Police interviews: Breonna Taylor's home was 'soft target'

An interview with one of the Louisville police officers involved in the killing of Breona Taylor found police were told she was likely alone in her apartment and that the suspect they were seeking was already located. 

Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

July 9 (UPI) -- A Louisville, Ky., police officer involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor said officers knew she was likely alone in her apartment and that the suspect they were searching for was already located, according to interviews released Thursday.

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, one of three officers present at the scene of Taylor's death on March 13, told investigators he and the other officers who carried out the no-knock warrant were told that there were minimal threats in her apartment.

"They said they did not believe she had children or animals, but they weren't sure," Mattingly said. "Said she should be there alone because they knew where the target was."

He added that surveillance conducted earlier in the night showed little activity in the apartment.

Mattingly said he did not recall the name of the target on the search warrant, but Jamarcus Glover, one of the main suspects in a narcotics investigation and Taylor's ex-boyfriend, was arrested after police searched his house at Elliot Avenue on a separate warrant.

In the interview, Mattingly also stated that police repeatedly knocked and announced their presence, giving sufficient time for a resident to answer the door, but said he was unsure why he was told to do so during a no-knock warrant.

"Our intent was to give her plenty of time to come to the door because they said she was probably there alone," he said.

Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend who was in the apartment with her at the time of her death, told investigators they didn't know it was police knocking at the door. Walker, a licensed firearm carrier, fired a "warning shot" that struck Mattingly in the leg after officers broke down the door of the residence and officers returned fire, striking Taylor five times.

"The only reason I even had the gun out [was] because we didn't know who it was," Walker said. "If we knew who it was, that would have never happened."

Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Taylor's family, said the interviews indicate a conspiracy to cover up Taylor's killing and called for all of the officers involved to be charged with murder.

RELATED Louisville police firing officer in Breonna Taylor case

"They substantiate what we've maintained all along: that police did not announce themselves when they broke into the residence with a battering ram and relased a shower of ginfire into the apartment, killing Breona, that the warrant and its execution were based on erroneous information and that Lousiville police actively worked to cover up Breonna's brutal murder," Crump said.

Taylor's family on Thursday also amended their lawsuit against the three officers to state that the raid of her home was connected to a gentrification project, alleging police were used to target people and homes on Elliot Avenue so the street could be vacated for a real estate project.

"Breonna's home should never have had police there in the first place," the suit states. "Breonna's death was the culmination of radical political and police conduct."

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Esper says it's 'unclear' who ordered protesters dispersed from Lafayette Square

IT WAS (ATTORNEY) GENERAL BARR

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (L) and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley appear Thursday before the House Armed Services Committee hearing to discuss the Department of Defense in civilian law enforcement on Capitol Hill. Pool Photo by Michael Reynolds/UPI | License Photo

July 9 (UPI) -- Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Thursday that it is "still unclear" who gave the order to disperse thousands of protesters in Lafayette Square outside the White House so President Donald Trump could walk through the park for a photo-op.

Law enforcement officers forcefully cleared Lafayette Park of the protesters who were rallying against the murder of George Floyd and racial injustice in the early evening of June 1. Witnesses said U.S. Park Police and the D.C. National Guard fired smoke canisters and pepper balls, which cause irritation to the eyes and skin. A Lakota military helicopter also flew close to the ground, causing protesters to disperse.

Trump then walked across the square to the front of St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo session as he held a Bible, flanked by Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Attorney General William Barr and other White House officials.

A week later, Milley said he regretted the use of force and his appearance with Trump for the walk.

RELATED Witnesses testify before Congress on police force during Lafayette Park protest

Testifying before the House armed services committee on Thursday afternoon, Esper said that after discussions with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and D.C. National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. William Walker, "It's still unclear to me who gave the direction to clear the park at that moment."

Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said he found it hard to believe that Esper didn't know who gave the order.

"I'm sorry but it's a pretty big decision," Smith said, "... and it just sort of happened?"

RELATED Gen. Mark Milley regrets Trump photo-op, police force against protesters

"I don't know. I have never inquired," Esper responded, saying he never pursued the decision-making process with anyone because "you get caught up on other things."

Smith has expressed "grave concern" over the use of military personnel in response to "peaceful protesters" in Washington on the night of June 1.

Esper stated no active duty military engaged with protesters, though Milley said he recommended, and Esper ordered, 1,700 active duty troops to an "increased alert posture" in the vicinity of Washington.

RELATED Hundreds of former DOJ officials urge probe of Barr over move to clear out protesters

Esper testified that officers across divisions were sharing gear, which could have contributed to the confusion.

"At one point, the National Guard, for example, cross-leveled its riot shields and lent them to the law enforcement," Esper said. "So if you saw police out there using a military police show [of force] it's because we cross leveled and that's a lesson learned. We got to figure out a way to mask the name 'military police' so we don't confuse who is actually doing the crowd control."

Protester Sarah Rosner, a 37-year-old Washington bartender, was on the street that Monday when an officer used his riot shield to push her to the ground, causing her to hit her head. In an interview Thursday, she said she sustained a minor concussion and six weeks later her ribs still hurt. Rosner said the officers retreated back to the White House, but then came back to clear the street all at once. They pepper sprayed her and other protesters, but she had worn goggles to protect her eyes. Her friends were able to get her to safety where she received medical attention.
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"I'm on the ground and I look over and I see the yellow church," Rosner said, referencing St. John's. "Why couldn't they have waited until after curfew?"

Rosner said curfew in D.C. was less than an hour later at 7 p.m.

Esper told the House committee that the National Guard did not advance on the crowd, shoot rubber bullets or employ chemical agents of any kind.

"Rather, the guard remained in a static role as backup to law enforcement, if needed," he said.

Rosner said it was hard for her to tell if the law enforcement officials were police or another agency.

"Some of them had a Secret Service vest and a police shield," Rosner said. "They would say different things."

During the hearing, Esper also was asked by several representatives about the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy active duty military force in U.S. cities to quell insurrections, terrorist attacks or help in natural disasters. Before Trump headed into Lafayette Park, he spoke in the Rose Garden, where he told reporters that he advised governors he would deploy the military to cities with protests to end them.

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., asked Esper whether he thought the Insurrection Act needed to be modified, to which Esper responded that it has "endured well" and that nothing has happened that would compel him to change it.

There has also been controversy over Esper's use of the word "battlespace" to describe U.S. cities where there have been protests. While on a White House call with governors earlier that day, he encouraged the leaders to let the National Guard "dominate the battlespace" in clearing protesters.
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Esper initiated an investigation into the events of June 1 and said a report will likely be sent to the committee next week.

Esper and Milley were asked to testify to the same committee last month but turned down the request.




Protesters demand justice in police killing of George Floyd


Demonstrators hold a sign in Los Angeles on June 14 for Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was shot by police in her home while she was sleeping. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo



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Walgreens to lay off 4,000 workers after $1.7B quarterly loss

A shopper wears a face covering at a Walgreens location in Washington, D.C., on April 24. File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI | License Photo

July 9 (UPI) -- Walgreen said Thursday that it's recorded a loss of nearly $2 billion as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and plans to lay off thousands of employees.

Walgreens Boots Alliance reported a third-quarter net loss of $1.71 billion and said sales fell short of expectations, mostly in its international division.

Walgreens said the pandemic has negatively affected sales to the tune of $700 million, almost entirely in non-U.S. businesses like its Boots chain in Britain.

"While most Boots stores remained open throughout [Britain's] lockdown ... our largest premium beauty and fragrance counters were effectively closed," Walgreens said in a statement. "More than 100 stores, mainly in high street, station and airport locations, were temporarily closed as were nearly all of the 600 Boots Opticians stores."

Walgreens responded to the losses by announcing plans to lay off about 4,000 workers.

Walgreens said last year it would close 200 locations in the United States, but said most workers would relocate to other stores.

"This unprecedented global crisis led to a loss in the quarter as stay-at-home orders affected all of our markets," Stephano Pessina, executive vice chairman and chief executive of Walgreens, said.

World moves to reopen amid COVID-19 pandemic

A stylist wears a protective face mask while giving a haircut to a client at Roman K. Salon Luxury Hair Salon as New York City enters phase two of a four-part reopening plan on June 22. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

United Airlines, pilots union agree to terms of job cuts plan

A United Airlines jetliner is parked at a gate at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Ill. Voluntary leave programs outlined in the new agreement aim to reduce job cuts in October. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo

July 10 (UPI) -- United Airlines and its pilots union have reached an agreement for voluntary furloughs and early retirement in an effort to ease economic hardship and anticipated industry job cuts in the coming months.

The union announced the tentative agreement late Thursday. It still must be ratified by the 13,000-member union next week

he airline industry expects widespread cuts on Oct. 1, the earliest date any U.S. carrier receiving federal aid can furlough or lay off workers under the CARES Act. The expected losses are a direct result of depressed travel demand brought on by the coronavirus crisis.

"The economic impact COVID-19 has had on the airline industry has been profound for the workers who keep our skies safe and our world connected," Capt. Joe DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in a statement this week.

RELATED Delta, United, Southwest sign letters of intent to receive CARES loans

"Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, thousands of pilots and crew members have received furlough notices and, absent congressional action, it is likely that there will be more to come."

Leave programs proposed in the agreement are similar to plans by American Airlines and Delta to reduce pilots on staff. The voluntary programs aim to reduce unwelcome job cuts in October, the United pilots union said.

Plans for the most senior pilots nearing retirement offer roughly three-quarters of their regular monthly income, plus medical, travel and retirement benefits. United has about 1,400 pilots at least 62 years old who qualifying for such offers.

RELATED United Airlines warns 36,000 employees of potential layoffs

ALPA spokesman Roger Phillips said it's not yet known how many pilots might opt for early retirement under the proposal.

World moves to reopen amid COVID-19 pandemic

Salt Lake City mayor calls for peace after violent protests

Demonstrators in Salt Lake City have been protesting the police-involved killing of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal. Photo by Corey Sipkin/UPI | License Photo

July 10 (UPI) -- Salt Lake City's mayor called for peace ahead of expected protests Friday night, one day after protests turned violent.

Erin Mendenhall asked for demonstrators to be patient as a newly formed commission gets to work evaluating racial equity in policing and formulates changes to the police department in the wake of police brutality protests.

"We aren't going to underestimate the potential of protests tonight, and I implore people to stop hurting people and to stop breaking things, because it's not affecting change whatsoever," she told the Deseret News.

Demonstrators gathered outside the offices of Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill on Thursday night to protest the office's findings that two police officers were justified in the May 23 shooting death of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal.

Some demonstrators vandalized the building, breaking three windows and spreading gallons of red paint on the walls and steps. Officials said the demonstrators caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

A police officer sustained a leg injury and several protesters were arrested for "unlawful assembly," police Chief Mike Brown said.

Gill said that despite the vandalism, he wants to "encourage robust civic dialogue."

"The vandalism of a few won't discourage or distract us from continuing our work in the community as we seek improvement, reform, understanding and respect throughout our community," he said.

Mendenhall said she doesn't plan to implement a citywide curfew, though Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency.

Anti-police and anti-racism brutality protests sprung up across the country -- and the globe -- in late May after the police-involved killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The movement has spurred some police departments and cities to review law enforcement practices and implement new policies to work toward reducing racial bias.

CDC data highlight racial disparities in spread, scope of COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has been particularly challenging for older adults and racial and ethnic minorities, the CDC reported on Friday. Pool Photo by Saul Loeb/UPI | License Photo

July 10 (UPI) -- More than 34 percent of Hispanic and Latin Americans who died from COVID-19 across the United States were younger than 65, an analysis released Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

About 30 percent of black Americans who died from COVID-19 also were younger than 65, compared to just over 13 percent of white Americans younger than 65 who died from the disease, CDC said.

Just over 20 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States have been adults under age 65, the agency said.

"The relatively high percentages of Hispanic and non-white decedents aged less than 65 years were notable," the CDC researchers wrote in the report.

Researchers said healthcare providers should consider the potential of severe disease in younger people who are non-white or have underlying conditions.

"More prompt diagnoses could facilitate earlier implementation of supportive care," they said.

In all, Hispanic and Latin Americans accounted for one in four deaths from COVID-19, the CDC found, even though they constitute just under 19 percent of the U.S. population, according to census data.

RELATED New flu tracking system limited by lack of data from poorer communities

African Americans made up about 20 percent of all COVID-19 deaths, even though they account for just over 13 percent of the U.S. population based on census data, CDC said.

The latest CDC findings on the impact of COVID-19 are based on an analysis of data through May 18. At that time, more than 1.3 million cases of the disease were confirmed across the United States, resulting in 83,000 deaths, the agency said.

Through Friday afternoon, more than 3.1 million confirmed cases and more than 133,000 deaths were reported in this country, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

RELATED Major medical groups urge Americans to wear face masks

The CDC analysis also showed that, as of May 18, approximately 60 percent of those who died from COVID-19 in the United States were male.

More than 75 percent of those who died have had at least one underlying medical condition, including 83 percent of those age 65 or younger, the CDC said.

Heart disease was the most common underlying health condition among COVID-19 deaths, at 61 percent, followed by diabetes at 40 percent, chronic kidney disease at 21 percent, and chronic lung disease at 19 percent, the agency said.

Nearly half of those aged 65 and younger who died from COVID-19 had diabetes, CDC reported.

Efforts to examine SARS-CoV-2 transmission and COVID-19-associated deaths among different racial and ethnic groups "could lead to targeted, community-level, mortality prevention initiatives," CDC researchers wrote.

"These campaigns could encourage social distancing and the need for wearing cloth face coverings in public settings," they wrote.

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World Council of Churches criticizes Hagia Sophia decision

People take pictures as they celebrate Turkey's decision that the 1,500 year old Unesco World Heritage site Hagia Sophia can be converted into a mosque, in front of the Hagia Sophia, in Istanbul, Turkey Saturday. Turkey's highest administration court on Friday ruled that the museum that was once a mosque built in a Cathedral can be turned into a mosque again by anulling its status as museum. Photo by Erdem Sahin/EPA-EFE

July 11 (UPI) -- The World Council of Churches wrote a letter to Turkey's president this week to reverse his decision to turn the Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque.

"Since it began functioning as a museum in 1934, Hagia Sophia has been a place of openness, encounter and inspiration for people from all nations and religions, and a powerful expression of the Republic of Turkey's commitment to secularism and inclusion and of its desire to leave behind the conflicts of the past," said the letter from the council, whose membership includes 350 member churches in 110 countries.

"By deciding to convert the Hagia Sophia back to a mosque you have reversed that positive sign of Turkey's openness and changed it to a sign of exclusion and division. Regrettably, this decision has also been taken without prior notice or discussion with UNESCO regarding the impact of this decision on Hagia Sophia's universal value recognized under the World Heritage Convention."
Turkey's highest court ruled Friday that the building could be converted back to a mosque, a decision supported by Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan but opposed by world leaders elsewhere, including the United States.

RELATED Turkish court allows Hagia Sophia museum to return as mosque

The Hagia Sophia was built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral but converted to a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453, then converted to a museum on the orders of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in the interest of fostering a more modern, secular country.

Erdogan defended his decision at a ceremony he attended via video-conference on Saturday.

"Those who do not take a step against Islamophobia in their own countries ... attack Turkey's will to use its sovereign rights," Erdogan said.

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Russians in Far East region protest arrest of regional governor

Russian policemen escort arrest governor of Khabarovsk territory Sergei Furgal to Basmanny district court in Moscow, Russia Friday. Sergei Furgal was arrested Thursday on charges connected to several contract killings of businessmen, his business partners in 2004-2005. On Saturday tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated across Khabarovsk in opposition to the arrest, which critics say was politically motivated. Photo by Maxim Shipenkov/EPA-EFE

July 11 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of people protested in the Far East region of Russia Saturday, calling for the resignation of President Vladimir Putin and demanding the release of a regional governor arrested recently on murder charges.
The protests in Khabarovsk, a city bordering China, and numerous other towns were the largest in the area in many years.

Some demonstrations were comparable in size to those last summer in Moscow, where most street protests opposing Putin's regime have taken place.

On Thursday Sergei I. Furgai, the governor of Khabarovsk Krai, a sprawling region that spans the Chinese frontier to the Arctic along the Pacific region, was arrested near his home in Khabarovsk city on suspicion of involvement in multiple murders in the early 2000s.

Furgal took office in 2018 after defeating a Kremlin-endorsed candidate, and critics said the arrest, which comes less than two weeks after a referendum that gave Putin the ability to serve beyond his term limits, is an attempt to suppress opposition to Putin.

COVID-19: Serbia arrests 71 in protest over handling of pandemic
By Sommer Brokaw

Police face off with protestors during the protest against the strict measures to fight the coronavirus in Belgrade, Serbia, on Friday. Photo by Andrej Cukic/EPA-EFE

July 11 (UPI) -- Serbian police said they've arrested 71 people involved in protests over the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Protesters began taking to the streets Tuesday after President Aleksandar Vučić announced that Belgrade would be placed on a weekend curfew to curb COVID-19 spread. Vučić also declared that more than 2 million people will need to be vaccinated before the fall to prepare for a second wave of the virus.

The protests quickly morphed into a wider movement against Vučić's alleged mismanagement of the pandemic despite his decision to suspend a second shutdown. Protesters said they were angry about government steps, such as proceeding with the general election last week, restarting large sport events and reopening nightclubs too early, which they believe led to the need for another lockdown.


Serbian riot police guard the Serbian parliament building during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic

Protests continued for a fourth day Friday. Thousands of people demonstrated in several cities, with protesters in the capital, hurling stones at police in front of Parliament. In Friday's clashes, 14 police officers were injured with 130 police injured since Tuesday.
Some protesters entered the Parliament building Tuesday night before being forced out by police. Film footage later appeared to show police beating unarmed protesters with batons.

Figures on the number of protesters injured have not been released.

Serbia has reported 17,728 cases of COVID-19 and 370 deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University global tracker.


Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian police detained 71 people after clashes during the fourth night of anti-government protests against the Serbian president that were initially sparked by his plans to reintroduce a coronavirus lockdown.

Fourteen policemen were injured in the rioting Friday evening when hundreds of right-wing demonstrators tried to storm the parliament building in downtown Belgrade, police director Vladimir Rebic said Saturday. Many demonstrators and several reporters were also injured in the protests.

Hundreds gathered on Saturday for another night of protests when no incidents were reported.

Serbian media reported that among the detained was a former parliament member and one of the leaders of the violent protesters, pro-Russian far-right politician Srdjan Nogo.

Serbian riot police guard the Serbian parliament building during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

The protesters, defying an anti-virus ban on gatherings, threw bottles, rocks and flares at police who were guarding the parliament building, and police responded with tear gas to disperse the angry crowds.

Similar clashes erupted twice earlier this week. The protests first started when populist President Aleksandar Vucic announced a strict curfew for this weekend to curb a surge in new coronavirus cases in the Balkan country

Vucic later scraped the plan to impose the lockdown. Authorities instead banned gatherings of more than 10 people in Belgrade, the capital, and shortened the working hours of indoor businesses.

Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Many in Serbia accuse the increasingly authoritarian Vucic and his government of letting the virus crisis spin out of control in order to hold a parliamentary election on June 21 that tightened the ruling party’s grip on power.

Vucic has denied this, although authorities had relaxed the rules prior to the vote, allowing massive crowds at soccer games, tennis matches and nightclubs.

Authorities reported 12 new coronavirus deaths on Saturday and 354 new infections, although there have been increasing doubts about the accuracy of the official figures.

The country officially has over 18,000 confirmed infections and 382 deaths since March. Health authorities have warned that Serbian hospitals are almost full due to the latest surge in cases.

Vucic has claimed that unspecified foreign security services were involved in the unrest and pledged he won’t be toppled in the streets. Some opposition leaders, meanwhile, are blaming the rioting on groups they say are controlled by the government to discredit peaceful protests.

Rebic said foreign citizens are among those detained, including people from Montenegro, Bosnia, Britain and Tunisia. He said police are looking into “foreign element in the radicalization of the protests.”
Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. The protests started on Tuesday when President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Belgrade would be placed under a new three-day lockdown following a second wave of confirmed coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)


Pro-government tabloids in Serbia have claimed that Russian intelligence services were behind the unrest that is designed to destabilize the country as Western efforts mount to negotiate an deal normalizing relations with Kosovo, Serbia’s former province whose 2008 declaration of independence Belgrade still does not recognize.

Serbia is a rare Russian ally in Europe with historically close Slavic ties. The country is bidding to join the European Union after years of crisis and wars in the 1990s. Nationalist and far-right groups in Serbia are opposed to EU membership and want closer ties with Russia instead.

The Russian foreign ministry has vehemently denied any involvement in the latest protests in Serbia.

Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, July 10 2020. Hundreds of demonstrators tried to storm Serbia's parliament on Friday, clashing with police who fired tear gas during the fourth night of protests against the president's increasingly authoritarian rule. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Goya Is Facing A Boycott After Its CEO Said The US Is "Blessed" That Trump Is President

Bob Unanue's comments at the White House have prompted a boycott from angry customers.

David Mack BuzzFeed News Reporter
Posted on July 10, 2020, a


Jeff Greenberg / Universal Images Group via Getty

Goya Foods, a staple brand for Latino cuisine in supermarkets across the US, is facing backlash from some customers after the company's CEO heaped praise on President Donald Trump at a White House event on Thursday.

“We all truly blessed, at the same time, to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder,” Goya President and CEO Bob Unanue said at a Hispanic Prosperity Initiative event in the Rose Garden.

Unanue compared Trump to his grandfather, a Spanish immigrant who in 1936 started the company that now bills itself as the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the US.

"We have an incredible builder, and we pray — we pray for our leadership, our president, and we pray for our country that we will continue to prosper and to grow," he said

HE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A RAPIST, OR MURDERER, OR....

Jim Watson / Getty Images
Goya Foods CEO and President Bob Unanue speaking at the White House on Thursday.

But soon after his comments, Goya's social media channels were bombarded with people criticizing Unanue for lavishing admiration on a president they said had targeted Latinos with harsh immigration policies and used rhetoric describing Mexicans as "rapists."



Ricks Little Brother@RicksLittle
@GoyaFoods Dear Goya, I'm blessed to never have your racist brand in my home ever again. The end.09:33 PM - 09 Jul 2020
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JenMcPenn@jenpenn22
@GoyaFoods How can a company marketed to the latin community support someone who has made such a show of hating us? Boycotting Goya saddens me but I cannot give my money to you any longer.08:51 PM - 09 Jul 2020
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Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa🏳️‍🌈🇵🇷@CDRosa
@GoyaFoods How dare your CEO get rich off our Latino and immigrant families and then turn around and support the president terrorizing our Latino and immigrant families. I guess his tax cut was more important than his customers. Vayanse a la mierda! #BoycottGoya12:10 AM - 10 Jul 2020
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Johanna Cervone@johannacervone
Me crossing all the Goya products off my shopping list. #Goyaway11:50 PM - 09 Jul 2020
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Former Democratic presidential hopeful Julián Castro was among those supporting the boycott.



Julián Castro@JulianCastro

.@GoyaFoods has been a staple of so many Latino households for generations. Now their CEO, Bob Unanue, is praising a president who villainizes and maliciously attacks Latinos for political gain. Americans should think twice before buying their products. #Goyaway https://t.co/lZDQlK6TcU10:09 PM - 09 Jul 2020
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also said she'd been making her own adobo from now own.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez@AOC
Oh look, it’s the sound of me Googling “how to make your own Adobo” https://t.co/YOScAcyAnC12:22 AM - 10 Jul 2020
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Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda also joined the homemade adobo campaign.

Lin-Manuel Miranda@Lin_Manuel
We learned to bake bread in this pandemic, we can learn to make our own adobo con pimienta. Bye. https://t.co/qKHNYfkqCq01:46 PM - 10 Jul 2020
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But speaking to Fox News' morning show Fox & Friends on Friday, Unanue was defiant.

"It's suppression of speech," he said.

Unanue said he had previously worked with Michelle Obama when she was first lady, and he agreed with a Fox News host who said there was a double standard.

“So you’re allowed to talk good or to praise one president, but you’re not allowed — when I was called to be part of this commission to aid in economic and educational prosperity and you make positive comment, all of the sudden that’s not acceptable," Unanue said.

"So I’m not apologizing for saying — and especially when you’re called by the president of the United States, you’re gonna say, ‘No, I’m sorry, I’m busy. No, thank you,’" he added. "I didn’t say that to the Obamas and I didn’t say that to President Trump.”



David Mack is a deputy director of breaking news for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.





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