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Rita Blanger


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Potentially fatal 'black fungus' infections on the rise in India's COVID-19 patients
in Health

Potentially fatal ‘black fungus’ infections on the rise in India’s COVID-19 patients

by
May 11, 2021
436

Some COVID-19 patients in India have developed a rare and potentially fatal fungal infection called mucormycosis, also known as “black fungus,” according to news reports.

Mucormycosis is caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes, which grow in soil and decaying organic matter, such as rotting leaves and wood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“It is ubiquitous and found in soil and air and even in the nose and mucus of healthy people,” Dr. Akshay Nair, a Mumbai-based eye surgeon, told BBC News. The mold can enter the body through cuts and other abrasions in the skin, or the infection can take hold in the sinuses or lungs after people breathe in the fungal spores. Once inside the body, the fungus can sometimes spread through the bloodstream and affect other organs, such as the brain, eyes, spleen and heart.

Most commonly, mucormycosis strikes those with weakened immune systems, including those with diabetes and those taking medicines that suppress immune activity, according to the CDC. Now, an increasing number of COVID-19 patients in India appear to be contracting the infection, The New York Times reported.

For instance, in the state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, 200 individuals caught mucormycosis after recovering from COVID-19, and eight have died from the black fungus, the Times reported, citing local news coverage. Cases are also appearing in the capital city of Delhi and in the state of Gujarat, where the state government has ordered 5,000 doses of the antifungal drug amphotericin B to treat the disease.

“We have heard that in some areas, people who are COVID-infected or recovered suffer from mucormycosis, but there is not a big outbreak of it,” Dr. V.K. Paul, head of India’s Covid task force, said at a press conference last week, according to the Times. “We are watching and monitoring.”

The rise in cases may be connected to the use of steroids in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, since the drugs suppress the immune system, BBC News reported. And those with diabetes start out at increased risk for the infection, even before taking steroids. “Diabetes lowers the body’s immune defenses, coronavirus exacerbates it, and then steroids which help fight COVID-19 act like fuel to the fire,” Nair told BBC News.

In addition, many families have had to treat relatives for COVID-19 at home, meaning people may become exposed to the mold after receiving medicine or oxygen therapy in less-than-sterile conditions, the Times reported.

Nair saw several dozen Mumbai-based patients with the black fungus in April; many of them had diabetes and had recently recovered from COVID-19 at home, since hospitals were overrun with patients, BBC News reported. Eleven of the patients needed to have an eye surgically removed due to the fungal infection, since the mold can easily spread from the eyes to the brain.

In the early stages of infection, patients often present with a stuffy or bleeding nose; swollen eyes; droopy eyelids; or blurred vision, BBC News reported. Black patches can also appear on the skin around the nose.


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Suspect in custody after allegedly fleeing police with tiger in Houston
in Headlines

Suspect in custody after allegedly fleeing police with tiger in Houston

by
May 11, 2021
409

Police in Houston have taken a 26-year-old suspect, who earlier on Monday was accused of fleeing from police with his pet tiger, into custody. The suspect, Victor Hugo Cuevas, was out on bond for a separate murder charge, and now faces a charge of evading arrest, officials said.

The tiger is still on the loose, police said.

After Cuevas was taken into custody, his lawyer said that Cuevas is not the owner of the tiger, CBS affiliate KHOU-TV reports.

“HPD was in such a hurry to wrap it and find their guy that they just assumed because my client was the one who caught this tiger, who went out and go it and brought it back into safety, everyone is just assuming that he is the owner of the tiger,” attorney Michael Elliott said, adding, “He’s already been convicted, which is a shame.”

Elliott also claimed he and Cuevas had an agreement with the Houston Police Department that Cuevas would surrender himself at 8:15 p.m. on Monday, but that HPD instead arrested his client 15 minutes prior, KHOU reports.

Late Sunday, a neighbor said he called police after spotting the tiger roaming around his neighborhood. But when officers arrived, the owner put the tiger in an SUV, and drove off, police said. After a brief pursuit, the suspect got away.

“My main concern is focusing on finding him and finding the tiger. What I don’t want him to do is harm the tiger. We have plenty of places we can take that tiger and keep it safe, and give it a home for the rest of its life,” Commander Ron Borza of the Houston Police Department said in a news conference. “A lot of time, people get desperate and do silly things. We want to get him and get the tiger to a safe place.”

Borza said Cuevas was out on bond related to a 2017 murder charge, adding that his bond would now be revoked. He said it’s illegal to have pet tigers in the city of Houston and that police do not know where Cuevas purchased the animal. “You just never know when that animal is gonna turn on you. They’re very pretty to look at, very expensive to have them,” Borza said.

“If that tiger was to get out and start doing some damage yesterday, I’m sure one of these citizens would have shot the tiger — and we don’t want to see that. It’s not the animal’s fault, it’s the breeder’s fault. It’s unacceptable and it shouldn’t be happening.”

A video taken by residents on Sunday shows a confrontation between an off-duty police officer and the tiger. “It was very scary because this is a very family-oriented community and you see lots of kids and babies strolling, people taking their pets, dogs and walking them. The first thing I thought was to alert the community so everybody would stay home,” John Ramos, who lives in the neighborhood, told CBS affiliate KHOU.

There are more captive tigers (5,000) in the U.S. than in the wild (3,900), according to the World Wildlife Fund.


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Luka Doncic tossed after flagrant foul 2, still one technical away from suspension
in Sports

Luka Doncic tossed after flagrant foul 2, still one technical away from suspension

by
May 10, 2021
371

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was ejected early in the third quarter of Sunday’s 124-97 win at the Cleveland Cavaliers after being called for a flagrant foul 2.

Following a lengthy replay review, the officials ruled that Doncic made “an aggressive strike to the groin area” of Cavs guard Collin Sexton, justifying the flagrant 2 ruling. The incident occurred when Doncic and Sexton were battling for rebounding position with 10:05 remaining in the first half.

“After I saw the video, I knew I hit him, but it wasn’t nothing on purpose,” said Doncic, who had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists before being ejected. “I think that kind of stuff happens a lot in games, but I don’t know. That’s my explanation. It obviously wasn’t on purpose. It was just two guys fighting for a rebound, I guess.”

On the court, Doncic responded to the ruling with wide eyes, indicating surprise. He laughed as he exited the floor.

Doncic said after the game that he thought the review was to determine whether his foul occurred before the shot clock violation.

“That’s what I thought they were looking at,” Doncic said. “I was really surprised when they called a flagrant 2.”

Sexton said he did not believe Doncic had any malicious intent on the play.

“It was just a boxout play,” Sexton said. “Usually, whenever someone is handchecking, then you punch down or swing down. It was just in the groin, but it’s all good.”

The flagrant 2 does not count toward Doncic’s technical foul total. He has 15 technical fouls this season, one shy of an automatic one-game suspension.

It was the second time Doncic had been ejected in a five-game span. He got called for two technical fouls in a May 2 loss to the Sacramento Kings, with the second one called with 31 seconds remaining, triggering the ejection.

The Mavs had a 68-59 lead after Sexton hit the pair of free throws from Doncic’s flagrant foul. They immediately went on a 30-15 run after that.

“Unfortunate, but it sparked our guys,” said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, who declined to comment specifically on the play in question, saying he hadn’t seen a clear replay. “We did a good job finishing the game off.”


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COVID-19 cases increase as India's vaccination drive stalls
in World News

COVID-19 cases increase as India’s vaccination drive stalls

by
May 10, 2021
465

India’s efforts to vaccinate large segments of its population in the face of dramatically rising coronavirus cases across the country have been challenged as vaccine stocks are low in many states.

Cases meanwhile are still rising at record pace in the world’s second-most populous nation. Alongside a slowdown in vaccinations, states have gone to court over oxygen shortages as hospitals struggle to treat a running line of COVID-19 patients.

On Sunday, India reported 403,738 confirmed cases, including 4,092 deaths. Overall, India has over 22 million confirmed infections and 240,000 deaths. Experts say both figures are undercounts.

India’s Supreme Court said Saturday it would set up a national task force consisting of top experts and doctors to conduct an “oxygen audit” to determine whether supplies from the federal government were reaching states.

Complaints of oxygen shortages have dominated the top court recently, which stepped in earlier this week to make sure the federal government provided more medical oxygen to hospitals in the capital, New Delhi.

India’s massive vaccination drive kicked off sluggishly in January when cases were low and exports of vaccines were high, with 64 million doses going overseas. But as infections started to rise in March and April, India’s exports drastically slowed down so doses went to its own population. So far, around 10% of India’s population have received one shot while just under 2.5% have got both.

At its peak in early April, India was administering a record high of 3.5 million shots a day on average. But this number has consistently shrunk since, reaching an average of 1.3 million shots a day over the past week. Between April 6 and May 6, daily doses have dropped by 38%, even as cases have tripled and deaths have jumped sixfold, according to Bhramar Mukherjee, a biostatistician at the University of Michigan who has been tracking India’s epidemic.

One reason for the drop in shots is that there are just not enough available, experts say. Currently, India’s two vaccine makers produce an estimated 70 million doses each month of the two approved shots – AstraZeneca, made by the Serum Institute of India, and another by Bharat Biotech.

Vaccine supply has remained nearly the same since the drive began in January, but the target population eligible has increased by threefold, said Chandrakant Lahariya, a health policy expert. “In the beginning, India had far more assured supply available than the demand, but now the situation has reversed,” he added.

In Kerala state, the drive to inoculate all adults is crawling along because “our single biggest problem is the very slow arrival of supplies,” said the state’s COVID-19 officer, Amar Fetle.

In New Delhi, many are waiting for hours outside vaccination centers – but only after they’ve been able to book a slot.

For Gurmukh Singh, a marketing professional in the city, this has been impossible. “It gets really frustrating, having so many hospitals and vaccine centers around but not being able to get access because they are all pre-booked,” he said.

Experts also point to a new policy change by the government, which has upended how doses are being distributed.

Previously, all of the stock was bought by the federal government and then administered to the population through both public and private health facilities.

But from May 1, all available stock has been divided in two, with 50% purchased by the government going to public health centers to inoculate those above 45. The remaining half is being purchased by states and the private sector directly from manufacturers at set prices to give to adults below 45.

This has led to lags as states and private hospitals, still adjusting to new rules, struggle to procure supplies on their own.

“You have now taken it out of a fairly efficient system where every dose was still centrally-controlled,” said Jacob John, a professor of community medicine at Christian Medical College, Vellore. “But with market forces at play and unprepared states burdened with such a daunting task, the efficiency of the system has fallen.”

Things could change in the coming months, as the government last month gave an advance to the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech, which could help boost manufacturing. And last week, India received its first batch of Sputnik V vaccines. Russia has signed a deal with an Indian pharmaceutical company to distribute 125 million doses.

But with vaccines currently in short supply, there are worries that those most in need are missing out. The goal should be to prioritize preventing deaths, which means fully vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable first, said Dr. Gagandeep Kang, a microbiologist at Christian Medical College, Vellore.

“You need to give it (earlier) to people who are more likely to die first,” Kang said.


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Oregon reports 833 new coronavirus cases as total surpasses 190K
in Health

Oregon reports 833 new coronavirus cases as total surpasses 190K

by
May 9, 2021
418

The Oregon Health Authority’s daily coronavirus report has pushed the total number of cases found in the state since the pandemic began past 190,000 on Saturday. With 833 new COVID-19 cases, there have been a total of 190,804 cases in Oregon.

Additionally, the OHA reported seven new virus-related deaths, which raises the death toll to 2,528.

Hospitalizations also rose compared to Friday’s report. There are currently 329 patients hospitalized across Oregon due to the virus, which is five more than yesterday. Of those patients, 84 people are in Intensive Care Unit beds.

With vaccinations against the virus continuing in Oregon, the OHA reports that the “seven-day running average is now 33,318 doses per day.” The following totals of the three vaccines have been administered so far:

  • 1,788,239 first and second doses of Pfizer
  • 1,382,574 first and second doses of Moderna
  • 105,458 single doses of Johnson & Johnson

The new cases of COVID-19 were found in the following Oregon counties: Baker (7), Benton (11), Clackamas (92), Clatsop (4), Columbia (10), Crook (8), Curry (5), Deschutes (115), Douglas (4), Gilliam (4), Harney (1), Hood River (2), Jackson (35), Jefferson (5), Josephine (6), Klamath (49), Lane (55), Lincoln (3), Linn (26), Malheur (7), Marion (75), Morrow (1), Multnomah (156), Polk (8), Tillamook (4), Umatilla (9), Union (2), Wallowa (2), Wasco (4), Washington (94) and Yamhill (29).

The OHA released the following information about the recently reported deaths:

  • An 87-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on May 2 and died on May 7 at Asante Ashland Community Hospital. He had underlying conditions.
  • A 90-year-old man from Jackson County who tested positive on April 26 and died on May 7 at Asante Ashland Community Hospital. He had underlying conditions.
  • A 62-year-old woman from Marion County who tested positive on April 18 and died on May 7 at Salem Hospital. She had underlying conditions.
  • A 65-year-old man from Lane County who tested positive on April 16 and died on May 7 at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
  • A 69-year-old woman from Multnomah County who tested positive on May 2 and died on May 4 at Adventist Medical Center. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.
  • A 68-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on April 30 and died on May 7 at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.
  • A 68-year-old man from Multnomah County who tested positive on April 23 and died on May 2 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.

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Remnants of Chinese rocket land in Indian Ocean
in Headlines

Remnants of Chinese rocket land in Indian Ocean

by
May 9, 2021
413

A large out-of-control Chinese rocket has come down in the Indian Ocean.

Remnants of the rocket landed west of the Maldives archipelago, Chinese state media said, ending days of speculation of where the Long March 5B rocket might land.

The odds of the spacecraft landing on a populated area of the earth were low, and the likelihood of injuries were even lower, according to engineers.

The potential debris zone could have been as far north as New York, and as far south as Chile, scientists said.

Last year, the first Long March 5B damaged some buildings when it crashed on the Ivory Coast.

Most of the rocket’s debris was burnt up in the atmosphere, as it re-entered the planet at 10:24 a.m. Beijing time Sunday, Chinese engineers said.

“It makes the Chinese rocket designers look lazy that they didn’t address this,” Harvard-based astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said of the uncontrolled re-entries.

“It is common practice across the world for upper stages of rockets to burn up while reentering the atmosphere,” said Wang Wenbin, a spokesman at the Chinese foreign ministry.

The rocket launched April 29, carrying with it the first module of China’s future space station.


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EU calls on US to push exports to counter vaccine shortage
in World News

EU calls on US to push exports to counter vaccine shortage

by
May 8, 2021
398

The European Union called on the United States Friday to start boosting its vaccine exports to contain the global COVID-19 crisis, and said that the U.S. backing of patent waivers would provide only a long-term solution at best.

“We invite all those who engage in the debate of a waiver for (Intellectual Property) rights also to join us to commit to be willing to export a large share of what is being produced in that region,” said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

In the wake of the U.S. backing calls to waive patents on vaccine technology, French President Emmanuel Macron summarized the view from Europe when he said at an EU summit in Porto, Portugal: “You can give the intellectual property to laboratories that do not know how to produce it. They won’t produce it tomorrow.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gave the idea endorsed by U.S. President Joe Biden this week a guarded welcome, but he immediately added, “We believe it is insufficient. It should be more ambitious.”

While the U.S. has kept a tight lid on exports of American-made vaccines so it can inoculate its own population first, the EU has become the world’s leading provider, allowing about as many doses to go outside the 27-nation bloc as are kept for its 446 million inhabitants. Many EU nations, however, have demanded a stop to vaccine nationalism and export bans.

Von der Leyen said that any patent waiver “will not bring a single dose of vaccine in the short and medium term.”

Macron said it was more important for Biden to work on exports. “The Anglo-Saxons block many of these ingredients” needed to make vaccines, the French leader said, referring to Washington and London. “Today, 100% of vaccines produced in the United States of America are for the American market.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this week that the EU had distributed about 200 million doses within the bloc while about the same amount had been exported abroad.

“Around 50% of what is being produced in Europe is exported to almost 90 countries,” von der Leyen said, and called on Biden and other vaccine producing regions or nations to step up their effort.

“We are the most generous in the world of developed nations. Europe should be proud of itself,” Macron said.

The EU is trying to regain the diplomatic initiative on vaccines after Biden put it on the back foot with his surprising endorsement of lifting patent protections on COVID-19 vaccines, seeking to solve the problem of getting shots into the arms of people in poorer countries.

EU leaders said they were ready to discuss the U.S. backing for proposals first submitted to the World Trade Organization by India and South Africa, but they said many other initiatives would be more effective at this point, ranging from ramping up production capacity to distributing raw materials. So far, they insisted, the issue of waiving patents is not a big problem.


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Cincinnati Reds' Wade Miley confounds Cleveland Indians for 2021's 4th no-hitter
in Sports

Cincinnati Reds’ Wade Miley confounds Cleveland Indians for 2021’s 4th no-hitter

by
May 8, 2021
412

Wade Miley pitched baseball’s second no-hitter in three days — and fourth already this season — leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-0 win Friday night over the Cleveland Indians, who were no-hit for the second time in a month.

Miley (4-2) relied on breaking pitches and his experience of 11-plus major league seasons to baffle the Indians and throw Cincinnati’s first no-hitter since Homer Bailey did it in 2013.

“It feels surreal,” the 34-year-old said.

The left-hander shook off an 83-minute rain delay to start the game in Cleveland and followed Baltimore’s John Means, who no-hit Seattle on Wednesday, to continue an early run of pitching gems in 2021 — quickly becoming the Year of the No-No.

San Diego’s Joe Musgrove started the ’21 no-hitter club by throwing the first in Padres history on April 9. Five days later, Chicago White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon blanked the Indians, just missing a perfect game when he hit a batter in the ninth inning.

Arizona’s Madison Bumgarner pitched a seven-inning no-hitter against Atlanta on April 25, but that one isn’t recognized as official because it didn’t go nine innings.

This is the earliest in a calendar year there have been four no-hitters since 1917, when the fourth was thrown on May 5 and the fifth on May 6, and only the second season overall in MLB history to have four no-hitters before the end of May, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. It’s no wonder: Hitters entered Friday batting a record-low .233 this season.

Miley was in control from the start. He coasted through five innings and carried a perfect game into the sixth, when he began to realize history could be made.

One of the team’s most popular players, Miley said the zeros on the scoreboard quickly made him an outcast in Cincinnati’s dugout.

“All my buddies left me,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t like that. I don’t like thinking about pitching. I want to talk about something else, talk about fishing, talk about hitting, There was nobody to talk to.”

In the ninth, Miley retired pinch hitter Rene Rivera on a lazy fly to right, struck out Cesar Hernandez and then retired Jordan Luplow on a grounder to third before he was mobbed by the Reds, who encircled him and danced across the grass.

“I will never forget that,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I will never forget the look on Wade’s face. I’m so glad he’s enjoying every moment.”

After the game, Miley credited his 4-year-old son, Jeb, for convincing him to put a temporary tattoo of the Hulk on his left forearm before his start against the Indians.

“I got no muscles at all,” Miley said, smiling. “Maybe this gave me some strength.”

For their part, the Indians joined a dubious list by becoming the 16th team to be no-hit twice in the same season. It most recently happened to Seattle in 2019.

Miley walked one and struck out eight on 114 pitches.

“He kept us off balance,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He touched 90 [mph] once tonight, but he put on a clinic. I mean, he cut the ball in on the righties, threw a changeup, threw a four-seamer in; he just went back and forth.”

With Miley joining Rodon and Means in 2021’s southpaw no-hit club, the most recent season to feature three no-hitters from left-handed pitchers was 1990 (Randy Johnson, Fernando Valenzuela and Terry Mulholland), according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

While Miley was blanking the Indians, Zach Plesac did the same to the Reds for eight innings before Cincinnati pushed three runs across in the ninth, helped by closer Emmanuel Clase’s throwing error and a balk.

The Reds got a pair of singles before Clase (2-1) fielded an infield tapper and threw wide of second base, allowing Nick Senzel to score from second. Then, with runners at the corners, Clase began his windup before stopping and tried to throw to second.

Mike Moustakas, starting at first for the injured Joey Votto, followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0 and give Miley, who battled injuries last season after joining the Reds, more cushion — but also more time to think about it in the dugout.

“That’s probably when I felt it the most,” said the Louisianan, who got emotional afterward while thinking of family back home. “We scratched across three runs and it was going kind of slow. I didn’t want to throw in the hallway because I was pretty tired, but at the same time I wanted to stay loose. But I was able to get three pretty quick ones.”

Miley came in just 1-4 in eight career starts against the Indians, who were batting only .213 as a team. But Cleveland has been as hot as any team, riding a five-game winning streak and winning nine of 11 to take over first in the American League Central.

Working quickly on a cool, damp night, Miley made fast work of the Indians.

He coasted through five innings and didn’t allow a baserunner until the sixth, when Cleveland’s Amed Rosario reached on second baseman Senzel’s fielding error and then went to second on his throwing error.

Miley also allowed a walk in the inning, but he regrouped by getting Luplow on a liner to left.

Franmil Reyes came the closest to getting a hit for the Indians, but his hard smash in the fifth inning was right at shortstop Kyle Farmer, who knocked it down and had plenty of time to throw out the slow-footed slugger.

It was the Reds’ 17th no-hitter since 1892.

“For something like this to happen, I don’t have the words,” Miley said.


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An important message from Paul Gross on Melanoma Monday
in Health

An important message from Paul Gross on Melanoma Monday

by
May 3, 2021
491

I’ve always been thankful that I was born with my mother’s skin — she has a darker skin tone that tans, and never had skin cancer in her life.

My late father, on the other hand, had very fair skin. That, compounded with extensive sun exposure when he was stationed in San Juan, Puerto Rico during World War II, caused him all sorts of problems later in life. He had several skin cancers removed from his head, face and ears, and many, many other pre-cancerous lesions proactively removed. It seemed like every few months, he was coming home from the dermatologist with bandages all over his face and scalp.

I was thankful that I never had to go through any of this. Until I did.

This past winter, I had a scab on the side of my head that just didn’t seem to want to heal. I finally went to the dermatologist to have him take a look, and he decided to carve it out and have it biopsied. Fortunately, the biopsy was negative for cancer, but it was identified as an actinic keratosis: sun damaged skin. Left untreated, it very well could have turned into skin cancer. This stunned me, as I always wear baseball hats and golf hats when outside — but the doctor told me that the sun damage could have occurred when I was young.

This Melanoma Monday, I am writing this letter to plead with you to get anything on your skin, face or head that isn’t normal checked out. Melanoma is the worst-case skin cancer you could get, and one you should dread. If it’s caught early, the cancer is 99% curable, according to the American Cancer Society. However, should your melanoma spread regionally, that cure rate drops to 66% and, if it spreads distantly in your body, your likelihood of surviving drops to 27%.

Like most cancers, you need to catch this early.

If you don’t see a dermatologist annually for skin checkups, at least have your partner or a family member occasionally take a look at the parts of your body that you can’t easily see. Below is a chart of abnormal things to look out for. A helpful note: “greater than 6 mm” is larger than the size of a pencil eraser.


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Andrew Brown Jr. funeral: Rev. Al Sharpton to deliver eulogy at North Carolina service
in Headlines

Andrew Brown Jr. funeral: Rev. Al Sharpton to deliver eulogy at North Carolina service

by
May 3, 2021
393

A funeral service will be held in North Carolina Monday for Andrew Brown Jr., the 42-year-old Black man who was killed by deputies serving drug-related search and arrest warrants on April 21.

Brown’s death sparked over a week of protests that have continued even as a judge delayed the public release of body camera footage of the fatal shooting for at least 30 days.

A private funeral ceremony will begin at noon ET Monday at the Fountain of Life Church in Elizabeth City. The event is invitation only but will be livestreamed by Horton’s Funeral Home.

Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy. Other speakers will include Brown’s relatives, prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who’s representing Brown’s family, and Rev. William Barber II, leader of the Poor People’s Campaign.

“I would want to get across that this is a human being. And for us, it’s part of a continual abuse of police power,” Sharpton told the Associated Press about his plans for Brown’s eulogy.

Family and friends had their first opportunity to pay their respects Sunday morning as Brown’s body lay in state at Horton’s Funeral Home and Cremations Chapel in Hertford. About 80 people had streamed in to sign the guest registrar and briefly stand by the open casket.

Brown’s chrome casket was loaded into a Cadillac hearse and transported to The Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, where at least 300 people came to pay their respects that afternoon.

Sharpton recently delivered the eulogy for Daunte Wright, who was fatally shot by a police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. His death sparked nights of unrest amid the nearby trial for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was later convicted in the murder and manslaughter of George Floyd.

Rev. Greg Drumwright, a pastor from Greensboro, organized buses to bring people into Elizabeth City on Sunday, the Raleigh News & Observer reported. Protesters marched peacefully during the afternoon, ending at Brown’s home on Perry Street, where the deputy-involved shooting took place, WAVY-TV reported. A mural of Brown is now spray painted on the side of the residence. There were two press briefings organized Sunday by Brown’s children and local faith and city leaders.

Elizabeth City officials on Friday pushed back a curfew by several hours each night after a week of generally peaceful protests. Starting Friday night, the curfew will run from midnight until 6 a.m. It took effect at 8 p.m. on previous nights.

Last week, Superior Court Judge Jeffery Foster ruled all body camera footage of the April 21 fatal deputy-involved shooting of Brown will be delayed for public release for at least 30 days to allow North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to move forward with their probe.

Pasquotank County Attorney R. Michael Cox had filed a petition on behalf of Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II for the release of the footage. Four of the seven deputies placed on administrative leave following the fatal shooting of Brown were reinstated Thursday after body-camera footage revealed they did not fire their weapons, Wooten announced. Three remain on leave.

The attorneys representing Brown’s family and a district attorney in North Carolina have contradicted each other’s accounts of what took place on the body camera footage of the incident.

District Attorney Andrew Womble said in court that Brown’s car “made contact” with sheriff’s deputies twice before law enforcement opened fire. He called comments made by Brown family attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter at an earlier press conference “patently false.”

Cherry-Lassiter, who was part of a group privately shown a clip of body camera footage, argued it depicted “an execution” and claimed that Brown had his hands on the steering wheel and was not threatening deputies as he was fired upon.

An independent autopsy commissioned by attorneys representing Brown’s family showed Brown was shot four times in the right arm, and a fifth time fatally in the back of the head.

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