After investigation, McAllen fires one police officer for using excessive force against a prisoner who spit on him; another cop resigns
By CBS 4 News
July 27, 2016
The McAllen Police Department fired an officer last week after an internal investigation determined he attacked a handcuffed man during an arrest.
McAllen fired Officer Ulysses Bautista on July 20, according to a news release from the city. The incident also resulted in the resignation of Officer Luis Zuniga.
According to police department records:
On or about May 13, 2016, at approximately 1:00 a.m., while on-duty, Officer Bautista responded to assist Officer Luis Zuniga who had detained a citizen, herein referred to as Mr.Soto, for suspicion of Driving While Intoxicated/Refusal/Harassment/Resisting Arrest, hereinafter referred to as the instant suspected offense and/or charges. After his detention, Mr. Soto was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of Officer Zuniga's patrol unit While being strapped in the back seat, Mr. Soto struck Officer Zuniga in the face with spit. Thereafter, Mr. Soto was pulled from the back seat of the patrol unit by Officer Zuniga and thrown to the ground. Officer Bautista proceeded to kick Mr. Soto while Mr. Soto was face down and handcuffed on the ground.
Police later took Aaron Soto to a clinic for medical treatment.
According to an affidavit Soto filed with the police department, doctors determined he suffered intracranial bleeding and possibly a major fracture of his left cheek bone.
Soto was taken to a San Antonio hospital for treatment.
"The City of McAllen remains steadfastly committed to continue serving the needs of the community in a manner consistent with all applicable laws, rules and regulations to avoid and prevent similar incidents from arising in the future," according to the news release.
The city released the order of indefinite suspension and police department records on Wednesday morning.
EDITOR'S NOTE: A couple of good whacks upside his head would have been well deserved, but a beating leaving the asshole hospitalized was clearly out of order.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
GUEST OF THE STATE ARRESTED FOR QUADRUPLE HOMICIDE
By Bob Walsh
The People’s Republic of San Francisco had, for many years, the crappiest clearance rate for homicides of any large city in the country. It has in recent years improved to merely mediocre, and has just scored a major win in the arrest of a man in a notorious quadruple murder.
The four dead guys were shot down while they were sitting in a Honda Civic in the Hayes Valley district of the People’s Republic back in January 2015. The car they were sitting in was stolen, though local “neighborhood leaders” assert that the dead guys had not in fact stolen the car. The shooting is believed to have been linked to a local gang territory beef.
Lee Farley, 27, who has an extensive criminal history, was a guest of the state at the federal hospitality center (correctional facility) at Atwater, CA. when he was arrested. He is believed to not be the only shooter.
EDITOR’S NOTE: : Considering that it’s been a year-and-a-half since the shootings, somebody must have ratted on Farley.
The People’s Republic of San Francisco had, for many years, the crappiest clearance rate for homicides of any large city in the country. It has in recent years improved to merely mediocre, and has just scored a major win in the arrest of a man in a notorious quadruple murder.
The four dead guys were shot down while they were sitting in a Honda Civic in the Hayes Valley district of the People’s Republic back in January 2015. The car they were sitting in was stolen, though local “neighborhood leaders” assert that the dead guys had not in fact stolen the car. The shooting is believed to have been linked to a local gang territory beef.
Lee Farley, 27, who has an extensive criminal history, was a guest of the state at the federal hospitality center (correctional facility) at Atwater, CA. when he was arrested. He is believed to not be the only shooter.
EDITOR’S NOTE: : Considering that it’s been a year-and-a-half since the shootings, somebody must have ratted on Farley.
MAYOR’S GUN USED IN HOMICIDE
Oprah likes the mayor of a town where about half of the male population is either on parole, on felony probation, in prison or illegal
By Bob Walsh
Anthony Silva is the alcalde (mayor) of the crime-ridden and gang-infested cesspool that is Stockton. It seems that his gun was used in the murder of Rayshawn Harris, 13, about a year and a half back.
The pistol involved was one of two stolen in two separate burglaries of homes associated with the mayor. Silva didn’t bother to report the gun stolen until almost one month after it was taken. He has been unable, or unwilling, to explain this time delay.
The gun, a Beretta .40 caliber, was legally purchased by and registered to Silva. The gun was also used to shoot up a house a month before the Harris homicide. There are no suspects in either case. The gun was recovered at the site of a domestic disturbance a month ago.
The gun, several other items and a gun safe were stolen from the unoccupied home owned by Silva in an unincorporated area north of town. The second theft occurred in a rental house occupied by the mayor while he was out of town. Silva has said he has a fair idea who committed the theft, a person described as a friend of someone who was living in his home while he was temporarily away.
Silva is a major force in local politics because Oprah likes him. In a town where about half of the male population is either on parole, on felony probation, in prison or illegal having Oprah like you is a big advantage. He is being opposed in the November election by a city councilman.
By Bob Walsh
Anthony Silva is the alcalde (mayor) of the crime-ridden and gang-infested cesspool that is Stockton. It seems that his gun was used in the murder of Rayshawn Harris, 13, about a year and a half back.
The pistol involved was one of two stolen in two separate burglaries of homes associated with the mayor. Silva didn’t bother to report the gun stolen until almost one month after it was taken. He has been unable, or unwilling, to explain this time delay.
The gun, a Beretta .40 caliber, was legally purchased by and registered to Silva. The gun was also used to shoot up a house a month before the Harris homicide. There are no suspects in either case. The gun was recovered at the site of a domestic disturbance a month ago.
The gun, several other items and a gun safe were stolen from the unoccupied home owned by Silva in an unincorporated area north of town. The second theft occurred in a rental house occupied by the mayor while he was out of town. Silva has said he has a fair idea who committed the theft, a person described as a friend of someone who was living in his home while he was temporarily away.
Silva is a major force in local politics because Oprah likes him. In a town where about half of the male population is either on parole, on felony probation, in prison or illegal having Oprah like you is a big advantage. He is being opposed in the November election by a city councilman.
OFFICER SAYS HE WAS NOT ALLOWED TO TESTIFY FAVORABLY FOR SANDRA BLAND
"Anybody on the street could have said they wanted to testify," Special Prosecutor Darrell Jordan said. "We wanted anybody. ... He never, never, never, never (contacted us)."
By Gabrielle Banks and St. John Barned-Smith
Houston Chronicle
July 30, 2016
Prairie View, Texas -- A police officer present during a portion of Sandra Bland's ill-fated traffic stop said Tuesday that the Waller County district attorney's office would not let him testify before a grand jury about evidence favorable to Bland, saying he was told his career would suffer if he went public with what he had seen and heard.
But Waller County District Attorney Elton R. Mathis Jr. dismissed Officer Michael Kelley's account as "fictional," noting that Kelley has since been indicted on charges he unlawfully arrested a local city councilman.
"I unequivocally state that he never approached me, my first assistant, or any member of my staff with any such information," Mathis said in the emailed statement. "His job was never threatened by me or my staff, and I barely knew who he was before he was indicted."
Prairie View Officer Michael Kelley told the Chronicle on Tuesday that he outlined his allegations in a sworn deposition last week stemming from a federal lawsuit filed by Bland's mother over her 28-year-old daughter's death in the Waller County Jail on July 13, 2015.
Bland's death was ruled a suicide and spurred outrage from civil rights activists concerned with police treatment of African-Americans. Her mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, spoke Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia along with other mothers whose children died during interactions with police or from gun violence.
An audio recording of Kelley describing the Bland arrest was released Tuesday by Waller County activist DeWayne Charleston. Activists who joined him in a news conference called for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the case.
"This is what happens when you try to cross the thin blue line," said Charleston, a former justice of the peace in Waller County and local activist who was convicted in 2010 on conspiracy involving bribery.
Kelley's allegations are the second in a week to raise questions about the Bland investigation. A former jailer also has testified under oath in a deposition that he falsified jail logs on the day Bland died, but a source told the Chronicle that the grand jury decided not to indict anyone from the sheriff's office in the case.
Kelley said he was indicted months later in an unrelated incident with the councilman -- a charge he said was unjustly leveled against him but none of the other officers involved.
"I was not a target until I started running my mouth and sticking up for Sandra Bland," said Kelley, 33, who has been with the Prairie View police since 2014 but is currently on suspension pending the outcome of the charge against him.
'Red flags ... on my end'
Bland was already handcuffed in the back seat of a squad car, covered in grass and dirt, by the time Kelley arrived on the scene on July 10, 2015. She showed signs of bruising on her forehead, he said.
The trooper, Brian Encinia, told Kelley at the time that he didn't yet know what charge he would use to book Bland into the jail. She was stopped initially for changing lanes without using a turn signal.
Kelley said he heard Bland tell Encinia that she suffered from epilepsy, to which the trooper responded, "Good."
After Bland was found hanging in her jail cell three days later, a Texas Ranger came to the Prairie View station and asked Kelley and another officer at the scene to write reports of what they had seen. Kelley said he and the officer printed out their statements, but the Ranger told them not to make copies or sign them.
"That's when the red flags started coming on my end," Kelley said.
The other officer was instructed to put her statement into the computer system, Kelley said. He never input his, but his chief said he'd take care of his supplemental report.
During his deposition last week, Kelley said he was presented with a copy of what was submitted as his report.
He said the facts in the document were not inaccurate but "generic," with statements incriminating to the trooper omitted.
Kelley said he asked to testify before a grand jury, but an official with the DA's office declined to subpoena him. When he threatened to call one of Bland's mother's lawyers, the officials said that doing so would not be good for his career, he said.
Mathis, the district attorney, said in the written statement that the allegations are "an attempt to divert attention away from the crime committed against Councilman Miller and to cash in on the media attention and sad circumstances surrounding Ms. Bland's death last year for which we all still mourn."
Mathis continued, "These matters will ultimately be decided by judges/juries in the state and federal courts, and we anxiously look forward to resolutions and the truth being presented in the courts of law, not the tabloids, and not at the behest of those that seek to profit financially or personally off of Ms. Bland's death."
'He never' came to us
A special prosecutor who investigated Bland's detention and death called Kelley's assertions "outlandish," sharply criticizing the Prairie View officer's statements and those of Charleston, the former JP.
"Why would a police officer who's in the know, who knows the system inside and out, contact the DA when there were special prosecutors involved and they were handling the case?" an exasperated Darrell Jordan said, explaining that Kelley had never reached out to him or other prosecutors.
"Anybody on the street could have said they wanted to testify," Jordan said. "We wanted anybody. ... He never, never, never, never (contacted us)."
Jordan noted that Encinia, the trooper, was eventually indicted on a misdemeanor perjury charge over the statements he made about the arrest. The charge is pending.
"I mean, we ended up coming with an indictment -- instead, he's saying he would have had more evidence to help us indict or to give to the grand jury to make their decision and we kept it out?" he asked. "That's not even in line with the final results."
He also criticized Charleston's comments, saying Charleston appeared not to understand the basics of the case.
Kelley confirmed he did not contact the special prosecutor, and he could not say whether Mathis, the DA, knew about the conversation with the other official in Mathis' office.
But Kelley said he questions the district attorney's pledge to investigate Bland's death fully.
"He gave statements to the media they would leave no stone unturned," he said. "I wasn't allowed to give testimony. I was a stone that wasn't turned over."
EDITOR’ NOTE: While the trooper’s arrest of Bland was somewhat questionable, there is absolutely no evidence that any officer was involved in any way with Bland’s death. She committed suicide by hanging herself, but her family and black activists continue to insist she died at the hands of cops.
By Gabrielle Banks and St. John Barned-Smith
Houston Chronicle
July 30, 2016
Prairie View, Texas -- A police officer present during a portion of Sandra Bland's ill-fated traffic stop said Tuesday that the Waller County district attorney's office would not let him testify before a grand jury about evidence favorable to Bland, saying he was told his career would suffer if he went public with what he had seen and heard.
But Waller County District Attorney Elton R. Mathis Jr. dismissed Officer Michael Kelley's account as "fictional," noting that Kelley has since been indicted on charges he unlawfully arrested a local city councilman.
"I unequivocally state that he never approached me, my first assistant, or any member of my staff with any such information," Mathis said in the emailed statement. "His job was never threatened by me or my staff, and I barely knew who he was before he was indicted."
Prairie View Officer Michael Kelley told the Chronicle on Tuesday that he outlined his allegations in a sworn deposition last week stemming from a federal lawsuit filed by Bland's mother over her 28-year-old daughter's death in the Waller County Jail on July 13, 2015.
Bland's death was ruled a suicide and spurred outrage from civil rights activists concerned with police treatment of African-Americans. Her mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, spoke Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia along with other mothers whose children died during interactions with police or from gun violence.
An audio recording of Kelley describing the Bland arrest was released Tuesday by Waller County activist DeWayne Charleston. Activists who joined him in a news conference called for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the case.
"This is what happens when you try to cross the thin blue line," said Charleston, a former justice of the peace in Waller County and local activist who was convicted in 2010 on conspiracy involving bribery.
Kelley's allegations are the second in a week to raise questions about the Bland investigation. A former jailer also has testified under oath in a deposition that he falsified jail logs on the day Bland died, but a source told the Chronicle that the grand jury decided not to indict anyone from the sheriff's office in the case.
Kelley said he was indicted months later in an unrelated incident with the councilman -- a charge he said was unjustly leveled against him but none of the other officers involved.
"I was not a target until I started running my mouth and sticking up for Sandra Bland," said Kelley, 33, who has been with the Prairie View police since 2014 but is currently on suspension pending the outcome of the charge against him.
'Red flags ... on my end'
Bland was already handcuffed in the back seat of a squad car, covered in grass and dirt, by the time Kelley arrived on the scene on July 10, 2015. She showed signs of bruising on her forehead, he said.
The trooper, Brian Encinia, told Kelley at the time that he didn't yet know what charge he would use to book Bland into the jail. She was stopped initially for changing lanes without using a turn signal.
Kelley said he heard Bland tell Encinia that she suffered from epilepsy, to which the trooper responded, "Good."
After Bland was found hanging in her jail cell three days later, a Texas Ranger came to the Prairie View station and asked Kelley and another officer at the scene to write reports of what they had seen. Kelley said he and the officer printed out their statements, but the Ranger told them not to make copies or sign them.
"That's when the red flags started coming on my end," Kelley said.
The other officer was instructed to put her statement into the computer system, Kelley said. He never input his, but his chief said he'd take care of his supplemental report.
During his deposition last week, Kelley said he was presented with a copy of what was submitted as his report.
He said the facts in the document were not inaccurate but "generic," with statements incriminating to the trooper omitted.
Kelley said he asked to testify before a grand jury, but an official with the DA's office declined to subpoena him. When he threatened to call one of Bland's mother's lawyers, the officials said that doing so would not be good for his career, he said.
Mathis, the district attorney, said in the written statement that the allegations are "an attempt to divert attention away from the crime committed against Councilman Miller and to cash in on the media attention and sad circumstances surrounding Ms. Bland's death last year for which we all still mourn."
Mathis continued, "These matters will ultimately be decided by judges/juries in the state and federal courts, and we anxiously look forward to resolutions and the truth being presented in the courts of law, not the tabloids, and not at the behest of those that seek to profit financially or personally off of Ms. Bland's death."
'He never' came to us
A special prosecutor who investigated Bland's detention and death called Kelley's assertions "outlandish," sharply criticizing the Prairie View officer's statements and those of Charleston, the former JP.
"Why would a police officer who's in the know, who knows the system inside and out, contact the DA when there were special prosecutors involved and they were handling the case?" an exasperated Darrell Jordan said, explaining that Kelley had never reached out to him or other prosecutors.
"Anybody on the street could have said they wanted to testify," Jordan said. "We wanted anybody. ... He never, never, never, never (contacted us)."
Jordan noted that Encinia, the trooper, was eventually indicted on a misdemeanor perjury charge over the statements he made about the arrest. The charge is pending.
"I mean, we ended up coming with an indictment -- instead, he's saying he would have had more evidence to help us indict or to give to the grand jury to make their decision and we kept it out?" he asked. "That's not even in line with the final results."
He also criticized Charleston's comments, saying Charleston appeared not to understand the basics of the case.
Kelley confirmed he did not contact the special prosecutor, and he could not say whether Mathis, the DA, knew about the conversation with the other official in Mathis' office.
But Kelley said he questions the district attorney's pledge to investigate Bland's death fully.
"He gave statements to the media they would leave no stone unturned," he said. "I wasn't allowed to give testimony. I was a stone that wasn't turned over."
EDITOR’ NOTE: While the trooper’s arrest of Bland was somewhat questionable, there is absolutely no evidence that any officer was involved in any way with Bland’s death. She committed suicide by hanging herself, but her family and black activists continue to insist she died at the hands of cops.
LOUISIANA SHERIFF SAYS TEEN KILLED NY DEPUTY NOT THE VICTIM
Sheriff Newell Normand says armed teen killed by Jefferson Parish deputy over “freaking truck rims.”
By Michelle Hunter
The Times-Picayune
July 27, 2016
A 17-year-old Metairie boy was shot and killed by a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputy in a confrontation late Tuesday (July 26) that started with the theft of two pick-up truck wheels, according to authorities. Devon Martes took aim at pursuing Deputy David Dalton with a 9mm pistol equipped with an extended clip containing 22 rounds of ammunition, Sheriff Newell Normand said.
"Devon Martes pulled the trigger on the gun and tried to kill one of my officers. But for the fact that the gun malfunctioned, I might have a dead officer," Normand said.
The sheriff compared the confrontation to the shootout at the O.K. Corral while holding up a photograph from video surveillance cameras.
"Thirty feet away, gun to gun, eyeball to eyeball, staring each other down... over freaking truck rims," he yelled.
Martes was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, a warehouse located at 4013 N. Interstate 10 Service Road, Metairie. The warehouse is owned by Advance Central Services-Southeast, a sister company of NOLA Media Group, which operates NOLA.com and publishes The Times-Picayune.
An autopsy determined Martes died of "distant-range gunshot wounds to the head abdomen and leg," Jefferson Parish Deputy Coroner Granville Morse said.
Martes' mother, Alesia Martes, said Wednesday she does not blame the deputy for shooting her son. "They had to do what they had to do," she said.
Wheel theft
The Sheriff's Office received 911 calls reporting two suspicious people seen "rolling shiny objects down the street" near Cleary Avenue and Ford Street around 11:46 p.m. on Tuesday, Col. John Fortunato said.
Investigators later identified those objects as a pair of wheels stolen from a pickup truck parked in a car dealership lot for brand new vehicles.
Deputies flooded the area as the suspects were seen jumping a fence near the lot. A man smoking a cigarette on a front porch nearby called 911 after he spotted a person running towards the back of the newspaper's warehouse, according to Normand.
The person, later identified as Martes, entered the warehouse through a rear roll-up door. The teen darted around a corner and put a cell phone and a set of keys on a table, according to Normand.
He peered into a separate, back warehouse, but quickly turned around. Martes pulled out the 9mm pistol as Deputy Dalton entered the warehouse, Normand said.
In surveillance video released by Advance Central Services-Southeast, Martes can be seen raising an object that appears to be a gun and pointing it at Dalton. The deputy fired a total of six times.
"It was a split-second decision, one in which we could be, this morning, planning the funeral of a deputy," said Normand, who later noted, "My deputy is one of the luckiest men in America this morning."
Normand commented on the irony that the video of the shooting was recorded by surveillance cameras in a warehouse owned by a news outlet.
"Lucky us they had TV cameras all over this warehouse. Had those cameras not been there, this story would probably not have been believed, over two tires and rims," he said.
Not a victim
Detectives recovered the 9mm pistol, which had an obliterated serial number, Normand said. Martes also had marijuana and an unidentified pill in his possession.
The sheriff objected the idea that Martes was a victim in the incident. The teen, he said, acted the part of a cold-blooded killer.
Normand held up photographs taken from Martes' Facebook page that he said shows the teen brandishing guns, including the pistol recovered Tuesday night.
Normand also recounted Martes' criminal record, which includes a shoplifting conviction at the age of 10. The teen has other convictions for drug distribution, armed robbery and criminal trespassing.
"Devon Martes is not the victim. The victim in this case is Deputy Dave Dalton. The victim in this case is the owner of the vehicle inventory lot that lost two tires," Normand said.
Martes made a choice, Normand continued.
"If folks are willing to sacrifice their life and put themselves at risk over two truck rims ... after 39 years in this business, I am completely bewildered. I don't get it. I don't understand it," he said.
Tough statement
Alesia Martes said her son a kind person, but he got caught up in the street life.
"He really wasn't a bad boy, but he put himself in that situation. He put himself in harm's way," she said.
Martes' father made similar comments to other media outlets.
"I appreciate that statement," Normand said. "It's one of the most honest statements that I've ever heard in a long, long time."
The sheriff said he feels for Martes' father, but called the comments appropriate in light of the shooting video.
"It's probably a very tough statement for that father to say because he lost his son," Normand said. "Maybe that's the beginning of the turnaround of the dialogue."
By Michelle Hunter
The Times-Picayune
July 27, 2016
A 17-year-old Metairie boy was shot and killed by a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputy in a confrontation late Tuesday (July 26) that started with the theft of two pick-up truck wheels, according to authorities. Devon Martes took aim at pursuing Deputy David Dalton with a 9mm pistol equipped with an extended clip containing 22 rounds of ammunition, Sheriff Newell Normand said.
"Devon Martes pulled the trigger on the gun and tried to kill one of my officers. But for the fact that the gun malfunctioned, I might have a dead officer," Normand said.
The sheriff compared the confrontation to the shootout at the O.K. Corral while holding up a photograph from video surveillance cameras.
"Thirty feet away, gun to gun, eyeball to eyeball, staring each other down... over freaking truck rims," he yelled.
Martes was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, a warehouse located at 4013 N. Interstate 10 Service Road, Metairie. The warehouse is owned by Advance Central Services-Southeast, a sister company of NOLA Media Group, which operates NOLA.com and publishes The Times-Picayune.
An autopsy determined Martes died of "distant-range gunshot wounds to the head abdomen and leg," Jefferson Parish Deputy Coroner Granville Morse said.
Martes' mother, Alesia Martes, said Wednesday she does not blame the deputy for shooting her son. "They had to do what they had to do," she said.
Wheel theft
The Sheriff's Office received 911 calls reporting two suspicious people seen "rolling shiny objects down the street" near Cleary Avenue and Ford Street around 11:46 p.m. on Tuesday, Col. John Fortunato said.
Investigators later identified those objects as a pair of wheels stolen from a pickup truck parked in a car dealership lot for brand new vehicles.
Deputies flooded the area as the suspects were seen jumping a fence near the lot. A man smoking a cigarette on a front porch nearby called 911 after he spotted a person running towards the back of the newspaper's warehouse, according to Normand.
The person, later identified as Martes, entered the warehouse through a rear roll-up door. The teen darted around a corner and put a cell phone and a set of keys on a table, according to Normand.
He peered into a separate, back warehouse, but quickly turned around. Martes pulled out the 9mm pistol as Deputy Dalton entered the warehouse, Normand said.
In surveillance video released by Advance Central Services-Southeast, Martes can be seen raising an object that appears to be a gun and pointing it at Dalton. The deputy fired a total of six times.
"It was a split-second decision, one in which we could be, this morning, planning the funeral of a deputy," said Normand, who later noted, "My deputy is one of the luckiest men in America this morning."
Normand commented on the irony that the video of the shooting was recorded by surveillance cameras in a warehouse owned by a news outlet.
"Lucky us they had TV cameras all over this warehouse. Had those cameras not been there, this story would probably not have been believed, over two tires and rims," he said.
Not a victim
Detectives recovered the 9mm pistol, which had an obliterated serial number, Normand said. Martes also had marijuana and an unidentified pill in his possession.
The sheriff objected the idea that Martes was a victim in the incident. The teen, he said, acted the part of a cold-blooded killer.
Normand held up photographs taken from Martes' Facebook page that he said shows the teen brandishing guns, including the pistol recovered Tuesday night.
Normand also recounted Martes' criminal record, which includes a shoplifting conviction at the age of 10. The teen has other convictions for drug distribution, armed robbery and criminal trespassing.
"Devon Martes is not the victim. The victim in this case is Deputy Dave Dalton. The victim in this case is the owner of the vehicle inventory lot that lost two tires," Normand said.
Martes made a choice, Normand continued.
"If folks are willing to sacrifice their life and put themselves at risk over two truck rims ... after 39 years in this business, I am completely bewildered. I don't get it. I don't understand it," he said.
Tough statement
Alesia Martes said her son a kind person, but he got caught up in the street life.
"He really wasn't a bad boy, but he put himself in that situation. He put himself in harm's way," she said.
Martes' father made similar comments to other media outlets.
"I appreciate that statement," Normand said. "It's one of the most honest statements that I've ever heard in a long, long time."
The sheriff said he feels for Martes' father, but called the comments appropriate in light of the shooting video.
"It's probably a very tough statement for that father to say because he lost his son," Normand said. "Maybe that's the beginning of the turnaround of the dialogue."
FAKE BURPING IN GYM CLASS, THEN HANDCUFFS AND A LAWSUIT
By Noah Feldman
Bloomberg View
July 27, 2016
Is fake burping in gym class enough to get a seventh-grader arrested? Yes, according to a federal appeals court, which granted immunity to school officials sued by the kid's family after the 13-year-old was hauled off to juvenile detention in handcuffs.
The officer's action was based on a New Mexico misdemeanor law that makes disrupting school activities a crime. In a 94-page opinion, the court backed the arrest, saying the law didn't forbid arresting someone for burping.
One judge on the panel wrote a pungent, four-page dissent explaining why that reasoning is wrong. But determining the correct outcome here is a little tricky. The arrest was clearly absurd. Yet it isn't clear that the remedy for every stupid arrest is a federal lawsuit.
The incident behind the case took place in May 2011. It began when a student at the Cleveland Middle School in Albuquerque -- known in court documents as F.M. -- interrupted physical education class by fake burping repeatedly. (You can't make this stuff up.) The teacher sent F.M. into the hall, but he continued to interrupt by poking his head back into the classroom and burping some more.
In more innocent times, this might have merited a trip to the principal's office. Instead, the teacher called the "school resource officer," Arthur Acosta, an officer in the Albuquerque police department assigned to the school. F.M. denied the burping -- some things never change -- but Acosta brought him to the school's office and made him sit in a chair while he went to get his computer from his car.
When Acosta returned, he told F.M. that he was placing him under arrest for committing the misdemeanor of violating New Mexico's school disruption law, which says:
"No person shall willfully interfere with the educational process of any public or private school by committing or threatening to commit or inciting others to commit any act which would disrupt, impair, interfere with or obstruct the lawful mission, processes, procedures or functions of a public or private school."
The officer told the school principal, who suspended F.M. for the day and called F.M.'s mother, though without reaching her. The officer then brought F.M. to his police cruiser, patted him down, handcuffed him, and took him to the juvenile detention facility. F.M. was released later that afternoon into his mother's custody.
If you're steaming at this point in the story, you're not alone. F.M.'s mother sued the principal, an assistant principal and the police officer. The basis for her claim was false arrest in violation of F.M.'s constitutional rights pursuant to the civil rights statute, 42 U.S.C. section 1983.
A section 1983 suit in vindication of constitutional rights is a special legal beast. To proceed against a public official, a plaintiff needs to show that the official acted in violation of clearly established law. Almost all officials sued under section 1983 assert what is called "qualified immunity." That means if their actions were in line with what any reasonable official would have believed lawful, the suit ends.
The defense raised by the police officer and principals was simple. The New Mexico law under which F.M. was arrested makes it a crime to disrupt school procedures. F.M.'s burping disrupted class to the point where teaching and learning could no longer occur. It was therefore reasonable to arrest him pursuant to the law. The handcuffs and juvenile detention were simply standard procedures that followed arrest.
A federal district court found in favor of the school officials and police officer. The mother's appeal focused on the police officer alone.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit again held for the officer. It said that the arrest of the student counted as "arguable probable cause." In particular, the three-judge panel held 2-1 that it wasn't clearly established under the state law that you couldn't arrest a child for burping in class.
Here things got a little technical. The panel said there was no case on file explicitly interpreting the law to exclude such petty interruptions.
In his stinging dissent, Judge Neil Gorsuch pointed out that there was a precedent dating back to 1974, State v. Silva, holding that trivial interference doesn't count as a crime, and that there must be "a more substantial, more physical invasion" of school operations as well as proof that the student more "substantially interfered" with the "actual functioning" of the school.
The panel replied formalistically that the Silva case was interpreting a different statute, one that governs colleges rather than schools. Gorsuch rejoined that the language in the two laws was identical, and it should make no difference that the case was about the college statute rather than the school statute.
On the whole, I think Gorsuch got the better of the legal argument. But the panel's narrow judgment had some logic behind it, too: the desire not to make a school dispute into a federal case.
The deeper question is how to resolve incidents of official overreach like this one. The appeals panel was trying to keep the issue out of the courts altogether. Gorsuch wanted the court to resolve it. Perhaps the best outcome is for the case to get enough publicity that such episodes don't recur.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The little shit was obviously an obnoxious asshole who intended to interrupt the class and thus he deserved to be locked up!
Bloomberg View
July 27, 2016
Is fake burping in gym class enough to get a seventh-grader arrested? Yes, according to a federal appeals court, which granted immunity to school officials sued by the kid's family after the 13-year-old was hauled off to juvenile detention in handcuffs.
The officer's action was based on a New Mexico misdemeanor law that makes disrupting school activities a crime. In a 94-page opinion, the court backed the arrest, saying the law didn't forbid arresting someone for burping.
One judge on the panel wrote a pungent, four-page dissent explaining why that reasoning is wrong. But determining the correct outcome here is a little tricky. The arrest was clearly absurd. Yet it isn't clear that the remedy for every stupid arrest is a federal lawsuit.
The incident behind the case took place in May 2011. It began when a student at the Cleveland Middle School in Albuquerque -- known in court documents as F.M. -- interrupted physical education class by fake burping repeatedly. (You can't make this stuff up.) The teacher sent F.M. into the hall, but he continued to interrupt by poking his head back into the classroom and burping some more.
In more innocent times, this might have merited a trip to the principal's office. Instead, the teacher called the "school resource officer," Arthur Acosta, an officer in the Albuquerque police department assigned to the school. F.M. denied the burping -- some things never change -- but Acosta brought him to the school's office and made him sit in a chair while he went to get his computer from his car.
When Acosta returned, he told F.M. that he was placing him under arrest for committing the misdemeanor of violating New Mexico's school disruption law, which says:
"No person shall willfully interfere with the educational process of any public or private school by committing or threatening to commit or inciting others to commit any act which would disrupt, impair, interfere with or obstruct the lawful mission, processes, procedures or functions of a public or private school."
The officer told the school principal, who suspended F.M. for the day and called F.M.'s mother, though without reaching her. The officer then brought F.M. to his police cruiser, patted him down, handcuffed him, and took him to the juvenile detention facility. F.M. was released later that afternoon into his mother's custody.
If you're steaming at this point in the story, you're not alone. F.M.'s mother sued the principal, an assistant principal and the police officer. The basis for her claim was false arrest in violation of F.M.'s constitutional rights pursuant to the civil rights statute, 42 U.S.C. section 1983.
A section 1983 suit in vindication of constitutional rights is a special legal beast. To proceed against a public official, a plaintiff needs to show that the official acted in violation of clearly established law. Almost all officials sued under section 1983 assert what is called "qualified immunity." That means if their actions were in line with what any reasonable official would have believed lawful, the suit ends.
The defense raised by the police officer and principals was simple. The New Mexico law under which F.M. was arrested makes it a crime to disrupt school procedures. F.M.'s burping disrupted class to the point where teaching and learning could no longer occur. It was therefore reasonable to arrest him pursuant to the law. The handcuffs and juvenile detention were simply standard procedures that followed arrest.
A federal district court found in favor of the school officials and police officer. The mother's appeal focused on the police officer alone.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit again held for the officer. It said that the arrest of the student counted as "arguable probable cause." In particular, the three-judge panel held 2-1 that it wasn't clearly established under the state law that you couldn't arrest a child for burping in class.
Here things got a little technical. The panel said there was no case on file explicitly interpreting the law to exclude such petty interruptions.
In his stinging dissent, Judge Neil Gorsuch pointed out that there was a precedent dating back to 1974, State v. Silva, holding that trivial interference doesn't count as a crime, and that there must be "a more substantial, more physical invasion" of school operations as well as proof that the student more "substantially interfered" with the "actual functioning" of the school.
The panel replied formalistically that the Silva case was interpreting a different statute, one that governs colleges rather than schools. Gorsuch rejoined that the language in the two laws was identical, and it should make no difference that the case was about the college statute rather than the school statute.
On the whole, I think Gorsuch got the better of the legal argument. But the panel's narrow judgment had some logic behind it, too: the desire not to make a school dispute into a federal case.
The deeper question is how to resolve incidents of official overreach like this one. The appeals panel was trying to keep the issue out of the courts altogether. Gorsuch wanted the court to resolve it. Perhaps the best outcome is for the case to get enough publicity that such episodes don't recur.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The little shit was obviously an obnoxious asshole who intended to interrupt the class and thus he deserved to be locked up!
Saturday, July 30, 2016
UNEDUCATED WHIES FOR TRUMP, WHITE EDUCATED IDIOTS AND MINORITIES FOR HILLARY
The women’s vote will likely decide the winner in the presidential race and Hillary has painted Trump as the anti-women candidate
Now that the Republican and Democratic circuses – oops, I meant conventions – are over, who gets which block of voters in November? There is absolutely no doubt that Hillary will get the black vote.
There is little doubt that Hillary will get the Hispanic vote. Trump took care of that when he broad brushed Mexican illegals as murderers, rapists and dope dealers. Trump’s only saving grace is that Hispanics have never turned out in large numbers to vote. He’d better hope he hasn’t energized them to turn out and vote.
White seniors favor Trump and the Republicans, while young voters favor Hillary and the Democrats. That’s because the older one gets, the wiser he/she gets.
Analysts have noted that Trump has the support of the uneducated white working class block, while Hillary has the support of college educated whites. So, here we have the dumb asses against the educated idiots.
The dead who rise from their graves to vote at election time tend to favor the Democrats, but the dead also vote for Republicans. Dead voters in the Rio Grande Valley boosted Lyndon Baines Johnson to victory over former Texas Governor Coke Stevenson in the 1948 Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate. If it were not for those dead voters, LBJ would never have become President.
I predict that the women’s vote will decide the winner in the presidential race. Trump has let his big mouth overload his ass on several occasions with unflattering remarks about women and women’s issues. Hillary and the Democrats have done a good job of painting Trump as the anti-women candidate.
Unless Trump can somehow change the minds of women so that he can get a sizable chunk of the women’s block, he’ll be toast in November.
Now that the Republican and Democratic circuses – oops, I meant conventions – are over, who gets which block of voters in November? There is absolutely no doubt that Hillary will get the black vote.
There is little doubt that Hillary will get the Hispanic vote. Trump took care of that when he broad brushed Mexican illegals as murderers, rapists and dope dealers. Trump’s only saving grace is that Hispanics have never turned out in large numbers to vote. He’d better hope he hasn’t energized them to turn out and vote.
White seniors favor Trump and the Republicans, while young voters favor Hillary and the Democrats. That’s because the older one gets, the wiser he/she gets.
Analysts have noted that Trump has the support of the uneducated white working class block, while Hillary has the support of college educated whites. So, here we have the dumb asses against the educated idiots.
The dead who rise from their graves to vote at election time tend to favor the Democrats, but the dead also vote for Republicans. Dead voters in the Rio Grande Valley boosted Lyndon Baines Johnson to victory over former Texas Governor Coke Stevenson in the 1948 Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate. If it were not for those dead voters, LBJ would never have become President.
I predict that the women’s vote will decide the winner in the presidential race. Trump has let his big mouth overload his ass on several occasions with unflattering remarks about women and women’s issues. Hillary and the Democrats have done a good job of painting Trump as the anti-women candidate.
Unless Trump can somehow change the minds of women so that he can get a sizable chunk of the women’s block, he’ll be toast in November.
FORMER BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: MOSBY INCOMPETENT, VINDICTIVE
Former Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts said State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby is "in over her head" and has added more flaws to a broken justice system by prosecuting innocent officers
By Justin George
The Baltimore Sun
July 28, 2016
BALTIMORE -- The former police commissioner in charge when Freddie Gray died from injuries sustained in a Baltimore police van said State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby is "in over her head" and has added more flaws to a broken justice system by prosecuting innocent officers.
"She's immature, she's incompetent, she's vindictive and that's not how the justice system is supposed to work," former Baltimore police commissioner Anthony W. Batts said on Wednesday. "The justice system is supposed to be without bias for police officers, for African Americans, for everyone."
Batts led Baltimore police from the fall of 2012 until Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake fired him in July 2015 amid a surge in city homicides that followed weeks of criticism from the police union over his handling of the city's riots two months before.
Batts said Mosby never should have filed charges against the six officers involved in Gray's arrest, and that her decision Wednesday to drop charges against the remaining three officers facing trials was long overdue.
Her actions, Batts said, have further harmed a criminal justice system in need of repairs.
"Don't create more flaws in that broken system," he said. "And you don't do it on the back of innocent people just to prove that point."
A spokeswoman from the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office did not respond to Batts' specific claims, but lumped them with the comments made by the GOP's presidential candidate.
"Today Donald Trump and former commissioner Anthony Batts have attacked the State's Attorney in numerous ways, but as our First Lady Michelle Obama said, when they go low we go high," said Rochelle Ritchie, a spokeswoman for Mosby's office.
Weeks of an internal police investigation found no evidence that officers committed any crimes or meant to hurt Gray, Batts said. The former police commissioner said he has always acknowledged that mistakes were made, and that Gray should have been given medical care during his fatal van ride.
"There was no question that Freddie Gray should have gone home after that interaction," Batts said. "But sometimes when people are doing the job of police work, bad things happen sometimes."
Days after Gray's death, Batts said he personally urged the Baltimore city solicitor to issue a civil settlement in the case. In September 2015, the city approved a $6.4 million payout to the Gray family, accepting all civil liability.
"I was proud of the city stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility," he said.
Forty officers on a task force Batts convened to investigate Gray's death looked at every angle of Gray's arrest and could not find evidence of a crime, Batts said. That became clear in court and to the public after prosecutors failed to secure any convictions through four trials.
"My heart bled for these officers as they went through these steps," Batts said. "I think Marilyn Mosby is in over her head."
He said the six officers who faced trials have "a good heart."
"I didn't see any malice in the heart of those police officers," Batts said. "I don't think those officers involved are those you would put in the class of bad or malicious or evil police officers."
Batts, who also oversaw police departments in Long Beach and Oakland, Calif., is currently working as a consultant with the AWW Group training police commanders, including a group in Fort Worth, Texas, last week.
He said there were problems within the Baltimore Police Department, and said one of his top priorities was to root out corrupt or abusive officers during his tenure -- even to the point that his calls for reform and transparency made enemies on the force, who called for his firing.
While he said he had a responsibility to protect his officers, "my bigger responsibility is to the public trust to make sure they had all the information and the correct information."
He took umbrage at Mosby saying police "bias" obstructed her case, and said his tenure showed patterns of creating transparency, such as when he gave the family of Anthony Anderson a copy of his autopsy and appointed an independent commission to look into his 2012 death.
Anderson died from internal injuries after he was tackled by police officers during a drug investigation. The State's Attorney's Office, which was run then by Mosby's predecessor, did not file charges against officers in that case.
Batts said Mosby cannot make police her scapegoat by saying officers obstructed her investigation to protect their colleagues.
"There was no obstruction," Batts said. "I would have taken off anyone's head if I knew they were obstructionist. ... The judge said it: (The case) didn't have merit and you can't put that on anyone else."
EDITOR’S NOTE: To his credit, Batts is strongly defending the officers, despite the police union’s call for his ouster before he got fired.
By Justin George
The Baltimore Sun
July 28, 2016
BALTIMORE -- The former police commissioner in charge when Freddie Gray died from injuries sustained in a Baltimore police van said State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby is "in over her head" and has added more flaws to a broken justice system by prosecuting innocent officers.
"She's immature, she's incompetent, she's vindictive and that's not how the justice system is supposed to work," former Baltimore police commissioner Anthony W. Batts said on Wednesday. "The justice system is supposed to be without bias for police officers, for African Americans, for everyone."
Batts led Baltimore police from the fall of 2012 until Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake fired him in July 2015 amid a surge in city homicides that followed weeks of criticism from the police union over his handling of the city's riots two months before.
Batts said Mosby never should have filed charges against the six officers involved in Gray's arrest, and that her decision Wednesday to drop charges against the remaining three officers facing trials was long overdue.
Her actions, Batts said, have further harmed a criminal justice system in need of repairs.
"Don't create more flaws in that broken system," he said. "And you don't do it on the back of innocent people just to prove that point."
A spokeswoman from the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office did not respond to Batts' specific claims, but lumped them with the comments made by the GOP's presidential candidate.
"Today Donald Trump and former commissioner Anthony Batts have attacked the State's Attorney in numerous ways, but as our First Lady Michelle Obama said, when they go low we go high," said Rochelle Ritchie, a spokeswoman for Mosby's office.
Weeks of an internal police investigation found no evidence that officers committed any crimes or meant to hurt Gray, Batts said. The former police commissioner said he has always acknowledged that mistakes were made, and that Gray should have been given medical care during his fatal van ride.
"There was no question that Freddie Gray should have gone home after that interaction," Batts said. "But sometimes when people are doing the job of police work, bad things happen sometimes."
Days after Gray's death, Batts said he personally urged the Baltimore city solicitor to issue a civil settlement in the case. In September 2015, the city approved a $6.4 million payout to the Gray family, accepting all civil liability.
"I was proud of the city stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility," he said.
Forty officers on a task force Batts convened to investigate Gray's death looked at every angle of Gray's arrest and could not find evidence of a crime, Batts said. That became clear in court and to the public after prosecutors failed to secure any convictions through four trials.
"My heart bled for these officers as they went through these steps," Batts said. "I think Marilyn Mosby is in over her head."
He said the six officers who faced trials have "a good heart."
"I didn't see any malice in the heart of those police officers," Batts said. "I don't think those officers involved are those you would put in the class of bad or malicious or evil police officers."
Batts, who also oversaw police departments in Long Beach and Oakland, Calif., is currently working as a consultant with the AWW Group training police commanders, including a group in Fort Worth, Texas, last week.
He said there were problems within the Baltimore Police Department, and said one of his top priorities was to root out corrupt or abusive officers during his tenure -- even to the point that his calls for reform and transparency made enemies on the force, who called for his firing.
While he said he had a responsibility to protect his officers, "my bigger responsibility is to the public trust to make sure they had all the information and the correct information."
He took umbrage at Mosby saying police "bias" obstructed her case, and said his tenure showed patterns of creating transparency, such as when he gave the family of Anthony Anderson a copy of his autopsy and appointed an independent commission to look into his 2012 death.
Anderson died from internal injuries after he was tackled by police officers during a drug investigation. The State's Attorney's Office, which was run then by Mosby's predecessor, did not file charges against officers in that case.
Batts said Mosby cannot make police her scapegoat by saying officers obstructed her investigation to protect their colleagues.
"There was no obstruction," Batts said. "I would have taken off anyone's head if I knew they were obstructionist. ... The judge said it: (The case) didn't have merit and you can't put that on anyone else."
EDITOR’S NOTE: To his credit, Batts is strongly defending the officers, despite the police union’s call for his ouster before he got fired.
FREDDIE GRAY OFFICERS SUING PROSECUTOR MARILYN MOSBY
It is very difficult to sue prosecutors, who have what is called absolute immunity, and Mosby's attorneys will argue she was acting within the scope of her job and is protected by such immunity
By Eliott C. McLaughlin and Steve Almasy
CNN
July 28, 2016
Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby is going from prosecutor to civil defendant in connection with the case of the death of Freddie Gray.
On Wednesday, Mosby announced that charges against three officers still facing trial were being dropped. Mosby gave only a statement, but had to leave without taking questions because five of the officers in the case have filed lawsuits against her.
Officers Garrett Miller, Edward Nero and William Porter as well as Sgt. Alicia White and Lt. Brian Rice are suing Mosby and Maj. Samuel Cogen of the Baltimore Sheriff's Office. Cogen was the law enforcement officer who filed charging documents against the officers.
The lawsuits allege false arrest, false imprisonment, defamation or false light, and other assertions. They were filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland in 2015 in late April and early May around the time the officers were arrested.
Gray died in a hospital on April 19, 2015, a week after police stopped him on a Baltimore street. After his arrest, officers placed Gray in the back of a police van, which made several stops.
When the van arrived at the police station, Gray was unresponsive. His neck was broken and compressed, prosecutors said in court, comparing the spinal injury to those suffered after a dive into a shallow pool.
Rice and Nero had already been acquitted in separate bench trials. So had Officer Caesar Goodson, who apparently has not filed suit. Porter was the first to be tried but his case ended with the jury unable to reach a unanimous decision.
Mosby's office dropped the charges against Miller, Porter and White on Wednesday.
An attorney for two of the officers said Wednesday that there were ulterior motives in charging the officers.
"Marilyn Mosby's comments in her press conference today confirm that the charges brought against my clients, Sgt. Alicia White and Officer William Porter, as well as the other four officers, were politically motivated and not supported by evidence to establish probable cause," Michael E. Glass said.
He said his client suffered "extensive pain and suffering." Porter and White had been suspended without pay until Wednesday. They are now on desk duty after more than a year on leave.
Rice, the highest-ranking officer charged in the case, paints himself as minimally involved, according to court documents.
He was the first to make eye contact with Gray, the lawsuit concedes, but he was not involved in the arrest. When a crowd gathered around the police wagon where officers were attempting to place an "uncooperative" Gray, Rice "directed other officers to move the wagon approximately one block south in order to complete paperwork and otherwise effectuate Mr. Gray's arrest."
Gray "continued to yell and scream" and slam himself against the side of the van, causing the vehicle to shake, so officers removed Gray from the wagon and placed him in flex cuffs and leg shackles, according to the lawsuit. He was placed back in the van, where he again "began to bang the inside of the wagon."
That marked the end of Rice's interaction with Gray, the lawsuit says.
"At no point during his interactions with Mr. Gray did Plaintiff Rice see any officers use excessive force, strike or tase Mr. Gray," the lawsuit states.
Rice accuses Mosby of realizing the case would draw widespread media attention and speaking "in a divisive and inciting manner" while making false statements about him. Mosby's remarks, Rice alleges, broke the state's code of professional conduct, which forbids lawyers from making "an extrajudicial statement" they know will prejudice a court proceeding.
One of the false statements Mosby made, according to Rice's case, was saying the knife Gray was arrested with was legal under Maryland law. Rice contests in his lawsuit that it was spring-assisted and therefore illegal, and says Mosby knew that.
Mosby told Cogen to file the erroneous charges against Rice, the lawsuit states.
The lieutenant "lost his freedom and dignity and suffered physical and psychological harm from being arrested and detained without cause," the suit says.
The litigants are asking for $75,000 per allegation, plus legal costs.
CNN left messages Wednesday with Cogen and his attorney.
CNN legal analyst Paul Callan said it is very difficult to sue prosecutors, who have what is called absolute immunity. Mosby's attorneys will argue she was acting within the scope of her job and is protected by such immunity.
In most cases against prosecutors, the defense files a motion to dismiss and the judges agree, Callan said.
"Even lawyers are sometimes shocked at how difficult it is to hold prosecutors responsible for patently improper actions," he said about prior cases.
But in some cases, the plaintiffs will argue that the prosecutor stepped out of his or her role and acted as law enforcement, who have qualified immunity.
Callan said he thinks the plaintiffs will argue that Mosby, an elected official, did become an investigator because of her belief that police were not properly pursuing the case and her desire to appease her political constituency.
EDIYOR’ NOTE: The Baltimore Sun reports that the Freddie Gray officer trials cost the city $7.4 million.
By Eliott C. McLaughlin and Steve Almasy
CNN
July 28, 2016
Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby is going from prosecutor to civil defendant in connection with the case of the death of Freddie Gray.
On Wednesday, Mosby announced that charges against three officers still facing trial were being dropped. Mosby gave only a statement, but had to leave without taking questions because five of the officers in the case have filed lawsuits against her.
Officers Garrett Miller, Edward Nero and William Porter as well as Sgt. Alicia White and Lt. Brian Rice are suing Mosby and Maj. Samuel Cogen of the Baltimore Sheriff's Office. Cogen was the law enforcement officer who filed charging documents against the officers.
The lawsuits allege false arrest, false imprisonment, defamation or false light, and other assertions. They were filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland in 2015 in late April and early May around the time the officers were arrested.
Gray died in a hospital on April 19, 2015, a week after police stopped him on a Baltimore street. After his arrest, officers placed Gray in the back of a police van, which made several stops.
When the van arrived at the police station, Gray was unresponsive. His neck was broken and compressed, prosecutors said in court, comparing the spinal injury to those suffered after a dive into a shallow pool.
Rice and Nero had already been acquitted in separate bench trials. So had Officer Caesar Goodson, who apparently has not filed suit. Porter was the first to be tried but his case ended with the jury unable to reach a unanimous decision.
Mosby's office dropped the charges against Miller, Porter and White on Wednesday.
An attorney for two of the officers said Wednesday that there were ulterior motives in charging the officers.
"Marilyn Mosby's comments in her press conference today confirm that the charges brought against my clients, Sgt. Alicia White and Officer William Porter, as well as the other four officers, were politically motivated and not supported by evidence to establish probable cause," Michael E. Glass said.
He said his client suffered "extensive pain and suffering." Porter and White had been suspended without pay until Wednesday. They are now on desk duty after more than a year on leave.
Rice, the highest-ranking officer charged in the case, paints himself as minimally involved, according to court documents.
He was the first to make eye contact with Gray, the lawsuit concedes, but he was not involved in the arrest. When a crowd gathered around the police wagon where officers were attempting to place an "uncooperative" Gray, Rice "directed other officers to move the wagon approximately one block south in order to complete paperwork and otherwise effectuate Mr. Gray's arrest."
Gray "continued to yell and scream" and slam himself against the side of the van, causing the vehicle to shake, so officers removed Gray from the wagon and placed him in flex cuffs and leg shackles, according to the lawsuit. He was placed back in the van, where he again "began to bang the inside of the wagon."
That marked the end of Rice's interaction with Gray, the lawsuit says.
"At no point during his interactions with Mr. Gray did Plaintiff Rice see any officers use excessive force, strike or tase Mr. Gray," the lawsuit states.
Rice accuses Mosby of realizing the case would draw widespread media attention and speaking "in a divisive and inciting manner" while making false statements about him. Mosby's remarks, Rice alleges, broke the state's code of professional conduct, which forbids lawyers from making "an extrajudicial statement" they know will prejudice a court proceeding.
One of the false statements Mosby made, according to Rice's case, was saying the knife Gray was arrested with was legal under Maryland law. Rice contests in his lawsuit that it was spring-assisted and therefore illegal, and says Mosby knew that.
Mosby told Cogen to file the erroneous charges against Rice, the lawsuit states.
The lieutenant "lost his freedom and dignity and suffered physical and psychological harm from being arrested and detained without cause," the suit says.
The litigants are asking for $75,000 per allegation, plus legal costs.
CNN left messages Wednesday with Cogen and his attorney.
CNN legal analyst Paul Callan said it is very difficult to sue prosecutors, who have what is called absolute immunity. Mosby's attorneys will argue she was acting within the scope of her job and is protected by such immunity.
In most cases against prosecutors, the defense files a motion to dismiss and the judges agree, Callan said.
"Even lawyers are sometimes shocked at how difficult it is to hold prosecutors responsible for patently improper actions," he said about prior cases.
But in some cases, the plaintiffs will argue that the prosecutor stepped out of his or her role and acted as law enforcement, who have qualified immunity.
Callan said he thinks the plaintiffs will argue that Mosby, an elected official, did become an investigator because of her belief that police were not properly pursuing the case and her desire to appease her political constituency.
EDIYOR’ NOTE: The Baltimore Sun reports that the Freddie Gray officer trials cost the city $7.4 million.
TEN YEARS AFTER THE LAST LEBANON WAR, ISRAEL WARNS NEXT ONE WILL BE FAR WORSE
Today Hezbollah has 100,000 rockets, including thousands of more accurate mid-range weapons with larger warheads capable of striking anywhere in Israel, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
By William Booth
The Washington Post
July 23, 2016
MISGAV AM, Israel - When Israeli army commanders describe how the next war against Hezbollah could unfold, they often search for words not used in military manuals. The future conflict, they warn, will be "ferocious" and "terrible."
For both sides, the Israelis fear.
Yet far worse for Hezbollah and the civilians of Lebanon, they promise.
Ten years after Israel and Hezbollah fought a bloody but inconclusive 34-day war that left more than 1,000 soldiers and civilians dead in July and August of 2006, the Lebanese Shiite militant group has been transformed.
Hezbollah is now a regional military power, a cross-border strike force, with thousands of soldiers hardened by four years of fighting on Syrian battlefields on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. There are 7,000 Hezbollah fighters in Syria, Israeli commanders say.
Hezbollah troops have been schooled by Iranian commanders, funded by Tehran and have learned to use, in combat, some of the most sophisticated armaments available, such as fourth-generation Kornet guided anti-tank missiles. They pilot unmanned aircraft and fight with artillery and tanks to concentrate forces, coordinate attacks. They have taken rebel villages with Russian air support.
More than 1,000 Hezbollah fighters have died, the Israelis say; they do not describe Hezbollah as "demoralized" but "tested."
"In 2006, Hezbollah fought a guerrilla war. Today, Hezbollah is like a conventional army," said Elias Hanna, a retired Lebanese army general who teaches at the American University in Beirut.
Israel fought the first Lebanon war in 1982 against the Palestine Liberation Organization, a conflict that saw Israel occupy southern Lebanon and lay siege to Beirut. Hezbollah arose during that war. The second Lebanon war broke out in July 2006 after Hezbollah kidnapped a pair of Israeli soldiers on the border.
Ten years ago, Hezbollah fired 4,000 short-range, relatively crude rockets at Israel, about 100 a day, killing some 50 Israeli civilians. Today, the group has 100,000 rockets, including thousands of more accurate mid-range weapons with larger warheads capable of striking anywhere in Israel, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, according to Israeli army commanders and military analysts in Israel and Lebanon.
Hezbollah poses a far greater threat to Israel than it did 10 years ago. The challenges posed by Islamist militant movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip are almost trivial by comparison, Israeli senior commanders say.
Earlier this year, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot called Hezbollah Israel's "main enemy" now that Iran's nuclear ambitions may have been delayed by a decade or more.
Whether Hezbollah's arsenal of rockets and the overwhelming retaliatory response promised by Israel serves as a dual deterrent is one of those questions that can never be answered - but probably keeps commanders on both sides awake at night.
In Israel's far north, Misgav Am kibbutz sits on a hilltop above the Lebanon border. There is a popular overlook. There is a gift shop for the tour buses.
On a sunny morning, an Israeli army colonel stood on the hill and pointed toward Lebanese villages at his feet.
"You see villas, red tile roofs, summer homes. You don't see soldiers in uniforms. They don't wear uniforms. It looks nice and peaceful, right?" said the commander of a paratrooper reserve brigade, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is serving on active duty on the Lebanon border.
"I see rocket rooms, weapons caches, underground compounds," he said. "I can pinpoint to you, below, a house with washing on the line that is a Hezbollah outpost."
Israeli military leaders say Hezbollah has spent the past decade transforming hundreds of villages in southern Lebanon into covert fire bases with hidden launch pads, many rigged to operate by remote.
In briefings with reporters in Tel Aviv, Israeli military intelligence officers in the past year have begun to show aerial photographs of villages in Hezbollah's southern stronghold.
A photograph of Muhaybib, a town south of here, is covered with red squares marking the placement of what the Israelis say are command posts, anti-tank positions, tunnels and launch pads. Israel says there are 90 buildings in the village of 1,100 people and that 35 buildings are being used by Hezbollah. The message is implicit: This is a target list.
The Israeli commanders in Tel Aviv and here on the Lebanon border may be issuing propaganda as a warning to Hezbollah. Both sides do talk to each other through the media, yet there is broad agreement in Washington, Jerusalem and Beirut that another Lebanon war could be devastating, especially for civilians.
"Hezbollah is not a group or a organization or a movement. It's an army. A big terrorist army," said the paratrooper commander, who is a veteran of the 2006 Lebanon war. "We understand that people here find themselves in the middle. The next war will be a terrible war. I think they understand too that the next war will be different."
Speaking publicly, the Israeli generals promise that if Hezbollah launches mass strikes against Israeli cities, Israel will be compelled to respond, similarly, with 10 times as much force. The commanders say they cannot allow Israeli cities to face 1,000 Hezbollah rockets a day.
Historians say the 2006 war came as a surprise for both sides. Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers at the border, which sparked a sustained aerial and ground war by Israeli forces - and tough resistance by Hezbollah.
Both claimed victory, but neither won. In Israel, the 2006 Lebanon war is widely viewed by Israelis as a military failure. Hezbollah boasted that it had stood toe-to-toe with the most powerful army in the Middle East, but the widespread destruction and civilian deaths were unpopular.
As the 10-year anniversary approached, both Hezbollah and Israel stressed that they do not want another war - even as both declared themselves ready for one.
"Israel knows Hezbollah has missiles and rockets that can strike anywhere in its territory," the group's leader, Hasan Nasrallah, said in a speech delivered by video in February.
Nasrallah warned that Hezbollah rockets could strike ammonia plants at the port in Haifa in any future fight, saying that the damage would be equivalent to an atomic bomb and could lead to the death of 800,000 people.
"Haifa is just one of many examples," Nasrallah said. "The leaders of Israel understand that the resistance has the ability to cover the entirety of occupied Palestine with missiles. We must keep this capability because it acts as a deterrent for the Third Lebanon War."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said, "If the quiet is kept, those facing us will enjoy quiet." Then he warned that Hezbollah aggression would be met by "an iron fist."
Today, Hezbollah has lost some of its previous luster because of its decision to fight for Assad in a war that became deeply sectarian, Shiite against Sunni.
Going to Syria might have turned Nasrallah from "a hero to a zero" for many in the Arab world, said Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs.
"But the Syria war also emboldened them and sharpened his military skills," he said. "Hezbollah may be tempted to engage Israel in what it hopes is a limited war to recover their prestige."
Simon Abu Fadel, a political analyst in Lebanon, predicts that in the event of war Hezbollah would try to inflict heavy damage on Israeli cities, power plants and airports to degrade national morale. "In case of a new war with Israel, Hezbollah's missiles would be painful to Israel," he said. "However, the damage would be far less than what Israeli airstrikes could do to Hezbollah and Lebanon."
"It is not a win-and-lose game," Fadel said. "It is a mutual exchange of bombing and destruction."
By William Booth
The Washington Post
July 23, 2016
MISGAV AM, Israel - When Israeli army commanders describe how the next war against Hezbollah could unfold, they often search for words not used in military manuals. The future conflict, they warn, will be "ferocious" and "terrible."
For both sides, the Israelis fear.
Yet far worse for Hezbollah and the civilians of Lebanon, they promise.
Ten years after Israel and Hezbollah fought a bloody but inconclusive 34-day war that left more than 1,000 soldiers and civilians dead in July and August of 2006, the Lebanese Shiite militant group has been transformed.
Hezbollah is now a regional military power, a cross-border strike force, with thousands of soldiers hardened by four years of fighting on Syrian battlefields on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. There are 7,000 Hezbollah fighters in Syria, Israeli commanders say.
Hezbollah troops have been schooled by Iranian commanders, funded by Tehran and have learned to use, in combat, some of the most sophisticated armaments available, such as fourth-generation Kornet guided anti-tank missiles. They pilot unmanned aircraft and fight with artillery and tanks to concentrate forces, coordinate attacks. They have taken rebel villages with Russian air support.
More than 1,000 Hezbollah fighters have died, the Israelis say; they do not describe Hezbollah as "demoralized" but "tested."
"In 2006, Hezbollah fought a guerrilla war. Today, Hezbollah is like a conventional army," said Elias Hanna, a retired Lebanese army general who teaches at the American University in Beirut.
Israel fought the first Lebanon war in 1982 against the Palestine Liberation Organization, a conflict that saw Israel occupy southern Lebanon and lay siege to Beirut. Hezbollah arose during that war. The second Lebanon war broke out in July 2006 after Hezbollah kidnapped a pair of Israeli soldiers on the border.
Ten years ago, Hezbollah fired 4,000 short-range, relatively crude rockets at Israel, about 100 a day, killing some 50 Israeli civilians. Today, the group has 100,000 rockets, including thousands of more accurate mid-range weapons with larger warheads capable of striking anywhere in Israel, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, according to Israeli army commanders and military analysts in Israel and Lebanon.
Hezbollah poses a far greater threat to Israel than it did 10 years ago. The challenges posed by Islamist militant movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip are almost trivial by comparison, Israeli senior commanders say.
Earlier this year, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot called Hezbollah Israel's "main enemy" now that Iran's nuclear ambitions may have been delayed by a decade or more.
Whether Hezbollah's arsenal of rockets and the overwhelming retaliatory response promised by Israel serves as a dual deterrent is one of those questions that can never be answered - but probably keeps commanders on both sides awake at night.
In Israel's far north, Misgav Am kibbutz sits on a hilltop above the Lebanon border. There is a popular overlook. There is a gift shop for the tour buses.
On a sunny morning, an Israeli army colonel stood on the hill and pointed toward Lebanese villages at his feet.
"You see villas, red tile roofs, summer homes. You don't see soldiers in uniforms. They don't wear uniforms. It looks nice and peaceful, right?" said the commander of a paratrooper reserve brigade, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is serving on active duty on the Lebanon border.
"I see rocket rooms, weapons caches, underground compounds," he said. "I can pinpoint to you, below, a house with washing on the line that is a Hezbollah outpost."
Israeli military leaders say Hezbollah has spent the past decade transforming hundreds of villages in southern Lebanon into covert fire bases with hidden launch pads, many rigged to operate by remote.
In briefings with reporters in Tel Aviv, Israeli military intelligence officers in the past year have begun to show aerial photographs of villages in Hezbollah's southern stronghold.
A photograph of Muhaybib, a town south of here, is covered with red squares marking the placement of what the Israelis say are command posts, anti-tank positions, tunnels and launch pads. Israel says there are 90 buildings in the village of 1,100 people and that 35 buildings are being used by Hezbollah. The message is implicit: This is a target list.
The Israeli commanders in Tel Aviv and here on the Lebanon border may be issuing propaganda as a warning to Hezbollah. Both sides do talk to each other through the media, yet there is broad agreement in Washington, Jerusalem and Beirut that another Lebanon war could be devastating, especially for civilians.
"Hezbollah is not a group or a organization or a movement. It's an army. A big terrorist army," said the paratrooper commander, who is a veteran of the 2006 Lebanon war. "We understand that people here find themselves in the middle. The next war will be a terrible war. I think they understand too that the next war will be different."
Speaking publicly, the Israeli generals promise that if Hezbollah launches mass strikes against Israeli cities, Israel will be compelled to respond, similarly, with 10 times as much force. The commanders say they cannot allow Israeli cities to face 1,000 Hezbollah rockets a day.
Historians say the 2006 war came as a surprise for both sides. Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers at the border, which sparked a sustained aerial and ground war by Israeli forces - and tough resistance by Hezbollah.
Both claimed victory, but neither won. In Israel, the 2006 Lebanon war is widely viewed by Israelis as a military failure. Hezbollah boasted that it had stood toe-to-toe with the most powerful army in the Middle East, but the widespread destruction and civilian deaths were unpopular.
As the 10-year anniversary approached, both Hezbollah and Israel stressed that they do not want another war - even as both declared themselves ready for one.
"Israel knows Hezbollah has missiles and rockets that can strike anywhere in its territory," the group's leader, Hasan Nasrallah, said in a speech delivered by video in February.
Nasrallah warned that Hezbollah rockets could strike ammonia plants at the port in Haifa in any future fight, saying that the damage would be equivalent to an atomic bomb and could lead to the death of 800,000 people.
"Haifa is just one of many examples," Nasrallah said. "The leaders of Israel understand that the resistance has the ability to cover the entirety of occupied Palestine with missiles. We must keep this capability because it acts as a deterrent for the Third Lebanon War."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said, "If the quiet is kept, those facing us will enjoy quiet." Then he warned that Hezbollah aggression would be met by "an iron fist."
Today, Hezbollah has lost some of its previous luster because of its decision to fight for Assad in a war that became deeply sectarian, Shiite against Sunni.
Going to Syria might have turned Nasrallah from "a hero to a zero" for many in the Arab world, said Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs.
"But the Syria war also emboldened them and sharpened his military skills," he said. "Hezbollah may be tempted to engage Israel in what it hopes is a limited war to recover their prestige."
Simon Abu Fadel, a political analyst in Lebanon, predicts that in the event of war Hezbollah would try to inflict heavy damage on Israeli cities, power plants and airports to degrade national morale. "In case of a new war with Israel, Hezbollah's missiles would be painful to Israel," he said. "However, the damage would be far less than what Israeli airstrikes could do to Hezbollah and Lebanon."
"It is not a win-and-lose game," Fadel said. "It is a mutual exchange of bombing and destruction."
A JOB TO DIE FOR
A young man with his pants hanging half off his rear, two gold front teeth, and a half inch thick gold chain around his neck, walked into the local welfare office to pick up his check.
He marched up to the counter and said, "Hi. You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a job. I don't like taking advantage of the system, getting something for nothing."
The social worker behind the counter said "Your timing is excellent. We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur and bodyguard for his beautiful daughter. You'll have to drive around in his 2016 Mercedes-Benz CL, and he will supply all of your clothes."
"Because of the long hours, meals will be provided. You'll also be expected to escort the daughter on her overseas holiday trips. This is rather awkward to say, but you will also have, as part of your job, the assignment to satisfy her sexual urges as the daughter is in her mid-20's and has a rather strong sex drive."
The guy, just plain wide-eyed, said, "You're bullshitting me!"
The social worker said, "Yeah, well . . . You started the bullshit.“
He marched up to the counter and said, "Hi. You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a job. I don't like taking advantage of the system, getting something for nothing."
The social worker behind the counter said "Your timing is excellent. We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur and bodyguard for his beautiful daughter. You'll have to drive around in his 2016 Mercedes-Benz CL, and he will supply all of your clothes."
"Because of the long hours, meals will be provided. You'll also be expected to escort the daughter on her overseas holiday trips. This is rather awkward to say, but you will also have, as part of your job, the assignment to satisfy her sexual urges as the daughter is in her mid-20's and has a rather strong sex drive."
The guy, just plain wide-eyed, said, "You're bullshitting me!"
The social worker said, "Yeah, well . . . You started the bullshit.“
Friday, July 29, 2016
CAN'T YOU SEE I'M ON THE PHONE
At the Chicago Bulls Basketball team home games they have a Kiss Cam. The idea is that couples images are displayed on the big screen over the basketball court and if your image is shown d should kiss your partner…. Be sure to watch this to the very end!
PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT ORDERS POLICE TO PUT DRUG PUSHERS ‘BEHIND BARS OR BELOW GROUND’
President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on illegal drugs has already killed almost 300 people across the archipelago nation since the start of July and he says it’s just the start
By Lindsay Murdoch
The Sunday Morning Herald
July 26, 2016
BANGKOK -- Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered police to escalate his war on illegal drugs that has already killed almost 300 people across the archipelago nation since the start of July.
Mr Duterte shrugged off alarm over the rising body count in his first state of the nation address to parliament, declaring that drugs were drowning his country and human rights were no excuse to shield criminals.
"Double your efforts. Triple them if need be," the tough-talking former provincial mayor said in a message to police.
"We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars ... or below ground if you wish," he said.
Human rights groups say police data showing that Mr Duterte's crackdown has claimed the lives of 293 suspected users and pushers in police operations between July 1 and July 24 does not include those slain in extrajudicial killings by vigilantes.
There have been many reports of accused drug users and pushers being executed and left on streets with cardboard signs allegedly "admitting" their guilt.
Mr Duterte, 71, was swept into power at elections in May after pledging to wipe out crime with the same "shoot-to-kill" methods critics say he used as the long-time mayor of the southern city of Davao.
Since taking office Mr Duterte has vowed to pardon police who might be charged with human rights violations for perpetrating his relentless crackdown, and compared himself to the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
"I will retire with the reputation of Idi Amin," he said in a recent speech, referring to the late African ruler whose 1970s regime was responsible for large-scale rights abuses.
"I will not let my country go to the dogs," he said.
In his state of the nation address, Mr Duterte told MPs that 120,000 people had surrendered to police in the past month and 70,000 were drug pushers.
Police have also arrested 3749 suspects with links to drugs.
"The sheer number and problem will drown us," he said, adding he was considering the use of military bases as drug rehabilitation centres.
Police plan to erect a large billboard outside the force's Manila headquarters to show a daily tally of drug suspects who have been arrested or killed during operations.
Under the crackdown, police knocked on the doors of 129,753 houses from July 1 to July 24 to ask suspects to voluntarily surrender.
But rights groups, many MPs and Mr Duterte's own Vice-President Leni Robredo, a social activist, have expressed alarm over the rise in vigilante killings and attacks across the country.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Zeid al-Hussein on Monday called on Mr Duterte to end the killings.
"The number of killings of suspected drug traffickers by police and others reported almost daily since the May 9 election is shocking," Prince Zeid wrote.
Catholic bishops in the predominantly Catholic nation of 100 million have also denounced the crackdown.
"Can we correct evil by doing evil?" Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo asked in a Mass that coincided with Mr Duterte's speech.
Bishop Pabillo said there is no proof the victims were engaged in drug trafficking.
"No one told us that, aside from the cardboards placed on top of them," he said.
"Even if it's true that they are drug pushers and they did something wrong to other people, what about their families? They themselves have been done wrong."
Phelim Kine, deputy director in Asia for the US-based Human Rights Watch, said "as long as President Duterte turns a blind eye to – or implicitly or explicitly encourages – summary killings, the fundamental right to life of all Filipinos is at risk from potentially random extrajudicial violence".
An opinion poll taken late in June showed that 63 per cent of Filipinos believe that Mr Duterte will make good on most, if not all, of his promises to stamp out criminality, corruption and illegal drugs.
EDITOR’S NOTE: All the human rights groups and the Catholic Church may be screaming bloody murder, but 'Duterte Harry' does not intend to let the Philippines go the way of the U.S.
By Lindsay Murdoch
The Sunday Morning Herald
July 26, 2016
BANGKOK -- Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered police to escalate his war on illegal drugs that has already killed almost 300 people across the archipelago nation since the start of July.
Mr Duterte shrugged off alarm over the rising body count in his first state of the nation address to parliament, declaring that drugs were drowning his country and human rights were no excuse to shield criminals.
"Double your efforts. Triple them if need be," the tough-talking former provincial mayor said in a message to police.
"We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars ... or below ground if you wish," he said.
Human rights groups say police data showing that Mr Duterte's crackdown has claimed the lives of 293 suspected users and pushers in police operations between July 1 and July 24 does not include those slain in extrajudicial killings by vigilantes.
There have been many reports of accused drug users and pushers being executed and left on streets with cardboard signs allegedly "admitting" their guilt.
Mr Duterte, 71, was swept into power at elections in May after pledging to wipe out crime with the same "shoot-to-kill" methods critics say he used as the long-time mayor of the southern city of Davao.
Since taking office Mr Duterte has vowed to pardon police who might be charged with human rights violations for perpetrating his relentless crackdown, and compared himself to the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.
"I will retire with the reputation of Idi Amin," he said in a recent speech, referring to the late African ruler whose 1970s regime was responsible for large-scale rights abuses.
"I will not let my country go to the dogs," he said.
In his state of the nation address, Mr Duterte told MPs that 120,000 people had surrendered to police in the past month and 70,000 were drug pushers.
Police have also arrested 3749 suspects with links to drugs.
"The sheer number and problem will drown us," he said, adding he was considering the use of military bases as drug rehabilitation centres.
Police plan to erect a large billboard outside the force's Manila headquarters to show a daily tally of drug suspects who have been arrested or killed during operations.
Under the crackdown, police knocked on the doors of 129,753 houses from July 1 to July 24 to ask suspects to voluntarily surrender.
But rights groups, many MPs and Mr Duterte's own Vice-President Leni Robredo, a social activist, have expressed alarm over the rise in vigilante killings and attacks across the country.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Zeid al-Hussein on Monday called on Mr Duterte to end the killings.
"The number of killings of suspected drug traffickers by police and others reported almost daily since the May 9 election is shocking," Prince Zeid wrote.
Catholic bishops in the predominantly Catholic nation of 100 million have also denounced the crackdown.
"Can we correct evil by doing evil?" Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo asked in a Mass that coincided with Mr Duterte's speech.
Bishop Pabillo said there is no proof the victims were engaged in drug trafficking.
"No one told us that, aside from the cardboards placed on top of them," he said.
"Even if it's true that they are drug pushers and they did something wrong to other people, what about their families? They themselves have been done wrong."
Phelim Kine, deputy director in Asia for the US-based Human Rights Watch, said "as long as President Duterte turns a blind eye to – or implicitly or explicitly encourages – summary killings, the fundamental right to life of all Filipinos is at risk from potentially random extrajudicial violence".
An opinion poll taken late in June showed that 63 per cent of Filipinos believe that Mr Duterte will make good on most, if not all, of his promises to stamp out criminality, corruption and illegal drugs.
EDITOR’S NOTE: All the human rights groups and the Catholic Church may be screaming bloody murder, but 'Duterte Harry' does not intend to let the Philippines go the way of the U.S.
SLENDER MAN CASE MOVING AHEAD
By Bob Walsh
A state appeals court in Wisconsin ruled yesterday that the two girls facing trial in the “Slender Man” attempted murder case can be tried as adults.
In 2014 the two 12-year old girls lured a 12-year old classmate into the woods and attempted to stab her to death to please the internet character “Slender Man.” The victim managed to crawl out of the woods to a nearby road and was saved by a passer-by her saw her and rushed her to a hospital. She had 19 stab wounds.
The two girls could get 65 years as guests of the state if convicted.
A state appeals court in Wisconsin ruled yesterday that the two girls facing trial in the “Slender Man” attempted murder case can be tried as adults.
In 2014 the two 12-year old girls lured a 12-year old classmate into the woods and attempted to stab her to death to please the internet character “Slender Man.” The victim managed to crawl out of the woods to a nearby road and was saved by a passer-by her saw her and rushed her to a hospital. She had 19 stab wounds.
The two girls could get 65 years as guests of the state if convicted.
CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST ‘WHITE HISPANIC’ FLORIDA COP IN THE SHOOTING OF A BLACK MAN
By Bob Walsh
Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Peter Peraza, 37, is described as a “white Hispanic” by the Associated Press. According to the AP, Circuit Court Judge Michael Usan dismissed a manslaughter charge against Deputy Peraza yesterday.
The deputy asserted self-defense in the shooting of Jermaine McBean, 33, a black man. McBean had possession of a very realistic looking toy gun in July of 2014. He was challenged by several deputies, including Peraza. Instead of dropping the gun as commanded he turned towards the deputies and pointed the weapon in their direction. Peraza fired three shots, killing McBean.
The judge pointed out that the shooting in no way violated Florida law and further that the “Stand your ground” law covers law enforcement officers as well as private citizens.
Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Peter Peraza, 37, is described as a “white Hispanic” by the Associated Press. According to the AP, Circuit Court Judge Michael Usan dismissed a manslaughter charge against Deputy Peraza yesterday.
The deputy asserted self-defense in the shooting of Jermaine McBean, 33, a black man. McBean had possession of a very realistic looking toy gun in July of 2014. He was challenged by several deputies, including Peraza. Instead of dropping the gun as commanded he turned towards the deputies and pointed the weapon in their direction. Peraza fired three shots, killing McBean.
The judge pointed out that the shooting in no way violated Florida law and further that the “Stand your ground” law covers law enforcement officers as well as private citizens.
THIS TIME IT IS MCDONALD’S, AND MONGOLIAN BBQ
By Bob Walsh
An off-duty cop was with his family at the McDonalds in Brenham, Texas and was refused service for the fact that the man was a police officer. An item was posted about it on the department’s Facebook page by Chief Craig Goodman.
The franchise owner heard about it, promptly fired the counterperson who refused them service and contacted the department to let them know how disheartened they were about the incident.
The same article in the Dallas Morning News reports that a similar incident happened a week previously at the Genghis Grill on Greenville Ave. That employee was also pretty much immediately canned.
You would think that these relatively low-level employees would figure out that projecting their personal political beliefs into their boss’s business plan is probably not a smart idea. Maybe they actually believed it when their teachers and their mommies told them how special they were every day, just for showing up.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Stupid is as stupid does!
An off-duty cop was with his family at the McDonalds in Brenham, Texas and was refused service for the fact that the man was a police officer. An item was posted about it on the department’s Facebook page by Chief Craig Goodman.
The franchise owner heard about it, promptly fired the counterperson who refused them service and contacted the department to let them know how disheartened they were about the incident.
The same article in the Dallas Morning News reports that a similar incident happened a week previously at the Genghis Grill on Greenville Ave. That employee was also pretty much immediately canned.
You would think that these relatively low-level employees would figure out that projecting their personal political beliefs into their boss’s business plan is probably not a smart idea. Maybe they actually believed it when their teachers and their mommies told them how special they were every day, just for showing up.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Stupid is as stupid does!
UNITED STATES AND MEXICO AGREE TO COMBAT HEROIN AND FENTANYL CONSUMPTION
During her visit to the United States, Prosecutor General of the Republic Arely Gomez, agreed to create a bi-national group to lower the consumption of heroin and fentanyl in both countries
By Ruben Mosso
Borderland Beat from Milenio
July 26, 2016
Mexico and the united States agreed the formation of a bi-national group to confront the problem that is occasioning both countries, the consumption of heroin and fentanyl, drugs that have been the cause of many deaths.
The accord was made between the Prosecutor General of the Republic, Arely Gomez Gonzalez, during a working visit she made to Washington, United States.
The bi-national group will be headed in Mexico by the Prosecutor General of the Republic.
"t is a topic that affect all in Mexico and the United States, through all the deaths that we have had of people consuming heroin or fentanyl, its a very grave situation, but its nothing more than one can do to tackle it in a shared manner", said the Prosecutor.
Fentanyl is an opiate used in the treatment of pain for people with cancer, however its consumption has elevated in the American Union and various people have died of overdoses, already it has been said that it is 50 times more potent than heroin.
According to information from the DEA, the illicit use of the pharmaceutical fentanyl started in the middle of the decade of the 70's in the medical community and since has been a problem for the United States.
Until now there have been 12 types of fentanyl that have been produced in clandestine form, and form part of drug trafficking. The biological effects of fentanyl are almost similar to that of heroin, with the exception that it can be hundreds of times more potent.
Fentanyl is the drug most used by the administration intravenously, but like heroin, but it can also be inhaled, said the DEA.
The anti-drug agency said that this pharmaceutical is produced by the Mexican cartels in laboratories that Federal forces have managed to dismantle.
By Ruben Mosso
Borderland Beat from Milenio
July 26, 2016
Mexico and the united States agreed the formation of a bi-national group to confront the problem that is occasioning both countries, the consumption of heroin and fentanyl, drugs that have been the cause of many deaths.
The accord was made between the Prosecutor General of the Republic, Arely Gomez Gonzalez, during a working visit she made to Washington, United States.
The bi-national group will be headed in Mexico by the Prosecutor General of the Republic.
"t is a topic that affect all in Mexico and the United States, through all the deaths that we have had of people consuming heroin or fentanyl, its a very grave situation, but its nothing more than one can do to tackle it in a shared manner", said the Prosecutor.
Fentanyl is an opiate used in the treatment of pain for people with cancer, however its consumption has elevated in the American Union and various people have died of overdoses, already it has been said that it is 50 times more potent than heroin.
According to information from the DEA, the illicit use of the pharmaceutical fentanyl started in the middle of the decade of the 70's in the medical community and since has been a problem for the United States.
Until now there have been 12 types of fentanyl that have been produced in clandestine form, and form part of drug trafficking. The biological effects of fentanyl are almost similar to that of heroin, with the exception that it can be hundreds of times more potent.
Fentanyl is the drug most used by the administration intravenously, but like heroin, but it can also be inhaled, said the DEA.
The anti-drug agency said that this pharmaceutical is produced by the Mexican cartels in laboratories that Federal forces have managed to dismantle.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
500 FEET FROM A PARTY WHERE 14 WERE SHOT BUT SURVIVED, ONE MAN DIES FROM STRAY BULLET
It appears a stray bullet from the return fire went through the slain man’s apartment door and struck him
By Joseph Serna
Los Angeles Times
July 26, 2016
The gunmen stood in front of a group of people partying outside of the Bakersfield home and sprayed bullets.
Fourteen people were shot. Not one died.
But in defiance of what seem to be astronomical odds, 500 feet to the south, a man was killed by a stray bullet. Kern County sheriff’s spokesman Ray Pruitt said investigators believe that bullet was fired by someone at the party who was shooting back at the attackers.
The victim of the errant bullet, who has yet to be identified, was found dead three days after the July 16 shooting in the 600 block of Stephens Drive, Pruitt said.
The shooting occurred about 1 a.m. when a group of people were told to leave a house party and then returned with guns, he said. Authorities said the suspects were three males ages 16 to 19. At least two of them were armed with semiautomatic handguns.
Investigators determined the three would have been facing north when they opened fire on a huge crowd outside the home, Pruitt said. At least one person in that crowd pulled out a gun and shot back — aiming south, he said.
It appears a stray bullet from the return fire went through the slain man’s apartment door and struck him, Pruitt said.
Cars and homes in the neighborhood were riddled with bullets and two people were critically injured — but the man appears to be the only person who died, officials said.
Pruitt said the party was initiated by a girl who lives at the home and was given permission to throw a party by her parents. She promoted the event on social media.
“At some point, people who were not invited showed up,” he said. The party swelled to at least 150 revelers and “got out of control,” Pruitt added.
Authorities believe a verbal confrontation took place between two groups in the backyard of the house, and several people were told to leave the party.
“They did leave, and we believe it was those individuals who left the party that came back and opened fire on the crowd,” Pruitt said, adding that investigators believe the shooting was gang-related.
The Sheriff’s Department said the incident was initially believed to be a drive-by shooting, but Pruitt said investigators now believe the three males got out of a vehicle, walked up to the crowd outside the home and opened fire before fleeing in the vehicle.
Witnesses told the Bakersfield Californian that the injured included a 13-year-old and that 30 rounds were fired.
“We just heard screaming,” Julie Burton told the paper, adding that the incident felt like the “OK Corral.”
No arrests have been made and there was no detailed description of the gunmen, Pruitt said.
By Joseph Serna
Los Angeles Times
July 26, 2016
The gunmen stood in front of a group of people partying outside of the Bakersfield home and sprayed bullets.
Fourteen people were shot. Not one died.
But in defiance of what seem to be astronomical odds, 500 feet to the south, a man was killed by a stray bullet. Kern County sheriff’s spokesman Ray Pruitt said investigators believe that bullet was fired by someone at the party who was shooting back at the attackers.
The victim of the errant bullet, who has yet to be identified, was found dead three days after the July 16 shooting in the 600 block of Stephens Drive, Pruitt said.
The shooting occurred about 1 a.m. when a group of people were told to leave a house party and then returned with guns, he said. Authorities said the suspects were three males ages 16 to 19. At least two of them were armed with semiautomatic handguns.
Investigators determined the three would have been facing north when they opened fire on a huge crowd outside the home, Pruitt said. At least one person in that crowd pulled out a gun and shot back — aiming south, he said.
It appears a stray bullet from the return fire went through the slain man’s apartment door and struck him, Pruitt said.
Cars and homes in the neighborhood were riddled with bullets and two people were critically injured — but the man appears to be the only person who died, officials said.
Pruitt said the party was initiated by a girl who lives at the home and was given permission to throw a party by her parents. She promoted the event on social media.
“At some point, people who were not invited showed up,” he said. The party swelled to at least 150 revelers and “got out of control,” Pruitt added.
Authorities believe a verbal confrontation took place between two groups in the backyard of the house, and several people were told to leave the party.
“They did leave, and we believe it was those individuals who left the party that came back and opened fire on the crowd,” Pruitt said, adding that investigators believe the shooting was gang-related.
The Sheriff’s Department said the incident was initially believed to be a drive-by shooting, but Pruitt said investigators now believe the three males got out of a vehicle, walked up to the crowd outside the home and opened fire before fleeing in the vehicle.
Witnesses told the Bakersfield Californian that the injured included a 13-year-old and that 30 rounds were fired.
“We just heard screaming,” Julie Burton told the paper, adding that the incident felt like the “OK Corral.”
No arrests have been made and there was no detailed description of the gunmen, Pruitt said.
SLIVER OF HOPE JUST GOT A WEE TAD BIGGER
By Bob Walsh
The Secretary of State of the formerly great state of California did clear six referendums for the November ballot, providing enough signatures can be obtained by September 29.
These proposals, numbers 1788-1793 inclusive, will, if successful, overturn the six pieces of seriously anti-Second Amendment legislation passed into law in CA within the last month.
The information is now on the Secretary of State’s web site.
Gathering the required signatures will be a daunting task, but is far from impossible. Sometimes the good guys do win.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Bob, I hate to rain on your parade, but don’t hold your breath waiting for them to get the required number of signatures in time. And even if they do, what makes you think the idiot voters will vote to overturn the anti-gun legislation?
The Secretary of State of the formerly great state of California did clear six referendums for the November ballot, providing enough signatures can be obtained by September 29.
These proposals, numbers 1788-1793 inclusive, will, if successful, overturn the six pieces of seriously anti-Second Amendment legislation passed into law in CA within the last month.
The information is now on the Secretary of State’s web site.
Gathering the required signatures will be a daunting task, but is far from impossible. Sometimes the good guys do win.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Bob, I hate to rain on your parade, but don’t hold your breath waiting for them to get the required number of signatures in time. And even if they do, what makes you think the idiot voters will vote to overturn the anti-gun legislation?
JOHN HINKLEY JR. NOW MORE-OR-LESS A FREE MAN
By Bob Walsh
A judge has granted the man who attempted to murder President Regan permission to live full-time with his mother in Virginia and leave the nutfarm where he has been incarcerated for 35 years.
To be fair Hinkley, 61, has, for the last ten years, been spending a great deal of time with his 90-year old mother and even before this action spent about half his time with her, 17 days a month. She lives in a gated community overlooking a golf course.
Hinkley’s release from St. Elizabeth has some strings attached. He cannot give interviews. He cannot travel very far from home without specific permission. The Secret Service still keep an eye on him from time to time. He is supposed to get some sort of employment, even if it is volunteer work.
For some strange reason the 61-year old homicidal psychopath (I’m sorry, former homicidal psychopath) is having trouble getting work. He seems to think it is because of his Secret Service
tail. I am guessing it might have something to do with the fact that he is a well-known homicidal psychopath.
He has done some volunteer work at a local mental hospital and a church. He is required to visit St. Elizabeth’s once a month for a check-up. I guess they ask him if he has killed anybody lately, or tried to. Seems reasonable to me.
A judge has granted the man who attempted to murder President Regan permission to live full-time with his mother in Virginia and leave the nutfarm where he has been incarcerated for 35 years.
To be fair Hinkley, 61, has, for the last ten years, been spending a great deal of time with his 90-year old mother and even before this action spent about half his time with her, 17 days a month. She lives in a gated community overlooking a golf course.
Hinkley’s release from St. Elizabeth has some strings attached. He cannot give interviews. He cannot travel very far from home without specific permission. The Secret Service still keep an eye on him from time to time. He is supposed to get some sort of employment, even if it is volunteer work.
For some strange reason the 61-year old homicidal psychopath (I’m sorry, former homicidal psychopath) is having trouble getting work. He seems to think it is because of his Secret Service
tail. I am guessing it might have something to do with the fact that he is a well-known homicidal psychopath.
He has done some volunteer work at a local mental hospital and a church. He is required to visit St. Elizabeth’s once a month for a check-up. I guess they ask him if he has killed anybody lately, or tried to. Seems reasonable to me.
BLM PROTEST LEADER ORDERS WHITE PEOPLE TO THE REAR OF THE ‘BUS’
She ordered white people to take their place at the back of the march and started a number of highly offensive chants aimed at the Philadelphia Police Department
By Darren Boyle
Daily Mail
July 27, 2016
Black Lives Matter activists ordered white journalists and supporters to the back of their march outside the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Several videos of the protest have been posted on social media which show the female leader of the protest standing on the back of a truck while ordering racial segregation.
The un-named protester used a microphone and an amplifier to start a number of highly offensive chants aimed at the Philadelphia Police Department.
One protester objecting to the racial segregation raised the Rosa Parks incident, but the angry woman did not respond.
Before the march set off, the woman told white people: 'Take your rightful position, behind us.'
Standing in front of a black and red anarchist flag, she said: 'I want to see all of the white folks at the back of the crowd.'
'White people, get to the back. Black people, come to the front.'
The woman then began pointing at individual people and ordering them to the back of the crowd during her expletive-riddled tirade.
By Darren Boyle
Daily Mail
July 27, 2016
Black Lives Matter activists ordered white journalists and supporters to the back of their march outside the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Several videos of the protest have been posted on social media which show the female leader of the protest standing on the back of a truck while ordering racial segregation.
The un-named protester used a microphone and an amplifier to start a number of highly offensive chants aimed at the Philadelphia Police Department.
One protester objecting to the racial segregation raised the Rosa Parks incident, but the angry woman did not respond.
Before the march set off, the woman told white people: 'Take your rightful position, behind us.'
Standing in front of a black and red anarchist flag, she said: 'I want to see all of the white folks at the back of the crowd.'
'White people, get to the back. Black people, come to the front.'
The woman then began pointing at individual people and ordering them to the back of the crowd during her expletive-riddled tirade.
LAW FIRM SUES 20-YEAR-OLD WAITRESS OVER UNFLATTERING YELP FACEBOOK REVIEWS
By Meagan Flynn
Houston Press
July 27, 2016
Twenty-year-old Lan Cai was half-asleep under the covers, in her underwear, the first time she met the lawyers from the Tuan A. Khuu law firm. And already, they were off to a bad start.
She had just been a serious car accident while driving home from her job as a server at 1:30 in the morning. A drunk driver hit her, Cai said, and then she was immediately struck by another vehicle that could not avoid a collision. Cai broke two bones in her lower back.
Cai had never been in a major accident before, and she needed help from the attorneys while navigating insurance and proving her entitlement to damages. But when the attorneys came to her home, entered her bedroom (the attorneys maintain Cai's mother told them to go in) and then ignored her phone calls and emails in the days immediately after Cai signed the contract, she felt like hiring them was a mistake.
And she couldn't be more certain after the Tuan A. Khuu law firm of Houston sued her for between $100,000 and $200,000 after she wrote an unfavorable Yelp review and described her bad experience in a Facebook group, as KPRC first reported.
“I feel like they're trying to pull every single penny out of me,” Cai said, “just because I didn't want to be their client.”
The law firm claims what Cai wrote is libelous, meaning the published statements are false and will severely hurt the firm's reputation. Cai says she was simply sharing her opinion after she decided to switch to a new law firm—that way no one else has to make the same mistake she did.
Here's what she wrote on Facebook, in a group called Vietnamese Americans in Houston, that the law firm thinks is defamatory: “After 3 days, they didn't tell me anything about the doctor I needed to go to. I was in a lot of pain. Not only that, they didn't know where the hell my car was! And they came to my house and into my room to talk to me when I was sleeping in my underwear. Seriously, it's super unprofessional! ...I came in to the office to meet with my previous attorney, but he literally ran off.”
Tuan A. Khuu attorney Keith Nguyen saw the post and immediately sent Cai an email, saying, 'It has come to my attention that you have posted some dispariging [sic] words on your Facebook account. ...If you do not remove the post from Facebook and any other social media sites, my office will have no choice but to file suit.”
That's right, no choice but to sue a 20-year-old waitress working six days a week to pay her way through nursing school at Houston Community College, for more than 100 times what she has in her bank account. Asked whether he feels at all bad about this, Nguyen said, “No, I don't feel bad at all. I feel sorry for her, because again, I gave her plenty of opportunities to retract and delete her post and she refused. She was proud: 'I've got it on Facebook. I've got it on Yelp,' with no remorse.”
To be clear, Cai is not the only person who has written a bad review of Tuan A. Khuu. In fact, good reviews are hard to find, no matter which of the law firm's three locations you search. A guy named Han in Richardson, Texas, wrote, “Duped and filthy legal services. They trap you in their plan and dupe you out for their own goods. Stay away to protect yourself and your family.” A guy named Kevin from Austin: “They like to delay responses and make excuses for not returning calls. Incompetent and unreliable are the words I would use to describe their staff.” Charlie from Houston: “I went in for a 'free consultation' and it became a decision I would soon regret.”
So why did Nguyen and company go after Cai? Nguyen said, “We don't mind if someone writes a bad review, as long as it's true.”
He claims Cai's is full of “half-truths.” For example, when Cai says that her lawyer “literally ran off” when she showed up unannounced, Nguyen concedes he was on his way out the door, but took a moment to explain to her why there were liens on her insurance. The lawyers who went into her room had no idea she was in her underwear and say they were invited her in, Nguyen explained. “It puts us in a bad light,” Nguyen said. “I said [to her], You can say that, but you need to add that we were invited. And she never did. She went ahead and wrote more bad things.”
Cai took to Yelp and Facebook to warn others that, apparently, if you say something mean about Tuan A. Khuu, they will sue you. "I wouldn't even give this law firm a star," she said, in reference to Yelp's five-star rating system.
For now, Cai is planning to take a semester off of school. The car accident, the broken bones, the insurance hounds, the elusive attorneys — and now this defamation lawsuit — are all too much for her to handle alongside a five-day-a-week nursing program and six days of waiting tables. She's still looking for an attorney to represent her, but Cai is concerned about what a loss in court will mean for her future.
Asked whether he might irreparably damage Cai's future, Nguyen said no: “It's not ruining someone's career chances. They need to think before they post. ...She needs to learn — people need to learn that there are consequences for their actions.”
If she loses, Cai said she'll probably have to drop out altogether.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The shyster is right when he says: “They need to think before they post. ...She needs to learn — people need to learn that there are consequences for their actions,” especially when posting on social media!
Houston Press
July 27, 2016
Twenty-year-old Lan Cai was half-asleep under the covers, in her underwear, the first time she met the lawyers from the Tuan A. Khuu law firm. And already, they were off to a bad start.
She had just been a serious car accident while driving home from her job as a server at 1:30 in the morning. A drunk driver hit her, Cai said, and then she was immediately struck by another vehicle that could not avoid a collision. Cai broke two bones in her lower back.
Cai had never been in a major accident before, and she needed help from the attorneys while navigating insurance and proving her entitlement to damages. But when the attorneys came to her home, entered her bedroom (the attorneys maintain Cai's mother told them to go in) and then ignored her phone calls and emails in the days immediately after Cai signed the contract, she felt like hiring them was a mistake.
And she couldn't be more certain after the Tuan A. Khuu law firm of Houston sued her for between $100,000 and $200,000 after she wrote an unfavorable Yelp review and described her bad experience in a Facebook group, as KPRC first reported.
“I feel like they're trying to pull every single penny out of me,” Cai said, “just because I didn't want to be their client.”
The law firm claims what Cai wrote is libelous, meaning the published statements are false and will severely hurt the firm's reputation. Cai says she was simply sharing her opinion after she decided to switch to a new law firm—that way no one else has to make the same mistake she did.
Here's what she wrote on Facebook, in a group called Vietnamese Americans in Houston, that the law firm thinks is defamatory: “After 3 days, they didn't tell me anything about the doctor I needed to go to. I was in a lot of pain. Not only that, they didn't know where the hell my car was! And they came to my house and into my room to talk to me when I was sleeping in my underwear. Seriously, it's super unprofessional! ...I came in to the office to meet with my previous attorney, but he literally ran off.”
Tuan A. Khuu attorney Keith Nguyen saw the post and immediately sent Cai an email, saying, 'It has come to my attention that you have posted some dispariging [sic] words on your Facebook account. ...If you do not remove the post from Facebook and any other social media sites, my office will have no choice but to file suit.”
That's right, no choice but to sue a 20-year-old waitress working six days a week to pay her way through nursing school at Houston Community College, for more than 100 times what she has in her bank account. Asked whether he feels at all bad about this, Nguyen said, “No, I don't feel bad at all. I feel sorry for her, because again, I gave her plenty of opportunities to retract and delete her post and she refused. She was proud: 'I've got it on Facebook. I've got it on Yelp,' with no remorse.”
To be clear, Cai is not the only person who has written a bad review of Tuan A. Khuu. In fact, good reviews are hard to find, no matter which of the law firm's three locations you search. A guy named Han in Richardson, Texas, wrote, “Duped and filthy legal services. They trap you in their plan and dupe you out for their own goods. Stay away to protect yourself and your family.” A guy named Kevin from Austin: “They like to delay responses and make excuses for not returning calls. Incompetent and unreliable are the words I would use to describe their staff.” Charlie from Houston: “I went in for a 'free consultation' and it became a decision I would soon regret.”
So why did Nguyen and company go after Cai? Nguyen said, “We don't mind if someone writes a bad review, as long as it's true.”
He claims Cai's is full of “half-truths.” For example, when Cai says that her lawyer “literally ran off” when she showed up unannounced, Nguyen concedes he was on his way out the door, but took a moment to explain to her why there were liens on her insurance. The lawyers who went into her room had no idea she was in her underwear and say they were invited her in, Nguyen explained. “It puts us in a bad light,” Nguyen said. “I said [to her], You can say that, but you need to add that we were invited. And she never did. She went ahead and wrote more bad things.”
Cai took to Yelp and Facebook to warn others that, apparently, if you say something mean about Tuan A. Khuu, they will sue you. "I wouldn't even give this law firm a star," she said, in reference to Yelp's five-star rating system.
For now, Cai is planning to take a semester off of school. The car accident, the broken bones, the insurance hounds, the elusive attorneys — and now this defamation lawsuit — are all too much for her to handle alongside a five-day-a-week nursing program and six days of waiting tables. She's still looking for an attorney to represent her, but Cai is concerned about what a loss in court will mean for her future.
Asked whether he might irreparably damage Cai's future, Nguyen said no: “It's not ruining someone's career chances. They need to think before they post. ...She needs to learn — people need to learn that there are consequences for their actions.”
If she loses, Cai said she'll probably have to drop out altogether.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The shyster is right when he says: “They need to think before they post. ...She needs to learn — people need to learn that there are consequences for their actions,” especially when posting on social media!
CINCINNATI COPS PROTECT AND SERVE
Momma goose asks officer for help untangling baby from balloon string
Inside Edition
May 11, 1016
Police officers are ordered to protect and serve — and that doesn't leave out animals.
A mother goose in Ohio personally sought out the help of the Cincinnati Police Department Monday when one of her goslings was tangled in a balloon string.
Cincinnati Police Sergeant James Givens told InsideEdition.com: “I was sitting in a patrol car in a parking lot, I heard something pecking on the side of the door and I looked down and I thought the goose was hungry. I was eating a bagel and I tossed it a piece but it didn’t have any. It walked in front of me so I followed it and it took me to its baby that was tangled in rope.”
Sergeant Givens called the SPCA Wildlife, which had no one to assist. He then made a call over the radio and Officer Cecilia Charron arrived to lend a hand.
Officer Charron approached the mother goose to see what the issue was.
“It’s weird because it kept the distance and it kept the baby calm. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Givens said. “I said it must be a motherly instinct, the mother didn’t attack her or nothing, seeing the thing run off that was the best part.”
Givens filmed the encounter and posted the video on Facebook.
The string came from a Mother’s Day balloon that must have floated away from its recipient.
“I don’t know why I didn’t just drive off and keep going. It kept looking up, it kept quacking, the only thing I can think of, is that I go down there and drink a cup of coffee sometimes,” he said. “They never came that close to me in the police car before, I was just amazed how she didn’t attack us. I was a little nervous.”
Givens, who has served on the force for more than 25 years, is nearing retirement. Charron has been on the force for 24 years and said that was the most memorable moment of her career.
Inside Edition
May 11, 1016
Police officers are ordered to protect and serve — and that doesn't leave out animals.
A mother goose in Ohio personally sought out the help of the Cincinnati Police Department Monday when one of her goslings was tangled in a balloon string.
Cincinnati Police Sergeant James Givens told InsideEdition.com: “I was sitting in a patrol car in a parking lot, I heard something pecking on the side of the door and I looked down and I thought the goose was hungry. I was eating a bagel and I tossed it a piece but it didn’t have any. It walked in front of me so I followed it and it took me to its baby that was tangled in rope.”
Sergeant Givens called the SPCA Wildlife, which had no one to assist. He then made a call over the radio and Officer Cecilia Charron arrived to lend a hand.
Officer Charron approached the mother goose to see what the issue was.
“It’s weird because it kept the distance and it kept the baby calm. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Givens said. “I said it must be a motherly instinct, the mother didn’t attack her or nothing, seeing the thing run off that was the best part.”
Givens filmed the encounter and posted the video on Facebook.
The string came from a Mother’s Day balloon that must have floated away from its recipient.
“I don’t know why I didn’t just drive off and keep going. It kept looking up, it kept quacking, the only thing I can think of, is that I go down there and drink a cup of coffee sometimes,” he said. “They never came that close to me in the police car before, I was just amazed how she didn’t attack us. I was a little nervous.”
Givens, who has served on the force for more than 25 years, is nearing retirement. Charron has been on the force for 24 years and said that was the most memorable moment of her career.
IT IS HARD TO GET GOD FEARING PEOPLE TO LOVE YOU IF YOU ARE IN THE PORNO BUSINESS
Texxxas adult expo booted from Hilton, will move to new venue
By Zach Despart
Houston Press
July 25, 2016
The promoter of the Texxxas adult entertainment expo says a Houston hotel reneged on a deal to hold the event there — after a sexual exploitation advocacy group raised concerns about what it says is an increase in sex crimes linked to such events.
John Gray, the organizer of Texxxas, said the Hilton Houston Galleria Area backed out of a contract with the convention last week, leaving him scrambling to find another venue for Texxxas — a four-day event with adult-themed vendors, parties at Houston strip clubs and appearances by more than two dozen pornographic actors, according to the event's website. Texxxas is scheduled to run August 17-20.
Gray assured the Houston Press he has secured another location nearby for the convention, but he declined to say where.
"The show is going to go on," Gray said. "I'm happy to admit, like Bob Marley said, everything is going to be all right."
Gray said he was disappointed with Hilton's decision, and said the hotel chain would have to "deal with the consequences" of losing his business. He said the hotel in May agreed to host the convention. Gray said that in his more than two decades promoting adult entertainment conventions, a venue has never backed out of a contract.
The event and host drew criticism from the Washington, D.C.-based National Center for Sexual Exploitation. In an ironic twist, the group learned about Texxxas when it tried to book a conference on sexual exploitation at the same Hilton.
Dawn Hawkins, vice president of the nonprofit, said pornography dehumanizes the people it depicts, especially women. She said the National Center for Sexual Exploitation believes adult entertainment conventions increase demand for prostitution and sex trafficking because some attendees seek sex.
“I've spoken with performers who have been prostituted at and after these events,” Hawkins said.
The center, founded in 1962 as Morality in Media, has historically fought to define obscenity in the United States. The nonprofit in 2013 convinced the Department of Defense to prohibit the sale of pornography on military bases.
Hawkins said the center previously convinced the Hilton to stop selling pay-per-view pornography in its rooms. The nonprofit asked the national chain to sever ties with Texxxas, Hawkins said, and Hilton agreed.
Neither Hilton's corporate office nor Maggie Rosa, general manager of the Galleria location, responded to requests for comment.
Gray, the Texxxas promoter, rejects Hawkins's characterization of the event. He described Texxxas as "classy" and "PG." He denied a link between adult entertainment conventions and prostitution and said Texxxas and Houston-area strip clubs work to prevent sex crimes.
And if some people object to pornography, Gray said, they can simply choose not to attend Texxxas.
“Humanity and sexual relations are part of our society,” he said. “It's important.”
Texxxas isn't the only sex convention in the state to struggle to find a venue. The Dallas City Council this spring barred a similar show, Exxxotica, from returning to that city's Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. A federal judge in April upheld the city's decision.
EDITOR’S NTE: Why can’t them do-gooders just go to their Wednesday night prayer meetings and let us old geezers with our shriveled-up limp dicks attend exhibitions that sells products which might just possibly restore our sex lives?
By Zach Despart
Houston Press
July 25, 2016
The promoter of the Texxxas adult entertainment expo says a Houston hotel reneged on a deal to hold the event there — after a sexual exploitation advocacy group raised concerns about what it says is an increase in sex crimes linked to such events.
John Gray, the organizer of Texxxas, said the Hilton Houston Galleria Area backed out of a contract with the convention last week, leaving him scrambling to find another venue for Texxxas — a four-day event with adult-themed vendors, parties at Houston strip clubs and appearances by more than two dozen pornographic actors, according to the event's website. Texxxas is scheduled to run August 17-20.
Gray assured the Houston Press he has secured another location nearby for the convention, but he declined to say where.
"The show is going to go on," Gray said. "I'm happy to admit, like Bob Marley said, everything is going to be all right."
Gray said he was disappointed with Hilton's decision, and said the hotel chain would have to "deal with the consequences" of losing his business. He said the hotel in May agreed to host the convention. Gray said that in his more than two decades promoting adult entertainment conventions, a venue has never backed out of a contract.
The event and host drew criticism from the Washington, D.C.-based National Center for Sexual Exploitation. In an ironic twist, the group learned about Texxxas when it tried to book a conference on sexual exploitation at the same Hilton.
Dawn Hawkins, vice president of the nonprofit, said pornography dehumanizes the people it depicts, especially women. She said the National Center for Sexual Exploitation believes adult entertainment conventions increase demand for prostitution and sex trafficking because some attendees seek sex.
“I've spoken with performers who have been prostituted at and after these events,” Hawkins said.
The center, founded in 1962 as Morality in Media, has historically fought to define obscenity in the United States. The nonprofit in 2013 convinced the Department of Defense to prohibit the sale of pornography on military bases.
Hawkins said the center previously convinced the Hilton to stop selling pay-per-view pornography in its rooms. The nonprofit asked the national chain to sever ties with Texxxas, Hawkins said, and Hilton agreed.
Neither Hilton's corporate office nor Maggie Rosa, general manager of the Galleria location, responded to requests for comment.
Gray, the Texxxas promoter, rejects Hawkins's characterization of the event. He described Texxxas as "classy" and "PG." He denied a link between adult entertainment conventions and prostitution and said Texxxas and Houston-area strip clubs work to prevent sex crimes.
And if some people object to pornography, Gray said, they can simply choose not to attend Texxxas.
“Humanity and sexual relations are part of our society,” he said. “It's important.”
Texxxas isn't the only sex convention in the state to struggle to find a venue. The Dallas City Council this spring barred a similar show, Exxxotica, from returning to that city's Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. A federal judge in April upheld the city's decision.
EDITOR’S NTE: Why can’t them do-gooders just go to their Wednesday night prayer meetings and let us old geezers with our shriveled-up limp dicks attend exhibitions that sells products which might just possibly restore our sex lives?
TURKISH PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN: ‘THEY WILL PAY A HEAVY PRICE FOR THEIR TREASON’
Turkey arrests 62 children and accuses them of TREASON after military coup
By Charlie Moore
Daily Mail
July 25, 2016
Turkey has arrested 62 children and accused them of treason after the botched military coup last week.
The youngsters, aged 14 to 17, were from Kuleli Military school, the oldest of its kind in Istanbul.
They have reportedly been thrown in jail and are not allowed to speak to their parents.
Their families say that just before the coup the children were invited to a school cocktail party but were made to parade with guns, dress in army uniforms and guard their campus.
The mother of an arrested 15-year-old boy was desperately waiting for news outside Istanbul's Maltepe Prison.
'Our child has never held a gun before,' she told the Telegraph.
'They were used, they were forced to do this.'
Families fear their children will be denied fair trial and say they only had two minutes to testify at a preliminary hearing in a packed courthouse which their parents were not allowed to enter.
Another distraught mother added: 'They are just children. They are innocent. The state needs to separate the guilty ones from the innocent ones.'
One lawyer representing three of the students told the Telegraph: 'Some families haven’t heard anything from their children for seven days - children at the age of 14 or 15. That’s not something that should be happening even in a state of emergency.'
Turkish authorities have also issued warrants for the detention of 42 journalists, private broadcaster NTV reported.
Well known commentator and former parliamentarian Nazli Ilicak was among those for whom a warrant was issued.
Turkish authorities have suspended, detained or placed under investigation more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, teachers, civil servants and others in the days following the attempted coup.
The news come as it emerges that plotters are being tortured, beaten, raped and denied food and water according to Amnesty International.
The human rights group said today it had 'credible evidence' of the abuse and torture of people detained in sweeping arrests since the coup on July 15.
The London-based group claimed some of those being held were being 'subjected to beatings and torture, including rape, in official and unofficial detention centres in the country'.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said today that Turkey is in no position to become a European Union member any time soon.
He added that all negotiations for it to join will stop immediately if it reintroduces the death penalty.
'I believe that Turkey, in its current state, is not in a position to become a member any time soon and not even over a longer period,' Juncker said on French television France 2.
He said that a country that included the death penalty in its legislative arsenal had no place in the European Union.
EDITOR’S NOTE: And this is supposed to be one of our closest allies.
By Charlie Moore
Daily Mail
July 25, 2016
Turkey has arrested 62 children and accused them of treason after the botched military coup last week.
The youngsters, aged 14 to 17, were from Kuleli Military school, the oldest of its kind in Istanbul.
They have reportedly been thrown in jail and are not allowed to speak to their parents.
Their families say that just before the coup the children were invited to a school cocktail party but were made to parade with guns, dress in army uniforms and guard their campus.
The mother of an arrested 15-year-old boy was desperately waiting for news outside Istanbul's Maltepe Prison.
'Our child has never held a gun before,' she told the Telegraph.
'They were used, they were forced to do this.'
Families fear their children will be denied fair trial and say they only had two minutes to testify at a preliminary hearing in a packed courthouse which their parents were not allowed to enter.
Another distraught mother added: 'They are just children. They are innocent. The state needs to separate the guilty ones from the innocent ones.'
One lawyer representing three of the students told the Telegraph: 'Some families haven’t heard anything from their children for seven days - children at the age of 14 or 15. That’s not something that should be happening even in a state of emergency.'
Turkish authorities have also issued warrants for the detention of 42 journalists, private broadcaster NTV reported.
Well known commentator and former parliamentarian Nazli Ilicak was among those for whom a warrant was issued.
Turkish authorities have suspended, detained or placed under investigation more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, teachers, civil servants and others in the days following the attempted coup.
The news come as it emerges that plotters are being tortured, beaten, raped and denied food and water according to Amnesty International.
The human rights group said today it had 'credible evidence' of the abuse and torture of people detained in sweeping arrests since the coup on July 15.
The London-based group claimed some of those being held were being 'subjected to beatings and torture, including rape, in official and unofficial detention centres in the country'.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said today that Turkey is in no position to become a European Union member any time soon.
He added that all negotiations for it to join will stop immediately if it reintroduces the death penalty.
'I believe that Turkey, in its current state, is not in a position to become a member any time soon and not even over a longer period,' Juncker said on French television France 2.
He said that a country that included the death penalty in its legislative arsenal had no place in the European Union.
EDITOR’S NOTE: And this is supposed to be one of our closest allies.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
TRUMP’S BIG MOUTH A MOST GENEROUS GIFT TO HILLARY
Hillary and the Democrats couldn’t be happier then when Trump asks the Russians to spy on us
“Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. They probably have them. I'd like to have them released. Now, if Russia or China or any other country has those e-mails, I mean, to be honest with you, I'd love to see them. They probably have her 33,000 e-mails. I hope they do. They probably have her 33,000 e-mails that she lost and deleted because you'd see some beauties there. So let's see.” – Donald Trump
“Thank you Donald, thank you, thank you!” – Hillary Clinton
Up until Wednesday Trump has managed to piss off women, Latinos, the disabled, Muslims and even POWs with his big fucking mouth. And he keeps right on letting his mouth overload his ass.
In Florida on Wednesday, responding to the charge that the Russians hacked the DNC emails, Trump invited them to find Hillary’s 30,000 emails. That’s asking the Russians to commit an act of espionage against the United States.
Asking the Russians to spy on us – what a most generous gift to Hillary. The Democrats will make hay with that.
It’s almost as if Trump wants to lose the election. His is the mouth that keeps giving.
Trump needed a big chunk of the women’s vote to win the election, but his uncontrollable big mouth has all but stripped him of that voting block. And his Russian flap gives Hillary and the Democrats just more cannon fodder to bring The Donald down.
Oy vey, oy vey!
“Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. They probably have them. I'd like to have them released. Now, if Russia or China or any other country has those e-mails, I mean, to be honest with you, I'd love to see them. They probably have her 33,000 e-mails. I hope they do. They probably have her 33,000 e-mails that she lost and deleted because you'd see some beauties there. So let's see.” – Donald Trump
“Thank you Donald, thank you, thank you!” – Hillary Clinton
Up until Wednesday Trump has managed to piss off women, Latinos, the disabled, Muslims and even POWs with his big fucking mouth. And he keeps right on letting his mouth overload his ass.
In Florida on Wednesday, responding to the charge that the Russians hacked the DNC emails, Trump invited them to find Hillary’s 30,000 emails. That’s asking the Russians to commit an act of espionage against the United States.
Asking the Russians to spy on us – what a most generous gift to Hillary. The Democrats will make hay with that.
It’s almost as if Trump wants to lose the election. His is the mouth that keeps giving.
Trump needed a big chunk of the women’s vote to win the election, but his uncontrollable big mouth has all but stripped him of that voting block. And his Russian flap gives Hillary and the Democrats just more cannon fodder to bring The Donald down.
Oy vey, oy vey!
ALL CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST PERSECUTED BALTIMORE COPS IN FREDDIE GRAY DEATH
State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby capitulates in the persecution of the Baltimore cops charged in Freddie Gray’s death
“After much thought and prayer it has become clear that without being able to work with an independent investigatory agency from the very start, without having a say in the election of whether cases proceed in front of a judge or jury, without communal oversight of police in this community, without substantive reforms to the current criminal justice system, we could try this case 100 times and cases just like it and we would still end up with the same result.”
“Unlike with other cases where prosecutors work closely with the police to investigate what actually occurred, what we realized very early on in this case was police investigating police, whether they’re friends or merely their colleagues, was problematic. There was a reluctance and an obvious bias that was consistently exemplified not by the entire Baltimore police department, but by individuals within the police department in every state of the investigation which became blatantly apparent in the subsequent trials.”
That was the ‘sour grapes’ announcement State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby made to reporters Wednesday while standing across the street from the location where Gray was arrested in April 2015. Mosby also said that her goal from the beginning of the case was to “always seek justice over convictions.”
Mosby’s rush to judgement may have appeased and kept the bellowing pack of rioting BLM mob at bay, but it ruined the lives of six Baltimore cops who, while they failed to secure Gray with a seat belt when placing him in a paddy wagon, did not intend to harm him. Instead of a prosecution, this was a persecution!
After Mosby capitulated, Donald Trump said: “I think she ought to prosecute herself, okay, that's my reaction. I think it was disgraceful, what she did, and the way she did it.”
The Donald has let his mouth overload his ass all through his campaign, but this time he’s spot on!
“After much thought and prayer it has become clear that without being able to work with an independent investigatory agency from the very start, without having a say in the election of whether cases proceed in front of a judge or jury, without communal oversight of police in this community, without substantive reforms to the current criminal justice system, we could try this case 100 times and cases just like it and we would still end up with the same result.”
“Unlike with other cases where prosecutors work closely with the police to investigate what actually occurred, what we realized very early on in this case was police investigating police, whether they’re friends or merely their colleagues, was problematic. There was a reluctance and an obvious bias that was consistently exemplified not by the entire Baltimore police department, but by individuals within the police department in every state of the investigation which became blatantly apparent in the subsequent trials.”
That was the ‘sour grapes’ announcement State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby made to reporters Wednesday while standing across the street from the location where Gray was arrested in April 2015. Mosby also said that her goal from the beginning of the case was to “always seek justice over convictions.”
Mosby’s rush to judgement may have appeased and kept the bellowing pack of rioting BLM mob at bay, but it ruined the lives of six Baltimore cops who, while they failed to secure Gray with a seat belt when placing him in a paddy wagon, did not intend to harm him. Instead of a prosecution, this was a persecution!
After Mosby capitulated, Donald Trump said: “I think she ought to prosecute herself, okay, that's my reaction. I think it was disgraceful, what she did, and the way she did it.”
The Donald has let his mouth overload his ass all through his campaign, but this time he’s spot on!
RUSSIA VS. U.S. SAME AS U.S. VS. ISRAEL
Democrats accuse Russia of trying to influence our presidential election
Hillary Clinton and the Democrats finally found someone other than Bush to blame for their problems. Robby Mook, Hillary’s campaign manager, claims Russian hackers stole tens of thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee so that Putin could help Donald Trump in the election.
Mook was incensed that a foreign power would try to influence our election.
Oh, isn’t that exactly what the U.S. did to Israel when the State Department granted $233,500 to One Voice, a group formed to defeat Netanyahu’s 2015 reelection bid. And Jeremy Bird, who was one of Obama’s top campaign managers in 2012 in his role as national field director, was in Israel to direct One Voice’s campaign against Netanyahu.
It’s no secret that Obama hates Netanyahu. So, if providing Netanyahu’s opposition with $233,500 is not a foreign power - the U.S. - trying to influence the Israeli election, I’ll eat my beloved John Deere cap.
I say what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. And if Putin is trying to help Trump, I’ll yell, go Putin go, go Putin go!
Hillary Clinton and the Democrats finally found someone other than Bush to blame for their problems. Robby Mook, Hillary’s campaign manager, claims Russian hackers stole tens of thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee so that Putin could help Donald Trump in the election.
Mook was incensed that a foreign power would try to influence our election.
Oh, isn’t that exactly what the U.S. did to Israel when the State Department granted $233,500 to One Voice, a group formed to defeat Netanyahu’s 2015 reelection bid. And Jeremy Bird, who was one of Obama’s top campaign managers in 2012 in his role as national field director, was in Israel to direct One Voice’s campaign against Netanyahu.
It’s no secret that Obama hates Netanyahu. So, if providing Netanyahu’s opposition with $233,500 is not a foreign power - the U.S. - trying to influence the Israeli election, I’ll eat my beloved John Deere cap.
I say what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. And if Putin is trying to help Trump, I’ll yell, go Putin go, go Putin go!
THE LESSONS OF EUROPE
BY Greg ‘The Gadfly’ Doyle
For all their political bluster and name-calling, even the most ardent leftist in the Democratic party cannot ignore the events unfolding in Western Europe.
What are the lessons we can take away from Western Europe? Without identifying our enemies and taking action to neutralize and minimize the threat of terrorism, everyone is vulnerable. Unchecked immigration can be fatal.
And after the news of the Jihadist-inspired attack on a small Roman Catholic mass in Normandy, France today, we must realize that nothing is respected as sacred by our enemies. They will kill every infidel they can get their hands on, anywhere they can gain access.
How do they generally gain access into non-Muslim countries? They most often are given visas or asylum.
If they are of the homegrown variety, jihadists have to be indoctrinated, trained and radicalized to become a killer by someone else. Where do they get this training? In Mosques here and abroad, and through interaction with Islamic jihadists on the Internet.
In spite of his claims that ISIS is in retreat due to selective drone strikes and strategic bombing by our allied coalition, the TRUTH is our efforts are focused on the symptoms of and not the real source of Islamic radicalized terror.
Islam is the source of jihadism. Until we face the facts and develop a strategy to address the source of terror, the symptoms will only worsen.
I do not know what the solution is that will not result in violence and the use of overwhelming force. I do recognize that our enemies see our compassion as weakness. They will continue to exploit our weakness to our ultimate demise.
We are NOT committed to defeating this enemy on their terms. They want our complete destruction---they will kill us with knives, axes, air planes, bombs, vehicles, and guns. Meanwhile we want to talk them to death with love using meaningless platitudes and politically correct jargon.
Have I mention Islamic terrorists are rooted in the belief-system of Islam?
What held Islamic terrorists in check before this sudden rise to power?
Tyrannical rulers like the Saudi royal family, Sadam Hussain, and General Gaddafi. Once we arrived in the theater of operation, our military presence and CIA operatives in the field kept terrorists in check on their own soil. Unfortunately, our forces were summarily pulled out of Iraq, which greatly reduced our effectiveness. It left a void and vacuum, which gave rise to ISIS and a reign of terror.
That is the record. That is the history. That is the reality that happened under President Obama and on Hillary Clinton's watch.
Wake up, America!
We are not safe! We are absolutely vulnerable! And our government, under this administration made it all possible.
If you cannot stomach voting for Donald Trump in November, then at least have enough courage to train and arm yourselves for the probability of an attack at your local church or synagogue, gas station, grocery store, or restaurant, your kid's pre-school or school campus, the next concert you attend, or while at your next family gathering.
My point is that your government is NOT going to be there when the attack comes. They will show up after shooting starts, just like in the police have always responded in recent attacks in France, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Israel, and the United States.
Are you prepared to die? Or are you prepared to defend your children, spouse, neighbors, and friends?
Am I fear-mongering? At what point does speaking to the reality, based on real and increasingly frequent events, become speaking the truth?
The world is a more dangerous and violent place than it has been for at least a decade. The carnage in the Middle East courtesy of ISIS and Al-Qaeda and other Islamic affiliated groups is unprecedented.
And now The West is under assault. The lessons of Europe are the political mistakes that have and are getting their citizens killed. And your current government is on the same path.
What can you do about it? Better yet, what will you insist your government do? Even better, prepare and arm yourselves.
For all their political bluster and name-calling, even the most ardent leftist in the Democratic party cannot ignore the events unfolding in Western Europe.
What are the lessons we can take away from Western Europe? Without identifying our enemies and taking action to neutralize and minimize the threat of terrorism, everyone is vulnerable. Unchecked immigration can be fatal.
And after the news of the Jihadist-inspired attack on a small Roman Catholic mass in Normandy, France today, we must realize that nothing is respected as sacred by our enemies. They will kill every infidel they can get their hands on, anywhere they can gain access.
How do they generally gain access into non-Muslim countries? They most often are given visas or asylum.
If they are of the homegrown variety, jihadists have to be indoctrinated, trained and radicalized to become a killer by someone else. Where do they get this training? In Mosques here and abroad, and through interaction with Islamic jihadists on the Internet.
In spite of his claims that ISIS is in retreat due to selective drone strikes and strategic bombing by our allied coalition, the TRUTH is our efforts are focused on the symptoms of and not the real source of Islamic radicalized terror.
Islam is the source of jihadism. Until we face the facts and develop a strategy to address the source of terror, the symptoms will only worsen.
I do not know what the solution is that will not result in violence and the use of overwhelming force. I do recognize that our enemies see our compassion as weakness. They will continue to exploit our weakness to our ultimate demise.
We are NOT committed to defeating this enemy on their terms. They want our complete destruction---they will kill us with knives, axes, air planes, bombs, vehicles, and guns. Meanwhile we want to talk them to death with love using meaningless platitudes and politically correct jargon.
Have I mention Islamic terrorists are rooted in the belief-system of Islam?
What held Islamic terrorists in check before this sudden rise to power?
Tyrannical rulers like the Saudi royal family, Sadam Hussain, and General Gaddafi. Once we arrived in the theater of operation, our military presence and CIA operatives in the field kept terrorists in check on their own soil. Unfortunately, our forces were summarily pulled out of Iraq, which greatly reduced our effectiveness. It left a void and vacuum, which gave rise to ISIS and a reign of terror.
That is the record. That is the history. That is the reality that happened under President Obama and on Hillary Clinton's watch.
Wake up, America!
We are not safe! We are absolutely vulnerable! And our government, under this administration made it all possible.
If you cannot stomach voting for Donald Trump in November, then at least have enough courage to train and arm yourselves for the probability of an attack at your local church or synagogue, gas station, grocery store, or restaurant, your kid's pre-school or school campus, the next concert you attend, or while at your next family gathering.
My point is that your government is NOT going to be there when the attack comes. They will show up after shooting starts, just like in the police have always responded in recent attacks in France, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Israel, and the United States.
Are you prepared to die? Or are you prepared to defend your children, spouse, neighbors, and friends?
Am I fear-mongering? At what point does speaking to the reality, based on real and increasingly frequent events, become speaking the truth?
The world is a more dangerous and violent place than it has been for at least a decade. The carnage in the Middle East courtesy of ISIS and Al-Qaeda and other Islamic affiliated groups is unprecedented.
And now The West is under assault. The lessons of Europe are the political mistakes that have and are getting their citizens killed. And your current government is on the same path.
What can you do about it? Better yet, what will you insist your government do? Even better, prepare and arm yourselves.
PRIEST BEHEADED AT CHURCH IN NORMANDY
By Bob Walsh
An 86-year old priest was beheaded in a church in Normandy, France Tuesday morning
by two Islamic terrorists armed with fake guns, fake bombs and very real edged weapons.
A nun managed to sneak out of the church during the attack and summon the police. The two terrorists gave an Islamic sermon from the pulpit and then forced the priest to his knees in front of the altar where they slit his throat and beheaded him.
The cops showed up at some point and shot both terrorists to death.
As you know John Kerry (who by the way served in Vietnam), the current Secretary of State, has recently said that Global Warming, caused in large part by air conditioning, is a bigger threat to humans than is Islamic terrorism, which doesn’t really exist anyway because, as we all know, Islam is a warm-and-fuzzy religion of peace. The news reports I have read did not note whether the church was air conditioned.
I expect that this will all turn out to be an anti-Islam hoax and the two killers will turn out to actually be Militant Methodists who were screaming “Aloha Snackbar” as the slit the priest’s throat.
An 86-year old priest was beheaded in a church in Normandy, France Tuesday morning
by two Islamic terrorists armed with fake guns, fake bombs and very real edged weapons.
A nun managed to sneak out of the church during the attack and summon the police. The two terrorists gave an Islamic sermon from the pulpit and then forced the priest to his knees in front of the altar where they slit his throat and beheaded him.
The cops showed up at some point and shot both terrorists to death.
As you know John Kerry (who by the way served in Vietnam), the current Secretary of State, has recently said that Global Warming, caused in large part by air conditioning, is a bigger threat to humans than is Islamic terrorism, which doesn’t really exist anyway because, as we all know, Islam is a warm-and-fuzzy religion of peace. The news reports I have read did not note whether the church was air conditioned.
I expect that this will all turn out to be an anti-Islam hoax and the two killers will turn out to actually be Militant Methodists who were screaming “Aloha Snackbar” as the slit the priest’s throat.
ALAMEDA COUNTY WILL FIGHT FOR THEIR ANTI-GUN ORDINANCE UNTIL THE BITTER END
By Bob Walsh
Alameda County (CA) is a large chunk of the East Bay Area, across the bay from the People’s Republic of San Francisco. They are not as psychotically liberal and as rabidly anti-gun as is S. F., but they are pretty far out there. Over the years they have managed to regulate damn near every gun store in the county out of existence and have tried very, very hard to keep any new ones from opening up. They also successfully fought off having gun shows at the County Fair Grounds for many years, though they finally lost that battle in 2012.
There is a county ordinance dating to 1998 that says you can’t put a new gun store within 500 feet of this or 1000 feet of that or half-a-mile within something else, which for practical purposes means it is impossible to site a new gun store in Alameda County. Eventually somebody filed an objection, and the courts said “NO, you can’t do that.” The county is still fighting.
A three-judge panel of the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in May that the county must provide evidence that the gun store would be a “magnet for crime” in order to justify this virtual elimination.
Last week the county asked the full court to review the matter.
The lawyer for the plaintiff’s asserts (with justification apparently) that the ordinance makes it actually impossible to open a new gun store in the county anywhere. There are now four gun stores in unincorporated Alameda County, and seven within various city limits within the county.
The current plaintiffs want to open a gun store that is 446 feet (and across the Nimitz Freeway) from the nearest residence. The plaintiffs assert that this is a constructive violation of the Second Amendment as it effectively prevents the ownership of firearms if there is no place to purchase them legally.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Those restrictions are the same as those prohibiting sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet (sometimes even less) of any parks, schools or other places where children might play or congregate, thus making it impossible for them to live any place that has enacted those restrictions.
Alameda County (CA) is a large chunk of the East Bay Area, across the bay from the People’s Republic of San Francisco. They are not as psychotically liberal and as rabidly anti-gun as is S. F., but they are pretty far out there. Over the years they have managed to regulate damn near every gun store in the county out of existence and have tried very, very hard to keep any new ones from opening up. They also successfully fought off having gun shows at the County Fair Grounds for many years, though they finally lost that battle in 2012.
There is a county ordinance dating to 1998 that says you can’t put a new gun store within 500 feet of this or 1000 feet of that or half-a-mile within something else, which for practical purposes means it is impossible to site a new gun store in Alameda County. Eventually somebody filed an objection, and the courts said “NO, you can’t do that.” The county is still fighting.
A three-judge panel of the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in May that the county must provide evidence that the gun store would be a “magnet for crime” in order to justify this virtual elimination.
Last week the county asked the full court to review the matter.
The lawyer for the plaintiff’s asserts (with justification apparently) that the ordinance makes it actually impossible to open a new gun store in the county anywhere. There are now four gun stores in unincorporated Alameda County, and seven within various city limits within the county.
The current plaintiffs want to open a gun store that is 446 feet (and across the Nimitz Freeway) from the nearest residence. The plaintiffs assert that this is a constructive violation of the Second Amendment as it effectively prevents the ownership of firearms if there is no place to purchase them legally.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Those restrictions are the same as those prohibiting sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet (sometimes even less) of any parks, schools or other places where children might play or congregate, thus making it impossible for them to live any place that has enacted those restrictions.
19 PEOPLE MURDERED AT HANDICAPPED FACILITY IN JAPAN
By Bob Walsh
At least nineteen people were murdered and another 20 injured during an attack yesterday (07-25) by one person at a facility for mentally handicapped adults in Sagamihara, Japan, just outside of Tokyo.
This got an extremely brief mention on broadcast media and a piece on A-14, below the fold, in most print outlets. Why the scant publicity you might well ask. It’s easy, the weapon used was a knife and not a gun, so nobody cares.
The suspect, Satoshi Uematus, 26, used to work at the facility. He turned himself in and has been charged with trespassing and murder.
It’s a good thing Uematus didn’t have a gun. Otherwise somebody might have gotten hurt.
At least nineteen people were murdered and another 20 injured during an attack yesterday (07-25) by one person at a facility for mentally handicapped adults in Sagamihara, Japan, just outside of Tokyo.
This got an extremely brief mention on broadcast media and a piece on A-14, below the fold, in most print outlets. Why the scant publicity you might well ask. It’s easy, the weapon used was a knife and not a gun, so nobody cares.
The suspect, Satoshi Uematus, 26, used to work at the facility. He turned himself in and has been charged with trespassing and murder.
It’s a good thing Uematus didn’t have a gun. Otherwise somebody might have gotten hurt.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
TRANSGENDER PRISON NURSE FILES DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT
By Bob Walsh
Jesse Vroegh, 34, is a male (now) nurse at the Iowa state prison for women in Mitchellville. He has just filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Iowa DOC for refusing to allow him to use the men’s restrooms and locker room, and for refusing to pay for his breast removal surgery.
Vroegh has worked for the DOC since 2009. In 2014 he informed the DOC that he was transitioning to living as a male. He requested to be able to use the men’s facilities and that his employer implement procedures for dealing with his situation. He was denied that permission and in fact is refused access to shower facilities at work at all. He is required to use a designated, unisex bathroom. The shower situation has been an issue due to occasional exposure to OC at work.
Vroegh’s medical doctor recommended breast removal as treatment for his diagnosed condition of gender dysphoria. Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield has refused to pay for the surgery, saying it is not covered.
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is supporting Vroegh, as is a local LBGT organization. The Iowa DOC has declined comment due to the pending complaint.
One would think that two years would be enough time for the DOC to come to grips with this issue. It will come up again.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Why should the DOC pay for his/her breast removal surgery? If insurance won't cover the surgery, neither should the taxpayers. Let LGBT pay for it!
Jesse Vroegh, 34, is a male (now) nurse at the Iowa state prison for women in Mitchellville. He has just filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Iowa DOC for refusing to allow him to use the men’s restrooms and locker room, and for refusing to pay for his breast removal surgery.
Vroegh has worked for the DOC since 2009. In 2014 he informed the DOC that he was transitioning to living as a male. He requested to be able to use the men’s facilities and that his employer implement procedures for dealing with his situation. He was denied that permission and in fact is refused access to shower facilities at work at all. He is required to use a designated, unisex bathroom. The shower situation has been an issue due to occasional exposure to OC at work.
Vroegh’s medical doctor recommended breast removal as treatment for his diagnosed condition of gender dysphoria. Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield has refused to pay for the surgery, saying it is not covered.
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is supporting Vroegh, as is a local LBGT organization. The Iowa DOC has declined comment due to the pending complaint.
One would think that two years would be enough time for the DOC to come to grips with this issue. It will come up again.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Why should the DOC pay for his/her breast removal surgery? If insurance won't cover the surgery, neither should the taxpayers. Let LGBT pay for it!
TEXAS DEPUTY FATALLY SHOT AT HOME BY BURGLARS
Investigators believe the shooting to be part of the robbery attempt and not a targeted attack
By Caleb Downs
The Dallas Morning News
July 25, 2016
A Travis County Sheriff's Office deputy was fatally shot in his yard Monday morning in Round Rock after an apparent robbery attempt.
Authorities identified the deputy as Sgt. Craig Hutchinson, a 32-year veteran set to retire in Sept., according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Authorities say Hutchinson made a call on his radio around 1:22 a.m. to report two people were running out of the backyard of his home near Messick Loop and McNeil Road in southeast Round Rock.
Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton said officers found Hutchinson shot in his backyard 10 minutes after he made the call.
The deputy was taken to a local hospital after police found him. He died around 6:50 a.m.
Round Rock police are now looking for two suspects. Hamilton said investigators believe the shooting to be part of the robbery attempt and not a targeted attack, according to the American-Statesman.
According to the American-Statesman, police have temporarily blocked the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 so the officer's body can be transferred from Round Rock to the Travis County medical examiner's office.
Police are telling neighbors to stay in their homes and commuters to avoid the area near the slain deputy's home. According to the American-Statesman, the neighborhood is filled with police, many of whom are wearing tactical gear and carrying rifles.
By Caleb Downs
The Dallas Morning News
July 25, 2016
A Travis County Sheriff's Office deputy was fatally shot in his yard Monday morning in Round Rock after an apparent robbery attempt.
Authorities identified the deputy as Sgt. Craig Hutchinson, a 32-year veteran set to retire in Sept., according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Authorities say Hutchinson made a call on his radio around 1:22 a.m. to report two people were running out of the backyard of his home near Messick Loop and McNeil Road in southeast Round Rock.
Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton said officers found Hutchinson shot in his backyard 10 minutes after he made the call.
The deputy was taken to a local hospital after police found him. He died around 6:50 a.m.
Round Rock police are now looking for two suspects. Hamilton said investigators believe the shooting to be part of the robbery attempt and not a targeted attack, according to the American-Statesman.
According to the American-Statesman, police have temporarily blocked the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 so the officer's body can be transferred from Round Rock to the Travis County medical examiner's office.
Police are telling neighbors to stay in their homes and commuters to avoid the area near the slain deputy's home. According to the American-Statesman, the neighborhood is filled with police, many of whom are wearing tactical gear and carrying rifles.
47 PEOPLE SHOT, FIVE FATALLY, IN CHICAGO OVER THE WEEKEND
Chicago Tribune
July 25, 2016
Forty-seven people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, five of them fatally, as the pace of gun violence in the city has pushed the number of victims to nearly 2,300 this year, according to data kept by the Tribune.
So far this year, the number of people shot in Chicago is at least 740 higher than last year at this time, the data show. The city has had at least 268 homicides so far this year, which is about 105 more homicides than this time last year.
--At least 19 people were shot, two fatally, during a 14-hour period between 4:30 p.m. Friday and 6:45 a.m. Saturday, police said.
--Two more people were killed and eight others were hurt in shootings from Saturday evening to early Sunday.
--Another fatal shooting happened Sunday afternoon, and 16 others were wounded between Sunday afternoon and early Monday.
In the last shooting of the weekend, an off-duty civilian employee with the Chicago Police Department shot and wounded a person who tried to rob him in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, police said.
A robber approached the employee, a 57-year-old detention aide, in the 1300 block of South Sawyer Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. and the employee shot him, according to a police statement.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The reason that only five were killed out of 47 people shot is because the shooters are such piss poor shooters.
July 25, 2016
Forty-seven people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, five of them fatally, as the pace of gun violence in the city has pushed the number of victims to nearly 2,300 this year, according to data kept by the Tribune.
So far this year, the number of people shot in Chicago is at least 740 higher than last year at this time, the data show. The city has had at least 268 homicides so far this year, which is about 105 more homicides than this time last year.
--At least 19 people were shot, two fatally, during a 14-hour period between 4:30 p.m. Friday and 6:45 a.m. Saturday, police said.
--Two more people were killed and eight others were hurt in shootings from Saturday evening to early Sunday.
--Another fatal shooting happened Sunday afternoon, and 16 others were wounded between Sunday afternoon and early Monday.
In the last shooting of the weekend, an off-duty civilian employee with the Chicago Police Department shot and wounded a person who tried to rob him in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, police said.
A robber approached the employee, a 57-year-old detention aide, in the 1300 block of South Sawyer Avenue shortly before 6 a.m. and the employee shot him, according to a police statement.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The reason that only five were killed out of 47 people shot is because the shooters are such piss poor shooters.
A MURDER EVERY 25 MINUTES IN MEXICO
More than 66,000 dead during Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration
By: Paris Alejandro Salazar
La Silla Rota
July 21, 2016
MEXICO CITY -- During the 43 months of Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration, there have been 66,433 murders recognized by the federal government and the state prosecutors, and 2016 is aiming to be the most violent year so far of EPN’s presidential term. Intentional homicides increased 14% in comparison to 2015, which had been the most violent, in 2016, a murder is committed every 25 minutes.
According to the National Public Security System (SNSP), from January to June 2015, 8,979 murders were committed, while in the same period of 2016, 10,301 were committed, ie, 1,322 more than the previous year.
Mexico on average experiences 56 murders a day, representing a murder every 25 minutes.
Throughout 2015, 18,665 murders were committed, while in the first six months of 2016, there have been 10,301 intentional homicides reported, representing an increase of 55.1% of the total of last year.
With 18,665 murders in 2015, it was placed as the most violent year of the administration of EPN; followed by 2013, with 18,447 murders; followed by 2014, with 17,324; and in December of 2012, with 1,696.
In 2016, the State of Mexico ranks first nationally in intentional homicide with 1,136; followed by Guerrero with 1,052; Chihuahua with 592; and Michoacán with 594.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mexico, the Chicago of Latin America.
By: Paris Alejandro Salazar
La Silla Rota
July 21, 2016
MEXICO CITY -- During the 43 months of Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration, there have been 66,433 murders recognized by the federal government and the state prosecutors, and 2016 is aiming to be the most violent year so far of EPN’s presidential term. Intentional homicides increased 14% in comparison to 2015, which had been the most violent, in 2016, a murder is committed every 25 minutes.
According to the National Public Security System (SNSP), from January to June 2015, 8,979 murders were committed, while in the same period of 2016, 10,301 were committed, ie, 1,322 more than the previous year.
Mexico on average experiences 56 murders a day, representing a murder every 25 minutes.
Throughout 2015, 18,665 murders were committed, while in the first six months of 2016, there have been 10,301 intentional homicides reported, representing an increase of 55.1% of the total of last year.
With 18,665 murders in 2015, it was placed as the most violent year of the administration of EPN; followed by 2013, with 18,447 murders; followed by 2014, with 17,324; and in December of 2012, with 1,696.
In 2016, the State of Mexico ranks first nationally in intentional homicide with 1,136; followed by Guerrero with 1,052; Chihuahua with 592; and Michoacán with 594.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mexico, the Chicago of Latin America.
THIS IS WHAT REPUBLICANS AT THE RNC THINK ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE AND COPS
Gale Sayers: “As a black person, I think that the more you talk about race, the worse it gets.”
By Wilbert L. Cooper
VICE News
July 20, 2016
There's never been a time in my life where the subject of race seemed to be more discussed and dissected than it is today. It's fascinating how differently we can view something like death, which on the surface seems to be so cut and dry. Our ideas about race color everything we see, whether it is the extrajudicial killing of a young black men like Philando Castile or the shooting of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. So when I found out I was going to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week, I knew I wanted to explore this gulf of viewpoints on race by talking to some people on the ground.
I've written about race extensively for VICE, and that has really helped me process what being young and black in America today means to me. I believe this country is institutionally racist, and that the violence we see between the police and the black community is one symptom of this painful fact. I believe that Black Lives Matter is a nebulous conglomeration of well-meaning activists who are fighting against this country's entrenched racism, not a hierarchal cabal plotting to kill cops. And I believe that until we can properly address institutional racism, we are likely to see a lot more of the violence that we all fear.
I know what I think, and if you've been following VICE, you probably know it, too. But I'm also curious as to how people who might vote for Donald Trump, a man who I think has used racism as currency in this election cycle, feel when they see the same images and read the same headlines that I do.
The responses I got on the convention floor were eye-opening in many regards. I was surprised at how Christianity could make some people more compassionate for the lost lives of people who don't look like them. I was fascinated by some of the more conspiracy-oriented ideas people had that related black-millennial activists with mass shooters. And I was also intrigued by the ideas of blacks who've found their political truth within the Republican Party.
Here's what a handful of Republicans hanging out at the convention had to say about our country's ongoing issues with race and law enforcement.
Name: Burgundi Cain, Alternate Delegate
Age: 31
Hometown: Houston, Texas
The situation of race in America is worse than I've ever seen it. Obviously, I'm a millennial, so race has never been a huge issue for me. Some of my best friends are from places like the Virgin Islands, and we're really close. There is no racial tension between us. I've also had ex-boyfriend who was Asian. So for me, personally, I've never seen this division. But now I'm seeing it on the streets. I work in downtown Houston, and I just see people being aggressive toward one another. There is no connection, and they are avoiding eye contact because they are afraid of what the other person is thinking.
The Dallas shootings put some of these issues on the map for people in Texas. These shootings on both sides makes me very sad. I've always believed you should never kill someone, no matter what and that all life at every stage matters, no matter who they are or what they stand for. The police officers need to change the way they engage the public. And groups like Black Lives Matter have the right to speak on those issues as long as they do it peacefully.
For the GOP to help our nation heal, they will have to start with the idea that all lives matter and say, "Hey, what's going on is not OK on both sides." They need to pull in different cultures, because when you talk to people, you realize that they often have the same values as you.
Name: Kira Inis, Alternate Delegate
Age: 29
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
One thing I have come to respect is our men and women in blue. When I see the police, I know I am safe. I know Johnny Law is there to come and take care of things. I understand how difficult their jobs can be. Will they do everything perfect? No. But it is not out of a malice or racially motivated.
When any human life is taken, such as these police shootings, it is sad. But you can't let that stop you from recognizing the decisions these people made that led to them getting shot by the police. Look at Eric Garner, a man who was selling loosies and had a rap sheet a mile-long. When he was approached by the police, all the man had to do was comply. A lawful headlock was used on him; it only went wrong because Garner kept flailing around.
If black lives really mattered, don't you think people would do something about the epidemic of death in Chicago? There is a lawlessness in urban America. If you're not going to respect the life of yourself or others who look like you, why should I think you would respect those with a badge? So obviously, I expect when I hear of these incidences that the person who was shot did something ill-advised to get themselves killed.
And Black Lives Matter doesn't help at all. They are a bunch of racist, anarchist monsters who are responsible for the deaths of at least eight cops. All this blue blood is on their hands, because they were the ones who were chanting, "What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want them? Now!" What do you think is going to happen when you spew that kind of inflammatory rhetoric? Dallas and Baton Rouge, that's what.
I think that there was racism back in the day. But today, I think that racism is made up. It's in people's heads. It's manufactured by the white leftist elites whose mastermind agenda is to pit races, classes, and sexes against one another to keep the narratives of victimization of brown people going.
Name: Jim Miller, Delegate
Age: 41
Hometown: Hayward, Wisconsin
When I saw Baton Rouge, the the first thing I thought was just, Not another one. Not again. How long is this going to keep happening? My wife showed me the Minnesota shooting on my phone, and I thought that wasn't right, too. I'm a concealed-carry permit holder, just like that guy. Philando seemed like he was doing the right thing. But we will have to wait for all the facts to come out.
I think we look at things by color and gender too much, which causes division. I look at people by what is in their head. I've got friends of all different races, religions, and orientations. I'm sure some of this Black Lives Matter movement is organic. But there might be some who are professional agitators, paid by Big Labor, who want to divide us. When you talk about race relations with the police, there is some justification for the anger BLM has. But there are good and bad people in every industry. So I'm not going to say every cop is an angel, but these people are trying to protect us.
I think the racism in this country really stems form the media. When I was in Milwaukee recently, walking with my 12-year-old daughter, I noticed that when she would see a group of black men, she'd grab onto me like she was concerned. But when we would see a black woman and their daughter, she'd be fine. So something made her do this, and I think it is TV that is giving her a bad perception of young black men, and it is really unfortunate. I had to sit her down and have a talk about it.
Name: Gale Sayers, Delegate
Age: 56
Hometown: Texas
Over the last eight years, I've seen a heightened division between black and white. I think this comes from the top—the president. When something like the shooting of officers happens, instead of taking the time to honor the policemen and their families, he spent a lot of time talking about gun control and racial stuff. As a black person, I don't hardly ever think or see color when I interact with people. I think that the more you talk about race, the worse it gets.
I never worry about my kids' interactions with police. They know if a policeman approaches them, they need to be respectful because they know that if anything goes wrong, that is who they have to call. So I can't even fathom what is happening now with people shooting the police. The cops are the people we call when we have problems. To call them and ambush them is just unthinkable. I've been watching the Cleveland police officers at the convention, and it's just sad that they are putting their lives on the line for us and they have to watch their back.
There are many videos out there of officers interacting with white people and Hispanic people, and things go wrong, too. It's not just blacks. People need to learn to stop fighting with the police. Has there ever been a rogue cop? I'm sure of it. But as a whole, they are here to protect us.
My grandkids are black. My father was the blackest shade of black. My brother is very dark skinned. I love blacks. I'm black. But we need to teach people to have more confidence in themselves and stop seeing themselves as victims. A lot of times we get so caught up in how "oppressed" we are and how "everyone hates us," instead of focusing on finding someone to help or mentor. This mentality of, "poor me, I've been oppressed so I am going to kill somebody..." How does it help?
Name: Todd Jennings, Alternate Delegate
Hometown: Tampa Bay, Florida
Age: 35
We've spent a long time politicizing how everyone is different. We need someone who can come in and show us again that we are Americans because we share things that are outside of race, religion, culture, history. We share a love of liberty and freedom and a belief in the dignity of our fellow man, and I think we've lost that over the last couple of decades. I think Donald Trump can be that guy. He definitely made the right step in picking Mike Pence as his running mate.
It's tough to say if we're getting better or worse in regards to race relations. It feels like we are worse than we were eight years ago. But sometimes the worst of time precedes healing.
I think it is a shame how these shootings have been responded to. The media over sensationalizes it, which prevents us from having a conversation about it. As a white man, I can't say that I completely understand. But I acknowledge that young black men are targeted differently than whites. But we're going to have a hard time addressing that when the reaction to that is off the charts. We need to cool off to have a conversation about it.
I think Black Lives Matter is one of the clouds over the conversation that we should be having. I think that the initial idea probably had some merit. But when you are out chanting "death to cops," you're kind of defeating the purpose. If the goal is to raise awareness, you need to let people know you can have a conversation that can make things better. But I don't think they are contributing to that at this point.
Name: Richard and Leslie Kalama, Delegates
Home State: Hawaii
Age: 52
Richard: I blame the Democratic Party for our country's issues with race. The Democrats have not allowed blacks the opportunity to progress. They keep them in an economically depressed position to make them dependent on their party. I don't know how a black person in this country could even be a Democrat. The Democratic Party has offered nothing to the black community. Just look at how poorly the black communities are doing in cities run by Democrats. The Republican Party is about progress, business, and money. The Democrats are about making its supporters into victims.
As far as these recent shootings go, anytime anyone is killed, it is a tragedy. Our police have been known to use excessive force. I'm not saying that's the case with the Philando shooting, but it's very unfortunate either way. At the end of the day, I don't think that violence will ever work—whether the police are guilty or Black Lives Matter is guilty. It'd be nice if we had someone like a Martin Luther King Jr. to come in and bring unity.
I bring up Black Lives Matter because they are the most visible group out there that has advocated for violence. We only know what we see on TV. But we've heard they've talked about killing white babies. You can see that on YouTube.
I do feel like black gun owners are treated differently than whites. I have a lot of friends in law enforcement who will hate me for saying this, but when you see a black person with a gun, you tend to get more afraid, which is racist and wrong. I know black gun owners who are law-abiding citizens and shouldn't be treated any different than me.
I believe the Heavenly Father is color-blind. God created us the way we are. Our diversity is what makes this world beautiful. I would not want to live in a world where there were only white people—it wouldn't be good. Having the variety makes this world a better place.
Leslie: I'm for the law enforcement. They have a very hard job to do, and everybody just cries racism so fast before they even know the whole story. You have to put yourself in the situation of the officers. With some black people, I don't even think they really know the history of racism or slavery in the US. Republicans never owned any slaves. It was all the Democrats. But for some reason, a lot of blacks hate us.
These responses have been edited for length and clarity.
By Wilbert L. Cooper
VICE News
July 20, 2016
There's never been a time in my life where the subject of race seemed to be more discussed and dissected than it is today. It's fascinating how differently we can view something like death, which on the surface seems to be so cut and dry. Our ideas about race color everything we see, whether it is the extrajudicial killing of a young black men like Philando Castile or the shooting of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. So when I found out I was going to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week, I knew I wanted to explore this gulf of viewpoints on race by talking to some people on the ground.
I've written about race extensively for VICE, and that has really helped me process what being young and black in America today means to me. I believe this country is institutionally racist, and that the violence we see between the police and the black community is one symptom of this painful fact. I believe that Black Lives Matter is a nebulous conglomeration of well-meaning activists who are fighting against this country's entrenched racism, not a hierarchal cabal plotting to kill cops. And I believe that until we can properly address institutional racism, we are likely to see a lot more of the violence that we all fear.
I know what I think, and if you've been following VICE, you probably know it, too. But I'm also curious as to how people who might vote for Donald Trump, a man who I think has used racism as currency in this election cycle, feel when they see the same images and read the same headlines that I do.
The responses I got on the convention floor were eye-opening in many regards. I was surprised at how Christianity could make some people more compassionate for the lost lives of people who don't look like them. I was fascinated by some of the more conspiracy-oriented ideas people had that related black-millennial activists with mass shooters. And I was also intrigued by the ideas of blacks who've found their political truth within the Republican Party.
Here's what a handful of Republicans hanging out at the convention had to say about our country's ongoing issues with race and law enforcement.
Name: Burgundi Cain, Alternate Delegate
Age: 31
Hometown: Houston, Texas
The situation of race in America is worse than I've ever seen it. Obviously, I'm a millennial, so race has never been a huge issue for me. Some of my best friends are from places like the Virgin Islands, and we're really close. There is no racial tension between us. I've also had ex-boyfriend who was Asian. So for me, personally, I've never seen this division. But now I'm seeing it on the streets. I work in downtown Houston, and I just see people being aggressive toward one another. There is no connection, and they are avoiding eye contact because they are afraid of what the other person is thinking.
The Dallas shootings put some of these issues on the map for people in Texas. These shootings on both sides makes me very sad. I've always believed you should never kill someone, no matter what and that all life at every stage matters, no matter who they are or what they stand for. The police officers need to change the way they engage the public. And groups like Black Lives Matter have the right to speak on those issues as long as they do it peacefully.
For the GOP to help our nation heal, they will have to start with the idea that all lives matter and say, "Hey, what's going on is not OK on both sides." They need to pull in different cultures, because when you talk to people, you realize that they often have the same values as you.
Name: Kira Inis, Alternate Delegate
Age: 29
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
One thing I have come to respect is our men and women in blue. When I see the police, I know I am safe. I know Johnny Law is there to come and take care of things. I understand how difficult their jobs can be. Will they do everything perfect? No. But it is not out of a malice or racially motivated.
When any human life is taken, such as these police shootings, it is sad. But you can't let that stop you from recognizing the decisions these people made that led to them getting shot by the police. Look at Eric Garner, a man who was selling loosies and had a rap sheet a mile-long. When he was approached by the police, all the man had to do was comply. A lawful headlock was used on him; it only went wrong because Garner kept flailing around.
If black lives really mattered, don't you think people would do something about the epidemic of death in Chicago? There is a lawlessness in urban America. If you're not going to respect the life of yourself or others who look like you, why should I think you would respect those with a badge? So obviously, I expect when I hear of these incidences that the person who was shot did something ill-advised to get themselves killed.
And Black Lives Matter doesn't help at all. They are a bunch of racist, anarchist monsters who are responsible for the deaths of at least eight cops. All this blue blood is on their hands, because they were the ones who were chanting, "What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want them? Now!" What do you think is going to happen when you spew that kind of inflammatory rhetoric? Dallas and Baton Rouge, that's what.
I think that there was racism back in the day. But today, I think that racism is made up. It's in people's heads. It's manufactured by the white leftist elites whose mastermind agenda is to pit races, classes, and sexes against one another to keep the narratives of victimization of brown people going.
Name: Jim Miller, Delegate
Age: 41
Hometown: Hayward, Wisconsin
When I saw Baton Rouge, the the first thing I thought was just, Not another one. Not again. How long is this going to keep happening? My wife showed me the Minnesota shooting on my phone, and I thought that wasn't right, too. I'm a concealed-carry permit holder, just like that guy. Philando seemed like he was doing the right thing. But we will have to wait for all the facts to come out.
I think we look at things by color and gender too much, which causes division. I look at people by what is in their head. I've got friends of all different races, religions, and orientations. I'm sure some of this Black Lives Matter movement is organic. But there might be some who are professional agitators, paid by Big Labor, who want to divide us. When you talk about race relations with the police, there is some justification for the anger BLM has. But there are good and bad people in every industry. So I'm not going to say every cop is an angel, but these people are trying to protect us.
I think the racism in this country really stems form the media. When I was in Milwaukee recently, walking with my 12-year-old daughter, I noticed that when she would see a group of black men, she'd grab onto me like she was concerned. But when we would see a black woman and their daughter, she'd be fine. So something made her do this, and I think it is TV that is giving her a bad perception of young black men, and it is really unfortunate. I had to sit her down and have a talk about it.
Name: Gale Sayers, Delegate
Age: 56
Hometown: Texas
Over the last eight years, I've seen a heightened division between black and white. I think this comes from the top—the president. When something like the shooting of officers happens, instead of taking the time to honor the policemen and their families, he spent a lot of time talking about gun control and racial stuff. As a black person, I don't hardly ever think or see color when I interact with people. I think that the more you talk about race, the worse it gets.
I never worry about my kids' interactions with police. They know if a policeman approaches them, they need to be respectful because they know that if anything goes wrong, that is who they have to call. So I can't even fathom what is happening now with people shooting the police. The cops are the people we call when we have problems. To call them and ambush them is just unthinkable. I've been watching the Cleveland police officers at the convention, and it's just sad that they are putting their lives on the line for us and they have to watch their back.
There are many videos out there of officers interacting with white people and Hispanic people, and things go wrong, too. It's not just blacks. People need to learn to stop fighting with the police. Has there ever been a rogue cop? I'm sure of it. But as a whole, they are here to protect us.
My grandkids are black. My father was the blackest shade of black. My brother is very dark skinned. I love blacks. I'm black. But we need to teach people to have more confidence in themselves and stop seeing themselves as victims. A lot of times we get so caught up in how "oppressed" we are and how "everyone hates us," instead of focusing on finding someone to help or mentor. This mentality of, "poor me, I've been oppressed so I am going to kill somebody..." How does it help?
Name: Todd Jennings, Alternate Delegate
Hometown: Tampa Bay, Florida
Age: 35
We've spent a long time politicizing how everyone is different. We need someone who can come in and show us again that we are Americans because we share things that are outside of race, religion, culture, history. We share a love of liberty and freedom and a belief in the dignity of our fellow man, and I think we've lost that over the last couple of decades. I think Donald Trump can be that guy. He definitely made the right step in picking Mike Pence as his running mate.
It's tough to say if we're getting better or worse in regards to race relations. It feels like we are worse than we were eight years ago. But sometimes the worst of time precedes healing.
I think it is a shame how these shootings have been responded to. The media over sensationalizes it, which prevents us from having a conversation about it. As a white man, I can't say that I completely understand. But I acknowledge that young black men are targeted differently than whites. But we're going to have a hard time addressing that when the reaction to that is off the charts. We need to cool off to have a conversation about it.
I think Black Lives Matter is one of the clouds over the conversation that we should be having. I think that the initial idea probably had some merit. But when you are out chanting "death to cops," you're kind of defeating the purpose. If the goal is to raise awareness, you need to let people know you can have a conversation that can make things better. But I don't think they are contributing to that at this point.
Name: Richard and Leslie Kalama, Delegates
Home State: Hawaii
Age: 52
Richard: I blame the Democratic Party for our country's issues with race. The Democrats have not allowed blacks the opportunity to progress. They keep them in an economically depressed position to make them dependent on their party. I don't know how a black person in this country could even be a Democrat. The Democratic Party has offered nothing to the black community. Just look at how poorly the black communities are doing in cities run by Democrats. The Republican Party is about progress, business, and money. The Democrats are about making its supporters into victims.
As far as these recent shootings go, anytime anyone is killed, it is a tragedy. Our police have been known to use excessive force. I'm not saying that's the case with the Philando shooting, but it's very unfortunate either way. At the end of the day, I don't think that violence will ever work—whether the police are guilty or Black Lives Matter is guilty. It'd be nice if we had someone like a Martin Luther King Jr. to come in and bring unity.
I bring up Black Lives Matter because they are the most visible group out there that has advocated for violence. We only know what we see on TV. But we've heard they've talked about killing white babies. You can see that on YouTube.
I do feel like black gun owners are treated differently than whites. I have a lot of friends in law enforcement who will hate me for saying this, but when you see a black person with a gun, you tend to get more afraid, which is racist and wrong. I know black gun owners who are law-abiding citizens and shouldn't be treated any different than me.
I believe the Heavenly Father is color-blind. God created us the way we are. Our diversity is what makes this world beautiful. I would not want to live in a world where there were only white people—it wouldn't be good. Having the variety makes this world a better place.
Leslie: I'm for the law enforcement. They have a very hard job to do, and everybody just cries racism so fast before they even know the whole story. You have to put yourself in the situation of the officers. With some black people, I don't even think they really know the history of racism or slavery in the US. Republicans never owned any slaves. It was all the Democrats. But for some reason, a lot of blacks hate us.
These responses have been edited for length and clarity.
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