Welcome back to This Week in Black Twitter, your weekly digest of the happenings on Black Twitter and cultural conversations on the web. Topics will span the gamut — pop culture, politics, sports, lifestyles and everything in between. This week: Sandra Bland's family seeks changes to the jailing system, #HotinHerreStreamingParty and officers fatally shoot Ohio youth.
1. Sandra Bland was found dead in her Texas jail cell after a roadside arrest in July 2015.
On Thursday, her family agreed to a tentative $1.9 million settlement in a wrongful death suit, according to the Houston Chronicle. The agreement still needs to be approved by state officials.
Her mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, told the Chronicle it was "a victory for moms across the country."
"I'm hopeful there won't be any more unlawful arrests. I'm hopeful with this spotlight and this settlement that others don't have to receive a call from 1,000 miles away that their child is on the way to the morgue."
In addition to the monetary compensation, the agreement also details changes to the jailing system. The conditions include "the presence of emergency medical technicians on all shifts and increased training of personnel."
Dash cam footage from Bland's arrest after a traffic stop were widely circulated online. While officials say Bland committed suicide, there's speculation surrounding her death, and people have questioned the legality and fairness of the arrest.
2. Nelly is in trouble with the IRS? After a Spin article reported that the rapper would need 287,176,547 "Hot In Herre" streams to pay off his debt, the Twittersphere came to the rescue, with #SaveNelly and #HotinHerreStreamingParty.
And it looks like the efforts had some success.
You gotta love the power of social media.
3. Tyre King, 13, was shot and killed by Columbus, Ohio, police Thursday. According to the Washington Post, police say they were responding to an armed robbery report when they found Tyre, who reached for what looked like a gun.
Police recovered a BB gun.
Tyre is black, and the officer who shot him, Bryan Mason, is white. With the shooting occurring in Ohio, Tyre having a fake gun and his age, people made comparisons to Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old who was shot by police in Ohio while playing with a toy gun near a recreation center.
Because the officers weren't wearing body cameras coupled with a history of cops lying about shootings involving people of color, some were skeptical of their account with Tyre.
(Initially, people thought Tyre's name was spelled Tyree.)