NY Mayor Bill de Blasio Used NYPD Security Detail to Move Daughter Out of Apartment

New York Mayor and Democratic presidential long shot Bill de Blasio reportedly used members of his NYPD security detail to move his daughter out of her Sunset Park Brooklyn apartment.

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Real Estate Investment Firm Founder Honored for Major Miami Hotel Deal

The National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD), recently honored Raoul Thomas, the founder and CEO of the CGI Merchant Group for his part in the successful opening of The Gabriel Miami, a new Miami hotel.

Thomas partnered with Hilton to open the downtown Miami hotel—now part of Hilton’s ‘Curio Collection’ of one-of-a-kind boutique hotels.

[RELATED: BLACK REAL ESTATE MOGUL DON PEEBLES TO CREATE $500 MILLION FUND FOR MINORITY REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS]

Andrew “Andy” Ingraham, president and founder of NABHOOD presented Thomas the award for Deal of the Year at the 23^rd Annual International African American Hotel Ownership & Investment Summit & Trade Show.

“Raoul had the good fortune to partner with a star brand to turn that hotel around,” said Ingraham about Thomas’ role in transitioning the property into a Hilton hotel.

The Gabriel Miami is the city’s newest upscale hotel featuring Latin-inspired dining. It offers 85 guest room balconies with ocean views and a 14th-floor pool deck.

In a 2015 interview with Commercial Property Executive, Thomas said that he saw Miami not only as a tourist spot but as a location for international investment and development.

[RELATED: 2019 BLACK MEN XCEL TAKES CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE TO MIAMI]

“I think that as Europe comes back in force, Miami is only going to get stronger. Miami is going to become one of the premier gateway cities in the U.S., comparable to New York,” he said.

In June, Thomas’s firm purchased a 162,293-square-foot office building in Coral Gables, Florida, in a deal valued at $54.4 million. His company increases the value of its assets on commercial real estate and infrastructure investments and then turns them into fully-operational assets.

According to a press release, in the past six months, CGI has “deployed more than $400 million in capital multiple assets classes including executive offices and retail space.”

“It is a great honor to be recognized with such an award,” said Thomas about this honor. “This award is a testament to CGI’s growth and our passionate team who delivers outstanding solutions to a base of loyal customers. It is an absolute pleasure to be a part of the 2019 NABHOOD Summit on behalf of CGI Merchant Group and The Gabriel Miami.”

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Sheldon Smith: Inspired to Create a Program for Young, Black Fathers

BE Modern Man: Sheldon Smith

Nonprofit leader; 30; Founder and Executive Director, The Dovetail Project

Twitter: @TheSheldonBrand; Instagram: @thesheldonbrand

My organization, The Dovetail Project, gives young black, fathers ages 17-24 the skills and support they need to be better fathers for their children and better men in their communities. Our work improves the overall wellness and health of each student by giving young men the resources and knowledge that aren’t readily available in their communities or in any one location anywhere in Chicago. By doing this, we are helping to alleviate the stress, doubt, and depression that many young fathers face not understanding their roles, rights, and responsibilities of being a parent. So far, 431 young dads [have graduated] from our program.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN LIFE?

I am most proud of being an excellent husband, a strong and present father, and for being a member of the community who is looking to change the world and trajectory for young fathers and their children.

HOW HAVE YOU TURNED STRUGGLE INTO SUCCESS?

I grew up in a poor neighborhood with my father being a sporadic presence in my life. By the age of 17, I received a felony for armed robbery. At the age of 20, I dropped out of college and became a father. All of that motivated me to start the Dovetail Project to help young fathers, and to make sure children had better relationships with their fathers and better opportunities for their lives.

WHO WAS YOUR GREATEST MALE ROLE MODEL AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM HIM?

Jay-Z! He grew up in the Marcy projects, struggled with his relationship with his father, and was in the streets. Through all of that, he saw a bigger vision for his life and is a huge success in all aspects of his life — as a businessman, husband, father, and family man. How could you not be motivated by a man who started at the bottom and became a billionaire before turning 50?

HOW DO YOU DEFINE MANHOOD?

Manhood is having great character and integrity and by being a man of your word through your actions. I believe men should be leaders and challengers and make investments in others.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

Failure is the most important route to success.

HOW ARE YOU PAYING IT FORWARD TO SUPPORT OTHER BLACK MALES?

Despite all of the roadblocks and barriers I faced, I was able to organically create an organization to solve the problem of absentee fathers. My father had me at 18 and I was 20 when I had my daughter, so being able to help young fathers ages 17 to 24, who have been impacted by their fathers in negative ways, is how I am paying it forward.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT BEING A BLACK MAN?

Unfortunately, many black men come into the world as underdogs, but through it all we find a way to persevere and succeed in amazing ways. We then take what we learned and use it to mentor and empower the next generation.

WHAT PRACTICES, TOOLS, BOOKS, ETC. DO YOU RELY ON FOR YOUR SUCCESS?

Prayer. I pray every day, all day. There is no way you can do this work or any work or face day-to-day challenges without having a spiritual component to ground you and keep you focused.

I have a great cabinet of successful mentors from various industries, ages, and life circumstances. I try to meet with them monthly to get varying perspectives on issues I’m facing and to continue my growth. I learn so much from them; that it is my most valuable resource.

BE Modern Man is an online and social media campaign designed to celebrate black men making valuable contributions in every profession, industry, community, and area of endeavor. Each year, we solicit nominations in order to select men of color for inclusion in the 100 Black Enterprise Modern Men of Distinction. Our goal is to recognize men who epitomize the BEMM credo “Extraordinary is our normal” in their day-to-day lives, presenting authentic examples of the typical black man rarely seen in mainstream media. The BE Modern Men of Distinction are celebrated annually at Black Men XCEL (www.blackenterprise.com/blackmenxcel/). Click this link to submit a nomination for BE Modern Man: https://www.blackenterprise.com/nominate/. Follow BE Modern Man on Twitter: @bemodernman and Instagram: @be_modernman.

 

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Fresh Outta Swedish Jail, A$AP Rocky Hits Up Kanye West's Sunday Service

A$AP Rocky had cause for praise this past Sunday. (I know, I know, the more devout amongst us would say every day there’s cause to praise the Lord, but nevertheless!) The 30-year-old rapper, born Rakim Mayers, seemed in high spirits after arriving stateside this weekend, after spending more than a month in a Swedish…

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Monday's Best Deals: Echo Dots, Reebok, Pretzels, and More

An on-sale smart plug, discounted Stila Cosmetics palettes, and an under-desk elliptical lead off Monday’s best deals from around the web.

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