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The Morning Heat’s Tuesday Trending Topics

Courtesy of Atiya Haynes.

Honor student who brought pocketknife to school suspended for the year

Dearborn Heights honor student Atiya Haynes was expelled after a pocketknife was found in her purse at a football game. On Monday after two hours of deliberation, the Dearborn Heights District 7 board of education chose not to expel Hayes rather suspend her until the end of the year.

The school board voted 6-0 to allow Hayes to take online classes. She then will be able to graduate with her class in 2015. The decision still came as a blow to the college-bound Haynes, who participated in numerous extracurricular activities including sports. School officials discovered the knife as she was exiting a bathroom at the game when they searched her purse. Haynes says the pocketknife was a gift from her grandfather who gave it to her for protection because her summer job required her to ride her bike from southwest Detroit to Dearborn.

She reluctantly accepted it and says she forgot it was in her purse. The school board felt there was no intent to support the zero tolerance statute but felt the student needed to be punished and violated school policy for brining the weapon.

Haynes felt that the board had its minds made up before the meeting. Haynes’ mother said that the family is considering their options, possibly private school. Haynes told Fox 2 that this is a minor setback and that she will overcome it to become a broadcast journalist. The American Civil Liberties Union represented her for the case and thought that the zero tolerance rule needs to be revised.

Detroit police sergeant accused of stealing dead man’s watch

A Detroit police sergeant who is accused of stealing a dead man’s watch. Fox 2 has learned that the homicide sergeant is now suspended after he was found with the victim’s watch at an out-of-state training session. Detectives discovered the watch being held as evidence was replaced with a less expensive one. Detroit Police Chief James Craig says the FBI helped police recover the watch. The case has been sent to the prosecutor.

So far, no criminal charges have been filed.

Dr. Cornel West, 50 Others Arrested In Ferguson

On Monday, hundreds of protesters went took to Ferguson police headquarters, where they stayed for almost four hours to mark how long 18-year-old Michael Brown’s body was left in a street after he was fatally shot by police. Organizers of the four-day Ferguson October protests dubbed the day “Moral Monday” and committed acts of civil disobedience across the St. Louis region.

In addition to the initial march on Ferguson police headquarters, protesters blocked the entrance to a major employer, held a loud rally inside St. Louis City Hall, disrupted business at a Ferguson shopping center and a Wal-Mart and tried to crash a private fundraiser for a St. Louis County executive candidate where Sen. Claire McCaskill was scheduled to appear.

All told, nearly 50 people were arrested, including scholar and civil rights activist Dr. Cornel West.

West was among 42 arrested for peace disturbance at the Ferguson police station. Some protesters used a bullhorn to read the names of people killed by police nationwide. Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy members — some of whom were among the first arrested — led a prayer service before marching to the station two blocks away.

Protests have been common since Brown, who was unarmed and black, was killed by a white Ferguson police officer on Aug. 9. Tensions escalated last week when a white police officer in St. Louis shot and killed another black 18-year-old, Vonderrit Myers Jr., who police say had shot at officers.

Detroit Che At The BET Hip Hop Awards 2014

Just last fall Rapper Detroit Che tweeted 2013 would be her last year watching the BET Hip Hop Awards from home. After working hard all year she entered and won Sprite’s #HOT16 contest to land a slot on the 2014 Cypher.

Detroit Che swagged through the BET Hip Hop Awards green carpet, flashing her customized Red Wings jersey that paid tribute to Renisha McBride. McBride was a 19-year-old who was shot by a homeowner who claimed to believe her to be an intruder on November 2, 2013, in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. In actuality she was seeking help knocking on Theodore Wafer’s door after she crashed her car on a nearby street. Her shooting garnered national out cry after Detroit Che took to the streets and internet to rally supporters who felt the shooting to be unjust.

The 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards airs on BET Tuesday, October 14th at 8P/7C hosted by Uncle Snoop, aka Snoop Dogg.

Written by LBeasley (Lauren Beasley), Digital Producer of The Morning Heat and Sports Editor of Radio One Detroit

Keep up with the Morning Heat on Instagram and Twitter at @hiphopdetroit

Trending Topics: Honor Student Receives No Justice, Dr. Cornel West Arrested in Ferguson and More  was originally published on hothiphopdetroit.com