GitRDun

GitRDun's Journal

June 1, 2017

Republicans are incapable of governing

Each and every day it becomes clearer and clearer to me that the Republican party as constituted today is incapable of governing.

The Trump administration main accomplishment so far is leading a charge to destroy the instruments of government. The Republican Party confirmed each and every outrageous choice for The President's cabinet.

The Republican health bill amounts to a destruction of governmental capability to aid the sick, the poor, the elderly.

Pull out of the Paris accords. America is no longer capable of leading what will be a major driver of economic growth over the next several decades.

Roll back countless regulations that keep our food, air, water, financial institutions safe.

Roll back taxes on the rich, a key source of government funding going forward.

Fail to act on infrastructure. Nothing is more critical to our country's long term health.

Fail to educate our children so they can compete in a global market.

I could go on and on. They stand for nothing. They exist now only to destroy...and Trump is their ideal weapon.

May 16, 2017

Two minutes of Ron White for our President (NSFW)

You can't fix stupid!

May 15, 2017

The Presidency magnifies who you are

I've been trying to wrap my brain around the chaos of the last few months in America.

The waves of outlandish executive orders, potentially explosive legislation, a return of hate to the mainstream...how it all makes sense.

I don't know what the future will bring, but today I was reminded by something PResident Obama said in a speech shortly before leaving office.

I think this is where we are...

September 19, 2015

The Bernie Sanders Accomplishment Challenge

There was a thread earlier today challenging DUers to name Bernie Sanders accomplishments. There were some good thoughts in the thread. While not having a candidate yet, since I have not done my research yet in this area, I thought I would give it a try.

A couple of themes popped up on topics I see argued here as I did the research. A couple thoughts on these memes:

The "he didn't author legislation" meme - Not a lot of legislators have dozens of bills that get passed. Bernie's legislative strategy has long been getting amendments in to others' legislation. Some of his successes I list here are amendments to other lawmakers' bills.

The "Obama screwed up" statements - Bernie was stifled when first elected as mayor of Burlington. He did his job well and in subsequent elections, got the stiflers voted out. I think this is what he is talking about when he refers to organizing the masses. I personally don't agree it works on the national level, but it doesn't seem as anti-Obama when considered in this context.

So here are 14 accomplishments I found in 1 day of research. Feel free to add or argue. My goal is to just share information with the class:

Drafted legislation to support and start repairing the Veterans Administration following the scandal that broke in Arizona.

It failed in the first attempt, but Sen. Sanders went to the Republicans and negotiated a compromise and together they brought the bill to the House where it passed the House 420-5 and passed the Senate 91-3. It was signed into law immediately by President Obama.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-Bernie-Sanderss-accomplishments-as-a-political-figure-in-Vermont-and-on-a-national-level-as-a-US-Senator

As mayor of Burlington Vermont, stopped landlords who were using a loophole that allowed the landlords to convert the buildings into market rentals or luxury condos for 20 years.

Under Sanders’s leadership, the city adopted a number of laws to stifle the owners’ plans. One ordinance required apartment owners to give residents two years’ notice before a condo conversion. Others gave residents a pre-emptive right to buy the units and prohibited landlords from bulldozing buildings unless they replaced them with the same number of affordable units. (These measures lowered the selling price of the property.) Sanders then worked with the state government and Senator Patrick Leahy to get the $12 million needed to purchase and rehabilitate the buildings. The city allocated funds to help the tenants hire an organizer, form the Northgate Residents Association, and start the process of converting the complex to resident ownership. Today, Northgate Apartments is owned by the tenants and has long-term restrictions to keep the buildings affordable for working families.

Cleaned up Lake Champlain waterfront

According to Monte, who worked on the waterfront project for Sanders and was CEDO director for 12 years, “Bernie wanted to make sure that it was a place with plenty of open space and public access, where ordinary people could rent a rowboat and buy a hot dog. That wasn’t just for the elite. It was Bernie who set the tone that the waterfront wasn’t for sale.”

Not in the article, but Sanders first won control of the waterfront in a lawsuit. It was previously controlled by railroad interests.

Instrumental in successfully developing Burlington, Vermont

The Sanders administration provided new firms with seed funding, offered technical assistance, helped businesses form trade associations (including the South End Arts and Business Association and the Vermont Convention Bureau), focused attention on helping women become entrepreneurs, funded training programs to give women access to nontraditional jobs, and lobbied the state government to promote business growth.

He did have some projects defeated by environmental advocacy groups, but I don’t think it diminishes the accomplishment.

Under Sanders, Burlington became a magnet for attracting and incubating locally owned businesses, many of which expanded into large enterprises.

http://www.thenation.com/article/bernies-burlington-city-sustainable-future/

Founded, along with a few others, the Congressional Progressive Caucus

…the largest membership organization within the Democratic Caucus in the United States Congress with 69 declared members.[4] The CPC is a left-leaning organization that works to advance progressive and liberal issues and positions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Progressive_Caucus

Created one of the first community land trusts in the country, which has since become an important tool for cities to maintain affordable housing

Early in Sanders’ tenure, his treasurer discovered $200,000 in the city’s coffers and the mayor determined to plow it into a bold initiative. Inspired by the garden cities of England, Isreali kibbutzim and Indian communes set up by the followers of Gandhi, he proposed to buy land and hold it in a communal trust for affordable housing, while the housing itself would be owned by occupants.

An opposition group, Homeowners Against the Land Trust, or HALT, labeled it a “communist scheme.” But the plan went through. In 1984, the Burlington Community Land Trust became one of the first affordable housing trusts in the world, and the very first to receive municipal funding. Today, there are over 250 such trusts in the United States — in places like Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Boston and Chapel Hill, North Carolina — most of which receive some form of government funding.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/how-bernie-sanderss-radical-ideas-entered-the-municipal-mainstream-118447

Secured $11 billion for community health clinics in the ACA

Over the years, Sanders has tucked away funding for health centers in appropriation bills signed by George W. Bush, into Barack Obama’s stimulus program, and through the earmarking process. But his biggest achievement came in 2010 through the Affordable Care Act. In a series of high-stakes legislative maneuvers, Sanders struck a deal to include $11 billion for health clinics in the law.

https://theintercept.com/2015/07/06/gop-senators-support-sanders-obamacare-expansion/

Is an effective legislator

Amendments occupy a great deal of most legislators' time, particularly those lawmakers in the minority. Members of Congress do author major bills, but more commonly they make minor adjustments to the bigger bill. Rather than write their own anti-terrorism bill, for instance, lawmakers will try to amend the Patriot Act, either by creating a new clause in the law or expanding or limiting some existing provisions. The bill that ultimately becomes law is an aggregate of the original legislation and all the different congresspersons along the way.

Sanders is the amendment king of the current House of Representative. Since the Republicans took over Congress in 1995, no other lawmaker – not Tom DeLay, not Nancy Pelosi – has passed more roll-call amendments (amendments that actually went to a vote on the floor) than Bernie Sanders. He accomplishes this on the one hand by being relentlessly active, and on the other by using his status as an Independent to form left-right coalitions.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-horror-show-that-is-congress-20050825

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who helped write the Senate version of the VA reform bill, praised Sanders for having the gumption to drop F-bombs one minute and counteroffers the next.
"Negotiating with Bernie was not a usual experience, because he is very passionate and he and I are both very strong-willed people and we spend a lot of time banging our fists on the table and having the occasional four-letter word," McCain said. "But at the end of the day, Bernie was result-oriented."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/04/bernie-sanders-2016_n_7514328.html

Helped Jesse Jackson win the 1988 Vermont caucuses

In 1988, Sanders and his organizers helped Jackson win a surprise victory in the Vermont caucuses—by 1 state delegate. In Jesse’s memorable phrase, Bernie Sanders and Jim Hightower were among the few elected White officeholders brave enough to “cross the color line” to support him when it mattered.

http://www.pdafund.com/downloads/background-and-issues/5-25-things-you-may-not-know-about-bernie-sanders/file

First member of Congress to help constituents buy drugs cheaper in Canada

Chartered bus trips that began about a year ago in Vermont have inspired imitation in Western border states, even turning into campaign events in two U.S. Senate races this fall. Minnesota Democrat Mark Dayton took a busload of elderly drug buyers to Canada and won. Brian Schweitzer of Montana, also a Democrat, did the same but lost. After Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) became the first member of Congress to host a bus trip last year, several of his colleagues followed suit.

http://articles.latimes.com/2000/dec/04/news/mn-60970

Successfully Amended the Patriot Act to prohibit FBI from examining library and bookstore records without a warrant

The conventional wisdom in Washington that Tuesday night was that although Sanders at one time looked as though he might eke out a victory on the library proposal, Bush's veto threat probably would now sway enough Republicans to defeat it.

The debate and the vote came the next afternoon. It wasn't close. Fifteen Republicans? How about 38, along with 199 Democrats (one voted the other way) and Sanders. The vote was 238 to 187 in favor of the Sanders amendment

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050703/NEWS/507030306/1029/FEATURES03

Has had an lengthy Congressional career getting re-elected without falling into the common trap of having to spend most of his time fund raising

A week before the election, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders had run no attack ads. In fact, he hadn’t run any TV commercials.

Polls had Sanders leading by wide margins even in areas where Democrats run poorly. Why? Because the senator does not waste money on TV commercials designed to scare or fool voters into backing him. Rather, he goes where voters live. Personal Democracy Media co-founder and editorial director Micah Sifry, who has followed Sanders and Vermont politics for years, recalls: “Visiting hunting lodges to talk about protecting natural resources for hunting and fishing and establishing a connection with [hunters] was one of the ways that Sanders managed to earn the trust of the predominantly conservative and working-class Northeast Kingdom section of Vermont, which regularly gives Sanders, a self-declared socialist, its hearty support.”

http://www.nationofchange.org/how-does-bernie-sanders-do-it-1351864096

Bringing Smartgrid technology to Vermont

Gov. Peter Shumlin credits Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for bringing a new multi-million dollar Center for Energy Transformation and Innovation to the state. Sanders was “like a dog with a bone” on the issue, recalled the governor at a joint press conference on Monday.

Over the next three years, the center will have up to $15 million to accelerate energy efficiency, move toward renewable and localized sources of energy, and make Vermont “the first state to have near-universal smart meter installations,” Sanders announced. Sandia will invest $3 million a year, Shumlin added, along with $1 million each from the Department of Energy and state coffers.

Vermont’s reputation for energy innovation recently attracted $69.8 million in US Department of Energy funding to promote rapid statewide conversion to smart grid technology. This has been matched, said Sanders, by another $69 million from Vermont utilities.

http://vtdigger.org/2011/12/12/sandia-center-at-uvm-will-accelerate-smart-grid-transition/

Co-authored the National Housing Trust Fund Bill which has permanent federal funding to assist extremely low income people get housing.

As a former member of the Financial Services Committee, I helped author, along with our colleague Bernie Sanders and others – the first housing trust fund bill.

Congressional Record – House Vol 153, Part 19, Page 26972

The National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) is a permanent federal program with dedicated sources of funding not subject to the annual appropriations process. The NHTF was enacted as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA).

The primary purposes of the NHTF is to increase and preserve the supply of rental housing for extremely low income (ELI) households (earning less than 30% of area median income (AMI)).

http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/NHTF_KeyDifferences_2015.pdf

Passed Audit the Fed Legislation with Ron Paul

Mr. Sanders was a vocal and persistent leader in the mission to audit the Fed. The Senate in May backed his compromise plan to force the Fed to reveal a new level of data on its emergency lending programs. The plan was included in the sweeping financial regulatory overhaul Congress passed earlier this year.

Paul was unhappy with some of Sanders changes in the final bill, but in reading what they were in the article, it remains a legitimate accomplishment.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704594804575648683678596728

Well, that's what I found in a day. Add others if you know them, I'm sure there are 20.

September 6, 2015

2016 On the Issues – Why TPP is a non-factor for me

In my continued interest to use facts to inform my choices for the upcoming election, I’ve done some research on US trade that has me thinking the TPP can be ignored as an important issue for choosing my candidates. Feel free to comment and convince me otherwise. What follows is my support.

Trade Agreements Are not Major Contributors to US Trade Imbalances

The US has trade agreements with 20 countries. These are Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Peru, Singapore, Canada, Mexico, and South Korea. As a group, these 20 countries represent only 13.71% of the US $416 billion 2015 trade deficit (thru July).

The TPP partners include 11 countries, but only five countries where we don’t already have an agreement in place; Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Vietnam. Including numbers from these countries, only 16.94% of the US 2015 trade deficit comes from countries where we have a trade agreement.

Of the 20 countries where trade agreements exist, we have a positive trade balance with 15 of them in 2015. The negative balances are with Israel, Nicaragua, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. While we have negative trade balances with 4 of the 5 new countries brought in by the TPP, there’s no reason to think TPP will make them worse.

Then Why the Big Trade Deficits?

The 13 largest trade deficits thru July 2015 add up to more than the entire $416 billion US trade deficit:

China $202 billion
Germany $42 billion
Japan $40 billion
Mexico $31 billion
Vietnam $17 billion
Korea, South $17 billion
Ireland $16 billion
Italy $16 billion
India $14 billion
Malaysia $12 billion
Thailand $10 billion
France $9 billion
Taiwan $9 billion

Lacks environmental laws: Yale University does an annual scoring of nations' environmental performance indexes (EPI). 8 of these 13 large deficit partners (China, Mexico, Vietnam, South Korea, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan) scored an average of 16.83 points lower in the study than the US (67.52 EPI for 2014). China (24.52), India (36.29), and Vietnam (29.35) were the largest.

Low Wages: A group called The Conference Board did a 2013 study comparing wage levels around the world. 9 of these 13 large deficit partners (China, Japan, Mexico, Vietnam, South Korea, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan) scored an average of $27.56 per manufacturing employee hour lower in the study than the US ($36.34/hr in 2013).

Cheap Facility Costs: Cushman Wakefield did a study in 2014 ranking, in part various countries on the basis of costs for manufacturing facilities. The US finished 13th. 8 of these 13 large deficit partners (China, Mexico, Vietnam, South Korea, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan) were ranked higher than the US, e.g., it was cheaper to build there.

IMO, no trade agreement will make any country change its environmental laws, force higher wages, or make US manufacturing facility costs more competitive. It’s far better to challenge the candidates on how they will reduce trade deficits than to worry about what their opinion is on any treaty. The jobs will go to lower cost regions regardless of treaties, that’s how big business works.

I have a lot more data for those who want it. Feel free to offer opinions or ask questions. The more we know the better. Please also accept my sincere statement that I have no candidate of choice as yet and that I do not care what the candidates’ positions are on TPP. I feel they should be re-directed to a discussion about what to do about large US trade deficits.

https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/topcurmon.html
https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements
https://ustr.gov/tpp/overview-of-the-TPP
http://epi.yale.edu/epi/country-rankings
http://epi.yale.edu/our-methods
https://www.conference-board.org/ilcprogram/index.cfm?id=28277
http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2014/06/03/china-asean-wage-comparisons-70-production-capacity-benchmark.html
http://www.cushmanwakefield.com/~/media/global-reports/ManufacturingIndex2014_NT_MReilly.pdf

August 29, 2015

On the Issues: Infrastructure - Our candidates need to be stronger

All of us know how important rebuilding infrastructure here in the US is to our futures. Our 2016 candidates need to do a better job putting a cohesive message together on infrastructure.

HRC offers an infrastructure bank with no capitalization levels or funding mechanism provided.

BS offers a $1 trillion package which includes a $25 billion funded infrastructure bank with no proposed way to pay for it.

MM offers nothing specific. Has some good history trying in MD, though.

Please fill in holes if you think I have them. I don’t hate your candidate…just trying to learn. I fear these candidates are trying to avoid the “tax and spend liberal tag”. IMO, a simple increase in the gas tax should be able to fund infrastructure and I-Banks. There have been no increases in the gas taxes in forever and we pay much less than others around the world in gas taxes.

Please keep the Hillary is a liar and Bernie is a racist stuff out of this thread…we know who hates who in here. Help us pick a candidate. Make us more informed about your candidate.

Hillary Clinton

Identifiable proposal is establish an infrastructure bank. From her July, 2015 speech at the New School

Then there are the new public investments that will help establish businesses and entrepreneurs, create the next generation of high-paying jobs.
You know, when we get Americans moving, we get our country moving. So let’s establish an infrastructure bank that can channel more public and private funds…channel those funds to finance world-class airports, railways, roads, bridges and ports.
And let’s build those faster broadband networks and make sure there’s a greater diversity of providers so consumers have more choice.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/07/13/hillary-clinton-transcript-building-the-growth-and-fairness-economy/

I could not find any information on infrastructure other than the infrastructure bank on Hillary’s campaign site.

Bernie Sanders

$1 trillion over 5 years infrastructure funding. Legislation proposed in January, 2015 would be on top of normal infrastructure spending. The bill would fund both infrastructure and an infrastructure bank ($5 billion per year capital).

No mechanism to pay for the spending appears to be indicated in the legislation. According to an article from The Hill:

Sanders did not offer a concrete funding mechanism for his proposal.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s268/text
http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/230866-sen-sanders-files-1t-infrastructure-bill

Martin O’Malley

15 Goals section of his web site includes a section on clean energy, but nothing specific on infrastructure.

A 2012 article in the Huffington Post covers his testimony and proposal on what to do about infrastructure in Maryland on why. Does a good job of explaining why using tax increases to pay for the improvements makes sense.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gov-martin-omalley/we-need-to-invest-in-infr_b_1347197.html

Come on DU! Teach us something!

August 24, 2014

Memorial Wall for Victims of Law Enforcement Violence

In honor of Michael Brown, I decided to do my part and try to educate myself on just how often unarmed people are seriously injured or killed by police. What I found was pretty gruesome:

•Other countries law enforcement do not necessarily kill their citizens near as often as we do.
•There were dozens of shades of gray cases for every one I found to be a shooting worthy of charges, even if local officials did not.
•The cops name was not released initially in a lot of cases.
•There is very much a theme to officers’ alibis, “going for their waste band”, “approaching aggressively”, “furtive movement”.

The obvious conclusion for me is that extreme force is used way too casually, the excuses and circling the wagons is like second nature, and there tends to be very little reporting after the fact. The “officer involved shooting” articles are everywhere. The holding officials accountable, what really happened articles are scarce.

With that here is my personal USA wall of shame, add your own as I’m sure I missed many.

Last year, in total, British police officers actually fired their weapons three times. The number of people fatally shot was zero. In 2012 the figure was just one. Even after adjusting for the smaller size of Britain’s population, British citizens are around 100 times less likely to be shot by a police officer than Americans. Between 2010 and 2014 the police force of one small American city, Albuquerque in New Mexico, shot and killed 23 civilians; seven times more than the number of Brits killed by all of England and Wales’s 43 forces during the same period.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2014/08/armed-police

Victor White - Cops claim he committed suicide using a gun hidden in his pants while handcuffed AFTER being arrested

http://www.klfy.com/story/26349989/victor-white-autopsy-findings-released

Police shoot unarmed man in Salt Lake City

http://www.fox13now.com/2014/08/11/breaking-man-dead-after-officer-involved-shooting-in-s-salt-lake-police-say/

Eric Garner choked to death by police

John Crawford shot to death at an Ohio Walmart

http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2014/08/23/fact-checker-police-brutality-toward-blacks-rare/14424297/

No charges against police:
http://www.alternet.org/how-terrible-police-training-destroying-america?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark

Mentally ill Ezzel Ford shot and killed by police in LA

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/20/steven-lerman-ezell-ford_n_5695523.html

Dante Parker, father of five tazed by police, dies in custody

http://www.copwatchie.org/?q=node/230

Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams - Police say Russell did not comply with orders to stop. Shot at 137 times and killed in Cleveland. Undisclosed settlement.

http://www.businessinsider.com/cleveland-police-disciplined-in-deadly-chase-2013-8

Dustin Theoharis shot 20 times while sleeping in a case of mistaken identity

http://www.copblock.org/37399/cops-shoot-innocent-man-in-bed-no-charges-filed/

Keivon Young, shot in a case of mistaken identity

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Deputies-Who-Shot-Teen-Falsely-Accuse-Him-Resisting-Arrest-Lawyer-259311651.html

Jonathon Ferrell, shot seeking police help after a traffic accident

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mari-fagel/jonathan-ferrell-attorney_b_4676681.html

Others unarmed shot, most killed by law enforcement in recent years I was able to find using google searches;

Brian Newt Beaird $5 million settlement,

Kendrec McDade, shot by two Pasadena police officers in March, 2012 after a 911 caller falsely reported that two men with guns had stolen a backpack from his car. As police chased two teenagers through city streets, they say McDade turned quickly toward one of the police officers in a patrol car; they say McDade reached for his pants. Police fired several shots, some from close range. McDade was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Officers Mathew Griffin and Jeffrey Newlen no sanctions. $1 million settlement.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_26526887/pasadena-says-it-will-release-redacted-report-kendrec

Amadou Diallo struck 19 times by police holding his wallet they said was a gun, multi million dollar settlement,

Patrick Dorismond, unarmed and shot to death after police officer fired a bullet into his chest. Police claim Dorismond became belligerent after the undercover cop approached him about buying drugs, however, according to his friend, the cop never identified himself as a police officer.

Ousmane Zongo, Police had targeted the Manhattan storage facility while investigating a CD/DVD pirating operation. Zongo repaired art and musical instruments at the same location but was never implicated in any way in the scheme. The shooter, NYPD officer Bryan Conroy, was disguised as a postal worker. He was guarding a bin of CDs when Zongo appeared to turn on a light. A chase ensued that ended when Zongo ran into a dead end. Conroy shot Zongo four times, twice in the back. Justice Robert H. Straus convicted Conroy of criminally negligent homicide, and was given five years probation.

Timothy Stansbury, Jr. An unarmed 19-year-old New York City man who was shot and killed by New York Police Department Officer Richard S. Neri Jr. on January 24, 2004. Officer Neri and a partner were patrolling the rooftop of a housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn at about 1 a.m. Officer Neri, with his gun drawn, approached a rooftop door to check the stairway inside. Neri testified to a Brooklyn grand jury that he fired his standard Glock 17 pistol unintentionally when he was startled as Stansbury pushed open the rooftop door.

Sean Bell Shot outside a night club just hours before his wedding, 50 bullets fired by five plainclothes NYPD officers, 3 of the 5 charged.

Ernesto Duenez Jr. Killed on June 8, 2011 by police officer John Moody. The dash cam video shows an officer pulling up behind a pick-up truck, and Duenez getting out. The officer tells him to put his hands up, then fires off about a dozen shots, hitting Duenez. $2.2 million settlement. No charges filed.

Orlando Barlow Unarmed and on his knees when he is shot by Las Vegas police officer Brian Hartman. Hartman testified he thought Barlow was fidgeting in his waistband for a gun. The shooting was unanimously ruled justifiable, but Hartman and two other officers were fired after they printed T-shirts with the initials “BDRT” — “Baby’s Daddy Removal Team.”

Aaron Campbell Shot and killed after he emerged from a Northeast Portland apartment where officers had been called to perform a welfare check on a suicidal, armed man. He was running away from police after being bean bagged.

Victor Steen A 17-year-old on a bike was chased by a police officer in a cruiser. When the boy refused to stop, the officer aimed his Taser out the driver's window and fired. The boy fell off the bike and the cruiser ran over him, killing him.

Steven Eugene Washington Shot by gang enforcement officers Allan Corrales and George Diego near Los Angeles' Koreatown shortly after midnight Saturday after he approached them and appeared to remove something from his waistband, police said. No weapon was recovered. Corrales and Diego heard a loud noise while driving in their patrol car and turned around to see Washington. The officers said the 27-year-old was looking around suspiciously and manipulating something in his waist area.

Deandre Brunston and a police dog released to attack him and the sandle (yes, a sandle like the one you where on your foot) he was holding,

Wendell Allen shot unarmed and shirtless on his front porch.

James Brissette, Ronald Madison Six days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, members of the city's police department killed 17-year-old James Brissette and 40-year-old Ronald Madison. Four other people were wounded. All victims were unarmed. Madison, a mentally disabled man, was shot in the back. New Orleans police fabricated a cover-up story for their crime.

Travares McGill- Security guard William Patrick Swofford told investigators he opened fire on 16-year-old Travares McGill last summer because he felt he was in imminent danger. McGill was coming at him in a car, tires squealing. But a review of more than 600 pages of evidence shows that the bullet that killed McGill hit him in the middle of the back and that Swofford kept firing after the car was no longer headed toward him.

Ramarley Graham Officer shot Graham after Narcotics Task Force followed Graham into his home. (security cameras document that police falsely claimed Graham ran away from police.)

Oscar Grant Shot by a transit officer in the back as he was lying face down on the ground.

Emma Hernandez, 71 and Margie Carranza, 47 shot 100 times, survived, $4.7 million settlement.

Flint Farmer An unarmed, 29-year-old man fatally shot by a Chicago Police officer in June 2011 while lying on the ground in a fetal position. $4.1 million settlement.

Andy Lopez A 13 year old shot while holding a toy gun.

Kenneth Harding Jr. Shot after fleeing police after not paying a transit fair in SF.

Bobby Bennett Survived being shot by officer who claimed he lunged after her, tapes showed he was standing still.

Steven Rodriguez Shot and killed after breaking windows at a Carl’s Jr. $875,000 settlement.

Stephon Watts An autistic teen holding a butter knife.

Manuel Loggins Jr. An ADHD patient, shot while unarmed by police getting into his SUV. $4.4 million settlement.

Allen Kephart Died of a heart attack after being tased 16 times on a traffic stop.

Kendrec Lavelle McDade Shot after a 911 caller falsely reported McDade was armed and had stolen his laptop, accuser later saying he said McDade was armed so police would come quicker, lawsuit settled by police.

Lamont Harmon Lawsuit says Harmon answered questions when stopped by police but then turned to walk away. Deputies fired a Taser gun. Harmon feared for his life and ran. The lawsuit goes on to say deputies pulled out their guns, firing 18 shots killing him.

Dane Garrett Scott Jr. Shot in the back after running away from an officer who had disarmed him. Officer got 4 years.

Davinian Williams Officer killed him after pulling him over for driving erratically. A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office internal investigation found that Williams did not follow commands to show his hands or grip the steering wheel, and Edwards believed "there was a clear imminent threat against his life and that Williams had retrieved a weapon from the floorboard." The three-year veteran officer fired seven shots, hitting Williams six times. Police later found cocaine shoved into Williams' socks, but no weapon in his car. Sherriff sought termination of the officer despite DA ruling of justifiable homicide.

Deshone Lamar Travis Police went to Travis' home to question him about a robbery. He was uncooperative. Officers "feared for their life" because Travis backed his car towards them. Officers fatally shot him. Witnesses said Travis was driving no more than 5mph and was no threat. Travis' father told the press that the police had returned his car keys to Travis and so he thought he was free to leave. He was not trying to escape.

Aaron Palmer Shot when a Seminole County Drug Court officer, Ken Cherry entered the home to serve a warrant to his father. Police said he lunged at the officer with a knife. Palmer left behind his wife, Nicole, and a 3 year old daughter, Mia. The shooting of Aaron Palmer was eventually ruled justified, but his family is in the middle of fighting that decision.

Albert Jermaine Payton Police, responding to a report of 'threats to do bodily harm' around 5:45 PM, say they found Payton out on the street, carrying what witnesses describe as a steak or kitchen knife. &quot

Officers) asked the gentleman to put down his knife several times," D.C. Assistant Police Chief Diane Groomes told reporters. "He failed to comply and went towards the officers at which time they shot him." Police say Payton was shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital. Some neighbors now wonder if officers could've used a taser to subdue Payton instead of gunfire.

Alonzo Ashley The coroner said his death at the Denver Zoo was a homicide. Police and zoo security surrounded Ashley after he made several irrational comments, attacked a security guard and threw around trash cans. Police said Ashley stopped breathing as they physically restrained him on the ground. He died later at a hospital. Family wanted officers charged with murder. The family was told about the autopsy results and the decision to not file charges.

In the aftermath of Michael Brown's shooting in the streets of Ferguson, MO, bearing witness to how often these tragedies happen is one step toward what really needs to occur; ACKNOWLEDGING WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

Please add others who should be remembered below. It's a far bigger list than many would like to acknowledge

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