First Amendment at work: “When she went across the stage I just called her name out. ‘Lakaydra’. Just like that,” Ursula Miller said she shouted about her niece. Miller and Henry Walker were two of the four people asked to leave Senatobia High School’s graduation ceremony for cheering. Police at Northwest Mississippi Community College, where the high school ceremony was … Read More
The GJ Charges Against The Baltimore 6
A Baltimore grand jury has charged all six police officers accused in the death of Freddie Gray. State Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby announced the revised charges yesterday, but the most serious charges – including second-degree murder – remained. In case you forgot already, Gray suffered a severe spinal cord injury in police custody in April and died a week later. His … Read More
Obama Tweets — Part II
Or, I suppose, I could have named this post “Remember: According To Conservatives, There’s No More Racism In The United States — Part II” Judging from some of the unbelievable tweets made to him, a lot of people are either really stupid or simply don’t care about possible repercussions their names being taken. Clearly, respecting the dignity of the office … Read More
Remember: According To Conservatives, There’s No More Racism In The United States
The Washington Post has a report on this ugly story: If You Search Google Maps for the N-Word, It Gives You the White House: We tested the claim on Tuesday night and confirmed that, yes, this is a thing. It even zooms the camera in, automatically. (For sensitivity’s sake, we partially obscured the search term and the autocomplete responses in … Read More
Lead Paint And Inner City Violence
I’m just going to point to this comprehensive and insightful Washington Post article which talks about Freddie Gray (whose death while in Baltimore police hands sparked the recent riots there) and lead paint. Like many inner city kids, Gray lived in sub-standard housing with peeling lead paint, and in his case, it specifically was blamed for ADHD and other problems. It … Read More
Guy Who Filmed Cops When They Arrested Gray Is Detained By Police For No Reason It Seems
The pushback is starting: Kevin Moore, the man who filmed police arresting Freddie Gray and dragging him on the ground was arrested on Thursday night, along with two other cop watchers from Ferguson. “The man who recorded one of two videos showing Baltimore cops dragging a screaming Freddie Gray into the back of a police van was arrested Thursday night, … Read More
Charges Brought Against Baltimore Police Officers In Death Of Freddie Gray
Breaking now: The death of Freddie Gray was a homicide, and there is “probable cause” for criminal charges, State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby says, citing her office’s “thorough and independent” investigation and the medical examiner’s report on Gray’s death. Mosby announced a range of charges against several Baltimore police officers, ranging from second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter to assault and … Read More
The Orioles-White Sox Game At Camden Yards
Attendance: 0 The first time in major league baseball history where there are no fans, due to ongoing riots (well, not so much anymore) in Baltimore. The players take the field. Overheard in the press box: “This is like an Expos game”. You can look in on the first inning Missed your window of opportunity. Your browser does not … Read More
Much To The Disappointment Of The Media, Not Much Happened In Baltimore Last Night
You could almost hear the desperation in Wolf Blitzer’s voice. They really wanted something to break out. There was a single incident where someone threw a bottle of water at a line of policeman, and the guy was quickly subdued and pepper spray was dispersed. CNN ran that 30 second clip over and over again for hours while nothing else happened. Well, this happened…. … Read More
Bullet Points On The Baltimore Riots
The catalyst, ostensibly, was the death of Freddie Gray — who died of a spinal cord injury sustained while in police custody. His funeral service was yesterday morning. There were peaceful protests throughout the day, but as high school kids left school, the protests became violent. 15 officers were injured — six seriously — from thrown bottles, rocks and bricks, as … Read More
Yet Another Black Man Killed By Overzealous Cops
The name this time around is Freddie Gray, the city this time is Baltimore, and the death this time was from complications of a massive spinal injury suffered while in police custody. Relatives, activists and even Baltimore city officials have more questions than answers about what happened to Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died one week after he was rushed … Read More
Bad Interview
Here’s a tip from one lawyer to all other lawyers out there: Don’t let your accused client go on television unless you (and your client) really know what you are doing. And that sounds vague to you, then you don’t know what you are doing. Look, 95 times out of 100, you are not going to turn public sentiment in … Read More
Black-Person-Death-By-Cop Quote Of The Day
“Oh, I shot him. I’m sorry.” – Robert Bates, a 73-year-old reserve deputy sheriff in Tulsa County, Okla., after he mistook his gun for his taser and fatally shot a suspect during an undercover operation. Not for nothing, but the 73 year old(!) volunteer policeman was only an actual cop for one year….. fifty years ago. Maybe having geriatric non-cops with lethal weapons … Read More