Marvin Driver Jr, father of professional football player Donald Driver, is in the hospital after being battered by Houston, Texas, police officers who arrested him for traffic warrants, according to the Driver family. A spokesman for the family says Driver Jr was in police custody on his way to jail when officers pulled into an area behind a gas station, beat him unconscious and forced him to swallow an unidentified pill.

As you may have guessed, the police have a different story.

CONTINUED »

• This story about Jay-Z requesting a watermelon carving of Beyonce's breasts (with cherries as nipples!) would be really disturbing if it seemed like it was remotely true. [MN]

• By the time something that's not supposed to be life threatening kills 300 people, should we discontinue its use? [BV]

• Kumbaya, America. [N&V]

• Sanaa Lathana and Nia Long have been added to the cast of the new Family Guy spin off, Cleveland. [EUR]

• Rihanna. Gucci. UNICEF. Ads. [SR]

During a 2006 narcotics raid, three white Atlanta cops busted into the home of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston, who was black. She was killed in the course of the raid, which turned out to have been based on an illegally-acquired warrant. The incident blew the lid off of some corrupt goings-on in the Atlanta police department and, of course, caused some serious racial tension. Now, Arthur Bruce Tesler, the only cop to stand trial in the case (the other two pleaded guilty to manslaughter), is awaiting a verdict. There's only one problem — the jury of ten whites and two blacks is hopelessly deadlocked. If he walks, I'm pretty sure Al Sharpton is going to try to shut down ATL. [AJC]

Lennox Yearwood, a revered, founder of the Hip Hop Caucus, and a vocal anti-war activist, was arrested along with Cindy Sheehan and two others outside of the Petraeus hearings Monday. Except Cindy Sheehan escaped the incident without needing to be rushed to the hospital in a wheelchair. Lennox didn't. according to the Washington Post, he was initially targeted by police because he cut in line and refused to move back to the end and was arrested for disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer, which is a felony. The video's right here, and I'm not seeing police being assaulted.

[HP]

Pennsylvania, all innocuous and safe-looking on the map, has the highest rate of African American homicides. People in Dutch country are shaking their heads in confusion. [PP-G]

Further north, historians want visitors and inhabitants of New England to know the region's rich African American history. [BG]

There's far less rich African American history being made in the business world, where blacks make up just 8.6 percent of senior executives. [NPR]

After a black, Honduran immigrant was shot by police in the Bronx this month, NYPD is on the defensive about racial profiling of blacks and Hispanics. When are they not? [NY1]

Tiger Woods is still the only black, white, Native American, and Asian Man on the PGA Tour. And there aren't any African Americans, either. [AOLS]

Something tells me Alan Keyes wouldn't say this about Barack Obama. [VDARE]

Mike Jones's manager said that police unfairly roughed him up because of his job, not because he's black. [Houston]

Some elite colleges and universities are working to diversify economically, which I guess is a way to kill two birds with one stone in the diversity battle. [NYT]

James Ford Seale, ex-Klan member and septuagenarian, goes on trial this week for his alleged involvement in a Civil Rights-era kidnapping. [AP]

"Nappy's" roots, laid bare and exposed by Don Imus. [PDN]

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh police are adding heft to Cam'ron's argument. [PCD]

If you're black and live in Cleveland, I suggest going to Argent Mortgage Co., Wells Fargo Bank and First National Mortgage Co. for all of your predatory lending needs. [CPD]

Don't you think a black LA fireman is overreacting when he claims he was being racially harrassed by his coworkers? They probably just left bananas in his locker and squirted white lotion on his uniform because they thought he was hungry…and ashy. Everyone is so sensitive these days. [NBC4]

Tuskegee Airman Abraham Moore died last week before receiving the Congressional Gold Medal President Bush bestowed upon Moore and his comrades in March. The medal was one month late, in addition to the sixty shameful years took for Tuskegee Airmen to be officially honored. [PSN]