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The Manhattan district attorney’s office says the man was responsible for the wounds two women suffered when the police shot at him.Even as a little kid, my mom taught me that the only person responsible for my actions is me. Apparently the police in this case never learned that lesson.
ThinkProgressOver the weekend the Portland Press Herald reported on and released a video of Capt. Shawn Welch at the Maine Correction Center pepper-spraying a restrained inmate in the face and leaving him in distress for more than twenty minutes while he repeatedly pleaded that he could not breath. The inmate was reportedly recovering from a self-inflicted wound and on several medications for bipolar disorder and depression at the time when officers in protective gear placed him in a restraining chair for medical personnel to examine his wounds.After he was physically restrained in the chair, he struggled as guards pinned his head under an arm, at which point Welch used a pepper spray canister intended for multiple subjects at a 18 to 20 feet range to spray the inmate in the face at close range. Welch was initially fired by the institution’s supervisor, but reinstated with a 30-day suspension by Maine Corrections Commissioner Joseph Ponte.
"Your possession of that indicates a breach of security on our part and we absolutely do need to look into that," said Associate Commissioner Jody Breton. "We certainly will be tightening up security -- where (information) is stored, who has access."According to them, their concern isn't because it shows the callous treatment, but rather because it reveals sensitive information about the inmate. Ok, I get that the inmate deserves privacy, but since the inquiry did not resolve nor punish those responsible, I think that the citizens deserve to know and to act upon this knowledge.
It sounds like a bad Lifetime movie, although the term "bad Lifetime movie" is a bit redundant."A Catholic priest, facing criminal charges and a lawsuit alleging that he sexually abused a teenage boy, is now charged with attempting to hire someone to kill the youth, authorities said Tuesday."
"An arrest in which several punches were thrown has triggered an accusation of brutality against Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, police from the mother of the 18-year-old honor student who was taken into custody.Police, in a criminal complaint on the incident, say "closed fist strikes" were used by the undercover police officers, but only to subdue the teenager as he tried to get away.
His mother said she plans to file a civil rights claim against the officers.
Terez Miles said her son, Jordan Miles, who is black, thought his life was in jeopardy when three white men jumped out of a car on the night of January 11 as he walked not far from his home.
"My son tried to run thinking his life was in jeopardy," Terez Miles said. "He made three steps before he slipped and fell." After that, she said, the police used a stun gun and beat him, pulling out a chunk of his hair.
The criminal complaint says the officers, considering Jordan Miles' appearance suspicious, got out of the car and identified themselves as police. He tried to flee, fell, and then struggled to escape.
The officers "delivered 2-3 closed fist strikes to Miles' head/face with still no effect," and then a "knee strike to Miles' head causing him to momentarily stop resisting," so that he could be handcuffed, the document says.
Miles' mother said the officers did not identify themselves as police to her son, a viola player and student at the city's Creative and Performing Arts High School.
The complaint says the police officers believed Miles was engaged in criminal activity and possibly armed with a "large heavy object." The object turned out to be a bottle of Mountain Dew.
Miles was charged with aggravated assault, loitering, resisting arrest and escape."
I, too, would be afraid for my life if three white people jumped out of a car and ran after me, and I am white! He was walking from home to his grandmother's, he could have been coming home or simply taking a walk. How the hell is that loitering? Considering that the kid is not that big, I highly doubt that he was thinking "I could take these guys." So why is he the one being charged with aggravated assault after he took three steps and fell?
What is even more ridiculous is that they felt it was necessary to beat him after Tasering him. In college, I had a roommate who was studying criminology and had essentially an apprenticeship with the local police force and academy. Before you could carry a stun gun, you first had to be hit with it in order to know what it feels like so you wouldn't go around hitting people with it willy nilly. (Or at least that was the requirement here). Trust me when I say that immediately after being Tasered, even at a low setting, you aren't capable of doing much unless you are on PCP, speed, or some other insane drug. So why did the officers feel that it was then necessary to beat him when he was already pretty much as subdued as he was going to get.
Even if the officers did announce themselves as such, it would have still been hard to believe them since they were plainclothes and (I am assuming here) in an unmarked car. As if their actions weren't already questionable enough, they did not even show for the hearing.
"A Eugene man says he could be $800 in the hole when he was just trying to be a good Samaritan.
"I was getting ready to go into the Post Office and I paid my meter," Ben Bond tells KEZI 9 News. But as he was sliding his quarter into the allotted slot, Bond noticed a meter maid headed his way. At that point, he says he noticed the car's meter next to his flashing zeros. Bond says, "I put money in it and the meter maid said she was still getting at ticket."
Bond says he simply continued on his way. Once he was finished with the Post Office, though, he says he saw the meter maid down the street, continuing to ticket more cars. Bond says he confronted her, unhappy that she gave the car neighboring his a ticket, despite his attempt to keep it from happening."I went two blocks ahead and put money in the meters," Bond says. That confrontation ended with Bond handcuffed and charged with harassment and obstruction of justice.
"They basically said that they got him for harassment for filling the parking meters because he was doing a random act of kindness," says Juaqin Hildebrandt, who saw the whole ordeal unfold through the window of his nearby restaurant.
"They about slammed him up against the wall," Hildebrandt continues. "I dont know [why] what he was doing wrong. They obviously thought something was wrong, putting quarters in parking meters is like some horrible crime."
Bond says he was given the choice of going to jail or being ticketed for $800 -- $530 for the obstruction of justice charge, another $270 for harassment.
"I was just trying to save people from getting tickets," says Bond. "I just want people to have a heart. Wake up. We're all in it together."KEZI 9 News called the Eugene Police Department for comment, but our calls weren't returned."
I just love my local police department, and they'll get to hear just how much! /sarcasm
"A 19-year-old man was found guilty yesterday of a homophobic attack on two gay teenagers.At least he's equal opportunity in his hatred of anyone different.
Michael Lee Hannan shouted that he hated gays before punching and headbutting the pair, aged 17 and 18, Blackburn magistrates' court heard.The Lancashire Telegraph reports he was given a six month suspended sentence and was ordered to pay £200 compensation to the teenagers, along with £85 costs.
The court heard he and his friends had approached a group of people, including the 18-year-old, in Blackburn town centre on the night of the assault and asked them for a cigarette.
A woman in the group gave him one but Hannan became abusive.
The group walked away to a nearby bus stop where they were joined by the 17-year-old but Hannan followed them, making homophobic comments.
Prosecutors said Hannan then punched the 17-year-old several times in the head without any warning and then turned to the 18-year-old to punch and headbutt him.
Hannan pleaded guilty to the attack.
In mitigation, his lawyer said he had been suffering from psychosis which was now being controlled by medication.
He added that Hannan was making progress with his prejudices through help from the Probation Service after a previous racially-aggravated assault."
"(Portland, Maine) A gun collector who introduced several weapons into sexual play with two other men contends the weapons were intended to fulfill a sexual fantasy. Instead, a lethal combination of drugs, extreme sex and Russian roulette has put him on trial for manslaughter.Anyone worth their salt in the community knows that you never, ever play while under the influence of ANYTHING. And if you do play with weapons, you make damned certain that it is under the safest conditions possible. Unfortunately this was in a private home, or else I would be screaming, "Where the hell was the Dungeon Master/Mistress?!" A gun collector should have known to triple check the chambers before even bringing it into the scene. Hell, I don't even own one, let alone ever use one in a scene, and I know that! This was in no way safe nor sane.
Both the defense and prosecutors say there was no intention to kill. But prosecutors say defendant Bruce Lavallee-Davidson, a farmer from Skowhegan, was responsible for ensuring his gun wasn’t loaded when it was being handled."
"POLICE believe a bizarre outbreak of horse mane weaving may be the work of a secretive cult of pagan worshippers practising a form of white magic."*Sighs and breaks out the soapbox.* Paganism does not automatically equal cult! Note how they also do not explain white magic.
"Although the braiding does no harm to the affected horses, owners are becoming increasingly bemused and concerned."Honestly, having had a horse, it helps keep their mane from snarling. If it had happened to mine, I just would have laughed.
"Mrs Parsons urged horse owners to send pictures of the plaits to local police and to remain vigilant. She added: "Until we know anything different this is worth taking very seriously. They seem to be targeting some individuals more than others, but why?""Ok, they were afraid that this was a way of marking the horses for thieves, but say now that is obviously not the case. In short, it's another case of "We have no explanation for this so we're going to blame it on Pagans." But why not Satanism like they usually do? Because no harm is being done. The public can easily imagine a Satanist killing cats and the like, but running around and braiding horses' manes? That's so silly, it sounds like something a Pagan would do! They run around the woods naked, right? Yup, must be them.
"Eugene taxpayers spend $42 million a year on a police department staff of 327, but the city insists it doesn’t have enough money and officers to keep downtown safe....That's right: my local police force is spending even more money on locking up the homeless in our already ridiculously overcrowded jail. It's the latest scheme in the city's zeal to "clean up" downtown. They obviously don't care about the indigent as citizens in their own right, they are just a "stain" that needs to be cleaned out of their precious city center.
Much of the downtown task team report appears to focus on more cops as a solution to the “unpleasant behavior” of the homeless, many of whom suffer from mental illness. Only one member of the 15-member task force recommended a cheaper, more direct and humane solution — spending a few hundred dollars a month to find each homeless person an apartment."
"The OhioDaily blog reports on a “rogue” dispatcher from the North Canton Police who recently sent out a racist e-mail from her work account. Dispatcher Anita Malachowski forwarded this message:“New “Air Force One” Tail Number and yes, please forgive me, I’m really sorry, I really, really tried not to laugh, but …………………..!”
Attached to the e-mail was an Photoshopped image of Air Force one with NI66ER written on the plane’s tail. As OhioDaily writes, “This type of message is offensive coming from anyone, but coming from someone in the position of dispatching police and prioritizing calls, it’s downright horrifying. The North Canton police have a hard enough job as it is without rogue dispatchers trying to incite a race riot or stirring tensions during the hot months of summer.”"
Even if it wasn't so blatantly offensive, it's still a gross misuse of police resources.
Welcome to Tiburon.
Click.
Your presence has been noted.
The posh and picturesque town that juts into San Francisco Bay is poised to do something unprecedented: use cameras to record the license plate number of every vehicle that crosses city limits.
Some residents describe the plan as a commonsense way to thwart thieves, most of whom come from out of town. Others see an electronic border gate and worry that the project will only reinforce Tiburon's image of exclusivity and snootiness.
"I personally don't see too much harm in it, because I have nothing to hide," commodities broker Paul Lambert, 64, said after a trip to Boardwalk Market in downtown Tiburon on a recent afternoon.
"Yet," he said, "it still has the taint of Big Brother."
"Most residents of Fort Worth have never even seen the inside of a gay bar. Fort Worth's police chief Jeff Halstead is counting on that fact—counting on the average person's ignorance about gay bars and certain stereotypes about gay men—to get a half a dozen Forth Worth police officers off the hook for conducting a violent raid on a Forth Worth gay bar, the Rainbow Lounge, late last Saturday night. Seven men were arrested during the raid, which took place on the 40th anniversary of the raid on the Stonewall Inn that kick-started the modern gay rights movement, and one of those men—Chad Gibson—remains in intensive care with a brain injury. Gibson may not survive.
The officers who raided the Rainbow Lounge claim that the men in the bar made "advances" on them—and Forth Worth's police chief is backing them up:
Monday, police chief Jeff Halstead said the officers' actions are being investigated. However, he also said that officers that entered the bar during the scheduled inspection were touched inappropriately.
"You're touched and advanced in certain ways by people inside the bar, that's offensive," he said. "I'm happy with the restraint used when they were contacted like that."
Allow me to translate the chief's comments: "Them faggots in that thar bar touched mah officers and now they're complainin' about some rough stuff and one little ol' faggot with a brain injury? Those perverts should be grateful they're alive."
This is a classic example of the Gay Panic Defense. In the very recent past all a straight man who brutally murdered a gay man had to say was, "He made a pass at me!", and the jury would ignore the evidence and let the murderer off. The Gay Panic Defense doesn't fly in many courts of law these days but it still has currency in the court of public opinion. And the chief of police in Forth Worth, a major U.S. city, is attempting to use the Gay Panic Defense to convince the citizens of Fort Worth to ignore the evidence—to ignore photographic evidence and credible eyewitness accounts—and let his officers off."
"Two gay men kissed at a Chico's Tacos restaurant, prompting guards to eject them and a police officer to endorse their ouster.
Civil-rights lawyers say the security staff was out of line. Police, though, contend that a business such as a restaurant can refuse service to anybody, any time.
In all, five men were ordered to leave the restaurant. They say they were forced out by homophobic guards.
"It was a simple kiss on the lips," said Carlos Diaz de Leon, a gay man who was part of the group.
He called police at 12:30 a.m. June 29 because he said the guards and restaurant had discriminated against the group after two of his friends kissed in public.
The five men, all gay, were placing their order at the Chico's Tacos restaurant on Montwood when the men kissed. All five sat down, but the two guards at the restaurant told them to leave.
De Leon quoted one of the guards as saying he didn't allow "that faggot stuff" in the restaurant."
Funny, that's the same excuse a lot of places used when they refused service to African Americans.
"She said the city anti-discrimination ordinance protects people on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation in public places. Perhaps more troubling, she said, was that the police officer chose not to enforce that ordinance and might have contributed to discrimination."
Somehow I doubt that the same restaurant and police officer would have had a problem with two heterosexual teenagers doing the hormonal groping octopus thing.
And finally, the coup de grace:
"De Leon said he and his friends left the restaurant after an officer threatened to issue a citation for "homosexual conduct."
Hrm, I didn't realize that being gay is a crime in Texas.
"The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a long-standing ruling that stopped police from initiating questions unless a defendant's lawyer was present, a move that will make it easier for prosecutors to interrogate suspects."
And please tell me I am not alone in noticing the tragic irony in the administration of our first African American president requesting that certain laws that were enacted in the first place to protect marginalized citizens be overturned?"The Obama administration had asked the court to overturn Michigan v. Jackson, disappointing civil rights and civil liberties groups that expected President Barack Obama to reverse the policies of his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush."
"As a storm of outrage gathered over his department, Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle called a news conference Thursday to apologize for the behavior of an officer who detained a distressed family outside a hospital emergency room.
Kunkle said Officer Robert Powell had been placed on paid administrative leave in connection with the incident last week, in which he stopped a family rushing to visit a dying mother, keeping them for 13 minutes to write a traffic ticket. The woman died before two of the family members were able to see her."
