The Oregonian has this op-ed, advocating that Oregon voters not vote for Measure 90 in November 2014. That is the initiative for a top-two election system. The op-ed is by Blair Bobier.
On August 26, Public Policy Polling released an Iowa poll. For Governor, the results are: Republican incumbent Terry Branstad 48%; Democrat Jack Hatch 35%; Libertarian Lee Deakins Hieb 2%; New Independent Party Jim Hennager 2%; Iowa Party Jonathan Narcisse 1%; undecided 12%. For U.S. Senate, for the seat of retiring Tom Harkin: Democrat Bruce Braley(More)…
Protests continued as approximately 100 people gathered on Tuesday night in Ferguson to march for unarmed teenager Mike Brown who was executed by Officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department.
The march, organized by 100 Black Men, began around 6:20pm leaving from Greater St. Mark’s Family Church (the same church that was looted by cops– I mean raided– last week).
We were running a bit late and decided to drive to meet up with the march as it headed to W. Florissant, which ended up being more of a challenge than expected.
Police cars from many different departments lined the streets, filled the intersection, and were tucked in corners of every block.
As we attempted to turn down the street to meet the march we were stopped by an officer with his name tag blacked out. He asked if we were residents and informed us we could not proceed. I informed him I was press and he asked who I write for and asked to see credentials. He accepted my press pass and allowed us to continue.
Is that a shadow or a Hitler moustache?
The march proceeded to the burnt down Qwiktrip and then headed back towards the church.
An officer was filming the protestors then quickly dropped his camera when I pointed mine back at him.
Despite the extremely excessive police presence the march made it back and ended peacefully.
Break up the TSA airport security monopoly.
No minor party candidates filed to run for either branch of Congress in Massachusetts this year, except for the Green Party’s nominee in the 7th U.S. House district, Jason P. Lowenthal. However, even though he submitted 3,000 signatures to meet a requirement of 2,000 valid signatures, he has been told his petition is invalid. The(More)…
Police officer Justin Cosma was transferred to Ferguson, Missouri from another department in the state after he was sued for choking and hog-tying a 12-year-old boy.
Cosma made national news this week when he detained a group of journalists during the protests in Ferguson. Like many officers, after he was identified in the protests, reporters looked deeper into his records to see if he had a history of violence.
According to a lawsuit filed in 2012 in Missouri federal court, officers Justin Cosma and Richard Carter assaulted a 12 year old boy out front of his house as he was getting mail from his mailbox.
The lawsuit states that the police randomly approached and questioned the boy while he was out front of his house and asked him if he was recently playing on a nearby highway. When the boy told the officers that he wasn’t, they became confrontational, and attacked the child.
According to the lawsuit, “Unprovoked and without cause, the deputies grabbed [the boy], choked him around the neck and threw him to the ground. The boy was shirtless at the time, and allegedly suffered bruising, choke marks, scrapes and cuts across his body.”
The officers attempted to charge the child with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer, but the juvenile courts refused to take the case.
Richard R. Lozano, the lawyer representing the young man in the lawsuit, made the following statement to Huffington Post:
“The lawsuit alleges that Justin Cosma and Richard Carter, two deputies with the Jefferson County, Missouri sheriff’s department in 2010, assaulted my client during an encounter on my client’s driveway while his mother was inside their house. My client was 12 years old at the time, shirtless and was not suspected of any criminal behavior. He was checking the mail. The deputies approached my client and the encounter quickly escalated. My client was restrained, choked, thrown to the ground and hogtied by the two deputies. He suffered scrapes and choke marks to his neck. No charges were ever brought against my client. It is my understanding that Justin Cosma is currently an officer with the City of Ferguson.”
Read the lawsuit laying out the allegations against Cosma below.
Cop watcher, Jake D, was out conducting police officer accountability Sunday night when he came upon an Arlington, TX police officer double parked.
Although double parking in a private lot probably wouldn’t land you any tickets, it could very well land you tons of harassment by your local pd, especially being parked there at night. That harassment could easily turn into assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping, if you had an ‘illegal’ part of nature in your car.
Jake D, with Tarrant County Peaceful Streets Project, saw this opportunity to give an officer a taste of what it feels like to be shaken down when doing nothing wrong.
In a classic move, he quickly rolls up on the officer and begins demanding the officer’s “papers,” followed by accusations of smelling marijuana; just like an officer would act towards a citizen.
Jake D even gives the Free Thought Project a shout out during his police interrogation. Well done Jake, well done.
Some will claim that Jake should have left this officer alone, and that Jake was making this officer’s job harder. And it’s those people who we’d like to remind that revenue collection via arbitrary traffic laws, enforcement of laws that persecute victimless crimes, and fining, kidnapping, or killing you for a plant, are the actual things that make lives harder. Being held publicly accountable, by a member of the public, should be welcomed by those who conduct themselves in an ethical manner.
According to this story, a challenge has been filed to the New York gubernatorial petition of the “Rent is 2 Damn High” Party.
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The aftermath of the black teen’s August 9 shooting has seen two weeks of sometimes violent protest by the African-American community against the brutality of the largely white police force in Ferguson, highlighting racial tensions that still permeate American society. The tactics used by the police, clad in riot gear, also drew much attention during the unrest.
Michael Brown Sr. marched on Sunday, together with the crowds, while the parents of the slain black Florida teenager, Trayvon Martin, were also present to draw attention to the issues and advocate for peace over violence.
“Tomorrow all I want is peace,” Brown Sr. told the gathering ahead of Monday’s funeral for his son. “That’s all I ask.”
More than a thousand people are expected to show up to mourn the young man.
Accompanied by Rev. Al Sharpton, Michael’s parents spoke of their gratitude to the public for the outpouring of heartfelt support they’ve received in the past two weeks.
“We don’t want anything tomorrow to happen that might defile the name of Michael Brown,” Sharpton told the crowds. “This is not about our rage tomorrow. It’s about the legacy and memory of his son.”
“Tomorrow all I ask is for peace as our son is laid to rest. Please, please – it’s all I ask. #MichaelBrown Sr. pic.twitter.com/dj97ZEjp0U
— stevegiegerich (@stevegiegerich) August 24, 2014
As Lesley McSpadden, Michal Brown’s grandmother, took the stage, she had to compose herself to keep from bursting into tears, as the crowd offered their encouragement, saying “We love you. We love you. We love you.”
The event was also visited by Trayvon Martin’s parents. Their son, also unarmed, was gunned down in 2012 by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch officer.
Like Darren Wilson, the policeman who shot Brown, Zimmerman also thought the unarmed teen posed a threat. He was finally acquitted after it was ruled that he’d acted in self-defense.
Martin’s parents used the event to ask those gathered to offer their support for the Brown family. They urged the people of St. Louis to channel their anger into peace, and to use their pain to strengthen their unity and promote a future in which young people are educated and stay out of trouble.
“We’re going to stand tall with you all,” Tracy Martin, Trayvon’s father, told the people in his address.
Livestream of #Ferguson #PeaceFest via @NewsRevo @GlobalRevLive @YourAnonNews @YourAnonNews http://t.co/YfG3Hhk6QU pic.twitter.com/wTPpABMqra
— #NYtoMO #Ferguson (@NY2MO) August 24, 2014
Meanwhile, Saturday saw a second gathering to raise support and funds for Wilson. The all-white crowd gathered at a local sports bar. The crowd-funding campaign has been under fire as it has raised more money to date than all of the campaigns for his victim combined.
People attend the Peace Fest music festival in Forest Park on August 24, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. (AFP Photo / Scott Olson)Recent days have seen clashes abating between heavily-armed police and members of the African-American community in Ferguson. The on and off violence of the past week has gradually been replaced by sporadic visits by people to the scene of Brown’s shooting.
Sunday saw only a handful of people show up, with the watchful police force standing by without any incidents occurring. This followed a brief escalation in scuffles on Saturday, but the atmosphere soon returned to normal.
With this de-escalation, one festival attendee expressed hope for “a new start.” Niesha Thomas told journalists that “this should be a pivotal point where we move forward.”
Nonetheless, there are fears that a failure by the system to make the indictment against Wilson stick might lead to renewed violence, as evidence in the case is considered.
Brutal images of heavily armed police clashing with Ferguson’s protesters pushed US President Barack Obama to question the militarization of law enforcement, as he reportedly ordered a probe into police use of military gear against Americans.
Images of people shot by police officers are displayed by demonstrators protesting the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri August 23, 2014.(Reuters / Joshua Lott)A number of things about the way the overly militarized small-town police force has handled itself have led to increased debate, including the character of their equipment and the force’s failure to observe proper protocol.
READ MORE: Police lobbies pressure Congress to keep their military equipment
Strategies introduced after the 9/11 attacks, which provide police with federal grants and surplus military equipment, including military-grade body armor, mine-resistant trucks, silencers and automatic rifles, will all be reviewed, senior officials told the New York Times.
The Ferguson confrontations have brought all this into sharpened focus. Watchdog groups, rights advocates and the nation at large were drawn into the public outcry over police tactics, which also included the harassment and detention of journalists.
All through the protests, tear gas, flash-bang grenades and riot gear were used.
People attend the Peace Fest music festival in Forest Park on August 24, 2014 in St. Louis, Missouri. (AFP Photo / Scott Olson)
