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McKenzie Scott PC Files Civil Rights Suit Against City of San Diego and Two SDPD Officers on Behalf of Marine Corps Veteran and Local Business Owner
San Diego, CAOn Juneteenth last week, McKenzie Scott PC filed a federal civil rights complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California on behalf of Hakimkhalfani Webb, a 62-year-old honorably discharged U.S. Marine Corps veteran and San Diego County business owner, against the City of San Diego and two San Diego Police […]
San Diego, CA
On Juneteenth last week, McKenzie Scott PC filed a federal civil rights complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California on behalf of Hakimkhalfani Webb, a 62-year-old honorably discharged U.S. Marine Corps veteran and San Diego County business owner, against the City of San Diego and two San Diego Police Department officers. The complaint [Case No. 3:26-cv-03641-AGS-VET] alleges that Mr. Webb was subjected to two racially-motivated pretextual traffic stops in June 2025 and January 2026, during which he was removed from his vehicle, handcuffed, searched, and photographed without legal justification—conduct the complaint alleges is consistent with a well-documented and longstanding pattern of racially disparate policing by the SDPD.
About Mr. Webb
Hakimkhalfani Webb was born and raised in Texas and joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 18. He served honorably for 21 years – including three combat deployments to Beirut, Desert Storm, and Iraq – before retiring in 2002 and continuing to serve in the reserves for an additional nine years. Since retiring, Mr. Webb has operated All Point Security, a security firm he has owned in San Diego County since 2001. He is the father of three daughters and grandfather to two granddaughters. He has no criminal history whatsoever.
The Incidents
June 14, 2025: Mr. Webb was pulled over by SDPD Officers Michael Hagen (#1148) and Adrian Villanueva (#1759) under the stated pretext of a missing front license plate – a plate that was in the cab of his truck following a recent bumper replacement. The officers drew their weapons upon approaching him. Upon discovering his lawfully-registered 9mm Glock – a firearm he has carried for work as a licensed security guard since purchasing it in 2001 – Officer Hagen repeatedly told Mr. Webb he would shoot him. Mr. Webb was removed from his vehicle, handcuffed, placed in a patrol car, and subjected to an “inventory search” that found no contraband. He was not cited for the missing license plate. Instead, he was arrested on the false claim that the Glock was not registered to him, a charge the City itself subsequently confirmed was completely erroneous – in truth, the officers had failed to enter the complete serial number when checking registration.
Despite the City’s acknowledgment that Mr. Webb should not be prosecuted because his firearm was lawfully registered to him, it refused to return Mr. Webb’s property, requiring him to pay the California Department of Justice for a “Law Enforcement Gun Release.” Mr. Webb did not recover his gun – his primary tool of employment – until December 4, 2025, nearly six months after it was wrongfully seized.
January 24, 2026: The day after Mr. Webb submitted a request to seal and destroy records of his wrongful arrest, Officer Villanueva – the same officer from the June 2025 stop – made a U-turn to follow Mr. Webb’s vehicle in South San Diego. After Mr. Webb came to a complete stop at three consecutive stop signs, Officer Villanueva initiated another traffic stop, claiming Mr. Webb had rolled through a sign. Mr. Webb was again removed from his vehicle, handcuffed, and forced to pose for photographs from the front and side – mug-shot style – in the street, surrounded by uniformed, armed SDPD officers. He was released after approximately 30 minutes without any citation.
The Data: A Pattern the City Has Long Known About
The complaint draws on data published by the City of San Diego itself as well as findings from California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board (RIPA) and San Diego’s own Commission on Police Practices (CPP).
California’s RIPA Board 2026 Annual Report: Reducing pretext stops will increase public safety and reduce racial profiling
The 2026 RIPA Board Report found, consistent with prior years, that racial and identity profiling in California remains a serious concern. The Board specifically noted that pretextual stops – stops based on hunches without reasonable suspicion or probable cause – are particularly susceptible to racial bias, and that RIPA data show Black drivers are asked for consent to search more frequently than White drivers despite minimal discovery of weapons or contraband. The Board found that officers asked for consent to search most frequently in stops initiated for equipment violations, with the highest rates in stops of Black individuals (6.45%; 7,016 stops). The RIPA Board also found that “a wealth of information, data, and research shows that pretextual stops do not benefit the community.” Accordingly, the RIPA Board noted “that there are significant benefits to enacting policies limiting or eliminating pretextual stops, including an increase in public safety and a reduction in racial and identity profiling.”
San Diego Commission on Police Practices – 2024 RIPA Data:
San Diego’s own Commission on Police Practices, in a June 2026 community briefing, highlighted the following findings:
- Black individuals were stopped 3.05 times more often than expected based on population, while White individuals were stopped 15.05% less often than expected.
- Compared to individuals perceived to be White, individuals perceived to be Black were:
○ 4.42 times more likely to be frisked
○ 3.36 times more likely to be asked to consent to a property search
○ 3.31 times more likely to be handcuffed
○ 3.24 times more likely to have force used against them
○ 2.31 times more likely to be subject to a parole status inquiry
○ 1.22 times more likely to be detained in a patrol car
The Commission on Police Practices will likely formally recommend that the City take action to reduce or eliminate pretextual stops, noting that such stops do not increase public safety.
Claims
The complaint asserts 10 causes of action, including violations of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (unlawful search and seizure, unlawful seizure of property, and equal protection), California’s Bane Act (Cal. Civ. Code § 52.1), negligence, false arrest, conversion, and trespass to chattels. A Monell claim is brought against the City of San Diego for its policy of failure to train officers to avoid race-based stops and seizures.
Mr. Webb seeks compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive relief to end race-based stops and searches by the SDPD, and attorneys’ fees and costs.
Statement of Counsel
“Mr. Webb proudly and honorably served our Country for three decades; he’s spent his civilian life as a law-abiding business owner in San Diego County,” said Michele A. McKenzie of McKenzie Scott PC. “What happened to him–and what keeps happening to him–is sadly not an anomaly. The City’s own stop data demonstrates that year after year Black drivers in San Diego are stopped, searched, handcuffed, and photographed at disproportionate rates that cannot be explained by anything other than race. Mr. Webb is a father and grandfather who has lived a law-abiding life. He rightfully is seeking a future in which he can live and drive in San Diego without fear of being arbitrarily stopped because he is a Black.”
“I feel it is important to stand up for myself and for others who are being stopped based on the color of our skin. These recurring stops by the police are terrifying and dangerous. I feel blessed that so far I have not been physically injured when the police point their weapons at me. But it’s past time for this to stop. I’m speaking out now before my blessings run out.” said Mr. Webb.
About McKenzie Scott PC
McKenzie Scott is a San Diego civil rights law firm dedicated to protecting individual liberties and holding government entities accountable. The firm specializes in civil rights violation cases, including police misconduct, First Amendment rights, in-custody jail deaths, civil liberties, and public interest litigation. McKenzie Scott’s attorneys have successfully represented numerous families in excessive force and wrongful death cases against law enforcement agencies, including securing the then-largest excessive-force verdict in American history ($85 million in K.J.P. v. San Diego) and the largest wrongful death settlement in history paid by San Diego County ($16 million in the Hayden Schuck case).
For more information, please visit www.mckenziescott.com.
MEDIA REQUESTS:
Jason Kitchen
McKenzie Scott PC
1350 Columbia Street, Suite 600, San Diego, CA 92101
C: (517) 974-4724 | O: (619) 794-0451
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Bluwhale Makes Inc. 5000 Debut by Putting AI Agents to Work for Consumers
SAN FRANCISCO, CAFirst-time honoree is building a consumer operating system where AI agents manage and grow an individual’s financial life
First-time honoree is building a consumer operating system where AI agents manage and grow an individual’s financial life
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Bluwhale, the AI-native financial operating system bringing AI agents directly to consumers, today announced that it has been named to the Inc. 5000 for the first time, ranking No. 2372 on the 2026 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.
The ranking reflects Bluwhale’s revenue growth from 2022 through 2025, when it scaled the decentralized AI network that now underpins its consumer-facing agent infrastructure. The company’s next chapter is focused on one of AI’s least-developed frontiers: agents that work continuously for individuals, not only inside enterprises.
Consumers are already looking to AI for financial guidance, but trust has not caught up. A new Gallup survey conducted with Edward Jones and reported by The Associated Press found that 18% of U.S. adults who sought financial guidance used AI tools in the past year, rising to roughly one in four among Gen Z and millennial guidance-seekers. Yet only 3% of U.S. adults expressed a great deal of confidence in AI’s financial expertise.
“Enterprise agents are built around workflows. Consumer agents have to be built around a person,” said Han Jin, co-founder and CEO of Bluwhale. “That means understanding the context of that person’s financial life, working within limits the user sets and being accountable for every action. The opportunity is not another place to ask questions. It is infrastructure that keeps working on the consumer’s behalf. Being named to the Inc. 5000 list is an honor and represents the growth and acceptance we have attained in the market.”
“Every company on the Inc. 5000 has a story of perseverance, smart decision making, and a refusal to sit still,” says Mike Hofman, editor-in-chief of Inc. “Their growth reflects more than strong financial performance–it reflects creativity, resilience, and the customer focus required to build companies that make a lasting impact. We congratulate all honorees on this significant achievement.”
Consumer agents need context, permission, and proof
To work on behalf of an individual, an agent needs more than a prompt. It needs current context across the user’s financial life and clear rules governing what it can access and do. Bluwhale connects bank accounts, cards, brokerages, exchanges, wallets and digital assets, then lets users set permissions around each agent. Blockchain infrastructure and zero-knowledge proofs provide a verifiable layer beneath the AI, creating an auditable record of what information the agent used, what it recommended and what it did.
Users can test agents with virtual USDT before connecting real financial accounts. The system is designed to monitor continuously, identify a relevant change and either recommend or carry out a permitted action, depending on the user’s settings.
“Trust is what turns an agent from a demo into a consumer product,” Jin said. “The agent should be able to act, but never outside the boundaries the user has set. People need to see what it saw, why it acted and what changed afterward. That record is as important as the action itself.”
The network behind the consumer product
Bluwhale’s consumer product is built on a decentralized network that now reaches more than 3.8 million unique users and has processed more than 100 million agent transactions across more than 80 chains. Its consumer platform reports 160,000 daily active users, $6.8 million in capital managed by agents and access to 6,000 financial products. In 2025, Bluwhale closed a $10 million strategic Series A backed by UOB Venture Management, SBI Holdings, Sui, Tezos, Cardano, Arbitrum and Movement Labs among others. In 2026, it extended that foundation into its consumer financial operating system across web and mobile.
The ranking also marks a return to Inc. for Jin, whom the publication named to its 30 Under 30 list in 2017 for his earlier company, Lucid VR.
About the Inc. 5000
The Inc. 5000 ranks U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit and independent companies according to percentage revenue growth over three years. For the 2026 list, companies were evaluated on revenue growth from 2022 to 2025 and were required to generate at least $100,000 in 2022 and $2 million in 2025. The complete list is available at inc.com/inc5000.
About Bluwhale
Bluwhale is building an AI-native financial operating system for a world in which money is distributed across banks, brokerages, wallets, stablecoins and digital assets. By combining AI agents, financial intelligence and decentralized infrastructure, Bluwhale gives users one view of their financial lives and tools to act while retaining control of their data, accounts and permissions. For more information, visit bluwhale.com.
Media Contact Details
Erica Zeidenberg
Bluewhale Inc.
Email: Send Email
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Navy Veteran and Executive Protection Trainer Releases Practical Operating System for Daily Growth
KANEOHE, HawaiiNew book “Better Today Than Yesterday” translates high-stakes readiness principles into a sustainable framework for Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical progress
New book “Better Today Than Yesterday” translates high-stakes readiness principles into a sustainable framework for Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical progress
KANEOHE, Hawaii
Kevin L. Lewis, a Navy veteran, martial arts Hall of Fame inductee, and longtime trainer of military, law-enforcement, and private-sector security teams, has released Better Today Than Yesterday: A Practical Philosophy for Daily Growth. The book is now available in Kindle ($4.99) and paperback ($12.99) editions on Amazon at https://a.co/d/05CNOeMg.
Rather than urging dramatic transformation or intense motivation, the book presents a clear, workable operating system built around one simple standard: be better today than you were yesterday. Lewis draws the framework from years of operational experience in executive protection and high-stakes readiness training, then adapts those principles for everyday life.
The system centers on four interlocking domains—Spiritual (clarity of purpose and inner alignment), Mental (sharper thinking and better decisions), Emotional (steady presence under pressure), and Physical (the foundation that supports everything else). Readers learn practical methods for “bookending” the day with intentional morning and evening practices, using a simple daily and weekly review template, and applying concepts such as time, distance, opportunity, and options to ordinary decisions. The emphasis remains on consistent action over intention and on systems that can be sustained without burnout.
“Growth, education, and training must never end, or complacency will set in. Complacency kills,” Lewis states. The book reflects that same stance: progress is measured in daily, compounding actions rather than perfection or intensity.
Lewis is the founder of Universal Defensive Tactics, a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Krav Maga, a 1st Degree Black Belt in Shudo-Kan Karate, and a 2010 inductee into the Martial Arts Master’s Hall of Fame. He has prepared A-list actors for action roles in more than 20 major films and is the author of Idiot’s Guide to Krav Maga. He continues to train and teach from Kaneohe, Hawaii.
Better Today Than Yesterday is written for adults who have tried conventional self-help approaches and found them either too vague or unsustainable. It offers a calm, direct alternative focused on practice rather than theory.
Media Contact Details
Kevin Lewis
Krav Maga Hawaii
Phone: 18189034014
Website: kravmagahawaii.org
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“The Last Message,” A Powerful Movie Filmed In Ukraine, Will Screen Wednesday At The Chain NYC International Film Festival
New York CityOn August 12th at 7:00 PM, the powerful documentary “The Last Message” will screen at the Chain NYC Film Festival at Chain Theatre in Manhattan.
On August 12th at 7:00 PM, the powerful documentary "The Last Message" will screen at the Chain NYC Film Festival at Chain Theatre in Manhattan.
New York City
“The Last Message” movie is coming to New York City.
On August 12th at 7:00 PM, the documentary “The Last Message” will screen at the Chain NYC Film Festival at Chain Theatre in Manhattan. The movie has received an astounding 44 film festival awards and selections since February and is now in a campaign for an Oscar. https://thelastmessagemovie.com/
“The Last Message” tells the story of Ukraine not through statistics or news headlines, but through the personal journey of American singer Kelsie Kimberlin, who travels to a country at war and meets people whose lives have been changed by Russia’s aggression. She spent a month filming, including a week along the frontline while drones, artillery, and missiles attacked nearby.
Marharyta Vlasova and director Andrii Voloshyn developed the original concept and screenplay together. Andrii directed the film alongside Ukrainian cinematographer and director Oleksii Liebiediev.
But no film can be made alone. “The Last Message” is the work of a large Ukrainian-American team, and without their talent, experience, and dedication, this film simply would not exist.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Kelsie Kimberlin, Director Voloshyn, and cinematographer Dmitro Bondarenko.
“If you’re in New York — whether you work in film or journalism, are part of the Ukrainian community, or simply care about what is happening in Ukraine — please join us, said Kelsie. We will be honored to see you there and continue the conversation after the film.”
August 12 · 7:00 PM
Chain Theatre, 4th Floor
312 W 36th St, New York, NY 10018
Trailer:
https://lnkd.in/gy9vA7Jt
Film page at the Chain NYC Film Festival where to purchase tickets:
https://lnkd.in/gTQfh-T8
Media Contact Details
Kelsie Kimberlin
Kelsie Kimberlin Foundation
Email: Send Email
Website: kelsiekimberlinfoundation.org
Bluwhale Makes Inc. 5000 Debut by Putting AI Agents to Work for Consumers
Navy Veteran and Executive Protection Trainer Releases Practical Operating System for Daily Growth
“The Last Message,” A Powerful Movie Filmed In Ukraine, Will Screen Wednesday At The Chain NYC International Film Festival
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