The events that led to Daniel Prude's homicide-ruled death
By Yaron Steinbuch
New York Post
September 3, 2020
Daniel Prude was suffering from acute mental health problems as he
walked naked and bleeding down a Rochester street before three cops
placed a so-called spit hood over his head after he claimed he was
infected with the coronavirus, according to a report.
The 41-year-old Chicago resident had arrived in the city to stay with
his brother Joe’s family a day before the fateful March 23 encounter, the Democrat and Chronicle reported.
At first, Prude was thrown off an Amtrak train in Buffalo and was
later driven to Rochester, where he began to act out, so his brother
called police for assistance, according to the outlet.
He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital to undergo a mental health
evaluation and later released, according to a police investigation cited
by the newspaper.
But after a few hours, Prude — wearing only long underwear, a tank
top and socks — ran out of the family’s home at 3 a.m., prompting Joe to
call 911 again.
Prude removed all his clothing as he walked along West Main Street,
where police believe he broke windows of a business and was seen by
passers-by who reported his actions to police, according to the account.
One person stopped to shoot a Facebook Live video of Prude after
seeing him get on his knees and beg a motorist to call 911. When the
driver said they were on the phone with 911, Prude ran off.
Moments later, he was intercepted by police on Jefferson Avenue,
where they ordered him to lie on the ground and place his hands behind
his back.
“Sure thing, sure thing,” Prude said as he rolled onto his stomach at
3:16 a.m., according to the Democrat and Chronicle, which said it
reviewed all 88 minutes of raw view provided by the family’s lawyer.
Though restrained, Prude remained agitated as he shouted at times and
spat onto the street, though he never initiated any contact with the
officers, who placed a hood over his head to protect them from his
bodily fluids when he claimed to be infected with the coronavirus, the
news outlet reported.
At one point, Prude shouted, “Gimme that gun! Gimme that gun, I mean it!”
When the officers tried to keep him from standing up, he yelled, “You’re trying to kill me!”
An officer identified in the video as Mark Vaughn then pushed the
side of Prude’s head into the pavement — reminiscent of the way a
Minneapolis cop pushed his knee into George Floyd’s neck in the fatal
May 25 incident.
Another cop — identified as Troy Talladay — used his knee to hold
down Prude’s torso while a third held down his legs, according to the
account.
In his report, Vaughn wrote that he used a “hypoglossal nerve
technique” on Prude in which he jammed his fingers into a nerve under
the jaw in a painful compliance procedure.
Vaughn pushed down Prude’s head for 2 minutes 15 seconds before
letting up and asking, “You good now?” Prude did not respond, but the
officer resumed pushing with one hand for 45 additional seconds, the
report states.
Three minutes after Prude’s head was pressed into the asphalt, an EMT
identified as Brett Barnes asked the officers to roll him onto his
back. He later told investigators that is when he realized Prude was not
breathing and began to administer CPR.
Prude’s cuffed hands remained secured behind his back, though,
because the cops could not immediately find a key to remove the
restraints while CPR was going on.
Prude was placed in an ambulance 11 minutes after police arrived, the video showed.
Though his heartbeat was restored during the short trip to the
hospital, his brain had been deprived of oxygen for too long and he was
later declared brain-dead, according to the police narrative cited by
the Democrat and Chronicle.
He died March 30 after being taken off life support — and his liver
and one kidney were donated for use in transplants, according to the
autopsy report.
One of the officers later went to Joe’s home to inform him that his brother had been located.
“We got him. Your brother’s at Strong (Memorial Hospital),” the
officer was heard saying in the unedited police footage, the Democrat
and Chronicle reported.
“So he cooperated?” Joe asked.
“Yeah, um …,” the officer answered before excusing himself to make a
phone call — without telling the family that Daniel’s heart had stopped
beating during the confrontation.
The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide,
caused by “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical
restraint, excited delirium [and] acute phencyclidine [PCP]
intoxication.”
The autopsy report also listed two lung diseases, heart inflammation
and a brain injury as complications in his death, the Democrat and
Chronicle reported.
In the footage, a paramedic identified in the police report as Julie Purick spoke to an officer as her colleague performed CPR.
“PCP can cause what we call excited delirium,” she said.
“Yeah, I know what excited delirium is,” the cop responded.
“I guarantee you that’s how he coded,” Purick added, using a term for
the sudden cessation of lung and heart function. “It’s not you guys’
fault. You’ve got to keep yourselves safe.”
During a news conference Wednesday, Joe accused police of handling his brother “like a damned animal.”
“I placed a phone call to get my brother help, not to have my brother
lynched,” he said, according to the paper. “How many more brothers have
to die before society understands this needs to stop?”
Mayor Lovely Warren called the video “disturbing.”
“I can sympathize and empathize with the family,” she said in a
separate press conference, where she denied a lack of transparency in
not disclosing the death until months later.
“I want everyone to understand that at no point in time did we feel
that this was something that we wanted not to disclose,” Warren said.
“We are precluded from getting involved in it until that agency [the
state AG’s office] has completed their investigation.”
Police Chief La’Ron Singletary echoed her comments, saying, “This is
not a cover-up” — adding that he launched a criminal investigation and
an internal probe the day the incident occurred.
He said the investigations were stopped when New York Attorney
General Letitia James stepped in and would be completed after the state
investigators have wrapped up their work.
The report on the internal police probe, provided by the family’s
attorney, contained a conclusion saying, “The officers’ actions and
conduct displayed when dealing with Prude appear to be appropriate and
consistent with their training.”
The report was dated April 27, 11 days after the AG’s office began its inquiry.
On Wednesday, Singletary denied that his department’s investigation was completed.
He also confirmed the officers involved in the case remain on active
duty and have not been disciplined — adding that he was precluded from
suspending any of them until the AG probe is over.
The family has filed a notice of intent to sue the city, the newspaper reported.
Ashley Gantt, an organizer with Free The People Roc, a local Black
Lives Matter group, called for “accountability for the wrongful death
and murder of Daniel Prude,” saying “he was treated inhumanely and
without dignity,” according to the outlet.
EDITOR'S NOTE; Upon orders of the mayor, all seven officers involved in the arrest have now been suspended.
Friday, September 04, 2020
TO BLM PROTESTERS IT DOESNT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE THAT DEON KAY PULLED A GUN ON THE COPS
Protesters gather at home of DC mayor to demand firing of police chief after police shooting of 18-year-old Deon Kay
by Madison Dibble
Washington Examiner
September 3, 2020
Protesters demonstrated outside the home of Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser after an 18-year-old black man was shot and killed by police.
Deon Kay was shot and killed by an officer on Wednesday afternoon after he pulled out a gun while running from officers, according to the police. Protesters gathered in the area almost immediately after the shooting in Southeast D.C
.
Protests also took place overnight outside of the Seventh District police station Wednesday and early Thursday morning until demonstrators shifted to Bowser's home.
"If we don't get no justice, you don't get no sleep," the demonstrators chanted outside Bowser's home.
"I'm a black person living in this city. I'm tired of seeing people like me get murdered. I'm tired of the mayor not being accountable for it. I'm tired of, like, [police Chief] Peter Newsham and his gang of killer cops that are terrorizing the city," one protester said, according to a report from NBC 4.
Officers surrounded the Seventh District station and maintained a line to protect the building when the protesters gathered.
Many protesters demanded to see the body camera footage from the shooting, but it is not clear when that footage will be released. Some of the protesters also called for Newsham to be fired or resign from his position.
EDITOR'S NOTE: DC police released the body cam footage and it clearly shows Kay facing the cops and holding a semi-automatic pistol in his right hand.
It was also revealed that Kay was a 'validated gang member.'
But never mind, the poor gangbanger had his life taken by Newsham's gang of killer cops that are terrorizing the city.
by Madison Dibble
Washington Examiner
September 3, 2020
Protesters demonstrated outside the home of Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser after an 18-year-old black man was shot and killed by police.
Deon Kay was shot and killed by an officer on Wednesday afternoon after he pulled out a gun while running from officers, according to the police. Protesters gathered in the area almost immediately after the shooting in Southeast D.C
.
Protests also took place overnight outside of the Seventh District police station Wednesday and early Thursday morning until demonstrators shifted to Bowser's home.
"If we don't get no justice, you don't get no sleep," the demonstrators chanted outside Bowser's home.
"I'm a black person living in this city. I'm tired of seeing people like me get murdered. I'm tired of the mayor not being accountable for it. I'm tired of, like, [police Chief] Peter Newsham and his gang of killer cops that are terrorizing the city," one protester said, according to a report from NBC 4.
Officers surrounded the Seventh District station and maintained a line to protect the building when the protesters gathered.
Many protesters demanded to see the body camera footage from the shooting, but it is not clear when that footage will be released. Some of the protesters also called for Newsham to be fired or resign from his position.
EDITOR'S NOTE: DC police released the body cam footage and it clearly shows Kay facing the cops and holding a semi-automatic pistol in his right hand.
It was also revealed that Kay was a 'validated gang member.'
But never mind, the poor gangbanger had his life taken by Newsham's gang of killer cops that are terrorizing the city.
INSTEAD OF PROMOTING SECURITY OFFICER, BEST BUY FIRED HER
Dana White Hires Former Best Buy Employee Fired For Tackling Thief Who Was Stealing TV Set
Thursday, September 03, 2020
A PARTY LIKE NO OTHER
My police officer grand daughter just sent this article to me and noted, "Pretty sure if I ever had this call on patrol, I would tell people I’ve seen it all at that point."
Minnesota Man Threw Methamphetamine-Fueled 'Death Party' For His Dying Wife
By
ATI
Duane Johnson claimed his wife, 69-year-old Debra Lynn Johnson, was
staunchly against seeking medical help as she neared the end of her
life. The details of her condition and subsequent death at their home in
New Ulm — a town of fewer than 200 people — have yet to be publicly
unveiled, though she did allegedly indicate to her husband that she did
not want to die in a nursing home.
What is clear, however, is that her husband’s 911 call to inform emergency services of her passing resulted in authorities finding him naked — with 47 guns, some of those stolen, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his home, as per Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
When authorities arrived at the Johnson residence after the husband’s call on Thursday afternoon, they encountered the words “Death Parde God Hell” scrawled on the front door in red spray paint. The ominous welcome was followed by an extensive discovery of weaponry and a cache of hard drugs.
Johnson walked outside naked to greet the responding officers while screaming about his dead wife and then quickly ran back inside. When the deputy on the scene entered the home, he found Johnson in his bathtub. The widower was reportedly trying to clear his skin of “little white and black things.”
Naturally, the strange, drug-fueled saga of Duane and Debra Lynn Johnson got even stranger from here.
The corpse was found at the top of the stairs, still warm, and wrapped in a sheet. Rigor mortis had already begun to settle in her arms and Johnson said that his wife had died at around 8:30 am, but he decided to wait to make the 911 call in order to guarantee that she was actually dead.
The New Ulm Medical Center informed investigators that the woman had previously been living in a transitional care center, but that her husband moved her back home against all professional and medical advice. Her medical history showed two heart attacks, diabetes, and high blood pressure — in addition to a history of mental illness which was being treated with antipsychotic medication.
Duane Johnson told authorities that her final wishes were to die at home, and have an actual “death party” that would involve the couple “rocking out” to her favorite song, Quiet Riot’s “Metal Health.” By all accounts, they went through with that plan — and switched from medication to methamphetamine.
Her husband said she was having convulsions, but refused to call 911. Instead, he held her down to prevent her from injuring herself during the uncontrollable thrashing. Fewer than two hours before her death, the two had sex. She apparently stopped convulsing and felt calmer.
When she finally passed, Johnson washed her body and wrapped her in linen “like the Bible told me to do.”
The inebriated 58-year-old was subsequently arrested and charged with felony counts of receiving stolen property and theft.
He told an investigator on the case that he had 47 guns in his possession, many of which he had stolen. Law enforcement discovered four rifles and two shotguns, with hundreds of rounds of ammunition of varying calibers. Johnson made his first court appearance last Friday, with bail set at $250,000 or $150,000 with stipulations.
Though this send-off to the great beyond is fairly unconventional — by any reasonable parameters — Johnson can comfort himself knowing he did everything his wife demanded of him.
Minnesota Man Threw Methamphetamine-Fueled 'Death Party' For His Dying Wife
By
ATI
To be beside your loved one in their final days of
life is one of the most difficult challenges one could ever endure, but
for a southwestern Minnesota man and his wife, a methamphetamine-fueled
“death party” which ended with nudity and biblical references was the
way to do just that.
What is clear, however, is that her husband’s 911 call to inform emergency services of her passing resulted in authorities finding him naked — with 47 guns, some of those stolen, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his home, as per Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
When authorities arrived at the Johnson residence after the husband’s call on Thursday afternoon, they encountered the words “Death Parde God Hell” scrawled on the front door in red spray paint. The ominous welcome was followed by an extensive discovery of weaponry and a cache of hard drugs.
Johnson walked outside naked to greet the responding officers while screaming about his dead wife and then quickly ran back inside. When the deputy on the scene entered the home, he found Johnson in his bathtub. The widower was reportedly trying to clear his skin of “little white and black things.”
Naturally, the strange, drug-fueled saga of Duane and Debra Lynn Johnson got even stranger from here.
The corpse was found at the top of the stairs, still warm, and wrapped in a sheet. Rigor mortis had already begun to settle in her arms and Johnson said that his wife had died at around 8:30 am, but he decided to wait to make the 911 call in order to guarantee that she was actually dead.
The New Ulm Medical Center informed investigators that the woman had previously been living in a transitional care center, but that her husband moved her back home against all professional and medical advice. Her medical history showed two heart attacks, diabetes, and high blood pressure — in addition to a history of mental illness which was being treated with antipsychotic medication.
Duane Johnson told authorities that her final wishes were to die at home, and have an actual “death party” that would involve the couple “rocking out” to her favorite song, Quiet Riot’s “Metal Health.” By all accounts, they went through with that plan — and switched from medication to methamphetamine.
Her husband said she was having convulsions, but refused to call 911. Instead, he held her down to prevent her from injuring herself during the uncontrollable thrashing. Fewer than two hours before her death, the two had sex. She apparently stopped convulsing and felt calmer.
When she finally passed, Johnson washed her body and wrapped her in linen “like the Bible told me to do.”
The inebriated 58-year-old was subsequently arrested and charged with felony counts of receiving stolen property and theft.
He told an investigator on the case that he had 47 guns in his possession, many of which he had stolen. Law enforcement discovered four rifles and two shotguns, with hundreds of rounds of ammunition of varying calibers. Johnson made his first court appearance last Friday, with bail set at $250,000 or $150,000 with stipulations.
Though this send-off to the great beyond is fairly unconventional — by any reasonable parameters — Johnson can comfort himself knowing he did everything his wife demanded of him.
AN ARROGANT PELOSI DEMANDS APOLOGY FOR HER OWN HYPOCRISY
Pelosi Asks Salon Owner to Apologize for 'Set Up,' Pleads Ignorance on California Lockdown Law
By Brittany Bernstein
National Review
September 2, 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is demanding an apology from a San Francisco hair salon owner for what she is calling a “set up” against her, after the California Democrat was caught inside the salon without a mask in violation of city guidelines.
The city had forced salons to close in March to limit the spread of coronavirus and had only allowed their reopening with limited outdoor operations beginning on Tuesday. Pelosi can be seen on security footage obtained by Fox News walking inside ESalonSF with a face mask around her neck during an appointment for a wash and blow-out on Monday. Blow-drying hair also violates local coronavirus safety precautions.
“I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that I’ve been to…many times…It was a set up, and I take responsibility for falling for a setup,” she said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“I think that this salon owes me an apology, for setting me up,” she added.
Despite her own behavior, Pelosi has been vocal in telling Americans to wear masks and follow local guidelines to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Earlier on Wednesday, a spokesman for Pelosi, Drew Hammill, said the congresswoman did not realize she was breaking any rules, saying “This business offered for the speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business.”
“The speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment,” he added.
The owner of the salon, Erica Kious, told Fox News that Pelosi’s behavior was “a slap in the face” and said a hairstylist who rents a chair at the salon had opened it for Pelosi’s appointment.
“It was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I can’t work,” Kious said.
“We’re supposed to look up to this woman, right?” she said. “It is just disturbing.”
By Brittany Bernstein
National Review
September 2, 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is demanding an apology from a San Francisco hair salon owner for what she is calling a “set up” against her, after the California Democrat was caught inside the salon without a mask in violation of city guidelines.
The city had forced salons to close in March to limit the spread of coronavirus and had only allowed their reopening with limited outdoor operations beginning on Tuesday. Pelosi can be seen on security footage obtained by Fox News walking inside ESalonSF with a face mask around her neck during an appointment for a wash and blow-out on Monday. Blow-drying hair also violates local coronavirus safety precautions.
“I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that I’ve been to…many times…It was a set up, and I take responsibility for falling for a setup,” she said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“I think that this salon owes me an apology, for setting me up,” she added.
Despite her own behavior, Pelosi has been vocal in telling Americans to wear masks and follow local guidelines to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Earlier on Wednesday, a spokesman for Pelosi, Drew Hammill, said the congresswoman did not realize she was breaking any rules, saying “This business offered for the speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business.”
“The speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment,” he added.
The owner of the salon, Erica Kious, told Fox News that Pelosi’s behavior was “a slap in the face” and said a hairstylist who rents a chair at the salon had opened it for Pelosi’s appointment.
“It was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I can’t work,” Kious said.
“We’re supposed to look up to this woman, right?” she said. “It is just disturbing.”
BIDEN 'ISN'T PLAYING WITH A FULL DECK'
Gaffe-prone Joe Biden struggles to describe the impact of COVID by suggesting the outbreak has 'uh, taken more lives than any year in the past 100 years'
Daily Mail
September 2, 2020
Despite mentioning Trump's response to coronavirus every chance he gets, Joe Biden fluffed his lines as he spoke about the impact of the pandemic from a steel mill in Pennsylvania Monday.
The 77-year-old seemed to be trying to tell viewers that COVID is 'the worst pandemic in 100 years', but actually told his bemused audience: 'COVID has taken this year, just since the outbreak, has taken more than 100 years… Look. Here's… The lives… It's just… I mean, think about it.'
The gaffe echoes dozens of times that Biden, 77, fumbled his words during the Democrat primaries, raising fears among voters that he is not fit to take on Trump.
Video of his latest error was picked up on by Eric Trump, who retweeted it along with the caption: 'This is why the Biden campaign doesn’t want him to leave his basement. 'This guy isn’t playing with a full deck and it is so irresponsible that the media covers this up.'
Biden had used the rest of his speech to attack Trump's record on 'law and order', which had become central to his fight to win four more years in the White House.
TRUMP MAY REGRET SUPPORTING RITTENHOUSE
Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse brutally punched girl in head and stomach weeks before he shot 2 protesters dead, video shows
Sickening footage shows Kenosha shooter, Kyle Rittenhouse, punching a young girl many times in the head and stomach during an argument. The footage emerged online and has been going viral across social media platforms such as Twitter. The video was reportedly taken on July 1, a few weeks before Rittenhouse shot dead two Black Lives Matter protesters using an AR-15 and injured another, Daily Mail reports.
According to two men who filmed the earlier clip, Reese Granville and CJ Wakefield had identified the teenager shown as Rittenhouse, the Journal Times reports. The boy in the video can also be seen wearing the same American flag Crocs that Rittenhouse had been seen wearing in the widely circulated picture taken from his Facebook page.
In the video clip, two females are seen having an argument while in a parking lot in downtown Kenosha. The first video clip allegedly shows a teenager believed to be Rittenhouse and other young males watching the argument. One of the females who is seen in a white tank top accuses the other girl of touching her.
There were two versions of the video uploaded on Twitter, the first was captioned: "Here’s that video of the Kyle Rittenhouse fight in Kenosha; Taken on July 1. Another video (which got taken off of Facebook) shows others jumping in, kicking Rittenhouse, and then the fight ending. Still not clear what led to the fight," while the second video was simply captioned: "Longer version".
The argument then escalates and the teenager who is believed to Rittenhouse and another male starts to argue with the accused female who is seen in grey sweatpants. Then a third female approaches and starts to fight with the girl in the grey sweat pants.
The teenager believed to be Rittenhouse starts to beat up on the accused girl and seems to land at least four punches on the girl, in the back of her head and abdomen as another male tries to hold him back.
Granville and Wakefield jump out of their car while two other men from another car do the same and rush over. A second video clip that was captured via a passenger in another vehicle shows a man trying to confront Rittenhouse. The man can be heard saying, "Do not put your hands on a female (expletive)."
Four men are seen walking up to Rittenhouse with one wrestling him and striking him several times. He is then forced onto the ground. While the teen appearing to be Rittenhouse is on the ground, he tries to escape but is kicked many times while female voices can be heard asking people to stop.
Rittenhouse eventually gets up and hobbles away while the four men also leave the scene. We had earlier reported that Rittenhouse, who has been charged as an adult, is now facing two charges of first-degree homicide for killing Anthony M Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum. He is also facing one count of attempted homicide for the incident on the third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the wake of Jacob Blake police shooting.
A lawyer for Rittenhouse has said that his client acted in self-defense. Rittenhouse, who was reportedly seen on the streets of the city with an AR-15-style rifle, was arrested on August 26 in his hometown, Antioch, Illinois, 15 miles from Kenosha.
OREGON HOUSE SPEAKER BLAMES COPS FOR PORTLAND VIOLENCE AS MAYOR IS HOUNDED OUT OF HIS $840,000 CONDO
Portland mayor says he’ll move after protest outside his condo building draws arrests, widespread calls for change
By Everton Bailey Jr.
The Oregonian/OregonLive
September 1, 2020
Portland
Mayor Ted Wheeler says he’s looking for a new place to live after his
Pearl District condo building has been the site of repeated
demonstrations, including on Monday when crowds demanded he resign and some people set fires and broke windows.
In
an email Tuesday from Wheeler to other residents of the 16-floor
high-rise tower, the mayor said it would be “best for me and for
everyone else’s safety and peace” that he finds a new home. He assured
people that police are taking their safety concerns seriously and
invited them to a Thursday evening meeting that will include himself and
officers to voice their concerns.
“I
want to express my sincere apologies for the damage to our home and the
fear that you are experiencing due to my position,” according to a
screenshot of the email sent to The Oregonian/OregonLive. “It’s unfair
to all of you who have no role in politics or in my administration.”
The
building has 114 units and retail space on the bottom floor. Wheeler
bought his two-bedroom condo for $840,000 in 2017, according to
Multnomah County property records.
Protests
calling for policing and social justice reforms have taken place daily
throughout the city since late May. Demonstrators have gathered outside
Wheeler’s condo building sporadically since mid-June
— at least twice when he was not there. On Monday, Wheeler’s 58th
birthday, some in a group of more than 200 graffitied and damaged the
building and sidewalk and threw a burning bundle of newspapers into
retail space in the building.
Police
arrested 19 people during the demonstration. Most are accused of
disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer; the latter is the most common accusation levied against protesters arrested during demonstrations over the last three months.
A widely circulated video recorded by an Oregon Public Broadcasting reporter during the overnight demonstration shows one Portland officer tackling another person to the ground and repeatedly punching them in the head.
The mayor’s office said Tuesday that case will likely be reviewed by the city’s Independent Police Review. In a public statement, Wheeler described both the officer’s punches and damages to the area buildings as “senseless violence.”
“These
acts range from stupid, to dangerous, to criminal,” Wheeler said. “The
violence must stop. None of this should sit well with any thinking
Portlander.”
The demonstration also drew a response from Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell,
who called on elected officials to “draw a line in the sand and to hold
people accountable.” He did not address any footage of officers
attacking people.
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek called for greater acknowledgement by elected officials of Portland police’s role in violence
that occurs during nightly protests. Kotek, who represents parts of
North and Northeast Portland, said officers who use excessive force
should be held “sufficiently accountable.”
KAEPERNICK'S FREEDOM FIGHTERS ATTACK THE KING'S MANSION
Elvis Presley's Graceland vandalized with 'Black Lives Matter' graffiti
By Tamar Lapin
New York Post
September 1, 2020
By Tamar Lapin
New York Post
September 1, 2020
Graceland is all shook up.
Elvis Presley’s estate was vandalized with “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the Police” graffiti overnight into Tuesday.
The protest slogans were found spray-painted in black and orange on the stone wall surrounding the King’s mansion, a signature Memphis landmark and major tourist draw, local newspaper The Commercial Appeal reported.
“Abolish ICE”, “Breonna Taylor” and “Fuck Trump” were also among the spray-painted phrases.
The graffiti covered up many of the hundreds of tributes to the music icon handwritten by fans on the wall over the years.
By mid-morning Tuesday, workers with power-wash equipment were removing the slogans, according to the Appeal.
A Graceland spokesman declined to comment on the vandalism.
Another Memphis landmark, historic concert venue the Levitt Shell, was defaced with similar graffiti, including “Eat the Rich” and “Defund MPD [Memphis Police Department].”
The open-air amphitheater in Overton Park was where Presley gave his first paid concert on July 30, 1954.
The rock ‘n’ roll legend lived at Graceland for 20 years, until his death on Aug. 16, 1977, at the age of 42.
The estate — located on a stretch of Highway 51 South named “Elvis Presley Boulevard” — was opened to the public in 1982 and attracts over half a million visitors annually.
Elvis Presley’s estate was vandalized with “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the Police” graffiti overnight into Tuesday.
The protest slogans were found spray-painted in black and orange on the stone wall surrounding the King’s mansion, a signature Memphis landmark and major tourist draw, local newspaper The Commercial Appeal reported.
“Abolish ICE”, “Breonna Taylor” and “Fuck Trump” were also among the spray-painted phrases.
The graffiti covered up many of the hundreds of tributes to the music icon handwritten by fans on the wall over the years.
By mid-morning Tuesday, workers with power-wash equipment were removing the slogans, according to the Appeal.
A Graceland spokesman declined to comment on the vandalism.
Another Memphis landmark, historic concert venue the Levitt Shell, was defaced with similar graffiti, including “Eat the Rich” and “Defund MPD [Memphis Police Department].”
The open-air amphitheater in Overton Park was where Presley gave his first paid concert on July 30, 1954.
The rock ‘n’ roll legend lived at Graceland for 20 years, until his death on Aug. 16, 1977, at the age of 42.
The estate — located on a stretch of Highway 51 South named “Elvis Presley Boulevard” — was opened to the public in 1982 and attracts over half a million visitors annually.
NO GUNS PERMITTED OUTSIDE THE HOME IN CALIFORNIA
Judge Upholds California Ban On Carrying Guns In Public
LAPPL News Watch
September 2, 2020
A U.S. judge on Monday upheld California’s near-total ban on carrying guns in public even as protests in other states have seen counter-demonstrators armed with weapons.
U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller denied a review of a 2017 federal appeals court decision that upheld the law, which bans carrying concealed weapons in most urban areas and permits open-carry of weapons only if someone believes that a person is in immediate danger and law enforcement has failed to respond, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
However, Mueller also said gun owners can proceed with a lawsuit against California over the ban while awaiting a court hearing next month involving another open-carry ban in Hawaii. An 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled on Sept. 24 to consider a challenge to the law, which effectively only permits police and security guards to openly carry firearms.
LAPPL News Watch
September 2, 2020
A U.S. judge on Monday upheld California’s near-total ban on carrying guns in public even as protests in other states have seen counter-demonstrators armed with weapons.
U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller denied a review of a 2017 federal appeals court decision that upheld the law, which bans carrying concealed weapons in most urban areas and permits open-carry of weapons only if someone believes that a person is in immediate danger and law enforcement has failed to respond, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
However, Mueller also said gun owners can proceed with a lawsuit against California over the ban while awaiting a court hearing next month involving another open-carry ban in Hawaii. An 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled on Sept. 24 to consider a challenge to the law, which effectively only permits police and security guards to openly carry firearms.
CASHIER OUT OF JOB AFTER WRITING 'QUIT YOUR JOB' ON COP'S $66 RECEIPT
Happy Camper fires worker after Chicago cop finds "quit your job" written on receipt
A Wrigleyville bar and pizza restaurant has fired one of its employees after she allegedly scrawled “quit your job” on a Chicago cop’s carry-out order receipt Sunday.
After seeing the note written on the receipt for his $66 purchase at Happy Camper Pizza, the detective threw the entire order out, fearing that the food had been tainted, according to a Facebook post made Sunday.
The detective had worked 12-hour days with limited time off and was in full uniform when he picked up the order, according to the post.
Happy Camper management today said the company “immediately took action to terminate the employee” upon learning of the allegations.
“Our company works incredibly hard to provide a positive and enjoyable experience for all customers,” the company said in a statement. “We sincerely and humbly apologize – the action of one does not accurately reflect who we are as a company. We have zero tolerance for any behavior that doesn’t give our customers the full respect they deserve.”
Happy Camper management has also reached out to the detective directly to apologize, a spokesperson told CWBChicago.
A Wrigleyville bar and pizza restaurant has fired one of its employees after she allegedly scrawled “quit your job” on a Chicago cop’s carry-out order receipt Sunday.
After seeing the note written on the receipt for his $66 purchase at Happy Camper Pizza, the detective threw the entire order out, fearing that the food had been tainted, according to a Facebook post made Sunday.
The detective had worked 12-hour days with limited time off and was in full uniform when he picked up the order, according to the post.
Happy Camper management today said the company “immediately took action to terminate the employee” upon learning of the allegations.
“Our company works incredibly hard to provide a positive and enjoyable experience for all customers,” the company said in a statement. “We sincerely and humbly apologize – the action of one does not accurately reflect who we are as a company. We have zero tolerance for any behavior that doesn’t give our customers the full respect they deserve.”
Happy Camper management has also reached out to the detective directly to apologize, a spokesperson told CWBChicago.
Wednesday, September 02, 2020
THE SENATE SHOULD MAKE SURE THERE WILL BE NO MORE ACT
House set to vote on marijuana legalization
By Natalie Fertig
Politico
August 28, 2020
The bill's lead sponsor in the Senate is Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for vice president.
By Natalie Fertig
Politico
August 28, 2020
The House will vote on legalizing marijuana next month.
States would still have to vote to legalize the drug. Marijuana is already legal in 11 states.
The MORE Act would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and erase some cannabis criminal records.
The vote will come during the September work period, according to an
email Majority Whip Jim Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) office that was sent to
members Friday.
The email also asked members to indicate if they would support the MORE Act by Sept. 3.
Why is this important? Neither chamber of Congress has ever voted on removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act.
“A floor vote on the bill would be the greatest federal cannabis reform accomplishment in over 50 years,” said Randal Meyer of the Global Alliance for Cannabis Commerce.
What’s the background? Cannabis
is a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, which was
signed into law in 1970. Drugs that are classified as Schedule I are
defined as having a high potential for abuse and no medical benefit.
Removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act would mean it is
no longer illegal at the federal level, but it would not immediately
legalize its sale in every state. State and federal agencies would still
need to create rules and regulations for the production, marketing and
sale of cannabis products, and some states may not allow sales even if
the federal ban was removed.
This
bill, H.R. 3884 (116), was introduced by House Judiciary Chair Jerry
Nadler (D-N.Y.) last fall and passed the House Judiciary Committee by a
vote of 24-10 in November. Reps Matt Gaetz (Fla.) and Tom McClintock
(Calif.) were the only Republicans on the committee to vote for the
bill.
“Of
course I intend to vote yes on the bill," McClintock said on Friday.
"With respect to timing, I do find it ironic that the only small
businesses the Democrats seem to be worried about is cannabis shops, but
I would support this bill whenever it is brought to a vote."
Negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House on a new coronavirus relief bill have gone nowhere in recent weeks.
The
MORE Act is not the only bill that would remove cannabis from the CSA,
but because it expunges records and creates funding for grants to
benefit people who have been negatively impacted by criminal
enforcement, this bill has garnered the most support from Democrat
leadership and legalization advocates.
"As
people across the country protest racial injustices, there’s even
greater urgency for Congress to seize this historic opportunity and
finally align our cannabis laws with what the majority of Americans
support, while ensuring restorative justice,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer
(D-Ore.), a longtime champion of marijuana legalization.
Does this mean cannabis will be legal?
No, the odds of this bill passing in the Senate are still very slim,
given the opposition of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. During this
week’s Republicans National Convention, speakers criticized Democrats
for purportedly prioritizing marijuana sales during the pandemic over
more important services like health care and religious gatherings.
Last November, Nadler dismissed
concerns about the Senate's potential inaction. “I don’t think it’s a
good idea to say the Senate won’t take this bill so we shouldn’t pass
this bill,” Nadler said. “To do [so] is to say the Senate rules the
roost and the House doesn’t matter.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: "The bill's lead sponsor in the Senate is Kamala Harris." Another good reason why voters should reelect Trump.
TRUMP CHOKES HIMSELF WITH RIDICULOUS COMPARISON
Trump compares cops who shoot unarmed men to golfers who 'choke' and 'miss a 3-foot putt'
While discussing the shooting of Jacob Blake with Fox News ahead of his visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, President Donald Trump said some police officers who shoot unarmed suspects “choke,” as if missing a 3-foot putt in golf, a comment that drew social media criticism and mockery.
Blake, a Black man, was shot seven times in the back by an officer as he tried to enter a vehicle in an incident caught on video. The shooting sparked a new wave of protests around the country against police brutality and racial discrimination.
While discussing the situation in Kenosha during a White House news briefing on Monday, Trump said sometimes an officer “makes a mistake” or “chokes” under pressure.
Trump elaborated on that point later Monday during an interview on “The Ingraham Angle” on Fox News, during which he said police are “under siege.”
“They can do 10,000 great acts, which is what they do, and one bad apple – or a choker, you know, a choker, they choke – shooting the guy in the back many times,” Trump told host Laura Ingraham.
“I mean, couldn’t you have done something different? Couldn’t you have wrestled him?” Trump asked, wondering how the tragedy could have been avoided. “You know, I mean, in the meantime he might have been going for a weapon and, you know, there’s a whole big thing there.”
“But they choke, just like in a golf tournament, they miss a 3-foot putt,” Trump said as Ingraham, one his staunchest supporters in the news media, cut him off.
“You’re not comparing it to golf, because that’s what the media would say,” Ingraham said.
“No, I’m saying people choke. People choke. And people are bad people. You have both,” he said. “You have some bad people and you have – they choke. You could be a police officer for 15 years and, all of a sudden, you’re confronted. You’ve got a quarter of a second to make a decision. If you don’t make the decision and you’re wrong, you’re dead.”
Trump is scheduled to travel to Kenosha on Tuesday to meet with law enforcement officials and survey damage from the demonstrations. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump is looking forward to going to Kenosha to speak directly to its residents and “unifying the state.”
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, both Democrats, have asked Trump not to come, saying it could hurt the community’s effort to heal and would require them to redirect resources toward securing his visit.
As Ingraham predicted, many expressed shock and outrage at the comparison between the shooting that left Blake paralyzed and a golfer missing a short putt.
“Disgusting. Trump compares police shooting a Black man in the back 7 times to a golfer who misses a 3-foot putt,” tweeted Jim Murphy who is a deputy director for the Human Rights Campaign’s digital team.
Many on social media used dark humor to mock the president for his comment.
“I’ll never forget my worst round of golf. I was under a lot of pressure, and on the 15th hole, on what should have been an easy putt for birdie, I choked and shot someone seven times in the back,” tweeted Robert Maguire, research director for the government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
“You know things are bad when Laura Ingraham has to save President Trump from saying stupid things,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This will keep Democrats from worrying about what Biden might say.
While discussing the shooting of Jacob Blake with Fox News ahead of his visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, President Donald Trump said some police officers who shoot unarmed suspects “choke,” as if missing a 3-foot putt in golf, a comment that drew social media criticism and mockery.
Blake, a Black man, was shot seven times in the back by an officer as he tried to enter a vehicle in an incident caught on video. The shooting sparked a new wave of protests around the country against police brutality and racial discrimination.
While discussing the situation in Kenosha during a White House news briefing on Monday, Trump said sometimes an officer “makes a mistake” or “chokes” under pressure.
Trump elaborated on that point later Monday during an interview on “The Ingraham Angle” on Fox News, during which he said police are “under siege.”
“They can do 10,000 great acts, which is what they do, and one bad apple – or a choker, you know, a choker, they choke – shooting the guy in the back many times,” Trump told host Laura Ingraham.
“I mean, couldn’t you have done something different? Couldn’t you have wrestled him?” Trump asked, wondering how the tragedy could have been avoided. “You know, I mean, in the meantime he might have been going for a weapon and, you know, there’s a whole big thing there.”
“But they choke, just like in a golf tournament, they miss a 3-foot putt,” Trump said as Ingraham, one his staunchest supporters in the news media, cut him off.
“You’re not comparing it to golf, because that’s what the media would say,” Ingraham said.
“No, I’m saying people choke. People choke. And people are bad people. You have both,” he said. “You have some bad people and you have – they choke. You could be a police officer for 15 years and, all of a sudden, you’re confronted. You’ve got a quarter of a second to make a decision. If you don’t make the decision and you’re wrong, you’re dead.”
Trump is scheduled to travel to Kenosha on Tuesday to meet with law enforcement officials and survey damage from the demonstrations. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump is looking forward to going to Kenosha to speak directly to its residents and “unifying the state.”
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, both Democrats, have asked Trump not to come, saying it could hurt the community’s effort to heal and would require them to redirect resources toward securing his visit.
As Ingraham predicted, many expressed shock and outrage at the comparison between the shooting that left Blake paralyzed and a golfer missing a short putt.
“Disgusting. Trump compares police shooting a Black man in the back 7 times to a golfer who misses a 3-foot putt,” tweeted Jim Murphy who is a deputy director for the Human Rights Campaign’s digital team.
Many on social media used dark humor to mock the president for his comment.
“I’ll never forget my worst round of golf. I was under a lot of pressure, and on the 15th hole, on what should have been an easy putt for birdie, I choked and shot someone seven times in the back,” tweeted Robert Maguire, research director for the government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
“You know things are bad when Laura Ingraham has to save President Trump from saying stupid things,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This will keep Democrats from worrying about what Biden might say.
NO NEED FOR PRISONS SINCE COPS KEEP KILLING BLACK MEN
Large Crowd Gathers In South LA After LASD Deputies Shoot, Kill Black Man Who Allegedly 'Produced A Handgun'
CBSLA
August 31, 2020
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — A large group of demonstrators gathered in South Los Angeles Monday evening after deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shot and killed a Black man.
Cell phone video captured the man running from deputies moments before he was fatally shot. Witnesses could be heard in that video yelling out at the deputies involved. One woman, who didn’t want to be identified, said she knew the man and saw the whole thing.
“He had a towel and he had his clothes and his pants couldn’t even stay up, so that’s what made him slow down so they had enough to get him,” she said. “They didn’t have to shoot him more than 5 times, they could have shot him one time in the leg.
“What’s the use of having the prison system if y’all are just gonna kill us,” the woman said through tears. “What are y’all here for? Who are you protecting?”
Sheriff’s investigators said the incident started around 3:15 p.m. near West 109th Place and Budlong Avenue when deputies attempted to stop a man riding his bike for a vehicle code violation. Investigators said the man then took off running.
“Our suspect was holding some items of clothing in his hands, punched one of the officers in the face and then dropped the items in his hands,” Lt. Brandon Dean said. “The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semiautomatic handgun, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred.”
Investigators said a handgun was recovered at the scene.
Cell phone video taken after the shooting shows deputies trying to render aid to the man, identified by family at the scene as 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee. Immediately following the shooting, a small crowd gathered around the scene, but quickly grew to nearly 100.
“How many more times do we have to gather out here, mourning the loss of our brothers and sisters,” one protester said.
The District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Inspector General were both on the scene, though investigators could not say how many times or where the man was shot.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
CBSLA
August 31, 2020
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — A large group of demonstrators gathered in South Los Angeles Monday evening after deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shot and killed a Black man.
Cell phone video captured the man running from deputies moments before he was fatally shot. Witnesses could be heard in that video yelling out at the deputies involved. One woman, who didn’t want to be identified, said she knew the man and saw the whole thing.
“He had a towel and he had his clothes and his pants couldn’t even stay up, so that’s what made him slow down so they had enough to get him,” she said. “They didn’t have to shoot him more than 5 times, they could have shot him one time in the leg.
“What’s the use of having the prison system if y’all are just gonna kill us,” the woman said through tears. “What are y’all here for? Who are you protecting?”
Sheriff’s investigators said the incident started around 3:15 p.m. near West 109th Place and Budlong Avenue when deputies attempted to stop a man riding his bike for a vehicle code violation. Investigators said the man then took off running.
“Our suspect was holding some items of clothing in his hands, punched one of the officers in the face and then dropped the items in his hands,” Lt. Brandon Dean said. “The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semiautomatic handgun, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred.”
Investigators said a handgun was recovered at the scene.
Cell phone video taken after the shooting shows deputies trying to render aid to the man, identified by family at the scene as 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee. Immediately following the shooting, a small crowd gathered around the scene, but quickly grew to nearly 100.
“How many more times do we have to gather out here, mourning the loss of our brothers and sisters,” one protester said.
The District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Inspector General were both on the scene, though investigators could not say how many times or where the man was shot.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
ARIZONA INDIAN TRIBE COP RUN OVER, KILLED BY MAN DRIVING HIS STOLEN POLICE CAR
Beloved officer killed after suspect stole his patrol car, ran him over with it
Associated Press
August 31, 2020
TUCSON, Ariz. — The Tohono O’odham community is mourning the loss of a veteran police officer who was killed Thursday by a suspect who authorities say stole his patrol vehicle and ran him over with it.
The tribal nation released a statement Friday evening saying Officer Bryan Brown dedicated his life to his country and his community.
“We are grateful for his selfless dedication to serving and protecting our communities. His commitment made us all safer,” Chairman Ned Norris Jr. said in the statement.
According to a report by the Arizona Daily Star, Brown had responded to a call at a casino near Why, Arizona, when he encountered Carlos Maximilliano Galvan.
Police allege Galvan stole Brown’s patrol car, left, hit a Border Patrol vehicle and came back, striking Brown with the car.
Galvan faces murder and assault charges in federal court. He told investigators he was high on meth and had been awake for days.
Brown, whose age was not released, was born in Washington state and served in the U.S. Army for eight years and as a civilian for three years.
He had been a Tohono O’odham police officer for 19 years and had served as a school resource officer for the last 10.
Brown was “much loved by students, parents and faculty,” according to the Tohono O’odham statement.
Brown is survived by his wife, seven children, four stepchildren, eight grandchildren, seven siblings and his father.
Associated Press
August 31, 2020
TUCSON, Ariz. — The Tohono O’odham community is mourning the loss of a veteran police officer who was killed Thursday by a suspect who authorities say stole his patrol vehicle and ran him over with it.
The tribal nation released a statement Friday evening saying Officer Bryan Brown dedicated his life to his country and his community.
“We are grateful for his selfless dedication to serving and protecting our communities. His commitment made us all safer,” Chairman Ned Norris Jr. said in the statement.
According to a report by the Arizona Daily Star, Brown had responded to a call at a casino near Why, Arizona, when he encountered Carlos Maximilliano Galvan.
Police allege Galvan stole Brown’s patrol car, left, hit a Border Patrol vehicle and came back, striking Brown with the car.
Galvan faces murder and assault charges in federal court. He told investigators he was high on meth and had been awake for days.
Brown, whose age was not released, was born in Washington state and served in the U.S. Army for eight years and as a civilian for three years.
He had been a Tohono O’odham police officer for 19 years and had served as a school resource officer for the last 10.
Brown was “much loved by students, parents and faculty,” according to the Tohono O’odham statement.
Brown is survived by his wife, seven children, four stepchildren, eight grandchildren, seven siblings and his father.
95TH STRAIGHT DAY OF RIOTING IN THE CAPITAL OF THE STATE OF CHAOS
Riot is declared in Portland as BLM mob 'celebrates' Mayor Ted Wheeler's 58th birthday by setting fires outside his home and chanting 'happy tear gas to you' on the 95th day of demonstrations
Daily Mail
September 1, 2020
Protesters gathered outside Portland mayor Ted Wheeler's apartment on Monday night, setting off fireworks, starting a fire in the street, and chanting 'happy tear gas to you' on his 58th birthday.
Police arrived around 11pm and declared the scene a riot, before charging the crowd when they refused to disperse. Several people were filmed being arrested, though it is unclear how many were arrested in total.
Monday night marks the 95th straight day of disturbances in Portland, which began after the killing of George Floyd during his arrest in Minneapolis, and dramatically escalated overnight Saturday when protester Aaron 'Jay' Bishop, 39, was shot dead in the city.
__________
Oregon Sheriffs Reject Gov. Kate Brown's Request To Staff Portland Protests
LAPPL News Watch
September 1, 2020
The sheriffs of Clackamas and Washington County in Oregon said they won't send staff to help with the nightly unrest in Portland after Gov. Kate Brown unveiled a plan to bring an end to violence in the city.
Brown had asked the sheriffs and the Gresham Police Department to support the Portland Police Bureau with personnel and resources "to keep the peace and protect free speech."
Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts on Monday said the governor never approached him before unveiling her plan to mobilize local law enforcement agencies in the Portland protests, and that he has no plans to send his staff to nightly demonstrations.
“Had Governor Brown discussed her plan with my office, I would have told her it’s about changing policy, not adding resources,” he said, according to a statement released by Kellee Azar, a reporter with Portland's KATU. “Increasing law enforcement resources in Portland will not solve the nightly violence and now, murder.”
He said that Portland’s newly elected district attorney had dismissed charges against hundreds of protesters arrested for non-violent, low-level crimes.
MAN FOUND CLEVER WAY TO QUIET DOWN HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN
Dallas man killed wife, two children for "being too loud"
KDFW
August 31, 2020
DALLAS - A man was taken into custody Monday morning for allegedly shooting and killing his wife and children inside their East Dallas apartment.
Dallas police got a call around 11 a.m. about a man who claimed he shot his family. They were alerted to this scene because the shooter called an alarm company, which then got in touch with police dispatch.
James Webb, 57, is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Victoria Bunton, and his two sons, ages 13 and 16.
Officers met Webb outside of the Rosemont at Ash Creek Apartments off John West Road. They took him into custody after finding the bodies of three family members. A handgun and shell casings were also found inside the apartment.
According to the arrest affidavit, Webb got into an argument with Bunton because he had a headache and said his wife and their two kids were being too loud.
The arrest warrant states that Webb "was tired of all three of the victims yelling and telling him that there was nothing wrong with him, so he shot them."
Police say Webb waited an hour and then used his medical emergency alert device to call 911 and confessed.
“This is a horrible scene. This is a horrific incident. Our hearts go out to everyone that’s touched by this,” said Deputy Chief Reuben Ramirez.
Homicide detectives have obtained a search warrant to process the scene. Video from SKY 4 Monday afternoon showed multiple police cars and a crime scene van outside an apartment that was roped off with yellow tape. A white Nissan was towed away.
Chanel Lockhart lives across the hall and says the teens were brothers, and she had just talked with the mother Friday.
“Last time I saw her, she was getting groceries out of the car and the boys were helping her. You would never think that he would do that. And she had a heart. She was so sweet to everybody,” Lockhart said. “You’d never think that one day he would call and say he killed his kids.”
Justice Johnson, also a neighbor, spoke highly of the family.
“I’ve been knowing them for two years, going with their mama to the grocery store, helping with groceries, getting on the school bus,” she said.
Justice and her daughter, Sylvia Johnson, saw the family barbecue together and say the boys were playing football with neighbors and once offering to help take out their trash.
“I didn’t talk to them as much,” Sylvia said. “But when I did come outside, they’d speak. They didn’t just walk past me. They’d be like, ‘hey.’”
No one else was inside the apartment at the time.
Webb is charged with capital murder. His mugshot has not yet been released.
KDFW
August 31, 2020
DALLAS - A man was taken into custody Monday morning for allegedly shooting and killing his wife and children inside their East Dallas apartment.
Dallas police got a call around 11 a.m. about a man who claimed he shot his family. They were alerted to this scene because the shooter called an alarm company, which then got in touch with police dispatch.
James Webb, 57, is accused of fatally shooting his wife, Victoria Bunton, and his two sons, ages 13 and 16.
Officers met Webb outside of the Rosemont at Ash Creek Apartments off John West Road. They took him into custody after finding the bodies of three family members. A handgun and shell casings were also found inside the apartment.
According to the arrest affidavit, Webb got into an argument with Bunton because he had a headache and said his wife and their two kids were being too loud.
The arrest warrant states that Webb "was tired of all three of the victims yelling and telling him that there was nothing wrong with him, so he shot them."
Police say Webb waited an hour and then used his medical emergency alert device to call 911 and confessed.
“This is a horrible scene. This is a horrific incident. Our hearts go out to everyone that’s touched by this,” said Deputy Chief Reuben Ramirez.
Homicide detectives have obtained a search warrant to process the scene. Video from SKY 4 Monday afternoon showed multiple police cars and a crime scene van outside an apartment that was roped off with yellow tape. A white Nissan was towed away.
Chanel Lockhart lives across the hall and says the teens were brothers, and she had just talked with the mother Friday.
“Last time I saw her, she was getting groceries out of the car and the boys were helping her. You would never think that he would do that. And she had a heart. She was so sweet to everybody,” Lockhart said. “You’d never think that one day he would call and say he killed his kids.”
Justice Johnson, also a neighbor, spoke highly of the family.
“I’ve been knowing them for two years, going with their mama to the grocery store, helping with groceries, getting on the school bus,” she said.
Justice and her daughter, Sylvia Johnson, saw the family barbecue together and say the boys were playing football with neighbors and once offering to help take out their trash.
“I didn’t talk to them as much,” Sylvia said. “But when I did come outside, they’d speak. They didn’t just walk past me. They’d be like, ‘hey.’”
No one else was inside the apartment at the time.
Webb is charged with capital murder. His mugshot has not yet been released.
VOTE FOR THE MERELY BAD TRUMP OVER THE WORSE BIDEN
Vote for the Czar, it's important: A Polish ex-Communist taught me a hard-earned lesson in the difference between bad and worse
By
American
politics are in such a scramble that we need to think about how we
vote, not just for whom. Should our choice be determined by party
loyalty, policy, the perceived qualities of the candidates? I turned
conservative when I learned to vote for the lesser of evils.
That
lesson was unexpected. On my first trip to Poland, in 1978, I was put
in touch with a woman who offered to show me around the Jewish ruins.
She was an excellent guide, but as we came to the memorial for the 1943
uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto, she said that I could learn about that
phase of Jewish history on my own. What she had to tell me, however, I
could hear only from her.
In
the late 1920s in Vilna, Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania), she had been a
student of the Jewish literary historian Max Erik, a fervent Communist
who one day stole across the sealed border to the Soviet Union so that
he could join the great socialist experiment. Radicalized by him, she
had joined the Communist Party, which was illegal in Poland. She
followed his example and emigrated several years later. But once in
Soviet territory, she was arrested as a “Polish spy” and sent to labor
camps in the Gulag. In the last of them, she met her former
teacher—before his execution in 1937. Erik didn’t want to talk, except
to tell her one thing: “It was better under the czars.”
This
was no endorsement of czarism. Life under that regime had been grim,
for Jews especially. Historians debate whether czarist authorities
instigated anti-Jewish pogroms or merely allowed them to rage until
their energies were spent. There were expulsions and political
suppression. By reneging on his promises to allow democratic reform,
Czar Nicholas II, who reigned from 1894 until his abdication in 1917,
spurred the coming Communist revolution. Erik was among thousands of
idealists who embraced socialism in defiance of czarist and
authoritarian rule.
Rather
than justify Erik’s youthful idealism, or her own, for having resisted
oppression, my guide wanted to ensure that as a student of the Jewish
ruins I understood what was truly at stake. There were three parts to
the lesson—two that she spelled out for me, and a third that I have
since added on my own.
The
first was the all-important political distinction between bad and
worse. Czarism might have seemed intolerable, but the Communist regime
proved crueler than the evils it had come to replace. The Communists had
learned from their time in czarist prisons to make conditions harsher,
torture more painful and deadlier. When weighing political options,
never assume that change is for the better. First ascertain with
ultimate caution that you aren’t opening the door for something far
worse.
Far
worse than czarism was the socialist road to totalitarian hell. That
was the second lesson. The Poland under communism I saw in 1978 was
freer than the Soviet Union had been under Stalin, but my guide wanted
to be sure I appreciated the full lie of the socialist promise. Under
the guise of raising the downtrodden, it trod everyone down equally to
the lowest level in culture, education, health and prosperity. She
hadn’t left Poland with most of the remaining Jews after the
anti-Semitic purges of 1968 only because she felt too exhausted to start
over in Israel. But even for Jews it had been better under the czars.
This
wasn’t what I had expected from my visit to Warsaw. The venue she chose
for this tutorial seemed especially incongruous. Approaching what had
been the ghetto, my mind throbbed with images of Nazi brutality and its
consequences—starved children in the streets, the heroism of the Jewish
fighters, the treachery of the Jewish police, the horror of the final
liquidation.
That
might have been why my guide felt certain that I could learn about the
Holocaust on my own. Thanks to the Allied victory over Germany and to
Jewish insistence on commemorating the victims of Nazism, Americans had
been made doubly alert to the evil of fascism. I would never
underestimate that threat. Socialist progress, on the other hand, still
enjoyed some of its romantic glow. Hence the third lesson: In my own
politics, I should concentrate on warding off the likelier mistake.
America
today is far removed from czarist Russia, but that lesson has governed
my political thinking ever since. Because we in the U.S. start from such
a better place, our “progressives” may destroy even more of the good
that exists. When there is no better choice, it is all the more
important to vote for the merely bad over the worse.
Tuesday, September 01, 2020
BAD NEWS FOR TRUMP
Trump's popularity slips in latest Military Times poll - and more troops say they'll vote for Biden
By
By
The
results, collected before the political conventions earlier this month,
appear to undercut claims from the president that his support among
military members is strong thanks to big defense budget increases in
recent years and promised moves to draw down troops from overseas
conflict zones.
But the Military Times Polls, surveying active-duty troops in partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families
(IVMF) at Syracuse University, have seen a steady drop in troops’
opinion of the commander in chief since his election four years ago.
In the latest results — based on 1,018 active-duty troops surveyed in
late July and early August — nearly half of respondents (49.9 percent)
had an unfavorable view of the president, compared to about 38 percent
who had a favorable view. Questions in the poll had a margin of error of
up to 2 percent.
Among all survey participants, 42 percent said they “strongly” disapprove of Trump’s time in office.
The unfavorable number matches what an earlier Military Times Poll found in late 2019,
while the favorable total slipped from just under 42 percent last year.
In a poll conducted at the start of Trump’s presidency, 46 percent of
troops had a favorable view of him, versus 37 percent who had an
unfavorable opinion.
Even with the steady decline, Trump’s popularity in the poll remains better than former President Barack Obama. Obama had a 36 percent favorable rating and a 52 percent unfavorable rating in a January 2017 Military Times poll.
Still, the dipping popularity among troops — considered by Republican
Party leaders to be part of the base of Trump’s support — could prove
problematic for the president in the upcoming election.
Among active-duty service members surveyed in the poll, 41 percent said
they would vote for Biden, the Democratic nominee, if the election was
held today. Only 37 percent said they plan to vote to re-elect Trump.
Another 13 percent said they plan to vote for a third-party candidate,
and nearly 9 percent said they plan on skipping the election altogether.
About 40 percent of troops surveyed identified as Republican or
Libertarian, 16 percent Democrats, and 44 percent independent or another
party.
“It’s fair to say that Trump is not as popular as Republican nominees
have been in the past among this group,” said Peter Feaver, a White
House adviser to former President George W. Bush who now works as a
political science professor at Duke University. “The bottom line is that
in 2020, Trump can’t be claiming to have overwhelming support in the
military.”
Poll limitations
Rosalinda Maury, director of applied research at IVMF, said the poll
serves as an important reminder that the military — much like the rest
of the country — is made up of a large collection of different
experiences and perspectives.
“We do
see consistencies from poll to poll, aspects of national security that
may be more of a focus for a military audience,” she said. “But the
military is not a homogenous population. You do see a variety of
opinions, especially within subsets of the military.”
But she noted the poll, which has been administered in the same way for
the past four years, is not a perfect snapshot of public opinion within
the entire military force. The average age of poll respondents was
nearly 39 years, and the participant pool was culled and verified from
Military Times subscriber lists and databases.
Feaver said the poll “is a good sample of the career-oriented military
members’ views, which may be different from the junior enlisted view of
things.”
“But the president claims he has been good for the military, that
they’re grateful that he has rescued them from the shambles. This shows
that’s not the case with all of the military.”
The
splits between officer and enlisted views within the poll are notable.
More than 59 percent of officers said they have a poor view of the
president, with more than half saying they strongly disapprove.
Among enlisted respondents, 47 percent said they have an unfavorable
view, and nearly 39 percent a favorable view. Enlisted views of Trump’s
performance in office have consistently been more favorable than those
of officers in the poll over the last four years.
Feaver said that could be due to officers’ predisposition to long-term
military careers, and a negative reaction to Trump’s comments against
the “deep state” and other career federal positions.
The national Gallup Poll of Trump’s job performance conducted just
before the political conventions found that 55 percent of Americans had a
negative view of the president, against 42 percent who approved of his
work. Feaver said with any poll of service members, it is important to
remember that those broader public views also play a factor.
“The military tends to follow broad shifts in the opinion of the
American public, albeit trending more conservative,” he said. “So as the
country moves away from Trump, you’ll see that in the military too.”
Policy disagreements
Even with the president’s lower popularity, the most recent poll
respondents were more likely to hold a favorable view of Trump’s
handling of military issues (48 percent) than an unfavorable one (46
percent).
Still, the latest poll found significant disagreement among active-duty
respondents with several controversial presidential policy statements
from recent months.
Only about 17 percent of those surveyed felt the White House has
properly handled reports that Russian officials offered bounties for
Afghan fighters to target and kill American troops, an issue Trump has
dismissed as unreliable intelligence. Nearly 47 percent disagreed with
his statements.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Up to now, the Republicans have always been able to count on the military to vote for their presidential candidate. If this poll is correct, that is an ill omen for President Trump.
Similarly, almost 74 percent of those surveyed disagreed with Trump’s
suggestion that active-duty military personnel should be used to respond
to civil unrest in American cities, including the ongoing racial
equality protests. Only about 22 percent supported the president’s idea.
That contrasts with half of the polls respondents’ support for using
National Guard troops to help address civil unrest connected to the
protests.
Troops agreed with Trump’s assessment of China as a national security
threat (nearly 87 percent called it a significant concern) but ranked
Russia (81 percent) well above Iran (58 percent). Only about 21 percent
of troops saw immigration as a significant national security issue, but
48 percent identified white nationalists as a concern.
Nearly half of troops surveyed said the U.S. military force level in
Germany should remain the same, despite Trump’s recent moves to drawn
down American military personnel levels there. Another 24 percent say
they believe troop levels in Germany should be increased.
Election views
Feaver said those policy disagreements “do not necessarily show that
troops are beginning to think more like Democrats, but instead that they
aren’t thinking like Trump Republicans.” He also cautioned that the
stronger support for Biden in the poll than Trump may be more a
reflection of dissatisfaction with the president than a political shift
within the ranks.
Still, he called the numbers showing a close race in military voting between the two surprising.
In the 2016 Military Times Poll,
nearly twice as many respondents said they planned to vote for Trump
than then Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Exit polls from the
election showed a similar margin after election day.
A 2012 Military Times Reader Survey — conducted in a non-scientific
fashion — showed respondents favoring then Republican presidential
nominee Mitt Romney by a 2.5-to-1 margin.
Maury noted that the poll results are “a snapshot in a point of time”
and that voting views can still shift in the two months between now and
the election.
In the 2016 Military Times poll conducted in October, about 34 percent
of troops surveyed said they planned to vote for a third-party candidate
instead of either Trump or Clinton. Exit polls after the election
showed that only about 5 percent of veterans and military members cast
votes for candidates who weren’t one of the two major party nominees.
Our methodology
Between July 27 and Aug. 10, Military Times in collaboration with the
Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University
conducted a voluntary, confidential online survey of U.S. service
members. Poll participants are readers of Military Times publications
whose military status is verified through official Defense Department
email addresses.
The survey included about 30 questions on service members’ opinions
related to the current political climate, policy and national security
in the United States.
The survey received 1,018 responses from active-duty troops. The IVMF
used standard methodology to weight the results according to the rank,
gender and service branch of the actual U.S. military. The margin of
error for most questions was less than 2 percent.
Like most studies where participation is voluntary, the poll’s sample
is subject to self-selection bias. Researchers sought to account for
that and adhered to generally accepted scientific practices analyzing
the data.
The survey audience was 93 percent male and 7 percent female. The
respondents identified themselves as 82 percent white, 5 percent
Hispanic, 6 percent African American, 2 percent Asian and 6 percent
other ethnicities. Respondents were able to select more than one race.
The Military Times and the researchers at IVMF have used identical methodologies for this survey since 2016.
In two graphics accompanying our story on the Military Times poll
results, two digits in the graphics concerning troops’ voting
preferences for the November election were transposed. The poll results
show 41.3 percent of individuals surveyed said they would vote for
Biden, not 43.1 percent. The graphics have been updated to reflect the
correct numbers. The copy in the story remains unchanged and reflects
the accurate numbers.
HEALTH CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTED TO THE COVID-19 DEATHS OF ALMOST ALL AMERIANS WHO SUCCUMBED TO THE VIRUS
CDC says 94% of ALL Americans who have died of COVID-19 had at least one other underlying disease
Daily Mail
August 31, 2020
According to the CDC's latest update on COVID-19 fatalities, 94 percent of people who have died of the infection in the US had at least one pre-existing condition, such as obesity, high blood pressure or heart disease.
Coronavirus was the sole cause of death for just six percent of fatalities as of data published August 26.
In total, 180,221 Americans have been killed by coronavirus as of Monday, August 31. But among death certificates submitted to the CDC, just 9,683 listed COVID-19 alone as the cause of death.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Right-wingers are trying to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic with this CDC report,. But if the victims with underlying health problems had not come down with COVI-19, they would not have died at the time. So, any way you look at it, they died because of COVID-19.
KAEPERNICK'S FREEDOM FIGHTERS ATTACK LAPD STATION
LAPD Searching For Protesters Who Vandalized Van Nuys Police Station
LAPPL News Watch
August 31, 2020
Los Angeles police were searching Sunday for members of a group of protesters, numbering about 50, who demonstrated outside the department’s Van Nuys station, burned an American flag, sprayed graffiti on the building and harassed several officers inside a cruiser before leaving the scene.
The protesters, wearing masks and dark clothing, first gathered at Tyrone Avenue and Delano Street before marching to the station on Sylmar Avenue, where they circled the building chanting anti-cop slogans.
Several members then pulled down the American flag from in front of the station and set it on fire, the LAPD reported. Others in the group then spray painted anti-police slogans on the walls.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League condemned the group’s actions. “Last night’s defund the police riot at the Van Nuys police station is a pathetic reflection of those who continue to promote hate, violence and destruction to justify their dangerous anarchist agenda that calls for the abolishment of police officers in the city of Los Angeles,” a union statement said.
LAPPL News Watch
August 31, 2020
Los Angeles police were searching Sunday for members of a group of protesters, numbering about 50, who demonstrated outside the department’s Van Nuys station, burned an American flag, sprayed graffiti on the building and harassed several officers inside a cruiser before leaving the scene.
The protesters, wearing masks and dark clothing, first gathered at Tyrone Avenue and Delano Street before marching to the station on Sylmar Avenue, where they circled the building chanting anti-cop slogans.
Several members then pulled down the American flag from in front of the station and set it on fire, the LAPD reported. Others in the group then spray painted anti-police slogans on the walls.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League condemned the group’s actions. “Last night’s defund the police riot at the Van Nuys police station is a pathetic reflection of those who continue to promote hate, violence and destruction to justify their dangerous anarchist agenda that calls for the abolishment of police officers in the city of Los Angeles,” a union statement said.
COLUMBIA U JOINS THOSE ERASING HISTORY
Columbia University Taking Medical School Founder Samuel Bard's Name Off Campus Dorm Due To Slave-Owning Past
CBS New York
August 29, 2020
NEW YORK — Columbia University is taking the name of its medical school’s founder off of a campus dorm because he owned slaves and once advertised a reward for the return of one who ran away, the university’s president said Friday.
Columbia President Lee Bollinger told students and faculty in a letter that the university was not erasing Samuel Bard’s contributions to the school, but that it became clear amid a global reckoning on racism and racist legacies that having a dorm named for him was not appropriate.
The building, which is home to clinical students studying at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, was named for Bard when it opened in 1931. Bollinger said it will be rechristened “with a name that represents our University’s values.”
Last month, Columbia’s Teachers College announced it was removing psychologist Edward Thorndike’s name from a campus building because he was a proponent of eugenics and expressed racist, sexist, and antisemitic views.
Bard, who lived from 1742 to 1821, was a pioneer in obstetrics, helped develop a treatment for diphtheria and served as the personal physician to President George Washington. In 1767, he founded what is now known as Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Bard owned three people as slaves, according to the 1790 census. In 1776, he placed an advertisement in the New York Gazette offering a $10 reward for the return of a tall, thin and talkative enslaved man named James who was believed to have fled toward the East End of Long Island.
Bard’s grandson, John Bard, founded Bard College north of New York City.
Bollinger said a panel assembled in June to study campus names and symbols associated with race and racism unanimously recommended that Bard Hall be renamed.
“We all understand how careful we need to be in shaping the environment, symbolic as well as physical, in which we ask our students to live and to call home,” Bollinger wrote in the letter announcing the change.
Excising Bard’s name from the dormitory felt “especially vivid” at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, he wrote, “where the contradiction between the egalitarian health service norms they cherish and slavery’s denial of full human standing is starkly blatant and offensive.”
CBS New York
August 29, 2020
NEW YORK — Columbia University is taking the name of its medical school’s founder off of a campus dorm because he owned slaves and once advertised a reward for the return of one who ran away, the university’s president said Friday.
Columbia President Lee Bollinger told students and faculty in a letter that the university was not erasing Samuel Bard’s contributions to the school, but that it became clear amid a global reckoning on racism and racist legacies that having a dorm named for him was not appropriate.
The building, which is home to clinical students studying at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, was named for Bard when it opened in 1931. Bollinger said it will be rechristened “with a name that represents our University’s values.”
Last month, Columbia’s Teachers College announced it was removing psychologist Edward Thorndike’s name from a campus building because he was a proponent of eugenics and expressed racist, sexist, and antisemitic views.
Bard, who lived from 1742 to 1821, was a pioneer in obstetrics, helped develop a treatment for diphtheria and served as the personal physician to President George Washington. In 1767, he founded what is now known as Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Bard owned three people as slaves, according to the 1790 census. In 1776, he placed an advertisement in the New York Gazette offering a $10 reward for the return of a tall, thin and talkative enslaved man named James who was believed to have fled toward the East End of Long Island.
Bard’s grandson, John Bard, founded Bard College north of New York City.
Bollinger said a panel assembled in June to study campus names and symbols associated with race and racism unanimously recommended that Bard Hall be renamed.
“We all understand how careful we need to be in shaping the environment, symbolic as well as physical, in which we ask our students to live and to call home,” Bollinger wrote in the letter announcing the change.
Excising Bard’s name from the dormitory felt “especially vivid” at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, he wrote, “where the contradiction between the egalitarian health service norms they cherish and slavery’s denial of full human standing is starkly blatant and offensive.”
ENTIRE ALASKAN VILLAGE OF IGIUGIG, POP.70, TURNS OUT TO ASSIST A MEDIVAC PILOT PICK UP A SICK GIRL
Residents of Southwest Alaska village use vehicles to light runway for medical transport plane
Associated Press
August 31, 2020
People were running around in pajamas to help out, said Ida Nelson, who
lives near the runway in the Southwest Alaska village of Igiugig. She
had just gotten out of a steam bath when she heard the plane and noticed
that the runway lights weren’t on. She took her ATV to the runway a few
hundred yards from her home as a neighbor made 32 phone calls
requesting help.
The medevac pilot circled as Nelson and others on the ground
coordinated via phone and radio and staggered cars, trucks and
all-terrain vehicles along the length of the runway, using their
headlights to show the pilot where to land, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported.
LifeMed Alaska had sent a King Air flight from Kodiak to the state-owned airport at the mouth of the Kvichak River on Iliamna Lake. The child was safely evacuated to Anchorage.
Associated Press
August 31, 2020
JUNEAU
- Residents of Igiugig in Southwest Alaska scrambled just before
midnight Friday to help get emergency help for a child, jumping into
their vehicles to light up a pitch-black runway as a medical transport
plane circled overhead.
“That’s pretty much almost every household in this village. Pretty much every cell phone here,” Nelson said.
LifeMed Alaska had sent a King Air flight from Kodiak to the state-owned airport at the mouth of the Kvichak River on Iliamna Lake. The child was safely evacuated to Anchorage.
“Normally if you push the button like 10 or 15 times the lights will
just light up,” Nelson said. “But they didn’t and so the medevac plane
flew over the village.”
Alaska Department of Transportation spokesperson Sam Dapcevich said
Sunday that crews have been out to the airport multiple times this year
to repair lights that had been run over during winter maintenance and
were there as recently as last week to fix a wiring problem.
“They will be returning soon to repair the damaged lights and make sure
the system is operational,” he said in a text message, adding: “We’re
glad the community was able to safely guide the medevac flight in.”
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