There are only three African-American professional lacrosse players in the entire country. One of them refused to play because of the racially charged slogan “#NinjaPlease”, by Major League Lacrosse’s sponsor Warrior Sports.

Jovan Miller, a Syracuse graduate and former All-American, currently plays for the Charlotte Hounds, but this boycott could put an end to his future in the sport.

“If I won’t wear the uniform, obviously I can’t play,” Miller told WCNC.

A few weeks ago, Miller began noticing that some of his Twitter followers were using the hashtag “#NinjaPlease”.

Miller then found out “#NinjaPlease” was being used by Warrior Sports, as an advertising campaign. MLL shared the campaign on Facebook and retweeted it.

“It kind of alarmed me at first,” admitted Miller. “The actual meaning behind ‘Ninja Please’ is the ‘N-word Please.’ They put ninja in it to kind of disguise it.”

Urban Dictionary defines “Ninja Please” as a statement “used to replace ‘Negro Please’, which in turn replaces ‘Ni**a please’… when black people are present.”

David Gross, MLL’s commissioner told NBC Charlotte, “I honestly didn’t know what it meant until someone told me to look it up. MLL was simply posting and retweeting a sponsor. We deleted all of it after I found out what it meant.”

“This doesn’t just affect me. I’m not just speaking for myself. I’m speaking for every black man or black girl who has ever picked up a lacrosse stick,” Miller said.

Several of Miller’s teammates express their support and Warrior has since ended the campaign and put a stop to the slogan.

http://thegrio.com/2012/11/12/black-lacrosse-player-boycotts-racially-charged-slogan-ninja-please/#49789639

DETROIT (WWJ) – Tempers flared — and a gun was pulled out — after one man accidentally stepped on the foot of another on board a D-DOT bus.

Detroit Police said it happened early Sunday afternoon when the bus lurched, causing the man to step on the other man’s foot. The passenger apologized, but the man was apparently still angry and when they came to their stop at Gratiot and Conner, he shot the man in the leg.

The gunman ran from the scene and was last seen going down Conner. Police said the shooting victim is in serious condition at a local hospital. Anyone with information is asked to call Detroit Police.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/12/man-shot-after-stepping-on-another-mans-foot-on-d-dot-bus/

MINNESOTA (97.1 THE TICKET) – Calvin Johnson had 207 yards on 12 catches, including a touchdown but the Detroit Lions fall short losing to the Minnesota Vikings 34-24 on Sunday.

As heard on 97. 1 The Ticket – Matthew Stafford completed 28 for 42 passes and had 329 yards in the loss to the Vikings.

Adrian Peterson raced 61 yards for the game-sealing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, padding his NFL rushing lead with 171 yards on 27 carries for Minnesota.

Peterson had 120 yards in the final 15 minutes, 10{ months after reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Ponder bounced back from a rough game with 221 yards and two touchdowns on 24-for-32 passing for the Vikings (6-4).

Johnson’s efforts on the field brought the Lions (4-5) a little closer with 1:53 left. But Johnson’s lost fumble near midfield on the previous possession put Vikings rookie Blair Walsh in position for his fourth field goal.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/11/vikings-34-lions-24/

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama says Americans who served abroad in Iraq and Afghanistan should always be able to rely on a robust system of support from the government.

In his speech Sunday at a solemn ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery, Obama noted it was the first Veterans Day in 10 years that no Americans were serving in Iraq, and pointed to the diminishing U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

"After a decade of war, our heroes are coming home," Obama said to applause at the Memorial Amphitheater.

Those heroes deserve efficient care for the physical and psychological scars inflicted by war, the president said, adding that the current backlog of disability claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs was being addressed by members of his administration.

"If you find yourself struggling with the wounds of war -- such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries -- we'll be there... with the care and treatment you need. No veteran should have to wait months or years for the benefits that you've earned, so we will continue to attack the claims backlog. We won't let up. We will not let up," Obama vowed.

In 2012, the VA says it will process 1 million disability claims, though it's currently sorting through a backlog of 860,000 claims from American veterans. More than a quarter of those vets -- 228,000 -- have been waiting for a year or more.

Before he spoke, Obama laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. After his remarks at the Memorial Ampitheater, he met with military families in Section 60 of the cemetery, where veterans of the most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill joined Obama and the first lady.

The president acknowledged in his speech that such expressions of gratitude alone weren't adequate for veterans and their families.

"No ceremony or parade, no hug or handshake is enough to truly honor that service. For that, we must do more. For that, we must commit -- this day and every day -- to serving you as well as you've served us," Obama said, saying that helping military members transition back to civilian life was a priority for him and his team.

"Over the next few years, more than a million service members will transition back to civilian life," Obama said. "They'll take off their uniforms and take on a new and lasting role. They will be veterans. As they come home, it falls to us, their fellow citizens, to be there for them and their families -- not just now but always; not just for the first few years, but for as long as they walk this earth."

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On Tuesday, California residents voted to pass Proposition 36, the ballot measure aimed at reforming the state’s controversial Three Strikes law.

Huffington Post reported that the original 1994 law mandated a life sentence for individuals convicted of three serious crimes. Unforeseen consequences led to cases in which people who had been convicted of two serious crimes received life terms for committing a third felony, which at times was as minor as shoplifting. California’s prison populations rapidly grew as a result.

Prop 36 now requires the third offense be something of a very serious or violent nature for the law to be applied. This change may also provide an opportunity for nearly 3,000 inmates, jailed under the original law, to petition for reduced terms.

“Tonight’s vote on Proposition 36 sends a powerful message to policymakers in California and across the country that taxpayers are ready for a new direction in criminal justice,” Adam Gelb, director of the Pew Center on the States’ Public Safety Performance Project, told the San Jose Mercury News. “States that have already made some changes to their sentencing laws may be inspired to take a second look, and states that haven’t made significant changes yet may start.”

California spends a larger percentage of the budget on prisons than it does on higher education, a fact that helped prompt the change in law. It’s estimated that Prop 36 will save up to $90 million a year.

Mike Reynolds, the author of the original law, is concerned about the changes. His daughter was murdered by two habitual offenders, and he’s afraid changing the law will increase crime.

“It’s a big day for criminals and their attorneys,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

This is not the first time the Three Strikes law has been reformed. In 2000, voters elected for an amendment which allowed non-violent drug offenders to be sent to treatment programs instead of prison.

http://thegrio.com/2012/11/09/california-votes-to-change-controversial-three-strikes-law/

In the wake of President Obama's reelection, one CEO is doubling down on his criticisms of Obamacare.

Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter said he plans on passing the costs of health care reform to his business onto his workers. Schnatter said he will likely reduce workers’ hours, as a result of President Obama's reelection, the Naples News reports. Schnatter made headlines over the summer when he told shareholders that the cost of a Papa John’s pizza will increase by between 11 and 14 cents due to Obamacare.

"I got in a bunch of trouble for this," he said, referring to the comments he made in August, according to Naples News. "That's what you do, is you pass on costs. Unfortunately, I don't think people know what they're going to pay for this."

Schnatter went on to say he's neither in support of, nor against the Affordable Care Act, even admitting that "the good news is 100 percent of the population is going to have health insurance.” But he’s not the only one in the chain restaurant industry to admit that workers hours may be reduced, since Obamacare mandates that only employees that work more than 30 hours per week are covered under their employers health insurance plan. For example, Darden restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden and Red Lobster, has already experimented with reducing workers hours in anticipation of the legislation.

Others have responded to the added costs of Obamacare more harshly, including Applebee's franchisee owner Zane Tankel who said his company won’t hire new workers because of the law. Just this week, a Georgia business owner also claimed he cut employees due to Obamacare and in fact had specifically laid off those who he thought had voted for President Obama.

Correction: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated that Applebee's was not planning on hiring new workers due to Obamacare. It is only Applebee's franchisee Zane Tankel who has taken that stance.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/09/papa-johns-obamacare-john-schnatter_n_2104202.html?utm_hp_ref=detroit&ir=Detroit

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving regarded as one of the biggest shopping days of the year, may be dramatically different this year.

Organizers are planning a nationwide strike against Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, and are banking on a new strategy: online organizing.

Labor organizers are working with social action nonprofit Engage Network as well as corporate watchdog nonprofit Corporate Action Network to pull off what they are calling a "viral" -- meaning national and spreading online -- strike.

Walmart workers interested in joining the day of action are directed to this website, either to find a store near them with an organized strike or to "adopt an event" at a store near them.

Brian Young, cofounder of the Corporate Action Network, said on a conference call coordinated by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union Thursday, that organizers cannot cover the roughly 4,000 Walmarts across the country, but enabling self-appointed leaders online has widened and decentralized the campaign.

Supporters can also sponsor a striking worker, who may be losing wages in order to strike, by donating grocery gift cards. The campaign has raised more than $13,500 worth of donations toward grocery gift cards since Oct. 15 -- a figure that doesn't include significant funds raised through mailed-in checks, Jamie Way, of the UFCW, told HuffPost.

The campaign is also mobilizing strikers and supporters through a Facebook app, multiple Facebook pages, a Tumblr and Twitter with the hashtag #walmartstrikers.

"This online mobilization, in addition to traditional on-the-ground organizing, has allowed the campaign to reach into the rural corners of the country that might have otherwise been overlooked," Marianne Manilov, cofounder of the Engage Network, said on the conference call.

She pointed to a group of renegade workers in Oklahoma who mobilized in October. "A completely unorganized set of workers in Oklahoma spontaneously went out on strike and held their own type of action without any organizer or … connection with the broader organization," she said. "This is what organizing looks like in the age of Occupy."

The outreach leading up to Black Friday follows a series of unprecedented actions taken by Walmart workers against their employer and working conditions. In October, for the first time in the company's 50-year history, more than 70 workers at multiple Los Angeles-area Walmart stores walked off the job, even though their jobs are not protected by an official union. The strike had a ripple effect, causing strikes in 12 other cities, in large part through online organizing.

The success of these strikes, as well as one over the summer touted as the largest ever protest against the company, and a six-day pilgrimmage of warehouse workers in September, would not have been possible without Facebook, Twitter and other web sites, Young said.

"Making Change at Walmart," which organized the demonstrations and is a campaign affiliated with the UFCW union, has over 25,000 supporters on Facebook.

Although it does not officially represent Walmart workers, OUR Walmart, organized by the Making Change campaign, acts like a union to fight for the rights of Walmart workers. OUR Walmart, which was founded last year with 100 members, now has over 14,000 supporters on Facebook.

Corey Parker, a Walmart worker from Mississippi, said on the conference call that he became active with OUR Walmart after finding out about it through a HuffPost article on Facebook. Now, he has mobilized workers at his store to strike on Black Friday because, he said, he realized that "not being able to make a living was not just an issue at my store."

Adding fuel to movement, Walmart announced Thursday that it will kick off its Black Friday sale at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, its earliest start ever.

"Lots and lots of Walmart workers are going to be forced to not have Thanksgiving because they're going to be preparing all day for the busiest shopping day of the year," Dan Schlademan, director of Making Change at Walmart, said on the conference call. "This essentially cancels Thanksgiving for hundreds of thousands of workers."

"It's not like Walmart is financially hurting. It's not like they're not making unbelievable sums of money. The price of this is really decimating an important family day in our country."

But Walmart spokesman Steven Restivo said of the sale, "Last year, our highest customer traffic was during the 10 p.m. hour and, according to the National Retail Federation, Thanksgiving night shopping has surged over the past three years."

"Most of our stores are open 24 hours and, historically, much of our Black Friday preparations have been done on Thanksgiving, which is not unusual in the retail industry," he said, adding that the strikes planned for Black Friday, will not "have any impact on our business."

Regarding the action over the last few months, Restivo said, "While the opinions expressed by this group don’t represent the views of the vast majority of more than 1.3 million Walmart associates in the U.S., when our associates bring forward concerns, we listen."

In September, dozens of Walmart-contracted warehouse workers in Southern California's Inland Empire walked off the job and went on a six-day, 50-mile pilgrimage to protest working conditions and retaliation for speaking up.

More than a month later, the warehouse company NFI responded to some of the strikers' working condition requests. "Just in the last week, we've seen the warehouse operators scrambling to replace broken and unsafe equipment, they've rented fans to increase ventilation, and they've added more water coolers," Elizabeth Brennan, communications director for Warehouse Workers United, said on the conference call.

However, the strikers who returned to work have continued to face retaliation, many times getting their hours cut from 35 down to eight, she said. Some of these warehouse workers will join striking Walmart workers on Black Friday, Brennan said.

Excluding the retaliation, organizers hope to see that type of positive response after Black Friday. And with an online system open to anyone who wants to start a strike in his or her local Walmart, Manilov hopes both the demonstration and response will be broad-reaching.

"This is one of the first labor campaigns to really fully embrace the potential of online-to-offline labor organizing," she said. "As this captures fire, its potential is limitless."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/walmart-black-friday-strike-organized-online-video_n_2094698.html?utm_hp_ref=detroit&ir=Detroit

SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) - A man is dead after an exchange of gunfire with officers at the Southfield Police Department.

The incident happened Sunday afternoon when a 64-year-old man walked in to the police station and started shooting.

Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence says one of the bullets he fired hit a police officer in the shoulder.

The 50-year-old officer, who has 25 years on the force, is reported to be in stable condition and expected to recover.

“He’s an outstanding officer … many years of service here in the city of Southfield,” said Mayor Lawrence.

The medical examiner confirms that the suspect, who has yet to be identified, is dead from bullet wounds.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/11/shooting-at-southfield-police-station-injures-officer-suspect-dies/

DETROIT (WWJ) – Many national and local restaurants are offering veterans and active duty military free meals on Sunday, November 11 and Monday, November 12.

Matthew Cheng, creator of eCoupons.com and VeteransDayFreebies.com said, “To honor our nation’s veterans, restaurants are offering free meals to thank military members for their service and sacrifice.”

Here are 14 restaurants that offers free meals for the vets and active duty soldiers. In some of these restaurants, the members must be in their military uniform and present their military ID. The freebies include:

Applebees: Free Applebees Signature Entree on November 11.

California Pizza Kitchen: Free pizza and drink on November 11 and 12.

Champps Americana Restaurant: Free Cheeseburger and Fries on November 12.

Friendly’s: Free Breakfast and Coffee on November 12.

Golden Corral: Free dinner between 4 p.m – 9 p.m. on November 12.

Hooters: 10 free boneless wings with the purchase of a drink on November 12.

Ikea: Eat for Free November 10-12 with purchase over $100.

Olive Garden: Free entree on November 11.

On the Border: Free Entree Certificate valid up to $10, any day of the week, 11/12-11/30. 15% of the Purchase will be donated to Carry the Load.

Outback Steakhouse: Free Bloomin Onion appetizer and drink on November 11 and November 12.

Sizzler: Free Lunch on November 12. Choose from 6 oz. steak, Malibu Chicken, or Half Dozen Fried Shrimp.

UNO: Free entree or individual pizza with an entree or pizza of equal or greater value on November 11 and November 12.

Max and Erma’s: Free Best Cheeseburger in America Combo on November 11.
T.G.I. Fridays: Free Lunch on November 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Printable Coupons for these offers can be found at www.VeteransDayFreebies.com

More Veterans Day Sales and Deals can be found at www.eCoupons.com

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/10/veterans-day-2012-free-meals-at-area-restaurants/

DETROIT (WWJ) - It’s Veteran’s Day and a World War II vet and one of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American pilots in the US military, says he’s relaxing this veterans day.

At 90, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson has just returned from speaking to high schoolers in Portland Oregon.

“It was exhilarating, actually exhilarating, to let the young people know that freedom ain’t free, somebody’s got to pay the bill,” said Lt. Col. Jefferson.

Jefferson still fits into his WWII bomber jacket and remembers flying missions in France.

He flew escort for bombing missions and says there was discrimination against him and other African American pilots.

“We were discriminated against, they had to build a separate airfield in Alabama to train us to fly, we could not be integrated with the rest of the men. It was segregation and discrimination from the very beginning,” he said.

“I was treated as an officer and a gentleman in the POW camp because of the Geneva Convention,” he said. “I literally sat the war out, because officers that were in the camp did not have to work,” he said. “Enlisted men went to separate camps and you could make them work.”

Jefferson, who turns 91 this week, was shot down during World War II and spend nine months at a Prisoner of War (POW) camp, but says he doesn’t think of himself as a hero.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/11/11/sporting-his-wwii-bomber-jacket-90-year-old-vet-says-freedom-aint-free/