roads of Malibu are dark and dangerous at night, and since the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) later concluded that Mitrice appeared to be suffering from bipolar disorder that evening, I believe that the circumstances surrounding her disappearance warrant a thorough, federal investigation.”

This is Waters' second request for federal intervention. Waters' original letter to the FBI can be found HERE.

In the eight months since Richardson's disappearance, searches in canyons, hills and parts of western and southern Los Angeles have yielded no results.

Jasmyne Cannick has been extensively covering Richardson's disappearance and asks the very obvious question: What if Mitrice Richardson were white and from an affluent family or community? " Would the Sheriff’s Department have produced a video showing her exiting the station? Would unmanned drones have been sent in to look her right away instead of seven months later? Would Mitrice’s congressional representative have demanded the FBI get involved in finding her? Probably not."

Jackson Lee, NBJC, NAACP, Cong. Black Caucus Demand Investigation into Murder of August Provost

In an historic and perhaps unprecedented show of solidarity, the nation's leading black civil rights organizations join with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) to demand a congressional investigation into the death of Navy Seaman August Provost III, the black gay sailor found brutally murdered at Camp Pendleton

The 29-year-old sailor from Houston—who was represented by Jackson Lee in Congress—was found brutally murdered on June 30 in a guard shack on base. Provost was shot three times, apparently gagged and bound, and his body burned. The seaman told his family he was harassed and ostracized at Pendleton for at least a year because he was gay and black. The Navy maintains there is "no evidence" to suggest this was a hate crime and insists it was "random act" of violence. Jackson-Lee—who has a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign—made the initial calls on Tuesday. Now the congresswoman, other members and organizations are demanding a full investigation by the Department of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), the national black LGBT advocacy organization, coordinated with the Black Leadership Forum, an alliance of over thirty national black civil rights and social service organizations, to denounce the incident. The member organizations include the NAACP—which has recently came out against California's Proposition 8—the Congressional Black Caucus, National Urban League, 100 Black Men,  and other leading groups. In denouncing the Provost murder and the slow response by Pentagon brass,  the groups said they "are joining forces to stand for equality and against discrimination and hatred toward ALL African-Americans."

The statement reads in part: "We are deeply troubled by the continuing pattern of incidents across the country—hate crimes, police misconduct, and racial intimidation—that are all-too-often tolerated and ignored by law enforcement officials and courts. Moreover, despite significant progress in the treatment of LGBT people, the targeting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals remain a persistent and widespread problem in the US." The entire statement can be read here. 

The joint statement and call to action comes on the same day sources tell Rod 2.0 the Secretary of the Navy has dispatched 20 investigators to Pendleton. One "person of interest" remains in custody at nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Two others are being sought. No formal charges are filed yet, and, there are unconfirmed reports the military is investigating a white supremacist angle.

Thanks JASPER, JASON BARTLETT

Choklate's "Sun's Out/Grown Folks"

In case you've had enough of the Lil Wayne/BET drama—or other sounds that unfortunately pass for music nowadays—move on to something for the "Grown Folks."

"Sun's Out/Grown Folks" is the new track by Seattle-based Choklate (Twitter: @choklate) from her new album To Whom It May Concern. It's a great track. The sun is out, literally and figuratively. The song is jazzy, the lyrics are well-written, it's very soulful and the video is seventies retro and all positive imagery. Floetry meets Sunshine Anderson with a touch of Jill Scott.

AFTER THE JUMP, via the one and only internet sensation Jack E Brown (Twitter: @jackebrown) watch "Sun's Out/Grown Folks." Jasmyne Cannick has a cameo appearance, waving her hand Queen Elizabeth style. It's the perfect song for the holiday weekend.

Openly Gay Television Anchor to Run for Detroit City Council

Openly gay veteran Detroit television anchor Charles Pugh will enter the Detroit City Council race, reports his former station FOX 2.

Pugh recently signed off as an anchor and radio host and says a formal announcement is planned May 3. The veteran broadcaster is one of the very few openly black gay local or national television news personalities. "I'm opposed to the word 'coming out'," Pugh tells Darian Aaron. "You can't come out when you've never been in. I'm not in. I don't hide the fact that I'm gay. I don't hide it at work. I don't hide it with my friends. I'm not ashamed of anything."

Pugh's candidacy makes history in more ways than one, the Michigan Messenger reports: "Pugh's sexuality will attract a great deal of attention because he’ll be the first openly gay candidate in Detroit to run for city council in anyone’s memory—and do it in one of the country’s largest African-American cities where openly gay elected officials are rare if present at all."

Alicia Skillman, who is black and lesbian, was preparing to run for city council this cycle before she became executive director of the Triangle Foundation, the Detroit-based gay-rights advocacy group. Skillman says Detroit's problems are so great that voters will look past sexuality. "I don’t believe they’re going to care about what a person does in their private life, their orientation. I think they’re going to care about whether or not the person can do what’s best for the city and do it ethically."

Detroit's former longtime Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick—the anti-gay, serial adulterer who pushed a same-sex marrriage ban—mayor was sent to jail for corruption. The city council is under FBI investigation for bribery and corruption. Council member Martha Reeves is also facing lawsuits and investigations. General Motors is cutting thousands of jobs and shedding its Pontiac brand. Hopefully voters in the overwhelmingly black Motor City will be able to look past sexuality because the regular way of doing business in Detroit ... is not not working.

Thanks KEN G

AFTER THE JUMP, FOX 2 covers Pugh's decision.

Investigators Probe Death of 20 YO Georgia Man Dumped in Trash Bin

Thanks to Darian Aaron for calling this tragic story to our attention. The body of a 20-year-old black gay Georgia man was found in a rural dumpster and investigators have arrested a man in connection with the death. However the cause of death has yet to be established and homicide charges have not been filed. Yet.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: "Eric Riley, a 35-year-old truck driver, was arrested and charged with concealing the death of Lashon Lee Douglas Jr., 20, and tampering with evidence. GBI agents discovered  evidence Riley allegedly destroyed when they served a search warrant at his home in Box Springs. [Agents] would not describe the evidence or say how it was destroyed."

"The Pebblebrook High School alumni loved music and theater, and had just moved to Snellville to live with his mother and learn to become a hair stylist, his father, LeShon Douglas Sr. told the AJC."

Investigators discovered "Riley knew Douglas and was with him at some point during the weekend before his body was found," adds the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. There is some speculation this was an online hookup but authorities decline comment.

"Douglas was laid to rest last Saturday in Marietta, Georgia. Friends have created a Myspace page in his memory," reports Darian Aaron, who confirm Douglas was gay and "also went by the name Arielle Redd." Many of the well-wishers on the MySpace tribute are affiliated with the ballroom community.

Another young life cut short, this one discarded in a highway dumpster like trash. Lashon Lee Douglas Jr. deserved better.

Thanks DARIAN and JAM. Also our apologies for initially using the wrong photo.