April 16, 2015

From Mayor to Police: Your Paycheck Depends on How Many Tickets You Write

Edmundson, MO– While police and their supporters continue to insist that police are out there keeping our streets safe, an internal document sent from the Edmundson Mayor John Gwaltney implies otherwise. The letter, which was included with the paychecks of the town’s police officers, spells out in very plain terms their actual role in the community – extorting money for the state.

In the document obtained by ThinkProgress, the mayor is careful to point out that the town does not have quotas. He states that he only wants “good tickets” written but adds that he is still very disappointed that the Department had been extorting fewer people. Gwaltney goes on to threaten the officers’ bank accounts"




http://thefreethoughtproject.com/internal-document-mayor-police-paycheck-depends-tickets-write/

April 16, 2015

School-to-prison pipeline ignores difference between misbehavior and crime

In way too many schools across America, what used to be counted as childish misbehavior, even childish defiance, gets labeled as criminality. Our children are being turned over to the police and funneled into courtrooms for doing things that wouldn't have been treated as crimes in their parents' or grandparents' day.

Public Radio International published on its website Friday a story about a Virginia 6th grader who has been diagnosed with autism being hit with a criminal offense for kicking over a trash can. A police officer assigned to the school who saw Kayleb Moon-Robinson kick over the trash can booked him with disorderly conduct."

*In 2012, Judge Steven C. Teske, a juvenile court judge in Georgia, told the Senate Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, that the attention of prosecutors in Clayton County had been diverted away "from the more difficult evidentiary and 'scary' cases -- burglary, robberies, car thefts, aggravated assaults with weapons." They had instead turned "to prosecuting kids that are not 'scary,' but made an adult mad."

That judge said the year before police were placed in the schools in his county, there had been 49 students referred to juvenile court. Eight years later, the number was 1,400, a 2,757 percent increase.

http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2015/04/school_prison_pipeline.html

April 15, 2015

How Artists Are Taking On Police Brutality

#t=112

*Set during the Civil Rights Movement, the video for “New York Raining” opens with Hamilton in a jail cell typing a letter about being confined (in prison and as a black person in society) to his romantic partner, Patricia. It then flashes back to the two participating in a group protest, chanting about justice with raised fists. Between shots of Hamilton playing a piano on a rooftop and Ora looking elegant, we see more flashbacks of the two planning additional protests while falling in love. "

http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2015/04/15/3646763/2-sets-artists-2-music-videos-2-ways-understanding-police-brutality/

April 15, 2015

Why Gossip About Bruce Jenner Is Damaging to the Transgender Community

We don't know if Bruce Jenner identifies as transgender, or if he enjoys cross-dressing. We don't know anything about the situation. I expect we will find out a lot more when he sits down with Diane Sawyer for a two-hour interview on April 24th, but until then, we shouldn't assume we know anything at all. Not to mention the fact that this is a huge violation of the man's privacy.

That being said, the way the media is portraying the story suggests that Bruce is definitely transitioning to female, and that we should all have our jaws on the floor. But this suggestion is quite damaging to the transgender community. The fact remains that most people in America do not personally know someone who is transgender. The only reference they have is what they see in the media. Labeling Bruce Jenner's gender transformation as one of the "biggest celebrity scandals of 2014" is not going to frame the story of transgender identity in a positive light.

This seems to be an ongoing trend within the celebrity gossip community. Recently, Jaden Smith was photographed in public wearing a dress. The eccentric son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith has always been fashion-forward, but the fact that celebrity gossip is covering the femininity of his clothing choice is a problem. We're no longer at a point where it would be appropriate for a headline to read "Black Actor in Relationship with White Woman." It's 2015. It doesn't matter. It's not newsworthy. "

*I think it would be fine to point out that Jaden Smith wearing a dress could be helping to break down gender stereotypes and conformities, but that doesn't seem to be the way the story is formulated in most publications. They are pointing towards these individuals and saying: "Look how ridiculous and scandalous this is!" which, unfortunately, is not going to help progress transgender acceptance in our society.

I'm curious to see what Bruce Jenner will say in his interview with Diane Sawyer. I hope his message is one that can help spread awareness about transgender identity and the constant uphill battle faced by the community."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/molly-fosco/why-gossip-about-bruce-jenner-is-damaging-to-the-transgender-community_b_7063974.html

April 14, 2015

New police brutality outrage over video that claims to show California cops CLUBBING DUI motorist

A driver who was pulled over for suspected drink driving is seen in a video being clubbed by two policemen as he lays on the ground.

Sean Reardon was stopped by police as he drove through Chico in California and claims once he was out of the car he was wrestled to the floor by two police officers who then hit him with a baton or stick.

Video footage of the incident, taken by a bystander, has emerged and shows the 30-year-old being repeatedly hit by an officer as he lay on the road."

The clip, posted by Action News Now, shows Reardon appearing to be hit with force multiple times. It is likely to inflame tensions in America about police brutality after a number of high profile incidents of beatings and fatal shootings have been caught on camera.

Reardon claims he was subjected to violence 'without provocation' and suffered acute respiratory failure and had to be put on a ventilator in hospital.

He was in ICU for 4 days. He says he also suffered multiple broken bones, including ribs, nose and sternum."

*Reardon had allegedly hit two cars while trying to get away from the officers, KRCRtv reported.

After he hit a parked car he is said to have got out of the vehicle and approached an officer, before complying with orders to lie on the ground.

Reardon has denied charges of evading a peace officer, DUI, DUI with alcohol or drugs within 10 years of a prior, and resisting an executive officer

He has not been granted bail. "

Video at link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3038260/New-police-brutality-outrage-video-emerges-claims-two-cops-CLUBBING-DUI-motorist-lays-ground.html

April 14, 2015

The Shockingly Familiar Killing of Walter Scott

Walter Scott's killing is unusual in several ways. It's unusual that a traffic stop ended in death. It's unusual—and decisive—that it was caught on film. And it's highly unusual that it has produced a murder charge against the officer."

*Most encounters do not end with violence or death, even if they produce humiliation and tension with police. But they are far more likely to end in a killing in the United States than anywhere else."

*In addition to being charged with murder, Slager was fired by the city of North Charleston on Wednesday. If he's convicted, Slager could face the death penalty. That makes this case exceptional. As a grand jury's decision not to charge New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner vividly demonstrated, officers are seldom charged with crimes when suspects or citizens are killed. A Bowling Green State University report found 41 murder or manslaughter charges for police involved in on-duty shootings over a seven-year period—a stretch during which the FBI counted 2,718 cases of justifiable homicide by law-enforcement officers. Meanwhile, a separate Cato Institution report found that only one in three officers who are charged are convicted.

That makes it all the more surprising that Slager wasn't the only officer charged in South Carolina on Tuesday. Justin Gregory Craven, an officer in North Augusta, was arrested and charged in the death of Ernest Satterwhite, whom Craven shot repeatedly after a car chase that ended in Satterwhite's driveway. That shooting, too, was caught on video. "



http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/04/the-shockingly-familiar-killing-of-walter-scott/390006/

April 14, 2015

Kid's Reaction To Hillary Clinton's Campaign Video

April 13, 2015

Indiana Hires PR Firm To Rebuild Image After 'Religious Freedom' Fiasco

WASHINGTON -- The state of Indiana has hired a global public relations firm to help rebuild its image in the wake of national criticism that state politicians were hostile to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, which leads the state's efforts to attract and retain businesses, has retained Porter Novelli for an undisclosed sum. The firm's task is to brand Indiana "as a welcoming place to live, visit and do business."

"Now more than ever, we want to remind the world that Hoosiers welcome everyone and that Indiana is a great place for individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses to reach their full potential," said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith, who leads the IEDC. "That's why we are moving forward with this initiative together."

Brad MacAfee, president of Porter Novelli's North America region, said the firm looks forward to communicating "the incredible and innovative story that is Indiana today."

*Late last month, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) signed a "religious freedom" measure into law that would have allowed any individual or corporation to cite religious beliefs as a defense when sued by a private party, potentially opening up the door to businesses turning away gay and lesbian customers for religious reasons.

Pence and the state's GOP-controlled legislature faced a swift national backlash, with businesses, celebrities, LGBT activists and others criticizing the move and promising to keep their money out of Indiana. Politicians in other states took advantage of Indiana's misfortune and encouraged businesses in the state to move to their locales. "

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/13/indiana-pr-firm_n_7056268.html

April 13, 2015

March closing westbound Outerbridge Crossing

NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) - Traffic was flowing again on the westbound lanes of the Outerbridge Crossing on Monday following a protest march by the group 'March 2 Justice.'

Dozens of people are walking to Washington, D.C. over nine days to draw attention to race equality and to end police brutality.

They are expected to arrive at the nation's capitol on Tuesday, April 21 after completing the 250-mile walk from Staten Island to Washington.

The Outerbridge Crossing connects Staten Island with New Jersey.

Motorists who use the bridge to get to New Jersey were advised to find alternate routes."

http://www.myfoxny.com/story/28787123/march-closing-outerbridge-crossing

April 11, 2015

How the U.S. criminal justice system became an unforgiving machine

Walter Scott, a 50-year-old black man killed by a South Carolina police officer during a chase that millions of people have now viewed on video, is the latest victim of a criminal justice system whose tentacles have reshaped the very nature of American democracy.

This latest shooting illustrates how the relationship between law enforcement and poor and working-class communities of color requires a fundamental transformation. The necessary political and policy changes will need to be amplified by a cultural shift that can stop the criminalization of black and brown bodies in the United States.

The simple reason why police officers can often routinely brutalize and, in certain horrific instances such as Scott’s, even execute black citizens is the consent they essentially receive from the U.S. criminal justice system and other political and civic institutions."

Over the past 35 years, America’s criminal justice system, swept up by the hysteria over the rise of crack cocaine and the broader War on Drugs, has transformed into a system of racial control, oppression and containment that has often turned the idea of black citizenship into an Orwellian nightmare. Racial disparities in death sentences between whites and blacks became glaring enough to help change former pro-death penalty Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun into a notable dissenter by 1994."

*Even as national crime rates declined throughout the 1990s, the federal government, through its Byrne grants, distributed billions of dollars to state and local law enforcement authorities. The resulting militarization of many police forces appeared to offer police another incentive to detain and arrest some of the most vulnerable citizens."

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/04/10/how-u-s-criminal-justice-transformed-into-wide-spread-racial-profiling/