Friday, October 31, 2014

Sharpton calls for federal prosecution in Ferguson - Yahoo News

Sharpton calls for federal prosecution in Ferguson - Yahoo News

JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
With a grand jury decision and a local election looming, the Rev. Al Sharpton returned to St. Louis on Friday to renew calls for the federal prosecution of a white police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black 18-year-old in the nearby suburb of Ferguson.

The civil rights activist said leaks about the supposedly secret St. Louis County grand jury deliberations undermine the local inquiry into whether to indict Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson in Michael Brown's killing.

The panel is expected to complete its review by mid-November, independent of Justice Department investigations into both Brown's death and the broader practices of the Ferguson department.

Legal analysts have said leaked information about Wilson's testimony to investigators could be an attempt to prepare the public for the possibility that the grand jury might recommend he not face charges.

"The grand jury is tainted. The confidence of the family has been shattered," Sharpton said after meeting briefly with Brown's parents and local activists at a breakfast rally before returning to New York. "We should turn this over to the federal government."

Sharpton's remarks were followed by a training of volunteer "justice disciples" who will monitor the police response to anticipated protests over the upcoming grand jury decision. He's scheduled to again join Brown's parents Monday at a get-out-the-vote rally in St. Louis, with a particular emphasis on a St. Louis County executive race that has largely become a referendum on Ferguson.

Sharpton, who delivered the eulogy at Brown's funeral and has joined Michael Brown Sr. and Lesley McSpadden at news conferences in Ferguson, Atlanta and Washington, said published reports suggesting Ferguson chief Tom Jackson was being forced to step down distract from the fundamental point of the Ferguson protests and what organizers call a broader social movement.

"Don't act like you can exchange a job for justice," he said. "To suggest that just changing who the chief is answers how this young man was killed is an insult to the intelligence." Jackson, meanwhile, criticized Attorney General Eric Holder's recent call for "wholesale change" in the department.

The Ferguson chief told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Holder's comments in Washington this week were "irresponsible" while the federal investigations continue. Jackson said he is "low-hanging fruit" for critics but has no plans to resign.

"I think he's about to leave office and needs to say he accomplished something in Ferguson," Jackson said of Holder, who has announced his resignation but plans to remain in office until a replacement is confirmed.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Charles Barkley Slams ‘Unintelligent,’ ‘Brainwashed’ Black People for Holding Successful Ones Back (Audio) - Yahoo TV

Charles Barkley Slams ‘Unintelligent,’ ‘Brainwashed’ Black People for Holding Successful Ones Back (Audio) - Yahoo TV

















JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Charles Barkley is dishing out some tough love for what he describes as ”unintelligent” African-Americans who embrace thug culture and criticize others for not being “black enough.”

Barkley, an NBA Hall of Famer and TV analyst with TNT, made the comments in response to a question regarding a report that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson isn't seen as “black enough” by some of his NFL teammates.
 “For some reason we are brainwashed to think, if you're not a thug or an idiot, you're not black enough,” Barkley said. “If you go to school, make good grades, speak intelligent, and don't break the law, you're not a good black person.”

He made the controversial comments in an interview with CBS Philadelphia radio's “Afternoons with Anthony Gargano and Rob Ellis.”
 
“There are a lot of black people who are unintelligent, who don't have success,” he continued. “It's best to knock a successful black person down because they're intelligent, they speak well, they do well in school and they're successful … It's just typical B.S. that goes on when you're a black, man.” He also described the situation as ”a dirty, dark secret.”
Barkley is known for being outspoken. He recently defended the NFL’ Adrian Peterson, who is accused of physically abusing his son, noting that “we spank kids in the South.”

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Autopsy of slain Missouri teen shows close-range gunshot: report - Yahoo News

Autopsy of slain Missouri teen shows close-range gunshot: report - Yahoo News
















JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
A government autopsy of the unarmed black teenager whose killing by a white police officer set off months of protests in Ferguson, Missouri, suggests he suffered a gunshot to the hand from close range, according to a copy of the autopsy published by the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

The autopsy results could buttress claims by supporters of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson that the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown, 18, was justified.

Activists said the leak of the report to the newspaper was adding to tensions in the community, which has been the site of numerous protests, some with clashes between demonstrators and police, in the 10 weeks since the shooting.

The report comes days after the New York Times, citing federal government officials briefed on a civil rights investigation, reported that Wilson told investigators he feared for his life and battled with Brown in his vehicle over his gun.

A grand jury is considering charges against Wilson, who has not spoken publicly about the shooting. Protesters have said they expect widespread unrest if he is not charged and local and state authorities have said they are preparing for that possibility.

"There is a lack of trust. That is why people are protesting every single night," said Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, a civil rights organization. "They have a fundamental belief that the system is stacked against them. These continual leaks raise a lot of suspicion."

Ed Magee, a spokesman for the St. Louis County prosecutor's office, said a decision is expected sometime in mid-November.

Brown's death has sparked protests across Ferguson, a primarily black community with a mostly white police force and city government, and has drawn global attention to race relations in the United States.

The St. Louis County medical examiner's autopsy indicates that Brown's hand was close to Wilson's weapon, according to forensic experts interviewed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The autopsy said a microscopic examination of Brown's hand tissue showed particles "consistent with products that are discharged from the barrel of a firearm." The medical examiner also found that Brown tested positive for marijuana.

A representative for the county medical examiner verified the authenticity of the autopsy report the newspaper posted and said the office did not provide the report to the Post-Dispatch.

The shooting happened shortly after noon on Aug. 9 when Brown was walking down the middle of a neighborhood street with a friend and Wilson, who was driving by, ordered them out of the street.

Accounts differ but witnesses and law enforcement officials have agreed that Wilson and Brown became embroiled in an altercation through the window of the Wilson's vehicle and Wilson exited his vehicle and shot Brown several times.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Sanford Rubinstein Steps Down From Eric Garner Case Due To Rape | News One

Sanford Rubinstein Steps Down From Eric Garner Case Due To Rape | News One

 rubin

JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Prominent civil rights attorney Sanford Rubinstein (pictured) has reportedly withdrawn himself from police choking victim Eric Garner $75 million lawsuit case against the city of New York because he has to focus on defending himself against a rape allegation, according to the New York Post.

RELATED: Read NewsOne’s Eric Garner Coverage Here

In a statement made on Tuesday, the 70-year-old lawyer, who has yet to be arrested or charged for the allegation and has vehemently claimed his innocence, announced, “I  will be stepping back from any role representing the family of police-choking victim Eric Garner so there are no distractions from the family’s fight for justice.  Other highly capable attorneys will remain on the team representing the Garner family and will continue to press for justice and accountability.”

Garner, 43, a Long Island resident, died on July 17th, after the NYPD attempted to arrest him on charges of hawking cigarettes. Police wound up putting Garner in a chokehold and forcibly dragging him down to the pavement even though Garner kept alerting them to the fact that he could not breathe.

Rubinstein has an incredible track record for winning difficult civil rights cases, particularly police brutality ones like that of Abner Louima and the family of Sean Bell. Louima, who was savagely beaten and sodomized by the NYPD back in 1997, received a reported $8.7 million. Bell was an unarmed man who was gunned down by the NYPD the night before his wedding day back in 2006. Bell’s family received a reported $7 million.

Rubinstein is a longtime friend of Baptist minister and civil rights activist Al Sharpton.  Rubinstein and his accuser, a 42-year-old executive at Sharpton’s National Action Network, reportedly went to his apartment after attending the civil rights activist’s 60th birthday celebration.  The woman claims she was raped on the night she went to Rubinstein’s apartment and then awakened to find herself engaging in another sexual act with him the following day, according to a police source. Police investigators also suspect Rubinstein might have used an object to penetrate the woman.

The case is being treated as a third-degree rape because the alleged victim was incapable of consent. A police source told the New York Daily News that the woman was “a little drunk” when she left Sharpton’s party.  The woman did tell police she remembered going to Rubinstein’s home but not giving her consent to have sex.  Authorities are investigating whether the alleged victim was drugged.

The victim, who is reportedly a Black woman, sought treatment at a hospital, and according to a police source, was bleeding from her genitals. A rape kit was brought in for her as well.

The Racial Double Standard on Gun Violence | Josh Horwitz

The Racial Double Standard on Gun Violence | Josh Horwitz

JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
One week ago, in an op-ed for the far right wing website World Net Daily, National Rifle Association (NRA) Board Member Ted Nugent commented on the violence that has made national headlines in Ferguson, Missouri, and stated, "The overwhelming majority of violent crime across America is conducted by young, black males who, sadly, are on the self-inflicted expressway to prison or an early grave-or more often than not, both."

Where to begin... For starters, Nugent has blatantly misstated the facts. In truth, more whites are arrested for violent crime in the United States than blacks (even though African Americans are arrested for such crimes at a higher rate than whites). There are multiple socioeconomic and structural causes that increase an individual's propensity for violent behavior. Pigmentation is simply not a factor.

But reading Nugent's column brought an equally important point home for me. The way we talk about incidents of gun violence in this country -- and the solutions we propose to stem future acts of violence -- seems to be dramatically different depending on the race of those involved.

Consider the tragic death of 25 year-old African-American Kajieme Powell in St. Louis this summer. Powell came to the attention of St. Louis County police on August 19 when he stole two energy drinks and packet of pastries from a local convenience store. He made no attempt to get away, however. Instead, he placed the cans on the ground outside the store and paced nervously back and forth, as if waiting for something. When two police officers arrived on the scene, Powell walked toward them with a kitchen knife in his hand, yelling, "Shoot me!" As he closed in on the officers, they obliged, shooting him dead.

It was a textbook example of suicide-by-cop. And yet very little of the subsequent national conversation mentioned the issue of mental health. Instead, we got the standard character assassination that is so common when African-Americans are involved as perpetrators. Comments like this one by NBC contributor Jeff Halevy: "Knife-wielding thug who just robbed a store. Get over it. It's not always race."

It's not always race? Then why is a perpetrator immediately dehumanized when he is African-American? He is a "thug" who was involved in a "drive-by." Or he's a "gang banger" who got caught up in "inner city violence" ... Convenient terms to let people know that it was a black person who pulled the trigger. Mental health is not part of the discussion, even in cases like Powell's where it's an obvious factor.

Conversely, when an episode of mass gun violence involves a white perpetrator (think Jared Loughner, James Holmes, Elliot Rodger, etc.), the conversation immediately turns to mental health. The shooter was "deranged" and probably on medication, we are told. And we'll hear asides like, "He seemed like such a good person" or "We never could have seen this coming."

This dichotomy of treatment is intentional. Consider the NRA's response to the Sandy Hook massacre committed by Adam Lanza, a young white man. NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre conducted a press conference a week after the tragedy and condemned our government for refusing "to create an active national database of the mentally ill" -- a curious position for an organization that purports to be a protector of individual rights and privacy. Meanwhile, LaPierre rants to conservative audiences about "knock-out gamers" and sits on the NRA board with Nugent, who declared, "Apartheid isn't that cut and dry. All men are not created equal."

The NRA fully understands the racial dynamic at play here. As long as we can blame something other than guns, America will not have to come to terms with the truth that violence is a complicated phenomenon that is made far more lethal by the easy availability and killing power of firearms. And for an organization with an overwhelmingly conservative, white base, that "something other" is minorities.

The gun lobby is able to pitch this myth because, on the surface, it may seem that gun violence is connected to race. Although African Americans make up only 13 percent of the U.S. population, nearly 40 percent of homicides are committed by African-Americans. However, as I noted above, more sophisticated analyses of the propensity for interpersonal violence show race is not a determinative factor in violent behavior. For example, gun death rates (including suicide) for blacks and whites are similar in some states (including Mississippi, New Mexico, and Arizona). States where this is not the case typically have substantial areas of segregated poverty (i.e., Missouri, Michigan, and Illinois). Let's not forget that, throughout history, racist government policies have contributed to poverty, unemployment and lack of mental health services in communities that are predominantly African-American. Take any racial or ethnic group and subject them to these types of conditions and the results will be similar.

Nonetheless, the NRA understands that fear is the best motivator when it comes to selling guns. Sadly, its not-so-subtle attempt to blame African-Americans for (all) violence seems to be a contributing factor to the unnecessary killing of unarmed black men in our society.

Let us also reject the gun lobby's unnecessary stigmatization of the mentally ill. The truth is the majority of individuals with a mental illness diagnosis will never be violent toward others. Only about 4 percent of interpersonal violence in America is caused by mental illness alone (there is, however, a strong correlation with mental illness and suicide). Yet, if you were to focus on media coverage surrounding mass shootings, you'd likely come away with the impression that all mentally ill Americans are violent, crazed maniacs who are moments away from going postal. This is patently untrue, and it diverts us from a productive discourse about true risk factors for violence -- including low socioeconomic status, substance abuse, and history of arrest.

Which brings us back to what the NRA is trying to hide from public understanding, because whatever one's circumstances, easy access to firearms is known to make violence more lethal. For example, studies show that areas with more guns have more gun-related homicides. It is a national tragedy that we have a gun policy that makes it easy even for individuals with long histories of violence to obtain firearms. Felons, domestic abusers and those who have recently been adjudicated a danger to self and/or others based on mental health history are indeed a public safety threat, yet we still live in a country where approximately 40% of firearms transfers happen without a background check.

So I have three suggestions for a more peaceful and free America. First, let's stop using ugly euphemisms like "thug" to describe human beings who might have become violent for a complex set of reasons that have nothing to do with the color of their skin. Second, since we do have a gun violence problem in the United States, let's look for evidence-based solutions to deal with the problem, like universal background checks and expanded firearm prohibitions for those at risk of violence (i.e., violent misdemeanants, domestic abusers, alcohol abusers, etc.). Third, let's acknowledge that blaming gun violence on race (or mental illness) is a lazy and dishonest way of looking at a complicated problem that allows the gun lobby to avoid responsibility for the growing body count in America.

As a country that prides itself on extending political equality to every citizen, nothing less will do.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Ousted Haitian dictator, Jean-Claude Duvalier dies - Yahoo News

Ousted Haitian dictator, Jean-Claude Duvalier dies - Yahoo News
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:



Jean-Claude Duvalier, who presided over what was widely acknowledged as a corrupt and brutal regime as the self-proclaimed "president for life" of Haiti until a popular uprising sent him into a 25-year exile, has died. He was 63.

Duvalier died Saturday from a heart attack at the home of a friend in Port-au-Prince where he had been staying, said his lawyer, Reynold Georges, and several officials in the impoverished nation. The former leader, known as "Baby Doc," made a surprise return to Haiti in 2011, allowing victims of his regime to pursue legal claims against him in Haitian courts and prompting some old allies to rally around him. Neither side gained much traction, however, and a frail Duvalier spent his final years quietly in the leafy hills above the Haitian capital.
Haitian

President Michel Martelly expressed his condolences to the former dictator's family, making no mention of the widespread human rights abuses that occurred under Duvalier and his more notorious predecessor and father, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier.

"On behalf of the entire government and people of Haiti, I take this sad occasion to extend my sincere sympathies to his family, his relatives and his supporters across the country," Martelly said.

 The elder Duvalier was a medical doctor-turned-dictator who promoted "Noirisme," a movement that sought to highlight Haiti's African roots over its European ones while uniting the black majority against the mulatto elite in a country divided by class and color.

"Papa Doc" tortured and killed political opponents, relying on a dreaded civilian militia known as the Tonton Macoutes.

In 1971, Francois Duvalier suddenly died of an illness after naming his son to succeed him. At 19, Jean-Claude Duvalier became the world's youngest president.

Jean-Claude Duvalier ruled for 15 years, retaining the Tonton Macoutes and the brutality of his father's regime, though to a lesser extent. The son's administration was seen as less violent and repressive than that of the father, though it perhaps was more corrupt. Wisps of press freedom and personal criticism, something never tolerated under the elder Duvalier, emerged sporadically during the reign of "Baby Doc" because of international pressure. Still, human rights groups documented abuses political persecution. A trio of prisons known as the "Triangle of Death," which included the much-feared Fort Dimanche for long-term inmates, symbolized the brutality of his regime.

Since his return from exile, victims of the regime have testified in a criminal investigation of human rights abuses during his 15-year reign but the case has moved fitfully and there had been few signs of progress. His death brings an end to that effort without giving Haiti a chance to reconcile with that past, said Amy Wilentz, author of "The Rainy Season: Haiti Since Duvalier," and other works about the country.

"What this means is that there will never be a trial against him and there won't be a chance for the Haitian people to have justice and to purge from its soul the true horrors of the Duvalier era," Wilentz said. "It's an end but there is no closure that comes with it."

As president, Duvalier married the daughter of a wealthy coffee merchant, Michele Bennett, in 1980. The relationship caused a scandal among old Duvalierists because she was a mulatto. The lavish wedding, which
reportedly cost $5 million, also caused an uproar given Haiti's deep poverty.

Under Duvalier's rule, Haiti saw widespread demographic changes. Peasants moved to the capital in search of work as factories popped up to meet the growing demand for cheap labor. Thousands of professionals fled a climate of repression for cities such as New York, Miami and Montreal.

Tourists also flocked to the country, some in search of a form of tropical hedonism that included booze, prostitution and Voodoo ceremonies for which the country became legendary.

The National Palace became known for opulent parties as Duvalier's wife took overseas shopping sprees to decorate and collect fur coats. Duvalier relished taking his presidential yacht out for a spin and racing about in sports cars.

Under mounting pressure from the administration of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Duvalier made pretenses of improving the country's human rights record by releasing political prisoners. Still, journalists and activists were jailed or exiled. Haitians without visas or money left by boarding flimsy boats in a desperate effort to reach Florida shores.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch estimated that up to 30,000 Haitians were killed, many by execution, under the regime of the two Duvaliers.

As Haiti's living conditions deteriorated, Pope John-Paul II made a visit in 1983 and famously declared: "Things must change."

Three years later, they did. A popular uprising swept across Haiti, and Duvalier and his wife boarded a U.S.-government C-141 for France.

The couple divorced in 1993. Duvalier later became involved with Veronique Roy, who accompanied him on his 2011 return to Haiti.

While in exile in France, Duvalier occasionally made public statements about his eagerness to return to Haiti. Supporters periodically marched on his behalf in the Haitian capital.

On Jan. 16, 2011, Duvalier made his surprise return. He said he wanted to help in the reconstruction of Haiti, whose capital and outlying cities were heavily damaged by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake the year before. Many suspected he came back in an effort to reclaim money he had allegedly stashed. Others said he merely wanted to die in his homeland.

Despite the occasional stay in the hospital, Duvalier seemed to enjoy his new life back home and was free to roam the capital. He was spotted attending government ceremonies and dining with friends in several high-end restaurants. In 2013 he began renovating an old house that Roy said had been destroyed in the wake of his 1986 ouster.

Duvalier and his wife, Michele, had two children, son Francois Nicolas "Nico" and daughter Anya.